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.
The corner of Adelaide's lips lifted slightly in satisfaction when he confirmed that the other cup was indeed in the cabinet. She would never understand the male species. How they could go along for months with someone else's things in their home without realizing it was well beyond her. Sure her place wasn't the most organized, but she would have known the second she grabbed someone else's coffee mug that didn’t belong.
Demetri tapped the pizza box, driving home the seriousness of his voice and Adelaide's mouth parted in shock from the sheer gall of him implying that she was an idiot. She crossed her arms, "And I assumed that a detective would know better than to have gotten so wasted that he ended up breaking into his neighbor's place." She paused, eyebrows raised in a challenge before continuing, "We all have our blind spots, you don’t have to be an ass about it." She leveled her stare at him for just a moment longer before letting it go.
Adelaide finished up with the slice as she listened to him correcting her assumptions. She supposed presumed missing was better than presumed murdered, if only slightly. She gave a short chuckle as she dried her hands, replying to his remark with dry humor of her own, "Well that makes me feel a lot better. Thank you."
Demetri then brought up a cancer suggestion from Google and she shifted her weight, hand on her hip. He hadn't laughed, which was the only reason she didn't immediately come back at him with a snarky comment. "Are you trying to be funny again or do you actually have something wrong with you?" She watched him, waiting on what she assumed would either be an admission of having a crappy sense of humor or shrugging off an injury or illness. There were a few occupations who, on the average, refused medical attention until it was unbearably needed and police were first on that list.
He moved on further, defending his assumptions and she found herself chuckling at the idea, "I would have to be the world's least successful drug dealer to be living in a place like ours. Well…" She tilted her head to the side with a smirk "Yours now I suppose, no offense."
She glanced over as he paused and she watched in silence as he seemed to be having an internal struggle. She had seen the look before, hell she had them herself all the time. It was a certain look that every doctor she knew got when they did their damn best and it wasn't enough. When all thoughts of the surgery were rewound again and again in your mind, where you tried to figure out exactly what you did wrong. Where you analyzed every minute to see what the hell you could have done differently. Yes, she was all too familiar with that look and she knew well enough to leave it alone. At least for now. So she skipped over commentating on the matter further.
He shrugged off her offer of paying him back and on one hand she was slightly relieved. She was now looking at renting a whole new apartment which would of course come with a hefty new deposit. Then there was the whole matter of replenishing all of her things from furniture to clothes. She knew her bank account would soon be taking quite the hit. Then again, on the other hand, the idea that her curated and well-loved various items could be sold for so cheap had her slightly offended at the man across the hall. "Well, if you decide otherwise, let me know."
Adelaide's fingers moved over the contents of the box as Demetri mentioned he didn't cook. "Okay, then restaurant gift cards it is." She grinned back at him teasingly before turning her attention back to the box. The grin wavered as she totaled everything inside up. She was thankful to him, but it was hard facing the fact that her entire life's contents could now fit into something so small. He answered her question about the pistol and she nodded as he mentioned that the man might have it or that it might be in the basement.
She stood up, walking over to where he was, a small crease between her eyebrows, "Thanks. I honestly had no idea this place even had a basement accessible to tenants." She very much doubted that a pistol would be collecting dust in a dark basement but it was worth a shot. It was better to at least check out the possibility than to wonder and wait for it to show up on a police report involved in something illegal.
Speaking of police reports. She figured he would grab the file that she had looked at and comment about her keeping her observations to herself in matters of the police but instead he looked genuinely curious so she turned the photo back to him, "See the small scratches and cracked skin between the thumb and the index finger? It's on both hands which usually indicates there was pain there, probably due to nerve damage, it's too aggravated to be something mild. She nodded again in reference to the photo as she elaborated, "There's also cracked skin at the corners of their mouth which was probably due to repeat vomiting though…" She looked at the photo one more time before she kept speaking. "It could be due to nerve damage as well. Either way, the final tell is at their hairline. See how one side is just a bit more sparse than the other? Definitely Poisoning." She reached over and grabbed another slice of pizza, chewing thoughtfully. "I bet the initial cause of death was heart failure wasn't it?"
She never got a chance to use the medical knowledge that pertained to foreign chemicals and poisoning. That wasn't exactly an issue that came into ICU, at least not the kind that needed diagnosing. Sure there was the occasional, please help me, my child swallowed XYZ which then they could move forward with certainty. She didn't think she had ever had more than two cases in her life where they had to actually diagnose a chemical poisoning through using what little clues they were given. It was a blessing for sure, but using her knowledge to solve a puzzle was a little fun as well. Not that she would ever admit that to anyone.
"Do you know if they had a history of hormonal issues? Particularly issues related to acne? If not then you're really only looking at one possible chemical that can do all of that in lethal doses."
