[M] Outbreak Genesis IC

[Rayne7]

October 1st, 2025
Approximately 0800
Denver PD 4th District

The infected roam the streets, filling the air with the stench of death and feces. Their bodies are covered in blood and sweat as they move manically in search of prey. Howling and screams can be heard sometimes far off in the distance, occasionally accompanied by gunfire. A faint fog accompanies a cold wind as the morning sun rises.

In the 4th district precinct, survivors are gathered around talking amongst each other while others stand aloof. Some of the remaining officers and military personnel have passed out a few MRE’s and jackets to keep people warm in the coming days. Cots have been distributed to the elderly and women with children while others make do with whatever else is available.

“We can’t stay here.” Grimm muttered to himself as he leaned over the map spread across the desk. Most of them had been there for the last two days, the rest dwindling in on their own. A cigarette rested between his lips as he considered the situation. The police station made a decent safehouse but it lacked resources necessary for long-term survival. They needed to find a secure place that had room to form a new community, growing food, and house other resources they would need.

Looking at the map there were a few places on the outskirts that might prove suitable but he wasn’t as familiar with Denver and the surrounding area as those who lived there. His team had been deployed to assist with containment efforts but their status was currently unknown after things took a violent turn. Hopefully he would be able to locate them.

Taking a long drag of his cigarette, Salem looked around at the survivors in the precinct. They were a ragtag bunch, if mostly reasonably armed. Some of them appeared to be likely residents who would know the area better than him, and hopefully would know of a place to go.

“Hey! We need to move to a better location. We don’t have the resources necessary to stay here long-term. Any ideas?” he asked, glancing at everyone.

[Fox Xalian]

Maisie was sitting near the group, giving her dog, TK, a treat. "Not sure, depends how far out we want to go from urban areas" she said. She moved over to the table, grabbing an old road atlas for the state before taking a look. "There's a few spots north of here, a small town named Grover, right here near the Pawnee National Grassland...and there seems to be some smaller...villages I guess? Farmsteads? Something like that inside the Grassland area" she explained.

Miles, who had just come back from the helipad where he had been doing some basic maintenance to his helicopter, looked at the map as well. "There's the Redtail Gas Plant as well, they upgraded it to produce fuel, which all our vehicles, but especially my helicopter will need" he said, pointing it out on the map. "So there's our suggestions, anyone else got any?" Maisie said, sliding the map into the center of the table for the others to look over.

[SikstaSlathalin]

A loud burp came from somewhere in the back of the room followed by the crushing of an aluminum can. "Y'all city folk always so quick to say the world's endin'. *urps*." The opening of another can followed the deeply Southern sound words. The holder too a long pull of the beer and meandered his way to the map table only spilling a little of it as he leaned over the map eyeballing it carefully.

The man adjusted his hat taking another drink. This was Zeke Edge, dressed in his white tank-top, jeans and boots, he looked equal parts out of place among the survivors and right at home. His colt pistol, tomahawk jangled lightly from his utility belt along with his knife, canteens, binos, and other battle rattle. Swaying lightly from the drink he pointed to the forests outside of the city and the flat lands around it. "I reckon these woods an' scrubs would be our best bet to wait out this little zombie spell. Naywheres in Denver or the surroundin' towns will be safe enough for...*hics* all the old heads an' den mothers. An' most farmlands are too flat an' big to be 'fensible, an' trust me fencin' farmland ain't sometin' ya can do with dea'ers nippin' at yer dangly bits." Standing up he took another long pull of his beer emptying it before smashing the can against his forehead and tossing it over his shoulder to lay in the graveyard of it's friends. "But we ain't gots the drivers nor the clunkers to move the...extra weight." He drunkenly motions around the precinct at all the old people, injured, and children. "So we...*hic* need movers...an'...shakers...*burps* 'afore we can even thinka reachin' a promised land o' hills, trees, and ways to blow dea'ers up an' use them for lawn ornaments. Buses...rigs...hell get me a tank...an' I...*hic*.... I can plow it through'em" He chuckled manically and winked at some of the women. "I'm good at plowin'."

With his bit said Zeke pulled out a pencil and drew a big circle with little zombies being blown up by the mountains before he staggered back to his little corner of gear and cracked open another beer cackling like the mad man he was the entire time.

[Dnafein]

“For a bunch of ground pounders you all seem very determined to avoid the obvious.” A voice suggested after the redneck finished offering his suggestion.”You’re looking for a place where you can bunker down, provide protection to the non-coms and has the potential for expansion, right?”

The speaker sat nearby, his eyes on a tablet in his hand, his boots propped on a crate. The man’s eyes flickered across the screen even as his fingers moved slightly. “I’ll even bet that any military hardware would be a bonus, yes?”

He motioned to the map on the table, “There’s a mountain about 80 miles south of Denver. It’s literally a massive military bunker. With an Air Force Base.nearby. Hell there’s even a Zoo nearby.”

Ash shifted and moved his feet to the ground, “That helicopter up top can get a team there in..” The Analyst titled his head doing the math. “Probably a half hour or so. Honestly probably 20 minutes or so, but a fly over of Peterson and the complex entrance would probably be best. Hell if the helo has a full crew on board, could probably land at Peterson for a refuel while a team moves to check the complex.”

Ash shrugged and shifted to put his feet back up. “That’d be the first place I’d look anyway.”

[Alura]

Becky sat with her back to the bars of one of the precinct's detention cells, passing a joint back and forth through them with another woman who looked like she had been fresh from a vice sting when things went south. She was trying to calm the other woman, who was worried for her son.

"If Big Mary had him, you know he's making out just fine if any of them are, Kitty. She loves that boy like he's her own."

Kitty sniffled and let the smoke waft over her soothingly. "She does."

The scuffle of feet announced the approach of someone and Becky elbowed the other woman gently as she tucked in her heels and slid her back up the bars. "Fine afternoon in Denver, isn't it, Sugar?"

The man looked at the pair suspiciously, regarded the woman in the oversized flight jacket and messy auburn hair for a moment before rolling his eyes and stepping around her. He proceeded to what she assumed were offices at the other end of the corridor. Becky looked back and waggled her brows at Kitty as she lifted her pack onto her back, which made the other woman hide a smile behind her hand and wave her off.

"Catch you on the flip, Kitty Cat!" She called cheerily, dancing backwards through the door the passer-by had used to enter. Becky Starr made her way through the bustling pen, snagging a few bottles of water and stuffing two into her pack before moving towards an older man propped by the entrance with a beer in one hand and a rifle cradled in his opposing arm. Surveying the people who milled about, she sidled up beside him and leaned against the wall with her pack at her feet.

Proffering the bottle of water to him, she nodded, "Anything exciting going here, Uncle?"

Reginald Byrne had had a very bad week. He and Jimmie had made quick time out of the city, or at least they had tried. It was a miracle he'd ultimately made it to the 14th precinct with his van intact, but he had. He had pulled up in a semi-circle of other vehicles, some more heavily armoured by far and fished out a carton of beers, locked the van, and joined the others inside. That was two days ago, though he still prefered to sleep in his own van.

When a young woman wrapped in an old, worn flight jacket sauntered up to him offering a bottle of water. He made a faintly negative sound in response to her question as he accepted it, setting it in a chair beside him and lifting a beer bottle towards her in exchange. The woman looked delighted and accepted it readily, cracking it open and banging it against his own before taking a drink. He watched silently, half his attention still on the crowd gathering nearby to discuss strategy.

Despite her half-closed eyes as she took a swig from the high-necked bottle she held, he noticed that she paid attention to the maps being used. Nodding her with him towards the group, he heard her footsteps trailing behind him. Making a slow stroll around the group, she attempted to surreptitiously glance at whatever the man holding the tablet was viewing.

"Grasslands sound better to me. State university has field offices and extensions with farming supplies scattered all around. If anyone is up for a little sight-seeing, I've got a bird perched on top of a highrise not far from here." Becky said. "Refueled just before... Well, all of this." She gestured with the brown bottle to the city surrounding them, "Could maybe take three or four other people. Military presence doesn't seem to be going so well for the city. Are we sure more of it is the answer?"

"Base sounds good to me. Security, then worry about long term resources." Reginald disagreed quietly. "Any case, you're all right. Can't stay here."

Becky tipped her beer to her lips again, eyes flickering around the group before she returned her attention to the maps.

[bluemoon]

It was funny how the sounds Andi had barely noticed before the disaster were the ones she missed the most...the rev of cars passing outside her apartment window...the drone of her students whispering before she started lessons...the ticking of the clock on the wall...the buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead. All these were missing as she stared in silence at the MRE in her lap, the contents already starting to coagulate as it cooled. She pushed the beef stew around the plate with her plastic spoon, her appetite quelled by the smell of blood which permeated her person. No amount of washing had removed the odor, and she was beginning to think it was a phantom scent, spurred on by the memory of the past few days fighting the infected. She had lost count of the number she had put down, her ammunition gone by the end of the first day. It had been the discovery of the tire iron which had allowed her to keep fighting, the levering end filed to a point by some unknown survivor. Even now the tool was close at hand, it's duct-taped handle pressed against her thigh.

The room in which she sat was filled with strangers. She had met some of them yesterday, but her memory of their names had been fleeting. It was not like her to forget...she had taught herself to link a word with each person, making their name easy to pull up...but not today. They were unknown, as she was to them, although the current conversation listed her as little more than a den mother or extra weight, compliments of a drunken cowboy. She actually preferred the next descriptor, non-com, as was spoken by a man who seemed overdressed for the situation. He had mentioned a bunker in the mountains, the same as she would have, had she decided to speak up. But it was more his working tablet that set him apart, either he had incidentally been in a secure area when the EMP hit...or he knew it was coming and had taken precautions...a peculiar situation either way.

A sigh left her lips as she tucked away a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her hand coming to rest under her chin after the sweep. All this talk...the business of finding safety...could be determined without her. It was for those in authority to worry over...the soldiers and emergency personnel. She was more concerned about the strength of the glass doors in front of her and the ability of the barriers that had been set to keep the infected at bay. How long did they have before the station was overrun? The last thing she wanted was to find herself on the streets again. It would be the death of her this time, her luck already pushed to the limit.

Staring outside, she chewed her inner cheek before she once again turned her attention to her meal, the bland cracker set off to the side the only thing she thought she could stomach. She broke off a corner and placed it inside her mouth, her hand reaching for the luke-warm coffee she had placed between her knees earlier. It was instant, and barely consumable, but she sipped at it regardless, the alternative...no coffee...a less desirable option. The beer that so many had access to would only serve as a temporary sedation, but she decided to join them in their solidarity by taking out her flask and pouring a shot of whiskey into her cup. She raised it to her lips and drank, the burn of the alcohol soothing her nerves as she continued to listen in on the discussion.

[Biscuit]

Biscuit walks towards the current base holding a little girl about the age of five hugging a teddy with stitches covering it with his right arm and a duffel bag on the left. They appear to be chatting. It looked like they were in a world of there own and nothing could hurt them.
Yet when they reach the base the little girl seemed more scared. Not because of the redneck either sulking in pain or living his best life with beer, not because of the old Sturn man with a suspicious woman next to him, not at all the people. It was something else.
"Hey, remember the enchantment I cast on your Carol?" Biscuit said toward the little girl.
The girl nodded hugging the teddy bear tightly still looking towards the base.
"Will mama be der?" She asks turning her head towards Biscuit.
"Maybe, but even if she isn't there you have to think positive. That enchantment I gave to Carol will make you brave no matter what as long as you stay strong and believe." Biscuit told her cheerfully.
"Okay... promise?" She said as they were let in by the military personnel.
"Promise." He said as he put her down. A couple of parents and grandparents looks up toward the girl with hope soon turned into sorrow till a one grandma shuffled there feet toward the little girl.
"Jaine dearest is that you?" Said the hunched grandma.
Jaine snapped towards the grandma and jetted to her giving her a hug tightly soon sobbing a river.
"Jaine thank the lord that he didn't take you yet!" She said to her repeatedly saying thank you.
Biscuit drops off the duffel bag and walks towards everyone.
"Hey guys, what's going on? Need any help?" He says through his mask looking around the room then to the map resting his hand on the bloody hand cannon in it's holster.

[Rayne7]

Salem's expression was impassive as he considered the responses he'd received. The drunk redneck's was typical and he disregarded it as whimsical. However the other man's point about the base was more logical and reasonable. It wasn't that he hadn't considered it himself but he felt...hesitant. Despite his background there was a nagging feeling he couldn't place. Regardless it was as good an answer as any.

"Sounds reasonable." He said, taking a drag from his cigarette.

At that moment another man approached asking if they needed help. Salem glanced him over, noting some odd gear. With a sigh he leaned back against the wall.

"Just planning." He responded as he looked over the map.

[ColtenBarg]

It had been a long few days. Getting the lift from his contractor to the outskirts of Denver was the start of it all. Since he landed, it was nothing but death and chaos. Nothing new to him. Finding other survivors and gaining their trust was essential, so Neeko moved as quietly as he could through the streets until he stumbled upon the PD in the 4th district. When he arrived, he saw a group of people gathered around a map on a table and figured it was a good place to get his plan started.

Neeko stood in the back of the room, observing the group's ideas and trying to get a sense of who in the room had any brains. Clearly, there were multiple people in the room who had military experience, which was certainly a positive thing to note. Maybe they had a chance of survival after all. The main negatives he noticed was the clear alcoholic in the room, and also the fact that no one had suggested recon. Everyone just wanted to do this or do that, not knowing a bit of what they were potentially getting themselves into.

He pulled out a fresh can of snuff, packed it, and put a solid pinch in the pocket of his bottom lip. "Y'all are rushing too much. We have no idea what we are dealing with here. We need to secure this area before we even dream of venturing out in helicopters. First, we scout the area. Then we look into going to the base." He paused to swallow. " What good are our pilots if they don't stay alive long enough to fly?"

This was all part of his plan. Neeko would do whatever he needed to in order to figure out the cause of this outbreak. His job depended on it. However, he knew he had no chance of getting into that base on his own, so helping keep these people alive would only help him achieve his goal.

[Biscuit]

"What he says is true. If ya'll are going to do something big like getting into a what I'm guessing is a military base. Your gonna have to know your way around it and how you're gonna transfer food there and how were going to include some protection. That bag of school food I brought in won't last forever and from the looks of the guard's we don't have that much ammo left. I suggest we prepare ourselves as well as do some research on that base. Unfortunately I don't have my shade tech. It's all fried to hell and back so I can't pull up any information for it. If there is a weapon store somewhere that's a good place to start after we get a fresh supply of food in the meantime for the civilians but both at the same time would be paramount. Though what I'm saying is that we need volunteers to split up into teams to scout those places. Mainly the base too. We also can scout out to the places with the helicopter we have on hand. Though the fuel is not entirely sure if it's not been taken out of the military base. So we need to have some recon on the fuel for thus helicopter. We need to gain allot of resources before we begin a big move also heads will need to be counted and order will be harder to maintain if moral gets low inso..." he takes a breath. "I'm just worried about the safety of the people. If we put too much time and resources about the base -including how much days were going to have to take to move a convoy of people- we won't be able to protect the current one with it's people. I might be missing some points that could be held to change my mind though if there is tell me. And also to mention that hopefully we won't be noticed by the Zom's roaming in the streets." He said as he crossed his arms.

