}{Mass Hysteria}{ [CLOSED]

[Shireling]

"Yeah, I guess. Up to the Great North. I figure if there's any place where people are safe and alive its up there." Peter tagged along behind Roman.


"But, I could stay as long as y'all need another helping hand to help you get your defenses set up. You seem like decent folks, not like the crazies that attacked me in Seneca Falls."


@Soylent

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Mentions:

@Shireling
​

?

​

Roman pushed open the door from the Admissions building and began to head in the direction of the men's dorms.


"I could use some help on a few things pertaining generators and broadcast systems. An extra hand would be extremely helpful," he said, "The more the merrier." They approached the dorm building, and he opened it, entering.


"Alright," he huffed, "This is it. You can choose what floor you stay on. There are bathrooms at the end of each hall. And there are clothes and possessions left over from college students. Make yourself comfortable, take a shower, whatever you like. I'll see you in the morning."

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

 

[Shireling]

Peter nodded and took his leave, entering the first dorm he found and tiredly shedding his layers of travel gear and weapons. It had been so long since he had a somewhat safe bed to lay his head on, and the prospect thrilled him.


A shower would be nice, but it could wait. What he really needed was sleep. The old detective laid his head on the pillow, and no sooner had he done so than he had fallen asleep.

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Mentions:

@McMajestic
​

?

​

Exhausted and content with the day, Roman headed back to the Breezeway. He had to be up at 4:00am to fend off any strollers, and it was already 12:00pm. He trudged up the three flights of stairs, the tired strain in his calf muscles burning, and entered the breezeway once more. The night air was cool; the moon was high in the sky.


Everything was perfect, except for one thing. Roman noticed Harlow's mumbling had grown into whimpers, and she tossed and turned restlessly on the mattress. He recognized it to be a nightmare, a severe one, because it resembled the way he suffered from them. Roman kicked off his shoes, a tender ache reverberating in the soles of his feet, and inched onto the mattress with the troubled girl.


"Harlow," he whispered, laying down on his side, holding his body weight up with an elbow, "Wake up." One thing that Roman hated was being trapped in the confines of his mind. He'd rather be awake than being tortured from a nightmare, and he assumed Harlow was the same way. Reality was controllable. Nightmares weren't.


"Baby girl, you need to wake up," he lightly placed a hand on her shoulder, noticing how his large one covered the round of it so easily. He didn't know why the nickname slipped out of his mouth, but it did. Perhaps it came from the feeling of needing to protect this girl, this mysterious Harlow, from herself.

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

 

[McMajestic]

She was drowning, rolling beneath the waves, choking on the liquid as it swarmed her throat, pressed against her uvula, slid between the cracks of her teeth. She just wanted to breathe but the mere pockets of oxygen in the water provided nothing of the sort. She was dying. River had killed her with a river- oh the irony of it all.

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slept within her nightmare that was truly reality, although soon the sweet call of a loved one pulled her from such a dreadful past. Baby Girl... She truly was just a baby. A child forced into the real world, unable to understand anything and yet the world she had once hid from was dead and so it didn't matter. She would learn this new world just as she had learned to speak. Although this would be a much more tasking environment to focus in.


Her eyes squinted open and the sight of the wolf was the first thing she noticed. She cried out weakly, her fist plunging forward, slamming into Roman's cheek before she rolled off the mattress and got to her feet. Harlow backed up as she looked towards the wolf in fear. River. It was River. He was before her once more- the wolf hidden behind the chimp. "Get away!" she shrieked, stumbling back into the glass. her back smacked against the cool material and her body began to shake violently. She was awake and yet her mind was still confined to the nightmare that held her deep in the past. "Don't hurt me," she sobbed, squeezing her eyes shut before letting them open again, wide with fright, like a bunny when it knew death was close and yet it could only run in circles.


Suddenly, she bolted, sprinting out of the breezeway. No. She wouldn't let River drown her again. She would survive. No more circles. She was not a simple bunny- she would not die. She ran faster and fast, her legs burning her lungs giving out on her as she stumbled down the stair rail, tripping and slipping on a step, barely managing to rush to her feet before quickly recovering from the fumble and rushing on. She was on ground level now, out in the open. She had to leave. She had to get out of here, and yet her legs ached for her to quit and the exhaustion finally slammed into her hard, forcing her away from the reality of her past and reminding her of the reality of the present.


River was dead. She had punched Roman, a wolfman who had saved her life. Harlow slowly slid to a sitting position, pulling her knees to her chest, safe inside the barrier yet still she'd rather be out with the strollers than in with the men. Her eyes closed and she shivered from the cool night as a breeze blew by. "I'm sorry," she whispered, though the man she wanted to apologize to was no in her peripheral vision. She took a much slower breath than before, focusing on calming her heart rate, before resting her chin on her knees. She hated the cold and yet she embraced it. Perhaps it would numb all of her realities.

