"War. War never changes.
The Romans waged war to gather slaves and wealth. Spain built an empire from its lust for gold and territory. Hitler shaped a battered Germany into an economic superpower.
But war never changes.
In the 21st century, war was still waged over the resources that could be acquired. Only this time, the spoils of war were also its weapons: Petroleum and Uranium. For these resources, China would invade Alaska, the US would annex Canada, and the European Commonwealth would dissolve into quarreling, bickering nation-states, bent on controlling the last remaining resources on Earth.
In 2077, the storm of world war had come again. In two brief hours, most of the planet was reduced to cinders. And from the ashes of nuclear devastation, a new civilization would struggle to arise.
A few were able to reach the relative safety of the large underground Vaults. Your family was part of that group that entered Vault Two. Imprisoned safely behind the large Vault door, under a city of concrete, more than one generation has lived without knowledge of the outside world.
But Vault Two was not without its faults. Birth control, a luxury so taken for granted before the war, was purposefully removed from the halls of Vault Two, a horrid experiment on overpopulation by the programmers of Vault-Tec, who not only removed any of the materials necessary to create suitable and reliable chemical or physical contraceptives, but any and all data on the databanks and books present.
As the years went by and the original Overseer passed and was replaced, and the confines of the Vault grew less habitable, the new Overseer knew he had a decision to make, and a tough one. He learned of the fault in Vault Two from the previous Overseer, and even knew of the failsafes that Vault-Tec had programmed into the system that would occur should they insert contraceptive education into the databanks, and so he devised a plan to save as many lives as possible. Rather than let war break out within the Vault when capacity was breached and supplies were diminishing, he decided they would hold a lottery each year and exile those who's name were drawn...A number of dwellers equal to those born minus those who have died...So that they would retain a zero population growth.
Yes, it was cruel to think of their fate, but it was better than death, or war, horrid war that had already destroyed so much of humanity breaking out in the one place that was supposed to be safe from war.
So every year a number was chosen, and the day was never the same. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night, sometimes it would be during the work day. The only way the people would know would be the speech the Overseer gave the next day, 'saluting the bravery of those who sacrifice so that we may live.'
You were one of those people chosen...
...and life in the Waste is about to change."
It didn't make sense. The Overseer gave the speech only a few days ago. You could've sworn everyone was supposed to be safe for another year, or at least a few months!
Yet, now, here you are as you start to come to. You recognize the thick, hot, loose garb of the radiation suits they use to escort the exiles out of the vault. The visors are blackened out, and you can feel the heat of your breath staming up the glass. Your wrists are tied behind your back, ankles tied together, and you feel your bodies pressed up against one another.
You can tell by the vibration you're in some kind of vehicle, although you're not sure what, or for how long. The last thing you remember was whatever was in that needle being injected into you, and then it all went black...
Badger jostles awake, sweating in the radiation suit. Working over the uncomfortable cotton mouth after the injection, he tries to stay still as much as possible and strains to hear anything he can over the rumble of the engine and through the heavy suit. In his head, he goes over the mental checklist of supplies he managed to smuggle.
"Great-granddad's knife, that's the big one. Got real lucky I could take that... now the meds..."
Notice, to see if I overhear the escorts talking or anything similar:
Wild die:
Exploding Notice:
Second Notice Explosion:
Aeryicka shivered in the corner, her arms wrapped around her knees as the box her and others were in bounced along the trail. She didn't know how this happened. She always tried to stay out of the way, always tried to be unnoticed though never unfriendly. And she was supposed to be safe. It had only been a short while since the last group were taken away, they should have been safe for the next year! She wished she still had Rex with her. She had that toy since she could remember, it was always like a safety device for her, always listened to her when she had a bad day.
Quiet sniffles escaped her as she glanced around at the others trapped within the box with her. She was fortunate enough to have the dog whistle tucked within her sock still, able to draw comfort from the item digging into her ankle. As she reached down to scratch it, her hand bumped against a small pack on her leg she hadn't noticed before. She left it alone to keep from drawing attention to herself and smiled sadly to herself. Perhaps someone was still looking out for her. But she still missed Rex...
Hide and seek.
It was a childish game that Harper had played many times with Percy around the vault. Harper was an expert at it. She knew of every little crawl space behind cupboards, every nook and cranny, every space that was just large enough for her to squeeze her body into. She had been playing it with Percy just a few hours ago. Soon after, she had played it with the Protectors.
