Ryker

Twenty-two || Male || Mentions: open

Scheisse (Shit), California air is so hot and dry. Ryker could feel his skin start to shrivel up, all while sweat began beading on the back of his neck. Glancing over his shoulder Ryker looked out the large windows that made up most of the wall. Even thought the sun hung low in the sky, he couldn’t believe how hot it still was. Or how people actually chose to live here. He could actually see heat waves rippling across the black tarmac. Back home, it never got over 23/26 °C (73/79 °F) and thats only for maybe four to six weeks in the height of summer. Squinting Ryker had to look away, white spots filling his vision when he blinked. Sun like this wasn’t something he was used to at all. In Germany there was cloud cover almost year round.

Shifting in his seat at his designated layover gate, Ryker couldn’t take it anymore. His body was extremely stiff and it ached at the slightest movement. But what did he expect after sitting on a plane for almost twelve hours. And he had another six-ish hours to go, to get to his final destination. Just thinking about being in flight for another minute made him feel nauseous, and with an already growing headache, Ryker was seriously regretting his decision to go to Hawaii.

Licking his lips his tongue felt heavy and dry in his mouth. He needed water like two hours ago. Searching the walls Ryker watched the large tv that mounted on a support beam flip through screens. The time read just after six, along with all the flights that were recently delayed.

“Dammit,” He mumbled. His flight was on the list, and in large red letters it read ‘Delayed’ with no estimate arrival next to it. His lightly colored eyes narrowed. That was the last straw. Pushing himself up from his seat, Ryker felt like an old man. Grabbing his duffle bag which sat at his feet on the floor, slinging the strap over his head so it crossed the front of his chest. It was considered his carryon, while his suitcase was somewhere in the building being prepared for boarding.

It was like watching a large school of fish go by. People were packed in the main walkway trying get to wherever, and Ryker just wanted to get some water. There had to be a water fountain or something around here somewhere. Rising up on his tip toes Ryker Looked over the heads of the school trying to find what he was looking for. Over at the next gate, at the far wall between a small gift shop and some bathrooms, he finally spotted it. The silver metal of the water fountain glinted under the fluorescent lights. It was like seeing an oasis in the desert. Now he just had to get to it.

The amount of people who stepped on his feet, or ran into him was way to high. It was like they couldn’t even see him. He adjusted his bag for the upteenth time and glared at the rude Americans. Turning his attention back to his dehydration, Ryker stood in front of the water fountain. How do you turn it on? He thought to himself as he stared at it. Back home water just comes out of the top constantly, like a fountain. Running his hand over the side of the basin, his fingers clicked a round button. For a second water began to pour out, stopping when his fingers retracted. Ah ha. Pressing the circular button again he watched the water pour out for a moment before leaning over to take a sip. He instantly regretted it.

The taste of metal coated his tongue. The water fell out of his mouth back into the basin and he coughed. Even the water here is bad. A red and white vending machine sat to his right. Ryker wasn’t into soft drinks, and the water section was empty. Just his luck. His eyes scanned each item, and only one seemed drinkable. Rummaging around in his pocket Ryker pulled out a greed bill of US currency. 20 it read on all four corners. Is this enough? He thought. He had never used American money before. But he did know how to work a vending machine. Out from nowhere came a claw that grabbed his drink of choice, slowing bringing it down. A clear door slid up revealing the bottle. Grabbing it he untwisted the cap, snapping all the little seals. Apple juice coated his tongue. It was a little too sweet for his taste, but it was better than metal flavored water, and it satisfied his thirst. Putting the cap back on he held on to the room temperature drink.

Wandering into the gift shop Ryker decided to look around. What else was he going to do with all this time he had to waste now. Fluffy round plushes hung on keychains. They all had enormously big eyes, and were brightly colored. Why? Was all he could think. The other prominent thing that stood out was all the tiny bears, hats and shirts with bears, mugs and posters, and flags with tiny bears on them. Plucking one out of its styrofoam holder he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger. He just hummed before sticking it back.

The sound of something crashing to the floor caused him to flinch, his hand quickly shifting to grab something that wasn’t there. Peaking around the other side of the isle shelf, a man in a black and white suit was crouching in front of a fallen stand. Scattered on the floor were keychains with all sorts of names on them. He gazed over at the young woman manning the counter, seeing how she would react to the sudden mess. But the woman who he first saw when he entered the store was gone. Confusion crossed his face. Where did she go? Walking further into the store he noticed a blue/gray door hidden between a gap of shirts and pullovers that hung on the wall. On the door hung a sign that read “Staff only”

Ryker found comfort in figuring out the mystery, but also found it strange that she was in the back room rather than on the floor. Oh well, how could be possible begin to understand the minds of women.

Jabari stretched his legs a little farther, almost stumbling, because of the change in stride. He pumped his knees and swung his elbows back and forth faster, heading toward the waiting area at the arrival gate. His ex wife expected him to be there as soon as they disembarked to greet the kids and assist with luggage. She wanted him to get there extra early and go through security, because she said it was his duty to be useful and carry the luggage, so she could watch the kids, even though she used her alimony to pay for the vacation that she had recently gone on with the children.

She had begun working, and with child support seemed to be doing fine raising the kids. However, the alimony check had been critical to pay for a weekend at Disney World. He wondered how much longer he would be compelled to pay alimony, when he felt that she squandered his money this way. His breath was becoming slightly audible as he jogged, but he refused to slack. Imagining how she would take his lateness as a personal insult kept him going. He hated watching Keely or Seth cover their ears or try to look like they couldn’t hear every word when Rowan and himself began to bicker. While he could keep up speed walking for any reasonable time, running was not something he did often for extended periods of time.

