threedawg

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

#9

Evelyn nodded wordlessly at Craig, seemingly affirming her trust in him before standing up and making her way back to the truck they had arrived in. She opened the door and slumped into the driver's chair, reaching down and pulling the lever to the side of the seat so that it reclined back. As she stared at the musty, grey roof of the truck, she pondered over the possibility of Black Mountain's sanctity already being compromised. The idea of shelter, safety, food and comfort had kept her going over the past few months. She had lost a companion whom she had developed camaraderie with and was much further out of Chicago than she had been a day ago. Through setback after setback, she had remained stony-faced and silent but now that she was alone, she couldn't help but feel that Levi had not just been means to an end. He was the first friend she had had in a long time.

The idea of not seeing him again hurt much more than she let on but showing weakness, especially in front of these strangers, was not a good idea. Scarlett was the only one she truly trusted. Joe seemed harmless but stupid, Haleigh gave off a calculating and conniving air, Marcus was a loner at heart and Craig's magnanimity was suspicious. He had been extremely charitable thus far but his history had deeply concerned Evelyn on the matter of his sanity. He had seen and done terrible things; surely it had scarred him? His status as the last survivor of such a large group did nothing to ameliorate her unease.

Despite wanting to stay awake for as long as possible to keep an eye on the others, her desire for vigilance eventually capitulated to her need for sleep. Her eyelids grew impossibly heavy and her head rolled against the cold, leather headrest.

---

Evelyn slowly opened her eyes, awoken by the usually pleasant sound of birds singing among the treetops. She blearily glanced to the right to see Scarlett peacefully slumbering in the passenger seat. Judging by the pink tinge of the sky and the absence of the sun, dawn had begun in the last few minutes. Taking care not to wake Scarlett up, she gently opened the door and stepped outside.

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

#9

Evelyn felt slightly relieved by Scarlett's reaction, noting that it was possible her lie had not been too transparent. She had to work on her social skills, however; being able to keep a poker face and smoothly tell a lie would probably help her get out of many sticky situations to come.

"I'm Evelyn." she said in response to Marcus whose excitement at the prospect of reaching the Black Mountain was palpable. "I heard the announcement a while back and, to be honest, I'm not even sure the place is still running. It's just that it's the only chance we have of living relatively normal lives again."

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

#9

Evelyn opened her mouth to respond with brutal honesty but closed it after the quick realisation that lowering morale at this point would likely get them all killed. She had grown fond of Levi, in a way, but people came and people went. She was never going to see him again; the possibility of their paths crossing was almost nil. While the idea of losing him forever caused her some degree of sadness, she was certain that Scarlett would not be able to deal with her loss in the same manner. The twins had likely grown up together and evidently had a very close bond which had now been cruelly severed by a most unfortunate set of circumstances.

"I..." she started uncertainly, focusing to the left of Scarlett's face as she was unable to look her in the eye. "I think our best chance will be to head to Chicago. I'm sure they managed to escape and the best bet on reuniting would be to look for them at the Black Mountain."

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

I'm gonna post a scenario with Levi and Callie soon, you could join that if you want! :)

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

It seems like post-locking is a ubiquitous part of RPG :( Even if a few members are busy, it means at least twice that amount will be unable to post and that leads to waning interest etc. I tend to blame myself for an RP becoming less active but I didn't even have the chance to bring the storylines together since most people haven't finished their first scenarios! Oh well, even if it dies... It was a good run.

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

#9

Evelyn took her seat next to to Scarlett and stared at the crackling flames, mesmerised by the dancing shapes they formed in the air. She tilted her head to look at her companion, the fire reflected in her bright eyes as she engaged 'the man trying to survive', as he had referred to himself. The fact that he wouldn't share his name with the rest of them bothered her but she did not press the issue; the man was already going well out of his way by offering them food and shelter.

"It's... uh... adapted for humans." she said quietly, looking up at Joe. "The virus, I mean. It operates in two stages; shutting the body down and re-animating it. Animals can become infected and will die but the re-animation process is exclusive to humans. It must have had to adapt very specifically to turn the human brain back on again"

She turned her attention back to the fire, feeling worse because of the answer she just gave. The glumness was not related to the content of the answer, but for the feeling it elicited in her. She felt like a teacher once more, explaining something complex to an eager group of students.

