A Dangerous Accident

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She could only hope the monster didn't rebruise his chest or pull at his glass wound. The bacta should have done most of it, but... She hadn't checked it like she had planned. Everything had went so wrong, from the very beginning. One thing she wasn't about to do - travel as much. Nope, if they ever got off of this hell planet, she definitely wasn't.

And that was the best she could think of while she did her best to keep the ridiculously strong monster from gnawing into her arm, neck, shoulder, and face. It came close, it's teeth even grazing enough to scratch the skin.

The gun shot the monster in the head, it's body falling limp on her as she pushed it off. She chose to just lay there as she stared at the ceiling. "I think so," she said quietly as she looked at her arm. Definitely bruised, heavily so. She slowly crawled up. "Let's just..." She put her arms around [member="Cleru"] 's chest gently, taking a moment to breath. She pulled back a few seconds later as she observed him, watching to see how injured he was. But, she had to move to take a look at some of the weapons in the hunting shop.

Handguns and knives. Great, and... Bullets. Most of it had already been raided. She grabbed a knife, along with a simple handgun. It wouldn't have the kick that Cleru's had, but it'd get the job done. "Well... Objective one done. Let's just... Get to the cafeteria or shop or something for food."

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

He practically melted in her embrace. After the crash, after bleeding out, after these monsters; Cleru hadn't taken the time to just appreciate the fact that he was still alive. That [member="Beth Cadera"] was still alive. That they were still together. He wrapped his arms around her in return in a gentle embrace, avoiding any squeezing. They were both still pretty injured. After a moment when she pulled back he simply smiled.

They could survive this. Together.

Once she got up he did the same, lifting up his pistol as he prepared to head back out. His weapon would be the one to rely on, though if he ran out.. He snatched up a knife for himself, tucking it into the side of his boot before he headed back out into the mall. Thankfully, there was no more of the fungal zombies on their way to the food court. When they arrived, it was clear it had been out of service for a long, long time.

But, there was some non perishables behind a WacDonalds. Canned goods. Nothing really good about them, but they weren't rotten at least. He snatched a couple to bring to Beth, letting out a sigh. "It's uh.. Something."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

The hug gave her a boost she desperately needed. So far, their ship crashed, they barely lived through life-harming wounds, and then got chased by mutated-dead-alive-monsters-thingies. The planet clearly had no contact with any of the broader galaxy, likely due to its inclusion in the nebulae. It was likely that the droids, any sentient personnel had been killed either by impact or those… Things. They had survived by sheer luck and willpower…

Before heading to the food court, Beth grabbed a large cargo bag that was in the hunting store. They were going to need it for supplies.

The walk to the food court was long and filled with anxiety. Every noise had her aim the gun, her instincts screaming. Beth followed behind [member="Cleru"] into the WacDonalds. What in the worlds name was WacDonalds? She shook her head as she took a couple of the canned goods. She found some water bottles, along with several rotted looking drinks. Yikes… Her attention turned to Cleru as she perked a brow as she took the canned goods. She decided to simply sit right there in the floor. It was at least hidden. With a sigh, she examined them. No idea what it was or what was in it. Bah, oh well. She patted the ground next to her. “Let’s take a minute? Eat… Breath, drink, try to figure something out.” She passed a water bottle to him as she opened hers, chugging it. So thirsty.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

Cleru blinked as she sat on the floor. They weren't exactly in a safe place, but.. They were out of sight at least. He took a seat beside her, setting the cans between them as he accepted the water bottle and cracked it open to take a drink. He hadn't even realized how thirsty he was as he began taking large gulps. That, he stopped despite himself. They were going to have to ration everything until they could find a safe haven.

"We've survived. Found some food. Some water. Weapons. We're going to need more, and I don't know if here will have it. Whats more, it's a large area. If we're going to find a safe place we need to get where there wouldn't be people turning into these.. Things." The agent in Cleru began rattling out the facts as he cracked open the can to eat whatever was inside. Looked like.. Tomatoes? Well. At least they weren't rotten.

"By the look of this place they had technology. We could find something here to help with that, but we need a place to bunker down first."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth realized that [member="Cleru"] had stopped drinking the water and it hit her, half way through her water bottle. Rationing. She stopped herself as she sighed, putting the cap back on the water bottle as she set it on the dirty ground next to her. She watched as Cleru opened his which… Didn’t give her optimism of their situation, but she was starving.

