The Walking Dead: Season 1.5 RPG OOC/Sign-Up Thread

[Keyser Soze]

THE WALKING DEAD: SEASON 1.5​

THE STORY SO FAR...

When sheriff’s deputy Rick Grimes was shot in the line of duty, he fell into a coma. When he woke one month later, the world he knew was gone. In its place was a wasteland, where society had crumbled and much of humanity had been wiped out. Worst of all, the dead were walking. Corpses were rising into some horrid mockery of life, and feeding on the living.

Rick set off to Atlanta, Georgia, in search of his wife and son. What he found was a city overrun by these walkers. He barely escaped with his life, aligning himself with a group of other survivors. Upon arriving at their camp – in a quarry a few miles outside Atlanta – Rick was reunited with his family and his best friend and police partner Shane, who had all joined the group. Days went by, and some of the group’s number were killed in attacks by the walkers. Eventually, they made the decision to head to the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, in search of answers, protection and a possible solution. When the survivors arrived at the CDC, all they found was Dr. Edwin Jenner. Jenner could only tell them that there were no answers, no explanation, and that as far as he knew, the whole world had fallen to this plague of the walking dead.

With the destruction of the CDC, the survivors went back in the road, in search of a safe haven, striving to keep hope alive...

ABOUT THE RPG

The Walking Dead: Season 1.5 takes place within the continuity of the TV series, beginning right at the moment Season 1 ends. The game will run until October 2011, the beginning of Season 2, to further the sense of this being "what happened between seasons". We can work in elements from the comics, or go off in our own direction completely, taking these characters into unfamiliar territory.

The game will be heavily directed by the GMs, with them setting up scenarios for the survivors to get put through, locations for them to find. Outside of that, the focus will be on intimate character interaction, with a limited cast of core RPers working as this united group, and acting out the complex, conflicting group dynamics.

GAMEMASTERS:
Byrd Man
Keyser Soze

THE RULES

• Adhere to the rules and continuity established by the TV show.
• Situations will be largely guided by GMs, but player input is welcome.
• In general, players are only allowed one character at a time. However, those playing a core character are allowed to play a second character.
• Those not playing core characters can play as their own original characters. Characters from the comics that have not appeared in the TV show can also be used.
• Those only wishing a short-term role can be “guest stars”, filling a specific role required for a sequence in the game – PM a GM for details.
• Killing an established character is not allowed without permission from a GM. However, players with their own created characters can kill them whenever they wish.
• There should be MINIMAL cussing and swearing in posts. There will be NO By-passing the censors. This is a Hype rule, and NO exceptions will be made for the RPG.
• If you apply to join the game, try to post at least once a week, but preferably more often.
• If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact a GM.
• The most important one: HAVE FUN!

THE SURVIVORS

DALE........................................Eddie Brock
SHANE WALSH............................Byrd Man
RICK GRIMES............................. Keyser Soze
T-DOG......................................wiegeabo
DARYL DIXON.............................Neverless
TYREESE...................................Optikal
LORI GRIMES..............................MadRhapsody

CORE CHARACTERS

RICK GRIMES
The leader of the group. A sheriff's deputy before the zombie outbreak. Rick is torn between trying to be a good example to his family and the other survivors, and concealing his own growing feelings of despair. His hope is to find a safe haven for the group, somewhere they can set themselves up and restart some kind of normal life. But he is haunted by a secret Dr. Jenner from the CDC whispered to him before the building's destruction.

LORI GRIMES
Rick's wife. She is plagued with guilt over having an affair with Rick's best friend, Shane, when she believed Rick to be dead. She strives to maintain her son's innocence and childhood in this hostile world.

CARL GRIMES
Rick's son. I almost made him an NPC for Lori, but decided that in the comics he becomes a complex and compelling enough character to merit someone wanting to play him in the game. But if there's no interest he can be jointly NPCed by the players RPing as Rick and Lori.

SHANE WALSH
Rick's partner and best friend, Shane was the initial leader of the group, and while sleeping with Lori had become a surrogate father to Carl. Since Rick's return he has lost all of this, and as a result seems dangerously to mental collapse. Will he become the good man he once was, or will his downfall continue?

GLENN
A pizza delivery boy before the zombie outbreak, Glenn acts as a scout and forager for the group, getting them invaluable supplies. His upbeat personality and sense of humor also helps bring a touch of levity to the group's grim situation.

ANDREA
Andrea has been left traumatised by the recent death of her sister, Amy. She almost gave up on life at the CDC, until Dale convinced her to carry on for his sake. Will she find a new purpose in life, or is all hope for her now gone forever?

DALE
The elder statesman and father figure of the group, retired Dale owns the RV that many of the survivors depend on for transport. Having recently lost his wife to cancer, Dale finds himself growing very attached to Andrea. How will their relationship evolve? Also, Dale was witness to one of Shane's darkest moments, where he came dangerously close to shooting an unaware Rick. Will he share this news?

CAROL & SOPHIA
Whoever chooses this role gets two characters for the price of one. Carol was the victim of an abusive, bullying husband long before the arrival of the zombie apocalypse. Since his death, Carol has come out of her shell, and emerged as a maternal figure for the group of sorts, looking after the children and taking charge of the cooking and cleaning. But is she still hiding deep-seated emotional scars?

