|
Post by Damian on Aug 26, 2014 19:20:35 GMT -5
GAME MASTER
Tuesday, August 26th, 2014 3:15 P.M. It had been approximately three days since Subject Zero was released into Auberry, California by the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasure Center (NBACC). Unknown to the residents of Fresno County, California, the entire county had been placed under quarantine; no one allowed in or out. Military checkpoints dotted each major entry into the county, effectively blocking access. All flights within the county were grounded and ones leading in were redirected elsewhere much to the chagrin of passengers and travellers alike. Every person who tried to enter or leave Fresno County was met with the same hostile demeanor from the National Guard troops stationed on the outskirts and told to simply turn around. Those that refused to comply were detained. The weather is 72°F and is mostly cloudy. There is a 2 mph wind.Throughout Auberry, there is a panic among the populous; the people residing there either trying to hold up within their homes, fight back against those already infected by the Atrophia Contritio parasite, or flee the town for hope of more safety elsewhere. Those already infected but not completely taken over are among some of those who have chosen to flee Auberry; effectively spreading the virus unknowingly to other areas of Fresno County. The Fresno County Sheriff's Department have found themselves in a bad position, not having enough units to respond to the record-breaking amount of calls coming in from all over Auberry. The units already within Auberry have either been killed, infected with the parasite, or doing what they can in an effort to keep the peace; those that try are failing. The situation is so bad for them that they have had to call in assistance from other precincts across Fresno county, as well as the nearby city of Fresno's Police Department. Fresno has scrambled a small detachment of units to assist where they can. In Auberry, Anya Weiss has just had to put her Sister down within their home, the girl having been one of Subject Zero's first victims. Apollo Malcolm Jackson has found himself entering Auberry from the eastern outskirts of the town through the forest; attempting to track his Daughter. ((Click the URL to see your actual positions on Google Maps. ))
|
|
|
Post by Tangello on Aug 29, 2014 1:37:46 GMT -5
Everything was spinning so considerably out of control it was nauseating. No matter what, it was all just nauseating. The quiet night gone wrong, the terrible attack, the screams; Anya couldn’t get her mind wrapped around anything without holding herself back from collapsing onto the ground. She was shaking, sweat pouring down her body as more tears streamed endlessly down her face. Shocked hiccups soon grew into a desperate pleas.
“*((Viktoriya, please…))*”
Her voice echoed, eyes desperately searching for the next turn to take to avoid the child hobbling towards her. The small brunette clutched at her head, breathing heavily as a shudder rocked through her joints followed by, what Anya assumed, to be a cry of pain. Her unseeing, clouded brown eyes focused themselves onto Anya as anger and rage contorted onto the little girl’s face.
“*((Viktoriya…please you—you’re just not feeling well. Please, just stop this isn’t you!))*”
Meaningless words continued to bubble from Anya as another hiccupped sob followed, her hand flying up to her mouth in attempt to swallow her panic. Whichever way she tried making her growling sister see reason, she knew and the public’s screams in the street confirmed the fear boiling inside her.
Auberry was forming into a nightmare Anya wished she only lived through movies. People attacking each other in the street with such animalistic rage was something people could see on the streets in the real world, but the biting, clawing, and even reported eating each other was enough to tell people this wasn’t just some sort of brawl.
It really couldn’t be real though.
A sudden weight against Anya brought her sobs to a stop as her back collided with the linoleum tiling of the kitchen floor. Her breath left her in a painful gasp and a familiar face was inches from hers as the weight pinned her to the ground. It was only until Anya heard the sounds of snapping teeth that she subconsciously reacted. The metal in her hand was weightless as she threw herself to roll on top of the feral girl and the sound of a gunshot rang through her ears.Constantly. It was another gunshot in the distance that brought her ringing mind to reality, brought her up to speed on her stumbling footsteps against rough sand. She wasn’t in her house anymore and the weight she felt was the pack on her back and the dread in her gut. Her tears and sweat here the only constant from her terrible flashes. She didn’t appear to know where exactly she was going and the way she shifted her weight so uselessly in her strides suggested she didn’t care. Her mind was just hell-bent on pulling her east as adrenaline kept her going. All her body cared about was getting her to the mountains away from the constant screams; all her mind could focus on was the blood that still stained her yellow pullover. A sudden gasp left her as dragging, unaware feet found a dip in the path throwing her body forward, a distressed yelp following quickly after. Dirt and dust kicked and covered the tumbling woman as she soon stopped with a heavy thump at the base of the hill. It took a while before Anya forced herself to sit upright and look at her surroundings. The only thing she could see was a sign mentioning “Auberry Mission RD” before more, now muddy, tears coated her cheeks.
