"The First Reaper" (Nature)

=Prologue= 27th December 2026

Following disaster on board the Space Station known as ‘Gemini’, the remaining crew members have fled using an emergency escape pod.

“Easy Roger!” Sonia called out, holding on to the nearest handle for dear life. “It’s not easy you know!” He called back, desperately trying to slow the pod down as it jolted left and right suddenly.

“And I’m beginning to think you were the most useless person on board the Gemini, you know,” Kristina mimicked his words and used them against him.

As the pod jolted again, Bertie grabbed on to Kristina’s arm, as she shook him off again, “Don’t be such a baby!” She taunted him, before being struck with benign karma; as the pod jolted yet again, she hit her head back against the wall, concussing her. “Oh my goodness, Kris! Kris, are you ok?” Bertie sounded genuinely concerned for her, however she looked back up, and began laughing, “Like I said, don’t be such a baby!” She was enjoying the perilous journey far too much.

“Alright boys and girls,” Roger jokingly began, still struggling to control the rocky pod, “Looks we’re about to crash land right into Northern Italy. Hold on to something!”

As Bertie grabbed Kristina’s arm again, she rolled her eyes and allowed him to do so, before she herself wrapped her arm around a pole on the wall next to her seat.

Sonia crossed her arms to their opposing shoulders. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, trying to process out the ghostly voice of her presumably-deceased sister in her mind… =Chapter 1: The First Reaper= Two and a Half Years Later – 2nd October 2029

Italian side of the French-Italy Border

“That’s it, just keep moving slowly,” Annabelle firmly kept the revolver pointed at Kristina’s head, prompting her to keep moving forward slowly. She knew Bertie was too much of a coward to act out against her.

“Look… Please, just let her go! She’s my only friend!” Bertie crossed his legs as he walked, facing Annabelle side on while pleading with her. “Please, Annabelle… Just let her go. We’ll help you find your brother! We promise! We’re good people really! We can even tell you all about the Gemini!” It was evident to any stranger that he had made this plea a dozen times already, Annabelle ignored him every single time, continuing to firmly plant the revolver against Kristina.

“Here we are. Just a few more metres and we’ll be at the border. Then, it’s only a couple of hours until we reach the camp again… But don’t worry about walking it, I have my methods of transport…” Her tone seemed to imply several things, including the possibility of an improvised bluff.

“I won’t stop begging until you release her!” Bertie tried to make a stand, but he came across as pathetic. “If you don’t stop begging, then I’ll kill her and release her…” Annabelle firmly informed Bertie, prompting him to cease his begging.

A few minutes later, they had gotten past the border. “Right, a couple more minutes and we’ll have a car,” again, Annabelle’s tone lead Kristina and Bertie to believe she may indeed have been lying.

“Hun, we’ve been walking for hours,” Kristina finally spoke up for the first time in a while, “Can’t we just sit down for a couple of minutes?” Kristina was still professional at using people’s own words against them.

“In this world, you can only rest when you’re dead,” Annabelle taught them, “If you seriously expect to have a break for even a single second in this day and age, you’ll be caught off guard. I guarantee it. It’s happened to people I know. It’s happened to people I loved. Rule number two of this world, always be aware.” She continued to walk on with the revolver against Kristina still, “What’s rule number one then?” Bertie asked, nervously.

“Rule number one… ''People die. ''It’s not like the old days anymore. Death can come knocking at any moment. One moment, my future sister-in-law was alive and well, the next, she was dead in my stepbrother’s arms.”

Despite how tragic that story was, Kristina saw optimism in it. “It’s good that you have hope, Annabelle… I mean, you referred to that lady as your future sister-in-law, you had expected your stepbrother to marry her at some point. Even in these dark times, you believe love is still possible. I adore that…” But Kristina clearly understood nothing of her.

“Don’t count on it, Hun,” Annabelle gave Kristina a taste of her own medicine with regards to mimicking, “If you rely on hope, then you yourself will end up dead. Right alongside your mother. Right alongside your father. Because let’s face it, nobody’s parents are still alive nowadays…” Annabelle cleared away the lump in her throat.

“I guess we can relate to that, but… Bertie and I, we don’t know that for sure. My mother could be alive and well in Brazil still for all I know, as could Bertie’s parents in the USA… But judging by your remarks, I take it that your parents are both dead now?” Kristina was on thin ice asking such a volatile person such a delicate question.

“I got over my father’s death. Been over a year and a half since it happened. His death was my apocalypse. I loved him with all my heart. Then some selfish bastard ‘took him away’ from me and my mum forever. She got revenge later on though – and that in itself was thanks to Elliot. We’d never have found those pricks again if it wasn’t for him.” Annabelle finished abruptly, prompting Kristina to ask more questions.

