The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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((Sweetbix :biggrin.gif: Is this Spades fellow your character then? I must say, I like. Anyways.))
Sand's first indication of the soldiers was the screeching sound of wrenching metal as the whirling rotors of the helicopter connected with the ground of the field of the baseball field across the street. Unsurprisingly, the earth was tougher than the rotors, and when he reached the window, all Sand saw was the crumpled metal of what had once been an air-worthy helicopter. "Well, at least there's one less baseball field in the world." he remarked dryly to Alice, who was standing next to him, wide-eyed. Sand had never liked baseball - probably because he had never been good at it, but hey, sports weren't really his thing. Coordination and all that.
To his surprise, he saw survivors crawling out of the wreck, three of the black suited soldiers which had been razing the city. They seemed to be made of stern stuff - he hadn't thought that anyone would be able to survive a crash like that. It was with no small amount of relief that he saw the three men (or at least, he assumed they were men) start rushing towards his building as quickly as they could. Which wasn't really that fast, seeing as one of them seemed to be badly injured. What Alice noticed, however, was a far less pleasing sight. "Sand.. Look.." she murmured, pointing several hundred metres down the road from the soldiers. Sand's heart fell as he followed her outstretched hand, where what had to be at least a hundred zombies were approaching the men, and fast.
"**** **** ****. What do we do!?" he asked, though he didn't listen for an answer. Neither of them were in particularly sober mindsets right now, and Sand could hardly cope with making a decision that would decide whether he lived or died. He recalled seeing another helicopter in the sky as he rushed to the window - yes, he could still hear it. Putting two and two together after several seconds, he realised that surely the men must be rushing up the building to board the helicopter - those men wouldn't leave behind their friends, right? He hoped not.
So, maybe him and Alice could tag along - maybe they could survive this. For he was sure that there was no way to survive if they remained where they were. The zombies would surely follow the men all the way to the top of the building, and would no doubt discover Sand and Alice on the way up. Hmm, I wonder what it would be like to be a zombie. Would I still have my brain, my ideas? Or would I be all 'gnash gnash I want brains'? Maybe I could find out.. Sand shook his head - this was no time to get distracted. Making his decision, he grabbed Alice by the hand, hoping she would trust him enough to follow without asking questions. For he doubted they had much time before the soldiers, and then the inevitable zombies, passed their flaw. Looking deep into her eyes, giving off what he hoped was a reassuring vibe, he rushed to the door, removing the barricade as quickly as he could before stepping out into the hallway. Once outside, he realised he'd forgotten their bags and his sabre. And who knew when they would come in handy - the military might not have enough food for everyone, and having their own stocks would come in handy. Besides, the sabre would undoubtedly come in handy against hordes of zombies, if ever he had to face them. After quickly grabbing the equipment, which was lying near the door, he rushed back outside, giving Alice one bag while hoisting the other onto his back. Finally, he attached the sabre to his belt.
He leaned against the wall, figuring that he'd make a better impression if he looked relaxed, nonchalant. At least, that's what he hoped.
Matthews was scanning the streets, when one of their helicopters flew in the way of the image, at a dangerously low elevation. "What's that idiot doing?" SHe muttered, resuming her watch. After a couple of minutes, she picked up another spitter, firing at the same helicopter. Zooming the camera out, she saw the slime hit the hilicopters tail, and, after a couple minutes, saw the helicopter plummet directly into a baseball field. "****! Markus! That heli's down! Get me over the field! I want to see if any survived!"
Markus, the pilot, scoffed, and simply said "Good luck." He did, however, still fly over the wreckage. After staring at the site for a good couple of minutes, Matthews saw soldiers begin to crawl out, and immediately knew she had to help somehow. Zooming in, she noticed something on one of the soldiers shoulders, and knew how to contact them. Connecting her radio to the command center, she pretty much yelled into the microphone.
"Command! I need the channel for Spades' radio. ASAP."
Back at the command center, an officer had already noted that Spade's chopper had been downed, so hearing a request for his radio channel was a surprise. Answering Matthews radio call, the officer simply asked. "Why do you need a dead mans radio channel?"
Sighing, Matthews answered. "He's not dead! He's on my camera right now! There's three surviving soldiers from the crash! They're headed for an apartment building, and it looks like a second chopper is landing on the roof to pick all of the-... To pick both of them up."
Smirking, the officer patched into Spades' radio, instead of replying to Matthews. "Spades? You still alive? I've got a jet in the sky. Can you handle your ****? Or does she need to keep an eye on you boys?" The officer had no idea how it really was out there, and still didn't take the situation seriously. The way he saw it, there's no way undead, without weaponry, can overrun the military.
[Meh post is meh. But had to fit this in there. xD]
Spades' surviving comrade had already reached the doors to the apartment building by the time he arrived. It seemed the residents had barricaded the doors to the main lobby on the first floor with just about everything they could find. With the hordes of undead closing in, Spades and his comrade had to do something, and quick. Deciding it would be the easiest and fastest way through, the two quickly rigged the doors to blow and took cover.
BOOM!
Shattered glass and wooden splinters from tables and chairs used to barricade the doors flew in all directions, and before the smoke even cleared, the two soldiers ran through the smoke and over the rubble, entering the lobby. Looking around, they could see several bodies of civilians caught in the blast. Further into the lobby, more civilians crying and screaming could be seen. It appeared many of them were using the lobby as the first line of defense in case the zombies got through the barricade as most of the civilians there were security guards and volunteer tough guys, some of which were trying to get an old, beaten up Police radio to work.
Caught off guard by the explosion, many of the security guards raised their weapons, mostly batons, but one of them pointed a pistol at Spades.
BANG!
The security officer collapsed, not by Spades' doing, but his comrade, who didn't hesitate to shoot the poor guard upon seeing the weapon pointed at Spades. The civilians screamed in terror, including a little boy, who appeared no older than six.
Spades comrade urged for him to move, seemingly uncaring for the fact that all of these people would soon become zombie food. In fact, it seemed as if Spades comrade actually wanted to use the people as bait. He knew the zombies would stop to attack these people, and that would by the two time to run up the stairs.
Spades, however, did not begin moving immediately and instead stopped for the little boy's mother, who frantically asked if they were their rescue.
" Please help us! Are you here to help us!? Please! " she pleaded, the boy's crying making her words hard to comprehend.
Spades simply stared at her for a second before speaking up, " Give me the boy. " he ordered, snatching the kid from her arms and taking off running up the stairs. The climb up the first set of stairs was silent, nothing but Spades' footsteps and the kid's muffled cry could be heard, but in what seemed like seconds, that changed. The horrifying screams of the survivors in the lobby echoed through the halls, signaling that the undead horde had reached them.
On his way up, Spades' radio came to life. One of the officers back at camp had somehow gotten a hold of his comms and was asking if he needed any help, but it was a little too late for that.
" If 'she' can shoot through walls without tearing them down on top of us, go right ahead. " he responded, his words somewhat hard to hear over the boy's cries. Being a man of few words and being in a particularly bad situation, he maintained radio silence the rest of the way up.
