The Docks

[duke]

The docks of Miranda City have been left abandoned for quite some time now. No signs of life just a forgotten past. The Orlando, The Falchion, The Eire and the Lenore rest here. The Orlando sits on the edge nearly teetering of the cliffs edge but unlike the others its cargo bay door is wide open and it is the only ship without flames and sparks coming from it.

Aside from the ships there sits hundreds of large and small crates lining the docks almost as if those who where here left in a hurry. The last rays of sunlight graze passed the docks as the sun makes it retreat behind the western mountains leaving only she flames from the crashed ships to light the night sky.

You wake finding yourself on the dock with an urgent sense of dread. Deep down inside you just know you are going to need to defend yourself. You just don't know what from yet.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney's eyes opened to the red and orange shy as the sun was setting. He didn't know where he was or what he was doing there. He sat up and began to look around trying to figure out where he was. He sat on a small causeway between two landing pads filled with crates. In front of him he saw a ship that was in a full blaze. It had the name Lenore shining through the flames on its side.

If there was any crew in it they were gone for sure by now. Behind him sat a slightly bigger ship (the Eire) that always was in flames though not to the point of the Lenore. The dock was a mess and it was hard to see anything through the smoke. He hadn't spotted anyone else yet. It seemed odd that these ships are burning and no one was even there to get upset about it.

Where where there crews where where the dock worker. Something was wrong terribly wrong. Sidney stood up noticing his rifle was in an open freight container next to him. He had his revolver at his side and his pistol at the small of his back. It was comforting to know that he had them for he could till be the nights end he would need them.

"Hello, Anyone out there?" Sidney cried out after he picked up his rifle. He began to walk through the clouds of smoke. The smell of burning plastics, metals and what seemed to resemble the smell of burning flesh filled the cloud. Where ever he was it was a miserable place and he was ready to find a way out of here.

He walked passed the Larger ship only to see two more ships. One of which he recognized as the Orlando. It unlike the other ships had yet to catch fire though it sat dangerously close to the edge of the docking platform. Only a fool would stay on that ship docked like that. It was only a matter of time till it fell to the dark abyss of a canyon below. He walked over to a pile of crates and climbed up them in hopes of a better look. As he reached the top he pulled a cigarette out and lite it for a second the hot flash of the small lighter took away his night vision though it was quickly regained as the fires around provided more then enough light.

The sun had now crested but still gave off a slight bit of light. The haze of the fire kept him from seeing much but he did notice someone else laying on the ground not far from where he was. He quickly hopped down and ran over to them putting an arm on their shoulder. "Hey are you alright? You still alive" Be asked as he check the person to see if they were still alive.

[amaya]

Amaya hadn't even opened her eyes yet but she could hear a sound that was familiar. A voice she recognized but hadn't heard in years. It was that of Sidney Bainbridge. She could feel his hand touch her shoulder, but she thought how could this be. it had to be a dream or something. When she opened her eyes and looked though it was him and it all seemed so real. It had to be real. He was there and with her again.

"I.. I'm alright. Where are we though?" She asked him as she rolled over and leaned up wrapping her arms around him. That is when she noticed all the smoke and fire. What was going on? why did she feel like everything was wrong? With his hand she quickly scrambled to her feet and looked around the place was a dreadful sight. Something bad had happened here and something even worse was going to happen she could feel it through her body. "This place... it isn't safe Sidney." She exclaimed as she grabbed her briefcase from the ground.

Though she had no weapon on her Sidney did and she knew she would be safe with him but they still had to find somewhere to go that was safer then out on an open dock. "Where is everyone and what is going on?" She was so confused as to how they got there and why they were there. With the sun setting the fires created a flickering light that nearly gave her a headache.

[duke]

The distant sound of gunfire could be heard down the street from the dock. It wasn't loud from here but clear enough to make out that three shots were fired followed by a pause then finished up with one last shot. It was an unsettling event and gave way any element of a quiet retreat from this dreadful place but one can still take comfort in knowing at least it wasn't at the docks.

[Ari Deschain]

The mechanic was lying on the docks just beneath the flaming skeleton of the Lenore. She was wearing her full jumpsuit and her eyepatch with the stitched red heart on it and was laying on her stomach, limbs splayed. When the gunshots sounded, she roused quickly, reaching for the gun in the back of her pants. The danger was not imminent, though, and she slowly stood up in the warm glow of the fire. That was when she turned and saw what was causing the orange haze.

Lenore.

Ari fell to her knees, a breath hissing in through her teeth, which were clamped shut in shock and horror. The ship she'd bought and slaved months over. There were no words.

And, more than that. Grimm. Jove. Her crew and family. What had become of them? Nothing could survive in that shifting, burning wreck.

She struggled to her feet and walked away, aimless and wandering, her service pistol dangling from her loose grip. A tear streaking down the patchless side of her soot-smeared face.

Then, out of the smoke. A form. No; two. A man helping a woman. The man was familiar to her. "Sidney?" She studied the woman, unfamiliar. "Is she alright? Do you need help? What the hell is going on?"

