OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
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ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
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FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
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OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
Lexi turned her head and gave him an exasperated look before speaking, "Yeah, I realize that but two wrongs don't make a right." She felt her teacher voice kicking in as she addressed the man on the ground as well, "People are dying every day from this virus and you guys think bullets and violence is an acceptable answer?" It was more of a rhetorical question of course and she was mostly talking to herself, knowing that neither of them would ever see her point but she had to say it nevertheless. As she had been speaking, she leaned over him, her free hand moving to his throat, feeling for a pulse. She heard Faulkner call for an ambulance and she pressed her fingertips to the man's throat.
She closed her eyes for a second, trying to feel for his pulse. It was hard to focus on his when her heart was beating so wildly in her own chest. She heard the soldier say the ambulance would be there in eight minutes and she finally felt it. The beating a dull and slow rhythm. She glanced back at Faulkner, her eyes wide. "His pulse is weak. I don't know…" She had no idea what to do other than to apply pressure and keep him awake. Her medical skills were first-aid training at best and here she was wrist-deep in a man who was bleeding out with no idea what she could possibly do next to help him.
She turned back to the man and looked him over as Faulkner threatened his life. She doubted he was in any position to make any threats against her life. She wasn't entirely sure he would still be on this earth in another five minutes. She kept one hand solidly against the wound and the other moved to his pockets. "I might need your help. We need to see if he has a medical ID or anything on him that-" She instantly halted as her hands pulled out not just one but three bags of what she unfortunately knew very well was drugs. She turned sharply to the soldier, fear apparent, "I don't think this was about us."
No sooner had the words left her lips when a shot rang out, a blazing-hot pain searing her shoulder. The impact caused her to fall back, her voice crying out in pain, her hand going to her shoulder and coming away wet.
NOTES ; Credit to the marvelous hayana for coming up with the idea of being shot. Clean blow, right through her shoulder.
Lexi had one time taken a ski trip with her parents when she was a teenager. It had been her first ever foray into a recreational sport that involved snow and ice. It had not gone well. She had not only fractured her own elbow but also managed to break a rack that had been holding skis and built in the 1920's. She had never ventured into anything of the sort before. Until now apparently.
Her feet went out from under her and she landed solidly on the side of her thigh. She had begun to slip even further down the small decline, her feet dipping into the ice cold water. Thankfully, for her at least, the guy pushed his hand out and prevented her from falling into the water. Which of course made him fall back into the chilling waters. Lexi got on her knees, panic filling her features as she watched bubbles appear instead of the guy.
She looked around but there was no one in sight. She was about to scream for help when he thankfully broke through the surface. He sputtered out some river water and hauled himself towards the edge, holding his hand out to her. He made a joke and as she grabbed his hand, she found herself giving a short laugh. Maybe it was the fact that he could still find humor in a really crappy situation or maybe it was from the sheer relief that she hadn't killed him. Either way she grabbed his hand firmly, hauling him up as much as she could onto the bank and away from the water.
She didn’t know how long he had been in the freezing water before she, well, pushed him back into them, but she doubted he could afford the time it would take to get him all the way to the hospital. "My place is only a block away. Lean on me okay?" She leaned with all of her bodyweight to help pull him up, sliding his arm around her shoulder so she could better brace him to walk. She didn't spare time waiting to see if he was okay with everything before beginning to make the slow trek back to her place. "What's your name?" She knew she needed to keep him talking, to keep him awake and focused. Normally, in her career she would ask about dinosaurs, but she doubted he'd respond well to that. "I'm sorry by the way. I didn't mean to push you back in." She figured that was obvious, but figured it was also worth mentioning. "Do you have a death wish? Or was this some sort of Tik Tok challenge gone horribly wrong?"
She focused on getting him to her place, with about half of a mile to go. She figured they would have been stopped by now by some concerned citizen but no. No one made any attempt to ask questions or detain them as she half dragged/half hauled him the rest of the way, all the way to her apartment building and then up the elevator to her place. "Almost there. Just stay awake…please don't die okay?" She risked a glance for just a moment, her face hoping that he could register the joke and that he hadn't passed out on her.
