OUTBREAK: A Survival RP (IC/ENDED)

[Australian Antarctica]

The Doctor's laughter hit Vincent hard. All his life he'd been a laughing stock. All his life no one gave a shit. His one chance to make a difference and he'd fuckin' blown it. He started to hyperventilate, forcing him to take a seat. Everything is going wrong! Vincent thought, his anxiety attack taking hold of him That damned doctor. Fuck 'em. Fuck 'em all. He wants to go with them than Fuck him. Regaining his composure after a few moments, he stood up and walked back over to Paulson "I'm not going to kill her, or any of you for that matter, because I'm better than you, better than them!" he said, motioning to a small group of infected outside the gate, which were quickly put down by one of the Rebels "Unlike you, I have morals. Sure we need to survive, but what is the point if we loose what little humanity we have?"

Paulson watched the man quizzically, though he quickly clued in. Anxiety attack. A fucking anxiety attack. Paulson dropped his head and sighed. Vincent ranted about morals and survival, Paulson simply shook his head. He looked to Vincent.

"Christ, dude. You just don't fucking get it, do you? We don't get to have morals anymore! Everyone is fucking dead! Don't you fucking understand!?"

Paulson fell to his knees, still holding the bag.

"Morals? Humanity? All that shit went out the window the moment those bombs went off! You're just fucking angry you don't have the balls to do what she does!"

He breathed heavily for a moment, then sat, shaking his head. He muttered, angrily.

"Fuck, man. Fuck. We're all gonna fucking die."

Vincent responded, his tone softening "Your right, I'm going to die, your going to die. We are all going to die eventually. Has that stopped humanity in the past? Look at Europe during the Plague, they managed to pull through, and we can too. Before this shit went down, Europe was one of the most prosperous regions in the world. Think about it, those things can't live forever. Soon they'll die off and we'll need to rebuild. And every good society needs a doctor. Hey, I know this isn't much consolation, but I've had to do some horrible things" his voice wavered in the next sentence "I had to shoot the love of my life. Right in the head. So she wouldn't have to suffer. You think that's not bad?"

[New Grestin]

Vincent responded, his tone softening "Your right, I'm going to die, your going to die. We are all going to die eventually. Has that stopped humanity in the past? Look at Europe during the Plague, they managed to pull through, and we can too. Before this shit went down, Europe was one of the most prosperous regions in the world. Think about it, those things can't live forever. Soon they'll die off and we'll need to rebuild. And every good society needs a doctor. Hey, I know this isn't much consolation, but I've had to do some horrible things" his voice wavered in the next sentence "I had to shoot the love of my life. Right in the head. So she wouldn't have to suffer. You think that's not bad?"

Paulson looked to the man, saddened. He sighed and rubbed the stubble on his face. He probably hadn't shaved since this thing started. He shook his head and looked to the ground, trembling as he spoke.

"O'Neil beat my girlfriend within an inch of her life. I-I tried to save her. She asked me to do it. She begged me to fucking do it. Don't try and hang that shit over my head, you asshole. Don't you ever try to fucking guilt trip me. You don't even know me."

With that, Paulson curled up on the ground, still clutching the backpack in his hands like a talisman. The argument dredged up bad memories. Bad, buried memories.

[Wallenburg]

Hugh Garmany || I-90, West of Toledo || Day 29

The car drifted along the highway, only occasionally dodging an abandoned car. Even this close to Toledo, Ohio was almost peacefully quiet. It was as if the infection had not hit it. The marvels of early American engineering, thought Hugh. This state was planned out as a huge patch of farmland, somewhere for pioneers and homesteaders to start a new life of farming. Every six miles, another township, every mile, a section. It's beautiful. It was beautiful.

They saw a green sign coming up over the highway. Toledo Airport: Swanton, it read.

"We're getting closer," Lauren said. Quickly driving by the airport, a small outpost for personal craft and propeller planes, they didn't even notice the tall, metal walls on the other side of the highway. Lauren kept driving, Lamar asleep and Rebecca tired, as Hugh marked off their location on a map.

Then Lauren saw cars on the highway. They formed a blockade across the entire highway in both directions. "Not this shit again." Lauren stopped the car and woke Lamar up. Telling them to arm themselves, she stepped out of the car and trained her M4 on the blockade. Hugh rummaged through the car for his own weapon as the others got out. "Dammit, where did it go?" Shoving his hand under the passenger's seat, he smiled as he felt the cold metal side of his gun. Pulling it out, he pushed open the car door just as gunfire erupted around them. Stunned, he watched Rebecca and Lamar fall to the ground. He looked to Lauren and barely managed to shout out to her before she was struck down to the ground, laying lifeless on the hot road. In complete disbelief, Hugh could only stand there as a last bullet sailed into the back of his chest.

