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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ADVERTISING
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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.
Pierce had the local news playing in the lobby of the office. He could hear the news anchors rolling through different information and arguing and honestly it was stressing him out. He was over hearing about it. But he couldn't find it in himself to turn it off. More military rolling into Lethford to support local law enforcement. Why? Because they were now going to be welcoming themselves into peoples homes. Invading their privacy to ensure that there were no large gatherings. Hell he wouldn't put it past them if they showed up to his office and told him he had to shut it down.
687,846 cases. In Lethford alone. And that was the cases they knew. 274,271 deaths coming out of their city. It was terrifying numbers. He had to admit that he was a bit shocked hearing it. But what were they supposed to do? Hide forever? Pierce wasn't for that. There was too much for him to do. So here he was. Running a vet's office with one two techs with him. One at the front desk, one in the back office, and then himself. Keeping animals for only the absolutely required time to ensure they would not be overwhelmed.
He checked out the window again as his orange tabby who ran around the office danced between his legs, purring loudly. "Yes I see you, and hear you." He told her, reaching down and scratching behind her ears. He wasn't wearing a mask at the time. No one was around and he was by himself in the front office. Letting his tech take her lunch. But his mask did hang from one ear, ready to be slipped right into place if someone was to come in. Normally they were appointment only, but he still allowed walk in emergencies.
He had just sat back in the office chair, folding his fit arms over his chest and pushing himself back and forth with the tip of his toes. He wasn't the shortest man and quite honestly overfilled the chair, but what caught his attention was the figure moving towards his door through the overcast. The clouds threatening to unleash rain down on their heads before they could even get to the door. Were they really headed for his office? He didn't want to make a fool of himself, so instead of doing the gentlemanly thing and go to get the door, he simply stood up from the chair and slipped the mask back onto his face. His white coat long forgotten in an office. His dark navy button up had the sleeves rolled up to his forearms and dark slacks on.
Maggie had only been living in Lethford for a few months, around the time that the pandemic started. She had moved in with her older brother who she hadn't seen in ten years and had made herself at home. Or at least as home as she could given the current viral situation. It hadn't been an easy adjustment as the siblings had to navigate through their past and adjust to their living situation. Maggie hadn't been able to find a job either. She hadn't actually been trying very hard even though she was telling Mick that she was putting in job applications on a regular basis. She wasn't exactly being truthful.
It was a dreary sort of day, the clouds were looking pretty dark and threatening but Maggie had to get out of the house. She was being safe. She had on a black mask that had black lace fabric sewn onto the front of it so that it at least looked a little bit nicer than normal. She was staying away from people, making sure to step aside so they could maintain six feet apart or whatever. Things were getting worse though instead of better with the virus. Still, Maggie was sure it would get better soon. It couldn't last forever. Life would get back to normal soon.
Even though she was just taking a walk she had put herself together first. She wore black leggings, white Keds, and a light blue v-neck sweater which brought out the blue shades in her hazel eyes. Her hair, which had been blue upon arriving in Lethford, was now mostly a silver grey with a subtle tint of blue to it. Her make-up was relatively simple but done to perfection with a little sweeping cat eye and neutral lipstick.
As she walked by an alley way she heard the softest sound of mewling. Furrowing her brow she slowed down her steps to listen. She heard it again. She wasn't particularly eager to walk into a damp alley but it wasn't dark yet and she didn't see anyone lurking inside of it. When she heard the sound again she made up her mind to step inside. It wasn't long before she found the source of the noise. She found a litter of kittens, clearly malnourished. Even though she was no animal expert it didn't take a genius to realize that the poor things had been abandoned. There were six of them total. Caring nothing at all for how dirty or germy they might be, she found an empty box in a trash can and gathered up the little kittens one by one into the box. "I know, I know, it's okay. You poor little dears. It's okay, you're safe now," she spoke sweetly to them as they meowed up her in their tiny little kitten voices.
Once she was sure she had gathered them all up she pulled out some hand sanitizer from her purse and put some on before she pulled out her to phone to look up the nearest vet clinic. Luckily she found one only a couple of blocks away. Ryker Veterinary Clinic. She scooped up the box and immediately made her way there. She glanced up at the sky as she walked and increased her pace, worried they might get caught in the rain. Soon enough she rounded the corner and spotted the sign for the clinic. As she reached the sign she awkwardly tried to grab the handle while keeping a firm hold on the box and once it was cracked open she used her foot and her hip to open it wide enough to squeeze inside. By the time she was in she was a little out of breath.
She immediately saw a man standing there. He wasn't wearing a white coat like she figured the vet would be wearing so she assumed he was just someone who worked here. Her hazel eyes met his blue ones over her mask and she smiled, something only evident from the lift of her cheekbones and the crinkle of her skin by her eyes.
"Can you please help me?" she asked with a sweet hopefulness in her voice. "I found these sweet little kittens abandoned by their mommy kitty. They look like they need some medical attention." She stepped up to the man so he could look into the box she held in her arms.
Pierce watched her get the door open. So she was coming into the office. He let his gaze linger for a split second on her, her hair almost a silver color but her face was one of youth. A light tint of blue to her hair. Clearly it had been a while since dye had touched it, but it had faded decently in his opinion. It was a fleeting thought, one that he didn’t linger on nor did it cause any concern in his head. It was a passing observation as he took in the person who had just come into his business. Just like he noticed the way her eyes crinkled with a smile as she spotted him standing there.
