((Yeah, I'm fine. Except I'm really depressed because a bunch of awesome characters just died in Lost D: Why Charlie, why?! XDD))

((I have noob question for you. Don't laugh xD I need to know how you space out text on your profile. Like... pressing enter doesn't work and I'm too stupid to figure out how else to do it. Help? D:)) 

((Um. I just reread some of my posts and they're *really* bad. And Damien is pretty much the creepiest guy ever o.o I think i turned him into a Sue. He was supposed to be awesome and... stuff. But he comes off as creepy to me now.))

 Krael's emotions at Seth's demand were mixed. First of all, he couldn't help but be a little hurt that Seth didn't want him to come, though he knew it was only for his own good. Seth was so gentle and caring as always, which made Krael want to go with him just to make sure he was okay. At the same time, Krael was aware of the scorching pain that was still burning him in lightning flashes. He knew Seth was right, he wouldn't make it far, would only slow him down. Krael also hated to feel useless, which is exactly what he would be if he stayed. But... I also don't want to be dead, he thought. Which is exactly what i could end up if I go.

Krael made up his mind. He was about to speak when a knife landed in front of him, causing him to jump. Carefully, he picked it up and stared at the blade.

Krael looked up to see Seth leaving already. "Seth," he called, fear in his voice, though he tried to hide it.

"Seth," he said again, then dropped his gaze to look at the knife. "Just be careful. And... and do me a favour, will you? Keep an eye out for a girl. A girl with bright green eyes and brown hair. I know it's not a great deion, but given the circumstances..." he trailed off. 

Why am I even telling him? She's dead, I need to accept that.

What if she isn't, though? 

"Be careful," he said again, staring at the knife.

~~~ 

Don't bother answering me or anything, Damien thought, the heat making him more irritable than usual.

He helped her to taker a few struggling steps, but they didn't look like they were worth the effort. Suddenly, without thinking, Damien blurted "Do you want me to carry you? I did it before, I don't mind."

He inwardly cursed himself. Stupid. Stupid thing to say. If someone asked me if I wanted to be carried i would pummel them.

He looked to Lana to see her response, smiling sheepishly though not withdrawing his offer. 

((It's okay... I don't mind Damien being uber creepy. I don't think he is. D; Anyways, I think I made Seth a Sue too. D8 He's too niiiice...
Actually, I dunno how I did that. *facepalm* I be forgetful. And maybe a little lucky. No one actually did my profile. I just put it all there myself and everything turned out okay. 8D))

Seth's eyes softened a fraction, and he dipped his head. He turned around again and started jogging off. Good thing he was on the track team before the world... you know... went BLAM. Still, pain lanced through him with every step, even though the worst of it had faded away. Thud... Thud... Thud... The rhythmic thumping of his feet on the dusty ground formed a kind of tempo, a beat, in Seth's head. Thud... Thud... Thud... Thud... At first it bothered him, but now he realized the noise of his nearly silent running was his only companionship, his only ally in this desperate run to try and discover water. Thud... The steady beat gradually ended up helping him run, keeping his mind on the task at hand and putting a steady tempo on his running and his stride.

---

Lana's eyes glimmered faintly with amusement. She crossed her arms, staring at Damien. She hesitated before replying, "I am a 16-year-old teenage girl and you want to carry me?" She said in an incredulous, yet teasing voice. She poked Damien gently in the chest. "You know that girls are always obsessed with their weight. I'm just like any other teenage girl. I hate it when people think I'm fat. And now you want to carry me! Girls don't like it when guys carry them anywhere, even if they're about to die from their injuries, just because the guy might think that they're fat or heavy." A slight smirk was on her face now, but she quickly wiped it off and continued struggling forward, throwing a backward glance at Damien. Her previous amusement was now gone. 

((Never. Change. Seth. I love him <3 And I think I prefer 1x1 RPs to group. They're more fun, somehow. I love this one. It has so much potential. We're totally going to start up a civilization made entirely out of the survivors of the freaking armageddon. I mean come on, that's cool <3))

((Omg. Epic quote from Lost: "Why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?!" I almost died laughing xD)) 

((Pffffft. My profile shall remain forever derpy then D;))

 Damien stared at Lana, mouth agape. Was she serious? What the hell kind of a reason was that?

"Girls are idiots," he muttered, not caring if she heard, because it was true. Even as he said the words though, all he could think about was how good it was that she seemed to have a sense of humour, and was making an effort to keep things light. Or maybe she really is doing this just so I don't think she's heavy, he thought, smirking a little.

Damien walked in silence for a while, staying close enough to Lana that he could help if something happened, but not touching her anymore. She'll ask for help if she wants it, he decided.

