OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] ‘At least you finally admit that I’m no different than any other junkie to you.’
A sentence that carried no meaning for a stranger hit him as hard a bullet. He hated the way she twisted his words around in such a negative way they became poison. To him, to her. Liam wanted to throw his hands in the air, throw that ugly vase on the table in the corner to the floor or perhaps out of the window even. It was frustration rather than anger that erupted from within like a volcano. Although he was used to their constant fighting, something which seemed never-ending no matter how it appeared to have ended. It was always just pausing, ready to continue the next day, the next moment, the next breath. "I admit nothing." he muttered, loud enough for her to hear through clenched teeth. "And you’re not. You’re my wife for crying out loud."
Indubitably she couldn’t just snap out of it as he demanded her to but yet she agreed. Liam shook his head, hands moving up to his temples, holding the sides of his face. He pressed the palms of his hands against his cheekbones, drawing them towards the middle past his eyebrows and down the bridge of his nose, folding them in a prayer gesture, down his chin and his throat where his short-clipped fingernails left a line at the pressure he applied. He unfolded his hands, proceeding to scratch his forehead. Then he sighed.
His back was turned towards the door. Liam didn’t really care if anyone would hear their little dispute. It was something between the two of them anyway. Nothing anyone could solve. Not even with therapy or whatever. It took some willpower but he looked at her, again, even though he felt like tearing his gaze away he held it as steady as he could. His iris shifted rapidly as he tried to read her. "Why… why do you always have to make it sound like it’s some kind of joke to you?" he asked her, stepping closer and walking around the bed. He couldn’t hide the disappointment in his face, although, it was a mix of hers and his own. "Why can’t you just take it seriously? Because I do. I’m serious. I take it seriously. I take everything about this seriously. Because it involves you and I desperately want to take you seriously if only you could do the same for me." His head spun a little. He couldn't take count of the number of times he had said why when it was the one question word he would use the least. But with Olivia, it seemed to be the one question he would always have. Why?
Her hand was there, just in his reach. Liam rubbed his own against his jeans because it was cold. The coldness that was all too familiar about him. But he refused to let it be cold for her now. He wasn’t a bad person. He just wasn’t the best either. "I know I never was the one to show that I cared, to show my emotions but I care. I do. I care about you. I care about everything you do. Even the smallest thing. And I want to make it all up to you now." And it could be too late. It probably was. But he gave it a try. He had to. If not for his sake but for hers. He wasn’t sure what their relationship would become, what would be left at the end of it all. If there was anything he could save but he wanted to give it a try. Their struggle had to come to an end at some point.
Maybe it was his strict upbringing. His life, destined to be a soldier like his father, the opposite of his brother. Liam had a hard time showing his emotions if it wasn’t anger. He was quick to explode but he couldn’t show earnest sadness, anguish, discomfort. He was used to shoving those aside because he was told exposing those would make him weak. With the two of them secluded in a room with no one else but them inside he let his guard down, even just partly and temporarily. He would never admit doing it or would never be caught doing it with someone else, not even for family like Luca. But he did it now, at this moment... he unveiled his heart for her.
It took so long for him to reach for her hand, to take it into his, but eventually, he did and he was afraid she might take it back before he could but did it. As her hand, her fragile and delicate hand, lay inside of his he squeezed it softly, scared to break her. His beaming eyes found hers and he gave it yet another squeeze. "But you don’t give me the impression like you care about yourself. This isn’t about me, Olivia. This is about you. I’m not addicted to drugs, you are. You are. My life doesn’t depend on it, yours does. And as much as I would love to switch with you, to take away all that pain and agony from you. All the torture you’re going through. I can’t. But if I could… if I could-" Liam paused, hesitating. It all threw him off. This wasn’t like him but it was also an exception. An exception he would only do for one person - and that person was Olivia. She was the only one capable of cracking that mask of his.
"Tell me how?"
Swallowing hard he wished for a glass of water. His throat seemed dry after his grand speech, a desperate attempt to make things right. She apologized to him, twice, but knowing her too well it didn’t feel genuine. Was she mocking him again? The sudden sputter about how he didn’t deserve this… sometimes he wondered what was going on in her mind. I don’t want you to be like this anymore either. I want the old Olivia back. The one I married. The one my heart would yearn for at night. But after all he couldn’t say those words out loud. He could say so much, but he failed with this. Liam squeezed her hand again, not taking his eyes off of her. "We can find a solution. I’ll talk to your doctor. Maybe you don’t have to go back. Maybe there’s another way but until then-" his voice trailed off, the corners of his lips twitched as if he attempted the faintest of smiles. "I would sign those papers if only…"I could trust you.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Liam folded his hands and put them up against his lips as he took a deep breath, inhaling all the anger and irritation he felt at her response. "You know that’s not what I meant." he exhaled, trying to keep it together for the sake of someone doing so. His heart rate and blood pressure were steadily rising with every word they exchanged. Biting his tongue, that’s what he tried to do. It was something completely out of character for him. If it was Liam he would reply with just the same amount of deleteriousness.