Then everything was black.

[Beiarusia]

Samantha Tallow // New Evanston

Paulson looked to the man, saddened. He sighed and rubbed the stubble on his face. He probably hadn't shaved since this thing started. He shook his head and looked to the ground, trembling as he spoke.

"O'Neil beat my girlfriend within an inch of her life. I-I tried to save her. She asked me to do it. She begged me to fucking do it. Don't try and hang that shit over my head, you asshole. Don't you ever try to fucking guilt trip me. You don't even know me."

With that, Paulson curled up on the ground, still clutching the backpack in his hands like a talisman. The argument dredged up bad memories. Bad, buried memories.

Sam was in the refrigerator, not too sure why she had gone there in the first place. Whatever was on her mind had seemed like a good idea at the time but now that she was here she was at a lost. Maybe she just wanted to wander and, as childish as it was to admit it, a walk-in refrigerator was something that delighted her due to how uncommon it was to be inside of one. Feeling immature, she made to leave, pausing by the liquor and, after a moment’s though, forgoing the tasting of any more. Maybe another time but not now.

Outside she found a surprising sight. Several of the compound’s inhabitants had armed themselves and were now holding captive half of the others. Panicking, she edged her way back towards the refrigerator, hoping to hide away from whatever was happening, but then she saw Vincent, armed as well, standing before Paulson, the doctor that had helped her, curled onto the ground, broken. Something overcame Sam and she suddenly found herself moving towards the duo, standing beside them before she even realized that she had acted. Quickly glancing to Paulson she turned to look full force to Vincent, a mixture of confusion and worry plastered across her face. She made a quick sign, hoping that Vincent could comprehend what she was saying. What is going on?

[Tayner]

Luke was finishing another cigerette when a sign on the side of the road caught his attention. Midway International 5 Miles. Luke waited the final few minutes on the ride. He got on his radio, and said "Alright, my truck is about 200 meters down the road of a big Budweiser ad. It's a midnight blue 2001 Chevy Silverado 4x4 on a lift kit. You literally can't miss it." Luke said over the radio. The group had no idea of the ASF units ahead. Luke had a bad feeling about the place. "Keep your eyes sharp. We don't know what's up ahead."

[Australian Antarctica]

Samantha Tallow // New Evanston

Paulson looked to the man, saddened. He sighed and rubbed the stubble on his face. He probably hadn't shaved since this thing started. He shook his head and looked to the ground, trembling as he spoke.

"O'Neil beat my girlfriend within an inch of her life. I-I tried to save her. She asked me to do it. She begged me to fucking do it. Don't try and hang that shit over my head, you asshole. Don't you ever try to fucking guilt trip me. You don't even know me."

With that, Paulson curled up on the ground, still clutching the backpack in his hands like a talisman. The argument dredged up bad memories. Bad, buried memories.

Sam was in the refrigerator, not too sure why she had gone there in the first place. Whatever was on her mind had seemed like a good idea at the time but now that she was here she was at a lost. Maybe she just wanted to wander and, as childish as it was to admit it, a walk-in refrigerator was something that delighted her due to how uncommon it was to be inside of one. Feeling immature, she made to leave, pausing by the liquor and, after a moment’s though, forgoing the tasting of any more. Maybe another time but not now.

Outside she found a surprising sight. Several of the compound’s inhabitants had armed themselves and were now holding captive half of the others. Panicking, she edged her way back towards the refrigerator, hoping to hide away from whatever was happening, but then she saw Vincent, armed as well, standing before Paulson, the doctor that had helped her, curled onto the ground, broken. Something overcame Sam and she suddenly found herself moving towards the duo, standing beside them before she even realized that she had acted. Quickly glancing to Paulson she turned to look full force to Vincent, a mixture of confusion and worry plastered across her face. She made a quick sign, hoping that Vincent could comprehend what she was saying. What is going on?