On the 13th floor, Spades and him comrade had not slowed down and would not slow down, running as fast as he could ( which wasn't too fast due to the boy ), he didn't even bother to stop or even warn a couple in the hallway about the zombies who were more than likely right behind them.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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((****.. I forgot to say that they grabbed the bags and sabre before they left the room. I'll edit that in once I'm done with this.))
Sand didn't have to wait long before he heard the sound that heralded the arrival of the blacksuits. After no more than a couple of seconds in the hall, he heard an almost unbearably loud explosion from beneath him, followed almost immediately by a sickening rocking sensation as the whole building was slightly shaken. Sand was unsure of what the need for the explosives was - after all, he hadn't left his room for the last several days, and had no idea that there were actually still other people in the building.
If he was aware of what had been happening, he would have no doubt been more reluctant to follow through with his plan - the officer that Spades' companion had killed had been his friend. Joe had been in charge of security of the apartment block for more than ten years, and had always been an affable, reassuring face to see upon entering the building. He and Sand had got along well, and Sand had always enjoyed their brief conversations in the lobby when he came home from a particularly taxing day of music studies.
Of course, he knew not of Joe's unfortunate demise, nor of any of the other events that occurred in the lobby, and was somewhat surprised to see the two blacksuits barreling up the stairs, a small boy in the arms of one. His first thought was that maybe, just maybe, these people were nicer than they originally seemed. This thought was banished from his head as the two ran past, without even acknowledging Alice or him. They.. they can't just ignore us! They can't leave us to the zombies! For the zombies were coming, of this he had no doubt. He had realised with horror several moments ago that there were screams. Clearly, the zombies had found some snacks on their way up.
But he couldn't think about that now. I have to survive. Alice has to survive. We can't just die! Clearly, he had to take some action, had to draw the soldiers attention. Shifting his bag to a more comfortable position on his shoulders, he took Alice's hand and began to chase after the men, catching up with ease. Which was hardly a surprise, as he didn't have to carry a small struggling boy. After drawing near enough to address them, he called out.
"Hey! Don't think I believe you didn't notice us. We're coming with you." His face was a grim line as he continued, knowing that if the offer he was about to pose was accepted, he would come to regret it. By now, the drugs had completely worn off - such a tense situation tends to do that. "Listen, I'm not begging you to do this out of the kindness of my heart. I can help. I will help. I swear, I'll do anything to assist you with wiping out these ****ers. I know this city, better than any of you military do - I've lived here all my life. Please, just don't let Alice die. Not like this." He hoped the men would listen to his words, agree with them. After all, he had no way to prove himself, save the determination to keep Alice alive.
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Breeding dragons is stressful. So I thought I'd just showcase my friend Jim here. Say hi to everyone, Jim.
Spades' jog came to a slow stop as he heard someone call from behind him. It was the couple they had run passed. Looking at the man in the eyes for just a second, again, his mask hiding any emotion, Spades simply shook his head, pretty much denying the couple a spot on their extraction helicopter before even hearing what they had to say. Spades turned around and continued to jog down the hall to the next fight of stairs, but the man continued to plead for help. At this point Spades' comrade had had enough and turned around, lifted his rifle, he mounted it on his shoulder and ordered the couple to back off.
Spades didn't necessarily want to leave the couple behind, and he knew for a fact there would be room on the helicopter. The one thing keeping him from taking them was the fact that the couple would simply be placed in a quarantined camp somewhere in the city where they would either end up being killed or eventually fall victim to zombies once the camp was inevitably overrun or abandoned, just like many others throughout the city. He rather leave them behind to a quick death by a bunker buster bomb than give them false hope.
Suddenly, he stopped, sighing under his mask, he turned around and walked toward the man, placing the young boy in his arms and tilted his head, signaling for them to run to for the roof. Spades' comrade glared at him, confused as to why Spades would even consider, let alone actually risk taking civilians with them. Spades simply looked back at him, no emotion in his eyes.
The two were interrupted by the sound of undead stumbling up the stairs and filling the halls with their horrific sounding moans and screams. Instantly, and just as they came into sight, Spades and his comrade lit the the horde up, using the bottleneck the hallway had created to their advantage, they emptied their magazines before taking off after the couple, Spades' comrade ordering them to run faster over the sound of the undead.
Matthews had received orders to fire on the zombies filing in, but to leave the building itself unharmed. "Copy that. Razor out."
Within seconds, the sound and vibrations of the jet flying close to the ground could be heard and felt. It was soon followed by the sound of gunfire, as Matthews lit up the zombies which had gathered outside of the apartment building. While swinging around for another run, Matthews got to see inside of the apartment building. Quickly putting in the channel for Spades' radio, she delivered a message as quick as she could. "You boys better hurry the **** up! They're on, what looks like, the tenth floor already!"
Dropping the channel, Matthews resumed firing upon the zombies, clearing as many out as possible. The hordes never seemed to stop, though. It seemed like the gunfire was actually drawing attention to the building. Once again, Matthews called in to the command center. "Large grouping of Zeds at the apartment complex. Spades should almost be to the top. Permission to level the area once he's evacuated?"
Within seconds, the radio crackled to life, with the message that needed to be heard being transmitted over. "Permission granted. Tell him to hurry his ass up."
Disconnecting from the command center, and once again connecting to Spades, Matthews delivered the message. "You boys better hurry. Command just gave the go to level that building once you guys are out. There's a massive horde of undead below you. We can't drop the opportunity to take out this many at once."
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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((Oh dear. Did I muck something up?))
Sand was not swayed by the rifle pointed at his head. Not in the slightest. Death lay behind him already - if he turned, he would be killed by the zombies. Who knew, maybe they'd even take pity on Alice if he was killed. Either way, if they had to perish, he would much prefer a bullet to the head than to be mauled and turned into one of those zombies. These were his thoughts as he continued striding towards the muzzle of the gun, closing his eyes and thinking of Alice.
But death did not come.
Opening his eyes, he saw the other soldier, the one carrying the boy, was walking towards him. It took a second for him to understand the meaning of the outstretched arms - filled with too much gratitude to speak, Sand took the boy and silently began the walk up the last flight of stairs to the roof. However, he had only taken several steps before hearing a noise that sent shivers down his spine. Turning back, he saw zombies storming up the stairs beneath them, and almost collapsed to the ground as the deafening noise of gunfire began from the soldiers guns rifles. He knew there was nothing he could do to help the two, and so turned back with ringing ears to the steps ahead of him, and began running, albeit slowly, tugging at Alice's hand as he did so.
They burst through the fire door onto the rooftop, and Sand's heart soared as he saw the chopper on the roof in front of him. We're going to survive this, he thought as he stumbled towards the machine, the combined weight of the child and the bag pressing down on him.
((Is the chopper already there? Sorry if it isn't - I figured I had to add something to the story, rather than just react to the last post. But I didn't add too much, in case something was about to happen. Ahem.))
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Breeding dragons is stressful. So I thought I'd just showcase my friend Jim here. Say hi to everyone, Jim.
