Episode 3 - Semper Fi
The sounds of the chopper fades away to the east. The trio cautiously study the warehouse with the 18 wheeler crunched up against it. Millie hovers behind her husband, with every step, her face twinges with pain from her broken arm. Jodi pulls out her wrench and studies the semi truck.
Is the container already open?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
She listens as she stares into the black hole of the container.
Does she hear anything?
(50/50 | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
Yes and it's upset...
Zed?
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and... +Twist: Emotional event / Changes the goal
"What is that sound?" Tony whispers behind her.
There was a rasping whimpering sort of sound.
"I think it's a--" Jodi stepped backward as a small form, a girl of perhaps five or six years of age, emerged from the darkness to the edge of the container, stumbling across an overturned barrel. Her white dress is ragged and torn, revealing skinned knees. Long strands of matted greasy hair, mixed with dirt, grime, and detritus hang over her face obscuring it.
"Amy?" Jodi whispers in disbelief. What was she doing here? Her mind reels, and she takes a step towards the girl. But the girl isn't Amy. She couldn't be. Jodi knows it, but it was hard to fight the image that her mind conjured. A young girl with an impish grin in a white dress, long brown braided hair bouncing up and down as she skipped over a jump rope on a shady summer sidewalk.
Her girl.
"Oh," Millie says, her face softening also taking a step forward. "Poor thing. It's just a child, come here--"
Jodi frowns. Children shouldn't be neglected so, even if the world went to the pits. She had to help, she--
The girl suddenly hisses, and raises claw-like hands, baring long fingernails streaked with flecks of dried blood, and lunges at Millie.
Does Tony do anything?
(Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
Tony stands rooted in place, his guard down studying the poor child. He wonders where its parents were. Where-- and suddenly Millie screams as the child monster lurched forward, hissing and clawing.
The resemblance to Amy shatters like a thousand painful shards when the thing bares its teeth, and it's then that she noticed the dress is not white, but pink from being covered in faded dried blood. She screams with Millie and brings her wrench down on the thing's head.
Does she hit it in the head?
(Somewhat Likely | 4[d10]) No, but... +Twist: NPC / Appears
Another zed?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
Human?
(50/50 | 7[d10]) Yes
The small monster twists toward Jodi, claws raised, and leaps from the edge of the cargo container as the heavy wrench swooshes towards it. Jodi had aimed for it's face in a wide swing, like she used to do in high school softball, but as the small monster leaps into the air, hissing and spitting, her swing instead catches it in the chest, and hurls it back into the darkened interior of the cargo container.
Tony suddenly leaps into action and tries to close the cargo door.
Does he close it before the child gets out?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
The door is too heavy and the rusted hinges squeak like a banshee getting a tooth removed with rusty pliers. The hissing creature emerges on all fours, scrambling towards the nearest meal--Tony. It tries to leap on his back.
Does it succeed?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
Tony cries out and raises his meaty arm in a reflexive swing and backhands it onto the road.
Jodi takes another swing at its head.
Hit?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes +Twist: Physical event / Hinders the hero
Jodi slams the wrench into the things head, but her foot slips on some spilled fluid with viscosity like oil from an overturned barrel leaking from the side of the truck, and Jodi goes down.
Is Jodi injured from the fall?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 6[d10]) No, but...
No, but she's bruised and dazed the wind is knocked out of her.
She coughs on her back and sees streaks of light behind her eyes.
Did she kill the thing?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
How much damage to the zed?
(12 = 9[d20]+3) Moderate Injury: Hampers action significantly; will require first aid/medical attention.
The swing from her wrench had smashed part of its face, but not enough to put it out of action. It moves more slowly now, its motor skills hampered by the head shot. The thing is disoriented and runs into the wall of the container hissing and scratching.
Does the human who appeared help?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Who is this human?
Curious marine
...but what? Is he doing it for his own motives, or orders from someone else, whatever those are, rather than out of of altruism?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
No, he is doing it because he's altruistic. In that case "but" means he uses a loud attack -- assault rifle that could attract attention.