"Then again, that's assuming this is a natural virus." she continued, rubbing her hands together in front of the warmth of the flickering flames. "The last person I was with thought that the virus was genetically engineered as a biological warfare agent. Either way, we're still fucked."

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

#9

Evelyn stepped out of the truck and gazed around at the scene in bemusement. Renaissance fairs were a gateway into the medieval period but she couldn't help be reminded of another long-forgotten epoch: 21st century America. It was hard to believe that places like this had existed, packed full of people escaping into a fantasy realm. She stared at the fire pit, imagining joyous families around it as their children played and the sounds of their laughter echoed across the fair.

She blinked and immediately remembered where she was. In the corpse of something that had once been enjoyable. There were weapons strewn across the grass, dilapidated port-o-potties, a truck that presumably belonged to the man with the lance and, most conspicuously, the eye-sore that was the festering garbage can inundated with empty boxes of mac n' cheese.

"Looks like you're doing better than just surviving." commented Evelyn dully, watching as the man dragged animal carcasses from the flatbed of the truck they had arrived in.

At least they would be eating tonight.

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

#9

Evelyn knew that her survival and well-being would become inextricably linked to Scarlett's; they were a team now. If she felt so strongly about something, it would be unwise to rebuke her suggestion as it would end up creating a power-struggle dynamic. She had to get used to democracy if the group was to grow larger and attract people of good moral character. The bikers seemed to make a good point about siphoning gas but it was still not enough to ameliorate her worries. However, once the man who had surrendered his weapon piped up with an offer of food, shelter and safety, she felt that it would be against her own survival instinct to reject this group.

"Get in." she called out, flashing her lights at the lance-wielding man and beckoning him over.

She retracted her gun-bearing arm back into the car and put the safety on before gently placing it at her feet. She'd need quick access to it in case anything went wrong. Although she was beginning to feel more relaxed around this group at Scarlett's insistence, she couldn't afford to become complacent.

"Alright, let's see how this goes." she said to the bikers. "There's space in the back for two bikes but one of you is gonna have to ride along side us."

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

Approved!

The Walking Dead: Chicago (Dark, post-apocalyptic zombie RP - Always open!)

#9

She grimaced as two more bikers came into view and flanked Marcus. A cursory glance at his companions told her that they were not likely to be a threat but looks could be deceiving. This was a world with no rules; any morality these people had held before the virus was up in the air now. With her gun still trained on Marcus, her eyes darted towards the stranger on the other side.

Evelyn eyed the lance distastefully as it slid across the ground and stopped a metre away from her feet. It was certainly one gaudy weapon and didn't seem practical at all. Still, the man had managed to dispatch the walker with ease so perhaps he had training. Everything could be used as a weapon, she realised, as she wistfully remembered the fire iron she had taken from Levi's house.

"You didn't need to do that. I have a gun, see?" she said, a flicker of a smile on her face. This was a strange time to be regaining her sense of humour but the situation was odd enough to warrant it.

Evelyn slowly approached the truck with Scarlett, lowering her weapon slightly but still keeping her gun arm extended in case the bikers made any sudden movements. She had seen the female eyeing the pick-up truck in a manner which did not do anything to assuage her suspicions. She gave the truck a superficial inspection to check for any damage before sitting down in the driver's seat, barely concealing her enthrallment at once again being in a car. She had spent so much time walking the remnants of America, she had forgotten the convenience of driving. The highway was vast and open and relatively free of walkers on the way to the Black Mountain. Perhaps things were finally looking in their favour.

"We'll cover at least half of the journey in no time." she thought, patting the passenger seat with her free hand and nodding at Scarlett.

"Let's go." she said, closing the door with her gun pointed out of the open window.

A quick glance in the rear-view mirror showed a massive herd of walkers in the distance, shambling towards them. The unconscious bodies of their former captors would slow that bloodthirsty pack down.