This will explain all: THREADY
Equipment checked, mask on, Sam readies herself on the prow and hops onto the wharf before Rae-Anne touches, moves fast with Beowulf at the ready and kneels in a firing position.
The rest pile off everyone readied, everyone scanning. No cannibals are waiting. Other than a few boats the docks are empty, although bloodstains tell of violence and hopefully, escape. Up on the quay near the head of the wharf you all see what looks like scattered bodies and parts.
The bursts of flammables in the Bayshore and menacing crack of weapons fire cut at your nerves, but don’t worry, you’ll hardly notice it after a few hours of stalking this apocalypse.
Everyone begins moving toward the head of the wharf. It cuts alongside the quay for a stretch and you look down and see bodies in the water bumping against the supports. You reach the ramp up to the quay and inch up, scanning the landscaping around nearby condos, the quay left and right, and down the street running to the south, Denman.
There are bodies everywhere.
You stand at the head of the wharf on Coal Harbor Quay. A few days ago the walkway would have been filled with people strolling in the warm evening air of a Vancouver summer evening, cycling, roller-blading...
It looks like a warzone today. The parking lot on the west of Denman is full, but not orderly -- it looks like the evacuation turned into a slaughter. 5 police cars sit empty, lights flashing. Down Denman half a block is a police bus. The dead are everywhere.
Judd kneels and scopes down the street. Judd:
Patrick is horrified by the carnage he sees. He has a hard time concentrating as the true horror of it all washes over him.
"Jumpin' Jesus on a crucifix." He whispers to himself
To your right the quay ends and the shoreline is tastefully landscaped. Trees, bushes, a wide boulevard limited to pedestrians... a cannibal fireman. Pulling himself up out of some bushes, he's carrying an axe and from the looks of it he chopped his way out of a cooler at the Red Cross blood bank.
Patrick brings his rifle up at the cannibal fireman.
"Motherfncker."
As an aside to the group
"Let's see if we can lure that thing over. I think gunshots will attract more of them."
Sam is staring wide eyed at the carnage around her, moving her head from one shocking scene to the next. She has already seen a lot, but each moment brings some new horror to add to the experience.
Judd, kneeling, holds the sniper rifle before him, scoping down the street. Seemingly spotting something, he mutters what might be “damn it,” under his breath, and his finger tightens on the trigger … until Pat speaks up.
“F^ck it,” he says, “you’re right. There’s another one down there,” indicating part way down the street, where a bloody faced man stoops eating one of the corpses. There’s writing of some sort on his shirt. “It says ‘Kill me’. Look, someone keep an eye out for a viable car, in case we need to move in a real hurry.”
The Cannibal Fireman hauls himself onto the pavement, his knees buckle slightly under the weight of his breathing equipment, sweat trickles under his face mask stinging his eyes. "Did he hear a boat? Did he hear music? Surely no one is stupid enough to be playing heavy metal in the middle of this carnage?"
His thoughts race, he turns to look once more at the horror that is the Bay Shore Hotel, shuddering involuntary as he watches the distant figures throwing them selves to doom rather than be consumed by the raging inferno, or worse the raging monstrosities that run through the corridors. Poor souls, oblivious to the fire engines parked around the front with no crew to extend the ladders to reach them, salvation so close but so far, could he creep round there and help them? No, he rules it out with a shake of his head, that would be suicide.
He then freezes in horror, several figures creep into sight, dresses mostly in fatigues, one of them turns and raises a large rifle in his direction. Cannibal Fireman's buttocks clench involuntary as he looks around in terror for somewhere to hide. "Feck, feck, I'm not going to die this way!" He tries to make a break, diving for cover back into the bushes, but stumbles and falls flat on his face several feet short of the bushes embrace. He then tries to scramble the rest of the way on his hands and knees, axe bobbing dangerously close to inflicting a wound.
"Oh god, don't shoot!" He tries to yell, but his voice cracks and only a horse whisper escapes.
Sam's field of vision finally comes to rest on where the Fireman is trying to crawl back into the bushes.
"Um, guys. I think that one is alive." She points, then returns her grip to the Beowulf. "Z's generally don't try to crawl away from you. They tend to come straight at you with no thought to their own safety. Even those half Z's were crazy like that."
