Play@YSDC

Posted: **Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:03 pm**

Z-Day - 12:39 PM Mountain Time - Deep Mole One
In the living quarters-
Max remained in his hiding place under the desk as the sounds of battle raged around him.

In the geology lab-
Michael pulled Rosie into the lab with him. Kerry and Ellen helped Mrs. Foo inside after them. Ellen made her way over to the table where two dozen flasks of acid rested, grabbing a pair. "Come on, we have to stop that thing!" she yelled.

"Nooooo...." moaned Kerry. "I can't go near it again, I can't...it'll get me..."

Kimberly and Joe Barring raced back into the hall, carrying their acid flasks carefully.

In the lower lab hallway-
Hockey charged up the stairs with his flamethrower. Sally and Willie went with him carrying a flask of the strongest acid in each hand.

In the project manager's office-
The monster emitted a sound that resembled a burp and began to expand rapidly, soon filling up almost half of the office.

"Oh God it's GROWING!" shrieked Jenny, staring in horror at the suddenly bigger and tougher creature that loomed over her and cut off all hope of escape. She desperately clutched the electric prod, the only thing she had that might hurt it. It tried to drag her into its gaping mouth with the tentacles wrapped around her legs, but she looped an arm around the corner of the desk and held on for dear life. Other tentacles struck out, seizing Mr. Foo and Duke, pinning their arms to their sides in an iron grip. More tentacles emerged from the creature, forming within seconds.

Jenny charged up the prod and lunged at the thing that had tried to devour her, but her blow only struck the floor. She wailed in terror as it loomed overhead.

Kirby kept speaking from the reel-to-reel: "November 6th– Craig had something to report. The rocks he found are not stone but are actually biological in origin. They are, in fact, eggs. But if so they are eggs biologically constructed to withstand great amounts of pressure. I dreamed that inside Judith was a monster, eating her from the inside out but she was conscious and cursing me for killing her. That I would be the first one she ate when she got free, and oh yes, she would get free. Other samples from what we found below suggest organic origins but unlike anything we've seen. We have made a remarkable discovery of the existence of life deep below the ground, capable of withstanding the amazing pressures below. Do they live near the hot core of the earth, or perhaps do they exist below the crust and come up? Why, if they do, have we not seen them before? Why have they come up now?"

In the upper lab hallway-
Hockey, Sally, and Willie emerged from the stairs below. Lynne lay quivering on the floor, the creature's tentacles tightly wrapped around her.

Posted: **Sat Apr 26, 2008 11:24 pm**

Joe slowly follows the others up the stairs hopeing that they would be able to save those trapped by the creature.

Posted: **Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:10 am**

Michael grabbed as many flasks of acid as he could hold, and ran back out the door to confront the creature.

Posted: **Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:15 am**

In the living quarters-
Max remained huddled under the desk.

In the geology lab-
Michael took two flasks of acid, one in each hand. That was the most he could carry safely. Ellen followed him back out into the hall. Rosie, Mrs. Foo, and Kerry each took a pair of flasks too, though they remained in the lab.

"What are we going to do?" asked Kerry, quivering in fright.

"Hopefully they'll kill that thing," said Rosie. "If they can't, we may have to flee into the tunnels."

"Noooo..." moaned Kerry again.

In the lower lab hallway-
Michael and Ellen emerged from the lab, each holding two flasks of acid, shortly after Joe and Kimberly ran up the stairs.

In the upper lab hallway-
Hockey rushed over to the open door to Kirby's office and raised his flamethrower. "Yippeekiyay!" he shouted, spraying flaming death at the monster within. Unfortunately, he just scorched the wall due to his inexperience with the weapon. Sally and Willie skidded to a half near him, each preparing to hurl a flask of acid.

The creature in the lab turned towards them with malevolent purpose, and they could see that it was indeed larger and stronger. Its tentacles flailed out towards them. One attacked Hockey, but it missed horribly. Another pair came for him and Sally. This time it hit Hockey and smacked him viciously in the stomach. His armor provided some protection, but not enough to keep him from being knocked out cold. Sally cried out as the thing's tentacle came for her, and she could not escape. It crippled her left leg and she too passed out.

But the horror was just beginning. Two more tentacles slithered forth, one going after Willie and the other targeting Jenny. Willie avoided his, but Jenny was not so lucky. The other tentacle gripped her too tightly for her to escape, and this one looped itself around her arms several times, binding them together securely and preventing her from using the prod.

Two more tentacles struck out. Willie gasped as one went straight for him, but he managed to elude it. The second one went after Jenny, but this time she rolled out of its way. Then the thing moved towards Alice and almost swallowed her.

"Stay below!" screamed Jenny when she saw how easily the others had gone down. "Save yourselves!"

Willie barely managed to pull Sally out of the creature's line of sight. He stashed the flasks of acid in his pack, picked her up, and ran downstairs past Joe and Kimberly. "Run!" he cried.

The tape continued playing: "November 7th– The rest of the team is restive. Bateman and Smith have been working on weapons in addition to those in our armory. A battery charged prod capable of delivering an electric charge, an improvised flamethrower. They want to go below and confront them. They say if we don’t they will turn us against each other. Perhaps they have already. We are divided. Muth is in panic. He says he can do nothing for Judith. Poor Judith. Sam seems to be doing his best in holding it together. He seems capable and is aware that the others are very stressed, that lack of sleep is beginning to have its effect. He suspects madness will overtake the group in a week or so. I have instructed him about precautions if anything is to happen to me. We have heard nothing from Grey, from Warren. They have been told all of this. But they have nothing to offer us. We're on our own. I try not to dream. It's very difficult now. I have not slept for almost 48 hours. I keep my pistol close."

(Joe Barring can act now. If he wants to throw a flask of acid at the creature, he will have to face its attacks first. If he rolls Dodge even once, he will be unable to attack. His chance to hit is equal to his Throw skill which has a base level of 25%, but there is a -10% penalty due to his vest. The vest also gives him a -10% penalty to Dodge. He could also pick up the flamethrower that Hockey dropped. If he does this, he can Dodge this round if needed and then fire it next round if he's still in the fight, before the creature attacks. If it never lands a hit, he'll even get to attack it this round. The base chance to hit is only 5%, but this is doubled to 10% for point blank range and doubled again to 20% for the close confines of the office, giving him a 20% chance to hit.

He can also try to rescue Hockey. If he does this, in addition to Dodge rolls, he will need to roll on the Resistance Table: his STR of 16 vs. Hockey's SIZ of 12. This gives him a 70% chance to succeed. If he fails, he cannot move him this round. If he succeeds, he can carry him downstairs unless the creature's attacks bring him down.

He could try to free Lynne from the creature's grasp, but it has a STR of 27 at the moment, making it impossible for him to succeed alone. With Kimberly's help, he could combine their STR scores for a total of 25, giving them a 40% chance. If they free her and successfully Dodge any attacks that would hit them, they can bring her downstairs. Hockey would be easier to rescue, though, as the tentacles aren't actually holding him yet. However, it could grab him before they get to act, in which case they'd have to make that Resistance roll to free him as well.

Finally, he can simply run downstairs. The monster hasn't seen him yet, so if he does this he will not need to roll Dodge. However, if he does this he will need to roll Sanity for abandoning Hockey. This will cause a Sanity loss of 1/1d4.

Post what you intend to do, and roll Dodge a couple times if necessary. Then I'll roll the creature's attacks if you don't simply go downstairs. If you survive, then you can make any further needed rolls.)

Posted: **Sun Apr 27, 2008 4:59 am**

Ooc- I roll four times to dodge to be on the safe side. He is going to try to save Hockey or if that fails try to get as much acid on the creature before he is devouerd.
IC-
Joe heads back up the stairs ignoring the warning. It was his duty to try and help. He had promised Bo that before he left. Then halfway up the stairs he suddenly came up with an idea and stopped.
"Wait what if we use the acid as a barrier? If it hurts the creature it probaly won't want to touch it so we could restrict it's movement."

Posted: **Sun Apr 27, 2008 5:19 am**

(I'll wait to update this until OathinBlood and Kabukiman have had a chance to post. You can amend your action and have Joe say something based on the result of the Idea roll, which I'm about to PM you.)

Posted: **Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:46 am**

Michael runs up the stairs, trying to get to a position where he can throw the flasks of acid at the monstrosity but be out of range of its tentacles.

Posted: **Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:50 pm**

Max will leave his place, and will go to nearest group of friends; he will bark then to try to distract the creature.

Posted: **Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:15 pm**

(In order to get into a position to throw acid at the monster, you'd have to be able to see it - and then it would see you and get a chance to attack. Since it has 19 Dex, it will get to attack first before you can throw the acid. Only firearm-type attacks can go before it. While guns have proven ineffective, flamethrowers can still hurt it.)

In the living quarters-
Max scrambled out from under the desk and made a break for the hallway at the rear of the living quarters area and the stairs behind them. His friends were there, and he had to get downstairs before it was too late. He would need to run past the monster to do it, but there was no way around it.

In the geology lab-
"We need to prepare ourselves to go down further, just in case," said Rosie. "I know the tunnels are scary, but being trapped up here with that thing is even worse. If we stay here and they can't kill it, we're all dead. Let's gather what useful things we can while we have the chance." She helped Mrs. Foo into the hall, motioning for Kerry to follow.

In the lower lab hallway-
Willie carried Sally down the stairs, passing Michael as he went up. "Let me try to help her," said Ellen. Willie set the nurse down on the ground, and Ellen tried in vain to treat her leg injury, but Willie managed to help. He repaired the worst of the damage, and Sally came to her senses. "It burns..." she moaned. "Oww...I think my leg's broken." She sat up and started to examine it.

In the upper lab hallway-
"Good thinking!" said Kimberly, racing ahead of Joe and reaching the top of the stairs. "Once we get everyone we can below, we can pour it out to keep that thing from coming downstairs. It might not stop it, but it could slow it down." The two of them rushed towards Hockey as Max came bounding in from the living quarters, barking loudly.