(( I don't mind you saying it was already there, it's more likely for it to land after we reach, I think, but it's alright. It keeps things moving. ))
(( I really need a name for his comrade... ))
The men in the helicopter assisted the couple in boarding the aircraft, but with puzzled looks on their faces. They weren't there to rescue any civilians. However it wasn't a minute before Spades and his comrade came running out of the building and onto the roof, boarding the helicopter in a single leap, Spades' comrade shouting for the pilot to take off at the top of his lungs. With an absolutely horrified face, Spades' comrade breathed in a sigh of relief as the helicopter took off only seconds before the hordes of zombies made it to the roof. Many of the zombies, seemingly confused and starving went as far as jumping off the building, hoping to grab on to the helicopter only to fall fifteen stories down onto the pavement below.
Spades and his comrade settled down in the helicopter, his comrade taking off his mask and laughing out of disbelief.
" That was some scary ****. " he said, laughing and placing his hands over his sweaty face.
Spades let out an audible chuckle from underneath his mask and shrugged before going for his shoulder mounted radio,
" Do it. " he said, his muffled voice cold, not even hinting at his age or personality
The helicopter was now headed for a football stadium a good ways from the apartment. The stadium was now a military camp. The locker rooms were turned into storage and the fields into helicopter refueling stations. Spades however, was planning on dropping off survivors elsewhere.
Meanwhile, as the helicopter flies away, a deafening explosion is heard coming from where the apartment building once stood.
After one more sweep of gunning down the zombies, Spades' voice comes across the radio, as the helicopter takes off. Nodding to herself, Matthews relays the order to the pilot, who raises their altitude, as Matthews targets the building. "Target acquired... Leveling in three... Two... One..."
Matthews flips four switches, all within a few seconds of each other. As the jet screams away, the area echoes with the thunderous roar of the explosions, as well as the creaking sound of the apartment building tumbling to the ground. Deciding to take a second look, Matthews' pilot flies over the scene, as Matthews scans the landscape. The ground is littered with rubble, from the apartment and the surrounding buildings which where hit as well. Beneath the rubble there were hundreds, if not thousands, of corpses. Both undead and civilian.
Taking to the guns, Matthews picked off what undead remained in the area. After the scene was all cleaned up, Matthews and her pilot decided to call it clean, and headed back to refuel and reload. While flying back, Matthews called into the command center. "This is Razor, calling in. Spades evacuated safely, and the building was leveled. There were civvie casualties, but the amount of undead taken out definitely makes up for it. At least seven hundred dead."
After a moment of silence, the officers voice came back, his voice showing an approving tone. "Good work. Can't wait to see you in person, Captain. I need to congratulate you. That bombing has to be one of the biggest purging we've had so far."
Realizing the rank she was remarked as having, Matthews simply replied with a "Thank you, sir! Razor out!" Within moments, the jet was readying to land outside of the city, where Matthews would get a small break before heading back in to hell.
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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The next events seemed to pass in a blur. Sand was somewhat dazed, delirious even, as first the boy was taken off of him, then he was lifted into the chopper, with Alice by his side. He sat there, still gripping her hand, and stared in wonder as the helicopter took off mere seconds before the waves of zombies spread across the roof, wildly leaping for the helicopter, but all falling short. He didn't really take in many specifics though - the only things he was truly aware of at this point was the feeling of Alice's hand in his, and the fact that they had survived. We ****ing survived. The sensation of a near death experience began to pull Sand out of his reverie, and he whooped in elation as the helicopter veered away from the apartment block.
"Was it ever." he replied to the soldier opposite him, who didn't look quite so scary without his mask on. Sand was determined to show his gratefulness - though of course, he hadn't forgotten his promise. After speaking, he turned his attention to the other soldier, the one with a . He still hadn't taken off his mask, and was speaking into his radio, though Sand's pained ears couldn't work out the exact words. Without him, I would have died. For he had no doubt that the man sitting opposite him would have pulled the trigger had it not been for this man. He stared at the man's mask, trying to convey his thanks, and hoping that the man was actually looking back at him.
After several seconds of this, figuring that surely the man couldn't ignore a stare for that long, he looked away, drawing Alice nearer to him as he waited for the chopper to land.
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Breeding dragons is stressful. So I thought I'd just showcase my friend Jim here. Say hi to everyone, Jim.
As Matthews got out of the jet, she was immediately greeted by her commanding officer. Before she even had time to react, he was already speaking. "No formalities, captain. And yes, I did say captain. That stunt earned you a promotion. Come with me. You're not going back into the sky. At least, not in a jet."
After being lead to a large tent, Matthews was told to have a seat, opposite of her commanding officer. "Captain Matthews. I know you just got back, but I need to send you out again ASAP. You've seen the city. Both in person and from the Sky. We're flying in five choppers full of fresh soldiers into the city. I want you to fly in with them. Not to fight with them, but to brief them on what they're entering. I need them to know what they're up against. And you are one of the few surviving people that has seen everything we know."
Matthews nodded, throwing in a "Yes sir." After being given a folder with instructions of what else she was to do inside, she was sent off, to board a helicopter heading for a camp within the city, stationed at a football stadium. When she arrived at her chopper, all the others had already taken off. The infantrymen on board greeted her, a couple of them already knowing her. Once she was on board, she took control of one of the guns, and the chopper took to the air. Matthews called out to the pilot "Hey! Keep an eye out for swollen zombies. They spit this **** that can down a helicopter in an instant. Commands been referring to them as spitters!" The pilot nodded, and continued heading for the stadium, flying slightly higher than usual, a bit scared of the new zombie type.
Spades now had one of the toughest decisions he's ever had to make. He either talked the pilot into dropping off the couple and young boy somewhere in the city, at the very least giving them a second chance to live, but exposing them to the horrors and dangers of the infected ridden city once more, or allowed the couple and boy to be taken into a " safe " military camp, where the couple would either be killed under the suspicion of being carriers, or be left there for indefinite amount of time, risking them dying once the camp was inevitably overrun or abandoned.
He had planned to drop them off in the city again, but he just couldn't do it. They wouldn't last another day, especially now that they had a child to care for. At least in the camp they had some chance of survival. Having made up his mind, he remained silent, giving the man a nod as his way of saying " You're welcome. " and slipped into deep thought for the rest of the flight.
When the helicopter finally arrived at it's destination and slowly began it's decent, he began to ready his equipment and stood up, eager to get some rest.
As the helicopter's rotors came to a slow stop, the crew members began hooping off, dispersing into the crowds of soldiers and other workers. The couple was instructed to follow one of the Captains there, who lead them into a secured area where other survivors were being kept. It wasn't a five star hotel, but aside from being rather crowded, it was a hell of a lot better than most places out there. There was clean water and fresh food, and while the soldiers guarding the area weren't the friendliest bunch, many of the civilian workers there seemed like the happiest people in the city. Big smiles on their faces, seemingly unaffected by the current crisis, especially the lunch ladies.
Spades and his comrade were nowhere to be seen.
