Sol Grim

The Dead and the Dying

Johnny

Johnny walked his motorcycle through the brushes and covered it in a ditch.

"We go on foot from here," Johnny told them. "If we can't reach your girl's place by nightfall, we need to set up a camp. How far is it?"

He pulled out a short bottle of whiskey and took a swig of it, then offered it over to the kid.

Ethan

Once they were set, they were just as soon off. He took the back ways out of the city that only the locals knew, and for the most part it worked. Whenever they would reach a dead end due to traffic being piled up, it was on to the next street. There was always another way out of this city, at least until they reached the barricade zones.

Ethan pulled the vehicle under a large bridge that was to head out of the city, but the bridge was raised and blocked off by military forces. He could see them in the distance, the military keeping watch.

"Well, looks like we're off roading," Ethan told them.

As they hit the dunes leading out of the city, Ashley got worse. She began foaming at the mouth and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Within moments, she seemed to pass on.

"Ashley?" there was nothing any of them could do at this point, and Ethan knew that. He just kept driving, unknowing that the girl was beginning to turn into one of those things this very moment.

Raven

The young hairstylist now had a full suv with strangers in it, all looking to get out of the city. As the sun began to lower down the sky, they could see the city behind them in all its horror. Smoke rose up to the clouds and the gunfire continued. It was the end of the world.

"Lookout!" the passenger yelled.

Raven swerved back to reality. Another vehicle, a 2016 LandRover LR4, jumped out onto the dirt road before them. They were coming across the dunes, and we're driving recklessly in front of them.

"What the hell's wrong with these people?" the passenger asked.

Raven let the brake loosen as she followed carefully behind them.

"I don't know, maybe they need help?" she wondered.

Dallen

Pitch black. The man lit his zippo on to see a few feet in front of him. Against the side of the tunnel, he found a steel pipe that he picked up and held firmly onto. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he put his lighter away and continued on. He had taken the subway on numerous occasions and had gone to many different places, so he knew it led out of the city. The only problem was, it was almost impossible to tell if he was going the right way or not.

He walked for hours until he came upon one of the subway trains, parked and unmoving. Blood smeared the windows as he approached, and then the faint sound of crunching and lips smacking together could be heard. He pushed open the doors and saw the carnage within. Mutilated corpses lie everywhere, and in the darkness he could see shadowy figures hunched over the bodies, feasting on their flesh. They stopped and quickly turned their attention to the lawyer.

"Shit," he said.

The first one ran at him, but Dallen's swing of his pipe was perfectly placed. It smacked the creature hard in the temple and its brain exploded upon impact against the train wall. The next one came slower, but it moved unpredictably. It would shuffle to the left, then back up a few steps, then move to the right. As it got a few feet away from him, he kicked a severed head that the first creature was eating into its path. The infected tripped over the head, giving Dallen just enough time to bring his pipe down with force. He gave the undead a few more bashes to the skull until he was satisfied, then it was on to the final infected monster at the back of the train, but this one was different.

Dallen lit his zippo to get a better look at it. It's jaws were widespread, and it was longer and lengthier than the others. It looked as if the skin had been completely ripped off of it. The monster tilted its head back and began to scoff something up from its throat. Dallen raised an eyebrow as the thing spat a toxic subtance toward him. He quickly dodged out of the way by ducking under one of the seats. The substance struck the area around him, burning the steel as if it were some kind of acid.

The spitter began to charge up again, but Dallen moved in. He rushed the thing, and smashed his pipe across its face before it could build up the toxin. The spitter fell to the floor, as the acid like substance burned its own face off. Dallen pulled out his marlboro's and realized he only had one final cigarette left.

"Typical," he said.

The Dead and the Dying

Dallen

"It's only a few blocks, we can make it," Dallen told the small group. "Stay together and keep up."

They were hunched behind a dumpster behind the court building. The plan was to head east until they got to the subway entrance, then take that all the way outside of the city. Dallen gave one last brief look over the dumpster, then nodded to them. They started at a light jog, but when the walkers came into view the pace picked up, even the judge was moving quickly.

"We're not going to make it!" Cindy, the secretary yelled.

"We will, keep moving," Dallen assured her.

The police in the area were firing their weapons near the front of the judicial building, giving them a distraction from the horde to escape. They made it down two blocks with relative ease, using the many vehicles parked along the curbside as cover.

"We're almost there," he told them.