~~~

Krael watched silently as Seth left.

((Epic fail xD))

~~~

Svali groggily opened an eye, watching as the vast expanse of nothingness came into focus. If you don't live together, you die alone, she thought, remembering something a good friend had told her once. I guess it's true. I left Lana, so now I'm going to die alone in the middle of this desert wasteland. It's fitting, somehow.

Suddenly, Svali saw what looked like two figures in the distance. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the hallucinations to stop.

When she opened her eyes again, the figures were still there, looking tiny because of how far away they were, but there nonetheless. Maybe... maybe they aren't hallucinations, she thought, daring to let herself hope it. Maybe there are more survivors. 

((THANKS FOR BUMPING THIS. Seriously. I like, couldn't find this thing. xDD I love Seth too. He's beastly.))

Lana suddenly turned around, brandishing a hidden knife in her sleeve. She let out a quiet purr, gently laying the flat of the blade against Damien's neck. She meant no harm, her eyes dark and playful.

"Would you like to take that back, Damien?" She asked quietly, her voice calm and slightly teasing.

She removed the knife from his neck and twirled it easily. She slipped it up her sleeve again, her ankle throbbing and blood seeping from her forehead. However, her injuries didn't seem to make her lose her sense of fiery humor, and she tossed Damien a wink, turning around to face forward again.

She tilted her head, her hair falling to her hip as she stared into the distance, peering her eyes. She paused, thinking that she saw a body laying in the dry sand and dirt. She shook the thought off. What were the chances that she could find Svali in a world as large as Earth?

---

Seth stumbled forward, nearly tripping over a rock. He had given his knife to Krael. Krael needed it more than Seth did. Seth was practiced in the arts of hand-to-hand-combat. He had been trained by an ex-Marine, who was nice, but stern and kind of scary at times. Seth had learned from the best, but tended to slack during lessons. However, if Seth slacked, his head earned a good bashing from the ex-Marine's palm. Seth often blamed his fighting teacher about why he was so stupid in school. Seth always uses the excuse that he has no more brain cells from all the times he was hit upside the head. 

((Bahaha xD That actually made me laugh.)) 

Damien's eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat when he felt the cool, unmistakable texture of metal at his throat. Damien felt a pulse of fear run through him, and he tensed up until Lana finally took the knife away.

He stood in shocked silence as he watched Lana walk away. "Did you just put a knife to my neck?" he asked incredulously. All the while, Damien couldn't help but be impressed. Note to self, he thought. Don't screw with Lana. 

