WEEK 1

[biteys]

WEEK ONE

❝Don’t panic. You’re waking up somewhere unfamiliar, but try to relax. You aren’t dead, and I don’t have any intention to harm you. You’ve just been selected for a very special mission. A delivery, I guess. I’d do it myself but… let’s just say I can’t travel in the state I’m in. Take the blue container I’ve left to where I’ve marked on the maps within eight weeks, and you’ll be able to go home happy. More than, really. Any time or place you want to go… I can send you there. It's kinda my thing. Think of it as your payment. Everything else you need to know, I’ll tell you in time. Know that I’m sorry that I had to resort to this, and I’ll pay for my sins in Hell.❞

!

the beginning of the end

That’s what’s playing on repeat on a tape recorder, when the survivors come to.

Characters will find themselves in a humble, American townhouse, which other than being a bit dusty, is still mostly clean. All characters will be sprawled out on the floor and furniture of the living room, in front of what looks to be a giant portal. Characters will also notice they have a seemingly indestructible silver wristband around their wrists, and they have nothing with them but the clothes on their back.

Take a look around, and you'll realize that everyone in the room is likely a stranger. Aside from the tape playing, there's little explanation or proof that what's being said to you is even true. For all you know, one of the people in the room could be responsible for you being suddenly taken here.

Exploring the house's many rooms will reveal that there are small stockpiles food, water, weapons (a few guns, a few bats, a few knives), and maps, along with a large, strange container of blue liquid. The maps all chart a route from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and sport detailed recommended time stamps on them. Strangely, the recommended path occasionally diverges into two separate routes.

Upon searching the house, Haru Okumura finds a set of notes, while Leontuzzo Bellone finds a separate set. They are free to keep these notes to themselves, or share them with the group.

Nothing has anyone's names on it — not the notes, and certainly not the supplies. Everyone will have to compete for the same things. Or maybe all of you can be civilized about this, before anyone goes hoarding weapons and food? Maybe you can even introduce yourselves, while you're at it. For some strange reason, every window and door in this place is locked (and impossible to break), and will be for at least 72 hours, as if someone wanted you all to be cooped up together for a time before heading out.

Most interestingly, in the deepest basement of the house, there's a room with a large, heavy dresser shoved in front of it… and a low moaning and banging emanating from the other side. The door’s slightly ajar, and a closer look reveals a zombie is the source of the sound. Context clues around the basement, like the PhD in interdimensional travel hung up on the wall (for a Dr. Bei), hint that the woman inside is whoever left you this cryptic message - the woman who brought you here, allegedly. But she's long long gone, only this monster left in her wake. It seems she was smart enough to lock herself away to prevent you from being harmed, at least... and it'll give you a preview of the threat that looms outside.

sewer diving

After 72 hours have passed, one and only one door unlocks – in the very same basement that the zombie of Dr. Bei can be found. It leads down to a dark, dingy tunnel that connects to the sewers. Not only is the smell awful, but (non-infected) rats scurry about, keeping to the shadows – but the smell of any of the food you've taken from the house will attract them. Careful!

The party will need to create some light to navigate their way out and keep the rats at bay, or they’ll be bumping around in the dark for quite a while. Now might be a good time to share if you have some matches, or a special talent for being a lantern. Mercifully, there's only one exit that actually opens down in this labyrinth, as if it's a route the Doctor designed to take all the time.

At one point, Puppy falls into the sewage, and loses something they brought from the house.

oh! that's a baseball

Once characters make it out of the sewers, they’ll be a day’s travel to the first mark on the party’s map: “Dodger’s Stadium.” The road they’ll have to hike to get there is winding, curvy, and uphill, which will give the party a good overview of the now dilapidated Los Angeles, along with the many abandoned buildings and cars that litter the place. The stadium itself looks to have been cleared of threats and fashioned into a safe spot a long time ago, as all entrances but one have been completely welded shut. The high walls keep zombies out, and the winding path up here deters most of them from even approaching.

Inside the stadium, there’s some baseball merch (and equipment) to scavenge, not to mention some really old peanuts! Delicious. Maybe there are even some old fireworks laying around this place. Setting up camp here won’t be very comfortable… but at least it’s very safe. A luxury the party won’t have for much longer, if the map is anything to go by. You'll be heading through the city, next, so rest up while you can.

!

week one objectives

➤ make acquaintances with your fellow travelers
➤ decide what to do with the zombie of dr. bei
➤ arm yourself with what you can find
➤ scavenge some portable food from the house and while traveling
➤ make camp at the stadium

code

Comments

[unliminal]

[ Yeah, yeah, where's he heard that one before? Rolling his head along his shoulders, Gojo taps one finger to his temple with a sigh. ]

I'm just bein' practical. The good shit keeps my brain fresh. [ This may sound like hyperbole, but it's actually quite literal. Not that he elaborates. ] Soooo, as the person most likely to survive this whole trip, makes sense it should go to me, right~?

[ He says as much in such a playful way that it seems like he might be joking, but the intensity in his eyes when he leans over to peer at Henry face-to-face is far less playful. ]

[normalness]

[Aaaa, a little too intense for Henry's liking. He actually leans back dubiously, clutching the little packet of peanuts to his chest.]

Sugar keeps your brain "fresh"?

[What is he, a little kid? But probably more importantly, since he can't quite parse if he's kidding about this or not-]

And what makes you think you're most likely to survive? We don't even know what's out there.

