Dead Inside (Zombie/Survival Horror)

[envogue]

Dallas, Tx
Sixflags Over Texas

Zinnia 'Nia' Curtis

"Man, it feels like the devil's balls out here," Zinnia said aloud, as she misted herself with the small, over priced fan she'd gotten from a gift shop. She turned her head from side to side, the sweat beads that built up on her upper lip and hair line hardly budging from the weak breeze. In her other hand was a large cup filled with some sugary, icy concoction of cola cherry, which she gulped down without pause.

"Hey, you don't have anything to worry about. Ferris wheels are like, roller coasters with training wheels." Zinnia finally said, as she plucked her lips from around the swirly, bendy straw. She looked over at her assigned partner, Cassandra Novac, who was waiting in line with her for the ferris wheel. Cassandra had made it clear that she wasn't really a fan of heights, but Zinnia was quite convincing, and not even Cassandra could tell her no. Besides, nobody wanted to be that guy, which Zinnia had reminded Cassandra of multiple times as she peer pressured her into riding with her.

The line began to thin in the front and the operator moved to open the back gates, allowing old passengers off and making room for the new ones. Zinnia knew that she was up next, and she excitedly grabbed Cassandra by the shoulders from behind, and marched her forward after the front gate was opened. She broke away from Cassandra and found an empty spot for her large tote. She set her sunglasses, and drink off to the side.

"Here, Cass. If you wanna put your things with mine," Zinnia offered, as she walked along to the open carriage on the ferriswheel. She eyed the girl for a moment to see what she would do, and then turned away to look outside. Almost everyone was boarded up, and the operator was doing his rounds to make sure everyone's doors were secure. When he passed by, Zinnia smirked and leaned back in her chair, smoothing her cheerleading skirt down as a force of habit.

"If he was like, ten years younger, he'd be really hot." Zinnia said, satisfied with herself as the ferris wheel creaked underneath them. She especially liked this ferris wheel, because the carts swung very lightly while the wheel slowly churned.

@SaberWolf @The Devil You Know @SoleStride

​

 

[SoleStride]

Adalynn Sharpe

Six Flags over Texas - Dallas, Tx

This music… is terrible... It was the only coherent thought she could make as the tinny carousel music played on repeat, the notes sounding over and over again in rapid succession – the musical equivalent of circus clowns bouncing up and down and honking their noses. For someone like Addie, it was torture. Her cold gaze landed on Jeremy, the incredibly nerdy student she had been randomly assigned to partner up with. He was saddled onto a wooden horse next to her, seemingly enjoying himself as the ride went around and around. Parents looked on in confusion and distrust, wondering why two teenagers were riding the carousel with all the younger children.

Just as Zinnias had pulled Cassandra along, Addie too had been forced to go wherever her partner wanted. The way he took hold of her hand and dragged her away, plus the creepily endearing expression in his eye, made her wonder if he had ulterior motives. But she hardly knew this guy so she quickly ignored his longing looks and resigned herself to a slow and painful Carousel ride.

As it spun, Adalynn stared out at the crowd, watching the ride "technician" repeatedly try to tell her to actually straddle the horse instead of sitting sideways on it every time they passed him. But she was wearing a long skirt so that wasn't going to happen. She simply stared at him every time they made the round, making no move but to lift her water to her lips to take a drink when they made eye contact – yet again. Nor did he make any move to stop or board the ride to make her do what she was told. All the while, Addie could feel Jeremy's gaze burning into her back and hear him muttering, seemingly trying to work up the courage to talk to her. Poor guy…



@SaberWolf @The Devil You Know @Sailor Moon​

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Cassandra 'Cassie' Novac

Cassandra was excited for the final field trip of her highschool career. It was set to be an educational romp through the museum of world history, a smorgasbord of historical wealth right at her fingertips. However, it was decided, (almost) unanimously that the field trip should be something more "fun" and "adventurous." Still, she wasn't one to skip on a chance to go somewhere else and soak up some sun and fun. Of course, fairs and amusement parks had never been her scene. Cassandra was petrified of heights, and any time she went, she couldn't say no to her peers more than a few times before they were able to convince her. This was especially so when Zinnia was the one doing the convincing.

Not only was she easily the most popular girl in the school, but she was charming, energetic, and beautiful to boot. How could anyone say no to her more than once? Still, the brunette had a hard time hiding her disappointment. After all, to her a good time was relaxing with a book, or working in the shop at home, or even just lazing the day away. But thrill rides, loopty loops, and huge crowds of people? Not so much. The fresh air was nice though, and she did enjoy the company of a few of her classmates. Zinnia was one such classmate, with her youthful vigor and can-do attitude it was usually nice to spend time with her. Of course, being the nerdy type, Cassie herself wasn't often on that guest list, which made the chances she receieved the more valuable.

Beads of sweat clung to the young woman's body, and the cold water she was chugging was helping, but, not enough. A low sigh escaped her lips as she glanced to her assigned partner, managing a smile in reply to her. It sure was unbearably hot. A brief chuckle sounded as she flashed her a goofy smile.

"It's weird that you have that frame of reference, Zinnia."

Cassie spoke softly in response to the preppy girl's evaluation of the heat. Unfortunately, Zinnia had insisted they ride the Ferris Wheel, which was, of course, one of the rides that rose into the air where same humans dared not tread. As per usual, she was only able to resist her classmates charm briefly, and agreed to go with her. Zinnia's comparison did actually make her feel a tiny bit better. But, a two hundred foot drop with an umbrella is still likley fatal. The random comparison that had popped into her made prompted a silly look of "where did that thought come from?" Upon dropping off the little she had, her cellphone, wallet, personal book, etc...Cassandra boarded with her classmate, eyeing her wearily as they were seated and secured.

Cassandra raised a brow when her companion spoke of the man when he passed, sparing a casual glance back at him before returning her attention to Zinnia. She shrugged lightly.

"I guess? I hadn't really noticed."

Cassie spoke quickly, the nervousness rising in her chest as the ride began to creak and move. Her words weren't untrue, she didn't spend much time checking people out. Even if she did, what good would it have done? No sense in getting piqued over someone who wouldn't spare you a moment of their time. When was the last time someone even spoke to her like she was a potential date? Freshmen year? Sheesh, that was a while ago.

"Anyway...here we go, I guess."

Cassandra concluded, the ride beginning it's terrifying cycle.
​

@Sailor Moon

 

[Saber]

Kano Ishikawa
Six Flags Over Texas - Dallas, Tx

​

Senior trips just didn't make sense to Kano. Why would you want to go on a trip when you had university to prepare for? Even though this was their senior trip, they still had final exams to worry about and that's why Kano was sitting at a table under a parasol near a food stand. She was near the ferris wheel where a few of her other classmates were hanging out and enjoying themselves. It's not that Kano didn't like to have fun, she just had a different definition of fun. Her family was very strict and her outlets from school were sports and learning different skills.