Her hands were shaking as they finally made it to the door. She tried to put her keys in, missing the lock one time before finally getting it in and turning. "Okay. Here we go…" She stepped inside her place with him, moving quickly to the couch. The second she was able to carefully set him down she ran to her thermostat and pushed it to the warmest setting. She then ran to her room, grabbing the heavy, soft, comforter she had on her bed. She jogged back to him with it in her hands and paused.
He was completely wet and if he stayed in those wet clothes it was going to take much, much longer for him to get warm. "You need to take your clothes off." She felt her cheeks instantly reddening at the words that came out of her mouth, but she continued on, "I can get you a cup of coffee...or maybe some tea from the kitchen if you'd rather that? I don't think I have anything that might fit you but the blanket is really warm if you want to….uhm…wrap it around yourself?" Yes, her cheeks were entirely on fire. She never would have thought, as she had set off to buy a microwave…that in a few mere moments she would be asking a complete male stranger to take his clothes off and cover himself in her comforter yet here she was.
There seemed to be a small pause and she hoped that maybe whoever had been causing the shooting had ran away. That maybe it had been nothing more than a scare tactic or a bold attempt to show that the military presence wasn't welcomed. She was hoping against hope that that was the case. Faulkner opened his mouth to reply to her and was promptly cut off by a barrage of bullets flying over them. Lexi yelped and covered her ears.
He told her he was moving to flank the shooter and Lexi pushed down a moment of panic as he took off. On one hand she wanted to grab him and demand that he stayed there with her. After all, if something happened to him it was just her alone with someone who had no issues firing bullets at her. Her, alone, completely undefended. On the other hand, she knew she was completely out of her element and that she should let him do his job. Not that he had asked all of her thoughts and opinions on the matter. No, he had just spoken quickly and taken off. She put her back to the car, knees pulled up close to her chest. The shots were close and she covered her ears again as a third round of bullets were discharged.
A man's yell of pain erupted somewhere nearby and Lexi prayed it wasn't the soldier. The loud gunfire had broken into more of a frightening eerie silence and she began trying to prepare herself for what might come. If that meant running or fighting which, if she was being completely honest, would not end well either way for her. Faulkner's voice called for her, thankfully breaking the silence.
She scrambled to get up, her shaking legs doing their best to stay upright. She looked over to where the soldier was and she ran over to him. He was gripping the gun in his hands, the barrel pointing downwards. As she got closer to him she noticed the man on the ground, blood quickly pooling around him. "You shot him?!" Lexi's hand moved to her mouth in shock for half of a second before she shrugged out of her jacket, immediately moving to the man on the ground. Logically she knew that in that situation, the odds were stacked heavily that at least one person was going to be shot that afternoon, but she wasn't thinking about that logical side. All she could see was a young man bleeding out on the road senselessly.
"He needs a doctor." Lexi dropped to her knees, pressing her jacket to the wound on the guy, blood beginning to seep out and around the jacket.
NOTES ; Feel free to have her get held hostage or whatever lol
Lexi nodded to the Faulkner comment. This guy was clearly all business. Not giving her an inch of breaking from his strict demeanor other than the stray smile here and there. She didn't fault him of course. Her job was vastly different than his. She couldn't imagine having someone's life in your hands, being responsible for other people and their well-being all the time. She couldn’t help her nature though, "You've got to be a writer with that last name. At the very least a closet poetry fan." She grinned, glancing over at him. Faulkner was actually one of her favorite writers. She had done an entire thesis on his writings in college.
He asked where she taught at and she replied, "Lethford Elementary. Home of the Lethford Lions." She found herself grinning again. She loved her school and though elementary teams were a vastly far cry from competing middle and high school sports, she'd been happily present at all football and basketball games. There was nothing cuter than two dozen elementary school kids chasing each other around a gymnasium with uniforms on that were bigger than they were.
