{"sf1_id":183169,"sf2_id":null,"title":"The Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse, Group 5, Scene 5b","author":"comidacomida","words":2930,"posted_at":"2010-10-03T22:41:00.000Z","tags":["Gore","Horror","Monkey","Violence (Not In Yiff)","Wolf","apoc-fur-lypse","zombies"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/183169-the-zombie-apoc-fur-lypse-group-5-scene-5b","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/183169","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=183169\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"The Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse\n\nGroup 5, Scene 5b\n\ncopyright 2010 comidacomida\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Just two of us left...\" Ty said quietly, following Cadence.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Soon to be one less if you continue talking needlessly. They ARE capable of hearing, as you\n\nwell know.\" the macaque pointed out.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Trying to establish a dialogue isn't 'needless', Caden-- Dr VanHousen.\" Ty explained.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"It isn't worth the risk at a time like this.\" she countered.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy remained quiet for several seconds before adding, \"You've never had many friends, have you?\"\n\nthe comment came out in an blatant judgemental tone.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe monkey stopped and turned to regard Ty for a moment, \"Including you: zero.\" she turned, and\n\ncontinued walking.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy huffed at that, and jogged to catch up to the shuffling monkey, \"Dr VanHousen, Aldo said you\n\nwere one of those work-absorbed recluses, but I don't care how busy someone is-- you can't get\n\nthrough life without some kind of interpersonal connection... that's no way to live.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCadence stopped once again, though not as abruptly. Instead of turning to regard him, she\n\nturned further away, \"Some people find value in their life by finding those who complete them...\n\nothers find value in life by finding something... a cause... a project... an idea. The former\n\nusually don't have the energy to seek what the latter is trying to find, and the latter can't\n\nspare the time to seek out what the former is after.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"That's shite, and you know it.\" Ty countered, taking a step closer, \"Even with all the insanity\n\ngoing on right now: zombies roaming the street... people dying... everything going to hell...\n\nme getting stuck with the most impossible monkey in the world... at least I took a chance to get\n\nto know the people I was trying to help.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"And that did how much good, exactly?\" Cadence questioned, turning to regard him.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy opened his muzzle to respond, but the sheer bluntness of the inquiry struck him dumb. He\n\ntried to get his mouth to work, but the pure implication of the disconnection the monkey made\n\nwith the emotional significance of camaraderie left him speechless.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"About now you're probably thinking I'm a monster.\" she spoke.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Between this, and using a motorcycle like a meat tenderizer, that's a fair bet.\" Ty answered,\n\nthe humor of his response completely lost to him in the honesty with which he spoke it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Perhaps that's because I am.\" she said, turning, and continuing to shuffle down the street.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy stood where he was for several seconds, mind trying to fathom just what the monkey was\n\ngetting at. In the end, he jogged back to walk beside her, \"What are you getting at?\" he\n\nquestioned.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"A monster: any animal or person grotesquely deviating from a standard shape, behavior, or\n\ncharacter.\" she explained, \"Wouldn't you say that's a fine description of me?\" she stopped\n\nagain, turning to regard Ty. He froze in place when he saw that she had a lazy eye; he'd never\n\nnoticed it before... and, for some reason, it caused him to shirk away, making him far more\n\nsqueamish than he knew it should have.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I figured that was by choice.\" he noted hesitantly.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCadence chuckled, coughing as she did so. She pulled a small pocket watch out of her lab coat\n\nand flipped it open, \"Hmmm... we're running out of time.\" she noted, quite obviously changing\n\nthe subject.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What are you trying to hide?\" Ty asked.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"There is no 'trying' about it, my boy. The correct question is 'What are you hiding, Dr\n\nVanHousen?'.\" she didn't bother looking at him as she spoke, continuing her shuffling down the\n\nstreet.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy grit his teeth, \"What are you hiding, Dr VanHousen?\" he parroted the question.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Do you know how the brain works, Tyler?\" she asked, again evading it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Yes, Dr Vanhousen.\" he responded flatly, \"I do.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"How well do you know how the brain works?\" she inquired.