OUTBREAK: A Survival RP (IC/ENDED)

[New Grestin]

Sarah stood on the balcony, watching over the compound. She smiled, feeling the breeze go through her hair. Of course, she had to disregard the stench of sulfur that the wind carried, accented with hints of burnt human flesh. She sighed, adjusting the goggles on her head. Vincent had left the dormitories. He was limping too, which Sarah thought was odd. She watched him as he approached her building and quickly turned to meet him downstairs.

He wanted to build a library, it seemed. Sarah wasn't particularly surprised. She'd suggested something similar earlier in the day. She motioned for him to sit down and flopped onto the opposite sofa. Smiling, she spoke.

"I totally agree. If this is going to be a permanent settlement, we'll need education for when people start having children again."

Her gaze went to his leg. Vincent seemed visibly uncomfortable trying to stand.

"You alright?"

"Eh, fucked up my ankle back in 6th grade, still hasn't healed fully. I'll be fine. Mind if I sit?" Vincent was really starting to hurt, and was running the risk of falling.

"Of course. Please."

She smiled, standing up and walking over to the bar. She began mixing together a white russian and turned back to VIncent.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

[Australian Antarctica]

"Eh, fucked up my ankle back in 6th grade, still hasn't healed fully. I'll be fine. Mind if I sit?" Vincent was really starting to hurt, and was running the risk of falling.

"Of course. Please."

She smiled, standing up and walking over to the bar. She began mixing together a white russian and turned back to VIncent.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Whatever you're drinking is fine" Vincent responded, taking a seat on an overstuffed sofa. Anything to get rid his throbbing ankle, anything to forget about the events of the past month.

[New Grestin]

"Of course. Please."

She smiled, standing up and walking over to the bar. She began mixing together a white russian and turned back to VIncent.

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Whatever you're drinking is fine" Vincent responded, taking a seat on an overstuffed sofa. Anything to get rid his throbbing ankle, anything to forget about the events of the past month.

Sarah shrugged and grabbed another glass, quickly throwing together another White Russian before sitting back down. She reached over and handed Vincent a glass. She looked him over. He'd clearly done something to his leg, something recent. Sarah turned solemn. Something about his demeanor struck her as odd, though she couldn't quite put a finger on it. She swirled the drink in her hand for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, anyway, yes. A library isn't a bad idea. The only real dilemma is finding the materials. I'm sure we could probably find wood and mixable concrete at a Home Depot or something."

[Australian Antarctica]

"Whatever you're drinking is fine" Vincent responded, taking a seat on an overstuffed sofa. Anything to get rid his throbbing ankle, anything to forget about the events of the past month.

Sarah shrugged and grabbed another glass, quickly throwing together another White Russian before sitting back down. She reached over and handed Vincent a glass. She looked him over. He'd clearly done something to his leg, something recent. Sarah turned solemn. Something about his demeanor struck her as odd, though she couldn't quite put a finger on it. She swirled the drink in her hand for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, anyway, yes. A library isn't a bad idea. The only real dilemma is finding the materials. I'm sure we could probably find wood and mixable concrete at a Home Depot or something."

Vincent took a sip and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. In between coughs he responded "That's what I was thinking. You guys have an-*cough*-books around?"

[New Grestin]

Sarah shrugged and grabbed another glass, quickly throwing together another White Russian before sitting back down. She reached over and handed Vincent a glass. She looked him over. He'd clearly done something to his leg, something recent. Sarah turned solemn. Something about his demeanor struck her as odd, though she couldn't quite put a finger on it. She swirled the drink in her hand for a moment before speaking again.

"Well, anyway, yes. A library isn't a bad idea. The only real dilemma is finding the materials. I'm sure we could probably find wood and mixable concrete at a Home Depot or something."

Vincent took a sip and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. In between coughs he responded "That's what I was thinking. You guys have an-*cough*-books around?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow. With a condescending smile, she motioned to the bookcase behind her. She took a sip.

"You know, I could have just grabbed you a beer or something. Anyway, yeah, I've got some books myself. O'Neil was an asshole, but he had decent taste in literature."

Pausing for a moment, Sarah set the drink down.

"We can raid the library in Old Evanston if we need to, as well."

Rising from the couch, Sarah leaned against the bar, her cold gaze never leaving Vincent.

"And you need to get that leg checked out. Paulson just got back from the search party."

She sipped again, then smiled.

"That's an order."

[Australian Antarctica]

Vincent took a sip and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. In between coughs he responded "That's what I was thinking. You guys have an-*cough*-books around?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow. With a condescending smile, she motioned to the bookcase behind her. She took a sip.

"You know, I could have just grabbed you a beer or something. Anyway, yeah, I've got some books myself. O'Neil was an asshole, but he had decent taste in literature."

Pausing for a moment, Sarah set the drink down.

"We can raid the library in Old Evanston if we need to, as well."

Rising from the couch, Sarah leaned against the bar, her cold gaze never leaving Vincent.

"And you need to get that leg checked out. Paulson just got back from the search party."

She sipped again, then smiled.

"That's an order."

Vincent was taken aback by Sarah's gaze, coupled with her smile, and her odd tone "My ankle? I twisted it when I jumped out of the truck. Take a look" propping his leg on the table, he unrolled his pant leg, showing an ugly red and purple swollen ankle "Like I said, fucked it up when I was in 6th grade. Long story. Since then it's incredibly weak, being aggravated by even the smallest of twists. By tomorrow it will be fine"

[New Grestin]

Sarah raised an eyebrow. With a condescending smile, she motioned to the bookcase behind her. She took a sip.

"You know, I could have just grabbed you a beer or something. Anyway, yeah, I've got some books myself. O'Neil was an asshole, but he had decent taste in literature."

Pausing for a moment, Sarah set the drink down.

"We can raid the library in Old Evanston if we need to, as well."

Rising from the couch, Sarah leaned against the bar, her cold gaze never leaving Vincent.

"And you need to get that leg checked out. Paulson just got back from the search party."

She sipped again, then smiled.

"That's an order."

