week five

[biteys]

WEEK FIVE

!

run, run, run

As the party has been advised to rest for a few days before heading back out to their journey, on the third night of their undisturbed peace in the bunker, they may be beginning to feel that it really is safe down there. And for the most part, it is. Is everyone sleeping soundly? Or is someone awake when a faint tink followed by a hiss can be heard…?

Characters will awaken to the sight and smell of a canister of gas having been tossed into their bunker from the hidden opening above. Whoever's up there, they intend to force you out of your safe haven like a bunch of unwanted gophers from someone’s lawn.

The gas that leaks from the canister will spread throughout the bunker slowly but surely — characters will need to be swift about waking everyone up and escaping out of the bunker. Take what you can carry, and fast! The gas is an acidic, pungent substance that causes eyes to water and vision to blur; it also obstructs the air ways, if too much of it is inhaled — symptoms may linger for multiple days, in that case.

Once you’ve made it outside, you’ll be able to identify your attackers: some of the teenagers you encountered two weeks ago are among them, and this seems to be the rest of their camp, their parents, friends, and comrades. The survivors' party is vastly outnumbered, and the raiders that have come are actively hostile: the party will have to fight their way to an escape, and it’s not going to be a bloodless struggle on either side.

The good news is that while there are many enemies, they are regular humans armed with the same makeshift weapons you’ve all had to make do with. Fighting your way through them shouldn’t be impossible… if you’re willing to do what’s necessary.

It will soon become apparent that the entire mission will be at risk if you stick around trying to subdue every opponent — though simultaneously, it’s also impossible to regroup with the entire party. Looks like you’ll have to split up just to survive…

if you chose beach...

In the chaotic departure from the bunker, Shoko Ieiri, Leontuzzo Bellone, Vinsmoke Reiju, Henry Creel, Sigewinne, and Gojo Satoru make their escape towards a nearby shoreline, losing their pursuers in the coves and rocky structures that lead to the sea.

Supplies are likely scarce due to the hastened way everyone was forced to leave: securing food and water will be among the first necessary tasks. On this piece of shoreline, there are a number of small piers and abandoned nets, not to mention driftwood that can be sharpened into spears. That’s right, this team will have to play a 🔥FISHING MINIGAME🔥 to secure their food. There are also small tide pools where shellfish may be collected, but crabs are aggressive and may pinch any errant fingers.

Water, on the other hand, is harder to come by. There are no fresh water sources nearby, so either the endless salt water will need to be processed somehow, or… everyone will begin to feel the effects of dehydration. Delirium, lightheadedness, and worst of all, chapped lips.

Places to rest will be... rustic and wild, to say the least, but there are a number of pits that would be suitable for making campfires, if enough material is found to feed the flames.

Characters on the beach will also discover that there are a number of traps hidden in the sand, rusty and clearly human made. They seem to be intentionally hidden among the terrain, and judging by the blood rust on them, they’ve been in use for some time.

Sigewinne is caught in one of these traps, badly injuring one of their legs. The trap is fashioned to be similar to a bear trap, and will take collaboration to be freed from.

Nearby zombies have caught on to the fact that this is a hunting ground of sorts where humans occasionally get stuck in these traps — therefore, they’re prowling around further up the beach in scattered groups, distracted and listless until the sounds of traps going off draws them sprinting towards the party. Given the nature of the minefield of traps, one wrong step while running away could mean the end! It might be better to stand ground and fight….

Of this group, no one is infected.

if you chose forest...

In the chaotic departure from the bunker, Haru Okumura, Soujuurou Shizuki, Mark Grayson, Suzuha Amane, Ninety-Nine and Hella make their escape towards the denser part of the forest, losing their pursuers in the cover of tall trees and thick bushes.

Supplies are likely scarce due to the hastened way everyone was forced to leave: securing food and water will be among the first necessary tasks. In this section of forest, wildlife does seem to be teeming thanks to the time of year, with mule deer and small foxes scampering about. The game is quick and clever here, and much more difficult to approach and catch than the horses everyone encountered a while back. Without someone skilled in hunting or trapping, the party will likely begin to suffer from the effects of starvation. Sluggish movement, and increasing desperation to eat anything that might be edible.

As for forage-able plants, there aren’t many. Several berries and leaves in this area seem to be mildly poisonous, which will cause any particularly desperate campers an unpleasant surprise if they try their hand at tasting them.

The small mercy of this area is that there’s a small freshwater creek, which will provide some relief from dehydration — though it’s far too shallow to submerge oneself in any capacity.

Places to rest will be... rustic and wild, to say the least, but there are a number of pits that would be suitable for making campfires, if enough material is found to feed the flames.