Vincent looked down at the doctor "I wasn't trying to guilt trip you. Not at all. O'Niel was an ass from what I've heard, and Sarah might just become as bad. Anyway, I've been meaning to thank you for fixing up Sam. I owe you for that" Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out 5 MREs. He tossed them down to Paulson "Your too smart to die" Hearing small footsteps behind him, Vince turned and saw Sam Sarah isn't controlling things anymore. She's not a good person. Her eyes show nothing. No compassion, not even sadness. No one's hurt yet, and I plan to keep it that way. Understand?

[Beiarusia]

ASF-13 Reaper-A // Midway International Airport, Chicago

Grimm stood within the ATC tower, using the computer system – which thankfully still had power – to scroll through the flight logs. The information recorded on the computer was sparse, seeing as how all flights had been grounded almost immediately after the outbreak hit, so finding what he needed wouldn’t take too long. Getting access to the network had been the real pain.

The ASF had easily enough cleared the airport, cutting through the infected with little risk to themselves. Free of hostiles, the unit had searched the runways and hangars for the helicopter, finding it nowhere within the area. It was at that time that Grimm ascended the tower, hoping to perhaps track its departure and arrival, a much easier task than searching for a needle in a haystack. Once he had the logs in hand it was only a matter of minutes before he found the flight, recorded as having departed but never marked as having arrived. Most likely it had gone down as the corporation still believed it to be in Chicago, the news of its potential fate never reaching the HQ due to the downturn within the city only hours after it had failed to arrive.

Grimm sighed. One problem traded in for another. He was willing to mark the target as lost but knew the sensitivity of the data on board. It was a priority that it be located, which meant tearing along its projected flight path in search of the wreckage, an arduous task at best.

His radio came to life suddenly as a member of his unit contacted him. “Sir, perimeter watch has spotted an unknown vehicle approaching from the northwest.”

The unit commander replied quickly. “Sierras?”

“Unknown at this time, but most likely.”

Grimm swore under his breath. Infected were one thing but going against people that could shoot back was another headache entirely, one that he did not wish to deal with considering everything else on his plate. “Regroup at ATC, vehicles as well. Do not engage unless approached.”

This day kept getting better and better.

[Actan]

New Evanston

Luther had come at an interesting time.

A gang of armed inhabitants had arrested an entire half of the camp. Tied with zipties, these must be loyalists, as the woman who had let Luther in must have been the previous despot, he figured, and she had recently left. One man, he believed was called Vincent, had taken charge and was the one shouting at two different prisoners. Luther had been informed of the coup right before it happened by a lower ranking member, so he figured it was within his interest to not be one of those people who were under complete control.

Of course, every coup is a moment for opportunity, and Luther believed this Vincent fellow was easily influenced, at least from what he could read from him.

Holding his rifle, as he had not been given any direct orders but to guard some of the prisoners, he knew that this coup will have already destabilized the entire compound dynamic. The "Loyalists" and "Rebels" would not get along with each other after this, and if Sarah cam back the Loyalists would join her if she decided to use force.

As Vincent was talking to a teenage girl, Luther decided to approach him to discuss this.

"Vincent, I know I'm new and you probably don't trust me, but we need to find a way to ensure the prisoners remain loyal. While some people like that doctor there should be untouchable, I'm worried about what will happen if Sarah comes back. These people are already going to never trust us again, we need to make sure they don't do anythign foolish like steal food and run for the hills."

[Australian Antarctica]

New Evanston

Luther had come at an interesting time.

A gang of armed inhabitants had arrested an entire half of the camp. Tied with zipties, these must be loyalists, as the woman who had let Luther in must have been the previous despot, he figured, and she had recently left. One man, he believed was called Vincent, had taken charge and was the one shouting at two different prisoners. Luther had been informed of the coup right before it happened by a lower ranking member, so he figured it was within his interest to not be one of those people who were under complete control.

Of course, every coup is a moment for opportunity, and Luther believed this Vincent fellow was easily influenced, at least from what he could read from him.

Holding his rifle, as he had not been given any direct orders but to guard some of the prisoners, he knew that this coup will have already destabilized the entire compound dynamic. The "Loyalists" and "Rebels" would not get along with each other after this, and if Sarah cam back the Loyalists would join her if she decided to use force.

As Vincent was talking to a teenage girl, Luther decided to approach him to discuss this.

"Vincent, I know I'm new and you probably don't trust me, but we need to find a way to ensure the prisoners remain loyal. While some people like that doctor there should be untouchable, I'm worried about what will happen if Sarah comes back. These people are already going to never trust us again, we need to make sure they don't do anythign foolish like steal food and run for the hills."

