Chapter 1 - Down the Rabbit Hole

I've often been grateful for the talents that I have, beyond my "witchy" ones. I've learned to fight at a decent level, which has saved my butt on many occasions. I inherited my baking skills from my mother, who taught me at an early age on the importance on following the recipe and where you could improvise. Even my fashion sense has gotten a lot better since Ivy and I became a couple. Ivy quickly learned to turn me away from the glittery, short and tight items, showing me clothes that fit my shape better. Not that Ivy minded the short, tight items…

The talent I am least grateful for is the ability to immediately determine what kind of surface I am waking up on. I've learned to differentiate between various stonework and floors within seconds of waking up. I'm not proud of this, because it usually meant that I was knocked out, even briefly. Jenks had a field day the first time he learned about this, prompting him to rib me for a week's time. He even composed a song about it, which made matters worse.

So, even as I woke up with a pounding migraine, I could determine that I was laying on cold (very cold!) concrete that felt a bit smooth, probably from frequent use. A sidewalk of some sort, probably in the city. I started to open my eyes, but the light was like knives to my eyes, so I quickly shut them. I would kill for a pain amulet right now, but unfortunately they were all in my bag. You know, the bag I left at Al's. I sighed (a bad habit that I really needed to break), realizing that the situation wasn't going to fix itself, so I needed to get a move on. Bracing myself, I slowly rose to my feet while gradually unclenching my eyes from their prior shock.

I found myself at Fountain Square in downtown Cincy, but never like this. I thought at first that I was still in the Ever After, just at their distorted image of the square. A quick look up at the very blue sky showed a bright yellow sun, so I was definitely in my Cincinnati. It was still off. The fountain wasn't running, which does happen when performing maintenance on it; the amount of graffiti on it said that it apparently hadn't run for a while. I recognized a few names in the graffiti, which were various werewolf packs. While I was contemplating the fountain, a sudden thought crossed my mind. Where were all the people?

Based on the sun, it looked to be in the late afternoon, so the square should be filled with people going to their various destinations. No cars either. I saw a few cars on the streets, but they looked trashed; the kind you would see in movies like the Road Warrior or Terminator. The nearby buildings and stores hadn't fared any better; I didn't see any intact windows on the shops surrounding the square. It's like a natural disaster had happened, like a tornado or earthquake or something. My mind was racing, trying to figure out why it would be like this. I was in Cincy on Sunday, just two days ago; aside from some roadwork, there was nothing then that showed any kind of issue, especially at this level of destruction.

"Ivy…", her name slipping past my lips as I took in the destruction around me. If it was this bad in the city, was she and Jenks okay? Did the church suffer damage like these buildings? Was anyone I knew okay? I felt an enormous desire to tear out of here, so as to get to the church as fast as possible. Ivy was a planner, but no one could have planned for anything on this scale. The lack of any type of governmental figures, be it police, firemen, or soldiers, in the area meant that it wasn't just here at the Square that was affected. My heart was aching to know if she was okay.

My body decided that it needed my attention, however, shivering hard; I was starting to feel the effects of the brisk, cold wind on me. It felt like a normal late fall day, which was disturbing me on another level; when I left the church this morning, it was promising to be a beautiful summer day. At any rate, the wonderful maid outfit that Al decided to bless me with wasn't very ideal clothing for a fall day in Cincy. There were a couple different clothing stores nearby, all within walking distance. I decided on a sports apparel store, which I figured would be best for the situation. Normally I would never be caught outside the church wearing something that casual, but I was a little more worried about warmth than fashion.

You know the scenes in horror movies, when the girl goes for a walk in the dark, where it gets really quiet as you realize that she is being stalked by the killer? That's what it felt like walking to the store. I really wanted to yell out a hello to see if I got an answer, but then I thought that maybe I didn't want to get an answer, based on the destruction around me. I felt almost paranoid about my surroundings, looking around me every few seconds. I passed a burnt out car with broken windows, the metallic skeleton being the only parts left on the vehicle. When I glanced into the car itself, I saw jumbles of bones inside; two appeared to be from adults, with what appeared to be a toddler in the back seat. Tears welled up while I stifled a sob; despite how crappy people might be, children never deserved something like this.

