Be "Prepared" [IC]

[Crowley]

Albatross​

Interactions: Will @Kade ​

​

The city had by all accounts transitioned into a grim, hellish landscape as Albatross maneuvered and blitzed through various streets and back alleys. Luckily the streets hadn't been entirely overrun as he'd perhaps missed the initial onslaught, shaving a half dozen miles from his trip to Will's house. "I'll be useless if I'm half-dead from exhaustion when I get there..." he thought sullenly as he could feel his muscles beginning to rebel against him.


The cogs of his brain finally shifting in a new direction, he scouted around the intersection which marked the halfway point to Will's place from Mania Defense Inc., a distance he'd covered in roughly twenty minutes. Vacant cars were few and far between, many having been plowed into by another or flipped over entirely. He was also not fond of being out in the open for an extended period of time but elected to crouch and proceed slowly.


The only car which seemed suitable for his task in this particular moment was what appeared to be a black 2002 Pontiac 'Firebird', a single crimson pinstripe trailing along from the headlights to the taillights along both sides of the car. Approaching it with caution, he checked in all directions before making a move to open the driver's side door, he was surprised to find it unlocked as he then moved to sit down. Reaching up to check the overhead visor for keys to no avail, he then checked the cup-holders and felt around under the seats, still coming up empty handed.


"Well...guess we're doing this old school." He thought as he meticulously began delving into the wiring hidden under the plastic panels, finding the wires responsible for ignition he proceeded to hot wire the car. Within minutes he had the engine revving and purring for him before shifting the car into gear and burying his right foot against the gas pedal.


Traffic had either stopped entirely or was rare at best as he blazed through streets and intersections, infrequently catching glimpses of innocent people being swarmed by those monsters. "Can't save everyone...I'm not a hero...not my job." He told himself as he continued on to Will's house, ignoring the one or two stragglers that managed to race to him with false hope for being rescued. He estimated the remaining trek to take him less than ten minutes to arrive at his destination with his current breakneck velocity.

"Stay alive...I have big plans...and you're part of them." Albatross grumbled the words as he raced down the nearly abandoned backstreets that lead into Evenwillow and Will's home. At this point he couldn't even read the road-signs or mailbox numbers, though he'd made a point to commit Will's exact place of residence to memory, he definitely didn't want the guy showing up at his house.

Up on the hill Albatross noticed the familiar, ancient tree which always alerted him to how close he was to Will's place, he liked using landmarks to remember things. Pulling up in front of Will's house, he kept his head on a swivel as he studied the neighborhood and it didn't take long for him to notice the few corrupted that were scattered throughout.

Casting his gaze down at his gloves which were built into the suit he was wearing, he traced his fingertips along the knuckles. "Carbon-fiber weave...might as well be brass knucks..." He mused as he felt a sudden twinge of excitement wash over him, the same feeling he always felt right before he stepped into the Cage.

Albatross slowly turned the car off, being mindful of the dangling wires near his knees as he opened his door and stepped out of the vehicle. Still cautious and remembering Will's warnings about the traps, he proceeded through the front yard to transition into the back.

The sight before him he found rather bewildering, apparently the talented engineer had rigged up a trap even 'Macgyver' would have been proud of, effectively creating a swinging death wall attached to a trip-line trigger. Judging by the residue on the spikes, freshly used as well. A few other corrupted creatures caught his eye as well, one mid-way into the backyard with it's skull-caved in, another appeared to have been shot in the head by some form of arrow. Lofting a brow curiously as he hadn't quite expected this, Albatross approached the shed which was nestled comfortably in the back of Will's yard.

It was then that Albatross saw it, a disheveled yet thoroughly determined corrupted clawing at the window of the shed. Only Will would lock himself in a spot with zero escape potential, especially considering his handicap. Lumbering over towards the creature as it peered inside the window, presumably at it's intended victim, Albatross was shocked at how it lacked any form of situational awareness as he quickly grappled it from behind.

Slipping his arms under the creature's, Albatross hugged it from behind and locked his hands behind it's head in a full-nelson position, dragging it backwards. Albatross was at least 6 inches taller than it, lifting it off the ground and then slamming it onto it's back. Raising his right combat boot high, he proceeded to cave in this rabid animal's face with it, he felt no guilt or shame. It was less than human and less than animal, he might have even argued a little less than alive at that. He didn't stomp once, rather he stomped until the bottom of his boot was coated in red goo and the creature stopped fidgeting.

Sighing and groaning as if having stepped in dog feces, he drug his boot along the grass to get the residue from it before turning his attention to the left shed door and knocking on it quite enthusiastically. "Will. I'm here." He stated loud enough that he was certain any occupants could hear from within the shed.​

 

[DangoYumi]

8:20pm, Will's shed, Evenwillow, North Tullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross (@Crowley)
She watched him as he replied, noticing the smile on his face. She smiled back quite mischievously, her eyes locked onto his face. 'Interesting...' she thought before she heard his voice again, making her look around the shed once more. There really was a huge selection of weapons in there, making it seem as if it was a weapon selection screen from a game. Hearing him speak of the mace made her eyes shift towards the window, spotting the weapon he spoke of. Her eyes lit up, her mischievous smirk turning into an excited grin. She was just about to move there to grab it but once she was close enough she noticed what he had said about the window. It was covered in slimy liquid from the creatures, dying it red. It weirdly had little to no smell, making her curious as to what they were made of. It seemed like blood but much more... well, thick. She stuck her tongue out in disgust, reaching out to pick up the mace. She dropped her bat on the floor nearby, looking at the new weapon in her hands. She was intrigued and interested by it, wanting to try it out right away.

She turned back around when she heard him again, but this time not being able to spot him. Remembering that he told her he needed to pee, she just shrugged and started feeling the mace in her hands. She was swinging it and posing with it, feeling excited about the weapon in her hands. Hearing him scream to her through the door made her laugh. "Well first off, you don't seem like an evil person, if you wanted to kill me you would've shot a bolt through my head long ago." she spoke, stretching her body and inspecting the mace. She imagined how it would feel swinging this mace towards one of the undead, crushing it's head in the process. "Besides, you're pretty cute so that's a plus." she continued, giggling to herself. She loved teasing people and she wanted to see this man's reaction to her words, watching him come out of the bathroom.

His response however, was something she did not expect. A zombie? Behind her? She quickly took the mace in her hands and turned around, ready to strike before seeing a pair of arms pulling it backwards. She tilted her head in confusion and peeked over the window, watching the other man step, no, stomp on the creature till it completely fell still. She watched in awe, her mouth hanging open. This man was skilled, way too skilled in combat. First Will with the weapons, and now another man who was good with hand in hand combat? She felt a sudden joy in her heart, making her feel like the luckiest lady in the world. With them by her side, she would be able to learn so many things, and they'd be able to survive through this mess. Her thoughts got brought back to reality when she heard the knocking and the man's voice. "Will, that's.... your friend?" she asked again, unable to believe that there were two skilled combatants with her.

 

[Kade]

Location: Will's workshed (Evenwillow)
Date: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020
Time: 8:25 pm
Mood: pleased as punch
Interacting With: Amber, Alby
Tags: @DangoYumi @Crowley










Will smiled, an actual, genuine smile as he watched the Corrupted disappear and then heard Alby's voice a moment later.

"Will, that's.... your friend?" Amber asked him.

"That's my future boyfriend," he replied. "Even if he doesn't know it yet."

Not that it was ever actually a possibility. Will might as well be in Perth, Australia, when it came to Alby ever having a thing for him. As in, the complete, farthest opposite side of the globe from where they were now. Still, Amber had said he was cute, and Will wanted to stomp any of that nonsense down with steeled boots as quickly and efficiently and permanently as possible. And then bury it. Like sixty-seven feet deep. And then pour concrete over the top of it just to be sure it couldn't come back from the dead. Pun intended (because his brain was so clever like that).

