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.
TIME: Night; 20 minutes before curfew WEATHER: Stormy, lightening & harsh rain BOARD: Zone: Zero LOCATION: Lethford Metro SURROUNDINGS: No others are on the train. Its the last one to run for the day before the power outage is in effect.
YOUR PROMPT: Both characters are catching the last train of the night. It’s storming badly. Only them on the actual train. When suddenly, the power goes out because of the storm. They are stuck inside and are forced to stay there until help can get to them. Which the emergency services told them it could be up to 4 hours or so. Character A decides to try and make a connection with Character B by either having a conversation or share a head phone so they could listen to music together.
nevermore
Work had run late, as it usually did most nights. Callie had left the building only to find that the skies had opened up and began to pour it's rage down on the world below. She, of course, didn't have an umbrella. As she looked up at the sky from the safety of the awning over the entrance to Prism, the sky broke out with a loud flash of lightning, thunder rumbling so deep it felt like it was in her chest.
The only protection she had was a thin rain slicker that she'd brought with her - having had no time this morning to stop off and buy an umbrella. Pulling the thin jacket on over her simple white t-shirt - an unfortunate mistake - Callie just knew she was still going to get soaked. She was wearing terrible shoes - regular tennis shoes - and had nothing to keep the rain from her jeans. Still, it would be better than nothing. Heading out into the storm, Callie made her way to the metro station, hurriedly ducking into the subway station entrance, pushing the hood off her head and taking a moment to frown down at her damp jeans and feet. "Great." She sighed, pulling the jacket off and shaking it out into the rain to try and get most of the moisture off of it. Balling it up, she held it in her hand as she made her way into the station's depths.
Callie had worked so late that she was having to catch the very last train, and she didn't see anyone else waiting on the platform. The eerie tension in the air was quickly replaced with the arriving train, and Callie hopped on quickly. There was only one person in the car, a man, and Callie took a seat a few feet away from him, on the opposite side of the space they shared. Setting her soaked jacket on the seat next to her, Callie checked her work bag - simple leather in a messenger bag style. Making sure nothing of importance had gotten wet, Callie tried to busy herself, thinking about everything she wanted to do after work.
It only felt like moments when the train was suddenly plunged into darkness, coming to a stop on the tracks. For a few moments, silence - and then the emergency strip lights in the car flickered to life, giving the inside of the car some dim lighting, meanwhile the rest of the tunnel surrounding them remained pitch black. 'Oh, hell no.' Callie thought, staring through the glass across from her with a blank expression, waiting for some demon to jump up against the glass. Glancing at the man from earlier, Callie raised her brows questioningly. "That's usually not good, huh?" It was her way of trying to keep the peace, though she did turn her gaze to look down the length of the train, wondering if there was anyone else on it.
491 words - Pierce Ryker - i tried to keep it short Dx
Why was Pierce on the metro... that was a question he had asked himself as he had settled into the seat for the ride. His Jeep decided to play a fun game that morning with him, and he didn’t have the time to sit around and figure out what was wrong. Thankfully one of his tech’s didn’t live very far from him so he grabbed a ride to work with her. And as always, he was the last to leave. Meaning his ride was gone for the evening and he had to take the metro to the closest stop to his home.
One that was just on the outskirts of the city. Which meant he was riding to the last stop. When he settled into his seat, only a few others were scattered around. All buried into their phones, a book, or with head phones in and nodding along to whatever music they had playing. Pierce himself had pulled out a book from his leather messenger. His dark jeans were dry from the light rain he caught. Though from what he had seen of others walking in, it had picked up quite a lot. Which would prove to be an inconvenience for him later. His button down was navy and the first two buttons were opened. A tie was stuffed into his bag.
The vet kept his white coat at the office and didn’t bother with it even on most days around his office. At one stop, it seemed all of the other passengers had exited. He let out a sigh before he noticed a woman enter. He briefly looked at her, noting that the weather seemed to have continue its pace by her wet clothes. She sat and his attention went back to his book before they started moving. It didn’t seem like long before the whole train shuttered and stopped. He looked up from his book and glanced around. Emergency lights coming on, but it wasn’t bright at all.
“That’s usually not good, huh?”
