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.
The streets were dark and empty except for the occasional bit of paper or trash that flew across the cement as the wind blew eerily through the empty West District. Ivy may have always perhaps seemed braver than she felt, but she wasn't stupid; she'd brought out the jacket in preparation of the cooler nights, so at least she wasn't cold. Not that she would have shown any weakness, of course, but at least her teeth weren't chattering at the chill, unlike the RTO walking beside her who had decided to go the bravado route and hadn't taken his own jacket and was now paying for it. Their boots only making a soft thud as they patrolled the quiet area.
She wasn't going to lie, as the platoon leader, Ivy wasn't exactly meant to be joining the patrols herself. But while she had stuck by her expected responsibilities at first, she just couldn't stay in one place for too long. It wasn't exactly like this was active combat, after all, so she had gotten clearance to join the patrols herself, as long as she stayed with her platoon sergeant and RTO, and continued her expected duties by the platoon. Ivy figured it would be better for her to be on patrol, anyway: good leadership for her meant leading by example.
Her arms were resting comfortably around the M4 as she carried the weapon with her, her patrol partners each carrying one of their own. The weapon was a reassuring weight. Ivy always preferred to have a weapon in her hands whenever possible. It didn't mean just safety to her: it also meant she was damn in charge. Not that she'd even had a lot of opportunity to use it in Lethford City. More than anything, the weapons were a show of the military as it kept the city in control to avoid the virus contaminating more than it already had. Ivy hadn't yet come across someone stupid enough to test her patience.
A scuffling sound to her left drew her attention and all three of them paused in their tracks, but Ivy didn't point the carbine in that direction. Despite her not getting along too well personally with her sergeant, she couldn't deny he was a good soldier, and they at least worked well together. With barely a glance at his second lieutenant, the sergeant slowly began stepping towards the sound, adjusting the mask over his nose as he did so. Ivy would be surprised if he found something actually exciting, though - the last few days patrolling various parts of Lethford City with her own platoon was hardly anything to write home about.
CHASING VISION, JUST THE SURFACE, SHIRTS ON BACKWARDS,
NOT ON PURPOSE
I'VE BEEN LEARNING, SOMETHING BIGGER
There was a sort of grim nostalgia afforded to Flavien whenever he strolled through the West District. He often found himself standing in front of Samson's Bakery, just as he was doing now- home of the best baklava in all of Lethford. Don't try to convince him otherwise. Now that all sense of normalcy was lost, it seemed so long ago that he would come home on spring break from his PhD studies and make a pit stop into Samson's. He memorized exactly where Samson put it every morning- 3rd row in the case, farthest on the right. Now as he peered through the glass and the 'We Are Closed due to GHNv-20' sign taped to the front door, he nearly forgot what the delicious dessert tasted like. Tucking his lips inwards, he sighed deeply, and continued his disheartening stroll through the ravaged district.
For some time, the only sounds Flavien heard were those of his own footsteps, and the occasional sweeping wind through the desolate street. His thoughts bounced around in his skull. Was he actually going to be able to contribute to fixing this crisis? Was anyone? Shaking his head, he recalibrated his mind to more positive outcomes. 'The world's brightest are on this. What am I worried about, we got this.' If he said it enough, maybe he would even start to truly believe it.
Just when Flavien was about to make his return trip to Prism Biotech HQ, he thought he hear footsteps- more than one set. "Oh sh-" he clumsily ducked into a nearby alley, hoping he hadn't been seen. Though, perhaps his Scooby Doo-esque charged up running had been heard. 'That's probably your smoothest move yet buddy. Good going.' Whoever it was, they were now approaching. Criminals? Homeless? He wasn't going to wait around to find out. He did an about face, and proceeded as soundlessly as possible down the alley, so as not to be seen. Hooking a left, he entered the adjacent alleyway, and figured the best move was to stay out of sight of the encroacher, and any buddies they might have brought.
Moving as fast as he could without sacrificing what modicum of stealth he had, he exited the alley without looking, and nearly ran smack dab into the middle of what he could only assume was an aggravated member of our lovely armed forces. "OH MON DIEU!" he screamed at nearly the top of his lungs, about a foot from her face.
