The alarm clock makes a distant click... wait, shouldn't that be ticking. Nope, there it is again, a sharp CLICK-SNAP, CLICK-SNAP happening in rapid succession four times all around you, left, right, then again at your feet.

Everything is fuzzy... your head feels like a raging kegger at the local college... or at least what you heard they were like.  You reach for the alarm clock, your hands pulling free from the open straps.  The alarm clock isn't there... but the open loop straps are.

Straps?   Your bed isn't the comfy bed of years ago.  It's some sort of gurney with straps to hold you down and in place like an animal.  Or like one of the infected.  The electronics controlling the straps have all released which is why they are loose and you were able to pull yourself free.   You are in a cell, there's the remnants of a mist in the air and the smell of Lavendar Lysol hanging in the air.

A cell?  Really?  How the hell...

As Dominic and Hank get free of their gurneys, each explore their separate cells, the mist dissipates and the fogginess of their minds clears just a little bit.  It's enough to remember gas grenades striking near where you were.  But how long ago was that?

The distant click you first heard was the cell door opening.  Someone has set you free.  But judging by the flashing red lights outside and the muffled sounds of an alarm, whatevers happened isn't good.

Your door opens onto an elevated cat-walk.  To your left and right are other doors with keycard access.  They appear closed still.  There's one more floor above you and two below you, putting you on the third floor.  The catwalk you are on seems to be part of a square complex surrounding a common area in the middle of the square.  That's where the chaos is.

You see infected swarming over others.  There are bean bags being shot...  those won't help much.   Gas grenades are flying and the scent of the Lavendar Lysol is stronger out here.

tactical men... men with gas grenades... being taken captive.  Military trucks...
 It all seems somewhat familiar, like someone snatched you from where you were before.

Where you are now is a mystery.  You don't see any windows, so it must be underground.  One thing's for certain.  You are closer to hell down here and it's raging all around you.

- - - - -
Take it away players!   It's free form.  So I'll merely reply and make things interesting.  Ask whatever you like (throw it in orange please as an OOC). If you are willing to, please color your spoken text, it helps me follow conversations as I read.   

Dominic slowly awoke to the rather unpleasant sensation of a raging headache that threatened to boil over into that of a migraine and the strong scent of Lavender in the air "Isabelle cheri, don't you think you've gone a little overboard with the perfume?" Dom croaked as he groggily pulled himself up into a sitting position. It was at this point that he realised that this wasn't his bed, his beloved Izzy was nowhere to be seen and that he was currently sitting within a cell wearing nothing but a set of baggy hospital scrubs "oh merde...this isn't good" he croaked dryly as he desperately tried to figure out where the hell he was and how he had got there.

Somewhere from within the recesses of his mind he could remember the main street of some backwater town, that had probably been half dead before the zeds had arrived, the clacking of something heavy striking the cracked pavement by his feet followed by the hiss of compressed air, no...gas...someone had gassed them...or was it just him? he couldn't recall and his thumping headache wasn't helping matters.

With his brain unable to conjure up where he was or why he was here, Dom would instead turn his attention to his cell. It was a small, white tiled, windowless box with the gurney he had previously been strapped to within the centre of the room, a single white painted, steel door with a spy hole directedly in front of him and a set of cabinets and a hand basin on the right hand wall, along with several pieces of medical equipment scattered about the room. Upon seeing the basin he would half climb, half stumble from off of the gurney and hurry over to the basin where he would greedily begin drinking the refreshingly cold if slightly tinny water in an attempt to soothe his parched throat causing him once again to wonder how long he had been here.

Once his thirst had been satiated he would turn his attention to the cabinets finding them, rather unsurprisingly, to be locked, though he did find a medical clipboard for a "SUBJECT 2112 B" which along with an exceedingly accurate physical description of himself also contained a full set of blood workouts, toxicology reports and scans which using his medical background he was able to decipher that apart from  suffering from a little malnutrition he was in surprisingly good health, all things considered.

With his search conjuring up nothing else he would turn his attention to the door, which somebody had helpfully left unlocked, or opened?, allowing him to cautiously step out onto a mezzanine floor overlooking some kind of courtyard. Once outside he would be greeted by the blaring of alarms and the sound of battle, as men in what appeared to be SWAT uniforms fired  bean bags and gas grenades at a swarm of zeds leading Dom to suspect that either they had never encountered the walking dead before or had never expected them to get inside and so weren't properly prepared for their arrival. Thankfully however Dom was on the third of four floors keeping him well out of the way of what was going on down below and hopefully giving him all the time he needed to escape wherever the hell he was.

