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.
Adelaide had been in quarantine for just shy of three months. One of her patients had been infected with the virus. Under normal circumstances, it wasn't too much of an issue. There were a lot of patients who had their diagnosis confirmed at the hospital before being sent off to the more secured treatment center. This patient, however, had panicked when they had gotten the news and had tried escaping. Security had come running in, but not before she and her nurse had to physically restrain the man.
They both had been wearing masks, gloves, and all of the other protective gear that the hospital had required, but the man had been too close for too long. The hospital had a zero-policy quarantine mandate so both she and the nurse who was with her had to immediately be evacuated and taken to the center for quarantine. She had figured it would just be a standard three weeks, but the nurse had taken ill. It hadn't been anyone who Adelaide knew much of personally, but she couldn't let the young woman be alone. They had developed a small friendship in the few weeks they were stuck together, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible.
Adelaide had offered her medical services at the clinic while helping take care of the other girl. It had been eye-opening and terrifying to see so much of the virus in all of its stages. She was allowed to observe other cases, other patients. She got to see the hopeful trials and various vaccines they had in the works. The weeks turned to months and by some miracle, the woman had made it through. The center was still treating her for minor issues, but recovery wasn't far for her.
Adelaide was thankful to be returning back to the real world, no matter how chaotic it was. She stopped first by the hospital to report in and get her work schedule. She hadn't been allowed her phone and was thankful that her things in her locker hadn't been disturbed. She then had called her parents, replied to a few emails, and made her way back home.
She wondered if her apartment was finished. She and her next-door neighbor had lit the kitchen on fire and she had been sent away only two days after. She hoped it was completed and fixed. She had been craving the softness of her own bed for weeks. Plus, the last thing she wanted to do was knock on her practically stranger neighbor's door and ask if he still had room on his couch. He was a detective and she figured he had more than his fair share of chaos to deal with.
Adelaide found her door and took in a calming breath, happy to be home. She didn't smell smoke and figured that was a good sign. She pulled out her keys but quickly realized they didn't fit in the lock. Adelaide's face pulled in confusion as she tried again, and then one more time before heading downstairs. She supposed it wouldn't be the craziest thing for the complex to change locks. There was no telling what had happened in three months that she had been gone.
She asked to speak to the manager and felt her blood run warm when he explained that he had kicked her off the lease and sold the place to someone else after the first month of missed payment. The man didn't want to hear "her excuses" no matter how much she insisted. And when she asked where her stuff was, all he could offer her was a "not his problem" dismissive shrug. Adelaide resisted the urge to punch him and made her way back up the stairs.
She was shaking with anger by the time she reached her floor again. Not only was she apparently homeless now, but also had no idea where her stuff was. Her things, not that she had anything worth too much value, were gone? No, she couldn't accept that. They were still her things. There were pictures of her parents and medical journals she had since college. Her favorite coffee mug and softest blanket. How could it all just be gone? How could someone callously just throw her stuff out and move in?
She knocked harshly at the door, not caring that it was later in the day, the pounding reverberating through the hall. The door was opened by a man who was very large and very mean-looking. His substantial size filled up the frame and made her anger pause for half a second. Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a pause. When he all but barked out a gruff "What?" at her, she crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.
"Hi. You don't know me, but I'm the person whose home you're now living in and I want my stuff back." The man narrowed his eyes in return, "Get the hell away from my house." the dismissive tone again causing her temper to flair. Adelaide shook her head, "No. I want my stuff. And I'm not leaving until I get it. All of it." She and the man had a stare-down. A thought bubbling up from somewhere in the back of her mind that even if he moved to the side, if she enjoyed living and breathing, maybe going into a room with him alone wasn't the smartest idea. Unfortunately that thought didn't override the anger that was coursing through her.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Jane Doe. John Doe. Those were the only names that adorned his case files - with one exception. Lara‘s. Her name was the first one on the document he held in his hands, her statement was their only lead but nothing really came out of it yet. Demetri still had his hopes up that maybe, maybe there would be one clue she could give them.
