[IC] (open) Beyond Humanity: Chaos Quarantine (Supernatural, modern fantasy)

[Melo]

March 2nd: When the dust settles

The silence was almost unsettling. Were they still living in the same city as yesterday? Yesterday, this city had been a warzone. It was odd how many people simple seemed to snap because they could. For some, the revelation that they were now able to do things unimaginable became the perfect reason to throw away all sense of morality. March 1st, the day of awakening, had passed, but its consequences were still apparent. Society had gone mad in a blink of an eye. People found the power to kill, and therefore tried to kill. People found the power to protect, and therefore tried to protect. Yet other people sought to use this power to bypass the quarantine’s guarded borders in the midst of the chaos. But now the chaos was temporarily silenced. The fighting had come to a standstill with both heroes and villains licking their wounds. Most innocents hid indoors, hoping it was not their house that was raided by the mere whims of another super powered crook. The city itself was now similar to the aftermath of an angry riot. There seemed to be damage to every building in sight, most cars were totalled and other objects, such as bus stops and street signs, completely destroyed. The only difference was that here was that corpses were a rather common sight as well. Even in king’s road, one of the better known shopping streets in London, the destruction was clearly visible. This street, slightly towards the southeast, had a good reputation for its many trendy boutiques and hip cafes and restaurants. But today there was only one location still open, a café named ‘the king’s minstrel’.

Miles, the bartender and owner, was happy that his place hadn’t been completely busted up. Sure, the front had been a little damaged and the terrace that had cost him a fortune was completely and utterly destroyed, but the inside had remained untouched. The mainly wooden interior was meant to give something of a medieval tavern vibe to the entire place. The place had a large bar featuring a wide variety of drinks, about fifteen tables and a lounge area featuring a few comfortable couches. Miles had always been enamoured with the medieval times and with strong drink, so the way he had designed this just felt so right to him. This was his dream. To own a bar in one of the nicest shopping streets of London. Everything had been going swimmingly for him. Then March 1st happened and the world went to shit. It was supposed to be the grand opening day. He was supposed to give this grand opening party. No, he wasn’t going to let his efforts go to waste. He would open his place today despite the warnings of the government. He still had all the stock for the supposed ‘opening day’ and there were a lot of people in the city in need of a drink. So why wouldn’t he be open? The supposed ‘disease’ had been a lie. Everyone knew that at this point. All there was were powers. Superpowers. Why in the world Londoners were suddenly getting superpowers, Miles had no clue. All he knew that they had been nothing but trouble.

The young bartender looked over his customers once again, looking around if everyone still had a drink. He had hired waitresses, of course, but none of them had showed up. He didn’t expect them to, he didn’t even know if any of them were still alive. Despite the circumstances, the amount of people that had gathered was rather surprising. Or maybe he should’ve expected even more people to flock to the only open establishment in the entirety of Chelsea? Perhaps they just wanted the cheap drink. After all, Miles only charged as much as they were willing to offer. Money was rather useless in the quarantine. No place was open where there was money to spend, after all. Around the city the military had set up outposts where they distributed food to the hungry masses and provided tents to the stranded. Among the quarantined were many that had originally come to the city as a tourist. There were also the unfortunate sobs that commuted to London while living in the suburbs.

