This is Our Nightmare -- IC

C

colorprincess

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It’s been two years since the Great Flash rocked not only Earth, but also the other dimensions that make up the universe. Nobody knows what’s going on in the grand scheme of things, but one thing is clear – the Infected are adapting and growing more numerous. The only reason that the entire Earth hasn’t become completely inhabitable is by the grace of the more docile supernaturals that seek to preserve/revive the new land that they’ve all been unceremoniously thrust into. Forests are more common than they initially were, but the animal population has yet to catch up.

The group has taken shelter in an abandoned shed for a while now. It’s served them well as a hardy shelter, but the steady uptick in Infected sightings around their home base is unnerving, and with the group growing in size recently, the little family has overstayed their welcome. The time to return to nomadic life and seek out a safer, more spacious location is drawing extremely close...










Kristian Frosse

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22

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Ice Elemental

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Leader



Quiet footfalls paced across the hard ground as he paced about, his left hand situated thoughtfully in his pants pocket. Dull, golden eyes stared ahead at the shed that stood before him, yet that gaze registered almost nothing. His mind was reeling with thought after thought, and a weight kept growing upon his heart. With a rare tenderness, Kristian reached out and felt the slowly decaying wood of the shed, hoping that the texture and memories would climb into his veins. He didn't consider himself the sentimental type, but Kristian made it a sort of ritual to pay "respects" of sorts to whatever long-term shelter the group had for a period of time. The thought of returning to a nomadic lifestyle, searching for anything that could provide any semblance of a haven for his little family, wondering if they would resent him for constantly moving them around like this... all of it made Kristian's stomach turn to knots. Yet, as much as it ate him inside to make his family's living conditions so unstable, he knew they couldn't stay here forever -- that shed wasn't very large, and everybody was packed like sardines in there when nightfall came, and with more and more Infected showing up, it just wasn't safe anymore for any of them. They were more likely to be attacked by Infected as they slept now more than ever, and that was just a chance too great for Kristian to take. If anything ever happened to his little family that he could've prevented...

Frustration built in his core like thick clay, packing on layers of hesitation and uncertainty with what he thought was the right choice for everybody's well-being. The more he stared at the wooden wall before him, the more antsy he became. He briefly considered slamming his fist into the wall just so all the tension had somewhere to go -- the rush of knuckles to wood, the relief of an action rather than idle worry...

A soft stroke of white slowly crawled up from the bottom of his vision, branching out and threatening to expand across the entirety of the wall. Kristian glanced down at the ground. A fresh, fluffy layer of snow lay scattered about, leaving him at the center of it.

Fuck.

He stepped away from the small plot of winter he'd accidentally conjured, shaking his head a bit to try and clear up his head. Thin sheets of ice followed him, springing from the bottoms of his bare feet with every step that he took. Kristian didn't mind his ice powers so much normally, but right now, it was like he was wearing a bell collar around his neck. All somebody had to do was follow the ice and snow to see where he'd been. Then again, being so caught up in his emotions didn't help his case. Even as he stood there and continued to overthink, tiny snowflakes started to drift from his hands, falling slowly and almost one at a time, like he was a stubbornly leaky faucet. Kristian sighed, knowing that he couldn't keep thinking in circles about something like this, especially when it made his emotionally triggered powers activate like this.

He gave another long look at the shed, then bit his lip in resignation. He couldn't make this call on his own even if he wanted to...

I've gotta talk to Cam about this.





 
Camus
advisor || tiefling || concerned


The young male had woken up in the early morning, padding his way softly through the mass of people stuffed inside their little one-room home. They'd been here for some time now, but Cam had grown to like the warmth of sleeping bodies as everyone gathered down for the night. It was nice, a true family-like endevor as people tried to claim corners or not to roll on one another in the night. People had complained, a lot, but for the most part it had been a good for everyone. They knew being stuck in a shed with people they knew was better than being stuck out there, wandering alone waiting for someone or something to pass you by. But Camus was up this morning for a specific reason, a reason he'd woken up to fulfill everyday for almost two years now. In the beginning he hadn't applied them as much, but now there were people in the group that had never actually seen his true form. Every morning he woke up an hour early to apply a set of snaking black runes across his arms and torso, some even making their way up onto his neck at times. There was no set science, no set pattern to his markings, it was just something Cam knew how to do. The runes changed his appearance, made him seem as human as the elementalist he trusted as a leader and the werewolf he expected to protect their group. While in his mind he did this ritual so others around him may have some sense of normality, it was him deep down that needed to look like those around him.


