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Post by Ambassador SteelPlate on May 29, 2014 18:53:42 GMT -5
thishastostopthishastostopthishastostopthishastostopthishastostopthishastostopthishastostop Over and over in your dreams... ________________________________________________ They were the last colony of the human race. Years ago, war had plagued the Earth. The nations of the world, amist the dwindling resources the lands had to offer, soon bolstered and threatened one another, squandering and snatching every last drop of materials that they could. Conflicts arose, martial laws declared, and soldiers deployed. Fears of another World War emerged, but talks of peace and compromise were overshadowed by the scream of greed and panic, and the United Nations disbanded, forever a symbol of the failure of diplomacy. Eventually, the hostility and bitterness of the nations could sustain itself no longer. Warheads were launched at the bitterest of enemies, and when the dust had cleared and fire’s smoke drifted away, there was nothing left. Cities had been wiped from the Earth, generations were lost in the wind. But it had not been the killing blow to humanity, as some had thought. In desperate preparations for what most thought would be the end of all mankind, several countries and individuals created underground shelters in hopes of escaping nuclear holocaust. Some of these were grand labyrinths beneath the Earth, others were simply modified tornado shelters. The apocalypse occurred, many of these, even government made facilities, were eradicated, their last minute design not strong enough to hold back the destructive force of an atomic missile. Those who managed to survive what would be remembered as the Final War, would emerge from their shelters to discover a world that was ravaged with atomic waste, desolate, and bearing no fruit. Many died in the following days. All seemed lost. Then, a miserable group of travelers, barely surviving after leaving their shelter, came across a miracle. They found acres of prosperous land, untouched by the warheads that had scorched so much of the Earth. Green grass, blue skies, clean air and water, living trees and forests, each bearing vegetation and fruit. Berries of all kinds, carrots, eggplants, watermelons, pumpkins, durians, grapes, and more. Livestock roamed the land; cows, pigs, chickens, sheep. There were fields, that also contained crops and even more animals, like buffaloes. Rivers and lakes, filled to the brim with fresh water, plentiful with fish, gleamed in the bright sunlight. Not a trace of radiation, not a trace of pollution of any sort. It seemed that the Earth was as pure as new born child. A paradise in the wastes. Their own Garden of Eden. The travelers quickly settled down. In the early days, they slept around campfires on rolls of straw from the fields. Then, they made tents from the hides of animals. When tools were crafted, so then were houses. First of wood, then of stone and brick. A town was forged in the midst of the fields, not far from the lakes, forests, and mountains. Cows and chickens were herded into farms, buffalos were hunted, water was drawn from the lakes, crops were grown. And through it all, mankind began to slowly regrow. The small town grew in population with more and more hands to help aid in the rebuilding process. The wildlife reproduced just as quickly it seemed, allowing much more hunts to feed the families. The days of suffering were over at long last. Nobody starved, nobody got ill from radiation, the beds were warm and comfortable. All was grand. Years passed. A generation got old, and a new generation began. Nobody left the land of Eden, as it became known. The people continued to live in what merely became known as The Town, which had, in all the joy and prosperity that had been received after so much suffering, gone without a proper name, no one ever thinking of giving it a title. Beyond the land of Eden was nothing but the wastes, which were lethal and toxic. Out there was death. In Eden, was life. Life for everyone. Life for any and all. As the days became weeks, and then months, summer finally made it’s rounds. The temperature went up and the Townspeople began to feel it. The mild and gentle spring was replaced by a sweltering and fervent summer. From the sixties and seventies, to the nineties and then the the hundreds in a matter of days, children and older folk began to pass out during the day, not used to the extreme heat. With the hot climate came a drop in the rain, and the rivers and lakes began to lose some of their water level. Crops shriveled up before they could flourish and food began to spoil faster in the harsh weather. Still, there were buffalo and fish, so the people got by. But they very soon got tired of summer and wished it gone, eagerly awaiting the milder weather of Autumn. They merely had to wait a little longer before the temperatures would drop and things would go back to some modicum of order before the winter came. And so they waited. And they waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. The months turned to a year. And still they waited. Still they wait. |
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Post by Endicott on May 29, 2014 20:26:31 GMT -5