The creature lumbers to the edge and again is about to leap on Tony, who has backed away his club in his hands held defensively, when three shots ring out.
Mr. Curious Marine aims for the head. Does he hit?
(Likely | 6[d10]) Yes, but... +Twist: NPC / Appears
The bullet puffs a red mist as it passes through the child's head, nailing the small corpse and driving it to the asphalt.
Sounds like to me his loud shot is attracting more zeds?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
Another marine?
(50/50 | 3[d10]) No
Gang bangers?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
Hmm, must be another survivor then that shows up. Who is it?
Ill athlete
Friend of the marine?
(Likely | 3[d10]) No +Twist: Physical event / Hinders the hero
Jodi is already on the ground, lying in a spill of some sort.
What is this physical event? We'll try the MAG. Multiple images but those that stand out are a goo thing, a water dropplet with something inside it, and a magnifying glass.
The stuff she's lying in is caustic and starts to itch and burn her skin as it seeps through her wet clothing. Jodi scrambles to her feet slapping at her wet clothes and crying out in pain. "Water! I need water!"
Tony and Millie just stare at her blankly.
Is the athlete npc hostile?
(50/50 | 3[d10]) No
Helpful?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
...and in fact he wants something.
Millie and Tony leap into action trying to help Jodi while the Marine jogs towards them.
A man, dirty and dressed in a pair of ragged sweats, leans against the side of a building.
Ooo. Ill, but not hostile, but not helpful. Sounds like he's desperate to get help himself. Did he get bit?
(Somewhat Likely | 7[d10]) Yes +Twist: PC / Alters the location
Not sure how to make a PC alter the location. Hmmm. I'll ignore that for now.
"Help me, please..." a tall man says, he's a white man, and his face is unusually pale. He limps around a corner. He has on a pair of ragged sweat pants and a basketball jersey. His shoes are untied. One hand grips the side of his left shoulder where blood seeps through his fingers of his right hand.
Millie and Tony turn from helping Jodi. Tony raises his club in anticipation, wary eyes going from basket ball man to the marine who is jogging up towards them, bearing his rifle in his hands.
Jodi hops around, trying to disrobe as fast as she can, oblivious to the newcomers. "It burns!" She knows she sounds like gollum, but she can't help it. If she doesn't get it off, it really will burn her skin. However, with an unusual sense of propriety for a world that has fallen off the deep end, she hops into the container, and under cover of the darkened interior, yanks off her chemically-laden jeans and shirt.
"Hey Tony? Millie?" she calls from the darkened container.
"Yeah?" Tony says somewhat distracted by the sick athlete.
"Water!"
"Help me," the sick man in the b-ball uniform comes nearer, bright red drops of red drip on the pavement. "Help me... please!"
"What happened?" Millie asks, nervously eyeing the man. He leans against the side of the cargo container, he's trembling.
"I-- I cut myself. I just need some bandages...or something."
"Hello out there! I need my water! Now!" Jodi calls.
"Hey you! What happened?" the marine asks jogging up and asking the man without preamble and without introduction to the rest of the group. The marine's uniform is smeared with dirt, grease, and sweat. He's missing a knee pad. He has much more than a five o'clock shadow, and his hair is practically the definition of "shaggy". His face has a pinched haggard look with hard lines pulling at his mouth and eyes.
He trains his gun on the man. "Answer me punk! How did you get messed up?"
"No man. Please. I ain't messed up. I just need-- Bandaids, man. Some...just some freakin' Bandaids. Some gauze. Painkillers? Ya got painkillers? I gotta kill the pain. That's all. Stop the blood and... gotta kill the... Gotta kill..." The man is incoherent and descends into babbling and twitching, sweat pouring off his face.
The marine curses softly, and pulls the trigger, blowing out the man's brains.
"Stupid Walker!"
Millie screams at the close range noise, and Tony freezes in front of his wife, the ringing in his ears won't seem to go away. He raises his branch in two hands, ready to strike the marine. The marine backs up, keeping his gun trained now on them.
