The land was dark and desolate; a barren field with the only evidence of humanity being the rubble and debris of buildings as far as the eye can see. That was all the world was now; just shattered remnants of what once was. Humanity destroyed itself. It all started with the Gloom; it changed humans and made them evil and attack one another. First came the panic. Then the riots. After that the wars broke out and the anarchy until most of the humans were wiped from existence along with everything else which was blown to bits. Now, there's only few humans left who are struggling to survive.

 

A young boy of age five with markings of bones on his body and a sugar skull on his face was searching through the ruins of what once was a two story building. The Gloomified wildlife was too busy trying to kill another poor soul so the boy had time time to search for supplies. He needed some kind of medication for a dying man he called his father. With nothing but tattered pants and a satchel the boy was on his knees searching through the rubble for some kind of item he could give to his father so he could feel better.

"Por favor..." The boy sniffled, wiping away thick tears that ran down his face as he searched. The tears dampened the ends of his scruffy brown colored hair.

"Por favor... Por favor... Mi Papa..."

Edited March 17, 201510 yr by Awuwa7KH

Stiles let out a breath of exhaustion after he pushed the shelf over in front of the door. He was somewhat young, being in his early thirties however he felt much older especially when it came to his joints. It could be due to genetics or perhaps the fact that he was living in an apocalypse. That kind of thing doesn't do well to the body. As soon as it was time to run he ran as fast as he could, hesitating to leave May behind. Although he only just met her he had confidence that she was going to make it. After the blast when Grim assisted her with his tail, Stiles grabbed May's arm as soon as she was close enough and pulled her right before the hall collapsed. He smiled as he watched Grim held her and began to pant. "I... Well, there may be a few medical supplies upstairs where we slept... Almost everything we kept downstairs however there still may be some items of interest in the sleeping quarters. We didn't use much of the building, sadly. Only the basement. I'm afraid of the other creatures and dangers we might find here."

Edited June 18, 201510 yr by Aqua7KH

"Surely there's still alot to go around. If looters didn't take what they found in the basement they probably didn't take what they found upstairs." Ded said as he clocked his gun. "If there's anything else I'll just shoot it like we did with the rest." Ded said, smiling. May looked up at Stiles. "I wouldn't mind if YOU carried me~" May teased. But was ruined with Grim simply dropping her to the floor, her complaints almost sounding like a screeching cat, to which Ded laughed. "Alright. Upstairs we go. May, keep your eyes open for anything you might see that we can't." Ded said as he began to walk. Grim smiled and paused for a moment, taking out the walkie talkie that Jack had given him. He clicked it on, maybe Miguel was awake? "Hey? Miguel, can you hear me? It's me, Grim." Grim asked. If the signal wasn't enough he could always go higher.

The signal was okay, however there was no answer from Miguel. Surely he couldn't still be mad at Grim, so Miguel was probably still sleeping. Five minutes passes and still no answer.

Stiles meanwhile was deciding if it would be best to go and try to find supplies. Hopefully in a panic some of the doctors went to get their items and whatnot from their beds and tried to pack some samples with them. If that was the case than that means some samples of their experiments could be salvaged even after all those years. Originally Stiles thought everything was destroyed due to the facilities' protocol of self destruction in order to eradicate dangerous diseases, but by the looks of it it was obvious that it failed. He couldn't help but blush after May's comment, but still went to go help her after Grim dropped her.

"Are you okay Miss May?" He asked politely with a small smile as he held out his hand.

(I would try to find a faceclaim of Stiles but that's gonna be pretty freaking impossible... Just picture like the love child of Germany and Russia at 34 years old with chestnut brown hair and green eyes with a soft face LOL)

(i...can 100% picture that in my mind)

 

Grim frowned. Maybe Miguel wasn't around? "Well...if you hear me and are just mad, I got you a present...so wait for it ok?" Grim asked before clicking it off. It felt odd yet he couldn't help but to think that Miguel was still angry at him. He would surely have to make it up to him somehow once they got back. "I'm sorry, Miguel." Grim sighed. Miguel would never let him hear the end of it for sure. May looked up, smiling as she took Stiles' hand, standing up. "Thank you Stiles." She said gratefully, giving a small wink. "There aren't many gentlemen left in the world. It's nice to see a few around." Her attempts however were distracted by her beloved father. "Pomodoro, we have work to do." He hissed. She turned, apparently angry at the nickname. "Oh my gosh dad not in front of other people!" "Then let's move. You scout out front, Grim covers our back." Ded ordered. May crossed her arms before obediently walking up front, Ded following. Grim couldn't help but to smile, it reminded him of his own father. He would definitely be like that, and even at their age call Miguel and Grim cute nicknames just because he could. Grim walked with Stiles, making sure to keep a close eye around. "Hey Stiles, were there other people besides doctors and military here?" Grim asked, the group walking up a flight of stairs to the dormitories.