It was completely soaked, and so was Alexander. For a moment, he almost seemed confused; as though he had forgotten this was his bedroom, and that the dampness was another batch of nightmare-fueled sweat and tears. This couldn't go on forever, and this he knew, but his dreams - if you could call them dreams - weren't under his control. This has to stop. *** " Father! Father!", Daniel called out, trying his level best not to look proud. " Heeey, Dan! What'd you and you Mama bring back for me today?" " You'll have to wait and see", Daniel murmured smugly with a smirk on his face. Alexander's face lit up with joy as his son ran to him, blood dripping from his hands. Evangeline, the love of his life, appeared from over the horizon, like a ray of warm autumn sunshine; it made him feel good about his future, and theirs. With her, she had a bulbous pig, brimming with meat and fat; a perfect way to compliment those steamed carrots he'd been working on. " You sure have got your Papa's strength, Dan. You damn near took on that pig single-handedly!", she proclaimed, with a definite sense of gratification. Not the kind of gratification you associate with conceitedness, but the deserved kind; both her and Alex had worked hard to make Daniel what he is; the least they could do was bask in his reflected pride and enjoyment. " Well I'll be damned, son! You did that pretty much all by yourself?", he said in a wholehearted voice. Daniel looked at Alexander with a sad face now, and so did Evangeline. Alexander couldn't work out what was wrong, until they both spoke. " This has to stop... this has to stop... this has to stop... this has to stop..." Alexander felt apprehensive and afraid, barely being about to move until Evangeline stopped her part of the chanting and whispered... " You have to wake up, Alex." *** Alex wandered over to the water butt and splashed the cleansing water on his face and beard, hoping to rid himself of his nightmarish demons that haunt him. The sun was up high in the sky... he had slept late again. Not that it mattered too much anymore. It was about time Roger (AKA Mister fucking Nice) walked past the farm and greeted Alex with that cancerous smile of his, and oh how Alex could not afford to miss this. Still half naked, he left the house and, just like he had predicted, there he was... " Hey hey, it's everyone's favourite widower! Ain't this drought we got a real bind? I heard ol' Sid's farm is even worse off than yours, but I'll believe that when I see it! *laughs* So, uh, how ya' doin'?" This would be a perfect time to grab that shovel that was sitting right next to him and bludgeon him to death with it, but it was broad daylight and god forbid, what would all the model citizens of this fine town think of him thereafter...? (What Alex really wanted to know was, did he care about either of those things...) " Great. Really fucking great... All my crops are dead and so are my family, but who the fuck cares, I'm feeling GREAT! Say, why do you-"
"Sorry, man, I really gotta' get going, I said I'd meet John for hunting later. Have a good one, Alex, my main man!", he shouted after patting Alex on the back, his exuberant voice faded into nothingness in the nonexistant wind. " You're lucky I don't go hunting you and your whole fucking family down, you prick...... Next time...", he muttered, with deep seriousness... " Next fucking time..." Alexander's grandfather had told him of the glory of these lands, of this beacon of hope in a desolate world. Perhaps it was because this land had created desolation in him that he wondered what the outside was like. Perhaps it was better. Perhaps he would search for it one day... But for now, he had crops to harvest. The winter would soon be here (not that it could be any worse than this summer mind...) and here he was, topless out in the middle of a scorching field of desolation. With haste, he went back in doors and got dressed, coming back outside. After a brief stretch, he grabbed the two huge metal perforated buckets and began walking through across the land, placing the few crops he was able to scavenge from the barren wasteland that was his farm. Carrots, Pumpkins, the sight of them made him feel sick usually, but he got a little satisfaction in knowing that he was stealing what little fruit the land had left, just as the land had stolen what little fruit he had a time ago. The summer had dried out the earth and many of his crops were dead, so the buckets were barely past being empty. In some ways, this made him happier, knowing that the offspring of this bastard Eden were dying in swarm. These buckets, only carrying what hadn't been struck down by the piercing rays of sunshine, reminded him of something... or someone. In the bucket was a survivor of a family of many fruits, many seeds that didn't have the chance to develop and grow old, but these survivors were overshadowed by a great emptiness. The buckets were Eden, and the fruit was of the land was Alexander. " Why is everything a fucking symbol now?", he mumbled, trying not to stumble with the weightless buckets as he lumbered back. They made a sound quieter than a pin dropping as they smacked the earth and Alex entered his house once more, gathering the tools to prepare each of them so that the other villagers and himself could feast upon what little of them there were. Just as he was about to leave the house again, he began to feel disorientated and lethargic, and so steadied himself against a wall and sat down for a while, waiting for the sensation to leave him, but it did not. As an hour passed, he breathed heavily and uncontrollably, still waiting. Still he waits... |
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Post by Ambassador SteelPlate on May 31, 2014 21:41:56 GMT -5
Alexander was not alone.
