Futuristic BioGenesis: Surviving the Post Apocalypse

[Glasswing]

Sinikka bowed, "Of course. I swear that I will keep my side of the bargain." Her voice was a little shaky, but much more calm and modulated than before as she anticipated Mitch's next actions. Despite having sworn to repay the debt, Sinikka had no intention of carrying it out. "Economics have changed," Sinikka thought, "Always receive your pay up front. Swears and debt means nothing. Soon I will have no chance of infection, and he has no method of enforcing the debt. If it compromises me in anyway, I will not follow through. And since he has not even specified his request, I have no obligation of even carrying it out."


Sinikka resumed speaking, "Thank you, in advance for saving my life."

 

[TheMadIceCreamMan]

"It is no problem" he said softly. The poor girl had already served part of her purpose. He knew very well the group would survive the swarm of infected despite the prevalent odds and he didn't want to be suspected. Even though she would have been fine everyone would have thought she was saved. This will temporally drive any suspensions that he would want to kill them originally. Even better he would likely be able to stay among their group upon seeing his skills in medicine. "What great protection they will be.." he thought to himself. "Now then please do not scream I don't want my head to get knocked off tonight." he said. "This contraption called "ST" will seal the wound with heat easily and kill anything infectious, or otherwise." he said in a dignified tone. "It will sting." he mentioned quickly. He didn't wait for her word and put the the ST's tip at the start of the wound and started to work its way down the gash as it made a hissing sound along its trek as blood and flesh were melted to act as a seal. "After this I have one last thing to do for proper healing." he said. Of course it wouldn't be needed but it would serve his odds and ends.

 

[Glasswing]

Sinikka braced immediately when Mitch said that the ST would sting. Her entire body tensed as the hot tip of the contraption touched her flesh. "It hurts, but soon... It will be over. I don't think I will ever engage in combat again." Sinikka thought. Sinikka had not needed medical attention for a long time. The last time she had any form of medical attention was a little over 6 years ago, and that was only a small needle and a nap in an MRI. She was not very pleased with the new, painful medical procedures of the apocalypse. "I suppose economics aren't the only things that have been subject to change." She thought to herself, as a minor attempt to distract herself from Mitch's medical work. She could barely look at her wound at this point.





"Proper healing?" She questioned, "I suppose I have little choice in the matter at this point. Continue with whatever action you must take."

 

[TheMadIceCreamMan]

He steadied his hands as he drove the tip down to avoid any damage. He remembered when he first performed this procedure what an interesting scar he didn't mean to leave on him. As he continued with catalyzing the wound he said " Yes, proper healing to avoid infection from other microbes that could weaken your immune system.". After he was done with the essential sealing he worked on closing the upper dermis fully. From his bag he pulled out another small steel cube with the label GT. He pulled out something that looked like small steel pole with needle like teeth attached to pole by a base. "This will quickly stitch up the wound you see." He placed it against the top of the scar. "It will only be a slight pinch." he muttered. Quickly the thing bit into her flesh and released leaving stitch work holding the skin back together. He worked his way down the wound to thus fully stitch it perfectly in seconds. "Now for the proper healing." he said. From the original steel cube he pulled out one of the needles for injections. "Ready?" he asked her.

 

[Ashmorne]

Damn. Adrenaline is addicting.


Lena's thoughts made her feel a little guilty. She was a detached person, but all this movement made her feel something. It might not have been a good something, but it was better than numbness. Chris's voice cut through the flurry of movements, offering up help.


"It's a fucking party over here. Just keep cutting them down, princess!" She responded, joking to ease the severity of this attack. "Where the fuck did all these Coms come from?"


Her voice was barely audible among the clamor. An Infected was clinging to her arm, and she promptly drove her knife through its throat. It fell, but there were around three more where she was standing. She used her elbow to snap back the neck of another, and smashed her fist into another's nose.


It's all fun and games until someone breaks a face.


Then it was just her, and the lone Infected. I'll take care of this one, then go back to Chris. Poor guy's bandages are everywhere. When she focused on the Infected though, it caught her off guard. There was something so deeply human about its eyes. They gazed at her, piercing through her even though the man was running and screeching at her.


