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.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CODING
GRAPHICS
ADVERTISING
CHARACTERS
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!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS
THREAD MODERATION
MEDIATOR
CHARACTERS
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!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CLAIMS
DIRECTORY
CHARACTERS
STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
There was always a what if. What if he didn’t have a car accident and attended university with the scholarship he received? Would his parents be watching tv just to see him on the screen? Would his home be lined with medals and trophies? Would he have even been good enough to achieve it? After all these years those times just appeared like a distant memory, a part of him that he just shoved back inside the tiny corner very far away inside his head.
Casey mentally grimaced at the thought of standing next to the mayor on a stage, a gold medal adorning his neck and shaking hands while sending beams of fake smiles to the crowds of cameras. It was a life that could have been but will never be. The thought was absurd now, it was funny even to just think about it. A dream that really just became a dream to him.
When Aelin bombarded him with questions he regretted his decision to tell her. A sigh escaped his lips and he dropped his gaze to the floor as he walked. He narrowed his eyes at the dark spots, which used to be gum at some point, on the light grey sidewalk. “I didn’t because-” he paused. His eyes narrowed, even more, the skin in the spot between his eyebrows and nose wrinkling significantly. It was as if just the plain thought of it made the pain in his shoulder appear, the mere thought of it prodding at it. “I was in a car accident when I was younger.”
His eyes found a parked car further down the street to focus on, a street lamp flickering as if it didn’t want to go out, fighting against the lack of power. It was fighting harder than he did back then. He just accepted defeat because what else was there to do? Casey let out another sigh. He couldn’t remember the last time he talked about it or even just mentioned it to someone. It was a strange feeling, uncomfortable perhaps but also… a bit of a relief?
“I injured my shoulder. They couldn’t fix it, so I had to give up,” he explained, drawing his eyebrows together once again as if the pressure on his forehead would somehow help with the talking. The faintest silhouette of a smile crept onto his face when she asked if he was that good. It might have just been a twitch of his lips but he was glad for the darkness to hide it either way. “I’m always good at what I do,” he simply said, shrugging lightly. “I was offered a scholarship for one of the top universities in the country.” People knew his name, who he was. Trainers from various famous teams were having grabby hands for him. If anyone would do that now he would laugh.
His face turned into stone the moment she asked for pictures. “No,” he said immediately, looking at her with a dead-serious expression in hopes she wouldn’t think about finding them herself. He was sure there were a couple somewhere in his room but most he had left at his parent’s house for someone to throw them away. Though, his former high school might still have pictures displayed inside the school.
“Voters love a rebel if it’s just a publicity stunt,” he told her, lifting his eyebrows at her. “The people around you might appreciate it if you gave them less trouble and worries. I’m sure your father wouldn’t mind either. I certainly don’t mind less work from time to time. The mayor is already a handful,” he said, stopping the moment the last words left his lips. He gave her a hard look. “What I meant to say was... at least take someone with you if you plan on going to dubious places like this,” he gestured behind him, towards the club.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] The unexpected answer made him falter just for the briefest of moments like the silhouette of a shadow dancing over his features. What he expected was a name followed by a reason. But to his dismay, he received neither. He remained in place, hands moving to the front where he folded them together, one palm resting on another. His hands were cold, coming from the outside, skin tinted a soft pink. As much as he would like to get warm, the unregistered stranger, standing on top of the stairs, needed to be dealt with first.
'Who’s asking?'
Casey let out a soft sigh, lifting his wrist before giving it a light shake. Pushing up the sleeves of both his jacket and shirt to reveal the watch underneath he looked at it. He had a timer running from the moment the car drove through the gates, even before it parked it started. A set amount of time, meticulously calculated to make his round - now being wasted. Did it disrupt his whole schedule? Maybe, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t fix it. He just had to recalculate the day once more.
He starting walking forward, taking one step after another to close the distance between himself and the blonde stranger. His shoes softly thudding against the clean marble floor barely making any noise. The tip of his shoe met the beginning of the staircase, touching the very first step. Looking up at her, his stare demanding, he reached for his ID and pulled it out. "Head of security. The one and only person who should know who goes in and out of this building and who is authorized to remove you from this property. If needed by force." he said, before putting his ID back to where it appeared from.
His gaze rested upon her face, mentally running her image through his memories to see if he could recall her from anywhere but without success. There surely must be a reason why she was here without anyone having told him in advance. It bothered him very much but he couldn't show it. Casey raised his chin, expecting defeat, because most would have given up by now.
