DAY 1 10AM
The bunker commander made an announcement. "A year ago all 154 of us were thrust into a position to try and save the human race. I'm not sure if we can actually do that. There isn't enough food to feed everyone for more than a few days. That being said we are opening the bunker doors." He waited for the sudden noise to die down.

"There is nothing else we can do at this point but go out and see what is left of our country and our world. Now keep in mind, the nuclear reactors would have been leaking if not completely destroyed so there will likely be higher than safe radiation levels. There may also be fires burning still."

There was a lot of talking and there were many questions. People were scared. "Okay everyone calm down! There is no electricity and most buildings are going to be heavily damaged from tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis if they are still there at all." The commander was quiet and put up his hand.

"There will be animals. Probably new species and some of the old that may have mutated. Either way they are going to be vicious. The food chain has been altered. WE are no longer at the top of the food chain. There may be all kinds of creatures out there or there might be nothing alive at all." He paced a little bit.

"I can't help but feel like I am sending you out to your deaths. I very well could be. I do know that without food we WILL die in here. No question about that. At least out there we have a chance. It might be a small chance but that is better than nothing. I wish all of us a lot of luck and may God bless us all."

The more curious pushed and shoved their way to the doors. The military guards kept them at bay so the doors could be opened. When they were opened the scene before them was devastating. The air was polluted with remnants of the destruction that had engulfed the world.

Some of the group started gasping right away as their lungs and bodies couldn't handle the changed air. Most of the elderly died within minutes. By the end of the week there would be less than half of them.

Jason Lander

Jason walked to the entrance. Crowds of people were there. Not meaning to push anyone out of the way, he stood near the back. Some sort of official looked like he was about to begin a speech. With that, he began. "A year ago all 154 of us were thrust into a position to try and save the human race. I'm not sure if we can actually do that. There isn't enough food to feed everyone for more than a few days. That being said we are opening the bunker doors." the official spoke. Many people talked amongst themselves.

"There is nothing else we can do at this point but go out and see what is left of our country and our world. Now keep in mind, the nuclear reactors would have been leaking if not completely destroyed so there will likely be higher than safe radiation levels. There may also be fires burning still." The talking slowly died down. Jason muttered to himself. "After a year? Is that enough for everything to settle down? What if we all die immediately?"

"Okay everyone calm down! There is no electricity and most buildings are going to be heavily damaged from tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis if they are still there at all." All of this from one asteroid. Everything gone. All of man's progress, inventions, and aspirations. Everything.

"There will be animals. Probably new species and some of the old that may have mutated. Either way they are going to be vicious. The food chain has been altered. WE are no longer at the top of the food chain. There may be all kinds of creatures out there or there might be nothing alive at all." Somehow they've evolved this fast in one year. Evolution should take thousands. How much radiation is there?

"I can't help but feel like I am sending you out to your deaths. I very well could be. I do know that without food we WILL die in here. No question about that. At least out there we have a chance. It might be a small chance but that is better than nothing. I wish all of us a lot of luck and may God bless us all." Jason tried to stay positive, but he had a sinking feeling in his gut. Everyone he's known is probably dead. Friends. Family. Anybody. He put on a smile.

The doors opened. A blinding light filled the room. People ran through them. Through all of the yelling and screaming, Jason rushed out. He stopped for a moment. He didn't know where to go. He could do anything. The sunshine which he missed quite a bit hit his skin. The apocalypse was over. The second phase has begun.

@Wick @MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

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DAY 1 10:15AM
People pushed out into the devastation and stopped in shock. Some disappeared almost immediately into the void of overgrowth. Harley pushed out around some of the others and ran to the top of the hill to see better. When she got there she wasn't ready to see what she saw. Everything from up there looked like it was either flattened into toothpicks or like it had burst into flames.

Harley heard screams off to the right. She looked around her and picked up a good sized stick and ran towards the screaming. She stopped quickly when she saw what the woman was screaming at. She recognized her from inside. Her name was Kathleen and there was a large alligator eating her husband. Harley grabbed Kathleen's arm and pulled her back as the alligator hissed at her. Harley kept her eyes open now knowing what was right outside the bunker. They ran back to the bunker and alerted the others about the alligator. Some of the guards took off and moments later there was gunfire heard.

"Great, they are going to alert only god knows what to our location." Harley mumbled.

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@King Tai@MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

After hearing out the bunker commander with his so-called words of encouragement, Kai was hesitant to leave feeling it was a bad idea. He's heard of stories about places being contaminated for many many years without a sign of clearance but...that were about to go out into the post planet rape scene and take their chances.

For Kai, the first words that came out of his mouth was Ha! Fuck that.... he said with his arms crossed but it wasn't like ha had a choice as a wave of people pushed and shaved, forcing him out into the poisoned air that caused choking and gasping where many fell out. It was as if the either the worst fart smell circulated or chemical warfare finally caught up to civilians.

