Sam:
The valves in Sam's mask speed up, the glass fogs a little.
Judd stays behind at ground level.
Everyone else moves up quietly and quickly: respirators click, gunmetal rattles, boots scuff the stairs.
<Up one floor from Ground Cord speaks quietly.>
"The first level is really high, there's an atrium, and only a few offices in the northeast and southwest wings."
<Cord taps an access hatch on the landing between floors.>
"I think this panel leads into a utility shaft. There should be two of them because there are two emergency stairwells. In a pinch we could hide in here, and even get out of the building by breaking through the fire barriers as we climb down. The other stairwell would be in the northeast wing and there's probably a shaft there too. See all of the upper floors are kind of like a figure 8 with the A wards at the bottom of the eight and the B wards in the top... I think. I really symmetrical."
"And there's also a public stairwell. Very open. No doors. It's in the middle sort of. Also 4 central elevator shafts and I think there's a freight elevator too."
<Looks around at you guys...>
"Hey... My ex worked here. And I've visited folks we saved in the burn ward... So I know the place really well."
Sam, jittery and a little wobbly, winds up the stairwell with the silenced pistol braced across her tonfa, and makes it over a stretch of blood spatters and drag marks to the 4th floor landing, just outside the emergency exit.
The drag marks lead up.
On the wall beside the door is simple floorplan of the fourth floor. Talking quietly, Cord points out where everything is, showing Sarge where room 475 is.
It doesn't really look like this, it's much simpler on the wall, but you have Cord to explain everything.
"These floorplans are for firefighters."
<He starts pointing things out on the map.>
"It looks like we have a lot of choices for moving up and down, so that's good. We are in the A ward emergency exit. Sarge, your Aunt Terri said she was in 475, that's the head nurse's office in B ward up here... "
<Taps the map.>
"No problem. Remember guys, we have lots of options for moving, but lets stay together, ok?"
<Hoists up his axe. For the first time since you met him he starts looking confident, the way a firefighter should.>
Judd waits nervously a few steps up from the ground floor landing, peering down past the railing to the basement floor landing below, straining his ears. The hand that holds the stun grenade is sweaty beneath his gloves. He can hear the whispered sounds of conversation echoing off the concrete walls from above. As soon as he hears that door open up at four he will be off.
Johnnie:
You are at the epicenter.
Sam:** spoiler omitted **
The valves in Sam's mask speed up, the glass fogs a little.
Patrick follows Sam, gripping his sword tightly.
As soon as he hears that door open up at four he will be off.
The chilling sounds below reached a pitch... but... at least they're not getting louder, or any worse.
Patrick follows Sam, gripping his sword tightly.
Sarge, Mike, Johnnie:
Sam's gaze continues to drift upwards every now and again, as if she's seen something and can't quite put her finger on it. Suddenly her eyes go wide and her breathing increases. "Uh guys. I don't want to alarm anyone here, but to me those surt of look like footprints and drag marks on the ceiling. So unless Spider-Man suddenly became a Z, and real for that matter, we may have even more problems."
You can clearly see that she's sweating heavily and she keeps stretching her neck. Things must really be starting to get to her.
On the steps between the 3rd and 4th level the blood spatters gradually turn into drag marks... leading up the stairwell.
But Sam directs everyone's eyes across the walls and up onto the ceiling. First there are only faint glistening marks, but as you follow them up, they start to look like footprints, but not really foot shaped, and by the time the blood on the ceiling starts, it's pretty clear that something slimy has dragged... carried... prey... upstairs--crawling along the walls and ceiling.
"Did you guys just hear that? It sure as hell didn't sound friendly whatever the fnck it was."
"Ummmm, all I can hear is starving cannibals downstairs. Are you ok, Sam?"
"Uh guys. I don't want to alarm anyone here, but to me those surt of look like footprints and drag marks on the ceiling. So unless Spider-Man suddenly became a Z, and real for that matter, we may have even more problems."
<Looks up, follows the trail on the ceiling.>
"OOOOOOOkay."
<Leans over the railing and looks upwards through the 6" gap running all the way up and down in the core of the stairwell.>
"I've been alarmed for a few days now. <She's shaking a little--pauses--steadies herself.> This is more like we're terrified human bacon and the pan is just heating up. Maybe we should get Dave up here. I don't think it's good splitting up. What if something comes out a door between him and us?"
The whispering upstairs is continuing. Fnck this, thinks Dave, glancing up. I’m goin’.
He begins moving quietly up the stairs, (barely) resisting the urge to take them two at a time at a run.
The whispering upstairs is continuing. Fnck this, thinks Dave, glancing up. I’m goin’.