To all three of her company's surprise, a body catapulted out of a completely different alley than the one where they'd heard the scuffling noise. The noise had all three of them turning around, and just in time, too - the stranger nearly collided with Ivy. She didn't know if he'd tripped or run full-tilt out of his hiding place, but he was yelling in French, of all things. The second lieutenant barely blinked, but she'd had the M4 pointed in the stranger's direction before her eyes processed that he was unarmed and looked to be wearing normal civilian clothes instead of something more formidable or suspicious.
Her weapon didn't lower even as she assessed him some more and found him to not be a threat. They never knew if a civilian turned out to be crazy, and it never hurt to be prepared. Besides, the safety was on and neither her sergeant nor the RTO were the trigger-happy type - no, the trigger-happy title belonged to their second lieutenant. But she was being a good leader, so she would be a good example to her company. Neither of the other men had moved, although her sergeant was also pointing his M4 at the stranger. Ivy figured that might be more because of the stranger's proximity to her than anything else - at least her soldiers were pretty on-point with their reflexes, too.
"Sir?" she asked the stranger, her voice dry and sharp as she spoke. "Are you aware there is a curfew in Lethford City?" The curfew law had been in place for a couple of weeks now, but Ivy no longer found herself surprised by the level of stupidity in the general populace. It wouldn't be a shock to her if this one had lived under some rock and wasn't even aware the military were patrolling the city, or that there was a pandemic going on. She didn't know if people just preferred to live in ignorance, or if they really were just that ignorant.
This civilian didn't look the stupid type, but Ivy decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. He looked fairly young, so he could have always just decided to ignore the laws the government had put in place to help protect the city. His genuine contrition at having almost bowled her over was the only reason Ivy hadn't been more pointed with her questions, because she really could have been a lot more mean about demanding to know why someone was wandering around after curfew.
CHASING VISION, JUST THE SURFACE, SHIRTS ON BACKWARDS,
NOT ON PURPOSE
I'VE BEEN LEARNING, SOMETHING BIGGER
Flavien was used to fixing problems. He has put out numerous lab fires, mitigated several small explosions, and other various scientific experimental oopsies. But having a standard a standard military issue M4 pointed directly at his person, was a whole new time of problem that he had to deal with. And hopefully, without evacuating his bowels. Sour bile found itself rising. Staring down the barrel of a deadly weapon was an experience he didn't quite care for.
For a moment, he couldn't even register that he was being spoken too. His eyes were fixated on the weapon, scanning it up and down, as though it may come to life and kill Flavien itself. However, after carefully deciding his best course of action would be to comply, he gazed up at the face wielding the gun. He could only imagine the look on his face at that point. How could such a frightening predicament be placed upon him by such a...lovely face. Again it forced him to pause, perhaps unwisely as the soldiers most certainly expected an answer.
"I..yes I.. I am Dr. Carriveau. With Prism Biotech." He had hoped his credentials may give him some sort of credence. He motioned to the small keycard on his belt. "You're not going to kill me are you? Please don't." A hint of desperation flitted within his voice. He was certainly petrified, but he wanted his dignity to remain as intact as possible. It was then that he found that his right leg was cold- very cold. And..wet? He glanced down and found that, he his dazed fear, he had urinated and not known until its warmth had subsided. A dark spot filled covered his jeans, all the way down to his ankle. He had hoped she would not have noticed, but surely she would.
"I..appear to have..uhm..that's not.. it's not pee if that's what you're wondering. I fell into a puddle in the alley and..yea." For all of his strengths, a certain shortcoming was his inability to lie. He ashamedly averted his gaze down to his feet, awaiting some sort of reply or ridicule from the soldier before him.
The stranger's reaction wasn't casual in the least, which was at least a testament to his genuine contrition for being out after curfew. Ivy had come across a couple of instances of citizens taking to the streets after dark and making up any number of excuses for being out but were clearly just openly defying the law. She didn't know how one could be ignorant of something that had already been in place for two weeks, but she supposed she had to give this one the benefit of a doubt. For a few more seconds - a bit longer than normal for someone who was being stopped by military - the stranger only stared at her as though he'd had a complete mind-blank. Ivy didn't know if he was genuinely shocked to see them or if he was trying to come up with a good enough excuse.
