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.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
11PM. A look at his watch told him he was on time as he exited his car. He walked around it to the trunk and opened it, making sure he brought everything he needed. He took out his phone, dialing the unknown number he was called with earlier after tracing it back. Footsteps approached from behind him and the clearing of a throat let him know there was no need to call. Adjusting his cap before he turned around, slipping his phone back into the pocket it came from.
Aaron followed a group of men down the corridor of an abandoned office building. He made sure to keep his distance but they escorted him, guarding him against all sides. There was no way out once he had stepped through the doors. They had searched him for weapons and wires before they entered and he had to give up both his guns. Explanations about not being wired or rigged because he wasn’t a cop didn’t seem to convince them entirely. It was the truth, for once.
Both his hands were tucked away inside the pockets of his pants and he started whistling a random tune before being told to shut up. He put on a fake pout before nodding in agreement, quietly observing their reactions and behavior. They didn’t seem like the stupid and dumb kind of thugs but they didn’t appear that smart either. He could easily outsmart them if nothing too troublesome were to happen.
“Where’s the money?” The man on the other side of the room asked, rubbings his hands eagerly. He looked at Aaron with a grim expression, no emotions in his eyes whatsoever, as he moved to grab the edges of the table, his arms supporting his body as he leaned into Aaron’s direction. Once again he spat out the same words, eyes scanning Aaron who wasn’t carrying anything with him.
Pretending to wipe off some spit of his face a chuckle escaped his lips. He casually pointing over his shoulder. “Oh, I have the money. It’s in my car but I need to get what I want first. No names, no money.” he told them, emerald eyes staring right into the leader’s eyes as he leaned forward, resting his hands on the table and mimicking the other man on the opposite side. Aaron smirked, snickering as he removed himself from the table and stepped back. “Look, you should know how this works. You don’t look like an amateur, do you?” he continued, taking a look around the room.
“You made sure to search me, you removed all cameras from the building, your men are probably carrying more weapons than they should, you have a driver in your car waiting for you in case something doesn’t go as planned.” he started, and nodded towards the guy standing on his left. “And this one right here is ready to put a bullet through my head if I make one false move.” he shrugged, looking and blinking innocently at the leader as a little boy would. "So you should know exchanging at least half of each of our demands first is a given."
He slowly reached for his back pocket to retrieve his wallet and opened it, taking out a couple of hundred dollar bills and throwing it on the table. “Should be around two grand?” he offered, spreading the money on the table and putting back his wallet. The moment the other man tried to take it Aaron shot forward, his hand on top of the others. “Names. First.” he demanded, locking eyes with the guy as he buried his knuckles into the other’s hand.
His cap was thrown off of his head. The click of the gun being loaded beside his head didn’t bother him. He could see the barrel facing his temple in the corner of his eye. Aaron already risked one sudden movement too much and was pretty sure that another move would grant him the bullet in the head but a deal was a deal and he wasn’t the type to break his promises.
As a medical professional, Dakota was afforded certain advantages over the curfew. For instance, she’d been at the hospital for the past two days straight. She was finally getting some time off, and well after curfew and lights out had started for the night, she was driving the dark streets. There were still signs of life in the city, but it was a skeletal version of what Lethford had used to look like at night.
Maybe if the pandemic weren’t happening, she wouldn’t have noticed him. Because the last time she’d seen him, before the riots, felt like a lifetime ago. But the pandemic - and the riots - had happened. And because of that, the streets were more barren than they usually were. She’d come toe to toe with the man himself. Aaron. So when she saw him as she sat at a red light, driving right past her and looking focused, she noticed him. Her gaze followed him as he drove by, a feeling growing in the back of her mind. She wasn’t tired anymore. No, she was on high alert. Some primal instinct told her that there was something going on. That this wasn’t just coincidence.
Her light turned green. Straight to reach her home. Only a few blocks away. Her bed. But she knew she wasn’t going to make that choice. Already, as she accelerated, her hands were pulling the steering wheel to the left. She hung back, and as they drove into even quieter streets she gave him as much distance as she possibly could without losing him. For a brief moment, she lost him, but as she circled the area, gaze searching for his vehicle, she caught sight of it again. But no Aaron.
She parked away from the office building, hesitating. This could be nothing. But it could be dangerous either way. Even if she was just following Aaron on some weird nightly routine, if he caught her he was just as likely to become a threat to her life as any other person who would willingly socialize with a man like him. Still, she eventually got out, making her way to the office building. She didn’t see anyone, and was just hoping no one saw her as she slipped into the abandoned structure. The sound of voices drew her - the city so silent she wondered how far whispers carried these days.
Aaron’s voice made her pause, listening intently. She couldn’t quite make out the words. She moved down a corridor, coming to a corner. Looking down it, she saw a pair of doors - she had a feeling that they opened into the room where the voices were coming from. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel the pulse in her throat. Finally, as she drew closer, she could actually understand what they were saying. What Aaron was saying.
“And this one right here is ready to put a bullet through my head if I make one false move.”
So this was definitely not some mundane midnight errand. She’d already known it wasn’t, but the confirmation that he was in mortal danger only proved her assumptions true. She stopped just outside of the office, the only thing separating her from the room the men were in being the set of doors. Leaning in, her gaze stared blankly at the floor, focusing wholly on listening. He was talking about money. Names? Whose names? There was a scuffle, and then the unforgettable sound of a gun clicking. Her chest froze over as she tensed up, her gaze flicking up to the doors. Was Aaron about to get killed? She wasn’t sure why that made her heart race.