Ha. What a misleading name for executioners.
The very people that had kept order and peace within Vault Two were now the people who were taking her far, far away from her family. Away from Mom. Away from Dad. Away from Percy. Percy. Percy. Where was he now?
*********
Eyes snapped open to reveal blackness; Harper woke up from a fitful sleep full of nothing but nightmares. She shivered. Thank god none of them were real. Percy had died in one of them. Mom and Dad had abandoned her in another. In the most vivid one, Harper's name had been drawn in the lottery.
Oh wait.
The last one hadn't been a dream. Harper struggled against the bonds that kept her from moving, testing her arms and legs to see if any of them were loose. Nope. Apparently, Protectors were worth their salt. Harper scowled. Time for action plan B. Straightening her legs, she laid down upon the floor. She pulled her weight toward the left side of the radiation suit. She felt her body roll over with a plunk. Repeat. Before she had rolled over four times, Harper ran into something. Something that moved. She gathered sweet, sweet air into her lungs and proceeded to yell.
"Who's there?!"
That bastard went and did it! He's put me out! I'll show him...I'll show them all. Kristophe is silently brooding for a moment.
Estelle opens her eyes. Or, at least she thinks she does. Everything is still black and it's hard to see. She tries to stretch only to find her arms and feet bound. It takes a few seconds before the memories start coming back, and from there, it's easy to piece together the series of events. 'How truly barbaric.' She thinks, indignant.
To first have searched her - as if she was some common thief, and then to have injected her, stuffed her in a suit while unconscious, and now be dragging her out into the wilderness. She had expected a certain amount of dignity in her departure, not to be thrown into a bag like garbage and discarded on the street.
She curses having taken so long to wake up, thinking that counting the seconds to gauge distance was nearly useless since she had no way of knowing how long they'd been driving.
Feeling other bodies against hers, she hears a young girl scream out, and her blood runs cold. 'Surely they didn't send out a child?' she thinks to herself, but after the last few days, she couldn't be certain.
"Hello?" She calls back. "My name's Estelle. Are you hurt?"
Badger stays quiet, keeping his posture relaxed but not limp and resisting the urge to speak up to offer reassurance.
"Someone's upset... which is to be expected, really. And that other voice sounded awfully young. But if Estelle's here that's good news; at least one more person that can carry their own weight."
Badger can hear, plain as can be, the drivers in the front of the vehicle talking. They do not seem happy.
"I told you, this is bullcrap! There's got to be another way. They just booted out Mickey and the others, what, a week ago? We're only supposed to have to do this once a year! And now, geeze, there's a kid back there."
"Practically, two. The short one just finished school, if I recall. I think she was in my mom's class."
"Look guys, I don't know about you, but I scrounged up some stuff when I found out who it was. I mean, it could've been any of us, right?"
There seems to be general murmurs of agreement.
"Yeah, well, I don't care what the instructions say, I say we drop them off at that school that Biff found last run. It looked pretty solidly built, at least they could have a place to sleep, right?"
"But then why don't we just turn around and bring them home?"
"Gonna go with 'because the Overseer has twin miniguns mounted to his station', Jim, and a lot of guards who still follow the rules."
The murmuring gets quiet at that point.
"Look, we're almost there. At least we aren't dropping them off by that giant ant's nest, like Pedro bragged about when his ex girlfriend got pulled on the lottery. Man, I know she cheated, but that was just cruel!"
You all hear a familiar voice once Harper starts yelling. It's Maxwell, a retired teacher. Some of the older ones of you had classes with him, the younger ones knew him because he would visit the classrooms to tell stories and bring treats. He was a kind old man in his 70s, and soft spoken.
"It's okay, folks. Nobody's gonna hit you right now. It's just me, old Maxwell. I'm riding in the back of the van with you. I volunteered for this job a while back, told the Overseer I wanted to keep useful in my twilight. We've got a little ride ahead of us, and I'm here to answer questions you have, but...well...before you ask, I can't tell you how to get home. I can probably take the blacking off your rad suits, now, though."
One by one you have the black tape taken off your visors, and you can see you're all in the back of a large panel van, heading along a broken highway. You can't see much out of the back windows except for the debris ridden sun scorched road, and there seems to be a divider between you and the drivers.
