A l4d story of two parts, here is the first. Originally a joint project between me an Pheno, he gave up on it so I stole it. Set in the Parish campaign, before the Shit hits the fan... hope it serves its purpose. The Rhesus factor element of it will come into play in the second half, so don't worry :-P
The rhesus factor / Quarantine
Disclaimer; I don't own L4D
"Stay in your designated groups once assigned, deadly force has been authorised!"
As if the sign posts didn't emphasis the point enough, soldiers hollered the command at them every twenty steps. Lilly glanced back behind her, the line of ragged refugees snaked back through Jackson square, down towards the waterfront where the ferries were still depositing more.
Each had a harrowing tale, each was a survivor, to make it this far, a week after society went to hell… A week after CEDA abandoned them.
CEDA… what a joke… 'steps are being taken to "minimize the risk of further spread in animal populations", "reduce the risk of human infections", and "further support pandemic planning and preparedness,' the news reporter in Savannah had said.
Green Flu, it was called, another global pandemic, just get your vaccine, wear face masks out doors and wash your hands , buildings with infected individuals were quarantined. CEDA thought that if they hid the problem from public view it would all disappear. The "Flu" spread southwards from the Mid-west.
Atlanta was the first major report, followed by Fairport and Newburg, people began to panic as quarantine failed. CEDA started evacs, from airports, malls, schools, train stations… anything accessible for those at risk. The infection only spread further.
International relations failed while the airports remained open, the border with Mexico was closed to stop the influx of American immigrants. The government cowered behind their precious CEDA and protocols, the EU began to worry and ceased trade with the US. Overseas evacuations ceased… The US was alone.
Airports closed, Evac centres were overrun, people turned on one another, rioting, looting, all civilisation in infected areas collapsed in on itself. Marshall law was declared, as was war against the infection.
The Army raised its middle finger to the flu, and tried to reinforce public confidence in their government. The death toll soared, everyone knew of the bombing of Newberg, and the deaths caused. The policy of 'Lock and Load' was curing the infection, one bullet at a time.
Miami went, horror stories told of the slaughter among the marinas. New Orleans became the centre of resistance against the Infection, refugees and survivors from all over the country flocked to the Big Easy.
CEDA disappeared, abandoning the task it was appointed to. CEDA had failed them, now the military was cleaning up CEDA's mess. That included dealing with the refugees and their evac centres. The mainland was lost, everyone knew it… The news reporters all said the same crap, "Remain calm, get to the nearest evacuation centre."
The government had already abandoned the mainland. A flotilla of naval and commercial vessels were anchored in the gulf of Mexico, evac choppers from New Orleans would take any refugees off shore and to the flotilla.
Lilly clenched her brothers hand tightly as they stood in the line, intimidating men in gasmasks and hazmat suits made their way down the line, the hazmat's carrying checklists and small medical kits. Lilly glanced at William, her brother, he was only ten and had been through so much… seen so much.
Mom and Dad had gotten them out of Ducatel before it all went to hell, all the kids were sent out of Ducatel before the gas shortages and the attacks. She ruffled his hair and he frowned, he hated when she treated him as a baby.
"Could you please face me m'am," came a muffled Alabaman accent from behind Lilly, the soldiers and their scientist had made it down the line quickly.
"Stay still and you'll be fine," the soldier continued, his face obscured behind his gas mask. Lilly did as she was instructed, glancing quickly at the gun slung over the man's shoulder.
The Hazmat scientist, a CEDA logo hastily scratched off the arm of the suit approached Lilly with a small flashlight. He shined it in Lilly's eyes quickly.
"Have you encountered any infected individuals?" He enquired while continuing his check.
"No…none," Lilly replied.
The man finished and scribbled something on his checklist before pulling a small white wristband out from his hip satchel and handed it to her.
"Put this on please m'am and enter the group you have now been assigned to," he stated gesturing toward the wristband. She smiled and slipped it on.
"Son could you please face me," the scientist asked William. The boy cowered behind his older sister.
"M'am, could you please step back," the soldier demanded, shoving her aside and grabbing William by the arm. He squealed and lashed out at the soldier trying to break the vice like grip.
"Hold him still!" The scientist yelled, causing refugees to exchange worried glances at the scuffle.
"He's not infected, he's fine," Lilly pleaded.
The scientist managed to shine the flashlight in William's eyes before the soldier dropped him.
"Should keep your dog on a tighter leash," growled the soldier. William cowered behind Lilly, tears flowing.
"Get it checked out," barked the other soldier at the scientist. The scientist consulted his chart before slowly looking up. He sighed and pulled a red wristband out of his satchel and handed it to Lilly.
"Give him that… we'll make sure you both get what's needed," he said with a weak smile, before moving down the line.
What did red mean? Was that good or bad? William didn't encounter any infected, did he? What happened with mom and dad before they got on the ferry?
"M'am! Step out of the line!" Ordered another soldier. Before she could comply he grabbed her and pushed her out of the line, towards a smaller group of people.
"Sis!" Wailed William, as the swell of bodies pushed him away from her.