T-DOG
Little is known about T-Dog. Did he used to be a gang member, or was he an accountant called Terrence who took on the name T-Dawg after the dead started walking in order to appear tough? Either way, he acts as muscle for the group, and regularly takes part in dangerous missions. He remains haunted by his decision to abandon Merle Dixon - will that decision have dire consequences in the future?

DARYL DIXON
The loose cannon of the group, Daryl is a short-tempered, racist redneck who happens to be handy with a crossbow. He has proven to be an expert hunter, and effective at killing zombies, explaining why the group has kept him around. But why has he remained with the group? Perhaps he isn't as cynical and hateful as he appears?

SUPPLEMENTARY CHARACTERS

MORGAN JONES & DUANE JONES
The father and son who Rick met when he first woke from his coma. Morgan chose to remain in isolation in Rick's old neighbourhood until he could kill his reanimated wife, something he had not been able to bring himself to do when we last saw him. In the comics Rick eventually does find Morgan and Duane again. Someone picking up this character would have the choice to re-introduce him in a way similar to how it was done in the comics, or go their own direction instead.

MERLE DIXON
Daryl's older brother - even more racist, and lacking any sense of underlying decency. He was left behind by the group, handcuffed to a pipe on a rooftop. The group returned for him, but by the time they'd arrived he had sawn off his own hand to escape. He then stole the group's van and drove off, presumably planning to eventually get revenge on the survivors. Will he come back?

MORALES & HIS FAMILY
Formerly part of the group, Morales split off and left with his family, hoping to find relatives in Birmingham. Does he make it? Or could he rejoin the group?

CHARACTERS FROM THE COMIC
Tyreese. Michonne. Hershel. The Governor. Do you have a favorite character from the comics who has yet to appear in the TV show? Once our core cast is filled, people will be able to introduce these comic characters into the continuity of the TV show, making a few tweaks if they so choose.

ORIGINAL CHARACTERS
If you have an idea for a new character of your own creation that could become part of the group, then you can include them in the Walking Dead universe. This could be a long-term commitment, or take the form of a short-term "guest star" who only lasts for a single sequence or "pit-stop" in the group's journey, like Dr. Jenner at the CDC.


CHARACTER APPLICATION

Name:
Your name.

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
Have you read all of the comic? Read some of the comic? Just watched the TV show? Not watched the TV show or read the comic?

Character you want to play:
The name of the character. Until 8 out of the 10 core character slots are filled, you can only choose a core character. Once 8 slots are filled, supplementary characters, comic characters and created characters are an option. And people who selected a core character have the option of playing a second character in this supplementary category.

What can this character bring to the RPG?
At least two sentences.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:
At least three paragraphs.

 

[Eddie Brock]

The Walking Dead: Season 1.5 RPG

Name:
Eddie Brock

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
I've watched every episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, as well as having read a brief plot synopsis of the first few volumes of the graphic novel.

Character you want to play:
Dale

What can this character bring to the RPG?
If Rick and Shane are the leaders of the camp, then Dale is surely the emotional, philosophical center. Acting as something of a father figure to the group - especially Andrea - Dale is more perceptive than he appears, and he may be the keeper of many secrets about the members of the group.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

As the RV pulls away from the burning wreckage of the CDC, I look to Rick. He reaches out and takes Lori's hand, holding it tightly. Dr. Jenner said something to Rick right before we left. Must've been something important. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but now?

I look back at Andrea. Her dirty cheeks still bear the remnants of tears. She closes her eyes and hangs her head. I can only imagine what she's thinking. I only hope I made the right choice.

***
​

What're you doing?

I said 'okay.'

Don't pull this, Dale.

I'm not pulling anything. If you're staying, I stay, too. He's right. We know what's waiting for us out there. I don't want to face it alone.

Dale, get the Hell out. I don't want you here!

Too bad! 'Cause you don't get to do that! To come into somebody's life, make them care, and just check out!

***
​

I said those exact words to my wife, right before the end. I was so angry - not at her, at God for taking her away from me. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her. And the thought of losing someone else, especially after what happened with Amy...it was too much to bear.

"Dale?" I look up at Lori. "Do you need anything?"

I force myself to put on a smile, but I'm sure it's not convincing. "No, thank you, dear," I answer politely. I have to pull myself together. There's no point in being angry or upset, not at a time like this when these people need me most. "I think I'm just going to rest a bit."

I check my watch. It's time to wind it again. In the midst of everything else, I had almost forgotten. I remember the night they asked me why I kept this watch. And the truth? Because with this watch, I can control something. Because when I'm winding it, I feel like maybe the whole world hasn't gone to Hell.

So I wind my watch before letting myself close my eyes and drift off to sleep - the faces of Amy, Andrea, and my wife floating through my dreams. God forgive me.

 

[Byrd Man]

Name: Byrd Man

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have? I've read the first 21 issues of the comic and the first season of the show.

