forum //There's Nothing Left for us Here// OPEN GROUP RP

Started July 18, 2022 by @Celeste_X0X0_ group

tune

(And here’s all the beginning stuff I wrote. Let me know if you want me to change any details in the posts. I did my best. I’ll be splitting them up to make it easier to swallow. 1/2)

After returning from a late gathering, Laz slammed the door shut, shouldering off his messenger bag at the entrance. He set his shoes next to the door after slipping them off and doing his best to shake the snow off of them. It was fair to say that life was hectic. The sounds of the TV buzzed in his ears. Dad is once more glued to the news. It’s one in the morning. Reaching over to turn on a lamp, he sighed. The lamp's faint illumination sufficed to allow him to observe the changes in the house. Looking around the house, it was evident that Pepper had been here after disappearing for a few months. More so than before, the area shined and was overall cleaner. There were no obstacles in his way, and he could clearly see the dining room table. "Dad, I'm home." He called out quietly. Since the death of his mother seven years prior, his father had never been the same. “Dad?” The corridor reverberated with his voice. He wrinkled his brow in frustration when he got no answer. "Dad, this isn't funny." His feeble voice was laced with urgency. Usually, his father was up until two in the morning working on his 'newest invention'. He staggered into the next room after gingerly giving himself a boost. There were no family portraits on the modestly painted walls. Laz gave the kitchen a quick glance before focusing on the living room.

On their leather couch, his father was curled up under a blanket with a mess of brown hair falling in his eyes. His father was cast in a haze by the TV, which also lit up the dim room. Laz viewed the television. Russia's plans to get revenge on the United States were reported in the news, but it wouldn't happen. Could it? From on top of the couch, he took the remote and hit the off button. Laz was plunged back into total darkness. “Come on, Dad. With this nonsense, we cannot worry ourselves ill. Nothing to be concerned about." Laz looked down at his father, realizing he was only talking to himself. "You're not awake, that's right." He left his father to rest and shuffled over to the kitchen, flipping on the overhead lights. He opened the white pantry cabinet, getting out some white bread and peanut butter. Placing the bread and peanut butter on the white marble counter, he closed the pantry door and yanked open the fridge. He scanned the side door, grabbed some grape jelly, and discreetly closed the fridge door.

In addition to pulling out a little white plate, Laz had also retrieved a butter knife from the cutlery drawer. He took two slices of white bread out of the plastic bread bag after opening it, but he didn't bother to take any of the ends. Nobody enjoys the bread's ends. After screwing open the jar, he used the knife to scoop out a hefty glob of peanut butter and applied it to the bread from side to side. Laz sighed as the plate slid over the counter. The plate had made another attempt to flee. “Pepper.” He muttered. “Love that you polished up the house, but you didn’t have to polish the marble counters.” Laz approached the stainless steel sink and turned the knob toward the red dot. He ran the peanut butter-coated knife under the flowing water as it splattered into the sink. Forgetting that knives obstructed the water's passage, the water sprayed Laz in the face. Whatever. The knife was no longer covered in peanut butter. Everything else was irrelevant.

It was such a silly thing to worry about, especially given his life would alter drastically in about 120 minutes. Pain, sorrow, and guilt. Those would be the last remaining feelings in the world, but for the time being, Laz was preoccupied with his sandwich. Following that, he had to worry about his art. He was painting daffodils in a desolate meadow. The only thing able to endure the bitter winter. The world went hungry during the winter, and families perished. Laz smeared jelly from end to end on the other piece of bread. A sinking feeling pitted itself in his stomach, tying his organs into ribbons and causing him to drop the dirty butter knife. Seriously?! Pepper just cleaned this place.Laz made an effort to grasp the knife. Eventually, in order to pick up the knife, he was forced to descend to one knee, his left knee. Jelly residue had splattered all over the oak flooring, forcing Laz to snag a paper towel, the roll tumbling over the counter’s edge and onto his head. We ought to acquire a paper towel holder.

Laz cleaned up his mess, tucking the paper towel roll under his arm. He laboriously attempted to stand back up, relying on his crutch to keep his balance. Finally, he lifted his head above the counter, firmly planting both feet. Laz put the knife in the sink, put the paper towel roll back next to the sink, then went back to his recently prepared snack, sticking the pieces of bread together. All of that effort for a sandwich. Laz rolled his eyes as he disposed of the used paper towel in the garbage. He nibbled on his sandwich and deemed it to be alright, despite the peanut butter being a little too salty. Putting the sandwich down, Laz tucked the peanut butter and bread back into the cabinet, and the jelly back into the fridge door. He returned to his sandwich and devoured it. Going to play indoor games at a friend’s house late in the evening was taxing, but that’s why after midnight snacks existed, right?

(Laz and his sandwich, lol.)

(2/2)

The house was illuminated by a strong light that peered in and filled the dim hallway with light. It was clearly coming from headlights, but who could have driven up to their house so late at night? A friend? A neighbor? The police? Laz didn't know, but he abandoned the empty plate and hobbled to the door, passing the dining room with one bittersweet portrait of the family. An automobile door was abruptly slammed shut and the engine of the vehicle cut off. “Pepper?” Laz muttered. It couldn’t have been Pepper; she just showed up at random, but twice in one day? Zero chance. Not at one in the morning, in particular. Footsteps crunched through the snow while Laz reached for the doorknob with his left hand, the other holding onto the bar of his crutch. Someone was attempting to enter, as evidenced by the gold knob turning on its own. Had Laz secured the entrance when he entered? Not at all, no. If he’d gone straight to bed, he could have gotten his father injured. Laz retreated as the knob turned farther in anticipation of the door opening. However, the front door slowly opened, allowing the brisk winter air to enter. Standing at the doorway was a girl who was taller than Laz.

