Hey!
I've taken time out to create a plot and the introduction for a story which I've called "The Day there was Nothing".
It's totally still WIP so pretty much
everything is subject to change. Still, I'd appreciate any advice or constructive criticism about how things are thus far. :)
General:
Genre(s) : Thriller, Mystery, Action
Setting :
undecidedStyle : The prologue is in first person (recollection by the main character, Jay). I'm deciding whether or not it will stay that way, shift to a third-person perspective or vary between chapters.
Plot :
Spoiler
The story revolves around a teenager, Jay, who wakes up one day to find out that his family is missing. Shortly after he realizes that everyone is gone, and the city destroyed. He is left completely alone and to his own devices with no memory of what may have happened.
Chapter 1, Part 1 :
Spoiler
The Day There was Nothing
Chapter 1
Part 1
-The Day There was Nothing
It was cool inside. The early morning brought with it a gentle but cold breeze. Looking out my window, I saw the dark and gloomy sky. It was probably going to rain soon. The trees outside sat groaning as they moved?being battered by the wind as it picked up. It was quiet in the house. I assumed everyone else was downstairs, perhaps eating breakfast. Maybe it had been much earlier than I anticipated. The time on my clock read 6:30, but my alarm hadn't gone off. Scanning my room, everything seemed in place. Maybe there was a short blackout. Nonetheless, I got up and went into the bathroom. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I needed a haircut, it was longer than usual and that might have caused problems at school.
The house was still quiet, not even the sounds of dishes clattering downstairs... "Is everyone sleeping in? Is today a holiday?", I asked myself. Going downstairs, the house was empty. There was no one; none of the lights were on. The only light source was dim streaks of ever-fading sunlight from the windows. I decided that since I was already up, I'd just eat now and maybe go back to sleep. "No one's gonna mind if I fry an egg or two...", and with that, I fried two eggs and made some toast. It just wouldn't have been complete without some bacon, so I helped myself to that as well. A nice, tall glass of orange juice helped me wash it all down. It started raining lightly, and I personally like to sleep when it starts raining, so this was the best time to go back to sleep.
I practically crawled back in bed and dozed off within a couple minutes. I really couldn't sleep, so I decided I'd just go watch some anime or something. I got back out of bed and turned on my PC. It booted up pretty fast this time; I logged in and started up the browser. I clicked on my favorite site through the bookmark bar, but there was no internet. I presumed that it was network issues. I took to my tablet, it was better to watch anime on that anyways. There wasn't any service either, this was when I started to get concerned. The only thing left was an old radio that I kept in case of some kind of emergency. As soon as I switched it on, it began blaring static and warbling noises on the highest volume. I panicked and dropped it. Thankfully, the batteries flew out and the noise stopped.
I cringed for a second, expecting my brother to kick in the door and yell at me for all the noise. There was silence, which was even more disconcerting than not having internet, cellular service or radio...
Almost a minute and not even banging on the walls. No one calling my name or yelling aloud for being woken up. I quietly went to my brother door and knocked on it.
...
Nothing. No response; not even a grumble. I did the same on my parents door, but still no answer. The door was unlocked so I pushed it gently. Their room was empty. The bed wasn't fixed, but no one was around. I ran to my brother's door and knocked on it. No answer again, but I could hear the fan. I convinced myself that he was just asleep or ignoring the noise...or at least that's what I hoped for.
I went downstairs and searched everywhere to see if my parents had gone out and left a note or something. I lost track of time. I must've been searching for a while before I calmed down and gave up the search. Lying on the couch and resting, I looked at the clock and my heart sank. I felt the thudding as I tried to comprehend what I was looking at. The clock read 6:34. It can't be possible! I mean - I woke up at 6:30, ate breakfast, tried to sleep and searched the house for almost half an hour. Just then, I snapped for real. Even if I was imagining it, I needed to know what was going on. I ran up the stairs and banged on my brother's door, but he still wasn't answering. I didn't care how much trouble I'd be in, I was too confused to think straight.
I started ramming it until the lock broke. I looked up and saw the fan pointing on an empty bed. I was alone in the house. "Was this some sick joke? It's a week day, where did everyone go without telling me?", the thoughts ricocheted around my head. The first thing that came to mind was checking to see if my neighbor might have seen anything. I grabbed a coat from my room and pulled on some shoes.
It was still raining lightly, but the breeze was getting stronger. The trees still still shook to and fro as they got battered around. As soon as I turned the door handle, the breeze blew it wide open. Outside was a mess. Everywhere looked abandoned. Houses had shattered windows and doors were ripped down, it was like I slept through an entire war. Cars sat on flat tires, some were torched and still burning. Fires brewed smoke from holes in roofs and smaller flames were scattered around the streets. There wasn't a person in sight. There weren't any dogs, cats, birds - not even insects.
Whatever was happening... this was the day there was nothing.
If you read it all, thanks!
