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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CODING
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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.
"She got lost in restricted area and I was showing her the way out when those two men came out of nowhere and started shooting at us," he explained to the blonde in front of him. "You can save her, right?" He knew he probably wasn't supposed to be asking those questions just yet, and rather just focus on what he could do, but he hated all the blank pages in his head. He didn't even think about the other two men he'd shot anymore, his only concern was whether he was going to be responsible for the death of Lexi. Guilt was eating away at him. He would apologize, but he doubted that's what she wanted to hear. He would be lucky enough if the girl even ever wanted to see him again.
"Do I need to help you out with anything?" he asked the paramedic. He wanted to be useful again, not sitting there being useless and ridden with emotions. "If not, I'll go help the police patrol the area and make sure you guys are covered until you're in the ambulance."
Benjamin held onto the gun like it was his lifeline. It kind of really was. His eyes stayed wide open as he guarded Lexi, who seemed unresponsive to the things he had said. Not a good sign. Until he suddenly heard her voice. The school papers? What in the world did that even mean? How important could they even be? He turned to Lexi. "Yeah, I got it, don't worry," he reassured her. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Or if she even heard him at this point.
He aimed his gun towards the new footsteps that were coming their way, but lowered it again when he saw the policemen and the paramedics coming onto the scene. "Three wounded with gunshots. I had to shoot two of them in self-defense. My name is Benjamin Faulkner, P.F.C, and that's Lexi Miller." He hoped they were going to focus on saving her first. Sure, it was a moral dilemma to some, but he'd rather save an innocent civilian over two criminals who attempted murder.
Benjamin had long accepted that he would have to be shooting people, and it was hard for him to imagine life any other way. If you want to survive, and if you want to get a job done, you have no choice but to do it. Or else it would be him and her bleeding out on the streets right now... But he knew there wasn't much point in arguing with Lexi. They came from different worlds. The man's body was getting incredibly pale, and even Benjamin had a sinking feeling in his stomach when Lexi said that his pulse was weak. Maybe, just maybe, he had become a killer today.
He averted his focus to helping Lexi. They both seemed to have basic first aid knowledge and how to treat gunshot wounds until you can get a medic, so that was a good sign. She started to search his pockets and pulled out three bags of drugs. Well, there was the reason they had been attacked just now. He was slightly relieved that it wasn't about him or Lexi personally. Simply a junkie with a gun getting way too high... He had a minor flashback to the times where he himself had worked with drug dealers, wondering that if he hadn't changed his life, he may have ended up just like him.
But before anything else could happen, another shot rang through the air. His eyes widened as he saw Lexi fall back, but his heart broke even more when he saw the crimson blood on her hand. Fear, anger, and guilt came over him like a crashing wave in an ocean storm, but he pushed all of them down as he spun around. The shot, where did it come from? He already regretted calling the ambulance so soon — despite them going to have police backup soon, too, because all he wanted was to move them both as far away from this place as he could. The chances of there being more than one attacker was rising up.
Another shot rang through the air and he swore he could feel the bullet whizz just past him with a zooming noise. He got down on the floor and aimed for the source. Luckily for him, he managed to get a view of his opponent. Panic rushed through him, and it took a couple of bullets before he managed a direct hit, and sent another person down. He scanned the area: are there any more?
Benjamin went back to Lexi, letting his gun go for just one moment. Pros of being a soldier was that he always carried bandages with him and specifically ones for gunshot wounds. "Don't move," he told her, before taking out the bandage and wrapping it around the area in her shoulder. "The pressure is supposed to feel very uncomfortable. If it doesn't, it's not stopping the bleeding." He hated having to put her through this. He had only done it once before in a real situation, but that had been on the toughest soldier of the squad. He couldn't tell whether or not the bullet had struck an important artery or not. He didn't know if there were more coming behind him. He didn't know anything and it frustrated the hell out of him.
He heard sirens in the distance. "Finally," he muttered to himself, picking the gun back up. He looked at Lexi. "You're gonna be fine. Just stay with me."
His heart was still racing and he couldn't stop scanning the area. There was just a feeling inside of him telling him they weren't out of danger just yet, but it was a gut feeling and nothing more. No solid evidence. Nothing he could actually count on.
Benjamin still had the gun at the man when Lexi came around. Only then sunk in the realization that just maybe, this scene could be traumatizing to her. He really hoped that wasn't going to be the case. He needed her help if he wanted to get the stranger out alive. Especially because he wanted to know the motive behind his crime. Was this one man just trying to prove a point? Being reckless and stupid and maybe on drugs? Or was there an entire organization behind him, ready to do this again?
Lexi stated the obvious in disbelief. Of course Benjamin had shot him. "To be fair, he was shooting at us first..." The dry and sarcastic humor just somewhat slipped out. No matter how much he got yelled at for his under-his-breath commentary, it was a part of his personality that he seemed to have no control over.