She cracked her own open and began to take bites out of it slowly. It tasted… Terrible, but she didn’t really care at this point. She gave a nod as he spoke. Finding a safe place from those things? “Do you think there is anyone who survived it? It looks like it practically wiped their civilization out…” she sighed as she leaned her head against the cabinet. “We’re in the middle of a city. If it followed a general outbreak… Probably the only real safe places would be where people wouldn't go, like... Libraries. But it means that more resources might be around because…” She didn’t finish the sentence.

“Pre-spaceflight. This is what I’m worried about: The Hapans or the Clans should have been able to identify a nearing space-age civilization. And they couldn’t. Signals aren’t getting out of the system,” she said quietly, much more worried as she thought about it. Quite literally trapped. “I.. Might could try to reach someone through the Force,” she whispered, clearly unsure, especially in her weakened state.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"Libraries would be a good place to start. Probably can find something to teach us their language. Make it easier to get around." If they weren't rescued sooner rather then later. Cleru had no idea how long they'd be trapped here, especially when [member="Beth Cadera"] spoke about how.. Primitive this planet was compared to the galaxy at large. They wouldn't find the tech they needed to get offworld.

Or the tech needed to keep them healthy if they were hurt as bad as they had been again.

The Chiss took another bite of his.. Tomatoes, more or less choking it down. Definitely wasn't good, but at least it was filling. "If you think you could reach someone, I say try. Otherwise, I don't think we'll be able to get out of here." It was a grim reality. But, at least they had each other. He set down his knife that he had been using to eat the can, reaching out to take her hand in his own. "No matter what, we'll still have each other. We'll survive."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth gave a little nod, “We might have a couple days of food in here… We can put all the canned stuff into the bag,” she said after a moment. She sighed as she rubbed her head, forgetting about the bacta patch that had been on it. They needed a bath, too. Blood coated both of them. “Learning the language would be great, even if it is just basic stuff,” she said after another second.

She forced the ‘tomatoes’ down, each gulp worse and worse. Disgusting stuff, as it somewhat sated her appetite. “I… I’ll try. I think we’ll need to get to the library first, set something up. So I can focus…” She felt his hand in hers and she gave him a small smile as she scooted over next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. “We will together,” she said quietly as she squeezed [member="Cleru"] 's hand gently. Despite the fear, the uneasiness, and the horrors they had already witnessed – at least they had each other still.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"That gives us a couple of days to find more, though we should ration it out more. Just enough to keep us going." There was so much that needed to be done if they wanted to survive. So many little things that needed to be done. It was.. Overwhelming, but Cleru had trained for this. Not exactly a zombie infested planet of course, but surviving in hostile territory. He let out a sigh as [member="Beth Cadera"] on him, letting his eyes close and his mind relax for a moment. Just taking in that she was still here with him and the comfort it gave.

There was much more to be done though. He eventually opened his eyes, squeezing her had before pulling away to gather the supplies. "They don't seem to like to climb. If we can get to the roof, we might have an easier time. More importantly, we might be able to find the library. We should head back to where we came in and get up to the roof, yeah?"

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth gave a small nod. A few days… But they did need to ration it out. They could make it stretch, maybe 3 days or so. That’d give them time to find a place, set up some defenses. Get ready for whatever else might be in this gods-forsaken planet. After she finished her can of gross, she also closed her eyes and relaxed. Of all the terrible things that had happened… This was definitely going into the top 3. But at least she had him. That would be the only thing that pushed her through, kept her going through it. And that’s what she focused on – him.

She gave a small nod as he pulled away, and Beth did the same as she did a big swoop motion with all the cans she saw into the cargo bag. “That’s a great idea, actually.” A city like this… Hopefully they’d have a biggish library that could easily be seen. Once they finished their supplies, Beth put the backpack on her back. [member="Cleru"] had the better gun so he needed to be as free as possible.

And then back into the long hallway and towards the stairwell. It wasn’t too far, luckily. “Be careful, they… Might be in there, still. If…” Someone got caught trying to run up. Her mind flashed to Melissa’s body as she inhaled sharply. Really, Beth decided she was going to start praying more. Yep.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

Once they got all they could carry Cleru went back to being on point, leading them through the mall back the way they had come. He was relying heavily on [member="Beth Cadera"] 's ability to sense life around them as a Force User to help cover where he couldn't see, but his red eyes had some extra use. Even the darker areas weren't a problem for his infrared to see what he needed.

