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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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 Valentine family tried to meet up once a month for dinner. At least. Even with the current situation, even with several of the siblings working in the medical field or with the public, they tried to keep up with it. Brynlee had skipped the last two. There was too much going on with the hospital and everything that was going on in Lethford. It was just too much and she apologized to them. Even going as far as FaceTiming them during the dinner from a supply closet just to be able to see all their faces together. But not this month. No phone screen's for this red head. She was going to wrap her arms around her parents and hug them tight.
And she did just that. The five siblings immediately burst into witty comments, sarcasm, and banter as they sat around their parents dining table. The two older adults just shaking their head but so happy to see their children all together. Healthy, happy, and now home. Filled with good food, lots of jabs, and even prying questions that made almost each sibling look away from others. Brynlee included though she quickly redirected that conversation. Eloise did not allow her. "Mom, no listen. Brynlee has a boy." A hard look was cut across the table as the younger red head burst into laughter. "Oh I'm sorry, a man. He's a man. What's his name again? Officer..." She pressed, propping her head up with her hand.
This caught everyone's attention. Brynlee knew she would be going after a few of her coworkers after this. Someone ratted her out, someone who must have seen her when she was curled up in Kane's room when the raid's happened. Or perhaps they had seen the two and the way they interacted when he was not in the room he was supposed to be in. So whoever was the traitor was at work, she was going to go after them. "I'll... bring him around soon enough, okay? And it's Kane." She knew that she was going to have to give some kind of information or else they would be hounding her the rest of the night. As it was, they reminded her about five more times before her and Eloise made it to the door to leave.
A swift kiss to each cheek, their mother sent them out with her love, their father standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder. The girls knew that this was always hardest. Saying goodbye, Not knowing what laid in wait for the Valentine children every time they had to clock in at work. The girls had rode out separately, Brynlee leaving later than Elosie had. But they agreed to follow each other home. Bryn, being the bigger sister, following behind the smaller sedan. With the windshield wipers on, Brynlee was careful with driving. Making sure to keep distance because with the weather the way it was she knew that things could get out of control at any moment.
And then they did. Except it wasn't her. It was the car behind her. Instead of being safe, they were speeding, not fully paying attention to the fact that they were coming to a 4 way stop in the road. It wasn't busy, never was near that part of town, but when Eloise hit the breaks, and then Brynlee, the car behind her hit ice. Car spinning out of control, trying to overcorrect and as she caught the movement in her rearview window, Bryn tried to move her truck. But the other vehicle hit hers, spinning it into Eloise's car. And, like a perfect storm, someone else had failed to pay attention to the four way stop and then slammed into the front of the sedan. Four vehicles scattering across the roads. Bryn's truck flipping the moment it hit half of the ditch and the weight was thrown off by the steep embankment.
Brynlee blacked out at some point during the commotion and crashing. She saw a flash of Eloise's car. Bright lights in her rear view. Glass shattering and... grass outside her windshield? Her eyes slid shut again. And then she gasped, her body jerking as she realized everything hurt. A strangled moan left her mouth as she started to process what was happening. She was upside down. There was something dripping up her face, it was thick and... she smelled iron. No. That wasn't good. Her medical side kicking in knowing that wasn't good. She opened her mouth, realizing she saw her sister vehicle. "Eli?" Her voice was strangled and she realized she couldn't breathe right.
She reached for her hips that were above her head, trying to find the seatbelt release, fumbling as she realized that her breathing was off. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She had to have a collapsed lung. But where was the blood coming from? She found the button and pressed it, the fabric yanking back and hitting her face in the process. Another groan left as she tried to draw in a breath. But she didn't move. She expected to fall to the roof of her truck, but she didn't. No... she realized she couldn't feel her toes on one leg. A soft cry left her lips, finally finding it in her to look up. Her left leg was pinned by her steering wheel to the floor. Her truck was twisted in a way that it shouldn't be. She needed her phone. Anything. She had to think. But all she heard was a scream. One she knew too well and chilled her to the bone. "Eloise!" She tried to yell back, but it was barely above a talking level. Her lungs screaming at her for daring to try and push out and pull in that much air.