The creature lashed out at the new arrivals, not at all distracted. A pair of tentacles went after Kimberly and Joe, It missed Kimberly, but it hit Joe with tremendous force, shattering his left leg and sending him sprawling to the floor beside Hockey but not putting him out for good. Two more surged out at them, one just barely finding Kimberly, who spun aside at the last moment. The second one seized Joe and held him fast.

It sought out Kimberly again and caught her. This time she could not escape. Her left arm was crushed to a pulp, and she was instantly slain. Then it swiped at Max and Hockey, snagging the dog and the unconscious man. Finally it gulped down Alice, who vanished into its gut.

"NOOOO!!!" screamed Jenny, seeing the whole thing but helpless to intervene. "It ate her! Nobody else come back up here, I mean it! Head for the tunnels now! Past the decontamination chamber!"

Kirby went on: "November 8th- Cross climbed out of the shaft. A dream? I don't know. I don't know. I can't close my eyes for a moment and I don't see him or Judith. I checked Judith. She is quiet in her chamber, like a coffin. It's inside her. A parasite. It's growing. Muth keeps an eye and tries to treat her. He dares not open the capsule to treat her lest it break free. It's getting bigger and it's no longer looking like a worm but some spider-like thing. He has slowed it down, but he cannot stop it. We're going to die here. All of us. Warren knows it too. Niedler wants to go down. We've done what we can, he says. But...I am afraid. Cross, Reagan...I can feel them. They are inside my head. I think they are inside everyone's head now. I know of only one other escape."

Michael reached the top of the stairs and saw his companions lying on the floor.

(Max, roll Dodge. Your chance is Dex x 2, which in your case is 18%. If you succeed, you avoid the tentacle completely and make it downstairs. If you fail, it grabs you, causing 1 damage and preventing you from moving away for as long as it holds you.

Michael, you may retreat downstairs without having to roll anything other than a 1/1d4 Sanity loss for abandoning your friends. If you want to do anything upstairs, you'll probably need to make a few Dodge rolls and hope you don't get hit. Everybody else has been grabbed, and you're not strong enough to free anyone by yourself. You can, however, fire up to 3 times at Kimberly's head with your pistol from the relative safety of your current position without exposing yourself to the creature. You'll need to do 10 or more damage in total to keep her from getting back up as a zombie.

Joe, you may grab the flamethrower that Hockey dropped and attack with it before the creature gets to act. The base chance to hit, with multipliers for point blank range and confined spaces, is 20%. If you hit, you cause 2d6 damage. You are held fast and have a broken leg, so you cannot otherwise move.)

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 6:33 am**

Michael freezes, unable to decide what to do. Save his own life, and retreat, or try to save his friends?

His mind raced. Logistically, they were practically lost. There were still some survivors downstairs.

He fled, cursing his cowardliness as he took flight. He tried to convince himself that it was a matter of numbers, that it was logically safer to flee rather than fight.

Hating himself for running, Michael's mental stability shuddered under his stress.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:28 am**

-Cai!Cain!

Max was caught by the tentacle, and decided to bite the thing.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:31 pm**

(I forgot that Max hasn't seen the creature before and now needs to roll Sanity for that, with a +10 bonus to this roll. Sanity loss is 1/1d10. Once Fearlessfred posts for Joe and Kerry's new player posts for her, I'll update Under again.)

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:50 pm**

Max was terrified by the creature and was frightened and paralized.

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:53 pm**

(With that +10 bonus, Max manages to succeed at the roll and only loses 1 Sanity point, so he's still okay mentally. He is not strong enough to break free without help. He also realizes that biting this thing would be a very bad idea. If Joe manages to hit it with the flamethrower, it will be forced to release him.)

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 1:58 pm**

Can he use his claws?

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:05 pm**

(He can try to hit it with his paws, but he doesn't have claws. Base chance to hit is 50%, and damage is 1d3. The attack will take effect after the creature's next turn. You can't attack this round because you just tried to Dodge. If Joe hits, you'll want to run away instead and try to Dodge again if needed. If not, you can try to hit the creature, but there's a good chance it won't help and touching the monster is painful and causes an awful burning sensation - that's why you took 1 damage.)

Posted: **Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:12 pm**

Ok, Max will try to all his courage to escape

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:09 am**

Kerry heard the scream from Jenny and screwing up her courage grabbed Mrs. Foo and said, "Lets go downstairs to the tunnels. I can help lead us out from there even though I do not want to go back down there. It is our only hope."

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:14 am**

Joe gives out a cry of pain as he feals his leg break. He turns his pain into rage and graps the flamethrower and sprays the creature in flames. However the pain didn't allow him to do much damage.

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:15 am**

(Nice rolling! The creature has been hit three times with flamethrowers, and it's a shame the damage rolls were so low. Those first two hits before it grew might have even killed it had the damage rolls been high, and there would have been a very different outcome. Still, Joe has managed to at least save Max before he got knocked out!)

In the upper lab hallway-
The monster reared back in pain. The newly formed tentacles that had grabbed Max, Joe, and Hockey burned up and released them. Max took advantage of the opportunity to race downstairs at high speed, but Hockey remained helpless and unconscious.

"Run, Max, RUN!" shouted Jenny, relieved that he was getting away.

The creature was somewhat damaged, but still far from defeated. It continued to digest and crush Alice to death in its gullet, though mercifully she could not feel a thing any more. It focused on Joe Barring with a single-minded rage, and it snatched him up. He felt it burn through his clothes and skin once more, and as the darkness took him and he passed out he felt some small comfort that at least he had saved the dog. Another tentacle barely recaptured Hockey, and a third wrapped itself around Kimberly's corpse. Then it dragged Mr. Foo over to its mouth and swallowed him whole.

"No..." wept Jenny. "Mr. Foo!" She struggled valiantly against the tentacles holding her, but to no avail.

A new voice was heard on the reel-to-reel: "November 10th– This is Dr. Niedler, Assistant Manager to Deep Mole. Dr. Kirby is dead. A gunshot to the head. I am not sure if it was suicide or murder. Doesn't make much of a difference, does it? I don't feel well, nether does Craig. Reagan will be left in the capsule, should Grey and Warren send another team to investigate. Fuckers. They have left us to die here. We're going down. Perhaps we can find a way out, but I don't believe it. I suspect you will not hear from us again." Then the machine stopped, having reached the end of the recording.

In the lower lab hallway-
Max bounded past Michael as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Mrs. Foo handed Sally her cane. "Yes, you right Missy Kerry," she said. "We have to get out of here. You should give Missy Sally your cane, so she can use them as crutches." She blinked back tears upon hearing Jenny cry out. She had always thought she would likely outlive her husband, but these circumstances were beyond anything she could have imagined. Still, she kept herself mostly together and resolved to carry on. He had given his life to save her and the others, and she had to keep going.

Rosie and Ellen helped Sally stand up and led her through the door at the far end of the hall to the decontamination chamber right behind Kerry and Mrs. Foo. Willie brought up the rear, and Max joined him.

In the decontamination chamber-
Everyone but Michael, who was still at the bottom of the stairs, had made it into the decontamination chamber, which was fairly high-tech for the early 1960's. There was another door at the other end, and both doors resembled airlock doors except for the fact that they were both open at the same time. They looked like they could be sealed, however. It was capable of holding up to nine people if they were tightly crammed in, but there was a little breathing room with only six humans and one dog. It had a variety of sprays and checks for biological, chemical, and even radiological contamination. A Geiger counter was present to allow people to check each other for radiation. There were also about a dozen outfits resembling space suits from the early U.S. space program, each with a nametag. They were enclosed in rubbery plastic and had oxygen masks, air hoses, air tanks, and other apparatus.

(Anyone in the room or who enters it this round may roll Spot Hidden. Also, everyone but Max roll Idea.)

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2008 5:42 am**

Michael enters the decontamination chamber, his eyes and his mind sharp, trying to redeem himself for abandoning his friends.

"We should seal it up and get in those suits, people."

He counts how many suits there are and if the apparatuses to go with them are in working order.

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2008 1:24 pm**

Kerry looked around and thought for a brief moment. "I don't think that getting in the suits will help us or save us. Take a look at them carefully please." She then turned to Mrs. Foo and said, "Sure I can give up my cane but it is my only weapon besides the acid and grenades so I would need to trade someone for a shotgun or something."

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:01 pm**

Max is all happy but cover in any place he find safe near his friends.

Posted: **Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:34 pm**

In the upper lab hallway-
Alice perished in the creature's belly, crushed to death and completely digested. Mr. Foo was also slowly being crushed and consumed within it. That wasn't enough to sate its hunger, however. It dragged Lynne towards the open door, and it would have eaten her too if she hadn't gotten caught in the doorway.

"I tried..." sobbed Jenny, still powerless to avert their doom. "I'm so sorry..."

Duke mumbled and gradually came to his senses, though he was still pinned by the tentacle and unable to do anything. Then the monster belched again and underwent another growth spurt. The massive thing now filled most of the office. His eyes went wide in horror.

"It gets bigger, stronger, and tougher each time it consumes someone!" gasped Jenny in complete realization. "That means it's practically unstoppable now! It's a good thing that hatch is sealed. I just hope the others get away..."

In the decontamination chamber-
Max joined his friends inside the decontamination chamber. Willie sealed the outer door once he and Michael had made it inside.

"I couldn't even put one of those suits on with my leg the way it is," said Sally, "let alone walk around in one."

"I think I've got the only shotgun any of us have," said Ellen, "and that's my only weapon."

"Well, I'll try my best to move with just one cane, then, but I'll need help to get anywhere."

Kerry recalled that she had seen Alice with a shotgun slung on her back during her run past the office upstairs. She was pretty sure Alice hadn't had one the last time she had seen her, but where could she have gotten it down here? While going back for Alice's shotgun was out of the question, there could have been another one accessible somewhere.

There were twelve suits in all. Both Kerry and Michael noticed that the suit labeled "Judith Reagan" had holes burnt through one of its gloves, as if by acid. Similar burns were on the soles of the boots of the suits with nametags reading "Craig" and "Niedler." The burn marks looked eerily like the burns on Ellen and Sally's clothing where the creature's tentacles had touched them. The other nine suits were intact and fully functional, but clearly the first three had not protected their occupants. The suits were very bulky, and it would be difficult and slow to move around while wearing them. They provided little physical protection; rather they were designed to protect against environmental hazards. They were probably more trouble than they were worth.

