Population 100 (Open to all)

[musicankane]

OOC: What would you do if you woke up and found that 99.99% of the population has vanished without a trace? Not some huge disaster, not a deadly virus, simply there one day gone the next. Would you panic, fall apart. Would you bathe in the solitude? Would you slowly migrate toward anywhere where a person could be?

In this MMOSRP I want everyone and anyone to create a person...or be themselves in a world where there are only a few people in exsistance.

IC: Johnny Calvin awoke to the soft buzzing of his alarm and the loud banging of a wicked hangover. With a loud groan he rolled over and with some difficulty he sat up. As he sat on the edge of his bed he tried to remember what he'd done last night to reward his morning with such pain.

The strip club, and a bit too but to drink. Of crouse what else would it be? He had gotten plowed while he enjoyed a large bevy of lapdances. He had gone to celebrate his new job and what better way to do that then pay women he'd never actually get in bed to gyrate nude on his lap to no other end then him going home drunk out of his mind and rubbing on out into the toilet bowl.

He pulled himself out of bed and into the bathroom where he swallowed three asprin without water and took a leak. After scratching himself he decided to take a shower and did so also mechanically.

He got dressed and went into his kitchen to get something to eat before leaving for work. The refrigerator was empty of everything but mayo and mustard and he slammed it shut with a grummble.

Grabbing the keys to his '89 Honda Civic he stepped out of his front door and stopped in stunned awe halfway down his walk.

Cars littered the street and even the sidewalk. Most weren't damaged much like the driver simply stopped driving the car in midmotion and the car coasted to where it now lay. Some were even still idling as if impatient and awaiting their driver to wake up and get a move on. But there was no one around to drive these cars away.

Johnny couldn't get out of his driveway because three car where piled together at the lip of his property. Johnny swore and went to his neighbor's house and rapped on the door.

No answer.

"What the hell is going on?" He mumbled to himself.

(Create your own character and let's have us a story)

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Dominic Fairfax

Dominic Fairfax had left his small West Virginia hometown after graduating from high school, and had never returned. He became a teacher after college, but also took other jobs, including as a bouncer, before becoming a biker. He abandoned teaching after getting a permanent job as a bouncer and joining the Hell's Angels. Far from the nerdy teen that he used to be, Dom is now a massive bruiser and has spent some time in jail, but nothing serious. He also harbors some anger over treatment at the hands of Laura and Andrea Thomas, the daughters of Rev. Archibald Thomas.

 

[Katamari Roller]

Allison Carpenter groaned softly, as the last traces of a good dream left her. Her alarm was beeping loudly at her, as if it was the most annoying insect put on the face of Earth by an asshole of a god. Shifting under the sheets, she dragged herself a few inches to her right, and turned it off.

Now she remembered... the alarm was a gift by her ex-boyfriend. Well, turns out God had nothing to do with it, after all.

Allie sat up on the bed, and looked at the white curtains that covered the window, now a bright light coming through them to give her room an ethereal look. That was pretty cool.

The young woman stood up, her cerulean pajamas loose around her body, and her black hair desperately needing some combing. She walked into the mirror, and marvelled at her sleepy face. She almost looked depressed enough to attempt suicide. Allie quickly turned the water faucet, and splashed some cold water onto her visage, then climbed out of her clothes with slow, sluggish movements and got into the shower.

She emerged noticeably refreshed, and ready to start the day. Allie charged into her room, and started dressing. She worked as a secretary in a law office firm in the city, so she wore the proper clothes for that. A grey secretary outfit (mini-skirt and jacket) with a white blouse and pantyhose, as well as the usual undergarments and heeled shoes. The smell of shampoo drifted in the air between the bathroom and her bedroom as she once again entered the bathroom to comb her hair and apply some lipstick and eyeliner very discreetly.

Allie sighed, liking how she looked in the mirror. Her long, black hair was now silky and waved as she moved, and her fake smile was radiant. The clothes fit her perfectly, accentuating her round hips and breasts, and giving a bit of edge to her shoulders. Keeping her smile up, she quickly walked out of her flat with her matching black purse, and took the elevator down. Then, she headed out into the busy street...

Which... was not quite... busy?

Allie looked around, surprised. There was nobody in the street. The cars were not moving, although some were still working, it seemed. The only source of movement seemed to be the traffic lights...

Ok... Ooooook...

Allison took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. Then exhaled, slowly, and opened them again... and the scene had not changed at all.