Although he was hurrying, a smile crossed his face, because it was his turn to get custody of the kids for a while. They were rambunctious creatures that loved to scream and make messes, yet they brightened his day and life. Nevertheless he thought it was unusual that his ex was willing to be anywhere near him. He passed most of the waiting area, as he made it to the gate second closest to the one the farthest from the sitting area. He checked that he was at the right gate before letting himself slow his breathing, so he would appear to have been waiting for a while.

"Keely! Seth!" he shouted, squatting when he saw them, so that they could run into his outstretched arms. He swayed back and forth as he tightly hugged them. "It's been so long since I've seen you. I love you both so much, and I've been really excited about your visit. You'll have to tell me all about Disney World. Was it better than Disney Land?" They both were noisy as they said similar things to him. He let go of them and rose with his hands outstretched for any baggage that Rowan deemed he was worthy to carry. "Nice to see you Rowan." He managed a polite smile. Behind her a man was approaching. He was jerking around and kept twitching and looking around. Jabari was curious how they had allowed someone who was obviously high into the airport.

“Excuse me sir. I would appreciate it if you would leave this woman alone.” He took quick steps to put himself in between his ex and the man, while possessively wrapping his arm around her back, so that she appeared to have someone standing up for her. She wasn’t alone. Although they didn't love each other anymore, he had no intentions of letting the mother of his children be harmed. He was about to whisper to her to go ahead and go with the children. He would deal with the carry ons and the man.

Before he got his arm completely around her back, the man with his red rimmed eyes bit Keely on the neck. Blood immediately became visible. It was quickly coating her clothing. He had seen blood flow like this before. He doubted he could help her. The man continued to remain latched on. Jabari’s eyes darted around searching for a security guard or anyone who could help him. He was a large man, but he wished he could have some back up taking on this crazed drug addict. There was silence for a moment as his family stood like deer in headlights, and Jabari’s brain refused to process.

Jabari shouted wordlessly, but slammed his mouth shut, as he stared helplessly at her. What was he supposed to say? His mouth moved soundlessly, trying to communicate, but finding no words.

Quickly, he was drowned out by Rowan’s blood curdling scream. It was the sound of someone losing the most important thing in their life, while Jabari’s had more of a sense of fear, surprise, and confusion. Rowan’s scream was the war cry of a mother, and she jumped into battle although it was clearly too late for Keely.

Keely gurgled, but couldn’t gather enough breath.

Seth squealed, and he raced toward his sister. He was out of Jabari’s reach, and his father was unable to stop him. The man with his blood stained teeth quickly turned his attention on Seth. Rowan rushed to intercede out of Jabari’s protective arm.

Urged on by his family's action, he yelled, "Someone! Please! Help me! A druggie is attacking my child. Help get him off! Please call a medic or an ambulance or do something!" He cursed the man, threatening to tear him from limb to limb if he wouldn't leave his family alone. He felt himself flush with blood and heat, as he prepared to attack. He froze, and felt the heat drain away even faster replaced by sweat. A few faces were looking his way, and they didn't look helpful. Instead it looked like they had been taking the same drugs as the man. Were they looking at him because of the noise and other disturbance, they considered the Keely-killer an ally and friend, or for some other unknown reason? What horror movie had he stepped into? Keely's body collapsed on the ground, as the man released her and turned his attention towards Seth.

Jabari should be moving forward. He knew he needed to help, but he couldn't understand how this was happening. The pure feral viciousness didn't seem to be something he could fight. He had no way to contain this man's raw power. Seth was the next to fall. Rowan seemed to be trying to fight with the drugged man, although it wouldn't help Seth at all. Rowan was struggling with manic energy. Jabari's jaw dropped as behind his ex Keely arose. He opened his mouth to celebrate that his daughter was alive or to warn Rowan. Blood was dripping down onto Keely's chest, yet there she stood all by herself. She latched onto her mother's arm, which was the only place of pure skin and flesh that she could reach. Rowan relinquished her grip, as her mouth rounded into an "O" staring at her attackers. At this point Jabari knew he needed to run. There was no going back. He couldn't reconcile how his sweet although occassionally precocious daughter would hurt her mother like that. There must be a contamination that can be passed through saliva and who knows what other type of body fluid. Was it a drug or something more sinister?

Kine Asher Vincent | 26 | M | M: Open

His breathing was soft, and peaceful,

He continued on his way to the baggage carousel’s. He certainly expected to see a few minuscule groups of people making they’re way in and out of the terminal building. Some sitting around on the floor and some on the bench’s lined against the walls, some talking peacefully among themselves, others chitchatting and kids screaming, crying, and trashing out of boredom and their parents having to tell them to shush. Those were is assumptions or hopes in a way, just without the kids screaming, crying. His thoughts- hopes, entirely changed once he saw a goddamn horde of people. He could honestly say this was the most people he had ever seen in a single facility, especially at this hour. At the sight of the crowded waiting room, he growled out of annoyance or uncomfortableness he didn’t really know. Kine had mild anxiety at times and the at least thousand people he could lay eyes on were triggering it. His emotionless midnight eyes scanned the crowd as he looked for a opening to slip in, he decided his best option was to stay along the wall.

The male slipped into the crowd, but stayed near the wall so he wouldn’t get lost in the massive crowd. He tried his best to stay out of the way, while trying to avoid the disgusted glares that were shot his way from anyone who actually paid attention to their surroundings. He knew he didn’t look ‘formal’ for being out in public, but he grew up with a father that made sure they looked ”presentable” in public. Well that’s the way his father worded it, for the record he knew it meant look perfect.

