The Vampire Earth - Post Apoc/Sci-fi - Main Thread ( Closed/Started)

[Ultraman950]

Shizuka, now with her hood down to increase her field of view, weaved in between the dilapidated cars and trucks on the ruined highway, listening for the slightest noise, but at the moment, only hearing her distressingly noisy partner.

Granted, Scathach's still a cat, and thus inherently still very quiet, but Shizuka's sensitive ears could still pick her up. By her reckoning, that meant she was being far too loud. The ruined cars were a great place for an ambush, and the slightest noise might tip them off.

Shizuka gestured to Scathach by holding a hand up to her ear and mouthing, "Do you hear anything?"

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

Scathach pulled up short. She listened.
...
The wind swirling across the empty prairie. A quiet breath from Shizuka. Snatches of conversation from the party behind them.
"No, nothing unusual." She scanned the horizon and still saw nothing. She shrugged. "We may manage to get there without killing anything." she stifled a chuckle.

 

[Ultraman950]

Shizuka suddenly looked very nervous. "Are you sure...?" Her eyes darted around, she was sweating, her breath was short, and she didn't dare even shift her weight. She was all but trembling.

She had to force herself not to reach for her swords or gun, but she couldn't stop biting her lip. "I-I don't feel well..."

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

"I-I don't feel well..."
"Would you like to go back with the group? This place is pretty..." She trailed off. "Eerie." She caressed the handle of her claws, before making up her mind and drawing them. She held them loosely, but ready to strike.
"You're right. This place is damned creepy." Scathach circled around the many abandoned cars, many of them with decomposed skeletons still in them. She looked hard at the ground, looking for tracks, anything. But she wasn't a wolf, so she came up with nothing. She rejoined Shizuka, shaking her head. "I don't see anything, hear anything. The place feels just dead."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

Although Yuriy hadn't seen anything to confirm his suspicious, he thought the silence in the surrounding woodlands was rather peculiar. In fact, the lack of noise other than themselves was making him uncomfortable. Though he was a Bear, and few things other than a good fight or a pile of steaks made him truly comfortable. He wasn't fully prepared to let his guard down just yet, but by his observations, there wasn't anything to worry about for the time being.

 

[Ultraman950]

"I don't see anything, hear anything. The place feels just dead."

"I-I don't think there's anything else here... maybe we should get back to the group...?" Shizuka was actually trembling now, her eyes wide and constantly shifting from one ruined car to the next, their sensitivity to light working against her as she could make out every grisly detail of the remains inside. She almost gagged.

 

[Dectomax]

Rourke watched and listened as his young comrades started casting glances around the area. Getting a steady grip on his M1 Carbine, he darted up the left embankment, breaking into his old wolfs lope as he reached the top. Casting his eye's around, he saw nothing and even his wolf senses picked up nothing unusual. "S'all good, folks, nuthin' to see. Anyhow, I think we lingered enough...the amount of life-sign you're givin' off..." He cast one last look and began to follow the old interstate north.

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

"maybe we should get back to the group...?"
Scathach nodded.
"It wouldn't be too bad of an idea. This place is... Kind of frightening. And I've been some damn creepy places."

 

[Lunar Templar]

Jessica started head toward the cats "Rourke is right, lets keep moving"

 

[Dectomax]

Pushing the group on, Rourke continued along the interstate. Constantly checking the embankment and scouting off on his own every once in a while. Not long after the sun had declined and rested lazily above the horizon, a small rusted sign appeared on the side of the road. Welcome to Iowa. The embankment faded away on the side and a clear view of the surrounding land was given, a large cylindrical building lay on the western horizon.

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

"S'all good, folks, nuthin' to see. Anyhow, I think we lingered enough...the amount of life-sign you're givin' off..."

"Well, I'm sure if some of us could be smaller," the Bear said, trailing off as he continued on down the crumbling asphalt. His heavy boots fell on the cracked plates that had formed, causing a few to lightly grate against one another. Yuriy wondered just how much of the road was really left - just how long would the road endure as time dragged on?