Legend: "*(( INSERT TEXT ))*" means Anya is speaking in Russian. Keeping it in English for the reader's sake and simplicity.
|
|
Serenity
Survivor
Apollo Malcolm Jackson
Brains are a delicacy in these parts.
Posts: 9
|
Post by Serenity on Aug 29, 2014 8:22:10 GMT -5
Abandoned. Looted. Abandoned. Boarded up. Looted. Abandoned. For the past hour, Apollo's drive into the more populated areas down from the mountains was proving to be unsettling. The last time he saw something like this was during Operation Desert Storm, though it was missing carpet bombings, tanks, and a coalition force shooting any hostile in sight. If anything, it was more like the aftermath: a civilization brought to its knees. "What happened here?" He had spent the last number of days traversing the complicated set of roads up and along the mountainous region behind him, feeling grateful every time he saw a house or a person, but around last night, he had noticed he hadn't seen a single damn person out and about. Given the open, free air of the place, he had assumed the opposite would be the case, but now that he was seeing all of this he at least knew everyone on the face of the planet hadn't just disappeared overnight. They ran, or hid. From what, though - that was the question on his mind. Actually, a better one should be if he should be following suit. As he slowed down, he glanced to the back of his Ford Explorer, catching the corner of his rifle's case against the rear of the car. It was a silly action - double-checking the presence of a gun he never moved - but it served to reassure him. The M24 was a treasure of his, and it helped him keep his wits about him knowing if push came to shove, he wouldn't be useless at long range. Helped him then, could help him some day again. The .45 in his holster also gave him some peace of mind and the knowledge his gear was in the back was nice too. His wheels came to a stop when he came across the sight of a wreck; two cars, a black sedan and a red truck, were wedged against one another in the middle of the road. The sedan was the worst of the two, having been crushed into a tree from behind by the truck. Even from within his vehicle, he could see blood within the interior of the truck, a trail of it leading out of the driver's side and into the trees to his west. In the sedan, besides some blood on the windshield, there was not much else he could make out, and despite it being sunny as hell, he didn't feel the matter was pressing enough to exit his vehicle over given the strange situation of the surrounding area. Someone chased someone else, got into a bit of an accident? Or were they leaving together, and something happened within the truck that caused the crash? He could relate to the former, at the very least. For now, this wasn't his problem, beyond the obstacle it gave him. Checking the computer attached to the center console, he made sure he would still be on the right track into the town. Ah, not only a detour but a shortcut. He backed up, pitching the car to his left, and turned right onto the dirt road that seemed to double as someone's long driveway. Two houses' driveways, even. Both of them, though, were wide open, and the tire tracks coming from the front yards suggested these were the owners of the vehicle. He stopped for a minute, looked around. He needed to be less curious. This was just a waste of his time. Ape kept the SUV rolling, making the turn around a bend before the end of the dirt road, and found himself before another house. Boarded up, and it looked like a recent job. There was an open stretch of land in front of him, big enough for a football field, and he could see some more houses southwest of him along a treeline. He was getting antsy again, annoyed that he wasn't in the know. What was going on? Was he in danger out here? Looking to the boarded up house, he stepped out of the car, angry expression on his stern features. He was going to chance it with knocking. Before he could even close the door, he heard a gunshot not that far off in the trees to the west. Gunshots meant trouble, but more importantly, it meant people. He wanted some answers. He got back into his car and started heading toward the road, or what some people might call a road. The former sniper spotted an opening in the trees, noticing a small trail worn-in by tire tracks. The computer was pointing him south down the glorified melted gravel but he wasn't going to head all the way around when he could just cut through the small forest in front of him. A second gunshot rang out and he tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He turned right and started down the trail, already preferring the dirt over the road he was just on, when damn near immediately he made out a figure at the other end, crumpling to the floor. Were they hurt? "Hope not. Need you alive if you're gonna help me." Apollo carefully maneuvered his vehicle through the trail, finding it a tight fit due to the trees, but he managed and was soon able to determine it was a white woman on the ground as he neared. She was just sitting there, staring at a sign, and he hoped that stillness wasn't a sign of shock from a gunshot wound. When he got within twenty meters of her, he stopped the car, and stepped out cautiously - his pistol drawn but facing the ground. He called out to her, "Ma'am? Are you hurt?"
|
|
|
Post by Tangello on Aug 31, 2014 4:25:40 GMT -5
Tears continued to stream, her eyes beginning to puff from the irritation of the dirt she had yet to wipe from her cheeks. In fact, Anya seemed to refuse the thought of moving all together and another broken sob rocked through her stomach as her hand fell uselessly against the withered grass.
“*((So stupid…this isn’t happening…this isn’t happening…))*”
Her fingers dug into the dirt as another gunshot brought her attention towards the south end of the road, still unable to move. Despite how close the gunshot sounded, Anya still chose to sit in the ditch and stare at her surroundings. She was a pathetic mess and unsure whether or not it was worth continuing forward.
Even if she did find the strength to continue, where would she go? There was nowhere safe to run and as far as she knew it was impossible to contact her mother and vice versa. She was the only person left Anya felt she needed to find and even then her body convinced her it wasn’t worth the effort.
Anya’s mind began to spin, her hands flying from the dirt and tangling in her curly hair. “*((I can’t…I can’t do this…this is…I can’t…no…))*”
Her breaths started to come in sharp and quick, sounding painful as she kneeled and curled into herself. The sound of tires barely phased her at this point and she didn’t even seem to notice the car that pulled up in front of her. Nor the sound of anyone exiting the vehicle.
Even when the stranger addressed her, Anya barely flinched. The voice just sounded like a jumbled mess, almost like a badly tuned radio trying to focus on a station. Blue eyes snapped automatically towards the footsteps crunching towards her, seeing only the boots of the stranger but refusing to look up.
“*((Who…who is this…I…))*” she mumbled to herself.
Slowly, very slowly, Anya let her hands fall back to the ground as she tilted her head towards the carefully advancing stranger. He did well not startling her until her gaze bobbed towards his hand spotting the pistol. A surge in her gut made her topple backwards onto her butt as she gulped.
“I…have n-nothing…please…do not shoot.”
|
|
Serenity
Survivor
Apollo Malcolm Jackson
Brains are a delicacy in these parts.
Posts: 9
|
Post by Serenity on Aug 31, 2014 5:09:46 GMT -5
Ape's worries seemed to be more on point as he neared the woman on the ground. She was dirty, seemed in pain if the tears and curling up on the ground were anything to go by, but more importantly, she was bloody. It was hard to miss on such a bright yellow piece of clothing, though he wasn't sure if there was a hole in the pullover to match the stains.
He almost laughed at her reaction, feeling pity for the poor girl.
"If you've met a thief who's asked you if you're hurt before he stole something from you, I'm going to start thinking things are done differently on this side of the country," he joked, hoping a friendly demeanor would help her calm down enough to assist him, but he wasn't going to start fooling around now in case she was hurt. "What's your name? I'm Apollo. Do I need to call an ambulance?" he asked her, taking a step toward her slowly. "What happened?"
He kept his gaze vigilant beyond her, still hearing a commotion from far off. Those gunshots were putting him on edge. He needed to get through this quicker, in case they were heading in this direction. "Here, let me help you up," he said, offering her his left hand.
|
|
|
Post by Tangello on Sept 2, 2014 0:38:38 GMT -5
At this point her tears started drying, leaving crusted mud trailing behind on her cheeks as she continued to stare up at the stranger. She was stunned by his words as he edged ever closer to her, still seeming cautious. His eyes kept flickering down on her curiously, making Anya follow his gaze to the large red splotch browning on her yellow pullover.
