[IC] Fog [Full]

[Vatonage]

_{Boston, Massachusetts}

7:30 PM, EST

---

^{Apartment Complex's Lobby}

Shit. Fuck this shit.

It was difficult for Christopher Reed to focus on anything as he stared deep into the unmoving fog outside the complex. His usual, bored face was now plastered with fear, horrified by what he—and those gathered with him in the complex lobby—heard moments earlier. The terrified screams. The loud shattering of glass. The wincing crunch of metal. Chris couldn't see what was going on outside the complex, but he had a good idea. Alton, the complex's security guard, being carried off by whatever was out there made sure of that.

Alton had a gun. Didn't fucking help him one bit.

Christopher wondered about the others. Were they as scared as he was? Surely, he figured, they had to be. Some of them probably had family in the complex—children, siblings, or maybe even a spouse. People they had to protect against what laid in wait outside those doors. But were they willing to die to save another? The college student knew deep down inside he wasn't. Chris was too much of a coward; he didn't want to die. And yet, he was probably going to die here regardless, like it was some sort of fucked up punishment for a crime he didn't remember committing.

"We're fucked, aren't we?" He asked, turning away from the window he was looking through to face the group. "No one is going to come for us. Not the police. Not the military. Face it; we're already fucking dead no matter what we do."

[Xandrya]

Emma turned to the man, a certain expression on her face that should have clearly communicated her displeasure with his choice of verbiage. “Mind your language,” she added rather sternly, placing her right arm around her son’s shoulder in a seemingly protective manner. More than likely, Ty hadn’t even paid attention to his words, but she was not all that concerned whether Ty had heard the guy or not, though she was certainly concerned with the way in which he expressed himself in front of children.

But Emma was terrified as hell too. Nightfall was upon them, and the fog only seemed to thicken as seconds and minutes ticked by. Initially, she’d heard the chaos and like the lot of them, decided to investigate, leaving Ty behind after telling him to stay put. What she initially saw, the fog and the horror that seemed to come with it, made her rush back upstairs to reassure that Ty was safe.

And it wasn’t just about Ty, either. While upstairs, Emma dialed her husband’s number, but she couldn’t get through to him. She then tried again, and she was as equally unsuccessful. It was then she had decided to go back downstairs once more, this time with her boy in tow. She wasn’t leaving him alone in the apartment, that was for sure.

“Could this be an act of war? Maybe we’ve been invaded…” The young woman trailed off, momentarily entranced by the fog.

[corneredbliss]

---

As the apartment tenants continued to gather around her in the complex lobby, Mari Lin's eyes were searching for something, anything to lock onto through the glass of the window. Try as she might, there was absolutely nothing to see beyond the dense mass of grey fog that had just appeared to engulf their city. A fog seemingly straight out of a horror movie - one which unfortunately they were all now being forced to take part in. The idea that this could have just been the will of Mother Nature herself had already been pushed out of Mari's mind thanks to the unmistakable sounds of chaos and human terror that popped off at random intervals like weird fireworks.

It seemed that just minutes ago she was chopping up some leafy greens for dinner in the kitchen, blissfully unaware of what was happening outside as her curtains were drawn for the evening. Now here she stood with her neighbors, most of whom had just watched Alton run out to secure the gates like a hero, never to return. Or maybe he would... Just not as a human?

Mari shook this thought away as the crowd began to address each other. She peeled her eyes from the windows and scanned the gathering, recognizing a few faces and some acquaintances. There was that male from somewhere in the building that she had never really interacted with that was (understandably) freaking out, and the mother and son duo that lived on the floor below her. "Invaded?" she almost scoffed, chewing on her bottom lip out of habit. "Doesn't make sense. How could any human have brought us all this fog?"

Then again, anything was possible. Though Mari's poker face proved very effective, her heart rate was climbing slowly and steadily as the inevitable paranoia and concern for people outside of the complex settled in the pit of her stomach. Her gaze strayed down to the little one, unable to imagine what could be going through his mind. In a small attempt to lighten the mood, she continued, "Invaded by aliens, maybe. Let's just hope they're really nice and let us play on their spaceship." She raised her eyebrows at him, hoping to convey some version of optimism with her expression, before folding her arms across her chest and looking back out at nothing.