He knew the biggest problem with staying near the walls was his left side, and left arm were taking quite the beating. Sure he had marvelous posture and did his best to keep his footing. But it sure was difficult when he kept getting pushed by multiple people, some had the intention of doing this, while others were just walking and accidentally knocked into him.

Kine grimaced he was obviously irritated by the crowd, his arms crossed Kine grimaced, his arms tangled in front of his chest, his sharp finger nails digging into his Carmel complexion. It was relevant he was trying to calm himself or focus his rage on something other then lashing out at the women, men, and children that passed him.

His noticed a small convenience store, he was going trying to ignore the shop, but he was so dehydrated from the flight he had recently got off. Plus his stomach was growling at him. One coffee and a snack wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it? Kine proceeded into the shop and to the counter. He bought; black coffee with no added creamer or sugar and a dark chocolate bar. He would then thank the cashier, he then proceeded out of the convenience store. Kine never really had a sweet tooth and would rarely eat anything particularly sweet such as; milk chocolate, ice cream, birthday or red velvet cake, and such. Never-less he enjoyed black coffee, but the extra creamers and sugar people would add to coffee were terrible.

Kine proceeded in his search for the baggage carousel’s, he hoped no one would swing by and take his luggage. Due to how crowded it was it was most definitely a huge possibility. While making his way through the crowd a lean masculine character walked by him, “Fix your hair.” The male said to Kine. No one enjoyed how Kine would pull his hair up into a tight bun, as it made him "look to much like a girl" he’d learned to shrug it off. Which he did and focused on his motive; finding the damn baggage carousel’s, get his luggage and get the fuck out of their. He was slowly nearing the gates and knew that, he of course kept distance from the area so people could get on their places and all. His gut was telling him to get out of the airport NOW. Why am I so worked up? There’s literally dangerous here. He braced his shoulders and his overall posture stiffened, the change in his posture was so small it would go unnoticed by almost everyone.

The screeching noises only grew louder and that’s when he noticed a scrawny masculine frame wrestling a seemingly feminine to the ground. Who does that guy think he is? Attacking someone?! Kine’s eyes seemed to have a fire igniting behind the hickory cover, a fiery rage building up inside him. “Get the off of her!” His voice deep, n’ raspy, he said those words intensely at the man. The man’s head turned dazedly to meet his gaze for a millisecond, but something seemed off? The guy didn’t or couldn’t lock his horrifyingly bloodshot eyes on Kine’s fiery glare. Kine proceeded in walking through the crowd to the two. His fiery glare turned into a shocked one, his face going almost a crimson brown as he watched the scrawny man. Who had a large, dense layer of foam around his mouth, bite a huge chunk out of the female’s collarbone area. He was literally shock and dropped his coffee. He stopped right were he was, all he could hear was the crowds chitter chatter, the sounds of a child or 10 crying, the screeching sounds. and the footsteps that the crowd of people had caused. He was doing his best to process the scene that had just taken place in front of him. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to help the woman, never less he was about head over to the two but decided against it. He turned and walked away, he was in shock, concern, and confusion all at the same time.

He didn’t make it far from the gates until… A man who was more built then Kine and had more power forcefully, and probably on purpose knocked the guy into the edge of a wall, “Shit.” He cursed under his breath, the hit into the wall had knocked the breath out of his lungs, “What the hell was that-“ he spoke through rough, jagged breaths as he stood up. His side ached, that had most definitely left a bruise. He normally would’ve glared or hissed at the man who intentionally pushed him.

A thought that repeatedly re-entered his mind, as if he had no control. His thoughts had turned into words, that he softly spoke. "I could’ve done something to help her-”

Reyes Collin

Female // 23 // Mentions: None

It all happened so fast.

Reyes had just barely managed to catch herself, slamming her back against the cold, hard pale walls of the plane. Her foot shot out in the air to catch the crazed woman by her chest, stopping her just enough to where their teeth were snapping only inches away from her throat. For a breezed moment she had thought that she had managed to stop this psychotic woman, but even then, she failed at such things. The tingling sensation of warm fingers making contact with her skin sent shivers down her spine. Just below her left ear, to her horror, were the woman’s fingernails beginning to dig into her skin, trying to pry her forward just close enough to take a bite.

It worked in a way, but Reyes managed to make use of her hands, pressing them against the wide collarbone of the woman, giving her more leverage to toss this relentless predator off her. She could feel her own warm blood against her clammy skin as it began to trickle down from the back of her head, traveling down the nape of her neck. The sounds of shrieks were muffled as Reyes’s heartbeat pounded in her head. With one final push, she managed to send the woman a few feet back.

The brunette toppled onto the old couple that was trying to frantically unbuckle themselves. They were trying to escape, but instead, they were met with a body slammed against them. The brunette swiftly turned to face them, and then… Even from such a distance, their blood had painted her face as if she was a blank canvas. Their screams were the only ones that Reyes could focus on.

The old man tried to desperately help his companion, his fragile hands attempting to pry the brunette from his wife. Since he was on the older side, he couldn’t summon enough strength to lift the attacker off his wife, so he had to watch, helpless in the situation. It didn’t take long for a man who was sitting in front of them to turn around and latch onto the old man’s wrinkled neck. The worse part was that he couldn’t even muster the energy to scream; his eyes were constantly focused on his wife. He had to watch her die before his eyes before he could be put out of his misery. Reyes was so zoned in on them that she didn’t even notice the chaos unfolding around her. What had she done?