(The suits provide only 1 point of armor, but this protection covers the entire body. However, anyone wearing a suit suffers a -20% penalty to all of the following skills: Climb, Dodge, Hide, Jump, Sneak, Swim, Throw, and all Melee/Parry skills, in addition to a -10% penalty to Listen and Spot Hidden. They also reduce your effective Dex by 4 while worn.)

Michael and Kerry also both remembered that Jenny had said the creature might be harmed by water. The decontamination chamber had sprinklers built into the ceiling that could spray water to clean off the suits as part of the decontamination process.

Posted: **Thu May 01, 2008 1:13 am**

OOC - Is there anywhere else to go but stay in the chamber?

Posted: **Fri May 09, 2008 4:10 am**

(Yes, of course. The door leading back to the hallway is sealed now, but you could open it again if you decide to go back into the lab area for some reason. Additionally, there is the open door on the opposite end of the chamber. According to Jenny, the shaft that leads down to the tunnels is that way.

I won't update Under just yet, since nobody has posted actions for characters, but I won't wait all that long before I do. Go ahead and post as soon as you're ready.)

Posted: **Fri May 09, 2008 1:30 pm**

Kerry pointed out the holes in the suit to everyone and then said, "I wonder if water will cause this thing to be affected somehow? I personally do not think we should stay here and find out and I dread going back down again but it looks like we will have to. So whatever anyone else wants to do I will do."

Posted: **Fri May 09, 2008 6:59 pm**

Looking around at the others, and taking stock of everyones armaments, Sally says "Based on what we have here, I don't think we can take that thing." Not wanting to head down, she searches her brain.

(OOC: Was Sally around to read the lab notes or journals? Does she know about the researchers ideas about water hurting it?)

Posted: **Fri May 09, 2008 7:18 pm**

(Sally wasn't there when the others read the biology lab notes late in Chapter 2 or the journal Jim found earlier. Jenny was, and based on that she did tell everyone early in the battle that water hurts the creature. She also mentioned that fire, electricity, and acid can hurt it at the same time. Sally did hear most of the recorded logs. If you haven't already, you should read Zombies Behind Bars, Trapped, and then all of this thread to see what Sally has done so far in this chapter. Michael and Kerry already passed their Idea rolls, and that's when they thought of the water. The decontamination shower can be turned on manually and left that way.

I'll wait until tonight to give OathinBlood a chance to check in before I update Under.)

Posted: **Fri May 09, 2008 8:46 pm**

Sally suddenly gets an idea, "We could turn on the decontamination shower in here if we leave. Perhaps it will prevent it from following us since water is supposed to hurt it. Heck, we may be able to trip the sprinkler system if there is one and rain some death down on that thing!"

Posted: **Sat May 10, 2008 1:13 am**

Kerry said, "I was thinking the same thing. You go girl! Great minds think alike High Five!"

Posted: **Sat May 10, 2008 4:10 am**

In the upper lab hallway-
Mr. Foo was dying inside the creature, still being crushed and eaten alive. It turned its attention to Joe Barring. It dragged the unconscious State Trooper over to the office door in an attempt to eat him, but he was turned the wrong way and was too big to fit through.

Then Kimberly began to stir. Her eyes shot open, her pupils red with fury. Lynne was just starting to come to her senses when she caught sight of her, and she managed to keep from going to pieces again. Kimberly tried to go after her, but the monster hoisted the dead woman into the air and away from its other prey to keep her from eating them. She thrashed and tried to break free, but the thing was now too strong for her to escape. It sent its tentacles right for her head, missing with the first but hitting with the second and crushing her skull. She stopped moving for good.

Jenny stared in horror, and she shivered at the sight. Duke lost it again, his brain fried. He was aware of his impending death, and he began to cry. "We're going to die..." he sobbed. "We're all doomed...the whole world is doomed..."

"No," said Jenny drawing on the remainder of her courage. "We may die, but the others will get out. They'll survive. And the world isn't doomed. It's not too late. Stephanie and Dr. Hausmann are on their way to Omaha, and they're going to save the world. I know they can do it."

In the decontamination chamber-
"Unless there's some reason to stick around here," said Rosie, "we should head down to the tunnels now. That's a good idea to turn on the shower when we leave the chamber, and then we can seal the inner door behind us. I hope that will keep it from following us. It won't be safe down there, but staying trapped up here would be worse. Come on." Rosie and Ellen helped Mrs. Foo through the open inner door and into the room beyond at the top of the shaft. Willie and Max followed them.

In the shaft room-
This room was small. Its only feature besides the door back to the decontamination chamber was an industrial elevator in the center at the top of a shaft leading straight down. A continuous steel rail stretched from the ceiling down the shaft, and the elevator was designed to ride along it, operated by a series of cables and electrical lines. Cables and gears were attached to the ceiling above the elevator. The elevator was a platform that looked identical to the one that had brought them down into the facility from the prison level, except it was operated by switches rather than buttons. A switch on a gear box could be used to send the elevator up or down, and similar switches were both outside the elevator and on it. The elevator could hold up to six people. Since the seven humans who had made it this far were smaller than average, it could hold all of them, but it would be a tight squeeze. Max could fit too if someone carried him. The elevator appeared to be in full working order.

"Are you three coming?" Willie called back. "The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Posted: **Sat May 10, 2008 2:04 pm**

" Yeah it is better to stay together then be apart. Plus maybe I can help us out down here." Kerry stepped into the shaft room and prepared to go below. "Should someone seal the door and turn the water on?" she asked.

Posted: **Mon May 12, 2008 4:07 pm**

Max follow them (like if he had any other options!).

Posted: **Mon May 12, 2008 8:52 pm**

Before she let, Sally looked out the window in the decontamination chanber, looking for signs of an overhead fire sprinkler system, but was not able to spot anything. "Let's go then" Sally said as the others filed out of the chamber. She turned the decontamination shower on as she left, and closed the door behind her.

Posted: **Thu May 15, 2008 3:23 am**

(OathinBlood hasn't posted in quite some time, so I'm going to assume Michael gets on the lift with the others in order to keep things moving forward. If he's going to stay up top for some reason, let me know and I'll edit.)

In the upper lab hallway-
Mr. Foo finally dissolved inside the monster's gut, and once again it expanded. Part of it extended through the office door and out into the hallway. It lunged for Joe, but he still eluded its mouth.

"We are going to die," said Lynne, "but I knew I wouldn't survive much longer anyway. At least we're getting it over with, and there are a lot worse ways to end up."

"There's so much I never got around to doing," said Jenny from inside the office, where she was trapped in the creature's grasp, "and now I'll never get the chance. So many things I'll never know. I tried my best. That's all anyone can do."

In the shaft room-
Sally turned on the showers in the decontamination chamber and sealed the door just after Michael followed her through it. Then everyone crowded onto the lift platform. Rosie picked up Max in her arms and stood crammed in among everyone else. It was a very tight fit, but everybody managed to get aboard. Willie pulled the switch, and the lift began its long descent into the unknown depths.

(It will take a few minutes for the elevator to reach bottom. During this time you can talk to each other as much as you like, but you won't be able to do much else considering how tightly packed everyone is. If you're done talking and just want to skip to the time when you reach the bottom, let me know in an OOC comment in one of your posts on this thread. Once all the PCs have done so, I'll move things forward quickly. If you don't post in this thread for a week, I'll assume you have nothing to say and treat it as if you had told me you're ready to move ahead.)

Posted: **Thu May 15, 2008 3:31 am**

Kerry told everyone her story on the way down.

Posted: **Thu May 15, 2008 7:41 pm**

(OOC: Sorry, I am new to this character. Can I get an update on what kind of weapon, if any, Sally has and how much ammo she has? Also, is Sally able to tend to her wounded leg on the ride down?)

"Smoke if you got'em" Sally says, trying to break the tension of the descent. "And reload if you are able too"

Posted: **Thu May 15, 2008 9:46 pm**

Kerry also asked if anyone had a weapon she could have since she only had a couple of grenades and a walking stick and she needed fire power.

Posted: **Fri May 16, 2008 12:29 am**

(This useful thread tracks everyone's locations, weapons, ammo, and the like. I update it frequently, so you should check it often to see what your characters have. Kerry has two flasks of acid in addition to the weapons that were mentioned above. Sally is armed with a Colt .45 M1911A1 automatic pistol and an M-16 5.56mm NATO assault rifle, both fully loaded and with an extra bullet in the chamber. The .45 holds 7+1 rounds, and the M-16 holds 30+1 in its magazine and chamber. She also has a total of 100 .45 bullets in all of her magazines, including the one currently loaded in the pistol, and she has 196 5.56mm NATO bullets. She cannot do anything about her leg during the descent due to the cramped conditions; everyone else is pressed up tightly against her.

Kerry told her story in early-mid Chapter 2, spread throughout pages 8 to 12 in the sections that took place in the warehouse. You can find it by going to the thread called The Story So Far and going to the Chapter 2 link. Mr Zombie killer, are you going to have Kerry describe how she's telling the story and choose the words she speaks yourself? Are you telling everything, or is there anything you want to keep private?)

Posted: **Fri May 16, 2008 1:19 am**

(OCC: Kerry keeps private the many times she and Debby were raped but does mention that the skinheads and the other guys did lock them up, beat them, and make them do porn films. She also mentions something of what she rememberes on the route from the skinhead camp to where they are presently. You can edit a brief story using those restrictions.

Posted: **Fri May 16, 2008 5:52 pm**

With her leg crippled, the M-16 is not of much use to her. "Can anyone use this?" she says as she unslings the M-16 from her shoulder. I need a free hand to use this crutch, so this pistol is the only thing that will do me any good at this point."

Posted: **Fri May 16, 2008 7:45 pm**

(OCC-Can Kerry use the M-16 and if so what would be the skill level? Cause if she can I will give up the cane to help out and take the M-16.

