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.
It was already a busy day for Isobel, having so many people coming through the doors. So many sick and dying, that even her department was overwhelmed with the almost of beds in use. She wasn't sure how much more the hospital could take before this virus overtook the hospital. But it didn't help that she had gotten a call from a journalist a few days about meeting with her. She, of course, agreed to meet with her and had set it for that morning.
That morning, the moment she walked in, the nurse at the reception had offered the woman up. Her attention had turned towards the journalist, and they had offered their hands in greetings. She wasn't exactly sure where they would meet, especially since she was only a resident and not an official doctor of the hospital. "Are you hungry? How about the cafeteria?" she had questioned, after a few seconds of pondering where they should sit and chat.
Almost an hour later, they had settled down in the corner of the cafeteria, away from any ears that would listen in. She had nursed a coffee as she answered the woman's questions; they had spoken as if they were old friends. However, she didn't know the woman personally. She had, of course, read her work for the daily paper.
She checked her watch, frowning at the time. She was slightly surprised she hadn't been paged after all this time. She looked up at the woman and smiled, "Any other questions for me? I think this might be a good time to..." she wasn't able to finish before the sounds of shots and screams came from outside of the cafeteria. "What the hell was that?" she questioned, standing up and looking around.
zra had gotten to the hospital that morning with the intention of getting a few quotes and views from various hospital staff, and so far it had been going just fine - she was finishing up her conversation with a resident named Isobel when a loud clap and screams sounded outside of the cafeteria. As if it were in the hallway. Ezra felt her heart leap into her throat from the sudden outburst of anarchy, and she glanced over at Isobel when the woman spoke. "Gunshots. I know those anywhere." With that, Ezra pushed herself away from the table they were sat at and hurried across the cafeteria as other hospital staff stood or sat in varying degrees of panic; as she grew closer and closer to the hallway doors the chaos on the other side got louder and louder, and her footsteps got faster and faster until she was running at the doors. They began to push open just slightly when she reached them, and she slammed her body into them full force. These doors were a pair, and each had a small rectangular window running vertically above the handles. Ezra's face was against one of those windows, and on the other side was a large man with a shaved head and from what she could tell, an automatic rifle in his grips.
Ezra wasn't one for panic - fear didn't make her shut down the way it did for some. Like the other people in the cafeteria behind her, who were in varying degrees of terror. The man smirked at her through the window, and she caught sight of two other men approaching behind him. Looking over her shoulder, she caught the gaze of the woman who she'd just been interviewing. "Get something to shove through the handles! And you!" She snapped at a close-by man in scrubs, who looked strong enough. "Come hold the doors with me!"
Isobel had practically been raised around guns from a young age. Her father and brother having both been in the military. She could remember her father taking her to the shooting range, allowing her to get a few shots in. After her brother died, she never dared pick up a gun. But she knew the sound, and after asking just what was happening, Ezra confirmed it. Gunshots. The only question was, why were they here? Why was someone shooting a gun in a hospital? She stood to her feet, following the suit of many other family members and staff, watching with bated breath as Ezra went over to the door.
Within a second, she was slamming against it, as if her body was the only thing to keep something - or someone out of the cafeteria. 'Get something to shove through the handles! And you! Come hold the doors with me!' The woman had quickly taken control of the situation, and everyone snapped into action. "Right," she agreed, going in search of something that could hold the door closed. The man she had snapped at having gone to help her, along with another strong-looking doctor.
"Everyone just remain calm," she breathed out. She watched as some of the doctors and nurses went to help the family members calmed down—a cry of a newborn baby piercing the air as the mother tried to quiet the cries. It was then that she saw something, grabbing the umbrella, she smiled at the little old lady "Can we borrow this? Here..." she breathed out, pulling some cash out of her wallet. If the thing wasn't suitable for it, she would return it. If it worked and broke, then the lady could purchase a new one.
She ran back towards the entrance, thankful that it was the only one. "Will this work? There isn't much here besides a metal soup ladle." she breathed out, holding up the umbrella.
zra was thankful that it took one person coming to help her for others to step up - by the time Isobel returned with the umbrella two other men had joined in holding the doors closed, though Ezra was still face to face with the thug. He was doing his best to glare her to death, apparently, between his bouts of beating against the door. The journalist turned her head as she hard Isobel's face, spotting the umbrella. "It'll work for now." She replied, grabbing the item and shiving it between the handles. The cafeteria was, blessedly, on the ground floor, and Ezra jumped into the next phase of her response: they needed to get the hell out of dodge. She stepped back from the door, waving at the other men. "Keep on that door. The umbrella won't hold for long." She instructed, then turned to the woman at her side.
