You all were such a big help last time that I think I'm going to need you again!

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I posted a topic not that long ago asking for help with the plot of my story, but since then I have decided to go in a completely different direction, haha. Y'all had such good ideas though that I would love it if you could help me with this one as well! I promise I have thought this idea out more than the last one, but I am having trouble with the inciting incident. The basic premise is that there is going to be some big catastrophe - either global or limited to one or a few cities. This catastrophe is going to force the main character to form a group with two or three strangers for survival (they HAVE to be complete strangers). The story is really going to ride on the fact that the main character is trapped with these people - not necessarily physically but definitely mentally. In other words, the other people might start getting on her nerves or scaring her or abusing her, but the alternative choice (leaving the group and going it alone) is worse. I am kind of trying to mess with the cliche that always happens in thriller/action stories where the strangers that are thrust together is stressful circumstances always end up becoming close to one another in the end. That seems unrealistic to me, because lots of times stress brings out the worst in people. So, the problem is, I need a catastrophe. It has VERY specific parameters though. 1. Must be sudden. 2. Must kill vast majority of the people (so that the main character has no friends or family to escape to), but be selective enough that some people survive it (in other words a nuclear bomb doesn't seem feasible I don't think). 3. Must cause some ongoing problem, something bad enough that the main character will not want to leave these people that are annoying/scary/mean/abusive/whatever I decide. 4. It doesn't have to be completely realistic, but I don't want it to be TOO sci-fi or fantastical, because that automatically makes the story much harder to write for me. I'm lazy and don't like doing a lot of research for my stories. ;P But, yeah. That's pretty much it. I would really appreciate any ideas you might have. :)