Sometimes Kris would wake him up in the mornings, other times he'd let Cam sleep a bit more before the tiefling eventually woke up himself. Cam rather be woken up in the morning just so he knew he would have enough time to do all that he needed to do, but it was a nice gesture anyway. Kristian and Cam were usually the first few awake, Kris more so because he hadn't slept the night before. But as Cam finished his markings and others began to rise for the mornings, he couldn't find their leader. People went about their day without much direction, knowing what they needed to do. They'd been here awhile, a sense of regularity had come over the group as the days blurred together. And while Kris was a guy to go off on his own accord sometimes, it was rare for Cam to not see him here to see people off or give a few orders. The pair had been together longer than anyone else, and it was usually pretty easy for Cam to get a feel for when the man had something on his mind. They were the respective leader and advisor for a reason, so they had to mesh well on at least some levels.

Only a little bit of time passed before Cam saw his friend step into view, his gold eyes stopping for a moment to look their shack up and down. Kris was obviously lost in thought, and Camus wasn't sure what the man could be thinking about. Kris wasn't one to stop to touch a building or smell any flowers, so something must be on his mind. Cam watched as his exposed hands and feet began to make frost and snowflakes, something that just happened with Kris when he was overly upset. The man really had no grip on his emotions, and by God if Cam were to ask him how he was feeling today. But as Kristian's advisor it was Cam's job to make sure he was in the right state of mind to lead, and in the right state of mind to even function honestly. Kris had a lot of his own problems, but he was a good man regardless. With a sigh Cam approached, keeping a good foot or two between them. While they were friends, close friends honestly, Cam still wasn't accustomed to the cold the was always around him. He was more used to it than he had been two years ago, but the frost that Kris controlled was still uncomfortable for him.

"Everything alright, Kris?" he asked, using the nickname that few were given the previlage to use. If it concerned Kris and anything close to related to feelings attached to actions, you better know him pretty well for him to let you do it.

He cocked his head, white hair flopping into his red eyes as he looked over the shorter male. They were light and dark the two of them, fire and ice. Cam owed Kris more than his life, he owed him happiness that he most likely would not have found in the world without his guidance. He also owed them their group, their little family. They were a mismatched group, some from this world like Kris and others from others like he was, but it was enough. Everyone pulled their own and had a purpose, and everyone had their own goals to accomplish in this world. It wasn't perfect, looking for food each day and keeping out a constant eye for infected behind every corner, but it was something.
 













BIANCA LYRAENA || SIREN || ABLE BODY





Days like that day were what made Bianca feel as though everything was so far away. She'd taken it upon herself to wander about the surrounding area that stretched just beyond the shed, following nothing but her own spirit's direction. Her light steps barely made a sound as she walked, doing her best to keep her presence as small as possible. The last thing she wanted right now was to be noticed, especially that she was by herself. Bianca cared deeply for her fellow group members, but there was definitely such a thing as too much "togetherness," especially in that old shed they'd seized a long time ago. All she really wanted was a calm, relaxing walk by herself -- being alone with her thoughts sometimes was pretty important to her, especially when verbally expressing herself wasn't very easy for her most of the time.

Thankfully, the shed they'd all found wasn't located in a barren wasteland, like the majority of their surroundings would be elsewhere -- technically, they were closer to being in a forest than anything else, but the vegetation had begun to die out a long time ago, back when the Great Flash occurred. Now, Bianca's gaze took in the tall, almost fragile-looking trunks of dead trees that still refused to fall, anchored by their roots and, perhaps, sheer spite for what the world became around them. A group of people doing their best to survive in a dead forest... somehow, Bianca found it simultaneously beautiful and ironic. She paused by a particularly large tree, admiring its height as well as it's girth, wondering just how long it had grown up in this forest before withering away on the inside. Did this tree know that it and its friends were dying before it actually happened? How terribly sad...