Characters in the forest will also discover that not only is there normal wildlife here, but there is also infected wildlife. During one of the nights while camping, the group will be ambushed by an infected bear and a single cub. That’s right, this party will need to defeat a 🔥ZOMBIE BEAR BOSS FIGHT🔥 to stay alive.

During the ambush, Haru Okumura is mauled by a swipe of one of the bear’s paws, severely injuring them.

As with the other infected, it seems only the bites of these creatures cause a transmission of the virus, so characters will need to be very careful about not getting bit. The claws are fair game, with paws rated E for Everybody. Better time those dodge rolls!

Of this group, Soujuurou Shizuki is infected.

rendezvous

It won’t be easy to find each other again after getting separated so suddenly, especially not after both groups have likely sustained several injuries. Straying further than five miles from each other will still have the bracelets sending a potent burning sensation through your arm, so perhaps you ought to use the bracelets as a compass to get an estimation of what direction you ought not to go.

Due north of the shoreline and forest, though, there is a lighthouse overlooking a small touristy gift shop and gas station, who’s height might be useful as a landmark for the groups to travel to.

The inside of the lighthouse provides decent shelter, with ample room inside for the small ragtag team to each have a place to be alone, but the howl of the sea breeze, and the unending crashes of the waves against the cliffside may make sleep less than restful. In fact, being alone in here might be scarier than the outside. Worst of all, from the looks of the darkening gray sky, a storm might be coming soon.

Reuniting might still prove even more bittersweet than the first time the party split. Take what you can from the available gas station snacks and tourist shirts, and treat whatever wounds possible… because there’s unfortunately not the same amount of time to rest and recover as there was in the bunker, which is now a distant relic of the past. They're closing in on their destination, however they might feel about it.

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Comments

[titlecard]

i. run, run, run cw: graphic violence

[ The good thing is that he's quick on his feet — or in the air, as circumstances may have it. Mark's lucky enough to be able to zoom through the rooms, shake anyone awake who might need it. He's able to grab a random backpack — whose it is or what it's filled with, he couldn't say — and instinctively bundle up some blankets in his arms. He's sick... it'll be cold out... they'll need these...

All of this forgotten when he catches sight of who it is attacking them. Recognizes some of the teenagers.

The instinct to keep warm is dropped, replaced by a white hot rage that's all too natural to slip into. ]

Why? [ It's a strangled shout — he had tried to protect them, to keep anyone else from being hurt. But this, fresh off of Kotoha's death... ] Why would you do this?

[ Fuck the blankets. They've been attacked, he doesn't know if everyone else is okay, and it's all too natural to leap into the fray. He can take a blade clipping his arm or a bat to the rib cage, sure — in the exact same way that with a couple of blows he's strong enough to physically punch through another human being, to rip off a key body part.

Fuck this, they've earned it.

Somebody please impress upon him the fact that they have to go, because Mark doesn't seem inclined to leave the fight. ]


ii. forest cw: potential for violence against animals

[ He's kind of stopped eating, for the most part. Not that he isn't hungry — fuck, is he hungry. But he can't think about that. Because the food he used to go for is no longer appetizing, but everyone else around him...

Not thinking about that.

So instead, Mark has spotted a deer. It hasn't seen him yet, and aside from a growling stomach, he isn't making any sounds.

It isn't even like he'd need to cook it. He could be on it within seconds, sinking his teeth in, ripping its throat out—

He doesn't move. He just stares, intent and focused. ]


iii. rendezvous

[ When Mark had first been bitten, after they'd completed their mission at the hospital, he'd sequestered himself away from everybody else.

Now, after having certainly killed people, after having to accept the reality of his new appetite, after becoming far too comfortable with blood in a way he never thought he would be, he is sequestering himself once again.

Because he can fly, because he wants to be left alone, he makes his way to the top room of the lighthouse and just. Sits there, staring at absolutely nothing, eyes narrowed and body tensed. He's so pissed off. Pissed at himself, pissed at what he's done, pissed that any of this is happening at all. Everything has gone to shit, and — ]

What?

[ — when he hears footsteps approaching he snaps around, growling out the word. What do you want. ]

[empression]

a. The Bearening (cw: graphic violence)

[ It hasn't been ideal, since the attack on the base. The lack of food beyond what they've been able to bring with them (not much) and what they've been able to hunt (not really her wheelhouse) has made her feel lethargic and sluggish and she's been able to identify a few of the berries they'd found as poisonous, so that's also a No Go.

At the very least, Haru still has her axe, which has been helpful in gathering material for their campfires, and it also means she has it nearby when the bears happen. If she'd maybe been a little less sluggish, she would have thought to call on her Persona immediately, but as it stands, she doesn't, and in the chaos, she's only able to slam the axe down on the bear's shoulder before it knocks her down, pins her with enough force that she hears her ribs crack before actually feeling it, and swipes viciously downwards.

In the moment, she thinks rather hazily that she shouldn't feel too guilty about screaming when those claws rip through her skin, having the presence of mind to twist despite the pain in her ribs so it catches her side and her hip more than her stomach, one arm when she lifts it to try and shelter her face from the next blow.

She might need a little help, whether that involves dealing with the bear or helping her out once said bear has been dealt with, because she's not going to be of much use beyond lying there crumpled on the ground and bleeding profusely.

Yay! ]


b. LIGHTHOUSE

[ Somehow (because I flipped a coin), Haru survives. But she's probably had to have been carried here and since then, she's been barely conscious. Which is likely for the best, because waking up to pain and More Pain isn't really anyone's idea of a good time and if anyone has to treat her, might as well not be aware of it. But she does wake up eventually, settled in some corner of the lighthouse and completely disoriented about it.

... Hi, person who is near her. ]

Where...?

[ Wait, that's not important, she's trying to sit up--and instantly doubling over, so maybe not a great idea, but-- ]

Is everyone okay?!

[parttimesoldier]

I. THE FOREST (PRE-BEAR)

[Maybe running for the woods hadn’t been such a great idea after all. The cover of the trees might have been their saving grace in getting away from their attackers, but now? With what meager supplies that could be grabbed in their escape and no idea how long it might be until they next find real shelter? The prospects are looking real dicey as the days draw on.

The need to keep pushing on, find the others, find badly needed resources—that’s ever-present in the back of Suzuha’s mind. They have to rest where they can though, so she’s trying not to let those thoughts weigh too heavy while they’re settling into a makeshift camp for the night. She returns from the nearby creek, plastic bottle freshly filled with water in hand. As she pulls up alongside you, she gives you a nudge and holds the bottle out to you. Drink up.]

Well, the food situation still looks real sketch, but at least we have this.

II. RENDEZVOUS

[At least they all managed to find each other again. Such a small blessing, but at this point they have to take what they can get.

As far as safe havens go, the lighthouse doesn’t come anywhere close to the bunker’s comforts and amenities, but it’s practically a fortress compared to the last few days they’ve all had on the run. Even still, it’s not worth lingering here for long when there remains a significant trek ahead of them and they’re lacking in supplies again as it is.

Especially when they can’t be so sure that their attackers would leave well enough alone this time.

So here Suzuha is in the early part of the evening, perched on the trunk of a rusting car sitting abandoned in the tiny parking lot in front of the gas station. It’s gray and dreary out with the threat of the approaching storm, but she pays that little mind. Her eyes are locked on the road leading away from the lighthouse, a couple of stale scavenged snacks from the station sitting mostly forgotten alongside her.

When she hears footsteps approach from the lighthouse’s direction, she doesn’t turn or seem to acknowledge it for a long moment. Eyes still glued to the lonely stretch of road before her, she instead asks:]

You think those people would be determined enough to follow us all the way out here?

III. WILDCARD
Just wanted to toss a couple quick prompts up. Feel free to wildcard me something during the bunker encounter, bear attack, or whatever else, or poke me on the discord if you want me to write up a starter for something.

LATE WEEK 5

[biteys]

HONEY, YOU'VE GOT A BIG STORM COMIN'

As the dark clouds had forebodingly predicted, during the last day or two of the week, a violent storm breaks out near the coast that the group is situated on. With giant waves and torrential rain pouring down, it'll be dangerous for anyone to even venture outside the lighthouse — and even that isn't completely safe.

A few particularly forceful waves, coupled with nonstop howling winds, cause a number of windows to break in the lighthouse. No longer will the party be shielded from the brunt of the cacophony of the storm, and some of the frigid air and sea will be making its way into the place they've taken shelter in.

Mercifully, while some water is getting in, the lighthouse isn't in any danger of flooding — but characters will need to hunt around for spots in the lighthouse that are least affected by the encroaching storm to seek refuge from the wind and rain. It might be time to huddle for warmth, or do anything you can think of to soothe the anxiety wrought on by the vicious tempest.

Small campfires can still be lit inside the place, if you find a room shielded from the wind or lacking a broken window — so long as enough tinder can be found in the way of old books and report logs around the lighthouse. Maybe it's story time? Or maybe someone snagged a bag of marshmallows from the gas station before the storm hit. But you'll likely need to do something to maintain morale, hope, and comfort throughout this dark night.