Forum Thread

Sign Ups


September 26th, 2003. 9:37 pm.
The SF Giants are in the middle of clobbering the rival LA Dodgers 10-1. The roars of over 40,000 people all chanting "Beat LA" can be heard throughout the city. As fans begin to exit the stadium, a brawl breaks out in the bleacher seats. Security is seen rushing in that direction to no avail. Strangely, as the crowd of people fighting begins to grow, bystanders who begin to run away are only chased down by attackers. More people in the crowd decide to start leaving the game as the fight escalates and as people begin leaving in droves, the stairs begin to clog up. A man is heard yelling above the rest causing some to look towards him to only see him tackled down by a security guard who begins biting the man's throat. Others are soon tackled as well and begin to be mauled to death by the attacking parties causing more chaos and bloodshed.

Those who manage to escape to the streets witness the horrors of what has become the China Basin. Hordes chase after pedestrians and begin ripping away at their flesh before moving onto their next victims. Gunfire can be heard from nearby law enforcement trying to maintain order, but soon the gunfire ceases and is replaced by the screams of civilians and monsters alike.

By sunrise of September 27th, 2003, mass chaos had erupted within the city. Whole buildings are on fire, the streets are paved with blood and bodies, and the sounds of the usual angry driver have been replaced by the roars of horrific creatures. San Francisco has been lost. Those who survived the night must learn to endure and survive. The world will never be the same…


The Day Before



Day 7234
---------------------------------------
I miss you my love... I wish you got so see what we have built here

July 18th, 2023

Belle wakes from her sleep, her first long rest in a while. As she opens up the tattered remains of a curtain, she gazes upon the desolate landscape that is the city before her. She was young when the outbreak began, too young to form any real memories of the days before, but she could remember a colorful scene, bustling with people where Walkers now stand. The sky was painted with a pastel blue rather than an ash grey from the fires that burned endlessly through the night. Buildings stood tall as a reminder of humanity's strength and accomplishments, but were relegated to dust and debris when the bombings ceased. It seemed as though the world before was a completely different reality, as so many had only known the apocalypse of today, and most who lived long enough before never lived to tell the stories. Belle straps on her chestnut colored Timberland boots and throws on her Father's old jacket, one he wore during his time in the Air Force. He had named her after the city she was born, one residing in Southern Florida named Belle Glade. It was there where he met her mother, as both had been stationed there for some time. Belle's mother has been honorably discharged when Belle was born, though her father remained serving. It was never an issue, as until the outbreak, he would only be gone for a few weeks out of the year. But when the first bite happened, it all changed. Both of Belles parents returned to the force, but never returned to her. She now found herself across the country in San Rafael, headed towards the last place her parents could have been, searching for any sign of their presence: Ground Zero, San Francisco.

November 16th, 2003. 1:26 pm
TW: slight violence and mention of death-
In mere months, a sickness had seemed to spread across the country. Fear consumed those who heard about the spreading massacres that started in San Francisco. Neighbors, who would once stand at their mailboxes chatting politely together now cast suspicious glares at eachother. Families became inseparable, the thought of leaving them to do the regular tedious tasks of normal life felt like walking out into a battle field.

Mia, Caleb and ~-~ spent more time together than ever. They spent their days gathered in the safety of their coffee shop before spending their nights huddled in Mia's apartment- since she had the largest apartment and they no longer wanted to live alone. Like most small businesses, they rarely were open for service. After hearing horror stories of the spreading massacres, they had decided to board up their windows and add extra locks to their doors. Nearby, cops worked overtime trying to roam the streets, keeping an eye out for unusual behavior. A hushed tension seemed to hang in the air. Nobody felt truly safe.

The three gathered in the tiny sitting area, playing with cards wordlessly. They all had a silent agreement to spend their days simply listening. Like any other day, it was quiet, other than the occasional shouting. They all tried to not worry. Surly they would find a cure soon, a cure for whatever this was. Then the murders would end.

A blood curling scream rose from within the air. Making all three snap up and stare at the boarded cracks within the window. Slowly, they all rose as the sounds of screams, gunfire, and shouting seemed to intensify. The three of them held eachother as minutes pass without an end, tears streaming down their faces as the sounds seemed to get closer.

