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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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.
Ryder let out another grating laugh, and Brianna was this close from letting him have it. It was only his sheer size and the fact that she knew she'd be taking on more than she could chew that she refrained from actually slapping that smirk off his face. She knew his questions were meant to be rhetorical, but Brianna answered them anyway. "Yeah, that's what I think you're doing," she snapped back, not caring if it sounded illogical. Because no one ever invited her out to food, ask her about her family or her history or whatever, then decided to tell her she was lying. "Who the hell decides to do what you just did?"
They were close enough that Brianna could see a look in Ryder's eyes, a glint of something as he watched her. She didn't know if it was amusement, or surprise, or if she was proving him right on whatever mental checklist he had. The blonde didn't know how she had missed it before, but his eyes watched her. They were far too concentrated on her to be a normal casual glance, and Brianna seriously began to question who Ryder actually was. Maybe it was better for her to make her escape, and soon. Maybe the U.S. government had finally realised they didn't have a death certificate for her, even though she'd been stamped in at their border a month ago. Brianna didn't put it past their CIA to finally realize there was an alien on the loose.
But Ryder kept talking and jabbing and poking at her and Brianna could never walk away from confrontation, especially this one where he seemed so high-and-mighty and holier-than-thou. "And you think I appreciate that?" she demanded back, her tone rising with her ire. She angrily shoved a strand of hair out of her face as her hood threatened to fall again with her sudden movements. "You think anyone in this environment would appreciate being told they look like shit? Is everyone here not looking like they're trying their fucking best?"
A cackle erupted from her at that, almost as though she were mocking his sarcastic laugh. Her blue eyes flashed again with irritation before returning to Ryder, pinching with meanness. "I'm sorry that I'm not well-dressed enough for you," she continued, her voice high-pitched and simpering. She was rapidly regressing right before his very eyes, and Brianna found she didn't care if she sounded like a petty two-year-old.
Her harsh words didn't do anything to him, though. Again, he only grinned at her, and it irritated her so much that when he started apologizing she didn't even care enough to stay and listen. Instead, she just turned and walked away, his request of her completed. She'd taken him as far as she could to the burger place. He would just have to walk the few metres left because she wasn't going to be sticking around for one second longer.
She could hear him moving behind her, and his words carried to her despite having her shoulders bunched up around her ears. Brianna didn't pause, though, just kept her pace in trying to put as much distance between them as she could. "I don't care," she threw back, not breaking her stride or looking back at him. "Go and have your damn burger and leave me the hell alone."
Ryder rubbed the back of his neck in irritation. He didn't know what else he had to do to show this girl his sincerity. The fact that she absolutely refused to see his point was frustrating. It was like arguing with someone who didn't want to admit that the ocean was blue. Of course the ocean was blue and of course his observations were accurate. Yet instead of conceding his point, she was putting her head in the proverbial sand and getting angry that he had the audacity to point the colors out.
When she asked who the hell does what he just did, he had to stop and thank a moment. Had he overstepped? His mind hit the pause button. Did normal people not do this? He wasn't sure. He hadn't been a "normal" person in quite a long time. Did normal people not comment on things they picked up as odd? Did they not call out people on their shit on the regular? He wasn't a guy who could let stuff like that go. He hadn't thought that made him un-normal exactly, he didn't think it was a product of his job either. In fact, that personality quirk had gotten him into more trouble in his career than it had helped. He just didn't like bullshit. "Look, I'm sorry I'm not someone who can go around kissing people's asses and acting like the world is perfect. I bet you have Instagram, don't you? You post those bullshit pictures with #blessed right?"
He kept his voice leveled, anger wasn't creeping in but irritation had made it's home there. He watched as her lips pursed, her eyes narrowed at him. It was clear he wasn't the only one getting aggravated here. As her voice raised he listened to what she had to say to him. When she spoke about him pointing out that she looked like shit he jumped in. "whoah, whoah. I didn't say you looked like shit. I said you look like you've got a million problems right now. I was offering you a lifeline Anna. I wasn't saying you looked like crap to be a jerk." He crossed his arms for a moment before addressing her again, the side of his brain that warned him not to push things getting shoved to the back of his mind. "And by the way...maybe if you weren't so hooked on how you think you look and what people think, you could get yourself the hell out of whatever situation you're in."