The damage was already done, why not pour oil into the fire? He was perfectly fine acting like that towards his brother, his parents, his coworkers. For Olivia, he tried… his best… but failed more than miserably. The longer he looked at her the more detrimental his choice of words was going to be. The more she spoke to him, the more he wanted to retort back. But what exactly was the use of the two of them continuously fighting and arguing even after they decided to separate? They had yet to divorce but truth to be spoken… it was already a done deal even though no papers had been signed yet.
"Olivia." he said as she started her rant. "Olivia!" he repeated, this time his voice louder than before. He stared at her, just like he did so many times now. Being able to just look at her seemed to be something out of a dream these days. Surreal. That’s what it felt like. Life seemed to be so normal and then it hit hard, slapping lemons in your face as if there was no tomorrow. Then there was the pandemic and everything seemed to just turn into a living hell. Work, his private life, everything. But he couldn’t compete with what his wife was going through.
He shook his head, dismissing everything she told him as he listened to her. Holding his elbow with one hand, the palm of his right hand covering his mouth, Liam slowly walked over to the end of the bed. "I never said you’re a problem! I want to help you as much as I can but I can’t do it alone. And the way you’re acting tells me that I would undoubtedly be dealing with it alone. I’m not the one with a drug problem, Olivia. You used to work for the Department, dealing with people who are just like you. You out of all people should know better." The words felt like acid leaving his mouth, burning his throat, tongue, the roof of his mouth, his lips. Gargling with poison would be a more pleasant feeling.
And he regretted every word he just said. He stood by the bed, grasping the bar attached to the end. He gripped it tight, his knuckles turned white, almost seeming to protrude the skin. Looking to his side, he pressed his lips together. His gaze fell upon the table for visitors, a box of gloves placed on top of it. "So why can’t you just… for yourself, for me, for everyone that cares about you.... snap out of it?!" Breathing suddenly seemed to be the hardest task for Liam. There was this weird feeling once you’re aware of your breathing or blinking where you just try to control it even though your body was supposed to do it by itself. Liam tried very hard not to take the whole room apart, to lash out at the people around him. Oh how he wished this whole bullshit would be happening to anyone but her.
Gloomy eyes wandered back towards the blonde on the bed, covering her face. The sudden lack of strength in her voice made him shudder and for a moment he felt bad for talking to her the way he did but after all these moments he didn’t know any better. He wasn’t trained to negotiate, to feel, and empathize with someone. He didn’t know what she was going through. Nevertheless, he was going through a hard time just as difficult as hers. Maybe it didn’t affect him physically but it sure took a toll on him mentally. "What you’re doing is killing you. Maybe not right now, maybe not soon but someday it will and I really don’t want to be the one to receive that call or to have officers standing in front of my door telling me that my wife was found dead." he said, a mildly softer tone applied to his speech but there still was a hint of harshness that he just couldn’t get rid of no matter the agony both felt.
Overdose, drugs. The word echoed in his mind as if it someone was continuously whispering it into his ear, each time adding more misery into it. Swallowing down the response sitting on his tongue he looked around the room, huffing out of his nose. He couldn’t stop feeling restless inside these four walls. But he thought it was best for her to be away from the streets, be in hands of people who knew what they were dealing with because he unquestioningly didn’t know how to deal with it. "I would do anything to help Olivia, just… just tell me what I can do to help you. If the last facility wasn’t great. Maybe we can find another one. But I can’t let you be by yourself… I-" Liam hesitated, pausing his gaze on her if she was looking or not. "I can't trust you right now."
[attr="class","CONTENT"] "Your presence is the kind of excitement that makes me wanna puke." Liam snorted back in response, rolling his eyes at him. He chose to ignore his next comment about the doughnuts and old coffee smell. He preferred that over blood and rotten flesh any day. Perhaps it was cliché but it had to have some truth to it somehow.
Letting out a bit of a dramatic sigh he looked at his coworkers and then back at Luca, lowering his voice a little. The two of them were known to argue ever so often and while no one really wanted to pay attention to them knowing Liam he still decided to try and keep it down a notch. For now. "Look, I don’t care if I get it or not if it can’t be paid for or not. Your mistake, your turn to solve it. Maybe try to act like an adult for once Luca." he told him, stretching his neck and rolling it around.
