Board Thread:General Wiki Discussion/@comment-24841494-20140219135325/@comment-24841494-20140221224347

The Damn Batman wrote  If you think you can put that much info into the story, go ahead. I like your draft. And again I don't get why you need the scientific name in the story but the correct scientific name would be Ignotus Metus Bestius. Yeah, I decided against using the name. I've changed several major plot points when I was typing. It is not finished, but I'm going to post what I have done with rough draft

Basic

    A small recon team of five men combed through the burnt husk that was once Fort Meade, South Dakota, searching for survivors. Each are geared with tactical gear, assault weapons and gas masks.

    “LT, you see anything yet?” His voice crackled, muffled by the obstructive mask.

    The leader, Lieutenant Colin Smith, was silent for a moment, before responding “Not yet, Snow. Be patient, There must be survivors, someone holded up somewhere. Whatever the hell happened, it wasn’t a bomb. My guess is a terrorist attack. Why they would attack a small base in the middle of South Dakota, I have no idea.” He paused. “ We’ll check the barracks next, stay close.”

    The doorway was blocked by a cot, and Pvt. Flemming, the smallest of the team, climbed through a window around back. “Goddamn, it stinks in here, did something d-” He cut himself off, inside was several corpses, apparently killed in there sleep. Flemming nearly vomited on the spot, if it wasn’t for the M40 Gas mask strapped on his head.

    Flemming quickly unobstructed the door, ran out and removed his mask, and emptied his stomach.

    “Quickly, search the area, drag the bodies outside, we will give them a proper burial soon, but right now we have our mission.” Lt. Smith choked on the putrid air “Search the lockers too, see if we can find out what happened here.

<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    After about 30 minutes they had the seven bodies outside and covered with sheets. After another 15 minutes ther searched the lockers. Most were mundane belongings, Toothbrushes, watches, and even a teddy bear. Strangely enough, they only found a single letter, signed Ryan Barnes.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN ALTERED. MANY GRAMMATICAL AND SPELLING ERRORS HAVE BEEN CORRECTED. PLEASE TALK TO YOUR SUPERIOR FOR ORIGINAL DOCUMENT.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">July 11, 2015

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Dear [REDACTED],

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    I’ve missed you these past few weeks, training is hard, and I get few chances to write. Only seven weeks left! I can’t wait to see you again. The worst part is runs, we have to run 3 miles with literally 50 pounds at all times, 50 pounds! I got in a fight with Sam too, (You remember him right? The cliche big black guy?) It wasn’t a fist fight or anything, but we shoved each other around a bit. The worst part is I honestly can’t remember what started it, everyone is constantly exhausted and on edge.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    Also, the Drill Sergeant is a total dick, Gram, I think his name is. He <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">never <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">lets up, every small mistake he screams at us. Well, I guess you can’t say we didn’t ask for it, this is basic after all. It’s basicly hell at this point, but I’m promising myself I’ll get through it. I hear the worst is still to come.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    Also, I saw something weird in the showers today, I was the last one in there, but I swear I saw a shadow or something. I’m going to blame it on the fatigue for now, cause’ I can’t think of any other explanation.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">With love,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ryan

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">[REDACTED] Research Facility,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Alaska

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    We have started some more experiments with subatomic particles, we believe those might hold the key to faster than light travel. If my theory is correct, Ironically, FTL travel might be cheaper and easier than light speed. Our first test was a failure, however, we managed to open a miniscule rift in the space time itself! The teams hope is high, I can’t believe this might actually work. Our next test will begin immediately, we are going to attempt to open a larger portal. if that succeeds we will try to get the particles to rematerialize in the base in South Dakota. Fort Meade, was it?

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    The scouts search the surrounding areas, systematically checking building to building, room to room. with each search, their morale plummets further, everywhere is the same image, brutality, rot, and death seem infinite.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Goddamnitgoddamnitgodfuckingdamnit I can’t take this anymore!”, Pope’s endless mantra. “They're all dead, they’re all fucking dead, man.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Shut up, Joshua! Keep it to yourself, were all thinking the same thing.” Retorted James

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Everyone shut your traps and follow me, we don’t know if whoever did this is still out there” The LT. reasoned.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    They worked their way to a large garage, housing several military grade trucks. Inside where a few small rooms they systematically checked. In the last room they discovered several mundane documents about the condition of the vehicles. they nearly left when Snow tripped on a corpse, and landed face to face with a folded letter stained with blood on the ground. Snow coughed then weakly stated he found something

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Ryan Barnes” Smith noted, “That the same guy from that letter before?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Yeah, think so. What does it say, sir?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “There’s so much crap on it I can barely read it. We’ll take it back HQ, see if we can get a professional to decipher it.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">...