Stiles was happy to have helped May up. She was quite the character, especially for a young woman. "Thank you for your compliment." He said with a smile. Growing up, his mother taught him to be kind and to have manners, even in an apocalypse. His father taught him to be strong and well disciplined. He wasn't strict or anything, however. The mention of May's nickname caused him to chuckle and as they were walking Stiles thought back to his days at the facility when Grim asked the question.

"No... Actually I was basically the only military here." He said. "Everyone was just doctors and we locked ourselves in here. We did have a few other soldiers here from time to time but for the most part it was just me and five other doctors."

 

"That's a small number for such a big place." Grim muttered, looking around the place. Windows dirtied, the broken ones leaving place for the plants to grow in. May slashed the doorknob off one of the locked doors, opening it as she looked around the room. "Look around the rooms as much as you need. Be careful, but don't leave any room unsearched. You might find things you left behind in yours, Stiles." Ded said. May looked around the room she was in, looking through cabinets and drawers of the desk. Finding only pencils and papers along with dust, expired medication among other stuff. She found a diary of the one who lived here and took a quick glance across the pages. "They were this close of making a discovery before the break out." May muttered, seeing a few formulas on the papers. Ded entered a room and looked around in it too. "May their souls rest in peace." Ded said as he looked around. "Sweet, found a map of this place." Ded said. Grim entered one of the rooms, looking around for something. He didn't know what though. Something that seemed to be useful if anything. He found lots of scrap paper, pencils and pens, dust, and mold. A little bobble head of some character from an old tv show. Not very useful. He did see a picture frame, to which he picked up and wiped dust off it. He stared down, almost in horror. "No." Grim hissed, wiping the rest of the dust off as he stared at it, taking a seat on the bed. The picture was old, but in color still thanks to preservation. A picture of three grown adults, one looking familiar to Grim. He stepped out, staring down at it the whole way. "Stiles. Was there a man with red eyes who worked here?"

Stiles went off to search through what used to be his old bed and nightstand. Even thought the facility as large, they all shared one large room. He was actually somewhat surprised to see things he owned. Some papers, journal entries, even small little nic nacs he collected. After leaving he forgot all about it. As Grim approached him, Stiles was looking through some of his research entries. After he looked at the picture, Stiles nodded.

"Ja. I remember him. We called him Death, I believe. He was an exceptional man. He fell in love with a woman that was here, I believe. Sadly I do not know what became of him after the facility was breached. He taught me many things. My daughter loved him." He said with a chuckle.

(Need me to change anything in the post?)

(It's fine)

 

Grim smiled real big, looking down. So that meant the woman in the picture was his... "Wow..." Grim muttered. A picture was a moment captured in time. He would be keeping this. He couldn't wait to show Miguel. "You knew them." Grim said, leaping towards Stiles. "You knew my parents! My dad Death and mom...I never met my mom, this is the first I've seen her. Was she as stubborn as dad said she was?" Grim asked, almost alighted. Ded picked up a folder with files inside. Reading over it his eyes narrowed. "The gloom evolves by eating itself?" Ded muttered, quickly closing up the folder. "You guys were much more advanced in knowledge than are currently. All of this information...I'm glad we came here." Ded said. May looked around. "Is it me or is it too quiet?" May asked. "Let's just hope this place serves us as a haven and not our graves." Ded said muttering as he walked around. "Gloom infected are more active at night." Ded said. "Well at least there aren't any bandits." "Because they most likely got eaten up."

Stiles certainly wasn't expecting the pleasant surprise. Even in an apocalypse, this world was still a small one. His father had always told him before Gloom hit, the world was very small figuratively speaking. He didn't think it was true until now.

"Really?" Stiles asked with a smile. "Wunderbar... It is true yes; she was very stubborn. But she was also very kind. Basically every man in the facility loved her because of how big her heart was. She was like a mother to me and my daughter. I was much younger at the time. Your mother helped me with my daughter and your father taught me many great things about health and whatnot. Your mother was un amazing woman... I always saw her brading mein daughter's hair." His mind went back to the memory, of hearing the pleasant feminine giggles and laughter. Such a sound made it seem like the world was a wonderful place rather than the hell that it was now.