Blue eyes looked over to the other blonde and he shrugged. “I can only judge by horror movies. Or superhero ones. And I can tell you being trapped on a train never seems to work out well in either one.” Well, wasn’t he just a ray of sunshine. He grimaced for a second before he heard a voice come on overhead. “Attention Lethford Metro users, we are experiencing a power outage. Please remain in your seats. We have notified emergency services and are working on a solution. Thank you.” Then the message went on to repeat in two more languages. Pierce lifted a brow as he looked back at the woman. “See?”
“I can only judge by horror movies. Or superhero ones. And I can tell you being trapped on a train never seems to work out well in either one.”
Oh, good. Callie was sincerely hoping that if that were the case, that it was at least a superhero one - because sometimes the passengers didn’t die horrible deaths. The response, despite it’s darker theme, still pulled an amused curve of her lips. ”This time of night? And with how deserted this car is? My luck, it’s a horror movie.” She told him, glancing once more down the length of the train. Were they the only two left on the train? Glancing down at her watch, she frowned slightly. Almost curfew. What would happen if they were stuck here after the power went out? For a moment she pictured them having to walk through the tunnels, and that image didn't do her any good as far as peace of mind. Surely they'd get the train up and running again in moments, and they'd be on their way.
Unless, of course, the storm had done severe damage to something vital to the subway's power. If that were the case, the likely option would be to have all passengers walk to the next stop and exit the station. Which would put Callie multiple blocks away from home, in the middle of a torrential downpour. Oh, she really really hoped it wasn't anything too disastrous.
She looked upwards as the announcement came over the PA system. At the man’s comment, Callie sighed softly, and then chuckled to herself. ”My guess is the next scene is the emergency lights flickering ominously.” She joked, focusing her attention back on the man. Callie wasn’t all that surprised - today had been dragging on, and apparently it wasn’t quite done with her yet.
Still, at least she wasn’t completely alone. That wouldn’t have done her mental state any good. ”I’m Callie, by the way.” She introduced herself. Normally this would have been accompanied by some sort of gesture - but with the pandemic, she simply gave a tiny half-wave with her fingers. ”What are you reading?” Callie asked, nodding slightly towards the book in his hands. If they were going to be stuck here, why not make time go by faster? Callie couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat down and enjoyed a book, but she felt a little guilty considering she could have been doing that on all of her rides to and from work, much like he was.
“This time of night? And with how deserted this car is? My luck, it’s a horror movie.”
He found himself huff a chuckle, placing the book down in his lap as he proceeded to look over at her. “Well, keep that luck over there. I’ve had my own string of bad luck over the past several years and I’d like to not add to that.” He found himself joking lightly. Between being left at the alter, finding himself in a fight because a woman wouldn’t listen to him and just stay in the damn car. And now, power outage on a train, possibly stranded for god knows how long.
He wondered briefly if him and this woman was going to have to wonder the tunnels. Surely they’d have some kind of walk way for emergencies in case things turned on if they did leave, right? Though as the PA message went through and there was no mention for them to evacuate, he doubted it. A small burst of air left his nose at her guess. “If they do, I am throwing you to whatever conjures up. You are putting it out there.” He said with a small, deep chuckle.
He nodded when she said her name, though he had a feeling that perhaps in the dim lighting she might not have seen it. “Pierce,” He offered back. “Callie a nick name?” He asked back, assuming something like that was a shortened version of her real name. He glanced down at the book in his hands and stuffed it back into his bag. The emergency lights wouldn’t allow for him to read any further even if he wanted to. “Stephen King novel. The Outsider.” He offered back. “It’s not for the weak stomached.” He said with a small shrug.
“Well, keep that luck over there. I’ve had my own string of bad luck over the past several years and I’d like to not add to that.”
Callie couldn’t help but laugh in response to his statement, sympathizing with him. Her only good luck was that she’d found a family to love her - everything else always seemed to be a challenge for her. She didn’t mind as much these days, but it used to tear her up when she was younger. ”Mine seems to just be getting started.” She sighed, as if this fact weighed heavily on her, rolling her eyes as her lips pulled into another rueful smile. Callie had learned long ago to laugh at the obstacles, or else she’d end up crying a whole lot more often.