It took until that moment to notice the blood that stained her sweater and for a second she expressed the same concern as the man. Her hands trailed over her torso and stomach absentmindedly as she waited for some sort of pain to alert her that the blood was hers. Feeling nothing but the damp cloth Anya whimpered pathetically.
Her mind went blank and her arms limp as her attention was back on the man. “A-Anya…” she murmured, her words almost completely unclear.
An ambulance? Now that was almost a laughable suggestion and if her mind wasn’t so numb she probably would have. A nice, loud, crazy laugh.
All she could do was just shake her head at the offer and lazily swat her hand at the one he was holding out to her. In her mind she tried making it a sign for him to just leave her for dead but at the last moment her brain told her fingers to latch onto his arm. She gripped for him and an expression of confusion spread across her face as she half-heartedly pushed herself forward.
“More could be coming.” Was all she found herself hiccupping at Apollo.
|
|
Serenity
Survivor
Apollo Malcolm Jackson
Brains are a delicacy in these parts.
Posts: 9
|
Post by Serenity on Sept 8, 2014 4:22:24 GMT -5
Apollo may have been old but you don't go through years in the military and in the force without staying in shape. He hefted her up onto her feet, making sure he wouldn't tip her over with the pull, and checked her over, wondering if he would have to pull rank if she was just being tough while still hurt - the blood was drying, and there didn't seem to be a logical spot for a wound to be without clothing being torn. Her denial for an ambulance was just fine by him, at least he didn't have to worry that she was bleeding out.
"Anya," he repeated the name he was sure she mumbled to himself, committing it to memory. Her voice was hoarse from crying, but her accent was unmistakably Slavic, Eastern once he heard her speak a few more words strung together. He wondered if she was a citizen or just visiting, but neither seemed to satisfy the question of why she was at the edge of this small town with blood on her and gunshots going off in the distance. When he realized exactly what she had said, his expression grew worse.
"More?" he asked after a second, looking off in the direction of the previous discharges. "I haven't heard words more ominous than that since '91." He took a breath, not knowing exactly what to do with her, but soon made up his mind and gestured for her to follow him to the SUV. "Anya, I understand there might be something dire happening right now, I understand that something likely just happened to you, but I'm no help if you can't tell me what's going on," he told her calmly, keeping an eye out behind her. "And I want to help. What do you mean by more? What's going on here?"
He wasn't following procedure at all, but then again, he was retired. He could be talking to a woman who just murdered someone else, likely given the blood that didn't seem to belong to her clinging to her clothes, but after seeing the houses all boarded up, some abandoned, the ditched cars, the gunshots - something was going on and it was enough to make a large number of people scared. He could only hope he hadn't walked into the wrong side of whatever this was. All that kept in mind, he kept wary of her. She didn't look visibly armed but there no telling what she could be capable of - the crying could be an act. It served to be cautious. He didn't want another trip to the hospital due to someone he thought was unarmed.
|
|
|
Post by Damian on Sept 9, 2014 0:52:33 GMT -5
GAME MASTER
Tuesday, August 26th, 2014 4:00 P.M. The situation in Auberry was getting continually worse. The Fresno County Sheriff's Department's resources in the surrounding area were becoming increasingly stretched. Depsite having assistance from the Fresno Police Department, the manpower was doing little to stem the growing violence within Auberry. The number of infected continued to grow and even more began to leave the hopeless town; effectively spreading the parasite all over Fresno County. Approximately 35% of Auberry's population that had chosen to stay had either been killed outright or infected during the three days that had passed since the violence erupted. Those still inside the town were doing what they could to protect themselves when the decision was made to evacuate those remaining alive to the nearby city of Fresno. As evacuation preparations began in earnest, the Law Enforcement personnel already in Auberry knew that they wouldn't be able to save everyone and instead took only who they could, leaving the rest to fend for themselves. Auberry was being abandoned.
|
|
|
Post by Tangello on Sept 27, 2014 2:35:08 GMT -5
Anya allowed for herself to be hoisted up by Apollo, helping him subconsciously as to not drag him down with her dead weight. At least her body was showing signs of coming out of its shocked state, even if the changes were small. She exhaled heavily as she involuntarily leaned against him, using his extended arm as leverage.
