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.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CODING
GRAPHICS
ADVERTISING
CHARACTERS
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!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS
THREAD MODERATION
MEDIATOR
CHARACTERS
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!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CLAIMS
DIRECTORY
CHARACTERS
STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Watch me take the wheel like you, not feel like you act like nothing's real like you you need a taste of your own
[attr="class","dilyric3"]medicine
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Max put on a fresh pair of gloves before spraying down the box in front of him with sanitizer. He let it sit for a moment, placing the bottle back on the shelf next to the storage room door. Wearing gloves and using sanitizer wasn't something new to him but with this new virus, stricter precautions had to be made and this included quarantining packages he didn't need immediately or wiping down the ones he did need right after arrival.
Once the required waiting time had passed he picked up the box and carried it to the front, putting it on the counter and cutting it open with a box cutter. Upon opening it, the sight of white, small, individual packages came into view. He dropped the box cutter into the pocket of his pharmacist gown which would be way too hot to wear if the store didn't have a working air conditioner. He took out each box of medication and placed them on the counter, once that was accomplished, he threw the bigger box into the trash.
Dark eyes quickly scanned the invoice and the number of boxes he neatly stacked on top of each other, building two towers. Making sure he received the amount he ordered and was billed for he put away the invoice to a bunch of others.
The outbreak, the new laws and regulations, and the lockdown made his life so much more difficult. Although his client base had not really decreased because addicts were always in need of substance and they almost always found a way to get their hands on something, he had to be more careful as the increasing number of patrols - including the arrival of military patrols - was putting his safety at a higher risk.
He took a pile of the new arrivals and walked over to one of the shelves to restock them. A gush of warm air brushed past him as the door opened, the little bell on top of it chiming as it announced a new customer entering. Max lifted his head, turning it towards the direction of the door, and put on his boy-next-door smile which was oh so loved by his older customers - the moms, the divorced, the grannies.
"Welcome. Let me know if I can help you with anything."
Greg had braced himself before he walked in, and he'd somehow still been caught off-guard by the smile. Of course the drug dealer who'd been fucking up his patients was hot. That was just how Greg's life went sometimes. He tried not groan out loud as he pretended to look around casually. He was just here to buy- vitamins, that was something he could buy without needing immediate help. He smiled warmly and waved, before looking at their selection.
Vitamin D bottles had been cleared out recently. Greg tried to recall if there'd been a recent study on its effect on survival or recovery rates and came up empty. It could be that the government had said something and he just hadn't been paying attention. It could be that people had just decided they really needed Vitamin D now. It's not like most people got enough sun in a good year, right? Maybe he should get some too. Barely better than placebo, with the absorption rates, but he figured he had to buy something just to be polite.
After spending another five minutes just browsing, he finally spoke up. Greg called out to the pharmacist, only half-looking his way, like this was just a casual comment he was making.
“I heard you might have just got a new order of my medication.”
Greg thought that looking a little shady and awkward here gave off the right image, so he didn't try to hide it. Drug dealers probably expected that from people who didn't have withdrawal symptoms. Preying on the anxious and desperate who just wanted to get through the day- Greg didn't know how many of the people who came through his clinic were into the kind of drugs this asshole sold, but he knew at least one had to be buying from here. He waited for the man's answer.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Watch me take the wheel like you, not feel like you act like nothing's real like you you need a taste of your own
[attr="class","dilyric3"]medicine
[attr="class","dibody3"]
He was watching the customer through one of the windows, looking at his slightly hazy reflection. It was a trick he had picked up at some point. Looking at someone through a window, a mirrored surface or whatever was available to avoid looking at them directly. Someone once told it was an assassin’s trick but either way, it worked well. His eyes shifted between the brunette and the shelf he was restocking, carefully placing one package of medication on top of the other. He pushed them all together, making sure they were in one clean row.
Max thought he was behaving a little odd. Nothing too dramatic but something seemed off. For now, it wasn’t worth paying too much attention to though. He was going to wait and see how it played out, what the guy wanted. People were always confused and overwhelmed at the pharmacy. What is this? What does that do? How many would be too many to take? Do I need a prescription? Perhaps he was no exception.
‘I heard you might have just got a new order of my medication.’
The blonde was all ears at his request. Nevertheless, he needed to be cautious. He wasn’t going to throw his second business out in the open for anyone attempting to buy something. Maybe the guy was just plain strange. Maybe he was an undercover cop… well, if he was then he was superb at his role. But people who knew wouldn’t just walk into a dealers’, let alone traffickers’, store and ask away.
Max turned around, leaving the boxes on the shelf as he tucked away one hand into the pocket of his white gown. His lips arched up into a polite smile. “I’m sure we might have something for your needs. We’ve gotten quite a lot of new orders today. Anything specific you are looking for?”
As far as plans went, this probably wasn’t his stupidest, Greg reasoned. It felt like walking into the lion’s den with fresh cuts of meat strapped to his body, but just because this guy was a drug dealer didn’t mean he would hurt him if he caught on. Right? Right. He was worrying over nothing. Besides, as vigilante missions went, Greg thought this one had remarkably peaceful intent. He just wanted to confirm that this guy had been selling to people in the area. That was it. He wasn’t going to make a scene.
Greg continued to fiddle with a potential purchase, turning it over in his hands like he was fidgeting. He was, he supposed, but only to disarm the dealer. He wanted to come across as completely innocent- just a buyer. He wanted to know what he could buy off him today. Greg’s eyes darted back to the door, then back pharmacist. He realized he’d already overplayed his hand- he didn’t look panicked or paranoid so much as a bad actor. Still, the guy probably wouldn’t question it unless he kept messing up. He kept his tone whispered but desperate.
“I heard…” he cleared his throat, trying to speak more quietly. “I heard that you got a new order in of something my friend has been using. Could you tell me more about that?"
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Watch me take the wheel like you, not feel like you act like nothing's real like you you need a taste of your own
[attr="class","dilyric3"]medicine
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Nodding along, he glanced up and down between the man’s face and the product he was playing with in his hands. It was distracting and perhaps a little irritating. Nonetheless, a mask of sheer calmness covered his face, making it difficult for others to notice his annoyance.
Max put on his boy-next-door smile, the one all the older women loved, making a follow-me gesture towards the guy. He walked over to the counter, positioning himself behind it. "Hmm. Let’s see." he murmured under his breath, more to himself than to the customer. "Just a minute. I’ll be right back." he then said before disappearing into the back room where the storage and some other new arrivals were.
It didn’t take long for him to reappear with two big packages in his hands. He put both on a small stool next to the register and cut through the tape sealing the boxes with a knife. Twirling the blade around his fingers before he put it on the counter, he gave the two packages an approving nod.
"I’ve got a brand new delivery of Kaopectate and Pepto-Bismol tablets and chewables if you are interested in those. They are very popular these days." he offered, placing a blue colored box and a pink colored box with tablets in front of him, shoving them towards the guy for a better look.