Like mechanical engineering. Kano looked away from her physics book just long enough to analyze the large ferris wheel. The construction seemed sound, but who knew how many times that thing had been inspected. The gears and cylinders looked clean, that was a good, but still, Kano could never really trust amusement parks, even in this day and age. She sighed softly, brushing her hair back from her face and continuing her work. One thing Kano didn't appreciate about Texas was the heat. She much preferred the north, back in New York where in the summer it didn't get much over ninety degrees, usually. If she hadn't been in the shade, Kano was sure she'd be drenched in sweat already.

"Hey did you hear about the attack on the other end of the park?" That piqued Kano's interest as she paused her note taking and glanced up at the two girls that were at the snack stand. "Apparently this guy was on a date with this girl, and she bit him! Like...took a good chunk from his arm!"

"Really?" The other girl asked as she brought a hand up to her face in shock. "Was there a lot of blood?"

"Yeah, they took the guy to the med tent to treat him and the girl to security." After paying for their food they turned to leave. "He must've really pissed her off for her to want to bite him like that."

"He probably deserved it." The other girl mentioned with a shrug before the went off back into the park.

"Texas is a mess." Kano sighed to herself as she started taking notes again. Even though people were odd in New York, you never really heard of people biting each other. Not like in Florida when people got too high on bath salts and started eating each other. Seems like those things only happened in the south. Another reason she didn't really love living here.

A few minutes passed and Kano finally put away her notebook to take a break. As she sat back and rolled her neck with a few cracks, she saw a girl wandering through the crowd, wobbling back and forth. She was either drunk or had heat stroke, either way, the sight wasn't pretty. People being the selfish beings they were, just moved out of the way of the girl before she wandered up to the ferris wheel where the operator was running the ride.

"Listen, sweetheart, you're not allowed up h-" Before the man could finish his sentence, the girl lunged at him and began biting at his neck. The man started screaming as a few people around ran up to help him. Kano stood so she could see better, but didn't move much closer. The bystanders managed to pull the girl off, but blood was pouring from the ride operator as he fell back and hit the emergency stop on the ferris wheel. The girl then broke free of the people that helped and started to attack them.

"What the hell." Kano muttered to herself as people started to run as the girl took more chunks out of whoever she could sink her teeth into. Park security appeared and tried to apprehend her, but in the scuffle, one of the officers hit the girl hard in the head with his baton and she fell to the ground. When the chaos seemed to be dying down, the operator of the ferris wheel rose up, his skin paler than before and his eyes fogged over.

Kano's eyes widened as she picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, crouching down by a near by wall. The man let out a feral sound before running to the nearest person and sank his teeth into their flesh. People began stampeding away in opposite directions. The attacker started chasing after them, leaving the area a bit scarce.

"Holy shit."

 

[envogue]

Dallas, Tx
Ferris Wheel

Zinnia Curtis

Zinnia gave a tight lipped smile at Cassandra's bland responses to her comment about the operator. As she silently observed the other girl, she couldn't help but to be a little more disappointed that they hadn't been able to choose their own partners. It was no fault of Cassandra's, they were from different social circles and cared about different things. However, Zinnia was still determined to make the most out of their senior class trip.

"So, what do you want to do after this?" Zinnia asked, her bright eyes focused on Cassandra. "If you're hungry, we could grab a bite to eat."

As soon as those words left her lips, a commotion could be heard from down below. Zinnia's brows wrinkled with worry, and she leaned over to take a peek through the carriage window. She could hardly see a thing due to the angle they were at, but the cries and the stampede of people flooding out was enough cause for alarm. Before Zinnia could even get a word out, the ferris wheel jolted to a sudden stop, sending their carts rocking like a pendulum. She looked over to Cassandra, even more concerned with her quiet partner's feelings than her own.

"Okay. I don't know what that's about..." Zinnia said, her voice shaking. It would be the first time anyone had ever seen her so rattled. Not long after, Zinnia could hear growling, and more ravenous sounds approaching. She backed away from the window on instinct, taking a deep breath and clutching the rose gold cross that dangled around her neck.

"Lord Jesus, I'm so sorry for being vulgar and sometimes judgmental, but please let us make it home safely. Please," Zinnia pleaded, her eyes closed and her voice a whisper. She opened her eyes slowly and looked over at Cassandra, then her attention was snapped towards the window to see a bloodied hand banging on the plexiglass. A sharp scream left her lips as she nearly flung herself towards Cassandra. A truly disturbed looking man revealed himself, somehow supporting the bulk of his bodyweight with little effort at all. His fingers searched for an opening into the cart, and Zinnia did some quick thinking, and bolted forward again, pushing against the cart door to secure it in place.

"Somebody help! Please!" Zinnia screamed, as she was unable to even comprehend what was going on now. All she knew was that she did not want this psycho to break into their cart. "Oh god, Cassandra. I can't hold him! I can't hold him!" ​

 

[SoleStride]

Adalynn Sharpe

Six Flags over Texas - Dallas, Tx


This ride was never ending. The index finger of Adalynn's left hand tapped almost impatiently on her thigh, until that tapping turned into a pantomime of chord progression. If she were at home right now like she wanted to be, she'd be practicing Mozart's Sonata No. 8 like she should be. Her parents had tried everything they could think of to get her out of this trip, but it was considered a school day and she couldn't possibly have an absence on her record. Addie finished off her water bottle, sighing when it was empty and she was still sweating buckets. As if drinking more water would keep you from sweating in this weather.

Her legs kicked lightly back against the wooden horse she was riding side-saddle on. Or rather, she was literally just sitting completely sideways on so she could continue to gaze out into the crowd of crazy park-goers. They looked like they were having so much fun, or at least trying to, and here she was, purposefully not enjoying the child's ride she'd been forced to board.

The small girl turned to look at her cohort, Jeremey, once again. The boy, startled by her gaze, took to fidgeting more than before and attempted his best to smile at her. She could see his lips moving, but could not hear his words over the terrible carnival-type music, and when he noticed her blank expression, Jeremey dismounted from the tiny steed to make his way over. His efforts were rewarded with a bloody nose as the boy tripped over some invisible object and immediately smashed his face into the pole securing the small horses in place. As if in some comedy sketch, the kid fell right back over and knocked his head on the wooden horse before finally meeting the metal base of the rotating wheel.

With a concerned look on her face, Adalynn slid from her own horse to go help the boy, but she was startled by the ripple of screams that could be heard coming from what seemed to be another ride not too far away. The parents surrounding them all turned to see what was happening as well. As Adalynn crouched to help Jeremy up, the carousel rotated to put them in view of the horrific scene taking place by the Ferris Wheel. Was that blood?

"Oh my god…" People were attacking each other in broad daylight. Across the way, a man jumped some woman and sunk his teeth into her shoulder, tearing out a huge chunk of human flesh and muscle. The carousel continued to turn, blocking their view once more. "What's happening?" She asked quietly to no one in particular.