Posted: **Fri May 16, 2008 7:48 pm**

(Sally can still use the M-16 provided she braces herself or lies down. She actually has a bonus with rifles. The normal base skill for Rifle is 25%, but in this game we've been allowing people to have 30%. Willie can use a rifle, but he already has his own. Kerry might like the M-16. She doesn't have a gun, though she'd be stuck at base level. The only gun skill she has above base level is Shotgun, and that's only because she used one at base level in Chapter 2 and got a skill improvement. She did just ask if anyone had a weapon, so she'd be the obvious choice to have it.)

In the upper lab hallway-
The creature just missed swallowing Joe as more of it surged into the hall.

"With me it's the other way round," said Lynne, her voice full of regret. "There are so many things I've done that I wish I hadn't. Do you really think they can save the world??"

From within the office, Duke whimpered.

"They've got to," said Jenny. "If they can't, what's the point?"

In the shaft-
As the lift began to descend, Kerry began to tell her companions about how she and her roommate Debbie had gotten into this mess in the first place. She recounted their backgrounds, and then their initial run-in with Horst at the bar in Deadwood. Then she told the others about how their car had broken down, and Horst and his men had pulled up in a van and kidnapped the two of them. Then she started to describe their harrowing ordeal when they had arrived at the PMS compound. Rosie, Mrs. Foo, and Ellen had heard at least part of Kerry's tale when she had told it before under hypnosis. They knew that Kerry was leaving out the rapes this time, but they didn't blame her in the slightest for not wanting to talk about it. Those who hadn't heard before could read between the lines.

Willie shivered as he listened. He knew such atrocities happened in war zones he had visited during his career, but for something like this to happen in America's heartland was almost unbearable. He paled visibly as he reloaded his rifle.

The lift had descended a few hundred yards, but it was still far from the bottom. Everyone's ears popped as the pressure changed.

(Sally, Michael, and Max, all of you roll Sanity for hearing a censored version of Kerry's story. Remember that Sally gets a +10 bonus, but a roll of 100 still fails. Sanity loss is 0/1d2.)

Posted: **Fri May 16, 2008 11:09 pm**

Michael is empathetic with Kerry, and a little shaken at the human cruelty so close to home.

He lightly touches Kerry's arm, trying to offer some empathy.

Posted: **Fri May 16, 2008 11:16 pm**

"I'm so sorry sweetie." Sally says after listening to Kerry's story. She can't help but think how easily something like that could have happened to her as she traveled the coutnry. The thought of such a dreadful experince makes Sally sick to her stomach, but she is able to hold herself together.

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2008 8:18 pm**

In the upper lab hallway-
The creature still couldn't get Joe in its mouth.

"I never really thought there was any point," said Lynne morosely. "We were all gonna die anyway, it was only a question of when and how. This just makes it a lot quicker."

"Don't talk like that," said Jenny. "Life's worth living for its own sake. It's the journey that matters, not the destination."

In the shaft-
As the lift continued its descent, Kerry went on to describe the harrowing abuse she and Debbie had endured during the three weeks they had been held in the outdoor cages among the other female captives. Rosie put an arm around her and hugged her tightly, not that they weren't already squeezed closely together on the small platform. "You're real brave to be willing to go back down there and face them again after that, sugar," she said.

"Well, now we're armed, and there's a bunch of us," said Ellen. "If they're not dead already, they will be."

Mrs. Foo nodded. "And we can save other girls too."

(Max, I still need your Sanity roll, but there's no rush on it. There's still a ways to go before you reach the bottom. Everyone else has already rolled, so no further rolls are needed for them.

Sally, you might want to trade your M-16 and its ammo for Kerry's mahogany cane, if both players agree. Then Kerry will have a gun, and Sally will have two canes that she can use as crutches that will enable her to walk faster than one cane alone will.)

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2008 8:47 pm**

(occ-I agree to trade. It is 20% skill correct?)

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2008 9:01 pm**

(It's 30% skill. Once Ryansommer says it's okay, I'll exchange the items.)

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2008 9:02 pm**

OOC: My computer have crashed, and i'm forced to use another very old computer, could you make the san roll for me please?

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2008 9:06 pm**

(Done! Max failed and lost 1 Sanity.)

In the shaft-
Max trembled and whimpered as he heard Kerry tell about the things the bad men had done to her and her friend. He was disturbed, but not overly so. If any of those men had been there now, he'd have given him a good bite!

Posted: **Sat May 17, 2008 10:20 pm**

"Thank you all for your kind words and everything. I hope to one day put this all behind me." She tried to pet Max and said some encouraging words to the dog.

Posted: **Mon May 19, 2008 5:23 pm**

"Here, I'll trade you this for your cane. It will help we walk better and will help you defend yourself a hell of a lot better" Sally says to Kerry with a smirk while handing Kerry the M-16 and spare ammo.

Posted: **Mon May 19, 2008 8:29 pm**

In the upper lab hallway-
The creature finally managed to swallow Joe Barring, and it began to digest him.

"Well, I had a pretty lousy journey," said Lynne. "In a way, I'm kind of relieved that it's coming to an end."

"I'm sorry, Lynne," said Jenny. "I wish I knew what to say."

In the shaft-
It was easy enough for Kerry to pet Max, as he was resting in Rosie's arms and she was scrunched up against her. Sally was right next to Kerry too, so they were able to exchange their things. While they did this, Kerry told about how she and Debbie were taken to the underground cells, where they were forced to act in porno movies. She also told about how some of the girls down there would be taken away and would never return, and that she was afraid the skinheads were making snuff films too. Then she started to tell how the two of them had escaped one night when Debbie's cell had been left unlocked. The lift was now most of the way to the bottom.

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 1:14 am**

Michael waited impatiently, fiddling with his gun and checking his ammo in paranoia.

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 1:23 am**

In the shaft-
Michael had 6 bullets currently loaded in his Glock, as well as two magazines with 8 rounds each.

(You may take this time to readjust your magazines. The Glock can hold 17 bullets in the magazine and one in the chamber. If you want, you can load a full magazine and have 4 bullets in a spare.)

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 4:35 am**

"Thanks" Kerry said taking the M-16 and ammo. The ammo she placed in her pockets.

(occ-what is the damage for the weapon. I know the skill level is 30%.)

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 4:49 am**

(Damage is 2d8 per bullet. It can fire single shots, or a burst of 3, just like an M-4. Unlike an M-4, it has a base range of 130 yards instead of 90.)

Posted: **Tue May 20, 2008 6:43 am**

Michael swaps out his magazine in exchange for a full one, making sure to keep the safety on in case of a misfire in the dangerously crowded lift.

Posted: **Thu May 22, 2008 1:24 am**

In the upper lab hallway-
The creature began to crush Joe Barring to death within it. Since he was unconscious, he was fortunate not to feel a thing. It then began to reel in Hockey, but could not even budge him.

"Don't sweat it," said Lynne. "None of it matters any more."

"I'm not ready to die," wept Jenny.

In the shaft-
Michael was able to rearrange the bullets in his magazines. He fully loaded one and inserted it into his Glock, which still had a bullet in the chamber. He kept the extra four bullets in another magazine.

Kerry told everyone how she and Debbie had escaped into the secret Deep Mole Two facility beneath the PMS compound and made their way through it and down into the tunnels. She mentioned that they had been able to see down there because they had found a flashlight in a compartment in the lift. The only person in the group on the lift who had a flashlight currently was Sally, who had taken it from the warehouse.

Kerry described her trip through the tunnels, which was around three miles in a straight line. They had seen a bunch of odd spherical rocks, as well as disgusting black sludge that reminded her of the creatures that had attacked the explorers in the lab. Eventually they had found another lift that took them up a shaft to this place. The tunnel had also continued straight ahead, but neither of them had wanted to explore it. She knew that once they got to the bottom, the tunnel would lead left and right. It was the left hand tunnel that would lead to the PMS compound.

The lift continued its descent. It was getting close to the bottom at this point.

Posted: **Tue May 27, 2008 10:53 pm**

Sally reloaded any spent rounds into the magazine of her pistol and topped off any spare magazines she had.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 12:27 am**

In the upper lab hallway-
The monster kept digesting Joe Barring. His life was slowly being crushed out of him. It also tried again to engulf Hockey, and this time it succeeded.

"No..." sobbed Lynne as she saw the tough military man get swallowed whole.

"What happened out there?" asked Jenny.

"It just ate Hockey. It's already eaten the State Trooper. I'm the only one left out here."

"Duke and I are the only ones left in the office," said Jenny. "It'll be my turn before long."

In the tunnels-
Sally's pistol was already fully loaded with an extra round in the chamber, but she used the time she had to take four bullets out of one magazine and load two of them each into a pair of magazines that had been down to five. Willie took three bullets out of one his rifle magazines with six and filled up another that was lacking three. While the lift completed its descent, Kerry finished her tale, describing how Hammond and Earl had captured her and Debbie, chaining them up in a cell and letting them starve. Then she told about how Debbie died, only to turn into a zombie this morning and try to eat her. Robert, Duke, Lynne, and the dogs had gotten there just in time to save her.

The lift finally reached the bottom of the shaft. To the left and right, a wide circular tunnel stretched off as far as everyone could see - which was not far at all, considering that the lift's light was the only source. Sally did still have her flashlight, but it would be hard for her to hold it and the canes she was using for crutches. Even with them, she'd still be moving slowly, but if she took some of the painkillers in her medical kit it would help. According to Kerry, the left branch went north towards the PMS compound. The tunnels were perfectly round and smooth, as if burrowed by a drill. They formed a straight line and were about the same size as a standard subway tunnel. It was clearly impossible for them to have come about from natural forces.

At the bottom of the shaft, only a few feet from the lift and still in the pool of light emanating from it, were two Air Force uniforms similar to the ones Sally had seen in the prison barracks. Next to the uniforms were another improvised flamer, an electrical device that resembled a cattle prod, and two M1911A1 .45 automatic pistols. Strangely, there was no sign of any bodies - not even skeletons.

