[M] Darkest Before Dawn

[Corvina]

Juniper was used to Azu looping their arms together and the pair moving as a single unit, by now. The odd sensation Juniper had for most of the night intensified when the pair moved outside the club. “Something’s wrong,” the words flew out of Juniper’s lips without hesitation. Juniper barely heard Azu come to the same conclusion.

Glancing about in the moonlight, the eerie silence enveloping Juniper, reminding her of another day when terror and horror caused her country to freeze in place. Trauma was experienced differently for people. Some fought, some ran, some froze, and still, others decided to fawn and placate the situation to avoid conflict. Juniper was surprised her analytical brain was still working at this point. During these times Juniper was known to have a freeze response. She would literally not be able to move until the logical part of her brain could make sense of the situation, and thus what was happening now.

The collapse of buildings around her didn’t pull her back to the reality that was all around the pair. Juniper just couldn’t understand what was going on, she couldn’t grasp what could have caused this.

“We have to go. Right now.”

Azu’s words caused Juniper to blink and see the horrors around them at face value. She quickly glanced around and her eyes locked onto a vehicle that was way too expensive for Juniper to ever think about owning. “I know how to hotwire, can you drive a stick shift?”

Juniper let go of Azu’s arm and quickly crossed to the black 2016 Jaguar F-Type. Juniper was in awe of the craftsmanship of this vehicle. After a quick survey of the vehicle, she was pleased the sports car’s convertible roof was down, that was something they could easily fix once the car started. A curse left Juniper’s lips and she quickly walked to the trunk. She would need a tool kit for this. “Before you ask, I didn’t always have money. I also had a father and evil stepmother that couldn’t care less about what I did or if I was even alive.” Juniper quickly launched into an explanation. “I didn’t have the most wholesome friends, growing up.” Juniper quickly spoke as she traced the trunk trying to find a keyhole, no luck the only way to open it would be to get this car running. “I need screwdriver and wire cutters.” Juniper leaned against the car, thinking.

[Hannelorian]

"You have to know how to take care of yourself." A low voice spoke, almost muffled, words uttered through the strain of physical exertion. The sound of the jack for a car being pumped up hitting her ears along side the words, and finally in response Azucena let out a deep sigh. "Alexandre won't be around to take care of you forever." The low voice continued and Azucena found herself rolling her eyes. Her brother sat hunched over on the floor working through the slow process of changing a tire on rundown old Toyota he gotten on the cheap, it amused her greatly to watch him, it amused her even more that she couldn't remember the last time he referred to their father as "Papa" or simply "Dad."

"I know, but this is your kind of thing. Studying is my kind of thing. You're practical and I'm highly theoretical. Besides, it's not like you won't be around... right?" Azu replied, genuinely questioning the man. He did what he wanted, Laurent family tradition cast aside in favor of a free-spirited, largely drunken life. "Come on sister. What would you do if the world ended tomorrow and the zombie apocalypse descended on us all? A deep and unending love of the Italian masters won't help." He asked, rather avoiding her question, which frustrated her to no end. He knew that it would. "You need to stop watching scary movies. And hey, if the world were to end in a zombie apocalypse... would knowing how to change a tire really be top of the list?"

"Just about done here... get in, I'll drive you home. Just don't let Lady Miranda catch you getting out of my car. She'll lose her shit."

"Mother would take you back in the house if you just apologized." Azucena knew he wouldn't, their mother knew he wouldn't. He wouldn't come home, he would make a new home, likely far from here.

“I know how to hotwire, can you drive a stick shift?”

The sentence hit her like a ton of bricks. Apparently, changing tires wasn't the trick after all. If only he taught her how to hotwire a car. Azucena hadn't really fully processed the extent of the words spoken to her. As chaos descended around them she instinctively followed by Juniper moving to the car across the road. The fact that Juni knew how to do this wasn't particularly surprising. Azu knew that her life growing up wasn't the easiest, especially not once her mother had died. This was a topic that didn't come up often, Azu didn't blame Juni for not really wanting to discuss it. Azu was never one to press, figuring that Juni would tell her what she needed to when she was ready.

