#Squad43 handouts

[fiinia]

Lacrimosa

[fiinia]

[fiinia]

We got off Mr X's wild ride

Drawn by our fellow player Daegal.

After the dust settled from the chaotic and fiery confrontation, Maija stood, katana in hand, by the smoldering remains of Mr. X. As her adrenaline began to ebb, a stark realization of what she had just done set in. She had acted out of necessity, her decisive actions saving her group, yet the gravity of the moment lingered heavily in the air.

In an impulsive attempt to mark the surrealism of their apocalyptic survival and perhaps to capture a moment that felt both victorious and harrowing, Maija retrieved her smartphone from a pocket. The device was a relic from a world that had drastically changed, but it still held power—both in its battery and its ability to document their lives amidst chaos.

With a mixture of defiance and a need to commemorate their relentless struggle for survival, Maija positioned herself next to the charred and headless corpse of Mr. X. She adjusted her grip on the katana, holding it proudly, a symbol of their fight against the darkness that had engulfed the world. She angled her phone, capturing both her image and the grim aftermath of the battle in the background. The flash of the camera briefly illuminated the scene, freezing this bizarre tableau in a digital frame.

As she looked at the image on the screen, Maija felt a complex mix of emotions wash over her. This selfie wasn't just a photo—it was a testament to their survival, a controversial piece of proof that even in the darkest times, human resilience and a touch of grim humor could still exist. It was a snapshot that, perhaps one day, would serve as a reminder of what they had endured and overcome.

[fiinia]

Zhìháo's Curio Caravan

Under the dim light of a flickering solar lantern, Zhíhào knelt on the dusty ground, carefully unlatching their weathered backpack. Each movement was deliberate, revealing the method behind their traveling trade.

“Here my good fellows, we find the treasures not for the faint of heart,” they began, their voice a soothing hum against the eerie silence of the night. With a flourish, they pulled out the first item, setting it gently before themselves. “This, my curious travelling friends, is no ordinary gnome.” They tapped the solar-powered garden gnome, which blinked to life, casting playful shadows. “It guards more than gardens… It alerts to unwanted guests, the monsters who travel the nights…!”

Next, they reached back into the depths of their backpack and extracted a series of cans, each labeled with flamboyant script. “And for the gourmand, celebrity meals preserved from before the world turned. Dining like the stars might just lift your spirits in these dark times.”

They smiled warmly, a grin wide enough for teeth to show, encouraging their audience to come closer.

From their seemingly bottomless pack, Zhíhào drew a sleek, metallic can. “Monster repellent spray,” they announced with a hint of mischief in his eyes. “A jest, perhaps, in its past life, but now? A surprising salvation.”

They continued, their collection growing on the makeshift cloth before themselves—an antique firefighter’s axe with a handle worn smooth by many hands, a roll of self-cleaning fabric shimmering slightly under the lantern light, and a peculiar, hefty USB drive.

“Each item has a story, and each story holds a key to survival,” Zhíhào concluded, gesturing grandly to their displayed wares. “Choose wisely, for what serves as a tool today might be your lifeline tomorrow, my dear fellow curious travelling friends!”

Items for sale, for a massive sale might I add! The biggest sale you have probably come across during your hellish travels!

Here you will find necessary items for the low low cost of five rations each per product!

Solar-Powered Garden Gnome:

This quirky garden gnome could be more than decoration. Equipped with solar panels, it can light up or maybe even sound an alarm when zombies are near, due to its motion sensor feature!

Canned Celebrity Meals:

A series of luxury, canned meals supposedly based on the favorite recipes of various celebrities. Each can might offer not just sustenance but also a morale boost or unique nutritional benefits!

Monster Repellent Spray:

Marketed before the apocalypse as a novelty or joke item, this spray might have a strong scent or chemical that actually repels monsters, discovered only after some desperate survivors tried it in a pinch.

Antique Firefighter's Axe:

An ornate, possibly ceremonial axe that was used by firefighters in the early 20th century. Stronger and more durable than most modern axes, making it an ideal melee weapon.

Pre-Apocalypse Museum Map:

A detailed map showing the layout of a now-abandoned museum, including hidden rooms and secure vaults where high-value items or survival supplies might be stored.

Self-Cleaning Fabric:

A roll of experimental fabric that cleans itself when exposed to sunlight. Useful for making clothing or bedding that remains hygienic without the need for water.

Portable Vinyl Record Player and Records:

A collection of vinyl records and a solar-powered player, providing entertainment and a psychological lift. The choice of music could also influence the mood or behavior of the group.

