Day 2

After Don had left the room, April made her way into her room. She ventured toward her bed and pulled from underneath her bed a pitch-black box. 'It's a wonder how Don never found this even with the times he came in to clean my room.' April softly chuckled at her thought before pushing a sliding board open to reveal a quiver with custom arrows inside and a bow neatly placed in a holder. There was even a pair of drawing gloves so one wouldn't hurt themselves drawing back the string. The bow looked custom-made as well; there was even a hunting knife and a sheath.

April started with putting the rose-golden gloves first. Next, the rose-golden quiver with a strap and the bow neatly tucked on her back thanks to a hook from the belt. Lastly came the hunting knife and sheath. She placed the knife into the sheath and then strapped the sheath to her inner thigh. Afterward, she closed the box and slid it back under her bed before heading to her clothes to pick out an outfit.

'Hmm... maybe a skirt and some knee-highs... While Don hasn't said anything verbally, I have seen his reaction when I wear a pleated skirt and some knee-highs. I think I have a dark pink skirt somewhere along with some black knee-highs. A nice low-cut top would probably be best, and I'll need to pick out a bra. I think I have that breast guard somewhere as well...'

With these thoughts, April set around to find a perfect outfit to wear, and once she was done, she made her way into the bathroom. Her natural looks were terrific, but she felt that putting on light make-up always complimented her eyes, so she did just that. Once she completed her make-up with a pucker of her lips that had a shade of crimson, she nodded gleefully. Then, a figure appeared in the mirror, which spooked her.

"Hello, April Creed, and congratulations, you have survived the first night. Although you only arrived a mere few hours ago. Nevertheless, that is better than most of the Contenders." Sky blue eyes, pale complexion, short platinum hair, and a boyish appearance had appeared in the mirror.

"Welcome to Planet E010. You have been selected to participate in a test. Humanities test. You see, we have grown bored with humanity. You people have become too slothful... so much so that you take pride in how slothful you are. So we want to test humanity to see if they are worth keeping alive."

"As you may have experienced, you are no longer on your original planet. Instead, you are on replication of Earth, a test planet. The Test is fairly simple; all you have to do is survive 365 days. If you manage to live for 365 days, you will be granted Authority. This allows you to make one wish, even the wish to go back to your homeworld should you choose to."

"Of course, there is another way to obtain Authority, killing someone who already has Authority. As for what you will be surviving in and against... well, that is part of the Test. Just know that you have provided the necessary means of survival. How you bring about its growth and what it becomes will be entirely upon you. We wish you the best of luck, Contender."

With that, the appearance faded out. Don took a step back and stared at the mirror in disbelief. "Another planet? Test? Survive? What the hell is going on?" After a few moments with those thoughts in mind, April came rushing into his bathroom. "Don!" In a normal tone, she called his name hastily, forgetting to keep as quiet as possible.

Don, however, did not forget. He quickly moved up to her and placed a hand on her mouth while pulling her to his body, his eyes shifting toward the window by his bed. A moment later, he heard a loud buzzing sound that seemed to linger before it started to fade away. April had a faint blush since she was so close to Don. Typically, she was the one moving into his space, but being on the receiving side felt... different to her. Not bad, just different.

Once Don stepped back and relaxed, April apologized softly, and Don dismissed it with a shake of his head. "Don't worry.", Don spoke in a calm voice. "I assume you got the same message?" Don asked since it was apparent how she came rushing into his room.

April nodded softly. "You too?" She asked to make sure. "Yup," Don replied. "So, we are not on Earth anymore?" April asked, and Don nodded. "Judging from what that person was saying, it seems like it. I doubt this is all some hoax or dream, considering we are both here and had the same message. Though..." Don looked over April; he had taken complete note of what she was wearing, which included her bow and quiver.

"It seems you haven't told me everything about yourself." Don continued. April looked over Don at the exact moment, "Neither have you. I knew you had some secrets, but this..." April took a moment, and when she saw Don look away distraught, she moved up to him and took hold of his face to force him to look into her eyes. "it does not bother me. If anything, the look makes you sexy." April winked, and Don's earlier worries about how she might see him started to fade.

Don didn't want her to distrust or hate him after all. A soft breath escaped his lips, "Fair enough." Don wasn't going to admit outright that April looked sexy, but from that response, she could tell that she got what she was looking for, which made her smile. "Good." She stepped back and moved into the bedroom to leave the bathroom.

Don followed her, "So what now?" April asked while sitting on the end of the bed. "Well, if this is truly another world and we are being forced to survive for an entire year. We should look for someplace to lay low. From what I could tell, this world is probably a replica of our world. The apartment complex looked the same, and I doubt it was just transported here as a whole like we were, considering how dark it is outside. The only thing lighting up the roads is the moonlight; even the street lights were off. I also doubt that the power in our unit will stay on much longer, so we can't stay here." Don answered.

