The Corruption Continues

F

FishWolf

Guest
Original poster
Okay, a note on the thread. This thread is actually a kind of sequel to the original roleplay, The Corruption Begins. But that thread died, and I worked too hard on the plot to just give it up. I'm too stubborn. So I'm playing as my original character. Here is a link to the original thread: http://www.iwakuroleplay.com/threads/the-corruption-begins.29093/



THE OUTBREAK

It first showed up on the news. Rumors of a sickness that was mutating animals, and driving humans insane. Humans were suddenly mudering each other in a mad sickness that was spreading like wildfire. It is May 22nd, 2040, and one of the polar icecaps have melted, causing floodwaters to surge and rise, completely submerging entire cities. The disease even infects plants, causing them to mutate and grow at insanely fast rates. At first we didn't pay attention. We were too busy helping the victims of the floods. But now it's impossible to ignore. Wolves are becoming increasingly intelligent and have gained the ability to speak, horses have mutated eight legs, goats have grown into monstrous one-horned flesh-eating beasts, and komodo dragons have mutated wings. The cities that have not been flooded are suddenly destroyed by trees and giant vines that tear through the buildings, destroying them in minutes. A lot of the animals not killed by the Corruption, as we began to call it, started to resemble mythical creatures. Dragons, Unicorns, Slepnir, Gryphons, Pheonixes, all creatures that we have only dreamed about. But the Corruption doesn't create dreams. It turns dreams into nightmares. The only creatures that do not crave human flesh are the wolves, because something in their genetic code is counteracting the Corruption. Scientists are trying hard to find a cure, before they submit to the insanity that creeps at the edges of their minds. But it is hell. Eventually the Corruption grips them, and they turn on each other like rabid animals, killing each other off until they in turn are eaten by eight-legged horses, unicorns, or dragons.

A MONTH LATER....
There is nothing left of the cities, nothing but the steel skeletons of the skyscrapers still shiny, and those are overgrown with giant vines thick as a bus. Anything manmade that is not metal has been demolished. The pentagon has giant trees growing through it, and so do any other human structures. Nothing has remained as it used to be, except the wolves and the few that survived. The outbreak of the Corruption has died down, but there are still some carriers. The remaining human survivors have banded together with the wolves to survive, as even the plants can be deadly. Now a group of people are trying to find the origin of the Corruption, and possibly a cure, working with the wolves in return for protection. The wolves hunt for the humans, and the humans protect the wolves from the mutated creatures. Sometimes it pays to have a bodyguard with a shotgun. The mutated animals who are not Corrupted are called nightmares, and every single one resembles a mythical creature, and every one seems to want to eat man. There are rumors of some dragons who do not crave human flesh, but very few. Now this group must find the source, the cause of the Corruption, and they must hurry before their nightmares catch up with them.


NIGHTMARES:
Gryphons
Dragons
Unicorns
Slepnir (Slepnir are eight-legged black horses who are very difficult to kill)
Basilisks (A mix of a rooster and a serpent. Also called Cockatrices)
Pheonixes (Large birds of prey that are bright red and can set themselves on fire. They are unkillable, and the only way to stop them is to cut off their head and bury it before it can regenerate a body.)
Hydras
Giant Asps (A giant snake with a venomous bite.)
(You can also make up any other nightmare, but it has to resemble a mythical creature. Remember, there are no good nightmares, except for the rare good dragon.)

THE CORRUPTION: The virus spreads very quickly. You get infected by bite wounds or scratches, or possibly getting splattered with infected blood that enters a cut. The infected mutate into flesh-eating creatures with the desire to kill. Infected humans turn into what you would think a zombie would be, but they are not dead or rotting, and have full mental capacity. It mutates animals into nightmares, man-eating creatures that resemble mythical beings. Instead of infecting wolves, it seemed to give them increased intelligence and the ability to talk. It also speeds up the growth and size of plants to insane levels. Symptoms include: Sweating, nervousness, sudden anger, bloodshot eyes, darkening of fingertips, and foaming at the mouth.

THE CAMP: The camp is in the middle of the forest, and consists of nothing but a jeep, some tents, and it's members are humans and wolves. The camp gets attacked every day by nightmares, and you can see wolves bringing in their kills every day. Everyone has a gun to shoot the nightmares, and their only food source is their gardens and the nightmares that the wolves hunt. All food is boiled or steamed at extremely high temperatures to kill the virus, so every day the menu is soup. The camp has already packed up and has found the old laboratories where they were trying to find a cure for the virus.


JUMP RIGHT IN!

IF YOU ARE A HUMAN: You have survived the Corruption. It was a month later, and you were wandering the forest for some reason. You stumbled upon a camp with tents set up everywhere, people holding guns, and even a jeep. You saw wolves walking with them, and you even saw some workers watering gardens, checking every day to see if the plants were tainted or not. You were accepted into the camp and assigned a wolf. The camp has moved, and it is now located next to some old laboratories. You and some others will soon be assigned to search the labs for some sort of cure.
IF YOU ARE A WOLF:
You have seen very odd things. Creatures that you do not yet understand. People that foam like they are rabid. You are either hunting or running in the forest, and you come upon the camp. You realize that there are other wolves here, and you go over to investigate. The lead wolf welcomes you, and tells you about the Corruption. You can choose to join the group, or go off alone. If you join, you will be assigned a human partner.


