IF YOU WANT ZOMBIES, GO HERE IF YOU DARE!
The infestation started small. weird reports of people taking to cannibalism have been filtering through the news media for the past few months, prompting you to think "damn hippies." but suddenly the newspapers, the internet news feeds, the tv is screaming with "not human", "undead arising", "feasting of the flesh", "the end times" and so on. first to fall are the large cities, LA, NYC, DC, Chicago, Mexico city, London, Moscow, cairo; anyplace that has held a densly populated people has severely been decimated by the outbreak. doctors call it a virus, a plague; priests and holy men say gods retribution, but they all agree, whatever this thing is, it is vicious.
flyers circulate among the masses telling you about how to avoid being bitten, avoid fluid contamination.
governments have taken extreme measures to stop the spread. russia nuked st. petersburg to stop the infestation. it didnt help. china used napalm to burn hong kong in an attempt to destroy it. NK used the threat of plague as an excuse to launch an attack on SK, employing the tactic of dropping infected service members over miltary bases and the cities to ravish the morale. all it did was spread faster.
australia has closed off its borders, sinking anything that attempts to cross the boundry. word of mouth says that it is a safe haven from the plague, but that info is weeks old.
you are in the heartland of america, in the state of wisconsin, in the city of appleton for whatever reason has brought you to this city. whether it is for business or fun, you have been quickly told of the fox river mall. not a big one compaired to NYC or LA, but it has a nice quaint feel to it.
due to the remoteness of the city, it is one of the last few places in the mainland to experience the plague. refugees have flocked to this safe haven, turning it from homey city to run-down real fast.
your day begins like a normal day, get up, dress for the day, grab a bite to eat for breakfast when suddenly, standing in front of you is disease ridden creature itself. it just seems to be just staring off into space, and the only reason you know it has the virus is that its missing its lower jaw and its tongue is hanging like a panting dogs on a hot summer day...
I fended off the first zombie that came at me with a small aluminum bat, bashing its head in. I got in my car and started driving around listening to the radio. The news guy said there had been a lot of sightings of the virus victims and that authorities were telling people to head to the mall so they can secure the location and protect the citizens. I decided that did not sound like a bad idea and I drove there avoiding the victims when I could, and knocking them out of the way with my car when I could not. My car is now pretty beat up in the parking lot of the mall, and I took as much as I could carry from my car in my backpack, and my food. As little as it may be, it may be just the last bit i need to get me through this.
the mall you easily find. there are some police cars at the roads, doors hanging open, lights on and flashing, but no one to be seen. off to the right side you see a small gas station with a neon sign that glares "BEER! FOOD! GAS!". further down the road, after a couple curves, you see ahead of you the mall. its big! its massive. a sprawling momument to modern consumerism.
at the main entrance, you see a couple of hummers parked on the curb, just a scant 10 feet from the doors, but, there again there is no one there...
*THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!* Echoed the sound of steel on wood. There, amidst the trees was the whirling visage of a young man, armed with a large staff. The sweat glistened off his bare back as he went through his morning warm-up routine, shifting and gliding from point to point, delivering a powerful spinning smash here, a forceful thrust there, graceful despite his size, practical in his art, never a wasted motion.
There, in the bushes outside his little training circle, watched a pair of once-humans, zombies if you will. Vile creatures and perversions of life, seeking only to feast on flesh. In an instant they leapt towards him, reaching with their decaying hands.
*THWACK!* Came that sound again as he spun to meet the agression, delivering a quarter-gripped blow to the side of one's head so fiercely it broke the neck clean off, slamming the now un-animated corpse into it's companion, the two of them falling to the ground as the man brought the staff back to a waiting position.
It wasn't long before the beast was back on it's feet, rushing after it's meal. One fierce thrust to the chest, bearing the full 250 pounds of the man slammed the thing against a great oak, only to have it's face smashed in with the immediate follow-up stroke.
"Looks like those rumors were true." He said thoughtfully, glancing around to be sure there weren't any more. As soon as he was certain, Lucian rubbed the ferule of his staff clean on the grass and made his way back to his bike. Locking the staff into place, he pulled on his T-shirt and biker jacket, strapping his machette over the jacket. "Guess I'd better see what's going on in town, if my hunch is right, they're probably going to gather at the mall. Besides, if I'm going to make my pitch to the FLGS there I'd better do it before hell breaks loose."