Vincent was taken aback by Sarah's gaze, coupled with her smile, and her odd tone "My ankle? I twisted it when I jumped out of the truck. Take a look" propping his leg on the table, he unrolled his pant leg, showing an ugly red and purple swollen ankle "Like I said, fucked it up when I was in 6th grade. Long story. Since then it's incredibly weak, being aggravated by even the smallest of twists. By tomorrow it will be fine"

"Mhm. Ok."

Sarah's smile disappeared. She stepped over to him and continued to stare. Her tone was calm, yet slightly aggressive.

"You know what? Don't listen to me. But I want you to know, if that leg gets aggravated and it causes problems, don't expect my sympathy."

She shifted back to the sofa, downing the rest of her drink. The radio on her belt crackled to life.

"Deckard, come in."

Turning her icy gaze from Vincent, she grabbed the radio and spoke.

"This is Deckard. What's up?"
"We've got a problem at storage. Alan caught Kenny stealing food."

Sarah sighed in frustration, shaking her head and rising from the couch. She turned back to Vincent.

"Look, we'll hash out the details later. I've got some business to attend to."

With that, Sarah walked out into the courtyard to try and diffuse the situation.

[Australian Antarctica]

Vincent was taken aback by Sarah's gaze, coupled with her smile, and her odd tone "My ankle? I twisted it when I jumped out of the truck. Take a look" propping his leg on the table, he unrolled his pant leg, showing an ugly red and purple swollen ankle "Like I said, fucked it up when I was in 6th grade. Long story. Since then it's incredibly weak, being aggravated by even the smallest of twists. By tomorrow it will be fine"

"Mhm. Ok."

Sarah's smile disappeared. She stepped over to him and continued to stare. Her tone was calm, yet slightly aggressive.

"You know what? Don't listen to me. But I want you to know, if that leg gets aggravated and it causes problems, don't expect my sympathy."

She shifted back to the sofa, downing the rest of her drink. The radio on her belt crackled to life.

"Deckard, come in."

Turning her icy gaze from Vincent, she grabbed the radio and spoke.

"This is Deckard. What's up?"
"We've got a problem at storage. Alan caught Kenny stealing food."

Sarah sighed in frustration, shaking her head and rising from the couch. She turned back to Vincent.

"Look, we'll hash out the details later. I've got some business to attend to."

With that, Sarah walked out into the courtyard to try and diffuse the situation.

Vincent quickly downed the rest of the drink, mainly just to calm himself down. Sarah's eyes were cold, calculating, and nothing more. Not an ounce of sympathy, not an ounce of caring, nothing. She may be able to help them survive, but she would not let them live. Trying to take his mind off of things, he looked at the bookshelf. It was covered in every book imaginable it seemed. From medical journals to crazy Sci-Fi books. From adult erotica to children. Everything. And it was all so tidy, organized by the Dewy Decimal System, making it even easier to organize once they get the library up in running. Without even thinking, he scribbled a quick note saying he was borrowing a book. He had found a Tom Clancy book, one of his favorite authors. After that, he walked back to his bunk, his limp slightly better.

[New Grestin]

// DAY 29 // 9:15 AM // NEW EVANSTON //

Sarah stepped out into the cold air, lighting a cigarette as she walked. She almost couldn't help but smile. There was an odd thrill to scaring Vincent into line. He'll march in lock-goddamned-step if I tell him to, she thought. He'd damn well better, or he's gonna have more problems than that leg. As she approached the storage building, she noticed a decent sized crowd had grown around the building. Sarah pushed her way through to find Alan and Ian standing against the wall, an older man, probably mid 30's laying in the dirt. The man sat, his hands held by a ziptie. Tears streamed down his dirty face, catching in his crusty beard. His nervous shivering grew as Sarah approached.
She looked to Alan.

"This him?"
"Yep."

Sarah knelt down and looked the man over. He avoided her gaze.

"Look at me."

The man kept crying.

"Fucking look at me."

Sarah reached over, yanking on the back of the man's head. He yelped as she forced his eyes to hers. The man cried, his eyes betraying feelings of guilt and embarrassment. Sarah released him and stood, looking over to Alan.

"What should we do?" Alan spoke.

Sarah looked back down to Kenny. The man was pathetic. She was pretty sure he'd pissed himself too. She was just about to speak again when the man yelled.

"Please! Please, I just wanted to-"

He barely had time to finish before Sarah's boot slammed into his stomach. The man tumbled over, sputtering and coughing. He had just begun to recover when she planted her boot on his neck. With a tone of disgust, she spoke.

"You'll speak when I fucking speak to you."

She looked over to Alan. He watched her, clearly unsettled. She looked back down to the man, pulling her revolver from the back of her pants. The cold steel of the barrel pressed against the man's face. He cried profusely as she spoke.

"If I find out you've stolen food again, you'll fucking wish you were never born. I'll fucking strip you down and hand you to the goddamned zeds. Is that understood?"

The man nodded, horrified. Sarah stepped off him, using her pocket knife to cut the ziptie off him. As the man stood, Sarah shoved the revolver back down the back of her pants. She took a long drag, then spoke to him.

"You're running a double shift on the shit-corner tomorrow. If I hear anything else about food theft, and your name comes up..."

The man nodded profusely.

"Of course. O-Of course, Sara- er, Deckard."
"Thank you. Now-"

She patted him on the shoulder. The man jumped as she did.

"Go take a few minutes to collect yourself, then I want you back to work."
"Ye-Yes ma'am."

Sarah smiled in an odd, almost motherly way.

"That's more like it."

The man wandered back to the dormitory as the crowd slowly dispersed, heading back to their duties or pretending to work. Alan stepped over to Deckard, who'd tossed her cigarette aside.

"Jesus fucking christ."
"I actually prefer Sarah."
"You know what I mean. The fuck was that?"

She turned to Alan. Her voice was so cold, so emotionless, that he couldn't gather anything from it.

"The only way we keep people under control is fear."

She crushed the cigarette, grinding it under her heel for a moment before looking back to Alan.

