end transmission

[desclaticn]

#desclaticn is a dependent mumu blog for outlastedhq penned by yasmina. ( please dni if not in the group )

jacob elordi is GAGE REYNOLDS, 27, MARINE CORPS SERGEANT. about. tyriq withers is ADONIS RUSSELL, 27, WIDE RECEIVER FOR THE LA CHARGERS. about.

[alexcmorgan]

location: on the border of the woods and the back of an abandoned store

open: all

Alex had been walking for days. He wasn't exactly sure how long it had been, but all he knew was that he was tired and he just wanted to find a place to lay his head that wasn't sounded by groaning walkers. Of course, he could've easily thinned the surrounding herd but for what point? He knew he was going to be dead soon. Everyone was. The sun starting setting and Alex couldn't help but to find a decent enough size log to sit on, just for a moment. Lost in thought, his mind flashed back to Caleb, to how he left him. Alone. Being so deep in thought he didn't even see anyone approaching. Was Alex about to meet the same fate as Caleb? He had no idea. And honestly..

He would deserve it.

[desclaticn]

another ransacked store, adonis thought to himself, sighing as he let the ar-15 he wore around his crossbody hang by its strap. not a single thing worth a damn. at least in other stores he was able to find things like a stack of napkins, a hot commodity in a place where anything you were okay with tossing became your new toilet paper. exiting thorugh the front door, he decided to take a peek around back, deciding that it was worth a few more minutes after already having risked his life and wasted time that could've been spent searching somewhere else. he turned the corner and reached for his rifle immediately, hands gripped tightly as he lifted it to eye level. it only took a moment for him to register the body as another human (at least for now). he approached slowly, "don't move," he called out, loud enough to be heard but quiet enough not to draw too much attention. "are you alone?" adonis followed up, taking a few more steps closer. "i have one helluva gun and i'm not afraid to shoot it." he kinda was.

[desclaticn]

adonis was stuck in a trance, standing silently in the kitchen of the house that gage and he had made their base for the last few days while they searched through the homes in this neighborhood. he held the ar-15 that gage had bestowed upon him once he felt as though adonis was worthy of carrying such a weapon. it was for emergencies only. while gage was lucky enough to have had a decent stockpile (not one that he was necessarily hoping to use in a potential apocalypse...), it was only bound to last them so long if they opted to use their weapons every time they encountered an infected. thus entered the hand-to-hand combat training... adonis knew it was for his own safety, his best friend's way of showing him that he cared about him. however, at times, it emasculated him. when they were growing up, they sparred and wrestled with each other all the time, and adonis was able to pin gage down at least half of the time.... but lately? adonis was a goddamn mess. he couldn't hold it together. adonis had been terrified of... whatever those things were. this was unnatural. like something out of a hollywood movie. his brain was struggling to catch up to their new reality...

two months in, or was it longer? shorter? adonis had lost all concept of time. if it wasn't for gage, he'd be completely lost. no, he'd be dead. definitely. adonis set his ar down on the kitchen counter he was leaning against, rubbing at his face with the palms of his hands as he tried to anchor himself to the here and now. gage had stepped out to search a place four houses down and felt confident enough to do it alone, leaving adonis to keep watch over what little they had already gathered throughout their week-long scavenging trip. he let out a deep breath—head snapping upwards at the very familiar sound of the front door opening. gage and adonis had a code, a specific knock they would use right before entering any home they dwelled in, just a way of letting each other know it was them and not someone else. adonis slowly grabbed his ar from the counter, swiftly but quietly exiting the kitchen through the side door, heading down the hallway that would loop back around into the living room. he was holding his breath, making sure to listen closely. adonis could hear the quiet steps being taken further into the house, but he didn't hear anything else. not that he expected to—the infected he'd encountered so far hadn't been able to make use of a door. but at this point, humans had become even more dangerous than one of those things. hurting others for resources and just because they could. the end of the world only exposed humanity for what was always underneath. adonis swallowed past the lump in his throat, silently cursing at himself for forgetting to lock the door behind him after going outside to take a leak, not wanting to use the toilets that weren't running and thus further mucking up the home they were staying in. he paused short of the side doorway that led into the living room, taking a deep breath before he entered the room, ar-15 held up at eye level as he pointed it at the intruder. his eyes widened slightly, recognizing the other individual as someone he had run into before. funny enough, in almost this exact same scenario. "dude, you've got to get better at finding houses to hide in." adonis lowered his rifle, "i could've blown your head off... again."

