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[IC] Zombies in the Backyard
InkSplat
100%ed Bad Rats.Registered User regular
100%ed Bad Rats.Registered User regular
Zombies in the Backyard
The Survivors
Jack Handyman
Pat Sullivan
Barclay "Bark" Ash
Sydney "Syd" Henson
Vincent Lombardi
IT BEGINS...
The day began like any other day--everything seemed perfectly normal to the citizens of the world. And there was no reason it shouldn't have, to be honest. There had been a new flu strain driving its way mercilessly through the population, but what else was new?
People had died, as they usually did, but that was it--there was no rising from the grave, and so the panic and hysteria was of the usual, mundane variety.
That was about to change, however, as all across the world victims of what had been deemed a flu began to get up. By the time any warnings could get out, it was too late--with millions of people worldwide sick, the newly risen dead had an easy time of swelling their ranks, and very quickly not even the healthy stood much of a chance.
However, humanity wasn't quite doomed overnight, as we are a stubborn and resourceful group of organisms. This is the story of just a few...
The Survivors
Jack Handyman
Jack has no parents, no family. He lived on the streets as best he could, begging, cheating, stealing. He grew up there. His thefts, his jobs, became bigger. He started gaining recognition as a man who'd do anything, if the pay was right. He could be a simple thug, a thief, a killer, a bodyguard, or a conman. He knows how to get things done. He's a loner and does what he feels he must to survive.
Statistics
Acuity - 4d6
Body - 3d6
Heart - 3d6 (+1d6 if Elly is assisting)
Will - 4d6
Traits
"You name something illegal, I've probably done it. Twice." 2d10
"Above anything else, in any situation, I've learned to survive, well, if you can call it that." 4d4
"I've learned that anything can be a weapon, if used correctly". 1d8
"I survived goddamnit." 1d6
"Don't you touch a hair on her head." 1d6
(+ "Child's Aid" - 1d6 if Elly is assisting)
Relationships - 2d6 free
Johnny B. 2d6- local bartender and owner of Johnny's Pub. Close friend, if something goes down, he knows about it and will tell, for the right price.
Gale Johnson 1d8 - Pretty prostitute, in a relationship but not...."Yeah I still gotta pay...It's complicated."
Blackjack Pete 1d6 - The man to talk to when you need a job, or when a job needs you.
Elly - 1d8 - The girl Jack saved.
Possessions:
9 mm: 2d6 1d4
Knife: 1d6
Cellphone: 1d6
Cigs: 1d4
Flask full of whiskey: 1d4
Lighter: 1d4
Survival Moment:
"I may not like people, but I can't just let that little girl die."
Statistics
Acuity - 4d6
Body - 3d6
Heart - 3d6 (+1d6 if Elly is assisting)
Will - 4d6
Traits
"You name something illegal, I've probably done it. Twice." 2d10
"Above anything else, in any situation, I've learned to survive, well, if you can call it that." 4d4
"I've learned that anything can be a weapon, if used correctly". 1d8
"I survived goddamnit." 1d6
"Don't you touch a hair on her head." 1d6
(+ "Child's Aid" - 1d6 if Elly is assisting)
Relationships - 2d6 free
Johnny B. 2d6- local bartender and owner of Johnny's Pub. Close friend, if something goes down, he knows about it and will tell, for the right price.
Gale Johnson 1d8 - Pretty prostitute, in a relationship but not...."Yeah I still gotta pay...It's complicated."
Blackjack Pete 1d6 - The man to talk to when you need a job, or when a job needs you.
Elly - 1d8 - The girl Jack saved.
Possessions:
9 mm: 2d6 1d4
Knife: 1d6
Cellphone: 1d6
Cigs: 1d4
Flask full of whiskey: 1d4
Lighter: 1d4
Survival Moment:
"I may not like people, but I can't just let that little girl die."
Pat Sullivan
Pat is a firefighter, just a few months out of his "probie" period. Somehow, he's managed to defy the seemingly pre-ordained familial path from brawls and barfights to (barely) organized crime. After fire academy, Pat managed to do pretty well for himself: good job in the city, decent apartment in an inexpensive neighborhood on the outskirts, even a dog. Everything was going so well...
Statistics
Acuity - 4d6
Body - 5d6
Heart - 2d6
Will - 4d6
Traits
Firefighter Training: 3d6
I'm A Survivor: 1d8
I can drive anything: 2d6
You can't bullsh*t me: 1d8
No stranger to guns: 1d6
Relationships
Mike (brother), the small-time dealer: 2d4
Joan, Pat's recently ex-d girlfriend: 2d4
Larry, fellow new firefighter: 2d6
Pete, loyal Shep-mutt: 2d10
Lyons, childhood friend: 2d8[/b]
Possessions
Go-bag: 2d8
Beat-up .45: 1d6 1d4
Fireax: 1d6
Survival Moment
2am: "Pete, what the hell are you whining about? Fine, fine, let's go out..."