A rustle of dry branches on the ground made Bianca's body stiffen. She froze in place, save for her head, which turned in every which way to try and pinpoint where the sound came from. She loosened up enough to turn her entire body as well, but the only sight that greeted her was the dense grey of dead trees that encompassed her. It was as if somebody had wrapped a repeating pattern around her... Bianca really hadn't paid attention to just how far she'd wandered from the others.

SNAP. Branches splintering made the siren jump, her hands shaking a little.
She wasn't alone here.
Bianca drew in a deep breath, arched her shoulders back, and let her siren voice take hold of her vocal chords. Her song practically poured out of her mouth like rich, thick cream.


"Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray..."

Her siren voice was alluring, and much different from her normal speaking or singing voice. Her song had a slight reverb to it, as if she were singing in a bathroom. Each word was sung as if they were smoothed over like glass, but carried the gentleness of down feathers. Bianca began to feel more in control -- there wasn't much that could resist the beckoning of a siren.

Down by the walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay..."

Another rustling sound emitted, but this time, it came from somewhere behind her. She reeled around to face the threat, but again, she saw nothing there. Her heart began to beat faster.

"Conversing with a young lass, who seemed to be in pain..."

Snaps of dead wood upon the ground came from the left and the right, now. Multiple. Bianca dug her nails into her palms to keep her cool.

"Saying, William, when you go I fear you'll ne'er return again..."

Whatever it was had gotten bolder -- the sounds were closer.

"My heart is pierced by Cupid--"

Closer. The vicinity made Bianca cut herself off for a moment.

"I disdain all glittering gold..."

She fidgeted with the fabric of her blouse, unnerved. Shouldn't she see someone by now?

"There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor--"

They'd rushed her before she registered what was going on, or finish her verse. Bianca was struck from behind, throwing her body to the ground from the sheer force behind the attack. Deep, searing pain raked down her back, an immediate and hot wetness spreading across her back. Her breath caught in her throat, her heart raced, and she finally saw what it was that had come for her: a pack of Infected, easily reaching ten in number. One stared her in the face with large, pupil-less red eyes. Inky black venom dripped from its lips, and scarlet stained its large, blunt claws: her blood.

Terror finally released the freezing grip it had on Bianca's body: she did her best to scramble to her feet and away from the Infected despite her deep pain, stumbling heavily from her fresh injury and trying her best to get back to the shed. She screamed a bloodcurdling scream, followed by desperate crying out:

"Kristian!! Somebody!! Help me!!"
















Kristian Frosse

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Ice Elemental

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Leader


More and more thoughts began to swirl about in the young man's head the longer he stood there, and he knew it. Normally, he'd just shove his emotions down his own throat, stifling his thoughts and drowning anything that crept out of his heart. It certainly wasn't a healthy method of handling situations, but it sure did the trick when he needed to not be hindered by emotions in a situation. It's not so much that Kristian hated emotions, but having them sure could be inconvenient, especially when the time to be a leader for his family arrived.
Easier said than done.


"Everything alright, Kris?"

Kristian had been so lost in his own head that he nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice, but he immediately relaxed some when he realized it was only his adviser. With a deep exhale, he glanced at the frost fluttering from his hands and emerging from his feet before looking back up into Camus's eyes. How many times had he looked into that gentle gaze when his mind wouldn't shut up? It had to be a crazy big number by now... probably as big as the number of times Cam had correctly guessed when Kristian needed something from him. He really had to hand it to Cam sometimes -- he was definitely perceptive.

"Well..." He started to try and downplay it, but when Kristian actually thought about the situation, he genuinely did need Camus's thoughts on the subject that pressed on his mind for the past few days. He put his left hand on his hip thoughtfully, and almost in slight defeat. "Son of a bitch... Yeah, there is. I need your thoughts on something."

