OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
"Nah don't worry. I got it." Mick said, the corners of his lips lifting into a grin. He closed the door of the ambulance,
Just a quick gas run.
When he arrived at the gas station nearby he was told they ran out of gas for the day. Bummer. So he had to go to a different place. The guy working there let him know about the ones where gas was available - and all of them were almost on the other side of the city. Well, all he could hope for was that the ambulance was going to make it there without running out of gas.
Humming to the song playing on the radio he thought of what to buy at the grocery store after his shift. Mick wasn’t much of a cooking person because most of the time he just didn’t have the time to buy ingredients or to actually cook them. On his days off he just slept the entire day to recharge because boy was he exhausted after each shift - especially these days. A simple 12 hour shift turned to a 24 hour, 32 hour, 48 shift. He never knew when he was actually able to get off work. Of course it wasn’t exactly morally right or even legal to have such long shifts as a paramedic because the longer they were the higher the chance of mistakes happening was. However, ever since the outbreak they didn’t have much of a choice. The fire department he was working at decreased in numbers so quickly he couldn’t even catch up. Some left as soon as the news broke out to make sure to be with their families and keep them safe. Some caught the infection and had to be hospitalized and/or quarantined… and some passed away.
Just as he was about to jam to the highlight of the song a random shadow ran in front of the ambulance.
“Oh SHIT!” he yelled, his foot stepping on the brake as hard as he could. The tires made a very unhealthy squeeling noise as they tried to make the car stop. The ambulance came to a halt, Mick hunched over the steering wheel. He couldn’t say if he heard something hitting the front or if not… he couldn’t tell if he had hit something. Mick kept his head resting on the hard surface of the steering wheel, hesitating to look up. But when he did look up and outside he couldn’t see anything.
He unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door and jumped out of the ambulance. His hand automatically went towards his neck to rub it. Fortunately, he didn't hurt himself. He proceeded to check if his radio was still working, turned on his flashlight and turned around the front of the car. "Hello?"
[attr="class","ditags3"]@open - did I hit you? did I hit someone or something else? did I ALMOST hit you? are you a rebel ready to rob him? are you just a hungry person ready to rob? DO YOU WANT TO STEAL THE AMBULANCE BECAUSE KEYS ARE STILL INSIDE?
[attr="class","popsicle"]Ezra had gotten a tip from her go-to source. And despite the current situation - quarantine, military presence, scheduled blackouts - she still had a job to do. It was supposed to be a routine surveillance trip - stake out a nice vantage and gather some juicy intel. Unfortunately, the guys never showed up, and she was left walking home well after dark. She usually brought Stitch along with her on these trips, and she was starting to regret having not brought him this time about the same time she heard them: footsteps. Someone was walking up behind her, and she noticed when the pat-pat-pat of feet on concrete got faster. Louder. Closer. Ezra had dealt with plenty of dangerous people in her line of work - interviewed criminals, worked around active crime scenes or stuck her nose into the business of people who would have you dig your own grave. She wasn't afraid, but she was anxious. Her heart leapt against her ribs, fighting to escape, and her thoughts began to race. Preparing for-
A hand landed heavily on her shoulder, jerking her back into a broad, solid body. His breath was warm and smelled like stale cigarettes. He pressed something cold against her jaw. "Give me everything you have." A rasping, gruff voice demanded. All she had was her wallet, phone, and camera. The weight of the object rested solidly against her chest. Ezra had bought this camera when she first started interning as a journalist - well, more like a glorified assistant back then. But she'd saved up and gotten herself her very own camera to gather evidence with, and damnit she loved the camera. In fact, as she thought about the camera, she realized her fingers were gripping it tightly. Unwilling. "Are you deaf? I said give me everything you got!" The stranger growled, hot breath mussing with strands of her hair.
Ezra moved in one motion - releasing the camera to reach up and clutch the wrist of the hand holding the weapon to her face, pushing it out and away from her flesh before spinning and bringing her other elbow up and slamming it as hard as she could into his nose. The man cried out, stumbling back from her, and she took that moment to take off running. She didn't check to see if he was pursuing her, didn't glance at the street signs to make sure she was even going the right way. She just ran as fast as she could. She didn't even bother to stop to look both ways as she went to cross a road - just sprinted right out into the path of the ambulance that was suddenly there. The breath left her in a gasp of surprise, and she was just about out of its path when she felt something clip her hip, spinning her around and causing her to lose her balance. Hitting the ground, Ezra came back to herself, hearing her panting breaths and feeling pain radiating up her hip into her side. "Fuck." She grumbled, struggling into a sitting position.
"Hello?"
Squinting as the light fell on her, Ezra shielded her gaze with a hand. "Well, at least we don't have to wait for medical assistance to show up." She quipped, grunting as she pushed herself up to her feet. It was slightly embarrassing to do in front of someone, considering she probably looked a little crazy - wind-rustled, red-cheeked from sprinting so hard, still panting like she'd just run a marathon. Her hip protested the action, but she still got to her feet. "Ah, sorry about that." She added, as if she hadn't just been hit by an ambulance because she'd run out into the street in the middle of the night.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Well, this gas run wasn’t going to be a quick one.