Feathering the engine alight, Lucian could only ponder the ramifications of the events of the day. ~You know, it's strange. My grandparents died earlier this year, and for once I'm actually grateful. At least they can't turn into one of those things. Now my old man... heh... he'd probably turn them into one of him. I do hope my friends are alright though.~ In moments he was riding out of Gordon Bubolz nature preserve, headed due south for I-41, enroute to the Fox River Mall.
OOC: I'm late so I didn't know if I was allowed to make it to the mall so I left it off for me to have to fight my way through. I would have rolled my way through the zombies but the one guy offed one with his bat in his entry post so I figured I could do the same.
Let me know what you think of the post and bio, and adjust the numbers and whatnot when your able. Thanks.
I'm sitting in a train reading the headline article of a newspaper. ”THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED!”
Everywhere around me people are talking excited about the spreading of the plague. One guy had to flee from his work when his boss attacked and ate an assistant.
'What the f+~& is going on' i think to myself.
Too distracted by the article, i allmost miss my stop. I make it out the station building and quickly find my bike. There are many people on the street, all of them carry big packs of belongings.
Suddenly a woman screams and a car starts speeding, honking to get people out of the way. Chaos soon spreads, and everyone is running and screaming, from something unseen. Suddenly a humanoid shape springs at me and knock me to the ground. I use the momentum of my fall to get to my feet and looks at a human corpse with most of its stomach torn away.
I swing at it with my chain not hurting it but making it unbalanced enough for me to get my bike and run away from it.
I mount my bike and speed away from the scene, wich has turned out to a pure slaughter, zombies feasting on screaming humans all over the place.
'The mall! That lady on the train said people where gathering at the mall..'
As i near the mall i notice the empty police cars and stop. I cautiosly walk closer to the cars keeping an eye out for moving things. If nothing happen, i search the driver seat for some kind of weapon.
As i walk back to my bike i spot movement in the distant. Several people are slowly walking towards me. I quickly jump the bike and drive toward the mall, taking the bike with me inside.
"The freeway's damn near empty." The words were lost in the roar of the bike, the rush of the wind, and the blaring music playing from the bike's built in stereo, only just barely audible over the other two competing noises.
Half an hour ago he'd pulled off Lynndale Drive, and now here he was, pulling onto the off-ramp, when he saw the carnage below. More and more of those 'things' he'd faced in the woods, attacking and devouring the people in the streets, conflict and turmoil and hell all around. "And that would be why."
Coming down off the ramp, the young man twisted the throttle, gradually building up more and more speed into the incline, leaning with the slope. In seconds he was off and tearing through the streets towards the mall, left hand guiding the bike, right hand snaking up over his shoulder to free the Machette he carried there.
Most of the things seemed too occupied with their meals, but one some 50 feet ahead and directly infront of him noticed and reached towards Lucian. Leaning to the left, he allowed the bike to slide past the thing, smoothly swinging the blade just such that it cleaved the freak's head clean off, leaving the corpse to fall a moment later.
"Not good, there's no way a mall could hold out against these things, is there?" Up ahead he saw another man perhaps not far from his own age riding towards the doors. Sheathing the blade, Luc leaned down, minimizing his wind draft, and gave it all he could, rolling in at an angle an instant before the doors slammed shut behind him, driving long down the mall's corridor as he allowed the bike to decelerate.
In a moment, he'd turned it around, lightly coasting it back towards the guy he'd nearly hit (kasper), and those who'd let them in. "Sorry I came in uninvited, I'd rather not turn into one of those freaks. Name's Luc (pronounced Luke when abbreviated as such), and yours?"
OOC: Since Troy hasn't responded I figure I may as well get in the mall and join the others so at least we can get a little inter-character interaction.
I dive aside as the huge man barrels through the door opening. Like everybody else in the room i raise my chain, ready to defend myself as the mans starts to speak and present himself.
With a nervous laughter i step forward. ”I'm Kasper. And looking at your size, i doubt anybody here wouldn't welcome you. You look like you can handle yourself in a fighy, and i'm sure we will see a lot of fighting... soon.”