With no idea of where he needed to go he would randomly start walking to the right, passing the line of doors as he went. Part of him said he should check them out and see if there were other prisoners like himself inside, however with no idea of what was behind the doors and what exactly they were doing within the mysterious facility, he felt it safer to make good his own escape whilst who he assumed to be the guards were distracted. Besides if all of the electronics had failed like they seemingly had in his cell then they could release themselves and if not...well...he couldn't help them anyway.

Hank let out a groan, hand swiping at nothing for a moment before being run through his hair. What the...Tom? NM? Wyoming? He croaked as he shot up and his head let him know how bad an idea that was. Son ofa... Taking a couple deep breaths he tried again only a little slower. Taking moment to let his vision swim back into focus he realized he couldn't feel the knife on his belt. Or his belt for that matter. Looking around at his surroundings more questions formed in his mind. First and foremost where were his brother and the others. Second, why was he in scrubs and who changed him. That question took an odd importance given the situation when he realized he didn't recognize the pair of underwear he was currently wearing.

Slowly getting to his feet he wondered briefly why lavender scented products were an option why did hospitals use bleach? The question brought a chuckle as he made his way to the sink. While not the best water he'd had it was far from the worst, and it helped cut through some of the mental fog. Wait, didn't NM mention something about a lab? The thought cut through most of the fog floating around Hank's head with a chill. They held Kaiden hostage... Had they found the group and taken revenge for Karen and Kaiden escaping? That might explain the gas and his current surroundings. Gripping the sink with both hands he tried to remember what happened.

They had just got to a new town and had started to explore. The first stop was to hit up the general store, then... The last thing to pass through his mind was at least there wouldn't be enough left of them to turn.

Looking toward the door he finally registered the lights and alarms going off on the other side. Grabbing a metal tray made his way to the door, standing to the side as he prepared himself for whatever was on the other side. Reaching out he let out a sigh of relief as the door handle turned. Taking a peek through the spy hole he held his breath as something briefly blocked the lights. Waiting a couple seconds he slowly opened the door and stepped out, raising the tray to strike.

Re: Dominic
Dominic found a vital clue on the clipboard with his blood workups: a passcode hastily jotted in pencil and erased.  He was able to make it out and it got him into the computer system near the cabinets.  Accessing the identifier "2112B" revealed some startling information.  He wasn't considered a patient at all.

A hasty scan of notes on various screens revealed that -along with the blood tests- he had been screened for fertility and was classified as N.E.V.  Finding out what that meant took a bit longer.  Precious moments ticked by as he found out he was New Eden Viable.  There were no notes on precisely what that was but deeper notes talked briefly about his 'wonderful results compared to other candidates'.

A short time later, he was crawling past the doors on the mezanine.  He got to a stairwell where the security door lock had triggered while it was open, causing the electronic bars to slide out to early and force it to be permanently ajar.  Looking down the stairwell he can hear the echoes of battle.  Looking up the stairs it seems quieter.  He could definitely reach the next mezanine and their might be a roof too.

Re: Hank
Hank pulls the door and comes out to the hall.  To the left, clear.  To the right, a hunched over man in the same scrubs (and same colored underwear) as Hank is wearing.  The man is moving cautiously to the end of the mezzanine where he opens the door to a stairwell.¹

As the man in front of him stands in the doorway, there is a scream from above and a body plummets past on your left, falling from the fourth floor above you to the ground.  The screaming stops abruptly as the body makes contact.  Risking a glance over the edge, you note a sprawled person on the ground wearing similar scrubs to your own, only this body begins to twitch.  Something seems wrong.  If it is already a zombie then why did it scream like a person?  If it was a person, then how could it be twitching already?

____________________________
1) This is Dominic

There was something odd going on here. First of all what the hell was New Eden? and other than his relatively good health and supposed fertility why did they want him to join? And why had they felt the need to drug and abduct him rather than simply asking him to join them?

With the noise of battle still raging on down below, Dom would steadily make his way along the metal grid that made up the mezzanine's flooring, using one hand to steady himself against the wall as he went, not really trusting his balance just yet.