Cupping his nose, Jeremy shook his head, staring wide-eyed into empty space. He couldn't possibly be in shock just from that, right? Addie tugged on his arm, pulling him closer to the edge of the carousel so she could yell at the operator to shut it down. But he was too busy abandoning his station to try to see what was happening on the other side of the ride. He must not have liked what he saw either because before she knew it, the man was running at full speed away from the area, leaving the ride, and all the children on board, stranded.

"We have to get off this ride…" Adalynn glanced around, noting over half a dozen children still riding. "All of these kids too…"

The carousel made another loop, revealing once again the disaster that was breaking out at the base of the Ferris Wheel, and now climbing up the side of it as well. That disaster was spreading as people bolted from the scene, rushing in all directions, including toward the very ride the two teens were on at the moment. Many of them, cut, bitten, and bleeding, simply went around the ride. And yet, one person in particular barreled on toward the carousel, purposefully launching herself at the moving ride where she tackled a small boy off his horse and proceeded to tear him apart and feast on anything she could grab. The attacking woman herself appeared to be missing a very vital organ from her chest and had many other bite wounds. Part of her throat was even missing. Adalynn felt her chest tighten.

"Everybody off the ride NOW!" She yelled, forcing her small voice so she could get the attention of the children and the parents. Parent's rushed the ride, some trying to climb on board for their kids while others only followed around the outside with outstretched arms, waiting for their children to jump. Most of the children, driven by fear, were able to scrape up the courage to launch themselves off the ride into mom or dad's arms. However, two could not get themselves to jump and they simply clung to each other, crying. Adalynn grabbed up one of them and tossed the little boy off the ride into the waiting arms of his father, who immediately took off running without a second thought.

One kid left, plus herself and her student partner. And Miss Hungry appeared to be finished with her meal.

​

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Cassandra Novac

Cassandra was concerned about the ride, at least, until hell started to break loose. In truth, she was having a hard time paying attention to what Zinnia was saying, but of course, reality struck sharply when the cart suddenly stopped. The young woman looked out at the commotion, trying to determine what was happening. Something terrible was definitely starting to happen. Every fiber in her being was saying that this was bad and they had to get out. This was only made worse when her partner began to pray frantically. Great, so, she was panicking. Cassandra's chest felt like it was going to start tightening any moment, she needed to try and calm herself.

Unfortunately, the universe had other plans, as a bloodied hand began to smash into the glass, trying to break in. The man looked like a monster, trying to crazily break into their ride. Undoubtedly he wanted to hurt or kill them. To hell with that noise. Thankfully, Zinnia seemed to snap out of her stupor and throw herself against the door to try and hold him back. Great! Cassandra attempted to gather as much information about their assailant as possible as quickly as she could. He was obviously wounded, but it wasn't impeding him. Still, with all the force he was using to try and break in, his grip couldn't have been great. It would only take a decent hit to knock him loose. This was crazy, but it beat sitting there hoping for help. As her dad always said; Don't hope for something to happen. Make it happen.

"Zinnia, listen, we need to knock him off...when i say now, i want you to let him push the door open."

Cassandra could only hope the othergiel would trust her. Once that door was open and that...thing, got the door open, he'd be off balanced, and she would throw herself forward and dropkick his crazy ass right in the midsection. Hopefully with how sluggish he was, it would throw him a few feet back and off the cart. Sure, landing on her stomach would hurt, and rocking cart was ill advised, but it beat whatever he was going to do to them.

"Now!"​

 

[Saber]

Kano Ishikawa
Sixflags Over Texas - Dallas, Tx
​

Kano was still frozen in place after the crowd cleared out and there was only the bodies of the attacked on the ground. Her breathing was slow and steady as she looked around her to make sure there was no one else close by. When the coast seemed to be clear, she moved out from behind the wall only to see one of the people on the ground started groaning. Kano ducked down by a table and watched as the man wobbled to his feet, looking like the others who had attacked. Pale skin, cloudy eyes...looking more dead than alive. She watched as the man heard screaming coming from the various cars of the ferris wheel. He began to climb up from car to car, attacking the people that were inside that were dumb enough not to try to keep the door shut.

While the...creature, was preoccupied, Kano snuck over to where the security guard had fallen and picked up his baton. Were the others on the ground going to wake up like he did? What was going on? Kano clenched her jaw as she picked up the metal baton and then looked up at the ferris wheel once more. There were still people up there screaming and rocking their cars back and forth. She had to get the ferris wheel moving again. As she was on her way to the control platform, she heard more screaming and then some carnal growls before the creature fell from the car, hitting the ground hard. His skull smashing against the ground and he laid still.

Kano looked up to see the door of one of the cars swinging before she moved back to the control panel. She looked at the controls and hit the green button and the ride started moving again. There was another button she pressed when a car would get to the landing platform. She hit the red one and it would stop while the people got out and started to run. Kano kept letting people off until a car came to the landing platform and she recognized the girls that got off.

"Zinnia and Cassandra, right?" She asked as she tilted her head as she poked her head in the car to see the two girls farther in the back of the car. "You gonna get out of there or what?" Just as she asked that, a couple more of the people on the ground began to groan and get to their feet. "I suggest you make a decision now because I'm not gonna stay here much longer. So I recommend you get out and we get away from here."

 

[envogue]

Ferris Wheel ---> Carousel
6flags Over Texas

"Zinnia, listen, we need to knock him off...when i say now, i want you to let him push the door open."

Zinnia's eyes went big at Cassandras suggestion, and for a moment there, she actually wondered if this girl had lost her mind, too. She took a big gulp and looked over her shoulder at Cassandra, who appeared ready to act out whatever crazy plan she had concocted. On Cassanda's cue, Zinnia pushed the door open against the lunatic, and bolted out of the way, screaming loudly as she did so.

"Ah! Fuck!" Zinnia yelled, as she watched Cassandra pull off a perfect drop kick to the guy's stomach. He fell off of the cart, and Zinnia knew there was only one way he could have gone. Heart thudding in her chest, she crawled up to the seat, just as the ferris wheel started to move again. Outside of the window she could see another familiar face helping people off of the ferris wheel. She was filled with a bittersweet feeling at the sight. Did she really want to go back down there now after that? The amusement park wasn't half as packed as it was before, and people were still running around screaming.

There was no choice, a fact Zinnia accepted as their cart descended onto the landing platform. She all but scrambled off of the ferris wheel, visibly shaken as she stopped and took in the true chaos all around her. There were so many people lying on the ground, a few of them still alive, groaning out in pain.

"Oh, God. What do we do?" Zinnia asked quietly, hands cupping over her mouth as she stepped down the stairs to investigate the bodies. "They need help. We can't just leave like this," she said, as if she was battling with her instincts to run as far away from this place as possible. As soon as her foot touched the pavement, something twitched and moaned against her leg. She looked down, imagining it was some poor soul in need of help. It was a person, of course, but those eyes... They just stared blankly at her, no anger or sadness. There was hardly anything in there anymore. She hesitated for a moment, a mixture of horror and confusion on her face. This poor man, he looked just like the man on the ferris wheel, though not even half as violent.