 

[musicankane]

The door to the gas station was locked and Johnny peered into the window to see only nothing. Not even the slightest bit of movement. He turned away from the window and looked back at the street. There was no one around anywhere, car were sitting in scattered places all over the street with no signs of their drivers. All business that weren't locked up were baren and empty.

Johnny, after hunting for another human being for hours had entered a McDonald's and actually had to make his own food. The electricity was still on so he was able to cook for himself no problem. The food he normally enjoyed didn't taste the same though. It was good, but the unease he was begining to feel was taking a toll on his body.

After kicking a half empty soda can across the parking lot of a 7-eleven that sat next to the gas station Johnny paused and thought for a moment. After a bit a deliberation he decided to head down Main Street toward the Goldfield mall. If there were anyone still alive somewhere, they'd probably go to a big public place like that and hope for the best. Plus there would be plenty of supplies to live on in the mall.

 

[MasterYosh]

Adam C. sat on the front steps on his home in the early morning, face buried in his hands. He was in mild shock, unable to get a grasp on just what was going. His whole family was gone. Mom, sister, nephew, even the dog, gone without a trace. But the cars were still in the gravel filled driveway, and the front house light was on still.

He stood up on his barefeet, hands slightly shaking as he brought them away from his face. The normally quiet neighborhood was even quieter than usual. In fact, it was extremely unsettling.

Maybe he should just go back inside and hide out in his room like usual, maybe they'd come back...

He eventually went back inside and turned on the T.V. to the news. Only to find that every single station was dead. The same multi-colored-barred screen with that monotonous sound...

What next? Maybe pigs would fly?

"What the fuck is going on...?" the 19-year-old mumbled in disbelief as he shook his head.

 

[Katamari Roller]

Allison walked into Meyers', the restaurant right in front of her appartment block. At this time in the morning, she usually found it packed with people having their breakfast, sometimes for business, sometimes just for leisure.

It was completely empty. The silence all around Allie started to get to her, only punctuated by the soft rumbling of some cars' engines. The unfamiliar sight of the restaurant, with far more free space than it should normally have, struck her as unreal. It was as if Allie had stepped through a portal into another world where space had been stretched too much, and time had slowed down to the speed of a walk in the park.

Allison approached the tables, and saw that there were dishes and glasses, jugs and cups, and cutlery all around. It was exactly the same image of every morning, only without anyone there. Looking closer at a plate of scrambled eggs, she noticed a sizeable portion of them was gone, which seemed to indicate that there had been someone here not a few minutes ago. However, touching them with a nervous finger, she found they were cold. The same with the coffee beside them.

Something very, very wrong had happened. For some reason defying logic, Allison strode into the restaurant's kitchen, perhaps expecting to find someone there that would dispell the oppressive dread she felt... but there was nobody there, either.

Allie was paralyzed with incredulity. She pinched her hand, and it hurt... so this couldn't be a nightmare, could it?

Allison stepped outside, into the street, again. Looking to the left, no one. Looking to her right, no one. A shroud of calm nervousness, just as contradictory in meaning as in feeling, fell over her.

"Where's... everybody?"

She hardly noticed she had said that aloud. But when she did, she understood that it was stupid to think that everyone had disappeared without leaving a trace. Something had to have happened. An evacuation, probably... but then, why had she not been awakened by a cop or a soldier knocking on her appartment's door? No noise of trucks had woken her up, either, and she lived in a fourth floor so it shouldn't have been that difficult to hear them.

No. If she kept asking herself so many questions, Allison knew she would never do anything to care after herself. She had to find out what was going on, as quickly as possible. And that required finding someone else.

Allison walked at a brisk pace towards her car, an Opel Astra with the roof retracted, and sat down. As her body relaxed on the leather seat, Allie realized that she had no idea where to go. If there had been an evacuation, and that was the assumption Allie would work with for now, where would the population be directed to? A well known landmark, with space for a lot of people... easy to reach... the police station was close by, so that couldn't be it if a disaster was to strike the zone soon. But it had to be a place that anyone with a car could reach, and where trucks and buses could unload a lot of people comfortably.

Ah, yes. The Goldfield Mall. A parking space bigger than a football stadium, lots of supplies, easily known. That had to be it. With a sigh of relief, Allie fished her carkeys out of her purse. If there was anyone still left in the city, it probably was at the mall.