As the bike came to a stop, Lucian climbed down off it, taking a better look at the guy as he spoke. "Kasper huh. Better a ghost than a zombie or whatever the hell those freaks out there are." Ignoring the comment about his size, Luc went about unstrapping his machette from his back and popped open the seat compartment in his bike, pulling out a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
In a second he'd slipped the blade an inch or so out, and was trickling the fluid down into the sheath, allowing it to fill up and purge whatever filth that scummy blood might carry. "So, does anybody know exactly what's going on? Somebody in charge or something?"
you see other people sitting down or leaning against the steel support girders. a cop stands against the door, pistol in his hand. a very frightened mature woman (cougar comes to mind) stands behind him, holding his collapsible night stick in her hand, quivering at a fast pace. you see a new family, man hovering over his wife or girlfriend while she breastfeeds their newborn. off to the microbrewery you see about 6 youths, looking to be around 14 yrs old, 4 male and 2 female, trying to look intimidating but failing miserably. they hold bricks and pipes and a couple bats.
the real surprise is seeing a man in a wheelchair roll up to you and offer his hand to you
hey there, tex! mighty find driving, being able to gun that iron horse of yours into the front door just as it closes. now i heard your name is kasperlooking at kasper and giving a nod but i didnt catch your name. or maybe i should just call you evil kenevil?
looking back out the way you came, you can make out movement across the far parking lot and street into the other outlet stores...
"The name's Luc sir, it's an honor meeting you" he replied, firmly gripping the man's hand. A glance around ending towards the microbrewery showed him a sore sight. A group of teenagers, terrified and not at all confident with the weapons they'd managed to find. "Hold one moment will you sir?" He inquired, making the quick motions to secure his bike in it's position and his equipment in it before heading up towards the teens.
Approaching slowly, the man waved to the children, calling out warmingly, "Hullo. So, you guys know how to use those? Might want to dump the bricks and track down something with more reach, I'd hate to think of what happens if those things get ahold of you."
OOC: yes, a machette, living and exploring a pretty thick forest and loving the forest will do that to you. Of course it's better here with a locking side-car, but I figured that would be cumbersome in game.
And yeah, oblivious me didn't even notice the movement in the street lol, oh well, a chance for some interaction :)
OOC: Um... hello? Is anybody still here????
"Hello, my name is Mike. I would say it was nice to meet you all, but under the present circumstances, it is just nice to be alive.
Does anyone know if there is a sporting good store or hardware store here in the mall? It has been a long time since I have been here. We could use stuff from those to places about now."
"Duh, of course we know how to use 'em, what do ya think we are, kids?" responded one of the boys, rolling his eyes at the comment while another stared at the brick, then looked outside, then back to the brick again, wondering if it really would do him any good if those things got in there.
"They aren't really going to get in here... are they mister?" inquired one of the girls, looking more like she was holding her bat because she'd been told to than that she thought she could actually use it.
"I hope not kiddo, but it doesn't look good. There are alot of them, and glass can only handle so much punishment."
Glancing back as Mike introduced himself, Luc gave a wave of his hand, turning to gaze over the mall directory.
"Hum, Sears has the hardware stuff covered, and it looks like there's a sporting store called Champs not far from it, they're both in Zone C."
"Um... can I come with you Mister?" Inquired the girl who'd been holding the bat, dropping it as useless. "Ah wuddya need to go with him for sis, I can protect you." Replied her brother, clearly irritated.
"No worries guys, you can both come. Oh, and bud, leave the pipe for the other kid with a brick, he'll need it. We'll grab a better weapon for you where we're headed."
Turning back towards the front, Luc took a good look at the street, curious what the freaks out there were up to. "What do you say Mike, we ready to roll?"
