one night, a meteor came to my door.

[beyondriftmods]

Chicago has seen its share of disasters, both natural and unnatural. Catastrophic storms, floods, the plagues—nothing has kept the city down for long. Its citizens are strong, brave, and resilient, and the popular opinion is that Chicago can handle anything.

Then again, Chicago's never been hit with a meteorite before.

It's a nice enough day, for late January. The morning's rain has tapered off, the sun is out, and the dirty snow lining the sidewalks is starting to melt. The news headlines aren't great, but they're not terrible, either—something about a local politician and a kinky affair, something about a small house fire last night, something about a car accident involving drunk teenagers. It could be worse.

That's the problem with the rifts, though: no one can predict what will come through them. If the meteor had been anywhere near the earth's atmosphere, someone would have noticed; the trajectory would have been marked, there would have been mass evacuations. Lives would have been saved. It was near an earth's atmosphere—just not this one.

It rips through the sky around noon, a titanic, fiery stone mass that crashes directly into the western part of the city. The Midway International airport is obliterated, as is the entire community of Garfield Ridge. Thousands are dead immediately. More will be dead soon.

An impact quake rattles the entire city to its core. The rift through which the meteor came remains open for long enough for myriad things to fall through—people, debris, monsters. The city's power grid fails completely, leaving only the facilities with their own generators with power, which is not such a huge problem in the middle of the day... but it will be later, surely. Ruptured gas lines give birth to fires. Cars crash, trains derail.

Smaller pieces of the meteorite fall through the rift minutes after the initial impact, lodging themselves in the sides of buildings and homes.

Let's see how the city deals with this disaster.

Comments

☇ Kashtta Tower

[beyondriftmods]

It's the sound that comes first.

It sounds like something screeching across the sky and then the roaring crash of the meteor when it hits.

No one in the city could be unaware something has happened unless they were in deep sleep, and even then, something is about to come that will shake them directly out of it and into a disaster zone.

The sound is the first sign of the coming earthquake, like an airplane or a train flying far too closely before the Kashtta Tower is shaking with it, trembling with it in the aftermath. There is little time to think or to react, and the power goes out at some point within the shaking. TVs turn to black. Lights flicker on and off, and the Tower goes dark.

One of the smaller meteorites hits the side of the tower, sending pieces of the building down to the sidewalk below and creating another shake within the building itself. Objects within the Tower have become completely unhinged, falling to the ground. Some crack into pieces and break. Others manage to survive the fall, but nothing is left in its original place by the time silence descends.

One of the water pipes within the building ruptures, and there is significant damage but the Tower survives. Somehow, it survives when buildings around it begin falling to pieces. Then, another sound. It comes from the Silent Hall, reverberating throughout all of the rooms as if something in the Hall itself has been broken. The sound thankfully can't be heard in the lobby, which will be quickly set up to take in the injured and frightened from outside. The buildings across the street are on fire.

Monsters and creatures have started to explore the sidewalks of the city. It is not safe to be out in the city unarmed, and the Tower and its inhabitants will need protecting.

[shotofdumbidea]

Georgia was working in her room when it happened. You grow up in California and reacting to an earthquake becomes second nature - the building starts shaking, and she's under her desk almost before she has time to think. Vector whines and hurries to join her, pressing herself against Georgia's side and shivering nervously.

When the shaking stops, Georgia waits for just a few seconds before venturing out from under her desk - sure, the smart thing would be to wait out any aftershocks, but Shaun's somewhere else in the building, and she needs to find him. Vector stares at her from underneath the desk, eyes glinting in the faint glow from Georgia's laptop, the only light in the room even before the power went out. The dog is clearly not planning to come out any time soon, and that's fine with Georgia.

She tries Shaun on the phone, but the call won't go through - the networks are down, which is unsurprising considering Chicago's not exactly designed for earthquakes. Georgia grabs her gun off the desk and steps into the hall, quickly closing the door behind her before the dog can change its mind about coming out from under the desk. When she realizes the lights are out in the hall too, she slips her glasses off and tucks them into her back pocket; here's one situation where her eyes are actually an advantage.