But then, why not use her mobile phone? How stupid... Why had she not thought of that before? Allie quickly grabbed the phone, and turned it on to start calling. However, it beeped at her with the 'battery low' warning. Damn, what a shitty thing. It always ran out of battery at the worst moment!

Dropping it back into the purse, Allison deduced that if she could call no one, the best she could do was get to the Mall. If you thought about it logically, if the evacuation was the reason for people disappearing over-night, then Allie did not want to be here, either. Who knew what the reason was for the evacuation?

She started the car, and pulled out into the street, heading down Main Street towards Goldfied Mall.

 

[effmyass]

Kelsey Daniels walked through her apartment, picking things up as she went.SHe hadn't opened up the blinds yet.SHe wasn't a morning person and wasn't looking forward to the bright sun already.She put some of the things she was holding away and as she bent over to place a few books in a bookshelf, she realized that she couldn't here the drone of the city. She had become accustomed to hearing the drone of cars and people outside her apartment window, but now she heard nothing.

Kelsey walked caustiously over to the window and slowly opened the blinds.When she finally saw outside, she stood there shocked.Cars were sitting motionless in the street.Just sitting there, like the occupants of it just decided to get out and walk off.Looking around, she also realized that not a soul was in sight.This was weird considering the fact that she lived in a city where people were out constantly no matter what time it was.

Kelsey quickly threw on a tight pair of jeans and a hoodie and threw her medium length brown hair into a messy bun.She ran till she was outside her apartment building and then slowed down as she wandered down the street, looking in every window for any sign of life.

 

[Katamari Roller]

Allison glanced around as her Opel Astra slowly... 'sailed' down the Main Street. It was so weird to see the city empty like this... it was incredible. Again, Allie felt like she had somehow reached another world. A parallel dimension, like one of those in science fiction TV shows like 'Sliders'.

Who knew, perhaps that was what had happened. Although she had not used a remote control to open a warp hole into another dimension, as far as she remembered.

Cars, restaurants, banks, benches, buses... all empty like a glass or a cup. Allie was suddenly struck by the thought that, if she had never understood the whole 'we are but specks of dust in the universe', now she caught a glimpse of its true meaning. Now, without anyone else here, with the loneliness seeping in through every pore of her body, she became a bit more conscious of how insignificant one person was in comparison to a whole city full of life... and only when this life disappeared, could she appreciate this.

Allison thought she saw movement down the street. She stopped her car, and stood up inside it, no small feat thanks to her heeled shoes. There, behind a car, looking into a building's window... there was movement there. Quickly, Allie hit the car's claxon. The sudden blare echoed down the street, giving her goosebumps.

 

[effmyass]

Kelsey heard the car and turned her head.She saw Allison and rushed over.She looked in the window and signaled for Allison to put down her window.

 

[Katamari Roller]

OOC: Please, don't make two-line posts. Take your time, and think what your character feels, thinks and does. Otherwise your character just looks and reads like a hyperactive mouse.

Also, the car is a convertible with the roof pulled back. No window pulled up.



IC: Allison sat back down, seeing the person she had blown the horn for come closer. Looking through the windshield, she saw a young woman (looked younger than her, anyway, and Allison was twenty-six) approach. Jeans and a hoodie, very suburban.

"Hey! You Ok? Need help?"

Allison said this more out of politeness than because she really thought the woman needed any help. She looked perfectly fine, anyway... if not for the fact that she was probably as bewildered as Allison was herself.

 

[musicankane]

Johnny had to break the glass on the door to get into the mall. He had taken his shirt off and wrapped it around his arm so he wouldn't cut himself as he banged through the glass pane. Now he was inside the mall and his arm was sore. He looked around and saw that the light were on but they were on a timer and were triggered automatically. Thankfully there was no audible alarm in the mall or his breaking the glass would have caused a loud siren that would have driven him insane very quickly.

The mall did have a silent alarm though and his breaking the glass door would bring the cops. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing if this mass disappearence turned out to be nothing more than a evacuation or something. But if the cops never showed up, it would solidify his fears that whatever has happened is far more serious than imaginable.

He began walking up and down the mall periodically screaming, "HELLO!" and hoping for a reply. After a couple of hours his voice was hoarse and he was exhausted. He made his way slowly to the food court where he had broken into the mall in the first place and sat at one of the empty booths. He chuckled to himself. All the booths were empty.

He dozed off with thoughts of being the only person on Earth.

