Futuristic The Quiet - Details

[Blemmigan]

​

EXCEPTS FROM A JOURNAL

22nd November

They're gone. Everyone's gone. Not dead, at least I don't think so. I woke up this morning, thought I'd finish some overdue papers before I had to go in, and it was so quiet. No traffic, no conversation, nothing. So I looked out the window and there was nobody.

I thought maybe I'd messed up somehow, that it was Saturday, but even then you'd see somebody. And I didn't. I left the apartment and my neighbour's door was open, I thought she might have had a fall or something so I went in to check on her. But she was gone. TV on, her big ugly outside coat still on the wall, cat yowling for food. I opened the doors, called her name and thought for sure I would find a body, but... no.

I called the emergency services and got nothing. The power had been cut off so I couldn't check the TV for news. So I went out into the street, and walked down the road into the middle of town. Shops were open, bags abandoned and groceries spilled everywhere. There were some cars about like they were in traffic, nobody in them, and a few had run off the road into buildings or each other. But they were all turned off, even though the keys were still in the ignition, and I couldn't get any of the engines to work.

I'm freaking out, thinking there was an evacuation and I completely missed it. There's no information or posters or radio broadcasts anywhere. Wouldn't people take their cars? Their pets? There are loads of dogs running around. Whatever this was, the animals were left out of it. I can hear birds singing.

23rd November
No power still. I stayed in, tried to keep warm. My phone ran out of battery yesterday pretty quick, but I couldn't get it to connect anyway. It's like something's deliberately cutting everything off. Would the power grid really go down this fast unless something happened to it?

I don't know what to do. Is there any point in leaving to look for others? I've been feeding the cat from across the hall, just for the company. I think her name is Missy. I doubt she cares what I call her though.

26th November
I was taking things from the supermarket down the road. I mean it was abandoned apart from the rats, I don't feel guilty about it, I need food. But when I looked out at the street I saw... I don't know what I saw.

Something really tall, like seven feet. Skinny and pale, like it was sick, really sick. Its ribs were jutting out and its arms and legs were like skeletal, and they had too many joints, you could see when it walked that it couldn't do it properly.

I mean I could be going crazy from being by myself, but when I saw it I ducked down out of the way. Which was stupid because it saw that, it turned its head and I could see it had this... like this human face, no hair or ears, but this really, like stupidly big mouth that was tilted and didn't close properly, like the skin had torn open trying to make it fit. And it saw me, and I dunno if I screamed or not but it just stared and then it kept going in that crippled walk it had.

I didn't want to leave but it got dark and I didn't think I could lock myself in, so when I was sure the thing must have done I ran back here as fast as I could and shut everything, all the doors and windows. I think I'm going crazy, I hope I'm going crazy because I don't want there to be goddamn monsters running around, nothing makes any sense

27th November
There're some buildings on fire in town. I don't know how many.

29th November
Those... things are at the apartment block. I can hear footsteps outside, I know it's not people because there are no people. They're so quiet, just weird stumbling footsteps.

I looked out the peephole just to make sure, and I saw two of them. They were sniffing as they went, and I was paranoid that they were going to come straight for me but they didn't, they went next door. Where the old woman lived. And then I remembered Missy was still in there, she didn't want to leave, and then there was this screeching sound and I knew they'd got her.

Then they left. I don't know what they're doing. Why would they chase down a cat and not me? Were they that put off by a locked door? But they saw me before and didn't seem to care. I think they made everyone disappear, but I don't know how and I don't know why.

Something's burning.

4th December
I haven't felt like writing. It's so cold, I didn't have time to grab any outdoor clothes while the building was on fire. I was only on the second floor so I let myself fall out the window. I couldn't see any of those things but I knew they had to be around somewhere and I just went for it. My back hurts and I think I broke my arm but I can't do anything about that. Combined with the cold I'm so tired all the time.

I walked all the way into the middle of town and it wasn't there any more. It had been burned down, this huge perfectly circular area, all the rubble taken away so that the ground was flat and charred. I didn't step into it. I got away from there, kept walking, going from house to house. Outside the circle everything looked the same as it always did, but there are lots of other circles everywhere, some of them probably miles wide. Everything within the radius was destroyed. The last one I passed, today, there was something in the middle of it. Some kind of mountain with a... a goddamn red flag on it. Like a kid's sandcastle, but massive. I still didn't step onto the burned part, but that's what it looked like from outside.