Adelaide was tired. Which really, wasn't anything new. When she had first been taken on as a resident she had thought she would never be as tired as she had been then. The grueling weeks of residency had been the medical field's own version of hell week. She would be thankful if she had gotten more than a handful of sleep in two or three day's time. Then things had leveled out. She had neared the end of her time and she had finally gotten a handle on the whole work/life balance thing. Being a doctor began to settle into her, she had actually felt like she was doing exactly what she had been put on this earth to do.
Then the virus hit and the world was flipped upside down. She often found herself longing for her residency days. Compared to now, those weeks were like being at a resort spa. She finished up with a patient and checked her watch. She had ten minutes until she needed to do another check in. Just long enough to get some coffee. Adelaide made her way to the ICU doctor's lounge and headed straight for the coffee pot. Which was empty. She let her head fall back, a frustrated groan leaving her lips before she went to the elevators.
She was too far from the cafeteria, but the ER floor was close enough to stop in. She scanned her badge and made her way through the halls, moving past nurses, doctors, and patients. ICU was always busy, but the ER was a constant bedlam of chaos. She saw the brightly backlit sign to the doctor's lounge and she slipped inside. The room instantly smelled of old coffee and she didn’t even care that it was more than likely going to taste like sludge. She was past the point of being picky about her caffeine options.
Adelaide got a cup of the dark liquid and took only a handful of seconds to cool it before taking a sip. Yep, she thought, burned. She took another sip and nodded to a doctor that had walked in after her, looking every bit as tired as she did. Adelaide closed her eyes, leaning back against the wall. She didn't see how this could get worse. They were constantly overwhelmed and understaffed. The chaos seemed to grow by the day, but surely….surely this all had to get better. They wouldn't last if it didn't.
Adelaide's call pager went off and she drained the coffee before tossing the cup in the trash and heading out. As she made it outside of the doors, however, two men moved a few feet away, slipping inside the med supply closet. They were both civilians, clearly not med staff and had no business being in there. Where the hell was security? She thought angrily to herself before following them.
The closet they had gone into wouldn't have the heavy-hitting meds, but it did have things they needed, things they couldn't spare. She pressed a button quickly on her pager to let them know she'd be there soon and headed for the closet. She walked through the door and moved inside, her voice as stern and commanding as she could muster, her arms crossed, "Put whatever you have back and get out of this room. Now." All tiredness that she had been feeling was now completely gone, replaced with adrenaline. Adelaide moved for the phone on the wall, with one press of a button and she could alert security.
Adelaide followed him into his apartment, her eyes scanning the place. It felt like years since she had been inside his home, not a mere matter of months. Still, everything looked mostly the same. His place was clean but not exactly what someone would call neat. There were folders, pictures, and papers scattered about. A few empty coffee cups here and there. In fact, as her eyes moved over his countertop she spotted a very familiar cup. "My coffee mug!" She grinned, happy that at least something personal was still in her grasp.
She had forgotten about bringing it over, actually she had brought two over. If she had to guess, she'd bet that if she opened up his cabinet she'd find the other one somewhere in there. She had brought them over on the morning of the fire. It had been her version of an olive branch, sort of. He had shared his breakfast and she had shared the coffee she had brewed. At least some things weren't gone forever.
Adelaide moved to the counter it was resting on and picked it up, a pleased smile on her face. The familiar weight was comforting, soothing. She looked over at Demetri, who was looking at his pizza like a man in love, as he criticized her password. "Well I figured that everyone assumes no one is going to have the password 1234 because of how obviously easy that is. So what better password than the password that no one ever assumes it would be?" She finished her sentence with a shrug, suggesting that it indeed was a good idea, though if he had already gotten in she knew her logic was clearly flawed. Still, it had seemed like a solid idea at the time.
Demetri mentioned that he didn't look at anything on her computer and she felt a tightness in her chest that she hadn't realized was there relax, "Well, thanks for…not looking. Good to know my binging habits are still between netflix and I." Adelaide leaned against his counter as she asked why he had bought her stuff. The reply, wasn't exactly one she was expecting. Her eyebrows creased slightly in confusion. Work? He was a detective. Why he would need her laptop for work was beyond her. She wondered, for a moment, if his had perhaps broken and he was looking for a replacement. Though she would have thought his department would have covered that.
He turned the box on the counter towards her and she glanced at the cheesy, greasy pizza inside. The apartment already smelled of the delicious garlicky goodness and her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten yet. "Sure, thanks." She grabbed a slice, folding the pizza before taking a bite.
It had been too long since she had eaten a proper meal. Though it was a pity that a slice of pizza now counted as a proper meal. For months she had been eating hospital food, and not even the half-way good stuff that her hospital made. She had been eating the recovery center food and this slice of pizza in comparison was like a gourmet meal after all of those months. "Mmm, good stuff," She commented before taking another bite. She had just swallowed the bite when he casually mentioned he thought she might become a case of his.
