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.
Ryder had gotten orders barely 48 hours ago to ship out from Washington, DC. It took him 7 hours to close all of his accounts, lock up what few possessions he had and another 6 spent being debriefed about the situation and his position. Then he was on a plane, ready to start his new job. Ryder liked being in a new town. Some of the guys he had served with grew tired of constantly being in a state of moving, but not him. He enjoyed the challenge of a new area. He liked the idea that he wasn't tied to one place, tied to one job.
When the plane touched down, he and a handful of other SF guys began settling into their new quarters. He had figured out which bunk was his, loaded a few weapons on his person, hidden in his civilian clothes of course, and headed out. The first place he wanted to check out was the quarantined zone. He heard the military had just began putting troops in place, so he was curious to see how well the local force was running things. A strong local force was a good sign, any weakness was a good indicator that things could get messy. If the local force wasn't disciplined, if they showed even a fraction of leniency or hesitation it meant that was what the town was used to. They were used to running things, and if Ryder and his company came in tightening that boundary, putting up those hard restrictions they were likely to get met with resistance. Which wasn't a problem of course, just a slight annoyance.
He checked out the map they gave him in his bunker, noting he was more than a few clicks from the quarantine zone. His eyes scanned the map, memorizing as much detail as he could before putting it in his ruck sack. Ryder walked out of the base and hailed a cab, his stomach grumbling. Instead of going to the East district he asked to go downtown, his stomach demanding food before business. His eyes scanned everything they passed. The civilians were moving around a lot more than he would have thought. When the cab stopped outside of the courthouse, he payed the guy and began walking deeper into the city.
The closer towards the city the more crowded it got, though people did seem to be keeping a relative amount of space between each other. That was a good sign. He walked along, passing an Italian place, then an Asian place. The lines were too long for him, plus he was craving a cheeseburger. Ryder walked another block down until he saw two places that looked promising. The crows were long though and he didn't want to waste anymore time. He looked over at a girl standing near, "Hey...do you know where I could get a good burger around here?" he asked with an easy smile.
Brianna was sure she looked as horrible as she felt. She was grubby, she had dirt streaks on her face and her clothes needed a wash. Her hair needed a wash. Hell, everything needed a wash, but it wasn't exactly particularly high on her list of priorities. There weren't any priorities for Brianna, not any more. Surviving barely ranked in her mind, what to speak of anything else. She just... existed, floating like forgotten trash. In a world that was ending, nobody turned to look twice at her, all far too preoccupied with their own survival, their own family, their own needs and supplies.
It suited Brianna just fine now, though. She didn't have to pretend to be fine that her whole family was gone just like that. The virus had taken her parents in about a week, their existing health condition causing their response to the bacterial infection to be particularly severe. Her brother was missing, but if he had been infected like her parents - which would be highly likely - then he wouldn't survive long, and was probably dead. She should go look for him, but this wasn't her home city: she wouldn't even know where to look. And Brianna had to keep a low profile as possible. She was Australian, and was considered a 'foreign alien' in the country. She didn't know what would happen to her if she was caught, especially considering she couldn't be deported.
So she stood in the city centre, watching the mass of its citizens as they weaved their way around her. Wisps of her dirty blonde hair escaped the confines of the grey hood she kept over her head to try to keep a low profile. Her tired eyes scanned the restaurants, wondering if there would be any leftover at the end of their business day so she could scrounge in their bins. She didn't have any money, and she didn't have anything valuable enough to pawn. Brianna had hit a bottom beyond rock bottom.
Oh how the might had fallen, she thought to herself bitterly. In Australia, her family had been middle-class; she had gone to a private school and had been popular in her class, and she had seen how some of her friends had been jealous of her. She had everything she had ever needed, had never wanted for anything, and here she was now, wondering if she was going to eat that night.
Her self-loathing was interrupted by a voice, and Brianna startled. She was used to not being noticed, and the fact that someone had was a bit frightening. Her wary eyes studied the stranger. In a previous life, she would have found him attractive, would have flirted with him, would have enjoyed partying with him. Now, though, she just wanted to become invisible.
"Sorry," she replied, her voice a bit hoarse from all the crying that had wiped her out a couple of days ago, and the lack of speaking since. A feeble smile crept on her face as Brianna tried to seem normal, like she belonged in the city like the rest of its citizens. At least she knew the answer to his question; she and her family had explored this area to look for food themselves. "The burger place is a couple more blocks down. Not sure if they're still open though."
The blonde had turned to him and he glanced her once over quickly. She wasn't military. She didn't look pulled together. Her clothes looked slept in, her hair looked like she hadn't washed it in a few days, the tangles a clear indicator that this girl wasn't used to looking like the way she currently was. Ryder had served with men and women of all personalities and sometimes in close quarters for a very long time. The women who knew an operation might take a few days without amenities typically prepared for it, wearing buns or braids. This girl's hair looked like a barbie that had gotten left outside for too long.