OOC: Since Troy hasn't shown up yet I'm going to roleplay my interaction with the kids and try to keep this thing moving. Post complete, here's hoping you reply Troy :)
the man in the wheel chair shakes mikes hand and grins.
you bet theres a sporting goods store here in the mall. sheer stroke of luck that it hasnt been locked down yet. plenty of bats and shoes and outdoor equipment for the survivalist. course, on the plus side, there is a sizeable gun department. shotguns, rifles, handguns and ammo. and further down the way is collectable sword shop. has all sorts of... he trails off as his gaze turns to stare past you.oh, f*++. he says with a leaded voice.
you snap your head around and see a minivan barreling down the driving lot with its windows smashed out. you can easily see the driver; she looks to be screaming her head off as you see a child-sized creature pull her head back and take a huge chunk out of her neck..
judging from the speed and path of the van, you think itll hit into the microbrew in about 5 seconds unless someone does something.
OOC: I'm rolling my initiative ahead of time and going to go back in and edit my post after I know how quick I'll react. I have a plan but I can't use it unless I can expect to be reacting quickly (maybe 15+ lol)
Holy snap!!! Ok, I think it's fair to assume I'm going first lol, one post coming up.
OOC: ummm... *blush* I meant to use this alias for that.. and.. I meant to post that I openned the door. Somehow it happened in my mind but didn't transfer through my fingers lol.
I am going to start moving away from the middle of the hallway to put my back to the wall, with my bat in hand.
Lex was out for his morning jog when he was first attacked. As he jogged and rocked out to the latest Nickelback tune, he saw out of the corner of his eye someone approaching him. He turned to look at what he though was a fellow jogger when he saw one of his neighbors eating his wife. He stopped running for a second and realized what was happening. He had seen "Night of the Living Dead" and played Resident Evil one too many times. Lex turned and saw another zombie running at him. He took off like a shot, running as fast as he could. He soon outdistanced the zombie jogger when he jumped over a residental fence and ran down the highway.
"Where can I go, where can I go?" He asked himself as he paused to catch his breath. He looked at his iPhone, tried calling the police and when he got the machine instead of a person, he hung up. No cops. He looked at the map on his iPhone. The Fox Valley Mall wasn't too far away. Food, supplies, maybe a weapon, it would be all there. But there might be more zombies, too. "Have to chance it."
And he started jogging to the mall. The things he saw on his way let him know that the apocalypse had finally come. Only instead of God's judgement, it was zombies. He saw a small group of people inside as he finally jogged up to the mall.
Sent to Appleton, Wisconsin to coordinate plague relief efforts and liaise with the local authorities. What a way to spend a 4-day weekend. Well, at least they put me up in a decent hotel. This crap is probably just another bird flu or swine flu type scare. A handful of old people or immunodeficient people will kick the bucket, there'll be a big hysteria, the government will use it to pass a "zombie plague care reform package" to expand federal powers, and life will go on.
So I head down to my cheap government rental car. As I pull out of the parking garage, silhouetted against the daylight streaming in from outside stands a solitary figure. I can just make out against the glare the shambling gait, lolling tongue, and lack of a jaw.
Hmm. Maybe there's something to this zombie hysteria after all.
I watch it shuffling sickeningly toward my car for a few seconds while I decide whether it's a zombie, or whether it's just that I haven't had my first cup of coffee this morning. I conclude that despite my lack of caffeine, that I do indeed behold a genuine member of the walking unquiet dead.
I floor it. The ambulatory corpse thuds underneath my tires. I doubt the rental insurance covers zombie damage, but then again, the government's paying for it so I don't mind. I throw it in reverse, back up, put it in drive, and pull forward again. I do that four times, just to make damn sure.
Double-checking the door locks, I pull out into the street. They're disquietingly empty for this time of morning. I pull into a parallel spot, do a quick 360 degree check to make sure there aren't any other undead about, and check the GPS. Looks like the nearest sporting goods shop is Fox Mall, and they do carry guns... good... and there's a coffee shop there. I quickly drive that way, not stopping for anything or anybody until I get there. When I arrive, I grab my briefcase, do another quick look around, and make a quick dash for the doors.
Now, first things first. Where's that coffee shop....
Seeing the wheelchair man's eyes look up, Luc found himself following their gaze to see a man rushing towards the door, briefcase in hand, with a Zombie somehow yet unnoticed close on his tail.
"Open it!" he called to the uncertain young man stationed at the door controls as Lucian made his way towards the door, standing off to the side as the newcomer rushed inside, the zombie on his tail.