Maxwell tries to squeeze out a small comforting smile, given the circumstances, but it's clearly forced.
Max? Hey Max, this is some misunderstandin right. I ain't supposed to be in here. I'm not one of these.... Kristophe doesn't finish his sentence.
Aeryicka startled violently when another female screamed out, but before she could say anything a comforting voice spoke up. When the black tape was removed from her visor, she gave a look around to see who was taken with her. Most of the ones she was she didn't really know, mostly just from seeing them around the vault. It wasn't like she had a lot of friends anyway. Looking at the man who spoke, her eyes widened perceptibly at seeing Old Maxwell. "Max, what's going on? Why were we taken? I'm scared, Max."
Badger eagerly looks out onto the ruined highway, finally getting a glimpse of the the world outside the Vault.
"Hey, listen.",he says, loudly enough for the escorts up front. "We're all in a crap situation, but I always thought I'd be out here someday. I'll make sure everybody finds their feet. So no hard feelings from me. And thanks. For you-know-what. How badly radiated is the area, Max? Are we gonna have to stay in these suits the whole time far as you know? And, well, now that we're out here- what's the deal with the second lottery? Is Vault 2 really in such a bad spot?"
Morgan, shakes his head slowly at Kristophe.
"Now, son, you know you had as much chance to be here as any of these folks...Especially with all this extra tickets put in for those assault charges, and 'muscling in' on things. You knew this could catch up to you. You were lucky to get along as far as you did. Unlike these poor girls."
He puts a calming hand on Ariycka's shoulder. "I know you are, girl, but you're gonna have to be brave. You lost the lottery, sweetheart, and bless your heart so did the rest of these folks. It's not an easy life out there, but at least now you might get to see one of those animals from those videos you been watching so much of. You all won't be alone, that's a blessing, as much as it is a curse to have so many out again. Apparently the last batch was only half, and the Overseer didn't want to risk dropping all of you at once for fear of a riot...though I do wonder how it will turn when we return."
He listens to Badger's questions.
"Actually, it should be clean now,...and we're supposed to take this back, afterwards, you see...protocol and all. You're supposed to get out of them when we drop you off. It's bad, Badger. Apparently people have been extra frisky this year. I tried to ask why we couldn't just send a run out to pick up supplies for birth control from outside, since we're doing these drops anyway, and he said it simply wasn't an option. To be honest, he looked really nervous, and kept eyeing the security sensors for the centralized computer."
"Now listen, I want to untie you all to make the rest of this ride more comfortable. I'm just an old man, though, and I don't like the idea of a bunch of youngins beating me senseless for a kindness, especially when I hear the boys in the front seem to have packed up a going away present. I'd rather they leave you supplies than used ammunition and some new chest ventilation, you understand."
With that, Morgan takes a small knife out and starts cutting your bonds.
|
Thomas thought it might be better to play possum, see if they'll give something away if they thought not everyone was up. Well, apparently we've got a friendly crowd tonight, so no need to worry about.
Badger had the right of it. An important question, that. Morgan's answer, though...that gave one pause. If the Vault _was_ in such a bad way...the over-crowding, the rationing, the fragging Drop that separated families without so much as a 'by your leave.' Wouldn't...wouldn't it be better to try to...emigrate? Wouldn't it be better if we had some place to go? If this school is such a nice place, why not drop everyone off there?
Or why not make it so good people had a choice.
Thomas worked some moisture into his mouth. It took a bit, but by the time Morgan got to his bonds he thought he could at least put a coherent thought together.
"Alright, Morgan, can you...can you do me one favor? What if...what if it's possible to, perhaps, make a settlement of this school? If it has no rads and is safe enough, what if...what if we started farming it? Put up some permanent shelter?
I know it can be done. Just, you guys, just promise me one thing: Next year, at the next drop. Come by this spot. At least do that much. If it's habitable, you'll be able to go back to the Overseer and tell him we didn't need a GECK--we made our own paradise.
And...and if there's nothing here, then you don't need to worry about it anyway, because apparently it's no less deadly than anywhere else.
Come on. Give me a chance. You've literally nothing to lose, and -everything- to gain."
Thomas waited for their answer. He didn't mind failing and dying alone, as long as he knew that there was a chance for the future.
Wait. Isn't that voice familiar? Oh, that's right.
Harper. Oh drek. Now I have to succeed.