Moving between his desk and the break room for unlimited coffee refills, Demetri spent all afternoon staring at papers and his computer. He felt like he was running against a wall and just wasn‘t able to break through it. It was a puzzle with too many missing pieces. And unlike puzzles, you couldn’t simply order the missing pieces from the manufacturer to finish it.
Time passed and he didn’t even notice until someone tapped his shoulder, ripping him out of the train of thoughts he chased after as he stared at the computer screen. "Are you not going home?" the voice said, and Demetri tilted his neck to stretch it, a cracking sound emerging from it as the stiffness was released. "Yeah in a bit. I’m still working on something." Demetri responded, rubbing his dry eyes. The other detective shrugged, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "You always work on something. What you need to do is rest. Take a break." he said before leaving the office.
Take a break. Demetri scoffed at his words. Easier said than done when there was someone kidnapping innocent people off the streets, leaving no bodies, no witnesses, nothing. He wasn’t planning to take a break until this all ended. But maybe he was right. Maybe he needed to rest for a brief moment, even if it was just for the rest of the day. The brunette glanced at his watch, a sigh escaping his lips as he realized how late it actually was. He turned off his computer, gathered the files to take them home, and put them into his backpack. He pulled the zipper and closed it before swinging it over his shoulder.
The commute home was an easy one. As time passed the city grew quieter with each month. The regulations became stricter and patrols were dispatched more frequently. What once was a buzzing lively place was now dead as a graveyard. And even though most places were closed, Demetri was glad that his all-time favorite pizza place was still open for takeaway and pickup. He had called earlier to place an order and once he arrived it was already on the counter, waiting for him.
The place was just around the corner of his apartment building. Five more minutes and he arrived, walking through the entry and straight for the stairs. Whenever he could avoid elevators he would, and it wasn’t like he was living on the 100th floor. He took two steps at a time, eager to feast upon his two large pizzas.
Before he even opened the door to his floor he could already hear the muffled voices sifting through… arguing? Demanding something? He shrugged it off, slipping through the emergency staircase door, only to be greeted by the sight of a too familiar-looking blonde. And although it had been quite a while since they last saw each other he immediately recognized that glare from the other end of the corridor.
He walked down towards their direction - since his apartment was just right across - narrowing his eyes at the scene. Demetri was aware that someone else had moved in, though, he wasn’t sure what had happened to Adelaide during that time. As he balanced the pizza in one hand, he approached them. "Is there a problem here?" he asked, looking at her and then over at the guy standing in the doorway, moving his jacket to reveal the badge hanging around his neck just in case.
Adelaide was in the middle of a stare down. Had she had the sense to step back and look at the situation, she might have seen how pointless her anger was. She couldn't see that though. She couldn't step back and see anything other than the fact that yet again, a choice had been made for her. She didn't get a choice to self-quarantine. She didn't get a choice to call her parents and let them know she was safe. She didn't get a chance to pay her rent. She didn't choose to abandon the cases she had been working on for months. She had been thrown into a bad situation that had only gotten worse and she had no say in the matter. She wasn't about to let yet another decision be made without at least fighting for the outcome she wanted.
Out of her peripheral vision she noticed someone approaching them and she turned to see her neighbor walking towards them. Though, she supposed he wasn't her neighbor anymore. As he asked them what was wrong, she uncrossed her arms, motioning to the man blocking the door. "Apparently my apartment was sold, without my consent, to this guy. Along with all of my things that he conveniently doesn't have any idea about." Clothes. Jewelry. Pistol. Laptop. Books. The list went on and on. The man opened his mouth to say something when DEMETRI shifted, his badge clearly visible. Adelaide's head tilted to the side in a self-satisfied manner, resisting the urge to yell out something along the lines of ha!