[Dnafein]

Ash cringed as the new comers shoved themselves forward into the middle of the brain storming session. He reminded himself to talk to whoever was sitting at the door just letting anyone shove in and shook his head. Thick people will always be thick.

"Personally I don't know what you heard." He paused shifted his tablet to scribble something on a post-it not pad. "But I am pretty sure that what we've been discussing is where to send teams to look for bases. Rather than lets just roll out."

Ashley frowned at his tablet and tapped a few buttons in. "Pete." The man called gathering up his post-it notes. A small boy ran over. "Take this to the next scav team. make sure they see note three, don't wanna leave anyone out there than hurry to the roof. Tink will be landing shortly."

He turned his attention to the two newcomers again. "We're tucked in enough here we can hold for probably another..." Ash stalled running through what he knew of their supplies. "Three days at least; Unless something else gets let in."

"I honestly wouldn't count on holding any place like this for much longer than that." Ash added as he shifted. "As far as police stations go, this ones pretty solid and could probably hold out against a siege, well a typical siege."

His eyes shifted from one to the other, "You know a bunch of thugs with guns and basic civilian gear trying to get inside to rescue their buddies? Somehow I doubt however that's the kind of siege we'll get." Ash's voice lowered so it didn't carry beyond the two newcomers. "Let's see rounded up Denver had a population of 720 thousand. Should probably say at least 400 thousand of that is still wandering around out there. Given the materials of the structure I'd say it wouldn't be much more than a day before a percent of that manages to crash through whatever reinforcing you want to do and get at the juicy center at the middle of this building. Wouldn't give it that long if it were normal people out there, seen too many embassies end that way to think holing up here long term is smart."

Turning his eyes to Salem Ash repeated himself for the new comers. "A full flight crew can run a team down there, land the team can help secure the land site before moving onto their goal and that will allow the flight crew to refill and do a visual survey. And if we follow through on the plan of an overflight before hand, that'll reduce the threat to either the flight crew or the team going up to see if the mountain is open."

"Hell If we're willing to use the juice I'm sure we have the gear here to stay in touch with both the helo and the team from here. Which means if it looks good we can plot a course on the map or consider further options. If we have enough pilots we could just sweep up transport from the military base. Doubt we'd need more than three Chinooks." Ash added. "The base is Air Force too if I recall. Absolute worst case, I will wager there will be a number of C-130's we could borrow."

[Alura]

Reginald decided to leave the planning to higher minds, scratching his ear and shuffling across the room to stretch his legs. He noticed the woman nearby nursing a largely uneaten MRE and slid his knit cap back on his head a bit as he looked down to her through a craggy face with warm eyes. Not the right age, but looked a bit like his sister-in-law when she was younger.

"Alright there, Miss?"

*******

While Reginald was making an attempt to get to know some of the others around the precinct station, Becky was polishing off her beer and - a little ironically considering the state of things - responsibly recycling the bottle. Propping a hip on the edge of the desk where the maps were perched, she continued listening in and snagged a pencil someone had left out in one of its creases. Ticking two buildings on the map at opposite ends of the city, she set the pencil aside and scratched the itch at the inside of her wrist anxiously.

None of her people had been in this place when she arrived and she wasn't much liking the tone of those in favour of trying to cart all of these people somewhere. She cared, to a degree, about people like Kitty and her missing son. Not enough to risk her own neck for them. Get too comfortable with specific people and things were bound to go badly. Even if this was the ass end of the world. She'd lost her fair share of people on dicey cargo runs, deals gone badly. Gotta break a few eggs... She quipped to herself.

Still, even assuming the suit was able to execute flawlessly, she wasn't believing cooping up people any place was a great solution. If whatever was happening outside wasn't the issue, people trying to get in or fighting because they couldn't really get out could prove enough of an issue anyway. Mobility was key, as far as she was concerned. Plant a few gardens, hop a flight, keep a bead on ready fuel sources.

She wondered if any of these people had ever been marooned. Isolation was just a word until you'd lived it, then it was unforgettable. Being cut off from the sky in a situation like this where fistfights and firepower might not be enough to get you out again did not appeal to her at all. That was a free-for-all waiting to happen. Might as well round up those with the best chances and bug out before things got worse. Still, without the patrols that were picking up people in the streets she might've been dead already herself, she admitted bedgrudgingly.

[bluemoon]

Andi did not ignore the discussion that continued around her, although it might have appeared as such. Even the newcomers did not elicit any reaction. Her empty coffee cup set aside, her spoon had taken up its journey through her food again. She wanted nothing more than to retreat to a quiet place, but her own thoughts were chaotic, the process of categorizing all that she had seen making more noise than the people in the room.

There was so much she did not know, but she had seen various infected and the rage that defined them...the way they sought out those who had not been affected. ...and the EMP? Who had set that off? Were they the same people who had released the virus? So many questions...but one ate at her...one that stood out against the rest. Was the large brute that had walked through the school’s brick wall like it was paper the worst thing out there? ...and would these people be able to defeat it?

They had better weapons and trained personnel. Sprinkle in a bit of crazy...and drink...

Her musings ceased as a shadow fell over her, her gaze shifting to the buffed leather of work boots. Her hand stopped its circular motion as she followed the figure’s outline...trousers...pressed shirt...jacket…beard...pale blue eyes. She offered a strained smile in response to the man’s question, his face friendly enough to cast off any suspicions as to his intent.

“I’m fine...thank you...just a bit of shell shock.” Was that too much...should she have just nodded? A hesitant laugh left her ips. She couldn’t remain anonymous forever, her own survival depending on how she presented herself. Was she a burden...a den mother...or could she contribute? She bit at the tender flesh inside her cheek, her plate of food set aside as she rose to her feet. She offered her hand.

“It’s Andi...Andi DuPre.”

[Fox Xalian]

"The military got overrun on day 3, they lost communications on day 1 just like the feds, CIA and NSA...so the base is probably FUBAR but I suppose we could check it out" Maisie said. "Well I agree with the two teams idea, one in the helo and one on the ground might be best" Miles said. "I think me and the other pilot in the helo team, not sure who else but at least have us in the helo so I have a co-pilot who can take control if I'm needed in the back for medic shit" he explained.

Maisie looked around at everyone, taking mental note of who was there and what she had seen of all of their loadouts. "I wont be useful in the chopper so I'll be with the ground team, but definitely not the leader...but Miles I think you should be the leader of the helo team, we'll be using your bird, you know this stuff inside and out helicopter wise" she stated. "So two teams, one in the bird, one on the ground, going to the nearby base to scout" Miles clarified, looking to Salem to see what he thought.

[Rayne7]

Looking at the newcomers Salem took a long drag, then crushed the cig in a nearby ashtray. They needed to move; things were going to get worse. They had came to the police station because it was close and already had people, but that didn't make it the most ideal location in their situation. The man in the brown jacket and the helo crew seemed to understand that need. Some of these others seemed to have misinterpreted what had been said.

"Alright well I'll take the ground team. Question is who's going with us and in what capacity?" Salem queried.

[omgLYNX]

The unmistakable sound of a classic hemispherical chambered V8, slowing to a stop behind a massive traffic jam, if you could call dozens of derelict cars as such. Bryce moved his left foot from the clutch to the parking brake, clicking rapidly as it was pushed to the floor as the key was turned, cutting the engine. He knew what the cars meant. There was a gas station ahead. He also knew that there was no gas anywhere near him, but maybe he could find some luck in the form of E85. Bryce pulled the pistol from his hip, pulling the slide back just enough to see steel, then reached over to pick up his rifle. He pushed opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. He took a look around, not seeing anything in the immediate vicinity. He climbed up to the hood, then the roof of his car. He pointed his pistol in the air, and fired a single shot.

