Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 12:17 PM Mountain Time - In the secret prison beneath the T-Bone
In the reception area-
The mob of zombies filed slowly down the stairs towards the newly locked gate, moans escaping from their unliving lungs. There were about twenty of them, and though they were moving slowly, they couldn't be slow enough. Sally the nurse stepped well back from gate. She stood near the entrance to the hallway leading deeper inside and took aim at the head of the one in front with her Colt M1911A1. She squeezed off a shot between the metal bars and hit, wounding it but not stopping its advance.

(Michael and Joe Barring, you each have one combat round to act. You may each shoot at a zombie with your handgun. Michael gets three shots and Joe gets two. You may choose to stay near the gate, in which case the shot is point blank and your skill is doubled. However, if the zombies break through the gate you will be at risk. You may also shoot from farther back as Sally did, in which case you use your normal skill level but you will definitely be able to retreat before the zombies can reach you if they break in. If you aim for the head, which I highly recommend, you have a -5 to your skill for these shots. Remember that 10 damage to the head is a guaranteed kill, and one zombie has already taken 4. If you aim at the head and your shot is point blank, you double your skill first and then subtract 5 from that number to get your effective skill. Remember that all of your shots must be at the same target.

Joe, you also have the option of continuing to clear your jammed shotgun instead of attacking. It will take two rounds to finish, and this can be one of them.

No Sanity rolls are required this time, as your characters have already seen these particular zombies late in Chapter 2 and they made their rolls at that time.

Remember that if you get 1/5 of your effective skill or less on a roll, the shot is an impale and gets double damage dice - 2d10 instead of 1d10.)

In the guard room-
Airman Justin Hockey entered the deserted guard room from the hallway that led out of the reception area. In his arms he carried Willie, who was still unconscious, and in his pocket he carried the 9-volt battery Michael had given him to take to the others down below. A door led off to the right and an open doorway led deeper into the facility, into a long corridor that appeared to be a cell block. Rosie had told him that all he needed to do to reach the hatch and the lift was to go straight back.

In the reception area-

Joe backed up beside Sally and resumed work on clearing his jammed shotgun.

Michael ran away from the gate, joining the others and pulling out his handgun for a quick shot at the zombie which Sally had wounded. His shot goes wide.

(Remember, Michael gets three shots per round, so go ahead and roll the other two. In general you can fire all your shots in a given round at once when you're shooting at zombies that can't reach you this round. If a situation comes up where we have to step through a combat round in Dex order I'll let you know at the time. Joe, you'll need to wait for the rest of this round before you finish unjamming the shotgun.)

Randall also dropped back and raised his M-16, firing a single shot at one of the creatures. It hit square in the middle of its forehead and blew its brains out. The rest of it fell, twitching briefly as its fellows stumbled over it.

Rosie fell back to join the others after locking the gate and fired twice at another one's head, narrowly missing with both shots.

Michael fires off two more shots at the head of the zombie that Sally had wounded. His first shot hits, but only glances the zombie. The second shot thuds into the wall beside the walking corpse, embedding itself in the brick.

In the reception area-
The walking dead shambled down the stairs, tightly packed in a gruesome conga line. They reached the gate at the bottom and walked right into it, reaching their arms between the bars in vain for the tasty morsels on the other side. They rattled the gate, pressing against it and trying to knock it off of its hinges. The gate held for now, but it was already starting to buckle under their assault. It looked like it would not hold long at all.

Sally fired again, blowing through a zombie's head and felling it, leaving a massive exit wound in the back of its skull. Unfortunately, that still left 17 of them, one with a head wound.

(Michael and Joe Barring get another combat round to act now. Michael can get three more shots, provided they're all at the same target. Joe Barring can either get two shots at the same target, or he can finish unjamming his shotgun. One of the zombies has taken 5 damage to the head so far, but the others are unharmed.)

In the guard room-
Hockey carried Willie deeper into the facility, entering the cell block.

In the cell block-
The cell block stretched on into the distance, with another open door at the far end. On either side of the cell block were six solid metal doors, all closed. They had panels at eye level that could be slid aside to look into each cell. Hockey detected a terrible stench coming from the second cell on the right. It smelled like burnt meat and gasoline.

In the reception area-

Joe finishes clearing his shotgun.