The man held up his hands, "Look. I moved in three weeks ago. I sold everything that was in the place. I don't have any of her stuff." "You sold it all?!" The question coming out of her lips with audacity. Her hands clenched in anger at her sides. "Who sells someone else's things? My entire life was within those walls, and you're seriously telling me that it's all gone?" The cry of a baby came from inside her old place and the man shifted, "Look. I'm a single dad and we needed the cash. Landlord said the stuff was ours and we sold it. Maybe next time pay your rent." Adelaide let out a sarcastic laugh at the comment, like she had had any choice in the matter.
The man shut the door and her face fell. Gone. It was all gone. She let out a sigh, her anger shifting to something much more pathetically sad. She had the money to replace it all of course, but that wasn't the point. There was no buying back the memories and little treasured things that she had collected.
Adelaide gave a small nod, her mind moving into trauma mode. The action was done and there was no stopping it or taking it back. She had to move on to her next step. She had to do damage control, to focus on one step at a time. She turned to Demetri, "Thanks for offering to help." Her eyes touched on the pizza box he carried, "And sorry for interrupting your dinner." She pulled out her cell phone, taking a step towards the elevators. She always had the surgeon suites. It wasn't home but there were beds and a tv. It would make do while she found a new place to live.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] "Apparently my apartment was sold, without my consent, to this guy. Along with all of my things that he conveniently doesn't have any idea about."
Yeah, he heard about it. He ran into their landlord twice and there was gossip going around the entire building. Not that it mattered because those people always had something to say about someone. When she didn’t return home after a while they called the police to check, their landlord afraid she might be dead in there, even though he knew a distinct smell would warn them if that really was the case.
Demetri looked at the guy, only glancing over at the blonde every now and then. If it wasn't his job to stick his nose into other people’s business and if he didn't recognize her he probably would have ignored their argument and just walked past them. He listened to his explanation and unfortunately, the guy did have a point even if it wasn't to her liking. There wasn't really much he could have done at that moment. The few times he parted his lips to say something she already continued her rant.
When the neighbor shut his door he simultaneously turned with her, facing her. Peering down at his food, the smell of pepperoni and cheese filling his nose, he shrugged softly. "I haven't dug in yet so you’re all good." he replied, shifting the boxes in his hands to get his apartment keys out of a pocket. He wouldn't admit that if it came to pizza the whole world could burn and he wouldn't care. The brunette turned around and stepped towards his door, sliding in the keys he finally managed to fish out.
Demetri watched her walk away, his fingers curled around his apartment keys inside the lock. "I bought some of the things he sold." he said out loud, turning the keys to the side to unlock the door before pulling them out. He slipped them over one finger, the set of keys dangling down now as he balanced the pizza boxes on the other. "You can have them." Those were hers after all. But he did have to pay for them and legally seen it would be his now, however, he didn't really have any use for it.
He just did it because it seemed like the right thing to do. And even though he wasn't able to acquire all of it he got a couple of things that looked important. Of course, he didn't have the money to buy all of it and he wasn’t even sure what had driven him to make this decision. What would he have done if she didn’t reappear?
"I’ll give you a 50% discount." he told her just as he pushed the door open with his foot. "Your laptop was a bit overpriced." Leaving the door open he walked inside, dropping his bag on the floor before moving over to his kitchen counter to put the pizzas down.
Adelaide's fingers were moving quickly over the small device in her hands. She had her email on the screen, sending her department head a message. She figured that the only good thing about crashing in the doctor's quarters was that she'd be able to work as much as needed. With her being out for so long, she was ready to jump back into her work. There was no telling how much had changed since the last time she had been on the floor. It seemed like every day brought a new guideline, a new procedure or protocol. She figured her first day back was going to be spent in the office going over prep and procedures and she dreaded it. No, she wasn't looking forward to it, but it beat sitting on her hands in the quarantined sector any day of the week. She was still typing when Demetri's voice spoke out, causing her to pause.
