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.
photo cred: Amanda | tag: Ruby Torres | OOC: eventually these will be shorter-ish.
Her bark of laughter at his pit bull reference made his eyebrows shoot up for a moment. It wasn't that funny was it?
"I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you're not a pit bull. You're a golden retriever. A blonde-haired all-american good-boy seeking approval from his master. Kids huh? Please don't tell me you have a white-picked fence daydream. The whole wife with dinner ready, three kids and dog kind of thing. That seems a little too cliche, even for you."
He did the briefest of eye rolls, which sort of shocked him for a second. A damn golden retriever. "Golden retriever, loyal as hell. Though I feel like you are just saying that because I am willingly helping you and I've got a head full of blonde luscious locks." And being called a 'good boy'? Well he certainly has gotten his fair amount of praise. But doesn't everyone want that praise? To be told that what they are doing is good? As for her latter comment he let out a deep breath. "There is nothing wrong with wanting someone to come home to, who is just as happy to see you as you are to see them. But I've never liked the idea of a white fence. Sounds like a pain to keep up with. Besides, I am totally fine with take out or cooking myself. I make a mean lasagna."
Keeping the conversation light was his way of trying to get her through the pain of what he was actually doing. And she probably didn't really care what his dreams were. He already had the kid part, dogs made a mess so he wasn't big on the idea of having one. A wife? Yeah, he would like that but damn would it take someone special to deal with his long departures. Lord knows the one and only one he tried to lock down, even having his daughter, she didn't want to be stuck on the waiting end for him to be sent home. But that was not the conversation he was having here, nor did it matter. That was 9 years ago and dating life since hadn't been the best.
And that damn conversation was not keeping light. She went on about what wrong he was doing, or at least the uniform and his teams. And a small fire lit under his skin. Annoyance. That's exactly what he was feeling as she went on about how his team was ripping people from their family. But what truly flipped his switch from annoyed to anger was the words 'people like you'. "You don't know me." He bit out, probably letting out a bit more anger than he intended. "Because of people like me, you are able to try and make a difference, because that's what it sounds like you want and do. All those innocent civilians? Give me a break. You can't believe that. Not when they are looting and robbing and murdering the real innocent people. For what? Because they disagree with a curfew that was placed to try and keep them safe? Because they don't understand the magnitude of what is happening? People are getting sick and dying. Because people won't listen and just stay home safely with their family to try and let this storm pass." He shook his head as he wiped a hand over his pant leg. "I want to go home safe, I want to be able to wake up tomorrow just like you and others. But when you have murders out on the lose, and other innocents walking around, how do you tell the difference? A murder isn't going to tell you they are a murder. I am one of the ones between you and those people. And I don't claim we are all great and perfect. But damn stop acting like you know me and that I am your enemy."
William took a deep breath as the movie topic continued on. "Come on McCabe. Pretend you're normal for a second. One movie for the rest of your life, what is it? What? It's a classic.There's cowboys, gunslingers, vigilante justice. It's great. They aren't on the right side of the law, but they get the job done, settle scores. I don't think Capatain America would approve though." Funny that was her favorite movie, considering it sounds like they were going about doing some questionable things. Though the movie he thought of would probably make her think the same thing. "I could probably watch V for Vendetta on repeat."
"Alright, but if you keep calling me that I'm going to come up with one for you and it's not going to be as charming as yours is for me, I promise."
He let out a soft chuckle at that. This, this he liked. The easy conversation where she wasn't pissed off at him for what he did. "Do your worst Kitten, you already think I am a monster so I can't wait to see what you come up with." Even though those words could have sounded harsh, he laughed through the last part of it. As he was nearing the end of his work on her arm, he had it in the back of his mind that she would start back up that argument of 'you can leave now'. Because with her patched up, he was again just a bother to her. But a small part of him hoped not. As infuriating as she was proving herself to be, he wanted to know more. About her.
