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[BottomGuy]

VOTING OPEN UNTIL AUGUST 5th

 

REMEMBER: YOU CANNOT VOTE FOR YOUR OWN CHARACTER.

 

Welcome to the fourth Character Creation Contest! In response to popular demand vote, the theme for this contest is the Zombie Apocalypse.  You will need to create  a character that can survive this harsh world.  In order to arm your character with the traits, skills, and gear to survive and win you will need to know the state of this apocalyptic world.

 

~~~~~~ Timeline ~~~~~~

• November 14^th, 2017 – First case of the virus surfaces in Eastern Ukraine.  Incident is isolated and kept under wraps by the governments of the world.
   
• December 22^nd – The virus has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and emerged in the United States. Incidents remain minor and isolated.
   
• January 3^rd, 2018 – First report of the virus in Australia.  The virus has reached every continent save Antarctica.
   
• January 27^th – First major outbreak occurs in Moldova.  Confirmed dead soars above 200.  Quarantines are put into place in the region.  Governments of the world continue to cover up threat.
   
• January 29^th – Anonymous reporter releases story about the virus outbreak in Moldova.  While the information reported is accurate, efforts by several governments results in low exposure.
   
• April 11^th – Second major outbreak occurs in the south of France.  This time the death toll reaches nearly 500.  French government quarantines several towns and villages to prevent further spread.
   
• May 3^rd – European scientists begin working in secret to study the virus.  Initial thought is virus only spread by direct contact between carrier and victim. 
   
• July 15^th – 19^th – Major outbreaks occur in Alabama, China, and Algeria.  The latter two governments take forceful action to contain incident.  American government does the same but puts tremendous effort to suppress media exposure.
   
• July 29^th – Governments in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East publicly acknowledge threat of the virus and begin taking measures to prevent outbreaks.  Governments in Europe and the Americas continue to deny severity of virus.
   
• October 20th – Number of major outbreaks globally has increased to at least one every week.  European nations begin taking public action after scientists discover virus can be carried by certain parasites and insects. 
   
• November 8^th – Outbreaks have become more severe.  For the first time an outbreak has killed over 1,000 people. 
   
• February 19^th, 2019 – Entire regions and sections of countries are now overrun by zombies with most of them now off limits.  United States continues to use government censorship and military strength to keep the outbreaks at bay and people calm.
   
• March 15^th – Several breaches in American quarantines occur.  Military unable to respond quickly enough and several military areas are overrun.
   
• March 17^th – The United States suddenly enters a state of emergency.  Having attempted to suppress public knowledge of the virus and downplaying its severity within the government, the virus quickly sweeps across the country.  Citizens grossly unprepared for the crisis.
   
• March 21^st – Washington D.C. has been overrun by zombies.  The Federal government is in a state of disarray, leaving State governments to fend for themselves and their citizens.
   
• April 17^th – Nearly every major city in the United States has been overrun by zombies.  It is now a matter of survival as nearly all local infrastructures are gone.  The governments of the world are either unable or unwilling to come to the aid of the U.S.  Several state governments continue to operate but only in highly limited capacities.
   
• 2021 – Aid has not arrived.  The zombie virus is now a global plague.  While it is affecting nearly every country in the world, none fair worse than the United States.  I guess it sucks we’re in the United States. 

 

~~~~~ Setting ~~~~~

 

“Zombies are a problem around the world.  Yet you can still go to London for some fish and chips, Japan for tea, and go on safari in Africa.  It has certainly become an issue for the world that they are now forced to treat seriously.  This means massive quarantines, severe government oversight on the medical sectors, and highly limited travel.  That does not mean you cannot travel at all.  You simply need to have the right papers and go through an isolation process to prove you are not infected.  The governments are still there, they just had to place a lot of limitations and regulations on people for their own safety.  As a result goods are still being made, the world economy is alive though altered severely, and people are getting safer and smarter.  There is now acceptance that this is not just an epidemic or plague.  You can be killed by being infected or by one of the infected.  It may have taken a while, but the world has come to grips and adapted to the zombie apocalypse in a way that has allowed life to continue close to normal.

 

Except for the United States.

 

Understanding the zombie virus and accepting what must be done to combat it came at different paces around the world.  But nowhere did it occur slower than in the United States.  The government took up a stance of silence in an effort to prevent any panic.  Outbreaks occurred but the government was always quick to clean up the mess and keep the media away.  For a long time all that people were aware of was that there was a virus.  People had no idea that the majority of the deaths were coming from zombies killing people.  For a lot of people fear was coming less from the large number of deaths and more from the massive government censorship.  It was not just the outbreaks in America that were being kept from the people but also the ones around the world.  The majority of information that was coming in was through the Internet instead of professional news groups.  Even as outbreaks worsened, politicians remained firm that citizens must remain calm and live out their lives normally.  Forced ignorance.