Adelaide coughed and sputtered in surprise of the comment. Her hand moving to her chest for a moment before the slice went down and she could voice her thoughts properly, "What?! You thought I was murdered or something?" She asked, halfway surprised and halfway in horror. "Why would you think that? Does that happen a lot?" her chin was tilted, eyebrows still pulled together as she tried to get clarification, "I could have been on vacation or visiting family but you assumed murder?" Her mind was running wild with questions. Why assume she had died or vanished? Should that be a genuine concern? Exactly how many females her age went missing in this place? Was he just going on hunch or had something happened to specifically point to her being murdered?
She took another bite as her mind continued to run wild in thought. He shook off his comment casually, like he hadn't mentioned a horrific way for her to go out and she made a mock careless face as she waved her hand, "Oh yeah…no worries. Want me to give you a terrifyingly vague medical diagnosis to round out the evening?" She took another bite of the pizza as she watched him go to get her things, finishing the slice.
She moved to his sink, washing her hands before moving to the other side of the counter to get a paper towel. As she dried her hands she looked over the nearest picture to her. It was a younger male, deceased, it looked like a photo that they would have taken at the autopsy. She studied it for a few more moments as he walked back into the room, talking about her stuff. She turned her attention to the box that he set down next to her. "Thanks. I'll check there too. How much do I owe you for it all?"
Adelaide looked through the box, seeing that he had grabbed a few of her favorite books along with the pictures of her parents. Her hands moved over her college graduation photo and she grinned, "Oh I am so getting you a pizza oven for Christmas." She looked through the rest of the box briefly, "Did you see my dad's pistol by any chance? Can I file some sort of police report for it?" With her luck it'd be used in a crime or something.
She turned her attention back to Demetri, leaning over the counter on her elbows, head resting on her hands before gesturing her head to the photo, "So, who was poisoned?"
Adelaide's fingers were moving quickly over the small device in her hands. She had her email on the screen, sending her department head a message. She figured that the only good thing about crashing in the doctor's quarters was that she'd be able to work as much as needed. With her being out for so long, she was ready to jump back into her work. There was no telling how much had changed since the last time she had been on the floor. It seemed like every day brought a new guideline, a new procedure or protocol. She figured her first day back was going to be spent in the office going over prep and procedures and she dreaded it. No, she wasn't looking forward to it, but it beat sitting on her hands in the quarantined sector any day of the week. She was still typing when Demetri's voice spoke out, causing her to pause.
Her head tilted ever so slightly to the side. He bought a few of her things. She turned, phone still in her hand. She had a mix of emotions going on inside her head. On one hand, she was beyond relieved that at least a few things of hers weren't gone forever. On the other hand, the idea of someone buying her things was still a sore spot. Then there was the whole matter of what exactly he had bought.
"You did?" Surprise clearly in the question. She couldn't imagine the guy before her wanting to buy much of her things. He didn't seem like the type that liked to read a lot and she was absolutely certain that his place wasn't brimming with cute coffee mugs and cozy blankets. Not that all of her things were girly of course.
She slid the phone into her pocket as he said she could have her things, walking back in the direction of his place. "Thanks…" On a level of one to ten on how awkward it was to ask for your things back from an almost total stranger, she solidly ranked this exchange as a twelve. Her mind was filled with questions. What exactly had been for sale? Was there anything horribly embarrassing that the guy had put on display? What did he buy? When he told her he'd give her a discount she gave a small laugh.
She had no issues with paying him for whatever he had paid for her stuff. She had already made a mental list of places where she was going to check for her things that were more valuable than the laptop. Things that would probably end up at a pawn shop, like her dad's gun and her mom's jewelry. She figured she'd be paying a pretty high price for those, but it would be worth it if she could actually get them back.
"You got the laptop? Thank God. At least that's not with some sketchy stranger." Relief fluttered through her chest before she thought more about what was on the laptop. "Wait, did you get into it?" She asked curiously, following him into his place. She didn't exactly not trust him, he was a police officer after all and she figured the most least-likely kind of person who would mess with her banking information and the loads of passwords that were saved, but there were also pictures of her in college, nights out with friends, and a few other personal things that she wouldn't want anyone else to see.
His place was like she had remembered. The last time that she had been here had been much more chaotic than her reason now, though neither were exactly pleasant. She vaguely wondered if it would ever be possible for them to meet each other under circumstances that weren't awful. She watched him set the pizza box down on the counter and she put her hands in her pockets, looking around.
