“Shhh,” Dave puts his finger to his lips again and presses his ear even closer to the door. He then motions his companions a few steps down, away from the door and says in a low voice: “I reckon I heard something. Like a rustling noise. But whether its Z’s or people,” he shrugs.
“Now, if Anna and her family do have a secure retreat up there, then us blowing in the door is pretty dumb – they’re probably better off staying where they are rather than coming with us, at least in the short term … but I’m not sure. If everything was hunky dory, why didn’t they bring the grandparents up to … unless they knew grandpa was infected …” he shrugs again, helplessly.
“Alright, I’m going to try to call again,” he takes out his phone, checks if there’s any reception in the stairwell. “Someone go up and press your ear to the door, listen for a phone ringing or any reaction.”
If there’s reception he’ll make the call. As he’s waiting for it to connect (or if there’s no reception) he says, “Of course, one option is to get out at 16 and I can try to climb up a balcony or something, scout it out – we all might even be able to get up that way … if you don’t mind heights. Or we can call the lift and try to get in that way, but it might have a key-code on the lift for the penthouse too…”
Judd's cell phone speaker gives off its tiny ring, hollow in the stairwell. He puts his thumb over the speaker.
Everyone hears a crash from the other side of the door.
“That didn’t sound good…” Hearing the crash, Judd looks worriedly at whoever is standing near the door. “I think we need to get that open.”
If Sam starts raiding the Beowulf, Judd quickly stuffs his ipod headphones into his ears, then covers his ears with his gloved hands. Not as good as earmuffs maybe, but damn, that gun is gonna be noisy in a concrete stairwell…
Or Judd could have a go at the door with the crowbar, but its likely to be a strong and well constructed door.
The door has three formidable hinges and a sturdy looking bolt.
Cord had moved near the door to look at the lock,
"Hells bells, there are infected behind the door, probably more than one," Cord looks worried, "definitely more than one."
"Dave, I am sorry mate, but it is not looking good, if she isn't answering her phone then we have to assume the worse," he whispers.
Cord:
Cord places his hand on Daves shoulder, "Dave, try the phone again and listen at the door, it sounds like it is moving to me, I don't have to tell you what that means," he leaves his hand on Dave's shoulder until he is sure Dave understands what he is saying.
Dave looks at Cord with wide eyes, then yells, “Sam, get that door open!”
"Yeah mate," he snarls, "it could mean that there are still people in there, running from zombies." It's hard to tell if he honestly beleives that, or if he's just in denial.
Yes the doors all have crash bars.
If they hit the crash bar I think you guys will know it pretty fast.
"Look Dave, I think we are too late, but I can understand your need to know for certain, so if you want that door open we could either blast it open, or draw them against the crash bar and fight them in the stairwell where they can only come through the door one at a time," he looks like he doesn't relish either option.
"Ummm, Dave are you sure about firing this thing in the stairwell?" She looks at Dave's face and sees he is very serious. "OK then." She holsters the Sig, puts in her iPod headphones and swings the Beowulf off her shoulder, bracing it hard and pointing it directly at the lock.
Shoot the 17th Floor door lock with the Beowulf (Point Blank Shot). (1d20+5+1=20)
Damage if you need it. (2d12=16)
Due to the short time, I will assume Cord is cut off in his speech by Sam levelling the Beowulf at the door, he will fall back away from the door while covering his ears. Once the shot is fired he will grab the sniper rifle off his back and aim it at the doorway.
As soon as the shot hits the lock, Dave has his hands off his ears, crowbar in hand, heading towards the door.
Johnnie braces himself for the booming report of the Beowulf. "If we don't die from the Zs, we sure will from ruptured eardrums! What?!"
Shoot the 17th Floor door lock with the Beowulf (Point Blank Shot). (1d20+5+1=20)
Damage if you need it. (2d12=16)
Sam adjusts her grip so that the gun doesn't dislocate her shoulder.
*BOOM*
Big hole.
Judd opens the door. Let's use group initiative.
Judd's init modifier is +2.
Patrick is startled by the speed in which the situation has evolved. He readies his Anaconda for the inevitable.
Round 1
24 Johnnie: INIT +6, DEX 14
21 Sam: INIT +3, DEX 16
20 Mike: INIT +2, DEX 15
20 Cord: INIT +2, DEX 14
20 Judd: INIT +2, DEX 14
20 Sarge: INIT +2, DEX 14
14 Zombies
14 Zombies
Judd pulls the door open forcefully, standing to the side of the landing as he does so, both to avoid immediate zombie pile up and to allow folk to shoot past him if needs be.
Johnnie positions himself facing the door but with his back to the wall and blasts the nearest Z. "Hold them at the door! We can't allow them to get out!"
“F^ck that,” snarls Judd. “We gotta get in there, look for survivors!”
"This is such a bad idea, bad idea," Cord mumbles under his breath, he is constantly swinging the rifle between the door and the stairs down, convinced that if the infected on floor 17 don't get them, the ones from floor 13 will come boiling up and do the job. He has a bad history on stairs with the infected.
Patrick stands ready, large-caliber gun in his sweating hands gleaming silver in the dim stairwell light. A vein throbs in his temple as the maniac lyrics of R.E.M's old song run through his head again and again.
Mike's knuckles are white, clutching the grip of his borrowed pistol like a drowning man holds onto his last breath of air. Through Mike's bulky gas mask, you can hear him mumbling to himself.
"I open my eyes with a feeling of floating past all the garbage around me. I will emerge unscathed because I will not endeavor to hide myself from whatever is coming. Bring on the worst. I welcome it with open arms."
The door swings open.
You are looking down a charnel corridor that opens between the elevator and the fire escape, and what looks like the entrances to two penthouse condominiums.
As your gaze snaps from limb to skull to torso to hand - here and there... you focus in on three wiry Asian men in green combat pants and white, bloody tank wife-beater tank tops. They are 5, 10 and 20 feet away respectively. The nearest has a bloodied machete, and the farthest has a shotgun slung over his shoulder.
Luckily it doesn't seem that he is aware of how to use it... but then you never know.
He is quite aware of you, however.
No they don't.
Atk; Dmg (1d20+4=17, 2d6=7)
No headshot? Good thing. He is moving fast for a zombie.
Johnnie's is the first gun to fire. A speckling of holes miraculously appears on the chest of the machete guy, kicking him back but not putting him down.
He shrieks and lifts up his blade as he staggers to keep his feet. Red stains spread quickly from Johnnie's perforations.
“F*CK! Don’t shoot!” yells Judd. “They’re not zombies! Maybe! I’m Anna’s friend!” This last seems to be addressed at the three possible cannibals, possible normals.
Cord has another check on the stairwell to ensure there is no company coming from below before raising the Rifle and covering the back two creatures.
"Dave, they look infected to me, I have seen their sort in the hotel before," he doesn't shoot unless some one else does or the "creatures" start forward.
Patrick pulls up his gun when he sees that the guys might be human.
Sam starts when Johnnie lets loose a shot at the lead man, looking closely at the three men to see if there are signs of infection. Perception Check. (1d20=4)
She squints but can't tell if they are Zombies or not, so she crouches down on one knee under Johnnie's aim and brings the Beowulf up against her shoulder, sighting down the lead man in case he charges.
Johnnie adjusts his aim. Head shot.
Attack; Damage (1d20+4=21, 2d6=8)
Johnnie moves away from the incoming Zs and positions himself to a flanking position, if possible.
Next round. No problem.
Shot 1: 1d20+6=18, 2d8=4,Shot 2: 1d20+6=13, 2d8=10
Sarge's shot takes machete boy's ear and upper left jawbone out, twisting its head around and putting him onto the floor. He keeps moving, but he's not feeling so agile anymore.
Either that or they're seriously hopped on bennies. They looked crazed... and shotgun boy, the farthest away, looks like he's been eating straight from the butcher's table.
The two Asians left standing hit a full charge surprisingly fast. They're coming at Judd and Sam.
Incoming. Post your rolls: Mike, Judd, Sam, Cord. Everyone can have a piece of them as the come through the door.
“SH*T!” Judd yells in frustration again and fires off a head shot at the nearest (now definitely) cannibal.
"Well that cinches it then", mutters Sam as she fires off a shot at the charging cannibals.
Attack on Zombie. (Add +1 if within 30ft for Point Blank Shot). (1d20+5=13)
Damage from Beowulf. (2d12=15)
"DIE M~~+$*~%+@*%S!"
Mike squeezes off a round, his strangled yell comically distorted through his mask.
Patrick swears as the cannibal zombies run towards them.
"Sonnuffahoor!"
He squeezes off his first round, then the next. If they get too close he will ready his axe for some swanging.