I know how the plot is supposed to roll out, but do you have any guesses on what's happening?^^
Chapter 1, Part 2: **NEW
Spoiler
The Day There was Nothing
Chapter 1
Part 2
- Alive and Alone/New Friends
I didn't know what to do. My mind couldn't connect to what was happening. I wanted to cry but I was more concerned by the sight in front of me. Everyone disappeared, even my family. There was no word of disease or possible war on the news just yesterday, yet the entire city seems desolated. Even if there was a war, how could I have slept through it? Why did my family leave me here?! I couldn't collect myself, at this point I just sat on the veranda's steps. Holding my now aching head, I started thinking of what I needed to do next.
"So there's no one here -- M-mom and dad and d-d-Drake are all gone. I'm on my own...but I'm still alive.", I said aloud.
I knew exactly what needed to be done now. Something was obviously very wrong, and I intended to find out what. My dad was a captain in the 31st expeditionary force, and my brother and I would often go hiking with him. If I knew nothing, I knew how to survive at least a day longer. Thinking logically (that I didn't have time to waste), I ran inside and emptied my school bag. I started packing it with all the canned and packaged goods in the kitchen - pork, tortillas(flatbread), canned sausages, beans, packaged rice, even bags of chips, crackers and chocolate. In this situation, anything that was edible and could give you energy was a necessity. Water was just as important. I stocked up on water bottles, iced tea, juice pouches and a bottle of soda. Even with all that, the bag could've held more. I stacked it neatly and hoped nothing would get destroyed as I moved around. I decided to search my room for anything else useful. All I could use were three hand-held radios and a lighter. While I was there, I put on some actual clothes and grabbed a better jacket and my hiking shoes.
"I need something to defend myself with, who knows what could be out there.", I thought to myself. I checked in my brother's room for anything, he liked pocket knives, so I checked under his bed and luckily found the box he kept them in. Upon opening it, all I found was a four-round flare gun and a pack of flares. It may have come in handy, so I packed the rounds in my bag and tucked the gun in my belt.
Obviously, it would only come in handy for chasing away animals or signaling for help. The only place left to check was the tool cabinet under the staircase. Thankfully, it was open and I would have better luck of finding something I could defend myself with in there. On the wall was a shiny iron fire axe. I remember when dad bought it just before we last went hiking. There was also a heavy-duty flashlight that I really needed, and a pair of cycling gloves - which were better than having just bare hands. Everything was in order now. I knew what I had to do in order to survive. The hardest part was mental preparation. "What if I run into people? Do I share? Do I help them? What if I have to kill them?", these question gave me a sick feeling. I didn't want to be a murderer, even if this was the apocalypse. I could hear the rain now starting to beat down on the roof. I had everything I needed, and staying here would solve nothing.
Going outside once again, I prepared to face a now unknown world with unknown threats. I decided that I would check places I'm familiar with, starting at my school. All along my normal route was the same thing. Abandoned or destroyed homes, with a few exceptions being boarded up yet with no sign of inhabitants. I walked along weary of my surroundings. The rain kept pouring, with small intervals every now and again. Still, you could see the sheets of raining scraping along the pavement as the hard breeze blew away everything light enough to be picked up. Trees were bending to the will of the wind and leaves were flapping all over, and the freezing rain kept on pouring. Just a few blocks ahead was the school compound. I ran in through the front gate and sheltered under the entrance. I pushed the door but it was locked from inside. All I wanted was to get out of the cold rain right now, so I walked along the walls to try and see if any windows were open. No luck, everything was shut. I took the axe, smashed in a window and climbed into the school.
It was dark and quiet, but the rain was still beating down on the roof and blowing in through the shattered window. I quietly walked across the classroom to the door. This was one of the third year classrooms; it had books and papers stacked into the shelves at the back. There were still posters about anatomy and grammar intact on the walls. I opened the classroom door and peeked into the hallway. Blackness stretched in both directions. An eerie sense of unease had me in its grip, it didn’t feel right being here. I took out the flashlight and started down the hall. A cold draft sent chills up my spine and my chest tightened. The air was musty and hard to breathe, but it was the least of my concerns. Eventually I got down to the next doorway. The door was stuck and the window was covered with construction paper. I pushed hard and eventually something gave, the door flew open and I tumbled. I grabbed my flashlight again and looked up to see a figure staring back at me - to which I shrieked and pulled at its feet to trip it. It was an anatomy figure. I held my head out of both relief and embarrassment.
“Heh, thank God no one was here to see this.”, I smirked.
“Hey, did you hear that? It sounds like it came from over here...”, said a muffled voice from somewhere inside the building. I froze and listened for anything more. I could hear running footsteps directly above me. They were in the room above the science lab...
“Someone must be downstai---”, “shhh, shhh”, one voice was hushed by another. They were probably listening for me. “Two people are upstairs, I should get out while I can”, I thought to myself. Quietly picking up the axe and started for the door. Before I could even get out the door, there was a beam of light coming from near the stairs - there were more than two people! “Dammit! I gotta hide!”, I panicked. I looked around and decided the best place would be inside the equipment rack. It was already empty, so I just hopped in and turned off my flashlight. They entered the room and began looking around.
