forum I'm in the mood for another apocalypse roleplay... (CLOSED for now, welcome to stalk)

Started March 06, 2021 by @Becfromthedead group

tune

Luka was still holding Hailey’s hand when he felt it go cold. Hailey went limp and Luka tried to hold back tears but he couldn’t. Bean pulled her brother into a hug, tears flowing down her face as well.

Tohru waited a minute after the girl had passed to say anything.
"Did… did you guys want to try to bury her?" he asked, "I'll help if you do."
He got back to his feet, ready to go check on Mori when he was able.

Luka nodded, still sobbing into his sister’s chest. Bean nodded as well. “That’s what Hailey would have wanted…”

Mori staggered to his feet, coughing weakly. His knees were weak and wobbling dangerously, and his face was very pale. He glanced over his shoulder to see the siblings crying. She… must've died already. A couple more tears rolled down his cheeks and he rubbed at them with one small fist.

Lilac soon rejoined her siblings and they were in one giant group hug. Bean held her siblings close, silently cursing herself for not being more careful with Hailey.

Josefine’s gaze drifted back to the dying girl, and she watched as the light died in her eyes. That was probably a mistake. She felt her breath getting heavy and emotion rising behind her eyes. No, no, no. She did not want to cry right now. Blinking rapidly, she tried keep the tears from coming. It was hard though, especially once the other siblings hugged.
Lyn let Lilac go, and she moved closer to Josefine, leaning on her shoulder and careful to not look at the dead girl. “We can help, too,” she said thickly.

Lilac looked at Lyn and Josefine, tears streaming like waterfalls down her face. “Y-You…y-you’ll help?” she asked quietly and choking up.

"Okay, I'll see if I can find a shovel," Tohru replied, "If not… I'll make do."
He moved on, first to check on Mori.
"Are you alright?" he asked, pulling out his flask to offer the kid a drink.

Mori hiccuped weakly and accepted the water, sipping at it quietly while the tears rolled down his cheeks. "I'm… I-I'm okay…" He whispered, his voice a bit raspy from throwing up. "Sorry for being a problem…"

Bean nodded and handed Luka Hailey’s cat headband. “She’d want you to have this…” she muttered. Luka nodded and held the headband close to his chest. Lilac looked away, trying not to cry again.

"I can assure you, you're no problem at all," Tohru told Mori, "You even tried to help."
He let out a deep sigh.
"Honestly, I would've done the same as you except- you know… I've seen a lot of people die already. You shouldn't have to see that at your age. It's… a lot."
He held out his hand.
"You can come help me look for a shovel, if you want, so you don't have to go near her. Otherwise, you can find a place to sit and rest for a bit."

Lyn nodded and Josefine said, “If you’ll have it,” in response to Lilac.
Lyn closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to mentally prepare herself just in case she needed to. Josefine’s gaze wandered to Tohru and Mori again. The small boy looked so young. She might’ve been his age when she crossed countries. It was so strange to think about, so sad, that when she was small she moved away from everything familiar to her, and he was now witnessing death.

Lilac immediately hugged her. “Thank you, thank you…thank you so much…” she cried quietly. Bean nodded. “Yeah, thanks…”

Mori nodded weakly and accepted Tohru's hand, keeping very close to him as he walked along. He put his mask back on so he wouldn't throw up again, still trembling a bit, but seeming a little better than before now that he couldn't see the body.

Lyn hugged her back, nodding at Bean. "Of course. It's the least we could do."
Josefine nodded in agreement, then turned to Tohru. She'd been so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize where the newcomers were going, but now she said, "Um hey, Tohru, right? There's a supply room inside, I'm sure one of the guys will show you. There should be some shovels in there."

Luka smiled slightly before his smile faded. He held the headband even closer to his chest, shaking. Bean sighed and pulled him in for another hug. He’s definitely gonna need some time… she told herself.

"Got it, thanks," Tohru called over his shoulder.
He went with Mori back into the supply room. There, he was able to get three shovels to bring back to the group.
Tohru tucked them all under his arm, still able to give a hand for Mori to hold.

Mori held tightly to Tohru's hand, growing visibly uneasy as he drew nearer to the body. He closed his eyes, really not wanting to see it. The slight stumbling from not being able to see was worth it to him in order to not see Hailey. His breathing was sharp and shallow, and he was still pretty shaky.

Bean turned to Luka. “You don’t have to bury her if you don’t feel up to it…” Luka shook his head and whispered in her ear. “Okay…just tell me if it gets to be too much, alright?” she sighed. Luka nodded.

"You don't have to get close," Tohru said, "I'll go cover her up if that'll help at all."
He placed two of the shovels down for others to grab and glanced around the area to see if there were any flowers. There was indeed a small patch of wildflowers in an open, sunny spot a little ways away.
"If you want, you can go pick some flowers. I'm sure they'd appreciate it."
Tohru took off his hoodie and moved over to the body, gently covering her paled face.

"O-Okay…" Mori hesitated before carefully navigating his way over to the flowers. He knelt down in the field and started picking a few with trembling hands, careful to pluck the prettiest ones he could find. After a few minutes of gathering flowers, he tentatively made his way back over with the flowers clutched in both hands.

Luka and Bean both grabbed a shovel and Lilac held the headband close. All three siblings stayed silent as they watched Tohru cover Hailey’s face. Who knew life could end so abruptly? Bean told herself.

(hhh I'm a slow typer-)
Lyn looked on, suddenly feeling rather useless again. Perhaps she could help dig with her hands.
"Is there a specific spot where we want to bury her?" she asked.