Statistics
Acuity - 4d6
Body - 5d6
Heart - 2d6
Will - 4d6
Traits
Firefighter Training: 3d6
I'm A Survivor: 1d8
I can drive anything: 2d6
You can't bullsh*t me: 1d8
No stranger to guns: 1d6
Relationships
Mike (brother), the small-time dealer: 2d4
Joan, Pat's recently ex-d girlfriend: 2d4
Larry, fellow new firefighter: 2d6
Pete, loyal Shep-mutt: 2d10
Lyons, childhood friend: 2d8[/b]
Possessions
Go-bag: 2d8
Beat-up .45: 1d6 1d4
Fireax: 1d6
Survival Moment
2am: "Pete, what the hell are you whining about? Fine, fine, let's go out..."
Barclay "Bark" Ash
Something of a loner, Bark divides his time mostly between jury-rigging things in his room, working at the Help Desk, sneaking into Johnny's, and hanging out with his small circle of friends. He has something of a reputation on campus as that guy who can fix anything, but he's just another damn college kid on a fixed-gear once he's away from school.
STATS
Acuity 4d6
Body 3d6
Heart 2d6
Will 4d6
TRAITS
I've read every issue of Make magazine and my MacGyver DVDs are in the mail from Amazon - 2d10
I'm a Survivor - 2d6
I've been all over the tri-state area - 2d8
I like driving and riding my bike - 2d8
I'm an Eagle Scout - 1d10
I know where all the best places to get food are - 2d6
I always get the job done - 1d6
RELATIONSHIPS - 1d6 2d8 free
Johnny B. 1d4 - Sometimes he lets my friends and I drink and doesn't card us. Pretty cool guy.
Charlotte Ron 2d6 - I wish my friends would stop teasing me about her. We just like to make stuff and watch movies together.
BELONGINGS
Laptop - 1d6
Baseball bat - 1d6
Maker kit - 2d6
SURVIVAL MOMENT
I nearly barfed when I climbed up onto the roof of the university center, but I had to get over to the administration building to turn on the CampusAlert system.
STATS
Acuity 4d6
Body 3d6
Heart 2d6
Will 4d6
TRAITS
I've read every issue of Make magazine and my MacGyver DVDs are in the mail from Amazon - 2d10
I'm a Survivor - 2d6
I've been all over the tri-state area - 2d8
I like driving and riding my bike - 2d8
I'm an Eagle Scout - 1d10
I know where all the best places to get food are - 2d6
I always get the job done - 1d6
RELATIONSHIPS - 1d6 2d8 free
Johnny B. 1d4 - Sometimes he lets my friends and I drink and doesn't card us. Pretty cool guy.
Charlotte Ron 2d6 - I wish my friends would stop teasing me about her. We just like to make stuff and watch movies together.
BELONGINGS
Laptop - 1d6
Baseball bat - 1d6
Maker kit - 2d6
SURVIVAL MOMENT
I nearly barfed when I climbed up onto the roof of the university center, but I had to get over to the administration building to turn on the CampusAlert system.
Sydney "Syd" Henson
A twenty-some-odd CS major, she's content to drift through the best years of her life coasting through class, getting high, playing video games and breaking into abandoned buildings with equally delinquent friends in the name of "urban exploration".
STATS
Acuity - 3d6
Body - 2d6
Heart - 3d6
Will - 5d6
TRAITS
I can get real mad when I need to - 2d4
People always tell me I'm good with computers - 2d8
I'm a Survivor - 1d6
I know lots of empty buildings for hiding in town and how to get inside - 2d6
I'm not afraid of zombies - 1d6
RELATIONSHIPS - 2d4 3d8 1d10 free
Cameron L. 2d10 - "Probably my best friend. We met in high school and play lots of video games. I had a crush on him for a while. Cool dude, just a little bit of a wuss."
Professor Mayes 1d8 - "My CS professor. I think I'm his favorite student; he always tells me how talented I am. We don't talk much outside of school, but he's an alright guy."
Leo V. 2d4 - "My dealer. Sketchy as fuck, and he hits on me all the time, but he sells me good weed for cheap. I can't really complain."
POSSESSIONS
Aluminum bat - 1d6
Cell phone - 1d6
Wallet - 1d6
SURVIVAL MOMENT
As badly as I wanted to grab what I could and bail, I had to get to the security office before everyone started losing their shit and scattering like idiots... hopefully someone would actually be there to signal a lockdown.
STATS
Acuity - 3d6
Body - 2d6
Heart - 3d6
Will - 5d6
TRAITS
I can get real mad when I need to - 2d4
People always tell me I'm good with computers - 2d8
I'm a Survivor - 1d6
I know lots of empty buildings for hiding in town and how to get inside - 2d6
I'm not afraid of zombies - 1d6
RELATIONSHIPS - 2d4 3d8 1d10 free
Cameron L. 2d10 - "Probably my best friend. We met in high school and play lots of video games. I had a crush on him for a while. Cool dude, just a little bit of a wuss."
Professor Mayes 1d8 - "My CS professor. I think I'm his favorite student; he always tells me how talented I am. We don't talk much outside of school, but he's an alright guy."