"If you are suggesting what I think you are, fuck off. We have more than enough food to last us for years to come. In fact, when Sarah gets back, we'll let whoever wants to go with her, let them keep whatever weapons they already have, and give them food for a week. Don't like it? Go with them" Vincent responded, weary of the newcomer.

[New Grestin]

// DAY 29 // 5:45 PM // Chicago, Midway International Airport

Ian eased the truck to a halt on the road just outside the airport, Sarah motioning for him to stop. She paused, watching the small army of goons run about the concourse, then her eyes fell upon the truck. She sighed and dug around the truck, finding a piece of cardboard. She snagged a marker from the glovebox and marking on it. She stepped out of the truck, along with Ian, and held up the sign. It read:

WE ONLY WANT THE TRUCK

She waved it a couple times and then motioned towards the truck on the airstrip. She sighed, and hoped for the best. The rest of the crew hopped from the truck, weapons lowered. Several of the ASF troopers walked towards them, assault rifles ready. The two groups paused for a moment, then one of the troopers spoke.

"You can have the truck, just no funny business."

Sarah and the group looked amongst each other. She shrugged.

"Uh, ok. That works."

The group made their way down onto the airstrip to LaForge's truck. Looking it over, Sarah was quite impressed. He had quite the arsenal in this thing. It'd be put to good use. She turned back to LaForge.

"We'll take the semi back down towards Evanston, you can follow behind."

She smiled.

"This is really good stuff. Thanks."

With that, she headed back to the semi with her crew. They hopped into the truck and started heading back down the road, with LaForge close behind.

---

// DAY 29 // 6:15 PM // NEW EVANSTON

The convoy pulled up to the gate, Sarah popping the door open and waving to Hank, who still stood on the gate. Smiling, she waited patiently for the guards to open the gate. Ian and the rest of the crew followed her closely behind. The iron gate creaked open, only to reveal a small gang of armed citizens waiting for her, Vincent among them. Ice formed in Sarah's stomach as she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. She finally managed to choke something out.

"Wha-what?"

[Cumberlanda]

"We might be better off finding another group. I think... I think there's one in New Evanston..." She blinked, feeling dizzy for a moment, then tilted her head. "Thank you, by the way. The stab wound feels a lot better--what did you do?"

"Simply applied this. It'll still hurt quite a bit, and it's not a painkiller, but you won't have to worry about getting a blood infection." He said, holding up a tube of antibiotic ointment. He saw an infected dog following him, a German Shepherd. It had a vest. A K-9 dog? Surely it wouldn't have lived this long in this mess. He reached to pull out his revolver to put it out of its misery, only...

It wasn't there.

"Damn, Jenkins has my gun. Well, I guess they may have more at New Evanston. And now that you're better, you won't get mistaken as an infected. You know where it may be? I'm not exactly familiar with Chi-Town."

[Actan]

New Evanston

Luther had come at an interesting time.

A gang of armed inhabitants had arrested an entire half of the camp. Tied with zipties, these must be loyalists, as the woman who had let Luther in must have been the previous despot, he figured, and she had recently left. One man, he believed was called Vincent, had taken charge and was the one shouting at two different prisoners. Luther had been informed of the coup right before it happened by a lower ranking member, so he figured it was within his interest to not be one of those people who were under complete control.

Of course, every coup is a moment for opportunity, and Luther believed this Vincent fellow was easily influenced, at least from what he could read from him.

Holding his rifle, as he had not been given any direct orders but to guard some of the prisoners, he knew that this coup will have already destabilized the entire compound dynamic. The "Loyalists" and "Rebels" would not get along with each other after this, and if Sarah cam back the Loyalists would join her if she decided to use force.

As Vincent was talking to a teenage girl, Luther decided to approach him to discuss this.

"Vincent, I know I'm new and you probably don't trust me, but we need to find a way to ensure the prisoners remain loyal. While some people like that doctor there should be untouchable, I'm worried about what will happen if Sarah comes back. These people are already going to never trust us again, we need to make sure they don't do anythign foolish like steal food and run for the hills."

"If you are suggesting what I think you are, fuck off. We have more than enough food to last us for years to come. In fact, when Sarah gets back, we'll let whoever wants to go with her, let them keep whatever weapons they already have, and give them food for a week. Don't like it? Go with them" Vincent responded, weary of the newcomer.

"Vincent I'm not suggesting we kill or hurt them. I just want to make sure that the walls and gates look for movement outside and we station people in the cafeterias. We need as much supplies as possible."