Michael let loose, firing off three rounds into the same zombie he'd been trying to hit. The first bullet whizzed by it, followed by the second which barely missed clipping its shoulder. The third, however, blew right through its eye-socket and into the rotting remnants of the corpse's brain.

The corpse fell, twitching briefly before being overrun by its undead comrades.

OOC - Is ammo an issue in this game?

(Yes, ammo is an issue. I'm keeping track of it on this thread. Michael doesn't have much left now; he's down to 29 bullets, 9 of them currently loaded.)

Joe finished clearing the jammed shotgun.

As the wounded zombie fell, Randall fired at another one and missed. Rosie got off another couple of shots, only just hitting with the first one, but it streaked through the thing's scalp and put it down.

Fifteen still remained, and they continued pounding on the gate and nearly broke it in. It was barely hanging on its hinges, and one more hit would knock it down.

Sally fired again, narrowly missing.

(You have one more round of combat before the zombies break the gate down, and you are far enough back that they won't be able to attack in this round. Joe may now use the shotgun.)

Cell Block

Hockey Approaches the cellblock, the stentch of chared meat and petrolium filling the surroundings.

In the cell block-
Hockey carried Willie through the cell block and out the doorway at the far end, which led to the shower room.

In the prison showers-
There was nothing of real interest in the showers. Another doorway led beyond into the prisoners' common area.

Michael reloads his gun. He'll conserve his ammo for more desperate movements - for now, they should have plenty of room for maneuvering to get away from the undead husks.

In the reception area-
Joe fires his now unjammed shot gun at one of the creatures strikeing it in the head and takes most of its face off.

In the reception area-
The zombie that Joe had shot dropped to its hands and knees, but it continued to claw at the gate along with its undead brethren. Michael didn't have any full magazines left, but he did have a mostly full one that he swapped in.

Randall fired again and hit a ghoul in the head, also causing it to fall but not quite stopping it. Rosie fired her last two bullets, but missed by a hair.

Then the gate caved in under the pressure of the dead beating on it. It clanged to the floor and they swarmed over it and into the room, thirteen of them on their feet and two more crawling.

"Retreat!" called Sally, running down the hall leading back towards the hatch.

(If you stay in this room and shoot this round, the zombies will get to attack you afterwards - and there are a lot of them. Since everyone is at the back of the room, you can retreat down the hall without having to roll anything. You may also reload while you move. You can either load 2 shells into a shotgun or exchange an automatic pistol's magazine. Two bullets could also be loaded into a revolver, which is what Rosie intends to do.)

In the prison showers-
Hockey could hear the gunshots in the distance, back the way he came, as he proceeded through the shower room. Beyond it he could see the prisoners' common area, which he entered.

In the prisoners' common area-
Hockey carried Willie into the room, which was devoid of furnishings. The only feature was a sturdy metal door at the opposite end that stood open.

In the reception area-

Joe begins to fall back but makes sure to load two more shells into his shotgun as he moves.

Michael falls back, ensuring that he doesn't get in the way of anyone else.

showers

Hockey shifts the wounded over his shoulder, with his free hand, he draws his handgun, and turns in the direction of the gunshots. he keys his communicator. "Hockey to FT 1 - Shots fired. sounds like their coming from the reception area."

he begins a swift walk

In the prison showers-
(Hockey, are you heading back the way you came or continuing through the metal door? Let me know so I can describe the new room if you pass through the door. If you started back as soon as you heard the shots, you'll be in the guard room with the others and you'll get two shots with your handgun.)

With Willie over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, Hockey was able to wield his Beretta. He knew he was told to bring the old cameraman downstairs to safety, but he also felt drawn to the action. Unfortunately, this far underground the signal could not get through and he could only get static on his radio.

In the reception area-
Randall and Rosie also retreated down the hall towards the guard room. Sally swapped out her pistol's magazine as she ran, and Rosie slid two bullets into the chambers of her .38.

In the guard room-
The survivors retreated into the prison guard room as the dead lumbered after them in pursuit, entering the hallway leading out of the reception area. Once everyone was safely in the room, Sally spun around and fired at the lead zombie's head. She hit it and dropped it, but it dragged itself onwards. Twelve of them were still on their feet, and the other three were crawling but falling behind the main group.

