Steps heavy and slow, a man with a long, gray coat enters the medical ward with a blade in his hand, the back of his boot kicking the coat every few steps as he approaches one of the beds. Growling sounding louder with every step towards the figure takes, the figure pulls his weapon to his side and forces it forward, blood spewing from the head of the undead cuffed to its final resting place.
“Awfully merciful of you” Lou exclaims from the opposite side of the room, half of his left arm having been removed, the other half handcuffed to a railing beside him. “Glad to see you awake, kid” Matt replies, the start of a beard beginning to form on his face. “If you hadn’t woken up soon, I would’ve taken you for dead” Matt explains, “so I guess this is a promising sign.” Nodding, Lou looks towards the porthole window a few feet away, fingerprints scattered along one portion of the otherwise clean glass. “I suppose you’ve found yourself a burial site already?” Lou wonders, he and Matt both having glanced at the window, the man left to throw his hands out and back away, returning to the new corpse. “We need a way to discard of the dead while we’re aboard a ship” Matt explains, wrapping each side of the bedsheet over the body. “I’m not gonna argue an effective way of clearing out space” Lou replies, watching Matt struggle to pull the body towards the window before tossing it out as if it were another piece of trash. Looking down, Lou pulls his arm back, the rattling cuffs locked around his wrist ringing out against the cold metal, the man glancing towards Matt as if to ask for his release. Tilting his head to crack his own neck, Matt takes a seat beside Lou, explaining that he has a few questions for the man before he can feel confident enough to release him. “I guess I should start by asking what you can do around here, aboard the ship I mean” Matt begins, watching Lou begin to consider his choices. “I was never a guy to have a plan” Lou replies, “whatever I learned to do came with learning on the job.” Folding his hands, Matt looks at Lou with curiosity, the man left with only and arm and a half to survive noticing this almost immediately. “You have other plans for me than typical house work, don’t you?” Lou proceeds, Matt taking this inquiry as his moment to float the question out. “You just survived an infection most people would have died by a long time ago” Matt explains, “it’d be sad if you died so soon after, but there’d be so much potential with you doing something else.” Playing along, Lou allows Matt to explain what the other potential would be, surprised when Matt explains his statement in further detail than Lou anticipated. “We’ve got a severe lack of people for our gambling halls, and I think you’d be the perfect fit for the entertainment” Matt replies, Lou immediately shoved into a world of confusion. “I’m not much the singing and dancing type” Lou replies, Matt sprouting a devious smile while he implores Lou to see the dream before it’s realized. Having been released from his bed, Lou is guided by Matt through the tunnels of the Euronam and into the darkest and deepest depths the vessel has to offer. Continuing onward, Lou is taken through water damaged halls, concrete-built holding cells, dented metal-walled tool sheds and more before finally being shown the main course. Having to lower his head to squeeze through the opening, Lou follows Matt into a spacious lower deck with viewing platforms in every direction one floor above. “I don’t think this is going to make me want to sing for your entertainment” Lou replies, a gleeful Matt looking at Lou and promising him much more than that. “I don’t want you to sing for me, Lou” Matt replies, his hand pressing against the man’s shoulder as if he were installing wisdom, “I want you to fight for me.” Their eyes locking onto each other, it is Matt to separate them first, glancing towards the opposite end of the room, where two doors, one on each side of the deck, release a string of the undead. “It’s not the most impenetrable system, but it’s more than efficient!” Matt explains, “and I want you to be the main event every evening.” Casually drifting closer to the fence, Lou inspects the structural integrity of what would be his only safety whilst inside, asking Matt what the incentive to agree would be. “For a start, I wouldn’t have to add you to the wall” Matt replies, “but because I’m fair, you’d get a split of the profit.” Turning back, Lou’s looks over his shoulder and repeats the final word Matt had just uttered. “Exactly what profit do you expect to gain from all of this?” Lou asks, Matt removing something from his pocket before tossing it to the man. Without issue, Lou catches the piece, Matt joking that the man’s hand-eye coordination gives him confidence. Holding the piece to his eye, Lou begins to notice the light from above reflecting off of it’s smooth surface. “Gold?” Lou inquires, Matt responding in kind. “Every dead you kill will be piled up and counted at the end of each night” Matt explains, “for every one dead discarded, you’ll earn one golden coin.” With a chuckle, Lou tosses the coin back to Matt before glancing back towards the wall again, more interested in the waves he’ll have to encounter than the value of a few gold coins. “Why are you doing this?” Lou asks, his natural curiosity getting the best of him, “the world’s falling apart and you’re still interested in making money.” Shaking his head, Matt returns the coin to his jacket pocket, assuring Lou that he has it all mistaken. “The world isn’t ending, it’s just evolving” Matt replies, “it’ll return to some sort of noramalicy eventually, and when it does, I’ll have tapped into a completely new market!” His eyes squinting, Lou tells Matt that he’d be delusional to believe that the world could ever return to normal after all that has happened. “Any new normal would never come close to what it used to be” Lou explains, “the days of capitalism are over, it’s time to accept that.” In complete disagreement, Matt assures Lou that capitalism is what caused all of this to begin with, as the concept ate itself from the inside to create a new definition of the term. “When shit hit the fan, everyone began looting rather than purchasing because no law and order was there to stop them” Matt explains, “as soon as authority gets involved, people go back to making purchases rather than committing crimes.” His finger pointing towards the wall, Matt catches up to Lou, telling him that taking part in the pit of Euronam’s darkest depths will equal the fame to that of any athlete or musician. “You’re an artist and I’m your producer” Matt explains, “or if it suits you better… I’m your head coach, and you’re my quarterback.” Walking to a corner of the room and grabbing a stick, Matt begins rattling the fences, riling up the horde and further increasing the audible groaning. “You’re only interested in making a profit, aren’t you?” Lou proceeds, Matt turning around with his hands held out triumphantly, “the only point of being alive, in this world or any other, is to turn a profit!” With a deep breath, Lou thinks about his options whilst Matt further tries to convince him, reminding the man that he’ll be the apocalypse’s first true celebrity. “I’ll do it in return for all that you’ve promised and a little bit more” Lou replies, Matt sarcastically suggesting he took the head coach-quarterback analogy literally. “If I’m doing business with you, and I’m supposedly the next big celebrity, there’s gonna be some negotiation” Lou replies, Matt offering the floor to the man. “I want just one more guarantee” Lou replies, Matt more than willing to negotiate if the right offer is made. “I don’t know where you get the dead, I don’t want to know, and I don’t care to know” Lou explains, “I just wanna ensure that anyone I came aboard with, and anyone they associate with, are spared from every being added into this thing. Either as a fighter, a spectator, or one of the dead” His hands waving at the wall of undead with disgust, Lou looks towards Matt, more than happy at this outcome. “I can fulfill that if you agree right now” Matt replies, putting Lou on the clock, the man not needing much time before accepting the offer. With a salesman smile and an outstretched hand, Matt shakes on the deal with Lou, sealing the future of both men. = RISE and REVOLT is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series from Season 1 onwards belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media = Hands sweaty and forehead glistening in perspiration, Lou’s three other colleagues for the evening worry over the following proceedings, but almost marvel in Lou’s composure. “Are you not scared dude?” one of the men asks, his hair long and blonde, his arms and legs thin and mostly without much muscle. “Nope” Lou replies, taking a roll of tape and using his mouth to cover his hands and arms. “Lou Jack?” a man calls from off to the side, approaching the man with one arm and handing him a prosthetic. “Matt didn’t want you to be at any disadvantage” the man explains, casually walking away as Lou places the prosthetic on. The feeling weird at the moment, Lou uses the prosthetic to tape his arm over, a thick layer of duck tape covering his forearm before removing the prosthetic and tossing it across the room. “What was that for?” one of the men ask, this one wearing shorts and a tank top much as he had when he originally boarded. “I don’t need it” Lou replies, the first man with long blonde hair called into the pit almost right after. Walking into the center with a high level of anxiety, the man is greeted with a roaring crowd, ready to watch one of two outcomes prevail. Introductions out of the way, bets are halted and the gate is lifted, the opening wave consisting of around ten undead. Taking an axe, the man shoves away the first few before beginning to put them down, wasting time and energy in heavy swings to the skull. Patiently awaiting their turn in the pit, the remaining fighters lean against a viewing window and watch the events unfold, perhaps holding the best seat in the house. “How long do you have him going?” Lou asks, the other two unable to answer with the level of fear coursing through their bodies. Continuing to swing for his life, the man begins to take too long removing the axe, having to abandon the weapon once the swarm collapses too far. Shoving his way out, the man returns to the corner of the room, looking through a garbage bin for anything resembling a sharp object. Finally finding his choice of weapon, the man runs around the deck trying to distract the dead in any one direction, beginning to change his strategy into evading the dead, much to the audience’s displeasure. “I’m Lou” the man explains in the back, offering his hand out to two men he now knows as named Nico and Warren. Amused, Lou watches the events unfold through the window, both men stood beside him staring in amazement at his ease of it all. Continuing to run around, the man in the pit takes a few potshots at the dead before eventually running off again. The displeasure from the crowd above turning into boos, the man becomes enticed to bring the action once more, lunging towards one of the dead with his dagger in hand before slipping on one of the prior corpses. “It’s over” Lou exclaims, walking away from the window to prepare for his own fight once the man disappears into the pit. His fall taking him directly into the center of the remaining dead, the man’s fate is sealed, his flesh being torn at by the undead until the guards put a stop to it. Dressed in heavy military gear, the guards storm into the horde without worry and shove the dead away, picking the bite-covered, flesh-exposed man up and dragging him towards the fence. With a nod, the guards signal for one of the men stationed in the unseen corners of the pit to wheel out a ladder the likes of which normally found in local supermarkets and bulk stores. Groaning in pain, having been ripped into by the undead, the man thanks the guards as coherently as he can for saving his life. Without response, the guards carry the body up the ladder, much as they do with the undead, and dump it over the top, allowing it to plummet into the horde. Covering their mouths at the sight, Warren and Nico can’t help themselves from watching the remainder of what is left of the man being torn from the bone by the caged undead. “I wouldn’t waste so much time with a heavy weapon if I were you” Lou exclaims, finally ripping the sights of Warren and Nico away, insisting they go with lighter weapons. Now up, Nico rushes towards the can and retrieves a syckle, slashing the face of one of the undead before the first wave can even emerge from captivity yet. Backing away to create distance, Nico glances around the room to put a strategy into mind, an action that Lou takes appreciation in from his own captivity. Seeing his opportunity, Nico leads the dead into one corner against the fence before scaling the chain link, leaping for a clear section of the deck before stumbling. With a grunt, Nico continues fighting, his ankle hurt in the process of his stunt, forcing Lou to shake his head and walk away from the view, determining the man to be nothing more than a wounded piece of meat. Despite the circumstances looking grim, Nico continues battling, hacking away at the dead and using whatever he can locate for an advantage. Removing a hatchet, Nico plays the same evasion the man earlier had, only picking his spots as they appear. One by one, the dead begin to fall, a wounded Nico being given a second lease on life. Like a warrior, the man continues fighting, Matt impressed in the viewing decks at the heart on display. One after another, the dead fall until just one remains, half of its face cut off by Nico’s earlier efforts. His sights set on ending the first wave, Nico readies his hatchet and walks towards the undead, lifting his weapon into the air before freezing at the sound of a gun. Confused by this sound, Lou races to the window to look out at what happened, Warren’s jaw dropped at the sight of the hatchet falling from Nico’s hands. Eyes directed towards Matt, Nico watches the plume of smoke billow from Matt’s gun, a bullet having ripped through his chest and ended his life. Still stood on instinctive strength, Nico is left helpless to the final of the undead catching up to him and digging in. Spoiled at the feast, the final undead rips into Nico, putting great concern in the faces of both Warren and Lou. Eventually, the guards break it up, the chorus of booing at Matt serving as the backdrop for their disposal efforts, pulling both Nico and the undead away from the deck and tossing them into the horde much as the man earlier had suffered the fate of. Addressing the concerns, Matt obliges to the demands of the crowd, apologizing for his interference and vowing not to do it again. As a show of good faith, Matt tosses his weapon into the pit, symbolically wiping his hands clean of the evidence and leaving the next fight to occur uninterrupted. Backing away from the window, Lou shakes his head in disgust, a worried Warren left to fear being the next in line to a similar fate. “He’ll find a way to put you down” Lou exclaims, Warren glancing back to the man, who keeps his composure and continues preparing. Both arms wrapped in duct tape from top to bottom, Lou tells Warren to figure out how to evade interference as best as possible. Baffled, Warren asks Lou how he’s meant to do that without getting torn apart by the horde. With a look of disgust, Lou groggily looks up, reminding Warren that he now has a gun. The third fight of the evening taking place, Warren quickly dashes into the pit and grabs the firearm, aiming it at Matt before the horde’s gate can even be opened. Gasps from the crowd at the sight of one of their own being taken aim at, Matt is left simply staring at Warren, almost as if he were daring him to steady his hand and pull the trigger. “Come on you gutless son of a bitch” Lou mutters beneath his breath, watching the staredown between two levels unfold. No longer keen on wasting time, the guards release the horde and allow the decision in Warren’s hands to be put on a timer. Hands pressing against the bannister, Matt continues staring down at Warren, whose hand shakes at the sight of the man, knowing the horde to be growing closer. “Do it” Matt