Many of the Town's farmers were faring about as well as him. Some, worse. With the merciless summer almost literally cooking the population and its vegetation, the fields were all but about to be abandoned by some. Too much water was going to attempt to keep the plants hydrated, water that could be going to a thirsty child. Much like Rome, the center of town had what the Romans would have referred to as a "Forum", though it was certainly less elegant than the old Empire's. Especially nowadays. Each farmer, when his harvest came in, was to keep some for himself and his family, but was also required to bring some to the center of Town to make available for others to take. Such had been decreed since the founding of this marvelous land, and it was now considered taboo to go against it, though the harsh summer caused some to grumble about it.
The farmers got very few takers these days, which was not good. While their was no currency in Town, a farmer who frequently harvested and produced was looked favorably upon and regarded as trust worthy. Those who did not harvest a lot, or produced lousy spoiling plants were viewed as incompetent or lazy, and they got less visits. It was roughly the same way now. With the farmer's frequenly having little to spare, the Townspeople spent more time with the Hunters, who dealt meat from their prey. Many hunters, attempting to keep up with the demand, spent countless hours away from their homes and families to gather meat. There had already been a few deaths, it was dangerous at night.
As Alexander sat, waiting, a group of hunters were walking past his house. Their voices carried within the walls.
"Christ, what I'd do to see the end of this heat," One of them complained. "I'm no hunter. I'm a farmer. Just like mah pa."
"Farming's a dead end sport these days," Another replied. "Only fools are trying to keep their seeds growing. The only way to stay alive is hunt. Every farmer needs to hunt now. No exceptions."
"Some ain't cut out for hunting though,"
"Well, then they're of no use..."
They passed by. Moments after the door, there was a knock at the door.
"Alexander?" A woman's voice called. It was the voice of Valerie Tarico, an old friend Evangeline. Every since the tragedy, she had tried to come by to help Alexander with his crop. Sometimes this was good, other times, it was not. She was married to a man named Raymond, a hunter, who had only met Alex twice. "Alex? I'm...I didn't see you heading into town...I was wondering if you needed help..."
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Post by Endicott on May 31, 2014 22:43:25 GMT -5
Alexander was alone.
What was happening to him? Was it the emptiness of this shell of a home? Was it thinking about Daniel and Evangeline again? Or maybe it was because he was lonely and disturbed and wanted some company. In any case, this has to stop. Alex is a goddamn grown man, and sobbing by himself at home isn't doing him any favours. He had a home to rebuild, crops to prepare, seeds to water, a family to- But that was it, he didn't have anything if he didn't have a family to look after and to love. And who's fault was it? It was this godforsaken weather. Daniel would've of had to become a Hunter if it wasn't for the drought! And Evangeline could've stayed at home and helped Alexander and-
Alex heard someone come past the house, talking loud enough for him to hear.
Christ, what I'd do to see the end of this heat," One of them complained. "I'm no hunter. I'm a farmer. Just like mah pa."