[Sidney Bainbridge]

As Sidney checked the woman on the ground he found a pulse infact she began to move. Then everything changed she turned over and looked at him. He couldn't believe it, there she was after all this time, it was Amaya. She seemed alright but scared, scared of the situation they were in.

He himself had felt uncomfortable with the situation though to be honest he really didn't know what the situation was. He helped her to her feet as they spoke. "I'm not sure whats going on. Lets see what we can figure out." he told her as he got her walking toward the open area between the Lenore and the Erie.

THen he heard another voice call out his name. It was a familiar one, That of Ari Deschain. She was walking away from the Lenore, at least she had survived though he feared the worse for the rest of her crew since they weren't with her. No one could still be alive on the ship that is for sure. "We're alright Ari, are you? I wish I knew what was going on." He told her as he and Amaya walked over closer.

After hearing the gunshots a minute ago he had become a bit more unsettled. The situation was bad enough with all the fire and missing people. Now add someone who is shooting only makes it that much more complicated. Sidney checked his rifle, it was loaded and ready to fire, at least he had that. The good thing was the gun fire was a little ways off from them right now but who knows if it will come this way. "I hope your ready for a fight Ari, never know whats coming our way." Sidney stated. He stepped back up on to a crate and looked around nothing in sight but it was had to make out anything with all that smoke. He quickly stepped back down as to not leave himself a target for long.

[amaya]

Amaya was so glad to see Sidney and that he was there to protect her. The gun shots had taken away a bit of the comfort she was given by his presents though. All she could think was that she wished this was a dream. If only she was that luck she could just wake up.

As she was thinking of that she realized Sidney was talking to someone else it was another lady he seemed to know. Most likely another one of his old war buddies. It seemed everyone was either one of his old friends or enemies. "Does anyone know what is going on here and what people are shooting at?"

She paused a minute as Sidney climbed up on the crate to look around, looking Ari over. She seemed like the type of woman that could handle herself, Amaya wished she could be more able to take care of herself right now. Not that she couldn't take care of herself but situations like this always made her worry. As a matter of fact she was shaking a little at everything that was going on.

[duke]

The silence was once again broken. A shrill shriek echoed around the dock. It sounded inhuman and bellowed for nearly 30 seconds. It was the kind of sound that could pierce the ears of anyone. There was no mistaking where it came from, Everyone's eyes would be diverted toward the street in front of the tavern. Though hard to see from the dock someone could make out a small figure that seemed to be limping along with a broken leg and what appeared to be a missing arm. it almost didn't seem human.

That of course was only the beginning after about a minute a new scream followed that of hundreds of, "Things" screaming in reply. They sounded as if they were a ways off but if they were coming to this one it wouldn't be long. The shrieks continued as they got closer and closer. it wouldn't be long now

[Ari Deschain]

Ari unzipped her jumpsuit to her waist, revealing her tattooed arms and a white, oil-stained tank top. She tied the sleeves of the jumpsuit around her hips and checked one of her boots for her knife. "Everythin' appears to be in working order..." she muttered in response. "Just wish I knew where the hell my crew was." She tried not to sound too concerned, hastily wiping the tearstain from her cheek with the back of one hand, smearing the soot from the fire even more across her face.

The woman with Sidney asked what was going on. Ari wished she had an answer, but she could only shake her head and shrug with a regretful glance at Amaya.

"I hope your ready for a fight Ari; never know what's coming our way."

When Sidney said that and climbed the crate, a noticeable change came over the mechanic. She was now Ari the soldier again; had just needed someone to tell her to shape up. "You see anything from up there, Bainbridge?" she asked.

There was not a lot of time for him to respond; the ghastly shriek that echoed around the docks soon sounded and Ari clutched her service pistol more tightly, whipping her head around. From where she was standing, she could not see the shambling thing, so she glanced at Amaya. The woman was shaking. Her visible eye narrowing a bit, Ari dipped to slip the knife out of her boot. She moved to Amaya and gently took her hand, pressing the hilt of the knife into it. "Stick close to us, honey." Ari looked to Sidney. "Game plan?"

[Sidney Bainbridge]

As Sidney had gotten a clear view of the area not spotting anything of note. he got ready to hop down off the crate when, as he did he noticed someone. They were standing in the street not far from the dock. They seemed sluggish in the way they move but nothing of great importance, at least they weren't alone out here. he figured it would be best if they went and talked to him. Maybe he would know what was going on.

That is when he noticed what would change the situation completely. On the roof of one of the buildings he saw a horde of people. There had to be about a dozen of them jump from the roof. One of them collapsing completely and the others circled around him. At first he figured they must have been quite to group of idiots and they were concerned for their fallen friend. Then he noticed they weren't acting concerned but instead they were tearing flesh from him and eating it. It was as if they hadn't eaten in months.