Not even seconds after that, more moaning and groaning sounded in the area. The lifeless forms that lay on the pavement began to clumsily rise, like it was their very first time walking. Something seemed to register on one of the dead people's face, and they turned towards herself, and the others.

"Wh-what's happening? This... This isn't right." Zinnia stepped back, a cold, clammy hand gripping her ankle as she moved. The silver-haired girl let out a blood curdling scream as the zombie, or whatever it was, opened it's mouth as if it was ready to bite. She backed into another of the lifeless figures. Thankfully its back was facing her, but it stumbled to turn around. Sandwiched, Zinnia freed herself from the man's grasp, stepping on half of his head in the process, and running across his back. The person grunted instinctively, but Zinnia was too frightened to care about the pain of her would be assailant.

Zinnia realized there were more of them while she was running. People were being mowed down in the streets of the amusement park, feasted on by others like they were animals. Not too far off children's cries could be heard, so close that she truthfully couldn't ignore it. Zinnia looked over to the left, where the carousel ride was positioned, and saw a little boy being torn to shreds by zombies. While her natural reaction was to expel whatever lunch she'd had, she couldn't just ignore these people. They weren't a lost cause, not like the others who had turned on them.

A white haired girl was in the process of helping children, and there was one of her classmates being mauled by another woman. Zinnia picked her legs up and ran as fast as she could, picking up a 'This height' sign along the way. She swatted the woman away at first, but that didn't thwart the relentless attacks against Jeremy. Finally, she slammed the sign over psychotic woman's head, a disgusting crack causing chills to run up her spine. She almost didn't feel the blood spraying across her face, or maybe she just wanted to ignore it.

"Jeremy! Are you okay? Can you stand?" Zinnia asked, crouching down beside the young man to help him to his feet. He was in horrible shape. Chunks of flesh missing, his nose bleeding and red stains between his teeth. "You're going to have to get up. I need your help!" She dropped her weapon off to the side, and slung his arm over her shoulders, giving him enough lift to possibly stand.

​

 

[SoleStride]

Adalynn Sharpe

6 Flags over Texas - Carousel


Addie scooped up the last child, a small blonde girl, and placed her on her hip before turning to grab her partner. By the time she got turned around, he was being pulled back by the rabid female who was apparently done tearing the previous small child apart. As if ripping apart and eating one person wasn't enough… Now Jeremy was next on her list. Adalynn grabbed onto his arm with her free hand, trying to pull him away from the monster, but it was difficult to do much while holding onto a kid and trying to stay balanced on the rotating ride at the same time. She was making no headway in freeing him.

Only a moment later, she saw one of the height signs come crashing down on the woman, startling Adalynn enough to cause her to let go of Jeremy entirely. Off balance, all she could do was grab onto one of the poles and hold tight and watch Zinnia smack the woman over the head again, causing a spritz of blood to cover the silver-haired girl's face. Wide-eyed and trembling, Addie clutched the little girl to her side and grabbed Jeremy's free arm, draping it over her shoulder to help Zinnia lift and move him. Though Addie was not as patient with the boy, instead pulling him along whether he was ready or not. This theme park was the run now or be eaten kind.

"Jump on three." She looked over at the other two, then back to the ground. "One, two, three!" Addie leapt off the carousel, pulling Jeremy with her and hoping Zinnia had decided to cooperate. She wasn't willing to wait for someone to come and turn the ride off. Considering that the woman who'd just been eating people was missing a heart and still moving… a good knock over the head might not keep her from getting back up either. Addie was already starting to walk, pulling Jeremy, and possibly Zinnia, along when the sniffling girl against her chest began to call out.

"Mommy!" The little girl struggled against her, so Adalynn turn to see if anyone was nearby. The only bodies she could see were on the ground, none of which were even breathing. It looked like a couple people had been trampled by the horde running through the park earlier. It was tragic, but they looked like they were already dead and it would be dangerous to stay any longer. Her decision made, Addie clutched the girl tighter and kept moving. "No!" The child screamed at her, slamming her tiny fists against Addie's chest. "Mommy! I want mommy!"

With her other arm, and strength, occupied by her classmate, Adalynn just wasn't able to hold on to the struggling child anymore. She squirmed out of the teens hold and took off running back toward the carousel. With a huff, the teen ducked out from under Jeremy's arm and did a 180 to run after her. By the time she caught up, the girl was violently shaking a woman on the ground. With a sigh, Addie crouched down and placed a hand on the girl's head. The woman wasn't moving, and up close, it was clear that she was gone. She wasn't breathing and her color was already ashen. Adalynn reached down to take the girl's hand, but was greeted with a tight grip from an ashy hand around her wrist. The woman, previously dead, cranked her head up and around to look at the teen and the small girl, her eyes fogged over and a horrid snarl coming from her throat.

The two girls had very contradicting reactions to this surprise. The child squealed with delight and jumped on her 'mommy' to give her a hug; whereas, Addie gasped in a sharp breath to let it out on a scream. It wasn't loud, but it was clear to any nearby classmates that the white-haired girl felt she was in danger. Just in the time it took to let loose a scream, the supposedly dead woman was already taking a large bite out of the little girl's bicep. She was so tiny, the limb was left hanging by barely anything. "No! Stop!" Adalynn screamed at the woman, trying her hardest to pull her wrist free from the vice-like grip. The ashen woman paid it no mind, taking another few large bites from the child's midsection until the kid was no longer moving before launching herself at Addie who fell backward and pushed her feet against the woman's face in an attempt to kick her off. "Get off me! Stop!"


​

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Cassandra Novac

Cassandra noted her classmate's hesitation at her plan, and frankly she couldn't blame her. If this didn't work, they were screwed, but, Cassie herself couldn't handle just sitting there waiting to die. Once the door was open, the man began to enter, only for the aimed dropkick to knock him from the ride. The brunette grunted as she hit the metal, groaning before rolling over onto her back and sitting up.

"Ow...okay, they make that look painless."

Cassie complained, looking over to her classmate and the other passengers. This was a nightmare, and the panic on their faces only served to emphasize that. Yet, in some small way, she herself wasn't panicking. Maybe all those lessons her father had drilled into her about staying calm to keep her condition in check were paying off. Then again...she rose a hand to look at it, realizing that her hand was shaking. Either her adrenaline was keeping her sharp, or she was somehow just putting off the shock. Either way, they needed to get out.

Just then, the cart began to move again, startling her as she slid back against the wall. It didn't take long for the ride to be touching the ground again, prompting her to stand and look outside. People were fleeing, and several were on the ground bleeding or worse. Even from this distance, she could tell that many of them had bites missing from their flesh. Worse, she could see a few individuals on top of people, biting chunks out of them, or downright tearing them apart. What the hell could drive people to do this? Was this another bathsalts thing, but on a grand scale?

