OUTBREAK: ZERO is a semi post-apocalyptic pandemic roleplay set in the fictional city of Lethford, USA. Current season: Winter, 20/21.
March 2020. The world is in pandemonium as one month ago, GHNv-20 was confirmed, five months after the beginning of norovirus season. The number of the infected are in the higher hundred thousands, and the death toll is at an estimated 250,000, with about seventy percent of the rest of the population experiencing mild to moderate illnesses connected to the S. pyogenes bacteria.
The fear of the unknown has caused mass hysteria and panic.
In an attempt to provide a semblance of safety and control, military personnel patrol the streets, even here in Lethford City, and the police force is trying to keep up with the rising street violence, assault, and theft.
Welcome to OUTBREAK: zero. Will you survive?
HAYANA
SITE OWNER + HEAD ADMINISTRATOR
Hi! I'm Haya. I'm pretty much your girl for everything! If you have any questions regarding our plot, membergroups, etc. don't hesitate to ask me. I'm also in charge of coding, graphics, anything skin related, and advertising/affiliates.
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CODING
GRAPHICS
ADVERTISING
CHARACTERS
ADDI
ADMINISTRATOR
Hey! I'm Addi. Hit me up if you need help with anything. I'm always for plotting so don't be shy. I like coffee, booze, and working out. I'm back from a long hiatus the dead so if you need anything, best ask the others until I get back into the groove of things!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
APPLICATIONS
THREAD MODERATION
MEDIATOR
CHARACTERS
FINNLEY
GLOBAL MODERATOR
Hi hello! My name is Finnley, or Finn, call whichever and I'll be there for you (yes like the FRIENDS theme song). I am in charge of the claims and helping with miscellaneous things. Let me know if you have any questions!
GENERAL INQUIRIES
CLAIMS
DIRECTORY
CHARACTERS
STAFF NAME
OPEN MODERATOR POSITION
outbreak
/ˈaʊtbreɪk/ zero /ˈzɪərəʊ/
a sudden occurrence of something unwelcome, such as war or disease. number, no quantity or number; nought; the figure 0.
”Exactly,” he said to Lexi’s comment about finding your calling. He was glad he’d found his calling at such a young age, and same for Lexi. He felt sorry for those who couldn’t find it, or like most people, only found it later in life.Benjamin was known to underestimate his own intellectual abilities — he himself didn’t view himself as intelligent. With all the years he had struggled in school, all the subjects he failed and the dropping out of college, he was always amazed at people who did get through it. Of course it didn’t mean he wasn’t intelligent, but rather that he struggled with the school system itself, and that he wasn’t the type of person to sit behind a desk all day. He knew loads of things about guns and the military, though sometimes he was kind of jealous of people who didn’t specialize, since they seemed to always know way more.
He smiled at the idea of kindergarteners finding him more interesting. He would have been the same. It made him wonder how many of those children would become soldiers like him. He was planning to serve in the military until his death, so if he lived that long, perhaps he would see them as young recruits once he was one of the older veterans that he now respected so much.
He realized how late it was getting, and he was getting tired, wanting to put the day behind him himself. Though he felt kind of bad about leaving Lexi behind after what he did. ”I guess I should be going soon... Is that okay with you?” he asked to be sure. Maybe she was traumatized and the small talk was just a distraction and she would break down if he left. What did he know about it? He wasn’t a psychologist. ”They should be letting you go tomorrow, too, I’m sure.” They both lived in Lethford, so he wondered if he would ever see her again.
Fight like you'll never die Fight to stay alive Fight to raise the crown Fight to take them down Fight like you're gods and monsters Because you want to To save a life
Benjamin raised his eyebrows when Grayson said he was a scientist, thinking about how he felt like a scientist should know better than to do something risky and stupid like this. Guess he had really overestimated scientists in his head, and these were the people that were supposed to help the world find a cure? At least, that’s what he assumed the words ‘immunization microbiologist’ meant, Benjamin wasn’t the scientific type himself. He was glad he didn’t have to keep pushing for the addresses and quickly scribbled them down when he got them. They were going to call and check if he had spoken the truth later on. Though that wasn’t his job, and Benjamin shook his head when Grayson asked if he needed anything else. He understood that the guy was eager to leave, but it didn’t work like that. It wasn’t on Benjamin to decide what would happen to him, or if he was going to be charged or not. It was only Ben’s job to catch him and inform the authorities, so he got up from the desk, stepped outside of the building, leaving Grayson alone in the room, and called over his radio. Grayson’s fate was going to be out of his hands soon.
