[ open ] no light, no light in your bright blue eyes

[thevulnerability]

Who: Chloe Decker, Lucifer Morningstar, Seth Gecko, Richie Gecko + YOU
Where: Alexandria
When: Catch All for the event.
Rating: R // warnings: violence and character death
Summary: The idylic suburban dream life is shattered. Homes will burn, pillagers will pillage, zombies will... zomb.
The Story:

Comments

Chloe Decker + You (OTA) | Day 1

[thevulnerability]

[ This isn't right. At first, waking up in a proper house and wandering out the door in her pajamas to find a proper street hasn't been too concerning; Chloe wonders if it might be like the ski resort, maybe some kind of bizarre, homemaking-style vacation that no one asked for. This might have been enough to drop her guard, if not for the announcement over the devices in the days prior.

Something was coming. That much is for sure.

The second bad sign comes in her inability to get clean clothes from the wardrobe. She tries a few more things; a book, a pigeon feather (she had gotten good at those), a toaster, because she is running out of ideas. Next, she tries clips for her gun, also to no avail. Luckily she has a drawer full, and when she puts on her clothes from yesterday that had been discarded in a pile next to her bed she makes sure her holster, gun, and few extra clips are on her person before she heads out.

The first plan is to get out into the street and see who else is wandering around. Next, knocking on the doors of her neighbors. One way or another, she needs to see if she can get some answers and each greeting goes the same. ]

Any idea what's going on this time?

Chloe Decker + Richie Gecko | Day 2

[thevulnerability]

[ It, as expected, it only gets worse.

She gets ahold of Seth and they decide the best course of action is to congregate, the four of them - Seth, Richie, her, and Lucifer. She sends Lucifer a message to get to Seth's. She is torn between getting as far away from Lucifer as possible, now knowing what her presence does to his immortality. But they hadn't tested it yet, and she can't be sure if she can even get out of the gates and be far enough away.

Chloe knows Lucifer would never agree to putting her in danger for his sake, not with what people are witnessing descending upon the town. As for Chloe, she much prefers to have Lucifer near her, to protect him from whatever lay ahead. He needs her, and she isn't going to run. Instead, she convinces him to meet her and hide out with what turns out to be an unsettling amount of firearms Seth had procured during his time in Wonderland.

When she gets to his house, she doesn't knock. Pushing open the door, she shuts and locks it behind her breathlessly, glancing around. ]

Hey, Seth? You here?

[seeingthings]

He'll be back soon.

[Richie had gathered his own hefty surplus of weapons and ammo during his time in Wonderland. No doubt it was a rather intimidating collection when combined with his brother. He was sitting in one of the chairs, organizing their stash so that it would be easily accessible at a moments notice. Each pistol was lined up, each extra clip perfectly placed beside the next, everything seemed to be organized in three or four ways.

He puts down the gun he's been fiddling with, pushing himself to his feet.]

I assume you're Chloe? He said you'd be coming.

[thevulnerability]

[ Chloe finds herself immediately distracted by the sheer number of weapons. Seth had told her about it, but she hadn't exactly imagined... That. At least, if the horde was as bad as those scouting claimed it was, they might be able to take out a fair number before they became lunch themselves. ]

Holy cow. He wasn't kidding.

[ She finally turns her attention to Richie. She feels like she knows him a little, from what Seth had said; probably more than Richie would have liked, but Seth was her friend. Probably her best friend, beside Lucifer. It feels nice to meet someone who is so important to him, especially since she didn't get the chance to meet Kate. For Seth (and Richie's) sake, she hopes one day she will.

She offers her hand to him. ]

Richie. Seth's told me about you. Sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances.

[seeingthings]

[Richie returns the gesture, shaking her hand with a firm grip before he pulls his hand back, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose idly with one finger.]

How much?

[He's looking for honesty here, but he asks it pretty damn casually. He doesn't particularly care who knows about him around here, he just only really talks about it on a need to know basis. Easier that way.

He smirks slightly, though there's a bitterness to it.]

We're stuck in the homicidal version of a fucking Disney movie. [He means Wonderland in general.] There aren't any better circumstances around here.

[thevulnerability]

Not a lot. Don't worry, only good things.

[ She offers him a charming smile, but it's genuine. Seth means the world to her and she's not about to brush off his brother, regardless of the how Seth has mentioned their differences. They clearly cared about each other and they were family. Without family, Chloe didn't see a point to any of this. ]

I know. I guess it just... seems like the right thing to say. [ She gestures to a chair before sitting down, weaving her hands together in her lap. ] This place doesn't get any easier, does it?

[seeingthings]

I find that really unlikely.