Heck, that boy could've been Daniel. Daniel would've been struggling just the same way... And the town would make Alex look incompetent, and all the other boys would laugh at Daniel for it. Alexander, despite not wanting him to be a hunter, would never have wanted that.
"Farming's a dead end sport these days," Another replied. "Only fools are trying to keep their seeds growing. The only way to stay alive is hunt. Every farmer needs to hunt now. No exceptions."
Oh, this day was getting better and better. First Roger, now Nigel... Nigel Bannerman. That loudmouth cocksucker was the one who helped teach Daniel how to hunt, and Alex was pretty sure that he was interested in Evangeline. First that, now this? No. Alex had to do something.
"Some ain't cut out for hunting though,"
"Well, then they're of no use..."
That was it.
"Hey, Nigel, can you hear me? I didn't know cunts could talk! Why don't you come in here and call me of no use?! Huh?! You scared?! Yeah', that's right, walk away you ball-less piece of shit!"
This wasn't anywhere near enough. With a satisfied smile, he reached for the shovel and ran his finger and then cheek against it's delightfully blunt edge.
"Tonight, my sweet, we're going to have a lot of fun for the first time in a long ti-"
There was a knocking at the door. Oh Nigel, you shouldn't have...
"Alexander? Alex? I'm...I didn't see you heading into town...I was wondering if you needed help..."
It was Valerie... Nigel and Roger could wait till later, Alex supposed. He slowly put the shovel down and went to the door, opening it. Valerie was quite an attractive woman, a nice rounded figure and a magnificent face... reminded him of Evangeline. If only Raymond were to disappear... perhaps then Valerie would admit her infatuation and they could have sweet, wonderful, divine...
"Help?", Alex mumbled after scratching his nose a little.
"I just uh... had to sit down for a while. I'm sorry, come in.."
"Oh, shucks, I'm not letting you burn to death out there. Come on in, have a drink of water, sit down for a while..."
Or lay down, he thought.
Before closing the door, Alex grabbed today's earnings. Five Carrots and a Pumpkin. It had been a good day. He laid them down on the surface and went over to Valerie.
"So, uh.. oh wait, your water"
Alex went over to the half empty barrel and filled a cup with water. Smiling, he walked over to Valerie and put the drink in front of her, walking over the desk on which his vegetables sat.
Alex began removing the tops of each of the carrots, tossing them away like decapitated heads. How he wished they were Roger and Nigel's...
"I've been up and down recently... things haven't been so bad..."
"Huh, yeah... you can say that again. So, is 'e treating you okay? You know.."
His movements became harsher and he started pulling out the roots.
"No, it's not, I apologise..."
There was a brief silence as Valerie drank and Alexander worked. The carrots were being washed by the time she spoke again.
"Yeah, well, y'know... you... uh... could... help me out in.. other ways", he said suggestively.
"Raymond must be one hell of a lucky guy"
Valerie seemed to dismiss that comment with a sigh, before continuing as Alex moved onto preparing the pumpkin. The crops were ready and in the bucket, and the two of them left, on their way to the town centre. Alex constantly thought about grabbing Valerie, but never went through with it. He had never felt so alone when in the company of someone so bright and attractive...
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Post by Ambassador SteelPlate on Jun 1, 2014 0:19:04 GMT -5
"Help?", Alex mumbled after scratching his nose a little.
"Yeah..." Valerie replied, timidly. She looked off the other way, towards where Nigel was headed. Then, she turned back to Alex, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Are you okay?"
"I just uh... had to sit down for a while. I'm sorry, come in.."
Valerie hesitated. Practically everyone nearby had overheard Alex's shouting, though very few had paid much mind to it. The heat was bringing out the worst in people, especially as their life's work died in their gardens. A lot of the farmers were in very sour moods and heated, no pun intended, arguments rose amongst their ranks. It was the heat, the old saying went. The heat was getting to them. And when people got hot they got angry fast. And since Alex was already mourning, on top of his failing crop, he was sometimes scary to be around.