Once she was fully on her feet she allowed for the man to look her over, silent and unmoving as she focused on his expression. She waited for a change in his gaze to show any indication that she had any further injuries she was unaware of, however his expression remained the same. This alone calmed her, causing her to relax her grip on his arm. Somewhat.
“Yes. More.” She repeated, voice clearer as her tears dried. His comment made her confused however she cared little for an explanation. There clearly were more important matters to discuss. “Y-You h-honestly haven’t heard?” she asked.
She began to stumble with him towards the SUV as she shook her head at her own question, feeling the clouded grip painfully clear from her mind. Even the thoughts of explaining the events happening in Auberry caused Anya to grip at her filthy shirt as she desperately tried to spit her words out. Where would she even begin? What would she even start with? This man, though new to town, still had not witnessed the monsters that roamed the streets so how would she even convincingly explain the horrible details?
“We need to get out of this city. Soon. It’s only been getting worse and it’s a matter of time before they make their way up here…” she sounded desperate as she eagerly looked at the passenger door to the vehicle.
“There is a sickness…it spreads from person to person. I’ve seen people turn into these raging, fleshing consuming monsters in the streets. They just…attack anybody…there is no reasoning with them. They just kill….m-my si-sister….my neighborhood. I don’t know how to explain it better…”
In the brief moment of silence Anya took a moment to listen to the commotion in the distance, holding her breath as something felt off. The sound of constant gunshots that were heard before ceased to have fired for quite some time. “Has it…” Anya muttered under her breath after pausing again. “Has it not gone…very quiet?”
It seemed she was more talking to herself than Apollo at that point and she repeated her plead from before, "Please. We s-should move."
|
|
Serenity
Survivor
Apollo Malcolm Jackson
Brains are a delicacy in these parts.
Posts: 9
|
Post by Serenity on Oct 1, 2014 18:50:38 GMT -5
What a helluva way to drop a bomb on someone.
Here was this woman coming out of shock, clinging to his arm, and telling him about what essentially sounded like zombies. How is anyone supposed to react to that? Was this woman off her rocker?
Apollo took a second to process what she said, disbelief clear on his face. Either she was crazy or a phenomenal actress because part of him was believing her. Given all that he had seen on the way here, naming the day's recent events as part of a script for a zombie horror flick fit pretty damn well. He wanted to stay grounded in the real world, though. There was a clear threat out there, the kind that was making people board up their houses and just plain leave. He didn't know if Anya could be trusted. He would have to be cautious, regardless.
If she was telling the truth, he was going to feel a little pity for her. No doubt that moment on the ground and blood on her clothes are connected to whatever happened to her sister. He hoped it wouldn't color her mind too badly.
"I would say I'd need a minute to think about this but it sounds like we don't have a minute," he told her, taking her to the passenger door of his SUV. "Whoever was shooting either ran out of ammo or did away with whomever, or whatever, they're shooting at - I'm not too keen on learning if that's a good thing or not.
"By the way, yeah, I haven't heard a damn thing. Georgia plates, not exactly from here," he told her, pointing at his car, "and the radio's been on the fritz up in the mountains." He opened the door, giving her one look before saying, "Get in, sit tight, and buckle up. This bastard is built like the police variant, you'll be safe."
Before crossing to the other side, he patted the door and gave her a rather serious look, "It cant wait but I've got more questions, so I'm gonna need them answered, Anya." With that, he hurried over to the driver's side and got in too.
|
|
|
Post by Damian on Oct 2, 2014 20:10:04 GMT -5
GAME MASTER As Anya and Apollo get into the vehicle, they would be able to spot a lone figure approaching from their south.
|
|
|
Post by Tangello on Jan 14, 2015 22:21:03 GMT -5
Anya could feel the panic and worry intensify in her gut and Apollo’s face of disbelief only furthered her faltering nerves. Was there a better way to explain what was happening? Sure it was a word bomb of the century but there was really no time to sit and doddle on the subject. She just continued to stare at him with fear filled eyes as she hoped he would get into the vehicle faster.
