week 2

[biteys]

WEEK TWO

After allowing the party some time to rest at the stadium, it’s time to get a move on again. As per your mysterious benefactor’s (?) recommendation, the party will be splitting up into two groups, with one group traveling west to a hospital, and the other traveling east to a mall.

if you chose hospital...

To get to the hospital, characters will need to venture into more densely populated areas of Los Angeles – and that means they’ll be coming into contact with a higher amount of zombies. The hordes that roam here descend upon any living creature that makes too much noise, so you might witness an unlucky squirrel or cat get hunted down by these roaming threats. The bad news is that they’ll sprint full speed at you if they happen to catch sight – the good news is that they’re not very coordinated at pack hunting, and you may be able to outsmart them by weaving through the streets.

In a stroke of bad luck, Shoko Ieiri attracts the attention of a horde, forcing the party off considerably off course. Temporarily, hopefully. Detour!

Thankfully, there are several methods of getting to the front door of the location – parkouring atop or traversing inside connected buildings, for example. The zombies aren't the only thing that can kill you, though, if you're not careful; while traveling to the hospital, Auch Aubrey slips and falls to his death off a building. Remember Dr. Bei's warning, about not getting too far away from each other? The party will realize if they get too far away from his body (specifically the bracelet), it'll start feeling like their own bracelet is burning them at the wrist. Better go back — and either lug his body around, or lop off the bracelet somehow....

The area this group will travel through has many tourist attractions – antique stores, the Natural History Museum, old-school theaters, for example. For our sword wielders, there are some dated ones among the antique stores and museums; they're dusty, but they'll get the job done. There are other cool artifacts to "borrow" at these places, too, not to mention some history of what the world was like before all this happened.

And at the theaters? There's candy, DVDs, and cardboard cutouts from a variety of movies that were out when the fall of society came. Maybe there are minions there.

Once at the hospital, the party will find that there are a massive amount of zombies that have been trapped inside. Many are former patients or hospital staff, so several are wielding things like scalpels or crutches, and they are just smart enough to attack with them. To get around the facility to find the medical supplies you need, you’ll need to find a way to either distract the zombies, stealthily make your way around, or, you know, eliminate all of them.

As for scavenging, the hospital is surprisingly well stocked, as the high zombie count has made it hard to raid. Characters will be able to find bandages, medicine, surgical tools, and more, if they look close enough.

Of this group, Satoru Gojo and Mark Grayson are infected.

if you chose mall...

To get to the mall, characters will need to travel underground through the subway tunnels. None of the trains are in operation anymore, so they won’t be at risk of getting flattened – but the aged husks of the vehicles are still down here, rotting away. In some tunnels, it will be impossible to go around them, and you know the saying: sometimes the only way forward is through. Inside the trains, some doors that connect the cars are operational, while others are too rusted to move, forcing characters to climb atop the train to progress to the next car. It'll be a taxing trial, made worse by the fact that in these train cars, there are both regular corpses as well as zombified ones. The unpredictable nature of the functioning or non-functioning doors will making escaping the zombies difficult — characters will need to either stand their ground, or climb up to safety if they find themselves at a dead end.

Exiting the subways leaves one last test for this group: the stairs are collapsed! The light of outside shines through what is essentially a giant hole in the ceiling leading to street level. There's about a one story gap between the end point of the subways and the upper ground of the street, so characters will have to get creative with getting everyone up — using train cables? Throwing each other? Human pyramid?

Once at the mall just outside, the party will find that while there doesn’t seem to be a massive horde, there’s another problem: the first floor of the mall, which is below street level, is completely flooded. They’ll have to swim across the distance to the escalators, find a way to get across using debris, or some secret third thing. There are waterlogged zombies floating about in the water as well, who will swim violently towards you once they hear ripples in the water — they’re not subtle about going after you, and will thrash and splash and immediately let you know where they are. They're like people sized piranhas. Scary!

At one point, Sigewinne is pulled underwater by a zombie, and comes close to drowning.

As for scavenging, once they’ve scaled the escalator, they’ll find the second floor of the mall has definitely had its fair share of visitors, but there are still many useful things to find. There are electronic stores that have batteries and walkie talkies, clothing stores (like Hot Topic) that have some extra clothes lying about, and of course, the food court, where you’ll find canned and preserved foods from a variety of different cuisines.