Character you want to play:
Shane Wlash

What can this character bring to the RPG?
I can bring a good RPer to this game. I can also bring a strong work-ethic and posting habit to the game, which should be important when portraying one of the key members of the survivor group.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

I look in my rear-view mirror at the fiery remains of the CDC building as it starts to fade from view.

****ing Rick. It was all his idea to come here in the first place. Wasted valuable time, gas, and supplies chasing a goddamn pipe dream.

It figures, though. I'm always second banana, that's the story of my life. My older brother Luke was always the apple of my parent's eye, growing up I was always Luke's little brother. I went out for football in high school hoping to get popular and get some girls. The coach put me at left guard. I spent four years blocking for quarterbacks and running backs. I got Jimmy Drysdale to the state championship game and got him that scholarship to UGA and what did I get? Honorable mention for all-conference my senior year. No thanks from the coaches, no girls, nothing.

I joined the sheriff's department once I got out of school. But even there I was nothing but a sidekick. This time to Rick Grimes. Rick's a nice guy, but he's the type that always has to be in the spotlight. He has to have control. Ain't his fault, really, it's just the way he is.

Then Rick got shot and slipped into a coma just days before all this **** started happening. I tried to save him, I really did. I just didn't have enough time. Lori, Carl, and I were on the way to Atlanta when I had this though, almost like a vision, I realized all this chaos and confusion was finally my chance. A fresh start and a chance to be the top dog, take control like Rick and show Lori that I'm a damn sight better than Rick could ever be.

And, for a a few weeks, I was. Then Rick came back and it all went to hell. Rick has to be in control. And his need to lead sent us right to a crazy man who came close to blowing us all up.

Nope, I've waited too long for this chance. Now that I got it, I ain't giving it up. I'm leading this group, Rick needs to realize that.

He's either gonna follow or he's gonna wish he'd never woke up from that coma.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Name:
Keyser Soze

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
I've read every issue of the comic, and watched every episode of the TV show. Love it all!

Character you want to play:
Rick Grimes

What can this character bring to the RPG?
Rick is the everyman, the access character who we are first introduced to this nightmarish world through, and in turn we can see how that world gradually changes him. As a lawman, he acts as a natural leader for the group, helping to give them direction and move them forward.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

As soon as I step out into the corridor, I know something’s not right. The hospital is empty. And I don’t mean “it’s past visiting hours” empty, either. It looks like people left in a hurry, with the mess that’s lying around. Then I notice something on the ground. Is that... blood? I can feel my stomach tightening and the cold fingers of dread crawling up my spine as I realise that yes, there are streaks of blood all over the floor, and the walls. What the hell happened here?

I walk out of the ward, trying to find signs of anyone. As I turn the corner, things get even more unnerving. The lights are flickering, casting me into total blackness for seconds at a time. So what – I’m not afraid of the dark, right? That feeling in my gut says otherwise. Hesitantly, I keep pressing forward down the hallway.

It looks like the walls have been hit with sprays of rifle fire, like the army had torn through here. Was there a terrorist attack on this place while I was out? But that makes no sense. Why would al-Qaeda want to attack some old hospital in Georgia? And if there was an evacuation, surely they’d have taken me along too. They didn’t forget about me, did they? Am I all alone, in an empty hospital?

The flickering lights go out completely, and I’m in the dark. Crap. I fumble around in the dark until my hand presses against the wall. I just have to feel my way through the darkened corridor. I shuffle down through the blackness, my breath echoing all around me. And all the time my heart keeps beating like a hammer against my chest, and I get that feeling again like it’s telling me, GO-BACK, GO-BACK, GO-BACK. Screw that. No way I’m going back into that room now, I need to find out what’s...

The lights flicker back on, and I see I’m pressing against a glass window. I look through it, and wish I hadn’t. I only get a glimpse of it as the lights go off, and I tell myself I just imagined it, but then the lights come back on long enough for me to get a good look. It’s a corpse lying on the floor, and whatever killed her, it sure as hell wasn’t a terrorist. Her entrails are splattered out across the floor, as if she’d been mauled by some wild animal... eaten. And then I see a cavernous hole in her head, like something a bullet would make. I feel the sick rising up from my gut and I have to swallow it down. Without even processing what I’m doing, my legs carry me forward, taking me away from that awful dead woman. But even as I turn another corner, I can’t get her face out of my mind. It was like she was looking up at me, asking for help...

“What happened here?”

At the end of this hallway is a large double door, with a message roughly scrawled onto it. At first I think I must be reading it wrong, but I’m not. It says:

DON’T OPEN – DEAD INSIDE

What kind of disaster hit this building that was so bad, that they had to pile all the corpses into one room? Was that lady lying on the floor one they left behind in their rush to get out and go wherever they went? And why didn’t they want anyone to get in to the dead?

The only way to move is forward, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to go any nearer that door. It’s like death is hanging in a cloud over it, like something tangible. Every fibre of my being is trying to make me stop, turn back, but there is nothing back there. Nothing but that dead girl, looking at me. No, I go forward. As I get closer, I see the measures whoever wrote the message took to make sure this door wasn’t opened: a wooden plank through the door handles and a chain wrapped around them. Funny, that wouldn’t be too difficult to handle for someone trying to get into the room. It would only really be effective in... stopping anyone getting out.