Not that he was against dating girls entirely, but Amber was denser than the morning fog in Maine rolling in off the ocean, and he wanted none of that. He would have to lecture her later about how the brains of serial killers worked. And by 'lecture' he meant tell her in graphic detail just exactly what charming, good looking, nice guys liked to do to naively trusting girls like her. Maybe he'd tell her the story of H.H. Holmes. That'd probably give her nightmares for a few days.

But, that could all come later. Right now he had more important matters to deal with.

"Alby!" he greeted excitedly as he threw open the door. He looked at the suit his buddy was wearing, taking in the way it formed to his muscled body rather nicely. "Niiiiice digs," he commented appreciatively, his smile never leaving his face. "I can't believe you actually came. If I were you I would've left my lame ass behind. Saving people is what gets other people killed in, like, every horror flick ever. But that's why I love you, Al. I knew you wouldn't let me down. Just so you know, if I wasn't half broken, I would've absolutely jumped into your arms just now. I am legitimately that thrilled to see you. Feel flattered."

He patted Al's armored arm, probably touching it a little too long than was probably comfortable for the normally subdued man...probably a little too long to be comfortable for any straight man, but since when did Will ever really care about that? Besides, he was admiring the suit, not the guy. Mostly. Until he saw movement in the grass off to the side.

"Oh, jesus christ, is that thing still alive?" he huffed at the creature he'd captured. It wasn't moving much anymore, but still, it really should've been dead by now. Flustered, he brushed past Al and gimped over to where the zombie--Corrupted--was groaning almost pathetically. Will kept his distance, but reached one of his crutches out to poke at the creature. It growled and grabbed for the crutch, but its movements were sluggish and weak. So was the bleeding wound. Biology wasn't Will's area of expertise, but man, what he wouldn't give to see what was inside this thing, making it tick. Maybe...."Hey, Al! When we leave, can we take this thing with us?"

 

[DangoYumi]

8:30pm, Will's shed, Evenwillow, North Tullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross (@Crowley)
Amber could only laugh, watching this guy fawn over the other man. From what he said, this other guy's name seemed to be 'Alby', or maybe that was his nickname. Anyways, she watched Will changing from sarcastic arse to wonderful fluffy friend. It was obvious what was going on, and she could only laugh. She took a moment to wish him luck in her heart, before going back to laughing when she saw what Will was doing to Alby. She decided to let everything subside at least a little before she introduced herself, but got interrupted by the slight sound of movement. She turned around about the same time Will did, watching the thing wriggle in the trap. She could not believe that it was still alive, her eyes looking at it curiously. It really seemed as if it would never die, unless it's head was somehow broken or crushed. She was curious, but she was much more curious as to what caused this outbreak, and who was behind all this. She was also very interested at the girl who was shown at the tv, her words burned into her mind. 'Prepared.... I wonder what she meant....' she thought to herself, putting her hand on her chin. She was called back to reality when she heard Will talk about leaving. 'Wait wait wait what did he mean by 'us'? Was he excluding me?' she asked herself, nervousness climbing up her spine. She hoped that they hadn't forget about her, making her a little antsy.

It wasn't long before she decided that she would tag along, whether they liked it or not. She had to find out what was going on, and she would need help. "Uhm..." she started, hoping Will and Alby would listen to her. "I am Amberlynn. Call me Amber. Will allowed me to come in and well, I hope you guys can help me figure out what's going on." she explained briefly, her mind still filled with thoughts about the creatures. Without her noticing, her fists had been gripping onto the mace tightly, her face painted with an expression of obvious worry. She never really had friends yes, but she had a few people and animals (mostly animals) that she liked to interact with and she really could not imagine what she would do if something happened to them. Not only that, she was also worried about how she could really survive if Will and Alby here decided that she wasn't useful enough. Her previous hour of running really hasn't felt good for her, and she would do anything to not experience that again. Having someone with her would really make her feel less nervous, and it would also make for good company. "So if you don't mind... I was hoping.. I could follow you guys to where you guys were planning to go?" she asked cautiously, squeezing her words out of her throat.

 

[Crowley]

Albatross
Interactions: Amber @DangoYumi Will @Kade
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Albatross was relieved nothing of major consequence had happened to Will, as he sounded normal, though he often prayed Will might stop touching him one day. He was already grinding his teeth through stiffened lips as Will petted his armor and rambled endlessly about what he could only presume were flirtations and compliments. Albatross offered only a solemn, thousand yard stare as he resolved to remain calm until his associate was finished.​

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It didn't take long for Albatross to notice the young woman still residing in the shed and brandishing the mace he'd crafted for Will as a gift. She was very short of stature, being nearly a foot shorter than himself and he had to have close to a hundred pounds on her. Though the feature that caught his attention the most was her multi-colored hair, half being black and the other a pure white. ​

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This interesting developed was ripped from his focus as Will sent another spasm of agitation through his brain, exclaiming about how one of the creatures was still 'alive'. Then Will used "The Tone", it was a bit whiny and insistent, a very pleading one that Albatross was convinced Will didn't even know he used when he wanted Albatross to pander to or comply with a request, which always failed. "No. I didn't travel all this way for a science project." He stated with a gruff and mild agitation.​

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There had to be hundreds of thousands of those things writhing and clawing their way through the city, right now Albatross needed to get Will to safety, then they could focus on scientific inquiries. Finally hearing the girl speak or rather Amber as she'd been so kind as to offer her name, Albatross returned his gaze to her. Her voice was soft and possessed a certain uncanny innocence that didn't feel forced, though he wasn't sure of her talents yet, provided she had any at all.​

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Still staring at her, Albatross spoke loud enough to interrupt Will and make his point. "I'm Albatross. if Amber ever grows tiresome you could try 'Salt & Pepper' as a nickname. Will grab what you need, we're going back to Mania Defense Inc." From the moment Albatross heard the news, he had a plan of sorts as though something in his brain triggered. He knew that Mania Defense Inc' was built at the crest of a hill, meaning a strategic positioning. He knew that it's foundations were able to withstand up to an '8.5' on the Richter scale, that each of the three main buildings on the property were surrounded by twelve feet high reinforced steel fencing with barbs at the top. All of which was welded and cemented into a steel-base to prevent it being torn asunder by virtually anything, adding to that each of the three buildings on site possessed a bunker capable of withstanding a nuclear blast. Additionally each structure was stocked with enough non-perishables that a small group could survive for well over a year with no supplies.​

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The question was: Why did Albatross suddenly know all this? Shaking himself from the daze he'd entered into for a brief moment, he beckoned them both towards the front lawn, guiding them to the 'borrowed car' and hopefully to a hasty retreat.​

 

[DangoYumi]

8:38pm, Will's shed, Evenwillow, NorthTullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross(@Crowley)
Amber had been hoping that this man would also be interesting, and he didn't disappoint her. Salt and Pepper? That's probably the best nickname she ever had someone give her ever since her hair color changed. She couldn't help herself but laugh, watching the guy speak again. She then looked at the two preparing to leave, noticing that they were already clear of where they wanted to be. She only had her backpack and nothing else, except for the newly acquired weapon she got from Will. She held onto it and was ready to move out but felt a weird pain behind her right ear. It felt like something was stabbing her and piercing through, making her wince and reach towards it. She didn't feel any bumps or scratches, but the pain was real and giving her a headache. She quickly put down her backpack and scrambled to find something, taking out a pocket sized mirror. She used one hand to pull her hair away and another to angle it to the back of her ear. After finally finding the right angle, she noticed the diamond that has appeared right at the spot where the pain had been stabbing her. A simple diamond, nothing more. She tried scratching it and rubbing it off but to no avail. The pain slowly faded and turned into an impossible itch, making her even more irritated than before. She could only keep quiet and bite her lip, trying to resist the itch as scratching it didn't seem to help.

 

[Kade]

Location: Will's workshed and house (Evenwillow)
Date: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020
Time: 8:38 - 8:50ish pm
Mood: excited, focused, then kinda actually concerned
Interacting With: Amber, Alby, Corrupted
Tags: @DangoYumi @Crowley










Will scrunched his nose up as Al shot him down on carting the Corrupted along, and then even more at the cutesy nickname thing between him and Amber. So typical of him, just like whatever he had going on with that little blind girl of his that tagged along sometimes. She was probably zombie food by now.