[He doesn't seem perturbed about it; he's just speaking the truth. She seemed nice at least, and she didn't seem to be lying, so maybe she just didn't think whatever she had heard to be that bad.

Or maybe Seth really hadn't told her that much, at all.

He shrugs his shoulders at her comment. Seth always seems to know the 'right' thing to say, or at least most of the time. Small talk isn't Richie's best skill.]

Not really. It's basically just an exercise in can you adapt fast enough to deal with its bullshit.

[thevulnerability]

[ Chloe chews on her bottom lip, making a mental note to ask Seth if one of them was adopted. He isn't coming off as grouchy, exactly, but he is a little prickly. Although, she can't blame him, considering where they were and the fact that they were getting ready to lock themselves away from an oncoming zombie apocalypse.

All things said, Chloe isn't in the greatest mood, either. ]

Yeah. I'm getting that idea.

[ She falls quiet again. Small talk isn't easy under the best circumstances, and anything in Wonderland was, as Richie said, about miles away from best. Chloe finally gestures to the stash of weapons. ]

Do you need help organizing?

[seeingthings]

[As she falls quiet, he realizes he's doing it again, that thing where he puts people off and makes them uncomfortable. It's not like he's trying to do it, but Wonderland has been on his ass for awhile now. Add that in to the fact that he doesn't know if this chick is gonna lose her shit if he happens to drop fang or not and it's a recipe for disaster.

But he knows Seth's friends with this woman, and Seth needed that kind of thing, so he was going to try a little harder than he normally would and hope it didn't bite him in the ass.]

Sorry, Wonderland sent my girl home a little while back. I'm kind of pissed at it.

[It's not the only reason for his prickly behavior, but it's a big part of it.]

Yeah, sure. I just wanna make sure it's easy to find what we need when shit gets switched into high gear.

[thevulnerability]

[ Chloe took a breath, realizing she shouldn't have started this being so defensive. Of course Richie was pissed. He lost his girlfriend not all that long ago, and Chloe clearly remembers the night she stayed up with Seth and got drunk with him just to make sure he didn't hurt himself. She shared a little in that grief, too, but not for the same reasons.

She can't imagine how bad it looks for Seth to be bringing in another woman, regardless of what their relationship is. And if Chloe has to admit it, her relationship with Seth is... complicated, in a word. ]

That's probably a good idea.

[ She gets closer to help him, picking up one of the rifles and staring at it for a moment. ]

Seth told me about Kate. I'm... I'm so sorry. I know how important she was to both of you.

[ She hopes it is the right thing to say, and not something that will just set Richie off. ]

[seeingthings]

Don't worry about it.

[He doesn't want to spill his guts. He's talked about it as much as he was ever going to, and it hadn't exactly helped. She was still gone and she was still gonna die and there wasn't jack shit he could do about it.

He doesn't do well with being helpless. It hasn't really happened often before.]

Nothing we can do but keep going.

[It doesn't set him off, though. He just seems resigned to the whole thing. It's not acceptance, exactly, but they have bigger things to deal with. He's just shoving all his feelings under the rug.]

So, you're a cop?

[thevulnerability]

[ She knows what he's doing, and she can't blame him. After watching what Seth went through, and knowing Kate was Richie's girlfriend, she imagines what he went through was even worse. Nearly freezing to death in the snow looking for her, for one.

But Chloe isn't one to push it. She'll earn his trust eventually, or maybe she won't. The best she can do is put the offer out there and hope that her relationship with Seth helps instead of hinders. ]

Yeah. I was in the LAPD. Homicides, mostly.

[ She wants to add "not bank robberies," but now isn't the time to be cute. She's not sure if he has the kind of sense of humor Seth does, so she treads lightly. ]

Seth told me the kind of things he did at home. [ She clears her throat. ] It doesn't bother me. Just... for the record.

[seeingthings]

[His eyebrows rise in mild disbelief. This is why he asked what kinds of things Seth had told her, because what Seth had done and what he had done were both similar and not.

They lived by the same code, but Richie had slipped off the road a time or two, even if it wasn't of his own choosing. He played the rules a little looser.]

Seriously? [He reaches for one of the guns, starts to clean it.] You didn't exactly ping me as crooked.

Chloe + You (OTA) | Day 3

[thevulnerability]

[ Chloe is losing her mind staying inside, knowing what was going on out there. There is no doubt people are getting killed, and they aren't far away from the terrors of the undead crawling into their space, regardless of how well Seth may have safeguarded it.

And no matter how many weapons he may have built up, they will only last so long. Worst of all, Chloe isn't the type to stand still. Some of her friends are still out there, and she can't stand the thought of what happened with the Mirrors happening again.