"Uhh... yeah, yeah I can drive stick." Azu finally managed to get out, her eyes darting over her surroundings, the noises in the distance were growing louder, coming closer. Azu listened to her explanation and a part of her felt quite guilty, she hadn't ever judged Juniper for her past, and she had no plans of starting now. "Juniper, I realize that now is probably not the time for this... but I don't care about what you've done... You're my Juni. That won't change, just because you can hotwire or a car, or had an eclectic group of friends... or shitty dad." Azu spoke quickly, but honestly, something of a smile on her best, at least the best one could muster given the circumstances.

Azucena listened closely to what Juniper needed and nodded immediately grabbing her purse and fishing through for something that could be of use. "I don't have either of those things... but I can offer you coins in a variety of sizes and some cuticle scissors?" Retrieving what she needed, she handed the items to Juni in the hopes that it might at least help them in their quest. Azu could feel the hairs on the back of her neck rising as the flowing wall of debris still came toward them. There wasn't much time left before they would be overtaken by it and whatever hell was hidden in that cloud.

"Just make it quick, okay?" she requested, turning behind her just watching as the world ended, her brother was right after all. She probably should have paid more attention to the practical elements of the world. Then again. What world?

[Corvina]

Juniper quickly emptied her purse contents on the floor and smiled as she grasped a nail file. Between this and the cuticle scissors, she would have to make due. Climbing into the car was easy, but reaching under the steering wheel was a struggle. Finally, Juniper was able to place her head against the cool leather seat and she quickly went to work trying to get this car started.

After sticking the nail file in the ignition and turning it to no avail she found a way to unsecured the panel under the steering wheel. The nail file could be used two-fold at this point since she didn’t have a screwdriver. Seeing the three bundles of wires she closed her eyes quickly visualizing her next step. Her fingers trace the first bundle. “Lights” This wasn’t the one she needed. The second would be for wipers and warmers, and finally, a smile fell on her face as she found the third bundle of wires. “Bingo, Battery and Ignition.”

The last few steps took a bit longer than Juniper would want but she smiled after connecting the wires. Juniper then quickly sat up and rammed the nail file into the ignition. Twisting the nail file took patience and prayer since the metal was so weak, but it did the trick and roared to life. Juniper slid to the passenger seat and smiled victoriously. “Azu, just be careful of the wires."

[Hannelorian]

What had only taken a few short minutes had felt like hours, as though time had been running in slow motion. Juni had started the car, and Azu had to admit it was impressive. Azu vaulted herself quickly over the door and into the driver's seat. Azu looked around and sighed, there was a time when she would have derived great joy from this. As the engine hummed, she reached the still glove hand over and triggered the roof switch, letting it close. "So remember when you asked if I could drive stick? And I said yes?" Azu asked in a somewhat hurried pace.

"Yeah well, it's been like eight years. So we'll see how this goes." Azucena actually let out a small laugh at this statement. It was true, though Azu held firm to the belief that surely this must be like riding a bike, one never really forgets. Looking out the rear view mirror, Azu slowly began to pull out of the parking spot and drove forward. As she increased the speed, the wall of dust and debris from the building collapsing behind them overtook the vehicle. Azu continued to speed up and hope for the best as their visibility was reduced to nearly nothing until they could escape the cloud.

As they finally pulled out and onto the clear street, it was immediately clear that whatever had happened behind them was far from an isolated incident. Cars on the street had erupted into flame, along with a host of other buildings. The sounds of screaming so loud now it felt like it was coming from within the car itself. People had returned, many running, injured, confused. "What in God's name is happening?" Azu slowed the car down, allowing them to watch everything as they had passed it. This pushed the limits of sanity.

[Corvina]

You were the shadow to my light
Did you feel us?
Another star
You fade away
Afraid our aim is out of sight
Wanna see us
Alight

Where are you now?
Where are you now?
Where are you now?
Was it all in my fantasy?
Where are you now?
Were you only imaginary?

"Yeah well, it's been like eight years. So we'll see how this goes."