Coating parts of the walls in places were streaks of black sludge that reminded the survivors of the creatures they had encountered in the lab above. Kerry in particular was shaken by the sight, having seen it before during her flight through the tunnel four days ago. Then a chanting sound echoed through the tunnels that disturbed her even further. She recalled now that she had heard it before. The chanting did not quite sound human, and it seemed to be coming from all directions. It went:

"Ce’haiie ep-ngh fl’hur G’harne fhtagn,
Ce’haiie fhtagn ngh Shdde-M’ell
Hai G’harne orr;e ep fl’hur
Shudde-Me’ll ican-icanicas fl’hur orre’ G’harne."

(Max, roll Scent Something Interesting. Everyone else, roll Idea. Kerry, roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d6.)

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 1:47 am**

Ms. Foo simply stared down the tunnel, looking deep in thought. The conversation had unnerved her but she wasn't about to show it. Instead she focused on the here and now - the only time and place she could do anything about.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 1:49 am**

Kerry stared at the wall and listened to the chanting. She said, "If I will you all I would grab the weapons so we can be prepared for what we will meet down here. We have already learned that these creatures hate fire, electricity, and water." She then thought of which way to go but the writing on the walls and the chanting disturbed her too much to concentrate.
She found herself staring at the writing more. Her eyes were drawn to it and she seemed to drown in the words. Luckly she kept her wits about her.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 1:51 am**

In the tunnels-
Ms. Foo recalled that Kerry had said she found a flashlight in a compartment of the lift she used to escape from the PMS compound. Since the two underground facilities were similar, perhaps the lifts were as well.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 2:09 am**

Ms. Foo goes to silently check if this one were the same.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 2:13 am**

In the tunnels-
Ms. Foo found a compartment in this lift exactly where Kerry had described finding it in the other one. Inside of it she found a flashlight. When she flicked it on, she saw that it still worked.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 2:15 am**

Ms. Foo trundles back with the flashlight.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 4:18 am**

Sally took some of hte pain killers in her medical kit, but not so many that her motor functions would be inhibited.
Seeing how dark it was down here, and how unmobile she was, Sally offered her flashlight to Willie. "Here, take this. We can't see worth a damn down here, and I need at least one hand to use my weapon."
"I suppose we should divy up those weapons," Sally said, looking at pile of gear. "Which of us thinks we can handle those things?" she says looking at the imporvised weapons.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 4:28 am**

In the tunnels-
"Well, I need both hands to use my rifle," said Willie. "Anyone else want the other flashlight?"

"I'll take it," said Rosie, accepting it. "I could use one of those pistols, too, if nobody else needs them. I only have eight bullets left for my revolver. Anyone know how to use a flamethrower?"

Nobody said anything.

(The flamethrower has a base skill of 5%, though there are ways to get a bonus on this roll. It has a malfunction number of 93. The electric prod uses Large Club skill, which has a base level of 25%, and a malfunction number of 97. I don't think anyone down here has the skill at a higher level. Both weapons require two hands to use.)

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 1:41 pm**

well I will take the flamethrower. I can always put the rifle on my back if I need to. But I think we have these weapons here means the Gods (Mr Handy in this case) have told us there are things up here which will need killed via these. So grab ahold of all and lets go.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 5:13 pm**

Sally surveys the scene her mind taking everything in and analyzing it.

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 7:07 pm**

In the upper lab hallway-
The creature finished consuming Joe Barring and began another of its expansions. It also began to digest Hockey, and started trying to devour Duke.

In the tunnels-
(There isn't actually any writing on the walls. The streaks of sludge aren't in any recognizable pattern, they are just there. Sally's Idea roll success only told her the same things that Ms. Foo got from hers. I will also remind you that the left branch of the tunnel heads to the PMS compound according to Kerry. The one on the right goes in the opposite direction. Also, the reel-to-reel recording had mentioned that the surviving scientists had headed down the shaft in the end. Perhaps this is what's left of them. Max didn't make a Scent roll, so I'll do it for him. OathinBlood hasn't posted in a long time, so I'll play Michael until he does.)

Max sniffed the air, detecting something of interest. Rosie took one of the .45 pistols, which were both fully loaded. While there was no additional ammo for them here, Sally had several additional magazines. Rosie shined her flashlight up and down the tunnels, which looked identical to the stretch of tunnel surrounding the lift and were clear of obstructions as far as she could see - which wasn't all that far. Ellen claimed the second pistol, while Kerry took the flamethrower and Michael took the electric prod. The eerie chanting continued.

"Looks like we've got everything," said Willie. "What now?"

Posted: **Thu May 29, 2008 7:40 pm**

" Well, I suppose we head off in that direction," Sally said, pointing one of her canes down the left tunnel. "That one leads to the compound, right?"

Posted: **Fri May 30, 2008 9:02 am**

Max barks to the right and goes by the left.

Posted: **Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:07 am**

Ms. Foo watches to see the other's response, following the direction they head.

Posted: **Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:22 am**

"Well, we're not getting any younger, here. Let's move out" Sally said as she hobbled on her canes to the left. 'Willie, maybe you should take the lead since you are the most mobile"

Posted: **Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:27 am**

In the upper lab hallway-
The creature lunged for Duke again as it crushed Hockey to death within itself, but it missed badly. Then it tried again, and it finally swallowed him. Jenny sniffled and closed her eyes. "It got Duke," she cried. "Oh, I can't look..."

"Wish it would just eat me too already and get it over with," muttered Lynne.

In the tunnels-
"You got it," said Willie. He led the small group down the tunnel to the left, which Kerry had identified as leading towards the PMS compound. The going was slow, but everyone made steady progress. The tunnel did not change, and after a couple of minutes the survivors came across some odd rocks on the floor. There were four of them, all identical and perfectly spherical. They recalled having seen one just like it in the geology lab. Kerry had seen them before too, the last time she had been down here. The memory made her shiver.

(I'm going to assume Kerry and Michael went with the group. If for some reason they didn't, let me know. Kerry, roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d6.)

Posted: **Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:50 pm**

Kerry was indeed walking with the group. She was just quiet as memories filled her head. She looked down and saw the rocks and gasped. Luckly for everyone involved however she did not go insane again.

Posted: **Tue Jun 03, 2008 5:17 pm**

"What is it, Kerry?" Sally said upon hearing Kerry gasp at the sight of the rocks.
Sally proceeded onward with the others, being ever so cautions. "Whom ever is in the back should keep an eye behind us with a flash light in the event that thing comes back down for us.

Posted: **Wed Jun 04, 2008 4:52 am**

Ms. Foo nods. "Yes." She keeps moving her flashlight to point in the rear direction, as they move.

Posted: **Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:39 pm**

In the upper lab hallway-
Airman Justin Hockey expired inside the creature, and Duke was slowly being ground down and digested. Jenny's eyes snapped open as it started to reel her in, but she dragged her feet and kept clear of its massive mouth. It tried a second time, and this time it seemed there was no escape, but she twisted aside at the last second.

In the tunnels-
Kerry was terrified to be back down here. It wasn't just the odd rocks, it was everything: the chanting, the black sludge, the knowledge that more of these creatures were down here somewhere. Still, she managed to keep it at least somewhat together.

The group continued along the tunnel for another couple of minutes, leaving the rocks behind. There were more slicks of black sludge along the walls, which everyone kept away from and was careful not to touch. The chanting continued, not varying at all in volume and still seeming to come from all directions. As they walked, there was a sudden tremor. It was rather mild as earthquakes went, not anywhere near powerful enough to knock somebody over, but it was disconcerting - especially for Kerry. Mrs. Foo kept her light shining on the tunnel behind them, and Rosie trained her beam of light on the tunnel ahead. So far there was nothing visible in either direction.

(Kerry, roll Sanity again. Once more, the Sanity loss is 0/1d6, but since you've already lost 4 Sanity down here any loss of more than 2 points will only count as 2.)

Posted: **Thu Jun 05, 2008 2:19 am**

Kerry kept it together.

Posted: **Sat Jun 07, 2008 1:52 am**

"Keep your eyes and ears open, people. And lets make as much haste as we can," Sally said as she did her best to hustle along.

Posted: **Mon Jun 09, 2008 4:41 am**

In the upper lab hallway-
The creature swelled further in size as the ground shook. It continued crushing Duke to a pulp and trying to swallow Jenny, who was still pinned by its tentacles. It drew her to its mouth, and she could not avoid her fate any longer.

With all of its prey inside the office consumed, it turned its attention to Lynne, dragging her towards another mouth that was beginning to form. She screamed in agony from the pain her broken leg caused her as she was pulled over the rough floor and into its maw. There was no escape for her either. Then it consumed the remains of Kimberly. Nobody who had stayed in Deep Mole One had survived. Only those who had ventured below remained.

In the tunnels-
The party continued moving through the tunnels as quickly as Sally's broken leg allowed, with Willie leading the way and shining the light ahead while Mrs. Foo kept an eye on the tunnel behind them with her flashlight. There was no sign of movement. Another five minutes passed without incident. The tunnels were unchanging and seemed to stretch on forever, though Kerry knew it was only about two miles in a straight line to the PMS compound. They had gone about 3/5 of a mile so far.

Posted: **Mon Jun 09, 2008 4:50 pm**

Sally gritted her teeth through the pain and continued to move onward as fast as she could.
"Good work, everyone" she said in hushed tones, "Keep those eyes and ears open and keep moving. We're almost there." Sally was not sure how much further they had to go, or even how far they had come, but knew it was ever so important to keep everyone's spirits up.

Posted: **Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:31 am**

"From here", Kerry said, "it is about 2 miles. I think we have come at least 1 1/2 if not more so it should not be much further."

Posted: **Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:34 am**

(Actually, it's 2 miles from where you started, and you've gone about 3/5 of a mile, so you have 1.4 miles left to go.)

Posted: **Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:25 am**

(Yeah i know that cause you said so. But Kerry does not have a perdominter on her so she is rounding it out a bit.)

Posted: **Tue Jun 10, 2008 11:50 pm**

In the tunnels-
The group progressed through the tunnels for another five uneventful minutes. Then another tremor, more violent than the last one, shook the earth. It still wasn't strong enough to knock anyone down, but some dirt did trickle down from the tunnel's rounded roof. After a moment it was over. The tunnel was still clear as far as anyone could see in both directions.

