week 6

[biteys]

WEEK 6

!

home, home on the range

Last week’s events have understandably driven the group off the intended course — so this week will be about righting your little forest-beach-detour.

However, it seems the rain that began at the tail end of last week hasn’t quite let up yet. Mercifully(?), the worst of the storm looks to be over, which means the party will only have to be mildly soggy instead of fighting for their lives against daunting sheets of rain.

Perhaps due to a combination of poor weather, overexertion, and lingering germs in any of the places everyone’s been traveling through, Leontuzzo Bellone and Mark Grayson come down with the flu.

Covering a wide area of land between the lighthouse and the next marked place on the map are a series of abandoned farms and vineyards. Fruit trees and grapevines have all been left to grow (and overgrow) naturally, and with the party passing through at the height of summer, there are plenty of fresh peaches and grapes to be plucked from the foliage on the way. The rain has made the ground muddy and sticky, which may lead to some unfortunate falls…but maybe it’s worth it for a tasty treat.

Also in the abandoned farms are, of course, farmhouses and barns. There are stray farm animals here and there who have happened to survive through sheer luck, though there are no human inhabitants. No living ones, anyway: there are only skeletons, telling the tale that people died here long ago, perhaps of natural causes. One can only hope they did not succumb to the virus as so many others have. There are medicine cabinets inside the houses that have standard things like painkillers, cough syrup, and things of that nature, so it might be a good time to stock up.

As characters linger in the farms, they’ll also notice another side effect of their bracelets: throughout the entire week, they’ll be empathically linked to the other survivors, being able to feel their emotions as strongly as they would feel their own.

city escape

Once the group passes through farm country, you’ve finally made it to the outskirts of your destination, San Francisco. The map seems to suggest that you should travel along the east outskirts of the town along the bay, rather than directly through it — similar to how the party had stayed to the edges of Los Angeles.

Hordes here are similar to the ones in LA, though with the added difficulty that San Francisco is very hilly. Groups of zombies will chase the survivors uphill and downhill: they seem to have limitless stamina, so running up the hills and hoping for the best isn’t the best strategy. Conversely, they run full speed down the steep declines of San Francisco roads, which can lead to them completely wiping and possibly knocking you down with them.

Several zombies are also special: of the zombies that attack downhill, a handful have retained enough intelligence to simply stand or sit on abandoned skateboards and bikes, which increases their speed greatly. Of the zombies that prefer to attack uphill, they’ve learned that throwing anything they can find at their prey may slow them down — pieces of glass, bricks, and even shoes might be thrown at the survivors.

Henry Townshend attracts the attention of zombies in these hilly zones, forcing the need for a City Escape™.

fisherman's wharf + pier 39

Towards the end of the week, as characters continue taking the long way around San Francisco, they’ll eventually end up at the northeastern section of the city. More specifically, Pier 39, and the harbors it borders.

Here, after all the rain and gloom, the weather is a bit clearer, allowing characters to look out into the bay and see some marine wildlife that has kept away from the virus; there are hundreds of sea lions and seagulls here, though because they stay down on the rocks below the pier, the sounds of waves crashing drown out their incessant barking.

There are a number of abandoned shops here, and similar to the mall the group traversed weeks ago, many of the stores seem to be looted, but there are still goodies to be found here and there. With the wide variety of goods, from music boxes to candy to jewelry, there’s sure to be something that tugs on the heartstrings you’re all sharing this week.

Take a look around, find a souvenir, and maybe pick what store you’re going to be camping out in for the night?

This week, Ninety-Nine is infected.

code

Comments

[titlecard]

[ He winces, thankfully in good nature. ]

Yeah. Like you fall down when you're learning to walk, but that's a pretty short trip to the ground. If you crash land into a building from the sky...

[ He shakes his head, a spike of something much more negative coming through at the idea. The concept is tied to an actually bad memory, and definitely not something he wants to think about right now. Mark swallows it down, but it might do him a favour in overpowering the earlier trepidation, at least for the moment.

He puffs out a little exhalation, ready to adjust the subject. ] So, what kind of city are you from? Skyscrapers, big downtown, all of that good stuff?