“I don’t think anyone is in here.”, said one. “Search the entire room before jumping to conclusions.”, replied the other. They combed the area and started opening the small cabinets beside the rack. I breathed as slowly and quietly as I could. In no time, they were upon the equipment rack. The two stood in front of it, ready to open the doors. “There’s no way outta this...they will find me.”, I thought pessimistically. One drew closer and prepared to open the door. I needed to act now, and so I did. I kicked the door open, slamming the first person in his face. Pulling the axe from behind me, I leapt and swung it at the other. At this angle, I could drive it through them - this will kill them. I took a sharp hit to my side - I forgot about the third person and now I’m paying for that mistake. He followed up his first attack with a blow to my stomach. I dropped the axe and fell over. Pulling myself onto the wall, I was getting ready to use the flare so I could at least distract them.
“You little s***!”, said the one whose nose I’d just broken with the door, “I’m gonna kill you!”
The classroom lights turned on to reveal their faces. The one threatening me was a shorter guy with dark hair and glasses. Blood poured from his nose and off his face. He was clothed in a school uniform that seemed familiar, but it wasn’t for this particular school. His expression clearly showed how pissed off he was. The second person was taller with a dirty-orange tint of hair. He had on a yellow t-shirt with red and green vinyl along with pants that fell just below his knee. He was slim but looked like an athletic type. Looking to the person at the door, I saw a girl with bright blond hair, she looked lost and scared at the same time. She was wearing a white, slim-fit blouse under a jacket and a skirt with knee-socks.Then the loser with the bloody nose pulled out a knife and held it to my throat. “What the hell were you thinking?! Breaking my nose and swinging an axe at my friends!”, he yelled.
“Your nose was asking to get broken, I did you a favor. Besides, you startled me.”, I rebutted.
“Why--you little c***.” He pressed the knife against my neck now, “You were in our territory.
“You don’t say? I didn’t happen to see a sign stating that.”, I taunted. This guy was clearly getting angrier and the pressure of the knife against my neck had me bleeding slightly.
“Hey, ease off. The guy’s probably just trying to get shelter.”, said the other male.
“Y-yea, I mean w-w-we kinda did make it seem like we were gonna hurt him.”, added the girl.
“He came out swinging that axe around like a maniac! He broke my nose!”, replied the first male.
“And you plan on getting even by cutting his throat? Chill out, Nic, the guy could have started by killing you instead of just breaking your nose.”, the other male said as he pulled the first away and offered me a hand. “The name’s Mike. My blade-happy friend here is Nic and the girl is Lisa.”, he said as he pulled me to my feet.
“Jay - it’s a pleasure.”, I introduced myself sarcastically.
“Sorry about the jab, you startled us too you know.”, Mike said with a seemingly genuine laugh. The girl, Lisa, giggled from the door. Unfortunately, Mr. Nosebleed to my left still looked at me with an annoyed expression. “I don’t like you.”, he said as he spat at my feet and walked out the door. The other two stayed around and started asking me questions like where I’d come from and how I got in.
“Do you have any idea about what’s happening? I mean--where is everyone?”, I asked.
“Nah, I was gonna ask you the same. I woke up earlier and no one was around. I was walking around my neighborhood for a while before I found Lisa wandering around too. Then we came here and found Nic looking for stuff in the school’s offices.”, he replied.
“Same here”, started Lisa, “I woke up but no one was at my house or outside. The entire city looks abandoned, but how could we have just been forgotten?”
We were silent for a moment, probably all trying to form our own solutions for the problem.
“Sitting around won’t do us much good. Neither will fighting. Nic’s not gonna like me after this, but I think it’d would be a good idea for us to stick together.”, Mike said. He didn't know of the content inside my bag, it wasn't obvious because of how I stacked it, but I couldn't have them leeching me then going about their business when I haven’t got anything left. “Have you guys got anything to survive on?”, I asked. I guess Mike knew what I was thinking since he smirked. “Lemme show ya...”, he said as they led me to one of the rooms upstairs. They had it outfitted for long-term stay. They moved stuff around and kept important things organized in the lockers. There was enough food and water that they could use for months at the least!
“The cafeteria wasn’t totally empty. We brought everything useful up here where it’s just a bit safer in case more window-smashers come along.”, Mike said. I felt a little weird now that I see they could easily outlast me with all these supplies.
“What’d ya say?”, Mike said as he extended his hand to me, Lisa standing behind him with a welcoming smile. “We’ll find out what happened to everyone.” Without much hesitation, I gripped his hand and we shook on it. There were smiles and a little laughter among us three for a moment. We weren't a dream team of survivors, but I was personally glad to know that I wasn’t alone in this place. My relief was short lived, because we still had no clue as to what’s happening, but I was sure things would be a bit easier now.
Or so I hoped.
I decided to make Chapter 1 a two-part for size related reasons. Chapter 2 will be coming along soon enough and should be a single part chapter.
Again, critiques and opinions are greatly appreciated!