Exhaustion came much quicker than it used to for people, but especially for Monroe. When he and his sisters had arrived to Fortuna, he didn’t know what to expect. He’d come to have little expectations for the world they lived in now. He didn’t even expect much from himself anymore. Monroe didn’t like to sleep because with sleep came nightmares and his weren’t… well, they weren’t great. He always woke up, the sound of a gunshot still ringing in his ears, shaking. Nightmares. Though Monroe tried to put on a brave face, he was pretty sure no one believed him. This morning had arrived more quickly than he wanted it to and he was sure that exhaustion was written all over his face. But he at least had to be productive today. “Is this seat taken?” he asked, pointing to an empty chair. “I, uh, just need to sit down for a second. We don’t have to talk or anything.”
It was strange for Kiara to be in a safe place after a long time. She was not used to that feeling of security, and it would probably take a while for her to get rid of the terrible nightmares that haunted her even before that madness began. The boy frightened her a little with the approach since she was lost in her own thoughts. “Oh, it’s not. Feel free to sit.”
Although Connor wasn’t exactly “officially” the outpost’s nurse, he still liked to tend to those who were injured. Whether he was just passing by or they had come up to him to ask for help, he’d bring his kit and assessed anyone who needed it and knew that he was previously a nurse. He was just finishing up bandaging a sprained ankle when someone had approached him. “Y-yes? Can I, uh, help you?” he asked, glancing up at them.
“You’re the nurse around here?” she asked, still a little shy to talk to anyone from the outpost. Kiara was told to look for the man after her quarantine ended so he could take better care of her leg injury. It wasn’t that bad, but the bullet hole hadn't healed properly and she didn’t want to take too many risks with it. “They said you could help me with this.” Kiara raised her shorts just above the knee, showing the mark of the wound to the man.
It was bad enough that things were a little bit sus with the mayor’s… pep talk. Didn’t anyone ever tell him that the more you say not to worry the more people did? Regardless, Ryn didn’t wait around to see what was going to happen next. Since this was going to be her home for the foreseeable future, it was probably a good idea to get a lay of the land. First thing first though; approaching the closest person to her. Ryn tapped them lightly on the shoulder, they looked like they knew their way around… hopefully. “ Sorry to bother you but where do I get something to eat around here?”
All these whispers during the mayor's speech made Kiara quite worried. The hairs on the back of her neck were chilled when she heard one of those rumors, and her eyes widened at the words used by the person next to her. Impervious to bullets... That alone was enough to make the woman worried. It hadn’t even been a week since she'd been accepted into that group, and Kiara had to be careful with one more of those... Monsters? She was so lost in her thoughts, recalling the meeting with an infected exactly as they were talking about, that barely felt the touch on her shoulder. “Actually, I've been asking that same question out there. But everyone is worried about this rumor lately.” Kiara pulled herself together, straightening her posture and facing the person behind her.
1 “Hello. Your 48 hour mandatory quarantine is now over. Before letting you into the populace I need you to answer a few questions. Please state your full name, date of birth?”
I’m Officer Kiara Rose Addams. Birthdate is September, the Twenty-Three, 1991.
2 “Thank you. In the last 48 hours have you experienced Infected like symptoms?”
A man shot me in the leg a few weeks ago, but the wound was treated so there’s nothing to worry about.
3 “Are there any ailments, disabilities, mental illnesses, or medical conditions that we should be made aware of?”
I usually suffer from terrible, vivid nightmares. It all started one year before the first breakout, but it only got worse these past years.
4 “Can you give us a little background on yourself. Your family life, work ethic. What kind of person are you?”
My family was... a bit strange. I’m the middle kid of five, and my parents never cared much about us. My maternal grandmother was the one who took care of me and my siblings, and we all loved her very much. My two older brothers weren’t good people. They started messing around with street gangs, using drugs and all these stuff. One got killed, while the other was in prison by the time of the first breakout. The other two, a boy and a girl, were quite fine. I don’t know what happened to them after the breakout.
I used to be a cop before all of this. It was a good job, I really liked it. I’m also the one who got my brother in jail after I found out he was part of a drug cartel on our city. The paychecks helped me give a good life to my grandmother, and also give some allowance to my younger siblings. When everything happened I was on patrol, and when I came home my grandma was already infected. It broke my heart seeing her like that, and I had to take care of it before she suffered more.
5 “Can you list three skills that you are proficient in?”
Because of my job, I needed to know how to use a gun, meaning I’m really good at it now. I can cook simple meals too. I’m also pretty fast and flexible.
6 “Excellent. Now, three skills that you are not proficient in.”
Don’t let me near cars, ok? I can’t drive, my license was taken eight years ago and even my co-workers never let me touch the steering wheel of anything. Swimming is a big no for me too, and I don’t know how to take care of a garden. All of the plants seem to die if I touch them.
7 “Alright, and last question. If you had to, would you be able to kill someone you knew if they became infected?”
As I said before, my grandmother was infected when I got home the day it all started. I had to kill her, even if I loved her deeply. Does this answer your question?