One of her classmates peered in, telling them to exit the cart to get away. Cassie couldn't argue with that. Upon stepping out, she took in the many bodies lying just outside the ferris wheel. Some were in terrible shape and not moving, others were looking just as bad but were still struggling. Cassie looked to Zinnia, noticing how much this horrible situation was ravaging her psyche. The struggle of survival versus morality was a terrible one, the kind of thing that warriors of conflicts past must have encountered. Fight or flight, mixed in with a desire to help those who need it. How many could these few highschool girls really help? Especially considering all the carnage that was already happening.

Cassie quickly dropped down, staying as far away from the people on the ground as she could manage, an instinct she praised when the formerly motionless ones began to stir. What sense did that make? The way they looked, those wounds, they were surely dead...in a flash, one of the men on the ground lashed out at Zinnia, grasping at her ankle. Cassie moved to assist, but her help was unneeded, as Zinnia's panic seemed to take over as she stepped on his his head and ran off. Cassie would have objected, but she couldn't blame her, instead, choosing to follow after in hopes that she could help her and any of the other still living classmates.

First, however, she backed away from the people, motioning for Kano to follow her. Cassandra figured that she would, considering her hurry and all, but, she still wanted to try and be certain that she would follow. Sticking with a small group would be safer for them. With that done, she carefully minded her feet as she turned to follow after Zinnia. While moving, Cassandra had another opportunity to really take in how much hell was being unleashed around them. Screams, the thudding of running feet, the occasional strange groan or feral growl of their attackers, flesh being torn...could this really be happening? It was worse than anything she had ever feared or dreamt.

Zinnia clearly caught sight of something interesting as she stopped her forward motion and darted to the left, towards the carousel. Cassie almost immediately noticed one of their classmates there, a white haired young woman named Adalynn. She seemed to by trying to help a little girl and a male classmate of theirs. Jeremy, was it? It was a little hard to tell at the distance, especially since it looked like he was getting pretty hurt. Damn. Fortunately, Zinnia got there to help, smashing the female assailant with a sign, taking a couple hits to drop her to the ground. That was close. Cassie was still a little behind when the young girl squirreled her way put of Addie's grip, then made straight for one of the "dead" women lying on the ground. Oh no.

Cassandra caught up, helping to support the injured male by wrapping his arm around her shoulder, taking place of the white haired girl. Again, she tried to object to her going after the child, there was no way they were going to be able to help her if what she feared would happen did. Cassie's eyes grew wide as the dead woman snapped awake and immediately attacked the little girl. The scene was as grizzly as anything she could ever have imagined, the sight seared into her brain in a way that threatened to never allow her to sleep again. Then there was that cry of agony that the girl created, only to be quickly silenced by the girl's own mother taking monstrous bites out of her torso. If she had ever believed in any kind of Hell, this was definitely it. It took all of her willpower not to fall to the ground and scream, to weep uncontrollably at what she had just witnessed. However, Addie waa immediately attacked after, and she fell while struggling to shake her attacker. The monster bit at her, barely being held at bay. She had to help...

Cassandra looked around frantically for something she could use as a weapon. Anything. The man had been off balanced, but this woman was ravenous and attacking. Going empty handed would be too risky. Cassandra inwardly beamed as she spotted a cane a few feet from a downed elderly man. He seemed dead, his skin already turning an ashen gray, an obvious bite torn from his neck. As quickly as she could, Cassandra released her hold on the boy, apologizing to Zinnia as she dropped low and darted over to the cane, managing to pick it up before charging at her classmate and her attacker.

The can was of an old make, fashioned from thick solid wood. Perfect. A lucky break perhaps. It took only a few seconds before she was to them. For a brief moment, she hesitated, still seeing a woman, until the recurring image flashed into her head, and she saw the young dead girl by her side. With a roar of rage, she raised the cane over her head, driving it down with the heavy handle like a hammer into the woman's skull. Immediately, she rose it again, swinging down even harder. A sickening crunch sounded with each hit, the rage and adrenaline fueled brunette kept swinging, again and again.

Finally, Cassie gasped as the cane snapped, leaving a jagged sort of spear in her hands, taking a step back to view the caved in remains of the woman's head. She breathed in ragged gasps, her eyes stinging with the welled up tears. She looked to her classmates, then to the broken cane in her hands before looking at Addie, hoping that in the midst of her outburst, she had at least managed to help free her.​

 

[Saber]

Kano Ishikawa
Six Flags Over Texas - Dallas, Tx
​

Kano watched as her two classmates hopped out of the ride and backed away from it. That's when the other fallen people started rising, grabbing and thrashing at Zinnia. The girl saved herself and she and Cassandra began looking for a place to run. There was screaming coming from the carousel and that's where the two girls ran to. Cassandra motioned for Kano to follow, but she had business to finish. She held the baton tightly in her hand as the handful of creatures that were left behind. They were all watching their prey as the girls ran, stupid, really. To run towards the danger instead of away from it.

"Idiots." Kano muttered to herself as she moved towards the nearest creature, raising the baton and striking it in the back of the knee. It growled and fell before she hit it hard on the top of the head. The skull fractured and blood spurted out before it fell back to the ground, motionless. Common sense said to go for the head, even if it wasn't some weird, walking dead abomination. She continued on to the other creatures, disposing them in the same fashion before returning to the ride and letting the rest of the people off.

Grey eyes were still trained on the carousel as the rest of the ferris wheel was emptied and people scattered off. She watched as Zinnia and Cassandra helped two more of their classmates by the carousel, but it was clear they were getting over run. Zinnia and a white haired girl she couldn't name, were both helping an injured boy. Another stupid idea. Kano scoffed before she started to jog over to the others when the white haired girl got attacked. Cassandra was the one to act as she picked up a cane and beat a dead woman's head in. At least one of them seemed capable.

Kano didn't like sticking with people, but survival said she had a better chance with a group than on her own. But still, she couldn't really be sure. Another part of her said if she went off, they'd all probably die without her help. So she continued on to the others with a bloodied baton in her hand. When she reached them, she looked at Zinnia who was still supporting a boy in their class.

"You should leave him." Kano said as she paused next to the girl, adjusting the bag over her shoulder. "He's injured, if he got bit by one of those...things, then he's next to be one. Better to put him down now or leave him before he changes." Kano knew it was blunt, but from what she'd seen, once you're bit, you're doomed. She glanced over to Cassandra and the white haired girl. Now that she could see her face, she remembered her name.

"Adalynn, right? Did you get bit? If not we need to keep moving." As she said that, there were more groans and snarls coming from the bodies around them. "But first we need to make a decision about him." Kano pointed her baton at the boy Zinnia was with.

 

[SoleStride]

Adalynn Sharpe


Adalynn kept kicking, fighting as hard as she could, but she was so small compared to the monster on top of her. The skirt wasn't helping much either. Just like before, suddenly the woman was having her head busted in by some weird makeshift weapon. The first hit was enough to get her to let go of Addie, who quickly scurried out from under the woman and back to her feet. The girl stumbled back a few more feet, watching Cassandra beat the woman until her head had a sizable dent in it. Good God, was that necessary? She could only think that this girl might have some repressed rage.