"We need to get these people out of here." Ezra sighed, glancing around at the patrons of the cafeteria. Some patients. Some visitors. A lot of medical staff. It was the patients she was worried about the most. "Can we break a window and climb out? Is there any other way out of here?" She asked, trying not to think too hard on any future obstacles. Right now they just needed to get into motion - she could already hear the umbrella creaking under the pressure of the onslaught against the door. The doors themselves were large and seemed to be fairly sturdy, so hopefully that also meant bullets couldn't get through. As long as they kept those doors closed, everything would be....well, not okay, but stable. "If those people get in here, some or all of us are going to be seriously injured, or killed." She muttered, partially to anyone who could hear her and partially to herself. She didn't want to start a worse panic than what was already occurring. And since she had been the one to stop them from getting in, she was pretty certain she would at least be targeted.
Why oh why must you directly involve yourself in every bad situation? She chastised herself mentally, shaking her head. She didn't have time to question her life motivations - they needed to get out of this mouse trap of a cafeteria. "You work here, so you know this place better than me. What do you think?"
There was no doubt in Isobel's mind that shit had hit the fan. She knew that the world was in unrest over the rules that the virus had provided, but she agreed with it in the health care profession. At least, most of it. The whole saving power by shutting things down was a little extreme. But perhaps someone of higher power believed it would save the day. She wanted to roll her eyes, but it wasn't the time or place at this moment. Because right now, there were some scary guys - and possible girls - with guns, attempting to get in the room.
Luckily, they were holding them at bay when she returned with the umbrella, thankful that Ezra was quick to say that it would work. However, the for now part is what made her worried, a shiver running down her spine. God, she wished for her own gun right now - but she's a healer, not a killer.
With the umbrella in place, Ezra was able to step back. But you could tell the thing wouldn't hold for long, and it seemed the other woman knew that. Luckily, the men weren't ready to let go yet, even when instructed to stay holding it.
'We need to get these people out of here. Can we break a window and climb out? Is there any other way out of here?' Isobel thought for a moment, trying to figure things out. "What if there are others outside waiting? I'm sure they have lookouts..." she breathed out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She was so glad that her fiance was home right now, likely sleeping without a care.
'You work here, so you know this place better than me. What do you think?' She shook her head, "If there isn't anyone outside waiting to shoot anyone that gets out, there is a side exit. It has a fire alarm, though, not that this matters. It'll call the fire department, police, and everyone to be here if they aren't already aware." She shrugged her shoulders, shook her head, "We could break the door open, one of us go out and see if it's all clear and then book it. Get everyone we can out of here."
zra was worried, and definitely didn't want to stick around in this cafeteria any longer than she had to. Story be damned; she had enough to write the article about the hospital and how they were dealing with the pandemic. And while some journalists might look at this experience as a payday, she certainly didn't. She wasn't about to risk her life for an insider's look at the riots.
"What if there are others outside waiting? I'm sure they have lookouts..."
Ezra glanced towards the door, where she could practically see the umbrella giving way, and then towards the general direction of the side exit. She listened as Isobel described their best exit option. Ezra didn't weigh their options for long. "We can't stay here and wait for them to get in just because they might have lookouts. I'd rather take those chances." Ezra responded, shaking her head. Her expression was hard and determined. She was getting the hell out. "I'll go out first and make sure it's clear. Will you come with me and watch my back? Once we're sure it's clear we'll get everyone out." Ezra glanced at the cafeteria doors one more time, her gaze locking with the thug's through the window. He smirked and licked his lips; she flipped him the bird and then took off in the direction of the side exit, not waiting for Isobel to answer her request. They were out of time - they needed to get people out of here. Ezra could feel the urge to panic rising in her throat, and she knew if she stopped then she wouldn't ever move again.
The exit was down a small hallway that branched away from the cafeteria. There were no windows. The only way they could know if it was safe was to actually open it. If they opened the door, the alarm would sound. Not that help would come fast enough if it wasn't already here. The main doors were not going to hold much longer. They didn't have another option. "I'm going to open it and check to see if it's safe to go outside, if it is I need you to run back and get everyone out of there. Those guys will be able to see where we're all heading - tell everyone to run and keep running until they can't see the hospital anymore."
