Forums » General Roleplay » Find RP: Bunker Buddies (Closed)

A soft whine cut through the stillness of the night, signaling the human male that the path ahead was clear. Waiting thirty seconds, the whine was repeated and the human male rose from his position and stalked cautiously through the undergrowth of the forest. Just because it was clear at the moment didn't mean that he'd go about inviting trouble by making a lot of noise. He wasn't quite sure exactly where he was at the moment, somewhere in northern Louisiana, he thought.
It had been a week of gruelingly slow travel, eighteen to twenty hours a day, catching small naps in trees, since he and his partner had escaped the bloody charnal house that Dallas had become. He wasn't quite sure what his plan was, though he had vague intentions of trying for Miami, then sailing to Cuba.
After a few minutes, the man found his partner and knelt beside him, rubbing his ears and patting him on the flanks. "That's my boy. That's daddy's very good boy. Good dog, Kayten. Very, very good dog." Reaching into his pocket, the human pulled out a ziploc bag full of Beggin' Strips and prepared to give Kayten one, as was their ritual.
Kayten's mouth drooled as he scented the treats, but he knew that they could wait. The Belgian Malinois instead turned away from Him and His heart melting words, his tail wagging as he walked a few feet over to what appeared to be a tangle of underbrush. Sitting on his haunches, Kayten pawed at the vines and creepers and gave a soft whine, asking Him to come over and look.
The human's brow furrowed at his partner's actions, and he complied with the request, trusting the former police dog implicitly. It only took a moment of pulling away old vegetation to realize that Kayten had found a bunker of some sort, likely military from the rusted over sign that had fallen to the ground next to it. It was locked, of course, but the lock was new-ish, implying that the bunker had been being taken care of. After looking at the metal for a moment longer, the human reached into his pack and slipped out a lightweight titanium crowbar, wedging it into the space between the new lock and the older, more corroded metal. Bracing himself, he started to pull, increasing the force he was using slowly, until his whole body was straining and sweat was beginning to pop out upon his forehead. He was just about to give up when Kayten leaped on top of him, the dog adding his weight to the human's and breaking free the metal with a sharp pop.
Landing in a tumble, the human and the canine waited several tense minutes to see if the sound attracted and unwanted attention before turning back towards the door, set into the ground like an old fashioned tornado shelter. Preparing to exert himself again, the human was surprised when the door lifted easily, shiny hydraulics holding it open.
Looking around for a moment, the man eyed the woods warily before ordering Kayten inside, following himself a moment later.

Alex brushed "his" short hair back away from "his" face, closing his eyes momentarily to enjoy the cool sensation from removing sweat on a hot night such as this. He wore a black high-collared sleeveless shirt tucked into fairly baggy cargo pants, a combat knife or two strapped to his sides as well as a taser and pepper spray clipped to the belt. His shirt had a hood buttoned to it and it was pulled up over his head, a bandanna also assisting in shielding his face by wrapping around his noggin and resting at his nose.

Unlike David, Alex didn't have a companion. He was small and sneaky and a companion would likely get in the way, though that's really just something he says because he's quite friendless and is unable to find a suitable dog-buddy.

One odd thing about the bunker David would find was that there was, in large lettering, "GO AWAY" written across it. Everything else was normal, however. Alex found the thing earlier but was unable to get inside. After all, he only had a couple of knives. So off he was trying to scavenge for something to open it with as quickly and quietly as possible.

By the time he passed by to check on the bunker and go scavenge the other parts of area around it, he was aggravated and tired. He saw it was open and quiet and this worried him. Slowly, Alex began to creep down inside, about a minute behind the dog and his person.

A little plastic baggy full of pills and a couple of stamps were all that was left of the stash and Lotus was feeling it. Her hair was already fading and she felt an uneasy sickness rush over her. She hadn't eaten anything in so long that she didn't know how much longer she could make it.

She kept walking. Step by step by step. Each step was another reassurance that she was alive. So far she hadn't found anything too dangerous while sober. Anything she saw while stoned was brushed off as a symptom. Even now, she could blame it on how long it had been since she last had a hit.

Her eyes flashes to the trees, looking for dangers, real and imaged. she was lucky, but soon her luck would run out.

