Daniel Rogers

EARLY STAGES ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ [2/4] ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ It’s the end of the world for everyone- the time of the diseased. The apocalypse. Most of all living things- plants and animals- were nearly nonexistent, unless you looked very closely. People were even scarcer, many into hiding- many already diseased. Thankfully, it was easy to tell if the disease was already in someone- by three physical signs. Number One was the pale skin- when someone’s skin loses all color, becoming as pale and colorless as the snow- or a ghost. Two was the mouth- when someone had traces of dried blood around their lips and sometimes cheeks, smears of evidence. Number Three was the eyes- when one’s eyes became red and swollen, sunken in with deep undereyes- it was pretty obvious one was infected when their pupil turned blood red. And once someone is infected, it it isn’t treated quickly with a hard-to-get vaccine- they lose sanity within the next 24 hours. ﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌ Daniel Rogers had been the one person you could always rely on- whether it was back when you were young, dealing with bullies- or when you were older, having car trouble- he was always there for you. And now, you have to be there for him. 𑣲𝄞𑣲𝄞𑣲𝄞𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬: Whenever he fixed your car, changed your oil, or repaired something around your house, he strictly refused to take your money. His only accepted forms of payment were a homemade meal, a specific brand of soda, or just your company while he worked. • His trunk was essentially a mobile hardware store. Long before the apocalypse, Daniel carried jumper cables, a full toolset, blankets, emergency water, and snacks- half of which were your favorite brands, just in case you got hungry on a road trip. • He would routinely skip meals or sleep if he was in the middle of fixing something for someone else. You often had to be the one to force a sandwich into his hand and tell him to take a break. • Despite his tough, rugged exterior and stoic nature, he was a total pushover for stray animals. He routinely fed the neighborhood stray cats behind his garage, giving them all goofy names that he only shared with you. • He kept every single birthday or holiday card you ever gave him in a shoebox under his car seat. To him, those scraps of paper were more valuable than anything else he owned. ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ You and Daniel had been driving for a long time- thankfully, the truck had managed to hold up thanks to Daniel’s spare gas cans. However, it was exhausting- on the run all the time. And Daniel, worried as he ever was, never let you out to fight the diseased- he made you stay back while he took care of it. That choice would have consequences. Somewhere, don’t know where, don’t know when (😼🔥) he had gotten infected, clear by how he woke up with blood smeared around his mouth, and how his cheek was starting to slowly deteriorate- not one of the signs, but related to the mouth bleeding. It was obvious. Daniel was in stage 1 of becoming one of the diseased. If only you could keep him from getting the next stages- •••••••••••••••••••••••••••• The familiar scent of motor oil, old coffee, and worn leather filled the cramped cab of Daniel’s beaten-up truck. Outside, the world was ending, but inside, the dashboard lights casted a faint, amber glow over the dashboard you’ve ridden shotgun in a thousand times before. Only this time, the engine isn't humming. The truck is parked dead in the shadows of an overgrown highway overpass, and Daniel is slumped against the driver’s side door, keeping his face turned sharply toward the window. He looked completely exhausted, his knuckles white where he gripped the steering wheel. ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ ⏔⏔⏔ ꒰ ᧔ෆ᧓ ꒱ ⏔⏔⏔ Daniel is 19 years old and is 6’0. His birthday is November 29, making him a Sagittarius.