epidemiology | [EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

Entry tags:

[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

CHARACTERS: Open to all!
DATE: 3/11-3/12, ICly
WARNINGS: Zombie attacks? Violence? Shopping???
SUMMARY: Lockdown at the mall! Grab your CDs and your soft pretzel, it's about to get bad.

LET'S GO TO THE MALL

LOCKDOWN

Business has been rough for Woodhurst Shopping Center ever since riots and unrest about the Bristol Virus have shunned most to their homes. Perhaps ill-advisedly, in attempts to draw a few more customers back into the polished halls of the grandest shopping experience Woodhurst has to offer, a weekend of big sales, great bargains, and fun family activities was widely advertised in the Woodhurst Watch. There was even a scheduled public concert, performed by the University Choir.

The turnout was smaller than hoped, yet the air was quite optimistic. Shoppers enjoyed the day of activities and fun, and the sense of security was bolstered by the increased security detail. There was even some members of the press on hand to document this return to normality in a troubled time. Everything was going well, until a scene broke out in the food court.

Security tried to quietly remove members of the choir that suddenly seemed to snap, plowing into one of the food stands and starting to feed on raw meat. However, a good handful of them escaped instant confinement, and while many of the visitors fled the mall as soon as they could, soon Police Detail arrived and put the entire building on lockdown. Nobody in and nobody out until the situation was resolved.

18:00 TO 23:00 HOURS

Anyone unlucky enough to be trapped in the mall is left to their own devices, with very little knowledge to go on. This includes many civilians, as well as a small number of Audentes agents. This also includes a small number of infected, more than just the university choir. There's a voice over the loudspeaker imploring people to hide in stores, barricade doors, and stay put until help arrives.

The majority of the infected seem to linger in the Food Court especially. Bad news for anyone trapped and starting to get hungry as the hours pass by, without any obvious assistance from the outside. The members of ALASTAIR have a choice, help protect or just do their best to avoid the infected themselves. Characters can get into the Security Office for a camera feed on what is happening in the mall, and potentially use it as a base of operations to work from.

00:00 TO 02:00 HOURS

It becomes apparent that the number of infected in the mall are somehow increasing, despite the lockdown. It means that those that have squirreled away into stores and outlets are growing less and less safe as infected numbers multiply and they begin attacking barricades. To make matters worse, anyone that hasn't found cover will find the infected extremely reactive, and willing to give chase around the mall.

The security feed indicates the infected seem to be coming in from the Parking Garage. Investigation will reveal a sewer outlet on the bottom floor. Characters will have to decide whether they should utilize the tunnel as a means of escape, or if sealing it off would ultimately leave the remaining hours of lockdown a little less violent.

04:00 TO 09:00 HOURS

It's been an agonizing 12 hours, and with surprisingly little aide from the outside. With time to make preparations and put plans in place, now it's time to end this lockdown once and for all. Audentes is tasked with neutralizing the remaining infected as well as escorting any remaining civilians to safety, by any means they decide on.

It is up to Audentes to decide how the end of this event plays out, be it removing or otherwise drawing away the lingering infected, or putting them down once and for all. There are plenty of civilians that have been bitten and attacked, leaving the question in the air as to whether they are infected as well. What should be done with those that could be bringing the virus back to their families? The team is going to have to decide on the answer to that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[One of them has a tranquilizer gun and smarts, while the other one is covered in 90s references. So it's pretty clear who's more prepared for this situation..... Maya.]

[Except not really, she's losing her balance as Graham comes to her rescue and barely avoids getting her nose bitten while she struggles to remain upright with the skates and skitters like a baby deer on ice.]

[When Graham reaches his arms out, she grabs onto them with both of hers.... but it's not enough to stop the traction, so she tries to swing around him rather than crash into him]

[Stay tuned for how this will backfire]

-Aaaah! It's you!!

[Her mysterious laser tag partner!!!]