[Highland Sniper]

Meanwhile, Kodis had some of his own problems.
A small siege against an already weak defense at a different precinct had Kodis running through the streets.
A small firefight with a guy who had lost his wits had given him even more shock and a grazed harm. After getting away, he took one of his bandanna's and tied it off as a makeshift bandage for the bleeding.
now he was running through the streets being chased by two zombies. bloody things. He already found out cover did very little unless it was a solid wall with a firing hole. Some of the guys, most probably dead by now, said that they had seen a few of massive size that could go though brick walls like paper. He felt lucky he hadn't seen any of those yet.

He was already breathing heavy, and he couldn't run forever since these things were sure to catch up eventually. So he sung around with his shogun to his shoulder and popped off a shot, only dusting them. Quickly looking behind him for a clear spot, he backed up as he worked the pump and leveled it at the closest one before firing the second round, almost blowing the blasted thing to pieces.
He turned to run a bit more to get more distance between him and remaining zombie as he worked the pump.

How the ground got so uneven or so full of trash in so short of time, he had no idea. But he tripped over a crack and his gun went a short ways out from him as he fell. The cursed thing was right on top of him, his shotgun was too far out to reach, so he fumbled for one of his backups and puled his 44. as he turned over to see the zombie only a couple of yards away. hardly taking the time to aim, he let of 3 shots as fast as he could, causing the zombie to stumble and fall. So Kodis got up, shot it another 2 times in the head for good measure, grabbed his shotgun, and started running again as he wildly checked every corner he came across, not sure who would pop out or their intentions.

[ColtenBarg]

Neeko was clearly misunderstood, but perhaps that was his fault. "I just meant we should scout before we do anything, that's all. Don't want anyone to end up as dinner to those things in the streets." So they wanted to split up. Certainly not the worst of ideas, at least they wouldn't all die to the same zed that way. He paused a second to swallow his spit. "Put me in for the ground team. Helicopters have never been too kind to me." He said to the man who appeared to be the leader of this group.

They needed to make something happen, and quick. This place was going to be a graveyard relatively soon, all it would take is one noise that was a little too loud. That could happen any second with as many people there are in here, half of them probably half-mad from seeing the things they'd likely seen this last week. They clearly had some fight in them though, which was good, they'd need it for the world they now live in. From now on, death was going to be an everyday thing for these people. For him, that was nothing. Hopefully they had the guts for it.

He threw the snuff from his lip into a half-full wastebin on the ground next to him and proceeded to check his magazines. With them likely about to walk into hell, he needed to make damn sure all of his magazines were full and his gun was in top shape.

[Fox Xalian]

The gunshots outside the precinct didn't go unnoticed, not by the survivors inside, some of which looked out the boarded up window. And definitely not by the undead hoard. The hoard rush started with three howls in different locations, one in a Walmart shopping center across from both the precinct and the gas station, one from the supermarket across the parking lot from the gas station, and the apartment complex diagonally across the intersection from the Walmart.

Multiple zombies, well over 50, came rushing out of all three locations, baring down on the two survivors that let off the gunshots. Among the hoard were five hunter types and one Behemoth. The hunters running at first towards the gas station but quickly noticing the survivors in the precinct, they quickly switched targets, bringing ten regular, or walker, zombies with them. Some of the survivors ran to hide, while others, not part of the group currently in the meeting room, grabbed weapons to meat the attackers. Maisie and Miles would join them a few moment later. "Maisie, covering fire on the ones heading towards the gas station, you'll take Harold and the twins, I'll help to eliminate the hunters!" Miles ordered.

Maisie nodded, moving to support the other three as they made their way up to the gas station. Harold was an old Vietnam War vet, as such he had a weapon from his time in the service, an M2A1-7 flamethrower, burning his way through the hoards, Maisie firing her LMG at any zombie that almost grabbed the twins, who were a pair of exotic dancers who also did some fencing on the side, or maybe they were fencing students who did exotic dancing on the side, no one really knew which was it was. Miles on the other hand fired some fairly accurate shots right into the face and torso of one hunter that had almost ran point blank up to him, before turning to engage three walkers, one of which get blindsided by another hunter. Some of the cops that had survived this far also joined Miles and started pushing forward.

[Highland Sniper]

As soon as Kodis heard the gunfire, he started heading in that direction. it sounded like it could be a big firefight, which meant big groups he might be able to get on the good side of depending on who got out on top.
He grit his teeth knowing the chances he was about to take and looked around for more zombies before heading towards the gunfire.

After running another block or two, he came across the old gas station he used to work at with a bunch of cars around it, and it seemed that there was a monster of a zombie on the other side where all the gunfire was coming from.
He ran up to a close car and checked his revolver, made sure it was full and filled his shotgun before hopping on top of another car and tried to line up a shot with his revolver, hitting a walker dead center close to the center of the pack. He knew he'd draw some attention popping off a shot this close to a huge pack like this.

[SikstaSlathalin]

Zeke chuckled around the rim of his beer can as everything he said was summarily dismissed and replaced with talks of raiding military bases, flying whirly birds, and lots of important sounding but empty military jargon. Even in his inhibited state Zeke could see this group watched too many movies and thought they could hold off a giant military base by themselves with only a handful of trained fighters to their names and even less supplies and essentials.

As soon as they staked their claim on that mountain base they'd be the biggest damn target to not only deaders, but every other survivor group still kicking around out there and it was almost guaranteed they wouldn't all be peaceful refugees looking for help. The human condition would dictate that the world of Mad Max would be more plausible to how things would pan out once they got themselves set up. Marauders, Raiders, and people too desperate for diplomacy would come out in droves once things settled down a bit. And military bases are fine and dandy, but unless you have enough bodies with enough technical know-how front and center most of it will go to waste and fall into disrepair. Going after bunkers and bases are stuff you do once you already have a homebase set up you don't go right for the biggest fruit on the tree as soon as you leave the house.

But he let it all slide as more talking heads popped into the room acting like they knew what they were doing. He had his kit and the Ragged Lady and a surefire safe haven down south to make for, this group didn't need him at least until they tried to plant crops or get some livestock. No one looked to be well versed in any aspect of farming, Ranger Rick military types mostly. All aviator glasses, cigarettes, and overly complicated military surplus rifles that would fall apart in a few years. Cracking open the last can in his twenty four pack he looked out the window as the sound of gunfire was heard. The man let out a low manic cackle and pulled himself up off his gear. "Those fools gunna die unless one y'all go get'em." Taking a long sip of his beer Zeke looked around as the only response to the shots were the Chopper Jockey and the Limey grabbing an old man with a flamethrower, two strippers, and some piggies to mount a kind of defense and distraction for the fifty strong horde. Zeke grabbed his pistol and swore placing his beer into the empty coffee cup of the woman who had he had heard was named Andi DuPre. "Here girly hold my beer...burps...daddy needs to go to work." After checking that his mag was full he grabbed a pair of grenades off one of the guards and left at a staggering run from the police station.

The small group of survivors had attracted at least half of the horde to their little hideout. But they didn't have the bullets to take them all. Luckily the mad cowboy did have an idea. Picking up speed and stability the Southern man jumped into one of the precincts SUVs and fired the big toy to life after finding the keys had been left in the ignition. He let out a cackle at the thought of the cops giving him a ticket for a DUI after this. But he was sure the court would find him not guilty if this plan worked. Letting off a few shots of his own he roared from the precinct parking lot and plowed through the center of the horde being thankful for the bullet proof glass of the SUV, they would help keep the Zombies from getting in. He mowed down a whole line of the deaders before he broke free letting off a few more shots to make sure as many of them were following him as possible. Swerving and smashing more deaders he soon made his way to the gas station. The vehicle squealed to a stop and Zeke quickly pulled the pins out of the two grenades and jumped from the truck before they blew. The horde was quick to swarm around him, but the luck of the Anarchist was with him as he slid into a storm drain and scuttled down the pipe a little as the grenades blew taking the gas station and the horde with them. It wasn't the best place to hide in an explosion like that and chances were good he might have an entire street cave in around him, but hey...at least it looked cool.