She apologized to him, which made his face crinkle in slight annoyance. She clearly had no reason to apologize. He hated it when people did that, it minimized the act of actually being sorry. When she told him the burger place was a few blocks down he swore, "Well damn, I already passed through there." He hadn't seen anything that looked like a restaurant that served burgers, but that didn't necessarily mean it was closed of course. Some businesses and restaurants were practically invisible if you didn't know where to look and knew what you were looking for. There were lots of boards on windows, signs posted in shop doors, things that made it look like the area was a lot less inhabitable than it actually was. "Hmm." He glanced up the street again, debating on if he should try finding it himself before hunger got the best of him.
"Tell you what," he began while turning his attention back to her. "If you show me where I can get a burger, I'll buy you lunch." He hoped she'd take him up on the offer. He didn't feel like wandering around the city for who knows how long until he came to one. Sure he had the time, but he didn't have the patience. He glanced back to where she had been hanging around. There wasn't anyone there anymore which indicated she probably wasn't with friends or family right now. A good sign for his burger craving belly. He focused back on her, a smile coming to his lips, "You won't even have to eat with me if you don't want to, promise. No weird shit." He held his hands up in mock surrender.
The blonde was slightly slack-jawed that someone had offered to buy her food. It wasn't really shocking, she supposed. She'd always only been met by hospitable people both in Australia and in her travels. She'd had offers of drinks and food and movies and more, and she's always gone ahead and taken their offers with a brilliant smile. She had always been popular and well-liked, and she was used to people looking at her - it was something that had always made her feel alive. She had never questioned anyone's motives before - even if the young men that peppered her life had ulterior motives of their own, she would have gone along with them anyway. She had always been carefree about what she did and who she joined and where she went.
Now, though, now this felt different. All of a sudden Brianna found herself suspicious, a trait that normally wasn't in her vocabulary. He was pretty, definitely, but why would he ask her to food? She didn't look particularly clean, she knew. If the smudges on her clothes didn't scream 'unkempt', surely her hair and her face did? Even when he promised no funny business, Brianna found herself thinking more about the invitation than she usually thought about other similar offers from her previous life.
More than that, nobody in this city had done what this guy just did. The chaos and fear, palpable in the very air and as contagious as the virus itself, had caused everyone to look out for themselves only. The idea that there was a person who had actually stopped and noticed her felt strange. It was relief and terror: relief that she wasn't invisible, that she was still human, that maybe there was a way out of this hellhole; and terror because what was she going to say if he started asking questions? Her life may be difficult now, hiding out where she was and scrounging for food, but at least she wasn't on the run, she didn't have to worry about where she would sleep or who she would meet.
But damn, it was food. Sure, maybe this guy was a bit dodgy, but what was the most he could do to her? Brianna'd never had to physically fight her way out of anything, but she had been fairly decent at school in Phys Ed. She could run if she needed to, place a mean kick if she wanted to. This guy was offering her dinner, and if that didn't sound so good to Brianna... She bit her lip as she thought over his offer.
With an almost inaudible sigh, Brianna gave up. As soon as free food came into question, it was always going to be that option. She'd not yet needed to choose differently, and she didn't want to find out what kind of life she would have that needed her to choose her life over food. "That would actually be great," she answered, a shy smile on her lips. It was automatic, something she didn't even have to put effort in. It may have been the first time she'd smiled in days. The smile was a shadow of its former brilliance, but it was there, at least. Slowly, Brianna began to walk towards where she'd seen the restaurant with the good burgers. "It's this way."
Ryder watched the internal debate she seemed to be having with herself over helping him. He didn't blame her of course. He was a strange guy and she was a pretty girl. There were a few million awful ways this could play out for her. So he waited patiently, not showing the slightest bit of annoyance while she not so subtly made her mind up. The tiniest of sighs escaped her lips, letting him know he had won. He smiled as she had given him a small smile of her own. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
He began to follow her, his eyes glancing over the people they passed, his voice carrying over as they began to walk, "Normally I'm not very picky about food, but I've got the weirdest craving for a burger right now. What about you?" He glanced over at the girl, his face scrunching a bit with concern, "You're not a vegan or anything like that are you?" The sudden idea popping into his head. He didn't care in the scope of people eating what they wanted, he simply didn't want to offend her. He'd consider himself an ass if he asked a vegetarian to show him where he could get a good burger. Unfortunately, hindsight being what it was, it was a little too late to not come off as an ass if she was one. C'est la vie. It wouldn't be the first time he had made someone irritated.
He wasn't the best at sparing feelings. Thankfully the bulk of his job meant that he didn't have to deal with too many people. If he was really good at his job he didn't have to deal with any at all. That wasn't always a guarantee though, and the more involved a job was the least likely the chances were that he wouldn't have to deal with people. They were always frustrating to him. He couldn't see how they didn't understand that what he was doing was either for their own damn protection or for the protection of others. They continued walking along and he followed her. It was a refreshing change of pace to follow someone and not have to worry about where he was going and where he needed to be. With her leading he could look around more, count their steps, spot the local military, and other fun things that his mind tended to do when on autopilot. He looked over at her again. "I'm Ryder by the way."
Look, Brianna wasn't completely blind to how handsome the stranger was. It was just like seeing the sunlight from under the water of a river - it was filtered by dirt and silt, the debris of her life. Her situation felt heavy in her chest, and the loss of her family was constantly in her mind and in the peripheral of everything she saw and did, but just having someone smile at her like he just did made her feel a tiny bit lighter. She still kept her guard up, of course, but it was nice to have someone be nice to her. It was comforting - she'd almost forgotten what it was like. Brianna had no friends or family in Lethford City - not even in the whole United States. She had no shoulder to cry on, no one to offer her empty words, no one to just be with. This stranger didn't know just how much she desperately wanted to not be so guarded with him.
He made conversation as they walked, and while Brianna was a bit stunted with it, not knowing how to deal with people now when she hadn't had to be polite in a few days, his genuine embarrassment at not having thought of her dietary requirements was a bit sweet. Her lips upped in a smile even as the heavy look didn't leave her eyes, and she turned to face him just in time to catch his look of self-consternation.
"I was," Brianna admitted, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "But that was a few years ago. Couldn't give up the cheese, chicken, and eggs for too long." It had been something she'd believed in when she was younger, more of a fit-in-with-the-crowd and being ethical and eco=conscious and all that. It was a very in thing with others her age back home, and Brianna did feel a bit weird eating things with faces on them. But it was true, she couldn't give up chicken - she just bought them from the supermarket and pretended they were never alive. Or something. At least she still wasn't eating most animals, right? It had to count for something.
Another small smile briefly lit up Brianna's face when the stranger introduced himself. "I'm--," her gut sent a weird feeling through her body, and the blonde only very briefly hesitated before lying, "--Anna." A slight headbob accompanied her words, like she was trying to convince herself of her new name, reasoning with herself that despite this stranger's - Ryder's - apparent kindness, she still didn't actually know him. Her steps made a few scuffing noises while his remained silent as they continued walking, and Brianna tried to think of questions that she could ask to continue their conversation without him finding the need to ask about hers in return. The name thing was a bit of quick thinking on her part, but Brianna had never been a particularly good liar.
Ryder had involuntarily given a wince when the girl had said she had been a vegan. That was only fitting of course. It seemed that even when he tried doing a genuinely nice thing for someone it was only fitting that he somehow screwed it up. As she went on to say that she used to be, but not currently was he uttered a small laugh. "Well, that's a relief I guess." He looked back over to her, "What was your favorite meal?" he asked with curiosity. He couldn't imagine making the choice to be a vegan. Sure there were times where he was in areas that demanded it, but it was never by choice. He enjoyed ice cream and pizza a little too much for that kind of sacrifice. "I've never been good at saying no to food. I think I'd make a terrible vegan."
The girl gave him a soft smile again and he was equal parts annoyed and flattered that she did so. Sure, he knew he wasn't a bad looking guy. He had never had trouble finding women to keep his bed warm in the past, but the girls who he typically chased were just as confident as he was. There didn't tend to be many shy smiles and soft words. It was different and he didn't know if that made it a bad thing or not yet.
When she hesitated with her name his chest tightened. He knew that logically she was probably lying to him because he was a stranger to her. After all, there was no telling who he was, just some random guy who had offered to buy her lunch. Sure she might be protecting herself, but still, the red flag went off in his mind. He smiled easily, showing no indication that he had picked up on the lie. "Nice to meet you." She had looked away and he found his curiosity peaked. The coy little smile and glances she had given him pushed far from his mind. "So, how long have you lived in Lethford?" He asked as he casually looked over at her again. The lie about her name had came too forced out of her lips for her to be good at it. He made a guess that his watching her wouldn't help either. He was used to plying tactics in normal situations. His career was built on it. He had hoped he wouldn't have had to jump into work before he got food in his belly, but it seemed this day had other plans.
A brief burst of laughter erupted from Brianna's mouth, unbidden and careless, as if she hadn't had her life turned upside down in the last week. It felt good to be a bit free and forget the darkness, even if for just a little bit. Gaining a bit more of a sparkle in her eyes, Brianna turned to face her companion over her shoulder again, her smile wider and more inviting now. It was more of - but not the same as - the enticing, flirting smile she used to wear when she was out, but it was a bit friendlier now.
"I wasn't too good at being a vegan, either," she replied, shaking her head a bit to emphasise her point. A few more strands of blonde hair escaped from the hood, and Brianna absentmindedly pulled the side of her hood a bit closer to her head to avoid showing her new companion just how messy her hair was under the hood. Besides, it probably didn't smell all that great, and no one needed to know that she didn't exactly have access to good accommodation. She cleared her throat slightly, before continuing on with the conversation. "It's why I only lasted six months - got drunk one Friday and the first thing I did was order chicken nuggets. I've never looked back since."
A slight twist of her lips had Brianna smiling again, a bit more ruefully this time. Her life had been so much easier, a complete 180 to how she was living now. She had gone out whenever she wanted, eaten whatever she wanted, partied with whoever she waned. The things she'd worried about was making sure she remembered to take the pill every day, or bringing condoms when she was drinking, and hoping that she didn't accidentally spill her purse in front of her dad.
Her light blue eyes slid to the side as she lied, and so she missed the slight change in Ryder's face that showed he'd noticed her slip. She probably wouldn't have caught it even if she had been looking - or at least, she wouldn't have thought all that much about it. Brianna was distracted as she continued to think about how to continue their conversation without encouraging probing questions towards her, while also trying to think about what her answers could be if the probing questions were unavoidable.
Brianna almost jumped out of her skin when Ryder spoke again, and her body stiffened slightly as she fought to keep her surprised reaction to herself. She turned and noticed that he was watching her, and Brianna felt even more uncomfortable with his attention. Her face warmed at the point-blank look, and the blonde knew her embarrassment was only partly because she wasn't ready to answer his question. A fair bit of the blush was absolutely due to that stare that she felt tore straight past her and looked straight into her soul.
"Uh, I'm... not really from here. I was born in San Diego but we moved around a lot," Brianna muttered, trying desperately to think of a story that made sense, especially considering she didn't exactly have a noticeable American accent. "My dad was in the military; after a while my mum moved to Australia and she took me with her." There, that should explain away her accent, at least, as well as her complete lack of knowledge when it came to American culture. The way they did things in America was definitely very different to Australia, and Brianna had to come up with an excuse to explain away anything 'weird' she might do while Ryder was still around. At this time, by giving herself an American parent, she also had a reason and a means to live here.
Right? Damn it, she really didn't know if a child of an American would automatically be granted a visa.
The smile on her face was definitely more deflecting now, as she asked him a question to avoid having to explain her answer any more. "And how about you? Are you from Lethford yourself?"
She laughed and he again found himself annoyed at her appeal. He didn't think he had a type. The women he had found himself sharing his evenings with didn't tend to have a certain look or style. They did, however, tend to be more up-front about how they wanted to spend their evenings. He liked it that way. There was no game, there was no lying or making up excuses to leave, there wasn't pressure. It was honest and attachment-free. It was almost like a business transaction. They both agreed, signed on the dotted line, fulfilled their part, and then they each went on their way.
She was different. She kind of reminded him of the girls from his high school back home. Pretty and coy, girls who had Pinterest boards filled with their wedding ideas before they were even in a relationship. Girls who came with a long line of conditions and terms that he didn't want to bother himself reading. It was annoying but maybe the lack of contact from girls like that was why he found himself caught in all of those small movements she did. At least that's what he was telling himself. When she mentioned the chicken nuggets he grinned, momentarily caught off guard by her admittance of getting drunk. Behavior that definitely was not like those girls in high school who he didn't have time for. "Ah, liquor will get you every time." He hadn't had more than a drink here or there in years. He didn't like how it messed with his reflexes. He tended to be the one who drove everyone home after a good long night of drinking.
Ryder was watching her as a shade of red grew on her cheeks. For a brief moment he was concerned that she might be having some sort of reaction or allergy. When his brain registered that in fact, he had made her blush he damn well tripped over himself. Literally. His foot catching the other and causing him to stumble forward. He righted the motion quickly, thankful that he hadn't made himself fall, mentally cursing himself for even talking to this girl.
Keeping his eyes on what was before him and not looking over at her, he nodded along when she said she wasn't originally from here. "That sounds pretty cool. When I was younger I always envied those kids who traveled a lot." Hence why he chose a career in the field of traveling of course. When she mentioned her dad was in the military he looked over again, "What'd he do? My grandpa was in the service and I've always been interested in it." the question coming out of his mouth effortlessly. It wasn't a lie either, technically his grandfather had been in the military and of course, he certainly was interested in it. He reminded himself to get his head in the game. The girl was clearly lying to him and though her blush had made him momentarily forget that she could be trouble, he was here for a purpose. There was a reason his company was brought in and it wasn't to make nice with locals.