"Well, going outside is not an option. Poor Alton..."

[Kyrisse]

---

"No, no, I'm almost there. There's just a bit of traffic jam... I think there was an accident or something. This fog is making it hard to see the road properly."

"Well hurry up and get out of that traffic jam. I made dinner."

"Oh my god. I hope you're not planning on poisoning me with your out-of-this-world culinary skills."

"Oh, haha, very funny. The lasagna actually came out way, way better than the last time you were here. Besides, it has to be the best. This is gonna be our last dinner here before we head to New York."

"Well, then I can't wait. Though, lasagna might be cold by the time I get there. This fog is getting thicker. I can barely see the car in front of me now... This is so... weird... Maybe I should--"

"Is that... someone screaming?"

"I-I don't know. I can't see anything... Wait... W-what is that? What is that? Oh my god, oh my god--"

"Eva? Eva! What is it? What's happening? Wh--- Hello? Hello? Eva?"

Allegra silently stared into the fog in horror, her mind replaying the phone conversation she had earlier with her friend over and over in her head. A strange scream followed by her friend's terrified voice. Then came the sound of shattering glass. Was it Eva's window or maybe her windshield? Did something crash into her car? Eva's terror filled scream before the line went dead was what frightened Allegra the most. Being in the car would have kept her safe. But what if something or someone came in? What happened to her? Was she okay? Was she...

Allegra bit her lip, refusing to even think about it. Eva was okay. She had to be. She tried calling 911 right but all lines were busy even after several tries. She tried calling Eva again but she couldn't get through either. She ran downstairs with her car keys, figuring she might be able to help if she can get to where Eva was but the sight of the thick fog stopped her, the screams and the sounds outside freezing her in place. Her mind scrambled for what else she could do despite knowing that there really was nothing to do. Unless she wanted to be an idiot and walk into something that was obviously stupid to walk into. Alton did and it was obvious he wasn't coming back in.

"We're fucked, aren't we? No one is going to come for us. Not the police. Not the military. Face it; we're already fucking dead no matter what we do.""

The words cut through Allegra's thoughts, the small comfort of thinking that help was on its way to Eva was abruptly stamped out. If no one was coming for them then no one would go and help her friend either. She looked around and finally noticed that there were more people in the apartment complex's lobby now.

[rezay]

₁

Wyatt Rhys

Friday Evening, October 7th, 1994

---

---

Friday was a slow one at the shop, especially after an usually frantic week that'd left the minds and bodies of me and my work buddies bruised and battered. To celebrate such a freak occurrence, Merle'd graciously called it quits around 3, a decision which no one took issue with.

After getting home and trudging through some needed maintenance on the front brakes of my beloved F-350, I lugged my tools and work bag up 6 flights of stairs (trading a good evening with Alton), opened my door, and conked out on my dilapidated couch half past 5.

It took the sound of shattering glass and horrific screams in the street below to pull me out of my sleep. Scrambling to my window, I searched for the source of the commotion, only to find myself staring into a hazy grey mist. It reminded me of fog, but somehow different. More opaque— and blood-chillingly sinister. Wiping a band of cold sweat off my brow, I moved into my kitchen, and checked the time on the microwave. 7:23.

Still in my jumpsuit, I moved to my door where I'd kicked off my work boots and pulled them on, fumbling with the laces for a bit. Thoughts were racing through my mind as to what'd happened. It didn't look (or sound) like any fog that I'd seen. A gas explosion? Terrorist attack? Bomb? What was that screaming? Was there an accident?

I cursed myself for putting off fixing my TV so long, and went to the landline which hung off the kitchen wall. I punched in the number of my sister, Marianne, and leant against the wall, clutching my scalp. The shock of my discovery wore off with the phone's ringing, and even when my call wasn't answered (for the third time, plus a couple tries at the police department), I replaced the phone and drew in a heavy breath.