[Highland Sniper]

Kodis watched as the SUV drove right through the hoard before remembering that he wasn't out of the woods yet.
A zombie was getting too close for comfort, so he popped off two more shots. It wasn't much longer till the gas station blew up and Kodis was knocked off the war he was standing on top of as derbies flew from the now demolished station, hitting other cars, and likely to cause other secondary explosions.

His head rang, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was from the blast, or hitting his head on the pavement. Though it could have been both. He felt something warm run down the side of his head. He got up and looked around at the flames from the still burning gas. He new he would have to get away from the next few explosions. He got up and looked around again to see a good chunk of the hoard gone, but the behemoth was still standing it seemed.
He began to hobble away from the fires and the cars and away from the behemoth as best he could.
He looked down to find a piece of metal sticking out of his right leg.
"Help!" He called as he continued to hobble. He looked back to make sure he wasn't being followed by any zombies and get going. "I need help!"

[ColtenBarg]

His weapons were clean and everyone seemed to have some idea of the road ahead, so Neeko packed another lip and took a seat to relax for as long as he could. There wouldn't be much downtime in the hectic days ahead, so why not take advantage now? Within a minute, he heard the shots. Nothing can ever be easy, can it? He thought to himself.

Many of the people around him sprung into action, thinking the life of a couple was worth more than the life of the many people inside the station, but that really didn't matter at this point. Neeko rose from the chair, chambered a round in his MPX, and went to try and help where he could. There was a rather large amount of walkers converging on their location, but nothing a few well-trained soldiers couldn't take care of. The old man with the flamethrower seemed to have things under control, so Neeko moved to support the cops and the man alongside them.

Among the group of walkers in front of them were a few unusual looking ones, certainly more dangerous than the rest. One got dropped by the other man, whilst the rest moved towards them. It's time to get western. Thought Neeko, as he raised his weapon and began firing off single shots towards the heads of the things in front of him, dropping multiple walkers and one of the hunters. Next thing he knew there was an SUV hauling tail through the hoard, and who else driving it besides the drunk hick. After plowing through walkers, he saw the man jump out and slip into a drain.

Then came the explosions. First the vehicle, then the pumps. It was deafening. Neeko hadn't been so disoriented in a long time. After somewhat gaining his bearings, he could see that although extremely reckless, the plan was effective. At least temporarily. An explosion that loud would attract every zed within 5 miles, and bring plenty of death with them. On top of that issue, the massive thing was still alive. If they didn't take care of that and get moving ASAP, none of them would survive the night.

[omgLYNX]

Bryce slid his pistol into his holster and turned around, dropping to one knee as he shoulder his rifle and began firing, each round fired signified by a loud click, and walkers started falling, either from being shot in the leg or tripping over walkers that had already been shot. Bryce slung the rifle over his shoulder, turning the other way and began running across the cars, having found his next spot.
He eventually reached his target, a Sprinter van. He jumped off the hood of a car, then placed his foot against the back door handle of the Sprinter, and used it to move himself to the roof of the van. Not a solution by any means, but it would by him some time, he was out of reach of most of them, but his attention turned to the Behemoth as he pulled the rifle off his should and readied it, his red dot falling onto the shape of the Behemoth, then he began firing rapidly at the monster.

[Rayne7]

Hearing the shots, Salem gripped his rifle and started moving towards the doors. Seeing the others already reacting, he cursed as the station blew up. Dinner bell was ringing louder by the minute. Shouldering his rifle, he focused on the hunters and the walkers closest, putting two rounds into the head of a hunter leaping towards one of the others and then transitioning to a walker sprinting at him five feet away. The combined fire of the survivors and the explosion had already killed a fair number of the infected, but more was coming.

A sudden unearthly scream came from somewhere nearby, louder and more raw than any scream he'd ever heard. It was gut-wrenching and chilling to hear. Turning towards the sound he saw a female infected suddenly lunge at him and fired instinctively as her chest came into contact with his muzzle. blowing holes through her sternum and out her back. Her body dropped, and he put the last round of the magazine into her head and reloaded.

The loud roar and a the sound of a car being knocked onto it's side announced the presence of a second Behemoth, and as the survivors looked a second horde arrived, much larger than the first and with well over a dozen hunters. The smoke and the flames were serving as a beacon to the infected in the city, alerting them to their prey. Several howls and screams could be heard, as still more were coming.

Grimm noticed as one of the newcomers on a van put effective fire on the half-toasted enraged Behemoth, the center of it's skull blossoming with a pink mist as it fell to the ground. Salem started to cover their approach to the Precinct.

"We gotta evacuate! Go through the Precinct to the back parking lot where the helo and other Vehicles are!" he shouted at the others.

[Highland Sniper]

As more shots rang out and unearthly screams could be heard, Kodis continued to hobble as he screamed for help, adding "MEDIC!" to the mix. He hobbled to the line as fast he could, turning to fire at the closest zombies when they seemed to be on top of him. The blood from his leg had already reached his feet by this point, and more was slowly oozing from the side of his head. Someone shouted something, but it was hard to hear considering he felt sick to his stomachache, had just taken a blow to the head somewhere and had a large piece of shrapnel in his leg, he was probably in shock. The Gunshots and screams didn't help matters.

He continued to approach the line and as people finally began to notice him, he raised his trigger hand and said "Don't shoot! I'm a survivor. I need help!"
He slowly continued his approach, though it seemed like he swayed a bit. his vision certainly was getting smaller.
He cursed before saying "Blacking out. I'm blacking out." he cursed again.

[Fox Xalian]

The situation changed suddenly, Miles was used to this as both a former combat medic and a firefighter. He knew he was born for this. "Maisie, get everyone back into the building! Salem is right, we need to get out of here now!" he shouted, handing his rifle to a young girl who ran out with his medic jumpbag after seeing the injured man almost collapsing from blood loss. "Remember what I taught you" he said to the girl as she aimed at a zombie, pulling the trigger and slowly moving backwards.

Miles moved up, the girl and Maisie covering his approach. He opened the bag as he knelt beside the man. "What's your name, sir?" he asked as he grabbed some roller gauze, looking over the patient's injuries. Head bleed, that needs to be controlled...fairly large piece of metal penetrating his leg, looks to be an arterial graze he thought. He used the roller gauze to wrap the head wound, stemming the bleeding there, before moving to the leg wound. He wrapped roller gauze around the piece of metal, the bleeding slowed by this. As the clamshell was brought from his helicopter by a nurse inside he got a read on the PT's vitals, mostly checking for breathing and pulse.

Once the stretcher was brought in he broke it in half, slid one half under the left side of the patient, and other half under the right side and secured the two halves together, carefully securing the man to the board before him and the nurse moved towards the precinct, they would go straight through the building to the parking lot where the helicopter was sitting.

Maisie started ordering everyone to fall back, some would move while others would provide overwatch, then they would move while the ones they were overwatch for would provide overwatch. On and on until most everyone was back inside, all except those who rushed out from the meeting, as well as Harold and the twins, and a couple of SWAT guys near them, handing MP7s to the twins.

And then the tables turned once more, a zombie with enough mental faculties to still fire a gun aimed a pistol and fired twice, one bullet hit the tank of Harold's flamethrower, fuel coming out of the tank and into the path of the flame Harold was putting onto the new Behemoth and, almost in slow motion from Harold's point of view, the fire traveled up the stream of fuel, into the tank, causing an explosion. 2 seconds. In two seconds, possibly their best weapon was destroyed, Harold lay dead and the twins were gravely wounded. The twins apologized to each other for failing before firing from their prone positions into the horde. The SWAT members were over run, being torn apart by hunters, the horde quickly pushing the last of the survivors back into the precinct.