When she asked about him he shook his head, "Nah. I'm not from here. I'm from Wyoming originally. My job brought me here though, perfect timing right?" He gave a half grin, playing the I'm not a threat or anyone of interest card. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Girls who didn't actually care where he was from or what he did for a living tended to buy it and not ask anything else. He didn't think she'd be one of those girls though. She was rattling him, ducking when he thought she would dive. He stuffed his hands in his pocket as they continued walking, glancing at her just a moment before asking. "You sure your mom won't mind you showing a stranger around town?"
A rather rude-sounding snort erupted from Brianna's mouth unbidden at Ryder's words about liquor. Yes, Brianna knew all too well about that corner of the market. She had far too many embarrassing moments that she only vaguely remembered through the haze of being drunk, and she was sure most of her friends had far more embarrassing memories of her than she remembered. From before she was legal to drink, Brianna had a loving relationship with alcohol, and if she was being honest, it was one of the things she missed the most, aside from the usual comforts that filled her life from before. She missed the warmth in her blood and the invincibility in her veins and the laughter - there was always so much laughter. The blonde was pretty sure she would have turned out an alcoholic once she hit her forties. If she hit her forties. At the rate her life was going right now, she wouldn't be surprised if she didn't make it past thirty.
Her morbid musings were interrupted when she caught a jerky movement out of the corner of her eye. Instinctively, her arms shot out as though to steady Ryder, who seemed to have tripped over completely nothing. But she just as quickly brought her arms back to herself; the stranger's eyes had turned flinty and Brianna knew some were particularly sensitive to anything that could be perceived as vulnerable. Maybe Ryder was one of the macho types. Not really something she'd go for, because she found all that machismo suffocating, not at all charismatic, and most of the time it was just plain unnecessary. Her lips opened to ask if he was alright - a reflex reaction - but she stopped herself and looked away so he could be embarrassed in silence. Not that he needed to be, considering tripping was a perfectly normal human thing, but let the man be a (boring, insipid) man, she supposed.
And then Ryder had to ask what her father did in the military and by the gods, Brianna wished she didn't go down this path because what did she know of the military? She could have gone with something simpler, something she had more experience with, but nooo, her brain had to pick something as outlandish as possible. What the hell was she thinking? Her jaw flexed before she replied, and if her answer was a bit stiff, she felt she could be excused considering she was pulling lies out of her ass. "I don't know," she said, feeling part-honesty would probably be her best bet. "My mum left when I was too young to know what he did, and when we came back he never talked about it. I never asked." There, that sounded plausible, didn't it? Could he please maybe lay off the intrusive questions now? This wasn't worth a bloody burger.
His half-smile at her was met with a weaker one of her own, because clearly he was going to keep talking about history. All Brianna knew about Wyoming was that it was a state and maybe they liked grits? She wasn't even sure, it wasn't one of the stops during her parents' American holiday family tour. "Yeah, perfect timing," she murmured, also for herself and not just as a response to his conversation. Because yes, it was ridiculously perfect timing for him to stop by her exactly when she'd been hungry and stupid enough to go along on this ride.
Her bitter mental grumblings to herself paused at Ryder's next question, and Brianna felt the familiar lump in her throat. Her chest squeezed at the reminder that she was here, all alone, all by herself, with nothing and no one left and no way to get home. Would her mother have minded? Probably. Savannah Griffiths would have said a few sharp words to her daughter gallivanting around an unfamiliar city with a stranger. would Brianna have listened? Probably not. It had been the same with that boy from the bar that Brianna had followed to a few cities over for a week, the reason why she had been away from her family in the first place. The reason why they were dead, and she wasn't.
Pursing her lips as she struggled to remain in the present, not arouse suspicion or more questions, Brianna cleared her throat as she looked away, not wanting Ryder to see her face. She'd always been unable to hide how she felt - it was why she was considered a bitch in high school, because she couldn't hide or pretend to be polite if she felt like saying something to someone. It was why lying was such a difficult experience for her. She'd never really had to before.
Her voice was a bit hoarse when she answered. "My mother wouldn't mind." No, Savannah Griffiths wouldn't mind at all. There wasn't a lot of things to worry about when one was dead, Brianna figured. Clearing her throat again, the blonde fidgeted a little she tried to regain some semblance of the normality that she had pretended before. Her fingers touched the hood over her hair and tugged it up a bit more, before returning to the security of her pockets and turning themselves into a fist as Brianna fought to focus. Her smile was a bit more twisted this time as she turned to glance back at her companion. "I'm an adult, I'm sure she knows I can make my own decisions."
The soldier part of Ryder was pushing back against his normal guy side. When he joined the service and became enamored with that life, his mother had visited him after his first tour. The two had the most awkward dinner that night, during which she had said she wished he hadn't joined the military. After he asked her why she had stated that he was more soldier than boy and the best thing he could do for himself was to get a normal job and settle down with a nice girl. The dinner hadn't gone any smoother after that, and a handful of years later their relationship turned into the obligatory Christmas and birthday card in the mail. He didn't mind it.
She had married his father when she was 18, they had lived together their entire life all the way up until his father's passing. Of course a woman like that couldn't understand a life like his. She thought the only way to happiness was raising a family. He found it in the thrill of the job. They couldn't be farther apart in their differences, and he to this day, disagreed with her statement from all those years ago. He wasn't always a soldier. He had seen guys who lived 24/7 in their combat boots. They were jumpy and tense, most of those who he had met following that path were also drunks and anger-thirsty. He wasn't one of them. He could separate his personal side with his professional. Usually.
Today was a little harder. His mind wanted to flirt with the girl next to him. When he had tripped she had made a movement to help steady him before he had righted himself. It was cute. He outweighed her by a long shot and stood at least a few inches taller. If he had actually tripped hard and was coming down, her grabbing him would have just pulled her down with him. It was a sweet gesture though. It was an easy target to play. Her small smiles and quick glances all but demanded he flirt, but then she had to speak and make the soldier part of him unable to shut-up. She was clearly, clearly hiding something. He couldn't let it go. Why lie to him? He was a nobody as far as she knew. The suspicion was overwhelming. As she stumbled through her explanation he nodded. "I gotcha." He was sure somewhere out there, someone might have that story, but he doubted very much it was this girl.
When he asked about her mom worrying about her, he could almost feel the shift in her. The purse of her lips, the swallowing hard, the slight hunching of the shoulders. That was it. Those little indicators that he had hit on something important. This was typically the time when he would dig in deep, keep hitting that wound until he found out what he needed to find out. The soldier part of him all but demanded it, the regular side of him warned him not to be an asshole to someone who was helping him. He tried to settle with something in the middle of those. "Hey...I've got friends in the medical field." He stopped walking, his eyes meeting hers. "If you need help or if you're in some sort of trouble...I can help."
He forgot all about the food. He hadn't put her story together yet but he had some good ideas. If he had to put money on them, his first guess would be that she was a runaway. Maybe a girl who picked the wrong time to leave the comfort of her parents. He had seen it a million times. Girls who wanted to show their parents they could handle themselves, kids who didn't want to follow mom and dad's rules and who end up needing to be rescued from black market trades. His next would be homeless which he supposed could be linked to her running away. Though that was a harder stretch. If that was the case she couldn't have been homeless long, she was much too pretty. He wasn't sure if she'd open up or not to him, and he wasn't ready to take that choice away from her yet. He tried conveying honesty, "I know you don't know me, but I'm kind of a problem fixer. And right now you look like you've got a lot of them."
To Brianna's utter relief, Ryder seemed to finally back off from asking questions about her history. If she had to lie any more about what her father did in the military, she was just going to give up and start running. Of all the people she could have had the luck to have to lie about her life, of course it would be someone who knew how some of it worked and had a personal connection to it. Why couldn't he just have been another American patriot saying "Well pass on our thanks to your dad for his service" or something? Then she could have just nodded - trying to stop the tears from dropping at the thought of her father - and then they could have just moved on from the conversation.
At least now, though, they were talking about something a little bit different, but still no less difficult. It felt harder, because they were talking more about her parents, and Brianna felt it would be a disservice to their memory to lie about them. But she couldn't exactly say they were both gone. Who knew what the stranger would do with the information that she was walking around in this city with no one to expect her home? She'd heard some weird and downright stories of her friends being approached by strangers while travelling that had just seemed off. Ryder wasn't sending horrible vibes, but Brianna definitely felt she had to be on her guard with him.
Another quick, quieter throat clearing preceded her answer. "She's okay," Brianna replied to Ryder's offer. She sent him another small deflecting smile before looking away, picking up her pace slightly but not enough to seem rude. The sooner she got to the burger place, the better off she would be. She was even debating whether or not she'd stay for the food. The blonde didn't know how much longer she could keep up the pretense of being normal, of having a family that waited for her, of having a father in the American military and of a mother that was okay. "She's fine," Brianna repeated, as though through sheer conviction she could will it to come true.
It wasn't like it was a lie, anyway. Her mother was fine, she was probably in heaven now, if heaven existed. Brianna and her family had never been the religious type, but she liked to believe that if there was a heaven, her parents and her brother would be there now. They were probably enjoying watching their movies or her brother would be playing video games or her mother would probably be tending to heaven's eternal garden. Somewhere happy, free from the disaster that was their last few days.
While Brianna felt terribly guilty she hadn't been there with her parents in their final moments, she had to admit to herself (although very guiltily) that at least her last memories with her family were happy ones. Aside from her mother's few sharp words about going of gallivanting with a stranger, both of Brianna's parents had told her they loved her. Her little brother had hardly glanced up from his DS, but at least they weren't on angry terms. That, at least, was a small comfort. She hadn't seen them wracked by the disease, hadn't seen them in pain, hadn't seen how the infection had progressed. As far as Brianna was aware, her parents had always been healthy and happy. She could pretend that much.
To Brianna's growing irritation, Ryder kept pushing his 'help'. As much as Brianna wanted to appreciate it - and she would have, if her parents actually had still been alive - she didn't appreciate that he was offering to help when he didn't know her. It was bitter and petty of her, she knew that, but she couldn't find it in herself to be mature, to be thankful that there was someone trying to help. She wanted to push back, to yell that all the help he could offer would mean nothing, to throw it in his face that no, her parents were not fine, so he could just back off now.
The smile on her face grew decidedly more brittle. She had to keep her cool, she didn't know who this man was and she didn't know what he could do. She had to remember that this pretty face was still a stranger, and she was living in an apocalypse. Everyone was out for themselves. Even her. "Thank you," Brianna replied, a bit of steel in her voice now, "but I think I can handle my own problems myself." What did he know of her problems? She'd never heard anyone tell someone straight up 'hey you look like you've got a lot of problems'. It was like someone saying 'hey you look like shit'. Thanks very much for that, as if she didn't already know; it wasn't like she wasn't trying her best to pretend she was fine.
Ryder watched her motions as she said she didn't care about what he thought. He could see the change in her like a storm that comes over the sea. He had pissed her off, and not in the normal fashion that he usually tended to rub people the wrong way with. No, this girl seemed absolutely livid at his comments. As she stepped closer to him, her eyes were narrowed and lethal, her words sharp and rebuking. He laughed sarcastically when she criticized him for being alone and judging. "Is that what you think I'm doing? You think I just decided to walk down the street and make someone feel like crap? Do you really think that highly of yourself that you don't need anyone else's help? I'm the bad guy because I'm telling the truth? Is that the problem here?"
He didn't make any movements as she continued on her rage-fueled path. He caught the small motion of her hands bunching into a fist and for half a moment of amusement he wondered if she would actually hit him. When he first met her she didn't seem the type. She had been a shy little thing with a blush on her cheeks. Right now her face was red from anger and she looked like the girl who had killed the girl he had seen earlier. After she was done with her spiel he shook his head, his hands up and opened to her, "No, you're right. You don't owe me a damn thing and if you weren't so damn self-absorbed maybe you could see that I'm not judging shit about you. What the hell would I judge? I'm just being honest with what I see. Good or bad, the truth is the truth. Maybe if you were honest with your own self you could change whatever damn predicament you're in because you and I both know you're in one."
He hated people who couldn't be honest with who they were. One of his worst fights was when an arrogant navy seal couldn't admit that he wasn't as experienced in bomb detonating than one of the guys in Ryder's battalion. The whole troop had almost paid the price because one man couldn't be honest with himself and his shortcomings. He took a few breaths. He hadn't meant to upset her, not really. He hadn't thought she would have reacted this strongly. How was he to know she would be so stubborn and proud?
When she pointed to the burger place and called him an ass, all complete with a death glare, he grinned but resisted the urge to laugh, "Look, I'm sorry that I offended you. That wasn't my intent." His words hadn't seemed to stick though. When she briskly began walking in the other direction he jogged to catch up with her, "I dropped out of high school. When I drank for the first time, I ended up breaking into a Michelin star chef's restaurant and was arrested in my underwear. I can't whistle and I am irrationally afraid of bats. There. Now you can judge me. Level playing field."
When he stopped walking and stared at her as though trying to pull the truth from her through eye contact alone, Brianna also stopped in her tracks. Clearly neither of them were going to get to the burger place any time soon, and the blonde found herself losing the little patience she had. She'd just felt what she assumed was supposed to be a reassuring touch on her elbow before she swiftly pulled it away, her eyebrows furrowing and her eyes flashing with annoyance that this stranger had dared to enter her personal space. She wouldn't have minded if it was any other setting and any other story than the one they were in, but the fact that this guy felt he could just reach out and touch her while saying what he was saying was just downright irritating.
