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week 6
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.
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™.
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.
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.
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[ go forth and call people pieces of fuck shoko ]
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Sure. Anyway, Hamu-chan.
[ She flips ignites her lighter, lights her cigarette. ]
We've already left a few people behind. You're saying we shouldn't let others choose their own fate when it comes down to it, like what the others did?
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[ Much less cast aside as bait for zombies. One gets the sense she won't budge on this. Ninety-Nine had tried to sacrifice herself in a similar way, and Hella disrespected her wishes completely; if she can do that to the person she loves most, she can do it to anyone. ]
It didn't have to be the end for any of them. [ She really, honestly believes that. ] Sometimes people pick a stupid fate because they can't believe in a better future. But that doesn't mean I have to let them.
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[ But she frowns, rather deeply at that, at Hella's belief that those that they've lost chose stupidly. ]
Why didn't you try to stop her, then?
[ If she really, honestly believes that, then why isn't Kotoha here with them, still? ]
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[ She snaps, a little hurt. Her lip curls in a little bit, and while Hella has never cried once this entire trip, here, she looks closest to it. Her eyes don't water, but her expression tenses with the weight of holding it back. ]
She told me... she would meet me and Ninety-Nine in Sack-ra-shine... [ not this unserious pronunciation ruining this moment but also kotoha never could correct her ] I would've thought of something, I could've dealt with her powers going out of whack, and Mark's too. You have no idea what they did to me in Parma. What I can take.
[ That burning that Shoko had seen had been child's play. She would have been willing to hold them all back, to be the punching bag she was fashioned to be. Maybe the rest of them thought they had no way out, but this purpose is the one she was designed for. Holding back what's uncontrollable. ]
I grew up in the slums — people starve and get killed everyday, it's not like I think everyone can be saved. [ She huffs, tugging down her beanie so her bangs cover more of her eyes. ] But if I think there's a chance, then I'm always going to try. That's the only way to survive in a place like that.
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It's not just about your pain, Hella, or what you're willing to take on. Nobody doubts that you can withstand anything that they throw at you. Absolutely no one.
[ That she'd seen it somewhat firsthand because of her memory being shared only confirmed what Shoko had known all along. ]
I'm a healer, but even I know... you can't force everyone to do what's best for them. Someone's own feelings - they matter, too, even if you don't agree with them. That's all I'm saying.
[ And, to be clear: ]
I think you're strong, for always wanting to try. I've never doubted that. But we have... we have to be prepared for the worst.
[ She really is heartless, after all. ]
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It isn't the same, with Kotoha and the others, but it also bears similarities, at the same time. They won't ever see eye to eye on this, she realizes; their pasts are unaligned like two cogs in a broken machine. Hella has only known benefit and success when tirelessly working against those who may sacrifice themselves, as people's lives have been saved, they've gone on to have happy times ahead of them. Whereas Shoko seems to (rightly) see such behavior as taking away someone's agency, their personal way of controlling their fate. Her teeth grind against one another, aimless frustration bubbling up within her. ]
I know the worst could still happen... we could all die on this trip. [ Her words are surly and blunt, her lip curling in. ] All because of that fucking quack.
[ No matter how she feels about Kotoha's ultimate decision, the root fault of all this is still the same — this damn expedition. If it weren't for it and the doctor, Kotoha would still be alive, she'd still be in Sack-ra-shine with her friends. They all would have never met, but maybe that would have been for the better. ]
I just... I would've talked to her if she'd just have let me... [ That, she feels hurt about, too. Maybe it's that Kotoha didn't trust her, or perhaps it's that she foresaw Hella having difficulty accepting such a decision. Because of the lack of closure, though, she can't help but keep thinking about how things would be if they were different. ] It's not fair... and it's not right, for them to die for this. You have to agree on that. Right?
[ Her feelings towards the lives of her friends aside, Hella also just cannot accept that their lives have become fuel for the fire of this grand "project." Her adamant wish for no more of them to die comes not only from her generally optimistic outlook on life — but also because she hates the idea of these doctors taking any single thing more away from them. To allow someone to die on this trip, to Hella, feels like she's allowing them to be the disposable tools they were brought here to be, and she wants to rebel against that, even at the cost of disrespecting others' wishes. ]
no subject
Shoko folds her arms across her chest, drawing in another smoke-filled breath and letting her words jostle the cigarette that hangs between her lips.
Perhaps their pasts have shaped them into people whose perspectives on this matter simply will not align, but at the very least, they can agree that this fucking sucks. ]
Of course I do.
[ A beat. ]
You know that I'm the last person here who can stop you from doing anything, Hella.
[ Which is to say, no matter how much they may disagree, Shoko also knows there's nothing she can really do to stop Hella. ]