After Grant left, and he started his clean up. He listened to her opening her box of wine and the smell of it came over the scent of everything else. Though he wasn't sure what was going on till the cup was in his face and she was asking him to drink with her. William started shaking his head, because he already knew that was a mix for trouble. But suddenly she was close, really close and he immediately started down at her. His eyes scanned her face and for the first time since meeting her, really took in the blue of her eyes. Oh she was trouble, beautiful and sinful trouble. She knew what she was doing too. She had to. "You're like a goddamn beautiful siren trying to lead me to my death," He breathed out, and before he could do anything stupid more stupid than drinking while on patrol, at least for the moment, he reached out and took one of the plastic cups. He never broke his eye contact as he leaned back just enough to lift the cup to his mouth and take a larger swallow than he should have.
"So you're more of a professional hero huh? Here I was thinking we had something special."
Professional hero. Yeah in a way, he could be called that by the person that didn't know anything about what he did. Though a lot of people called what he did heroic, or protest it until they are blue in the face because they don't agree on what the military does. "Just because I have one, doesn't make this less special. Nor that I would deny another one to hang on my chest gallery," His dress uniform held his medals and he wore them proudly, some more than others. He had a few that he didn't think he deserved. Missions that lost more people than he wanted (which was always 0) or ones that the measures he had to take to get back in control cost him way too much time off his feet recovering. But some of the other ones, those were the ones he puffed his chest out as he told them. Typical macho man style.
"Kitten? I resent that. I could make the case that if I'm a kitten, you sir are most definitely a puppy dog."
She was not amused. And he knew she wouldn't be. He liked getting a rise out of her, in a playful way. It was better than the anger being hostile, this was an annoyed anger. And it made him less tense and able to breathe a bit easier as he worked on her arm. He let out a small grunt at being called a puppy dog. And reminded him the last time he heard it come from his daughters mouth. "Well considering puppy dog is what a lot of children refer to all dogs, I could agree with that. I'd say I was more like a pit bull, bad reputation because of others because of their ability to be fierce," he plucked another piece of glass from her arm, "but really just a big push over at home who loves kids." William finished. "Where as you, you are a kitten. You hiss and poof yourself up to seem bigger and scarier than you are. Sure, a swat from one would leave one wounded. But the act is out of fear or past bad experiences." Blue eyes flashed up to her again, "At least that's this dumb soldiers thoughts."
As he answered her questions, he glanced at her with her eyes closed. And he could see a flicker of something cross her face before she seemed to process what he did professionally.
"So you're the guy they call in to do the really messy work then? Get control of a crowd, maintain order?"
Is that what she thought? He was the enforcer? He went to open his mouth to defend himself when he reminded himself, why? He was damn good at his job, he has protected people like her who got to stay safely within the states and continue their lives because people like him went to defend them. Neutralize the threat without her having to worry about how or what he did to get it taken care of. "I am the one they send first to battle," he started. "I am sent to the remote, hostile areas on the difficult missions. I am normally partnered up with special forces team," he lowered his voice so Grant wouldn't hear him, "Though I somehow got set up with a bunch of fresh kids because their CO didn't make it for his shift," His voice went back to his deep, steady volume. "I help establish air control and provide combat support, kind of a jack of all trades in a way. I am there to keep my team safe."
But he knew what her question was, whether she meant it or said it much without thinking. She wanted to know if he was there to spray down the protesting and silence the crowd that sometimes grew in areas. He paused a moment in his movements to look at her in the eye while he said, "I am there to protect, though some people don't see it that way. What's good for one isn't good for all. Not saying I don't fu... screw things up, or agree with all orders. But I am sure everyone does things they don't want because of a job." He was really grateful for the change in pace as she seemed to remember his thoughts on the movie thing.
""Probably? Where's the conviction? You're stuck on a deserted island, and you pick a Marvel movie...maybe? C'mon McCabe, you've got to do better than that. Mine is Tombstone. Hands-down."
He barked out a short laugh to that. "Kitten, I've been on a deserted island. And the last thing on my mind was what movie I wanted to watch." No he was more focused on having to find cover and food. And focused on scanning the area so he wouldn't get taken out by someone that was hidden amongst the brush or trees. If anything, at one point he felt like maybe he should make a Wilson but that was a fleeting thought. "Tombstone?" He had a fleeting moment of the cover of the movie. "Can't say I've seen it." Maybe that would get her to talk some more about something that she enjoyed. He'd like to hear how her voice sounded when it was about something she was passionate about or liked.