(Kerry, roll Sanity again. As before, the Sanity loss is 0/1d6, but any loss of more than 2 counts as only 2.)

Posted: **Wed Jun 11, 2008 1:21 pm**

Kerry found that with the friends she had around her she did not have to worry about losing her sanity. "I am ok guys thanks to all of you."

Posted: **Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:38 pm**

'Don't worry, Kerry. We're all hear for you, and all here for each other." Sally said, steadying herself after the tremmor. "We'll get through this, let's just keep moving."

Posted: **Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:51 pm**

In the tunnels-
The group continued through the tunnel. A minute later, it came to an intersection with another tunnel that met it at right angles. The tunnel branches to the left and right looked identical to the tunnel everyone was currently in, and that tunnel continued straight ahead. Kerry recalled having passed through this intersection during her flight from the PMS compound. She had simply gone straight through and not explored the tunnels to the sides. This intersection was about halfway between the PMS compound and Deep Mole One.

(Max, roll Scent Something Interesting.)

Posted: **Mon Jun 16, 2008 2:30 pm**

-Rof,rof!

Posted: **Mon Jun 16, 2008 4:01 pm**

"Kerry, we continue on straight, correct?" Sally says at the intersection.

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:10 am**

"if we wish to go on to the PMS compound yes. I am sorry I am so quiet this all brings back painful memories for me."

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:10 am**

-Rof, rof (Max goes happily by the left tunnel).

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:29 pm**

"Hmmm... the dog's acting up." Willie scratched thoughtfully at his beard, looking over at Max.

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 3:44 pm**

"I can't imagine what this must be like for you Kerry. It's just aweful down here as it is, but to have to return after what you went through is unthinkable." Sally said to Kerry as she continued straight across the intersection to the PMS compound. She stopped half way across, "What is it boy? What's bothering you?" she said to Max as she patted his flank.

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 7:50 pm**

[OOC: How durable do the acid flasks seem? I mean, if I fall over or get hit by something, am I liable to be given a rather unpleasant bath too?]

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 8:41 pm**

-Rof, rof (hostile bark to the tunnel were they came)- Max continues by the left tunnel.

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:38 pm**

Sally, watches Max growl and bark at the passage behind them. "Everyone, lets move it! Hurry! Max is trying to warn us about something back there!" Sally said as he moved as fast as she could towards the PMS compound.

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 10:24 pm**

"I'll second that!" said Willie, swinging his rifle to bear on the ominous and evidently dog-unfriendly left passageway. The danger itch he'd got being in the warzones was niggling at him; they needed to move.

Willie attempted to hear anything down the intersecting corridor, but the danger itch was distracting him. He let everyone pass by, so that he was bringing up the rear. He wasn't going to let these guys end up like Tisha... even if he had no confidence whatsoever in his ability to stop... well, whatever the hell that thing was.

[made the roll to speed things up, considering Willie's only got 35 in Listen, that's gotta be a fail...]

(EDIT: Finished his train of thought - if he's gonna die, I want the others to care!

)

Posted: **Tue Jun 17, 2008 11:29 pm**

(The acid flasks are pretty sturdy, as they're designed to store dangerous acids. You would have to throw one against a hard surface or drop it on the ground from a few feet up to break it. If you get hit, they probably won't break, unless maybe it's a critical hit. Likewise, falling down won't shatter the flasks unless you're falling from a decent height, or if you critically fail a Dex or Jump roll, or something like that. Even under those conditions, I'd probably call for a Luck roll to see if the flasks hold.

It's fine that you went ahead and rolled. Feel free to roll skills like Spot Hidden, Listen, and Psychology as you wish whenever it's appropriate. In this case, Willie hears nothing but the incessant chanting, which seems to be coming from all directions.

I'll update Under once everyone has chosen where they want to go. If Laraqua doesn't post by then, I'll just have Mrs. Foo go with the crowd.)

Posted: **Wed Jun 18, 2008 12:19 pm**

Willie felt nervous at the back of the pack, but determined that, if it came down to it, he wouldn't go down without a fight.
He just wished this damned chanting would stop...

"Come on ladies, lets get our hustle on." He urged, his eyes straining into the inky darkness behind them.

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:05 am**

In the tunnels-
Rosie started to follow Willie and Sally down the tunnel leading to the PMS compound, then paused and regarded Max thoughtfully. "Hey, I think maybe Max wants us to go to the left," she said. "I don't know why, and we have no idea what's down that way or if there's any other way out of these infernal tunnels there. We do know there's a way out ahead through the PMS compound, but we're likely to come up in an unfriendly situation there. He does seemed disturbed by the tunnel behind us. If there's something down here following us, we might not be able to double back and try another tunnel without running into it. We can't afford to choose the wrong path here...but which one is the right one?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:14 am**

"I've been in a few hairy situations before, and seen the worst humanity has to offer." Willie said thoughtfully. "Figure I trust animals far more than I do humans, and Max here is just about the smartest and most trustworthy animal I've ever seen. I vote we go with the nose and take this left hand passage." He reached down and scratched the dogs ears affectionately.

"I'll bring up the rear - you hear me yell, you guys take off. If I can buy you some time, I will."

[OOC: We have GOT to get moving. Whatever that thing was (and I've got some idea), we don't want it to catch us up!]

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2008 2:56 am**

Kerry said, "Well as much as I hate being down here I really do not want to face those PMS bastards again so I vote we go with Maxie."

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2008 3:37 am**

"Who am I to argue with that logic," Sally said to Willie. "Let's just get our asses moving, and quiclkly"

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:22 am**

"This is true, the dog is a smart dog," says Ms. Foo. "And if he smell bad-thing, he not want us to go to it. Maybe a survivor?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:34 pm**

In the tunnels-
"You're right," said Rosie, petting the dog. "Max has never let me down. Okay, let's get moving."

Everyone started down the tunnel on the left, which was just like the one the group had come from. Kerry was starting to feel even more claustrophobic down here, and the chanting was really getting on her nerves. After five minutes of walking, nothing had changed. The tunnel seemed to stretch on ahead endlessly.

(Kerry, roll Sanity again, with a Sanity loss of 0/1d6. Any loss of more than 2 counts as only 2.)

Posted: **Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:16 am**

Kerry heard the chanting and felt the pressure of the day but her friends all around her kept her from losing it.

Posted: **Fri Jun 20, 2008 12:53 am**

"Let's just keep going, folks. Quicker we move, the quicker we get out of here." Willie said, straining to see anything coming up behind them. He couldn't hear anything either, between the thudding of his heart, the incessant chanting, and the persistant itch in his brain urging him to get out of this god-forsaken pit as fast as humanly possible. Maybe even faster.
I'm getting to old for this, he thought to himself.

Posted: **Fri Jun 20, 2008 6:54 pm**

Sally moved down the passage as quickly as her wounded leg would allow.

Posted: **Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:50 am**

In the tunnels-
Another five minutes passed as the group progressed through the tunnel. It was still the same, and it seemed to go on forever.

Posted: **Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:33 am**

"This tunnel can't be endless... not that anything else today has made a whole hell of a lot of sense." Willie said, scratching at his beard again, "Besides - I got the distinct feelin' we don't want to be turnin' around..."

Great. He thought. Miles underground. Weird chanting. Some sort of slimy bastard thing from god knows who's worst nightmare slidin up behind us, and now the passageway don't seem to end...

Posted: **Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:09 pm**

Max follow the trail of what he scent before, moving his tail...

Posted: **Tue Jun 24, 2008 3:53 pm**

"I hear you Willie. Let's just keep moving as fast as we can and not think about what could be behind us," Sally said as she hobbled along on her crutches.

Posted: **Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:31 pm**

In the tunnels-
After another five minutes of trudging through the tunnel, the explorers came across a narrow, tall fissure in the left wall. Unlike the tunnel itself, this fissure appeared to have formed naturally, perhaps even in one of the recent tremors. It was wide enough to squeeze through, but anyone who did so would need to travel single file. The uneven rocky ground of the fissure sloped upwards at about a thirty degree angle. The tunnel also continued straight ahead, unchanging aside from this gash in its side.

(Max, roll Scent Something Interesting. Kerry, roll Sanity again, with a Sanity loss of 0/1d6. Any loss of more than 2 counts as only 2.)

Posted: **Fri Jun 27, 2008 12:30 am**

Max suddenly stopped, and started to smellthe air, with a suspicious look.

Posted: **Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:06 am**

Max growls behind them and runns in direction of the fissure and try to escape by there.

Posted: **Fri Jun 27, 2008 2:08 pm**

Kerry saw the fissure and got very scared. She cried out, "We are all going to die!"

Posted: **Fri Jun 27, 2008 4:37 pm**

"It's alright, Kerry" Sally said, putting her hand on Kerry's shoulder. "We're not going to die. Max is watching out for us, and it looks like he has an escape route for us."

"What is it boy? You think we should go down there?" Sally said to Max as she peered down the passage behind them, and at the fissure.

"Let's hurry people. I have a feeling we don't have much time to dilly dally here. Which way? Fissure or straight ahead?"

Posted: **Fri Jun 27, 2008 5:15 pm**

Max keep going to the fissure.

Posted: **Sat Jun 28, 2008 3:48 pm**

Kerry whimpered in fear but said, "Whatever way you all seem to think best"

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:29 am**

(OOC: Since we are moving signle file, we should probably call out what order we are in as we travel through the fissure. Sally is injured, and should probably be close to the back should we need to hustle. Willie was watching our rear, and should probably continue to do so. I suggest Max, Kerry, Mrs. Foo, Sally, and Willie. Did I miss anyone?)

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:33 am**

(You missed Michael, Ellen, and Rosie. I'll update when Willie's player posts to confirm.)

In the tunnels-
"I'll follow Max and help lead the way," said Michael.

"I'll go right behind you so I can fire past you with my shotgun if there's anything bad ahead of us," said Ellen.

"I'll stay in the middle with Mrs. Foo," said Rosie. "We should keep following Max, I think. He's led us this far, and he must know what he's doing."