'It's in your head Brynlee, you can breathe just fine. It's a collapsed lung.... but why?' She was shaking. The blood hitting her lips made her want to cry. Why was she bleeding? Her head twisted as her hands reached over her head and pushed against the truck roof, trying to see if she could get her leg unstuck. But it wasn't helping that she had lost feeling in the leg. Possibly shock. She prayed it was shock. Her eyes opened and stared out her busted side window, barely able to see the backend of Eloise's car. Dear heavens, please let her be okay.
The call came in and Kane spoke into the radio, verifying he was on his way. His fingers flipped the switch to turn on the flashing lights and siren, and he pressed the gas pedal down. Calm hands on the steering wheel maneuvered between cars with ease and he calculated how much longer it would take. He was barely a handful of minutes out, but with four cars impacted, every second counted. He heard chatter over the radio, one officer verifying that he and his partner were on the scene. A female officer's voice came over the line that she would be directing traffic. Kane was a minute out.
The first officer on the scene was speaking again. First driver in stable condition, female, a blue Honda, driver shaky but stable. The second was a white Jeep, male driver was unconscious but no apparent injuries. The third a female, critical condition, silver honda. Kane drove his cruiser past the officer directing traffic and parked as the male officer's voice came over the radio again. Light blue, Toyota tacoma, female driver, critical condition, vehicle flipped. Kane stepped out of the cruiser, his eyes immediately scanning the scene to find the truck. No. No. No. No.
Kane took off at a run, his heart pounding in his chest. Please, please don't let it be her, he silently begged God in his mind, repeating it over and over. Not her. Please, not her. He heard the driver screaming, a name he didn't immediately recognize, but what he did know was the voice that the name came from. He dropped down to his hands and knees, lowering his head to the pavement to see her. Brynlee. His Brynlee.
Kane spoke immediately, his training kicking in, voice calm. She was awake, that was a good sign. "Brynlee, it's Kane. Everything is going to be just fine alright?" He took out his penlight and scanned the inside of the vehicle. There was blood dripping down from her face, pooling underneath where she was hanging upside down and he turned his head, well aware that medics were already on the way. "I need a medic here!" He brought his attention back to her, "Can you hear me Brynn? I need you to talk with me okay? Tell me all about your day. Tell me about the niece and nephew." She was meeting her family today, they were having dinner together. Family. Eloise.
The name connected and he felt his heart drop. "I'm going to check on Eloise okay? I'm going to be right back." Kane tore himself from her and made it to Eloise, the girl pinned by the warped metal of the vehicle. She was stable, but he didn't know how long that would last, as another officer ran to get the jaws to cut her out he noticed the blood seeping from her door. "Eloise? My name is Kane. Can you nod your head for me?" He heard an officer shouting about the first ambulance being here and he looked over at Brynlee's truck before turning his attention back to Eloise. He felt his mouth go dry, his heart making the call, steeling his nerves against what that might mean when this was all going to be over. He turned to where the medics were, his hand pointing to Brynlee's truck, "There. We need you there first."
Brynlee didn't hear the sirens. She desperately wanted to get out of the truck and as she hung upside down she was scrambling to find her usual mind. The one that she switched into at work, focused, determined. But all she could feel was the panic. Her mind focusing on the fact that she couldn't feel the toes on the leg that held her pinned to her seat. She felt tears sting her eyes as she caught movement out her broken window. Her freckled face turned towards it and a soft, pained groan left her. Not you, I don't want you to see this. She could almost cry.
Especially as she watched his mouth move and nothing come out. No, it was her. Her ears were not picking up on them. She stared at him, those blue eyes looking at her. Her heart was breaking. The light made her flinch, and her head turned back to her lap above her. To where she was pinned. She pushed against the steering wheel with her hands and a frustrated cry left her, "I'm stuck, my leg... Kane I don't know where I'm bleeding from." She was trying to focus. She really was, but the red clouding her vision was
"...check on Eloise okay? I'm going to be right back."
Suddenly she heard him, as if someone switched her hearing back on with a flick of a light switch. Those brown eyes moved to him as she saw him move away. She wanted to ask him to stay. She was scared. For the first time, she showed her fear on her face and that rattled her. Watching Kane's retreating form, watching him approach Eloise's car. It pushed her to focus. Her face turning towards her lap once more, a hand wiping away at her eyes to try and clear some of blood from her sight. And when she went to work on getting herself free. Shifting the one leg she could feel, she shifted her body.
A small cry leaving her lips as pain radiated through her. But once she felt that she could move her right leg, she slipped her hand under the steering wheel. She knew there was a button somewhere under it that controlled the position of the steering where. So if she was able to push it and lift, she could hopefully get enough room to wiggle herself free. With a few tries, her fingers just hit it and then pushed it. She came slipping out of the seat. Her body hitting the roof hard and she laid there stunned for a moment. She told herself to get up. To move. To drag herself out the window... her head tilted back to look at it. She didn't think she'd fit. Her breathing was ragged and she felt like the truck itself was sitting on her chest.
Brynlee wanted to know about Eloise. And the fact that she had yet to come running over made despair grow in her stomach. She started shaking as she turned over to her stomach, hearing someone approach from the outside. A sharp pain radiated from her hip as she rolled, a hand flying to her side. Red hair tangled, and she looked at the boots on the outside of her window. "Help Eloise first... the driver in the Honda. I... I am okay." But was she? She tried to lift her head but dark spots were suddenly clouding her vision. No, not now. Pull it together Bryn.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Mick walked through the ER doors, out of the building. He never really minded hospitals, especially not since he dropped off patients on a daily basis but it doubled or even tripled these days. Now he was more than grateful to leave as quickly as he could. Once he stepped through the automatic doors he pulled down his mask, desperate for some fresh air. He didn't mind the drop in temperature, feeling as if he was too hot all the time anyway from the constant moving, walking, running, climbing up the stairs, carrying patients in all sort of weight ranges. The only upside about it was that there was no need to exercise, no fear of gaining weight from all the unhealthy snacking and takeout food. It might sound a little macabre but it was something that helped him hold on to the smallest of lights at the end of this dark tunnel filled with chaos and grief.
He leaned against the ambulance parked close by. His partner sat on the driver's side, sipping on his coffee which was probably only lukewarm by now. Their radio crackled before a voice on the other end informed them about a car accident with multiple vehicles involved. Without hesitation, he pulled the mask back over his nose, adjusting it on its sides and above the bridge of his nose, and jogged to the vehicle. For once he wasn't driving. He got into the passenger seat and they drove off. There were several types of calls Mick disliked, hated, or even loathed. Car accidents were one of them.
It didn't take them long to reach the scene. As their ambulance approached he couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine the moment he set on upon the scene. Four cars had crashed, one was flipped over. Mick swallowed hard, his right hand impatiently slapping the side of his door. The police officer waved them through and even though he was still seated he tried to get a good look at the horror that unfolded in front of them.
Once the vehicle came to a stop he bolted out of it, almost slipping on the road after he jumped out. He grabbed what he needed and made his way over to the middle of the road when one of the officers, kneeling beside another car, pointed him to the one that flipped. Long and fast strides carried him over. He glanced over his shoulder towards his partner and told him to go check the other passengers of the cars to see who had a higher priority. A quick look over the roads told him they were the only ambulance arriving so far and oh dear, he hoped there would be others coming soon. At the thought of the opposite happening, a knot of dread appeared inside his chest, a gloved fist punching at it to make it disappear.
He did a quick walk around the car to check if there was any fluid leaking out of it and while he expected to see puddles of gas the only small puddle he saw was that of blood, slowly dripping out of the driver's side. At least it was safe for now. In one smooth motion, he dropped to his knees next to the flipped truck, the emergency bag landing on the road beside him with a thud. The window was shattered so he pulled off his jacket and brushed away some of the glass shards around the area before throwing the jacket halfway over the window of the car.