(( Moarwork, you can make up most of it. The survivors aren't being treated like crap, but every now and then one or two disappear never to be seen again ( Killed under suspicion of being infected or planning something that threatens the safety of others and themselves ). There may be some people who are on to it and can tell your character, maybe even convince your character it's best to escape before they're killed by the soldiers or overrun by the zombies. I'm sure you're creative enough to make your own fun while either Spades or Captain Matthews find your characters again. ))
(( A general description of the camp: The area where you are in should be somewhere in the field, fenced-in in a refugee tent camp type area. The rest of the field is dotted with tents covering supply boxes, command posts, barracks, ect. Helicopters land and take off from the field every thirty minutes or so after refueling. The indoor areas have been turned into storage areas and barracks and what not. Those areas are restricted to civilians. ))
The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything.
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((Right then, I think I'll make one more post. Then I need sleep.))
After a somewhat lengthy trip through the skies of the city, Sand finally noticed a change in the direction of the chopper. Looking outside, he saw it seemed to be landing, and in a zombie free zone. Still somewhat dazed by the intense events of the last several hours, Sand followed instructions in an almost robotic fashion upon descending from the chopper, with the boy clinging to one hand, and Alice to the other. He seemed to float through the camp, barely even registering what the man who was leading them was saying, other than that they were being taken to a part of the camp where all those who had been exposed to the disease were being held. Sand had no qualms with this - the disease didn't seem to travel by air, nor water, and there were plenty of armed guards around. Surely, infection could not spread in such a controlled environment.
After what seemed like a long walk in which they were shown around the large camp, the three were finally brought to their quarters, if you could call it that. In reality, it was no more than two large mattresses pushed together and covered by a thick duvet, placed in the corner of a large tent. However, it looked comfortable enough, and most importantly, it was safe - that was all that mattered. It was at this point that Sand realised that they weren't carrying their bags, and his sabre was no longer attached to his belt. He'd have to ask Alice about that later, she had appeared to be focused while they were being guided through the camp. She'd know where they were.
For the first time since he began carrying him, Sand turned his attention on the boy, who was looking up at him with wide, confused eyes. With a shock, Sand realised he recognized him - it was the child of the couple that had lived directly below them, who had been so kind when he and Alice had first moved in. His heart sank as he realised what must have happened to the boys parents - this child, no more than four years of age, had suffered far more than Sand that day, and yet he had not even acknowledged the boys presence. He knew he needed to say something, but could not remember the child's name. Fortunately, it seemed that Alice recognized him also, and stepped in before he could make a fool of himself.
"Toby!" She exclaimed, giving the boy a smile and dropping to her knees, in order to see eye to eye with him. "You've had a really tough day so far, haven't you?" she continued, trying to keep her expression as bright as possible. Her cheery tone seemed to be having an effect on Toby - he seemed a little less lost, and gave her a small nod in response to her question.
"Tired." he mumbled, barely getting the word out of his mouth as he let off a giant yawn. Pity for the lost young child washed over Sand, and he vowed that he would take care of him. He owed that much to the soldier who had rescued both Toby and himself.
"I'll bet you are! Here, this bed just over here, this is for all of us now. This is our new home! Exciting, isn't it?" With this, Alice gently took Toby by the hand, and led him over to the mattresses, tucking him in under the thick blanket. Within seconds, Toby's breathing slowed, became more rhythmic as he sunk into sleep. As soon as she was sure that the boy was asleep, the cheerful expression dropped off her face. All that remained was the sadness that she no doubt felt for the young boy, who didn't understand what had happened. Sand's heart ached similarly, and he shared a meaningful glance with Alice as she spoke softly.
"What're we gonna do, Sand?" Her voice was filled with confusion, uncertainty. Who knew how long this safe haven would last - they were still in the city, and the zombies had already broken through several blockades designed to halt their spread.
"I... I don't know."
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Breeding dragons is stressful. So I thought I'd just showcase my friend Jim here. Say hi to everyone, Jim.
Jared sat outside his mother's room, leaning against the shut door, praying. He waited, counting the time on his watch, anxiety surrounding him in a hopeful delusion that she wouldn't turn. Finally, he heard the noises of re-awakening coming from inside the room. Jared stood, sweat falling down his face, mixing with tears. The door creaked open, and he knew that he had to be the one to do this. Jared stood over the fighting body, trying with everything it could to rip apart Jared. This wasn't his mother, he wasn't killing her, he was releasing her from the bindings that made her like this.
Jared quickly slashed off her head with his sabre, but gasped at the head still biting. He was nearly bitten, but moved his left foot quickly away. The things could still fight if they were decapitated! Jared looked to the lifeless body, no, he thought, only the parts attached to the brain can work. He stabbed the blade through her temple, and quickly pulled the blade out with a sickening shuck.
Jared was about to cry, when he remembered the words his mother told him several days before. He glared up at the sky, screaming words of hate and curses to God. Why had this happened to him? Why was Jared forced to go through this? There had to be an answer, but that answer would have to wait. Jared knew he had limited time before the sun fell. He ran out of water from the tub, and something must have happened to the pipes, because they had no running water. Jared picked up his pack, and went upstairs. He needed new clothes, and he put on the darkest clothes he could find. He then proceeded to spray paint his fencing gear black (excluding his hood, which was already black), and left the house, with him only his fencing suit, sabre, knife, and pack of materials.
Jared had his hood off, hanging from his pack, and was moving swiftly and quietly in the shadows. He didn't know how well a sense of smell the infected had, but if they relied on sight or hearing, they wouldn't find him. He decided it would be better to try and see if this tactic would work than just run as fast as possible through the streets, hoping he wouldn't die. As Jared slowly made his way through the rubble and blood that was still technically a city, he realized the sheer number of infected that roamed the streets. A helicopter flew overhead, with a group of infected quickly sprinting under it, towards the noise. He noticed something then, a green ball flying through the air, narrowly missing the chopper. He looked down, hearing a gurgling, and saw a scrawny infected lumbering towards him. Jared backed up quickly and silently, trying to blend into the darkness that was becoming thicker with the sun's position at this time of day.
It was all futile, though, as the creature knew where Jared was. Jared unsheathed his sabre, a bit loud for what he wanted, and prepared himself for an attack. The beast stepped into full light, and Jared could identify every aspect of it, though he wished he couldn't. The sick green skin the creature had was thinly coated with a mucus that gave the thing a slight shine. Its mouth hung open like a screaming demon from a horror movie, or a game Jared's friends had played once ((amnesia: the dark descent is what I'm thinking)) and the thing's insides were clearly visible from the positioning of the two in the alley. Jared didn't need his hood, it would only hinder him. This thing didn't seem to be able to bite, but then it shot out a ball of green mucus that was as green as the thing. Jared dodged right, the slime missing him. Jared waited, deciding to hold another experiment. He set down his things off somewhere to his right, and crouched down, brandishing his knife instead of the sabre. After several moments, another ball was logged his way, and Jared rolled right once more. Jared thought as he was on the thing, stabbing into its headten seconds!
Jared stood, gathered his things, and stared at the body. There had to be something he could learn from this body through autopsy, but he wouldn't risk contracting the disease. Jared looked up, another helicopter flying overhead. The blades spinning furiously as many explosions and firing were heard. The sky lit up randomly, and Jared knew that the city would never again be silent.
