“Apocalypse has come and gone. We're just grubbing in the ashes” ~Samuel Delany
The Beginning of the End
Talk of “life as we know it” coming to a halt. We’ve heard it all of our lives, through generations far before our own. At the first sign of hardship, one can always find those who claim judgement day has come forth. Like the boy who cried wolf, we merely brush it off, time and time again. What happens when the shouts quit becoming lies? When we can’t brush off the rumors any longer or deny the facts?
It didn’t come like the stories Hollywood always painted; it didn't slap us in the face. To those on the outside, common civilians, it was nothing more than another odd virus, making itself known where it was not wanted. We were as oblivious as if it were just another strain of the H1N1, or perhaps the Covid-19, coming to claim immune systems with its advanced infection. The virus acted like other flus; it was airborne (seemingly passed through droplets), and you either caught it or not, unless the bodily fluids came into direct contact, therefore obviously catching it. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary with the symptoms: there was nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, a sore throat, and watery eyes. Hundreds flocked to the hospital in search for a cure, but when doctors examined the patients, they learned the virus had adapted, evolved. By molding it’s RNA to that of its host cell, there was nothing to be done, attacking the immune system, making the body all the more susceptible to its needs. Essentially, it could not be cured.
When it first happened, everything and everyone was surrounded with chaos. No one knew what was going on, they only saw people leaving the hospitals covered in blood, biting someone, and then moving onto another target. Of course onlookers chose not to stay around to find out what exactly was happening, figuring it was a crazy outbreak and that they needed to get home, lock all of the doors, and wait it out until the CDC came. They wouldn’t get infected. They were somehow above all of the madness and could simply ignore it until another handled the dirty business. An excellent plan right?
This wasn't something the CDC had any prior knowledge with though. The virus, while not killing its host, rather took over completely, swiping clean any emotions or compassion they once had and making them, for a better word, a zombie, without the part of being dead and rigor mortis setting in. To those not in this stage yet, but were still infected, a simple bite took 30 seconds to 3 minutes for this zombie-like state to set in. To those not infected, a bite could take anywhere from hours to days. Seeing as these hosts aren't official zombies, they still have basic needs, such as eating. While the main goal of the virus is to simply bite and move on, if it senses its host is wearing down, the virus will have the host eat parts of it victims, making the transition for that victim happen much quicker. They will likely scavenge on real food as well, in order to obtain the appropriate nutrients, though the action itself will be much like a starved animal. Where this extra subsistence comes from is irrelevant.
These Hosts are not completely idiotic though. As stated before, the virus adapts, learns, and evolves. Instead of shuffling after victims, they travel in nomadic packs. If a victim is traveling in a two-way ally and a group of Hosts will break off into two, one half staying and charging the host, the other going around and blocking the escape route for the victim. Instead of clawing at glass to break in, they will find pipes, large rocks, and other things to break the glass. However, they do have their faults. The Hosts have bad hearing, therefore they go after anything they see that moves. Of course once the Hosts sees that it isn't prey it will stop in its course of action, but if someone throws a can in its line of sight or, say, has a laser pointer, it will temporarily confuse and distract the Host long enough for the prey to have a chance to escape.
As you probably guessed, the town was put on lockdown and quarantined. Instead of trying to fight the Hosts and save the few non-infected civilians, military placed themselves around the town so no one, or nothing, could escape, leaving the few "alive' civilians to defend themselves. Of course there are those few soldiers who felt sorry for the civilians and disobeyed orders, going to help them. Many stayed by their posts, waiting it out unit they were given orders to go in and kill anything that moved before blocking off the city completely. The other half began working on the Barrier, a large, steel fence with a concrete bottom and barbwire at the top, surrounding the entire city, a feeble hope of containing the virus. When the Barrier was complete word finally came through that major cities throughout the world were having large breakouts; hope for containment was shattered. Thus the military called off their efforts.
The Ashes left Behind:
The walls meant to contain inevitably became a fortress overtime as the remaining humans fought back and reclaimed the area for a illusion of a sanctuary. Raised in the shadow of the wall, leaving the sanctity of the hold is forbidden for those under the age of 25. Nonetheless, many find themselves sneaking out for various reasons: food, to seek those who are lost, or simply for the adrenaline rush. Rules are often forgotten in the sting of a hungered stomach, and the meager rations provided by the small city council is not enough. No longer under the protection of governmental forces, the wall, homes, and way of life was left to be up-kept by the remaining survivors. Electricity is not readily available during the day, though their are exceptions. During some nights, rolling blackouts will occur if suspicious activity seems to be occurring on the other side of the wall. Not all seeking entrance are so kind. The wall itself is weaker in some places, though those running the small town would like its citizens to believe it is impenetrable. For this reason, groups of the infected sometimes find their way inside. One must always be on their guard as not to fall victim. "Safety" is a facade.
Rules:
As the GM I expect you to respect both myself and any others who join this rp. No characters will be god-modded without permission. Any character can injure another HOWEVER the death of a character is based on the person who created it or determined by the gm. Be mindful this is an apocalyptic RP and your actions have consequences. Dismissive behavior to a dangerous situation could lead to your character being bitten, injured, or killed. If someone quits replying or is busy for several days then their character can be modded in the sake of keeping someone else from being stuck. All else is fair in love and war.
