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.
Benjamin couldn't remember the last time he had been inside of a hospital. Despite the many injuries he had gotten from climbing and running around, fighting with other kids and doing stupid things, he never had gotten a serious injury that didn't heal on its own. Not even for the death of both his grandparents had he been inside of a hospital; they both had died peacefully in their own homes. If anything, the unknown sense and general atmosphere of the place made him uncomfortable. His eyes had been scanning the wires attached to the heart monitor and the other complicated machines he couldn't begin to name or have an idea of what they were for. The room was silent except for the steady rhythm of Lexi's heart, the woman he had just barely managed to save. Or, how it rather looked in his eyes, the woman that got shot because of him. If there was any hero in the situation, it was definitely Mick and all of his coworkers.
He had taken his heavy military gear off and left his gun out of sight. Now it was just him in his shirt, exposing all of his muscles, and the digital watch on his left wrist, sitting aside the bed of Lexi. Somewhere he was grateful for being allowed the opportunity to go with her. He didn't like the thought of her going through something traumatic like that and next waking up in a hospital, all alone. But hey, for all he knew she hated him now, and would throw a punch at him as soon as she woke up. He really didn't know enough about her personality to tell.
There was something else, vaguely in his mind that he wanted to discuss with her. Whatever she had meant by 'the school papers' when she was on the verge of dying. Whatever it was, he guessed that if you're reminded of it on your death bed, it must be important. Maybe the school papers contained an important code she was trying to give to the CIA. Really, what did he know about any of this? There were more questions, too, like why the hell she was visiting a student in the middle of a pandemic. Not that he was going to expect her to lie, or reveal some malicious intent. He just wanted to know who she was.
The first thing that Lexi picked up on was the smell. Her place tended to always have the lingering smell of coffee, sometimes cinnamon and during the holidays, almost always of cookies. As she drew air in, however, all she could smell was cleaning chemicals. She slowly blinked her eyes open and the harsh fluorescent light was another thing that was very wrong. Then she shifted in the bed and was reminded very quickly where she was at and why.
She felt as if her arm had been caught in their reins and dragged by a runaway horse for a few miles, and then hit with an eighteen-wheeler for good measure. It wasn't the sharp, all-consuming feeling of hot fire that she had felt earlier and she touched the IV lines wondering just what they had her on. She moved her head to look at her shoulder and her eyes fell upon someone in her room.
Lexi's brow furrowed in confusion as she saw the soldier, Faulkner, sitting near her bed. She figured that was not a good sign. She didn't imagine that crossing into the restricted zone would have come with such a harsh penalty, but she knew he more than likely wasn't waiting around for her to wake up and let her off with a warning either.
She cleared her throat, her voice feeling dry as she spoke, "Hi." He didn't look to be in pain, nor did she see any hospital bracelet on his arm which was a relief. She couldn't remember much after feeling the sharp pain hitting her shoulder, but now that she was back in the land of the living all she could think about was the man on the ground who she had tried to save. "What happened? I mean, with the man who shot at us. Did he make it?"
Her eyes steadily watched his face. He didn't seem like the type who would lie to spare feelings, but she wanted to know the truth. Even now, safely in the hospital bed, her hands began to tremble slightly at the memory of feeling helpless. At the feeling of being at the mercy of God on whether someone lived or died. She had done all that she could think of to save him, but she wasn't a doctor. She wasn't anyone who could help him, but that didn't relieve any of the guilt that she felt, even now, as she remembered his pleading eyes. She glanced at the clock on the wall briefly, wondering if it was even the same day. "Do you know how long I've been out?"
Benjamin had waited for what seemed like forever before she woke up. Many thoughts had crossed his mind. One he had been repressing was the thought of the two men he had shot. If they didn't make it, that would've made him a killer. He couldn't help but replay the scene in his head over and over. Wondering what he could have done differently, if anything. His friends in the army had always told him that it's best not to overthink, not to let your mind wander about what happened or what the ideal scenario would have been. It was best to learn from your mistakes, recognize them, accept them and move ahead. Look forward, not backwards. You don't look in the rearview mirror constantly when you're driving a car. But it was easier said than done.
Thankfully for him, the first distraction pulled him out of his endless thought process when he heard Lexi's voice. Sadly, her first words were asking about the man. She truly seemed like a caring person, with the way she had yelled at him when Benjamin had shot him, and now immediately asking about the strangers rather than herself. If only he could be so compassionate, but then he wouldn't be able to do his job.