I know it all has something to do with what's going on, but I'm not gonna risk getting close. I'm too scared, like I think I might burst into flames, or those things might get me. And I physically can't do anything but walk. I was never strong to begin with but I've gotten so weak. I need to stop somewhere for a couple of days.

6th December
There's an army out there. It's

( The writing is shaky, and many sentences have been violently scribbled out )

Not just me███████Prisoner??? ████████████took her away
████████but I just watched

I'm so cold
why write

9th December
One of them found me. I woke up and it was standing there in the doorway. Don't think they can talk but it was looking at me like it expected me to. I think it was smiling. Then it left.

I'm tired but it's like my mind is drifting loose, like I can just float. Everything flows. I know I'm going to die but it's okay. I think it will come back soon and then I'll go into the mountain.

WHAT WE KNOW

From Mott's observations and notes:

• On November 22nd, 7:41am, almost all of humanity disappeared from existence.

• Those very few who were left behind had nothing obviously in common with each other. They could be of any age, race or background. Most were unaware that there were others out there.

• Humanoids started to appear on the surface of the planet. Are they aliens? Monsters? Inter-dimensional beings? Results of some hideous experiment? All suggestions are as ridiculous as each other. Due to their skeletal appearance and oversized mouths, we have begun to refer to them as the Ravenous.

• Those few humans who remained began to develop abnormal brainwave patterns. For some, this resulted in an inexplicable death. Those who survived suddenly attracted the interest of the Ravenous, and could be sensed by any that were nearby. If you are reading this, this has happened to you. They will find you.

• The Ravenous have been creating large arena-like spaces wherever they see fit, destroying whatever was there before. They use some kind of laser equipment that starts fires and keeps it within a perfectly circular area.

• It seems that the purpose of these "Unmarked" Ravenous is to clear those areas. They will sustain themselves by hunting whatever animals they can find.

• Since then, "Marked" Ravenous have arrived. These are stronger, less ungainly, and wearing certain colours of cloth. Many of them are armed with weapons, mainly blades.

• Their purpose appears to be to fight each other. Those marked with red cloth fight those marked with blue, with green, with black. They are disciplined and patient, and their battles are well-organised and only within the burned arenas. With these battles they claim territory. The Unmarked Ravenous build more structures, larger, draped with the coloured flags of victors.

• If any Ravenous tracks down or otherwise encounters a human, it will take them to its nearest base. No attempt has been made to go after those lost. Although capture seems to be their priority, the Ravenous kill anyone who tries to harm them. Remember this if captured. You will not be rescued.

ADDENDUM: Steel will wound them. We killed one, at the site of a recent battle. And... and suddenly we knew so much, and so little of so much. All of us there felt something as it died, a thrumming in our minds like we were part of a greater whole... but then it passed.

Kim was the one who was able to do it. He cut its throat, but within minutes he was screaming in pain himself. He begged us to kill him. He said... he said he could feel the pain of every death that had happened there, and it was too much to bear... When none of us would take his life, he did so himself.

Now we know that when somebody kills these creatures, something changes in them, too. We are inescapably connected to these strange beings, as they must be to us, as they are to each other. Severing the link to one of them seems to cause a backlash, reconfiguring our brains and granting strange abilities. We gain something of what they have... and perhaps we lose something, too.

They are evolving, getting stronger, and we don't know what they will soon be capable of. To survive, is it worth the risk? Should we hunt the Ravenous, as they hunt us, and hope to use this connection to our advantage, to gain power? Either we risk death, or we die anyway.

TERMINOLOGY

From Mott's observations and notes.

As we have survived and grown as a community, no matter how small, we have found ourselves needing to describe the unforgiving world around us. The following is a short list of the words we use, or our particular meanings for them.

ABILITIES: The supernatural powers displayed by many of the Ravenous. Sometimes a human who kills one will obtain an ability that had been held by the creature (see: transference).

ADEPT: One of the rarer types of Ravenous, often in charge of many (20-40) Marked. They have unique abilities, which vary depending on the army they belong to. It seems that these can also be transferred, but they are much harder to kill.