Unbreakable Reading Glasses:

Glasses with lenses made from an experimental material that is nearly impossible to scratch or break. Essential for those who need vision correction to read maps, books, or work on small, detailed tasks.

DIY Drone Kit:

Components and instructions for building a drone. This could be useful for scouting locations, watching for monster herds, or even carrying small items over short distances.

Cryptic USB Drive:

Contains encrypted data with unknown contents. It could be government secrets or even scientific research on the monster virus! Decrypting it could provide vital information or lead to a new quest.

[fiinia]

My heart will go on (Daegal)

A handout written by our fellow player Daegal.

Evangeline and Heinrich set off to a store to find a music box for a funeral. Along the way, they are spotted by Lars Larsson who after a brief conversation decides to join up with them.

The team fight their way through a skate park filled with broken down generators and gangs of roller bladers. Evangeline takes a nasty beating but she was already bitten so how much worse can it get?

At the store, with some lucky rolls, they manage to find a music box from the movie "Up". Evangeline explains that this is for her sister whose absolute favourite song in the world it is.

They rest for a short while, Evangeline proves herself to be a superior skateboarder to Lars.

A photo is taken, to commemorate the fact that all three were there.

Evangeline takes the boys to her apartment and they both hack up a lung trying to smoke outside the door.

Introductions are made and Mila loves her present.

Evangeline and Mila are half siblings and Evangeline regrets how much she treated her in the past. But now that the world has ended, she stayed where their parents didn't.

Lars and Heinrich give them some privacy.

At the end of the day, the quest is completed and two graves are filled.

[fiinia]

Mr X gon give it to ya

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the desolate cityscape, an ominous figure reemerged from the depths of obscurity. It had been merely two week since his last appearance, but Mr. X was back, his intentions as dark as the night itself.

The city still echoed with the chaos left in his wake—the haunting memory of Elliot's and Sharon's harrowing experience on an LCD-induced trip, the heart-wrenching scene of finding Emma in the desolation of the abandoned grocery store, and the tragic accident that led Naaji to lose his hearing... a stark reminder of the merciless world they now inhabited.

Despite these tumultuous events, the relentless Mr. X had not been idle. He had been meticulously following the fiery trail left by 43, determined to complete the dark task he had set for himself. The air was thick with tension, the scent of burnt ash serving as a grim breadcrumb trail leading him ever closer to his targets.

However, fate had a different plan woven into its complex tapestry. As the group reeled from their recent escapades, Mr. X saw his moment and struck. It was a brutal, sudden assault, catching them off-guard and scattering the group. Elliot, breathless from the narrow escape, had found himself perilously close to becoming the next victim of Mr. X's calculated wrath.

But as the dust settled and screams echoed in the cold air, a surprising twist of fate emerged. Maija, who had been silent and observant until now, sprang into action with a fierce determination. With a mix of courage and desperation, she confronted Mr. X, her actions swift and decisive.

In a breathtaking display of quick thinking and resourcefulness, Maija used her previously crafted molotov cocktails. With precision, she hurled them at Mr. X, the flames catching him off-guard and engulfing him in a fiery embrace. As he staggered, blinded and disoriented by the sudden inferno, Elliot, recognizing Maija’s resolve, tossed her his gleaming katana.

With the weapon firmly in her grasp, Maija charged. In a final, resolute motion, she swung the katana with all her might, severing Mr. X’s head from his flaming body. The grim task was complete. Her actions not only saved Elliot but shifted the group’s dynamic forever. Maija, earlier an observer, had proven herself a formidable protector in their apocalyptic reality.

[fiinia]

Messages and misunderstandings

As Maija and Elliot were on off to their adventure to the grocery store, Naaji was sending messages to Kieran's phone.

[fiinia]

Zhíháo Baozhu - Zhí

◢▇ ◢▏◢▏◢ ◢◤ ▇ ◢◤  #ͥͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͥͦ#ͥͥͥͥͦ ₁₃₁⁴ ⁶⁴₂₁₀₀₂⁷⁶⁹⁷⁹₂₁ ₀ ⁶₃₂₀₁₀⁸₃⁹⁷₃ ⁵₂ ⁶ ⁸ ⁴₃₀₃⁹⁷⁹⁷ ⁹₃₁ ⁴₂⁸ ⁵ ⁹⁶⁸ ⁶⁸⁵ ⁸ ╱﹀╲/╲︿_/︺╲▁︹_/﹀\_︿╱▔︺\/\︹▁╱﹀▔╲︿_/︺︹_/﹀\_︿

Description

Coarse stiff hair like steel wool.

Hair dyed like the tail of a rooster.

The grinning eyes of a fox.

Covered in tattoos of varying numbers?