"Did that thing get a piece of you too? Huh? Did it?" the marine asks.
"What did you just do?" Tony's face is pale but determined. "You just--- just-- murdered him!" Tony's eyes are wide, and Millie cringes under the terrible weight of that barrel pointed at them.
"What planet are you on, Juan?" The marine jerks the barrel to focus on just him. "He was one of them! One of those things!"
"No, he wasn't! He was just hurt. You should have helped him. You should've--"
"I should've helped him turn into one of those things?" the marine spat. "Where have you been? I don't think so. I helped you and your lady friend and the other one that ran off inside the container. This man wasn't just sick. He was starting to turn, believe you me. The trembling, the paleness, the shortness of breath, the fever. He had all the signs. I did him a favor. Now answer me! Are you hurt? Did it get you?"
"You really think I'd answer that if I really had been hurt? You'd just do the same to me. I'm not stupid, man!" Tony says.
"Heck yeah, if you were bit or scratched and running a fever, you better bet your last can o' beans I'd drill a few rounds into your head!"
Did the helicopter attract more zeds?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
How many? A lot?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
There are zeds...but they're far away, moving from west to east, down an adjoining street, lumbering out of side streets, knocking over trash cans, moving toward the east, toward the band of survivors.
"You're crazy," Tony says, his hands still raised, but still defiant. "Loco!"
"Maybe, but I'm still alive," the marine says. He hears the ruckus from the east, and peering down his scope, sees the incoming walking corpses. "We got more lamebrains coming from the west! We gotta get out of here."
"We're heading to the airport," Jodi says from the interior.
She's looking for some clothes inside. Does she happen to find any?
(Unlikely | 4[d10]) No
"And get me some water! That stuff is starting to itch! Need to wash off."
The marine curses and tosses her his canteen in an underhand swing, then pulls up his gun again, and watches the zombies get closer and closer. "Look miss, I don't mean to rush you, but we really need to get moving."
"Got any clothes?"
"I gotta spare set of a fatigues, but they ain't gonna fit you."
"It'll do," Jodi says. "Toss 'em up."
"I need those clothes," he says.
She peaks her head out. "Just hurry and help me out here, okay?"
"Are we really doing this?" The marine says. "You're really going to wash and change and-- Look little miss, this ain't shower hour."
"Just hand me the clothes and keep them off of me, okay?"
"Fine," he grumbles and lets his gun hang by it's sling across his chest. Then yanking off his ruck sack, while eyeing the slow band of crawlers, he digs around for the fatigues and tosses them into the container. "But, you're gonna owe me."
The zeds are much closer now. He's going to try and take them out at range. He's skilled, so a result of 'Likely' to nail them in the head until they're close enough that the scope gets unwieldy.
He takes a knee and sights in on their heads, shooting at each lamebrain's head.
Hit? 1
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
He switches targets and shoots.
Hit?
(Likely | 7[d10]) Yes
He switches targets and shoots.
Hit?
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
With military precision, he dispatches three of them, the remaining three are much closer now, and the marine uses his iron sights beneath his scope aiming and shooting. They're moving more quickly, no longer attracted to the helicopter, but to the sound of gun fire.
Does he hit?
(Somewhat Likely | 6[d10]) Yes
Two more zeds are left!
Aims at the head and hits?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
Are they close enough to attack the marine?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
But they're close. Next time they will be!
He aims again at the head and shoots one of them with a large gash down it's face where it's missing an eye. Does he hit?
(Somewhat Likely | 4[d10]) No, but... he doesn't get so zoned in on the kill that he doesn't see the larger picture.
...he's cautious and careful, and starts pulling back as they approach, in a crouch his gun raised, keeping the distance constant between them and him.
"We've got to go, Ms! And I mean right now!"
Is Jodi fully changed now?
(Somewhat Likely | 5[d10]) Yes, but...