His eyes fell on the paperwork that needed to be done by the end of his shift, a groan escaping his lips at both the thought of the deadline and his annoying brother. "I don’t even know why you thought of coming to me for help. And no thank you, I don’t want your bike for dates or whatever." he retorted, rolling his eyes once again. If this continued his eyes would most likely get stuck at some point. It wasn’t like they never tried to get along, well, maybe they didn’t… but something about his brother’s mere presence made him feel the need to argue and fight. Maybe it was something he picked up from his dad.
Throwing his hands in the air and shaking his head he looked at Luca as if he just told him he was pregnant. Pure nonsense. "What?" he let out, feeling the need to laugh at him and his presumably bad joke. A job? Did he hear right? Flipping close his wallet and putting it back in the pocket and clapping his hands once. "Right and I just won the lottery. Surprise. It’s not April Fools, duh. And if you like Amanda that much maybe ask her if she can get it cleared for you." Fortunately, she might not have the authority to do it because otherwise, Liam was pretty sure she would fall head over heels for his brother and actually do it.
Liam leaned forward, squinting at the ID his brother held up for him to see. "Well, whoever made this did a good job faking it. Mind introducing me so I can get him arrested for forgery?" he said, giving it a nod of fake approval. Luca and a job? Those were two words that did not match, especially not used in one sentence if it wasn’t a negative statement. Luca getting fired from a job. Now that sounded more likely than getting a job. Upon closer inspection of the ID, he noticed the Prism Biotech logo printed on the corner.
Raising a suspicious eyebrow he looked back at Luca. "Did you lose a bet or something?" he wondered, a chuckle leaving his lips. "Yeah right. You and work? That’s like a match made in hell. How long do you think you’ll last? A week? Maybe two?" he continued mocking him. Liam wasn’t the type to cheer on his brother, congratulate him for his achievement whether or not it was done with his own efforts. He was aware of their parents being part of the scheme to have Luca achieve something even if it was against his will but he never paid enough attention to it to know what they were doing these days. He had too many things to worry about himself. Too many things on his own plate that he rather not have.
And one thing he couldn’t care less about was worrying about his troublemaker brother. He gave him a quick wave of dismissal with his hand. Liam wasn’t planning on fixing their relationship with each other. He honestly had no reason to do so. "If you really got a job, well, great. Go bother your coworkers then. I’m sure it doesn’t smell like donuts and old coffee there." Liam couldn’t sound any less enthusiastic as he visibly rolled his eyes at his brother for a third time.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]we lose all control of our senses, so slowly give them up untilwe're defenseless, so surely this is not what you think it is
[attr="class","dilyric3"]it's worse
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Liam let out a long, irritated sigh, the air coming out of his nose turning into steam right in front of his face. Oh god, he couldn’t believe this. How he wished he could just slap his ID in her face to show her he was working. "I’m not too keen on taking a dip in freezing cold water either. I’d very much prefer a hot bath at home. But if you continue to hold on to me like that the dip in the river sounds like a more plausible scenario." Liam spat out as he continued his glare at her. If only she would let go of him he could have a more stable attempt at getting back over. But like this? Not knowing how she would react when he moved? It could be too risky to do much.
It took him some time for the realization to hit him with the same coldness the evening breeze brought with it. "Goddamnit! Do you think I’m jumping?" he roared over the wind, followed by an audible scoff at the woman holding onto him because she thought she was clinging to someone who lost his will to live.
Liam’s hands were cold, the frigid metal burning his skin as he held onto it, fingers curled around as tight as possible. He took a deep breath, mimicking her laugh from earlier. There were many ways to go and even if it was the case Liam would definitely choose a more pleasant one and especially one that didn’t carry down someone else with him. He understood her concerns and he would most likely be having the same thoughts if he saw someone climb over the railing of a bridge.
It was a perilous and probably a stupid idea. The cold wind blew in his face, his cheeks turning a shade of tawny rose. Snuffling as the crisp air stung his face he attempted to get his secure footing back. It would definitely be easier if she let go of him. At least he wouldn’t need to worry about accidentally taking her with him like she threatened or feared. The latter being the more logical thing.
"As if you could drag someone my size back over." he murmured under his breath, sarcasm and more annoyance filling his voice. Give it a try, he thought, might be a good arm workout for her. "Look, I’m not trying to jump. I was just trying to get something I lost over there." he explained, nodding towards the direction of his ID. All thoughts about retrieving it were gone already. It would be a pain to get a new one and he could already see the glares he would receive from the desk sergeant. Good thing temporary IDs existed… he hoped.