Her hands struggled to find something to grab onto in an attempt to regain herself from this fucked situation. She managed to clasp onto the headrest above her and pulled herself up, her eyes just beginning to adjust to the complete mayhem in front of her. The once blue cushions were soaked with crimson liquid, part of which had been flicked onto the ceiling and walls. Where people once sat, were now entirely occupied by those lying on the backs, desperately trying to save themselves from the thing that was attacking them. You couldn’t even see through most of the windows, as they were drenched in the blood of so many innocents.

People were crawling under seats, opening baggage compartments, struggling to pry each other off one another. Large suitcases began to topple from the opened compartments, slamming into the many bodies that swarmed on top of each other. Reyes placed her boots onto the empty cushion below her, raising herself to a certain height to get a better view of the disarray. She couldn’t even think due to all the yelling and screaming, but out of the corner of her eye, she could spot a certain red text that read: “Open in case of emergency”. Well, this seemed like a god damn emergency.

Reyes struggled to create a situation that would get her across the sea of chaos and screams that would get her over there. As she played out the outcomes, she could feel a warm breath release onto her cold, pale knuckles. Her head turned to meet with that of the teen who had sat in front of her before this whole shit show had happened. The young woman had a gruesome bite placed on her cheek, blood gushing out of the open wound like a dam that had just broken apart. The red had painted their once pale face and foam dripped effortlessly down their chin, tinted with the red liquid that it mixed with. Reyes quickly removed her hand from the top of the seat, looking down on the young woman as they tossed themself backward, slamming onto the floor before thrashing around wildly.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that she needed to move fast. Reyes planted her feet on the cushions, carefully yet swiftly hopping on the very top of the seats. She used the open baggage compartments as leverage to help her balance, her fingers clasping them so tightly that her knuckles started to gain a paler hue. She managed to find an opening in the sea of bodies toppling onto each other and took it. With a quick push off of her feet, she jumped in the direction of an unoccupied seat that was only a few feet ahead of her. That should’ve given her enough leverage to make it to the door. It was a solid plan; get ahead of the people running toward the back of the plane and make it to the emergency exit.

It was solid until, well, it wasn’t.

She felt a stiff hand grip onto her ankle, plucking her from her brief flight and pulling her to the ground. Her head smacked the top of the seat that she was supposed to land on, and she was dragged into the shuffle of feet. As if things couldn’t get any worse, a firm work boot managed to kick her face in, causing her own blood to start spilling from her nostrils, giving her vision an array of blues and greens that dotted the corners of her peripheral. She turned to meet her captor, who was none other than the pregnant lady herself. Her bulged belly was flat on the ground as she tried to reel Reyes in-- the woman’s mouth was clacking together violently as if they were trying to gasp for air due to the amount of fluid that was being formed from their mouth.

Another rush of adrenaline was pumped through Reyes as she began to kick at the woman’s face with all the power she could summon from her legs. One would’ve at least loosened their grip, but this woman wasn’t even phased- no, she couldn’t even call it a woman.

Reyes took things into her own hands- quite literally. She pried her ankle free of those hands before landing another swift kick to that relentless thing’s head. She gripped onto the metal bars that lifted the plane seats up, using what muscle and energy she had left to pull herself under them to avoid further detection. From there, she used her newfound crawling skills to propel herself forward. Thankfully, the pregnant lady couldn’t follow her into the tight space. Reyes tucked her knees close to her chest to avoid the swiping claws of this thing as it attempted to get closer to her. This was the only time she was ever going to be thankful that a pregnant lady was pursuing her.

That’s when she heard it. A door swinging open. A bright light pierced her eyes as she saw the emergency door swing open. A man tried to jump out, but he was quickly tackled out of the plane by one of those psychotic people. The sound of their bodies smacking against the hard concrete was muffled out by the continued panic that flooded the plane. People were already running toward the backside of the plane, which only sounded more screams as those who were behind the curtains began to experience the same amount of havoc that happened up here.

For a moment, things were silent… perhaps too silent. Reyes tucked herself deeper under the seats and stopped moving overall, her ears straining to listen in. She couldn’t even see a single foot shuffle around-- given that most of the people ran to the backside in an attempt to escape, or leaped out of the emergency door, she wasn’t bound to see them. She found herself frozen as the only thing she could hear was the heavy thumps of her heart pounding in her ears. Every rapid beat drowned out the silence that filled the air— that was until Reyes looked down.

Reyes thought she was all alone; and if it wasn’t for that relentless thing that grasped with an undying effort at her, she would’ve been.

That goddamn pregnant lady was persistent.

The lady was struggling to fit under the seats yet was still managing to toss a few loose arms at Reyes. A shock of fear brought Reyes back to reality and she quickly continued to scramble under the seats, inching closer to the door. She was so close. Just a little farther and— Reyes’s stomach did flips as she heard a gurgle and thump. Her head snapped back to where the pregnant woman used to be, which was now an empty space.

I’m so fucked.

Reyes could see bare feet skitter closer to her, stopping at her row. All she could see were those pale, thin ankles before a pair of knees dropped to the ground. No, no no. A blood-stained hand slowly crept to the ground, the crimson fingers gripping the soft carpet as the woman’s chest lowered to the ground. It didn’t take long for her head to find its way to the ground, looking under the seats as if she was particularly searching for Reyes. Once it spotted her, it immediately rushed to grab at her, those boney fingers only inches away from Reyes’s thighs.

What did she do to deserve this?

