Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Wcrp. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Dead Men Walking
Topic Started: Nov 28 2014, 02:20 AM (70,977 Views)
DoctorYerishi
Member Avatar
Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Behind him, Eli could hear Brandon and Willow talking. Not every word, but enough. He had to tune them out. What they were saying – he never had that with anyone, he didn’t think. He definitely didn’t have it with Julie. And they were so different in age and temperament, and they had mutually agreed on no strings, so they probably never would have, anyway.

But he didn't really know for sure. He never would. That was the problem.

He continued moving forward until the expected turn came to view. There was a sign identifying it. Argonne it said. Under it, was a logo Eli didn’t expect, for a company called Fortune Labs.

The brochures back at the hotel had pictures of this exact spot. In them, there were logos for UChicago and the The Department of Energy. Those were gone now. Painted over.

“Looks like there was a change in management,” he said, to no one in particular.

He also wondered what that meant for the cure, but not out loud. Maybe that’s why it was being sent here in the first place. Maybe Fortune Labs, whoever they were, were the people behind it.

He turned where the sign said and kept walking down the road. He remained silent and contemplative all the way to the chain link fences guarding the campus. They were closed off, a padlock keeping them that way.

Over them, he could make out a guard booth and the sign for the Argonne Information Centre, an unremarkable one-storey building. If there was any activity over there, rotter or otherwise, he couldn’t identify it. And the snow, from what he could tell, hadn’t been disturbed.

That doesn’t mean anything, he told himself. It’s a big campus.

“We’re goin’ up and over,” he announced.

He slid his backpack over his shoulders, and threw that first. After it landed, he took a running start, then vaulted over the bar at the top of the fence. He landed gracefully on the other side and then turned to the others.

It occurred to him that he was now on the premises. Ten days after finding the cure, eight days after leaving Mount Kisco with it, and one week after making it his mission to get it here, he had finally arrived.

Whatever happened next – he had done it. He had gotten the cure the Chicago. To Argonne.

He just wished he could feel better about it.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Make-7-Up-Yours
Member Avatar
Is that so?
"Showoff." Jen mused.

The young woman tossed her pack over the fence and took a running start similar to Eli. Unlike Eli, hers was not nearly as graceful. Her leg must have acted up because she almost didn't make the vault over; but somehow she did manage it only to stumble onto all fours on the landing and nearly face plant the snow. Undaunted, she quickly scrambled back to her feet and brushed the snow off her jacket as if she had stuck the landing perfectly.

"See, no problem." She bragged lightheartedly.

"Clearly." Willow humored her from the outside. "I'd show you how it's done but, not only would that probably kill me, my doctor is watching."

Meanwhile, Randall gave a boost to Kelsey to help her over the fence. She didn't have any problems, which was what Randall expected. He would be the one with the problems. He gripped the chain link fence with his one hand and pulled himself up. He Had to hook his right arm over the top of the fence to help pull himself over (an act which reminded him of just how badly that hurt), but he was able to brute force his way over the fence, but with considerably less style than Eli or even Jen. He barely managed to land on the other side with quickened breathing.

"I am getting too old to be doing this shit with one hand." He grunted. "I hope to God they let us use the door on the way out."

Nearby, Willow landed safely, but sluggishly, on the inside after getting a helping hand over from Brandon. Jen was over there quick to help her back to her feet after the failed landing.

"Thanks for jinxing it, Randall." Willow sighed in defeat. "If all goes well though, we'll jump over the fence as saviors of humanity!"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
DoctorYerishi
Member Avatar
Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli waited just long enough for Brandon, then Emmett, to make it over in one piece. Once they had, he headed over to the Information Center, which was marked with another Fortune Labs subtitle.

Looking through the door, the building seemed dark and empty. It was unlocked, so Eli stepped in to confirm. His hand rested near his knife as he looked left and right – finding nothing. No signs of life or un-life.

He forced himself not to jump to conclusions as he headed a bit further in. He kept listening and watching for any potential threats. Still, nothing jumped out at him.

There was a stand near the reception desk that stood undisturbed. There were pamphlets on it – fact sheets with kid-friendly fonts, some advertisements for guided tours. Eli grabbed one, finding it covered with a thin layer of dust. He wiped it off with the side of his hand before flipping through it. He found a map of the campus in the back.