Braid. Grim moved his hand to his hair gently. 'Your hair is just like your mom's! Here, a braid will keep it from going all over the place...wow...you really do look like her.' were the words that came to mind, thinking of when his father said it to him. The only reason why Grim had kept it this long. "..." Grim smiled, hugging the frame so tightly he almost cracked the glass. "Mom and dad...dad was here...mom was here...I got to see her...I didn't meet her but...she's right here." Grim muttered. She must have gotten pregnant with Grim right before the breakout. "Well I don't mean to interrupt the heartwarming moment but it's getting close to sundown and that's when gloom infested get freaky. Stiles, do you think resting in this room would be a good idea?" Ded asked as he looked around. May looked over at the picture and at Grim. "Oh...you do look alike. You have your dad's eyes though." May said cheerfully.

Stiles was very happy to have been able to share such a special story with Grim. It made him even more happy to know that Grim was able to meet his mother in a way through Stiles. It made him even more excited now to share with Grim further stores of his daughter and Grim's parents. Such memories made him forget that this facility was just a facility- but rather, a home.

"I will tell you all the stories I remember." He said with a small smile. But Ded came in and reminded Stiles that there was problems to be dealt with. The doctor made a small sigh and nodded.

"Ahh yes..." He looked around the room. "We could stay here but... Grim would you like to leave now? I don't think there is other worthwhile materials we could scavenge since we kept most of everything downstairs... Also I do not know if I would like to stay here to find out what other dangers lurk here."

Grim didn't think twice about it. "I want to go home." Grim said, looking up at the group. "Miguel hasn't answered me. I'm worried." Grim said. "Well I guess you're right on such. I'll send a signal for them to pick us up. In the meanwhile, lets wait in the roof." Ded said. "Agreed. Should be easier for Wright to find us and land the chopper." May said yawning, the group making their way upstairs to the roof to wait for their ride as Ded made the call. Grim got the frame in the backpack and took out the walkie talkie again, turning it on. "Miguel, are you up yet? You won't believe the stuff we found." Grim said, hoping Miguel would atleast give him a huff of disagreement.

Stiles' face softened upon hearing Grim's worry. He placed his hand on Grim's shoulder, giving him a smile to reassure the younger male.

"E. coli is a very exhausting illness to have." He said. "Miguel is just very tired from having little to no energy that's all. If he's still sleeping all we have to do is wake him up when we get home." Stiles followed everyone along up to the roof of the facility. They didn't find a whole lot from the facility, however it was still a successful trip especially with the medicine Stiles was able to scavenge and even some potential samples of Gloom and their past experiments. Once they got up to the roof, there was still no answer from Miguel. Stiles shook his head and sat down at the edge to look out into the land. It was oddly calm and empty. Typical for an apocalypse.

"I have an idea." Stiles said. "When we get back, how about we try getting Miguel to sleep with you and the kids in your room tonight? I could bring the IV in there... I'm sure that will cheer him right back up especially if he woke up in a regular bed with the people he loves. Hopefully Nicholas wouldn't mind sharing a bed with him again."

Grim frowned and have a slight shrug. Maybe Miguel was tired. He just hoped he would be in a better mood when they returned. He could hear Ded and May bickering with Wright over the radio that they had brought, something about hurrying up with a copter before they ended up being eaten. Grim rolled his eyes and went ahead, sitting down next to Stiles. "That sounds like a good idea. As long as they don't get sick with him...I'm sure Miguel would like it. I'll make sure to make his bed extra comfy with more pillows." Grim said as he turned off the walkie talkie, getting it away. "When he gets better, we'll leave the city and fix that farm to call it home. Miguel doesn't like the city, and Nicholas can do without so many people." Grim said as he watched the sun set ever so slowly on the mountain. As the stars started to come out, Grim's tail seemed to lift up, wagging itself. Grim turned to it. "What's wrong?" Grim asked, feeling strange to ask his tail about what it felt that he couldn't feel. The tail pointed upwards. Grim followed the sight and his eyes widened in awe as he watched the mountain from afar begin to move. The birds flew across the sky from their resting place, the mountain coming to life as it rose, giant yellow eyes blinking awake as it stretched. "...Stiles...?" Grim asked, not noticing the smile appear on his face. "...do you think...the gloom is a curse...or a gift?" Grim asked, watching the mountain creature ever so slowly walk across, heavy and slow footsteps. Gloom covered its body along with moss and concrete, the Gloom turning whatever it was before into something new and alive.

 

---

Creature:

 

 

Stiles nodded at Grim. He already began to mentally prepare what needed to be done and the necessary precautions. Hopefully if Miguel was awake by the time they came back, Miguel wouldn't fuss and try to fight back. Stiles was sure Miguel wouldn't due to the fact that he'd rather sleep with everyone than a hospital bed. Suddenly Grim sounded shocked, and Stiles looked up to see a large mountain creature wake up from its slumber. Stiles watched on with wide eyes not in fear- but in awe.

