Outbreak Day 1 : The Silent Outbreak

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<<set $car to false>> There was no way I would leave my car here, so I waited. I turned off the radio and drove every inch I could in this traffic. I thought that we would eventually return to normal. But after an hour, we moved about 1km. People started to leave their cars. I opened the radio to get a new traffic status, but all I could get was static. I did not feel well. I skipped through all the AM and FM stations without any audible signal. There was no way I was getting home in car and the situation outside started to get worst. It was cold, people were panicking and I was left there all alone. I tried <div class="choices"> <<link [[Reaching Home another way|FindHome]]>><<set $time to $time + 90>><</link>> <<link [[Find shelter for the night|Shelter]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> </div>

I headed to the police station to turn myself in. When I arrived, the police station was literally under siege. Thousands of people gathered in front. Some were screaming they were attacked, others wanted to report robberies. There was an officer outside telling everyone to calm down and head home. I approached an officer and captured his attention. <<if $status eq "Light Wound">> He immediately saw the blood on me. "<<g "Sir" "Ma'am">>, if you have been attacked or bitten, go to the hospital right away. We have a lot of work to do here so move along." He left as I was about to speak. I left and looked at my options. I had to fix my wound. I could probably find what I needed at the pharmacy or go to the hospital like the officer recommended. <div class="choices"> <<link [[At the Pharmacy|Pharmacy]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> <<link [[Go to the Hospital|Hospital]]>><<set $time to $time + 300>><</link>> </div> <<else>> <<set $gun to "none">> <<set $ammo to 0>> <<set $clip to 0>> "Please move along <<g "Sir" "Ma'am">>" said the officer. "I shot <<print $copkilled>> cop<<if $copkilled > 1>>s<</if>> but it was self defense." I said in a hurry. The officer stopped and looked at me. "Listen, today I saw shit I can't even talk about. People are going crazy. We have a situation here and we are holding more people than we can. We can't get you in for now. You seem of good will, so here's what we'll do. Hand me your ID, the weapon of the crime if you have it and tell me where I could find the bod<<if $copkilled < 2>>y<<else>>ies<</if>>" I gave him the gun, my ID and told him about the alley. "Ok, come back tomorrow when this situation here will be resolved. A failure to do so will earn you an arrest warrant and a lot more problems young <<g "man" "woman">>. Come tomorrow!" I left and looked at my options. I could find a shelter in town so I could resolve this situation with the police. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Find a Shelter in town|Shelter]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> </div> <</if>>

I took out the <<print $gun>> and looked at the girl next to me. She was still frozen by fear. "What's your name?" I asked. She looked at me as if she wanted to talk but couldn't. "M..M..Melrose" she finally said. "Melrose, I don't know what those things are, but in my book they are Zombies. If we stay there we are dead. There are only 5 of them blocking the door. I'm going to try to shoot them so we can get out" She nodded silently. <<if $ammo < 5>> I felt it was safer to stay inside to shoot them dead so I aimed carefully at their head, hoping that horror movies were right. As I took the first shot, one zombie fell like a puppet as the front door shattered. The other four zombies got inside the shop through the opening that I just made. I shot all my ammo but I couldn't get them all. There was still <<print 5-$ammo>> left. <<set $ammo to 0>> "Let's go!" I screamed as I hopped over a table toward the exit. As I stepped outside, I turned back to see Melrose still inside, frozen in fear. One of the Zombie reached her and I could only hear her scream. On the other side of the street, the door to the Hostel opened up and a man stepped outside. "Hurry up, come here!" he screamed at me. My instinct made me <div class="choices"> <<link [[go back inside to help Melrose|HelpMelrose]]>><</link>> <<link [[Run inside the hostel|HideHostel]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div><<elseif $ammo >= 5>> <<set $ammo to $ammo - 5>><<set $Melrose to true>> I felt it was safer to stay inside to shoot them dead so I aimed carefully at their head, hoping that horror movies were right. As I took the first shot, one zombie fell like a puppet as the front door shattered. The other four zombies got inside the shop through the opening that I just made. I shot them all dead and they lay on the shop's floor. "Ok I think it's safe" Melrose and I stepped carefully outside. On the other side of the street, the door to the Hostel opened up and a man stepped outside. "Hurry up, come here!" he screamed at us. We both run inside the hostel. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Run inside the hostel|HideHostel]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div> <</if>>

/%a The train is impossible in the tutorial: everyone stays stuck downtown %/ I rushed to the train station, hoping to catch a train out of downtown. The station was shut down. Metal shutters locked, lights off, and a handwritten sign taped on the glass door: "SERVICE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE". No trains were running. Whatever was happening out there, it had already paralyzed the transit system. Like everyone else, I was stuck downtown. I had to find a way to get through the night. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Find shelter for the night|Shelter]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div>

<<set $status to "healthy">> I went to the emergency room. I did not expect it to be that crowded. We could barely walk to the registration counter. I overheard the staff talking about bitten people. "What is the reason for your visit?" interrupted the lifeless voice over the counter. I showed her my wounds and gave my Medical Insurance card. I was lucky to be treated as a serious case. 5 hours later I was out of the hospital. It was now <<include "Convertedtime">>. There was no way I could get home by now. I had to seek shelter for the night. <div class="choices"> <<link [[seek shelter for the night|Shelter]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> <<if visited("PoliceStation") eq 0>> <<link [[Go to the police station|PoliceStation]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>><</if>> </div>