Remember that you can find the original story here.
 
Amey looked around all the people. She'd been with these people for a whole week and she still didn't know half of them. She was too independent for her own good. Right now she was sitting on a large rock outside her tent, watching the sunrise to start another dutiful day. She let out a long sigh, remembering how it had been several years ago, before any of this. She traced the cracks in the rock beside her subconsciously, figuring today she'd actually talk to someone besides the wolf that had been assigned to her. I should probably ask his name too.. She thought, remembering she didn't even know the wolf's name.
 
Felix sighed and set up the last tent. He still had the memory of Atlas's hand fresh in his mind, along with the screams of the Gryphon and Slepnir. His wolf had survived the attacks, and had successfully recovered. It was three weeks after that last incedent, and now they were at the labs. Felix and a few other people had been assigned to go check out the labs to see if they were clear. Then the people who knew a bit about science and viruses would check out the research. He gripped his gun tightly, thinking of what they might encounter at the lab. No creature had been left unaffected. Even the salamanders in the river they had to wade across were changed. The salamanders had turned black and red, and they had six legs. They burned when you touched them, and they would never cook if you tried to have one for a snack. Felix ruefully rubbed the burn mark that one had given him on his arm.
 
Amey slid off her rock, picking up her gun and stretching a little. She looked over to one of the older buildings a few people had gone into earlier. "Maybe I could go help?" she asked herself almost silently. She started towards the building, looking around every minute or two to make sure no nightmares where on the chase. When she reached the door, she stopped. Something was behind her. Instinctively, she raised her gun, but it turned out to be her own wolf. She just nodded and he nodded back. Turning back to the building, Amey stepped through the dusty door and looked around. The people had already moved from here further out, the dusty floor was riddled with footprints.
 
Felix straightened his shoulders and hurried to catch up with the others. He held his gun tightly and listened for any signs of nightmares. The laboratory was abandoned so far, with no signs of nightmares. Shelves full of bottles and strynge packets glittered dully on the far side, and the interior design was just what you would expect a lab to be. Felix was ordered to stand guard at the entrance, facing outward onto the forest. The lab was on a hill overlooking the forest, and to the west of it was a small town.
 
Hearing something in a room down the hall, Amey slid slowly across the hall and by the door of the room. Seeing it was only members of the camp, she stepped up to the person who seemed to be guarding another outwards door. "Hello." she said quietly. Seeing the door, her wolf streaked by and disappeared from view. Amey had no other idea on why he ran other than the forest. "I'm Amey."
 
(OOC: Meh heh heh....Notice my new avatar? That's why all my posts have been super short. I've been working on this bad boy.)

Felix jumped whenever he heard the girl's voice. He didn't know a lot of girls in the camp, and he hadn't seen her around before. "Um.....Hey...." I really gotta work on my people skills. He thought. "My name's Felix. What are you doing here?"
 
((OOC: Yes I did, it is awesome. I also just read your signature, I love it too! XD))

"I came here to help if needed, and to try and meet some of the people here." She said simply. "Nice to meet you Felix." She smiled a little. "How long have you been with this group?" She asked, figuring it would be good to know the experience accompanying the people she met.
 
Felix leaned against the wall, thinking. "I'm not sure, really. Some days seem to go by so fast, while others slow to a crawl. So many people have died, and so many attacks have happened....I've been here for about a month, possibly less. What about you?" Amey seemed nice enough, but still Felix felt a bit tense. He couldn't relax completely, especially while on guard. He tightened his grip on the gun when he heard the distant shrill scream of a nightmare, possibly a Phoenix. It was far away, but nightmares could hear exceptionally well. Felix lowered his voice. "Anyway, help is always welcome. After we're done checking the lab we'll start trying to find the cure. Do you know anything about viruses or medicine? I was studying medicine, but I never got to complete my course."
 
Amey nodded. "I've only been here about a week already." She said. The shrill of a nightmare caused her to stop talking for a moment, only until Felix asked her experience with viruses and medicine did she speak, but it was a quiet voice now. "A little, but not much. I don't know if it'll be any help with something this size."
 
Felix nodded as well. "Any knowledge at all would help." Then Felix stiffened, lifted his gun, and aimed down the sights. The Phoenix had seen the two and was headed their way. He pulled the trigger, and the Phoenix fell to the ground. His gun had a silencer on it so that the noise of the gun wouldn't attract any more nightmares.
 
"Okay." Amey said. When the Phoenix appeared, she tightened the grip on her gun, her knuckles white, but Felix had shot it. She still didn't relax. "I guess I could try and help." Her wolf padded out of the forest, and upon seeing the dead Phoenix, streaked over to Amey. Before he could speak, Amey just gave him a half-smile and he went off towards the camp. "I still need to ask his name..dangit." She muttered as an afterthought. She had forgotten she meant to do that.
 