She faltered, and his arms were instantly grabbing at her. Quelling down a sense of panic and injustice, she moved her knife.


"I'm so sorry," she whispered, as her knife slit his throat.


She watched him fall, and pressed her hand to her forehead for a moment. She felt sick. Shaking her shoulders, she moved the emotions away to be processed later. Turning away from the dead man, she moved towards Chris. He seemed to be handling himself well.

 

[Gabe]

Chris saw the last attacking Compromised falling by Lena's hands. Finally, he thought. He ran his eyes thought the hall, the bodies of the infected everywhere. "Well, that certainly was a blast. This place now looks like a war scene. Well, shall we gather the people outside then? Those bodies won't move by themselves, and we need every able hand there." He gave a deep breath, still unaware of his arms uncovered, the splotches of black and red skin mixed with the blood of the battle, scars that Lena didn't see yet. He stood there, getting his breath again, recovering from the battle, a tired smile on his face.

 

[Glasswing]

"I see." Sinikka replied "Certainly don't want microbes."


Upon bringing forth the tube labelled GT, Sinikka immediately felt uneasy. "That thing is serrated! It looks like it will do a little more than pinch." She thought, "It looks more painful than being stabbed." Sinikka winced in pain, as her assessment of the contraption was not too far off from the truth. She couldn't stop staring at the procedure, even though it seemed to make the pain feel worse. He only said it'd be a slight pinch, but it seemed to be a bit more painful than that. She couldn't tell if it was just because she had a low pain tolerance, or if it was caused by the sensitivity of her injury.


After the stitch work was complete, she watched him pull out a needle, "As opposed to the previous procedures, I am not a stranger to injection. Proceed."

 

[Ashmorne]

Lena untucked a handkerchief from her belt. Damn it. There’s blood on my jacket, she thought gingerly as she dabbed at the leather sleeve. She took the coat off and tied it around her waist. She started to clean the blood off of her tank top and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Chris began talking about all the bodies, about cleaning up. His arms were covered in silvery scars, blood, and bruises.


“Wow, princess. You have Com guts all over you. If you aim your knives at the neck, try making a straight cut away from the bone. Way less messy,” she paused. “And I hate that I know that. Anyway, you okay?”





She pulled out another rag, offering it to him. She noticed his scars, but didn't ask. Her own scar burned against her abdomen. These were the things she didn't pry on.

 

[Gabe]

"Princess? Do I have a crown or something?" He laughed. "I wasn't really aiming for a clean cut, y'know, just enough to kill them." He grabbed the rag and started cleaning his face, then moved to his arms. He stopped and stared at his arms. Uncovered. He stippedvgor a while, then the voice of Lena snapped him back. "Oh, uh, yes, I'm alright. I guess the whole place is clean now, that alert helped us clean the place quite well, I think. It's better if we sleep for now, deal with the bodies tomorrow morning. That way, we'll be rested enough to clean it throughout. What do you think?" He gave another chuckle, but it was evident that it was a nervous one, instead of a lighthearted one. "I'll... go do something about all of... this, and get right back at ya." He went outside and without batting an eye at the people, grabbed his backpack. "The coast is clear now, everyone. Come in." He sighed and trudged towards the place. The adrenaline rush was starting to wear off and the body was starting to take its toll.

 

[kira blackthorn]

Finally. Mika thought as the last compromised fell. Putting his bloody bat back in the golf bag he got his handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his hands as he examined the place. It seemed safe enough now that compromised weren't trying to eat them. Noticing one of the others seemed to be hurt he wearily headed toward them. "Hey, you alright? Not infected are ya?"

