Be "Prepared" [IC]

[Kade]

Location: sports caaaaar (Evenwillow)
Date: Tuesday, Nov 17, 2020
Time: 9:30 pm
Interacting With: Alby, Amber
Tags: @Crowley @DangoYumi









Breathe in, two, three...breathe out, two thr--

"You alright?"

Will had to open his eyes just so that he could roll them properly, but other than that, he made no attempts to move. He was trying to relax.

"You know, you really do have the worst timing with...pretty much everything that revolves around me trying to do me things," he grumbled at Amber before closing his eyes again. "Now stop talking, I'm trying to count."

The minute he said it he felt that stupid little twinge of guilt that only started making an appearance after his year of real-life vacation. That's how he liked to think of it. He just checked out for a year. That was it. And came back with some pretty gnarly scars that made his nerve flares so much more thrilling! And an increased fear of things running up behind him. And an even greater aptitude for trap building. Mostly, though, it was this need to correct himself when he was being too mean that bothered him the most. What happened to his world with zero filters? He missed that world where he could say whatever the fuck he wanted and not feel shit. In fact, before his real-life vacation he wouldn't have said 'stop talking.' He would've straight up said, "Shut the fuck up."

Now? He'd already filtered his speech into something less harsh, and he still felt a driving need to almost sort of apologize for it. Seriously, who the fuck had brainwashed him with that?

Letting out a heavy sigh, he cracked one eye open just a tiny bit to glance at the front seat. "I have nerve damage in my spine. It flares up sometimes. I just--" he winced as said nerves did exactly their flarey thing. "--need a minute to settle down. It'll be fine."

Explanation done, he turned his head to gauge the length of the seat, then abruptly shoved his things to the floor so he could sort of lay down. He maneuvered himself so he was on his back with his knees bent up, experiencing one of those rare moments where he was actually glad that he was short for a guy.

There. That was better. Way more comfortable and much easier to let himself go loose in that position.

"Hey, if I pass out, wake me up slow. If anyone startles me and I wind up hurting myself, I'm going to beat you with my crutches."

That one he meant, and there would be no guilty feelings about it. Not even a little bit.

 

[DangoYumi]

9:30pm, Will's shed, Evenwillow, North Tullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross (@Crowley)
Amber stayed silent and waited for a response, hoping that he would answer. She could see that he was unhappy because he obviously showed her that he rolled her eyes. 'I guess it wasn't a good idea...' she thought to herself, allowing Will to take a moment. She had never been good with timings, in fact, hers are usually the worse. She decided to keep quiet and not question further until maybe later, since she knew that this wasn't really the right time. She was looking out the window, trying to take in everything now that they're in a more quiet situation. The streets did not seem familiar to her anymore, empty and dark. There were stains of blood everywhere, and she couldn't even begin to imagine the pain the people went through before losing themselves and turning into the corrupted. Her hand trailed up her neck and to her tattoo again, stroking it lightly. The pain had subsided for now, but she was still really curious as to what this was and what would happen to her. She shook the thought away and tried to think positively about this situation. At least she wasn't alone, and at least they now know where to go for safety.

She heard Will move, and turned around to see him trying his best to speak once more. She heard her out, her eyes locked onto his body. She frowned at his pain, his pain making her feel pain too. It was difficult for her to see this happen, especially after him helping her. She then nodded when she heard him speak about passing out, making sure to remember. After that she turned back and looked at Alby, studying him a little. He seemed a big guy and he was really talented in combat, making her feel a little safer with them two. She turned back out to the window, sighing again and touching her tattoo.

 

[SoleStride]

[bimg=fleft|no-lightbox]117847[/bimg] Remington Austen
South Tullytown – Hardware store
Tuesday, November 17, 2020


Remi began an attempt to not roll her eyes at the masked man, but she failed and ended up rolling them anyway. 'It's your actions that counted'. Sure. She already knew that for someone in the medical field, she did not have as much compassion for people as she should. Probably because she had so many bad experiences with them. Somehow, the sight of a wound still got her itching to help though. Or maybe it was the excitement of exploring something gory. As she drove, nearing their first destination, Remi's eyes slid down to the mark on her left wrist. It had to be some sort of fluke that this thing appeared on the same day that the whole world went to Hell. It just had to be. What was it anyway? She'd have to pull out her cell phone when they got settled somewhere. If towers were still up, she may be able to research it.


Remi clipped a wandering infected person as she drove, not bothering to swerve toward or away from it. She just let the right front corner of her truck clip the sad sack who fell away from the vehicle and landed on the ground. Its foot was crushed but it tried to get back up. They were long gone by the time it made it back to its feet. The woman was thinking about how the poor soul stumbled away, appearing lifeless and mindless, when the masked man beside her mumbled something to himself and then decided to take off his mask. She wasn't planning to make the extra movement to look at him again just to see his face, at least not until he said it was 'a pleasure to see her again' which confused her. She glanced to the side briefly to see who it was, her brow furrowing. It took her a minute of thought to go back to where she had last seen that familiar face. She recalled the memory of it, a couple years younger, and plucked his name out of it. "Axel Walker…" She muttered the name, indifference in her voice. "You're Dr. Walker's kid." Remi thought back to four years ago when she had returned from her mysterious vacation. The same thing had happened to Dr. Walker's kid; she remembered hearing about it when she got back because the two of them had returned on the same day and his father was ecstatic at the time.

Remington looked at Axel again. She'd not seen him in a long time – maybe since the return of the Vanished. Wasn't he trying to get into Med School or something? She thought she might have heard his father bragging about it at some point. "You disappeared five years ago and showed up again one year later. On the same day, at the same time, in the exact spot you vanished from." Remi recited quietly the few memorable facts that she knew about Axel Walker from memory as if she were reciting from a text book. Her voice was devoid of any sort of emotion while she recalled that one specific fact aloud. Saying it only helped her piece together some information she had yet to try to connect. "Just like me." These words were barely mumbled above a whisper, but if Axel was paying attention he would hear her. Of course that incident was always on her mind. The fact that she had disappeared along with a few people that she already knew was supposedly and act of chance, but that didn't stop her from seriously considering the implications of a mass vanishing act like that. That she had run into another one of those people only minutes after the beginning of the end, had to be more than coincidence…. Didn't it?

She pictured the screaming chaos of the hospital she had left earlier to get to where she was now. Remembering it now, she could not recollect seeing Dr. Walker. "The hospital has been overrun. I don't remember seeing your father there before I got out." Actually, she wasn't even sure if Dr. Walker had been working today. He was most-likely scheduled to work, but who knew. As her words came to an end, she neared the hardware store. She slowed the truck to a crawl, peering out the window to see just how many Damned they would have to squeeze around to get in. "Who votes to keep someone waitin' in the truck as a wheel-man while everyone else gets supplies? Keep in mind that this is my baby and no one else'll be drivin' her while I'm capable."

