Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 6:56 PM Mountain Time - SaveMart Convenience Store, 2 miles south of Ogallala, Nebraska

In the store-
Helen Stafford stood behind the sales counter of the SaveMart. She wasn't sure why, other than to give her something to do. It's not like she needed to make sure the customers weren't going to break into the register and steal the cash. She knew the items on the shelves were worth far more than mere money under the circumstances. Ho Nguyen, her boss, had drummed that into her head today. Oh, he still cared about the money, he cared plenty about it, but the goods were more important now than ever. She kept her eyes on the threesome as she chewed her gum, one hand on the shotgun behind the counter.

Richard Saxon, Victor Gonzalez, and Cynthia Louise stood around talking. Richard seemed to love talking, and why not? He was very good at it, and he knew it. Victor stood by his side, and Cynthia was across from the two of them.

The large glass storefront faced west. Through the plate glass, the sun was visible hanging barely above the horizon. In a few minutes it would start to get dark. The day had brought a seemingly endless stream of infected crazies from Ogallala. None of them wanted to think about what the night would bring.

On the roof-
Ho Nguyen and Marcus Williams lay on their bellies on the roof and looked around, their rifles at the ready. A ladder leaned against the storefront, allowing people to climb down to the parking lot or up from it. There had been no sign of anyone friendly since the three customers inside had shown up a few hours back. There had been plenty of hostile folks streaming down the road from the north throughout the day, with only a handful from other directions. In the morning there had been large mobs, but as the afternoon had dragged on the numbers had dwindled. Now they mostly came in clusters of just a few, and it had been a while since they had had anything to shoot at. The sun was going down, which would be sure to cause problems. There were lampposts in front of the store that Ho had lit about ten minutes ago, but the light only went so far. Their range would be limited, and they only had a finite supply of ammo. Would it be enough to last until someone came to rescue them? Was there anyone left to come and rescue them? Hitting the road was an option, though that would be more dangerous at night and would best wait until morning. Of course, Ho had been against that from the start. He refused to leave the store, or to allow his employees to go during their normal working hours.

OOC,[b]Ho[/b] and [b]Marcus[/b], each of you make a Spot Hidden roll. If the skill is not listed on your character sheet, the base skill level is 25%. If you get less than or equal to your skill on 1d100, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. The better your success, the more detail you will see. The Rules and Guidelines thread will tell you how to use Invisible Castle and post links to your rolls. Feel free to talk to each other until the next major update as well. The four characters inside the store can talk to each other too, but they cannot converse with those on the roof while they're inside. They do have the option of going outside, but that is the sort of action that will take up their entire turn. They cannot go up to the roof or back inside until after the next major update.

Victor looked over at Helan and saw her touching the shotgun. He turned back to Richard and signaled with his eyes toward Helan. He then said, "Richard how long were you planning on staying here man? i know a way we can survive but we need to hit the road." He smiled at Cynthia and said, "Of course baby if you were to come with us you would have to earn your keep by doing a woman's work."

"Vic, if you got a better idea I would love to hear it. I cant help but thhink we should do something about that glass window while we can." ***starts to look around the store to see whats there**

spot hidden roll (1d100=44)

On the rooftop, Marcus lay belly down with his boss checking the scenery. He didn't much like their situation, but what could he do? He needed the job. However, the priority was switching from job to survival but quick.

"Hey Ho," Marcus said with a snicker. He loved the double-innuendo when he said that to his boss. "Those infected, they don't seem so sharp to me. Only one way up to the roof. Maybe we should spend the night up here... pull the ladder up behind us. We can grab some viddles and drinks, some blankets... then maybe hit the road first thing at daybreak. We can't stay here forever."

Spot Hidden (45%) (1d100=52)

Not seeing anything out of what had become 'the ordinary', Marcus turned to his side to look at Ho Ngyuen as he said, "Of course, if you mean ta be squattin' it out, I been meanin' to ask you about a pay raise too. I mean... my job never had to deal with protectin' your stuff from mobs."

"well cynthia and Rich, if we are going to stay here we need to tighten up the place for the night. I want to get out of here as I think we are trapped but I do not want to travel alone at night so if we go we all go and if we stay then we stay at least till the morning." He turned to Helen and said, "Miss, can we get some boards or something to help cover the windows and maybe something that can easily be slid out of the way to blockade the doors but that can be moved to get Ho and Marcus in and out?"

Honestly vic, how far would we get at night. Im not to happy about staying in one spot, but i think its safer then travelling out there at night..Atleast until we know what the hell is going on.

"well what do you think Rich?"

Lets get this place lcoked up. I dont need a gang of those crazies running thru here in the middle of the night. We gotta get that window secured somehow.

" Helen can you help us or not?"

