January 13th, 2009 [Closed]

Spoiler:

"Just to be clear, Doctor, what you're stating is that this is some sort of...virus?" The graphic on the bottom of the screen said it Charles Gibson speaking, but if you flipped the channel, you'd hear the same words coming out of some other anchor's mouth, addressed at some other doctor. But they'd all be saying the same thing. They'd all been saying the same thing for days now.

"Yes, Charlie, that's exactly what I'm saying. Some sort of airborne agent has been released into the air in the area surrounding Harrisburg, Pennsylvania," Doctor Ari Sayesh replied.

"So, Doctor, do you see this as a localized outbreak? Thus far, there's been no evidence that the infection has spread."

"It will, Charlie. If it hasn't already. My belief is that this airborne agent does not reveal itself, or present any symptoms until after the infected's-" The TV was turned off abruptly.

Looking around the conference room of the Hilton hotel, you take in your fellow survivors once again. Elderly, young, angry, afraid, white, black, hispanic, asian. Seems that this virus, or whatever it is, didn't discriminate in who it took, or who it left alive.

All-in-all, there was close to forty people taking refuge in the Hilton's spacious conference room. Another twelve or so had set up residence in the numerous hotel rooms on the floors above your head. Mostly younger kids, teenagers revelling in the downfall anything resembling organized authority.

The city had been closed down since the explosion at TMI. Roads got clogged real fast, and the last flight out of HIA was just a few hours after power was restored to region. Since then, the city sat at a standstill. At least for the living.

The dead however, well, they kept on going. And growing. You'd all seen it. Everyone in the conference room had witnessed it first-hand, most likely. Someone dies. Hours later, they rise, walking, with no spark of life in their eyes. And they hunt the living relentlessly.

First, it was the crash victims coming back, then those who died in the rioting, and those who died from exposure to elements. Next, before everyone realized (and actually more importantly, believed,) what was happening, those unfortunate souls who would try to help the seemingly wounded and disheveled walking corpses fell prey. In all your life, the worst thing you ever saw was a human being being eaten right before your eyes by the walking dead.

The news was telling you all that it was a virus that was animating the dead. Whispers in the conference room were saying it was leaking radiation from TMI. Others were claiming it was the work of the Devil. All the explanations sounded ridiculous.

Food was starting to get scarce. At first you and your fellow hotel refugees had done well enough raiding the hotel vending machines. But those meager supplies ran out quickly. Now, there was talk of scavenging. There were convenience stores nearby, and even a small grocery a few blocks away. Thus far, no one had volunteered to leave your makeshift compound and go back out into the city. Someone would have to, and soon. And they'd need help if they were going to bring back food for more than fifty people.

Then there was the matter of barricading the large, open-air lobby that led out to the street. Thus far, none of the dead had broken in, but every night a large group of them could be seen gathering outside the hotel. Clearly, the dead knew that you all were inside. They had just yet to get in. Though the heavy glass panes in the lobby were starting to show the signs of the repeated impacts they were taking from the dead pressing against them. It was just a matter of time.

"Somebody help!"

Your dark musings were suddenly broken by the commotion going on at the far end of the conference room. One of the girls from upstairs was gasping for breath and gesturing wildly.

"One of those...z..zombies! Upstairs! Inside the hotel!" She was probably 15, and she looked near on the edge of panic. "Somebody's gotta help!"

"Zombies... Fucking Zombies... I knew it! Barbara called me crazy when it started." George thought to himself as the group sat around the conference room, as they all waited to die.

"Oh Barb... I'm sorry." The thin man tried hard to keep himself from weeping, it would only spread throughout the group.

When the girl burst into the room, his first thought was that one of the monsters was in the room and when he saw the girl's face, he knew his guess wasn't far off.

George made his way over to the young girl, through the mass of other survivors and hearing her panicked voice calling for help. "This place isn't safe anymore..." Years of watching B movies told him that once one of these things got in that it was only a matter of time before they were all doomed.