 

[TheMadIceCreamMan]

"Good you were wincing in pain during the whole procedure glad an injection doesn't scare you." he taunted. Looking for a clear vein he gently inserted the needle and injected a portion of the liquid into her bloodstream. "There done. Now be sure to not mess with the stitching at all." he said in a disgruntled fashion. Looking around the scene was one of carnage. The dirt now carried a red tinge due to be moist with blood from the Compromised. He certainly didn't expect for only one person to get injured but this had its own benefits. The sudden quietness of the scene was calming and it seemed everyone was in good spirits from completing the fight. He stood up and went his ways towards the gate. There he gently put away his tools for when they were needed again. After making sure no one was looking he swapped the dog whistle from his pant's pocket to a hidden one in his lab coat just in case. The cricket's began their mating songs again signaling the continuation of the night as the moon played its lights on the battle field. The scene was eerily calm. He took out his leather bound journal and started to write again.

 

[Saturnity]

"Macie... it's time to move on."


While he wasn't sure of the cause, Derek could tell that the nearby compromised were being stirred. Usually that implied they found a food source, which was a grim thought, but even more so it meant he and Macie were in danger. Gripping his backpack in one hand, and her wrist firmly in the other, he sidled quietly along the wall near the entryway door of the abandoned home in which the pair had freeloaded. Through the nearby window, Derek witnessed the ragged movements of several compromised traveling down the street. Unbeknownst to him, a small group of humans had begun a skirmish with dozens of infected in the large campus down the road.


We can't go out that way right now, which means...


His eyes drifted towards the back end of the small house, falling to rest on the door leading to the back yard. He had seen a group of infected there earlier, but hoped that they'd moved on in the direction of the commotion. Macie, who'd been sleeping, yawned groggily, gazing up at her guardian with dazed eyes.


"Dee..." the nine year-old groaned, her free hand brushing through her dark hair, "What happened Dee? I'm sleepy...."


The pair had walked almost nonstop for a full day prior, not having found a decent rest stop since they left their previous hideout. Derek's finger found his lips as he snapped his head toward his niece.


"Don't say anything," he whispered, patting her head. "We'll find another place for you to sleep soon okay?"


After she nodded, the duo maneuvered past some decrepit furniture toward the back of the house, and after verifying the previous loiterers were gone, exited into the back yard. The noise of the advancing compromised was growing dim, implying that there were no more in the immediate area. Despite his desire to seek safety in the opposite direction, his curiosity as to the source of the disturbance overwhelmed him, driving him to follow the direction of the wandering horde, Macie in tow.


We'll just take a look, hide out for a bit, then leave when they clear out... simple as that.


As they drew closer, Derek noted the faint cries of compromised and, to his disbelief, the apparent shouts of living humans. His pace quickened. He didn't trust most strangers in this post-apocalyptic hellhole of a world, but he knew: Where there were people, there would usually be supplies. He simply had to determine if these humans were scum or not. It didn't take long to reach the walled-off campus, which had been overgrown with weeds and various other foliage.


This place sure changed.... I can't believe I'm back after all this time.


Derek felt a brief pang of regret, before shrugging it off and glancing at Macie.


Obviously, that doesn't matter anymore.

 

[Newson]

The flare was a shining light in a life of darkness. It's bright red light shone through the city walls, off of the buildings, and into homes, it was the first light they have probably seen in years.


"No... Can't go after it. It's a trick, definitely." I think to myself as I unwrap a granola bar and bite into it. I watch the Compromised, mindless and stupid, stumble around in apartments, they must be recently turned, they don't seem much as a threat. Level Threes are ones to watch out for, they can tear you apart in a matter of seconds from what I hear. Ian told me all about them, he seemed to have encountered them more. I just traveled searching for books. I pull off my bag and dive into my book collection. Recently added "Hamlet", then there was "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, a good read. Next was "Under the Dome", both parts, by Stephen King, very fitting for this setting. As I was about to pull out "Of Mice and Men" when I heard the screams of the Compromised. They probably smelled fresh flesh and that was probably me.


I put the books back in the bag and slung it back over my shoulder. I hoist myself up to the next level of fire escape and start climbing. Ground access to the fire escape is blocked off by piles of trash, but I feel the Compromised are looking past that, with hunger on their mind. I run up the rusted and deteriorating steps as I reach the roof of the brick apartment building. From the top you can see the rest of the city, beautiful in certain ways with vines crawling up the sides of buildings and holes in the walls with junk and random things falling out. Such a great view, also for the flare, and the university from where the flare is from. It seems to be only about half a mile away. I can somewhat see several people outside, something has escalated since the initial flare with several people standing outside and more going in. Then I hear it, the screams of the Compromised from inside.