Behind every great fortune…

It seems that Zhí is a lonely traveling fortune teller. Whether their fortunes that they have given 43 were accurate or not, remains to be seen. However... They seemed to be able to tell parts of their fortune that they should not have been able to know from mere circumstances of the group.

After confessing their sins, you learned that Zhí might or might not have tricked Chet into his own doom. Zhí had managed to lure Chet into a dangerous area to work as bait whilst they themselves stole "back" their van and drove into the town you met them at... Completely wrecking the van in the process and allowing thieves to steal everything Chet had gathered.

Ridden with guilt after noticing that Chet hadn't come to beat sense into them, nor that they hadn't seen a single sign of the pink haired anywhere... Zhí has asked you to help them find Chet, in return for retelling Elliot his fortune.

One stupid fucker.

Every human is the architect of their own fortune.

▒̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳̳͌͌͌͌͌͌͌͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛͛

ͥͦͧͣͤ ͦͧͣͤͥ ͧͣͤͥͦ ͣͤͥͦͧ ͤͥͦͧͣ ͥͦͧͣͤ ͦͧͣͤͥ ͧͣͤͥͦ ͣͤͥͦͧ ͤͥͦͧͣ ͥͦͧͣͤ ͦͧͣͤͥ ͧͣͤͥͦ ͣͤͥͦͧ ͤͥͦͧͣ ͥͦͧͣͤ ͦͧͣͤͥ ͧͣͤͥͦ ͥͦͧͣͤ ͦͧͣͤͥ ͧͣͤͥͦ ͥͦͧͣͤ ͦͧͣͤͥ

Ͱ͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉Ͱ҉̅҉̅҉̅҉̅҉̅Ͱ҈̟҈̟҈̟҈̟҈̟҈̟҈̟҈̟҈̟҈Ͱ҉̅҉̅҉̅҉̅҉̅Ͱ͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉ه҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈̿҈Ͱ͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉͟҉Ͱ҉͞҉͟҉͞҉͟҉͞҉͟҉͞҉͟

[fiinia]

You allowed this to happen

The days before a bonny town filled with homes, shops and the like. The day after an ashen wreck filled with mangled burnt corpses.

Even looking right at it, even recalling the flames, it didn't feel real for a while. The flames from the explosion took all it could, yet the few buildings of stone remained firm.

A town has a way of becoming part of your life, of becoming a home, a place of memories and years lived. To watch it burn. That was hard. We could and would rebuild, naturally. We would've built a new row of houses and gardens right here and in time perhaps we would've been at peace with how we would've come to raise it up from the ashes of the old.

However, we lack the resources. We lack the manpower. We lack the knowledge, the safety, the peace, the time and everything else we could possibly need to make this even possible in the first place.

I guess it helps ease the blow and stabilize your sanity to picture that new place, that new home, as if it waits for us in the world of future time. In order to allow yourself to function for just a little longer before your inevitable breakdown.

... But what about all the lives lost?

What about those charred remains of the innocent?

What about the elderly who painted those rocks on the road that evening that you walked past? What about the young ones who were yet to become adults? The chickens in the coops?

The explosion was a micro-hell, yet all the universe to those caught within.

Isn't there something poetic about the town filled with lamps to lighten up the dark nights, being engulfed in that brightness until the very end? Akin to burning out just like tungsten filament in a lightbulb?

Upon escaping the safe haven late, 43 had to run across the whole town to escape out of it. The walls and gates meant to protect those inside, merely trapping them in as the sick flooded through the broken gate and flaming walls.

Running on freshly painted flowers made by the elderly in the town the same day, the flowers which were waiting to still dry in the sun.

Cobblestone which was once jumped on by children playing hopscotch, now jumped on desperately by those attempting to climb the rooftops to safety from the sick.

Cobblestone once painted with crayons to make numbered boxes, that street of shops once filled with innocent laughter, now painted a deep velvet red and filled with the desperate pleas of them now much older and still innocent.

Shops once filled with employees gossiping. Benches warmed up in the summer sun. Lamps that witnessed couples dancing in the night. That tight street filled with the bakery's aroma. Something no one shall ever witness in this town ever again, all experiences to be lost with time in such a sudden avoidable moment.

This is no longer a place for children to wave to their classmates. This is no longer a place to share a cinnamon bun with your friend. This is no longer a place for one to receive their first kiss.

This is no longer a place to remember.

Though, you left almost nobody left to remember this place. You only saved Jakob, you allowed the other 400 inhabitants to die.

Only one person left in the world might remain that still remembers this town. Who remembers the stores he frequently visited, who remembers where he proposed to his wife, who remembers where he stood when she called him to tell him she was pregnant. A man who was born here and grew up in this town for all the years of his life.