 

[Crowley]

Allistair
Interactions: @Kade @DangoYumi
​

Albatross wasn't particularly listening to Will or Amber as he fired up the engine of their stolen transportation, shifting it into gear and casting a gaze over his shoulder before accelerating out of the driveway. Drowning out their voices for a bit, he focused intently upon the road, as he had thus far avoided death, dismemberment and infection and had no intention of dying to something as asinine as a careless collision. Though being behind the wheel brought up some dark memories that he'd wished could stay buried.​

​

"We'll shack up in my workshop until I...we can figure out the best plan of action." He muttered the words with a bored expression on his face as he willfully disregarded the speed limit and accelerated even more. He had no desire to participate in a sweep and clear of the Mania property in the dead of night, he'd probably work in his forge for awhile, it helped him think.​

​

There were less stragglers and helpless pedestrians than he remembered as they blitzed past crowds of corrupted and otherwise empty streets. The beasts were slow and dumb, he appreciated their weaknesses though he understood that he wouldn't always get one on one engagements, earlier he'd been reckless and over-zealous. He needed to be precise like a scalpel, rather than just a hammer. ​

​

"We'll be there soon..." Minutes passed as he sped down the deserted streets, he had made good time, within minutes they would be arriving in the parking lot. Turning left he could see the three main installations on the property and the steel fence which guarded it from trespassers. The hill wasn't necessarily steep, though you could feel the incline as you traveled upwards.​

​

Rolling down his window, Albatross reached out to input an authorization code in a mini-kiosk outside the main parking area. The machine chimed and presented them with a green light as it electronically retracted a portion of the fence for them to enter. Proceeding into the site, he had no trouble finding an acceptable place to park as it was nearly a ghost town. "Security staff might still be around...let's keep our heads on a swivel until I get us in the workshop."​

 

[Kade]

"Oh, god, are we here already?" Will groaned.

That was fast, way faster than normal, he was sure of it. He'd been dozing, but he didn't think he'd fallen asleep entirely. As much as he adored this borrowed sports car, the back seat wasn't exactly the most ideal place for him to be catching some z's, at least not when his nerves were going all wonky on him at the worst time ever. And if that wasn't bad enough, this time there was something new added into the mix, this weird little pinch in his lower back that he couldn't recall ever feeling before. He must've moved wrong while evading death via zombie and was only just now noticing it since places he couldn't usually feel very well were all flashing on and offline at random now. Sometimes not having full feeling to know when he'd hurt himself was actually a good thing. He wouldn't be suffering now if he was in his regular state of being partially numb to everything from about the bottom of his ribcage down.

Trying to be careful in how he moved, he twisted himself sideways just a little to push himself back up into a sitting position, only getting halfway before he had to stop. Closing his eyes for a second, he sucked in a deep breath through his nose before continuing, succeeding the second time around. Good for him! Now he just had to get out of the car and across the parking lot and into Al's building without any Corrupted coming after them. Good. Times.

"Can someone..." he licked his lips and closed his eyes again in frustration. This was such a trivial thing to ask for, and he hated that. It was one thing if he was making people do things for him because he was being lazy, a different thing entirely when he physically couldn't do what was needed. Why weren't his fucking meds kicking in anyway? Or maybe they were. He was feeling less of that random rapid-burst of nerve endings firing up and down his spine, and more of that pinch in just the one location, but it was still fucking obnoxious and getting in the way of allowing him to function like his normal half-human being self. Like it or not, he had to ask for help. "Can someone take my pack? And--fuck, this is so dumb--just...make sure I don't fall on my face when I'm getting out of the car. Then when we get inside I'm going to smoke a healthy portion of weed, and no one is going to complain about it, okay? Okay. Good. I'm glad we could hash this all out."

@Crowley @DangoYumi ​

 

[DangoYumi]

9:50pm, Mania Defense Inc., South Tullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross (@Crowley)
Amber had been staring out the window this whole trip, watching the streets zoom by. It had really turned into an empty town, the previous people and animals no longer seen and the only things moving on the streets were slow, undead creatures. She still wondered what could've caused this to happen and she was determined to help if needed. When the car stopped she stretched a little, looking over to see Alby inputting the key into the kiosk. She reached to the back of her ear and gently touched it, wondering why it had started hurting before. The pain had faded quite a bit and it had been replaced with the itch once again, though this time it wasn't as severe as before. She kept quiet and got ready to get off the car until she heard Will speak. She turned around and waited for him to finish his sentence, watching him from the front seat.

"Can someone take my pack? And--fuck, this is so dumb--just...make sure I don't fall on my face when I'm getting out of the car. Then when we get inside I'm going to smoke a healthy portion of weed, and no one is going to complain about it, okay? Okay. Good. I'm glad we could hash this all out."

After Will finished speaking, Amber just nodded and quickly got out of the car, closing the car door behind her. She stayed near the car, looking around the parking lot. It seemed to be empty for now but she didn't want any surprise attacks. She allowed Will to take his time as she kept watch, glancing over to Will once in a while to make sure he gets out of the car alright. She knew nothing of this area and right now could only rely on Alby to lead the way.

 

[Justin]

❄✖❄JASON❄✖❄

#80E633 ❄ Cold Manipulation ❄ Mark[spoili]Located: Back of Left Calf[/spoili] ❄ South Tully: On Route To Hardware Store→Near Hardware Store ❄ Jason's Outfit ❄ Remi || Axel

Jason was still trying to piece everything together after what had just happened. He looked at his phone, which was at 15% now. "Great." Shaking his head, he turned it off and placed it back in his pocket. He didn't notice the mysterious man taking his mask off, until he heard him say something about nice seeing them again. "What?" He looked up and over to... his friend Axel?! "Axel!" He shouted in shock and slight excitement. He hadn't heard from his friend in awhile. With everything going on, he would've been worried if he didn't see or hear from the guy sooner or later. "So you're like some superhero now?" He chuckled, trying to make things normal again. Things would never be the same after what he had just witnessed. He looked over to Mason, who seemed to be excited about the entire thing. He shook his head; his twin just thought this entire thing was some game and he was ready to smash some heads.

His surprised demeanor turned into one of curiosity when Remi started talking about Axel disappearing five years ago. Him and Mason had disappeared five years ago too. The both of them didn't remember anything about it. When they came back, their parents were freaking out and almost lost their minds. He just stared at the two in the front of the truck. "Axel, did you disappeared like me and Mason?" He asked, gulping down some saliva and getting nervous and slightly freaked out about the entire realization of everything. "I think our disappearances might be tied in with those... things all around now." He looked at a man on the streets getting turned into a bloody creature and just sighed at the sight. They didn't need some crazy outbreak that threatened to destroy all mankind in a world already destroying itself without the help of some foreign entity.

Jason looked out the window as the truck pulled up near the hardware store, which had a few creatures hanging around the building. "This is going to just be the GREATEST DAY EVER." He groaned and bit down on his bottom lip. He wasn't the bravest of people, but he did have some bravery and he would do whatever it took to make sure everyone in the small group stayed alive and not be turned into one of those zombie-like creatures. He looked towards Remi. "I'll be the wheel-man and keep lookout for you three. I'll give a signal if those things get too close to the truck or too close to the store. Just be safe and get the essential things... nothing useless." Turning to his twin and rolling his eyes.

"I promise not to drive your truck or even touch the steering wheel." Raising his hands in the air. "I don't want to be next under this massive thing." He smiled at Remi. "Be safe, all three of you and get back into the truck as quick as possible. Mania will be the next stop; hopefully their is someone there that can help us or maybe we could find better shelter to figure everything out in." He hoped that everyone did what was best for everyone's safety and no one ended up getting hurt or turned, especially Mason. He knew that his twin can sometimes do his own thing without thinking first, he just wanted to know that Mason would listen to him and possibly Remi or Axel in this situation. "Good luck, and be smart" He gave a slight smile to the trio.

@SoleStride @DustBunny​

---

♨✖♨MASON♨✖♨

#E08566 ♨ Heat Manipulation ♨ Mark[spoili]Located: Inner Right Arm[/spoili] ♨ South Tully: On Route To Hardware Store→Near Hardware Store ♨ Mason's Outfit ♨ Remi || Axel

Mason was annoyed to find out that they guy Jason wanted to save was Axel. Him and Axel never got along, and things would probably stay that way. He would never know why his twin would want to be friends with someone like Axel. It wasn't the time or the place to say any snarky comments towards the guy, so he just sat in the truck and listened to the conversations being had around him. He held his heavy metal bat tightly and looked out the window of the truck. Those bloody creatures seemed to be around every corner and in every doorway now. "Shit, they made fast work around here." He tapped the bat against the back of Axel's seat, being a jerk as usual. He started tapping the bat against the seat a little harder.

