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• user; doge fruit
• name; Rieka
• name meaning; "power of the wolf" in German
• gender; female
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"there's a light coming from a log cabin in the middle of the woods. what happens next?"
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Journal entry #55 // 220 days into the Fallout // July 10th ----
I hate the summer and I hate hot. This summer's hot hurts the most. It's so bad to breath, you can feel the heat enter your throat and lungs. Feels like the air is cooking your insides sometimes.
I've been trying to reach one of the Shelters but it feels like I'm going in pointless circles in the forest. This is not good, I need someplace to sit but it's just open trees. I have to find shelter from the Creepers, however, I don't think they hang out in woods. They mostly stick to heavily populated areas for feeding. But that doesn't mean they don't pop up in unexpected places either.
I'm running low on food, just two water bottles, a single pack of crackers, and a bag of dried fruits and nuts. I'm also low on ammo. I've lost my dad's revolver and wasted a good bit of the ammo killing a Creeper about a day ago.
I closed the notebook, feeling that I've written enough for the time being. I can't sit and stay for long, I need to keep moving. I climbed down from the rock I was sitting on, picked up my backpack, and set off to find the next Shelter.
The sun was going down which meant that the night would bring some relief from the heat but also, making you more cautious of your surroundings. Even though my back and feet were beyond sore, I promised myself a few more steps just to see if I could make a temporary camp. I faced myself to walk a few more yards until I felt like my legs were going to buckle and to my great relief, there was a cabin!
It just sat so pretty and untouched in the small clearing, I was a bit cautious to approach but I gave in with hopes of food and somewhere to sleep. The light I thought I saw was really just the moonlight so there was a chance it was abandoned. Carefully, I took out the gun and slowly approached the front door. With a swift kick, I busted the door and was greeted by a dark, little room with messy furniture being illuminated by only the moonlight.
I spent the next five minutes just going around checking the place. It was just a one-room cabin but it must've been a cozy home before the Fallout happened. It seemed so...eerie how most of the things still sat in the same place. There was a small bed in the corner that was all tidy and done, pots on the stove that now contained moldy food. My foot crunched on something and I looked down to see I was standing on a coloring book that was still surrounded by crayons. Picking it up and dusting it off, I could see that whoever the little kid was was coloring a puppy, you could even see the place where it was left unfinished...
It hurt knowing there were families, small children and babies and parents, that had their families shattered. I truly hoped that this family made it out alive. I neatly placed the book back down and searched around some more. I found a shelf of preserved, canned fruits that was still pretty good which was a major jackpot! I also found this radio that surprisingly still worked!
I messed with the dials for a bit until I managed to get a station with some decent connection: a news station. The country was in a state of emergency and they finally declared a state of war just a few hours ago. I grabbed a nearby chair that wasn't completely broken, popped open a can of peaches, and listened attentively to the man's voice over the radio. I barely put a peach slice into my mouth when I heard someone shout behind me.
"PUT YOUR HANDS UP, NOW!"
I tumbled out the chair in fright and saw, to my shock, a guy standing in the doorway with a large knife pointed at me! We were both startled by the site of each other, I was begging to be spared all the way he seemed too nervous about putting the knife down or keeping it towards me. Time seemed to stop as we just stood there, motionless and staring wide-eyed at each other. I watched I'm fearfully until I heard another voice, which sounded like a female...
"Hey...Wolf, where are you?
This lady with a large backpack walked up to, who I assume is the guy's name, Wolf but turned and loudly gasped at the sight of me.
"Wolf, what are you doing? Why do you have your knife out? She's just a kid!, she gasped loudly as she jumped in between us.
Wolf couldn't get all his words and excuses out of his mouth in a nervous tone but she waved him away before excitedly turning to me.
"Where's your parents...or do you have a group? Or are you by yourself?", the lady said in a waay softer tone than her partner. I looked down at the ground, silently to let them know I wasn't ready to reopen those memories but I did say I was alone.
"Awww, you poor thing...Wolf, she's all alone.", she cooed at me like a baby. She reached out and gently stroked my head and I nearly broke into tears at how much it felt like my mom's touch.
"We should start moving. I heard that Creepers have been moving to woods lately.", Wolf said as he entered back into the cabin.
"Well, you heard the man, let's get going!", the lady said as she helped me back up the remaining cans and took up my hand to leave.
And just like that, I found myself with a another group of survivors. It was a bit sudden but it was a lot better than being alone. I just hope I don't lose them again...
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extra;
"before the fall"
Before the whole country went to shambles, before her whole life was broken, Reika was your average preteen girl.
She went to school. She had friends, crushes, and secrets to giggle about. She went out to the movies and to the park. She had her ups and downs and her confusion fit for any young person. She had a loving mom and an amazing dad as well as kind grandparents. She was your normal girl without much of a hectic life at the time. She never expected it to just...go.
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The first week in the Fallout, her dad taught her about basic survival, he was in the army for 16 years. It wasn't easy in the new environment, every building and home stripped and lots more broken and torn. Thick layers of rubble that would reach up to the fifth story of a tall building.
At the place where she would usually go grocery shopping with her mother, she now had to dig through trash and dust for anything edible. And the fighting, man did she hate seeing people fight each other for supplies. Why couldn't they just band together and share out the supplies? She didn't know but she couldn't care.
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The Creepers showed up the week after. They were coined as mutated and monstrous animals and people that were caught in the heavy radiation zones. They all looked different in terms of "ugly" but you generally had to keep a weapon close. Always aim for the heart or head, and wash your skin, clothes, and objects afterwards.
They took her mom and grandparents while they were going to the nearby Shelter. Her dad found another group of survivors, folks that were accepting, and left little Reika in their care, only leaving her with his revolver and love.
The group had two girls, about four years younger than her, that became her quick friends. They played, danced, and told stories once they reached the Shelter. They helped Reika become at ease at the loss of her family. And then the Creepers came back. The creatures broke through the walls of the Shelter and everyone panicked. The creatures took most people but not all, like Reika who fled into the woods.
She was alone. Scared. All she had was a pack of ammo, some food, a few water bottles, a notebook, and a pen from the Shelter. She had to find a way to survive, just like her father said.
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A girl by herself in the woods, it's a miracle she made it through a whole month with only a few scares and scratches. To her utter shock and surprise, she was roped into a new group in a meeting in a cabin.
A sweet, pacifist lady named Nathaira and her pessimistic partner, Wolfgang. It's nice to not be alone anymore, especially in this current world. Reika sees Nathaira as a big sister role model and even finds solace in Wolfgang's shut-in self. Hopefully they don't leave her by herself again.
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