Play@YSDC

"Yeah. I am sure it will be safe......well....safer" Keith says with as much as a chuckle as he can muster. " Their are soldiers there with lots of guns and they have the upstairs sealed off from the ground. It's about as safe as we can get, right now."

Joe hears the blast. He doesn't take time to fire another shot, keeping his eyes on where he's going for a bit as Colin reloads.

(Walkers from the east: 35 dead, 1 with 9 damage to head)

At the garage-
Lewie watched with satisfaction while his target fell, never to rise.

"Well, okay," said Melinda, though she didn't sound too sure in light of the recent explosions and gunfire. She watched the SF troopers scurrying about the parking lot just to the east of the motel, racing for the southeast and northeast corners, evidently trying to circle around the motel to meet the threat. Hodges reached the lot and ran for the northeast corner, while the trooper that was heading this way got closer. He was about 3/4 of the way to the garage.

(Lewie, you cannot fire this round, as you must spend this round ejecting the shell casing and chambering the next bullet. Keith, if you want to fire you'll be at half skill.

Lisa is moving to this thread: Beneath the Surface. Please stop reading this thread at this point and begin reading the other thread at the linked post.

Everyone else remains in the current thread.)

On the highway-
The horde advanced closer, but there was still time for another four shots or so before Joe would have to move the truck.

(Joe, you do not need to watch where you're going, as the truck is currently stopped, like I said before. Since you're looking around anyway, you may roll Spot Hidden for your action last round. This round you and Colin may each fire one shot.)

Keith hold his fire in an attempt to conserve ammunition.

Colin Lewis aimed and fired at one of the zombies. He hit the zombie in the head. The head exploded in gore.

(Got a 59 for the shooting and a 11 for the damage. IC is down.)

(Dice rolling:

Walkers from the east: 36 dead, 1 with 9 damage to head)

At the garage-
Keith heard more gunfire from downstairs. Melinda continued to wait nervously in his truck. On the roof, Lewie finished chambering the next round and was ready to fire again. The SF trooper was getting closer, and he would arrive soon.

(Lewie, you may fire once this round at full skill. Keith, you're still at half skill.)

On the highway-
There still remained close to fifty zombies on their feet, and they continued their slow, relentless advance. Joe Soarez also noticed that beyond them, about half a mile east of the diner, or about 600 yards from their current position, there were ten more zombies closing in quickly.

(Colin, you cannot fire this round, as you fired last round. Joe, you may fire at a walker with your full skill. You would only be at 1/4 skill if you fired at a runner.)

"Come on, guys! Let's hurry it up down there. Those things are getting a little too close for comfort."

(I realized that Colin Lewis and Joe Soarez never made the Sanity rolls I asked for three rounds ago, so I'll roll for them now. I also rolled for Lewie Newton's shot.

Walkers from the east: 37 dead, 1 with 9 damage to head)

At the garage-
There were more gunshots from below as Senior Airman Roger Coltrane came running up to the west side of the garage. He could see the advancing horde that was still some distance to the east, beyond the stopped truck on the highway.

Lewie Newton took another shot, hitting and obliterating a zombie's head. His rifle was now empty.

(Lewie, it will be two rounds before you can fire again. You must spend one round reloading and one round ejecting the spent casing and chambering the next bullet. Keith and Coltrane, you are at half skill if you want to shoot at the zombies to the east.)

On the highway-
Colin was frightened by the approaching zombies, but he was starting to get used to them and was only somewhat alarmed. Joe was also terrfied beyond imagination. He lost it completely and babbled incomprehensibly.

(Colin, you may fire another shot this round. Joe, you have gone temporarily insane. This will last 14 rounds, but I'm including the past three rounds in this total. That means you'll be insane for the current round and another ten. During this time you may roleplay your madness, but you cannot do anything constructive, such as shooting or driving.)

Keith anxiously awaits the other to arrive from below. However, he continues to watch the approachin hoard, waiting for them to get within range of his rifle.

In the silence between rifle shots, Keith hears something.

At the garage-
Keith heard a few sets of footsteps moving up the stairs quickly.

Preparing his rifle, Keith calls out: "Is that you all coming up the stairs?"

Colin cursed and got off the back of the truck. He got into the driver side gentely pushing Joe over and prepared to drive back to the garage.

(Walkers from the east: 37 dead, 1 with 9 damage to head)

At the garage-
"Yeah, son, it's us!" Clarence shouted back from below. "We've still got six of them crawling behind us!"

On the roof of the garage, Lewie ejected the spent casing and then began to reload. Coltrane could see Applebee and Cheng running back into view from around the southeast corner of the motel. Melinda saw them too.

(Lewie cannot fire this round. Keith and Coltrane, if you wish to shoot at the walkers to the east they are now close enough for you to use your full skill, with only the -5 penalty for shooting at the head.)

On the highway-
Colin Lewis shoved his buddy Joe Soarez over into the shotgun seat and slipped behind the wheel, closing the door behind him. The horde was getting uncomfortably close, and the ten runners were starting to catch up to them.

"Waugh!" moaned Joe. "Fergl spleh gork!"

(Colin, it will take you this round to turn the truck around. After the next update you'll be able to drive back to the diner. There is enough time to get out before the zombies reach your current position.)

"Hurry up, dad. We'er clos to getting overrun up here." Keith raises his rifle and takes aim at the closest walker and fires. The round takes the shuffling beast in the head, casung it to drop to the ground; dead.

(So what do I do/ Can I drive back now or will it be too late and if so can I grab Joe and drag him out with me?)

Lewis turns the truck around.

(Walkers from the east: 39 dead, 1 with 9 damage to head)

At the garage-
"We'll be up in just another minute, son!" Clarence shouted back. He and the others were now visible on the landing halfway down. They were shooting at something down the next flight of stairs, out of Keith's line of sight.

Lewie Newton finished loading two bullets into his rifle and chambered one of them. Coltrane took aim at one of the walkers to the east and shot one between the eyes, blowing its head apart.

Just then, the ground shook again. It was more violent than the last tremor. A sound like breaking rock also came from the west, beyond the motel, but its cause was not visible.

(Keith, Coltrane, and Lewie Newton, you may each fire one shot this round if you wish.)

On the highway-
Colin Lewis successfully turned the truck around and started driviing west on I-80 with the leading edge of the horde not far behind. They were still some 45 strong, but they soon dropped behind the truck as it built up speed. Joe sat on the seat beside him, continuing to babble. The two of them felt the tremor too, but they were too far from the motel to hear anything else.