Suddenly, down one of the side streets, they saw a large tank crumble over some wreckage. It was moving slow and came to a stop in a small park field, set directly in the center of numerous large buildings. Moments later, a few military trucks rolled in beside it, with soldiers all set inside. It looked as if they were about to have a quick moment to plan out whatever came next.

"The military!" the judge shouted with excitement. "We're saved!"

Without warning, he and the rest ran after them, ignoring whatever plan Dallen had set for them. Dallen winced and stayed back, not completely trusting anyone or anything at this point. He was right to believe so, as the military noticed the group running toward them.

"Help! Help us!" Cindy shouted.

The soldiers raised their weapons at the group. They paused in confusion, waving their hands in surrender.

"We're not infected! I'm a judge!" the man pleaded.

They opened fire.

Dallen waited a few moments longer, and the military moved off to another location. He reached the tunnel entrance to the subway and went inside, lighting up a cigarette as he went down the steps. He paused to catch his breath briefly, then continued on alone.

The Dead and the Dying

Ethan

Ethan checked the last text message he received as he got into the vehicle with the others. It was from his wife, and read: "Go to where we brought the boys horse riding that one time, find us there!"

Hope struck him as he smiled with joy. 'They're still alive!' he thought. Putting the landrover in gear, he got ready to go.

"Is he coming with us?" Ethan asked of the fat man pissing his pants. He would only wait a few moments longer, as the infected began to crack the doors glass.

Johnny

Not to long after, the rural areas of the farmlands came into view. It went on for miles, which meant it was a good place to hide. The only problem was everyone and their mother probably was thinking the same. Johnny pulled his motorcycle parallel to Frank's and spoke to them as they continued to ride.

"What was your name again, kid?" he asked. "You did good back there, but now you're up again. These people know you, lead us in. Frank, whatever happens, we watch out for each other. That's the only way we're going to get through this."

The Origin: A War Resumed (Arc One; Completed)

Southern Coast of Barcea

"Dead men walking!"

The crier led the four captive prisoners toward the town's gallows. Dalious walked at the rear and was the only of the pirates to have his head up. He was looking at all the faces in the crowd for one specifically, the traitor dwarf that got him captured in the first place. One who was once called a loyal friend, though he was nowhere to be seen.

A rock flew by and cracked Dalious in the temple, causing him to drop to a knee. "Thieves!" one older man yelled while raising an angry fist in the air. "Pirate scum!!" came another voice.

"Piss on you, you meesley vagrants!" Dalious spat, which welcomed a fist to his gut from one of the guards. He was then tugged onto the platform and forced under a noose. He turned his head to see his comrades under the same fate. They were some of the newer members to his ship crew and probably the only ones that could have been trusted, though he found that little bit of information out a little to late. "An easy job he said. In and out, he said. That fat treacherous dwarf! If I ever see him ag--"

His words were muffled by a wool bag being placed over his head. Everything went dark and it became immediately harder to breathe. He then remained silent, as he figured he would rather be hung with a bit of air than none at all.

The crier began to speak of their crimes to the ever angered mob of people, all waiting in anticipation for the ropes to let go. Dalious tried to ignore all of that and instead focused his thoughts on the last woman he had lain with. Her name was....actually he forgot her name, but her smell was of peaches and lilac. She was just another whore, and he didn't know why he thought of her specifically, but it helped calm his nerves given the current circumstance.

Suddenly, the first of the trap doors opened up, and his former crew member fell quickly. The poor bastards neck snapped him dead near to immediately. As the crowd cheered, with a few surprising jeers, the next pirate got hung. His name was Gref, somewhat of a good man, at least in the sense of being a pirate and all. He struggled for a good while before his body became stiff at the rope.

"Dalious," the man next to him said, finding the time to speak a few last words before he met his demise. "I want you to know, I had nothing to do with what happened. I want you..."

"It matters not, mate," Dalious calmly spoke through the bag. "Die well, I shall be there very soon."

"We had some fun though," his comrade said with a slight laugh. "It was an honor to..."

All Dalious could hear was the floor slam as it gave way, then applause. Some of the people were sickened by the act and tried to leave, though curiosity led them to stay. Their noise was muffled when it was his turn next, as all the man could hear now were the hangman's footsteps as he approached.

"Never trust a fucking dwarf..." he muttered to himself and took one last breath.

"Run!!" "They're coming!" "H'kelans!"

Madness ensued. An arrow flew by Dalious' face and struck the hangman behind him dead in the heart. The large man fell to the pirate's feet, as the roaring of the crowd quickly turned into panic and confusion.