"Someone needed to be an example to everyone else."

She turned and wandered off towards the Med-Tent, auburn hair blowing in the dead wind. Ian walked up next to Alan. The two men stood for a moment, taking in the scene. Alan shook his head, unsure of what to think. He turned to Ian.

"You got a history of crazy girlfriends?"

Ian shrugged.

"She does have a point."
"I suppose you're right."

---

Ian sauntered around the back of the med-tent, finding Sarah curled against a wall. He sat down next to her, sliding his arm over her. The two sat, staring at nothing for some time, before Ian spoke.

"I know that you feel like you've got to act like a hardass all the time, but you don't need to intimidate people."

She sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. Even in the fair weather, she could appreciate the shared warmth. Ian sighed.

"We don't need another O'Neil, and you don't need to be like him to make people respect you."

Sarah took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"Maybe you're right."
"I know I am. Just be you. Intimidation might work for a while, but you know how that ends."

She sighed and looked up. A handful of birds, probably crows, flew overhead. Their black forms distinct against the overcast sky. Every now and then, the sun peeked through. Sarah smiled. Ian leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. The two sat, admiring the sky for a while, before Sarah muttered something under her breath. It wasn't directed towards anyone in particular, it wasn't even directed at the man next to her.

"Thank you."

For once in her life, the cold, uncaring void had cut her a break. For once she might have the chance to be happy. The two sat, watching the clouds roll by, and for a fleeting moment, it was like everything was right in the world.

[Dubrovka]

Desmond and Max have been on the run since Day 6, when the Chicago police force gave up on trying to contain the virus. Desmond and Max drove as far as they could, but eventually ran out of gas. They have been walking for 4 days now, finding themselves in a town called Skokie, about 10 miles north of Chicago. They figured that if they could make it farther north, they would have a better chance to survive. But first, Desmond wanted to see if his parents were still alive in Evanston. They were Professers at Northwestern University, and Desmond desperetly wanted to see them again.

Desmond woke to find his German Shepard, Max, gone from his side. Max was a two and a half year old German Shepard, that was with Desmond in his squad car when the outbreak began. Desmond saved Max from an infected in one of the first days of the crisis. Since then, Max has never left his side.

Desmond got up and walked around the abandoned house he stayed in for the night. He finally found Max on the top floor, looking out a window to the east. It was early in the morning and it was almost like Max was watching the horizon. Desmond called "Hey pup, whatcha doing up here buddy?". The dog turned its head towards Desmond and started panting.

"It was almost like he was smiling at me" Desmond thought. He called him once more before Max finally got up and started to walk downstairs with him. Once they reached where they were sleeping, Desmond poured some kibble for Max into a small bowl. Then he reached into his backpack and got out a can of peaches and opened them. They both ate in silence, except for the occational adjustments by Max while he was eating. Desmond finished the peaches rather quickly, so he packed his belongings and picked up his Rifle while Max continued to eat. Max finished shortly after Desmond began packing, so Desmond picked up the bowl and put it in his pack. Desmond then opened the door and walked out, with Max right in step.

It was a cold morning, and Desmond was thankful he kept his jacket when he abandoned his squad car. Desmond and Max walked down a residential street for sometime, not coming across any infected, which is strange because Desmond was used to having to shoot at least a few every day. He wasn't a good shot, but since he repaired the sights on his DPMS AR-15, he has been getting better. The real problem now was ammunition, he only had four 30 round magizines left and only three 17 round magazines for his Glock-22. He wanted, he needed to find more in the coming days.

Desmond and Max walked for about 30 minutes down the street. The sun was rising and it was warming up, but it was still dreadfully cold. Eventually, they came to a broken and shot up sign which read;

Welcome to Evanston!
Population 75,750

"Were here I guess" Desmond muttered "And I have no fucking clue where Northwestern is".

[The Olog-Hai]

"Boston? Well, that seems a better place than here. If we hea there we at least won't have to scavenge in the bombed-out ruins of Chicago. I'll try and get out stuff together, maybe we can take stuff from the motel, then we should head out."

[Partially Blind People]

Henry watched from the crowd as Sarah beat and then threatened the poor man. Her malice and utter lack of empathy astounded him. She physically attacked a man and threatened to kill him for taking food in a time when the most well fed were barely managing to provide more than one meal for themselves. She walked off, looking proud of her domination though he just felt disgusted. He followed the man as he wandered back to his dormitory, offering him food from Henry's pack and then carrying on around the compound.

The woman was very much mad. Whether she had been this way before the outbreak or not was interesting but ultimately immaterial to how she ran things now. A way of life that revolved around threatening people with death was not the way to rebuild, and Henry needed to find a way to stop it. Heading around the compound he attempted to find the Belgian, the one he knew had a distaste for tyrants and the ability to remove them.

When he found him, he made sure to get his attention before whispering, "We need to talk about Sarah."

[New Grestin]

// DAY 29 // 10:23 AM // NEW EVANSTON //

The man, Kenny, sat on his bunk, tears streaming down his eyes. A knock at the door drew his attention. In the doorway was Sarah. He sighed, shaking his head. She walked over to him. For a brief moment, the two stood in silence, then Sarah spoke.

"Look, I'm, uh, I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I'm sorry, that was out of line. I don't know what came over me."

Kenny laughed.

"So, you threaten to off me for a Snickers, and now you're apologizing?"
"Yes. It's just, it's been a hard couple of days. I lost my cool. I'm sorry."

The man coughed, then looked back to her.

"I get it. It's hard being in charge, but you don't need to beat the shit out of people."
"I know, I know."
"Look, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather we just moved on."

Sarah nodded, then stood. She stuck her hand out to him. He paused for a moment, then shook it. The two stood for a moment, then Sarah cracked a smile.

"I'm still making you work the shit corner tomorrow."
"Yeah. I figured."

She smacked him on the back and walked back out into the compound. Ian stepped in next to her, having been waiting outside.

"How'd it go?"
"He's not gonna kill me or anything, so there's that."