[ Keep it light! Keep it light. If not for himself then for Suzuha's sake too, because he still isn't picking up on her vigilance. It's just... he has nothing to watch out for anymore. Nothing more can be done to him. What's on the literal horizon doesn't matter anymore; only the metaphorical one. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[She grimaces a little in sympathy, both at the thought of a crash like that and for the way it coaxes that particular feeling out from him. Being able to so intimately share in the emotions of others isn’t something she’d ever imagined would happen to her, but it does allow for an unspoken understanding that she can’t really say is all that bad.

What it means is she’s totally on board with a switch in subject for his sake, except… it turns out that prodding at the idea of her own home means it’s her turn for a mood shift, the feelings that surface incredibly mixed—an amalgamation of something bittersweet and sad and more than a little determined.]

Yeah, kinda… [She decides to keep her eyes on the path ahead again as she trails off, because it’s harder to bluff about when maintaining eye contact. Something that had turned into a necessary habit during the last month she spent in her own world, but here, a world away and speaking with someone totally disconnected from it? Maybe it’s a little dumb to keep it up, particularly when her feelings make it way harder to conceal. (What had she just been thinking about it not being too bad?) So she shrugs, tries to exhale a half-hearted laugh to play off the seriousness of what she follows it up with.]

It’s kind of in rough shape, though. Used to be totally like that, bustling and alive with all kinds of people. [A beat, gaze still lingering on the barn in the near-distance.] I was… trying to fix it, before I ended up here.

[titlecard]

[ ... He failed at keeping it light, didn't he.

Mark looks at Suzuha with concern, a natural reaction to that shift in her mood. He doesn't have to force anything here or try to hide what he's been feeling during the lead-up to this, because it all just comes together, making him a more effective liar by omission than he should have been.

He pauses before reaching out to put a comforting hand on her back. Offers her a small smile. ]

You'll fix it. [ Said with full confidence. ] I mean, after all of this you'll have fixed an entire world, right? That's a pretty good addition to the resume.

[ You'll have fixed an entire world, not we. He doesn't notice the slip, and they're almost at the barn now. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[Her attention snaps back to him at the contact, looking upward to meet his gaze, returning the smile with a fleeting yet grateful one. And for what it’s worth, while he might have failed at keeping it light, Suzuha doesn’t much notice the slip-up either; surely he’s just firing off some encouragement for her in particular here, nothing more than that.

Encouragement she’ll gladly take, raising her single hand in an eager little fist pump.]

You’re right. If I can save one world, I can save another. It’ll be a piece of cake.

[Her gaze stays locked onto him, even as they approach the barn. The smile’s back, a forced mask of cheer she’s all too good at donning. Whether or not things are tough, all there is to it is to keep pushing forward.]

We just gotta keep moving for a bit longer and knock out World Rescue number one, first.

[We, of course, because why would it be anything else?]

[titlecard]

... Yeah.

[ Mark's eyes crinkle. His smile grows broader, more strained. But there's still an ever-present fondness for her, a growing pride, sheer faith in her capabilities. Yeah, she's down an arm, and her leg still has to finish healing, but it's not like that's stopped her yet, right? She's so strong — he's seen it in action.

It's why he chose to ask her out here. Because she's proven to him that she can do what has to be done. Might not like it, but she can do it, and that's what matters.

He looks up at the barn as the path runs out, deposits them at its entrance. Reaches out for one of its door handles. Grips it. Doesn't open it yet, instead turning to look back at Suzuha. He can still call it off... he doesn't need to...

The sun is warm above, pleasant. There's only a slight breeze.

Everything he's feeling he lets go — except for that fondness for her, and a tinge of regret he'll never be able to shake. ]

Suzuha... can I ask you for a favour?

[parttimesoldier]

[Suzuha can’t help but keep up the vigilance even now. Mark reaches for the barn door, and she does another glancing sweep of the surrounding hills. Keeps an ear out for anything out of the ordinary, both out here and within the barn before them. But there is, blessedly, nothing. Just the quiet and pleasant afternoon, beautiful scenery, and this warm and fond feeling floating between the two of them.