At least now, even though work was stressful, she felt like she was doing something worthwhile. She honestly believed that Prism Biotech was going to cure this thing, turn things around. She was hopeful every day that there’d be a breakthrough. A glimmer of hope. She’d yet to give up, despite the continuously rising infection rates. She had to believe in something.
At his declaration of throwing her to the wolves, Callie quirked a brow and scoffed. ”How honorable.” She commented lightly, pretending to be offended for all of a few seconds before she shrugged a shoulder. ”Though completely fair.” She gave a nod of approval, as if accepting her fate.
“Callie a nick name?”
She nodded her head in response, ”Callista, but nobody wants to say that.” She said with another half-shrug. Callie made an approving sound in her throat as he told her the title of the book he’d put up, ”I don’t get a lot of spare time to read these days, but I have read a few of his books. Not that one, I don’t think.” She said, a thoughtful expression flashing across her face as she tried to recall. Though, his warning only made her want to go find it and read it.
YOUR PROMPT: The train starts moving again, the lights are still off, and it starts to pick up speed. Smoke starts filling the subway car next to them, making it hard to see. It slowly seeps into theirs. A man suddenly appears, the train conductor, running frantically into their direction. Unfortunately, he runs straight into a door and knocks himself unconscious.
Pierce found himself chuckling as she admitted hers was just getting started. Such a shame. He really hoped that it wasn't true and her luck would turn around for her. Hell, he wanted his luck to turn around for him. There was enough craziness going on now a days that you didn't need to add bad stuff to it either. Stuff that you had no control over. By the time she told him about how honorable he was, he offered a half shrug. As if he didn't feel like putting effort into a full one.
"Never claimed to be a good gentleman." He tossed back. He peered over at her for a moment before he tried out her name. "Callista. It's not that hard. Why would people not want to call you that?" He asked, brows furrowed together. Or maybe she preferred to be called Callie. Either way, he didn't care much on that. She just needed to say so and he'd go with it. He was always about getting someones name right the first time. And if they chose to not correct him? That was their fault
He went to go on about the book, and how it was the second go abouts for him on it. Except, the train shuddered and started moving. He lurched slightly in his seat from the motion and looked up at the ceiling. Preparing to be blinded by the lights, but when none turned on he couldn't help but mutter, "That can't be good." But what caught his attention was the car next to them. Smoke. And it was filling up fast. He stood up, forgetting about his bag that was next to him as he watched the way it grew thicker and thicker by the second. And then a man appeared, running.
He was dressed like the one who should be driving the train. "Oh for heaven's sake," He exclaimed as the man smashed into the door and passed out. Pierce looked over to the other woman and his mind was just running through what to do. Check on the train conductor? Though he was noticing that the train was picking up speed and not slowing down or maintaining itself... which meant they should jump. Get off of this thing as soon as possible. He almost growled in frustration. Why was he always getting stuck with these crappy situations?!
"Help me get him!" He called over to Callie, hoping she'd spring into action and help him. Because dear god, they were going to have to either run through the smoke to try and find the controls of the train... or they were jumping off the back of the train...
Callie thought there were probably worse people she could be stuck on a train with. As it stood, she was pleasantly surprised to find someone so easy to communicate with. At least this was entertaining, which was a nice distraction from the fear in the pit of her stomach. He asked her why someone wouldn’t want to say her name, and her expression turned thoughtful. ”Everyone always seems to shorten it. So Callie it is.” She shrugged as she said this, her expression easy. ”It doesn’t bother me. Callista is a little different.”
She might have even been able to forget about their situation if she’d been able to continue focusing on the conversation at hand. Alas, it didn’t seem that was going to be an option. The train began to move, making Callie reach out to steady herself, but the lights did not turn on like they should have.
"That can't be good."
A sour curl came to her lips. She couldn’t agree more with that sentiment. Movement had her gaze flicking over to the car next to them, watching as smoke billowed up inside of it. She shot to her feet once she spotted the man running through the smoke in their direction, heart heartbeat kicking up in her throat. Her lips parted in surprise as he ran straight into the door, seeming to knock himself out. Callie’s gaze flicked over to Pierce, meeting his as he looked back at her. Confusion tightened her mouth, but as he called out for her help to get the poor man, Callie quickly started moving towards the doors.