“You’re luckier than you think. I mean, to have even just one relative from before the apocalypse who is still alive… I get it, you’ve suffered. But keep hold of that, Annabelle. Just like how you’ve kept hold of your hope.” Kristina’s optimistic comments caused Annabelle to snap. She threw Kristina to the ground, fiercely pressing the revolver down into her mouth.

“Shut up! Ok? Just shut up! I didn’t know Elliot before the apocalypse! He began my stepbrother after, only recently in fact!” She lowered her voice again, looking around – almost as though she were afraid of something specific. “Elliot is my relative. I found a new family member even after all of the chaos which struck this world. That is how I still have hope… But that hope was lost again. My mother, she’s… Christ, why am I even telling you this?”

Annabelle pulled Kristina up again, and threw her against a nearby tree. “Please! No, please! Just don’t!” Bertie tried to intervene, but Annabelle had a tight grip on Kristina.

“I’d put that down if I were you,” A familiar, yet unexpected voice, commanded. Annabelle sensed a shotgun looming next to her. She put the revolver back into safe mode, before dropping it on the ground.

“Now, put your hands up, and swivel towards me. Slowly and quietly…”

While at first Annabelle hesitated, she knew she had to do what was most beneficial for Elliot. Obeying the familiar voice’s command, Annabelle slowly turned to face the shotgun pointed right in her face. “You wanna lower that bloody thing before you poke my eye out?” She was becoming more English than her birth nationality of Welsh.

“Of course,” the man lowered his shotgun, as Annabelle recognised him instantly – it was Tobin…

The rest of Tobin’s group were in a line behind him, each of them pointing a handgun – or a carbine in Ellie’s case – at Annabelle.

“Why don’t you two nice folks come on over here?” Tobin firmly maintained eye contact with Annabelle, but spoke to Kristina and Bertie. The two looked at each other, confused.

“Oh, where are my manners?” Tobin joked, “Allow me to introduce myself,” before he could so, Annabelle interrupted him.

“No, allow me to do so, I’d be honoured. Kristina, Bertie, meet the biggest turncoats in recorded history: Tobin, his daughter Ellie, the married couple James and Gisela, and the silent attention-seeking bitch Emilia.”

Emilia lowered her pistol, quaintly squinting at Annabelle, “Oh, I’m attention-seeking, am I? Says the one who’s throwing a hissy fit just because she can’t find her god damn lousy excuse for a living human being of a brother!” She mocked Annabelle; but she didn’t retaliate, she had learnt to rise above that from advice given to her by Elliot.

“Sorry but… Why are they turncoats, as you call them?” Bertie finally got his chance to intervene while also being acknowledged.

“Oh, these five twats you see in front of you pretended to be allies of Camp Hackley. They pretended to be allies of Elliot. Acting like they wanted to help him. We were this close to finding him again,” she gestured with her thumb and forefinger just how ‘close’ they were. “But then, boom! Quite literally, they set off a god damn bomb back at the camp! The quiet bitch Emilia knocked me out, and then Tobin and his daughter of a bastard Ellie tried to kidnap Elliot! He got away… He’s far more skilful than you give him credit for.” Annabelle was clearly infuriated by the presence of Tobin’s group. “I could tell right away by the grossness of your betrayal. Your allegiance obviously was with Camp Leroy… Bet you’re still working for that scumbag even now.”

Tobin tightened the grip on his shotgun. His lack of vocal response was enough to answer Annabelle’s question.

In the distance, a low humming sound began echoing towards the two enemy groups. It became increasingly louder.

“Uh, guys? What the heck is that?” Bertie and Kristina were clueless, though as they looked at the faces of the ‘Earth veterans’, they saw nothing but absolute fear.

As the humming became increasingly louder, it was clear the ‘sound’ was coming towards them. “Reaper! Take cover!” Tobin ordered his group, as everyone rushed into the surrounding trees. Annabelle pulled up her revolver – she had Tobin in her sights… But upon hearing the sound getting even louder, she lowered it again, running into the trees herself. Whatever the noise was, she didn’t want to attract it…

“What’s going on? Why are you guys so afraid?” Kristina scanned the trees, but the others had all disappeared from view. “Never mind that. If they’re hiding, we should be too!” Bertie pointed out, as he finally fled into the trees as well. Kristina nodded, “Good point,” she noted, following Bertie into the trees.