The customers themselves were quite a colourful bunch, frankly. Table one was occupied by what seemed to be members of a biker gang. The men, all seemingly between twenty-five and forty, all wore the same dark leather jackets and featured the same bald heads. They looked a bit scary but seeing them drinking and laughing made Miles think they were good folk.
Two tables away sat a man and a woman engaged in a very interesting conversation. He only caught parts of it, but the middle aged man seemed to talk about how he and some friends tried to escape this place. Naturally, proven by the fact that he was still here, they had failed. The man slumped in his chair more and more as he talked. It was clear he was not enjoying the trip down memory lane. The young woman, on the other hand, seemed fascinated at the story. She had been here almost the entire day, asking questions to every customer willing to talk to her. She and Miles had been talking whenever nobody else wanted to. A nice enough lass, who seemed to know quite a bit of hearsay as a result. Miles hoped she would stop by more often. It was hard to find people who actually knew a damn.
On the table next to them sat an elderly couple. They had told Miles that they lived nearby, but their home got destroyed in the onslaught. He pitied them, and they were probably not the only ones. He had promised to accompany them to the closest military outpost after he closed for the day. Surely a military tent wasn’t suited for them, but it would be safer than keeping them here. The military would protect them, right?
Lastly, on the middle couch of the lounge bar sat a young lady, probably in her early twenties. Her accent allowed Miles to identify her as an American. She seemed to enjoy her drink as she played with a strange blue mist. Most people Miles had talked to seemed to prefer not showing their powers, him included. This girl seemed to be different. Unlike the others in the establishment, she seemed so comfortable. Could someone truly not give a damn about the situation? Miles shook his head as he started cleaning the dirty glasses.

Across the street, Miles could notice a small patrol of soldiers passing by. They didn’t do it often, but some soldiers seemed to actually try and keep the peace. Miles hoped their presence would help make the streets a little safer. He couldn’t help but notice that one of the soldiers looked notably different from the others. His face was covered completely and his outfit look rather intimidating. He then noticed a dog staring at them. He had begun to sit down next to the entrance of the king’s minstrel. He was certain none of the customers had taken a dog with them. He wondered if it was a stray. Maybe its owners met their end yesterday? Poor thing.

The door creaked slightly from the damage it had sustained as it opened. Miles looked up at the customer that stepped in. He put on his winning smile and greeted them with a well-meant “welcome!”

[Jewels]

She'd spent the previous day hiding in the alley way she'd found herself in, taking turns between having bouts of panic and mourning. She hadn't returned home for anything. At some point, she'd fallen asleep, but she hadn't really been aware of it. Honestly, it felt as if she'd been awake for days. She felt like a corpse; speaking of which, she could feel so many. They were in the building at her back and the one across the alleyway. They were in the streets. She was wearing a simple black t-shirt with a Deadpool symbol on the front and jeans, something she'd just thrown on to lounge around in so she wouldn't be in her pajamas the day before.

When she started into the streets, it was so quiet that she felt everyone had to have been killed. She felt like a wraith wandering down the streets, even among other people. Some were talking, but many were just reflecting what she felt, this silent realization that the surreal was their reality, carnage had come into their lives, and the prior day wasn't their end like it was for so many others. She knew better than they did perhaps, because she had this... sense of them, like they were doors waiting to be opened, senses waiting to be tapped into.

People were keeping a wide berth of the cadavers, and she flowed with them. She'd always found the accents of native people charming, for the most part, but now every foreign voice just made her feel that much more isolated. In a single night, the place she'd made into her home had become just another thing that was no longer familiar. The streets that she'd learned to recognize were transformed and sinister. It felt as if something terrible might be waiting to happen again, like the thin barrier between the peaceful passing of those moving through the city today to the atrocities that had rocked it yesterday might be pierced at any time.

She'd often wondered how people could stomach going about day-to-day survival when something this crushing happened, and it occurred to her that she was living it. This wasn't something she saw in the headlines in passing and felt sad for the people in a sympathetic but detached way. She was in the middle of it, and she felt nothing for the moment. She felt tense, but she had made it a stretch beyond terror and came to something else, something where there were no emotions, like her mind wanted to wait and save its energy to produce some more when something happened.

She saw soldiers, and they made her nervous. Surely they would put her down after what those others had done yesterday. It put her even more on edge to see them, like they could somehow sense that she was guilty of... well, technically her only real crime would have been abuse of a corpse, but she only used it for self-defense. She didn't know what they'd be doing, but every piece of media she'd ever consumed about the dissection of aliens came to mind. One of the soldiers glanced her way and she quickly looked down. Too quickly. Now she looked suspicious... fuck.