Sandy and the soldier drove as fast as they could through the city. Undead would surely follow them. When one showed its face, either the soldier or sandy would shoot it down. Farther down the road, she could see a man in a black suit with a sword, fighting a sickly green 'person'. "That man is still alive! Should we help him?" She had said. "Of coarse! Is this your first delivery mission?" Sandra did'int say anything next for fear of sounding dumb. The sky lit up with a bright flashing light, and she pulled up to the man in black. "Howdy partner! Want some help?" Sandy exclaimed.
The back of the truck was still filled with barrels of water and several crates of food and ammunition. The streets where full of noise now. More noise than before at least. The zombies where emerging from the ally ways, and had begun shuffling towards the truck. "I reckon we hurry up." she said. The soldier than replied. "I agree completely." This soldier seems very friendly. Friendlier than other people in this city.
((Also did you say you had a gun jenji? because if it takes 45. then your set for now, if you join up with me.))
(( There's some problems, samurai. I don't think you read ( or very well, at least. )) The city is COMPLETELY blocked off by an unofficial military branch. No one goes in, no one comes out. Your character literally cruised into the city and that's impossible. The soldier she picked up would have been more likely to shoot her on sight than allow her through the blockade. And even if she somehow found a way in it would have to be on foot because more than likely choppers would have been sent after her and turned her and her car into scrap metal before she reached the city.
Basically, the city is literally hell on Earth. No one simply drives in,and no one, not even the dead, come out. The military is blockading all entrances and exits. All bridges have been raised or blocked, tunnels have been sealed, ect. And these guys aren't the friendly type of soldiers. They technically don't exist, so there would be no problem if they killed you, which means they are likely to do so if you don't turn back when they tell you.
I'm not sure if I should ask you to edit your posts on how she got in or what, so I'll let Feokris handle it. ))
((Well what I was trying to get at was that the guards at the first road blockade thought she sent to deliver supplies. (The many crates, and barrels in the back.) And either the soldier who was escorting her, is dumb or a new recruit. I will change it if need be, and i'm sorry for being to much of a bother hug.))
(( It's not a bother, I'd just like for everything to be in order, and it just doesn't make sense for her to be allowed through without proper identification. The only way she could get into the city is on foot, to be honest. Get creative, I know I'm making it seem like it's impossible but it isn't. Think of places that they couldn't possibly be guarding and don't be afraid to get your character dirty. Also, if you can ( maybe you do and I missed it ), try to give your character some reason to walk into a warzone. I don't think one would simply feel like walking into a deathtrap. But don't listen to me, I just like when things make sense. Edit it if you want, or wait for what Feokris has to say. ))
((Sorry guys, but I simply don't have enough time to actually RP anymore. I know that this is pathetic, considering I haven't even made a first-post yet, but school and my social life are taking up all of my time. Right now I'm swamped with school-work, not to mention that pretty soon I'll have to be going to four hour dressrehearsals for the Spring Musical for two weeks. I'm just too busy to have time to RP here. I'm sorry. I might lurk a bit, and I'll definitely follow this RP, but I don't have the time to do this anymore.))
Sand's first indication of the soldiers was the screeching sound of wrenching metal as the whirling rotors of the helicopter connected with the ground of the field of the baseball field across the street. Unsurprisingly, the earth was tougher than the rotors, and when he reached the window, all Sand saw was the crumpled metal of what had once been an air-worthy helicopter. "Well, at least there's one less baseball field in the world." he remarked dryly to Alice, who was standing next to him, wide-eyed. Sand had never liked baseball - probably because he had never been good at it, but hey, sports weren't really his thing. Coordination and all that.
To his surprise, he saw survivors crawling out of the wreck, three of the black suited soldiers which had been razing the city. They seemed to be made of stern stuff - he hadn't thought that anyone would be able to survive a crash like that. It was with no small amount of relief that he saw the three men (or at least, he assumed they were men) start rushing towards his building as quickly as they could. Which wasn't really that fast, seeing as one of them seemed to be badly injured. What Alice noticed, however, was a far less pleasing sight. "Sand.. Look.." she murmured, pointing several hundred metres down the road from the soldiers. Sand's heart fell as he followed her outstretched hand, where what had to be at least a hundred zombies were approaching the men, and fast.
"**** **** ****. What do we do!?" he asked, though he didn't listen for an answer. Neither of them were in particularly sober mindsets right now, and Sand could hardly cope with making a decision that would decide whether he lived or died. He recalled seeing another helicopter in the sky as he rushed to the window - yes, he could still hear it. Putting two and two together after several seconds, he realised that surely the men must be rushing up the building to board the helicopter - those men wouldn't leave behind their friends, right? He hoped not.
So, maybe him and Alice could tag along - maybe they could survive this. For he was sure that there was no way to survive if they remained where they were. The zombies would surely follow the men all the way to the top of the building, and would no doubt discover Sand and Alice on the way up. Hmm, I wonder what it would be like to be a zombie. Would I still have my brain, my ideas? Or would I be all 'gnash gnash I want brains'? Maybe I could find out.. Sand shook his head - this was no time to get distracted. Making his decision, he grabbed Alice by the hand, hoping she would trust him enough to follow without asking questions. For he doubted they had much time before the soldiers, and then the inevitable zombies, passed their flaw. Looking deep into her eyes, giving off what he hoped was a reassuring vibe, he rushed to the door, removing the barricade as quickly as he could before stepping out into the hallway. Once outside, he realised he'd forgotten their bags and his sabre. And who knew when they would come in handy - the military might not have enough food for everyone, and having their own stocks would come in handy. Besides, the sabre would undoubtedly come in handy against hordes of zombies, if ever he had to face them. After quickly grabbing the equipment, which was lying near the door, he rushed back outside, giving Alice one bag while hoisting the other onto his back. Finally, he attached the sabre to his belt.
He leaned against the wall, figuring that he'd make a better impression if he looked relaxed, nonchalant. At least, that's what he hoped.
((Garble garble garble. Ah well.))
Markus, the pilot, scoffed, and simply said "Good luck." He did, however, still fly over the wreckage. After staring at the site for a good couple of minutes, Matthews saw soldiers begin to crawl out, and immediately knew she had to help somehow. Zooming in, she noticed something on one of the soldiers shoulders, and knew how to contact them. Connecting her radio to the command center, she pretty much yelled into the microphone.
"Command! I need the channel for Spades' radio. ASAP."
Back at the command center, an officer had already noted that Spade's chopper had been downed, so hearing a request for his radio channel was a surprise. Answering Matthews radio call, the officer simply asked. "Why do you need a dead mans radio channel?"
Sighing, Matthews answered. "He's not dead! He's on my camera right now! There's three surviving soldiers from the crash! They're headed for an apartment building, and it looks like a second chopper is landing on the roof to pick all of the-... To pick both of them up."
Smirking, the officer patched into Spades' radio, instead of replying to Matthews. "Spades? You still alive? I've got a jet in the sky. Can you handle your ****? Or does she need to keep an eye on you boys?" The officer had no idea how it really was out there, and still didn't take the situation seriously. The way he saw it, there's no way undead, without weaponry, can overrun the military.
[Meh post is meh. But had to fit this in there. xD]
~DED
BOOM!
