On Death's Doorstep

[ballerscuba]

Davey shook slightly at the sound of the gunshot. Years of sleeping with the television and computer on had forced him to become a sound sleeper seemingly oblivious to the sounds around him. Now that he kept his Vader mask on while he slept, the sounds seemed to have less of an effect on him. He slowly sat up, attempting to rub his eyes through the Mask. He put his feet on the ground and slipped on his Sonic shoes, which were already tied. He slipped on his harness for his sword, slung Frostbourne on his back, and stood up.

He stretched out his arms as he stood. "Mom," he said as he began to scratch his stomach. "What time is--" Then he slowly remembered where he was and how he got there. "Oh," he said as he stopped scratching and put his hands to his side, "that's right." Davey reached over and grabbed the still half-full bag of chips lying on the ground. "Fine," he said. "If you don't want them, I'll just take them back."

Davey looked around and saw a small satchel. He put the remaining chips in there, along with the box of ammunition, which he pulled out of his kilt since it was starting to chafe him in the night. He rolled up his backpack and stuck it on top of the satchel and slung it around his right shoulder and grabbed his Skorpion.

Turning back around, Davey just now noticed the blood smeared on the wall and Kyle's corpse lying on the ground. "Oh, he turned? Bet something got him when he stayed outside. Everyone knows zombies come out in the dark. Stay away from the dark side, they may have cookies, but the cookies are just like cake. They're a lie."

"Great," Davey thought to himself, "now I'm hungry for cookies and cake."

He looked over the faces of all those in the room. "Oh, by the way," Davey said as he put his gun down and pulled out his sword, posing with every phrase, "I am the emperor among kings, the lover of many, the savior to all, the slayer of dragons, the watchman in the night, the fetcher of legendary items, the lord among men, the ultimate quester, the never-ending storyteller, the LOOOORD," Davey yelled as he held Frostbourne straight up into the air in the He-Man pose, "of the I wish I could dance!"

Davey then felt a wedgie, so he picked at his Peter Pan tights, as smoothly as he knew how, though he fooled no one. He then winked at Ichiru and Migaki, not realizing that it could not be seen through the mask. "You can just call me Davey, though."

Davey glanced over at Lucy. "I assume this is your work. You are one hard ass. I like that." Davey then blushed, realizing he just said ass to a girl. Then he blushed harder, realizing he said he liked it. Now trying to think of anything else, he looked around, seeing the dents in the trap door. "I'm afraid we cannot tarry here long. We must pull a JRPG protagonist and raid this place for everything worthwhile and make our escape."

Davey then looked over to Kyle's corpse again. "I see fragged people," he muttered to himself. "All the time."

[Pulse]

From an outsider's perspective Lucy viewed the body with a calm detachment, she was secretly finding it difficult to accept the deed that she'd just done for what it truly was. Zombies and other inhuman creatures she could accept killing, for that was absolutely necessary. One second he was alive being the selfish bastard he was, threatening to fracture the loosely-defined group, one flash later he was dead. 'Pull yourself together, Lucy. We all do what we must to survive, and mustn't allow thoughts of what could have been to tear us apart.' Some devil's advocate in the corner of her mind whispered, a slight balm to the part of her that still shuddered from that one, terrible act. Though she still felt fragmented, one thing was thing was for certain: things were going to get worse. Much, much worse.

Startled from her melancholic state by this sudden outcry, Lucy's hand snapped to her side habitually, before turning to Migaki. Poor girl; one of her age shouldn't have had to witness events such as these. And yet there they were, doing what humans always did - survive. "My...my apologies, 'what was her name, again?' Migaki, " Yes, that was it. Such beautiful eyes...they both burned with a very unique light, yet it seemed that the very presence of one sister made the other stronger in spirit and physique. "I may not live to regret the consequences of that action, but...we cannot afford to be split up, no matter the cost. That'd kill us off as sure as any one of those demons." Slightly taken aback by the openness seldom afforded by the others, Lucy grinned to face Ichiru, hand offered in greeting. "No, I don't doubt the scent will draw in the horde within a matter of hours, if that. Needless to say, we should move ourselves soonish." Lucy confided, reaching for her pack before stopping herself in mid pace, forgetting something. "Oh! Name's Lucy, by the way. Don't mind Davey, he's...something else."