“Pepper?” Laz questioned while grabbing the girl's left hand. What brought you here? You stated a few months back that you had to travel to Russia to see family.” With her mouth clamped tight, Pepper pushed her graying red hair out of her face. She wrapped her parka closer around her thin figure, giving off the impression that she had gone through hell. Winter chill crept over her shoulders, causing her body to quiver ferociously.

"Not any longer, Laz. I cannot bear the information I know.” Her voice sounded breathy. Laz led Pepper further into the house, letting her wipe her boots on the doormat. With her free hand, Pepper used gentle pressure to close the door, which clicked into place. Laz let go of her small hand, and she leaned down to untie her winter boots. To avoid spilling any water on the freshly mopped floors, Pepper carefully removed her boots. She set them down next to Laz’s sneakers, looking up at him with a solemn face. The lamp's weak orange glow obscured her green eyes, making them appear dull. Laz made sure Pepper followed him as he hobbled into the next room. The room was bathed in bright yellow light after he flipped a switch to turn on the ceiling fan light. Awakening, his father cast a drowsy glance towards Laz and Pepper while blinking his eyes wide. With fear flashing across his sunken, brown eyes, his father swiftly sat up.

“Pepper? Laz?” His father’s voice rasped, eyes wide like a deer in headlights. He shuffled over to the right, making room for an old friend and his son on the couch. Laz hobbled up to the couch and sat down next to his dad. To prevent it from falling, he rested his forearm crutch on the edge of the couch cushion. Pepper sat down, secluded from the others. She gripped her jeans tightly and dug her nails deep, giving off the impression that she was rather shaken. Laz covered Pepper in the white fleece blanket his father had been curled up in. His father was especially irritated that he took the blanket, but he reasoned that Pepper needed its warmth more than he did.

"What brings you back?" When he saw Pepper, his father's face furrowed in perplexity.

“I—I decided I didn’t want to go visit. Not in light of recent news reports." Pepper's voice trembled. "I'm terrified, Enoch. I do not wish to.." She faltered. Laz listened to Pepper's remarks while cupping his cheek in his hand.

"Pepper, it isn't going to happen. Since I turned eighteen, it’s been a subject in the same news stories. It's been two months since my birthday, just for the record. I would not fret." He didn't use a strong tone, but his father gave him a scowl nonetheless. Though he didn't want to, his remarks came out that way, giving the impression that she was overthinking things.

“Laz,” His father spoke. "Don't get involved, please". His father's tone was disapproving, even chilly tone. Laz scooted closer to Pepper, but she shied away from him. He no longer felt included in the conversation, so he simply stood up using his crutch and walked down the hallway. Laz entered a tiny space with blue-painted walls. The majority of the room was occupied by the large bed. Off to the left, it was complemented by a dresser. His room was orderly and tidy. The walls were covered with several posters, and the cream shelves held trinkets. His painting of the daffodils in the barren field remind untouched. He didn’t have the energy. Laz sat on the side of his bed, the yellow light from the living room shining through the doorway. Laying on top of his comforter, he supported his crutch against the sky-blue wall. He grabbed the locket that hung around his neck, popping it open. There was a photo of him and his mother inside. It had been his sixth birthday. His mom couldn't wait to celebrate her son's birthday. She had black hair that fell over her shoulders and was dressed simply in red. Many others claimed Laz had her almond-shaped, brown eyes. He was aware of it. “I miss you, mom.” Laz gazed at his alarm clock as it reached 1:30 while holding the locket close to his heart.

Hey im so sorry it took so long guys! Herse the post though! Im sorry if its not the best or seems rushed. It was very rushed lol
Also i wanted to show you guys a little painting thing i did of Seo Hyeon i thought yall might like…
https://www.instagram.com/reel/ChqMTB2j0_W/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Anyway! Go crazy!
(and i know its long, but id appreciate it if you guys did read this all the way through just so we can get the info down so we're not on different pages. thanks <3)

