Forsaken: Always protect what matters most (East Coast edition)

[Michael Lance]

North America, February 12th, 2015

Explosions rock the ground as nuclear meltdowns occur across the nation, obliterating cities and spewing radioactive fallout for miles. Citizens panic as local law enforcement struggle to shepherd the screaming masses to the safety of nearby nuclear fallout centers, though many living in rural areas have nowhere to go but their own basements. Even less at ease are those out in the wilderness - hunters, campers, spelunkers and the like can only watch in horror as the sky burns blood red.

East Coast, North America... 3 days later

A young man, of the age of 17, crawls out from under a smoking pile of rubble. His ash-smeared face appears apprehensive - did I escape the fallout? He wonders in fear, glancing around the pitted wasteland that was once New York City. Dragging himself from under the twisted wreckage of a former high-rise office building, he winces in pain as blood runs down his left forearm, pooling on the dusty ground below. His once-custom-tailored suit is now in rags, one sleeve torn off by a falling support beam. He holds the wound on his arm as he rises to his feet, struggling not to yelp as a spasm runs through his arm, causing more blood to leave his body and fall to the ground. He looks about himself, noticing charred skeletons and corpses for the first time. "What could have caused all this," he wonders aloud. He staggers away, leaving a trail of blood in his wake...

West Coast, North America... 3 days later

A stereotypical California-raised teenager quietly walks down what was once Hollywood Boulevard, one hand tightly gripping the strap of the weapon slung across his back. His solemn blue eyes survey the post-meltdown carnage impassively, showing no emotion as he calmly steps over wounded and deceased, sidles past the burned-out tourist attractions and shops, and heads towards what remains of Los Angle's famous Hollywood Sign, with a grand total of three letters still intact - a singed "H", a rusty and pitted "W", and two half-circles that, now pressed together since having lost their supports, formed a single "O". Lillith had said she'd meet him there, but why had she gone on ahead of him? She should have waited, he thought to himself, still slightly irritated by the morning's events; several attacks by assorted monsters, two ambushes by resource-hungry gangsters, and a madman with a bloody butcher's knife. None of them posed much of a threat, but he was irked nonetheless that they had targeted him in particular. He walks on, unaware of the bloodstained creature stalking him from the shadows of the early morning's light...

Welcome to the world of Forsaken; what was once the land of the free is now nothing more than a wasteland, reduced to rubble and ashes in a matter of hours. Electricity is gone with no hope of being restored, cities have twisted and frozen into half-melted steel and asphault jungles, and what remains of humanity is either doomed to die of radiation poisoning or become the prey of now horribly mutated wildlife. We, the survivors of the East coast, are all that remains of the North American population... or are we? Rumors of a small band of survivors to the West of us have begun to spread, and whether they are true or not no longer matters - we cannot remain here, being constantly hunted by strange creatures and killed off by mentally unhinged survivors.

- Character Sheets -

Name:

Age:

Height:

Gender:

Occupation (pre-fallout):

Physical Description:

Weapons (modern-day armaments - former military members can own fully automatic weaponry. Also, keep your loadout realistic; only what your character can carry):

Abilities (pick two from following list):

- Abilities -

- Strength - capable of lifting objects too heavy for normal characters, as well as being able to carry 1.5 times as much equipment. Better with melee weapons and hand-to-hand combat, as well as thrown weapons. Not compatible with the "Speed" or "Agility" abilities.

- Speed - capable of running faster and reacting quicker than normal characters. More capable as hand-to-hand combatants, but can be at a disadvantage when fighting against characters with the "Strength" ability. Not compatible with the "Strength" ability.

- Agility - capable of leaping longer and higher than normal characters. More adept at avoiding close-range weapons and hand-to-hand attacks, but can be at a disadvantage when fighting characters with the "Speed" ability. Most characters with this ability are experienced in martial arts, generally Parkour. Not compatible with the "Strength" ability.

- Strategist - capable of devising superior strategies to outwit enemies. Able to think on the fly, putting plans into action faster than most characters. Generally have sharper focus than most characters, making them capable of realizing minute details. Compatible with all abilities.

- Dead-eye - supreme sharpshooters. Unmatched in ranged combat, able to pick off targets twice as easily as other characters. Weapons identification comes easily to them, as well as handling and upkeep. Compatible with all abilities.

- Killer Instinct - experienced killers. Unmatched in hand-to-hand combat, they can find the weakness of just about anything with a pulse. All melee weapons are easy to handle with this ability enabled. Compatible with all abilities.

- Tank-breaker - a sort of anti-technician, they can identify and break down just about anything mechanical. The mechanical equivalent of the "Killer Instinct" ability, they can find a way to blow up just about anything. Compatible with all abilities.