April was a bit astonished at how calm Don was, but even more so at how calm she was right now. She didn't understand it, but maybe it was because of Don. Don never seemed to panic, and he always seemed so calm, even in dire situations. She recalled one time in particular when they were attending high school together.

She was a freshman, and he was a senior, so it was nearly three years ago. They were in a corner store when it was undergoing robbery. While she was quick to shake in fear and panic, Don always remained calm even when the robber pointed a gun at his face. She clearly remembered how Don disarmed the robber and kept him down until the police arrived. It was beautiful... but cold.

"Now that I think about it, maybe we should look for the others," Don commented just as April finished her little memory. "Others?" She asked curiously, to which Don nodded. "Yeah, the crew and Boss. If the crew was brought here, I want to make sure they are safe. But, even if we bring them along, we will still be traveling in a small group."

"A small group is optimal for survival. Fewer mouths to feed, but more eyes to keep a lookout. Unfortunately, with the crew and us, that will be seven people, which means we barely fit the small group criteria... if anything, we will be classified as a medium-sized group, which can lead to some problems when traveling."

April seemed to follow along. She was taught and trained by her Father, a hunter who always said smaller groups were ideal for remaining hidden and lying low. A small group generally consisted of three to five people. Six to eight was considered a medium group, and anything higher was considered a large group. At least, that is what her Father taught her.

Based on what Don said, a thought had crossed her mind that maybe Don also had some training. It made sense considering how he was geared up; however, she had been with him since they were ten. She hadn't seen him undergo any training, so it made her wonder if he learned those things at the same age as her, which was five.

"Well, what do you think?" Don asked, which woke her from her thoughts. "Hm..? Oh, yeah. A small group would be best. If you want to find the others, I am a-okay with it. If you trust them, so can I." April smiled at Don, making him smile slightly.

"Then it's settled. I've taken everyone home at least once or twice before. Jake lives in a rural area just like us, and we could easily get there by vehicle in less than an hour. Josh and John live closer to Downtown in Harris; it would take nearly an hour to get there. The Boss and Jen live in the same area in Tobin Hill. So we'll check for them after we pass through Downtown."

After a brief pause, Don continued, "If the layout is the same, that is." April knew what he meant. After all, this was supposed to be a replica, but did that mean it was the same? Regardless April would choose to believe it was. "It will be fine. We should probably leave soon. I already packed a small traveling bag, and you should do the same. It's a good thing we stocked up on bottles of water, huh?" April gave Don a cute smile, and Don chuckled softly at her last remark.

"Not planned, but yeah. I'll do that. You should probably use the bathroom before we leave as well." Don commented, which caused April to blush darkly and punch Don playfully in the shoulder. A soft chuckle escaped his lips, "I'll do the same. We'll meet at the front door. Just stay away from the windows and within the shadows. I do not know what is out there, but from all the buzzing, I do not like it one bit." Don commented before getting up and heading to the bathroom. April went about her business, and the two would meet at the front door afterward.

"Ready?" Don asked as he began to unlock the door, and April nodded. Don pulled his combat knife from his vest pocket and flipped it reversed style, holding it in Ice-Pick Grip. While slowly opening the door. The door would creak as he continued to open the door slowly. April had her bow in hand with an arrow knocked but had yet to draw it back.

Once the door was open enough for them to move through, Don took a peek from around the corner; however, the moment he did, a long tube-looking thing tried to pike him from the side. Don stepped back and took hold of the tube, only to yank it with all his force. "April!" Don called out while pulling the door open at the same time. In terms of white noise, a buzzing sound could be heard just outside the entrance to their right, which seemed to continue to buzz in a struggle.

April would drawback on the arrow and gulp heavily. She didn't like the sound of whatever the buzzing was and the fact that there was some tube in Don's grasp; however, she was prepared for anything. Then it showed up in front of them, hovering in the air with its insect eyes staring at them. April was struck with fear and confusion. She had never seen anything like it. It was a mosquito, but gigantic. "April, fire!" Don shouted when he saw she was frozen in fear.

"April!" Don called out again after a moment since the first time did not seem to get to her. The second time she heard Don's rowdy voice, she was awakened from her state of fear and released the arrow. It pierced through the gigantic mosquito's head, and the buzzing started to fade until its wings stopped twitching along with its body that flew into the railing with a loud dinking sound.

Don released a heavy breath and turned toward April, who was looking at him. "April, it is okay. It is going to be okay. I am here." Don said as he wrapped his arms around her. He was embracing her in a comforting manner. While he may not have been struck with fear, she indeed was; however, it seemed that his calm voice managed to smoothen her along with the warmth she felt coming from him.

She nodded with a muffled "Okay." A moment longer with a comforting embrace would pass before she was ready to move on. "I will protect you, okay?" Don said with firm resolve. April always knew she could trust Don when he said those words to her. He always made sure she was safe and sound. Though she wasn't a damsel in distress, it was more like she always knew that if she got into a situation, she could not handle, then Don would be there to keep her safe.

