Telling you isn't a big deal for me. It's just how it is, yanno?
[Ellie gives a little sigh, trying to figure out where to begin, then flips on the video feed, flips on the "private" lock.]
So... I guess my world used to be a lot like this. But without magic, or this war, anything like that. I'm from Boston, right? Joel's from Texas.
Twenty years ago, there was some kind of outbreak. The military calls it CBI, the cordyceps brain infection. We just call it the 'ceps, or Infected. It's contagious. It doesn't kill you, but it grows all over the brain and drives people crazy. They start... attacking everyone they see. Biting them, infecting them, beating them to death.
Whenever I start talking about this people tell me it sounds a lot like a zombie apocalypse. I guess it is, but they're not dead. They're strong. And fast.
Anyway, I grew up in the Quarantine Zone in Boston. The military's in charge there. There are rations, curfews, weapon laws, the whole nine yards. But it's not like here. If they catch you out after dark, you're shot on sight. You only get rations if you work, and most of the time I guess they don't... have them.
There's shooting in the streets all the time. Not all the time, but sometimes it's skirmishes between the military and the Fireflies. Riley and I even got in on some of them.
The Fireflies are like... the military calls them terrorists. But I don't exactly know about that. They're the only other armed force in the QZ, and they want the military out of power. I -- I don't know who's right, but the Fireflies are the only ones still looking for a vaccine.
video; private
[Ellie gives a little sigh, trying to figure out where to begin, then flips on the video feed, flips on the "private" lock.]
So... I guess my world used to be a lot like this. But without magic, or this war, anything like that. I'm from Boston, right? Joel's from Texas.
Twenty years ago, there was some kind of outbreak. The military calls it CBI, the cordyceps brain infection. We just call it the 'ceps, or Infected. It's contagious. It doesn't kill you, but it grows all over the brain and drives people crazy. They start... attacking everyone they see. Biting them, infecting them, beating them to death.
Whenever I start talking about this people tell me it sounds a lot like a zombie apocalypse. I guess it is, but they're not dead. They're strong. And fast.
Anyway, I grew up in the Quarantine Zone in Boston. The military's in charge there. There are rations, curfews, weapon laws, the whole nine yards. But it's not like here. If they catch you out after dark, you're shot on sight. You only get rations if you work, and most of the time I guess they don't... have them.
There's shooting in the streets all the time. Not all the time, but sometimes it's skirmishes between the military and the Fireflies. Riley and I even got in on some of them.
The Fireflies are like... the military calls them terrorists. But I don't exactly know about that. They're the only other armed force in the QZ, and they want the military out of power. I -- I don't know who's right, but the Fireflies are the only ones still looking for a vaccine.
Outside the QZ's are way, way worse.