They all screamed as a body slammed into the window. Glass shatters against the boards, and while their barricade held strong, it seemed to creak under the person's bodyweight. Again, the body slams against it and an inhuman shriek follows. The three realize it quickly- the barricade is not going to hold.

Caleb steadily moves ahead of them, a harsh anger in his eyes that ~-~ has never witnessed. He grabs the hammer they had used to set up the barricade. He raises an arm up as the body continues to slam into the barricade until a board finally snaps and a hand shoots through the barricade. A scream fires put of Caleb as he slams the hammer down on the arm. The arm quickly retreats, giving Caleb a moment to see through the busted barricade before two arms appear in it's place. Whatever Caleb saw causes him to step back startled. He stands still, suddenly tense. He ignores their questions for a moment before he turns, smiling at them. "You guys trust me right?" He asks.

"Take the keys, go to the car and leave this city. You should be safe taking the back way if you hurry" he explains. He ignores their demands for an answer. "I will be right behind you" he says calmly. He laughs and it almost looks like a tear has fallen down his face. But he turns away before they could confirm. "I love you two, I'm not going to let you fight this alone. I'm just giving you a head start." Another board breaks as two people furiously kick at the barricade, snapping their attention away. "GO!" He screams. The two take off, but they don't make it far when a third board snaps followed by Caleb's horrified and pained scream. Mia nearly shoves ~-~ out the backdoor before slamming it shut. She practically drags ~-~ away from the sight.

Caleb was ~-~'s childhood friend. Mia had joined the group later. She was a few years older than the two of them. She had always been stronger, sharper, braver. It shows now, amongst the chaos, she manages to shake it off and think on her feet. "We have to go back we have to-!" ~-~ is cut short by Mia, who grabs ~-~'s face, her gaze suddenly serious.

"I know! I know!" Mia shouts. "I know how you feel, but we have to-" she grimaces, swallowing a sob. "We can't! We have to keep going, I'm sorry ~-~!" She screams. Somehow, ~-~'s legs comply, keeping up with Mia's pace as the two race towards their shared vehicle. Screams sound from all around them. But to their relief, the car is in sight. ~-~ gets in the driver seat, and Mia races to the passenger seat, but she doesn't make it halfway before suddenly freezing.

"Stop!" A voice screams out. It was a man, and he was holding onto a large gun. He glares at the two. "Give me the car, now!" He demands.

"We can all escape together, just calm down" Mia replies with a surprising amount of ease. But the man doesn't listen. He shakes his head and with a furious roar he points the weapon towards ~-~, which makes Mia visibly tense. But a heartbeat later, she relaxes. "~-~" she says gently. "~-~, I am sorry to ask you to do this. But please, do one thing for me" she glances towards ~-~ and smiles. "Go on without me, please, don't die!" She shouts before lounging towards the man. Grabbing for the gun as he turns towards Mia and fires.

It takes her a moment to realize what just happened, to get herself to move. It wasn't until the man, Mia's murderer, starts to move towards the drivers side door, gun in hand, that finally makes her move. She quickly reverses the car. Driving off as bullets pelt the vehicle. She had managed to just barley escape. The massacre was quickly building behind her, her two loved ones. Now gone. Why didn't I do more? What if they're still alive? What if-

Present day
"What if? What if? Why?" Aspen mumbles gently as tears stream down her face. It had been years since she had thought about that day. But it still hurt, as if it had happened yesterday. Whispers of safety had driven her to this place, but without them, she could never truly feel at home. What came about their families? They all lived in Washington before moving to Colorado. Were they safe? Lowering her head onto her arms, Aspen allows herself to cry.

Almost twenty years had passed and these wounds refused to heal. They would probably never heal.

---

August 22nd, 2015
■■■■ stumbled through the old remains of a once familiar city, the hold it had on an old knife dulling with repeated use never faltering even as it passed iconic landmarks. San Francisco was so different the last time it had visited, for one it had come on a commercial flight, the two and a half hour travel time nothing in comparison to the month long trudge this time around. The other was that it was alone, no small warm hand that fit into its callused dirt smudged hand, no warm weight in its arms as a sleeping head rested against its shoulder, no laughter to accompany the sorrow. Those had been lost along with the sun the moment they had decided to venture away from the farmstead that had long been the home that they had built with their own two hands.