Location: Ithaca College Campus

Status: Cold and tired

Tags: @Soylent

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

<p>


Louis Colberton


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


The officer chuckled. There was real humour in the words, and all intentional. Strange how joking can become a common language in the time of distress. It was still fun.


</p>


<p>


“Sadly, I have to agree. And such terrible body awareness. All of them are fat. Well, most of them. Terrible body hygiene. I suppose you also disagree with their notion to eat us… horrible diet choices indeed.”


</p>


<p>


He stepped back, inviting the other too, but then spun around when he registered the loud, reverberating crackling sound. A flare gun…? …wait, maybe earlier, when he was inside, looting…


</p>


<p>


“No daydreams here, Mr. Pete. I see and hear it clearly. A distress signal from another survivor, I imagine…”


</p>


<p>


Louis watched carefully as the flare slowly gave up against gravity, slightly unbelieving, but his mind still worked. He had to triangulate the position of the one who shoot it quickly. The sky was starting to darken gradually. He found the skyscraper from which it originated rather fast, engraving the position in his mind. It was shot from high levels, which helped. Hm. That building is close by. Not reach-within-minutes close, but close. The officer reached inside the shelter, throwing his items to his backpack, paying no mind that he turned his back on Pete for a moment. He just turned back, adjusted the pack, and smiled at the other.


</p>


<p>


“Mr. Pete, I am in no way retracting my previous offer; it still stands. But I think it would be more fun in a bigger company. I’ll go to see who is there, and invite them for our spot of tea, too. Care to join me for extending the invitation? After that, maybe we could move the party to my shelter, so after all of that, you would have a quiet place to spend the night in. What do you think?”


</p>


<p>


He would wait for a moment for the answer, but it was quite clear what he was intending to do. He had barely any weapons, and since the previous attackers took even his field glasses, he had no chance to spy out if there were any switchers inside. He would have to stealth up and assess the situation before barging in.


</p>


<p>


Still, Louis was grinning wide, almost happily. Two people. At least two other survivor, found this fast. Christmas in June. Hehh. Maybe Lítha was real?...


</p>


<p>


He stepped to the mirrors, though, and lifted one high, aiming the light at that building's windows. It was a vain hope, but maybe...


</p>


<p>


... - .- -.-- / .--. ..- - .-.-.- / .-- . / --. --- .-.-.-


</p>


<p>


Stay put. We go.


</p>


<p>


Wasn't eloquent, but it was fast. Hopefully, the other would realize that the signal is for them, even if not understanding the code... he repeated it twice before turning back to Pete.


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


@Elephantom @Destructus Kloud


</p>

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Mentions:

@McMajestic
​

?

​

The blow to his face stunned the Lieutenant, promising to leave a dark bruise just below his cheekbone. He cried out in his surprise, falling away from the girl as she berated him, guilt flooding every inch of his body. He had frightened the girl, completely terrified her, so much so that she believed he would cause her pain. Roman was in the middle of opening his mouth to apologize when she ran.


"Harlow!" He yelled after her, still shocked from the hit she had dealt him, glued to the bed. "Shit."


Ignoring his sister, who was in the middle of telling him to 'shut the fuck up,' he chased the girl out of the room without bothering to put shoes on. Her practically plummeted down the dim stairway, his chest heaving with every large stride he took. He couldn't let her escape. He couldn't let her attract any switchers, for she'd never be able to defend herself.


By the time Roman reached the foot of the stairs and made his way outside, she had gotten a good enough head start to evade his sight. He could barely see anything in the dark, but he ran, desperately searching for the girl. When he found her, he nearly tripped over her. Roman collapsed into the grass in front of the girl, his brows furrowed and his eyes urgent. She hadn't made her way outside of the barrier. She was safe.


"Harlow, I'm so sorry," he breathed, his fingers digging into the cool earth, "I didn't mean to frighten you."

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

 

[McMajestic]

Harlow had been letting guilt gnaw on her heart and mind, on her body and soul, had let it begin to destroy her from the inside out, when the wolf man who was not her brother nor of any relation to her laid down in front of her, collapsed onto his knees, his breathing erratic. She cautiously reached a hand out towards him, stunned by his words. Her fingers ran through his hair as she petted him as if he was the creature she saw him as, thinking of his apology. She had never heard such words before and she felt inclined to tell him this. That she was not worth the guilt. She was just a silly girl, hardly a spec of dust in a big city of life- or perhaps death at this point.