"Another man showed up and shot you. I don't know if either of them survived, actually..." Benjamin remembered specifically asking the paramedics to let him know if they lived; but not to tell him if they didn't. He'd know the answer either way, but wouldn't have to directly hear it. He didn't know if he would be able to handle the outright words spoken to him, confirming his deeds.
But it had been so long. If either of them had been stabilized by now, they would have told him. And so the worst was assumed. He sent Lexi a sad, sympathetic look. "I don't think so..." He said softly. He followed her gaze to the clock on the wall. Right then she asked the question he'd expected. "About five and a half hours," he said. Outside the windows loomed the dark heavens after the sunny afternoon had turned into a grim blackness.
"I'm sorry," Benjamin said after a few moments of silence. "About this happening to you. I should have made sure it was clear. I'm glad the paramedics were able to rescue you." He never should have tried to help the man first. His sympathy was going to get him, or possibly someone else, killed. Maybe it would be better now that the first two kills were out of the way... or maybe it would make things worse. For now he knew that all he could do was try to help Lexi as much as he could.
Faulkner first spoke about the person shooting her and Lexi made sure to take deep, steadying breaths. She had been shot. It seemed almost like a dream, something awful that had happened to someone else and not her. She was a teacher. She liked going to the movies, she felt guilty when she forgot to return her library books in time. She was not the kind of person who realistically saw something like this ever happening to herself. No one expected it of course, but she hated guns. She made a point to keep well away from them and yet she had been on the receiving end of one. She pushed the thought out of her mind. Letting her mind tell itself whatever it needed so she could pretend that what happened, hadn't.
Which turned out to be easy as the soldier continued speaking, his voice soft as he said he didn’t think they made it. She nodded in return, unsure if she could speak just yet. She knew it wasn't her fault, but she had hoped that she had acted in enough time. She had thought that maybe, just maybe, she had done something that might have saved him. But no, she hadn't been able to save him. "Were you hurt?" she asked, her gaze moving over him.
Faulkner's next words made her raise her eyebrows. Five hours. That seemed like a lot of time to her. Though she had no idea what the average time for repairing a gunshot wound was. She hadn't paid enough attention to Grey's Anatomy apparently.
The silence was broken by his voice and a small crease appeared between her brows in confusion. He continued apologizing and she shook her head, "This wasn't your fault. This wasn't anyone's fault. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time. You don't have anything to apologize for." She offered a muted smile to him before following his gaze out the window. The sky was dark and she figured that was just fitting.
Lexi's gaze moved back to her bed, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the edge of the hospital blanket. "I shouldn't have been in that area anyway. But I'm thankful that you were there. I don't know if I would even be sitting here if you hadn't of … reacted as quickly as you did." That was the most delicate way she could relay it. She was thankful for him, truly. She wished none of this would have ever happened but life wasn't always so pretty. She cleared her throat, a soft smile on her lips as she spoke up, "I would like to know your name though. It seems a little odd to call you by your last name after all of this."
Lexi stopped speaking about it when he mentioned the man probably hadn't survived. He was grateful for that; he didn't want to think about it anymore either. Instead, she asked if he was hurt. He shook his head. "No, I'm fine." Surprisingly he had gotten out of that mess completely unharmed. Made him feel a little bit of survivor's guilt, if he had to be honest.
However, he couldn't agree with her when she insisted it wasn't his fault. To a civilian, maybe not, but to him, he felt like he had failed at his job, at his one task. Sure, it was a very difficult one, but he should've known and done better. Not that he could go back anymore now though. He smiled at her sadly. "Thank you." It didn't make him feel any different, but at least she was trying, and she wasn't mad or anything... that would have made it worse. She told him how grateful she was that he had managed to save her, that she wouldn't have been here without him. "That's just what I had to do... you just happened to have very unfortunate timing to get lost there. You know the way home from here, right?" He wasn't sure, maybe she never lived in the city after all.
She asked for his name, his first one. He smiled again. "Benjamin."