He didn't have to guide or direct the woman, thankfully, as she kneeled down to the body and held her jacket pressed against the wound. Benjamin took his left hand off the gun to try and fish his phone out of his pocket. Something that wasn't easy, but Lexi's phone was double dead, so he couldn't ask her. He dialed 911 and waited for the operator to pick up. "There's been a shooting at Venshaw Bridge. Need an ambulance and a police car." He gave the exact location before hanging up the phone. The operator had asked him to stay on the line, but he knew he had to make sure they were both covered in case the stranger had brought friends with him. He didn't want another unexpected bullet storm to hurl towards him. One in a day was more than enough.
"They should be here in eight minutes," he said to Lexi. Then he looked back at the man, with fire burning in his eyes. "That woman is saving your life right now, so don't try to lay a finger on her. Or I'll make sure you don't."
Benjamin enjoyed her upbeat attitude, though he knew he couldn't let himself relax too much. If he wasn't on the job, he'd long have joked along with her about his name. No way was he a closet poetry fan. The only writers he actually still remembered were the classic ones like Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe, from his English class back in high school, but he never paid attention or cared much. He wasn't the type to sit and read all day, never mind write things himself. He had mostly been the kid who never could focus or sit still, and he guessed Lexi had one of those in her class as well. Man, he had probably made their job hell.
The questions raced through his mind, but he tried to pick out the important ones that would help in their situation. Possible rebels crossing the borders in spite of the law for whatever reason. He still couldn't see anyone, so he wondered if it was even them that was aimed for in the first place. He looked around for other sources of cover in case this one got compromised, but only saw a few more cars up ahead. Was it worth the risk?
Lexi's voice next to him took him out of his train of thoughts. Benjamin was thankful that she was ready to listen, instead of panicking or disobeying. She had a brave fire burning inside of her for a kindergarten teacher. "I need —" His voice was cut off by the new round of shots, and he ducked down, the bullets flying right over the roof of the car. "Shit!" He cussed. "They know we're down here." He thought about calling back-up for a moment on his radio, but somewhere he felt too much pride to do it. He wanted to show that he could handle it. Maybe overconfidence was going to be his death someday.
From what it sounded like, Benjamin guessed it was only one person. Carrying a machine gun, just like him, and was now most likely reloading. Benjamin looked around the corner with his heart beating in his chest. He saw a glimpse of a man move behind a car. Benjamin turned to Lexi. "Stay here and stay down. I'm gonna push on and see if I can flank him from the side. Unless he specifically wants you, he'll be focused on me mostly," he said, speaking his words soft but quickly. He took a deep breath before making his sprint towards the other car and taking cover there. New gunshots rang around him and he flinched at the sounds. When they stopped again to reload, he took his chance, looked over his cover and shot at his target.
The man got hit in the side and he heard the gun drop on the floor. He sprinted over there and kicked the gun far away, aiming his own rifle at the head of the man. A complete stranger, now bleeding out from the side, holding his hands in the air defeated. Benjamin took one last quick look around to see if anybody else was coming, still on guard. Didn't seem like it.
He had never killed anyone on the job before. Or off the job. He had gotten close many times in his life, but never done it. And he didn't want this time to be the first. Maybe they could stop the bleeding. The stranger was no longer a threat to them, for what he could tell.
"Don't move," he told the stranger in a threatening tone, keeping his eyes ever so focused on his movements, and then shouted over to Lexi. "Lexi, I need you here!"
He chuckled when she didn't know how to address him, and he was about to share his name when she found it out for herself. Right, he almost forgot he was wearing his name on him at all times. "Faulkner will do," he said. Before he could start with his first question, she introduced herself as Lexi Miller and started to explain why she was here. "I see. What's the school you teach at called?" he asked. Maybe he would recognize the name. More questions were raised in his mind, such as why she would have to visit a student in times like this, but before he could ask, a new sound rang through the air.
Gunshots.
Almost immediately the adrenaline rushed through his veins. He was on full alert. Looking for the nearest place to take cover, he pulled Lexi along with him, down to the ground behind a parked car. "Stay down," he said, almost hugging the concrete of the pavement himself. "I don't think they've seen us," he added, but the uncertainty lingered in his voice. He waited a few seconds until the shots stopped temporarily, and then sat up and cocked his gun. He peeked out at the side of the car, aiming his gun around, searching for what had been the source of the noise.
A hint of sympathy appeared in his eyes when he saw the shattered glass of the iPhone. That couldn't be a cheap phone, never mind it being cheap to have the screen repaired. He felt a little guilty, but knew he had been just doing his job, and there wasn't much he could do about it now. He wondered if he really did look that intimidating to civilians at this point.
She told him that she was headed towards nearby Riverside Park. Either she was lying or really lost, because she was headed in the complete opposite direction of that. He guessed she wasn't from here, but made a point to ask her later. Benjamin knew the city very well, but he'd grown up and lived here his whole life. He couldn't imagine anyone getting lost here because of how second-nature it had become to him.
He smiled back at the woman when she suggested he would only point her in the right direction, but shook his head afterwards. "Sorry, but I have to make sure you leave the restricted zone," he said. "And I'll be questioning you on the way."