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:50 am**

"Willie and I will take up the rear." Sally said.

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2008 12:51 am**

(OOC: Sorry - been unable to post for a couple of days.)

"Everyone, get in. I'll keep to the back. If you hear me start screaming, you'll know to speed up." Willie attempted a grin, but it looked extremely sickly and false.

Hurry the hell up, or we really are going to die! He thought to himself.

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:06 am**

In the fissure-
Michael followed quickly after Max, with Ellen right behind him. They slowed down in order to give the others a chance to keep up. Kerry went next, then Rosie, then Mrs. Foo. Sally went behind her as quickly as she was able, and Willie brought up the rear.

The fissure was just as dark as the tunnels had been, but the ground was rockier and more uneven. Max was relieved to find that the awful scent he had smelled earlier was getting much further away and was soon undetectable. Five more minutes passed as the group trudged up the fissure. There was no end in sight and so far the only ways to go were forwards and backwards. The ground was definitely sloping upwards as the trek continued.

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:22 am**

Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up! Willie thought, as hethrew worried glances over his shoulder to make sure they weren't being snuck up on. The danger itch chuckling at the back of his skull was still there, and if anything it was intensifying.

(OOC: I would assume I take a minus to my Spot Hidden roll for this, as there is no way Willie is walking backwards up an uneven 30-degree incline?)

Posted: **Sun Jun 29, 2008 1:29 am**

(Not in this case, since he has plenty of time to look backwards as he moves up the fissure. Of course, he can only see as far as Mrs. Foo's flashlight beam reaches, which isn't all that far.)

In the fissure-
Willie could see nothing in the fissure behind him, but that only seemed to make his imagination run wilder about what he couldn't see.

Posted: **Mon Jun 30, 2008 1:17 am**

Max continues all happy.

Posted: **Tue Jul 01, 2008 9:05 am**

Ms. Foo murmurs: "If doggy save up, doggy going to be best spoiled pooch in all America."

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:19 am**

In the fissure-
The survivors noticed that the chanting had been fading more and more the farther they got up the fissure. At this point they could no longer hear it.

Posted: **Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:43 am**

"Well surely this is a good sign" Sally whispered as she hustled along.

Posted: **Thu Jul 03, 2008 2:13 pm**

Willie shivered. "Damn glad I can't hear that mumbo-jumbo anymore. Creepy as hell..."

Posted: **Fri Jul 04, 2008 12:09 am**

In the fissure-
The group continued onwards and upwards for a few more minutes. The journey was long and arduous, but at least they were getting farther away from whatever was down in those tunnels. The fisusre stretched ahead with no end in sight.

Posted: **Mon Jul 07, 2008 6:45 pm**

"How's everyone doing? Relatively speaking, of course," Sally said with an uneasy chuckle. "Let's keep on pressing forward. This tunnel has to end sooner or later."

Posted: **Thu Jul 10, 2008 7:22 am**

"Don't say end, say open up," says Ms. Foo, determinedly. The last thing she wanted was to meet the tunnel's end ... that implied an impassable wall.

Posted: **Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:00 am**

In the caverns-
After another five minutes of trudging through the fissure, it did indeed open up. The opening led into a wide, natural cavern. Everyone emerged from the claustrophobic confines of the fissure. It was very dark, but Rosie and Mrs. Foo were able to make parts of it visible by shining their flashlights around. There were four exits aside from the fissure: one on the far left, one on the far right, and two straight ahead. Both of those tunnels sloped upwards, but the ones on the edges seemed flat.

(Max, roll Scent Something Interesting.)

Posted: **Fri Jul 11, 2008 1:17 am**

"Thank goodness," Sally said in relief. We can finally strerch she said as she looked at the 4 other exits, "At least we can for a moment."

Posted: **Fri Jul 11, 2008 11:02 am**

Max starts running like saying: finaly space! And returns to his job and smells the air.

Posted: **Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:52 am**

OOC: This is my last post here, then you will have to NPC Max until next week.

Max after smeling, decides to go to one of the two tunnels straight ahead.

Posted: **Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:51 pm**

"Let's keep following our furry ball of string." Willie said, still throwing worried looks over his shoulder.

Posted: **Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:22 pm**

"Yeah, he's done good so far," Sally says, following max as quickly as she can.

Posted: **Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:12 am**

"Lets just get out of here. Whatever way you guys want."

Posted: **Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:30 am**

In the caverns-
Max looked at and sniffed the two forward tunnels, uncertain of which one to take. Finally, he decided on the one on the right. Everyone followed him through the narrow tunnel, which soon opened into another cavern, this one smaller than the last. More tunnels left this chamber to the left, to the right, and straight ahead. The left tunnel was level, but the other two sloped further upwards. Max sniffed the air once more, then focused on the right tunnel. He barked excitedly, then hesitated as he smelled the air again and growled. He stopped in front of the entrance of the right tunnel, unwilling to go ahead.

Posted: **Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:31 pm**

"Well, I certainly don't like the looks of this," Sally said.
"What about these other tunnels, Max? Are they safe?" Sally said to Max, while pointing at the other two tunnels.

Posted: **Thu Jul 17, 2008 1:02 am**

In the caverns-
Max shrugged, but did not move from the spot. He continued to focus on the tunnel on the right.

Posted: **Thu Jul 17, 2008 4:27 pm**

"Uh oh. Something has Max spooked. See if you can see anything down there, will ya," Sally siad to anyone with a flashlight.

Posted: **Fri Jul 18, 2008 1:35 am**

In the caverns-
Rosie shone her light up the tunnel to the right. It was clear, and at the top it opened up into another cavern, though she couldn't see any details from here.

(If anyone goes up there, roll Spot Hidden.)

Posted: **Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:07 am**

Kerry said, "I am staying right here. Someone else can go up that tunnel thank you."

Posted: **Fri Jul 18, 2008 6:31 am**

"I do it," says Ms. Foo. Without waiting for an answer, she goes to check. The others had far more left to live for then she did.

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 2:15 am**

In the caverns-
"It could be dangerous, Ms. Foo," said Ellen. "I'll go in front. I've got my shotgun just in case there's anything up there." She passed Ms. Foo and led the way up the slope.

"Can't let you ladies go by yourselves," said Michael. He went with them, his Glock at the ready. He couldn't make much out in the beam of Ms. Foo's flashlight. Neither could Ellen. The cavern ahead seemed empty, with a tunnel at the opposite end leading straight ahead and another in the left wall.

(Ms. Foo, roll Spot Hidden. The base chance is 25%. Everyone who did not go up the tunnel, roll Listen. This includes Max, who should also roll Scent Something Interesting again.)

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:10 am**

Ms. Foo just manages to glimpse what's ahead.

OOC: I PMed Mr. Handy the link and lost it. I rolled a 25!

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 1:30 pm**

Kerry tried to listen but all she heard was the sound of her own panicked breathing.

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:13 pm**

Max tried to smell again the air and listen any sound.

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:34 pm**

(No worries, Laraqua, I've still got the link to the roll. The Search function on Invisible Castle has also recently been fixed so you can now search by name, and it was always possible to find recent rolls there by searching on the latest X.)

In the caverns-
Mrs. Foo barely made out a gaping pit in front of the tunnel entrance in the beam of her flashlight. It would be easy enough to walk around it - if one knew it was there. Michael and Ellen didn't, though, and they were about to blithely walk right into it!

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 3:49 pm**

Max decides to go to the right, but very slowly, like with an apology...

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:12 pm**

"Stop!" says Ms. Foo, using the kind of no-nonsense voice mostly reserved for mums and cops. "There's a pit right there."

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:32 pm**

In the caverns-
Michael came to an abrupt halt near the edge of the pit, as did Ellen. "Whoa!" she said. "That was too close! Thank you, Ms. Foo. I could have been killed if I'd fallen in!"

"How could I have missed the bloody thing?" Michael asked himself. He peered into the pit. "Looks to be about ten feet deep and...oh!" He recoiled in fright, taking leave of his senses. Realizing that there was no escape from these things, he lay down on the cavern floor and curled up into a ball.

Ellen reacted more calmly. "There's one of those dead things in the pit!" she called. "Good thing we didn't fall in there - and that it can't get out."

Ms. Foo also saw the zombie when she spotted the pit. It was an old man, with blazing red eyes. He scrabbled at the rocky walls of the hole in the ground, unable to find purchase.

(Ms. Foo, roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d10. Now that everyone else has been warned, anyone else who comes up this way can simply avoid looking in the pit and not need to roll Sanity. I'll still need Listen rolls for Willie and Sally, and then we can proceed with the next round. Also, everyone roll Idea if you want to consider how it got in there.)

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 4:36 pm**

Ms. Foo stares into the pit (not sure if the roll makes it but I hope it does).

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:49 pm**

In the darkness and silence of the cavern, Sally's hearing is acutley aware of the sounds around her.

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 5:54 pm**

In the caverns-
Sally heard two pairs of footsteps down the tunnel behind her. They were slowly walking closer.

Posted: **Sat Jul 19, 2008 6:02 pm**

"Shit! Behind us!" Sally said so all could hear, but not yelling it. She spun around, M1911 leveling in front of her.

Posted: **Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:23 am**

In the caverns-
"Michael, are you okay?" asked Ellen. The man only whimpered. She turned to look down into the pit again and aimed her shotgun at the zombie's head. "Maybe I should put this thing out of its misery." Max reached the top of the sloping tunnel and entered the cavern, making sure to keep his distance from the edge of the pit. He saw that two other tunnels branched out from this cavern, one straight ahead and the other to the left.

Ms. Foo realized that there were a couple of ways the zombie could have ended up in the pit. A living person could have accidentally fallen into the pit, died from the fall, and risen up. It was also possible that it had already been a zombie and had stumbled into the pit - they didn't seem very perceptive, except when it came to sensing living people to feed upon.

(Max, roll Scent Something Interesting.)

Meanwhile, in the cavern below, Sally, Kerry, Willie, and Rosie looked back at the tunnel directly behind them. In the beam of Rosie's flashlight, two shambling figures emerged from below. One was a teenage boy with a baseball cap who had several rips in his shirt and bite marks on his side and chest. The other was a young woman with no apparent injuries. Both of them had red eyes and lurched forward with their arms outstretched.