The loud rumbling was extremely near now. Bertie and Kristina noticed an object flying overhead, it looked similar to a fighter plane. “Wait… I recognise that,” Being a technician on board the Gemini, this object ringed a bell in Bertie’s mind. “Of course! It’s a drone! That means, someone’s flying it… And if that’s the case, that means there’s people! Ha! Yes! Kristina, actual genuine people! Using a drone to look for other people! We are those people!” Bertie lit up like an easily excitable child, running out of the trees and back on to the road. “Bertie! Get back here!” Kristina tried to grab him, but he was already out of reach – she couldn’t expose herself too, “Bertie!” All she could do was try to recall him.

“Hey! We’re down here! Yoo-hoo!” Bertie rapidly waved his arms about towards the drone. It was already too far away due to its’ fast speed however. “No! Dammit!” Bertie stomped on the ground.

Annabelle and Kristina ran out from under the trees once the drone was far enough away. “Idiot!” Annabelle tackled him to the ground, clenching her fist in preparation to punch him.

“Leave him alone!” Now that Kristina didn’t have a revolver against her head, she could act freely. She shoved Annabelle off of Bertie, pinning her to the ground. “Tobin! Help us!” She remembered his name, which endeared him to helping her even more – that, and he also had been tasked with recruiting any survivors he encountered to joining Camp Leroy.

“Ellie, Emilia, hold her down!” Tobin commanded them, knowing they would take satisfaction in apprehending their rival.

“You alright Kris’? If I may call you that.” He held his hand out, as she warmly accepted it, “You may. Only if I can call you Toby.” She joked with him, as the two smiled fondly at each other.

“It’s coming back!” Gisela cried out in fear, as James stepped in front of her for protection. “Oh no, it’s seen us!” Tobin turned back to Kristina, “Kris, run. As fast as you can. Through the trees. Go! Now!” As she started running, Tobin ran not too far behind her – Another person who was trying to protect someone else. As the rest of Tobin’s group followed on, Bertie stayed back with Annabelle on the road, unsure of what to do.

“Guys! What’s wrong? It’s just a drone!” He turned back, but as he waved at it, his face dropped into a fearful frown – he noticed the rocket and the turrets mounted on to the wings, and recognised the airplane-esque shape of the drone, he remembered what Tobin called out earlier as well, “Reaper… The Reaper drone…” His eyes widened, everyone’s fear made sense now.

The Reaper began firing at them, the bullets were not aimed however. They fired in two lines, blasting through the trees, onto the grass, then denting into the road. Annabelle grabbed Bertie, as they ran into the opposing trees – the bullets quickly gaining on them right behind their heels…

The Reaper drone unexpectedly exploded behind them. They could feel the heat of the explosion, as well as a piece of debris flying past their faces. The two were extremely confused.

“Annabelle?” A familiar, and for once pleasantly surprising, voice called out. The figure approaching was dressed in a black robe and black hoodie – the hood pulled up. The man had a rocket launcher in his arms. He disconnected the strap from his shoulder, throwing the firearm to the ground.

“E…Elliot…” She couldn’t believe her double-luck. “Elliot!” Her face lit up, as the two post-apocalyptic step-siblings ran towards each other, opening their arms in a warm embrace.

“Oh my goodness, Annabelle. I’m, I’m so… I’m so sorry!” Elliot was apologising for the entire situation.

“Hush, it’s ok!” She pulled out of the embrace, flinging Elliot’s hood behind him and off of his head. “You’re alive… you’re ok and alive! That’s all that matters” She nodded, reassuring herself. Again, using his strange trait of being able to ‘read’ people, he read Annabelle. “Something’s wrong… What is it?” Elliot could tell.

“It’s…” She turned back, noticing Bertie was right behind her. “Would you mind sodding off for a few minutes please?” She demanded, as he nodded, wandering into the trees once again.

“Is everyone ok?” Elliot asked her, fearing the answer more than he feared the Reaper drone. “Elliot, the Reapers, there’s more and more of them. I’ve seen over six of them in the past two weeks! And we’ve only destroyed two of those! Goodness knows how many more are out there. I’ve absolutely no idea where they’re coming from. Nor the how or the why!” Despite the panic in her voice, Elliot could tell she was stalling and that something else was truly bothering her, “Annabelle, is everyone ok?” He repeated himself.

Annabelle looked into his eyes gravely, shaking her head slowly. “You need to come home…”

-The Writer commented that Elliot's rocket launcher is not a 'deus-ex machina' or a 'plot device' and that there is a valid and legitimate reason for him having such a weapon which shall be revealed later in the Series.

-Several months have passed since the end of Series 4. -The Writer has stated that despite being the deuteragonist, Gwen will have a significantly reduced role this season for reasons unknown.
 * The date at the start of this chapter (2nd October 2029) places the Series around 3.75 years into the apocalypse.