Liz Burke
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d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:32:18 GMT
OOC: This is a past thread, it happens before the two characters find their groups.
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The street fell silent. Ironic, a human seeks peace and silence for most of their living life, but this was one of them occasions that silence was not a virtue, it was a nightmare.
“Please, please God.” The blonde whispered as her nervous hand fumbled around in her backpack for a biro pen. A trash can fell. The woman’s hands stopped shaking. Her breathing slowed. Her eyes aimed at where the noise had erupted, stirring the silence. Was it clear?
“AH!” The man lying beneath the kneeled woman let out a pleading gurgle.
Liz grasped the biro from her backpack and ripped off the lid with her teeth; the ink funnel soon followed and was tossed onto the road besides her. A tracheotomy was in place. It was the only thing she could do to save his life. Jerking the empty shell of a biro pen into the man’s trachea the paediatrician then taped then pen in place, her supplies were dwindling. Dread filled her head, despair on her face.
More gurgles. More blood. His heart was slowing, the tracheotomy wasn’t saving him! “Damn it! Come on, please!” She pleaded as she hit the wounded man’s chest. “One. Two. Three. Four. Five.” She counted as she then lunged on him trying to revive him. “Wake up god damn it! You can’t leave me!” Tears rolled down her face, without him, James, she was alone, and she was an easy target.
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Post by Eddie "The Mutt" Sillian on Apr 10, 2009 19:33:08 GMT
Eddie slunk along the street, a long trail of smoke winding out behind him as he puffed arduously on his cigarette. His once heavy, well made boots flapped around his feet, worn down with age and walking for miles. There was never dead men's shoes when you needed one. That or a shoe shop. Jones was trotting on ahead, ears perked and tail out behind him in a stance that suggested he found no threat. Malificent stayed by Edward's side, clinging to her alpha as a guardian. Running a gloved hand through his hair, Ed followed behind Jones, keeping a careful eye on his stance. It was a good thing he was because it changed, subtly it changed. His ears perked higher, his nose sniffing the air and his tail arched up. This was not the stance of a dog confronted with a zombie. The large shepherd sped up, making a subtle woof that Ed could only just hear. Malificent glanced up at him as if searching for an instruction. He waved a hand and she made a heavy burly run after Jones to back up her companion. Edward moved faster, his long swinging gait propelling him across the twilight street with all the speed that he could cautiously muster. His hand slipped up to his gun, despite the fact that the dog's knew it wasn't a zombie. Maybe it was fresh meat. Cannibalism wasn't his thing, but the dogs had to eat and it was easier than hunting. Pulling the cigarette out of his mouth, he stubbed it out carefully on a wall, making sure not to bend it before storing it behind his ear for later usage. He was the type of person that no one ever saw smoking a fresh cigarette, as soon as he lit up it seemed to become a stub instantly and stayed so nearly indefinitely and he was always smoking. It really was indefinitely. The dogs disappeared around a corner and Ed sped up a little to catch up with them, he would hear if they got into trouble. They kept well away from anything that was fresh until he had given it a look over. He had quickly taught them that by simply going to a kill and pushing their muzzles away until he had checked it. It worked pretty quickly. They would simply guard any food until he'd had a look. The same with any zombie, person or body. They waited for his response.
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Liz Burke
Junior Member
d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:33:52 GMT
Crack!
“No!” She screamed. From pressing on him too hard trying to revive him she had hit a rib and broken it. But still the ever focused doctor continued to try and revive the already dead companion. “Please! Don’t do this to me!” Anger filled the upset and distress now, she wanted to save his life, but she didn’t want to be alone, the selfishness in her wanted to keep him alive so he could protect her. She was a children’s surgeon, she wasn’t a gun expert. Sure she had shot a few rounds with her grandfather back in her day, but that was at a can, not a moving object, let alone a zombie!
Blood begun to ooze out of the incision she had made for the pen. He was dead.
Liz fell backwards onto her bottom and just sat there, her head in her hands. “You bastard.” She muttered, anger, stress, disappointment, fear, all of it going around in her mind like a washing machine. She let out a whimper of helplessness.