"Everyone who was coming to the base, get to the parking lot! Some in the heli, others grab either a couple of police cruisers or whatever civilian vehicles we can find, we need to bug out!" Maisie ordered, taking Miles' rifle as she carried it out to said helicopter. She stowed his weapon as she watched him find a viable vein, tapping it and inserting an IV, hanging a 1000mL bag of saline for fluid replenishment.

[Highland Sniper]

"Kodis, uh... sir." He said, his head was swimming and his vision wan't getting any better as his head and leg were wrapped. He gave little resistance besides his own slurred words as he felt a gentle push to lay him down and the stretcher was put under him. That dark ring was getting tighter on his vision. Everything blurred, but it was odd that it didn't get any worse. Everything moved and jerked as his vision remained obscured by floating discs. Everything lost it's color and all sound lost meaning as it was too muffled and burred in ringing and explosion from gunshots.

He was jostled into the helicopter and was stuck with an IV. His head slowly sung to see what was going on, his thoughts were fuzzy, danger seemed distant. He wondered if it was whatever was in the IV, or if it was just his head. "I've never been in a hospital." He slurred. "Is this what it's like?"
He blinked and slowly looked over at the man who patched him up. "Give it to me straight doc. Will I ever fly again?" Why where they flying? What was he running from again? Where were his guns? Did he even have guns?
everything seemed numb.

[bluemoon]

Things began happening quickly around Andi, her hand lowering before she had a chance to shake the elderly gentleman’s, several members of the group running out of the precinct to aid whomever was firing off their weapons. Even the drunken cowboy answered the call, his half-empty beer can deposited in her seat haphazardly as she twisted to grab up her backpack and tire iron. She mumbled an apology to the grizzled senior then turned away, her attention drawn to the commotion beyond the door. Without further hesitation, she ran for the exit, nearly losing her balance when the floor beneath her shifted, lifting slightly before it dropped back down following an explosion.

“What the...?” slipped from her lips, the man who had been leading the conversation earlier moving past her towards the door, another gun lost to the fight outside. His shouted command did little to temper the fear that was building in her. They were no longer safe. It was time to go.

Feeling the push of the other survivors heading deeper into the precinct towards the back lot, she scrambled to get her gun from its shoulder holster and follow them. Her ammunition had been replenished when she reached the police station yesterday, but there was precious little against so large a horde. Still, she would have felt safer moving into the field of the infected rather than following the other civilians, so many of them unarmed and unprepared for what might happen next.

Once in the back lot, Andi stood her ground, her feet planted apart as the first of the infected managed to get past the armed men and women out front. She hesitated before lifting her Glock...if not for the angry snarl, the afflicted teenager would have appeared normal...at least at first glance. Her gait was a bit off, a thin line of blood oozing down the front of her pale blue slacks the only indication worthy of note. She was barely deterred by the injury, no sign of pain registering on her face. When Andi’s bullet struck her mid-chest, her body flinched, the shoulder kicking back, but little else. Andi's aim lifted, the next round leaving a gouge along the girl’s hairline. Curses poured out of the teacher’s mouth as she fired a third time, the girl finally dropping, the hole just above her eye the final count.

----------------------

Zeke was well on his way before more of a horde converged on the flames and explosions. The Doomsayer peeked out storm grates watching the zombies swarming the area and the rest of the humans in the precinct beginning to panic and run for their vehicles. Letting out a low cackle he eyed the way back home and began looking for a grate or manhole cover he could pop out of. "Y'all are welcome." They would've been arguing and bitching about making a plan till the zombie cows came home and ate their faces. Now whatever the plan was they'd have a cover to drive away under and no surprise zombie hordes would stop them if all the zombies were gathered around the gas station and with any luck maybe the fire would reach the under ground fuel tanks soon and level even more of the horde.

He was sure the Ranger Ricks and uppity G-men in the group would give him shit for doing what he did. But those two idiots that thought shooting would end up any differently would be just as at fault. But they sure as shit didn't have the bullets to end that horde so a mad escape would likely have been the only option anyway. But because everyone needed someone to blame it would fall on him despite making the biggest dent in the horde they could in a single swing.

Whistling merrily the Southern man power walked through the sewers kicking through whatever blockages got in his way until he figured he was close enough to the precinct. Kicking shit off his boots he climbed the metal rungs that led him back to the surface. Pushing the heavy metal disk up he tossed it aside and popped up in the motor pool of the precinct. A bunch of the survivors were already rushing towards whatever vehicle they could find. Zeke said it once and he'll say it again. "We ain't got the movers for these shakers." Lifting himself out of the hole he quickly turned to see the woman he left in charge of his beer shooting some zombie chick girl taking a whole three shots to do it. "Hmm remind me to show you some proper shooting skills when I get back. Here go warm the car." He pulled the keys to his jeep off his belt and tossed them to Andi. "She's the uparmored gray Jeep Cherokee over yonder." Just then he heard another explosion and some orders from around the front of the building telling everyone to retreat. Zeke laughed moving back into the building, all his gear was still there, including his bow and the second twenty four pack he liberated from his own fridge before he made his way here.

A scoff met the cowboy's back as he entered the police station, Andi stooping to grab up the keys from the ground where they had fallen. "I can shoot fine," she said louder than needed. "Might help if the target wasn't so damn resilient." With a huff, she turned away, scanning the lot for the mentioned vehicle. It only took her a moment to locate it, her steps taking her there double-time. It started up on the first try, the young woman looking over the lot nervously. "Don't take all day cowboy...the clock is ticking," she said under her breath.

Who would've thought stinking like a sewer would come in handy when you were trying to back into a building in the middle of evacuation. People jumped over chairs and tables as he came through he let them have the right of way when on steps, but mostly he just walked through whistling to himself as he returned to the little war room. It was empty, what with everyone being gone, so he quickly stripped out of his shit water covered clothes and tossed them away before he cracked open an abandoned jug of water and dumped it over his head to give a quick cleaning before putting on clean clothes and grabbing his pack, bow, and beer, his hat being the last thing he grabbed before he followed the last of the survivors outside. "I can fit three more people in my jeep!" He shouted to whoever before moving to the Ragged Lady and tossing his pack and bow into the back of the jeep. He went around to the drivers side, putting the beer in Andi's lap. "A'ight I'm back hop over girly. The Ragged Lady may start up quick, but it takes a...tender tried hand to really get her motor runnin'. " He cackled lightly looking up to see if anyone was taking his offer for three seats.

"Really? ...but no argument here," she said, her brow lifting as she scooted over, taking the beer with her. Her belt was securely fastened as she waited on the man to get inside, already doubting her decision to be his passenger. Getting in with the drunkest member of the party was not in her best interest, but she wasn't switching now. Her chances were in question no matter her choice...she might as well ride with someone who might be crazy enough to keep her alive. At least he had changed his clothes...the odor that had been wafting off him enough to gag a maggot.

Just as Zeke got himself buckled in the backdoors pulled open and three people clambered into the back of the jeep, one was a male cop with his arm in a sling and the other two were a mom and her daughter. Zeke gave them a smile and a wink. "Buckle up y'all we gonna have to drive hard an' fast to get outta here." He then turned to Andi and smiled. "So our fearless leaders decide on a plan of escape while I was gone?"

"I think they settled on checking out the Cheyenne base...but I wasn't really paying too close attention. That was before everything started going to sh...crap...I mean." She swiveled in her seat and smiled apologetically to the young mother before continuing. "They were talking about flying out there and sending in ground troops...not sure if the plans changed."

Moving the case of beer to the floor between her feet, she gave the man a once over, similar to how she looked at a student who had broken the rules a few too many times. "Was that you that caused the explosion? You seem the type...a trouble maker."