 

[MasterYosh]

Adam was now driving through the city, in futile hopes of finding human life. He had taken his mom's car and some supplies for the trip. He threw on black t-shirt and an old pair of jeans before he left.

It was even worse in the city, seeing all of the abandoned vehicles astrew along the streets. It was like something out of a zombie movie or something, he almost half expected to turn around and see a horde of flesheaters coming at him.

"There's no way this is real...I-It can't be real....." he mumbled nervously. Honestly, he was a emotional wreck; completely unprepared for this...whatever this all was.

 

[effmyass]

Kelsey looked at Allison.At first, she was skeptical that an actual person was out.She had already convinced herself that she was the only one in the city.She noticed that Allison looked at her attire.Kelsey never really thought about how she looked until she glanced down and noticed that she looked like she grabbed the first thing she saw.She had done that, but she didn't want people to think she was homeless or something.End of the world or not, Kelsey wasn't going out of it looking like crap.

Kelsey let these thoughts wander around a bit, then she realized she had been asked a question.

"Yeah I'm fine.Just a little bewildered about all this."

 

[Katamari Roller]

"Bewildered... well, that's two of us..."

Allison inmediately stretched over the gear box to open the passenger's door. She hesitated for half a second, but then... she reasoned that this woman was the only human being she had seen so far. If the world was worse than it looked, she might do with the help. Allison with her help, and her with Allison's.

"I'm headed towards Goldfield Mall, see if I find anyone there. Are you coming?"

 

[effmyass]

Kelsey looked around for another second.What was the worst that could happen from riding with this stranger.She got in the car and shut the passenger door.SHe looked over at Allison.

"I'm Kelsey."

She might as well introduce herself because chances were that she would be spending a lot of time with this woman, considering she was the only other person she'd seen today.

 

[Katamari Roller]

"Nice to meet you. I'm Allison, but you can just call me Allie."

Allison smiled at Kelsey, before locking her seat-belt around her and moving the car once again. This time, she went a bit faster, although being very careful as she drove. Here and there, there were cars stopped right in the middle of the road, and she had to maneuver to dodge them. Still, it was a smooth journey.

Also, having a passenger kind of helped. Allison felt calmer and safer with a companion. Specially as she still saw the empty streets all around.

Finally, the Goldfield Mall came into view.

"Ah... finally..."

Allison thought she would finally see someone there... but she had only seen the roof. Now she was closer, it was plain to her eyes that there were no signs of this place being a refuge of any kind. No military, no police, no firemen, not even a group of people standing there. Nothing but a couple cars parked. Allison drove her car towards the very entrance, to the closest parking slot she found, and stopped the car.

From there, it was obvious that someone had broken into the mall. The glass doors were cracked, and showed quite a huge hole through which a single person could easily slip in. Looters? Or just another person looking for someone? Allison couldn't be the only one who had thought of this place as somewhere safe to go in the event of a disaster.

She sighed, and looked at Kelsey.

"Shall we go in?"

 

[musicankane]

Johnny jerked awake at the sound of a car and voices. He sat up and saw two young women headed for where he broken into the mall.

Joy and relief flooded him and he rushed out of the booth tripping as he did so and banged his funny bone hard on the edge of the table.

He shook his hand and tried to get the feeling out as he waved his other hand at the two standing by the door.

"HEY! Over here!" He cried, running toward them. His arm began to throbb painfully and he wondered if a funny bone could be broken.

He faltered as he approached and got a good look at the two girls. They were both very attractive, although one looked extremely disshiveled. Looks like hell just got a little better than he thought it would be.

 

[Younglord]

Craig Andrews stood outside his hotel downtown his eyes and ears searching for what many would consider the normal drone of a major inner city and heard nothing.

He'd woken two hours earlier ,showered and dressed in his business suit ready for a meeting with a Mr Smith.

Since then he'd searched the hotel lobby and several staff only areas as well as looked into every building within a 100 meters of the hotel and nothing.

Accessing the hotel lobby computer he'd seen nothing updated on the internet not in general sites not on news sites not on sites he had password access to. It was possible that some of these sites might not update their headlines but his password sites were ALWAYS updated.

He tried his cell phone and got a signal twenty numbers later and no one had answered.

He changed clothes and took the rental car that had been his to use and drove to a safe house some three miles away.

The old wooden house looked like it was on its legs, opening the door Craig walked directly to a small room and walked to a safe , opening it he took out a fake American Passport ,thousands in American dollars and a bag containing the tools of his trade.