Looking him over, Sam, you reckon that he's a big man under that gear. Weaned late and corn fed.
Judd
Cord:
Kruelaid:
As nobody has riddled Cannibal Fireman with bullets yet, he will stop crawling and try and stagger to his feet, leaning heavily on the axe to right him self. After looking around for any other dangers () he will then hold his hands and axe above his head, in the international sign for "I surrender" and slowly start walking in the direction of the weapon totting vigil-antis.
Cannibal Fireman will try and moisten his mouth as he goes so he can at least communicate when he gets within talking range (should that be IF he gets within talking range?).
"Don't shoot... please... I'm not one of them..." Cannibal Firemans voice cracks as he speaks and the breathing apparatus muffles it giving in an otherworldly sound.
Equipment checked, mask on, Sam readies herself on the prow and hops onto the wharf before Rae-Anne touches, moves fast with Beowulf at the ready and kneels in a firing position.
Sam's field of vision finally comes to rest on where the Fireman is trying to crawl back into the bushes.
"Um, guys. I think that one is alive." She points, then returns her grip to the Beowulf. "Z's generally don't try to crawl away from you. They tend to come straight at you with no thought to their own safety. Even those half Z's were crazy like that."
"What the f&$$?"
Mike points his borrowed gun in the general direction of the crawling man.
"Don't shoot... please... I'm not one of them..." Cannibal Firemans voice cracks as he speaks and the breathing apparatus muffles it giving in an otherworldly sound.
Mike keeps his pistol trained on the prone man, hands shaking slightly.
"You been bitten? If you have, I f!!#ing swear..."
“Alright … lets try not to kill the ones that aren’t zombies then,” mutters Judd, his rifle still trained on the figure down the street, although he turns his head slightly, trying to get a better look at the maybe-not-a-zombie-fireman. As he does, he catches movement elsewhere.
“Some people up on that balcony too,” he says, trying to indicate direction with a slight nod of his head, “trying to hide. Can’t tell if they’re Z’s or not.”
Mike keeps his pistol trained on the prone man, hands shaking slightly.
"You been bitten? If you have, I f~~%ing swear..."
"No man... I've not been bitten... I don't think I have anyway... crap.. what if I have? <insert lots of curses here> man does my suit look torn?" The cannibal fireman's voice still sounds like he has been smoking 40 a day, but it does manage to rise to girl-like hysteria when Mike sows the idea that he could be infected. He starts to twirl around asking Mike to check for anything that might be a bite mark in his soot and blood stained yellow fire suit, swearing the whole time. Through his face mask you can see his eyes look panicked and pained.
Patrick puts up his rifile for the moment.
"C'mon over man, quick!"
Patrick keeps an eye out on the nearby buildings, knowing from hard-won experience in the cities of Iraq that trouble could appear from any direction.
Sam goes over to Patrick and covers the Fireman while he gets checked for any signs of infection. "Johnnie you better get over here and help Pat check this guy out. Just in case."
While he is undergoing intense scrutiny from Patrick and Johnnie, Sam tries to get his story out of him. "So what happened to you?"
Johnny:
Sam goes over to Patrick and covers the Fireman while he gets checked for any signs of infection. "Johnnie you better get over here and help Pat check this guy out. Just in case."
While he is undergoing intense scrutiny from Patrick and Johnnie, Sam tries to get his story out of him. "So what happened to you?"
"Ohh where do I start?" the cannibal firemans brow furrows as he tries to sort recent events. "We were working the Bay Shore," he points, totally unnecessary, at the hotel engulfed in the inferno. "Some one said it was an early hive because of all the blo...foreigners bringing the infection in from the airports," he pauses, looks slightly embarrassed and quickly tries to continue, "no offence meant to you all......"
"The police and even the guard where having a running battle inside there, I lost count of the amount of times we had to defend our selves from some raving mad man, or mad woman. Normal people you know, not some monstrosity, but real every day people, driven crazy by this infection." He pauses and seems lost in some memory. "My crew were up on the 14th working a blaze someone had set against a barricade in one of the wings, that's when we heard the radio chatter that the Carrall Street quarantine line had been breached. The reports were chaotic, but they were talking of hundreds of the infected attacking them from behind, hundreds of them, poor sods."