She heard a lady's scream pierce the silence, with calls of, “He moved!” One of the bodies had jerked as she'd lost herself to her fearful thoughts, and her alarm sent another spasm of energy through it. Some people scattered and a few of the soldiers began making their way over. She walked more quickly away from it. She was surprised to see a bar open as she turned the corner, and she hurried toward it, ducking inside quickly and pressing the door closed. A long breath later, she turned to see... a medieval tavern-themed bar. She hadn't really taken in the facade of the building, but there were people here. Living people. It looked like...normalcy. Well, normalcy in a bizarre setting.

It was strange but, in the setting, she felt at ease again... as if closing that door had shut out the soldiers, the world, and she had some divine permission to just experience a moment of ease. And she really, really wanted to.

She ran her hand through her short hair, narrowing her eyes when she found something that felt like a dry crust and felt pain. She pulled her hand back to find some dried flecks of blood that she'd gotten from her head. That's right... she'd been hit, hadn't she? She'd really almost forgotten in her... well, ruminating. That's what it was called: ruminating. She felt like she'd been marinating in fear and grief and self-pity. She'd make someone a quaint little misery roast, wouldn't she? Why did that thought even occur to her? Latent cannibalistic leanings? God she hoped there were no telepaths in the room, and when that occurred to her, she also inadvertently began thinking of all the things she wouldn't want one to know about her. Great, now she felt ashamed and apologetic on top of it.

She approached the bar, quietly drawling out, “Excuse me, do ya'll got a first aid kit?” Her accent came out a lot... twangy-er than she was expecting, but she didn't even try to keep it from hanging out like Bubba's beer gut. Sounding like a hick was really the last thing she was worried about right now.

[Kokushi]

She was going to get herself in trouble with the way she was going, she just knew it. Here she was, leaving her parent’s house… or at least what was left of it after the riot that had happened on their street. She had intended on visiting them, but when she got there there was nothing but complete and utter chaos, people… things… running through the streets, some attacking others and the rest just running. She didn’t know what to do about the situation, so she had done her best to go unnoticed as she slid into the house, windows shattered and glass littering the floor. When she had found no one, she simply settled for grabbing a few necessities that she hadn’t had at her own home, she even went so far as to pack a few metal objects.

When she had finished scoping out the house, she had made up her mind to see if her friend Miles had decided to still open his bar. She knew it was a long shot, but it was better than waiting around for something to try to kill her. This whole situation in so friggin bizarre, she thought to herself as she started the trek to her destination. More often than not, she stayed off the streets and tried to stick to whatever woods she could find on her way, though there was not much. There were even points on her walk that she could have sworn she heard someone, or something, following her, though every time she looked there was nothing there.

”I don’t like this…” she murmured to herself as she picked up the pace and started on a light jog, hoping that she would make it to the bar well before anything decided to jump out and attack her. Just as that thought crossed her mind, a series of familiar buildings came into view, prompting a relieved sigh from Alanis as she kept her pace well into the area until she spotted a dog sitting outside.

”Oh! A puppy!” she exclaimed excitedly as she sped up, only to stop right in front of the dog, ”What are you doing waiting out here in front of the bar… are you waiting on your owner?” As she asked this, she knelt down and started to scratch behind the dog’s ears, a small smile on her face as she did so. She had always wanted a puppy when she was a child, had even been in the process of adopting one just before the quarantine had come into effect. ”Come on with me, I doubt the owner is really going to care if a dog is in his establishment after everything that had happened.”

As she said this, Alanis opened the door and gently pat her leg in a sign that the dog should follow her. While she had been in the bar many times before, she could never recall if Miles had said he liked dogs or not. Though the two had gone to school together, he was at least two years her senior and she had a hard time talking to him now a days as she had begun to feel rather shy. Letting out a slow breath, she looked over at the bar once inside and offered the man behind it a shy smile. ”Hey Miles, I see you decided to open despite the Quarantine… sorry about the front though… that sucks…” she called out, reaching for the dog she hoped had followed her in.