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well enough to be a nurse... but, I'm sure you'd say, not well enough to be a doctor.\" he\n\nanswered, quickly adding, \"Probably better than a doctor of physics, though.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCadence laughed hoarsely at the verbal jab, \"And we were getting along so very well until you\n\nassumed what I do or do not know.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"If we're getting along so well I'd hate to see what you'd consider fighting.\" the wolf snorted.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Despite your opinion of me, young man, I am far more knowledgeable than you might suspect.\" she\n\nattested.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"So biology is a past time for you, is that it?\" he questioned.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Something like that.\" she explained, \"Perhaps you don't understand just how much physics plays\n\na part in biology.\" she continued walking.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Apparently not... I figured they were different schools of science for a reason.\" he answered\n\ncaustically.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Well, thankfully we are almost at our destination,\" she spoke up, \"So you may be getting some\n\nanswers far sooner than you would like.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I wanted answers three days ago.\" the wolf countered.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Perhaps you wanted some answers... but not the ones you're likely to find here.\" and she turned\n\ndown a side street. Ty followed her, gazing down the boulevard to a large corporate building at\n\nthe very end of the road. A large sign posted on the walkway leading up to the double doors\n\nglowed with fierce blue neon, proudly proclaiming the structure AZURE DYNAMICS.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"What's the plan?\" he asked, a half-step behind Cadence. She continued walking straight for the\n\nbuilding.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We go in the front doors.\" she explained, reaching into her lab coat to pull out a key card on\n\na chain.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Won't that attract some attention?\" Ty questioned.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Probably.\" she responded, \"but if there's anyone left alive inside, getting their attention\n\nwon't be all that bad of a thing.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"If this place is as top secret as you say it is, what makes you so sure they'll be happy to see\n\nus, especially with everything that's going on?\" he asked.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I work for them... remember? They'll be VERY glad to see me.\" she pointed out.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Oh... right.\" Ty paused, \"and what about me?\" he asked.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Probably not so much.\" she acknowledged with a shrug, then added, \"but I'll tell them you're\n\nwith me.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy shook his head, \"That really doesn't sound so great to me... what about one of those side\n\nwindows? We could force one. Or even the fire escape... if we work together we could get up\n\none and--\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"The front door, Ty. You said you wanted to come along, and I told you that if you did you\n\nwould have to listen to me... so start lis--\" Cadence stopped suddenly and grabbed hold of Ty\n\nby his shirt, hauling him into an alley, \"Be quiet, or you're going to die-- there are several\n\ncoming.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Several wha--?\" Ty didn't get a chance to ask the question, as his ears perked up, recognizing\n\nthe tell-tale rasping-moan of the zombies. He went silent, pressing himself as far up against\n\nthe building as he could. Cadence quickly slid around him to stand between him and the zombies,\n\nwho slowed as they passed in front of the alley's opening.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy inched his way back down the alley, moving slowly so that he wouldn't make a noise. The\n\nzombies turned to regard them, sniffing and huffing hesitantly. One was a mongoose, another a\n\njaguar, and the third an antelope, an impala, or a deer of some kind. Cadence moved slowly\n\ntoward them, \"Well... aren't you quite the set.\" she said, standing with her arms at her side.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe three took turns moaning, hissing, and or snorting. Ty silently slid his paw into his bag,\n\nsearching around for anything usable as a weapon... but his every action stopped as he watched\n\nthe zombies turn, and begin walking off down the street. Cadence turned back to regard Ty, \"Do\n\nnot do anything.\" she stated, \"Stay right there.\" Ty was unable to even start a protest as the\n\nmonkey turned, and walked down the street after the three zombies.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nHis heart beating a mile a minute, the wolf glanced all around the alley, then down at his paw,\n\nwhich was still in his bag. His fingers closed around a pair of medical shears and he let out a\n\nshaky breath. Ty slowly pulled them out of the bag, and twisted them around in his paw,\n\ngripping them as if he were going to use them in a stabbing motion. Swallowing his fear, the\n\nwolf inched closer and closer to the alley's opening. He took an involuntary step back,\n\nstriking out with the scissors in an overhanded stab... but a cold, dead paw caught his wrist in\n\nan iron-fast grip.