It’s good. It’s nice. She’s glad he’s proposed they take this little walk because she needed it—the fresh air, sure, but also his company. He’s someone she knows she can be at ease with, joking and having fun, but even when things get a bit heavy. (And here, in this world, that’s something that’s kind of inevitable, isn’t it?)

When he says her name, she turns back his way. Nods without hesitation at the question, a bit of curiosity in her eyes.]

Yeah, of course you can.

[And then her brows furrow a little, because yeah, she doesn’t miss that little undercurrent of regret.]

…Whatcha got in mind?

cw it's time,

[titlecard]

[ It's quiet. It's good. It's nice.

He's ready. ]

... I wouldn't ask if I didn't think you could do it. The raiders... [ He swallows, shakes his head. Not the best memory of the fact that they'd both killed people very recently, but they'd done it, and she was much more prepared than him. ] ... I wouldn't ask otherwise.

[ Mark pulls open the barn door, steps inside. Holds it open for her. It's empty inside; no sounds, no threats. Just the two of them — and it's better, he thinks, to have as few people as possible around for this. It'll make it go smoother. ]

I don't know how much longer I can hold out. What I do know is I can't risk getting it wrong, because that'd put the rest of you in danger, and I... I can't do that. This can't be all for nothing. I can't be the one screwing it up for all of you.

[ Deep breath. He is relaxed, at ease, at peace. He feels bad, but it pales in comparison to just how much he knows this is the right move. ]

I need you to take your gun, press it right up against my forehead, [ and he brings up a finger to press at it himself, direct centre, ] and pull the trigger until I don't get back up.

[ Exhale. He lowers his hand, looks at Suzuha with an empty expression tinged with concern, worry — but only for her. Within him, there's nothing but calm. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[Something is off. It’s apparent now as he begins to elaborate, bring up the raid. He steps into the barn and Suzuha finds herself not wanting to follow. A familiar anticipation begins to creep up on her, the kind that always rears its head when she feels like she might be walking into a trap. But it’s Mark. Straightforward and sincere Mark, and he wouldn’t be prefacing an ask with something like this unless it were important. That still doesn’t do much to dismiss the sinking feeling that’s beginning to well up in her chest.

She stands in the threshold of the barn doorway for a moment. Takes in a slow breath. Follows him.

But then her half-limping steps begin to slow again once it becomes clear what’s about to happen here. She comes to a halt, gaze unflinchingly meeting his despite the way her eyes are narrowing, brows creasing in some combination of dismay and defiance.

How can he be so calm?]

Hey, c’mon— [Her voice falters a little, though when she continues, it’s dismissed entirely for a more determined edge.] Don’t joke about that.

[PLEASE SAY PSYCH.]

We’re almost to the end, Mark. It’s so close.

[You can keep going, can’t you? is the unspoken undercurrent. But they’ve still got weeks ahead of them and she knows it. Knows that it’s remarkable that he’s persisted this long despite it, too. Maybe his resilience thus far has let her take it all for granted, but it doesn’t stop her from wishing this conversation wasn’t happening right now.]

[titlecard]

[ He can feel... The sinking feeling makes sense. He'd felt it for himself earlier, when he was coming to this decision. It's like an echo of his recent past.

It's just that when she follows him in there's a sickening spike of hope, that this is going to go well, and it's then that it hits him that it's really not fair of him to ask this of her. It's not that he's looking forward to dying, but in a way...

Don't joke about that, and he breaks, has to be the one to look away even though he's asked her here. It's so close, and... it is, isn't it? Just not close enough. ]

I'm sorry. [ His voice is wet; he has to swallow. He was calm and at peace and now there's a distress creeping in; he wants to take her, hold her, bury himself in her. ] I don't know if I can do it myself. It might take multiple shots, and I don't know if I'll be able to get them all off... I might be too durable.

[ Just stick to practical terms. That should help, right? Even as he's getting more emotional about it, even as it's hitting Suzuha. Just keep focusing on what needs to be done instead and they can do it. Right? ]

Trust me, I wish I could make it to the end. We still had so much to do. [ Get her a new arm, play baseball, go to an aquarium. Help her save her world? ] But I'm... I'm losing myself. And if that happens, and my body... I've been hungry for weeks. If I can't stop myself then who will? You still have to make it to the end.