"Shit... They need help." I swear under my breath.

 

[Princess Ktyria]

Carter stopped moving around once she noticed they were all dead. She went over to the two that were attacked in the first place since Sinikka appeared to be taken care of. A male and a female, both covered in blood and guts. "Are you guys okay?!" Carter asked. It was more of a yell until she got closer. Her face wasn't seen because of the dirt and muck on her face, including the shadow hanging over it from the cloak. "Both of you were awesome back there." She complimented, trying to talk to some what introduce herself. The adrinaline was still pumping through her veins and the confidence was there as well, not as much but it hung around for a little bit longer. She was extremely nervous. She had to make a good impression so that they'll keep her.


Carter then realized that they were probably dehydrated from the adrenaline and quick movements to take them out. She held up the 'One Second' finger and slid off a backpack from under her cloak. She sheathed her machete before crouching down and drawing a water bottle out of the side of the bag and offering it to them. Carter put the backpack on while saying. "You guys need water?" And fixing her cloak.

 

[FootlongOak]

After retrieving his ax from the corpse, Frank stepped back looking for more. Nothing else was coming for the time being. He felt a calm sensation as the situation seemed to relax. Examining the courtyard, the male looked to be mending Sinikka's wrist while Carter was conversing with the two that cleansed the inside. The interior was cleaned out apparently and the people on the outside were safe while only suffering minor injuries. Looking up at the night sky, he remembered the flare that brought everyone together. If this many people came here already, surely many more people caught glimpse of the flare as well. Probably both good and bad. Standing outside in an open area wasn't the safest thing to do at night, especially with all the commotion that was done.


Frank made his way towards Carter and the group. He walked past Sinikka and the other while stopping for a brief moment to talk, "We should probably go inside, where it's safe now. I think we made enough noise out here already." Continuing on, he walked towards Carter and the others while stepping over the bloody remains. Speaking as he looked around at the room, "We sure we got them all?"

 

[Gabe]

Chris took a minute to clean and cover his arms, in an isolated part of the hall. he didn't want anyone to see them. Returning to the group, he looked at the unusually chipper girl with the water bottle. "Oh, thanks! I was really thirsty. You were really careless on drawing the infected to you, but with that ax guy, I understand why you did it." He opened the bottle and gave several gulps, taking one third of the water. He then turned to the ax guy and nodded. "I'm 90% sure we got them all. Whatever alerted those freaks certainly dragged them all here. I believe you heard the wails of them." He looked around once more, gazing at the Compromised remains scattered on the floor. "I appreciate your help. My name is Christopher, but everybody calls me Chris. Or at least called." He gave a smile. "What are yours?"

 

[Glasswing]

"Again, Thank you." Sinikka said, while carefully inspecting her wound, "I'll probably dress it when I get the opportunity."


As Mitch departed toward the gate, Sinikka spun around and, too, departed. She went back to her original position, where she was standing guard, and picked up the remainder of the crackers and placed them in her briefcase as an intermediate step before then joining up with the remainder of the group. She had neglected the bloodied knife, and left it by the dead compromised man. She stood before the group, with her right forearm lying horizontally across her torso, and her briefcase held in her left hand. "I trust that everyone is doing quite alright. And that this facility is no longer housing any threats." Sinikka was exhausted well before she even got to this facility. Sinikka's brief adrenaline rush was wearing off, and now, after quite a bit of time had passed, battle ensued, and sustaining injury, Sinikka wished only to rest.

 

[Ashmorne]

Lena finished cleaning herself up and followed Christopher out into the main lobby area. She saw several people there, and one was talking. The one she threw the blade to earlier. The lady looked to be a little bit older than her, with close cropped blonde hair. Lena regarded the briefcase she held quizzically.





It's the damn apocalypse and you're dressed to go to a business meeting?