Yes, but she didn't have time to search the back of the trailer for anything useful. She leaps out of the back of the truck, dressed in too-large camo fatigues, that are rolled up around her calves, revealing her hastily-tied tennis shoes. She brandishes her wrench in both hands.
"I'm ready," Jodi says breathing. "You're such a gentleman for waiting."
"Haven't been called that in a while," he says as he backs up. "What's the plan here, Ms?"
Jodi looks around. They're in the industrial sector. Buildings stretch up around her cold and dark and sprawl fat and heavy in the cement cemetery once called a city. Does she find a building with an open door?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
Is it a warehouse?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
It's a brewery!
"Over here!" She shouts pointing to a large two-story brick and mortar building with metal doors that stand open. The weathered sign says "Johnston's Brewery". Jodi, followed by Millie and Tony, with the Marine playing rear-guard, runs into the darkened interior of the brewery. The two zeds are in relatively close pursuit.
"Get inside, and lock the doors!"
Is the door damaged in some way that it can't be shut?
(Unlikely | 3[d10]) No
They run inside and as soon as the marine is inside, Tony hurls his weight against the door. The two corpses moan and lean into the door from the outside. The two corpses smash into the door.
Does Tony get the door all the way closed and locked before they can get through?
(Somewhat Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
With a shout and a grunting heave of strength, Tony shoves the door shut, snapping off the zombies' fingers, leaving the zeds to paw bloody streaks on the outside door.
The marine cusses, "What is this? How do you know it's safe?"
"I don't," Jodi says, her voice sounding too loud in the silence of the enclosed space.
"Then what are we doing here?" The marine growls. "You'll get us killed!"
"I don't think so, with all the noise the chopper made, and with you shooting up everything that moves, any walkers inside would have already been drawn out."
Is she right?
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
The tomb-like silence seems to confirm her analysis. They can only hear their own breathing.
Are there dead bodies inside?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
A lot?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
But what... does that mean they weren't killed by zombies?
(50/50 | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
... and whoever killed these people was very messy about it...
"What's that smell?" Tony asks frowning looking at the door and then around at the large rectangular room. "I don't like this," he shoves his nose into his shirt sleeve, nearly retching. "The whole city smells dead."
"Me 'shooting up everything'?" The marine growls back at Jodi. "Look! I just saved your lives!"
"Thank you," she says, somewhat absently, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the the dark. Some light slants through barred windows in the afternoon sun. Outside, the walkers continue to scrape against the door.
"Don't they ever give up?" Tony asks, watching the door in apprehension. But the industrial dead bolt and metal door are apparently sturdy enough to hold off the few dead beats groaning outside.
"That's all I get, huh?" Mr. Semper Fi calls out. "Just a minor thank you? Because of you, I went through half a mag of ammo!"
"And you blew off an innocent guy's face right in front of us," Tony mutters, trying to clear the still-ringing sound out of his ears.
"You didn't have to help," she says absently. Her eyes wander over the macabre combination of the innards of the distilling cylinders and dead bodies shadowed in gloom.
"Didn't have to help? You were nearly torn open when you went to give that thing a hug! Why you tryin' to hug a lamebrain? And the other guy who was bit? As soon as he turned, he was gonna gobble your face off!" He cusses again, "I save your life, and I don't even get so much as a 'How do you do?' or 'Howdy, what's your name?' Well, nevermind! I'll save you the trouble. Name is Ron. So, now you can politely say, 'Why, thank you, Ron for saving my little backside! And--'"
"I was thinking of...Amy," she says, ignoring his tirade, her eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness.
"Amy?" he pauses sensing the emotion behind her voice.
"My daughter. She--" Then her eyes find the bodies, and she sits down heavily in a corner of the room, pulling her knees up around her chest and hugging them slowly rocking back and forth. "No. Please no. no...."
He kneels down by one of the bodies and looks at it, notices the spray of blood behind it, and scans the other bodies, and lets out a deep sigh, pregnant with sorrow...
