The Chrysalis Experiment
A/N:-So, here it is, my second Life is Strange story. First things first, it's an AU so naturally, there's no time powers and a creepy, rapey teacher etc, etc. Aaron may or may not feature in the story, you'll have to wait and see (I know, I'm a bastard)
Just like a majority of my stories, the plot will be long, messy and complicated and I apologise in advance. There will be an underlying plot that will link everyone and everything together but there'll naturally be sub plot amongst the various groups.
As I'm only allowed to highlight four primary Characters, I'm gonna include a larger list here: O.C's, Max, Chloe, Nathan Prescott, Kate, Victoria, Brooke, Warren, Dana, Juliet, Joyce, David Madsen, Zach, Logan, Trevor, Justin, Rachel Amber and Principle Wells. All of the characters have their own part to play and may or may not make it to the end; you'll have to find that out for yourselves.
The first chapter will have a T rating but will most likely change to an M in future chapters due to shit like sex, gore and strong drug use. As of now, it's relatively safe as I'm still building the fundamentals and painting the picture of where everyone is and what the current situation is.
The first few chapters will be mainly exposition and some exploration of the town as well as the characters themselves. If you haven't already, go check out my other LiS fic, I'd appreciate it. Anyway, fasten your seatbelt, grab a drink and some food cus here we go.
Chapter 1: Devastation
Arcadia Bay: Population 1189-2015 census. No one would have ever expected a giant tornado to come crashing through the quiet coastal town that would seemingly end life as they knew it. One quiet Friday, midway through the summer, July 5th 2015, Arcadia bay died. But it didn't stay dead for long.
Everyone who died in the initial collision came back; they just came back...different. The word 'Zombie' isn't applicable here as they weren't exactly reanimated corpses, if anyone was killed in the collision, they stayed dead, they were the lucky ones. Anyone exposed to whatever chemical the tornado brought with it started exhibiting signs of degraded intellect and signs of increased rage. Eyes became bloodshot, skin became pale and senses became heightened to an inhuman level. People had proposed theories as to how and where the virus came from but they were just that, theories.
The Virus was able to spread via most stereotypical ways: Bites, cuts, grazes or similar circumstances and getting infected blood into your body. Infected blood was able to come into contact with skin as long as it doesn't enter the body via any orifice. For example nose, mouth, eyes, ears and open wounds.
The world went quiet as it looked to Arcadia bay; the Army was on sight and not long after had a perimeter fence around the remains of the town. Patrol boats cruised through the water, ensuring no one got in or out. Any attempt at both was met with lethal force.
Messages were broadcast everyday at twelve, assuring anyone who was left alive that the government was doing everything they could to ensure the safety of the United States and Arcadia bay. It said that as soon as they were able, they would liberate the town from what terrors plagued it and rebuild their lives to what they had once been. Naturally, no one believed it. If help was going to come, it would have been there by the end of July. We're entering the start of September and there are no signs of any change. Two whole months have passed at the only activity coming from Arcadia Bay is that from people scavenging, moving, surviving.
It was now the 5th of September 2015, Arcadia Bay non infected population-154, infected population-782, death toll as of September 4th-253. May God help us.
The Sky was dark despite it being ten in the morning; the weather of Arcadia Bay would most likely never be the same again. Thick, Smokey black clouds filled the sky and constantly rained ash from above. The sun's rays fought a losing battle as it tried to pierce through the thick clouds. On occasions, the odd streak would break through but that was a rarity that didn't often happen.
The roads were destroyed to the point where underground access would be available, enabling people to move via more routes. Buildings had two conditions; they were either inhabitable to the point that they were piles of rubble, or just battered enough to still be liveable. Most survivors found themselves grouped together in their own factions and spent their time in the same building. It was more practical and offered more security.
Some groups preferred the isolation of the forests and surrounding environments rather than a concrete building. To each his own but any sane person chose a brick structure with four walls and a roof (most of it). If you lived in the woods, your sanity seemed to have started to decline. Any form of coherent cooperation had degraded to a sub-par level, similar to old tribes.
As the day went on, two figures emerged from a ruined bank close the centre of the town. Both had backpacks, as did most people who ventured outside, it was the scavenger's most needed item. One held a stockless CYMA pump action shotgun while the younger held a generic wooden hunting rifle, complete with the scope.