Ian laughed, breaking off from her and wandering off towards the gate. Sarah stood for a moment, shrugged, and walked into the med-tent. Paulson was in the back, hunched over a laptop. Sarah couldn't help but be surprised. She hadn't seen someone use a laptop for more than two weeks.

"Paulson?"
"Yeah?"
"What're you doing?"
"Found a flash drive off some hazmats about a mile out. Gonna try and pull some info from it.'
"Huh."

She sat down next to him, watching his fingers fly over the keyboard. Eventually, the screen flickered and a small window opened. Paulson skimmed over the files, then looked to Deckard, smiling.

"Bingo. We're in."

Paulson checked one of the files. It was mostly text, with a handful of corrupted images. A sense of unease filled him as he read.

---

TESTING LOG A-86

DATE: [REDACTED]
PERSONNEL: [REDACTED]
SUBJECT #: 4062-V
TEST FORMULA: TB-11
RESULTS: Subject became distraught, assaulted multiple personnel before being subdued by security. Restrains applied. Subject displayed expected symptoms. Termination via lethal injection. Autopsy indicated widening of arteries, swelling of adrenal and pituitary glands.

DATE: [REDACTED]
PERSONNEL: [REDACTED]
SUBJECT #: 4063-F
TEST FORMULA: TC-09
RESULTS: Subject restrained, formula injected subcutaneously without incident. Subject displayed massive cranial swelling, bleeding from eyes, mouth, ears, and scrotum. Subject expired from combination shock and exsanguination. Autopsy indicated growths in abdomen and cranium, [REDACTED] heart and lungs.

DATE: [REDACTED]
PERSONNEL: [REDACTED]
SUBJECT #: 4064-O
TEST FORMULA: AT-10
RESULTS: Subject restrained, formula released into chamber without incident. Subject displayed immediate negative neurological response, resulting in subsequent brain aneurysm and death. Autopsy indicated formula agitated neural pathways, causing [REDACTED] and potential for [REDACTED]

[NOTE - 02/14/2015]: Prototype product is not producing expected results. Additional testing required before product can be delivered to contract.

---

The two sat, staring at the screen for a moment. The rest of the file was corrupted, but in a way, Paulson was glad for that. Sarah rose, a look of unease on her face. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Keep this shit on the down-low. Once you've recovered the rest of the files. I want to see everything."

Paulson nodded, then turned back to work as Sarah walked back out into the compound. Confusion gripped her. What the hell did those two find? She shook her head, wandering over to her building and stepping inside. Vincent had left a note, having borrowed one of her books. She shrugged, then sat down on the couch, still unsure what to think.

[Wallenburg]

Gary, Indiana || Day 29

Lamar quickly agreed to leave with them for Boston. Wasting no time, Rebecca helped Lauren to search the motel for canned food and clean clothes. Raiding a few rooms, they ran across a few dead infected, starved in their motel rooms. One had broken a window and hung limp over the side of the gray edifice. Intestines hung out, waving slightly in the wind.

Lauren sighed happily when she found a t-shirt exactly her size. She looked through the room thoroughly and managed to compile a totally clean, albeit unflattering, outfit.

Hugh went around outside, siphoning gas from the parked cars. Most had already been emptied, but some held substantial reservoirs of fuel. As he raided a blue pickup, he saw Lamar through a room window and waved casually. Carrying the fuel over to the SUV, Hugh poured gas into the tanks. Then he looked through the supplies already in the car and started organizing.

"Hugh!" a sharp, male voice echoed across the motel parking lot. Hugh pulled up his rifle and looked around, heart dancing like a startled antelope. Nobody was there. But he heard it again, louder and closer: "Hugh!" Annoyed, Hugh responded, "What do you want?"

Something moved behind him. Hugh turned sharply and found himself looking into the burnt face of Justin, who had died on the plane. "You failed me," Justin said, burning embers dancing away from his smouldering flesh.

"You failed me," Hugh heard to his left. There stood Chase, blood oozing slowly out of the front of his head.

Hugh stepped back, holding his head in his hand. He struck his temple, muttering, "This isn't real. They aren't here." Then he hit a solid mass behind him and, shocked, jumped around to find a Green Beret staring down at him, rifle in hand. "You can't protect anyone." The Beret then raised his weapon and fired madly at Hugh's friends, both now infected shells. "No!" Hugh screamed, as he pulled out his knife. He lunged at the Beret and stumbled forwards as the apparitions disappeared.

[Wallenburg]

Breathing heavily, Hugh tried to regain composure. By the time Lauren ran out of the motel to figure out what had happened, he was stonefaced again. "I didn't hear anything, honey. Maybe it was a car passing behind the motel."

Lauren looked at him uneasily but left, confident that he was being honest. Hugh walked back in soon after, deciding he should stay close to other people.

"Hey, Hugh," said Rebecca. "We found some kick-ass canned fruit in storage. We won't have to deal with that multivitamin bullshit for a couple days."

Hugh smiled and congratulated her. "Good haul," he asserted, heading back to their room. He found small bundles of clothing and towels on the beds, as well as a tube of toothpaste and some brushes. "Jackpot, huh?" asked Lauren, standing in the doorway.

"I'll say. Much better than anything we found in Chicago."

"Well, there we couldn't walk two blocks without hitting a herd or another group."

Hugh nodded and walked over to her. Reaching his arms around her, he kissed her, smiling as their heads pressed together. "Do you think Boston is real?" he asked.

"I hope so. There has to be some group strong enough to defeat this outbreak."

"I hope so too." They nested their heads on each other's shoulders, releasing themselves only as Lamar ran up to them. "Well, I found some medicine in the manager's office. Not sure if it's legal, but it should work if we need it."

Nodding, Hugh patted Lamar on the back. "Let's go, buddy. Rebecca?"

A distant voice shouted, "Yes?"

"We're leaving!"

"Noice."

Hugh chuckled and helped to carry the clothes to the car. As he closed the trunk door, the car seemed to resemble one of his family's camping trips from his childhood, with food, clothes, and all kinds of other supplies stuffed in the trunk and under the chairs. Hugh turned the keys and pulled out of the lot, driving quickly to the highway. Then they turned onto an exit ramp, and Gary became yet another memory.