Only he will recall that aroma from the bakery, only he will know of those freshly painted flowers. Nobody but Jakob will know of the colours of each and every painted wooden house. Nobody will care that the lamp in front of the barbershop was broken for seven years straight waiting for a repair except him. There is only Jakob left to know how much this place once mattered to so many people.

Squad 43

Some cry out in pain, others show no response at all, and this is why empathy is so vital, to allow ourselves to feel what others are feeling rather than opting for shallow sympathies. And it is these moments that build and define who we are, that bring the sculpture of our future self from the clay of our youth.

Take a moment to feel the pain of others, let it sink into you for just long enough to educate you on what the right thing to do is. Often times the right thing to do is the harder thing to do and only this kind of empathy will show you the right path onwards.

[fiinia]

Meteor shower

To be continued...

[fiinia]

Meteor Shower

To be continued...

[fiinia]

Meteor shower

As 43 was in a hurry to leave the sanctuary before the bombing would go down, with Maija left clueless as to why, they had some things to deal with first.

Naaji started his morning by fixing new tiles onto the rooftops of the homes owned by the elderly, helping Jakob out who normally takes care of these things on his own. Jakob with a wounded arm from the previous night's shooting being unable to do it himself for a while.

Once Sharon had woken up, she ate breakfast together with Naaji on said rooftop which had been brought out by Jakob, deciding to leave those two together at it whilst dealing with other business.

Naaji who quite frankly sucked at it only had some nice sandwiches together with Sharon at the rooftop in the end, both enjoying the nice sun.

Nobody participated in the flower painting with Rut and the other elders.

Sharon attempted to convince Jakob that the guards were lying and meant to harm him. She brought back the evidence Jakob tossed away the previous night to show him, unbeknownst to him being evidence, explaining what key clue it was which he had missed. A broken signal light... Not from an accident, but from purposeful sabotage. Something Sharon could easily tell but Jakob without experience could not. Being told that the townspeople he lived with his entire life were planning on backstabbing him behind his back; from a person he had not known for even a week, was not convincing enough for Jakob. In fact he was upset about Sharon telling him such a gravely serious "lie".

However, the true reason for his upset reaction was about the doubt he began to have in those he was meant to trust unconditionally with his life. Not a strangers "lies".

Elliot tried avoiding to the best of his abilities to not step on the freshly painted flowers in a hurry to find Maija, so that they could all leave as quickly as possible. He failed miserably as he managed to step in a wet painted section every three minutes or so amongst the poor elderly, poor Elliot got loud annoyed complaints for hours, before running into Jakob on the way. As Jakob ran into Elliot, Jakob who had previously been told that everyone was leaving today, he handed Elliot a gift consisting of extra food rations and a batch of fireworks.

"They can scare the elders who went through war and trauma, the animals too. Not to speak of the fire hazard... I really don't want this around anyways. But you guys have a kid. I feel like she might enjoy it, you too of course. You have much more use of this than us. So I wanted to give this as... a parting gift, I suppose. It could be fun to watch them together, we need all the happiness we can get right now." - Jakob Dunkel

Jakob acted as a guide when he led Elliot back to the gate 43 had used to enter this safe haven a few days ago, using it as an excuse to spend just a little more time with one of the travelers who were getting ready to continue on their adventure. As Elliot realized that he had forgotten his backpack and didn't want to go stepping on the freshly painted flowers... Jakob offered to go get it for him. Telling Elliot to wait there at the gate and relax before he has to go walking around for miles again.

Maija who spent time with Naaji and Emma, got hurried by Sharon who told Maija that it was now time to say good bye to this safe haven and to move on on their way. Something previously planned and agreed on the night before.

Ending up with everyone gathering at the gates at the time of the bombing.

A quick summary

Failed attempts at making the leader of the "Sanctuary" Safe haven come along with a group of strangers.

Failed attempts at convincing him that he was in danger.

Given gifts along with extra rations for Emma.

Going through with the decision to not tell the town about the bombing planned by Hampus.

Failed attempt at leaving the safe haven before the warned bombing hour.

As the clock struck 15:00 the gates were set ablaze...

[fiinia]

Meteor shower

After going out for the night together with Jakob to experience what it is like to check the parameters and safety procedures…

43 was taught to look out for traps, such as the ones Wilma had come up with for their specific sanctuary, which were traps to see if people had crossed the barriers that are too close to their sanctuary. Jakob made everyone look by themselves mostly to see how things worked, before he double checked everything a little bit.

"We put the spray paint down as a diversion, since people will just move the dumpsters back behind the painted line without checking the inside for the weights that fall over."