Her own blue eyes stared straight back at him, not backing down. "Funnily enough, I don't really care what you think," she snapped, taking a step towards him. If he kept talking the way he was talking, she was going to slap him, and she needed to be within hitting distance because oh boy, Ryder was asking for it. "Do you usually do that? Invite strangers for food then judge them and call them a liar on the way there? Is it because you have no one of your own to tell your opinions to, or is it because no one cares?" Brianna didn't even care if she was pushing back on something so petty; just as long as they were talking about anything other than her family.
There was an almost audible sound as Brianna grit her teeth together. She had never liked being laughed at, even the few times it had happened in high school. She would understand if she'd done something funny, like when she was drunk and up to her usual antics, but this was a laugh designed to humiliate her and make her feel like shit, and she refused to stand for anything like that. She'd never been treated to anything like this stranger was doing, and she found herself getting angrier by the minute. It didn't help that this was the first time she was reacting to her parents' death with other people around. Brianna didn't know her stages of grief, but she wondered if wanting to claw someone's eye out was one of them.
Her hands actually emerged from her pockets, subconsciously balling into fists by her side as Ryder continued to spout his bullshit. "You are right, you don't know a thing about me," she answered, her voice stinging. "Why the hell do you think I would open up more about my life to a random as stranger who's decided he can judge me two minutes after meeting me? I don't owe you anything." And she wouldn't. She wouldn't even pretend to be fine with this man enough to eat his food. Not now. This was one of the stupidest ideas Brianna had gone through with. It must have been the hunger, but considering how quickly their conversation had deteriorated, Brianna was no longer in the mood for food.
Because yes, it was true. Everything he was saying about her was true, and she hated that. It reminded her of everything she had lost in such a short period of time, and it reminded her of her guilt, her failures, and her new life. It reminded her that she was alone, and it was all her fault. She had no family, no money, no food, no friends, and no home to call her own. It stung at her, digging deep like barbed wire, and suddenly Brianna wanted to be as far away from this man as possible. She just wanted to return to her hidey hole and remain in the darkness until she was unable to delay her hunger again.
Twisting her body away from him, Brianna raised an arm and pointed at the burger place she'd intended to take him. It was only a few shops down, and by the looks of it, was still open for business. She no longer had any plans to get him that far. "Joe's Burgers is over there." Her voice brooked no argument this time. She was done with this conversation, and if he tried to push her some more, there was going to be a physical altercation right there on the side of the road. He looked like he could handle himself, and that was why Brianna didn't want to hang around for him to push her that far. "Get yourself a burger, and while you're enjoying it, think about how much of an ass you are. Maybe you'll find someone else who can tolerate your shitty personality." And with those parting words and a final glare, Brianna turned and began walking briskly back the way she'd come.
Ryder watched her motions as she said she didn't care about what he thought. He could see the change in her like a storm that comes over the sea. He had pissed her off, and not in the normal fashion that he usually tended to rub people the wrong way with. No, this girl seemed absolutely livid at his comments. As she stepped closer to him, her eyes were narrowed and lethal, her words sharp and rebuking. He laughed sarcastically when she criticized him for being alone and judging. "Is that what you think I'm doing? You think I just decided to walk down the street and make someone feel like crap? Do you really think that highly of yourself that you don't need anyone else's help? I'm the bad guy because I'm telling the truth? Is that the problem here?"
He didn't make any movements as she continued on her rage-fueled path. He caught the small motion of her hands bunching into a fist and for half a moment of amusement he wondered if she would actually hit him. When he first met her she didn't seem the type. She had been a shy little thing with a blush on her cheeks. Right now her face was red from anger and she looked like the girl who had killed the girl he had seen earlier. After she was done with her spiel he shook his head, his hands up and opened to her, "No, you're right. You don't owe me a damn thing and if you weren't so damn self-absorbed maybe you could see that I'm not judging shit about you. What the hell would I judge? I'm just being honest with what I see. Good or bad, the truth is the truth. Maybe if you were honest with your own self you could change whatever damn predicament you're in because you and I both know you're in one."
He hated people who couldn't be honest with who they were. One of his worst fights was when an arrogant navy seal couldn't admit that he wasn't as experienced in bomb detonating than one of the guys in Ryder's battalion. The whole troop had almost paid the price because one man couldn't be honest with himself and his shortcomings. He took a few breaths. He hadn't meant to upset her, not really. He hadn't thought she would have reacted this strongly. How was he to know she would be so stubborn and proud?
When she pointed to the burger place and called him an ass, all complete with a death glare, he grinned but resisted the urge to laugh, "Look, I'm sorry that I offended you. That wasn't my intent." His words hadn't seemed to stick though. When she briskly began walking in the other direction he jogged to catch up with her, "I dropped out of high school. When I drank for the first time, I ended up breaking into a Michelin star chef's restaurant and was arrested in my underwear. I can't whistle and I am irrationally afraid of bats. There. Now you can judge me. Level playing field."
