( OPEN ) GAME START.

[monstermasher]

▶ WHO: Everyone.
▶ DATE: July 9th, 2015 (Day 1)
▶ WARNINGS: Blood, violence, general zombie horror.
▶ SUMMARY: You've met with a bad... however that line goes. Welcome to Earth.

GOOD MORNING!

---

Please try and ignore whatever it is that you just heard. It should only last for up to a minute... maybe.

It... it is morning, right?

There are no windows.

There's a light, but it's barely considered one. The compound runs on a solar generator, but that doesn't mean it has a lot of power. The light seems to be hanging from the ceiling, swinging precariously. That's when you might actually start to wake up, sit up, find the things that are familiar to you... and then some of the things that aren't. It'd be wise to explore the small room you're in before leaving through the steel door, but there's nobody around to tell you that.

Outside is a tightly knit compound, just as dark and metallic as the room. The hallway you're in houses dozens more doors identical to yours, and if you're unlucky there may be more people poking their heads out through them, just like you. There's a dull glowing sign that reads MEDICAL BAY but not all of you remember being hurt. Some of you may be just fine, apart from the memory of the sound you heard when waking up.

The Medical Bay is stocked with enough medicine to last a couple of months. There's almost everything that can be found in a hospital. Somebody was thinking ahead.

Outside of the Medical Bay are more doors, some are even locked—many aren't. There are living quarters, a food storage, a kitchen, some laboratories; even a room full of computers and nothing else, all with a screen asking for a password. There's only two doors out of the compound, a vehicle bay with what appear to be a few military jeeps and trucks, and the front doors. It's on the inside of the front doors that something is painted in bright red, flecked with what smell like blood:

DO NOT GO OUTSIDE WITHOUT A GUN AND WATER.
GUNSHOTS ATTRACT THEM.
HOLLOWS IS 1.3 MILES NORTH OF HERE.
GOOD LUCK.

And on the outside of the doors, if you choose to open them:

THE WORLD ENDED JULY 3RD, 2015.

Now... how long ago was that? And where is this place? Luckily for you, Hollows is a small town that can be raided. It hasn't been too long since the apocalypse—surely you'll be able to find something there. Batteries, food, weapons, maybe some people—and what you're guaranteed to find. Them, whatever that means.

Outside of the compound there's a fence with a single gate. Nothing can get past this unless you let them in for tea, so be careful. There's a shooting range and a large shed full of weapons and ammo, enough to last two months if you're careful. Guns, knives, anything that would be used by the military and police is hidden away in the shed. There are even a few hunting bows with arrows.

If you climb up the ladder to the top of the wall, there's enough room to walk along the top. There's definitely something moving in the distance, something you should definitely be worrying about. Maybe it's time to get a good look with a sniper rifle...?

Oh.

It's gone.

Maybe it was just a trick of the light. Regardless, it's impossible for everyone to stay in the compound forever. There are nefarious things at work! The choices are to go to Hollows, stick around, or go somewhere else. Really, the world is almost a blank slate. Maybe more of a used slate, but still yours to explore.

When the night comes, you should be hiding. The screamers, the ragers, whatever the hell they are, are running full tilt through the streets and across the landscape, running through anything in their way, ripping apart anything alive. If you don't make any noise, they won't notice you. Especially since they're stuck listening to each other. But if you get noticed by one, it won't be long until a horde forms... you might be able to outrun one for awhile, but they don't seem to let up on their breakneck pace. Maybe someone should have told you how to kill them.

OOC NOTES.

---

There will be zombies in Hollows. Whether you meet them on the way there is up to you. Apart from the undead and the animals (maybe somebody should let those poor creatures out of their houses) the town is completely deserted. In fact, the closest thing you can find to a human are the bodies of those who died without being bitten, and there's even few of those. You can find anything you'd find in a normal town here, and are free to loot and raid the houses and stores—the cops won't be coming, after all. The power is OFF apart from what you can find that is solar powered or still has a charge. If you're lucky and find another town while exploring the first few weeks, you might find an area that still has power—thank hydroelectricity.

Just keep in mind travel time... and travel expenses.

You have creative freedom over everything else. The world is open. The only stationary places are landmarks and cities—if you want to go to Texas and talk to the poor astronauts stranded up in space, it's there. (Might be a long trip, though...)