"I'm R...Rebecca."
For some reason, it didn't fit her. And the stutter made him wonder if for a moment her arm pain was bothering her more than she was letting on. He eased up a bit to try and not put too much pressure on her. "I think I prefer Kitten." he joked. Though he quickly fell silent and serious as she went about explaining why she looked like she wanted to light that uniform of his on fire. Hopefully not with him inside of it.
"I don't like it because I've seen it used time and time again as a penalty-free, get out of jail card. Because the people who wear it tend to think they can do whatever they want, that because they were taught how to shoot a rifle they get to be policeman, judge and jury. Is that enough of an explanation for you?"
He gave her a small nod as he unscrewed the lid to the super glue after pealing the packaging apart. He pulled out a knife from his thigh cargo pocket and cut the tip off of it so he could get access to the sticky substance. He shut the knife with one hand before slipping it back into his pocket. "This is going to sting," he told her as he took hold of her forearm to hold her still, as well to help him turn her arm as he started his work sealing her up. Grant took that time to pull up from his scavenger hunt for alcohol. He came up close to her side that wasn't currently blocked by the mountain of McCabe. "This was all I could find left on the shelves. Hopefully its not as bad as it looks." The younger man held out a box of red wine to her. Once he released it, he looked over to William and stood as best as he could at attention. "Sir, I will go stand out front and alert you when the squad returns from the rest of the patrol route." And even though it was a statement, he was wanting for the go ahead. "Go ahead Grant, but rest that ankle. I don't need you to make it worse by hobbling around on it."
Once the dark haired boy escaped the pharmacy and sat outside, William had finished up his patch work on her arm. "I know you don't want to go to a hospital Rebecca, but if that starts showing signs of infection, for the love of God, at least go to a clinic." He sat back and collected the supplies that were across the floor. The glass shards he pulled from her skin in the package of bandaids that Grant had opened, keeping them contained and out of a spot where they could be a risk.
He wouldn't ever mention how it was a nice feeling of her hand curled against his neck. Nope, he chalked that right up to the fact that it had been a while since he had any interaction outside of barking orders to a female in class or the training field. The only other consistent woman in his like was one who wasn't a woman yet, and always stared back at him with the same blue eyes as himself. And that was really only over video calls now that he got sent near areas where a lot of people were getting infected.
As she started on about how his report should go, he couldn't help but let out a laugh. A good natured, amused laugh as she called herself the beautiful woman for the third time for his so called report. Well, he couldn't say she was wrong about herself. She obviously was confident in herself without seeming cocky. And she clearly had a good sense of humor about her, even when she was injured and having to accept help from someone who she nearly bit his head off upon first meeting.
"It's so good you might even get a medal for bravery."
Will glanced at her with a small smile. "But I already have one of those," He wasn't lying about that. He did have a medal because of his bravery on a few missions actually. But ht wasn't about to go into detail on that. "I'm working on my medical patch though. Might even get it after I patch you up," He was tempted to do the scouts honor hand sign, but decided against it last minute. No need to drop into too much of an idiot in front of someone he was going to have to go back to ordering around soon. Even though clearly the air of authority was a bit different in this empty pharmacy.
He watched Grant practically shrink away from her when she barked about her being right there when they were talking about her. "Easy there kitten, the boy was just trying to help," Yeah she wasn't quite a tiger. Too cute when she got all worked up to be a tiger. At least in this situation. And as she gave him the go ahead, he set to work on her arm. Thankfully, everything so far didn't seem too deep and the glass shards were coming out slowly, but surely. Thank God he had some damn good eye sight, because a few of the shards were smaller. He kept his eyes on his work as he moved through her open wounds on her arm.
"Alright McCabe, I need a distraction here. What do you do for the military? Where are you from? What's your favorite movie?" Her quick ow's afterwards had him hushing her in a comforting way.
He could feel her eyes on his face, and spared her a quick glance up, briefly making eye contact before she shut her eyes. So last name basis it would be, though he realized for a moment that he had no idea what her name was. "I am a combat control special tactics officer." he started, knowing that more than likely that would be a follow up question as to what the hell that was. He was used to it, it was something that you didn't hear often but damn was it a fun job. "I am from all over, military brat myself," his father served twenty years, which was what William was hoping to do as well. Retire Air Force, be set for the rest of his life. "And I'd like to think of myself as a Marvel fan, so probably one of those movies," He finished.