Lexi nodded when he mentioned he wasn't hurt. That was good. That was at least something. She hated guns, hated violence of any sort, but she understood why he had to do what he did. She understood why the actions of that afternoon had occurred. She just wished they lived in a world where it wasn't necessary. She wished she could go back to a time when the news wasn't always filled with heartache, pain and uncertainty. When the military wasn't needed on a daily basis. Those days seemed to be long gone however.
Faulkner asked if she knew the way home from here and she gave a soft laugh, "Yes. The school isn't too far from here actually." Thinking about the school made her remember the whole reason why she had been in the restricted zone in the first place and she spoke up, her voice a little concerned. "Did you by any chance grab my bag? I had important papers inside of it." She knew it would be too late to send them today, but pending whenever they released her from the hospital, she knew she needed to send them in immediately. There was a little girl who was waiting on her.
The soldier gave her his name and she returned his smile, "Nice to meet you Benjamin." Lexi reached over with her good arm and grabbed the small cup of water that was next to her bedside, sipping the cold liquid. She had surgery before, one broken arm and one tonsil removal. She hated the way she felt in recovery after both of them, all groggy and sore. She sipped the water once more before putting it back and glancing over at him. "So...how much trouble am I in?"
The school she worked at. So it was the school Benjamin had gone to when he was younger. What a coincidence. She asked about her bag and Benjamin started realizing what she had meant when she said 'the papers' while bleeding out. "Uh, no, I didn't. The police probably took it, should be at the station. How important are they?" Surely, whatever school thing could wait a day, right? Or else maybe this was going to be Benjamin's next quest. He'd be happy to do whatever for her right now anyway, anything to make it up in some sort of way.
Benjamin smiled at her weakly when she asked how much trouble she was in. How could she be worried about that? "Zero, unless you count your wound," he told her reassuringly. "I think I can trust you, so you're free to go as soon as the hospital lets you."
Benjamin admitted he didn't grab the papers and Lexi's heart dropped. She wondered for a moment if she could call a friend and ask them to pick up the papers for her. She wasn't very hopeful on that front. She wasn't sure how long she would be stuck in the hospital and on top of that, the police weren't likely to just hand over personal affects. She debated for half a second on calling the department and asking them to bring her the items, but didn't want to waste an officer's time on that. They had far too much to do than bring her a few forms and her purse. Benjamin asked if they were important and she nodded, "Yeah, they're documents that I needed to turn in so one of my kids can have access to school laptops and Wi-Fi installed." She made a mental note to call her principal and let them know the situation, see if there was anything that could be done. She gave a half-smile, "No problem though, I'll figure it out."
Lexi took a sip of the water and put the glass back down next to the bed. The pain in her arm was dulled and she wondered how quickly she'd be able to get back to work. Thankfully, they were still in remote lessons so physically, it was less demanding. Still, if she had to be on pain medicine or if anything had gotten complicated in the surgery there was no telling how long she'd have to be out of work. He told her that she wasn't in any trouble and she loosened a relieved sigh. When he mentioned that he could trust her she laughed lightly, "Well, thank you. For the record, I am sorry I crashed your guard duty." She did feel bad, though it wasn't intentional of course. Still, he had been forced to deal with her instead of keeping their city safe, a goal that was clearly needed. "So are you with the local troops or were you one of the ones called in?"
Benjamin's respect for Lexi only grew when she'd mentioned they were for a student. How could she think about something as small as that in a situation that threatened her life? Not to mention she already took a risk going outside despite there being a virus. She said she'd figure it out, but Benjamin still felt the need to offer. It felt like the least he could do, despite really just wanting to go home after this crazy day. "Sounds important. If you want I could do it. Just give me the address," he said, sending her a friendly half-smile as well. Hopefully Lexi wouldn't feel like she was asking too much of him or anything like that.
"No need to apologize, shit happens," Benjamin reassured her, simultaneously trying to reassure himself at the same time. He couldn't control everything that happened either, as frustrating it was for him to accept that. He wanted to punch a wall just at the thought of it. "I'm with the locals," he answered her question. "I've lived in Lethford all my life. What about you?"
Lexi smiled when he offered to take the forms. It was an incredibly sweet offer but she knew he more than likely had a thousand other more important things that he needed to be doing. She had already interrupted his duty for the day, she wasn't about to ask him to interrupt more of his schedule for her. "Thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I'm sure you have enough on your plate." She wasn't even sure that the police would let him take her things. Although someone in uniform would be more likely to get past their security procedures than her boss would. "Do you think they'd allow my principal to pick up the forms though?"
