epidemiology | [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

[Not the best reception he's ever gotten, but without question one of the most charming. He keeps an eye socket on her as she scurries past, caught somewhere between befuddled and amused as he waves the jerky in front of him, luring an outcropping of zombies closer.

It takes some time. Sans' pace is slow and the infected's motor control wasn't the best. Without any sudden movements, they were content to just follow the scent in a shambling herd. Once Sans had them throwing distance away, he cranes over his shoulder towards where Peridot is still, presumably, vibrating.]

I'm gonna toss this. [He waggles the jerky in the air for emphasis.] It's gonna jerk their attention hard, so be ready, kiddo.

[she's bouncing impatiently on her feet and making frustrated noises at this point, because why are you so slow, Sans, but she manages to hold in her impatience which is a feat unto itself, and when Sans addresses her, she goes ramrod straight and still, ready to leap into action.] Got it.

[she cracks her knuckles over her head- an unnecessary gesture, of course, considering she has no muscles or joints to limber up as it's all illusory but it has such a great dramatic effect- and shakes her hands out.] Let's be heroes.

[she has been hanging out with too many people who are terrible influences on her sense of theatrics.]

[No kidding. Lucky for her, Sans has a certain fondness for those with a thrill for showmanship and heroism. He looks downright fond as he tosses the bag jerky in the air, letting it twirl a few moments.

At first, it seems like it'll simply drop back down at his feet. Even the infected seem confused. That is, until Sans -- languidly as always -- chokes up on an imaginary bat and follows through on a fake swing. Despite the complete lack of contact with anything real, the poor, innocent jerky goes flying back towards the store with impressive speed.

The infected aren't far behind, reacting like dogs in the middle of a heated game of fetch. They come in one mass, slobbering for food. Where ever Peridot is when the chaos is triggered, she'll find Sans' voice right beside her in the same moment.]

You're up, leader.

[she's a little distracted- her enthusiasm quelled by whatever the heck it is that Sans is doing- so when his voice is beside her, reminding her of what she needs to do, she jumps, making a surprised, high-pitched sound, and then throws her hand up, bringing the heavy grate slamming down.]

Hah! [she points at the infected, who, by now, have realized they're trapped and have gathered around the grate like angry animals in a pen.] You clods fell for it!

[she holds up her hand for Sans to slap her the shortest of five.]

[Well goddamn. Who is he to that down? Sans meets her five. Very gently, of course. Can't have her getting too enthusiastic and dusting him.]

That was pretty slick. [He chuckles, stepping slightly towards the grate, watching the trapped infected with mild curiosity.] How long have you been able to do magic like that?

[that would be awkward. Peridot's only fatality- a guy with 1 HP. such is her life.

she crosses her arms over her chest, scoffing a little.] Magic?. This is an innate ability- likely due to an serpentization of magnetite in the peridotite mold Homeworld used to make me. I only learned how to access the power recently, but I'm becoming more aware of how strong I really am by the minute.

[Those were a lot of words, but you didn't live in an underground cavern your whole life without picking up a thing or two about geology.

Peridot was looking a lot less like a quirky name by the minute.]

Innate ability sounds a lot like magic to me, but I'll take your word for it. [Magic, science, they were two sides of the same coin to Sans, anyway.] You got somebody training you, or are you self-taught?

There's no one here who can comprehend these abilities, so of course I have to teach myself through trial and error. [she balls her hand up into a dramatic fist, only for the wind to go out of her sails a bit as she remembers... Jesper.

whatever. he barely counts.] Except Jesper, of course, but he and I are about on the same level. If anything, I should be training him. He can't possibly be manipulating magnetic fields with that organic body.

So why don't you? [He asks, leaning back against the wall. If anything, he looks thoughtful.] Train people, I mean.

Seems to me there's an awful lot of people around who could use a little... guidance. Y'know, magically speaking.

[Lord knows he's not the one to do it. Undyne, maybe. Or Papyrus. Or, maybe, this little green gem.]

Oh... Uh. [that's a good question. one she knows the answer to, because for all that she is an overly aggrandizing hot mess of a gem, she self-aware about it, which means logically she knows she's in no state to teach anyone.

but she isn't going to admit that.]

I'm just so busy. A gem's work is never done. It would take too much time away from my other projects.

[what other projects.]

[Sure, they were in the middle of a bombed out mall full of scary humans, but Sans couldn't quite help leaning forward with almost casual interest.]

What other projects?

[u brought this on urself]

Uh.

[she sure did, and she'll... stumble out of it herself too.] Well, there's a lot of them, and they're exceedingly complicated. I wouldn't want to bore you with specifics.

What else do I got goin' on?

[As if to underline the absurdity of the statement, Sans flicks a hand to the side. Behind them, an infected that managed to creep closer flys back against the far wall of the shop.]

[Peridot sweats it out and then promptly, with as much gusto as she can manage (which is a lot), she points and shout.] Oh no! Infected are attacking those helpless humans. I must assist them!

[and there she goes.]

[And there she goes. Sans watches her race off, head canting to the side in amused curiosity.]

Heh. What a weird kid.

[Aaaand away he teleports.]

[EVENT POST] I FEEL STUPID, AND CONTAGIOUS.

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GOD THIS TAG IS SO OLD I'M SORRY

shhh shh it's okay.

bless u...

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