"It's kind of inevitable- I mean, the way people are knockin' boots. Drops are just going to get more frequent until... Well. It ain't my problem anymore. Man, look at all that space... just, exposed... wonder what's out there."
Badger ceases his reverie to get back to the matter at hand.
"You said supplies Mr. Morgan... er, Max. You know anything about the area, stuff we should keep an eye out for? I can take care of myself, but six of us? We'll need to think bigger."
Morgan nods slowly to Thomas.
"I'm not on every drop, son. I wasn't there with the last four they sent out, or the one before, but...I'll ask. I know they don't want is going to the same spots, so we don't get...well...ambushed by disgruntled exiles. I'll talk to him, Tommy, if he'll listen to an old man."
"Badger, it's a little boarding school we found off what they used to call the Yeehaw Junction. There was never really any big towns near there...just highway rest stops and the like, really...but it was the intersection of a few major roads, so despite being somewhat the middle of nowhere, you might be able to find your way to something or other. Can't say as I can tell you all the dangers around here, as I don't really get out and about to see the towns and people, you see. I can say the radroaches you get around engineering seem to be everywhere, here...and the boys have had to floor it when we saw some...lizard things...chasing the van. I don't know what the radiation did to the outside, but seems like it made a lot of stuff bigger and ornery."
He reaches behind one of the seats and pulls out a few backpacks. "We scrounged up and got three backpacks for you all, and each of them has a baton, a bedroll, and a bottle of water. I know it's not enough for all six of you, but it was about all we could do. When we found out there were kids...well, we got about six cans of pork n beans. It isn't much, but it's all we could do on short notice without anyone finding out."
Aeryicka gave a tremulous smile at Max. "T-thank you," she said as she placed one of the packs next to her. "I'm hoping that I can find a good dog, I've always loved dogs."
Even knowing that Maxwell Morgan wasn't to blame, and that he was trying to do his best, her cold stare towards him didn't falter until her bonds were cut. Being able to move, she does little, and speaks less, but still casts her glance around the truck, taking in the other survivors. 'Not even one child, but two. Hell.'
In addition to the two younger girls, she spotted three men. 'Fair's fair, I guess.' she thinks, but it doesn't taste less bitter that the girls aren't even fully grown. She recognised Badger as one of them. Couple years younger than her, good kid. Had a lot of questions about the past, and the outside. 'Maybe he'll get some answers now.' she thinks.
The other one, what was his name... Thomas? She was trying to remember what she knew of him as he started speaking, talking about creating a settlement - the same thoughts that she herself had had. 'Okay' she thinks. 'Two for two so far.' It was always a gamble who was going to be sent out, but she'd heard a lot of stories about the Lottery system being used to dispose of trouble makers before. You piss the right people off, you get more choices to go out. Stacking the deck against you. It occurred to her that she ought to feel lucky, to be with a group so far that wasn't filled with murderers or rapists.
Though, there was the last guy. She didn't know him. He was quiet, and he was big, and that combination made her more than a bit anxious. She decided that she would have to keep her eye on him.
Finally, she speaks. "Mr. Morgan, I'm sure that you believe you're doing us a great service by dropping us with some supplies, and I do not mean to imply a lack of appreciation. However, it would be helpful to us if you can ensure our survival more than a few cans of beans' worth." She holds up a hand to stop any argument before it begins. "I do not mean to suggest you not do your job, but perhaps you can provide us with more information. Nothing of the sort about where the Vault is. Suffice to say, it is behind us."
"Where we are going is another story. This school that you are taking us to - do you know if there any supplies left behind? As Mr. Roland suggested, is it a..." She pauses, looking inadvertently towards the younger girl. "Safe, sound structure? Especially at night, I expect it would do us well to be indoors."
"Well, it was concrete block, from what I can tell, so it won't be collapsing around you, if that's what you're asking. It's out if the way from any cities, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. But it gets hot out, sweetie. The nukes scorching all the ozone didn't do much to help the Florida heat, and I can tell you from those few we did run into that they say shelter is a blessing when the clouds part. We never explored it, really...just found it following some back roads once...but the sign said it was a boarding school. We aren't supposed to drop you at a town, for fear locals might follow us back, so I figured four walls and potentially some beds might be the best we can do. With three highways nearby, you have six directions you can take, and...well...just don't go south. We've actually had one truck that never came back after trying to drop a group in the everglades."