As she was led closer to the passenger’s entrance, the door being opened for her with not nearly as much haste as she would have liked, her eyes occasionally flickered to search their surroundings. Every rustle of wind, every crunch of gravel, whatever noise nature made sent her into twitches galore.
“I agree…hopefully we won’t find out…either…” she muttered.
When he mentioned his reasoning’s for being ignorant to the situation at hand she raised a brow. What was this man doing all the way from Georgia? Was he on vacation or something? Auberry wasn’t exactly the most accessible route to places nor a nice tourist destination, so perhaps visiting relatives? It was silly to really dwell on it but the curiosity helped, admittedly, ease her mind. Even if it was just slightly.
“Safe…okay…if…if you say so…Apollo…”
The reassurance rang hollow within her; with what she saw on the news and personally it wasn’t a surprise. Though, with nothing else to rely on but the help of this stranger she tried her best to take his word for their well-being.
“I will try to answer your questions, yes.” She confirmed while her door was shut.
Casting her gaze ahead she noticed something in the rear-view mirror shuffling towards them. What, or who, it was she couldn’t tell at that distance but she could feel her throat close as she tried to get the entering Apollo’s attention.
“Behind us…is it another survivor do you think?”
|
|
Serenity
Survivor
Apollo Malcolm Jackson
Brains are a delicacy in these parts.
Posts: 9
|
Post by Serenity on Jan 16, 2015 6:21:31 GMT -5
Apollo hadn't even closed his door when the movement in the rear view caught his eye, the presence of another person only solidified with Anya's words. After what she said, though, things felt a bit more tense than they already had. A glance to the dashboard computer reminded him that the direction to the town was directly in front of him to the west. He hadn't seen a soul in the way he had come from, but the angle this person was coming from suggested they might've been from the buildings more down south. Or from the stretch of road that goes the damn opposite way of Auberry, away from people. It was more than unnerving to see a person in a spot you hadn't been expecting people.
He put his hand up by Anya, a motion for her to quiet down, before he slowly stepped out of the vehicle again with his pistol drawn once more. He raised his gun only in caution, and by no means did he take aim at the person. His military training always beat out his police training and an important rule was one of the simplest ones he followed: don't aim your weapon at someone you don't intend to shoot.
Might be a bit damn counter-intuitive if the babble Anya was speaking was at all the truth, but he wasn't that cruel of a person just yet. Fear wasn't going to make him eliminate some innocent and excuse it with thinking they were some zombie thing from afar. As far as he knew, Anya took some hallucinatory drugs. Hell, procedure would've made sure she had gotten a pat down and was cuffed against the hood of the SUV for being as suspicious as she was, but she had honestly just looked more broken than anything else. Only made her words be kept in mind.
"Survivor..." he muttered, knowing at least now that Anya seemed rather convinced of her story. It would take a bit more for him to get convinced but he might just find out the hard truth soon. "Hey!" he hollered at the figure, trying to make out their features through the shadows being cast by the sun. Wary of the gunshots from earlier still, he hoped he wouldn't have to dive behind his car door if this person was armed and crazy. For now, they were just shambling over, and that didn't do jack shit to ease him.
"Stop right where you are!" he ordered the person, making his sidearm more apparent as he planted himself. Ape hoped they'd listen.
|
|
|
Post by Damian on Jan 18, 2015 0:11:22 GMT -5
GAME MASTER As the figure slowly approached the duo, it stopped for a moment as Apollo shouted. While its movements prior had been confused and awkward, suddenly it moved with a sense of purpose and determination. The slow, awkward shamble from before was gone as the figure suddenly sprinted towards Apollo; an unearthly gutteral sound emenating from its throat as it did so. As the figure's legs pumped and closed the distance between it and Apollo, its face would show blood having been smeared all over it, especially around the mouth and chin area. The eyes were bloodshot and milky, revealing nothing of the person this figure once was. Closer inspection would reveal that the hands were also bloodied, with flesh and bits of gore coating them. Once the figure was within range of Apollo, it leapt at him screaming at the top of its lungs.
|
|