Leo V. 2d4 - "My dealer. Sketchy as fuck, and he hits on me all the time, but he sells me good weed for cheap. I can't really complain."
POSSESSIONS
Aluminum bat - 1d6
Cell phone - 1d6
Wallet - 1d6
SURVIVAL MOMENT
As badly as I wanted to grab what I could and bail, I had to get to the security office before everyone started losing their shit and scattering like idiots... hopefully someone would actually be there to signal a lockdown.
Vincent Lombardi
Vincent is the youngest of six boys and was always more interested in spending time with his mother in the kitchen than with his siblings outside. His hobbies included reading, cooking, and dressing up, which earned him endless amounts of grief, and concern, from his family who was ever on the look out to make sure none of their own caught “the gay.” Vincent is the first of his family to make it to a university for study, where he fits in better than ever, and takes a stubborn pride in resisting his family’s attempts to make him more “manly”.
STATS
4d6 ACUITY - You are perceptive, alert, educated, clever, savvy, or well-read.
3d6 BODY - You are big, healthy, strong, wiry, muscular, tall, graceful, quick, or steady.
3d6 HEART - You are compassionate, attractive, charming, gentle, courageous, enduring, faithful, or likable.
3d6 WILL - You are tenacious, aggressive, confident, unflinching, strong-willed, or unshakable.
TRAITS
“I’m a survivor”- 2d8
“You don’t know real Italian food”- 3d6
“Literature can change the world”- 3d10
“It’s tough being the youngest brother” - 1d8
“Dress to impress” – 1d8
“Figure skating is not for girls!” – 2d10
"Promise to meet again." - 1d6
RELATIONSHIPS - 2d6 2d8 free
Joey Lombardi- 1d6: “The oldest of my five brothers and the only one who ever tried to understand me. Two years in community college makes him the only brother besides myself to get a higher education.”
Pete Lombardi- 1d4: “Still thinks I’m “a gay”, and I think he is an egotistical ass, so we our content to avoid any conversation that goes beyond the weather or meatballs.”
Susan- 1d6: “My figure skating coach and drinking buddy. She’s single and cute, but we are purely platonic”
Sydney - 1d4
POSSESSIONS
Sports Bag w/ change of clothes, Water Bottle, Towel - 1d6
Figure Skates- 2d6
Blackberry - 1d8
SURVIVAL MOMENT
“Are you sure you will be okay in here? That guy looks pretty sick." "I'll be fine," replied Susan, "I keep getting busy signals from 911, so I will just drop him off at the hospital when I finish locking up the rink." Vince hesitated for a minute after she closed and locked the front door and disappeared from view, then, realizing he was being silly, headed for his car. It was then he heard a scream, but no amount of calling could get Susan to the front door. "I have to get in there and see whats happening!"
STATS
4d6 ACUITY - You are perceptive, alert, educated, clever, savvy, or well-read.
3d6 BODY - You are big, healthy, strong, wiry, muscular, tall, graceful, quick, or steady.
3d6 HEART - You are compassionate, attractive, charming, gentle, courageous, enduring, faithful, or likable.
3d6 WILL - You are tenacious, aggressive, confident, unflinching, strong-willed, or unshakable.
TRAITS
“I’m a survivor”- 2d8
“You don’t know real Italian food”- 3d6
“Literature can change the world”- 3d10
“It’s tough being the youngest brother” - 1d8
“Dress to impress” – 1d8
“Figure skating is not for girls!” – 2d10
"Promise to meet again." - 1d6
RELATIONSHIPS - 2d6 2d8 free
Joey Lombardi- 1d6: “The oldest of my five brothers and the only one who ever tried to understand me. Two years in community college makes him the only brother besides myself to get a higher education.”
Pete Lombardi- 1d4: “Still thinks I’m “a gay”, and I think he is an egotistical ass, so we our content to avoid any conversation that goes beyond the weather or meatballs.”
Susan- 1d6: “My figure skating coach and drinking buddy. She’s single and cute, but we are purely platonic”
Sydney - 1d4
POSSESSIONS
Sports Bag w/ change of clothes, Water Bottle, Towel - 1d6
Figure Skates- 2d6
Blackberry - 1d8
SURVIVAL MOMENT
“Are you sure you will be okay in here? That guy looks pretty sick." "I'll be fine," replied Susan, "I keep getting busy signals from 911, so I will just drop him off at the hospital when I finish locking up the rink." Vince hesitated for a minute after she closed and locked the front door and disappeared from view, then, realizing he was being silly, headed for his car. It was then he heard a scream, but no amount of calling could get Susan to the front door. "I have to get in there and see whats happening!"
IT BEGINS...
The day began like any other day--everything seemed perfectly normal to the citizens of the world. And there was no reason it shouldn't have, to be honest. There had been a new flu strain driving its way mercilessly through the population, but what else was new?
People had died, as they usually did, but that was it--there was no rising from the grave, and so the panic and hysteria was of the usual, mundane variety.
That was about to change, however, as all across the world victims of what had been deemed a flu began to get up. By the time any warnings could get out, it was too late--with millions of people worldwide sick, the newly risen dead had an easy time of swelling their ranks, and very quickly not even the healthy stood much of a chance.