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I thought I told you to stay put.\" Cadence stated with a hint of ire in her voice. She let go\n\nof Ty's arm with her right hand, but he barely even noticed her words.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You...\" he gasped, quickly pulling his paw back and rubbing his wrist, \"is... what...\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Consider your words before speaking, Tyler... this is continuing to be a problem with you,\n\nisn't it?\" she stated rhetorically, and she turned, continuing down the street. Ty watched her\n\ngo, noticing that her left arm was covered in blood up to the elbow. He glanced back down the\n\nstreet and saw three zombie corpses laying flat, holes in the backs of their heads.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nThe wolf moved spryly after the monkey, drawing close to her and then, before she could react,\n\nhe reached out and held his paw against her neck. \"Where's your pulse?\" he questioned as she\n\npulled away, \"That's where your carotid is... where in the hell is your pulse?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"At first I thought you were ill-mannered... but now, invading my personal space, I can tell you\n\nare downright rude.\" the monkey responded.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Cadence... I'm not going ano--\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"We've already been over this, Tyler... you're going to continue following me, because 'not\n\ngoing anywhere' means staying right here and, to be honest, my boy, 'here' is the last place you\n\nwant to be.\" she continued walking.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Tell me what the fuck is going on!\" he demanded, his scream echoing off of the buildings in the\n\nstreet. His ears lowered flat against his head as he realized the stupidity of his outburst.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCadence slowly turned around to face him, \"Apologize... right now... or I let them get you.\" she\n\nstated, her leveled gaze boring into him with a fierceness that brooked no disobedience. There\n\nwas little doubt that she would do just as she said.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Tell me what's going on... please.\" Ty murmured, fighting to keep a faint whine from his voice,\n\n\"Are... are you dead?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"If I was dead, I wouldn't be moving around, now would I?\" she questioned.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"You're a zombie?\" he pressed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"That doesn't sound like an apology.\" she stated, and turned, continuing her walk.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Cadence... please... wait...\" he moved after her.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Dr VanHousen.\" she spoke, not bothering to turn around.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Dr VanHousen... listen... I'm... I'm sorry... listen... wait... please?\" the wolf continued in\n\nher wake.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"The brain works with a combination of two components: chemical and electrical.\" she said, not\n\nslowing, but making no move to escape Ty.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Right.\" Ty acknowledged, \"Brains are wired to receive a combi--\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Don't talk... just listen.\" she interrupted, \"It requires both to operate normally, but each\n\nworks in a different capacity and quantity depending on the type of brain function required.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Motor functions are gener--\" the wolf started, but was again spoken over.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Some brain functions require less electricity and more chemical, like cognitive thought and\n\nsentience, while others require more electricity and less chemical like motor function and basic\n\nresponse to stimuli.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"But what does that have to--?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I'm getting to it... if you would muffle your jowls for a moment, foolish boy.\" she hissed.\n\nTy silenced himself.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"At its base level, the body is made up of biological chemicals... they are present in different\n\namounts. Some are made by the body and some have to be absorbed. They are combined to create\n\nthe different compounds that make up a living being. Things like oxygen are inhaled...\" she\n\ntook a short, shaky breath before exhaling, \"and some are metabolized when we eat or drink.\"\n\nShe paused when Ty opened his muzzle; he obediently shut it.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Have you noticed that the 'walking dead' rasp?\" she inquired. Ty nodded his head, \"Did you\n\never stop to think that if they were truly dead that they wouldn't bother breathing?\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"I--\" the wolf paused.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Of course you didn't.\" she answered, \"Now...\" she thrust her hand at him, baring her wrist\n\n\"Feel this.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nTy hesitantly reached out and placed two fingers on her wrist. He watched her unreadable\n\nexpression, looking down where his fingers lay against the cold, unresponsive skin. \"No\n\npulse...\" he murmured quietly.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"No pulse.