On the second floor you run into the wounded man, but he is not wounded it turns out.
His face and hands are just smeared in blood. For a moment, a moment that drags out and slows down, you look at each other - him staring blankly and slack jawed, you focused and gritting your teeth. Then he snarls and you see the piece of flesh hanging from his bloodied teeth.
Adrenaline bursts. You glance from the doorway where he stands to the stairs down. Perhaps you can make it. Make one initiative roll for both you and Mary Ann.
"Actually I am a sergeant in the US Army, but I have a lot of family that live in Canada. I was on a long vacation after getting off a tour of Babylon ..errr... Iraq. I'll watch the cars, but I really need a bench grinder or a good sharpening stone."
Patrick points to the honkin' big sword on the van's floor.
"I think it wont do much against guns, but for a regular looter it might keep them off our backs."
"Mary Ann, this way!" Johnnie pushes her in the direction of the stairs.
Sarge - a bench grinder
You'll need a plug in and an hour or so.
"Mary Ann, this way!" Johnnie pushes her in the direction of the stairs.
He's chasing you, but thank God he doesn't run quickly. He seems terribly ill, runs jerky and a little slow - he snarls again like a dog. The smell you caught when you entered the building was strong near him.
Mary Ann is crying.
Sarge - a bench grinder
You'll need a plug in and an hour or so.
"Mary Ann quick! We gotta go!" Johnnie pulls on her arm.
"Actually I am a sergeant in the US Army, but I have a lot of family that live in Canada. I was on a long vacation after getting off a tour of Babylon ..errr... Iraq. I'll watch the cars, but I really need a bench grinder or a good sharpening stone."Patrick points to the honkin' big sword on the van's floor.
"I think it wont do much against guns, but for a regular looter it might keep them off our backs."
Dave nods. "I think I saw a bench grinder in there. I can go and get it ... not sure about a sharpening stone, but I can have a look." he glances across the ally at the back door of the food store. "Sam should be alright, it still seems relatively calm in there."
As he heads back in to Ace he mutters good naturedly to himself (but so Patrick can hear), "Man, I thought the US Army issued guns ... not big MF swords..."
Most hardware stores should have the usual 6 inch two grain whetstones.
He takes the crowbar with him into the store, keeping an eye out for his fellow looters. He does take a few seconds to check his phone for any return messages once he’s certain there’s no danger – then he heads over to where he thinks he saw a grinder before.
Patrick smiles at the retreating parkour practicioner.
"The sword ain't Army issue unless you want to consider the West Kingdom a military organization."
"Mary Ann quick! We gotta go!" Johnnie pulls on her arm.
<She's a tiny girl, but she can really run and the crying doesn't slow her down.>
"Where are we going?"
"Across the street, friends are waiting for us." Johnnie smiles at Mary Ann. "I'll keep you safe."
"The sword ain't Army issue unless you want to consider the West Kingdom a military organization."
Patrick is standing there admiring the sword when Johnny and a small attractive woman come sprinting around the corner. Johnny has a scalpel in his hand and looks wild eyed. The girl is crying.
Johnnie's init is 17.
So:
Johnnie: 17
Sam: 14
Everyone else: 13
Johnnie spots Pat. "We gotta go!"
Patrick looks over at the wild-eyed Johnnie. Sensing his distress, he snatches up his sword.
"What's the matter, man? Are there looters or gangbangers about?"
Patrick's Iraq instincts cut in, and he scans the area for trouble.
As Johnny and Mary Ann run up to the van a wild eyed man, pale skinned man covered in blood comes running around the corner.
He gait is fast but awkward, as if he's wounded. He's snarling.
Johnnie points to the wild-eyed man, "That's the matter!"
Patrick is frozen for a second .... he is not quite processing what he sees, his mind not yet ready to make that fearful leap into the realm of darkness.
"Hey you @zzhat!" he screams "Stand off or you'll get a piece of this!"
Patrick brandishes his greatsword, ready to strike if neccessary.
Johnnie and Mary Ann run pass the brave Pat. "Leave it!"
Patrick stands firm.
"I aint letting no one take my van!" he screams "Get your friend in safe and tell the others we got trouble!"
"Mary Ann, get in the van." Johnnie throws his backpack inside.
"Wait here. I'll be back shortly."
"Sam! Dave! We got trouble!" Johnnie shouts as he pass the warehouse's door.
Sam and Mike: just post where you've been. Coming back with armloads of canned goods and rice. In the hardware store or whatever. Enter the melee if you like.
Dave: You don't have the grinder yet. You're just inside the door.
Init:
Johnnie: 17
Sam: 14
Everyone else: 13
Zombie:8
Seeing Johnnie's smart manuver, Patrick screams at the top of his lungs
After that Patrick shuts the side door, standing beside the idling van and waiting for the approaching man, scanning for any accomplices.
The bloodied man runs toward you with his jerky, shuffling gait. You see his skin is pale, almost greyish, his eyes seem milky, and his face and hands are covered in blood. From his neck down it looks like an artery burst on him yet he himself has no wounds. His face is fixed in an animal snarl and his eyes focused on you.
You wait for him, you could have moved, but seeing a bloodied man snarl like a beast somehow stopped you. He approaches to within ten feet and you see the meat hanging out of his mouth.
The break in was exciting, but this, this: it pretty well empties your adrenaline reserves.
Sam and Mike: just post where you've been. Coming back with armloads of canned goods and rice. In the hardware store or whatever. Enter the melee if you like.
Dave: You don't have the grinder or whetstone yet. You're not far inside the door.
Init:
Johnnie: 17
Sam: 14
Everyone else: 13
Zombie:8
Sarge: 7 (Delayed until Zombie's move)
It's time to decide, Sarge: it's your init count.
Everyone else can post round 2 actions.
Dave is moving uncharacteristically slowly, having stopped just inside the doorway to scan the place for looters, then taken a few dawdling steps whilst checking his phone for messages, the crowbar held loosely by his side.
Suddenly he hears a commotion from outside – sounds like Johnnie shouting. Dave shoves the phone back in his pocket and turns, trying to see what’s going on outside the door.
Johnnie's standing outside, at the back of the van. Dave creeps over to the door, crowbar held ready, and out, trying to get a handle on the situation. "What's going on man?" he asks, before noticing the freak closing in on Sarge.
Dave is moving uncharacteristically slowly, having stopped just inside the doorway to scan the place for looters...
A few more people have wandered in through the broken window. They're looking around nervously. Not too good at looting, must be a Canadian thing.
“Sh*t, does that guy have A.S.E.? Sarge! Get away from him, he’s infected! Sh*t, we should be wearing the proper masks…”
Dave runs for the Camero, gets in through the unlocked driver’s side door, leans over to unlock the passenger side, calling out for his closest friend to jump in, then attempts to restart the car.
Dave will go for quick and dirty – repair roll:16+3 = 19.It's not a Ford Falcon, but it's black, and the car is better.
Mike replies to Dave's query.
"Name's Alex. Alexander Supertramp."
As the Australian jimmies open the driver's side door of the Camaro, Mike clambers into the *unlocked* passenger's side. Nice.
Great. I'm stuck in a Camaro with the f~#!in' Road Warrior.
Mike feels the weight of the wrench in his hand, testing the serrated grip. It feels solid.
The car slows, then stops altogether.
Mike exits.
And there it is: the walking dead. It's the first time Mike's seen one of the 'victims' of this new plague, and for a split second, he wonders if it's still alive. Then he notices the viscous, black blood, the staring, unblinking eyes, the outstretched hands. All doubt vanishes. Recalling everything Brooks wrote in his book on undead, Mike raises his wrench, ready to give the zombie a real old horrorshow tolchocking.
Maybe this is a bad idea...
“Alex, get back in man,” calls Dave from the (relative) safety of the car (or standing at the door if he hasn’t made it in yet).
Johnnie shouts one last time to get the attention of Dave and Sam. Then he runs back to Pat's van.
Kicking a rock at the zombie, "Alex" turns, sprinting away from the shambling thing.
He climbs atop the car's roof, waving his wrench aloft like a cavalry sabre and shouting.
"Two men enter! One man leaves! Yeah, dig it, m#+!+$#@*@*%!"
"Get off the f*ckin' roof d*ckhead," mutters Dave as he tries to start the car.
"Get off the f*ckin' roof d*ckhead," mutters Dave as he tries to start the car.
I'm gonna let Patrick have his whack because he was there and ready.
Everyone else is staring slack jawed, getting in cars, getting out of cars, taking position, or coming back with canned goods from the grocery store....
After Patrick posts his swing you can go boot f!~! this thing or whatever.
"Get off the f*ckin' roof d*ckhead," mutters Dave as he tries to start the car.
Dave pinches the wires he pulled earlier. The engine starts again.
Rumble.
Even with the zombie snarling everyone wonders how fast the car can go.
Despite the craziness of the situation, Dave can't help it. He smiles a broad, feral smile ...