Her grin was cut immediately short though as the sound of gunfire came out of nowhere. Lexi was too shocked to scream as everything suddenly moved quickly. Faulkner had grabbed her, pulling her out from the open to behind a car. He told her to stay down and she nodded, adrenaline coursing through her.
He spoke about not being seen, but his voice wasn't exactly certain and she closed her eyes as she wondered what in the world she had gotten herself into. Was it always like this here? She would be the first to admit that keeping inside the lines led to a somewhat sheltered life, but she hadn't thought gunfire was a common occurrence. The soldier cocked his gun and she opened her eyes again, trying to focus on him.
Lexi didn't move as he angled himself around the car. Her wide eyes scanned the area behind them, noting that at least they'd be able to see anyone coming up behind them. She had no idea what time it was, if night was approaching or how they'd get out of this. Another round of gunfire sounded off and she instinctively slid as silently and slowly as she could so she was closer to him, her arms holding herself.
The questions were in the thousands, what was happening? What were they going to do? Was this normal? What did this mean? None of them would help though. She spoke quietly, summoning up all the courage she had, "What do you need?"
When a kid was bleeding on the playground or parents called her in tears because of custody battles, that was always her first response. What do you need? What can I do? She was terrified but that didn't mean she was helpless.
Lexi nodded as the soldier brought up that it was his job to keep people out of the restricted zone. "Right. Yeah, of course." She felt a small wave of guilt wash over her at the idea that she was keeping him from doing something much more important than this. She didn't know why they had to keep people out of this area in the first place, but whatever reasoning they had was surely much more important than glorified crosswalk duty.
He smiled, easing the anxiety in her chest just a bit, although he followed it up with mentioning that he'd be questioning her on the way. "Go ahead. Whatever you need to know officer…..? Soldier….? Sorry, what's the protocol here?" She chuckled lightly, her eyes scanning over the uniform and landing over the name on his chest. "Faulkner?"
He began walking and she followed. "Well, I'm Lexi…Lexi Miller." She figured that was first on his list so she might as well get it all out. It wasn't like she had anything to hide either. Her life was as boring as it came. Much less interesting than she figured someone like his was. Not that she wasn't blissfully happy with it. "I'm a kindergarten teacher. I had to visit one of my students and my phone died so I couldn't use my bus pass and, as you can probably guess, I'm terrible at directions so…here we are." She glanced over at him, slightly curious. Though she was in no position to ask any questions. It wasn't like this was a casual meet and greet.
NOTES ; If you're game...I was thinking of throwing some *spice* in lol maybe they hear gunshots nearby and have to take cover or a group of rebels throws a smoke grenade or something or a car drives over the bridge at them?
The soldier confirmed that she had crossed into the restricted zone and Lexi mentally chided herself. This wasn't good. If he charged her with, well whatever the charge would be to being where she wasn't supposed to, she could potentially be in a lot of trouble. Her school was having a hard time trying to ensure they had enough teachers, but that didn't mean that she would be spared removal if criminal charges were placed against her. There wasn't a parent on this earth who wanted their kindergartener taught by a teacher with a police record. No matter what the circumstance might be.
Then she had made matters potentially worse by moving so fast. She caught him tense as she raised her hands, her phone on the ground. Thankfully though, he lowered the weapon, his voice urging her to calm down. Lexi nodded, breathing in a good, deep calming breath. He then told her to pick up her phone, offering to escort her out and she lowered her hands. A relieved smile played on her lips, "Really? You don't have to…I don't know…take me in for questioning or something?" She bent down, picking up the phone off the ground and turning it over. The front was completely shattered and she frowned only a moment before putting it back in her purse. He asked where she was headed and she stood back up.
"Near Riverside Park." Which she hoped she was in, at the very least, the general direction of heading. "If you want to just point me in the right direction I can find my way back."Hopefully. "I know you guys are busy with...well...everything." She tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear before meeting his eyes, a soft smile on her lips.