[m0urningskies]

𝙲𝙻𝙾𝚂𝙴𝙳   𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝚁      …      ꒰       𝗳𝗼𝗿    𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲    𝗿𝗲𝘆𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀    …    𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾   𝖺𝖿𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗇𝗈𝗈𝗇,   𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗂𝗋   𝗄𝗂𝗍𝖼𝗁𝖾𝗇,   𝖾𝗇𝖽   𝗈𝖿   𝖺𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗅. @desclaticn  ꒱ 

                  𝚃𝙷𝙴   𝙲𝙾𝙵𝙵𝙴𝙴   𝙷𝙰𝙳   gone   cold   hours   ago,   but   maggie   keeps   sipping   it   anyway.   the   dining   table   has   disappeared   under   dozens   of   printed   research   papers   —   color-coded,   annotated,   memorized   —   scattered   across   its   surface,   laptop   open   to   a   dissertation   proposal   glaring   incessantly   into   tired   eyes.   five   weeks   until   her   comprehensive   examination   …   at   this   point,   studying   has   become   second-nature,   a   worthy   distraction   from   loneliness,   grieving   someone   who   was   very   much   alive.   gage   was   leaving   soon.   not   for   deployment   this   time,   but   for   a   trail.   the   hike   he’s   been   dreaming   about   at   least   as   long   as   she's   known   him.   she's   happy   for   him,   undoubtedly,   but   she   hates   that   it   still   stings.   after   years   of   waiting   for   him   to   come   home,   it's   hard   not   to   feel   left   behind.   by   choice,   this   time. 

                    𝙼𝙾𝚅𝙴𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃   𝙸𝙽   𝙷𝙴𝚁   peripheral   vision   momentarily   startles   her   before   she   remembers   she's   not   alone.   for   now,   at   least.   as   gage   wanders   in   from   the   hallway,   she   instinctively   closes   her   laptop   halfway   and   looks   over   at   him,   not   taking   any   spare   second   for   granted.   a   small   smile   breaks   upon   her   face,   tired   but   genuine.   “sorry,”   she   mutters   breathlessly,   motioning   to   the   chaos   spread   across   the   table,   “   i'll   clean   this   up   later,   i   promise.   ”   she   hardly   ever   uses   the   table   for   meals,   had   long   ago   gotten   used   to   eating   standing   up   at   the   counter   —   it   was   easier   than   setting   the   table   for   one.   maggie   leans   back   in   her   chair   and   pulls   her   knees   up   to   her   chest,   fingertips   fidgeting   absentmindedly   with   the   thin   gold   band   wrapped   around   her   left   ring   finger.   “   how’s   trail   prep   going   ?   hopefully   the   snow   isn't   too   bad   —   and   that   adonis   doesn't   complain   too   much   about   it.   ” 

[desclaticn]