However, humanity wasn't quite doomed overnight, as we are a stubborn and resourceful group of organisms. This is the story of just a few...
Origin for Dragon Age: Inquisition Shenanigans: Inksplat776
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Jack had seen the reports on the T.V., that the dead were rising. He couldn't believe it, of course--who would? However, as he looked out the window, he couldn't deny what he saw, which was a little girl stumbling out of her house, being followed by the bloody corpses of her parents. The child tried to run, but her panic got the best of her and she hit the grass hard. Jack could tell she only had a few moments before they were on her.
But he could see them so clearly in the streetlights, blood dripping from open wounds, their eyes milky white. Otherwise they looked like the neighbors he had always seen in passing. How could it be? Fear and confusion began to rise up. What in the hell was happening?
Raise: 14 (6,8)
Dice: 1, 4, 5, 6, 6, 8
Pat
As soon as Pat opened the door, Pete was out, dashing into the darkness, barking and growling.
Wait.. no. That wasn't growling. It was.. groaning? And it definitely wasn't Pete making the noise.
Pat peered into the darkness, but the dog had disappeared around the side of the house.
Raise: 7 (2, 5)
Dice: 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
Bark
Barclay collapsed on the roof, feeling the bile rise up in his throat. He had run and climbed for his life, but now he felt spent and on the verge of being sick. He could hear the screams, hear the groans. He could still see the milky eyes and the wounds gushing blood.
Couldn't he just stay up here? Couldn't he just wait it all out? Wait for the nightmare to end?
Raise: 8 (4, 4)
Dice: 3, 3, 4, 4, 6, 9
Sydney
Sydney had seen the reports online just as the screams began. A lot of good the speed of instant information did, huh?
The sounds of glass breaking could be heard from the dorm room just next to hers, and then the sound of something hitting the wall. And lastly a scream that was quickly cut off.
Raise: 10 (5,5)
Dice: 1, 1, 3, 5, 5, 8
Vincent
The place was a virtual fortress--the windows were thick and painted over, while the double doors were solid and sturdy. And inside, hidden from view, was a friend who was screaming like Vincent could hardly imagine--it was hardly even human, not calling for help or for someone to get away from her, but just a simple, terrified sound from someplace most humans had forgotten they even had.
And Vincent was stuck outside.
Raise: 11 (6, 5)
Dice: 1, 2, 4, 4, 7, 10
At least it happened on raid night. She wasn't in the mood for ToGC25 anyway.
The crash of shattering glass, the thump of what sounded suspiciously like a person hitting the wall and then the scream that was definitely her neighbor startled her, and she flinched in her chair, drawing her knees up onto the cushion, hugging her arms around them. Where was the administrative announcement? Nothing over the public address system, no mass-mailed CampusAlert message, nothing. It was concerning - but more than that, it was annoying. This is what she was paying tuition for? Administrative ineptitude in the face of zombie Armageddon? Not on her watch.
One quick change of clothes later (pajama pants with Snoopy on them weren't exactly zombie-fightin' gear), she gathered up her essentials: her cell, her wallet, and the old aluminum bat she kept propped up against her closet door just for situations like this. Well, okay, maybe not situations exactly like this, but that was the general idea.
She put up her away message, updated her Facebook status appropriately, and unlocked her front door, opening it just far enough to poke her head through and peer down either side of the corridor, stepping through the threshold out into the hallway proper, slinging her bat over her shoulder. Pulling her door shut, she cautiously makes her way toward the emergency stairs at the end of the hall.
Body+Heart = 5d6 → [4,6,2,5,6]
See: 11 (5,6)
Raise: 8 (6,2)
Dice: 4
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Well, Mr. Ash, you've survived the zombie apocalypse unscathed. What are you going to do now?
I'm going to find the idiot who put the only machine that can update CampusAlert in a back office in the administration building and string him up by his--
He coughed and rolled over onto his side with a groan. Struggling to his feet, he looked across the wide gap between the university center and the administration building--taking a moment to glance down briefly at the Dining Services workers who were now in one long, never-ending Smoke Break of the Damned down in the alleyway. One of them moaned, and Bark turned away.
He mentally rehearsed the path: across the roof, down the stairs, up the hall, through the door, into the back office.
Then, closing his eyes, he jumped. Landing safely with one foot hanging over the edge, Bark rolls and gets back on his feet. He reaches down, grabs at the handle of the "hatch" down into the building, and pulls.
Body + Heart: 3d6+2d6: 5 4 1 3 5 = 18
See: 5 + 4 = 9
Raise: 5 + 3 = 8
SEE:
Vince fought down the urge to panic as he pulled on the front doors in vain. Think, man, think. I have to get in there, but this way is no good and freaking out won't get me to Susan any faster.
(dice: 6, 5=11)
Raise:
The back door by the garage! It's been partly broken since the new kid rode the Zamboni into it. The rink hasn't had the money to fix it, and its the only hope I have of forcing my way in.