[ Mark takes a step closer, as if to encourage her, somehow. C'mon, it'll be okay, even if he's starting to panic a little. ]

Please. Please help me help you make it to the end.

[parttimesoldier]

[The Suzuha of a few months ago would have been much more pragmatic about this. The mission comes first. It always comes first. That had been such an easy mindset to fall into when surrounded by cold, tired, and distant resistance fighters struggling in an endless, losing fight. If anyone hesitated to do what was necessary it could mean the end of whatever last shreds of hope they still clung to.

But she’s learned how much nicer it is to have people she actually cares for at her side. And how much harder too, because this should be such an easy decision and it’s instead anything but.

Their feelings are turning into a roller coaster, each spike in new emotion that much more stark for the way it’s shared between them. She feels that brief flicker of hope; a tiny wisp of guilt stirs from her in response. She feels the distress start pushing its way in, that little spark of panic on his end; sorrow starts welling up in her own chest and she tries her hardest to beat it back. Succeeds, if only in shifting it to be a muted undertone. She needs to be strong for him. Resolute, like he had been the entire walk here.

Mark steps forward and she likewise does the same, closing the gap between them. She places her hand on his arm, feels that warmth, gives it a comforting squeeze. Her gaze hasn’t wavered this whole time, even as he broke from the eye contact, but suddenly it’s feeling a lot harder than it should. She’s quiet for a moment, then she leans forward, presses her forehead against his chest as she closes her eyes.]

I don’t want to do this, Mark. Not unless you are absolutely sure you can’t make it the rest of the way.

[He’s made his case plenty already, she knows that. (I’ve been hungry for weeks…) It’s not that she wants him to belabor the point, but a decision like this? It’s massive, it’s important, and surely this has been weighing on his mind more and more as the weeks have drawn on, she gets that. But she has to hear him say it definitively. She has to know that he is sure, or she can’t be.]

If there’s no other way, then I…

[She’ll do it. She doesn’t want to, but she will.]

[titlecard]

[ His chest feels tight. He'd worked himself up to this, had entertained his final doubts on the way up here, decided he was ready. But as he feels Suzuha fight her way through her emotions to be what he needs her to be, as she squeezes his arm, that resolution becomes painful. Still there, because he can't lose it now — it's just that Mark is beginning to understand that his last moments aren't going to be filled with relief like he'd thought, they're just going to hurt.

Can she feel his heart beat against her forehead? It's a little too quick, but steady enough — and as Mark wonders he leans down, rests his forehead on top of her head, buries his nose in her hair. Reaches out to wrap his arms around her, envelop her in a hug easy enough to break from, but. If this is how they're saying goodbye... ]

I'm sure. [ He says it into her hair at first, turns his head to the side to nuzzle her a little. ] I can't make it the rest of the way. And I want to go knowing I haven't hurt anyone.

[ He moves back to take her upper arms in his hands. Lightly rub them up and down. ]

There's no other way. I'm sorry. But... I can wait until you're ready.

[ What a shitty thing he's asked her to do for him; he'd spent so long psyching himself up to get to this point that he hadn't considered how it would feel for someone else. His pain will be short, though. Suzuha's... All he can do is be sorry, hope she knows that, and hope it makes a difference. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[She wishes she could have unflinchingly accepted his request. The only thing her hesitation will accomplish in the end is making this more painful. Pain like that she can live with—what’s a little more added to the pile to bottle up?—but it’s not fair to him when he’s staring over the precipice of the end. The decision has been made, whether she agrees to grant it to him or not. He said it himself, he came to her because he knew she would be able to do it. And she can, but…

He feels so alive here pressed against her and she knows the clock is ticking down on that. As he pulls her into a hug, she returns it in kind as best as she can, her single hand snaking around to grip at the fabric of his shirt at his back. She had reached for him out of some innate but futile feeling of hope, as if she could anchor him here. If not for good, than at least in her memories. But this just… it makes the hurt almost more potent. Her eyes begin to burn with the threat of tears, but she manages, somehow, to hold them back for the time being.