Kai was a bit cautious, walking around a little but not far enough to just wander like others that were doing so. What were they going to do now? How the hell will they survive. Kai could hear screams coming from another direction and he really didn't want to check on it for the fact that he could be the next one to scream out in agony or fear. But...something to him to head that way just in case. If there were animals that they could eat....to what means could he catch and kill them?

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JJ was lounging lazily on his bed when the bunker commander made his announcement. He immediately sat up. They're opening the doors already? He jumped off his bed as the commander continued his announcement. He immediately thought of his family back in Korea. Will he be able to contact them? Will he somehow be able to go to them? He knew that it was an absurd idea but it was all he really could think of at the moment.

He followed the majority of the crowd heading to the door. In a matter of minutes, bright light flooded in and JJ had to squint until his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. He looked around, the younger population had rushed out, some curious to see the outside world, others just wanting to get out. The older population treaded carefully.

JJ waited his turn to be able to walk out the doors, ending up walking beside an old lady. He smiled at her and offered her his arm. The old lady smiled back, took his arm and murmured a soft thank you. Together, they made it out and for the first time in a year, laid eyes on the horrific scene. Stunned, JJ could only stare and didn't notice that the lady on his arm had sagged forward. Her hacking coughs snapped him into focus and he looked towards her. "Mrs. Kitchner, are you alright?" He reached out and supported her as she kept on coughing and clutching at her chest.

"Help! Somebody---" his words were cut off as he looked up and saw people collapse one by one. He looked back at the old lady as she took one last cough and then was silent. He blinked, for a moment at a loss of what to do. He reached out and felt for her pulse. There was none. "Oh my God..." he murmured.

And then from the distance, he heard the sound of gunfire.

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@Wick @King Tai @MissCapnCrunch @Aeternum @RumikoOhara @Spinosaurus

@King Tai@Wick @MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

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Kwan was just happy to be out of the bunker because she was so tired of the smell of unwashed bodies and the fact that no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t clean the quarters with a limited source of water. She didn’t crowd the doors when the military types opened them preferring to stay in the background and allow the crowd to push their way outside completely before she strolled out behind the stranglers.

Once out in the open she didn’t pay the devastation of the terrain around her because she thought it illogical to assume the world would be barely scratched by an Asteroid strike; no she had a more important mission in mind and that was that she needed to eat. She had been for some time now feeling as if the diet of food she’d been receiving was just short of starvation rations.

She took off at a run heading off into the wild environment aiming towards the greenest sections hoping to find any fruiting vegetation and finding something to eat. She stopped soon amid a wooded area and was disappointed to find that Oklahoma was as she’d thought since coming here nearly two years ago a borderline desert. Then as she looked around she found a broken limb that was about 4 ½ feet in length and reasonably straight which she thought might make a usable Boken or short staff. Then after securing a makeshift weapon she looked for rocks of an appropriate size for throwing which she could used to drive off feral animals or to kill hopefully a rabbit, squirrel or even a large lizard which she began contemplating how to cook or prepare.

Robert Moore listened quietly from his customary position at the back of the crowd. His expression was quite grim and there were flickers of annoyance and disgust on his face. The bunker commander had pulled out the hero speech. To Robert, it sounded like pretty words meant to manipulate. He hated manipulation, he hated lies, and this felt like a lot of manipulation and at least a little lying.

The position to save the human race, my ass! We aren't saviors, and we sure aren't heroes.

There was just something about those words that rubbed him the wrong way, and perhaps he was reading too much in the words. Whatever the case was, he didn't like this speech one bit from it's opening line. As for the food running out, he felt a chill go down his spine. He'd felt it, felt like the food would have to run out eventually. From what he'd seen of the bunkers, it wasn't built to be sustainable for the long-term. A pity, because he certainly didn't like the idea of going outside.

He hadn't been aware that there were nuclear reactors in Oklahoma, but then again he'd never been interested in this sort of stuff. Even if there weren't, the winds could carry radiation, maybe there was some facility in another nearby state, the asteroids themselves probably also carried radiation. But depending on the radiation... it could take decades for the area to become safe. He wished he'd paid more attention in his science classes. Knowing more about half-lives could have been useful, but then again, he'd never thought this would happen.

Robert tuned in again once the hubbub had died down enough for him to hear the commander. One of the downsides of being in the back was that he'd have to strain his ears to hear over others. He listened quietly to the rest of the speech and tried to digest it. He'd known about the earthquakes, those had shaken the bunker. The tremors, things falling, it was pretty terrifying. Fortunately the bunker had held and while some gigantic cracks were formed and there was some rubble... there hadn't been too many casualties.

A stray thought about a gigantic super volcano crossed his mind. It was somewhere in the northern US, and from what he'd heard that one would, if it ever became active again, bury a great deal of the US in ash. From what he'd heard, gigantic quakes could in fact trigger it. Another concern then. If he was going out, he might need something to cover his nose and mouth.

Robert raised a brow towards the end of the commander's little speech. Oh, here was some measure of honesty. An admittance that life was very, very fragile, and that there was no other option. The speech ended, the commander stepped back, and people began to push for the doors.

Robert suppressed the urge to snort or sigh as he watched them for a moment and turned his back. He was going to grab his stuff. He'd been picked up as he was coming back from a hiking trip, so at the very least he had some of his gear. What he'd been carrying was a multi-day pack that could carry 65 liters for his trip.

He began to tally up what he'd need for this excursion he had no choice but to go on. There weren't any real good options here. He'd need to pull his own weight, because when food was running low, things would get nasty, especially for slackers. If there was radiation or diseases or some other thing, it was going to be brought back into the bunker anyways, and with people packed so close... well, good luck on getting by unscathed.

He had his pack, a couple water filters, a platypus water bladder, two types of water purifying tablets, a first aid kit, a compass, a multi-tool...

He'd missed the hiss of escaping air as the bunker was unsealed, but he certainly didn't miss the sudden sounds of distress and gasping. He turned back to see what was going on, and his eyes widened with horror.

Some people, especially the elderly ones, had begun to gasp and choke, their faces turning shades of red and purple. He felt the blood drain out of his face. A sharp intake of breath and he could smell it, a rank odor of pollution, smoke, a whiff of sulfur, a hint of decay, and a great deal of other things he couldn't recall the names of at the moment. That whiff was enough, he held his breath, and froze for a moment, trying to decide whether to rush over and drag those people back, or run for his pack and try to put his camp towel around his face in a trivial attempt to protect himself.

He chose his pack.

The life savers' dilemma, or something like it. It was the reason why you were supposed to put your oxygen mask over your face first before you helped another on the plane. A dead man could help no one.

He found his towel and with shaking hands, rummaged for his water bottle. There wasn't much in it, but he didn't hesitate to pour some water over the towel just in case it could help some. He pulled it over his face and fumbled over the knot.

Easy... easy... Stay calm. Breathe in. Breathe out.

He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly. The faster his heart beat, the more he strained himself, the more air he'd need and the faster whatever was in the air would enter his body.

Then he used his kerchief to tighten the lower part of the towel around his neck.

Damn, what if the air outside is acidic?

That faint sulfur smell might mean it was. It might not be a bad idea to protect his skin. He rummaged through his things and managed to find a long-sleeved base-layer and pulled it on quickly. If only he'd had something to protect his eyes, but he didn't. He just hoped it'd help.

He briefly tried to go over emergency procedures, but his mind continued to run in panicked circles. He steadied himself, and remembered to grab the first aid kit. He smiled wryly to himself. He had to be very panicked to forget the first aid kit. He didn't know if it'd help, but just knowing he had it, even if some of the stuff in it had expired, helped a little. He gathered some wet cloths in a plastic bag and returned to the entrance. He'd have to see how many he could save.

He lengthened his stride as he saw the entrance-way. People were down on the ground twitching and flailing. They were going to hurt themselves.

Robert cursed mentally. He was terrified. He was only fifteen.

People were possibly dying right in front of him. What was he supposed to do? He felt nauseous and he could feel his insides shrink with anxiety. As he reached the first person he came to, he felt a tingle on his skin. Whether it was from the air, a placebo effect, or the chills he was getting, he hadn't a clue. His eyes smarted, but was it from the air or the urge to cry? The answer was the same as the one before. He didn't know.

He reached out to the nearest person on the floor to drag him back. He could only hope the fellow was unconscious. As he did, he saw a trail of liquid and noted a wet stain on the man's pants.

It took all his self-control to not just drop the man on the floor when it occurred to him the man might be dead. Trembling, he checked for the pulse in the man's neck. There was nothing.

His mind ran in terrified circles as he considered CPR and looked up to see another person go still.

There was no time.

He dropped the arms of the man he was dragging and took a step forward. His legs were shaking, but he quickly moved towards those who were still clearly alive and struggled to drag them away from the entrance. Most of them didn't make it all the way back, and so he gently laid them down where they were, and went back. Before, he'd started out with the weakest, because they needed help more desperately. However, after a few times, he realized that if he was going to save anyone, he'd better try to save the strong ones first. Those ones had the best chances of survival.

He picked someone who looked like they were doing better then the rest, wrapped a towel around their face despite their initial struggles, and warned them to try to breathe in as little as possible until he got them further away. Whether they listened to him or not wasn't his concern now. He just needed to get them as far away from the entrance as possible, and hoped that this time, the person would live.

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@Wick @King Tai @MissCapnCrunch @RumikoOhara @Kyrisse @Spinosaurus

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People were dropping down all around him like swatted flies. Was what killing them airborne? JJ had no time to process it. If it was, then he'd probably keel over like the majority were doing. He sighed. If this was how he'll go then this is how he'll go. He looked around and began dragging some of the collapsed people back into the bunker. It didn't make sense dragging the dead back in so he chose those who were still alive. He didn't have the time to fully assess each and so if they still moved, they were still alive.