[unliminal]

[ He opts to not explain brain freshness — it's more complicated than he cares to enlighten some random kid about. It's also nothing like chocobo freshness. Instead, given a perfect opportunity to brag —

He straightens up again, hands at his hips. ]

Easy. I'm untouchable. Go on! Try and touch me. Give it a go.

[ Pretty easy to avoid zombie bites when nothing, no one can get even close to you. ]

[normalness]

[What? What what what is this guy talking about?

And what else is Henry going to do other than comply?]

Okay.

[Help. Henry reaches out with a free hand, the other still clutching the peanuts, and tries to give Gojo a poke on the shoulder.]

[unliminal]

[ True to his obnoxious taunting, when Henry tries to poke his shoulder, instead of meeting with the fabric of his shirt, he's met with...space. More and more space that never seems to end, as though he is suddenly moving at a speed too slow to perceive. ]

See? Just like that! How will the zombies get me if they can't even bite me?

[ Honestly, he could probably do this job by himself, maybe would prefer to, but it is what it is. He's not about to run off with the cure and try.

Probably.

[normalness]

[He's seen a lot of strange things even at this young of an age, but this doesn't make any sense to his brain. Henry's eyes widen, then his brow furrows, and he frowns, while trying to keep pushing his finger forward.

To no avail, of course.]

How are you doing that?

[unliminal]

[ Fortunately for Henry, this time he'll actually get a straightforward answer: ]

It's called Limitless. I'm a sorcerer, so you can think of it like my super-duper special spell that only I can use.

[ Some might call it a quirk — ]

[normalness]

[It doesn't matter if Henry himself possesses a varied and somewhat impressive set of psychic abilities — he's still going to be in awe if someone actually calls themselves a sorcerer.

The way his eyes widen is proof of this.]

A sorcerer? [woah] Like... "I can cast actual magic spells" kind of sorcerer?

[He did just call it a super-duper special spell, Henry.]

[unliminal]

[ You can be a sorcerer too if you want, Henry. It's a state of mind!

...As long as you can do cool bullshit, anyway. ]

Yup, but I don't wave a wand or anything like that. My fists do the magic for me. Pretty cool, huh?

[ Maybe this kid is alright after all... ]

[normalness]

["Cool." Hm.]

Yeah, that's like something out of a comic book. Or a fantasy book.

[Wait.]

So you're like Gandalf if he punched people.

[unliminal]

[ Gojo's expression lights up in recognition, grin veering to sincere. ]

Hooohhhh, exactly! I'm exactly like Gandalf. Just better-looking.

[ Sorry, Sir McKellan. ]

1/2

[normalness]

[It pays to have been a lil' nerd and having read The Hobbit once. Too bad he's going to miss out on LotR.]

Maybe even more powerful if nothing can touch you at all.

[normalness]

[Oh, uh. Retracts his finger.]

No wonder you were chosen to be here with us. What else can you do?

[unliminal]

[ Guess who's also a lil' nerd and saw all the movies... ]

I can fly, fight, heal myself...I've got it all just about covered, eh? Sooo, you can count on me to make sure we get through to the end.

[ ... ]

So long as I get enough sugar, anyway.

[normalness]

[Huffs a little, faint.]

That's really neat. Did you see the list with all the "numbers" on it? You're definitely one of the offensive options here.

[Though maybe that was obvious to him; he seems fairly confident in his own ability, after all.]

As for sugar, if it's that important to you, you should make sure you don't eat it all at once if you find it. We could run into times when there isn't any around for miles, so...

[unliminal]

[ At the mention of the found notes, striking a pose: ] Yep, that's me! Number one, Gojo Satoruuuu~!

[ None of the numbers was one, but okay. ]

Keeping a sugar stash isn't a bad idea, though. I can rely on my technique to heal my way through a lot of fatigue and exhaustion, as long as my brain's got energy. [ Tapping a finger to his temple. ] What kind of goodies are you looking for anyway? Anything not peanuts?

[ Maybe they can trade if Gojo finds anything worthwhile. ]

[normalness]

[Number one. Something about his awe-struck expression turns a little wry, blink and you'll miss it. He doesn't focus on that for now.]

Makes sense why you need so much sugar.

[Powerful or not, his body still requires energy. Henry knows all about over-exertion when he uses his powers a bit too vigorously. That would be bad, in a situation like this one, and better avoided at all costs.]

I'm not picky, actually. I just can't eat these- [Shakes the bag of peanuts.] -because I'm allergic. Anything else will do.

[He lived through terrible 1950s cuisine, he will take any kind of crappy stadium food as long as it's not spoiled.]

[unliminal]

[ So it's an allergy thing...glad he doesn't have anything like that to worry about. But if that's all it is, Gojo reaches into his pocket, drawing out something labeled BEEF STICK. ]

I found some of these earlier. Wanna trade? I'll take your nasty peanuts for this...Slim Jim.

[ Whatever that is! Meaty snacks aren't really his thing, and Henry looks like he could use some protein. ]

[normalness]

[Henry blinks for a moment.]

Oh.

[ the way I had to completely change this tag because I learned that slim jims did exist in the 50s help

Holds out the pack of peanuts.]

Yes, please.

[THE SLIM JIM WON'T GIVE HIM A REACTION AT LEAST]