Other than a few pavement scrapes, Adalynn was unharmed, but she could also feel the rising of tears behind her eyes. Looking from the deformed corpse on the ground to Cassie, the person who'd caused the deformation, and see her on the verge of crying didn't really help. She couldn't get any words to come out of her mouth, hell she wasn't sure how her legs were letting her ever stand right now, but she gave Cassie a nod in thanks, trying to let her know that she appreciated the save even if she couldn't voice it.

Trembling, Adalynn looked back down at the body, noting a strange piece of pointed wood only a few feet from it. The carvings on it were spiral shaped and after a moment of thought she was able to recognize it as the horn from the unicorn on the carousel. It must have gotten broken off at some point. She reached down to pick it up, frowning at it as it was not as sharp as she'd hoped. But you could still puncture soft tissue with it probably, like through an eye. The girl clutched the stake to her chest and made her way back over to Zinnia and Jeremy.

There was another girl there now and Adalynn nodded when she took a guess at her name. Adalynn didn't need to guess at who she was, she knew everyone in the grade though she never spoke to them. Kano Ishikawa, the baddest looking girl in the school. She somehow balanced beauty and beast in the same body and her cold outlook on Jeremy's condition only proved it. Addie made sure to shake her head when asked if she was bitten, glancing over herself again to make sure. But she didn't want to leave Jeremy behind. It was just wrong, wasn't it?

"You're saying that people who get bitten turn into… that?" She asked quietly, her voice barely audible even across the short distance between them. Addie hadn't seen the bites change people as she had only been exposed after the change took place. She'd yet to see anyone actually turn from human to… monster. "What if he doesn't? He's injured, we need to help… him…" Addie's words trailed off as the sounds of growls and moaning started to rise up from the ground. Her grip around the unicorn horn in her hand tightened and she stumbled back a few more steps until she was next to the group, her eyes obviously wide in terror. "Why is this happening…? What… is happening?" Without thinking, Addie had been slowly backing away from the corpses and backed herself right into Kano. She jumped, startled and bolted a step to the side. Though she had to admit that she felt safer next to that strong personality. "We can't really just leave him here to be torn apart, can we…?" She looked up at Kano, a pair of big, gray, round eyes pleading with her to have some humanity.


​

 

[Saber]

Kano Ishikawa
Six Flags Over Texas - Dallas, Tx
​

"That's right." Kano answered as she glanced at Adalynn. She could understand why people would have problems leaving others behind, especially class mates. But would any of these girls be able to kill this boy once he turned? Kano had see the change with her own eyes. She'd seen the girl attack the ferris wheel operator and watched him change into these creatures. "If we take him with us he will slow us down, not to mention, again, he will turn into one of these monsters."

Kano gripped her baton as other creatures started to rise from the ground and move towards them. She stood still when Adalynn bumped into her, barely acknowledging the girl so she could keep her focus on the monsters. She glanced down when the white haired girl addressed her again about the boy. Kano's brow furrowed as she glanced back at Zinnia and the injured classmate. She huffed loudly before moving forward and striking a creature on the head with great force. Kano turned back to the others and glared.

"You three make the decision then." She growled as two more monsters came after her. Maybe this was just going on at the amusement park and once they fled they wouldn't have to worry about it. But right now, they need to get to a secure area and figure out what exactly was happening. Not to mention maybe better weapons if they were needed in the future. "Whatever you decide, I'll go along with it unless you turn out to be wrong."

 

[envogue]

Zinnia Curtis
Ferris Wheel --->

Zinnia froze in place when the child, who was safe only seconds before, was ripped apart by her supposed mother. It was too much to watch, too much to process. Her mouth began to hyper-salivate, and she looked away, ignoring the cries of the new girl to the group. Her legs felt like jelly, her fingers like slimy, spaghetti noodles.

"You should leave him."

Zinnia, struggling to support her own weight and Jeremy's, heaved Jeremy up with the strength her adrenaline rush provided. Somehow, hearing that, made her want to hold on even tighter to Jeremy. Kano's response was unwarranted, but thankfully, the other white-haired girl chimed up in support. It didn't do much for her, but knowing someone wasn't completely heartless stopped her from lashing out.

"Jeremy, push yourself. We can survive this," The silver-haired girl encouraged, willing him to use the last of his life force to move forward. They made it a few steps, Jeremy with his rasped breathing causing Zinnia to cringe. Maybe she's right... That thought alone had Zinnia ashamed of herself. How dare she even think of leaving someone behind in this chaos. Clearly, Jeremy was still alive, and he wasn't going to turn. At least, that's what Zinnia tried to convince herself of as Jeremy's rasped breathing became more ragged.

"Why don't you just kill him yourself while you're at it then," Zinnia interjected, refusing to acknowledge any of what Kano said as truth. "Maybe finish the rest of us all, just to be sure!" She glared at Kano, before shoving past her and the others.

Zinnia carried Jeremy with all of her might, more and more of the monsters stirring. She looked behind her wearily, noting some of the monsters in the distance had been drawn in by the screams of Addie and the small child. He was holding Zinnia back. If she held on, then she would die in the process. Knowing this, Zinnia continued forward, leading the group out of the carousel area and taking the street away from the ferris wheel. They were in an area with several restaurants and diners, the doors closed and not many people in sight.

They were so close to safety when Jeremy stopped breathing. His body went limp, and Zinnia fell with him in attempt to continue supporting him. She landed with a startled yelp, and slowly picked herself up so that she was hovering above him.

Come on. Everything is going to be okay. She thought, though she had imagined herself saying those words out loud and everything returning to normal. It was clear by the lack of response from Jeremy that he had bled out. His eyes were lifeless, his lips separated and his eyes closed. He was a mess. It would have been cruel to drag him along, and maybe it was better this way. Maybe she was right...

Suddenly, Jeremy sputtered and blood shot out from his mouth, a low groan emitting from his throat. Zinnia saw hope, but if he was alive, then he would surely be her demise. There was no way they could carry him to safety without being hurt more in the process. Zinnia swallowed thickly, and Jeremy opened his eyes, the life in them gone. There was no telling how long he had been just slipping away, but now he was definitely gone. He had turned right before her eyes, and Zinnia couldn't look away.

The newly turned Jeremy attempted to move his hands and feet, only twitching at first. He lifted his head up off the pavement, his mouth opened instinctively and homing in on the nearest living thing. Zinnia moved to pick herself up, snapping her arms back reflexively and away from now undead Jeremy.

She fell backwards onto the ground, and he began to crawl towards her, making swiping motions and refusing to close his mouth.​

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Cassandra Novac
Exiting Amusement Park ---> Streets


Cassandra needed a few moments to collect herself. The trauma of what had happened to the little girl was already taking hold and forming some cluster of rage that she was trying to contain. The young woman looked down at the remains of the monster she just put down, then to the little girl. This was so wrong, in every conceivable way, and it was only going to get worse. After all, hearing what the latest and most abrasive member of their class group said, she too would get back up. The image almost made her hurl, and Cassie quickly moved forward with the others to push it down into her me memory, buried, where it should be.