So focused on the sounds in front of her, she didn’t catch the sounds from behind her. Completely unaware, Dakota only became aware of the danger she’d thrown herself into when she felt a strong grip on her upper arm, a bruising strength clamping down on her. Whipping to look at who’d grabbed her, Dakota was confronted with a very large, very angry looking man who had the classic ‘bad guy’s bodyguard’ air about him. His eyes were as cold as ice as he jerked Dakota close, his breath smelling of cigarettes and alcohol.
’You don’t belong here, do you?’ He said, his breath bathing her face. He didn’t give her a chance to say anything, reaching out to shove the office doors open and shoving her ahead of him, using his hold on her arm to force her forward. Dakota felt her heart leap up into her throat as she took in the room she was pushed into, her nails digging into the man’s hand. He didn’t seem to respond to her attempts to free herself. Instead, he gave her a hard shake, and Dakota had to clamp her lips together as her brain rattled in her head. ’Look what I found, boss. Saw her slip in a few minutes ago. She was snooping outside the door.’
Dakota’s eyes flicked from face to face until she locked eyes on Aaron, and then she tore her gaze away from him and focused on the man who looked like the word ‘boss’ personified. This was definitely a little embarrassing, but she didn’t have enough energy to focus on being ashamed of how easily she was caught, because most of it was pouring into fear. Fear she wasn’t going to let show on her face.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Aaron didn’t even flinch as his cap landed on the floor with a thud. His eyes were burning as he looked at the leader, ignoring the gun pointed at his head. He dared to grin because he knew money was more important here especially the amount he had prepared in his car. There was no way they would let go of the chance to get it. Sure, they could be thinking of killing him right there and just grab his car keys and steal it but they also knew that it wasn’t necessarily certain there was money waiting for them in the trunk of his car. It could all be a bluff - a bluff not worthy of risking a dead body and the work to dispose of it.
“Names. First.” Aaron repeated, once again, his voice a bit louder than it was earlier but his tone was steady and confident. He gave the man in front of him a flash with his eyebrow, his head tilted slightly to the side. The man let out an angry grunt and the two of them backed away from the table, keeping some distance from each other. ‘Fine.’ he growled, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘I know someone involved is named Ha-’
No. He was so close. So close to finally getting a hint that could have helped. A name that could have given him a lead, something that could have helped his situation and so many more people who had been affected by the mess he was involuntarily dragged into. Little did he know the mess right now he was dragged into would be worse than what he had to deal with in the past.
Whispering was heard outside the door, which was slightly ajar as everyone believed they were alone. Seems like they weren’t. The room went quiet and all heads were turned into the direction of the door just as another member of that group barged through the door, carrying a female with him. Aarons's eyes widened slightly in surprise - or shock - as the familiar-looking brunette was dragged forcefully into the room, shoved by the guy working for the head of the group who was standing right in front of him. Bubbles of rage were already forming inside him ready to pop but he suppressed it because it wouldn’t help the situation, her or himself.
Fortunately, Aaron was trained well, for all sorts of situations so the gasp and curse that wanted to escape his lips the moment he noticed her face was suppressed before it even had a chance to emerge. However, he was internally cursing her out even worse than he did back at the hospital when she had shot him in the shoulder. Several thoughts were racing through his mind as he stared at her, eyes locked with hers, as he tried to figure out why the hell she would be here.
He couldn’t believe she was nearly stupid enough to follow him for whatever reason. He didn’t even know how in the freaking hell she found him. The brunette bit his tongue, his lips a hard line as he stared at her just like the others did. His current emotions were a mix of anger - if not even rage - because he was just so close to getting a hint, a name, to help him, and surprise, because he obviously didn’t expect that doctor to be dragged into the room.
’Look what I found, boss. Saw her slip in a few minutes ago. She was snooping outside the door.’
This situation was beyond absurd. Not once in his entire career or life had he encountered such a stupid woman like her. Snooping? He repeated the word inside his head. He wondered what could have made her make those decisions leading her to this specific building, this specific room, at this specific time. She clearly wasn’t in her right state of mind. Oh, how he wanted to curse her out.
Aaron turned his gaze back to the boss, shrugging ever so slightly as he gave him a small smirk. “I guess your men didn’t secure the place well enough.” he said, scoffing, raising one judgemental eyebrow at the guy in front of him. Taking a quick glance around the room, at the faces of the other guys nearby, trying to figure out the mood. They all seemed tense but only the guy next to him had his weapon drawn, although it was now pointed at Dakota instead of Aaron.
’Does she belong to you? We clearly said you come alone. No foul play. No police.’ the guy asked but Aaron just shook his head, letting out a laugh. “My people wouldn’t be that stupid. I wouldn’t be that stupid to disobey instructions to come alone. I know the rules. That girl clearly doesn’t. And do you really think she’s with the police? Maybe she’s some kind of drug addict sniffing out a chance to get her hands on some stuff.” he shrugged once again, keeping his focus and attention on the one person who would be able to order her immediate death. He turned his head back to Dakota, giving her a hard stare. “Would you mind taking your business elsewhere? There’s nothing for you here.” he told her, giving her his standard dismissive hand wave.
’No. She stays.’
Aaron let out a small sigh, trying not to be too obvious about his disappointment to let her leave. His lips again formed a hard line as he looked back at the guy in front of him. “Come on. What would you want to do with some junkie? She’s clearly not one of mine.” he persisted as casually as he could. His gaze flickered between her and him before he clicked his tongue. He gave Dakota a degrading, belittling, once over, dark eyebrows raised in faked disbelief. “Is she one of yours? Are you trying to negotiate the price by offering a woman? Man, no. It’s cash for information. There’s no way you could persuade me with such an ugly hooker.”