But still, it trudged on, picking it's way through the rubble. There was no other way than forward now.

Slight shuffling caught ■■■■'s attention and immediately it was on high alert, shifting low to the ground as narrowed brown eyes surveyed the scene around it. There weren't any of the telltale signs that alerted it to the shambling corpses that had infested almost every inch of the continent, so another survivor most likely. It didn't know if that was any better. ■■■■ never really liked killing other survivors, the light in their eyes much too human. At least with those corpses, anything recognizable about them had been mutated to the point of homogeneity, just another mangled victim in a sea of death. They were just unlucky enough to be twisted into one of those creatures. It was easier to put one out of their misery than to engage in skirmishes

Stalking forward, only keen eyes spotted the shadow of movement as someone darted from behind one piece of rubble to the next, keeping themselves low to the ground to avoid any detection. They didn't seem keen on starting any fights but appearances were always deceiving. And so it stayed cautious, picking its way through the not so empty streets while keeping an eye on the travelling enigma. And it seemed that the reverse was true as well, both parties stalking one another as they sized the other up. And the moment the other relaxed, even for a second, was when it pounced.

"■■■■?"

Freezing at the name, ■■■■ slid back to snarl at the stranger, their heavy hood obfuscating any identifying features. Who were they to know it's name, a thing that only a few had the honor of knowing in this horrid wasteland? Who were they to use such a name with candid curiosity, almost weary but hopeful? As shaking hands pulled back the tattered fabric to reveal gentle wrinkles and kind eyes that only belonged to a heartache that still sat fresh in his chest.

"... Mama?"

"Oh, ■■■■, my child you're here! You made it safely! Just look at you, so skinny and dirty, what would □□□ say if he saw you? Where is he anyways? Oh what am I saying, with ▪▪▪ of course. She must be so big now, it's been so long since we've seen you two." A deluge of words spilled out of the homely woman's mouth as she rambled on endlessly, the sight of his mother-in-law draining any tension out of him, a limp puppet dangling from cut strings. Each word sounded like it was coming through a block of molasses as he stumbled forward to hug her tight, the lean squish of a life without constant food giving slightly under his hold. Even as assurances were cooed and a boney yet firm hand pressed his face into a padded shoulder, ■■■■ refused to cry.

He wouldn't.

It couldn't.

Not until it saw with its own eyes the rotting decaying body

A warm hand landed on its shoulder, shaking Lynden from its reminiscing and turning it's face to the kindly woman with age drawn into her skin. "Shifts over, dear. Go to bed." Mama said gently, grief settled in those soft black eyes of hers. Lynden knew it's eyes would only reflect them tenfold and instead closed them, allowing Mama to gently push it back inside as the next rotation of watchers replaced it.

The cresting sun didn't warm it's cold skin as the heavy door closed behind it with a solid thunk

---

April 7th, 2012 | 03:11 am
TW: Mention of blood and death

◇◇◇ pressed her back against the wall of a crumbling apartment, her eyes darting to every angle of her surroundings. A small boy was shivering next to her, his eyes teary and face pale. ◇◇◇ angled her head down to him and rubbed his back gently. She put two fingers to her lips and the boy nodded, shutting his eyes. Stay quiet. In a matter of minutes, the child drifted to sleep, his blonde head resting against her shoulder.

◇◇◇ almost sighed in relief when she heard his relaxed, steady breathing. He had been through so much for an eleven-year-old, not even knowing the beautiful world before it became corrupt. “Just sleep,” ◇◇◇ whispered softly. “Please.” He needed it. And so did she.

Then the shooting sound of gunfire echoed boldly behind ◇◇◇, the cackle of insane laughter following. The boy cried out in fear and clutched his ears, sobbing in his knees. “Look at me,” She said. Her voice was husky and tired, though still carrying a sense of protective authority. “Look at me.” The boy lifted his head, his lips trembling. “You need to run. Don’t stop, even if you’re tired. Get to the outskirts, in our hiding spot, okay?” ◇◇◇ had lost her friends, she wasn’t about to lose him. “GO!”

The boy didn’t hesitate to run, darting away from the decaying wall and further from ◇◇◇. Watching as he disappeared out of sight, she rubbed her face with a grubby sleeve and shifted down to her knees.