Apparently, this was very funny to the woman in front of him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t funny at all to him. Having a stranger without credentials inside the manor, unknown to him and possibly others, could very much cost him his job. Especially if this woman was a threat as he immediately assumed from the beginning. A name was all he needed, all he wanted for now. A quick call, a simple background check, and all this trouble could be easily avoided. "If you carry any identification with you that allows you to be here you could help yourself and avoid being violently dragged out of this building within the next five minutes."
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Putting the phone back inside his jacket he followed her down the street, away from the club and the party. Casey walked almost next to her, just keeping a step behind for security measures. He scanned the area as they walked, the street in front of them, all the small alleys and nooks where someone could fit inside to lurk around. Even though he preferred walking to taking the car it wasn’t the safest option, especially not these days despite the streets looking as empty as they did now. He kept his gaze strictly forward as she spoke, talking about the car he gave away. "There’s no need to worry about the car. I have ways to track it and retrieve it." he said, breathing out. If it’s not a wreck by then. Would he mind being forced to walk for the next couple of days? Certainly not.
His eyes flicked towards Aelin and he thought about taking off his jacket to offer it to her but he remembered the nasty state it was in so he stopped himself and pushed that thought far away. The first thing he was going to do once they got home was to put all the clothes from this evening into the washer and change into clean, fresh clothes that didn’t stank and had multiple stains the color of… god, he didn’t even want to name it. He relaxed a little as they walked, the noise retreating and he was glad for it to be gone, feeling as if he was deaf the past hour.
Casey narrowed his eyes at the darkness ahead of them when she asked him if he was going to turn her in. He very well could but he wouldn’t benefit from doing so. In response to her, he shook his head. "No." he said, a simple and short answer. He didn’t consider giving her a reason but she could probably guess why.
‘Did you always want to do this for a living?’
That question threw him off more than he would like to admit but he kept his pose, blue eyes as hard and calculating as always. His features didn’t give away the uneasiness he felt at that moment. He looked at her, meeting her glance, but stayed silent for a bit longer as they walked further down the street. Deeming their surroundings to be clear and safe enough Casey craned his head back, looking up at the night sky. It was such a simple thing to do, to look at, but at that moment Casey realized he hadn’t looked at the sky for a while. Nothing much changed but the scheduled power outages, striping the city of its lights, made the stars appear - one bright dot after another. Such a simple thing yet so beautiful.
He tore his gaze away and continued to stare ahead. "I didn’t," Casey answered her question after a while, breaking the silence between the two. It wasn’t much of uncomfortable silence. He was used to it, to not talking in the mayor’s presence, or to not wanting to talk in Aelin’s presence. It wasn’t his job to talk if he wasn’t giving out orders. His arms were at his sides, one hand casually slipping into the pocket of his dark pair of slacks. "If life wouldn't have taken all these turns I’d probably be an Olympic swimmer now. You could watch me on tv." he told her, and even though it sounded like a joke he was dead serious about it. He couldn’t laugh... because in the end, it used to be the one dream he had when he was younger. Something that was in his past. A past he couldn’t change.
With the same sternness in his voice, he asked her a question in return. "Did you always want to be a troublemaker?" The corners of his lips twitched for just one thousandth of a second. He continued staring down the street, the Locke manor seeming far away.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] With every new regulation announced the security risk for the Mayor became higher and higher. And even though all interviews were done online via video chat or video announcement it didn't stop reporters and angry mobs from stalking the area around the City Hall. Internet bloggers fueling the fire with all sorts of conspiracy theories were becoming a thorn in the side for Casey, his staff, and the government itself. People just didn't understand the dire need for these regulations to be placed.
But higher risks and a growing amount of threats meant more security personnel was needed. Casey sat at his desk, flipping through one application after another, sorting out those who were an instant no without hesitation. He always preferred those who had experience in law enforcement or were ex-military but those were also the ones bearing risk to not be suitable at all. In the end, it was always a matter of finding out by letting them run a couple of tests. The pile consisting of candidates he found suitable and matched his requirements was significantly smaller than the ones denied.
His phone's alarm went off, a quick glance at the time on the display telling him it was time for a quick briefing before heading to the Mayor's home who had let him know in the morning that he was planning to stay at the City Hall overnight to finish his work. Casey sometime's doubted that was the truth but it wasn't any of his business, especially after being assigned to take care of his daughter the majority of the time. She was down one bodyguard anyway since he had to kindly fire Alex who had let her sneak out and attend some kind of underground party.