"Nobody's ever apologized to me before," she admitted to him, a confession so quiet it could have been a secret. "I've apologized loads of times though. I do things wrong all the time," she whispered, her fingertips brushing over the bruise beginning to form on his cheek. "I'm sorry for hitting you, Roman. Roman the wolf..." Harlow's words trailed off. "Yet you're not a wolf, are you? Not at all. I've seen a wolf before. He was much more cruel than you, full of hatred."


Her nimble fingers curled his hand into a fist and rested his knuckles against her cheek before closing her eyes. "It would only be fear if you hit me back twice as hard. That's what my brother used to always say when I hit him," she added quietly, as if to justify it. River always made that comment. It was a cute joke around the parents, and then he would barely nudge her with his knuckles, but when they were alone he could break her ribs in one solid punch. River was the most painful experience she had ever endured.


Harlow's eyes opened long enough to look at the stars. She pressed her cheek further against his fist, nuzzling it gently as she found the constellation of Orion before her eyes fluttered closed again. She could be brave. She could handle this. This was not River, this was not a vicious attack, this was payback and therefore she deserved, or so she had been convinced anyways.

Location: Ithaca college campus

Status: Cold and tired


Tags: @Soylent

​

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Mentions:

@McMajestic
​

?

​

Roman's dark eyes bore into hers as the feeling of her fingers reached his scalp, caressing it, causing him to tilt his chin up ever so slightly. "Don't apologize," he murmured, "I shouldn't have crept up on you like that." He felt anger pool at the bottom of his stomach as she described another man, another wolf, touching her in aggressive ways. His breath became audible as it expelled from his nose, much like it does from a huffing canine. The only thing that drew his attention away from the thought of her physical abuse was her hand on his cheek, a small throbbing feeling echoing from the bruise as she touched it. It was pleasant.


The rounds of his calloused knuckles liked the soft skin of her face. His palm liked the smooth seat of the lower area of her cheek, her jawline, the corner of her lips. "I would never hurt you," he whispered, curling his fingers ever so slightly, liking the way their flesh mingled, "I could never bring myself to do such an awful thing."


Bit by bit, Roman was constructing a story. She had added another piece to the plot: an abusive background. He gradually drew his hand back, still curled in a weak fist, and rested it on the grass. "I would never hurt you." He repeated, his voice determined and confident. For some reason he desired, needed, to prove himself to this girl. He needed her to know of his gentle soul, a soul that had seen not so gentle things.

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

 

[McMajestic]

Harlow looked over this wolf man who claimed he would never hurt her, and moved into his lap, resting her head against his chest. "I've never met a person who hasn't hurt me. I'll be surprised if you live up to that," she said gently, closing her eyes and relaxing against him. "Your warmth reminds me of something a parent would give a child. Do you think we could stay like this?" She wanted to stay against him, to stay warm in the cool breeze, and maybe she hoped that she was somehow providing him a comfort too as she curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt and tugged on it gently, innocently playing with the fabric. This wolf man's warmth was something her small frame loved, something the bunny shook in fear of but created a different kind of shake for the girl- almost a vibration. Harlow didn't know what it was although she didn't care much.


"Lieutenant Roman. The wolf man." She looked up into his eyes as dark as the night sky and then back down at their bodies that she had pressed together. It was a human's instinct to be touched more so than it was an animal's, especially when that touch was coming from a different species, one that lived to hunt and devour her own. "Wolves eat bunnies, you know. I think it's only a matter of time before you look at me less as a girl and more as bunny," she told him, slowly moving her arms around his neck and burying her face into the crook of his neck. "But until then can you take me back to the mattress? Could you give me your warmth?" she asked gently. It was wrong to ask a man for something so sweet when most were anything but, however she couldn't help but to give in to the smallest of her innocent desires that she was quite curious about. She didn't know them seeing as she had never fully experienced life as a human girl.


She had grown up as prey that needed to run, to circle, to always come home, to stand in the man's shadow so if he were to fall back she may push him to his feet once more. She wanted to be outside of the shadow though, and she had a feeling Roman would either devour her in his darkness or help her see the light. Either way he was going to do something to her mind set. This man of creation was going to create a new Harlow, and somewhere deep down the bunny died of fright and the girl took her very first breath.

Location: Ithaca college campus

Status: Tired


Tags: @Soylent

​

 

[Elephantom]

Pete Macon


He acknowledged Louis' words with a silent chuckle, before his abnormal, akward dissipated into a more normal smile.