I was fine. She would be fine too— this was probably something local. The screams? What was I afraid they were? There wasn't gunfire. Probably just an accident from the fog, or gas explosion, or bomb... whatever it was. More and more, my stoic, rational side pushed my initial terror into the back of my brain, and I resolved that I should go downstairs and see if I could help with whatever'd happened.

I picked my baseball cap off of the floor, embroidered with the name and logo of Merle's Shop. I dusted some lint off, and pulled it onto my head, grabbing my keys and moving into the hallway. I took some time to lock my door behind me, and then near sprinted to the stairwell, skipping two steps at a time to make it to the lobby as fast as possible.

When I got there, I saw a gathering of my fellow residents and heard an ongoing conversation, spoken in frantic, worried tones. Evidently, I wasn't the only one who was freaked out.

I certainly wouldn't call myself a socialite, but my reclusive tendencies usually took a backseat when there was something serious going on, and this was no exception.

"... Not the police. Not the military. Face it; we're already fucking dead no matter what we do."

My brows pulled together in confusion. Military? What was he talking about?

Emma turned to the man, a certain expression on her face that should have clearly communicated her displeasure with his choice of verbiage. “Mind your language,” she added rather sternly, placing her right arm around her son’s shoulder in a seemingly protective manner.

I agreed. Jumping in with as confident a tone as I could muster, I projected my voice across the lobby. "The lady's right, there's no need for that."

I winced inside, aware of my accent which had always set me apart from the native New Englanders. Especially as a teenager, it had never done me any favors. "There're kids here."

I looked like I'd just climbed out of bed (which was the truth), my hair disheveled and my eyes still tired. Striding towards the door, I murmured some excuse mes to those in my path. "Did'yall hear that screamin'? Sounds like there'sn accident."

Upon reaching the door, I grasped the handle, ready to push it open. "Somebody call 911, my phone ain't workin'..."

---

---

Wyatt Rhys (CS)

_{(This but a bit heavier)}

Name

Wyatt L. Rhys

Age

24 years

Place of Residence

Glenview Apartment Complex, Apartment 309

Personality Traits

Wyatt is a quiet, good-natured (at his core) sort. Hardworking, grounded, and occasionally witty, if mule-headed and somewhat unsociable. He was in a rougher place as a teenager (a time which he looks back on with regret), and his experiences have left him unusually jaded for his age. He's serious in his work, laid-back on his own time, and has a talent for maintaining a calm demeanor in stressful situations. This said, he can have a short temper occasionally, and is more prone to preemptively judging others than he'd like to admit. Being a small-town southerner only recently moved into the Glenview Apartment Complex, he takes excessive measures to prevent interaction with other tenants.

Background

Wyatt was born in the town of Highlands, North Carolina into a religious, solidly working-class household. His mother was an elementary school teacher and his father a mechanic. He has two living sisters, both older than him, and a deceased younger brother. Following the deaths of his father and younger brother at the hands of a drunk driver, his mother became addicted to opiates, and he left his home at age 12 to live with his older sister in Norton, Massachusetts where she worked as an accountant.

Having a passion and prior education in automobiles due to his father, he pursued a career as an automotive mechanic following a rough adolescence of mostly petty criminality. This included shoplifting, underage drinking, smoking, drag racing, and even car theft, as well as some more violent activity. This escalated over the course of four years, and finally at age 17 he spent six months in a county jail for connection to a murder. Thanks to good legal counsel provided by his sister, the more severe charges brought against him were dropped, and he spent a little over a year on probation. In this time, he managed to straighten himself out (returning to church for the first time since his childhood), and forged a stronger bond with his sister. He struck out on his own to Boston, Massachusetts to take up a position at his nephew's shop, and has lived in the city for four months.

Other Info

An average sized man, standing at 5'11" and weighing 170 pounds. He has brown hair, blue eyes, and a North Carolinian drawl. His teeth are tinted yellow from a decade of smoking, and he has a higher tolerance for alcohol than his frame would suggest.

He loves cars, and currently owns two: a 1980 Ford F-350 pickup truck, and a 1975 Ferrari 308 sports car. Being young, single, and having an avid interest in automobiles, he puts the majority of his disposable income into their upkeep (and ongoing payments for the latter), and so his residence is dismally furnished.