<<set $car to false>> There was no way for me to stay there when things were getting worse. I left my car there and headed toward the closest station I knew on foot, about half an hour from here. The temperature seemed even colder than in the morning and I had a hard time walking toward my destination. Halfway there, I heard a woman screaming from an alley I just crossed. I wasn't sure what to do at the moment so <div class="choices"> <<link [[I went to see|TheAlley]]>><</link>> <<link [[I continued walking|Train Home]]>><</link>> </div>

<<if $sneak eq false>><<set $dice to either(1,2,3,4,5,6)>><<elseif $sneak eq true>><<set $dice to either(3,4,5,6,7,8)>> <</if>><<if $dice < 3>><<set $deathByLuck to true>><<include "Rose my hands">><<elseif $dice >=3 and $dice <=5>><<set $gun to "pistol">><<set $clip to 6>><<set $ammo to 5>><<set $status to "Light Wound">><<set $copkilled to $copkilled + 1>> As I leapt toward him I heard a gunshot. I got to him before he could shoot a second time. I pushed him a little and he tripped on the pants that were still at his ankles. I grabbed his gun as he fell. The second cop rose up and reached for his gun. The girl took her chance and ran away. I shot at him as a reflex for survival and got him in the left eye. He fell to the ground like a puppet who gets his strings cut. That's when the pain kicked in. My side was burning, I looked down at my hip and it was full of blood. The adrenaline kept my body from feeling the pain while I fought for my life. It took all my strength to stay up. I heard the other cop calling for help on the radio. He begged for a response while staring at his dead friend. But there was no answer from his dispatch. I felt angry at him... angry that he shot me, angry at the tings they were going to do to that woman. I decided there was nothing else for me to do than <div class="choices"> <<link [[Kill the cop|KillCop]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> <<link [[Leave him to his misery and get out of there|LeaveCop]]>><</link>> </div> <<elseif $dice > 5>> <<set $gun to "pistol">> <<set $clip to 6>> <<set $ammo to 5>> <<set $copkilled to $copkilled + 1>> I got to him before he could shoot. I pushed him a little and he tripped on the pants that were still at his ankles. I grabbed his gun as he fell. The second cop rose up and reached for his gun. The girl took her chance and ran away. I shot at him as a reflex for survival and got him in the mouth. He fell to the ground like a puppet who gets his strings cut. I heard the other cop calling for help on the radio. He begged for a response while staring at his dead friend. But there was no answer from his dispatch. I felt angry at him...angry at the tings they were going to do to that woman. I decided there was nothing else for me to do than <div class="choices"> <<link [[Kill the cop|KillCop]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> <<link [[Leave him to his misery and get out of there|LeaveCop]]>><</link>> </div> <</if>>

<<set $sneak to false>> I approached the police saying : "Is everything all right here, officers." That is when I realised one of them was taking his pants off. The officer turned around and saw me, he knelt down to get a hold of his gun so I <div class="choices"> <<link [[Ran away|LeaveCop]]>><</link>> [[Rose my hands]] <<link [[Attacked to stop them (Random Success)|AttackCop]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div>

Fortunately, trains use their own roads and can accommodate a lot of passengers. I was able to hop on the front wagon and sit down for the trip home. I wanted to stop thinking about the day. There was nothing more to do than play a bit with my smartphone. The trip took the regular hour to arrive at destination. As soon as I stepped down, I was washed away with a feeling of security by the calmness of the suburbs. It seems less affected by the current telecommunication outages. <<if $homelessdeath eq true>> The feeling did not last long, sadness overwhelmed me by the thought of the homeless guy being shot to death crossing my mind. <</if>> <<if $copkilled > 0>> While I still think they deserve it, I still killed <<print $copkilled>> cop<<if $copkilled > 1>>s<</if>> and knew I would face consequences sooner or later.<</if>> <<if $time <= 1020>> I headed home to find Megan and David waiting for me. She was a little panicked because she could not reach me when the outages started. We calmed down and soon enough we were all eating dinner together and talking about the day. <<if $homelessdeath eq true>>I haven't had the desire to ruin the evening and I kept myself from talking about the horror I saw.<</if>> We planned our evening together, we played some board games and watched a DVD. The services were not back yet as we planned to go to bed. Megan started to stress again. She did not want to spend the following day without being able to reach anyone in case of an emergency. <<set $time to 1230>> I suggested that we go to bed and wait for tomorrow to see what we do. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Go to bed|Day1End-TutorialComplete]]>><</link>> </div> <<elseif $time > 1020>> I headed home to find an empty house. <<if $status eq "Light Wound">><<set $status to "healthy">> My side still hurts even though it stopped bleeding. I went in the pharmacy to get bandages and treat the wound. <</if>> I noticed a note on the kitchen table : "I hope you are ok. You did not come home. I cannot reach anyone. I'm leaving for my mother's place with David. I hope you will come when you get home. Please be okay! I love you! Meg" <<if $car eq true>> Her mother did not live that far. About half an hour from our home. Since I left the car here this morning, I could go get them right away or get some sleep first. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Go get them right away|GoStepMother]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> <<link [[Get some sleep first|Day1End-TutorialComplete]]>><</link>> </div> <<elseif $car eq false>> I wish I could go find them. Her mother house was not far in car, but it would take 3 to 4 hours to get there on foot. I would figure out a way tomorrow. For now I went to sleep to tackle tomorrow well rested. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Sleep|Day1End-TutorialComplete]]>><</link>> </div> <</if>> <</if>>