“no, i already told you,” gage sighs into the phone, his free hand rising to wipe at his brow in exasperation. “i gave you a goddamn list.” he's breathless as he speaks with adonis over the phone, the person he stupidly entrusted with picking up supplies for their upcoming backpacking trip. “everything needs to be exact, down to the ounce. we're going to be carrying everything we need for the entirety of our trip on our backs.” he sighs again, standing abruptly as he decides he can't waste another ten minutes on the phone with adonis, virtually holding his hand through the entire call. gage was thorough. he'd written down the exact brands, flavors, and portion sizes. the fact that adonis was calling him now was enough to drive him absolutely insane. he had much better things to do. spending time with his new wife before he disappeared for three weeks was one of them. “just fucking send me a pic of everything once you've got it--and keep the damn receipt,” gage says with finality, pulling his iphone away from his face and ending the call before allowing adonis a moment to respond. on his way out of the bedroom he shares with his wife, he sets his phone down on one of the dressers near the door, walking out into the hall in search of her.  he spots her sitting at the dining table, her usual spread of papers laid out around her. gage smiles softly to himself as he enters the room, pulling out the chair beside her and plopping down. “what are you apologizing for?” he asks softly, reaching out to fiddle with the corner of one of her many, many sheets of paper. “baby, please, take up all the space you need.” gage mirrors her movement, leaning back in his seat but just the mention of trail prep makes gage groan out loud, the sound settling into a laugh as he shakes his head. “i sent adonis to grab some food for our trip and he kept sending me pics of different items and asking if they were okay…” gage drags his palms down the front of his face, just thinking about the breath he wasted on that phone call was enough to make the annoyance resurface. he opens his eyes to find her watching him, his gaze immediately catching on the way her ring twirls around her finger. he reaches out instinctively, wrapping his fingers around her hand. “the least amount of snow would be ideal, but... we'll be prepared to handle whatever mother nature throws at us.” gage gives her a smile meant to be reassuring, squeezing her hand gently before asking, “are you hungry? can i make you a snack? something to nibble on while you work?”

[desclaticn]

✦ (TYRIQ WITHERS, CISMALE, HE/HIM) ⸻ Is that ADONIS RUSSELL? Before the outbreak, the TWENTY-SEVEN-year-old worked as a WIDE RECEIVER FOR THE LA CHARGERS. Those who have crossed paths with them describe them as CHARISMATIC, though pressure often reveals their IMMATURE nature. They are often associated with THE DEAFENING SOUND OF THE CROWD CHEERING AFTER A TOUCHDOWN, BRUISED RIBS AND SPLIT LIPS, CHAMPAGNE SHOWERS, AND FLASHING CAMERAS AT RED CARPET EVENTS. (yasmina, 30, she/her, est, and n/a.) Diversity Criteria: bipoc. Sorting: Loner traveling with Gage Reynolds.

FULL NAME: ADONIS RUSSELL. DATE OF BIRTH: AUGUST 18 1998. PLACE OF BIRTH: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. CURRENT LOCATION: VENTURA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA. CURRENT RESIDENCE: TAKING SHELTER IN AN ABANDONED RANCH IN A CLEARED NEIGHBORHOOD WITH GAGE REYNOLDS. GENDER: CISMALE WITH HE/HIM PRONOUNS. SEXUAL/ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: HETEROSEXUAL/HETEROROMANTIC. RELIGION: RAISED CATHOLIC. NON PRACTICING. OCCUPATION: WIDE RECEIVER FOR LA CHARGERS PRE-OUTBREAK.

PRE OUTBREAK ///

adonis is the second born out of four… the other three happened to all be girls. his father was the high school football coach/history teacher at their local high school, while his mother was a physical therapist. adonis’ father and gage’s father played football together in high school, although gage’s father made it further in his career while adonis’ father’s football career ended in high school. even though they weren’t extremely close, they were still good enough friends to remain mostly in contact in the years following snd eventually when their sons were born, they actually grew closer because adonis and gage became best friends. adonis’ parents were very warm people, the kind that made you feel as though you’d known them your whole life and could ask them for absolutely anything and they wouldn’t even bat an eyelash. the russell home was filled with love, it was overflowing, actually. you might hear people call kids a mama’s boy or a daddy’s girl. well, in the russell family, adonis was a mama’s boy and a daddy’s boy… and a his sister’s boy at that. they were the kind of family that did everything together and actually enjoyed it.

one of adonis’ father’s dreams was to have a son who enjoyed football as much as he did. while he made all of the kids crowd around him on the couch during football sunday (and every other day there was a football game on), that was as far as his dreams went. adonis’ father was thrilled when adonis showed interest in football outside of their regular tossing the ball back and forth in the yard when he was a kid. all it took was one conversation between adonis’ father and sergeant major reynolds before both of the boys were suddenly thrust into the beginning stages of being molded into future football stars.