mouths, Warren pulling the hammer on the gun back before redirecting him aim. Taking the gun from Matt and placing it beneath his chin, Warren pulls the trigger, splattering his brains against the blood-stained pit grounds to a chorus of booing. Their opportunity presenting itself, the horde dives in on their meal, the guards beginning to prepare for another extraction. Boiling over in anger, Lou hurls expletives at the newly-deceased man and punches the wall, moving ahead of schedule and bursting through the pit door. The booing coming to a halt at the sighting of Lou, the work begins to take effect. One and a half arms to use, Lou retrieves the firearm and directs the guards to stay back. Emptying the clip into whatever dead rest atop Warren, Lou tosses the empty gun back to the man that signed him into this effort and goes to work. Removing a rebar rod from the garbage can, Lou begins twirling it around as if he were a martial arts expert, putting the dead down with ease. Within the blink of an eye, the first wave Lou has to face goes down in an instant, the crowd erupting into an ovation as Matt flashes a devious smile to his star recruit. Bowing his head as if he were tipping his cap, Lou responds in kind, the voice over the loudspeaker calling for the next wave of fifteen to be released, only for Lou to shout out that there will be a change of plans. Intrigued, the crowd dies into a complete silence, Lou planting his rebar pipe into the ground and demanding the entire horde be released from its captivity. In astonishment, the crowd collectively wonders in amazement, Matt himself stricken with fear at the possibility of a single man being able to wipe out a sizable horde with nothing more than a piece of construction material. Refusing to let the man’s demands go unheard, the guards nod to themselves and drop the gate completely, the metal fencing falling to the ground at once as Lou goes to work. One after another, the dead fall, very little ground being gained on Lou in the time it takes for him to flatten an entire deck’s worth of undead. Jaw dropped, Matt watches Lou clean house easily, the man he nearly expected to succumb to his coma now looking like he was built out of pure stamina and precision. One after another, the dead continue to fall until Lou gets bored, now beginning to take interest in toying with the undead. Considering them to be nothing more than slow, weak wastes of time and energy, Lou treats them like they’re children playing in a man’s game. Taunting them, Lou holds his arm out and allows them to sink their teeth into his duct tape-covered nub of an arm before backing them against a wall and using his hand to crush their skulls against the cold metal. Within moments, the dead continue to fall, one after another until the final corpse remaining finds its head caved in by the sole of his boot. In the blink of an eye, the hungry horde found its release and demise at the hands of the man ready to do it all over again. Erupting into cheers, the crowd are greeted by the sound of any wagers placed on Warren to be paid out as winners. Glancing up towards Matt, Lou nods again, bowing his head whilst Matt gives him a well deserved applause. “How about another?” Lou calls out, Matt taking his eyes away from Lou and placing them to the guards, who do as instructed and free the doors in the back. Upon request, Lou is granted access to the ships supply of undead, one corpse after another pooling into the pit and finding their fates to be similar to that of each other. | Unwrapping his arms, Lou prepares for a cold shower until Matt comes barging into the locker room, unable to stop shouting pleasantries at Lou, who he nicknames “the Silver Slayer.” With a chuckle, Lou lets the water run, promising him that a nickname is not necessary. “Just get me my gold and let me know when next” Lou offers, Matt refusing to leave the efforts go with such little reward. Abruptly, Matt turns the water off, telling the man to get dressed and follow him out of the gross changing space. As told, Lou follows Matt through the way he entered and into the rest of the ship, the luxurious orange glow of the halls leading up to his room beginning to fill with people taking interest in Lou’s presence. “I told you I’d make you a star” Matt explains, arm wrapped arm Lou’s neck, proclaiming the man to all under the Silver Slayer monicker. Some residents entering the halls simply to applaud Lou’s efforts, others nodding to him with poorly hidden smiles as he walks by, Lou is drenched in admiration from those that now know his name. His walk of fame coming to an abrupt end, Lou is led to a room at the ver end of the hallway, a massive suite waiting for him on the other side, lined with decour from top to bottom and accompanied with a pile of gold coins left atop the bed. “You deserve much better circumstances than that craped medical ward” Matt explains, “we figured we’d introduce it to you the way you earned it.” In awe, Lou fails to put his thoughts into words, the sights of what is to be his new home being what most would have to spend a fortune just to rent for a few measly days. “This is mine?” Lou asks, the words being the only ones he can manage to say at the time. “The room, the coins, the view, everything” Matt replies, walking up to the man and patting him on the back, “it’s all yours, slayer.” With that, Matt returns for the door, explaining that it’ll be a few days before they can get more dead aboard the ship, so he’s more than welcomed to lounge around for the next week until they can fill their supply once more. Attempting to leave, Matt is called back by his new recruitment, Lou asking about the well-being of his group. “They’re a bit skeptical of us” Matt admits, acknowledging this to be normal for people entering a new situation, “but they’re alive and healthy.” With a smile, Lou thanks Matt for keeping his word, the man holding his hands by his head and reminding Lou that they’ve agreed on a deal. Attempting to leave once more, Matt is beckoned for again, Lou asking Matt if he can do him a favor smaller than anything their agreement holds. More than happy to oblige, Matt hears Lou’s request, confused by it at first before ultimately agreeing. “Don’t let Ally know that I’m alive” Lou asks, Matt nodding without a word, silently agreeing to the statement before finally succeeding at leaving Lou to his new space. With a deep breath, the one-armed man looks towards the balcony, still getting used to the feeling of being disabled, but being afforded a nice enough view to not worry over it too much. Sliding the glass door open, Lou walks onto his balcony and closes the door behind himself, his room giving him access to two different sights, one facing the ocean, the other facing the lounging area. Leaning over the bannister, the man takes in the sights of the endless body of deep, blue water as he slouches into a cushioned seat and takes the first chance he can to relax into something that feels more permanent than anything else he’s seen since the outbreak began. | Doing as he had the week prior, Lou goes to work in the pit, clearing out another wave and dropping one body after another. Finally at the end of the first horde, Lou glances up towards Matt, the curious sight of Lee’s familiar face baffling the man currently awaiting the next swarm. Almost enraged, Lou stare down Matt, almost as if to condemn him for his betrayal. With a smile, Matt puts his hands out and shrugs, an angered Lou ready to snap until the sound of unfamiliar squeals fill the room. The crowd dying to silence, all eyes are placed on the space behind the contained horde, Lou left completely in the dark as the lights go out, the pit illuminated by only one, dim fire’s orange glow. Before the dead can pile into the next wave, Lou catches the glimpse of the figure having unceremoniously found her way inside. Eyes widened, Lou stands in shock at Jenn on the other end of the fence, faced against the next wave he was meant to endure. On instinct alone, Lee leaps over the bannister and drops himself into the pit, the curious crowd questioning each other as to what is happening. Shouting the woman’s name, Lee rushes towards the bin of discarded weapons and picks up a broken baseball bat, hurling it over the gate and into the hands of Jenn. His own mallet in hand, Lee looks towards Lou, nodding to the man as Lou demands the next wave be freed. To a standing ovation, the crowd erupts, gate falling as the bright white lights return overhead, the three survivors waging war on the next wave from all sides. Using the strands of wood protruding from the broken bat, Jenn puts down one undead after another, Lee doing his part whilst Lou mimicks a helicopter fan, taking down the undead at an alarmingly fast rate. Having cleared a passageway, Lou hurries through the horde, taking out the undead trying to close in as he pulls Jenn back to his favored side of the pit. Tossing her bat at Matt, Jenn watches the man easily tilt his head away from the oncoming danger, brushing this gesture off and grabbing a golf club. “Release the whole fucking thing and give me my lot!” Lou shouts, the guards doing as told and granting the request made just as they had the week prior. The dead falling at an inhumane rate, blood is splattered all across the pit, enough for pockets of the deck to be covered in enough gore to create a puddle. Lee whacking away at the dead whilst Jenn tees off, Lou cleans house until the dead begin piling atop each other. Finally reaching the end, Lou takes the final dead and places his nub in its mouth, the tape covering his flesh from exposure as Lou demands the gate be raised up once more. Doing as told, the guards lift the fencing whilst Jenn and Lee watch on, Lou pressing the undead against the fence by the throat and pushing in, its brains being turned to mush against the steel grating. His job done, Lou receives a standing ovation, looking up at Matt, who gives him a familiar applause. Disgusted, Lou keeps his rebar piping on him, spitting towards Matt and telling him to have his payment by the end of the night. Leading his survivors through the showers, Lou breaches into the luxury spaces of the ship to another familiar applause, the much on his shoes staining the carpet with each step he takes. “I want you to tell me everything, top to bottom, leave nothing out” Lou demands, directing the pair into his new home. “I’m not gonna allow this shit to fly” the man concludes, peering out into the hallway for another moment before slamming the door shut, harboring the pair in his quarters and shielding everything within from the outside. == RISE and REVOLT ==
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Door unlocking upon clearance, Ally emerges from her room and into a ship scarred by situation. Every deck seemingly outfitted with an armed patrol man, the ship transforms from a sanctuary vessel to a prison boat in the blink of an eye, each step being one made with caution. “Everyone be weary of what you say” Ally whispers, those behind her made aware that something is off.
“Everyone gather the-” Ally starts, her orders impeded when a disguised Theo grabs her by the inner elbow and leads her away, directing his remaining survivors into a small and quaint corner. “We need to figure out how to get off this ship” Theo says, his words kept brief, but the vagueness of his statement causing the need to say more. “They’ve got some fucked up system that I don’t understand working as currency on this thing” Theo explains, further confessing to the murder of a ship worker in the inventory room. “What the hell did you do!?” Jenn asks, Theo explaining the events as they happened, holding a pillow case out with his hand, ruffled papers within shuffling around with every slight movement. “I’m telling you, there is something wrong here and shit is about to hit the fan” Theo continues, “so we need a way off this thing and we need it now.” Shaking her head, Ally refuses, the group still without the man they were led aboard by. “Until we get Lou, we’re not leaving this ship” Ally explains, “if you want to talk about this plan, we’ll talk about it when we get Lou back.” With a deep breath, Theo informs Ally that they’re no longer certain he’s still alive. “Look at this place!” Theo mutters, his hand extended towards each corner, all guarded by patrol. “We’ve been here just a few, short weeks and we’ve already seen what happens when shit gets bad” Theo continues, “we don’t wanna be around when it all comes crashing down.” “Did you put the worker out or did you leave him?” Jenn asks, the question needing to be asked for a full picture. “I left him” Theo replies, disappointment draining the life behind his reply, making it clear that the potential for another outbreak is coming quickly. “We’re on a boat in the freezing Pacific, probably hours away from being overrun” Theo explains, “I don’t wanna believe Lou’s dead, but this boat either goes down with just Lou dead, or all of us dead.” Her head hung, Ally stops listening to any further point in the conversation, her eyes glazing over while her head shakes from one side to another. Every word spoken being dulled down, her own name brings her back, her eardrum almost expanding upon it’s verbalization. Wiping her eyes, Ally glances back towards the woman who called for her, Jenn telling Ally that the decision is being left up to her. Biting her lip, Ally tells the group to put a plan together with the intention of informing her when it’s made. “Until we have a way off this boat, I’m using the time I’ve got on it to find Lou” Ally explains, splitting away from the huddled core and travelling into the depths of the vessel. Her travels taking her to the captain’s deck, Ally places her fist against the metal door and opens upon invitation. “You said you’d rather this ship go down than stay afloat if what you think is happening actually is, right?” Ally asks, Brunskill looking back to her with a worried face. “I have it on good authority that an outbreak is about to occur on this ship and I need Lou back right now” Ally explains, Brunskill taking in a deep breath before allowing it to gradually leave his lungs. Leaving his post, Brunskill approaches Ally, his hands extended and placed upon each of her shoulders. “I’ve been informed that Lou is no longer on board this ship” Brunskill explains, his eyes lifting towards a confused Ally. “Where the hell could he have gone? We haven’t docked for passengers yet!” Ally replies, her response immediately bringing the eyes of bewilderment over Brunskill, who asks her to specify what she meant behind that. “Jenn and Halston scouted out the entry deck the last time we docked and they said it was left completely empty” Ally replies, “no passengers on, no passengers off… Just cargo.” Having followed along through the first portion of the response, Brunskill is taken aback by the final. “Ally, this isn’t a cargo ship” Brunskill replies, Ally informing the captain of exactly what Jenn and Halston had reported with. “The boat loaded a bunch of crates on and off the boat at the port!” Ally replies, “she saw the big door open and all the stuff be loaded on. She wouldn’t lie about that.” His hands no longer pressed to each side of the woman, Brunskill steps back to his wheel, his hands left to his side as his eyes press against the rippling surface of the water. “Captain!” Ally calls out, her final statement yet to be responded to, the man just eerily staring out into the water with a horrified expression. His lips puckered, Brunskill removes his hat and captain’s shirt, returning to the woman and handing them to her. “I need you to man the ship while I’m away” Brunskill replies, his voice showing a stern, unmoving confidence in his orders. “The ship is headed for still waters for the next few hours, you should have no problem steering the vessel” Brunskill explains, the hat and shirt a few sizes too big on Ally. “If I’m not back in the next few hours…” Brunskill begins, pausing for a moment to think about such a conclusion to his life and story, “...Run this son of a bitch into whatever beach, building or island you can find.” Her mouth agape, Ally can only muster the captain’s name again before he disappears behind the heavy metal door, his intentions set and unwavering. Left to her lonesome, Ally tosses the captain’s hat over her head