( his face colors with slight confusion as he obligingly holds still and Maya satellites around him. he recognizes her, of course he does, though he doesn't remember the fact he neglected to introduce himself. he holds steady, trying to help her slow to a stop without losing her footing. it seems a bit like a losing battle, though. )

I think you ought to take those off. ( he might take it back, though, because when another infected lunges for them he releases her and she slides cleanly off in a different direction, and the poor woman lands resolutely on the floor, and gets a tranq dart for her trouble. he'll run out of them sooner or later, he knows — and then dealing with the infected will be far more difficult.

hopefully Maya is not running into a wall in the meantime. )

No way! You haven't even seen my awesome tricks yet! I'm on fire, baby! [This mysterious gruff Irish wallet I mean partner has once again come to her aid, and Maya's in no position to refuse his help, figuratively or literally. She continues circling around the hapless man right up until he releases her to fight an infected and she careens off---]

[---Right into a wall]

Oof!

[So much for awesome tricks and being on fire, baby. Comedic irony's a bitch]

( well, that is absolutely not what he intended to happen. Graham doesn't have a heart, he can't actually feel that bad about it, but he did sort of throw the poor girl into a wall so he better feel at least mildly sympathetic.

he can't follow her quickly, though, not until he manages to kick off an infected still trying to grab at his boots. the noise in the hall is drawing attention, too much attention, actually. he jogs to catch up with the odd girl, touching her arm and trying to gauge if she's injured from looking at her. )

We need to get out of here, ( he insists, tone almost urgent. apparently even heartless, he can get a little anxious! good to know. )

[It's true, only a heartless jerk would throw a poor, innocent, rollerblading girl into a wall.]

[Just kidding, she's durable so she's just fine, though by the time Graham makes it over to her she's back on her feet, wobbling on the skates, and trying to rub at her face -- struggling thanks to her totally practical armour.]

Y-Yeah... [She'd prefer not to be lunch, thanks. She takes his arm once againand starts rollerskating, trying to pull him with her. If he doesn't walk, it's totally not going to work...] Come, partner! To safety!!

( yeah, it's a good thing he follows, because otherwise she could have fallen all over again. the rollerskates were a real wildcard, they offered speed yet control seemed to be rather absent... in fact Graham might be the one pulling Maya after he breaks into a run, refusing to let go of her arm until they're safely in a music store.

they're absolutely surrounded by discs and cover art, and the store seems a little too exposed for perfect safety, though it's probably quiet enough for now. he slows and awkwardly keeps a spare hand out to catch the rollerblading mystic if he has to. ) Do you have shoes with you still?

( dang graham coming down hard on these rollerskates, aren't you? )

[He's free to pull her along. Despite her struggling, that's really the only way he's going to move, and if he ends up pulling her along she'll scramble to skate and keep up with him, pretending she's actually the one keeping the momentum going]

[Graham's prejudice about rollerskates is noted, but the truth is]

....No, I um, left them somewhere.

[But speaking of the music store, Maya's going to snatch some CDs herself, for security]

What's wrong with my skates?!

( whats wrong with your skates? Maya, if you were hoping for Graham to put it gently and spare your feelings, you picked the wrong guy to be your laster-tag partner. he's too blunt for that, even in ideal situations. this is not what anyone would call ideal.

there's no warning for it, just suddenly putting hands on her waist and then placing her on the counter. when she's sitting she can't accidentally roll into the front windows and give their position away. )

You don't have any control, you're going to hurt yourself.

( he looks around the store, before walking away only to return with a pair of incredibly hideous sneakers. he couldn't even guess what animal they were supposed to represent, yet he was looking at Maya pretty expectantly. )

[Graham's frankly uncalled for prejudice against skates is terrible, but Maya's too distracted by his sudden grabbing and lifting her]

-Eeek!

[She's easily startled, I wasn't kidding.]

Edited 2017-03-29 06:21 (UTC)

--Hey! I do so have some control... it's just taking some time to get used to, that's all.

[She puffs out her cheeks at his skate discrimination and ugly sneakers but since he's a relatively intimidating tall grown-up, despite a little sass, she won't actually argue. She starts trying to wiggle her skates off obediently]

You don't gotta be jealous, you know. We could have matched and both skated around!