adonis was the kind of kid that could accomplish absolutely anything he set his mind to and his parents were happy to surround him with enriching activities, as he was always getting into something or causing trouble. adonis did well in school throughout elementary and middle school, but it wasn’t because he loved learning. it was because his father was a teacher and everyone knew him in their community, so any time adonis ever began to step out of line, they’d immediately pretend to pick up the phone to call “coach russell.” the only issue he really had in school was that he talked too much. he made friends with everyone and was very kind and although he was extremely popular, he maintained his kindness through the genuine love and nurturing he had at home. not to mention, since his best friend gage was someone who was quiet (and could be considered “weird”), and since adonis had known him his whole life, he knew better than to judge a book by its cover. he’s always had an open mind and heart about things.

throughout middle school, adonis learned that he could half-ass practice and still do better than others. it started little by little: dragging his feet during drills, messing around in the locker room, those little things that became increasingly noticeable to those who were busting their ass around him. but because he was just so good, they let him get away with it. as likable as he was, at times, there was a lot of resentment off the field (a theme that would continue throughout his life). however, since adonis continued to contribute greatly to their wins, he was able to get away with it.

when he was in high school, his father became his coach, and he used that to his advantage. adonis slacked off as much as he possibly could during practice because he knew his father well enough to know where he could toe the line without getting in trouble. it made his teammates hate him, outside of gage, who was so preoccupied with himself and his own performance that he didn’t notice much else except for adonis on the game night field. adonis did well enough in school, but did everything he could get away with. sneaking out, driving around early in the morning with his friends and smoking weed. some of the players on the team heard about it through the school grapevine. smoking weed wasn’t all that scandalous to a bunch of californian teenagers, but when that same teenager smoking weed was the one getting away with doing no hard work and getting all the glory from the wins… it needed to be addressed. so some of the team members told random people in the school to tell administration and they ended up doing a “random” drug test on all of the members. adonis, and ironically enough, a few of the members who wanted to snitch in the first place, tested positive for thc. the school had a zero tolerance policy, however, since their championship game was approaching and that would have directly affected the school by pissing off people who donated money, etc, they didn’t kick adonis off the team. and in order to keep the peace, they didn’t kick the other members off either. this truly set the tone for the remainder of adonis’ life, as he now realized that he could get away with absolutely anything as long as he was damn good at football.

to no one’s surprise, not only were gage and adonis accepted into the same university, they were both offered full-ride scholarships. the pair of them were so magnetic. their plays, the chemistry, how they could just sense each other’s presence and where they would end up… it was the only sort of relationship you could only get from two people who’d spent their whole lives as friends. the pair were becoming national college legends and adonis loved every minute of the attention. he used it to his advantage and messed around as much as he possibly could. it wasn’t a lot at the college level but it was still too much. he partied and drank, showed up to practice hungover, and had girls starting drama by showing up to his practices and fighting over him. he had started developing a bit of an arrogant streak, and being a first-round draft pick after forgoing his junior year of college for the early draft only solidified that.

adonis became almost untouchable. a name whose reputation preceded him. he was one of the bright new talents in the nfl, helping his team dominate, and in his rookie year, the miami dolphins made it all the way to the penultimate game of the super bowl playoffs. even though they didn’t make it to the bowl, everyone was still so impressed with adonis. everywhere he went, people were fighting for his attention. he was offered endorsement deal after endorsement deal, running through women of all walks of life, partying all night and sleeping all day. he had been doing so well that he didn’t really notice that his best friend was struggling, and at times, he ignored news about his best friend’s mental health because he was just too busy having fun. gage was a grown man and he could take care of himself. he didn’t need adonis to save him… so adonis continued to focus on himself and his career, only learning about the depths of gage’s black hole once his father told him about how gage was enlisting in the marines like sergeant major reynolds. feeling overtaken with guilt, adonis made sure to clear time to attend his graduation and family day ceremonies and it was then that they made the promise to see each other once a year for at least a few weeks if they couldn’t manage anything else.

