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jumpscares2015-07-09 11:52 am
monstermasher) wrote in jumpscares2015-07-09 11:52 am
Entry tags:
( OPEN ) GAME START.
▶ 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.
▶ 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.
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:
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:
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!
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!
no subject
The IV program was in full swing and ONI apparently needed its scapegoat when the dust settled. So many of his brothers and sisters never given the right to die properly, flung into the purgatory that was propaganda only to be bitterly denounced. It wasn't until Del Rio tried screaming that AI chip out of his own hands that John started to have questions. Doubts.
John is fourteen again; awkward and too big for his uniform, and forgets his own strength. Face blank even as his fingers tighten bloodless around his helmet around that something creaks.
Then he remembers to exist in the present again, and when Halsey had her moment John puts his helmet back on. ]
They didn't.
[ John swipes two fingers across his visor - a SPARTAN smile. Deeply personal and seldom used it was as much an emotional outburst as it was their only gesture of reassurance. Outside of the IIs only Halsey understood its significance. ]
I can.
no subject
Halsey thinks she's regained her equilibrium, and then John gestures across his visor. The tears well up again, not yet threatening to fall but still making her eyes shine...only this time she's smiling. No sign language needed for Halsey--her face is never covered, and now it's lit from within by an almost joyous relief that makes her look twenty years younger despite her silver hair.]
I told them you'd be back, John.
no subject
For once, he doesn't trust what other people are telling him. Told him. He trusted Halsey and that didn't waver even an inch.
Her eyes are wet and John feels something tighten in his throat. He doesn't know how else to proceed other that to be the unflappable SPARTAN Halsey made him into. To continue to fit the mold she made for him believing that would put her mind at ease better than some awkwardly executed commiserating he scarcely understood the nuances of himself. ]
Thank you, ma'am.
[ John stands proud, voice even. He misses his friend bitterly, but he can't help neither her nor anyone by chasing ghosts. ]
no subject
And now that you are back, we have other problems.
[Status quo restored, Halsey hopes, with respect to each other if not their places in the universe, and she's back to her usual cool demeanor that people mistake for callousness, brushing away a remaining tear before it can fall down her cheek. That's quite enough blatant sentiment for one day. She doesn't mind John seeing cracks in the ice, not for her own sake, but she can't go falling apart when one of her SPARTANs needs her.]
Do you remember how you got here? I simply woke up on a cot without ever having gone to sleep, or even noticing anything unusual at all.
[She can be drugged easily enough, but a SPARTAN is almost impossible to knock out, their MJOLNIR recording systems even more so.]
no subject
Following along with Halsey's logic that the matter of what had happened to them to bring them here was the more pressing issue, John nods. Not delivering a another, repetitive 'yes ma'am'; he was happy she was here and perhaps given to rely heavily on protocol but he was hardly sycophantic. ]
No.
[ It was as though he could see the cogs turning behind her ice blue eyes. He was near abouts the same conclusion that it was highly irregular that a SPARTAN could be incapacitated without their knowing short of being of vented into space. And there had been no side effects beyond the expected confusion. ]
We're somewhere on Earth, but...
[ The next part is where things get a bit murky and well beyond his ken. ]
Outside this compound survivors of an unknown disaster left behind a note that said: The world ended July 3rd, 2015. Further out two klicks north there was abandoned town and what I assumed to be the survivors.
[ Again, he shifts his weight from foot to foot. Hesitation. ]
The town was devastated and any people I've come across exhibited what looked exposure to the Flood.
no subject
Flood? Did you see any infection forms?
[How they got here and how the Flood got here are problems that can be investigated after they attend to the matter of not being turned into mindless, shambling horrors bent only on infecting every other piece of sentient life in the galaxy.
She is very studiously not thinking about Jacob.]
no subject
[ Not wanting to come up empty handed, John pulls out the plastic pink compact mirror. It sits awkwardly small in the palm of his massive hand. ]
And I found this when I arrived. It can't be coincidence.