Once again, Ezra didn't give the panic time to get the better of her. She stepped forward and put her weight against the door - as soon as it popped open, the fire alarms began screaming. She stepped out and looked left - she should have looked right. One moment she was feeling relief, and the next she felt someone grab her arm and jerk her off balance. Twisting to see what was happening, Ezra found herself being towered over by a man who smelled like he hadn't showered in at least a week - and he had a snake slithering up his arm and around his bicep. His clothes were clearly biker clothing, though his expression was something darker than chaotic glee. She recognized that look - the man who had tried to attack her some nights ago was the same. Wild. Predatory. She tried to kick him, but the man was larger and stronger, so he easily dragged her away from the door and then slammed her back into the wall of the hospital.
'Look what I've caught. A little birdy.' The man said, looking her up and down. Ezra brought her knee up into his groin with a vengeful anger, but the man twisted away from her so that her knee hit his hip instead. He grabbed her throat suddenly and pushed her into the wall again, this time bouncing her skull off the hard wall behind her. Her vision swam for a moment, heat flaring at the back of her head. 'Now behave, why don't you?' His grip tightened on her throat, though that didn't stop Ezra from trying to wheeze out a few choice insults and continuing to struggle against his hold.
The constant banging against the doors was a reminder of what they were up against. It kept getting louder, and it sounded like either someone stronger was trying to get in, or they had gathered an entire army to push it open. The people struggling to hold it and the umbrella, looked to be at that breaking point. She knew that even with her fear of the unknown, she feared being trapped in here once they walked out that door. She had heard gunshots; she knew that there was no way they wouldn't come in here and start shooting.
'We can't stay here and wait for them to get in just because they might have lookouts. I'd rather take those chances. I'll go out first and make sure it's clear. Will you come with me and watch my back? Once we're sure it's clear, we'll get everyone out.' The brunette swallowed, her head looking towards the only door keeping them out and then towards their possible doom. But it could also be their salvation. She nodded her head, slowly but surely. "I have your back. Just stay low...and if you see a bright light that looks like a flashlight or light reflecting towards you, duck...it could be a sniper." The words came out of her mouth sounded more sure and deadly than they had before. Her father had taught her that it was something that they had been trained to avoid. Snipers were skilled killers on the battlefield, but they had one fatal flaw, the light reflecting off their scope.
Isobel followed behind Ezra, keeping close on her heels as they drew closer and closer to the side exit. The fire alarm sign clearly labeled on it. Once they opened it, the alarm would sound, and whoever was on the other side would come running. Unless they were already here or there was no one there. But that didn't matter; they needed to get out and get everyone to safety before those brute broke the umbrella and knocked those guys out of the way. Ezra seemed to be a natural leader as she told Isobel what to go, giving her orders as if she were a soldier in the army. She wondered if this was what her brother had heard before he was ultimately killed in battle. It reminded her of medical school. She nodded her head, "Got it. Remember, look for bright light reflections and duck."
Just as the door opened, the alarm screamed to life, and lights started flashing. Isobel felt her hands slam against her ears in a way to avoid any ear damage, her eyes watching the woman as she stepped outside. In one second, the woman was glancing, and in the next, she was grabbed by someone and twisted off balance. "Shit, Ezra!" she called, and before she could exactly think, she quickly went running back into the main room. Everyone was panicking, eyes wide as they looked at her rub, her lab coat flying behind her. She looked as if there was a code blue, "Throw me the soup ladle!" she called towards the person standing closest to where she had seen in.
In seconds, she ran back for Ezra, the shit weapon of choice in hand, and she pushed through the door. In a second, the ladle came down, crashing against the male's head. "Let her go asshat!" she cried, bringing the spoon down once more. This time, it was stopped, and it was then that she realized Ezra had been let go, and the male was now facing her, the weapon she had used against him now in his grip. 'Looks like I hit the jackpot,' he said, grinning at her as he ripped the ladle from her hand.