Reyes couldn’t help but let out a scream as the thing opened its mouth to let out a shriek. It was so violently trying to get her, all the while Reyes was pressing herself deeper in, trying to not get snagged by the woman’s hands. That’s when the sound similar to a stampede was heard, almost making the floor vibrate. The screeches which started out distant had become louder and louder. Another crazed man flung himself through the curtains that separated the first set of seats from the second, he was quickly followed by multiple others as they croaked and toppled over each other, soon spotting the source of the noise; which was, drumroll please… None other than Reyes! With more speed than she had ever gained, Reyes pulled herself further along the seats, she was so close to the opening, if she just managed to get out from under these things and open the damn door--- She felt a familiar pair of hands grab onto her feet. Reyes lifted her ankle and smashed those boney fingers against the metal bar that held up the seats, trying to smash the woman’s hand in a way that would force her to let go.

Surprise surprise, she didn’t.

This time, Reyes managed to smash the woman’s fingers quite well, as she heard a hard snap that could only be the sound of a finger breaking. With one loose finger, she managed to break free of the grip and quickly pulled herself out from under the seats, rushing toward the door. She didn’t have time to stop as she clung to the side of the door and swung herself onto the wing of the plane. A body barely grazed her as someone flung themselves out the door, all the while twisting their body to face Reyes. The drop was a good one that would’ve caused a daze if someone fell without notice, yet those things still managed to get up as if nothing happened.

For a moment, Reyes thought she was safe, until she lifted her gaze to face the figure that stood completely still at the door. It was one of those things- but why wasn’t it mindlessly flying out the door like the rest of them? Reyes locked eyes with the woman as they glanced toward her, dilating and focusing their pupils as they shifted their gaze toward the wing of the plane. With no hesitation, it leaped. The sound of their shoes smacking the wing of the plane was only a few feet behind Reyes. Like some sort of line of ducks following their mother, the others began to do the same thing. It didn’t take long for Reyes to know that she was in deep, deep, shit.

Her palms clasped the top rim of the door as she heaved herself on top of it, but she was too slow. One of those demented beings slammed into the door, grabbing at her feet. The others quickly followed, practically climbing over each other to reach Reyes. Her hazel eyes darted to the top of the plane, it wasn’t impossible to make it up there, and it had a hell of a lot better chance of survival than going back inside the plane. Reyes struggled to get herself free of the grip, but thanks to those things pushing each other off by slamming their mindless bodies against each other, she managed it. Her palms smacked the hard surface of the plane’s side as she jumped in an upward hopping motion.

Thanks to many years’ worth of swinging on top of goliath horses, she had built the right amount of muscle to pull herself up and over the plane. She dug her toes on the smooth surface, propelling herself higher. Once the sides were more rounded, it was easier to pull herself up, finally being free of those deranged things that seemed to have a fetish for grabbing at Reyes’s legs.

Once she reached safety, she plopped down in a sitting position, looking down to the hoard of raving lunatics. Her arms were shaking as if they would stop working at any given moment. It didn’t help that her bottom lip began to quiver as the adrenaline slowly stopped pumping through her, allowing her to intake everything that just happened. Those things were slamming their hands on the side of the plane; as if they were angered that Reyes just barely managed to slip from their fingers. In an attempt to stop her lip from jittering, she bit it-- but that only caused her eyes to water. Before she knew it, salty droplets began to fall onto her lap, discolored due to the amount of blood on her face. Blood that wasn’t hers. That was perhaps the most traumatic thing she could think of on the spot. No, the traumatic part was that she had killed that old couple.

If it wasn’t for her kicking that monster onto them, they would’ve had a chance to escape. Reyes covered her mouth to stop her from letting out a sob, but she was only met with a warm liquid pressed against her lips. Slowly, she looked toward her hands, which were discolored due to the dried blood that riddled every crease and crevice in her palm. Her fingers gently pressed against her cheeks, which were stained with their blood.

There was no one else to blame but her for their death. They were someone’s mother and father, somebody’s grandparents.

The elderly woman’s scream would haunt Reyes for the rest of her days. The look of her husband when he realized that he couldn’t do anything to save the love of his life would haunt Reyes. The smell of blood and the horrendous screams would haunt her.

She didn’t want to think about what happened on the plane-- right now, she had to survive. The shrieking had come to a stop, along with the pounding of palms trying to reach Reyes. She tried to pick her head up to face the sky, but a certain piercing ache filled her temple, which forced her head to drop back down. Her head throbbed to the point that she couldn’t even keep her eyes open. Her lids began to fall over her eyes… they were so heavy and all she wanted to do was…

No.

She most definitely had a concussion—so she couldn’t let herself fall asleep on it. Or that’s the information she managed to gather from her mother’s constant nagging.

That’s when it clicked.

Reyes reached for her phone, digging into her pockets. She sat up quickly, ignoring the piercing pains that followed with such a movement as she turned her phone on. The screen was cracked at the edge, but it still managed to work. She switched off airplane mode, dialing in her mother’s number first. Which each number that was submitted, her hope rose. Finally, after waiting for what seemed like centuries, a voice sounded. But it wasn’t her mother’s.

‘Please call back later or leave a voice message’

Reyes repeated this process with every one of her siblings, even her dad (who never really picked up). Still, the same phrase was repeated. “Please, somebody pick up. Just pick up,” Reyes’s voice cracked as she practically whispered those desperate words. In the corner of her eyes, she managed to catch the grey stream of smoke, which was dulling the vibrant array of colors that formed from the sunset. It was coming from the city, which was only a few miles away. Dark, black smoke rose from those tall city buildings, soon followed by similar puffs of smoke.

She opened her apps, looking at the news: “World-wide pandemic hits California, Wyoming, and Utah by storm.” Read one of the news articles. She clicked on it, scrolling down to a video. It was someone who was recording one of those things crawl out from a flipped car, immediately lunging at the first person who offered them help. The guy behind the camera was constantly cussing, which was bleeped out through the filtration system. Reyes looked down toward the date, X/XX/XXXX at 6:40pm. This was only posted 5 minutes ago.

Reyes immediately closed out, opening her cellphone app before scrolling down to dial 911… To her disdain, she was put on hold. A part of her knew that this was likely, but another part still decided to die when this happened. There was nothing else she could do other than wait for help to come, but it seemed like it wasn’t going to come any time soon. Her eyes slowly dragged themselves to look at the smoke coming from the city. What on earth was happening?

Reyes brought her attention back to the rectangle that was clenched oh so tightly in her hands. She kept putting in the same number that her mother’s phone had, holding it to her ear as if she hadn’t been rejected her hope for the 10^th time. ‘Please call back later or leave a voice message.’ Reyes waited this time instead of hanging up, she awaited the beep that sounded for a recording.

“Hey mom,” Reyes struggled to speak, trying to collect herself before the voicemail ran out. “Is dad with you? Daniel? Delilah? I know William’s at college… but I just need to let yo-“ The beep sounded once more, ending the voicemail. Once again, Reyes called. This time, her little brother. “Daniel, please just give me some sign that you’re okay, please, anything.” The voicemail ended, and Reyes repeated the process.

“Delilah? Hey make sure that mom doesn’t come looking for me okay? I’ll find my way back home soon, just don’t come to the-“ beep.

“Dad, I hope you and Mom are safe, just look out for yourselves, I’ll be fine. Don’t come looking for me.” She kept it short this time around, wanting to get her point across. She didn’t want her family getting torn apart by these things in an attempt to rescue her. She couldn’t handle their deaths being on her- hell, even just the thought of them having such a brutal death made Reyes’s throat burn. She glanced toward the battery on her phone, which was at 2% now. She took in a deep, shaky sigh that wavered in its release before collecting her voice once more.

“I love you.”

The screen went black.

Reyes put the phone back into her pocket, taking in a deep breath only to release it in a shudder. She stood up fully on the plane, looking down on the many figures that now riddled the airport’s runway. None of them seemed to notice her, as they weren’t looking up. She stood there for a moment before walking to the backside of the plane, her steps light and balanced as she neared the tail wing. She needed something to support her head and prevent her from falling prey to her concussion, so the support of the tail wing would suffice. Plus, she would rather not continue to swallow the blood that trickled from her nose and down to her throat.

Reyes grabbed onto the rim of the tail, sliding down against it as she faced the sunset. Her eyes drifted down to the horizon as she watched the sun slowly creep under the large cornfields. She would have to wait for help to arrive, surely the police would intervene with this- whatever this was. They had to. They… had… Reyes slowly blinked, pressing her head against the cold tail wing as her eyes drooped once more. She had to slap herself a few times to keep herself from falling prey to the drowsiness.

Stay awake.

The lethargic side started to get to her, and she knew that she couldn’t stay up here forever. Hell, she’d probably starve before the police arrived—or more likely die from dehydration. The mere thought of being hydrated had her throat yearning for something to quench her thirst, anything. Reyes gulped, but there was nothing there to really gulp. She could already feel the parchedness tugging at her.

Reyes looked toward the airport building, which was still in a panic. It was kind of funny in a way. Because now, just like the old man, she knew she couldn’t do anything to help them.

No. Don’t think about that right now.

She would have to plan something when it was darker, after all, it’d be far harder to be spotted by those things with the cover of night. Yes, that’s it. She’ll think of something later. Right now, she just wanted to rest.

Reyes looked toward the sky, craning her sore neck to make sure that the blood coming from her nose wasn’t going down her throat. Her eyes zoned out in the direction of the multi-colored sky. Oranges, pinks, blues, reds… She had seen far too much red today. She watched as those vibrant colors faded away, the greedy hands of night beginning to tug at the corners, wishing to blanket the sky in its darkness. Only a few clouds were spotted, and even then, they were thin and scarce. Reyes turned her head slightly, just enough to face the sun, which was slowly closing the distance between it and the horizon. The sun had risen on a peaceful day, only to set on a bloodbath.

So much for the Golden state.

Reyes Collin

Female // 23 // Mentions: Cassian

Her mother always said that time flew by, but now… Reyes could feel every second that passed by. Every little moment was accompanied by some kind of throb that was sent throughout her body.

Any soul could see the struggle she was going through to not give in to her concussion. She practically looked like one of those creatures that took the world by storm. The only difference between her and them is that Reyes had a stream of tears that paved their way down her cheeks, while they felt nothing. Her eyes were all red and puffy from endless crying. She didn’t know how else to handle her situation other than to… Well, cry. That seemed like the best coping mechanism. Cry your heart out until there isn’t anything left to weep about.

Her knees were tucked close to her body as she just let out all the stress that came from her. Her sobs were quiet, muffled out by weak inhales and exhales as she tried to stay undetected by those things that were only a few yards below her. Her hazel eyes drifted down to those creatures below her. Their bodies just kept twitching and moving, restless. A part of her wanted to join them.

Stop thinking like that.

Reyes scolded herself. No matter the situation, she couldn’t give up. What would her mother say if she found at that Reyes would rather die and add to the numbers rather than fight to survive?

She’s probably dead anyway.

Reyes, now fighting with herself to still have hope, bit onto a chunk of her inner cheek. She couldn’t help every negative thought from running through her mind—and she hated it. She hated herself. She hated herself for pushing that creature onto that old couple. She hated herself for arguing with her mother… For taking advantage of all those sweet times that used to plague her daily life. All she wanted was her mother’s arms wrapped around her with the comfort of her family’s voices. No, even now, Reyes was being greedy. She would gladly settle for any sign that showed that they were alive.

