One thing, can I get a distance reference on the map? Like 1cm = x km or miles or something?
Edit: Coincidentally, the field is about 1cm long and I'm assuming it's a football field so that would be 360 feet. That doesn't take into account fan parts or greens around it so maybe 400 feet? Not sure.
That would make Kiki about 2 miles away and the average person can see about 3 miles so she can see the smoke but just barely. Figured it out myself haha.
I'm gonna be honest, I haven't worked out any maths to this point. Lets go with that as a rough rule of thumb.
As Beth Nilsson dove into the Baptiste River, she could feel the cold water slide up her spine. Then she quickly spun in the water, so she could look back at the riverbank as she resurfaced. The bank was lined with a thin layer of trees. Not enough to peer through at the abandoned tents and trailers of the park. Yet enough to obscure her view, save for the forested hills beyond.
Beth found swimming therapeutic. It gave her time to mull things over in her head. As she pulled herself around and began a breaststroke to the other side, Beth wondered about where and her brother should go. The only wisdom in heading south was that it was warmer. Although they'd be exchanging the warmth of the sun for sharing in it with others, many others, that probably ain't into sharing.
Beth reached her hand out to touch the mud and stones of the southern bank. She imagined it like the edge of the pool back at her home. Instead of the layers of browns and tufts of green, for a few moments Beth saw the blue and white mosaics and tiles of the pool. Beth turned back with an Olympic grace, before pursuing back over to the north bank. Heading North would just be the opposite, as long as they avoided Seattle and Vancouver.
The chill of the water was starting to ware off, her mind was becoming numb to the sensation on her skin and through her swimsuit. Her strong and purposeful movements the only thing warming her up.
East might just be the best bet, out of the mountains and into some prairies. Beth wondered, though she wasn't too sure if it would be warmer. At least until the winter is over. Beth slapped the northern bank and repeated the swim back and forth.
It was about twenty minutes later when Beth decided it was best to head back. She'd left Greg still asleep in the tent. It was still quite early, about seven am. Beth was the early bird of the two. Even though Greg was finally growing out of it and wherever they were going, they would have to get up at dawn daily. Beth decided that she'd let him sleep. It was exhausting at the community centre, for weeks and weeks they'd been there, with Adam Davies. It gave Beth a shudder more than the cold as she pulled herself up onto the riverbank.
Beth grabbed her towel beside her clothes and dried herself off. Before quickly stripping from her swimsuit and into her clothes. Beneath the trees, Beth could see the sunlight slide between the canopy, the green leaves tanning orange and brown with new day. Beth dried and tied her soaked hair back up. Then she pulled her shirts over her head and shoulders. Finally sliding her lithe legs into her jeans and wrapping around her belt. A long but thin knife pouch dangled of her right hip as she grabbed her towel.
A shadow pulled itself over the sunlight. When Beth looked up through the canopy, the sun wasn't blocked by canopy nor cloud.
It was smoke, winding and black.
Beth snatched her towel and jogged out of the canopy into the field. The golden grasses waved in the wind that pushed the smoke through the sky. The western edge of the field was on fire. A large blaze that was licking up trees and sweeping through the grasses, Beth could see abandoned tents collapse and trailers filled with flames.
Beth started sprinting through the grass, barely feeling their brushes in blinded panic.
"Greg!" Beth shouted, then screamed. "Greg!" Beth didn't have time to ask when or why, the fire was moving fast and Beth frantically scanned for a way through the flames. As she got closer, the heat was pushing against her face and clothes. Hearing the cracking of burning vegetation and the trembling roars of the flames to ward off her approach.
There wasn't a way through, where Beth thought she could see one, a flame swept up like rough waves on a rock. Beth began paceing up and down the line of flames, trying to spot a way through as the flames crawled towards her. "Greg!" Beth shouted as embers burst and floated through the air, the smoke stinging her eyes.
A loud bang echoed from beyond the flames. Beth shouted for Greg more, this time sprinting down the line of the fire towards the highway. The fire whipped and flung itself out at her as she coughed through the smoke. The fire had almost consumed the whole side of the park, pushing through the field towards the warden's empty cabin and the camping on the eastern half.
Finally Beth reached the tarmac of the highway and looped around the flames. The blackened and charred ground was still filled with burning trees and camping equipment. The charred and warped remains of a trailers and RVs sat between evaporated tents and their bare poles. Beth had to skirt around piles and bundles of flames that still littered the inside of the fire storm. The smoke was thick in the air and Beth pulled her shirt over her mouth and nose.
"Greg!" Beth screamed at the remains of their tent. It had collapsed, was burnt right through, nothing was left scorched or singed. However Beth couldn't see the shape of Greg's body in the remains. "Where are you?!"
"Beth!" Beth swung her head around and saw the figure of Greg, emerging from around the back of an RV. He too had his shirt covering his mouth and his pale skin looked singed and discoloured. Greg was only about forty yards away, but he couldn't see the flames as they squeezed through the gaps of the RV's hood. Greg staggered in front of the vehicle.
"Gre..." A leap of fire burst from the fuel cap and an inferno of fire and shrapnel engulfed Greg, the force pushing Beth back to the ground and knocking herself out. Beth became swept into unconsciousness.
----- Jasper Deckard watched all this from a pair of binoculars. High up on the slope of a hill overlooking the park and it's fire. A conundrum presented itself to him. Leave the safety of the woods on this side of the highway, or risk it to save those people he'd been watching for days.
Jasper lifted himself up from kneeling and held himself up against a pine tree. Looking up and down the slopes and down the highway. He couldn't see anyone else who could help. For all Jasper knew, he was the only one that could.
"Fuck it" Jasper slung his backpack and bedroll over his shoulders and started descending the hill to the state park...
I'm probably going to kick off this RP rp tomorrow (0-GMT). If not then, then the day after that. So if the people who still ain't got their CS's up yet in OOC, please do so soon.
Regardless of if you've put up your CS or not. The start of our RP is gonna take place initially in the western half of Baptiste Valley. If you could all take a look and tell me where you intend to initially place your characters.
I'm gonna update the maps as time goes on, representing locations of NPCs, areas of danger, bases and safehouses etc. Not every 24 hours or something like that, but on the occasion as things progress.