The first was local security officer David Madsen. He had a black skullcap on his head, a green shirt with the sleeves rolled up that was covered by a bulletproof vest on his torso, as well as a pouch attached to the back of his jeans that held his shotgun shells, brown cargo pants that had knee pads on the respected knees as well as a pistol holster with a pistol on his right hip and a bandolier of pistol ammo around his left thy. Brown patrol boots on his lower portion of his body.
The second man was Kyle Garver; he was a young man, no older than twenty four who worked at the convenient store back when Arcadia Bay had one. He had messy brown hair that parted out from the middle of his head and just reached his ears. His white skin was masked by dirt and ash, making his brown eyes the only noticeable feature. Kyle had a faded red hoodie with a few rips in the sleeves and the pocket hung over itself. His blue jeans were a darker colour and were in good condition despite being dirty. His tanned hiking boots were probably the newest clothing addition he wore.
David took a knee after leaving the shop as he assessed the road in front of him. As he tightened his black combat gloves, Kyle crouched up behind him.
"Look kid, you don't wanna be rushing out of these buildings, you don't know what'll be waiting on the other side" David said, not taking his eyes off the road. "While you're busy looting, who knows what's happening outside. Any number of those things could have stumbled out here so you gotta be sure it's safe to move" Kyle nodded as he took in what David was telling him.
David was constantly scanning the buildings for any signs of movement, making sure there was no threat that could sneak up on them. Due to the constant ash fall, it was rare you'd see more than fifty feet in front of you but that was the reason David was always alert. He knew that just because he couldn't see anyone, didn't mean no one couldn't see him.
Kyle was naive on how things worked outside of their camp and had asked David to take him on supply runs with him so he'd have a better understanding of how to help out and survive outside. It was his second day and he was doing his best to remember what David was teaching him.
Once David was sure the street was clear, he slowly stood up and moved forward, hugging the buildings as he advanced. Kyle shadowed David from the moment they left the Two Whales. He knew that David was probably the best person to learn from.
Not long down the road, they encountered a van that had crashed into a power line, causing it to fall and block the road. David grunted as he crouched down and assessed the obstacle. Two cars had piled up cutting off one half of the street and the van had gone in lengthways, blocking the other half. Getting past it was going to be tough.
"Why do you crouch when you stop moving?" David asked as he thought of a way to pass.
"Uh, so you make yourself harder to spot" Kyle said as he turned around to watch David's back.
"Uh huh, now what are you tryna avoid?" David asked as he approached the van's driver door.
"Um, everybody; you're tryna avoid both people and Roamers" Roamers was a slang word that the group had come up with for the infected.
"Good, keep paying attention and you'll make it through this" David replied as he examined the inside of the van.
After a few minutes of thinking, David realised the only way through was to crawl across the front seats and out the other side. He dropped his bag and crawled through. Once he got to the other side, he pulled his shotgun across the seats and watched the road ahead. Once he was happy it was clear, he grabbed his bag that Kyle had passed through and waited for Kyle to join him on the other side. Kyle threw his bag to David and passed his rifle through before clambering to the other side.
Due to the power line having fallen onto the front of the van, the gap between seats was hard to navigate past. Kyle being the inexperienced young man he was, reached out and grabbed the steering wheel to pull himself through. As he got into the driving seat, he accidentally leaned into the horn as he jumped out of the van.
David shot him a look that could kill; Kyle's mouth hung open as he realised the stupidity of the mistake he had made. They both knew things were about to get a lot livelier.
Chloe Price sat on the top of the Two Whales Diner, looking out at the destroyed street below. Her attire was pretty similar to what she'd used to wear when the world was normal, the only change being a dark blue sweater instead of a tank top and a dark green trenchcoat over that. The zip was always open and the sleeves tended to be rolled up just before her elbows.
A lawn chair and parasol had been placed up to avoid any ash from smothering someone when they were sitting outside as well as sheets of tin that had been placed on the metal pole that surrounded the edges of the roof. They were put in place as a security measure more than anything.
Chloe took a long drag of her cigarette, closing her eyes to savour the moment. As she exhaled the smoke, she felt a hand rest itself on her right shoulder. Chloe placed her cigarette in her left hand and placed her right and on top of the one currently resting on her shoulder.
"You've been out here a long time, I was starting to get worried" Max Caulfield said in a low tone, everyone sounded depressed nowadays.
"Just thinking, I got a lot on my mind" Chloe replied as she rested her head on Max's arm before turning around to look at her.