Where are you now?
Atlantis
Under the sea
Under the sea
Where are you now?
Another dream
The monster's running wild inside of me
I'm faded
I'm faded
So lost, I'm faded
I'm faded
So lost, I'm faded

These shallow waters never met what I needed
I'm letting go a deeper dive
Eternal silence of the sea, I'm breathing
Alive

Juniper took a deep breath as Azu slid into the car. Closing her eyes she sighed softly trying to make sense of what was going on around them. "Azu, nothing feels right," Her voice almost faded when spoken. Juni forced her eyes to once again open as the pair zoomed along the streets. A hollow empty sound haunting the once bright and whimsical streets. Though visibility was low Juniper could close her eyes and remember how the city normally was full of life. But the current state of the city was one of what anyone could say death and destruction.

Where are you now?
Where are you now?
Under the bright but faded lights
You've set my heart on fire
Where are you now?
Where are you now?

Only when the car slowed did Juniper open her eyes again. Whatever caused this wasn't isolated in the slightest. Cars were burning, screaming, building were on fire. "Azu, were we attacked again?" Juniper whispered, not really wanting to believe this. Quickly Juniper reached for the radio. Turning the knob only static could be heard. There was nothing else, screaming, endless screaming, and the static from the radio.

Where are you now?
Atlantis
Under the sea
Under the sea
Where are you now?
Another dream
The monster's running wild inside of me

Across the world, countries would be falling under complete darkness by now. Power would be completely gone, majority of the citizens would be mindless drones poised in destruction. Rioters would be prominent, making road travel harder for the few survivors that tried it. This was their new normal and only a hand full of scientists would still be working on figuring out what was happening. But that would be still a far journey from New York. Even fewer doctors would have survived, the world as everyone has known it had violently changed.

I'm faded
I'm faded
So lost, I'm faded
I'm faded
So lost, I'm faded

[Hannelorian]

The world shifts around us and we shape ourselves to fit. Imperfect and beautiful, wounded and thriving, delicate, invincible, forever moving on.

Time is not the tide. It moves in only one direction.

Azucena alternated her focus between the road and the young woman beside her. The look she bore was one of sadness, confusion and concern. There were no words to explain what was going on around them, and Azucena desperately longed for something, anything to say to her friend, but what could she? Nothing would make this...better or explainable.

"Azu, nothing feels right,"

She heard Juni say, her voice, normally strong was weak, fading, almost like a wilting plant. "No. It doesn't.", her voice by contrast was serious but understanding. Reaching her right hand over, the left still on the wheel she moved quickly to take Juni's hand into her own and squeezing it gently. Having glanced over once more, Azu cocked her head to the side and gave the closest thing to a smile she could come up with.

"Azu, were we attacked again?" Juni had asked and Azu shook her head, biting down briefly on her lower lip, stopping herself only when the pain set in and threatened blood. The physical jolt was an alarmingly welcome distraction. It was interesting... the never ending cycle of distracting oneself with varied and assorted degrees of pain, anything to keep yourself present in the moment, but not thinking too deeply about what had happened. "No.... Yes... I don't know." Azu wanted to answer, but she couldn't, not really. As they continued down the road Azu knew they wouldn't be able to go much longer. Inevitably they would come to a roadblock or abandoned cars. "If... If... we have been this isn't like before... This is widespread destruction.. and there's... well that..." Azu having released Juni's hand pointed to the radio that Juni had been fiddling with.

"There's nothing... There shouldn't be nothing... No news, no pre-recorded emergency message... just nothing. Right?" Azu had no idea, I mean that was what happened in those disaster movies. "There's no police, no military... either they're on the way or we are royally screwed." Looking out the window, the pair had made it to 52nd street. Things had gone about as wrong as they could, and somewhere amongst the muffled sounds of screaming and even greater threat was looming.

The pair wouldn't get much farther by car, as she had expected. A set of abandoned cars lay before them, lifeless, much like the feel of their city at the moment. Where had the drivers gone? Doors were opened, garbage strewn across the blocked avenue. "I think.... we walk from here... if we can get further north, I can stop at home... if there is still a home. We can get supplies... or come up with a plan or something..." Azu had no idea what to do, reaching her hand into her purse, she groped around for her phone, pulling it out, she knew what she would find. There was no service, and the car had come to a stop.