Fight like you'll never die Fight to stay alive Fight to raise the crown Fight to take them down Fight like you're gods and monsters Because you want to To save a life
Benjamin didn’t like the attitude the other people gave him when he arrested them. Of course, he wouldn’t be happy either, but it was trouble they had given themselves and it was literally his job. He had to keep the people safe, from themselves and from other people, especially in times such as these. He listened to the person explaining how ‘Jim’ came from ‘James’, and Benjamin scribbled it down again in his blocky, big handwriting (he had always struggled with his penmanship), while being a little annoyed that he couldn’t confirm this fact unless he had Grayson’s birth certificate. Why didn’t they make it a law to have your birth certificate on you at all times rather than I.D?
Grayson said he lived in Lethford, but no answer to what his job was. Benjamin had patience when it came to having to repeat himself, though he knew many of his other co-workers would have probably already bashed the guy’s head in, though that wasn’t exactly allowed. Maybe Grayson was luckier than he had thought. “What do you do for a living?” he said again, “and I’m gonna need an address of both your workplace and home.”
Fight like you'll never die Fight to stay alive Fight to raise the crown Fight to take them down Fight like you're gods and monsters Because you want to To save a life
Benjamin nodded when she asked if his parents had seen it coming. Ever since he was young, playing those games made him play pretend army in real life. Every day he said he would be joining one day and now he was finally there. Yes, it was a dream come true, and he was proud of himself for making it, but he wasn’t sure if right now was exactly how he’d imagined it going. Oh well.
She had a hint of empathy behind her eyes while he told her about his parents, and how he proved them wrong. ”Yeah, I am,” he said, with a sad smile. He nodded again when she said money couldn’t buy happiness. ”I wouldn’t trade this for any amount of money in the world.” He felt like he had structure, a purpose, something to follow. Like he made some sort of difference in the world, even if today he only saved one life by ending two others.
She talked about what he was missing. He was surprised at his lack of knowledge because even the words didn’t bring back any memories. ”Sounds like I’m missing a lot,” he smiled. ”I bet you have way more knowledge than me.” He knew things, of course, but nothing specifically except the military tactics and code he was taught. But he didn’t specialize in anything. Some days he envied the teachers and other intellectuals a little; if only he had the focus to study one subject so much, he would feel a lot more intelligent.
Fight like you'll never die Fight to stay alive Fight to raise the crown Fight to take them down Fight like you're gods and monsters Because you want to To save a life
The other person asked the question for him, and Benjamin could understand why, but also didn’t want to make things harder. The guy seemed to realize that as he suddenly backed off with a “never mind”, but the man finished his sentence after all. Idiots, right, they were stuck here with a grumpy man. Benjamin was idiot number one and the guy asked if he had a radio. He was still wearing his military gear, so it made sense why he would think so. That would actually have been Benjamin’s plan, though he was sure the power would get back on eventually.
He picked up his radio. ”Faulkner here, does anyone copy? Over.” He would genuinely be surprised if even his radio wouldn’t pick up a signal here. They were in a hospital and not in a dark tunnel, plus military gear could not be that weak... right? He tried to remember anything from his Engineering college course to see if he could remember if he ever learned this, but his mind drew a blank.
The man also asked the other, calling him idiot number two. He clearly gave off ‘authority figure’ vibes, or maybe he was just an asshole that was used to telling people what to do. Benjamin didn’t have a problem with those type of people anymore after dealing with his drill instructors back in training. Nobody could phase him anymore after how horrible they were. Not that he liked being told to do by some random, but it was against his better judgment to start complaining now. Hopefully, the other person would feel the same.
Fight like you'll never die Fight to stay alive Fight to raise the crown Fight to take them down Fight like you're gods and monsters Because you want to To save a life
Raphael, despite not really coming off as the brightest star in the sky to him, was listening to his instructions and Benjamin wasn’t worried about the other having any unknown tricks up his sleeve either, but as always he wanted to expect the unexpected and stayed on guard. He nodded slowly and watched Raphael’s every move as he searched his backpack.