Jesse lets out a heavy sigh, opening her eyes only to see nothing but black, hearing only Zander’s soft breathes. Her chest slowly rising and falling as she slept.
Jesse looks down to her as she sweeps a short strand of dark out of her face, studying her features. From the soft angles in her lips to her dark lashes, a smile crept on her lips for a second before she sits up, looking out of the window. It was a cloudy night with no stars to be seen. A small chill runs up her spine as a breeze sweeps over the RV.
Jesse pulls the covers from her body and slips out of the bed, running her hand over her face and slipping on her tank, grabbing a flashlight, her gun and heading out the door.
Turning the metal handle and slowly swinging the door open and stepping down to the ground and letting the dead grass scratch her bare feet. She pulls in a deep breath before rounding the vehicle to the fenced in backyard. Quietly, Jesse looks for the dog, able to hear growling and ripping in one of the darkened corners of the small yard. She calls out a high pitched whistle towards the sound only to hear the growling stop. For a second her heart seemed to stop.
Was it coming towards her? Did it get out? Was it going to try to attack her again?
Jesse didn’t want to shoot a dog but if it was the size of a horse attacking her, she wasn’t about to hesitate to blow a bullet through its head.
Again, not that she wanted to.
And without Zander by her side, she didn’t feel as comfortable by herself.
shit….im getting co-dependant…. she thinks to herself with a heavy sigh.
Soon a rather large shadow moves over the dead grass and up towards the fence. Jesse immediately shines the flashlight on the dog, seeing his orange eyes shine in the light. In the dogs mouth, he holds a large dead animal about the size of it head.
“The cat?” she asks the dog, “you have got to be kidding me” she exclaims under her breath. It drops the cats limp body on the ground and looks up to Jesse, licking his lips. He showed no aggression towards her, which was confusing to her. “What do you want?” she asks, as if he would reply to her.
The dog huffs, letting out a short growl and pawing the ground. She steps towards him, though immediately stops when the dog jumps up against metal fence and starts to bark at her.

At the sound of the dog in the back barking, Zander is startled awake. She sits up quickly and slips out of bed, wrapping herself in one of their throw blankets and running outside. She rounds the RV to see Jesse staring at the giant animal barking at her.
“Babe!” she says in a scolding whisper as she walks up to Jesse.
She turns to Zander, seeming to jump out of her thoughts. “Oh…” she says quietly. “Why are you up?” she asks.
“What do you mean why am i up?! You’re making that HORSE try to attack you!! Jess i asked you to not go near him without me!” Zander tells her, clutching the blanket close to her body as to not reveal herself. Jesse steps towards Zander, annoyed at the dog. “Okay okay” she says, stopping in front of her and putting her arm around her. “Im-”
“What?” she interrupted Jesse “Sorry? You should be! You could have gotten hurt” Zander rolls her eyes
“What? No. I do not say sorry” Jesse rolls her eyes in return. “And i don’t get hurt either”
“Hmm” Zander looks up into Jesses eyes “sure you don't.” she looks to the dog “when are we getting rid of him?”
“Should be tomorrow. I’ll leave early in morning” she replies, resting her chin on top of Zanders head.
“Well that means we better go back to bed.” She whispers, pressing the side of her head to Jesse’s chest, listening to her heartbeat. It was rather fast at the moment, but Zander knew that she always had a more fast, anxious heartbeat than most. She guessed its all that aggression that's constantly coursing through her veins. Though Zander liked to think that she knew Jesse more than most and knew she was anxious most of the time.
But Jesse would never admit to that. At least not to anyone else.
“We?” Jesse asks, still holding her close.
“Yes, we. Im going with you. Im not taking no for an answer either so suck it up buttercup” she states.
_____________

