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

[titlecard]

[ Is he?? That little blip of hesitation before he commits with a nod and smile may not help his case, but at least he sounds confident when he answers her. ]

I'll do my best.

[kototama]

That's a pretty good answer.

[Modest, but he didn't shrink away from the responsibility, so...]

I'm not so sure I trust that Gojo guy, so look out for Shoko for me, okay?

[titlecard]

[ Ah... A twitch of a frown because he's met Gojo, and yeah, he isn't sure what to think of him either. ]

Yeah. You got it. [ Nods. ] I'll make sure nothing happens to her.

[ Or like, anybody, but Shoko in particular is great, so, ]

[kototama]

[That's a relief... she finds that she really does feel better knowing he'll be watching out for that group. Is this what's called... a reliable sort of aura?]

Thanks! Uh... what's your name again? I don't think we were able to get introduced back at the house.

[titlecard]

Oh! I don't think we were... [ Smiles, assuredly and whatnot. ] I'm Mark. You?

[kototama]

Kotoha! It's nice to meet you, Mark.

[Hmmmm hm hmmm!]

Are you American?

[titlecard]

Nice to meet you too! And yeah, I am.

[ Brief pause, like it's only just dawned on him that not everybody here might be. ]

Uh, I guess you're not...?

[ he's doing great ]

[kototama]

I'm from Japan! Sakurashin, to be exact, but it's okay if you don't know where that is. I dunno where anything in America is either.

[Said so shamelessly...]

[titlecard]

[ He perks up, not because he knows any more than she does, but because she's so shameless about it. There's no pressure! They can know nothing together. ]

Well, I'm from Baltimore. It's on the east side of the country, right next to the capital. Where's Sakurashin?

[kototama]

Oooh... so that's on the opposite end from California, right?

[NAILED IT.]

Sakurashin's in Setagaya City prefecture. So that's on the outskirts of Tokyo. Guess we're both by the capital, huh?

[titlecard]

[ He nods, yup! Opposite end from California. ]

Oh, we are! That's pretty cool. [ It's not a connection he would've thought of. ] Did you go in to Tokyo a lot?

[kototama]

Pretty regularly! I go to school in Tokyo proper, actually. But all of my friends are in Sakurashin, and I work there too.

So it's definitely my favorite place.

[titlecard]

That makes sense. I mean, I don't think I really care all that much where I live, as long as I'm not too far from my mom and my brother and my friends. And since I can fly that isn't really an issue, so...

[ Trails off because it's not entirely relevant! ]

I'm guessing you'll go right back there when this is all over?

[ After they've all made it out okay, which is obviously going to happen, ]

[kototama]

[top 10 things said right before disaster in horror movies.]

You bet! I've got another year of high school before I've gotta think about things like "what comes next", you know?

[A beat.]

You can fly, huh? I take it it doesn't require wings, since, uh. [She sees Zero Wings.]

[titlecard]

Nope. I can just kinda... move myself in any direction? [ He floats off of the ground as if to demonstrate. ] I don't really gotta do anything, I can just do it. I guess it's more convenient than, uh, sprouting wings or something would be.

[ That sounds pretty yikes to him, actually?? He's glad to not have wings. ]

[kototama]

It'd be pretty wild, right? But I gotta say, just casually flying without any apparatus necessary is kind of even more wild.

[Look at him float! Just like that! As if it's that easy!]

[titlecard]

[ A sheepish little laugh. ]

I guess so, yeah. [ He lands, back on the ground again. Like a normal person. ] A lot easier too. Though there were these talking dinosaurs who thought I had invisible wings, so thanks for not going there.

[kototama]

[She considers that for a long moment.

And then.

Arches both eyebrows.]

I think the "talking dinosaurs" part of that sentence is the most interesting bit, actually. When'd you meet talking dinos?

[titlecard]

[ Blinks, because... oh, he did just kind of say some wild stuff there, didn't he? ]

Not that long ago, actually. [ Relatively fresh on his mind... ] I was fighting this guy who was sending me to all these alternate dimensions? And one of them had talking dinosaurs in it. They, uh. Wanted to eat me... but obviously that didn't happen.

[kototama]

Obviously... well, that's a good thing, of course.

[a beat.]

Your life sounds like a manga, you know? Or maybe an American comic book. [ha ha.]

[titlecard]

[ how could this possibly be,, ]

It does, doesn't it? Man, it was not like this two years ago. Getting powers in your senior year of high school sure is... something.

[ And since she'd said she still has a year left... ]

Hopefully you have better luck graduating than I did.

[kototama]

[Oh my god, poor Mark.]

Wait, did you get derailed so badly you didn't get to graduate? That suuucks.

[She shrugs a bit.]

I should be okay, so long as we can stop the world from ending in October. After that, it should be smoooooth sailing!

[titlecard]

No, I graduated! It was just kind of touch and go for a bit there, and my first semester at college—

[ Cuts himself off as the rest of what she's just said sinks in. Does a double take. Stares. ]

You have to stop the world from ending??

[ not like he can complain when he just dropped wild shit on her, as he is now just finding out ]

[kototama]

Oh. Yeah. That's not weird to you, right? It felt like that was kind of on par with what you've got going on.

[Which is why she threw it out so casually.]

We've got a few months to figure it out, at least.

[titlecard]

I guess not. I just... wasn't expecting it to be such a common problem?

[ This seems like a valid concern. And one that he is maybe going to have to reflect on for himself, but. A sheepish little grin. ]

At least you've got some time to figure it out, yeah.

[ Silver linings!! ]