[center][color=darkred][h3][i][b]“Apocalypse has come and gone. We're just grubbing in the ashes” ~Samuel R. Delany[/b][/i][/h3][/color][/center] [color=black][i][b]The Beginning of the End[/b][/i][/color] [color=darkgray]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 Zika virus, 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 quarantine. 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. The majority stayed by their posts, waiting it out until they were given orders to go in and kill anything that moved before blocking off the city completely. However, instead of waiting it out, these military men and women went ahead with orders and while some of them stayed by their post, making sure no one got in or out, 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. When the Barrier was complete and the higher-ups learned what they had done, they shipped in supplies to the civilians inside via helicopter and had the military stand guard. Eventually though, the military called off their efforts.[/color] [color=black][b]The Ashes left Behind:[/b][/color] [color=darkgray]Raised in the shadow of the wall, leaving the sanctity of the hold is forbidden for those under the age of 20. 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 upkept 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. "Safe" is a facade. [/color] [b]Rules:[/b] 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. If there character bio states that individual dies and you wish to be a part of it then you may seek permission. 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. Be courteous and not use of the word "G-Darnit" because I dislike it lol. All else is fair in love and war. Also, just go ahead and make a character sheet and post it here if you are interested. [color=black][b][u]Bio:[/u][/b] Name: Nickname: Age (15-21): Gender: (Male or Female) Personality: Weapon: .(You are not a weapon master so be realistic; you can’t carry 10 weapons) Live/Die: (Not everyone can live….so I’m suggest you accept that) Fears: Likes: Theme Song: Crush: Other: Played By:[/color] [center][color=darkred][h3][i][b]“What silence rules the ghostly hours. That guard the close of human sleep!” ~George Sterling[/b][/i][/h3][/color][/center] My Characters: [hider=Christiana Marie Kingston] [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Christiana Marie Kingston[/i][/h3][/color][/center] [center][color=lightseagreen][i]Christy (Chris-tie)[/i][/color][/center] [center][color=lightseagreen][i]18 years old[/i][/color][/center] [center][img]http://cs310422.vk.me/v310422410/63a7/HxAZ7qRCv1c.jpg[/img][/center] [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]~~I dig my hole, You build a wall~~[/i][/h3][/color][/center] [hider=Front] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/56/de/41/56de41b76f6bcbc520caaa63fd0263b9.jpg[/img][/hider] [hider=Road] [img]http://images.8tracks.com/cover/i/000/190/048/tumblr_mi219xQN3e1rf77s2o1_500-8891.jpg?rect=0,44,411,411&q=98&fm=jpg&fit=max[/img][/hider] [hider=Outside the Wall] [img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vJXf24gan5k/hqdefault.jpg[/img][/hider] [hr] [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Personality:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Christiana is an adventurous girl and that often gets her into way too much trouble. She just doesn’t want to stay locked behind these giant walls all of her life. She doesn’t want to be controlled or to be told what to do or what not to do. She wants to find love in her own way and in her own time. She loves to read books, ones that have been passed down from her grandmother, though reading is slightly discouraged by the government because it creates creative people who want more from life than just to survive. That is all Christy wants, to be able to escape into that happy world that she reads about, the world of beautiful trees, hidden streams, and true love. She tends to live in her imagination at times making many people not like her as much; they think her silly to think the way she does, to want something beautiful in a dark world. She tends to be a bit of a loner or rather she likes to think of it as not finding those few couple of true friends yet. She has experienced too many times a backstabbing friend and she doesn’t want to have anything to do with those kinds of people anymore. She is a good friend, however, determined to stay friends through heck and high waters. When she decides for you to be her friend get ready to get into some sticky situations that tend to be funny in memory…or just memorable at the very least. You might also want to prepare yourself for you walls being torn down. Somehow she always seems to find that crack and slip through to the place you think you have sealed off, and somehow you find yourself glad she did, not intruded on, but rather less lonely. She is also stubborn as all get out, which is a blessing and a curse. She can make you try things you normally wouldn’t but when she is arguing watch out! She usually never gets really angry but when she does it is much like her Zodiac sign, a Taurus in a china cabinet. Christiana is usually a happy person, who loves to tell jokes and laugh. She is in love with what little nature there is and she has even found her own oasis beyond the wall, in a small location where a group of trees managed to survive. It is in this place she made a type of ‘tree fort’ with a heavy duty truck ‘car seat’ cover. She found the ‘break’ in the wall thanks to her brother, also her twin. He helped her get up the tree and put in the car seat. He also showed her how to conceal it and the place in the wall, being ex-military and all. It is her haven. The one place zombies can’t get to her and where she can watch the sun meet the earth. The last thing one needs to know about Christy is something that absolutely no-one knows about her except what family she has left: her twin brother died only several months before and became one of those things. She was angry with God at first, but now she sees He is the only one she really has left to rely on. She knows one day she will come across her twin again and will have to permanently take his life. Due to this she suffers from a dark depression, which she allows to overcome her only when no one else can see. It’s as if she is missing half of herself, to forever remain in this life not being whole. God is her strength, that and the hope of being combined with her brother in heaven one day. [hr] [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]History[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Christiana