Min-Hyuk stares at the ground, running his fingernails over the cracked and jagged cuticles at the ends of his fingers. Blood rushing to the surface and seeping out over his nails, he brings it to his mouth, cleaning the red liquid away before picking at them again.
His eyes drift out of focus as his mind does the same, thinking of about a million other things and a million other places he could be right now.
He could be sitting beside the hospital bed next to his mother and sister. He could be going on a midnight stroll while contemplating his own life. But instead, he’s contemplating his life in a jail cell…. Great.
Min-Hyuk can hear a number of voices around him, but the most prominent ones are on the other side of the door that housed the holding cells. What were they saying?
He cares but not enough to try to listen. Well…not enough to try to ignore all of the other voices.
There are only about three other voices, having their own simple, mindless conversations. Though their voice felt like it was made out of rough strings of felt that ran in and out of his ears, causing his muscles to tense and his eyes to squeeze shut. He clenches his jaws as chills run down his spine. His fingernails dig deeper into his cuticles, every now and then slipping due to the thin blood slowly seeping through the surface.
Though small chimes of metal keys are heard outside of his cell, jolting him out of his manic feeling episode and snapping his dark eyes up towards the sound. His eyes wide and his pupils shrink as the light from the fluorescents above shine into them.
There stood a woman about his sisters size in height and just a bit smaller in stature. COnfidence radiating off of her. But not in the way that would normally be attractive to Min-Hyuk, but in the way that almost scared him. She knows what she’s doing and she’s not letting anyone tell her she can't. She has on a black uniform, a gun and a taser on the side of her belt and her dark brown hair is pulled back into a high and tight bun, little braids intertwining into each other.
She has thicker lips and more angled eyes and a round face. She was gorgeous, that much he could tell.
He stands, not looking into her eyes as she unlocked the door.
“Sit” she says, looking to him. He freezes in place, not expecting that. Though as soon as it registers, he does so.
Min-Hyuk watches as she opens the door. A man and another woman steps into the room beside her before she enters the holding cell.
“Now you can stand” she says, her hand gesturing for him to do so. In which he does, hesitant of course. He swallows hard, trying to stuff down the thick lump in his throat. “Hands” the woman says, the others watching. He guessed to make sure he didn’t attack her or anything, which was reasonable.
Though it annoyed Min-Hyuk that they would think he was that unstable. Yeah, he killed one man. One terrible, horrible man who deserved much worse than he had been given. That doesn’t mean he was going to try to kill somebody else! Or even try!
Min-Hyuk holds out his hands, fingernails stained in thin layers of blood that he hadn’t cleaned away. She cuffs his hands calmly, looking into his eyes the whole time. He avoided hers so much so to where he wouldn't be able to tell whether they were brown or bright red.
Her hands were rough and calloused, something Min-Hyuk didn’t expect from her, as her hands were on the slimmer side. Her voice was on the deeper side but he could tell her voice was naturally higher than what she showed.
“Do you know where you’re going Mr. Youn?” she asks him. He doesn’t reply, not used to being called by his last name.
“Min-Hyuk?” she calls, touching his shoulder.
He jumps a little, looking at her and taking in a sharp breath. “Hm? Oh….” he looks down to think. “Jail?” he says, though it sounds more like a question.
“No. somewhere much better. Nicer” she says calmly, stepping back out of the cell and holding the door open for Min-Hyuk to walk through. Which he does.
How much time had passed since he left the hospital?
What about his sister and his mother? They dont know where he went. They dont know
They dont know…
What if theyre worried?
What if something happened to Seo Hyeon when she goes looking for him?
Min-Hyuk could feel his pulse quicken and his heart race. His pupils flutter around while he blinks rapidly. He tries to breath but he can’t. Not easily anymore.
He looks up to the woman, then down to his cuffed and bleeding hands. His feet and his pure white pants that now had small blood stains on them.
What was he going to do? He needed to reach his sister. Tell her what happened!
“I need-’ he whispers, trying a little too hard to breathe.
“Min-Hyuk?” She calls
“I need my sister. Where is she?” he asks, looking up. Tears swell up and gloss over his eyes, threatening to spill over his cheeks as he looks to her still. “She doesn’t know. She doesnt-”
“Min- can i call you Min?” she asks. In which he nods, not caring at the moment.
“Thank you Min…. im gonna need you to calm down for me alright? You can talk to her it’s alright” the woman says, trying to calm him down.
“Really? She doesn’t know im here though” he says panicked, now looking into her eyes. The gaurd steps forward but the woman ushers them to stay away.
“Yeah she does. We called her and told her what happened. She’s waiting for you at the place we’re taking you right now.” she says, her hands on his shoulder.
He shakes his head “how?”
“We got your emergency contacts and called her. She’s safe dont worry. She’s waiting on you though so the sooner you calm down, the sooner you can see her” she reassures.
That seems to ease his nerves a good bit because his breaths slowly even out and he nods “okay…” he says, clenching his
–
Soon he’s placed into the back of an ambulance shaped van, a wired wall separating the front seat and the backseat. He sits down onto the fake leather seats, the smoothness making him feel rather uneasy. One of the men pull the seatbelt over his lap and chest, clicking it together then sitting beside him. The woman from before sits across from him to keep him calm; which he was fine with for the most part.
After a good fifteen to twenty minutes of the van shaking along the bumps on the road and the humming of the engine annoying the absolute hell out of him, they come to a stop.
Finally.
-
Stepping out of the van, he looks up to see a large building; about the size of an average hospital. It has an off white, tan-ish color to it and a lot of windows. He assumed one per room.
Wait….was this a hospital?
He thought so until he sees the large letters her didin’t seem to notice a few seconds ago.
The Sanctuary
The hell kind of name is that? He thinks to himself as they walk towards it.
-
Now standing at the front desk, the policemen that had followed them, talks to the secretary and he’s led to another room. What they call “the safe space”
Stepping into the room, everything was very muted and monotone. The colors were soft greys and browns. The flooring was hard wood with a white rug in the center of the room with a small table that stands on top of it. And settled on the surface of the table laid a few fidget toys such as stress balls, small rakes in sand filled boxes no bigger than Min-Hyuks hand and a few squares of different fabrics stacked on top of eachother.
He’s sat down in a tan sofa made from a soft velvety material. He settles nicely into it, shrinking into himself and pulling his feet up to the seat. His hair falls down over his face as he focuses on the different objects that lay on the table in front of him.
A man walks in wearing light blue scrubs like a nurse, which confused Min-Hyuk but he was tired. Too tired.
Too tired to think about anything else.
“Where’s Seo Hyeon?” he asks him, not looking at his face.
“Oh she’s right outside. She just has to do some paperwork in order to come inside” he says carelessly.
“Oh….okay” he says, hugging his knees, the cuffs still around his wrists. “What are you here for?” he asks.
“Well im here to give you a little medicine to help the skits.” he says with a chuckle
Min-Hyuk looks up to him, confused. “What?” he asks
“schizophrenia …. I just like to call it the skits. Patients think im funny” he shrugs.
“Okay.” He says, not caring for his so called humor. It wasn’t funny. He didn’t understand why someone would think that was funny. It was something his little sister surely would think was funny though.
I’ll tell her about it when i see her… he thinks to himself.
The man bends down to Min-Hyuk “its gonna be a shot. Is that alright with you?” he asks
Min-Hyuk nods “i like needles so it’s fine” he says bluntly. The man raises his eyebrows, not surprised though. “Well thats a new one…” he says, moving Min-Hyuks tangled, greasy hair away from his neck and pressing the point of the needle to the side of it, letting it slide in before pumping the medicine into his veins. Min-Hyuk doesn’t make a sound or move a muscle, not phased.
He didn’t feel himself at the moment. He would have been more worrisome of what was going into his body but for some reason he didn’t care. In fact, he couldn’t care less.
The man steps away and Min-Hyuk’s vision starts to go in and out. His head starts to pound and his chest feels unbelievably light; as if he had sucked in a ton of helium.
His eyes struggle to stay open and his body starts to go limp.
“What?” he asks, his breath spreading up “what’s happening….” he asks, brows furrowed as his head falls back. All he sees is the tiles on the ceiling and the bright light shining into his eyes though he can't control whether or not he can look away.
“Sorry kid…” is all he hears before everything goes black.