Mick almost had a heart attack when someone talked to him - there really was someone in front of the ambulance. He lowered his flashlight, taking a closer look at whoever was lying on the ground. “Crap. I’m so so so sorry.” He angled his head towards the radio on his left shoulder and pressed the send button while he talked. “Medic 72, we have been involved in a non-injury collision at Parish Street 34-1. Requesting rest break.” he said before giving the woman in front of him a lookover, noticing her struggling to get up properly. “Well, technically I would have to request another ambulance for you. But as long as I’m not getting an emergency call in it’s fine.” He took a quick glance at his watch to check the time but he was already too late anyway so it wouldn’t make much of a difference now.
“Are you hurt?” he asked her, eyebrows furrowed in concern as he watched her move. Wondering if he had to correct his report to the base. A wave of guilt slammed into him once he realized it might have been his fault because it was his ambulance crashing into her by accident or not didn’t really matter. Hit was hit. Hurt was hurt. “I can do a quick check up if you would like. Or drive you to a nearby hospital.” he offered and motioned towards the backdoor of the ambulance.
His instincts told him to not take the situation lightly. Humans were unpredictable nowadays - especially with all the medication on board of the ambulance. With him outside of the car and alone it would be just the perfect opportunity to steal. He lifted his gaze from her and scanned the area around them. It was too dark to really see anything with the street lights all off. He turned his flashlight back on and moved it around him, a thin and short ray of light illuminating the space he pointed it at - but he still couldn’t really make out anything but the trees and street signs which reflected in the dark with the light on.
He moved it back towards her, careful not to point it right into her face and eyes. “Do you have a fever or did you run away from someone?” he said jokingly, laughing a little but in the end he couldn’t help himself and took a quick peek behind her. It was meant to be a joke. But was it really? Mick wasn't sure at what point of his life he had become so paranoid. Maybe after the gunman at the hospital or maybe ever since the outbreak started. Perhaps it was just the infinite amount of stress, work and exhaustion weighing down on him.
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
Ezra was just glad he wasn't calling for backup, because then she might really have to change her name and move out of town due to utter humiliation. She brushed her clothes off half-heartedly, attempting to breathe evenly so that her racing heart would just relax. "No apologies needed, I ran out in front of you." She replied simply, waving away his apologies with a hand as the other reached for her camera bag to ensure it wasn't damaged. As he continued to speak, Ezra sighed with relief as she noted that the case might have gotten scuffed, but her camera was untouched. The edge of her mouth curved in a soft smirk at his response to the ambulance joke, and she let the camera case hang from her neck again as she re-focused on the man before her. "Well, the more you know."
It seemed her body remembered it was just hit by a moving vehicle the moment he asked if she was hurt. Her hip throbbed, her limbs ached. But she did her best to offer a reassuring smile, though it felt false on her face. The idea of making a big deal - of being driven to the hospital - made her blood run cold. She did not want to involve emergency services, and the hospital was the last place she wanted to go right now. "I'm fine. You barely clipped me." Her hip throbbed again, and she was certain that there was probably already a nasty bruise forming. It wasn't the worst she'd been injured, and she was sure it wouldn't be the last time she was injured. She could nurse the aches on her own, in the privacy of her home. "I'm sure you were heading somewhere, I wouldn't want to keep you from your job." She added, watching as the man turned the flashlight on and seemed to be looking for people hiding in the surrounding shadows. Her brow furrowed as she observed his movements, remembering the man who had grabbed her. Was he crouched just out of eyesight, watching?
This guy was going to have to leave sooner or later, and she would be alone in the dark again. Her apartment wasn't far, but the idea of walking the rest of the distance made her heart flutter. She was tough, knew how to defend herself, but that didn't mean she was totally fearless. Things were really getting out of control lately, with the crime rate skyrocketing as the sickness grew worse. You'd think as a journalist, she'd have known how unsafe it was for a woman to walk alone at night, but then again, she was also stubborn. And her bike was too loud for stake outs. So walking had always been her go-to.
His voice brought her back to the world, and she realized he had finished his surveillance of the surrounding area and was now re-focused on her. His words, though joking, struck her like an arrow straight through the chest. The adrenaline was fading more rapidly now, and the fear that she'd pushed aside earlier came crashing down on her head. A tremor ran through her hand, but it stopped there. Gripping the strap for her camera bag, she let out an awkward bark of laughter, a delayed response to his joking manner. "Ah - no. No fever, and no axe-murderer chasing me down the street." She replied, her tone light and breezy. Unbothered. Calm. "I was just trying to get home quicker, and apparently running makes it harder to notice oncoming vehicles." Why, pray tell, was she lying exactly? No clue - Ezra just didn't want to deal with any more dramatics. The guy was probably high, and already harassing someone else. No need to go putting the baggage on this poor soul's shoulders.
Yet, now, she was still standing there, talking to this stranger, when she should have been turning to leave and heading down the dark sidewalk. Her gaze ran down the concrete path until it disappeared into the darkness, and she felt her heart hum a frenzied beat in her chest. 'Get it together, Littlejohn.' She admonished herself in her head for letting the jitters get to her. It was all nerves. Turning her attention back to the man before her, she cleared her throat. "I'm Ezra. Littlejohn."
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
“Barely clipped?” he repeated after her, letting out a light huff of disapproval. He rubbed his chin, eyebrows drawn together as his gaze wandered over her. “I’m pretty sure I can show you a little dent your body left on the front of the ambulance.” he said, raising an eyebrow at her. “You don’t need to go to a hospital. Just let me take a quick look. I could give you a ride wherever you need to go too.” he offered, not planning on letting her leave just like that.
