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Here we go again...; Part 2 of the Zero hour story
Topic Started: Apr 28 2009, 10:47 PM (2,584 Views)
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Arianna sat with her gun trained on Craig. She sat quietly and with little movement; she was accustomed to waiting and watching after years of thievery. She sat up straighter and held the gun more tightly as he began to stir slightly. After a minute, he spoke and a small smile flitted onto her face as she replied. "Welcome back to the real wolrd Craig. Next time I find you uncouncious I'll know better." She laughed and stood, the gun got reholsterd and she sat beside him. Her eyes flashed to the bruised side of his face and she flinched a little. "Jordan must have a pretty good arm to leave you a shiner like that!" She laughed again before falling serious. "Why did Jordan leave you behind anyways?" She was giving him time to recover so they could continue their escape. With every minute that ticked by, zombies would be creeping their way.

Dog

Dogs ears pricked forward as the man began to stir. He stood and let a low growl echo in the room. His Master spoke kindly to the man so Dog crept forward on her heels without growling. She sat beside the man, Craig and continued to talk to him. Dog let out a sigh and lay down by her. He growled again but did not make a move of hostility at Craig this time. Later, Dog might not be so leinient.

I wish I knew what it felt like to be a villain.







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Hydros
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Craig propped himself up properly against the wall and winced as his muscles told him to stay still. He let out a heavy breath and let his body relax. He looked at Arianna, and somewhere inside he wondered how a kid like her had ended up a brigand, and then managed to survive the outbreak, he wondered if it was worth surviving in this new world, knowing that he'd lost so much and there was so little hope left to hang on to. Thoughts of god the afterlife and faith flooded his mind, he wondered if the things they'd been killing were really just the next step in human evolution, or god punishing man for it's hubris, he wondered if the zombies could feel and if in some way a part of who they used to be was still in them, trapped in the body they used to own, now taken over by a primal urge to feed and kill, but not on each other.

He cleared his mind focusing on the now, another trick from his active duty. He put a mental wall up, blocking all but the facts, it wasn't a good wall by any means, but it would help him focus on what mattered, he was alive and he knew there were others, and they needed him as much as he needed them, if only to stay sane that little bit longer. He heard Arianna's comment and lifted his hand to his eye, it was a little tender but he couldn't feel any real damage and he could see well enough.

"Superficial damage, ruptured blood vessels near the surface of the skin leaking blood freely into the spaces around the cells causing minor swelling and discolouration of the tissue, aka a bruise. Probably because I took a lucky shot over his shoulder to save his life. It'll fade in a few hours. As for where he is... I honestly don't know, he's probably went on ahead to find a safe spot to bunk down for the night. "

He took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and light one up. It hurt to breath but he didn't care, the nicotine made him feel better as the tar destroyed his lungs. He offered the pack to Arianna, she was young, but a life on the street led to casual drug use.

"Want one?"
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Arianna took a smooth cigarette out of the pack and fiddle with it before sighing and lifting it to her lips. She lit it deftly, and took a long drag. White smoke poured from her mouth billowing in the stagnant air. She leaned back to rest her head against the wall. "Have you always been so technical? You're like a robot or something." She flashed her teeth in a half-hearted if not broken smile. She looked away quickly. The fact that she was so exhausted and the fact that now she had time to reflect, tears brimmed her eyes and threatened to overcome her. She wiped them away angrily, hoping she wouldn't break down like she always did. It was a fatal flaw. "Sorry, I'm just a cry baby when it all boils down." She flicked the ash off her almost untouched cigarette and took another briefer drag before extinguishing it on the floor.

She sighed again and spoke reflectively. "I never believed in God, and now he's punishing me for it. Ran away from home, became a street rat, and now I have to survive a plague of mindless zombies. I have to say, it's easier running away from a zombie than it is from a cop or your ex boyfriend." Hollow laughter spilled from her lips and she sneered as she continued filling the silent void with her voice. "Men are all the same..." She cast a sideways glance in his direction hoping not to offend. "They are always chasing something or another, be it a girl, doughnuts, or a ball on a field."
She closed her eyes and waited for him to speak, she was sure he'd come back with some witty response.

