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Katana
Rifle Backpack: { dried rations (5 days) || water canteen (5 days) || light jacket || map || flashlight || medpacks (x3) } Belt pouch: { 530£ || medical ID || necklace }
Curses. Raymond whipped out of sight before the other could react fully. Crouching behind a ruined table at the outskirts of the restaurant's perimeter, he listened to the
man offer him - at least, there was nobody else the man could be talking to - a rather strange choice: beans, or the chance to leave in peace. Raymond shuddered; the last time he'd had beans was on a camping trip in the artificial forest northwest of London, and they had weighed heavily on his stomach. Still, he's a survivor! I wonder where he came from, and what he is doing here?
Raymond weighed his options, as he heard the crunch of shoes on rubble. The man seemed to be getting edgy, as if now wary of his delay in responding. Here's hoping he's
not a rogue, assassin, or another hostile, Raymond grinned wryly. Then again, even if he was, Raymond had nothing of worth. Plus, he had been offered safe passage, presumably. Finally, there were the issues of time, shelter and knowledge' this man could potentially help him with all three, providing he turned out alright. Welp. "Wait. Here," Raymond called out. He sheathed his katana loosely, in case things turned sour; then, putting his hands up slowly above the overturned table, he stood up and began to pace toward the other. "I don't mean you any harm."
Raymond decides to partially trust the strange traveller.
Two weeks worth of pills
A rifle
20x Rifle rounds
A combat knife
An empty beer bottle
A tin of beans
A laser rifle
Cell <5>
Phew. If the man wanted to kill him he wouldn't have come out with his hands up, Jakob reasoned. He put away the laser rifle and offered his hand to the other man. "I'm Jakob. Nice to meet you. Now, I may have been bluffing about the beans, I can't cook them, but you're another survivor and seeing as you seem kind of passive..." Jakob sighed. "I mean it's your choice. You can go if you want, you can even take the beans. It's just... it gets a bit lonely out here... you know, without anyone close to you left anymore. I was just wondering if you'd like to start a kind of survivor group, you know, seeing as you look like another lone wanderer and all. We could set up a base of operations and expand our turf, maybe even take out the zombies and vampires one day and start research on resurrecting dead people..." Jakob stopped his rant and glanced down at his still outstretched hand.
Bow
Bow case
Arrows x 20
Hatchet
Water Purification Tablets x 30
Plasters x 30
Paracetamol x 10
Bandage x 2
Dressings x 4
Antiseptic cream
Canned meals x 5
Camping Stove
Gas canisters x 2
Sleeping Bag
Tarpaulin Sheet
Spare Clothes Wind-up Torch
Laser Rifle
Half-charged power cell
Lightsaber
Working his way through the Tesco Metro, Matthew systematically check each aisle for food or useful equipment. It wasn't a good haul. Power failures had knocked out the freezer units long ago, and most of the tins were either too damaged or already taken. A similar situation was found in the kitchen equipment section, with most objects almost entirely rusted away. At the end of his search, Matthew looked over his loot. A can of soup and a tin opener. As if it couldn't get any worse, it was tomato soup, one of the few foods that physically repulsed him. Well, beggars couldn't be choosers. Food was short, and if he didn't eat it, maybe he'd find someone who would. Maybe he could trade it to one of the sickos that actually liked the stuff in exchange for something edible. Pulling a face, he stashed his paltry spoils in his rucksack and set off across the food court. Next stop was a McDonalds - hardly likely to contain real food, but at least that processed shit kept.
As he entered the McDonalds, Matthew froze and ducked behind a table. Outside the external entrance was a man, also armed with a laser rifle and looking very vigilant. Friend or Foe? Matthew hoped the former, but life in London these days taught you to be pragmatic if nothing else. Choosing to monitor the situation, Matthew slipped carefully behind the counter of the store. Entering the 'kitchen' area, Matthew searched through looking for anything that remotely passed as edible, carefully opening and closing the doors to minimise the amount of noise he made. His search proved fruitless, all of the cupboards and fridges either empty or full of odd lumps of mould. Guess even McDonalds food rots eventually, huh? Just as he was about to give up, he caught sight of a rusted tangle of wiring and metal lying on the floor. Picking it up and examining it, Matthew was stunned to find a plasma gun! A cursory examination revealed little in terms of its workings, but from its state of repair, it was clearly broken. Matthew did recognise another energy cell inside it though, so he took that out and tucked it into his rucksack. Good day for kit, a bad day for food The irony of a search at a food hall resulting in this was not lost on him.
Slipping back behind the counter, Matthew observed as the watchman out front turned, then lowered his weapon as another approached. Comrades? Or two strangers meeting for the first time? Hard to judge. Shifting towards the entrance, Matthew strained his hearing, but could not catch any of their conversation. One of them stretched out their hand to the other, uncertainly, hesistantly. Seemed like they were just meeting. That made it safer to reveal himself, maybe?