 

Eventually the virus got out of control in the United States.  An uninformed populace was only part of the problem.  The other flaw was the lack of severity the virus was treated with.  The zombies were just an unfortunate side-effect of this bizarre illness.  If order was kept then eventually this sickness would run its course.  There was no need to treat this virus any differently than the flu for most politicians.  There were those who attempted to inject sanity and reason, citing historic diseases like the Spanish Flu and AIDS that could have been curbed with more government oversight.  These individuals were vastly outnumbered by those who viewed America as without flaw and strong enough to weather the storm.  With this mind set it was only a matter of time before the virus snowballed out of control.  Perhaps had the full weight of government control or military authority been utilized the United States would be sitting comfortably with the rest of the world.

 

When the big outbreak happened it quickly consumed the major parts of the country.  What made it even worse was when Washington D.C. was hit by surprise and hard.  There was hesitation in reacting to it as those in charge did not want to harm the city.  The government was forced to flee.  There was so much death and chaos happening so quickly that the command structure become confused disorderly.  States had to start fending for themselves as Federal troops could not be deployed everywhere.  Making things worse was the panic that exploded from the general populace.  Practically no one was prepared for this scale of a disaster.  People began overwhelming stores and fleeing their homes and cities.  With panic came death. And with death came more zombies.  The number of zombies exploded and overwhelmed all but the most fortified or prepared locations.  Most major cities become places of death.  Many people hoped the UN or some nation would come to their aid.  What they got was Canada and Mexico placing heavy armed forces on their border.  These countries had learned to respect the potential threat of the zombie virus and they were not about to let panicked Americans spread the outbreak further.  The rest of the world was using its resources to protect its own people.  The only country that would have had the resources to help was the one that needed help.

 

It has now been two years since the Zombie Apocalypse ravished the United States.  Some order has been restored but nowhere near the state of order the rest of the world is enjoying.  It is much more similar to the Wild West in terms of order, structure, and especially safety.  Pockets of what are being called Frontier Towns are emerging across the United States.  Most of these communities have no affiliation with the government as people realized long ago that the government would look out for itself first before the people.  Early on the government bombed locations to combat zombies and in the process killed hundreds to thousands of humans.  As a result few citizens trust the former government.  A lot of the military fell apart as well because troops and officers alike refused to kill their fellow citizen to combat the zombies. 

 

A few quick notes about the zombies we are all fighting.  First, this is not Hollywood.  These zombies can do a brisk walk at the very best.  In order to kill a zombie you need to destroy the brain.  The virus is transmitted through the blood.  Now you might think you are safe so long as you do not mix blood with a zombie.  The problem is the virus is mingled with the saliva and under the nails of the zombies, just like a cat scratch can spread a bacterial infection.  As such if a bite or scratch breaks the skin, then the virus can enter the bloodstream.  Making matters worse is that the blood can be carried by certain insects and parasites, like fleas and mosquitos.  It is not fully understood which insects can carry it nor do ones that are known to carry it always carry it.  Even parasites tend to keep their distance from zombies.  As such it is more common for these insects to get infected blood from a human that has not yet turned. 

 

The Timetable below outlines the process of an infected human (give or take several hours, depending on the individual).

 

Hour 1: Pain and discoloration (brown-purple) of the infected area.  Immediate clotting of the wound if infection came from a wound.

 

Hour 4: Fever (99-103), chills, slight dementia, vomiting, acute pain in the joints.

 

Hour 6: Numbing of extremities and infected area, increased fever (103-106), increased dementia, loss of muscular coordination.

 

Hour 10: Paralysis in the lower body, overall numbness, slowed heart rate.

 

Hour 14: Heart stoppage. Zero brain activity.

 

Hour 17: Reanimation.

 

And so we come to the Frontier Town of Black Ashland in the private state of Ohio.  The state government of Ohio was left to fend for itself and eventually cut ties with the Federal government.  While they never seceded, they never felt there was a need to oblige the legal process either.  The Ohio government and all those who reside within its borders consider themselves part of a private territory.  Black Ashland is one of the larger Frontier Towns, though that is not saying much with a permanent population of around 500.  But it has survived and flourished because of its more isolated location and because of the effort of its citizens.  Columbus is all but a ghost city now in comparison.  Another thing that is fortunate for Black Ashland is that it is close enough to the Canadian border.  Those who are willing to take the risk and have the right connections can get supplies from Canada since they still have an intact infrastructure and economy.  There are not a lot of these goods coming through though.  The majority of what Black Ashland has is scavenged or made by the residents.  The Frontier Town is young, but it has the experience to begin rebuilding and to protect itself.

