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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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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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"] The sound of an explosion rang through his ears even after he woke up, startled. Roman bolted up so fast he rolled out of the bed, crash landing on the hard floor beneath it. Groaning, he rubbed the back of his head and moved up into a sitting position, back pressed against the harsh wood frame of the bed. For a minute he just sat there, listening intently for a siren, screams, anything that could indicate it happened… but it didn’t. He was surrounded by silence - only interrupted by distant snoring.
What time was it? He soon realized he only napped for twenty minutes. A good amount of time to power nap but yet he felt worse than before. Shuddering, Roman rubbed his bare arms as he pushed himself up, quickly throwing on a sweater jacket matching his LCFD t-shirt. A yawn escaped his lips, one hand reaching up as he patted his mouth, slow steps carrying him out of his quarter.
He stalked into the kitchen area of the station, hair as messy as it could be from someone who just woke up and fell out of his bed. One lazy hand ruffled through it, making it just worse instead of better. This man was definitely in need of a haircut. Grabbing one of the clean mugs standing around next to the sink he plopped it right under the coffee machine and pressed the start button, the machine coming to life with a buzzing sound before the dark liquid started drizzling down.
Silent prayers were sent so that he could enjoy the coffee while it was hot. Being impatient and not waiting for it to cool down was a habit he developed ever since working at the Fire Department. There was just never time to wait because oops! You wait, you lose - to a call. Almost every time the coffee finished dripping down into the mug the sirens blared through the station, a voice demanding trucks and ambulance to a scene.
His lips touched the rim of the mug, and he paused, waiting for that one call to be made. His eyes looked around, slightly anxious, hands holding on to the hot porcelain. Seemed to be safe enough to attempt a sip. He blew softly on the surface of his drink, tilting the mug towards his mouth as he took a good, ol’ sip of the nectar of the gods. Although, it was a tiny bit too watery to call it that. But the LCFD could only afford so much.
Taking the mug with him he walked out of the kitchen and towards the main exit/entry where the trucks were parked. He opened up one of the gates, leaning against a pillar as he stared into the night sky. The darkness of the city actually making it possible to see the stars unlike usually when the bright lights of all the buildings would cover them all.
The garage was quiet, any life left in the station seeming to emigrate upstairs after the last run.
It wasn’t creepy, not entirely, but hunkered in the back of the rig, sorting through what they’d used during the shift so far to restock it felt to Elea like it could almost have been the end of the world. The place was usually busy, people slamming in and out, hanging out down in the garage area. Folks made their way in from time to time, at least walked past on a pretty continual basis. Not now. Elea ran her tongue over her lip as she glanced up at the street past the entrance.
Apocalyptic was the word for it. Two people had scuttled past in the last hour, both of them wearing masks, unlike half of the calls they rolled up on. Hands in pockets, thin whisps of breath escaping the cotton covering their faces as they beelined along the sidewalk. Not a glance at the station, nothing seeming to hammer through the self-absorbed bubble most appeared to be in now. Until they needed help, then suddenly it was all need.
Her teeth took the place of her tongue, raking over her lower lip as she tucked the clip board back into the rack and knelt to grab the cleaning supplies. Elea looked down at her forearm where the old woman had clung to her on the ride to the hospital. Her lips had been blue, even with the oxygen they were supplying, her red rimmed eyes huge. They’d practically had to peel her hand away when they arrived in the ambulance bay. She could almost feel her desperation still there, clinging like her fingers had. That’d been genuine need and what was in the pit of her stomach was genuine grief. The woman had almost certainly been infected, no matter how desperately she wasn’t to get well, the overwhelming chances were that she wouldn’t.
Elea swallowed, grabbing a wipe and ripping it open to swipe over the area again. She balled it up in her fist, twisted to chuck it and spotted a figure drifting through the garage. Mug in hand, hair mussed, completely silent. Rotating on a knee, she slipped her legs over the back of the rig, sat for a moment with her forearms on her knees. Roman didn’t look like a man who wanted to be disturbed. Not she could blame him for that. The job had been full on for months, more time spent here at the station, out on runs, than at home and it was only getting worse. How long did they have before total breakdown of the city’s facilities?
Scary thought. Elea pressed her lips together for a moment before she cleared her throat. Her lips twitched when she obviously caught his attention. ”I’d say I’d give you a penny for them but that’s probably on the ‘don’t you dare list right now’,” she admitted. ”I thought everybody was hunkered down upstairs.” Hoping that the Q word held a little longer, although the moment you even thought it you typically cursed yourself. She squinted slightly, resisting the urge to stare up at the speaker on the wall that announced calls.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Roman was no astrology professional but he could swear he was actually able to make out a constellation on the left side of him. He squinted at it, his eyes following one bright point in the night sky after another. His mind tried to recall the name of it. He was sure it started with an O. O something. Orin? Orean? Onion? Orion! The hunter. His ability to actually remember its name made lifted the corners of his lips into a shy smirk.
As he lifted the mug to his lips and gulped down a big sip he almost choked, coughing and on the verge of spitting it all out again when a voice appeared out of the shadows. He hadn't realized there was someone else. Roman turned halfway around, one hand curled around the warm mug, the only source of warmth for the moment. He soaked it all in, feeling it slip away too fast for his liking though. Full winter hasn't hit them yet, but the cold crept further and further into the city.