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: right;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">July 12, 2012

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Dear [REDACTED]

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I got in another fight with that Sam asshole, he flipped out on me cause I took his spot next to Ray in the mess. Ended with a fist fight and both of us doing 100 push ups. I had never been so tired in my life, not even after one of the runs. I swear that guy is crazy. The sergeant, I mean.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Okay, remember that thing I saw in the showers yesterday? Apparently Ray saw it too, in broad daylight during a training exercise, it was just standing there staring at him. Ray said it just looked like a person shaped emptiness. Soon after that it just disappeared. Don’t laugh at me, laugh at the crazy russian, he’s the one who said it. I’m not so sure it was a hallucination now, seeing as Ray spotted it too, though. I haven’t told him I’m has it the other day yet. He looked spooked enough. Even scarier, I heard some rumours one of the mechanics just up and disappeared. No explanation, no nothing. I’ll finish off there, I’ll write you again soon, hopefully when I’m not pissing myself.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Love,

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Ryan

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">...

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    I woke up to the sound of the Sergeant screaming in my ear, And nearly started crying. I got up and made my cot in record time, and was dressed in the mess faster still. When I caught up to Ray he was chatting with one of the other recruits.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “You hear about that recruit that went missing in one of the other barracks? This morning he just wasn’t in his cot, like he never even slept in it.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “What? Thats fuckin’ crazy. You think someone would of noticed he wasn’t in the barracks the night before.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Thats the thing, everyone was accounted for before night.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    I butted in. “Well, he could of just left in the night.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Pfft, that takes away the fun in it. Besides where would he go? The fort is surrounded by an electric fence and an armed guard, remember?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Your logic makes too much sense, and my head hurts too much to try to understand.” I laughed “Now, lets shut up and get some food.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    As if on cue, a tall menacing nothingness formed on a table, and proceeded to tear a limb off of one of the recruits in slow motion. In the same moment the alarms sounded before being muted by a incredible deafening silence that seemed to originate for the being. A pure muting everything the seemed to encompass my very existence.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">As fast as it appeared it dismembered four other men and vanished. One survivor broke then and there, babbling like a madman. One took a steak knife and forced it through his eye, apparently unable to live with what he witnessed. The ensuing violence was almost worse the initial event.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The men, kids really, who didn’t snap instantly from the twisting of the laws of physics themselves scattered in a thousand directions like ants. I didn’t realise I was standing there, frozen, until Ray grabbed my arm and pulled me after him. at some point we got separated in the chaos. While I was running another figure grabbed my arm.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Forte Meade, July 9th, 2015

