Thread: Hell on Earth (mommablackrose & I)

ATTEN-TION! These were the last words spoken before the Lid was opened. It was a good 10 to 12 feet of solid steel being pushed up revealing the desecrated world above. The small group of soldiers standing in a neat line had only heard of the world above, but this would be their first time seeing it. It was truly a terrible sight amongst human eyes, scorched earth as far as the eye could see, small traces of plant life, most of which had withered and died due to the dark clouds blocking out the sun and creating a crimson red sky. And not a single drop of water to quench the thirst brought on by the glaring heat. Already, the soldiers were beginning to sweat a bit from the mere sensation. It was truly hell up there and there were only the demons to blame for it all. Yes, the Earth had seen more peaceful times. The ecomomy was prospering, technology was advancing in ways that were far beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and the races of the world were slowly drawing towards an everlasting peace. That was all until Doomsday arrived. The Earth seemed to crack open, shooting fire and brimstone every which way, torching all the forests and turning the oceans into rapidly rising steam. But this was small compared to what happened next. For it was when THEY came through from the chasms of the underworld. Demons by the thousands! Each one a scary and deadly as any human lore would tell you. They all had one goal in mind, the extermination of the human race and the establishment of their own unified society. 665 years had passed and they had all but succeeded. All that was left now was Gaia. It was the last human stronghold buried deep below the Earth, far from the monsters that once dwelled in the very same place. Through countless years, the remaining humans built this place into a kind of utopia, but far from it. Sure, they could survive with the technology they had, but there was so much more that was still up above. That's where the Scavengers came in. They were essentially soldiers tasked with the retrieval of the lost human technology so that it could be used to further preserve the human race and one day mount a final attack on the demons to take back their surface home. One of these soldiers was Leonard Bryant , age 18. As it had become a custom in Gaia, all capable men that came of age were required to join the military forces, either to defend the city, or become a Scavanger and go up above. When a soldier found out about the latter, they knew their lives were most likely forefit. Few who went above ever came back alive and fewer with the resources they were sent to find in the first place. But there were some perks to coming back alive. They would be hailed as heroes and more than likely be set for life. Money, power, women. These would be at the disposal of those who were strong enough to brave the torrid conditions of the surface world and if Leonard had his way, he would have plenty of women to take to bed with him once this was all over. But the mission came first and as he looked into the crimson sky above, he knew it was either success or death out there. It made his stomach twist and turn in agony, even as the commanding officer barked out his final orders to his men. Satellite reports have detected an abandoned research center in sector Gamma 12 which is 50 miles north of here. As you know, this is also where the city of Catharsis lies. Be on the lookout for any demon activity. The last group to venture out towards there were massacared by a demon of unknown class. If you do encounter any demons at all, you are to shoot to kill without prejudice. God knows they would do the same thing to you if they were in your situation. And lastly, just as I tell all Scavengers before you, that if you find yourself in a life or death situation, you must do whatever is neccesary to survive. With our dwindiling population, any survivor will be welcomed with open arms. Now, if there are no complaints, COMMENCE THE SCAVANGER HUNT! This last command was met with a roar of approval from Leonard and the rest of the Scavengers before they proceeded up the ramp and out into the barren wasteland above. As they did, the lid behind them slowly ground shut, leaving the soldiers to fend for themselves. Each one knew that the person next to them would have a slim chance of survival and that given the chance, they would kill each other if it meant coming back alive. At the same time though, they had to rely on each other to complete the mission and further ensure that the human race would continue on for just a little longer. Just this thought alone made Leonard nervous as he clenched on to his standard issue pulse rifle, one of the few weapons that could actually hurt the demons since normal bullets couldn't do a lick of good and were melted down into other useful materials.