Walking back to the car he took out a map ,his mind processing his next move while trying to come to grips withwhat appeared to be either the most surreal of dreams or something else...something very wrong.

An englishman lost in America ....alone apparently, with a mission he couldn't complete if there was no one to target.

Sods fuckin law.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Dom Fairfax

Known only as "Dom" these days, Fairfax strode into town on his chopper, seeking to refuel and find a place to stay. Well, it shouldn't be hard to pay for things. He easily grabbed some grub as well, in the form of slaw dogs that he nuked in the convenience store microwave. A nice Bud (hey, who was going to crash into him or ticket him for a DUI) or two, and he was a happy camper. He also grabbed some porno mags, since he didn't know when he would meet a woman again. It did feel a bit necro, given the evident spontaneous combustion, but....

Part of him feared that this was the Rapture that his religious family talked about, but he then remembered that such an event would take far fewer people than this, even assuming that it would happen.

Oh, and he made sure to grab as many smokes as he could. He had no way of knowing when the tobacco would run out, but it couldn't last forever. Since what was available was free....

Heading over to the mall, he was shocked to see some signs of human activity, in the form of footsteps. Well, it was time to shop and he didn't need cash. He loved reading sci-fi, oddly enough for a biker, but he did use to be a nerd, after all. And it seemed to fit, possibly even as a survival manual in such a situation. The signs at the mall said, "no smoking", but who was going to stop him, right?

He did make sure to wear his 9mm Glock, however. Just in case.

 

[effmyass]

Kelsey smiled at Johnny and then looked at Allison.

"At least we're not the only people alive."

She wandered over and sat down on a bench, putting her chin in her hands.She found it funny that when she was little everyone always asked what you would do if you were the last person on earth.Well now she knew, and she hated it.

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Dom Fairfax

Kelsey smiled at Johnny and then looked at Allison.

"At least we're not the only people alive."

She wandered over and sat down on a bench, putting her chin in her hands.She found it funny that when she was little everyone always asked what you would do if you were the last person on earth.Well now she knew, and she hated it.

Seeing three other people, a man and two women, Dom swaggered over to them, his long hair covered by his black bandana, with goggles covering his eyes. He could only imagine what he looked like, given his augmented bulk these days. He also wondered what kind of other people would survive a global apocalypse.

To reassure them that he wasn't hostile, he went over and introduced himself.

"Hey, I'm Dom."

 

[Katamari Roller]

Allison's head jerked to her left, to the sound of another human voice. A man ran towards them, crying out to them. Allison was not quite surprised, but she sure was interested, so she quickly opened her car's door and stepped out, taking the car's keys with her. She felt relief, but she was not stupid.

"At least we're not the only people alive."

Allison gave Kelsey a brief, encouraging smile, before turning back to the man. Was it her imagination, or did he move in a strange way? She couldn't quite make out why that was, though.

"Hello there!" Allison's heels clicked and clacked on the concrete as she moved the few meters separating her from this man. Just as she stopped in front of him, though, the sound of a motorcycle came close, and a biker appeared from around the corner. He dismounted, and introduced himself as 'Dom'.

"Well..." Allison looked around at the people gathered her, having her own appearance in mind. "Aren't we an interesting group of survivors..." She murmured to herself.

 

[effmyass]

Kelsey watched Allison and decided that since they were the only two women.Maybe they should stick together.She stood up and walked over to where Allison was standing.SHe was just getting ready to introduce herself to Johnny when she heard a motorcylce.She saw Dom dismount and smiled at him,yet kept her distance.

"Kelsey."

 

[SEVERUSMAX]

Dom Fairfax

"Glad to meet y'all, Kelsey and Allison. And you, I didn't catch your name, but you appear to have some kind of injury. Hold on a moment. I have a first-aid kit in my chopper. Well, one good thing about there being so few people out here is that there is less of a risk of a car heist," Dom answered in his West Virginia drawl, trying to get the three of them past his menacing biker veneer. He might be a Hell's Angel, but he had some compassion for people in a situation like this.

He then went over to grab his first-aid kit and hurried back.

"All right, buddy. Let's see your injury and see about dressing it. Drawback of there be so few people is that the hospitals are probably closed, worse luck," Dom noted, as he rubbed out his cigarette and started getting his first-aid stuff out.