He begins moving quietly up the stairs, (barely) resisting the urge to take them two at a time at a run.
Footsteps approach from below (DC 17). At the last minute Mike points his guns downward in case a zombie has eaten Judd and come up the stairs quietly.
Judd makes it all the way up. Mike doesn't shoot him.
“Finger off the trigger mate, it’s me,” he whispers. “Why are you all standing around like stunned mullets – oh ...” Dave follows Sam’s gaze up to the ceiling.
“... right ...” He glances at the door. “Want to get the fnck out of here?”
<Sees Judd--looks relieved--notices he's looking at the ceiling.>
"I know, right? First it's Iron Man, then The Hulk, now it's Spiderman. Zombie fncking avengers."
<Sees Judd--looks relieved--notices he's looking at the ceiling.>
"I know, right? First it's Iron Man, then The Hulk, now it's Spiderman. Zombie fncking avengers."
Dave fogs up his mask as he snorts, trying to restrain himself from laughing hysterically (‘cos once he starts he doesn’t think he’s going to stop).
Judd shakes his head, pushes past the others and puts his ear to the door.
Judd shakes his head, pushes past the others and puts his ear to the door.
Light is coming from under the door.
Judd opens the door very slowly, peering out through the crack first, and seeing nothing zombielike pushes it all the way open and treads softly out into the 4th floor hallway, the others follow.
The hallway is wide, You emerging from the inward side of the hallway, facing the doors of hospital rooms that face outward. Even without electricity the building is well lit, with large windows in all of the hospital rooms, and each room door flanked with at least 5 feet of glass. From where you stand you see that some of the glass is shattered into glittering bloodstained pebbles--someone has charged through the glass.
From around the corner to your right comes drag marks on the floor. They enter the fire exit door from which you emerged and join the drag marks leading up the emergency exit stairwell. You look up. The ceiling is a suspended ceiling... not something spiderman could crawl on without bringing it down.
To the right of the emergency exit is a broken fire-hose cabinet. An axe is missing from a bracket inside.
Down the hall to your right (north) there are several pools of blood where the hall turns out of sight.
Other than the click of your gas masks and the crunch of Judd stepping on broken glass, all is quiet.
Dave turns back and whispers quietly to Sarge, “You sure you wanna do this man? I … things don’t look good … maybe she got out …”
Sam's gaze follows the trail of blood around the corner. She takes a deep breathe and c o c k s her head. "Do you guys smell that? I've never known blood to smell that potent before. Whatever did this might have some kind of blood powers or something. Maybe it's what was whispering in the stairwell."
She glances back towards the emergency exit, but can't help doing a circuit of the ceiling in the process.
"So how are we gonna do this? Search and clear each room one by one until we reach Pat's Aunt, or just take our chances that nothing's gonna come out and cut off our retreat?"
Sam's gaze follows the trail of blood around the corner. She takes a deep breathe and c o c k s her head. "Do you guys smell that? I've never known blood to smell that potent before. Whatever did this might have some kind of blood powers or something. Maybe it's what was whispering in the stairwell."
<Glances from Sam toward Judd and Anna--concerned expression.>
"So how are we gonna do this? Search and clear each room one by one until we reach Pat's Aunt, or just take our chances that nothing's gonna come out and cut off our retreat?"
"Nobody's gonna cut us off."
<Cord turns to the firehose. He disconnects it, starts uncoiling and slinging it over his shoulder.>
"Rope," he says to anyone wondering what he's doing.>
“Map showed another fire stair on the other side,” whispers Dave. “Or there’s the main stair, lift shafts, climb out a window … plenty of ways out.”
He makes sure the door they just came out of is firmly shut behind them.
“Remember, no guns, Dave reminds everyone. “We don’t need to let the hoard downstairs know we’re up here. Anyone wants this,” he holds up the suppressed Colt Commando, “let me know.” By now he’s tucked away the flash grenade.
North or East? Check rooms carefully or just glance through the windows?
Move Judd to the front of the marching order? Mike keeps the back, right?
Dave heads north. He looks through the window (and / or doorway if the door is open) of the room opposite the stairs (the one Anna is outside of on the map) and the next one north of that (the one he’s approaching on the map) as he goes.
He’s moving cautiously and quietly , holding the Commando up at shoulder height ahead of him, keeping his eyes and ears open. Nightvision is off, the goggles tucked away.
Cord finishes wrapping the heavy fire hose into a coil, looping one end over a few times to secure it but make it easy to uncoil when the next emergency strikes. He threads his head and arm through the hole in the coil, shifts it around uncomfortably, decides that is a bad idea and removes it. I'll just carry it." he whispers as he hoists it over his left shoulder, using that hand to steady the sizable roll. He retrieves his fire axe and tests the balance and then starts moving as cautiously as the big man can.