~~~

 Krael sat with his back against the rock, turning the knife over and over in his palm. The metallic smell of his own -and probably some of Seth's, he thought- blood filled the air. Aside from the occasional wince from the pain, and his ever moving hand as he turned the knife over, Krael was completely still. He couldn't help but wonder what had made Seth think he would be needing a knife. Did Seth know something he didn't? Or was he just taking precautions? Either way, he was glad to have it. He sighed, and let his thoughts wander as he waited for Seth to return.

~~~

Svali's eyelids felt heavy, but she fought to keep them open. If there was a chance she could get help from those people in the distance, she wasn't about to miss it. Not that i deserve to be helped, she thought, not after what I did. 

"Help," she croaked, choking on sand in the process. She knew her feeble cries would never reach those people, but it at least made her feel like she was trying.

"Help," she said again, this time a tear falling from her eye and landing on the ground below, only to be instantly absorbed by the dry, cracked Earth.  

((xD Man, Lana is beastly too. <3))

Lana twisted around again to stare at Damien. She thought before replying. She stepped a little closer to him, her head tilted slightly so that her dark hair fell in a waterfall to her hip.

"Yes, I did put a knife to your throat. Were you not just here ten seconds ago?" Her breath gently pulsed against Damien's face, her lips parted slightly. Her narrowed eyes were slightly exasperated, and she leaned back again, smirking slightly at Damien. "Don't mess with me my friend. You might just end up dead," The last part was meant as a joke, but it was probably true. The blade of the knife glinted in her sleeve as she shifted positions, her skinny body lithe and casting a long shadow as the sun rose higher in the sky.

Lana turned around to face forward. She could clearly see something in the sand. She just didn't know what. She twirled around yet again and nearly ran into Damien. Their faces were inches apart. Lana blinked, surprised. She stepped back, inclining her head in the direction of the dark mass.

"I think someone, or something is out there," Her face was cool, but there was a tiny glint of hope in her brooding eyes. 

Note to self: Lana may or may not be crazy. Stay on her good side at all costs.

"How did you even get that knife?" he muttered, more to himself than Lana. "And how did I not notice it?"

Upon Lana's mention of 'someone' or 'something' being there, Damien whirled around, casting his eyes over the vast expanse of barren wasteland that had once been his neighbourhood. It took him a moment to locate it (Or him, he thought, or maybe even her) but once he did, he couldn't tear his eyes away from it. The little splotch of something looked strange and out of place against its background of uninteresting nothing. 

"I see it too," Damien said, still unable to look away from the... whatever it was. "What do you think it is?" he asked, all the while thinking of the thousands of possible answers to his question. It could be nothing. A rock. A chunk of rubble. Or maybe a person? A dead person? Or... something else?

((o_o It's a lot shorter, but it'll have to do.))  

((Buh... But... D; *is huggled* <3))

Lana couldn't help but laugh, which was a rare thing for her. She prodded Damien gently, her eyes sparkling with humor for once. But as she started talking, her face resumed its neutral ex
pression. Sure, Lana was pretty, but she was glowing whenever she was happy. Her usual cool, unemotional emotions made her just another pretty face in the crowd instead of someone.

Lana blinked back tears as she thought of Seth. She hoped it was him. She remembered how he always loved to try and make her laugh, treasuring the moments when she was happy.

Without actually meaning to, Lana gripped Damien's hand. She considered for a moment, and hauled him forward.

"I got the knife from the rubble of my house. I was scavenging for it, just in case, and I found it. I managed to hold onto it after I was blasted away by the windy flare that followed the explosion. If you're wondering, then no, I'm not crazy. I'm just a little... fiery sometimes. A little fierce and pushy." She smiled slightly at the last few sentences, but resumed her expressionless stance. Lana didn't let go of his hand, and nearly tripped from her twisted ankle. Gritting her teeth, Lana continued forward, not even bothering by the contact. Letting out a huff, she thought silently to herself, I hope it's Seth. I would rather have Seth than Svali. He's my brother and I love him. Svali's just someone I met after the explosion. She's nothing compared to Seth. She stopped herself from crying, gripping Damien's hand tighter to keep her emotions from flooding out. She loosened her grip when she realized that her nails must be digging into his palm.

((Ooh, possible romance between Damien and Lana?)) 

Damien said nothing while Lana spoke, too shocked by the fact that she was holding his hand. 

He actually winced at the initial contact, expecting to be slashed by that knife of hers, but instead he felt nothing but the soft, warm skin of her hand. Which was holding his. He barely registered her words. In fact, all he actually heard of the conversation was 'Got the knife. Scavenging. Not crazy.'