"Ah... Damn, you already triggered it huh? Well... those are paint traps. It's hard to see the strings when you just skim through since they're fishing lines, but they do explode paint on whoever walks on it. It makes it easy for guards to see them with binoculars if they are painted in bright paint. Also an extra security measure if the dumpsters don't cut it. You should watch out for those, they're a bit all over the place.."

The rest of the night remained peaceful for the most part. After being brought over to a fountain; Sharon got to try out the water purifier she built in Hampus's basement, proving it to be a success. They set up camp close to the dumpsters, lighting up a fire once it begun to get dark. With Elliot and Sharon going off into their own tents ready to sleep, leaving Maija and Jakob on first watch where they played some mahjong together.

With a sudden shout, Maija and Jakob saw Naaji and Tobias leaping over the dumpsters. Tobias falling flat on his face as his foot got stuck during the leap, whilst Naaji ran and tackled Maija to the ground. As Naaji had done so in the middle of the confusion... a shot was heard echoing on the street.

A shooter on the rooftops missing Maija and Naaji by a hair and hitting Jakob instead.

Struggling throughout the rest of the night as a hoard of zombies were attracted to the noise of gun fire and intense screaming, everyone got away alive by the end of it. Some with major scrapes and some with less. Ending the night with a passed out Jakob saved by Maija doing her best to stop him from bleeding out, with Tobias and Naaji setting up barriers inside of the building so they could sleep peacefully without having to worry about any zombies breaking in as they rest up and catch their breaths.

[fiinia]

Meteor shower

As Maija asked to go along with Jakob outside the walls parameters, the rest of 43 one after another decided to follow along. Whether it was to make sure Maija wouldn't be alone with Jakob for her safety or to explore the outside more to their advantage, everyone did leave Tobias and Naaji inside the town to look after Emma whilst they went out on a potentially dangerous mission.

As Tobias was together with Naaji babysitting Emma, Tobias taught her about how stealing was bad and gave her an apple in return of promising to never steal again. A lesson that would stick with her. After this important lesson however, Naaji needed to speak with Tobias over a thing that had been bothering him. After keeping the permanent deafness a secret for a few days from everybody else, Naaji figured it was finally time after he had spoken to the doctor and gotten it confirmed that it was the reality.

Due to horrible timing on Naaji's part and Tobias losing focus for a minute, Tobias then heard Emma let out a loud scream. The space obsessed child had managed to cut her hand on one of the hand-made generators in town, leading down a domino effect to Tobias overhearing an argument between two tired guards on watch next to the doctor's office.

Jakob having issues controlling his anger and refusing to take his medication, making some guards feel incredibly unsafe around him.

Rut being the one behind the abuse orders on Hampus, not Jakob.

A shooter on the rooftops where the rest of 43 and Jakob are currently scouting.

The guards breaking the signal lamp and waiting for the shooter to get rid of Jakob before Jakob becomes an "inevitable" danger to everyone in town.

Tobias relayed the information he had heard to Naaji about the shooter on the rooftops, upon "hearing" that Naaji grabbed Tobias hand as they bolted to get their gear to run over and find 43.

[fiinia]

Meteor shower

With this big new safe haven protecting all of you, "Sanctuary" or "Pearly gates" as it might be called; you can probably not see the meteor shower well enough from this due to all the lights inside of the town. If you either go far away from the walls out towards the city or forest, you could easily see it thanks to the surrounding darkness allowing the stars to shine.

However, if you are able to tell and convince the others in the town to shut the lights off for the night... There might be a town event or fest awaiting to watch it all together with you as a big community!

If you don't wish to keep the information about the meteor shower to yourselves, you might help everyone in your surroundings get a day away from the thought of chaos and despair.

An excuse for everyone to be outside in the open together. A "bonding" experience perhaps.

[fiinia]

Meteor shower

There is no longer barely any time left to find a good spot in a forest to watch the meteors hit. But if lucky, we might be able to see it well at the barn. If possible, it would be nice to move the hay to lie outside in the cold to just stare up at the sky.

As long as all things go accordingly, everyone can have a hot cup of chocolate and listen to Naaji playing his ukelele together with Tobias on his guitar. With Emma on a telescope, everyone can have just one single day to let go of all of their problems.

Edison will sadly leave and not be part of this as he still has a problem of his own to worry about. But maybe he can watch the meteor shower in his bus on the ride down to Helsingborg. Even if you are apart, it is still the same night sky that you will be seeing together in the end.

With everyone sharing their phone numbers together with Edison you can all text about what you are seeing too. The road could be a little lonely after all.