He winced at the thought. Ouch. Feelings. It wasn't for her though. Will hardly knew the girl, but Alby liked her a lot, and Al didn't have too many friends. The guy would be heartbroken if 'his Roxy' didn't make it out of this okay. Will made a mental note not to be an asshole about it if the subject got brought up. He could be sensitive guy. If he tried hard enough.

Sighing at the thought, he turned his focus towards other matters like what, exactly, he would bring along with him, and decided he'd better take a look at whatever escape vehicle Al had arrived in so he'd know how much room they had to pack shit. There had to be a car if they were going to Mania. Al would know that Will couldn't possibly walk that far, and as delightful as it would be, the guy wasn't going to carry him. Besides, how else would he have gotten to Will's house so quickly unless he had a car or had already been in the area for some reason? Al usually showed up in like a cab or an Uber when he came to drop off deliveries, or just plain walked if whatever he had wasn't too heavy, but Will doubted that to be the case this time. No sane driver would just be sitting out there waiting in a parked car for his passenger to return in the middle of an apocalypse. So, logic dictated that Al had commandeered a vehicle of some form. For Will. It was so touching it was almost painful.

Even more so when Will turned the corner of his house and saw what was parked in the drive.

"Oh my god, Al! You stole a sports car for me! Holy shit, this is the best day of my life! I gotta go pack. Oh my god. Coolest thing ever!"

He continued to babble excitedly as he quickly gimped back towards the shed, looking down at the dying Corrupted. "Sorry, buddy. If I'd known it was a car like that I wouldn't have even asked to bring you along. No zombie blood mucking up my sports car." He then glanced up at Amber, who was standing there rubbing at her neck. For a panicked second he thought maybe something had bitten her after all, but then realized there was no blood or anything, so it was probably a mosquito. They weren't out too much this time of year due to the cold, but in their area of the world they never quite disappeared entirely. He just hoped they couldn't carry whatever it was that these zombie things had. If so, they were all pretty much fucked. No one could avoid mosquitos forever.

"Hey, Murder Bait," he called out (see? he could make up cute nicknames too!), "Help me grab some stuff, would ya? Al got us a kickass car, but there's not a ton of trunk space, so just the smaller weapons. Anything on the workbench there is a go. I'll add some shit to the pile."

He went to the walls and pulled down the other bolas to toss onto the bench. There was already the pistol crossbow he'd used earlier, and a full-sized one he didn't use as often because it was hard for him to notch the bolts in that one unless he was sitting down. Still, Al could probably use it just fine. He had a regular bow and arrow set, just a simple thing modeled after the Inuit design, but it would serve its purpose. There was also a small battle axe, a spiked flail, and his favorite little katar daggers. He'd have to be pretty up close and personal to a zombie in order to use the little punch blades, but still, a weapon was a weapon and it would fit in the car, so he set those on the workbench as well.

He looked around for a second, making sure he got everything that was practical to get (he wanted the javelins and long swords, but really, they were more for show than anything else and totally not practical. Goodbye barbarian swords. I'll miss you. One thing he absolutely did need was in the house though.

"Fuck. I'll meet you at the car, okay?" he informed Amber, and left her to play pack mule all on her own. She could always ask her new best friend to help her out if she needed it.

Making his way down the path to his back door, he slipped inside and headed straight through towards the front door. There was a ready-to-go pack in the front hall closet, sort of like the bags people kept handy for whenever their pregnant spouses went into labor. There was a simple change of clothes inside, some toiletries, and (most importantly) the bottles that contained all his prescription meds (and his weed - yes, the legal kind). He was about to head right out with the bag in tow, but stopped to wonder about the very real probability that he wouldn't be able to refill said prescriptions. He always kept several of them sorted into daily containers kept both in his bathroom and the kitchen, and a few emergency pain meds stashed in his bedside table. It'd be best to grab them all, keep that shit lasting as long as possible.

Turning towards his room first, he chucked his bag on the bed as he pulled open the drawer, grabbing up the few color-coded containers he had inside.

"Al, do me a favor and get the pill sorters from the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, would ya?" he said when he heard someone moving in the hall behind him. Except when he turned around to glance at the doorway he wasn't looking at Al at all.

Fucking rookie move, dumbass, he thought to himself. What was he thinking? Going in the house by himself in the dark and leaving the back door open. Classic zombie movie setup. And he hadn't even brought a weapon with him.

"AL!" he yelled as loud as he could, hoping the guy could hear him. His house wasn't very big, but still, his bedroom was near the back of the house and last he'd checked, Al was still in the driveway. Having no more time to ponder over it though, he grabbed at the lamp on his nightstand and threw it as hard as he could at the Corrupted, knowing it wouldn't do anything but using it as a distraction so he could drop to the ground and roll underneath his bed. It was a King bed with space on either side of it, so at least Will had one thing going for him -- he could just keep scooting from one side to the other if the zombie tried to reach under for him. As long as it didn't think to pick up the whole goddamn mattress, he'd be okay. For a little while at least.

"ALBY!" he tried again, knowing he was even more muffled underneath the bed, but hey, quitters were losers, right? And Will had decided a long ass time ago when he'd first lost the full use of his legs that he was not going to be a loser.

 

[Crowley]

Albatross
Interactions: @Kade @DangoYumi ​

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Albatross managed to weather the torrential flurry of excitement that Will had become upon realizing he'd stolen a sports car to effectively rescue him in style. Shifting his attention to 'Salt & Pepper', Albatross offered to take her backpack as he motioned for her to stay near him. Despite how effortlessly he'd handled the corrupted earlier, he wasn't interested in being caught off-guard, his head still on a swivel as he studied the neighborhood.​

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"We're going to need to leave soon. Before too many notice us." He spoke aloud though didn't specify whether he was speaking directly to Amber or if just thinking out loud. Having perched himself directly outside of the shed so that Amber could retrieve what Will had specified for her, he dutifully made sure she wouldn't receive any surprises.​

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It was taking Will far too long to grab his medicine and necessaries and Albatross was growing concerned, though his facial expression remained as stark and blank as usual. Very much like a duck on a pond, while he seemed perfectly peaceful externally, on the inside there was chaos and turmoil brewing.​

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"AL!" Will's exclamation of his name could only mean he'd either fallen and couldn't get up...or something far more sinister as Albatross turned to Amber. "Listen. Carefully. Grab what you have. Close the shed door. I'm going in the house, I'm closing the door behind me. Put your back to it so nothing can sneak up on you." Though he spoke in a commanding tone, his words were meant to be concise and succinct so that she might not make a mistake and would be safe from harm in his absence. ​

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Lurching forward and away from the shed, he lumbered with a speed that belied his impressive size, being able to shift his weight to gain momentum up the back porch and into Will's house. "ALBY!" The words echoed on the walls of Will's place, reverberating a bit as he ominously surged further inwards. ​

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Following the trail of bags and knocked over items that didn't make the cut for survival, he found his way to the bedroom in which Will had, for the second time, pinned himself in a box with zero escape chance. The darkness behind Albatross' eyes was growing ever deeper in the wake of this apocalypse, after he'd worked so hard to lock it away.​

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The creature had it's back to Albatross as it was focused with a single-minded purpose of infecting or harming Will as it didn't even notice his arrival. Will appeared to be a frightened animal, in a game of cat and mouse and stuck in a stalemate until another creature might show up to end the game in one way or another.​

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Albatross threw himself at the corrupted from behind, grabbing it by it's neck and hurling it backwards into the drywall of the bedroom, nearly throwing it through the wall itself. Leaving it lying in a crater of drywall, Albatross quickly snatched the beast from it's position, despite it's flailing and ferocious roaring. Sliding it into a headlock with it's face staring at the ground as he wrapped his right arm around it's neck, Albatross made certain to hold it's left arm with his own to prevent retaliation.​