That's when we got the order from the chief on the ground to pull out, we didn't want to, but they said the ground crew were in danger, so we did, we were just going to pack up and leave them poor ba$*@&ds to burn." He stops again, obviously ashamed.
"It gets a bit vague from now on," he looks up into Sam's eyes, you see a flicker of hope that this next part will not get his head blown off. "Somewhere around about the 6th floor this massive naked lady burst out on us, she wasn't like the others, Denna hit her in the neck with his axe, but she just ignored the wound and carried on at him.... she bit his fingers off.... does that mean he is infected as well now?" You can tell he is trying to bring all the events back to mind, but is obviously struggling. "I think, I fell down the stairs or someone hit me with an axe back swing and then I fell, I'm not sure, but either way I passed out.... next thing I know I wake up inside hidden inside those bushes over there with some one blasting out heavy metal... then you all show up pointing guns.... I don't suppose any of you have anything for a headache?"
"What about you guys? I thought every one would be trying to get out of dodge, yet you are heading into the storm."
"Am I clean?" He looks directly at Patrick as he asks the question, he looks hopeful and terrified in equal measures before falling silent, realising that babbling like a mad man is not helping his case.
Patrick grimaces
"Let's let Johnnie check you out. He's a doctor, I'm just a schlub with a rifle."
Patrick keeps up his surveillance of the nearby area.
DMPC Johnny:
<Johnny looks the fireman over, starting by reading his temp with the thermograph.>
"A little warm, but it could be from the insulation in the suit."
<Stethoscope. Opens his mouth and shines a light in. Rinses Cord's hands with the alcohol. Cleans the ugly wound.>
To Cord: "Any cuts or scrapes that were caused by zombies?"
"What about you guys? I thought every one would be trying to get out of dodge, yet you are heading into the storm."
Sam still keeps the gun trained on Cord until Johnnie gives the all clear.
"Well Dave," she nods to Judd crouched with the Sniper Rifle fixed on the Zombie, "has a friend in an apartment building just down the road. That's where we're headed now."She then nods in Patrick's direction. "And after that we have to head over to the Hospital to find Pat's Aunt. Once we're done we are outta here."
DMPC Johnny:
<Johnny looks the fireman over, starting by reading his temp with the thermograph.>
"A little warm, but it could be from the insulation in the suit."
<Stethoscope. Opens his mouth and shines a light in. Rinses Cord's hands with the alcohol. Cleans the ugly wound.>
To Cord: "Any cuts or scrapes that were caused by zombies?"
No, no, none that I am aware of, the suits are pretty bite resistant, well apart from that last one we met, she was inhumanly strong.. I've been working for 36 hours straight, I've lost count of the bangs and bumps I have got, I don't even remember where I hurt this." He points at the ugly wound, "probably when I fell down the stairs."
"Jesus Christ, I just want to get to my little girl, please don't say I am gonna become one of them." He sounds desperate.
He replaces his face mask after being checked over, "better be safe than sorry, we have no guarantee that it doesn't get spread as an aerosol from all the coughing at the onset."
Patrick glances over at the distraught fireman.
"It's OK man, don't get worked up until you start feeling the fever for the flavor of a femur."
Patrick glances around again before returning his gaze to the fireman.
"What's your name?"
Sam still keeps the gun trained on Cord until Johnnie gives the all clear.
"Well Dave," she nods to Judd crouched with the Sniper Rifle fixed on the Zombie, "he a friend in an apartment building just down the road. That's where we're headed now."
She nods in Patrick's direction. "And then we have to head over to the Hospital to find Pat's Aunt. After that we are outta here."
Cannibal fireman's face lights up for the first time at the mention of the hospital, "that is where I need to go, my ex works there, I need to talk to her to find who is looking after my little girl."
"They quarantined the Hospital area off first, we stopped seeing ambulances from the General sometime yesterday, or was it the day before, I'm not sure. There will be a whole host of 'them' between here and there," he puts an inflection on the 'them' leaving no doubt that he is talking about the infected.
"You are all armed, I figure that I'll be safer with you all and if I am infected, then you lot can put me out of my misery before I become a danger," he shudders at that prospect.
"What's your name?"