A balding man he thought was dead grabbed his leg. "What's happening?" He asked as his body was wracked with coughs. "Are we dying?" He managed to sputter out.

"I hope not." JJ leaned down. "Can you stand? Come on. We have to get you back inside."

The man nodded and draped an arm around JJ's shoulder. JJ heaved until he got the man standing and they both hobbled back into the bunker, the man apparently unable to support his own weight. On the way inside, he spotted a boy younger than him doing the same thing he was doing. He recognized him. Robert something. He was a quiet boy who he had tried to talk to several times during their year long stay in the bunker. But no matter how cheerful he had been, all he could really get out of him was a few sentences. Not that it mattered now.

"Hey. Robert right? Maybe if we work together, we can get people in faster," he noticed that his hand was trembling as he wiped his brow. Effects of whatever was in the air? The radiation? Nothing he can really do about it now. He deposited the man he had been helping to a nearby chair and then charged back out.

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@Wick @King Tai @MissCapnCrunch @RumikoOhara @Spinosaurus

Robert quickly grabbed another person, a woman this time. He wrapped his arms underneath her armpit and began to haul her away, letting her legs drag behind him as he pulled the woman. She was struggling, flailing. Not unlike a drowning person, he suspected. He didn't like the color of of her face. Maybe he'd chosen the wrong person this time. She was having trouble breathing, but now that he'd grabbed her, he wasn't about to drop her until it was clear that she was a goner.

He didn't bother to lift people up and carry them out. There were a lot of people and lifting them up would take more energy and time than he was willing to exert at the moment. The more energy and time he had, the faster he could get from one place to another, the faster people could be saved. Yes, it was a little rough, but the bunker floors were smooth concrete for the most part.

The trips inside unfortunately didn't require the same effort from his mind as it did his physical body. There was nothing to distract his eyes. His mind was filled with worries about what was going on with the air, worries about how dangerous the world outside was, and how many people would die today and from what causes. Apparently the air outside was already dangerous enough.

It was at that time that he noticed he didn't have nearly the same fitness as before. He was already straining hard, breathing hard, and beads of sweat kept rolling off his body. Certainly this wasn't easy work, but surely it shouldn't be quite this exhausting?

He didn't pause as he mulled over his thoughts. Could it be that he'd lost muscle mass? Yeah, actually. That would make sense. The food in the bunker wasn't the best, the air wasn't the freshest, the water had an odd quality about it that he wasn't so fond of, and exercise? He'd done some, but probably nothing like what good long hikes on a mountain would give him. Another possibility was, of course, the air.

His eyes darted around as he continued. He watched the bodies at the entrance, marking which ones seemed like they were doing the best. The person who he was dragging, it seemed her breathing had gotten a little easier? Or perhaps, it was just weaker. He tried to pick up his pace a little. He didn't particularly like the thought of having someone die in his arms like this. He ruthlessly drove distracting thoughts from his mind and concentrated on getting further in as fast as he could.

The woman still breathed by the time he'd pulled her towards the back of the bunker. Hopefully his movements weren't pushing the outside air to the back... Actually, he was pretty sure that was what he was doing. Dammit. Maybe he could ask the guards to post someone on the outside to communicate with the inside, and reseal the bunker once the living were dragged in to try to preserve as much clean air as possible.

He had the minor decency to pull the women to a spot further to the side to separate the women from the men, but for the most part, he left them on the ground. Not so nice, probably not as beneficial as it would be if he'd dragged them up to bed or chairs to those he was "rescuing", but more efficient.

He rushed back to the front, opting for long deep breaths rather than the panting he was beginning to do. His eyes were scanning the fallen and he marked one of the ones who had looked strong before and was closer to him. Shorter trips to the depths of the bunker would be better.

As he began to drag yet another person away, his eyes fell on someone else doing the same thing. He recognized the man. The person was older than him, asian, and well, he'd seen him around a few times. His name however, had been forgotten.

"Hey. Robert right? Maybe if we work together, we can get people in faster,"

It was more than a little awkward for him when the man saw him and called out his name. Alright, maybe he should have paid more attention. Were they supposed to be close enough to know each other's names? He was going to seem so rude if he made an attempt. He'd just try to keep it hidden and hope someone would drop the man's name so he could pretend he'd known it.

"Uh..." Robert thought it over for a moment without stopping his movements, and nodded shortly.

He paused once he thought of something. The wet cloths in his bag, maybe this guy could use one, or a few. Of course, wet cloths would probably make it seem harder to breathe for the people he was dragging back, but hopefully it would protect them from the air. So long as the air wasn't reactive with water, at least. His biology teacher had once mentioned Chloric acid was a gas and when it interacted with water, it became hydrochloric acid, and that it was nasty. Unfortunately though, he didn't remember how you were supposed to deal with acids. Bases maybe? So oil? Unfortunately, he didn't have oil to try to use.

