Insatiable (Zombie Survival RP)

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Ted was breathless. The walker... It had split them up and...

"Jesus Christ..." he muttered, forced to use a new dishcloth up after another splash of blood had covered him.

Stay clean... Stay clean...

He looked at the zombie and back to Darek.

"It got the jump on us and... it used a knife? I've never seen one of these things do that before!"

He felt sick imagining if all the walkers started to fight as... human as this one had.

When they had recovered their wits, he looked at Darek.

"I think we need to get out of here sooner than later... We get off the roof and then... then what?"

Safety. Get to safety.

The sun was still high in the air. That was good. The grounds around the school were flooded with zombies. That was bad. Now... now he didn't even know if they could stay on the roof without being ripped apart by... smart zombies?

"This is crazy... They've never been smart before."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Dana[/HEADING]
The station wagon's engine roared to life, proving that however battered the machine appeared to be, the owner kept it's internals clean and pristine. Had she not been in the garage, starting the car, she may have heard the Pontiac passing the small speedway. But there she was, watching the fuel gauge steadily climb to a quarter of the way to full with contentment. It wasn't much, more than one would need for it's intended purpose, but it would have to do for now since it appeared that whomever owned the beast previously hadn't thought to refill his only gas can before his early 'departure'. So, with high hopes and newfound heavy metal, Dana quickly pulled out of the garage and headed for the nearest outlet.

When The Tenderizer reached Nameoki Road, the woman at the helm was presented with two options; either turn left and head toward the heart of St. Louis, no doubt riddled with refueling opportunities, or turn right and chance the bare bones pickings of the open road. Either option had its risk and reward, she just needed to decide if she wanted to chance running dry with her recently-adopted baby or potentially becoming something's next meal...

[HEADING=3]Herman & Ashlyn[/HEADING]
As if the sounds of a previously hungry and frustrated friend weren't encouraging enough, the trio of gunshots that followed certainly captured the attention of the able-bodied dead nearby. The scrape of dragged boots and shoes across asphalt and broken glass came from the southwest as a few lumbering undead headed up the road towards them. Bloody figures emerged from the trees across the road, walking from the residential area to the pair that made their presence apparent. There was an audible squeaking as a blood-soaked, three-fingered hand slid across the hood of an old Lincoln, its owner eager to get over the blockade of trapped vehicles and to either of the morsels on the other side. Though there were no more than ten at the moment, it rarely took long for things to escalate, meaning the time to move was at hand.

[HEADING=3]Naomi[/HEADING]
The woman's mad dash down the sidewalk came to a screeching halt when she had to stop herself from turning the corner, narrowly avoiding the wandering gazes of the Walkers shuffling around the parking lot of the quaint shopping center. She was caught behind a Starbucks in a rut of uncertainty; no telling if she'd be noticed by the several hungry bodies ambling the near-empty lot or if the one she'd bolted past moments before had caught her scent. As if to settle the matter, there was the familiar groaning of the Walker as it began moving about from its previous state of dormancy. Unable to wait around for long, Naomi was presented with the choice if making a mad dash for better cover or hole up in the coffee house and wait for a better opportunity.

[HEADING=3]Alex[/HEADING]
He made it across the highway with no trouble, and supposed he was in the clear when he reached the residential streets. There was a haunting silence in the neighborhood that was broken by sparrows singing in the trees. For a moment, it was as if the world had turned back to a more peaceful time. One could almost smell the burning of a charcoal grill, hear the sounds of children playing, laughing and screaming...the screaming seemed more real then anything else, and that's because it was. The cries of fear and agony came from a couple blocks north, accompanied by the sound of small arms fire. Though it seemed like minutes had passed since the noise erupted, it was mere seconds before the screams were cut short by a single gunshot. After a few seconds of silence, another gunshot followed, and the neighborhood became still once more...

[HEADING=3]Ted & Darek[/HEADING]
Though the seemingly-intelligent zombie had been dealt with, there was still the growing that was beneath their feet, ambling through the halls for access to the roof. If one could find its way topside, surely there were other that'd follow suit. The matter was made even more pressing by the fact that with every zombie that had pushed through the doors, there was another that drew nearer the access hatches. Time wouldn't be on their side for very much longer, and something had to be done.