Benjamin said shit happens and she laughed, immediately regretting the action. "Ow." She put her hand on her shoulder, over the bandages. That will take some time getting used to, she thought dryly to herself. Her job was about to get much more harder. She usually spent most of her work days laughing, she didn't like to think about that changing. She shifted in the bed, dropping her hands from the wound.
When Benjamin mentioned he was with the locals she nodded. It was a beautiful city, she couldn't blame him for not leaving it. When he asked the question back, she shook her head. "No, I'm actually from New York. I moved here about 6 years though. My mom's family was from here and I kind of fell in love with the city. " She missed her hometown on occasion, but she couldn't leave her family and she didn't see her mom and dad ever leaving this place again. "I miss the museums and the theaters, but there's just something about a small town that has my heart." She almost shrugged, but the reminder of pain halted the action. "Have you gotten to travel anywhere with the military?" She could see the appeal in that. Getting to see the world and be in places all over the globe. The only downside was that it wasn't usually under great circumstances. That was the little part she could never see past.
Lexi refused the offer, and Benjamin just let it be. He was really willing to help -- or else he wouldn't have gotten this job in the first place -- but he could also see why she would feel like she was burdening him. Benjamin sure enjoyed having his free time, but with everything being on lock down, there wasn't much to do anyway. He was glad the military was called in, and that he had enlisted, because he certainly knew that if all of this happened after he dropped out of college, he would've been doing nothing but sitting in front of the TV or computer and playing video games while drinking beer. He was a social creature and needed other people to keep him sane.
Lexi asked if he thought they would allow the principal to pick up the forms. "Yeah, I think so," he said. He didn't know much about the school's rules and whatever, but he couldn't see why not either. It was Lexi's problem anyway, and as much as he wanted to take on everyone's problems and issues, that would drive him insane.
When she grasped at her wound again Benjamin felt guilty again, wanting to apologize once again, but held his tongue. There wasn't anything he could do now, but damn it was hard to move on. They had trusted him with this and he still felt like he could've done things better or different. Either way, he'd hear it from his commander once he officially reported everything that went down.
Lexi turned out to be from New York, saying she fell in love with the city. Benjamin smiled slightly at the compliment of his hometown. To him it wasn't anything special anymore. "I could never live in a big city, either," Benjamin admitted. "A small town gives more of a sense of community and it's easier to oversee." Big cities were like skies filled with so many stars that you couldn't find any constellations. Benjamin had never been big on having lots of places to visit. Only on vacation, really. He thought about what it would be like to visit New York City for a moment. He wondered if he could, if things would ever go back to normal.
He shook his head. "Not yet. I'm a Private First Class so I just barely finished the training, been serving for twelve months," he told her. "I honestly was hoping to get deployed somewhere far away... just to see what it's like. But then this happened, so I don't think I'm leaving Lethford any time soon." Unless they were needed in a bigger city to help contain and secure the virus.
Lexi nodded when Benjamin mentioned that he thought the police would let her boss take the papers. That small bit of encouragement eased the pressure in her chest just a bit. She tried to let the feeling of needing to get it done go, at least for a little while. It wasn't like she could do much in a hospital bed anyway.
The conversation shifted to their hometowns and Lexi found herself grinning, "Why's that? Too many people?" She asked.She listened to him speaking about the small town and she had to admit that she agreed with him about the community aspect of it. The oversee part made the edges of her lips tilt up slightly, he seemed almost as if he was born to be a soldier. It was nice when people found their calling. When there was a sense of passion behind their words. "I agree, but there's a sense of being a part of something more than yourself in a place like New York. Plus there's always something going on." That, of course, wasn't always a good thing, but it was never boring, that was for certain.
Lexi listened to him speak about his training and service. She honestly had no idea about the military or their procedures. She had to admit she was a little surprised that the training was only a year. She had spent more years than that working on her teaching degree and she wasn't directly and literally in charge of people's lives. It seemed a little strange that someone with such few years on the job would be tossed out with a weapon and asked to defend a city. "Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll find a cure soon." She gave a soft smile. A few months ago she had been able to say that phrase with more confidence. As the months ticked by however, it sometimes felt like there wasn't an end in sight. "But hey, at least you know the area and the people. I imagine it's a lot harder for the soldiers who were brought in."
