Welcome to Walking Dead, Survival! By joining this site, you accept the terms and conditions and are willing and able to prove that you are 18 and older. By accepting this, you release all liability.
Forum Roleplay: Roleplay resources catering to play-by-post forum gamers and communities
If you would like to establish your own Stronghold, please private message Remy with a name, city, state and brief description of your stronghold. If you have any questions about any of the stronghold's listed above, please mesesage the leaders. NEWS AND EVENTS:
For news and events in our area strongholds, click here: STRONGHOLD NEWS
Post by Damon Morris on Mar 31, 2015 12:20:24 GMT -5
Damon nodded and headed off to the kitchen getting himself some breakfast rations but instead of using matches he sat and fixed his lighter while eating. He had his lighter in his hands, food in front with some juice, and his notebook. He scribbled some memory's and continued perfecting an article he had been writing for nearly two years.
Damon eventually finished his food and stood beginning to place his back pack on and taking out his headphones to leave. He checked his bikes air pressure and was wondering where to head. A part of him wanted to try investigate a town but he would need a vehicle to go past 25 miles out. He sat for a while to see if any specific destination would be given and sharpened his knife.
Why did people keep asking her that? It was probably just them being nice. Or maybe they were just doing the niceties thing. She was as well which seemed strange to her in a way. Things were so messed up and yet here they were trading niceties. She somewhat remembered the woman that stood in front of her. She vaguely remembered talking to her, but nothing about what they had talked about. Memory formation is impaired by lack of sleep, she thought. She felt a little silly mentally telling herself what she would have told a patient.
"I remember you Ellen. Didn't remember the name, or what we talked about. I imagine you had questions about where I came from though."
She looked at the young woman. She reminded her of some of the girls that had been in college while she went through school. Not the brain dead ones, but the ones that had a goal, a plan. Ellen seemed like the type that always had plans for everything. It was good to be that way but it also scared Phoebe a little. She never understood woman who took charge like Ellen seemed to. She had learned from a very early age to always be subservient. She had questioned it once, when she left to get her PhD but her faith had been renewed when the end of the world happened. She had obviously had to deal with that decision but strong woman still messed with her.
"I come from a small community. It's purpose was to prepare for the end of the world. We lived in an underground compound. I returned there after everything happened. I knew that they would be alive. The prophet had seen the end coming... or so he said. I don't know what to believe anymore."
Ellen listened to Phoebe. An underground compound, that explained why their patrols and scavengers hadn't found it. And she had returned there after the outbreak? Meaning it had been there when things were normal?
Ellen thought her to be a part of some kind of doomsday prepper group like the TV-shows but it was when Phoebe mentioned some kind of prophet her thoughts went from doomsday preppers to doomsday cult. Was that why she felt inclined to repay Damon for his 'service'? She wanted to get to the bottom of this, but she needed to be careful when she questioned this woman about her beliefs. Phoebe was already desillusioned and bursting her bubble even more abruptly by immediately confronting her with the reality of things might cause her to shut down completely.
"So... tell me about this 'prophet'." Ellen said. "What did he foresee? What did he tell you?"
She'd get to the part where she had run away soon, but Ellen first needed to know what kind of thing they were dealing with. Whether or not this was some kind of harmless hippie commune or a full blown cult that had armed themselves since the invention of firearms.
She didn't want to have to think about the prophet. She still worried that she had made the wrong decision and that she would be punished for it. She hoped that the prophet couldn't find her. She had been good about trying to hide her movements at first, before the horde had started to follow her. After she had pretty much just blindly ran and walked, trying to get away from the dead things.
"I...I... um... not supposed to talk about him... but I know that you need to know, so bear with me please... He um, told us that the world would end. He said that the Lord had showed him the way, said that those outside our group weren't to be trusted, that they were unclean... some type of sickness. It was very vague, but when everything happened... well it looked pretty clear that he was right."
She thought for a second about his proclamations. She felt dirty telling them to an outsider. It was one of the things that she hadn't even done when she had left the compound to do her studies. She had believed that doing so was one of the ultimate evils, but she had already started and she knew that she needed this woman's support.
