Private/Closed Left 4 Dead: Blood 2 Spill

[comic]

@NotAPokemonRanger @wona @<Inkscape>
Discussion Thread: https://pokecharms.com/threads/l4d-b2s-ooc.23644/
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A month and a half ago, the whole world seemed to come crashing down around their ears. Quite literally, too. Planes and helicopters dropped from the sky, and those infected with the 'Green Flu' attacked uninfected individuals with the sole intent to kill. The infected were fast and deadly, and the initial military strongholds established were quickly overrun. Then, the infected started to evolve. Different types started to appear, deadlier than the last, with new ways to try and kill the survivors of this apocalypse. When these 'special infected' started to appear, the military was only pushed back further, nearly into obscurity. The remaining survivors were given an even more difficult challenge of surviving.

Some survivors, however, managed to find refuge in an attempt to wait the infection out, let the military eventually come through and clean the streets. Georgy Woods, a Science Professor, found himself on a business trip in New York on the fateful Day 0. He'd been rounded into a military outpost in Manhattan, but that was before the infected evolved. The military couldn't hold against the infected onslaught any longer, and to spare their own resources, had abandoned those they'd promised to protect. They'd been left for dead.
Yet, not all hope was lost. Georgy himself had tried to gather the panicking survivors, but the commotion, and the absence of a defense, allowed the infected to rush the outpost, wiping out nearly everybody. Everybody save for four individuals, Georgy included. They barely escaped with their lives, sporting bites and cuts. It was then that they learned the simple yet startling truth. All four of them were completely immune to the infection.

The survivors banded together with the intent of holding out for the military's return, hoping that their immunity could be of use to them. So they found a safe place to stay, having to fight their way through hordes of the infected, before finally, they reached their safe house. A homeless shelter, stocked with canned food to last them at least a month. They barricaded the doors and windows, found what weapons they could find, and settled themselves in for the long haul.
The second week into the apocalypse, they held onto their hopes, but by the third week, they were beginning to lose hope. On the month's anniversary of the apocalypse, they'd all but given up their hopes of rescue. Hopes of providing their DNA in a cure attempt. Nobody was coming for them, and they accepted that, leaving their only goal left to hold out for as long as possible. That was until they were down to the last can of peas, and realized they couldn't stay hidden any longer. It was either starve, or fight to live another day.

The survivors prepared themselves for the greatest event of their lives. They were going to fight their way through the streets of Manhattan. If help wouldn't come to them, they'd just have to find it for themselves.

And so began their journey to salvation.​

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BREAKING NEWS
They're not the only ones taking a bite out of the Big Apple.

Chapter 1 - Chinatown​

Georgy Woods was an imposing man, standing a whole head over his fellow survivors- but he was really just a big softie. Well, to everyone but the infected. He was prepared to blast them all back to hell. Unfortunately, he didn't quite have that kind of firepower. They'd managed to collect some weapons for themselves, though not much. Basic handguns... limited ammo... at least they had a few medical packs and a defibrillator, the latter of which Goergy carried on his person. None of them were exactly skilled in the medical profession, but being the oldest and most educated, Georgy was probably more qualified and capable of successfully using one of these. Probably.

"Remember the plan." Georgy told the others as he checked his pistol, before sliding it into the back waistband of his pants, and picking up a fire axe from beside the heavy metal door that separated them from the world outside. "We get to the military outpost in Central Park, stock up on weapons and provisions, then find us a boat on the Hudson." He looked to each of their faces. Their month together in solitude had allowed them all to learn at least some things about one another. Levi Koryu, the mechanic. Kid mostly kept to himself, but when he did open up, it was clear how passionate he was about his line of work before the apocalypse. He'd been an engineer, and was very familiar with the mechanics of so many things that Georgy personally never took the time to understand. His grandad had been like that, but he'd never much been interested in it. Then there was Zach Dillon. He looked like a real nerd, and sure acted like one. Yeah, definitely the nerdy type. But that wasn't exactly a detriment. The kid was a cartographer, could sniff out any location without even having to look at a map. Guy like that would be really useful for navigating through the new world they were about to walk into. And finally, there was Beau. Georgy assumed it was short for 'Beauty' or something like that. When it came to names, that was all she shared of herself. The girl was usually secretive and kept to herself, but get her talking and it was clear she was a real spit-fire. She'd been attending college when everything went to hell, studying computer stuff or something, if he could recall correctly. He wasn't overly familiar with modern technology and whatnot.

Being the oldest member of these kids in their young 20's, he felt an involuntary sense of responsibility for them. Hell, spending all this time with them, he was feeling rather attached. If it was needed, he'd even give his life to ensure theirs continued. Even if it meant he couldn't see his family again. The family he'd left in Washington state to go to that stupid business meeting. He'd waited for a call from them on his phone, but after so long... the phone sat as dead weight in his pocket, dead as a door nail, incapable of receiving the calls he prayed to God he'd get.