”What’s smoking?” Callie asked, reaching out to open the door before them. Instead of being open to the tunnel, the space in between cars was where one could find bathrooms. It was enclosed, but still a separate space. Standing in the limbo area of the train, Callie could see the man on the ground through the glass. And the smoke getting thicker by the minute. If they left him in there, he’d suffocate. But Callie was concerned about what was causing the smoke.
The other problem was that when they opened the door, the smoke was definitely going to flood the rest of the space. They’d have to keep moving. She hadn’t thought to grab her bag, and going back for it now was silly. Their lives were at risk here. Reaching up, she tugged the collar of her shirt up over her mouth and nose, reaching out with her free hand to open the interior door to the next car. Immediately, smoke poured from the opening and into the small room they stood in. It was acrid. Dark. Did that mean something was on fire?
Stepping into the car, Callie stooped down by the man’s head and checked for a pulse. It was there, strong, and still beating erratically. He’d been scared. ”Can you carry him?” Callie asked, gaze moving from the unconscious man’s face up to Pierce’s, the smoke stinging her eyes and her shirt muffling her speech slightly.
Pierce glanced over at Callie as she tugged her shirt over her mouth and he followed her actions. Knowing that probably would be better than just immediately going in with nothing to try and attempt to block the ash and soot in the air. Though a shirt definitely wasn’t as good as an actual firefighters mask. He took a deep breath before she opened the door. His eyes instantly burned but he blinked a few times and pushed inside the car. As she asked if he could carry him, Pierce was already scooping the man into his arms and tossing him over his shoulder like a fire fighter would.
“I’d hate to say it, but I think our only choices are try to go put out whatever fire is ahead. Or jump off the back.” His voice was raised so she could hear him over the alarms that were now going off and the increasing speed on the train. “And we need to make a choice now.” He said. He was ready for either, but truly needed her to help make that final decision on what he should do. He just prayed that they’d live to see the above ground world again.
“I’d hate to say it, but I think our only choices are try to go put out whatever fire is ahead. Or jump off the back.”
Callie was glad that she had someone with her who was good at acting quickly, because if she had to take charge right now things would have definitely already gone wrong. Watching as Pierce held the guy, Callie was also relieved he was a strong man. Because if it had been her and another weak person, the poor conductor might have been very sore when he woke up.
As Pierce tacked on the urgency of their decision, Callie felt her stomach twist with fear. Even if they could put out the fire - or whatever was causing all this smoke - she didn’t know how to drive a train. She was pretty sure Pierce didn’t either. And the conductor was out cold, and would likely wake confused. So not useful. The speed and the fact that eventually something was going to stop the train made up her mind for her. The only smart decision was to jump. But she’d also never done anything quite like that.
Still, she put on a brave face, nodding her head at him. ”We should get off the train. I don’t think we have enough time to fix this.” She told him, feeling her chest tighten with anxiety. She really hoped it was the right decision. Without giving herself time to second guess everything, she turned and headed for the back of the train. At least they’d be travelling away from whatever was on fire.
For once, a woman actually listened to him and what he had to say. Had he had a moment to spare, he would be doing a little prayer to the heavens thanking them for not giving him a woman who would want to lecture him or yell about this instead of jumping into action. Instead she seemed to understand the rush in his voice and the urgency of the situation at hand. So as he moved with her to the back of the train, he opened the door for them and winced lightly at the idea of jumping. The tracks seemed to be moving faster than they probably were as the car was moving.
His blue gaze moved over to her, his shoulder starting to hurt from the weight of the other man that was thrown over it. He took a deep breath and reached out to grab Callie, hoping to tuck her into him figuring if they went out together, they could potentially land between the metal tracks. And maybe he could lessen the fall for her. “Count down, we jump on three, okay Callie?” He said, looking down to her.
Callie didn't fight him as he reached out for her, tucking herself in close and clinging to him, maybe a little tighter than necessary. Her heart was pounding in her ribs as she stared out at the tracks, whipping by in a blur. If they landed wrong, they could still all be injured terribly. Callie was no doctor. Her gaze flicked from the tracks to over her shoulder, back down the train. For a moment, a cowardly voice urged her to just huddle in the corner and wait for fate to take it's course. She'd always had an issue with freezing when it came to fear.