It's tempting to go running downstairs shouting for Shaun, but Georgia knows better than that. There are at least two other people in the building infected with Kellis-Amberlee, probably more. If something happened to one of them... Well, Georgia has no desire to run straight into the teeth of fresh zombies, never mind whatever chaos the actual quake caused.

She walks down the hall slowly, keeping her steps light and her breathing quiet, listening carefully for any sign of another living thing... or anything not living, for that matter. The sound of water pattering to the floor from out of burst pipes is all she can hear at the moment, and she can't decide if she should find that reassuring or worrying.

[pwnspatrickjane]

Shawn had seen this coming.

He always sees it coming. He saw the flood coming to, but no one ever seems to believe him. It'd be frustrating, if Shawn wasn't already used to not being believed on a regular basis -- the side effect of pretending to be psychic in a skeptical world. Some things, though, he wishes would be believed a little easier.

That isn't his concern at the moment though. His concern is the specifics on what he saw, and he had been so worried about the deadly part of what he saw (METEORS) and forgot about the more sentimental area. The meteors start to hit the Kashtta, however, and it all comes back to him. He doesn't give a lot of concern to the destruction around him -- he just leaps to his feet and runs out the door.

By the time he reaches the front door, he can see the wiener mobile where he parked it last night before he went to bed. He breathes a small sigh of relief, and starts to charge forward to get to his car, but before he can get too close, there's a noise from above him, and he can see another meteor falling. He starts to backtrack, heading back towards the door of the Kashtta, and gets thrown to the ground as the meteor makes impact. There is a cloud of dust in it's wake, and Shawn can't see where it hit, though his vision might have made it clear enough.

"IRMA!" he shouts into the debris, before being silenced by a hacking cough.

Screaming into a dust cloud is not smart, Shawn.

[selfrespect]

Jo Harvelle is a hunter.

She was determined to be one years ago and through sheer strength of will (and plenty of neglect toward her mother's concerns), she became one. It's also been nearly two years since she ended up in Chicago, and she's seen plenty of disasters throughout her stay.

She's made it through to the other side for each and every one. She can honestly say a meteor has never been involved in any of them, however.

The rifle belongs in her hands. It always has. She knows exactly what to do with it, and she's not letting any monster, demon or otherwise, go anywhere near the Tower. It's a safe haven for wanderers, a safe haven for those that have nowhere else to go, and she will be standing guard.

A tentacled monster stampedes its way down the street, and Jo's aiming at it, but it's taking more than a few bullets to its vital organs to keep it down for good. For anyone that's near by and not fast enough, a tentacle may just wrap around them, lifting them right up.

[narrated]

Within the Kashtta, Martha Jones has set the lobby up to bring in the injured. She'll be reaching out to anyone nearby to gather up their help in this endeavor. It's hard-- no, it is impossible. She is grateful that the Kashtta Tower did not fall like the Conrad, because that was honestly her first thought when the shaking happened. some part of her was screaming like she was... she wasn't as old as she usually feels, and she does feel old.

There was that moment of pain ripping through her, of fear and worry and a very despairing No because somehow she knew she would survive another building falling. It didn't fall though, and she swallowed thickly, swallowed it all back before she moved forward.

There are enough windows in the lobby to light it somewhat, but they need the medical supplies here. They need to send teams out into the Tower to make certain that everyone is here. The horrible siren wailing is impossible to ignore, and it can't be-- has to be driving anyone mad if they're still conscious but stuck somewhere in the Tower.

"Lets all remain calm, move to the back of the lobby, please," Martha says firmly. "Injured in this area. We'll have someone look over you. If there's a more serious injury, they get priority."

She's also looking for someone-- anyone to help take lead. If she starts healing... she'll need someone to look after everything, because even when she heals from her own injuries, it exhausts her.

Martha swallows thickly as the first injured comes in, one that will die if she doesn't do something. She closes her eyes, silently sends out a message to Wes. I am so sorry. Before she kneels down and sets her hands upon the injured person, taking their broken bones on herself.

