1. (video)

[thisonetime]

[The feed comes on, but at first, everything's dark.]

The hell is this?

[Then there's a shot of Ellis's gray eye, and then it pans back out to his face. He's covered in a layer of dirt and various bodily fluids, and beyond that, he's tired and bruised in a few places. The stone ceiling of his barracks room can be seen in the background, and Ellis looks quite perplexed.]

Hello? Anybody out there? This funny little book's talkin' about worlds bein' unmade and records bein' kept and whatnot, but it ain't makin' much sense.

Like, how'm I here if everythin's not made anymore? And hell, you can't unmake shit! My friend Keith tried to unmake a car once, cause he thought it was haunted, but all he got was a broken car and a face full'a burnin' oil. He quit messin' with it after that, mostly 'cause he went blind for like six months. Don't know if it was really haunted or nothin', but I guess anything can happen, after the zombies an' shit...

[Ellis just trails off, then looks around the room. With his free hand, he rubs the space between his shoulder and neck and winces. Getting pounded into the ground by a charger sucks, and he's still aching.

Then, he turns back to the camera and smiles, though it's a little uneasy.]

So, hey, m'name's Ellis. I'm lookin' for Nick, Rochelle, and Coach, if any y'all out there.

[And they had to be, didn't they?]

Comments

[helluvachin]

Heh, I can relate to that.

[thisonetime]

Yeah. Gotta say, sometimes I thought he'd be a goner, but naw. He was even one'a the first people on them e-vac choppers, so I'd bet my hat he's just fine.

[helluvachin]

Good to hear.

[Wait.]

What were they evacuating from?

[thisonetime]

The zombies, man! What else?

[helluvachin]

Okay, so what are zombies?

[thisonetime]

Dude.

How do you not know what zombies are.

[helluvachin]

Probably because I've never heard of them?

[thisonetime]

Well, shit, okay, lemme give y'all Ellis's Crash-Course on the Zombified and Undead.

[Ellis clears his throat.]

So, biggest thing to remember about zombies is that they wanna murder the crap out of you. Most of 'em wanna eatcha, sometimes your brains, sometimes they don't give a shit 'bout what they're eatin' so long as it's livin' and breathin'. Some of 'em don't, some of just like t'mess with you.

[Wait, wait, no, special infected later. Just the regular ones for now...]

But, okay, okay. So a zombie's made when somebody gets sick with the Green Flu, or bit by 'nother zombie. Then after a while, they turn, and I ain't actually sure if they die first or if they just turn an' go monster-crazy while they's still alive, but that don't matter so much.

What does matter izzat now that they're zombies an' you ain't, you are on the menu. But don't get bit, or you'll turn too, and that ain't a pretty sight, no sir.

[helluvachin]

They're...they're dead? A-and they come back to life? And then they eat people!?

[He probably would have a hard time believing that if not for what happened last year.]

Uh, something like that happened here almost a year ago. People got infected with...I don't even know what. They started killing people. Don't know anything about them eating anyone, but yeah, it was horrible.

[Kinda hard to forget being knocked around by a crazy dragon.]

[thisonetime]

Yeah, shit, I heard about that! Heard y'all cleared it up, though, on account'a this bein' a little place, 'stead of a whole country. Which I get, I guess. I'm just glad t'be rid o'them suckers for a while.

How'd that all happen, anyhow?

[helluvachin]

Yeah, but that was the closest I've come to dying in a long time.

This woman named Kloe is infected, and immune I guess? She said it was her fault. Somehow she managed it to spread it around and it just kinda, went nuts from there.

[thisonetime]

Huh.

[Ellis heard the name Kloe, and he heard she had zombies in her world, but this is... a little unnerving.]

Well, hell, I'm immune, I figure. Don't think I'm infected or nothin', I mean I ain't sick, and I ain't been bit...

[helluvachin]

Maybe uh, maybe you should check that out, or talk to Kloe or something. She's a little...rough though.

[It's the nicest way he can think to say she's a bitch.]

[thisonetime]

S'okay, rough folk don't bother me none. Nick was like that.

[Yeah, Nick was a bitch too. Ellis kind of misses him.]

Is Miss Kloe the doctor 'round these parts?

[helluvachin]

She's a doctor. There's at least two here counting her, maybe more. I don't know everyone here.

[thisonetime]

Shit, s'like a goddamn hospital out here or somethin'. Who's the other doc, case I can't get a hold'a Miss Kloe?

[helluvachin]

Um, not exactly.

Think her name is Sycora. I don't know her too well but she's the staff doctor. I was mostly unconscious when I met her.

[thisonetime]

Much obliged. I'll take a look around, see if I can find me some answers. Or leastways a change'a clothes, cause dude, these are nasty.

[helluvachin]

You might be out of luck with the clothing, unless your tastes are um...odd?

[Though judging by this guy's clothing Zachariah doubts that.]

[thisonetime]

Odd like what? Like, dressin' in animal costumes? Cause I knew this guy who did that, like, every weekend, an' he had a suit for just 'bout every critter under the sun. Cats, horses, dogs, bears, them things that hide under your bed, you know, everything.

[helluvachin]

[Zachariah isn't sure what to say about that.]

Uh...no. I mean like, old. Really old.

[thisonetime]

Oh.

[Well then.]

So more like Medieval Times kinda shit? I guess that ain't so bad.

[helluvachin]

Yeah it's kinda like that.

[thisonetime]

Okay. I mean, as long as I get a sword, that'd be cool. I had a ninja sword for a little while, but I lost it a couple weeks back.