(Everyone in the guard room has one combat round to shoot at the zombies. Michael gets three shots with his handgun, Hockey gets two with his if he's in the guard room, and Joe gets one shot with his shotgun.)

In the guard room-

Joe fires his shotgun aiming for the nearest zombie but the shot somehow misses.

Michael fires off three shots at the nearest shambling zombie. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1505858/]The first thuds into a rotting eye socket. The second blows through the same zombie's cranium, dropping it. The third thuds into the already dead - well, re-dead zombie's torso, having no effect on the already lifeless body.

(Stompie, I still haven't heard from you. If you don't post by the next update, I'll just send Hockey and Willie down through the hatch as they had originally planned.)

In the guard room-
Randall fired at one of the creatures and missed. Rosie unloaded the two bullets she had just put in her revolver's chambers, but both shots missed by inches. The eleven remaining walkers began to enter the room and were getting dangerously close.

"Retreat!" called Sally.

(If you try to shoot again this round, the zombies will get to attack you afterwards. You can safely retreat into the cell block and towards the hatch without rolling. Remember that you may reload two shotgun shells or exchange one magazine while retreating. Hockey, if you decided to come back this way you can still have your two shots from last round and then retreat. If you decided to head for the hatch after all, just say so. I'll describe it, and you can get down to the bottom this round.)

Michael retreated, while helping the others retreat as best as he could.

In the guard room-
Joe retreats and reloads two more shells into his shotgun.

In the cell block-
Everyone fell back from the guard room into the long cell block. Rosie began to reload her revolver as she moved. Six solid metal doors were on each side, all of them closed. A horrid stench of burnt flesh and gasoline came from the second door on the right. At the far end of the cell block was the doorway to the shower room.

The creatures continued to advance, flooding into the guard room and reaching the cell block entrance. "Keep going!" said Sally, heading for the far end. "We need some more breathing room before we can stop and shoot."

(If you do not retreat again this round, you risk the zombies reaching you. You may reload again if you retreat.)

In the prisoners' common area-
Airman Justin Hockey carried Willie through the open metal door and into the hatch chamber.

In the upper hatch chamber-
Hockey found himself in a circular chamber. An open door at the opposite end led to the generator room. In the center of the floor was what looked like a submarine hatch labeled: "QUARANTINE - By order of the Department of Defense." It was wide open and had a glass window. It could be locked or unlocked only from above. Beside the hatch was a panel with two buttons, one red and one green. Filling the hole within the hatchway was a circular platform with the words "LIFT" and "ENTRANCE TO LAB" stenciled on the floor. Another two-button panel was on the lift itself.

Hockey stepped onto the lift and hit the green button with his elbow. It began to descend...

(Hockey and Willie are moving to this thread: Down the Hatch. Stompie, you can go read what's already in that thread if you wish, but you're not required to do so. Remember that Hockey does not know what transpired there before he arrived. Also, stop reading this thread at this point.

Everyone else remains in this thread.)

In the Cell Block-

Joe continues to fall back keeping an eye on everyone else in case they begin to lag.

(OathinBlood hasn't posted in a while, but I'm going to assume Michael is still retretaing.)

In the prison showers-
The others all fell back to the shower room with Joe Barring as the ghouls began pouring into the cell block. Rosie continued to reload. They were now far enough apart that it there was time to stop briefly.

"Okay, one more volley of shots," said Sally as she took aim. "Then we have to fall back again." She fired and hit one of their heads, knocking it off its feet. It crawled on, falling behind the other ten that still stood.

(Everyone may now shoot for one round of combat. Michael may take three shots with his Glock. Joe may shoot twice with his pistol or once with his shotgun. Remember the -5% penalty for aiming at the head.)

In the Prison Showers-

Joe fires a round at one of the walking zombies hiting it in the head and drops it to the ground.
However it keeps coming.

(Remember, when you're using Precision Aim all your shots in a round must be at the same target. The third bullet did not hit another zombie, but the same zombie you just killed. The second shot was an impale and should do 2d10 damage in all, but it did more than enough damage to finish the zombie anyway.)

In the prison showers-
Randall fired a shot, hitting one of the creatures in the head and dropping it to its hands and knees. Rosie fired her revolver twice, but both shots went wide. Seven of the ghouls remained on their feet and closed in on the survivors, and six others were visible crawling slowly towards them.