"I... Gloom..." Stiles said. "It's a cure to us... But a gift to th world. Just how we are a curse to the world, but the world is a gift to us- a gift that was taken for granted. One man's happiness is another man's misery..." Stiles was a man of balance. He always believed that everything had an opposite reaction. Humans were poison to the world, so perhaps the world fought back.

Grim quickly pulled out the camera. Aiming it at the creature as it walked by, snapping a few pictures. The creature didn't mind nor noticed as it continued it's way, birds resting on its concrete parts and making themselves comfortable. Grim pulled out the picture as it slowly developed, showing the photographed creature. He smiled. "Miguel's going to be either jealous or annoyed." Grim said with a smile and a chuckle. They stood sitting for a few hours, until a familiar face came by with a helicopter, a bright white spotlight shining above them. "Here's our ride!" May said as she watched Wright drop the ladder. May climbed up rather quickly. Ded held onto the ladder as he had Stiles and Grim climb up right before him. "Get going, Wright!" Ded said as he climbed up and onto the chopper with the rest, pulling up the ladder and closing the door. "Take us home!" Ded ordered. "Did it went well or do I have to hear May complain about how she got stuck in quicksand again?" Wright asked as he began to fly the helicopter away. "I didn't get in quicksand this time!" May hissed. "This time." Wright teased with a smile. Grim looked out the window, watching the creature walk away the opposite direction as they flew over it and towards the city. "Has anything happened that we need to know of?" Ded asked. "Anything big? Well I haven't heard anything, really. Sorry." Wright said. Grim clicked the walkie talkie on, hoping that maybe Miguel would wake up. "Hey Miguel, if you hear me, we're coming back."

Stiles watched as Giotto took a few picture. He might ask for one of them himself after they got back. The creature was the finest most beautiful specimen he had ever seen. Such beautiful creations only made Stiles wonder what other creatures could be out there. But when there's beauty, there's disgust. From seeing that horrid creature downstairs Stiles could only imagine what other horrors could exist as well. Once they were on the plane, Stiles sat right next to the window to look out. He slowly reached down into his pocket and took out a wallet. He opened it and stared at it momentarily. "Hey Grim, can you come here?" He asked.

As the walkie talkie played, there was still not a single response.

Grim frowned down at the walkie talkie. Was Miguel that sick? Now he felt guilty of leaving him, despite the mission being a success. He would have to make it up to him big time. Grim got the walkie talkie away, looking up as Stiles called to him. He gently walked over to Stiles, sitting down next to him. "What's up?" Grim asked, his eye catching the sight out the window. In a world where electricity was something so rare and scarce, the world's true light became eminent. The entire sky, covered in stars that lit up the world. No pollution, no lights from buildings, no clouds of dark smoke made out of  harmful chemicals. Just...nature being nature. Grim smiled. If there was anything good about the world being in this post apocalyptic state, the sight of the stars was one of them. He turned back to Stiles, tilting his head as his tail wrapped itself around Stiles' shoulder. "What's that?"

Stiles chuckled softly when he felt Grim's tail wrap itself around his shoulder. In his hands was a dirty old leather wallet. Out from behind a stack of small papers that was kept inside the wallet, Stiles took out a small faded picture. It was of two people; a younger version of Stiles who looked to be either in his mid to latetwenties and a little girl who looked to be around seven years of age. She had sandy brown hair and had had the exact same eyes as Stiles. Her face was soft and sweet. Stiles had his arms wrapped around her tight. Stiles wore a lab coat while the girl wore a green child's dress.

"This is my daughter." He said with a smile, handing the picture for Grim to see. "Her name is Lena. She's my little angle. Not one spoiled bone was in her body."

Grim took the picture and looked down in awe, tilting his head slightly to the side. So this was his daughter. Though the picture was ever so slightly faded, he saw the resemblance. "Lena." Grim murmured. What a pretty name. The name itself meant 'the bright one', and the girl seemed to fit to such magically. "She's so pretty." Grim said, smiling softly. He held the picture both tightly yet softly, feeling nervous to even hold it. It was a precious item, a memory. He handed it back to Stiles. "I...wish I could've met her." Grim said, his tail slowly moving back as it now rested against the seat. "(I wonder what kind of person she would have been.)" Grim thought. A doctor? A scientist? A teacher? Who knew. The possibilities would be endless. Had the gloom not taken her away too...who knows what could've happened. Heck, surviving with Stiles would've easily made her a badass survivalist with mastery of any weapon of choice. "I'm sorry she was taken away from you." Grim finally said. He felt guilty, at some point. Why was he chosen to withstand the gloom while others didn't? Yes, the gloom evolved, became one with the hosts. Children born with gloom were easily immune to every other disease known to man. Yet...the guilt still lingered.