ARMY: A collection of many Ravenous, all wearing or otherwise displaying the same colour, and each army under the command of one Emperor. They fight against other armies, in apparently pre-scheduled locations (see: battlefield). All Ravenous will belong to an army, except for the Unmarked.

BASE: A building used by a particular army as barracks, storage, or some unknown use. To start with, bases were very like enormous anthills, but gradually they have become more like proper buildings. Each base will be decorated in coloured flags to show which army holds it, but may be captured or destroyed by other armies. Humans found by the Ravenous will be taken to their nearest base. None of us who has attempted to enter these buildings, or who has been taken there, has left.

BATTLEFIELD: Battles between armies take place only on patches of ground specifically cleared beforehand. These areas will be circular and huge, sometimes several miles across. After a battle has taken place, it is likely that the winning army will begin to build structures and bases in the area. New battlefields are created all the time, created by the Unmarked burning and demolishing whatever may have been there previously. If you smell fire, move out immediately.

BRAIN: A type of Ravenous. They rarely leave their bases, and not much is known about them, including what abilities they can use or how powerful they are. They are named for their larger than average craniums.

COLOURS: Each army is named for the colour of the flags and clothing they use. So far the known colours are: Red, Blue, Green, Black. There will probably be more. These colours will be worn by the Ravenous belonging to that particular army, either as armour, cloth, painted weapons and shields, or in some cases tattoos. Emperors will also wear their colour in some way.

EMPEROR: An entity which is the head of an army. They do not fight, even though they are often armed and always look as though they are wearing armour. Their personal strength is unknown, but is assumed to be substantial. They communicate telepathically with their entire army, and have complete control over it. They reside in the largest of their army's bases

MARKED: A type of Ravenous, possibly the most numerous. They serve as foot soldiers for the army, and are often armed with blades or arrows.

THE QUIET: The event which removed most of humanity from the earth.

RAVENOUS: The creatures who appeared in our world once most of humanity disappeared. Humanoid but distorted, they were named for their skeletal appearance and often too-large mouths. Alternatively known just as "creatures".

SCOUT: A type of Ravenous who are more nimble and agile than others. They will explore in groups, and report back to their army. One of their functions seems to be to find humans, and they have a better ability to detect us ("Perception") than most.

TRANSFERENCE: The act of a human gaining a Ravenous's ability, by killing it. Only one human can receive the ability from a single slain Ravenous.

UNMARKED: The first and weakest type of Ravenous. They wear no colours, and will follow orders issued to them by any army or Emperor. They will often carry out tasks such as creating battlefields, cleaning up after battles and building bases.

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L I N K S

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[Blemmigan]

A GUIDE TO THE RAVENOUS
From Mott's observations and notes.

As time goes on, the Ravenous become more diverse and more of a threat.
Remember: since you have survived this far since the Quiet, they will be able to detect you within roughly 50m in open air. Walls and ground may provide some shielding but this is unconfirmed and should not be assumed.

If one is nearby then keep quiet, but do not stand your ground. They will find you. If alone, your priority should always be to run.

The following is all of the information that we have gathered so far about the various types of Ravenous. If you discover anything new, or at odds with the information provided, alert others at once.

Guns will NOT work! Use steel blades or clubs, whatever you can find. However, do not attempt to attack any by yourself. They are getting stronger.

GENERATION I

......

Type: "Unmarked"
How to identify: The first and most simple form of Ravenous, and can be considered the default form that all other types will be based on. They will vary in appearance, but all will be roughly humanoid. They often have difficulties walking on two legs due to uneven limb sizes. Arms and legs and digits will usually be long. The mouth will be too large, or have too many teeth. They may be hairless, and are usually naked and unarmed. They do not have much muscle mass, and do not participate in battles. However, like all Ravenous, if they sense a human then they will attempt capture.
Group size: Usually alone, unless building or razing an area, which they do in groups of any number.
Abilities: The basic abilities: all Ravenous have basic psychic awareness of each other, and can hear telepathic calls issued by others. They are used for menial tasks, apparently by any army.

