Thread: The Ruin of Mankind

The tension in the air was thick and palpable as Cali defiantly kept her middle finger pointed up towards the sky, only the rumbling of the jeep's engine and the spirited laughter of one solitary raider disturbing the dead silence which seemed to have enveloped the ghost town. Cali watched as the one who'd wrestled and collared her - presumably the leader - produced a handgun that looked to have seen more than it's share of action. She reckoned that it was pretty much a coin flip whether the weapon was intended for her or for the dumbass who'd dared to have a laugh at his boss' expense. Again, the emotions that Cali experienced in reaction to her possible death were mixed. Her heart wanted to live, but the logical part of her brain kept reasoning that death would be a kinder fate by far compared to what those animals planned on doing with her. She held her breath and shut her eyes until she heard the gunshot, followed by the familiar thud of a lifeless body hitting the ground. She opened her eyes again just in time to see the bloodied leader striding towards her, now carrying his AK-105. Straining, Cali tried to push herself up with her elbows, not really sure what she was even aiming to accomplish, but again she found her aching muscles to be unresponsive, and seconds later the butt of the raider's assault rifle would come crashing down on her, making the world go dark. It wasn't until some indeterminate amount of time later that Cali stirred from her unconscious state, whimpering quietly and hugging herself in response to the loud rumble of thunder overhead. Briefly, she heard a gruff voice without being able to make out any of the words before slipping into an uneasy sleep, succumbing to her exhaustion. She could still hear heavy raindrops pummeling the roof above her head, only it wasn't the Jeep's roof anymore. Cali recognized the worn, cracked dashboard of her father's rickety old sedan. Tears clouded her eyes as she turned to her left, seeing the gaunt look on her dad's face as well as the dark red stain that had spread over the front of his shirt. He was breathing hard, fighting to keep his eyes open as he leaned over the steering wheel, trying to keep the car on the road. It was the dead of night, the headlights had been shot out, the windshield wipers didn't work and he was bleeding out from the bullet lodged in his stomach, so it was no easy task. Outside, thunder kept booming louder and louder, as if they were getting closer to the epicenter of the storm. The memory faded and a glowing neon sign became superimposed over the image of her father as Cali's eyes flickered open again. Her knowledge of geography wasn't the best, nor did she have all of her wits about her at the moment, but she still knew that they couldn't possibly be in Las Vegas. Which could only mean... Thunder struck again, followed immediately an even louder sickening crack as a body rolled over the car's hood, smashing the windshield before flying over the roof. Cali's seat belt snapped her firmly into the passenger chair as tires screeched over the wet pavement and the car went careening off the road and into a shallow ditch where it flipped upside down. She screamed hysterically through the whole crash until a familiar hand gripping her arm silenced her. Cali, listen to me. His breathing and voice were both ragged, and he sounded more solemn than Cali had ever heard him before. Up- Up this slope, into the woods. You have to make it into the woods and find a good place to hide, you understand me? he asked, struggling to unlatch his daughter's seat belt as they both hung upside down. Even through the storm, she could already hear the dull, mindless moaning of the pack of feral ghouls shuffling towards the upturned vehicle. At twelve, she was old enough to understand that her dad wouldn't be coming with her, but she couldn't accept it. Tears streaming down her eyes, Cali untangled herself and climbed down from her seat, getting right-side up before reaching frantically for her father's seat belt buckle. She tugged at it ineffectively for a second until he reached out to grab one of her arms and stop her. Please Cali...this isn't the time to be stubborn, he implored her, his own eyes wet with tears now. Remember what I taught you, and most off all, remember that I love you. She saw him wince in agony as he stretched his injured body just to give her one last kiss on the forehead. Now go . Into the dark, cold night she went. Alone. The cracking of thunder still reminded Cali of her father's screams as the ghouls tore him apart, the memory haunting her even to this day. She slipped out of the nightmare only to find herself in hell instead. The screams that she could make out now weren't her father's, but those of other captive women. Captive women like her. Blackwater. She'd never seen it herself, but she'd heard about how it was where most of the women who fell prey to raiders ended up to be broken into mindless slaves and used. That had to be where they'd taken her. When the Jeep stopped, its engine going silent, Cali lowered her eyelids to make like she was still asleep. Red would find her naked body damp with cold sweat when he dragged her out of the back seat and tossed her over his shoulder like a bag of cement. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself not to make a sound wghile he manhandled her, pain flaring up from her many bruises. The son of a bitch had been stupid and arrogant to leave her hands untied, so she prayed that she might get some kind of opportunity to punish him for that. For now, Cali did her best to maintain the illusion that she was sleeping and the element of surprise as her heavy breasts hung upside down, pressing up against the raider's muscular back while he carried her into some building.