Central Lab was literally near the center of the expansive property. Judging by its name and its prominence, Eli theorized that’s where they should be going.

He exited the building, just as the others arrived to back him up. He waved the pamphlet at Randall and Brandon, then moved to form a kind of huddle with them. When they were close enough to see, he pointed at his findings.

“Just guessin’ here, but I think that’s where we need to go,” he said. “That’s probably where these guys are operating out. It’s probably more feasibly defensible than the whole campus, right?”

He cringed a little as he asked that question. Why was he pandering for assurances? They didn’t know any more than him. Also, it was too soon to worry. They just needed to keep going.

He let Randall take the map, and then started moving again. He headed to the abandoned guard booth, finding it unlocked as well. He leaned inside, looking around for keys, just as a precautionary measure. He pulled open a drawer and found a ring of them, as well as a stack of access cards. He pilfered both and shoved them into his pockets.

He nodded to the others and moved past the guard station, down the snow-lined street. He reminded himself to stay positive.

Then he heard that sound. That goddamn, motherfucking, heart-wrenching sound.

Groaning. Lots of it. From up ahead.

He froze, and watched as the shambling corpses appeared in his view from across the campus. They were too far to get a headcount or a good look at.

He wasn’t about to turn around, though, or run away. Not after everything they had been through. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and tightened his jaw, and jogged in their direction. He didn’t wait to see if the others were following him.

He kept jogging until he could got a clear picture. They were in the open, walking down the path between buildings in impromptu clumps. He counted them quickly and reached the number 19. Most were in guard uniforms. A couple were in casual wear. The five – no, six – that were leading the pack had riot helmets obscuring their ghastly faces.

Turning around still didn’t strike Eli as a viable option. No, they needed to go through. They needed to get to where they were going. Rotters on the campus didn’t mean shit. It couldn’t. He wouldn’t accept that.

Too many to kill with this, he realized, letting go of the grip on his knife.

He drew his Supergrade instead, and clicked back the safety. He aimed for the rotter in the lead. He squeezed an eye shut and then squeezed the trigger.

BLAM!

It was a good shot, right in the rotter’s face. It’s head snapped back on its neck… but then snapped right back, as the rotter kept walking, only now with a crack in his visor.

Should have seen that coming, he chastised himself. Worry about that in a second.

He took aim again, at a rotter coming up the side of the street – one without a visor.

BLAM!
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Make-7-Up-Yours
Member Avatar
Is that so?
There are already rotters inside the campus?

The thought struck Willow pretty hard. She had been hoping, praying even, that this place would be safe. It was possible that the lab was still secure, but the presence of rotters wearing riot gear did not give her a good feeling about all of this. As if something other than a bite had killed them. Of course, now was not the time to think too hard about that. There were rotters to take care of first.

Ahead of her, the popping of Jen's Uzi had joined Eli's Supergrade as everyone rushed to help take care of the new threat. Randall was standing nearby, his M9 drawn, but wasn't firing any rounds off yet. While they could effectively deal with the unarmored rotters, the ones in riot gear would still be a problem.

"Watch my back." Willow asked Kelsey and Connor, which was just a clever way of keeping them away from the front lines.

She knelt down and unslung the Gunsite from her good shoulder. She peered down the sights and locked the cross-hairs on the head of the nearest riot gear rotter. She sucked air into her lungs and then exhaled.

KA-BOOM!

The rotter's visor shattered like glass as the high-powered rifle punched through it and into the grizzly face of the rotter behind it. This time when its head snapped back, instead of recovering it just kept falling backwards and fell over like a tree. As soon as she had a confirmed kill, she grabbed the bolt-action lever, ejected the shell, and chambered a new round.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Strompy
Member Avatar
More posts, more Busey.
Brandon took a quick estimate of his ammo. Two full mags, plus seven in his current one. sixty-seven rounds in total. He stayed clear of everybody's firing lines as he moved up and knelt.