 

[MilkManDan007]

Lt. Jason Davidson, SWAT

Jason Davidson

It had been a semi-hellish morning for Lt. Jason Davidson. The hangover from last night’s drinking escapades was epic. This, coupled with the bright morning sun and chiming alarm clock, meant that the day was going to start off one of two ways: a smashed alarm clock, or aspirin washed down with black coffee. Sgt. Miller always made the coffee, and it was always strong enough to help wash away the thundering in Jason’s head.

But the soft aroma of coffee and bacon was not what Jason smelled. He smelled something different, something odd. He pushed himself out of the bunk and stretched, feeling the muscles tensed from a night of hard sleep begin to relax. Walking to the small kitchenette of the bunkhouse, something seemed awry but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The vests were hung, the gun safe was closed, and there were six pairs of boots neatly lined up near the door.

The boots.

All six pairs were there, but the squad was gone. Hangover or not, something was not right. Jason quickly scanned the rest of the bunkhouse but found no one. The beds weren’t made, the other officer’s clothes were still hanging in the closets, and the three SWAT vehicles were still parked out front.

”Maybe they all went out for a morning run,” Jason thought, “Or they went down to the range. He knew neither could be true. Sgt. Wade had been drinking more than Jason had, and he was a lightweight. He’d be hung over until at least tomorrow. And anyways, his shoes and clothes were still here.

Jason knew something wasn’t right, and he wasn’t going to take any chances with it, whatever it was. He grabbed a few aspirin from the bottle on the counter, dressed in his tactical vest and pants, grabbed his .45 from the gun safe and headed out the door.

What greeted him was something straight from the “Time Enough at Last” episode of “The Twilight Zone” he had watched a few nights ago. Well, almost. In that episode, nuclear war had decimated the world and left Henry Bemis in the wasteland as the last man alive. Jason found himself in an eerily similar situation. The only difference was that no war had taken place. It was as if everyone just up and left.

He walked backwards through the door and sat, stunned, at the small table.


He stood and took stock of things in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to put his racing mind at rest. He was in good health by department standards, great health when compared to the average Joe Starbucks on the street. He stood six foot two inches and weighed in just under 180 pounds. His deep jade eyes were what most women found attractive about him and even though he was only 28, his hair was platinum silver.

He had spent the six years after high school in the Marines serving in Iraq before he was shot in the leg during a nighttime patrol and discharged. The wound had healed, but Jason still walked with a slight limp, favoring his right leg. It had almost kept him out of the police force, and had almost cost him his chance at the SWAT team.

He sat at the table and watched as the clock on the wall ticked away until the hands both reached skyward and signaled noon. That ended Jason’s hellish morning.

“Well,” he thought, “Can’t just sit around and wait for the end. Let’s get out and see what’s left in the world.”

Jason stood, gathered up the small amount of food in the bunkhouse and loaded it into the cab of his truck. He returned to the bunkhouse to take whatever he could. He slid a bulletproof vest under his tactical vest and began to fill the vest and pants pockets as if he were going out on a call. Flash-Bang grenades, smoke canisters, extra ammunition, rope, combat knife, and so on. Just for good measure, he grabbed two of the MP5 submachine guns and the shotgun from the gun safe and headed out into the city.

It was slow going at first, dodging cars that had coasted to a stop everywhere. Jason found the sidewalk to be the best bet. On most days, they would be crowded with people, but today were empty. He heard the soft rumble of a revving motorcycle engine and stopped to see where it was coming from. A revving engine and a moving sound meant someone else had survived.

Through the echoes, Jason figured the general direction and began to drive. The mall. People would go to a familiar place. He stopped a block from the mall and got out of his truck. It would probably be better to approach on foot since it was much quieter, just in case.

Arriving at the edge of the parking lot, he saw two women standing outside of a convertible, a motorcyclist, and a man coming out of the mall. At least there were others. He returned to the truck and loaded up, holstering his pistol at his side and slinging the shotgun and extra MP5 onto his back. He kept the other MP5 out and on safety and approached the mall. Dressed in the black SWAT gear, minus helmet and face shield, carrying an arsenal of weapons must have made for an interesting sight.

He decided to call out before getting too close. He didn’t want any of them to spook and do anything rash.

“I have to admit, I’m glad to see some friendly faces.” Jason said, raising his hand to say Hi to those in the parking lot. “I wasn’t quite sure what to expect after, well, whatever it was that left us all here. Name’s Jason.