Another glance down at the river before he looked at the railing in front of him, wrapping his fingers around it tighter. "Let’s make a deal, shall we? I’ll climb back over but you have to let go first. If I go down by accident I would prefer to go alone. Can’t drag a civilian into this mess." Slowly, he rose, moving one foot to the side and tucking it into the railing. He slid his hands up the frosty bars as carefully as he could, trying not to be bothered by the cold biting his skin.
Careful and slowly. That was his plan. That plan went down the drain, or bridge at this moment, as he slipped once again. The bridge didn't look that frozen and slippery in the dark but Liam found out too late. He popped up in a standing position within a second of slipping and automatically grabbed the woman by her shoulder with one hand.
Fortunately though, the benefit of being part of an exclusively trained police force, he pushed himself forward, hitting the railing hard with his upper body before slipping his arms over it. Today was not the day to fall down from a bridge. A series of curses left his lips as he hung over the railing, breathing hard from the adrenaline that shot through him. He was going to just take a breather before swinging himself over to the other side.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Liam had his gaze fixed on her, even though she seemed trying to avoid him. The longer he looked at her, taking in her feeble appearance as she sat there on the hospital bed, the dryer his mouth started feeling. There were so many things he wanted to say in that moment, so many words that bounced around inside his head, so many thoughts he kept for himself. But as he looked at her he couldn’t bring himself to say anything at all.
‘I didn't ask them to call you. They shouldn't have called you.’
A scoff left his lips before he stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him. Suddenly all the words that couldn’t manage to make it out of his lips started blurting out like a waterfall. Frustration, anger, sadness, disbelief. Everything just overcame him all at once. A cocktail of emotions he definitely didn’t expect.
"Yeah, you’re right. They shouldn’t have called me. Do you know why they shouldn’t have called me? Because you aren’t supposed to be here." he repeated after her, the words leaving a bitter taste behind as he spoke. Turning his head to the side, avoiding to look at her, Liam pursed his lips, firmly pressing them together. "Why?" he breathed, still not looking at her. "Why?" he repeated, this time louder and more audible. He didn’t care if anyone would hear it if anyone would listen in. All his attention was solely on her.
It had been so long since he saw her and the first thing they would do was to fight? He didn’t plan to. He didn’t want to… but he couldn’t hold it in either. Maybe you could help me get out of here. Her words echoed through his head. Liam sighed and then he laughed in disbelief.
Feeling the need to slap himself his hand reached for his face, rubbing the bridge of his nose as he pressed his eyes shut. Breathe in and out. Anger wasn't the way to go but the ridiculousness she uttered just didn't help him to let go. "But of course, everything you care about is to get out of here. To do what? To OD again? Do you know what it felt like to get a call out of nowhere telling me my wife was found overdosed, barely alive, in some dirty alley when she is supposed to be somewhere safe?" he blurted out sharply, holding up the discharge papers the nurse had handed him earlier so he could fill them out and sign it together with Olivia.
Instead, he closed his hand around them, partly crumbling them together and angrily throwing the papers on the floor. "Look in the mirror. Look at yourself. Do you really think anyone is going to believe that you’re fine?"
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Liam’s expression didn’t change as he watched Luca put down his dirty feet from his desk. He glanced over his shoulder, looking to see if any of his coworkers were bothered by the presence of his brother. Liam was probably the only one. His head turned back to the annoying presence sitting in his chair, fingers lightly tapping his biceps.
He let out the fakest of fake laughs. As if. Even though Luca might be a good liar, his older brother knew better than to trust those words. Rolling his neck, cracking sounds erupting from the movements, he snorted. After shifting his weight he freed one of his arms, holding it up and resting his chin on a fist. "Mhm. Since when do you care about their anniversary? Let alone feel the need to hang out with me? While I’m at work?" Liam questioned, clearly not believing anything he said. His eyebrows were drawn together and slightly lifted upwards in a more than simply skeptic look.
The officer gestured towards the room, looking over his shoulder at his fellow SWAT members. "What does this look like to you?" he asked Luca, eyebrows raised in mocking expectation as he shook his head softly. "This is not the traffic enforcement division. If you want to get that ticket cleared, go to the department of finance and pay for it. Maybe ask Rebecca if she wants to split the bill." Shrugging, he dropped his arms, one hand running through his still slightly damp hair, tousling the light brown strands as he aimed the droplets of water at his brother. Serves him right, he thought. For one, appearing at his work wasn’t just unprofessional behavior for both of them but also very much irritating.
Liam walked around him, to stand behind the chair, grabbing it by its headrest and turning it around on its wheels, shoving his brother away from the desk and towards the door he entered through but would also leave through now. "Just so you know their anniversary was last month. And If you flirt with Amanda again I’ll make sure to have her file a harassment report against you. I’m pretty sure that would be worse than a speeding ticket and will cost you more than just the motorcycle or a date." he said, pushing the chair over all the bumps in the floor he could find.