"He had decrees. Lots of them but there were important ones. Marriages were to be arranged based on the will of the prophet. No one is to leave the compound without the express order of the prophet. Once everything happened and I got back some new orders came down. He said that all our preparations were for this and that it was time to fulfill our mission. Outsiders were to be shot on sight, within the compound or outside of it. All arranged couples were immediately married... my betrothed had died somehow, no one knew how it had happened. He was the prophets son, as well as a doctor... he is the one that wanted me to become a nurse. I still needed to contribute to reproduction even though I didn't have a husband. The prophet ordered me to service the single men. It wasn't always so bad, but most of the men were... rough."
She started shaking. She was talking badly about the prophet and the other men. What was she doing? She shouldn't be saying bad things about the prophet, or the men. She was only a women, what right did she have to question them. So what if they were a little rough... she had deserved it right? And men had needs, primal needs that the end of the world had brought forward. They needed to hurt something and wasn't it better that they got that out on her instead of killing someone?
"Not that I didn't deserve it. I left to do my PhD against the orders of the prophet... and I know that men have needs and urges. They are the stronger sex and sometimes that rage is uncontrolled. I gave them an outlet I guess. Better then someone dying."
"Holy-fuckin' shit..." Is all Ellen could muster at Phoebe's explanation. Not the most subtlest of responses, but adequate nonetheless. It was unsettling such people existed and lived among them, even before the outbreak but how could people go as far as to believe one crazy person and do whatever he says? And to live on their own away from the loonies and even then keep their eyes shut to how things were like in the real world? It was brainwashing at its purest and somehow Ellen believed Phoebe was in for quite the awakening.
She thought on how to bring it to her for a moment before speaking. She couldn't let Phoebe have too much of a shock, but then again she ran away so there must've already been some kind of foundation to go further on. She was still scared to death of this prophet, even though he couldn't touch her anymore.
"It's okay, you're safe now." Ellen said. "He can't get to you here and we won't let him take you back. There's a lot of people here that can keep you safe, alright?"
The reason why Phoebe had run was obviously key. Ellen figured she should start there.
"So what happened to cause you to run away from them?" Ellen asked. "You did the right thing by doing so but I'd like to know regardless."
Memories flashed again. She was sitting beside him with the gun pointed at his head. She was crying, her finger refusing to follow the order from her brain to pull the trigger. He begged, asked her to spare him, but it was too late. He couldn't help her now... but he could still tell the prophet. She remembered finally getting the confidence she needed to pull the trigger.
"I had to do it..." it was a whisper but her psyche demanded she say it. She still struggled with that decision.
"I was on birth control... the prophet didn't know. It was while I was working on my PhD..." she held out her arm to show her the spot above her wound that would have a visible bump and small scar. She had hidden it well from the others in the compound.
"It expires in a week I think... I didn't want to carry one of those men's children. They were monster."
Her face showed a rage that she kept well hidden, even from herself. On the outside she was a sweet, submissive woman, but on the inside she fostered a hatred that boiled.
"I tried to get one of the men that came to me to help. He was one of the nice ones, never forced me. He liked to cuddle a lot too. He made me feel... human. I asked him for help, but he threatened to go to the prophet..." she was crying now.
"I...I... took his gun. He didn't have the safety on and there was a round in the chamber. I shot him... he didn't die right away and... I had to... Shoot him a second time, in the heart. He begged me not to... but I had to do it. I had to do it. He was going to turn me in. I had to do it."
Things were getting heavy. Phoebe had killed someone. Just one? It obviously distressed her greatly and the person probably meant something to her. And would've still been alive had he not threatened to snitch on her for using birth control. Now there was an idea for Bear Lake! Where could they get these things and prevent them from having to deal with a dozen more Zoey's? But the thought quickly went from Ellen's mind as Phoebe started crying.
"Fuck. I'm so not good at this shit!"
Comforting people wasn't Ellen's strong suit, not that she didn't care but she just never knew what to say. And to give people comfort by physical contact... That had caused more than one awkward moment in her lifetime. Doesn't mean she wasn't going to try though.
"Look, you did what you had to do okay?" Ellen sai"He gave you the choice between him and yourself and you chose yourself. Don't blame yourself for it. Had you not done what you did who knows what they would've done to you? How they would've punished you?"d.