The door shakes. Just once, a single, slow back and forth movement. I stop dead on the spot. I tell myself that maybe I just imagined it, but I didn’t imagine it. I know I saw that door move. And to confirm what I already knew, the door shakes again, harder this time. Someone is shaking it from the other side. But... but the sign says there is “dead inside”. And last time I checked, dead people don’t get up to try and open doors. I spot a small door adjacent to the large, sealed double doors, a small door marked “EXIT”. That’s how I get out of here. Steeling myself, barely daring to breathe, I start slowly walking forward, trying my best to ignore the now continuous rattling of the door. But then a hand stretches out from the slight, shadowy gap between the doors that the chain allows. A pale, skinny arm reaching and grasping. There is someone in there! The logical response of any moral human being would be to let the poor soul out. But for some reason, I don’t. Something tells me no, don’t let them out. Leave that chain locked, and keep walking. Keep walking and for the love of God don’t look back. And that’s what I do.

I walk through the exit door, and find myself in a dim stairwell. I need to get out of this hospital, I need to find someone out on the street that can tell me what went on here. What if the whole building is... under quarantine or something? What if I can’t get out? I make my way down the stairway, until finally I find myself standing at a heavy door, also marked “EXIT”. This is the real deal, though, the one that will take me out of the building. I get the image of armed men in hazmat suits waiting to shoot me the second I try and step outside. But at this stage, that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Taking a deep breath, I push open the door.

The light is blinding. I actually let out a cry of pain and cover my eyes. How long has it been since I last saw daylight? I stumble blindly down the exit stairs, and out onto the street. When finally, my eyes adjust to the light, my heart just about stops in my chest.

Rows of corpses, all neatly laid out in lines, all of them with bullets in their heads. I have to walk through them, hyperventilating as panic starts to flood my senses. At first I’m walking, and without even realising it I’ve started running – a clumsy, gangly run, but the best I can muster as I get used to walking on my legs again. I scramble up the hill, my fingers and toes digging into the dirt as I try and haul myself up, and once I get to the top, things just keep getting more and more hellish. More corpses strewn on the street. Upturned vehicles. A crashed helicopter. It’s not just the hospital. It’s everywhere.

I scramble away from the hospital grounds, moaning and yelling inarticulately. What could I say that would begin to cover all this. It’s like I fell asleep and missed Armageddon. And why is there no living soul around to talk about it?

I need to get far away. I... I need to go home. Home! Carl! Lori! Are they okay? Oh please God, let them be okay. I need a car, some kind of transport... there! I spot a bike, lying in the fields, and run towards it. I grab it by the handles, lift it up, and...

“Gluk! Gakk!”

It’s a decayed corpse, missing its lower torso. It stinks something awful, as if it’s been lying out here baking in the Georgia sun for some time. Only... it’s not a corpse. It’s gurgling, it’s alive. It sees me, and... it starts to snarl... rolls around on its torn-open belly, and starts pulling itself forward. No legs, just flesh-stripped arms that it’s using to crawl in some sick mockery of life. Crawling towards me. But I can’t move. I just stand there, my hand held to my mouth. I can feel tears running down my cheek, but I don’t care. This is not an injured person. A human could not survive those wounds. Whatever this thing is, it’s not a human being.

I snap out of it, starting to back away. I imagine that it’s started moving faster, that it’s still chasing me. That... thing! I keep walking, fast, towing the bike along with me. I don’t want to look back, I can’t look back, I...

And I snap back into the present. I'm back on the road, back with my family. Lori and Carl are by my side, and everything is okay.

Only it's not okay. I think of all I've found out, all the nightmarish things I've seen since coming out of my coma. I've barely been awake a week, and already my past life feels like an eternity ago. I thought we'd find answers at the CDC, but all we found was more horror. So we're back on the road, looking for answers, looking for safety, looking for... something.

Everyone looks to me as if I'm supposed to know what we're doing. But I don't. All I know is the same thing my gut was telling me when I ran from that first monster, all I know to do now.

I don't want to look back. I can't look back.

 

[Keyser Soze]

the walking dead: Season 1.5 rpg

name:
eddie brock

how much experience of the walking dead do you have?
i've watched every episode of amc's the walking dead, as well as having read a brief plot synopsis of the first few volumes of the graphic novel.

character you want to play:
dale

what can this character bring to the rpg?
if rick and shane are the leaders of the camp, then dale is surely the emotional, philosophical center. Acting as something of a father figure to the group - especially andrea - dale is more perceptive than he appears, and he may be the keeper of many secrets about the members of the group.

please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the season 1 finale:

as the rv pulls away from the burning wreckage of the cdc, i look to rick. He reaches out and takes lori's hand, holding it tightly. Dr. Jenner said something to rick right before we left. Must've been something important. At the time, i didn't think much of it, but now?

I look back at andrea. Her dirty cheeks still bear the remnants of tears. She closes her eyes and hangs her head. I can only imagine what she's thinking. I only hope i made the right choice.