and pulls the shirt over her body, hands barely able to peer through the sleeves. Cautiously approaching the wheel, Ally stands in place, statue-esque with a full view of the vast ocean before her, all to be travelled beneath her watchful eye. = RISE and REVOLT is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series from Season 1 onwards belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media = “Tell me more about this currency” Jenn requests, the trio returning to Theo’s cabin in time for the man to dump every slip he kept on his person atop the bed. “There has to be hundreds, and they’ve all unique” Theo explains, “not one is the same, they all have a recipient, they all have a seller.” “Does this have anything to do with the murder?” Halston asks, “none of this means anything unless we can fit it with something else.” With a sigh, Theo reiterates what he said minutes prior. “It could be within a matter of minutes or hours before this boat goes up in an outbreak” Theo restates, “we’ve got no time to put the pieces together here.” Her head shaking, Jenn ruffles through the papers and hopes for something to catch her eyes, every name, recipient and wager all falling into the same category. “I don’t know what to do with these” Jenn admits, “keep them in case they come in handy, but let’s not put all of our hope in them.” Looking towards the porthole, Jenn places her hands to her hips for a few seconds before noticing the ever-present silence. Her head turning back to the group, Jenn notices all eyes left on her, remembering her voice to be representative to that of the leader’s. “Spotlight’s on you, Jenn” Terry mutters, “take us home.” With a nod, Jenn walks up to the porthole and unclasps the latch, allowing the cool sea breeze to encompass the room. “We can’t be too far from the next coastline” Jenn suggests, a sigh following the statement as she has to admit a harsh truth to herself. “That said, it’s too far out to get to before shit hits the fan” Jenn concludes, “if we’re going to make it to Seattle, we’re going to need more time.” In aggravation, Jenn reaches into the mini-bar and pulls a travel-sized bottle of rum, popping the cap off with ease and taking a healthy swig. Her arm wiping the remaining drink from her lips, Jenn makes a dash for the door, the group behind her calling her back. “Where are you going?” Halston asks, Jenn halfway out of the door before her response can begin. “I’m buying us time” Jenn replies, slamming the door shut behind her, disappearing into the ship with her bottle in hand. | The sight of him out of his quarters enough to be amazed at, Brunskill walking with authority, his expression being that of an angered man elicits a silent stare from all that he passes. Hands unmoving, pointed straight downwards by his sides, Brunskill navigates the halls as if he had grown up on them, eyes without a blink. Without hesitation, Brunskill descends the staircase into some of the lowest available depths of the ships, pushing the door to one of the rooms open without knocking. “Captain!” Matt exclaims, fixing himself into a suit as the sun begins to set upon the Pacific, “what brings you out of your quarters?” Walking in the rest of the way, Brunskill closes the door behind himself and asks a fairly straight forward question. “What are you doing?” Brunskill inquires, Matt shrugging his shoulders, simply exclaiming that he’s getting ready. “Why do you look like you’re hosting a funeral?” Brunskill follows, a laugh coming from Matt as he tells Brunskill that he’s a funny man. “I’m not joking, Matthew” Brunskill replies, “what are you getting dressed up for? You’re one of the lead guards in our ranking.” Finger raised, Matt corrects Brunskill in his statement, cockiness dripping from the man like water drips from a shirt upon exiting a pool. “I’m the lead guard in our ranking, Captain!” Matt replies, “that gives me a few perks that most don’t have.” Returning to his mirror, Matt fixes the basics, straightening the tie and perfectly mirroring the cuffs of the shirt beneath his blazer to that of the one of the opposite arm. “What’s the occasion?” Brunskill proceeds, Matt explaining the addition to weekly events since the last time Brunskill showed interest in the boat. “I’ve always shown interest in the boat” Brunskill replies, a smile on Matt’s face beginning to present itself when Brunskill explains that it’s his boat. “Anything done upon this boat is something done upon my boat” Brunskill adds, “if there is an event that you must attend tonight, I am to be informed of it as always.” With a chuckle, Matt tells Brunskill to reach the bottom of a bottle by the end of the night and hole himself back into his nest behind the wheel of the Euronam. Preparing to walk past the man without confrontation, Matt is shoved against the wall, Brunskill pressing his arm against the chest of his head guard. “Repeat what you just said” Brunskill orders, Matt laughing off the attempt to look strong, telling his captain to stop holding the truth against him. “You’re the most notorious drinker aboard this ship bar none” Matt replies, “so if you really don’t like the fact that I’m having myself a night of fun, finish a bottle by the time sundown comes and you’ll forget all about it.” His face subtly shaking with anger, Matt watches it all seem to slowly drift away, a smile coming over Brunskill’s face as his head calms to a still. “Go have fun, kid” Brunskill replies, releasing his grip on the man and patting him on the cheek. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do” Brunskill concludes, moving aside for Matt to walk off, watching the man disappear around the corner before his smile fades away, making room for the angered expression to return. | Her knife ready, Jenn navigates the halls of the ship towards the inventory room, the further she descends into the ship, the worse the atmosphere and feeling becomes. Each wall getting tighter the further she goes, each breath getting thinner the further she dives, and each light getting dimmer the farther Jenn attempts to sink into the ominous vessel. Her heavy boots clambering against the cold steel floors, Jenn turns onto the final hallway before coming to a complete stop. Knife in hand, blade dangling from behind her fingertips, Jenn stands in place with a thousand yard stare towards her destination. Stood there in silence, multiple guards await the arrival of someone beside a pile of two undead corpses. Having gotten bored enough to sit around stare at the walls, the men finally notice the woman having discovered their presence, immediately calling for her to stop. Knowing the warning signs when they are presented, Jenn makes a dash back for the way she came, squeezing through each hallway and pushing herself away from every wall and into a new direction. Demands for her to stop the chase continuing to echo throughout the cramped walls, Jenn remains stranded in refusal, taking little time to look down each new passage before taking it. Guns drawn, the guards begin to fire, knowing that any further distance created would result in the loss of the suspect. The first few bullets fired serving as warning shots, all those that follow are shot with the intent to kill, Jenn continuing to take any route she can to avoid detection. Suddenly, the passages Jenn finds herself getting lost within become darker the deeper she delves before the entire stretch of hallway she traverses becomes pitch black. Out of breath, Jenn throws herself against a wall and slumps into the corner, intending to hide beneath the nature darkness surrounding her. Head tilted up, Jenn calms her breaths until they become nearly silent, her chest heaving up and down as the footsteps of her pursuers grow closer. “I’m not hearing her!” one of the guards shouts, the response from his radio bellowing throughout the halls at the highest volume possible. Over the next few seconds, the footsteps grow softer and softer, a run seemingly becoming a walk, and a walk seemingly becoming a stroll. “We lost her” the guard radios in, the dark tunnels becoming gradually brighter the closer the footsteps near. Swallowing the spit in her lungs, Jenn takes in a final breath and holds it, the two guards finally stopping at the end of the hallway she hides within. Headlamps upon their heads illuminating even the darkest of tunnels, all it takes is the moment when the men turn in her direction for cover to be blown. “Stop!” the first guard shouts, gun drawn in Jenn’s direction as the woman throws herself to her feet and dives within one of the halls, narrowly escaping a bullet. Back up, Jenn continues running, the guards having reached the final stretch of space available, turning their lights in her direction to bring light to a dead end. Eyes widened, Jenn notices her only hope at survival rests in a door just a few feet away from her, dodging every shot that pops off before her hand grabs at the handle and pulls. It’s back slamming against the wall, the door is forced open, Jenn dashing inside at the sight of a faint, orange glow as another shot is fired, missing her neck by inches. Pulling the door shut, Jenn locks the men out and places her back against the cold metal, catching her breath for a moment before she opens her eyes, smile fading. Mere yards away from her, a horde of the undead take notice of her presence, turning around to notice the woman now caught between two fates. | Huddled together, speaking with a hushed tone, Halston, Terry, Jules and Theo speak about their next moves when their door is forced in by a stern boot. Door splintering into pieces, Drew leads his guards inside, demanding those huddled together present their hands into the air. “What’s going on!?” Halston exclaims, Drew approaching her first before slamming the stock of his gun into her jaw, knocking her to the ground with a thud. Infuriated, Jules leaps to his feet to defend the woman, meeting a similar fate from his blindspot, Terry and Theo left to do as told to avoid a similar fate. “Where are they?” one of the guards demands to know, his rifle and question aimed at Theo. At first confused, Theo slowly comes to realize what he’s being asked, his expression shifting into one of silent declaration that no questions shall receive answers. Taking the expression for what it was intended to be, the guard declares all the inhabitants of the room to be held under arrest, Terry explaining that they have no probably cause to hold them. “As Matt said a while baack, the law is dead” Drew exclaims, “we’re all the probable cause we need.” Without further response, Terry places his hands above his head, allowing the cuffs to be placed on him as Theo does the same. One after another, the foursome are led from their rooms and towards the cells, the sight of their capture being visible to all still trapped within their homes on the deck. “Where are they being taken!?” Elsie shouts from within her sanctum, Josie and herself still unable to escape the confines they’ve been placed within. Her demands for answers being left unheard, Elsie shouts through the soundproof glass to no avail, one guard walking past her window flipping her off with a smile before walking off. “We’re gonna get out of here” Josie explains, nodding to herself as Elsie stands at the viewing lens, hand balled into a fist against the glass. | Metal door squealing upon being pushed open, Ally exits the captain’s deck and ventures onto the tiny platforms just outside. The cool air ripping through her hair and dashing against her face, Ally takes in the sights she may never get to experience again, nearly missing the one path she had left untaken in her time in the captain’s seat. Approaching the center of the platform, the woman reaches out and begins crawling up thee arching ladder, the platform she scales taking her higher up than anyone else on the ship. Nearly losing her balance multiple times, Ally reaches her end point, grabbing onto the thin post in the center of the small basket she stands upon. Going from the captain’s nest to the literal nest, Ally presses her hands against the railing, watching the ship she stands in control of sail. Tied to the railing, a pair of binoculars dangle with the wind, easily picked up into the woman’s hands and pressed to her eyes. Through the cloudy layer of fog, the dark Seattle needle towers into the sky, the coastal town left weathered by the outbreak, blanketed by nothingness. With a smile, Ally leaves the binoculars to flow with the wind, enjoying the view for a few further moments before returning to the cabin. Walking in, Ally notices a man left waiting for her in the seat she once occupied, a gun held in one hand, resting in his lap. A shared moment of silence between the two, the unnamed man dressed in civilian clothing apologizes for the work that he has been ordered to do. “Who ordered you?” Ally asks, a smile coming from her would-be murderer as he shrugs, insisting that it no longer matters. With a nod, Ally reaches beside her and yanks the fire extinguisher from the wall, blowing a puff of smoke and filling the cabin with a dusting white. Both coughing amidst the flurry, Ally composes herself enough to begin swinging with the hefty weight of metal, anything before her falling victim to a crushing impact. After the first few blind swings, Ally finally connects with a fair swing, the crunching sound of bone preceding a crash and a thud. Door to the cabin opening, the smoke begins to dissipate, the violent sight presenting itself through the foggy haze. “Hands in the air!” the voice shouts, gun drawn towards the unresponsive figure wailing away at what rests beneath her. Smoke finally clearing out enough for a presentable picture to be made, Drew’s jaw drops, his eyes widening as the sights are made clearer. Stood over the man with a crushed skull and gun by his side, Ally swings the large, red cannister down time after time again, splattering blood all across the room. Finally gaining the understanding of the situation, Drew fires his gun, a bullet striking Ally in the back of the shoulder, pushing her into the wheel before she collides with the ground. Gun still drawn, Drew approaches the woman, passing by the body of the man with the grapefruit skull and declaring the woman to be under arrest. Hands behind her back, the cuffs lock into place, the wounded woman being escorted through the ship with a blood splatter covering her face. Dragged into the depths of the ship, Ally is thrown into a single cell of her own, dropping to her knees after colliding with the cement wall. Grunting in pain from the wound the bullet tearing through her body left, Ally slinks herself against the ground and stares towards the ceiling. Cracked from a failure to provide proper upkeep, the ceiling allows drops of water to fall onto whatever lays beneath, this instance happening to provide a wounded Ally to receive such droplets. With a sigh, Ally glances upwards, a decaying yellow tube light across the dirty concrete wall her new home behind a set of thick steel bars. Not wishing to subject herself to the sight any longer, Ally closes her eyes, whispering to herself that she’ll open her eyes to reveal this as nothing more than a horrible dream. With three breaths, Ally allows her eyes to open to no change, a single tear running down the side of her bloody face. “They’ve got it out for us” a familiar voice calls out, Ally taking interest in the sound enough to push herself to a seated position, the back of her head against the bars between herself and the source. With her good side, Ally pulls herself around, looking at the four recognizable faces welcoming her into the underbelly of the Euronam’s underbelly. “What’s going on?” Ally asks, Terry dropping his head as Jules explains that they’ve all been led astray. “There’s something going on inside this ship that they’re keeping quiet” Halston explains, “and I’d put my money on us being the scapegoats if push comes to shove.” With a faint breath, Ally proclaims that they need to find a way off the ship, which is a concept agreed upon by all five parties. “The question isn’t should we, the question is how” Theo replies, Ally looking out into the tiny space they’ve been holed into, the makeshift prison being completely vacant aside from her group. “We’ll find a way” Ally replies, slowly drawing her head back to those she shares