Then the guy’s eyes widened when he was told about the quarantine zone. Benjamin wasn’t alike to the police and wasn’t trained to recognize liars, but he had a feeling he was acting. On the other hand, the guy did also genuinely seem to be that stupid, unless this was all part of the act. He struggled to find his wallet, and Benjamin found it strange he didn’t keep it in his jacket or pocket in the first place. Once again he wanted to raise his gun at the man for this suspicion alone, but made up his mind about it a little too late when a backpack flew towards his head and the guy suddenly started sprinting off the scene.
Two things were going through Benjamin’s head once he had knocked the backpack out of the way. One: he had to immediately chase Raphael down and restrain him, and two: Wow, this guy was actually an idiot. Did he really think he could outrun and escape Benjamin? He started the chase, clicking his gun to load it and taking the safety off in the process. The worst part was possibly that the guy wasn’t even running outside of the quarantine zone, but further in, where more military stood guard, and worse, where the infected were. He followed behind quickly, trying not to slip on the ground himself. He was catching up on Raphael as he snuck through under a fence. He aimed his gun at him, but didn’t know how he was going to land a non-fatal shot, and thought straight up killing the man would be too brutal. When Benjamin arrived at the fence himself, however, he knew he wasn’t going to fit through and instead climbed straight over it. This lost him some time, but he was convinced he could keep this up for longer than Raphael.
He went around the corner to find the idiot at the front porch, crawling backwards from a coughing, sick man and all Benjamin’s internal alarms started ringing.
”Don’t move! I will shoot!” he yelled, aiming his gun straight at Raphael’s chest. He kept his distance from the two, knowing one of them was infected for sure and the other might have just screwed himself over. If he didn’t watch his every move now, he would be next.
”Get back in the house, you, immediately!” he barked at the infected man, who obeyed and closed the door again. Benjamin still held his finger on the trigger and his heart was racing. Anger started to take him over a little bit when he realized he may have lost control over the situation.
”Stay a distance from me at all times, if you try to run again I won’t hesitate,” he barked at the other, angry for his stupidity. The worst part now was that Benjamin couldn’t touch him to restrain him, or even get closer to him, so if he tried to run away again, he would most likely have to fire to protect the rest of the population. Benjamin was somehow surprised that he found himself in this situation; he knew it always could happen, but never thought it actually would. In frustration he tried to get to his radio while simultaneously still trying to aim at Raphael —something that didn’t work that perfectly well. ”Faulkner here,” he said over the radio. ”Civilian found in restricted area, he came into contact with one of the infected. I have him under gunshot since he tried to run. Need back-up to put him in quarantine until he is tested.” He couldn’t arrest Raphael without a radioactive protection suit on or however terrible the virus was, so back-up would have to do it. He had never paid attention in biology and didn’t know how easily it would spread, but he refused to take any risk and put more lives in danger. He shared the address of the place and hoped he would get a response saying they were on their way. While he was keeping his distance, he still felt somewhat scared that he was somehow risking catching it from where he stood.
Fight like you'll never die Fight to stay alive Fight to raise the crown Fight to take them down Fight like you're gods and monsters Because you want to To save a life
Benjamin maybe should have guessed that Lexi wasn’t a very coordinated person by the way she’d dropped her phone earlier before the shooting. But he wasn’t thinking about it too hard — everyone had bad days, who was to say she wasn’t perfectly coordinated all of the other days? He grinned when she asked if his passion came from military simulators, because that was exactly how it happened. He nodded. ”Yeah, I grew up playing those type of games,” he said. ”And so grew my interest in the army and the world wars in general.” It wasn’t like the games fueled him to kill in real-life, however. He still lingered on how he had killed somebody today. Things were much different in reality in comparison with the games, too, but then again, games were supposed to be entertaining. ”I always had a lot of respect for the soldiers. I actually did Engineering in college before this, which I failed at and dropped out. I mostly did it because my parents said it would make good money and that joining the army would be out of my league, and too dangerous.” His parents had not been very approving of his decision, but he was happy with what he had done and accomplished. Even if today he had done the one thing that made him a killer.
Lexi said she didn’t have a favorite part, which Benjamin found a little hard to believe. His suspicions were confirmed when she admitted that Ancient Greece was one she found very fascinating. Benjamin barely remembered anything from Ancient Greece at all, but he had never paid attention in school unless it interested him. He chuckled. ”Not any more than my teachers were,” he said playfully. ”I don’t think I remember anything from Ancient Greece to be honest.” It was weird how the two were so contrast but seemed to get along well.