 

Despite the good fortune that can be found in Black Ashland, it does not mean things are going well.  There are constant zombie surges against the Frontier Town happening at least once every two weeks, sometimes every day for short periods of time.  Black Ashland has out defences that the citizens can defend to keep the zombies from entering the town proper.  This takes a lot of work.  When things are severe or they have the supplies the town can use more advanced weapons like fire arms.  Usually they must rely on blockades and makeshift walls along with melee weapons and proper tactics to keep safe.  It is dangerous and people have died.  Compared to how many people who have lived it is a small price to pay in the eyes of most.  Inside Black Ashland there is proper order and law.  The former structure of cities in the United States was preserved for the most part.  There is a splash of marshal law though in order to ensure the safety of the town's citizens.  Letting people make decisions about safety and supplies had led to the downfall of too many towns. People are expected to be part of the community if they want to live in Black Ashland. No one can get away with not contributing to the survival of the town, even if you're just passing through.

 

Which brings us to you. What brings you to Black Ashland?"

 

~~~~~ Character Sheet ~~~~~

 

Name:
Age:
Height:
Appearance:
Former Occupation / Profession:
Current Occupation / Profession:
Skills / Training:
Equipment / Gear:
Weapon(s):
Personality:
History:
Other:

 

 

Deadline: Sunday July 28th  CLOSED

 

This gives everyone a little over two weeks to figure out exactly what they want to do for their submission.  Remember, creativity is rewarded. Once the deadline passes I will open up the voting process.  Voting be public done in this thread, meaning people can see who you voted for.  The only reason I must do this is to prevent people for voting for their own character. If you have any questions about the setting, rules, format, etc. feel free to contact me. Oh, and one last thing.

 

~~~~~~ Prize ~~~~~~

 

This is a first for the Character Creation Contest.  The winning contestant will be given the opportunity to have their character drawn in a commission.  Our resident artists, kaye, has agreed to do the commission.  The extent of the commission will be worked out by the winner, kaye, and myself when the time comes. No breaking my bank. Hopefully this gives a little motivation for people. I may go back have have commission done of the previous winners as well.

 

Happy Character Creating!

[Stars]

I like this more than I expected I would. (Despite what certain people might think, I am not a huge fan of zombie stuff. :p) I believe I shall enjoy coming up with my character.

[Puffin]

How long does it take for an infected person to turn? And are there any symptoms leading up to it?

[BottomGuy]

I am going to use a modified timeline and symptoms from Max Brooks' The Zombie Survival Guide.

 

The timetable below outlines the process of an infected human (give or take several hours, depending on the individual).

 

Hour 1: Pain and discoloration (brown-purple) of the infected area.  Immediate clotting of the wound if infection came from a wound.

 

Hour 4: Fever (99-103), chills, slight dementia, vomiting, acute pain in the joints.

 

Hour 6: Numbing of extremities and infected area, increased fever (103-106), increased dementia, loss of muscular coordination.

 

Hour 10: Paralysis in the lower body, overall numbness, slowed heart rate.

 

Hour 14: Heart stoppage. Zero brain activity.

 

Hour 17: Reanimation.

 

I will also be making some additions to the setting shortly. Mostly to cover what threat the zombies are in the area. I feel like Black Ashland is sitting too pretty without that information.

[Xteven Xavier]

cool,I am already kicking around Ideas for a character.

 

And if any of you guys create good characters  I may ask permission to use them in my book.

[Stars]

Dunno how good my character will be, but I probably wouldn't mind.

[Kyle]

[b]Name: Dmitri Vodkov[/b]
[b]Age:27[/b]
[b]Height:6'6[/b]
[b]Appearance:A tall stocky man with jet black hair and blue eyes.[/b]
[b]Former Occupation / Profession:Investing[/b]
[b]Current Occupation / Profession:Whatever pays[/b]
[b]Skills / Training:None.[/b]
[b]Equipment / Gear: A ballistic vest and a Swedish Army Knife[/b]
[b]Weapon(s):AN-94/Barreta M9 Pistol.[/b]
[b]Personality:Dmitri is a bi-polar egomaniac that has no problem getting what he wants. From manipulation to torture, he doesn't hesitate. Dmitri also has a tendency to have fantasies that he confuses with reality. [/b]
[b]History:Dmitri Vodkov was raised by his Russian mother and Ukrainian father is Kiev. His father, Dmitri Vodkov Senior, was a rich man that everyone wanted to be. His mother, Viktoria Vodkov, was a baker that always felt her cooking wasn't good enough. When the Virus finally got to Kiev, Dmitri's parents fell victim to it. Dmitri, left with all the money he could dream of and the women he could want, mean't nothing, after he lost his parents. Seeing as his butlers did everything for him and his family he was unable to survive at first, after leaving Ukraine he went to L.A. , California where he'd realize things were better in Ukraine rather than in America. Dmitri, scared and alone, would persuade, lie, and kill people who he needed to rise above or because he was intimidated. After learning to survive, Dmitri will not flinch at torture and suffering of others, and will not hesitate to pull the trigger.[/b]
[b]Other:Dmitri has a tendency to have suicidal thoughts and random depression, it may be the bi-polar, but it happens.  [/b]

[Puffin]