had a normal childhood; unfortunately, the norm these days was based around tragedy. She was the younger twin by around seven minutes. It was a hard labor for her mother and things went for a wrong turn unexpectedly causing her mother to hemorrhage and pass away. Her father decided to take the mother’s name of Christie Ann and combine it in order to name her. Now that she is older she is glad to have this title which makes her feel closer to the mother she never had. Afterwards Christy and her brother Ash were raised by their father. He often tried his hardest but their grandparents were his saving grace. With the three of them life went along pretty well for a while. The twins were raised with that guiding hand that elders often give, one based on morals, religion, and where right is right. However, it wasn’t severe Bible pushing, but rather an act to ensure a lifelong conscience and a level head. Everything wasn’t always serious. The grandfather use to pull pranks and was a real jokester who told tall tales on a regular basis. Needless to say Ash and Christy were well rounded characters who often got into trouble with their adventurous attitudes. They were as thick as thieves. It was when they turned 12 that life decided the two lacked enough tragedy in their lives. Somehow one of the infected got into the warehouse where their father worked. There was only one entrance and one exit. The towns people decided to set fire to the building, those who were not yet infected were simply casualties, no big deal to them. Here was the real problem: Ash came that day to bring his dad his lunch. He too was trapped inside. Some things go unsaid… Needless to say he watched his own father die while barely escaping with his own life through the lower basement window. It took a long time for him to stop having the nightmares. Life tends to go on even when we feel that it shouldn’t and he wouldn’t tell Christy what really happened. Whatever it was it caused him to join the military; they allowed people to join at 15 if they were a male. He was a fine shot and many said they were glad to have him to have their backs. Three years later he was back home… but not for long. Here is where things get a little cluttered. Ash and Christy were just headed for a late night movie, nothing out of the usual. They were kidding around and making jokes about the government and zombies in general. Neither of them saw it coming as a dog came out into the streets, stumbling as if it had rabies. It came at them before Ash could even unholster his knife. The rest is blurry and Christy only remembers in painful flashes, coming mostly in nightmares. Just blood, screams, and teeth. The only part she distinctively remembers is the feeling of her heart being ripped out of her chest, of losing half of herself. The flashbacks are violent now, coming without notice. Time heals most wounds but not all….. [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]~~Some day your wall is gonna fall~~[/i][/h3][/color][/center] [hr] [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Weapons:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] AA-12 (a fully automatic, gas loaded, low recoil 12 gauge shotgun designed for the military. 32 round clip). Downside is the ammo is hard to come by, causing her to have to venture over the wall. Her brother’s military survival knife (still containing all pieces in the handle compartment usually strapped by her ankle). She has a flashlight. [hr] [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Lives/dies?:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Lives [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Fears:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Being a burden and ending up alone. Losing people/abandonment issues. Yet she will hide these emotions deep down so no one will think she is weak. Sometimes she feels she is drowning. [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Likes:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] The smell of the rain, wishing on stars and dandelions, the way the sunrises and sunsets look like paintings by God, and the way the warm summer wind feels on her skin. The moon especially. [hr] [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Themesong:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Build a Wall~ Bastion, How to Save a Life~ The Fray [center][color=lightseagreen][h3][i]Other:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Do not bring up her brother. Ever. Unless you want to suffer the consequences. She feels closest to him when she is alone. It is like she can feel his presence. The real him, not the body that was left behind here on this planet. This is one reason she often goes off on her own. She sings or hums all the time whether she is happy or sad, though what she sings changes, it is like a therapy for her. She usually can get the others around her to join in when she is happy. Her voice is usually decent but when she is goofing off she purposely sings terribly. She can tend to do some strange things. But she loves with all her heart, often worrying more about others happiness than her own. [color=lightseagreen][i]Played by:[/i][/color] Midnight Howl[/hider] [hider=Samson Kyle Strider] [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Samson Kyle Strider[/i][/h3][/color][/center] [center][color=orangered][i]Sam...and only Sam[/i][/color][/center] [center][color=orangered][i]20 years old[/i][/color][/center] [center][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/cc/13/f7/cc13f74e13fa6bd904fcf8404e9359ca.jpg[/img][/center] [center][color=orangered][h3][i]~And I don’t want the world to see me, cause I don’t think that they’d understand. When everything’s made to be broken. I just want you to know who I am~ Iris[/i][/h3][/color][/center] [hider=Hidden Thoughts] [img]http://67.media.tumblr.com/7db817ad1becca4043cf70b652cb01b5/tumblr_mpccjwnXJM1r3cfogo1_500.jpg[/img][/hider] [hr] [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Personality:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Sam has become an expert at being two people. On the outside he is charming in a mysterious kind of way. Usually he is quiet and slightly withdrawn with an edge that can make him seem difficult to approach. If he doesn’t know you or doesn’t like you he will have and power to his tone that seems like it could cut you in two and it drips in sarcasm. He can keep his emotions at bay most of the time and you don’t know if he is