<<if visited("SneakPolice") eq 1 or visited("HelpPolice") eq 1>> I still had the images of what happened in the Alley.<</if>> <<if visited("Hospital") eq 1>> I thought about all those people at the Hospital.<</if>><<if visited ("PoliceStation") eq 1>>I still can't believe how crowded the police station was. Now that things were calm, I could probably see them tomorrow.<</if>><<if visited ("Calm Down") eq 1>>The sounds of the gunshots still rang in my head and even though I haven't seen the Homeless guy die, my imagination pictured it too well for me to feel comfortable.<</if>>

<<set $policeBadge to true>> I knew a police badge could come in handy. Especially in the current situation, passing as a cop might help me gain access to a way out of town. <<include "CopItems">>

<<if $car eq true>> I was not sure what would be the best option to get home. I decided to take <div class="choices"> <<link [[My Car|Car Home]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> <<if $time <= 930>><<link [[The Train|Train Home]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>><<elseif $time > 930>><<link [[The Train|Train Home]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>><</if>> </div> <<else>> <<if $time <= 930>> <<set $time to $time + 30>><<elseif $time > 930>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</if>> Since I did not have my car to get home, I had no choice but to go get the train. <div class="choices"> <<if $time <= 930>><<link [[go get the train|Train Home]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>><<elseif $time > 930>><<link [[go get the train|Train Home]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> </div> <</if>> <</if>>

I could not leave her there. I jumped back inside the Coffee Shop to help Melrose out. I tripped on one of the bodies in my attempt to save her and fell bluntly to the ground. I did not have the time to get up that the zombie was on me, taking a bite at my shoulder. He kept biting until everything went dark... I'll always remember January 23rd 2014. It was the day I died. <div class="gamenote">Some choices can be fatal. Restart from your last save point (load) or start over from the beginning and make different choices.</div>

$aware = boolean (req for Day 2 beginning. Used in coffeeshop) $Melrose = boolent (req for Day 2 beginning. Has Melrose been met and Alive) $car = boolen $food = int $money = int $time = int (time in minute from 0 to 1440 (720 = Noon)) $gun = "pistol","shotgun","SMG","AR" $clip = int $ammo = int $status = "healthy","Light Wound","wounded","heavywounds","dead" $homelessdeath = boolean $copkilled = int $sneak = boolean (used for combat) $policeRadio = boolean $policeBadge = boolean $lastpassage = string (name of last passage for save function)

I had no idea what to do but it was getting late and colder. I did not have many friends, and I did not knew where they lived anyway. In my search for a spot, I entered a 24h coffee shop to spend the night and noticed a Vacancy sign on a youth hostel across the street. I stayed in one of those and I knew I could get a night for 20$ or so. <<if $money >= 20>> I checked my pocket and found a 20$ bill. I had the choice to: <div class="choices"> [[Stay in the coffee shop]] <<link [[Try the hostel|Hostel]]>><</link>> </div> <<elseif $money < 20>> I checked my pockets but I only had 5$ left from the pharmacy. I had no choice but to stay in the coffee shop. <div class="choices"> [[Stay in the coffee shop]] </div> <</if>>

I kissed my little David and lovely Megan goodbye and headed to the train station by foot. "I'll cook you something nice tonight!" she said before letting me go. I dressed warm that morning, but I still felt the cold chilling to my bones. I arrived at the train station 5 minutes later. There were a few brave people that were waiting for the train in the cold. "I guess your car did not start as well." said one of the men while waving at another. "Why else would I be here?" replied his friend. The train was comfortable as usual. I sat down and played with my phone before going through my social network feed. Many of my friends were stuck in massive traffic jam. I was glad I took the train this morning. I arrived downtown and had to take one final subway to work. It was only two stations away, but it would save me the pain of confronting the cold. With the temperature, there were a lot more homeless people gathered in the subway. I always wished I could do something to help them, but never had the guts to do anything other than sparing some change once in a while. This morning was no different. I got to work just in time to greet the new members and get the training going. Everything was completed by noon. Since training was done, I ate lunch at my desk, as usual. It's around 14:00 that all phone lines went down. We first joked about another Ice Storm disaster but we all went online to find out what was happening. It seemed to affect a lot of people around North America and the bit of information we gathered was that communications systems were failing continuously and progressively. Half an hour later, the Internet went down as well. We joked for a minute on how we broke the Internet with too much traffic. For all I knew, all communication channels just went down. Panic started to rise at the office. The bosses wanted to calm us down and asked us to go back to work. But they were unsuccessful. That's when I decided to <div class="choices"> [[Head Home]] <<link [[Calm down the people at work|Calm down]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div>

<<set $copkilled to $copkilled + 1>><<set $ammo to $ammo - 1>> I've decided to check the cops' bodies for useful items. Of course, I knew that every item I took would be proof against me if I get caught. <<include "CopItems">>

I walked to the counter and asked for a medium coffee. The sight of the donuts made me realise I had not eaten since lunch. I ordered a soup and a donut. Of course, the electronic payments were out of service with the outage that was still going on. <<if $money < 5>> I took out my wallet and got all my money out. I had <<print $money>> $ left. Not enough to cover the meal. The cashier looked at me and I saw a glimpse of pity in her eyes. "I'll take what you got, it's ok if you miss a few coins" <<set $money to 0>> <<elseif $money eq 5>> I plunged my hand in my pocket and got my last 5$ bill that covered the meal and the tip. <<set $money to $money - 5>> <<elseif $money > 5>> I took out my wallet and looked inside. I had <<print $money>> $ left. I gave her 5$ to cover for the meal and the tip. <<set $money to $money - 5>> <</if>> I was grateful to the cashier and headed in a corner near a window to eat. That is when I realise that this neighborhood seemed really quiet. I thought that finally, things were calming down. I remember praying for David and Megan to be safe. Many other thoughts came to my mind as well.<<include "Day1Recap">> I thought I would never sleep, but the fatigue got to me. <div class="choices"> <<link [[I dozed off in my chair|WokenCoffee]]>><<set $time to 90>><</link>> </div>

<<set $time to 1290>> I got my car and headed to my step mother's house. I really hoped to find my family safe and sound there. Life seemed normal in the suburb, no panic, no looting. People were doing their everyday chores even with the current outage. It felt great and I gained confidence that I would find my wife and son soon. I was right. As I arrived at the house, I was greeted with hugs and kisses. We were all hungry so we stayed for dinner. After dinner, Megan and David wanted to go back home. There was not much we could do here anyway while we got plenty of things to entertain us at home. So I drove us back home and planned to go to bed. I feared so much that I would not see them again that I accepted to stay home if the services were not back up on the next morning. We all cuddled in the same bed that night. After the day I had, it felt great. I thought I would never sleep with all the thoughts going through my mind. <<include "Day1Recap">> The fatigue still had the upper hand. <div class="choices"> <<link [[I fell asleep|Day1End-TutorialComplete]]>><</link>> </div>

Outbreak Day 1 : The Silent Outbreak

<<set $homelessdeath to true>> I stood up on a desk in the middle of the office. "Calm down my friends, there's nothing we could do about it for now so let's just chill out, ok?" While it seems my words brought the tension down, it only lasted a minute. My efforts were useless. People were starting rumors on possible terrorist attacks, others thought it was a major coup by Anonymous. Some were happy, others were scared, it started to get out of hand. I headed back to my desk by the window and picked up my stuff. With all the noise, I still heard a gunshot coming from outside. It was not the first time it happened because of all the homeless and drug dealers outside of the office. My curiosity made me check by the window. At the 3rd floor, I had a pretty view of the whole street. People had started looting retail stores around and were now fleeing the street. There was this homeless guy, all dirty lying on the ground and this cop a few meters away. It was either so cold it numbed the pain, or the guy was on strong drugs as he slowly stood up. I saw the cop raising his gun again. I couldn't watch. As I left the window I heard another gunshot, and another, and another. Things were getting out of hand. It was time to leave and head home. <div class="choices"> [[Head Home]] </div>

<img class="chapter-art" src="ch1-opening.webp" alt="Ch1: The Silent Outbreak"> /%a All the variables are first set here. See anotation for explaination%/<<silently>> <<set $car to false>> <<set $food to 0>> <<set $money to 20>> <<set $time to 330>> <<set $gun to "none">> <<set $clip to 0>> <<set $ammo to 0>> <<set $status to "healthy">> <<set $homelessdeath to false>> <<set $copkilled to 0>> <<set $sneak to false>> <<set $policeRadio to false>> <<set $policeBadge to false>> <<set $Melrose to false>> <<set $aware to false>> <<set $deathByLuck to false>> <</silently>> January 23rd 2014. That is the day it all started. I woke up at 5:00, as usual. I went in the shower, as usual... I was getting ready to go to work as usual. I was the team manager of a small team of employees in an ordinary 3rd floor office downtown. This morning I had to train new members of my team and I had to make sure I was there on time. I lived in a quiet suburban area with my wife and son, about an hour north from Downtown Montreal where I work. Montreal is an Island located on the Saint-Laurent river in Quebec. I usually take the train even if it's less practical and take a little more time. I can do my stuff meanwhile and it saves me from the frustration of crossing 2 bridges in traffic. This morning, it was a particularly cold day, -38°C. I felt that I should <div class="choices"> <<link [[Take the train|Train]]>><<set $time to $time + 570>><</link>> <<link [[Take my car|Car]]>><<set $time to $time + 600>><</link>> </div>