- Technician - capable of repairing just about anything. They can fix anything mechanical and sometimes even boost the efficiency of most mechanical objects. Not compatible with the "Medic" ability.

- Medic - capable of patching up just about any injury. They can remedy just about any illness or infection, and are capable of performing minor surgery. Not compatible with the "Technician" ability.

*** NEW ABILITIES (As of April 2nd, 2013)***

- Stamina - The character has maximized their endurance through training. They can take more damage, run longer and outlast anyone in a fist fight. Compatible with all abilities.

- Informant - capable of identifying any plant, animal, sickness, mechanical device, et cetera - in short, they are a walking, talking encyclopedia. They can provide detailed information on practically any item, action, or event, giving their allies an edge by informing them of enemy characteristics and possible weaknesses ahead of time. Compatible with all abilities.

That's about all for abilities. I'll add more as I think of them.

P.S. If anyone wants to keep up to speed with the characters of the East Coast, check out the original thread here:
http://www.roleplaysocial.me/talks/7181107

[Michael Lance]

- Joshua Lance -

Age: 17

Height: 5'11"

Gender: Male

Occupation (pre-fallout): Business protege

Physical Description: Ragged black hair, worn out Carhartt jacket (left sleeve torn off), ripped-up denim jeans, and a bandage wrapped around the gash on his left arm, which is almost fully healed. Also wears a pair of black combat boots, wrapped around with white cotton rags to keep held together.

Weapons: Pump-action riot gun, two knives and a pair of brass knuckles.

Abilities: "Speed" and "Strategist"

*********

- Richard Freeman -

Age: 23

Height: 6'1"

Gender: Male

Occupation (pre-fallout): Mixed martial arts contender

Physical Description: Having raided a military surplus store upon coming to his senses, he's quite the mismatched ragdoll in terms of appearance - digital camo cargo pants, black jungle boots, a white t-shirt and a heavy digital camo coat that he wears during the colder nights in lieu of a blanket. Well-built, but more for speed than strength - most of his power is derived from his lower body. Auburn, windswept hair and a stony expression that earns him more enemies than allies. A crooked nose, broken more than once in illegal fight club matches, and odd red eyes that seem to penetrate those he looks down on (previously black before the fallout.)

Weapons: A straight-edged Japanese katana that he swiped from a collector after waking up. It measures about 30 inches in length, from hilt to blade tip, and its hilt is wrapped in red, braided cords. He hasn't had to use it yet, as the sight of it strapped to his back is generally enough to send any potential predators scampering. He also possesses a chrome 9mm Beretta, as well as two and a half boxes of bullets. He's not a gunslinger, but he knows enough to handle it safely... mostly. He almost shot himself in the foot when he first got it, but he at least knows not to look down the barrel.

Abilities: "Stamina" and "Agility"

- Stamina - The character has maximized their endurance through training. They can take more damage, run longer and outlast anyone in a fist fight. Compatible with all abilities.

[samurai10]

Name: David O'Brien

Age: 16

Height: 5'11"

Gender: Male

Occupation (pre-fallout): He was a highschool student. He did go hunting with his older brother and dad a lot in the forest behind their house. His mom ran a clinic, and he was her closest child, and he wanted to follow in his mom's footsteps, so he helped out at her clinic a lot, and also studied some of her medicine books.

Physical Description: He has brown hair, and brown eyes. He's slightly husky, and wears his school uniform, which is torn and dirty. It's a light blue shirt with a navy blue blazar, black pants, and black shoes. He has a bandage on his forearm where his dog bit him after mutating. He also has a bandage wrapped tightly around his ankle, which was sprained from him jumping out of a tree the wrong way.

Weapons: A small knife in a sheathe on his knee, he always carries around a rifle, and has another handgun in his backpack, just in case something happens to his rifle. He carries the bullets for both in his backpack.

Abilities (pick two from following): Dead eye and Medic.

~~~~~~~~~

Name: Jennifer Riley

Age; 13

Height: 5'1"

Gender: Female

Occupation (pre-fallout): Middle schooler. She was a very good gymnast, having started at the age of four, and also started Taekwondo lessons when she was eleven. However, she was more into her gymnast classes, so by the time she was thirteen, she had only advanced by three belts.

Physical description: Dirty, bright, straight red hair tied in a ponytail. Blue eyes. Dirty, torn jeans, black boots, and a two-colored striped sweater, also dirty. When she takes off the sweater, she has a red shirt with black letterings. This is clean, since she almost never takes her sweater off. She has various cuts, but the worst are from her pet cat, who attacked her after mutating.

Weapons: Her brother was obsessed with knives, and since he didn't survive, she took them all. He had just gotten his tenth a few weeks before the nuclear explosion, so she has ten knives. She hid them all over herself.

Abilities: Speed and Agility.

[Banana Lobster]

Name: Lynna O'Sylf

Age: 16

Height: 5'7

Gender: female

Occupation: When not at school, she worked behind the counter at her dad's specialty gun store. Her father is the one who taught her how to shoot a gun.

Physical description: Lynna has caramel colored hair that reaches to her shoulder blades, Caucasian skin, and bright green eyes. She also has a cut on her cheek which is almost completely healed.

She wears dark-brown windbreaker over a white tee-shirt, dark-blue denim jeans with the cuffs tucked into black combat boots, and a backwards, bright orange baseball hat. She has a forest-camo patterned backpack, (like this one) where she carries ammo for her two guns, along with a few tools that she uses to hijack cars, fix things, etc.

Lynna has bandages wrapped around her forearms and around her shins, where there are large gashes that are slowly healing. She got these when she dug herself out of the remains of her father's gun shop, which collapsed while she was in the basement on a small errand for her father. She unfortunately found her father and a customer at the remains of the counter when she was digging herself out.

Weapons: A SA-M1A-NM rifle, a modified HK-USP Handgun, and a Scarab knife.

Abilities: Dead-eye and Technician

EDIT: Forgot to put in the height, sorry.

[Ally-Ann]

Name: Noelle McLaud

Age: 16

Height: 5'4

Gender: Female

Occupation (pre-fallout): High school student; shadowed various doctors/nurses, and volunteered around her city quite often.

Physical Description: Petit; alabaster skin; Waist-length, light-blonde, curly hairm,parted to the side; Baby-blue eyes; Ankle-length, white church dress, which is tattered and slightly torn and dusty, along with a torn white cardigan to keep her arms warm; several open wounds as a result from major radiation exposure.

Weapons: A jack-knife she found, and a small pistol.

Abilities: Medic and Agility

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Name: Orion Wilkinson

Age: 19

Height: 6'3

Gender: Male

Occupation (pre-fallout): International journalist

Physical Description: Thin/fit, slightly muscular; Slightly tanned skin; Shoulder-length, shaggy black hair, parted to the side; Almond-shaped, amber-hazel eyes, which hold a peculiar liveliness to them; Wearing tattered khaki pants along with a ragged light-blue polo shirt and boat-shoes; A few cuts on his arms and one on his right leg, but nothing major.

Weapons: A pistol, his fists, and legs/feet

Abilities: Strategist and Killer Instinct

[Wolfsong]

This looks interesting. I'll try to make a character when I've got more time handy.

[Michael Lance]

All right then. We'll get started once Wolfsong has submitted her character.

Just to clarify, samurai10 is the official co-GM of "Forsaken".

Sincerely,
the Mysterious Michael Lance

[Ally-Ann]

I have a quick question; will our characters know about their abilities right off the bat, or does that not come until a certain part in the rp?

[Wolfsong]

Name: Shadow

Age: 24

Height: 6"4

Gender: Male

Occupation (pre-fallout): Doctor

Physical Description: Black hair slicked back, brown eyes. Dresses entirely in black, from his leather jacket to his boots.

Weapons: a simple pistol, nothing fancy.

Abilities (pick two from following list): Speed and Medic

[Silent Seraph]

If there's still room...

Name: Draden Silvestri

Age: 17

Height: 6'2"

Gender: Male

Occupation (pre-fallout): Student-athlete (Soccer), Lifeguard

Physical Description: well built and tan. Short blond-grey hair and blue-grey eyes. Wears jeans, a dark team hoodie, and black Nikes.

Weapons: Mateba Model 6 Unica (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... ver6in.jpg), various throwing knives

Abilities (pick two from following list): Agility, Killer Instinct

Carries ammo, extra clothes etc. in his old soccer backpack. Similiar to this (http://thecarry.com/wp-content/uploads/ ... -Vapor.jpg)

[Michael Lance]

Name: Shadow

Age: 24

Height: 6"4

Gender: Male

Occupation (pre-fallout): Doctor

Physical Description: Black hair slicked back, brown eyes. Dresses entirely in black, from his leather jacket to his boots.

Weapons: a simple pistol, nothing fancy.

Abilities (pick two from following list): Speed and Medic

Your character sheet is fine, but your character needs a real name, instead of just "Shadow" (Forsaken is based in a more realistic setting, so all of the characters are normal people before the mass fallout that occurs at the beginning of the game.)

[Michael Lance]

With the exception of Wolfsong's character name, all players are accepted. I'll begin the game soon, so check back often.

[Wolfsong]

Ah, my apologies. His name's Justin, then.

[Michael Lance]

All right then! You can come up with a last name later, if you want. In the meantime...

Let the game begin!

[Silent Seraph]

A lone figure climbed out of the ruins which were once the premier private school of NYC. As Draden found is way onto the athletic fields he found himself doing something strange; laughing. Acending the bleachers, he turned to look at the wreckage. "Guess those extra 3:00a.m. workout sessions really did 'save my life' dad hahahaha." Pushed to do the best in everything athletics, academics, you name it, by his successful business man of a father, Draden excelled. But secretly, he had resented his treatment. And now it appeared the world had given him release from his captive life. Despite the destruction he realized on his short walk home; he was happy.

[Michael Lance]

"Jennifer, we've got to go - now"

Joshua wheeled around, swinging the shotgun in a wide arc with one hand while he gripped his shoulder with the other. He cursed loudly, pulling the trigger as his arm spasmed violently. The blast of steel pellets went wide, shattering several windows across the street and chipping the paint off the shell of a burnt-out car. His target yelped and jumped back in surprise, then growled and bared its teeth in a wicked, animalistic snarl. His target was a Drayhound - some sort of mutated greyhound-like thing, with sickly black spines sprouting from its shoulders and spinal column. Its eyes were a toxic, greenish color and - though he might have imagined it - seemed to glow a little as it bared its fangs and prepared to pounce. The rest of its pack was close behind it, nimbly leaping from piles of scrap, to burnt-out buildings, to ground, and everywhere in between, swarming towards Joshua and Jennifer like a nightmare from hell itself. Grimacing in pain and concentration, Joshua left go of his shoulder long enough to pump the shotgun and take a hip shot at the monster, this time scoring a grazing shot that sent it spinning into the street, trailing luminescent green blood. There it lay, whining as it struggled to rise to its feet, but to no avail - Joshua had blown one of its legs clean off and badly wounded the other, leaving it incapable of standing, much less pursuit.

The present threat taken care of, Joshua wheeled around again. "Jennifer, now--" "Got it!" She shouted in triumph. She slammed her shoulder into the door, finally managing to force it open enough to get at the locking mechanism. She took Josua's knife and jammed it into the mechanism, both of them wincing as the blade screeched and scraped on the metal workings of the door lock. Finally it swung open with a sharp click and a resounding clang, banging open loudly as Jennifer and Joshua both fell inside. The Drayhounds were nearly on them, running flat out for the doorway, each one snarling grotesquely and growling loudly. Jennifer, who had fallen on top of Johua, recovered quickly from the sudden shock, looking over her shoulder and kicking the door closed in the face of the leading Drayhound. A loud yelp sounded from the other side of the metal door as it latched shut, probably crushing the face of the monster that had been chasing them.

Joshua and Jennifer both breathed a huge sigh of relief. Then Joshua snickered. Then Jennifer giggled. Then they both laughed so hard they were crying. Finally they settled down, wiping away tears as they finally managed to rise to their feet. Joshua gripped his shoulder again, still bleeding from the bite he had received that morning. "Good job," he finally managed, gritting his teeth against the pain in his shoulder, which had somehow found its way down his spine and into his chest. He winced, suddenly falling to his knees. "Dang," he hissed between clenched teeth. "Sure hope that Drayhound wasn't chewing on anything contagious before it bit me..."

[Ally-Ann]

OOC: Will our characters know about their abilities right off the bat, or will they eventually discover them?


IC:



Blood. Blood, everywhere. Screaming, groaning, pleading. A hand clawed at the cement. A dainty, bruised, and gashed-open hand. The skin color was almost hard to see past the dust and dirt and blood. She pulled herself along, out of the crushing rubble that had hairline-fractured several of her bones, and no doubt crushed a few, out of the rubble of which dust was suffocating her to death. She wrenched free her left arm, now using her left hand to aid the right, painfully forcing her legs to push her along the cement, which was wet and warm with her blood. She wanted out. She was getting out. She bit her lip, a scream emitting from her throat as she pulled herself free from the ruins of her family's destroyed house. And now, she was met with cries of fear and agony, cries that were not her own, but everyone else's. The smell of burning smoke mixed with the metallic smell of blood invaded her nostrils, and it took all of her will-power not to vomit. There was another foul smell in the air, and it forced Noelle to push herself onto her scraped knees, ignoring the pain. She was breathing heavily as she looked up into the sky, which was still reddish from three days before.

And then she felt all the pain.

She couldn't stop the scream that ripped through the air from her lips like a knife, sobs wracking her body as she realized what had happened. She could now remember everything; her house was gone, her fmaily was gone. And the wounds had now formed on her arms and legs and neck. The blistering, searing, tearing pain as her hands grasped desperately at the wounds on her limbs, trying to make the horrendous feeling disappear. The air was burning her; burning her skin, her lungs, and everyone else. Radiation. Dreadful radiation. She stood. Oh, her ankle was sprained in the worst way, and she nearly fell over, but she stood, if even limply. She had to stand. For the rest of the city, she, at least, needed to stand above the ruins and defy the pain.

As she stood, she looked at her hands, before gazing back up at the sky, as if pleading for God to help her. She then turned her attention back to the city, and salty tears streamed down her cut and bruised face, mixing with the dirt and blood and leaving alabaster rivers on her cheeks. She found herself running towards a child just a few yards away, who was screaming for his parents, writhing on the ground with a broken leg and half of his body severely burned. Noelle knew this boy, and she collapsed onto her knees beside him, not finding any words to say as she stroked his face gently. "Shh..." Noelle whispered, fear gripping at her heart for him. What if the paramedics couldn't make it to him in time? What if there were no paramedics at all? "I-it'll be alri-ight," Noelle choked out, her throat tight as the boy calmed down some. So small and innocent, and he was caught in the midst of it all. How long had it been? His entire shin and calf were bruised and black, as if his leg had been broken for... days. Had been days already? It seemed like it was such a short while ago.

"Noelle?" Came the weak, soft voice of the boy laying at her knees. Noelle swallowed hard and nodded.

"Yes?"

"I want my mommy and daddy," he whispered pitifully. "my leg hurts so much." Noelle bit her cheek hard, tears brimming her eyelids.

"I'm... sure they'll be back soon," she replied quietly. She looked away for a brief moment, taking a deep breath before looking back at him. "How long has your leg been like this?"

"A long time," he replied, tears streaming down his face again as the sobs started once more. Noelle panicked.

"Isaac, Isaac," she started quickly, nervously, "Isaac, I need you to c-calm down... When did the meltdown happen?" The boy, Isaac, stopped his sobbing.

"The meltdown?"

"Yes, yes, Isaac, the meltdown. When there was a big explosion and... and the really hot fire, you remember?" Noelle urged. Isaac's breathing was heavy.

"I think... three days ago...?" He replied, obviously unsure of his answer. Noelle's heart stopped. Three days? And no paramedics? No help from other cities?

Was this not the only city that had a nuclear meltdown?

[Michael Lance]

OOC: Will our characters know about their abilities right off the bat, or will they eventually discover them?

OOC: The character's abilities are based on their natural talents - they're more like latent effects, in that, instead of empowering your character, they just explain what they can do as normal people. Does that all make sense?

[Banana Lobster]

A terrifying roar tore through the air, drowning out the sound of racing footsteps and someone gasping for breath. Larger footfalls that could only barely be heard were the only warning of how close the large predator was.

Run

The lighter pair of footsteps was chased around cars, over crumbling walls, and under the branches of the few trees still standing. Once they had been chased into the maze of rubble that had once been Mayne Street, the heavier pair of footsteps quickly started to gain as the prey was forced to slow down to avoid falling.

Run

A glance over her shoulder revealed what had let out such a terrifying roar; what had once been her neighbor's cute little black kitten, was now the size of a fully-grown panther, with the fangs and lungs of a saber-toothed tiger. It had a large white spine sticking out of it's forehead, with smaller spines sticking out of the backs of it's forelegs. Mix that with the fangs and claws, and this was one dangerous kitty.

"Come on, come on..." She fought with her handgun, the clip refusing to go in, and providing yet another distraction in an already dangerous situation.

Another glance back showed her handiwork; at least half a dozen bleeding wounds, mainly in the shoulders. For someone panicking, that was pretty good shooting. At least, she hoped it was.

A sharp click brought her gaze back around front of her, and she grinned as the clip locked in place, and the gun was finally ready to fire. She'd been running for what seemed like ages, (though it was probably more like ten-fifteen minutes) and she was ready for a break.

Looking ahead, she searched for a good, open space for her feet where she could turn without worrying about stepping on something and slipping. A few steps ahead was a small, clear space on the ground that would have to do. The instant her foot landed within it, she whipped around, bringing her gun to bear.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

She pulled the trigger as fast as she could while still aiming, and was rewarded for her efforts with two more wounds on the giant cat; one in the right shoulder, and the other taking off one of it's ears. Her fourth shot--all that she had had time for--hit it square in the face, just at the base of the head-spine. The cat clipped her shoulder as it went past, sending her to the ground.

She scrambled to her feet, her gun trained on the body. Slowly taking a few steps, she waited until she had a clear shot before shooting it again in the head, just an inch or two under the previous shot, to make sure it was dead.

Even after that though, she climbed to the top of the highest pile of rubble, trying to keep an eye on the cat's body, and the area around her at the same time. But even as she watched, exhaustion started to creep up on her, and she pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, resting her head on top.

'I'll only close my eyes for a few seconds,' she told herself, letting her eyes drift slowly shut.

[Wolfsong]

Slowly, Justin stumbled forward, eyes blinking as they adjusted to the light. He had no clue how long he'd been hiding in that basement, but he had run out of food. The place was a mess, just as he'd expected, but he hadn't envisioned such...destruction.
"What's happened?" he wondered. "Why...why?"
He stumbled over some debree, barely catching himself in time. "Well, might as well see what's survived." and with that in mind, he set out.

OOC- I'm sorry, I couldn't think of anything much.

[Michael Lance]

Hey, guys - just a quick informational update on the creatures and ultimate goal(s) of Forsaken.

- All mutated creatures are non-contagious. This means that humans and other non-mutated creatures will not become mutated by being bitten by radioactive monsters and the like, unless I specifically state ahead of time that said creature can do so.

- There are no zombies*. If a human was struck by radiation during the fallout, it either dies, becomes terminally ill, or mutates in a very subtle, non-noticeable way. This means no zombies, and no superpowers due to radioactive fallout**. It also means that if you or another character has radiation poisoning, they will eventually die (and there is no way to prevent it).

- Mutated plant life is a possibility, though I have yet to determine exactly how they will mutate and come to life, so until I get back to you all about the concept, I'd like everyone to refrain from interacting with mutated plant life.

- All characters start in New York State (any location is fine - Joshua and Jennifer both started in NY City, but you can start anywhere within the state's border) and will work their way towards the West Coast. Basically, your first goal should be to find transportation and the other characters - after that, we'll begin working our way West as a group.

**There may, at some point, be the possibility of radiation-based abilities, but if this does come to pass, I will be distributing and assessing them personally.

*This is for the sake of my co-GM, samurai10, who's been watching too much of AMC's "The Walking Dead" So please be kind and deter from any mention of undead or zombie-like humanoids. Thanks, y'all.

[Ally-Ann]

OOC: Btw. my characters are nearby/in NYC.

Regarding the radiation poisoning, will the characters have to die in the game? I actually know a Japanese woman in my church who survived the bombing in Hiroshima, and she-- along with pretty much everyone else in that area-- suffered from radiation sickness/poisoning, and she's 80-something now. I wasn't going to have Noelle mutated; just ill, as most people would be after exposure to high amounts of radiation.


IC:


Swallowing hard and forcing as much fear from her thoughts as possible, Noelle began to remember some of the medical procedures that she had witnessed. If paramedics weren't going to show up, then she would just have to become one. She knew what she would have to do. She needed to get Isaac away from the rubble first; it seemed to be a rather large hill of rock, wall-plaster, wood, and other chunks of debris, and it could easily tumble on top of the both of them. Stood painfully, holding in a pained yelp. She moved behind Isaac's head and bent down, slipping her own arms underneath Isaac's arms, bringing her hands around to the middle of his chest, and locked her fingers. She was about to move him away from the rubble before stopping dead in her tracks. He could have a neck or spinal injury, She thought as ice-cold fear settled in the pit of her stomach. She cleared her burned throat. "Isaac, does it hurt your back or neck to move?" She asked hoarsely. Smoke from a nearby fire was invading her airways. Isaac shook his head in response, and Noelle nodded understandingly. "This is going to hurt, but I have to get you away from the rubble, alright?" She informed. A look of terror washed over the child's face. Noelle decided to distract him. "Talk to me. What do you want to be when you grow up?" Noelle asked as she walked backwards slowly, cautiously, and dragged Isaac's body. Isaac cried out in pain before answering, talking through the tears.

"A f-fireman," he replied through a whimper.

"Oh? That's a good job," Noelle replied, continuing to move him to a clear area. "My uncle is a fireman. What makes you want to be one, though?" Isaac winced before swallowing hard once Noelle stopped dragging him.

"I like to help people, and a fireman saved me one time from a fire," he replied. Noelle smiled at that.

"I like to help people, too," she replied. "You're very brave." She moved her arms out from underneath Isaac's arms as knelt down on her knees again beside his body. She looked at his broken leg, and seemed it was a clean break. She gently probed her fingers around the bump, quietly apologizing when Isaac cried out in pain, and realized that it was most likely a clean break. Good. She would be able to set it and it could heal properly. And that's when it dawned on her; she needed a bandage of some sort and piece of wood to make a splint. Wood shouldn't be problem, she thought dryly, but bandage will be. She stood carefully and dashed over to the mountain of rubble that she ahd moved Isaac away from, grabbing two heavy pieces of wood before running back over. Bandage would have to wait. His leg needed to be set, and Noelle was mildly surprised that it hadn't fallen off on its own yet from dead tissue and severe lack of blood-flow.

She knelt onto her knees again. She took a deep breath, praying that she knew what she was doing. She looked at Isaac, who looked about ready to pass-out. "Isaac, I need to set your leg, alright?"

"What does that mean?"

"I have to move the bones around to lock into place so that your leg can heal," she stated without hesitation, placing her hands on his legs. "Kind of like a puzzle piece." Noelle knew to distract him as best as she could. "What are your favorite subjects in school?" She began applying pressure gently yet firmly on his leg. Isaac began crying once more, but answered nonetheless.

"Math and-- Ngh!-- Music..." He replied through more tears. After a twist from each wrist, Noelle felt and heard the bones lock into place, and a relieved sigh escaped her lips. She took the pieces of heavy wood and set one on each side of Isaac's now-set leg, pushing them together to insure that they would stay and keep the bones in place.

"There, it's over," Noelle comforted softly, gently patting his hair. She stood gingerly. Spotting a woman nearby who was by herself, Noelle called for her, and said woman cautiously walked over.

"What do you want?" She questioned defensively. She, like everyone else suffering in the neighborhood from the catastrophe, was riddled with radiation-induced burns.

"Please," Noelle started, gesturing to Isaac. "Watch over him for me. I need to find bandages and other meds for him, but I need to go to the city to do so." The woman looked at Isaac, and her frightened eyes noticeably softened.

"Of course I will. I know him," the woman replied, kneeling beside him. Noelle looked to Isaac with a slight smile.

"I should be back soon, alright?" After recieving a nod from Isaac, Noelle knelt down beside the woman and whispered into her ear. "I probably won't be back, actually. If I don't come back in three hours, I'll need you to wrap his leg with something."


And with that, Noelle stood, and began running from the neighborhood and towards the city a mile away, ignoring the screams she recieved from her burns.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


"SON OF A---" Orion stopped his curse as he jumped onto and over a car, running as fast as his legs would carry him. He knew it was useless, however, as he dodged severeal objects through the city. He had been hiding and running for hours from a terrifying and fast beast that had apparently been mutated from the meltdown near the city. Orion suddenly turned a corner and ran down an alley, jumping up onto a tall fence and climbing it. This is just my luck. Suffer a nuclear meltdown, and then proceed to get chased by mutated cougar, Orion thought, setting one foot after the other onto the window sill of a townhouse. He climbed onto the fire escape stairs and ran up the flight and onto the roof of the building, looking over the edge at the cougar which had jumped onto the fence. Orion got a good look at it; black fur, menacing green eyes, lengthened claws and fangs. And it seemed larger than the average cougar. And I used to love the zoo... Orion thought dryly. He glanced at his leg, which had a good-sized cut from the knee to the ankle from the cougar's claws, and grimaced. "That's an infection waiting to happen." He shook his head, ignoring the wound.

He then whipped his pistol out of his pocket, aiming for the cougar's head. "Bad kitty." And with an ear-piercing BANG!, the cougar fell from the fence-- it had managed to get to the top-- writhing in pain. It wasn't dead yet, but should be in a little bit, the the new broken bones it had just recieved from the fall. Orion shook his head before running across the roof, away from the dying monster, and jumping onto the next fore escape, not noticing the beasts nearby.

[Michael Lance]

OOC: Ally, are you planning to make Orion a villain?

[Ally-Ann]

OOC: . . . Hmm. Y'know, I never really thought about making him a villain. It would be interesting to play him as one, though I'm not sure what his goal would be.

[Wolfsong]

Justin slowly raised his eyes, trying to see anything besides the wreckage. His head felt oddly fuzzy, and he was having trouble thinking. Finally, he started moving again, feeling the familiar movement of his legs, one moving forward after the other. Funny how you take things for granted, and then when you nearly lose them, you love them again. He reached the edge of the mess, or what appeared to be the edge, and started to think.
"So where to from here...I suppose there's not much point hanging around. Except, there could have been survivors, like me. I wonder..."
Then he heard the sound of footsteps, setting the rapid beat of someone running. He looked around, his hand seeking the pistol in his belt. Then he saw them, a girl it appeared, running.
He was faced with a decision. Try to meet with her and see if she knew something about the mess, or just ignore her and continue on his way. He wrestled with it a few minutes, then sighed and decided to try to make contact. The best thing to do would be to appear non-threatening, but that could just as easily encourage a murder. Finally, he left a hand on the pistol while the other was raised, waving to her, trying to attract attention.

[Ally-Ann]

By the time Noelle reached a half-mile, she was breathing heavily, and the bottom hem of her white dress was torn even more. Though the pain coursing through her body was nauseating, she kept running. She reminded herself that it was to help Isaac, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something else she needed to do; survive. To survive, and get away, far away. As her sandaled feet continued to run down the road, passing pile of rubble after pile of rubble, she half-heartedly encouraged herself that it was probably only this area that had a catastrophe; it couldn't have hit the city, right? It couldn't reach that far! But as she came upon another area of wreckage, her hopes continued to dim. At least she was closer to the city.

As she continued to run, she could see someone severeal yards away from her, waving. Another survivor! Noelle inwardly exclaimed with hope. Her hope suddenly vanished, however, when she remembered that this person may be wanting to mug her, though what for, she didn't know. Her eyes narrowed, and she slowed her running to a jog, then a walk as she got closer. Once she was a little closer, Noelle slowed even more, prepared to reach for her knife or pistol she had stuffed into the thin pockets of her tattered and torn dress. One hand resting on the knife in her pocket (She would rather injure first than harm), Noelle approached the man, her breathing still heavy, but calming. She realized that she must look like a mess right now; her once-white dress was covered in dirt, dust, and a bit of blood, her hair was probably no better, and even though she didn't know the extent of the damage, she had no doubt that she had a few radiation burns; she had the dizzines and nausea to suspect so. Nonetheless, she forced herself to stay as alert as possible. She remained a good five yards away from the man before she stopped, looking at him straight in the eye with a mix of hope, curiosity, and distrust. He doesn't seem like he means harm... Noelle thought, staying on her guard. "Are you a friend, or an ally?" She asked imediately, voice slightly hoarse and quivering, but holding a serious and determined tone. "I'll fight back if you attack me." Ha! As if she looked intimidating! She only stood her ground firmly, however, as she waited for an answer, praying that he wouldn't attack her; she really wasn't good at fighting.

[Wolfsong]

He revised his first opinion of her when she came closer. She looked like she had suffered some of the worst parts of the fallout. The burns looked terrible, and he instantly felt pity for her. She stopped a few yards from him, saying in a hoarse voice: "Are you a friend, or an ally? I'll fight back if you attack me." He smiled faintly, though it hurt slightly. It suddenly occurred to him he might have some burns or bruises.
"I don't mean you harm," he answered, trying to sound gentle. "To be honest, I was truly happy to see someone else who surived this...mess." He studied her a moment, taking in the terrible burns. "Though clearly not unmarked, if you don't mind my saying. Are you truly okay?"

[Ally-Ann]

Noelle listened to the man, deciding that he was definitely a good person. She dropped her hand from her pocket, looking away from him and feeling slightly guilty that she was prepared to use a weapon. He was asking her if she was okay?When it was clear that he was injured as well? She suddenly thought of her mother and father that she would never see again, would never hear again. She remembered all the dead bodies she saw, of people of all ages, and Noelle ran a trembling hand through her hair, swallowing hard. "I'm alright," she lied, her throat aching with urge to cry. She mentally kicked herself, however, for seeming so weak. "I... lost my family--" her voice wavered as tears pricked at her eyes-- "but I'll be fine." That moment, the reality of the catastrophe sunk in even more, and her glimmering eyes looked around at the endless piles of wreckage, and the desperate and pained cries of those suffering more than her. She looked back to the man, forcing herself to speak past the sorrowed, aching lump in her throat. "You've suffered just as much, and probably more," she stated, looking at the man's injuries. "If I had what I needed, I could at least treat you, but--" she waved a hand around quickly at the wreckage-- "not even any first-response officials have showed up. I have a feeling that the meltdown was worse than it should have been."

[Wolfsong]

"yeah, that's what I've surmised. I checked this place out a little, and its one big mess. I helped who I could though." He carefully grabbed her shoulder, pulling her closer to get a better look at her burns. "Now don't flare up at me, let me take care of these burns before they get worse. I should still have a few...yes!" From his pocket, he produced various bandages and salves. "Lucky thing I always carry some of these around. I was a doctor, you know, and I'll get these things treated so that you won't believe they ever happened."
He quickly set to work, very gently rubbing the salve along the burns. He felt that familiar calm fill him, as he set about his favorite work. His hands lightly, gently tended the burns, ending by wrapping them with the bandages. "There! Give it some time, and they should feel better," he declared happily. He smiled in a friendly manner at her, extending his hand. "My name is Justin, Justin Hayes. Now, can you do me a favor and tell me how bad I look?"

[Michael Lance]

OOC: Submitting another character - everyone read, please:

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