This Is The Way The World Ends (closed)

[MzSeductress]

This Is The Way The World Ends (closed for Artemidorus )

-----------------------------------------------------------------[* 3 days ago ]-----------------------------------------------------------**

Tiah Collins admired the beautiful country she was visting on her vacation celebrating her anniversary with her fiancee who had proposed a few days ago and they were headed back* tomorrow to have their engagement dinner in two days to celebrate with friends and family.

She held his hand as they walked down the street and a woman selling mangos was chanting abou their days were nearly done, how our governments wanted us dead and that most of the world would be gone by the end of the week.

She gasped when the old woman grabbed her fiancee`s arm " You two are lovely, she will hurt,she will miss you* , it will be hard her to let go" she said and then stared at Tiah .

She was stunned and she released his arm leaving him a bit uneasy and he pulled her close kissing the top of her head. " Crazy old lady"he said and chuckled " i cant believe how strong she was Clay teased and feigned injury causing her to chuckle and kissed his cheek.

She was startled more than she liked to admit and he could tell and he stopped walking to stare at her " Baby people rant about things like this all the time, its 2025 people have predicted the end hundreds of times,* nothing has happened, Ill be fine honey,* well be fine, im not going anywhere ok?" He said and gave her a smile that could make her heart stop and she grinned kissing her lover and best friend " You better not baby" she said and hugged her fiance Clay tightly.

---------------------------------------------------------[*** Present Day** ]--------------------------------------------------------------
She had been watching the news all week, watching for signs on her voiced controlled television* and felt silly, maybe she was being paranoid, perhaps her superstitious ways had been getting to her.

She had a lookout for anything suspicious* and then an article came up on her phone about this huge meeting at the UN coming to some sort of agreement for population control except some small countries.

She was nervous about it but sighed ignoring it she had to get ready for her rehearsal dinner and she looked herself over wearing her beautiful dress and couldnt wait to finally marry the man she loved.

------------------------------------------------------------------[ 3hrs later]---------------------------------------------------------------

Clay's best friend was in the middle of a story of how he knew the couple when the heard a loud explosion,* then two more, then two more before everything went black.
*************** ________________________________________________________________________


Tiahs eyes slowly opened feeling a pressure on top of her and slowly opened her eyes realizing her Fiance had covered her, she felt something warm on her face and touched it realizing it was blood.

She saw bodies and instantly began to cry. " Clay... Clay please no..." she said her voice breaking realizing he wasnt moving, or breathing. " Clay! DONT YOU FUCKING DARE DIE!" She sobbed and managed to wiggle from beneath him seeing he had protected her from the glass that had fallen from the ceiling them her mind immediately shot to her mother and her sister " MOM!" She screamed hysterically,* she saw her and her sisters shoes, they were under a huge chunk of ceiling* and she knew..

She sobbed , she couldnt breathe, she had moved herself under a table seeing more things fall and more people seeing noone alive, just her,and she had sobbed harder. She was panicking until she finally passed out and re awoke to a pair of* strong arms carrying her and her head pounding , white simple dress covered in blood and debris and her shoes missing.

 

[Artemidorus]

Abel carried her for miles, in and out of consciousness, till he found a working vehicle. From there, he headed out to the country. Away from the cities. Away from the military, and the looters, the explosions and the madness. He was wandering the streets, broken, alone, anf he heard her screams.

Suddenly, saving someone elses life was all he could think of. It was a needed distraction from everything that had happened. He was quiet, numb, shattered, but helping this woman gave him purpose. So he loaded her into the nearest truck, and he got the hell out of dodge.

He didn't know what was happening, or why. He knew his house was collapsed, and under the rubble was everything he ever cared about. When he got out of the Marines they said he'd be set for life. Decorated, honored. But what good did any of that do when it didn't save the most important thing to him? His very heart? Gone. Dead. Like this poor woman's husband, and her family. Crushed to debris and dust.

He found a farmhouse with a for sale sign out front. Grabbing the sign and throwing it in the back of the truck, he turned down the long winding driveway.

He looked to the left- fields. To the right- trees. And in front? A two story house with a barn almost as big. And the best part is- no one was coming home to it.

"You good to walk inside, or you gonna need me to carry you?" He asked, in his gruff southern accent. It was the first words he had spoken since the world went to shit.

 

[MzSeductress]

"I-i think i can walk" Tiah managed to get out, her voice cracked from all the crying and screaming, she was still in shock from what had happened, she was speechless, she was furious. She had been in and out of consciousness when he had saved her, from the glimpses she saw it was chaos, death, carnage, destruction.

She felt a swell in her throat as she fought back tears at all she had lost. Her family, her happiness, the love of her life, her friends. She felt guilty about it all even though she knew it wasnt her fault, she couldnt shake the picture of Clays face as he lay on top of her , one of love but one of death, he was her angel.