[Beiarusia]

Samantha Tallow // New Evanston

Vincent looked down at the doctor "I wasn't trying to guilt trip you. Not at all. O'Niel was an ass from what I've heard, and Sarah might just become as bad. Anyway, I've been meaning to thank you for fixing up Sam. I owe you for that" Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out 5 MREs. He tossed them down to Paulson "Your too smart to die" Hearing small footsteps behind him, Vince turned and saw Sam Sarah isn't controlling things anymore. She's not a good person. Her eyes show nothing. No compassion, not even sadness. No one's hurt yet, and I plan to keep it that way. Understand?

Sam could hardly believe what Vincent was saying to her, much less believe that Sarah was a bad person. The girl had barely met the older woman but, from what she had saw and from what little they had communicated, she saw that Sarah was indeed a good person, perhaps misguided if not damaged but not the monster Vincent was making her out to be. I don’t understand. Why? Sarah is my friend.

[Australian Antarctica]

Samantha Tallow // New Evanston

Vincent looked down at the doctor "I wasn't trying to guilt trip you. Not at all. O'Niel was an ass from what I've heard, and Sarah might just become as bad. Anyway, I've been meaning to thank you for fixing up Sam. I owe you for that" Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out 5 MREs. He tossed them down to Paulson "Your too smart to die" Hearing small footsteps behind him, Vince turned and saw Sam Sarah isn't controlling things anymore. She's not a good person. Her eyes show nothing. No compassion, not even sadness. No one's hurt yet, and I plan to keep it that way. Understand?

Sam could hardly believe what Vincent was saying to her, much less believe that Sarah was a bad person. The girl had barely met the older woman but, from what she had saw and from what little they had communicated, she saw that Sarah was indeed a good person, perhaps misguided if not damaged but not the monster Vincent was making her out to be. I don’t understand. Why? Sarah is my friend.

She beat a man, nearly to death, for steeling a little food. An MRE I think. Is that good Sam? She also threatened me, just because I wouldn't get my ankle looked at

[Beiarusia]

Samantha Tallow // New Evanston



Sam could hardly believe what Vincent was saying to her, much less believe that Sarah was a bad person. The girl had barely met the older woman but, from what she had saw and from what little they had communicated, she saw that Sarah was indeed a good person, perhaps misguided if not damaged but not the monster Vincent was making her out to be. I don’t understand. Why? Sarah is my friend.

She beat a man, nearly to death, for steeling a little food. An MRE I think. Is that good Sam? She also threatened me, just because I wouldn't get my ankle looked at

Sam paused, the anger building up inside of her faltering. She hadn’t seen either of those events. Doubt crawled along the edges of her mind, the girl shaking her head clear and signing with less vigor. You’re wrong. Sarah is kind.

[Tayner]

// DAY 29 // 5:45 PM // Chicago, Midway International Airport

Ian eased the truck to a halt on the road just outside the airport, Sarah motioning for him to stop. She paused, watching the small army of goons run about the concourse, then her eyes fell upon the truck. She sighed and dug around the truck, finding a piece of cardboard. She snagged a marker from the glovebox and marking on it. She stepped out of the truck, along with Ian, and held up the sign. It read:

WE ONLY WANT THE TRUCK

She waved it a couple times and then motioned towards the truck on the airstrip. She sighed, and hoped for the best. The rest of the crew hopped from the truck, weapons lowered. Several of the ASF troopers walked towards them, assault rifles ready. The two groups paused for a moment, then one of the troopers spoke.

"You can have the truck, just no funny business."

Sarah and the group looked amongst each other. She shrugged.

"Uh, ok. That works."

The group made their way down onto the airstrip to LaForge's truck. Looking it over, Sarah was quite impressed. He had quite the arsenal in this thing. It'd be put to good use. She turned back to LaForge.

"We'll take the semi back down towards Evanston, you can follow behind."

She smiled.

"This is really good stuff. Thanks."

With that, she headed back to the semi with her crew. They hopped into the truck and started heading back down the road, with LaForge close behind.

---

// DAY 29 // 6:15 PM // NEW EVANSTON

The convoy pulled up to the gate, Sarah popping the door open and waving to Hank, who still stood on the gate. Smiling, she waited patiently for the guards to open the gate. Ian and the rest of the crew followed her closely behind. The iron gate creaked open, only to reveal a small gang of armed citizens waiting for her, Vincent among them. Ice formed in Sarah's stomach as she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. She finally managed to choke something out.

