The Unnaturals Prequel - Cataclysm
You decide that going to work is important and you do not want to risk upsetting your bosses. Besides, a little sunburn isn’t going to stand in your way.
With one final breath, you step out onto the sidewalk. Within seconds, you realise this isn’t going to be just a little sunburn. Your determination is already put to the test.
However, your place is of work is only a few blocks away. You begin jogging, dipping into shadowed doorways every now and then when the heat feels too much. As you move down the street, you notice a few other brave souls attempting the same thing. Nearly everyone you see is sweating and struggling furiously and as you meet their gaze, both of you can only raise your hands in frustration before continuing on.
Finally you see the door to your job. It is a large concrete building with many windows, separated from the others around it and nearly occupying the entire block. You can only pray that they have the A.C on full blast and all of the windows closed and shuttered.You reach for the handle and recoil instantly as the metal of the door is blazing hot. You quickly jab the open door button with your foot in frustration.
Stepping inside, you are dismayed to find that the sound of the A.C is suspiciously absent and that the temperature is barely a few degrees cooler than it is outside. How could an entire company of mechanical engineers not have the A.C running?
Looking around, you see a few other employees moving around the foyer sluggishly. Everyone is sweating. You approach one of them, an older man leaning against the wall with the top several buttons of his shirt undone. He’s trying to read some paper work he is holding but the sweat running into his bright blue eyes is making it nearly impossible.
“Why isn’t the damn A.C running?!” You ask him, sounding more angry than you had intended.
“Fucked if i know!” He retorts. “Theres supposed to be a crew working on it but I haven’t seen them.”
You can’t even summon the energy to respond. Well, now you know what you’ll be working on today. You head to your office and collect some of your tools into a workbelt.
Stepping back into the foyer, you head for the electrical panel on the wall. Just as you unlatch it, you hear a terrible sound.
Outside, an incredibly loud howling echoes through the streets. Glancing out the windows, you notice a strong wind blowing refuse and other materials around in the heat. For a moment, you wonder if the breeze would actually feel nice in the stifling air. But the noise keeps getting louder. Soon everyone is looking around nervously. It sounds like a tornado or a hurricane, but surely that can’t be happening within the city.
Cutting through the intense howl of the wind, you hear the high pitched whine of sirens. The sound of the sirens increases until you see several firetrucks barreling down the street. You notice that the firemen hanging off of the sides are wearing their full fire gear. Even though you know its insulated against the heat, it cannot be comfortable. Worse than that, you notice the faces of the golden-skinned men and women… they look scared.
These are without a doubt some of the bravest people in the city. If they’re scared, you’re terrified. They race off somewhere distant until the sound of the sirens is once again consumed by the howling sound. You look to the other employees standing around, nobody is working anymore, simply staring out the windows fearfully. You decide to keep working on the A.C.
Several minutes pass by and you’ve nearly completed the repair. It was a simple short out in the electrical work. Just as you close the panel and hear the hum of the currents, you hear another siren punching through the howl.
This one is different. It is not nearly as high pitched as the firetrucks and sounds lazy and withered in comparison. Looking through the windows again, you finally see the source.
It is one of the firetrucks, heading in the opposite direction as before. Except the entire truck appears melted, the red paneling is distorted, blackened and scorched. It is moving far slower than it was. The tires seem to be sticking to the road and the sole firemen at the wheel looks panicked. What could do that to a fire truck?!
The driver of the truck has the window down and is screaming out of it.
“RUN! NOW!” his voice is cracking in fear and his eyes are wild. He’s shouting at the closed doors of buildings on either side of the road, but you can still hear him. Looking at the others in the foyer, nobody makes a move.
1a1) Should you follow the fireman’s advice and flee out into the streets?
OR
1a2) Stay inside the building with the A.C you just repaired?
With one final breath, you step out onto the sidewalk. Within seconds, you realise this isn’t going to be just a little sunburn. Your determination is already put to the test.
However, your place is of work is only a few blocks away. You begin jogging, dipping into shadowed doorways every now and then when the heat feels too much. As you move down the street, you notice a few other brave souls attempting the same thing. Nearly everyone you see is sweating and struggling furiously and as you meet their gaze, both of you can only raise your hands in frustration before continuing on.
Finally you see the door to your job. It is a large concrete building with many windows, separated from the others around it and nearly occupying the entire block. You can only pray that they have the A.C on full blast and all of the windows closed and shuttered.You reach for the handle and recoil instantly as the metal of the door is blazing hot. You quickly jab the open door button with your foot in frustration.
Stepping inside, you are dismayed to find that the sound of the A.C is suspiciously absent and that the temperature is barely a few degrees cooler than it is outside. How could an entire company of mechanical engineers not have the A.C running?
Looking around, you see a few other employees moving around the foyer sluggishly. Everyone is sweating. You approach one of them, an older man leaning against the wall with the top several buttons of his shirt undone. He’s trying to read some paper work he is holding but the sweat running into his bright blue eyes is making it nearly impossible.
“Why isn’t the damn A.C running?!” You ask him, sounding more angry than you had intended.
“Fucked if i know!” He retorts. “Theres supposed to be a crew working on it but I haven’t seen them.”
You can’t even summon the energy to respond. Well, now you know what you’ll be working on today. You head to your office and collect some of your tools into a workbelt.
Stepping back into the foyer, you head for the electrical panel on the wall. Just as you unlatch it, you hear a terrible sound.
Outside, an incredibly loud howling echoes through the streets. Glancing out the windows, you notice a strong wind blowing refuse and other materials around in the heat. For a moment, you wonder if the breeze would actually feel nice in the stifling air. But the noise keeps getting louder. Soon everyone is looking around nervously. It sounds like a tornado or a hurricane, but surely that can’t be happening within the city.
Cutting through the intense howl of the wind, you hear the high pitched whine of sirens. The sound of the sirens increases until you see several firetrucks barreling down the street. You notice that the firemen hanging off of the sides are wearing their full fire gear. Even though you know its insulated against the heat, it cannot be comfortable. Worse than that, you notice the faces of the golden-skinned men and women… they look scared.
These are without a doubt some of the bravest people in the city. If they’re scared, you’re terrified. They race off somewhere distant until the sound of the sirens is once again consumed by the howling sound. You look to the other employees standing around, nobody is working anymore, simply staring out the windows fearfully. You decide to keep working on the A.C.
Several minutes pass by and you’ve nearly completed the repair. It was a simple short out in the electrical work. Just as you close the panel and hear the hum of the currents, you hear another siren punching through the howl.
This one is different. It is not nearly as high pitched as the firetrucks and sounds lazy and withered in comparison. Looking through the windows again, you finally see the source.
It is one of the firetrucks, heading in the opposite direction as before. Except the entire truck appears melted, the red paneling is distorted, blackened and scorched. It is moving far slower than it was. The tires seem to be sticking to the road and the sole firemen at the wheel looks panicked. What could do that to a fire truck?!
The driver of the truck has the window down and is screaming out of it.
“RUN! NOW!” his voice is cracking in fear and his eyes are wild. He’s shouting at the closed doors of buildings on either side of the road, but you can still hear him. Looking at the others in the foyer, nobody makes a move.
1a1) Should you follow the fireman’s advice and flee out into the streets?
OR
1a2) Stay inside the building with the A.C you just repaired?