As they reached the doors Liam let go of the chair, fumbling around in his back pocket and taking out his wallet. "How much do you need? $100? $150?" he asked, scanning the contents of his wallet. Unfortunately, cash wasn't much of a thing these days and the lack of bills in his wallet proved it. He sighed, great, he would need to get to an ATM first. His hopes of getting rid of his brother quick just seemed to decrease with each passing second.
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Liam was more than confused as he stared at his phone’s screen with the number of a local hospital popping up. Did his brother get himself into trouble again? Nevertheless, he didn’t have a good feeling about it but he picked up. There wasn’t much of a choice. A call from a hospital would usually imply something important was going on and he was needed for that matter to be solved. Whatever that was.
He answered his phone before it had a chance to go to the mailbox, listening to the voice on the other end in sheer disbelief. Blinking at the black screen once he hung up, Liam tried to gather his thoughts. Even though someone like him should be prepared for worst-case scenarios, personal issues always hit differently - harder. Especially when it concerned his wife.
Without further thought, he rose from his chair, threw on his leather jacket, and grabbed his car keys. "I’ll be right back." he called over to one of his unit members before storming out of the police department’s main building. The time that passed between getting into his car, driving over to the hospital which wasn’t too far away from the station, and pulling up into the parking lot felt like just a few seconds. He sat there, engine off, keys out, hand resting on the door handle of his car.
He should know what to expect once he walked through these doors. This wasn’t the first time… but it wasn’t supposed to happen again. Swallowing hard and letting out a frustrated sigh he got out of his car, booted heels carrying him over to the emergency room. He pulled the black LCPD mask over his nose before entering and made use of the sanitizer offered at the front desk. "I’m here for my wife. Olivia Ford? Someone called me earlier." One of the nurses, wearing full protective gear, showed him the way and he followed silently.
There was a wave of disappointment that washed through him from head to toe as he opened the door, spotting her blonde hair on the bed. Liam paused in the doorway before announcing his arrival with a knock on the frame.
"We haven’t seen each other for so long and this is where we have to meet again?"
[attr="class","CONTENT"] Liam ran his fingers through his hair, massaging in the shampoo as the water from the showerhead hailed down on him. He just returned from a tactical training session with his team. One out of two things they were doing whenever they weren’t sent out on patrol duty - the other being sitting at his desk and doing paperwork. Although he wasn’t a big fan of patrol he would choose that over paperwork any day. There was nothing worse than sitting around and twiddling your thumbs while waiting for a call. While there was still a steady need for the SWAT unit, the military had taken over part of their work.
He let the water rain on him until it turned cold. Sliding a hand over his face to get rid of the water in his eyes he grabbed the towel next to him and wrapped it around his lower body before stepping out of the shower into the men’s locker room. Once he dried himself off, he changed into his long-sleeved uniform but without the tactical vest and gear.
Grabbing a cup of good ol’ vending machine coffee Liam made his way to the third floor, approaching the front desk and giving Amanda a quick nod as greeting. However, her sheepish grin at him made him feel a bit queasy, his eyebrows pulling down in confusion. He wasn’t sure if she was just in a good mood or if there was something she wanted to tell him. But he would find out soon.
The door to his unit’s office opened and he walked through, the confusion in his face disappearing instantly as soon as he spotted the back of his brother’s head. He sighed, a deep frustrated, and annoyed sigh, as he stepped over to his desk where he had taken a comfortable seat. That must have been the reason why Amanda had looked at him that way. He made a mental note to have a talk with her about letting visitors through those doors - especially unwanted ones.
He walked around him, but not before slapping him against the back of his head. "Feet off my desk or you’ll lose the privilege of walking on them for the rest of your life." he threatened, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at this rude brother of his. Leaning against his desk he crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at Luca. "What do you want?"
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]we lose all control of our senses, so slowly give them up untilwe're defenseless, so surely this is not what you think it is
[attr="class","dilyric3"]it's worse
[attr="class","dibody3"]
The brunette was slightly struggling to reach the ID card. It was just four inches out of reach if even. If he could just duck a bit into its direction he could grab it. He outstretched his fingers, flexing them ever so slightly, trying once again. The tips brushed past the cold, plastic surface of the card, but he couldn’t go any further without moving from his spot. Would it be worth falling for a piece of plastic? Probably not.
The prospect of taking a dip into the, now freezing waters, wasn’t that great and definitely not what he had planned for the day. He exhaled, the warmth of his breath against the cold air forming a small, foggy cloud. Pressing his lips together, Liam scrunched his nose as he focused on another attempt.
However, before he could do anything a hand suddenly grabbed his jacket out of nowhere. Startled, Liam momentarily loosened his grip on the railing, "Shit!" he let out, his voice raised in anger and annoyance. He looked up to see a woman grabbing him from the other side of the railing. "Are you out of your goddamn mind?" he huffed, eyebrows drawn together as his facial expression turned from surprise and light confusion into a glare. "What the hell am I doing?" he repeated after her in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing?" Liam bellowed at her, a low growl erupting from his throat.
Liam twisted his body, trying to return to his original position so he could climb back over to the safe side of the bridge. But her hard grip on his clothing made it difficult and before he knew his footing slipped, his hand gliding down the metal as he tried to regain his grasp on it. "Geeze. Let. Go. Of me!" the officer shouted, blue eyes glancing back and forth between the blonde and the river below.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]two paper moons hanging on the night ceiling sometimes to be seen, or unseen
[attr="class","dilyric3"]as it please
[attr="class","dibody3"]
"If the military stays in the city for longer there’ll be many more dogs you’ll have to deal with. And don’t get me started on chivalry." he retorted, letting out a snort as the two - or three - of them jogged down the path. Dry leaves on the ground cracked underneath his sneakers, the fall foliage making him forget about the drama inside in the city for a moment. The forest was quiet, almost eerily quiet, the change of color in the trees turning it into a sea of wooden flames. But Liam still preferred those compared to the real fires raging in the concrete jungle of Lethford.
Out of habit, he raised his arm, hand balled into a fist - using tactical hand signals to tell her to stop where she was. Liam didn’t want to believe what was in his line of sight. It wasn’t his first time in the woods bordering the city and the suburbs but never had he encountered an animal bigger than a perhaps a deer.
"Holy…" he breathed, coming to a full stop, one hand placed over his brows to shield his eyes from the sun as he tried to see better. Liam almost missed it but there it was… a very big, brown bear, looming in the shadows between trees and bushes not too far away from them. To be frank, it was a little too close for his taste. "There’s… a bear. A real bear right in front of us." he said, keeping his voice low as he spoke to Kai.
His hand reached for the gun on his hip and he carefully stepped back. "It’s not cubs season yet… so that’s that." he whispered, taking yet another step in the other direction, glancing between the wild animal and Kai. Damned be that last step. Before he could stop himself his foot landed on a twig, a louder than expected crunch sound erupting from it as it broke into two pieces. Liam muttered several curses under his breath as the animal turned its head towards them.
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]two paper moons hanging on the night ceiling sometimes to be seen, or unseen
[attr="class","dilyric3"]as it please
[attr="class","dibody3"]
"Kai." he greeted, "And that’s why you would never make it into the SWAT unit." he retorted, knowing she never had any ambitions to switch units. He still doubted it was really a bear she had seen or rather ran into. He couldn’t remember hearing about any reports of bears in the forests around Lethford but with the craziness going on this year he wouldn’t say there wasn’t a chance.
'Couldn’t find a peaceful place to exercise in the city?'
Liam raised both his arms, holding them up over his head as he stretched, leaning his upper body to the left and the right. "Something like that." he shrugged, moving his arms to the front and stretching them out as far as he could. He then dropped them to his sides and rolled his shoulders back and forth. "I just needed a change of scenery. That meaning I wasn’t feeling the military patrols I would have encountered on the streets. I’m trying to avoid fights with them. They’re really getting on my nerves these days." Spare those poor souls from butting head with him for a day.
His head tilted to the right side, the left side, rolling his neck to each side. Then he tilted his head to the front so his chin touched the very top of the sternum. He held it in position for five seconds before cracking his knuckles. "Are you up for this challenge? I know Louie won’t have any issues keeping up with me… you on the other hand-" Liam teased, aware of the fact that Kai could indeed keep up with him.
Without further ado he started jogging down the path, focusing on the way in front of him but part of him also observed the forest around them. Just in case. He glanced over his shoulder at her and Louie. "Loser pays for dinner."
[break] NAME: ____ FORD/MAIDEN NAME[break] AGE: 30-35[break] MEMBERGROUP: police department[break] JOB: former narcotics detective, currently on suspension/leave[break][break]
Meet ____ Ford/Maiden Name. She's Liam's wife. She used to be a narcotics detective and that's how they met. But being a narcotics detective sometimes brings certain risks as they sometimes get unusual exposure to drugs. Unfortunately, his wife had started taking drugs herself (reason up to you) and with time she got addicted, suffered perhaps two overdoses but survived. She hid it from Liam until he found out about it by himself. They got into a lot of arguments and fights which ended up in her leaving him and suddenly disappearing.[break][break]
But now she returns, still struggling with the drugs but doesn't want to accept his help. He tried to talk her into going into a rehab facility but she would always escape or fight back. He's providing her with stuff that's not too lethal but helps her get around without having to use the deadly substances. Although, he hoped she'll get back on track again.[break][break]
I kind of imagine this to be a short-lived character (e.g. she'll die) but to be honest it's going to be up to the player. You could have her get off of the drugs and become clean so she can return to work as a detective. I imagine them getting divorced at some point but again - who knows? A lot of things are open so feel free to message me if you're interested <3[break][break]
FACE CLAIM
[break] I picked Shantel VanSanten for the images and it's kind of set.