Her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. He bought a few of her things. She turned, phone still in her hand. She had a mix of emotions going on inside her head. On one hand, she was beyond relieved that at least a few things of hers weren't gone forever. On the other hand, the idea of someone buying her things was still a sore spot. Then there was the whole matter of what exactly he had bought.
"You did?" Surprise clearly in the question. She couldn't imagine the guy before her wanting to buy much of her things. He didn't seem like the type that liked to read a lot and she was absolutely certain that his place wasn't brimming with cute coffee mugs and cozy blankets. Not that all of her things were girly of course.
She slid the phone into her pocket as he said she could have her things, walking back in the direction of his place. "Thanks…" On a level of one to ten on how awkward it was to ask for your things back from an almost total stranger, she solidly ranked this exchange as a twelve. Her mind was filled with questions. What exactly had been for sale? Was there anything horribly embarrassing that the guy had put on display? What did he buy? When he told her he'd give her a discount she gave a small laugh.
She had no issues with paying him for whatever he had paid for her stuff. She had already made a mental list of places where she was going to check for her things that were more valuable than the laptop. Things that would probably end up at a pawn shop, like her dad's gun and her mom's jewelry. She figured she'd be paying a pretty high price for those, but it would be worth it if she could actually get them back.
"You got the laptop? Thank God. At least that's not with some sketchy stranger." Relief fluttered through her chest before she thought more about what was on the laptop. "Wait, did you get into it?" She asked curiously, following him into his place. She didn't exactly not trust him, he was a police officer after all and she figured the most least-likely kind of person who would mess with her banking information and the loads of passwords that were saved, but there were also pictures of her in college, nights out with friends, and a few other personal things that she wouldn't want anyone else to see.
His place was like she had remembered. The last time that she had been here had been much more chaotic than her reason now, though neither were exactly pleasant. She vaguely wondered if it would ever be possible for them to meet each other under circumstances that weren't awful. She watched him set the pizza box down on the counter and she put her hands in her pockets, looking around.
"What made you buy some of my stuff? You don't seem like the discount-shopper type." Or shopper type at all really. The idea of the zero-humor detective perusing the isles at Bed, Bath, and Beyond was enough to cause a small smile to her lips.No matter the case, she was thankful that he had made the purchases. She wasn't going to be left completely void of all her things. All because someone panicked and tried to make an escape. The thought causing her to speak up again, "And by the way…I didn't skip out on my rent. I was quarantined from contact exposure." Not that she figured he'd care, she just wanted the fact out there. She hadn't just not paid the guy and skipped out on rent for funsies, she wasn't the type. She was miss responsible, in every sense of the word.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] It definitely was weird to purchase a stranger's belongings, ones that may hold memories for them but had no meaning for yourself. Demetri also felt like he was buying evidence from a non-existent crime scene. It was just a weird situation altogether but here he was, telling her he had some of her things. Truth to be told he did consider her a case at some point… one of the endless Jane and John Does that seemed to disappear without a trace since March. So in the end he might have really bought some of her things considering them possible evidence. Would he tell her? Probably not.
The smell of pizza filled his apartment, nothing he would ever complain about. If there was a scented candle that smelt like pepperoni and cheese? Heck yeah. Burnt bacon? Not so much. Sparkling eyes, like a child's, looked down at the pizza boxes as he opened them, hitting him with the exact, greasy smell he anticipated during his way home. For a brief moment, he forgot about his neighbor asking him questions as he inhaled the greatness, the gift of God, the cheesy goodness that was soon going to be part of him.
He walked around the counter, taking off his jacket in the process, tossing it on the couch. Running a hand through his hair he looked at her, the most serious look on his face. "You really need to come up with a better password." he replied simply, shrugging it off as if it wasn’t a big deal. He did open her laptop and log in but that was about it. The detective inside of him wanted to browse through her things but the guilt he felt as soon as he opened it just nagged him too much. He wasn’t sure if she just ran away or if anything happened. He didn’t have a reason to look through it.