He wasn't a fan of the noise, and less so of the expense of ammo when they could potentially kite rotters. They were so close to their goal now though that it hardly seemed like a sensible thing to gripe about. They were also down their best melee fighter, and the thought sent another pang of loss through him. He wished Glenda was here, they worked really well together. Furthermore, he didn't want anyone in biting range after what happened to Julie. No more losses. Not today. Not ever.

He raised his C8 and exhaled.

CRACK

Riot gear could be very useful. Clearly it didn't help these poor bastards some of their stuff could be invaluable. The one he just shot had most of his neck missing, but that was all. These guys probably got overwhelmed. If they were overwhelmed then their should be less meat on them, only their few exposed areas, like their neck were damaged which was a testament to how effectively the rest of their body was protected. Their forearm and hand protection was what interested him the most. He'd already seen how effective a simple leather jacket could be at stopping a bite. He wanted everyone to have that kind of protection for when things got tight.

CRACK CRACK

There was still a good chance they'd need it after all.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
DoctorYerishi
Member Avatar
Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
BLAM! BLAM!

It took two shots for Eli to bring down another rotter. When it hit the ground, blood leaking from the hole in its skull, Eli searched for another target.

Bullets rang out around him, he couldn’t tell who was shooting what. When three of the rotters in riot gear fell, however, he figured he could make a good guess who was behind that.

BANGBANGBANG!

A burst of fire travelled up a rotter’s face and stopped at his brain. Emmett’s doing, probably. Maybe Jen’s.

Eli locked onto a different target – one of the few rotters in casual wear. It had a long and thin face that Eli could see too clearly.

BLAM!

It fell backwards. The rotter in riot gear beside it kept moving long enough for another high-powered rifle blast to take it off its feet.

After a quick scan, Eli determined only a couple of the armoured rotters were left now. And only seven of the others ones.

BANGBANGBANGBANG!

Eli tried to line up a new target, but another burst of fire thudded into its brain. Make that six of the other ones.

One of the two in riot helmets was getting close, though. It was making a slow and stumbling bee-line for Eli, who presented the closest target. It slipped a little on the snow, and its helmet fell forward over his eyes.

KA-BOOM!

A high-powered rifle blast struck the helmet, but at a bad angle. It bounced off and the rotter was staggered, but kept moving.

It was too close to Eli now – Brandon and Willow probably couldn’t get a clear shot. Eli took a calming breath and quickly holstered his gun. He prepared for the lunge.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Strompy
Member Avatar
More posts, more Busey.
"Focus on the unarmored ones! The helmets on the riot rotters will stop them biting, we can take them down in melee! Put down the others first!" Brandon yelled over the din.

The ones in riot gear were only problematic if they were backed up by other rotters. One could easily slip a knife under their chin but they weren't smart enough to move their visors to bite. The real threat was the rotters who could bite, the riot rotters could merely tie them up in melee, and since there were only two left it didn't make sense to waste the ammo on them.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Make-7-Up-Yours
Member Avatar
Is that so?
"Fuck!" Willow cursed as her shot bounced off the rotter's helmet.

She tried not to let it deter her and chambered another round. Before she could fire, she heard Brandon's orders (somehow) over the booming of gunfire. Or at least got enough of the message to know that her rifle wasn't needed anymore. She turned on the safety and slung it back over her shoulder.

She unsheathed Julie's kukri.

* * * * *

Randall was stalking off to the side. His aim was still poor, but if he got close enough he could blow their heads off with his M9. He didn't feel safe getting too close to them, partly because that was how he had lost his right hand in the first place and partly because friendly fire was a real issue to be aware of. Especially for the unarmored ones, he would rather maintain a bit of distance if possible. He came within a few meters of one of the rotters, and as it turned to come for him, Randall fired a single shot at its head.

BANG!

The recoil with only one hand was always more intense than he expected; the shot had missed. He took a step back, created a little more distance, lined up the sights and fired again.

BANG!

This time a spray of blood came from the left side of its forehead. The rotter went down. Randall didn't wait around to celebrate and made a move for the next closes unarmored rotter. But the second armored rotter caught wind of what he was doing and stumbled in Randall's direction instead.