Dog

Dog sighed and closed his eyes. He was finally feeling the adrenaline exit his system. (I need to kill this dog already, lol!)
Edited by Salty, May 10 2010, 09:20 PM.
I wish I knew what it felt like to be a villain.







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Hydros
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Craig let smoke slowly roll out of his mouth as he slowly began to overcome his stiff painful limbs.
"A man can wake up one day, fire in his heart, a sparkle of patriotism in his eye. He joins the army and goes to war, his friends and family cheer from him as he leaves for war a pray for him while he's gone. The same man comes back from the war, his eyes glazed and the fire extinguished, his body may be intact but the man that left for war died on the battlefield, the man that has returned may wear the same face but he has been stripped of what made him human."

He took another draw of the cigarette and again let the smoke roll from his mouth, savouring the taste of nicotine.
"No one who sets foot on a battlefield comes back alive, it's just media ideology to think that men can go to war and come back unchanged by the things that they saw there."

He glanced at Arianna and returned his gaze to the wall adjacent to him.
"I got off lucky, I managed to sever all moral direction and emotion, couple of guys I knew in training went to war and came back so broken they spent the rest of their days in care homes, unable to live normal lives and haunted by the faces of the dead."

He half heartedly laughed.
"Suppose it must've been like this for them, I suppose this is my punishment for the monster I've become."

He listened to Arianna as he finished his cigarette and flicked the butt across the room, bouncing it off the wall. He laughed quietly as she mused on the motivation of men.
"Not all men are chasing what they want, some are running from what they've done. Anyway kid, it's not like women are any different, although they mostly chase money, shoes and handbags."

He smiled wryly at her, knowing it was bound to cause her to react, something he needed to feel human for the first time in so long.
Edited by Hydros, Feb 6 2013, 02:46 PM.
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At Craig's last statement, she burst out with an angry "no way!" before punching him lightly in the arm. She paused and smiled at him. "Okay actually that's true...about the money anyways. " She laughed and her eyes sparkled mischievously before returning to his first statements.


Arianna shivered slightly as she answered him. She couldn't comprehend the lack of emotion that Craig spoke about. "Craig, we are in a battlefield right now. To fight for your life means that you do care about something. There is something there in your mind that keeps you alive, and I don't think it's just instinct either." She closed her eyes briefly and continued with her speech. "If you didn't have anything to live for, then why not let the zombies destroy you? Why not leave your life behind and this world behind." She was not just talking to Craig now, she was was talking to herself too. She had soon so many horrible things in her life, including her zombie turned parents. At almost a whisper she spoke the image of a memory that haunted her. "I shot my parents in the head Craig, that was the most horrible thing I have ever had to do." She let a tear slide down her face and wiped it away without a sound.

"If you are suffering Craig, I'm here to talk to. You aren't a monster Craig, I've seen worse men." For now The thought raced through her head briefly before she flung it away. She looked at the wall blankly, hoping she hadn't made him angry or offended, she was good at that.
Edited by Salty, Jun 16 2010, 06:48 PM.
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[GM]Jordan454
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Even though he had left his old friend,and they're new companions to die Jordan didn't look back,there wasn't much point,what could he do anyway,just sit in that room waiting,waiting for Craig to wake up,waiting for the new girl to come,waiting for the zombies to finally come. It was bad enough trying to keep himself alive in a situation like this,but defend someone who was unconscious in a confined room,that was something he couldn't do,survival institute alive so far but he knew that had its limit,and when found it,that would get him killed,he wasn't going to sit around and wait for death to come to the door,with or without friends there to help,he was going to survive as long as he could,how long that would be wasn't something anybody could workout