The dark-haired male rose from his chair, walking to the clothes rack and retrieving his suit jacket which was neatly hung on it. He slipped into it, tugging at the bottoms for a neat fit, making sure it would cover the holster secured to his hip. The weapon had always been more show than anything else. It was a known fact in the security community that if one had to draw their gun or make use of it they were already too late. Their job wasn't to fight, it was to escape and get a client out of danger's way.
Once the briefing with the guards on location was done he checked one more time with the mayor himself before leaving the premise, getting into his car and having someone drive him to the home of the Locke's. The gates of the Locke manor opened just in time for the black sedan to slide through before they closed again. The car came to a slow halt in front of the entrance and Casey emerged from the passenger seat.
He walked up the few steps towards to main entrance, pushing open a heavy wooden door with his hand. He was greeted by the familiar clean smell of the building, there was most likely no spot of dust to be found as it was always cleaned by housekeepers all around the clock. Oh, the times he was scolded for bringing in dirt from outside stuck on the sole of his shoes. As soon as he entered he automatically gave his surroundings a quick scan, finding something unexpected in front of him.
Steel-blue eyes with a small ring of ember circling the black pupil looked up at the unfamiliar blonde standing atop the staircase. Fitting the color his stare was hard and cold as he tilted his neck slightly back. He didn't recall scheduled visitors, nor was he informed of any new house personnel to be employed today. A teacher perhaps? No, he would be aware of this too. His arms were hanging casually by his side but he would not hesitate to react if this turned out to be a perilous situation.
Meet ___! Yes, I'm reading too many books right now and the enemies to lovers trope is haunting me. So here I present you: enemies to lovers. Ha. She's Aelin's cousin, the niece of the Mayor, who was sent to live with them.[break][break]
Casey is the head of security as well as Aelin's main bodyguard if he's not taking care of the mayor himself. They've never met before. She could have visited when she was younger or whenever he wasn't around. Her relationship with Aelin will be up to you and Addi![break][break]
However, once she arrives Casey will be suspicious and not very welcoming because to him she's a stranger, a stranger who suddenly appears at the Locke Manor. And protecting the family is his job after all which he takes more than just very serious. He doesn't trust her, might follow her even to keep an eye on her. His first impression won't be a good one but I can see her not caring much and just biting back.[break][break]
I was thinking that maybe she does have a reason to be there. Maybe her family went bankrupt and she's trying to get money or anything valuable from the Locke family? Maybe she never liked them, thinks that her family deserved better. Maybe Aelin's father didn't help hers when he needed it. Maybe there's no reason at all, maybe it's just how she is. Haha. Definitely something that I'll leave open to whoever takes her! Whether or not she has good intentions or bad intentions moving to Lethford will be up to you, however, I'm here if you need help or suggestions.[break][break]
PERSONALITY
[break]
Personality is open-ish but I can see her being a little stoic? Head-strong, intimidating without putting much effort into it, a little bit of a bitch, sarcastic, doesn't mind speaking up to someone, poised, judgmental perhaps. Anything as long as she's capable of fighting back and I don't really see her as a sweet, shy woman.[break][break]
FACE CLAIM
[break] I picked Willa Fitzgerald for the images but it's semi-negotiable. I'll take suggestions! I might just be a little picky. [break]
[attr="class","alibipanel"]HIGH VOLTAGE pushing like fire through the rain
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
The moment the keys left his hand he braced himself for the worst case. There were a variety of events that could happen at that moment. One would be the nasty one where the other guy pulled whatever weapon he had in his hands and went for Aelin. The second would be the same as the previous event but going for Casey. The third would be he wouldn’t accept the offer and ignore it, resulting in taking her anyway or doing the aforementioned acts. The fourth, which was, fortunately, the one Casey was going for, was he would let go of Aelin, grab the keys, and make a run.
Holding out his arms and stepping forward to catch her fall he grabbed her by the shoulder just as she took a hold of his arms. His eyes observed her face before scanning over her entirely. "Are you alright?" he asked, worried she might have been injured in the whole ordeal. "How about your head?" His hand reached for the back of her head, touching the hair to check if she was bleeding. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he found out it wasn’t her blood but indeed the guy’s when his nose started bleeding after getting hit by her.
Casey held onto her, steadying her until she was ready to let him go and stand on her own. He shook his head at her in response. "It wasn’t your fault." he told her, trying to reassure her. "But-" he added, raising his eyebrows at her, the shift of his voice from nice to stern happened like someone flipped a switch. "Next time you think about sneaking out to a place like this… just think about what happened today." Also he couldn’t afford losing two cars. The Locke family might have that kind of money but he surely didn’t. And insurance wasn’t going to cover the cost to prevent a kidnapping.