Before he could offer one, or even ask what the man meant by working together, the man had finished helping the person he brought in to a chair and rushed back out.

Okay... I guess I'll find out.

@King Tai@Wick @MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

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Kwan then set about searching for something to eat once she’d secured a few things she might need to do so feeling so hungry that she was desperate. So with happy anticipation she trotted down the trail towards the river and began searching for food hoping she’d spot something she recognized quickly and was not so unlucky that she came up empty in fact she found a hedge of bushes or whatever they called them but she recognized the berries sprouting from them as Blackberries. So hungry she didn’t even think about the consequences Kwan began eating the fat fruit as quickly as she could pluck them from among the briars.

She finished off the supply of berries so quickly it even surprised her as well as disappointed her stomach which now grumbled in anger that it’s filling had stopped. It was this burning in her belly that urged her against caution to seek more fruit or anything else that she could gather and eat. It was a few more minutes before she was rewarded once more with more of the sweet berries glittering like rare gems to her hungry eyes and she dove in and began eating as if they’d fall to ground if she didn’t hurry up and swallow them all. So intent on eating the berries was Kwan that she almost didn’t notice a rattle snake till it began issuing a warning with it’s tail but rather than panic she swung her makeshift weapon till it stopped moving.

She picked up the snake and grinned as she thought “Protein” looking at the 4 feet of muscle and salivating she began gathering up wood to start a small cook fire so that she wouldn’t be tempted to eat it raw.

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Day 1 10:45AM
Harley had watched some of the others moving bodies and helping people get back inside. Harley immediately saw the mistake. She went over to the two that she knew. "JJ, Robert? Only take the ones that are alive inside. The dead will contaminate the bunker when they start rotting. We need to drag them outside away from the bunker entrance." The look on their faces was enough to make her feel slightly bad about her word choice.

Harley took pulses and those that were already in the bunker that were dead she started dragging out and towards the right side of the bunker. Harley had to focus on what she was doing so she wouldn't cry at all of the dead. She had known so many of them. Harley stopped when a pocketknife fell out of the pocket of one of the dead. She picked it up and pulled him out.

Harley immediately took her jacket off and started taking the possessions of use off of the dead and tossing them into a pile. It bothered her that she was doing this but she rationalized it with logic. They aren't going to be using them and we need it or we might be dead right alongside of them. She only took things like knives, watches and even a couple of older gentleman had compasses. If she couldn't think of a use for it then she left it on the owner.

She took the haul of weapons and useful things back to the bunker and found a box and tossed them inside of it. Looking around the area she saw that some of the living that had been dragged in were now dead and she stretched her back and walked over to JJ and called Robert over. Quietly so the dying wouldn't overhear her she said, "I know this is going to sound cold but, after the sick die check them for anything useful, knives, anything that we could use to make a weapon, watches, compasses ...whatever and put it in this box. Keep it with you so no one takes off with it. Whoever survives is going to need all the help they can get."

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@King Tai@MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

Robert was taken aback when another person approached him. He recognized her, but again, he didn't know her name. If he wasn't so shaken, he thought his face would have turned red from the embarrassment. Yet another person whose name he didn't know. However, her next words would have made the blood drain out of his face just as quickly. Her words brought to mind the man he'd first tried to help and his imagination helpfully supplied images of that man rotting out in the sun outside.

He felt like he was going to be sick. Instead, he simply nodded at her and continued on with trying to save those he could.

He reached yet another person on the ground when he saw the woman from before come in. He felt his muscles tense, especially when she called him over. A feeling of dread washed over him. What sort of words were going to come out this time?

He steeled his nerves and stiffly approached her. He glanced at the box in her hands. Another wave of unease rushed over him. He had a feeling he wasn't going to like what was coming next. When he reached her and scanned the contents of the box, he felt like he knew what it was she was going to say. There were a few answers as to where she'd gotten the items in the box, but there was one that rose to the forefront of his mind.

Her words confirmed it. His throat felt dry. He knew it was logical and rational, but the sheer callousness still stunned him. He knew that this would raise his chances of survival. He knew the dead probably wouldn't need this stuff anymore, but... He heard his muffled voice before he even realized he'd opened his mouth.

"What the hell!? You can't just-! You can't-! Kh-!"

His outburst stuttered to a stop as he made a growl of frustration through gritted teeth. He was breathing heavily. He struggled to understand what he wanted to say. He understood the woman's logic. It was rational. So what was it about this situation that made him so upset?

Was it the fact that this person had just asked a teenager to help her rob the dead? Was it that she so easily said the words to a person she didn't know very well? Was it that he hadn't even finished rescuing the living yet?

What was it that he wanted to say? You can't just ask that of me? You can't just steal from the dead? He didn't know what, but emotion was surging forth from somewhere deep within.