[SleepingSilence]

Dominic awoke, but kept his eyes closed just hoping when he peered his eyes open and turned his head, he would be graced with the smile his girlfriend's beautiful face sleeping beside him, escaping from the horrible nightmare that happened. But reality shot through his heart and mind as soon as he opened his eyes, looking up at plain white ceiling the mild fragrance of vanilla and his shoulders and back was aching from the bed, that was far too firm. He remembered he rushed out of the apartment crying and heading into the alleyways, throwing up realizing he wasn't even wearing any clothes, it was a pathetic moment in his life that he wish he could forget at least it was dark enough that no one saw him streaking in the middle of London. He was resting his head on a brick wall, on his knees. His moment of desperation with an amalgamation of indescribable emotions.

Well expect for the sudden, owner of the motel who somehow saw him on his nighttime stroll thankfully he was quite sympathetic and took pity on him. Giving him a room for the night for free and a spare set of clothes. The first thing he needed to thank the man, but he was clueless on the next step. Could he even face Alice? Could he just leave without at least trying to explain anything? But that itself wasn't conceivable. Being just as clueless about what transpired. Afraid of what comes next, but out of everything that happened, that kiss haunted him more than everything. Dominic sat up rubbing his dry eyes and stretched out as he went to look into the mirror feeling his face with his hands. He practically saw a stranger in the mirror despite that he face remained the same. “Am I...still me?” He spoke aloud realizing how ridiculous he sounded, he slapped himself like it would somehow snap him out of it, like a drunk needing to sober up. He had gone through much worse than this before in his life, he just needed to calm down and think rationally.

He left his motel room taking the key he had been given, and went up to the desk where he saw the man sitting behind the desk leisurely smoking, feet up on the desk looking at him with a pleasant smile. Dominic noticed how messy it was behind the desk, looking up at the clock on the wall to check the time relived that it wasn't too late in the day, along with a bunch of religious pictures he could tell many of them were slightly misaligned, and a cross on the wall. Reminded him a lot of his mother. Dominic set the key on the desk, bowing his head some respectfully “Thank you very much sir, I will be sure to pay you back for this and return your clothes once I get my own.” He stated. The man chuckled at his words and turned toward him putting his feet on the ground. "You don't have to do anything of the sort.” The man replied. “No, I must insist. You didn't have to do what you did for me either. I just need to find out how to retrieve my stuff.” He interrupted, shaking his head. It was silent for a brief moment.

The man let out a hoarse cough as he tossed his finished cigar in his ash tray. “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." The man quoted still smiling taking the key back. He knew where that was from, he even remembered exactly where it was from, Hebrews 13:2. But even those words made him feel a little sick. “I apologize sir, I don't believe in a god...thank you again, I'll return to pay my debts.” He replied as he started to make his way outside, he had to retrieve all of his things at Alice's place. “Hey,” The man called out, making Dominic turn his head looking at the man still smiling even a bit wider than before. “On certain days, neither do I.” The man replied. Not even knowing how to respond to that, he simply left without another word.

Dominic wasn't even that far from his girlfriend's apartment, but the walk felt like an eternity, each step felt was harder than the last. He told himself nothing was going to stop him from going there but it was a hell of a lot more easier said than actually done. He was barely paying attention to all of the noise in the background of the city. Like the nearby sounds of sirens. He stopped when he noticed a small bank note laying on the sidewalk with also no one around. He bent over and picked it up. It wasn't a lot of money, certainly not enough to pay for a room. He looked across the street, and saw that he was next to a bar. Maybe a small alcoholic beverage would ease up his nervousness and get him to talk to Alice and explain what was going on. So after a long frustrated exhale, he looked around before crossing the street stepping into the bar, noticing that it was pretty full of people. Also seeing all of the medieval designs, though decor wasn't exactly what he was there for, he wasn't really paying attention to any details. Spotting the most likely person to be the bartender. He walks up to the bar with a polite smile setting the bank note down on the bar counter. “Just get me the strongest drink you can with this, please.” He announced.

[Melo]

???

Protectors or executers?