This was not going to be easy.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Strompy
Member Avatar
More posts, more Busey.
Brandon hated the idea of engaging in melee, but the fact that their ammo was so low was a huge concern. He downed another rotter with the last round in his magazine and slung his weapon. There were few enough rotter now that they could engage in melee in relative confidence. He drew his knife in one hand and his pistol in the other, just in case he needed it.

"Cease fire! Conserve ammo!" he called out.

Emmet, Jen, Eli and himself had all proven themselves capable in melee. Randall had an armored rotter bearing down on him but he was smart enough to handle a single rotter even with only one hand. Willow was mostly unproven in melee, but she had a weapon with enough weight to it that she didn't need much in the way of technique, and she had a proven history of impressing him. Still he stayed close to her as they advanced on the rotters.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Make-7-Up-Yours
Member Avatar
Is that so?
As the armored rotter lunged mindlessly towards him, Randall thrust his dagger upwards between its helmet and chest through the neck. He felt the blade sink into the rotting flesh beneath its armor, but it did not die. He had not hit the brain from that angle.

Fuck!

The rotter continued to bear into him, its aggressive, single-minded movement forward threatening to take Randall to the ground. Before that could happen, he spun his hips and rotated his upper body, throwing the rotter to his right and yanking the dagger free of its fleshy tomb. He grunted from the exertion, but quickly recovered. He didn't have any time to finish off the grounded riot rotter; another unarmored rotter took its place and moved in for the kill. This was a lot more straightforward -- Randall went forward to meet the rotter and thrust his knife directly into its eye. Unlike the armored one from before, this one went down. He shouldered the rotter off his dagger and promptly forgot about it. The armored rotter from before had gotten back to its feet and was making another pass at Randall.

How am I supposed to kill this thing with a dagger and one hand?

Before he could put together any sort of complicated plan for dealing with the problem, Jen arrived with her baseball bat in hand. The rotter saw her arrive too late, she stepped in from behind and swung low. Her bat slammed into the side of the rotter's knee and snapped it like a twig. It fell forward and hit the ground with a groan. It stretched its arms out as it tried to get back up, but Jen came up behind it and pulled the helmet off, exposing its head. Randall took the hunt, stepped forward, and finished it with a downward thrust of his dagger.

Randall gave Jen an appreciative nod, who returned the gesture.

* * * * *

While Eli was struggling with his own armored rotter, Willow decided to give him a helping hand. The other unarmored ones were still a bit far off, so she figured this was as good a chance as any. This was her first time actually striking at a still 'living' rotter in melee range, but the past week had given her a pretty good idea of their limitations. She could also tell where there were weaknesses in the armor and her dominant arm was the one she had more range of movement in. Both of these factors played to her advantage. She was fairly confident.

While the armored rotter was distracted with Eli, Willow came up behind it and swung her kukri downwards, aiming for the area under its helmet. Her plan had been to chop its head cleanly off, but she didn't put quite enough force into the blow and it was only a partial cut that had been stopped by the spinal cord. Before the rotter could respond to this new threat, Willow slipped behind the rotter and grabbed it by the back of its vest, pulling it away from Eli. Her back jolted in pain, but she ignored it and held the rotter tight; all it could do was thrash about helplessly. A quick glance behind her revealed the other rotters were closing in.

"Kill it!" She called out. "Quickly!"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
DoctorYerishi
Member Avatar
Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Eli was about ready to grapple with the rotter when Willow stepped in, circling around them quicker than he realized she was capable of. In just a couple quick moves, she had taken a swing at the back of its neck and then held it tight.

But the remaining rotters – four of them total – were closing in. Closing in too quickly.

Eli had to ignore Willow’s order, and also Brandon’s slightly earlier one. He drew his Supergrade once again. He aimed it over the captive rotter’s shoulder.

BANG!

He ended one of the rotters coming up behind Willow. He was worried he was shooting too close to her, but not worried enough to stop him from shooting again.

BANG!

Down went another rotter. It had been shuffling behind the last one he had killed.

Beside him, Emmett appeared in his periphery, wielding a knife. He towered over a smaller rotter beside them, bringing the blade down into its skull.