feeling better knowing that his friend was back on track, adonis’ attention was back on football, and he was able to win a super bowl with the dolphins in his third and fourth year in the league. he was riding an all-time high and was practically untouchable, developing a reputation as being a bit of a douche, so far from the man that everyone knew and loved. but you couldn’t tell him nothing. he was hot shit and any time he was out with a small injury, his team didn’t play as well. it was becoming increasingly obvious to him that he was everything they said he was. and when it was time to renew and the dolphins didn’t pay what he thought he was worth, he took his talent to another team: his hometown of la with the chargers.

there was already a big expectation of him due to his previous stats. however, his first year, he played good. not great, but good. adonis blamed team chemistry and learning how to fit in with everyone. coming off of that season was weird, and adonis tried to fill his mind with everything else he possibly could. the vacation he took that year with gage made him feel jealous of his friend for once, someone who he thought had finally found peace with himself, or at least as much peace as a twenty six year old man could find. adonis wasn’t able to shake off the feeling he had from the previous season when he returned for his second season with the charger and attending gage’s wedding in the midst of the season only made him feel like he was missing out on something else entirely. adonis wasn’t sure what it was, but he just couldn’t get his head back in the game.

POST OUTBREAK ///

adonis was absolutely shocked and terrified from the beginning, struggling to keep it together as the world around him descended into chaos. he was constantly being told by gage to lock in, to stop panicking and freaking the hell out but adonis was horrified. he didn’t have the military prowess that gage did, he was a football player and people who were supposed to be dead were getting back up and chasing them. beneath the fear was the sickening thought of his family and what could have happened to them, the unanswered calls and the realization that he had absolutely no way of knowing if any of them were alive. and if he was being honest with himself, there was a small part of him that resented gage for seeming to handle everything so well and being the reason adonis was away from his family. gage was calm when adonis was panicking, had good answers when adonis had questions, and seemed to know exactly what they needed to do next all. the. time. adonis knew that gage was the only reason he had made it as far as he had which somehow made the resentment worse. for the first time in his life, adonis was completely dependent on someone else, and he hated how helpless it made him feel.

even two months in it’s still been difficult for adonis to fully grasp what happened. he’s struggling with the reality of a world where the things he spent his entire life being good at suddenly meant very little. being an nfl wide receiver taught him how to run fast, take hits and react quickly. push his body past its limits but none of that taught him how to properly handle a firearm, ration food, remember and read a trail, clear a building, or recognize when someone was dangerous from just their body language. his athleticism helps but being able to outrun the infected only works for so long and there’s no referee calling a timeout when he gets tired. not to mention it’s been a massive blow to his ego. adonis spent his entire life being able to half-ass things and still come out on top because he was just naturally good at them. he could slack off in practice and still be the best player on the field, charm his way out of troubleand rely on his reputation when things got difficult. now none of that matters. there are no fans, no contracts, no endorsements and no one who cares that he was once an nfl star. he’s just another twenty seven year old trying not to die and he’s struggling with the fact that he doesn’t know how to be anything else.

despite everything, adonis is trying. he’s slowly learning from gage, picking up the things he needs to know and forcing himself to participate even when every part of him wants to let gage handle it entirely. he still panics, gets frustrated, and still has moments where he has to step away because the reality of everything becomes way too much for his brain to handle. he misses his family constantly and carries a quiet guilt over not knowing if he could have done more for them, while simultaneously knowing there was nothing he could have done from the middle of the john muir trail. he’s also struggling with how much he’s changed. the loud and charismatic man who could walk into any room and have everyone eating out of the palm of his hand now hesitates around strangers and questions whether kindness is something he can afford anymore. still most pieces of the old adonis remain. he talks too much, makes jokes at inappropriate times and complains when he’s tired and occasionally makes decisions that leave even him wondering what the hell he was even thinking. he may get knocked down but he keeps getting back up.