[Corvina]

And on that day they'll tell you
That life hummed on with no clue
The warning signs were all dismissed or shouted down

So it goes
The kings all failed to tell us
The madmen failed to sell us
On what would then befall the only life we know

Juniper felt Azu squeeze her hand, but the simple gesture felt light-years away. Glancing around her hand not leaving the radio knob, desperate to find any form of the human voice. The desperation felt like Juniper was drowning, But Juniperwelcomed the feeling knowing deep down there would still be nothing on the radio.

Were they burning signal fires
To guide us to the fields?
Or building funeral pyres?
The outcome of a final appeal

The city lines are down
The kerosene's run out
The fracturing of all we relied upon

"No.... Yes... I don't know."

"If... If... we have been this isn't like before... This is widespread destruction.. and there's... well that..."

Juniper finally felt Azu’s hand at this point and the young woman steeled her emotions. Her face once again putting on the convincing airs that she had everything put together. Juniper finally felt her hand drop from the radio. I need to pull myself together, whatever happened...if we don’t get it together we will not survive.

Let's shed this unclean skin
And start to feel again
'cause all the shoulders
On which to cry are gone

The paranoia gripped us
The rain turned engines to rust
The panic set in like a cancer to our hearts
Spreading through
We bet on finite genius
Or prayed for gods to save us
But there was no antidote
Disease tore us apart
We left bodies in the fields
So numb that we forgot how to feel

"There's nothing... There shouldn't be nothing... No news, no pre-recorded emergency message... just nothing. Right?"

"There's no police, no military... either they're on the way or we are royally screwed."

“Azu I think we are screwed,” Juniper’s voice only slightly quivered this time. A slight improvement she could be proud of herself at this time. Her fingers pointed to a burning troop transport sitting further up the road. Biting her lip hard and feeling the sensation of pain kept Juniper from being able to lose her newfound confidence again.

The city lines are down
The kerosene's run out
The fracturing of all we relied upon

Let's shed this unclean skin
And start to feel again
'cause all the shoulders
On which to cry are gone

He looked at the fields
And then his hands,
"All I need is what I have"
Then fell a tear of happiness

She watched the world crumble away
"Is this the end of yesterday?"
"Lord, I hope so," is all he said
All gone are the old guards
Gone are the cold, cold wars
Weightless we go forth
On wings of amnesty

"I think.... we walk from here... if we can get further north, I can stop at home... if there is still a home. We can get supplies... or come up with a plan or something..."

Juniper’s hand reached out and grabbed Azu’s. Juniper wasn’t overly excited about Azu’s plan. But her logical brain wasn’t working overly well at this moment. Plus with all the screaming and fire, they needed a plan. “So we walk from here.” Juniper let the words slip from her lips, even though everything inside her was screaming this was a mistake.

All we relied on now

The city lines are down
The kerosene's run out
The fracturing of all
We relied upon

Let's shed this unclean skin
And start to feel again
With no more shoulders
Shoulders to cry on now

No more, no more
No more, no more
No more, no more
The weight that we once felt is gone

[Hannelorian]

Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:
Streets that follow like a tedious argument
Of insidious intent
To lead you to an overwhelming question ...
Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”
Let us go and make our visit.

Azucena had followed the trail of Juniper's finger and cast her gaze on the burning transport. That was the answer she had been looking for. It seemed as though help had come, and gone. Were they dead? Were they off a few blocks up still fighting the good fight? Azucena couldn't answer the question. The glimmer of hope she once held so close was slowly fading into nothingness. The abyss was growing before the pair and there was nowhere to go but straight into it. The words "we are screwed." hit her ear and with that Azucena turned to Juni, and for the first time Azucena simply nodded in agreement.

"Yes. We are." Azucena spoke in acknowledgment, her hand squeezed Juni's as though to be reassuring, she smiled at her friend. "But we're in this together. No matter what." Azu continued and with her other hand clutching the handle of the door she opened it, releasing Juni from her grip she took a few careful steps and exited the vehicle.