[kain17335]

"Well, it's probably better than seeing him turn". Kain walked over to Kyle and closed his eyes.
Kain then grabbed Kayle's shotgun. "Hmm better not waste something like this".
Although he felt sad about Kyle dying but he knew that even if they had found some pills he would have turned in the end.
Kain checked how many round were in "the Heckler".
"Only three rounds, looks like he was a fighter."
Kain then put the shotgun under his bandolyre under his trench coat to keep it in place.
"Now this is only for REAL emergencies.
Now, are you gunna clear the basement or do you want me to help, Lucy?"

[ThatOneGuysBro]

Shortly after gathering himself together, John noticed Kyle making his way down, almost as if he had owned the place. 'Shit, why didn't he just leave?', his mind beginning to fluster. 'Things might escalate again if he stays.' All the while John stood just watching the events unfold. Voices rose, emotions became untamed. John feared for the worse, but hoped it would come into being. As Lucy pulled the trigger John stood silently as Kyle dropped to the ground lifeless. This was enough to wake him in full. Adrenaline began rushing through his body, goosebumps rising to the surface of his pale skin. As the blood fountain spewed in all directions his eyes widened. He was just out of range, the blooding painting a path before his feet as he looked down in disbelief. He was in too much shock to pay even the slightest heed of attention to Migaki.

As he looked hell-wards his glasses fell. A small clinking noise of sorts resonated throughout the otherwise silent room. The lenses were smeared with blood. It appeared he didn't notice even with the loss of his vision. He just stood there looking at the bloodied floor. As the sun shone brighter the light bounced off the lenses blinding John just enough to call him to his senses. He let out a small, nigh inaudible gasp as he realized he lost his glasses. Spotting them on the ground he became flurried, at least on the inside, his mind torn, the border of sanity and insanity becoming all the more blurred. He picked up his glasses by the edge of one of the arms with thumb and index finger so as not to spread the moist, crimson life that fled Kyle's body onto himself. Realizing he needed to clean them up, he scoured the room spotting a small beat up rag that would seem sufficient for the job.

He sat down and began to wipe the blood absent mindedly. Thoughts poured into his mind, stress building rapidly and he'd yet to even eat breakfast. 'Why did he come back? Why did he have to die? Was it right to kill him? Could it have been avoided? Why'd she do it?' His graze was drawn to her. 'Is it safe to stay with her? Will she do the same to me?' His mind was in shambles. A cold wind blew through the door and into the concealed room. It calmed him for a moment. His hands stopped moving, dropping the glasses and rag on the floor by his feet. He rested his back and head against the wall.
Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine a peaceful scenery. A green hill came to mind. With a tree at its summit. An old weeping willow that loomed in the serene atmosphere. It was tranquil. A few birds gliding by, chirping bits of a symphony of sorts. A river near by, adding to the ambiance of peace with it's own rhythm as it journeyed to some unknown destination. The air was crisp and pure and the sun shone brilliantly from above hiding coyly behind a few billowing clouds that passed by. He reclined for a few seconds and took it in. He took another deep breath and opened his eyes. The situation had not changed. He was, however, more collected then before, and picking up the glasses and rag finished his chore shortly after. He slid them on, pushing them up with his middle and index finger by the nose piece and came to his feet.

The stench slowly began to infest the area. "Well...", he began. "...for starters we need to leave. This place isn't safe anymore. A new shelter should be our top priority. So...", he scanned the room looking at everyone's bleak faces, save for a seemingly excited woman. "Who's coming and who's leaving?", he posed. The room fell silent for a brief moment as the gravity of the situation and the survival of the individuals began to sank into their minds.