He felt Grant's eyes hit him as she asked for a bottle of alcohol, which he gave him a nod, feeling him slowly lip off to find something. "Now that you know something about me, what about you? What is your name, or should I continue calling you kitten? And what makes you hate this uniform so much?" He dared another look up at her as he asked that last question, his eyes unwavering as he pulled what he could last see of the glass. He gave her arm a slow turn as he looked it over. "Thankfully nothing looks deep, but you should get a few stitches. But I can offer you the next best option which is me super gluing the cuts closed." He held up the super glue tube, shaking it between his thumb and pointer finger as he got the okay.
If he wasn't trained to be in control of the situation (it's literately in his job title), then he wouldn't have seen the way she tensed up at him. He almost wanted to retract his hand from her and step away. Did she really hate the uniform that much that it disgusted her that he was that close to her? Or was it him in general, a male? He didn't want to think too much on that one. Because then he would just get pissed off that some pathetic excuse of a man felt the need to not have control over himself. He half expected her to tell him to bug off, or perhaps say it a bit harsher. But instead, he took the small nod and her next words as it being okay for him to move forward with helping her.
"No. No hospitals. I'm not about to go in for a simple cut and leave with a virus. No thank you."
Yeah he couldn't blame her there. He hated being in one of them as it was, way before this who crazy situation started. Too many things to stick him with. And after being shot a time or two, and in tons of fights, he knew that after being in pain the last thing you wanted was to be poked and prodded at for hours on end. And now with the hospitals and clinics being exposed to something that no one had a clue on how to survive or a cure for? Yeah he was with her on that one.
As he got confirmation again that he could help her up, he stepped a bit closer to her and slowly leaned over her to scoop her into his arms. His right arm going under her knees and left arm bracing her back, being mindful of her arm that was injured the best he could. He straightened up and lifted her, using his chest as a prop before he started to walk around the glass and thankfully, saw a door he could walk through. He knew physically he could handle crawling back over the counter with her held to his chest but why work harder when you could work smarter?
"Alright Jason Bourne, can you get the bleeding to stop?"
He let out a small chuckle as he kept a firm hold on her, in case she had the idea to try and flail out of his arms. He didn't need her pushing away and not catching herself before she hit the tile floor. He started walking them towards Grant, at least with them side by side he could easily walk Grant through anything he might have left to do. "Well lets hope so," he told her without looking down at her. "Or else I will have to write a longer report and I am just not a fan," Will meant it as a joke of course, but he was serious as well. He truly hated reports sometimes. Useless in his opinion but he understood why they were needed. Document the tasks and missions at hand. But on uneventful rounds? Get out of here. Not that this one has proven to be uneventful.
"I bet you're really regretting not leaving when you had the chance huh?"
He let a small smile dance across his lips. He turned his blue eyes down to her at that point and he quirked an eyebrow up at that. "Definitely would have saved me some trouble," he teased as he eased her down a few feet away from Grant. "Grant, how're you holding up?" He asked, as he looked over at him. The kid was handy, stripped to his undershirt and he was covering the injury with butterfly bandaids. "Nothing deep sir, just bleed a lot. Ankle's just twisted." Will gave a nod before he turned back to the brunette. He heard a Grant ask if he would need a hand with her injuries and he just shook his head. "Nah, you rest up kid," he said before reaching over and grabbing a few items from the hand basket, and made sure to pull the super glue over.
He stood up and muttered a quick 'be right back' as he jogged over to the beauty isle. He would need some tweezers to get out any glass in her arm, and as he was walking past, he spotted a washcloth in a package. He snagged that just in case, as well as some water wipes, and made his way back over to her. "Alright, fair warning, this isn't going to feel like rainbows and sunshine. But I'll be as gentle as I can." He told her, as he sat down next to her injured arm and looked back at her face. He offered her the wash cloth just in case she wanted to bite down on something. "I'm William by the way, and if it becomes too much and you'd rather go to a doc, just let me know." He wasn't going to make a move towards her until she gave him the green light to proceed.
photo cred: Amanda | tag: ruby | OOC: Fair warning, will is prepared to scoop her and manhandle her a bit if she fights him on it hehe.