He lied down on his stomach and rested his lower arms against the concrete. "Hey there. Don't worry someone is already there." he said with such certainty that he didn't even know where it came from. He wasn't sure if there was any help but he glanced over his shoulder to look. He saw the officer that told him to come here first. His partner was on the second car involved. Turning his attention back to the redhead inside the car he tried to brush off the dread inside him with a smile underneath his mask."What's your name?" he asked the woman, before scooting slightly closer. He tried to get a look on the inside, to see if she was free, to see if he could get her out without any help but the window was squished by the weight of the car and probably happened in the event of it flipping over. "I need some assistance over here!" he yelled over his shoulder, wondering if the fire department was already on their way.
Biting his lower lip he ducked his head inside the window as far as he could, which in all honesty wasn't that far in. One hand fiddled with the flashlight he took out of its pocket. "Don't move. Just lay still."
Kane tore his eyes from Brynlee's truck only long enough to glance down at her sister. She hadn't spoken to him, her eyes barely managing a flutter before closing again. Kane's chest tightened as he barely managed a whisper, "I'm sorry." He took off at a run back to Brynlee, leaving Eloise. The paramedic's voice rang out needing help and Kane closed the distance, dropping down to where the medic was, "I'm here. What do you need?"
The medic moved inside the truck window and Kane felt his heart hammering in his chest. He was only vaguely aware of sirens screaming in the distance. Whether it was the police or more paramedics he wasn't sure. He spoke to the other man as he watched him scan over Bryn. "I can support her weight and get her out of there if we can get the door cut." He waited for the medic to finish the assessment and he spoke to Bryn, his voice steady and calm. "Bryn, we need you to stay awake and stay with us okay? Where's the pain?"
The door was warped and bent too much to be able to be opened. He knew they'd probably need the jaws to get the metal cut and opened enough to get her out. The window wasn't large enough, at least not enough to allow him to support her while simultaneously getting her out. While the medic was checking her, Kane moved to the other side of the vehicle. The glass was shattered on that side as well, leaving a smaller entry hole than the other. He couldn't fit through but he moved his arm inside, pushing as much of himself as he could, his body on the glass littering the ground to find her hand. "Brynn, I'm right here okay? I'm not going anywhere."
He planned to hold her hand through the cutting. It wasn't exactly the quietest tool and he wasn't sure where her mind was. The last thing he wanted was for her to be scared from the sound of metal against metal, with no one she knew nearby. His fingers ran over hers, his hand gripping her own. "We're going to get you out of this alright? Just stay with us."
"Hey there. Don't worry someone is already there. What's your name?"
Her head rested on the ground for a moment, eyes closed as she tried to form what exactly she needed to do next. Which was get out of the truck. She groaned lightly as she applied pressure to her hip once more. Feeling warm liquid cover her hand. Knowing that wasn't good. None of this was good. "Brynlee Valentine... I work up at... Lethford hospital." She wanted to press again on the other driver, on her sister. But her head swirled for a moment. Just long enough to make her pause.
She heard him yell, making her force herself to pick her head up and look at him as he looked back inside the truck. She must look bad. She took a deep breath, focusing on how it filled her lungs and then started off. "Four cars, right? Me and the Honda were in the middle. It was... uh, I think a sliver car that hit me from behind? And then the other one hit Eloise's car when we were pushed through the stop sign... Or maybe they hit my car. I..." She stopped as she closed her eyes. Why could she not remember this, it just happened! She should be able to pull it all up in her head. But it was so fast. Everything happened so fast.
She heard his voice then, and tears filled her eyes. Why was he back so soon? Where was Elosie? Why wasn't she talking to her to? She cleared her throat. What had he asked? Oh her pain... where was it? "I don't know." It was a bone chilling realization as she realized that suddenly she couldn't feel the pain. She was going into shock. A soft groan left her. It was too early for shock. She certainly hadn't lost that much blood already had she? "I'm bleeding from my side... I know that my left leg... was numb when I came to. It was the one... pinning me to the... seat." A soft gasp leaving her as she struggled to breath. "And easily... a collapsed lung." And who knew what else. She was pretty sure she had a busted eyebrow at least.
She felt pressure on her hand suddenly, and she shifted just enough to look back at Kane. A soft, sad smile crossed her face. "Hey blondie," She said lightly. "Funny running into... you in a place like this." She rolled her head to rest against the roof of her truck again as she felt dizzy. Her body too warm suddenly. "Eloise... where is.. she?"