"What made you buy some of my stuff? You don't seem like the discount-shopper type." Or shopper type at all really. The idea of the zero-humor detective perusing the isles at Bed, Bath, and Beyond was enough to cause a small smile to her lips.No matter the case, she was thankful that he had made the purchases. She wasn't going to be left completely void of all her things. All because someone panicked and tried to make an escape. The thought causing her to speak up again, "And by the way…I didn't skip out on my rent. I was quarantined from contact exposure." Not that she figured he'd care, she just wanted the fact out there. She hadn't just not paid the guy and skipped out on rent for funsies, she wasn't the type. She was miss responsible, in every sense of the word.
Adelaide was in the middle of a stare down. Had she had the sense to step back and look at the situation, she might have seen how pointless her anger was. She couldn't see that though. She couldn't step back and see anything other than the fact that yet again, a choice had been made for her. She didn't get a choice to self-quarantine. She didn't get a choice to call her parents and let them know she was safe. She didn't get a chance to pay her rent. She didn't choose to abandon the cases she had been working on for months. She had been thrown into a bad situation that had only gotten worse and she had no say in the matter. She wasn't about to let yet another decision be made without at least fighting for the outcome she wanted.
Out of her peripheral vision she noticed someone approaching them and she turned to see her neighbor walking towards them. Though, she supposed he wasn't her neighbor anymore. As he asked them what was wrong, she uncrossed her arms, motioning to the man blocking the door. "Apparently my apartment was sold, without my consent, to this guy. Along with all of my things that he conveniently doesn't have any idea about." Clothes. Jewelry. Pistol. Laptop. Books. The list went on and on. The man opened his mouth to say something when DEMETRI shifted, his badge clearly visible. Adelaide's head tilted to the side in a self-satisfied manner, resisting the urge to yell out something along the lines of ha!
The man held up his hands, "Look. I moved in three weeks ago. I sold everything that was in the place. I don't have any of her stuff." "You sold it all?!" The question coming out of her lips with audacity. Her hands clenched in anger at her sides. "Who sells someone else's things? My entire life was within those walls, and you're seriously telling me that it's all gone?" The cry of a baby came from inside her old place and the man shifted, "Look. I'm a single dad and we needed the cash. Landlord said the stuff was ours and we sold it. Maybe next time pay your rent." Adelaide let out a sarcastic laugh at the comment, like she had had any choice in the matter.
The man shut the door and her face fell. Gone. It was all gone. She let out a sigh, her anger shifting to something much more pathetically sad. She had the money to replace it all of course, but that wasn't the point. There was no buying back the memories and little treasured things that she had collected.
Adelaide gave a small nod, her mind moving into trauma mode. The action was done and there was no stopping it or taking it back. She had to move on to her next step. She had to do damage control, to focus on one step at a time. She turned to Demetri, "Thanks for offering to help." Her eyes touched on the pizza box he carried, "And sorry for interrupting your dinner." She pulled out her cell phone, taking a step towards the elevators. She always had the surgeon suites. It wasn't home but there were beds and a tv. It would make do while she found a new place to live.
Adelaide had been in quarantine for just shy of three months. One of her patients had been infected with the virus. Under normal circumstances, it wasn't too much of an issue. There were a lot of patients who had their diagnosis confirmed at the hospital before being sent off to the more secured treatment center. This patient, however, had panicked when they had gotten the news and had tried escaping. Security had come running in, but not before she and her nurse had to physically restrain the man.
They both had been wearing masks, gloves, and all of the other protective gear that the hospital had required, but the man had been too close for too long. The hospital had a zero-policy quarantine mandate so both she and the nurse who was with her had to immediately be evacuated and taken to the center for quarantine. She had figured it would just be a standard three weeks, but the nurse had taken ill. It hadn't been anyone who Adelaide knew much of personally, but she couldn't let the young woman be alone. They had developed a small friendship in the few weeks they were stuck together, and she couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible.
Adelaide had offered her medical services at the clinic while helping take care of the other girl. It had been eye-opening and terrifying to see so much of the virus in all of its stages. She was allowed to observe other cases, other patients. She got to see the hopeful trials and various vaccines they had in the works. The weeks turned to months and by some miracle, the woman had made it through. The center was still treating her for minor issues, but recovery wasn't far for her.
Adelaide was thankful to be returning back to the real world, no matter how chaotic it was. She stopped first by the hospital to report in and get her work schedule. She hadn't been allowed her phone and was thankful that her things in her locker hadn't been disturbed. She then had called her parents, replied to a few emails, and made her way back home.
She wondered if her apartment was finished. She and her next-door neighbor had lit the kitchen on fire and she had been sent away only two days after. She hoped it was completed and fixed. She had been craving the softness of her own bed for weeks. Plus, the last thing she wanted to do was knock on her practically stranger neighbor's door and ask if he still had room on his couch. He was a detective and she figured he had more than his fair share of chaos to deal with.