***
​

what're you doing?

i said 'okay.'

don't pull this, dale.

i'm not pulling anything. If you're staying, i stay, too. He's right. We know what's waiting for us out there. I don't want to face it alone.

dale, get the hell out. I don't want you here!

too bad! 'cause you don't get to do that! To come into somebody's life, make them care, and just check out!

***
​

i said those exact words to my wife, right before the end. I was so angry - not at her, at god for taking her away from me. Not a day goes by that i don't think about her. And the thought of losing someone else, especially after what happened with amy...it was too much to bear.

"dale?" i look up at lori. "do you need anything?"

i force myself to put on a smile, but i'm sure it's not convincing. "no, thank you, dear," i answer politely. I have to pull myself together. There's no point in being angry or upset, not at a time like this when these people need me most. "i think i'm just going to rest a bit."

i check my watch. It's time to wind it again. In the midst of everything else, i had almost forgotten. I remember the night they asked me why i kept this watch. And the truth? Because with this watch, i can control something. Because when i'm winding it, i feel like maybe the whole world hasn't gone to hell.

So i wind my watch before letting myself close my eyes and drift off to sleep - the faces of amy, andrea, and my wife floating through my dreams. god forgive me.

Approved!

name: byrd man

how much experience of the walking dead do you have? i've read the first 21 issues of the comic and the first season of the show.

character you want to play:
shane wlash

what can this character bring to the rpg?
i can bring a good rper to this game. I can also bring a strong work-ethic and posting habit to the game, which should be important when portraying one of the key members of the survivor group.

please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the season 1 finale:

i look in my rear-view mirror at the fiery remains of the cdc building as it starts to fade from view.

****ing rick. It was all his idea to come here in the first place. Wasted valuable time, gas, and supplies chasing a goddamn pipe dream.

It figures, though. I'm always second banana, that's the story of my life. My older brother luke was always the apple of my parent's eye, growing up i was always luke's little brother. I went out for football in high school hoping to get popular and get some girls. The coach put me at left guard. I spent four years blocking for quarterbacks and running backs. I got jimmy drysdale to the state championship game and got him that scholarship to uga and what did i get? Honorable mention for all-conference my senior year. No thanks from the coaches, no girls, nothing.

I joined the sheriff's department once i got out of school. But even there i was nothing but a sidekick. This time to rick grimes. Rick's a nice guy, but he's the type that always has to be in the spotlight. He has to have control. Ain't his fault, really, it's just the way he is.

Then rick got shot and slipped into a coma just days before all this **** started happening. I tried to save him, i really did. I just didn't have enough time. Lori, carl, and i were on the way to atlanta when i had this though, almost like a vision, i realized all this chaos and confusion was finally my chance. A fresh start and a chance to be the top dog, take control like rick and show lori that i'm a damn sight better than rick could ever be.

And, for a a few weeks, i was. Then rick came back and it all went to hell. Rick has to be in control. And his need to lead sent us right to a crazy man who came close to blowing us all up.

Nope, i've waited too long for this chance. Now that i got it, i ain't giving it up. I'm leading this group, rick needs to realize that.

He's either gonna follow or he's gonna wish he'd never woke up from that coma.

Approved!

 

[Byrd Man]

Name:
Keyser Soze

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
I've read every issue of the comic, and watched every episode of the TV show. Love it all!

Character you want to play:
Rick Grimes

What can this character bring to the RPG?
Rick is the everyman, the access character who we are first introduced to this nightmarish world through, and in turn we can see how that world gradually changes him. As a lawman, he acts as a natural leader for the group, helping to give them direction and move them forward.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

As soon as I step out into the corridor, I know something’s not right. The hospital is empty. And I don’t mean “it’s past visiting hours” empty, either. It looks like people left in a hurry, with the mess that’s lying around. Then I notice something on the ground. Is that... blood? I can feel my stomach tightening and the cold fingers of dread crawling up my spine as I realise that yes, there are streaks of blood all over the floor, and the walls. What the hell happened here?

I walk out of the ward, trying to find signs of anyone. As I turn the corner, things get even more unnerving. The lights are flickering, casting me into total blackness for seconds at a time. So what – I’m not afraid of the dark, right? That feeling in my gut says otherwise. Hesitantly, I keep pressing forward down the hallway.

It looks like the walls have been hit with sprays of rifle fire, like the army had torn through here. Was there a terrorist attack on this place while I was out? But that makes no sense. Why would al-Qaeda want to attack some old hospital in Georgia? And if there was an evacuation, surely they’d have taken me along too. They didn’t forget about me, did they? Am I all alone, in an empty hospital?

The flickering lights go out completely, and I’m in the dark. Crap. I fumble around in the dark until my hand presses against the wall. I just have to feel my way through the darkened corridor. I shuffle down through the blackness, my breath echoing all around me. And all the time my heart keeps beating like a hammer against my chest, and I get that feeling again like it’s telling me, GO-BACK, GO-BACK, GO-BACK. Screw that. No way I’m going back into that room now, I need to find out what’s...