George scanned the room for any makeshift weapons he could use as others questioned her.

"8 months! I've been back here for 8 months and I REQUESTED this transfer. When I was in school, academy, and even after I started working I knew I would seem so gruesome stuff, but NEVER IN MY LIFE would I have expected anything like THIS!"

Kelly looked around the room. She needed to remain strong. She was still in uniform and because of that many were coming to her looking for answers or advice. "At least I am still armed. I guess bullets might kill them...Can you kill something that isn't REALLY living?" Many looked like they were at their wits end.

The girl burst into the room and Kelly quickly made her way to her. She was good at gathering information. She needed to know exactly what the girl saw. She needed to know what they were up against. She placed her arm around the girls shoulders, "It's okay. We'll get some help. Where did you see it? Was it armed? And was it ONLY one?"

"Jeeze. Not one in here." Simon shuddered and began to feel a bit sick. "I'm not cut out for this."

But listening to the fear in the girl's voice and watching the two others going to assist, Simon stands and wipes his sweaty hands on his pants. Maybe all those hours of playing strategy and tactics games could come in handy.

Looking about, he wondered if the hotel's restaurant, (if it even had a restaurant) might have a few knives that he could use as a weapon, even a heavy pan at this point might be better then nothing.

Taking a deep breath, visibly attempting to calm his racing heart, he waited for the girl to respond.

Spoiler:

Edit: Changed Code block to Quote.

Henry is sitting on a table, staring into space. From the look on his face, and the occasional uncomfortable twitch that he shows, you can almost hear what he's thinking:

Oh shit! Oh Shit. I can't believe I killed her. (She would have killed you, and then devoured you). I still have her blood on my jacket (better that it's hers than yours).

**SNAP**

There are zombies in the hotel. Oh shit. Oh Shit. I'm going to fuckin' freak out!!!! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Why is this happening!!!! Oh GOD Help us all!

!!!!GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF, DAMMIT!!!!

There. That's better. Now think logically. You need to get your head together. There is a zombie in the hotel, and people's lives are in jeopardy. Now, since you have already had to kill a neighbor and your landlord to get here, you may as well assist with the zombie in the hotel. You have survived an attack, and you have managed to kill two of these feakin' things, so let's go.

Collecting myself, and realizing that there are a lot more people in this room than there were before I spaced out, and freaked inside my head about things that I have no control over, I am going to stand up, and grab my baseball bat (club), and walk over to see what I can do to help.

Saying under my breath, but loud enough for those closest to hear "Hell, killing a zombie that I haven't met, or paid my rent to in the past may actually be refreshing."

Spoiler:

I turn to the room and scan the inhabitants as if seeing them for the first time.

"Are there any of the hotel staff still here with us. I'd like to know if there is anyone that knows the passwords to the computers in the hotel that access the security \ closed circuit cameras in the building? It may be a good idea to get that stuff operating, so that we can monitor the lobby \ other key entry points of the hotel from here. I have a laptop, that I can use to monitor these feeds from this room provided I can get access to the network. If we can setup a monitoring system, I know that I'll sleep a little better at night. Of course the first thing we need to do is find this zombie, and make sure it's dealt with."

George finished scanning the large room. His eyes landed on the female officer questioning the girl, more specifically her gun belt, and the gore stained guy with the bat. He sighed...

"About fifty or so people in here and we have a gun and a bat. I need to get the hell out of here. I need a weapon."

George thought of the mall, the idea of making a stand inside the mall had occured to him but who knows what lay in store for them there.

He watched the cop and "bat man" as they seemed to be preparing to help the girl.

"Those two are my best chance..."

He made his way over to the officer.

Simon nods at the suggestion of the security cameras.

"That's not a bad idea. I also have a laptop that we might be able to use. Anyone know where the cameras are? I'm not sure if they have a wireless network here, I haven't checked, but I might be able to access the cameras from here. Although that might be a long shot."

Having a purpose and a way to help, Simon opens his laptop and begins to check on the status of the network then pauses.