Shattered glass and wooden splinters from tables and chairs used to barricade the doors flew in all directions, and before the smoke even cleared, the two soldiers ran through the smoke and over the rubble, entering the lobby. Looking around, they could see several bodies of civilians caught in the blast. Further into the lobby, more civilians crying and screaming could be seen. It appeared many of them were using the lobby as the first line of defense in case the zombies got through the barricade as most of the civilians there were security guards and volunteer tough guys, some of which were trying to get an old, beaten up Police radio to work.
Caught off guard by the explosion, many of the security guards raised their weapons, mostly batons, but one of them pointed a pistol at Spades.
BANG!
The security officer collapsed, not by Spades' doing, but his comrade, who didn't hesitate to shoot the poor guard upon seeing the weapon pointed at Spades. The civilians screamed in terror, including a little boy, who appeared no older than six.
Spades comrade urged for him to move, seemingly uncaring for the fact that all of these people would soon become zombie food. In fact, it seemed as if Spades comrade actually wanted to use the people as bait. He knew the zombies would stop to attack these people, and that would by the two time to run up the stairs.
Spades, however, did not begin moving immediately and instead stopped for the little boy's mother, who frantically asked if they were their rescue.
" Please help us! Are you here to help us!? Please! " she pleaded, the boy's crying making her words hard to comprehend.
Spades simply stared at her for a second before speaking up, " Give me the boy. " he ordered, snatching the kid from her arms and taking off running up the stairs. The climb up the first set of stairs was silent, nothing but Spades' footsteps and the kid's muffled cry could be heard, but in what seemed like seconds, that changed. The horrifying screams of the survivors in the lobby echoed through the halls, signaling that the undead horde had reached them.
On his way up, Spades' radio came to life. One of the officers back at camp had somehow gotten a hold of his comms and was asking if he needed any help, but it was a little too late for that.
" If 'she' can shoot through walls without tearing them down on top of us, go right ahead. " he responded, his words somewhat hard to hear over the boy's cries. Being a man of few words and being in a particularly bad situation, he maintained radio silence the rest of the way up.
On the 13th floor, Spades and him comrade had not slowed down and would not slow down, running as fast as he could ( which wasn't too fast due to the boy ), he didn't even bother to stop or even warn a couple in the hallway about the zombies who were more than likely right behind them.
Sand didn't have to wait long before he heard the sound that heralded the arrival of the blacksuits. After no more than a couple of seconds in the hall, he heard an almost unbearably loud explosion from beneath him, followed almost immediately by a sickening rocking sensation as the whole building was slightly shaken. Sand was unsure of what the need for the explosives was - after all, he hadn't left his room for the last several days, and had no idea that there were actually still other people in the building.
If he was aware of what had been happening, he would have no doubt been more reluctant to follow through with his plan - the officer that Spades' companion had killed had been his friend. Joe had been in charge of security of the apartment block for more than ten years, and had always been an affable, reassuring face to see upon entering the building. He and Sand had got along well, and Sand had always enjoyed their brief conversations in the lobby when he came home from a particularly taxing day of music studies.
Of course, he knew not of Joe's unfortunate demise, nor of any of the other events that occurred in the lobby, and was somewhat surprised to see the two blacksuits barreling up the stairs, a small boy in the arms of one. His first thought was that maybe, just maybe, these people were nicer than they originally seemed. This thought was banished from his head as the two ran past, without even acknowledging Alice or him. They.. they can't just ignore us! They can't leave us to the zombies! For the zombies were coming, of this he had no doubt. He had realised with horror several moments ago that there were screams. Clearly, the zombies had found some snacks on their way up.
But he couldn't think about that now. I have to survive. Alice has to survive. We can't just die! Clearly, he had to take some action, had to draw the soldiers attention. Shifting his bag to a more comfortable position on his shoulders, he took Alice's hand and began to chase after the men, catching up with ease. Which was hardly a surprise, as he didn't have to carry a small struggling boy. After drawing near enough to address them, he called out.
"Hey! Don't think I believe you didn't notice us. We're coming with you." His face was a grim line as he continued, knowing that if the offer he was about to pose was accepted, he would come to regret it. By now, the drugs had completely worn off - such a tense situation tends to do that. "Listen, I'm not begging you to do this out of the kindness of my heart. I can help. I will help. I swear, I'll do anything to assist you with wiping out these ****ers. I know this city, better than any of you military do - I've lived here all my life. Please, just don't let Alice die. Not like this." He hoped the men would listen to his words, agree with them. After all, he had no way to prove himself, save the determination to keep Alice alive.
Spades' jog came to a slow stop as he heard someone call from behind him. It was the couple they had run passed. Looking at the man in the eyes for just a second, again, his mask hiding any emotion, Spades simply shook his head, pretty much denying the couple a spot on their extraction helicopter before even hearing what they had to say. Spades turned around and continued to jog down the hall to the next fight of stairs, but the man continued to plead for help. At this point Spades' comrade had had enough and turned around, lifted his rifle, he mounted it on his shoulder and ordered the couple to back off.
Spades didn't necessarily want to leave the couple behind, and he knew for a fact there would be room on the helicopter. The one thing keeping him from taking them was the fact that the couple would simply be placed in a quarantined camp somewhere in the city where they would either end up being killed or eventually fall victim to zombies once the camp was inevitably overrun or abandoned, just like many others throughout the city. He rather leave them behind to a quick death by a bunker buster bomb than give them false hope.
Suddenly, he stopped, sighing under his mask, he turned around and walked toward the man, placing the young boy in his arms and tilted his head, signaling for them to run to for the roof. Spades' comrade glared at him, confused as to why Spades would even consider, let alone actually risk taking civilians with them. Spades simply looked back at him, no emotion in his eyes.
The two were interrupted by the sound of undead stumbling up the stairs and filling the halls with their horrific sounding moans and screams. Instantly, and just as they came into sight, Spades and his comrade lit the the horde up, using the bottleneck the hallway had created to their advantage, they emptied their magazines before taking off after the couple, Spades' comrade ordering them to run faster over the sound of the undead.
Within seconds, the sound and vibrations of the jet flying close to the ground could be heard and felt. It was soon followed by the sound of gunfire, as Matthews lit up the zombies which had gathered outside of the apartment building. While swinging around for another run, Matthews got to see inside of the apartment building. Quickly putting in the channel for Spades' radio, she delivered a message as quick as she could. "You boys better hurry the **** up! They're on, what looks like, the tenth floor already!"
Dropping the channel, Matthews resumed firing upon the zombies, clearing as many out as possible. The hordes never seemed to stop, though. It seemed like the gunfire was actually drawing attention to the building. Once again, Matthews called in to the command center. "Large grouping of Zeds at the apartment complex. Spades should almost be to the top. Permission to level the area once he's evacuated?"
Within seconds, the radio crackled to life, with the message that needed to be heard being transmitted over. "Permission granted. Tell him to hurry his ass up."
Disconnecting from the command center, and once again connecting to Spades, Matthews delivered the message. "You boys better hurry. Command just gave the go to level that building once you guys are out. There's a massive horde of undead below you. We can't drop the opportunity to take out this many at once."