Jae-Sun (or just Jae as most called him... used to call him...) had started his day checking his gear. When "it" had happened, he had been in St. Louis on a case. He never knew what had happened to his partner, but he presumed she was dead. Hoped really. If he had been one of the lucky ones to remain alive and unchanged, chances are she hadn't, and the thought of Gen being one of those things made his skin crawl. Jae had been gearing up for trouble that day, a major incident had been brewing in the city, some terrorist threat. He had been a bit late into the locker room, putting on his FBI issue vest, and had not seen the results of "it" until he came back out. In the insanity that followed he had escaped the river city by boat, clothes torn, kevlar battered, bearing a Beretta and an M16 but nothing to repair or care for them.
So here he was, river boat stuck on a huge sandbar in a forested area, checking his worn weapons for wear and tear and counting bullets. He had two clips worth for the handgun, and three for the assault rifle (Jae had been sparing in his use of the heavier weapon, using it as a last resort or for long distance shots on single fire).
The ridiculously tall man of mixed descent looked out into the woods, gear finally checked and stowed, backpack on, and wondered if he was any safer in the wilderness than in the steel and concrete confines of the city. Not that he had a choice. It was a miracle that he had got this far down river without issue on his own, and without dozens of people and hours to work with he would never get the watercraft free. Either he stayed on the boat, hoping the sandbar might one day be shifted or brave the forest and whatever lay beyond... and who knew what had happened to the animals around here, let alone what few people had been here.
So, without any real hope with the boat, Jae headed out into the forest, a half hour walk from the bunker. While no path existed, he still managed to make his way towards the others... and when he near the clearing he made his first error since leaving the boat: he cursed loudly as for what had seemed like the thousandth time a low hanging branch was rammed into his head due to his height.

Sam's backpack pulled heavily at her shoulders. She was panting, trying to catch her breath on the forest trail with a crowbar still clutched in her hand. It had signs of recent use and her clothes were stained with evidence of a horrible encounter. None of it mattered though. She had enough canned food to last her a week or two, maybe three if she rationed it out.

She glanced over her shoulder and leaned into a thick tree to rest a few moments. For a big woman, she had long legs that allowed her to outrun these suckers at least temporarily. And she noticed she was getting better at it too, as time passed. There wasn't a lot of time though. She needed to find shelter soon, or they would have plenty to feast on tonight.

The large woman trod carefully into the forest, her heart hammering in her chest. She had no idea of where she was, and really, did it even matter? She hadn't seen a living soul in so long, she didn't even think anyone was still out there. She was just living and surviving until one day they caught up to her and tore her out of existence, she was convinced of that. The only reason she hadn't ended things herself yet was her fear of death, or perhaps her natural survival instincts. Who knew?

A harsh breath sucked into her lungs at a sound in the distance. Her ears perked and she looked wide-eyed around in the dark. She should know what that was. It nagged at her, but she was too frightened and high on adrenaline to recognize a curse for a curse.

Kayten ventured further into the newly opened bunker, David following shortly behind, the muzzle of a cut-down police shotgun proceeding him into the darkness. After a nearly claustrophobic set of stairs took them some twenty feet down, the pair found themselves in the middle of a hallway, too pitch dark to see in.
Though David felt relatively certain about the safety of the bunker, he still took as few chances as he could manage, clicking the light integrated into the pump of his shotgun on and of in one direction, then on and off in the other. There were a few doors, all closed, all appearing to be of the type of heavy steel typical of government construction in the decade or so after World War 2. Reaching down into the cargo pocket of his pants, he cracked one of his precious glow sticks and shook it, dropping it to the floor and casting the area in a somewhat haunting green glow.
Reaching the first of the doors, he flattened himself against the wall on one side while Kayten did the same on the other. Resting two fingers light on the door handle, David ran them across the top and came away with a small amount of dust, further setting him at ease before he used the same to fingers to test the mechanism. Repeating this process on the next two doors with the same result, the pair had reached a right-angled turn in the hallway then Kayten turned and gave a warning whine, causing David to spin and drop to one knee, eyeing the hallway that they had just come down.

Being the only other one in the Bunker with David and Kayten, as far as he knew, there wasn't too much to worry about except the man's intentions and reaction if he were to be spotted. Still, with today's dangers, there's not a whole lot that isn't dangerous. Every day was a battle for one's life, and Alex knew that. Taking risks was part of staying alive, and if he was risking his life coming down here to see what it was all about and who the Hell opened the thing, well... his death would likely be much faster than if he were eaten alive or something.

So now he pressed on, trying to keep an ear out while fighting this unnatural blindness with squints and struggles to make out dark shapes. It didn't work. However, there was a surprising sense of relief in the sudden green illumination ahead, though it was also fairly startling. Alex gasped and jumped a little, but tried to keep quiet anyway.

Again, he pressed on. However, he did stop when the dog began to whine. Was it hurt? After a moment, he shuffled forward, peering around the corner there only to see David and his dog facing his direction. Quickly, he pulled back and pressed himself against the wall, taking a sharp inhale and breathing shallowly after that.

Sh!t....

The bunker made Lotus nervous. She didn't like being out in the open, but she didn't know what was down there. She pushed her hair off of her shoulder and thought about what to do.

She took a stamp and placed it on her tongue. It was the only thing to do. A hit would calm her - or terrify her. Either way she wouldn't be where she was. She kept walking, heading right for the bunker. She was so scared a minute before, but before the acid really got to her, she was already heading into the perceived danger.

