Bex

Bex is in a bad spot. She has no food and, more importantly, no clean water. She hasn't eaten since the day before yesterday - or the day before the day before yesterday, if it is past midnight, which she suspects - and has drank nothing for almost a day. She is painfully parched, but she no longer feels faint from hunger, as her body has begun burning her fat stores to give her the energy to find her next meal. Fortunately, it's possible she just did.

It's somewhere around midnight. Bex could not sleep, so she was awake to hear the sound of gunshots within a few blocks: three in quick succession, then nothing thereafter. She's heard enough gunfire over the past several weeks to know this was panic fire, which is usually followed by more spaced-out shots, but only silence followed.

Investigating, she found the source of the gunshots: a body, lying in the street. A pistol lays next to one hand and it wears a safety-orange backpack, its bulk visible even in the meager half-moon light. Above it stands a walker, messily tearing into a side of meat in its hands.

Bex slowly creeps up to the pawing walker, and bites her lip as her stomach churns to the sounds of the monstrosity chomping on its current meal, tearing the meat off of the warm body.

"Lucky bastard." Bex sneers quietly at the sight of the animated corpse enjoying his fresh meal.

Not wasting another second Bex quickens her steps and aims her boot to the back of the feasting walker. But this corpse is not as fresh as it's current meal. This walker has had weeks to fester, its body now far too tender and overly ripe for an easy push down.

Bex grimaces as her boot slaws off the corpses side, exposing its ribcage. Though her aim had put her slightly off balance, Bex easily regains her footing and aims her handy screwdriver towards the walkers brain.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:08, Sun 18 June 2023.

Bex

Breaking into a run, Bex drives her foot into the walker hard enough to knock it off balance and tear the rotting skin off of its ribs. Nowhere near agile enough to keep its balance under the surprise assault, it falls facefirst onto the ground hard enough to crack its jaw. It's just beginning to groan hungrily as it pushes itself up, but it falls limp as Bex drives the screwdriver into its skull.

Its last meal was thrown free from its hands as it fell. Though it's dark, Bex can just make it out, lying on the asphalt of the road: a disembowled squirrel, its blood still wet.

A similar wetness is on the asphalt next to the first corpse. There is a bloody hole in its head, likely an exit wound: Bex had seen the effects of enough suicides over the past few weeks to recognize it. What's unusual is that the entry wound is on the right side of the corpse's head, and the dropped pistol appears to have fallen from its right hand.

Suddenly, Bex hears a vehicle engine roar to life. About a hundred feet down the road, a large vehicle - likely a truck, jeep, or similar - flicks on its high-beams, making it impossible for Bex to see any details in the sudden glare. The lights are pointed directly at her.

Bex's stomach coils tightly with unease at the obvious trap she's just set herself in. Slowly standing straight up, Bex focuses on breathing slowly through her nose, not making any sudden movements, as she carefully raises both of her hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

The dark blood of the double dead corpse glides uncomfortably down the side of her wrist from the dripping screwdriver held tightly in her left hand. But Bex focuses her full attention on the immediate threat before her. Her heart pounds vigorously in her ears as a cold sweat clings onto her back.

Taking a quick hesitant glace down to the awaiting gun by the suicide going on homicide, Bex's thoughts rushes over her dwindling chances of survival.

Bex keeps her eyes peeled for any sort of movement near the vehicle while also looking for an exit or possible cover from the threat.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:10, Sun 18 June 2023.

Bex

The glare of the vehicle's high beams in the dark make it impossible to discern any detail in its vicinity. She only makes out some vague movement across the vehicle's roof. Even the muzzle flash of a rifle firing is barely visible.

She hears something zip by her ear, extremely fast, and shatter the windshield of an abandoned vehicle behind her as the crack of a gunshot echoes up and down the residential street.

"Shit!" Bex yells out in alarm and ducks down to the ground.

Without another second to spare, Bex quickly grabs the gun off the asphalt. And though her mind is screaming for her to grab the awaiting backpack off of the corpse, she acknowledges that if she stays for another second, she will just be another cold body on the street.

So with two quick breaths, Bex holds onto both of her weapons and bolts across the front of the wrecked car. Sliding across the nose of the grey sudan, preforming the stunt she had mastered long ago for her ex-career. Bex lands on the other side of the vehicle before pressing her body against the passenger door.

Her green eyes are dilated, and Bex forces herself to take deep breaths through her nose, attempting to keep the growing panic at bay. After placing her screw driver inside her left boot, Bex shakily holds the gun in both hands, and swiftly pulls out the magazine to check for any remaining bullets.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:11, Sun 18 June 2023.

Bex

Sliding across the vehicle takes Bex out of the light. A moment later, she hears another gunshot and multiple, almost-simultaneous impacts as a bullet penetrates the rear of the sedan, continues through tot he dashboard, and embeds itself somewhere in the engine.

"Fuck!" a man's voice reports from the direction of the gunshots. "There's just one of 'em. Go get him!"

Checking the pistol, Bex finds it's empty - it does not even contain a magazine. She also hears a faint, almost curious groan from somewhere further in the dark, in the direction of the nearest house.

Bex grimaces at her own luck, and drops the useless weapon on the ground next to the rear deflated tire of the sudan.

Let's hope these guys were stormtroopers in another life. Come on Bex, run! Bex releases a small breath in fear before making a mad dash towards the faded blue house.

Being mindful that infected can be lurking anywhere, and will for sure be attracted to the gunfire, Bex keeps an eye out for the groaning she heard, while also watching for any sort of movement through the windows of the crumbling home.

Bex races up onto the small front porch and takes a quick glance inside the home through the window.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:14, Sat 06 May 2023.

Bex

It's difficult for Bex to see anything in the dark, especially just after being dazzled by the vehicle's high beams. While she believes the house is blue, it's too dark to see any true colours.

The wood of the porch creaks as she steps on it. The dark inside the window is so complete that she can see almost nothing at all, but a moment later, the glass shatters as another gunshot explodes from the direction of the vehicle that surprised her - this one sounding different from the first, likely a different caliber. A second gunshot sounds still different, and she hears something embed in the wood of one porch post.

In this level of darkness, it's likely blind fire, but the shooters can clearly tell Bex is in the vicinity of the front door.

Bex bites her lip in irritation then throws her body through the shattered window not wanting to take another second on that deck, with a giant target sign on her back. Her odds are 50/50 for the front door being locked, so taking the newly opened path was an obvious choice. Upon jumping through Bex covers her head with her arms and aims to tuck and roll in hopes to avoid any furniture or glass within.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:07, Sun 18 June 2023.

Bex

Bex clears the window and rolls across the floor inside. She feels shards of broken glass under her skin and clothes, but by the grace of her work experience - and just a bit of luck - she is able to avoid cutting herself.

Inside the house is even darker than outside. Her vision is recovering from the vehicle's lights, but slowly, making it impossible to discern anything but broad shapes. She seems to be in a living room, judging from what she assumes to be chairs, couches, and a TV, with exits to two other rooms on the far end of the room.

One of the chairs looks odd, but it's difficult to tell why. It's not until she hears a groan and sees movement that she realizes it's because there is a body sitting in it - a body that shifts and moves in response to her entrance. Outside, she hears running feet pounding up the sidewalk and onto the grass lawn.

Knowing she only has a few precious seconds to spare, Bex makes a mad dash to the back of the living room. All the while, keeping the lone groaning figure sitting in the chair in her peripheral. Bex keeps her head down as she carefully sprints further towards the back of the room, and upon reaching the two arched doorways, Bex takes the left exit into the next adjoining room.