She winced feeling a slight pain as he placed her down, her body sore but she couod tell there werent any major injuries to her. She examined the man, a complete stranger, but he risked his life to go through that debris, rescue her, she felt horrible she was the only one left, the only one alive in that rubble.

She glanced around, there was nothing but nature here, fields and trees, nothing pointing to what was actually happening out there .

She followed the man cautiously until they got into the house, it looked like it hadnt been lived in for a few months, people hardly bought land like this since everything was so high tech now, farming was done by machines mainly, it cost alot of jobs.

She noticed a gash on the man and reached out to touch it, she got a unpleasant look but she knew it had to be cleaned or it would be infected and she didnt need him to pass out or die, she didnt want to be left alone.

She searched around finding some old rum and some clean cloth in a cupboard and looked up at him " We-this has to be cleaned or itll get infected" she said nervously knowing this would hurt a bit but the man looked tough like he could handle it.

" Im a nurse trust me" she said as the serious man eyed her, she coupd tell he had lost someone too, he was guarded, hiding his emotion, she could tell he was just as hurt but she didnt breathe a word she just tended to the wound of the mysterious man and worked in silence.

 

[Artemidorus]

He tensed, but pulled up a chair and laid his arm on the bar. He knew the wound was deep, but he planned to run it under some water, get the debris out, and wrap it. Her plan sounded better, if more painful. She poured the slcohol on the rag, and started wiping his gash. He clamped his teeth together, and winced, fhe motion flexing all og his muscles. He was built, from years in the military, and years in the gym afterwards. He spent the last few years as a recruiter and a trainer. It let him keeping helping his country, and it let him stay here in the states with-

He shook all those thoughts away. He focused on the pain. On a plan. What was his next move? As she finished up, he nodded his thanks. Then he said "You're filthy."

He tensed again, hearing the gruff words come out of his mouth. No, she was lovely. Nice enough to try to help him, despite everything that happened. What he meant to say was she was covered in debris, and that she should go wash up. "I'll go turn the water on. There's a bathroom somewhere."

He stood up and headed for the door, then froze. He didn't look back at her. He simply said "Abel. Abel Hopper." Then headed outside to start the water up.

Thankfully the farm had a well, and with a wrench and some elbow grease, the water started back up. It wouldn't get warm, but it would be clean. He found a generator in the barn, and a few gallons of gas. That would be good for emergencys. In the corner he found a dusty olf shotgun, and a metal ammunition tin with shells. That would definitely come in handy.

He brought the gun back inside, setting it on the kitchen counter. It desperately needed to be cleaned. He got to work taking it apart with military precision, and clearing the dust so it would shoot again. He heard the water running upstairs.

 

[MzSeductress]

Tiah looked at her dress knowing the man had been right, when was covered in debris, bit of blood, dirt, it stuck to her skin as a dark reminder of what had just occurred. He announced he was going turn the water on before telling her his name was Abel Hopper and heading outside before she could introduce herself.

She decided to take a look around the place she figured would've time now, or a shelter at least, she had nothing to go back to, no one, she found some old clothes upstairs in a chest she could fit into, they were large for her size but they would have to do for now , she then found a bathroom with a shower and was relieved, whoever was here before must have moved in a hurry, there was some things left behind she was grateful for old blankets, clothes, shoes, soap, she sighed and undressed wincing at the soreness in her shoulder and turned the water on.

She used a small amount of soap to wash her face, and body clean of the debris and her hair too and she couldn't fight back the tears as she showered wondering how things had gone to shit so fast, how the world had gotten so chaotic, she heard the front door open and figured then man had come back inside and she finished her shower getting into the clothing she found and leaving her dress upstairs to dry after she had washed it.

She was stunned seeing he had found a gun and she was silent watching him clean and reassemble it. He knew what he was doing and she decided she should look around the house more to see if she could find some food and supply they could use.

" I'm Tiah... Tiah Collins" she said over her shoulder before heading into the kitchen, she searched the cupboards finding some canned fruit at most, she assumed that since this was a farm they most likely had fresh produce , veggies and meat daily.

She glanced outside, it was getting dark and she wouldn't go alone in those fields anyway, she found a door to basement and a flashlight and decided to look downstairs and was stunned to find a storm bunker with some supply , whoever lived here was a survivalist and had an old bunker in the basement which she found was incredible luck for them.

She brought up some bottled water and some crackers and placed them on the counter. " There's a bunker downstairs, some rations, a few weapons, whoever lived here didn't bother cleaning out" she said trying to make conversation, anything to keep her mind from worrying.

 

[Artemidorus]

He had thought she was lovely before, but he was wrong. She was goddamn beautiful. Even in a baggy plaid and jeans. Beautiful. He opened his mouth to jokingly tell her she cleaned up nice, but he stopped. Flirting? After eveything that just happened? After he had lost-

He pushed the thought away. It felt like a blade of ice in his heart.

Tiah. Tiah was her name. It felt hollow, getting to know each other. Shallow. Fate had pushed them into each others hands, and otherwise, they'd never have met. They didn't chose to end up here. Stuck with each other. Was there any point in pretending they could be friends?

He shook that thought off too. He was being nihilistic. Wallowing self pity a little too much. Abel knew deep down he needed to make an effort to play nice with Tiah. She was all he had now.

He finished up with the gun. "Their loss." He told her, glad for the gun, and glad for the supplies. "Lets hope they don't come back for it." He accented the point with a pump of the shotgun, making sure it was primed and ready for use. He nodded a thanks and grabbed one of the water bottles, guzzling the whole thing. He crumpled it up in one hand and tossed it towards the sink.

 

[MzSeductress]

Tiah nodded agreeing with the statement, the last thing they needed was someone showing up here and taking everything, the found a pretty decent place to have shelter and with the way things were going in the city, a hideout a few miles away had been the perfect thing for him to find.

She took a moment to look at the man who had saved her, he was tough, she could tell he had seen some things, even before the disaster that had happened not too long ago and was possibly still happening.

She studied him slightly, he was an attractive man, brown curly hair, blue eyes, tall, strong, she noticed that all beneath some of the dirt on his face and noticed his muscles beneath his clothes and couldn't help but feel guilty looking when her fiancee lay cold and dead back at the engagement hall, she winced at the memory of it all and steadied her breathing, the last thing she needed was the guy thinking she had lost it by her having a panic attack.

She knew how to shoot a gun as well , not quite military training but she had learned from her grandfather years back just for the he'll of it and had been to a few ranges with Clay when he was studying to be a criminal attorney, he had been nervous about what would happen if a client didn't like the results of a trial and she had been more worried about what would happen to him. She smiled softly, he always loved and protected her, right until the very end of things, he would always be in her heart, a man like that you could never forget.

She took herself out of her thoughts to look at the stranger who had saved her life and helped her get shelter, " Thank you" she said to the man who seemed lost in his own thoughts as well " Thank you for saving me Abel" she said softly and sighed knowing that fate had a funny way of working and had this not have happened he probably wouldve never crossed paths with the brunette.

She was greatful the man saved her and he wasn't a creep, which she was equally as greatful for, he was a survivalist and gotten her the hell out of the chaos of the world around them." You should clean up" she said noticing he was dirty as well " I'll check the gash when your done showering, there are clean things upstairs I'm certain will fit you far better than they do me " she said and looked down at her clothing.

 

[Artemidorus]

Abel looked at her, his expression shocked. It never occurred to him that she would owe him any thanks. He had done the very least that someone should do for someone else. Pulled her out of harms way. It had cost him nothing. He shrugged it off. "It was nothing. You'd have done the same." It was the most he had spoken to her so far.

He nodded at her suggestion of a shower, but felt uneasy. He didn't want to leave her alone, leave the house unprotected. "Fine. As long as you come upstairs to keep an eye out." That at least, made him feel more comfortable. If anything happened, she would hear it and alert him.

He headed upstairs and found the bathroom, still wet from her shower. He paused before turning it on, still nervous that something would happen while he was in there. He took a deep breath and hopped in, determined to get it over as quickly as possible- which was no small feat. This face had a thick layer of dust, and debris clung to his arms and legs, every spot that was exposed. He scrubbed for what felt like ages, even if it was only a few minutes, before he determined he had left the house unguarded for long enough.

He looked in the mirror. It was better. His hair was clean, as was his face, even if his stubble was growing in and his hair was a bit long. He looked at his clothes, dirty, torn, covered in blood. The thought of putting them back on made him want to pull out his hair. Instead, he wrapped a towel around himself, and headed back out into the room to find the closet.

Tiah was there, on the bed. He startled, forgetting he had asked her to come upstairs. He was an idiot, caught up in his emotions, and he had forgotten. As the shock faded, he put a hand to his chest to still his beating heart- and noticed his towel had fallen. He had completely exposed himself to her, and now she would think he was a pervert. It took him way to long to figure out that he needed to grab his towel and head to the closet, which he did with the white linen bunched up over his manhood. As he turned and headed into the closet, she was fully exposed to his toned, muscular ass.

Jesus fucking Christ he thought to himself, running a hand through his hair. Her husband just died and I'm already showing her my dick.

He glanced down at it as he rifled through the clothes. It was large, something he always felt self conscious about. Women either loved it or shied away from it. Some were intimidated by his size. He couldn't blame them. Abel grabbed a white shirt and pulled it on. It was tight around his biceps. Then he found a worn, ripped pair of jeans that looked like they'd fit. Once clothed, he headed back to the bedroom.

"Uh... Sorry about that. I swear it was an accident."

 

[MzSeductress]

Tiah was stunned when he asked her to join him upstairs to keep an eye out. She knew they were the only ones there but he was right the previous owner could return or worse looters and they could be in danger.

She headed upstairs after he did loading one of the handguns she found downstairs and loaded it then headed upstairs to the bedroom to wait while he showered. She had kept watch of the window and got lost in her thoughts a few times wondering how it had all came to this.

She decided to look around for more things to keep her mind off the worry and finally sat on the bed not wanting to exhaust herself. She heard some footsteps and gripped the gun a bit tighter to her and looked up seeing Abel.

He looked different, cleaner for sure but less gruff. She was shocked when he dropped his towel, and felt guilty staring at him, she was a nurse so she’s seen naked bodies before but none of them quite looked like Abel did. He was in fantastic shape and he was impressive in the manhood area and had a strong back and she wanted to die for admiring him a bit after her fiancées had sacrificed himself not hours ago.

She turned away so she didn’t see and and waited until he had gotten himself decent hoping the man hadn’t done that purposely, he didn’t seem like the type but, she had only knowing him a few hours.

She was relieved when he had apologized and nodded “ It’s fine Abel , it happens sometimes, besides I’m a nurse , nudeness doesn’t bother me,just as long as you aren’t walking around that way ” She said and stood her mind saddened at the thought of the one person she had seen nude in a sexual way was now gone, she wasn’t sure how long or if she could heal from losing Clay so suddenly, the look on his face would be in her mind forever.

She jumped hearing a loud sound downstairs and gripped the gun peeking out of the window briefly realizing how bad the wind had been and it must have been the shutters.
“We should head back down so I can redress that for you and then we should check that out, and maybe do some inventory on the place? See what we can use “ she suggested knowing they needed to get familiar with the place.

 

[Artemidorus]

Abel grunted, still mortified he had exposed himself to her, so lewdly. She was smart, and he liked that. She was right about doin inventory on what they had. He nodded, and took the gun from her, gently. Tomorrow he'd let her practice shooting it. Today she was just a little too jumpy to handle it, and the last thing they needed was a gun going off and drawing attention to them. Or worse- a bullet wound.

"You look around up here, I'll scrounge around downstairs, and we'll dump everything we find on the dining room table." He tucked the gun in his waist band and headed downstairs. "Holler if you need me." he told her, over his shoulder.

Abel pulled all the rations from the bunker, lining up the bottles of water, the canned foods, and MREs, along with ammo and another gun. He opened up a bag of jerky while he raided a closet, tossing a handful in his mouth. He added some blankets and sleeping bags to the pile. He found a guest room that looked like it doubled as an office. He absently opened all the drawers, mainly from curiosity, and stumbled on a romance novel. It was some romantic tripe about a girl settling into a small town only to find out the handsome mayor she's in love with is the monstrous mothman.

He grunted a laugh to himself, and pocketed the book. Maybe she'd like it. Not much else to do around here. He headed back through the kitchen, and added the book to the pile.

Abel grabbed some firewood from outside. They could run the fire place, but only at night, when no one could see the smoke. He didn't want to draw attention to them. Now that night was approaching, he added the logs, and a bit of tinder, and tossed a match in. It was a slow crackle, but it was better than nothing. He held his hands out to warm them. He turned, and saw Tiah had made her way down, and was eyeing the table.

"Found that for you. Not exactly my taste but its not like you can put on a movie." He sat in the stool, and pulled off his shirt, turning so his wound was closer to her to redress.

 

[MzSeductress]

Tiah nodded as she watched him head down the stairs. She searched the bedrooms finding some clothing, alcohol bottles, a child's room, some womens clothing which belonged to a woman larger tha her but she knew she could make due and some old electronic devices.

She also found a baseball bat and some cards and a board game. She smiled noticing it was one she played when she was younger and she brought as many things as she could downstairs and placed them on the dining room table seeing the things he had found as well.

" I think i looked just about everywhere, there was some clothing up there and there is a washing machine too, bars of soap, and a few beds here, i can clean the bedding and clothing and we can tody up together" she said

She saw he had gotten firewood to warm them and she saw the book he had found and chuckled " Thanks, its not really mine either but ill take what i can for entertainment " she said and stood in front of him as he removed his shirt .

She found some clean cloth she could use for dressing and sterilized some so she could clean it " It isnt affected which is good, i saw some tylenol in the cabinet upstairs you need to take one just in case of pain " she said finishing and looked at him " You also need to rest a bit Abel" she said soflty not wanting him to wear himself out.