"But don’t worry. I didn’t look at anything. As soon as I managed to log in I turned it off again." Demetri told her, walking back to his dinner. Taking a slice he bit off a big piece, thinking about her questions as he chewed. One hand rested against the counter while the other one held the pizza. What made you buy some of my stuff?"Work." he said, taking another bite. Hazel eyes looked at the open pizza box and back at her before he gave it a push and twisted it around so the open side was in her direction. “You want some?” he asked, trying to be polite and maybe a little human. Demetri wasn’t the type to share his food but after all these months maybe it wasn’t that bad to become a little nicer than he was.
Swallowing, the detective turned to his fridge, opening it and grabbing a beer bottle. He flipped the lid off and took a sip to wash down the food. "I thought you might become a case of mine." he said, although as soon as the words left his lips he felt like he needed to take them back. Thinking it was one thing. Saying it out loud to the person who did in fact not become a case was bizarre, odd, weird. It was almost like telling someone Oh, I thought you were dead but guess you are not."But you didn’t. So everything is useless and you can have it back. Let me get it real quick." he continued, setting the bottle on the counter next to the food.
He quickly stuffed half a slice in his mouth before washing his hands and moving over to the living room area. It didn’t really change since the last time she was there. There were case files, pictures, single papers, documents strewn all over the place… everything one could possibly imagine to be at a Police Department but instead it was at his apartment. Out of the mess, he made a box the size of a moving box appear, carrying it over to her. "It’s not a lot. Mostly pictures, your laptop, a few books that looked interesting enough to check out." he told her, placing the box on one of the bar stools on her side. "I'm sure the guy couldn't really sell everything. His prices were too high for anyone to be interested in it. There might be some things stored in the basement." he said as he walked back to the other side of the counter.
Adelaide followed him into his apartment, her eyes scanning the place. It felt like years since she had been inside his home, not a mere matter of months. Still, everything looked mostly the same. His place was clean but not exactly what someone would call neat. There were folders, pictures, and papers scattered about. A few empty coffee cups here and there. In fact, as her eyes moved over his countertop she spotted a very familiar cup. "My coffee mug!" She grinned, happy that at least something personal was still in her grasp.
She had forgotten about bringing it over, actually she had brought two over. If she had to guess, she'd bet that if she opened up his cabinet she'd find the other one somewhere in there. She had brought them over on the morning of the fire. It had been her version of an olive branch, sort of. He had shared his breakfast and she had shared the coffee she had brewed. At least some things weren't gone forever.
Adelaide moved to the counter it was resting on and picked it up, a pleased smile on her face. The familiar weight was comforting, soothing. She looked over at Demetri, who was looking at his pizza like a man in love, as he criticized her password. "Well I figured that everyone assumes no one is going to have the password 1234 because of how obviously easy that is. So what better password than the password that no one ever assumes it would be?" She finished her sentence with a shrug, suggesting that it indeed was a good idea, though if he had already gotten in she knew her logic was clearly flawed. Still, it had seemed like a solid idea at the time.
Demetri mentioned that he didn't look at anything on her computer and she felt a tightness in her chest that she hadn't realized was there relax, "Well, thanks for…not looking. Good to know my binging habits are still between netflix and I." Adelaide leaned against his counter as she asked why he had bought her stuff. The reply, wasn't exactly one she was expecting. Her eyebrows creased slightly in confusion. Work? He was a detective. Why he would need her laptop for work was beyond her. She wondered, for a moment, if his had perhaps broken and he was looking for a replacement. Though she would have thought his department would have covered that.
He turned the box on the counter towards her and she glanced at the cheesy, greasy pizza inside. The apartment already smelled of the delicious garlicky goodness and her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten yet. "Sure, thanks." She grabbed a slice, folding the pizza before taking a bite.