being held in captivity with. “We’re going to get out of here, and we’re going to make them pay” Ally reiterates, a look of confidence providing her fellow inmates with hope there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. | “That’s good to hear, thank you” Alex replies, the volume on his radio soft and concealed, Lee meeting with him in the break room as they had agreed upon. “Sorry if it’s not the most presentable” Lee explains, Matt’s business suit being accented by Lee’s business casual appearance. “There’s not much to dig up on this ship, you’ll be fine” Matt replies, leading Lee down the corridor and into the lesser travelled halls of the boat. As they venture into new territory, the welcoming lights of a luxury cruise ship turn into the bright whites of an environmentalist’s green room. Feeling changing from that of comfort into that of necessity, Lee finds Matt leading him to a familiar site, one shrouded in as much myth as realism. “It’s nothing to be scared of” Matt explains, his hand pushed out towards the sanctioned off sections of the ship, the tape usually dignifying the route as off limits no longer present. “What’s down there?” Lee asks, Matt reaching out and pulling Lee’s in his direction, a smile of anticipation falling over the man as they close in. “Our destination for this fine evening” Matt replies, taking the first step down the staircase and into the boat’s unknowns. Hidden from sight, Brunskill keeps pace, slowly following after the pair, his hand waving off anyone attempting to formally greet him. Descending the staircase, Brunskill reaches the bottom, the sights of a gaming center ripped straight out of a steampunk novel left to greet him. “Captain Brunskill!” the figure manning the counter exclaims, Brunskill left to wave the man off as he walks after Matt. Passing by white boards and chalk boards, Brunskill is met with the appearance of a familiar name written across the signage. Eyebrows lowered in anger, Brunskill marches on, his pace quickening as his anger becomes harder to conceal. “We’re just in time for the big event!” Matt exclaims, looking at all those writing upon small pieces of paper with eager eyes before the lights above dim. “It’s time for your main event, ladies and gentlemen!” the figure blasting his voice over the loudspeaker shouts, suggesting everyone place their wager cards in before the betting counters close for the night. Not wanting to cause a disruption, Brunskill approaches the terrace, walking towards the other side of the pit from that of which Matt and Lee occupy, a sickening sight greeting him below. One level down, a horde of the undead are kept held behind chain link fencing, a small door easily able to be opened and closed the only thing keeping them from their side of the grounds. “Send in the big man!” the announcer calls out, abruptly ending the intake of wagers and signalling for the counters to roll their steel barricades down. Lights lifting back into the harsh white, the appearance of a sporting event begins, crowd cheering and the dead being riled up by men armed with clubs below. Within seconds, the doors to the depths of the boat are opened, a man armed with nothing walking into the center of the level below. “Oh my god” Lee mutters beneath his breath, not only understanding what’s happening, but understand who it is happening to. Their jobs done, the men with clubs shove a large crate over, allowing cinder blocks and other small weapons to fall across the floor. At the sound of a buzzer, the large fencing collapses to the ground, the army of the undead left with full access to their next meal. Unmoving, the man at the center of it all stands completely still, staring the army of the dead down with vicious eyes as a concerned Lee watches on. “Trust me, he’ll be fine” Matt assures, his calming tone suggesting to Lee that this outcome has played out multiple times before. Finally moving his hand from his side, the figure reaches towards the ground and retrieves a piece of rebar and marches forward. Eye twitching, Brunskill can only stare angrily at the events unfolding below, his eyes reaching back towards Matt at the same moment as the man on the opposite side finally notices him. An expression of disappointment coming over Matt’s face, the man returns to his viewing, watching the bloodshed below. Armed with nothing more than what he picked up, the figure below goes off on the undead, picking them off one after another, bodies stacked upon each other. Finally, the figure reaches the final group, the five that remained standing now dropped in nearly the same breath they were released. One final undead left having gotten caught beneath another corpse, the figure marches forward and kicks the body from atop it, setting it free and backing away. With a deep breath, the figure lets the rebar spin between his fingers or a moment whilst the dead closes the distance, his time to strike affording itself. In one breath, the dead has its skull split in a cross-section, the first wave cleared out to a massive ovation. “Round one to the big man!” the announcer shouts, the lights above now brighter than before, illuminating the man’s face to those stood above. A sigh of relief paired with an anxious expression, Lee glances down at the man, the familiar face staring back at him with shocked eyes. Head tilted up, Lou crouches on one knee with the rebar still in hand, amazed at the sight of a familiar face whilst another horde is gathered. Slowly stood to his feet, Lou turns his attention away from Lee and onto Matt, eyes of contempt staring a hole into Matt’s soul. With a smile, Matt puts his hands out and shrugs, an angered Lou ready to snap until the sound of unfamiliar squeals fill the room. The crowd dying to silence, all eyes are placed on the space behind the contained horde, Lou left completely in the dark as the lights go out, the pit illuminated by only one, dim fire’s orange glow. Before the dead can pile into the next wave, Lou catches the glimpse of the figure having unceremoniously found her way inside. Eyes widened, Lou stands in shock at Jenn on the other end of the fence, faced against the next wave he was meant to endure. On instinct alone, Lee leaps over the bannister and drops himself into the pit, the curious crowd questioning each other as to what is happening. Shouting the woman’s name, Lee rushes towards the bin of discarded weapons and picks up a broken baseball bat, hurling it over the gate and into the hands of Jenn. His own mallet in hand, Lee looks towards Lou, nodding to the man as Lou demands the next wave be freed. To a standing ovation, the crowd erupts, gate falling as the bright white lights return overhead, the three survivors waging war on the next wave from all sides. == RISE and REVOLT == “Something’s wrong” Jenn exclaims, emerging from Ally’s room alongside Halston, Jules and Terry to find a corridor filled with the boat’s own armed security. “Get back inside, right now!” one of the various guards shouts, the small pairing doing as told so as not to start a fight. With their hands up, the survivors return to their rooms, Ally startled when turning around to close the door, one of the security having already slammed and locked it shut.
“Did they just lock us in?” Halston asks, Ally assuring everyone that there are much greater fish for them to fry than those inside the tiny space. “Remember, this ship has a lot more than just a few measly mainlanders” Ally explains, “if they wanted to rid of us, they wouldn’t be holding us prisoner.” Shoulders jerking forward, Terry asks what the point of any of this is if not their immediate inclination. “They could have found something wrong with the ship and decided to improve their chances of claiming lifeboats” Ally replies, the first suggestion also ending in their demise. Her head turned towards the wondrous group, Ally continues to keep spirits up, explaining that there’s more than one way out of the room if push comes to shove. “What if there’s an outbreak?” Jules asks, Ally responding with the implication that stranded in their room is probably the best place for them. Preferring not to think about the various reasons behind these protocols, Ally walks towards her bed and takes a seat atop it, wishing not to get ahead of herself. “Are we just going to wait?” Jules asks, his eyes towards Ally, who throws her hands out and shrugs. “Unless Jenn says otherwise, that’s what I’m doing” Ally replies, her eyes travelling towards the blonde atop the second bed, “I don’t see a point in doing anything without knowing what’s going on.” Her head turning to Halston, Jenn thinks about their choices for the moment and decides to follow Ally’s lead. “Like she said, they’d do something more than put us on house arrest if this had anything to do with us.” Every step moderately muffled by the small window peering into the lobby, the survivors are left to hear the partial conversations they can piece together as guards pass by. “When did it happen?” Terry can piece together, Matt and Drew walking by, armed with a set of heavy, military rifles and dressed in army camo. “It’s unknown, we don’t have witnesses with any viable timeframe’ Drew replies, “most of the lower deck hadn’t been given out anyway, so this likely isn’t her room.” Eyes curbed, Matt asks Drew who the woman was, he and his counterpart turning the corner to descend the main staircase. “No idea, we never boarded anyone with her name or likeness” Drew replies, “but in fairness, we don’t really know what her likeness actually was anymore.” Confused, Matt begins to ask Drew what he means by that statement just as he enters the scene of the crime, the answer to the question he was ready to ask coming immediately. Across the woman’s face, stab wounds are sported like lines of paint splattered across a canvas at random. “Whoever did this either hated her with a passion, or treated this like some obscene art” Drew explains, “either way, I’d never want to meet him after something like this.” Inquiring about what they know of the killer, Matt becomes lost for words, the rubber boot dangling from the porthole at the end of a trail of footprints. “So we think he killed himself?” Matt asks, Drew stopped before he can get the answer out, Matt finding a fascination with the footprints. “Don’t answer that, this already did” Matt exclaims, the footprints all adding up to suicide until the realization dawns on the only man unfamiliar with the scene. “These are all left footprints despite ‘supposedly’ being from both shoes” Matt proclaims, Drew stating that it all equals to a frame job. “So the question now is who was trying to frame who?” Matt asks, Drew sporting a smile on the face of the man having been greeted by an answered wish, something new to do aboard the Euronam. = RISE and REVOLT is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series from Season 1 onwards belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media = Foot tapping against the ground, Theo sits in an empty room, the chair he sits on creaking with every movement he makes while he watches one guard after another pass by. Suddenly, the silent wait parts as a few spaced-out knocks come against the glass window. At first, Theo leaps to his feet, ready to hurry for the window before taking a second to think of his options, the eagerness to get out of the boxed-in space being hidden beneath a layer of confidence. With a few short breaths, Theo answers the knocking, keeping a common greeting buried with the burning desire to leave. “The name is Theo, the birth year is 1999” the man explains, the guard stationed at the window looking in confusion as to what any of what was just said meant. “I was told to give you my name and year when I boarded if something like this happened” Theo explains, “it’s something about a clearance?” Playing the guard for a fool, Theo explains that he counts stock for the boat and is amongst the first to be cleared during lockdowns. “Boss gets pissed off if we’re behind on schedule, and the last thing we need is rations being restricted, y’know?” Theo continues, the guard putting off any confusion and asking for Theo to get to the point. “I was told to give you my name and year in the event of a lockdown” Theo explains, “you’ve already got me ten minutes late, I’m not gonna keep adding minutes and pissing the big guy off, okay?” Looking around the corridor as if he were looking for someone that spoke the same language, the guard is left baffled until Theo tries to break it down as simply as he can. “I need to get to work, I’m cleared from being put under lockdown in the event I’m due in for work” Theo explains, “so unlock the door and guide me to withholding, please.” Shaking his head, the guard informs Theo that he is not allowed to do such a thing, Theo immediately getting angry, his confidence taking a quick turn into bitterness, the expression on his face changing in such a way that forces the guard into worry. “If you don’t get me to work, I’m gonna make sure you and your loved ones are reported for violating my clearance, do you understand?” Theo asks again, the guard hesitant to respond. Clearly unfamiliar with the process he’s involved in, the guard takes the threat for the intent it was intended with, unlocking Theo’s door and allowing the man to pass. “Thank you, it’s about time” Theo exclaims, putting a hat on and heading for the back stairwell, the awestruck guard left watching. | Pushing the bathroom door in, Matt stands at the sinks, his hands pressed against the counter until he hears a familiar voice call out. “Someone in here?” a man questions, Matt turning around in surprise before noticing a pair of legs beneath the stall behind him. “What are you doing in here?” Matt replies, his own question bringing the man in the stall to his feet, the figuring emerging from behind cover with apology. “I didn’t know where else I would go” Lee replies, apologizing for just hanging out in the bathroom. “Your guards came walking down the hall and told me to go back where I came and stay there, so that’s what I did” Lee explains, Matt turning around to face the man as he leans back against the counter, arms crossed. “Lee, right?” Matt asks, the survivor caught by surprise when Matt appears to remember him. “You helped me play that one hand in the breakroom, remember?” Matt asks, Lee already more than aware of where he would have recalled him from. “Is something wrong out there?” Lee asks, “I know the boat is heavily guarded, but I didn’t expect something like this?” Tossing his hand forward, Matt replies with reassurance, explaining that it’s a simple drill everyone needs to follow every few weeks. “Keeps residents on their toes, keeps the guards on their best… Works for all parties!” Matt exclaims with glee, his statement followed with curiosity. “You have a bathroom in your cabin, right?” Matt asks, Lee explaining that he was on his way to the janitorial closet. “Someone called me about throw up in the lower halls” Lee replies, such a statement immediately bringing curiosity into Matt’s mind. “The lower deck?” Matt asks, Lee shrugging it off as just another term for the halls. “But yeah, something about some sick in the lower deck” Lee replies, Matt immediately uncrossing his arms and pulling free a pad and paper. “Do you remember anything about the guy?” Matt asks, noticing a hesitant Lee pull back once he begins to notice the conversation taking the turn into interrogation. Fearing his lead being lost, Matt assures the man that it’s only precaution. “We had a trespasser in the lower halls last night” Matt explains, “if you know who it was, we’d like to catch up to him and let him know that those halls are off limits.” “Why are they off limits?” Lee proceeds, “they look a lot better than some of the other rooms on the upper decks… No offense.” With a smile, Matt promises Lee that no offense has been taken, but explains that the lower deck is held off in the event a mass-boarding occurs. “We don’t see a big crowd ready to board in the big cities we land in” Matt continues, “but in the event we do, that’s the place we take ‘em to sort out the healthy from the infected.” Clearing his throat after a moment of silence, Matt repeats his question, Lee left to think of the blandest of things. “It was a man with a deeper voice, it could have been gravelly, but the connection