Shaking her head, she waved a hand to the crowd. It wasn't her place to judge.


"We can't assume that there aren't any threats. We haven't looked everywhere. All the Infected are dead in this area, as far as I know. There could be more the deeper we go in. I think it would be beneficial to look around more and chart the area before we try and set up camp. Better safe than sorry," she paused, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall tiredly. "The name's Lena by the way. Nice to meet you all under such lovely circumstances, by the way. Can we agree to not all kill each other?"

 

[TheMadIceCreamMan]

"Is she referring to the gun incident?" he questioned in his mind when she mentioned to everyone to not kill each other. He thought it would be best to explore the old building with them in case he could find anything of value. Perhaps even a library considering it was a University at one point. He looked at the remaining pages in is journal to find there were few and desired a new one to continue his writing. So far he had a written a variety of notes on the people he has met. "Like moths to a flame.." he thought. Getting up he rubbed his sore back and approached the group. "I can help with corpse removal as it seems to be needed." he suggested. He wanted to inspect the corpses in detail to know more about what happened to the previous group in the building.

 

[Princess Ktyria]

Chris took a minute to clean and cover his arms, in an isolated part of the hall. he didn't want anyone to see them. Returning to the group, he looked at the unusually chipper girl with the water bottle. "Oh, thanks! I was really thirsty. You were really careless on drawing the infected to you, but with that ax guy, I understand why you did it." He opened the bottle and gave several gulps, taking one third of the water. He then turned to the ax guy and nodded. "I'm 90% sure we got them all. Whatever alerted those freaks certainly dragged them all here. I believe you heard the wails of them." He looked around once more, gazing at the Compromised remains scattered on the floor. "I appreciate your help. My name is Christopher, but everybody calls me Chris. Or at least called." He gave a smile. "What are yours?"

Carter smiled at him. "No problem." She said, desperately wanting to touch his face to be sure that she wasn't dreaming about all these wonderful people being in the same place. "I'm a really fast runner, I could've out ran them while you and the other woman prepared yourselves. But yes, Frank did help quite a lot." She said, "I can run around real quick to check to make sure that everything's okay, if you're owrried about it." Carter offered. She wouldn't mind doing it either. Running around a new area would be great for her. Give her a chance to check everything out. "Nice to meet you Christopher, I'm Catherine, but call me Carter." Carter said before quickly asking, "Do you mind if I-" But another woman's voice cut her off.





We can't assume that there aren't any threats. We haven't looked everywhere. All the Infected are dead in this area, as far as I know. There could be more the deeper we go in. I think it would be beneficial to look around more and chart the area before we try and set up camp. Better safe than sorry,


The name's Lena by the way. Nice to meet you all under such lovely circumstances, by the way. Can we agree to not all kill each other?


Carter looked up at the beautiful lady. "I can go run around the area and come back to tell you how it looks and then come back." She offers once again, really wanting to run and discover more things about this place. "I'm Catherine but you can call me Carter." She vocalized to not really anybody in particular.

 

[Saturnity]

Taking care not to make any noise as they moved across the open courtyard of the old university, Derek and Macie eventually found themselves standing before the large entry hall that once welcomed new students into the prestigious school. Hearing several voices inside, the bearded man moved to the left of the door, pressing his niece to the wall next to him. Cautiously, Derek maneuvered until he could peek through the nearest window, while his hand found and grasped the blackjack that was tucked in his belt. The fighting had apparently died down, which told him the humans had won out over the compromised. Inside he discerned a rather large group of people, with two of the group particularly more bloodied than the rest. After glancing over them, he could see only one of the group had been notably injured.


Looks like they can hold their own. Can't tell if they're friendly to outsiders or not.


It didn't appear that the members of the group knew each other, but Derek wouldn't take any chances. He'd been tricked by looters and thugs in the past, and he wasn't willing to put Macie at risk again.


"We're moving on," he mouthed under his breath to his niece, "these people are going to clai-"


As he made the motion to pat Macie on the shoulder, his hand was met only by air. Alarmed, he turned to see her disappear into the entrance of the building.


"Macie!"


Shit.... that kid!