Then the look in his eyes changed and Ivy's own light green eyes narrowed in response. It was a look she'd seen often. She wasn't blind to her own beauty; she did, after all, come from a famous family where genes and good angles were lauded. She'd seen adoration and attraction and lust in the eyes of both sexes, but it wasn't anything she particularly cared for. Especially now that she was a second lieutenant in the army, a place she'd fought tooth and nail for. She'd much rather be respected for her abilities then admired for her looks.
Her lips parted to deliver what would have been a scathing remark when the stranger introduced himself. All of a sudden the staring made sense, as did his apparent inability to realise the hour and his surroundings. She knew the scientists at Prism Biotech must be hard at work with the pandemic on their doorstep - this one probably hadn't seen the light of day in quite a while. Also probably hadn't seen someone not wearing a labcoat and those plastic glasses. Ivy didn't really know a lot of what labs looked like except for the movies she'd seen.
"We're not going to kill you," she answered, although her voice was probably not all that reassuring. Now that she had confirmed the stranger - Dr Carriveau - was not going to cause her company any troubles, she replaced the position of the weapon in her arms so it would be pointed to the ground. She felt rather than heard her sergeant do the same on her side. Any reprimand she was about to start on was paused when Dr Carriveau spoke again. Her lips twisted a little when she noticed the dark spread on his trousers, and she internally rolled her eyes. Clearly, Dr Carriveau was a lot less of a threat than even she had thought. The man was practically just a boy.
Pursing her lips, she glanced at her sergeant before tilting her head quickly in the direction they had been heading. Her sergeant looked from her to the civilian's trousers before rolling his eyes at her and continuing on their patrol route, taking the RTO with him. She technically shouldn't be doing this at all, and she would probably face a reprimand in the morning, but if she left this one to continue on home, she figured he'd either 1) get distracted or lost again, or 2) much more likely be stopped again by patrol and he'd probably faint right there in the middle of the road. "Come on then," Ivy said, shifting the weapon in her arms as she sighed resignedly. "Where's home for you, doctor?"
CHASING VISION, JUST THE SURFACE, SHIRTS ON BACKWARDS,
NOT ON PURPOSE
I'VE BEEN LEARNING, SOMETHING BIGGER
Dr. Carriveau wasn't great at picking up social cues, but even a dullard would've been able to read the soldiers annoyance when his gaze lingered a touch longer than it should've. If there was anything left in his bladder, he might've wet himself again. There was something about this woman that struck him with the fear of god. More so than another soldier might anyway. He almost apologized- but elected to keep quiet and try to let the situation die. Flavien was used to authority. Everyone at Prism was incredibly smart, and there were a lot of senior researchers that had great accomplishments, and little patience. But none of them had guns on their person.
At her declaration that lethal force wouldn't be used, he was finally able to breathe. He hadn't realized he was holding his breath, but he was. He took a few more deep breaths before reverting his gaze back to the soldier's green eyes. "I appreciate that. Seriously." He even managed a soft chuckle and his revealed fate. "I'm sorry. I know you probably don't enjoy people like me. But I like to come through here and remember how things were. It keeps me moving forward mentally and combatting this disease." Even though he was dedicated to his craft, he needed a reminder every now and then to fuel him towards the reversal of the predicament society found itself in.
Flavien let out another breath of relief when he heard the footsteps of her comrades becoming more distant. He didn't bother to turn around and look. For now it seemed, he wouldn't be thrown to the grown and placed into military custody. He's heard stories about those who were placed in said custody. It wasn't a good time. The military certainly wasn't playing around. Understandably in the young doctor's opinion.
"Home?" He frowned a moment, running his hands through his hair. "I had intended to return to work and review some slides. But now.." he gestured to his soaked pants. "Anyway it's not fair from here. I have an apartment downtown." Then it clicked for Flavien. She intended to walk him home? He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that. 'Though up to this point, she has seemed sensible.' With a subconscious shrug, he began a slow strolls towards downtown. He thought now may be the appropriate time for a joke- "You gonna' protect me from the bad guys?" Making a finger guys gesture, he pondered just what in the hell he was thinking. This woman's patience seemed thin as it was.