Adelaide found her door and took in a calming breath, happy to be home. She didn't smell smoke and figured that was a good sign. She pulled out her keys but quickly realized they didn't fit in the lock. Adelaide's face pulled in confusion as she tried again, and then one more time before heading downstairs. She supposed it wouldn't be the craziest thing for the complex to change locks. There was no telling what had happened in three months that she had been gone.
She asked to speak to the manager and felt her blood run warm when he explained that he had kicked her off the lease and sold the place to someone else after the first month of missed payment. The man didn't want to hear "her excuses" no matter how much she insisted. And when she asked where her stuff was, all he could offer her was a "not his problem" dismissive shrug. Adelaide resisted the urge to punch him and made her way back up the stairs.
She was shaking with anger by the time she reached her floor again. Not only was she apparently homeless now, but also had no idea where her stuff was. Her things, not that she had anything worth too much value, were gone? No, she couldn't accept that. They were still her things. There were pictures of her parents and medical journals she had since college. Her favorite coffee mug and softest blanket. How could it all just be gone? How could someone callously just throw her stuff out and move in?
She knocked harshly at the door, not caring that it was later in the day, the pounding reverberating through the hall. The door was opened by a man who was very large and very mean-looking. His substantial size filled up the frame and made her anger pause for half a second. Unfortunately, it wasn't much of a pause. When he all but barked out a gruff "What?" at her, she crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.
"Hi. You don't know me, but I'm the person whose home you're now living in and I want my stuff back." The man narrowed his eyes in return, "Get the hell away from my house." the dismissive tone again causing her temper to flair. Adelaide shook her head, "No. I want my stuff. And I'm not leaving until I get it. All of it." She and the man had a stare-down. A thought bubbling up from somewhere in the back of her mind that even if he moved to the side, if she enjoyed living and breathing, maybe going into a room with him alone wasn't the smartest idea. Unfortunately that thought didn't override the anger that was coursing through her.
Adelaide gave a small chuckle as he mentioned the shoes on his way out. She supposed that was a good sign, that he had a sense of humor. Despite his protest that he did not. She spent the next few minutes with the fire department, handing over her contact information in case they needed to get in touch. They also gave her a card from a company who they recommended to restore fire damage and she tucked the card in the back pocket of her pants. She was thankful that she, at the very least, had followed her father's advice and gotten rental insurance. She wasn't sure a fire that she caused, albeit not totally, was covered, but surely it could offer some sort of protection for this kind of thing.
Adelaide walked the fire crew out and shut her door, breathing in deeply. She didn't let her mind think of what was damaged yet. She didn't let her brain begin to worry about things that might be ruined or never recovered. No, she forced herself to focus on what she needed to do next, what she could do.
Adelaide walked back into the room, grabbing the rest of the items she would need over the next few days and putting them into the bag. She then grabbed another smaller bag for things she would need at work, her laptop and file folders of paperwork among them. She slipped it all inside and zipped up the two cases. She was able to sling the strap of the smaller bag over her shoulder and pull along the larger one.
She then walked to her kitchen and made sure the oven was completely off. She also unplugged the toaster and the microwave, just in case. Adelaide moved to the far side of her counter where a fresh pot of coffee sat warming. She pulled two clean mugs out of the dishwasher, filling them both with the warm liquid. She held the mugs by their handles with one hand and used her other to pull her suitcase. One more glance around her destroyed home before walking out with everything. She latched her door and turned to face the one that would lead to her new home for the next few days.
There was no telling how many times she had passed that door with no care to who was inside of it. She had never bothered to make friends or get to know her neighbors. Her job didn't grant much free time. Had this morning's events not played out the way they had, she would have gone on existing in that world with borders around her home. Only time would tell if that was a good thing or not.
Adelaide walked to his door that was left ajar for her. She stepped inside and closed it behind her. His place was similar to hers in the layout. She moved further into his place and noticed with smug satisfaction that her home was definitely tidier. She almost commented on it but decided that would be rude. He was letting her stay there after all. "Where do you want me to put my things?" Her apartment didn't have a second bedroom, she hadn't seen the need for one when she knew it was going to be just herself in the city. She had no idea if his was the same or not. She didn't mind the idea of crashing on his couch though if it was, there had been worst places that she had to sleep in while she was in medical school. She had thought about simply crashing in the doctor's room at the hospital, but too many people were always going in and out, it wasn't ideal for more than anything outside of a nap. No, this was her best bet.
She caught the scent of bacon and her stomach grumbled in protest. A wry smile came across her face before she spoke up, "Want me to cook?" She gently put her things down while she waited for his direction and walked over to where he was, setting one of the coffee mugs down. "I don't know if you drink coffee or not, but I didn't want to waste it." Oh how she hoped he wasn't adverse to it. She would have to bring her machine over. She wasn't sure she could face a day of work without at least one cup to get her going through the day.