"How the fuck do a get oot a here"he grumbled as he ran
Jordan had left the room expecting to find some kind of exit,but found nothing of the sort,not even an emergency exit,all he found was another cell block.It was cold and silent,the doors to cells were open,dried blood gave a new cote of paint for the walls,random guards weapons and torches scattered around the floor,remnants of prisoner uniforms were also dotted around,dried blood footprints went in all directions,some led up the steel stairs,some led into and back out of the cells and some just led into silent darkness.
Flesh and limbs remained as well,leftovers wasn't something he liked to see but Jordan didn't have time to clean it up and nobody was around so he couldn't exactly go find a janitor to do that for him,all he could was take his first step into the silent cell blocked.It echoed,loudly,or that could just be his imagination.
Jordan kept walking straight ahead rather slowly,the shotgun held in the supply bag the pistol in his right hand,strangely he wasn't ready to fire but Jordan thought he could react in time since it would be hard not spot a zombie in an area this empty,he suddenly paused when his foot knocked something on the ground,he didn't look down right away

Don't let this be someone's arm
Jordan let himself glance down,it wasn't an arm or any kind of body part,thankfully,it was a guards torch,he bent down and picked it up,he looked it over,it didn't seem damaged on the outside,he turned it on,the light only flickered until he hit of his leg then it stayed on.
"This will be useful a suppose,better not let it get me caught though"he said as he continued forward,there were barred windows on the wall and Jordan glanced out them as he walked,the rain had stopped but outside was still darkness,the sun would rise for another hour or two,At the end of the cell block there was another door,he expect another corridor and he was right that's what he got,luckily this corridor happened to have a fire exit,unfortunately there was also a body slumped against it.

"If there is a God,he must really hate me"Jordan grumbled as he edged closer to the body,the gun was aimed,ready to fire now the second the corpse even twitched,another small step forward,nothing,another step,nothing and another,and another,and another,still nothing,he was just a foot away from the body now.It was slumped against the centre of the exit,the tattered clothes suggested a guard,there were bite marks all over him,yet he lay still,unfortunately this body had to be moved if he wanted to get out so Jordan in close with the gun raised,he pressed the barrel against the side of the blood covered head and pulled the trigger,the shot ripped a fair size in the right side of the head and force knocked the body over onto its side.Jordan pressed his foot on the back of the body and nudged it away from the door,then he finally opened them and stepped outside.

The night was slightly cold,the sky was clear and the stars were out,things had the mask of a calm evening but Jordan knew what was happening inside and just a small distance outside the prison,it was hell with the disguise of peace and all it did was annoy Jordan,he looked around and found he wasn't far from a entrance gate,slightly smaller than the one they came through,probably used for bringing in food and other things and lucky it was open,he decided that would likely be safer than the front entrance since the enemy were literally at the gates,he jogged towards it still keeping an eye out for any zombies that might be nearby,the area was as empty as the cell block but rather than give him some relief it just caused Jordan to become even more on edge

Jordan paused at the open gates and glanced back at the prison
"Best of luck guys,hope you make it out like I have,nothin personal,but I'd rather stay alive...well for now anyway"he said clearly with little emotion in his voice before he headed through the gates back into the streets of the nameless city

( B-) IM FUCKIN BACK BITCHES!!!!!!! B-) )
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Hydros
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Craig sighed as a tear ran down Arianna's cheek. He pulled himself up, his body still aching, his equipment rattled slightly as he did so and walked into the centre of the room. Then without looking back he began to speak.

"Look kid, there's no point in wallowing in self pity, sure you shot your parents but the fact that you did and are still here to sob over it means it didn't really matter anyway. The sole fact you didn't let them eat you or turn the gun on yourself means that you'd already accepted the fact you may have to kill them."

He swung the M4 from his back and checked the magazine and the chamber, 30 rounds. He stretched his back out then his legs, loosening the stiffness of his joints.
"We'd best get moving, stay here too long and they'll find away round us."

Craig walked toward the door and opened it slightly then, repositioning himself he threw the door open and brought his rifle to bear. The zombies were still on the other side of the metal cage. Keeping his rifle trained on the undead he slid out the door.
"It's safe, they're still on the other side."