"Oh, shucks, I'm not letting you burn to death out there. Come on in, have a drink of water, sit down for a while..."
He seemed calmer now and so she went in. She knew she shouldn't be scared of him. He was a friend, and he'd never done anything to threaten her. She watched him set his wares from the garden onto the table and frowned. Five carrots and a pumpkin. These days, it wasn't bad...in better times, it would have been considered pitiful. Back in Spring, when the land had seemed like a paradise instead of a furnace, he would have reaped twice as much. Still, it was good to see that he hadn't given up hope on his profession, like many had.
"So, uh.. oh wait, your water"
He got her a cup of water from his barrel and then went to work on the carrots, removing the tops of them. While he did, Valerie drank her water heartily. With the heat, she always found herself to be thirsty, and it was hard to stop trying to quench one's thirst once you started drinking. Only a few seconds and the cup was empty.
"I've been up and down recently... things haven't been so bad..."
"They could be worse..." Valerie nodded. And she was telling the truth. All things considered, things were THAT bad. Not yet. If the temperature didn't drop soon she didn't know how much longer it would be until things went from bad to catastrophe. "Raymond's still alive and still bringing in food. Things aren't bad...but heaven knows it could be better..."
"Huh, yeah... you can say that again. So, is 'e treating you okay? You know.."
"Of course he is, Alex," Valerie replied. "That's not something you need to worry about."
"No, it's not, I apologise..."
A silence fell between them.
"Yeah, well, y'know... you... uh... could... help me out in.. other ways", he said suggestively.
Valerie just smiled back at him. "Yeah...I could help you get ready to go the Center." She knew what he had really meant, and hadn't been offended by it. After Evangeline had died and after so long of trying to be there for him, she supposed it wasn't too strange that he would find some soft spots for her inside his heart. It was because of this, perhaps, that he kept voicing concern about how her husband, Raymond, was performing as a husband. Still, it hurt in some ways too. It was a reminder of how he was at the moment.
"Raymond must be one hell of a lucky guy"
This was a case in point, and Valerie just sighed. The two of them left the house, both carrying buckets of Alex's crop as they headed towards the Center of Town. There were already quite a few people around. Farmers and hunters, all supplying the people with what they had gathered. Conversations floated in the air from every direction.
"Everything's died. Ruined. Bloody tried watering everything with..."
"...bite last night by a..."
"...lake will be outta water before winter gets..."
"...caught a glimpse of Mad Max."
"Didja now? Ol' Mad Max?"
"Yep. Caught sight o' him just last night as we was leaving the woods. Just staring at us, he was, very creep..."
Valerie shifted the bucket in her hands.
"You hear that?" She spoke to Alex. They'd been walking in silence since leaving his house and a conversation, about anything, was desperately needed. "Those hunters saw Mad Max. Raymond saw him once. About a month before this god forsaken summer started. Said that he just stares at you when you see him...if you see him. He's usually pretty far off when he watches you. If you try to talk to him, he doesn't speak...and if you try to go to him, he runs off."
Maximilien, now Mad Max, had once been a Townsman a long time ago. Unfortunately, after losing his wave, he began to rave and rant. He swore, he banged on doors, occasionally, he got violent. Eventually, he was expelled from the town due to his behavior. Some people said that if you stood still near a window, without looking out it, you would eventually feel that someone was watching you. And that feeling meant Mad Max was out there, observing you from beyond the house. Others said that if you listened at night, you could hear him scream and rave in the woods. Nobody was concerned about him being a threat, he was old with age, his youthful strength mostly ebbed away. The thought of him, however, was enough to send a chill down almost anyone's spine.
"If things keep going the way they are," Valerie said. "I wouldn't be too surprised if we had more people end up like him..."
She glanced at Alex for a moment.
Only a moment.