If your character can figure it out by geography before getting to Hollows, the compound is located a few hours from the west coast, in California.

The way to kill a zombie is blunt force to the head. The head doesn't need to be removed, but significant damage needs to be done to it. This does not include the throat—it needs to be a headshot.

There's also a glaring hint. The computers in the compound, asking for a password. It is impossible to hack at this time. There will be more on this later!

Finally, if your character is exploring outside of the compound (or extensively inside of it) there's a comment here for linking me the thread. You can also PM me! I'll be ducking in with what your character may or may not have found, via a response to the actual RP thread.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS please direct them here!

Comments

[antagonize]

[Ooookay, silent type. He can work with a silent type. Maybe. He'll probably talk enough to fill up both sides of the conversation, but that's just how it is. Making note of that spark for later, he looks at the oh-so-fascinating landscape again.

And, you know. Points at some point that looks completely random, but actually isn't.]

Saw something moving. Couldn't get a good look since, y'know — no binoculars, but if I had to describe it... It looked humanoid. [Which could really be used to describe so, so many things.]

[blackagar]

[ Oh, good. Black Bolt can always appreciate it when someone answers his unasked question rather than wanting to know why it hadn't been asked in the first place. He turns his eyes back toward the outside, studying it for a few long (silent) seconds. Humanoid. He has a decent idea of what that might have been. He shoots a quick glance toward Jason, judging — the mask, the clothing, the stance, he seems like a man used to combat — and then he hops down from the wall again. It's to the other side this time, and the look he tilts up at Jason comes with an invitational nod of his head.

There's only one way to know for sure, isn't there? ]

[antagonize]

Oh? It's already time to visit the neighbors?

[Well, it's not like Jason wasn't considering going to the other side of the wall by himself. Having company, however unexpected it may be, just helps solidify his decision. Here's to hoping this guy is at least as half as interesting as he looks, because it's not long before he's hopping down from the wall, himself.

He's already nabbed a couple of "essentials" from the shed, meaning he should be good for now. He even remembered to secure his piece this time, so. Without waiting a second longer, he starts moving in the direction he had pointed at earlier.]

[blackagar]

[ Black Bolt moves in step with him, attention alert on their surroundings, and maybe more focused on at least half of them. If there's just one thing that can be appreciated about tense, unknown situations like this, it's that you can generally trust people you've just met to be willing to work with you for survival. His new friend can probably manage to keep his half of things watched.

His only sound is footsteps, of course, unarmed and unconcerned despite that, looking vaguely like he takes a casual stroll through the unknown every day. He slows only in response to a faint rustle coming from ahead to their left, eyes intent on the area. ]

[antagonize]

[He's been pretty chatty until now, but there's a time for talking and there's a time for shutting up. Right now? It's the latter, and he's coming to a halt as he takes note of that faint sound, simultaneously reaching for one of his guns. He knows the warning on the front door was pretty ominous, but a gun makes him feel more secure than his knife. Mostly because he didn't have to be within arms reach in order to use it.

He assumes this guy can take care of himself, so he proceeds to cautiously move towards the left, trying to identify where the sound came from. It definitely helps that there's more rustling, and that someone groans as they get closer. Well, maybe not someone. Zombies usually fall more into the something category.]

... Please tell this is bad a joke.

[Quietly. They have a visual now, but he's going to stop to observe this thing's behavior. And just in case his travel buddy wants to keep moving forward, he holds a hand up in what he hopes is a universally understood gesture to stop.]

[blackagar]

[ Ah, there it is. He's seen at least a few of them before now, so he knows about the lay of things... but it never hurts to be doubly sure. It could have been a cautious survivor, creeping through the trees.

It isn't, though, and by now he knows there's no use trying to do anything but kill them.

He does stop though, snaps his fingers to grab attention, and points to Jason's gun as soon as he has it. A stern shake of his head follows the point. None of that, now. That warning wasn't wrong. ]

[antagonize]

[He gets the meaning of the gesture pretty easily, but that doesn't mean he's not going to be making a face behind his helmet as he lowers the gun. Fine. He's getting the impression that this guy has already been out here before, which would have been nice to know, but there's not much to be done about that.]