Gunshots rang out loudly, and she bolted forwards, springing into the alleyway. Clamping a hand over her mouth, her heart racing, ◇◇◇ prayed to every deity she had heard of that she would live. Until scream pierced the air, one she knew too well.

No. No no. She leapt to her feet and ran, tearing out of the alleyway. Past the outskirts, the barricaded doors and windows. ◇◇◇ had barely reached the outskirts of the city when she stopped dead, panic immobilising her ability to run. Her eyes caught the sight of blood. And her dead brother.

---

[April 22nd, 2009]

"Mom! Mom, where'd you go?"

A young boy stepped out of the crumbling building that had been used as shelter the previous night. A bandanna was tightly wrapped around his mouth and nose.

The boy hated silence.

"Mom! C'mon, mom, this isn't funny! We need to move!"

And the deathly silence engulfed him once more. He tapped his bat against the ground, desperation growing.

And then he heard it.

Footsteps, tap, tap, tapping against the asphalt.

"Mom! Mom you're b-"

The words died on his tongue, as he turned to face a creature that most definitely wasn't his mum.

But it was, at the same time. The light brown hair, cascading to its shoulders, the silver necklace hanging around its' neck.

And it lunged towards him.

In an instant, the bat came flying up, up at the disgusting thing's jaw, sending it flying backwards with a nasty crack.

He pulled his pistol out, and shot it three times in the head.

--

[Present Day]
The soft clinks of a bat tapping against the floor were rhythmic, sounding out every few seconds. He kept his gaze firmly planted to the ground, arms resting limply at his side, his head resting against the wall.

Tap.

Tap.

His wrist moved slightly, every time he brought the bat down on the floor, gently. the rhythmic sound was constant, quiet yet constant, enough to drive those listening insane. But he quite liked it.

There was no point in reminiscing, in this moment of peace he had. He had no life before the outbreak. he had been a child. His mother had protected him well enough for years, but... well.

His hands had a lot of blood staining them, an amount he wasn't sure if he could ever wash off.

He shifted uncomfortably, blue eyes opening slowly.

"...bothersome."

He muttered softly, sighing.

"Chock full of trauma are we merry few."

---

February 8th, 2014

“But a bird that stalks down her narrow cage can seldom see through her bars of rage. Her wings are clipped and her feet are tied”

Behind the glass wall, a zombie paced. Back and forth across the carpet. White hollow eyes, flesh gone in certain places, strands of red hair atop a mutilated head. Where the skin had peeled, sat rotted sinew and tissue now softer than mud. Occasionally, decaying flesh slipped off the still-solid skeleton. This small room seemed to be a bedroom, of sorts. The walls were a deep, royal purple and inlaid with patterns spanning floor to ceiling, seeming to be made of goldleaf. In the center was a large bed, with silken sheets and curtains of a soft light purple coloration. On the bedstand is a vase of lavender, and its scent permeates the entirety of the room. Beside it, a singular picture frame, of two women, one smiling goofily as she took the picture, the other distracted by a seashell a crab seemed to have brought her.

A floor up, ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ sat in her room. The walls a deep royal purple, inlaid with patterns. The center, a large bed with silken sheets and curtains of a soft light purple coloration. Exactly the same as the room down below. Inserting the thumbdrive into her computer, she pressed play on the singular video the thumbdrive held. Soft children’s music began playing, as the scene played out on the computer screen. ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚, looking not much younger, tears streaming down her cheeks as she placed her hand on the glass wall, seperating her from the other redheaded woman. They seemed to be talking, yet the noise was drowned out by music. As the video pulled to a close, the screen dimmed, and a voice rang out. “Love, if you’re listenting to this, it means I’m dead, or corrupted. I’m sorry for leaving you so suddenly like that. I wish I could spend more time with you. I wish we’d adopted a child together. There’s so many things I wish for, but the most important is a happy end for us. I am no longer by your side, but I am in your heart. But please move on, love. You must. Live happily, and I will live through you. Do not mourn forever, for I’ll see you again. One day. And if I’m corrupted……. If you see me, kill me. My greatest mercy as a zombie is to die by your hands. Swift and loving. It’s hard to hear, I know. But I don’t want to infect you. The video ended there, and a tear fell from ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚’s eye.