Just as the doorway cleared, the large man stepped smoothly into it, swinging the quarterstaff into a smooth thrust into the freak's gut, thrusting it back a few feet, with Luc following the motion. Before the thing had even a chance to respond, the weapon was already spinning around, the heavy steel ferule slamming into the top of his skull with a massive *THWACK*, leaving the being to crumple beneath the force as Lucian stepped back inside.
"Welcome to the party pal, name's Luc (pronounced Luke), and you are...?"
-THWACK- -SPLURTCH- -WTF?-
Whoa, boss, easy with the bo staff skills. You're going to make me twitchy. Thanks though. If that one hadda been a snake he would have bit me. He didn't by any chance bite you, did he? -sizes Luc up- No? I guess not.
Oh yeah, I'm CPT ####, call me Charlie. You, ah, know who's in charge of this goat rope? And more importantly, where's the coffee shop? I haven't had a cup yet this morning and frankly I feel like a zombie myself.
"I heard you discussing shops with various equipment, lets get a few groups together and get it done sir. The sooner we can get everything we need, get onto the top level and fortify it, the better."
"Nice throw! I agree let us get geared up. I can hear a hunting rifle calling my name. If I had to make a guess the guy in the wheelchair is in charge."
Laughing lightly, Luc shook his head when asked if he'd been bitten. "Nah, I doubt they'd want to anyway, too much fat." Though he'd since turned it to muscle, his years overweight had left Luc with a tendency to joke about his weight. "Captain.... military huh. Works for me. Mikey and I over here were just about to head over and stock up."
A glance back towards the children showed the pair he'd been talking to watching him intently, the girls eyes wide as she strained to listen, almost as though she expected to be abandoned. "Sadly, I can only take one of you guys with me, might be best if you stayed here and helped defend this position Chuck, but I'll leave the decision up to the two of you."
Turning aside, Luc went to the shopping carts and grabbed a platform, much like the ones used at costco though it did have walls around the base, and brought it over to his bike, lining the back of the platform up to the back of the bike and popping open the seat compartment. There, a small tow-chain lay coiled, which he immediately set about hooking up to the back of his bike and attaching each end to one side of the base of the platform.
"You going somewhere Mister?" inquired the girl, having shyly approached. "You got it kid, heading over to stock up on some gear. I would walk, but this mall seems pretty big and I would rather not leave the group for too long. You and your brother are welcome to come with if you like."
Climbing onto the bike, he nodded to the cart, only to find the girl jump onto the bike behind him, hugging him close and burrying her face in the back of his leather jacket. "Um... ok..." The brother, a little less eager, climbed onto the cart, grabbing tightly onto the handles infront of him. "Mikey, Chuck, whichever one of you is coming climb on next to the kid, we're heading out. And yes it's stable, I've done this before."
"I am with you. A woodcutting axe, or bush axe may not be a bad idea to bring back for the kids."
As soon as Mike was settled, Luc openned the throttle, slowly accelerating in the direction the mall directory had told him, slowly building speed. "You guys alright back there?" He called out as the airflow began to pick up. "I know what'll make this a little more fun, we need tunes."
Suddenly, the speakers set in the front of the bike roared to life, and Born to be Wild, by Steppenwolf flared to life, blasting alongside the roar of the bike's engine.
"Lookin' for adventcha... and whatever comes our way..." sang Luc, losing himself in the song, the feel of the tires under him, and the powerful hum of the engine as they tore through the mall, covering damn near a mile before it ended all too soon as the sporting goods store came into view, Luc hitting the breaks and banking hard, skidding the cart around till the bike was faced the other way, come to a complete stop. "Alright guys, looks like we're here, everybody out."
"It looks clear. Any ideas on what we should grab first? I am thinking food, rope, and guns are top of the list. Maybe a machette if we can find it."
"Somehow I don't particularly expect there to be food in this store, but... doesn't mean we won't grab it if there is and pick up a bunch on the way back. Come on kid, get off." Slowly, somewhat reluctantly the girl let go of the man, climbing somewhat awkwardly off the motorcycle, Luc following in her wake. "I imagine you know guns better than I do, you grab them, I'll grab survival gear. We'll meet back at the bike in one hour."
