jumpscares | ( OPEN ) GAME START.

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( 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.

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Well now. Kid actually wants to be useful instead of just lecturing him. He glances down at the water and the paper and reaches out to take the paper first, looking it over. It's a good map, well drawn. He sets it down in front of him, turns it so it's aligned properly, and nods once before pulling the water closer too, though he doesn't open it yet.

He looks over at the paper, his brow furrowing, then he reaches into a pouch on his belt and pulls out the disposable camera he found when he woke up, holding it up.]

Just this.

[He looks it over again.]

Only one picture taken.

[ at the very least, thomas is helpful while he's bitching at people. things that save him from getting punched, tbh. and maybe there's a small ounce of pride he gets from seeing his map approved. cool.

seeing the camera, his brows knit, and he turns himself from the edge of the roof, where he'd been looking out at the compound, to actually face rifle-guy, interest apparently piqued. ]

One? It's film, though, right?

[ he's from 2232, so film cameras are basically antiques, at least as far as his vague memories of How Things Are. what was left in his head when they'd wiped his memory, before going into the Maze. knows what a camera is, how it works, has no solid memory of ever using one before. ]

Know anything about film developing?

Yes, film.

[He barely knows anything about disposable cameras, they were barely on the periphery of the technology he needed to know about as the Asset. He huffs slightly, a little frustrated at the clue he can't access. He puts the camera back in the pouch.]

No, I don't.

Mh. [ Nodding shortly, he's mostly lost in his head for a moment, going back through the mental inventory of things he'd seen in the labs below, trying to pull up anything he might remember about film. a dark room. that's about it. ]

One of the others might.

[ then again, this guy doesn't seem that keen on interacting with the others, so thomas adds in - ]

I'll ask around.

Edited 2015-07-10 23:29 (UTC)

[Again, surprisingly helpful. He's not entirely sure what to do with it. HYDRA provided assistance, of course, but that was different. He was their Asset. He worked with a unit for a common goal. This kid's a complete stranger. Why is he helping?

He just nods, because that's the only way he can think to respond.

He reaches for the water and opens it, taking a drink as he looks back out at the compound.]

[ Part of him really wants to know what's on that camera. Curiosity's always driving Thomas to an absurd point. But the other part recongizes that this guy doesn't want to be down there.

Also, you don't gain a metal arm without losing a normal arm, and you don't lose an arm just for fun. Maybe there's some curiosity in that too. Regardless, they were all given individual puzzle pieces with the need to share them between each other to solve it, he's thinking. For a while, he goes back to just watching the compound, reading over the message about Hollows on the gate out a couple times. ]

Or there might be something at the-- [ the words die on his tongue, thomas's eyes going wide and body going completely rigid as he stares out towards the north, in the direction the town is supposed to be. He doesn't raise a hand to point, doesn't even move, just stares out at a point beyond the fence, and swallows dryly, before parting his lips. ] What is that?

[ voice almost too calm aside from the slight shake to it, like he already knows and he's already dreading. what he means is the vague, shadowy form that's moving out there, between the base and where Hollows is supposed to be. too far to make out, but definitely moving. ]

[He sees the way the kid's eyes go wide and his whole attitude changes, and he follows the kid's gaze before he even asks the question. He lifts the rifle and looks through the scope, and... yup.]

People.

Not very healthy looking people.

[ all he sees are shadows, more like blobs, from where he is, and yet, thomas feels his skin crawl. it's like he can hear it, in the back of his hear, that crazed, teetering snickering that echoed off the walls underneath the Scorch. glass shattering in the van as the mob scream and pounded against the windows, skin scabbed, dirty and festering, bodies set wrong like everything was pulled out of its socket and put back together off, and blood. the Flare. Cranks. it's what he'd been fearing since he woke up here. ]

They're not people. [ there's an immediate sting of regret in that, remembering what Newt was like - sane in tiny moments of clarity. that's what's worse about it. they are people, when they're like that, but not for much longer. thomas is straightening up, pushing to stand. ]

You can't stay out here. And if you're not Immune, you need to cover up.

[The comments make him frown and pull back from his scope, his brow furrowed as he looks over the kid.]

Immune to what?

[His memories are like shattered glass but he doesn't think he's been sick since... since the war. HYDRA never thought he needed to know the full extent of certain parts of his physical ability, but he knew he healed quickly, he could remember doctors speaking in pleased and surprised tones as they spoke about how long it would take for him to recover. He thought maybe he could presume that illness would be covered in the range of things his body healed faster than most people.

But the kid talks like this is something to be really feared.]

The Flare.

[ said plainly, like it's something that should be obvious. he hadn't been that sure what to think of the other people that were put in here with him - it's not the usual set up - but he'd at least thought they came from the outside world, considering most of them were older than him, this guy included.

he pauses where he is, though, and asks carefully. ]

Where were you, before you were here?

[If it's something he should know, it's been burned out of him, smashed with the rest of his mind on HYDRA's floor.