<<if $time eq 0>> <<print "00:00">> <<elseif $time eq 30>> <<print "00:30">> <<elseif $time eq 60>> <<print "01:00">> <<elseif $time eq 90>> <<print "01:30">> <<elseif $time eq 120>> <<print "02:00">> <<elseif $time eq 150>> <<print "02:30">> <<elseif $time eq 180>> <<print "03:00">> <<elseif $time eq 210>> <<print "03:30">> <<elseif $time eq 240>> <<print "04:00">> <<elseif $time eq 270>> <<print "04:30">> <<elseif $time eq 300>> <<print "05:00">> <<elseif $time eq 330>> <<print "05:30">> <<elseif $time eq 360>> <<print "06:00">> <<elseif $time eq 390>> <<print "06:30">> <<elseif $time eq 420>> <<print "07:00">> <<elseif $time eq 450>> <<print "07:30">> <<elseif $time eq 480>> <<print "08:00">> <<elseif $time eq 510>> <<print "08:30">> <<elseif $time eq 540>> <<print "09:00">> <<elseif $time eq 570>> <<print "09:30">> <<elseif $time eq 600>> <<print "10:00">> <<elseif $time eq 630>> <<print "10:30">> <<elseif $time eq 660>> <<print "11:00">> <<elseif $time eq 690>> <<print "11:30">> <<elseif $time eq 720>> <<print "12:00">> <<elseif $time eq 750>> <<print "12:30">> <<elseif $time eq 780>> <<print "13:00">> <<elseif $time eq 810>> <<print "13:30">> <<elseif $time eq 840>> <<print "14:00">> <<elseif $time eq 870>> <<print "14:30">> <<elseif $time eq 900>> <<print "15:00">> <<elseif $time eq 930>> <<print "15:30">> <<elseif $time eq 960>> <<print "16:00">> <<elseif $time eq 990>> <<print "16:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1020>> <<print "17:00">> <<elseif $time eq 1050>> <<print "17:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1080>> <<print "18:00">> <<elseif $time eq 1110>> <<print "18:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1140>> <<print "19:00">> <<elseif $time eq 1170>> <<print "19:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1200>> <<print "20:00">> <<elseif $time eq 1230>> <<print "20:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1260>> <<print "21:00">> <<elseif $time eq 1290>> <<print "21:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1320>> <<print "22:00">> <<elseif $time eq 1350>> <<print "22:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1380>> <<print "23:00">> <<elseif $time eq 1410>> <<print "23:30">> <<elseif $time eq 1440>> <<print "00:00">> <</if>>

<<set $car to true>> I could stay a little longer with my wife and son. David and I made a drawing for Megan. David liked to draw, he did all the time. I jammed the key in the ignition, the car started even in the intense cold. I opened the radio to listen to music and I headed downtown. I crossed the first bridge without any resistance but as I got closer to Montreal, the traffic was getting heavier. After a few days of cold temperature, it seems that many people were tired of the public transportation. I regretted my choice at that moment. It took me 3 hours to get to work, I was already late for the training I was giving to the new members of the team and I had yet to find some parking. Fortunately, I managed to call my co-worker to get them to do something while they wait for me. I found parking a few corners from there. Even if I dressed warm this morning, I still could feel the cold as I stepped out of the car. I was finally at work, so I started the training right away. I should have been done by noon, but since I was late, I did not even manage to do half the stuff I needed to do. We still took a break for lunch. At the cafeteria, the TV was on the usual news channel. No one really listens to it except if there is big news or a sports report. As usual, no one listened as the anchorman was commenting a story on a police intervention that went bad a few minutes earlier. A police officer got injured by a priest after breaking down the door of a barricaded church where a few dozen religious men were hiding. We wrap up lunch and went back in class to finish up what should have been done in the morning. We finished everything at 15:00. When we got out of class, the whole floor was in panic. I stopped a co-worker and he explained that the internet, phone lines, and TV signal went down. The bosses kept yelling to calm down and to continue working, but it was not working. That's when I decided to <div class="choices"> [[Head Home]] <<link [[Calm down the people at work|Calm down]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div>

"Where is the back door!" I said in an imperial tone. The girl looked at me as if she could not speak. Then, her eyes got that little spark of life back in them as she grabbed my hand to pull me to the backstore. "What are those things?" She asked as we got to the back door. "They are Zombies in my book, but I'm not sure about that." We stared at each other as we heard the front door windows shatter into pieces. It was time for us to find out what was behind the door. As we opened the door, we found ourselves in the almost pitch black alley behind the coffee shop. We both ran toward the end of the alley where we could see the brightness of the street lights. I felt something grabbing my foot as we were almost out of the alley. I fell to the ground and as I turned to look, I was horrified at the sight of one of those things crawling up my leg to bite it. I realise that the girl kept running and left me behind. <<if $gun eq "none" or $ammo eq 0>> I felt the pain going up my leg as the monster bit me above the ankle. I could not get up and it kept chewing and chewing until I fainted. <p align = "center">The END</p> <div class="gamenote">Some choices can be fatal. Restart from your last save point (load) or start over from the beginning and make different choices.</div> <<elseif $gun neq "none" and $ammo > 0>> <<set $ammo to $ammo - 1>><<set $Melrose to true>> I only had the time to take out the <<print $gun>> and shoot before it bit my ankle. I stood up and ran to the street where I caught up with the Coffee Shop cashier. "Sorry! I panicked" she told me in tears. At that same moment, we heard someone calling us through an open door. "Hurry, come inside!" <div class="choices"> <<link [[We ran toward the open door|HideHostel]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div> <</if>>

/%a let the player pick 2 items before forcing him to leave%/ <<if visitedTags("Items") < 2>> The items I can take are: <div class="choices"> [[Their Money]] [[Their ammunition]] [[The Police Radio]] [[A Police Badge]] </div> <<else>> I heard people coming down the alley. I did not want to get caught red handed so I left the bodies there and ran away. <<include "LeaveCop">> <</if>>

I thought about it for a minute: there was no way I was getting home tonight. The trains weren't running, no cab could get through that chaos, and walking home in that cold would kill me. I had to find shelter and wait for things to calm down. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Find shelter for the night|Shelter]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div>

<<set $sneak to true>> I approached the police silently. The woman's screams seemed desperate. I got a little closer. That is when I realised one of them was taking his pants off. The officer turned around and saw me, he knelt down to get a hold of his gun so I <div class="choices"> <<link [[Ran away|LeaveCop]]>><</link>> [[Rose my hands]] <<link [[Attacked to stop them (Random Success)|AttackCop]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div>

<<set $money to $money - 15>><<set $status to "healthy">> As I stepped into the pharmacy, I noticed there was an awful lot of people. I went straight to the bandages section and got myself what I needed to help fix my wounds. As I stepped closer to the cashier, I finally heard what all that noise was. The cashier kept screaming : "Cash only, if you can't pay cash, leave immediately!" I got my wallet and started looking for cash. I had a 20$ bill. That should cover what I needed. I went directly to the cash register and paid. I went to the bathrooms and applied what I could to make my wound better. At the time, it was my last chance to head home on foot. I could also try to find a shelter for the night or finally go to the police. <div class="choices"> <<link [[try to head home on foot|FindHome]]>><<set $time to $time + 90>><</link>> <<link [[Find a shelter for the night|Shelter]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> <<link [[go to the police|PoliceStation]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> </div>

<img class="chapter-art" src="the-alley.webp" alt="TheAlley"> I went in the alley to check out those screams I heard. By that time it was dark and I couldn't see well. I turned a corner and saw 2 police officers restraining a woman on the ground. One of them held her tightly to the ground while the other stood up. I first thought everything was ok, even though the girl started screaming for help. I <div class="choices"> <<link [[left the alley toward the station|Train Home]]>><</link>> <<link [[Sneaked a little closer|SneakPolice]]>><</link>> <<link [[Approach and offer to help the police|HelpPolice]]>><</link>> </div>

<<set $aware to true>> Someone hit the window beside me. It woke me up instantly. I did not realised it at first but as he continued banging on the window, I felt something strange. I stared at the body standing at the other side of the window. It stood up lifelessly, as if holding himself straight was an impossible task. It kept banging the window with its body. There was no expression on his face. I could only describe it as a Walking Dead. I knew horror movies too well not to consider them as zombies. I looked at the cashier and she seemed horrified. I looked at the direction she was looking and there were 5 of those things pushing the front door. No time to think, it was time to get out. I stood up and grabbed the cashier by the arm. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Leave by the back door|CoffeeBackDoor]]>><</link>> <<if $gun eq "pistol">> <<link [[Shoot our way out the front door|CoffeeFrontDoor]]>><</link>> <</if>> </div>

<<set $ammo to $ammo + 6>> Both officers had a 6-shot barrel pistol. They did not carry extra bullets so I could only take the 6 bullets from the other dead cop. <<include "CopItems">>

Survivors Outbreak is an interactive survival story where your choices decide who lives through the night. A few decades ago, Build your own Adventure books were popular amongst readers of all ages. They offered a story where the reader could choose what to do after each passage by going to a specified page. Those books came from a variety of models and subjects. While some focus only on choices, others asked the reader to build a character by attributing stats and keeping note of inventory, and even use dice to generate random results. With today's technology, we can do even more. We can do all of the above, but in addition we can tailor passages with many conditions and variables that make stories more interactive and tailored for the reader. At Northern Lights games, we focus on Indie projects. You are welcome to submit your own stories or any games at all. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Start Here|Ch1Disclaimer]]>><</link>> </div> This was created with Twine (twinery.org). If you would like to submit content or send comments <a href="mailto:getinthegames@gmail.com?subject=Comments/Content"> contact me.</a>

<<set $sneak to false>><<if $status eq "Light Wound">> I left the alley and took a closer look at my wounds. It was barely a scratch, but it hurt and kept bleeding. I made sure to hide the wound with my coat. <</if>> <<if $copkilled > 0>> I just killed <<print $copkilled>> officer<<if $copkilled > 1>>s<</if>>. I was in serious trouble and I was not sure I wanted to put my family in such a precarious position. I thought about going to the police station to explain myself.<</if>> As I left the alley, I could only realise that I was confused about what was happening. As I walked in the street, there was only one thing on my mind... <div class="choices"> <<link [[Go check the train station|Train Home]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> <<if $copkilled > 0>><<link [[Go to the police station|PoliceStation]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>><</if>> <<if $status eq "Light Wound">> <<link [[Go to the Hospital|Hospital]]>><<set $time to $time + 300>><</link>> <<link [[Go to the Pharmacy|Pharmacy]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div> <</if>>