Ellen sighed. She couldn't think of anything else to say. But she needed to know if anyone would come looking for Phoebe.
"But it doesn't matter anymore." Ellen continued. "You're here now and you never have to go back, okay? But Phoebe, we have to know, for your own and our safety; would these people come looking for you? Did you know about our settlement? Does anyone else know? Or did you tell anyone where you were going? Anyone at all?"
Phoebe tried to calm down. The rational part of her brain knew that Ellen was right. She had done what she had to do for her own survival. She had never hurt anyone before then. Had never thrown a punch, or fired a weapon. She was a good person. I had to do it. Remember that Phoebe you had to do it.
"I... I don't know if they know about this place. I wasn't exactly told much, none of us were but I was told even less. I was useless until I got pregnant. If your not pregnant or married your... not worthy. I didn't tell anyone else other then the man I had to... kill. But there are scouts... runners. They go out of the compound... none of us know what they do. The prophet told us that they kept us safe. Every once in a while they would come back with a new girl or a guy. More often a woman. They might follow me... if they can follow my tracks. I wasn't really trying to be stealthy after the dead things started following me."
Damon had told her that the dead things were probably taken care of but she knew that this woman would know for sure.
Damn. This woman came from some fucked up shit. And Ellen really didn't want to hear that there was a possibility anyone knew where Phoebe was, but there you had it. Just what they needed too, another group of crazies possibly knowing they were there and had something they thought belonged to them. She should just get rid of Phoebe and sent her on her merry but she had too much of a conscience to do that. It was amazing Phoebe had lasted this long considering she hardly knew anything of the real world. Ellen couldn't help but sigh at the thought of having to explain this to the Council. If this cult was a thread, they'd need to be careful or eradicate it altogether. But such were matters spoken in a war room with people who had more experience than her.
Phoebe asking if the dead things were gone just made Ellen feel guilty of even thinking to send her away. In any case, she'd be in for a rude awakening as soon as she learned how the world really worked.
"The ones that chased you, yes." Ellen said. "We took care of them and burning the corpses. But I'm afraid we'll never be rid of them completely. But we're pretty far away from civilization here, acres upon acres of forests between us and nearby cities. It's very rare that we see more than a horde of five up here on the mountain."
Ellen's curiosity got the better of her. Everyone had their little theory about what caused the walker plague, but she wondered on how their supposed prophet explained them.
"So what was your community's explanation on the undead?" Ellen asked. "How did your prophet explain them?"
"Right, this'll have to do for now." Anne-Marie said, looking at the hoodie, T-shirt and jeans she picked out for Phoebe. She didn't know the woman's exact size but she had guessed. Rather something was too big than too small.
She kept the clothes under her armpit as she picked up the tray of food. It was oatmeal and a piece of self-baked bread but it would quiet down the stomach of a hungry person. Hunger still was the best sauce after all. She did scored Phoebe some coffee however; seeing as it was made from acorns there was plenty to go around.
Anne-Marie went inside the medbay and as her sister spoke to Phoebe, she put the tray down in front of her and layed the clothes next to her on the bed.
"One moment Ellie." Ellen said to her sister, interrupting the conversation. "Don't know your size but these'll do for now I think. As for panties, bra's, tampons and stuff you'd have to swing by the quartermaster yourself as soon as you're able. Maybe change shoes as well."
Anne-Marie gestured at the breakfast, giving Phoebe a careful smile before sitting down next to her sister.
"Anyway, Bear Lake special of the day; oatmeal and a piece of bread." Anne-Marie said. "You'll love the coffee though. Take small bites okay? You haven't eaten anything in a while and your stomach needs to adjust again."
The prophet had not said much about the dead. They were not a focus of daily conversation within the compound. It had been more important that they contribute to the community then that they know about the dead things. He had said one thing about them though.
"He said that they were angry spirits sent by God to wreck judgment on people."
Phoebe thought back to that conversation. She had stared in dumbfounded disbelief. She knew from her own studies that the world didn't operate on divine intervention. Thi go just happened and there was always a scientifically observable cause, even if that cause was beyond their own current ability to discover.
"He was an interesting person."
Phoebe looked to Anne-Marie as she came in. She was elated to see that the woman had clothes and food.
"Thank you."
She ate slowly, not wanting to cause her stomach problems by trying to put too much food into it all at once. She smiled at Anne-Marie. Once she had finished she set the food down and slipped on the clothes. She was happy to be warm.
'Angry spirits sent by God'. Now there was the perfect pitch for a horror movie. At least spirits didn't eat or infect people. Diseased walking corpses on the other hand did. Ellen would've loved to get to the bottom of things if she didn't have a camp to run. She would've let that Remy-woman experiment as well if it weren't for the fact the woman proved to be so damn untrustworthy. Even her dad had come to dislike his (now) former group member.
Still, Phoebe's faith seemed shaken and before Ellen would tell her the reality of things, she needed to hear how she thought about the world now. It would define the way Ellen would bring Phoebe the news on what really went on in the world. Phoebe wanted to go to the medbay but it didn't seem right to Ellen to put her to work right away. "Easy, you're still recovering from hypothermia." Ellen said. "You'll get to work soon enough. Besides, we're not done here just yet; I'd like to hear what your thoughts on the current state of the world are. YOUR thoughts, not that of that prophet-guy."
"I don't know much, to be honest. I wasn't on the outside long before I made it to the compound. It seems to be some form of pathogen though it works in a way that if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes I would say is impossible. Other then the fact that it is reanimating deat tissue it also seems to ignore basic requirements for life. One of the dead things that was following me had a whole where it's heart should have been, implying that they do not need blood circulation which for a complex organism like that is... troubling. I see no way for them to get oxygen to the cells to enable movement and yet they move. Now that I think of it the nervous system is perplexing as well. They seem to still react to their senses but obviously much of their brain is inactive, even parts that have existed for millenia. I saw some walk straight into barbed wire, rods, and other things that clearly had the capability to destroy them. Implying that the amygdala, and thus the fight or flight response, is completely inactive. If I had to venture a guess I would say it is man made."
Much of what she had just said was thought of on the spot. She hadn't really had time to analyze in the field as her life was in danger but now that she could her mind was making the connections that she had failed to before.
"As for working, I know that I am still recovering but I don't want to feel useless."
Ellen was impressed with Phoebe's knowledge of the virus. It seemed that despite her affiliation with militant religious zealots she still had the ability to think rationally. Ellen half-expected her to tell some kind of mumbo-jumbo story about God but luckily that wasn't the case. Still, it seemed she was ready to get the reality check she needed, seeing as she didn't know the walkers could be killed. Time to fill her in on the rest of the details.
"Well at least you're rational about it." Ellen said. "That's the general consensus around here as well. But Damon told me some things about you... I feel like I should inform you how things really work."
Ellen leaned forward and looked Phoebe in the eyes. This was important and she wanted to make sure Phoebe would understand every word.
"They can be killed." Ellen continued. "But only by inflicting trauma to the brain. The virus is within everyone of us. If we die we become them, regardless of the way you died. You get bit by them and it's all over. If you get bit in the hand or leg we have about ten seconds to chop it off in order for you to survive, given you live through the shock and blood loss. Any other place and the best we can do for you is end it quickly."
Given what Phoebe told Damon Ellen had a feeling she didn't have too many experience with killing walkers. Also, Phoebe's conviction of women being the lesser beings was troublesome as well.
"And I don't know what you've been told, or what you've experienced up until now; but women and men are equal in this world." Ellen said. "I ordered Damon to lie with you yes, but only to exchange body heat as you were almost frozen to death. It was an act of necessity and it doesn't need any repayment... of any sort for that matter. We do what we must here to keep our own alive."
Ellen entangled her hands into eachother, leaning her elbows on her knees. She couldn't tell yet whether or not this came as a surprise to Phoebe.
"Does any of this make sense to you?" Ellen asked. "Is it something you already knew or were you told something different?"
Shauna Kelly: That helped, thank you
Oct 4, 2021 14:40:44 GMT -5
Ayita Hunt: dang, January was my last post.. Jeez it's been a hot minute. o7 guys, sorry for the complete disappearance, life got.. a little interesting this year.
Oct 18, 2021 22:34:19 GMT -5