He swung round to the other side, the cage was open on this side, he switched on the tactical light and advanced slowly into the darkness.
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She stared at him as he stood. She nodded at his words but said nothing. She heaved herself off the ground and motioned for Dog to do the same. Dog nudged her gently, worry in his eyes. She patted him absently and followed Craig out the door. With a little shock, she realized she should draw her pistol. The sight of the zombies trying to break through the gate revived her. She shook her head to clear it and spoke. Well, I'm sure if we follow this corridor it will lead us to the exit and to Jordan." She eyed the moaning zombies and followed after Craig quickly, his light boucing against the walls. The toenails of Dog clicked quietly against the floor.

She watched Craig's back as he trudged onwards, and a thought struck her. "Once we get out, if Jordan isn't waiting, we can use Dog to track him. Dog isn't a thieve's sidekick for nothing!" A smile flitted across her lips, not that he could see it. "That is if you want to find Jordan."
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Jordan walked down the road leading away from the prison,the area was fairly empty,it was only a road lit by the flickering street lights with one maybe two cars left on the road,the city was just a couple of minutes walk away by the looks of it. Jordan didn't pay much attention to the area around him,there were some bushes at the side of the road and that was pretty much all there was to the scenery,he was bored and cold,he planned on finding a good place to rest in the city,if he could find a place to stay the rest of the night he would be happy enough for now

"Well looks like I'm here" Jordan said to himself as he walked back into the streets of the nameless city,he quickly ducked behind a nearby car,he hadn't seen any zombies yet but he knew because of the events earlier on they wouldn't be far off.

Jordan went from behind one car to the next,he was going to be as cautious as possible,one or two zombies he could handle,but accidentally alerting hundreds if them to his location was something he was going to avoid. The street was silent then he heard that dead groan and it was more than one.Jordan raised his head to the window of the car so he could see,a group of three zombies shuffled along the road,as they made there way down the road Jordan began to breath as slow as he could and had his pistol at the ready.

It took the zombies five minutes to shuffle a good enough distance away for Jordan to relax and be able to move through the streets again,the area he was in now had a good amount of shops that looked like they had been raided by several people at a time,he continued walking until he came across that seemed in an OK condition,the windows appeared to have some metal grating on them so they weren't all that damaged,the door to place was wide open,up above it was what looked like an apartment,probably used by those who owned the shop

Jordan began to walk towards the door keeping the pistol raised
By the look ae this place am guessin its wan of they pawn shops,alive or dead,a hope the owner aint still here
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Craig advanced further into the dank musty air of the prison corridor lined with cells, the smell of rotting flesh hung in the air as a constant reminder of the ever looming threat of the undead. He was so far in now that the he could barely hear the growing mass of walking corpses on the other side of the cage over the sound of his own heartbeat. He could hear the voice of his mentor now, telling him to focus, take in his surroundings and assess each movement with the utmost of care. Not that it mattered in this desolate hell hole, he was trained to find IED's in a swamp where the mist was so thick he couldn't see the end of his gun. That level of attention was a hindrance in this place, there were body parts littered around, pieces of metal, such as keys loops and belt buckles glinted as he passed his torch light over them, every one of them was a potential explosive waiting to take his legs out from under him and leave him to rot, the problem was, that none of them were, or was ever likely to be.

He was only aware on the edge of consciousness that Arianna and her pet were following close behind, so much so that he didn't even register the fact that she'd had an idea. His steady advance led him to a door and it was already open. He knew that the likeliest case was that Jordan had made it this far and had ventured beyond it while leaving it open but he also knew there was a chance that Jordan had found himself a playmate and ran through this very door in that old game of cat and mouse.

He sidled up to the door as smoothly and quietly as possible, then with a slow and ginger movement, he glanced inside. There was a shaft of light slicing the corridor in half and a solitary corpse lay in the light, fresh blood pooled around its head. He looked back at Arianna and motioned for her to follow before slipping through the door and approaching the corpse.

It had been shot in the head, point blank, 9mm. It was Jordan alright, he'd shot the zombie and used the fire exit to get back to town where it was probably a lot safer than this nightmare. Craig relaxed and held his rifle across his chest with folded arms as he waited on Arianna and her mutt.
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