was poor” Lee explains, “and his breaths were quicker… Like he was walking.” The end of the pen pressed to his lips, Matt asks Lee if he can remember anything else about how the man sounded, the intriguing custodian left with little else to offer. “Those were the only things that stuck out, the call was pretty quick” Lee explains, “but if it was the lower decks, I’m pretty sure that would explain why the connection was poor.” With a nod, Matt blankly stares off, Lee left standing there for a few seconds in silence as Matt travels to somewhere else mentally. “Is everything alright?” Lee asks, Matt snapping back into reality after another few seconds before assuring Lee of the statement he made earlier. “We’ll never know when we’ve gotta fill the lower decks until it happens” Matt explains, “it’s better if he knew that ahead of time so he doesn’t get caught up where he doesn’t belong.” With a nod, Lee watches Matt walk away, the man with the notepad instructing Lee to go about his day, telling the guards that Matt cleared him to return to duty. Closing the bathroom door behind himself, Matt begins overwhelmed with second thoughts, popping his head back in for another moment. “Do you like gambling, Lee?” Matt asks, the janitor caught by surprise at the question. “I was a hunter before all of this and I’m a janitor now” Lee replies, “I like the card games and all, but I never played them in a gambling environment.” With a smile, Matt tells Lee that he seemed pretty confident in the break room, Lee suggesting he just knew what he saw and used that for his own gain. The lightbulb in his head going off, Matt tells Lee to meet him in the breakroom the following evening. “We’re fans of doing our bigger gambles somewhere other than the breakroom” Matt explains, “so if you’re interested… Meet me there and I’ll show you where the big room is.” With a nod, Lee watches Matt disappear behind the closed door, waiting a few moments before rushing back into the stall and throwing up whatever lunch once remained in his stomach. | “Did you ever think about what you would’ve done had all of this not happened?” Josephine asks, Elsie having been too caught in the quiet room to hear the question. “I said, what do you think you would’ve done had the world not ended?” Josephine reiterates, Elsie left shaking her head. “I haven’t thought about it since the first few days” the woman responds, “truth be told, after a while it didn’t seem like a question that needed to be asked anymore.” Taking the answer for what it’s worth, Josephine quietly nods, Elsie left to repeat the question back to it’s originator. “I would’ve finished college and tried to find a job” Josephine replies, the woman seated in the opposite corner of the room wishing the alternative Josie luck with the debt. “Yeah, I’m sure the world will find a way to get back to normal and hold that over my head again” Josie replies, getting a laugh out of the woman who has now spent two hours waiting to be released. “What the hell is taking them so long?” Elsie asks aloud, the question directed at herself as she approaches the window, glancing out to an empty corridor. Her hand stretched out for the door, Elsie tries to turn the knob to no use, all doors locking from the outside. “When did you leave your camp?” Josie asks, both she and Elsie getting perturbed at their confinement, still content with discovering new ways to pass the time. “I, uh… My group and I ran into another group… The people I’m with now” Elsie replies, “we didn’t know them at first, but our leaders knew each other. And that’s all she wrote.” Eyes squinted, Josie asks how all of that worked out, the woman admitting that everything sailed smoothly for the short time that they shared command. “Our leader chose to follow this guy named Lou, so that’s who became my leader in turn” Elsie replies, Josie amused. “Why is this Lou guy the leader by default?” Josie asks, Elsie continuing to stare out of the window, awaiting attention as she answers. “From what Theo tells us, this world was kinda made for him” Elsie replies, “the guy got his people out of a swarmed school twice and got them to the ship with one arm… It’s not bad for a high school senior.” With a chuckle, Josie quips about how she’d like to meet the guy some day, Elsie left muttering beneath her breath that she hopes he’s still alive for that to be possible. | The key in his hand turning the mechanisms within the door into their proper directions, Theo slowly slides the door to the inventory room open and sneaks in. Usually a heavily-guarded area, Theo discovers himself to be in awe of the serenity behind this visit. Machine powered down, no guards stationed at any sector of the wing, everything remains quiet, a calmness completely departed from its natural state of noisy scatter. Taking this chance as his best one, Theo ventures through the assortment of bins and folders, searching for the same crate he found the day earlier. One shelf after another, one corner of the room after another, no chest resembles that of the luxurious nature Theo had discovered the day prior, everything within the massive room colored in a shade of beige or gray. Frustrated, the man punches a metal filing cabinet, leaving a dent in the door, which fails to become the primary focus. Rather, the sound of the metal being pushed in resembles nothing similar to that of a hollow cabinet, anything large behind its closed doors necessary to be around the size of the desired trunk. Discovering a crowbar resting in the corner of the room, Theo returns to the large sheets of metal, the indentation upon its doors only adding to the need to find what is contained within. Digging the end into slight crevasse and pushing out, Theo shatters the locks, forcing each metal panel to burst open, the sounds of the latch once responsible for keeping the doors shut ringing in such a way that forces Theo to cover his ears. The danger settling for the moment, Theo turns back to admire the work he had done, finding the sight he was hoping for greeting him. With a deep breath, Theo rips the trunk from its place amongst the cabinet and drops it to the ground, closing the doors on the cabinet as best he can before pulling it into a darker corner of the room. | “I was called for?” Ally asks, poking her head into the captain’s post, Captain Brunskill affirming her question. “I know you had nothing to do with the murders, so I figured I’d talk to you while I had the chance” Brunskill explains, Ally bewildered at the new information. “I assume you hadn’t heard of the murders yet, had you?” Brunskill corrects himself, Ally shaking her head in the negative. “Please, have a seat” Brunskill offers, two folding chairs having been placed on the opposite side of the room from the door. “Other than simply anting to be left alone, do you know why I chose to ensure my sailing would be done in isolation?” Brunskill wonders, the woman left without an answer worthy of sufficing. “There’s something that’s happening on this boat that I don’t like, but more importantly, that I’m not aware of” Brunskill explains, concern in Ally’s voice present. “I don’t trust Matt and his guards, they’re all to close-knit and protective” Brunskill explains, “I see too many guards sticking to the shadows for my liking.” Before Brunskill can continue, Ally holds her hand out, wanting to know why Brunskill would trust her with this information. “I know you’re aware of this too” Brunskill explains, “Dawson’s told me about how incensed you’ve been with finding your boyfriend ever since you boarded… I know you feel it too.” Her nerves settling, Ally explains to Brunskill that if they’re going to talk any more about this, it will be with Jenn present. “I understand and appreciate that you wish to share this with me” Ally explains, “but Lou made it known that he wanted Jenn in charge, so anything you tell me, you can tell her.” Clearing his throat, Brunskill asks Ally one question, a question simple for some and difficult for others. “Do you trust her with your life?” Brunskill asks, Ally not needing anything more than one second to answer in kind. “If Lou trust her to succeed him, I trust her with my life as much as he trusts her to lead.” With his lips pressed together, Brunskill nods to himself with a smile and returns to his wheel, explaining to Ally how their first days of the apocalypse began. “This vessel doubles as a bulk carrier” Brunskill recalls, “there’s a little town up in the northernmost point in Alaska that depends on this ship as a lifeline when the water is warm enough to not be covered in ice.” Clearing his throat, Brunskill explains that they were out in the desolate waters just after unloading a few crates in the town when they saw the first signs of something being wrong. “We were a few days out from reaching Vancouver at the time” Brunskill recollects, “we tried constantly to get in touch with the Vancouver ports to no response.” With a deep breath, the man recalls the first moments those aboard encountered the dead. “We answered a distress call not too long after. A fair-sized fishing boat had capsized in the northern Pacific” Brunskill explains, “they had turned by the time we arrived. Never even made an attempt at checking on their well being.” Wiping away a tear, Brunskill explains that everything took a turn for the worst when they docked on time to find a number of bodies being devoured by the undead. “It was a dehumanizing sight, but it was a sight nonetheless” Brunskill explains, “it was made all the worse when we saw the fires in town burning from the distance.” The decision to record and air a distress call from the ship, pick up survivors and afford them a place to stay all coming after that, Brunskill confesses to making decisions abord the ship as his own. “From the way I saw it, this ship was now mine… Not that of my employers” Brunskill confronts, “any decision I made, I would make with the best interest of those on land, and those aboard the ship.” With a scorned expression on his face, Brunskill explains that he’d rather die aboard the vessel as it sank into the sea than allow it to continue as anything other than a beacon of hope to those strong enough to survive. “Not only are you different from most in the fact that you’re young and intelligent, but you’ve survived to get here” Brunskill explains, “so if it comes down to what I just suggested, I’d prefer it if you were not amongst those killed in the process.” With a heavy heart, Ally explains to the man that there’s more than just a doomsday button strategy for fixing the vessel. “The ship doesn’t need to sink because of the bad that happens on it, only the people responsible do” Ally explains, Brunskill beginning to sport a smile. “I’m glad you’re so open to learning new things, even in today’s world” Brunskill jokes, “but sinking those responsible rather than the vessel itself makes us no better than the people we sunk.” Her mouth opening to counter, Ally thinks better, fighting off the urge to debate and promising to return the following day, once things have cooled down, with Jenn. “Please do so” Brunskill replies, watching Ally return to the door before calling her back. “I’ll do what I can to get some answers about Lou” Brunskill exclaims, “if he got you all here, I’m quite positive he’s the best choice to get you all out of here.” With a smile, Ally nods, unable to overcome the emotions long enough for a simple ‘thank you’, instead leaving Brunskill to his duties as she shuts the door behind herself. His radio removed from his belt, Brunskill calls Matt in, wishing to inquire of a passenger’s whereabouts. | Running his thumb down each group of paper slips as if they were a flip book, Theo reads off different services offered ranging from different bets of all kinds. “These are all bets, but the question is where all of these bets came from” Theo mutters to himself, the words quietly leaving his lips stopped at the sound of the door coming unlocked. In a rush, Theo returns each slip to its rightful place in the trunk, keeping himself hushed and hiding behind the largest of objects available. The lights all flickering on at once, some dying out just to return seconds later, the room becomes engulfed in a light that strains Theo’s eyes instantly. Not one to let his own survival be halted by a wake-up call, Theo peers his head around the corner to find a guard half-intoxicated taking a seat by the door, escaping the job for a mere moment. Humming to himself, the drunken man downs the remainder of the liquor in his bottle before kicking his feet onto a desk and slouching back. Ready to close his eyes and take a nap, the man suddenly begins to feel the sensation of being watched, the mysterious seventh sense kicking in without hesitation, no delay in play despite the heavy amounts of alcohol flooding his system. Despite his senses working perfectly fine, the man staggers when brought to his feet, his feet unsteady amongst the ground, bottle still in his finger tips. Sneaking back into cover, Theo prepares for a fairly simple escape until the clatter of something being kicked across the room prevails. Jaw dropped at the sound, Theo instantly knows what was kicked, the latch from the cabinet sliding across the floor and landing beside him almost in the same moment it was kicked. With a deep breath, Theo prepares for the worst, the drunken guard looking up from the ground to notice the cabinet doors no longer locked. His instincts telling the remainder of his intoxicated body that something is wrong, the man draws his gun and demands the individual he shares the room with the show himself. In an instant, the drunkenness wears off, the guard returning to his duties as if nothing were different, his response time only sporting a slight delay. One foot in front of the other coming simply enough, the guard surveys the area, his gun pointing in each direction quickly, moving on upon the sight of yet another empty space. Finally reaching the back of the room, the man surveys just as he had many times before, the sights before him captivating him upon this sighting. At the end of the room, a trunk sits halfway opened, just left on its own for the guard to collect. Having found a pair of scissors, Theo snips the cord of the guard’s radio before he can call anything in. Muscle memory having kicked in at this point, the guard attempts to call in the instance, knowing something to be off when he gets no response. Looking towards his shoulder, the man notices something out of the corner of his eye that forces him into action a second too late. When turned around, the guard aims his weapon forward before it falls from his hand, the crushing sound of his skull cracking upon contact resembling that of a boot being driven through a watermelon. The crowbar dropping to his side, a bloodstain on the hooked end, Theo watches the guard drop, his body folding up like an accordion as he loses consciousness. Not yet dead, Theo chooses to leave the guard as is, the injury being more than enough to kill him in due time. More pressing matters to be dealt with, Theo removes a cardboard box from the space beneath a table it was stuffed into, piling every receipt inside before closing the trunk and returning it. Dressing the scene up as nothing other than the dead guard out of the ordinary, Theo pulls his hat back on and closes the flaps of the box, the light being turned off as the door closes behind him. A few minutes turning into a few hours, the room remains only further darkened by the absence of the sunlight in the room outside, cloaking everything hidden within in darkness. Lip quivering, the body of the deceased guard slowly begins to regain its basic functions. Eyelids opening for cold, pearly eyes, the corpse begins to hiss and growl as it pushes itself upright again, captivated by the sound of the door being opened once more, and light being thrown on as another night shift begins. “Wrong move” Lee mutters under his breath, swiping his mop across the floor as Matt stares back at him, fingers pressed against the tip of a card. “What was that?” Matt asks, Lonnie and Luke opposite him with equal confusion, Lee left with his hands folded over the tip of the handle. “They’re bluffing you” Lee replies, the expressions on Lonnie and Luke’s faces quickly changing as Lee explains that they sport the same mannerisms in every game.