The question drives into him like a spear, and he's left staring down at his gun, unable to find the words to describe... he doesn't even know where he was.

Pain. Forgetting. Purpose.

It hurt and it was a nightmare but he was useful. He had a mission and he carried it out.

Except that final time, when he didn't. Here... the lack of direction, the absence of orders and handlers and consistency is starting to wear on him, and he doesn't know how long it will be until something tears or breaks.

But there was a question.

He swallows hard and shakes his head. It's not a question he can really answer.]

[ the gunman with the weapon of an arm goes silent, and it's something that looks familiar on him - confusion. again and again and again, from the moment his eyes cracked open in the box and all he could recall was a single name. on every other kid each time something new and horrible came up that they didn't understand, because WICKED had wiped everything from them.

however, not the greatest time to be blank. which, he doesn't actually seem. at least, not totally, unless he's just very good at keeping his calm. ]

Hey, don't worry about, man. [ thomas is rushing to add in, crouching back down at the edge of the roof - figures in the distance still in sight (and thankfully, still in distance). ] It, uh. It happens to all of us.

[ that what they'd said when he showed up, right? sure. sounds good. ]

The Flare's a virus, it's airborne. It, um... It drives you nuts. [ nuts, savage, violent, murderous. not to mention, the cannibalism. ] Chances are, if WICKED dropped you in this klunkpot, you're Immune, but it's not something you wanna take a chance on.

Edited 2015-07-11 07:37 (UTC)

[It happens to all of us. He snorts. Not likely.

But he does listen to the explanation, even though it sounds just as strange and confusing as the initial mention of immunity.]

Wicked?

[Who the hell is wicked?]

[ the snort he doesn't get - squints, but ignores it for the moment. there was a question. ]

WICKED. It's a company - they've been collecting Immune, trying to run experiments to find a cure.

[ which sounds noble and all, but-- ]

And killing off most of them in the process. Torturing kids. Playing with our heads and sending us through 'trials' like lab rats. They did this to me - to us. [ the last part said as he taps his head - the memory loss. ] All I woke up with was my name.

[He snorts again and shakes his head. Even the kid wakes up with a name. He doesn't get anything.

But he is sure that whoever this Wicked is (and hell, that's a worse name than HYDRA), it has nothing to do with him.]

Not us.

[ thomas pauses for a moment, brow knitting, and his head tilts some. not us?

what is it that this guy knows that he doesn't? ]

What do you remember?

[He frowns, looks out across the fence into the horizon.]

It's. Broken. But there wasn't any Wicked. Just HYDRA.

Hydra...

[ nothing about the word seems familiar, not even in the vague way that he feels pulling at some part of his memory that doesn't want to budge free. just... nothing. frowning, thomas's eyes move back to the horizon, watching shadowy figures shifting, before looking back to the stranger again. ]

Can I borrow your scope?

[He hesitates, frowning, then pulls off the scope and hands it over, watching the kid carefully.

No, he doesn't trust him.

Yes, he will watch him until he gets his scope back.

Yes, he is prepared to take the scope back by force if necessary.]

[ noting the frown, and hesitance, he takes the scope when offered, with a quietly muttered 'thanks', before turning back toward the gate to peer through it, at the moving figures. he'll be sure to hurry up - metal arm guy doesn't seem fond of parting with his toy.

what he sees, though, is confusing. they look crazed, sure, but... not the same. there aren't the sores, the hair turned out, the moments of sparsed sanity before they're past the Gone. they look... empty. ]

...Those aren't Cranks.

[ half to himself, half to the man with him. remembering himself, he reluctantly turns back to hand the scope over. he'd like to sit here and watch them for longer, but he'll have to go grab his own scope from the weapons shed. with eyebrows drawn in conflict and thought, he shakes his head. ]

Sorry... I don't know. [ a few thousand different guesses stream through his head, most all of them trying to guess at what is WICKED doing, followed up by what if it isn't them, leading into and that's exactly what they'd want me to think. christ. ] I don't know what this is.

[He takes the scope back, tries not to snatch it out of the kid's hands when he does so, and fits it back onto his rifle, looking back out at the creatures.]

It's not good.

[He pulls back and sits up, still staring out at the horizon.]

That's what it is.

No klunk.

[ that being glader speak for 'no shit'.

for a quiet moment, he watches the horizon and feels deeply uneasy. it's a while later when he speaks up again. ]

Still, you shouldn't stay out here if they get close. They might freak out trying to get in.

[ and actually break the gates down. or figure out another way. they don't know anything about how smart these things are. ]

[He rolls his eyes. There goes the kid telling him what to do again. His conditioning to follow orders doesn't include teenagers with good intentions, no matter how developed their leadership skills are.]

I'll be fine.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

( OPEN ) GAME START.

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hope its cool to add some distant zombies 8T since they're on the roof and could see it

TOTALLY FINE

8D

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