This was all too much for him. Too much stress, too much terror, and the prospect of having to go through the belongings of the dead right after rescuing the living only served to increase the strain. He was fifteen. He'd been fourteen when he'd been brought into the bunker. He was still a teen whose voice had finally stopped cracking a month back. He was still a kid who hadn't even seen people die! Until now.

His fists were clenched by his side as he shook with emotion. He dropped his eyes. He understood it, he understood what she was asking for and why. He just couldn't stand it. This was all too much for him right now. He dropped his head, sucked in a deep shuddering breath and turned away. He forced his hands to relax as he hurried away.

"Whatever. I'm going back to work." he muttered.

He hastily began dragging someone who was still alive back into the depths of the bunker with his head down. He felt like he was about to explode. It was only after he'd made it to the back of the bunker that he realized his jaw was hurting. He'd clenched his teeth too hard.

Jason looked around for a bit. Freedom. Ever since he first entered the bunker he needed it. He craved it. He wanted it. But now that he had it, he didn't know where to go. He could do anything. Then, suddenly, he saw people laying on the ground. Dead. Mostly elderly. Several others began coughing. Some fell down more. Horrified, Jason backed up a bit. "Well, uh, this isn't good." he muttered to himself. Just then, a snake bit his leg. He hit with his hand and shook it off. Another one bit at him. Quickly, he grabbed a stick and beat the snakes to death. He grabbed the carcasses and put them in his backpack. I need to survive, the thought ran through his head. How was he going to survive?

"Listen! Everyone! Nobody can survive alone. If you want to have a better chance at surviving, gather people!" he tried to make it known to people on how to survive, after seeing dangerous wildlife. This world was dangerous.

He walked for a bit before seeing somebody looting the bodies, "Are you supposed to be looting?"

@King Tai@MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

@King Tai@Wick @MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

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While searching for wood with which to build a cook fire Kwan found a pair of glasses missing one lens and was thrilled by the idea of not having to try and make a spark using one of her throwing knives which she wasn’t so sure she could manage but anyone could do so with a piece of glass and some patience. Soon she had enough wood she thought and even another snake which she’d stumbled across as she sought fuel to cook with.

It only took a few minutes to get her fire started and while it burned she began cleaning the snakes with her knife stripping them of their skins and gutting them like eels then skewering them on sharpened stakes made of sharpened sticks which she arranged in a circle around the fire. Soon the meat was sizzling and filling the air with a scent that she would compare to the finest fare of any restaurant she’d ever eaten in when the world was still whole. As much as she wanted to she held back on eating the meat raw and began turning them so that the cool side faced the flames and cooked observing the flesh begin giving off moisture.

Once she thought the meat was done she sampled a bit to ensure it was cooked and found it was so she inhaled the strips of flesh barely even chewing and was surprised by how hungry she was because normally she was a very self controlled young woman. It was while she ate that she saw about 50 feet away a snake slither up on a rock to sun itself and she stalked it till she was close enough to smash it with her staff; that too became another snake-kabob which she ate as soon as she thought it cooked.

Three snakes should have been enough meat to make her feel full but she was far from full or at least that’s how she felt and it was that hunger that drove her once more on the hunt for anything edible within a short distance not wanting to get too far from the Bunker. It was by the stream that she saw an Alligator or maybe a Crocodile cruising the water parallel to her as if it hoped she wander too close so it might sample her taste as she had it’s fellow reptiles. Kwan for her part wasn’t afraid of the 9 foot creature waiting to eat her because she was trying to formulate a plan on how to capture, kill and eat it as well.

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Day 1 10:45am
Harley had just brought back the latest dead body to what she was now calling the pyre. This one she was having trouble with. This was the older man she used to eat with everyday. He reminded her of her grandfather and she had tears running down her face as she went through his pockets. Harley looked up when the spiderman look alike guy asked her if she was supposed to be looting the dead bodies. Harley stood up and walked right up to him and got in his face. Her voice gravelly from the air and husky from the emotions she stared at him just a moment.

"Yes! I am taking the useful things so that the survivors can use them. Do you have a problem with taking a knife that a dead man can't use anymore?" Her attitude was showing and she sounded forceful.

She was emotional and angry that all of this was happening and he was pushing her limits calling her out on something she found hard enough to do already. They needed it done and she knew it had to be done, she just wished it wasn't her doing it.

Harley walked over to the box by Robert and dropped a few things into it. Between the things she was finding and the things the others were dropping in and even some of the dying were dropping their things in to help, it was starting to pile up. Harley needed water. She was so thirsty. She looked back at Jason and she leaned against the building feeling very sick to her stomach. Figuring it was just stress from the day she decided to walk it off and grabbed the next body and started to drag it back.

She looked at Jason and demanded to know. "Exactly what are you doing to help spidey?" Harley just got a few feet past Jason and she was dizzy and sweaty. She felt really hot.

"Whoa, Spidey...I don't feel so good." Harley collapsed to the ground.