(Sally, Kerry, and Willie, roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d10. Sally, remember your bonuses, but a roll of 100 automatically fails. If you do not go insane, you may fire once, but you do not have time to aim at the head, so use the random hit location table. The range is point blank. Kerry and Willie may also fire a burst, with an extra +20 bonus applied after the skill is doubled. The base skill for Rifle is 30% in this case, so this would be 60% when doubled and 80% when firing a burst. You may only target one zombie with a burst, and the burst may only consist of 3 bullets. If you hit, roll 1d3 to see how many bullets hit. Then roll 1d20 for the hit location and 2d8 for the damage, for each bullet. If you roll an impale - 16 or less with the base skill - only the first bullet does 4d8 damage and the others do 2d8 each. On a critical success - 5 or less - each bullet does 4d8 damage. Each zombie requires 10 damage to the head or 40 damage overall to kill it. Any zombies still standing after everyone has had a chance to fire once will then get to attack.

You may also flee the cavern through one of the other tunnels. Anyone may do this without risk of attack, except for Sally. Since she has a broken leg, she must roll DEX x 5 if she flees down the left tunnel, which is level. If she flees down the tunnel straight ahead or the one to the right, which slope upwards, she must roll DEX x 3. If she fails, she should roll Dodge in case she is attacked. Keep in mind that the tunnels are dark, except the one to the right, where Ms. Foo has gone with her flashlight. You'll need Rosie to come with you if you want any chance of seeing anything in one of the other tunnels, as she has the other flashlight.

Those who have gone down the tunnel on the right already cannot see the zombies or attack them. If anyone up there returns the way they came, they will need to roll Sanity as above, but they cannot attack this round - moving down the tunnel is their action. They should also roll Dodge in case they are attacked.)

Posted: **Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:47 am**

Kerry saw the zombies walking toward her and lost her cool. Luckly for her enough horror had occured to her in the last 72 hours that she did not lose that much cool.
She snarled something nasty and fired a burst from her M16 at the teenage boy. She managed to hit the zombie boy with 1 bullet only. The bullet hit the zombie in the chest but it kept walking forward.

Posted: **Tue Jul 22, 2008 9:19 am**

Max started to smell again...

Posted: **Tue Jul 22, 2008 11:12 pm**

Sally is calm and collected as usual. Realizing how close the infected were and how injured she was, Sally knew their only chance was to flee. "Hurry, we've got to get to the others! Rosie, lead the way!" She yelled to those around her. She hustled as best she could up the right tunnel, [urlhttp://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1671912/] doing well to keep ahead of the infected. [/url]

Posted: **Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:30 am**

(Willie's player hasn't been on the board for over a week, so I'll control his characters until he returns.)

In the caverns-
Willie maintained his composure unflinchingly. "Get her out of here, Rosie!" he called. "I'll protect Kerry!" Unwilling to leave the young woman behind, he stood beside her and pointed his rifle at the zombie she had just wounded. Rosie was also cool as a cucumber, and she helped Sally quickly up the slope as Willie opened fire. He sprayed the creature with two bullets, blasting another hole in the boy's chest and crippling his left leg. He almost went down, but not quite.

But he was already on top of them, and so was the undamaged female ghoul. They both rushed Willie, the boy grabbing him and both of them biting him. He was killed instantly, without even having a chance to scream. Both zombies began masticating his corpse.

(Kerry, you may fire again if you wish. Neither zombie will bother you, so you may aim at the head if you wish and you fire a single shot. This has a -5 penalty applied after your skill is doubled, so you'd have a 55% chance to hit. You may fire another burst instead, with the same 80% chance to hit as before. The first zombie has only 4 HP left, but the other one is undamaged. Make sure you specify which one you're shooting at. You may also retreat up the slope without trouble. Rosie is pointing her flashlight behind her, so you can still see.)

Rosie and Sally reached the top of the slope, where Max, Ellen, and Ms. Foo were waiting. Michael still lay blubbering in the corner. "Where are Willie and Kerry?" asked Ellen.

(Again, anyone going back down there must roll Sanity, as must anyone looking in the pit who hasn't already done so.)

Posted: **Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:59 am**

Max decided to continue to the tunnel straight ahead, more and more anxious.

Posted: **Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:53 am**

Ms. Foo makes her way around the pit, steadily and carefully. Her husband would have wanted her to keep going ... to stay strong. She had to do what she could. At the very least, if her living longer might aid others ... if she died doing something to keep them going ... well, then that was what the old were meant to do. But for now she had to keep going.

Posted: **Wed Jul 23, 2008 12:45 pm**

Kerry turned around and ran to the rest of the group. She told them that Willie had been bitten and was dead although she had not had the time to make sure he did not rise up again.

Posted: **Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:41 pm**

"Let's hurry and get past this pit. Perhaps it will slow the ones behind us down" Sally says as she joins back up with the rest of the group.

Posted: **Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:24 am**

In the caverns-
"Don't worry about not making sure he couldn't get back up," said Rosie. "You had to get out of there yourself, or he'd have died for nothing. We do have to get around that pit, and out of here before they follow us, but first we have to get Michael up." She nudged him, but he just continued to lie there, moaning. "Come on, we've got to go. Max, wait up! Don't get too far ahead!" She shined her light down the tunnel the dog had gone down so he could see.

(Sally and Kerry, roll Psychonanalysis if you want to bring Michael to his senses.)

Max started down the tunnel straight ahead, which curved around to the left into total darkness. The flashlight beam only extended as far as the curve.

Posted: **Thu Jul 24, 2008 1:43 am**

Ms. Foo will follow.

Posted: **Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:30 am**

Kerry squatted down and talked gently to Michael about how he was needed back here to help the group. She told him that he was a brave man and she saw that she was helping.

Posted: **Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:38 pm**

"Come on, Michael. We need you. We need you hear with us to get out of this," Sally said to Michael but it seemed to have little effect on him.

Posted: **Fri Jul 25, 2008 12:28 am**

(Kerry succeeded at her roll, and only one of you needed to, so Michael's okay now.)

In the caverns-
Michael stopped sobbing and regained his feet. "Sorry," he said, collecting himself. "I don't know what came over me. I almost fell right into the pit with that thing. Poor Willie. Right, let's move out. Mind the pit!"

Everyone followed Max and Ms. Foo down the tunnel straight ahead, soon catching up to them. They all followed it around the curve to the left, and it opened up into another cavern. This one looked featureless. Two more tunnels left it, one straight ahead and the other to the right.

(Max, roll Scent Something Interesting.)

Posted: **Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:18 am**

Max starts to smeling again...

Posted: **Sat Jul 26, 2008 8:38 pm**

...and decides to go straight ahead.

Posted: **Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:52 pm**

"He hasn't lead us astray, yet." Sally says to those around her. "Let's keep following him."
As she follows Max, she begins to wonder if he is just leading them aimlessly around, avoiding areas of danger, or if he was acutually leading them somewhere.

Posted: **Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:41 am**

(I'm assuming everyone else follows as well. Let me know if you want to do something else.)

In the caverns-
Everyone tailed along after Max down the tunnel. This tunnel was short and led to another featureless cavern. The only other exit was a long tunnel to the left that sloped steeply upwards.

Posted: **Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:30 am**

"Up? A way out?" murmurs Ms. Foo. She looks to the dog first, though.

Posted: **Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:31 am**

"God, I hope it's a way out. What do you say, Max?" Sally said.

Posted: **Wed Jul 30, 2008 4:57 am**

In the caverns-
Max could tell that the smell he had detected in the cave he had just come from was coming from the tunnel to the left.

Posted: **Wed Jul 30, 2008 9:41 am**

-Rof, rof!
Max followed to the tunnel to the left, moving happily his tail.

Posted: **Sun Aug 03, 2008 1:01 am**

Bending down and scratching behind Max's ear, Sally said, "Good boy, Max" before following him up the tunnel. "Come on, everyone. Let's get a move on."

Posted: **Sun Aug 03, 2008 5:40 pm**

(Again, I haven't had a post for Kerry, so I'm going to assume she goes along with everyone else.)

In the caverns-
The entire group followed Max up the sloping tunnel. It was slow going, especially with Sally's leg. The tunnel stretched on for a long way ahead, but it felt better to be moving upwards.

Posted: **Sun Aug 03, 2008 6:14 pm**

( I am sorry. I just assumed that I will go along with the rest of the group unless otherwise I state. I am playing her right now as someone who is lost in her thoughts due to being down the tunnels again.)

Posted: **Mon Aug 04, 2008 1:19 am**

Ms. Foo continues on with them.

Posted: **Tue Aug 05, 2008 1:19 am**

(That's okay. I just didn't know whether you weren't posting because you didn't want to post or if you simply hadn't had time yet. By the way, this tunnel is not at all like the tunnels you were in before you went up the fissure. It is part of the same complex of natural caverns you've been in since then.)

In the caverns-
Max led the way up the tunnel for a few more minutes. Eventually it opened up into another cavern. Another long tunnel continued upwards to the right, and there was a slight breeze coming from it. There was also a faint glow barely visible up the tunnel.

Posted: **Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:05 am**

"Kerry, everyone, look! A way out!" Sally says excitedly.

Posted: **Tue Aug 05, 2008 2:26 am**

"thank the God" kerry said and smiled.

Posted: **Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:10 am**

Max decided to smell and listening just for precaution...

Posted: **Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:31 am**

"A way out or a way in to somewhere," says Ms. Foo.

Posted: **Wed Aug 06, 2008 9:16 am**

-ROF, ROF!
Max starts running to the tunnel on the right as fast as he can.

Posted: **Fri Aug 08, 2008 4:55 pm**

"Hey, Max! Slow down. I can't move as fast as I used to be able to" Sally says, trying to catch up with Max.

Posted: **Fri Aug 08, 2008 5:59 pm**

-Rof, rof! Aooohh!
Max starts pushing Sally to see if she gets faster, and howls.

Play@YSDC

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Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

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Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

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Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)

Re: IC-UNDER-In Too Deep(Everyone)