If looks could kill, Dakota would already be dead. The short moment that they had locked gazes, Dakota could see the animosity in his glare. So, she avoided his gaze and focused on the ringleader of the thugs. She didn't expect him to help her out of this situation, so she needed to think a way out of it herself. Thankfully, Aaron turned to the man and said some smart comment, a smirk spreading across his face.
For a short moment the attention was back on him, and Dakota was able to take a glance around the room. Other than the windows, the doors she had come through were the only true exit. A flash of a thought had her imagining herself jumping through one of the windows, but that certainly wasn't going to happen. And even though Aaron was giving her time to think, she knew it wasn't for her benefit.
’Does she belong to you? We clearly said you come alone. No foul play. No police.’
Dakota was distracted by the gun pointed in her direction, wondering why she seemed to suddenly be having multitudes of encounters with armed men. This pandemic really had changed the city. Her gaze flicked back to the 'boss's as he addressed Aaron, and Dakota almost rolled her eyes. If only she had police training. And as if she would ever work with someone like Aaron.
Of course, his response was a level of rude that was uncalled for, but of course he'd take any chance to get in some low blows. She felt her brows draw down over her eyes, glaring in his direction as he finally looked at her.
“Would you mind taking your business elsewhere? There’s nothing for you here.”
A wonderful idea, one that Dakota would have happily done. Unfortunately it didn't seem that the other criminal agreed, immediately shooting the idea down. Dakota felt like she was getting mental whiplash, her thoughts a scrambled mess. She was definitely starting to get anxious. This was serious. She had really messed up this time, and had no one to rely on but herself. Dakota forced the panic clawing up her throat back down, her gaze moving between Aaron and the man.
Aaron's next words made her jaw twitch, but she bit her lip to refrain from replying with her own insults. He was trying to give her an out, even if it was only for himself, and she wanted that out. She didn't have the time to have a moral battle over trusting Aaron. Whether he was trying to get her out of here for her safety or his own, it didn't really matter.
'Well, if you don't know her and she isn't one of ours, then maybe Sergei here can take her...for questioning.'
Her heart was pounding in her chest as she heard those words, her gaze snapping from Aaron to the other man, her lips already parting to say something - anything - when the same mountain of a man who had a hold on her arm squeezed it tighter somehow, jerking her towards him. Grunting in surprise as she pressed up against him, the man - Sergei, as if that weren't a completely overused bad guy sort of name - leaned over her. His breath once again surged into her personal space. He seemed thrilled with the idea of taking her anywhere, his free hand running over her shirt, along her stomach. In response, Dakota felt utter revulsion.
She didn't really consider the consequences, jerking away from him only to haul back and throw a punch at his face. Sergei laughed, clearly amused by her response, catching her fist and squeezing.
'She's a feisty one, boss!' He exclaimed, his hand large enough to completely encompass her fist. Dakota finally let out a cry of pain as his grip tightened further, but instead of dropping to her knees in pain she brought her knee up into his groin. He was distracted with trying to crush her hand into dust, thankfully, and she caught him off guard. He released her, howling in pain, and Dakota scrambled away, only to get grabbed by one of the other various criminals in the room. Dakota let out an angry sound of frustration, lashing out, but it was all really pointless.
'Or maybe we'll just put her down now!'
Dakota heard the ringleader say, and the man who had caught her forced her down to her knees by kicking the back of her legs. Dakota gritted her teeth as her knees hit the floor, the pain echoing up her legs. However, when she felt something press against her head, her entire body stilled. Was she even breathing? Her hands trembled faintly. That was a gun to her head.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Aaron didn’t have a great first encounter with Dakota, to begin with, but now that she was standing there, in the same room as him, surrounded by highly dangerous criminals, all he could think was what a dumb woman she was. He wasn’t sure why she would be there or how she got there but one thing was for sure: it was sheer stupidity that led her into this room. Part of him didn’t care about it, about how and why, but part of him was curious. Either way, that was something he just needed to save for later - if there was a later for her. He was certain he would make it out in one piece… he wasn’t so sure about Dakota.
'Well, if you don't know her and she isn't one of ours, then maybe Sergei here can take her...for questioning.'
Emerald eyes stared at the leader, the one he shouldn’t lose focus on. He tried to ignore whatever was going on behind me. He heard the shuffling of feet, the scrunching of fabric against fabric, and the breathing of some guy. But once the leader suggested Sergei to take her he shifted his gaze into their direction, his eyes resting on Sergei for a moment. “Hold on a minute.” he let out, holding up a hand to signal them all to shut up but before he could say more, their leader proposed yet another great idea.
'Or maybe we'll just put her down now!'
There was a loud cheer roaring through the room as his henchmen got excited about putting her down. Aaron fought the urge to roll his eyes at the blunt stupidity. Apes. Animals. That’s what those guys were. Without functioning brains that is. He swallowed hard before deciding to turn around, taking in the sight of Dakota falling to the floor and some other dude pulling the gun on her and aiming it at her head. For a hot second, Aaron considered not doing anything, to not interfere with this mess. It was her own fault after all. And he still wanted to get some sort of revenge for her shooting him at the hospital during the riots. But then again… this wasn’t how he wanted to get revenge.
Clearing his throat, he grabbed the edges of the small table beside him and flipped it over. The sudden, loud noise it made caught the attention of everyone in the room. “Finally.” Aaron sighed, his arms moving up to his chest as he crossed them over, eyes narrowing at the leader. “Now isn’t that kind of unfair? I didn’t say I won’t take her. I just said you can’t negotiate the price with her. I know you folks aren’t really educated but you should have understood the difference without me needing to point it out.”
The leader hesitated and grumbled loudly in response and maybe because of Aarons‘ remark. He didn‘t care either way. ‘Enjoy yourself but be sure to add another grand.‘
Another grand, Aaron thought, almost spitting out a laugh at this comment. First of all, he would never pay money for a woman. Second, he would never pay that much money. And third, he wouldn’t even think about paying that much for someone like Dakota. It was ridiculous but unfortunately necessary. Aaron glanced over to Sergei, giving him a simple shrug. “Sorry, Sergei. Didn’t mean to take away your fun playtime. I’m sure your boss will gladly get you another one. Perhaps even a pretty one.” he told him, clicking his tongue and giving him a small wink.
He walked over to her, looking at the guy pointing the gun at her head dead in the eyes. “Get lost before I put that bullet through your head.” Aaron growled at him and watched as the guy moved away from Dakota - a little reluctant and not without baring his yellow teeth at Aaron. There was just a very brief moment of relief he felt as the situation didn’t appear to be as dangerous as it was. But unfortunately, Aaron knew exactly that he couldn’t just let her go and let her off the hook just like that.
Waiting until the distance between them seemed safe he approached Dakota with a frown, resisting the urge to curse her out and call her stupid, although he found a way to actually let out some of that anger. He dropped down into a crouch in front of her, lifting a hand to brush away stray strands of hair out of her face. After tucking it behind her ear, he cupped her chin and moved her face from one side to the other, pretending to closely inspect it. “Stupid whore. So you thought it would be a good idea to barge into our business just because you want some dope?“ he began, spitting out the words as if he meant it.
The soldier stood up, glowering at her as he looked down before reaching for her arm and yanking her up to a standing position. “You‘re lucky I‘m in a good mood today. While I might not feel the need to interrogate you like our boy Sergei over there… I have some other plans. I was told to enjoy myself so I will. I really need to relieve some stress. Had quite a few annoyances in my life recently.” he announced, making sure to lock his eyes with hers at the word annoyances.
‘Why don’t you prove to us that you don’t know her? You know… just to make sure.’ The leader said, followed by an approving grunt made my Sergei.
He looked over his shoulder, pausing for a moment to think. Prove it. It wasn’t really a lie that he didn’t know her. You couldn’t say you knew someone after running into them for twenty minutes or less. Aaron looked at her, his lips slightly parted as if he wanted to say something but he couldn’t. Not in front of those thugs. He was trying to figure out how this would go down. There weren‘t many options left for them to take… and there weren‘t any left on how to get her out without being marked by these idiots.
An invisible light bulb appeared above his head, the faintest hint of a smirk playing around his lips as he moved his gaze back to her, once again his eyes locking with hers. All signs of concern, kindness, and pretty much life disappeared from the two emerald orbs replaced by a shadow, his lips thinning down into a harsh, tense line. Part of him hoped she would get it and understand, another part didn’t care. He couldn’t really make up his mind about her just yet and getting them both - or at least him - out of this situation was his first priority. If she hated him after this, that is… if she didn’t already hate him, he couldn’t blame her.
“Sure.” Aaron said right before he drew his right arm back and swung it back at Dakota, hands balled into a fist, hard knuckles hitting her face as he punched her.
Everything was going way too fast for her. She had started out the night wanting to just get home to her bed, and then shifted gears when she saw Aaron. She had followed him in hopes of getting information. Something. But now, with the hard ground biting into her knees, and a gun to her head, she didn't really know why she had thought this was a good idea. She was a doctor, a gifted surgeon, but she wasn't a spy. She only knew her way around a gun just enough to not shoot herself in the foot. She had no experience with this type of situation, and her steel will and constitution were failing her.
Dakota, to put it plainly, was terrified.
She flinched when the table crashed to the ground, but didn't move any further, only glancing up through her hair as Aaron began to speak.
“Now isn’t that kind of unfair? I didn’t say I won’t take her. I just said you can’t negotiate the price with her. I know you folks aren’t really educated but you should have understood the difference without me needing to point it out.”
She didn't know why he wasn't just letting them shoot her. It would take care of his issue with her. But Dakota wasn't going to try and argue with him if he was going to get her out of here, so she remained silent, trying not to move. Not to draw attention back to herself.
When the leader of these idiots demanded another grand, Dakota felt her heart sink lightly, expecting Aaron to back out. He didn't care about her, she knew that much. Why pay an extra thousand just to save her ass? But to her surprise, Aaron only offered a witty apology to her would-be assaulted before heading in her direction. For the first time since he had become unknowingly a part of her life, Dakota was happy Aaron was here. Scary, foul mouthed, rude Aaron. Without the gun to her head, Dakota felt a sense of relief. Maybe even a little bit of hope.
As Aaron knelt down in front of her, Dakota looked up at him. He was definitely still not happy with her. If the other men in the room were looking for signs of comfort and recognition when he touched her, they were disappointed. Just because he was stopping them from shooting her didn't mean she wanted to be at Aaron's particular brand of mercy either. Dakota tensed up as he swept her hair from her face, her brows pulling down into a dark glower as he spat some insulting words in her direction. He was definitely milking the moment to speak freely, though Dakota had no doubt he would be just as foul mouthed in private.