"Is this where we are going to stay however? Perhaps some of the upper floors might be more easily defensible. I would think that the stairs could be blocked off, and the elevators disabled. Heading for the top floor and roof access might allow us to keep a lookout for an air rescue. Of course, we have at least one up there already."

He turns and waits for the girl and the officer to hopfully provide some more information.

Spoiler:

"We don't have food and you are worried about security cameras." George said with more anger than he meant to. "Right now we have to worry about that thing..." He motioned to the girl speaking with the cop.

"The we need to get food and supplies for all of us. Then we can worry about barracading ourselves in. The roof is not a bad idea but we don't want to corner ourselves some where unless we absolutely have to."

Well at least I'm attempting to DO something.

Simon looks up, startled and opens his mouth to comment, but thinks better of it. He takes a deep breath,

"Ok. Not to overstate the obvious here, but we can live for a few hours without food. I would think maybe our protiries aren't exactly perfect, but I would feel safer somewhere that doesn't have fracken zombies less then 100 feet from us. You have a suggestion? Make it, but we shouldn't be waisting time with fustration and anger."

"Okay everyone...CALM DOWN!", Kelly's words came out a little louder than she meant them to. Ugh! I guess that's the policewoman in me. At least when this all started I stuck around. I honored the oath that I took. I wish I could say that for everyone.

"That guy is right, frustration and anger will not get us very far. We need to stick together. We need to get to this Zombie, while hopefully there is still only ONE of them. We will not be safe here forever. Let's get her calmed down and try to find out where this zombie was." Kelly nods towards the girl.

"In the meantime, we do need get some food that is true. But I think we need to deal with this asshole first. Strawberry Square Mall has a food court, so there should still be food there that will serve us well."

Kelly looks around the room, looking for some people that might make good recruits and looking for weapons. She spies some fire extinguishers on the wall...'Better than nothing' she thinks.

"Ok, I am armed, but we are definately going to need some more weapons. We need to pry those fire extinguishers off the wall. We can use those. If ANYONE has ANYTHING that we can use as a weapon, whether or not you are up for fighting let me know. Think sharp, heavy, blunt...USE YOUR IMAGINATION. I also need to know who is up for some fighting." She looks towards the guy with the bat, "It looks like you have already fought some of these. You up for some more?"

Spoiler:

"I'm going wherever your gun is going..."

"I'm.. I'm sorry, I didn't mean..." George looked to the Officer. "I'll come with you."

"I can't believe this shit, on my way to a concert and I get stuck in a fucking B-movie nightmare. Is this Armageddon, Ragnarok....fuck this is the real thing. How to get out of this...HOW! FUCK! Fifty of us stuck in this hotel, what a feast. Sardines in a can."

Jimmy scans the room, looking for a chair to break to make a club, a flag pole to use as a spear, anything.....when he hears the young girl scream.

"Good God.....blessed are the dead, from now on who die in the Lord.....somehow I don't think St. John wasn't talking about Zombies.....or us....fucking zombie food. Pull it together, Jimmy! Action, not going to sit here and wait to be food."

Jimmy sees the lady cop, and the small group that has gathered around her. They look like they are about to form a plan, and Jimmy would rather do something than wait. Jimmy walks up to the Lady cop to offer help.

Officer, I'd like to help......I can't stand sitting here waiting for something to happen, we need to organize.....ah....delegate responsibilities or something.......I mean....uh....decided all we need to do and then assign some of us to....uh...do it.

"Shit, I sound retarded and my voice is breaking.Calm the fuck down, Jimmy."

Food, protection, and weapons.....right? But first things first...lets get this monster, I'm coming with you.

Jimmy grabs an extinguisher off the wall, and practices swinging it a bit.....then tries to give a reassuring smile to those nearby.

[Instead of the quote tag...I think I prefer that we use the [spoiler ] [/spoiler ] tags. Use that from now on. In the composer, it's an option under the "Others" button. To read a spoiler just click the word "Spoiler"]

Spoiler:

The makeshift shelter suddenly bursting into action, the girl who ran in screaming for help pauses, as if sorting out the events that had played out upstairs only moments ago and searching for the correct response to the officer's questions.