His mind made up, Matthew strode towards the entrance. "Hi folks! Don't suppose either of you would happen to like tomato soup, would you? I've got a can of the stuff, but I can't stand it myself. Oops, where are my manners? Name's Matthew Watkins, at your service." As Matthew spoke, he realised that he'd walked out, covered in blood, with a bow and quiver out and ready. Hastily placing the bow and quiver on the ground, Matthew turned to the others with a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry, get so used to carrying that around - not really bumped into people that often...well, not living ones at least. Don't worry about the blood, it's not mine...hang on, wait, that sounds really bad! It's not anyone else's either! Found a vampire inside, or more accurately, a vampire found me inside." ...Smooth. Not. Matthew grinned slightly. "I've not really done a great job at this first impression lark, have I?"
[Daniel Curtis]
Laser rifle thingy added to inventory
Daniel sees Mason, firing shot after shot, as a horde of zombies, at least 40 of them, shamble towards him down a dead-end alley. Efficient as ever, he never hesitates, never fumbles, as he shoots, reloads, shoots, reloads, shoots, reloads. But soon enough, he ran out of ammo, and moved to melee. He took several of them with him as they scratched with chipped, yellow nails, clumsily swung, but so many of them, as they swarmed him, having valiantly taken his last stand.
The zombies take sections of his corpse frighteningly quick, and they stand back up, look around, and there, a small girl can be seen, around 12 years old, rying in fear as they shamble, slowly, in his direction. There are about 14 zombies left as she presses her back against the wall, crying, closing her eyes, and resigning herself, giving in, accepting her awful fate.
Seeing this Dan took two steps back, shocked by the sight. He tripped and fell on the floor, gasping loudly. After getting back to his senses he slowly rose up on his elbows, got up and looked outside again. They were all gone. "I could've helped her but i was frozen by fear. I must get used to this. It already happened to me twice. Life is unfair, I should already know that."
Daniel searched the room for more supplies before rushing downstairs. As he reached the ground floor he found a scout-looking guy sitting by a wall. "Ah yes, the little artist. How could i forget about him?" He grabbed a rock (think of shattered bricks broken to little rocks) and rolled it on the floor towards the seemingly worried guy.
"Say pal, you don't look so good. You better find something to eat before night comes.", he says leaning on a wall with arms crossed. "How are ya holding up, little artist?
cc: @@GPuzzle
[OOC]So umm Don't Starve...i know where i'll get unnecessary references from...[/OOC]
Katana
Rifle Backpack: { dried rations (5 days) || water canteen (5 days) || light jacket || map || flashlight || medpacks (x3) } Belt pouch: { 530£ || medical ID || necklace }
@Eruantien
"... pleased to make your acquaintance, each of you. I go by Walker, Raymond Walker." Raymond nodded at each man in turn, forcing an amicable smiile. Internally, his thoughts were moving at breakneck speed. Where did these blokes even come from?! I've been around London for longer than several weeks now, and there's been neither sight nor sound of any other humans. And did the second one just say he killed a vampire?! So that's what the screeching sound must have been from before, and it was killed around here. Plus, both of them have food and weapons. Also, these men both seem to be skilled at surviving the hostiles; their tattered clothes and battered weapons aren't exactly new either.
So that's that, then - these guys would be suitable as allies, Raymond decided. However, it'd be for the best if I continued to monitor their behavior; one never knows how early infection sets in. While he was thinking, Raymond had kept moving so as not to raise any unnecessary caution; by this time, he had entered the restaurant and took a quick glance around.
He called back outside, "Oy, Watkins and Drago! I think this place would do well for a shelter tonight. We should barricade the front and side doors, and maybe get some supper cooking."
@LivingAngryCheese
Jakob agrees with Raymond, and helps to move some tables into place to cover the door. His new accomplices seemed like nice enough people. He thought they would be good co-founders of his plan to build a group to kill the zombies. As all groups start, they started at the bottom. And a safe place was a good start. "Right." He said. "Let's get straight to business. I have a tin of beans. Does anyone else have any food, and more importantly a way to cook it? I was looking for a way when I met you guys."
@RJS
As they all pulled together to foritfy the McDonald's, Matthew found himself enjoying the teamwork. Shifting the tables was hard work, but soon they had a decent barricade up. Settling himself into one of the remaining chairs, he began digging through his rucksack. "I have a few tins, but not a lot - I was hoping to find some more food here. I do have a stove though." he said, as he unpacked the trangia and connected the gas bottle. "If you want to get the cooking started, Raymond and I'll go scout the area, make sure there's no major groups lurking around. Sound good?"
@Eruantien
"Agreed." As it's getting close to noon, any hostiles that might be out by now would be seriously handicapped; they seem to avoid sunlight at all costs. However, the ones I've seen more recently have become bolder... is it possible that the effect of the sun is lessening - that the hostiles are growing used to it? "Anyway, I think I saw a door before; it seems to lead to the rooftop. I'd suggest we start from there." Raymond paced to the aforementioned door and pried it open; a spiral staircase indeed ascended to a second story. "Let's go up, take a gander, and see just how modern London appears."
@LivingAngryCheese
Happily left to cook the food, Jakob got the stove and attached the battery from his laser rifle to it. Powering it up, he took his time, making sure everything was well cooked, and not over or undercooked. As he was finishing, he heard a shout and then a clatter from upstairs, as if someone had jumped off of the roof, so he ran up as fast as possible after reattaching the battery to his rifle.
@RJS
As they surveyed the area from the upper floor, Matthew gazed out over a once thriving city, now seemingly dead. The streets would have been bustling with last minute shoppers, businessmen on their way home, people setting off for a night out. Today, the streets were devoid of movement, like a circulatory system whose heart had ceased to beat. Well, almost devoid of movement. As he watched, small clusters of zombies, moving in twos or threes, shuffled along the streets. More worryingly, they were converging on an area, which meant they'd found prey. Living prey. People prey. Turning to Raymond, Matthew cried out "There's people in danger over there! I'm gonna go give them a hand! Clambering over the side, Matthew dropped onto a pile of old garbage, the refuse cushioning the impact as he landed. Grabbing his bow back up, Matthew ran to where the zombies had been headed, praying he wouldn't be too late. As he ran, gunshots began to echo through the streets.
@Eruantien
As he dove off the building, following Matthew's trail in pursuit of the horde, Raymond was again disturbed.Why are so many survivors showing up at once? Why have I not found any of these people before? Shaking his head, he tried to clear his mind of these questions as they ran toward the downtown district. Raymond drew his katana as they approached the hostiles. Zombies weren't a large danger, but they could be a pain in numbers. And in this case, the numbers were against Raymond. Suddenly, there was a high-pitched scream, followed by another scream of a lower note. "There's more than one person down there!" Raymond exclaimed, pointing to a narrow alleyway. There were only two problems: there were about a dozen or more zombies moving toward the alley as well; and time was of the essence.
@LivingAngryCheese
Running upstairs, Jakob found no-one around. He looked around desperately, and was about to sit down in despair when he spotted them fighting through zombies below. Fools. At least he could protect them from above with his laser and normal rifle. He got out his rifle, which was loaded, and put it to the side, then aimed at the zombies with his laser rifle, ready to shoot if things went wrong.
@RJS
Matthew pulled out his hatchet, the screams echoing in his skull spurring him on. Don't be too late please please please don't be too late Charging into the alley with Raymond at his side, Matthew hacked into the rearmost zombie, removing first its arm, then its head. As the next one turned to face the new threat, Matthew's downwards swing caught it between the eyes, almost splitting the rotting head in two. Matthew kicked the third heavily, sending it sprawling into several others and knocking them to the floor. Matthew moved in to finish the job, his already bloody shirt stained darker by the butcher's work.
@Eruantien Swish. Raymond's katana neatly cleaved the rotted lower legs of a lone zombie which had paused before a turn in the alley. Raymond let out a battle cry and charged round the corner, immediately attracting the attention of all the beings inside: ten or so zombies, and a young girl who had no chance of escaping the surrounding pack. There were also two prone figures on the ground, one of which was still trembling but otherwise motionless. Curses, Raymond thought, pausing to take in the situation while the zombies sized up their supposed fresh prey. Have we come too late to save them all? No... I must be strong and do what I can to help protect those who may still be alive! Raymond's katana flashed as he dashed across the narrow space separating him from the pack. I need to keep their attention on me and get them away from these people if Matthew is to have a chance at bringing them to safety. Raymond stabbed one zombie in the upper abdomen, then did a rotating slice to cut injure the forearms of two others that had attempted to grab him.
@RJS
In the midst of the cluster, Matthew caught sight of a young girl, huddling against the wall as the zombies pressed closer, reaching out. With a roar, Matthew bulled through the remnants of the crowd, knocking the corpses aside like leaves in the wind. Reaching the girl, he swung at the first zombie with such force that the hatchet cut through the neck completely, completing its journey in the forearm of the next zombie. Yanking it loose, Matthew swung once, twice, three times, turning the zombie's torso into a bloody cavity of shattered bones and putrid flesh. The final zombie that stood between him and the girl was grabbed from behind, flung to the floor and its skull shattered by an almighty kerbstomp. Running to the girl, Matthew put on his best smile. "Hi there! How do you feel about not dying today?" he said, reaching one bloody hand out towards her.
