Black Thrusday (Group 15)

[Kang (DELETED 5988)]

Kang hadn’t planned on staying in Harper Rock. The plan was, scout out a few locations for the films, wait for the crew to start filming then move on to the next city to start the next scout. That was, until he died and was reborn. When his life was taken from him, it was like a scene right out of the porns he was the front man for. It was very surreal as it had happened to him. His new ‘life’ didn’t really change things for him. He could still be a front man, but he would need to stay in Harper Rock, now. And it would give him time to focus on his photography.

So for the last week he had been scouring Harper Rock, seeing how the land lay so to speak. What were the popular hangouts, where did the other vampires congregate. Kang had heard about the Quarantine Zone when he was first scouting for the Porn Thriller knock off of the ‘Boy Next Door’. But he really didn’t pay attention to the rumors because they didn’t suit the script. Now however, with time on his hands and camera handy, he was curious enough to want to check out the QZ, as the locals called it.

The weather reports had it that a storm was coming through, what better night to check it out then, because cops would not be that eager to chase him down to keep him out, if they caught sight of him. Kang knew he could access the QZ through the sewers, it wasn’t exactly sanitary, but he was curious. What was in the Quarantine Zone? Who knows, he might just get that money shot. A quarantine zone in the midst of a snowstorm, it offered the promise of some interesting shots.

So it was hours later, when Kang exited the sewer and came out and into the Quarantine Zone. The storm by this time, had turned into a blizzard. The wind was blowing so hard the snow was going sideways. His plan for a simple snow filled photo shoot, was turning quickly into a desperate hunt for shelter. The wind was biting cold and Kang had almost lost his bearings to the sewer entrance. He stumbled forward blindly, cursing his foolish plan all the while, when he found a building. He gratefully made his way in and shook the snow out of his clothes. He glanced about the building realizing it was a derelict fire department. He was moving further into the building when the floor heaved under his feet, causing him to lose his footing. As he hit the floor, the whole building began to shake.

[Zila]

No one in their right mind would be out on a night like tonight, the shadow decided as she crossed the deserted street between the transit and her destination. The wind had picked up a bit since she had left her home and the forecasted storm had begun to roll in with a disgusting mix of snow and rain, as if Mother Nature was being indecisive. Pulling her hood even further closed, the petite woman dashed the last few steps into the lobby of the building. Unzipping her jacket, she removed the sodden garment, holding it at arm’s length as she sought out the elevator and pressed the call button. She’d hang it up to dry while she was enjoying the pool.

Stepping into the steel box as the doors slid open, she jabbed the correct floor, leaning back against the cool metal for the deceptively short ride. From the elevator, it was a few short steps to the door where she used her key to let herself in. The apartment was eerily quiet, though that seemed to be the norm nowadays, though the raven-haired vampire could remember well when it could be found full of people at any given time. Kicking off her boots, she left them and her jacket by the door for a moment. Tiptoeing across the carpeted floor, she quietly stuck her head into the movie room, finding it empty as well. Retrieving her jacket, she shook her head as she wound around the furniture towards the stairs. She had no doubt that she was alone in the massive space, which wasn’t unusual, though it didn’t keep her from hoping that perhaps one day someone else would be here as well.

That the upper floor was just as dark and quiet as the main level simply confirmed her suspicion. Flipping on the lights, she bypassed the pool in favor of the bathroom, where she hung her jacket in the shower to drip dry. A few short steps returned her to the guest bedroom and her semi-hidden bathing suit and stash of extra clothes. She figured that there was no sense in carting the items back and forth when there was a suitable unused space here. Having changed, she returned to the pool, slipping into the crystal water with a happy sigh. This was one of her only guilty pleasures with the other being her books, but it was certainly the one she didn’t get to enjoy as often as she’d like. Frowning for a moment, she touched her throat. Feeling the gems beneath her fingers, she shook her head as she reached around to undo the clasp. Setting the ever-present choker on the side of the pool out of harm’s way, she ducked beneath the water’s surface.

Laps were interspersed with breaks to just lay back in the water to relax. They alternated between floating on the water’s surface and allowing herself to slowly sink to the bottom. A few hours had passed by the time Zila decided to call it a night. Climbing out of the pool, she wrapped a smaller towel around her hair before wrapping its larger mate around her frame. Picking up her jewelry, she headed back towards the bedroom. It was then she first noted the unmistakable sound of howling wind and snapping branches. Peering out the window overlooking the street, she could make out the sight of smaller branches and limbs seemingly everywhere. In a distance to the north, the city was pitch black and she could only surmise that power had been lost in that area. Shaking her head, she closed the curtain, intent on taking a shower before power to the entire city was lost.

Moving her jacket, she turned the water on as she began to contemplate her options for the night. Staying here was one option, she noted as she stepped into the stream, though it wasn’t her first choice given how void of life it was. Returning to her home was another as long as the winds didn’t pick up too much more. She didn’t fancy the idea of being blown away in the daylight if things got worse. Rinsing the shampoo from her hair, she considered her third and most likely option. She could just dash across the street to the café and spend the night there. Deciding on that course of action, she quickly finished her shower. Drying her hair in record time, she slipped her choker back on before wiggling into some fresh clothes.