Of this group, Suzuha Amane is infected.

rendezvous

After several days apart, characters will be able to meet back up at a spacious park in the northern part of the city. There are park ranger staff cabins that can be converted into temporary shelters with effort — and the area has a lightly wooded trail, which will make camping outside slightly more safe than if you were plain out in the open.

It’d be a good time to treat the wounded with the new medical supplies, and chow down on the food that’s been collected. Is there someone among the group who’s medical advice can be trusted? Is there someone who might be good at rationing or cooking the food? Everyone’s role in the party should start to become clearer.

There are probably a lot of things to discuss: what will you do with the infected? What's the deal with the bracelets? Reality of how dangerous this mission is will be setting in far too quickly.

Most annoyingly… after all that, some characters will find that moving north has caused their bracelets to inexplicably magnetize together at times, perhaps in response to everything that's happened. Due to this, you might need to help feed each other, or sleep next to a stranger. Hopefully you don't get stuck to someone you totally hate.

!

week two objectives

➤ scavenge for your assigned items!
➤ protect and fight for each other
➤ treat each others wounds
➤ eat tasty canned food

code

Comments

[irreversal]

1 / hospital

a. / big oops
[ One mistake is really all it takes, or maybe just incredibly bad luck. Try as they might to proceed as carefully and stealthily towards the hospital, one misstep is really all it takes, as Shoko tries to sneak past a horde behind an abandoned car with a defective sensor. Defective, as in extremely sensitive, and it's the blaring of its alarms that sets a nearby horde upon them. ]

...Fuck. Go. Go! We've gotta go!

[ Despite not being a combatant, herself, Shoko seems prepared to wield a baseball bat she's been carrying around - one that's adorned with a sticker of her face. ]

b. / gathering supplies
[ Perhaps her bad luck in disturbing a horde could have been forgiven, but to Shoko, there's no escaping how much one early mistake has already cost them, how it's set off a deteriorating chain events. The realistic side of Shoko that knows that shit happens and the side of her that doesn't want to have to stare down at another peer's lifeless features are at odds with one another, even as they finally carry out their main objective.

With some of the party holding zombies at bay, Shoko naturally tasks herself with gathering medical supplies. Bandages, dressings, antiseptics, painkillers, the list goes on, and she's acting on pure adrenaline in the supply room, trying to make short work of this without sacrificing attentiveness. ]

Hey. We're gonna need these.

[ She holds out a box full of cold packs... with an arm that's not entirely unscathed, itself, sporting an unightly gash from a scalpel-armed zombie while fighting their way into this room. She doesn't seem to care... They have to make this trip worth it, and her own pain comes second, third, somewhere else entirely.

After all, they can't let things get any worse than they have. ]

2 / rendezvous

a / smoke break
[ ... So it got worse!

Worse enough that, after deciding that the other medics can assist anyone who needs attention - at least for the time being - Shoko sits hunched over on a bench, away from the shelters, staring listlessly at a long-overgrown planting bed. A bandaged arm moves to lift a lighter with a shaking hand, at last lighting the cigarette she's kept unlit on her for all of a week. A week. ]

b / the clinic is open
[ But the work never really ends in these times such as these. Shoko helps set up something of a makeshift clinic in one of the shelter, where she's asked everyone to deposit all of the medical supplies they managed to obtain during the cursed hospital run. Strewn about a table within are supplies to make sure everyone's stocked on first aid necessities, and some surgical tools, including a peculiar-looking saw.

Whether someone enters to have their injury checked by her or to check on her, she's trying very hard to continue as she had the prior week, offering a wave and smile in greeting. ]

Hey. Need something?

[ Hopefully their bracelets won't misbehave during this check-up. ]

2a

[kototama]

[The bench creaks as Kotoha settles onto the bench next to Shoko.

She's quiet for a long, long moment, and then reaches out to gently tap Shoko's arm above the bandage.

?

Is she okay?]

[irreversal]

Koto-chaaaan.

[ With as much chipper in her tone as she can manage at the moment - which is still a surprising amount, though her voice has gone a bit raspy. Not as much as Kotoha's, she imagines, at it seems her companion here hasn't been speaking very much at all since returning from their mall mission.