Wide eyed, he looked at their hands, gently grasped together. Well, his was gentle. Her nails were digging into his palms somewhat painfully. As if reading his mind, Lana suddenly loosened her iron grip. I wouldn't be surprised is she could read my thoughts. Not expecting anything, but needing to do it for curiosity's sake, Damien thought Can you hear me?

Nothing.

Of course not, nitwit. He blushed in embarrassment, both from his foolishness and from the fact that she was still holding his hand. Damien stopped walking and looked at her, eyes questioning, though certainly not objecting. He looked directly into the girl's eyes, trying to read her. Damien tilted his head almost imperceptibly to the side, pausing a moment before he began to walk again.

((Maybe. >:D I just had to censor the curse word. D; It makes me feel better just in case young lurkers are here. xD))

Lana glanced at Damien, her eyes exasperated. "Stop blushing. It's unbecoming." Her tart voice was tense, and she tried walking faster, but hit the ground instead. Her ankle had failed her and had buckled underneath her quicker stride. Her ankle throbbed with pain as she twisted it even more.

"Aw... D*mn it..." Lana cursed quietly to herself, feeling pain rushing through her. She was still gripping Damien's hand, her mangled ankle at a disturbing angle.

"Remind me to never try walking fast ever again." Lana cussed again under her breath, huffing with pain.

She rolled over, releasing her grip on Damien. Stumbling to her feet, she groaned when she realized that the fall had opened up a wound on her other leg. Her knee had been slashed on a rock before, and it had started bleeding again.

"I'm such a klutz," Lana snarled. "Now I can barely use either leg. What's wrong with me? What have I done to deserve this crap?"

Her eyes were hot and flaming when she knelt down, ignoring the pain.

"You okay, Damien?" She asked quietly, her warm yet angered voice soft and barely noticeable. "At least you stopped blushing," She commented dryly, wiping the blood from her gashed knee. 

((Hehehe. I like.)) 

Damien felt the pull at his arm and he watched, horrified, as Lana fell. She got up quickly, a lot quicker than Damien would have, and actually asked if he was okay.

"Yeah," he said, staring at her ankle. "Are... are you?"

He almost felt a little guilty, Lana had gotten so beat up from the explosion and all he had were a few bruises, cuts, and a nasty headache.

He watched, concerned, as she wiped the blood from her knee. She can't afford to lose anymore blood. She needs to be more careful. She-

Damien cut himself off. Since when do I care about her? He wondered.

"Now will you let me carry you?" He asked, looking smug. In reality, all he could think about was how worried he suddenly was for Lana.

((My posts are really short Dx Sorry o.o)) 

((Nyeeeh. Dx I dun care. *pats queen* I'm fine with short posts. xD))

The corners of her mouth twitched and Lana shifted her weight. She leaned toward him until their noses were nearly touching. Her clever, blue and green eyes were glowing with swirling emotions that were unreadable.

"Worried about me, are you Damien?" Lana stood there, not saying another word, still close to Damien. She didn't move, but her heart beat a little faster, a little more unsure. Lana felt disgusted with herself.

What is wrong with you? You don't actually care for that imbecile, do you? I mean, seriously. Look at him.

Lana shifted her position slightly, leaning back so that they weren't quite so close anymore.

"No thanks. I can handle it," Her eyes turned cold again, and she limped forward, nearly tripping again.

---

Seth let out a shout of fury and agony as pain ripped through his mind. What was wrong with him? Blood dripped from his forehead, turning his vision scarlet and pink as it dripped into his eyes. He had sat down briefly to take a break, and when he got up to stand again, he had stumbled from exhaustion, hunger, and loss of blood. He had fallen on a rock, which caused his forehead to bleed excessively.

Seth felt himself getting weaker and weaker, his eyes tearing up to wash away the dripping crimson drops.

I can't fall asleep! I can't black out! Help... Help me...

Seth managed to stay awake, getting to his feet and stumbling forward. He thought he heard something. A rushing noise that sounded like something liquid... Water? Water! Seth had finally found water after hours of endless searching!

A new burst of energy lent speed to his feet. He blasted fowrard, heedless of his bleeding head, and nearly fell into the rushing, roaring river. He grinned exultantly and dropped to his knees. He cupped his hands and drank all the water that he could.

After he had drank his fill, he collasped onto the ground in the shade of a boulder and fell asleep almost immediately, too tired to continue. 

((I loled, YT xD))

((Lololol have fun trying to bring the water back, Seth xD)) 

The figures were nearing, and Svali could feel a surge of hope and relief wash over her, despite her fatigue. She sat up as far as she could, feeling dizzy. She shut her eyes and waited for the feeling to pass, rubbing her temple with her index and middle finger.

"Help!" she rasped, desperately hoping the figures- which were close enough she could tell they were a male and a female- would hear her. Svali cleared her throat and shouted as loudly as she could "HELP!"

She shielded her eyes from the sun, squinting at the people. One of them appeared to be badly hurt, judging by her limping gait and frequent stops. The other one seemed a lot better off.

Had they heard her? Were they coming towards her to help? Maybe they even had wat-

Oh my God.

Was that Lana?

~~~

It's been hours. Where is he? Did something happen?

Krael was very close to panicking. Seth still hadn't returned and he had no way of reaching him. What would happen to him if Seth didn't come back? He would have no choice but to go out and look for water himself. Would he find any? Did water even exist anymore?

He stabbed the knife into the ground in frustration.

"Okay, Seth." Krael mumbled to himself. "You have five minutes and then I'm coming after you myself."

~~~

'Are you sure?' Damien wanted to ask, but he bit his tongue. Wouldn't want to anger the she-beast, lest she pull a knife on me again. Or maybe it'll be a gun this time. Wouldn't be surprised.

"Whatever you say," Damien said, walking alongside Lana.  

((xD YT..., That was so funny. xD Some naive younger lurkers that are like, 8 or 9 probably have no idea though. x3))
((Nuuu... Now Damien and Lana aren't alone traveling now. D; They can't have moments now... T_T)) 

"S... Svali," Lana let out a shaky breath. She stumbled, accidently brushing against Damien.

"Uh... Are you okay, Svali?" Her black hair was still glossy, even after everything she had been through. Shuffling her feet awkwardly, Lana said quietly, "This is Damien. He's a... friend, I suppose." She glanced briefly at Damien and switched her gaze to Svali, trying to ignore the fact that Damien was standing next to her, warmth radiating from his tall body.

Lana glanced at Svali, kneeling. Pain lanced through her ankle and her knee, but she grapsed Svali's hands strongly, ignoring the pain. She tried to help Svali up, saying nothing more.

---

Seth blinked his eyes open. Stumbling forward, he leapt to his feet, trying to ignore the pain. Blinking, he didn't know how to bring the water back. He would have to bring Krael here. He started to run. Luckliy his legs were okay. It was only his head that was bleeding. He started running. He wasn't the fastest runner, but he had very good stamina, and would put on a burst of speed when he needed to. He started running as fast as he could, going in the direction of Krael. He had a pretty good memory and clearly remembered which direction he came from. 

((If Svali passes out again, they can B) She might just do that soon.)) 

"Lana?" Svali said, allowing herself to be helped up. "Is that really you? I thought for sure you had died in that sandstorm!"

She resisted the urge to throw her arms around Lana and hug her. Instead, she settled for smiling at her. It was a moment before she even acknowledged Damien, and even when she did, all she did was nod in greeting.

Once Svali was on her feet, she swayed a little, nearly falling over.

"Woah," she said, putting her arms out in front of her in case she did fall.

Once she managed to steady herself, Svali looked back and forth at Lana and Damien. "What happened?" she asked simply.

~~~

"Two minutes left, Seth," Krael whispered to himself. "At least, I think so." He briefly wondered if he was going crazy, talking to himself. Only briefly, though.

 Krael started to tap out an erratic rhythm on his knee, trying not to think about Seth face down in the middle of nowhere.

~~~

 Damien awkwardly stood next to Lana as she introduced him. 

"It's a long story," he said in response to Svali's question. "I think maybe I'll let Lana tell it. Especially since you two seem to... know each other."