The H'kelan soldiers poured out from the treeline of the small village. Screams began to fill the air as they caught their enemy off guard. They slaughtered everyone in their path, and burned every structure they came upon.

Dalious used his toes to pry the arrow from the dead hangman's chest as the chaos erupted around him. Once he finally had it, he lifted it up to his bound hands and began snipping the rope away with the arrowhead. The villagers began to fight back with whatever weapons they could find, though the H'kelans were too large a force to be reckoned with. Luckily, none paid much attention to the pirate as he finally freed his hands and took off the noose and bag.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," he said to himself. "Bloody great."

He ran alongside the mayham until he noticed himself about to be cornered. He then quickly went into the burning stables where a single stallion was, prisoned by the gate it was in. The horse was wailing and panicking, but it calmed down once the pirate opened the gate.

"There, there love," he spoke to the animal. "We have to work together on this, savvy?" The horse seemed to understand after a brief moment, as it let the stranger approach it. "Save me now, and I'll pay back the favor." He jumped onto the horses back and gave her a tap.

Together, they rode out of the smoke filled village and galloped through the battle. One of the H'Kelans noticed him and loosed a few arrows his way, all but one missing. The one that struck him hit him right behind his left shoulder. Though it was too late, the horse had sped off while Dalious hung on for dear life.

They rode day and night to the north, not even thinking about stopping. He managed to pull the arrow from his flesh successfully on the first night without it being much of a problem, but the loss of blood would slowly drain him as he went on. Unaware to him, he passed the capital some time ago, traveling parallel to it when he did. He was now lost, weak, and weary from thought of mind. His eyes began playing tricks on him as the sun beat down on his skin. Eventually, he collapsed, not even feeling his face smack hard against the ground.

What felt like moments later, his eyes barely opened up and he saw shadows approaching. With all his strength, he could but utter one word to whomever they were. "Rum..." He blacked out again.

The Dead and the Dying

I think I accidentally hit that smiley icon TK lol. In case you were wondering about that. But that dude pissing himself was pretty funny regardless.

The Dead and the Dying

Dallen

Even with the dead rising and killing people, it wasn't the sole problem the city was facing. Rioting broke out all along the streets. People were looting stores and destroying anything they could, those lucky enough to not be near the undead anyway. The civilians inside the judicial court building realized this soon enough, and for the most part they calmed down and began listening to the officers. Some of the other lawyers and judges locked themselves away in their offices on higher level floors, hoping it would all come to an end soon. The military had set up barricades around the grid of the city, closing it off as best they could. By mid day they realized that they had lost control, and the order to shoot everyone, including the uninfected people, was given. One of the officers kept the group Dallen was in informed, as he had outside connections with the military. The few of them were on the second floor overlooking the mass of people still inside, all sitting around and waiting for this to end.

"There's no help coming, is there?" a middle aged blonde woman asked, she was a city lawyer.

The officer she spoke to shook his head. "I lost contact thirty minutes ago. Last I heard, they couldn't keep it under wraps. Then..."

"Then what?" Dallen asked.

"Look, it was my brother contacting me and now I don't even know if he's alive," the cop spoke. "He told me...get out. There gonna napalm the city and set up refugee camps at Fort Wallington and other places. If that doesn't contain this thing, then who knows."

"How long do we have?" Dallen asked, as the others around him seemed to start losing their cool.

"Sometime soon, probably nightfall. I don't really know, but I assume as quickly as possible. If this thing gets out..."

"They can't just bomb us?" the lady started. "We're people! Doesn't the president have to order that!?"

The officers silence answered her question for her.

"So what?" one of the judges asked, a large man with a balding head. "We just, wait here to die? We can't go out there!"

"We have to," Dallen told him.

"What do we tell all these people?" the judge asked.

"Open the doors, every man for himself," answered the cop. "Goodluck."

"What, wait! You can't abandon us, we don't know how to fight!" another person said, one of the secretaries. "We need you to protect us."

"You're on your own," was the last thing the cop said as he ran off. He grabbed the megaphone and went through the crowd to the front doors. "Everybody listen up. We're opening the doors. We can't stay here any longer."

The crowd roared in confusion. The same people screaming to get out were now doing the opposite. It didn't matter, as they didn't have a chance to get the glass doors opened. A black suv suddenly rammed through, crushing the officer in an instant and creating a large opening. After a few moments of shock, the curious few in the front of the crowd slowly stepped forward. It was to late, a large horde of the dead had taken notice. The infected came swarming in as panic erupted.