"Wha-what?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, Vincent and I organized a coup. I'll let him do the talking." Luke said wile leaning outside his truck window. In the back, it held his Marines uniform, a SC State flag, a confederate flag, and an AR-15. There was a M1911 in the glovebox and two more in the tool box, along with an AK-47. Boxes of ammo were scattered all over the place, and his SOG hatchet was sticking out from between the seats. A Bowie knife sat on the dashboard and a small fixed blade Winchester knife was in the cup holder. I could arm a small army. Luke thought.

[Charlia]

"Simply applied this. It'll still hurt quite a bit, and it's not a painkiller, but you won't have to worry about getting a blood infection." He said, holding up a tube of antibiotic ointment. He saw an infected dog following him, a German Shepherd. It had a vest. A K-9 dog? Surely it wouldn't have lived this long in this mess. He reached to pull out his revolver to put it out of its misery, only...

It wasn't there.

"Damn, Jenkins has my gun. Well, I guess they may have more at New Evanston. And now that you're better, you won't get mistaken as an infected. You know where it may be? I'm not exactly familiar with Chi-Town."

"I see..." She quailed a little at the sight of the dog. I hate dogs... Recovering quickly, she shook her head. "I don't really know--I think it's that way, though." Luckily enough, she was correct.

[Partially Blind People]

Henry stared in disbelief as Vincent broke down and had an anxiety attack right in front of the doctor he was threatening. He shook his head, whispering "fucking hell" under his breath for no one to hear.

He sprung to life as the gate shuddered open, revealing Sarah and her crew, and the girl, Sam, made her way over to Vincent, desperately signing something to him in what appeared to be a very much silent, but still aggressive argument. He marched over to them, dirt and gravel crunching under his feet as the afternoon sun shone down waves of heat in line with his rising frustration.

He grabbed Sam by the arm, quickly signing You come with me, and then pointing at Vincent, barking "Sort this shit out!" at him. He then began to lead Sam away. They couldn't deal with any of this right now.

[Dubrovka]

Desmond awoke a bit before 6:00, Max still sleeping by his side. Max awoke when Desmond started stroking his head. Max flickered his eyes and turned his head up to look at him, then layed his head down onto his leg. Desmond determined that he had gotten enough rest, and that they should be going. Desmond grabbed Max's vest and clipped it onto him. Desmond than strained to pick up his ever growing backpack, now on the edge of 35 lbs. He opened the door and called Max. Max followed and they swiftly walked down the stairs and out of the building. It was getting to be night time and Desmond wondered if the person at the armory was still awake to give him back his weapons. He figured he was and began walking down the road in that direction. As he walked, he noted in his head how still and quiet it was, no one in the street and no one standing guard. "Where was everyone?" Desmond thought "When I walked into this place I saw at least 25 people here".

Desmond walked for about 10 minutes before finally finding the armory. The man wasn't there but the door to it was unguarded. Desmond turned the knob and to his suprise it was unlocked. He walked into the armory and found his Rifle and Pistol laying in the back of the room. As Desmond was walking out he checked his watch; It read 6:16 but Desmond knew that it was always a couple minutes fast. Desmond then began to walk out of the building when he spotted men with weapons around the gate of the city. There was a fair amount of them, "Not the normal gate guard" he thought. Desmond was almost about to walk out of the building when the gate started to open and the group of people readied their weapons. When the gate finally opened, he saw the party pointing their weapons at the girl he had given the hard drive to.

"Not good" he thought. Desmond called Max and began a slow crouch walk out the side of the building, avoiding the lights, hoping to not be seen. He heard the words "Organize","Coup",and "Vincent". Desmond knew this was trouble and decided to get in a postion to hide with his dog until this blows over. Desmond kept crouch walking until he came to a house with a celler door. Desmond then opened it up and picked up his dog, walking inside.

[Australian Antarctica]

// DAY 29 // 5:45 PM // Chicago, Midway International Airport

Ian eased the truck to a halt on the road just outside the airport, Sarah motioning for him to stop. She paused, watching the small army of goons run about the concourse, then her eyes fell upon the truck. She sighed and dug around the truck, finding a piece of cardboard. She snagged a marker from the glovebox and marking on it. She stepped out of the truck, along with Ian, and held up the sign. It read:

WE ONLY WANT THE TRUCK

She waved it a couple times and then motioned towards the truck on the airstrip. She sighed, and hoped for the best. The rest of the crew hopped from the truck, weapons lowered. Several of the ASF troopers walked towards them, assault rifles ready. The two groups paused for a moment, then one of the troopers spoke.