The van pulls to a stop, and you can hear doors in the front open. "No, I can't look, man, it'll haunt my dreams, you go..." "Hey, this I what the old man signed up for. We're just here for of it goes south." "I don't care what you say, I'm going..."
Four guards, two men and two women, climb out of the front half of the van in full security uniform and slide open the back door. None seem to be willing to look you in the eye. One of the women is shaking her head and mumbling to herself. One of the men seems like he's been crying.
You recognize the faces. Not friends, per se, but friends of friends...classmates, church attendees. Each one of you had seen at least one, some two or three of them at different locations. One of the men speaks up, clearing his throat.
"This...is it. Um...on behalf of Vault 2, I have to...inform you of your, ahem...no longer welcome status."
Maxwell shakes his head as the man tries to remain stern. "Jeff, why don't you get the van running? I'll do the hard part." The young man nods, and the others turn to follow him.
One of them, the young woman who was silent, takes out her 10mm gun and drops it on the ground, kicking it away with her foot. "Oops. Dropped my sidearm. Can't seem to find it. Gonna have to file for a replacement. It was getting old, anyway. Sure would be a shame if someone found it, along with, I don't know, two clips full of bullets in a backpack that was specifically packed for a pair of girls far too young to be pushed into the world. Yes, it would be a shame if they were to look in the left side pocket to find them." She gives the girls a stern nod and joins the other guards in front.
Maxwell smiles. "There's a large town north, the signs all say it's called Kingdom. East the signs say Kennedy, but there's warnings that talk about they kill mutants and ghouls...I don't know what that means, to be honest. West...well I don't know, but the road goes west, too, so theres got to have been stuff that way at one time. Be brave, folks. If I can, I'll try to be back around these parts in a year, like Thomas asked."
They drop your bags out, and provided there's no resistance taking back the suits, they leave you in your customary blue Vault 2 jumpers, turn and prepare to drive off, kicking dust behind them as they head off.
The building they left you by seems two-story. Saint Horatio's School for the Mediocre is outlined in rusty lettering. Bars, equally rusted with years, line the windows. A rotten fence surrounds the area, and a bunch of broken playground equipment lies scattered everywhere. The road you at on is a side road, clearly off the highways mentioned. There's a glass door at the entrance of the school, clearly shattered, and inside is far too dark to see from this distance. All around besides appears to be woods...or the skeletal remains of what was once woods, now only brown trunks and branches reaching for the sky...which is...frankly, quite hot. Blazing, actually, and even out of the rad suits, you're still feeling the sweat grip your jumpers to your bodies.
Harper's jaw dropped when she saw the ruins of the old school. Creaky, rusted swings let out painful groans when the wind was kind enough to caress them, and a shattered school window revealed the desks of long-dead students. Harper was so busy staring at the haunted house of a school that she wasn't watching where she stumbled around in terror-induced awe. Her foot hit something on the ground, and she nearly fell over. She looked down to see what had tripped her.
She was greeted by the hollow sockets of a tiny skull.
Harper felt acid rise in her throat. This was wrong. This was so wrong. This couldn't be real. As the van began to fire up its engine again, she ran up to the driver seat's window and pounded on the door with all of her frail might. When she recieved no response, she let loose a shrill cry of terror.
"No! NO! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE! WAIT!"
Either no one inside heard her over the dull roar of the van's ramshackle engine, or no one cared. The van sped away from Harper, leaving her to fall to her knees next to parallel sets of tire tracks. Her eyes grew wet. Harper, however, was not ready to cry. Instead, she got to her feet, spun around, and studied the faces of the other exiles of Vault Two. Two immediately jumped out at her as being familiar, but only one could possibly be a worthy subject of her ire.
A bulky man stood wide eyed approximately five feet away from Harper. She quickly closed the gap between her and the target of her rage. What was his name? Kristophe? At this point, she didn't care how big and scary he was, he was an ex-protector and Harper wanted answers. She took a deep breath in and narrowed her eyes in carefully calculated animosity.
"How many did you leave out here to die?! HOW MANY LIKE US HAVE YOU KILLED?!"
|
|
Thomas' mind raced with options, maybe something else to say? Something else to ask that make them let some other valuable piece of data slip? No. Do go North or East, don't go South, that's probably as good as they were gonna get.