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@King Tai@MissCapnCrunch@Aeternum@RumikoOhara@Spinosaurus@Kyrisse

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JJ's heart was pounding so hard against his chest. He felt warm... too warm. His hands felt like he had dipped them in a tub full of hot water. He turned his palms up and looked at it. They were red. Exerting myself too much, I guess, he rationalized despite the fact that he knew that he was in his top form. During their year of incarceration/safe keeping in the bunker, he had kept himself fit by dancing to songs he imagined he would have released in his debut album. Something that even entertained some of the bunker's population. Or it could still be a delayed reaction to the toxin that's killing people. Well, no use worrying about that now...let's see if I can stay alive long enough to at least help people. He thought about how Robert had been wise enough to cover his nose and mouth with a towel. It won't protect him completely but at least it was some form of protection. Something he didn't even think about. He sighed. No use worrying about spilt milk now.

He turned his attention back to the task at hand, chose a sputtering, coughing woman and began dragging her back into the bunker. She was a big set woman but she didn't really offer too much resistance so bringing her in wasn't too difficult.

Once inside, he found Harley giving out instructions and Robert dragging someone to the back of the bunker. Harley's words made sense and it was something that he knew he would need to get used to. He looked over to her and gave her a grim nod of agreement. Survival of fittest. If i can even survive this... He dragged the lady further inside and leaned her against the wall. He crouched down in front of her. "Sorry... I need to leave you like that for now. Just... keep breathing." he said before standing back up.

He looked over to the rest of the people they had managed to drag back in. Some were still hanging on to dear life while half had obviously succumbed to whatever it is that was killing them. Somebody had to give them a proper burial... He watched as pockets of the dead were emptied. It didn't feel right. But it was something that was needed to be done. Yeah, a proper burial after that... He shook his hand in an attempt to cool it off. The heat he felt had magnified 3 folds. Maybe he needed a breather but with the way things were going, it doesn't seem like he'll be getting any rest soon. "I'm just... gonna go see if there are more people we can save out there..." he said as he headed back out.

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Not long after leaving the bunker and seeing the people who were hacking and coughing, fall dead, Kai was going to try and help those who died until noticing two others helping people, dragging them back to the bunker. Not that Kai didn't care, Kai gave a sigh and decided to go and try to find food.

Being in the streets, he's seen some tough shit in his life but this, in a way, was like like being in the streets all over again but this was a whole new level. This was a new survival that he along with others were going to have to adapt to. Starting his walk around. He noticed an Asian female heading off in a direction, not knowing what she was about to get into. Could he join up with someone? He didn't know...he was not used to teamwork.

He knew he was hungry and if he could find something....anything....he would try and make the best out of it. Placing his hands above his eyes as if he was saluting so that he could shade his eyes from the beating extra hot sun, out in the horizon, Kai spotted a structure. Looked like a building....maybe a ruin but it was worth to check out. He was going to come back after he checked out that structure or ruin he spotted.

It took about 30 minutes to reach the place after walking for a bit, catching sight of a destroyed, large fountain where the outer marble laid crumbled and only dust and roaches occupied it.....wait! roaches!!? Kai's stomach started growling, something he gained accustom to while being a street rat himself. He heard a few bits of info about animals that ate insects because of the protein their provided. Was the roaches part of that? He didn't know but there were people that ate them too. He wasn't thinking about the people who were on those survival shows, he thought about the crackheads that thought they could mutate into a giant bug by consuming them.

He wasn't too far away from the structure. Looking down at the roaches and the fact that the world he once knew is gone and the nonstop sensation of his stomach gasses reminding him every moment that he was hungry, Kai sighed Alright K-Fizzle....no body is here to watch this and you're hungry....what the fuck? won't kill you....I think... he said quickly picking up one of this cockroaches and staring at the moving and flickering antennas. Kai closed his eyes and popped a cockroach in his mouth as he crunched down on the crispy insect whose insides gushed into his mouth as Kai made a sickening face but then, forced himself to swallow it.

He thought for a moment about the taste Roaches taste greasy and musty as fuck...I think I'd drink my piss before eatin that again.....I better find somethin' else.. he said gagging from the after taste and headed to the structure.

@RumikoOhara@Wick @MissCapnCrunch @Aeternum @Spinosaurus @Kyrisse

Robert twitched a little at the sound of someone dropping stuff in the box. He turned to see a dying person drop in some of their stuff with trembling hands, and he struggled not to choke or break down immediately. His trembling had gotten much worst. He was pretty sure it was visible to anyone who looked at him for more than a few moments. His face was much more pinched now, his shoulders hunched defensively. He met eyes with the dying person and reached over to cover those shaking hands with his own.

"I'm sorry..." was all that he could manage.

He bit back the torrent of apologies that threatened to spill out of his mouth as the person managed a pained smile as they gasped. Tears began to spill from his eyes.

Startled, he let go one hand to quickly start scrubbing at his eyes. He didn't even know this person's name. This person was dying and he was powerless. It was so unfair! He knew for sure there were selfish assholes who would survive, so why was it the nice ones had to die too! It was even worse, because he knew that to stay here and hold the hand of a dying person so they wouldn't have to die alone would cause the deaths of at least a few others.