<img class="chapter-art" src="hide-hostel.webp" alt="HideHostel"> As soon as we got in, the door closed. "Are you guys alright? We heard gunshots and we saw those strange guys walking around like sleepwalkers." "Yeah, we are all right. I'm Melrose by the way." She said to our savior. As we stepped in, we found a few foreigners that were awakened by the noise we made outside. We tried to figure out what to do. We decided we would be safe if someone kept guard and watched carefully what was happening outside. I decided to go get some sleep. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Sleep|Day1End-TutorialComplete]]>><</link>> </div>

<<set $policeRadio to true>> I snapped the radio out of the dead body. I tried and could not get any signal right now. I kept it as it might be handy later on. <<include "CopItems">>

Andre Berthiaume

The police officer reached his gun and shot me. Little did I know this morning that my day was going to be everything but usual. I'll always remember January 23rd 2014. It was the day I died. <p align = "center"> THE END </p> <<if $deathByLuck>><div class="gamenote">The outcome of this action was randomised and could be different next time.</div><<else>><div class="gamenote">Some choices can be fatal. Restart from your last save point (load) or start over from the beginning and make different choices.</div><</if>>

I got to my car and headed home. It was a bad idea coming to work because of traffic, well it was a terrible idea to try to head home as well. I wasn't even out of Downtown that I was stuck in a major traffic jam. I turned it on to listen to the traffic report. "Due to the phone and Internet outage, it is hard to have an overview of the current traffic status. We have people coming in to report looting and riot, causing major disturbance on the roads. We suggest that everyone who can use other transportation methods to do so until the situation is fixed." It did not look good and I started to feel a little worried about my security. At that point, I was not too worried about my son and wife as we live in a quiet suburb, but I wanted to see them as fast as possible. For my own security I decided to: <div class="choices"> <<link [[Stay in my car|StayCar]]>><<set $time to $time + 60>><</link>> <<link [[Leave my car|GoTrain]]>><<set $time to $time + 30>><</link>> </div>

<<set $money to $money + 30>> I found 30$ in their pockets. That could come in handy. <<include "CopItems">>

<<if $time < 1380>> <<set $money to $money - 18>> I crossed the street and pushed the door with vigor. A young woman greeted me at the reception. "Good Evening" she said. "How can I help you?" I asked for a room. I could get in an 8 bed dorm room for 18$. "Don't worry, there is only one other person sleeping in there. You should be able to rest. The room is upstairs, first door on the left" she pointed out the stairs at the end of the lobby. I went in the room and lay down, staring at the ceiling. I kept thinking about Megan and David. I sure hoped they were all right. <<include "Day1Recap">> I thought I could not sleep, but I finally managed to clear my head and slept. <div class="choices"> <<link [[Slept|Day1End-TutorialComplete]]>><</link>> </div> <<elseif $time >= 1380>> I went to the Hostel and as I pushed the door with vigor, the door did not open. I checked the time and it was <<include "Convertedtime">> and the check-in was until 23:00 I had no choice but to go back to the coffee shop to spend the night protected from the intense cold. <<include "Stay in the coffee shop">> <</if>>

<<if $time > 1440>><<set $time to $time - 1440>><</if>> <<if def $time>> <div class="stats"> <div class="stat-head">Survivor Status</div> <div class="stat-row"><span>Time</span><b><<include "Convertedtime">></b></div> <div class="stat-row"><span>Money</span><b><<print $money>></b></div> <div class="stat-row"><span>Food</span><b><<print $food>></b></div> <div class="stat-row"><span>Weapon</span><b><<print $gun>></b></div> <div class="stat-row"><span>Ammo</span><b><<print $ammo>></b></div> <<if def $sleep>><div class="stat-row"><span>Sleep</span><b><<include "SleepManagement">></b></div><</if>> <div class="stat-row"><span>Health</span><b><<print $status>></b></div> <<if $car eq true>><div class="stat-row"><span>Vehicle</span><b>Car</b></div><</if>> <<if $policeBadge eq true>><div class="stat-row"><span>Badge</span><b>Police</b></div><</if>> <<if $policeRadio eq true>><div class="stat-row"><span>Radio</span><b>Police</b></div><</if>> </div> <</if>>

<div class="donate"> <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_top"> <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_donations"> <input type="hidden" name="business" value="getinthegames@gmail.com"> <input type="hidden" name="lc" value="CA"> <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="Survivors Outbreak"> <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="CAD"> <input type="hidden" name="bn" value="PP-DonationsBF:btn_donateCC_LG.gif:NonHosted"> <input type="image" src="https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!"> </form> </div> [[Cloud save|CloudSave]]

<<goto Gender>>

<p>Would you like your character to be addressed as a man or as a woman?</p> <div class="choices"> <<link [[Man|Start]]>><<set $pcSex to "m">><</link>> <<link [[Woman|Start]]>><<set $pcSex to "f">><</link>> </div>