Reyes decided to distract herself from the pain by thinking of a way to get back inside the airport. She knew help wasn’t going to arrive anytime soon, so she needed to outlast the wait in someway. There was no getting out of the airport since most of those creatures have claimed the entirety of the outside. At least, not without help. Reyes had to collect her thoughts and memories prior to entering that damned plane. What was in the airport? Cafes, shops, lounges… those would all likely be overrun.

Bathrooms.

A solid foundation for survival would be the restrooms. She’d have running water, and there would only be one way in that could be easily blocked.

Reyes looked toward the tunnel that led into the plane. It was connected to the airport building and was her only way into the airport. A shudder was sent down her spine. She had to go back into that hell hole. Her gut twisted into itself, she hated that rising fear that came from the mere thought of being inside the plane.

The plane is probably empty. Reyes had to reassure herself to suffocate that dwelling fear. Even if she was just masking the truth with her own façade of lies, it seemed to help her build courage.

The sun was almost gone now. The once bright sky had been nearly covered in the dark abyss of night, yet not a single star shone. All the smoke from the city must’ve blocked most of those stars from being seen by the naked eye. Reyes turned her attention back to the city, which now had a few hovering bright lights making their way around every building. Helicopters. Rescue helicopters. They were too far away even spot Reyes, let alone any signal that she’d make. Even if she managed to make some signal, they likely wouldn’t. Every department was probably spread thin, so the likelihood of them going out of their way to save one mere survivor was low.

Her heart dropped at the thought of being stuck here. Stuck with them. Did her family have it worse? Were they even alive? The ideas of what could have happened to her family flooded her mind; as if she wasn’t already going through enough torture.

Reyes looked down at her bloodied hands. Her palms that were once a fair tone; now, they had been discolored into different crimsons. Her eyes trailed further down her arm. She took notice of her sleeves; sleeves that used to be beige. Goosebumps began to send themselves down Reyes’s arm as she smelt the blood of other people radiating off of her. She could hear the screams coming back as echoes in her vacant mind. Frantically, she took off her jacket and rolled it into a ball, revealing pale arms that were only a bit tattered. Now the only thing on her was her halter tank top, which was relatively clean if one disregarded the few spots where her jacket failed to stop the blood from soaking through.

There was no helping her pants, which now had rips located on her knees and ankles. Thanks to her high socks none of her skin barriers broke when her ankles were being abused at the hands of that pregnant lady. The only problem was… the fresh blood that she could feel trickle down her neck. When that brunette had grabbed her, their nails dug deep enough to create a big enough wound on the nape of Reyes’s neck. It had likely mostly scabbed over since the incident, but Reyes could feel a few spots that haven’t yet managed to stop the blood flow.

She folded her jacket inside out, searching for some clean patch that she could use. Luck seemed to finally bless her, as she found a grey bit amidst all the red. Summoning whatever liquid she could from her mouth, she spat into it. Very carefully, she brought the wet end to the wound, dabbing it lightly to withdraw the blood that was stained around it. If she managed to survive this much, she wasn’t going to go down with an infection. She placed the jacket over her shoulders, letting it block the cool breeze that came from a setting sun. Her vision blurred, and without thinking, her eyes drooped.

A gust of wind added to the resistance that was already pressing against Reyes. The goliath of a horse she was on had lengthy strides, closing the distance to the next oxer in only a few seconds. She prepped herself for the jump, flying over smoothly. Her head cocked toward the next jump, looking beyond its poles as she pressed her leg on the inside of the horse’s side. They were lined up perfectly, only a few more strides until- boom. Thunder crackled in the distance. Oh, how she wished that she wasn’t riding a young, sparky mare.

Within moments the mare was heading toward the fencing in a full-blown gallop, her tail prepped vertically as her excitement rippled through every beat that propelled her closer to the arena’s fencing. Reyes sat back, she slid her hand up the laced leather, reeling in one of the reins for a quick stop. The mare’s head turned in, yet her body continued to move forward. It was only until Reyes managed to get a better grip that the mare turned. Now, it should’ve been a quick transition back down to the trot, but this spawn of Satan had another idea.

Reyes immediately loosened her grip on the laced reins as she felt the front hooves of the mare raise, propelling them both into a mild rear. Once their front hooves smacked the ground, their back legs rose, sending Reyes into a forward motion, nearly knocking her out of her seat. Now, she was really struggling with balance. It didn’t help that this oh-so-grand horse decided to become a bucking bronco mid-gallop. It didn’t take long for Reyes to be sent flying over the head of the mare, tumbling shoulder first into the arena’s soft dirt. Alas, it wasn’t as soft as she had wished.

“Ouch.” A familiar voice sounded from outside of the ring as Reyes struggled to get up. Her back had a numb tingling sensation and her knees just wanted to buckle in the moment she stood. A little dazed, she glanced toward the wooden fencing, which held a man that was far too tall to be sitting on the top of it. “I thought you were supposed to be a professional at this kind of thing,” Her brother mocked her before he began leaning forward, swinging his legs in the air in a child-like manner. “I thought that the fence had a weight limit,” Reyes lifted a brow at her brother, who, at her words, hopped off of the fencing.