[kain17335]

"Well it would be better for us to stay together from here on out.
John you alright? you look a little shaken up there."
Although it was probably a good idea to leave right now, Kain felt it would be better if him and the "others" talked about where to go next.
"Well? Where to now?"

[arentheawesome]

Migaki reached for her sister's pantleg to feel secure, but felt it drop to the floor as Ichiru stepped away. Right. Now wasn't the time to be childish... She pulled her hand back and rubbed her shoulder with it.
Ichiru glanced back at her twin before she walked any further to Lucy. She hesitantly put a hand on Lucy's shoulder comfortingly. "Hey... You alright? We can take a breather before we run off. Even if it's quick."

[lukuz13]

June 25th, 2022 Saturday. Huntington, West Virginia

-The morning did not bring as much a breath of hope as some may have hoped, with Kyle's death, the group continued to talk out their next course of action, almost oblivious as a small caw came from above. Looking up, the tear in the trapdoor had allowed in a dark feathered creature, as it fluttered above them all, it quickly made its way down to the corpse below, landing at the base of Kyle's neck, and started a feast at the exposed brain. The feathered thing seemed almost excited in its feast, ignoring the others for a moment, before tilting its head up in a normal bird fashion, and letting out a loud call that filled the small room, before going back to it's business.

[ballerscuba]

Davey was busy trying to figure out why no one was basking in his epic. That's when he spotted the crow out of the corner of his eye. He readied his sword as he crept upon the crow. This was his chance to impress them all. He could not waste it.

"I fear that an ill omen has descended upon us, brethren. This fowl hued with the darkest of blacks forebodes a terrific threat to us, no doubt. The odor of the fallen has ascended out of our temporary domicile into the vast desolation above. It is upon us to make haste from this humblest of abodes before the odor wafts into the nasal passages of the very creatures we seek to avoid."

Davey was next to the crow now. He positioned his sword inches above the crow's neck as it continued to peck at Kyle's body. He raised the sword up into the air slowly, seemingly praying that Frostbourne would not fail him. He lowered the sword quickly, "There can be only one!" The sword pushed the crow's head down into the ground, smashing the neck slightly before it hit the ground, the neck finally slicing slightly as the sword put its full weight on the ground, though it was far from a clean cut. Still, though, the head was off.

Davey was ecstatic. He instantly dropped his sword, through his hands up in the air, screaming, "Woo hoo! Yatta!" His helmet bouncing on his head slightly. He spun around, seeing the confused looks of everyone else in the room, and dropped his hands. He adjusted his Vader mask, trying to regain his calm, collected, and yet somehow powerfully epic demeanor. "We must leave this place," Davey said. "It is no longer safe here." He scratched his helmet. "Anyone got a map or a flashlight or anything?"

[kain17335]

"Umm, It's Davey isn't it? Yeah your "sword" is not going to last much longer, you do know that right?"
"Anyway we need to find somewhere safe, Bob's isn't going to be a good idea although a radio would be good for listening for radio broadcasts, what do you think John you the only sane person here."

[Pulse]

Lucy shook her head dismissively, though not entirely ungrateful for the gesture itself. "No, we've much ground to cover if we wish to gather supplies for the days ahead, not to mention finding someplace safe to sleep. Speaking of supplies..." She turned to Kain where he stood, observing Davey's slightly messy handiwork with a blank if unimpressed expression on his deathly pale face. "I think it'd be best if we split the supplies from this place evenly, share the load. I'm sure any one of us could shoulder the burden alone, but when you're being chased by the horde? Foolish." Lucy peered over at Davey, standing over the body of the crow somewhat triumphantly, his body language practically overflowing with his now boosted ego. She tapped his helmet almost whimsically, the near opaque lenses obscuring his eyes utterly. It looked tremendously heavy, let alone how ridiculously stupid it looked with his kilt and...peculiar shoes. "How can you even see out of that thing? Is your vision augmented, or something?" She remarked dryly, smirk upon her face.