He understood that a lot of people strongly disliked going to a hospital, be it for insurance and cost reasons, phobias or just preferences. But it was a worry that came with the job. And if that wasn’t enough his worry-wart nature made it even worse. Mick always tried not to get attached to patients, he wasn’t supposed to after all, but he had an urge to annoy those into helping if they specifically asked for no help. He couldn’t accept getting turned down knowing exactly they needed the help. Stubbornness attracted him like blood attracted sharks.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got time until I get a call in. And for now, unless it’s a real emergency, I won’t receive any. What you should worry about are your injuries. I can clearly see the discomfort your struggling with. There’s no way to fool me. I’ve been doing this job for a long time. I’ve seen some top notch golden globe acting. However, your acting is not even valid for nomination.” the blonde snickered, his head bobbing as he laughed at her and his own joke.
"I'm Ezra. Littlejohn."
“Michael Jereau. Most people just call me Mick though. Kind of prefer Mick too.” he said with a soft smirk. “Nice to meet you Ezra. Please don’t sue me, unless you want the money for acting lessons.” Mick added, his soft smirk transforming into a wider grin. He whipped out a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer which was kept in one of his pockets for convenience. Squeezing some into his hands, he rubbed his palms together thoroughly before he offered her a hand to shake and the sanitizer as well. Another habit, but a very useful habit during these times. One could never be careful enough. While he didn’t care much about his own health, he cared about others. And chances were high that he might come into contact with an infected person. Unfortunately, the chances were way too high.
He moved over to the back of the ambulance, opening the doors. “Hop in.” he said, motioning inside with a hand. “If you don’t I might drag you inside.” he added and shrugged ever so slightly as if he was just joking around. Maybe he was. Maybe he wasn’t. Mick went ahead and climbed inside the ambulance, pushing a button to get the assisting ramp down so she could get inside more easily, especially with that hip of hers.
Picking up a pair of one time use gloves he moved aside one of the emergency bags to the other end of the vehicle. He slid open half of the small window to the front compartment and reached through, snatching the keys out of the key slot. He struggled slightly but he managed to get it out. His arm was just long enough. Before he turned back around he crammed them into the pocket the sanitizer was in.
The paramedic proceeded to wear the gloves, pulling them over his hands giving them a satisfying pull to make sure they fit right. “So, Ezra, let me guess… you were on your way home, past curfew, because you went outside for… a trip to Wendys?”
“I’m pretty sure I can show you a little dent your body left on the front of the ambulance.”
Ezra raised her brows at him as he called her out on her dismissal, not sure how to continue pretending her hip wasn't on fire if he wasn't going to let her continue lying blatantly to his face. Good for him. She couldn't help but smile, feeling relieved, when he offered to take her to her next stop. Though she'd never admit it, it was a relief hearing that offer. She sighed softly, shifting her weight, suppressing a wince. "It's not that bad. I really don't think it requires any kind of special attention. But I will take you up on the ride." She said, resisting the urge to laugh as he carried on to dress her down about her horrible acting.
"Alright, fine. Fair point. In my defense, you're a bit smarter than the people I'm usually trying to act around." She said, raising a hand defensively, a bemused smirk on her lips. Ezra wasn't used to people picking her apart like he was - for the most part, people allowed her to lie to them. She didn't know enough medical professionals to know if they were all as tenacious as this guy was, but it was a quality she was honestly happy to see someone in his position have. Even though it meant that she felt uncomfortable with all the attention, and didn't erase the fact that she certainly preferred to just go home and nurse her wounds on her own.
He introduced himself, and Ezra accepted the hand sanitizer offered to her before shaking his hand. She was suddenly reminded of the reason behind the chaos on the streets; the sickness running rampant. She hadn't even considered the fact that, as a medical professional, Mick was probably constantly in contact with potentially infected people. Ezra was grateful he was more in tune with that fact than she was. Though, Ezra honestly wasn't afraid of the illness. She had too much on her plate to worry about getting sick. It was something she intended on dealing with if and only if it even got to her. "Mick it is. And I'm not a big fan of lawyers, so don't worry about that." She said, chuckling softly at his jab regarding her horrible acting. He was never going to let that go, was he?
As he went around to the back doors and ordered her inside, she considered turning him down - insisting on just getting home. But it felt like maybe he wasn't going to let it go until he got to check on her, and her hip did hurt. So she sighed again, as if put upon by his caring nature, and followed him to the back. She watched the ramp come down, and couldn't help herself as she quipped, "How old do you think I am?" She would most definitely not be admitting that she was actually really happy when he didn't force her to step up in order to follow him, her hip already twinging at just walking. Yeah, she definitely didn't want to walk all the way home now.
“So, Ezra, let me guess… you were on your way home, past curfew, because you went outside for… a trip to Wendys?”
