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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CODING
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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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MEDIATOR
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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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STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
I was supposed to be off 3 hours ago and I still haven't taken my lunch from my original shift. Going into my 12th hour my only gleam of hope was that the store was shutting down in less than an hour and with the quarantine and curfew in place no one was keeping me from going home and having a break.
Still this was the worst part of the day, no product left on the shelves and plenty of customers not to happy about it, hungry, irritable and most of all scared.
"Everett, we got an issue a customer is getting rowdy up front..,"
One of my co workers, friends, turned around the corner mostly out of breath. I had just taken the support manager job, it became open with all the sickness, just temporary until the old one came back. I had been offered the spot before but I always told myself I wouldn't be here forever, i had bigger plans. Well it seems this is the bigger plans with the state of the world.
"I got it Neal,"
I headed towards the front to find an elderly lady slamming her cane on the ground, i had seen her here all week. Turned her away day after day, she wanted bread, she wanted meat, beans, but she always came too late.
"Miss Anderson," I got her attention
"I'm done with you boy, you keep telling me you can't help me, I be damn some one going to help me!,"
"Just calm down..," one of my AP employees spoke and leaned towards her but she slammed her cane down in front of him keeping space between them.
"I can help you, I am the only one who can help you but i need you to come with me please..,"
Eyes everywhere, looking at me, one wrong move could be a riot. I sighed "Come on Miss Anderson trust me?,"
I only knew her name from her previous visits this week, she had been very verbal with her demands but nothing like this., She was frail, desperate, I just needed her to trust me..
It was strange coming in but she did not mind it as much as others because she only came out for the supplies that she needed. Right now that consisted of some rice and oxtails if she could find any. She had heard that meat was scarce though between her school studies she had no idea if it was true or not and cooking for one person was not that bad. That was when she noticed the rather loud mouth woman and the associate helping her. She did not recognize the woman but she felt bad for the associate.
"Maybe I can help?" she asked as she walked over and looked at the associate. The truth was that she felt bad for retail people but that was because they were some of the jobs that got bashed. It was also one of the reasons she was choosing neurobiology over the actual part of being a doctor or nurse. She respected all three jobs but she did not know if she could deal with people when their families were involved and emotions took over. "Could you use a hand or maybe she could?" she asked as she looked at the woman. "I've had a long day but I never tire of helping if it's needed." Interactions with others were always important but she would never force herself on people and polite was the best way to be or so she told herself as a reminder anyway.
I was watching closely for any sign of trouble from Miss Anderson when I was almost blind sided by a stranger from the crowd speaking up, I looked at her and smiled before returning my attention to Miss Anderson.
"See Miss Anderson we are all tired, and frustrated. Maybe we can all just take a deep breath and I think between me and this nice Samaritan here we can do something to help you. I mean its times like this that we all have to help each other, because the other option is turning on each other and that's when things start to fall apart. Lets not rip our little community apart today Miss Anderson..,"
I reach my hand out to her and took a deep breath "Give me your hand and lets walk to the back, take a seat and see what I can do ok?,"
I glanced over at the lady and smiled "you can come with us, maybe we can all just talk and help each other out,"
It was an adjustment and she had figured that a lot of people were taking out how they felt or at least how they thought that they felt on others and maybe that was why but it did not seem to bother the worker. "Sure that works for me," she said. "I"m Yara by the way." She thought about what he had said.
"Tearing the community apart would be terrible and you know Miss Anderson maybe what you need is just to get a few things out yourself. I mean being an older woman and having seen so much of the world as we all remember it just a few months ago and to deal with this has to be almost heart breaking, perhaps even one of the most heart breaking things that you have experienced." She could talk or she thought she could to calm someone down but it was hard every time. "You are doing great by the way," she said to @everett. Been at this particular job long?"
She smiled at the woman. "Don't worry your day just got a little better trust me too."
I smiled as the young lady introduced herself, she was very pleasant and rather attractive. I sighed a bit as she asked how long I had been at this job.
"Much longer than I would of ever thought..," I replied as I lead both the ladies towards the back. Neal approached me but I cut him off "Hey get the doors closed I will let her out in just a second ok.."