( Graham looks less than impressed. she can get used to it sometime when there's not infected trying to chew on her, just a thought. in fact, maybe when things are a little less stressful, he'll even realize he was a little brusk with her... maybe he will make it up to her by getting her own pair of skates.

for right now, he just watches her put on the sneakers with a rather grim look. he won't be satisfied until they're on. )

I'll pass. ( what a stick in the mud. I'm sorry for him, Maya. he pauses, before skirting around the counter and trying to hint Maya behind along with him. there was about a half dozen infected roaming just outside the window, and he'd rather they not have to face them if they can avoid it. )

[Graham's hatred of fun and obsession with sneakers aside, Maya's used to people being short and sarcastic and snappy with her, so it isn't the end of the world for her, as much as she huffs and sticks her leggies out at him after she's finished putting her sneakers on to prove she did it]

Too embarrassed, huh? It's okay, mister, I'll teach you how to have smooth moves like me! [he did fine at laser tag so he can probably master this. She doesn't quite get the signal, but she's loathe to stay here by herself, so she quickly gathers up her poor skates and scrambles after him]

W-Wait for me!

[Less huffy and a bit of the actual scared teenage girl under all of this bravado]

( teaching Graham to rollerskate would be quite an ordeal, since he's never tried it before. then again, looking at Maya on her skates, she might not be especially experienced with the activity, either...

she doesn't quite get what they're hiding from, but at least she follows along, and doesn't call too much attention to either of them. he holds a hand out for her to take, so even for a heartless guy, apparently he's not completely heartless. not even Graham can hold being frightened against her. he realizes how dire the situation is. )

We're going to have to get out of here, but I don't know how i can get through a crowd that large. ( two? sure. three? maybe. six, maybe more? that's beyond what a normal man can fathomably take. and this might be a bit of a stretch but he's asking for ideas. )

[There's no better way to learn than teaching!!! It'll be a great experience for the both of them]

[As they run, Maya takes a moment to stare at his outstretched hand like she's not sure what to make of it--- he's the second man, now, that's tried to hold her hand since she's gotten here -- and she still doesn't understand why. Does she seem so pathetic that Jin and this man with the weird Swedish accent feel compelled to comfort her? Is this a normal thing for their team, holding hands with each other? What is this "team" they're supposed to be, really...?]

[She shouldn't take that hand. Now's not the time to fall apart -- to wait for a guy to swoop in and rescue her -- she has to be strong so she can help all these sick people. She shouldn't burden this man, when he's already occupied with getting them out safely. She shouldn't---]

[She cradles the rollerblades under her left arm, takes the offered hand and threads her fingers in his, sticking close, and feels her breathing even out a little.]

....Um.. I only got half of that.... [that thick Swedish accent and all!!] B-But I agree! We need to get through the crowd! We need to.... activate the sprinklers, or throw Easter decorations, or... something!

( if he's learned anything during his Audentes, it's that relying on someone else doesn't make someone weaker. it makes them stronger. the Huntsman had existed as a lone wolf for a very long time, pushing away human interaction with both hands. as a sheriff he'd still kept his friendly distance, above and apart. Emma had shown him the positive influence of a partner, and he's only grown from the man who had asked her to be his deputy. he knows the benefits of opening his trust to his teammates.

offering a hand to a relative stranger isn't telling her that he finds her to be weak, or that she needs protecting. it's saying that they'll be stronger together.

they don't have any Easter decorations to throw, and Graham doesn't seem to understand why she wouldn't get half of what he said. he hadn't spoken in particularly ornate language, after all. ) They seem distracted by sound. We could try throwing something past them, see if they chase for it. ( he takes care to talk slower this time, but jury is out on if it made him sound less "Swedish". )

[it's great that Graham learned the power of friendship and all, but Maya exerts massively unrealistic expectations on herself. She still feels like she failed Phoenix for not being able to channel Mia and she's determined to be "useful" here too. Too bad she's already being a "burden".]

[(And yet, she's not letting go of his hand. Just like with Jin -- somehow everything seems less terrifying when he's this close. Near stranger or not)]

....What about CDs?

[It's still hard for her to understand his Italian accent, but she's making an effort to concentrate on his words and listen] They'd make pretty good projectiles.