​"We'll be okay. We know how to deal with them, at least in smaller numbers. We just need to get up first." He slowly opened the door to the stairwell, peeking his head through. So far, empty. He nodded to Beth once as he fully opened the door and rushed to the ruble. He waited there for her, to help her up first.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth winced, although kept the pain to herself. The bruising and general soreness worsened under the weight of the filled cargo bag. She followed through, lightly using the Force to see if she could detect any life forms. She hadn’t had time to actually connect herself, to feel it with everything going on. Luckily, [member="Cleru"] seemed to see better in the dark at least.

She put placed her hand on his back, gripping his shirt some to ensure she didn’t lose him as her eyes adjusted. “Let us hope we don’t we don’t get dogpiled by them,” she said quietly. “I don’t feel anything, except for… Some plant life and stuff,” she whispered as they reached towards the top of the roof. Perhaps a brief reprieve as they exited, overlooking the full city.

She took a moment as her eyes adjusted to the sun once more. “Looks like a lake over there,” she pointed out as she used her hand as a visor.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"If the water isn't affected we could boil and bottle it for ourselves." Finally in the light again, and seeing the lake, Cleru smiled. It was the first sign of hope in all of this. He took [member="Beth Cadera"] 's hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And if there's fish, we have food. Might be better to try and get to the lake now that I think about it. Out of the city where I'm sure a number of these funguys are." He squinted his red eyes, looking for any sort of building around the lake. Sure enough, he could see one, though way in the distance.

"Might take us a day to get there, but it'll be worth it."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

She gave a small nod. Worse case, she could maybe filter it out some through the Force. Could she do that, though? Well… Maybe they’d find out but likely simply boiling it would be fine. Usually that was a safe bet. She gave him a weak smile as he took her hand. She gave a small squeeze back.

Fish would be much better than this canned crap. And perhaps they could hunt for some food, too. That was always a possibility. “That’s true. At least we could scavenge for stuff in a much safer way.” Gosh, it was right like when she was a kid again – except not freezing and full of snow. “Well, we better get going, eh? We might have to make a camp halfway or so, hide in a building or something.” She wasn’t exactly sure the time, but…The sun was already closing to what looked like noon. Plus, with their injuries…


She kept her hand in [member="Cleru"]'s for a few moments before she made her way back to the stairs, back down and back into the... Terror, that was below them. She could only hope they would make it...

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

Traveling through the city was.. Nerve wracking to say the least. Cleru eventually began figuring out how to avoid them. The different stages had different problems to solve. Most could just be avoided, and even killed by sneaking up on them. It was the big ones, the fourth stage, that were the major problem. Armored by their fungal growths and stupidly strong. He did his best to help keep them away from those.

It was when the sun began to set that the Chiss turned back to [member="Beth Cadera"] , a frown clear on his face. They were still in the city, but they needed a place to bunker down. "Any ideas on where?" They were alone for the time being, but who knew how long it would take for runners to come by.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Watching the sun set was… Beautiful, yet terrifying. The city that nature was overtaking had a charm too it. She could only imagine how it was before. Before the end. The end of these people. They had a couple close calls, but had learned much about the parasite. Beth shuddered as she remembered the past day. Melissa. The people? If they were people, at this point.

Beth shook her head, but pointed to a house that was maybe 15 minutes away. She didn’t feel anything in that general direction and a lot of it was already boarded up. “Let’s go there,” she said quietly. She noted that the temperature seemed to be falling pretty fast, too. It didn’t take long before they got to the place, managing to enter through the back entrance into what a living room was once. A bedroom down the hall had a bed, still. Beth placed the bag of supplies in the hallway. “I guess this is the best we get tonight,” she commented. She couldn’t go much farther, anyway. Her body was screaming at her.

Scavenging the place, she did find some unused candles. If they could find some matches, they’d have some light tonight in the house. She sighed as she placed them on a desk in the living room. “Home sweet home. [member="Cleru"]?”