[desclaticn]

✦ (JACOB ELORDI, CISMALE, HE/HIM) ⸻ Is that GAGE REYNOLDS? Before the outbreak, the TWENTY-SEVEN-year-old worked as a MARINE CORPS SERGEANT. Those who have crossed paths with them describe them as RESILIENT, though pressure often reveals their DETACHED nature. They are often associated with IMPECCABLE POSTURE, LIVED IN COMBAT BOOTS, MARATHON GSAR WATCH THAT DISPLAYS THE RIGHT TIME, AND EYE BAGS FROM TOO MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS.

FULL NAME: GAGE COLLIN REYNOLDS. DATE OF BIRTH: OCTOBER 30 1998. PLACE OF BIRTH: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. CURRENT LOCATION: TAKING SHELTER IN AN ABANDONED RANCH IN A CLEARED NEIGHBORHOOD WITH ADONIS RUSSELL. GENDER: CISMALE WITH HE/HIM PRONOUNS. SEXUAL/ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: HETEROSEXUAL/HETEROROMANTIC. RELIGION: RAISED CATHOLIC. NON PRACTICING. OCCUPATION: MARINE CORPS SERGEANT PRE OUTBREAK. (SIX YEARS OF ENLISTMENT).

PRE OUTBREAK ///

gage's father was a retired sergeant major in the marines who owned a mid-size used car dealership and his mother stayed at home. his father was a very career and goal oriented man who spent thirty years in service. previous to that, sergeant major reynolds dreams were of playing football, as gage’s grandfather played in the nfl in the 60s. however, a football injury shattered that dream. gage’s father projected most hopes and dreams onto his son. football first but with the added rigidness of marine corps. gage was the spitting image of his father. tall, lean, naturally athletic, and extremely competitive. he held gage to a high standard but it was a standard that gage often surpassed. sergeant major reynolds didn't intend to live his life through his son, it just happened to turn out that way.

sergeant major and gage spent as much time together as they possibly could, with football at the forefront. weekends were spent running drills, practicing spirals, lifting weights, and studying game film. gage was a beast. everyone would point that fact out to sergeant major reynolds, but to him, praise was earned through results and not freely given. which in turn only caused gage to push himself to the limit that his body could handle. which was pretty far. "hard work beats natural talent when natural talent doesn't work hard... and you have both," is what his father would always tell him. and whenever gage would cry about reaching his breaking point or how he couldn't do it anymore, his dad would push him only a little bit further. "when you think you've had enough, keep going, if you didn't have anything left, you'd have collapsed by now."

despite all of the time spent together, their relationship rarely ventured past football or responsibilities. it wasn't that sergeant major reynolds didn't love his son, that was just the way he showed his love. the same way his father before him loved him, by preparing him for the real world. sergeant major reynolds believed that building gage into a man that could withstand the weight of the entire world. it was the best way that his father could express his love and devotion to his son and his family, by remaining rigid in the face of struggle. vulnerability wasn't something he taught because it wasn't something he knew how to show. when shit got hard, you put your head down and handled it.

his mother wasn't really present in his life, at least now while he was growing up. she was always just kind of there, existing in different rooms around the house. when he was younger, he rarely noticed, having been so preoccupied with his father, however, as he became older and spent more time around other people and their families, it became apparent that there was something wrong with his mother. constantly sleeping, missed dinners, minimal engagement in any conversations. sergeant major reynolds spent the majority of gage's childhood covering up for this mother. hiring housekeepers, etc, anything to make her lack of a presence less noticeable. sergeant major and gage learned how to orbit around her instead of addressing the core problem.