Drawing his blackjack and preparing for the worst, Derek quickly trailed his niece inside just in time for her to jump back and yelp in fear. Before her feet was a half dead compromised crawling toward her and reaching to grasp her ankle. In a single fluid motion, Derek scooped the girl into his arm and swung the blackjack in an arc, cracking the infected over the head in a killing blow. Macie buried her head in his shoulder.


"This is why you always stay by my side!" he admonished her, "Got it?"

 

[Ashmorne]

People responded quickly, offering up different ways to help. The older man offered to aid in corpse removal, and a girl younger than her named Carter suggested scoping out the premises. Her enthusiasm grated a bit at Lena, but she ignored it. It had been a long time since she'd been with this big a group. People interaction was not her most favorite thing. Stretching her arms above her head to loosen up, she looked at Carter and Mitch.


"Okay, you can start cleaning up the corpses if you want...but try not to make too much noise. And let's please not get trigger happy again," Lena said warily. Glancing at Carter, she jerked her thumb towards the hallway. "I'll go running with you if you want. Just in case there's more Coms in there. Do you have anything to arm yourself with? Oh, and lady with briefcase...do you still have my knife? I just-"


The sound of a someone's voice cut her off. It sounded like a child, followed by a muffled adult's response. She tensed, her fingers wrapped around her favorite Fox Exagon blade in a second. It was a burly, inked man with a full beard, accompanied by a small girl. They seemed like an unlikely pair, standing at the main lobby entrance brazenly. Lena stifled a groan. There were much more people than she anticipated.


"More to the party. Great. Who are you?"

 

[Princess Ktyria]

Carter listened to the woman who must've 'summoned' them here. She nodded, swiftly pulling out her machete and opening her cape. 'Running... With someone? That's going to be wonderful!' Carter was suddenly very energetic. She looked around to see if anybody else was as excited as she was. 'Of course not. They don't understand.' She thought, shrugging it off.


Suddenly she heard a little voice and barely hearing any sort of response back. The noise caught Carter's attention and she got interested, listening to Lena talk to them. "More people?!" Carter said, surprised and exstatic. 'More of them just keep coming. Are we going to build a safe haven here?' Carter thought, looking around. The gate looked stable enough and the structure of the building wasn't so bad either. A bit of polishing and protection would make this place safe. Or so she hoped it would. If not, she'd be all alone again. 'And I won't let that happen.' Carter thought, walking towards Lena so that they can go explore once she finished giving out intructions and talking to the two strangers.

 

[Saturnity]

While he was caught off guard by the beauty of the girl speaking to him, Derek was even more surprised by her attitude, which he found annoying. Without thinking, he responded in his typical sarcastic tone.


"Well miss," he frowned, "Apparently I'm the guy cleaning up your half-assed mess."


With that, he kicked the body of the now-dead compromised in the direction of his interrogator, leaving a blood smear over the dusty floor.


"A competent host usually doesn't leave trash lying around for guests to trip over."


Tucking his blackjack back into his belt, he placed a hand on Macie's back. She was shivering, probably from recalling her previous bad experiences with the compromised. He had succeeded in avoiding infected for several weeks now, and had hoped that would last, but it seemed the pair's luck had run out in that sense.


"Bad etiquette aside," he started, shooting a glance at the woman with the dark complexion before glancing around the room at the other survivors, "what the hell are you people doing in this place?"


Sensing that Macie had calmed down slightly, Derek lowered her to the floor, where she stood nervously watching the strangers in the room while clinging to her guardian's pant leg.


He noted another young woman nearby enthusiastically talking about a 'safe haven'.

 

[Gabe]

Chris looked at Carter. Her chipper personality was... contagious. He gave a smile at Carter, then turned at Lena. "Hey, Lena, I'll go along with Carter. You're right about this, there's a possibility that there are more Compromised around. It's better if there's two people to handle this, and I wanted to check this place out." He then turned again to Carter. "What do you think? May I tag along?" He said to Carter, pointing at the east corridor. "Let's start there, then we roam the rest. Be prepared for combat, and don't be afraid to run."