Zeke simply gave Andi a roguish smile and a wink before he put the Ragged Lady into drive, cackling madly and flooring it out of the precinct, mowing down a couple more Zombies that had gotten in his way before he turned towards the military base. No one would be fool enough to try and organize a convoy for an escape like this, so he didn't even bother to look back and see if the others were following. Until they found a home base and decided on a cool team name for the surviving group, it was every man for themselves, as far as this mad man was concerned. Him, Andi, and the three passengers could all flee South and join the Edge family Doomsday Cult if this Air Force base idea went belly up.

Coming back to himself slightly he glanced back at the passengers...all looked equal parts scared and angry. With a big smile Zeke held his hand over his mouth and made the sounds of an intercom in a plan coming on. Altering his voice he spoke in the stereotypical low slow voice a captain on a plane used for announcements. "Hello everyone this is your Captain Zeke Edge. I thank you for picking Edge Airlines for all your zombie escaping needs. Sadly there will be no inflight movie, but we have a whole box of MREs behind Mr. Cop for your complimentary inflight meal. I don't remember what is left, but I do know there is no tuna surprise." He made a buzzing sound and went back to cackling to himself as he drove the jeep through the last few stragglers of the horde.

Laughing despite herself, Andi punched Zeke lightly on the arm. "You really are effing crazy...you know that?"

[Alura]

As soon as the shots rang through the streets close at hand, people inside the precinct started to move. Becky rose from her lean against the desk and backed toward a wall hesitantly. Scared people were dangerous people. Most started to crush for the back exits and she craned her neck around looking for the old timer who had traded her a beer. Not seeing him in the chaos, she scooped up her pack and slung it onto her back, making her way with the current of the human horde. She ducked away from the press as she made it to the back cells, eyes meeting Kitty's where she stood wanly at the edge of her cage. It might almost seem she was safer there, but if things went bad - and they probably would, all things considered - she couldn't just leave the other woman there.

She stilled her own anxiety and cracked a broad grin. "Babes, relax. Too many fans and not enough tickets to the show, you know how it is."

Rubbing her hands together, the pilot showed front and back to the other woman as if she were beginning a magic trick.

"Time to see if I still have the touch."

"Be careful, Becks!" Kitty warned, smiling a little though fear was still mirrored in her sleepless eyes. She was worried about her son, of course. What mother wouldn't be?

Shouldering through the door one of the coppers had vanished through earlier with one last grin flashed to the other woman, Becky slipped in and shut the door. The uniform from before was standing by one of the filing cabinets as she entered, and curiously didn't bother to turn.

"A-hem." She cleared her throat expectantly. He didn't move. "Excuse me, Sir, don't mean to bother but you still have someone locked up in... the..."

Trailing off, she noticed a sort of heave to the man's shoulders and his hand tamped down on the cabinet as if he were leaning on it for support. Or angry. Leaning slightly to get a better view in profile, she noticed he looked a bit peaky. No... not quite that.

"Are you alright there, Sugar?" She asked as cheerfully as she could muster, rocking on her feet nervously.

When he began to turn to answer her, she knew it was no use speaking to him any further. With a yelp she launched herself towards the door, losing a few moments scrabbling with the handle before she went screaming down the corridor towards the crush of people as if a pack of wolves were on her heels. Most of the people had already shoved their way outside into the open, but one of the survivors in the pack looked over in time to lift a shotgun. Eyes flaring wide, Becky dropped back and slid forward just before the gun reported. Two shots and the uniform was no longer a threat. Blinking and blowing out a shaky breath with her hand on her heart, Becky climbed to her feet and gave an appreciative nod and a murmured 'thank you' as her flannel-shirted saviour passed through the exit.

Her ears rang and she shook her head to try to clear it, but she bounded back down the hall to pluck the key card from the poor dead man's belt with a quip about the vice arrest ‘not being the only one with nine lives’ and buzzed out Kitty. Pulling her along, she nudged the other woman’s chin to keep her from looking behind and ushered her out after the crowd. When they hit the lot, she moved for the bird, half-dragging the other woman until Kitty pushed against her arms and shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"No, I'm sorry. No. I-I'm afraid of heights. I'm afraid of flying, I-I need to find him, my boy."

"Kitty, look at me. Look, Kitty, shh, it's okay. It's okay, Sugar. Kitty, we have to go. Kitty, we have to go for right now."

Body checking the other woman as gently as possible, she tried to coerce the now sobbing woman towards the helicopter. In her flailing, Kitty's elbow connected with Becky's nose and sent her staggering back bleeding. Apologising while still sobbing, Kitty looked flighty.

"Oh, Kitty... I'm so sorry."

Kitty looked at Becky pitifully as she stood holding her nose with her right hand, pretty brown eyes wild.

Becky drew back her fist and leaned into a left cross. The terrified woman crumpled to the ground and Becky flexed her face, wiping blood with the back of her hand with a soft groan before bending to grab under Kitty's shoulders and shuffle towards the helicopter with her.

*******

Reggie shuffled to one side and watched Andi collect her things and head off after the firebrand. He scratched his head and slid his knit cap forward a bit again, before looking lively and collecting his own things. He saw Salem move towards the doors as he re-entered the pen, and rested a palm on one of the half-wall partitions as the noise of the explosion outside seemed to raise the volume on the shrieking and screaming that was punctuated by gunfire. He stepped outside just in time to hear the unearthly screams of the infected that lunged for the younger man. As Salem finished reloading, Reggie moved off from him, using the cover Salem laid down to make a beeline for his van, rifle at the ready.

It seemed like the infected were coming out of the woodwork, but though he heard the predatory stalking around the vehicles, he managed to make it to his van without incident. They must've been too attracted to the movement and chaos to worry much about him. Whatever the reason, he didn't spend too long looking that particular gift horse in the mouth. Turning his key, he let out a breath when the motor kicked and the engine rumbled to life.

That had attracted some attention. An infected came careening for the side of his van and he slammed his foot on the gas, fishtailing slightly in his turn to bat the thing away from his vehicle. Some of the contents of the van shifted behind him. With a squeal of tires that he was a bit impressed with on his old tub of a service van, he navigated quickly outside the ring of vehicles to where Bryce was perched on a Sprinter and lowered the window just enough to yell, "Climb aboard, Son! Time to go!"

His rifle laid across the steering wheel in one hand. Not the safest of options in most cases, but the readiest here perhaps. If he could pick up the kid here, he would try to snag up Salem or meet him in the back lot where the rest were gathering if it seemed safe enough. He certainly had never thought city life would be like this!

[ColtenBarg]

After the station went up, they had a slight break where there weren't many walkers. Someone took out the half-torched behemoth shortly after, and they could breathe for a second. A second was no joke. Just as Neeko knew would happen as a result, a much larger horde was very close. He looked over to see an EMT administering aid to a man with a rather large piece of metal in his leg, but could see he had it under control. "We gotta move!" Yelled Neeko, trying to make sure everyone could hear. They had to get out of there.

Retreating slowly and trying his best to cover the others, he dropped multiple walkers and a couple of the hunters. Once he and the last few others were ready to bug to the back lot, Neeko popped a few shots at the behemoth to get its attention. Maybe that thing will rush me and cause enough damage to this building front to give us some breathing room. The shots did their job, and it came rushing him at full speed. Making sure to be standing in front of one of the support beams for the awning, he waited for the last second to jump out of the way. The zombie ran straight through it, but this wasn't over yet. There was still one more beam. Same plan. If I did it once, surely I can do it again. Neeko turned and let loose 2 mags to thin out what walkers had closed in on his location, then turned back to put more fire on the behemoth. With it turning back towards him, he got ready to make his move. Once the brute got close to the pillar, he made his dash to beat the falling awning. Luck is certainly on my side today. Can't believe I just chanced my life for these people. He thought as he shook his head at himself. The awning fell at an almost 45-degree angle, blocking much of the front of the building off from the horde. They could still get in from the sides, unfortunately, but it would certainly slow them down.