in high school, gage and his best friend since diapers adonis (wide receiver), became the golden duo of their school. they were inseparable off the field and that chemistry translated onto the field. adonis had that sort of effortless athleticism that couldn't be taught or faked. he could skip workouts, goof around during practices, and still make every good catch. gage, on the other hand, built himself up through repetition and structure. every disgustingly bland meal, every debilitating work-out, every missed rager of a party... it was just another brick laid in the foundation of the future he wanted. their friendship always remained strong throughout the entirety of their lives but it was truly around this time that gage started to grow increasingly resentful and jealous of his best friend. every compliment adonis received was just a reminder to gage that no matter how hard he worked, his best friend was born with something he just couldn't manufacture. he absolutely hated himself for feeling that jealousy but buried it deep down and used it as fuel to push himself even harder. college only magnified that gap.

they both continued to dominate the field and drew national attention, eventually declaring for an early draft their junior year. draft weekend should've been the culmination for everything gage had sacrificed for. instead, it was humiliating. adonis' name was called in the first round, being picked up by the miami dolphins, while gage waited and waited. and when his phone finally rang during the closing rounds, it already felt smaller than he could've ever imagined. things didn't get better as he progressed through his rookie season with the denver broncos as he was unable to distinguish himself in an organization where even the worst played was lightyears better than the best amateur baller. he struggled horribly to provide consistency to the team and was ultimately released at the end of the season. gage was shell-shocked and spent the following months training relentless under the belief that come next season, someone would notice his dedication and hardwork. no call ever came and for the first time in his life there wasn't another drill to run or a coach to impress, there was just silence. the failure and rejection unravelled something bound tight within gage. football was never simply just a game to him. it was his whole identity, his relationship with his father, and his entire purpose. without it, he didn't really know who he was. alcohol became an easy way to quiet all that deafening disappointment. the drugs followed pretty soon after. meanwhile, adonis' career exploded. gage never blamed him, although it further drove the wedge between them. adonis was far too busy to notice how his best friend was falling apart.

when gage's father eventually became privy to the entire storyy of how his son was doing mentally, he was on the first flight to colorado. gage expected a lecture, a stern talking to. "snap out of it" or "you're a man. be a man." instead, sergeant major reynolds sat next to his son, and spoke to him not as a marine, but as william reynolds, gage's father, who lived his spitting image dearly. he admitted that losing football had nearly broken him as well and that the marines hadn't gotten rid of that disappointment but it gave him something else to work towards. gage's father told him that he was proud of him long before he had even made it to this point and that he wasn't disappointed. he could never be disappointed in his son who gave it his all, which is worth more than anything else. gage had spent his whole life chasing his father's approval only to learn in that moment that he'd always had it.

with football behind him and little anchoring his future, he enlisted in the united states marine corps. at first, it was a way to escape himself and all his lingering bad thoughts but before long, it had become something else entirely. the structure, discipline, and shared sense of purpose that had defined his father's life soon became his own as well. since the first time since leaving the nfl, his value wasn't measured in stats or numbers of jerseys sold, but by reliability, resilience, and the willingness to put others before you. every promotion was earned. every hardship he barreled through proved that he was deserving.

after six years in service, gage had built a life he had never imagined for himself. what was initially just an escape from the collapse football had caused became something much greater. the marines gave him something football could never. an identity that didn't depend on being better than someone else. he wasn't busy trying to become the next map, he was just trying to become the best man and marine he could possibly be. yet as fulfilling as that proved to be, it came at the expense of nearly everything in his personal life. his childhood friends had settled into their careers, gotten married, and began starting their families while gage was constantly leaving pieces of his life behind with every deployment. fresh relationships never survived the distance, the lack of consistent communication. gage had stopped believing that there was a such thing as the right time when live continued moving while he was committed to a profession that asked everything of him without warning.

during a period of leave he crossed paths with the woman who had drifted in and out of his life since high school. they spent years finding each other only to lose each other again, never because the care wasn't there, but because the timing rarely was. one night turned into several and sharing old stories lead them into creating new memories. and without expecting it, they slipped back into another's lives as though time never passed them by. he loved her deeply, even if a part of him questioned if what they shared was the one in a lifetime, all consuming love people made art about. a bigger part of him wondered with ether that even mattered at this point and that love wasn't meant to be overwhelming but instead stable. following a particularly dangerous deployment, the possibility of dying became more apparent than ever before. faced with the fragility of his life, gage proposed. in the military he learned that waiting for the perfect moment often meant never getting one at all. they married shortly after, accepting the maddening pace that military life often forced people to live. they wouldn't admit it out loud but they both carried private doubts they hid beneath genuine affection and mutual love and appreciation for each other. he grew used to believing there would never be enough time to search for the one who felt unquestionably right. despite that, they had begun to build a marriage built on loyalty, friendship, and the decision to choose each other every day.