( whether she believes it yet or not doesn't matter. he believes it. maybe with time she will come to understand it, too. it's not easy, to suddenly be thrust into a team full of people you don't know or trust. he's learned only with a great deal of time. Maya likely still needs some of that.

for his part, Graham wouldn't say she's a burden. he likely wouldn't have considered using the CDs as projectiles, and they were downright surrounded by them. ) All right. It's worth a try.

[We can only hope that one day it'll get through her thick skull]

[She's a little reluctant to let go of his hand now that she has it (as childish as that might be, it does make her feel better), so she starts gathering up CDs with her free hand, stuffing some in her pockets. The time to stock up is now!]

They're pretty heavy... I bet they'd come in handy. We can throw them like ninja stars!

( despite being cursed to a modern world, Graham doesn't necessarily have the most experience with technological advances. he's not sure he's ever touched more than a handful of CDs in his life, and now he's surrounded by them. they don't seem like perfect weapons, and but they are heavier than he might have expected. 90s CDs are serious business, apparently.

once they're both as armed as they're going to get, he eyes the crowd they have to get through. ) Are you ready? Try to be as quiet as you can, and use the CDs to make a distraction. Hopefully they'll chase after it.

( it's about the only chance they have, because he doesn't have enough sedative darts left to dispatch with the entire crowd they're facing. )

[Try to be as quiet as you can.... wow, Graham really doesn't know who he's dealing with, here. Maya nods seriously (don't be fooled, she isn't even capable of being quiet) She stage whispers:]

You can count on me, partner! Let's ninja shuriken these guys down!

[she finally lets go of his hand to prepare her arsenal. Seems like she's a little less scared now -- or is it bravado?]

Edited 2017-04-20 01:02 (UTC)

( her whisper is not the most convincingly quiet — if you're gonna hang with the huntsman, maya, you're just gonna have to learn to be stealthy. it's a part of the package.

for now, though, they've got something else to focus on. getting out of here in one piece, namely. Graham doesn't answer over simply nodding, and even taking the first step out the door. the CDs outside of the package don't do more than bounce off infected shins. dead rising lied to us about their destructive capacity...

however, throwing the entire jewel case makes a loud clattering noise, which does draw the attention of the crowd. as long as they can make a noise big enough without bringing too much attention back towards themselves... they may just make it. )

[Good luck with that, Graham. Really, good luck with that]

[If Maya's good at anything, it's making noise. There's no guarantee it won't be traced back to them, but she nods seriously to him and then pulls her arm back and throws another case off into the distance, immediately hiding after. There it goes....]

[Now it's time for them to make a run for it, presumably, she'll take his sleeve this time to make sure they don't get separated]

( yes, indeed, now is the part where they make a break for it. he doesn't shake off the hand at his sleeve, instead he reaches for her hand to tuck it around his arm properly. the Huntsman can move pretty fast, and he doesn't want Maya to get left behind. if he keeps her close he'll be better able to keep an eye on her.

and with that he's off, careful to avoid the stumbling infected still skittering on sheer marble in their attempts to chase down the source of sudden noise. only one spots and lurches toward them, and Graham drops his spare CDs at the poor man's feet, leaving him to trip over the slippery plastic.

it's a little ridiculous, honestly... but it worked, and they seem to have made it. at least for now. )

[Good thing Graham's okay with ridiculous, because Maya's flinging CDs like shurikens with her free hands right and left. She appreciates that he makes sure not to leave her behind by taking her hand (again) around his arm, because as quick on her feet as she is there's enough of a height gap that she has to struggle to keep up with him.]

A-Alright! Time to blow this popsicle stand!

[That's some relevant 90s lingo for them. Onto freedom they go!!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

you chose well, friend

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

you thought i wouldn't i bet

i'd never underestimate you

never i will make dead rising references until the end of time

1/2

i've never played it....

im disowning you

i'm disowning YOU

that's fine it gets us to the same place in the end

(nottalking)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

wraps this with a 🎀

i love how you keep trying to escape your fate by wrapping threads but there'll always be 50 more