“That one bites the corner of his lip when he’s trying to bluff” Lee explains with his finger pointed towards Lonnie, “and the other one tilts his head too far to the right.” Impressed, Matt looks back to his cards, taking his fingers away from one and placing them upon another. “You’ve got higher than both of them if I’m correct” Lee explains, “it doesn’t matter which one you pick.” Convinced, Matt pulls the card he chose as an alternative, the ‘9 card’ beating out the hand both Lonnie and Luke sport. “What did you say your name was, again?” Matt asks, Lee replying in kind, leaving the break room with a smile on his face, Matt repeating Lee’s name beneath his breath, intending not to forget it. “I’m in” Lee proclaims, Ally taking her eyes away from Lee as he finally returns to their collective quarters, her attention resting on Halston. “The depths of the ship are still under renovation” Halston explains, “they’ve got crews going in and out all day and night long… It’s a no-go.” Head hung, Ally feels confident in Lee being able to get something done in regards to his potential friendship. “What’s the next step, Jenn?” Ally asks, the woman left seated in the corner of the room, taking all of this new information in. “How far along in stocking are you, Theo?” the woman asks, the answer leaving the group with great suspicions. “They keep increasing supplies” Theo replies, “They say they never leave the boat, but I keep finding the stock of everything from medicine to ammo getting replenished constantly!” “How does a ship full of people that haven’t disembarked since all of this started collect more?” Ally asks, Theo’s arms being thrown out, admitting that it makes as little sense to him as it does the rest. “These aren’t small numbers, either” Theo adds, “when I’m talking about these things being replenished, I’m talking about stacks of it all… Not just a few extras thrown in every now and then.” “They’ve gotta be getting their shipments from somebody” Ally exclaims, “I don’t look at these people as being able to go out there and fight for all of this, it’s all being delivered.” The question now being how these shipments are being taken on, the group begins to formulate another plan. “Halston and I will hang around the boarding deck tonight, see if we can catch a glimpse of anything being loaded on” Jenn explains, “everyone else I want figuring out who your target’s going to be.” = RISE and REVOLT is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series from Season 1 onwards belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media = Her mind wandering to distant places, Elsie traverses the grounds of the ship, her eyes latching onto anything that could stand out amongst the scenery. Her guard down and suspicions at a high, Elsie collides with another woman as she turns towards another sector of the ship, knocking her to the ground and immediately feeling sorry for doing so. “I wasn’t looking where I was going!” Elsie explains, the woman assuring her that it’s perfectly fine as she dusts off the dirt on her pants. “You must be relatively new” the woman states, Elsie confirming her suspicions, admitting the ship to being very different from life on land. “Well, you’re fine” the woman explains, her hand held out to greet the woman, who takes the offer kindly. “I’m Josephine” the woman replies, Elsie reciting her own name before beginning to walk in separate directions. Called for by the woman upon second thoughts, Elsie turns to find Josephine with a nervous grin as she struggles to hold the confidence to say anything further. Finally, Josephine asks Elsie if she knows anyone on the ship, the woman explaining that the only people she knows are the people she boarded with. “So no other friends?” Josephine asks, Elsie assuring her that she hasn’t had the time to attempt to make friends. “I’m somewhat new to the ship too” Josephine admits, “I came alone, so I’ve kind of been doing my own thing since I boarded.” Swallowing her pride and putting the fear of not knowing the response aside, Josephine asks Elsie if she wanted to go to the bar for a drink later tonight, just in a casual way. “I don’t really know how to make friends, so this is the best I’ve got” the nervous woman explains, Elsie flattered and intrigued by the offer. “I can use a drink after what I’ve seen since this whole thing started” Elsie replies, not passing up on the opportunity to indulge in an alcoholic beverage, “I’ll meet you there around sunset?” With a nod, Josephine and Elsie return to their separate paths, Elsie’s blonde head tilting to the side when she thinks over how well that turned out. | “I’m ready for the next one!” Theo calls out, sliding a crate of ammunition across the ground, half of the trunk sticking through transparent flaps to be placed into storage. Looking back to the rows of supplies left scattered about the shelves, Theo hears the next crate glide into storage and brushes it off for the moment, double-checking his list. Reassured of his proper count, Theo kneels before the box and reaches for its latch, only to finally widen his eyes when he takes a deeper look. Having failed to notice it at first, Theo identifies the box as something other than the one supplies are typically stored in. The bland, green wooden boards lining each side replaced with a maroon and gold colored, hand-crafted luxury. The simple key lock on the front replaced with a large medallion of sorts recreated as a specialty lock, one elegant in appearance but simple in solution. Opening his mouth, Theo thinks better of calling for his second half of the job, opting to keep the mishap quiet for a moment. Taking this as his opportunity to gather whatever intel he can, Theo unlocks the trunk and lifts the top away. Within, all divided in different slots categorized by name, tickets with the name of a recipient and what they have ‘won via wager’ hide within the confines of the box, very little being clarified, the waters only being made to appear murkier. Taking his chances, Theo looks through the receipts, reading off different names, some familiar and others not, and what they have received as a result of their alleged victory. Unsure what to make of this, Theo continues to carefully sift through the notes before him, reading off the different benefits before coming to the realization of what these are. Not wanting to dirty his hands any further, Theo calls out for the man on the other side to take the trunk back. “I’m ready for the next one!” Theo calls out, his hands to his hips as the trunk is taken away, not minding the next one gliding in, head down as he tries to answer his own questions. | Her hand pressing against the latch on the door, Ally pushes forward and peaks her head into the room, just as she had been doing for a short time prior. This room different than the others, Ally notices a spacious hall with everything from a line of clocks pointing towards different hands, to a man stood in the center behind a large wheel. “Can I help you, young lady?” the man asks, Ally not having noticed the man’s apparel at first, instead apologizing. “I was looking for the engine room” Ally replies, “Matt told me to check a reading but he never told me where to go… I’ve been doing this for hours.” With a nod, the man points the woman in the general direction, informing her of which turns to take and levels to descend into. “Thank you, I’m new… So I’m not quite familiar with the layout just yet” Ally explains, attempting to deart before thinking about what she had just seen for a moment and looking back inside again. “I’m sorry, are you the captain?” Ally asks, a smile spread across the man’s face as he holds his hands out, not needing to say a word to affirm her suspicions. “I’m so sorry, captain!” Ally exclaims, “I didn’t put two-and-two together at first, and now I’m embarrassed.” Hand waving, the captain promises her of her actions being no issue, admitting that even his introverted self appreciates the surprise company every once in a while. “The captain of a ship doesn’t like going out?” Ally rephrases, the smile on the captain’s face admitting of his equal awareness to the irony. “Something tells me introversion isn’t often found sailing an entire continental coastline” Ally explains, the captain admitting that the desire to be alone is less than the desire to do other things. “I’m sixty-eight years old, intended to retire at the end of the year… And now look at me!” the captain explains, “keeping the world’s lifeline afloat!” His voice sounding like that of a man nearing seventy, his appearance is anything but, the love for the ocean inspiring a youth not often found in those considered ‘elderly’. “It’s better than just doing nothing in retirement!” Ally replies, assuring the man that his vessel is a better home than the mainland, both before and after the outbreak. “What’s it like out there?” the captain asks, admitting that he is fascinated by how suddenly things turned when new passengers board. “A ton of them don’t make it, not realizing how the bites work and all” the captain explains, “seeing the look on their faces makes me realize how bad it must be out there.” With her head hung, Ally informs the captain that it’s not too pleasant to be outside of the safety the sea offers. “Not a lot survived out there, for better of for worse” Ally informs, the look on the man’s face turning to disappointment, “not enough people figured out what they needed to do in time.” His head hung, the captain admits that he worried such a fate would befall people when things began. “There was a small part of me that hoped we’d all overcome it and figure out how to live life defending against it” the captain explains, “but part of me worried we’d be too stubborn for it to be anything other than an extinction event.” Feeling the man’s words voice disappointment in those on the ground mix with that of her own, Ally admits that there are still good, decent people still fighting. “I don’t know how much longer that’ll last” the captain explains, “far too many people will resort to doing whatever they need to survive. It won’t be long until the people out there start becoming no better than the people we once used to look at as criminal scum.” A moment of silence falling over the starboard, the captain glances back to Ally and asks her to be honest with him, the hardest part of asking the question being the source of its origins. “Would an elderly lady, perhaps of physical stature similar to that of her age, living in a big city have survived?” the captain proceeds, Ally’s eyes dropping when the captain reminds her to be honest with him. “I didn’t see the city very much, I spent most of my time on the outskirts” Ally replies, “but from what I’ve heard… Probably not.” His head hung, the captain thanks Ally for her honesty, the woman asking for the man’s name before she departs. “I’m Captain Brunskill” the man replies, “and if no one has already, I’d like to welcome you to the S.S Euronam.” With a smile, Ally states her name and thanks the captain for both his time and his greeting. “I’m sure I’ll see you around” Ally concludes, the man nodding silently as Ally disappears behind the cabin door, leaving the man to look back out at the landmass the boat slowly approaches with a well-hidden sadness. | “Pretty nice weather out here” Elsie remarks, Josephine turning towards the woman at the sound of her voice, surprised that she came. “Of course I did” Elsie replies, “Amongst many other things, we’re aboard a ship in the middle of the ocean during an apocalypse… What else would I have to do?” With a laugh, Josephine apologizes for the low standards, admitting to not often having seen people follow through on plans. “Well most people suck because of that” Elsie replies, “until I met the majority of my group, it was just myself and two guys… I kept it simple.” Admitting that it becomes rather easy to not have to worry about other people, Josephine acknowledges a partial reasoning behind that being due to not actually giving an effort. “After being ditched kinda became the norm, I guess I stopped having expectations and just got used to it” Josephine explains, “I was less disappointed being alone than I was actually being around others.” Her head nodding, Elsie finds ground more than simply common with the woman, college having brought on the newest of experiences. “Your roommate becomes your friends, their friends become your friends… And then it just spaces out after that” Elsie recalls, “but it’s simpler at nineteen than it is at thirty.” Raising her glass to that, Elsie inquires about how she got onto the ship, the events leading up to it being held in comparison to her own. “I’m not familiar with how a ton of others started to realize something was wrong” Elsie explains, “I just kind of see them after their indoctrination, for lack of a better term. “My story was and is pretty boring” Josephine replies, Elsie more than intrigued enough to latch onto every word, simply craving something different. “I was leaving my internship early, wanted to prep for a trip out to visit family” Josephine runs down, “and that’s when some news began circulating around my dorm and the school’s staffers started being really sketchy.” Taking another sip of her drink, Josephine admits to Elsie that it would have been a little different to if she were in the same position. “I’m twenty-one, so even if it’s only a two year difference… There’s a big change in reaction” Josephine informs, “we tend to go out at night less than people younger… The desire to drink kind of passes after the first few weeks where you legally can.” Fascinated by this effect, Elsie wonders what the differences ended up being. “Well the younger side was more optimistic” Josephine explains, “brushing it off and just wanting to keep it from trying to ruin their night.” Beginning to recall the events in detail, Josephine becomes less inclined to sip from her cup every other minute, growing more comfortable with the conversation, her nerves dropping and anxiety levels bottoming out. “Most of the people I knew were just at or above twenty-one and the campus was open all year to every resident” Josephine continues, “so I texted some that stayed behind to try and figure it all out.” Thinking back to the initial announcement, Josephine recalls it all sounding too much like another story blown out of proportion, one that shouldn’t have been taken too seriously at first despite that having been the case. “There was something about it that made it feel real” Josephine admits, “something that made at least me feel like I was in danger.” With a smooth breath, Josephine recollects having gone to her car and getting on the road on instinct, something deep inside her having convinced herself that this was as bad as it had appeared. “There are some things that sound as otherworldly as a ton of other things that still feel so convincing” Josephine admits, “this was nothing different.” With another swig, Josephine recalls having avoided a few people that looked sickly, ultimately learning at a later date that they had, in fact, been infected. “You knew something was up when you saw their eyes” Josephine responds, “the people that were succumbing had glassy eyes, anyone else had all the colors in them faded.” Shaking off the chills running down her own spine, Josephine admits to only caring about one thing out of the whole ordeal. “The signal to board the Euronam came around an hour after I started driving and I headed for it immediately” Josephine explains, “but had that instinct not told me this was serious, I would’ve have been caught out there to suffer worse.” Catching herself thinking too deeply into what could’ve been, Josephine laughs the awkward moment off, apologizing for having gotten too dark. “It’s totally fine” Elsie replies, assuring the woman that it’s of no concern, “it’s a shitty world out there, not every story can end with sunshine and rainbows.” With a smile, Josephine stiffly takes her glass and hoists it high, Elsie meeting her offer by tapping the glasses together, downing what remains within. | “Where the fuck did you get a flask?” Halston whispers, Jenn shrugging her shoulders with a smirk, responding “wouldn’t you like to know?” Her head shaking, Halston requests that Jenn remain sober enough to complete what they’ve come out to achieve, both women hiding behind the counter of the fruit stand just near the point of entry. Looking out from their cover, Halston takes interest in the sights at the entry station, the ship having come too close to the docks for the lack of security to be acceptable. “Something’s wrong” Halston exclaims, “are you sure we’re at the right gates?” Still more than sober enough to recall her original plans, Jenn reminds Halston that their station is not only the right one, but the only cleared one on the entire ship. “It’s clearly not since they’re not boarding people onto the ship through it” Halston replies, taking her chances by removing herself from cover. Approaching the edge of the boat, Halston glances over the railing to find the ship slowly floating into the space, the empty dock suggesting there to be no reason to dock the boat. “Where are we right now?” Halston asks, Jenn catching up and recalling that nearly a week into their stay should make this station one belonging to Seattle. Glancing over the edge, Halston finds everything in place to suggest a full-on dock. “The anchors are lowered, the ship is barely moving, it’s fitted into the space… Everything’s in order” Halston runs down, Jenn refusing to allow that statement to go without it’s necessary baggage. “Everything’s in order except for the new passengers” Jenn concludes, walking