It doesn't take long to realize that Columbus isn't the only place where almost everyone as died. If the bodies everywhere weren't enough, there are the dreams. they aren't the same every night, but they all end the same; a booming voice declares why you have been left behind, then follows it up with "I forsake you." The dream comes every night without fail. There are also signs of survivors milling about. Painted signs ask about survivors. Some show that people are headed to major cities, like you are.
Cincinnati turns out to be a bad place to be. Approaching the city, there are signs warning people away. "Brotherhood kills all." is the first one, but closer in, there is a long explanation that The Brotherhood is the remains of a biker gang that has taken over the city, destroying everything they can get their hands on and don't decide to use. the group wisely decides not to continue into the city.
A weeks is spent wandering, gathering supplies where you can and learning how to survive in this new world. In this time, you notice some odd things:
Animals seem to be more aggressive than they used to be, particularly predatory ones. Several bullets have to be spent fending off a pack of Coyotes that Clifford knows would not have normally attacked a group of people around a fire.
The Hand of God is still present. You stand by and watch a cloud of it flow through a valley town and hear the screams of someone who didn't see it coming.
The streets are seriously degraded, and in some places, you have to pull out your maps and find another way to get to where you're headed. They seem to be worse off than the earthquakes can account for. Maybe they were worse out out.
Three weeks have passed, and you've slowly worked your way west. Approaching Chicago, you begin to see another form of signs. People are gathering together in a town named Elgin, not far away.