She took a step back, then again, and with each step she took, the male followed. A predatory look in his eye, but she knew he had fucked up. Because she noticed that Ezra was picking herself back up from her fight for breath seconds ago, leaving him open for an attack from behind.
he man's grip was not loosening on her throat - instead it was slowly tightening, and she could feel the air leaving her but not coming back in. She couldn't get a breath, and the panic she'd been fighting off the entire day slammed down on her. Gasping, she clawed at the man's hands, lashing out with her feet. But he stepped in, pressing his body against her so she couldn't kick at him. He was bigger, stronger, and Ezra suddenly felt helpless. She faintly heard Isobel's voice, but the fire alarm and the lack of oxygen made it impossible to understand. Then nothing, and she was still being choked. Her vision blurred with tears - not of fear, but of frustration. She was pretty sure she was drawing blood on his hands, but he just kept tightening his grip. Her vision flickered, her head feeling like it was about to explode. She was going to pass out, and he was going to have full control of her body. That was when the terror finally settled in. That was when she heard Isobel's furious shouting.
"Let her go asshat!"
One second, Ezra was certain she was about to be assaulted - maybe murdered - and the next she was collapsing to the cement, choking on the air suddenly pouring into her lungs. Gagging, she took in large, greedy gulps of air, holding her throat. Sounds of struggle sounded behind her, then the man's slimy voice, mocking the woman who had just saved her life. The terror made her a coward for a split second - she seriously considered just taking off. But that instinct got shut down when she heard the creak of glass under pressure. Looking down, she saw her hand was resting on a shard of glass roughly the length of her forearm. She wasn't sure what it had come from, but it was like a message from God herself. Coughing, Ezra grabbed the glass in her hand, pushing herself to her feet.
Turning, she saw that the man had gotten Isobel's weapon - a ladle? - and was advancing on her. Malicious. Predatory. White hot rage built up in Ezra, scalding her from the inside out. She didn't realize that she was gripping the shard of glass so tightly that it had cut into her palm, blood dripping down the length of the improvised weapon and falling to the cement. Furious, Ezra didn't hesitate to storm up to the back of the man.
"Hey!" She shouted, her voice hoarse but strong. Angry. She would later count this as a mistake - she shouldn't have shouted. She lifted the shard of glass and swung it in from above her head. She meant to slash him, or maybe stab him in a non-vital area. But he turned, languid, in response to her shouting. The shard of glass sunk deep into the nape of his neck. That was when Ezra felt the pain lick up her hand as the shard caught on bone, slicing her hand further. Screaming partly from pain and from anger, Ezra tucked her palm into her chest, not caring about the blood surely staining her shirt now. Eyes wide, Ezra froze as the man stumbled away from her, arms pinwheeling like some sort of cartoon character.
Things seemed to slow down as the man collapsed onto his back, clutching at the shard of glass. Blood poured out from around it, but he made the mistake of ripping it out in his panic. Ezra slapped her good hand over her mouth, as if she could hold in the screams as the blood sprayed for a split moment before continuing to spill like milk from a dropped jug. Her wild, wide gaze whipped from the man to Isobel. "I didn't mean -" Ezra stammered, horrified. Her stomach chose that moment to empty itself, and she lurched away from Isobel, turning away as she vomited, her throat burning and her eyes watering. She needed to get ahold of herself. They still needed to get everyone out of the cafeteria. Ezra used her ruined shirt to wipe her mouth, closing her eyes. "You should go get everyone else." She rasped, unable to turn and see if Isobel was as horrified with her as she was with herself.
The male was telling her ever little filthy thing he was going to do to her, all the while, holding the ladle in her hand - would have been humorous if it was in a comedy horror movie. But this was real life, and each word he spoke sent shivers down her spine. He slapped the metal spoon against his palm with each advance enough to make her want to laugh though she couldn't. Fear laced through her veins, and if she were cut, she would sure screams would come from the wound: screams and blood. Eventually, the back of her leg hit the short wall that held the "garden," and she knew she was trapped. He knew so too as he licked his lips, at least, until Ezra came to her rescue - and in a flash, there was a spray of blood. From the amount of blood, Ezra had hit his jugular.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, Ezra stumbled back with her hand to her chest, the man stumbled back and fell to the ground. She watched with wide eyes as he grabbed at the glass, and she jerked forward, "Wait!" she started, but it was too late. He ripped it out of his flesh, blood spraying everywhere, he coughed up his blood for a few seconds, and then, slowly his eyes glassed over. She had seen people die in front of her before, but this? This was worse. The sound of the woman screaming brought her back to earth, her attention snapping towards the woman, and their eyes met. Isobel went to grab her, but she was already lurching away, puke spilling from her mouth and onto the ground. The moment her stomach was clean of her lunch, she told Isobel they needed to get everyone else.