Fight like you'll never die Fight to stay alive Fight to raise the crown Fight to take them down Fight like you're gods and monsters Because you want to To save a life
Benjamin couldn't tell if the guy had been sarcastic or genuine when he had thanked him for saying his name. Something inside of him was worried for a brief moment that he was planning something, or maybe he just genuinely wanted to know. Not that it mattered much, because Benjamin was the one in the right anyway. What could this Grayson do to harm him?
The guy didn't seem to be too happy about being put in handcuffs. Benjamin still lacked sympathy for him. Answering his question with a simple 'I just wanted to look around' frustrated him only more. If he was planning more, he definitely wouldn't straight up tell him. "And so you risked getting arrested or shot just to have a look around out of curiosity?" Benjamin repeated, wanting to get it right. He took out a pen and notebook and started writing down the man's answers. If Grayson was being truthful, then he considered him an idiot. Benjamin had been curious about what the government had been doing lately too, but he wasn't going to risk the dangers. Risk versus reward. "Alright, next I'm gonna need to know where you live and work. Do be mindful that lying right now can get you into deeper trouble... Jim." He highly doubted Jim was the guy's nickname and just the fact that there wasn't the name "Jim" anywhere on his ID showed enough about how this man was ready to flat out lie to save himself. Benjamin thought he would know better.
Benjamin played video games from such a young age that he couldn't remember being uncoordinated in them. Most of the time it just came naturally to him. "Yeah, they take some time getting used to. But once you know them, they're a lot of fun," he said. He couldn't help but chuckle when she mentioned her hobbies, she was the one that was actually cliche here. "Oh, what part of history is most interesting to you?" It would be something if it was any of the World Wars, but he felt like that probably wasn't the case by her lack of military knowledge. Benjamin himself had of course been interested in it, and he was sad school never covered specifics of it.
He was a little surprised when she said she wasn't an artist. She seemed like the type of person to do something like that on the side. Maybe being a teacher, even in times like these, was really time consuming? He wondered what she did do then, but she asked about his hobby. Benjamin chuckled when she thought he'd enjoy football. That would indeed be super cliché and simply wasn't true. "Well, out of all the classes at school, I have to admit P.E was the only one I actually liked," he admitted. He liked to move around and push himself. He had been the most fit one, but he didn't quite like the games like soccer or football enough to make it a hobby. "But no. I'm more of a person that likes to play video games and just hang out with friends." It was simple enough to satisfy him. "How about yourself?"
The hope she had was inspiring. Benjamin had felt hopeless many times in his life. In the army he was always taught to just push on, even if you had no hope, or you didn't want to, or you didn't see the point, or your body screamed at you to stop. It was a mental battle more than a physical one. His soldier mentality really helped him get through a lot of things he never knew he could have done, and he was grateful for it. He didn't need hope. But he was glad to see there were people who could find hope in the darkest of times.
Benjamin nodded when she asked about the procedure of the raids. He didn't know exactly either, he was there to just follow the orders and do what he's told. He didn't like the idea of having to do something against his own better judgment. Sometimes his job could be scary in a different way. "Yeah, I'm sure they have their reasons every time. But it's still no fun. Hope it's over soon." But so did everyone.
Grayson asked for a name. Benjamin decided he could share it, then if Grayson had a problem with how he was handled by him, he could complain to someone superior and name him. Though Benjamin didn't think he was doing anything wrong. "Faulkner," he replied, still holding a cold undertone in his voice. He'd noticed how that tone had become second nature, though he had dropped his guard when he met Lexi. She didn't harm him or seem harmful, but for some reason he still felt uneasy at that he ever did it. Lexi did get hurt because of him and... it was better not to think about it.
He focused back on the task and took the guy all the way across, walking in silence the entire way, while clouds above their heads started to gather, and the sky was turning darker and darker blue every second. He sat Grayson down in one of the rooms, handcuffed him to the table, and sat down at the other chair. "Let's start with the basic question, what are you doing here?"
He nodded. "Too many people, yeah. I'm not a fan of big crowds." It made him feel locked up to be in a place that was overcrowded, claustrophobic even. "That's true. New York is a real place for artists, too. I'm not much of one myself. I bet you are, though," Benjamin replied when Lexi said there was a sense of being part of something more. It certainly wouldn't be boring in New York City, but damn if he ever found himself living in such a place. It didn't reflect who he was as a person as much as Lethford did, but then again, he was raised in Lethford.