Upon reaching the stairwell Dom would discover that his luck was still holding out as he found the door to be locked open. It would take him all of four seconds to decide that going up was his best bet, especially if this place was indeed underground as he suspected it was. Not to mention the fact that he didn't fancy his chances against either the guards or the Zeds in his current attire and completely unarmed. And so opening the gate in front of him he would start to head upstairs to the next level hoping to find either an exit or something that would help him survive in this place long enough to survive, unlike the poor sod that just been thrown screaming over the balcony.

Five more minutes. Tom slapped at what had disturbed his sleep. His throbbed as he slowly opened his eyes, a confused look spreading across his face as he looked to the side. This...wasn't their camp. They had scouting a new town, then something hit the ground near them...HANK! He shot up and rolled off the gurney, landing on the ground with a thud.

Shiiiit. What had started as throbbing headache turned into a migraine. Groaning he turned over and used the gurney to get back up. Leaning against it he took several deep breaths to stop his vision from swimming. When he could finally see straight and could hear something other then the pounding of his heart the noises from outside the door finally started to register. Slowly making his way to the door he peeked through the hole, pulling back as someone screamed from the other side.

The sight of clothing matching his stayed Hank from charging the other person. It took him a moment longer as he realized the man looked familiar. Dom? He managed with a sigh of relief, lowering his improvised weapon at the sight of one of the Caravan's leaders. If Dom was here maybe that meant the others were also... His train of thought was interrupted by the sudden and brief fall and splat of someone from above. Jerking back into the closest door he bounced off slightly. Taking a tentative step toward the rail he glanced briefly to the fighting. Beanbags? Focusing on the where the scream stopped he fought through lingering head fog and lysol fumes. Unless they were making screaming zombies the speed the person appeared to be turning was alarming. Though if more of the group had been captured a more urgent thought came to mind. Please don't be one of ours.

Between the headache and fire fight down below he didn't realize the door he had bumped into had cracked open slightly.

Dominic had just about opened the gate and place his foot on the first step when he heard footsteps coming from behind him prompting him to spin round with fists at the ready, not that he fancied his chances against either the SWAT troopers or the dead at this point in time. However instead of a shambling, rotting corpse or some armour clad thug ready to drag him back to his cell he would instead see a familiar face "Hank? Man am I glad to see you mon ami!" he exclaimed walking the short distance between them and giving the guy a brief hug, relieved that he was no longer alone in this place "we seriously need to get out of here, this place is..." it was clear that words were currently escaping him as to what this place was and what was happening here "have you seen any of the others; Tom? Isabelle? Shit I can't even remember if they were with us when we were taken!" he said in frustration, wishing he could remember exactly what had happened to them. Deciding that they had more pressing matters to concern themselves with he would instead turn his attention back to the stairwell "Come mon ami, I've found a way up, hopefully we'll find a way out of here or at the very least a change of clothes and a weapon" because if they ended up having to go downstairs then they sure as hell were going to one.

Glancing away from the spectacle below Hank felt a wave of relief that his eyes hadn't been playing tricks on him. Dude, I was a second away from braining you. He managed a slight chuckle as they briefly embraced. Looking toward the rows of doors at the mention of the others he shook his head with a small frown. You're the first, but I haven't tried any other doors yet. They'd done two person scouting missions before, but given recent events it was unlikely this had been one of them. We need to try the other doors before we get out. A glance to the fighting below. If anyone is still out cold and the doors are unlocked... There was no telling if they'd be able to find better weapons and make it back before the SWAT people were overrun and getting back would be impossible.

After glancing uncertainly back the way they'd came at the long row of doors Dominic would give Hank a dubious look at the mention of checking the other cells before they left "I don't know about that...there's a lot of doors and we don't even know if anyone else is here, I mean we really need to get out of here before those guys stop fighting each other, because no matter who wins we're in trouble" Dominic replied pointing down at the Zeds and SWAT currently duking it out below them. Then again the likelihood of it just being the two of them out there scouting for a new home was unlikely but with him currently unable to recall exactly how many of them there had been, and not knowing where they were currently being held meant they could waste a lot of time searching for a needle in a haystack and lose their window of opportunity through which to escape "...we'd have to be really quick mon ami and I mean REALLY quick" he said with a sigh as he gave Hank a look that hoped he knew the consequences of them sticking around too long "...also just so you know mon ami this is seriously breaking rule seventeen!"