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Post by Endicott on Jun 14, 2014 15:25:45 GMT -5
And so they went, out of Alexander's house down the path. It was dry, cracked and dusty; nothing unusual here, except that the dying appearance of the land was overpowered by Valerie's beauty... but, no, the overpowering element was the silence, and a long silence it was. Down across the ridge, past Bannerman's residence, silence followed them and Alex felt quite awkward, not knowing what to say. For just a second, it looked like he was going to speak, but his face fell once more, broken as it had become over the last year. And Valerie too kept quiet. She wasn't the girl from fifteen years ago, but she hadn't aged too much either, but Alex knew his chances were slim. After the long, perilous and never-ending they had arrived at the centre. It was busy, it was always busy at this time of day, but it was a lot busier than usual. The gossip washed over them both like an ocean wave, and it was quite overwhelming. "Everything's died. Ruined. Bloody tried watering everything with..." "...bite last night by a..." "...lake will be outta water before winter gets..." "...caught a glimpse of Mad Max." "Didja now? Ol' Mad Max?" "Yep. Caught sight o' him just last night as we was leaving the woods. Just staring at us, he was, very creep..." Alex couldn't make out the voice, but it was true; everything was dead, and not just the crops. The lake was slowly dying, the people were slowly dying... Alex was slowly dying, one second at a time; was this land as they perfect as they made out? "You hear that?", Valerie murmured. "Hear what?", Alex groaned with apathy, sort of annoyed that the barrier of silence had been shattered. "Those hunters saw Mad Max. Raymond saw him once. About a month before this god forsaken summer started. Said that he just stares at you when you see him...if you see him. He's usually pretty far off when he watches you. If you try to talk to him, he doesn't speak...and if you try to go to him, he runs off." Alex laughed at the slight fear in her voice, like that of a child sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories. Mad Max was the only man in this town who had some sense, Alex believed, but Valerie might not like it if he said that. "Heh, sure sounds like an oddball. Who'd wanna' go and leave a town like this?" Alex whispered back with a chuckle, hinting at a sarcastic element in that sentence. But, that was it. Mad Max. Alex had always wanted to leave this town and go far, far away ever since... ever since it got this bad. For a brief moment he fantasised, sporting the grin he had shed after the death of his family... *** The centre remained loud, and Nigel approached Alex, grinning. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the struggling farmhand. How's it going, bucko?" The centre became silent, and the crowd gathered around the two. Alex simply grinned. "It's about to get a lot better..." From the crowd came a shovel that landed in his hands meticulously and nonchalantly, and the crowd wanted blood. Alex wasn't one to disappoint. He shrugged, looked around, and then brought the rusted edge of the shovel down into the ridge of Nigel's nose. The man fell back, in awe, bleeding and shaking. Again simply laughed, and brought it down again. Nigel's eye turned brown, bruised, and as Alex brought it down it his face constantly changed colour and shape. Brown, Purple, Black, Red, Red, Red... such a lovely shade of red. The edge of the shovel had sliced his face to pieces, and it was unrecognisable. The crowd cheered loudly, and a round of applause followed. "Nice one, Alex, you cut up him real good!" "Alex! Alex! Alex! Alex! Alex!" "Alex... I-*feinting groan*" It was all good again. Valerie emerged from the crowd and Alex kissed her passionately, and the two walked down the now damp, healthy earth, flower petals and butterflies creating a tunnel around them, the crowds cheers becoming distant and unreal as suddenly... *** Reality hit hard, like a Chicago El Train at full speed. And reality hurt. Alex turned to Valerie, who seemed to be looking at him oddly, before simply saying: "If things keep going the way they are, I wouldn't be too surprised if we had more people end up like him..." She glanced at him for a moment, and in that moment Alex knew she was referring to him. Silence, again, seemed like to best course of treatment in the situation. Alex snatched the second bucket from Valerie and brought them both into the centre. The laughs in crowd faded slowly, and a few of the hunters there looked at his share. Their faces said it all, but Alex had a moment to spare in which to show them how hard his life is, if it went down that way. It's a shame his fantasies couldn't become realities... if only for a moment. |
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