Re: ☇ Kashtta Tower

[lockwood]

Eventually, Tyler makes his way back towards the Tower. It's one of the few places he knows in Chicago so far. And he knows Caroline lives there. And right now? With everything else going on? Making sure she's okay is definitely a priority. It always is with him these days.

He doesn't have any weapons on him, but he has his strength and speed from being a werewolf, and it seems to be helping him keep his own for now.

When he gets to the Tower, he sees the damage from the meteor right away. It's unlike anything he's ever seen. Sure, crazy things happen in Mystic Falls all the time, but not like this. Not to this degree.

He gets distracted as he takes in everything, and he doesn't notice the monster that's approaching him from behind at first. Not until it hisses anyways. But as he turns around it's too late to stop it at first and it bites him. His eyes flash golden in anger and he lashes out in response, and after a struggle, manages to put the thing down.

His breathing is heavy when it's over and he's glancing around, trying to gather himself so he can return to the task at hand.

[redeems]

Angel is reading. He has the radio on for background music. He's finally found a station that has older music. It has better music. When the radio starts emitting static, Angel sets his book down and gets up from his chair. He makes his way over to the radio, turning the dial. The first sound pierces through the static and the crash is distinct. Angel moves to the window, pausing only briefly before remembering the sun doesn't hurt him. Immediately, he readies himself, deciding he needs to be out there. While in the doorway from his bedroom, the earthquake hits and he braces himself against it.

When the Earthquake stops, Angel moves again, grabbing his leather jacket. Closing the door behind him, Angel is caught by surprise by the other meteor - the piece of the meteor crashing into the tower. That, he can't hold himself up during and he falls into the wall, hands smacking against it.

He's up again, hero mode having kicked in. He decides to focus on the stairwell, head down as fast as he can. He needs to reach the bottom floor. The building is intact but who knows if the others around it are.

[vampirebarbie]

Caroline is a resident of the tower. It's not as though she hasn't looked for something somewhere else, but she's still not sure what to do in this city. For the moments before the quake, she'd been brushing her teeth. When things settle, in the distance, she'll wonder why she didn't hear it coming - why the sound didn't catch to her sensitive hearing before the strike.

Now she's moving down the stairs trying to do what you're supposed to do in an emergency. You avoid the elevators, you get to ground, and you help whoever you can. Caroline wants to help, she wants to do what she always does, but when a beam comes down and gives her a laceration across her upper arm she just keeps moving. It's only once she's down a few more flights that she realizes that she's bleeding.

The panic sets in immediately and her hand goes to cover over the wound. It should be healing. She's stunned so much so that she doesn't notice that the next hit to the side of the building sending her to her knees. She needs to get out of the building.

Once she gets to the ground level, pushing through the crowd she sees what's outside and realizes -- she needs to stay in the building.

[burkethejerk]

Peter isn't in the Tower when it hits. No, he's out, walking, running, trying to adjust to skipping a month and see what might have changed in the time between
disappearing and reappearing.

So he's out for the crash. He's out for the quake that comes after. He's out long enough to see things start to come out at an alarming rate.

Then he's on the move.

His gun is out as he hurries through the streets -- not running, because thing are really too chaotic to be able to run through without constantly having to stop to navigate around a disaster. It's not much, not compared to the kind of weaponry you'd need to make a dent in this kind of disaster, but right now he's mostly concerned with not getting killed as he makes his way back to the Tower.

He'll offer whatever help he can once he gets there, he'd be happy to take up arms and help protect things, and it's not like he's ignoring it if he can help someone on the way there, but getting there is the important thing. Getting to his wife. Getting to Neal and Sara. Making sure all of them are okay, making sure they're safe and didn't get hurt and getting them somewhere safe if the Tower isn't anymore.

Anything else comes second.

☇ Looney High

[beyondriftmods]

Looney High has seen better days.

To be perfectly honest, it's seen days like this one, too.

It started out normally enough, with homeroom period and the reluctance of its Looney students.