Ryder suppressed an irritated groan when she sarcastically mentioned not being dressed well enough for him. He wanted to make a smart-ass comment about it but decided it was in his best interest to let it go. She was beyond angry at him and he didn't really know why he cared. Maybe because he couldn't fathom why in the hell she couldn't see he was trying to help. Maybe because she was something he hadn't quite figured out. He didn't know, but he had run after her and made his plea. Of which she had shot down.
He pursed his lips, debating on chasing her. For a brief moment, he debated on arresting her. It would hold. Hell, he had taken people into custody for much less. There was something he couldn't shake, something that kept digging at him like a splinter that he couldn't get out. He watched as she quickened the pace away from him. He'd let her go. She was annoying and frustrating, like a rubik's cube, but he was hungry and the damn city was hot, and he knew soon enough there'd be more headaches to come. Headaches he was getting paid to deal with. She wasn't worth his time. Stuffing his hands in his pocket he headed towards one of the places he saw earlier, shoving Anna out of his mind.
NOTES ; Sorry, it's ehhh. He's...something. I think the next post should totally be her name and picture come across his assignment sheet and he's like ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!
Brianna let out a loud sarcastic laugh at Ryder's words. This guy was beyond belief! Did he actually just ask her if she had Instagram and use hashtags because he thought she expected him to kiss ass? She was absolutely speechless as to how anyone could make that sort of connection, even more so that they would actually say it out loud like they were the judge and jury of someone else's life. Brianna had dealt with her fair share of online trolls, because that was just to be expected when one did have social media, but never had she had anyone tell her to her face that they judged her and made assumptions about her after calling her a liar.
Her blue eyes were wide as she looked up at Ryder, her head shaking slightly as her mouth dropped open in disbelief. "I can't believe you actually said that," she answered, almost in awe. She was so shocked by the angle he was taking that she didn't even sound all that irritated, more in disbelief than anything. "So, after calling me a liar and telling me I look like shit, you then make the assumption that I'm pretending the world is perfect and that you want to kiss ass, so I should have an Instagram filled with #blessed." She shifted her weight back as if she was pretending to have a better look at him from afar. "I've never met anyone like you before. I'm so impressed."
Just as she finished talking, he jumped straight in, defending that he hadn't said he looked like shit. She would have retaliated that he'd said basically the same thing when she was blindsided by the use of her fake name. Brianna had already forgotten that she hadn't used her real name with him, and it took her half a second to remember not to show any reaction to his use of 'Anna'. Ryder paused in his rant, and for one heart-stopping second Brianna thought he'd caught on to her involuntary facial expression at the name, but Ryder only crossed his arms and kept going. The blonde almost breathed a sigh of relief before she remembered that she was supposed to be furious at this man.
Hooked on the way she looked and what people thought? Was this stranger completely blind to her current attire? Did she not look like she was damn homeless to him? Because she thought she looked plenty ragged whenever she caught sight of herself in the reflection of the glass windows of the stores she passed by. She was hardly taking selfies and posting them on Instagram with the hashtag blessed because she bloody wasn't looking it, was she?
The blonde irritatedly raised one hand to pause Ryder. "Oh, was that another dig at my Instagram and all my perfect selfies and my little flower crowns and filters pretending the world is perfect?" She poked the air in his direction, not actually wanting to touch him and invade his personal space like that. At least she had some manners when it came to respecting others. "Newsflash for you, Ryder: I may have been 'illusioned' about the world being a good place, but at least I never tried to make other people see things the way I see them. I have never tried to enforce my opinions on others, especially my opinions regarding them. I never called anyone a liar or accused them of having Instagram. But if you want to, please feel free to do that far away from me."
Her tattered sneaks made scuffing noises on the concrete as she furiously walked away, but to her relief Ryder no longer seemed to be following her. It was only when she was safely a few feet away that the blonde reached up a hand to angrily swipe at the errant tear that raced down her cheek. How dare he accuse her of thinking the world was perfect? Her life was the bloody opposite of perfect. She had no idea where to go or what to do, and yet there was some guy in the world that decided to tell her he thought she was preoccupied with the way she looked. Brianna was furious with Ryder and swore to herself that she was no longer going to be accepting any sort of invitation - conversational or otherwise - with strangers. She could only rely on one person, and that was herself.
