Survive the Crimson Sunrise I

[Fatch of Southsward]

OOC: He bit if off just above the joint. This leaves you with about an inch's worth of stub. 

We'll wait on @Delthion and then if everyone is ready we can time skip.

[Eulaliaaa!]

OOC: Ok.... maybe I could get some sort of metal finger thing to attach to it. Like a knife. Or a screwdriver. Ooh, what about a little pocket knife? Or I could get a little hook. Instead of a hook for a hand, I'll just have a little finger hook. Yargh, Eul the pirate!

[LT Sandpaw]

OOC: Which would be great until you go to rub your eyes in the morning, or get an itch on your back, or need to pick your nose.

[Eulaliaaa!]

OOC: True, that reminds me of a joke my great uncle once told me... Maybe I could put a tiny little crossbow on it. With little poison darts for it to shoot. And flaming darts, and tracking darts, and heat seeking darts. Think of the possibilities!

[Delthion]

Delthion was confused at Jason's question, "You mean look for a zombie wearing an expensive watch? A dead or living one?" asked Delthion standing to the side of Jason and the Hummer.

[Groddil]

Jason chuckled.
"I was joking, just see if you can find a zombie that looks rich, or important; they'll be the owner. Try and start the car, I'll open the gate."

[Fatch of Southsward]

Two Years Later....

Two screams echoed in the quiet world. This, along with gunshots and curses had become the norm. The sounds of passing planes, air conditioning and humming electricity and not been heard for many a long night. Instead they had been replaced by the constant moaning and shambling of zombies, accompanied by the night howls and hoots of the few wild animals that had managed to survive.

A dog, mangy and stray licked at an empty can. The small force caused the can to roll slightly, helped along the way by the wind. It made a faint clunking sound as it rolled and bounced. It rolled into a limp body, laying in the middle of the street. A vehicle nearby with damaged headlights was running. The damaged headlights flickered over the dead body, and the engine hummed endlessly. The dog panted as it stood next to the can, observing the world of a midnight in an apocalypse. As it trotted away hoping to find food, its animal brain failed to recognize the significance of the red liquid coating its paws.

As the dog left the only sound was the engine motor finally stuttering and coughing as the gas ran its course at last...

Group 1:

Awakened by one of the two screams, Eul, Kyle and Antonio awoke. Things had changed in the past year. The garage they had set up camp in now sported various basic living necessities. The windows and doors had been boarded up and only one entrance remained. Little vantage points on the roof and near the door had been created to allow the area to be easily defended. Traps and wires zigzagged around the area. There were arrows stuck in the wooden barricades outside. They had gotten the van running, and its front, sides and bumper were covered in zombie remains. Countless trips, in concert with the map Eul had kept, had kept the group alive. It had not been an easy two years.

The people themselves had been largely changed as well.

Eul had become much more hardened, particularly because of the events that had passed with Byurn. The nine - fingered woman and her machete had claimed many a shambling zombie's brain. She no longer feared the dead. Nor the living for that matter. Her face was thinner from hunger, and her clothing was worn and patchy. Dirt and other substances stained her old shirt.

Antonio had also changed a lot. His old nervous self would likely never disappear in a crisis, but he had changed too. He often had a colder look - as though he had seen things one ought not to have seen. Byurn's last words "just like me" often echoed in his head. His slaying of an enemy in cold blood had made a pretty good impact, though he hid it well. He put down his enemies without hesitation, and perhaps was becoming a figure to be feared. Who knew, however? Only time would tell.

Kyle, loyal and sensible was largely the same. He had not been forced to make a gruesome decisions and he alone retained an air very similar to that which he had begun with. Perhaps he alone would be able to hold Eul and Antonio and himself together until the end...

Now awake, they heard the scream yet again. It was close by... Perhaps too close...