POST OUTBREAK ///

through every stage in his life there has been one constant: adonis russell. regardless of the different paths their football careers took, the two tried to maintain their friendship with a tradition they started shortly before gage left for his first deployment.once each year, regardless of everything, they disappeared together for at least two weeks. no phones. no responsibilities. just them and their 26 years of friendship. every trip was only optional if they had attended the year before. after adonis was only able to briefly attend gage's intimate wedding, they agreed to make up for lost time the following spring by hiking cali's john muir trail from beginning to end: one of gage's lifelong goals.

their trip began the same day that reports surfaced of strange illness overseas. disconnected from everything, and most important the military rumor mill gage was accustomed to relying on, the two remained blissfully aware of how the world was changing. they took their time hiking 211 miles over 21 days. by the time they reentered society the country they knew was unrecognizable, but something almost similar to what gage had seen while deployed. highways were clogged beneath miles of abandoned vehicles, smoke filled the skyline in the distance from all directions and infected had begun overrunning entire communities. while adonis struggled to process everything around them, gage slipped into the mindset the marine corps had spent six years drilling into him. his fear could wait. there was shit he needed to do. his first thought, however, wasn't himself or even the outbreak itself, but rather his wife. adonis and gage rushed back to his la home only to find it ransacked with furniture turned over, belongings scattered everywhere, and every firearm he'd stored upstairs gone. even though he had a sinking feeling in his chest, he found it comforting because he insisted on teaching his wife how to shoot years earlier, back when they were just friends and he was someone concerned for her safety as a woman in todays world. in the basement os his home gage unlocked the reinforced room hidden behind what everyone jokingly called his man cave, but what really held items collected throughout his military career (and also his ps5 and retro consoles). before leaving he checked the detached garage and found his truck exactly where he'd left it and tucked beneath the windshield wiper was a handwritten note from his wife: headed northwest with our families. remember our call. be safe. and for the first time since leaving the mountains, gage smiled because she had remembered and he knew that if any civilian had a chance at making it. she'd be one of them. with the truck loaded, adonis and gage headed northwest in search of their families.

the weeks that followed tested every lesson gage had learned throughout his life. blocked highways forced them onto dangerous backroads and supplies became increasingly scarce. not to mention strangers often proved more dangerous than the infected at times and every bullet fired just became one they might've desperately needed tomorrow. whenever they had time and felt safe enough to pause, gage taught adonis everything he knew about guns, and surviving in a world where there were no rules anymore.. where adonis saw defeat, gage saw problems that he had the tools to solve. and eventually the two established themselves inside an abandoned ranch home in a quiet culdesac. they clear the surrounding neighborhood almost daily and have slowly turned it into something that resembled a safe landing. although they remain cautious of outsiders they try to extend a helping hand when able, often offering passing survivors a meal and a safe place to sleep but most importantly directions come morning (as they do not want any permanent people to be responsible for before they find their own) before continuing their own search in the surrounding areas. even though every ourpose he thought he had ever found came to an eventual end, what lasted was far more important, it was his unwavering ability to find something worth fighting for. his resilience despite it all.

looking for :

former military connections / friends & acquaintances from los angeles of varying degrees (old classmates, neighbors, etc) / people who recognize him from his failed nfl career /

people he (and adonis) have bumped into on their journey post outbreak since they are not members of either community

[happy-xy]

Jacob Elordi The Dog Stars (2026) dir. Ridley Scott