He says he’s sure, so she has to be ready. Once they go through with this, there’s no turning back. Except… she thinks she’s beginning to understand what had made Okabe put himself through dozens and dozens of timeloops in his desperation to save Mayuri. As the two of them begin to pull away from their bittersweet embrace, Suzuha suddenly feels a new little jolt of something stirring in her chest as that realization dawns on her. “There’s no turning back,” sure, but that’s not entirely true, not for her, is it?]

Maybe this is our only choice right now. [Her gaze had remained lowered, fixed on one of his hands rubbing at her arms, but now her head snaps back up, seeking to meet his eyes once more.] But I can fix it.

[How much of a reach is it when she doesn’t know how the interdimensional angle complicates things, how many attempts it would take, if she even had the fuel to make it work on top of everything else she had to get done, and yet—]

Back home, I… I have a time machine. It’s how I planned to undo the terrible state of my world. [Suzuha had alluded to some of the people here what her home had been like, but she’d very deliberately not mentioned the fact that she was a time traveler. Information like that is simply far too dangerous to disclose. But now, suddenly, it feels incredibly important to share.] So maybe I can go back here too. I could save you, and Kotoha, and— and none of this has to go as badly as it has.

[Is that hope in her voice, or just delusional desperation? Either way… maybe it’s something to cling to.]

[titlecard]

[ That jolt of emotion signals to him that something's off. He doesn't know what Suzuha is thinking, because he's thought this through already. There is no other solution; there are no effective stopgaps; putting an end to him once and for all is the only outcome here that makes any sense. (The only one he'll accept, because he can't fully turn, can't unleash a zombie with his abilities on the world.) I can fix it, Suzuha says, and Mark—

— wasn't expecting her to follow up with the words time machine, and any frustration and agitation that had been beginning to boil up evaporates.

Mark stares at her.

And stares.

And while Suzuha has given herself something to cling to Mark goes for that in the literal sense, leaning back in to hug Suzuha, maybe sweep her off her feet while he's at it thanks to a combination of height and strength. ]

Yes. [ His voice is an awed hush, but there's life swelling from within him. He'd been working to numb himself for days to better accept his fate, and now there's life, present and warm and in full force. ] Oh my god, yes. If you can do that — if that's an option — I mean. [ He laughs. Sets her down, if he'd inadvertently picked her up in the new hug. ] I've got no objections to you using that.

[ And he's sure Kotoha wouldn't, either. Mark beams at her, and there's real happiness present in him now. If he's getting his hopes up it doesn't matter, right? If this is the last thing he ever feels and it never comes to pass, at least he felt it. And if it makes things easier for Suzuha, then there's nothing better. ]

I'm still sorry I had to ask you to begin with, but me being gone improves your chances of making it to the end. And once you make it there, and go back... Maybe I'll see you again soon. [ A beat. ] And if your world still needs help, I'll come help you.

[ He has no idea how time travel is supposed to work; if he's going to remember this conversation, if it's going to be another version of him who doesn't get infected, or what. It's not like it matters right now, anyway.

Mark smiles at her, soft and hopeful. Not hoping that she'll follow through on killing him — he's reasonably confident of that now — but hopeful that this might not actually be goodbye. ]

I'm ready.

[ Even though it might be, but in this moment... not like he's going to know that. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[Oh. That right there, that blossom of happiness, that smile that follows—somehow it’s both such an enormous relief and all the more heart-wrenching for it, but worth it nonetheless. Definitely worth it.

She finds herself laughing as he hugs her again, sweeping her off her feet. It’s an almost breathless thing, nowhere near as full-bodied or cheerful as one typical of her, but it’s there. Surprise and joy that feel oh-so out of place in this particular moment, yet she can’t help but scramble to hold onto it.

Because as he sets her back down, familiar doubts waste no time in trying to snake their way into her thoughts, all the more persistent in such a delicate moment. What if she fails, what if it doesn’t work, what if all she’s doing is getting his hopes up (hers too, but that had always been less important) only to offer disappointment in the end? Would that just be more cruel?]