He was nobody. More accurately: He was special, elite, and that made him a nobody. In this patrol he was the only one. The other four soldiers were dressed like normal soldiers. They had standard issue uniforms that showed their rugged faces. But this one soldier, he wasn’t like them. His entire uniform was made to intimidate all bystanders. His mask made him what he was supposed to be: A soldier without an identity. Adorned to his helmet was a large black star that felt oddly out of place. He looked different, but his mission was the same as theirs: Make sure nobody leaves this city, no matter what. These were orders that they had -to some extend- defied. Soldiers weren’t ordered to patrol. All they had to do was sit at the borders and shoot anything that came too close. There were many soldiers that believed securing the safety of the people within the city was more important, but only a few dared to speak up. He was one of these few, and therefore he patrolled. How would he keep this city save though? The soldier had no idea. There were too many freaks willing to use their powers to destroy the lives of others.

A lady’s shriek broke the eerie silence that had taken hold of king’s road. He looked up, witnessing the woman backing away from a corpse that had started to move. The soldier readied his weapon, an imposing full-automatic, and aimed it at the corpse. Luckily it only flailed around for a bit before it went back to being dead. He looked around and saw a young girl hastily walking into the nearest, and only, open establishment. The soldier shook his head. A newly awakened still unable to keep her power in check it seems. It didn’t surprise him, it happened quite regularly. What surprised the soldier more was how he was now so used to this crazy world he was now living in. Just another day in the life of the soldiers without a face. And just like that, his patrol continued.

---

Miles

Just your run-of-the-mill bartender

The first girl that came In seemed to be of around the same age as Miles. And just like the customers before her, she was greeted by the bartender. As a bit of a comic book geek, he immediately caught the eye of her deadpool T-shirt. She looked a little beat up, but that was eerily normal at this point in time. He recalls he had to treat the wounds of three members of the biker gang. They had been caught in the crossfire between two people that were fighting each other with powers. He also had to treat the elderly man at table seven, who had suffered a head wound when his home was raided. You knew something was completely out of control when there wasn’t even any respect for the elderly. Miles wanted to help the people. The city needed people to protect the people. Who knows, maybe the military could appreciate the help of some supermen?

Miles’ train of thought was broken when the girl had reached the bar. Her accent was that of an American, but he couldn’t place at any more specific. It wasn’t the same as the other girl in the lounge bar. That one was obviously Californian. Miles nodded at her query for a first aid kid ”I do, but maybe there’s a better way. May I see the wound?” Miles walked around to face the girl at the other side of the bar. Upon inspection, he could see that her head wound had been quite vicious. The dried blood surrounding it indicated that the wound wasn’t too recent. Maybe she had walked around for a while looking for help? He somewhat pitied her, but her suffering was over now. He grinned and nodded again. ”I can fix this for you. Just stand still for a moment, this might sting a bit.” He softly pressed his hand against the wound. He breathed in deeply, then out. The observant would see that his arm started to glow in a faint, blue light that slowly crept onto the head of the girl. ”Enchant” Miles whispered as the light vanished. Seconds later, it was as if the wound had never been there. In his opinion, this was how powers should be used. Why sow chaos when you could use your powers to do so much good? ”All fixed. Do you want a drink?” The bartender smiled at her as he returned to the other side of the bar, ready to take her order.

Miles’ little stunt had not gone unnoticed to the rest of the bar. Then again, most of them had already seen him do this at least once. Nicole wouldn’t be the first, nor the last that would need healing today. One person in particular, however, had taken notice of the battered girl. It was the girl at table three, who had been talking with the middle aged man for a little over an hour at this point. The slender girl was in her mid-twenties, and seemed to be a mix of Caucasian and Asian. She waved at Nicole, and beckoned her over to take a seat with her and the man. She probably wanted her story, she always did.