"Is there a back way out?" Dallen asked the judge, who snapped out of his shock to say that there was. Lets go."

The Dead and the Dying

Preferably. What you have in mind? Im working now so I might not be able to respond quick.

The Dead and the Dying

Not really. Just put your name, occupation if your character has one, and a brief bio. Or you can go all out and make a big one, up to you. Pick a playby, any actor, musician, model, etc. Not required but I like to visualize the person.

The Dead and the Dying

Raven

The white van she was driving now had red smears all over the front. Raven pressed on the pedal hard as she ran over another undead person, struggling with the wheel to keep it in control. Sitting next to her in the passenger seat was a complete stranger, and so were the other two elderly woman buckled in behind them. She didn't even know any of their names yet, but she saved them. For whatever reason, she was helping anyone she could along the way. Maybe it would bite her in the ass down the line, but for right now, it felt like the human thing to do. They all needed each other.

"Watch out!!" the man sitting next to her yelled as she toppled over another infected.

"Sorry!" Raven said, wincing as she did so.

"We have to get off the main roads!" one of the woman behind her said.

"Working on it!" Raven shot back.

The Dead and the Dying

Johnny

"Thanks," Johnny said with a smile. He combed his hair back as he looked at himself in one of the many mirrors. He almost couldn't recognize himself with someone elses blood all over his face. "I don't know, maybe it's some kind of weapon. Maybe the north koreans figured out a new virus?" He didn't actually believe what he just said either, but he wasn't one for much logical thinking. "Yeah, what if they don't let us in?"

Johnny took another swig of Jameson whiskey as he found a bar towel to wipe off his face. Before he could even think, he heard the kid screaming. He saw the crippled goul reaching out at the boy, and his instinct took him over. Johnny ran and shoved the kid out of the way, probably harder than he had intended. Then he began to stomp on the undead's head repeatedly until he cracked the skull. It fell face first in a puddle of brain matter and blood.

"Okay, how many times do we have to keep killing these mother fuckers?" Johnny shouted, then turned over and helped the kid up. "Sorry, language. Listen, I don't know if they're dead or not, but they seem to stop once you kill the brain. That's my guess anyway."

Johnny grabbed a pool stick and snapped it in half over his knee, then tossed one side to the kid.

"Start stabbing all these bastards in their heads, we can't have any more surprises," Johnny ordered. He walked over to the nearest dead guy on the floor and stuck the sharp end of his pool stick deep into its eye socket. He then reached down and picked up the gun the kid had mentioned from the other infected guy. It was a glock 45, standard issue. He took the dead man's belt and holster and wrapped it around himself.

Ethan

Still no reception. The television wasn't working either, but the radio he saw in one of the garages might. He came back to the others with a backpack he found full of water and the radio. He plugged it in to the nearest socket and fiddled around with it. Ashley was calmed down a bit more now, lying on the couch. She was probably in shock.

"Thank you," Ethan told the man that brought them in. He could still hear the runners pressing against the door they came in. He knew they couldn't stay here for long. "We'd probably be dead right now. I'm Ethan by the way, she's a student of mine. Her names Ashley. We were on a bus heading to the university when he got in a bad accident. Then...people started attacking other people...tearing them apart, you know? Something horrible is happening."

After a few moments, the radio kicked on.

"...are blocked off. Stay in your homes and barricade everything. The military is working on...."

"Oh yeah, this'll be some clean up," Ethan said. "The military's going to have their hands full for a pretty long time. They might as well just...bomb the city."

He realized as he said it, how true that could come to happen. He tried to put it away from his mind, at least for the time being.

Dallen

The judicial building was on lockdown. No one to enter and no one to leave. Panic was errupting in the main lobby area, where a bunch of civilians, mostly just average joes that came in for jury duty, were screaming and yelling at the few officers trying to keep things under control. Dallen watched the chaos unfold from the second floor, though he knew this wasn't nearly as bad as it was outside.

"I have a family to get to!" one lady yelled.

"You can't keep us here!"

"We have rights!"

An officer pulled out a megaphone and spoke to them: "Please, calm down. This is for your own good. If you go outside, you will be attacked. We have to stay here until this blows over."

"When's that!?"

"How long!!"

"Let us out!!"

It was inevitable in Dallen's mind what was about to happen next. The only thing he could do right now was stay back and let it happen.