Rise of the Living Dead

[MARS]

Eve's heart grew lighter as she heard Kevin also respond positively to the prospect of food. She had been afraid that the others wouldn't want to stop. Then, she remembered something.

"I heard a phone ringing earlier, was it yours?" she asked her companion. She was simply curious to know, and she knew he had been trying to get in contact with his father.

[Velvet LeChance]

"Eh, yeah." Kevin nodded; "I had my dad get onto me, step-dad, like." He ran a had through his hair has he repeated the lie, almost forgetting this time. "Worried, obviously, but I've told him we're fine." He paused a moment, before adding. "When we're stopped I might try get a call through to Sam: getting worried that she hasn't called me yet, she's at the centre of it all, like."

He shrugged, not quite sure why he mentioned such intentions; being more worried about his room-mate than he cared to admit wouldn't be too far off though.

[Dirty Spaceman]

Church Basement

Sam and Kayla reached the basement of the church, where they could see at least half a dozen other evacuees just hanging around. One in particular happened to be a fairly tall, fit man with messy brown hair and rough stubble. It was, of course, Jacob Ajlooni, not that Kayla or Samantha knew or cared. The room was rather large; it seemed to be the kind of space that could be used for multiple purposes. Some sections of the floor were taken up by people's mattresses, blankets, and personal belongings. There was a door on the far side of the room (opposite the stairs) leading to storage, and two doors on the right wall for bathrooms. The unused mattresses and blankets were stacked in the corner; they all looked rather clean. The mattresses were foldable as opposed to inflatable.

Michael

Michael's CD started to play, and he soon was on his way. He soon reached a road checkpoint - not the same one that Kayla, Samantha, Frank, and Alice had passed through, but of identical appearance. An officer walked over, and after Michael rolled down his window, leaned over to speak with him.

"Morning, sir," he said. "Where might you be heading today, and did you run into any trouble on the way down here?"

Greg's Car

Greg brought the car off the highway and to the parking lot of the shop. It was a wooden, log-cabin-esque building that seemed to be connected to a larger complex. The sign read, "Portage Glacier Lodge: Cafeteria & Gifts". He parked the car, and got out, followed by Paula and Marcus. Marcus left the door open for Kevin and Eve, then started heading inside behind his parents.

[POMC S117]

Michael

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. Some police officers appeared at my door and told me to go to a perimeter they've established a few blocks south of my house, but, really, they didn't tell me much. They were about as helpful as a quadriplegic at a building site." Michael said quite tersely. "And no, no trouble on my way here."

[The SheoDovah]

"There's the blankets." Sam told Kayla and pointed to them. "I hope they'll turn on the heaters soon." She said to Kayla as she walked towards the blankets and foldable mattresses. She retrieved one for herself and one for her companion. She wondered if Kevin was fighting the cold or if he had managed to get into a nice warm house.

[philfredobob]

Concluding his short examination, Jacob responded to the room with a simple shrug. Hey, my place ain't no palace He thought, nodding slowly with a contended gurn.

Jacob now turned to face the door into the basement, his goal now to figure out what exactly he was supposed to do. Jacob still found himself utterly confused with his situation; while he had pieced together the main ideas, he had yet to see anything dangerous and the whole threat seemed to have come out of the blue. Seriously, dude, this is the best you can do? Jacob spoke within himself, shooting a look up at the ceiling and jokingly shaking his head with feigned disappointment. And after all the cool ideas we've been throwin' atcha for the last few decades, big man... jeez, at least let me get a look at your zombie handiwork.

Finally, upon considering his location, Jacob ceased his blaspheming and instead turned his attention to the here and now. When the door to the basement opened up, Jacob quickly looked over, hoping the time had come for the shelter's residents to receive some news. Though it might not have been policemen who came through, Jacob was not that displeased with what did in fact arrive, and he observed the two women who had recently made their way in; one red haired and the other a short blonde. Dayum gurl... that redhead's a looker

When the one in bright pink wandered off, Jacob sensed an opportunity, and quickly made his way over to the redheaded girl. ''Hey there!'' Jacob called to Kayla as he came close. He kept a simple smile with mouth shut, staying cool, calm, and collected. ''Sorry to bother ya, miss, but I saw you come in and...'' , He raised his hand to ruffle his hair a little bit, ''...Well, I 'spose it's kinda clear, but I got here a while back and I kinda dozed off. What I meant to ask was how it's lookin' out there, anythin' changed? I mean, you know, what with this 'zombie' stuff floatin' around, ya never know, huh?'' Jacob continued, ending with a puffy chuckle and a roll of his eyes. ''Oh yeah, I forgot. I'm Jacob, by the way'' He concluded, holding out his hand for a shake.

[Dirty Spaceman]

Michael

"Well, this is the perimeter you heard about, so it appears they at least set you in the right direction," said the officer. "Now that you're here, I'd recommend that you head to the nearest shelter we've set up for evacuated citizens like yourself. It'll be on your left down 68th, look for Independent Baptist Church."

Church Basement

As Samantha laid down the two mattresses and blankets, Kayla responded to Jacob: "Oh, hi. I'm Kayla." she took his hand lightly to shake it. "Um, so, anyway - I haven't really seen anything today on our way here, but yesterday at the diner where I work, I think we saw some of the zombies or whatever they are. It was kind of pretty scary, I guess. I think the police are trying to get rid of them all, that's why they evacuated us. I heard they got the army to help too, from the base next to the city."

[philfredobob]

''Jeez, sounds like serious stuff!'' Jacob furrowed his brow and crossed his arms as he spoke. ''I know a guy... I mean, uh, knew, or um.. funny story really, but ehm...'' He froze for a moment, losing his train of thought. ''A-anyway; he said he saw someone actin' freaky as well, like the zombie movies and stuff. Weird [&@%!], huh?''

Jacob glanced over and noticed Kayla's friend had now returned. ''Oh hi there, I'm Jacob. I was just speakin' with Kayla here about this zombie business.'' He said in greeting, lowering one arm to his and scratching his head with the other. ''I haven't really seen anythin' myself, so I'm a bit outta the loop. Didn't mean to come across as so forward.''

[The SheoDovah]

"Hi, I'm Sam." Sam told Jacob as she finished putting the mattresses on the floor and gave Kayla a blanket. "Hopefully, they'll be able to sort it out." She said to Jacob whilst sitting down on her mattress and wrapped the blanket around her to try to warm herself up. "Do you know when they'll turn the heaters on?" She asked Jacob.

[MARS]

Eve continued their conversation as she stepped inside, though she didn't neglect to frantically look in all directions in order to spot something edible. Kevin's mention of his dad, or step-dad, whichever it might be, reminded her of her own father. Her stomach cramped at the thought of him and her running away. It was a strange feeling; she felt as if though she really ought to talk to him, but the longer she didn't the more afraid she became of doing so.

"Eh, whatever," she said in regards to Samantha. "I bet she's fine and just doesn't give enough of a [&@%!] to call. Probably still trying to get with that other girl. Reminds me of someone."

[Velvet LeChance]

Kevin raised an eyebrow in surprise at the girls derisive commentary: of course, it was more than likely correct - if Sam wasn't calling it was more probable she was busy making a fool of herself than being confronted by some mortal threat, but Eve's bluntness still forced him into a double-take. He didn't dwell on it though; it would be a lie to say he wasn't a tad angry with Sam himself: she'd been told to come with him and had still [&@%!] off with that girl - leaving him with a big ball of anxiety lodged in by his stomach.

"Not someone I'd now then?" He was just trying to keep some element of the conversation going as he walked alongside her.

[MARS]

"No, thankfully you don't." Eve was talking about her father, but she wasn't going to say that. She noticed that Kevin seemed taken aback with the way she had spoken about Sam and felt a little bad, but not much. She had said it because she believed it to be true. Tact just wasn't her thing.

"So what do you think we might get here?" she asked, attempting to change the subject.

[philfredobob]

''Ehm, no, not really'' Jacob spoke, then took a short look around the room and held his hand out to point to some of the other people in there with them. ''But I'm pretty sure these folks have been around here for a while, and based on that, and all these blankets lyin' around, and us still havin' the heatin' off... Maybe they ain't got it?'' He put out his arms to his sides and shrugged, indicating his lack of certainty.

Soon after he finished and Sam sat down, Jacob began to roll her previous statement through his mind. ''Sorry, but did you say: They'll be able to sort it out?'' Jacob repeated Sam's earlier words sarcastically, ''No offense, lady, but haven't you seen the movies? the cops always...'' He waved his hands around in front of him, trying to put together a decent way to make his point ''....get their... brains eaten, a-and stuff, when they do [&@%!] like this?'' He continued, holding his arm out to gesture the room they were in.

Mentally, Jacob was smacking himself in the face for his bluntness. ''I mean, to be honest, the only reason I really came down here was just hopin' to get a free meal!'' Jacob slapped his abdomen as he spoke, and let out a short burst of laughter, trying to lighten the mood before he got back on topic. ''Um... nevermind that, though. What I was gettin' at is just that, I mean, this basement ain't exactly a prime safe-spot for a zombie apocalypse'' He placed that final word between large, obvious air quotation marks. ''Know what I mean?''

[Velvet LeChance]

"Eh.." Kevin didn't quite know yet. "I'll tell you what -" The youth broke into his pocket and began to rummage for his wallet: on finding it, he withdrew forty dollars. "You can decide, while I head out and give Sam that call - just try get some stuff that's not going to go off soon: never know what might happen, like". He placed the money into the girls hand. "That's alright, innit?"

[The SheoDovah]

"What can i say? I'm an optimistic." Sam told Jacob as she laid down on the mattress and used every inch of the blanket to cover her body in an attempt to warm up. "Ok." She said to the man as she pulled out her phone and brought up Kevin's number before phoning him.

[philfredobob]

''Ok?'' Jacob muttered in a confused reply, and afterwards an irritated frown formed on his face as he noticed her reaching for her phone, soon to be replaced by a faked smile and a double 'thumbs up'.

Jacob looked away for a moment and raised a hand as if to scratch his face; but in truth, he used it to cover it as he rolled his eyes. Eugh, and I thought I was being rude...

As he considered walking away to find company more suited to him, Jacob happened to look over at Kayla, quickly shooting her a smile. His eyes then fell back on Sam. Jacob crossed his arms, and with a light, yet grumpy sigh, he decided to stay put.

[The SheoDovah]

"Just checking on my roomate." Sam told Jacob. "He left the city yesterday or at least, will be heading out of the city today and i think he may worry if i don't give him a call because of what's happening here." She told the man whilst lying on the mattress.

[Unionhack]

Hidden:

Alright, I got the OK on joining so here's my character, as requested. Long title on my location because first post.

Name: Julius Lemartes
Age: 31
Sex: Male
Occupation: Ex US Marine, Auto Mechanic (Recently laid-off)
Reason for being in Anchorage: Visiting a friend for some hunting to get his mind off the anniversary of his recent divorce.
Accomodations: Vacation-home log cabin near Chugach State Park, belongs to his friend Eric. Has a 2 bedroom house of his own in Mill Creek, Washington (a suburb of Seattle).
Appearance: Gunnery Sergeant Julius Lemartes is a tall African American man, standing at 6'3" with a muscular physique and dark skin. His hair, gone three years without being cut or shaved, lies in dreadlocks that reach just beyond his shoulders. He has goatee-shaped stubble, but is otherwise clean shaven. He is missing his left ring finger, having lost it in Iraq.
Clothing: Wears an insulated black hunting jacket with several pockets. With this, he wears a pair of worn blue jeans and black work boots. Possesses a pair of polarized sunglasses, but doesn't wear them very often. He also has a pair of black gloves.
Weapons & Equipment: On Person: 1 Beretta M9 Pistol, 1 Pump-Action Hunting Shotgun (if starting in a civilized area, then just the pistol)
At the Cabin: Two more shotguns, a standard first-aid kit and various hunting supplies. Nothing to last more than a few days.
Other Items: Personal smartphone (With 'California Love' for a ringtone), wallet, A red '91 Chevy Camaro with about 150,000 miles on it parked at the cabin, various outfits and toiletries brought with him to Anchorage to stay at the cabin.
Skill Statistics:
S - 6
E - 8
P - 6
I - 6
A - 4
Personality: Lawful Neutral - In the recent years since his rough divorce and discharge from the armed forces, Julius has come to long for any sense of structure. Needles complexity and disorganization angers him, as does senseless bickering. He is very pragmatic and has no use for sentimentality. He keeps very few keepsakes.

Despite his typical stoic attitude, he is not unable to laugh or have a good time; he simply believes there is a time and place for everything. He is not lawful in the sense that he is against the breaking of laws; he is simply very orderly and tries to adhere to his own personal code of ethics.
Background: Born on August 6th, 1983 in Washington State, Julius lived a rather textbook American-dream early life; the oldest of 5 kids in a run-down Seatte suburb, Edwin went to high school determined to make himself a better man than the other residents of his neighborhood. He graduated with a 3.4 Grade Point Average and several awards in Track & Field, and decided to take a few years off before making up his mind about where he wanted to go after school. After 3 years of helping out at an Auto shop, he decided to join the United States Marines after marrying his high school sweetheart, Tanya at the age of 21.

Five years and several tours of duty in Iraq later, Julius came back from a tour to discover his wife in the middle of an act of infidelity with a longtime friend of his, Martin. One court case later and Julius found himself losing most of his possessions and the custody of his only daughter, Jasmine. He settled in an apartment in Seattle and shut himself out from family and friends for a while. A few weeks later he got a call from a concerned close friend of his from the Marines, a man named Eric Stratmann, inviting him for some hunting at Chugach National Park in Anchorage, Alaska, to get his mind off of things. Thus began Julius and Eric's annual month-long hunting getaway tradition, something that he looked forward to.

With a bit of saving, Julius was able to afford a home in Mill Creek near Seattle. A few months later he was laid off from his job as an auto mechanic, and thus was put in another tight spot. He and Eric decided to move up the date of the hunting trip to December instead of later the next year before Julius would have to worry about finding another job. He is currently about halfway through the vacation, planning on returning home mid-January. This is, of course, before the zombie incident occurred.

Extra Information:
Tanya - Ex Wife (Age 31)
Eric Stratmann - Military Comrade, Close Friend (Age 30)
Jasmine - Daughter (Age 8)
Frederick, Edward, Nathaniel, Johnathan - Younger Brothers (26, 24, 20, 20 years of age respectively)

Julius has very little contact with his ex-wife and his family. He sees his daughter a few times every year.

Gunnery Sergeant Julius Lemartes - Portage Glacier Lodge Cafeteria

Outside the Lodge sat an inconspicuous red Chevy Camarro.

Inside, on the other hand, sat a dark-skinned muscular man, who was idly holding a half-eaten sandwich in one hand a smartphone in the other. His thumb was aptly at work scrolling down a list of news headliners as he tried to keep himself updated on the apparent developing crisis. Occasionally he switched to the messaging app to text his family or his traveling friend Eric, who was a ways ahead of him in the evacuation.

The man's stoic demeanor betrayed his inner sense of worry at the situation. With a sigh he laid his phone down for a moment to rub his forehead, as he always did when he was stressed.

[MARS]

Eve and Kevin

Eve took the money without counting and nodded. "Sure." She headed inside and looked around, noticing a man sat at a table, holding a sandwich and rubbing his head as if the sandwich was causing him great distress. Eve decided that it was probably something else, and not the sandwich. Sandwiches, though.

She went up to the counter and looked over the wares. Apparently you could make your own sandwich here. Nice. However, there was no staff around. The girl looked around to see if she could find anyone, but the only one in the room was the guy who already had a sandwich. She decided to ask him how he managed to get it.

"Uuuh, excuse me," she said stiffly. Talking to strangers was never going to be something she liked doing. "Do you know if there's any sandwiches around. I mean, staff. Staff that makes sandwiches." God damn, how stupid. She tried her hardest to repress the blood that was rushing to make her face glow bright red.

[Velvet LeChance]

Kevin had let Eve go with the barest nod, going for his phone as she'd entered the shop.

Strangely, it was as he'd gripped it in his hand that it had begun to vibrate; ringing. It was Sam.

"Hell- Hello? Sam, is that you?" he asked into the phone. "Are you okay? What's happening there?" His mind was a race with question, newscasts had not given him huge room for hope.

[The SheoDovah]

Samatha was glad that Kevin had answered his phone and wasn't surprised when he asked her a lot of questions. "Hi Kev! Yes, it's Sam and apart from freezing my arse off, i'm ok. They have set up a shelter and we're at it." She told her roomate whilst lying down on the mattress. "They're checking everyone who enters the shelter and there's no heaters. So far, nothing's happened and I hope they can sort out the zombies." She told Kevin as she rolled over to her right. "Anything happened on your end?" She asked him.

[Velvet LeChance]

Kevin was slightly taken aback by the rapid response, still trying to make sense of the flurry of information as it came to his turn to respond:

Sam was fine, was what he eventually took out of it.

"I'm fine .." came his answer a moment later. "We stayed the night at that cook's house: Marcus. We're about to board a ferry to cross back over to mainland Alaska." He paused a moment, considering his options before adding: "Look, Sam, we're going to cross over the border and head to Canada: you should follow us over, it's not safe were you are."

[The SheoDovah]

Sam was glad that Kevin was ok and listened to what he said. "I'm glad you're ok, Kev." She told him as she shifted slightly on her mattress. She heard his suggestion and remained silent for a few seconds. "It's cold as [&@%!] over here and Canada is just as bad, if not, worse then here. But if they can't handle the zombies, I'll try to head to the mainland but so far, they seem to be handling it." She told him as she looked at Kayla.

[Unionhack]

Julius - Lodge

Julius looked up from his thoughtful gaze at a corner of the table and eyed Eve, then looked at his sandwich. He had been so absorbed in his phone and looking things up that he had almost lost track of what was going on around him. "Oh, uh..." he mumbled at first, looking up at the unmanned sandwich bar. "I just grabbed whatever I could find and helped myself." answered the man. "You should do the same if you're evacuating. Keep yourself full."

[Velvet LeChance]

'Dense', came to mind.

Kevin had told his friend yesterday that it would get worse - and it had -, why she thought it would get better now, after it had degenerated to the state it was in, was beyond him: he shook his head, trying to keep the frustration out of his tone. "What does it being cold have to do with it!?" he considered that a moment further - just that: the cold had nothing to do with anything, her situation the way it was. He paused a moment, collecting himself after that unfortunate half-outburst. "Look, just listen: you take care of yourself there - alright? - and if it gets worse I want you to put a call straight through - right? Don't wait like you did now." He paused not sure if he was able to deal with the instant-frustration Sam seemed to just be wired to produce. "I'mma head now: you remember what I said just there. Take care of yourself."

He hung up, not waiting for the response: he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. With a deep sigh, he turned on his heel and began to head back inside.