More pressing at the moment, was Jeremy, a classmate of theirs who had wound up severely injured. In fact, watching Zinnia carry him, the blood still pouring from his wounds, it was obvious that he wasn't going to make it. Cassie herself would have pressed that they leave him, it's just bad strategy to slow down and severely endanger the group. However, on their way towards one of the nearby restaraunts, which could make for a great temporary shelter, the two fell. It wouldn't take a terribly close inspection to see that the poor boy had expired. Now, at least, they would get a perfect chance to test Kano's theory. Cassie stepped towards them, holding her makeshift...spear? Yeah, definitely a spear.

Unfortunately, the boy seemed to awaken, his eyes glossed over and vacant. He almost immediately began crawling after Zinnia. It was a shame...is this isolated? Or is the world just becoming a nightmare? Cassie swallowed hard, gathering her nerves to approach. She stepped firmly onto the center of his back to prevent him from turning, and rose the weapon up, being sure to aim for a temple when he turned his head sideways. It'll be quick...

With all her strength, Cassandra drove the wooden spear downward, piercing cleanly through the boy's head. The point hit the ground beneath hard and sent a jolt up her arms that almost made her lose her grip. However, she somehow managed to maintain her calm, drawing the spear back out, taking a couple steps back. She glanced at her classmates, wiping the tears and sweat from her face before offering them an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry...it had to be done."

Cassandra then gestured toward the restaurant where they had been heading

"Come on, we're almost in there to some kind of shelter."

The brunette offered Zinnia her hand, her face still solemn, but a gleam of hope still hiding somewhere in her eyes.​

 

[SoleStride]

Adalynn Sharpe


Adalynn was shocked that her plea didn't sway Kano in the slightest. It wasn't that she personally thought she was capable of changing her mind, it was more that Kano was capable of remaining that cold after not only she had begged her to have some sort of humanity, but while watching the poor boy bleed to death as well. Was it that easy to brush him off as nothing but a black tag? Zinnia also seemed to get upset on behalf of the injured guy, even going as far as to say that Kano might as well kill them all off. For a moment, Addie worried that it might be a bad idea to offer up that option. Who knew what Kano was capable of?

Addie turned her nearly defeated gaze back to Zinnia and Jeremy as the girl struggle to keep carrying him. I should help… She thought, moving in their direction so she could help carry the young man. But before she could get there, the two toppled over as Jeremy's body finally gave up. Adalynn startled to a sudden stop and Zinnia got up, her form moving out of the way just in time for the white-haired girl to see Jeremy's full change.

It was horrifying, watching somebody die and then come back to life like that. Even if he wasn't really 'coming back to life'. He definitely didn't look like the definition of alive. Whatever he was, he wanted Zinnia who was backing away desperately. You know when you're at home watching a horror movie with friends and you tell yourself, 'I wouldn't fall over' or 'I'd get up and run away' or 'that girl is stupid for not just killing him'. All those things came to Addie's mind as she watched Jeremy snap his teeth at Zinnia, drawing nearer and nearer. And all Addie could do was watch, stunned into stillness and silence. Useless.

To her surprise, Kano was not the one to step in and save the day as anyone would expect from the Spartan-mannered girl. Instead… Cassie was the one to step up and do what had to be done. Which apparently meant that she had to impale the kid's head with a cane. Adalynn gasped, covering her mouth to keep herself from making another sound, and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. It was just too much. Cassie seemed to deal with it quickly, though Adalynn was sure that was only on the outside. The brunette just reminded them that they needed to move. Since Adalynn felt so useless now, knowing that she'd only frozen up when someone needed it, all she could do now to make up for it even a little bit was to do as she was told without question and not slow anyone down. She simply nodded, turning to make her way toward the restaurant in question.

​

 

[Saber]

Kano Ishikawa
Dallas, TX
​

Kano watched as everything she thought was going to happen, happened. The boy turned and immediately tried to attack Zinnia, Kano had to actively try not to roll her eyes as she stabbed her baton down through another monster's head. Two more, then she made her way back to the group as a larger horde of monsters came around a building. This was worse than Kano had expected. She thought maybe it would just be a few people and that the police or someone would come take care of the situation. But that didn't seem like a viable solution anymore.

As Kano was making her way to the group, she watched Cassandra take care of the boy and made the suggestion that they move. At least that was a good suggestion. There was a restaurant across the street from the park, a small burger place that could be seen through the entrance gates to the park. Kano moved a little quicker towards her classmates and grabbed Zinnia by the arm to hoist her back to her feet. She put her other hand on Adalynn to snap her out of her daze as she kept moving and gave her a little push.

"Across the street." Kano ordered them all as she started to jog, noticing that more and more monsters started appearing behind them. "To the restaurant, we need to get somewhere secure." Kano ushered her classmates across the street, noticing there wasn't a lot of traffic. That worried her, but that was something she could worry about later when they were secured somewhere and could stop to think for more than half a second. Luckily, the creatures were slow and getting distracted by any other survivors that were fleeing the park. So when they reached the burger place, Kano tried to open the door and it was locked.

"No." She muttered as she shook the door again, making no progress. "What the hell." Kano shielded her eyes as she looked through the glass door to see some people watching her. "Open the door!" She called as she knocked on the glass. Her eyes weren't able to make out how many were in there, but she at least knew there were people. "Please, open the door!"

"I'm sorry, we can't let you in." Someone called out to her and she moved around to the front windows to get a better look. "You're covered in blood, how do we know you ain't just goin' around killin' people?"

"Do you see what's behind us?" She asked as she pointed her baton back towards the amusement park. "That's what I've been killing. And if you don't want them coming in here I suggest you let us in!" The man, now that she could see, stuttered a bit, opening his mouth and closing it. Kano scowled as she put her hands on the glass, glaring at the man. "If you don't let us in, I'll make sure to bust this window and make sure no one in there is safe, do you understand?"

There seemed to be some arguing at that point among the people in the establishment before the man cursed and ran to the door. Kano glanced over her shoulder to see the creatures starting to move out of the park. She moved back to the door as soon as he finished unlocking it and she held it open to make sure everyone got in. When the last person was through, she entered and shut the door, locking it once more. When she turned around, she saw two women, one older and with a young child, and three men. All in or around their forties, it seemed. One looking like the father of the child as he stood close to the little boy with a hand on his shoulder and a stern glare. The women were looking at the group of students like they were out of a horror film, which must be what they looked like some half of them were covered in blood.

​

"Thank you." Kano said finally, though the look on her face didn't convey gratitude. She was looking at the nervous man who had unlocked the door as he stood there eyeing her. His hands wringing together as he looked back and forth between the girls. Kano let her grey eyes look around as well, making sure that no one in here had been bitten.