"Rourke is right, lets keep moving"

"I am way ahead of you," Yuriy called back, giving a slight wave to those in the rear. As much as he'd like to put the thought of it behind him, he couldn't help but have the eerie silence brought to the front of his mind. Even though his better judgement told him there wasn't anything to worry about, he couldn't shake the feeling. However, it seemed he needn't dwell on it further, as they were welcomed to the other side of the old state line. The Bear tipped his hat to the deteriorating marker, adding light heartedly, "How polite. I am certainly feeling the warmth."

 

[Ultraman950]

Shizuka fell back into her position a few paces away from the group, this time hunched over a little more and wringing her hands. Her eyes shifted around even more, to the point where one could be forgiven for wondering why she didn't fall over if she weren't a Cat.

I apologize for my absence. Suffice to say being cut from the 'Net for a week sucks.

 

[Lunar Templar]

Jessica giggled and jogged up to Yuiry "sneaky bear is sneaky it seems" she said as she caught up to him.

"How polite. I am certainly feeling the warmth."

Jessica looked at the sign as they passed "I'm not feeling it, given the sign is rusted, faded and on the ground, must have been cut backs or something in state services" she said in a totally straight manner, though meant it as a joke

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

Scathach roamed ahead and behind the group once she made sure Shizuka was with them. She was restless, and irate at herself for being so restless, without any reason to be.
She sighed.

 

[Muffin Button]

It was nice to see the two Cats back safe and sound. However, one of them seemed kinda twitchy, and it was doing nothing to put her at ease. She started concentrating on some breathing exercises.
'In, two, three... out, two, three...
It had been a while since she'd visited Iowa. It was still as flat as the time her Dad had been stationed up there, if marginally worse for wear. Nobody had bothered fixing up the sign back then either. She gave a slight wave as she passed it.
'In, two, three... out, two, three...
What on earth was wrong with that girl? Maybe investing in a laser pointer for her to chase would be a good idea.
...if they still have any of those around, of course.
'In, two, three... out, two, three...
"Something bothering you, Twitchy?"

 

[Ultraman950]

"Something bothering you, Twitchy?"

Shizuka's head barely moved in response, but it was clear she was a bit irked. Yes, there's quite a few things, actually. Want me to tell you about them?

"... No."

I swear, one of these days I'm gonna strangle me...

Shizuka just kept on walking, trying not to hug herself as she pulled her hood back over her head, more snugly than usual. Her eyes weren't even visible under it.

 

[Muffin Button]

The group were getting closer to their destination.

Nobody seems to have picked up on the fact I'm not carrying any weapons. Do they know? well, Well, now's as good a time as any to bring it up. Better then them finding out when it's too late.

"So, before we head in, did anyone get briefed on my... condition?"

 

[Lunar Templar]

Jessica turned "Condition? what condition? no one told me anything" she said, with a confused look on her face

 

[Muffin Button]

"Well, you know what happens to second gen-ers. You up the Bear blood, you up the strength and stuff, but you also up the crazy as well. Now, us McMahons have got a lot of Bear blood, which is a massive source of pride to the family. Well, at least it was 'til the one time my uncle didn't stop at just 'going red' and went straight past it into 'kill anything that moves' terratory. Now, the blood isn't as strong in me, but I make a point of maintaining a personal dicipline in the battlefield and such.
Now, seeing that we're working together, I will tell you this: I don't think it'll ever happen, but if you ever see me go 'beyond red' I want you to run. And I'll want you to keep running. I don't carry weapons as a way of showing off, I do it to give you all a fighting chance."
This was all matter-of-fact to Regan now. She'd explained it a more times than she could recall, but some people tended to take the news better than others.

 

[Ultraman950]

Shizuka didn't seem to react... at least not to the untrained eye. As Regan explained, her steps got a little shorter and quicker--but no louder--her back a little more straight, and her eyes a little less shifty. If anything, it appeared she calmed down.

Oh crap, she thought, She's one of those. As if I didn't have enough to worry about... I'll just have to act like it doesn't bother me. I'm good at that...