The sounds of the chopper fades away to the east. The trio cautiously study the warehouse with the 18 wheeler crunched up against it. Millie hovers behind her husband, with every step, her face twinges with pain from her broken arm. Jodi pulls out her wrench and studies the semi truck.
Is the container already open?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
She listens as she stares into the black hole of the container.
Does she hear anything?
(50/50 | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
Yes and it's upset...
Zed?
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and... +Twist: Emotional event / Changes the goal
"What is that sound?" Tony whispers behind her.
There was a rasping whimpering sort of sound.
"I think it's a--" Jodi stepped backward as a small form, a girl of perhaps five or six years of age, emerged from the darkness to the edge of the container, stumbling across an overturned barrel. Her white dress is ragged and torn, revealing skinned knees. Long strands of matted greasy hair, mixed with dirt, grime, and detritus hang over her face obscuring it.
"Amy?" Jodi whispers in disbelief. What was she doing here? Her mind reels, and she takes a step towards the girl. But the girl isn't Amy. She couldn't be. Jodi knows it, but it was hard to fight the image that her mind conjured. A young girl with an impish grin in a white dress, long brown braided hair bouncing up and down as she skipped over a jump rope on a shady summer sidewalk.
Her girl.
"Oh," Millie says, her face softening also taking a step forward. "Poor thing. It's just a child, come here--"
Jodi frowns. Children shouldn't be neglected so, even if the world went to the pits. She had to help, she--
The girl suddenly hisses, and raises claw-like hands, baring long fingernails streaked with flecks of dried blood, and lunges at Millie.
Does Tony do anything?
(Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
Tony stands rooted in place, his guard down studying the poor child. He wonders where its parents were. Where-- and suddenly Millie screams as the child monster lurched forward, hissing and clawing.
The resemblance to Amy shatters like a thousand painful shards when the thing bares its teeth, and it's then that she noticed the dress is not white, but pink from being covered in faded dried blood. She screams with Millie and brings her wrench down on the thing's head.
Does she hit it in the head?
(Somewhat Likely | 4[d10]) No, but... +Twist: NPC / Appears
Another zed?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
Human?
(50/50 | 7[d10]) Yes
The small monster twists toward Jodi, claws raised, and leaps from the edge of the cargo container as the heavy wrench swooshes towards it. Jodi had aimed for it's face in a wide swing, like she used to do in high school softball, but as the small monster leaps into the air, hissing and spitting, her swing instead catches it in the chest, and hurls it back into the darkened interior of the cargo container.
Tony suddenly leaps into action and tries to close the cargo door.
Does he close it before the child gets out?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
The door is too heavy and the rusted hinges squeak like a banshee getting a tooth removed with rusty pliers. The hissing creature emerges on all fours, scrambling towards the nearest meal--Tony. It tries to leap on his back.
Does it succeed?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No
Tony cries out and raises his meaty arm in a reflexive swing and backhands it onto the road.
Jodi takes another swing at its head.
Hit?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes +Twist: Physical event / Hinders the hero
Jodi slams the wrench into the things head, but her foot slips on some spilled fluid with viscosity like oil from an overturned barrel leaking from the side of the truck, and Jodi goes down.
Is Jodi injured from the fall?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 6[d10]) No, but...
No, but she's bruised and dazed the wind is knocked out of her.
She coughs on her back and sees streaks of light behind her eyes.
Did she kill the thing?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
How much damage to the zed?
(12 = 9[d20]+3) Moderate Injury: Hampers action significantly; will require first aid/medical attention.
The swing from her wrench had smashed part of its face, but not enough to put it out of action. It moves more slowly now, its motor skills hampered by the head shot. The thing is disoriented and runs into the wall of the container hissing and scratching.
Does the human who appeared help?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Who is this human?
Curious marine
...but what? Is he doing it for his own motives, or orders from someone else, whatever those are, rather than out of of altruism?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
No, he is doing it because he's altruistic. In that case "but" means he uses a loud attack -- assault rifle that could attract attention.