Group 2:

On that very same night, Jason and Del were awoken by a different scream. The two never slept without their weapons in their parking garage, and they were instantly up and ready to defend themselves. No one seemed to be in the immediate vicinity, however. The parking garage had been upgraded significantly since that night they settled there two years ago. Terrifying warnings, etched in zombie blood, now could be seen outside the walls to scare people away. Dead zombies and a few figures that might not have been zombies until recently could be seen along the neighboring street. The hummer had been upgraded with spikes and a mounted gun. It was smeared with the blood of the slain. Still, it had not been an easy two years.

Jason's eyes now darted around ceaselessly. They were darkened with lack of sleep and reddened in the edges. His beard was untrimmed and he truly had a terrifying visage. He heard the voices of his victims on late nights. Delthion had heard him occasionally mention their names in his sleep. Wilbur's name, the most commonly mentioned. The killer did not seem to trust anyone he came across. Delthion alone was allowed to survive in his presence with a weapon. The settlements in the area had run across him once or twice, and the whispered name of Jason Taylor struck fear into the hearts of the innocent.

Delthion, although not as monstrous as his cohort, had been affected by the constant companionship of Jason. He was slow to trust and fast to act. His victims occasionally crossed his mind, but he tried not to think about them. His old family and life seemed a thing of the past to him. Strange, even. How had he gotten along so well with all those coworkers and friends? Wasn't it right, always, to trust no one? Who had he become? Who would he become? Who was he before all of this?

The two heard the growling of a zombie, accompanied once again by a similar yell. This time a word could be distinguished: help!

It was close. Perhaps just outside the parking garage...

[Hickory]

OOC: What?!?!?!?!

Gonna take a little while to adjust to this...

[Fatch of Southsward]

OOC: Don't worry too much about most of this. The change in characters is mostly just what I've observed so far. Ultimately who they are is completely up to the person in control of each perspective character. They don't have to live or act by what I've laid out at all.

It's mostly just to get the stage set once again. And hopefully to make an interesting transition. 

The important part is the screams. 

[Hickory]

OOC: Is this the first time we've heard them?

[Eulaliaaa!]

OOC: Ooh!

BIC: Eul was up in a flash, her machete out and ready to defend its owner. She quietly hurried over to the only exit, taking a quick look through the cracks in the boards over the window beside it. "See anything?" she asked, looking out into the street for anyone. Her four fingered hand rested casually on her gun.

[Hickory]

"No," replied Kyle, who had taken up a spot on the walkways above. He scanned the area with one of the various scopes attached to his nearly unrecognizable weapon. "Looks empty..."

[Groddil]

OOC: why are we still in the garage after two years? We were just about to start up that car and head north. :p Eh, no matter.

BIC: Jason sat up, rubbing his eyes warily. The survivor's hand reached for his pistol, which now had an attached silencer and laser sight.
"Hey, Del. You hear that? Sounded like a scream... I'm going to go check it out."
Jason loaded a clip into the pistol and stood up.

[Delthion]

Delthion stood and reached for his sword. "I better go with you, no telling what might have happened out there." Delthion said and followed Jason.

[Fatch of Southsward]

OOC: @Sagetip - this is the first time.

BIC:

Group 1:

Across the bend at the end of the street, the trio spotted a flickering light, reflecting on the nearby houses and signs. The faint cry of an engine could be heard, but it didn't sound as though the vehicle was moving. The howl of a dog broke the silence, but this time a yell accompanied it. Both sounds definitely had come from the same location that the lights now flickered at.

Group 2:

Delthion and Jason exited the building and the source was soon obvious. One of their road traps had caught a victim. He appeared to have been climbing a barrier and was tangled in barbed wire. Despite cutting himself on the barbed wire, he was desperately trying to crawl through. The reason, of course, was the zombie who had grabbed hold of the man's leg. The zombie lifted its face and snarled at the newcomers, before going back to attempting to eat its next meal. This zombie was a new sort of threat. It was wearing a Kevlar vest and a helmet with a protective piece to prevent damage to the face. It had a shield strapped to its arm which read "Riot Control"

The African American man in the barbed wire was bleeding heavily and he sobbed and screamed desperately for aid.