[Beiarusia]

INFECTED // Route 90, outside Gary, Indiana

>SNIP<

There was an SUV travelling east along route 90. It had been heard long before it was seen, runners moving quickly to alert the others who had since grown bored with the lack of sport passing through in recent days. They barked out commands, guttural sounds with only a shred of human language as a base, moving quickly and with poorly kept weapons that still remained lethal. The highway was closed off, abandoned cars pushed in to make a barrier, and it was there that they waited. 20 or so men and women that had long since lost any shred of humanity, hunters awaiting their prey to stumble into their trap, hounds sniffing the ground at their feet, hungry and ready.

It had been far too long since they had last spilled blood.

[Dubrovka]

Desmond and Max crawled through the tree line until it stopped, where they exited it, opted to go from house to house. Desmond and Max made quick dashes from house to house to avoid detection. Each house they went in had something different. One had the dinner table set for a full meal, still set and not even a bite taken out of it. Another one had a children's room on the main floor splattered with blood. Desmond was taken aback but kept moving, knowing he had a task on his hands.Desmond moved to the end of the housing row, taking refuge in the last house. He sat down and took a long breath. He was extremely tired and burned out. Desmond knew the only thing that kept him sane was his faithful dog, which he loved more than anything. He looked over at Max and scratched in the spot he loved, right under his ear. Max closed his eyes and layed down, putting his head on Desmond's legs. Desmond knew that Max couldn't survive without him and he couldn't survive without Max. Desmond came out of his thought train when he heard shouting from a little bit down the road. Desmond stood up and poked his head out out of the window. He couldn't make out what they were saying but they were definitely saying something. Desmond decided to get closer and investigate.

Desmond inched his way closer and closer, always watching the people, making sure he wasn't detected. When they reached a crossroads, they bolted across and took cover at the last house before the area where he heard the shouting. Desmond side stepped until he reached the end of the house. He peeked his head out and what he saw shocked him. He was a main gate, with humans on it, standing guard. Suffice to say this was not what he was expecting. A well fortified town? He would have never guessed this would be a thing. He decided to step out from cover and walk towards the people on the gate.

[The United Federation of Terrans]

The crack of a rifle caused Foley to drop to his wounded leg and scan the area behind him from where the rifle echoed off the massive trees that hid him and enemies from the other. The marine had just crested a hill and had spotted a long winding interstate about a mile from his position that was littered with wreckage and bodies when the shot had rung out. After a few minutes of listening for any following shots Foley relaxed as he stood up and stretch his wounded knee and found it tender but not unbearable; he had thought the wound would be much worse but it had not taken away from his condition except for a slight limp or lag in his leg. with a sigh he resumed his journey to the interstate when a roar rang out from somewhere to his left; close to his left. Dropping to his stomach Foley crawled through the low grass to the ridge-like extension of the hill where he had a clear view of a small valley that stretched below him that was dark due to the trees that shaded the depression. Unlimbering the AWM from his back Foley peered through the 8x times scope into the darkness that the pre-afternoon sun had yet to illuminate; the marine sat there scanning and found nothing of concern and was about to pack it in when the first one appeared.

It was of average height and was clad in tattered ACU pants and boots but was bare from the waist up; it was heavily muscular and it's hands had what looked like claws protruding from the end. What Foley noticed was different however, was it's movement; the regular infected moved with exaggerated gestures and clumsily as if performing the motions for the first times or constantly drunk. This one walked out on all fours nose sniffing the air, it's motions were fluid and like that of a tiger; every step was precise and placed as the infected scaled the top of a rock and sniffed the air again before letting out a howl that sounded like a call an animal would have made before a hunt. The call was answered with equal enthusiasm from within the valley as the infected left the valley. There were five more of them and they differed in clothing and size except in key aspects; they were all muscular and walked wit the same predatorily gait as the first one, and each one wore either tattered military uniforms and armor or in one case a torn and dirty black banana suit with a large red A on the right sleeve. They all filled his scope as Foley shifted the crosshairs from target to target wondering whether he should take the shot or not; when they made the first move.

The ACU infected gave a low growl and sat low on it's back legs before it leaped from the rock and into the bushes nearby in the direction of the shot. The others reciprocated the call in a lower tone before following leaving Foley sitting on the ridge wondering what he had just seen when mewling came from the valley below. Foley regarded the mewling for a few seconds before he stood up and with the SKS slung across his back and the harder hitting AWM at the ready Foley made his way down the hill so he could enter the valley below.

Foley entered the shaded valley and was immediately assaulted wit ha stench that he recognized as decomposing meat and something else that niggled at the back of his mind. The floor of the valley consisted of grass that was matted down in the center of the pathway with flecks of dark liquid dotting the valley floor. Moving quickly Foley followed the trampled path through the grass as he scanned the area with the AWM at his shoulder ready to fire at any moment. The stench grew as the marine quickened his pace through the path as he tried to penetrate though the veil the shadows brought over his eyes. Thunk!! foley looked down at his boots to find his left foot had hit a discarded bone, it looked like a femur except for the fact it was cracked in two and the marrow had been sucked out. Looking back up Foley continued forward his steps eliciting louder and louder crunches as bones and debris were crushed under foot. The sound of a low growl had Foley stop in his tracks as he looked for the source of the sound to his left. As Foley turned he didn't notice a form detach itself from a rock formation and stagger towards him roaring; alerted Foley turned to see the figure coming for him, and triggered the rifle in his hands which kicked into his shoulder as the .338 Lapua round exited the barrel and tore into the figures chest area.

The figure fell back as a gout of blood exited from the entry point even as two more figures ran screaming from the point of the original growl in the same stumbling gait. Working the bolt Foley ejected the old round and locked a new round into the chamber as the closest figure reached for the rifles barrel and locked onto the barrel with a steel-like grip. Pulling the trigger the second figure jerked back like the first as it's innards were liquefied by the large round; Foley couldn't work the bolt fast enough to kill the second so he brought his rifle around in a buttstroke practiced endlessly on Parris Island that hit with an audible crack that sent the form reeling back. Pushing his advantage Foley advanced as he jacked another round into the chamber as he pushed the figure to the ground, placed a boot on it's chest, placed the barrel against it's temple and pulled the trigger.