---

---

[Bartimaeus]

Vesper Laurier

Mentions: None ([@N/A])
Location: Apartment Complex Lobby

---

---

The tattooed fingers of Vesper's left hand drummed uneasily against her bicep as she leaned against a wall in the lobby of her apartment complex, alongside a number of other inhabitants. Through her head ran an erratic stream of thoughts- not like when she'd gone too long without a drink, no- but now because she was trying to come up with any sane explanation for what was happening outside.

The day had started normally enough. Having been a day off for the girl, she decided to sleep in until afternoon arrived, at which point she lazed around her apartment, watching TV and munching on lucky charms cereal. Her day went by uninterrupted as usual, her doodling of prospective tattoo ideas accompanied only by the quiet sound of the TV in the corner and rock music playing slightly louder from the radio next to her. But the unbroken routine wouldn't remain so for long.
As the radio tune simmered down to an end, Vesper heard a sound which instantly made her skin crawl.

A blood-curdling scream pierced the air, reaching Vesper's ears through the street-facing window of what she called her living room. She did a double take towards the window, her hair standing on end as she felt a chill run through her. She'd heard a similar scream only a couple times- when someone was being robbed or something. But this time it was different. It wasn't just a scream rooted in fear, it felt...more than terrified. The sense of dread that such a sound sent crawling through her skin was.. unnerving, to understate it. But what may have been more concerning was that it wasn't just a singular scream. It was several. And they were accompanied by the sharp sound of glass shattering, and even the deep, wincing groan of metal being crushed. Vesper stood up and dropped her doodling pad, her gaze set on the seemingly now-opaque window.

Normally she would have passed the screaming off as some sort of robbery and mark herself uninterested, seeing as there was little she'd be able to do to help - but something felt...wrong. She hurriedly walked up to the window and looked down at the street below- or at least, she would've could she see two feet past the glass. It seemed as though a thick fog had rolled into the area. That wasn't particularly concerning in and of itself, but it seemed this fog was more dense than any she'd ever seen. Though seeing it did help to lower her heartrate a bit. Of course. Someone had just crashed their car. The fog made it difficult to see, so it was only natural. The internal explanation did only a little to calm the almost-queasy feeling in her gut. She drifted closer to the window, almost touching the glass with her ear as she listened further, hoping that anything she'd be able to hear would reassure the normalcy of the situation. There was nothing- no engine desperately turning to function, no screams of pain.

She was torn away from her internal thoughts as the next song on the radio started up. She backed away from the window and turned to shut off the radio. Vesper wasn't sure what to do. What could she help by going down to the lobby and trying to figure out what happened? There were others much more qualified for such a thing. But even still. It felt wrong to sit in her apartment alone after hearing the awful shrieks she just had. She decided to put on something a little more modest than just her underwear, slipping on some sweatpants and throwing on a grey t-shirt plus her leather jacket. She grabbed her keys and paused, looking back at the window before leaving the apartment and locking the door behind her.

And now here she was, standing in the lobby with a bunch of strangers. It seemed nobody really knew what was going on either, it seemed to her. But everyone looked like they were on edge. And perhaps for good reason. The dark-haired girl watched as the others talked hushedly amongst themselves, the worry in their voices and postures evident. Some were more vocal than others, though.

Vesper was content to keep her racing thoughts to herself, still trying to come up with something- anything. What could possibly be going on? It seemed one particularly brave individual- a brown-haired man looking to be a mechanic of some sort- was willing to leave the relative safety of the lobby to find out. Part of her didn't find that a particularly great idea- they had no idea what was going on. But would they ever find out if they didn't try? She held back a warning, shifting a bit closer to the door from her further back position in the lobby.

[Wolvena]

Mentions: None || Location: Apartment Complex Lobby

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Today was a slow day for Marabella Stirling, for it was a day of downtime for her. It was a day for herself, which is something she didn't really do all that often, but this week had been exhausting and she felt she needed it. She also needed the time to give her apartment a good cleaning. It was looking as if a tornado had hit it. After giving her apartment a deep cleaning, she walked over to her radio and lowered the volume to make it more like background noise, then grabbed a book off a nearby shelf. She then walked over to her couch and plopped down upon it, making herself comfortable before opening to where she had it marked. All sound was drowned out as Bella became lost within the pages and part of the world she read about.