@the_j485
Initially, the little girl was absolutely balsted well terrified. How would you feel if you were approached by a rough, bearded man with a grotty beard, covered in blood? Even if he had just saved her life, she had been somewhat busy crying as she thought her life was momentarily to become far shorter than intended, and extremely painfully so.
Past her first reaction, she realised he was a man, not a zombie, offering her a hand of support, as opposed to reaching to disembowel her. She took it, firmly, and ran with him.
@Eruantien
Raymond sliced a fourth zombie down halfway through its skull, then pivoted and uppercut a fifth one before jamming his katana through its stomach. He saw Matthew grab the girl and break out of the deathly circle, so he turned to flee as well. As Raymond vaulted over a collapsed zombie's corpse, he again caught sight of the other prone human. Whoever you were, I'm sorry that I was unable to aid and avenge you... I was not strong enough. However, especially if this girl is somebody you held dear, I promise to you that I shall help her survive to the best of my abilities. With one last glance toward the corpse, which the rabid zombies were now beginning to turn their attention toward, Raymond sped away after Matthew and the girl. Within a few moments, they had returned to the restaurant-turned-headquarters, where Jakob was watching them from the rooftop.
Two weeks worth of pills
A rifle
20x Rifle rounds
A combat knife
An empty beer bottle
A laser rifle
Cell <5>
Seeing the little girl was a shock, but a younger.. erm less.. rough looking man might be a relief to her. A big bearded man was probably a shock to her. Rushing downstairs and grabbing the now cooked food, he kneeled down to the little girl and said, "Hello there, who are you? And where are your mummy and daddy?" He then glanced up at the two other men with a questioning look, and realised that he was still holding the gun, which he quickly tucked away.
Bow
Bow case
Arrows x 20
Hatchet
Water Purification Tablets x 30
Plasters x 30
Paracetamol x 10
Bandage x 2
Dressings x 4
Antiseptic cream
Canned meals x 5
Camping Stove
Gas canisters x 2
Sleeping Bag
Tarpaulin Sheet
Spare Clothes
Wind-up Torch
Laser Rifle
Half-charged power cellx2
Lightsaber
Crashing through the door, Matthew collapsed panting. His sweat mingled with the blood sprayed all over his body and clothing. Seriously, one day and he looked like a psychopathic murder-freak. Well, considering all those zombies were once people, maybe he was... Shaking his head sharply, Matthew forced the thought from his mind. They had been people, but they weren't anymore. To think otherwise was to risk losing your sanity, your life or both. Pulling himself back to his feet, he walked back to his bag, staggering a little as the adrenaline drained from his system. Dropping the hatchet on the floor, Matthew grabbed some of his spare clothes and headed to the doors again. The zombies had been slaughtered, it was probably safe to walk down to the river. "Just going for a quick wash and to grab some water - back in a few minutes."
Thankfully the Thames ran clean these days, and Matthew scrubbed the blood off his skin, checking for any wounds as he did so. He had no idea what got transferred to people to turn them into zombies, but he'd got into the habit of checking nevertheless. If the quick application of antiseptic could prevent the transformation, then it was worth the gamble. Thankfully, as with every other time, he was unharmed. No need to play Russian Roulette tonight. Changing out of his bloodstained clothes into the spare ones, he dunked them into the river, washing as much of the crimson ichor away as possible. The clothes would still be left a little darker, redder than before, but it was definitely an improvement. Returning to the McDonalds with some fresh water in one of his stove pans, Matthew hung the damp clothing over a couple of chairs to dry. "Whew. Hell of a ride, huh? Who's for some food?" he asked, pulling a couple of cans out of his rucksack.
As she ran with the man, the little girl's legs felt like they were burning, but she knew they couldn't stop, they had to lose the zombies, or they'd just keep following them until they found wherever they stopped. Thankfully, they soon came to an old Mcdonald's, and they burst through the door, panting, the little girl exhausted from her run.
Another man knelt down to her, asking her about her parents.
"They... I don't know. They told me to run away because they were surrounded with zombies and some were coming after me. I need to find them, they said they'd look for me. Can you help me find them, please? I have to get back to them soon." she insisted, with tears in her eyes.
She and her parents had survived 5 years, and this was her first time dealing with being away from them. She barely knew how to cope, she was just out of kindergarten age. The poor thing had been too young to remember the apocalypse, though she was alive when it happened, and her parents told her about what life was like before, and during the time when society was collapsing into dust.
"I... I know how to cook, a little" she said in response to one of the men's question. Her parents had taught her to try and make herself as useful as possible, as everyone had to to survive together.