The glint of her glare must have scared the good doctor a bit more than she'd intended, and Ivy could almost see the little light left in his eyes fade at her scowl. She probably had to tone it down a bit when it came to him, because clearly - judging by his pants and the look of terror on his face - this one scared easy. Ivy wasn't really in the mood to have to keep stopping on the way to drop him off at his house because he kept losing control of his bladder. It had always been a laughing matter for her to hear someone had been so scared they'd wet their pants; Ivy never realised just how sad and embarrassing it could be for the person just being in the audience.
She wasn't going to lie and pretend she was a saint. A part of her had dreamed of being someone so striking and powerful that she could cause people to pee their pants. She'd just never thought she'd actually see it happen. For some reason, it felt a lot less impressive than she'd thought it would be. If anything, she'd have preferred if she'd never experienced being a witness to such an event.
A click of her jaw cracked the gum in her mouth as she listened to the doctor's explanation, unimpressed. It was so like civilians to be so careless about something as dangerous and contagious as this pandemic. She could try and understand that this was his way of coping, but to Ivy, who spent afternoons into evening and early mornings dealing with stubborn people who insisted on staying out during curfew, she had very little patience for this sort of thing. "Not exactly the most conducive way to combat the disease, doctor," Ivy said dryly, doing her best to keep the bite out of her voice.
The man-child gestured to his trousers and Ivy had a hard time not rolling her eyes again or looking in that direction. He seemed genuinely surprised that he was getting an escort, and Ivy briefly wondered if it was because he'd hoped to sneak away in a different direction. In fact, it was only another reason why she was doing more than what was usually expected of her. At least this way, no one could say she ever let a Person of Interest walk away into the night after curfew. The finger guns pointed in her direction made her doubt he'd do anything remotely breaking the law now, but one could never be too sure.
A slow blink of her eyelids hid the clear green gaze for a second as she switched her unimpressed stare from the finger guns to the eyes of the man who wielded them. Gods give her strength. Babysitting doctor-man-children was never part of her job description. There was another jaw twitch, another second of suspended disbelief, before Ivy turned away and continued on the street. "Something like that," she muttered under her breath as she walked. "Also, you'll probably get stopped by another patrol, and they'll probably be a little bit less forgiving."
CHASING VISION, JUST THE SURFACE, SHIRTS ON BACKWARDS,
NOT ON PURPOSE
I'VE BEEN LEARNING, SOMETHING BIGGER
This woman would not budge an inch. Flavien wanted to ball up and cry at this point. She had nary a moment for his shenanigans, and if he hadn't thought she would run him down, would've ran the other direction. Flavien frowned at his armed escort. "So you're all this serious?" He didn't bother watching for a reaction. He knew it wouldn't be a pleasant one, and at this point, he'd be better suited at least trying to get on her good side. "I know you're just doing your jobs. We all are." Everyone was trying their best, he knew that. Without a valiant effort from all sides, humanity didn't stand a chance. The military played a large role in that. Despite not being able to shoot the disease, their control was a necessary one.
Whilst walking towards his apartment, something had occurred to the young scientist; he had not eaten in days. Almost 72 hours on the dot. But the raw, unending fatigue that came with trying to save the world dampened the feelings of hunger. There were no longer pangs, and stomach rumblings. He knew it wasn't healthy, but he needed every minute of sleep he could get. Though tonight was different. He was urged to take a mental health day off tomorrow, so he finally had sufficient time to catch up on sleep debt and sustenance. And he intended to amply do both.
The person he strode alongside reminded him of a peer back during his graduate study days. Her name was Erica, and she was determined. He didn't know what she was determined to do, or accomplish, but he knew that she had a certain spark. Reminiscent of Flavien in a way, but much more assertive with her actions and words. She was willing to call it how she saw it. She was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish her goals. Flavien wasn't sure whether she was doing it for herself, or for others. Turns out, it didn't matter. Motivation is subjective. He saw that in this soldier. He wouldn't pretend to even remotely begin to understand her, but he had to admit that he was able to draw parallels between the soldier and Erica. He admired Erica as she rivaled Flavien's accomplishments on pure drive alone.
After a minute or so of walking, Flavien thought he would, perhaps unwisely, engage the soldier again in conversation. "Do you know what I find fascinating?" He looked up towards the sky, basking in the bitter breeze that came through. "You and I, we're not so different. We both signed up for these roles in which we're responsible for the lives of so many other people. And ultimately, I'm willing to die for you, and you're willing to die for me." With a shake of his head, he slowed his pace for a moment and looked over at his companion, searching for some semblance of agreement.