She moved back towards the counter. There were papers and folders scattered around and she sat down on the bar stool, careful not to disturb them. One folder had a picture halfway sticking out and she caught the sight of a leg, blood pooled around it. Her medical side was intrigued but she kept her curiosity to herself, at least for the time being. She turned her attention back to him, sipping the dark liquid. "So...are you from here?"
Adelaide's arms were crossed, a stern and annoyed look still very much present on her face as the officers moved to him, un-cuffing him without another word. She was relieved that whatever annoying game they were playing with her neighbor was now over. At least now she could get back to assessing the damage on her home, she thought in annoyance. As if this was all some sort of funny bit the rivaling officers could leverage with one another. The idea made her want to punch something, but she had to swallow her anger. She had to focus on the overwhelming task at hand that was her apartment fire.
The firemen were moving around her place, tracking around the soot from the kitchen. She rubbed her temples. Of all the days off, this was hands-down the worst. She could hear more sirens in the distance and she could only hope that the station hadn't accidentally sent in another truck. That would be double the bodies, double the mess. She heard her phone going off and glanced down, the number to their landlord popping up on the screen. Adelaide cursed quietly and put the phone on silent. She would deal with that after she handled this.
The sound of Detective Hawtrey's voice pulled her attention away from the chaos in her kitchen. She looked over as he murmured thanks, well sort of, and then proceeded to tell her that his offer still stood. Before she could reply he had made a joke, catching her off guard. Adelaide laughed lightly, the joke easing the tension that was in her chest just a bit. "Good one. Are all Lethford detectives this funny or am I just really lucky?"
She didn't know him, he was clearly a stranger, but he was an officer so she knew he had to at least have passed a few background checks. It wasn't like he lived far away either, if there was anything shady going on she could easily leave and retreat back to her own place. He then offered to clean, well sort of, but not before insulting her own cleaning. "Hey. I clean just fine, thank you very much. It might not look like it now, but this place is normally dust-free." Sure there were books and papers here and there, but it wasn't un-clean just disorderly. She looked back over at the firefighters, who were still moving around, going in and out. "I don't think cleaning would be much use right now anyway."
She pursed her lips for just a minute before sighing, "Okay. If you're certain you don't mind me crashing at your place for a day or two until this all gets sorted out, I'd be grateful."
Her lips pulled to one side, looking at him questioningly, "You're not a weirdo or anything right? I'm not going to find some secret headless doll collection or a ton of women's left-side shoes am I?" Thank you late-night unsolved crime dramas. It wasn't like she expected him to say oh yeah, sorry, I didn't know you were against serial killers or something of the sort, but she had to ask. He had broken into her apartment after all, well sort of.
One of the firemen motioned for her to come over and she nodded. She looked over at the detective. "How about I finish up here with them, pack some things, and then head over to your place?" That seemed like the most logical thing to do at the moment. She could head over once she got everyone out of her place and once it was ensured that there was no more imminent danger. Then they could sort out the details without constantly being interrupted. She extended her hand to him, "I'm Adelaide by the way." It felt weird to introduce herself to the person who she might be staying with for the next few days, but this was a weird day.
NOTES ; I thought we could pick up where she goes to his place with her stuff?
Adelaide's head tilted slightly in annoyance when he brought up the fact that she didn't lock her door. She had been beyond tired last night, that was certain. Though, if she had been honest, it wasn't the first time she hadn't locked her door for the night. She had chosen this place specifically because the crime rate had been low. The place was safe, relatively speaking of course. There had been a handful of times where she had forgotten before and lo and behold no one had decided to make her home their bedroom for the night. When he mentioned, yet again, that it was a misunderstanding she gave a humorless laugh, "Oh, yeah, well cool motive...still breaking and entering though."
The guy had then given a sarcastic laugh of his own before heeding her advice and walking out of her place. Adelaide didn't care. This morning had been ruined, her apartment was ruined and her mind was running through the list of things she now needed to do today. Top of the list was pack. She hauled her suitcase out of the closet and unzipped it. The room was too dark for her to see much so she abandoned it and moved to her bedroom window, pushing the curtains aside.
Sunlight streamed in the room and she moved back to her closet, grabbing garments and carefully folding them neatly into the suitcase. She had barely gotten two outfits in when a voice came from her living room. It sounded like the guy who had left, so she got up, walking over to the doorway. She was a little surprise to see that he had returned and appeared to actually be helping her. She listened as he spoke to the officers, curious to see what story he was going to give them. "Detective Hawtrey, my badge number is 4375. I don’t have it on me but you can check with the department."