"Heinous Joe's with a voracious hunger, are going to eat him, Mr. Louis. It's the duty of every citizen to help their neighbours, provided they return back the help, which I do expect..."


He trailed off, looking at Louis' attempts to communicate. Letting out a small sigh, filled with doubt, and cynicism. Most New Yorkers were absolutely dumb. Possessing just a bit more rationality than the switchers, but otherwise, they're completely the same, with the voracious amiss.


"I don't think he can either understand your signal, or try to understand your signal. Ninety nine out of every hundred humans over here, are dumb pansies. But there's also a chance, that most of them reanimated into even more dumb pansies, and that reduces the chances. It's like an endless cycle over here, only it's not endless. 'Cause those switchers are gonna are gonna meet their de-animation at the thrall of a handful of lead. And of course, I'd be happy to help ya' in your current endeavour, if you get the gist of what I'm trying to say here."


He stated, with a hint of enthusiasm in his voice, fuelled by a sudden motivation to save the man, regardless of his actual usage, for no particular reason. Pete had a bit of feeling inside the back of his head, that this wasn't going to go out, like he expected. And his expectations were simple. He was hoping, that the guy would turn out to be a hulking, brutish switcher hunter, because that would be clearly quite great. He was, indeed, already prepared, as hadn't even rested on the sheltered rooftop.


"Let's go."


He quickly muttered, quickly proceeding to slide down the ladder, before making way to the ground, via the fire escape. In all seriousness, moving down, rather than moving up, was a whole lot more easy.


"Coulda' been short, stupid stairs."


He mumbled, as a futile way of communicating, perhaps even persuading, the ladder to bend to his will. That'd be impossible, and even Pete knew it. But deep inside, everyone wants their stairs shorter.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

<p>


Louis Colberton


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


The officer chuckled, acknowledging the truth in Pete’s words. It was sadly true; people are stupid. The occasional individual might be smart, but to be honest, people en masse are bloody idiots. Especially here, in a city that practically trained their people to be obedient and not minding their environment.


</p>


<p>


“You are entirely right, I have to admit. I still hold some vain hope that whoever sent up the flare might be intelligent. Stupid people wouldn’t hold up in this death trap of a megacity. Cunning or manpower is needed to survive. And even if they wouldn’t understand Morse, I wanted to let them know that someone else is alive.”


</p>


<p>


He was working on putting out the fire while speaking, choking the flames down with the thick, wet blanket that he kept on hand. He wished to alert others to his presence, but not by burning down a city block. That would be bad manners.


</p>


<p>


“I do feel honoured by your choice. I trust this will be fun. Or productive. And I think exercise would make dinner even tastier. I can summon up some comfort food when we return to my base after this. Maybe I can offer you a snack bar while approaching the area. The signal came from two streets over, I think with the current population and traffic getting there would only take half an hour if we take the stealthy approach…”


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


Louis had to stifle some laughter as he heard Pete’s muttering while descending. The older man was entirely right; sometimes he himself wished if the buildings were lower. The city underpopulated as it was, he felt hopelessly small even when not scaling them. Sometimes he wished there would be a fire pole on every building. Even if getting down was not a strenuous task compared to getting up, in cases like this getting down fast would be essential… but he could just descend after the old man, keeping himself straight. It still took a while to get down.


</p>


<p>


Once on the asphalt, Louis pointed out the correct direction.


</p>


<p>


“There, two streets over, the one with about fifty stories. I am sure the signal came from there. See the large logo? We should approach it cautiously. It is still early, but the shadows would help the switchers, not us. And I think I will need to pick up something more efficient than my knife so if you would be so kind and keep an eye out…” he grinned. Now he wished he could use a firearm. He would have to settle for an iron bar or a steel pipe, though. Not like he wanted to confront switchers, but who knows what awaits them two streets over…


</p>


<p>


</p>


<p>


@Elephantom


</p>


<p>


@Destructus Kloud


</p>


<p>


</p>

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Mentions:

@McMajestic
​

?

​

Harlow made the Lieutenant feel things. Roman felt pleased that she had forgiven him so easily. He felt amused, but not surprised, when she climbed into his lap, a light and warm force glueing to his body. He felt sad and sorry for the girl when she mentioned that everyone in her short life had hurt her. Instinctively, Roman wrapped his arms loosely around the girl's torso; his forearms pressed against her back, a large tee shirt the only membrane protecting her skin.


Roman struggled to get up with her in his arms, but he managed to do so after clenching his abdominals and heaving audibly. Once again, he made sure her arms draped on his shoulders and wrapped around his neck, her face resting in the crook of it. Her legs straddled his torso, conscious this time, and he supported her body weight by positioning his forearm under her bottom and clutching her thigh gently. His other arm embraced her tightly, pressing their chests together like he had before.


She kept comparing herself to a bunny, and him, how coincidental, a wolf. A wolf who terrorized and ate its prey without thinking, solely focused on satisfying its stomach.


"I'll think of you as a bunny," he said, dropping his hand from her back and using it to grasp the rail lining the stair case, "But not in the way you think." Roman wanted her to know that this wolf had no desire to attack. This wolf, although he did acquire the animalistic abilities to tear life apart, had no intention of doing that anymore. He desperately needed to preserve it.


My bunny. When he finally made it to the top of the staircase, it was 1:00pm. He had but 3 more hours until he'd have to spend the early morning picking off switchers one by one, a task that usually took him 2.5 hours, finished by 6:00am. Roman was exhausted, so he obliged to laying with the girl.


He gently put her down on the mattress, unstrapped the police vest and threw it aside, stripped his sweaty shirt off, and climbed in bed with her. His scent smelled of dried perspiration and had a hint of a mammal's musk to it, but not body odor. Roman yawned and stretched his long limbs before going limp on his back, waiting for the girl to initiate any contact.

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

 

[Kloudy]

He looked over the counter. Nothing. Aiming his pistol, he went around and into the wire maze. Suddenly, he felt something on his leg. He whipped around, pistol cocked at whatever it was on his leg. It was a cat. A fat ginger cat that had made it's way into Arkus's not-so-humble abode. He had no idea how the cat had survived this long or how it had even gotten up to the top floors of this skyscraper, but he didn't particularly care. Perhaps because the Switchers were slow, it's lack of speed had never been a problem given it's weight. He stroked it and it purred. Sighing resignedly, he picked it up and carried it inside. Chester was what he would call it. He sat in the deck chair, Chester in his lap and began reading.


It was not too late after he'd dropped the flare that a light had started to flash across his window. Arkus had been re-reading his survival book when it entered his peripheral vision. He got up and stared out at the window, looking for the source. Wait! It was most likely Morse Code if it were flashing as it was now. He counted the intervals carefully until it finally stopped, also realising from roughly where it had originated from. The code said GO STAY PUT WE GO. Most likely the first 'GO' was just a repeat, meaning the actual message meant for him to stay put as whoever sent the message would find him. By the fact that they had said 'WE', that meant multiple people were coming.


Arkus both internally groaned and celebrated at this latest development. If several people were coming, then it meant that there was at least a higher chance of them getting to him depending on how they did it. But it also meant his idea of groups being stupid would become more of a reality than just his experiences. He hoped they at least had the common sense to not lead every Switcher up to the upper floors, both because he'd just finished clearing them out and because escape would be very improbable at that point.


He left for a moment and returned with a mirror and torch for himself. He pointed the mirror towards where he last saw the smoke and flashed his own signal a couple of times.


-... .-.. --- -.-. -.- . -.. / . -..- .. - .-.-.- / ... .-- .. - -.-. .... . .-. ... .-.-.- / - --- .--. / ..-. .-.. --- --- .-. .-.-.-


Now they would know that the exits were blocked, there were Switchers about and that he was on the top floor, provided they interpreted that correctly. He listened carefully for a moment. Arkus could have sworn there was the faint echo of an inhuman scream coming from below. He shook his head, there was no reason why the Switchers would come up here anyway, they hadn't detected him before, only following in because of the explosions earlier from the traps. It didn't sit well with him, his genius instincts were telling him he didn't have long before he was found, one way or another...


@Surantum @Elephantom

 

[McMajestic]

The moment Harlow's frail frame pressed against the soft downy mattress her mind began to droop and her body began to calm into the half-dead state of sleep. "I've never slept with someone before," she whispered, the words holding an innocent meaning as felt the mattress dip slightly from Roman's weight. Of course, she'd never even come close to either of its meaning- one of them she didn't even know about after all. "Keep me safe."


Her mind fluttered and in her state of falling unconscious she turned, her leg draping over his body and her arm haphazardly flung across his torso. It was in this position she fell asleep. "My wolf," she mumbled. If she would be compared to a bunny in his mind she would continue to see him as a wolf, perhaps not as bloodthirsty as she had originally intended to think though. Perhaps this wolf was wise with years, and calm with knowledge. Perhaps this wolf had no desire to be vicious because it had a gift to see the damage it could cause.