He guided her out of the club, leaving through the same exit the guy did just a couple of minutes earlier. Looking left and right he made sure he wasn’t there anymore but so was the car - gone. Once he was sure she was stable enough to stand on her own he let go of her arms, tucking one hand into the pocket of his pants. "Hm. About that…" The frustration about giving the car away like this slowly set in. Of course, he had ways to track it down at some point, maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after that.
Casey was going to get into trouble for it too. It was one of the nicer ones. He definitely couldn’t pay for it with his paycheck. "I’m going to call you a cab or another guard. I’ll walk." he told her, trying to keep the same stone-like face he had the whole time. Getting into a car itself was already more than just a hurdle for him. There was no way he was going to take a cab back to the Locke Manor with a driver he couldn’t trust, a car which maintenance might be years ago. Taking out his phone, careful not to touch the already dried spots of human vomit on his clothes.
His fingers clicked the screen, scrolling through his contacts. It hovered over another guard’s name who was on duty that night but Casey hesitated, glancing over at Aelin. If someone else was to find out about this she, and Casey likely, would get into trouble. He could lose his job over this, even if he somehow managed to save the situation. A cab wasn’t that safe either and they would be very lucky if they were able to grab one at this time of the day. He gave it a shot anyway, calling the saved cab company number on his phone.
It rang, and rang, and rang but no one picked up. Public transportation during a lockdown and curfew definitely wasn’t anything one should recommend relying on. A quick glance at his watch told him the first subway wouldn’t be due soon. He shifted his gaze from the phone screen to Aelin. He couldn't possibly tell her to walk all the way home. His thumb brushed over the locked screen of his phone. "Are you good to walk?"A very long walk.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
"No, I don’t think I will. Now I think you should turn the hell away and leave us alone."
Casey stared at the guy, his expression the one of solid stone. No emotions were showing, not dread, no fear, not even a bit of nervousness. He locked eyes with the guys as he talked about not letting her go. Bad decision. Bad decision. He didn’t let that confuse him though. While Casey did expect a different answer… an easier ending to this, he wasn’t too surprised by the turn of events. Guy needed to take his chances, didn’t he? Too bad it was Casey guarding Aelin tonight and not someone else.
However, as he watched her being handled too roughly, from the corner of his sight he cursed him out in his mind. Others might say it was her fault for coming to this place, disobeying orders, going against her own safety, but either way, it wasn’t like she planned getting kidnapped.
He was watching the two of them move, although the majority of attention was on the guy and not Aelin. And boy did he not expect her to whip that head back. If the situation wasn’t that serious Casey would have clapped and approved of that attempt. He made a mental note to give her some more self-defense lessons once this was over. There was blood spreading around the guy’s face, gushing out of his nostrils, his lip cut. Thumbs up.
"You. Go mind your own business and you…start walking."
Glancing down at his hands as they appeared to hold something the brunette tucked his own hands away inside the pockets of his pants. Casey looked at him hard before parting his lips to reply. "Alright. I'll go mind my own business." he simply said, shrugging at him and turning around, acting as if he would really just let them go which of course he would never even think of. Her safety was in his hands. Sure, he was getting paid for it - and not too shabby either - but even if he wasn’t he would make it his first priority.
Having his back turned to them he slowly took two steps back towards the crowd. "But-" he let out, voice raised enough to be heard and make the dude stop in his tracks or at least hesitate, holding up his hands in mock surrender, car keys dangling down on one of them. As he turned around he stepped forward. One, two, three, four. One step closer than before. "You won’t get much money if you attempt taking her. But this, a very expensive and exclusive car, will get you more if you sell it. No catch. No jail. No one will track you down. So how about we trade? Girl for car." Casey offered, showcasing the keys before he tossed them at the guy, hoping he'll catch it and either let go of Aelin or whatever he was holding in his hand.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
This wasn't going to work. He looked down at his shirt, his jacket, and his pants. All the water and paper tissues did was to make it even more visible. The stains weren't going to come out anytime soon so he gave up. With a sigh he washed his hands under the icy cold running water, the soap all used up. He tugged at the paper towels dispenser and grabbed a bunch, tossing them into the trash can once he dried his hands. One last defeated glance at his ruined clothes before he stepped out of the restroom and back into the crowd of partying people.
Casey remembered the exact point he left Aelin as he was pushing through the crowd. Everything was the same. The only difference was that neither Aelin nor the guy she was dancing with were there. His head whipped to each side, scanning the people around him. Gone.