@Dom & @Hank:
Dom and Hank turn back, sprinting down the cat walk with the automated security doors on their left. The sounds of pounding fists and shouting voices come from some of the doors you listen at.  Some people are trapped on the other side with no way out.  Dom & Hank aren't the only ones awake.  The doors are thick enough to make it hard to hear who is on the other side.  Each keycard touchpads is illuminating a red glow; it's a lockdown and you cannot be certain that having an access card would even open them during a lockdown.  Most of the rooms sound empty.  Maybe that's a godsend.

Along the way, Dominic's gown snags on the railing, ripping away a good third and providing an ample reminder that they offer absolutely no protection.   Without some sturdy clothing and weapons, anything will be difficult.  Heck, an untreated cut can kill you in Zombieland.

You reach the far end of the cat-walk marked Level 3 with its final door 3S40.  The security door here has a small meshed glass security window in it.  You can see people screaming on the other side.  Some of them pull on the door and try futilely to open it with their access cards.  They scream for you to open it but it won't budge.  You watch as zombies from below assault them, splashing blood up on the stairwell signs that indicate further up is the way to the helicopters.  It also has an arrow pointing to your door and indicating it as South.   You quickly deduce that the four walls of this facility are naturally, North, South, East, and West.

Some of the cell doors you found were open, as if some hand had randomly mashed a control panel releasing some doors but not others.   Most of the open ones are down near where you began.   You head back that way towards the stairwell and check the last remaining rooms.  One of these open doors reveals Tom.

---

OOC:
Enter Tom.

This message was last edited by the GM at 23:32, Tue 24 May 2022.

Lorenzo woke up. The inside of his mouth was like cotton. It was a lot like being hungover. Except he'd apparently skipped the fun part and went straight to feeling like crap. He staggered out into the hall. His arm was still broken. Could feel it throbbing, like it had a heartbeat. Must've gotten newly screwed up somehow. Jostled around by whatever dicks dragged him here to this - facility? hospital? scary ass hospital? Unclear on the finer details. Broadly, Lorenzo knew two things right now. One: he was confused as shit. Two: he wanted out.

He probably looked like one of the zombies, stumbling and lurching down the hall. After scavenging through abandoned conveniences store for a living and squatting in old shacks, this building felt like a spaceship and he was the thoroughly perplexed abductee. He kept veering over and having to brace his good hand against the wall. He didn't have to wander long - he came down the hall and saw the others. Well, some of them.

"Yo! Guys! Qué tal!" he called out by way of greeting. "Where the fuck are we? Is this for real?"

Lorenzo pushed away from the wall. He puffed up, nigh reflexively, and tried to not look how he felt. Mr. Tough Guy over here. Woozy as hell and about to fall over. There was a definite glaze over his dark eyes, even though he tried to stand up straighter. He had no gear. His old clothes were who knows where. His arm was still in a makeshift sling. The stupid ass hospital gown didn't leave much to the imagination, either. You could see tattoos on every inch of his arms that wasn't covered by the flimsy material. The ink seemed to crawl up his chest, up to Lorenzo's throat (not to his face though, which was probably why his mother had never tried to haunt him.)

"Realmente voy a morir con un vestido? Hijo de puta," he muttered to himself, among other cheery things, as he tried to get his bearings.

He knew the longer they stayed the greater the chance the SWAT would be overun before they could get away. But if there was a chance the others had been scooped up...Trying the doors that sounded like there were people on the other Hank wondered briefly if it would be better to starve behind a locked door or eaten by zombies. We'll try and get you out. He didn't know if they could understand him, or even hear him for that matter. Hell, he couldn't tell you if it was more for their sake or his.

Trying the security door at the end he backed away as the people on the other side were attacked. The last time he'd seen zombie on human carnage like that had been the fort after they had met Joe and Brady. Maybe the trading post? Wyoming had said it had come under attack, but did they save it? Whatever gas had been used on them was still clouding his memory. Shaking his head he turned to Dominic, a slightly distant look on his face Hopefully they still have a helicopter.

Passing the locked doors he managed a small Sorry as he went by each. There wasn't anything they could do to override whatever locking mechanisms right now. Maybe if they found an armory...

Pushing one of the doors close to his he was surprised when it swung open. Hello... Taking step in he tensed slightly as he was practically knocked back out of the room, ready to fight who or whatever ran into him. When there was no immediate pain or other indication of damage he looked down and felt his heart skip a beat. Tom?

Looking over at the sound of another familiar voice he figured their odds just went up by several factors.