---

The dog outside of Jesse and Zanders RV lays outside in the small makeshift dog house, sleeping now. It’s large chest heaves up and down as it breathes.
Enjoying the peace and quiet, Jesse lays down next to Zander, her fingers slowly running along her bare back as she sleeps on her stomach. Tracing her spine and little circles along her skin, Jesse thinks about their conversation earlier. When would she need to get up? She didn’t want to wake Zander up. Not because she was being nice, but because- and in Jesse’s words: “Zander’s a bitch when she wakes up”
Though she also didn’t want her nagging at Jesse the whole time while dealing with the dog because she knew she would.
She looks out of the window to see what looks like smoke trailing behind a small figure plummeting down towards the ground. Jesse stands to look outside, through the window. Her eyes widen as she watches the small object fall down in horror.
Whipping around, she shakes Zander awake. “Zander get up! Hurry!”
She jumps out of her sleep and out of bed, immediately reaching for the gun on her nightstand.
“Get dressed!” Jesse basically shouts as she slips on her tank then her flannel, slipping on a pair of sweats. Zander does the same, still out of it. “Whats happening??” she asks grumpily, getting dressed. “I could be wrong but-” she stops, heading out the back door. “Dont look outside!” she calls out to her, muttering a stream of curse words under her breath. “Shut the bedroom door. Im getting the dog. Get the mattress up and flip it against the wall! NOW!” she yells.
Zander does what she’s told, not questioning her. Worried, yes. But Zanders learned to listen if Jesse yells at her because she only does it in life and death situations.
Flipping the two small stacked mattresses off the floor and against the walls and then slamming the bedroom door shut, she waits quietly. She fights the urge to look outside, worried for Jesse.
As for her, Jesse steps out, a small stun gun in her hand. She opens the gate, knowing the dog was no longer asleep. Yeah she hated the thing, but she wasn’t going to leave it outside if she was right about this.
She hurriedly unwraps the chain from around the tree before the dog gets out of its makeshift shelter.
She turns around, holding the chain and presses down on the stun gun, creating a rather loud crackling noise. The dog flinches back, not seeming as aggressive. It was still pretty drowsy so she wasnt surprised.
Pulling on the chain, Jesse leads the dog into the trailer, yanking on the collar and forcing it up the steps before shutting the door behind her.
With that, Jesse drops the chain, letting the dog stand their in confusion before slipping into the bedroom. “Im not sure but-” she was interrupted by a large gust of what felt like an incredibly strong wind shoves the rv to the side, tipping it on its side.
Jesse, Zander, the dog and everything else flies to the far wall of the RV, hitting the wall hard as it lands on its side, a yell coming from Zander as it does so.
A sharp stinging sensation burns throughout Jesse’s arm as she lands on one of the wooden stands. Yelling out in pain, she rolls over to her side, holding her arm. “f*cking hell” she says as it goes limp, surely broken.
Zander lays on the ground, gasping for air. Her arms clenched around her stomach, wincing in pain, she struggles to breath. Her eyes are wide and her whole body aches.
_________________

Seo Hyeon jolts awake to the sound of an ear deafening siren sounding outside of the hospital. Her mom as well.
“Hm? What?” Yoori says, sitting up weakly in her bed next to her daughter.
“Im sure its just a tornado warning…. Or…something” she says, slipping out of the uncomfortable hospital bed. “Ill go to the front desk and ask. It’ll be fine im sure.” she says, kissing her mothers forehead. “Are you sure? I can go with you if youd like” Yoori offers. “I know you get a little anxious” she says
Seo Hyeon shakes her head “ill be fine momma dont worry” she says.
She actually never was anxious when talking to people. That was more her brother. It was nice to know that even though the memories are misplaced, Yoori’s memories of Min-Hyuk aren’t completely gone.
Seo Hyeon pulls her hair down out of her ponytail, letting her hair fall down over her shoulders, not liking how cold she felt. Reaching the front desk, she looks around for a nurse. “Uhm…hello?” she calls out, the lobby being empty tonight.
“Is anyone there?” she calls out once more. No reply?
thats weird
She felt as if she were in a movie at the beginning of a zombie apocalypse but everyone was already dead and she was the only one left.