Shoko glances down at Kotoha's prompting, and she's quick to wave a hand dismissively. ]

It's nothing serious, just a cut. Those zombies at the hospital were attacking with scalpels. Wild, huh?

[kototama]

[Scalpels? Jfc. Don't the zombies have enough weapons, just by being zombies? She'd make a joke about it, but, well.

You know.

So she doesn't, instead nodding a little in both response and acknowledgement. Okay. Nothing serious. That's good.

Next, she reaches out to tap above Shoko's heart.

How about here? Not physically, but emotionally?]

2a

[venomnom]

[It got worse, and it is what it is.

Reiju approaches from the side after a time, slowly so as not to alarm Shoko, with her arms folded. Her gaze falls on the cigarette.]

Is this your first one?

[irreversal]

[ She lifts a hand in a half-hearted wave. ]

Ah, it's Reiju-saaaan.

[ At the question, though, Shoko has to laugh. If she had her way, she'd be well through a box or two by this point. But if she also had her way, nobody would have gotten infected so soon. Alas. ]

Here? Yeah. In general? Hahaha, who knows?

[venomnom]

[She nods in greeting. Hello again, Shoko.]

I've heard that they're effective at quelling nerves. [She imagines they also give the person smoking them something to do.]

2a

[mediator]

Ieiri.

[ His voice crosses the short distance as he approaches the bench from the side, deciding it's better if she can see him coming than surprising her. She looks completely haggard and word has already spread about what happened in the hospital. Soujuurou waits to see if she takes any notice of him, but before she can respond he'll continue- ]

You know smoking is bad for your health.

[ An attempt at a joke or is he serious? His voice is calm and straight as an arrow in the delivery. It's his way of trying to say "how are you" without sounding completely dimwitted. ]

[irreversal]

[ He approaches her right as she exhales a long drag, the smoke drifting upwards as Shoko tips her head back. ]

Ehhh?

[ She chuckles, more quietly than her usual. ]

I think zombies are worse for your health, so what's the problem~

[ Patting the spot next to her on the bench. ]

[mediator]

Well, you could experience shortness of breath because of the after effects. That would be bad.

[ he goes ahead and takes the spot she offers, sitting straight and looking outward. the smell of tobacco is still gross to his nose, but he got used to it thanks to working at the pachinko parlor. her little stick is nothing compared to the thick haze of smoke he walked through for hours a day. ]

But, today was rough.

2b

[parttimesoldier]

[For Suzuha, it’s a little of column a, a little of column b that brings her into this “clinic”; she’s due for a little looking after herself, and it’s also in her nature to check in on everyone after a difficult journey such as this one (which doubles as a nice distraction to cling to, because, well,,).

As she steps in, she offers Shoko the best tired smile she can muster.]

H-hey. Figured I’d see how you were doing, and… [She grimaces a little, motions with her one remaining hand to her lack of the other, what remains of her arm wrapped up beneath the elbow.] Probably could use a little help checking on, uh…

[Y’know.]

[irreversal]

[ When she sees it's Suzuha who's joined her here, Shoko straightens a bit, like she's kicking herself into doctor mode for the time being. It would be just their luck, it seems, that both teams would face infections so soon, and unfortunately Shoko was right in her suspicion that though they were warned about a horde at the hospital specifically, the mall wouldn't be without its own challenges (casualties), too.

And also unfortunately... They're lucky that they're able to curtail these infections, in some fashion. Not an elegant solution by any means, but Gojo and Suzuha were both lucky, in a way. Mark... maybe not so much. It's probably a miracle that he didn't immediately turn, but...

...She needs to focus. Right now, that means on Suzuha, her patient. ]

Suzuha... got it. Don't worry about me - I'm fine.

[ she nods firmly, before crossing the tiny space of this shelter to guide Suzuha towards the bed... cot? Whatever situation's going on here. ]

Do you feel any phantom pain?

[parttimesoldier]

[When they’d discussed the possibility of Shoko having to put the knowledge from her medicine studies to use here back at the stadium, it had been such a casual thought to toss about. Maybe it would come down to it, if they’d run into a little trouble at some point down the road. Instead, they ran into a lot of it, immediately. And Suzuha surely hadn’t expected she would be among those worse off.

This place really didn’t pull its punches with the reality check.