It had been too long since she had eaten a proper meal. Though it was a pity that a slice of pizza now counted as a proper meal. For months she had been eating hospital food, and not even the half-way good stuff that her hospital made. She had been eating the recovery center food and this slice of pizza in comparison was like a gourmet meal after all of those months. "Mmm, good stuff," She commented before taking another bite. She had just swallowed the bite when he casually mentioned he thought she might become a case of his.
Adelaide coughed and sputtered in surprise of the comment. Her hand moving to her chest for a moment before the slice went down and she could voice her thoughts properly, "What?! You thought I was murdered or something?" She asked, halfway surprised and halfway in horror. "Why would you think that? Does that happen a lot?" her chin was tilted, eyebrows still pulled together as she tried to get clarification, "I could have been on vacation or visiting family but you assumed murder?" Her mind was running wild with questions. Why assume she had died or vanished? Should that be a genuine concern? Exactly how many females her age went missing in this place? Was he just going on hunch or had something happened to specifically point to her being murdered?
She took another bite as her mind continued to run wild in thought. He shook off his comment casually, like he hadn't mentioned a horrific way for her to go out and she made a mock careless face as she waved her hand, "Oh yeah…no worries. Want me to give you a terrifyingly vague medical diagnosis to round out the evening?" She took another bite of the pizza as she watched him go to get her things, finishing the slice.
She moved to his sink, washing her hands before moving to the other side of the counter to get a paper towel. As she dried her hands she looked over the nearest picture to her. It was a younger male, deceased, it looked like a photo that they would have taken at the autopsy. She studied it for a few more moments as he walked back into the room, talking about her stuff. She turned her attention to the box that he set down next to her. "Thanks. I'll check there too. How much do I owe you for it all?"
Adelaide looked through the box, seeing that he had grabbed a few of her favorite books along with the pictures of her parents. Her hands moved over her college graduation photo and she grinned, "Oh I am so getting you a pizza oven for Christmas." She looked through the rest of the box briefly, "Did you see my dad's pistol by any chance? Can I file some sort of police report for it?" With her luck it'd be used in a crime or something.
She turned her attention back to Demetri, leaning over the counter on her elbows, head resting on her hands before gesturing her head to the photo, "So, who was poisoned?"
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Demetri looked over at the mug she just mentioned, having completely forgotten about it. He was sure he had used it a couple of times even after she left because he probably wouldn’t even have noticed that it wasn’t one of his own. To him, your ordinary male, a mug was a mug. If it was able to hold his coffee he would use it. And then… it was just a mug, a small object made out of porcelain. It was something easily replaced. He didn’t fully understand why she was so excited to see it. Maybe if he was put in her shoes, having lost all personal belongings, he might be able to understand. He gave her a small, empathetic twitch with his lips. “Right,” he let out, nodding towards the cupboard above the sink. “You brought two if I’m not mistaken. Should be in there. I forgot those weren’t mine.”
Shaking his head at her assumption, his fingers tapping the edge of the pizza box in front of him. “Even if everyone assumes no one would use it it’s the first thing you try. I assumed a doctor would be smarter than that.” he said, “Clearly we both were wrong in our assumptions.” He finished speaking, the jab was unintentional, just something he could be found doing every once in a while. “Hm.” was all that left his lips at her comment about Netflix. Good for her because he wasn’t the type to watch TV or make use of streaming services anyway. There were more important things to attend to and binge-watching some soap operas wasn’t on that list.
The moment she said it out loud he realized how absurd it sounded in the first place. Her reaction was understandable, predictable even. The majority of cops would probably think of the worst-case scenarios whenever something happened just because it was part of the job, they were used to it and sometimes it was easier to prepare that way. The disappointment if things didn’t work out the way they wanted or expected it to was less if there was no hope, to begin with. He listened to her with his back turned to her as he picked up the box. His face contorted slightly, fortunately, it was hidden from her view at that exact moment. “Murder would be the worst-case but not something I would investigate.” he told her, wondering if that would make it better.