Max looked the same as she normally did, the only thing different was a heavy brown jacket that had fur that lined the inside. This was made apparent by the faded white fur clumps that were visible from the neck hole of the jacket. Everyone needed to keep warm; since the collision, the weather had drastically changed. The temperature dropped immensely and any form of central heating had stopped working. Blankets, log fires and warm clothing were all that the survivors had.
"You can't blame yourself for what happened to Kate and Aaron, Chloe. It's not your fault"
"You don't get it Max, if I had just stayed and watched the door instead of-." Chloe cut herself off as tears started to run from her eyes as she started to cry"
Max quickly pulled her up from the chair and pulled her into a warming embrace. Chloe hugged Max back tightly as she cried into her shoulder.
"Chloe Price, I am not gonna tell you again, It. Is. Not. Your. Fault. It's happened, it's over and you need to move passed it. For the last two weeks, you've done nothing but feel sorry for yourself and it's pissing me off so stop" Chloe giggled at what Max was saying. Whenever Max tried to sound firm, she just sounded cute.
"You're right, two weeks is a long time and I gotta pull it together. Thanks Max, I really needed this" Max smiled at Chloe before leaning in and giving her a kiss.
"Come on let's get inside, the ash is coming down heavy today and Warren'll need help on the fence" Max replied as she led Chloe back into the diner.
The Two Whales saw some fortifications in the weeks following the tornado. A junk fence was placed across the entrance to the parking lot and ran to the other side of the diner, cutting off at the wall.
The cars that were in the parking lot made up the majority of the fencing, with bits of wood and tin added on to increase the height. Two junk shacks were constructed behind the fence; one for males and the other for females with the diner itself serving as the main concourse that everyone would spend their time in when they weren't doing any jobs to help the settlement.
The numbers of survivors had dwindled since the initial collision, leaving a fraction of the original group. Some were lost to the Roamers; others chose to leave of their own accord. The diner currently supported: Max and Chloe, David and Joyce, Warren, Brooke, Justin and Trevor, Juliet and Dana, Kyle and his brother Eric and Shane Campo.
Shane was an ex serviceman who usually assisted David on runs or patrolling the wall. He was older than most of the kids in the diner at age forty six. His dark hair was long and greying. His brown eyes were heavy and seemed to always be scanning the room, looking for any weak points, anything that could compromise the group's safety.
His faded brown baseball camp was always on his head, he was never seen without it, the same could be said for his rucksack. He carried spare ammunition, food and water with him at all times. His years in the army had taught him to always be prepared. He had a grey skiing coat that covered his top half, a pair of camo fatigue pants and his tanned service boots.
His M16 hung loosely in his arms as he walked along the fence, he was ready to give his life for the people at the diner.
Max and Chloe walked past him, giving him a nod as they made their way to Warren who was patching up a hole in a part of the wall.
Warren had a large blue coat with a furry hood on as well as a pair of brown cargo pants. He was crouching on top of a car bonnet as he hammered a plank of wood over the bullet holes that were in the wood.
A group of renegades had attacked the diner a few days ago in a desperate effort to kill the group and steal their supplies for themselves. Dana was wounded in the crossfire that was exchanged between the two groups. Justin had to hold Trevor back to stop him from running out and fighting the attackers then and there.
"Hey Warren, need any help?" Max asked as the two stopped next to him.
"Hey guys, nah, I should be good, just this section to go and I'll be done" HE replied as he hammered the nails into the wood.
"People are getting desperate" Chloe said as she shook her head. "The government should have been here weeks ago to help us, not letting us fend for ourselves"
That was a question that everyone had been asking far too many times. They were sick off fighting for their lives day in day out. Forced to kill people they once knew in order to survive.
"I couldn't agree more" Warren said as he climbed off the car "We just gotta hope something gets done fast or more shit like this will keep happening. We're lucky it was only Dana and it was just a graze" Warren continued as the three headed for the diner.
Tensions were rising, people were on edge and there was nothing anyone could do. People were struggling to survive and they had resorted to any means necessary. It was only just beginning.
Nathan Prescott sulked his way across his bedroom floor, slamming it behind him. His endeavour to kill a Roamer had gotten Hayden killed and it was his fault. He was trying to prove a point, show he was a big boy and that they were no match for him. He was wrong and someone else had paid the price. He broke down crying on his bedroom floor, the sense of guilt was too much for him.
The last thing Nathan wanted was to get his friend killed but it was too late. His little experiment had proved to be deadly.
Victoria slowly entered Nathan's room and sat on the floor beside him. She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in close.
"Shhhh Nathan, it's ok, it's all gonna be ok" She said quietly.