He mouths a 'thank you' to the young lady as she drops her side-arm.
He scans the surroundings. Yeah, there'll probably be some corpses in there (a small part of his brain start wondering what condition the corpses would be in, but he shuts that down. Now's not the time or the place.) but there might be something useful, too. When the whole of your assets consist of a handful of backpacks and a countable number of ounces of water, it wouldn't take too much to generate a positive upswing.
Movement catches his eye. Harper. Well, who knows how tough girl may--nope, she found a kid's skull. I better--okay, now she's yelling. That's understandable, but not very helpful.
He rushes forward, drops to a knee, and wraps the girl in his arms.
"Shhh. Shh. Sh. It's okay. It's...yeah, it's gonna be okay. Morgan said that just over there is a road with a sign on it saying they'll shoot 'mutants'...whatever those are. So that means there's people over there, and people means food. And shelter. And maybe the means to make this place better. We've only got a year to turn this place into somewhere that Percy would wanna live, okay. We can even name the town 'Harper's Ferry.' Would you like that? But we gotta get going.
And threatening the large man with crazy eyes and a rough demeanor isn't a good way to start.
And how many he killed don't matter none, now. We're all here right now and that's the important thing. So you gotta be strong and forget the past."
Thomas wiped her face and stood up. He finds a backpack that has some beans in it and hands it to her. "This is one third of all we have in the world. Think you can hold on to it? Good."
Turning to the rest of the group, he says, "Can someone get the rest of the supplies? And who here can shoot? I'd be just as useful punching with that thing as shooting with it, so someone else should grab that, and the backpack with the extra clips.
Well, it's hot, so we may as well start marching toward that...place."
Thomas starts moving toward the 'school'. It doesn't seem to make sense to try and stealth his way toward it, so he just walks forward, with an eye out for any available cover should he need to dash away.
He also looks out for anything that might be useful. Not sure what that might be, but somehow he feels like he'd even pick up a tin can.
= 10
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Badger surveys the wrecked school.
"Man, lucky turn so far. Gun, knife, batons, some food and water- and shelter. Sucks they sent teenagers out, but we are better off for the charity at least."
"Nice knowin' ya.", he calls after the departing van, his face settling into a wince as Harper runs after the departing escorts. The good people at Lad's Life said "panic is detrimental to a survival mindset"- though this might be a bit more on the extreme end of what they had imagined...
He looks between Harper and Kristophe, feeling a bit relieved that Tom is taking on the emotional heavy lifting. Besides, the contraband was getting itchy.
"I can shoot pretty well. I bet your pa made sure you could too, eh Kris? Anyways, you guys don't worry- I've prepared my own little care package for us. Just, uh, gimme some privacy."
Badger hobbles around a tree trunk that seems large enough to provide privacy. There's a zip from the Vault-Tec jumper, followed by a peeling sound and a sharp inhale of breath.
"Okay... here's the big one.. crapcrap CRAP!"
After several deep breaths, Badger zips up again and comes strolling out from behind the tree.
"Here we go! Meds and a little more personal protection!"
He eagerly displays a stimpak, a plastic IV bag of radaway and a large combat knife in a sheath more duct tape than leather. There are bits of stray hair dangling from the adhesive.
"I'm keepin' the knife, though. Hooo boy, was that downright uncomfortable."
Thomas catches some movement out of the corner of his eye in one of the Windows. Yep...that was definitely a radroach. Just like Maxwell said, they aren't just in the cracks and crevices of the vault. They were pests, to be sure, and enough of them in a swarm could be dangerous, but one or two was easily stomped out, especially if you were armed.
Thomas also catches an unfamiliar sound from within the school:
Estelle grins when the young soldier drops her sidearm, but doesn't move towards it. She waits, curiously, to see if anyone else is going to make a move for it first. Her dad taught her how to handle a gun, and taught her enough to be cautious of someone who would go instantly for a gun, too.
The oppressive heat begins to get to her, and everything feels like it's moving too fast and too slow all at once as the Protectors head back to the truck. She wants to start screaming but knows that they can't help. They've already risked so much. Instead, she looks towards the young girls, knowing she has to be strong. As she began counting to try and calm herself down, one of them started screaming, and Thomas quickly ran over to try and calm her down. She makes a mental note that Thomas is good with at least one of the kids. The other had been rather quiet, probably in shock.
With a combination of disgust and respect, she looks towards Badger coming back from behind the tree. "Very clever, Mr. Badger." She remarks. "Those will make my job easier, at least." To the blank stares, she continues. "I am - was? - a doctor." Now that time has passed and Badger is at least armed with a knife, she walks over and picks up the pistol. "Among other things." She throws the backpack over her shoulder and tucks the weapon away.
She looks towards Badger and Thomas. "Recommend we go inside quickly. We can do a complete inventory of what we have, get our bearings, and make sure no one's hurt. Maybe there's even some supplies left behind."
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Thomas takes a few steps in and stops as he sees a giant radroach scuttling over the masonry. He also hears a feint whimper. He turns back to the group, and happily notices that weapons have been procured and distributed.
"It looks like things are gonna get more interesting right off the bat. I saw at least one radroach in there, and where there's one, there'll be more. We should go in there together, as a group, since we'll probably be swarmed right away...."
Thomas takes a moment to notice that there's still one unclaimed backpack, and one other scared little girl. He picks up the last backpack and walks over to Aeryicka. Handing her the backpack, he says, "Hi there. I'm Thomas. I don't believe we've met, but I need you to do something very important. This is the last of our worldly goods and we need someone to hang on to it tight. Do you think you can do that? Good. Then we've gotta go squish some bugs so we can get out of this hot sun. Also, I heard a puppy-dog whimpering inside, so we gotta go rescue it. Ready? Let's go."
Thomas looks about for something, anything, that he can use as a club. Some scrap metal, a decent branch, even a good-sized rock would be better than the great big nothing he currently has.
+ = 5.
+ = 7.
Thomas waits for the rest of the group to get armed, then heads off with them toward the school.
Hearing nothing but empty promises, Estelle looks incredulously at Thomas. 'Puppy dog? What on Earth is he thinking, building up that girl's hopes for nothing.' With a frown, she draws the pistol as a just in case measure, and follows along, keeping herself near the younger girls, should they need protection.
Kristophe will take the gun as soon as Badger steps away from it. He'll also snatch up a backpack.
Hah. You rubes, good luck surviving on your own. Err. Kris kinda stops seeing Harper. I guess you can follow me...but only as far as the nearest settlement. Look I know they exist out here, I've been the one dropping you losers off for the last year. That Bastard went and put me on the list on purpose...probably thought I'd do a better job than him. Probably scared of me..that's it.
Kris gestures to Harper that he is ready to go, then he notices Thomas looking around at the school
What? You expect me to check that out then? Bah. Useless. and Kris grabs the gun (or baton) and steps toward the school.
Thomas manages to pry a rusty bar from piece of playground equipment that looks like it was hanging by a thread from a child's merri-go-round. It's a little heavy, but one of the edges is jagged with rust, and he's pretty sure it can put the hurt on something if he swings hard enough.
As you walk up to the front entrance you can see shattered glad all outside of the front. There was once double pane glass doors to this building, but all that remains is on the concrete floor. Fresh blood starts about halfway in, as red paw prints mark the passage of some animals inside that didn't have the same luxury of shoes as all of you. It's well lit in the entrance itself, due to the broken entrance doors. There's a hall that goes east and west, and a crumbled set of debris blocking a door that says "Library" above it. The bloody paw prints head west, into the hallway, which is much less well lit. You can see small children's pictures decorate the walls outside of the library, browned and faded with age.
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Thomas relinquishes the backpack he was going to give Aeryicka as Kristophe rips it out of his grip. He stands agape for a moment, but quickly regains his composure. "If it makes you feel safe, by all means hang on to that. And yes, please, big, tough, brave man that you are, if you aren't afraid a few little bugs, take point and squish them. Show us all how big your...stick is."
Thomas still talks to Aeryicka, then hefts his piece of rebar, testing its weight, taking a 2-handed grip. He follows the group in.
"You cut a good figure holding that. Like someone out of a TV show," he says as Estelle brandishes her weapon like one used to it's grip.
"Let's head West," he says, pointing to the paw prints. "That puppy dog might need help quick!"
Yeah, best you just stay back. Wouldn't want you to get hurt. Kristophe chuckles like he's just said some hilarity. He snaps out the baton...he's used them before so holding one is a comfort.
Just let me deal with this. You'd only get in the way. Kris says as he moves down the hallway in the direction of the paw prints
Badger holds his tongue for now, much as he wants to give Kristophe a piece of his mind. He draws his knife and follows after Tom, keeping his eye on the corners for radroaches, and signs of other threats.
Notice:
Wild:
Survival:
Wild:
"Hey, you guys wanna start grabbing the candles over here as we go?", he says over his shoulder to the girls (presumably) as they walk down the hall, indicating the sconces on the wall.
Aeryicka shied away from the large bully, not giving a fight as he took the pack from Tom's hands. As they made their way into the school building, she reached down into her sock and took out her dog whistle. As she grabbed it, her hand once more found the pouch on her ankle that s)he forgot about. Opening the pouch, she reached in and found a single-use stimpack. A sad smile graced her face as she thought about her family before catching up with the others.
As she entered the building, her eyes were drawn to the bloody paw prints. Searching through her memories of all the books she read about animals, she tried to identify the tracks. She really hoped it was a dog.
Badger easily tracks the prints...they lead around the corner, and there seems to be two sets. Aeryicka is able to quickly deduce by the prints shape that it's easily dogs, or possibly coyote or wolf, though neither of those two are likely, as they are even more pack animals than dogs, and unlikely to be anywhere alone or in pairs. The west hallway is dark...very dark...with only slight light shining in. The tracks lead into a girls' restroom on the left, jammed open from fallen debris. Now you are all clear enough to hear a chittering noise, and some low growling coming from within.
The minute you round the corner you see two dogs, a pitt bull looking mutt, and a greyhound looking ...again, mutt, because AKC papers aren't exactly priority this day and age. They seem backed into a corner, surrounded by about eight radroaches. They're snapping at them and growling, trying to keep them at bay. Some of the roaches are coming from the floor...some on the walls... The restroom is dimly lit from some broken barred windows.
Initiative:
Aeryicka - King Diamond
Badger - 8 Heart
Estelle - Joker (+2 to all rolls, even damage)
Kristophe - King Heart
Harper - King Spade
Thomas - Jack Heart
Roaches - 7 spade
RAAGGH! Kristoph charges ahead at the nearest radroach
Badger wades into the room full of radroaches, swinging his knife. He tries to hone in on a roach that's being attacked by a dog, or one of his companions.
"Hey, Estelle! Maybe save the bullets, if ya can? Maybe you can pistol whip one to death! That'd teach 'em!"
There's probably good meat on those dogs- too good for a buncha radroaches!
Fighting:
Wild:
Damage, if successful:
Right, sorry- I will run in this round.
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Thomas groans at seeing so many radroaches. Ugh. He's not been in a real fight since...well, not for awhile. He's gonna help out, even if that means mostly not getting in the way. And, he really doesn't wanna die by radroaches.
A tiny voice in his head adds on to that last thought, noticing 'It's even unlikely to have any...human casualties,' but again he shushes that thought away. Hopefully no one will even be hurt.
He moves up, into the room, and guards against the others being surrounded.
When Aeryicka looked into the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the large pitbull mix growling at the radroaches surrounding the two dogs. Her eyes widened before she rushed in. She had to protect the two dogs, and maybe she could convince one to go with her!
As they walk inside, Estelle notices the bloody tracks on the ground, and casts a look of surprise at Thomas. 'How did he know?' She wonders. Putting it out of her mind, she instead focuses on the prints, with a feeling of anxiety. 'I hope he also knows that it doesn't need medical attention. I'm not a vet. And I can't exactly tell those girls that their new puppy is going to die.' She frowns.
Still, she couldn't help but feel it would be worth it as Thomas ripped into the larger gentleman, and she smiled at the salt-ridden exchange. When he turns to comment on her holding the gun, she shrugs with a slight grin. "Hope I can use it as well as someone on a TV show, too. Haven't had much practise against, you know, mobile targets."
She's more than happy to let Kris take the lead, and as they move after the tracks, she stuffs some candles into her pack.
As they reach the room and see the dogs, Kris rushes in instantly. Reluctant to open fire, she nods at Badger's suggestion, flipping the gun around to hold by the barrel and swing the grip. She looks towards the younger girls, and sighs. "Stick close to Mr. Roland, and watch behind us, okay? Mr. Badger and I will see if we can help rescue these animals." With a nod towards Badger, she moves into the room, brandishing her pistol like a small hammer, and wishing she had something more powerful.