He nodded an turned without a word, he was a hard worker everyone left was actually. I got to the back door and paused "I got a few loafs of bread and some sandwich meat in the back, I put it to the side for myself but I can share just hang tight while i go get it ok?,"
I paused and turned towards yara "What about you, you were coming in for something? Anything I can get you, any thing we got is yours after all the help you gave with Miss Anderson,"
She watched the woman in an attempt to see if she could get a read on her but the woman seemed simply irritated or maybe she had no real idea how to handle the things that were going on. Yara looked up. "No I'm fine I just.." She trailed off for a minute because she did not want to make the woman think that she was talking about her. "Well it just looked like you had been here a while and needed some help more than anything else."
She could not imagine working in a time like this and on top of her school. She had done enough. "How about the both of us walk this woman out to her car or better yet I will and you can get a break?", she said as she motioned around. "Things seem to be slowing down to say the least and any break helps right?"
I looked back and fourth, the crew was shutting down and their was another support manager who typically did most of the locking up. She was right I deserved at least a few minutes and some fresh air.
"Actually getting out and getting some air might be the best break I could get," I replied "Yara you don't mind I think we can all walk out together,"
"God lord I'm not an infant i can walk myself out..," The old lady snapped and started towards the door, as she took a few steps she paused and looked to be in pain \.
"Maybe just a shoulder to lean on..," She spoke as she coughed a few more times, her body trembling just a bit. She looked sick, but over half of the customers looked sick, hell I wasn't sure I wasn't sick I hadn't exactly been tested and god knows it would be a miracle for me not to have been exposed at this point.
"Of Course," I walked over and took her arm and walked with her outside the door, as we got into the fresh air I heard Neal call my name. There never seemed to be a break.
"Yara if you don't mind taking over I am going to have to check on this..,"
I turned to go in leaving Miss Anderson With Yara, but before I could get back through the door a shadowy figure ran towards the two ladies, I heard Miss Anderson Scream and her body thrust into the air as blood splattered everywhere. My eyes grew wide and mouth dropped,
"Some one Call the Police!..," I shouted into the store and ran towards the commotion...
Everything was a blur. As much as she hated to admit it watching Anderson go down was a crime and even though she wanted to scream the fact was that her vocal chords were failing her at the moment. Though she had heard of the things that could happen during a time like this she had never actually seen someone get hurt and now, well now she had. The blood even landed up on her face and she still did not scream.
"She's dead?" she said and even though it came out more like a question she knew the answer but her brain was falling far behind. "I'm coming with you!" I screamed as I ran in the same direction and yelled after him. "You need to slow down, we need a plan."
I ran towards the shadowy figure, the assailant left a trail of blood splatter as they ran. The kill made no sense, out of no where the old lady seemed to be targeted...
I wasn't a doctor, I couldn't help Miss Anderson and that was if she wasn't already dead. But I would be damned if I would sit back and do nothing, I heard rounded a corner and lost track of the figure, about that time I heard the voice, was it Yara?!
I glanced back and seen her following in toe. Why on earth?!
"I lost him!, God damn it I lost him..,"
There were three alley ways that it may of been down. I growled as I slammed my fist against wall. "you should go back, its not safe..,"
"I don't think it would be safe going back. My parents always tell me that safety is in numbers and two is greater than one so let's see what we can do." She had never done anything like this and though she was scared she wanted to understand more about the virus but not catch it but education was important to solving this.
"I'm a little queasy from seeing the blood but I think i will survive and be okay, where do you think that we should head next?" She needed to get better with knowing directions on her feet but other than that she was alright she figured. "Anything you think we can go back in and get to help or should we just continue to try and find him on foot?"
It did not matter to her either way but anyone with one glance to Everett's actions could tell that he was more than frustrated.
"Fine...," I gritted my teeth, she was right it may not be safe sending her back by herself and as much as I hated to admit it I had lost the fiend who attacked miss anderson. I had to think clearer, I had to make sure harm didn't happen to Yara I could never live with myself if another person got hurt tonight.
"Let's head back, we lost him. The cops should be here soon I am sure they will be able to handle it...,"
I turned and looked at Yara trying to force some sort of smile, as I extended my hand to her as kind of a show of support her body jerked away from me and into the hands of a hooded figure, a knife pressed against her neck.
"You shouldn't of followed me, you kids dont understand..,"
"I understand you murdered an Old lady!," I almost shouted "now let her go..,"
"No, the Old lady was dead it was apparent she had the infection, all I am doing is trying to help. The only way to save us all is by culling this sick world, its like when you take an arm to keep an infection from spreading. We must kill them, I am only helping..,"
"Your crazy, but shes not infected so let her go..,"
"Maybe not, but she was right beside the old hag as she coughed her germs so more than likely shes is, and plus I can't be caught...,"
"Look just put the knife down..," I tried to plead "We haven't seen anything you still got time to get gone..,"
She listened to the exchange and she nodded. "You did commit murder and you should pay the price. Infected or not you are not the hand of the law and yet thought that you could decide who lived and died." She knew that she was too passionate at the moment to be speaking so for now she remained silent considering that the man had her against him and with a knife to her neck. "She did cough on me," she said as she reached back and tried to go for a kick against the man's genitals but thought that might be a stupid move.
"At the very least if you do not want to let me go let him go. The man works in retail and probably hates it so he would want you to take his life. It would be almost too kind for you to kill him." She finally decided to give it a chance and lifted her foot up quickly catching the man in the genitals. "Crap!", she shouted as she got away and behind Everett and looked around. "Let's get out of here before the police get here."
Run?! Maybe that would be smart, maybe the cops could clean up but maybe he would get away, I grabbed her by the arm pulling her behind me where she would be safe. The sirens echoing against the tall buildings the man scrambling to his feet as he runs down the alley in the opposite direction.
"DAMN you..,"
I shouted at him as he pulled a firearm from his trench coat and took a crazy hip shot, it landed me in gut. Blood gushed out and i went black, the next time i remembered anything cops and ER medics were all around me.
"Did we get him..,"
I muttered at anyone who was listening.
"Sir calm down, you got shot you need to conserve energy,"
"yara, is yara safe, will some one answer my damn questions..,"
"Sir, we can answer your questions soon but right now you need to sleep..,"
With that a feeling came over me as they injected me with a serum to help me sleep and I went black....
The whole situation was a lot more blood than she had ever seen in her life and ever planned on seeing and yet this was life now. Sirens were sadly apart of every day life and even now hearing them blast was something that she knew that she would never be able to get used to. It was the new normal but it was not a normal that she wanted to get used to. She tried to say something, anything really but the words escaped her as she felt herself getting drowsy.
Everything in her hurt but her eyes remained closed.When she finally did awaken everything was dark. The last thing that she remembered were the cops trying to calm Everett down and him wondering if they had caught the guy. As she sat outside being questioned by the police officer she could see others that they had injected to keep them calm. "How long are people usually out with that stuff?" she asked him and he answered. "Not long. That young man that was out should be coming to here in a few seconds."
She nodded and though she did not agree she guess that she understood. "Well can I talk to him then? I did not get a good look at the guy but that woman did not deserve that and that man was just working trying to get her, the things that she needed for her shift." He nodded like he understood and she thought that she heard Everett start to stir.
My head was throbbing and body ached all over, I had no idea how long I had been out. Still I had that feeling of when you go to sleep in the middle of the day and wake up not knowing what day it is, or what is going on, confused and hurting I pulled up.
"hello..," I muttered a bit then an unknown voice spoke back
"Hello Mister Grey, I'm Detective Mendoza. I'm happy to see you awake, the doctors assure us you will be fine. Once you get your wits about you we will need an official statement,"
"Did you get him? The man who stabbed miss anderson..,"
"No," He replied bluntly "Don't worry too much now though, one of my men will be in within the hour to get your statement. We like to do it when its as fresh on your mind as possible but the doctor has asked you not to stress you yet so we will give you a little time. You have a visitor by the way, I will leave and let you two talk,
he turns as the door opens and Yara is let in, he smiles at her "Don't leave before you talk to one of us Madam, we need your statement as well..,"
With that he pushes by her and leaves me alone with Yara.
"Hey, didn't expect you to be the first person I saw when I woke up..,"