"William… Oh god," she made a break from the line she was in before being pushed back in by a soldier.
"You got a death wish, deadly force is authorised! If you do that again, you will be shot," He warned.
William was being carried away out of sight. She could do nothing only watch, as she too was pushed forward towards a group of tents.
"Keep moving through, keep moving!"
Orders were continuously barked in their direction, along with the noise of choppers over head and refugees yelling… Lilly felt like screaming.
The refugees were being treated like sheep, herded along by their shepherds, the military. Behind them people in the red armband line hurled abuse at them, curses were thrown along with rocks and pebbles.
Lilly started crying… was she infected, is that why so much hatred was directed towards her.
"Board the first bus you see! Keep moving!"
Buses? Did that mean she was safe… but what of William? She glanced back toward the opposite line in the distance, growing smaller with each step. Was he infected?
She was pushed forward again, and climbed aboard her bus, and took a window seat. The added height of the bus showing more of a spectacle.
Body bags… hundreds of them were laid out on the ground, with men in hazmat suits inspecting them. More body bags were being carried in by soldiers and dumped on the ground before being burned.
The smoke plumes stained the sky like ink, trailing off into the distance. What was happening? Was all this horror necessary?
She pressed her hands against the glass as the bus departed, seeing a face peering out from one of the body bags, a face of pure rage, of animalistic anger… was this what the infection does to people?
The bus left the station, following others of its kind up to the overpass, flanked by military hum-vees, its destination the last evac station off the mainland.
*
William cried, looking around for a familiar face, for Lilly. People pushed against him, knocking him over and hurting him. Shouts and screams echoed around the unruly mob.
"Please remain calm!" Called out a soldier, "Move along in an orderly fashion!"
One of the people lunged at the soldier, "You son of a bitch, you're going to kill us!" The two men grappled before the soldier knocked the man back into the crowd.
"Keep moving or you will be shot!" The soldier bellowed, firing his gun into the air for emphasis.
People screamed and moaned in fear but kept moving as instructed. William was helped to his feet by a middle aged woman, who had tears streaming down her face.
"You poor thing, where's your family?" She enquired, wiping some dirt off his jacket.
"Dead, all dead," He had stopped crying. Lilly was long gone, he had to be strong, and prove he wasn't the baby his family all thought he was.
"Stay with me, I'll make sure you're okay," the woman continued, compassion on her weather beaten face. "You can call me Margaret."
The mob was herded forward into a large trailer, the CEDA logo proudly displayed on its side. About thirty of them were forced into the trailer. Again people began to scream, panic settling in.
"We can't breathe in here," gasped one man, banging on the door. No reply came.
"Oh god…it's a gas chamber!" Screamed another pointing at the ceiling.
"Fucking Nazi's!" People began to beat on the doors and the glass, when the nozzles on the ceilings began to hiss. It was some sort of shower, the liquid cascaded down drenching William's head. Margaret caught his hand.
"Its just a shower, we'll be okay,"
The liquid wasn't water. It tasted bitter, and was thick and oily. People began to cough and splutter, some falling to their knees, the chemicals affecting them. Margaret fell screaming, coughing out blood. She shuddered on the ground, and William turned away from her tearing up again.
Almost half the people in the room collapsed coughing and choking, when the opposite door of the trailer opened, and a team of hazmat's entered, ushering those still standing out.
William felt cold when he stepped out into the sunlight. Scaffolding blocked off most of the car park they had now entered, and William noticed a soldier on top of the scaffolding press a button and gesture towards another on the ground.
The hazmat team were pulling bodies out of the trailer and placing them in body bags, stamped with the CEDA logo.
"Keep moving!" Ushered the soldiers again.
"Screw you fascists! You're just going to kill us anyway!"
"Move along! Deadly force is authorised!"
"Fuck you," protested the man. The soldier shot him twice in the chest.
"Keep moving!"
The group was ushered through the remains of a bus station before being led into a maintenance room below the highway. A sign beside the door proudly proclaimed that they were leaving the safe zone. Groans and moans accompanied the people into the small room.
On the overpass above, William saw a group of buses pass by, from the station probably, all heading toward safety. He envied them, but hoped Lilly was aboard.
Out of a group of thirty, only about thirteen remained, and the soldiers pushed them into the room before closing the door made of steel; they couldn't open it from the inside. Three soldiers were waiting for them in the room, all featureless behind their gasmasks.
"The door behind me leads to a quarantine area. You are all infected, some of you may be carriers, some just dormant for now. You can't harm humanity from here, and no harm can come to you. If you comply. Any resistance will be met with deadly force."
No one moved or said anything, William started to shake, he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket to see that his wound was weeping again. The wound he got when mom attacked him, back in Ducatel. Dad stopped her and pulled her back, but she bit him too… Mr Chapner from across the road had stopped them both and got him to the ferry.
"Sir…I need help," he weakly pleaded with the nearest soldier, showing his wound.
The soldier raised his rifle quickly and clicked the safety off.
"Lord forgive me."
And pulled the trigger.