With that thought in mind, Vince ran as fast as he could around the rink. From the outside, it seemed the door fit just fine into its nook, but a few quick jerks showed the top hinge was barely attached to the wall, giving just enough space for Vince to get a hand hold and pull with all his might.
(dice: 6, 1=7)
He was lucky he was about to go out, and had his basic necessities with him. There wasn't time to grab anything else. The little girl didn't have much time.
SEE: Physical: Body4d6 + Heart3d6 = 1,3,4,4,4,5,5
Taking The Blow: 5,5,4=14
Jack charged out of his house and towards the girl. His hands started shaking as he got closer. He stopped, hesitated, the grisly sight of his nieghbors-turned-zombies was too much for him. He couldn't move as the zombies closed in and struck at the girl. The girl cried out, and that cry snapped Jack into action. That cry would haunt him, for his hesitation had allowed the little girl to get hit.
He spotted a piece of heavy metal pipe on the ground and snatched it up.
(Activating: I've learned that anything can be a weapon, if used correctly 1d6= 5.)
Gripping the pipe in both hands, he ran at the zombies and shoved them away from the girl as hard as he could.
RAISE: 1,3,4,4,5. 4,5=9
Dice left: 1,3,4
As Vince yanked and pulled and prayed, the door groaned, but in the end the handle gave way and the struggling man found himself stumbling backward, his ankle twisting unnaturally beneath him.
RAISE: 11 (7, 4)
Just as Vincent hit the ground, he heard another scream, only this time it was cut off abruptly--something, only God knows what, had happened inside.
Remaining Dice: 1,2,4,10
Jack
SEE: 9 (4,5)
The male zombie retained his hold on the girl's leg Jack slammed into them with his bulk and the pipe.
RAISE: 14 (8,6)
Meanwhile, the female zombie now approached, grabbing the girl's arm and attempting to drag her away from Jack as the child's "father" lurched at him, clumsily swinging a dead fist.
Remaining Dice: 1,4,5,6
Barclay
Barclay pulled, but as he did, he felt a muscle strain and shoot pain through his entire side--apparently the jump and landing hadn't been as perfect as he thought.
RAISE: 15 (9,6)
As the hatch budged slightly, Barclay could see a sign of movement on the stairs.
Remaining Dice: 3,3,4,4
Sydney
As Sydney shut the door and began to move, she found herself running directly into someone--or something--she hadn't seen when she peeked out. Apparently whatever had been in her neighbors room had gotten out in the time it took her to change clothes and take care of everything else.
RAISE: 13 (8,5)
The shadowed figure that Sydney bumps into lets out a groan and turns around, revealing a torn open jugular and milky white eyes. It groans--a sickening, gurgling sound--and reaches for her.
Remaining Dice: 1,1,3,5
See: 4 + 4 + 4 + 3 = 15
Raise: 5 + 3 = 8
Pipe: 1d6= 2.
Current dicepool: 1,2,2,3,3,4,4,5.
SEE: 5,4,3,2=14 Taking The Blow
The undead father clubs Jack upside the head sending him staggering, as the corpse mother drags the child away.
"Screw this." Jack said angrily, dropping the pipe and pulling out his gun. Why not? He'd killed before and those people had been alive.
9mm 2d6 1d4: 4,4, 3
Current dicepool=1,2,3,3,4,4,4,5,6,6 (I'm assuming I lose the pipe's die? And the traits too or not?)
RAISE: 6,5=11
Jack aimed and fired without hesitation, making sure not to hit the little girl.
As Barclay tries to find a place to hide, he finds himself faced with the sounds of numerous shuffling feet. All paths seem to lead to trouble.
RAISE: 6 (3,3)
Coming from the direction that leads to his goal, Barclay spots only a single staggering figure who began to move as soon as his milky white eyes came to rest on him. If he could just summon the courage to make it past, he would be home free--if not, his only choice was to turn and run.
Remaining Dice: Nothing
(OOC: With me out of dice, if you can come up with enough dice to See and Raise, you win.
Jack
GIVE!
The female zombie's head explodes as Jack's aim is dead-on. Another shot rings out and the "father" follows suit, leaving the young girl a bloody, screaming mess.
The girl obviously doesn't know what to do, but given that Jack seems to have just saved her life, she crawls towards him, clutching at his leg as if it were a buoy in the middle of the ocean.
FALLOUT for Jack: 3d6 4d8
(OOC: Go ahead and roll Fallout. On top of that, you get to take a new 1d6 Trait that matches up with this incident. If you plan on ditching the girl after saving her, it can be whatever, however, if you plan on taking her with you, you'll also want to assign some Relationship Dice to her (name her whatever you'd like).
Also, if you take her with you, in any challenge she assists you in from the beginning, you'll have +1d6 Heart. You'll also get an additional 1d4 Trait that we'll call "Child's Aide".
If she busts in to help you half-way through the challenge, then you simply get to add your Relationship dice to your pool.)
"Pete?" He stepped into the yard, rounding the house after the dog. As he turned the corner, he saw Pete growling at large man in tattered coveralls, his jaw slick with....was that blood? The mutt was just yards from the shambling figure, but seemed to be holding his ground, barking and growling as the groaning...thing advanced on him.
"Pete! Leave it! Get back here, boy! Get!"
2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 9, 10
Dodge: (5, 3,)
Pete heeded his man's command, albeit slowly, barking as he backed away from the man that staggered after him. "Good boy...now come on." Keeping the man in his sights, Pat and his dog backed away towards his open door. He reached inside the house, for the fire-axe he kept near the door. The man continued on, slowly approaching the porch.
---Edit---
3, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5
Raise: Pat came back out of the door, fire-axe in hand. He hesitated for a moment; he didn't know the man in the coveralls, didn't know what had happened to him. But he did know that his bloody mouth continued its inhuman groaning, and that he didn't want his blood, or Pete's, to be the next dripping down his front. He raised the axe high, and swung down at the man's head.
Dice: 9, 10.
Taking the baseball bat he swiped from some disappeared athlete's gym bag, he knocks the sprinkler head above him out of position and takes out his cell phone.
"I'm gonna call everyone in a minute anyhow," he mutters as the sprinklers come on above the zombie. As the water pours out over the monster at dozens of gallons per minute, Bark waits for it to start to pool up on the floor in front of it--and for the zombie to shuffle in for the kill. Once enough water has accumulated, and it's close enough, Bark dives into a side office and throws his phone into the water at the zombie's feet.
Soaking wet, phoneless, and frazzled beyond belief, Bark grins as the familiar command prompt comes up.
user login: bash
user pass: ************
He thinks for a while and selects the prewritten message about viral epidemic, taps the send button and, as the sprinkler comes on in the office, takes his bat to the window and clambers out onto the fire escape...
Gear: Cell phone (probably going to have to kiss this one goodbye now!)
Trait: He's a survivor!
Final push -- 2 traits, 1 gear: 2d10+2d6 18
3 9 2 4
Reverse the Blow: 9 - walked right into my electro-trap!
Raise: 9+2 = 11
3d6= 1,5,5. 4d8=1,1,2,8.
Man, that could be brutal...but totally worth it.
Trait: "Don't you touch a hair on her goddamn head." 1d6
Relationship: Elly, 1d8
For a moment, she can't even breathe from the fear. Sydney is paralyzed, her legs like stone, arms trembling out in front of her. The zombie shuffles closer, closer, closer. It claps its cold, rigid hands down on her shoulders, nails digging painfully into the skin under her shirt, and leans in to take a bite. Then just like that, something inside her snaps. In the blink of an eye, her terror turns to hatred. With an almost disconcerting ease, she disconnects herself from the part of her psyche that continues to view this thing as a person... and that makes her next action significantly easier.
Her expression morphs into a furious scowl, and she throws all of her weight against the thing's torso, knocking it away with a gurgled moan, taking the few seconds of time it gives her to grip her bat tighter and bring it upward, taking a batter's stance. She played tee ball as a little girl. She's got this. Syd digs her heels into the carpet, waits for the thing to take just a few more steps closer, and swings that hunk of metal with all the might her skinny arms can muster, aiming to smash the end of it right into the thing's temple, having seen enough zombie movies to know how to kill one.
Body+Will-Body: 5d6
Baseball bat: 1d6
She's a Survivor!: 1d6
7d6 → [5,4,5,3,1,3,2]
Taking the Blow: 13 (5,5,3)
Raise: 6 (4,2)
Dice: 1, 3
Fallout: 3d6(?)
I'm gonna feel like a major tool if I screwed all this up, 'cause I feel awesome.
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GIVE!
FALLOUT for Barclay: 4d6
(OOC: You also get a 1d6 Trait that somehow reflects what happened during your Survival Moment. ALso, I'll let you keep the phone, cause I'm nice like that. :P But if you do something similar with it in the main game, it'll be gone.)
Sydney
The zombie's head snaps back with a sickening thud, its face caved in and blood and brains splashing onto the walls and pooling around the double-dead corpse, leaving Sydney free to escape.
FALLOUT for Sydney: 3d6
(OOC: Go ahead and take a 1d6 Trait that has to do with how the Survival Moment played out!)
Use ability "Figure Skating is not for girls!" (1d10=2)
Take the blow
(4, 4, 1, 2)
Wincing in pain, Vince hobbles back to his feet, favoring his left foot. Ankle injuries are common in figure skating and this isn't the first time that ankle has given him trouble. However, if he could tough it our for a cheap plastic trophy in the local competitions, Vince can sure as hell block out the pain to save one of his only real friends.
Escalating Arena to talking: Acuity Roll: 5, 5, 2, 5
Using Item- Figure Skates: 1, 2
Raise:
Gritting past the pain, Vince breathes deep, "Ok, let's work this out. I tried the He-man approach and its gotten me nowhere: big shock..." Talking to himself always helped when an exam question seemed impossible, it was a natural response to extreme pressure. "So, I need to get through this door... this door which is too crooked for the deadbolt to latch... this door which is only locked through the handle..." Vince looks down, seeing where the handle has fallen to the ground.