There was a box in her arms, and the sounds coming from it made him almost groan out loud. What was with women and bringing him strays? He had just gotten the other one, that a particular military woman had taken a liking to, out of his office with a clean bill of health. Then again, he had a feeling that was going to be a good little pairing between the two. The kitten had seemed rather smitten with the dark haired woman before. But something about a box full of these little ones made him think he would not be turning them back into the arms of this silvery blue haired woman.
“Can you please help me? I found these sweet little kittens abandoned by their mommy kitty. They look like they need some medical attention.”
Of course he peered down into the box. And his suspicions were correct. There were six of the little ones, mewing as they stumbled around the box. He did a quick scan of them all, already noting what he saw before he reached forward to take the box from her. A lot of times, he knew, that people didn’t want to just hand them over and leave. They wanted to get involved or watch him go through the steps of what needed to be done. So with a small grunt and a nod of his head, he motioned for her to follow him back into an exam room. He’d reach forward and open the room and, if she joined him and follow him inside, he’d shut the door and place the box on the floor. Allowing the small kittens to start to try and climb out of the box.
“You said you found them? Where at?” He asked her, his blue eyes flipping up to her as he crouched down and picked one of the kittens up with surprisingly gentle hands for as big as they were. He had a clear care in the way that he handled the little kittens, one that he knew was seen more so towards animals than women in general. Not that he was ever outright mean. He just... had his heart wrecked and was a bit more gruff and grumpy now a days.
Maggie watched the man as he approached her and looked into the box. He was gorgeous. Anyone who denied that was crazy, she was convinced. Though she had no idea why someone would deny it. He was tall, taller than her 5'6" form for sure, and even under his clothes she could tell he wasn't exactly scrawny. His pretty blue eyes were the icing on the cake.
He didn't respond to her at all and she had no idea what he was thinking or who he was, but he took the box and motioned for her to follow him. She did so without a second thought, of course she wanted to see what happened with the little kitties and she wasn't one to say no to a person who had authority. They stepped into an exam room and the door was shut behind them. It was only as he picked up the kitten that she decided he must be the vet and not just an assistant or something.
He was so gentle with the little thing that looked extra tiny in his large hands that her heart swelled at the sight of it. If she was an emoji right now it would be the heart eyes without a doubt.
"A couple of blocks away in an alley," she replied to the question. "I'm sorry, I didn't know where else to take them. It didn't feel right just to leave them there and I was worried that a shelter would just...get rid of them if they looked sick."
Pierce handle the little one for a moment, scratching behind its ear as he was looking... him, yep definitely a boy, over. Taking mental notes as he went along, checking teeth, eyes, his paws. Everything that would need to be checked in order to see what kind of treatment plan would be needed for them. He tucked the small kitten against his chest where it started mewling at him as he opened a cabinet. Inside, he pulled out six different colored stripes of velcro. Wrapping one around the kittens neck like a collar and then started writing down information on a pad of paper. He'd be able to keep track of each kitten and its treatment by the color of the collar he'd put on them.
Once he was done with the first, he moved to the next. "No, you did the right thing. I am sure they appreciate what you did." His voice rumbled in the small space as he looked up at her while he crouched down. Picking up the next kitten and started the same process, placing a new collar around its neck and starting its exam. He stared at her for a moment as he stood back up. He decided then that she was beautiful. The moment he could hear her heart and intentions in that sentence. That she went more than just the surface...
"Over there," He gestured to a small cabinet that was not locked. "Do you mind getting out some of the bottles in there? They are labeled for kittens. I'm sure they would love to be fed if you are up for it." Did he usually offer this to others? No. Was he going to tell her that? Absolutely not. There was no need to make her feel special or that he wanted to possibly keep her around longer to see exactly what else was lingering behind that soft heart. "What's your name?"
Maggie's expression lit up at the most adorable sound and sight of the kitten mewling, held up against the man's chest. She thought her heart my burst and she let out the tiniest sound at how cute the little thing was, resisting the urge to reach out to touch the kitten by clasping her hands against her chest.
She watched as the man took notes and placed a Velcro collar around the kitten's neck before moving onto the next one. She glanced towards the cabinet he gestured to, happy to help in any way and to keep from feeling useless. "Of course I am," she assured him. She hadn't intended to just drop them off and leave them to be the vet's responsibility. She had brought them here and it was up to her to make sure they were taken care of. Even if it meant paying out of pocket for what would likely not be a cheap vet bill.
She moved over to the cabinet and found the bottles easily enough, bringing a few back over to him. "Oh, I'm Maggie," she introduced herself with a smile. "And you? Doctor...?"
Pierce almost burst into laughter at the reaction of the woman. It reminded him of a child getting to see a kitten for the first time and just wanted to scream 'It's so cute!' at the top of their lungs. His cheeks twitched with the want to laugh. Even the softest of rumbles happened in his chest because he wasn't able to completely hold it back. But he didn't let it burst out loud like it wanted to.
He was glad that she wasn't just going to bolt out the door. Maybe he was in a good mood. His cup of coffee had been good that morning. Pierce went about mixing the bottle the correct way and opened a cabinet near him to place a top on it and then handed it to her. He got out a small blanket from the same cabinet and wrapped the kitten in it before he handed him over to Maggie. "They like to knead when they eat, so the blanket helps protect your hands." He explained as he passed the kitten off.
"Doctor Pierce Ryker, but you can call me Pierce." He replied, picking up the next kitten and starting the same exam on it as well.