The creature lumbers to the edge and again is about to leap on Tony, who has backed away his club in his hands held defensively, when three shots ring out.
Mr. Curious Marine aims for the head. Does he hit?
(Likely | 6[d10]) Yes, but... +Twist: NPC / Appears
The bullet puffs a red mist as it passes through the child's head, nailing the small corpse and driving it to the asphalt.
Sounds like to me his loud shot is attracting more zeds?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
Another marine?
(50/50 | 3[d10]) No
Gang bangers?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
Hmm, must be another survivor then that shows up. Who is it?
Ill athlete
Friend of the marine?
(Likely | 3[d10]) No +Twist: Physical event / Hinders the hero
Jodi is already on the ground, lying in a spill of some sort.
What is this physical event? We'll try the MAG. Multiple images but those that stand out are a goo thing, a water dropplet with something inside it, and a magnifying glass.
The stuff she's lying in is caustic and starts to itch and burn her skin as it seeps through her wet clothing. Jodi scrambles to her feet slapping at her wet clothes and crying out in pain. "Water! I need water!"
Tony and Millie just stare at her blankly.
Is the athlete npc hostile?
(50/50 | 3[d10]) No
Helpful?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 1[d10]) No, and...
...and in fact he wants something.
Millie and Tony leap into action trying to help Jodi while the Marine jogs towards them.
A man, dirty and dressed in a pair of ragged sweats, leans against the side of a building.
Ooo. Ill, but not hostile, but not helpful. Sounds like he's desperate to get help himself. Did he get bit?
(Somewhat Likely | 7[d10]) Yes +Twist: PC / Alters the location
Not sure how to make a PC alter the location. Hmmm. I'll ignore that for now.
"Help me, please..." a tall man says, he's a white man, and his face is unusually pale. He limps around a corner. He has on a pair of ragged sweat pants and a basketball jersey. His shoes are untied. One hand grips the side of his left shoulder where blood seeps through his fingers of his right hand.
Millie and Tony turn from helping Jodi. Tony raises his club in anticipation, wary eyes going from basket ball man to the marine who is jogging up towards them, bearing his rifle in his hands.
Jodi hops around, trying to disrobe as fast as she can, oblivious to the newcomers. "It burns!" She knows she sounds like gollum, but she can't help it. If she doesn't get it off, it really will burn her skin. However, with an unusual sense of propriety for a world that has fallen off the deep end, she hops into the container, and under cover of the darkened interior, yanks off her chemically-laden jeans and shirt.
"Hey Tony? Millie?" she calls from the darkened container.
"Yeah?" Tony says somewhat distracted by the sick athlete.
"Water!"
"Help me," the sick man in the b-ball uniform comes nearer, bright red drops of red drip on the pavement. "Help me... please!"
"What happened?" Millie asks, nervously eyeing the man. He leans against the side of the cargo container, he's trembling.
"I-- I cut myself. I just need some bandages...or something."
"Hello out there! I need my water! Now!" Jodi calls.
"Hey you! What happened?" the marine asks jogging up and asking the man without preamble and without introduction to the rest of the group. The marine's uniform is smeared with dirt, grease, and sweat. He's missing a knee pad. He has much more than a five o'clock shadow, and his hair is practically the definition of "shaggy". His face has a pinched haggard look with hard lines pulling at his mouth and eyes.
He trains his gun on the man. "Answer me punk! How did you get messed up?"
"No man. Please. I ain't messed up. I just need-- Bandaids, man. Some...just some freakin' Bandaids. Some gauze. Painkillers? Ya got painkillers? I gotta kill the pain. That's all. Stop the blood and... gotta kill the... Gotta kill..." The man is incoherent and descends into babbling and twitching, sweat pouring off his face.
The marine curses softly, and pulls the trigger, blowing out the man's brains.
"Stupid Walker!"
Millie screams at the close range noise, and Tony freezes in front of his wife, the ringing in his ears won't seem to go away. He raises his branch in two hands, ready to strike the marine. The marine backs up, keeping his gun trained now on them.
"Did that thing get a piece of you too? Huh? Did it?" the marine asks.
"What did you just do?" Tony's face is pale but determined. "You just--- just-- murdered him!" Tony's eyes are wide, and Millie cringes under the terrible weight of that barrel pointed at them.
"What planet are you on, Juan?" The marine jerks the barrel to focus on just him. "He was one of them! One of those things!"
"No, he wasn't! He was just hurt. You should have helped him. You should've--"
"I should've helped him turn into one of those things?" the marine spat. "Where have you been? I don't think so. I helped you and your lady friend and the other one that ran off inside the container. This man wasn't just sick. He was starting to turn, believe you me. The trembling, the paleness, the shortness of breath, the fever. He had all the signs. I did him a favor. Now answer me! Are you hurt? Did it get you?"
"You really think I'd answer that if I really had been hurt? You'd just do the same to me. I'm not stupid, man!" Tony says.
"Heck yeah, if you were bit or scratched and running a fever, you better bet your last can o' beans I'd drill a few rounds into your head!"
Did the helicopter attract more zeds?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
How many? A lot?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
There are zeds...but they're far away, moving from west to east, down an adjoining street, lumbering out of side streets, knocking over trash cans, moving toward the east, toward the band of survivors.
"You're crazy," Tony says, his hands still raised, but still defiant. "Loco!"
"Maybe, but I'm still alive," the marine says. He hears the ruckus from the east, and peering down his scope, sees the incoming walking corpses. "We got more lamebrains coming from the west! We gotta get out of here."
"We're heading to the airport," Jodi says from the interior.
She's looking for some clothes inside. Does she happen to find any?
(Unlikely | 4[d10]) No
"And get me some water! That stuff is starting to itch! Need to wash off."
The marine curses and tosses her his canteen in an underhand swing, then pulls up his gun again, and watches the zombies get closer and closer. "Look miss, I don't mean to rush you, but we really need to get moving."
"Got any clothes?"
"I gotta spare set of a fatigues, but they ain't gonna fit you."
"It'll do," Jodi says. "Toss 'em up."
"I need those clothes," he says.
She peaks her head out. "Just hurry and help me out here, okay?"
"Are we really doing this?" The marine says. "You're really going to wash and change and-- Look little miss, this ain't shower hour."
"Just hand me the clothes and keep them off of me, okay?"
"Fine," he grumbles and lets his gun hang by it's sling across his chest. Then yanking off his ruck sack, while eyeing the slow band of crawlers, he digs around for the fatigues and tosses them into the container. "But, you're gonna owe me."
The zeds are much closer now. He's going to try and take them out at range. He's skilled, so a result of 'Likely' to nail them in the head until they're close enough that the scope gets unwieldy.
He takes a knee and sights in on their heads, shooting at each lamebrain's head.
Hit? 1
(Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
He switches targets and shoots.
Hit?
(Likely | 7[d10]) Yes
He switches targets and shoots.
Hit?
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
With military precision, he dispatches three of them, the remaining three are much closer now, and the marine uses his iron sights beneath his scope aiming and shooting. They're moving more quickly, no longer attracted to the helicopter, but to the sound of gun fire.
Does he hit?
(Somewhat Likely | 6[d10]) Yes
Two more zeds are left!
Aims at the head and hits?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
Are they close enough to attack the marine?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
But they're close. Next time they will be!
He aims again at the head and shoots one of them with a large gash down it's face where it's missing an eye. Does he hit?
(Somewhat Likely | 4[d10]) No, but... he doesn't get so zoned in on the kill that he doesn't see the larger picture.
...he's cautious and careful, and starts pulling back as they approach, in a crouch his gun raised, keeping the distance constant between them and him.
"We've got to go, Ms! And I mean right now!"
Is Jodi fully changed now?
(Somewhat Likely | 5[d10]) Yes, but...
Yes, but she didn't have time to search the back of the trailer for anything useful. She leaps out of the back of the truck, dressed in too-large camo fatigues, that are rolled up around her calves, revealing her hastily-tied tennis shoes. She brandishes her wrench in both hands.
"I'm ready," Jodi says breathing. "You're such a gentleman for waiting."
"Haven't been called that in a while," he says as he backs up. "What's the plan here, Ms?"
Jodi looks around. They're in the industrial sector. Buildings stretch up around her cold and dark and sprawl fat and heavy in the cement cemetery once called a city. Does she find a building with an open door?
(Likely | 8[d10]) Yes
Is it a warehouse?
(Somewhat Likely | 3[d10]) No
It's a brewery!
"Over here!" She shouts pointing to a large two-story brick and mortar building with metal doors that stand open. The weathered sign says "Johnston's Brewery". Jodi, followed by Millie and Tony, with the Marine playing rear-guard, runs into the darkened interior of the brewery. The two zeds are in relatively close pursuit.
"Get inside, and lock the doors!"
Is the door damaged in some way that it can't be shut?
(Unlikely | 3[d10]) No
They run inside and as soon as the marine is inside, Tony hurls his weight against the door. The two corpses moan and lean into the door from the outside. The two corpses smash into the door.
Does Tony get the door all the way closed and locked before they can get through?
(Somewhat Likely | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
With a shout and a grunting heave of strength, Tony shoves the door shut, snapping off the zombies' fingers, leaving the zeds to paw bloody streaks on the outside door.
The marine cusses, "What is this? How do you know it's safe?"
"I don't," Jodi says, her voice sounding too loud in the silence of the enclosed space.
"Then what are we doing here?" The marine growls. "You'll get us killed!"
"I don't think so, with all the noise the chopper made, and with you shooting up everything that moves, any walkers inside would have already been drawn out."
Is she right?
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
The tomb-like silence seems to confirm her analysis. They can only hear their own breathing.
Are there dead bodies inside?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
A lot?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
But what... does that mean they weren't killed by zombies?
(50/50 | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
... and whoever killed these people was very messy about it...
"What's that smell?" Tony asks frowning looking at the door and then around at the large rectangular room. "I don't like this," he shoves his nose into his shirt sleeve, nearly retching. "The whole city smells dead."
"Me 'shooting up everything'?" The marine growls back at Jodi. "Look! I just saved your lives!"
"Thank you," she says, somewhat absently, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the the dark. Some light slants through barred windows in the afternoon sun. Outside, the walkers continue to scrape against the door.
"Don't they ever give up?" Tony asks, watching the door in apprehension. But the industrial dead bolt and metal door are apparently sturdy enough to hold off the few dead beats groaning outside.
"That's all I get, huh?" Mr. Semper Fi calls out. "Just a minor thank you? Because of you, I went through half a mag of ammo!"
"And you blew off an innocent guy's face right in front of us," Tony mutters, trying to clear the still-ringing sound out of his ears.
"You didn't have to help," she says absently. Her eyes wander over the macabre combination of the innards of the distilling cylinders and dead bodies shadowed in gloom.
"Didn't have to help? You were nearly torn open when you went to give that thing a hug! Why you tryin' to hug a lamebrain? And the other guy who was bit? As soon as he turned, he was gonna gobble your face off!" He cusses again, "I save your life, and I don't even get so much as a 'How do you do?' or 'Howdy, what's your name?' Well, nevermind! I'll save you the trouble. Name is Ron. So, now you can politely say, 'Why, thank you, Ron for saving my little backside! And--'"
"I was thinking of...Amy," she says, ignoring his tirade, her eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness.
"Amy?" he pauses sensing the emotion behind her voice.
"My daughter. She--" Then her eyes find the bodies, and she sits down heavily in a corner of the room, pulling her knees up around her chest and hugging them slowly rocking back and forth. "No. Please no. no...."
He kneels down by one of the bodies and looks at it, notices the spray of blood behind it, and scans the other bodies, and lets out a deep sigh, pregnant with sorrow...
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