 

[warrcry13]

Darek stood up and looked to Ted. "Alright we gotta get out of here. I cleared a couple of houses on my way in." he said as he pointed off to the south east. He was looking at his gore covered hands, and the unsavory stains on his jacket. If I can't find a way to clean this I'll have to get a new one. He looked over at Ted. "Hey man I got a bottle of rubbing alcohol in my pack. Would you mind grabbing it for me?" He kind of lifted his hands up and shrugged indicating his hands. "Seems we are gonna need a bit of that after this mess. Not too much though; we may need more after we get safe." Ted walked over to where the gear was sitting and started to open the bag. "It should be near the top. I just picked it up earlier today." Ted pulled the bottle out and started to open it. "Found it. Hold out your hands and I'll pour some onto them, and then you can do the same for you." Darek nodded and stuck out his hands. "Alright."

Now that they weren't in immediate danger of getting infected they started to plan their way off the roof. "If we put him down by that door we can draw them away from the canopy." Suggested Ted pointing at the area he was talking about. "Yeah that seems like a good idea. We can also toss smart guy over there down further along that wall, and have two bodies to keep 'em occupied." Darek said as he glanced over towards the ghoul.



"Alright on three." as the body hit the ground it made an audible thump that made Darek wince. "Lets drop the other one now." said Ted getting Darek's attention. Once they dropped that body down they started the clamber down the onto the canopy. "Looks like it's working." whispered Darek and the throng of walking corpses slowly shuffled their way over to the meal. Darek jumped down behind a group of the deadheads, and recovered as quickly as he could bringing his crowbar to the ready. They didn't seem to notice the thump he made over the general din of the moans, and growls that group of these things made. He looked up at Ted and beckoned him down signaling it to be as safe as it could get. The sound of the shamblers starting their grisly feast could be heard above the sound of the horde. Ted dropped Darek's pack down to him, and he put it on fearing the feel of cold hands grabbing at him. He heard Ted drop down next to him, he looked up at Ted was watching Darek's back for him. Tapping Ted on the shoulder he motioned in the direction of the east side of town; where the comparative safety was. The streets ahead should be mostly empty. Most of the dead were here looking for them.


They made off for the street skirting the side of the building in a crouching run trying to not be noticed. They had made halfway there before their luck ran out. One the shufflers came around the corner of the building and spotted them. It let loose a strangulated cry that had a sickening bubbling sound to it, and started to lurch its way towards them. "Son of a *****." Darek hissed. "Alright we need tot ake him down and move as fast as we can. Once we take him out We can pass through one of the building I cleared, and hopefully lose any followers as we go through. With luck we can cross the street, and get through the next building. We can figure out what do next after that." By this time the thing was starting to get closer. It was fairly isolated, and a couple others were just now taking notice. Deciding there was no other choice Darek leapt up out of his crouch and ran at the monster. He used his momentum to swing his crowbar with a greater force than usual catching the zombie along the side of it's head. The thing crumpled with bubbling groan, and Darek kept on moving, with Ted close on his heels.


That had undoubtedly drawn attention to them, and they were now being followed by a small pack of the flesh eaters. They could easily out pace them if their luck held, and they didn't get cut off by another roving band.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Ted ran up to a large two story house, trying the door and testing the windows while taking a breather. Darek came around.

"Not this one. Hurr-"

An undead police officer was ontop of them, with two teenage girls right behind him. Swinging the axe low, Ted disabled the larger zombie by severing its leg at the knee. Rotten blood spilled across the ground as it moaned pitifully. Darek bashed out the skull of one of the girls as Ted finished off the cop. The third zombie tripped on a piece of wood that was left in the tall grass. A quick chop to the neck and she was finished.

"Lead the way." said Ted, hauling up the heavy splitting axe. He had already noticed that the holster of the cop was empty, no point in wasting further time looking at it. He followed Darek down a back alley as the zombies from the school started flooding towards the scene of their fight.

