The Storm

[Ninjz]

Derek sighed as Loki dived into the truck, he didn't even seem to see that patrick was lying on the floor. Predidcting what was about to happen, Derek slid the comatose man into a more safe position and buckled him up. He then braced the two of themfor the blast. After the rocking stopped, the young scientist released Harvey and looked over at Loki. Of course, the jock was already hitting on the girl, but that was to be expected. After what seemed to be a suitable time he asked
"The ones from that blast dont count in the bet, Loki."

[Abira]

True to form, Abira swung herself up and over the side of the truck, landing lightly on her feet near the wheel well; tucking the over-sized Army jacket in around her as she sat, Abira picked wistfully at the frayed hem of her black tank. It was wet…it was cold…and it was absolutely terrifying outside. The fatigue trousers she wore dipped precariously low on brown hips, and the tanktop provided almost no protection against the elements. Huddling against the cab wall, she tore the band from her hair and raked her fingers through the blue-black tresses…but before she could tie them back again, the primal roar of fire ripped her away from inner musings.

It was as if Hell had coughed up a third of its flames—searing reds and oranges rose in towering plumes, disappearing higher up into a monstrous black cloud of toxic fumes and soot. Instinctively grabbing for a handhold, Abira flattened herself against the cab just as a body tumbled on top of her. After a moment of awkward inching and pulling, Loki failed to extract himself from the tangled mess, and he fell back again, laughing.

"It looks like I'm a bit stuck for the time being."

Not in a position to complain after being rescued by the ragtag bunch of strangers, Abira only laughed—the eerie glow of the explosion behind them reflecting a faint scarlet on her cinnamon skin. Settling herself in for the ride, she brushed a few black curls back from her face and sighed. The smell of charred flesh reached her even there, in the back of a speeding truck…and Abira took it as sign that the adventure was far from over.

Black eyes flaming dully behind a fringe of lowered lashes, she smiled cheekily and shrugged:

“Well, my little lapdog…where are we going? And how about you let me know the next time you feel the urge to build a large-scale explosion – it’s a little disconcerting.”

[Leila Darkmoon]

*Leila stretched her aching limbs as she walked over to the truck that had now pulled up behind the Bug and screeched to a halt. Glancing up at the heavy stormclouds that still managed to keep their hold on the rain that threatened to pour down at any moment, Leila hoped that they would at least have some time to get their bearings and hopefully gain access to the Tower before the rain began to fall.

Waiting for the others to exit the truck, she walked to the back door and yanked it open. Smiling at the men and woman in the back of the truck Leila drawled

~We're here kids!~ as she stepped back to allow them to scramble out. Turning back to look at the Tower, she then walked over to the door to examine it closely before she tried to open it. Calling out in a loud voice, Leila asked ~Is anyone here??~ as she stood looking up at the Tower before her. *

[Ava]

Eyes closed and lashes brushing the tops of her cheeks, Abira scarcely noticed that the rocking of the truck had stopped. She’d slipped into something of a nap minutes before, comforted by the warm weight of Loki’s tangled form and exhausted by the events surrounding her rescue. She hadn’t really waited for an answer to her jest—she was simply too tired to stay alert. Her head lolled slightly, the curve of her bronze throat outlined sharply against the inorganic angles of the truck’s cab; though not unused to the nightmares that prey on a half-asleep mind, Abira’s face still twisted a little as reruns of the zombie encounter flashed on the insides of her eyelids.

~We're here kids!~

Leila’s voice cut through the thick fog of half-consciousness and Abira came to with a start. The Tower loomed before them, and in the dim light it seemed like something out of a horror movie. Spartan, dark, and seemingly abandoned, it rose up out of the ground like the broken leg of some armor-clad giant…and Abira didn’t like it.

She didn’t like it at all.

Turning her gaze to Leila as she moved closer to the building, intent on inspecting, Abira called softly:

“What is this place…?”

[Boston]

The Tower door could be heard unlocking from the other side.

[foxx]

Foxx was trapped for a minute as she worked to extract stiff fingers from the steering wheel. Even once they were eased off it took another minute of intense rubbing to get them straight once more. Her nerves had been on edge since the gas station they’d so recently visited had exploded behind them. The force with which the truck rocked after the initial blast made it all the more difficult for an inexperienced driver to keep from swerving off the road. Since then her hands had instinctively clutched the wheel and she glued her eyes on the road and Bug moving ahead. As the van came into sight she spared it the briefest of glances and enjoyed a moment of triumph. Vanman had found them, releasing her from the worry that had invaded her thoughts ever since his first radio call.

Another considerably painful moment was spent unfolding her legs from the pedals, which had apparently turned to stone during the ride. The door was shoved open and she dropped cautiously to the ground, aware of every protest given from her hips down to her toes. When her right shoulder twinged, it was the only of her aches and pains that came with a feeling of triumph. The second of her two times behind the wheel of a manual had involved a lot less gear grinding. She had only just got the hang of it when their destination rose on the horizon, but she’d leave the experience with a bit of a reason to strut. License or none, she could drive! Foxx had come to the wise decision that she didn’t want to again for a really long time.

Now that cricks had been worked out of their respective areas, Foxx was free to study “here”, as Leila deemed it. Where “here” even was could not be determined by a city girl, having traveled no farther than her own two feet would take her. This tower and the sprawl of barren land it set on were not in any of the sight-seeing brochures she’d ever read. It struck her that she may never read another sight-seeing brochure at all, with the end of the world and all. The urge to laugh and cry warred with each other for the millionth time in an hour and as she had every time previously, she curbed it and wandered after Leila. It was her idea to come here and that meant there was the hope that she had a plan for what to do once they arrived. Coming up beside the blonde, she scanned the area closely for any signs of the living dead. Strangely, their absence made her more anxious than when they were loping after her, moaning and groaning all the way. When Leila summoned everyone and everything to her loudly, Foxx near sprang from her sneakers.

“Er…should we be yelling? I mean, do we really want anything to be here? Probably no… "