She slowly nodded her head, "I'll get the first aid kit for your hand...just...stay here," she breathed out, her own stomach doing flips. She was a doctor, she saw blood and vomit all the time, but this? This was a bit much. She moved back into the building, "Come on," she said, waving her hand and watching as people started moving out of the door. She quickly grabbed the first aid kit, nodding towards the two men, still holding the door against whoever was on the other side. They slowly let go, pushing some chairs and tables against it before making their way outside. Isobel followed suit, pushing the door closed behind her.
People were milling around, running for dear life, and keeping themselves safe. She found Ezra standing, almost, where she left her. She put a hand on her shoulder, "Come on. Let's get away from here, and I'll bandage up your hand..." she breathed out, completely ignoring the body that laid behind them. She could do nothing for them now; they signed their death sentence the moment he ripped the glass from his throat.
'll get the first aid kit for your hand...just...stay here.”
Ezra gave her a hollow nod, though her mind was screaming for escape. She wasn’t going to stick around much longer. She had to get out of there. As Isobel went off to get the others and the first aid kit, Ezra tried to look at anything but the body. She felt numb, her brain a sea of nothingness. She was cold, but distantly. Shock. She was pretty sure she was going into shock.
She watched with a blank expression as people began pouring from the hospital doors, not even glancing at her now - simply running off to safety. She got it. It wasn’t like she’d single handedly gotten them out of danger. All she’d done was boss people around and then almost get murdered. They didn’t owe her anything. But the sight of them getting to safety didn’t bring her the same pleasure she’d been expecting.
Ezra flinched at the hand on her shoulder, her head snapping towards whomever was touching her. Isobel. She let the doctor lead her away from everything, barely hearing her words. ”Just wrap it up.” Ezra said, her voice monotone. The urge to glance over her shoulder was almost irresistible.
Once they’d reached a relatively safe distance, Ezra drew to a stop, turning to Isobel. She met the woman’s eyes briefly, her lips twitching but her brain blank. She owed her a thanks. Or something. ”Thank you.” It wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. She realized she probably needed to hold her hand out, stop clutching it to her chest the way she was. Ezra didn’t normally feel so small, so exposed. Forcing herself to hold her injured hand out, she couldn’t look at the blood. ”But seriously. Just wrap it. I can take care of it later.” She advised, her tone insistent and stubborn enough to show she wasn’t going to be changing her mind about stitches or even a proper cleaning.
She couldn’t stay here. Ezra just wanted to go home.
So much was happening; it was almost hard to keep up. The people running around made their way far from the hospital, barely giving a glance at Ezra or even the dead body. No one had thanked them, and while it wasn't Isobel that had led them to safety, they should have at least thanked Ezra. Without her and her orders, they might have all died. Isobel surely would have if Ezra hadn't killed the attacker that was heading right for her.
The girl flinched when she returned, touching her shoulder and snapping her head towards the brunette. She bit her bottom lip, letting her hand slip away, "Sorry," she breathed out. But at least, even after touching her, she had allowed her to led her away. If they had stayed near the hospital, she wasn't sure what the people at the door would have done when they got through.
Ezra told her to wrap it, her tone so far away that Isobel feared that she had lost her. She nodded her head, "Let's sit you down over there, and I will," she said, brushing her hand to point towards a safe distance from the hospital. When they finally made it to the destination she pointed towards, Ezra thanked her. She looked at her, shaking her head, "No. Thank you. You saved everyone...you saved me." It was then that the girl held out her hand, and Isobel took a look at it. The girl wanted her just to wrap it, and she nodded her head.
"I'm going to clean it first. But it might need stitches, which you'll...have to come back for..." She turned the hand back and forth, looking at the wound before she hovered, about to clean it, "This might sting a little," she said and then she got to work, cleaning the wound as carefully and thoroughly as she could. And then she grabbed the gauze, wrapping it around her hand before she tapped it. She forced a smile on her face as she looked at Ezra, taking in her features. "Do you need a ride home? Or even a walking partner to your car?" she questioned, her voice soft. The woman could deny her, but wouldn't have minded.
@ezra ● feel free to end it on your turn if you'd like!
