energyfieldgood: ([sheppard] outdoors)
Dr. Rodney McKay [Stargate: Atlantis] ([personal profile] energyfieldgood) wrote in [community profile] apocalypsehowcomm2022-12-06 01:08 pm

LOG - Exploration Catch-All - Closed (for now)

Who: John Sheppard and Rodney McKay (& potential other explorers and blood river enthusiasts TBA later)
When: Dec 4th and onwards
Where: Dogtown
Summary: John and Rodney explore Dogtown and it's a bloody mess, literally, in so many ways.
Warnings: gun violence; blood; potential for severe injury/death; supernaturally induced violence/aggression; potential for violence to animals; Edit: spiders; swarms of bugs/spiders; cosmic horror; induced madness; fugue state; potential for severe injury


S2: It's quiet in this part of the woods. Strangely quiet. There doesn't appear to be anything wrong. At least until you speak or make some other notable sound. The bullets zip through the trees, with no other warning. They come from nowhere and everywhere all at once. You'll need to be quick to avoid being grazed or even more seriously hit. Probably best to stay quiet. The violence prefers the silence, it would seem. You can move to the south or the east, but directly to the southeast, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine.

S3: Birds chirp merrily in this area. They chirp and chirp and chirp. The woods are alive with sound, and it's too much. It's overpowering, even for those who might be hard of hearing. The bird song fills your ears and your mind, and stopping it may become a singular purpose for those who can't mentally block it out. And if you can't find the birds? Maybe you can find something else to take out that aggression on. Or someone. You can move to the west or the east, but directly to the south, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine. You think there may be some sort of building directly south, but it's hard to make out across the river.

S4: You can move to the west or the east, but directly to the south, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine. You think there may be some sort of building to the southwest, but it's hard to make out across the river.

S5: To the south, the way is blocked by an enormous river made of blood. Jumping, flying, swimming, whatever is attempted seems unable to bridge the distance. And there's danger lurking beneath the thick red waters. A sea serpent that some might have caught glimpses of whilst trapped in a horrible submarine. A translucent rope bridge (Landmark #5) over the river becomes visible as you draw near. Up close, it becomes clear the bridge is made of spiderwebs. Countless tiny spiders swarm all over it, constantly repairing and rebuilding every little tear in its structure.

T4: You pass into a clearing in the forest that appears... normal, but the way home is distant. Perhaps this is a safe place to camp, if you must? Those who test those waters will find that the night brings its own horrors. Whether inside a tent or not, the stars grow visible, and they are wrong. They howl and shriek their pain. They laugh, rich and full-bellied. They whisper to you in an unfathomable language that slowly pushes you toward madness. In the morning, anyone who has rested here will find themselves in a fugue state, racing for the exit as quickly as their feet will carry them, mindless to spider bridges, to violent birdsong, to bullets that sing through the air for blood. Any supplies and collected items are left behind to hopefully be retrieved at a later date. For now you run and run and run. The stars chitter in your mind for hours after, but you understand nothing. You understand nothing.
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Neutral - Here's your rifle)

rip

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-06 01:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[He's not entirely sure what he's expecting. Some kind of Twin Peaks, X-Files situation, sure. Aliens, likely. A mission that makes him wildly homesick, definitely.

Rodney talking enough to make him almost forget that Teyla and Ronon aren't here, 100% happening.

John simply nods and gives the occasional uh-huh, wow, really, sure, to keep the conversation going, though he has his doubts about meeting mutated Bulldogs, at least until the world around them erupts with gunfire.]


Rodney!

[He practically dives on top of him, bringing his P90 up and firing off in the direction of the bullets.

...which is everywhere.]
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Worried -  unbeknownst to me)

S3

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-06 01:50 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's all but impossible not to make noise when you're running from certain death, especially when you're injured, bleeding, and terrified.

John holds his P90 up but at least doesn't waste any bullets this time, staying one step behind Rodney and taking a moment every few seconds to cover his back completely.

And then just as suddenly as they showed up...they're gone.

John notices as they're already several dozen feet in the area, that they're not under fire--the only sound, in fact, are birds.

Wait. If the birds are making noise, then that means they're obviously not getting shot, so...]


...it stopped?

[He doesn't lower his weapon, not just yet, but he tries to speak, and ducks a little.

Nope. No bullets.]


...it stopped.
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Angry - surprise)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-06 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[A bullet whizzes by and clips John on the shoulder--thankfully not a direct hit, but a graze bad enough to cut through his jacket and send a splatter of blood against it.

Okay, that's not good.]