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The corrupted's right arm floundered but due to the particular submission lock Albatross had applied, all it could do was scratch at the armor of his lower torso before Albatross pulled slightly against it's neck to apply tension and with a sudden jerk upwards, broke it's neck. Allowing the creature to fall upon itself and twitch before he finally curb-stomped it's face into human-monster lasagna.​

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A silence fell over the room after that for at least a minute as Albatross dared not turn around to let Will see him in this state. "That's twice...get what you need and let's go. NOW!" He didn't mean to yell, it was the rage, the darkness that he couldn't contain. It was years of self-pity and guilt that manifested in violence. At least this time...he could aim it.​

 

[Kade]

Location: Will's house (Evenwillow)
Date: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020
Time: 9ish pm
Mood: grumpy, angsty
Interacting With: Alby
Tags: @Crowley

"Twice?" Will spouted out, exasperated as he dragged himself the rest of the way out from under the bed. "Oh-ho, no, friend. I handled everything else just fine until you got here, thank you very much, Mr. Hulk Smash Everything. The one you dragged away from the window was going for Murder Bait. I was nowhere near it. You know I know how to work my weapons better than half those idiot reenactment assholes."

He cut himself off as he flipped himself over from his stomach up into a sitting position and chucked his crutches up onto the bed. "I would've been just fine on my own for another--" he grunted as he turned his body sideways, parallel to the bed, and used it to push himself up enough to get his fucked up legs partly underneath himself. God, this was a bad angle, but he wasn't about to ask Al for help, not after that display of attitude. Stubbornly, he continued to grip at the blankets, using them to awkwardly drag himself up onto the bed until he was sitting upright like a decent human being (albeit panting slightly at the effort). "--another hour. At least. I had it...I had it under control."

He wiped his hand across the sweat that was suddenly beading along his brow, trying to ignore the way his fingers trembled slightly. He wasn't afraid. He was just amped up on too much adrenaline, and he'd been doing far too much twisting and leaning down and walking around without his crutches, and the dive-and-roll under the bed hadn't helped, and scrambling back up onto the bed hadn't done much for him either. The little spine gnomes that liked to wield pickaxes at his lower vertebrae were alive and kicking now, and it wouldn't be long before they called in all their friends for a drunken shindig all over his nerves.

"Shit," he hissed, reaching for the very meds he had come in there to get and popping a few of them into his mouth, swallowing them dry. "Shit," he whispered again under his breath.

How was he going to do this? Proud as he was about his handi-capableness, even he couldn't lie to himself about the actual severity of his situation. He was a cripple. Trying to survive in the zombiepocalypse. He was going to get caught. Sooner or later he was going to get caught. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.

 

[DangoYumi]

9:10pm, Will's shed, Evenwillow, NorthTullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross(@Crowley)

Amber stayed silent for the next few moments, watching Will flail over the sports car and Alby completely reactionless to the event. She looked up at Alby when he asked to help and shook her head, forcing a smile. The itch was only getting worse, making her body twitch. 'Well to be completely honest I'd prefer the pain....' she thought to herself, reaching towards the back of her ear to scratch it again. She stopped when she heard Will call out a name that seemed to be referring to her, making her roll her eyes. "Pffft Murder Bait, couldn't you have come up with a better name?" she replied with a slightly displeased tone, even though it wasn't directed at Will. The itch was really making her fingers and toes curl, causing her to lose focus from what was happening. Even so, she focused on the current mission. She made sure to listen to each and every word the men said, making sure to move accordingly as quick as she could. She took the weapons just like Will instructed, taking as much as she could in her arms to put in the vehicle. But just when she was about to walk out with them, a loud voice startled her, causing her to drop the weapons on the ground.

"AL!"

It was Will, his voice from what seemed like his house that was near the shed. A sense of panic struck her, her eyes widened as she stared at Alby. She wasn't disappointed when he spoke, nodding in agreement to his statement. Although she can't handle stressful situations, she could at least follow orders and try her best to not mess things up. She grabbed all the things she had as Alby sprinted away, doing as she was told and closing the shed door. She put her back to it and quickly readied her mace, looking around to make sure there weren't any creatures coming for them. "ALBY!" Another shout from Will, ringing loud in her ears as she guarded the area. It seemed that the screams got some interesting guests, when she noticed three of them dragging their feet towards her. She lifted her back up from the shed door, getting ready to fight but making sure she was still close enough to guard the door. When they were close enough she swung the mace, hitting their chests and causing them to tumble to the right. They crawled back up with blood gushing out of their chests, growling and staring her down with lifeless eyes. She prayed for the men's safety and quickly swung again at one of them, crushing it's head. Blood splattered all around her, some of it getting on her clothes. She turned and tried swinging at the other two but failed when they dodged. The itch behind her ear promptly got worse at that very moment, making it even harder for her to focus. "Fuck." she spoke, biting her lip and swinging again, hitting them at the side and making them fall once again. She looked over at the direction of where Alby went, hoping the other two were safe, the two undead visitors crawling back onto their feet. "My god just DIE ALREADY!!" she screamed, getting impatient and irritated from the itch and the annoying undead.

 

[Crowley]

Albatross
Location: Will's Bedroom/House
Interactions: Will @Kade Amber @DangoYumi

​

Albatross heaved with labored breaths for a few seconds as he slowly beat back the darkness in his heart, being able to think more clearly as he realized his mistake. With a slow cadence, he spun about to pace over to the bed, exhaling slowly and placing his palms flatly upon his knees as he sat down beside Will, saying at first only two words. "I know."​

​

He knew they didn't have much time, but Albatross remembered his father and the way he looked before he died. It wasn't the sickness or the weakness that truly killed him, it was the loss of something more precious. Survival means nothing without that one sacred aspect of life, it was cruel of Albatross to forget it. 'Dignity'. Will knew of his short-comings and didn't need Albatross emphasizing them.​

​

"I know you would have been fine without me. I know. You would have thought of something. You're smarter than I've ever thought about being." Albatross spoke in a somber tone as though he were the one handicapped, a sorrowful feeling resonated in his voice. He didn't look over at Will, he didn't need to, Albatross simply wanted him to understand. "You didn't need me. I need you."​

​

Clenching his fists so tightly he thought his palms might bleed, Albatross stared down at them and nodded, he understood the reality of it all. "Will...all I can do, is break everything I touch. It's why I became a blacksmith...you though, you create. You're a far more useful man than I. You have weak legs and a soft spine...so I will be those things for you." Shifting his head over to face Will, Albatross slowly lifted up from the bed, snagging Will's crutches and positioning them upright and parallel to one another before offering him a hand to help him stand.​

​

"My god just DIE ALREADY!!" Amber's scream pierced the entire home and for what Albatross was certain, the entire neighborhood. Looking back to Will from the distraction, he nodded again as if to imply he needed to go as he turned and headed out the bedroom door.​

​

 

[Kade]

Location: Will's house (Evenwillow)
Date: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020
Time: 9:10 pm
Interacting With: Alby, Amber (sort of)
Tags: @Crowley @DangoYumi










Will grabbed the offered hand, silent for once as he attempted to wrap his head around what Al was saying to him. Al. Was having, like, a real heart-to-heart with him. And it was kind of blowing his mind because Al hardly ever said two words to him on a normal day that wasn't work related or something along the line of, "Please, god, leave me alone," in so many Al-type phrases. This, though, this was some deep shit, and it was kind of making his heart sting a little.

And then Amber had to go and ruin it.

"Goddammit, Murder Bait!" Will shouted, sliding his arms through the brackets in his crutches and gimping over to the door so he could let his voice carry down the hall. "I hope you know you just ruined the gayest moment I have ever had with this man!"

He turned back and moved out of the way so Alby could get through. "Go. Do your thing. Save the damsel in distress."

It was probably for the best anyway. Almost a relief, actually. His brain was too confused to have a real reply handy to what Al was saying. Plus, it was all emotional and Will didn't know how to do emotional. Snark fit him much more comfortably.

"I'll be right behind you. I still have to get my meds from the bathroom and the kitchen, so don't let any more of those things get inside on your way out, okay?"

He thought for a brief moment that maybe he should say thank you. Or something. But he didn't. He just turned abruptly to head towards the bathroom. They could have touchy-feely talk time later once everything was calmed down. Or maybe never again. This was all too weird for him. Too. fucking. weird.

 

[DangoYumi]

9:16pm, Will's shed, Evenwillow, NorthTullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross(@Crowley)
Amber had been swinging left and right, realizing the scream wasn't really a good idea. Stressful situations always made her feel at her worse, and right now her temper is boiling. She swallowed as more corrupted crawled and walked towards her, her breathing quite heavy. She bit her lip and kept quiet, not responding to Will's statement about 'the gayest moment' they were having. Instead, she focused on attacking, moving left and right to dodge them and swinging her mace at them. Suddenly, the itch on her mark started to sting once again, stabbing into the back of her ear. Her vision started to blur out but she quickly shook her head, trying to ignore the feeling and focus. It felt like a needle was stabbing into her skin, the pain so bad that it caused her to have a headache. 'When I said I'd prefer the pain I didn't mean right now.' she thought to herself as if she was trying to communicate with the pain. The pain felt different from any other pain, it felt as if something was waking up inside her and the stinging pain was like a heartbeat.

Thump. Thump. The area continued to throb, a rhythm that was in sync with her heartbeat, but felt like a completely different source of energy. She took a deep breath and decided that she couldn't handle it anymore, her switch inside her flipped. Her temper was at the max and she gripped at her mace, her eyes staring the creatures down. 'Alright. If you want a fight, then I'll give you a fight.' she thought, a smirk crawling on her face. She begun to swing her mace, her actions strong and swift. She crushed the corrupted one by one, knocking them down and crushing their heads after. She was doing well even though the pain was distracting, and soon the corrupted that was in front of her all fell still on the ground, blood splattering everywhere. She was panting hard, her face pale and clammy. The throbbing pain continued to beat as she reached her hand out, pressing on it to try and stop it. She felt her vision blur out once more and she fell on her knees, breathing heavily with her hand right on her tattoo. Just when she was at her knees trying to catch her breath, one of the corrupted that was on the floor started crawling towards her, and she did not notice what was happening behind her.

 

[Sinopa]

Arima Mania
November 17, 2020
7:42pm EST​

---

The sound of the door opening didn't faze Arima, she hardly noticed it, but the arms that embraced her shook her to her core, she wasn't expecting the touch of another living being. However, the grip was preventing her from the task she had given herself, which was to clean her parents of the disturbing, messy state they were presently in. She pushed and struggled against the person, whom she had yet to recognize, but her strength was sapped for some reason. She fought a little longer before finally giving up.

Her emerald gaze found its way up to her captor.
"Ch… Charlotte?" Her small voice called out in confusion. Her best friend would have been the first person that came to mind, but her current mental state was in disarray, she felt as if she was the only living thing in the world.
"Please… I need to clean them…" She tried to pull away again. "They wouldn't want to wake up like this! They hate to be dirty!" The lingering thought that they weren't coming back tried to make its way to the front of her head, but chaos persisted, common sense was not coming through.

"Th-they're g-going to be m-mad!" Arima spurted in small hiccups, having no idea what to do. She just couldn't accept that they were gone. It was actually dizzying and exhausting. She felt so weak, as if all the life and energy within her were leaving her body. It was all too much for her, and there was so much blood. It surrounded her on the ground, the liquid covered her skin, it's taste lingered on her tongue, it's strong scent filled the air, and it stung her eyes. She hated it. She hated it so much!

"P-please… I-i don't k-know what to d-do..."[/hr]

 

[Crowley]

Allistair
Interactions: @DangoYumi
​

​

The memories of his father had triggered a deep-seated emotional response that even Albatross couldn't have predicted as he left Will to grab the final necessities from his home. He was generally adept at compartmentalizing his feelings so that he could be productive and less manipulated by his own weaknesses. Only one person had ever gotten through all those walls and really understood him and he wasn't even sure if she was still alive, but he would investigate that later.​

​

Bolting out of the backdoor to Will's home with such force that the door bounced off the wall and slammed itself shut, vaulting himself over the several feet high porch and landing on the ground a bit shakily. Quickly scanning the yard he quickly absorbed the scene of several corrupted with virtually missing heads and the sight of Amber on her knees, resting as if in pain. Though it was movement that caught his eye the most, movement directly behind Amber.​

​

'Not close enough to warn her...she's distracted.' He thought as he pivoted from his standing position and sprinted toward Amber with all the strength in his legs, his long stride cutting the distance between them shortly as his boots made thunderous impact on the ground with each step. He wouldn't have time to stop the corrupted from grasping her if he went for it but he had another option.​

​

Albatross entirely ignored the mace between Amber's hands as he lunged through the air, launching himself from the ground to wrap his form around her own and force her to roll along with him. Effectively putting space between their bodies and the crawling monster behind them, stopping only to scan her back and limbs for wounds before then curb-stomping the last creature still moving in the yard.​

​

"Will is grabbing his things. Let's get you into the car. He'll probably meet us out front." Offering her his hand, he attempted to assist her in the trek across the backyard and to the driveway to be situated in the car. They could wait for Will here, as Albatross leaned in and hot-wired the car again, proceeding to lock the doors this time. ​

 

[Kade]

Location: Will's house (Evenwillow)
Date: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020
Time: 9:20 pm
Interacting With: Alby, Amber
Tags: @Crowley @DangoYumi









Will moved quickly to gather up the rest of his meds, cursing lightly under his breath as the nerves in his spine fired off their little warning bells here and there. Of all the goddamn times...

Trying not to think about it too much, he slipped his pack carefully over his shoulders and headed for the front door, then cursed all over again as he remembered the one other important thing he forgot to grab. Rolling his eyes, he spun back towards the back door, checked carefully to make sure there weren't any creepers in the yard, and headed to the shed. Good, Amber and Al had gotten all the weapons. All he had to get now was his little CB radio. He was not going to lose contact with his dad if cell service went down.

Shoving it down into his bag, he set out again towards the front yard, taking one more minute to check just one more thing.

The Corrupted. The one he'd managed to trap. He shuffled over to it, seeing it laying very still. Staying back a little ways, he nudged it with his crutch again. Nothing. It didn't even twitch. Feeling a little brave, Will scooted down to its legs and tugged at his bolas a little bit. The thing remained still as death. With a shrug, he carefully unwound his weapon and yanked it off the zombie's legs. If it wasn't dead, it was so close to it that it was no longer dangerous. Good to know. They definitely could be incapacitated without going for the head. It just took a long ass fucking time.

Grinning about that, he worked his way around the house to the car, stumbling a little as his back twinged again and prevented one of his legs from stepping forward properly.

"Move, fucker," he hissed at his own body, righting himself and continuing on his way as though nothing had happened. When he got to the door he tugged on the handle only to find it locked, then simply tugged on it a few more times until he heard it click open for him. He tossed the bolas and his crutches in first, leaning on the car for balance as he slid has pack off his back and checked that in too, finally allowing himself to drop into the seat.

"Zombie's dead," he huffed out a breath as he slammed the door. He winced as he got himself better situated in the seat, leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes, focusing on slowing his breaths. Too amped up, he told himself again. Sometimes his pains were more a neurological thing than anything else. If he could just calm down a little, he'd probably be okay. Count backwards from ten, relax his muscles one at a time, all that jazz. He'd make it work. He had to. Anything else would just make him an inconvenience, and that was one thing he adamantly refused to be.

 

[DangoYumi]

9:20pm, Will's shed, Evenwillow, NorthTullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross(@Crowley)
Amber was shaking, the pain stabbing into her head. It was getting worse by the minute, and she really needed somewhere to rest, where she could feel completely safe. She swallowed and tried to lift her head up, but couldn't do anything due to the massive pain. She heard footsteps that were loud and quick, making her heart jump. Thinking that it was a different kind of corrupted, she bit her lip and braced for the pain, ready to let herself die, but got surprised when someone's arms caught her and rolled with her. She looked up, seeing Alby checking her for wounds. She looked back to where she originally stood and noticed the corrupted trying to get her. She then understood that Alby saved her, watching him stand up and offer his hand. She teared up a little from the act, shaking it off and grabbing onto the hand. "T-Thank you..." she muttered, still panting from the pain. 'I shouldn't let them worry about this.' she thought, readjusting her hair a little to make sure it hid the tattoo. She did not know what was happening and whether they experienced the same thing, but all she knew is that it's not the time for her to be weak. She was determined to survive with them, since they technically were the only people she had left. She nodded and followed Alby to the car, opening the door and stepping in. She sat in the car while watching Alby hot-wire it, making sure to watch out for the corrupted for him. When Alby entered, she heaved a sigh of relief, leaning back onto the seat. All they had to do now was wait for Will to arrive.

As expected, Will arrived after a few minutes, his items in his hands. He pulled on the door handle a few times before it was unlocked and he tossed them in before getting in the car himself. She looked over at him and checked him, making sure he was okay. He didn't look that good, in fact he looked way more stressed than before. "You alright?" she asked, ignoring the statement he made about the corrupted. She was more worried about Will than anything else as he seemed really unwell. Even though she didn't want to bother him, she was still really worried and wanted to try to see if there's anything she could do to make him feel better.

 

[RaccoonKing]

@Sinopa

Charlotte had refused to even loosen her grip upon Arima when she struggled against her to get free. It hurt, emotionally, to see the state of her free and it was just furthered by the fact from her position she could see the lifeless corpses of her Arima's parents. The leaders of Mania Inc were lifeless on the floor, covered in blood as if it was their very skin. She breathed in deeply, ignoring the coppery scent to the air as she found herself screwing her eyes shut in defiance, unable to look at the two people she had seen almost daily for years now.

When she heard the faint, broken tone of her friend she tried to force on a smile despite the fat tears running down her cheeks. She couldn't discard of the images she saw while making her way here, the sight of the bodies in front of her and even more so, she couldn't discard the fear for her father... A part of her refused to accept he was among the bodies despite the fact he was here for work today and she knew it. The tears continued as she cleared her throat, nodding subtly. "It's me, A-Arima..." She made out in a choked voice.

Arima continued and she felt further guilt and pain settle as if a weight on her chest. Breathing was slowly becoming something she was consciously doing as she tried to keep her breathing calm...not wanting to have a panic attack of any kind here of all places, in front of Arima. Arima needed her more... Charlotte shook her head gently as she hugged the girl tighter to her, biting her lip. "A-Ari...You need to stop."Was her quite whisper, releasing Arima only to gather herself to her feet as she pulled Arima up with her. "They are dead..." It hurt to say.

Without saying another word, Charlotte pulled Arima along and gently pushed her into the cushions of the couch. "You...Just stay here...okay?" Once Arima was sat, Charlotte looked around desperately, teeth burying itself further within her lower lip before she headed over to the closet where she knew blankets were kept. Grabbing two she hurried moved over to the bodies, making sure not to face them as she unfolded them before she threw them blindly over them, only turning when they were covered to adjust them. "O-okay..." She muttered to herself before looking over to Arima who was covered with blood.

Trembling, Charlotte got to her feet once more as she moved over to the bathroom to grab some wash cloths and a bowl which she quickly filled up with warm water before moving to place them next to Arima. "One second." Dropping her backpack also by Arima, she hurried over to the fridge to get some water from one of the higher shelves, ultimately causing her to stretch to reach its height. Having retrieved the liquid she hurried over to Arima and passed her the bottle. "I t-think you should drink that...Slowly! Yeah...I think...I-Im not to sure ..." She rambled, her actions quite frantic as she looked around again, eventually taking a seat next to Arima.

Passing the bowl and cloth over to Arima she eventually swallowed and calmed herself to speak as she watched her friend. "A-arima...I think...we need to get out of here..." She mumbled, though her words were once again becoming a sob. "T-there are these zombie things outside and everyone is getting turned! There are these red orb things to...W-we need to find somewhere safe... An adult maybe? They might know whats going on..." Charlotte was still desperately trying to keep herself together but she needed to break sometime...Probably soon. "E-everyone in this building is dead...there is so much blood..." After a pause. "W-we need to go..."​

 

[Apollyon]

Day One​

Major Goal: Get to safety
Minor Goal: Learn about your manipulation
Manipulation Restrictions: Extremely weak; uses a lot of energy
Surprises: All of the Prepared have some kind of mark somewhere
on their body hinting to their manipulation
Date: Tuesday; November 17, 2020
Time: 6:56pm
Location: Tullytown
Weather: Cloudy; light snow

Aaron sat patiently awaiting Angela at a bus station in Tully, along the north-eastern portion of the building. The decorated veteran seemed somewhat depressed, and that was a bit of an understatement. The man had seemingly developed a serious case of insomnia that resulted in the dark circles under his eyes. Whenever he could find a moments rest, he was plagued by nightmarish things and an unnerving sense of being that always had him begging to be woken up, only to gasp for air as if he'd been holding his breaths a few moments too long.

Yet, all of this didn't account for his disappearance and subsequent reappearance after a year. When his teammates stumbled across his body they were understandably perplexed. His sudden disappearance left many questions, questions he could not answer. He was confined, arrested and faced a dishonorable discharge but there was a problem: the battery of tests that they put him through, both psychological and physiological and determined that his last conscious memory was of lying down in his bunk. In fact, no evidence of him leaving the barracks had been discovered, and even those in his unit said he did lay down. Fortunately, with no evidence to maintain a case against him he was honorably discharged from the 75th Ranger Regiment.

It still had him upset; his world had been turned upside down. Everything he'd worked for, everything had striven for, was gone. It was enough to depress anyone. Being a Ranger meant the world to him, being part of an elite task force with a high failure rate, it made him proud to accomplish what he had in such a short time span. It left Aaron questioning his future his future as he sat in the open, cigarette drooping from between his lips, barely hanging there as it slowly built a collection of ashes. It had been a while since he'd ben home, but he remembered how cold it could get which was why he was wearing the black turtleneck his fiancée had gotten him earlier that year.

It mine as well have been a tight-fitted wife beater; his build showing through the thick cotton material showing every contour of his lean, muscled chest; corded power biceps and triceps that stretched the long narrow sleeves which he'd rolled up to his elbows. Pressed black slacks covered his lower half, with polished black leather 'jump boots' laced up around his feet. Aaron leaned forwards, flicking his ashes away from himself as one hand rubbed the back of his head while the other held his cigarette. In exhaling, he exuded a 'cool' demeanor as the smoke rolled past his face.

Looking up when a red tri-coat pearlescent Dodge Hellcat SRT rolled to a stop, the engine rumbling with the 6-liter Hemi engine with over 700-horsepower. Aaron stood up, placing the cigarette loosely between his lips once again. The dark tinted windows rolled down revealing a dark haired beauty of a woman with soft skin the color of mocha, and dark brown eyes. Her rose colored pouty lips gave him a wide grin.

"Heya stranger," Angela said to him. "Need a lift somewhere?"

Aaron leaned forward, resting his arms against the door as he peered in. "Dunno...My mother always told me not to get into cars with strangers." Aaron chuckled, flicking the cigarette butt away. "Besides," He continued to say. "Is this supposed to impress me or something?" He questioned.

The sound of the engine revving louder and louder as the back wheels squalled and produced a thick screen of smoke. Aaron watched the tires spin in place momentarily before looking back at Angela. "Fair enough."

"Get in and I'll give you your other surprise." Angela alluded.

"Well then," Aaron said sarcastically. " since we're being so forthcoming now, I suppose I should take you up on that offer." Angela laughed shaking her head as Aaron entered the car.

Sitting in the black Nappa leather seat, he sighed in acceptance and his left hand brushing his dark hair out of his face. It had grown in the year he'd been gone. When he looked up, he blinked. They hadn't moved. He looked over at Angela who simply smiled warmly at him before sliding a hand over the back of his neck kissing him then softly; she smiled with her eyes closed brimming with tears quietly as she leaned her forehead.

It took Aaron a minute to react. He was speechless, here he'd been feeling sorry for himself and she'd been worried all this time about him. Aaron swallowed and hard too, how could he not? Even before now, he'd felt a guy like himself--one who could get so focused on the details he missed the larger picture at times, so naturally, he thought of himself fortunate for getting a girl like Angela. Slowly he coiled those strong arms around the woman he'd been dating for six years and had proposed to. She reacted by slipping her limber svelte limbs under his much bulkier ones and her hands grabbed at his turtleneck as if not to let go.

"You were gone," She sobbed, "You were gone...I thought I lost you." Angela buried her face into his brawny chest.

Aaron simply nodded, his eyes casting a remorseful light as he nodded, and stroked her hair soothingly. He wanted to do more, he wanted to give her answers to the questions she had but wasn't asking.

"I know," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you what happened, but I don't really know myself." He told her as if confessing to a crime he couldn't remember committing. "It's all just...so blurry right now. But I'm here now." Aaron assured her, rest his cheek atop her head as she nodded while her face was still against his chest.

"Come on, we should get home..." Aaron said before the back of his neck began to feel like a hot iron was placed on it. He grabbed at it immediately as his head throbbed. Something, something was definitely not right...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aaron groaned and lifted his head coughing as he did. His head felt as though it were splitting open as he awoke to a ravaged living room; furniture was thrown about and torn apart, windows busted out and the distinct smell of gas was filling the air around him almost like a thick, pellucid fog. In pushing himself up after his eyes groggily blinked several times, it was soon abundantly clear that something was wrong with his left arm as it quivered uneasily whilst pushing himself off the door he'd kicked in.

His arm was covered in a sinewy substance. At first glance, it simply looked as though the skin were sheared right off the muscle beneath as if he'd been skinned like an animal pelt or something. Closer inspection revealed that was not the case, it acted more like a living armor that covered the extent of his arm and even his hand which, midway up his fingers, the knuckles appeared to be barbed whereas his fingers were simply pointed like spikes. It was a truly ominous sight. He didn't have time to think about it as he heard a scream that froze his heart still, it was Angela!

He raced through the farmhouse to the staircase before clambering the steps haphazardly. He rounded the first landing too fast and slammed into the wall. He were fatigued already, tired like he'd been through a triathlon. But something urged him to continue. It made his heart palpitate as if excited. When he reached the top of the stairs, his left hand gripped the landing newel. His talons as it were engulfed the baseball sized sphere and as he stepped off --crushed it.

He wandered down the hall until he heard shuffling, he found Angela cornered by Agatha. Agatha was feral, creeping towards Angela with a viscous liquid oozing from her orifices the color of which was blue. That's when his left arm lashed out on its own accord swiping the dresser out of the way. His limb then jerked him forwards towards Agatha, talons out stretching like a bird of prey. He tried to put his foot down to stop himself as he gripped his left arm with his right hand. Unfortunately, his left leg had also been taken control of as well.

The outstretched deformed hand grabbed his sister by the throat and viciously sent her crashing through the wall to his left and into the next room. Still holding his arm by the wrist with his right hand, he looked down at his hand which continued to quiver. Was it enjoying this?!

"Aaron!" Angela called out, breaking his concentration. " What is that thing on your arm? What is wrong with your sister?" She cried.

But before he could answer, a clatter came from the bathroom. The sounds of shattered and broken bits of ceramic and tile resonated chillingly back towards Aaron, who had a sense of dread even though he was relieved and very stupefied. However, just as he was about to call Agatha's name out she darted out of the hole in the wall. Her movement was outrageously fast-paced as she pounced him, and began clubbing him with her hands like a rabies-induced gorilla before then leaping at Angela once again.Agatha clamped down on Angela, biting her throat and tearing a hole near her jugular.

"Angela!" Aaron rolled over, he ran for her as she reached out to him, blood pouring from her wound.

Aaron's left arm shot out and before he knew it, punched a hole straight through Agatha's solar plexus. He heard a raspy groan emanate as she struggled on his arm before falling dead silent and slumping back against him. He slowly pulled his arm back through the cavernous hole slowly. As Agatha fell to the floor with a thud all he could do was look on in horror at his hand which had blood, bits of splintered bone and sundered muscle clinging to. Was this...a nightmare? It had to be, it had to be one of his nightmares.

"Aar...on..." He heard Angel gurgle, blood filling her throat as she reached for him with eyes half-empty.

"Hold on baby!" He wiped his hand on his shirt and quickly knelt next to her, slipping his right arm along her shoulders propping her up as his left hand covered the wound on her throat firmly. "Hold on, I'm...I'm gonna help you." Aaron knew he was panicking, he could feel it in his entire being as he looked around.

He felt Angela's hand caress his cheek and looked back at her. The light in her eyes was quickly fading, as quickly as the blood from her wound seeped over his hands. She tried to smile, the corners of her lips starting to curve before...nothing. Her hand collapsed to the floor, leaving him to clutch a lifeless body.

"Angel, damn it you hold on!" Aaron bellowed, his voice breaking as he shook her. But it was no use, she was gone, or at least, the Angela he knew and loved.

In her place, a monster would emerge. Much the same way Agatha was, that viscous blue fluid began oozing from her mouth, nose, and eyes. That was when his hand lifted and angled itself for her heart. This time, it was his turn to willfully do the deed though it would not be without tears shed and trembling. After he'd killed whatever it was that not had infested her body, he sat there wailing; the blood of his family on his hands, and with more questions than answers. But after a while the crying ceased, he became stoic.

After a while, he'd gathered a few things and now stood ways away from his former home. A rifle slung over his shoulder, a camouflage jacket dressing his shoulders but hung open. He took one sip of his father's last porter, cigarette in hand, before stuffing a cloth down into the neck and lighting the cloth on fire before chucking it through one of the windows letting the gasoline he'd poured throughout the house feed the flames growth and spreading it from floor to floor.

He stood for what seemed like forever, watching bright orange flames devour any trace of memory that was decorating his home. Three hours later, the supports gave way; the house imploding as he simply watched on...​

 

[SoleStride]

Jason, Mason, Axel, & Remi
Location: On route in South Tully
Interactions: Each other
​

Mason didn't know what to make of the situation he and his brother had just gotten themselves into. They had just left their family's place of business and livelihood, that was most likely overran by those bloody monsters now. He and his twin were running away from some woman that turned into those things and the other lady that was with her, she was yelling for them to get into her car, which he didn't hesitate too much. He didn't need to be anywhere near those things at this moment in time. "You don't have to tell me twice." Still holding onto his heavy metal bat, Mason ran for the back door of the truck, but turned around when he saw Jason still standing in place. "Jason, move your ass!"

Jason was lost in his mind, trying to find a reasonable answer to the situation at hand. He was of a Thinker and not someone to take action unless he had a very thought-out plan. In this type of ordeal, planning would only end with him turning into one of those horrible things. He still had his phone in his hand, even after throwing the rock at his brother. "Oh man... oh man!" He was usually the smart and rational one of the Reeves Twins, but even HE had to admit that there was no logical explanation for what was happening before his eyes.

He could see the infected nurse getting closer to him and his brother and the Surgeon or Nurse, who he hadn't gotten her name just yet. "Ummm..." He turned his head to the sound of the woman's booming voice telling him to get into her truck or be zombie food. Hearing his brother's annoying voice soon after. "Com... coming!" He ran to the car and slammed the door shut, making sure to lock it and he looked at his brother, who was sitting next to him.

He was about to tell her to drive as fast as possible but then he heard the alarm of another car not too far from where they were.

"Jason... no." Mason already knew what his brother was thinking.

"Mason, there's someone under that car... look." He turned his head and saw something like a knife under the car, and he also saw a hand. "We have to save whoever that is... umm." He turned to the lady who was kind enough to let them into her truck. "Can you please run those infected things over so we can save whoever is under that car... PLEASE!" He begged. If she didn't, he would just get out the car and try to save the person... no one would die or be turned into those things on his watch.

"I think you should do it. I know my brother, either we run those things over and save whoever is danger, or he will get out and try to play Superhero. I don't want to do either option, but the first one is more likely to actually work." Mason sighed and held onto his bat, ready to knock some bloody heads off if needed.

By the time the second door was slamming shut Remi had already pushed the shift into drive and sped away. The woman dodged one infected person after another like a professional driver. If she avoided hitting them, she could avoid damaging their only means of transportation. She heard the car alarm go off about the same time and when one of the twins begged her to help that guy, she slammed on the breaks and they skidded to a stop. She turned to look back at the boys, wondering just why she had picked them up if they were going to get her into more dangerous situations than the one they had just gotten out of. Decisions, decisions. If she plowed into those things head on, she would get zombie in the grill of her truck and could stall it. If she accidentally hit the car that the person was under, it could kill him. Her hands tightened around the steering wheel, her teeth digging into her bottom lip for a moment.

"Damnit…" The woman leaned over the seat, reaching into the back on the floorboard by Jason's feet. There was tire iron lying there along with a simple tool bag, a large first aid kit, and a pair of jumper cables. She grabbed the tire iron and placed it in the passenger seat beside her and then gripped her seat belt and pulled it on. "Buckle up, boys." She was about to try something she hadn't done since she lived in South Carolina. And at that time she wasn't trying to scrape living-dead people from a car with a man trapped underneath. But she was a damn good driver and she wouldn't let something like this disgrace her skill. "The first one is more likely to get someone killed." She frowned, which actually looked a lot like her normal expression and rolled down the front passenger window about halfway. After taking a slow breath, Remi turned the truck around so the tail end was facing the car with the trapped citizen. She twisted herself to look back, placing one arm over the back of the passenger seat. Her heartbeat stuttered in her chest for a brief moment, before stilling and leveling out.

"You kids are gonna get someone killed one day." With that said she slid the truck into reverse and hit the gas, flying backward until the bed of her truck came in contact with about four or five zombies. Even when she hit them, narrowly missing the side of the battered car, she kept going, knocking bodies under her truck as they were incapable of getting away from the attack. The vehicle bounced as she drove over corpse after corpse. When the passenger side of the car was cleared, Remi whipped the truck back around again and repeated her action, backing down the other side of the car until she had knocked away the infected people on either side of the car. Though there were still a couple there, the window for escape had widened considerably. Remi pulled to a stop about five feet from the car and rolled the passenger window down the rest of the way, shouting at the person under the car. "Get in or die; I won't ask twice."

Ax curled in on himself as he heard, and watched, a car drive past and run those things over. Before the mystery woman had shouted at him to get in or die, Ax was already rolling out from under the car. With catlike dexterity, he hopped onto his feet mid-roll and dashed towards the truck. Not feeling the need to waste time with the door, he jumped at the truck and expertly managed to have himself and his bag sitting comfortably on the seat. "Drive!" He said sternly, voice distorted by the mask he was wearing. He could have been nicer about it, but he wasn't feeling like being very nice right now. Before he had a chance to roll up the window, he reached out with the hand that still held his weapon and impaled the head of one of those abominations that got way too damn close to the truck.

As soon as they began driving away, he spoke up again, this time in a much nicer tone. "Thank you for the help. I would have had a hell of a time trying to get out of that bind myself." He sheathed his weapon and looked in his bag to make sure nothing had fallen out. After confirming there was nothing missing, he closed it back up. "Do any of you have a destination in mind?" Axel's voice, while slightly muffled and changed by the mask, easily carried through the car and it never once lost its defensive edge.

Remi already had her foot down on the pedal by the time the newcomer yelled at her to drive. He didn't have to say it; she was ready to get out of there. The truck sped away from the scene, leaving behind the few remaining creatures that she had left alive. A quick glance in the review mirror showed that the ones she ran over before had stayed down and did not appear to be getting back up. Thank something holy for that, she was worried they would be crawling after them. As if something with half a body was capable of catching up to her Black Beauty. Her grip on the steering wheel loosened a little as they finally got some distance and she relaxed.

"Thank you." Jason said and looked at Remi, as she picked up a tire iron that was near his feet. "You just have that lying around?" Knowing it wasn't the time for questions, he looked out the window and buckled his belt in time to feel the car spin around and smacked into the bloody creatures. "Wooo!" He yelled, holding onto the seat, and feeling himself knock into Mason's shoulder. Jason felt the bumping as Remi drove over the bodies. "Making sure they're dead for good now..." He whispered to himself.

He was freaking out a little, and didn't notice the person jumping into the car. He yelped in shock but caught himself, before he slammed a fist into the man's face... or his mask. "Glad you're not one of those, I was about to punch your lights out." He chuckled, not really bothered by the man's mask. Remi had a mask like thing on her face, so he didn't pay too much attention to the other guy's, even though his covered his entire face.

Mason was having an adrenaline rush. He was keeping his excitement of seeing those creatures being crushed by the truck concealed, not wanting to look like some freak adrenaline junky; which he was. "That was fucking cool!" He yelled, seeing the destroyed and crushed bodies next to the now unoccupied car.

Once his rush started to die down, he listened to the masked person in the car, sitting on the other side of Jason. "Ummm... honestly, I didn't have one in mind. Me or Jason." He shrugged, looking up at Remi. "Do you have some place you wanna go? I'm just glad we have a small team of badasses now... and Jason.

"Shut up Mason!" Jason smacked his brother in the arm. "Anyway... where should we go next guys?" He looked at the masked figure and then to Remi, looking for an answer from either or both.

When the new guy spoke, she bluntly relayed to him how she felt about 'helping' him. "I wanted to leave you behind." She wasn't trying to be a jerk, but that was how it had happened and there was really no reason for sugar-coating anything. From where Axel sat, he would be able to see her scrubs. The surgical mask was still hanging from her neck and now that she had taken the surgical gown off, the name badge pinned to her scrubs underneath it was visible:
Remington Austen
Surgical Technician
Bastille Hospital
Of course, the name tag came with a picture of Remington, looking just as sour as she looked at this very moment. She glanced over at the new guy but not for very long before turning her eyes back on to the road. "I was thinkin' we could stop by the hardware store for supplies. I had no plan after that." The slight twang in her voice belied her Southern roots. Just as it so happened, they were nearing the local hardware store. Remi had a reason for coming here, truly. The woman had no weapons to fend for herself except for a tire iron and a battery operated hand drill which was a possible weapon but she could find something better. She had the syringes tucked away in her bag that the nurse had given her, but she really wanted something better to fight with, and she did not want to waste the limited tranquilizer she had.

After they began driving away, Axel let himself relax and look around the truck at who was in there with him. He quickly remembered Jason and Mason, and his slight dislike of the latter. Readjusting his mask, he contemplated taking it off, but thought against it. For the moment, at least.

Ax wasn't fazed at all when he was told that the driver said she wanted to leave him. "It really doesn't matter what you wanted to do, now does it? It's your actions that counted." He said simply. Looking at the driver, he immediately recognized Ms. Austen. "The hardware store sounds like a good idea to hit up. Although, we better be ready to fight." The mask on his face began to feel oddly uncomfortable on his face. "Afterwards; however, I suggest heading to Mania, as that was my original destination when you three so graciously came to my aid."

"They already know me anyway, so what's the issue..." Ax grumbled quietly to himself as he removed the mask, revealing his identity to the three of them. "'Tis a pleasure to see you again," he said as he looked at Remi, "and the two of you." Speaking over his shoulder, he looked at Jason and Mason once again before looking back out the windshield.