Then something moved. Something definitely moved! Her green eyes scanned her perimeter. It hit her. She was alone. The street was silent. It was creepy. The streets never stayed as quiet as this, especially not with all the noise she had been making, and the fresh smell of death. It had dawned on her that she was helpless. She had nothing going for her.
Scrambling to her rucksack she pulled from underneath it a baseball bat, what would she do with it? She was hardly Bebe Ruth.
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Post by Eddie "The Mutt" Sillian on Apr 10, 2009 19:34:01 GMT
The dogs edged around her. They could smell blood, the pair of them circling like hunting wolves. They wanted the body, but of course there was something standing in the way. It didn't smell dead, it put them off. Edward was some way behind, even at full speed he couldn't keep up with those dogs and he was only going at a slow jog, not wanting either to exhaust himself or make too much noise. Anything was there, they would keep it there. Indeed, it seemed the dogs were intent on that very fact. They edged in opposite directions around the now armed human, noses sniffing the air for any sign of their pack leader. He was only a little way behind, they could smell the familiar smokey scent that he had. It was encouraging. Jones' fur stood on end, a deep growl rumbled in his throat as a warning to the female to stay still. Any move or threat and they would pounce. Ed rounded the corner and emerged from the alleyway that had sheltered them. He could see the dogs circling around a woman, holding a bat. Well, zombies didn't hold bats, but that wasn't to say that the corpse on the ground wouldn't be one in a few minutes. He edged closer and raised his gun, taking his cigarette out from behind his ear with his other hand, grabbing a lighter and lighting it before he spoke. "Awrigh' put i' down." His voice was heavy with the accent of some southern English city, perhaps not cockney but some variation that made him sound menacing, even if he didn't really look it. "I ain't got awl day missus and them dogs won't wait if ya get ma drift." He dragged on the cigarette, blowing smoke out of one side of his mouth, not removing the stub from his lips. His voice was a bored drawl, his calmness settled the dogs a little, but they still circled and paced.
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Liz Burke
Junior Member
d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:34:52 GMT
Liz’s hands grew whiter and whiter as she clutched the baseball bat tighter. Her green eyes scanned the dogs. If she were to run would she get very far? If she swiped at them would that even get her anywhere? In her mind the thoughts of the previous hour flooded her. The running away from the hungry undead, trying to clean up the bite on her companion’s arm – knowing what the end result would be, knowing that she would have to end him when he turned, if he turned – she didn’t fully understand the disease, or virus, she wasn’t even sure what it was.
“Back!” She commanded as she swivelled her baseball bat at the dogs, she wanted them away from the body. The body. Was that all he was now? Not James Cadfrey. Dr. James Cadrey, Doctor of physics, no, now he was JUST a body. Dead. “Get away from him!”
In her time she had seen some sights and stirred her eyes from a few patients and their families, but this man, the smoker, he was the dregs of all dregs. His accent didn’t help his image either – although that had been noted about Liz in her time too, the Texan accent wasn’t the most attractive.
But the ‘dreg’ wanted the bat down and out of her hands, but she couldn’t do that. How could she trust someone with snarling dogs!? If she put it down would they attack her? People had changed a lot over the course of the closure of the city, the destruction. A dog eat dog world, ironic really since she was faced with being dog food at the very moment.
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Post by Eddie "The Mutt" Sillian on Apr 10, 2009 19:35:12 GMT
He stepped closer, aiming the gun. "Come on, don't play silly buggers." Another cloud of smoke swirled about his head. Jones growled and made a quiet bark. The noise that ripped out of Ed's lips was a snarl in response, a command for silence and it sounded just like the dogs he worked with. Jones lowered his ears and hunkered down in an apology, continuing to stalk around the female. "I ain't got anyfin' 'gainst shooting you gel. My dogs is 'ungry, bu' he'll do nice enough. I dun need you dead anawl." The way he spoke, you nearly had to repeat the words to yourself to understand them properly. Time spent alone had only worsened his accent. His dark brown eyes watched her with the analyzing glare of someone with not enough time on his hands. "I dun wanna be out 'ere when it gets dark. Let us get wha' we need and we'll be gawn." He flicked his eyes to the corpse. They were fine boots, really fine... He glanced down at his own for a brief second with only the slightest frown before moving over to the body, one hand still pointing the gun at the woman. The dogs had stopped circling, they were crouching now, watching her with dark eyes. They weren't really interested in her, they just wanted a good meal and she was standing in the way of it. "Put i' down."