I’ll…

[She can’t think about it. Focus instead on that renewed sense of life the idea had brought about in him, look at that smile. One of her own is returned in kind, but it’s a little more melancholy.]

I’ll try not to make you wait too long for me to come back, then.

[It would be a worldline shift if it worked, surely, and all of this likely forgotten, but they are here in this moment right now and have no choice but to follow through with it. Live through it. (Die because of it, in his case.) Part of her may still want to argue, even with the nugget of hope she’d suddenly offered them, but she knows it’s a waste of time. This is the smart choice. The logical choice. And he’s ready, so she has to be, too.

She doesn’t like the way her heart starts pounding when she takes a step back, reaching to pull free the gun holstered at her side.]

If you’re sure, then…

[Then she’ll do it. She won’t let him down, won’t back down, even if she’s very suddenly feeling like she’s going to be sick. Just hold onto that hope and don’t let go.]

[titlecard]

[ He's back at peace. Maybe more so than before, when he'd had to swallow down all that trepidation and anxiety that had begun to build up before he'd asked her. Mark had really thought this was going to be it for him, and that was okay, but knowing now that it might not be... knowing now that Suzuha might have a way to fix it, knowing now that she can feel that same hope he does, twin emotions intermingling...

Until that creep of sickness slips back in from her end, her own anxiousness, and it gives him pause. This still isn't something to get excited about. This is still awful, what he's asked her to do for him, even though he knows she can do it. Even if there's the chance of a fix down the line, there's still a lot wrong here. There's still something that needs to be fixed. The smile falls from Mark's face at the same time has he puts his hands back on her shoulders, looks directly at her. ]

I'm sure. [ Leans down to press his forehead to hers, his eyes slipping shut. ] Take as long as you need, okay?

[ For her time machine. For this moment, too.

Mark lets go of her shoulders. Steps back. Opens his eyes, soft little smile he doesn't entirely feel anymore back on his face. Lowers himself to his knees so it'll be easier for her to hit him where she has to, so his own body has less distance to fall. ]

Just... remember to keep shooting until I don't get back up, alright? I'm not sure how many it'll take to kill me. [ One last bout of practicality, one last reminder of why this has to be done now, when he's still in control of himself. It's necessary. It sucks, and neither of them want this to happen, but it's necessary.

And, so that isn't the last thing he says to her, ] Thank you. I'm sorry, but... thank you. I knew I could count on you. This world, and yours... they're in good hands.

[ And he slips his eyes shut one last time, and exhales. ]

[parttimesoldier]

[Think of the mission. Something that has long been a mantra for her, for as long as she’s been fighting for something better. Life had always been cold and lonely and cruel, but it made it so much easier to just do what needed to be done. Fixate on that goal in order to keep pushing forward.

It’s a familiar thought to draw on now, though she never thought it would be this hard. He tells her to take as long as she needs, and all she can think about is how she wants so much more time than they can reasonably spare. That selfish desire is released in a shaky sigh as he reaches out for her again. She lets her eyes likewise drift shut as they stand there for a moment so agonizingly close before they’ll have to part for good. Tilts her head to the side just slightly to brush her cheek against his hand when he finally pulls away.

Think of the mission. They can’t pull it off if he’s a ticking time bomb liable to go off any day now. He’s right about that and she can’t deny it. She’s steeling herself, donning the familiar armor of resolve and determination, and it helps that he reiterates what needs to be done. Her fingers squeeze around the gun’s grip for a moment, painfully tight, then she eases up. Shifts her thumb to flick off the safety.]

Thank you, Mark. For making this whole journey a little less lonely. More bearable, despite everything that's happened.

[A bittersweet smile follows, but it’s gone in a flash; he’s on his knees now, awaiting an execution of his own choosing. She raises the gun and her aim is as steady as ever. Ready to obey as he requested. A slow exhale. It feels like time is stopping around them. It feels like she’s a little numb.]

And I’m sorry we weren’t able to make it to the end together.

[Think of the mission, nothing else. Just think of the mission.

She pulls the trigger. The gun barks in quick succession.

It’s not until it’s over that she allows herself to cry.]