"Any last minute bathroom breaks?"

 

[wona]

Beatrice liked Chinatown.
Her times in the city were few, but she specifically recalled one instance in Chinatown with her father. She couldn't have been more than four. Waddling around with her hand wrapped around her father's index finger, hesitant with each step and watching in amazement how well he took his strides. He'd led her into a restaurant- noodles, of some kind, that she remembered- lightly tapping her nose, pink from the cold, when they were seated.
She didn't remember what she ordered. God, why would she? All she remembered was watching him wield chopsticks like he was born to hold them, in a way her chubby little fingers did not. She'd furrowed her brow in frustration, repeatedly poking the noodles with said sticks and occasionally dropping them.
He'd laughed at her. He'd laughed that big, booming laugh that would have been frightening if not for the jolly tone, if not for the smile plastered on his face so wide that it wrinkled the corners of his eyes. And then he'd flagged over a waitress, got her one of those little plastic chopstick attachment doodads, and let her watch in awe as her chopsticks became became magic.
He'd taken a picture, too. Of him, with his wide smile and crinkled eyes and of her, with her modified chopsticks, excitedly slurping and blissfully unaware of the mess she was making. He'd gotten the photo printed, one for her and one for him. She'd purchased a wallet when she was seven for the sole purpose of putting the photo in it, like he did with his.
She halfheartedly caressed the corner of said wallet with the pad of her thumb, tucked away in the pocket of her jacket. His jacket.
'You wanna take a trip in December with that?' he'd guffawed at her, staring in distaste at her measly hoodie.
'It's a perfectly capable jacket, Dad-" she'd tried, before he'd thrown his bomber jacket into her arms. Despite her best efforts, he truly was the better of the two of them in terms of persuasion. She'd taken it reluctantly, the jacket absolutely dwarfing her when she wiggled into it. Her father had beamed at her in approval.
--

Those days, it seemed, were gone.
Beau buried her nose into the fluffy collar of the jacket, sighing tiredly. Sighing seemed to be the vast majority of her vocabulary lately. Frustration, exasperation, exhaustion- all let out with a little puff of air. She was standing with the three others.
Georgy (who she had to stop herself from calling 'sir' on occasion) was speaking. The plan, right. Yes. The plan. Georgy had scooped her up from the streets and housed her in a homeless shelter along with two others, two young men around her age. Georgy was obviously the leading factor in their group's survival; sure, her and the others helped out, but he had a certain wisdom to him, instincts that had yet to fail them. In many ways, he reminded her of her father, who had been at the forefront of her mind lately. On numerous occasions she found herself upset with herself for leaving. The trip hadn't been a necessity, she hadn't even had a plan, she'd just been feeling cramped up-
Shit. Georgy was looking at them. Had he asked a question? Probably, why else would he be looking-
She cleared her throat, a pathetic noise as she tried to prepare her rough, worn out voice.
"Um- yeah, I'm- ready to go," she croaked, cringing inwardly at the broken sound. She shot a glance at the other two men, Zach and Levi, who, in all honesty, she'd made no effort to know. Not in a friendly manner, at least. She had taken it upon herself to tune in to their little introductions to Georgy, however, so she knew the basics of who they were. Job-wise, that is. Their skills and passions actually lined up pretty well, giving them a generally well-balanced group, but... morale was low, as it was. Seeing the Infected up close and personal wasn't something they were going to walk away from bright and chipper.
Beau readjusted her grip on the baseball bat she'd been given, swallowing dryly, and praying to any God out there that they would get out of this.

 

[| Korutesu |]

It had already been a month since they escaped alive from the military base after they were left for dead. Normally they would've died there, But they were immune to the virus. To be honest, It wouldn't be long until the infected had torn them apart. It felt like hell was climbing onto the surface. Zach was wearing a black turtle neck sweater because of the cold weather. He didn't know anyone here, And didn't know Beau than most. The only thing on his mind was his family, til Georgy started talking. "Oh, yeah. The plan, Okay..." His voice was trembling, It was the most normal thing for someone's voice when put up with an Apocalypse. Zach didn't know if his friends were still alive, Or if they've turned, He just hoped they weren't dead.

"Well, If i remember correctly, We could go north to get to Central Park. It's the most direct way to get there, And hopefully no infected show up" Zach pointed towards North hoping that once they get away, The nightmare would end. Sadly he couldn't get his hopes up for now since they were still in Chinatown, And even if they get to the Hudson, It wasn't guaranteed that there was a boat there. And if there was a boat there, would there be gas? If there was would it last? There was just a lot of possibilties that could happen, And it wouldn't just be planned out for them, Nor it could be set up. Someone could die for all Zach knows, Anything could go wrong on the way. Then Georgy started talking again asking if anyone needed a last minute bathroom break. "No, Not right now anyway" Zach's voice less trembling but still unsure of what could happen. He grabbed a Knife from the kitchen just in case he was disarmed by an infected or another human. The Infected were predictable, Yes but other survivors were what worried Zach the most. Other survivors could easily turn their backs on them if they learned they were immune, or infected. And it was too risky to waltz into a Military Base just like that. Was it still active? Or was it overrun? Was it just abandoned? A lot of questions had appeared again. It had been a month since they were stuck inside the homeless shelter, And it was good that there was food in there or else they would've starved. Zach was ready to face the outside world again, Filled with infected and maybe, just maybe other survivors. Only time could tell what would happen to them.

 

[<Inkscape>]

One month down, god knows how many more to go. Levi had never truly been the type to sit around and depress about things, and instead focused on packing the rest of his stuff into his bag. He had packed an assortment of items, mainly tools and different hardware parts. He made sure everything was safe and secure, before picking up his preferred weapon, his Katana, affectionately named "Crow", and slung its sheath over his arm.
He took a glance at the two survivors around his age, Zach and Beau, who he didn't know all that well, but got along with. Levi put on his backpack, before realizing that he was forgetting something.
He got his hoddie off of a nearby table and put it into his backback, completely disregarding the chilly air. He was wearing a t-shirt and basic jeans, as he usually did, and was by now desensitized to the cold. He loved the cold, reveled in it even. He missed the snow days when he was able to stay inside and watch the gentle snowflakes fall.

When Georgy asked if anyone needed to go to the bathroom before they left, Levi simply replied with "Nah, im good." He pulled out a few simple parts and started tinkering with them, reminiscing about the past. God do i miss working at the shop... He thought, befire putting the little contraption away.

He moved his blade into a more comfortable position before walking over to the nearest wall and leaned back on it, waiting until the time when they'd step into the fire and flames of hell again.

 

[comic]

To be completely honest, the bathroom break question was asked for two reasons. One, force of habit. Having taught for so long, he'd had plenty of students that would ask to use the restroom during an exam, so he'd always make sure everyone got a chance to go. The second reason was because, well... he was trying to stall, at least a little bit. Heading back out there into the unknown was intimidating- but it was their only option left. Well, that, or they could stay put and probably starve to death.
"Alright." Georgy wettened his lips, staring at the barred iron door for a couple seconds, before he lifted the bar from it, tossing it aside, and pushing the door open.

Chilly air immediately rushed in. It was a lot more welcome than the stale air inside the shelter, even if they'd gotten used to the stench of one another's body odor. With his grip tightening on his fire axe, Georgy took the first steps outside. He'd stepped out onto a three-way street, most of the buildings around him labeled in mandarin, save for a restaurant on the corner slightly to his left called 'Yee Li Restaurant'.
And of course... the infected were crawling all around. He counted at least two dozen of them on just one side of the street, and was genuinely surprised they hadn't noticed him yet.
Immediately, he hunkered down slightly, taking cover behind a black Mercedes and motioned toward the others to join him. Once they were all by his side, he peeked over the car to get a better bearing of his surroundings. "Alright..." He breathed, turning to look at them. "We don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves. We can sneak along the streets and go mostly unnoticed if we stick along the sides of the cars. Trouble is, we bump the wrong car, its alarm goes off and attracts every zombie for a mile around, so be careful." He peeked over the Mercedes once again. "Stick close together, and if we get stuck between infected, try your best to get them out of the way without putting the heat on us." The professor bounced on the balls of his heels, taking a few huffs of breath, clearly trying to psyche himself up for this. "Quickest way to the park is through Time's Square, but it'll be a helluva walk. Straight route if we just head down the middle street, take a right, then take the highway straight up until we get there. Everybody ready?"

 

[| Korutesu |]

Georgy had just opened the door, The air was freezing like it came from nothing else but ice. It was already Christmas Eve, which Zach had come up with a plan. The snow would cover the sound of their footsteps, And would probably save them if they dropped something in it. "Hey, Georgy. Over there" Pointing towards a Spitter behind a wall, Not that noticeable, but could be heard. "Careful... We really don't want to start anything here right now" Telling Georgy what he could see, or hear from where they stood. He put out his switchblade that he'd always carried around with him given by his uncle who'd already died.

And then again, Georgy started to talk. He managed to spout more words from his mouth. "Hm? Oh- Yeah... I'm ready" as he held on to his switchblade harder and harder. It was stressful in the new world, But they had to escape New York. It was selfish, he knew that. Zach always thought about leaving the group alone to meet his friends, See if they were alive. Too risky, And it wouldn't help him, or the others live. Hell, He couldn't leave if he wanted to anyway, Georgy wouldn't let him.
Walking up behind one of the infected to sneak up on it, Hoping it would look behind it just to lower the infected count by one. Switchblade in hand, He stabs one of the zombies in the neck to shut it up. It was risky and stupid. But it'd worked. He ran towards one of the cars hiding behind it, Out of sight from the infected.