OOC,This is just a minor update. I need to wait for at least one more player in the other thread before advancing the clock with a major update. This will also give new players a little more time to pick up one of the three NPCs in this thread. Continue to talk. I won't be able to update frequently during the week, but next weekend should be a little better.

On the roof-
Ho Nguyen completely missed the joke, English not being his first language. "Yes, we should all spend night up on roof," he said. "Good idea. The infected stupid. I don't think they climb good. We can't leave store, though. Too dangerous to travel, and where would we go? Besides, we have food and drink here to last for months. If we leave, we have to leave most of it behind. Whatever happening should be over by time we run out. And you want pay raise?" Ho threw back his head and laughed. "I like you, Marcus. You funny."

In the store-
"Boards?" said Helen, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, some teeny little two-by-fours will easily cover that entire front wall of glass. It's only ten feet high and ninety feet across." She blew a bubble and popped it. "Look, if you're going to try to move stuff to barricade the front, one of you better go outside and get Ho's permission first. We wouldn't need to leave an opening in the front for the guys to get back inside, though. There's a fire door in the back, and they both have keys."

"I'm with you, Rich," said Cynthia. "I don't want to go anywhere at night."

Richard surveyed the store. There were ten aisles stretching back about sixty feet. Between each pair of aisles were two long, double-sided rows of shelves stocked with all the goods one might find in a convenience store. There were snack foods, bottles of soda and water, books, magazines, over the counter medications (the SaveMart did not have its own pharmacy), diapers, beauty products, DVDs, school supplies, and plenty of other stuff. At the counter were the impulse buying items, including the gum that Helen was sampling. Behind the counter were boxes and boxes of cigarettes, along with a "We Card" sign stating that you had to be 18 to buy them. At the very back of the store, in the center of the rear wall, was a door labeled "Employees Only."

OOC,Anyone in the store may roll Idea at this point. Again, just roll 1d100 on Invisible Castle and try to get less than or equal to your Idea score. Remember to mention the purpose of the roll and the number you're rolling against in the Note section.

Victor stared at the items of supplies and got an idea.

Mr Handy,Are we in a gas station convinence store or is this like a drug store like walgreens?

***Richard looks to helen*** "Whats in the backroom?....Anything we might find useful?"

**Richard sits down in the corner scanning the place for a idea to get the window secured***
Idea roll 70% (1d100=28)

"Somebody might as well asked Ho..Hell, he might even have a idea."

OOC,The convenience store does have gas pumps outside. It has a small garage that isn't attached to the main building. [b]Marcus[/b] did some work there as a mechanic when needed.

In the store-
"Back there?" asked Helen. "Offices, bathrooms, and the stock room. Also that rear exit I mentioned. There's nothing in the stock room that isn't also out on these shelves."

Richard and Victor looked around at the shelves and didn't see anything on them that could make an effective barricade for the whole length of the storefront - except the shelves themselves. It would be a lot of work to move them, but four of the long shelves should be able to block all of the front windows. They were very heavy, but that would make them harder to dislodge. However, they were only six feet high.

"Well, Ho... you have a point there," Marcus admitted. "Being on the road would mean scavaging for food and water along the way... which could be right dangerous. But if we're going to stay here, then we should try to reenforce the store first, and resort to the roof as a last ditch effort." He frowned and asked, "What do you think about cutting a hole in the ceiling so we don't have to go outside to get up to the roof? After it all clears up, I'll patch it up good and proper."

"Cynthia empty one of these shelves. Just pile the stuff on the floor out of the way. Richard, once she has done the woman's work we can grab the empty shelf and use it to barricade. Helen get out here and help out Cynthia okay honey?"

On the roof-
"Maybe," said Ho, deep in thought and looking around.

In the store-
"Hey, hey, hey!" said Helen. "You can't just go dumping stuff on the floor and moving shelves around! And you are not the boss of me, you male chauvinist pig! He's up on the roof, and if you want to do this you'll need to go out and talk to him."

"Dear i am not sure where you have been this afternoon but we have been pretty busy shooting mobs of hording people in the head from up on the roof. Now I do not have time to go upstairs and argue with your boss on dumping stuff on the floor. I promise that we will put everything back when we are finished ok? Good now help or don't help but otherwise know that when me or Richard speak your job is to shut your mouth! Cynthia do what I said and tonight I will give you a special treat."

***Richard gives a slight look to calm down**** "Helen, i am sure we are all under alot of stress.If it will make you feel better ill go talk to Ho. But we are running short on time. Could you atleast please start helping clear the shelfs...

fast talk 75% (1d100=79)

"Fine....Fine.....ill go talk to Ho....."

***Richard walks away mumbling something under his breath about woman empowerment...He gets to the door and scans the area outside. He opens the door a bit and yell up to Ho.****

"HEY HO!.....We think we should try and barricade the glass widow with the shelves. It will help protect us and your stuff inside. Wouldnt want any of these crazies to get in here and grab your goods and money, would you??...."