Pulling out a figure skate, Vince limps forward and Jabs the $500 dollar blade into the open hole where the handle once set, attempting to pry out the other handle and take apart the lock from the inside. "Dammit Susan," Vince mutters as a tear rolls down one cheek, "you better be ok."
(5, 1=6)
Remaining Die: 2, 2, 5, 5
Fallout: 4d?
As Vincent twists and pulls, the blade pops out, slicing into his forearm.
RAISE: 14 (10, 4)
Suddenly a thud echoes from the other side of the door, and then again, and again.
"Vince!" comes Susan's sobbing voice. "Help me. Oh god, oh god. Its almost here. Help me."
Remaining Dice: 1,2
Pat's axe smashes through the corpse's skull, knocking it to the ground in the process.
(OOC: Wasn't much point in me continuing it with those dice you had. I wouldn't have been able to do anything to you. :P Anyway, go ahead and take a 1d6 Trait that relates to your Survival Moment!)
Use trait: "It's tough being the youngest brother" (1d8=2)
Use item: Towel from sports bag (1d6=5)
Take the blow:
The gash across his forearms stings like hell and a trickle of blood slips up his grip on the skate. Reaching down into his bag, Vince pulls out his towel, wrapping it first around the forearm and then around his hand, giving him a firm grip once again on the skate.
(5, 5, 5)
Raise:
Any cool Vince had been maintaining fled after hearing Susan's voice. "It? What the hell is going on in there?" Tears of frustration cascaded freely down his face, a sign his brothers had come to fear in years past. Though picking on Vince was a favorite past time in their youth, one day, when Vince had enough, the tears came, and the fallout that came after is one of the few moments in Vince's life that his father will recall with pride. Anytime Vince neared tears, it meant the fun stopped, and everyone backed off. Now, Vince was more frightened and angry than he had ever been before, all because of one goddamn door that refused to budge.
Wheeling back, Vince prepares to throw a final swing into the locking mechanism with everything he's got.
(2, 2)
Total Fallout: 5d?
The door busts open and Susan practically falls out of it, terrified out of her mind--though she seems to be alive and unbitten.
FALLOUTS for Vince: 7d6
(OOC:Aaalright. Go ahead and take a 1d6 Trait, and if you want to take Susan with you, you'll get +1d6 Body and +1d6 Heart if she's assisting you from the beginning. On top of that, you'll get a 1d6 Trait "Mentor & Friend" to use whenever she's assisting you from the beginning as well.
If you get over 8 Fallout, take a Long-term. If you roll a 1, take an Experience (just one, no matter how many 1s you roll).)
In the end, for those who survived the night, the view of the city was like waking from a nightmare into a mental breakdown--nothing made sense anymore.
But there was still hope, as there was signs of human perseverance throughout the landscape. And it was to these new bastions that the survivors flocked.
During the first day power, internet, and cellphone networks managed to hold out, allowing people to coordinate their efforts and gather news. But in the end the military resorted to dropping leaflets with numerous addresses on them--each one would be the location of pickups beginning at midnight.
People made their way to these points of supposed salvation within the darkness, but in the end, all they really managed to do was draw the undead to them like fleshy beacons in the night.
And that is how our own little group of survivors have come together--as the group of five is fighting through the crowd and screams begin to erupt. Half of the mob presses forward, trying to force their way beyond the fences the army has set up, while the other half scatters. What results can only be called pandemonium.
As death fills the streets yet again, a bus blasts its horn, and our Survivors all find themselves within reach. But while they manage to get aboard.. there are dozens more people trying to get on, attempting to climb in windows or onto the roof.
And of course, there was also the possibility that one of them had already been infected.
As the situation grows steadily worse, the rotund driver is forced to hit the gas, plowing through human and zombie alike. The bus creaks and groans as it bobs up and over the dead and undead, shaking some people off the top and from the windows, while also crushing some of those cramped within.
Crying is all anyone can hear as the bus pulls away, people screaming for their family members and friends who weren't able to get aboard. The mixed stench of blood and shit and piss and vomit fills the air.
But finally it comes to an end, as the bus pulls into a large parking empty lot and those within practically explode out into the open, exiting the vehicle from every possible opening.
(OOC: Aaaand GO! :P)
New trait: "Promise to meet again" 1d6
Susan will not be coming with me.
Invisible castle is down, but I rolled my own dice on 7d6: 6, 6, 1, 4, 5, 4, 6
I can reroll this on IC when its back up if need be, just wanted to get going
"Better late than never" 1d4- Long term Fallout trait
+1 die to "Figure Skating is not for girls" making it 2d10 for the experience Fallout
Exiting the vehicle, favoring his left leg, Vince watches the majority of the passengers scatter here and there. The lot looks clear for now, a deceivingly peaceful scene in a world gone batshit crazy. He wished he had stuck close to Susan after his first encounter, but how could they have known things would go to hell so quick.