"We...some of us...we...were upstairs. We'd heard...for the last few days...we heard some thumping upstairs. We were too afraid to do anything...but then Tom...he said we should go check it out," she begins.

"We went up there...3rd floor...that's where the sound was. We go up there, me, Tom, Raquel, 'n Paul," she pauses, brushing her dirty, matted blonde hair aside, revealing large, tear-filled, terrified green eyes. "The noise was coming from room 323. We get there, and there's this...this...pounding coming from inside the room...against the door. When we got closer...a...hand...an arm broke through the door. It was all bloody...and it grabbed Paul. Then the door exploded out...Raquel 'n me, we ran."

"Tom, he...he pushed Raquel 'n me away, and then ran to help Paul. I looked back, 'n the thing bit Paul...on the neck, and then swung at Tom. That's when Raquel 'n me got on the elevator 'n came down. She's still crying out there..."

The girl gestured back out into the upper lobby towards a second girl, with dark hair, and a rich, olive complexion. Raquel.

"T...Tom is still up there... Paul, too, I guess." Her tone says she clearly doesn't think Paul is still alive.

--

At the mention of networks, and security cameras, as well as the mention of hotel staff, a thin, middle-aged gentlemen with graying hair approaches the two men speaking about computers and the like.

"Excuse me, sons, but I'm the night security guard here at the Hilton." A quick glance at the name tag pinned to his shirt reads "K. Johnson". "Name's Karl. I think I can help you two get to the monitors and controls for the cameras. I don't know much how to finagle them, but I can show you where they are, and the basic functions if that'll help."

"Holy shit, I can't believe I'm still this calm"

I look around at each of the few people that look eager to assist, and say under my breath...

So few

All right I know that time's pretty pressed here, but I think we should probably introduce ourselves quickly, so that we know who we're fighting alongside. My name is Henry Masterson, I live in the area, and bartend at the Appalachian Brewing Company, and Ceoltas right up the road.

"... and I killed my landlord with a baseball bat. Hmmmm. I sound like I'm at the first ever meeting of psychopaths annonymous."

I turn to Karl

Karl, thank you. I would love to check that out. We need to take care of this one issue first, and hopefully myself, and the other gentleman here can make some sense of the surveilance station.

Turning to the police officer.

Officer. Whatever you would like for me to do to assist... I'm at your service.

Sticking a hand up and waving, Simon says, "I'm Simon Leeds, computer nut doing some work from out of town. Kinda know my way around though, my family lives near philly."

Turning to the man who made the out burst about the camera's and priorities, he adds, "Sorry if I seem like I'm not caring what everyone thinks, but THIS..."

He taps the laptop computer, and continues, "...Is what I'm good at. If I can help somehow this way...well just look at me, I'm not going to be much good in a fight."

He stands from his chair and waves at his overweight and typical computer persons body.

"But regardless," Simon squints a bit under his glasses attempting to read the officer's name badge, "Ms. Tayor over there has the best weapon at the moment, and is an officer of the law, so has more training then I. I'll listen to her."

He sits again with a thump and adds, "On that note, Karl? Do you know if it's a closed circuit system or attached to the main computer network? Also, are there any offices or breakrooms that might have some food left over and might be a bit easier to defend, hopefully on the upper levels?"

Spoiler:

"No, it's my fault..." the thin man in the leather jacket replied. "My name's George."

Taking a cue from the other person, George lifts a fire extinguisher from the wall as well. Find the heft awkward at best, he carried it anyway.

"Listen... if the rooms up stairs have minibars, we can grab some supplies as we come back down. We have to be careful though, not to stir up anymore of those things if they are here. We don't know how many people may have died behind one of those closed doors."

"And, I'm scared shitless about the fact that one zombie could punch through a door..."

Okay Kelly, you have training for emergency situations. Granted, this was NEVER anything you planned for, but they are looking at you.