“What kind of diagnosis? Because if it’s cancer then thanks, Google got that covered already.” he called out, and even though it was meant to be a joke he didn’t laugh, not even at himself. Demetri wasn’t sure if that was helping at all. Either way, wouldn’t sound very pleasing to hear. His eyes scanned the content of the box, the top flapping slightly as he moved it. “I investigate missing people cases unless you want to hear that the other possibility would have been to assume you’re a drug addict or a dealer.” he said, his voice aloof as he shrugged at her with the box in his hands.
The mention of his old unit sent soft chills down his spine but he resisted the urge to shudder. Unlike Adelaide, his old partner didn’t suddenly reappear. He had yet to get rid of the guilt that plagued him every day. Every attempt at stopping himself from blaming himself went down the drain and even though no one pointed fingers at him he couldn’t shake off the feeling there was something he might not know. Taking a breath through his nose he turned towards her. “So no, I didn’t think you were murdered. I thought you might have gotten abducted.”
Once he brought her the box he moved back to the other side of the counter, opening the second pizza box and casually slapping two slices on top of each other before taking a bite. He leaned back against the counter, one hand resting against the rim. His gaze had dropped to stare blankly at the pizza as he chewed his food but found their way back to her when she asked him about how much she would owe him. He honestly didn’t know. Thus, he shook his head at her. “I don’t know. Surely didn’t cost me a fortune. Don’t worry about it.” the brunette said, studying her face as she looked through the contents.
“Thanks, I suppose, but I don’t cook.” I can’t cook would have been the more honest answer. However, after all the accusations he had made when she set the fire in her apartment because she was distracted by him, a stranger back then, it probably wouldn’t have been the best idea. While he was usually the one to add fuel to the fire right now he was just a man who wanted to enjoy his pizza. With a growl of his stomach, he took another bite of his double-decker slice.
He continued watching her go through the contents in silence, eyebrows raised at her question about her dad’s pistol. “You can file a police report, although it should usually be done within 48 hours of discovery. Chances to find it is low unless of course, someone commits a crime and gets arrested with it so officers can trace the serial number.” he explained, dusting off his hands after finishing the double slice. He reached for his beer, frowning as he tried to think back to the day he visited the guy across the corridor or if he had seen it being sold online. He didn’t remember. “Maybe he still has it. Maybe he brought it to the basement with all the other stuff he couldn’t get rid of. I can give you my keys to access the basement.”
As he brought the bottle up to his lips he turned his gaze back to her leaning over the counter. Dark eyebrows furrowed, drawing together once more. There was a hint of confusion in his eyes at her question when he glanced over at the photo then back to her. “What do you mean?” he asked, head tilting softly to the side. He put down the drink and stepped forward to the counter, fingers reaching for the picture and picking it up to hold it in front of her. “Poisoned?” Not a lot of bodies were found and the picture was just one out of too many missing people in the city. They weren’t even sure if it was connected to the other cases because a body was such a rarity, an exception. They ran everything through the lab and forensics did mention a strange substance found but it was nothing anyone knew about. It was simply shrugged off as some kind of drug.
The corner of Adelaide's lips lifted slightly in satisfaction when he confirmed that the other cup was indeed in the cabinet. She would never understand the male species. How they could go along for months with someone else's things in their home without realizing it was well beyond her. Sure her place wasn't the most organized, but she would have known the second she grabbed someone else's coffee mug that didn’t belong.
Demetri tapped the pizza box, driving home the seriousness of his voice and Adelaide's mouth parted in shock from the sheer gall of him implying that she was an idiot. She crossed her arms, "And I assumed that a detective would know better than to have gotten so wasted that he ended up breaking into his neighbor's place." She paused, eyebrows raised in a challenge before continuing, "We all have our blind spots, you don’t have to be an ass about it." She leveled her stare at him for just a moment longer before letting it go.