The moment's rest allows certain biological factors to kick in, and a rumbling stomach reminds Vince how long its been since he last ate. Even worse, the cut on his forearm is starting to itch from the dirt and grime that snuck under the wrappings as Vince scrambled through the crowds towards perceived safety. Food, medical supplies; somehow Vince got the feeling these things were going to take on a whole new meaning in the days to come.
That, and his clothes were an absolute mess. Looking around, Vince tries to get his bearings and form a plan. "Should I stick with the bus," he mumbles to himself, "or find a nice place to hide, maybe ride this whole thing out."
"My guess is that there aren't going to be any good places to hide around here, it's too urban, population density is too high," he says, totally focused on the bootup screen for the first time in ages, before he realizes what he's said and turns his head.
"There's probably plenty of places to hide around here, most people are just too chickenshit to look for them. Empty factories, abandoned storefronts. All that urban decay. If you can get past the vermin, the tetanus, the more-than-likely chance of asbestos..." She shrugs her shoulders and shoves her free hand into her pocket, fishing out her cell phone and checking the display, hoping that through some miracle of God there were still some active towers somewhere.
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Asbestos? In the middle of a failed evacuation with a bus going, it seems, to nowhere, and she thinks the biggest challenge is overcoming fear of vermin and asbestos.
"Sweety, I would wear an asbestos hat if it meant those... things would stay the hell away from me. Well, maybe I would, depends on how it looked."
Taking their lead, Vince fishes in his pocket for his Blackberry and sees what functions might still be useful and online.
"The problem with hiding is," Vince continues, "we might miss out on getting the hell out of dodge. And furthermore..."
A grumbling stomach completes the sentence.
"So, its simple really. We just need to find a way to hide in plain view." Giggling a little, "No problem. Maybe we should chat it up over lunch, know any good local spots?"
Vincent's sense of humor gets a small laugh out of her, and she shakes her head as she sinks down to take a seat in the dirt, tugging her knees up against her chest and hugging her arms around her shins. Dropping her cheek against her kneecap, she stares out into the distance for a few seconds then straightens up, taking in a deep breath and exhaling it in a big sigh. "... I want pot." She sniffs.
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"Ahh, enough out of me about food, what the hell are we doing?" Vince turns back into the bus to see if the driver is anywhere to be seen. "Excuse me, Mr. driver sir, can you tell me exactly where we are supposed to be headed to get to safety?"
Outside the bus, Pat finishes wiping some of the liquid foulness that had been on the bus floor from Pete's nose. "Much better...you nasty little critter. Stay out of that crap." He turns to the Syd and Vince. "Weed would be nice, but water is what we're going to need, and soon." He points to the bus "Did any of you hear where he was planning on going, or are we just going to end up food on a highway? I'm this close to walking..."
"I don't have any mary jane, but I got a few cigarettes if anyone wants one." He let's Elly down, lights a cig for himself and takes her hand. "We need water, food, and a hiding place. Problem is, it's likely any decent place already has occupants, and they might not want to share. I know I wouldn't."
"Not got anywhere to go," he answers, "the highways are all blocked up. Most of the streets are too, though I doubt you were able to notice on the ride over. And this thing can't go off road." He pats the side of his vehicle, but then shakes his head again.
Other people are mulling about the bus, staying close as if afraid it might drive off without them. Some are crying, and some are shouting at each other. From the other side of the bus, actually, you hear someone yelling loudly for someone else to put the gun down.
"Look at him!" another, male voice shouts. "Look at his arm! He's got it all covered up! I bet he's been bitten!"
"I--I haven't!" comes a third voice, "honest!"
"SHOW ME YOUR ARM!"
Vince glances at the commotion, then gives a quick, calculating look at the few, relatively calm folks that his random mumbling got talking. Everyone else was near hysterics, but these four seemed to have the right idea: food, shelter, and pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, he didn't relish explaining his own bandaged arm to the psycho in the back waving around a weapon.
"So, I think that is our queue to leave the crazy people to their fun and see if we can't find a place to hold up for the evening and make a plan of some sort. If what the bus driver says is true, I think the major roads have all turned into buffet lanes, sooo we should probably not go that way."
Draping his skate bag over his shoulder, Vince walks away from the bus and the forming chaos, trying to get a lay of the land and see what is nearby.
As the yelling continues, he glances at Vince. "Hey, uh, do you think we should do something?"
"What're they yelling about back there...?" she mumbles even as she pushes herself up onto her feet and shuffles around to the back of the bus, peeking around the corner to get a look at what exactly everyone is screaming about.
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"No, not particularly."
Taking a breath, Vince lightens up a bit and attempts a smile, "Listen, the guy with the gun sounds jittery and, for all we know, some of these people might have been infected. Besides, if we stay here and keep yelling and making a fuss, how long you do you think this parking lot is going to stay vacant?"
These people seemed alright, quick thinkers, calm under pressure. It would be better to travel with them then alone. At the very least, they would be distractions or human shields. One did have a bandage on his arm. That would be something to watch. Jack scratched his jaw, which still ached every now and then. "Whatever we're doing, we should get on with it."
Pete whines and paces back and forth as the shouting on the other side of the bus grows louder. "And like now..."