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">My god! We did it! The particle traveled from [REDACTED] to here instantaneously! I would have never thought it possible. It’s a shame that this must be kept a government secret, we could win the nobel prize fourteen times over with this breakthrough. The funny part is, because all of our machines obey the laws of physics, we have no idea how fast the particle was traveling, because by the the device recognized the particle was there, it was already gone. We will do another test with a vastly more accurate timer, and see what we can find.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Also, we will be beginning new tests with larger particles, if it holds up we may have found a way to travel faster than light! Ha, I have never been so excited to go <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">back <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">to work.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Fuck, how much more of this hell hole do have left to search?” Protested Pope.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Jesus christ, do you <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">ever <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">stop complaining? Show a little respect for the dead, whatever they went through was <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">much, much <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">worse that what we having to put up with.” Snow finally snapped.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    Lt. Smith cut in. “We’ll check the mess hall next, see if there is anyone holed up there.” he sighed. “Stay frosty, stay close. You know the drill.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Yes, sir,” the other four responded simultaneously. They moved silently through the remains of the once proud fort. they were the only movement in the base, and the only sound was the imperceptible whirring of the back up generators. the red emergency lights bathed everything in a crimson red, not that the building needed any help. they found the decimated mess hall quite easily, they just had to follow the bodies. however, every door of the cafeteria was barred or blocked, and no amount of strength would force them apart. Finally they gave up using brute strength, and snow rigged up a grenade to a string and placed it on the door. The small team hid around a corner, then Snow pulled the length of twine, pulling the lever on the grenade and removing the pin. after a few more seconds, the doors blasted open, along with the rest of the wall.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Well, thats one way to knock.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “You better believe it, its how I say hi to my mother in law.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Sorry to kill the fun, but lets search the area and get this over with.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Yessir.” “Right away.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    three of them filed in, while Flemming and Elliott stood watch, sure the deafening explosion would attract some attention. The remaining team scanned the area, and Pope spotted two bodies, a large african and a russian. they quickly searched the bodies, turning pockets out and checking wallets. In the russian’s front pocket was a napkin, no doubt taken from the mess hall kitchen. the napkin itself was covered in barely legible writing.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    As I’m writing this, I think me and Sam are the last survivors, I haven’t seen Ryan since this morning. This morning something attacked, it looked like a shadow, except it had depth. just solid black. its eyes were like purple flames. and so fast. so so fast. nothing can move that fast. it tore off my friends arm like it was paper. I’m trying to write this all down so that if I die people can know what happened. Okay, okay, let me start from the beginning. Me, Ryan, and george where waiting in line in the mess. You know, just joking around and stuff when out of nowhere the shadow thing just <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">appered <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> one second there was nothing at that table, then it just showed up. before anyone could reacted it tore off his fuckin arm! and the sound, the sound, I will never forget that absolute tangible deafness that come from it. one kid just took a knife and stabbed himself in the eye over and over and end the noise. I wish I could of done the same. after that I turned to run and I saw Ryan, just standing there, doing <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">nothing <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">. I grabbed his arm and pulled him along with us. when we were running we got separated in the confusion. soon after I crashed into Sam. We hid in a small room untill the chaos died done, then Sam had the bright idea to run back to the fucking mess hall. We blocked every door and just sat there waiting. waiting for this to end. I hope Ryan is okay.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    I sighed in relief, but not before emptying my bladder. It was only Gram. I nearly started balling. My friends were probably all dead, butchered by that beast. Fuckin’ Ray was probably dead. I even felt sadness for that asshat, Sam. Sure he was a dick, but he didn’t deserve to be brutally murdered by some monster.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “You okay, son? I don’t know what the hell that is, but it sure as hell ain’t natural. We need to get out of here.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Yessir. Um, where though?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “We’ll go hide in one of the garages. If there is some cars still in there, we’ll have a way out. If not, its probably be where everyone else is going, so we’ll be able to regroup and see who survived.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    Me and Gram took a roundabout way of leaving, certainly it would be guarding the exits. Gram grabbed a small office chair and smashed the window, making sure to break off the sharp edges. We both climbed through, before sprinting building to building. Gram was middle age, but he was sure as hell fit.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    After about 45 minutes of sprinting, hiding, and watching, we had made it to the garage. Gram was right about people heading there first, there were bodies everywhere. Thankfully I didn’t see the face of Ray, or any other I recognized. The sun was already doing its work on the mass grave, the place reeked of death. It looked like a medieval battlefield.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The door was wide open, but we practically had to climb of the already rotting corpses. There wasn’t a single truck in sight, some lucky bastard got away with ‘em. Gram suggested we wait inside for a day or two, till this blew over.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“And if it comes back? You’ve seen how fast it can move. we would never get away.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“All the more reason to hole up. Clearly the shadow’s main strength is its speed. If were in a tight area, where it can’t move, then we have an advantage.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“I understand. Won’t we need some weapons though?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“Obviously. Nah, I was thinking we could rush it with some rocks. worked for the cavemen” Gram’s sarcasm bit deep. He went into one of the back rooms and returned with a coil of wire, a few tire irons, and a few brooms. We used various tools in the garage in the back room to straighten and sharpen the irons, and in a few hours we hard makeshift spears.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">“We’ll head to the armory tomorrow, after we head back to the mess. A gun will hold against a supernatural anorexic better than some scrap spears.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">I agreed.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    We wrapped ourselves in the thick tarps to stay warm overnight. I thought I would never sleep again after what I had seen that day. My body disagreed.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">…

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    Gram shook me awake in the dark. He mumbled something about seeing it. I blubbered something about seeing what, momentarly, blissfully forgetting about yesterdays events. He shook me again, this time yelling, and I snapped awake, yesterday catching up a few seconds later.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Get up, kid. we need to go. I was watching the window and I was two eyes watching back. It’s here. It’s not all bad news though, the sun is rising.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Okay, okay. Let’s go, I don’t want to die here.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “You and me both, kid.”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “Would you stop calling me kid? We might die here, I don’t want to spend my last moments being condescended by a fat oaf who yells at people for a living.” I exclaimed, irrationally. I don’t even know why it got to me so much. I think I might be losing it.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    “YOU LI- I..I’m sorry…” Gram stammered, surprised. “Lets just get out of here. It definitely knows were here now.”

<span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">    I didn’t reply, just headed for the door, grabbing my spear on the way. I was glad my outburst didn’t escalate further, I didn’t want to get in a fight with probably one of the last survivors. Gram was close behind, and we retraced our steps in the dark, nearly tripping on something. I didn’t want to know. We were paranoid, but rightfully so, checking