He started to walk in the right direction to the place's exit, gesturing her to follow. He hoped she could find her way from there without a phone or a map, because he himself wasn't supposed to leave his post. "Let's get going."
Benjamin knew very well not to trust everything he saw at first glance, but the woman seemed genuinely shocked by his sudden appearance. She nervously told him that she was lost.
"You sure are, this place is off limits for civilians," he said, sternly, but tried to keep a friendly undertone in his voice. She started to explain about her phone dying, and as soon as her hands moved to the purse, Benjamin's grip on the gun tightened almost out of instinct and he aimed the barrel a little more towards her. Sudden movements were definitely not a good thing, but the woman managed to pull out an actual phone before realizing what she did, and with a crack the device landed on the ground.
Benjamin lowered the gun and relaxed again when the woman threw her hands up. He didn't think he had anything to worry about. The chances that she was putting on an act and about to pull a knife out on him or something were very low in his judgment, and even if so, you don't bring a knife to a gunfight.
"It's alright, miss, calm down," he said reassuringly. "You can pick up your phone and I'll escort you out of here. Where is it that you need to go?" Hopefully for the woman, the phone was still in tact, but he doubted it.
Benjamin made his way through the streets. The quiet atmosphere and the way he was completely alone almost made for the open credits of a horror movie. He didn't feel unsafe though, as his fingers were brushed against the gun he was holding with both of his hands. A feeling he was so used to by now that it gave him reassurance and a sense of control. But perhaps that was a false sense of security, given the fact that no bullet could stop the virus from spreading to him.
He was given the responsibility today to patrol the streets by himself, making sure people don't come to this part of town. Not exactly the type of mission he signed up for, but he did what he had to do. He was happy that he was finally a P.F.C, he'd been looking forward to the day where they finally trusted him to do things on his own. He had all the confidence in himself.
During training, he'd gotten used to things being very quiet and boring, so this was no different. Except now he wasn't exhausted from all the training they'd put him through before. He didn't think anything was really going to happen, until he noticed he wasn't alone anymore.
A blonde woman - quite pretty if he had to say for himself - was walking down the streets. He raised a brow, wondering what she could possibly be out here for. He knew she wasn't meant to be here for sure. He made his way up to her.
Benjamin's most dominant traits are his determination and his ability to stay calm in stressful situations. His instincts easily guide him to assess a situation correctly and find the best outcome in the shortest amount of time. Most of these skills he has learned in the military, but picked up on them very quickly because of his natural personality. Benjamin may come off as rude sometimes to others, as he can be very blunt and straightforward, not wanting to waste time, even in moments where time isn't a crucial factor. It's impossible to always be in control of whatever is going on, though he always desperately tries to be, and when he can't get that control, anger can quickly take him over. He hasn't learned how to deal properly with other negative emotions, such as misery, and doesn't generally like to deal with those However, he is not unpleasant to be around. He genuinely just wants the best for people, sees protecting the weak as his duty, and is generally a loyal and fun guy. He can get annoyed pretty quickly when dealing with others who don't think like him or go against his judgment. Benjamin loves challenges and likes to push himself as far as he can. Other people would definitely label him a masochist, because he would go any length, and jump into any dangerous situation, no matter how low the chances of survival may be.
[attr="class","ozapptitle"]BIOGRAPHY
Benjamin was born into a middle-class family, and the first years of his life went by pretty well. Most of his time he spent picking up an obsession on guns, quickly playing first person-shooters, learning about the different types of guns and playing paintball and airsoft. If he wasn't inside gaming, he was out playing soldier with his friends, or climbing the rooftops of buildings and getting in trouble for doing so. He had trouble sitting still at school and behaving, which made the relationship between him and his parents deteriorate. He was an only child, but had a golden retriever dog that he loved like a best friend. He had to deal with death for the first time in his life when the dog sadly passed when Benjamin was only twelve. Shortly after, his life became darker, as his parents were headed for divorce and he never saw his father again. High school wasn't kind to him either and he started to lose touch with his friends, he struggled with keeping his grades up. Eventually he met the wrong friends, and ended up trying to escape the misery by hanging out with them on the streets, drinking, smoking, and stealing things. They especially liked him because he knew how to handle a gun, and while he wasn't big on drugs himself, he did help them steal from drug dealers and shops. But then, after a wild night where three of his friends got arrested and he somehow managed to escape the cops, he knew he had to change his life before he'd be thrown into prison as well.
He started to work hard in college with Engineering as his major, on his mother's advice, but he hated every second of it. He hadn't even reached the end of the semester or he'd dropped out again and enlisted in the army, where he quickly found his place. His mother hated his decision and he hasn't spoken to her since.
[attr="class","ozapptitle"]EXTRAS
He has a scar running down from his back to his side from a knife-fight he was once in.
His middle name is Miles. He went by the name 'Crossroads' a lot as a 'code name' when he was a kid playing outside, and went by that name in his group of criminal friends as well.
