Chase Martin:[Drawing your sidearm] Alright... Security Office is to the left... Careful with any myconauts we run into
*Clicking*
You both notice a Clicker to your right, looking to have difficulty with mapping it's environment.
CM:[Whispering] Talk about a perfect time to test if the repellent worked... If it attacks me, drop it.
Ellie Williams:[Pistol at the ready] Alright... It's your funeral if you get your throat ripped out...
CM: Okay... Here goes...
👋[You waves a hand in front of it]
👌💢💢💢[You even snaps in it's face]
🙌[The Clicker pushes you back]
EW: What the h-🙊
Miraculously, the Clicker didn't follow up by attacking her. Only growling at her direction.
CM & EW: Whoa...
CM:[Baffled] It... It didn't attack me... It shoved me like a Runner would... I could only imagine what a Bloater or Shambler would do to me...
EW: So... What do we do now?
CM: I want to know if my Spore Radius increased... Usually, it's over 6 feet & last about 10 minutes in the air... Here's the plan... I'm gonna walk 6 feet away from it, so you can stay in my radius... Then I'll slowly walk away until it becomes too aggressive.
EW: And put my neck on the line? No thanks.
CM: Of course not... I'll bind & gag it to minimize the risk... I used to do it all the time for Runners & Stalkers to capture for CARD transport... It could still headbutt & kick you, but something tells me you can handle yourself against a handicapped Clicker... You do this & I'll give you my Masterkey to my M4. Basically, you could swap out that GLM for a 3+1 12ga shotgun attachment. Beats swapping out for any shotgun you have in a pinch... If you want something with a slightly better capacity, you could probably trade it in for a
M.A.S.S. if you're alright with bolt-action over pump-action... You might need to trade in something else for credits to pay any difference off.
EW: Credits?
CM: It's the currency we use... Instead of lugging around a fuck ton of salvage, you can carry either a stack of bills, or a credit card... Don't confuse it for the Old World credit cards... It acts like a debit card... We call Loan Cards what Old World credit cards were... It's a bit confusing, but you'd be surprised how easy you can get credits... Empty casings & shells can yield a few credits, assuming you don't get them reloaded.[Handing her a pamphlet] Here... This has a list of resources that can be traded in for credits... Along with a lot more info on the USA if you're curious.
EW: Alright, when you put it that way...[She pulls out her switchblade]
You bind & gag the Clicker with a little struggle.
Now with a tape measure secured to it's waist, you back away from it until you are roughly 6 feet away from it.
CM: Alright Ellie... Get within arms reach of it, then we'll begin.[You pull out your recorder]
EW: This is the closest I've been to a Clicker without it attacking me...
CM: Okay... It seems to still be cloaking you... Good... Hang on...
Research Log #42:
The repellent results seem to be working so far. Clearing both the room I was in from all myconauts & even causing some myconauts in the mall to evacuate it completely. I've confronted a Lvl. 3 Myconaut & have only been pushed away, as it seems to not want to engage with me just as Lvl. 1 Myconauts previously have... I did seem to collapse after using it though, regaining consciousness after approximately 12 hours. Since regaining consciousness, I've met a lone survivor, whom agreed to assist in testing out the range of my improved spores... So far, it seems that my radius extends to 6 feet away from me. Standby for an update.
You slowly back away from the Clicker, reading the tape at your hip as you do.
You pass 14 feet when the Clicker turns hostile, trying to attack Ellie.
She had no trouble to knock it to the railing, then stabbed the myconaut dead.
CM: What was that?
EW: What?! Never saw a Clicker stabbed dead?
CM: No, but you wasted so much time & effort doing that. Just slit the throat. Bonus if you slice open any jugulars or carotids... It'll be pretty bloody though, I'll admit...
EW: So, how would you go about slitting someone's throat?
CM:[Demonstrating on her, with your sheathed knife] From behind is easiest. Just grab 'em, muffle them, stick your blade clean through the windpipe, then rip it forward. If you're doing it against infected, a rolled up rag to gag them ought to keep you safer than using nothing but your hand.