Name: Rebeca Medino
Age: 30
Height: 5'6"
Appearance: long, black hair, ordinarily kept in a ponytail or a sloppy bun. Often wears a sweater or long sleeved shirt, even in warm weather (the shortest sleeves she's seen wearing is 3/4). This is ordinarily paired with a long, plain skirt or slacks (preferably the latter).
Former Occupation / Profession: Nurse practitioner
Current Occupation / Profession: Quarantine Specialist (self styled)
Skills / Training: medicine
Equipment / Gear: whatever medical supplies she can get her hands on, herbs.
Weapon(s): bug spray.
Personality: anxious, nosy, and overbearing, but often because she's trying her hardest to ensure that the people around her don't 'stupidly' get themselves infected. She has very few friends and no family in Black Ashland, so she can easily be mistaken for a misanthrope, but she's generally too self-involved to facilitate any close relationships, though most people find her overbearing attitude to be obnoxious anyway.
History: From the start, Rebeca was absolutely paranoid about becoming infected. Before there were any news reports of outbreaks in her area, she swore she must have been infected somehow countless times and each time called into work and started a self-imposed quarantine (i.e. didn't leave her house for a day or two). Unsurprisingly, that got her fired from her job, but that, she would tell you, is not the point. It's better to be safe than sorry while eating your co-worker's face.
The one thing that Rebeca was the most obsessed with was when it was discovered that some kind of connection was made between insects and the virus. As a result she rarely wears clothing that shows much of any skin and religiously applies bug spray before going outdoors. She even has her own recipe for bug spray, made from alcohol, witch hazel and a few herbs. She often gives samples of these to acquaintances- and then pester them about using it whenever she sees them. The factor that this connection isn't well understood only makes her more paranoid about insects. It's not uncommon for her to stop mid-sentence and then smash a fly violently as if it were a zombie trying to bite a chunk out of her arm.
As for when zombies actually attack, Rebeca stays as far from that as possible. She's more likely to let someone else kill the zombies while she stays barricaded in her home, trying to think of how to separate the infected in the most timely and efficient way possible before they turn and risk infecting others.

Rebeca had lived in Black Ashland before it became the fortified settlement that it is now. She is endlessly thankful for this, having heard bits and pieces of where other residents may have come from and their dangerous treks to find someplace even remotely safe. She has absolutely no delusions about how well she would have survived had she been forced to make such a journey herself. As it is, the only reason she was able to survive up to this point was mostly by hiding or running at the first sign of danger.
Other: When not busying herself with improving her bug spray recipe or quarantining the infected, Rebeca does what she started doing and works as a nurse, taking care of any non-zombie inflicted wounds and sicknesses.

[legacyme3]

Name: Teague
Age: 19
Height: 6'3"
Appearance: Slim, attractive man, with a pronounced jaw, and cool grey eyes. Has emoish hair dyed blue, purple, and green. Not much muscle definition.
Former Occupation / Profession: N/A
Current Occupation / Profession: Information Broker
Skills / Training: Ability to gather information from people, training in 3 forms of martial arts, parkour specialist, management.
Equipment / Gear: sunglasses that can see footprints clearly
Weapon(s): Small pistol and a pocket knife
Personality: Doesn't really trust anyone. Paranoid about everyone turning on him. Thinks he knows everything about people and the world, but has yet to really begin to understand either one. Total flirt, which just covers up his insecurities on ever finding a woman he can trust enough to spend his own life with. He's more than willing to sacrifice other survivors to save his own skin, sometimes even intentionally throwing them to the fire for fun. But every time, he regrets it, and secretly cries when no one is looking. Has potential to grow as a person, but only if he can get past his trust issues.
History:There isn't much we know about Teague before he was 16. Up to that point, he was completely off the radar. When the outbreaks became more severe, he broke onto the scene as something of a legend. "Don't trust a young man with cool grey eyes, and colorful hair", some survivors were known to say. Because... "If you do, your life will be forfeit."

 

They didn't know the half of it. Fucking around with other survivors, Teague became very infamous as he moved his way towards Black Ashland. He had a mission to accomplish, somebody he needed to get back at for the events that had plagued him for the majority of his teen life. It has been 3 years since the day he knew who was responsible...

 

Now he's just hoping it won't take him 3 years to finish his mission of petty revenge.
Other: Teague loves sports, and when he plays, his usual cold demeanor completely disappears, showing a youth who just enjoys being alive. It is through these moments that we see that he is suffering inside. Not just from the outbreak either.

 

EDIT - I edited a few minor things, and bolded the stuff for convenience. 

[Shoulder Devil]

Name: Jacob Dewitt, alias "Vegas"

Age: 46

Height: 6'2"

 

Appearance: Professional to a fault, Vegas continues to dress for success as best as he can, considering everything that's occurred. Or at least, he thinks he is. His collection of collared white dress shirts hasn't been quite as fortunate as he has when it came to surviving the end of the world as we know it, and many have been stained with blood, dirt, and other filth during his cross-country trek from Nevada to Black Ashland (usually some combination of all three). His collection of business suits has been similarly ravaged, until the only complete set remaining is a black suit jacket and a pair of matching dress slacks, both of which contain dozens of small holes--signs that various pests had taken advantage of Jacob's slumber and used the occasion to snack on his best dress clothes. The leather shoes he'd once meticulously cared for have long since lost their finish, and the hastily-performed repairs to restore lost color on the toe of the right shoe suggests Dewitt had raided a hardware store for a can of black spray-paint somewhere along the way. One of the few remaining articles of clothing not worse for wear is a simple dress tie, white with blue stripes running down at an angle. There are a few small blood stains here and there, but nothing that could be noticed with a passing glance.

 

Jacob himself is a tall man, and unsurprisingly, in fairly good shape. The years have added a little flab, but an active lifestyle kept him looking fairly trim, and all the running he's had to do since the world went to hell has helped even more. His face is usually unshaven, though the most he manages is the stubble of a beard that stubbornly refuses to grow out properly. His nose is disfigured, having clearly been broken at some point in the past and never properly set back into place, while his tired brown eyes offer a glimpse into the mind of a man who is rapidly approaching his breaking point. His head is recently shaved, the result of a surrender to the realities of the new world where a professional haircut in the middle of the zombie-infested wasteland isn't something that could be expected, to say nothing of a precautionary measure against any lice that might be thriving in the crumbling ruins of civilization. It's also worth noting that he moves with a limp: His left knee had been dislocated in the past, and while he was able to set it back in place in time to avoid becoming a meal for any nearby flesh eaters, it never properly healed.

 

Former Occupation / Profession: Market analyst / consultant

 

Current Occupation / Profession: Merchant / Trader

 

Skills / Training: In addition to a shrewd mind for business, Vegas is something of an amateur engineer. Months on the run have forced him to adapt, and in addition to learning how to construct sturdy barricades and defenses out of his surroundings, he's also made it a point to break into every gun store he could find. Not for the weapons themselves, of course-- they're loud, require ammunition that may be hard to find, and have limited usefulness. Instead, he made it a point to look for the manuals for said guns, while simultaneously breaking into libraries or sporting goods stores for similar educational material (though, more for structures, tools, and survival tactics than firearms). And he's studied them religiously, allowing him to service and repair many of the weapons currently in use by the surviving humans, something that has also served to give him a degree of indispensability. Bandits will likely rob and kill the average traveler, or at least leave them for dead, but a man who can keep their equipment working or fortify their camp? He's as valuable as the equipment he carries, if not more so.

 

It's also allowed him to become a bit of a survivalist, capable of filtering and storing rainwater near his shop, while also learning valuable first-aid knowledge. It's not the same as medical training, but it's typically the difference between life and death when the dead hunt the living. He's also been forced to become something of a hunter, though he hardly has any professional experience with it. But when a man has to hunt to survive, he either catches on quickly or starves to death.

 

Equipment / Gear:

-1x 18inch wrecking bar

-1x Hiking pack (for scavenging runs)

-1x Toolkit (rolled-up canvas carried inside a small carrying bag, filled with a variety of small tools, usually for small repairs to hardware, firearms, and some light mechanical work)

 

Weapon(s):

 

-1x compound bow, with 8 arrows remaining

-1x 18inch wrecking bar (listed twice, because it's a tool AND a weapon)

-1x Bowie knife (typically used to skin any game he kills, but has obvious combat potential)

-1x Hatchet

 

Personality: Vegas is a man clinging to the last bits of sanity he has left, a process made all the more difficult by his self-imposed isolation. Sleep is a luxury when it comes, but as the man is plagued by night terrors, he doesn't get nearly enough of it. He relies on stimulants to keep going, everything from ordinary coffee to caffeine pills to...well, the sort of stimulants that were "slightly less than legal" before the whole world went to hell. For all he knows they're still illegal-- it'd certainly explain why only the bandits and raiders in the wastes seemed to know how to make them. His temper has also become nearly as well known as the man himself-- while he used to be somewhat of a slow boiler, these days he's incredibly quick to anger. It takes only slightly longer for that anger to become violent, which is why he has yet to be allowed inside the town limits of Black Ashland itself for any extended period of time unless the local lawkeeper is feeling particularly charitable (and has the time and manpower to assign a deputy to police him).

 

Second to his infamous temper, Vegas is arguably best known for his savvy mind for business. It's no coincidence he set up his business inside an abandoned mechanic's shop just off the main road used by those traveling between Black Ashland and the Canadian border. It allows him to operate within a market of his own, usually supplying travelers on their way to the Border to cross, while also offering a safehouse to the few enterprising Canadian merchants who come to Black Ashland in small caravans to trade (a service offered at a small fee, of course, as it's far safer than camping out in the open). The majority of his operation is done via the barter system, not only to ensure that he's never out of supplies to trade, but also to ensure that he ever needs to pack up and run, he's not carrying worthless frontier currency, but something of immediate physical value (such as ammunition, weapons, clothing, or food). He has an inherent distrust of currency, and as a result, tends to only accept it at his trading post when the item purchased with it isn't exceptionally valuable, or happens to exist in excess of what he needs on hand.  