Dakota grunted as he jerked her to her feet, his grip no more comforting than Sergei's had been. She wanted to snap back at him as he spoke about annoyances. Wanted to tell him how she had dealt with a few annoyances herself lately. But her heart leapt into her throat as the leader of the men in the room spoke up again.
‘Why don’t you prove to us that you don’t know her? You know… just to make sure.’
As Aaron seemed to consider his options, Dakota glanced nervously between him and the leader. As his focus returned to her, Dakota tried to decipher the expression on his face. She only realized what was about to happen about a second after he spoke again, and as he drew his arm back she cursed him in her mind.
Dakota had never been in a fist fight before, really. Never been punched in the face, at least. It definitely didn't feel like he was pulling his punch, and she hadn't really expected him to. This was obviously a chance for some revenge for the gunshot wound to his shoulder. As his fist connected with her face, knuckles colliding with her cheek, Dakota felt the strength in her knees give out. If Aaron hadn't been holding onto her arm, she would have collapsed to the ground.
The pain flared across her face, a wave of agony and hot electricity running along her skin. She felt Aaron hauling her back up, and her head snapped back in his direction, fury in her gaze as she jerked her chin to the side, whipping hair out of her face. She was already tensing, expecting another punch, glaring at him in defiance. Even if he was doing this to get them out, it didn't mean she had to accept it. The anger in the set of her jaw made it clear that she wasn't planning on letting him get away unscathed. A promise of violence in her gaze. She didn't need a mirror to know that her cheek was already reddening, the throb in her face told her that.
Distantly, she was aware of the hoots and hollers of the other thugs in the room. They were happy at this display of blatant violence, and she had to bite her cheek to stop a smart taunt from escaping her lips. She didn't want to goad this on any longer than it needed to last.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Aaron held onto her arm as the blow of his fist connecting with her face forced her down. There was a tiny, tiny bit of satisfaction he felt there but it would be the first and last time. He didn’t want to do this but she didn’t give him much of a choice. It was the price of stupidity she needed to pay. This deal could have been sealed and done with by now but no. She had to stick her nose into someone else’s business.
As he dragged her back up to her feet he pushed her against the wall, his free hand grabbing her shirt. He could feel all the eyes on him, burning holes through his back as the sound of cheers echoed through the room. Apparently one hit wasn't nearly convincing enough as Aaron had hoped. He knew it probably wouldn't but it was worth a shot. One, two, three more punches, repeating the process of watching her fall and pulling her up again.
His glare met hers, nostrils flaring, knuckles whitening as he added more strength to his grip only to let go of her entirely the next moment. He clapped his hands once, spreading out his arms to the side and turning around on his heels - his eyes quickly wandering around the room to check the mood. “Don’t play weak.” he howled, turning back to Dakota. He held out a hand in her direction and with a swift movement of his fingers motioned her to get him. “It’s no fun. Don’t pretend you’re the victim here when it was obviously your own fault and stupid decision to snoop around here.” he added, eyebrows raised in expectation as he watched her.
Now… Aaron didn't expect her to turn down that offer, but he also did not expect her to know how to throw a proper punch and the amount of strength that came out of her slim figure. He took the blow and pretended to be extremely angry at it. He was, of course, it wasn't entirely an act. But he needed to add some more drama for the eyes watching them. He took a couple of steps back, his thumb at his lips as he brushed away a little blood and then he just laughed. Looking at the leader and at Sergei, he pointed at Dakota and gave her a nod of approval. “Not too shabby for a bitch.”
Fishing out his car keys out of a pocket he tossed it over to Sergei. “The money is in the trunk. Now if you would excuse us.” Aaron snarled, very unhappy about this outcome but sacrifices needed to be made. Fortunately, Aaron was a trained elite soldier and far away from being stupid and ignorant as an ordinary civilian. He had a tracker installed in his car. He would make sure to retrieve it after this was over. The money was something they could keep. There was more where it came from.
She was out of her depth, and at the mercy of the hands of a cold blooded murderer. Somehow, with each blow, Dakota knew it wasn’t the last. He was clearly enjoying this. Some sick sort of vengeance. And with each blow she was more certain that she was going to black out. She could feel blood leaking from a split in her lip. Her entire face was throbbing. She had no idea how she looked right now, but she was certain she probably needed some medical attention. There was a cut on her cheek, because she could feel the sting of it too.
Still, she wasn’t fighting back. It was a little humiliating, but she wanted this to be over - and she was still so certain that if she did fight back, the men in the room would call for more blood. This was how it worked, right? How people got beaten to death? Was she putting too much trust in Aaron to not kill her? Wouldn’t that solve all his problems?
He had her up on her feet again, and she tensed up as his grip tightened. Preparing for another blow. Thankfully, her eyes weren’t damaged - at least not yet. She could still see, and she was still glaring back at him. Dakota wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of looking scared for her life. But then he was letting her go, turning away from her. Dakota wanted to collapse to her knees, but she forced herself to stay standing. Too afraid that if she found herself on the ground when he turned around that he might be tempted to kick her.
“Don’t play weak.”
His words cut into her. It was her idea. Her fault. And he was inviting violence. Anger strengthened her, and she stepped into him, arm coming back and then flying forward. Just because she wasn’t one for fighting didn’t mean she didn’t know how to punch. And she was angry enough to let pure fury fuel her actions. If it was a fight they wanted, a fight they’d get. She punched him as hard as she could, putting every last ounce of her energy into the retaliating attack. Dakota stumbled a few steps after connecting with him, moving away from him slightly, wary of a return punch. But he seemed to be trying to wrap things up.
“Not too shabby for a bitch.”
Dakota stayed silent, face closed off and angry, as Aaron spoke to the men. Gave them some keys. The leader of the brutes didn’t spare her another glance, but Sergei did. Sergei looked at her in a way that made her thankful once more to have Aaron in the room with her. Because at least Aaron didn’t want that. She watched them leave, until it was finally just her and Aaron. But then it was just her and him, and she looked at him warily, as if she were stuck in a room with a rabid dog and trying to not piss it off any further. Part of her wanted to thank him, though she wasn’t sure what for. Not a single ounce of her felt the need to apologize. Another part of her wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to punch her only in the face, considering how many bones there were to break. But as she reached up to examine her face, gently prodding with her fingers, she didn’t think he had broken anything. It was tender. Sore. Would probably swell later. She had everything she needed to fix it up at home, though.
She wasn’t sure what to say to him. He hadn’t helped her out of the goodness of his heart. But then why help her at all? ”Why didn’t you just let them kill me?” She asked, staring at him hard, using her thumb to wipe blood from her chin.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Emerald eyes followed the group every step until all of them had finally left the room, shutting the door with a noisy slam - leaving only him and Dakota, once again, stuck together in a small room. He wasn’t sure if the door being slammed shut caused the room to shake of if he was just shaking with flaring rage.
‘Why didn’t you just let them kill me?’
That he wondered too. Why didn’t he? She wasn’t anything more than a nuisance to him. Maybe it would have been for the better to get rid of her now that he had a chance and he wouldn’t even have needed to get his hands dirty. Aaron scoffed at how ridiculous this situation was and partly because the tight feeling of a deja vu overcame him.
Squinting at her, he gave her a dismissive shake with his head. “It doesn’t matter. Do you…” he started, lips slightly parted as he paused, taking a deep, slightly shaky breath, continuously biting his lower lip. Angry was an understatement of how he felt at this moment. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” he continued, eyes pinched together as he tried to let it all sink in. He reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose, the skin reddening as he hardened his grip.
“Maybe I lost my mind! I'm an idiot for not letting Sergei take care of you. That would have saved me time and money. Money.” he growled, turning away from her and knocking his fists on the table. His knuckles were white, looking as if they were about to rip through the skin. His gaze rested on the fists, closing and opening the repeatedly and stretching his fingers before curling them back into his palms. It wasn’t even the money that made quake, no, it was the names he was supposed to receive. Something that could have helped but he lost both.
He turned back on his heels, holding up his hands in front of him, watching them tremble. Aaron tried to shake it off, restrain himself, but he couldn’t. Just the sight of her provoked him. His pulse was speeding, the vein on his neck pulsing uncontrollably. He pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead, sliding down and rubbing over his chin where it came to a halt, hard eyes looking at Dakota.
The enraged brunette walked up to her, three long strides carrying him over within seconds. He pushed her back towards the wall as he closed the distance between them, not caring if it would hurt her or not. It was too late for that anyway. Smashing his right palm against the spot right beside her head, glaring her down. “Explain. Tell me why you’re here... in this building, in this room. Why? You didn't get lost while out on a stroll, did you?” he shouted, despite the non-existent distance between the two of them, offering her nothing more than a sarcastic and perhaps slightly threatening smirk, slamming his hand once more against the wall.
Dakota pressed her lips together tightly, staring at him hard but remaining quiet in the face of his rage. Suddenly, warning bells were ringing in her ears - telling her that she was now in danger for entirely different reasons than she was before. As she kept her gaze on him, waiting for him to lash out, Dakota considered how to get out of this situation. She didn’t have any weapons, and while she could probably attack him, he was the one with combat training. She was in a losing fight already.
“Maybe I lost my mind! I'm an idiot for not letting Sergei take care of you. That would have saved me time and money. Money.”
When he turned around, taking his eyes off of her, Dakota’s gaze automatically flicked to the only exit in the room. If she somehow got out there, would she then be faced with those men? Were they lying in wait out there? No, they likely would have left. They’d gotten quite the deal, after all. All the money and no information. Instead, Aaron had chosen to save her. Clearly he was regretting that now. Dakota didn’t like that she could understand his anger, to a degree. She didn’t like how her head was playing devil’s advocate. He was a criminal. Corrupt. Murderer. Dakota had just started to shift her weight, preparing to make a break for it, when Aaron turned back to her. The look on his face made her veins turn to ice.
The moment he took the first stride towards her, that fear shot through her so hard and fast that she didn’t even think. Her body jerked back a step, trying to back pedal away from him, her hands jerking up between them. ”Aaron - “ She began, though she wasn’t sure what she intended to say to him. So afraid she didn’t think of the implications of using his name. Of course, she was pretty sure any pleading or stalling tactics that would have escaped her lips would have failed miserably. It didn’t really matter - he shoved her against the wall, his hand planting firmly beside her head, and she swallowed her words, wincing slightly. She regretted the flash of fear, having been so determined to remain stubborn in her refusal to show her fear throughout the entire ordeal they’d just gone through. But Aaron scared her more than those men - the glowing fury in his gaze made her feel like she was suddenly freezing.
“Explain. Tell me why you’re here... in this building, in this room. Why? You didn't get lost while out on a stroll, did you?”
Dakota felt her own fury rear its head in the face of being shouted at and man handled one time too many. She’d put up with his aggression earlier because it was her only option to get out relatively unscathed, but something inside her snapped as she looked up into his gaze. The fear that had been coursing through her was swept aside. ”Back off.” She snapped, biting the words out as she brought her hands up further between them, drawing them in and then shoving them forward into his chest, shoving as hard as she could to give herself some space. And with that, the burning anger and throbbing pain in her face took over. ”I don’t have to explain anything to you.” She snarled, stepping into him so she could shove him again.
”Why don’t you explain yourself to me? Who were those men? What information were they giving you? Why are you such an asshole!?” Each question was accentuated with another shove, her voice hoarse towards the end with how loud she was shouting back at him. She was breathing hard already, but the anger was still blazing in her chest. She wasn’t done yet. ”You think you can hit me like that, and then manhandle me some more? Why? Because you’re upset your deal fell through? You’re a joke.” Dakota spat, her arm rising up before she swung it, palm flat and open as she slapped him hard across the face.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
‘Aaron - ‘
Maybe it was the unexpected mention of his name, maybe it was the anger raging inside of him heating up his head as if it was on fire. Maybe his brain was malfunctioning. But the moment his name left her lips he could have sworn it wasn’t her voice saying. Although it was absurd and just a mistake - a hallucination - it sounded like her. Flustered and slightly taken aback he shook his head to clear his mind, distracted by his own name.
‘Back off.’
Aaron raised his eyebrows in surprise when she started pushing him back. He let it happen, stepping back with each push against his chest. His arms had dropped to his sides as he was pushed back further away. He definitely needed a drink - or multiple drinks - after this. He listened to her vent, her mouth non-stop working, an endless rush of words coming out of it. It didn’t seem like she would stop until her hand swung into his direction.
Her palm connected with his cheek, heat, and pain spreading across that half of his face. Aaron clicked his tongue, his own hand reaching up to touch it. His head was tilted to the side, pursing his lips before he looked back at her, stretching and cracking his neck up and to the side while doing so. The pain brought him fully back to reality. Someone seemed eager to rebel. “Oh, I’m the joke? You got to be kidding me. I’m not the idiot who thinks following a bunch of thugs is a good idea. I’m not the one who got caught-” he stopped to laugh out loud, shaking his head at her failure.
He spotted her arm going in for another swing from the corner of his eye, stopping her before she could slap him a second time. He grabbed her by the wrist, taking the other one as well, and turned her around so they switched positions, a mischievous smirk playing around his lips. “I don’t have to explain anything to you either. I’m pretty sure it’s none of your business. But YOU ruining MY deal kinda makes your appearance here MY business. So either you explain what the fuck you’re doing here or I will force it out of you. Trust me, Sergei would have been the better option. Too bad it’s too late for regrets.” he uttered, his voice loud and low. He wasn’t per se yelling at her anymore but he wasn’t being nice about it either. He had no reason to be nice about anything.
“Also really? Those hits were nothing. Do you want me to show you how I can hit? Saves me the walk to the boxing gym to vent my anger if I can just vent it on you.” Aaron hissed, nostrils flaring, eyebrows scrunched together. Noisy. That’s all she was. Noisy and perhaps a little too curious. If only she knew what she was getting herself into.
There was no more use of trying to calm down or restrain himself. There was no way he would be capable of doing so. This was going to end worse than the previous chaos. The only good thing was that this time she didn’t have access to a gun. Unfortunately, the thought of it triggered his anger some more. If only looks could kill… He bend forwards, glaring at her with fire burning in his eyes. "Maybe you're better off as a whore."
Tightening his grip whether or not it hurt her he started pushing her back against the table. It staggered a bit at the force but didn’t move too much. He forced her back, leaning over her ever so slightly, green eyes staring into hers. “You know what also is business? You knowing my name. Are you a stalker? Because I’m sorry to disappoint but I’m not worth stalking. I’d suggest you erase it off of your mind unless you have a death wish.”
“Oh, I’m the joke? You got to be kidding me. I’m not the idiot who thinks following a bunch of thugs is a good idea. I’m not the one who got caught-”
For some reason his laugh only made her angrier. He was right, and that pissed her off too. She was the one who stupidly followed someone she knew to be corrupt to a deserted area in the middle of the night. She was the idiot who didn’t notice someone coming up behind her. But for some reason acknowledging that he was right only made her more furious. She hated him. Dakota had other troubles in her life, but for some reason, all of her anger was pouring out - not just her anger at Aaron, but her anger at the lot in life she’d been given, at the thoughts that she was never - would never - be enough for anyone. She made a furious sound, not really saying anything, and moved to slap him again.
Except of course he caught her hand, and before she could swing the other, he had her other wrist too, spinning them around so that she was now in his position. She jerked at his grip, not able to break it, as he spoke. His threat only made her anger turn cold, and now it was Dakota’s turn to laugh, humorless. ”If you think hurting me is going to make me talk, then we’re going to be here for a while.” She told him, her own volume low and angry. Her expression was defiant as she glared at him, a stubborn set to her jaw. ”The only thing I regret is not aiming better when I shot you.” The cruel, self-satisfied glitter in her gaze said she knew that it still pissed him off - hell, she was pretty sure he still felt it. It hadn’t been a fatal shot, but shots in that area were always a bitch. Dakota hoped it hurt like hell.
“Also really? Those hits were nothing. Do you want me to show you how I can hit? Saves me the walk to the boxing gym to vent my anger if I can just vent it on you.”
For the first time she found herself agreeing with Aaron. She had plenty of her own frustrations to work off, but she didn’t get the fun excuse of combat. Dakota had plenty to let loose. ”For someone who's a terrible listener, you really like the sound of your own voice, don’t you? Hit me if you’re going to, you don’t scare me.” She challenged, knowing she was baiting him on purpose. For some reason, Dakota wanted to fight him. Maybe those punches earlier had knocked a screw loose in her brain, because she knew how dangerous he was. But she wasn’t lying - any fear she’d had was dissolved in the anger coursing through her.
"Maybe you're better off as a whore."
Dakota’s brows pulled down in a hard glare as he forced her back, feeling the strain in her spine as she was bent backwards against the table behind her. She felt a dread building as he continued to speak, mentioning how she’d known his name. For a minute, she grasped at straws, trying to find a good excuse. But then she felt that anger flare up again. ”You’re going to kill me because I know your name? Do you even hear yourself when you speak? You sound like a psychopath.” Dakota snapped back, and then she kicked her leg between his, hooking her foot around his leg and using her weight to shove him up and away from her. At the same time, she pulled her leg in, forcing him down to the ground. She planted her knee firmly in his chest, her fingers curled in his shirt. ”I’m not going to be your punching bag this time.” She snarled, pulling her arm back and then throwing a punch downward, aiming for his face.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Two things just happened that he did not see coming: the first being Dakota’s self-defense move catching him off guard, the second being finding himself pinned to the floor by a woman. And then there was her fist plummeting his way. Fortunately, that one he saw coming. You couldn’t expect a trained elite soldier not to. If he was going to take that blow he would be doing it willingly but he wasn’t in the mood to be nice.
Before it reached his face he grasped her fist, twisting her wrist and locking his foot under hers, his free hand went to her waist. He waited for a moment, emerald eyes staring back into hers. “I’ll make sure not to give you another chance to shoot me.” Aaron said and proceeded to flip her over in one smooth motion.
A satisfied and very much arrogant grin played on his lips as he snatched both her arms to prevent her from doing anything, pinning them to the floor beside her head. “I never said I would be the one killing you because you know my name. If you keep butting into my business there’s a lot of other people you wish you will never meet. I’m not the bad guy here.” Aaron told her, his head doing a small side twitch, putting more pressure on her wrists.
He leaned down, closing the space between them. He loosened his grip, lips twitching into a cocky smirk as he stayed next to her ear. “Sergei is nothing compared to them. The guys you just met? Wimps. The real psychopaths behind all of this? Wolves ready to tear you apart because you make easy prey. So do yourself a favor and don't stick too close to me. And don't... let my name leave your lips ever again.”
Dakota wasn’t necessarily surprised when Aaron caught her fist, but that didn’t mean it didn’t only serve to infuriate her further. She wasn’t sure what about him made her want to scream until her throat bled, but he’d really caused something to snap in her. She grunted as he flipped her over, glaring up at him defiantly as he pinned her. Her chest was heaving slightly with her breaths, her brows drawn together in an angry scowl as he smiled that annoying smile of his.
“I never said I would be the one killing you because you know my name. If you keep butting into my business there’s a lot of other people you wish you will never meet. I’m not the bad guy here.”
Breathing through her nose as he spoke, her jaw clenched tightly, she couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that escaped her, rolling her eyes at his last word. ”Why do I find that hard to believe?” She snapped, her words hard and biting. The pressure on her wrists made it impossible to keep them clenched, so she relaxed her arms, but maintained the disapproving scowl on her face.
As he leaned in to talk into her ear, Dakota’s chest stilled, holding her breath as she focused on his words. The real guys behind this? Behind what exactly? Who was he trying to pin his crimes on now? ”I find it comical that you think I’d listen to anything you tell me.” She responded hotly. ”It sounds to me like you might have to worry about these wolves a little more than me. Your past finally catching up with you?” She asked.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]I stopped trying to prove you wrong we've fought this way too longno ones to blame but our bad habits
[attr="class","dilyric3"]bad happens
[attr="class","dibody3"]
'Why do I find that hard to believe?'
Her words stung a little, despite him being fully aware that it was indeed hard to believe for anyone from outside. Even for those who knew half the story. Sometimes he doubted himself and his intentions. Maybe he was the bad guy, after all, maybe he turned himself into the bad guy unintentionally - or intentionally.
He held his gaze on hers, locking eyes while trying to read her before he pushed himself away, letting go of his grip. "Whether or not you believe me or listen to me is your choice. Just let me warn you… try to make the right choice. As a doctor, you should be smart enough. Although-" Aaron looked at her once more before snickering and shaking his head at her. "-I start to doubt you are."
She did hit a few true points. His past was more or less catching up with him, even though he was getting closer and closer to the answers he needed and wanted. It was true that he had to worry more about these wolves than her - unless she decided to continue being a pain in the ass.
Aaron just laughed at her. Why was he even wasting precious time with her? Why was he even trying to get her to do the right thing? He didn’t care. He didn’t care about a stranger - especially not stupid ones. He didn’t care about what would happen to her if she did continue to stick her nose into dangerous business.
While he had let go of his tight grip around her wrist he moved one hand to the collar of her top, grasping the fabric as he balled his hand into a fist. "Besides what do you think you know about me or my past?" he gnarled, nostrils flaring ever so slightly as he glared at her. "Who do you think you are? Right. You are some dumb bitch who would be better off as a hooker." he spat out, thinking his anger would have deflated by now but the plain sight of her face made it all flare up again.