The Cannibal fireman looks confused over such a simple question, "err... Cord... Cord Vogal... I think it's concussion, I can't think straight, I know the symptoms, I have had it before." He offers his hand, "your Patrick, right?".
Patrick grips Cord's hand firmly.
"Yep. Sgt Patrick Curtin, US Army. Pleased to meet you Cord."
Patrick looks a bit stricken for a moment
"Assuming there still IS a US Army that is."
Patrick looks to Johnnie.
"We got anything to help Cord here get his bearings? 'Cause I got a feeling he's gonna need them if we roll on to the hospital."
“Cord, I’m Dave,” the guy with the sniper rifle calls softly, still scanning the area. Cord hears an Australian accent. He glances briefly at his companions. “I reckon we should help this guy find his kid … assuming he’s not a zombie,” his glance flicks to the fireman. “No offence mate.”
“So listen, once we’ve established that, can we start moving quick? I’m feeling kinda exposed out here … and there’s still that “kill me” guy down the street there. Hey, everybody keep an eye out for a good set of wheels too. In case we need to move fast … I wonder of any of those cop cars still have the keys in? Or maybe a fire truck…”
"A Fire Truck. I like that idea. It would have that 'if it can't be gotten around just smash through' feel to it. hmmm... but then it is big and will probably need to smash through things to move around anyway. I do like the idea though. Plus its big and will have lots of room for the extras. We'll need at least 2 or 3 cars to fit everyone in otherwise."
"Hey Cord, errr... I'm Sam by the way, do you have keys for any of those Fire Trucks over there?"
Everyone saw the fire trucks. A block over in front of the Bayshore.
Cord:
"Hey Cord, errr... I'm Sam by the way, do you have keys for any of those Fire Trucks over there?"
"So Anna's first and then back to the Fire Trucks, trying to stealth as much as we can? Or are we gonna grab the Truck and go in Guns Blazing?"
The guy with the jiffy marker "kill me" shirt is directly between you guys and Anna's place.
The guy with the jiffy marker "kill me" shirt is directly between you guys and Anna's place.
Sam finally drops the gun from Cord with Johnnie's all clear and turns to look at the Zombie up the street.
"I am so wishing we got silencers from the Gun Shop right now"
Patrick sighs
"I wish I hadn't left Charlene back at the van."
Inspects the axe he had grabbed
"Maybe a little choppidy choppidy?"
"What's your name?"The Cannibal fireman looks confused over such a simple question, "err... Cord... Cord Vogal... I think it's concussion, I can't think straight, I know the symptoms, I have had it before." He offers his hand, "your Patrick, right?".
"Name's Mike." Cord is able to deduce from Mike's accent and Eagle tattoo that the young man is American, probably east coast.
Mike doesn't shake Cord's hand.
"Thanks, thanks so much, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all helping me out, me being a stranger and all," he nods his thanks at everyone, you would guess he was smiling if you could see his face clearly.
"Transport? Yeah the fire trucks, they will have keys in them, there are also some Armoured Personal Carriers at the road blocks, or at least there were when I rolled through yesterday. There are a few police cars dotted around as well."
Cord then looks at the apartments, "You can be pretty sure those apartments have some cars left in them, probably a people carrier or two?".
He suddenly goes off on a tangent, "you do realise the boat probably won't be here when you all return? Unless we maybe put some one in it to wait off shore? How about this Anna? She would be safer in the boat and we could probably get to her place and back in a jiffy?" Cord seems to like the sound of his own voice, you think it could be nerves.
Finally Cord grips his fire axe tightly and looks at Patrick, "two axe heads are better than one".
No, no, none that I am aware of, the suits are pretty bite resistant, well apart from that last one we met, she was inhumanly strong.. I've been working for 36 hours straight, I've lost count of the bangs and bumps I have got, I don't even remember where I hurt this." He points at the ugly wound, "probably when I fell down the stairs."
"Jesus Christ, I just want to get to my little girl, please don't say I am gonna become one of them." He sounds desperate.
He replaces his face mask after being checked over, "better be safe than sorry, we have no guarantee that it doesn't get spread as an aerosol from all the coughing at the onset."
"Information that I have gathered doesn't seem to point to an airborne pathogen. The likely vector for the infection is through injury by an infected person or ingestion of infected matter."
"The name's Johnnie by the way."