“Damn, I was really hoping that the fall would jumble your brains up a bit,” William sighed, closing the distance between him and the horse, who had now calmed down and was standing eerily still—as if she hadn’t just yeeted Reyes 6 feet into the air. “What’d I say? Now, you owe ~mwah~ dinner. You should really listen to me 24/7. I’m actually wise beyond my years, despite what mom and dad say,” William, who was now proud of himself, grabbed the reins of the mare.

The two had previously conversed about the weather; On William’s weather app, it was said to have a thunderstorm, whilst on Reyes’s it was said to have clear skies. At the time, there wasn’t even a single cloud in the sky. Oh, how luck never took her side.

“It feels a tad wrong to make you pay for my meals, since you just got a credit care and all,” William began to gloat, eyeing Reyes as she struggled to regain her balance on her own two feet. “Then how about you pay?” Reyes took the reins from him, leading the horse back toward the mounting block. “That just wouldn’t be as fun now, would it?” William was now walking alongside Reyes, talking nonstop about how he was right. “Wait- are you going to get back on?” William lifted a brow (a signature move in the family), almost as if he was harboring concern. “Well, I’ve got to. She’s got a show tomorrow and I can’t just leave it off here,” Reyes lined up the mare to the mounting block.

“That’s a stupid idea that’ll 100% get you killed.” William pursued Reyes, but she continued to hop onto the mounting block. “You’re only 15, not some renowned professional,” William grabbed onto Reyes’s arm, pulling her back from the block. “I thought you said I was supposed to be professional.” Reyes snapped back, which caught her brother off-guard. She could tell that he knew the stress that was placed on Reyes for the following years, so his voice softened this time. “Think it through, Rey.”

A thump similar to the pounding of thunder that rang through Reyes’s memories was sounded. Her eyes shot open as she frantically looked around. She must’ve fallen asleep without noticing… damn it. She was dazed from her brief slumber and struggled to focus on the thing that made the noise. Her pupils dilated, adjusting to the new light and beginning to focus on a figure standing up near the front of the plane. From the mere height and build, Reyes supposed they were male. Did one of those things get up here? How?! With a shock of adrenaline, Reyes stood up. Her hands clasped onto the tail of the plane as she struggled to find her balance. She looked around for something to defend herself, but she had nothing.

She heard those ghastly, horrifically familiar shrieks come from below her. Thanks to whoever- or whatever this was, those things that were within earshot began to swarm toward the plane, gathering below them. Glancing back up, the figure became clearer. Her vision sharpened a bit more as she realized the man wasn’t running at her like the rest of those things. Her stance was still defensive, but at least she knew that whoever this person was, they weren’t trying to eat her alive. She was still out of it, but the adrenaline helped her look a lot more in tune than she really was.

As the man neared, Reyes began to stiffen up even more. Upon closer inspection, she could see the waves in his brown hair, tinted with other hues of colors that Reyes didn’t really find important to figure out right now. Her eyes immediately zoned in on his mouth. There wasn’t any foam coming from it like the rest of those things… and he didn’t scream at her the moment he saw her. Was this another normal human? Due to his little arrival, the things that were still in the plane were going apeshit, killing whatever hope Reyes had that the plane was empty. The plan wasn’t going to change, though. She’d just have to find a way around them… or a way to distract them.

The guy had gotten too close for comfort, so Reyes took a step back, a little too close to the edge for how unreliable her senses were at the moment.

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

His voice seemed so loud. Why wasn’t this bastard whispering? She had an urge to cover his mouth with her hand but refrained from doing so since she realized it wouldn’t help them. He had already attracted those things. Almost immediately forgetting the words that the man spoke, Reyes zoned in on the little sparkling necklace that hung from his neck. It was reflecting whatever light that the sun managed to give off. Her eyes slowly took the entirety of this guy, and her mind just screamed fuckboy.

Something was off—something on his features changed. Was this son of a bitch smirking? At a time like this? Reyes furrowed her brows at his expression. His own clothes were tattered with blood, so it wasn’t like he was oblivious to what was going on around him. The creep asked you a question. Regaining her thoughts, Reyes brought her eyes back up to meet his own-- which were an odd color in themselves.

“Do you need any help?”

Now, Reyes forced herself to sum up some words. “What does it look like to you?” That’s not what I wanted to say. The answer to this question was obvious. Her face was perhaps the worst it has ever been- swollen at the lip, a dried stream of blood placed just below both of her nostrils, puffy eyes, a nasty mark on her neck- tattered hair that was barely held together in a bun-- she looked like she just crawled out of a pit from hell, which, in her case, she practically did. She regretted her slight sass in words, but she just couldn’t help the rise of mistrust that she automatically gained from his smirk.

“Sorry.”

She mustered up an apology for her prior words. Why are you even apologizing? He’s probably been through way worse than a few words laced with a tone. In truth, all Reyes wanted to do was curl up into a ball and just waste away. She wanted to tell this stranger everything she had to go through to get on top of this blasted plane- wait. How did he even get here? Even more than before, Reyes began to question this guy with the mere look in her eyes.

“Who are you?” Were the only words that left her mouth, although she had a multitude of questions that she wanted to be answered. Every word she spoke was quiet, yet loud enough to reach him. Ah, that’s when the cork that held all those words popped open, and she began her little interrogation.

“What’s it like inside? Do you have your phone on you?” She looked around for any kind of ladder or rope this guy might’ve used to get here, but she found none. “How did you get here-“ Reyes paused, lowering her voice once more. Those creatures were going insane. She could barely hear herself think over the noises they were making. That’s when she realized just how close she was to the edge. A pang of fear rushed through her, causing her to shuffle away from the edge, closing the distance between her and this weirdo.

She had to collect herself if she wanted to survive. She had to think it through.

“Is there anyone else alive in there?”