off, Halston left with little choice other than to follow her. “What are you looking for?” Halston asks after a few minutes of nonstop walking before finally joining her girlfriend at the opposite railing. Peering over the edge, Jenn and Halston spot what they notice to be something much different than a few survivors from the mainland. “Something tells me those aren’t new passengers” Jenn proclaims, watching a fleet of trunks being loaded into the boat, the lowest levels of the ship housing a loading bay never mentioned. Where are they getting these things from?” Halston whispers, Jenn pushing her away from the railing as she notices one of the loading crewmates staring towards the top of the ship. “We should get back to the group” Jenn explains, taking Halston by the hand and leading her away from the curious sights, finally having a slight amount of confirmation that there is more to the ship than they are being made aware of. | Beneath the cover of night, Lee returns to his room, concluding his job for the evening and intending to take a much needed load off at his cabins. The sensation going unnoticed at first, Lee begins to feel the sensation of his hairs standing on ends, the gentle breeze feeling colder than a gust of wind in the middle of a northeastern December. Looking around, Lee feels himself amongst the presence of someone else, the lonely man stood in an empty hall, a staircase on each end of a circular passageway made dangerous by a massive, multi-story drop in the center. “Hello?” Lee calls out, opening the window for communication that would make any presence eventually found less worrisome by default. His requests for a response coming without answer, Lee continues cautiously wandering throughout the hollowed halls of the ship, his slow approach in the direction of his destination coming with great concern. Finally reaching the staircase towards the next level, Lee glances down a hallway, the only light in the tunnel of darkness coming from the cold moonlight originating from one of the room’s opened doors. Despite the heavy darkness, Lee spots something at the end of the hallway, the moonlight leaving enough visibility to present the outline of something stood still as stone. “Who are you?” Lee calls out, hoping for a response to validate his assumptions, only to find nothing of the sorts. Knowing his expertise in combat to be greater than that of someone hiding away from the hordes he once surrounded himself with, Lee builds the confidence to inspect. Removing his foot from the bottom step, the man keeps his hand to his side, readying himself for a fight in the event one were to break out. Despite nearing closer, Lee finds the figure remaining coldly stiff to be just as visible to him as when he first encountered it, the chills on the man’s spine coming from the concern that he’s simply walking directly into an attack without even noticing it. Almost near the open door, Lee extends his free hand outwards, knowing this to be a tactic he can use for an advantage, but find himself to suffer through just as easily. With a deep breath, Lee picks up his pace, his hand finally reaching through the final inches to a great relief. Still unmoved, the statue of the greek god of Phonoi reacting to the touch of Lee’s hand against its perfectly sculpted head. With a breath of relief, Lee lets out a chuckle, his body bathed in the moonlight from the open door directly to his side. “Holy shit” the man mutters to himself, turning over in a combination of near laughter and outright panic, finally regaining his composure. With his concern alleviated, Lee straightens himself up, his eyes lined directly with the open door, widening once his original fears have finally dispersed. Before his eyes, a man stares at him through a large mask, the imprint of a pair of horrifyingly widened eyes freezing Lee in fear. “I-” Lee begins, his lips trembling at the dreadful sight, a bloody knife and plastic bag in the man’s hand, his feet placed at the edge of a bed inhabited by the bloodied body of a murdered woman, laid in what has become a pool of her own blood atop a stiff mattress. “What the-” Lee exclaims, his free hand pointing at the man, his mind caught up in too much fear to provoke a proper reaction. Knowing himself to have been caught, the killer drops the bag and rushes towards Lee with the knife, his free hand holding the weapon away from himself as the pair crash through a door on the opposite side of the hallway. With a resounding grunt, both men collapse to the ground, the blade once in the killer’s hand now aimlessly tossed to some random corner of the room. “What are you doing!?” Lee shouts, dodging the executioner’s attempt at a tackle, allowing him to run his head into a bookshelf near the door. With the advantage, Lee looks around the room, intending to find something to incapacitate the criminal with, only to run out of time once the killer relocates his knife. With ill-intentions, the murderer begins his rush towards Lee, his blade finding itself stuck through the drywall upon another dodge from the experienced fighter. Seeing his chance, Lee slams the killer’s head into the handle of his knife, staggering him before driving his elbow between the man’s eyes. With a large thud, the man drops to the ground, Lee taking the chance to breath for a moment upon assuming the man to be unconscious Planning out his next steps, Lee takes his chance while it remains present, calling out for help before feeling the grip of the killer’s hand wrap around the circumference of his ankle. His balance taken out from beneath him, Lee falls to the ground, hitting his head on the doorframe as everything suddenly becomes hazy. Despite not being fully aware of his surroundings, Lee instinctively crawls towards the hallway, using the Phonoi statue to get himself up. Upon looking back into the room, Lee watches the source of his potential demise crawl to his feet and reach for the restricted knife, not wanting to start his group’s stay aboard with a vigilante murder. With the time to weight his options, Lee walks back into the room, the killer still struggling to gain any support beneath himself, plastered against the wall with his fingers stretching towards his weapon. Removing his own hidden knife from his pocket, Lee drives the blade into the killer’s hand, causing him to shriek out in pain before reaching towards his mask. Tearing the Halloween-inspired cover from the man’s face, Lee reveals an unfamiliar face, one struck with an equal amount of desperation and anger. Horrified in the expression from a man nearing death, Lee allows his instinct to judge the killer’s fate, the decision not a difficult one to make. With authority, Lee rips the blade impaled through the wall and drives it into the abdomen of the murderer, continuing to pull and push until the life finally leaves the assailants’ eyes. Needing to ensure his hands remain wiped clean, Lee pulls open the porthole window and removes his dagger from the killer’s hand, dumping his body through the slot and leaving the glass open. With a deep breath, Lee tosses his shirt and the killer’s knife out of the window for good measure, making sure to have kept just one of the culprit’s boots for good measure. For his final act, Lee takes the boot and dabs it in the woman’s blood, apologizing to the corpse for disrespecting her body before creating footprints leading to the porthole exit. Smearing the blood down the wall, Lee drops the boot and makes the scene one of murder-suicide. Exiting the room, Lee closes the door to the deceased’s residence and returns to the main foyer, ascending the staircase and returning to his quarters, the harrowing silence serving to be backdrop to the man’s first true kill. Sat behind a cold, metal table within a concrete-walled room lacking any visibility to the outside, Ally patiently awaits the figure she was informed would be arriving shortly. Lacking any clocks or sunlight, the room keeps those that inhabit it within the dark, the harsh light directly above only affording visibility in the literal sense. Unphased, Ally remains calm, her hands coupled together atop the platform in front of her, not wanting to show any signs of hostility or secrecy.
After a few additional minutes, a man dressed in seaman attire finally enters the room, an automatic thermometer in hand. “I’m gonna check your temperature now” the man says, Ally unmoving and unresponsive, just patiently waiting for someone to share the space her eyes coldly sit upon. The machine ringing favorably, the man pops the cover from the tool into the trash and takes a seat opposite Ally, who immediately changes her demeanor. “What did you see out there?” the man asks, Ally refusing to answer, first asking for the man’s name. “My name is Matt, I’m with the Euronam staff” the man replies, his response sounding scripted to the letter, as if he had performed it dozens of times, “I’ve been asked to ask you a few questions regarding your time on the mainland.” Unmoved, Ally remains docile, her hands folded atop the table whilst her eyes present the face of a woman not yet finished with questions of her own. “Where’s Lou?” Ally asks, her question being left unanswered, Matt attempting to ask another question of his own until Ally repeats herself. “Where is Lou?” Ally asks again, Matt hiding a sigh from the woman, knowing what it will take to get to his line of questioning, opting to not waste the time they still have bickering. “I want to know where Lou is, tell me where Lou is” Ally replies a third time, Matt hanging his head as he notices the figurative corner he’s been backed into. “Lou is in surgery” Matt replies, trying his best to keep the information as vague, yet assuring as he can. “He’s still in surgery?” Ally asks, challenging the man’s logic, Matt remaining poised and affirmative in his statement. “What is he in surgery for?” Ally asks, “no one will tell me what my boyfriend is in surgery for, and if you’re gonna ask me questions, I’m gonna get my answers first.” Nodding, Matt closes the folder he brought with him, offering the sign to Ally that he’s ready to get her answers situated first. “Lou is having his arm amputated from above the left elbow down, the infection was too severe for any less” Matt replies, Ally visibly taken aback, but refusing to show any signs of weakness or concern. “Where is the rest of my group?” Ally proceeds, Matt suggesting that she wouldn’t be kept for questioning if the rest of her group wasn’t. “Why should we trust you?” Ally asks, Matt smirking, the pen in his hand rocking back and forth in the soft palm of his hand. “You boarded the ship” the man replies, the woman opposite him finally taking her eyes away from him for the first time since he entered the room. “Now, if you don’t mind, we have some questions for you, too” Matt responds, slowly tilting his pen down and using the tip to open the folder once more, finally encouraged to begin his questioning upon the lack of rebuttal. “You said you left the mall, started driving for the docks and then helped Lou back into the truck cab” Matt explains, “when was all of this?” Staring towards the loose papers contained within the folder, Ally responds. “Last night” the woman mutters, the man understanding that the appearance she’s taking on is nothing more than a front to not be tread upon. “I’m not looking to discourage you, Alison” Matt explains, the woman’s eyes finally stumbling upon him again. “I simply want to know we haven’t let a group of maniacs and padded room-needers aboard the last ship still operating on the west coast” Matt explains, sliding a plastic cup of water towards the woman. Appreciative, Ally smiles, taking her index finger and knocking the flimsy cup over, the water spilling over the edge of the table and upon the floor. “I can’t trust you yet” Ally replies, “keep asking your questions.” With a nod, Matt caps the pen, giving up on the notion that he’ll easily take some notes and call it a day. “That’s fair enough” the man admits, leaning back in his seat and crossing one leg over another. “You’ve said you loaded him back into the truck and started heading for the drydocks” Matt explains, “how about you tell me what happened after that.” = RISE and REVOLT is created by Zachary Serra, all rights to the series from Season 1 onwards belong to Zachary Serra and the entity of Pacer1 Media = “Are you sure this is the right place?” Ally calls out, Jules promising the woman that he’s not only read the map correctly, but can recognize landmarks in the immediate area supporting his claim. “Why is no one here?” Theo asks, Jules and Ally both without an answer, only the scattered remnants of what used to be a camp. Pressing on the horn twice, Ally continues to drive around the camp, looking into each broken tent as it passes her window to find nothing. “It’s abandoned” Elsie points out, noticing a portable stove top still powered on inside one of the empty tents, “it looks like they left this place in a hurry.” Her mouth agape without her having noticed, Ally starts fearing the worst, asking back to Elsie how long the stoves are meant to be powered before they run out of use. “No more than a few hours” the woman replies, Ally slowing the truck to a stop before pressing her forehead against the wheel. “We didn’t miss it” Terry reassures Ally, the woman refusing to believe in the most optimistic point of view, declaring the exact opposite. “We spent too much time in that fucking horror show that we missed the motherfucking ship!” Ally declares, Jules turning the dial on the radio in hopes of hearing the incoming signal. Upon locating the correct station, the group hears the offerings of safety, the welcoming tones of the voice only working to fuel Ally’s anger. In a moment of frustration, Ally slams her fist against the radio, cracking the transparent covering over the display. “Okay, you definitely did not need to break my radio” Jenn replies, Ally throwing her head back at the response. “Fuck off, Jenn” Ally replies, her hand reaching for the handle before throwing the door open and bolting from the seat. Walking to the back, Ally watches Theo and Terry collectively struggle to keep Lou down, the man refusing to sit and wait. Letting the man make his own decisions, Terry and Theo let go of his arm, watching the man to push himself up with the one arm afforded to him. “Lou, you’re in no condition to do anything other than sit the fuck down and hope we didn’t miss anything” Terry determines, the man continuing to pathetically fail to even get to his knees. “I can’t sit around waiting for-” Lou replies, stopped when a wave of vomit rushes from his mouth and splatters against the pavement. “-for some stupid fucking ship” Lou finishes, pushing himself out of the back and onto the ground, Ally the first woman to greet him upon his hopeless escape. “Lou, I want you to look at me” Ally asks, Jenn walking up behind her with a flashlight, the head of which shoots directly into Lou’s eyes. “What the fuck was that for!?” Lou asks, both arms lifted over his face to shield him, Jenn immediately noticing the speed at which his reaction came. “He’s not in good shape, he shouldn’t have reacted that quickly” Jenn replies, the heightened senses not convincing the man himself. “You blinded me with a flashlight, what else do you want me to do!?” Lou asks, his shoulders draped over the truck’s end. “Dude, we’ve got nothing else to do anyway, there’s no reason to just run around and get yourself more fucked up” Theo replies, Lou continuing to push the notion of rest being needed away. “If I sit down and play dead, I’ll start going quicker” Lou replies, the man terribly low on strength refusing to do anything other than assist the group in making themselves comfortable. “I want everyone looking around the camp for any food and water you can find” Lou exclaims, the majority of the remaining survivors left frustrated at the man’s continued stubbornness, “we don’t know how long we’ll be here, so let’s make sure we’ve got enough to last a few days.” Staying behind with her boyfriend, Ally tries to convince Lou to not deplete the remaining strength he has, hoping he’ll listen to her if she pleads enough. “I think they’ve got other plans!” Halston calls out, pointing at the blinking lights in the sky a good distance away. “Are those the choppers from back at my place?” Terry asks, Ally hurrying Lou into the backseat, admitting that whilst she doesn’t know, she certainly doesn’t want to find out. “Where are we going?” Jenn asks, Ally brushing off her concerns by parking the truck beneath a massive servicing crane, hiding it from the sights above and powering it off. “Everyone start piling in!” Ally demands, the remainder of the group turning off any light sources they can come across before returning to the vehicle. “Why can’t we trust these guys?” Lee asks, still confused at the vague nature of how Lou’s group operates. “Something just doesn’t sit right with me” Ally replies, hiding the fact that it’s actually Lou’s lack of trust in the structures of aviation that she’s operating on. “They’re not out there to help us” the man says, fully conscious, but his words slurred as if he were anything but. “Are they the military?” Theo asks, Lou admitting that he has just as much knowledge on them as the rest of the group does. “I still don’t understand why we’re afraid fo them” Lee admits, Lou telling the man that they’d be sending help to them if they had help to offer. “I think it probably is military” Lou replies, pushing himself back into his seat in order to remain upright, “I just don’t know how much of the military is truly left.” “So what, they’re just flying aimlessly