He moves over to each window as they pass to peer in for signs of a barricade, survivors or the enemy. Trusting that the ward doors open into the room and so there is less danger of them bursting open on him.
"If we see a storeroom, we might want to grab some supplies, antibiotics are going to be the gold of this new world. There might be something left worth liberating."
Sam takes the right hand side of the corridor, keeping pace with Dave as they head north. She points at Pat to follow closely behind and for Cord to hang back and protect the rear with Mike, keeping Anna and Wasabi in the centre of the group.
As they walk, she alternates pointing the gun between ahead of them and the ceiling, except when Dave is checking a door, at which times she's covering him. She notices Cord rechecking the doors as they pass and nods. "Can't be too careful," she thinks to herself.
Sam takes the right hand side of the corridor, keeping pace with Dave as they head north. She points at Pat to follow closely behind and for Cord to hang back and protect the rear with Mike, keeping Anna and Wasabi in the centre of the group.
Patrick keeps close, sword at the ready. His chainmail is heavy on his shoulders
Patrick keeps close, sword at the ready. His chainmail is heavy on his shoulders
** spoiler omitted **
Sam looks up and around, a strange and frightened look on her face. "Did you guys just hear that? It sure as hell didn't sound friendly whatever the fnck it was."
If you look really closely, you can detect a slight waver in the hand holding the gun, which now that you mention it is starting to look a little white from the strength of the grip she has on it...
"Hear what?"
Sam's gaze continues to drift upwards every now and again, as if she's seen something and can't quite put her finger on it. Suddenly her eyes go wide and her breathing increases. "Uh guys. I don't want to alarm anyone here, but to me those surt of look like footprints and drag marks on the ceiling. So unless Spider-Man suddenly became a Z, and real for that matter, we may have even more problems."
You can clearly see that she's sweating heavily and she keeps stretching her neck. Things must really be starting to get to her.
"...I always did hate Spider-Man. Whiny-ass b!@#*..."
11
23
Mike:
Something is up with Sam. Could be cracking. She's a mess after getting smashed. Missing a few teeth.
Sarge seems dead on warning everyone that the fire/emergency stairwell doors are not safe, and that even if Zs aren't chasing anything they might just wander in and not be able to get out because of the panic bar design. Got to be extra careful in there.
As for escaping into the stairwell, a good idea might be to find something that can block the doors. Looking around, it looks like you might be able to brace the door with a hospital bed. Roll it in, turn it sideways, close the door, then brace the door shut by positioning the bed between the door and stairwell railing.
Keeping the doors from being opened from the stairwell is a little trickier--there's no handle to tie off--the door swings into the stairwell. That's trouble if the zombies in the basement start coming up--assuming they can open the doors--and you know there are those "leaders".
But then it looks like just about anything can come up the main stairwell... a stairwell which you'll no doubt walk past in a minute. So WTH? That's worse.
As for the approach on room 475. The fireman. Smart. Good to have the fire hose as a rope. Looks like Cord might be able to knot it around a bed and break out a window with the bed laid down lengthwise to keep it from rolling out. Check. A lot of the windows by the hospital room doors are broken, so it looks like hospital rooms are not much use for hiding. No where to hide here. Lots of places to move, but no where to hide. IT might not be enough hose above the 4th floor though. But then you could always climb down a few floors and then go in through another window.
Also the utility shafts that Cord pointed out. Access panels are on the stairwell landings halfway between floors. The look like a good place to hide. He said you could break through the fire barriers and climb all the way up or down. Good to know.
Dave:
You can smell the blood, although it bothers you the way Sam describes it--because it certainly doesn't seem so intense to you. She gets a little panicky as you've seen, but she seems to have gone way beyond panicky. Besides being extraordinarily nervous and fidgety, it seems she's hearing voices, she's breathing hard and fogging, and you think she might have a head or neck injury from getting swatted by the morgue door. Not much you can do now, but definitely worth keeping an eye on her.
You DO hear something ahead, to the north around the corner in the direction you are heading. You hear some glass crunch. You're 90% certain the crunch didn't come from one of yours. Something is moving ahead.
Scanning the rooms to the left as you move north to the corridor dogleg you can see that people were trying to barricade themselves in the rooms, but there wasn't much they could do to keep the zombies out because of the glass panels that flank the hospital room doors.... but it seems moot. It's been a good four days since anything happened here, and any survivors would have either become dyhydrated and be dead or near death, or they would have already tried to sneak out. PLus from the looks of it some of them jumped out the windows. Still you look for signs.