The guys probably will kill her themselves, but it doesn't stop her from stealing a number of Seth's guns and ammo, procuring a bat from one of the wardrobes, and slipping out into the fray. She moves quietly, trying to sneak behind the houses and take out the odd zombie here and there with the bat to try keep quiet. That fear doesn't stop her from running out into the open when she sees someone in peril, prepared with her bat and gun to take on what she can regardless of the outcome. ]

Chloe Decker + Lucifer Morningstar + Seth Gecko | Day 3

[thevulnerability]

[ It is starting to itch. It is almost as if she can feel it rushing through her blood, her body wracking with aches and pains as if she has caught the flu. It is only a matter of time before one of them notices the sweat on her brow or the panic in her eyes. That doesn't stop her from obscuring the bite mark with her long sleeves, careful to make sure one didn't ride up and betray the festering mark on her forearm where the zombie's mouth had torn into her flesh.

She manages to wrap it in gauze when they aren't looking. Living in such close quarters with three other men, two of them who she cared about, who she loved in ways that were impossible to explain. Chloe wears her heart on her sleeve, though, ever the emotional thorn in everyone's side and it is only a matter of time before her fear explodes.

And only a matter of time before the people she loves become nothing but her victims, once the inevitable occurs. She doesn't know how to protect them, and she knows her only option is to leave. But she can't bear to, not until she can't control it anymore. Every last part of her that remains Chloe Decker will be dedicated to keeping them safe.

Instead, she busies herself making them sandwiches with the scant amount of food they have left. Wiping the sweat from her brow with her shirt sleeve, she tries to concentrate on building the sandwiches, as if it is somehow her final thread to her humanity. ]

[walkingheroin]

[The end of this event could not come sooner.

Lucifer has been through plenty since his arrival in Wonderland, but this might be the worst bit he's been through yet, which is saying something considering he's visited not one hell, but two due to Wonderland's shenanigans.

Fighting demons was nothing compared to watching the dead walk, watching them attempt to tear into the flesh of the living, to see fallen allies become mindless creatures. On top of it all, he'd been nerfed like the others among them with supernatural powers and abilities, which made him a liability instead of an asset.

It was quite possibly one of the worst things he'd experienced in his entire existence.]

You look tired. [His voice lacks any mirth that it usually carries.] You should rest.

[screwedontight]

[Seth knew from talking to others that zombies were going to happen again. Likely sooner than later given how many worlds seem to have them, but at least they're not culebra. Which is his thought right until he saw how many of them there were.

Then he's just thankful for his own paranoia and the things he's stockpiled since his first event.

Now he's counting days. It's been three so far, and he's trying to remember how long the longest event he's been through was. Four days? Five? Certainly not longer than that. They can wait this out with what they have.

Just so long as Richie didn't get hungry and Chloe didn't keep rushing out to play hero. Damn cops!

So he's pacing the house, checking the windows and doors on circuit, watching out from the few small openings he has at the windows to see how bad things are outside. Pausing though at Lucifer's words as he comes through the room, glancing to the man and then to Chloe. Truth is he's been worrying so much, just glad to have them safe and in the house, that he hadn't notice how bad she looks. Until now.

Leaning against a door frame, pistol at his waist and one in his left hand.]

Chloe, we've got the house. Listen to the Prince of Darkness.

[No heat or rudeness to his words, just being Seth on the edge, and needling her as well. If he didn't, would he be okay?]

[thevulnerability]

Stop mothering me.

[ She doesn't mean to snap at them, and she looks away, back down at the sandwiches after she says it. She knows they are just worried about her - hell, she hasn't looked in the mirror, but if she looks as bad as she feels, she'd be worried too. But their concern is grating and she clears her throat, trying to talk down the feeling that is trying to crawl up her throat. ]

Really. I'm fine.

[ Chloe slaps some meat on the sandwiches. They are out of just about everything else, but she has managed to stretch their resources with the kind of talent only capable of a single mother. ]

I have a kid. And I work full time. I'm used to running ragged. [ She looks up at them again, trying to offer a weak, pale smile. She has no intention of sleeping until whatever is happening to her happens. She finds herself hoping she can fight it off the next day or two until the event is supposed to end. If she can't, she doesn't intend on waking up from a nap as a zombie and killing her friends.

The thing is, she's not sure she's going to make it. The longer she's on her feet, the worse it gets. Lucifer and Seth aren't stupid; they'll figure it out, and she doesn't know what comes next. She doesn't want to think about it. ]

You guys need to eat.

[walkingheroin]

You're not used to running ragged in the middle of a bloody zombie apocalypse, Detective.

[Her daughter might be a parasite, as all children were, but she was at least slightly self-sufficient. She didn't groan and try to eat her at every turn, nor did she bring a horde with her.

Trixie was also one little girl. They were three men.]

[screwedontight]

Technically I'm parroting the mother.

[It was a smart ass comment, probably not helping their case in the least. Watching Chloe, not liking that she's fighting them, but he shifts, pushing away from the doorway and coming to where she stands.]

How about this. We'll eat and you go lay down. No one doubts you can do all of this, but that doesn't mean you have to.

[He glances at Lucifer and then back to Chloe.]

Let the people that give a shit help you.

[thevulnerability]

[ The little amount of domesticity is actually helping, although she knows neither of them would understand. It's the little things she realizes she misses; while for the most part, she loved being a mother, there were days when it was exhausting. Making meals, juggling getting Trixie to school, fighting between being good at her job and getting home in time to read her a bedtime story. Chloe wishes she hadn't resented it the times that she did. Making sure her boys ate at least made her feel useful, feel wanted.

Seth's tone both grates and sobers and she finishes the sandwiches, passing him a plate. ]

Eat. I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I'm fine right now.

[ Chloe lets out a long sigh and moves to the sink, instinctively pulling up her sleeves to wash her hands. It isn't until she feels the fabric snag against the gauze wrap on her arm that she realizes her mistake and she moves to pull down her sleeve quickly. She doesn't look at either of them, palming the sweat off of her forehead with her hand. ]

I'm just restless. I hate being cooped up in here.

[walkingheroin]

[She was always useful and always wanted. Thinking otherwise was absolutely ridiculous.]

Detective, you're sweating.

[For awhile now, Lucifer simply attributed it to the weather, or to the fact that she was tired and moving around, but making sandwiches shouldn't be all that labor intensive.

He moves closer, reaching out to touch any area of exposed skin, his palm cupping her throat.]

You're not just sweating, you're burning up. Are you sick?

[Surely, it's just that. If it were something else, he would have noticed, she would have told them, something.]

[screwedontight]

[Anything that Seth is about to say stops then and there with Lucifer's words. Frowning, his brow furrowing as he leans against the counter, enough that he can try and see her face more closely.

Peering at her, his frown only growing more defined.]

Chloe, what the hell's going on?

[He really doesn't want to think about what it could be, what his brain is screaming but he can't accept. Sickness has to happen here just like everywhere else, right?]

[thevulnerability]

[ Lucifer's palm feels like an ice pack on her skin and she can't help the way her eyes flutter shut at the relief. It's only then does she start to realize how hot she is, how her body feels like it's crawling out of her skin, and everything just aches.

Seth's words pull her out and she pushes Lucifer away, meeting Seth's gaze as her heart thumps in her chest. More than anything, she wishes she could tell them it was just a flu bug with bad timing. Back home, she had an immune system of steel, what with all of the bugs Trixie brought home from school every day. Unfortunately, that did nothing to help her current problem. ]

Please don't freak out.

[ That's more for her than for them. She's managed to keep her cool this far, accept that it was something that would happen and when it did, she would leave, take her gun and deal with it herself. Turning into something that would hurt her friends was unacceptable. If she had been smart about it, maybe she could have done this right and when the event was over, they would never have to know anything different.

She was lying to them. Maybe she wasn't always as truthful as Lucifer, but she tried to be. Lying to the people she loved never felt right. ]

I, uh... [ Chloe takes another step away from them and then pulls up her sleeve. Working her fingers under the medical tape, she peels away the gauze with a wince. It looks worse. Regardless of the amount of alcohol she had poured over the wound, the bite already looks infected. The skin is already peeling away around it, the veins under her skin now dark, twisted pathways up her arm. She can't even pull her sleeve up far enough to show how bad it is, and she knows it's starting to spread faster. She didn't have much time left. ]

I thought I could just wait it out. [ She shutters a sigh. Chloe can't look at either of them now. ] I have it handled, okay?

[walkingheroin]

[Lucifer knows that something is terribly wrong the moment she pushes him away; there's not nearly enough spunk to it, enough life.

She was lying. Lucifer hated liars, though suddenly he very much wanted her to keep doing it until it was real, because this alternative simply wasn't acceptable. He feels like his entire chest has been torn open and scooped out, left in a pile on the floor.

Not her.

Under any other circumstance, he'd be parroting her words, giving her a hard time, attacking her with exasperation and a lack of understanding. No, he knows why she hid this from them, because she wasn't just sick, she was dying, and the entire thing was unthinkable.

She doesn't have it handled; this is the furthest thing from having it handled that he's ever seen.]

No.

[It's all he says because it's his answer to everything. There has to be a way to fix this. Surely the event will end at any moment. Surely she'll be spared.]