Suzuha follows her lead across the room, silent as she takes a seat as indicated. Brows furrowing a little at the question, she turns her gaze downward to her injured arm. She still feels like grimacing every time she looks at it, but it’s starting to get easier to rein that feeling in a bit. She’s not sure if she hates that or not.]

When I wake up, sometimes. [It’s like every morning her brain forgets exactly what she’d done until she’s confronted with the sight of her very real lack of limb.] That feeling at least goes away after a little while…

2a!

[bicth]

[ It doesn't take long for Hella to notice Shoko's absence, especially because she's carrying around something she's been meaning to give her. It just.. hadn't seemed like a great time to do it, earlier. Before they'd left the house, Hella had thought she'd be able to reunite with Shoko with an arrogant smile, that she could present her with the precious cigs she'd looted with pride. Now, things don't feel so celebratory.

She slinks off outside the shelters to go looking, quickly finding her thanks to the sound of the lighter going off — and she makes no attempt to sneak up on her, keeping herself in plain view as she approaches. Hella keeps her hands stuffed deep in her pockets. ]

Hey, scoot over.

[ the request is soft despite the rough word choice, flicking her eyes to the empty space next to her. ]

[irreversal]

[ Shoko had thought the same, that they'd all meet back at this rendezvous point, maybe scraped up a little bit, definitely grosser than before, but not—

Not quite this fucked up. And she certainly hadn't imagined that the two strongest people she's known or met here so far would be the first to be infected. With a role like hers, she knows - or has to tell herself - that there's simply no way to save everyone. But still—

This fucking sucks.

Shoko almost doesn't recognize the softness in the voice that greets her, and as she tips her gaze upwards to exhale a puff of smoke, her head lolls to the side, and blinks slowly when she sees who's joining her. ]

It's Hamu-chan~ [ witness the most tired tilde voice ever. ] Or was it Nezu-chan, now? Haha.

[ She scoots over, and pats the spot next to her. ]

2b

[hydrotherapy]

[ Shoko's wave and smile are met with returning ones, though quite a bit smaller and sadder than Sigewinne would normally offer. ]

Nope. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay. Besides, we promised to hang out more after we met back up, right?

[ Even if....that pinky promise truly felt like forever ago. It may only have been a handful of days, but the gloomy exhausted air that hangs over their makeshift camp feels much too oppressive. Too many losses sustained in too short a time. ]

Have you eaten yet?

[irreversal]

[ Oh... Their pinky promise. Amidst everything, it truly had slipped in to the recesses of Shoko's mind, and at the reminder, her somber expression loosens into something— no, not quite relaxed, but... Just a touch softer. Lighter.

And were this anyone else, Shoko would have said that she'd eaten, even if all she's really done as far as bodily intake is smoke. But it really is so hard to stay in a dour mood with someone as cute as Chibi-sensei coming to check up on you. Maybe that's the true secret of healing... Being fucking adorable - though it seems even Sigewinne seems less spirited compared to when they all set out for their respective tasks. ]

Ahhh. It must have slipped my mind. It's a good thing you came to check on me, huh, Chibi-sensei?

2a

[empression]

[ It's hard to tell whether bandages mean "got munched on" or "got some other kind of injury", though she'll hope for Shoko's sake it was the latter.

Haru approaches, slowly, not for a smoke break, but just to... vibe? Maybe? There's a weariness in her eyes. ]

... Would you mind if I joined you?

[irreversal]

[ There is a weariness in her eyes, and though Shoko had gone away from the group, she's not about to turn away company, if they don't mind her continuing to smoke. ]

Ah, it's Haru-chaaan. [ in as sing-songy a tone as she can manage, which is... not very melodious, no. ] This spot's open, yeah.

[ She pats the spot next to her... with her injured arm, which causes her to wince just a little. ]

Oh. Don't worry about this, by the way. It's just a cut. The zombies at the hospital were equipped - isn't that crazy?

2b

[unliminal]

[ He's seen it all before. The way Shoko throws herself into her work when she's stressed, when she needs something to do to keep her mind occupied. They all have something like that, don't they? It's part of being a sorcerer. They need an outlet to keep them going. It may not be cursed spirits this time, but are zombies really all that different?

...Maybe so, considering Gojo can't remember the last time he felt this tired.