As Harlow's thoughts crept into stories that slowly began to paint themselves into her nightmares, there was suddenly two wolves- not one. The river was clawing at her legs, threatening to drag her under, to drown her, all the while the wolves fought, a strange battle indeed. Where one fell short the other grew stronger, and so they were evenly match it seemed, until the inevitable happened and exhaustion pushed one over before the other could fall. This wolf that had won glory and strength trotted up to her and leaned down, licking its bloody teeth before reaching down to bite her. Only, the creature didn't bite her, but rather her shirt, pulling her back to the safety of the surface and curling up against her, no longer a threat for it loved this bunny as if it were its own. That night, Harlow escaped reality.

Location: Breezeway

Status: Sleeping

Tags: @Soylent

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Mentions:

@McMajestic
​

?

​

The Lieutenant woke against his will at 4:10am, the lack of sleep leaving him disoriented as he rubbed his eyes. He recalled where he was, who he was with, and immediately stilled. Harlow's limbs were extended over his and she slept soundly, a much nicer contrast to the last time she had been comatose.


Roman quietly and sneakily removed himself from under her limbs, the mattress sighing from the weight he relieved it of, and showered to wake himself up. The cold water nipped at his flesh like cats did when they were refused food or a petting, and he trembled under the liquid, his mind beginning to wake. The shampoo lathered his hair, ran down his body, and cleansed it. After completing his morning routine, Roman returned to the breezeway wrapped in a towel at 4:38, and dressed. The material of his clothes ruffled as they slid onto his body, and he winced, hoping the bunny wouldn't stir.


Once he was clothed in his police gear, he grabbed his trusty metal pole and set off in the twilight of the morning. The air felt chilly, especially as it brushed through his damp hair, and he felt at ease. Roman made his way along the perimeter of the barrier, jabbed the pole through the metal rungs, and pierced each switcher through the eye socket. The repetitive motion made his right arm ache, and by the time he rounded his way back to the breezeway, he felt the need to take another shower. The underarm of his teeshirt was coated in a feverish sweat, and he repeated the washing process, thinking of how fortunate he was.


The sky had grown only a little lighter with the time; the dark midnight blue had turned to a navy color, promising lighter shades as time wore on. The sky left a blue tint in the breezeway, and with a towel wound tightly around his lower abdomen, Roman watched the sun rise at exactly 6:48am.

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

 

[Shireling]

Dormitory





Peter awoke at ten until seven and rubbed his eyes. Light filtered through the Venetian blinds on the nearby window and illuminated the dingy dormitory. Peter stood and went to a wall mirror nearby, rubbing his stubble. He needed a shave. He rummaged in his satchel and retrieved his shaving kit, giving himself a good once over and combing his hair straight. Always good to look your best just in case you die.


He then straightened his tie and tightened it, buttoning up his collar but leaving the sleeves rolled up. They would just look frumpy without an iron. He put his vest back on and buttoned it up, then leaned down and laced up his shoes. The next thing he needed was coffee, but that could wait. He grabbed his rifle and pistol and was promptly out the door and walking towards the Breezeway in search of his host.


Breezeway





Peter went out first to check for his host and found Roman watching the sun come up over the haze.


"Pretty ain't it?" Peter asked, looking in the same direction. "I shore have seen a lot of sunrises in the past few months. And that was the best sleep I've gotten in ages."


@Soylent

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Breezeway Mentions:

@Shireling
​

?

​

Roman startled at the entrance of his comrade, but quickly eased back into the relaxing view, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Good morning," he spoke softly, as not to wake the two other girls, "They're especially beautiful when the possibility of dying is so close."


In Ithaca, the sunrises were extravagant. Shades of pink, purple, and blue lined the horizon and rose with the sun. He could never tire of them, for they welcomed another day of being alive. Back in New York, the sunrises were always partially hidden behind massive buildings. But in Ithaca they were like paintings, uninterrupted.


"I'm going to start making some coffee and breakfast," he whispered, kneeling down and taking coffee packets that he had separated from MREs, the towel around his waist loosening only slightly.


As he prepared the coffee, he tried to convince Peter to stay a little longer than a few days. "You know, because this is a college, we have everything you'd need." He poured the steaming drink into paper cups and handed one to the Officer. "We have a fitness center, a music department, a science lab, lots of food, a broadcast system, books, paper, room to keep survivors - anything you could think of."


He then started on the breakfast MREs, warming them up with their self-heater. "I was thinking that one day this thing could become a community. We'd have to really upgrade the barrier and put up some new defenses, but what do you think?"

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

ISABEL WOLFE

Location: Ithaca College Breezeway. Mentions:

@Shireling @McMajestic
​

​

​

Isabel woke to the sound of voices and lifted her head from the mattress, observing the scene in front of her with heavily lidded eyes. She saw someone she didn't recognize, an older man, and sat up. He didn't seem to be dangerous, for if he was, Roman would have eliminated him.