Stiles smiled as he saw how fascinated and interested Grim was with the picture. Stiles himself hasn't seen the picture in a while; this was the first time he had seen the picture in what felt like an eternity. Looking at the picture after so long felt like vising an old friend. Stiles gently placed his hand on Grim's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. Usually Stiles felt sadness when he saw the picture. Now, he felt somewhat happy.

"Danke." Stiles said. "She was an angel... Mein schmettling. She never argued, never did anything bad. She always did what she was told and with a smile too. Lena wanted to make others happy especially those she cared about. I remember one morning I was sick from these stomach pains and Lena dressed up as a little nurse with a paper hat and took care of me. You really would have loved her. Miguel and the kids would have loved her too. But it's okay. Things happen... With a purpose ja? She... She is a real angel now."

"An angel..." Grim muttered, his tail twitching in thought. He smiled. "An angel...a beautiful angel." Grim said, the picture in his mind now becoming a beacon. Good people turned into angels, that's the popular belief...he wondered, after all that he and Miguel had done, would they be angels too? Guess he'd find out when the time came along. Grim rested his head back and closed his eyes, his gloom tail moving up and resting over his eyes as if to create a little blindfold to block out any light. Maybe they could all be angels one day. The flight took its few hours, but eventually, they all reached the base in the early hours of the morning, maybe around 4 to 5 AM. If the clocks still worked they could figure it out faster. The helicopter landed carefully on its landing pad, Wright sticking his head out as he began to yell. "Lazy asses what did I say about using this place to hold poker tournaments!" Wright said, pushing a button as one of the blades from the tail started to spin real fast, sending the cards flying as the soldiers fell back. Wright smiled, slowly landing the copter down. "We're home." Wright said. May was already asleep. Ded picked her up. "I'll be taking her to her room then." Ded said. Grim stretched, his eyes glistening. "I have to check on Miguel!" Grim said, leaping out of the helicopter as soon as the doors opened, running past soldiers and people, straight down to the hospital. "Miguel! Miguel!"

Stiles watched the aircraft land on the landing pad, chuckling deeply to himself as he watched the cards and the soldiers scatter. It could've had been a good game but oh well. They could tend to the cards later. Stiles hopped right out and bid Ded farewell. May looked like an angel sleeping in his arms. After he saw Ded leave, Stiles followed Grim over to the hospital. He feared the worse. That was the curse of a doctor. You always expecte the worse and never believed in miracles.

Once they got there, they found Miguel curled up in bed. His eyes were half-lidded and cloudy. He was clearly in a daze. Meanwhile Nicholas was actually in the room, playing with a few LEGOs with his scarf wrapped around his neck.

"You're back!" Nicholas said as he jumped off of the chair and hugged Grim's legs. He was never one to be visibly excited or happy, but he had to be now that Grim has returned. "Miguel can't really talk." He said. "I try to talk to him but he doesn't see me."

"He's hallucinating again, it seems..." Stiles said with a sigh. "I'll have to give him some extra medication but other than that, the only thing we could do is wait... I don't think it's a good idea to move him to the room tonight but everyone could sleep here."

Grim hugged Nicholas tightly and wrapped his tail around him. "It was a cool place but nothing is better than being here." Grim said. He whimpered at the sight of Miguel. He seemed to only go backwards instead of healing up. Grim used his tail to search for the camera in the backpack and handing it over to Nicholas. "Here. Its a camera. You can capture moments with it." Grim said as he then walked over to Miguel. He rubbed his head and kissed his forehead. "Hey, Miguel. We're back from the mission. We found lots of interesting stuff. Miss me?" Grim asked with a smile. "...I'm sorry for leaving...now I won't go anywhere alright...?"

Nicholas looked down at the camera and shuffled his feet. Usually he would be happy to have received such a gift, but now he was just exhausted and sad. He had bags under his eyes to boot. "Thanks..." He muttered softly.

Miguel meanwhile, didn't focus his eyes onto Grim at all. Instead, he just stared at the bed and coughed from time to time. He was sweating, and even tearing up through his half lidded eyes. Stiles shook his head slightly and placed his hand on Grim's shoulder.

"Hey..." He said softly. "I'll give him some more medicine, and some of the medicine I found at the facility to help him with the pain and diarrhea. I'll also give him some water to help keep him hydrated. It's very late already... Would you like me to get Ash and bring beds here so you all can sleep with Miguel? I'm sure when he comes to he will be very happy to see everyone with him."