Dammit, we're under attack! Get behind that tree--

[It's the closest cover he can see. He grabs Rodney by the shoulder, trying to help him up, laying down cover fire behind them.]

I can't see where they're coming from!
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Neutral - F302 time)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-06 02:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Seriously!?

[Did you just...

Did you just slap him!?

John gives him a very long look. The relief from the shots ceasing manages to subdue his wrath, for now.]


I'm very proud that you actually shut up for once.

[And he really is. The bird song seems to be getting louder. He glances off in the distance, where the blood river lies to the south. Something surges in the water--serpentine-like. In the distance, a building can barely be seen, if that's even a building.]

Well, that's not creepy. What do you think that is?
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Happy - Explaining)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-06 02:53 pm (UTC)(link)
You're not bleeding out, Rodney. You're gonna be fine.

[He should probably take care of his various wounds as well, but the blood river is too interesting to ignore at the moment.]

It's huge. I wish we had a boat--we should get a boat, see what's on the other side.

[The creature splashes a little aggressively as it swims around.]

Just not with that thing around.
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Surprise - cryptic)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-06 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[The bullets are still flying and John realizes he's not really hitting anything, spraying cover fire back. Something stings on his arm, his foot, his leg--

Then Rodney says I'm hit and his heart stops. He grabs Rodney's shoulder again and tries to look at him while shooting back--it doesn't look like a direct hit, thankfully--]


What the hell is going on!? Hey! Who the hell is doing this!? Who the hell are you?!

[Now that he's had a moment to get his bearings, this makes even less sense. The fire is coming from everywhere, and there's nothing to give away whoever, whatever is shooting at them.]
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Neutral -  plan to fail)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-07 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
[...right, he should probably help Rodney with his injuries. It's just that the giant monstery thing out there is so interesting and he just wants to focus on it and maybe go fishing--

--right. Focus.]


Probably is.

[He opens up his vest and pulls out some gauze.]

Anything hit you real good? Bleeding badly?

[And those stupid birds won't shut up. He keeps looking up in the trees over and over again, frowning, the irritation growing.]
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Neutral - Crawling up the beaches now)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-07 06:40 am (UTC)(link)
[He presses up against the tree, hovering in front of Rodney, trying to shield him. Somehow the onslaught seems to cease, for a moment. It's enough that John stops firing, and freezes, still looking for the attackers.

...and in that moment, the barrage stops completely.

John looks around, frowning. There isn't any evidence of anyone around. No smoke, rustling in the trees except for the wind, footsteps...anything.]


Why don't you stay here, and I'll go after--

[As soon as he whispers to Rodney, the gunfire goes off again and he fires wildly into the bushes--]
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Angry - cautious)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-09 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
[Rodney’s fear is like a beacon and John can feel his mind start to focus on it and he shakes his head. The last thing they need right now is that…

But Rodney pulling him into their cover further stops him from returning fire and with that…the barrage stops again.

John frowns. Was it aggression met with aggression? But they were attacked first, so that can’t be it…

But he stills completely, not wanting to break the spell.

And it looks like they’re safe. For the moment.]
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Annoyed - Psh)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-09 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
Let’s see it.

[He starts unwrapping the gauze, going to Rodney’s arm first, and starts to bandage what he can.

The birdsong is wearing thin on him and it’s starting to become unbearable. It’s like all the tweets and chirps are echoing louder and louder—

It fills his mind, drowning out his thoughts, becoming nearly painful.]


What is going on?! Look, I’ll be right back.

[There’s a snarl and he hands Rodney the gauze, distractedly going to the nearest tree.

And starts shaking it.]
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Surprised - Restored)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-10 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
I'm shaking harder!

[He really is, leaves and branches are starting to fall but it doesn't seem to dissuade the birds any. John frowns, running to another tree, trying to shake it. It dislodges plenty of leaves and twigs, but not any birds.]

What the hell?

[He takes his P90 and starts firing up at the canopy.]
ferriswheelsandfootball: (Neutral -  all the stars aligned)

[personal profile] ferriswheelsandfootball 2022-12-10 05:04 am (UTC)(link)
[John takes quick inventory of his injuries--he's hurt, but nothing seems to be immediately life-threatening, so that's good.

...and it's quiet.

Rodney holds up a finger and John frowns, not understanding what he's meaning. But then Rodney throws a heavy rock--not very far, and that--

--that proves it.

John stares at Rodney for a moment, a look of relief and an unsaid you're a genius. That means that maybe they can get out of this without getting shot a billion times.

He holds a hand out, and points towards a grove of trees nearby, a good target to aim for for their first run at this. It'll provide cover if they mess up.

Now they just have to do this without tripping or stepping on something.]

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