I moved quickly on, before my grief got worse. Dying kids always brought back bad memories of the times I spent in the hospital and the camp during my stint with Rosewood Syndrome. My mind was already on edge; I didn't need the feelings that my memories would dredge up. The situation was getting worse as I saw more; I just couldn't make any sense of it. Even if the car was set on fire with those people in it, could it really have reduced them to just skeletal remains in just two days? Maybe the skeletons were moved here, but why? Was there a movie being made here? I would have heard something about it, if that was the case.

How could the world have changed so significantly, in such a short time? What in the Turn happened?

My mind was whirling away, trying to make sense on what I had seen, to the point where it was hard to focus on anything else. I stopped and took several deep breaths; now wasn't the time to panic. I needed to set goals (Ivy would be so proud), and tackle each problem as I got to it. I needed clothes, some form of transportation, and, seeing the darkening skies, somewhere to stay. Nights could get pretty cold here during the fall, so I needed to find a place sooner than later. My stomach gurgled noisily, reminding me that I needed to add food and water to the list. Another sigh escaped before I could clamp down on it. I really need to stop doing that; Ivy was already getting a little annoyed by my frequent sighing. If I got irritated at her before we became a couple, I would yell out my frustrations, which made the situation worse. No way am I getting on her bad side, ever again.

I didn't see anything else gruesome on my way; I passed another trashed car, this one on its side. As the undercarriage was facing me, I couldn't see if there were any former occupants in there. After my last experience, I had no desire to go look. I came up to Koch's Sporting Goods, which looked like most of the other stores in the area: broken windows, damaged structure, and a dark interior. Luckily, I had made light earth charms before I left for the Ever After; I then cursed my luck when I remembered my bag was left at Al's. I summoned a small ball of light; the smut was very minimal on this curse, so I hardly noticed it when it hit me. The small orb of light gave off a paleish light, strong enough to see but not enough to be easily seen from afar. Mentally pushing the light above me, I stepped into the store.

It was apparent even before I walked in that the store had been thoroughly trashed. Even more so, the fabrics still left around looked chewed upon and partially disintegrated. It didn't look like there were any clothes that were still whole. It's like the people who did this were more interested in trashing the store rather than looting it. I did look behind the register area where I found a few protein bars inside a small plastic container. I wolfed one down quickly, wishing I had water to wash it down. It tasted very stale, but I was able to swallow it down. Satisfied that there was nothing else useful upfront, I headed to the back, the whitish light of my orb following me.

Entering the backroom, I tried the light switch there unsuccessfully; I'm guessing that power was out. Not that that surprised me, as there were no lights on anywhere else, but I hoped it wasn't as bad as it looked. There was enough light coming from my orb to see decently, thankfully. I discovered row upon row of hung clothing, varying from t-shirts to sweat shirts to jackets. Most of them looked similar to the ones upfront. There were two doors, one marked as a restroom, leaving the other I guessed to be the office. Along the interior wall was hooks holding smaller items, like socks, caps and the like. There were boxes in a corner that appeared to not have been opened yet. Lastly there were shelves of shoe boxes along the outer wall. I went into the office, finding a desk and shelves with white cardboard boxes, the kind that hold old paperwork. I made my way to the desk, where rested a broken monitor and keyboard. I looked through the drawers thoroughly, finding a box opener wedged near the back of the bottom drawer. Probably why it wasn't taken, I considered. I managed to get it worked out; the blade was not in the best shape, but it should suffice. I checked the boxes, finding paperwork as expected. The lowest box held a surprise: someone's hidden stash! Various cookies and crackers, a couple candy bars and a bottle of rum. While I would have preferred water, I wasn't averse to taking a swig or two as needed. A nearby duffel bag, still in usable shape, was quickly put into use, carrying all my finds.