"I was thinking that one day this thing could become a community. We'd have to really upgrade the barrier and put up some new defenses, but what do you think?" She listened quietly to their conversation, only smiling at the man with a small wave, and covered her legs with a fleece blanket. The pink light from the sun streamed through the breezeway windows, and she watched it, losing her concentration on the men conversing before her.


The girl, Harlow, occupied her brother's mattress, and she looked softly at the girl. Isabel was pleased with her current state, sleeping and not seizing.

 

[McMajestic]

Harlow had stirred slightly when her wolf had left her side, but had only curled further into herself in a dazed not-quite-awake state before falling back into a heavy slumber. The next time she awoke she saw a damp image of Roman, a towel snug around his hips although a good portion of his flesh was noticeable to Harlow's searching eyes. She glanced out the window of the breezeway, watching as pinks and oranges danced across the sky, celebrating the rise of the sun, and turned back towards Roman with a soft smile. The first time she had smiled in weeks.


Before she knew what she was doing she had begun to sit up, to open her mouth, wanting her wolf, wanting to stand next to him, to watch the sun rise, to remind him of the sunset she had been promised, when the sound of a fresh pair of footsteps tapped against the floor and she collapsed, making a small thud of a noise as she lay deliberately still, her breathing slightly more ragged as she looked through squinted eyes at the new addition. Another man. A guttural beast. This one was odd- not a wolf. He didn't hold some vicious look to his eyes although there was something fierce there. She was immediately reminded of a boar. His stature was strong, his words nice enough but there was something that laid just beneath the surface. Something angry and ready to stampede forward.


Her eyes closed and she merely listened for the time being as the wolf and the boar spoke, her hand curling into a fist from slight fear. Two men. Two animals. Three women. Three more animals. Her breathing hitched and changed, mutating into a slight panic. Too many. There were far too many. She wanted to be alone again, to be away- far away. She wanted to run past the border, past the campus, past the safety. She wanted to run till she collapsed in a pit of loneliness that was far more comfortable than the crowded air she breathed.


And yet, as she heard the deep rumble of her wolf's voice she couldn't help but to admire his plan, his ideas of turning this campus into a community- into a life. It sounded so peaceful, almost like her cabin in the woods, until she thought of all the strange people that would bring, and her breathing sped up jut as quickly as it would slow down. She tried not to be too loud but she couldn't help herself. The faster she blew out a breath, the less control she had over it. Her eyes squeezed shut and she struggled to listen to his words. He was creating. He was doing as his name suggested. It was in his nature- in his blood. Of course. It made so much sense. But she couldn't be hear when it all happened. She was beginning to understand these panic attacks, where they stemmed from- other people. She couldn't live in a community when she had grown up in the wilderness.

Location: Breezeway

Status: Slightly panicking

Tags: @Soylent @Shireling

 

[KingHalliwell]

Jamison walked down the stair of Macy's toward the duo below. He in notched the bow and stuck the arrow in his quiver once he got of the stairs. The girl looked terrified as she sat up from her position in the ground. Jamison looked over at Logan as he lowered his gun. Unsure of how to act around the new persons.


"So Sarah right? Where are you from," Jamison asked as he slipped the bow across his chest. It was odd to see some one in this town, but it was even more odd that he saw two people only a few hours apart. What was going on. This seems odd, especially how fast Logan was to trust this girl.


Maybe they were in in ambushing him together. For now he kept back a little waiting for the worst to happen. Hand resting on the handle of his gun. The distrust seeping into his every pore.


@LoneSniper87 @Honourable Louse

 

[Shireling]

Peter took the coffee and began to drink. He liked his coffee with a little sugar, but he thought his manly man veneer would help him around these people, who were strangers for the time being.


"Well, the one community I've come across of still breathing humans stabbed me." He held up his bandaged hand, now wrapped neatly in medical tape. "And tried to shoot me. Maybe I should've just paid the guy the two fingers." He chuckled.


"But I think it's an admirable plan. Hell, can't let the human race be some scattered nomads forever. And I guess the apocalypse did some good. I don't think another Lil' Wayne album will be coming out." He chuckled again to himself, then glanced over at the girls sleeping. One of them waved at him, and he nodded slightly but didn't wave. Then there was another girl, looking like she was quite nervous. Peter realized he was probably the oldest person here, and that made him feel like the old man he was.


He glanced back out the window, then towards the girls again. One looked like she was beginning to hyperventilate. Peter looked towards Roman and motioned at her. "Is she alright?"


@Soylent @McMajestic

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Breezeway Mentions:

@Shireling @McMajestic
​

?