He almost missed the small quirk of her lips at his dictionary comment. But he caught it. He felt a ping of pride hit his chest at the fact that at least he amused her, even if just for a few seconds. William noted that it lifted her eyes just lightly when she smiled as well. Which gave her just a flash of something... cute? Sure. That seemed to be a good word for it.
As the crashing happened behind him, he couldn't help but think that perhaps he was in a nightmare. That had to be it. Because as he hovered over young Grant, the noises he heard couldn't mean anything good. Damn that woman. He gritted his teeth and when he heard a soft noise, which he assumed was an "ow" he knew she had at least not broken her neck and died. He quickly moved the hand basket towards the other male and looked down at him. "Start cleaning yourself up. I'll be right back. Let me go check on the woman," It was funny how his voice was one that was just perfect for his life in camo. He had a sense of authority to his voice that not a lot of people challenged now that he got to wear the medals that he had earned over the years.
As he retreated back to where he had left the woman in the first place, he didn't immediately spot her. His pace picked up a little and he could feel his brows knitting together as he leaned into the counter. Catching a shot of her brunette head, he did a quick scan of the area. Broken glass, blood. Great. This was a nightmare, it had to be. Or perhaps he was the stupid one, for even daring to be slightly stubborn and not just leave like the woman had suggested. Not that he would even dare voice that thought to her.
Feeling a tinge of guilt run through him, he got over the counter with ease, boots crunching glass beneath them. William immediately went to help her up, but as his hand neared her he paused. After her reaction to him just being in the same shop as him, he didn't want to go about grabbing her in a way that she'd turn into a feral animal. He didn't need to deal with that kind of head ache in reports. Nor the questions from upper management so to speak. "Will you let me me help you up," he offered as he squatted down to get into a better position to scoop her up if she agreed. She was in the middle of glass and the less she moved, the less chance she had of glass hitting other spots of her body.
"And before you fight me on it, you have glass all around you and I'd hate for you to cause yourself more pain." William gave her a small teasing smirk, "Besides, ma'am, I happen to know some basic first aide to at least help that arm of yours. Unless you rather wait until the lady you know here comes back from her break or, better yet, I can call my squad back take you to a hospital," He had a feeling this feisty woman couldn't be bothered with a hospital trip.
William should know by now that anyone in the military was looked at in a different life than it was just a year ago. He used to hear 'Thanks for your service' when he was in his combat uniform, or people asking way too many questions about what he did and what missions he had been on. Most of which he would talk politely until he couldn't answer their questions because of it being 'top secret' as he'd say to them. People used to laugh at that joke or at least give him a smile and thank him again. Sure he had served time overseas and not to mention the lives he had saved. But damn did it still sting when he was met with distaste, especially when he was trying to be polite and nonthreatening.
As the brunette went into this little frustration filled rant about behaving, he realized that she was not a fan of anything wearing camouflage with a name printed on the front. Her little grin that was not genuine at all, was meant to be almost like a slap to his face but he had dealt with worse. Being in the military for what was it, almost 14 years now? He has dealt with some bitter sarcasm. "I do believe that your definition of behaving wouldn't be found in Webster's dictionary." He mused at her, his lips twitching up at the corners, humor in his deep voice. Though he was sure that would probably be taken the wrong way as well.
Something happened to her, or perhaps someone close to her with this new patrol. He had heard about some of the things happening. And while he didn't quite agree with some other officers ways of handling things, he also knew the whole curfew and isolation ideas were not a bad one.
"I know the lady who owns the shop. How about you just take whatever you and your buddies need and send her the money later. I'm sure you have better things to do than stand around here and wait...sir."
The sir was forced, mocking to his ma'am. The ma'am that he had intended to sound like one from a gentleman but clearly wasn't taken that way. She wanted him gone. And he had a feeling that if he left, she would be the one to wait until the owner came back from where ever she had gone off to. He shifted the basket in his hand to the other hand as he raised a hand to run through his pushed back blonde hair. His blue eyes glancing back towards the door. Of course they had some rounds to make. But with an injured solider on his hands, he knew that they were already potentially re-routing their task to another team until they checked back in.