"Back!" shouted Sally as she headed for the common area.

(If you don't retreat this round, the zombies will get to attack you. You may reload while retreating.)

Michael fumbles with another cartridge, popping it into his pocket for easy access, all the while retreating.

OOC - Oops, my bad. That zombie got totally obliterated! Ooh, a question. How much damage do you have to inflict to the head to make the zombie a crawler instead of a walker?

Joe reloads as he countinues retreating.

In the prisoners' common area-
The five survivors fled from the shower room into the common area. The ghouls shambled after them into the shower room they had just vacated. At the back of the large common area was a sturdy metal door, currently open. Beyond the door was the hatch chamber.

"Drop back through the door!" called Sally, taking the lead in the retreat. "Then we'll have one more chance to shoot them before we have to lock it!"

(If you do not retreat again this round, the zombies might get to attack you.)

Joe countinues retreating but lets the others lead.

"Don't waste your bullets!" shouted Michael, retreating. "Just get in and lock it, the bodies will never make it through!"

Michael's urgent tone doesn't need any further persuading to be heeded.

OOC - That's a critical success. Woohoo!

In the upper hatch chamber-
Everyone rushed through the open metal door and into the hatch chamber as the dead staggered slowly after them. The room was round, and in the center was a round opening that was currently filled with a flat lift. There was an open hatch that when closed would cover the opening, much like one on a submarine. It had a glass window in it and was clearly marked: "QUARANTINE By order of the Department of Defense." The window had an impact mark on the underside that appeared to have been made by a bullet. The hatch could be locked or unlocked only from above, not from below. Next to the hatch was a panel with two buttons, one red and one green. An identical control panel was on the lift itself. The lift platform had the words "LIFT" and "ENTRANCE TO LAB" stenciled upon the floor. At the back of the room was an open door leading to the generator room.

Once everyone was through, Sally slammed the metal door shut and locked it, then went to stand on the lift with Rosie, who continued reloading her revolver.

"Okay," said Randall, "everyone get on the lift and press the lower button to go down. I'll lock the hatch so they can't get down there. I'm dead anyway." He handed Sally his M-16 and all of his magazines. "Here, this is too valuable a resource to go to waste with me."

"But..." started Sally, "how will you...end it? Maybe if we gave you a pistol-"

"That's still too valuable. Stephanie said she thought electricity would kill them, so maybe it'll keep me from coming back. Once the hatch is sealed I'll run into the generator room, fry myself, and hope I don't come back as one of them. Now go, before they get in!"

In the Upper Hatch Chamber-

"Thank you I know alot of people that wouldn't be half as brave as you." Joe says his thanks.

In the upper hatch chamber-
"You're welcome," said Randall. "I wish I'd gotten a chance to know you people better. Some more than others." He smiled at Sally, who looked down sorrowfully. "Joe, I suggest you and Michael get on that lift fast before those things start breaking down the door. It's strong, but it won't hold forever."

Joe steps onto the lift. "Is there anything last thing you want us to do or anything we can tell the others?"

In the upper hatch chamber-
Randall thought for a second, the bite wound on his ankle throbbing under the bandages. "My parents live in New York: Richard and Brenda Davis. I haven't seen them in a while. In the highly unlikely event that they survive and you run into them, tell them...tell them I love them, and how I died. Other than that, just be careful, and godspeed."

Michael gives Randall a quick, curt nod before he gets onto the lift, his eyes thanking Randall more than words ever could.

In the upper hatch chamber-
Sally pressed the button and looked up at Randall as the lift began to descend, her eyes watering. Once everyone's head was safely below, Randall slammed the hatch shut and spun the wheel as far as it would go to dog it shut. Just as he finished, the pounding on the metal door began.

Randall ran through the other door into the generator room. The access panel in the generator where Gary and Mr. Foo had hooked up the lines that ran all the way upstairs to keep the juice flowing to the fridge and gas coming into the generator remained open, and a few live wires were visible. He looked back over his shoulder just as the door to the hatch chamber came crashing down and the walking corpses started pushing their way inside.

Randall took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he had to do. "You won't get me!" he shouted defiantly, grabbing the exposed wires with both hands. Electricity raced through his body as the lights flickered briefly, and then he fell lifelessly to the floor. He never rose again.

(Everyone is moving to this thread: Trapped)