She steps outside, her light sweater apparently not enough to keep her warm.
the door wasn’t locked…. Thats also…weird. Whats going on?
Holding the door open still, just in case she needed to go back inside, she looks up towards the sky. The sirens sounding is annoying, but it doesn’t bother her as much as the confusion that clouds her mind.
Min-Hyuk…..where is he?
Knowing her brother, she knew he had went outside to smoke or something stupid, so she looks around for him. “Min-Hyuk!!” she shouts for her brother. “Min-Hyuk where are you!?” she asks
Looking towards the highway and the road in front of her, car’s flood the streets. Horns honking left and right, people running off of the road just to get ahead of people. What was happening??
She takes in a deep breath, looking around wide eyed before an unbelievably bright light flashes in front of her. Putting her hands in front of it, she gasps in horror as it looks as if her hands had become transparent for a second and she could see the silhouette of her bones underneath her skin. (like you know when you put a flashlight to your hand and you can see the silhouette of your bones? Like that but obviously on a larger scale)
Feeling as if her whole body was encased in this white light, pain surges through her eyes and onto her skin. Letting out a loud cry, she falls back and onto the ground, her hands automatically covering her eyes. Her hair falls into her face as her skin tingles and burns.
Unable to see and in immeasurable pain, Seo Hyeon stumbles to her knees as she yells.
“HELP ME” she weeps. Already being near the door, she’s able to quickly feel her way in through the doorway. “SOMEBODY PLEASE” Seo Hyeon sobs, still not able to see anything around her.
Soon she hears footsteps rushing into the lobby and multiple gasps coming from whoever had entered the room. “Can you help me please” she says desperately in between sobs, her hands shaking.
“Someone get a stretcher!” she could hear a female call before the footsteps become closing.
“I cant see” she weeps “what happened??? I can’t see anything!”

The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and Lucky was high on life. He was riding Sinjoro hard towards the stump, trying to make sure he stayed light in the saddle, giving the horse his head as he sprinted. They passed the stump and Lucky whooped, slowing Sinjoro and turning around. He trotted back over to the figure standing by the stump.

"Time? Did we beat 1 minute?"

The figure laughed, squinting at his phone. "I'm not sure, I can't see my stopwatch."

"Daaaad!" Lucky reached down and snatched the phone, laughing as his father tried to keep it away from him. "Lemme see!" He wound up squinting at the phone himself, and saw the time: 58.67 seconds.

"That's better than a minute! You did it, Sinjoro!" He hugged his horse's neck as his father smiled up at him. "I think we're ready for that race, Dad."

His father patted his leg. "That's good, Lukas. Just one more thing." He patted his leg again. "You need to wake up."

Lucky frowned, confused. "What?"

His father patted his leg again, harder. "Lukas, I need you to wake up."

"Dad, I don't unde-"

His father swatted his leg harder this time. "Wake up, son!"

Lucky's eyes popped open. It was dark, he was on his back on the ground, and a dark shape was standing over him. He flinched for a second before the shape snorted, and he recognized the sound.

"Sinjoro…. what're you doing?" Lucky sat up, noting that the small branch he had tethered the horse to earlier in the evening was still tied to the reins, but had broken off. Obviously, Sinjoro had pulled hard enough to rip the branch off and walk over to him. The fire was out, and it was still night. Lucky glanced at the moon and decided it must be around 5 am.

The horse tapped his leg with a hoof, and Lucky recognized what had woken him. He must have dozed off and been dreaming-… about Dad. A pit formed in his stomach for a moment, until he pushed it back down.

"Hey, what's got you spooked again?" The horse snorted again, expressing alarm, and by the soreness in his leg, Lucky could tell the horse had been pawing at him for a minute. He reached for the reins to untangle the branch, but paused as something made the hair on his neck stand up.

There was a very slight rumbling going on, accompanied by the whoosh of sudden strong winds. It was an odd combination that immediately made Lucky uneasy. He scrambled to his feet, quickly gathering his stuff as his mind raced.

Is this an earthquake? What was that? I gotta get off the mountain if it's a quake, we're in trouble up here.

He grabbed his phone, which he had turned on silent, and checked it. No messages, no missed calls, and… no service. Tante Sophia had insisted he leave it on so they could check on him, but there was nothing. He held it up over his head, trying to get a bar, but he couldn't get anything out here.

Weird. I had service earlier.

He ran through his mental checklist as he climbed into the saddle. Poncho, sleeping bag, tools, fire is out, night is clear, I'm awake, and this is weird.

He leaned close to Sinjoro's neck, his adrenaline kicking up from the stress and the excitement of the run he was about to make as he turned the horse towards the ranch. "Let's go, Big Boi!"

The rumbling was replaced by the drumming of Sinjoro's hooves.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

When he cantered up to the porch 45 minutes later, Lucky was unnerved by how still the ranch was. At 6 am on any day, his uncle and cousins ought to have been out and about, doing chores and prepping for the day. But there was an eerie silence over the ranch house. The lights were on inside, so he tethered Sinjoro to a post and walked in.

"Uncle Tim! Tante Sophia? I'm back." He walked towards the kitchen, where he could hear the sounds of someone speaking. "Did you feel the earthquake? I was trying to sleep and-"

He froze as he came around the corner into the kitchen.

All of his cousins were sitting at the dinner table, along with Tante Sophia. Uncle Tim had his hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently, absentmindedly. Ally, his youngest cousin, was crying softly, while the 3 boys looked angry. Frankie, the eldest, had his fists clenched and was staring at the ground, his jaw clenching and unclenching rhythmically. There was nothing on the table, except for the small radio Uncle Tim usually kept in the barn. That was where the voice Lucky heard was coming from.