A blood-curdling scream brought Bella back into reality with a jump. Looking up from her book, her eyes stopped on the window. It was then she realized just how long she had been reading for, marking her place with a bookmark as she closed the book and set it upon the side table. She then got up and walked over to the window to see who had screamed and for what reason. She thought she might see the aftermath of an accident down below as she looked out the window, but all she saw was a gray and heavy fog outside her window. Confusion plastered itself upon her features, for she had never in her life seen fog get this thick. She stood there listening for any other sounds that might come through, but she heard nothing. The scream had unsettled her because it wasn’t your normal scream; it was definitely one of terror. Pulling away from the window, she decided she should see if anyone else knew what was going on, but first, she would need to change. She had been in her nightclothes all day. Bella went to her room and changed into a pair of dark blue jeans, a black v-neck shirt, and a pair of black lace-up boots. Before leaving the room, she grabbed her Walkman, headphones, and backpack purse. She clipped the Walkman to her belt and put the headphones around her neck.

After heading to the kitchen, she grabbed some snacks and put them in her purse, then a little something extra to eat on her way downstairs since she hadn’t had dinner yet. After doing that, she went to the door and opened it, but before exiting her apartment she took her black leather jacket and keys off their hooks. After closing the door, she locked it and put on her jacket, then slid her keys into one of its pockets. Bella ate her snack as she made her way down the stairs and to the lobby. When she arrived, the atmosphere changed drastically. It was clear something was definitely going on by how everyone was talking in hushed voices amongst one another. She hung back and listened, then two voices rang out loud and clear above all other voices. She recognized who they belonged to, but only knew the two in passing. Bella’s eyes scanned the crowd that had gathered in the lobby, then landed upon Wyatt as he made his way to the door. She watched as he grasped the handle, ready to open it. She pushed herself through the crowd while saying excuse me, as she made her way to him. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea.” she said when she finally reached him. “We have no idea what is going on out there.”

[Vatonage]

_{Boston, Massachusetts}

7:30 PM, EST

---

^{Apartment Complex}

"Sorry; my bad." Christopher replied apologetically, having been called out for his language. "Just... this is all crazy."

He began to wonder how some of his neighbors could be so calm right now, or at least appeared to be. Were they seeing the same thing he was? This hadn't been some mere dream; Chris had already tried the adage of pinching oneself when Alton vanished into the fog without a trace just minutes earlier.

Taking a deep breath, Christopher tried to calm himself down too. What did his grandfather used to say? Count to four. Inhale. Count to four. Exhale. Something like that, he figured. Regardless of any attempt to calm his worries, however, it would all be in vain the second he saw the mechanic moving towards the complex entrance. Was he out of his mind? Opening that door was going to doom them all!

"Wait!" He exclaimed, nearly jumping out his skin in panic. Making his way towards the door alongside a headphone-wearing woman, Chris placed his hand on the push bar in an attempt to stop the mechanic from opening it. "Don't you dare open that door. She's right. You might be nuts, but I'm not about to walk straight into some mysterious fog we just heard shrieking from. Alton took off the moment the fog rolled in, and he vanished without a trace."

Christopher looked anxiously outside, and then to the mechanic. "The best thing we can do now is keep those doors shut."

[rezay]

₂

Wyatt Rhys

Friday Evening, October 7th, 1994

---

---

Bella’s eyes scanned the crowd that'd gathered in the lobby, then landed upon Wyatt as he made his way to the door. She watched as he grasped the handle, ready to open it. She pushed herself through the crowd while saying excuse me, as she made her way to him. “I don’t think that would be such a good idea.” she said when she finally reached him. “We have no idea what is going on out there.”

@Wolvena

"Wait!" He exclaimed, nearly jumping out his skin in panic. Making his way towards the door alongside a headphone-wearing woman, Chris placed his hand on the push bar in an attempt to stop the mechanic from opening it. "Don't you dare open that door. She's right. You might be nuts, but I'm not about to walk straight into some mysterious fog we just heard shrieking from. Alton took off the moment the fog rolled in, and he vanished without a trace."

Christopher looked anxiously outside, and then to the mechanic. "The best thing we can do now is keep those doors shut."

@Vatonage

I glanced at both of the strangers, and my expression contorted into one of mild confusion. I tried to make my case again in an skeptical tone, my back to the door. "Whadd'a yall think happened out there? There's obviously been an accident. A— a gas explosion, or a bomb. There's people outside needin' help, we' can't just sit in here."

I turned back to the door. To admit the truth, the other residents' reaction to the prospect of opening the door made me think twice about my original take of the situation. Had they seen something I hadn't?

My voice lowered, and I looked back to the woman. "Right?..." I turned my eyes back to the man— he'd said Alton had taken off into the mist. "Alton? So what, he pro'lly had tha' same idea I did."

Still, I took my hand off the handle. There was something seriously wrong here, that was for sure, and it would be better to gather more information before making any decisions.

With the excitement of the moment wearing off, I suddenly realized that I'd made myself the center of attention... An uncomfortable feeling. I propped myself up against the doorframe with one hand, pulled my cap off, and massaged my brow with a sigh, taking some time to process the situation. Pointing out the nearest window with my hat, I continued, speaking directly to the man. "How long's this been goin' on?"

[Kyrisse]

---

Allegra looked at the people who began talking. She could hear them but her mind refused to comprehend what they were saying. Extremely worried for her friend, she slipped into some sort of trance-like state, playing what she heard over and over in her head. She tried to piece together what could have happened from the little that she heard, Eva's scream frightening her the most. Outwardly, the only action she did was glancing down every few seconds at the phone she held in her hand, hoping that her friend would call her or send a message.

It wasn't until someone made a move to go out that she snapped out of her trance like state. She extended her hand, the word "no" forming on her lips but several people beat her to it. She dropped her hand and watched silently as her neighbors argued the logic of keeping the door shut. She agreed though some part of her still wanted to go out and try to find Eva.

But if she's already dead...

No, no. I can't think about this... must not think about this. Eva will be all right.

She pushed the possibility to the back of her mind and convinced herself that help would somehow come for her friend.

"M-my friend was out there when all this started," came her shaky voice. She cleared her throat and tried to steady herself before continuing. She figured that it would be best to speak out what small information she had with the people she was living with rather than keep worrying about it herself. It may somehow be of some use. "She was on her way here when the fog started to get really thick. She said traffic wasn't moving. She couldn't see if there was some sort of accident or anything but we heard screaming. She sounded terrified. And then the glass shattered... I-I don't know if it was Eva's window or her windshield but all I heard was her scream after..." Allegra bit her lip. She took a long, deep breath before she continued. "I tried calling 911 but I couldn't get through to them."

She glanced down at her phone. Nothing.

[Xandrya]

---

”I had similar luck, you know, trying to reach my…um, my husband,” Emma added, subconsciously squeezing her son’s shoulder a bit. It hurt like hell to know that Thomas may have been caught up in whatever was going on outside. The timing couldn’t have been any worse too as their next discussion would have been setting up her moving back with Ty.

“Mom, is dad okay?” Ty asked, sensing what was going on. He was old enough to put two and two together.

Looking down, Emma couldn’t find the words for a second. She didn’t bother smiling as there was absolutely no way she could have faked it. ”I’m not sure, sweetie. I hope he’s okay…I mean, he can take care of himself.” The young woman attempted to be reassuring, and she hoped it would make Ty feel a little better because she wasn’t going to lie to him and say everything was okay. Emma was a realist, yet that uneasy feeling in the back of her throat led her to believe that something was wrong. Nonetheless, she needed to be strong, for both her husband and her son.

”I’m really not that sure where to go from here, but we should probably check on the other neighbors, maybe they know something or managed to get through to somebody. I don’t know, I’m just trying to think of our next move.” Emma then approached Allegra. ”May I see your phone, please? I’d like to try my husband just one more time."