I came out of the office and stepped slowly to the boxes; I had been feeling a niggly sensation ever since I entered the store. It was probably just a mild case of paranoia, but I had learned long ago to listen when my instincts were telling me something. Still, I needed to find real clothing, but everything I had seen so far was damaged to the point of being unusable. I reached for one of the closest and lowest boxes; as I moved it towards me, I could tell it wasn't empty at least. As I was cutting the box open, a sound arose from a fair distance away, causing me to freeze. It sounded like a wolf cry.

Even though I am the Alpha bitch of a werewolf pack, I still cannot tell the difference between a werewolf and a wolf when they cried out. David tried teaching me, figuring that it might save me one day, or at least be useful. I could never differentiate them. David eventually gave up on the issue, figuring that there might be too subtle a difference for a witch to notice. Ivy, of course, was able to tell the difference every time. She was a little smug about it, but soon apologized profusely after I teased her to no end, flashing bits of skin offhandedly while frequently tilting my head, exposing my neck. It never hurt to remind her of the power I had over her. (Of course, she could do the same to me by simply smiling with a slight bit of fang.) She couldn't get me home fast enough that night. We were both happy at the end of the day, so all was good.

So, here I was, still not sure what the creature was. I was really hoping that it was going away from me instead of closing in. My only relief was that there was no answering call, so it might have been a lone wolf. Or werewolf. Whatever. I looked into the box, while keeping an ear out for any other sounds. Inside were items of clothing that appeared to have survived. Unfortunately, it was a box of men's shorts. Just my luck. I went to go pick up a second box, when I heard a scratching noise. Great, rats. The first sign of life here were rats. I made sure to make enough noise to scare it (or them) off while grabbing the next box. It sounded like it scurried off after that, but I was nervous that it might come back with friends. Time to get what I can and get out of here.

That second box had hoodies, which I was happy to see, even if they had the Steelers logo on them. While not really being a sports fan, I knew enough that normally I would never be caught dead wearing a Steelers hoodie in Cincy. It'd be like walking into a vampire den with a bleeding neck. Still, I wasn't complaining. Grabbing one in my size and one larger as a 'coat', I put the rest to the side and looked at the lowest box in the column. I could see the hole on the side that undoubtedly was gnawed by a hungry rat. I skipped that box and moved to the next box up top. I finally found a box of sweats, again grabbing two. I doubted that anywhere I found to stay would have all the amenities, like heat or running water. At least the sweats were Bengals imprinted.

I happily stripped off the maid costume, determined to have words with Al next time I saw him. I hesitated a moment before putting the sweats on. I rarely went commando (usually only when I wanted to excite Ivy), but there was no underwear sold here and the pair that came with the maid outfit were more frilly than functional. I reluctantly kept those panties on before adding the sweats, hoping to make do. Both hoodies went on, making me feel much warmer. I grab a couple pairs of socks and moved over to the shoes. I couldn't find anything in my size; the best I came up with was a pair of wrestler shoes a half size larger. Wearing two pairs of socks should make that okay, so I grabbed more. I knew that the shoes weren't a good long term choice, but I really wanted to be in a secure location before night fell. Something was obviously wrong here and I didn't want to discover why by running into anything in the dark. I threw what I wasn't wearing into my duffle bag and slung it on my shoulder.

I was greatly feeling the urge to get somewhere safe, but I had no clue where to go. I really wanted to get to the church; I was feeling very anxious about what might have happened to Ivy and Jenks. It was rapidly changing from dusk to night, so I would have been traveling in the dark if I left now. Right; I have no night vision and using any kind of light would make me stick out. It would be best to travel during the day. I would need shelter, preferably somewhere away from rats and other creatures. There were several hotels in the area; I could try one to see if I can get into a room. The Westin was closest to Fountain Square and the closest one for me. I did a quick look around to make sure I didn't miss anything useable, but it was just more clothes and shoes. I shouldered my duffle bag and headed outside.