GENERATION II

"Scout"

Type: "Marked"
How to identify: They look very similar to the Unmarked, but are noticeably stronger and steadier on their feet. They are usually armed with bows or swords. They wear coloured cloth, depending on the army they belong to, and these days they more often wear armour.
Group size: Usually ten to twelve. They will not be alone. If you see one, remember this.
Abilities: As well as the basic Ravenous abilities, they can issue telepathic calls to others, so can call for backup.

Type: "Scout"
How to identify: They are only as strong as Gen I, and rarely armed. However, they can be identified by their tails and more animalistic features. These creatures are capable of climbing walls and ceilings. If they encounter a human, they will restrain them and call for others to assist capture. Their bite drains the victim's energy, leaving them unable to escape. They wear the colours of their army.
Group size: Packs of three or four. They will not be alone.
Abilities: As well as the basic Ravenous abilities, they can issue telepathic calls to others, so can call for backup. They also have increased agility and night vision.

Type: "Brain"
How to identify: Rarely seen. Small and weak, they have a large cranium and are assumed to have increased intellect. If encountered, they will retreat back to their nearest base. They wear the colours of their army.
Group size: Unknown.
Abilities: Unknown. If you encounter one, assume that they have alerted others. Do not let your guard down.

GENERATION III

Type: "Adept"
How to identify: They are few, but there is something about them that can be sensed, a kind of power. They will always wear armour and a helmet, but carry no weapons. Often they will seem to have more humanoid proportions. They wear the colours of their army.
Group size: One will be in charge of twenty to forty Marked.
Abilities: As well as the basic Ravenous abilities, their powers seem to vary depending on the army they belong to. Some Red Adepts cause fire to spring from nothing. Some Green Adepts have caused weapons to melt by touching them. Extreme caution must be taken. They have killed many of us, but we none of them. It is unknown what effect killing one of them would have on us.

EMPERORS

There is one Emperor in charge of each army. They can be identified by what appears to be full-body armour and helmet, with the colours of the army they command, and may carry strange-looking weapons.

They do not often emerge from their base-, that being the largest building which holds their colours. They also have never been seen to engage in fighting themselves, more likely to be watching from high up. An army's forces will not attack the opposing Emperor.

Although they do not speak, they seem to issue commands by sheer force of will. Those of us who have inherited the Ravenous's ability to hear the issued orders have felt compelled to follow those orders when nearby. It is advised that all humans keep their distance, not just telepaths, due to the lack of knowledge about them and their command of an army.

Their skills and prowess in fighting are unknown. It is only known that they have complete control over all Ravenous belonging to them, as well as any nearby Unmarked.

(Image sources: x x x)

 

[Blemmigan]

INFORMATION: ABILITIES
From Mott's observations and notes.

Within two weeks of the Quiet, all surviving humans' minds had undergone a change. The cause is unclear: due to the change in the fabric of our reality, or something radiated by the Ravenous? Our current theory is that whatever is used to control the armies telepathically-- some kind of broadcast, perhaps-- also begins to affect us as we are exposed to it.

THE FIRST CHANGE

The first change was inevitable, and already occurred to us all, two weeks after the Quiet.

Roughly half of those exposed to it died, apparently without cause. They just lay down and didn't get back up. The rest of us felt unaffected. Maybe we thought we had gained a sense of clarity, or of room for growth, but that could well just be imagination.

Before this change, the Ravenous (the Unmarked) were uninterested in us. They would look at us curiously, but nothing else, unless they were attacked first. They would hunt and eat animals, apparently able to track them down, but humans seemed not to register as important.

Now, however, all Ravenous are able to detect our presence. Whether it is by smell or by brainwaves is unclear, but they know when a human is near even if they cannot see or hear them. The current range seems to be roughly 50m (~164 ft) maximum, in clear and open conditions. Bright sunlight seems to hinder their abilities: however, given the season this cannot be relied upon as a defence.

Solid barriers also may reduce the distance of their detection, but this has not been adequately tested and should not be taken as absolute fact.

The only certain thing is this: all Ravenous have the basic ability to locate a nearby human, although for Scouts this ability is enhanced.

HOW ABILITIES ARE OBTAINED

This bizarre event became known to us after Kim killed an Unmarked. It was cleaning up after a recent battle, alone, and we were able to take it down: our first kill. Kim dealt the final blow.

He died soon after, having cut its throat. We now know that upon killing one of these creatures, the link between us and them is disrupted, and backfires. Their abilities have a chance to somehow "jump" that distance and reconfigure our brains. We have named this "transference".

For Kim, he must have inherited the Unmarked's telepathic ability to sense its comrades. In a battlefield, the site of dozens upon dozens of dead Ravenous, the sensation of all their final moments was too much for him. Mentally, he was never the strongest of us. If I had only known what killing that thing would do to him, to any of us, I would stopped him.

Others have inherited abilities this way, as we grow confidence and are able to kill more of them. This is how we know of the effects.

In some cases, killing a Ravenous will produce no transference. This seems to be more likely if you have already gained an ability.

If you kill two Unmarked (the weakest ranked creatures) that transfer a perception ability, you will not gain an ability twice as strong. However, gaining it again from a Scout may cause your perception to increase to the Scout's level.

Surviving one transference does not mean you will survive them all in future. Some hit much harder than others, although your personal mental willpower is a factor. Even if no ability is gained, you may be negatively affected. Be prepared.

This knowledge can only be based on the Ravenous we have killed. Nobody has gotten close enough to an Emperor to harm them... yet.
Killing one of them could potentially wipe out their entire army.

GENERAL ABILITIES

The kind of ability that can be gained depends on the Ravenous killed. Of course, stronger Ravenous are more difficult to kill, and more likely to travel in groups. Do not be tempted to fight them on your own. Your priority is survival.

Perception: Detecting the presence of humans, and of nearby Ravenous (within 50m).
In humans: Those with this ability have described it in various ways, but it appears to be like an "extra sense".
Ravenous with this ability: All, at an equal level. Scouts seem to possess a stronger version, but the precise extent is not known.

Telepathy (receiving): Hearing the silent orders or calls for help issued by other Ravenous.
In humans: This is particularly useful for predicting attack patterns, and so at least one human with this ability is recommended for each group sent outside. However, bear in mind that most Ravenous's broadcasts have a range of about 50m, close enough for them to perceive you. If too close to an Emperor, a human with this ability can feel compelled to obey any orders they intercept. Keep your distance.
Ravenous with this ability: All, at an equal level.

Telepathy (broadcasting): Sending orders or calls to help telepathically to any Ravenous within the broadcast range. For most, that range is 50m. However, Adepts have a much larger range, up to at least 200m, and for Emperors there seems to be no limit.
In humans: If another human has the ability to receive broadcasts, then messages can be received by a human with this ability. Range seems to be 50m. It is likely that any nearby Ravenous will also intercept the message. Human and Ravenous broadcasts are noticeably different.
Ravenous with this ability: All except Unmarked, at an equal level.

Quick thinking: Better fighting prowess.
In humans: It has been described as being "like time is slowed down", hence the name. Although body movement speed does not change, those with this ability seem to be able to formulate plans and read an enemy's attack patterns far more efficiently.
Ravenous with this ability: Marked and Adept.

Physical enhancements: Better agility, more stamina.
In humans: This is contested as to whether it is an inherited ability, or simply the result of fighting experience and training, or indeed a placebo. Claims are made that better agility and endurance have been caused by a transference.
Ravenous with this ability: Marked, Scout (Agility), Adept.

ADEPT ABILITIES

So far, only one Adept has been killed, by one of our group who did not survive the process. It is assumed that they at least have the abilities of the Marked they control, and have been listed as having such. We do know that they are strong.

However, what makes them unique is that the Adepts from each army have their own particular type of power. We do not have a complete knowledge of all their abilities, so do not assume to have that advantage if you face one.
Adepts will also always be with 20 to 40 Marked, which they have control over.

The types of abilities unique to the Adepts from each army are believed to be as follows.

Red: Heat.
Anything including: Conjuring fire. Controlling intensity of sunlight. Immunity to fire. Control of temperature.
Blue: Storms.
Anything including: Summoning rain. Summoning winds. Flight. Controlling electricity.
Green: Growth.
Anything including: Conjuring small objects from nowhere. Altering shapes.
Black: Force.
Anything including: Drawing objects closer. Repelling things. Gravitational control.

These are all the abilities that we have encountered and therefore know about. If you have any additional information, or this list is shown to be incorrect, let me know at once.

It is extremely likely that Emperors also have abilities similar to or surpassing those of their Adepts.