"So, Hardware Store then Mania. I guess that sounds like a good plan." He sighed, still annoyed. He heard Remi talk about Axel's father and Axel disappearing about five or so years ago. He turned to Jason, who spoke up before he got the chance too. "Yeah, is everyone fucking disappearing or something? I thought I was just special." He smirked, laying the bat against his leg and taking out his phone. "It's getting late and darker, we really need to get whatever we need and then find shelter. I hope Mania is a safe place... Axel." He said the man's name with much enmity.

Once the truck made it near the store, putting his phone back into his pocket, Mason took off his shades and saw a few creatures around the building. "I'm soo fucking down to bash some heads in." He licked his lips in anticipation. He saw this situation like a video game; the creatures were just enemies he needed to crack over the head with his metal bat to win. He would need to control himself before he got hurt or got anyone else hurt. He always had an issue with his emotions and overactive mind taking control and causing him to do things that ended up with him needing a doctor's appointment the next day.

"Ok, Jason will stay in the truck while we go out there and fuck those things up." He gripped the end of his bat and was already making his way out of the vehicle. "Let's go already, we need to get into that store and get some weapons and supplies." He looked at Remi and Axel, as he opened his door and the cool air hit his face. "It's getting cold out here." Usually he never felt as cold as he was now, but something about today's weather was very different; maybe he was different. "I should've wore a warmer jacket." He rubbed his arms and hopped out the truck. "Get your asses in gear." He smirked, holding the bat behind his head.

@SoleStride @DustBunny​

 

[Kade]

Will barely paid attention as Amber got out of the car, mace in tow, and was almost relieved when she didn't come around to his door to help him. If he was going to require assistance like a pansy, he much preferred it to be from Alby, someone he knew and considered to be a friend (even if he was sure Al didn't quite look at him the same way, which was totally fine with Will; he was used to that).

Glancing out the window really quick just to make sure nothing that was going to eat his face was in the immediate area (awe, look at Amber standing there with her little mace all ready to slayzor some things!), he pushed open the door and got his crutches ready, bunching them together and leaning on them both with one hand. He slid his legs out, making sure his feet were centered on the pavement, then grasped the top of the door with his free hand to pull himself up. Try one was a fail, his spine flaring up the moment he began to lift himself.

"Fuck, mother of a whore with Herpes!" he spat out as he plopped back into the seat.

Breeeeeathe, Will, you're fine.

Clenching his teeth together, he went for attempt number two, and this time it wasn't quite as bad. Before he could misbalance himself, he quickly got his arms into the crutches and tested his legs beneath him. Yes. Walking was still a thing he could do. Okay. He wasn't entirely fucked just yet, couldn't let himself be fucked because there wasn't a handy-dandy hospital available for him to go to anymore where Dr. Rem could just shoot him up with steroids. He wondered about Remi. He did have her on speed dial after an incident where she wasn't at the hospital when he needed to go in, and he'd made a little bit of a spectacle of himself while being treated. The other doctors were idiots though and didn't know what they were doing. Christ, one of them damn near paralyzed him for real with where he was aiming that needle. Asshole. (And none of that had anything to do with Will. He'd been a perfect angel when he'd gone it. It wasn't his fault they were fucking everything up and making him irritable...) Maybe he'd try to shoot her a text to see if she was undead or not once everything settled down a little.

But not because he needed her! He couldn't depend on that. He would be fine. He just needed to stretch out, relax, smoke some weed, and get some actual sleep, then he'd be okay.

"Al, my bag?" he requested again, his voice tight as he carefully made his way around the car. God, he was moving so slow. He was going to be that guy, the one the others would have to either leave behind or probably get killed trying to rescue if a horde of zombies suddenly rushed up on them. Maybe that was a thing he should address...

"Hey, so I can't run right now," he said quietly enough so as not to draw attention, but loud enough for Amber to hear too. "If we get attacked out here, I swear to god you guys better go down with me or my zombified ass is coming after you specifically. And if you survive that and kill me for real, I will come back as an angry, violent, vengeful spirit and haunt you until you go insane. Got it?"

 

[Sinopa]

Arima Mania
November 17, 2020
7:50pm EST
@Aka~Kitsune​

Arima did as she was told, refusing to remove her emerald gaze from the masses of her parents, even as her friend covered them she continued to stare at them, frozen in shock of it all. When the glass of water was handed to her she followed Charlotte's directions and listened to her speak. Her news was not making Arima feel any better, on top of the mess inside her home, the chaos extended to the outside world.

"T-there's no escape…" She whispered before taking another sip. "Where could we possibly go." All hope was lost for Arima, she just wanted to curl into a ball, fall asleep, and never wake up. There was no point in doing anything anyway. She didn't know how the regular world worked, and there was no way she could survive in this new world, without setting a foot outside her home she already knew this. However she cared for Charlotte, she was all she had left in the world now. With that realization her widened eyes finally left her parents and looked towards her friend. Arima was being selfish, she wasn't the only one affect by all of this. Somehow Charlotte managed to take care of her even though her own family could be in danger too. Her eyes began to water up but she forced herself not to cry again, she had to be strong, like Charlotte.

"We c-could go to Mania D-defenses. It's secure a-and has supplies." She replied as she slowly rose to her feet. "I'm going t-to grab some stuff from my room. G-grab whatever you can from out here."
Arima then sauntered into her room, immediately going into her bathroom. She stared into the mirror for a moment, she was covered in blood, save for the cleared trails from her eyes due to the tears. She looked away and washed her face and arms in the sink. Refusing to look back at herself, she grabbed her small bathroom travel bag. With blank emerald eyes she scanned the room. She reached up in her closet and grabbed her colorful, polka-dot, rolley backpack, which was already filled with essential traveling belongings. Since her parents made a lot of business trips she traveled a lot, so she always had her stuff ready.

She stuffed the bathroom bag in her backpack, then changed out of her bloodied bed gown. She drew on a thick long sleeved red shirt, and black skinny jeans. She donned her black poncho with a fuzzy collar, and pulled her leather boots and gloves on. Afterwards she went over to her bed, grabbed her teddy bear, and it in her bag.
With one last look at her room she left to return to her friend, her backpack rolling right behind her.