Without saying anything, he turned on his heel and headed for the door. He stopped only long enough to place the hand basket down with all his supplies just inside the door, a small smirk on his face that he knew she couldn't see. He pushed open the door and immediately a window rolled down to reveal a face staring back at him. "Tell Grant to get out. I'll patch him up here. You three will continue to finish the rounds. Come back to get us when you are done," His voice had a tone of 'don't question me' as one of the others helped Grant out the back of the car. William walked met them halfway between the pharmacy and the vehicle before he felt Grant throw his arm over the older man's shoulder and Will accepted the transfer of weight easily.
He helped the boy, because Grant couldn't be older than nineteen, back into the store. He pulled open the door and shuffled them inside. Looking up only briefly to look over at the female he left behind. "I'll keep track of what we use. When she's back from her break, I will make sure we pay for our items. Until then, I have to patch this kid up." He was saying it more as a way to let Grant know they were not alone, and to hopefully shock the civilian female. He helped the younger man down to rest on the floor, his back against the wall and out of the way of the door in case anyone came in. William pulled the basket he set down closer to him as he nodded towards the kid in front of him, "Alright kid, let me see how bad it is." He could see blood already staining the shoulder of his combat uniform.
photo cred: Amanda | tag: ruby | OOC: he's a polite man lol
Well, it looked to be a civilian. She looked to be a civilian, which was only confirmed to him as she started walking around, starting the shopping of her own. So she wasn't going to be much help in the "where are the people who work here" department. He went back to the first aide section and did another once over for hydrogen peroxide, as if some would have restocked itself magically while he was away from it. Yeah, that didn't happen, so he was still out of luck there. He grabbed a bottle of hand sanitizer and was somewhat shocked it was even in stock. Though it was travel sized, people had gone rampant and bought a ton if it leaving the shelves empty in every store.
The hand sanitizer would have to do for sterilizing an area. Though he imagined that it wasn't going to be a trip to Disneyland when applied. William did a quick trip over to where there were a few office supplies and found super glue. That wonderful invention was great and was something that could be used for tons of different things. He has been super glued back together in the field a few times while being deployed and he sure as hell preferred it to the other option of stitches. No one had time to sit down and get those during missions.
"Do you know if the lady working is on break?"
Had it been one of the goons from the vehicle, he would have bitten out a sarcastic answer. Something along the lines of 'Do I look like I work here?'. But this wasn't one of the goons. And his mother raised him to be polite, and use his yes ma'am's and no sir's. To chew with his mouth closed and listen when people talked. The latter helped him a lot in his current job and he would tell his mother that all the time, that he was glad that she raised him right. "No ma'am. You are the first person besides my reflection that I've seen since I've entered the pharmacy."
He turned to make his way towards her. He knew that military presence was something intimidating to most, so he made sure to be a bit slower in his movements, so he wouldn't startle her. He stopped when he was about six feet away from her. Giving her space, but also keeping his body language open so she would perhaps talk to him to pass the time. "By any chance ma'am, did you get a look at the soldiers in the vehicle out front? Did they seem to be behaving?" He was sure that she probably saw it. But he was more concerned about what they were doing while their officer was away.
This was why he didn't do patrol. This is EXACTLY why he hated doing patrol. How in the world does a grown man hurt himself to the point of needing medical attention while riding around in a patrol vehicle? Stupidity was how. He still hasn't even gotten the full story on what happened because the others were just as lost as William was. He was above doing patrol, and this was going to be case in point the next time they ask him. Truly, he only even agreed to do it because they were somehow short handed for this ride.
His specialty and training normally left him to guiding classes or being sent into the hot zone. He was used to being in the way of danger. But not today. And for trusting the team he was put with, after that incident, he should have not been surprised to see that they didn't have a stocked medical kit inside of the vehicle either. Which was why he was entering the pharmacy to see if he could stock up on some basic first aide kit items. He barked the order for the others to remain in the marked military vehicle, he didn't want them all going into the place. And judging that he was probably the only competent one of the bunch, he wasn't sending on of them in to get the basics.