The awning would not buy them much time at all, so now was their chance to get the hell out of Dodge. Or in this case Denver. The heli was the better move to survive the night, so he ran full speed and hopped in, ready to lay down more fire on any walkers that manage to make it through to the group.

[Dnafein]

At the start of the attack Ash quickly retrieved his drone from the boy he sent to grab her. She still had about 25% left on her battery and that was more than enough for an emergency flight. Ash tossed the keys for his ride to the boy’s father Ash then ducked into one of the upper floor offices and sent Tinkerbell out the window.

The drone quickly zipped into the air. The pilot flicked through the different belly cameras for the best views. His eyes skimmed the screen locating the pattern of the incoming horde. Spotting the weakest section Ash called down to those loading up in the vehicles. He added instructions that once outside of town to head south. “Follow the signs to Peterson.” He shouted, bringing the drone back inside, and storing it carefully.

Ash then grabbed the phone on the desk, hearing the tone he sighed. Landlines were spotty in an emf, lacking the need for an external power supply.Flipping open a pocket notebook the former analyst dialed the first number. It rang twice and then went dead. He repeated the process three more times, each time the phone rang twice and then went dead.

On the other end of each of the dialed numbers was a phone wired into a detonator. Each of the detonators were wired to c4 Ash had salvaged on his trip from DC. Two of the four numbers were propane companies, one was a gas station, the final was to a maintenance line for a gas company. Each one blew up spectacularly, sending a fireball skyward. Each one was also blocks away and in every direction except the one Ash sent the escapees.

After he made the calls Ash made his way to the nearest helicopter pulling himself into it carefully. He grabbed a headset and upon donning it stated. “Passed along directions towards the weakest section of the incoming. Also aimed them towards Peterson, seemed an obvious regroup point. Should still get there first to work on clearing it up some though.”

[Fox Xalian]

As the helicopter and the vehicles of the main survivors were loaded up and left, the other survivors went the opposite way, towards Peterson Air Force Base. Miles watched from his helicopter as most of the precinct survivors got over run, but not by zombies. A militant group, armed with equipment better then what was at most military checkpoints, almost like they had cracked open a military installation. They had what looked like a national flag flying from one of their MRAPs, it looked vaguely American but had major changes, namely the colours, red, white and black instead of red, white and blue and had an gold Imperial Eagle on it instead of the stars usually found on the flag. Miles would radio this to the ground team, as well as him seeing the survivors that went towards Peterson being captured, or killed in some cases. This militia would spot the helo, Reggie's van and Zeke's vehicle and start opening fire. "Get out of here now!" Salem shouted over the radio.

A few weeks later, close to Halloween

The main group, after their run in with the strange militia, made it up north to Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. They had managed to clear an area around the community center, with the help of another survivor group, who was mostly made up of students from the high school and elementary school, their teachers and some of their families.

Inside a room in the community center the main group sat, like before in a meeting. "Our communications people have heard two distress calls, one from a camp near an amusement park and one from...we're not entirely sure actually they wouldn't say and we're having a hard time triangulating it" Maisie reported. She had been made the second-in-command of Alpha, or A-Team under Grimm, the ground team of their group. The rest of A-Team consisted of Reggie, Zeke, Ash, Kodis and Bryce. "That nearby gas station has increased our operational range so either one would be good" Miles, the lead of Bravo, or B-Team stated. His team consisted of Becky as his co-pilot in the chopper, Andi, Rayne, Biscuit and Neeko. "We've also been very lucky not to run into that militant group again, and from reports from people who have run into them, anyone they capture can be effectively written off so that group from Denver wont be saveable" Maisie added. "So...amusement park or get ready for the trip to the unknown signal?" Miles asked. "It'll take us a couple of days for that one, we'd be heading out on Halloween if we did" Maisie added.

[Highland Sniper]

"Uh, if I may?" He started, "We know the one group is at the amusement park, so we can look for them and see if the mystery signal is close by. If not, then we know. But the mystery signal could also be another gang that just wants to tear our throats out." He shrugged, "Either way, we're gonna walk into trouble everywhere."

He took a sip of some cream soda he managed to snag at the said nearby gas station. Wasn't all that cold, but it was nice all the same. He put the cap back on it and put it in one of his big pockets.

[ColtenBarg]

What a few weeks it has been. And still no closer to finding out the truth behind this outbreak. Thought Neeko as he sat on a bench outside. He had been with these people for almost a month now and still knew nothing more about them than their names. Perhaps that was for the best though in a world like this. Anyone of them could die at any moment, himself included. On the bright side, the gas station they had secured had loads of Copenhagen. Maybe throat cancer will be what gets me after all. He thought to himself with a little chuckle as he put in another pinch.

He heard some voices inside the community center and decided to go see what was going on. It was a good thing he did since he walked in on what looked to be a meeting. Miles and Maise were laying out the basics on what to do next. So, an amusement park or some unknown location. I was never much for rollercoasters. He thought. "My vote is for the unknown signal. Whatever it is, it has a higher chance of giving us some answers than Six Flags." He said to the group. This could finally be the chance he had been waiting for. It had also been too long since he had seen any action worth his time. Hopefully, they would make a move rather quickly and he could fulfill his contract.

[SikstaSlathalin]

While the Techies, hanger-ons, and Soldiery types talk go plans and raiding amusement parks in one of the lower levels Zeke was engaged in matters of the utmost important. Moonshine, the fuel of the South, and with the help of Miss. Science teacher Andi DuPre parts of each still were being used to make antiseptic, explosives, and maybe even some talks of fuel.

There wasn't much yield at this point, but Zeke had plans for more and maybe even come up with a mobile still to keep in the back of his jeep. But for now he was just working on some sipping juice to tide him over until he can find some beer of his liking. He was sure any plans the smarties made would find their way to him so he'd just keep doing this until then.

[Alura]

Reggie sat with an almost untouched beer next to his work boot, hands busy toying with a busted radio he had found in one of the rooms of the community center. He'd spent a fair bit of his time repairing the blessedly minor damage to his repair van and assisting others with their vehicles also. After taking inventory of his own situation, he also began doing basic maintenance around the place. He had some ideas for defenses after quietly shuffling around with the group that had initially inspected the center after it was cleared. There were some decent raw materials, from the wooden pallets lying outside the kitchen doors to the fire axes encased near some of the emergency exits. Thank God for fire code. The crumpled paper in his breast pocket kept a tally of anything useful he'd seen.

His head stayed bowed over his work as he listened to the others, and he scratched the back of his neck idly.

"Park might have food, nurse station with supplies." He offered, looking up to Maisie. "Unknown might be in more immediate danger. I vote for the unknown signal also. Let's help them out and then see if we can recover supplies from the park while helping out later?"

*******

Scratching the inside of her wrist and her palm, Becky slumped into the back of the room late with a hand-rolled smoke between her lips. She leaned against the back wall, heavy-lidded eyes focused intently on the process of cleaning soil from under her nails. Some of the survivors had found seeds and basic gardening supplies used to keep the community gardens going. As soon as she had heard about it she had made a beeline to get involved, helping revive those that had begun to wilt and expanding it. She'd even planted a couple of seeds for ornamental potted plants for herself and had them sunning in a window in what had appeared to be some sort of pottery studio.

If she was being honest, she really didn't see the point of wasting time or resources investigating either of the beacons. It seemed unlikely anyone they found would know more than they did about what was happening. More people meant more drain on resources, but... It also meant more hands to build up wherever they found themselves, more hands to fight.

Shrugging her shoulders noncommittally to express her disinterest in voting at all, her wandering attention zeroed in on trying to form the perfect smoke ring.