happy or sad. This is the side of him that most people see. He prefers to be alone thanks to his family history and he can be a bit of a bad boy. He has a natural survival instinct so sometimes he finds it hard to relax. However, once you get to know him you can’t help but love him. Though few will ever see this side, once Sam warms up to you, you will find someone who has your back until the end. He has a great since of humor and he can take the most serious kind of moment and turn it into a joke. He uses this skill to instantly lower any tension. He also has a kinder since of sarcasm, very much unlike that which he uses if he doesn’t like you. It has more of an ironic tone. He tries to act like a big tough guy, often willing to put himself at risks before others. He is completely [b]Accident Prone[/b]….seriously bad luck chases him down. Oddly enough, one still feels safe when he is around. You don’t know why and when he smiles you can’t help but smile too. Sam is naturally protective of women because of what happened to his mom. Anytime he sees a woman in trouble or feels one is being treated wrong he can’t help but, but in. It is a character flaw that has gotten him into several rough spots. He is an excellent listener and most the time his has a quiet disposition. He likes to go into deep thought a lot and he can zone out if nothing important is going on. This happens especially at nighttime when he is looking up at the stars. His intelligence is hidden in his quietness. He feels like there is something meant for him out there, something more than here. On the inside is the broken Sam literally no one has ever seen. Sam doesn’t even let himself think about this part of him most of the time. It is as if he tried to lock it away in darkness in the hopes of snuffing it out, but darkness only amplifies fear. Sam has build walls that have been refortifying for years and it seems as though they can never and will never break down. This is where he hides his fear of dying and becoming a monster. He hides his anger at his dad and the voice that tells him to forgive, a never-ending battle within. Every fear and sadness he has ever felt is hidden here. Perhaps that is why to see him cry would stun someone completely. There is no need to dig up old skeletons and Sam is fine with not breaking this dam loose anytime soon. He doesn’t know if he could survive the flood. [hr] [center][color=orangered][h3][i]History[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Sam has a dark past that few to none know about. At this point in his life he no longer has any family left. He dad originally worked for a company that was theoretically to be finding the cure to the Z-virus. In reality they were experimenting with the virus as well. Some said that they wanted to see if it could be used in a type of warfare. No one knows for sure because after its exposure to the press it quickly went dark. Some rumored that it wasn’t really shut down. Instead it just went underground, but not before ruining Sam’s life, courtesy of his Dad’s selfish and foolish decisions. His dad worked for the company for years. In the beginning, he was a good father and family life was excellent. It was in the last couple of years when everything began to go wrong, around when Sam was 15. His father became reclusive and selfish. He started blowing all of the family’s money on useless investments that always failed. At first Sam’s mom was understanding, assuming her husband was going through some sort of midlife crisis. It wasn’t until they slowly became less able to provide properly for Sam that she went off. She never argued when she thought he could hear; she loved her little boy. Times got tough and Sam began to hate his father for hurting his mother. She soon became sick with all the stress and threatened to divorce and leave with Sam. (Fine by him) That is when his dad ruined his life. Determined to change his luck he stole confidential paperwork from his company and sold them at an auction. Sam and his father were taken prisoners and Sam never knew what became of his mother; he was only 17. Later the government forced his release and whilst wandering he came across the body of his father. There was no way to guess his father would become one of those…things. As he was walking away he heard the sound of the body stir. In the end he was forced to shoot him with a gun he picked off a guard. Sam now suffers from contradicting feelings. Sam has lived on his own since his release. At first he was homeless sleeping where he could, mainly rooftops. Now he has an apartment in the slums portion of the city with a small group of 'friends' none of which know him completely, or the real him at least. His walls are up for now and he doesn't expect them coming down any time at all. Still they know him better than anyone else, though they often dare him to do stupid things or get him into trouble. [center][color=orangered][h3][i]~For darkness restores what light cannot repair~[/i][/h3][/color][/center] [hr] [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Weapons:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] 50AE Desert Eagle Mark XIX. He also owns a S&W 357, the gun used on his father. (He rarely uses it because it is a magnum, thus takes a while to reload. It is for worst case scenarios). He has backpack with basic necessities and carries a Swiss Army knife for close combat. [hr] [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Lives/dies?:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Dies, bless his heart. ): [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Fears:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Ending up being the man his father was. Losing people he cares about or dying without a purpose. [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Likes:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Thunderstorms, as the noise distracts him. He prefers night to day, though it is more dangerous. Food. He really likes food. [hr] [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Themesong:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] Break Even~ The Script & Iris~ The Goo Goo Dolls [center][color=orangered][h3][i]Other:[/i][/h3][/color][/center] He has an internal battle going on between wanting to avenge his father and hating him, to forgive or harbor. There’s more than meets the eye. He also likes to whistle and he may do it absent mindlessly. He owns, or rather feeds a small black kitten named Onyx. [color=orangered][i]Played by:[/i][/color] Midnight Howl[/hider]