The report clapped off the valley walls as the muzzle flash blinded the marine temporarily; a problem he fixed by blinking rapidly which cleared the spots that had begun to form in his vision. Foley looked around the bone ridden valley that smelled of death for a few minutes as he searched for the source of the mewling but he didn't find it. Shaking his head at the fact he gave away his position and wasted ammo for nothing Foley turned to leave when a ray of sunlight highlighted the three fresh corpses. They were female, and shared the overtly muscled physique and the yellow eyes of the infected that had just left. What was different and explained why foley had survived the encounter was the fact that each women had a slight bump in their stomach and that one of those bumps bounced up and down in rhythm as the women in question mewled as she clutched the wound through her left lung.

Foley left the infected women laying where it had fallen as he stumbled out of the valley to the top as he felt dizzy all of a sudden. However, even getting away from that dreadful smell didn't quell his queasy stomach as the marine fell to his knees and let loose his stomach contents that consisted of a power bar and water. How is that possible? They're basically animals running on instinct..... Oh god. Foley shook his head as he gained his feet again and snatched he AWM up from where it had fallen; cracking the breach, Foley loaded three more rounds as the soft mewling from the valley turned into utter silence that left the area feeling ominous and empty.

Foley afforded himself one last look to the valley before he started his journey back to the highway.


........................

The pack had turned around at the sound of the shots; their intentions and worries obvious to each other through their scents. Close to nest....danger..... The pack found the bodies of the dead females minutes later which elicited howls of outrage that could be heard a long ways away; the pack leader pawed his way towards his mate and sniffed the ground near her searching for some spark of life. Instead he found a scent he recognized in the back of his mind, one that was foreign and yet familiar at the same time. Following the scent path, the leader found a pile of liquid that it recognized as the fluid that came from freshly killed prey's stomachs. Sniffing the odorous liquid the leader gave a howl of authority that gathered the grieving pack around the leader as it started off after the path that The Mate-Killer had made in it's retreat.

The sound of boots on concrete was a sound Foley had become used to over the past two hours as he walked down the road at a pace that had been drilled into him throughout the years. His pace took him down the long roadway past the wrecked vehicles, dark splotches on the concrete and discarded luggage and clothing that littered the ground. Cars were packed bumper to bumper in some locations on both sides of the highway; as people fled from their demise only to find it two miles later in the form of a giant horde of infected making their way down the highway from both ends entrapping the refugees and devouring them as the two hordes moved with the food. That had happened weeks ago but to Foley it looked like it could have happened months ago for all he knew. The long south bound journey left the marine alone with his thoughts as only half of his mind was active to register immediate danger. The other half of his mind was absent wondering what it's purpose was now, why to walk south, why continue to live as it thought back to how it found itself walking alone on a road.

Day 8; 19:00
The smell of sweat, blood and waste was a smell Foley had endured many times through his years of service in third world nations; he never expected to smell that however in the middle of Chicago. Foley stood behind a large chain link fence topped with razor wire that was reinforced with metal supports to hold back the surging crowd that stood on the other side of the fence. The marine shifted his SAW across his chest as he lifted his mask slightly to take a sip of water from his canteen; he had been on duty for six hours so far standing there to make sure no healthy or infected persons could enter into a compound for the already sick and dying. Foley craned his head to survey the field hospital that had been set up in the middle of the park; it consisted of half a dozen general purpose tents that served as "wards" and four quick build guard-towers that stood at each corner of the compound like the turrets of picture book castles all of which was illuminated by floodlights that seemed as if they were taken from a high school football field. Securing all of the structures was two platoons of marines that had arrived in the city three days ago. They were given orders to protect the doctors and scientists in the compound to the last man; which given the number of persons surrounding the compound would be the most likely.

"You're relieved" A voice to Foley's voice said causing the marine to look at the speaker; one Cpl.Jason Parker the squad's grenadier as denoted by Parker's M16A4/M320 combo and the 40mm rounds strapped to Parker's chest.

"What are they trying to prove?" Foley asked not moving from his post even though he was no longer needed. "All their doing is spreading the infection by grouping up like that."

"They want in, they think we have something here that can save them." the corporal answered as he locked eyes with a man wearing an "Operation Desert Storm" cap and clutched his infant daughter to his chest. "People get desperate, they grasp onto anything."

The two stood there in silence as the clamor of the crowd seemed to rise in volume as they tried to push down the fence which sagged slightly but held due to the reinforced supports.

"Heard Harding talking to the Colonel," Parker said as he broke the silence, "Capitol building got taken over by displaced citizens; they took some of Congress hostage."

"Really?? What are are politicians worth during this?" Foley said as he extended his arm to sweep the crowd. "We're in panic mode and those guys ain't worth...."

Foley was cut off as a the chatter of an automatic weapon sounded from a guard-tower directly opposite of their position; turning the pair saw a body flop from it's position on top of the fence and dangle by razor wire on the crowd's side of the fence.The crowd quieted for a second as the sound of the shots faded; then the roar of the crowd got louder if that was possible and seemed to drown out the flurry of shots that came after the burst. The crowd surged against the fence as they attempted to climb over the barrier, as gunshots sounded from within the crowd and a molotov cocktail sailed from the crowd to hit the guard tower and cause the sentry in their to burst into flames. The sight of their comrade in flames caused the marines to fire into the crowd with rapid fire shots that tore citizens off their feet and sent arms to the sky as they lost control of their bodies.