~DED
Sand was not swayed by the rifle pointed at his head. Not in the slightest. Death lay behind him already - if he turned, he would be killed by the zombies. Who knew, maybe they'd even take pity on Alice if he was killed. Either way, if they had to perish, he would much prefer a bullet to the head than to be mauled and turned into one of those zombies. These were his thoughts as he continued striding towards the muzzle of the gun, closing his eyes and thinking of Alice.
But death did not come.
Opening his eyes, he saw the other soldier, the one carrying the boy, was walking towards him. It took a second for him to understand the meaning of the outstretched arms - filled with too much gratitude to speak, Sand took the boy and silently began the walk up the last flight of stairs to the roof. However, he had only taken several steps before hearing a noise that sent shivers down his spine. Turning back, he saw zombies storming up the stairs beneath them, and almost collapsed to the ground as the deafening noise of gunfire began from the soldiers guns rifles. He knew there was nothing he could do to help the two, and so turned back with ringing ears to the steps ahead of him, and began running, albeit slowly, tugging at Alice's hand as he did so.
They burst through the fire door onto the rooftop, and Sand's heart soared as he saw the chopper on the roof in front of him. We're going to survive this, he thought as he stumbled towards the machine, the combined weight of the child and the bag pressing down on him.
((Is the chopper already there? Sorry if it isn't - I figured I had to add something to the story, rather than just react to the last post. But I didn't add too much, in case something was about to happen. Ahem.))
(( I really need a name for his comrade... ))
The men in the helicopter assisted the couple in boarding the aircraft, but with puzzled looks on their faces. They weren't there to rescue any civilians. However it wasn't a minute before Spades and his comrade came running out of the building and onto the roof, boarding the helicopter in a single leap, Spades' comrade shouting for the pilot to take off at the top of his lungs. With an absolutely horrified face, Spades' comrade breathed in a sigh of relief as the helicopter took off only seconds before the hordes of zombies made it to the roof. Many of the zombies, seemingly confused and starving went as far as jumping off the building, hoping to grab on to the helicopter only to fall fifteen stories down onto the pavement below.
Spades and his comrade settled down in the helicopter, his comrade taking off his mask and laughing out of disbelief.
" That was some scary ****. " he said, laughing and placing his hands over his sweaty face.
Spades let out an audible chuckle from underneath his mask and shrugged before going for his shoulder mounted radio,
" Do it. " he said, his muffled voice cold, not even hinting at his age or personality
The helicopter was now headed for a football stadium a good ways from the apartment. The stadium was now a military camp. The locker rooms were turned into storage and the fields into helicopter refueling stations. Spades however, was planning on dropping off survivors elsewhere.
Meanwhile, as the helicopter flies away, a deafening explosion is heard coming from where the apartment building once stood.
Matthews flips four switches, all within a few seconds of each other. As the jet screams away, the area echoes with the thunderous roar of the explosions, as well as the creaking sound of the apartment building tumbling to the ground. Deciding to take a second look, Matthews' pilot flies over the scene, as Matthews scans the landscape. The ground is littered with rubble, from the apartment and the surrounding buildings which where hit as well. Beneath the rubble there were hundreds, if not thousands, of corpses. Both undead and civilian.
Taking to the guns, Matthews picked off what undead remained in the area. After the scene was all cleaned up, Matthews and her pilot decided to call it clean, and headed back to refuel and reload. While flying back, Matthews called into the command center. "This is Razor, calling in. Spades evacuated safely, and the building was leveled. There were civvie casualties, but the amount of undead taken out definitely makes up for it. At least seven hundred dead."
After a moment of silence, the officers voice came back, his voice showing an approving tone. "Good work. Can't wait to see you in person, Captain. I need to congratulate you. That bombing has to be one of the biggest purging we've had so far."
Realizing the rank she was remarked as having, Matthews simply replied with a "Thank you, sir! Razor out!" Within moments, the jet was readying to land outside of the city, where Matthews would get a small break before heading back in to hell.
~DED
"Was it ever." he replied to the soldier opposite him, who didn't look quite so scary without his mask on. Sand was determined to show his gratefulness - though of course, he hadn't forgotten his promise. After speaking, he turned his attention to the other soldier, the one with a . He still hadn't taken off his mask, and was speaking into his radio, though Sand's pained ears couldn't work out the exact words. Without him, I would have died. For he had no doubt that the man sitting opposite him would have pulled the trigger had it not been for this man. He stared at the man's mask, trying to convey his thanks, and hoping that the man was actually looking back at him.
After several seconds of this, figuring that surely the man couldn't ignore a stare for that long, he looked away, drawing Alice nearer to him as he waited for the chopper to land.
After being lead to a large tent, Matthews was told to have a seat, opposite of her commanding officer. "Captain Matthews. I know you just got back, but I need to send you out again ASAP. You've seen the city. Both in person and from the Sky. We're flying in five choppers full of fresh soldiers into the city. I want you to fly in with them. Not to fight with them, but to brief them on what they're entering. I need them to know what they're up against. And you are one of the few surviving people that has seen everything we know."
Matthews nodded, throwing in a "Yes sir." After being given a folder with instructions of what else she was to do inside, she was sent off, to board a helicopter heading for a camp within the city, stationed at a football stadium. When she arrived at her chopper, all the others had already taken off. The infantrymen on board greeted her, a couple of them already knowing her. Once she was on board, she took control of one of the guns, and the chopper took to the air. Matthews called out to the pilot "Hey! Keep an eye out for swollen zombies. They spit this **** that can down a helicopter in an instant. Commands been referring to them as spitters!" The pilot nodded, and continued heading for the stadium, flying slightly higher than usual, a bit scared of the new zombie type.
~DED
He had planned to drop them off in the city again, but he just couldn't do it. They wouldn't last another day, especially now that they had a child to care for. At least in the camp they had some chance of survival. Having made up his mind, he remained silent, giving the man a nod as his way of saying " You're welcome. " and slipped into deep thought for the rest of the flight.
When the helicopter finally arrived at it's destination and slowly began it's decent, he began to ready his equipment and stood up, eager to get some rest.
As the helicopter's rotors came to a slow stop, the crew members began hooping off, dispersing into the crowds of soldiers and other workers. The couple was instructed to follow one of the Captains there, who lead them into a secured area where other survivors were being kept. It wasn't a five star hotel, but aside from being rather crowded, it was a hell of a lot better than most places out there. There was clean water and fresh food, and while the soldiers guarding the area weren't the friendliest bunch, many of the civilian workers there seemed like the happiest people in the city. Big smiles on their faces, seemingly unaffected by the current crisis, especially the lunch ladies.
Spades and his comrade were nowhere to be seen.