His golden gaze drifted to the shed again, remembering both the good and the bad times housed within those nearly splintered walls. Brief flashes of his group's faces flickered in his mind's eye. Some memories were moments where they were smiling, or bonding with a good conversation... and others were of their faces of concentration and survival instinct as they faced off against predatory Infected. Kristian bit his lip again. He'd seen far too much of the latter for his own comfort. He had not forgotten the most recent battle -- inky, black beasts all over the place, cornering some group members as they fought back against the toxic Infected... Cries of pain from a poorly dodged hit... Constant pounding in his chest fueled by the gripping fear of losing yet another person he'd allowed himself to get close to... It felt like Kristian was just waiting for the bloodcurdling scream of a person transforming into an Infected with every day that passed now. Danger was far too close for comfort.

"It's getting dangerous here, Cam... for everybody." He looked back into Cam's eyes, fully letting his closest friend see the extent of his concern within his eyes that he wouldn't let fully show in his words. Just as he was about to open his mouth to explain further...

"Kristian!! Somebody!! Help me!!"

He jolted at the sound of his name, and the familiar voice made his blood run cold. Bianca, one of his own, in distress. Without another thought, Kristian turned on his heel and broke into a dead sprint in the direction of the voice, leaving thick, jagged patches of ice -- clear signs of deafening fear coursing through his body -- in his wake.

"Group! Action! Now!" He could only pray that his and Bianca's combined pleas would be enough for the group to understand there was danger upon them and follow suit. "Bianca!" Kristian called out, ducking and weaving through dense, dead trees before finally catching sight of his siren group member painfully attempting an escape. Her dress and hands were covered in dirt, and telltale scarlet stains dappled the edges of her garment. A pack of Infected were right on her tail, and they were getting dangerously close.

Instinctively, Kristian skidded to a halt and stomped on the ground as hard as he could. A line of ice zigzagged through the ground, and once it got close enough to one of the Infected, Kristian gestured upwards with a desperate grasp of the air, sending a sharp column of ice up from the ground and piercing through the Infected's body. Black blood and toxin stained the icy spear as the Infected stopped twitching, hanging limply. It wasn't enough to even make him glad the attack landed -- Kristian's face contorted into a hateful snarl, his body tense with thirst for Infected bloodshed.

The Infected picked a terrible day to rile up Kristian and his little family.




 
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Casylin was wandering through the dying forest, quietly walking and looking for anything to eat. Today was quiet, too quiet really, but there was not much that could be done about that since she had been alone for months already. How long had she been on this world? It was so hard to even tell the seasons with how the planet had been affected by the Great Flash. She didn't want to draw attention to herself by making noise, so the silence was her companion this day. She paused in her walk, kneeling to look at a stunted plant before picking it and adding it to her bag. It would help make a soup later when she stopped for the day. She glanced around the area, searching and trying to heal the area to see if there were any other edibles here. She found one other plant, wild onions, though nothing else.

With a sigh, she stood and started walking again. After a while, she heard distant singing. The noise drew her, so she turned to follow the sound. Not long after was a scream of fright followed by a call for help. Casylin stopped, scared, she wasn't a fighter. She hesitated then started running towards the sound, maybe she could help without having to fight. She hoped so, there was not enough life on this world besides the infected.
 
| Silvia Kavanaugh | Werewolf | Enforcer • Tracker • Brawler |
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Two years, it had been two years since everything seemed to take a tumble for the worse and turn life into what should be a living hell. It's had it's ups and downs, I can tell you that much but some of the pain...well...it had been fucking deep. Cutting so far through the core of one's existence...my existence that all that was left, all that could be salvaged was the darkness, hate, rage and anger. To be fair In this new piece of shit hellish place I've called home...those are the only emotions you need...those were the only ones I thought I needed. Life changes, I learned that the hard way, whether it's drastically or subtly. You can only control so much of what you do, you can make the choices but the outcome isn't always what you might want or expect.

Perfect example? Myself.