Regardless, they need to rest sometime, and it's already getting late. Leave it to him to look after the person looking after the rest of them. It's not a role he typically fills, but...desperate times, and all. Into her shelter he tromps, a blanket over one shoulder, which he crosses over to unceremoniously drop on her head.

He's seen it all before, but he couldn't do anything about it then. He didn't have time, between his training, between his missions. But now...he can try. ]

Hey. You got any idea what time it is? It's almost five in the morning! The sun's about to catch up to you, Shokoooo~

[ It's not even remote five, but he's trying to see if he can trip her up. ]

[irreversal]

[ He has seen it all before; she may not have been sent to very many missions alongside he and Geto, but more often than not, they would return to find Shoko buried in her research or, worse, up to her elbows in work in the morgue. But the role of looking after her didn't really fall to anyone in particular, least of all Gojo. Yaga-sensei would swing by to remind her to take a break now and then, and so would their underclassmen, but...

It's why when Gojo makes his appearance, she's not quite sure what he's going to want from her. Naturally, her first thought is that he needs help with his amputation wound, or maybe he's bored or pissed and needs to vent, or maybe it's all of those things - but nagging her about resting isn't one of those things. Since when was he a nagger?

Groaning, Shoko wiggles out of the blanket he's dropped onto her, though notably, she does keep it draped over her shoulders. ]

So what? I'm not a vampire. Sunlight's not going to hurt me, idiot. You should be resting, though, Gojoooo~

[ He's the one with a grievous injury. ]

1a

[normalness]

[The alarm blares in his ears, a shock of adrenaline rocketing through his veins, and he doesn't need to be told twice. Henry grips both straps of his backpack with a white-knuckled grip, breathing in sharply, and then just bolts forward to the hospital-!]

Come on, let's go!

[Not that it needs to be said!

There sure is a lot of detritus in the path, from this way to the hospital entrance. It'll take some fancy footwork to not trip over anything!]

[irreversal]

[ Fancy footwork, or perhaps an entirely different route. As Shoko hauls ass to run, too, knowing in good faith that the others will cover their retreat, she wonders if heading straight for the hospital full of zombies with more zombies hot on their heels is the best idea. ]

I think— I think we gotta lose 'em out here!

[ Luckily, there are many buildings to try and lose them in, it seems, but who knows what will await them...? Shoko tightens her grip on her bat. Just in casies... ]

1A!

[killboss]

[ — that Shoko stands her ground might be the worst move. Like, it's heroic and cool of her, but it also means that Puppy immediately drives himself towards her steadied form. He's not a quiet figure, nor a small one. Which means he's a veritable tank of a man that seems to,

blur, a stream of red afterimage flying off his lunging body as — from one second to the next, he crosses a sizeable distance to get himself between the bat-wielding girl and the oncoming danger. He still doesn't have a gun ( it'd be nice to have a gun, with his nanotech burning inside of him, he'd be able to generate additional ammunition for a time — ), but what he does have is a sturdy, cast-iron pipe. One of the zombies had been closer to them, and readily reaches them long before the bulk of the hoard will — and Puppy swings his arm down to smash into it's skull so hard that he immediately caves the thing in half. Right down the middle. It's gross, there's an explosion of gore.

On his mask, a single word scrolls up, repeating, across the screen: KILL.

( He does try to turn and signal to Shoko to BOOK IT, but! Maybe the hoard is advancing too quickly. ) ]

[irreversal]

[ Shoko isn't necessarily unaccustomed to such violent displays - look at her her classmate is, right here with them - but still, this is her first time seeing Puppy in action, enacting his brute strength and tendency towards destruction on something that is not a kitchen sink. ]

Shit. Glad you're on our side, Puppy.

[ She means this in the most complimentary way. But this isn't really the time for smalltalk, and that flashing word KILL is more than enough to remind her to haul ass, though she doesn't get very far before the horde starts closing in from another side, too, and—

No, she's not a combatant like Gojo by any means, but she is still a student at Tokyo Jujutsu High, being trained to be a sorcerer; she doesn't have physical prowess or any combat techniques, but a teenage girl with a baseball bat and a lot of pent up negative emotions?

Can do surprisingly something, when it comes to swinging at a zombie's head. ]