He grabbed a small hand basket and made his way towards the aisle that looked like it had bandaids. Dressed in his combat uniform, he took up much of the aisle as he turned down it. It was not stocked fully, which made a small grunt of frustration sound in his throat. He squatted down to look over the few options left. Some gauze, basic bandaids. They would have to do. He put the last two of each inside the hand basket as he stood back up to his full six foot height as he moved down the aisle. Where was the damn hydrogen peroxide? He found a package of butterfly closures which were added to his basket.
He turned around when he reached the end of the aisle to stare back down it. Had he passed it? William's blue eyes looked over the pharmacy as he looked for someone working there. No one to spot initially, he walked over to the counter where one would pick up a prescription. "Excuse me, ma'am or sir? Is anyone back here?" He said as he looked back and forth, peering over the counter. Perhaps they stepped out? Or were using the bathroom? Whatever the case, he stepped back from the counter just in time to hear the door open from the front.
Was it one of the idiots he left to man the vehicle? The missing pharmacist or sale clerk? A civilian? He moved around a fixture that was blocking his few so he could lock on to whoever just walked in.
[attr="class","ozappbox"]COMBAT CONTROL SPECIAL TACTICS OFFICER
[attr="class","ozappbox"]32
[attr="class","ozappbox"]HETEROSEXUAL
[attr="class","ozappbox"]NOT INFECTED
[attr="class","ozappbox"]HOMETOWN
[attr="class","ozappbox"]PLAYER ALIAS
[attr="class","ozappcont"]
[attr="class","ozapptitle"]PERSONALITY
There is a reason he is an officer at his job. He has a demanding presence and voice, and it is not to be ignored. Nor will he be ignored. When he walks into a room, he carries an air of self confidence, though has been told it comes across as arrogant at times. He doesn't mean for it to be that way, but he isn't going to change himself to accommodate others. Take him as he is or leave him. But if you are on his unit? Yeah you better pull up your big boy/girl britches and get with the program. There is no room for sulking if he is training you.
He is focused on the task at hand, knowing that lives could be in his hands at any point in his missions. He learns his team before missions and finds it useful to at least train with them a handful of times before being sent out on a mission, as he gets bounced around different teams because of his job. Knowing who they are makes it easier to understand their thought processes and how they work in the field. He doesn't need any loose canons around.
Will is a father, and prides himself on being the best one that he can be. He works around his schedule as much as possible to make sure that he can visit his daughter whenever he isn't called out to duty. He wants to be the strong father figure to her that when she is older, she looks back and knows she had a good male role model, not the one that she goes to her therapist and cries to them about. His ex-girlfriend/mother of his child and him keep a civil relationship strictly for their daughter.
On his own, without dad duties or STO duties, he enjoys a good, cold beer and a few rounds of billiards. Gym is a part of him, as well as keeping up to date with the most current trainings. All of which has taken him years of practice to get into a routine.
[attr="class","ozapptitle"]BIOGRAPHY
William James McCabe was one of two children born to Barbara and Austin McCabe. William being the big brother, he took on the role of looking over his little sister as if it was something he had been training for his whole life (even though he was only five when she was born). But everything he could do to help out, he was there for his mother and father. His father was in the military and moving around every few years or so was a normal piece of life. He heard from many kids growing up about how they wish they didn't have to move so much, that they could settle somewhere and actually keep friends around.
But that wasn't the case for Will. He loved that they moved around. He enjoyed going to the new schools, making new friends, and seeing different places. He kept in touch with the friends he made, at least the ones that made the effort to keep in touch with him as well. Whether through penpal letters back and forth, or the internet once that turned into something that was a normal household thing to have. When his father wasn't working, Will was all up in his business. Asking him questions about what he was doing or learning. And he always told him come the end of the night 'Dad, I am going to be just like you'. Which always prompted a small chuckle from Austin as he tucked him in.
He was wrong in a sense, but right as well. He did grow up to join the military. He was sworn in a few weeks after his eighteenth birthday into the Air Force. He had a mix of players in his boot camp weeks. The word spread quickly when it came out who's son he was. Some were excited to meet him and see what he could do, some were harder on him than anyone else as if he had to prove he was more than just his fathers name. But he took the challenge head on, and proved that he was his own man, and not just his fathers son.