"-reports that the President will speak with the us soon. Folks, we are begging you, please, if you can, get underground. God forbid, if this isn't the only attack, we may need to shelter in place for quite a while. The Emergency Broadcast System will keep you alerted if our transmitters go down. Please, please be safe. We'll keep you updated, stay on this channel. That's WCBC 87.9…"

His uncle reached to turn it down as they registered Lucky was there. Tante Sophia immediately stood up and rushed him, hugging him tight, and began crying into his shoulder. Lucky hugged her back and looked at his uncle, his brow furrowing.

"What on Earth happened, Uncle Tim?"

His uncle stepped across the room to him, and reached out to rub Tante Sophia's back. "Lukas… we've been nuked."

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Lucky was numb. The ten mile drive into town seemed to be taking so much longer than usual… or maybe it's just my brain slowing everything down so I can cope…

When his uncle had told him the news, Lucky had immediately freaked out. Who and where and why and how and when exactly and did they hit anyone else and did Uncle Tim think his sister was safe in Germany and could they run and were they going to mutate into terrible monsters or maybe just die of cancer and were they all already dying and were they going to get hit again and what if the next one is closer and what about the animals and-

His aunt had just hugged him tighter and shushed him in French. His brain had slowed its racing as Uncle Tim explained they had heard the same rumbling he did and turned on the radio while doing chores to hear the news. The only channel broadcasting consistently was the big Cheyenne station, and they were only talking about this. Uncle Tim had pulled everyone in when he realized what they were talking about, and that was the scene Lucky had walked into.

He still couldn't believe it.

Ally was terrified and hadn't stopped crying, but she was doing her best to be a help. Frankie and the boys seemed ready to enlist right now and go kill something, or at least punch the bulls in the herd between the eyes. They were still back at the ranch, frantically trying to move all the cattle indoors. Lucky didn't think it mattered, but Tante Sophia had explained it to him gently.

"Lukas, Tim needs to try to save what he's built here. Maybe they're all irradiated and going to die soon anyway. Or maybe they'll survive this whole thing. But Tim needs to know he did his best to save the herd and save our ranch."

They had decided to stay put. Lucky had argued with his aunt, telling her how crazy it was to stay here, but she had responded that they had cellars that would shield them from the fallout. If they stocked up, they could last long enough for the radiation to die down to manageable levels. Lucky had vehemently pointed out that they couldn't be sure the cellar would work, but Tante Sophia had responded that the ranch house foundations were built to withstand massive tornados and would be concrete reinforced, which should shield them. Lucky had started to argue more, but then he'd glanced at his uncle. Uncle Tim was standing there, watching the argument in French, and Lucky knew he didn't understand the words, but there was something in his uncle's eyes that told Lucky there was no point in arguing.

So now here he was, driving to town with Uncle Tim to stock up.

The weight in his lap didn't help him think clearly. Uncle Tim had decided they needed to be careful going into town.

"There will be all kinds of chaos happening, Lucky," he'd said as he unlocked the gun safe, "so we need to be ready. You still got your Glock?" Lucky had nodded, and his uncle had paused to think for a second. "Maybe…. Yeah, we'll take something more intimidating." He had pulled down a shotgun for himself, before handing Lucky the AR-15. "Think you can handle that?"

Lucky had swallowed hard as he looked over the weapon. The reality of the situation settled on his shoulders just then, and his uncle had hugged him gently.

"It's a lot, I know, but we'll make it. C'mon."

Now as they drove, the rifle sitting in Lucky's lap, he sincerely hoped they wouldn't have to use it. But as they pulled into Hawk Springs, Lucky could hear sirens and see flames across different parts of the little town. The early morning sun illuminated figures running, many carrying big bags full of stuff, and Lucky understood why his uncle had brought weapons.

This is going to get ugly.

Vera was still out rollerblading when she felt the ground starting to shake and rumble setting her off balance and making her stumble as she skated through the area.
She moved to hastily take off her skates and grab them as she moved to run towards shelter, figuring the tremors couldn't mean anything good was coming. She ran unsteady in the city and fell down onto her face as another big tremor made her trip and fall.
She looked around as some tvs spoke of a bomb shell hitting down, and that more be coming soon. She listened to the rest of it but it didn't really process for her, all that mattered is that she found her siblings. She quickly moved to pull out her normal shoes and shove her skates in throwing the back pack on her back as she ran across town.

People started running into places and grabbing things, some places were getting broken into.

Some places were being set on fire.

Vera normally would go help people but she had to find her siblings.

She had too.

Nothing else mattered to her in that moment.

She ran up to a large office type building and banged on the doors.
"HEY! gosh dang it let me in! Let me in!" She continued to bang on the doors of the building, but they weren't going to budge.

She pulled out her phone, trying to call a social services worker without realizing there was no service.

The call didn't go through.

She tried again, nothing.

"No no no no come on come on! Work you stupid phone!"

No matter what she tried it wouldn't go through.

She threw her phone at the ground as she felt the tears go to her eyes. The tears came quickly down her cheeks as she felt herself beginning to cry as the chaos descended around her.

How was she going to find them now?

She moved to pick up her phone making sure it still worked, she moved to a picture of the two of her siblings that they has taken last time she was allowed to see them.

She could show people this at the very least.

She got up and moved to someone near her, trying to show them the picture. "Please have you seen-"
She was cut off by the people ignoring her and just leaving.

She kept running around and showing people begging them for any information.

She didn't realize she had run right infront of a car.