“But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams. Her shadow shouts on a nightmare scream and she opens her throat to scream”

As ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ descended into the basement, she gave the zombie a small smile, eyes watering with unshed tears. The zombie shuffled over to the glass in momentary recognition, before continuing its pacing. She pressed a button to lower the glass, and as the zombie shuffled out, she raised her sniper rifle. A singular gunshot rang out, and she shot the zombie with teary eyes. A bullet straight into her brain, and the zombie collapsed, now very much dead.

“A free bird leaps on the back of the wind dips her wing in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky. Now I know why the caged bird sings.”

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ wiped her tears, a burden lifted from her shoulders. It hurt her heart, but she was glad that she was finally able to fulfil their promise. She packed her bags, and with one final glance, she left the place with a lighter heart.

November 5th, 2004 9:58 p.m
The day the stars left me.

Humming, buzzing of flies, the tinkling of wind chimes, and the chirping of the crickets. Both were formerly comforting noises for the teenage Ohioan girl, but tonight, it wouldn’t be enough. Her hands shake as she coils the copper wire around her makeshift electric spear. Life on the farm had been difficult, but she’d always been satisfied. She never wanted more than she already had,《~☆~》 desired to stagnate into an elderly woman like her grandma. But this place now held too many horrible memories for her to bear now, she couldn’t remain.

TUK TUK

Sharp raps on the door ring out through the night, silencing the humming. They’re here.
Taking a sharp breath in, 《~☆~》opens the door. Leaning against the mailbox, Molly looks up, her dark locks falling past her shoulders.
“…You’ve done it?”
《~☆~》takes a breath, shaking her head. Molly sighs, a sympathetic look crossing over her usual stern face.
“Look, I know this is hard, but he’s not him anymore. You have to prove it. You can’t come with us unless you prove you can do it, Dan and I don’t need another burden to take care of.”
《~☆~》flinches away, the harsh words hitting her harder than she’d thought they would. She’d known Molly would say something along those lines. Molly stares at her, waiting for her to respond, but 《~☆~》looks away.
“…Molly, please. Five more minutes. Just… Five minutes.”
Molly’s following response barely registered with 《~☆~》, as she stumbles away, cradling her head. The voices were at it again. She had to put an end to it. No, she had to put it off, no, kill him. The voices swam around her head, melding into a chaotic mess she couldn’t understand. She shut them out, refusing to let them control her. She’d do it. She wouldn’t waste the rest of her life over the dead. Gripping the shaft her spear, she confronts her fears and unlocks the door.

Silence awaited her, along with the darkness of the winding stairs of the basement. The cold is already beginning to seep out, the mold on the walls creeping away from the light. From above, 《~☆~》could already see the swaying figure of her father, back turned to her. Doubt crept once more into her mind as she silently descended the steps. Could she do it? Would she do it? Her heart pounded wildly, adrenaline filling her veins as her dad began to turn, their already rotting corpse buzzing with hundreds of flies…and it was over in a single thrust to the skull. She stands over the corpse for a second, before she scrambles back to the top of the stairs, slamming the door shut. As she lay against the door, panting, she said a quick prayer, looking to the heavens for a sign. Of course, there’s nothing.
God is dead, god remains dead, and we’ve killed him.

A shadow looms over 《~☆~》and a hand reaches down to help her up, it’s Ella. Her breathing began to slow, the voices already bickering again about trivial things. She did what she had to, she wouldn’t let herself feel guilty about it. Taking Ella’s hand and allowing herself to get pulled out, 《~☆~》and the others began their many years-long journey outside of Ohio together.


Present day

It’s been 10 years since they’ve separated. Molly, Dan, and Ella.《~☆~》 sits, polishing her spear. …God, she missed them. The voices still talked to her, but they weren't the same. Her spear glints, catching the dying rays of the sun and illuminating the path ahead of her. She would never stop looking for Ella, that sweet little girl. She’d never let her go again, not without a fight. Sliding her spear into her sheath and kissing the photo of Ella she kept tucked away into her right pocket 24/7, 《~☆~》begins her search anew in a new city, the place where Ella’d always wanted to go. San Francisco: Home of the Greats

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