Forms and notices and announcements were handed out accordingly. There's the infamous mystery meat to look forward to at lunch, but no one really wants to unravel that mystery. Students convene at their lockers throughout breaks, chattering about their weekends and the gossip of the day. There's always something spreading throughout the grapevine. Couples sneak into eraser rooms and janitor rooms for their own little conventions. Some students decided to skip school altogether, and their rebellion might be a blessing in disguise.

The clock strikes twelve, and before lunch period can begin, the desks tremble in anticipation of the quake. The trembling soon gives way to utter chaos and the school, like the Kashtta Tower, is left in a disaster zone. The crashing of the meteor drowns out everything else, even if Looney will not experience the worst of its damage. Glass windows shatter, followed by screams of students and teachers alike.

The lights flicker off and the bell, which had been ringing, is cut off abruptly.

Out on the quad, at the very heart of its field, a rift opens up in the form of a deadly whirlpool. It's followed shortly by a hoarde of crawling, giant monster ants. They make their way past the quad and inch closer to the school buildings with every passing second.

The gargantuan ants will not be the only critters to fall through, as the rift will remain open within the quad for some time.

It's madness, and the rift invites the madness in.

[damagedone]

Scarlett’s been in Chicago since last summer. Apart from being turned into a horse and having to deal with having her inner-most thoughts displayed for the entire journal network to see – she’s not had to deal with the real destruction the Rift can cause.

Her initial reaction is confusion, her desk rumbling beneath her. Students around her murmur and then there's a scream, the windows shattering, sending shards of glass. There's a moment of shock before everyone starts screaming and making a run for it. All hell breaks loose, and she doesn’t deal with it well. She tries to always hide any feelings she has, but the one that comes a-knocking cannot be shoved so easily away.

She panics, joining the hysteria of her classmates. Many make a rush for the door, there's a small stampede - people shoving and falling, tripping over one another as the teacher loses control of the class. Fear stops them from doing anything rational. Someone pushes her over, tramples on her and she fights to get out into the hallway. Lost and unsure what to do, she runs almost aimlessly. Scarlett does what she’s done many times before when faced with something she can’t deal with – she hides.

Her head's reeling, people keep knocking into her and shoving her to the side, to the ground. She doesn't understand what's happening. Barging her way into an empty classroom, she runs to a familiar hiding place - a store cupboard. Shutting herself in, she sinks to the floor, her breath coming fast and frenzied. Drawing her knees to her chest, she rocks herself back and forward, hands over her ears, trying to drown out the din. She can hear things falling, crashing and the ground shudders violently. And all she can do is scream. She can’t move, she doesn’t know what to do.

"Stop it, stop it!"

She’s terrified. For all she knows, the world’s coming to an end.

[creidim]

Luna was fast to react when things started to go wrong. She’d been daydreaming, staring blankly out the window as she usually does. That’s when she noticed the sky darkening and a fierce rumbling. She knew this wouldn’t be good and instinctive rose to her feet, wand raised. As the glass shattered, she whipped her wand, casting a shield to stop her classmates from getting his by the flying shards.

And when the rest of her classmates started to panic, she calmly slipped out the classroom and hurried outside. She knew it would be too difficult trying to find her friends amongst the chaos, but knew if there was trouble – they’d surely find their way towards it in a bid to help.

She runs through the corridors, dodging falling debris and her wand at the ready as the building shakes and the lights flicker. There’s a familiar sounding roar echoing outside. And through the windows of the doors a little ahead of her, she can see fire in the near distance.
Bursting out into the open, she runs as fast as she can through the school grounds, past the parking lot and heading for the nearest street to where the noise is coming from. People are screaming, running in fear of it. And it’s not until she manages to catch sight of the thing that she skids to a halt. It’s a dragon. Not one she recognizes from her own world, but a dragon none the less. Luna knows this is a dangerous situation, but she must help all she can.

First off, try to talk to it. This could be resolved without violence.

“Hello? Can you hear me? Please, stop this!”

The dragon lands on the roof of a nearby building, breathing fire into the air. Luna struggles to build a mental connection, the words she hears she doesn’t recognize. It’s a different language, one she’s never heard before.

“Darr lein ahrk jul fent aus ahrk ag!” the dragon roars and then sends another roll of fire with a cry that sounds something like ‘yol’.

Luna dives out the way and hides behind an overturned car, not turning to look at the people getting caught in the blast. She still looks surprisingly calm. Unfortunately, she’s going to have to fight this dragon if she can’t seem to reason with it. She doesn’t want to, but it seems like this can’t be dealt with more calmly.

Oh, dear. Right, then.

Diving out, she aims her wand at the dragon. She’s not sure if it’ll work, but she’s going to try. “Stupefy!”

[OOC: The dragon said: This earth and mankind will suffer and burn. Awww yeah, I wrote in dragon language from Skyrim. 8)]

[kiss_evilgoodbye]

This is why Buffy believes that high school is evil.

It isn't the books or the teachers or the homework. It isn't the tests, though she thinks that the guy who created tests is probably in a level of Hell somewhere. It's the fact that no matter what happens disaster always follows. It doesn't matter if it's Sunnydale or Chicago, you can't make it through a year, without someone trying to destroy the building and the people inside it.

In this case, it happens to be meteors and army ants. Go figure. Then again, this is probably why they higher Slayers as teachers.

She's sitting in her office when things start to explode, and she's on her feet in seconds. She fishes her scythe out of her office closet and heads towards the door. She can see the kids running everywhere, and she knows that first things first, she needs to calm everyone down. She makes her way down to one of the junctions in the hallways and puts her fingers between her lips for a shrill whistle to get everyone's attention.

"EVERYONE HEAD TO THE GYM!" She points with her scythe -- it's the largest, most defendable position in the school. It'd stand the best shot of keeping everyone safe.

Hopefully people would actually listen.

Re: ☇ Looney High

[arkham_doctor]

Jonathan's chemistry class had been going rather well, all things considered. He was discussing the finer points of Lewis Structures when class was about to end. Before the bell had a chance to ring for long, though, it was cut short. The ground started to shake and the noise was deafening.

The anticipation seemed to go on forever.

As the meteor hits his trance is broken. He snaps back to reality just in time to turn away from the exploding windows, but feels the shrapnel scrape across his skin. Nothing to serious, but enough to cause some pain, as he was standing right next to them. A quick survey assures him that no one in his class is seriously injured, but they are in quite a panic. He doesn't believe the school has an 'in case of meteor' emergency plan, but there is a plan for earthquakes. It would be the logical plan to follow.

"Everyone get to the gym! Quickly!" He raises his voice just as loudly as he can, trying to be heard over the chaos. As for himself, he knows it is his responsibility as a teacher to make sure everyone gets there safely. He has nothing to arm himself with, but follows the class into the hallway.

Time to play hero? That seems to be the plan.

[ohstarryeyed]

Cassie knows what Chicago’s like, she knows the destruction and chaos it can cause only too well. But it’s almost always when she least expects it. It’s almost the end of the lesson, she’s looking forward to some tea, plenty sugar for that extra kick to get her through the day. The bell goes and things kick off, almost ceremoniously. The ground shaking and things start crashing to the floor. Oh God, what now? What now, Chicago?

She’s scared, uncertain of just what’s happening, but it only seems to be getting worse. And although she doesn’t know exactly what’s happening – her concern for her students instantly becomes number one.

Rising up from her seat, she shouts out: “Everyone stay calm, under the desks, now!”

The shaking’s ferocious and she’s scared the building’s going to fall down, there’s an explosion that knocks everyone off their feet. The lights flicker and go out, drenching the room in complete darkness – the winter sky outside black and red. Something worse is going on outside, not just a normal earthquake, but something else. Students cry out in fear and she knows she has to do something.

Scrambling forwards to someone close who shouts out, she kneels down and reaches for them. “It’s alright, calm down. We’ll be fine,” she assures.

Trying to stay calm herself, she focuses her powers. She needs to be able to see, she needs to make sure she can see her students through the dim and she knows just how to do it. Concentrating, she lets her powers seep out around the room, the entire of her eyes going jet black. Mixing her own darkness with the actual darkness, she slow begins to pick out the class in a dim night-vision.

“It’s alright, I can see you,” she says, “You’ll be okay, just take deep breaths,”

[womanking]

Sarah's wings were itching and aching at her shoulder blades for a whole hour before the meteor hit, and she could only half-understand why. They kept trying to push out of her back while the class she found herself in droned on. She wasn't able to sit still in the process. Her legs kept shaking, feet tapping against the floor restlessly, and her hands gripped the edges of her seat in pain until the wings, finally, shoved their way out.

She ignoers the looks that she gets as the notebook falls to the floor.

Five minutes for the bell to ring, she stands and makes her way out of the classroom, ignoring the teacher that calls out her name and tells her to get back here.

She's walking down the lone hallway when it happens, and her heart sinks to the ground. It only takes minutes before death takes over and the blood begins to stench throughout the halls. She swallows thickly, looking around her as everyone begins making their way toward the gym as their teachers are telling them to do.

Even if she wanted to, she can't.

People are dying, and they can't be there alone, and she goes wherever death goes. Always.

Most people are running away from the quad but Sarah's moving toward it, trying to avoid falling debris and the lockers tumbling down in the process.

[redeems]

Angel is not a high school student. In fact, Angel has never been to high school. Yet, here Angel is having made his way to Looney High. It isn't that he's worried about Buffy. He knows Buffy can take care of herself. They've been in separate cities for a year. She fell for -- Spike of all people -- or Spike had fallen for her. He's moved past his ex. He's had an entire company to run. But, they're in the same city. And Angel feels he needs to brave the creatures, the rifts, the aftershocks to at least check in.

He doesn't know where Rupert lives, where Harris is and he's really only thinking about Xander Harris because Buffy would be. If he sees the guy, he'll save him. That's who Angel is. But, he knows Buffy's here. And he knows she's a guidance counselor at Looney High. He also knows it's a school day.

Which is why he's currently walking through the front doors.

[askthemoon]

Remus is not a student, but he's near Looney when things go to hell. He'd been doing some things in the area, hoping he could catch Harry, Hermione and Luna on the way out once school ended, maybe take them someplace to get tea and catch up on how things have been the past month.

The meteor apparently has other plans.

Most people seem to be moving away from the school rather than towards it, but Remus shoves his way through the crowd, occasionally with the help of spells if it gets difficult. It's not easy, even with magic on his side, and there's more than one close encounter with something that's dropped out of a rift or just a person gone a little crazy with the disaster. He should be looking for shelter, somewhere safe, and he will. Once he's pulled the three of them out with him. They may have faced more than he can possibly imagine, but they're still younger than him and they're still the people he cares most about (and it's still James' son, and -- as that impulse in the back of his mind that Remus refuses to admit helps to spur on his actions, especially in dangerous times, all but growls at him -- they're pack). He's not just walking away to leave them in a disaster zone.

Even if he has no idea, once he shoulders his way through the doors of the school, where to start looking for any of them.

[goodlording]

It's a difficult thing to deal with, when one set of instincts is telling you to stay the hell inside lest you die a horrible death and another set is telling you to get your ass out there because your Slayer is in danger and her life is more important than yours.

By the time he makes it to the high school, he's a little scratched up. It's nothing too bad, thankfully, and he's more upset about the fact that his favorite tweed blazer is ruined, but neither of those things matter right now.

He has to find Buffy.

He corners a crying student near the office. "Do you know where Buffy Summers is? Your guidance counselor. I need to find her."

The young girl blinks up at him, looks at the bloody piece of lead pipe in his hands, and begins to cry harder.

"Look, I know you're scared, but—" Giles frowns. He doesn't have time for this. "Just nod. Do you know where Ms. Summers is?"

She nods, then quietly croaks, "Gym. She's in the gym."

"Good." Giles grabs the girl by her arm, hauls her up, and starts down the hall. "We're going to the gym. You'll be safer there, and since I have no bloody idea where the gym is, you need to lead me there."

This probably doesn't look very good to anyone who isn't Giles.

Oh well.

☇ Grant Park

[beyondriftmods]

Grant Park is a popular destination, for both natives and supernaturals alike.

It is, in fact, where most wanderers find their way into the Windy City, and activities of all kinds are carried out. These activities come to a deadly halt at precisely noon, along with the rest of the city. There was no way to be prepared, there was no way anyone could know--and there's such little time to react.

The meteor tears through this Earth's atmosphere instead of where it was originally headed, crash-landing into Chicagoan ground.

The quake can be felt no matter where you are within city limits. It doesn't last long, but it leaves an impression regardless. Wherever you are and wherever you are standing, or not standing, proper footing has been taken from you.

The ground beneath threatens to split in half, and small pieces of the meteor fall throughout the city as the meteor itself breaks up on entering the Earth's atmosphere. Grant Park does not remain unscathed. Gas lines rupture and fire begins to spread wildly, quickly. Rifts open up and one can't begin to imagine what will fall through them--but absolutely anything can.

People, objects, the monsters you never thought would be under your bed are right in front of you instead.

Panic is palpable within those that try their very best to find shelter, find somewhere safe.

Safe just might not be in the cards for today.

[enjoythe_ride]

One minute everything's fine, and the next it's all coming apart around you.

It's a side effect of living in Chicago and it's not the first time Bela's experienced it, but it's the first time that it's been something of this magnitude. She's making her way through the park on her way to lunch when she hears the faint sound of a whistle, almost as though something's falling above her, but when it actually hits the ground, she isn't entirely sure what happens.

The next thing she knows, she's twenty feet away from where she was originally standing, and she's fairly certain that she's bleeding, but she can't feel anything right now. She almost feels dazed, like this isn't really happening. It's almost as though she's watching it all happen and not realizing that it's happening to her. That is, until the monster starts charging her.

That's when her instincts kick in and she goes for her gun. She fires three shots into the thing's head, whatever it is, and thankfully that works because it drops just short of her feet. The panic and mayhem surround her but she can't focus on that. She needs to get somewhere safe, and her instincts carry her before she has any time to think. She has a destination in mind, but she doesn't know where it is yet.

But there is someone she needs to find.

[misfitted]

It takes time for Jeremy to get out of the school, because the school is filled with death, with monsters of its own. However, he knows he needs to get out and find the people that he cares about. The worry rockets through him, because-- because he doesn't want to lose anyone else and death is everywhere, which is worrying in itself because of Sarah. Jeremy remembers how she looked after helping her friend died because of the Society.

He made a decision recently about what he wanted to do with his life, with his future. Wes taught him how to fight, how to defend himself, because they thought it was important.

It is important in Chicago to protect oneself against the hundreds of threats that are out there, but his decision is about more than protecting himself. It's about following in the footsteps of his family who were hunters themselves. They hunted vampires. Jeremy is willing to hunt whatever needs to be killed.

Elena was okay with that, but he made the decision to do more than defend himself. He wants-- needs to fight too. Jeremy has a crossbow in his hand as he makes his way through the park with it in hand, aiming it at a spider that was about to take a bite out of an unsuspecting man.

It falls to the grass, but Jeremy fails to see the rabid creature behind him, headed toward his leg with teeth and mouth open wide, ready to clamp down.

☇ Navy Pier

[beyondriftmods]

Another popular spot for natives and wanderers is the Navy Pier. On an ordinary day, it has rides that are running like the Ferris Wheel, carousel, miniature golf, and more. There are museums and attractions along with a long line of shops and restaurants for tourists and natives (and those that consider themselves neither) to enjoy to their heart's content.

The earthquake does its damage to the Pier, shaking the Ferris Wheel but not tearing it down. The carousel has seen better days, taking harsh damage. Many of its fake horses fall to the pavement. One of the meteorite pieces crashes into the water. The strength of the impact creates a large waves that rushes over the pier, dragging people and objects down into Lake Michigan as it retreats again.

Parts of shops and the buildings surrounding the pier have collapsed. This collapse results in killing those unlucky enough to be standing there, half the time. Other times the collapse results in trapping people (sometimes several of them at a time) beneath the rubble with no sign of an escape.