Fast talk 75% (1d100=52)

"Oh my god," Marcus says... "That fool did not just shout up at us, did he?"

He flips back belly down and does a quick scan over the area to see if they gained any unwanted attention.

On the roof-
Ho looked around carefully. He was about to answer Richard when something else grabbed his attention. "Look!" he hissed, pointing at Big Mac Road, which ran north and south just to the west of the SaveMart. "It's a truck! There's three girls in the cab, very pretty, and a big man in back with a rifle."

Sure enough, a pickup truck was fast approaching on the road from the north. When it got closer Marcus was able to see it at last, but he couldn't make out the details his sharp-eyed boss had mentioned. It showed no sign of slowing down and was about to go right past the turnoff to the parking lot.

OOC,[b]Marcus[/b], roll Idea.

Outside the store-
While Richard stood just outside the store calling up to the roof, he heard the roar of a vehicle getting nearer on the road that went by the store.

OOC,[b]Richard[/b], roll Idea.

In the store-
"Let's wait for Richard to get back before we start moving stuff," said Cynthia. "What if the old man says no? Then he might get mad and kick us out. And you need to learn how to treat a lady right, Victor. Like your friend Richard does. You can learn a lot from him. You'll have to give yourself a special treat tonight instead."

Helen stifled a chuckle.

OOC,[b]Victor[/b], roll Listen to see if you hear the truck.

Marcus suddenly fired his rifle in the air, hoping to let the passers-by realize that someone was nearby. If they started to look, he would stand up and wave his hands for a moment or two, then drop back down, hopefully before gaining too much more unwanted attention.

Victor stared at Cynthia in anger. "Listen bitch, we did not have to pick you up so you will treat me right. If not for me and Rich you would be still out there now if not dead." He was so busy talking to Cynthia that he failed to hear anything.

Marcus Williams,Give me a Rifle roll, just to make sure the gun doesn't jam when you try to fire it. You can't really miss, so anything but a Malfunction is good, but if you roll equal to or less than your Rifle skill you will get a check in it. Of course, you're bound to get more opportunities later on anyway.

In the store-
"You talk about treating people right, but you don't know the first thing about it," said Cynthia. She walked off to the front door in a huff. "I am grateful - to Rich. I honestly don't know why he keeps you around. Guess he's just too nice for his own good."

Helen watched the exchange, an amused smirk on her face.

"Hey baby look I am sorry. It is anger that is all. Long day you know?" Victor came up behind Cyntihia and put his hand on her shoulder.

Rifle Shot,Good thing I wasn't aiming at anything in particular. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/1880780/]Rifle - do not malfunction!!! (1d100=76)[/url]

"Look Ho! Customers!" Marcus says to his boss.

***Rich walks over to Cynthia***

"Hey, listen, I just think every is on edge...Hell, i aint got one idea what the hell has happened or what i have even seen, but i know some crap has happened that isnt gonna be any good for any of us. We just gotta all stick together."

***Rick takes a stroll next to Vic***

"Hey man, lets try not to get every nervous. There is enough crap to worry about already. We might need one of these girls to watch are back. Honestly, Im not sure whats going on, but i really get the feeling it isnt good. We will be out of here in the morning, so lets just try and get through tonight without any drama. Besides, we dont need any added attention to us."

Vic looks at Richard and says, "your right bro. I will be cool." He then walked up to Helen and put down 75 cents. "May I have a Snickers Bar please?"

On the roof-
The pickup truck drove past the turnoff to the parking lot as Marcus pointed his rifle off into the distance and fired a shot into the air. Then he stood up for a few seconds to wave at the people in the truck in the hopes that they would notice and turn around. The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and it would get dark soon.

Ho watched the truck roll down the road. "They notice that for sure," he said. "Just hope nobody else does."

In the store-
"Sure..." said Helen to Victor, "just as soon as you pay the rest of the price." She pointed at the price tag on the box. "They're a buck 49 each. Maybe you flunked math, but that'll only cover half the cost, and no, you can't buy half a Snickers."

"You're right, Rich," said Cynthia. "We need each other to stay alive."

Just then, everyone heard the rifle shot from the roof.

***Rich's head sworls towards the window and runs to see what is going on, gun in hand.****

"What the hell was that????"

Victor said to Helen, "We will take this up in a minute." He then pulled his pistol and ran for the door looking outside.

"Well, if they noticed, then good. If not... then I'm sorry you lost a sale," he slapped his big hand on Ho's shoulder and laughed. "I'm heading down. We need to prepare the store for this evening. Do we have any black paint? I was thinking of painting the windows over so our lights won't give us away."

OOC,Everyone is moving to the following thread:

Trouble In Store