​

Roman laughed at the man's remarks, taking a sip of his own black coffee. The steam cleared his senses and the bitter taste warmed his throat. He looked up from his cup at the man's question, glanced over at Harlow, and set it down quickly. He gave Peter an apologetic smile. "You can start on one of those," he mumbled, pointing at the now heated MREs before crawling over to the hyperventilating girl.


"Hey." Roman sat beside the mattress, his large form hunching over the girl. He took her hand in his own and placed it against his cheek, holding it there, allowing her to feel him. "Hey, bunny. You're okay." He said the last few words in a hushed volume, not wanting the others to hear. The name was reserved for Harlow, and Harlow only.


He felt disappointed in himself, for they had made such progress the night before. What happened? She had slept so easily; her nightmares had slipped away. Roman needed to figure out what her trigger was, and fast. All he knew was that she wasn't panicking from something she saw in her sleep, but something she woke up to.


Was it him? His palm pressed against the back of her hand, and he loosened his fingers just a little, discouraged. It had to be him.

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

ISABEL WOLFE

Location: Ithaca College Breezeway. Mentions:

@Shireling @McMajestic
​

​

​

Isabel watched in confusion. Why was her brother touching the girl like that? Had she missed something? Isabel looked at Peter, giving him an expression that said, "What the hell is going on?"

 

[Shireling]

Peter shrugged at the unnamed girl, although he was sure that Roman had told him her name. He turned his attention towards Roman, who was whispering something to the girl. They seemed like they were together or something, a nice couple.


Peter decided that he might have been the cause of her anxiety, so he discreetly took his leave into the next room to finish his coffee.


I know I'm ugly, but I'm not that ugly am I? He said to himself with a snort.


@Soylent

 

[McMajestic]

Harlow looked up at Roman, into those dark eyes that grew darker with some type of sadness, some type of guilt, and she pressed her palm further against his cheek, her thumb brushing over his cheek bone, the bridge of his nose, his lips. "There's too many strangers," she whispered, knowing she owed him some sort of explanation for these strange attacks she was having. Her own dark eyes peeked towards Peter, glanced at Isabel, and she sat up slowly, twisting her hand so she was holding his, palm to palm, fingers intertwining. "Too many," she mumbled again, closing her eyes and trying to pretend the room was empty. yet she could still hear their breathing, his sips of coffee, her voice.


Bunny. He had called her bunny, and in her slightly panicked state she had remembered him only as the wolf with vicious teeth that threatened to kill her, to rip her throat out. She squeezed his hand tighter. "I'm sorry." It was the least she could say for being so helpless. She wondered if her touch disgusted him. If he had only done it to remind her of life when in fact he wished she was dead. Her grip loosened and she stood up. "I need to get cleaned up. Is there a river or a lake nearby within the barrier?" she asked, abruptly getting to her feet. She wanted to get clean, to take her time, to be far away from the rest of them when she cried and sobbed and found herself unable to breathe as she drowned in the mere thought of more people.


Her eyes followed the wild boar as he left and her breathing calmed completely although Isabel still worried her. She looked down at Roman expectantly, awaiting an answer as she thought. He was born to create a city, to create a world. How had she found such a sweet wolf man who she wouldn't even be able to stay with? He didn't hurt her and yet she was just a small bunny and he was just a single wolf. He couldn't protect her from the masses and so she'd be best off hopping away into the desolate world. It'd be better if she was with the undead than the living. She had heard the latter were much worse.

Location: Breezeway

Status: Awake


Tags: @Soylent

​

 

[Soylent]

FIRST LT. ROMAN WOLFE

Location:Ithaca College Breezeway Mentions:

@Shireling @McMajestic
​

?

​

As she explained, as she memorized his skin with her own, he understood. She felt overwhelmed by the sudden change of surroundings, and the new people, and he understood on some level. But he had a feeling her triggers ran much deeper than social anxiety. Another hint of her past was dropped when she asked an odd question. What? A river or lake?


Roman stared up at the girl in clear confusion. "You can take a shower," he offered slowly, his eyebrows knitting together.

The Breezeway

The Barrier

This is what the fence looks like, but with metal poles and wooden posts. and taller.

ISABEL WOLFE

Location: Ithaca College Breezeway. Mentions:

@Shireling
​

​

​

Isabel rolled her eyes at the two, poured herself some coffee, and followed Peter. She supposed that she'd need to meet him, and this seemed like the right time. "I don't know what's going on in there," she apologized to the man, "But my name's Isabel. I'm Roman's sister."


Isabel stood next to the man and held her coffee in two hands, not bothering to extend any handshake.