Ivy wanted to scoff at the naivety of the civilian walking beside her. Of course she was all this serious. She didn't join the army to entertain people. Her job wasn't about clowning around and laughing at the world. Her job was dedicated to protecting and serving its people, even if some of those people did the clowning around and laughing at the world. Had to protect every member of the herd, after all, even if some members of the herd were sick or stupid. She didn't think this one beside her was either, but she was starting to doubt the credit she'd given him.
"Of course we're serious, doctor," she said, her tone no-nonsense. "This is a serious pandemic, and breaking curfew is a serious issue." Ivy didn't even bother pausing in her tracks. The sooner she could get the good doctor home and safe, she sooner she could leave him and get back to her real job. Not this babysitting thing where people weren't even grateful. If Dr Carriveau had sounded an inch mocking, Ivy would have treated him with harsher words or maybe the butt of her M4. Maybe that would knock some sense into him. If only...
If she were being honest, while Ivy enjoyed having done enough of a good job to merit her title, she missed being a common soldier. She missed not being in charge of anything but the people they were meant to protect. She missed not having to make any big decisions. Sometimes, if she were really down, Ivy would even miss being a civilian and having no responsibility to anyone but yourself. (Of course, those moments were very few and far between, and she'd get herself out of them with a very sharp mental slap, because Ivy thrived for her life in the army.) It just seemed as though she and her fellow soldiers were doing their best to stop the world from spinning out of control. They were all trying their best to help out, but you couldn't exactly chain people to their homes. And so she and her brothers and sisters were out here, trying to protect everyone from themselves.
As if reading her thoughts, the doctor spoke from beside her. While she didn't particularly enjoy being labelled as 'the same' in anything with the weak-kneed civilian beside her, Ivy couldn't help but privately agree. Because if push came to shove - and it probably would later on - then yes, she would die for him. She would die for anyone that needed it. Of course, she'd put in 110% in every attempt to not have that as an option, but if it came down to it, the answer would be a yes. Not that she'd ever tell him that.
Swallowing an exasperated sigh, Ivy answered curtly, "What is different, doctor, is that you're the one breaking the law and I'm the one upholding it." Ivy didn't really like to think too deeply about mortality and difficult choices, so she deflected the conversation from the route the doctor seemed to be going down. It wasn't hard for Ivy to understand why the doctor would be pondering such things, considering mass death was quite literally on their doorstep, but Ivy didn't find the need to pander to the whims of philosophizing it. All she knew was that she was going to be doing her damnedest to avoid it not only for herself, but for the citizens of the country she swore to protect. That was all that mattered.
CHASING VISION, JUST THE SURFACE, SHIRTS ON BACKWARDS,
NOT ON PURPOSE
I'VE BEEN LEARNING, SOMETHING BIGGER
Flavien stifled an exasperated groan. Maybe she wasn't like Erica. Erica had a semblance of humanity. Something profoundly human about her that Carriveau assumed most, if not all other humans had. This one was different though. As if created in a factory, part by part, with the only instruction to carry out tasks as commanded. Then again, he supposed, that is likely what makes a good soldier in the first place. But had they necessarily forgone all that made them who they were before? Perhaps they weren't like that when they were off of their shifts. Either way, Flavien's perception of soldiers, whilst not entirely accurate before, was now grossly skewed towards misconception.
There was something however, that was not a misconception, and was entirely accurate- this woman was treating him like a child. Like a moron. Like he didn't know what was going on. And that was the one thing that could fire the pistons in the young man's minuscule bravado. "Is that so?" He wrinkled his nose, maintaining composure for the time being. The last thing he wanted was a hard-ass detaining him for losing it. Though, at this point, he wondered if it would be worth it. 4 years at an Ivy League school. 4 more at the same school. 8 in all, with countless sleepless nights, much like the ones he had become accustomed to. Paired with countless failed researched projects, theses, and lack of human interaction, just to receive 2 pieces of paper. One saying B.S. Biochemistry, the other a PhD in Biochemistry. Tears, sweat, albeit very little blood had gone into all of his efforts. And now, in admittedly a roundabout way, this was being called into question by someone who likely had, at best, a rudimentary understanding of what was going on. His composure was slipping.