Miles perked up when he noticed a familiar face entering the bar. He smiled and welcomed Alanis. He cocked his head as he did so to take a glimpse at the smaller presence that was following her. The white dog that had been sitting in front of his establishment for a while seemed to follow her somewhat reluctantly. He didn’t remember Alanis ever telling him that she had a dog, and she definitely wouldn’t leave it at his front door like that for a good half hour. As she walked up to the bar, he was already busy preparing her favorite drink: Lemon drop. ”Hello Alanis.” Miles sighed at her remark”What really sucks is this entire damn quarantine. One day and this entire city turned into a warzone, can you believe it? Most peoples won’t even leave their homes unless they can defend themselves with… well you know.” He handed Alanis her drink as he continued ”You look fine though, that’s good. Do you have them, powers I mean?”

The dog, instead of sticking with Alanis, started to wander the bar. The animal kept itself perfectly silent as it did so. Ultimately it ended up looking at the TV, displaying the governmental information channel. In London, this was now the only channel available. It promised to keep the citizens up-to-date with every little bit of information regarding the quarantine. Filthy liars, all it had told them thus far was to stay indoors as much as possible. They even still dared to claim a disease was the cause of this quarantine. Nobody bought that story anymore. The radio was pretty much the same. The only reason that the bar still had normal music was because Miles had some decent CDs lying around. Who had ever thought that the CD would make their comeback in London?! Not Miles, that was for sure.

”You plan on taking care of that?” Miles said as he pointed at the dog. ”It’s not one of the customer’s, I’m certain. Its owners are dead, most likely. Although, are you sure you can manage with an extra mouth to feed?” Miles’ smile vanished as he adopted a grim expression ”Not to mention, the people... the destruction and the killing.” He gritted his teeth, just thinking about it made him angry.

Miles Interrupted his conversation with Alanis for a bloke that sat down at the bar. He welcomed him as he put down the bank note and nodded at his request. He grabbed a few bottles and started to mix a black Russian for the man. ”Don’t worry about payment. People have to help each other out in times like these. You’ll never know when you’ll actually need that money.” he gave the man a faint smile as he put the handed him his drink. ”Please enjoy!”

When Miles wanted to turn his attention to Alanis, he noticed someone taking place next to Dominic. The American girl that had entertained herself in the lounge area had made her way to the bar ”I’ll have the same thing.” she said in the most obvious Californian accent. She then turned all of her attention to the man. Miles rose a brow as he mixed another. He wasn’t sure what it was about this woman, but something about her made his skin crawl.

The woman that had taken place next to Dominic had blazing red hair that went past her shoulders. This colour formed a pleasant contrast against her white skin. Her icy blue eyes peered at him for a bit before flashing him a charming smile. ”Hello there. You seem to be a little down on your luck. Is the city getting to you, or has your power been causing you trouble?” She spoke softly, incomprehensibly soft to anyone besides Dominic. She eyed his reaction with a glint of amusement in her eyes as she took a sip of the cocktail. Her eyes then spurred open as if she was ready to spit the concoction out, but luckily she managed to swallow it. ”Ugh, coffee flavour.” She murmured with a sigh.

[SleepingSilence]

Dominic observed the bartender making a drink. He was incredibly anxious, not even sitting down in the adjacent bar stool. The bartender's words were unintentionally going through in one ear and out the other. Because his thoughts were much louder and drowning out everyone around him. How could this be happening? How can he even do anything about what had transpired? Dominic returned his smile out of politeness as he actually heard his words telling him to enjoy. “Thanks.” Dominic quickly responded taking the drink, firmly grasping it in his hands. Immediately, he was realizing the sentiment was quite ironic. He already didn't like the position he was in, he hadn't even touched alcohol in the past two years, but now he had just ordered the strongest drink to calm his nerves, all this felt like all still equivalent to a nightmare. Dominic took the drank it down like a glass of water, chugging it down in a matter of seconds. Not exactly enjoying the taste, and he sets the glass down on the table with a clanging against another glass on the table.

Dominic clutched his forehead with his hand for a moment, letting out a long sigh. He noticed the long red headed women approach next to him asking for the same drink. Dominic had done this song and dance one too many times back in the days, knowing the signs enough to assume she was about to hit on him, or expect him to pass her a compliment and although Dominic often was very courteous toward others usually saying the right words to make a girl laugh or cheer up. Being lucky enough to have a girlfriend that understood that he was just a nice guy, and wasn't ever jealous when most would perceive it in a negative light. Well, that's what he would of thought, if he wasn't questioning his relationship that was more than likely shattered to pieces and possibly one enormous fabrication. Dominic was about to express his disinterest and then make his leave, only now noticing that the bartender hadn't taken the money. He stopped dead in his tracks hearing the strongly accented words whispered to him by the women.

“Did she just say his power? What the hell was that supposed to mean...why would someone ask you that unless...how would she know what happened?” Dominic wondered completely baffled by her question. Figuring this women, who ever she was, knew something. It was too bizarre and oddly specific to be a mere coincidence. Dominic turned to her, looking at her quite seriously trying to speak as quiet as possible, to not be overheard by anyone but her. “You clearly have some answers, that I would be very desperate to have. But I need to leave. Can you please stay here...” Dominic asked the women empathizing his words clearly desperate sounding, not exactly waiting for her response. Feeling like if he didn't get to his girlfriend's apartment soon, something worse would happen. Very quickly leaving outside the bar, leaving his money on the table hoping his words were enough, sprinting to the apartment complex.

Dominic had never made such a mad dash to his girlfriend's place before, surprised when all of his possessions weren't all thrown outside. Seeing his girlfriend's car in the front of the parking lot, making him question was she still here? Refusing to hesitate, putting his hand on the knob turning it, knowing that a body was likely the first thing his eyes would glance upon, gulping and opening the door seeing that it wasn't even locked as it swung wide open. “What on earth...” Dominic wondered as he was very surprised to see the body was no longer there in fact it didn't even look like there wasn't any kind of incident there, the entrance was completely spotless. But he wasn't fooled for some reason he could still make out the scent of the blood, it only raised more questions. “Alice...” Dominic called out not exactly sure what he expected, certainly not to be answered right away hearing her voice. “Don?”

She appeared stepping out of the bedroom, quickly walking toward him. Dominic was surprised she was approaching him at all, suddenly and without warning getting his face was smacked hard by her right hand. Her expression was clearly showing she was angered, he almost couldn't blame her. Feeling the intensity of her anger coming from his cheek, still tingling from her slap, he never had been hit like that by Alice before. “You have a lot of nerve, leaving me behind with a fucking dead body in my apartment!” Those words stung even harder, the very word dead body made his stomach churn in revulsion. Before Dominic could open his lips to speak, she embraced him with a passionate kiss, he didn't refuse kissing back, as they shared a moment until he stopped and stepped back but she interrupts before he could actually say anything. “Look, I just want to be very clear what happened when you got back. Please just listen to me first...” Alice pleaded to him which Dominic was a little taken aback to her desire as he reasoned him killing another individual by unknowingly shape shifting into a wolf and tearing someone's throat apart would be more important to discuss, though simultaneously not actually wanting to talk about it. The fact that Alice was letting him stay here and not immediately phoning the police, he nodded as he listened to her explanation.

“I was doing laundry, which is why I was topless...that man was an former ex of mine that heard I was getting engaged and decided that he wanted me back. The guy was a total asshole, who I broke up with because he slept with one of my closest friends in a drunken stupor. When he knocked on my door, I thought it was you coming home, since you do forget your keys a lot, but he forced his way inside explaining that he'll do better, I told him to leave me alone but he wouldn't listen and he grabbed my arm, pulled me in and started to kiss me the moment you walked into the door. I swear that is the truth.” Alice stated as Dominic tried as hard as he could to remember the moment, he then recalled the rumbling sounds in the background, when he entered, he indeed heard the dryer. When Dominic thought about her story, all the pieces suddenly fit together, he believed every single word. Smiling in some relief, it was just a terrible misunderstanding. But it made the situation even worse, because of those thoughts he had taken another man's life.

“I believe you. Now will you believe me, that I had never meant to...I have absolutely no clear explanation for you, I refuse to lie to you. I don't even understand, what happened to the body? Please, don't tell me...” Dominic asked as she interrupted him again.

“Yes, I dumped the body elsewhere...I called one of my friends, who owes me a favor. I just said he came in here with his dog, which looked like it had rabies and viciously started attacking him, and ran out the apartment door before I could even do anything and I asked him to help me get rid of the body and I did my best to clean the evidence...” Alice explained. Dominic rubbed his head in frustration as he exclaimed in disbelief. “Alice! You...”

“Yes, I know what I did was stupid alright? I was shocked and I didn't know what else to do! Don't say you should of called the police, and tell them what happened they think I was nuts. It looks like a wolf attacked him, there's not exactly many wolves around here. But if he's found in woods or in a ditch somewhere, no one would even suspect foul play and honestly I don't care if he was killed, I'm not letting you go to prison over some asshole that probably would of raped me, if you hadn't stopped him!” Alice exclaimed.

Dominic didn't even know how to properly respond, left speechless by his girlfriend's words. He literally couldn't contemplate everything at once just holding his head with both hands. But he also knew that the women at the bar probably wouldn't wait much longer, and he had to find out what she meant. “Look Alice, I love you and I know this probably is the last thing you want to hear, but I'm going out again. I need to talk to someone, they somehow know something...I will be back shortly, we will figure this out...together. Okay?” Dominic stated. Alice responded by pulling his wallet, keys and cellphone out of her jean's pocket, for some reason he wasn't completely surprised. He took them from her and gave her a smile, her face showed she wasn't happy about his departure but she responded. “I love you too...”

With those parting words, Dominic headed quickly outside and into her car since he also had a key. It would get him there faster than simply running there, and frankly he was too physically and mentally tired to do so anyway, turning on the ignition and leaving the parking lot driving back to the bar still hearing the loud commotion happening throughout the streets, he got out of his girlfriend's car and ran straight back into the bar, hoping he wasn't too late and that she was still there.

[Jewels]

She didn't know what the bartender was getting at when he suggested that there was a better way, but he had a kind manner about him. She turned so he could see her wound.

When he touched the broken skin, she winced, but she didn't pull away from him. She saw blue light in her peripheral vision and in an instant, felt all of her pain subside. She hadn't really expected kindness after yesterday, especially from a super-powered person, and it made her eyes tear up a little, though she didn't actually cry.

”Thank you,” came an incredulous retort. It was inspiring to her to see someone with a power that could be used to help others. She wished she'd gotten something like that. What she had control over... felt like an abomination. The bartender offered to get her a drink, and she asked for water. When she became emotional, she became less stable, so she definitely didn't want to see what inebriated looked like.

She happened to notice the woman at table three beckoning her over. Nicole didn't recognize the woman, but she stood anyway and made her way to the table, curious as to what the lady wanted to say to her.

“Hello, my name is Lilian Patterson. And you are?”

“Nicole Woods,” she said, dragging out her response a little almost like a question because she was surprised at the pleasant manner of the lady despite the circumstances they found themselves in.

“Nicole, it's great to meet you. It looks like you had a rough day yesterday.”

”That's a purdy fair assessment, yeah.”

“I work as a journalist. I say 'work' because I am trying to gather the stories of the survivors. I think one day it will be important to report exactly what happened here. I was hoping you might tell my something about your experience... Were you attacked by one of the Supers?”

”I... was, yes. He turned invisible.”

“And how did you get away?”

”An... old friend came to my defense. She died.” Nicole, of course, neglected to tell Lilian what order those two facts occurred in.

“I'm sorry to hear that... You and your friend, did either of you develop powers?”

”Yes.”

“It was you, wasn't it?” She didn't waver at all when she asked.

”Yes,” Nicole answered, forfeiting all plans of hiding herself. Lilian continued to look at her, and she decided to head her off at the pass and answer the question she would be asked. ”I can reanimate the dead.”

“And what will you be using that for? Self-defense? The greater good? Looting?”

”Look, I just want to go my own way. Mind my business... I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to go home.”

“To the states?”

”Yes.”

Lilian smiled. “I thought so. Thank you for talking to me, Nicole.”

"Anytime."