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Liz Burke
Junior Member
d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:36:04 GMT
Dr.Burke saw no other option. If she held her own (in probably the feeblest attempt ever) she’d either get shot or attacked by the dogs, which seemed to settle down now, but she still didn’t fancy risking it. So, with a surrendering scowl she lowered the bat to her side and finally released her grasp, allowing it to fall to the floor. “Get – away – from – him.” Her words sharp and nasty.
Slowly she reached her hand back to her face, she needed to wipe her eyes, they were watery, dirt had run down her cheeks from the tears. Making a fist she rubbed away the tears, smudging the dirt that had accumulated on her face from the dusty roads and the rank buildings where she and James had been hiding out. But from performing the incision on James to save his life, which she hadn’t, but had tried, she had rubbed a small amount of his blood on her cheek – it made her look like some kind of eco warrior, but her appearance was the last thing on her mind right now.
Nervous, she watched him close in on the body. “What are you doing?!” She gasped. “Get away from him!” She wanted to edge forward, but didn’t trust the dogs, nor did she trust the gun still aimed at her. “Now!” Her green eyes had focused on the man now, the smoking dreg. Rage wanted to build up inside her. That man was once one of the best doctors of physics! This was desecration of the dead!
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Post by Eddie "The Mutt" Sillian on Apr 10, 2009 19:36:24 GMT
"Calm yersel' missus. You ain't in no position to argue." He said, offhandedly, walking right up to the corpse and kneeling down. The blood made him glance around nervously, the emergency failed surgery made him cock an eyebrow. "He ain't gonna need these where he's goin'." He hummed distractedly, putting the gun down at his side while he busied himself with the man's feet. "Stroke of luck, my size 'n everyfin." Quick hands undid the boot laces and pulled them off the man's feet awkwardly, the heavy foot not moving to help. Nimble fingers undid the laces on his own boots and flung them off, fastening the new boots on with a grin. He stood up, admiring them with his lopsided grin, lips gripping together to keep the cigarette pinned there. "They're nice. Good thick soles." He tapped his toes in the dust road, sending a cloud lurching up around his feet. He then turned himself to face the woman, looking at her carefully. He ran a dirty hand through the wild hair and grinned. "'Awright missus, I'm done. No, wait..." He dropped down again quickly to one knee, rooting around in the man's pockets. A knife came out of one and a out of the other, alcohol... Sadly not the drinking kind, the sterilizing kind. Could be useful. He flung it into the side pocket of his huge pack hitched over his shoulders. He made a small squeaking noise, as if he were sucking on his teeth and the dogs moved, still facing the woman they came and stood at either side of him, waiting for his next command.
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Liz Burke
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d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:36:40 GMT
Liz watched in disgust as the dreg rooted through her former companion’s pockets, he took out the knife. That knife had saved her on many of occasion, her face saddened. “You’re sick.” She mumbled glancing away from him, he was disgusting. “Please.” She pleaded, still looking away from him. “Don’t let them,” she looked at his dogs, “don’t like them... you know.” She was blatantly referring to them easting her friend.
The dogs moved. The stood beside their owner. “The alcohol, please, it’s to clean wounds – May I?” She asked, she wanted to reach out but fear of the dogs tearing off her arm prohibited her to do this. It struck Liz that this dreg, because that’s what he was, he was a dreg, but it struck her that she could sue him, and she could use her medical background as a pull factor. He looked set to leave, which meant she was left alone with the body, in the silent, zombie infested streets of Williamsburg. She shuddered, she hated the word zombie, it was so very Wes Craven.
“I’m Liz.” She said nervously. It was her attempt of putting out her side of a conversation, ready to bargain with him.
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Post by Eddie "The Mutt" Sillian on Apr 10, 2009 19:36:57 GMT
"I'm alive. He ain't. 's the livin' that tell the stories afterward." He gave her a lopsided grin. "You ain't been out here so long obviously. Better to 'ave dead men's shoes than no shoes." He watched her cautiously, his pose not threatening but guarded. It seemed that the cigarette he was dragging on had nothing left to it, he spat it out absentmindedly, reached behind his ear and pulled out another, lighting it smoothly. "They gotta eat lady, better 'im than you. 'sides, I dun 'ave much on me for 'em, 'n I can't afford for 'em to go 'ungry." He glanced at the body. "You dun 'ave to be 'ere. I'm not stayin' to watch." It was amazing, the number of letters he managed to drop and still form sentences, the letters he dropped could probably form sentences on their own, albeit odd sounding ones. His hand reached up and pulled the alcohol bottle out of his back, still slung over his back. "Wha', this...?" He looked at it, his mottled brown and tired eyes skimming over the surface to read it. "You wounded lady? You got a bite 'n 'm puttin' you out of your misery now." He realised he has left his gun still lying on the floor and snapped down, picking it up again and readying himself. "Dun want annuvver one runnin' around the streets." Dragging hard on the cigarette he let a cloud of smoke rush out of his nose like a dragon. "Wotcha Liz. I'm Ed, or Mutt, whatever you prefer. This here is Jones." He wafted one hand down to the Shepherd who cocked his head curiously. "'n this is Malificent. She's a real sweethear'" He grinned at the Rottweiler at his other side. Her clipped short tail, little more than a stump waggled madly as he spoke at her. He glanced down at the bottle of alcohol in his hand before throwing it deftly toward her, if she didn't catch it it was her own fault. "'ere."
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Liz Burke
Junior Member
d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:37:26 GMT
Again, Liz’s distaste for the situation showed on her face. To allow these dogs, these pets, to eat another was disgusting. The dreg and his dogs were no better than the vermin and undead things that roamed the streets. It literally seemed to be a dog eat dog world with this man. Liz rubbed the tears from her cheeks and sniffled. Her dirty cheek was smudged once more. She winced when she ran her hand down onto her lip, she had fallen the previous day and banged it on a step – which ultimately she didn’t mind because it was either run, trip and rupture her lip or get eaten by the undead.
Liz certainly wouldn’t hang around as the dogs ate her former friend, she couldn’t watch that. She had watched James die, that was disturbing enough, she couldn’t stomach watching him getting ripped apart by some savage dogs.
“No! I aint!” She snapped angrily. Even joking about getting bitten was stupid and tactless. Not when her friend was lying dead at her feet, he had been bitten on his arm, and nothing, no medication, no sterilization not even slowing the blood flow could stop or even slow the contagion. She felt she had to prove it and lift up her sleeves to show her unbitten, yet grubby arms.
‘Ed...Mutt’, she thought to herself. Mutt. It suited him. The dreg was a mutt. A lowlife. He was the type of person she would think twice about operating on; for that she was thankful she was a child doctor and surgeon. Liz caught the alcohol, and had had to bite her tongue when he was flapping it around earlier, she wanted to try and stay onside. She needed him, although she wouldn’t admit it.
“Thank you – I’m a doctor.” She admitted. She thought it would give her clout in her cause for wanting to stay with him. Although if he had seen her struggle to keep James alive he could have questioned her ethics and reliability as a doctor – even her effectiveness.