"You can have the truck, just no funny business."

Sarah and the group looked amongst each other. She shrugged.

"Uh, ok. That works."

The group made their way down onto the airstrip to LaForge's truck. Looking it over, Sarah was quite impressed. He had quite the arsenal in this thing. It'd be put to good use. She turned back to LaForge.

"We'll take the semi back down towards Evanston, you can follow behind."

She smiled.

"This is really good stuff. Thanks."

With that, she headed back to the semi with her crew. They hopped into the truck and started heading back down the road, with LaForge close behind.

---

// DAY 29 // 6:15 PM // NEW EVANSTON

The convoy pulled up to the gate, Sarah popping the door open and waving to Hank, who still stood on the gate. Smiling, she waited patiently for the guards to open the gate. Ian and the rest of the crew followed her closely behind. The iron gate creaked open, only to reveal a small gang of armed citizens waiting for her, Vincent among them. Ice formed in Sarah's stomach as she found herself staring down the barrel of a gun. She finally managed to choke something out.

"Wha-what?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you, Vincent and I organized a coup. I'll let him do the talking." Luke said wile leaning outside his truck window. In the back, it held his Marines uniform, a SC State flag, a confederate flag, and an AR-15. There was a M1911 in the glovebox and two more in the tool box, along with an AK-47. Boxes of ammo were scattered all over the place, and his SOG hatchet was sticking out from between the seats. A Bowie knife sat on the dashboard and a small fixed blade Winchester knife was in the cup holder. I could arm a small army. Luke thought.

Vincent looked towards the gate, seeing the convoy returning. Rebel troops moved into position, some taking position on building's roofs, others around the perimeter, all with their guns pointed straight at the Convoy. Even Vincent had his rifle at the ready, hoping he wouldn't need to use it. He yelled to Luke "How's it going?" before turning to Eddie and one of his friends "Go get a box of MREs, enough for a week, and bring it out here" next Vince turned to Sarah, who was giving Vincent the coldest stare imaginable "Listen, I don't hate you, just don't like you as a leader. We'll let you live, give you food, and let you keep any of the weapons you are carrying on you. Any personal effects still in here you would like?"

[Dubrovka]

Desmond sat down inside the celler for a couple of minutes before hearing more and more yelling and movement. It wasn't coming towards him but he was extremely worried for whoever was getting kicked out. As a precaution, Desmond grabbed his AR-15 and slapped one of his four 30 round magizines into the rifle and pulled the charging handle. He didn't want to have to use it, but he wasn't going down without a fight if he could help it. Desmond then walked over to the enterence to the celler and found a small latch, a lock of sorts, and secured the door. Then he went and sat back down on a box in the corner, clutching his rifle in one hand, and petting his dog in the other.

[Wallenburg]

Hugh Garmany || Day 29

A bright light bored through Hugh's weak eyes and into the back of his skull, scattering beams of light among his thoughts. He looked up at the white orb, his torso screaming in pain. Through the suffering, he could only think, Am I dead? Is this beyond Life? Is that thing...somehow...God?

Looking up into the burning light, he thought of all the people who had died in the outbreak. He thought of his friends in New York, Rebecca, Chase, his parents and brother. Lauren. His heart broke as the Green Beret's voice whispered behind him.

"You can't protect anyone."

Hugh broke apart, crying out to the light for deliverence, if not for himself then for his loved ones. Falling to the ground, he could no longer feel his mortal wounds; the guilt and suffering brewing in his mind eclipsed them as the earth does a bloody red Moon.

He saw the light move and startled, expecting some reaction to his words. As he waited, the light continued to move, groaning like a rusty hinge as it scanned the darkness around it. Then a dark figure emerged, silouetted against the light. It grabbed him, and he shouted out in fear until it struck him against the face and yelled, "Stop bawling and answer our questions, you worthless piece of shit!"

Stunned, Hugh was silent. He stood up and felt the hard floor beneath him. "Am--am I alive?"

"Not for long if you keep this shit up," growled the figure.

"Hey, Evan!" shouted another voice. "Give the kid a break."

Hugh's vision was starting to adjust, enough that he could see that the light was attached to a lamp, and that there was a chair or something nearby. He walked over to the chair and gingerly sat down.