"You girls were at the amusement park?" The younger woman asked as she adjusted in the booth she was in. "Where are your parents?" Kano hadn't even thought of her parents, but now the thought was in her head. Her gaze averted to the floor for a hot second before moved away from the group towards the back of the establishment and pulled out her cell phone. No new texts, nor calls. Maybe things weren't bad at home? Kano brought up her recent calls and tapped her father's number. It rang, and rang...and rang some more before his voice mail message played.

He's probably just working. She thought to herself as she rejoined the group.

"Everything ok, kiddo?" One of the men asked, a more friendly demeanor to him and Kano shifted her eyes to him.

"Don't call me that."

 

[envogue]

Zinnia Curtis
Restaurant

Zinnia quickly looked away when Cassandra approached with her makeshift spear. Blood splattered on her already disgusting uniform, and the sickening gurgles of Jeremy lingered in her ears as Kano hoisted her off of the ground. The next few moments were a blur to Zinnia, she seemed to be moving on autopilot and hardly responding to anything around her. Was this a bad dream? No, worse. Zinnia knew this was her reality now. Everyone's reality. She couldn't even find it in herself to beg the other survivors holed up in the restaurant to let her in. The only thing that seemed to snap her back awake was the mention of her parents, who she hadn't even thought of since this whole thing started. Maybe that was her mind trying to protect itself. She couldn't bear the thought of losing her mom or step-dad.

A lump welled up in her throat, and she lowered her gaze to the ground as Kano attempted to call her father. There was no response, that much was evident by how quickly Kano returned. Zinnia patted at her person, then remembered she left her bag on the ferris wheel. Her phone, and everything else was in there. Her uniform didn't even have pockets, so why was she touching her body like she'd forgotten something? Maybe, if this was a bad dream it would simply materialize if she tried hard enough. She swallowed the knot that had lodged itself in her throat, and tears pooled up in her eyes. She wiped them before they fell, but they just kept coming.

The news was on in the restaurant, and not surprisingly cycling through footage of the very first attack. It looked like it was taken on a cellphone, so someone had uploaded it onto the web. Zinnia looked away from the small flat screen, her arms crossing as she walked over to sit at one of the booths. There was a lady sitting behind her, and she turned around to face Zinnia, a hand going to the silver-haired girl's shoulder. The touch made Zinnia cringe, though she didn't pull away.

"I understand how you feel. We've all lost someone." The woman said, her words not exactly the most comforting for Zinnia. She got out of her booth and walked over to where she was sitting, but didn't take a seat herself. She took note of Zinnia's cheerleading uniform, something clicking with her as she began to speak. "You girls were the other school on your trip, right? Do you know where your chaperone is? My guess is they've already gotten in touch with your parents, and everything will be okay." She said, looking over at the other girls as well.

"I-I don't know. I left my phone, and I can't go get it now." Zinnia answered, her shoulders trembling as she attempted to hold it together. She covered her face with her hands, her fingernails digging into her skin. The pain offered some level of comfort, but it wasn't much.

"Well, the cops will be here soon. The first thing I did was call the cops when the attack happened..." The woman added, her voice breaking, as if she didn't even believe her own words. "Those fuckers are going to pay for what they did to my daughter."

The cops... Zinnia wondered just how long these people had been hiding out in here. Surely they would know by now, that the cops were no match for those monsters. She looked up at the lady, mustering up as much of a believable smile as she could, before going back to hiding her face in her hands. Someone should tell her.
​

 

[Xenotrix Metamorph]

Cassandra Novac
Restaraunt

Cassandra noted each other girl's reactions to what was going on. They were all afraid, but their fear was in varying degrees, and it seemed from various things. Kano, for example seemed strangely calm in all of this, acting as though an apparent end of society was merely a nuisance instead of a catastrophe. Still, she couldn't deny that sort of mentality would have it's uses. After all, much more difficult to freeze in fear or break down at a crucial moment when your emotional wall is constructed of concrete. The tall woman had been easily dispensing with the reviving corpses using the baton she had found. If any of them had a chance of surviving this, it was Kano.

Then there was Zinnia, her partner for the trip. It seemed that the reality of the situation got through to her in a bad way. She looked completely vacant, as though she left her voice out in the mess of bodies, and had simply retreated into her own psyche. Cassie couldn't blame her, but before anything else, they needed shelter, so, that first. Recovery second. As the group managed to enter the structure, thanks in no small part to Kano's brand of aggression. Once inside, Cassandra found an empty booth and sat down, putting her bloodied makeshift spear in front of her, the girl's eyes looking at the point, her fresh memories assaulting her brain. How was she herself handling this? Cassie could act, typically no matter her emotional state. However, she proved before that this event had already struck her mental state hard, that site with the creature and that poor child. This was so much worse than any nightmare could ever be.

Cassie managed to vacantly glance over at the group, noting Addie was also severely shaken up. She was glad that they didn't have to bring her in, that even though she was clearly shaken, that she could still act and wasn't paralyzed in her surprise or her fear. Part of her wanted to go and talk to her, to try and help her figure out how to handle what was happening. Then again, Kano seemed the only one remotely capable of truly handling what was happening.

Cassandra's thoughts abruptly halted when another form dropped into the bench across from her. A young man, also from their class, his dark black hair was cut short, and small specks of blood could be seen in it and on his dark skin. His hands were empty, but has evidence of blood as though he had beaten someone down only a short amount of time prior. His face was weary, but positive, he even managed to offer her a smile. It took a moment for her to remember his name.

"Grant. You made it."

Cassandra managed to say quietly, attempting to offer her own smile and barely presented it. She supposed he was handsome. Grant was tall, and his physique was well looked after, since he was a runner since middle school. It wasn't like the two had communicated much, after all, his brand of popularity was in short supply. Cassie simply had a tendency to remember people.

"Yeah. It's hell out there. It's good to see that you made it too, Cassie."

Cassandra was surprised that he knew her name, and averted her gaze to try and hide her embarrassment and surprise. She noted this his eyes fell from her face to the bloody short spear.

"It's horrible isn't it? I had to fight off one of our classmates after a random person took a chunk out of her ankle. She bled out so fast..."

Cassandra nodded slowly. She had the feeling that this is what the majority of the world's conversations would boil down to. Describing horrible deaths and what the living had to do just to stay that way.

"I get the feeling it's all just starting. I need to get home to see if my family is okay. So, i can't stay here long."

Grant raised a brow, folding his hands in front of him.

"Cassie, your parents are probably fine. I'm sure they were in better places than we were. Besides, it's safe here, shouldn't we just stay where it's safe? I'm worried about my folks too, but getting ourselves killed trying to get to them wouldn't help anyone."

Cassandra listened to his words, looking around the room. How long could this place really last? Eventually the creatures would realize that there was people in here. More worrisome than that, some of these people could have been bitten.

"Nowhere is safe, Grant. I don't think we should stay in any one place long. Too dangerous."​