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Post by Eddie "The Mutt" Sillian on Apr 10, 2009 19:37:41 GMT
When it seemed the woman would be no immediate threat, Ed slipped the gun into the side of his heavy pack and drew it back with a canteen of water in his right hand. "'ere" He tossed it to her. "You look like you could use a drink. Got nuthin' better than water though." He hitched the pack higher on his shoulders and turned to look at the body. "If he's been bitt'n 's better that the dogs take care of it now. Dun wanna come across him later when he's rotting. If you don't wanna see you oughta move pretty quick." He turned his back on the body and walked away toward the entrance of another alleyway. "Doctor, well there we are. 'm a police officer 'n a retired soldier. Well, I say retired..." He laughed and shrugged. His laugh was harsh, like the bark of a dog, it made his gruff voice sound even gruffer. He gave a cough and stood at the entrance to the alley. "You comin'?" He asked, shrugging to show it didn't really make much difference. Of course a doctor was useful, but another mouth to find food for wasn't. Particularly someone so picky. Mutt wafted his right hand, a sign of release and instantly the dogs melted away from his side toward the prone corpse lying on the ground not far away. He turned his head away and walked off into the alley.
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Liz Burke
Junior Member
d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:38:17 GMT
Liz slipped the small bottle of alcohol into her black skirt pocket, the skirt, which she had worn since that night at the hospital and her return home to her house – only to find her family dead, or undead – was torn, torn in the perfect place, if fashion was to be judged. It showed a little too much leg for her liking. Her tights masked her smooth legs, but they looked grubby and had two ladders in them, both in the left leg.
Reaching out the paediatrician caught the water and took a drink almost immediately. She made sure not to drink it all though, she wasn’t without brain. “Thank you.” Liz Burke tried to ignore the comment about an undead James, she didn’t want to think about that right now.
As she took another small sip of the water he had shared with her, Liz heard the truth about the dreg, he was in fact a police officer, and to top it all off an ex soldier. She nearly choked when she heard it! Was it even possible?
As the dogs ran at the body, Liz took one last glance to her former friend, James, but was quick to turn and follow behind the dreg, or ex cop, as they began to chow down on him. “Disgusting.” She muttered. She held the water back out to Ed, “thank you.”
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Post by Eddie "The Mutt" Sillian on Apr 10, 2009 19:39:21 GMT
He watched her gulp it thirstily for a moment before moving on, turning his eyes back down to the floor, watching his new, old boots swing infront of him. He did nearly laugh aloud when he heard her gurgle the water in surprise. No one ever expected him to be in the police. "Heheh." It was nearly a dirty cackle. "Everyone responds like that. Just dun leave your mouth hangin' open or ya'll drip water on yoursel'." He grinned as he continued walking, hearing the sounds of ripping flesh and the grunts and growls of the dogs as they tore apart the corpse. "No worries. You eat watcha have to to live. I dun have enough to feed 'em every day. Damn, they'll eat zombie if it comes to it." He took the canteen from her and drank some of the water, attaching it back onto his heavy pack, now somewhat lightened. "Where ya headin' now your mates dead?" He asked, finally removing the cigarette from his mouth to take a proper drag. He was so used to smoking without his hands it felt odd. He put it back in and left it there.
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Liz Burke
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d.a.r.k h.o.r.s.e
Posts: 70
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Post by Liz Burke on Apr 10, 2009 19:39:27 GMT
Where was she heading? That had rolled in her mind now for the last 5 minutes. She scoffed. “Yeah, where exactly.” She gave a subtle smirk as she glanced at him, “wouldn’t have room in your one man show for a doctor would you? Or at least someone to talk to?” She put out her bet, raised her odds slightly and now she had to wait for him to meet her head on.
Liz sighed as she thought of the dogs eating her former friend and former guardian. “You know they’re bad for you health, right?” Again, she smirked. It was her way to break the ice. But now her tone became serious. “Is it really safe to be wandering around scot-free?” She didn’t even know what scot-free actually meant, but had heard it a lot of time from her British friend, Samantha. Samantha, Liz hoped she was OK.
Liz had lost her whole life. Jack, her husband had died – or not, she still didn’t understand this virus thing. Along with her twin boys, Callum and Michael. She had seen Callum. His body anyway – or what was left of it. But not Michael. Every shred of hope in her told her that he was alive, she needed to find him.
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