 

History: As his new identity suggests, Vegas hails from Las Vegas, Nevada-- he'd been in town for a meeting with the corporate big wigs of a certain bank's investment division, and had the distinctly unfortunate honor of being located on the 14th floor at the time the building was overrun. He was one of the hundreds of personnel trapped at corporate headquarters when the national guard lost control of the situation. Worse, he was one of the hundreds who weren't located on the bottom floor. Once the lobby was overrun, everyone in the building was essentially trapped. They couldn't make it out through the lobby, and they sure as hell couldn't jump to the ground. Not that a few of his colleagues didn't make their own desperate attempts to do so--the lucky ones died on impact. The less fortunate shattered their legs, and were helpless as the hordes of walkers ate them alive. They had it only slightly better than the rest of the employees trapped in the building. Slowly but surely, the undead made their way up the building floor by floor, usually drawn further upward by the sound of survivors. And each time, more and more survivors made their way up to the floor above in a desperate bid to escape. By the time they'd run out of room to flee, several dozen were crammed into the top floor. Eventually, the inevitable happened: It too was breached, and the survivors had nowhere to run.

 

Vegas didn't. He managed to hide himself away in a janitor's closet, aware of what was going to happen once the undead inevitably broke through the hastily (and poorly) constructed barricade blocking off the stairwell. He escaped detection--from the living and the undead--but he was not as oblivious to their actions as they were to his. As a result, he had to hide. Hide for hours, in total silence and darkness, as he heard the people outside try in vain to fend off the undead. He also heard their screams as they fell, one by one, and were devoured. Once the screams finally, mercifully came to an end, he endured the sound of flesh being torn from bone as the zombies fed. That too soon faded, until all that was left was the occasional groaning and shambling of the zombies outside the door. He was trapped there for days, living in filth and surviving only by drinking tap water when he thought it was safe-- and storing some when he thought it might not be in the future. The smell became overpowering after the first week, not just from his own filth, but from the decaying bodies and dried blood that filled the floor outside.

 

It was nearly a month before he opened the door. By then, the zombies had largely left, and he was able to dispatch the few remaining walkers with relative ease, usually by bludgeoning them in the back of the skull with a large fire extinguisher, or driving the sharpened end of a mop stick through an eye socket and into the brain. It took practice, but it was usually fairly silent and quick, giving him time to hide if he heard any more walkers on their way to investigate the disturbance. Stale donuts and scavenged snacks from the vending machine made for his first meal in nearly a month, and it took some time for him to regain the weight he'd lost to near-starvation due to his time in hiding. He stayed in Las Vegas for the better part of five months, gathering supplies and sneaking around only when he thought it was safe, usually only moving a few buildings at a time before going into hiding for a day or two. And learning. Always learning. Weapons were largely unavailable, though in hindsight, he's grateful for it. Not only did it teach him to be crafty, and rely on more unconventional weapons and tools, but there isn't a doubt in his mind that if he'd been allowed to have access to a firearm, he wouldn't be here alive today. He did hear sporadic gunfire during his time in hiding, and every time he did, he noticed the undead immediately focused on it and began moving towards it (or at least, whatever direction they happened to think it was coming from).

 

His journey from Las Vegas across the better part of half the country, however, is a story he's reluctant to share. As are the circumstances of his survival in Las Vegas. He prefers to keep an air of mystery about him, largely because it keeps trouble away. It also tends to provide him with business. Kind of a "local celebrity" sort of thing, something to impress the out-of-towners or shut-ins who don't know much about the state of the country outside Black Ashland. The biggest reason though, is shame, plain and simple. He's done horrible things to survive, left countless people to die, if not killed them himself. People who trusted him, or made the mistake of taking care of him. While the story of a lone wandering merchant who traveled from out of the desert of Las Vegas, Nevada to Black Ashland, Ohio might sound like an impressive tale of rugged determination and defiance of the odds, the reality is he made the trek through any and all means available to him. Backstabbing, deceit, exploitation, and plain old viciousness were all tools in his arsenal, and he used them well as he did freely. But in Black Ashland, he hopes he's finally found a place to settle down and end it all. Take up a reputable profession, and live a good...well, mostly honest life for himself.

 

But if it ever looks like the town's set to be overrun, it's a safe bet that Vegas is gonna go right back to playing whatever hand he's dealt, even if it means getting a little more blood on his hands in the process...