When he said he was an actual detective Adelaide raised her eyebrows. If it had been any other situation she might have laughed out loud, but with the given time and place, all she could muster was mild interest as she listened to him speak to the officers. This certainly was one for the books. Not only had a guy accidentally broken into her apartment, but it wasn't just anyone, no, of course not. A policeman had accidentally broken into her place. If it wasn't for bad luck she supposed she wouldn't have any at all.
Adelaide pulled out her cell phone, double-checking that she hadn't actually dialed the police earlier. She had almost pressed the button when her attention had been pulled away from making the call to keep her home from burning down. She slid the phone in her back pocket as the two officers made their way over. 'Ma'am we got a call about a suspected break-in happening here.' She shook her head, "Sorry. I don't know who called but, as you can see...the only issue here is a fire so...I don't think we'll need-" Her words were cut off by one officer nudging the other with a grin on his face. The two were smirking as they left her and walked back over to where he was.
She watched in confusion as they walked back over to him, slapping a set of handcuffs on him and making jokes. Adelaide rubbed her temples, this was not happening. Surely, this was not happening. Not only did someone break in to her home, her stove catch fire and destroy her kitchen, but two officers apparently found this as the perfect time to make jokes and prank a fellow officer.
She cleared her throat, leveling her eyes on the two policemen. Adelaide spoke up, using the very serious and stern voice that she typically reserved for disciplining unruly patients, "As I said before, there is no intruder." She nodded to the guy, "That is my neighbor who, unlike you two, are actually helping the situation. So unless you would like to do something actually useful and call in the fire department, please leave." She kept her eyes locked on them, daring them to question her. Daring them to say one word other than yes ma'am. Today was not the day.
The tension was broken only by five firefighters coming through her door and into the space. She pursed her lips as she took in the boots on the rug, the dirt and debris that was added to the already smoke-filled home. She didn't say anything, instead just pointed towards the kitchen. The firefighter who was in front moved from her and into the kitchen, another taking his helmet off and following behind.
Adelaide's fingers had pried desperately at the large red bottle that refused to be opened. Her mind ran to the most ridiculous of things while she had been fighting the metal canister. Things like, do fire extinguishers have to be inspected? Was there a course she had missed on them? Did they expire? How much did ovens cost? Oddly enough, she hadn't thought much about the stranger who she had locked into her bathroom until he was out and grabbing the extinguisher out of her hands. She had met his eyes and found the irritation beginning to course into her bloodstream at the look of sheer contempt he had on his face for her. As if she had carelessly decided to burn her apartment down for funsies.
She watched, one hand on her hip, as he gripped the extinguisher, prying in the same way she had. She heard him utter a curse and she couldn't help the look of pure validation that came across her face as he realized he couldn't open it either. Had her apartment not be in the midst of burning to ashes she would have offered up a lovely remark. Instead she saw him drop it and her eyes went back to the stove.
She had to shut it off. Maybe, if she cut off power to the place she could put a slight damper on how fast the fire spread. She closed her eyes trying to remember where her circuit breaker was. If she was in her parent's home she knew exactly where it was of course. Her father had taught her from an early age how to be self-sufficient, but this was not a single home. This was a whole building with units and she was pretty certain the box wasn't in her building. No, it had been in a central location to her floor.
Her mind raced through all the common areas of their floor until she remembered seeing it in the little alcove before the stairway at the end of the hall. She opened her eyes, ready to run when suddenly something was entrapping her. She slipped on the edge of it, falling to the ground, "What the hell?!" she yelled, trying to shove off whatever had been entangling her. She realized one of her blankets had been apparently tossed over her and she worked on setting herself free. The smoke filling her lungs as the weight was pushed off. The stranger was nowhere in sight and she didn't know if that was a good thing or not. On one hand, she was glad that the intruding coward who had apparently thrown a blanket over her and ran for it, was gone. On the other hand though, she had some choice words that she would have loved to share with him.
So she got up and ran. Out the door, to the right, eight doors down and to the left, through the doors and inside the alcove. Her eyes found the square metal box and she pulled open the cover. Her hands running over the board and pushing all of the levers down to the power-off side. The lights went out immediately and she took off running back to her apartment.
She had just made it through her open door when she heard an extinguisher go off. Adelaide walked over, her eyes adjusting to the dimness, finding the intruder with an apparent working extinguisher. She looked at the stove, or rather what was left of it. The fire had spread to the cabinets directly to the sides of the oven, as well as a blackened mark on the roof where the flames had licked it. She silently began assessing the damage, as much as she could see in the now darkened room, as his words broke her silence.