 

[Crowley]

Allistair
Interactions: @Kade @DangoYumi
​

The cool night air cascaded down along Albatross' neck as he stepped out of the car, though in the pit of his stomach something felt off. The bulletproof suit he wore clung to him tightly as sweat from the days activities had accumulated, causing all of his rippling and well-defined muscles to show with enhanced detail. The cold air felt comfortable and relaxing as he allowed a soft sigh to escape his lips.​

​

Turning to approach the rear of the car, he delved into the bag to acquire Will's Satchel O' Goodies, as he presumed it would probably be dubbed anyways and slung it over his shoulder before returning to the driver's side door and shutting it as silently as possible. "My Workshop is about two-hundred yards north-east of here. Nestled between two of the main complexes. Salt & Pepper, cover our backs, I want Will in the middle." He said in tone that implied he'd been leading others his entire life, despite the opposite being true.​

​

No sooner than he'd made the statement than he did realize that Will would likely make some perverse remark about bringing up Albatross' rear, though he prayed silently to whatever celestial being that might exist that Will would be in too much pain to torment him further. ​

​

Keeping his pace brisk, yet being certain to always scan the area, he proceeded to lead them as they appeared ready. There it was again though, a gnawing feeling at his core, ever since he was a child he had always gotten one right before something awful happened. Dismissing the feeling as stress and anxiety from the trials he'd endured thus far, he maintained a hunched over and nearly crouching position while still keeping his mildly quick pace.​

​

"If any guards are still on site, they could assist us. My authorization code doesn't apply to every complex. If they are monsters now...we'll have to get creative. I've got a plan." The final portion of his thoughts that had been spoken aloud in reference to a plan, were stated with an uncanny amount of confidence. There was a certainty and deep-seated belief in what he'd said, he had a plan and it would work.​

​

Every few minutes he would stop to check behind him, checking intently upon Amber and Will and offering small respites if the latter was in more excruciating pain than usual. After a lengthy trek across the grounds, he finally reached his haven, his place of zen and peace. To both his surprise and joy, both the thick chains and the padlock were still firmly wrapped around the doors of his workshop.​

​

Extending his right hand upwards to clasp the zipper at the base of his neck, he partially unzipped his suit exposing an inner-breast pocket which also had a zipper, capable of containing matches, a small pocket knife or in this case, a key. Withdrawing his hand from the depths of the pocket, he allowed the suit to stay opened slightly, enjoying the feel of the cold air on his chest as he quickly discarded the padlock and removed the chain.​

​

"Welcome home..."​

 

[Blood Lightning]

Shinoa A. Higashi - Malevolence/Demon Soldier
November 17th, 2020
North Tullytown, Business District, Bloomy's Herbarium


Meanwhile, in the Bloomy's Block, a young woman with purple hair overlooked a fairly large horde of the Corrupted - forty at most. She loaded her Assault Rifle and got ready to take on the unsuspecting horde. As she watched, they were just walking around in circles and occasionally bumping into each other. Smirking, she jumped down to ground level. The odds were in her favor, as the Corrupted were inside a store and in an enclosed space. As they turned to see her, they began staring directly at her and she would smirk back at them. A split second later, they all growled and charged at her, only to run into the glass, snarling and growling. She would set her Assault Rifle to Full-Auto before pulling the trigger and holding it down, opening fire.

As she opened fire, chunks of glass and flurries of bullets began flying around, hitting every single last Corrupted as Shinoa just held down the trigger. A large majority of the Corrupted fell as their bodies were riddled with bullets. The few that were left, Shinoa would draw her handgun and continued to shoot them down. One was able to break out, charge and even reach her. It attempted to grab and bite her, only to bite the tip of her Gun. She responded by pulling the trigger...


She then spinned her handgun before holstering it and reloading her Assault Rifle. After a few minutes of scanning the area, seeing mainly the corrupted that she killed. Afterwards, she ran off into a nearby alley. Because her weapons weren't suppressed, she expected that someone heard the gunfire, not to mention all the shell-casing she had riddled the ground with. Momentarily, she would just walk away...

 

[Sinopa]

Aimery Wren > Letizia
November 17, 2020
Bloomy's Herbarium
6:42pm > 7:15pm EST
@Aka~Kitsune @Pray4me @Windrunner

Letizia stumbled back when she collided with another person, fear pulsing adrenaline through her system at the idea of it being someone who is corrupted, causing her to momentarily freeze and so fall back onto the floor. She mentally cursed her footwear before turning grey-blue eyes upon the offending corr- person. For a moment passed in silence as Letizia stared, only for recognition to flicker onto her gaze. "...Aimery?"

Aimery jumped back, throwing his arms up when he collided with the other mass. Yet, he was caught off guard when he heard his name. His gaze blinked in confusion as he eyed the woman, then her familiar features reminded him…
"Letizia?" He offered his hand out to her as he felt stupid for not recognizing her sooner, he knew her a little, several years back. She was a famous model now from what he remembered. "How are you these days?"

Taking his hand, Letizia with his help brought herself to her feet, letting go to then brush at any dirt upon her jeans. Looking back over to Aimery, a small smile came to her lips as she finally adjusted her bag properly, getting it out of her way.
"I have been good, stressed but good...except the...you know...zombie apocalypse deal going on..." Her tone died towards the end, cautiously peering to the alley she had came from then back to him.
"What about you...it has been a while..."

"I've been great!" He smiled, holding his arms behind him and glancing around. "Even now, I believe I ruined someone's relationship, it was a fun way to start this apocaly-…" He paused when he heard the shuffling of feet and small pained moans. "Speaking of which… Apocalypse incoming." Aim lowered his voice as a small crowd peaked around the corner.

Letizia had calmed considerably, listening attentively to him, even going as far as looking amused when he mentioned ruining a relationship as faint memories took her attention. It had been a while. Snapped out of her recollections, her sharp gaze snapped around to look at the mob of corrupted that were heading over towards the two of them, a scowl mixed with a fearful gaze settled on her features as she turned back around to look at Aimery. Hurriedly, Letizia reached out to weakly push him forwards as she began to move in the opposite direction.
"Who decided to have an apocalypse now!" She hissed quietly to him as she turned and began to run, reaching over to take his hand in the process. "I finally was going to get a damned break!"

A small chuckles escaped his lips at her comment as she pushed him. He was dragged behind the woman by the hand as the mob slowly made its way towards them. As they left the alley he saw more of them not too far down the road from them.
"There's more… This is going to go nowhere real quick." He pointed out with a sigh. Blue hues looked over towards a truck parked on the side of the road. "Well, I guess no one is using it now. Let's catch a ride." He said with a slight tug to pull her in the right direction.

Letizia's mind was simply focused upon getting away from those corrupted beings and the result she knew would happen if they were even scratched by those dreadful things. When her attention focused on Aimery, her gaze snapped around to where he meant, only to see his words were true. More of them were escaping the grips of the alley's shadows.
"...I really hate these things..." She hissed.

When she felt a tug, her gaze snapped over to Aimery as she nodded limply, following after with hurried steps. Once they came up to the truck, her brows furrowed as she released his hand, moving over to the passenger side.
"I hope you can drive because I definitely can't." She called out, reaching out to forcefully pull the abandoned truck's door open before sliding inside, throwing her bag to her side.

"Don't worry, I know how to drive. Very surprised that you don't… But it's the apocalypse so there no real need to learn." He smiled as he hopped into the driver's seat whose door was already open.

"You're in luck, I don't need to figure out how to hotwire a car!" He chuckled as he closed the door and turned the key that was still in the ignition and drove out into the road, ramming into a few of the creatures as they went on their way.
"Any place in mind?"

Letizia watched as the truck trampled over the forms of the corrupted, a slight grimace coming to her features as she turned her attention back over to Aimery, brows knitting in thought. After a few moments, her head lulling back onto the seat, she huffed gently.
"Well ideally we need to find a place that is safe and can keep these things away from us." She grumbled out before huffing again.
"Maybe we can head to the north part of the city? Look around for somewhere to go...?"

"Sounds great!" He replied, hitting one more creature with a giggle before making an effort to dodge them. "North is a good idea, the poor people make resilient buildings." That was when a flash caught his eye in the rear view mirror. He sat up in his seat and took a better look at the very fast approaching group of motorcycles behind them.

"Hmmm, odd." Aim hummed as he sped up trying to match their speed, but before he knew it around 20 bikes were zooming past him. Much to his surprise they spun around several meters ahead of them and stopped, causing him to skid to a stop, no matter how much he wanted to ram them. Though, due to the spontaneous and illogical actions they took, he swerved to the left and drove down the side road.
When they followed him he let out a small snicker and swerved again before pulling into an alleyway and cutting the engine.
"Get down!" He loudly whispered as a flash of blue hair ducked down as far as possible.

Letizia was left in a state of shock at the current events, something that only furthered her hatred towards this whole damned situation. A hiss tumbled from her lips as she pushed herself to rest between the seats and the dash board, eyes narrowed as she looked over towards Aimery.
"Just a question..." She muttered under her breath, not even daring to look up or try to see if the bikers were gone. "Is there a chance you find this amusing?"

Aimery gave the woman a gleeful grin that that already answered her question. Aim found entertainment in dark things, matching his form of humor as well.
"Extremely. You don't find this thrilling? It's like a roller coaster or 3D horror movie, except it's more interactive." He whispered, hearing the bikes zoom past the alley, causing his grin to widen as they remained unnoticed.

Once the booming motors faded in the distance, Aim opened his door and stepped out, being sure to keep his eyes and ears out for, anything really.
"I think it's safe for now." He called out to Letizia as his nimble fingers brushed against the cold walls of the alley. He came upon a door to one of the building.
"Let's go in. Maybe we can find some supplies."

Letizia stared at the other with pursed lips and a dulled gaze before grumbling under her breath about 'insanity'. A small huff passed her lips before she followed his lead and slipped out of the truck, grabbing her bag in the process. Her hand drifted to the wall for a moment before she hurried over towards the other side and towards Aimery.
"This is not thrilling...we could die you know..." She mumbled, flickering her gaze over to him before moving to the door, adjusting her bag before pushing the door open quietly, peaking around inside. When she could not see any corrupted, she slipped inside, looking towards Aimery. "Seems to be safe..."

"We could die at any time, regardless of whether or not the world is overrun by zombies. You should enjoy it while you can." He replied quietly as he followed Letizia when she okayed it. They went through a back entrance, explaining why they were in a large storage room full of cardboard boxes. Due to the gardening supplies and bags of dirt, soil, and mulch he deduced that they were in some kind of plant store. Bloomy's Herbarium to be exact as some of the labels on the boxes read. He walked around the storage room, observing everything in the area, keeping his guard up.

"Convenient. Herbs can heal right? Some can even be eaten…" he entrance of the room came into view, then he paused for a moment as he looked around. "Do you know anything about herbs?" He moved forward to the hallway leading out of the room. At the end of the hall were double doors, which approached and cautiously looked through the windows.
"Interesting. I think its clear in there."

Letizia didn't even respond to Aimery as she couldn't find any way to understand his words. She had watched her manager turn to one of those...things. Instead she tried carefully around the boxes, noting the name, before humming softly.
"Herbs?..." knitting her brows in thought, she eventually shook her head softly. "No idea. I know the name of a couple common plants but otherwise I'm useless on the topic."
"A Shame..." Aim replied with disappointment. "Would have been perfect."

Glancing over her shoulder when he called out, Letizia hurried over to the double doors, briefly looking through the windows herself. She waited a moment before pushing the doors open slowly, trying to avoid any noise. Looking around the hall, she eventually caught sight of a few more doors, causing her to slip through the halls. "There are some toilets..." she mumbled before heading over to the women's, poking her head through and calling out.

"Anyone here?"

Meanwhile, Aimery passed Leti and walked up to the double doors at the end of the hall. He peaked out the windows only to find that the main area of the store was covered in broken glass and zombie corpse... The kind that don't move.
"Peculiar..." He quietly acknowledge as he slowly opened the doors and stepped out. He noted the stairs in the corner that lead to higher levels, and the massive amounts of bullets that laid on the ground and in the bodies.
"Someone had fun without me it seems." He pouted as he examined one of the bodies.

 

[DangoYumi]

10:05pm, Mania Defense Inc., South Tullytown, Will (@Kade) and Albatross (@Crowley)
Amber had been waiting for Will and Alby to get ready, still standing guard. When she heard Will curse she quickly turned back, worried that he might've hurt himself somewhere. She was relieved to find Will sitting still and trying to breathe. He seemed alright so she allowed him to try again, turning her head away once more. She looked around the area in the meantime. It was eerily silent and it smelled of smoke, as if something nearby had been burning. She didn't see any nearby so she dismissed the thought of it, continuing to focus on the task at hand.

When she heard Will speak again, she glanced at him and noticed that he had managed to get out of the car, requesting Alby for his bag. She watched the surroundings and Alby grabbing the bag, seeing him close the door after. Hearing Alby speak, she turned her full attention to him, understanding the current plan. She allowed Will to walk in front of her and stayed at the back of the two, her mace in hand and ready to strike whenever needed, although the area was quite empty. She followed behind Will and Alby, turning back once in a while to make sure there weren't any 'guests' following them.

She heard Alby's voice again and looked up front, listening intently. She trusted Alby when he spoke about the plan and only nodded in response. She honestly was afraid and her heart was pounding in her chest, the silence making it worse. She shook the thought off and continued on, hoping that they would at least reach a safe place so that she could rest a little. Upon arriving at the workshop, she turned around to keep watch while waiting for Alby to unlock the door. It seemed to still be locked to her relief so it should be safe inside. She waited until she heard the chains fall off and turned around, a sigh of relief escaping her lips when she heard Alby speak.

"Welcome home..."

 

[RaccoonKing]

@Sinopa

Charlotte bit her lip harshly, her gaze shifting around the room and eventually setting once more upon the covered corpses of her best friend's parents. The sight stilled her. She took in a trembling breath before her crystal blue glaze flickered over to Arima was she reacted to the news that was occurring outside of the building. "T-that's true..." Charlotte mumbled, casting her gaze to the floor dejectedly, pursing her lips as she felt another weight on her chest. She couldn't get a hold of her mother...and she knew her mother would of called her straight away to try ensure her safety when the news cast was released...

Her attention flickered back to Arima when she mentioned Mania and she brightened up, though it was not by much. Forcing down the dead feelings that arose within her with the growing thoughts of her families fate, Charlotte nodded softly as if the movement alone was a laborious task. "We should go there!" She agreed, trying to make her voice seem more perky, as it usually was. "Mania defence will be protected right?" She added on, reaching up to scratch her cheek idly. "T-there may be some adults there...they might be able to explain what's going on!" She wanted an explanation for this after all.

When Arima headed into her room, Charlotte had simply given her a small hum as a response before she ran over towards the cupboards and fridge, rummaging through them. She had thrown her backpack onto the floor and grabbed anything in boxes and foods she knew wouldn't go off, thanks to her mothers teaching. When she had grabbed a random array of food from the cupboards, she moved onto the fridge and instantly took to the water bottles. Having no regard for the weight this was piling up to, Charlotte grabbed whatever foods she could from the fridge too.

Once done, Charlotte dragged her backs up into her arms before heading back over to the sofa, dropping her bag there for a moment. She continued to look around the room idly before looking back to Arima when she arrived back. "Did you get everything you need, Arima?" She asked, tilting her head softly as she grabbed the straps of her backpack, pulling them over her shoulders. It was heavy but it was not her focus, this amount of food would be helpful. "I grabbed everything food and water wise that wont go off to soon..." Charlotte mumbled before walking slowly over to the elevator, the dread returning.

She took in a sharp breath as she shut her eyes, forcing away the dark thoughts before spinning on the heels of her shoes to face Arima. "D-do....Do you want to get anything of yours parents...you know.." She trailed off, her gaze still blank and almost lifeless as they returned over to the blanket sheets concealing the duo from them. "I don't think we can come back after all." She added before reaching into the side pocket of her backpack to grab a few lollipops, removing the wrapper of one before popping it into her mouth as she held the other out to Arima.​

 

[DustBunny]

Name: Axel Sean Walker

Location: South Tullytown Hardware Store
Date: November 17, 2020
Interactions: Remi/Mason/Jason
Tags: @Justinaholic @SoleStride

Axel stayed silent for the rest of the ride, but not before shooting a kind smile at Jason when the other finally recognized him. "Superhero? Please. Anything but." He said in his relatively blunt tone. "However, yes. I also disappeared a few years ago with no memory of why or where I was. But, now isn't the time to speak of such casual matters. We have some supplies to obtain." The last sentence finished as they pulled up to the hardware store.

Eyes darting around, it seemed that many of the zombie-like creatures had seemed to gather around the front of the store, most likely unlucky folk who were caught by the orbs at the initial outbreak. Before he decided to leave, he turned to Jason, giving him a quite blunt, but still friendly worried, speech. "Be careful, don't honk the horn unless absolutely necessary, don't leave the truck, you should be smart enough to know what not to do." Finishing up, Axel slowly and quietly opened the door and stepped out of the hulking truck. "We'll have one hell of a time trying to get through the front door. So, unless the two of you wish to cut a way through to the front, I suggest we go around and find a less conspicuous entrance." Axel stayed close to the truck, but walked around it a bit, trying to look down the side of the building, hoping to find a side entrance of some sort.

For reasons he couldn't explain if he tried, Axel felt as if he knew what he was doing. Like he knew what he needed to do, what he needed to find and so on. As if something deep within himself had awoken to this primal instinct of self-preservation. He'd go into the store to find supplies and he'd try to make sure the three of them got out of it alive, but, if it came down to it, he wouldn't attempt to save either of his companions if they were inevitably doomed to perish. Shaking these thoughts out of his head, Axel spoke once more.

"Whatever we decide, we shouldn't split up. Safety in numbers. Honestly, I don't feel as if we should leave Mason alone, but the truck is probably safer than what we're going to do, so.." His words trailed off as he kept looking around for where the Corrupted were smallest in number. "Follow me or not, but I'll be looking around the side first. I'd rather avoid killing as many of these things as necessary." With that, he drew one of his blades and ever so slowly began walking quietly towards the side of the building.

 

[SoleStride]

Remington Ann Austen
South Tullytown – Hardware store
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Interactions: Axel, Mason, Jason
Tags: @Justinaholic , @DustBunny


Her fingers reached down to grip the tire iron that she had laid beside her seat before they had picked up Axel. This was her only real weapon. Jason offered to stay in the truck, and it bothered her that she had to let someone else behind the wheel even if only for a few minutes, but it was probably the best option. Though she wasn't sure how helpful she would be fighting against the undead swarm outside. She pushed her hand into her bag, pulling out a few syringes and stuffing them in her pocket. She was hesitant to use them in case she needed them somewhere else, so these would be an 'in case' option only. Remi had no responded to Axel. He had a point about this not being the time or place for that conversation, but she did want to have that conversation at some point. Plus, she was still reeling from Jason's admission that he and Mason had both been a part of the 'we vanished without a trace and reappeared' club. Her expression should have been enough to note her surprise but she dropped the subject, for now.

Instead she quietly opened her door and slid out of the truck to her feet, gripping the cold tire iron in her hand and following behind Axel. He seemed to know more about what he was doing than she did, so it was probably best to let him lead. Mason; however, was a little too pumped up which was unnerving. Remi had hoped to make a plan first so they could waste less time. She knew the layout of this store and had hoped to plan a way to go in and hit everything they needed quickly without taking too much time and then get out as quickly as possible. Leaving that one kid out in the truck bothered her as well – what if something happened to him? She shook her head, shaking that feeling away and trying to calm her steadily increasing heartbeat.

Her fingers twitched and then trembled, squeezing her weapon tighter. Her eyes grazed over Axel's weapons. Where the hell did he get those things and did he know how to use them? She focused ahead again and followed along until she spotted a door. There was a stack of broken-down boxes sitting just outside of it in a scatter pile. Remi pointed at it, certain that it was the side door to the hardware store. If she remembered correctly, it was an unalarmed fire door and should take them right into the lawn and garden section of the store. "There." She whispered, trying to keep from drawing an unwanted attention. "That'll take us right into Lawn and Garden. To the left should be the hand and power tools." There were a couple tools she had in mind that could make decent weapons so she wanted to hit both sections if they could.

 

[Kade]

People ignoring Will's demands for a group sacrifice in his honor, Alby shoving him in the middle like some weakling who needed to be protected, Alby's ass in that suit...Alby unzipping said suit...

So. many. things were happening that Will wanted to respond to, and absolutely would have if he wasn't too busy biting his lip while planting one foot and each crutch in front of the other. If he wanted to keep up a decent pace and remain standing when they stopped, he didn't have much opportunity to do anything but focus on simply staying upright. It was a miracle nothing attacked them while on the way to Alby's workshop. He would've been good and royally fucked.

The second the door was unlocked and opened, Will shouldered his way through only to go as far as leaning back against the wall next the doorway and sliding down it to the floor, landing heavily on his ass and giving zero fucks about that.

"Bag, bag," he prompted Alby, holding his arms up and waiting for his belongings to be returned to him. The second the pack was in his hands, he dug through it for theoretically the best weed he had--not the kind that was legally given to him, but something with a little bit of a stronger kick. It was going to stink up the whole room, and even he wasn't so much of a dick where normally he wouldn't have tried to move off to some far corner by a vent or something, but he just didn't have it in him. His entire spine was electrocuting him from head to foot, the hub being that spot just about his tailbone. He needed to kill that asap.

Dropping his bag carelessly to the side, he prepped his pipe and lit up, taking one of the biggest hits of his entire weed-hitting life.

And it worked almost instantly.

"Holy. Shit," he breathed, thunking his head back against the wall.

Holy shit! His supplier had said this was some good stuff, and he'd paid a pretty penny for it, but if he'd known it was this good he would've bought the guy's entire stock. Of course, there was probably no need to buy anything now. Dude was probably a zombie, which meant freebies at the dealer's house!

"Al. We need to go on another adventure. I need more of this. I need a lot more of this." He paused and stared at his plastic baggie full of 'special herbs,' giggling slightly. "Oh man, I can practically taste each plant that went into this. I can probably make this myself if I find the guy's greenhouse. We should find this guy's greenhouse. That sounds like a great thing to do in the middle of a zombiepocalypse. Who wants to go on a field trip to the weed farm!" He raised his hand. "Murder Bait! You're with me, right? Try some of this. You'll totally be with me. I swear on my probably-going-to-be-super-short life, this is the best shit in existence! Come here, come here, try some! And be honored! I never share! Take advantage while I'm riding this freaky insta-high!"

@Crowley @DangoYumi

 

[BlueFlameNikku]

Name: Jaxon Freed "Jax"​

Location: North Tullytown Morud (AKA; The Slums)
Date: November 17, 2020
Interactions: NPCs
Tags: None
Hexcode: 666699

Time: 6:56pm
Jax had just finished his latest deliver just nearly before the sun was about to finish setting and was already back inside Old Man River's little ramshackle home. Upon entering the door the old man greeted Jax back with a beer in his shaking wrinkled old hand. The two sat down on two old wooden stools on either side of a small round table in a small fairly empty room with scattered open windows that were vacant of any glass. All of the wood and structure of the house was a perfect reflection of the old rickety man out sat within it enjoying a beer of his own as he spouted old tales of wisdom and knowledge from his lips to Jax's attentive ears even if his face showed a more dulled expression.