He smiled again when she talked about a cure. "I like your optimism," he said. That was something you saw rarely in these dark times, but something that everybody could use. Even while lying in a hospital bed she somehow seemed to manage just calmly making chitchat with him. He couldn't help but be impressed. Lexi made a point about it being harder for the soldier who were brought in, and he nodded. "Yeah, I'd believe so. It gives me a good feeling to know I'm protecting my own hometown, too, so that makes most of the days a little bit better. Though I don't think my neighbors will like me raiding their homes..." That last part came out with a small chuckle. He hadn't had raiding duty so far yet, but he knew lots of soldiers that did, and not one person appreciated the military bursting in through the doors. As epic as it might look in the movies...
Benjamin sighed when the man didn't want to put his camera in the snow either. Then again, he had guessed that the camera probably didn't have a hidden laser beam inside of it, nor that it would defeat his gun in a fight, so he just let it be.
Benjamin lowered his gun. He raised an eyebrow when the guy with the longest name he'd ever heard before started joking halfway through his sentence. He stared at the man with a not-amused look on his face before Raphael realized his own mistake in the moment. "Do you have ID on you, Mr. Cheetos?" Benjamin asked sarcastically, ready to see how much of his name had been a lie.
Taking pictures of stones. Right. Benjamin wasn't an artist, so he couldn't judge artists that did things like that, but somehow he didn't think that was what Raphael was actually doing here. "And you are aware of the fact that you're taking pictures of stones in the quarantined zone that is off-limits to civilians?" Raphael was probably going to lie and say that he wasn't, and Benjamin didn't trust him for one bit.
Benjamin read the ID saying Grayson Davenport and did not think that 'Jim' was his nickname, and if it was, how did that work? He lowered his gun, but kept his eyes on the guy in case he was going to suddenly try to make a run for it. A terrible decision, really, because if Ben was good at anything it was aiming at moving targets, and he wouldn't hesitate. He hoped it wouldn't come that far, though. Now it was simply time to go through the motions. Lock him up, question him, and then call higher authorities to take over and decide a punishment. "Come with me," he said, urging the man to follow him. He couldn't feel sorry for the guy, it had been his own stupid mistake and he wasn't going to feel sympathy. Though, he was really curious if the man had a deeper motive. He didn't look like the type to do this for a YouTube publicity stunt.
Lexi refused the offer, and Benjamin just let it be. He was really willing to help -- or else he wouldn't have gotten this job in the first place -- but he could also see why she would feel like she was burdening him. Benjamin sure enjoyed having his free time, but with everything being on lock down, there wasn't much to do anyway. He was glad the military was called in, and that he had enlisted, because he certainly knew that if all of this happened after he dropped out of college, he would've been doing nothing but sitting in front of the TV or computer and playing video games while drinking beer. He was a social creature and needed other people to keep him sane.
Lexi asked if he thought they would allow the principal to pick up the forms. "Yeah, I think so," he said. He didn't know much about the school's rules and whatever, but he couldn't see why not either. It was Lexi's problem anyway, and as much as he wanted to take on everyone's problems and issues, that would drive him insane.
When she grasped at her wound again Benjamin felt guilty again, wanting to apologize once again, but held his tongue. There wasn't anything he could do now, but damn it was hard to move on. They had trusted him with this and he still felt like he could've done things better or different. Either way, he'd hear it from his commander once he officially reported everything that went down.
Lexi turned out to be from New York, saying she fell in love with the city. Benjamin smiled slightly at the compliment of his hometown. To him it wasn't anything special anymore. "I could never live in a big city, either," Benjamin admitted. "A small town gives more of a sense of community and it's easier to oversee." Big cities were like skies filled with so many stars that you couldn't find any constellations. Benjamin had never been big on having lots of places to visit. Only on vacation, really. He thought about what it would be like to visit New York City for a moment. He wondered if he could, if things would ever go back to normal.
He shook his head. "Not yet. I'm a Private First Class so I just barely finished the training, been serving for twelve months," he told her. "I honestly was hoping to get deployed somewhere far away... just to see what it's like. But then this happened, so I don't think I'm leaving Lethford any time soon." Unless they were needed in a bigger city to help contain and secure the virus.