Ezra stood awkwardly as he moved around the small space, and smirked as he spoke, rolling her eyes good naturedly. "I really wanted a roast beef sandwich drenched in liquid gold." She admitted, sucking in her breath through her teeth and giving him a 'what can you do about it?' shrug. "I was working, actually. Top secret stuff." Winking, Ezra shifted her weight again, pressing her lips together when the action made a sharp pain shoot through her hip into her leg. "I don't have to take my pants off, do I?" She asked suddenly, giving him a scrutinizing look.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
“I’m flattered by you calling me smart. But to be honest… there’s just really a lot of people like you. Acting all tough and independent like they would never need help. I would probably act the same, but if someone kept pestering me about accepting the help I would do it.” Mick replied as he pursed his lips, pausing as he rummaged through the drawers. “Also, you’re telling me, a trained paramedic who went through school for three years to do this job and has quite some time of experience on hand, that you don’t think this needs much attention?” He snickered, shaking his head repeatedly as he looked around and down at him - at his uniform. “Maybe you should drive this instead of me?” he said, purely on a whim. He would never just hand over the car keys. To no one, even if they pointed a gun at him. Fun fact though, it happened already.
While Mick was always one easy to be around of he took his job very seriously. Even though it was very difficult and hard at the moment, with an ongoing pandemic, he still loved doing it. The pay definitely wasn’t worth it, but the gratitude he received was making up for it. He was probably one of the few good-hearted people around who accepted this instead of money.
Mick raised one fair eyebrow and looked at her hip. “Taking your stubbornness into consideration you're either 5 years old or 75.” he said with a serious face before letting out a brief laugh. “Please, keep your pants on. No need to strip.” he replied as response and returned her wink. “Well, you’re still able to walk. You’re experiencing pain but it’s not severe enough to make you drop to the ground. So I guess you might just strained your hip. Common if you’re involved in a car accident or hit hard by something.” he said, speaking over his shoulder as he opened the small fridge inside the ambulance. Taking out a cool pack and a towel, he turned back around. “You just need to lie down and apply this ice pack to your hip for 15 minutes while I drive you home.” he explained to her and put down the ice pack which was now wrapped inside the towel to prevent it from being put right on the skin.
Turning away he started to climb to the doors, ready to jump out to get to the drivers' cabin when his eyes spotted a group of men approaching the ambulance, swinging baseball bats and iron bars in their hands. “Uh… Ezra?” he said, slowly backing up and taking that one step back inside the car. “Did your top-secret work stuff involve a bunch of angry men who look like they are ready to kill someone?” he asked, though, he could have kind of guessed her answer by the look they were giving him.
Within seconds he grabbed both the door handles, pulling them towards him and slammed them shut by basically throwing himself back into the ambulance. He locked the doors, checking his pocket again for the car keys. They were still there. But they weren’t much of a use with the two of them stuck in the back of the vehicle. There was no way Mick would fit through the tiny window, but the good thing was those guys couldn’t do anything either. However, now they were stuck inside the ambulance.
“Did you steal someone’s roast beef sandwich?” the paramedic uttered, not really believing this absurd situation he had gotten himself into - again. What would he give for one, just one, quiet shift. Perhaps he should take a three days vacation after this night. The downside of it, it would get approved but for the following year. Mick shut his eyes, letting out a sigh. Why did he have a deja vu feeling? Pressing the button on his radio, he glanced outside, trying to see something through the tinted windows in the doors but he could only spot silhouettes. He ducked away from the doors, his back to the wall, eyes glancing back and forth between the blonde and the silhouettes of men outside. “Medic 72, Ambulance 28 surrounded by suspicious people on Parish Street 34-1. Requesting police support.”
"Well, I am tough and independent, so." She replied, automatically, her tone playfully indignant. As he continued, Ezra felt her mock serious expression slowly melting into an amused smile, and his final joke made her laugh out loud. "Don't tempt me." She shot back, and then she shrugged her shoulders. "Honestly, though, while it has been a dream of mine to drive a vehicle with lights and sirens, there's no way I'd want to do your job - especially now." She responded truthfully, shaking her head. Ezra could only imagine the amount of stress on the shoulders of the people in the medical field right now. Even on a regular basis, she was pretty certain that she would buckle under the pressure they had to deal with.
She scoffed good-naturedly when he responded to her age question, rolling her eyes at him. "Alright, fine, I get it. Stop being stubborn and just let you help." She sighed, raising a hand as if in surrender. "But to be completely fair, I am the reason I got hit, so it feels wrong to let you help patch me up when I've probably already caused you a lot of paper work." She defended, falling quiet again as he evaluated her injury. Ezra found that she was relieved when he set the ice pack down and told her it was likely just a strain - that she could handle. Thankfully, she'd never broken a bone in her life, and she definitely didn't want to start now. The idea of the medical bills made her shudder. "Maybe I'm just really, really tough and it's actually shattered." She said with mock graveness to her words, before she reached out and picked up the towel-wrapped ice pack. The coolness seeped through the towel and into her hands, making her shiver slightly. Bouncing it from one hand to the other slowly, she stared down at it as he moved towards the doors, wanting to wait until he'd closed the doors to get herself situated.
Only, he stopped and became very still - which queued her in to look up at him, her lips parting to ask if he'd forgotten something. She was cut short when he uttered her name questioningly, her body tensing at the tone in his voice.
“Did your top-secret work stuff involve a bunch of angry men who look like they are ready to kill someone?”