Not wanting to waste any time by searching through the crowd he immediately turned towards the bar, grabbing the bartender and showing him a picture of her on his phone. "Have you seen her?" he shouted over the music and the noise, ignoring the confused glare he received in turn for forcing him to pay attention. The bartender shook his head before turning his attention back to polishing glasses.
Casey grumbled, rolling his eyes internally before slapping a bill onto the counter. Money solved a lot of problems. The bartender slid the bill over into his pocket and nodded towards the exit. He looked in the direction the bartender nodded at and jumped on top of the counter to get a better look. Now that he was able to see over the crowd he narrowed his eyes at the exit - spotting the familiar brunette getting dragged out by someone.
Within the next moments, he found himself in the middle of the dancing crowd which made it difficult to get there fast. He was being stopped, pushed back, pushed to the side, and pushed around before he emerged from the depths of sweaty humans. He had already forgotten about the mess on his clothes. Fortunately. And fortunately, the smell of sweat, smoke, and alcohol covered it very well too. Not that those were any more pleasant.
He hurried, long strides carrying him over to where the two were, harshly pushing away anyone in his way. His breathing was a little heavier, the nasty air inside the building not really helping with that. "Let go of her now." he said, eyes stone-cold and voice stern. If he obliged he wouldn't use the most drastic measures… but if he didn't, if he would resist, then Casey wouldn't have many other choices. "The only thing you'll get out of this is jail time."
[attr="class","CONTENT"] He didn’t answer her first question. From what he saw and heard he would have guessed it was a robbery as simple as that. Or at least, for now, it was just an attempted robbery. But speculations wouldn’t help them. It didn’t matter what exactly was going on, however, what did matter was that they needed to avoid confrontation and stay hidden or find a way out of the gas station.
Casey tried to get a better look at the situation at the front. He got up just a little, his head barely poking over the shelf. Dropping back into the crouch, one hand resting on the shelf on his left next to a variety of chocolate bars. 'What do we do?' He lowered his gaze and looked at her, his expression sheer seriousness.
"Nothing." he replied to her second question, his voice a whisper but steady and audible. There was confidence in it because a situation like this didn't scare him, it only worried him - a little bit. Nothing. That was the smartest thing they could do unless someone had a death wish and he sincerely hoped she didn’t have one. Casey would very much prefer to make it out alive today. His day was already bad enough. He didn’t need more action.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Suffocating. That's what it felt like to be sitting in the car as he and his coworker drove down the road. Today was one of those days when it hit worse than usual. Cold sweat was forming on his face, his breathing was shaky. Casey always tried to get it together during work but once he was off it just slammed in all at once. It was almost like a balloon steadily filling with air until it was ready to pop.
Not being able to take it any longer he forced the car to stop and jumped out, telling his coworker he'll walk home. The brunette loosened his tie around his neck as he walked across the street towards a gas station. He pushed open the door, making his way straight to the beverage fridges. Casey didn't bother to pay first. He grabbed a bottle of cold water and downed it as if he was on the brink of dehydration. Closing his eyes for a moment he took a couple of deep breaths.
Feeling a little better Casey closed the bottle, keeping it in his hand to pay for it later. He browsed through the snack shelf - might as well grab a little snack for later - before the sound of the door opening once again caught his attention. His gaze moved from the variety of Lays to the door, eyes narrowing at the group of men stomping into the store. He quietly watched the robbery unfold, one of the men threatening the cashier to hand him all the money. Casey wondered for a moment if they forgot that card payments were preferred during this time and that they register most likely didn't hold much cash anyway.
Casey stepped around the aisle where he saw another customer hiding. He was going to go the other way but as she seemed to move forward he stepped in, thinking she might wanted to run into the lot, carefully making his way towards her while watching the people in the front. "Don't." he whispered, hoping the woman in front of him wouldn't make any stupid decisions.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
It didn’t take long for Casey to finish the whole can of soda. The heat had started to diminish but the humidity at night was even worse. The beverage had managed to clench his thirst for the moment but he already started fumbling around inside his jacket’s pocket for some more change, ready to get another can if he needed to. Blue eyes wandered around the platform until they found what they were looking for: a trash can. He couldn’t be bothered to walk to it, so instead, he aimed and tossed it right into the container.
Taking out his phone he opened the internet browser and started scrolling through different news pages. The situation in the city was getting worse and it was evident. People were going crazy over the lack of toilet paper just a few months ago. Little did they know that definitely was going to be the least of their problems. After the damage caused on the City Hall by the riots and rebels his boss - the mayor - started working from home entirely. It would mean less work for Casey but ever since being assigned to his troublemaker daughter, it seemed like it was even more work.