\" she confirmed.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Then... how does the oxygen circulate through your body?\" he asked quietly.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Very poorly.\" she answered, \"When the brain's higher sentience isn't functioning, it is able to\n\nmake due with less oxygen... but problems arise when someone is in that state and they're still\n\nsomething other than a mindless sack of mobile flesh.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"But... that means you're suffocating.\" he responded.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"Slowly.\" she confirmed, \"The blood still oxygenates through absorption in the lungs and muscle\n\ncontractions force blood to flow even without the heart beating, but it's hardly effective. It\n\nwon't make a difference once brain death starts to set in though... who I am will turn off and\n\nmy body will be able to function so much more efficiently.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"So... you'll become one of them...\" Ty murmured.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nCadence nodded.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\"because you're suffocating.\" Ty said after a pause.\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nA broad, almost masochistic grin spread across Cadence's thin lips, \"I told you I was short on\n\ntime.\"\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003cEND SCENE\\\u003e\n\n\u0026nbsp;\n\nIt's that time again, Apoc-Fur-Lypse fans!\u0026nbsp; Group 5 has been whittled down to a mere two characters and they are putting it all on the line to get into Azure Dynamics, the apparent epicenter of this event. Will they make it?\u0026nbsp; Let's find out:\u0026nbsp; Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the breakdown of the action for this scene.\n\n\u0026nbsp; Does the group encounter any zombie issues during their trip?  \nLuck roll to avoid attracting attention.\u0026nbsp; Average must be 12 or higher.  \nCadence\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;9 + trait of 7 = 16  \nTy\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;6 + trait of 4 = 10  \nGroup averages 13.\u0026nbsp; SUCCESS.  \nThe group is not attacked.  \n  \nWhat information can Ty get out of Cadence?  \nTy rolls Influence against Cadence's roll of Tenacity.  \nCadence\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;6 + trait of 6 = 12  \nTy\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;7 + trait of 2 =\u0026nbsp; 9  \nTy gets nothing out of Cadence.  \n  \nWill Cadence reveal any information on her own?  \nTenacity (10) to avoid speaking on the subject.  \nCadence\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; 1 + trait of 6 = 7 FAILURE  \nCadence reveals a little more to Ty about Azure Dynamics.  \n  \nAs they draw closer to Azure Dynamics, do they encounter zombies?  \nZombies appear on a roll of 5 or less.  \nRoll is 7.  \nNo zombies... yet.  \n  \nDid anyone bother turning the radio off?  \nAwareness (10) to remember that the radio is STILL ON.  \nCadence\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;2 + trait of 4 =\u0026nbsp; 6 FAILURE  \nTy\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;9 + trait of 7 = 16 SUCCESS  \nTy turned the radio off.  \n  \nCan anyone figure out a safe way into Azure Dynamics?  \nAwareness or Ingenuity (16).\u0026nbsp; Cadence gets +3 because she's familiar with the place.  \nCadence\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;3 + trait of 9 = 12+3 FAILURE  \nTy\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;4 + trait of 7 = 11 FAILURE  \nThey are going to have to take a direct route.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Determine the group's next unofficial leader.  \nInfluence roll, highest wins.  \nCadence\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;5 + trait of 5 = 10  \nTy\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;3 + trait of 2 =\u0026nbsp; 5  \nCadence has control of the group.  \n  \nDue to the heightened threat of this chosen path, both survivors lose TWO Plot Points for successfully surviving without a Harrowing Event taking place.\u0026nbsp; Things are about to get a LOT more interesting-- prepare for the climax because it isn't far off.  \n  \nWith only two characters left, no plot points may be given.\u0026nbsp; They'll have to be able to make due on their own.\u0026nbsp; It's scary to think that one more Harrowing Event might mean the end of this Group... if it even takes THAT much.  \n  \nSince Cadence is the 'leader', Ty has no choice but to follow her directions, unless he would like to spend a Plot Point to suggest an alternative.\u0026nbsp; If Ty does not use a Plot Point, then Cadence is going to walk straight through the front doors with him in tow.\u0026nbsp; Using a Plot Point lets Ty's contributing reader dictate just what the group does.  \n  \nPlot Point Opportuntity:  \nAs noted above, Ty may spend a Plot Point to choose a different method of entry.  \nTy may also spend a Plot Point to GUARANTEE that Cadence divulges more information next chapter.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Group 5 is hanging on by a thread, but at least they've reached what is apparently 'ground zero'. Now the important question is: how long can they survive?\u0026nbsp; Can they complete the task that Cadence has set before them?\u0026nbsp; Will they live to see another day?\u0026nbsp; Only time will tell.  \n  \n\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/191561-the-zombie-apoc-fur-lypse-group-4-concludes.json"}