The lights flicker back on, and I see I’m pressing against a glass window. I look through it, and wish I hadn’t. I only get a glimpse of it as the lights go off, and I tell myself I just imagined it, but then the lights come back on long enough for me to get a good look. It’s a corpse lying on the floor, and whatever killed her, it sure as hell wasn’t a terrorist. Her entrails are splattered out across the floor, as if she’d been mauled by some wild animal... eaten. And then I see a cavernous hole in her head, like something a bullet would make. I feel the sick rising up from my gut and I have to swallow it down. Without even processing what I’m doing, my legs carry me forward, taking me away from that awful dead woman. But even as I turn another corner, I can’t get her face out of my mind. It was like she was looking up at me, asking for help...

“What happened here?”

At the end of this hallway is a large double door, with a message roughly scrawled onto it. At first I think I must be reading it wrong, but I’m not. It says:

DON’T OPEN – DEAD INSIDE

What kind of disaster hit this building that was so bad, that they had to pile all the corpses into one room? Was that lady lying on the floor one they left behind in their rush to get out and go wherever they went? And why didn’t they want anyone to get in to the dead?

The only way to move is forward, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to go any nearer that door. It’s like death is hanging in a cloud over it, like something tangible. Every fibre of my being is trying to make me stop, turn back, but there is nothing back there. Nothing but that dead girl, looking at me. No, I go forward. As I get closer, I see the measures whoever wrote the message took to make sure this door wasn’t opened: a wooden plank through the door handles and a chain wrapped around them. Funny, that wouldn’t be too difficult to handle for someone trying to get into the room. It would only really be effective in... stopping anyone getting out.

The door shakes. Just once, a single, slow back and forth movement. I stop dead on the spot. I tell myself that maybe I just imagined it, but I didn’t imagine it. I know I saw that door move. And to confirm what I already knew, the door shakes again, harder this time. Someone is shaking it from the other side. But... but the sign says there is “dead inside”. And last time I checked, dead people don’t get up to try and open doors. I spot a small door adjacent to the large, sealed double doors, a small door marked “EXIT”. That’s how I get out of here. Steeling myself, barely daring to breathe, I start slowly walking forward, trying my best to ignore the now continuous rattling of the door. But then a hand stretches out from the slight, shadowy gap between the doors that the chain allows. A pale, skinny arm reaching and grasping. There is someone in there! The logical response of any moral human being would be to let the poor soul out. But for some reason, I don’t. Something tells me no, don’t let them out. Leave that chain locked, and keep walking. Keep walking and for the love of God don’t look back. And that’s what I do.

I walk through the exit door, and find myself in a dim stairwell. I need to get out of this hospital, I need to find someone out on the street that can tell me what went on here. What if the whole building is... under quarantine or something? What if I can’t get out? I make my way down the stairway, until finally I find myself standing at a heavy door, also marked “EXIT”. This is the real deal, though, the one that will take me out of the building. I get the image of armed men in hazmat suits waiting to shoot me the second I try and step outside. But at this stage, that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Taking a deep breath, I push open the door.

The light is blinding. I actually let out a cry of pain and cover my eyes. How long has it been since I last saw daylight? I stumble blindly down the exit stairs, and out onto the street. When finally, my eyes adjust to the light, my heart just about stops in my chest.

Rows of corpses, all neatly laid out in lines, all of them with bullets in their heads. I have to walk through them, hyperventilating as panic starts to flood my senses. At first I’m walking, and without even realising it I’ve started running – a clumsy, gangly run, but the best I can muster as I get used to walking on my legs again. I scramble up the hill, my fingers and toes digging into the dirt as I try and haul myself up, and once I get to the top, things just keep getting more and more hellish. More corpses strewn on the street. Upturned vehicles. A crashed helicopter. It’s not just the hospital. It’s everywhere.

I scramble away from the hospital grounds, moaning and yelling inarticulately. What could I say that would begin to cover all this. It’s like I fell asleep and missed Armageddon. And why is there no living soul around to talk about it?

I need to get far away. I... I need to go home. Home! Carl! Lori! Are they okay? Oh please God, let them be okay. I need a car, some kind of transport... there! I spot a bike, lying in the fields, and run towards it. I grab it by the handles, lift it up, and...

“Gluk! Gakk!”

It’s a decayed corpse, missing its lower torso. It stinks something awful, as if it’s been lying out here baking in the Georgia sun for some time. Only... it’s not a corpse. It’s gurgling, it’s alive. It sees me, and... it starts to snarl... rolls around on its torn-open belly, and starts pulling itself forward. No legs, just flesh-stripped arms that it’s using to crawl in some sick mockery of life. Crawling towards me. But I can’t move. I just stand there, my hand held to my mouth. I can feel tears running down my cheek, but I don’t care. This is not an injured person. A human could not survive those wounds. Whatever this thing is, it’s not a human being.

I snap out of it, starting to back away. I imagine that it’s started moving faster, that it’s still chasing me. That... thing! I keep walking, fast, towing the bike along with me. I don’t want to look back, I can’t look back, I...

And I snap back into the present. I'm back on the road, back with my family. Lori and Carl are by my side, and everything is okay.