The moment a voice broke through the silence of the subway station Casey glanced up, eyebrows slightly raised as he looked at the woman who had approached him. He lowered the arm holding his phone, clicking it shut while straightening his neck.
"Yes." he answered, his voice a little on the dull side, his expression a portrait of sheer apathy. Out of habit, he gave the blonde a quick once over, wondering what her intentions could be. She didn’t necessarily look like the kind to rob people but one should never judge by appearance because all he knew was that she might not be alone. "Can I help you with something?" Casey asked, letting his phone slip back into his jacket.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Holding up the crinkled flyer he found earlier in her trash can he looked at it and back at Aelin. “You need to learn how to get rid of evidence better.” he said, folding it back into the small square and stuffed it inside the pocket of his suit jacket. He was aware of how much planning probably went into this night to sneak out, but he had something she didn’t have - and that was experience.
Casey didn’t even twitch, nor was he thinking of moving an inch. His feet were basically glued to the floor in front of her and they would drag themselves to her location at all times. “You may have one dance.” he said, looking over his shoulder towards the bar she mentioned, his hands folded in front of him. It wasn’t too far away but he couldn’t take any risks. And he didn’t believe her words. He turned his head back to her before he spoke, raising one light brown eyebrow. “But I will stay right here. Besides, I can’t drink. I’m at work.” Casey replied before gesturing her to go on and dance.
He observed the people around them, taking a good look at every single face in nearby, every single possible threat. Whoever thought of making a dumb move would be down within a second - maybe with a broken arm or two. He was ready to get rid of any danger or threat to Aelin if anyone just dared to do as much as shiver.
Casey stepped sideways, clearing the path for a woman stumbling past him and dodging a guy about to spill his drinks the way he was holding his glass. He made a face at the people and the loud music, wishing he had brought earplugs. A sudden push on his back made him sway forward but it didn’t take much for him to stand back straight, turning his body just as fast and snatching the wrist of whoever had stumbled into him. He was looking at yet another drunk woman and while he was able to avoid her knocking him down he wasn’t able to escape her bending over and throwing up on him.
He let go of her wrist immediately, backing away from her. A sigh escaped his lips as he looked down at himself, mentally crying at the sight of his ruined clothes - and the smell. He looked at Aelin who most likely witnessed it all and gave her a hard look. “You stay here. I will be right back. Don’t move. Just dance.” he ordered, bolting through the crowd and towards the restroom sign, ignoring the ghastly faces the crowd made at him as he passed through.
Making sure not to touch the woman’s stomach contents on his clothes he carefully cleaned it with wet paper towels, probably emptying the whole container and receiving a disapproving look by the cleaning lady taking care of the toilets. Casey took off his jacket, the one item which seemingly didn’t get dirty, and placed it beside the sink. He loosened his tie, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt and began working on the spots on his pants. Well, if this wasn’t lovely. If being at an illegally run night club wasn’t enough, running into the risk of a possible infection through someone else's digested food was just great.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Tapping his ticket on the digital reader, Casey pushed through the turnstile's metal bars and made his way down the stairs to the lower grounds of the subway station. The typical subway smell hit him even before he entered the station... the mixed smell of creosote, steel brake dust, electrical smoke, garbage, human sweat, and urine. ... stand clear of the closing doors, please.
A man rushed past him, running towards the train as the doors started closing. "Hold the door, hold the door." he yelled, and fortunately for him, someone actually did hold the door. The automatic doors opened once again, but for the last time, letting the now out of breath man stumble inside the train. Casey could see how he mouthed a quick thanks to the stranger and ignored the angry stares he was given by passengers who didn't appreciate arriving thirty seconds late at home or their transfer station.
Hands tucked away in the pockets of his black leather jacket, the bodyguard made his way to the middle of the platform, aiming for one of the drinks vending machine. He fished out some dollar notes and slipped them inside the cash slit before pressing the button for a simple soda. The bright, green can dropped down with a loud thud echoing through the empty platform. He grabbed the can, opening the tab with a quick pull. He took a long sip of the sweet, sweet drink, wiping away a drop escaping its way.
A glance at the countdown clock told him the next south bound train would arrive in 63 minutes. That was completely fine with him. Casey would avoid driving cars or getting a cab whenever he could. Work forced him to but in his free time, he would walk or take public transport, despite the lack of trains and busses available because of the virus. The subway would run every hour, the busses perhaps too. But he would rather wait two hours - or walk home - than sit in a cramped car no matter how nice of a car it is.