Her stomach dropped at his question, and she set the ice pack aside to stand up - wincing as her hip protested the action - so that she could get a better look at what he was seeing. She felt a frown form on her face. Did that psycho really go and get his friends to help hunt her down? Squinting, she tried to see if she recognized any of them - and then she did. He was in the back, and when she noticed him her heart seemed to freeze in her chest. "Shhhit." Ezra said, stretching the word out as she turned away from the doors, glancing around the ambulance for things she might be able to use as a weapon.
Mick's question made her turn and give him an exasperated look, followed by a defeated laugh. "I wish. That guy in the back tried to mug me. That busted nose is my handiwork." As the paramedic turned to call for backup, Ezra continued to look around the ambulance for anything weapon-like - but came up empty. Maybe it was meant to be that way - for the safety of the medic who stayed in the back with sometimes volatile patients. Ezra didn't know, but it certainly made her feel like a sitting duck. And she felt kinda guilty that Mick was now in danger because of her.
Faintly, she heard voices start up outside. Yelling. They were muffled and sort of hard to understand, but she could guess that they wanted her and anything of value in the ambulance. The thought made her skin crawl. She didn't even want to think what the group of men wanted to do with her, but she'd obviously pissed off the wrong man tonight. A loud bang pulled her from her thoughts; quickly it was followed by more thuds and bangs, louder shouting. They were hitting the ambulance. "Please tell me ambulances were built to withstand stuff like this." Ezra said, throwing Mick a faintly worried look.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Mick rolled her eyes at the blonde, a rich laugh erupting from his throat. “Trust me if it was shattered I would know and you would be lying outside on the concrete howling in pain… or you would have been straight out knocked unconsciousness by the shock and trauma.” he replied, putting away all the supplies he had used or taken out of the cabinets and drawers to get together the things he needed for her.
He had his hands resting on the doors, in case they were somehow able to pry them open, although he was kind of sure they wouldn’t be able to do it so fast. “You did a good job as far as I saw.” he mused, giving Ezra a nod of approval and a quick thumbs up. However, he quickly turned his attention back to the seriousness of their situation. The moment they started banging on the ambulance with their weapons it startled him and he jumped a little.
Unfortunately, ambulances were not built to withstand anything but carrying a patient to the nearest hospital. The bullets might not go through the first time but once they create a bigger hole they might. The good thing was, the windows were mostly tinted so they couldn‘t actually look inside. Mick opened a drawer, taking out a can of spray-on band aid and started covering the clear parts of the window so it would be all covered and non see-through.
Resting one hand on his hip and nervously rubbing his neck with the other he paced through the small space, trying to come up with a plan or a solution, or just anything. Mick definitely needed a day off. “This is a first for me.” he said, admittedly, and chuckled lightly. “I guess I can check off trapped inside the ambulance with an angry mob outside of my to-do list.” he joked, hoping to ease his own nerves. He clapped his hands together, bringing them to his face and resting the sides on his mouth, thumbs tucked under his chin. Blue eyes slowly circled the interior of the ambulance.
“Ambulance 28, there are no available units near your location. We have alerted other units but it will take at least 20 minutes for them to reach you. Please stand by.” the voice transmitted over the radio. Of course, it would take that long with the tiny amount of staff available, be it police, the fire department, military, or medics. He knew, and he could already see it coming, but he had to request it either way. Mick let out a sigh, eyebrows perking up for a brief moment. “Well, I guess that’s that.” he said, a little disappointed, moving his head and body towards Ezra. “We might have to sit this one out but I’m pretty sure they-” he gestured in the direction of the ambulance doors where the guys where slamming their baseball bats and iron bars and whatever at the vehicle. “-probably won’t wait until our backup arrives.”
Mick inhaled and exhaled audibly, his chest rising and falling, before his head jerked towards the small window to the drivers' cabin. He looked at it for a moment, raising his hands to measure its size. It was way too small for him to fit through but… his eyes darted over to Ezra, pulling his eyebrows together. “Do you think you could-” he started but stopped himself from finishing the sentence, pursing his lips. No, he shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. He was going to suggest to have her try and crawl to but no. It wouldn’t be good with her injured waist. There had to be another option.
Maybe he could distract them somehow and leave through the side door. He turned around, his hand on the door latch prying it open just a little when he heard a scream and closed it as fast as possible, making sure to lock it as well. No, that wouldn’t work either. He turned his gaze back to Ezra, an apologetic look on his face. He really felt sorry for even thinking about offering, perhaps a stupid plan, but it could be the only way out available to the two of them. “You… have a drivers license right?”
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
Ezra didn’t bother arguing his response to her joke - he was right, and now they had bigger problems to worry about. Still, she couldn’t help the devilish grin that spread across her face at his praise for the wounded man. ”Well, thank you. I tried really hard.” She quipped, trying to not let the anxiety eat away at her. They were definitely not going to die here, at the hands of idiots like the ones outside.
She watched, helpless, as he covered the windows with some sort of spray. She was still looking all around the ambulance, as if a solution might just magically appear if she looked hard enough. Even though she was trying to keep a positive outlook on the situation, she knew they were in some deep stuff here - if the ambulance couldn’t withstand the men until backup arrived, they’d have to fight. Ezra didn’t like their chances, considering they were weaponless and the men outside were...decidedly not weaponless. As if to punctuate this thought, another round of banging started up, and Ezra couldn’t tell if she was hearing gunshots or other things slamming against the outside of the vehicle. If they had guns, then they definitely didn’t have good chances.
“This is a first for me.”
She wanted to laugh at the joke that followed, but instead she just gave him a half-amused, half-anxious expression. ”Well, at least we’re both just as new to this.” She commented - sure, she’d been threatened. Ezra had even been in fights before, obviously. But she’d never felt so...useless. She didn’t have any idea how to get them out of this situation, and it made her stomach feel like it was about to tie itself into a knot.
The voice on the radio didn’t inspire hope. Twenty minutes? Could the ambulance stand up to that sort of wait? When Mick’s response was ‘that’s that’, Ezra was certain they were about to die horrible deaths. So much for being positive. She thought sourly. ”Then we better get as ready as we can. I’m definitely breaking another nose before I go out.” Ezra declared, trying to sound more confident than she felt about their situation.
“Do you think you could-”
Her attention snapped to him, and she gave him a questioning look. ”Could I what?” She prompted, willing to hear any idea he had - but he seemed to be reconsidering, and then he started to open the door. Ezra’s mouth parted to yell at him, to ask what he was doing, but he shut it as soon as he’d opened it, and then asked about her driver’s license. Face scrunched in confusion as she tried to follow along with whatever he was thinking, anticipation made her heartbeat feel like it was echoing in her eardrums. ”Well, yeah, of course.” Her questioning look slowly turned into an expectant smile. ”Why? What do you have in mind? Whatever it is, let's do it." She told him, waving a hand as if to dismiss the need to even know the full plan. Anything was better, in her opinion, than sitting around and waiting to get murdered.
Her hip was still protesting movement, but she knew if she had to she could push through the pain. All she had to do was be determined and stubborn, and luckily she happened to be both right about now.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Mick cleared his throat at her declaration of breaking another nose before going out. “It would be a miracle if we get to break any noses before they break ours and probably even more.” he replied, a light shudder crawling up his spine as he thought of broken bones. Mick could deal with getting shot, getting stabbed, getting beaten but getting his bones broken? No, thank you. He would rather not as it would also mean at least six weeks of not being able to work.
The banging on all sides of the vehicle continued without a pause and Mick could already spot dents being made as they turned inside. One of the windows had a crack and it would only be a matter of time until they managed to break through them all, ready to open the doors and come inside in full force. That was something he didn’t necessarily want to live through.
Although it would put him in a difficult position to let a civilian drive the ambulance without proper permission, training or EMT license, there really wasn’t much of a choice. “Reckon you would fit through the window?” he asked, walking over to slide it as far open as he could. He looked through but soon realized one side would be way too small. He turned his face away, shielding it from the glass, one arm covering his face before he started striking the other window side with his elbow to break it. It took a couple of attempts until it moved and ultimately scattered into tiny pieces.
Grabbing a towel from a rack he removed the remaining pieces sticking out of the frame before placing another towel over the bottom frame. “I will give you the keys. You will need to drive the ambulance. I will give you absolute control over it just don’t-” he paused, eyebrows drawn together as he bit his lower lip. “-just don’t crash it, please.” he said, grimacing at the thought of getting reprimanded for destroying or damaging the ambulance again. “And don’t... turn on the sirens.” he warned, for once being a little more serious instead of his usual laid back self.
His hand reached up to his radio once more as he pushed the button to send a call. “Medic 72, Ambulance 28. Disregard request for backup. We need to move now. Requesting clearance for a code 3 enroute to a safe location.” Waiting for a moment, hoping for a quick response from dispatch, he stood still. Mick didn’t realize he was holding his breath until a loud noise ripped through the ambulance.
In an instant, he turned around to see several arms reaching through the backdoor window which was now broken. They retreated shortly as they cut themselves on the remaining pieces stuck to the window. “We need to hurry.” he uttered, turning his attention back to getting Ezra through the window. He moved one of the cabinets on the floor towards the window so it would be right underneath, ready to be used as a platform. “I would offer you something for the pain but I’m not sure driving on pain meds would be such a good idea. You think you can hold it out until we get somewhere safe?” he asked, hoping she would be alright, feeling as bad as he felt asking her to do it. A part of him was hoping she would say no but that didn’t seem to be an option for her. Although he admired her braveness, the medic part of him shook his head.
He grabbed the car key out of his pocket and held them up in front of her. “Remember… don’t crash.” Mick told her one last time, before he squeezed his way through and to the back again, grabbing a fresh infusion set on his way. He ripped open the packaging and fished out the needle and jabbed it right into a hand reaching for the door handle.
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
“It would be a miracle if we get to break any noses before they break ours and probably even more.”
He was not helping her keep a positive outlook on their situation, and she’d already been struggling before his commentary was given. She didn’t want to think about what would happen if those men got into the ambulance - about what would happen to her and now this poor guy, all because she’d crossed the road without looking. Ezra’s heart was hammering in her chest, but she was trying to keep her mind focused on the task at hand - which was saving them from this situation. As the bangs on the outside of the vehicle continued, not showing signs of slowing down, Ezra felt her throat tighten. Fear was trying to work it’s way into her bones, but she knew if she let it take over then that was that. Just like he’d said.
As he asked if she’d fit through the window, her gaze flipped from him to the window in question. It wasn’t going to be easy. It was probably going to hurt. But she’d fit through tighter squeezes - you had to be willing to contort yourself sometimes as a journalist. If you wanted to get all of the details, that is. ”Yes. I can do it.” She answered him, her tone confident and certain. She winced as he broke the window open, smashing the glass of the other side. Ezra watched as he prepared the window for her to climb through, his energy making her shift her weight back and forth. Already, she was anticipating getting them out of there. She nodded her head along as he spoke, before giving him a scrutinizing look when he advised her not to crash the ambulance. ”I promise not to crash the ambulance.” She told him, even though she wanted to give him a snarky response. Clearly now was not the time to be concerned with her pride when they were both just trying to survive.
However, she couldn’t help the pretend gasp of dismay when he told her no sirens. ”No sirens? Well, then it’s just not worth it.” She joked, watching him as he called in and advised the voices on the other end of his radio that they were taking this show on the road. The intense silence only made her heartbeat that much more obvious to her, feeling it beating out a rhythm in her throat. The sound of them breaking a window had her whipping around alongside the paramedic, her chest tight as the fear finally found its way in.
Head whipping as if it were on a swivel, she met Mick’s gaze as he voiced what she was already thinking. Time was up. She climbed up on the cabinet that he moved in front of the window, her hip already protesting with a new, sharper set of pain. It wasn’t going to feel good in the morning. Mick asked her if she thought she could handle it, and she felt her lips tug into a broad, reassuring smile. ”Yeah, I’ve got this.” She assured, and then she focused on making it through the window. As she bent through the opening, her hip screamed it’s protest, and she gritted her teeth, grunting as she pulled the rest of her body through the opening. Popping back up to retrieve the keys from Mick, she tilted her head at him and gave him a serious, judgy look. ”I’m gonna crash it for sure if you keep jinxing us by saying that.” Watching him for a moment as he moved to the back, she wondered why he was so trusting of her. Maybe she seemed more trustworthy than she thought, or maybe he was just that nice.
Turning back to the driver’s seat of the ambulance, Ezra slid into the seat with another wince, hastily putting the keys into the ignition and turning them at the same time as her foot pressed the brake down, her hand moving from the keys to the gear shift. ”Hold on!” She called back, her foot lifting from the break as the ambulance roared to life. As she moved to give it gas, the business end of a crowbar slammed into the driver’s side window. It didn’t break it, but the sudden appearance made Ezra shriek in surprise, her gaze met with the very angry face of the man who’d grabbed her earlier. Ezra didn’t hesitate to give him the finger before pushing down on the gas, not worried about what happened to him as the ambulance lurched forward down the road. Trying to focus, Ezra’s eyes frantically searched the street for any obstacles in their path, trying not to glance over her shoulder and instead keep her focus entirely on the task at hand.
”Where are we going?” She asked, knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Mick playfully rolled his eyes at her disappointment when he mentioned not to use the sirens. He took the chance and knocked three times on the wall of the ambulance for luck and to not have them jinxed because of what he said. It wasn’t wood but maybe just the symbol of doing it would help. "Alright, alright. You got this. I’ll trust you that you won’t crash." he told her quickly, giving her an approving nod and a thumbs up before catering to the army of men trying to break into the car.
Thugs were extremely durable when it came to any sort of fighting. Mick had to jab him twice with the needle. He plugged it out of the man’s hand when he wasn’t going to let go the first time and launched it back into the back of the hand for another round, trying to avoid the bones and knuckles and just dig it deep inside the flesh. The metal poked out from the palm of his hand and finally, he let go, a surprised yelp following his departure.
However, as the thug withdrew his hand Mick wasn’t quick enough to move his own and the needle - which now had the stranger’s blood on it - scraped his left hand as he flung himself out of the way, landing on the ambulance floor. Someone had managed to open one of the doors in the chaos and Mick lunged himself forward to shut it, holding on to both doors to keep them closed.
'Hold on!'
Mick didn’t need her to tell him twice. He scrambled backward, hands grabbing the edges of the stretcher as he pulled himself back up to his feet. He was used to moving inside the ambulance during high-speed drives to get to a hospital or a scene but those included experienced medics as drivers. Any thoughts to move around at the back were dismissed as the ambulance suddenly lurched forward, sending him staggering through the vehicle. As he tried to balance himself he managed to get to the seat at the back near the small window where he could at least see the street.
'Where are we going?'
"Just… anywhere! Let’s get out of here first. They might follow us if they have any bikes or cars nearby." he called out, holding onto the seat for his dear life. The road seemed to appear fairly empty but it didn’t help much in convincing him that she could drive it without crashing. It wasn’t necessarily about driving skills, but the ambulance wasn’t a sedan. It was big, bigger than the average car and that was an issue for a lot of newbies who just started training. The number of times he had seen them crash was too high to have faith in a stranger. Nonetheless, he trusted her at least a little bit… enough to sit down, his back towards the window, and Ezra.
Blue eyes examined the back of his hand, holding it up and turning it slightly sideways as he looked at the cut. It wasn’t deep or anything tragic but with a pandemic raging through the city, a simple cut could be proven to be extremely dangerous - especially since he came in contact with the thugs’ blood. Not to mention all the diseases he could have. A chill climbed down his spine and he shuddered softly at the thought of being infected with not just the known viruses but also the new, worse one. This would prompt a visit to the hospital to get tested for everything. Fun.
Mick’s reached out to one of the drawers and fished out a bottle of antiseptic, pouring the content over the wound. He dropped the bottle next to his seat before moving back up to look through the window, the sight of blonde hair in the corner of his eye.
His gaze narrowed at the road ahead as he tried to figure out their coordinates. His radio was still more than uncomfortably quiet, making him wonder if there was no signal or if it was somehow broken. "Isn’t that usually the part in the movies where suddenly cop cars appear and escort us to a safe place with sirens and lights on and such? I guess they are taking their sweet time." he laughed, feeling a little relieved that they at least managed to get away in one piece - for now.
Clearing his throat he tried leaning over the broken window, finger pointing at the control panel. "Since I don’t really have any authority over a civilian… the switch for the sirens is over there. Just saying." he said, as casually as he could, adding a brief, innocent whistle at the end of his sentence.
EVEN WHEN NOBODY ELSE BELIEVES I'M NOT GOING DOWN THAT EASILY
"Alright, alright. You got this. I’ll trust you that you won’t crash."
Ezra might have taken the time to act arrogant had they not been in a life threatening situation. All she could do was throw a shaky smile over her shoulder as she tried to focus on the driving she needed to do. Listening to the chaos in the back of the ambulance didn’t help, but she still tried to focus as she took off, hoping that Mick had taken her warning to heart.
She almost got worried that she’d caused him to fall out of the back when she took off, so when he responded to her question, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was a short lived feeling as he mentioned the possibility of them being followed. Her stomach clenched, the adrenaline flooding her veins kicking back into gear. Not quite safe yet, then. She’d never driven anything quite as big as an ambulance, and she felt like she was way too high up, too small to control such a large vehicle. But it was still just a vehicle, just a little more hard to keep control of. Thankfully, the lack of traffic meant that she was able to at least avoid crashing, though she wasn’t necessarily driving in a straight line, nor was she driving calmly. At least they weren’t weaving from side to side anymore, now that her body was figuring out the sensitivity of the pedals and the wheel in her grip.
"Isn’t that usually the part in the movies where suddenly cop cars appear and escort us to a safe place with sirens and lights on and such? I guess they are taking their sweet time."
His words were probably meant to make her feel better, and she did feel a grim smirk taking over her features. No, if this were the movies some heroic person would have found a cure already. She wouldn’t be driving for her life with a complete stranger from a pack of devious men - or maybe that was like the movies. Either way, real life was never as convenient or neat as the movies. ”Maybe this is a horror movie directed by Stephen King.” She replied, her tone thick with that ‘well life just sucks’ tone. She let the silence hold for a minute, before she decided to tack on, ”Are you alright back there, though?” Maybe it was the fact that they’d just escaped certain death together, but she found herself concerned for his well being.
"Since I don’t really have any authority over a civilian… the switch for the sirens is over there. Just saying."
Ezra’s gaze followed his pointing, her eyes widening with excitement before she whipped her head in his direction, a grin splitting her face. ”Well if it’s up to me controlling myself or not, then sirens it is.” She said, voice sprinkled with glee as she reached forward and flipped the switch, the sirens coming to life and blaring. Ezra was grinning like a child, only enjoying the rush for a couple more intersections before she switched it back off. ”One more thing taken care of off my bucket list.” She chimed, her gaze periodically flicking over to the rearview mirrors, each time her chest tight with anxiety, afraid of seeing bikes or cars coming up fast behind them. The mirrors remained empty, so it seemed like they were clear of danger. At least for the most part.
”Do you want me to pull over so we can switch out?” She asked, still fighting the natural urge to glance over her shoulder when she spoke to him. It would be real life if she ended up crashing the ambulance anyways.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
He stayed at the window, arm resting on the towel he had thrown over the frame in case of glass shards. He shuddered at the thought of them being in a horror movie directed by Stephen King. Mick wasn’t a big fan of horror movies, to begin with, but Stephen King was twisted. "No thank you. I’d rather consider this some kind of superhero action movie." he chuckled, before answering her next question. "Me? Yeah, I’m good. I won’t be though, once I get back to the station with this damage. I’m pretty sure this will be my last day on this not so wonderful planet." Mick replied, half-joking, half-serious. He was in trouble for this even though it wasn’t really his fault.
How was he supposed to explain this to the chief? He’ll probably be banned from driving or even going near any ambulance for the rest of the month and be assigned cleaning duty, especially cleaning the bathrooms and toilets duty. Oh, wonderful. He couldn’t wait. It probably didn’t even matter anymore that they were using the sirens without permission or reason.
‘Do you want me to pull over so we can switch out?’
"Mhm." he said, moving to the side door and opening it halfway as they were still driving. Mick held onto the bar next to it and poke his head out, checking the road behind them. Nothing. "Looks safe enough. I hope. I really do." he called over to her and closed the door again. He let himself fall back into the seat for a moment until she decided to pull over. He took a deep breath to relax, now that they seemed to be free of any danger. Hopefully at least.
Once the vehicle came to a halt he opened the back doors, jumped out, and slammed them close. He grimaced at the damage done to the doors, a wince escaping his lips as he walked around and spotted all the dents they made. Smacking his lips together he walked over to the driver’s side. "Yep. I’m going to be dead tomorrow. You’re more than welcome to attend my funeral. Let me drive you home while I still can."