 

Other: In addition to frequent night terrors, where he's forced to relive that fateful attack on the 14th Floor all over again, Vegas is also an incredibly light sleeper, and has been awoken by sounds as slight as footsteps outside his shop. It's led to some people believing he's found some sort of way to forgo sleep entirely, though the reality is he's just forced to get it whenever he can, to make up for the constant restlessness. He also has a way of knowing more about the seedier side of life--such as the raiders and traffickers of the American Wasteland (weapon, drug, and human cargo alike)--than any one person should. He can usually explain away this knowledge by stating it's an unavoidable part of crossing the vast expanse of land between Nevada and Ohio, but...well, the man's knowledge can seem a bit intimate at times.

[Stars]

Name: Mike Angel
Age: 52

Height: 5'9"

Appearance: Average height and stocky but fairly muscular as well. Longish, messy salt-and-pepper hair and a full beard. Often wears biker leathers with dove and American flag motifs...or at least they used to be American flags. He has replaced them with Ohio flags after moving to Black Ashland.

Former Occupation / Profession:
- Aeronautical engineer, employed by Boeing

- Member of the Patriot Guard Riders

Current Occupation / Profession:

- Auto mechanic and all-purpose fix-it guy, self-employed

- Leader of the Black Ashland Cavalry

Skills / Training:
- Extensive education in physics and engineering

- Self-taught auto mechanic

- Has a motorcycle license and a private pilot license

Equipment / Gear:

- Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with dove and American Ohio flag motifs similar to his leathers

- Variety of tools used for maintenance and repairs

Weapon(s):

- Wrenches and tire irons and whatever else is handy that can be used to bash in a zombie's skull

- Pump-action shotgun, though ammunition can be hard to come by, so he seldom uses it

Personality: Mike is a fun-loving guy who enjoys a bit of adventure every now and then. The whole zombie apocalypse thing has caused him to become more quiet and reserved, but it's not too difficult to get him to loosen him up and start telling his favorite lame jokes if you put a little effort into it. He also enjoys learning about how things work and how to tinker with them, though lately this has become more of a necessity for his livelihood rather than just a hobby. When life starts to get too heavy, he loves to aimlessly ride around the countryside on his bike, leaving everything behind for a while and not thinking about anything but the sense of freedom it grants him.

History: Mike was born and raised in Mulvane, Kansas, living a thoroughly ordinary life. He stayed out of trouble, eventually went to Wichita State, and got his degree in engineering. He even did the whole wife and kid thing. Life was as good as could be expected.

Then the outbreaks reached Kansas. Nobody in the area - including Mike - thought much of it at first since nothing bad ever happens to Kansas, but that small share of hubris proved disastrous. The virus exploded in Wichita, and the undead spread out in all directions. It wasn't long before they hit Mulvane. Mike lost his wife and son to the creatures before the town was finally secured by local authorities.

At first, Mike was merely distraught at the loss of his family. But when he found out that the government had known about the zombie virus for years and had been trying to keep the public ignorant, he became severely disillusioned with the "great and powerful" USA. Soon after, Mike heard about Ohio essentially declaring itself an independent state. Wanting to separate himself from the federal government as much as possible, he decided to relocate and convinced a number of his friends in the Patriot Guard to join him.

Mike and the other Riders found themselves settling in Black Ashland. As there wasn't much demand for aeronautical engineers there, he and some of the others opened an auto shop to help maintain the few vehicles in town that still ran. Since the people still had to defend against the odd zombie attack from time to time, Mike and the other Patriot Guard Riders restyled themselves as the Black Ashland Cavalry. While they were little more than an armed biker gang filled with middle-aged men and weren't officially sanctioned by the local government, no one would deny that they were damned useful to have around during an attack.

Other: Mike used to own a small prop plane that he loved to fly at least as much as he loved riding his bike. It was lost during the attack in Mulvane, either destroyed or perhaps stolen, and he very much misses it. He would love to build a new plane for himself, and he has been (very slowly) building up a collection of the parts he needs for it.

[BottomGuy]

The entry period is now closed! A little late since I got distracted last night, forgetting to close it and submit mine. I try to make mine the last submission because...reasons.  Anywho, I will get the polls up soon. Remember, you CANNOT vote for your own character and the voting will be public to prevent this.  Voting will be open until AUGUST 5th. Great to see the submissions that we got in and best of luck to all the zombie survivors in the voting to come.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Name: Roy Trolley

Age: 36

Height: 6’ 1”

Appearance:  A mixture of scruffy and scrawny with a lanky figure.  Having primarily worked on documentaries and shows that took place outdoors, he has an unkempt appearance.  His dirty blond hair comes down past his ears and is usually stuffed underneath a baseball cap.  He has a thin beard that borders on looking like five-o’clock shadow.  With a thin sharp nose his face comes across as having sharp angles to it. Mike still clings to wearing his work attire which most importantly includes a photographer’s vest.  When he safely in Black Ashland he prefers to wears cargo shorts, but he will wear long pants when outside the protection of the town for safety reasons. 

Former Occupation / Profession: Cameraman

Current Occupation / Profession: Surveillance / Security

Skills / Training:

Cinematography and Photography

Electronic Communications

Basic Survival Training

Equipment / Gear:

Shoulder Video Camera

Camera Tapes

Compass

Hiking Pack

FM/AM Radio

Two-Way Radio

Solar Powered Generator

Weapon(s):

Machete

Taser

 

Personality:Roy is an easy going person who does his best to make work enjoyable and productive.  At times it appears that he does show much care for what he is doing. The truth he that he usually knows what he is doing well enough that he does not need to outwardly exert too much effort.  He always strives to put forth the best work he is capable of and believes that is not possible if you stress over your work.  This does not prevent him from being critical of other people’s work.  Roy expects people to exert as much effort as he does at whatever work they are doing.  He has lost his temper before while filming when someone continues to make mistakes and forcing him to go through tape after tape.  Unlike most people in America, the zombie apocalypse has not messed with his outlook.  When others were running for safety, Roy was out there filming the madness.  Having filmed sharks and lions and quite a few things in between, Roy views zombies as just another wild animal you need to be smart around.

 

History:  Roy Trolley had been working in television and documentary industries as a cameraman for the last dozen years.  He specialized in outdoor work that got him face-to-face with the wilder parts of the planet.  The majority of his work came from working with the Discovery and National Geographic networks.  As such he is accustomed to working in the field with little support or creature comforts.  As the outbreaks started to increase, he was sent off to document some of the more dramatic incidents.  Darting across the globe documenting the increasingly threatening outbreak allowed Roy to learn a great deal.  The most important thing he learned was how different communities and cultures were combatting both the outbreaks and the zombies.  Putting himself in the thick of some of the more dangerous situations paid off as he creating gripping and insightful footage.  His goal was to work with National Geographic to create a special series on the global outbreak but he was quietly told no.  It was only later that he learned the American Government had threatened action if such material was released on a large public scale.  Despite this set back Roy was still able to work with the international branches of the company and successfully released a documentary to Europe market. 

 

While Roy was touring the world collecting zombie footage along with his regular work, the powder key in America continued to grow in size.  He was almost able to dodge a bullet as almost anywhere else in the world would have been safer than the United States and usually that’s where he was.  Unfortunately for Roy, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He happened to be back in the states gathering footage about the Appalachian Mountains.  While he was out in the field filming with a small crew the powder key finally exploded with the flames quickly moving toward him.  The one saving grace was that he was out in the wilderness, far from any major population or city.  The downside to this was his crew did not know where they were supposed to go.

 

After a few weeks the crew decided to split ways.  Many of them wanted to attempt making it back home to look out for loved ones.  Roy decided it would be better to keep to smaller communities than heading back to the major populations.  He had learned what to do in this sort of situation from his travels and he knew heading toward densely populated cities was stupid.  The problem Roy ran into was there quickly became no way to travel, well, quickly.  The infrastructure in America collapsed leaving people like Roy on their own.  This did not deter Roy as he steadily made his way north.  His long term goal was to make it over to Canada where people had not been nearly as stupid.  It was going to be a long journey though as he had to do it on foot.  Slowly heading north Roy jumped from small town to rural area, making sure to avoid the big cities.  Roy decided to stay in Black Ashland for a longer visit than he normally allowed himself.  By the time he made it to Ohio he was exhausted.  What was supposed to be a few weeks rest turned into months then years.  He became part of the security of the city using his knowledge of safely filming zombies to keep others safe.  A great convenience of Black Ashland was its trade across the Canadian border.  Roy is able to sell his footage to international companies and governments.  Some use it for entertainment or documentaries; others are for scientific study and the military.  Roy had found some way to continue being a cameraman in the apocalypse.

 

Other: Despite his ability and willingness to live out in the wild when filming, there is a limit to how much he can be deprived of technology.  He has traded his footage and other supplies in exchange for parts and replacements for his equipment.  He thrives off being able to use electronics to aid himself and others. He is currently trying to get a radio station up and running at Black Ashland for communication, security, and entertainment purposes.  You can't be a wildlife cameraman by using raccoons.

 

The Taser he uses is not for zombies but people.  He has come across enough scavengers and bandits that it warrants it, though he is reluctant to kill other humans. Fortunately the generator he uses to charge his equipment like his camera and radios can be used to recharge the Taser.

[Xteven Xavier]

I  wanted to do this, I'm mad.

[BottomGuy]

The polls are closed! Congratulations to our big winner....

 

 

 

Jacob Dewitt "Vegas" and his creator Saint Cynicism

 

Doesn't he look...thrilled. I'll provide more fanfare and close the polls tomorrow (can't seem to figure that out while tired). 

[Stars]

Congrats, Saint! Well deserved. (I know I didn't vote for Vegas, but he was one of my top choices when I was trying to decide.)

 

EDIT: I'm just glad I got a vote at the last minute. xp

 

EDIT 2: 11,000th post! :o

[legacyme3]

Wow, I got a vote! :V

 

Success!

 

Congrats St. Cynicism.