Only it's not okay. I think of all I've found out, all the nightmarish things I've seen since coming out of my coma. I've barely been awake a week, and already my past life feels like an eternity ago. I thought we'd find answers at the CDC, but all we found was more horror. So we're back on the road, looking for answers, looking for safety, looking for... something.

Everyone looks to me as if I'm supposed to know what we're doing. But I don't. All I know is the same thing my gut was telling me when I ran from that first monster, all I know to do now.

I don't want to look back. I can't look back.

****in' A you're APPROVED!

 

[Eddie Brock]

...that sample is just unfair to anyone with notions of Rick in their head.

 

[Byrd Man]

...that sample is just unfair to anyone with notions of Rick in their head.

If you're gonna crush someone's dreams, you gotta crush them into a fine powder.

 

[Eddie Brock]

If you're gonna crush someone's dreams, you gotta crush them into a fine powder.

Ah. I see you, too, read Keyser's autobiography/self-help book, Hiding Bodies in Plain Sight.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Thanks for the vote of confidence/despair, Eddie. I really dug your Dale app, too. Nailed the character nicely.

 

[Saved]

Workin' on an app for Glenn now. It'll be up before the end of the night.

 

[wiegeabo]

Guess I don't have to put a Dale app up now

 

[Keyser Soze]

Guess I don't have to put a Dale app up now

Sorry, wieg, Eddie was just too damn good.

 

[Eddie Brock]

Sorry, wieg, Eddie was just too damn good.

D'awwww, shucks.

 

[wiegeabo]

D'awwww, shucks.

I assume he's talking about your skill in the bedroom?

 

[Eddie Brock]

I assume he's talking about your skill in the bedroom?

...so you read the CAH OOC thread, then.

 

[wiegeabo]

Name:
wiegeabo

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
I've read all but the last 3 comics, which I do have, and will probably read this weekend. I also watched the entire season of the show, and have actually enjoyed many of the changes, unlike most nitpicking fanboys out there.

Character you want to play:
T-Dog

What can this character bring to the RPG?
Why ya' all gotta keep a brotha down?! Can't a black man get any representation during the zombie apocalypse? And maybe not be the first one to die?

T-Dog might be a man of mystery, but what really matters is that you can count on him. This little band of survivors is all he has left in the world, and he'll do whatever he can to keep his new friends safe from the monsters out there.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

I look out the window as we pull away from the burning building. Probably our last real hope, and it's burning away. A few hours ago, we were happy for the first time in what feels like forever. And we had hope. That's the important thing. We. Had. Hope.

There's no hope anymore. The whole world's gone to hell. Literally. And I don't know how we're gonna make it. Jacqui couldn't. She couldn't stand living in a world with no hope. And the thought of turning into one of the geeks, and killing some other people...that probably killed her before that place blew up.

I get it. I don't understand it, but I get it. Life's a *****, and then you die. That's the way it used to be. Now, life's a *****, and then ya get to suffer until you fall apart. I look at the gun in my hand and wonder if Jacqui wasn't wrong after all...

 

[Byrd Man]

T-Dog gettin' some love?! Gotta feel for that brotha.

Approved

 

[Saved]

Alright, I'm having the worst time coming up with a way to write Glenn, and I don't know if I can keep it up even if I figure it out - especially not with the end of the Semester. I'll keep an eye on the RPG and hopefully come back, if not for Glenn then for a new character, after things have settled down on my end. Apologies.

 

[Neverless]

Name:
Neverless

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
Watched the first season twice over, haven't read the comic.

Character you want to play:
Daryl Dixon

What can this character bring to the RPG?
Every group needs a loose cannon. Someone difficult to control in high risk situations. Without one, groups would have it too easy. Daryl, while reckless and impulsive is also an excellent hunter, quite skilled with the cross bow and axe, making him useful in any walker filled situation.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

(Just a quick note, I noticed everyone so far roleplayed in first person in their examples. I prefer to roleplay in third person, I hope that is alright)

Daryl could feel the heat of the CDC wash over him as he sat in his pickup. Setting his crossbow down on the seat next to him, he leaned out the window screaming at the top of his lungs.

"C'mon we have to go NOW."

He knew every walker in the whole city of Atlanta would have seen that explosion, and they'd be on top of them if Dale and Andrea didn't get off their ****'s and get in the RV. He gripped the steering wheel with intensity as another heat wave blasted over them. Finally as Dale and Andrea climbed into the RV he started up the engine and shifted into gear. He didn't mind the heat, it got his blood pumping, and when his blood was pumping he was ready for anything. As he turned the truck onto the road, second to last in the line, with Shane following in the back he knew neither Shane nor Rick had a plan.

"To hell with them.."

He muttered to himself. All he knew was that if they left Atlanta, the chances of finding Merle would drop to near nothin, and there was no way he was going to let that happen. For now it is all about survivin, its the only reason why he hadn't killed Rick...yet. He knew they needed every able bodied man if the walkers came down on them, hell it was the only reason so many people died at camp, because he wasn't there sooner, and if Rick hadn't handcuffed his brother and left him to die in the first place, none of this would have ****in happened.

He slammed the dashboard with his right fist as he kept steady on the road, the heat hadn't done him any good, his blood was still pumping, he needed to kill something.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Name:
wiegeabo

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
I've read all but the last 3 comics, which I do have, and will probably read this weekend. I also watched the entire season of the show, and have actually enjoyed many of the changes, unlike most nitpicking fanboys out there.

Character you want to play:
T-Dog

What can this character bring to the RPG?
Why ya' all gotta keep a brotha down?! Can't a black man get any representation during the zombie apocalypse? And maybe not be the first one to die?

T-Dog might be a man of mystery, but what really matters is that you can count on him. This little band of survivors is all he has left in the world, and he'll do whatever he can to keep his new friends safe from the monsters out there.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

I look out the window as we pull away from the burning building. Probably our last real hope, and it's burning away. A few hours ago, we were happy for the first time in what feels like forever. And we had hope. That's the important thing. We. Had. Hope.

There's no hope anymore. The whole world's gone to hell. Literally. And I don't know how we're gonna make it. Jacqui couldn't. She couldn't stand living in a world with no hope. And the thought of turning into one of the geeks, and killing some other people...that probably killed her before that place blew up.

I get it. I don't understand it, but I get it. Life's a *****, and then you die. That's the way it used to be. Now, life's a *****, and then ya get to suffer until you fall apart. I look at the gun in my hand and wonder if Jacqui wasn't wrong after all...

Looking forward to seeing what you bring to the table with T-Dog!

Name:
Neverless

How much experience of The Walking Dead do you have?
Watched the first season twice over, haven't read the comic.

Character you want to play:
Daryl Dixon

What can this character bring to the RPG?
Every group needs a loose cannon. Someone difficult to control in high risk situations. Without one, groups would have it too easy. Daryl, while reckless and impulsive is also an excellent hunter, quite skilled with the cross bow and axe, making him useful in any walker filled situation.

Please provide a sample post as this character, setting up their current situation in the timeframe of the Season 1 finale:

(Just a quick note, I noticed everyone so far roleplayed in first person in their examples. I prefer to roleplay in third person, I hope that is alright)

Daryl could feel the heat of the CDC wash over him as he sat in his pickup. Setting his crossbow down on the seat next to him, he leaned out the window screaming at the top of his lungs.

"C'mon we have to go NOW."

He knew every walker in the whole city of Atlanta would have seen that explosion, and they'd be on top of them if Dale and Andrea didn't get off their ****'s and get in the RV. He gripped the steering wheel with intensity as another heat wave blasted over them. Finally as Dale and Andrea climbed into the RV he started up the engine and shifted into gear. He didn't mind the heat, it got his blood pumping, and when his blood was pumping he was ready for anything. As he turned the truck onto the road, second to last in the line, with Shane following in the back he knew neither Shane nor Rick had a plan.

"To hell with them.."

He muttered to himself. All he knew was that if they left Atlanta, the chances of finding Merle would drop to near nothin, and there was no way he was going to let that happen. For now it is all about survivin, its the only reason why he hadn't killed Rick...yet. He knew they needed every able bodied man if the walkers came down on them, hell it was the only reason so many people died at camp, because he wasn't there sooner, and if Rick hadn't handcuffed his brother and left him to die in the first place, none of this would have ****in happened.

He slammed the dashboard with his right fist as he kept steady on the road, the heat hadn't done him any good, his blood was still pumping, he needed to kill something.

Approved!

And don't worry about 3rd person, either. I was wanting to write in 3rd person myself, but the peer pressure of everyone else writing in 1st person made me do 1st person instead. But now that I wouldn't be the only one writing in 3rd person, I might shift to 3rd person too.

So not only did you have some kick-ass characterisation for Daryl, you inspired me to change my writing ways. Double good job! t:

 

[Keyser Soze]

Alright, I'm having the worst time coming up with a way to write Glenn, and I don't know if I can keep it up even if I figure it out - especially not with the end of the Semester. I'll keep an eye on the RPG and hopefully come back, if not for Glenn then for a new character, after things have settled down on my end. Apologies.

Don't worry about it, Syn. Life is always a priority. I hope to see you bring your writing talents to the game down the line. Remember, if you're pressed for time - a short-term guest star role is always an option. Just PM me for details if you're interested.

 

[MST3K 4ever]

Since I have never seen an episode or read the comic I am not sure about choosing a character from the list and I am still leanign towards bringing my character from the last Zombie game. Need to think this one over.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Since I have never seen an episode or read the comic I am not sure about choosing a character from the list and I am still leanign towards bringing my character from the last Zombie game. Need to think this one over.

You're welcome to introduce your own created character, but I'd like to see a couple more of the core roles filled first. Maybe just keep an eye on the OOC thread and wait for more of those roles to be filled, THEN apply with your created character?

 

[Neverless]

Approved!

And don't worry about 3rd person, either. I was wanting to write in 3rd person myself, but the peer pressure of everyone else writing in 1st person made me do 1st person instead. But now that I wouldn't be the only one writing in 3rd person, I might shift to 3rd person too.

So not only did you have some kick-ass characterisation for Daryl, you inspired me to change my writing ways. Double good job! t:

Yay t:

Looking forward to this, should be alot of fun.