:Alive: [The Southern Sufferring]

Chapter 8: A Home of Champions

Disclaimer:  Every chapter henceforth will typically be lengthy.  They will average five to seven thousand words or more.  I advise taking your time and really taking them in. I'll also be adding in little page breaks, indicated by multiple dashes (like so -----------------------).  Enjoy!

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Introductions went smoothly. The survivors had one by one introduced themselves and casually greeted one another.

How lovely. With the pleasantries out of the way, they got down to business. For a brief time, a golden barrier of light covered the Super Dome, protecting it from the intrusion of the otherworldly enemy: the Majin.

The Majin are a race of alien species, varying in form. Humanoid, bestial, floral, and horror Majin were the most common types of Majin. Each Majin was unique, in that it had its own properties and fatal tendencies. But no matter the type of Majin, their goal was the same: to kill. They see but one color, and it is red. The Majin did not care or understand the reasoning for the continued existence of the human race. They are but a meal, an object, a plaything, a hindrance to their objective of securing Earth as their new home. With Earth's plentiful resources, it was ideal as a location for food, survival, and security. And the survivors--the chosen ones as they are called--were about to discover the nature of the enemy. They had come to steal, kill, and destroy by any means necessary. The Majin had come to steal the Earth's resources. To kill its inhabitants. And to destroy anyone or thing that would stand in their way.

And so the survivors began spreading out through the Superdome. In a desperate search for anything, they could use. Weapons, food, materials, and resources that would perhaps make their days on this barren Earth more tolerable. With nothing to defend themselves with, the survivors sprawled through this unfamiliar dungeon, taking whatever they could find. What little they mustered was uplifting, but disappointing all the same.

A police cart, found by Christina. It was a large, open vehicle with enough room for six. Two problems arose from this: there were seven survivors, and no keys to drive the damn thing. It was good for getting their hopes up, but that was about it.

A press box pointed out by Leroy and secured by Destiny. If they were going to be staying in the Dome for an extended period of time, this was a high note. Very high. Eight stories in fact. It had four walls, and one entrance which was also an exit. If worse came to worse, the survivors could funnel their enemy into one point and hope to beat them away slowly.

Twelve cans of chili, and a dozen bottles of water, found by Leroy. "I can find food like a Koala can find eucalyptus! Pure instinct!"

At least they wouldn't starve right away. Painkillers and gauze tape could be added to the list now, as Mia distributed what she brought back. Well, it would help if the Majins only gave them headaches or minor scrapes. Being devoured would be an entirely different story.

And finally, Riku handed over the biggest surprise of the evening. Two flashlights, a half dozen batteries, a set of keys, and a gun, pre-loaded with seven rounds. Enough to either drop out of the race or hopefully dissuade the enemy for more than a few seconds.

Being that the keys came off of a dead police officer, there was a good chance they matched the police cart that Christina had found. The flashlights would do them some good in the dark, but it would mean staying tightly knit in small groups. Everything else would be divided evenly as necessary.

But, time was dwindling. Each passing minute meant that Zephiel's barrier was growing weaker, and their moment of protection was ending. The Majin knew the survivors were inside and would be chasing them into the Superdome the moment the barrier of light faded away. Scrambling to their nest for the evening, the survivors traded shifts of 'night-watch', sharing stories as they tried to take their minds off of what was literally doomsday.