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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CODING
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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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APPLICATIONS
THREAD MODERATION
MEDIATOR
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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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CLAIMS
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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","CONTENT"] Ever since the gang disbanded Carmen tried her best to keep the underground clinic running. Not for herself, but for those who needed it. Those who couldn’t afford to visit a regular hospital, afford to call an ambulance. Not to mention that every hospital was just full of people needing treatment and help but most were heavily understaffed these days.
Considering it was a project run by criminals the area surrounding it wasn’t exactly the safest place to store supplies - at least not all of them. Carmen preferred to keep part of it away, usually within the gang’s headquarters where she also used to live. But her new apartment didn’t have the space to hold all of it and to avoid suspicion she found one of those cargo containers at the docks down at the Lethford River where she could keep it.
Carmen pulled up her scarf to cover her face, shielding it from the chilly wind which seemed to be stronger down at the river. She couldn’t really believe how fast time passed. One day it was scorching hot and the other it was freezing cold. It would be during this time of the year that the city started decorating for the Christmas season but instead the streets and storefronts were just empty and dark.
Walking down the stairs she made her way to the docks, into a maze of freight containers. She held out her phone, glancing down at the screen while she navigated through. If she didn’t mark the exact location on her phone’s map Carmen was sure she would get lost all the time.
Digging her free hand into the pocket of her coat the brunette approached hers, pulling out a key and shining the phone’s flashlight at the lock to see. She was just about to put the key inside when the faintest of noises caught her attention, immediately whipping her head around and holding the light out into the direction it was coming from. "Who's there? If you don't want to get pepper-sprayed I suggest you either show yourself or leave." Carmen threatened, narrowing her eyes, the key slipping between her fingers to use as a weapon if needed.
Things were falling apart, even more so than they had ever been. The gang had been together for years and now everything was falling apart. Puck's family was falling apart. All he'd had in a really long time had been the members of the gang and without them he would be completely and utterly alone. He never thought he would mind being alone. Sometimes you never quite know what you have until it's gone.
Before it all fell apart he been assigned to be Carmen's body guard and he had taken to continuing in that role as often as he could. He couldn't be with her 24/7 but most of his free time had been taken up by keeping an eye on her. Sometime she was aware of it and sometimes she wasn't. So on this particular evening he had followed her to the docks. Quietly stalking people was definitely in his wheelhouse and most of the time he had remained unnoticed until he accidently kicked a small pebble and it rolled across the asphalt. It wasn't a loud noise, but enough to be noticed. Damn.
Puck grinned to himself from behind another container as Carmen called out. She had always been feisty. He wouldn't put it past her to cause real damage to someone. He came out from behind the container with his hands up in surrender and the light illuminated him. He was wearing dark clothes, black jeans and a dark grey tee that had been cut into a v-neck with a rock band logo on it, Rush. He had on a dark blue jacket, a black mask over his nose and mouth, and several rings on his fingers.
"I surrender," he said to her with a smirk that was evident in his exposed blue eyes.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Carmen tensed at the sound of someone moving in the dark, her hand gripping the keys tight between her fingers, ready to use it and jab someone's eyes out. It seemed like such a cliché. A woman’s best bet when it came to self-defense. But Carmen wasn't your typical woman. She wasn’t necessarily scared either… more careful... if anything. She waited for the person to show themself when a familiar voice broke the suspending silence, turning off the flashlight on her phone, her hand clutching the device moved to her chest as she breathed a sigh of relief.
At least it wasn’t some kind of thug trying to rob her - or the things stored inside the container. Not like they weren’t thugs themselves. Heck, even the things inside the container were stolen… mostly that is. No, Carmen was pretty sure all of it was somehow acquired illegally. A few things were hers, some were maybe Puck’s but the majority were brought to her by delivery. When she asked how there never was an answer and even now she didn’t know where all of it came from.
Glancing at her phone she pushed the home screen button, watching the screen light up but there weren't any notifications. No messages, no missed calls. "I’m glad it’s you but what the hell. Is sneaking up on people a new trend I'm not aware of?" Carmen questioned, scoffing just slightly in a jesting way. Her attention went back to the keys as she grabbed them, turning it to unlock the lock.
One gloved hand rested on the cold metal doors before she whipped her head to the side, curious eyes staring at Puck. "How did you know where to find me?" she asked, a part of her wondering, another didn’t really. She squinted at his figure in the dark, her lips forming a contempt line. She shook her head, curls bobbing against her cheeks. "At least-" she started, giving him a mischievous grin. "Now that you’re here… I'm sure I can use some help." she added, nodding at the container doors, one hand grasping the side, trying to pull them open.
It didn’t budge. For a brief moment, Carmen felt dumbfounded. They opened perfectly fine last time. Leaning away with all her weight, not that there was much of that, she pulled and pulled but nothing happened. A disgruntled growl left her throat. Was it frozen?
When she lowered the flashlight Puck smirked and let his hands fall, leaning his shoulder against the container next to him and popping one foot up onto his toe as he crossed it front of the opposite ankle. He shrugged casually at her question. "Oh ya, didn't you know? It's the new hot thing to do these days," he teased.
He stayed where he was as he watched her move to unlock the the container. At her question he answered without a second thought. "I was following you," he said this was a tone as if it should be obvious and also wasn't a big deal. He hadn't been her body guard for too long but he took it seriously. "You shouldn't have come out here alone, you know."
When she suggested he help her he returned her expression with a smirk of his own. "Eh," he said with a shrug, messing with her. Though as he watched her try to open the door he couldn't help but chuckle. "Alright, fine," he made his way towards her and gripped the door. "Together?" he asked, and waiting for her before they worked to try to pull the heavy door open together.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Carmen instantly paused whatever she was doing when Puck told her he was following her as if it was the most normal thing to say. She rolled her eyes at him, an idea of how and why already spinning in her mind but she brushed it away. She figured he wouldn’t be doing that on his own accord. Or at least it might not have been his idea. She was an adult, a fully grown woman. "I’m not a child that needs protection." she scoffed, feeling just a tad bit irritated that someone would think that. But on the other hand, she was of course, grateful to have someone to trust, someone who had her back even if she didn’t know about it.
Throwing her head back and holding out her arms forward in mocking disbelief she looked at him. "Really? Do you want to follow me to the restroom every time I need to go too? What is supposed to happen-" she began, gesturing around her, the empty and quiet area they were at. "While I’m all alone by myself wandering the super empty streets of Lethford. Get kidnapped by a ghost?" she countered, laughing softly. The lockdown was keeping people inside their homes and even if some were breaking those regulations the majority was still sticking to it for the most part. Also, the rising numbers in crimes ever since the lockdown and curfew were announced was just another good reason for anyone to just stay inside.
"I’m sure you have better things to do than following me. I can take care of myself you know." Carmen made sure to empathize the last part, copying his own words. She whipped her hair around, pulling some out of her face. She definitely didn’t mind the company and surely not the help he could give her transporting those things over to the clinic. Climbing down the stairs was one thing but trying to climb over the rails of the subway and into the tunnels was another, especially on those days where she decided to wear heels which were more than inconvenient.
She looked at him, returning his smirk with a grin. Curling her fingers around the door and grabbing it tightly Carmen nodded as he spoke. "Together." she replied, "One, two, three!" Carmen threw herself back and pulled with all her strength and the door opened, although it was probably Puck who managed to open it. A variety of labeled boxes and bags came into view as she held out her phone’s flashlight once again.
Stepping into the container, making sure not to trip at the level between that and the ground, she made her way to one of the boxes before shining the light at Puck. "I need a bunch of these over at the clinic. How many do you think you can carry?" she asked, lips twisting to the side in a thinking motion. "I didn’t mention it earlier but it’s good to see you. I hope you’re keeping yourself out of trouble these days." she told him jokingly. The sudden separation was probably hard on all of them but Carmen got to focus more on her work as a nurse, both for the hospital and the underground clinic. She wasn't sure what everyone else was up to.
Puck just grinned at her while she chided him, arguing against all the reasons why he shouldn't need to follow her around. What she said wouldn't make him any less likely to follow her anyway, so he just let her talk. There was no point in arguing with her about it. He would continue to do it regardless. Because she was beautiful, because she was a woman, because she was alone...because he cared about her.
They worked together to open the door and Puck put all his effort into it. He smiled when it opened and swiped his hands together before shaking out his wrists once it was open. He pulled his phone out as well, shining a light around to add to hers in an attempt to help her out.
He looked at them all with curiosity, not sure what was inside of them but sure that if it had to do with Carmen then it was important to the clinic. She quickly confirmed his guess. "Let's find out," he replied. He picked up one box and held it firmly in his grip. "Load me up," he said to her.
He grinned when she said it was good to see him and peeked out from behind the boxes in his arms to look at her. "It's good to see you too. And you know me, trouble is all relative," he said with a chuckle.