"Gone?! What do you mean he's gone?!" Michael yelled at Blaine in the foggy summer morning.
"I mean I woke up, and he wasn't there! Or anywhere else near the camp!"
"When did this happen?" Burnie demanded calmly.
"Just now, but we should hurry up if we want to find him." Blaine answered
"All right, everyone grab your stuff, and lets head out. Blaine, you grab Caleb's bag."
They grab their bags, having to leave their tents in the hustle, before heading out in different directions looking for their lost party member. They were split into three different groups: Gavin and Burnie, Ryan and Lindsay, and Michael Barbara and Blaine. Each of them looked for hours through the chaos of what once was their town of Austin.
Fallen down skyscrapers and business firms littered the street, making their endeavor much slower. Apartments and town-homes were obliterated, the people who used to live in them most likely dead. The empty shell of the hospital was a sad sight, but the only place they managed to find any type of medication or first aid. The saddest sight to see however, suddenly came in to Burnie's line of sight: the destroyed Rooster Teeth office.
"The military is urging everyone to stay inside. Get to low ground, or a concrete bunker if available. Find any way to protect yourself. We are not sure at this time if these threats are serious, the military is currently handling the situation, however, they still ask that you take any and all safety precautions at this time. "
Burnie sighed, clicking off the TV, and turning to Ashley. "Can you believe this? They treat it like it's the end of the world. Unbelievable…"
"I don't know, this does seem a little frightening, don't you think?"
"Well of course, but that doesn't make it anymore strange."
"I don't know, maybe we shouldn't be so-" before Ashley could finish her sentence, there was a large boom from outside that rattled the whole house.
Burnie looked outside in horror before turning to Ashley, his face stricken with a mixture of grief and fear. "Go, get outside! I'll grab the boys! GO!" He yelled before rushing upstairs and grabbing his sons. Suddenly, another boom was heard. No, no, it can't… he thought to himself, No….. "Ok boys, I know right now seems scary but we have to leave, ok?"
He carried his sons down the stairs and outside, looping around to a door that lead to the cellar. On his path he was met with his worst fear; a crater the size of a bus right outside his door and no sign of ashley.
Across town, Gavin sat in the rubble of his home, holding tight to the unmoving corpse of his girlfriend, Meg. He doesn't say a word, he just… holds on.
"...nie? Burnie? Fuckin' hell man, you there?" Gavin's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"huh?"
"Jesus man! You just went god damn quiet and stared off into bloody space."
"oh. Fuck, sorry Gavin, I guess I just got a little distracted." He responded solemnly. "I just…" He stopped again.
"What is it now?"
Burnie put his hand up to silence the brit.
"Burnie, what-"
"Seriously Gavin, shut the fuck up!" He commanded, walking toward the destroyed Rooster Teeth building, seeing something he didn't before. He saw something moving. "What the- Oh my god." He grabbed a walkie-talkie out of his back pocket, pressing the button and speaking into it. "Barb, I think we found something."
A voice was heard over the radio static. "What is it?"
"Just come and see for yourself."
A sigh is heard over the radio. "Fine."
About 20 minutes later, the whole group is gathered by the rubble of the old building. It was heart wrenching for the group to see what once was their life, their well being, their happiness.
"All right Burnie, what is it?" Michael asked impatiently.
He said not a word, just pointed to a dark figure that stood in the debris, a hood over his head, and what appeared to be someone wearing a baseball cap.
"Is that.."
"Yes."
"That's all I needed to hear." Ryan said, as he walked through the destroyed parking lot
towards the figure. "Hey! Why are you here?" He called out to the figure.
The man turned to him briefly, his eyes are covered by the hood of this jacket, leaving Ryan to see only a bushy, surprisingly well kept beard. After that brief moment, he hauled Caleb over his shoulder and ran off.
"Don't let him get away!" Burnie yelled. At his word, Burnie Ryan and Blaine starting chasing after this bearded mysterious figure, the others looping around different ways in a hope to cut him off. "Drop him!" Burnie hollered at him as he ran after him, Ryan and Blaine begin to pull ahead, Blaine having given Lindsay Caleb's bag.
Blaine gave Ryan a look, and got a nod in return. Running up close, Blaine wrapped his arms around Caleb's midsection and halting, and pulled hard, as he pried the smaller man away from the mysterious figure. In the next moment, as Caleb was removed from his back, Blaine stumbling down, Ryan came from the side and tackled the man to the ground, rolling for a few moments before they screeched to a halt on the hard asphalt. He pinned him to the ground, as Burnie walked up and stared down to him, disdain in his face. Around the edges of the destroyed lot, the members stopped and stared at the scene from a distance.
"Who are you and why did you take him?" Burnie demanded, pointing to Caleb, who has laying on top on Blaine on the ground like a ragdoll.
"Fuck man, I don't know…" His voice was slightly higher pitched than the average man's, breaking at points, which made it sound like he had never reached puberty."He looked like someone I know and-"
"So you decided to take him from our camp?"
"No no, he-"
"He what?"
"He- he was stumbling and I found him and-"
"I've heard enough. Ryan?" Ryan raised his fist, aimed straight for the man's jaw, and swung down hard.
"Wait, Ryan…?" He speaks under his breath, his mind finally making the connection. "RYAN, WAIT!" The man yells as he is hit in the jaw. The impact makes a cracking sound as his head whips to the side. "Aw, dicks dude, what the fuck! You didn't even let me finish speaking!"
Ryan and Burnie's expressions change to that of shock and surprise, finally recognizing the familiar voice.
"Geoff?"