"It's my fault, I just wanted to...and he was...oh my God" Nathan's crying became louder as he turned to hug Victoria.
The two had known each other for so long and might as well be brother and sister. They were always there for one another and had looked out for each other since the tornado destroyed everything.
Nathan, Victoria, Zach and some other members of their social group had found shelter in Nathan's mansion. It offered security and protection and was relatively safe dude to its elevated position at the top of the hill. They had lasted due to the size of Nathan's food reserves that his Dad had prepared should something like this happen. Nathan had no idea where his dad was, he could be dead for all he knew and he couldn't care.
They had weapons to protect themselves, a few handguns, the odd hunting rifle and Zach's old man's shotgun but it was a group of kids left to fend for themselves. There was no adults with them, they were on their own.
It had worked so far; people listened to Nathan as it was his house and Zach was like his enforcer, making sure everyone did as Nathan asked and kept the peace. Due to these circumstances, Nathan became the de facto ruler of their group. He did his best but he always relied on Hayden for support and advice. Something he couldn't do anymore.
They had dealings with the group at the diner but decided to avoid each other when possible. Nathan's trust issues didn't help their case and decided they would be better off on their own.
Nathan finally collected himself and stood up. He swallowed hard before looking at himself in the mirror. People were depending on him and he needed to be the leader they were looking at him like.
"Zach, get in here!" He shouted, grabbing his brown raincoat off the floor of his bed and zipping it up. The coat wasn't very heavy but was waterproof and warmer than it looked.
"Yo, what's up" Zach replied as he peered 'round Nathan's door, shotgun in hand.
"Grab you gear, there's something we gotta do" Nathan began as he slung his bag on his back as he walked past Zach. He had a plan.
David and Kyle ran through the destroyed Streets of Arcadia Bay, Roamers hot on their heels. The two men panted as they made their way down the alley they had ran into. Blood and muck covered them, showing signs of a scuffle they had just had with some Roamers.
"Get ready to climb!" David shouted, in response to the chain-link fence that blocked them off from the end of the alley.
Kyle jumped and climbed up the two metre frame as David stopped and threw his bag over before turning around. He fired once down the alley, catching a Roamer in the gut, killing him. Two more shells ejected from his shotgun as two more Roamers fell face down onto the cracked tarmac. David backed himself up until he was touching the fence, another shot rang through the air as a Roamers head came off.
"David, climb!" Kyle shouted, signalling that he was over the fence.
"David turned around and clambered as fast as he could up and over the fence. His heart racing as he anticipated his legs getting grabbed. This could be the end.
It was not the end and David realised that when his face hit the ground when he threw himself over. Kyle helped him up and handed him his bag before both men looked at the fence. It was rattling as the alleyway was caked with Roamers who were desperately trying to break it down.
"Dumpster!" David shouted as he gestured to a metal double lidded trash bin that rested up against the brick wall.
The two men dropped their weapons and pushed with all their might, ensuring that the dumpster made it to the fence. Their hearts were in their throats as the Roamers screeches and roars rang in their ears.
Once the dumpster was against the fence, they picked their weapons up and continued to run. Even though the dumpster would increase the stability of the chain-link fence, it wouldn't last. They weren't out of the woods yet and needed to keep moving. They'd bought themselves some time...for now.
July 5th 2015, 5:16pm
The sun was still high in the beautiful orange sky; Arcadia Bay was quiet as everyone was still recovering from the Independence Day festivities the day before. This would be the last time anyone would see the sky that colour again.
A man in a white suit and brown shoes stood next to the Arcadia Bay lighthouse as he looked out across the town. He ran his fingers through his grey hair before adjusting his tinted glasses. A smirk rested on his lips as he stood there, waiting for something to happen.
As if on cue, his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and answered.
"Is everything ready? Good, begin project Chrysalis"
A/N:-So that's an end to the first Chapter; let me know what you think, if you like it, if it's shit and if you want to see more. I'm still on the fence about whether to continue it or not, depends on the feedback.
The reason I spent a lot of time on Character description is because I wanted to get that post apocalyptic sense across. The climate is different and people have to dress accordingly. Imagine the landscape like Silent Hill; foggy and ashy but also cold due to the sun being unable to reach the surface.
Things will seem a bit vague as the story has only just began so stick with it and see where it goes.
Follow/Favourite and Review, I'd really appreciate it. Any questions, go ahead and ask, I'll do my best to answer them. Until next time.