"Excuse me?" She turned her attention to him. "Yes, you are. None of this would have happened if you hadn't decided to play Airbnb with my apartment last night." She crossed her arms, listening as he brought up the fact that she'd have to leave her place for a little bit. Well, wasn't that just lovely. First, he had broken in, then he had contributed to ruining her breakfast and almost burning her home to the ground and now he was playing fire marshall. "Well thank you for that astute observation....are you a detective in your spare time?"
She went over to the hallway where she had been sitting earlier, looking around the ground for her phone. She was almost certain someone had called the fire department already, but better safe than sorry. That and the fact that her whole floor now had no power, surely someone was calling an official. She wondered if their building manager was in today.
She felt her foot graze it and she bent down, picking it up off the floor. She walked back over to where the stranger was, turning the flashlight feature on on her phone, scanning the damage. The stranger said his apartment was across from hers and she turned back to him, hand on her hip again. She watched as he moved over to one of her windows, opening it up. When he mentioned the bacon she raised her eyebrow, "Is..is that a joke?" She was going to kill him. That was it. She was going to lose her apartment and go to jail for murder all in the same day.
The sound of sirens broke through the tension-filled silence and she took a steadying breath, fighting down ever urge to punch him. "You know what, I changed my mind, it's fine. Just go. Forget the cleanup and leave." She rubbed her forehead a moment before walking to her room, pulling a suitcase out of her closet. She didn't have time for some random guy ruining any more of her day than he already had. The firemen would be there soon and she was sure her place was about to be filled with even more strangers trying to figure out what the hell happened and if it was safe for everyone else. Her apartment was officially ruined and she now had less than 12 hours left of her only day off to rest before going back to the hospital. No, she didn't have the time for him and she sure as hell didn't have patience.
Adelaide looked at her phone, shoving the missed call from her mother off the screen. Now was definitely not the time to make that return call. Her lips quirked to the side at the thought, oh hey mom, no nothing going on just got a really sick burglar trapped in my bathroom, how's dad? Locking the man safely away in her bathroom giving her a little more security. As she mentioned calling the cops though the guy had all but yelled at her in a panic to not call them. Her brows knit together a moment. He seemed to be running the water in her bathroom which served to only irritate her further. "Yeah, please just make yourself at home in there. I think I have some aromatherapy bath bombs if you want them too." She replied sarcastically. She touched the search button and typed in a search for the police department's phone number. She didn't want to call the emergency line, as long as he was secured in the room she was alright. She didn't want to use up a line that someone else needed.
The guy then proceeded to tell her that he possibly lived in the building and that this might all just be a silly mistake. She rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, I'll definitely give you more information about where I live. Want my social security card while you're at it?" She clicked the little button on the browser. She felt a little better knowing that maybe he couldn't remember her apartment number. She supposed that was a small blessing.
Her attention was pulled from her phone though as he pulled on the doorknob. She jumped from the noise, dropping the phone, her body tense as she hoped the chair would hold up. The doorknob rattled but seemed to be holding. She let out a breath, her body relaxing slightly. At least while he was in there she was safe. He called out to her,"Look, I’m having a bit of issues with… small rooms.” and she replied wryly again, "And I have an issue with infectious strangers breaking into my home yet here we are."
Adelaide picked up the phone from where it had fallen, moving back to sit against the wall. She hoped the police wouldn't take long. She didn't want to spend any more of her time alone with this guy than she already had. The door began reverberating from his assault and she jumped, "Seriously, just stay in there. The police are going to be here any minute and they can take you to a hospital and you can tell them whatever story you want." She had a brief moment of sympathy wondering if perhaps he was telling the truth and he was scared of small spaces. Then the more practical side of her took over and quickly pushed that idea out of her head. She figured it was better to play it safe than end up dead.
When he asked if she was burning her apartment down she froze, the smell of something burning filling the air. She murmured a curse word before jumping up and scrambling to the kitchen. She had forgotten about the bacon. She opened the oven door and a billow of dark black smoke rolled out causing her to cough. She turned from the stove trying to clear her lungs. She grabbed an oven mitt and carefully grabbed the pan. She had gotten it halfway out when the smoke made her cough and choke. She accidentally dropped the pan, the grease splattering everywhere and igniting a flame.
She jumped back, her eyes wide. She needed the extinguisher. Normally it would have been under the sink in the kitchen but she had needed more room under there so she had moved it to the bathroom sink. She cursed again, there wasn't time to think. She ran to the bathroom and shoved the chair away from the handle. It fell to the side and she grabbed the door handle, opening it. The door swung open and she didn't glance at the stranger before grabbing the extinguisher. She ran to the kitchen with the dark red bottle, her hands shaking as she began trying to pry the nozzle. "No. No. Stupid thing." It was jammed. She felt tears come to her eyes, her apartment was going down in flames because she couldn't get a stupid extinguisher to do its job. She coughed again, having to turn from the smoke that was rapidly filling the room.