Lucky was looking out his window when his uncle yelped and slammed the brakes.
"What are you doing!?! Get out of the road!" Uncle Tim wasn't really angry, just shaken that he'd nearly killed the girl who had run out into the street.
Lucky got out of the truck, putting the gun strap of his head and carrying the rifle on his back. He moved quickly to where the girl was, trying to help her calm down.
"Hey! You ok?" His thick French accent was always a problem when he was trying to communicate, but he wanted to check on her. She looked frantic, and Lucky wanted to help, but he had no clue what she wanted.
"Is she ok?" Uncle Tim yelled from across the street, where he was heading towards a store that had the windows kicked out.
"I think so!" Lucky called back. He reached out to touch her shoulder just to make sure. "Are you alright?"

She hadn't realized the car was coming until she saw the lights when it was seconds away from her, she let out a scream as she got hit by the car and fell to the ground, the phone flying from her hand across the street.
She was there on the ground, shaken up as she realized she could have very well just died from being so careless. Nothing usually scared her..but in that moment she was terrified.
Terrified she would have never found her siblings had she just now died.
She didn't realize someone was taking about her until shocked lifted its cursed hands off of her.
She looked up at the boy, her face shifted a bit to show how scared she was.
He had a heavy foreign accent that she couldn't quite piece together what it was.
Though she could hear him asking if she was okay, it took her a bit to actually respond to him.
She stammered over her words before she realized she didn't have her phone, she moved to look around the area frantically before she spotted it a bit down the road.
She moved to get up before wincing.
"M-my ankle.." She spoke, finally. Moving to see brusing form on her left ankle.
She had brusies on her arms as well as she tried to shield herself when she noticed the car.
She also had cuts.
She tried to get up once again, trying to ignore the pain, trying to limp her way over to the phone.
please…

Lucky frowned, noting her ankle. The bruises on her arms had formed quickly, but they weren't serious. That ankle though… that might be a problem.
She seemed to be trying to get to her phone, and Lucky jogged the couple of steps to the phone and brought it back to her. He tried again, speaking slowly and gently.
"Hey… are you in pain? What hurts?" He knew they had basic first aid stuff, and he could splint the ankle if he had to. There was a small CVS down the street. It had probably already been raided, but there might be a brace or something.
His uncle came out of the store, carrying a few bags. He tossed them in the bed of the truck. and walked over. "Is she ok, buddy? We gotta move, somebody might try to steal the truck if we sit here too long, and I'd really rather not have to shoot anyone."
Lucky nodded. "She's pretty shaken up. Maybe we could take her somewhere safe?" He turned and looked at her again. "Where do you need to go?"

She exhaled softly as she got her phone back, moving to see the cracks in it. She tried to turn it on, and after a few seconds it finally did.
She held her breath the entire time during those few seconds and finally let herself breathe when her phone turned on. She opened her phone despite the cracks on it that might cut her fingers, and found the photo.
She looked back at the boy as he talked to her again, she moved to open the photo of her siblings and showed them to him.
She was more so able to understand him now that she had her phone back and some of the shock had worn off.
She was also more aware of the pain of her ankle and stumbled a bit.
"H-have you seen these two anywhere around here? I need to find them- they are my siblings.." She spoke to him, almost pleading to him for help.
"please, I have no service and I can't reach them."

Lucky nodded. "Nobody has service, the towers in this part of the country are all down." He looked at his uncle. "Do you know these kids?"
Uncle Tim shook his head. "I've seen her around but not the kids." He looked around. "I'll check the pharmacy for something for that ankle." He took off at a jog.
Lucky gently put his hand on her shoulder. "Here, have a seat in the truck, take the weight off your ankle. My uncle will be back in a minute with a brace or something." He looked at the picture again. "Are you sure they'd be in Hawk Springs?"

She looked between him and his uncle and felt like she might cry again. She didn't even know if her siblings were alright much less where they were.
She moved to get into the truck and sit down, moving wipe her eyes with her hands as she felt the tears coming again.
Did she even have a chance at finding them at this point?
She looked up at lucky before looking at her phone.
"I don't know..I usually get messages from either them or the social services worker when they move towns and this was the last place that they were put with a family that I know about."
She tried hard to stop herself from basically sobbing but she felt it bubbling inside her.
The hopelessnes..

Lucky nodded, trying to be encouraging. "If they have social workers, they're probably moving out of Hawk Springs now. We're in the radiation radius of the bomb, so they're either in a shelter or leaving."
Uncle Tim came back and handed him a roll of sports tape and an ankle brace. Lucky took it and pulled her shoe off, before starting to tape her ankle.
"I'm Lucky. This is my Uncle Tim." He looked up at her, continuing to tape. "Lemme fix up this ankle and you can decide what you wanna do. Do you have a family to go back to, other than your siblings?"

She looked up at the mention of the shelter, "shelter..?" She wanted to know more if they were in the shelter then maybe she could find them.
Just maybe she had a chance.
She blinked as he started to fix her ankle and realized that hw didn't even know her name.
"I'm, I'm Vera. I would say it's nice to meet you but this hasn't exactly been the best situation everywhere. Though I'm really fortunate to have run into you guys." She put a hand on her neck as it got finished up.
"Ah…no..I don't have any family, at least, not in this state. Not any that I want to go back too…my siblings are all I have."