The roar of an engine from behind him caused Foley to turn to the noise just before he grabbed Parker and took both of them to the ground as a grey pick-up truck barreled through the fence into the compound before it stopped twenty feet from the fence-line. The bed of the pick-up truck had four men armed with long weapons of some kind with bandannas tied around their face; the four in the back jumped down to the ground and began to move towards the tents when Parker triggered the M320 below his barrel and sent a 40mm HE round into the pick-up truck which erupted into a ball of fire that took the four men with them. Turning to the breach as he stood Foley watched as the human tide tried to make their way through the gap; acting on instinct the gunner held down the trigger of the SAW and walked the yammering weapon in a figure eight pattern. The ranks of the mob fell back as the SAW caved in faces, tore through hearts and ripped open stomachs with one long burst that was supplemented by the rapid fire of four marine rifleman who had formed a firing line on the gunner. The muzzle flashes lit up the area as Foley walked his fire through the mob as it collided with itself as the forward group tried to push back and the back tried to push forward; all the while rounds continued to tear through the crowd as Parker sent another 40mm grenade that exploded with a crump in the center of the mob.BOOM


Present Day
BOOM; the sound snapped Foley out of his reverie as he dropped to the ground while a column of smoke appeared down the road sending up dark black clouds. Unlimbering the AWM foley peered down the scope, and was rewarded with the sight of a burning column of vehicles; a few pick-up trucks and SYVs and two Humvees that were armed with an M2 Browning and a TOW launcher that sat nearby untouched and were surrounded by soldiers clad in ACU's. Not dirty and scavenged ACu's however, these looked new and maintained along with the vehicles; standing Foley slung the SKS and with the rifle held at port arms he started to jog towards the pair of vehicles not caring what happened next.

[Wallenburg]

Indiana || Day 29

"Huh. There's a barricade up there," said Hugh, slowing the car.

"Is it a trap?" asked Rebecca. "Why else would someone block the road in the middle of nowhere?"

"Kinda looks like a pileup," said Lauren.

Hugh stopped the car 30 yards away, getting out and looking over the barricade. The road behind it looked empty, but something wasn't right. Rebecca had a point; sure, a barricade in Chicago was a familiar sight as survivors tried to protect city blocks, but out here? He took the rifle up into his hands and waved to his friends to come out, armed. "If it's a trap, I suggest we prepare ourselves." They all raised their weapons, and Hugh fired a round into the barricade, shattering the window of a sedan and sending a rifle report across the wasteland.

[The Olog-Hai]

Lamar pulls out a pistol from the stash, and tosses everyone a few magazines of ammo. "If this is a trap, we're gonna have to fight our way out of this." Lamar says. "So we'd better be ready to fight."

[Armeia]

Cade parked in front of the Northwestern administrative building, looking around for a hiding spot before moving the transport to between two large trees that would mostly cover it from above. Ava climbed out and smiled, happy to be back. "This is where they set up to survive," she said, walking to the door of the building and knocking three times.

After a short wait, someone opened up, a girl in typical college clothes, and had a shocked look on her face, like she'd seen a ghost. "Ava," she gasped. "We thought you were dead."

Ava laughed and decided to lighten up the mood with a joke. "Hell was full, they sent me to walk the Earth. It's good to see you too, Christie."

The college girl, Christie, waved Ava in and she motioned for the others to follow.

Jenkins lifted Charlotte slowly as to not hurt her.He moved her out of the transport and noticed that he was in front of a building.A sign read Keep Out! and Jenkins smirked."like they would stop us now!".He moved Charlotte toward Cade and Ava and asked for help carrying her.He saw a girl and smiled "Well Hello Lady I'm Jenkins!"The girl looked at him with fear.Jenkins laughed"I didn't hurt this girl!She was stabbed by some psycho with a shiv!"He moved closer to Cade and Ava.

Christie motions for the group to come deeper into the building, and she leads them to a room filled with weapons, supplies, and a couple people on stretchers. "Welcome to Fort Northwestern, that's what we're calling this. The national guard abandoned us but we took their weapons, we're working on a plan to get out of here. Where, we don't know."

"How many of you are there?" asked Cade.

"A couple hundred stayed, we have a good sized militia too," explained Christie. "Also you can sit the girl on that empty stretcher and a doctor will take care of her."

[New Grestin]

// DAY 29 // 10:49 AM // NEW EVANSTON //

Ian clambered up to the top of the gate, finding Alan sitting on a lawn chair, rifle propped on a table. Ian looked down, finding a small bucket of improvised suppressors on the ground nearby. Ian popped open one of the cheap lawnchairs and sat down next to him. The rifle popped, the round striking a zed and blasting it's skull to pieces. Alan eased off the rifle and grabbed a pen. He marked another tally on the paper. Ian sighed, grabbing a small bag from his pocket and setting it on the table. Alan sighted up another infected and fired. Ian opened the baggie open and pulled a small amount of green material out, wrapping it and creasing it off. Alan gave him a dirty look.

"That shit'll kill ya, dude."
"Yeah, thanks Reefer Madness, I'll let you know next time I need a DARE lesson."
"Fine."

The two men sat, Ian lighting up as Alan popped off another shot. Alan spoke, gruffly.

"You know, I never did ask you what you did before this shit happened."

Ian puffed smoke into the air, chuckling.

"Pizza delivery."
"You're shitting me."
"Nope. Dominoes."
"Then where'd you get the pot?"
"I did some...other work on the side."
"No shit. What'd you deal?"
"Pot, mostly. Whatever people needed."

Alan eased off the rifle and laughed.

"Motherfucker. I would have never pegged you for a dealer."

The two men laughed. Ian looked out over the road. They'd cleared most of the abandoned cars out of the way, leaving little more than a handful of dead leaves and wandering infected. Ian looked to his right, finding Alison sitting on a chair nearby, legs propped up on another. A pair of bright red headphones sat on her head, music cranked loud enough for Ian to hear it eight feet away. He shook his head, smiling and turned back to Alan. Ian took a long drag, then spoke again.

"So, what exactly did you do?"
"I was a cop. We went over this."
"No, I mean like, what? Forensics, SWAT, beat cop?"
"Detective, Homicide."
"Huh."

Alan sighed, then went back to the rifle. He paused for a moment, noticing movement coming towards the gate. He spoke, quickly.