They can try to dig their way out or wait for rescue, but it is difficult to say which of these will happen first.

The sounds in the pier are the roar of the waves still crashing madly against the pier. Joining them are the screams, shouts, and the struggle of people trying to save their own lives and the lives of others. Chicago is always filled with people who are willing to lend a hand somehow even in the darkest of times, even at the potential expense of their own life and safety.

The Ferris Wheel is the only thing that somehow remains standing as monsters and mayhem begin descending upon this place, too.

[daredtobelieve]

There's no warning. None at all. Just the scream of impact and the blind panic that follows quickly after.

Helen is one to act quickly, and to be prepared for all situations. The crash of the waves drenches her quickly, but she can't stop to care. She's too busy ushering people to safety, guiding them as best she can from the carnage of the shops as crumbling walls and electrical wires do not make for safe havens.

"Come on!" She shouts to those nearby. It isn't long before creatures begin to appear, rising from nothingness. "Oh, bloody hell." She curses before turning to the largest group of people.

"Our highest priority is to stay safe." She's shouting over the waves and roars behind her. "If you are too young, too old, or unable to defend yourself for any reason, do not- and I repeat do not be a hero. Find shelter. My Sanctuary is available to you if need be." She gives them all a hard look, then glances behind her before turning her hard gaze back on them. "As for the rest of you, I cannot ask that you stay at my side to neutralize the situation here, but I will take any help that I can get." She slips her hand behind her, pulling a gun from her waistband.

"Shall we?"

☇ Miscellaneous

[beyondriftmods]

The aforementioned places are not the only ones under siege.

The whole city is experiencing damage, the only difference being the degrees in which it is experiencing the disaster.

Buildings of all shapes and sizes are collapsing in the blink of an eye, the death toll rising. Establishments are torn down with people in them, or they're barely held together. The L Train derails and many will find themselves trapped inside. Store windows shatter, glass raining down on the pavement as people fight for their lives.

Fires around the city spread with the gas lines rupturing.

Riots and looting aren't outside the realm of possibility.

The power outage extends throughout all of Chicago, save for those that have generators. This won't seem as much of a problem, but the sun will go down, and the chaos will continue.

So tell us, Rifters.

Where are you when the meteor hits?

[thelightofgrace]

The meteors hit the L Train, and all Charlie can do his watch.

He knew that something was coming. He could feel his Calling flare up under his skin almost like a premonition, and the next thing he knows the sky is falling around him with a whistle and a bang.

All the medication in the world couldn't keep him from flashing back to Iraq in that moment, to the bombs and the mortar falling from the sky. One instinct is for him to take cover, get clear of the falling debris and to keep himself safe, but before he could rationalize it, his Calling takes over, and he's heading for the people, the ones he could help, whether that be help them die or help them medically.

He reaches the first person he can find, some poor soul skewered on a fractured piece of medal, and takes their hand. "It's alright," he says softly. "I'm here to help."

closed }

[saints_mustfall]

Chicago is prone to disasters.

Any native to this universe is aware of that. It's practically a given, but nothing ever really prepares you for the first one. Especially when it involves pieces of space rock falling from the sky.

Gracin doesn't give himself much time to think. In fact, there isn't much time to think. There's just the internal drive to get home to his ward before something happens to her. He can feel her fear sinking into his bones, and it only proves to propel him forward faster. He makes a beeline back to the hotel, takes the stairs to get to their suite faster, and bursts through the door like a man in a panic.

"Sheridan?" he says as he comes in the door. "Sheridan, where are you?"

[insidebells]

Sheridan, like most teenagers, believes herself to be more capable of handling situations than she truly is. Sheltered as she's been her whole life, she can safely say she has never experienced something of this magnitude before.

You hear the stories. You think you know what you're in for, and then you don't.

The fear slides into her quickly, and when the quake hits, she runs toward the desk and hides underneath it, limbs quaking as the city seems to crash and burn outside.

She's still under the desk when she hears Gracin's voice, and her own is shaky when she replies to him. "Gracin?" she asks. The relief floods into her, even if the fear doesn't leave. "What's going on?"