Once through boot camp, he went for the Combat Control team. Which meant he had to kick off into a total of 73 weeks of training. Eight weeks in Basics, eight weeks in Special Warfare Prep Course, four weeks in Special Warfare Assessment & Selection course, four weeks in Special Warfare Pre-Dive Course, five weeks in Special Warfare Combat Dive Course, three weeks in Airborne School, three weeks in Military Free-Fall Course, three weeks in Sere Training, eleven weeks in Air Traffic Control, eight weeks in Combat Control Apprentice Course, and finally spending six months in Special Tactics Training. Meaning he was a busy man and had a lot of training before the age of 21.
Once he was finally done with the intensive training, he was given a base he would be operating out of until he got deployed overseas. While he was out with a few other men, with perhaps a fake ID considering he wasn't 21 for a few more weeks, he met a girl. Beautiful, with bright brown eyes and dark curls falling over her shoulders. Red lipstick covering her pout as she served the table their beers. He fell fast, and hard for her. He courted her, though she would always laugh at him and say that he was just like the other men at the base. But he was determined to show her he wasn't. He finally convinced her to give him a shot, and boy did he sweep her off her feet. They had a wild couple of weeks, sneaking her into his room back on base almost every night. Or spending what time he could with her outside of his on duty days.
Within six months of being together, he got papers stating he would be spending the next twelve months overseas. It was a hard thing to tell his new love, and he even proposed to her in a way to show he was serious about her. But she only laughed and shook her head, no proposal was needed. It was much too soon and not needed. She would wait for him and wait she did. Lots of care packages got him through he time. And even a few risqué pictures sent his way had him on the edge of his seat at he was flying how. Twelve months of sun and dirt and nothing pretty. And boy, she made his eyes water when he spotted her in the crowd welcoming him home.
She ran and jumped into his arms, her dress wrapping around them as he held her tightly. Her sign long forgotten and he is pretty sure he never even got to see it. Will couldn't get them home fast enough. Those next several of weeks were fantastic. He was sure that she never put on a pair of proper pants, as he would just pull them off of her anyway. Four weeks of something so lovely, only for it to be crushed again as he got his next call to duty. Back over seas for another eight months. Both of them sat in her apartment staring down at their grasped hands in front of them. She shook her head at one point but said nothing. She didn't have to. Will knew that she couldn't keep doing this. He could see it in those brown eyes when they finally looked at him.
So he made it easy on them both. He told her to take care of herself and to be the best she could be. Even though the tears ran down her cheeks, she didn't argue or tell him that she'd wait forever for him. Instead, she nodded her head and sent him off with a lingering kiss. He wasn't overseas but two months when he got pulled into his commanding officers office. He nodded at the phone and told him that he had a call on hold. Dread washed over Will, thinking the absolute worse. Who died? was what he wanted to shout into the phone. But instead he picked up the phone and let out a "This is officer McCabe". Her voice cracked lightly on the phone and there was a long pause. He didn't know what to say to her. Until she dropped the news on him. "Pregnant?" he repeated.
It was a whirlwind from there, he would get pictures sent to him from appointments and would make calls whenever possible to check in on her. A daughter. He was only 23 but he felt that this was all right. Even when they had come to the conclusion that yes, they were having a daughter, but it was still in their hearts to not be together. He got released early to spend the last few weeks of her pregnancy together. So he could help prepare for the baby and help her be comfortable. The best day of his life was when that little seven pound four once girl came into view. All blonde locks and black eyelashes staring up at him. Having her mothers brown eyes. Even though his job sent him away, he spent as much time as possible with them.
And as the years passed, he would get to take his daughter away for weekends or weeks if he was lucky. And boy was he proud of that little girl. Insanely smart and called him every chance she could. Being his job was one where he had to be trained for just about anything, when the virus broke lose, they wanted him stationed in the hot zone of Lethford. Whether to train others on air control or doing loops through the city to help enforce new rules, he did his job. And because he was so close to where it started, he made the decision that his daughter would stay far away and their time together would consist of calls, texts, and video calls when they could. His first priority was to keep her safe. Always has been, always will be.