"How many infected have you killed?" asked the first voice immediately, impatiently, as if he had better things to do.

"Hundreds. I don't really keep track." Hugh tried to look around but couldn't see anyone nearby. Where the hell am I? he thought, completely lost.

[Wallenburg]

"How many people have you killed?"

Hugh hesitated, but soon enough muttered, "Two."

The silouette walked back in front of the light, a gun clearly trained at Hugh's forehead. "Why?"

"They tried to kill me, and they killed my people, so I killed them."

Waiting a while, the intimidating man kept his rifle pointed at Hugh. Then he felt a hand grab his shoulder and pull him out of the chair. Suddenly, he was being forced around the dark, blind to his surroundings but for the quickly disappearing light.

Then the world exploded into light and Hugh brought his hands in front of his face, almost hissing at the burn of the daylight. A door closed behind him and Hugh slowly uncovered his eyes.

Before him sat a military complex. Army, it looked. A pair of tanks, freshly washed, sat parked near a large metal wall with a gate made of more scrap metal and spare pieces. Soldiers milled about in small groups, talking casually and sometimes laughing with one another.

"Where am I?" gasped Hugh.

"Southwest of Toledo. Not far from where we stopped you." A man behind him patted him where he had been shot and Hugh cringed. "Dude, it was just rubber bullets, nothing lethal."

"Sure as fuck felt lethal," snapped Hugh, looking back at a youthful private only just out of his teens. "What about my friends."

"Alive. They cooperated. Although one needed...persuasion."

The tone of the word chilled Hugh to the tips of his teeth. "Persuasion?"

"Don't ask. She'll live longer."

Hugh tried to make sense of everything as he was rushed into a small building. Here stood a pair of Army officers, one a lieutenant and the other a captain, to whom Hugh's escort saluted. "Subject 42-4 presented for final evaluation, sir."

"Thank you, private. Come with me," he motioned to Hugh. Hugh followed him to another room where Rebecca stood up and ran to greet Hugh. Lamar sat unconscious in a chair. Lauren came in soon after Hugh, her left eye swelling from a clear beating. Hugh ran back to her, hugging her through the pain in his ribs.

[Wallenburg]

"You're alive," sighed Hugh, slowly calming himself as he ran his fingers through her short hair.

"You're alive," murmured Lauren, slowly taking everything in.

Examining her face, he asked her, "What happened to your face?"

"Bruised my eye when I hit the road," she said, but Hugh gathered that she was lying, both to protect Hugh and to protect herself.

"I hate to interrupt you, but we have business here," snapped the captain. "Why are you here and what do you want?"

Confused, Hugh responded plainly. "We're going to Boston. We don't want anything but what we came with. We just want to go east. We've no interest in you."

The officer responded flatly, "You have a lot of supplies. I have a lot of men who need them. Why should I return them to you?"

Hugh scoffed, "Basic human decency, perhaps? Last time I can recall, true people didn't rob others of everything they own and then rub out the victims."

"Son, in case you hadn't noticed, the world is falling apart at the seams. I don't give two shits about how it used to be."

"Then we've already lost," Hugh said. "Human civilization has fallen and we're left with only half-humans who decide not to rebuild it." Pointing at a window, Hugh started shouting, "Out there, someone is trying. Trying to rebuild. Trying to recover not only what we lost in our homes and our pockets, but also that which we lost in our hearts and our minds. And all you can think about is how much you can steal from your neighbor."

Hugh saw that the captain wore a cross around his neck and walked up to him, snapping off the necklace and continuing to shout. "I may not follow your God, but I know what it means to you. Did your Jesus ever command his followers to theive and murder? Did he encourage such crude and brutish behavior? No. He pleaded until he was hammered to this cross that we love one another." Disgusted, Hugh threw the necklace to the groundd and started walking away. "You may as well abandon that cross now; you've abandoned its meaning already."

[Cumberlanda]

"I see..." She quailed a little at the sight of the dog. I hate dogs... Recovering quickly, she shook her head. "I don't really know--I think it's that way, though." Luckily enough, she was correct.

Hans followed her directions and headed that way. The sun was close to setting, so he'd better come up along it soon. Thankfully he did, he saw lights and... people? Or were they raiders? He had his AR ready, just in case. He drove up, only to see a semi. And a gang of armed survivors. He stopped a hundred yards or so from the scene.

"Umm, Charlotte, you know what's going on here?"