From the front is trickier, but a similar concept. Through the windpipe, then a good kick to send them back & rip their throat in two in the process... Definitely the more bloody way to do it...
You both felt an awkward tension with the contact you were making, both of you were trying to hide your blushing cheeks.
EW: Alright... Let's try it your way next time... Wonder if they're are anymore Clickers on this floor.
CM: I think there might at least 2 more Clickers on this floor. We should check the security office to confirm.
EW: Let's go then.
You both enter the room, seeing the tattered clothed skeletons of the security team.
EW:[Searching their bodies] Damn... They must've been trapped here since Outbreak Day...
CM: They got .38 Revolvers & Gen 3 & 4 Glock 22s... Some collapsible batons, some rusted inoperable, and some old tasers & pepper spray.
EW: Did you take any of them for yourself?
CM: No... Don't get me wrong, they're good guns, but I already have my grandpa's Colt, Dad's SIG, and a .44 Magnum Revolver... Speaking of SIGs, you got a suppressor for that?[Pointing at her pistol]
EW: Closest thing I have is this.[She shows you her makeshift suppressor]
CM:[Chuckling] You're joking, right? That's literal trash...[Handing her a proper suppressor] Do us both a favor & use this instead... Lucky me, I brought a spare...
EW:[Threading on the suppressor] What's this made of? Steel? Aluminum?
CM: Titanium... Pre-wet & built to last... Anyways, let's see what the cameras picked up...
Rewinding some, it shows you entering, strolling past the Runners & Stalkers with ease, marking a safe path along your way. It also showed you sneaking your way to the security office, Then, the Clickers & Bloaters freak out, presumably from the sound system freaking out their hearing. It then shows you getting scared at the sight of the Shambler, then cautiously sneak to the Yellowstone gift shop. It show you shanking A Clicker dead, then setting down your gear, recording your tape.
Mere moments later, it showed you taking the repellent, the other infected retreating, you shouting in joy, but shutting yourself up as you get face-to-face with another Clicker, coughing into it's face, then the Clicker recoil back in agony. It then showed you coughing like crazy as a visible vapor could be seen exhaling from your mouth & nose, then eventually collapse to the floor, with a thick cloud of the mist seep into the rest of the mall, upsetting the rest of the infected.
Later on, several infected dropped to the ground, looking absolutely ill.
Later on, Ellie enters the mall, following your trail until she arrives where you were and putting on the headphones to your recorder.
EW: Oh! Clickers! On our floor. Sweet! Let's put your tips to the test.
...
👿🗡
💀[Slit throat from behind]
CM: Well?
"Wow!... That super easy... Okay, you do know what you're talking about.
CM: I'll take that as a compliment...
...
👿🗡
💀[Slit throat from the front, with the Clicker's blood spraying onto Ellie]
🔺
😣
EW:[Grossed out] Ew!... Okay, you were downplaying how bloody this way was...
Ellie wipes the blood from her face.
CM:[Laughing] I tried not to... Make sure that blood didn't get on any open wounds.
EW: Maybe I need a poncho or something to keep this blood off of me.
CM: Well, I do have one, but I wore them to hide from Clickers & Bloaters, but my natural spores deterrent is reduced a lot... Sometimes I'd have to deal with the other infected while I wear it.
EW: How do you hide from a Clicker with just a poncho?
CM: You can bypass their echolocation with the right cover & standing as still as possible... But if you'd rather just do as many rear throat slits, you could take a crack at hitting them with a mean hook in an attempt to turn them around... You could even use your pistol to whip it to do it I bet.
"Good idea... Might be able to use these brass knuckles part..." Ellie agrees.
*Groan* *Clicking*
"Sounds like we have another Clicker on this floor." You said.
"Nice! Time to try out your latest tip!" Ellie said.
👊👿🗡
💀
EW:[Joyful] Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!
*Clicking*
EW: Oh fuck!
Ellie turns to see another Clicker, almost attacking in reflex, but stopped.
The Clicker had a hole melted through it's exposed Myconaut, showing something gray behind it all.
CM:[Realizing] Oh fuck... That's the Clicker I coughed in it's face.
The Clicker reaches out in a curious, cautious manner, finding Ellie's arms & shoulders. The Clicker clicks into her face, trying to get an image of her face.
😈
✋[The Clicker it's hand to it's lips, then down. Away from itself & towards you both]
*Crack!* *Rip!*
The Clicker tears open it's skull further, then rips out it's myconaut, tossing it down to the ground floor.
Afterwards, the Clicker sits against the railing, blood dripping down onto it's body until it parishes.
EW:[Confused] What the fuck!?
"No way... That was ASL... That Clicker signed "Thank you" to us...
EW: So... That person was still alive?
CM: Yeah... They must've regained enough control to rip out the myconaut & thanked us...
EW: Shit... Rest in peace dude... Rest in peace...
CM: There's still tons of myconauts on the ground level. We should take care of them.
EW: Alright, let's go.
Using a down escalator, you both went down to the ground level, cautious about all possible threats.
CM: Keep close. Even if my spores don't work on Bloaters or Shamblers, we'll be left alone by the Clickers & the rest.
EW: Alright... Right behind you.
You both made your way to the Shambler, as you were curious if it's sight would still allow it to be hostile.
To your surprise, the fungal monstrosity didn't want anything to do with you, and seemed to feel the same way about Ellie since she was so close to you.
CM:[Astonished] I can't believe it... They actually did it...
EW: This could change everything... This could save so many lives...
Suddenly, Ellie's ankle was grabbed.
Odd Survivor:[Rasping] Please... Help me...
CM:[Coming over with water] Fuck... Here.
The man drank the whole bottle like there's no tomorrow.
*Aaah...*
Odd Survivor: Thank you... Do you by any chance have any more than that?
EW:[Annoyed] Dude, ye just gave you a whole bottle of water. I think a "Thank you" is in order.
OS: No, not for me... For the others... They're staying still so the infected don't get them.
CM: How long have you all been here for?
OS: I don't know... Everything is a bit hazy... I don't even know what day it is.
CM: Friday-
EW:[Correcting you] Saturday. The 15
th.
OS:[Confused] 15
th... No, that's impossible... If that were true, that'd mean we've been out cold for over a week... But we'd be dead from dehydration days ago.
CM: Wait... Over a week? All of you? That's logistically impossible... Unless...
EW: Unless... You all used to be Runners.
OS:[Flabbergasted] What? Do you hear yourself? That's impossib-
The man stared at the bite mark at the back of his hand, looking like it was once infected.
OS:[Remembering] Oh God... I remember now... We were all survivors coming from the north... Things were getting crowded in Silver Bow, so we went south. Heard Cody was pretty much untouched by scavengers, so we did our best to clear up the infected in the streets... Eventually, we stumbled upon this place. Little did we know, there was a room full of nodes in the security room... By the time we cleared it up, we were all infected... That was Wednesday, the 5
th... My God, we must've let in all these infected once we all turned.
EW:[Confused] Nodes?
CM: If Cordyceps consumes a corpse to it's bone marrow, it forms puffball-like growths called "Nodes"...
OS: One wrong step & you'll get engulfed in a cloud of spores... They're rare though. Mos of the time, the infected smash them, causing the spores to keep in the air.
CM: There's only one way to make sure that you aren't infected...
📟🔵[Using your model 3 CBI Scanner, it confirmed that the man was not only not "Infected", but also has gained a form of immunity comparable to your own]
CM:[Baffled] I... I can't believe it... You're... You're immune... Like me...
EW & OS: What!?
CM: My God... The spores I made... It might be strong enough to reverse CBI... This... It explains why that Stalker was acting so strange.
EW: And that one Clicker...
CM: First things first, we need to get all the survivors out of harms way.