Born to a couple of low life pieces of shit that chose to feed off the bottom. One left, the other may as well not have existed. The only person I had was my sister and I did everything for her. Everything and anything she needed from me she had, until they took me. She didn't want me back after that, I tried, I explained to her, I gave her all the reasons but she was too stubborn to accept it...until she needed me. I didn't help her, I should've helped her, I could've helped her...stubbornness was hereditary but the anger? I got all of that genetic trait and apparently that's all you need to garner the attention of a dying god after being blinded by some unknown force.

And here I am, it almost feels like I'm alone, my sister is dead, the rest of my family...undoubtedly dead. Hell even the damn god is dead. He just dumped all his bullshit on me and perished. I had been alone...again...no one to talk to and so much fucking shit to talk about. People had grown scarce, animals kept their distance, whichever ones survived. I was stuck with nothing but pain and regret. It was me myself and I. I fucking hated it.

Then they found me...or I found them...I can't remember...not that it's important. People don't usually react calmly towards a monster yet somehow they did, for whatever reason. I helped them and then stuck around whether they wanted me or not, even if I was at the bottom of the hierarchy, I didn't care, I just wanted to prove to them that I could be useful. I'm glad it worked out for the better. Everyone had benefited from it. Have I made new friends? Maybe. Am I trusted? Possibly. Everyone is weary of everyone these days but I trust my gut and I don't think anyone here in this tiny little shed is going to cross any lines. And if they do...well th—

"Upon one summer's morning, I carefully did stray..."

The brunette's eyes opened from her seated position. Her left leg had been flat against the cool floor, the sole of her right boot flat against the hardwood as her right elbow was placed atop it, the hooded figure cradling her head. Almost burning amber irises glared into the darkness as she listened.

"Down by the walls of Wapping, where I met a sailor gay..."

Bianca does't sing in that...beautiful voice unless she's...luring...Who is she—

As the right pitch and frequency was hit she stood up, the brunette's body moving on it's own accord. Her hooded face stared straight ahead, lips slightly agape as she was drawn out of the small shed and towards the beautiful song. She cared for nothing that surrounded her, all that mattered was getting to that voice.

"Conversing with a young lass, who seemed to be in pain. Saying, William, when you go I fear you'll ne'er return again."

The tall figure just moved through the trees, footfalls practically silent. The only goal was to find the voice, to bask in the beautiful sound, to succumb to whatever it may wish.

"My heart is pierced by Cupid. I disdain all glittering gold. There is nothing can console me, but my jolly sailor--"

The silence grew eerie and heavy. The nothingness was unnerving. The woman stood straight and still. A subtle, cool breeze rustling her cloak, her breath formed before her eyes, a small cloud quick to evaporate before unnaturally amber irises. There was a loud thud that she could feel through the ground, a shrill high frequency scraping sound following. Her eyes grew wide as she gasped, her surroundings flooded her senses in an almost painful way, snapping into action instantly she lunged forward and sprinted through the trees. You're smarter than that Silvia. She belittled herself as she sprinted with unnatural fangs bared. Her speed had blown her hood off, raven-black locks flowing behind her as she sprinted on. The breeze brought with it familiar scents, a smirk coming across her lips as she could see the small clearing and the pillar of ice. Pushing even faster Silvia was quick to loose her footing against the sudden change in surface.

Falling on her back with a grunt the woman slid across the surface with a snarl. Reaching for the Siren she took hold of her and pulled her in close. "I've got you, you little bewitcher." Silvia chuckled as she muttered. With her free hand she reached out and dug her fingernails into the ice. The sound was a shrill screech as the woman was successful in halting their movement, a loud ringing in her ears, but that was the least of her worries. Standing up she tightened her grip on Bianca before approaching Kristian swiftly. "Not looking too good B." Silvia didn't need to see the wound to know it was bad, she could smell the blood. Her mouth watering at the thought of all that fresh blood. Clenching her jaw she swallowed back the saliva that was flooding her mouth, pushing down that primal hunger that hadn't been satiated in a very very long time. "Where's Cam Kristian? He can take her back, I can't miss out on the fun." She smirked as she looked from the group leader to the small pack that approached them, the sinister reddish hue slowly starting to bleed into her piercing amber gaze.