I need to get out of here. Looking around Tom realized how dry his mouth was as he spied the sink. Taking several sips he kept an eye on the door, unsure if whoever was out there was friendly or not. After all, people who kidnap someone and undress their unconscious form can't have good intentions.

As he rummaged around for something that could make a somewhat decent weapon he heard the door creak. Hiding behind the gurney he waited for the door to open.  If I rush them I can make a break for it. His plan of attack was cut short, however, as he recognized the intruder's voice. HANK! Rushing forward he embraced his brother, gripping him as hard as he could.

For those with medical training or accustomed to noticing such things, it is clear that Lorenzo's sling is not the one he used to wear.  It is high-grade material.  Lorenzo has been well-cared for and his wound is almost completely healed (when you get the time to examine it) indicating that some time has passed.

@Lorenzo:
Looking over the railing of the cat walk you are on reveals the mayhem below.   As you look, continued shouts come and there is the distinct 'pop-pop' of a pistol being shot from somewhere in the melee below.  Clearly not all the weapons are suppression-only.

@Tom and Hank:
As Tom embraces Hank, the older sibling feels something scratch his back.  Separating, he can see that Tom has found a metal ruler, 3 pens, a sharpened full-size pencil, and something shaped like a cylindrical metal cigar tube crammed into his fist.  These are what was easily retrievable, each which can easily penetrate an eye or ear and get to a zombie brain.  The metal ruler, with a bit of coaxing, can either slash or be used to jimmy an old-style door open.

Moving as quickly as they dared along the mezzanine, Hank and Dominic would be confronted by a series of locked doors with most of the rooms beyond sounding to be empty though behind others they could hear the banging and shouting of those trapped inside. Sadly however even if Dom had thought it had been a good idea they couldn't even attempt to let them out without a key card despite Hank's promises to do so.

It was as they were nearing the end of the mezzanine that they would be greeted by the horrifying sight of several people desperately trying to open the locked door with key cards that refused to work as the dead fell upon them from behind, with Dom having not witnessed such sights since the opening days of the outbreak "We need to get out of here Mon ami" he said to Hank, jerking his head back the way they had come indicating that it was time they went upstairs and looked for a way out.

It was as they were doubling back that they would come across a set of seemingly random doors left open with one of which being his own and presumably Hanks cell causing him to wonder once again if someone had let them out on purpose or whether dumb luck had allowed them to escape. It was in one of these cells that they would find Hank's brother; Tom, hiding behind a gurney with a fist full of office supplies as his only defence.

It was as the now reunited brothers were having a moment that a familiar voice would call out to them. As Lorenzo joined them Dom would smile as he moved to meet him, offering a supporting arm if he needed it "I don't know and I'm afraid so mon ami" Dominic said in reply to Lorenzo's questions before giving his arm an odd look "interesting...that's not my handiwork" he said pointing to the plaster cast on Lorenzo's arm, with Dominic's own efforts to fix his arm being decidedly more...rustic...he supposed would be the kindest way of describing it "I think I'm going to have to take a closer look at your arm later, but first we need to get out of here, come on there's a set of stairs over here, we've already hung around far too long as it is" he said taking a few steps towards the stairwell before pausing to ask "have you seen anyone else from our group Lorenzo?" though it was clear by the look on his face that when he said anyone he meant Isabelle. Where the hell are you mon cheri?

Johnathan was asleep when he felt something prod his side. Through the haze of sleep he had the distinct impression something was off about his bed, though it failed to register what it was. The prodding returned, this time harder. He forced his eyes to open, adjusting to the light even as he held up his hand for the one prodding him to stop doing so as they had been successful in waking him up. As he pushed himself up, his brain registered what had been off before: Rather than his house, he was in a rather dilapidated looking cell. His brain now waking up as he analyzed the situation, he saw the girl next to him motion restlessly at their surroundings.

- "Yes, i am awake, thank you. Let's find out where we are first, shall we?"

The girl paused, before giving a single brisk nod, and began looking for something that could be used as a makeshift weapon. He took a deep breath and got up, heading close to the door to try and get a view of as much of the corridor as possible before stepping into it in full view. He doubted they would have left him his cane, but if he and Hearse were here, then it was likely their belongings would be as well. A memory tickled in the back of his mind, something about armed men and gas grenades, but it didn't help the current situation much so he figured he would focus on scouting out and securing their surroundings first. Safety was paramount.