Adelaide finished up with the slice as she listened to him correcting her assumptions. She supposed presumed missing was better than presumed murdered, if only slightly. She gave a short chuckle as she dried her hands, replying to his remark with dry humor of her own, "Well that makes me feel a lot better. Thank you."
Demetri then brought up a cancer suggestion from Google and she shifted her weight, hand on her hip. He hadn't laughed, which was the only reason she didn't immediately come back at him with a snarky comment. "Are you trying to be funny again or do you actually have something wrong with you?" She watched him, waiting on what she assumed would either be an admission of having a crappy sense of humor or shrugging off an injury or illness. There were a few occupations who, on the average, refused medical attention until it was unbearably needed and police were first on that list.
He moved on further, defending his assumptions and she found herself chuckling at the idea, "I would have to be the world's least successful drug dealer to be living in a place like ours. Well…" She tilted her head to the side with a smirk "Yours now I suppose, no offense."
She glanced over as he paused and she watched in silence as he seemed to be having an internal struggle. She had seen the look before, hell she had them herself all the time. It was a certain look that every doctor she knew got when they did their damn best and it wasn't enough. When all thoughts of the surgery were rewound again and again in your mind, where you tried to figure out exactly what you did wrong. Where you analyzed every minute to see what the hell you could have done differently. Yes, she was all too familiar with that look and she knew well enough to leave it alone. At least for now. So she skipped over commentating on the matter further.
He shrugged off her offer of paying him back and on one hand she was slightly relieved. She was now looking at renting a whole new apartment which would of course come with a hefty new deposit. Then there was the whole matter of replenishing all of her things from furniture to clothes. She knew her bank account would soon be taking quite the hit. Then again, on the other hand, the idea that her curated and well-loved various items could be sold for so cheap had her slightly offended at the man across the hall. "Well, if you decide otherwise, let me know."
Adelaide's fingers moved over the contents of the box as Demetri mentioned he didn't cook. "Okay, then restaurant gift cards it is." She grinned back at him teasingly before turning her attention back to the box. The grin wavered as she totaled everything inside up. She was thankful to him, but it was hard facing the fact that her entire life's contents could now fit into something so small. He answered her question about the pistol and she nodded as he mentioned that the man might have it or that it might be in the basement.
She stood up, walking over to where he was, a small crease between her eyebrows, "Thanks. I honestly had no idea this place even had a basement accessible to tenants." She very much doubted that a pistol would be collecting dust in a dark basement but it was worth a shot. It was better to at least check out the possibility than to wonder and wait for it to show up on a police report involved in something illegal.
Speaking of police reports. She figured he would grab the file that she had looked at and comment about her keeping her observations to herself in matters of the police but instead he looked genuinely curious so she turned the photo back to him, "See the small scratches and cracked skin between the thumb and the index finger? It's on both hands which usually indicates there was pain there, probably due to nerve damage, it's too aggravated to be something mild. She nodded again in reference to the photo as she elaborated, "There's also cracked skin at the corners of their mouth which was probably due to repeat vomiting though…" She looked at the photo one more time before she kept speaking. "It could be due to nerve damage as well. Either way, the final tell is at their hairline. See how one side is just a bit more sparse than the other? Definitely Poisoning." She reached over and grabbed another slice of pizza, chewing thoughtfully. "I bet the initial cause of death was heart failure wasn't it?"
She never got a chance to use the medical knowledge that pertained to foreign chemicals and poisoning. That wasn't exactly an issue that came into ICU, at least not the kind that needed diagnosing. Sure there was the occasional, please help me, my child swallowed XYZ which then they could move forward with certainty. She didn't think she had ever had more than two cases in her life where they had to actually diagnose a chemical poisoning through using what little clues they were given. It was a blessing for sure, but using her knowledge to solve a puzzle was a little fun as well. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone.
"Do you know if they had a history of hormonal issues? Particularly issues related to acne? If not then you're really only looking at one possible chemical that can do all of that in lethal doses."