You spot some dislodged ceiling tiles above hospital bed that has been cranked to its highest. On the floor next to it a chair kicked away.
Judd is watching you....
Sam:Also, you're fogging up your mask.
Dave peers into the rooms that he passes, without getting too close, and occasionally glances back at Sam, his expression unreadable behind the mask.
All of a sudden he stops, and looks north, seeming to be concentrating or trying to hear something. Then he looks back at Sam, and puts up his free hand in an unmistakable ‘stop’ gesture. Then puts his fist up in front of his face, with his index finger raised in front of where his mouth would be behind the mask in a ‘sshhh’ gesture.
He then points ahead, sort of to the north and around the corner, in the direction that the blood trail starting at the junction leads away.
If Sam is still looking at the ceiling he also points into the room he is passing, where a hospital bed has been cranked up to its highest, directly under a point where some ceiling tiles are missing above it.
Once he’s done all this, Dave continues sneaking forward (unless anyone stops him or does something unexpected), staying close to the blank wall (with the nurses station etc behind it). When he gets to the corner he very carefully peers around it, scanning the corridor and entrance to the main stair beyond ... not neglecting the ceiling in his glance, although he is more focused on floor level.
Unfortunately, with his back almost against the wall, he brushes against a notice board, it catching on the sniper rifle strapped to his back - several heavy pins and bits of paper clatter and swish to the floor.
Sam stops at Dave's instruction and points her gun ahead of them. You see her c o c k her head and then shake it, before looking up and backing up a step.
"Uh guys," she says to the others. "There's something just up ahead around the bend," she whispers loudly. She pauses for a second, as if thinking whether to say something, then says in a barely audible voice "and there's also something up there," she points up towards the ceiling. "Something waiting for m... us. Something... evil."
"Uh guys," she says to the others. "There's something just up ahead around the bend," she whispers loudly. She pauses for a second, as if thinking whether to say something, then says in a barely audible voice "and there's also something up there," she points up towards the ceiling. "Something waiting for m... us. Something... evil."
Sam:
Dave knocks the notice board at about the same time Sam speaks (in an way too loud whisper in his opinion ... but he can’t talk, being the idiot who just knocked something over). He stops stock still and listens intently, trying to hear above the loud beating of his heart
The militia begins moving north, carefully and quietly scoping out the hospital rooms through the flanking windows. Littering the floor are papers, pieces of crumbled glass, the odd bloodstain, id cards, pocket protectors, stethoscopes, bloody scalpels, pieces of human flesh and internal organs, teeth, and the sort of small ordinary things that might be lost or abandoned in the panic of a zombie onslaught.
... All of a sudden he stops, and looks north, seeming to be concentrating or trying to hear something. Then he looks back at Sam, and puts up his free hand in an unmistakable ‘stop’ gesture. Then puts his fist up in front of his face, with his index finger raised in front of where his mouth would be behind the mask in a ‘sshhh’ gesture.
He then points ahead, sort of to the north and around the corner, in the direction that the blood trail starting at the junction leads away.
A massive dried bloodstain marks the unmistakable location of someone's death... or more likely where a jugular vein was torn open because, from the look of it, while still living they were dragged away from the attack while the weakening surges of their lifeblood left rhythmic depleting splashes in a grim trail leading away, out of sight around the corner ahead.
As Judd approaches the corner he stops, his eye caught by something through the window of room 402 ahead. He points it out. The door is open and the glass beside the door remains unbroken. A bed is cranked as high as it can go. A chair lays on its side on the floor beside the bed. Several ceiling tiles have fallen, several more are ajar. It looks like someone has scrambled up into the suspended ceiling.
Sam, meanwhile, is craning her head up and scanning the ceiling above her, and all around, babbling about the evil above.
If Sam is still looking at the ceiling he also points into the room he is passing, where a hospital bed has been cranked up to its highest, directly under a point where some ceiling tiles are missing above it.
Once he’s done all this, Dave continues sneaking forward (unless anyone stops him or does something unexpected), staying close to the blank wall (with the nurses station etc behind it). When he gets to the corner he very carefully peers around it, scanning the corridor and entrance to the main stair beyond ... not neglecting the ceiling in his glance, although he is more focused on floor level.
Unfortunately, with his back almost against the wall, he brushes against a notice board, it catching on the sniper rifle strapped to his back - several heavy pins and bits of paper clatter and swish to the floor.
Never have paper and tacks fallen so loudly. Everyone looks at Dave. Dave shrugs, steps forward, and glances around the corner into the dead, bloodstained eyes of pack of snarling plague zombies. When they see Dave their faces contort in agonizing hunger--a few snarl, one screams in rage, and they all charge--which everyone can hear.
Dave: