That is most definitely not normal; what the Devil is going on here?
"This is the fourth, you say? Just how many people have been stricken? At this rate, practically the entire ship could be afflicted before too long..."
Seeing Jose near one of the victims, Geoffrey comments:
"I would be careful; some of them have a habit of trying to bite..."
Vic looks over his shoulder. "Well, desperate times, desperate measures. Let's just hope they don't get it on YouTube."
"Just, uh... Do what you can," he says unhelpfully before continuing his retreat and looking for a likely door.
Athletics
DM & Geoffrey
"I sincerely hope not. They usually do not end well for those involved..."
Nurse, 'At least a hundred as serious as this but we've had to centralize care in the Palladium Theatre. The second floor of the theatre is for crew and the main floor is for passengers.
'I'd have to say there is over 500 on the main floor and another 200 or more in the crew area. There are also many crew in their rooms and passengers in their rooms.
'We don't have the people to do a proper room to room search. The captain wants to change that but the parties of stewards that he has arranged to do the searching tend to end up coming back at least as ill as the people they fetched.'
While the nurse is speaking, several of the passengers agitated by the close presence of Jose rock their cots with a solid thunk.
The cots were built to be light weight for storage. They were made of modern plastic and light metal to aid in reducing weight and ease of storage. They were never designed to do anything but have a person lie peacefully upon them.
Six of them give way to disgorge their patients that quickly pull themselves from the shambled cots to go for the closest targets.
The men with the dog trailing after them are heading towards the bow of the ship. Half way along the ship towards the bow, they take the main port stairway up to the next level.
At the bottom of the stairway you can see that they have disappeared at the top of the stairway out of view.
You pause for a moment to look around as you decide to follow the men up the stairway or do something else. You can look back at the double doors on the port side of the Palladium Theatre and see the woman is struggling to her feet. Beyond her, you can see a mob of people starting to pour out of the theatre. Many of them have the same panicked appearance of the men that just ran up the stairway.
Petro nods and heads off.
Your attempt to get around the person and leave them in the room the room behind you ends in a failure when you double back and find the entrance crowded with onlookers and their cellphones capturing the moment for posterity.
DM
OoC: Funny how none of the people ina ZA scenario have ever seen a Zombie flick... Haha
Vic weighs his options for a second and decides that beating up a passenger is definitely the worst of a host of terrible ones.
"Alright, guys, outta the way!" he yells, pushing his way past the crowd. "Things are goin' to hell and I need to get down to Deck 5!" He winces a bit as he remembers he wasn't supposed to let on that, well, things were going to hell, but it was pretty obvious by now anyway. "Just let this guy sleep it off so I can do my job!"
Overrun attempt
Persuasion
DM:
You can act before the zombies but the nurse is unmoving as she is in a state of fear for the moment.
Well you succeeded in pushing into the crowd enough to get the door closed on the drunk but they weren't really prepared to listen to some steward yelling at them what to do.
Several of them instead yell at you that they are passengers and Americians and they can't be treated like common cattle. They insist that you will be given the worst review that you ever had for service when they get back to their cabins and fill out their report cards.
You are 'safe' for the moment.
You hear the banging of drunk in the room behind you.
The drinks girl is happy that you saved her and she mouths a silent thank-you despite the crowd that is now largely dispursing since the 'show' is over.
What are you doing?
You head up the stairs and can see the pair are heading towards one of the lifeboats. It looks like they are opening the control box to work the hoist on the boat.
Below you at the bottom of the stairs, you can hear the sounds of running feet getting closer.
...He turns to run, but spotting that the nurse is frozen in place, instead grabs her arm, and then drags her through the door.
"Jose, shut the door when we get through!"
Moving towards the deck, he catches Emmy's thanks and manages a small smile and a nod, hoping his face was already red from the exertion. He takes up the walkie and says into it, as evenly as he can manage, "Situation on Deck 10 is taken care of. There still trouble in the theater on Deck 5?"
He starts walking towards the stairs, already assuming the answer is 'yes'.
DM & Geoff:
DM:
There is a thumping from the door as it is slammed in place between Geoff and Jose. The thumping slows but it again takes on a sort of co-ordinated thumping like the people are moving in concert to slam against the door in a harmony of motion.
The door is holding but with a co-ordinated slamming against the door it is uncertain of how long the cool room will hold since it wasn't designed as a storage pen.
Vic, you talk on the radio but get only static as a response. You get down to deck 6 and see a couple of crew rigging a life boat.
You also see a passenger trying to stop them.
There are sounds of screaming coming from deck 5 below.
Vic stops stark still in the middle of Deck 6, his heart skipping a beat as he sees the lifeboats being manned.
"What're ya'll doing?" he calls out to the crew. Then the screams start coming from Deck 5. "What the hell's going on here?"
DM & Geoff
OoC: A little unsure of things...We ran out of the room, now in the hallway, correct?
Jose does a quick take on things. Turning to his new companion he quickly says 'My friend, I think we should get away from here as soon as possible. Le's head towards the ship's security room/' (Or whatever one would call where the 'law' of the cruiseliner is stationed...security guards, etc...).
As soon as the other man replies or agrees, Jose will takoff at haste for somewhere more secure.
Vic and DM:
Geoffrey nods in agreement.
"I agree. It sounds like that door will not hold them forever, and it is probably best if we let the authorities know..."
He then follows Jose, carefully, but firmly, dragging the shell-shocked nurse along with him.
You head up towards the security section from the crew cargo area.
You are nearing deck three and you hear a large amount of running feet coming from somewhere above you. It may be deck 4 to deck 6 above you but there is definitely the sounds of many running feet on the decks and screams can be heard.
"It sounds like there is trouble on more than one front. How about we pick up the pace?"
** spoiler omitted **
DM &Geoffrey
OoC: I have the Run feat, but I doubt that it will come into effect, as we are dragging the poor nurse along.
"You didn't get any order to man the lifeboats, didja? We're undermanned as it is! We don't need ya'll abandoning ship!" Vic reprimands the other passengers. After a moment exactly what Hank said sinks in.
"Bites?" Vic asks, dumbfounded. "What the hell's going on with this... uh, bug," he says, slowing to a murmur. He gets out his radio and tries it again, and assuming it's still static, asks the crewmen, "Who exactly's in charge here? We need to try and get things back under control!"
DM & Vic:
You run along and reach the security station. The room is empty of personnel. The 'armoury' is open but it looks like all the side arms have been taken along with most of the tasers that the ship keeps for 'emergencies'.
A quick scavenge can come up with two tasers with single target variety, a pair of 'refills' for the tasers if you have time to cut the old wires and load. These appear to be the commercial variety with a range of fifteen feet.
There are also three cans of pepper spray still in a box.
There are also three boxes of 20 cartridges each of 9mm ammo.
Along with the shouting and running, you can now hear the crack of gun fire.
The crewman look a bit ashamed as one says, "But Seneor, the devil, the devil has those people. We have families. We can not afford to be eaten. Our wives would never forgive us and not lay flowers on our graves."
"No one is in charge. The Captain. The Captain, he is, ugh, dead. Morte. The doctor, he too, is morte. The people, they are all dead."
It is at this time that you start to hear gun fire coming from the deck below.
A group of people flash up the stairs at a run. A few peel off on to this deck but most keep running up and up as fast as they can go.
The gunfire changes that. "Son of a b~*#!, son of a b~+%&," he croaks. "OK, OK, we uh, we'd probably want something with a motor, right guys?" Vic says, the flight response kicking in fast. "We get down to the water line, we can probably do better than a lifeboat. I'd rather not be stuck at sea in that dinghy," he says, gesturing to the lifeboat.
He watches the crowd scoot by, a ball forming in the pit of his stomach as he thinks how bad things are going to get here and how little he can help.
Perception
This does not bode well...
When he hears the sound of pistol fire, though, his heart definitely skips a beat.
"Right." He says firmly. "It looks like the world is definitely going to Hell in a hand-basket, if the crew have started opening fire on those who have been infected. I think things have gone beyond the point where containment is even a possibility; we need to work out how to stay alive, and escape."
He then begins to methodically collect whatever items he can.
Once they have cleared the armory, Geoffrey will turn his attention to the nurse, to see what he can do for her...
He then turns to Jose.
"We should try to collect further equipment if we can. I had a few more things back in my room, but it may not be practical to go back there (although I am willing to try, if you are up for it). Otherwise, do you where we can find things like flashlights, and other emergency equipment? Once we have done that, we should probably try to head for the Bridge, to find out what the heck is happening..."
DM&Geoff
Gathering a taser,refill,pepper spray and ammo, Jose looks around for anything else that might be useful.
Perception
' I fear that we may have trouble reaching the bridge at this point. If things really are going to Hell... escaping the ship might be the best option.
Jose will pull up his Ship's layout app on his iphone to point out where the nearest lifeboats might be.
DM & Vic:
DM & Vic: ** spoiler omitted **
OoC: So, puns aside, is this game Dead in rhe Water?
Looking at the map, the life boats are up above where the screaming and sounds of banging are coming from. Going down is where the crew areas are there is the infirmary. Further down towards the water line is the ships mini-dock where are all the gas powered pleasure boats are kept for rental by guests.
Acrobatics
"Well let's not stand around then. It's this way," he beckons as he starts off at a jog, doing his best to avoid populated areas of the ship.
Halfway down a stairwell not too far from the lifeboat, Vic stops a moment and whispers "Hear that? Some...thing behind us?" he says as he glances back towards the landing. "Go!" he hisses, putting one hand on the railing and attempting to vault down to the lower set of the double stairs. He doesn't quite get his leg high enough as he bangs his shin, cursing and barely managing to keep his balance and not tumble over or slide down the steps.
Not really being built for stealth, Geoffrey instead does his best to dodge or outrun 'The Infected' whenever they are encountered. Adrenaline serves him well in the first encounter, and he is easily able to outpace them.
Stage 2:
The second time Jose and Geoffrey run from them, Geoffrey just barely manages to slam a bulkhead closed behind them, preventing 'The Infected' from following the pair.
Stage 3:
Feeling a trifle more secure, Geoffrey makes a pit-stop to rummage for whatever useful items that he can find...
...unfortunately, just as he is finishing-up, a group of 'undesirables' sneak-up on him!
Stage 4:
Running from one group of flesh-eaters, Geoffrey runs smack-bang into another group, and has to rapidly change directions, seeking an alternate route...
Stage 5:
In the final leg of their journey, when they hear another mob in the distance, Geoffrey hoists himself up on top of a cabinet, and lies motionless, as he waits for the group to pass-by beneath him.
DM and Vic:
Hank follows Vic down the stairs for the boat. Hank tries to mimic Vic's leap, hoping for slightly better results upon landing. Acrobatics "Take care there, young feller," Hank says, helping Vic back to his feet.
Vic feels a slight jolt of pain but he's had worse in his work and life and is able to keep going while the pair leave the zombies moving more slowly behind them as they try to use zombie speed to get down the stairs without tumbling.
You manage to find most of the stores closed but the items are more 'unattended' then having a serious barrier like a locked gate to deal with. You are able to get some travellers maps and traveller's kits with bottles of water that passengers usually buy when going ashore for the day. You figure they'll provide enough supplies to last you for the one to three days that it might take to find an island to land on.
A small group of 4 to 5 zombies come into the area attracted by the noise as the nurse accidently knocks over a display of paperback books for sale.
DM and Vic:
OoC:Sorry, Laptop still down, posting from the LFS.
Smerg&Geofrey
STAGE 1
Perception *Fail*
Running ahead of his new companion to spot for Infected, Jose completely misses a group of them gathered near an elevator. "The coast is clear..." he whispers, right as the scream wildly and charge.
It is by sheer Luck that the pair escape.
STAGE 2
Athletics *Pass*
Staying just ahead of Geoffrey, Jose manages to open a bulkhead, and Geoffrey barely gets it closed in front of the ravening horde.
STAGE 3
Stealth *Pass*
While Geoffrey rummages through the contents of the room, Jose tip-toes around, keeping his movements minimal, so as not to attract any more attention. At one point, he barely ducks down underneath a porthole, as an Infected lumbers by on the deck outside...
STAGE 4
Mechanics *Pass*
As Geoffrey blunders into a group of Infected, Jose thinks quickly, running to a nearby valve for the fire-prevention sprinkler system. Deftly opening it, he laughs as he grabs his friend, escaping, as the Infected slip and fall all over the floor.
"This is just like dodging Federales back home...Well, if they were trying to eat us, eh?"
STAGE 5
Thievery *Fail*
Athletics
Trying to grab a holstered Pistol from a now-Infected Security guard as he lumbers by, Jose fails, but at least the thing didn't grab him as he dodged away...(Well, he hoped not...)
"Good thinkin'... I'll go first, I've got a better idea of the ship's layout," he says as he works his way into the duct.
Mechanics
Vic immediately manages to disprove that theory.
Realizing that his hopes would soon be dead in the water , Jose leaps out of the nearest porthole, landing on a lower deck, fights his way through the now forming hordes of ZOMBIES (And wondering just why he had been avoiding calling them that in his brain), and to a lifeboat.
Launching it, he smiles and waves Adios to this Ship of the Damned, heading for the nearest landmass.
OoC: Later folks, it would have been fun to play this one out.
It was fun guys. See you all around on the site.
While I enjoyed playing with you all. I haven't been unable to live up to my duties as a GM lately. I've decided to formally shut down this game.
My thanks for those that played along with the stories and my best wishes for you all in your future rpg gaming.
Well, glad to see you stepped in to let us know.
Happy trails, everybody.