He walked over to one of the pillars, eyes lazily looking at a billboard hanging on the wall on the other side of the train tracks. It was displaying a woman advertising snacks but someone had drawn a mask over her face. Casey couldn't help but scoff at it before taking another sip of his drink, patiently waiting for the next train to arrive.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]Your lips feel warm to the touch You can bring me back to life On the outside you're ablaze and alive But
[attr="class","dilyric3"]you're dead inside
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Casey knocked on the door to Aelin’s room in the Locke mansion. He knocked again, not getting a response the first time. “Aelin?” he asked, speaking up to ensure his voice would be loud enough through the door. He squinted at the dark wood, leaning closer to listen to any noises in case she was taking a shower in the bathroom. Nothing. He knocked again, this time louder, practically banging against her door. “Aelin?” Silence. A suspicious feeling crept up his back and he pushed down the handle, pulling open her bedroom door. He stepped inside, looking left and right for any sign of the rowdy young girl. Empty.
Adjusting his earpiece he rubbed the bridge of his nose with his ring finger, thumb resting on his cheekbone, sighing into the microphone hidden under his white button-up shirt. “Check the CCTV for any signs of Aelin leaving or entering.” he ordered, blue eyes darting back and forth inside the room as he searched for clues about her whereabouts. He walked to the closed window, taking a look outside. He then checked her desk when his eyes caught a piece of paper in the trash. Casey crouched down and plugged it out of the trash can, unfolding it and reading its contents. It looked like a flyer but it didn’t have a name or address printed on. A secret club? Turning on the desk lamp he held the paper under the light. “There you are.” he said, folding the flyer back into a square and stuffed it in the inside pocket of his blazer.
The bodyguard jogged down the flight of stairs leading to the entry hall as he waved at the other guards, motioning them not to follow him. They nodded and went back to their positions without arguing. He snatched the car keys someone threw over at him, though, the tiny black box stung in his hands as he clutched it harder. Casey hated driving more than anything, being inside a car for too long would not dwell well with him. But unfortunately work required driving around, so as long as it was only for a short amount of time he was fine.
Long, elegant strides carried him over to the black Mercedes s class limousine - his favorite car of choice if he had to drive himself. The drive itself didn’t take long. Casey made sure to grab the wheel tight, his eyes solely focused on the street in front of him and the rearview mirror. Fortunately, the streets were so empty he could speed through the forthcoming night with ease. The car came to a halt in front of the club, he unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the driver’s door and got out, pushing the little close button and listening to the beep beep confirming the doors were locked.
A short queue was standing in front of the double doors, guarded by a guy the size of a sumo wrestler. Casey went up the four steps towards the door and was just about to enter when the bouncer pushed him back by laying his palm on Casey’s chest. Bad move. With a face of stone, Casey grabbed his wrist, flicked it over, and sent him stumbling against the people standing in line. Pointing a finger at the bouncer he warned him not to interrupt his business before he went inside the club.
The music was blasting through the building, the bass so hard it felt like his heart stopped beating for just a brief moment. He analyzed his surroundings, scanning the first floor - the dance floor as it seemed with a bar at the back of it. If there was one place Casey hated beside cars, it would be a club. The loud music, darkness, and blinking lights were awful to keep his attention on the one person he should be focused on. Nevertheless, he would never show it. Still expressionless he started making his way through the crowd, mentally shaking his head at the foolishness of humans during a pandemic. A variety of hands tried grabbing him here and there as he pushed himself past the women on the dancefloor.
It didn’t take him too long to find the familiar brunette with wavy hair standing with her back to him, wearing a dress he had seen her wear a lot of times. Casey cleared his throat and tapped the runaway on her shoulder.
[attr="class","CONTENT"]Casey is someone who tends to dedicate his life to work. Now that he’s working as the head bodyguard for the mayor’s daughter he’s usually 24/7 working. He enjoys creating order and having a schedule to follow which is very hard when following a 18 year old student who loves to cause chaos and mayhem and just make his life harder than it already is. Nevertheless, he is an excellent organizer and his apartment, workplace, car etc. can usually be found clean. If you do find a speck of dust he’ll run to clean it. He might be a little bit of a neat freak.
He’s pretty strong-willed and stubborn and won’t budge if it is against his primary orders. This contributes to his patience which has been trained to maximum capacity within the last years on the job. He’s loyal to those he cherishes and his clients. Casey is someone you can always rely on no matter what it is - whether it’s a car ride back home in the middle of the night or running to save you from rebels.
