After being very inactive for a long, long time, I decided to start a new story. I'm going to try really hard to get better about updating this time around. I hope someone enjoys it.

(And I'm so excited about Plastic Beach coming out! You don't even know! x3)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Duh.

As Noodle crawled out of the gaping Hell Hole, skin darkened by ash; blood leaking from various scrapes and bruises on her thin body, one thought passed through her mind.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Unfortunately, the contents of her stomach were fairly nonexistent and had been for quite some time. So, the only thing vomited was a sick combination of saliva and stomach the dry heaving ceased, the desire to be as far away from the smell of sulfur and brimstone as possible was all that was left. She stumbled her way to the metal stairs and nearly broke an ankle in her attempt to ascend them. Using the walls as her crutch, she limped her way through the basement hallways until her legs eventually gave was greeted, face first, by the cold concrete and debris of the floor. She had made some good distance from the Hell Hole. She rolled over on her back and looked up into the dark abyss of the bunker entrance; hoping that it could carry her voice far enough. "Onegai! Tasukete kudasai!," the young Asian's voice called out weakly in her native tongue. Surely, her band mates-her friends-would find her. "Russel-san! 2-D-san! Mur..doc.." Her unheard cries exhausted her and she quickly fell into a state of unconsciousness.

A blinding stream of sunlight awoke her. Noodle squinted at it until her eyes adjusted. She sat up and groaned at her aching muscles. As she took in her surroundings the bitter aftertaste of vomit reminded her of yesterday's events. She was still right in front of the bunker lift where she remembered passing out. Had the basement always been this bright? Or this quiet? She distinctly remembered the clink clank noise that used to emanate from the boiler room. How long was she out? And an even better question; how long had she been away from home?

She tried to stand, promptly fell back down on her butt, and then tried again. She was surprised by the effort it took her to simply stand. Once she had gotten a bit of momentum on her feet it started to feel more natural, though. She wobbled over onto the lift and pressed the button, grateful that it seemed to still be working. It started violently at first, threatening to throw its single small passenger off. Noodle gripped on to the thin railing and was relieved when the lift settled down as it slowly climbed the bunker.

The lift still jarred every now and then, so she decided it would be easier to simply sit down instead of trying to keep balance on it. When she plopped her bottom down onto it a layer of dust was kicked up, throwing her into a fit of coughs and sneezes. She knew the lift wasn't used very often, but could there really be this much dust? The dust settled as the lift ascended higher. It became increasingly brighter; as if there was some holy entity waiting for her at the top. Any other day Noodle would have just giggled at the irony of a 'light at the end of the tunnel', but in her current situation it terrified her. After all, getting out of hell couldn't be that easy. And it wasn't, but there had to be some kind of catch right? She stood to her feet. Maybe she was dead? Maybe she would never see her family again? These thoughts caused her breath to hitch and her eyes to water. Her hand gripped the rail harder and harder in anticipation. The lift reached the top and she wiped away her blurry eyes.

When her vision cleared the view her green eyes took in only brought more questions. The ruins of what were once Kong Studios lied along the concrete foundation. Debris, singed with ash, was scattered across the her right, small glittering reflections of the sun shone in the landfill, which was now the highest point of Kong's ruins. What had happened to her home? To her family? Her heart began to ache more than her muscles already did. "Setsunai..," she whispered softly to herself.

About 10 feet away an object glimmered and caught her eye. She walked over carefully, as if not wanting to disturb any of the debris. It was a cell phone. Judging by the 'Hail Satan' scribbled on the back in silver sharpie she assumed it was Murdoc's. She flipped it open and powered it on. His background was of Russel, 2-D, and herself all scared witless; popcorn flying in the air. The memory of it brought a smile to her face. 2-D had rented the latest zombie movie. Halfway though the movie Murdoc walked into the dark room and caused all three of them to jump with the flash on his camera phone. Murdoc, of course, had found it hilarious. Russel, however, threatened to shove the phone up the bassist's posterior if he didn't delete the picture. She was giggling at the memory of the fiasco when her reminiscing was interrupted by the phone's urgent beeps. The battery was low and she only had enough time to briefly glance at the date before the phone shut down for good.

11/29/09

She wished she could have double-checked the phone to be sure. The girl's green eyes widened at the realization. Three years had passed. Three years of missed Practices... Missed Christmases... Missed birthdays.. She would have turned 19 just last month. Tears welled up in her eyes again as her legs gave out for the third time that day.

"Something is starting today.
Where did it go, all you wanted to be?
Well, you know November has come when it's gone away."

I should be posting the next chapter sometime this week and updates should be weekly. I'm estimating about 9 chapters, max. So, please stick around! Not all of it is going to be as Emo (or as long) as this chapter was.

Please review, especially if you spot any grammatical errors or typos!

Thank you for reading!!~ -3-