Only two remained. One more unarmoured one, and the rotter in Willow’s grip. Eli finally turned to deal with that one. His eyes were still narrowed as he reached for its helmet, ready to turn it away from its face.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Make-7-Up-Yours
Member Avatar
Is that so?
The rotter was still thrashing under Willow's grip; Eli had decided to handle the other rotters closing in first. They had still been a good fifteen seconds out (from Willow's guess), but she wasn't about to argue with her back being clear. This rotter was a lot bigger than her, but a month of decay and no higher brain function meant it couldn't do much more than thrash.

Unfortunately, the rotter pulled harder than she expected. She felt it pull on her left arm and the incision wound under her armpit flared to life with a sharp stab of pain. Her hand instinctively let go and the rotter wrested free of her kukri and surged toward Eli.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Strompy
Member Avatar
More posts, more Busey.
As two more of the rotters went down and Emmett easily dispatched his target it left Brandon with only one to contend with. The blade absolutely huge in comparison to his old knife. How somebody as seemingly slight as Glenda had used this thing so effortlessly he didn't know, the thing was practically a small sword.

Brandon delivered a savage kick to its knee in his typical fashion. It went down into a kneel. He stepped to the side and brought the hefty blade down on its neck, lopping its head from its shoulders.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
DoctorYerishi
Member Avatar
Dude, wake up! We've got a world to save.
Shit!

Eli had time to think that and only that as the rotter escaped from Willow’s grasp, and collided with him. He flashed back to the bathroom at the gas station as he felt himself falling to the ground under its weight.

“Ugh,” he grunted as he landed, the rotter on top of him. He felt his pistol slip loose from his grasp.

The rotter tried to go in for a bite, but the helmet was still in the way. All it could do was head-butt his upper chest.

Eli grunted again as he struggled to turn the tables. After a few seconds, he was successful, and he rolled on top of the rotter. As he did, though, the creature’s helmet came loose – and spun like a top until it was few feet away.

Eli was surprised when he looked down and saw the rotter’s milky eyes and blackened gums. It tried to chomp at his arm, but Eli rolled away. The rotter climbed over him. Its bulk roughly matched Eli’s own, and it once again had him pinned beneath it.

Shit, Eli thought once again, and rolled back onto his back. He raised his forearm just in time to catch the rotter in the neck, preventing it from biting down on him.

With his other hand, Eli found he couldn’t reach his belt. He felt around the ground desperately an alternative – and found the helmet. He gripped it tight. The rotter kept trying to chomp at his face, all the way up until Eli slammed its own helmet into the side of its head.

THWACK!

The force sent the rotter off him once again, and once again Eli rolled with him. But this time, he was ready. He brought the helmet down again into the rotter’s face. He heard bones crunch and saw blood spray. He brought it down again, higher. He heard and saw more of the same.

He gripped the helmet with both hands now, and raised it high over his head. With all his might, he slammed it into the rotter’s forehead.

The rotter didn’t move after that.

Just in case, though, Eli raised the helmet again – and brought it down just as hard.

He closed his eyes when the blood splashed against his face. As he stood up, he wiped it away with his sleeve. It took several wipes to get it all.

“Everyone okay?” he asked, cringing.
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Make-7-Up-Yours
Member Avatar
Is that so?
"Fuck, sorry Eli."

Willow cursed as she got back to her feet. She had lost her balance after the rotter broke free from her. Because of the stab of pain, her left arm was shaking a little, but she was doing her best to hide it. It would fade with a little bit of time; she had just overextended it.

"Guess that was a bit much for me to tackle right now." She smiled despite herself. "A little bit of adrenaline and I forget I'm not in great shape."

* * * * *

Jen had parted with with Randall at his own request to go check on Annie and the children. There had been a lot of rotters and even though they had been safe behind everyone else, it was still a new experience with a lot of gunfire and a small bit of chaos thrown into the mix. Kelsey had been in the thick of it before, but he was more concerned with Annie and Connor. He wanted someone to see how they were holding up.

As she left, he rejoined Eli and Willow.

"Doesn't look like anyone got bit. So I'd call it a victory." Randall didn't seem too enthusiastic. "That was a lot of gunfire though. We probably have a lot more rotters on the way."
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Join the millions that use us for their forum communities. Create your own forum today.
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · Roleplaying · Next Topic »
Add Reply