“Count down, we jump on three, okay Callie?”
His voice brought her gaze back to him, having to look up to meet his eyes. She nodded, her lips pressed tightly together. If she stayed on the train, she had a feeling any injury she got would be much more worse - and much more permanent. She'd rather suffer cuts and scrapes than whatever was going to befall the poor train. "Okay." Swallowing, she let her gaze fall back to the tracks. "Three. Two. One."
To her credit, she didn't scream, but the actual falling of the jump was only a split second. Her arm was up, protecting her head, when she landed on the ground. As if she were a bouncy ball, she felt herself leave the ground for a second time before skidding to a stop, groaning. The sound of the speeding train faded quickly, plunging them into pure darkness. "I miss the train already." She wheezed, staring up but unable to see anything.
He could tell she was scared. Hell, he was scared. There was no hiding that. He didn’t want to jump from a train. It was one of the last things he actually wanted to do and it definitely was not on his bucket list of things to attempt. No, his actual bucket list had more things like ‘travel to Greece’ or ‘cage dive with sharks’. You know, the basic things. Not jump off a run away train that was on fire somewhere with a passed out man thrown over his shoulder and a little blonde tucked up against his side.
He didn’t actually hear her count down. He just counted the times he heard her voice and held her close as they jumped. All three of them bounced. The man he had hold of would have some wicked bruises on his legs and rear, but his head was cushioned by Pierce’s back as they fell. He looked up, coughing lightly as he tried to catch his breath. The train was pulling away and leaving them to darkness. “I rather take my chances with this tunnel,” He said to her, releasing her so she could get up.
He grunted as he shifted the man in his arms and stood. He was definitely going to have to take a few days off after this. He was going to be a wreck. Pierce’s eyes adjusted and he made out a walk way on the side, probably for emergency situations like the one they were in. He pointed with his free hand. “I’m sure if we follow that walk way, eventually we will find an out.” He told her, leading the way.
Hearing Pierce's voice made Callie feel a sense of relief. At least it meant he wasn't seriously injured from the jump. All she could do for the conductor was hope he had faired well too. "I guess darkness is better than a runaway train that's on fire." Callie's voice became strained as she pushed herself to her feet, but once she was up she was alright. She'd be sore tomorrow, that was certain.
The darkness around them wasn't absolute. She could make out vague shapes and shadows, and the more her eyes adjusted the more she could recognize. She definitely still strained her eyes in order to make out Pierce in the darkness, but at least she wasn't blind. Her head bobbed up and down as he pointed towards a walkway to the side of the tracks. Probably used by the staff whenever they needed to check the tracks, or a stopped train. "Lead the way." She told him, following after him as he started moving.
Callie was already wondering how she was going to tell this story to her family. 'Hey, mom, I jumped off a moving train last night with a stranger.' Shaking her head at the though, Callie brushed it aside so she could focus on the ground. "What do you think happened? To cause the fire?" Callie asked, her voice echoing slightly down the silent tunnel. The train was long gone.
She didn't have to tell him twice, he was moving towards the platform the moment she told him to lead the way. The last thing he wanted to do was stand on the rails and risk having another train come and hit them while they just escaped another death trap. No thank you. He had seen enough thriller movies to know how bad things could get and how quickly they could as well. Do not sign him up for that. He sighed, listening to the thunder rumble overhead. This was just great.
Thirty four years old and he still seemed plagued with bad luck. It was dark, and Pierce realized that his long gate was easily letting him out walk Callie. And he knew that the right thing to do was to not leave her behind. As he hoisted the man over his shoulder up a little, he reached back and sought to take her hand. Not in a romantic way, but in a 'follow me' kind of way.
"Bad control panel, guy fell asleep smoking and lit something on fire. Lightbulb exploded. Way too many possibilities really." He grumbled as he squinted to try and see any signs on the wall. But so far nothing. At least they were no longer on the tracks. "Do you see any signs? A phone? Doors?" He asked her, slowing his pace to really try and look around them.