She took one step down the stairs, and then another and then she stumbled down the rest.

Jae stopped, the pain in his head bearable but annoying. He had walked all the way from the river, cautious and wary of potential dangers, but all the taps, brushes, and whacks from various vegetation had finally ground down his patience and caution. Not once had heard any living thing on his way over, and he believed himself safe for now as he stepped into the clearing itself to spot the bunker... though perhaps, he should have been more worried at the general lack of signs accompanying most animal life on his way in. The usual "game trails" had started to grow over, nests and dens had been run down and abandoned, and what scat there was had been around for weeks at earliest.

The man though, was too distracted at the moment to put these facts together, and just missed the sight of Lotus descending into the bunker. Instead he took out his canteen for a long draw of water to distract himself from his aches and pains.

"I was surely not made for such conditions... should have tried to get on the Great Plains." With this statement, for his own benefit, he checks out the abandoned bunker. The door is still wide open, which could potentially be inviting for those looking for shelter, but it depends on what else has made its home within already.

"Well Jae-Sun, looks better than nothing... what could possibly go wrong?" With that he makes his first steps towards the opening.

Tense and making a futile attempt to contain her heavy breathing, Sam listened intently for another sound. There was some rustling in the distance ahead of her, but she couldn't tell what it was.

What to do? She clutched the crowbar tightly and took several brave steps ahead.

She almost screamed when there was a low groan, bordering on a growl, just a few feet behind her. She spun around with the weapon lifted, ready to strike, but it wasn't just one. At least half a dozen had sneaked up on her! She did cry out when one lunged at her, striking it with all the force she could muster. It fell to the ground with a sickening thud, its skull cracked beyond recovery. There was no way she could take another five of them on though, and there might be more waiting among the trees.

So Sam did the only sensible thing: she turned and ran. It didn't matter where to, but it had to be ahead, away from these beings. Her thick body was carried by long strides propelled forward by adrenaline, when she saw a man standing near an open hole. She skidded to a halt, confused but recognizing him as a healthy person. It couldn't be.

Her chest heaved as she looked back. They were following her. She raised the bar at the man. "Are you sick?" And if he didn't answer within a heartbeat, she yelled. "ARE YOU SICK?"

Everything seemed to happen at once to David: The targeted intruder, the stumbling girl, the shouts from outside, and Kayten's ferocious barking, which drown out most of David's incredulous reply at the ridiculous situation.
"-king kidding me?!" Rushing back towards the stairs, he only had time to give the first intruder a bare glance as he vaulted by the second one, yelling a command back to his partner. "Kayten! Detain!"
Kayten, who had started running alongside David, immediately stopped and changed directions, spinning and facing the two new humans, his nose giving him confidential information about them both in a fraction of a second, even as he splayed his legs and bristled up his fur, his teeth bared with a growl.
Making it to the top of the stair, David very nearly shot the giant FBI agent. "JesusChristyou'retall..."
After the moment's shock was over, the former policeman pushed the agent down towards the depths of the bunker before taking a few steps out of the relative safety to fetch the tall female as well. "You too! C'mon!"
Turning to the woods, David noticed what looked like sparking emeralds and flicked on the flashlight, illuminating one of the muties: The phosphorescent eyes, skin the color of burnt paper, claw-like fingers, and this one had been turned long enough for the jaw to start to bifurcate, making it a horrible nightmare creature capable of turning a man's blood to ice.
David gave it one double-ought round to the chest, then another to the face just to make sure before turning and running, screaming for the agent and the tall chick to start shutting the door to the bunker even as he dived in, turning his shotgun out for defense as soon as he landed.

Alex heard David yell in frustration, though had little time to react before he rushed past him. He saw the dog and his rather well-trained behavior both impressed and frightened Alex. Slowly backing away from the dog further into the bunker, he didn't want to be close to that thing if he decided to attack. What was going on up there anyway?

Alex was panting, probably from the sudden rush, the hectic situation exploding into something he couldn't even see just yet. Would he even want to? Still, he pressed himself against a wall and gawked at Kayten, not quite wanting to be as close as he was.

Lotus sat in a heap at the bottom, but she could still see the thing. In her twisted mind it was far worse - and still standing there, speaking in a broken, horrific voice to her. Getting up, she ran to the back of the bunker and found a dark corner to hide in. The dark was safe because while she could still hear the monsters coming for her, she didn't have to see them.

She rocked back and forth, hitting her head against the two walls with each hit, her eyes rolling up. She began to laugh, but even she didn't know why. It made her sound crazy. It made her sound like she was not all there. It made her sound dangerous.

At the sound of Samantha crashing through the forest, Jae would have whipped around, pistol in hand, staring at the apparently unchanged human being before him. He would blink a couple times at her screamed question, but a bit of his training would kick in, "Calm down ma'am, I'm-" That was all the time he had to speak in a civil before the mutants came into view, his eyes widening as he raised his pistol, "-Jesus, run woman!"

Before he could fire, however, he would hear David's quick comment over his shoulder and the insistent tug that was to send him on his way into the bunker. Thankfully, Jae didn't completely flip out when he realized someone had more or less come up and yanked him back without too much warning, and took shelter in the cool, dark concrete structure. Jae's gun pointed out the door, maintaining his firing discipline, covering David until he and Samantha were back inside before slamming the door behind them and fumbling with every potential locking mechanism the door had to ensure it could only be opened from the inside or extreme force.

He spoke! The relief that washed over her was short lived. The dog's barking was attracting more of them, there was no time! Her body moved on its own and she rushed inside, into the unknown darkness.

Sam grunted as she hit a cold, grimy wall and pressed her back into it. Her ragged breath was loud to her own ears in the brief moments of silence between the dog's barks.

"Is anyone sick?" She was so not looking forward to that idea.

When the stick of a girl took off deeper into the bunker, Kayten stopped his growling for a moment and flicked his ears, his version of a uncertain look. The dog shifted his muzzle to the other girl and sniffed in her direction briefly, tasting the air about her and making a threat assessment before giving three sharp and concise barks to let David know that he was changing position before the Belgian Malinoise took off after the other female, his nose burning slightly from the acrid, chemical stink of her sweat and body. Staying in the shadows, Kayten hunkered down and watched the crazed and self destructive behavior, waiting in silence for David's call to reveal himself.
David laid on the stairs for a moment once the agent and the woman finished locking the door, his backpack arching his back uncomfortably and his gear digging into his sides and kidneys. Hearing Kayten's triple bark, the former policeman groaned and rolled himself to the side, pushing himself upwards even as his body started to crash from the adrenaline. Pulling two twelve gauge shells from his chest webbing, ex-male model reloaded his shotgun and straightened, turning to look at the other two. "If y'all wouldn't mind, please wait at the foot of the stairs. And no ma'am, I ain't sick." Cautiously walking the rest of the way down the stairs, David kept his eye out for the other stranger. If the stranger was found, it would be requested that they wait at the foot of the stairs with the others. Either way, David, rather than call for Kayten, followed the sound of the maniacal laughter, letting his shotgun hang from its sling while he reached into a pouch at his waist, confirming that he still had several pair of flexi-cuffs if the need arose.

"I think I got a cold," Alex joked. Ah, but it was in such poor taste, too. His voice was rough and ragged, but also a little breathy and medium in pitch. Completely androgynous. When politely told to wait at the foot of the stairs, he did just that. He supposed it was a little relieving or reassuring that the man was polite. Alex's thoughts were cut short by the strange laughter coming from elsewhere, sounding quite feminine and definitely hysterical.

"What the actual hell?" he asked. "Chill out, lady, you're not doing anyone any good doing that, 'specially yourself...."

Lotus threw her head back, her eyes rolling. Stress was making things worse. It was making things change. She was tempted to have another hit, but she couldn't. She pulled on her hair, yanking it, "Monsters come out to play when my tongue burns." She suddenly stopped laughing, stopped moving. She was silent as the grave, her eyes wide. Her pupils were impossibly large, making her irises seem black.

She didn't get up, she just sat there, but slowly, slowly she murmured to herself.

The final lock turned, bolts all in place, and door barred from outside incursions, Jae would turn to the others and pull the tactical flashlight off of the lower railing on his pistol. Freed from the gun, the small flashlight would click on to illuminate the immediate area while he slid his handgun into its holster on his side. "Had no time to be sick ma'am. I am Jae-sun Park, an investigator of the Bureau... well, if there is a Bureau left..." He had met no one on his way to this place along the river, and his desperate fight to leave the city behind had left little for conversation when what survivors had come across him. Mostly looters and folk too interested in saving their own hides, everyone else be damned. This was the first proper conversation he'd really had since it all started, and it had left little time for introspection or big picture questions.

How many had survived, and of those, who still lived what followed? The question in his mind was fairly subjective, because of course those Things were surely still alive even if they had changed. Was it a global event? Surely it was more than just St. Louis if mutants were this far south... but how much was left out there?

Only when Alex made his quip about having a cold did it snap him back to reality, with a little smile and snort that led to a chuckle. He could hear the other woman laughing like a maniac further down the stairs, and while he considered himself sane, he couldn't help but laugh as well. His own laugh though was not as crazy, and quite involuntary, a release from all the tension that had been increasing ever since Day One... and one little quip about a cold in all this madness, he just couldn't help it! It wasn't even that funny, but he couldn't stop for a good minute. "... I'm sorry, but, oh God is it good to talk to people again!"