Sidney took a deep to center himself again. It was a shock to see something of the sort and it was best the other two didn't know exactly what had just happened. Yeah it seems were not alone out here. Though I wish we were at this point." He said as he jumped down from the crates. and began to push them around.

"Yeah game plan is we build ourselves a protected area with these crates for now." He said to them as he signaled them to help him move the crates around to make a wall on each side of the causeway between the two landing pads. " Once we have that set up we will figure out if there is any way to get communications up on one of these ships. And Deschain if you see anyone else around here.... You shoot them, Don't wait to see if they are friendly or anything. Just shoot them."

He pulled his revolver from its holster and tossed it to Amaya. "Your going to need this." This was going to be a rough night but if they could make a bunker to protect themselves they would be able to work from there. This spot provided the best protection along the docks. Now all he had to do was keep his wits and their wits in one piece. As they began their preparations more of the creatures jumped from the roof and began to spread around the town with several dozen of them making their way toward the docks.

[amaya]

Amaya was worried when Ari handed her the knife. She knew something was seriously wrong with that gesture. The gun shots, the screams it was all to much, like it was a dream or something. Then Sidney climbed down and handed her the revolver. Now things were getting worse, both of her companions out here were worried about something and it only made her more worried herself.

That was just the start of it though she could see a group of people running toward them as Sidney told them to shot anyone they saw. They were a ways off but it wouldn't be long till they were on top of them. There was alot of crates around them and the path was mostly blocked off already. Amaya quickly hopped to it and began to move the crates to block the rest of it. With help from Sidney she began to stack them up two high so that it was about a four foot wall. With another crate behind it to give them somewhere to step up on to.

Most of the people who were approaching them were coming toward the side of the docks that the Lenore was on and that is where they were building the first wall. Amaya looked around again and noticed that there was one of those things not to far from them on the opposite side now. Maybe 40 feet off, she took aim down the revolver and took control of her breathing like Sidney had taught her so long ago. "Here they come Sid." She stated as she squeezed the trigger.

A loud bang followed and the round went flying. The person, who already looked to be in bad shape, fell to the ground. he wasn't dead but the round from the high caliber gun tore its leg and seemed to have broken the bone. It fell to the ground and Amaya froze in place. What was going on here how was this person still moving, if only crawling, after that shot. They only had a few more minutes to get themselves set up before the rest would be here as well.

[Ari Deschain]

Ari could see very clearly that Sidney was hiding something, but because of Amaya she did not ask. As soon as he started moving crates on one side, talking as he did so, she quickly moved to the other side and took on the crates over there. Despite her small stature, Ari had a lot of muscle in her wiry body. She moved the crates quickly, but not quickly enough.

Sidney's words chilled her. Shoot whoever came up to them? This wasn't the war. She paused just long enough to say, "What the hell are you - " and then she heard the shot from Amaya's weapon. Turning to the side she'd been pushing crates to wall them in, Ari stared at the person Amaya had just shot. "What..?" Moving towards the person slowly, she tried to grasp what was happening. Why had Amaya just shot a defenseless person?

But she got too close. The person on the ground grabbed at her with fingers bony and snatching, teeth gnashing very close to and very aggressively at the mechanic's leg. A wheezing, moaning sound emitted from deep in its throat. Ari jumped back and fired with her own special brand of fire; the person on the ground collapsed with a bullet hole between the eyes.

Ari lifted her one-eyed gaze to the people shuffling and running closer. "Okay. That is ten shades of effed up," she said, backing up quickly behind the partial barrier. She quickly started shoving crates into position once more, no longer questioning Sidney's decision.

[Sidney Bainbridge]

Sidney came to a halt when he heard the gunfire ring out from beside him. Amaya had taken a shot at someone. One of the people Sidney had spotted nut a minute ago. There were more of them coming and it wouldn’t be long till they were there as well. Sidney had no clue why Amaya would shoot someone just for getting close to them but he had made it seem like they were not good people.

Sidney raised his rifle as Ari approached the man who was now laying on the ground. Amaya was the least trained of the three of them but he would think her to be the type to shot an innocent person. What was going on? That’s when it happened the person she had shot and killed grabbed hold of Ari. Sidney looked down the scope of the rifle as Ari took a shot and finished the job. It was over the man was dead for sure this time.

”What the gor’ram hell is going on here?” Sidney asked knowing neither of them had an answer as well. He wiped the rifle around to point toward the other crowd of people. They bodies looked torn and tattered as if they should be dead too. He squeezed the trigger letting another round sail down range as well. It hit one of the others and they fell to the ground, yeah the round having hit around the vital area of the heart didn’t stop it. It began to crawl along the ground before it began to stand itself back up. He took a second shot at it this time hitting it in the head. It collapsed and didn’t move again.

”Get this barrier up now! When they get closer aim for the head. Go!” He told them as he lowered his sights and pushed the last crate in place to seal off the eastern facing side of the causeway. They would have maybe another minute or two to have it done. It would be enough to have some sort of wall but it wouldn’t stop the completely that is for sure.