[break]
[attr="class","alibipanel"]PULL ME OUT pull me out of the train wreck
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]we lose all control of our senses, so slowly give them up untilwe're defenseless, so surely this is not what you think it is
[attr="class","dilyric3"]it's worse
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Never would have Liam thought he would be back on patrol duty. But yet here he was standing on the Venshaw bridge, patrolling the entry and exit of the city. He made his way to the middle of the bridge, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. The night was quiet, a little chilly as it had finally cooled down. The summer was almost over and he couldn't wait for the heat to completely disappear.
His ID dangled around his neck - click click click - as the wind kept bouncing it against the metal railing of the bridge. Slightly annoyed he decided to take it off, pulling the cord over his head. Shaking his head at this ridiculous special identification instead of just trusting the badge, Liam whirled it around in a circle when suddenly a strong gust of wind caught him off guard, the ID card slipping out of his hand.
His reflexes kicked in almost instantly as he tried to grab it but his fingers just brushed past the fabric of the cord. Wide-eyed he watched it drop down, expecting it to hit the water of the river underneath the bridge, but the cord got stuck on something beneath the railing.
Liam tried to lean over the railing as much as he could to see what exactly it was stuck on but it was too dark to see. He plopped down into a crouch, arm outstretched to fetch it from the side he was standing on but he couldn't reach it. Mumbling a curse or two under his breath he let out an angry huff, standing up again, hands stemmed on his waist before he decided to climb over the railing.
It probably wasn't the safest thing to do but he trusted his skills. Locking his foot into the metal he swung over one leg, half sitting on the railing before the other leg followed. His back was turned towards the open side, the river below him. Making sure to hold on tight he tried reaching down with the other hand... just a little... more...
[attr="class","dilyrics3"]two paper moons hanging on the night ceiling sometimes to be seen, or unseen
[attr="class","dilyric3"]as it please
[attr="class","dibody3"]
Rock music was blasting through the car as Liam drove down the rocky road towards the forest. The gyms were all closed by now and while the training facility at the police department was open for officers he didn’t feel like mingling with those. He tried going for runs in the city itself but the patrols were getting in his way quite a lot, making it difficult to relax. Not to mention being stopped by the military every twenty feet.
One hand was on the steering wheel, the other tapping away to the beat, arm resting on the rolled-down window. The suburbs weren’t as affected as the city yet, so there was that. And the forest was something most people nowadays stayed clear off anyway, so it was a perfect location for some lonesome workout. There was nothing better than a good run on some uneven terrain. Treadmills were overrated and so were the concrete sidewalks in the city.
His car came to a halt just at the entry, a sign warning people to keep to the paths and watch out for wild animals. Liam rolled his eyes at those warnings. He unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed open the car door and got out, his running shoes scrunching against the pebbles on the ground. He removed his shirt, making it more comfortable to exercise in the heat, and grabbed a gun from beside the driver’s seat, securing it inside a holster on the back of his knee-length pants. Once he was set he slammed the door shut, locked his car, and started slowly jogging, following the path.
It didn’t take long for him to start sweating, the summer heat wrapped around him like a blanket, a blanket he couldn’t throw off once it got too warm. There were noises in the distance but they seemed so far away, Liam shrugged it off as nothing. Perhaps a hunter doing his job.
He was having a good round when out of a sudden someone slipped out from between the trees and bushed. With a swift movement, he pulled the gun from his back out of its holster, the security of, loaded, holding it out in front of him, index finger hovering over the trigger softly as he aimed at the brunette in front of him. He had tensed up, ready to pull the trigger or defend himself from any sort of danger, but once she spoke, presenting no threat to him, he started easing up, slowly lowering his arms and tugging the gun back into its holster.
Arms crossed over his bare chest, he looked at the woman on the ground in front of him, his expression a mix of light confusion and annoyance. He let out a loud but short-lived laugh. “Scared? Me?” he questioned, lifting his eyebrows in a mocking manner, before rolling his neck in all directions to crack it. “Don't you worry. I'm not scared of anything." he scoffed, his gaze wandering to the trees as he squinted, trying to see through the green. With a shrug he returned his attention back to the woman. "There are no bears in this area. You should be glad I didn’t pull the trigger on you.”