and shooting at any piles they find?” Jenn wonders, Lou refusing. “They come down to refuel, but then they just go back up again” Lou replies, “there’s now way they consistently fly in a pack of four.” Curious, Theo amusingly asks why Lou has latched onto that bit of information. “The military always prefers an odd number that’s not one” Lou explains, “for example, three choppers means one can help another downed bird without the third diverting.” “It’s a tactic to sustain whatever their efforts are” Jenn replies, having stumbled upon her conclusion, a smiling Lou telling Jenn to make sure she’s the last to die. “If we all get wiped out, make sure you are left to tell the tale at least” Lou replies, Jenn’s eyebrows immediately dropping. “You’re the only person that realizes these things quick enough for it to be of use” Lou replies, “if we missed the ship and I don’t make it, I want you using that brain of yours to keep everyone safe.” “You’re not dying, bro” Terry replies, sat beside the man having made peace with whatever happens next. Looking back to the gross combination of colors having spread across his wound, Lou glances back to Terry, a frown on the group’s current leader telling all there is to tell. “Yeah, I am” Lou replies, a tear running down his girlfriend’s face as the truck goes numb, the whirring sounds of the choppers passing overhead serving as the soundtrack of a somber group. | “We just waited there” Theo admits, his hands folded in his lap as his leg taps against the ground, the man opposite him sat with a folder in front of him and a pen in his left hand. “Did Lou tell you he was going to die?” the man asks, the shiny badge on his shirt collar reading the name “Drew”, the light above reflecting across the surface and spotting itself on the cold wall behind the man interrogated. “He told all of us” Jules replies to the question, sat alone in a cold room all of his own, the man opposite him sporting the nametag of “Harris.” Sternly, Harris leans forward, telling Jules to be honest with him, and making it known that repercussions can be made if honesty is left out. Feeling threatened, Jules tells the man to stop challenging his composure, and instead, get to his question. “Did you kill the crowd we found floating around the docks?” another man with the nametag “Lonnie” asks, Jenn’s eyebrow lifting as if the man had asked her whether or not aliens existed. “What makes you think a small group of nine teenagers could wipe out a crowd of fifty people?” Jenn asks, clarifying, “not undead, I’m talking about living, fighting, people.” “What kind of force do you think we have?” Halston asks, leaning over the table with her right index finger planted against the table. “I’m not accusing you, I’m simply asking of your innocence” a man with the nametag “Luke” replies. “Fine, I’ll answer the question again” Halston replies, her reply coming with a brief pause between each word, “We didn’t kill those fucking people.” “Would you call yourself a killer?” a man with the nametag reading “Connor” asks, sat back in his seat with a smirk. “I think I’d call myself a bro” Terry replies, head against his hand, elbow pressed against the table, “but if your pasty-ass is gonna keep pushing this ‘did you do it’ shit, I think I’d call myself anything I damn well please.” The grin disappearing, Connor remains pressed against the back of his chair, brushing off the one-off question that follows. “What kinda dopey-ass parents name their kid ‘Connor’ anyway?” Terry asks, “make sense you’d be white as hell.” “How long have you known the people in your group?” a man with the name “Aiden” asks, the woman opposite him giving him a cold stare, her answers brief. “A few days” Elsie replies, a look of interest coming from the man opposite her. “And you speak as if you know them so well?” Aiden proceeds, the woman stating that Theo vouched for them. “Why would you just take Theo on his word?” a man with the nameplate reading “Chris” asks, Lee responding the same way Elsie would to the same question. “Because we trust Theo, and Theo trusts Lou” Lee concludes, leaving Chris with just one more question. “How can you all be so young, and still follow the lead of a man with as much experience as all of you unquestioned?” Matt asks, the same question repeated verbatim by every one of his counterparts. Without hesitation, Ally responds in equal verbatim with every other one of her fellow survivors, offering the stamp of approval the ship needed to understand who the brains behind the group is. “We trust Lou.” | “How do you think it all happened?” Halston asks, the car having been completely silent for far too long to be comfortable. “I think we fucked up somewhere” Theo replies, his refusal to believe the government to do anything without ulterior motives fueling his belief they quietly slipped up. “They probably made an attempt at something and it backfired” Theo continues, “tried to contain it and fucking up some more ‘cause they’re incompetant. Just shut up and let it happen.” “I can get on board with that theory” lou jokes, his finger placed into the air with a smile on his face, his eyes closed as if he were half-asleep. “If the military had any involvement, good or bad… This is all probably bioterrorism” Ally replies, “someone that caused far more chaos than even they anticipated. One massive Chicago bottlecap tampering gone horribly wrong.” “How did you guys manage all this time?” Lou asks, Theo admitting that it was much less than a favorable start. “We were all camping out in the woods for a weekend with some pretty shit equipment” Theo jokes, “came back into town and it was obvious that something was off.” Arm draped against the back of the truck, Lee admits that they didn’t realize anything was wrong until they started noticing the helicopters. “Once you saw cars left everywhere and helicopters pretty much replacing birds, we figured we should go back to the campsite and stay there for a while” Elsie replies, Theo finally asking how everyone else survived. “There were a few more of us back then” Terry replies, “lost one on the first day from a bite, lost another who had an accident, lost the last one that kept us all going.” “So you saw the dead?” Lee asks, Halston humorously responding that they were forced out by the dead. “We had to cut our losses, started driving out to Terry’s place, then had to cut through the woods where we found you guys” Ally concludes, her head looking back over the headrest of her seat, “that’s our story.” The conversation dying off for a moment, the group begins to notice something unusual, the sound of whirring helicopters slowly fading off into the distance as if it were a sign. Having noticed this, the group departs their vehicles, slowly emerging from cover to watch the fleet in the sky departing the scene, leaving the group to their vices until help arrives. Her eyes having instinctively looked back towards what the helicopters were flying away from, Jenn begins to call out for the attention of her group. “I think we might be alright” Jenn exclaims, the countless hours of waiting finally coming to an end as a massive ship slowly comes into view against the backdrop of a warm, orange sunset. An uneasy feeling being left in his stomach, Theo takes the group’s attention back to himself, raising the fair question being left unanswered. “If the ships hadn’t come yet, where did all of the people go?” the man asks, the joy of the crowd beginning to fade as Theo starts walking off, deciding to quickly survey the area as the ship blares its horn for the survivors to hear. “Wait up!” Terry calls out, admitting that his mistrust of the man doesn’t equate to wanting him to stumble into some terrible fate just before help arrives. “I appreciate it” Theo replies, Terry shaking his head, not wanting this to be the start of some common ground, replies with a simple, “shut up.” Continuing to aimlessly walk around in the pursuit of answers, Terry stumbles across a sight in the corner of his eye that interests him. Noticing the man to have caught something, Theo follows Terry, approaching the ledge of the docks and looking out into the water, the picture of what is left behind causing their jaws to drop. “We’ve got bodies!” Terry shouts, the group having overheard the declaration and hurried over at the immediate mention. Upon meeting Theo and Terry at the waterfront, the group finds the countless pool of bodies floating atop the water, scattered throughout the seas from the relative calm waves. “Who did this?” Jenn asks aloud, the dock being completely clear of anything that could endanger the lives of at least fifty people. “Let’s just make our innocence known before we board and not risk the only safety we’ve got” Elsie replies, the group returning to the loading dock with caution. | Led from the interrogation room, Ally follows Matt across the ship, passing my spacious areas and narrow corridors. Soon, the burning daylight in the sky that once presented itself for the first time since the group boarded disappears behind the artificial structures, the passageway becoming increasingly dimmer until the only source of light is a set of unsteady, flickering tube lights hanging from the ceiling. “Someone will be knocking on your door later this evening to welcome you to whatever you choose for this boat to be” Matt replies, Ally looking at him as if to ask if this is all over. “You said you had nothing to do with the bodies lining the shores” Matt replies, turning the knob and pushing the door open to reveal a room filled with all eight survivors, “we believe you.” “I want to see Lou” Ally replies, Jules assuring her they already tried and failed at that request before her. “I’m his girlfriend and I want to see him” Ally replies, doubling down on her request, which is again denied. “He’s still in surgery” Matt responds, “we can’t exactly allow anyone other than qualified staff to be present in the midst of a surgical procedure.” “I don’t care what I can and can’t do” Ally replies, stubbornly refusing to enter her cabin without her request being granted, “I have the right to see my boyfriend, so I’d expect to be taken there right now.” Growing agitated, Matt looks the girl and speaks with a calmer voice than before, breaking the scene down for her. “When the union went down, the idea of you having rights died” Matt responds, an evil declaration chilling the group, “if we say get in the cabin, get in the fucking cabin.” Left without any option that doesn’t directly force her group off on the next stop, Ally gives, storming into the room and slamming the door on Matt, the cramped group awaiting the greeting. “I have a bad feeling we made the wrong choice” Halston exclaims, Jenn immediately refusing to believe in such a line of dialogue. “It will all have been worth it once Lou gets up and walking” Jenn replies, “we can figure out what to do after that when we get there.” “Let’s hope he does start getting up and walking around” Theo replies, “the last thing we need is to have done all of this for nothing.” Refusing to take the pessimistic route now that they’ve made it abord, Ally reminds Theo that they gave Lou a fighting chance, which is more than he had before. “Now we wait” Jenn exclaims, resting her head on the backboard of the chair she sits the wrong way in, awaiting their official welcoming party. As the hours turn into half a day, the resting group begins slowly joining each other in concluding their sleep, Ally the only one having not closed her eyes once with such intentions. “No knock?” Terry asks as he wipes his eyes, a “nope” coming from Ally’s lips, the woman remaining sat upright against the wall, her eyes never once leaving the door. “I didn’t get much sleep last night, either” Jenn replies, a dark red line beneath her chin from the weight of her head pressing against the chair. “At least we have a view” Jules quips, the cabin low enough on the ship to nearly touch the ocean’s surface, every other second forcing a massive wave to engulf the circumference of the sights before settling for a nother brief moment. “Not ominous at all” Terry replies, sitting up and continuing to wait before a knock at the door finally gets the group moving again. Those awake leaping to their feet, others still asleep finally begin to wake up, Ally beating all others to the door. “Good morning” Drew greets, Theo rolling his eyes and muttering “uh, it’s you” under his breath. “Yes, it is me” Drew replies, requesting the group follow him out of the depressingly cramped cabin. Given the tour, the group is informed that they are being relocated to a more preferable sector of the ship, and being split up. “You can bunk together if you’d prefer, and it’d probably go a long way for your status on the ship.. Helping us and all” Drew informs, looking through the crowd for potential volunteers. “Terry and I will!” Theo cheers gleefully, the humor in his voice being met with quick refusal “This dude’s lying, don’t trust this bro” Terry shouts back, “I’ll room with Jules, but keep this bro away from me!” Shrugging, Theo offers to room with both Elsie and Lee. “You finally finding the chance to plot against us?” Jules asks, Theo suggesting sharing the same bathroom hole in the woods makes rooming together less bad in hindsight. “I’ll sleep with Jenn” Halston offers, Terry amusingly suggesting that everyone already knew that. Taking her moment to play into the joke, Halston adds to the offer, “I’ll also room with her” to the laughter of the majority of the group. “Any other takers?” Drew calls out, Ally the first to respond, her obvious offer pressing the limits the man’s patience can offer. “Speaking of rooming with Lou, I’d like to see him” Ally continues, Drew refusing, having to improvise an answer that only further worries the woman. “He’s in surgery, you can see him later” Drew replies, attempting to move on until the group as a collective begins to question him on that statement. “bro, get your facts straight” Terry demands, “you and all of us know damn well an amputation doesn’t take a whole fucking day. What’s going on?” The crowd turning on Drew, the man is forced to admit the truth, explaining that the medical wing is off limits from anyone without signs of an illness or harm. “We keep the infected in that wing, and we dump their bodies overboard when they die” Drew responds, “we don’t let anyone in there because we don’t know if there’s a chance you can catch the virus by contact.” Approaching the front of the group, Terry looks Drew in the eyes and tells him to swear that he’s not lying. Doing as told, Drew recites the request, leaving Terry to turn around and hide away a wink. “Fine, let’s go” Terry replies, tapping Ally’s hand. As Drew turns back, Terry winks at Ally, who nods at the man, fully aware that her worried sentiment is shared. Finally told that they will be tasked with jobs, the group is left to their new cabins, each room filled with multiple beds, some to be removed at a later date. Drew having walk away, Ally directs everyone into her room, the door closing behind them. “I don’t believe that for a second” Terry begins, “if they were so cautious about people touching the bodies, they wouldn’t be letting anyone on the fucking boat to start with!” The point agreed upon, the group begins to fear the worst. “I don’t know what they’re doing in there, but I don’t like Lou’s chances right now, even if they really did just fix him up and leave him in bed” Jenn explains. “We need to figure out what’s going on” Lee explains, “I’ve been given clean-up, so I’m pretty sure they’ll have me wipe up some vomit and such… Maybe I can use that somehow?” In agreement that any plan will need to be made with caution, the group begins to dissipate, wanting to settle in for the night before any further planning commences. “Hold on!” Ally calls out, the group stopping in the doorway and turning back, staring at the woman as she reminds everyone that Lou isn’t in charge. “Even if it’s temporary, he wanted us to make one thing certain” Ally continues, the group all turning towards Jenn, who stands amidst the group. “Jenn’s in charge right now” Ally concludes, the woman shaking her head in refusal, Ally refusing to give her any other choice. “Lou wanted you to be in charge if he couldn’t do it” Ally replies, “the way I see it, I’m going to make sure Lou gets what he wants.” Still in refusal, Jenn approaches Ally, assuring her that she is not the same leader as Lou, and things beneath her can only get worse than what Lou can do. “Lou’s a fucking folk hero, Jenn” Ally replies, reminding the core that they would have never survived the schoolyard without him, “you’re not supposed to be another Lou. You’re whatever Lou saw in you.” “I’m not the leader” Jenn replies, her head shaking in stubborn refusal until Ally tells her the opposite. “Lou said you were the leader when something like this happened” Ally replies, “so I say you’re the fucking leader.” Swallowing the anxiety that comes with the imagined title, Jenn glances back towards the group, who all suggest the same as Ally. Biting her lip, Jenn watches the group disperse, turning towards Ally, who smiles. “Lou knows his shit, which is why we made him the leader” Ally replies, “so if he says you should be the leader, I’m not gonna argue with him.” Her heart full despite her mind racing, Jenn hugs Ally, thanking her for getting them to the boat. “Now that we’re on this thing, figure out how to safely get us off it” Ally responds, tapping the woman’s shoulder as she walks away, leaving Ally to hope for Lou’s return. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
November 2022
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