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

"Home sweet home." Cleru mumbled in response to [member="Beth Cadera"] as he began locking up the doors and clearing the home. Nothing, thankfully. And they were away from the bulk of zombies she had sensed earlier in the day. Once everything was all set and he was sure they'd be safe, he finally sat down, letting out a sigh. He was.. So tired, to say the least. Being injured and having to run from zombies was truly exhausting.

He smiled to Beth as she brought out the candles. He didn't have anything he could use to light them, though there might be something inside they could use. Not that he wanted to look. Not yet. He just needed to sit and relax for a little bit. Maybe nap.

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Beth sighed as she made one last round, unable to find any matches or other items that could potentially be used as a source of fire. It wasn’t like it mattered, anyway. There was enough moonlight coming through the cracks in the boards to allow some limited visibility. Most importantly, it didn’t seem like there would be any surprise guests able to get in. For now, anyway.

Beth gave [member="Cleru"] a smile, kissing his cheek as she sat down beside him. She curled up against his side as she examined her bruises, cuts, and other smaller injuries. At least her head was healed, so she took the bacta patch and put it on the coffee table. After a few minutes, Beth went back to the bedroom to get some of the dirt off the bed. Making enough space for both of them, she fell onto her side, curling up into a fetal position as she thought about her day. Would she see her family again? Would she, or worse, Cleru, die during this? The young woman held back her tears as she stared at the block of wood nailed into the window.

They should have been on Hapes by now, enjoying the beauty of their nights. Instead, they were… Here. Beth let her heavy eyes close, finally, and drifted into sleep.

At some point, the nightmares hit her. All at once, the nightmares she’d had for years mixed in with newish ones. Images of Cleru being ripped apart like Melissa. Of Adara, of Yasha. Of her dad, even. A string of horror as that dark corridor suffocated her. That evil, dark angel that haunted her for years, getting closer, more deadly, Mandalore cracking apart… She was asleep, but the sweat on her forehead, the shakes and movement on the bed, and worse the little yells in her sleep gave it away. Lightning flashed suddenly outside, a sudden burst of rain pattering the house violently with intense winds. Every scream from her lips coincided with a lightning strike, her hand ripping part of the bed. She couldn't control her feelings in the darkness that had infiltrated her dreams and her subconscious let the Force rage through her.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

Cleru had kept awake for some time after [member="Beth Cadera"] had went to bed, just keeping an eye on things and make sure they weren't in any danger. That, and he wanted to find some matches. Eventually he did, in the most random of places he could think of. He lit up the candles, arranging them around so there wasn't any light getting out, but so the halls and such could be. Once that was done he wandered to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

They were going to have to sleep in shifts if they wanted to stay safe.

That was when he noticed the nightmare. He glanced over his shoulder in worry, his red eyes looking over her. The nightmare seemed bad. The Chiss slid into bed with her, gently wrapping his arms around her so she at least wasn't alone. Well. Until the storm began. Even cut off from the Force he could tell something was completely wrong. "Beth, you need to wake up." He whispered, though as the bed began to shake his voice raised. "Beth. Beth you're okay. Wake up."

 

[Gaia Sunaris Cadera]

Her steps echoed. She was walking towards someone, something. The angel looming over her. The dark overwhelmed her as she tried to gasp for air. The parasite transforming into those bloated, giant monsters overwhelming her in her dreams. Melissa… [member="Cleru"], laying on the ground with that glass piece. They had to get off the planet.

The lightning flashed, the rain barreled down hard on the house, leaks forming in certain parts of the roof where time had worn it down. The wind, sweeping in through holes and broken windows. Her body jerked in the nightmare, the wind in the room itself blowing the dirt, dust, and lightweight items around.

Finally, her eyes opened – and the wind stopped. His arms were wrapped around her as she began to wake up. She jerked up, gasping for air, her eyes wide with fear. “I…” She whispered, her lips dry as she used her arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead. “S-sorry,” she said as she looked to Cleru with wide eyes.

 

[Mandalorian Prophet]

He simply pulled her closer into his arms, running his hand through her hair. "You're okay. We're okay." He whispered. He knew what had happened. How many nights as a child did Cleru wake up just like this? Overwhelmed by the visions of the Force when he was most scared, most alone? [member="Beth Cadera"] wasn't alone at least. He just continued to hold her as the wind and rain died down.

So that was her? Just how powerful is she?

"We're okay."