[kain17335]

"Well I already have most of the stuff I can carry but I can carry a little bit more."
Kains bag had already become slightly heavy, but he could take a little more.
"Are there any bags in there we can use in there, Davey looks like he needs a bit of weight on his shoulders.
Kain mumbled: "Mog damn American, wearing a kilt". Kain then tried to sort out any supplies that should be taken with them.
"Lucy you want to hold these 'nades?
Oh and also I can make us some IED's if there needed, you want any?"

[ThatOneGuysBro]

John became greatly disturbed, flinching as Davey clumsily hacked through the corby with the rather blunt weapon of his, nearly bludgeoning it's head into decapitation. 'This guy is kinda messed up.', he thought in repulsion. Upon further inspection, scanning the odd man up and down for the first time, he would most likely slow the group down with his ridiculously cumbersome attire. He decided that would need to be addressed sooner or later, but other matters too precedence for the time being. However, that same lunatic did bring up something important. Supplies for navigation; a map. John turned to find a radio, perched upon the table, along with the flash light and a cluster of maps, some fallen to the floor. Looking into one of the crates he happened upon a military hiking pack. "You guys want to put the canned goods in here?", he asked, as if seeking their validation. He promptly dropped the radio into the pack, as well as a few of the maps. Setting it onto the floor he pulled a few more and handed the stack to Kain. Keeping one for his own he studied it for a brief moment before folding it squarely and slipping it into his back pocket. As everyone else passed the maps around they studied as well, as the group began to delegate over an appropriate location to set out to.

Setting the pack on his back, pulling his arms through the straps, John picked up his fire axe and began his ascension up the ladder. It was a bit chilly, the wind blowing ominously, as if things were capable of getting worse. A murder of crows swerved atypically above head, as scavengers would, waiting for their next meal. Looking round and round, the city was actually infested with the ebony wings of death, the occasional eerie 'cawing' resonating in the distance, and sometimes from nearby, often preying on John's already uneasy condition, causing him to jerk his head in astonishment every now and again.

[ballerscuba]

Davey put his sword in the holster on his back. "Frostbourne is eternal, Kain. It was forged deep in the icy mountains of Gelldor by the Dwarven smith Am'Thon." Davey leaned in and whispered, "Dwarves are always the best smiths." He backed off a bit. "Am'Thon took the finest care crafting Adamantite into the unmistakable shape that is Frostbourne for the Dark Elven Overlord Mordrum. With Frostbourne in tow, Mordrum rampaged and pillaged throughout the land of Alduar, before finally falling," at this point, Davey lowered his head, "to Swift King Halgon the First, who took Frostbourne into his own possession before falling to the temptation of ultimate power. After Halgon's death, Frostbourne was sealed within the power of the five crystals of Naldar by the twelve mages of the esteemed Tor'ji tribe. There, it remained for thousands of years, awaiting the chosen one who will bring peace to the world of Breldran." With this, Davey took Frostbourne from his holster, holding it out for all to revel in its glory. He moved it slowly through the air, making it dance before returning it to his back. "In order to become the chosen one, you have to reach level 95 and defeat the four fiends of the Abyss. You would never survive in the Abyss. It's really frickin hard. Took me over a hundred hours of sleepless nights in my danger room."

Davey then turned to Lucy, his former love. "You wish to learn the secrets of the dark side, do you Lucy? Very well, our cookies are indeed delicious. The helmet provides me protection without hindering my sight, if I put it on properly. It hides my emotions, always a dead giveaway for the Sith Lords. Zombies are well known headhunters, craving brains. Seeing as my brain is exactly 147% the size of a normal human brain," here Davey chuckled his mind-numbingly annoying chuckle, "I thought it best to give myself extra protection from the inevitable horde that shall make their way toward my precious cranial innards."

Davey then peered over a map as John made his way out of the kiosk. "I need a restaurant or something," Davey thought to himself. "Food and a means of doing what the Chinese laborers could not. Sharpening the sword of swords." Davey then pointed at his map. "Oh," he said, "there's a pharmacy on 3rd and 5th. We could head there for more supplies, couldn't we?" Looking around, Davey saw no one around. They had all ditched him.

Davey climbed the ladder, his gun now holstered outside his kilt. Luckily, no one was underneath to look underneath the kilt, but Davey was not used to thinking that way. As Davey exited the kiosk, the bright sun shone over the desolation that Huntington had become. The crows overhead frightened Davey slightly. "They know what I did to their brother," he thought. The buildings along the side of the road all had their windows broken. Some had evidence of boarded up windows, but the wood had been shredded, lying along the sidewalk just in front of the spaces they were intended to protect.

Davey leaned in toward Ichiru and Migaki. "How long ago did this happen? I get the feeling this is just like prom. I missed the whole thing."

[lukuz13]

June 25th, 2022 Saturday. Huntington, West Virginia

-The chatter amongst the group continued as they climbed the ladder into the morning light that awaited them, greeted by the circling carrion birds above, casting an almost unnerving shadow along the earth. As beautiful as it should have been, the landscape itself made it impossible, empty ghostly husks of days past creaked eerily in the wind, as the smell of death was carried to everyone's nose accompanied only by the call of the distant dead. Around the entrance of the trapdoor, several deep indentations in the pavement were obvious, as well as a crumpled form nearby, and an open building that seemingly warded others to entrance.

To their right the party could see the rail-roads from before, now no doubt useless, the bodies from the day before now gone, bloody smears the only mark of where they once where, a club not far to the southeast, and a Valero to the Southwest in the distance. To the west, the direction they arrived from, the party could see Susie's Club still standing, and a row of buildings to their north, most burned out or looted. With a glance at the map, the group could see they where on 7th Ave. and that they would need to round the block to reach the pharmacy, to the east and the first left from here on Trenton.

As the party made their way east, they could hear the ill sounds of moaning carrying throughout the city, from almost all sources, until they reached the street they were looking for, in the middle of the intersection was a congregation of shuffling forms all beating on the sides of a parked school bus, letting out violent roars as they did so, the yellow paint of the metallic beast warn and glass smeared with gore. Something about the beasts seemed different, they seemed slow, and frail at that, bodies horribly rotted as limbs looked as if they would soon fall off of their own accord. But they where many.
With the arrival of the party, they turned their heads skyward, as if taking a moment to notice them, and slowly began to make their way towards the group, the smell worse then what one would be use to during a time when dead walked, some held the outfit of security guards, others of normal civilians, and others still of old men and teenagers, all of their faces horribly twisted as they moaned almost in unison. Besides the wall of flailing arms coming there way, inside the school bus the party could swear they made out movement, erratic at that.

[ballerscuba]

Davey saw the slow-moving rotted bodies, Davey's protective instincts took over. He reached for his Skorpion sub machine gun, shoving the twins behind him. He fumbled it around in his hands before putting it up to his shoulder and squeezing the trigger. However, no bullets came out, just the faint sound of a click. Davey took the gun off his shoulder and looked it over. "Fucking safety. Chris Redfield never had this problem. Aiming while moving, though..."

Davey spotted a bench a few yards in front of him. He ran toward it and bent down on one knee behind it, shouldering his weapon again. He squeezed the trigger again. The recoil of the weapon surprised him, though. Next thing you know, the full clip had been emptied in the direction of the zombies. He wasn't sure how many hit, but, as he squeezed the trigger a few times, hearing nothing but a click, he stood up and ran back toward the group. "Somebody press R! They didn't all die! I call HAX!!"