[ The compact clicks open as he holds it out to Halsey, revealing a set of coordinates and a piece of heavy sketch paper folded into the powder well. ]
no subject
[Halsey accepts the compact from John. It looks somewhat less ludicrous in her hand than his as she transcribes the coordinates into her data pad with quick movements. Nothing about them jumps out to her, but she can investigate if they can find any hard copy maps with adequate resolution.
Next comes the sketch paper, and Halsey's lips tighten almost imperceptibly as she unfolds it to see Cortana's likeness. Who is so intent on rubbing salt into wounds only a few people should even know exist? She pulls her own mysterious picture of Cortana out of her lab coat and offers it to John to inspect.]
Consider my interest piqued.
[Her tone of voice suggests that's not necessarily a good thing for whoever did the piquing.]
no subject
Agent Peggy Carter and a Chris Redfield. Neither of them made any explicit references to their respective military branches. I was led to believe Carter is associated with the British Armed Forces; she made mention of serving sometime around the Second World War.
[ beat. Time - it's confusing. ]
I trust her. Redfield? United States military, maybe. Twenty-first century. All pre-UEG.
[ He finished off what for him would be bordering on long winded when suddenly, Halsey hands him something. It was thick, good quality sketch paper with a weight to it - exactly like the one he had been carrying but he saw right away that this was a different piece of paper. One possibly pulled from the same sketchbook. Wordlessly, he gingerly takes it from Halsey dreading what he already knows is beneath the folds.
Even in MJOLNIR, John can be deft even gentle with his hands. The paper doesn't even crinkle when he unfurls it. He can start to smell dried salt behind his visor; he blinks rapidly. Halsey only seeing how he looks at every corner of the room before his gaze anchors back on the sketch.
Cortana sometimes looked like Halsey when John could remember her face behind the glare of lights in the auditorium on Reach as she explains why they were never going home again. Sometimes he could see Miranda, although he never knew why.
Here all he could see was Cortana. In the first drawing, done in dried ink with messing lines pulled together into an imperfect but lifelike image, she was standing with her back turned. Hands on her hips and head cocked ever so slightly as she sometimes did when projected on the holotanks. He could superimpose that easy smile she would be wearing face him.
The second drawing was a bust shot. Here, Cortana was in repose; turned halfway turned him with a relaxed almost sleepy expression he never seen her wear before. Head turned so far into the palm it rested in that her neatly trimmed 'hair' spilled against her shoulder. She appeared to be so...calm. He remembered the last time she looked so at peace and mechanically held the drawing back out for Halsey.
There was only one question on his mind. ]
Why?
no subject
[Anger clips the edges of her words. As little as she likes to admit ignorance, she's never lied to him and she's not going to start now.
John hates not having a purpose; Halsey hates not understanding. Ousted from her position as chief scientist and held incommunicado by the machinations of ingrates, and now this inexplicable nonsense tearing her away from what little work she's permitted to accomplish anymore.
She hopes that Forerunner artifact has stolen half of Lasky's blasted crew by now, starting with Palmer.]
We will find out.
no subject
[ John rumbled in that deep voice of his. Although more disinclined to wear his emotions on his sleeve even held up Halsey. In private, here he could visibly boil under the surface.
Unfortunately, ]
I failed to find a records room, and the computers are all either inoperable or obsolete.
no subject
[Halsey folds her arms and drums her fingers against her bicep. Her eyes go distant as she looks at John but doesn't see him, mind elsewhere and spinning out possibilities. Pieces are falling into place, but nowhere near enough of them to make a coherent picture of what's going on.]
Bizarre as this all is, our first priority is to determine whether there is indeed a Flood infestation. I don't doubt you, but as of 2015, the Flood was still contained on Installation 04. If that's somehow changed, we need to know.
I very much hope your report was in error, because, John... [her eyes go from infinity to laser focus on where his are beneath the visor] ...you're the only thing on 21st century Earth that can stop the Flood.