As he turned around to find the voice his eyes paused on the ambulance, Elea sitting on the back of it. "I don't want to disappoint you but really, there's nothing going on up there at the moment." he said, laughing softly and offering her a smile as warm as the mug he was holding. Despite his outer appearance being seemingly cold and distant, he was pretty much the complete opposite of it. Maybe one thing he shared in common with the paramedic in front of him who was notorious for being nicknamed Ice Queen at their station. For what he knew about her at least.
Turning his head to both sides he shrugged a little, taking another sip of his coffee before speaking up again. "I couldn't sleep. Thought fresh air might be the way to go." Roman told her, pursing his lips into a tight-lipped smile. He was able to hold back the shudder that threatened to make his body tremble at the thought of the nightmares. "I could ask you the same. But I guess you just returned from a call?" he wondered, looking past her inside the ambulance before moving his gaze back to her.
The sudden sound of tires screeching, an engine belonging to a vehicle bigger than the average echoed through the night. Sirens not belonging to any fire trucks or ambulances parked inside their station blaring loudly nearby. Roman's first reaction was to cover his ears with one hand. Even though it was something he should be used to it still called for a surprise at its unexpected arrival.
Within a second he turned around, mug dropping to the floor and shattering, the logo of the fire department scattered around in bits and pieces here and there. Roman stared- stared at the fire truck racing their way, driving straight up towards the garage. He just blinked once and as if someone threw a banana peel á la Mario Kart it slipped, the driver desperately trying to maneuver it to the side. Roman expected it to work but instead, the truck did a flip, falling to the side and skidding inside the garage with whatever force it had left.
The firefighter called out a duck! in an attempt to save what was left to save and jumped to the side, landing on his arms as he glid on the rough surface bruising his arms in the action. Within an instant, he rolled onto his back, the burning on his forearms subduing as the adrenalin pushed the pain aside. His eyes were wide as he looked at the firetruck sideways on the floor. By the time he snapped out of his thoughts, it had already come to a stop but he immediately started searching for one person: Elea. The ambulance was blocked from his view. "Elea?" he called out, hoping to hear her voice from somewhere.
Everybody felt a little more introspective these days. While some were out on the streets, shouting about conspiracies and railing against the attempts to keep the virus under control, most were hunkered down. Terrified out of their minds half the time, wrapped up in a tangled cyclone of thoughts the rest of the time. They didn’t want to admit the worst case scenarios they’d been obsessing over for months.
In their line of work that stuff was worse but you were also way more guarded about sharing it. You all knew what was out there, what was likely to happen and you better than to stir more of those thoughts up by sharing it. Elea grinned, shrugging her narrow shoulders. ”Had to have been something worth at least a penny seeing as you had no idea you had company…” she reminded him. It wasn’t like she’d announced her presence at first either though. The ambo had been her place to hunker down in the dark and quiet too.
Propping her elbows on her knees, she watched Roman sip at his coffee. Everybody had likely slipped away to do the same, at this time of night people snatched sleep when they could, or found those dark contemplative, private spots … until someone disturbed them the way she had. Her mouth curled ruefully at one corner, her feet swinging back and forth slightly. ”Nope, that’s just asking for the opposite. Fresh air, caffeine … if that’s not camomile tea in that cup … all designed to make sure you’re not sleeping for a while.” She could’ve done with both too she supposed. Grimacing faintly at the thought, she raked her teeth over her lower lip again, nodding as Roman turned the question back around onto her. ”Yep,” she drawled, that grim tone to her voice. ”A sweet old lady. She didn’t want to let go of my hand … almost definitely positive though.” She didn’t have to say what with, that was painfully obvious.
Spreading her hands on her thighs, Elea ran her hands over her thighs again. She’d washed them, sanitised them more than once, even though she’d been in full PPE. It was hard to get the thought of your head of just how easily this thing was transmitted. She’d probably have the ambulance wiped down again before she headed upstairs. Just in case. Precaution was everything … when life didn’t send unforeseen disaster your way.
Hearing tires screech and a siren split the air Elea started to slip down off the back of the rig. Usually it was the other way around, sirens clamouring when they left, not when they returned. Dread slid greasily into the pit of her stomach, her hand curling around the floor of the rig before Roman’s mug hit the ground with a barely audible crack and the fire engine tore into sight. There was no way it was going to stop in time and just slide neatly into the space cleared for it. Oh God. It flipped, rolled and in one hellish moment that seemed to last an hour started to slide towards her. Desperately Elea threw herself back, stomach scraping over the edge of the floor of the ambulance as she scrambled to get inside.
Smash!
The world shook around her like the rig had been bit with a giant hammer. The entire thing spinning, crashing down on its side. She tumbled inside of it, the gurney smacking hard into her side, tangling with her legs as the world went silent. Air hissed in and out of her, her ears ringing as the world went into that vacuum that always seemed to come after violence. Elea curled her hand over the gurney, trying to push it off of herself, to get enough room to breathe.
Then Roman’s voice was cutting the air, loud enough in the garage. Gritting her teeth Elea shoved harder, getting just enough room for herself to call out. ”I’m … h-here. I’m … I’m OK. Can’t … move b-but … the truck … are they OK? R-Roman … is anybody hurt?” Planting her feet against the gurney she tried to kick it away, to get herself the room to move, to get out of what was likely a crumpled tin can right now.