He was like her own personal Knight. "And, I will keep you safe as well." April nodded happily before smiling in return with her answer. Don smiled softly at her reply along with a nod before leaning outside the door. He had kept an eye behind him to ensure nothing was coming due to the noise they made, but it seemed so far the coast was clear.

Don motioned April to follow after him, and April did so while they kept to the wall and moved toward the staircase. April took note of Kenny's corpse and winched with a disturbed look. She was saddened and sickened to see what had happened to him. It was unnatural and disturbing, but she knew she needed to move on.

She needed to keep up with Don. As they neared the staircase, Don leaned around the corner, taking note of an oversized fly on the wall eating something. He wasn't sure what and did not care to find out. He turned toward April and motioned at her bow before telling her to look past the corner with hand signs. April had pulled her arrow from the mosquito earlier when she passed Kenny's corpse. So she could knock that arrow and turn to peek past the corner. Don could hear a heavy gulp as April leaned back against the wall and took a few seconds to compose herself before turning the corner entirely and drawing back the bow. She would steady her aim and then...

THUCK!

She released the arrow, and it pierced through the fly's head and stuck it to the wall. There was a bit of mild buzzing and struggle, but the oversized fly eventually went quiet. April released a heavy breath of relief, and Don nodded in approval before taking point down the staircase. April followed suit and collected her arrow, giving a disgusted face as she touched the oversized fly since she had to pry her arrow from the body. Finally, the two reached the bottom of the staircase without any further problems. Don took to a crouched state, and April did the same.

Don scouted the area for a moment to ensure nothing was hiding and even looked at the skies. It seemed everything was clear for the moment, so Don turned to April. "We are going to make a run for the bike. It doesn't matter how much noise we make since the bike engine will surely wake everything in the area up anyway. Stick as close to me as possible and hop onto the bike the moment I do." Don said firmly.

April nodded as she took in everything. She understood the situation; however, she was curious, "Are we good on gas?" She just had to ask, of course. Don nodded, "Filled it up after I got off work. Ready?" Don answered and questioned to make sure April was ready. When she nodded, Don got up and made a mad dash for the bike, and April followed suit.

The two of them hopped on the bike, but as he turned on the engine, groaning could be heard from across the street. April turned to look behind them but saw nothing. "Don. Let's go..." April said in a bit of a shaky voice. She didn't want to stick around long enough to discover the groaning. "Yeah, yeah. Just hold on tight." Don replied, and April wrapped her arms tightly around Don after setting her bow to rest over her shoulder. Don revved the engine a few times, pushed up the kickstand, and gear shifted before pulling off and racing down the street toward Jake's place.

Jake's place was a dead end. No one was there; in fact, the entire block was empty. They managed to get into the house thanks to a few neat tricks Don knew about, but other than that, no one was home. They even searched the other houses on the block just in case, but nothing came up. So they decided to make their way to the Downtown area; however, there was an extensive blockade of vehicles as they approached.

Don kissed his teeth, turned off the engine, and pushed up the kickstand. Thanks to the time-save, the sun was already starting to come out a little later, but that was fine. The air was still crisp and cool. That wasn't what bothered Don, though. They needed to make their way on foot from here. "So... on foot?" April asked. Don sighed lightly and nodded. Meanwhile, April got off the bike to stretch and whatnot.

"At least you can carry the bike through the--" April was again silenced when Don placed a finger to her lips. She was surprised but figured there was a reason behind it. She became more surprised when Don started forcing her toward a nearby tree and pressed her against it.

Her face turned completely red, and she looked at Don for answers. However, this wasn't the time to blush with how serious Don's expression was. They scouted around the area with slight head turns; however, her blush returned when he pressed his lips to her ear. She couldn't help it; they were in such an intimate position.

"There are people around here. This blockade isn't natural. It was human-made for a reason. I doubt they are good people either. I need you to take hold of the gun in my back holster and hold it in between us. It has a bit of weight to get comfortable with it." Don whispered into her ear.

Her blush completely faded when he started talking about the people and taking his gun. However, she did not question anything in return until she took his 1911 Rugar from his holster and placed it between them to make it look like she had a hand on his chest. "But.. what if they are good people?" April whispered back in a calm voice.

Don remained quiet for a moment, 'Good people... ha...', after his inner thought, he answered her. "I'll let you be the judge; however, I need you to tell me the headcount and if they are armed. What kind of weapons they are holding, their height, and if they have any bodyarmor. The more specific, the better."

April was a bit confused at his request but agreed nonetheless, and finally, the people came from behind their blockade. "Well, well, what do we have here!? A little love-couple!?" A voice filled with thrill boosted through the streets. "Oh, oh, oh! Can I have the girl? Can I? She looks so delicious!" An insane voice seemed to speak up next. "Now, now... just wait a minute. I am sure we can strike a deal or two with these fine folk." A more refined voice came forth. "Well, what will be? I am a generous man after all?"