"I'm so grateful-" he began, "-that you can keep me abreast of all the happenings regarding this awful disease. Thank you. Maybe we can exchange research notes later!" He debated whether to tell her he knew the way home from here, but thought it better to refrain. She likely wouldn't comply with his orders anyway. "Furthermore, if you were to arrest me, how long do you think I would stay in custody? I'd venture a couple of hours at best. And do you know why?" He paused only for a moment, before answering his own rhetorical question. "Because I work for the only hope humanity has left. But yes, please, arrest me for reminiscing. For trying to-" He cut himself short. Perhaps he was getting carried away, but he at least thought he had a valid point. There wasn't any way society could afford to contain someone who worked so closely with the disease. Scoffing, he shook his head and simmered down a bit, looking back towards the vast openness of the sky. Society had, in a way, transformed into a bit of a meritocracy at this point, so maybe he was right. But in the end, given the character of who he traveled with, she probably wouldn't give a single shit. She didn't care that he hadn't seen his parents since lockdown began. Or that he pulled all-nighters, or was barked at by stressed superiors. But she likely suffered from all of those consequences as well. He could not blame her for it. "I'm sorry." He sighed. While it was true she was demeaning, it's likely all she knew. Flavien had to deal with it. "Just- please. I know what the stakes are." He once more found his timidness making its way back to the forefront as he couldn't even bear to look her in the eye now.
To Ivy's surprise - so much so that her growing irritation actually paused in its tracks - the good doctor strapped on a pair and decided to respond sarcastically to her words. She didn't completely get what sort of high ground he found himself on just because he worked for 'the only hope humanity had left', but his response was so different to what she'd grown to expect from him that for a few seconds while he talked, she actually had a tiny bit of respect for him. Only a smidgen, though, and only because he actually stood up for himself. It was a shame that his perception of his high ground wasn't really all that accurate. Yes he may be one of the hopes in the dwindling list that humanity had left, but that gave him no excuse to be running around after hours.
She paused in her steps to watch him stare up at the sky. Of course she knew how stressful his life must be now, which is probably why he felt the need to get out a bit, and take the opportunity to have a go at her purely because she was an easy person to have a go at. He wasn't the first nor would he be the last to take their stress and anxiety out on Ivy. She wasn't the only soldier to bear it, either - all of the soldiers she'd come across had had their own stories. Some didn't even need to speak, just the sheer taut lines and stress tics on their face enough to show what they were going through, not only worrying about what could happen to their loved ones but also to the random strangers they were sworn to protect but were defying every law they could.
If Ivy's words were decidedly a fraction softer than the hard voice she had earlier, it was only because of the sudden deflation of Dr Carriveau in front of her. She knew she was supposed to be gentler with people who had weaker constitution, but sometimes she just couldn't help being sharp when they were doing things they weren't supposed to be doing. "If that were the case, doctor," she began, "and you were one of the few hopes left for humanity, don't you think you, of all people, should be remaining indoors and avoiding contact with strangers? Don't you think that if humanity deemed you and your occupation important enough to provide you a get-out-of-jail-free card, that you should maybe act like it?"
It wasn't that Ivy didn't understand. She herself would have gone stir-crazy in a room by herself, and she'd heard stories from some soldiers about breaking down in their beds after a few days in quarantine because the trauma was just that terrible. Ivy could understand that - but that didn't mean she would be breaking the law. She would go crazy in there, but she knew it'd be for the greater good. Sometimes personal sacrifices had to be made if it meant she wouldn't be infected and pass it on to somebody else. As much as cabin fever sounded incredibly unappetising, at least she wouldn't have to live with knowledge that she may have unknowingly passed the disease on to others.
Ivy was never the sort of person to have heart-to-hearts with other people. It was too emotional and raw and she just didn't do it. She was more of a tough love sort of person, just maybe with a little more tough and a lot less love. Taking a step forward, her eyes were almost blazing as she tried to impart just how serious his being out after curfew was. "I understand the struggle, doctor. This - patrolling the city night after night, telling people to go home or they can get fined or jailed - this isn't anyone's idea of fun." No one in the army signed up for this. Ivy may have joined the army for the wrong reasons at first, but even she hadn't expected anything like this. "But we do it to keep everyone safe. Just one person can mean the life or death of many. Even you."