"Okay, my guess would be we have at least 2 zombies on our hand", Kelly states. "Probably three," she mutters so the girl cannot hear her. Somebody get Raquel in here, this place is still safe." For now. "George, Harry, and you," Kelly points to other guy who grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall, "you guys are going to come with me. We need to head towards the third floor. Simon, I know your skills are in computers, but if you are up to this, it definately would not hurt to have another LIVING person, but that is your call."

Kelly looks to the guy with the hunting rifle and the guy with the baseball bat. "You guys do not have to come with us, but the rifle and the bat could really help us out. We need to do this to keep this location safe. Can we use your weapons?" Kelly's stomach lurches and she quickly turns to the girl, "Were there other's upstairs hiding with the 4 of you and would anyone else have gone after Tom or Paul?" Kelly looks back and forth expectantly between the girl and the guys with the weapons. Come on people. If you have any hope of survival we need to work together. PLEASE!

Simon nods reluctantly, stands and takes the last fire extinguisher off the wall. It's obvious that its going to be a bit tough for him to wield, and he looks longingly at the club in the other mans hand.

"Now I'm Harry. The hits keep coming. Shut up dude, we're all under pressure. Not everyone can be expected to remember every little detail."

I walk toward Officer Taylor

"Officer Taylor, I'm here for whatever you need. I will say that they seem to be pretty tough. I'm not sure how I got here, but I had to hack away for a while to keep those things from killing me. My trusty Louisville finally got the better of them, but that rifle would be infinitely more helpful."

I scan the room and take note of the people within the conference room.

"Of course we probably need someone to stick around here, and make sure that this room stays safe. We should probably consolodate everyone to a location that we know is safe until we can make sure that the upper floors are zombie free?"

I'm...ah...Jimmy, I was just passing through Pennsylvania and just got unlucky...shit...real unlucky. But if I live, this will make one hell of a story.

Jimmy nods at Officer Kellywhen asked to come with her.

I've...I've got your back. Just lead on.

What am I doing....I don't know how to kill a fucking zombie. Fuck it, all it takes is a few good smashes with this clumsy ass extinguisher. God Iwish Ihad a gun.

Jimmy points to the man with the rifle. Jimmy has decided to try and convince(bluff) the man to hand it over.

Hey man, I'm pretty good with a rifle, let me borrow it and I'll kill the bastards before they ever lay eyes on you. Plus, they will probably go for the guywiththe biggest gun first, I'm willing to be that guy. Help us out.

Spoiler:

One of the other survivors, an older woman who you think you overheard someone call Grace, walks out into the hallway to gather up the shaken Raquel and escort her back into the conference room while your small band of would-be heroes decides on their course of action. None of the other people with anything resembling a weapon seem interested in putting their lives on the line, especially not for some kids who got themselves into trouble.

Raquel's friend demurs when asked if anyone else would have gone upstairs after Tom and Paul. "N...No. It was just us up there. The rest of us upstairs, they're too afraid. They would've stayed in their rooms..."

---

"Just let me know if you need me, boys," Karl says as Simon and Henry make known their intention to help Officer Taylor. He looks around the room, and with a smile on his face, continues. "It's not like I'm going anywhere anytime soon."

Simon thinks for a moment and pulls Grace aside out of earshot from the two girls. Speaking softly as to not alarm anyone else, "Grace, try and find out if either of them have any open wounds, scratches or bite marks. The news said that this was a virus, and if thats the case, we can't afford to have either of them get sick and .....turn."

He motions to the other survivors, "We don't know how fast the sickness can spread and I would hate to have anyone else infected. Shit. I'm pretty sure my rental car had a first aid kit, but who knew I might need it. Maybe you can ask Karl, he might know where one is. It can't hurt to take precautions at least."

George nodded slowly in agreement. "Excuse me Karl, do you have like a pass key or anything that will let us into the rooms upstairs and would you happen to know if there's a first aid kit around?"

Spoiler: