Roleplay

[size=1]@Wolf97973 @Aretimes[/size] [center][img]http://i50.tinypic.com/9jqh4k.jpg[/img][/center] [center][i]TEN HOURS AGO[/i][/center] The world outside had gone quiet when Lyra started dismantling the blockade. Iri would have helped, but she pinned him with a look that threatened - something. To tie him down and leave him there, maybe. Iri stayed on the floor and strained to hear as she worked, occasionally laying her ears back in threat at what she saw beyond the door. "It's safe." Lyra said finally, straightening. "Hand me the flashlight." The power had stopped working around the third hour. Lyra kept a broad hand on Iri's shoulder as they slowly made their way down the dark corridor, his backpack clunking steadily against her back. The air smelled like dust and blood, and Iri's stomach churned dangerously with each step. "Don't look." Lyra said, and Iri obediently turned his head away whenever they passed a classroom door. He forced himself not to wonder if there was anyone [i]alive[/i] in there. Hot waves of pain radiated up his face whenever he jostled the cold compress. "We need to get out of here." said Lyra abruptly. "Hold on. I'll break a window." [i]Okay[/i], Iri said, or thought. He strained to look into the distance as Lyra went to haul a chair. There were headlights in the distance, but he couldn't look at them for too long. The [i]crash[/i] was the last thing he heard, and the cool linoleum tile the last thing he felt, before he lost consciousness. [center]-[/center] Light and noise. Iri's face ached. Lyra's voice hung above him, high and strained. "Can you help him?" "...can't leave anyone behind in this mess." He couldn't [i]see[/i]. Iri reached for his face, and let out a whine of irritation when hands forced his wrists down. Black spots flickered in and out of his vision, and he groaned. "We can't risk waiting or staying here. It's almost daylight." a low voice said, and Lyra's grip tightened on Iri's arm. Lyra growled. "I have to find them." she said. "They're lost somewhere in the school and they need help, just like us- " "We'll leave you supplies." another voice said placatingly. "There are other groups out there. You can find your friends and join up with them. We really do have to go, son." A long pause. "Fine." Lyra said quietly, sounding as though she was speaking through her teeth. "Fine. Just let me say goodbye to my friend first." [center]-[/center] Iri eased into wakefulness by degrees, as if waking from a dream. He slowly became aware of a warm sheen of sunlight falling across his eyes. By cracking an eyelid open Iri found his face inches from a dirty floor, and remembered dimly that someone had dragged him across, sneaker-soles squeaking against the floorboards. He sat up on his nest of blankets and looked around properly, eyes already aching in the low light. The twin streaks of mud led all the way up to a door and someone - he didn't recognise the face - sitting in the shadow of a bookcase. If they were awake Iri didn't realise it, frozen in expectation of a face twisted in fury. "Where's Lyra?" he said, panic welling up in him like a upturned pitcher. "What - [i]who are you? [b]Where am I?[/b][/i]"

@Wolf97973
(( Everything alright?? We're just waiting on you to post <3 ))

@Wolf97973
(( It's cool~ I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright <3 ))

[size=1]@Wolf97973 @Aretimes[/size] [center][img]http://i50.tinypic.com/9jqh4k.jpg[/img][/center] “I can't!” Iri said, nearly hysterical as he watched the tigress pace. “I… I don’t know how I got here —” He’d been watching Lyra throw a desk through a window. The sound of glass breaking must have been real, but were the gunshots, the voices, Lyra’s voice, just a dream? Where was Lyra? [i]Why was he locked in a room with a strange woman?[/i] “Might be best to ask me.” the person said, low and laughing, and Iri jumped as they got up from their corner to eye him. They (she, Iri thought) were a hyena-anthro, with a mane of tightly-curled hair and eyes so dark they nearly melded into her muzzle. Her fur was dark brown with thickly clustered spots, blending in perfectly with the dark corner. Iri wouldn't have noticed her at all if she hadn't been illuminated by the light through the drapes. He could barely see her as it was, and he swallowed down his panic as she turned to look at him and the tigress-anthro in turns. Her ears twitched. "I'm Eli." she drawled. "Relax. The two of you are at a safe house. John thought it'd best to bring you two here. And keep your voice down, boy, it's still daylight outside." "Sorry." Iri mumbled automatically, balling his fingers into his palms. Eli blinked and leaned in, her black curls shaking. “You’ve a hell of a black eye.” she said, sounding impressed. “Did you get into a fight, or…?” “I fell down the stairs.” Iri said. “Really?” “Er… [i]kindof[/i].” Iri said quietly. “I tripped and hit my face on the banister.” Eli laughed and tapped his shoulder. "Sure, if that's the story you wanna go with, I ain't checking. Anyway, John wants to see you now that you're awake. It's just downstairs in the kitchen." She withdrew a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, her pale tail disappearing as she took the stairs two at a time, [i]thump thump thump[/i]. Iri stole a glance at the tigress. Her eyes were narrowed, and her tail flicked, agitated. He followed Eli down the stairs, folding his wings and hunching himself in to make the wings fit. "Hey, John." Eli said, pushing them towards a brown-haired man. Two other anthros turned to look at them, bright-eyed in the low light, and Iri met their gaze with difficulty. A fox with blue fur - was [i]all[/i] of it dyed? - and a buck with tired eyes. "This is Issac." Eli said. Iri followed her gaze to the deer. Her expression was unreadable. "We've been holed up here for... well, pretty much from the start." Then, to John: "You're going to tell 'em everything?"

@Wolf97973 @Toriel (( Ahh, thanks for picking up Eli, Tor <3 I like her character! Also really sorry this reply is so late DX I got caught up with real life stuff, terribly sorry! )) [center][img]http://i50.tinypic.com/9jqh4k.jpg[/img][/center] She had settled herself by the familiar counter, Isaac standing close. Aretha watched as the human, John, began to pace. The arctic fox watched him for a long while, growing nervous. Thoughts swirled through her head as she sat down on the counter by the sink. She... she remembered Grayson had sat her up on this very countertop, to show her some card tricks. ... Are recalled having a freezie-pop in her hands. Blue berry flavored. Ears perking at the sound of muffled talking from a near by room, the anthro canine's head lifted, and she gazed toward the source. John had stopped pacing, and was glaring in that direction. [b]"The hell is she doing [i]now?"[/i][/b] the man grumbled, Isaac lifting his head as well. [b]"She better not have found a bite mark on one of 'em..."[/b] [b]"Peace, John,"[/b] the buck urged him, holding out a hand. [b]"The others are probably a bit startled from all this."[/b] It was only a few moments later, did a few questions become answered. [i]"Who was Eli?"[/i] being one of them. When the anthro-hyena rounded the corner, shortly followed by a pale colored tigress and a shimmering dragon, the vixen was a bit relieved to see it was more of her kind. Aretha caught herself staring at the stranger-dragon's glinting scales, and casually looked another way. Shiny things always caught her eye. When the hyena spoke, Are's ears perked again. Her gaze went to John, watching as he sighed heavily. The man walked over to one of the four bar stools that sat near the juice bar, and pulled it over to sit on. [b]"You guys might wanna sit down,"[/b] he began. [b]"This might take a while..."[/b] [b]"Six or seven months ago, this town was hit. I'll just get to the point--I hate dancing around crap, so here it is,"[/b] the man gave a short cough, before continuing. [b]"The dead are walking the streets, eating anything they can--expect each other. If they just did that, then this whole mess could be done with. No one is sure where this whole... [i]epidemic,[/i] started, but, we've been stuck here for a good four or five months."[/b] That's where Isaac chimed in. [b]"These things, they..."[/b] the deer sighed, looking up at the others. [b]"They are no longer human or anthro. They're.. mindless creatures that react to sound and scent,"[/b] his tone was... quiet. As if he'd told himself this a thousand times over, trying to remind himself. That was probably the case. [b]"Gunshots are like the dinner bell to these things,"[/b] John added in. [b]"You get bit, you might as well shoot yourself in the head--because you'll die within a few days, and then become of them."[/b] Arethea just sat there, ridged and tense. She glanced between the others, eyes wide. Her ears had fallen back, and she found herself trembling slightly. She couldn't find her voice... the... the [i]dead[/i] were rising? But, why?! Not even anthros were safe from.. w-whatever this was...?

[size=1]@Aretimes[/size] [center][img]http://i50.tinypic.com/9jqh4k.jpg[/img][/center] Iri looked around, wondering why the house looked so [i]familiar[/i]. The floorboards, narrow staircase, the counter, the bar behind it, and even the dimmed lights gave the distinct impression that the house had been repurposed from an old-fashioned diner. He would not have been surprised if one of the cardboard boxes at his feet held a jukebox. “Go on, sit.” Eli prompted him quietly. Iri hoisted himself on the chair, resting his tail awkwardly against the footrest. The metal was cool against his scales. The human looked irritated, or at least tired. He rubbed two fingers against the bridge of his nose as he spoke. “…” There was a brief silence as John finished speaking. Iri’s mouth worked. The blue fox at his side shot him a sharp look through bright blue eyes, apparently beyond words. Eli shot them a sympathetic look, tail flicking against her thigh. “No,” Iri whispered, “no… that’s not possible! This can’t be happening!” Seven months ago, he’d still been at school. Seven months ago — [size=2][i](shovelling snow breath frosting the air Isabel waves from the windowsill a scarf wound around her neck Desmond crying into Lyra’s shoulder her dark eyes shining I can’t wait to get out of here Petros bellows beer dripping down his face Callahan kicks him in the ribs and he falls over pretending to die a cat girl gripping his shoulders and rolling him into the pavement glass everywhere students are shouting please I just want you to LEAVE ME ALONE— )[/i][/size] Iri nearly tumbled off the stool, wings half-spreading as he tottered towards the window. Someone was speaking in a low mutter, something about gunshots. He was too distrait to notice. He wrenched open the window. Sunlight streamed in, accompanied by a blast of hot air. Iri coughed, eyes blinking furiously from the sun and the dust. He caught sight of a haze of red, a group of shadowed figures standing outside, before someone pulled him back by the shoulders. Fingers pulled back his hair and yanked back his sleeves. Someone slammed the window shut. Iri didn't fight them, collapsing bonelessly against the floor. He lay there and sobbed, breath coming in huge uneven heaves, wings shaking against his sides with the force of his crying. "What is [i]wrong with you[/i]?" "I knew we shouldn't have brought them - " "He's not bitten." This was said quietly, with not a little relief. The furred hand landed on Iri's shoulder and patted. "Everyone he knows is probably dead, John. Give him a break. Shh, kid. It's okay."

@Toriel [center][img]http://i50.tinypic.com/9jqh4k.jpg[/img][/center] Arethea wrapped her arms around her shoulders, looking down at the floor. Five.. or six months? She'd... how long had she been in a coma...? The vixen flinched back, hearing the other anthro get up, and she felt his wing almost brush up against her. She shuddered when the window opened, and she heard... God, she didn't know [i]what[/i] she heard... groaning, murmurs, [i]noises.[/i] Growls, uneven footsteps... John nearly had a heart attack when the dragon suddenly just [i]lunged[/i] at the window, forcing it open. He was thankful when Eli reacted and dragged him down, and slammed the window shut. He quickly ran over to replace the curtain that had been draped over the glass. He whirled around, snarling. [b]"I knew we shouldn't have brought them-!"[/b] he hissed, stalking over to the two anthros, when Eli cut him off. [i]'Oh, yes. Thank goodness, the kid isn't bit. He sure as hell acts like it,'[/i] The human glanced to Isaac, who hadn't moved and looked--pardon the pun--like a deer in the headlights. He snapped his fingers in front of the buck's face, gaining his attetion. The anthro seemed to have zoned out, and missed everything. Arethea put a hand over her mouth, trying not to shake. At last, she swallowed, and spoke. [b]"W-What... how did any of this happen...?"[/b] She got a loose shrug from the human. [b]"We sure don't know. I got word over the radio, but it was already too late to do anything,"[/b] he nodded towards Eli. [b]"Found her while I was trying to get out with Isaac. We've been living here ever since."[/b] Unsure how to comfort the anthro on the floor, Arethea just remained on the counter. [b]"... Isn't there some place safe...?"[/b] Isaac seemed to perk at this, and John shot him a look--which he ignored. [b]"I... I've heard people over the radio waves, before the towers got shut down, that Omaha was safe--"[/b] [b]"Oh, not [i]this[/i] again,"[/b] John drawled in aggravation, rolling his eyes harshly. [b][i]"'We are The Living, together, we will survive,'[/i] yada-yada-yada. Isaac, that [i]one[/i] radio cast you heard before the power went out, was just a bunch of bullsh*t."[/b] The deer puffed up a little, ears drawing back. [b]"The Living are an actual group, John. You heard them--Eli did too, so don't you deny that there is [i]some[/i] hope left."[/b]

(( @Toriel Hey, how is everything~? I'm just checking up, no worries <3 ))