I scuttled along, staying as close as I could to the shadows of the buildings. I had yet to hear a repeat howl, so I hoped whatever it was had moved on. Thinking of potential threats made me realize that I had no weapons with me; my splat gun was back at Al's and my silver dagger I kept tucked in a boot had disappeared with the rest of my clothes, thanks to Al. I'd have to use magic to defend myself; I hoped that if that need arose, that it wouldn't attract more attention. I reached out to the closest leyline; I almost stumbled when I actually felt it.

Whenever I would normally harness leyline energy, I would start by making a connection to the closest one (or largest one if there are multiple) and develop a two way connection to it. The energy would flow just like water to and from me, just like a river. When I grabbed a hold of the line here, it felt like I was handling mud. The energy was slowly coming to me, which I began to spin up, but it was such a weird feeling. I had never had any line behave like the one I was using. I cast out to another nearby line, but got the same sluggish feeling. Were all lines like this now? What the hell happened here?

I managed to get enough spun up as I walked that I could defend myself as needed, but I'm not sure I could count on them in a pinch. I needed to cross the street here to get to the Westin; I had never felt as exposed as I did walking away from the buildings. The sheer silence and lack of any movement had begun to unnerve me more than anything else in my life. While I enjoyed my quiet time at the church some days, there was always a reminder that life existed outside the church, whether it was a passing car, the pixies playing outside, a plane flying overhead, even just the wind blowing. The city was silent, like it was dead.

The doors were actually locked at the Westin, but there were smashed out windows that I could pass through. I headed behind the desk, hoping to find anything that could be useful. I did find a barely working flashlight; I would need to conserve it as much as possible. I did find a few small water bottles hiding behind the printer; I quickly drank one down while stowing the rest away. I added some hair pins to my bag; they could be useful if I needed to pick a lock. (I was nowhere near as good as Jenks, but I could eventually get it.) They would be little help here; the Westin, like many upscale hotels, had long ago moved over to key cards. I wasn't sure how I would get into a room, beyond brute strength. I still felt like making as little noise as possible, but it may not be avoidable here.

A calendar caught my attention on the second glance of the desk. It was set to April 2012, which was clearly wrong. A practical joke by someone? If it was, why was it kept? I thought about it briefly, before realizing that I had more important things to worry about. Shouldering my bag, I headed to the elevators, only to remember at the last moment that they wouldn't be working. The stairs it was. The first three floors of the Westin were dedicated to shops and restaurants, so I climbed up to the fourth floor and exited the stairwell. The destruction that I had come to expect was not present here; it would look like a normal day at the hotel if the lights were lit. The dying flashlight illuminated the hall enough for me to see a fire extinguisher and axe mounted behind a glass door on the wall. Setting down my bag, I grabbed the extinguisher, hefting it my hands. I went to a nearby room and broke the door in using the extinguisher.

Setting the extinguisher down for a moment, I grabbed the flashlight and spun it around the room briefly. It looked like a standard room with two beds, both of which were made. There was the basic table with two chairs, a bedside table between the two beds, a small desk and a low dresser with a mini fridge on it. The room didn't show any signs of previous or current habitation, but I was determined to be cautious on this. I went back to take the axe down before slowly entering the room. The bathroom was to my immediate right; I pushed open the door with the axe, looking inside. It was empty; the shower curtain was not pulled, which allowed me to see an empty tub. Dismissing the bathroom, I moved forward, looking along the sides of the bed to ensure nothing was there. Lastly, I reluctantly laid down on the floor to ensure that there was nothing under either bed to worry about. While there was a horde of dust bunnies there, I found nothing to be concerned with.

I went back to grab my bag and the extinguisher, pulling both into the room. Once in, I closed the door and propped one of the chairs under the door handle. I latched both the chain and the swing lock, hoping that these plus the chair would afford me security for the night. The room was a bit chilly, but I figured that I would just sleep in my clothes for warmth. I moved to the window, seeing that it looked out over Fountain Square. I peered out the window, still seeing no movement anywhere. I closed the threadbare drapes, wishing that they were blackout drapes. Without those, I didn't dare use my light orb overnight; it would be like a flashing neon light pointing at my location. I would have to settle for the flashlight, hoping that it didn't die in the meantime. Both bedspreads looked very dusty and timeworn; I carefully rolled one up, hoping that the dust wouldn't permeate the room. While some did escape, I managed to keep it to a minimum.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, I started investigating the room, hoping to find anything of worth. The bedside table held a channel guide and a Gideon bible. Disgusted, I threw both back in the drawer and closed it. The drawers on the dresser were empty, as was the one on the desk. The mini fridge yielded a nice surprise; it was, in fact, a mini bar! I looted the bottles of liquor and water, along with the many candy bars and bags of nuts and candy. I had food, none of which was particularly healthy for me, but it was better than starving. I did take the shampoo and soap I found in the bathroom as well. I might try another few rooms tomorrow to add to my stash.

There wasn't much for me to do at this point. I shed the outermost layer of clothing, but kept the inside layer; I can't imagine that it was going to stay warm overnight. I settled myself on the bed, wishing it was my bed at home. Ivy. I hoped she was ok. I hoped that she was able to either survive at home or flee to a safe place. Tears were starting to roll down my cheeks as I ran scenarios though my mind, slowly getting worse as I contemplated what I would do if the worst scenario was real. I knew that it was pointless to let my imagination run wild, but it was hard to not wonder if something bad had happened to Ivy while I was away.

I started to feel sleepy but needed to take one last action to ensure security. I concentrated on drawing enough leyline energy to form a ward on my room. This way, if any one or thing somehow managed to get past the locks and chair, I would still be alerted by the ward even if they came in without making noise. I tried to get comfortable, but these beds were lumpy, probably due to time and age. I managed to find a position that wasn't too bad, turning off the sputtering flashlight. That I kept near me; no sense fumbling around, trying to find it if there was an emergency. It had been a long day, both physically and emotionally. I soon fell into a deep sleep.

I was startled awake, sure that I heard a noise. I waited breathlessly until I heard a wolf's cry, undoubtedly an answer to the one that awoke me. I turned on the flashlight and slowly went to the window, taking care to not make any noise. I parted the drapes as little as possible to look out. The moon was only partly out, as dark clouds partly obscured its light. Still, it was enough light to see that it was raining heavily, what would be snow in a few months, based on the temperatures. I didn't see any movement while anxiously looking around. I was a tad bit nervous that the wolves had somehow found my scent and were looking for me. I was ready to go back to bed, assuming that it was a case of my overactive imagination, when I saw them.

A pack of wolves was coming down 5th Street at a slow trot. Occasionally one would stop and sniff at something, but then would quickly rejoin the group. I hurriedly shut off the flashlight, hoping that they didn't look up and possibly see the light. While I was relatively sure that wolves wouldn't be able to make it up the stairs, since the stairwells had fire proof doors, I really didn't want to take chances. Especially if they were werewolves.

One broke off and came to the sidewalk outside the Westin, his nose planted to the ground. For what seemed like ages he sniffed away, until he came up, shaking his ahead. I guessed it was a sneeze, but I couldn't be sure. At any rate, the wolf gave up and caught up with the pack, apparently satisfied that there was nothing there. The pack turned up Vine Street, with a few stragglers catching up from the Square. I drew a deep breath in; it felt like I had stopped breathing while watching them. I got lucky that it rained; otherwise, the wolves would have undoubtedly caught my scent otherwise. Once the wolves were out of sight, I closed the drapes again and used the flashlight to make my way back to bed. Despite my nerves being completely frazzled, I hoped to get a few more hours in before I had to get up.

I was rather shocked that a pack of wolves were so brazenly walking the streets of Cincy; it just furthered the mystery of what had happened. The silence was really getting to me; it seemed that every so often I would hear a noise, but I can't say that it was real or just my imagination getting the best of me. I was too afraid to leave a light on, so I only got bits of moonlight coming in. I wished that it was complete darkness; shadows from the moonlight seemed to shift and move around, making me paranoid that someone was in the room with me. Eventually exhaustion won out over paranoia, making me fall quickly asleep.

I rested undisturbed for the remainder of the night. When I awoke, sunlight was already making its way into the room through holes in the curtain. I took a peek out of the curtains to verify that I saw no one; once I was assured that it was safe, I opened the curtains to allow in light. I went and took care of business in the bathroom, wishing for a toothbrush. I hated the feeling of what I considered dirty teeth, but there was nothing I could do about it right now. There was a nearby Walgreen's, so I could make it there to see if there was anything I could salvage. I didn't have high hopes, based on the stores that I had passed. None looked like that they had survived the destruction well.

I gathered my items back into my bag. I did want to check a few rooms on this level; I really needed more water than I currently have. I know the old axiom about a gallon of water per day per person, but I'm not sure I could find and carry around that much on my own. I just needed enough for now; I could always get more from the Ohio River, as I passed over it on the way home. Home. I hoped it was still there. No, I hoped that Ivy and Jenks were still there. Thoughts of them and what may have happened rose in my mind, but I knew I couldn't worry about that now. Stay in the moment, Rachel. We work now to get to where we want to be later. Grabbing the fire extinguisher, I headed to the nearest room.

Several rooms later, I had managed to get enough water to satisfy my fears of dehydration. Plenty of candy bars and other snacks were packed away; I hoped that I would be able to find more substantial foods soon. I ate another of the very stale protein bars and a bag of nuts, washing them down with one of my waters. I put back on the over sweat pants and shirt, knowing it was going to be plenty cold outside. I could hear the wind whipping past the downtown buildings; cold plus a wind tunnel effect would make it a miserable journey until I made my way past the tall buildings.

I decided the best way back was the most direct, even though it would leave me a little bit exposed. Taking the suspension bridge was the direct way over into the Hollows; still I was afraid that I would stick out on there, making it easier to corner me. Provided that there was something out there to corner me, of course. Besides the wolves, I guess. I could go over to the highway, but it would add more time to the trip, and I wasn't sure my luck would hold on food and water. I wasn't particularly happy with the shoes that I found; they didn't really give much support, which I needed for the trip ahead. There was a sneaker store right across from the FIB building; I was going to go check both for … well, for anything really. A quick trip to the bathroom and a quick glance around the room for anything I hadn't packed, found me ready to go. I considered taking the axe, but I was not proficient in using it at all and it could tire me too quickly from using it. While it might look formidable, it would more than likely be a hindrance than a help. Seeing nothing else, I left the room and went downstairs.

I waited very carefully at the downstairs door, listening for any sounds of movement. Satisfied that there were none, I exited the stairway, slowly moving over to the front desk. The floor-to-ceiling glass walls made it easy to see if anyone was nearby, but it also made me feel very edgy. The fact that my field of vision was limited made me nervous about venturing outside yet. Normally when I was on a run, I was full of piss and vinegar, ready to take on the world. This, however, seemed so foreign that I couldn't feel that same boldness I usually felt. Stupid! My mind has been so preoccupied with my surroundings that I forgot one of the simplest tools in my repertoire: my second sight.

I reached out to the nearest leyline, spindling up energy for use during the day. The line was just as sluggish as yesterday, but eventually I had filled myself up. I switched my sight over and looked around. I was thrown off at first, as I didn't think that the Westin had a basement, but they do. The disappearance of the floors under me always distracted me at first, something I'd never gotten used to. Still, looking around in all directions showed no signs of any kind of larger life forms. I did see birds flying and small creatures running about, which I assumed were rats. No humans. I even looked up into the larger buildings, such as Carew Tower or the IS building. They all appeared empty.

I knew that it was simple enough to build a ward that would counteract second sight, but I really didn't imagine that that was the case. All the humans had left this area. I would need to venture out further from the square into more residential areas to see if this was something on a bigger scale. The coast looked clear, so I shouldered my bag and headed out.

My first stop was UNheardof, a trendy athletic shoe store. While I usually preferred boots, I liked some of their shoes, but my dirt poor self couldn't afford them. Usually I came by to just browse and wish I had the money to buy whatever my heart desired. Funny how things change… I stepped into the store and started looking. After a good ten minutes rummaging around the back, I finally came up with a pair half a size too big. I donned the extra pair of socks I had grabbed yesterday, and they fit good enough to wear. As I stepped out, I took a long look at the FIB building across the street. It seems like it didn't weather the destruction just like everything else I had seen. I took a look through my second sight to verify that there was no one in the building; it unfortunately came up as empty as everything else. Curiosity overtook me, so I decided to look down into the tunnels that ran below the streets. Some smaller life forms, probably rats, moved around, but nothing else was stirring. I quickly ended the view; it was still disconcerting to feel like you are standing in the air.

I moved back to Vine Street, taking the southern route towards the Ohio River. I tried to move briskly; the less time I spent outside, the less chances I might get spotted. In some ways I would be relieved when I departed the downtown area; the tall buildings surrounding me seemed too much like walls built to hold me in. Of course, I would feel too much in the open soon enough. I would need to cross the riverside park area and then on the suspension bridge, all the time with little to hide behind if the need arouse.

A quick swig of water reminded me of my teeth, which were feeling very gross. There was a Walgreen's drug store just 3 blocks away, but in the wrong direction. The urge to get home was outweighing the need of dental hygiene right now, so I kept heading south.

As I got further from Fountain Square, I noticed more and more vandalized cars: some in the street and some parked. After my first experience, I tried to shy away from them, in case there were still people in them. I did pass by a skeleton on the ground beside a sign that said, 'The End Is Nigh'. The sign was on point, it seemed. Looks like the end finally got here. Not something I'd ever want to be right about. Most of the bones were cracked open, which didn't really surprise me. Wolves (and dogs) would often feast on the marrow inside of bones. I shook my head and moved on.

I came to my first open area. There was a short bridge across interstate 91 here, which passed in an east-west direction. It wasn't a far walk to the other side, which had buildings again to block me from views, but it seemed like forever. I huffed at myself, thinking of all the things I had faced and won against; why was I letting a little open space scare me? Because I had no idea what was going on and how dangerous it might be. I stopped here for a moment, dropping my bag to the sidewalk. I crouched by my bag, fishing out a water to drink. I contemplated my choices here, but then determined that this was the best and only way. I finished off the water quickly and then looked at the empty bottle in my hand. Normally I would try to recycle (Ivy had rubbed off on me in that regards), but I doubted that recycling is a big thing anymore. Shrugging, I tosses the bottle into a nearby trash receptacle that was actually standing upright. The temperature seemed to be rising, so I took off the outer sweatshirt and pants, storing them in my bag. I slung the bag over my head and started up again.

I took a quick look into the sky, seeing the sun still midway in the eastern sky. I estimated that it was around 10am, which gave me a 6 hours to get as far as I can. I really needed to keep an eye on places that might be good for overnight shelter; I really didn't want to be outside when night came. That wolf pack freely roaming the streets bothered me enough that I didn't want to take chances. The quietness of the inner city was slowly going away, as I was hearing bird sounds and insect noises. While these were more soothing than absolute silence, it was still eerie to not hear noises of human habitation.

Quickly looking through my second sight, I didn't see anything alarming, so I started briskly walking across the bridge. It only took a few moments to cross, but I still let out a sigh of relief when I got there. The Underground Railroad center was to my left and an office building to my right, for at least the next block. Once I passed these, I would be out in the open for about a half mile. Not wanting to lose daylight, I kept going, trying to keep a brisk pace. Nothing was moving at all except for the occasional bird. That at least comforted me, as birds will scatter if something big and nasty is around.

I had walked the ramp up onto the actual bridge; so far so good. I picked the right pedestrian path, simply as it was closest to me. Plenty of cars were stranded on the bridge; thankfully the pedestrian path appeared clear of any blockages. I still wasn't looking into the cars; I was focused solely on the path ahead, making sure nothing was coming my way. I took a quick look at the Ohio River; it appeared normal, but I had to wonder if the river was somehow contaminated from whatever had happened here. I couldn't see anything and there was no untoward smell, so I assumed that it was okay. Still, I'd be leery of trying to drink from it, as thirsty as I might be. I reached into my bag for another water, taking time to sip it instead of guzzling it. The day felt hot and dry, making me thirsty. I had 3 more water bottles after this one, so I needed them to make it last. I stopped halfway with the bottle, putting it away for now.