<div class="disclaimer"> <p><b>TUTORIAL CHAPTER</b></p> <p>Chapter 1 is a tutorial. It will introduce you to the core mechanics of Survivors Outbreak: time passing, money, health, inventory, and choices with real consequences.</p> <p>Your decisions matter, but this chapter is designed to teach: no matter what you do, you will end the day stuck in the city.</p> <p>Full character creation will be available in a future chapter.</p> <p>Good luck. You will need it.</p> </div> <div class="choices"> <<link [[Begin Chapter 1|Ch1: The Silent Outbreak]]>><</link>> </div>

<<widget "g">><<if $pcSex is "f">><<print $args[1]>><<else>><<print $args[0]>><</if>><</widget>>

<<if $group1 eq "none">> <<if $group2 neq "none">> <<set $group1 to $group2>> <<set $group2 to "none">> <<elseif $group3 neq "none">> <<set $group1 to $group3>> <<set $group3 to "none">> <<elseif $group4 neq "none">> <<set $group1 to $group4>> <<set $group4 to "none">> <</if>> <</if>> <<if $group2 eq "none">> <<if $group3 neq "none">> <<set $group2 to $group3>> <<set $group3 to "none">> <<elseif $group4 neq "none">> <<set $group3 to $group4>> <<set $group4 to "none">> <</if>> <</if>> <<if $group3 eq "none">> <<if $group4 neq "none">> <<set $group3 to $group4>> <<set $group4 to "none">> <</if>> <</if>>

<<if ($sleep < 4) and ($time > ($lastRest + 600))>> <<set $sleep to $sleep + 1>><<set $lastRest to $time>> <</if>> <<if $sleep eq 1>>Awake<<elseif $sleep eq 2>>Sleepy<<elseif $sleep eq 3>>Exhausted<<elseif $sleep eq 4>>Falling Asleep<</if>>

Inventory Max Space : <<print $invMaxSpace>> Inventory Space Taken : <<print $invSpace>> <<if $davidPlush eq true>>David's Favorite Plush<</if>><<if $davidBook eq true>> David's Favorite Book<</if>><<if $davidCard eq true>> David's Favorite Card Game<</if>><<if $medkit > 0>> Medical Kit : <<print $medkit>><</if>><<if $handRadio eq true>> Crank Powered Radio Reciever <</if>><<if $asthmaPump eq true>> Asthma Pump<</if>><<if $clothes > 0>> Clothes : <<print $clothes>><</if>><<if $battery > 0>> Batter<<if $battery =1>>y<<else>>ies<</if>> : <<print $battery>><</if>><<if $bag > 0>> Bag (adding <<print $bag>> spaces to inventory).<</if>><<if $car eq true>> A car (Adding 8 Inventory spaces)<</if>> <<if $food > 0>> Food : <<print $food>><</if>><<if $money > 0>> Money : <<print $money>><</if>><<if $gun neq "none">> <<print $gun>> <</if>><<if $weapon neq "none">> <<print $weapon>><</if>><<if $ammo > 0>> Ammuniton : <<print $ammo>><</if>><<if $policeBadge eq true>> Police Badge<</if>><<if $policeRadio eq true>> Police Radio<</if>> <h1><<link "Back">><<goto $lastStoryPassage>><</link>></h1>

Group Member 1: <<print $group1>> <<link [[Remove|GroupManagement]]>><<set $group1 to "none">><</link>> Group Member 2: <<print $group2>> <<link [[Remove|GroupManagement]]>><<set $group2 to "none">><</link>> Group Member 3: <<print $group3>> <<link [[Remove|GroupManagement]]>><<set $group3 to "none">><</link>> Group Member 4: <<print $group4>> <<link [[Remove|GroupManagement]]>><<set $group4 to "none">><</link>> <h1><<link "BACK">><<goto $lastStoryPassage>><</link>></h1>

<strong>DAY ONE COMPLETE</strong> You made it through the first day. The city is quieter now — but something tells you tomorrow will be worse. <em>Thank you for playing the tutorial chapter of Survivors Outbreak. Chapter 2 is in development.</em> <div class="choices"> <<link [[Play again|Language]]>><</link>> </div>

Cloud saves let you keep playing on any device. Your progress is stored under a character name and a 4-digit PIN — enter the same combination on another device to pick up where you left off. Do not use personal information for your name or PIN. Anyone who guesses the combination can load the save. <div class="cloud-form"> <label>Character name <input type="text" id="cloud-name" maxlength="24" autocomplete="off"></label> <label>PIN <input type="password" id="cloud-pin" maxlength="4" inputmode="numeric" autocomplete="off"></label> <label>Slot <select id="cloud-slot"><option value="1">1</option><option value="2">2</option><option value="3">3</option></select></label> </div> <p><span id="cloud-status"></span></p> <<button "Save to cloud">><<run CloudSave.saveToCloud()>><</button>> <<button "Load from cloud">><<run CloudSave.loadFromCloud()>><</button>> <div class="choices"> <<button "Back">><<run Engine.backward()>><</button>> </div>