Turning, Luc subtelly pulled the hidden kill switch, ensuring that no one who didn't know where it was could start the bike. "Take the boy with you Mike, he looks like he might be a little help in a fight if you find one. I don't think I could get... hey I never got your name kid."
"It's... Michelle mister..." she began shyly. "Please call me Luc. Anyways, lets get moving guys." With that he grabbed his staff off the bike, taking off at a jog, completely oblivious to the way the boy had begun to interrupt, only to be cut off by an icy glare from Michelle before running after her protector.
OOC: You've got guns, I've got survival gear. Oh, and the boy is with you.
"I was thinking maybe some trail mix or beef jerky. You occasionally see that around the registers. Come on kid, if we live through the supply trip then I want to know your name."
"This is a list of items I would like to find in the store (not what I am expecting to find, just general stuff I am looking for, and I am telling the kid this is what we are looking for):
3 870 remington shotgun 20 or 12 gauge, or mossberg equivalent with shoulder straps(20 gauge preferred due to weight)
6-10 boxes of ammo for the shotguns
1 30/30 winchester with scope and shoulder strap
1 .243 remington with scope and shoulder strap
6-10 boxes of the ammo for the rifles
1 gun repair kit (if we can find it, mainly looking for pliars/screw driver)
3 field backpacks/duffle bags for loading up the ammo/pistols
5 .22, 9 mm, or .45 pistols
5-10 extra clips for the pistols
5 gun belts
6-10 boxes of ammo for the pistols
2 gun cleaning kits
4-5 hunting vests/jackets
4-5 game bag belts (going to use them to hold ammo if available)
3 hunting knives with sheath
2 knife sharpeners
1 compound bow
1 crossbow with scope and shoulder strap
quiver of 15-20 arrows for each (broadheads)
2-3 kids aluminum baseball bats (like mine)"
"Kid if you see this stuff start making a pile in front of the gun counter. Try and keep it orderly if possible."
OOC note: I'm in uniform. Not full battle rattle, just regular ACUs.
-SIGH- Very well, I suppose it does make sense to gear up. But at some point I'm going to have to get a cup of coffee... before it gets nasty, too. The coffee, not the zombie situation. Zombies are always nasty.
Just one thing though. Don't. Ever. Call. Me. Chuck.
-jumps on the cart, takes the ride, and hops off, leaving his briefcase in the cart-
That's a good list you have there, Mike... bout what I was thinking. 20 gauges for anybody who's untrained but able to hold it. You might skip the .22s and 9 mils though... I'd wager those zombies don't feel pain like you or I do. Need something bigger to bring 'em down and if you can't handle something bigger just come stand behind me, I got ya covered. Mike if you don't mind lemme add a couple things to it for myself... thanks.
-whips a pen out of his sleeve and scribbles the below on the list-
30-30 lever action
sling and scope for the above
44 mag revolver, double action if they got one- ruger if they got it
make that 2 of the above
couple holsters for the 44s
frameless ruck or backpack
rope
carabiners
duct tape
binos
GPS
head lamps
as much 30-30 and 44 ammo as will fit in the backpack. hollowpoints please
biggest bowie knife you can find
camelback
powerbars
and get us some batteries, all kinds, we'll keep em in the cart
-hands the list back-
With the binos I can spot for you if it comes to that... we'd better start looking for the roof access and try to find a map with all the exits on it. As for me, I'm going to run down to that sword shop and pick up a couple "out of ammo solutions." Y'all let me know now if you got any requests from there. I know, don't be the guy who goes off by himself, but we are in crunch time, we gotta move fast and efficient. Which means you shop here while I run there.
And if they don't want to just give you the stuff we're gonna need to save their greedy a**es just give 'em this with regards from Uncle Sam.
-reaches in his wallet and tosses him a government credit card-
"Sounds good, I was thinking the .22s for rattling around in the head of the zombie at close range, but I do not know handguns as well as you do. So I will go with you on the recommendations. Get me a couple of shortswords, machetes, or police batons if they have them, along with belts"
hey kurt, its all yours. thought id be able to make this work but alas, life rears its ugly head and says NO! gotta move the family back home from this accursed area of america...
looks like a good read though....although i personally find it hard to believe that a guy carries a machette with him at all times...