Lexi wrapped her jacket more securely around herself. The cool and crisp fall air was turning more and more chillingly cold each day. She didn't want to think about how much worse this all might get when winter was fully upon them. She instead forced her mind to think about the good things that were coming. Winter break was almost here, which she was actually looking forward to. She loved her job, but breaks were very much a necessity. Hot chocolate and maybe even snow, if they were lucky. There were always good things, you sometimes just had to look a little harder for them.
Lexi glanced around as she passed the empty streets. A fearful voice in the back of her head wondered if she was in the quarantined zone. She had passed a broken barricade a few blocks back but, at the time, she had thought they were from leftover construction. Now she wasn't so sure. She began debating on what the safest course of action would be at this point when a voice spoke, breaking the silence.
Lexi turned, her eyes falling upon a soldier…holding a gun and her heart all but stopped from the instant fear. She had never been around guns in her entire life and even with the military's strong presence, it wasn't like she was used to seeing them. The closest she had come to guns was on television. She swallowed hard, reminding herself to breathe and relax before nervously trying to smile. "Hi. I'm sorry. I think I'm lost."
Lexi stayed very still, hands still tucked into the pockets of her jacket. The guy hadn't sounded threatening but his presence was a clear sign that she indeed wasn't where she was supposed to be. She eyed the gun a moment, wishing she could rewind the day and charge her phone before leaving.
"I'm so sorry. This wasn't on purpose. I'm just trying to get back home and my phone died and…" Without thinking, she pulled her purse to the front, grabbing the phone out, intending to show that it was indeed dead. As she got it out though, her mind registered that she was moving very quickly towards her purse in front of someone with a gun and her nerves caused her to drop the phone, which immediately hit the ground with a crack. Lexi put her shaking hands in the air, "Sorry! Sorry!"
Lexi closed her laptop and gave herself a long inhale and exhale. Being a kindergarten teacher had always had its challenges. They mostly dealt with parents, paperwork, and occasionally students. More often than not though, in the case of the students, it was usually due to the parents. Still, she rarely found herself having days where it seemed like it was too much. She couldn't remember the last time that she had left her job and wondered if she should be doing something else. It always came so natural to her. Then they had moved to online learning and she found herself beginning to struggle. Beginning to feel the weight and pressure of the job slowly wearing her down.
It was hard teaching and ensuring each child felt seen and heard while staring at a twenty little boxes with twenty little faces at the same time. It was hard getting control and focus when shouting and scary noises could be heard from the echoes of a few kid's microphones.
Then there were the parents. Some issues were good, sometimes parents bombarded her for ways to help their child adjust. Some wanted in-depth analysis of their kid's education and she happily obliged. Then, some refused to answers her calls. Or emails. Or text messages. Then there were the parents who had been dealt the harder blows. The parents who were struggling to put food on the table, much less figure out how they could get internet access and a laptop so their child could learn with their peers.
Thankfully, her public school had received a grant that allowed the school to provide internet services and equipment to select students who fell into a certain group. The issue was that it required a lot of paperwork. "Just have them scan and email the forms back." She was told. Which was asinine when you realize that the whole reason they have to sign the forms is because they had no internet, nor email and definitely no scanner. "Just mail it" she was then told. Which seemed great in theory until you again realize that the postal system was weighed down to extremes and every precious day those forms took would be yet another day a student was farther and farther behind.
So she took matters into her own hands. She got her student's address and took the forms over herself. She had met them outside their small apartment door and slid the papers through a small opening, highlighting which lines needed signatures. A twenty minute bus ride, five minute walk and another twenty minutes while collecting the forms back after they were signed and she was on her way back home.
She tucked the forms into her purse, hands in her pocket as she made her way back to the bus stop. She pulled out her phone, which of course had her bus pass on it and stood in line. Unfortunately, as she did that, she realized that her phone had died. A quick scramble through her pockets and purse as she realized she hadn't grabbed her wallet off the counter. She hadn't thought she would need it of course.
Lexi sighed in annoyance at herself before adjusting her purse, putting her hands in her pockets, and beginning the trek back to her place. One missed turn. Then maybe another. Quite possibly one more and she realized she was in a part of the city that looked like a ghost town. Well, this isn't a good sign, she thought dryly to herself. Nevertheless she continued walking in the, hopefully correct, direction back to her place. Only one way out at this point.
Lexi had spent all morning researching microwaves. It was incredibly boring, but unfortunately necessary. The one that she had been using for, well, forever had decided at last to stop working last night. So she found herself both popcorn-less and set on the task of getting a new one. She had thought it would be simple. Go to Amazon. Add to cart. And done. Amazon had been out of them however, backlogged for months on out. So she had looked elsewhere. Every website she had gone onto was either incredibly overpriced, had a ton of negative reviews online, or were simply out of stock for months. It was not looking to be as easy as she had originally thought. Apparently she wasn't the only one out there with a high-dependency to that particular kitchen appliance.
So her next step was to shop locally. She called the big-box store and of course they were also out. Though, they did say a new shipment should be there in a week. The only appliance store in town wanted more for one than she'd make in a month. Then finally, there was a smaller shop where her mother had suggested she call. Miraculously, they had one in stock and at a price she could actually afford.
So Lexi had asked them to reserve it, got her jacket and purse, and took off. She had left her apartment and began walking near the park. It was the closest direction to the little store and she hoped with how cold it was today, it would also be the least busiest. She had just made it near the edge of where the river was when something caught her eye.
A man was half-in, half-out of the water, covered in mud and clearly not meaning nor wanting to be there. She stopped and looked around but there didn't seem to be anyone else near them who could help. Lexi ran over, dropping to her knees on the ground to help pull him away from the water's edge. At least that's what she had planned. Unfortunately, as she dropped down, the area was already slick, causing her to slide and slip into the same icy river. On instinct she grabbed him as a yelp left her lips, the rescue attempt quickly going south in a hurry.
Lexi is a classic, glass half-full kind of person. She always sees the best in people. Always has and always will believe that there is good in every single person, which can sometimes give off the appearance of naivety. She is rarely mad, rarely has anything other than a grin on her face. She's an extrovert and a problem solver. She's the cheerleader of her group of friends. Constantly a shoulder to lean on or ear to talk to. She's also very disorganized, her desk a scattered and disheveled mess of papers, pens, and books. Her apartment is much the same. She is often late to things and has terrible coordination. She isn't one for sports or anything involving aggression.
[attr="class","ozapptitle"]BIOGRAPHY
Lexi was born and raised in New York. She adored the city, even from a very young age. Her mother was a baker and her father was an insurance salesman. There was nothing extraordinary about her life. She was firmly middle-class and attended public school all through her educational years. Her parents were perfectly nice people. They argued at times, but nothing ever violent or traumatizing.
When she graduated high school, she had been accepted into NYU but her family got the news that her grandmother was not doing well. So the family moved, to help take care of both her and her grandfather. Lexi transferred to the university in Lethford and four years later graduated with a teaching degree. Her grandmother had passed and so had her grandfather, but the family stayed. The small town had charmed them all.
Lexi got a teaching job right away, at the elementary school, and has been there for two years. It was during her second year that the virus disrupted life as she knew it. So she teaches virtually now, and doesn't see her parents much in person, both of them well into their late years and at far too much a risk. She still loves her job, though the stress can sometimes be a bit much. She still constantly has a smile on her face. She misses being around people the most, meeting friends for dinner and going to the movies. She's too much of a rule-follower to do those things now though. Her dating life is pretty much non-existent, but she doesn't let that get her too down, there is after all much more in the world to be concerned about than her dating woes. She was never much of a relationship girl anyway, marriage had oddly enough, never appealed to her. So she is perfectly content with doing her job, helping when and how she can, and going about her life.
[attr="class","ozapptitle"]EXTRAS
She loves dancing. A total lightweight when it comes to drinking Rule-follower Kind Caring Movie buff