Keep moving... Keep moving...

 

[SkyeNeko]

On instinct, Naomi decided to try the first door she saw in the alley. She threw her weight into the dumpster that was blocking it. It creaked, shifting a few inches over. She could hear the undead getting closer. "Rrrah!" She pushed it again. Her leg ached, but the adrenaline numbed the pain. As soon as the door was unblocked, she threw her weight into the door. It splintered: it was already weak. There was no time to think about it. She hit it again, breaking the lock and falling onto a tile floor. The kitchen. She scrambled up and slammed the door closed, looking around the room for something to block it. A large freezer, appliances... nothing she could move. By herself. She couldn't believe what her eyes settled on no further than 10 feet away. A... a human. Not infected. No taller than 5'5", short black and electric blue hair, a green apron, glasses.

"Quick! Help me move this!" The woman tugged on a nearby oven. Naomi ran over and helped. The pair got the door blocked, backing away as the moans of the ever hungry gathered outside of the door. The two women stared at the door for what seemed like an eternity before finally looking at each other. She looked pretty good for the apocalypse.

"H...hi. I'm Maddy."
"I-I'm Naomi..."

There was a little more silence before Maddy got up, offering her hand to Naomi. "Come on, let's go in the other room. These zombies get me nervous, ya know?"
Naomi got up, following Maddy. The inside of the coffeehouse was dim, lit by a few frosted windows in the ceiling, and rays of sun that peeked through the boarded windows. Consumer products of the past were arranged on the floor, mostly mugs and bottles. The empty shelves were propped against the front door and windows. Maddy, who looked like she might have worked there in the distant past, sat on the counter. "Do you want anything? Coffee? Stale bread? I can make a mean caramel machiatto... but no milk. It's pretty much all spoiled, unless you're willing to take the chance. Being sick isn't exactly good right now. So... I'm sorry, I talk a lot when I'm excited. I haven't seen a real person in a while! It's awesome!"
"Yeah. Everyone's probably gotten as far from the cities as possible... I mean, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my family."
"You're looking for family?"
"Yeah. We were camping when this happened. I'm meeting them at..." Naomi dug around in her pockets, finally taking out a piece of paper. "The Plaza Frontenac. Do you know where that is?"
"Oh the Plaza? Sure. I could take you there... but... I dunno, it's not really... safe. Besides, I have a lot of supplies here still, and it was kinda safe until you broke the door. I don't want to risk losing them."
"That's fine. Can you draw me a map?"
"Uh... yeah, I think I can... but uh... can you really go by yourself?"
"I'll be fine!" She gave Maddy a thumbs up. "I'll leave as soon as I can. Be out of your hair in a minute."
"Ha, whoa, no need to be so gung-ho about it! You can stay here for a while. Like I said, I've got a lot to spare." Maddy disappeared into what looked like a walk in closet for a few seconds. She came back with a bag of mixed nuts and a bottle of water. "You might want to clean your leg. Keep it from getting infected."
"Yeah. I have some soap."
"Good!"

They talked for a while. Maddy used to live a few blocks away. She was single, 24, rented an apartment with a couple of friends. She was closing up when the attack happened. As soon as she could, Maddy went back to look for her friends. They were all gone. Maybe they escaped, maybe not. Either way, she had holed up in the coffee shop. With careful rationing, she would have food for a month or so. Without it, a few weeks? But the food wasn't all that great. So a month. It was hard sleeping with the dead silence, only broken by the sound of starved predators.

But meeting Naomi was a big comfort. Maddy had started to think she was the only one left in the world.

 

[warrcry13]

"Shit we gotta go. there is a series of houses up that way." Farek frantically said, and pointed down the street. "I left a couple of the houses open after I cleared them out. We can jump between them, and lose the bastards, or at least buy us some breathing room." Darek started running down the alley it was better to run on the grass the asphalt would make too much noise, and alert anything nearby that might be looking for an easy meal. As they ran alongside peoples houses he saw a zombie clutching a chain link fence around someones backyard. He ignored it and kept moving.

"There it is across that parking lot" Darek called out to Ted who was a little behind him due to Darek's longer stride. There is a backdoor that leads straight into another house that. He said as he stopped to make sure the way was clear. I cleared both of those buildings earlier today." The sound of the group behind them was getting louder. No doubt attracted by the noise that zombies tend to make when they catch the scent of their next meal. "If we are gonna go we gotta go now." Ted said in a hissing whisper. The sound was getting closer.

Their shoes slapped against the asphalt making an odd echo in the lifeless town. More deadheads wandering around in yards and along the street took notice of the sounds. As the noise echoed down the empty streets, the corpses that populated them started converging on the sound. "Alright we gotta time this right, if they don't see us go in the may just surge around the house. This way they will just bang at the door while we slip out the front. Go make sure the street out front is clear....well relatively clear."

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Fortunately, there were no walkers in the side street Darek had pointed at. None that Ted could see at a quick glance.

"Clear!" hissed Ted. Darek opened the door and they jumped in as quietly as they could, closing the door silently behind them. Staying low, they made their way to the living room and hid under the table. They didn't have long to wait as the sounds of the roaring undead surged around the house. Thankfully, there was no interest in the house at all. Yet.

As soon as the moaning faded into the distance down the street, Ted looked at Darek.

"We can't stay long. What's our move."

 

[Tortilla the Hun]

[HEADING=3]Not too far southeast of St. Louis...[/HEADING]
"Well, it's a clear and beautiful morning here in West Illinois, mostly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. It's a bit nippy for this time of day, though it's yet another sign winter is right around the corner, so you better bundle up, folks. I hear this year's is gonna be a doozy. For all you frequent listeners out there, of course you'll know that it won't only be the cold biting at ya if you're not careful out there. Now here's Peters with the undead report, Peters, what say you?"

"Well, Barker, things aren't lookin' too bad in Sector Whiskey Foxtrot, or West Frankfort for you civvies tuning in, and all is fairly quiet in the areas to the north and east. Now, in a few moments here we'll be entering Sector Sierra Lima, what you may know better as Saint Louis, and we'll be happy to fill you folks in on exactly what's going down in Mound City. So, keep on listenin', enjoy the tunes, and hope to God we don't run outta fuel."

With a quick flick of a switch, the two-man crew of the UH-72 Lakota were shut from the rest of the world, allowing them to talk amongst themselves while anyone tuned to their broadcast only heard the music from the improvised radio 'show'. For the past week, Sergeant David Barker and Corporal Lance Peters have been tasked with reconnaissance and the acquisition of supplies, operating with the remnants of an Army battalion from a previously-established military encampment in Southeast Illinois. They've been taking in survivors during the recent months, coming to the realization that the entire foundation of the United States Armed Services had been shattered, leaving no direction other than what the Colonel provided. They were no longer part of the line of defense against the undead masses. Now, much like everyone else, they were just trying to get by...

 

[NeoAC]

This guy is really weird... The man in the parking lot hadn't moved since uttering the cryptic "Waffles" comment, and Ashlyn was starting to get a little frustrated. "All right, you know whatever. You can't take a shot over the head, I ain't trying to save ya. Like I said, keys are inside if you can find the right van."

Ashlyn turned her attention back to the Triple E to get the massive camper ready to roll when she heard more moaning from behind her. "Don't be bellyachin' and shit now! You wanna get your ass up and talk to me, then do it!" No audible answer, just more moans. "You know, you're a creep. I should just blast you right-"

As Ashlyn rotated to aim her gun and back up her threat, she realized it wasn't the Waffle man making the moaning noises. More creatures emerged from the woods across the street, and they were heading for the lot, no doubt attracted by the gunfire. "Damnit!" Less concerned with the fate of the other human, Ashlyn dashed back to her new RV and started thrusting keys in to find the one that granted entry. It was the third one she tried that did the trick. "Yes!" She quickly hopped in door and slammed it shut behind her. Now it was just a matter of getting the behemoth started up.