Standing there, Azucena let the world wash over her, the sounds and the smells all roaring to life. The car had shielded them largely from these sensations. The screams no longer thinly muffled, the scent of death and destruction hanging heavy all around them. The fires illuminated the sky portraying a false sense of daybreak. The cold air seemed to turn warm and make the blood run cool. Everything was wrong. Taking a look around, she began to hear something, the sounds of something she did not understand, at least not then, not at that moment. It was a kind of moaning, yes, that was it, Azu thought. A kind of horrific, agonized moaning.

Slowly, Azucena moved to pull off the gloves she had been wearing, allowing them to drop to the street, she caught sight of the subway entrance and for a moment entertained the idea. There was no way the trains were still running, and if they were... there was no telling what might be on those trains. The alternative seemed worse, wandering through the tunnels, countless miles of dark tracks. As Azucena lurched forward, taking a single step she cast her eye back to see Juni, having exited the car. Trying to distract herself, she wished she had chosen more sensible footwear. "Come on, tempus fuget." There was an irony in that last part, time was not flying, rather at a complete standstill.

Azu began to walk now, down the center of the street, hardly noticing as the street lamps suddenly extinguished themselves. All the while Azucena felt the pair were being watched from the shadows. There was no one, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The moans grew in volume, and were joined by a new sound, the sound of slow beleaguered shuffling, an odd kind of ambling. And there in the darkness, the pair having advanced some blocks, all would come to light. A group of what at first glance seemed normal people emerged, staggering. But if one took a moment to focus, the flesh had gone gray, there were chunks missing, just like out of a horror movie. This was their reality now.

[Corvina]

Caliente, Nevada
Population 990
3 days before the World changed

Sebastian grunted softly as he reached for his coffee. Having limited resources was not ideal, but he would convince his staff that coffee was essential, especially if they wanted him in a good mood. The latest reports didn’t seem to match what he was expecting either. Sighing softly he reached a hand to a to the report in front of him, the handwriting was illegible, scrawled in looped letters and decorated with bored scribbles.

After finishing his coffee Sebastian finally turned to leave his cup on the desk. His office was quaint but better than he would have expected. The coat rack in the corner of the office held his treasured lab coat. Sebastian quickly crossed the room and donned the white lab coat before shutting the office door. It was time to go to the lab. Sebastian was always a stickler for rules, the whole law and order aspect of the world fascinated him.

“Dr. Lincoln.”

The voice belonged to a blond woman named Renee. She had been a new hire in recent weeks. She also had a bubbly personality that Sebastian couldn’t stand. Crossing to where the woman stood he put a fake smile on his lips. “Yes, Renee?” Sebastian didn’t understand why he was on a first-name basis with everyone in the lab, but they still called him ‘Dr. Lincoln’. But that debate was neither here nor there.

“I wanted to show you the latest with my research.”

The bubbly voice once again grated his ears. Being in charge of this facility wasn’t the most exciting job, but he loved the power trip. Glancing down at Renee’s report Sebastian let out an annoyed sigh. The scrawled handwriting did in fact belong to this woman. Sebastian could see that Renee was worried about the higher numbers listed, but the cell replicating wasn’t really something to worry about. Honestly, Sebastian didn’t care what this particular woman was working on, Her voice was enough to actually cause Sebastian to think about firing her. “Renee, the numbers suggest what we are expecting,” His voice was arrogant as he spoke. “Keep documenting and let me know if there are changes.” He finally decided to walk away from Renee to check on the rest of his staff.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

New York, New York

Chaos,
Chaos surrounded them, death and destruction clung heavily in the air threatening to crush the very breath Juniper took. Glancing about one last time Juni balled her hands into fists on her lap, nails digging into the flesh of her palms, but not breaking the skin. None of this made sense and she had to quickly changed her thinking, if she didn't there was no guarantee that they would make it out alive.

“But we’re in this together. No matter what.”

Azu’s words were a small comfort right now, but Juniper knew they had to move. The door flew open on Azu’s side of the car and Juniper followed suit. After exiting the vehicle Juniper glanced one more time for anything that could help them, opening the glove box Juniper grabbed a flashlight and a small first aid kit. They were easy enough to put in her purse. After grabbing and securing the few supplies Juniper glanced at Azu and quickly walked towards her side of the vehicle.

“Come on, tempus fuget.”

The Latin was always lost on Juniper, but she understood enough to know that with the now moaning they heard, it was no longer safe for them to stay here. She followed Azu down the street, Something still pulled at Juniper to go a different way, but she continued down the same street as Azu. She watched street lamps flicker then finally die, the moaning from before was louder with each step the women took. The smell of decaying flesh finally hit Juniper’s nose as they continued for a few blocks. Juniper was silently keeping tabs on fire escapes and various other alleyways. But she let out a soft curse, shuffling now joined the moaning. The hair on Juniper’s neck stood straight up, she grabbed Azu’s hand, slowing them slightly as a pair of discolored bodies shuffled their way. Grey skin, chunks missing, it wasn’t just in Hollywood, it was here now. Zombies. They really were screwed.

[Hannelorian]

New York City

Azu had turned to look back, Juni had taken supplies from the glove box of the car. A small smile crossed her face in that moment. Juni was smart. Far smarter than most of their friend group would give her credit for. How little that all seemed to matter now. Azucena always thought of herself as the brains. While yes, she was quite intelligent, brains here meant in her own head, all the time, overthinking was a hallmark of her existence. Julie was the beauty, she was a paragon of the expression that beauty only runs skin deep. Julie... Azu hadn't thought of her, she wondered... was Julie still alive? The rest of their friends? Were they still dancing as the world burned?

As the stench of rotting flesh, dripping from the bone had reached her, it was almost enough to stop Azucena in her tracks. Never in her life had she encountered such a foul odor. The rot of forgotten left overs in the fridge? Yes, but this... this was beyond compare. "God that's awful..." she muttered, raising a hand to cover her mouth and nose as she slowly adjusted to this new development. As Juniper clutched her hand, Azu recognized what lay before them.

"For the love of God and all that is holy... is that a...Zombie?" Azucena looked at Juni, a worried look on her face. How could any of this be real? The beleaguered ambling was enough to drive one crazy. Were these the real life version of what they saw in movies? Couldn't it be possible their friends or whoever these people were, couldn't they still be in there somewhere? Azucena desperately wanted to believe that this madness was somehow a figment of her imagination.

"Okay. Okay okay okay. So, what we think? Slow and stupid like in the movies? Or secret... super predator?" Azu's voice was trembling as she attempted some kind of response to the impossible, looking around her she spotted an old garbage can, approaching with caution she knocked it over as carefully as possible to avoid making as much noise as she could. She then kicked it as hard as she could sending it rolling in the direction of the two zombies, striking their legs and knocking them over. "Run." Azu now spoke in a commanding tone and followed her own order, moving toward an alley way that appeared to be empty. Through time consuming, slow moving travel, the pair would ultimately come upon what remained of Azu's apartment building. The two would need rest... food, a plan. What the hell were they going to do? "At least the planes are still in the skies..." Azu muttered quietly.

Nevada - 3 Days Prior

In the hours of the morning there was always a hush that fell over the lab bar the soft hum of computers and assorted lab equipment. Joanna Holland stood steadfast with a micropipette clasped firmly in her right hand. In her left, she held a slide, carefully she pressed the plunger of the pipette over the slide, watching as the smallest amount of liquid deposited on the slide. Resting the tool on the cool metal counter, she position the slide under the lens of a microscope.

Exhaling, she raised her arms skyward, intertwining her fingers in a stretch. As she lowered her arms, she glanced at the watch on her wrist. Where had the time gone? Joanna noticed little of her surroundings, instead lost in her work. The others were all positioned at assorted stations, diligently carrying out their tasks. Joanna took notice of the logo emblazoned on her crisp white lab coat, a coat that sat atop a red and white floral patterned dress, tasteful, elegant much like herself she recalled that though she had been here for only a few months, it felt simultaneously longer and shorter.

The sound of the lab door opened did little to phase Joanna. Bringing her eye to the microscope to examine the slide she had just placed, she listened to the background noise, noting the tenor of the footsteps that followed. Would it be Renee, returning? How she hoped not. The heavier steps reassured her, that gait belonged to one person and one person alone, Dr. Lincoln. Joanna continued with her duties.