Felix walked over to the Phoenix. He nudged it with the tip of his boot. It was dead, but how? These birds were supposedly immortal, but it seemed as if he had killed it with one shot. The bird was considerably smaller than the last Phoenix he had seen, and it didn't set itself on fire. He looked closer, and saw that it's blood was a bright pink. That was odd. Nightmare blood varied from a deep red to a cold blue, but never pink. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice the man walking up behind him. "Hello Felix." The voice made Felix jump, and he turned around. "Do you notice anything odd about this nightmare? It died as soon as I shot it, and look at it's blood. Why is it like that? Aren't these nightmares supposed to be bigger than cars? Why is it so small?" The man glanced at the bird's tattered body and his eyes showed a look of interest. "I don't know. Let's take it up to the lab. We found some working microscopes and everything. Looks like the lab is powered by it's own solar generator. Possibly this is a new variation of Phoenix, one that's not immortal."

Felix got up with the heavy red bird in hand. He held it by it's feet, keeping his fingers as far away from the pink blood as possible. He began walking towards the lab then, and he entered the building. The lab had electrical lighting in it, and somebody had found a way to turn them on. A woman stood at a counter in the middle of the lab and was looking into a microscope. She had gotten a slide out of a box labeled "Virus samples". Felix turned around as his assigned wolf entered the building. It looked all around the lab before snorting and exiting. What was that about? Felix thought, and walked over to an empty table. He put the bird on the table, and immediately the woman looked up. Her eyes hardened when she saw the bird, and she walked over to it.

"Smaller than usual, only a third as big as the average nightmare. The beak is not curved, and the feathers are less intense. I would say that this is either a sparrow or a crow that has been affected by the virus. It is dead, so it's not a Phoenix." Felix was surprised by the evaluation. "What about the color of the blood?" He asked. She walked around the table to look at the bullet wound. Her eyebrows shot up, and she hurried to get a slide. She was obviously exited about something. She came back with two pieces of glass, and held one underneath the still bleeding wound. A drop of blood landed on the slide, and she quickly put the other slide on top and ran to the microscope. She looked in, and stayed there for a few minutes. There was an air of importance around that bird.

"What is it?"
 
Amey followed Felix to the lab when he re-entered with the bird. As soon as they entered she was walking around, looking at everything and connecting things in her mind. When the woman rushed to grab a slide Amey walked over to the group of people and watched, wondering what she had missed when she was observing.
 
Felix noticed Amey standing behind him in the lab. He gave a little wave, and resumed watching the professor. Finally she got off of the microscope. She seemed exited, but also slightly disappointed. "In simpler terms, the blood seems to be a slightly watered-down version of the virus, weaker and less potent than the original. It seems to have trouble applying itself to the blood cells, as if the virus was already dying when it infected the nightmare." Felix ran his hands through his hair. "What does this mean, exactly?"

The woman looked at him with a glint in her eye. "It means that we're one step closer to figuring out how this virus really operates."
 
Amey nodded as Felix waved. When the woman spoke, she felt like the world slowed down. Dying? Closer to finding a cure? Wow... The world snapped back to real time and Amey moved her stare from the woman to the bird. Wow..
 
Felix felt a surge of hope when the woman said those words, but then he realized what this would mean. Something out there caused the virus to weaken, and someone would have to try to find it. Another group would be called, and the camp would be split up again. "We'll have to worry about this tomorrow. The sun's already going down, and we should go get some soup. Are you coming, professor?"

The woman shook her head. "No, I'll stay here. Perhaps whatever is killing the virus left a hint somewhere on the bird. A bite mark, a scratch, anything like that would leave some sort of trace. Perhaps the bird ate something infected." Felix shrugged and walked downhill to the camp, listening to the leaves rustle in the twilight gloom. Soup again. Soup's on the menu Monday - Sunday, 24/7. Felix thought with a hint of sarcasm. The camp reminded him of a time he went camping as a kid. He had returned home eaten alive by mosquitoes....Wait. A place like this should be alive with mosquitoes by now. Why aren't there any? He stopped at that thought, but then shrugged. Perhaps the mosquitoes all died off when the virus started.
 
Amey was lost in thought and hadn't realized most people had already left. She turned around and started out of the lab, looking around in the semi-darkness. So many memories..yet so many differences. She thought to herself, thinking of all the places she'd been to when she was little, and how different they were now. I wonder if they'll ever return.. She saw Felix up ahead and caught up, but didn't say anything.
 
Felix stepped into the line for soup, which was being handed out of the jeep. He winced when he saw it. The jeep was battered, bruised, and scratched. Large dents riddled the surface, and even larger claw marks scored their way down the sides. Felix knew that the jeep was just about out of gas, and that some of the tougher men would have to take a trip into town to find more oil. Felix shuddered upon thinking of all the human nightmares that lived in the cities.
 
Amey stood in line behind Felix, looking at the sky above and watching the stars, half-covered by clouds. Stars..the one thing that is unaffected by things here on Earth.. She felt a small push behind her and realized the line moved forward. She stepped up but continued her gaze.
 
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