Alright. Then what do you suggest?

[Since just shooting it is, apparently, a bad idea.]

[blackagar]

[ Any other quiet weapon is fine, really. But his answers are best as actions, and he doesn't have any weapons on him. His new friend will just have to extrapolate. He strides forward, and energy begins to flicker around that headpiece again. One fist clenches, and as soon as he's close enough, he sidesteps a grab for him, swings a punch, and the head of the creature disintegrates under the enhanced power. It also splatters his fist and forearm with something awful. God, zombies are the worst.

The body falls, and he casts a glance back at Jason (it takes some willpower to resist shaking off his arm). See? Not so bad. ]

[antagonize]

[That is so gross. Gross, but also impressive. There will be a low whistle coming from him as he walks over to the headless zombie corpse, gives it a look over, and then prods it with his boot. Obviously, it doesn't move — just rolls the more Jason prods it. At least he's not visibly bothered by the sight. He's seen worse.]

Nice party trick. I wouldn't mind learning how to do that, but I'm assuming it's a secret. [He's... not really waiting for an answer, which is kind of obvious when he immediately crouches down to, uh. Inspect the body.

Like, actually inspect it. As in, check what's on it and what he can get off it. He doesn't have the necessary equipment (or time) to do an autopsy, but he at least wants a couple of samples to inspect later. Mostly tissue, some unidentified fluids, and blood once he sticks a syringe in it. It's all very disgusting.]

Your arm — what have you got there?

[Because if there are bits of brain there, he wants it.]

[blackagar]

[ Oh, god. This man is already reminding him of Batgirl — to investigate way too closely had been her instinct, too. What is with the mask-wearing people here? The only sign of his thoughts is that his mouth goes just slightly flatter than it had been a moment ago, and he otherwise watches the work without complaint.

And when Jason asks after his arm — oh look at that, he's even nice enough to offer out his hand and forearm. They're disgusting, there is indeed pieces of brain there. Black Bolt has decided not to look at them, and they're all Jason's. ]

[antagonize]

[This is what happens when you go investigate with anyone even slightly related to Batman. They get all close and personal with the scene of the crime at the expense of everyone's gag reflex. At least he's not waving around what he's extracting from the corpse, and instead methodically seals it in evidence bags and puts it away in that jacket of his.

Somehow, it all fits in there. All of it. It doesn't even look more bulky when he turns to inspect that arm, either.]

Golly gee, have I got some bad news for you. [Totally scraping some samples off his arm and sounding completely nonchalant about it.] Your dry cleaning bill has just gone up, up, up.

[In other words, this is gross.]

[blackagar]

[ His sigh is, of course, completely silent. He stands patiently still as the samples are taken, and only when Jason's done does he finally let himself give his arm a little shake. It does basically no good, as expected. He's resigned to it.

He glances around afterward, to make sure they're still alone here, then shoots a quizzical look toward Jason. He's managed to show by example just what it is that's out here, is that enough? Or will they be going further? To make it a little more clearly a question he takes a step toward the compound, then pauses and glances back to Jason again. ]

[antagonize]

[He gets what he's trying to ask, more or less. Still, they're already here, so it feels a little wasteful to him if he heads back now. For starters, seeing one zombie is not exactly the same as stumbling across a fountain of information. He needs more before he's satisfied.

So, he shrugs.]

You can head back, but I'm in the mood to go adventuring.

[blackagar]

[ That works for him. He has no particular need to head back; he would rather stay here and make sure this guy, whoever he is, comes to no harm while he's looking for... whatever he's looking for.

Black Bolt turns and heads back again toward Jason without complaint, verbal or otherwise. He moves past him, actually. Not quite briskly enough that he can't be corrected if Jason has a better idea for their route, but enough to take the lead. He's apparently a man very used to leading. ]

[antagonize]

[Well. He half expected him to turn around and head back to the compound, but he can work with this, as well. For now, he'll let him stay a step ahead, curious about what this guy knows — but that doesn't mean he's not going to stray off at the first sign of something interesting.

Like towards that shipping truck they can spot in the distance... that is more likely than not full of anime merch? Or anything else appropriately ridiculous.

It had to happen somewhere, okay.]