(( Moarwork, you can make up most of it. The survivors aren't being treated like crap, but every now and then one or two disappear never to be seen again ( Killed under suspicion of being infected or planning something that threatens the safety of others and themselves ). There may be some people who are on to it and can tell your character, maybe even convince your character it's best to escape before they're killed by the soldiers or overrun by the zombies. I'm sure you're creative enough to make your own fun while either Spades or Captain Matthews find your characters again. ))
(( A general description of the camp: The area where you are in should be somewhere in the field, fenced-in in a refugee tent camp type area. The rest of the field is dotted with tents covering supply boxes, command posts, barracks, ect. Helicopters land and take off from the field every thirty minutes or so after refueling. The indoor areas have been turned into storage areas and barracks and what not. Those areas are restricted to civilians. ))
After a somewhat lengthy trip through the skies of the city, Sand finally noticed a change in the direction of the chopper. Looking outside, he saw it seemed to be landing, and in a zombie free zone. Still somewhat dazed by the intense events of the last several hours, Sand followed instructions in an almost robotic fashion upon descending from the chopper, with the boy clinging to one hand, and Alice to the other. He seemed to float through the camp, barely even registering what the man who was leading them was saying, other than that they were being taken to a part of the camp where all those who had been exposed to the disease were being held. Sand had no qualms with this - the disease didn't seem to travel by air, nor water, and there were plenty of armed guards around. Surely, infection could not spread in such a controlled environment.
After what seemed like a long walk in which they were shown around the large camp, the three were finally brought to their quarters, if you could call it that. In reality, it was no more than two large mattresses pushed together and covered by a thick duvet, placed in the corner of a large tent. However, it looked comfortable enough, and most importantly, it was safe - that was all that mattered. It was at this point that Sand realised that they weren't carrying their bags, and his sabre was no longer attached to his belt. He'd have to ask Alice about that later, she had appeared to be focused while they were being guided through the camp. She'd know where they were.
For the first time since he began carrying him, Sand turned his attention on the boy, who was looking up at him with wide, confused eyes. With a shock, Sand realised he recognized him - it was the child of the couple that had lived directly below them, who had been so kind when he and Alice had first moved in. His heart sank as he realised what must have happened to the boys parents - this child, no more than four years of age, had suffered far more than Sand that day, and yet he had not even acknowledged the boys presence. He knew he needed to say something, but could not remember the child's name. Fortunately, it seemed that Alice recognized him also, and stepped in before he could make a fool of himself.
"Toby!" She exclaimed, giving the boy a smile and dropping to her knees, in order to see eye to eye with him. "You've had a really tough day so far, haven't you?" she continued, trying to keep her expression as bright as possible. Her cheery tone seemed to be having an effect on Toby - he seemed a little less lost, and gave her a small nod in response to her question.
"Tired." he mumbled, barely getting the word out of his mouth as he let off a giant yawn. Pity for the lost young child washed over Sand, and he vowed that he would take care of him. He owed that much to the soldier who had rescued both Toby and himself.
"I'll bet you are! Here, this bed just over here, this is for all of us now. This is our new home! Exciting, isn't it?" With this, Alice gently took Toby by the hand, and led him over to the mattresses, tucking him in under the thick blanket. Within seconds, Toby's breathing slowed, became more rhythmic as he sunk into sleep. As soon as she was sure that the boy was asleep, the cheerful expression dropped off her face. All that remained was the sadness that she no doubt felt for the young boy, who didn't understand what had happened. Sand's heart ached similarly, and he shared a meaningful glance with Alice as she spoke softly.
"What're we gonna do, Sand?" Her voice was filled with confusion, uncertainty. Who knew how long this safe haven would last - they were still in the city, and the zombies had already broken through several blockades designed to halt their spread.
"I... I don't know."
Jared quickly slashed off her head with his sabre, but gasped at the head still biting. He was nearly bitten, but moved his left foot quickly away. The things could still fight if they were decapitated! Jared looked to the lifeless body, no, he thought, only the parts attached to the brain can work. He stabbed the blade through her temple, and quickly pulled the blade out with a sickening shuck.
Jared was about to cry, when he remembered the words his mother told him several days before. He glared up at the sky, screaming words of hate and curses to God. Why had this happened to him? Why was Jared forced to go through this? There had to be an answer, but that answer would have to wait. Jared knew he had limited time before the sun fell. He ran out of water from the tub, and something must have happened to the pipes, because they had no running water. Jared picked up his pack, and went upstairs. He needed new clothes, and he put on the darkest clothes he could find. He then proceeded to spray paint his fencing gear black (excluding his hood, which was already black), and left the house, with him only his fencing suit, sabre, knife, and pack of materials.
Jared had his hood off, hanging from his pack, and was moving swiftly and quietly in the shadows. He didn't know how well a sense of smell the infected had, but if they relied on sight or hearing, they wouldn't find him. He decided it would be better to try and see if this tactic would work than just run as fast as possible through the streets, hoping he wouldn't die. As Jared slowly made his way through the rubble and blood that was still technically a city, he realized the sheer number of infected that roamed the streets. A helicopter flew overhead, with a group of infected quickly sprinting under it, towards the noise. He noticed something then, a green ball flying through the air, narrowly missing the chopper. He looked down, hearing a gurgling, and saw a scrawny infected lumbering towards him. Jared backed up quickly and silently, trying to blend into the darkness that was becoming thicker with the sun's position at this time of day.
It was all futile, though, as the creature knew where Jared was. Jared unsheathed his sabre, a bit loud for what he wanted, and prepared himself for an attack. The beast stepped into full light, and Jared could identify every aspect of it, though he wished he couldn't. The sick green skin the creature had was thinly coated with a mucus that gave the thing a slight shine. Its mouth hung open like a screaming demon from a horror movie, or a game Jared's friends had played once ((amnesia: the dark descent is what I'm thinking)) and the thing's insides were clearly visible from the positioning of the two in the alley. Jared didn't need his hood, it would only hinder him. This thing didn't seem to be able to bite, but then it shot out a ball of green mucus that was as green as the thing. Jared dodged right, the slime missing him. Jared waited, deciding to hold another experiment. He set down his things off somewhere to his right, and crouched down, brandishing his knife instead of the sabre. After several moments, another ball was logged his way, and Jared rolled right once more. Jared thought as he was on the thing, stabbing into its headten seconds!
Jared stood, gathered his things, and stared at the body. There had to be something he could learn from this body through autopsy, but he wouldn't risk contracting the disease. Jared looked up, another helicopter flying overhead. The blades spinning furiously as many explosions and firing were heard. The sky lit up randomly, and Jared knew that the city would never again be silent.
The back of the truck was still filled with barrels of water and several crates of food and ammunition. The streets where full of noise now. More noise than before at least. The zombies where emerging from the ally ways, and had begun shuffling towards the truck. "I reckon we hurry up." she said. The soldier than replied. "I agree completely." This soldier seems very friendly. Friendlier than other people in this city.
((Also did you say you had a gun jenji? because if it takes 45. then your set for now, if you join up with me.))
Basically, the city is literally hell on Earth. No one simply drives in,and no one, not even the dead, come out. The military is blockading all entrances and exits. All bridges have been raised or blocked, tunnels have been sealed, ect. And these guys aren't the friendly type of soldiers. They technically don't exist, so there would be no problem if they killed you, which means they are likely to do so if you don't turn back when they tell you.
I'm not sure if I should ask you to edit your posts on how she got in or what, so I'll let Feokris handle it. ))