He nodded. "Too many people, yeah. I'm not a fan of big crowds." It made him feel locked up to be in a place that was overcrowded, claustrophobic even. "That's true. New York is a real place for artists, too. I'm not much of one myself. I bet you are, though," Benjamin replied when Lexi said there was a sense of being part of something more. It certainly wouldn't be boring in New York City, but damn if he ever found himself living in such a place. It didn't reflect who he was as a person as much as Lethford did, but then again, he was raised in Lethford.
He smiled again when she talked about a cure. "I like your optimism," he said. That was something you saw rarely in these dark times, but something that everybody could use. Even while lying in a hospital bed she somehow seemed to manage just calmly making chitchat with him. He couldn't help but be impressed. Lexi made a point about it being harder for the soldier who were brought in, and he nodded. "Yeah, I'd believe so. It gives me a good feeling to know I'm protecting my own hometown, too, so that makes most of the days a little bit better. Though I don't think my neighbors will like me raiding their homes..." That last part came out with a small chuckle. He hadn't had raiding duty so far yet, but he knew lots of soldiers that did, and not one person appreciated the military bursting in through the doors. As epic as it might look in the movies...
Lexi nodded in understanding when he mentioned the crowds being an issue. She had never minded them, but they weren't for everyone. She was the opposite in many ways. When she had first moved to Lethford she had felt utterly alone being around the few handfuls of people that were normally out and about on any given day. It had been like getting thrown into a different world. She had gotten used to it though. It had been so long since she had visited New York that she wasn't sure which one she preferred. Maybe neither was better than the other.
Benjamin mentioned that she was probably an artist and she laughed lightly, shaking her head, "I wish. Sometimes my kindergarteners draw better pictures than I can." She was a terrible artist, but that didn't detract her from loving the art world. If anything it just made her appreciate the ability even more. "So if art isn't your thing, what is? I would guess football, but that sounds too cliché." She leaned her head back against the pillow, watching him for a moment, a grin on her face. He didn't look like the type to enjoy theater or books, but people could be surprising. When he mentioned he liked her optimism she shrugged her one shoulder that wasn't injured, "You always need to have hope in something right?"
Lexi listened quietly as he spoke about being a soldier and protecting his hometown. She couldn't exactly understand the feeling of needing to protect a city, but she could understand the feeling of loving one and maybe those things weren't too far from one another. When he mentioned the home raids her smile faltered though. That was something that struck a chord in her and not in a good way. She couldn't imagine the idea ever having a good outcome. It wasn't like that was his fault though. The soldiers who were given the orders weren't exactly consulted on the matter. "I'm sorry." It wasn't much, but she didn't know what else she could say to ease that burden. "It's not like you're doing it randomly though right? They're under warranted circumstances aren't they?" At least she hoped so. It seemed reckless and unwarranted to have it randomly. That seemed like an accident waiting to happen.
He was a little surprised when she said she wasn't an artist. She seemed like the type of person to do something like that on the side. Maybe being a teacher, even in times like these, was really time consuming? He wondered what she did do then, but she asked about his hobby. Benjamin chuckled when she thought he'd enjoy football. That would indeed be super cliché and simply wasn't true. "Well, out of all the classes at school, I have to admit P.E was the only one I actually liked," he admitted. He liked to move around and push himself. He had been the most fit one, but he didn't quite like the games like soccer or football enough to make it a hobby. "But no. I'm more of a person that likes to play video games and just hang out with friends." It was simple enough to satisfy him. "How about yourself?"
The hope she had was inspiring. Benjamin had felt hopeless many times in his life. In the army he was always taught to just push on, even if you had no hope, or you didn't want to, or you didn't see the point, or your body screamed at you to stop. It was a mental battle more than a physical one. His soldier mentality really helped him get through a lot of things he never knew he could have done, and he was grateful for it. He didn't need hope. But he was glad to see there were people who could find hope in the darkest of times.
Benjamin nodded when she asked about the procedure of the raids. He didn't know exactly either, he was there to just follow the orders and do what he's told. He didn't like the idea of having to do something against his own better judgment. Sometimes his job could be scary in a different way. "Yeah, I'm sure they have their reasons every time. But it's still no fun. Hope it's over soon." But so did everyone.