"I'm so sorry..." he whispered, and made himself let go.

He locked eyes with the dying person as he moved away, and went to rescue another. His eyes continued to seek out the person by the box, and he could see that the person by the box was looking at him too, until he was too far away to make out their expression. When he returned, the person had already gone still and limp.

He was standing near the box, dazed, when the woman from before dropped some more items in the box. Behind her was some strange tall and skinny man. She was clearly frustrated and emotional, and there was something off about her, she went past him still growling at the man. He turned to follow her with his eyes just in time to see her begin to sway. At this point in time, the other person who had talked to him earlier brushed past him. The man was staggering with every step, and didn't look too good. His face was reddish, his skin was reddish, and suddenly Robert was worried about heatstroke.

Oddly enough, he was still mostly fine, and perhaps it had something to do with the face mask he'd made. Perhaps he should have offered one to the Asian man earlier. He glanced back at the woman, and then back at the man who clearly intended to keep on working until he collapsed. He strode towards the man and grabbed his arm. The man felt like a furnace. There was no way this guy could keep going.

"Stop. You can't help anyone if you collapse."

He fumbled in his dry-bag and shoved a wet camp towel into one hand and stuck another over the man's head. Considering the man's current state, he decided he'd at least make sure he made it inside. If he collapsed and hit his head...

"Cover your face, get some water, and rest inside. I don't want to have to drag you in later."

He recalled the way the man had staggered and the man's body temperature, then glanced at the people collapsed around the entryway. He reaffirmed that the healthier one was the priority. He'd see to it that this person made it to wherever they were planning to go and made a mental note to go get water for all the rescuers. Not everyone had done as he had, and covered their face and head to protect from the air and the sun.

He positioned himself to offer the man his shoulder and looked at the lanky man next to the collapsed woman.

"Bring her inside too. Wet towels are in my bag."

It hadn't seemed like a year since they had been in the bunker. Lydia sat, her petite body so calmly in a chair with her legs crossed at the ankles. Her lips were slightly pouted as she listened to the bunker commander's voice. "A year ago all 154 of us were thrust into a position to try and save the human race. I'm not sure if we can actually do that. There isn't enough food to feed everyone for more than a few days. That being said we are opening the bunker doors." An uproar occurred as plenty of people spoke of their mixed emotions of this action. Lydia piped up in her seat, her legs uncrossing as her feet now planted firmly on the bunker floor. Lydia listened and examined everyone as the conversation in the bunker continued. Why were people so upset. If they wanted to stay in the bunker so be it. If the world outside was complete shit, then at least it would take us away from this hell zone. Lydia chuckled to herself as the commander finished their speech. Though she was respectful of every one, she almost felt bad. That would be a terrible job; announcing to everyone that they were bound to die quickly.

As the doors began to open, Lydia was taken aback by the state of the world that she had once been a part of. She began coughing, losing her breath in the gasp. People around her had began dropping like flies in piles of human flesh. They weren't strong enough for coming back into this world. The woman felt a sting in her throat as her coughing end. She had little to no interest in picking these fallen members of the bunker back up. She knew this was a dog eat dog world, and most people would step on you than pick you back up. She wasn't heartless, just realistic to herself. It was probably one of the reasons she had lasted so long.

Some of her fellow bunkmates began to move weak survivors in, and that was Lydia's breaking point. She didn't want to be so responsible all the time. She wanted to be those people that didn't care about a single person in the world; but she couldn't stand it in the end. A big sigh escaped from her lips before she let out a few swear words. I'm here to help as well." she acknowledges to no one in particular, but relevant to say to an adviser.

She begin helping where she fell fit

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With his heart still pounding loudly in his chest, JJ took several unsteady steps towards the still wide open bunker doors. With each step, his body seemed to explode in heat and he wondered if he was combusting from within. Strange though that he wasn't really feeling tired or worn out. Just really, really hot. Maybe some fresh air would do him good... Fresh air, right. It was an absurd thought. People were dying all around from something in the air. It was probably the same thing that was causing him to overheat when nobody else was. Was he dying? If he was then maybe he should just go out and find a comfortable place to pass away. No need to burden everyone with his corpse later on.

He felt someone grab his arm.

"Stop. You can't help anyone if you collapse. Cover your face, get some water, and rest inside. I don't want to have to drag you in later."

It was Robert. "I'm okay... I think. I just feel like I'm burning up... He wasn't finished speaking when a damp towel was placed on his head and his hand. He didn't even feel the coolness of the towel. But even if he didn't, he felt like it helped. He leaned against the offered shoulder. "Yeah, I just probably need some rest. But... he gestured towards the door. "There's a lot more people out there who need our help." He gestured to the now still bodies in the bunker. "And a lot that needs to be taken back out." He sighed. Things were fast becoming a nightmare.

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