Laying the back of his left glove covered hand upon the table after taking another sip Jax got a clear view of some odd mark like a tattoo that was on the inside of his left forearm which easily stood out from his light skin. It was all together about the size of a stamp you'd put on a letter and looked like a capital "J" black tattoo with detailed smoke around it. He guessed it was too much of a coincidence that this mark appeared the same day that smoke started gently but constantly seeping from his mouth like a small smoke machine. It was the reason why throughout the day Jax had kept the bandana over his mouth lighter than usual so as to hide the odd phenomena. The old but sharp man had noticed these things about Jax but only hasn't mentioned them until now...

"I've been around long enough to know when someone's got some destiny about them boy. I ain't ever seen you smoke a damn thing and you ain't like the rest of those tattooed hooligans. Something is coming..."

But before Jax could respond with more than just a curious look the conversation was interrupted as the small cube TV upon the table draw both of their attentions.

"Breaking news!"

"You are Prepared."
​

They both stared in silence for a moment after watching the entire televised incident unfold until the silence was broken by a tsunami of bloody screams from outside accompanied scattered bits of gunfire. The old man and Jax both looked out the nearest window, Jax standing up and quickly dashing over to said open window only to see the slum streets in chaos as people with blood pouring from their mouths and eye holes where shuffling around and chomping into screaming men, women and children. Within the next moment a loud crashing sound emanated from the front door of the hobble as Jax quickly turned around only to see one of those blood covered zombie bastards shuffling on top of the broken down door that was now laying on the floor. As Jax took a single step in reaction a loud bang went off to his right as he watched the corrupted fly backwards out the doorway into the street, the door frame instantly riddled with holes.

Jax turned to his right to see the old man sitting in his chair holding a double barrel shotgun against his shoulder that he must have retrieved from the bottom of the table. The old man spoke to Jax without looking at him. "I'm too old for this shit dammit. If I were you I'd head to Mania Defense on the south side. It's got walls and guns that your gonna need." Both Jax and Old Man Rivers now looking at the door as a good dozen corrupted of varying appearance head towards the doorway. You heard me boy! Get the fuck outta my sight! As the old man fires off another shot through the doorway before reloading. Jax didn't need to be told a second time as he dashes by the table scooping up his worn green backpack and metal pipe, giving the old man whom he looked up to like a grandfather a confident reassuring look before hopping out an open window on the opposite side, tucking and rolling in the dirt before breaking off in a sprint down the nearest alleyway, hearing two more shots before a low old scream of pain met Jax's ears. Continuing to run Jax bit his lip in anger at the sound of the old man's cries. He had no clue of why this was all happening or even if there were anyone specific people responsible for what was now happening across the the town but Jax's head was already filled with the desire to make who ever was responsible for this pay.

Location: North Tullytown Bloomy Herbarium
Time: 7:50pm

After a good hour of constant movement switching up from running, jogging and walking Jax slumped down in the middle of an alleyway to catch his breath. He knew he was out of the slums now but not quite sure where. He knew he had to head to the south part of town to the damn place where most likely a good majority of the police were held up during all of this and he really didn't enjoy that thought but it was either try to reach a secure place or fucking rot out here with these freaks. Jax spoke out softly with an annoyed sigh and tone of voice. "...and here I thought the world was a shit place as it was." The young man chuckled to himself before hearing the sounds of someone frantically breathing and some clinging of metal just beyond the alley towards the sidewalk. Jax stood up and quietly walked out of the alley and turned the corner to see a young man wearing an obsessive amount of orange clothing, including an orange bandana tied around his bicep. He was fiddling with some bolt cutters and a bike chain as there was a bicycle chained up to the lamp post. But a cold smile crept its way across Jax's face behind his bandana as he had a good guess that this guy was apart of his old gang which was known for representing themselves with bright orange.

Jax quietly retrieved the kitchen knife from his bag and crept up behind the crouching supposed gang member as he was distracted at the moment as the man finally breaks the bike chain with the bolt cutters and lets out a hushed celebration just in time for Jax to reach the knife around to the kneeling man's throat and slit it with little to no hesitation, spraying a slash splatter of blood across the sidewalk. "Thanks for the ride fucker...~" Jax taunts as the blood gurgling young man instinctual puts his hands to his own throat to try and stop the bleeding but it was no use as within no time he'd be a slow twitching blood corpse on the sidewalk. The dying man reaches weakly out towards Jax with a blood soaked hand as Jax simply looks down at him and sighs before smirking once again. "You know I'm actually doing you a favor." As Jax crouches down near the bleeding man's face, pulling down the bandana that covered his facial expressions and smoke seeping from his mouth. "Now you won't have to live through this hell...~" As Jax watches the life quickly leave the bleeding man's eyes before picking up the bolt cutters, placing them in his bag and getting on the bicycle and covering his mouth with his bandana once again.


​

 

[Sinopa]

Arima Mania, Charlotte Knight
November 17, 2020
7:58pm > 8:27pm EST
@Aka~Kitsune @Crowley @Kade @DangoYumi

With eyes as lifeless as her friend's, Arima looked around for something of her parent's, holding her hand up to refuse the candy. She reached over to the end table by the door, grabbed her father's key card to Mania defenses, and stuffed it into her pocket. However, Charlotte was most likely referring to something personal, holding their memory. Her gaze wondered to the hanging skeleton key before a flash of realization crossed her features. Her small fingers wrapped around the key, which hung onto sturdy braided cords, and placed it around her thin neck. Standing the backpack up on the floor she moved to a box on the mantle of the fireplace. All around laid pictures and decorations of the family, but what she wanted rested within the safe borders of the locked wooden box. For a brief moment she stood there, just staring at it as if she were reluctant to even touch it. When she finally found the courage, Arima gently grabbed the box, returned to her backpack, and placed it securely within its confines.
"Thank you…" Her dull voice stated as she pushed the button to the elevator and waited for it to open.

Charlotte had watched with a worried gaze for her friend, having shoved the lollipop into the space of her pocket as she watched the other grab a few personal items.
"It's okay..." She mumbled, though her voice wasn't certain at this point. A small frown was upon her lips, her brows furrowed as she let her gaze stray to the elevator. "We'll be okay... Arima... I promise..."

Arima stepped into the elevator and closed the doors once Charlotte was in. It was no better than her home. The blood, the burns, the body parts, she couldn't seem to escape it. She felt something stir deep inside of her as she kept her eyes forward, trying with all her might to keep from crying. The building beyond those elevator doors seemed to be even worse. With one hand on her backpack, the other grabbed Charlotte's hand and quickly ran out. She couldn't take the sight anymore, nor the awful lingering smell. Once they were outside Arima took in a deep breath, then released it with a sigh.

Dragged out by Arima, Charlotte had only been stalled a moment. The sight was horrifying but she had seen it once and she decided to focus completely on Arima's well-being to not let the bloody massacres torment her.
"Arima... prepare yourself..." She paused, thinking a moment as she took the lollipop stick from her lips to throw away.

When she finally became aware of her surroundings a tiny gasp escaped her lips. Creatures roamed the streets in a mindless manor. Gunshots could be heard in the distance from every direction along with terrified screams, groans, and even laughter. She quickly ducked behind a car in hopes that Charlotte was right behind her.
"This is horrible…" She said, her voice filled with defeat.

Charlotte once again remained silent as she let Arima take in the chaos that had developed in the town they once believed to be peaceful. She took in a sharp intake of breath, a hiss almost, as she watched the creatures move.
"We should just hurry to Mania...We really don't want these zombies to catch us..." She added, pulling Arima along with her as she already began to move. "You'll be one of them if you do..."

The two girls had a destination set in mind as they jumped from hiding place to hiding place towards Mania defenses.

Being invisible came easy to Arima, ever since she returned 4 years ago it was second nature to her. She would often scare her parents, schoolmates, and even the guests at her house by silently appearing out of nowhere. She didn't mean to be creepy, it was just how she got around. With silent footsteps, graceful movements, and the shadows all around her, the beasts around her had no clue where she was.

It wasn't too long before they made it to the towering buildings of her parent's company. She gaped at its structure; many times she's stepped foot in this place, been in its shadows, she practically lived there, and yet now nothing seemed like home anymore. She looked over at Charlotte.
"Follow me, there's an area on the second floor that should be safe to stay in." Charlotte nodded and with that Arima led the two into the back entrance of the building and up the immediate stairs. Luckily the staircase was empty, so the trip up didn't take long. She opened the door leading to the second floor, which led to a long white hallway full of doors and more halls. Her hand grasped her stomach, something was telling her that this was a bad idea, however, she was normally paranoid so she chalked it up as nothing. With quick strides, Arima approached a large metal door and inserted the keycard, then removed it quickly and placed it back in her pocked as she waited for the lights to turn green around the keypad. When the door began to open she felt a twinge of relief despite the growing anxiety. That was until a set of hands flew through the opening trying to grab them.

The second the hands flew out, Charlotte grabbed Arima and pulled her back as crystal blue orbs stare wildly and full of terror at the zombified people, lips parted as if to scream though she remained silent. A weight settled on her shoulders, the fear, as she pulled Arima further back and into a run.
"This is insane! I thought Mania would be safe!" Charlotte hissed out, tears threatening to escape her eyes, though she struggled against them.

"No! That wasn't supposed to happen!" Arima cried out with frustration, confusion, and anger. Running as fast as she could, she followed Charlotte back towards the staircase doors. The amount of force she put into opening that door due to adrenaline, caused it to bang against the wall and lock in place. She looked up at it in horror before storming down the stairs again, her friends hand in hers as she kept Charlotte as close as possible, with the corrupted following not too far behind.

Charlotte had blinked away her tears but her eyes began to grow red as she was pulled by Arima along the staircase. Her breathing was uneven, out of fear, as she refused to even look back at the creatures.
"A-arima....W-where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe!" Once they reached the bottom, knowing that outside was no better, she went the other way in hopes of finding a secure place to hide from the monsters. Then she saw people. She was about to turn, when she noticed that they didn't look like the creatures, in fact, she recognized one of them. Charlotte stumbled with her steps as they both stopped, her eyes flickering over to where she noted Arima's attention. It took her a few moments to understand that they weren't part of the corrupted that had followed them but in fact living people. A smile threatened to shift the corner of her lips but she just stared...

"ALBY!!!" Arima called out with distress, her voice cracking a little as she tried to hold back the tears. "ALBY, HELP!!! PLEASE!!!"

 

[Crowley]

Albatross
Location: Mania Defense Inc.
Interactions: @DangoYumi @Kade @Sinopa @Aka~Kitsune
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Every muscle in Albatross' body ached from exhaustion and the stress of the day as he braced open the double-doors of his workshop for 'Salt & Pepper' and Will to proceed inward. In truth he could barely even feel his arms anymore, an unseen weight pressing down upon them to further demonstrate his need for rest. His only joy being the thought of resting comfortably inside of his workshop, close to his forge and the peace it provided, until he heard the scream.​

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"ALBY!!!"..."ALBY, HELP!!! PLEASE!!!" The shrill, childish voice rang out through the dead of night like a wail born to rip apart the natural silence, though what surprised him, was not only did the voice know his name...but he knew her. Shifting his gaze to the left as he pinpointed the source of the scream, he caught sight of two very young girls running as fast as their legs would carry them, nearly collapsing upon themselves in terror as nearly a dozen corrupted chased them.​

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He was familiar with the one who'd screamed, Arima Mania, she'd often visited his workshop with her parents, but not the other girl. If she was here with another child, without an adult, it could only mean something terrible had occurred. Shifting his head back to Amber and Will as they rested at the doorway, alerted by the same voice as him, he nearly growled as he spoke. "Get them inside! Lock the door behind yourselves." ​

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Reaching down to zip up his battle-suit, he'd already broken out into nearly a full sprint as it'd taken only a few moments for him to process what was happening and what would happen. Arima possessed a look of raw fear in her eyes as she bolted toward him through the darkness with her friend in tow, Albatross knew that look though he could not console her, not now. His strides carried him twice the distance that their smaller legs offered them, as he closed the gap ridiculously quickly, though instead of scooping up the girls into his arms, he vaulted over them. Taking the time to speak only as he was passing them, his words were dire and more of an order than anything else. "Keep running."​

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He recognized the surprise and sudden shock in the girl's eyes as he went sailing over their heads, colliding head on with the swarm of corrupted. Albatross knew if he'd scooped up the girls and ran into his workshop, they'd be allowing themselves to be surrounded and trapped in a small box. He couldn't expect Will or Amber to fight this many at a time, not without armor, he had to either kill all the corrupted...or as many as he could. Spreading his arms outward upon impact with the crowd, he managed to knock a few down initially.​

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Albatross planted his left boot firmly into the chest of one corrupted to knock it down, immediately pivoting and offering another a right hook as he noticed one had broken from the pack to resume the chase. Lunging after the creature he grabbed it by it's left arm and yanked it backwards, wrapping his right arm around it's neck as it's head faced the sky and then lifting up until he snapped it's neck. This small victory was short-lived as three of the beasts pounced at Albatross' back nearly topping him over.​

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The impact of their blows was intense, these creatures struck with the full force their bodies possessed with each motion as they never tired or lost energy. As the trio struck Albatross' back, the one he'd originally knocked down tried to sweep his legs as the remaining few encircled him. His body was sluggish and he knew he was hitting with barely half the strength as earlier, he expected to die here. The needs of the many outweighed his own and soon he would be with his mother again...​

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Albatross suddenly felt a warmth wash over him as he could hear his heartbeat in his head, the cadence so rapid he couldn't even count the beats, every inch of his flesh felt like it was on fire, being seared away from the bone before he woke up...or fell asleep.​

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No longer was he on his final battlefield or surrounded by an unstoppable force of monsters, no longer was he a savior or a martyr as he rested in the backseat of a car as it traveled down a rainy street. Sitting comfortably behind the driver, it was then he realized he couldn't speak or interact as he turned his head to see a small child, with wavy red hair, screaming uncontrollably and flailing about. The driver who had to be his mother kept glancing backwards to try and calm him, but to no avail.​

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Albatross watched the scene unfold as the mother failed to silence or quell the boy's rage, narrowly avoiding traffic on the slick streets of the city. Albatross screamed but words wouldn't leave his lips, he wanted the boy to be quiet, he needed him to relax, if he didn't stop his mother wouldn't see it. She wouldn't notice the truck that had run the stop sign, she wouldn't be able to slam on breaks and avoid it. If the boy didn't stop, he would never see her again. Albatross felt tears well up in his eyes, he wanted to save her, he wanted to act...but he was helpless...like a child.​

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Shutting his eyes tightly as the tears poured down his face relentlessly, he suddenly heard the pulsing of his heartbeat yet again and it's rapid pace, though it was declining this time. He could hear voices, his body was limp and when he tried to move his actions were sluggish as if he'd been asleep and was awakening from sleep paralysis. For some reason, he was within his workshop now, he couldn't remember how he'd gotten there and everyone, the children included were staring at him with fear and bewilderment.​

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"What happened? Where did the creatures go? They didn't get in right?"​