The further I walked on the bridge, the more I questioned the nature of the issue. All the cars were more or less turned to drive out of the city. The bridge was not packed like it would be during rush hour; there was space in-between the cars, excepting the occasional car crash. Reluctantly, I looked into a few cars as I passed them, but they all were empty. Well, they were empty of any remains of people. Several looked like that they had luggage and the like; they had to have been fleeing whatever catastrophe hit the city.

I saw ahead something large blocking the road. As I grew closer, I saw a metallic corpse shining in the early afternoon sun. Nearing it, I determined it to be a tractor trailer truck that had flipped onto its side. It was completely blocking the road itself, as well as being partially into the side of the walkway I was on. Probably some idiot who cut the truck off caused this. The closer I got, the more that I could see that there were more than automobile skeletons present.

Apparently a fight had happened here, based on the sheer number of bones I found here. People who had been fleeing the city were stopped here; I'm guessing that they tried to hoof it out of here, but were stopped by something. Just as I saw with the doomsday prophet earlier, the majority of the bones looked cracked open. None of the skeletons appeared to be intact; the bones were scattered all over this area. Did this happen before or after they died? Were the wolves (or dogs or werewolves) the cause of the massacre, or were they just opportunists? All these questions that I had, without any answers.

This battle area…well, it was more like a massacre, but there was some fighting done. I saw several splintered wooden bats, rusted wrenches, and the like. Nothing looked anywhere near usable; it was as if time had apparently had its way with them. Unless that wrench had already been heavily rusted before, I can't think of a reason for its current state. I hunkered down to take a quick look at it and that's when I noticed it, laying underneath a nearby car.

A gun. I wasn't the squeamish type who couldn't even pick up a gun or did so with two fingers, afraid that I would catch something if I touched it too much. The IS had mandatory hand gun training, so I had handled several different varieties of weapons. No, it wasn't squeamishness that had me hesitate to pick it up; I had a healthy enough respect for life that I abhorred guns in general. My sleepy time pellets weren't killers (unless you were in the wrong place at the time), and I never used deadly spells. Well, excepting that time with the faerie assassins. Still, I didn't feel right leaving it here because someone else might find it. I grabbed it, checking the clip which ended up being empty. I also checked to make sure that a bullet wasn't already in the chamber, which was clear as well. I added it to my collection, figuring I would find a place to dispose of it later.

As I stood, ready to continue walking, I heard a sound that was closer than I was happy about. It sounded like something heavy and metallic hit another metallic surface. I then heard a raised voice, but couldn't make out the words. The sounds were definitely coming from ahead; I took a quick look through my second sight to see that there were 3 men approaching my position. I had to guess that they were around a quarter of a mile away, giving me plenty of time to retreat. I started moving back towards downtown, not wanting to be seen. Luckily the tractor trailer was blocking me from their vision. I didn't run, as I was afraid of tripping on something unseen, which would just alert those men. Luck was on my side right now, and I wanted to keep it that way. I reached the end of the bridge; I hadn't heard anything from behind me, so I was hoping that my luck was holding. There was a small building to my right that I went to, discovering it to be an elevator/stairs building to the road below. It had a glass front, so anyone could see in, but I could also see out.

I made my way inside, waiting on the top floor to see if I could hear anything from them as they passed. I spindled up as much ley line energy as I could, almost to the point of it being painful. I could hear them approaching, as something was squeaking terribly. I retreated down the stairs a bit, just enough that I could lay down and still see outside. It was a risk, but they could potentially have information that I needed. As they came into view, I could see that two were pushing empty grocery carts while the third carried a rather huge rifle in his hands. The other two carried rifles as well, but slung across their back. They stopped close enough that I could hear them talking, but their voices were so low that I couldn't make out anything. One pulled out a map, as one of them would intermittently point at the map or at a building.

What in the Turn am I going to do?