Honesty is something he cares a lot about and he’s a bad liar. He can be very judgmental especially to those he dislikes. Considering he has to be tense and alert at all times during work he can be found having difficulties to relax. He has troubles sitting still, falling into a deep sleep, or simply watching movies at home. As a matter of fact: he hates movie theaters. It’s dark, it’s super loud and he cannot focus on the movie at all. He usually lacks sleep due to not falling into deep slumber as he is trained to move within seconds of danger. He often takes short naps, either sitting in the car or standing somewhere. But never let his closed eyes fool you.
Being aloof and rational most of the time he can come off as having difficulty expressing emotions. Which is… kind of true. He gets called the guy with a stick up his arse a lot of times. He just takes his job seriously and as it has overtaken most of his life he has completely adapted to it. Sometimes he sees himself as a shield, an object, forgetting he’s just a human being too.
[attr="class","TITLE"]BIOGRAPHY
[attr="class","CONTENT"]Casey was born in Lethford City to his father, an engineer, and his mother, a high school teacher. He had a little sister who he loved and cared about. His early life was pretty boring. He grew up being part of the popular group at school, part of the jocks, and was popular with the girls. Casey excelled as a swimmer for the school team. He was captain, won many competitions and was offered a scholarship for one of the best universities.
Until one fatal day.
Casey and his family were on their way home after a trip to the mountains. The Warwick family used to take weekend trips to their favorite spot at least once a month. It had everything they needed. A lodge, a lake, a path to easily reach the top of the mountain for some great views. Casey loved to take a swim in the lake and practice because he usually had it all for himself. It was large, wide… wider than the pools at school.
They were already halfway home when his sister suddenly started crying about forgetting her favorite toy. So they turned around to get it. By the time they were back on their way home the sun had already set and night fell upon them. Casey was busy staring at the stars - stars he never saw in the city - as another car drove straight into them. His dad tried to swerve around, avoid the other car or at least try to soften the damage but with no avail. The two cars collided, sending his mother out of the windshield, his sister was stuck between the seats. Casey was slammed against his door as the car turned over and rolled down a hill. At some point he fell out of it. He and his sister survived. His parents didn’t. However, the aftermath would be even worse for him. His sister was put into a coma after complication arose and he suffered a shoulder injury for which he underwent multiple surgeries.
With his parents gone and his sister at the hospital he wasn’t sure what to do. He was able to stay with relatives in the city. But he had to quit swimming because of the injury, and it devastated him as much as his parents death. Everything and everyone he loved was gone.
With his future destroyed - and yes he blamed his sister for it because she wanted to get her stupid toy - Casey decided to join the army as soon as he finished high school. He passed the physical exam despite his shoulder issue, although, it would sometimes show but it wasn’t too severe. And off he went to serve his country for four years. He specialized in firearms and close combat. Unfortunately, because of that his injury worsened and he left at the age of 25 with an honorable discharge.
Casey would work as a bouncer for nightclubs for two years before being offered a job as part of the security team at the City Hall. It was a good job opportunity. Not the most exciting thing to do in the world but it was stable. It was government related and the pay was good. There was no fear of not having enough money as he still had to pay his sisters hospital bills.
One day, the mayors bodyguards and security team were supposed to have a tactical training session where an attack would be acted out. Little did they know a group of anti-mayor/government followers sneaked into the training. They dressed up as part of the bodyguards and no one knew how they managed to get past security. Nevertheless, the training session turned into reality and had everyone flustered and confused. The appointed bodyguards only had fake guns while the anti-attackers had real firearms. It was chaos. Not only was it difficult for everyone to determine who was real and who wasn’t but they also had no chance of defending themselves. Casey was hiding behind a van when one of the attackers appeared in front of him. His military training still stuck, pretty good, and he managed to disarm the guy, steal his gun and went for a shootout with the others. The police soon arrived and took over.
Casey was honored for his bravery and offered a job as one of the mayors bodyguards. He worked for the mayor for 2 years until the age of 31 when he was appointed as his daughter’s bodyguard. With his current job he didn’t have much free time. He would spend his days off at the neighborhood gym teaching self-defense classes or going for a light swim. His shoulder injury would cause trouble from time to time - although… most of the time it would be phantom pain. Usually occurring whenever he’s inside a car for too long. Now with the pandemic his joy of swimming was once again taken from him, the gym closed and he was left protecting his client not only from the virus but also the rebels and those against the government.
[attr="class","ALIAS"]AUTHORED BY YOUR TRULY, HAYANA