[attr="class","CONTENT"]Liam is not very social. He's the kind of uses his free time to work out, watch games on tv while grabbing a beer or two and exercise some more. He's a man with little hobbies or interests. Work is what he cares about. He's super strict, stick to the law kinda guy, would arrest you for even the tiniest felony you would usually get away with a warning. He's not to be messed with and doesn't take shit from anyone. Liam is not very considerate of others and if someone was to beg he would straight out ignore it.
He's a strategic planner and actually thinks before doing anything, however, he's a quick thinker as his job requires him to be. Liam usually always has backup plans in case of failures and is usually prepared for whatever may come. He can be very loud, provoking people here and there, and throws punches instead of talking. He is a pretty serious guy who doesn't laugh often. Liam is easily angered and triggered. He jumps into fights as soon as someone insults him. He does not know what being calm means. This man has quite a hot temper and once he starts he’s unstoppable. His attitude is not the best. He is rude to most people and usually comes off as arrogant, even if he doesn't know them and can be rather harsh and blunt.
He's not very good at making jokes or being funny..if he is then it's definitely unintentional. Maybe he will be able to make a lame joke once in a while but doesn't expect others to laugh. But deep hidden inside him has a soft spot. Even if people think he is a rude and cold-hearted person, he has feelings like any other human being. He just tries to hide it under a mask and will most likely not show it anytime soon not wanting to show any weakness. He is scared that it might get in the way in the wrong moment. While he prefers to spend time alone he doesn't mind having company once in a while. Of course, he's not totally anti-social but gets easily annoyed. Especially during training someone who is weaker than him as he expects them to exceed his expectations on their first meeting.
He is more than just confident, especially in his abilities, and therefore likes to boast quite a lot. If he is training someone he can be pushy and strict, making sure the person is progressing after each training session. He likes to push people's buttons and to their limits to see how far they can actually go (or just for his own amusement). Although it is really hard to impress him if someone does he/she will earn his respect. He's not someone who is easily scared. It is more like the other way around: he is the scary dude which people fear.
Despite all that, if he starts caring about someone he goes all in but doesn't show it. He's the kind who sends over flowers without a card or name or uses someone else's name, buys food, and places it on your desk before sneaking out. If he loves he goes big and there's no return. He will do anything for that person, even if it's enabling them with drugs to prevent them from overdosing (as he does with his wife). Even though she went missing for over a year he never gave up on trying to find her and ever since her reappearance he seeks her out, trying to help her.
[attr="class","TITLE"]BIOGRAPHY
[attr="class","CONTENT"]Liam’s family consisted of a military father, a housewife mother, and his younger brother. They lived at the base with their dad and pretty much grew up on base. They would move quite a lot, whenever their dad was stationed somewhere else - often overseas. He grew up being the son who always listened to his father’s orders and was trained as a soldier and behaved like a soldier.
He followed into his father’s footsteps once he finished school, enlisting and joining the Air Force for eight years. His father had wanted him to stay forever, but after those eight years, Liam decided to leave, finishing his service and getting honorably discharged before joining the police force. He wouldn’t be satisfied with just being a plain cop so he worked his way up until he joined the SWAT Unit where he ultimately found his place.
He met his future wife at the department. She was part of the narcotics division and they bumped into each other on the job whenever SWAT was called in to assist or for backup. They had a rocky start but every time they went for drinks they would find themselves waking up at the other’s apartment the following morning. What used to be a non-committed fling turned into a serious relationship, engagement, and marriage. Being in different departments made it easy to maintain their relationship because not seeing each other at work every day and being stuck together at home was balancing it out quite well. However, that also meant he wasn’t always aware of what she was up to.
The narcotics department was on the more dangerous side and he knew she was going undercover quite a lot to bust the higher ranking drug dealers here and there. But his wife kept other secrets from him. One day she returned home and something seemed off. She wasn’t behaving the way she used to. She started coming home late, not answer her phone, making up excuses. Liam thought she was cheating of him but one night she returned home high. He thought of it as a one-time event but little did he know she was addicted. A few months later he found her OD in their bedroom and she barely made it out alive.
After that, he put her into a rehab facility but she escaped just a few days later, disappearing from his life for over a year. He recently ran into her again after getting a call from the hospital that she overdosed again but survived again. It wasn't the first time. While she cut all ties with him he still cannot get over her and tries to help her out as much as he can by providing and enabling her with prescription drugs which won't cause severe overdosing. Liam is still legally married to his wife, even though they separated a year ago.