Grabbing her jacket, she headed back down the stairs, shutting the lights as she went. She had just entered the living area when a much louder and closer crack echoed through the space. Wincing slightly, she practically ran towards the far window. Drawing back the curtain, she whistled low as she surveyed the damage to the park. Uprooted trees were the easiest to spot given their massive size and the sheer amount of damage caused. The water well beyond the lakes edge was the other thing she noticed almost instantly. The pitch black she had seen to the north earlier had claimed the eastern sections of the city as well and though she couldn’t be entirely sure, it looked as though some of the downed electrical lines had started fires.

Shaking her head, she grabbed her boots out of the pile by the door and put them on, intent on making her mad dash across the street before things got too much worse. She’d barely secured the laces on her second boot when the first tremor rolled through, shaking the building. Her eyes widened slightly as she wondered which mystically inclined would be insane enough to cause a quake inside an eighteen story building, particularly in a storm like this. The sound of shattering glass and objects falling off of tables and walls pulled the shadow from her thoughts as a second more powerful tremor followed close behind the first.

As the woman left the apartment, mindful to take an extra second to secure the door behind her, the lights flickered violently. Groaning, she became acutely aware that the elevator was not going to be a safe option and she was going to have to use the back door, so to speak. Sighing softly as it took her far from her desired destination, she slipped through the portal. The tremor than passed through as she did so caught her off guard, sending her tumbling out the other end into the deserted Fire Department. The building was still shaking as she got to her feet, trying to put some distance between herself and the portal in case it collapsed, unsure what happened when such an event occurred. This tremor was much worse than its predecessors and she wondered if the building was going to be able to withstand it or if she’d be better off taking refuge in Corvidae, assuming she could get there. There were distinct sounds of moaning and cracking as she moved carefully towards where she knew the door should be, not realizing she had been tossed much further from the portal than she thought.

[Matthew (DELETED 5990)]

Harper Rock was a damn miserable place to be homeless. If the cold wasn't enough, the damp crept into the bones, leaving anyone caught outside aching. Of course the there was the option of taking up refuge in one of the homeless shelters dotted around the city, but Matthew would rather be cold than cramped into a reeking cesspool crawling with fleas and lice; he'd rather be alone with his only fractionally cleaner jacket and sleeping bag. Except that decision had been made hours ago, before the wind picked up. In hindsight, maybe fleas and lice would have been better than this - at least for the night.

Matt had heard about the storm while out in the city earlier in the day. Then, he'd dismissed it - he'd just take refuge in the quarantine like he'd started doing. Sure, there was the risk of infection or whatever it was the government claimed was going on there, but it was better than finding a cozy spot and being kicked away after a few hours of shut eye. At least in the quarantine area, he was less likely to be disturbed.

But again, that was all before the storm hit. Before Matt realized the fire station's back windows were shattered. Before he'd tried to sleep, only to be woken by icy wind clawing at his face as it tore through the building. It was too cold to sleep, so he'd gotten up to pace. Matthew wasn't arthritic, but night after night sleeping on frigid concrete floors had taken their toll; by the way he limped as he shuffled around the vacant building, he may as well have been. Pain shot down down his spine with every movement as he rummaged through what remained of the station's supplies. Most of it was gone - stolen in the first few months of panic after the infection hit - but that had been spring; maybe they'd left a fire blanket behind.

Eventually, Matt admitted defeat. There was nothing left - nothing of use, anyway. Braving the blizzard didn't seem particularly appealing. Best option would be to stay, huddle up and try to avoid frostbite. Why had he stayed in Harper Rock for the winter? Breath misting as he sighed, the man slumped into the corner furthest from the shattered windows and tried his best to doze off.

The first tremors of the earthquake shook the man awake. He'd been clean for weeks - for the nth time - but watching the ground shake dirt and dust from the ceiling made him doubt his commitment to remain in control of his sense. Mind altering drugs would have numbed the terror to manageable levels.

Something above him groaned, straining in protest to the unholy gymnastics the earth beneath it was trying to impose. With a shriek of rending steel, one of the beams above collapsed. Matt tried to bolt for the door, but he was a half second too slow to avoid the falling concrete blocks. The floor heaved and buckled as it rushed to meet him. The beams bent and twisted until areas of both the front and back buildings collapsed, leaving a section of cracked but relatively unmarred ceiling, between tumbled down debris from the second floor.

Winded, the unwitting sorcerer didn't realize the brick had pinned his leg under a section of rubble until he tried to get up. The movement sent pain arching up his leg, far worse than the strain on his back. It was then that he realized he was no longer alone; there was a form - maybe a woman - not too far off. There was someone in the building. It must have been a decent sleep...

"Hey... Hey! M'leg's caught. Gimme a hand, would ya?"