"I've got movement. Get Alison up."
"Who is it?"
"Guy and a dog."
"Oh, sweet. I fucking love-"
"Just get Ali ready. I need covering fire, just in case."
"Right."

Ian stepped over, slapping Alison on the back of her head. She shot him a dirty look.

"What?"
"Someone's coming, get ready."

She jumped up, grabbing her assault rifle and hopping to attention. The group stood, Ian feeling slightly underwhelmed when he realized he only had a pistol. As the man approached, Ian quickly tossed the blunt aside, nodding to Alan. The two switched positions, Ian centering the sight on the man's chest. Alan cleared his throat, than called out to the man.

"That's close enough. What's your business here?"

---

Sarah sat on the bed, pieces of a rifle sitting before her. Wiping down the barrel, she slid it back into place. After a few minutes, the rifle was back together. She admired it, racking the bolt a couple times to make sure the lubricant was working. She eased up off the bed, only to have Paulson tumble into the room. She jumped. Paulson breathed heavily, bracing himself against the doorway.

"Sarah, you need to see this."
"Jesus christ, don't you know how to knock?"

Paulson paused for a moment, looking her over. She was only wearing a tank top and jeans. He took a moment, briefly to admire her form. In a way, she almost reminded him of Jess. Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Paulson."

He hopped back to attention.

"Uh, right. Yeah. Those files. I found something on them."

Sarah quickly dressed herself and followed him out, through the compound and into the Med-tent. As they walked past the bunks to the back of the tent, Paulson stopped in front of the computer and gestured for her to look. On the screen was one of the documents Paulson recovered, a large logo on the top. It showed a globe, with a large red A in the middle. Sarah glanced down, seeing the words "Atlas Biomedical" followed by "Protecting tomorrow". Paulson leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"That name sound familiar?"
"Yeah, Atlas is big pharma, aren't they?"
"Yep. One of the biggest pharmaceutical developers on the planet."
"I don't get it."

Paulson chuckled.

"Join the club"

---

Character appearance updated. The plot thickens, comrades.

[Deramen]

Jenkins lifted Charlotte slowly as to not hurt her.He moved her out of the transport and noticed that he was in front of a building.A sign read Keep Out! and Jenkins smirked."like they would stop us now!".He moved Charlotte toward Cade and Ava and asked for help carrying her.He saw a girl and smiled "Well Hello Lady I'm Jenkins!"The girl looked at him with fear.Jenkins laughed"I didn't hurt this girl!She was stabbed by some psycho with a shiv!"He moved closer to Cade and Ava.

Christie motions for the group to come deeper into the building, and she leads them to a room filled with weapons, supplies, and a couple people on stretchers. "Welcome to Fort Northwestern, that's what we're calling this. The national guard abandoned us but we took their weapons, we're working on a plan to get out of here. Where, we don't know."

"How many of you are there?" asked Cade.

"A couple hundred stayed, we have a good sized militia too," explained Christie. "Also you can sit the girl on that empty stretcher and a doctor will take care of her."

Jenkins carried Charlotte through all this and looked in awe at the sign of civilization in these times.The Girl told him to put Charlotte down on the stretcher and that a doctor will treat her.Jenkins looked at the girl "I already performed some sort of surgery in that transport down there."Jenkins thought "My God its so safe and has a...militia?Most college kids couldn't shoot to save their life these guys have a army of sorts...Weird."Jenkins looked for the nearest place to sit down he was pretty tired from dealing with the army and such.He found a chair near the stretcher Charlotte was on and sat down.He let out an audible sigh and started to doze of from tiredness.

[Vacif]

Exellia Convoy
Connor Brass
Day 29
I-94

After driving out of Chicago, the group decided to take a short breather near Gary, and continue onwards down the 65 down to Layfette, Indianaopolis, and finally Cincinnati. However something was wrong, they'd taken a wrong turn into the 94, and the place didn't feel right, the woods felt like they were watching them, soon enough, they saw another vehicle, an SUV. Morgan, the unofficial leader, ordered the convoy to stop a little ways away, there were people in the SUV, further down the road they could see why they'd stopped. A series of vehicles were pushed together to form a road block. In the cities it'd make sense but not in the middle of nowhere. This didn't sit well with the group. They could turn back, but even then, it didn't feel right. Their headlights attracted the attention of those in the SUV as they started to stir. Morgan ordered the others int he group to arm themselves. Brass especially since their truck was unarmored. Brass had the gut feeling they were being watched. Against his better judgment, Brass, and two others dismounted, all armoured up in their riot gear, and slowly approached the group, trying not to appear hostile, so they could investigate what was going on. The other five stayed in the trucks, all armed and waiting.

[Cumberlanda]

Christie motions for the group to come deeper into the building, and she leads them to a room filled with weapons, supplies, and a couple people on stretchers. "Welcome to Fort Northwestern, that's what we're calling this. The national guard abandoned us but we took their weapons, we're working on a plan to get out of here. Where, we don't know."

"How many of you are there?" asked Cade.

"A couple hundred stayed, we have a good sized militia too," explained Christie. "Also you can sit the girl on that empty stretcher and a doctor will take care of her."

Hans took the weapons out of the truck and walked inside. "Maybe you can use this" he said, limping as he placed the Stinger and a box of ammo on a table. He sat on a chair and leaned back. "Next time I'm gonna leg it..." he mumbled. He enjoyed the relative peace, this small moment of relief. He's almost died three times today, and how many uninfected people did he just kill? No, he couldn't let guilt get to him, they wanted to kill them. But they were under orders to kill innocents, weren't they? Whatever happened to duty? They didn't do anything wrong, right? Just following orders. What's worse, being told to kill the innocent and complying? Or not upholding an oath you swore to go by? This was a question that nobody should never have had to answer. But so many people now have to. Jenkins, asleep, Charlotte, barely alive, Cade and Ava, mysterious but reliable, they may have to answer that. It didn't sit too well with Hans. He leaned forward and looked at his gun, the KA logo visible on its grip. He couldn't let this town turn him into something he didn't want to show to his kids. He had to leave soon.