Z-Day - 6:58 PM Mountain Time - Unknown location In the van-
The four women locked in the back of the van continued their hellish ride into the unknown. It was too dark inside the van to see anything, and there was no way of knowing whether it was still light outside or not. The van rolled onwards at the same speed, carrying them to a terrible fate. As agonizing as the journey was, things would undoubtedly get far worse when it stopped.
Raquel Orozco had been able to do nothing but cry the whole time. Her best friend Alicia Vargas was dead. Zoe Gallagher had accidentally shot and killed her when Jeff was holding her hostage, but Raquel didn't blame the other woman. Alicia had told her to shoot and not to surrender, after all. She knew it was Jeff's fault, but she also blamed herself. She had talked Alicia into helping her and Lara escape from their cells, against Alicia's better judgment. Alicia had said she didn't want to die, but perhaps she was better off now than the rest of them. They had been recaptured anyway, which made her death seem meaningless.
Zoe Gallagher lay uncomfortably on the floor of the van, her arms still handcuffed behind her back. Raquel wore handcuffs too, though Zoe had previously picked the lock so she could slip them off any time she wanted. Unfortunately, Zoe was unable to reach the lock on her own handcuffs, and none of the other women knew how to pick locks. Zoe knew that Jeff's brother Mutt was furious that she and Lara Voronova had killed him, and she was certain that tonight they would both pay for it.
Lara was utterly terrified. It was she who had fired the bullet that had killed Jeff, and she knew she would bear the brunt of Mutt's vengeance. He had only just begun to torture her when they were forced to flee from the PMS compound, and she still couldn't believe the horrors that had driven them out. She kept her fears suppressed by clinging to her hate of the skinheads for what they had done to her and her friends.
The fourth woman, Katarina Iliescu, was little more than a girl. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, yet she had a wisdom beyond her years. The others didn't know how she managed to stay in control of herself or how she was able to manipulate the men so easily, but even so, the Romanian beauty was not doing so well. Her situation seemed just as dire, and the craving in the pit of her stomach would not go away.
Zoe has been dozing in the back of the van, she begins to focus and again apologises to Raquel, "I'm sorry for what I did to Alicia - I know you have forgiven me, but I can't forgive myself; her death will haunt me for all of the short time I have left to my life." Zoe begins to cry.
In the van-
"Don't say that," said Lara. "We're not dead yet. If more of them get eaten, we might have a chance. Even if there's nothing we can do, Mutt might spare your life. I'm the one who killed Jeff. He'll kill me for certain when he's done with me, but I'm sure he'll take his time." She paused in thought as the van trundled along the bumpy road. "God, what can we do?"
In the van-
After another minute or so, the van started to slow down. It pulled to the right a little and gradually came to a halt.
Zoe Gallagher,[b]Zoe[/b] realized that it might be possible for her to slip her handcuffed arms over her legs so she could get them in front of her. They would still be handcuffed together, but at least she'd be able to use them more easily and could punch someone. However, the skinheads would probably notice that she had done it if they opened the door and looked inside. Once her hands were free, she might be able to try to break into the door's inner workings and tinker with the locking mechanism once it was exposed, but it would be difficult work and would make noise. For that matter, the skinheads in the front of the van might be able to hear her talking, so telling her plans to the others could tip them off.
If more than one skinhead came to open the van's door, it would be very dangerous to try anything. If only one was there, it would still be risky, but at least the four of them would have a chance if they worked together. Getting separated from the other women would be dangerous. If the skinheads tried to take her off somewhere by herself, she would be hard pressed to stop them once they got her alone.
If you want to try to get your arms in front of you now, roll DEX x 2.
OOC,I'm still waiting for Idea rolls for [b]Raquel[/b] and [b]Katarina[/b]. Go ahead and make them when you're ready to post. I'll make them for you in the next update if you still haven't.
Zoe's caution was well placed, for she heard footsteps approaching the van's door. The door slid open, and she saw Mutt and Ghost standing outside with their assault rifles ready. Though the light was just starting to fade, it was still bright enough to cause the women to squint after their time in the darkness. The two men stood in a dirt road, and beyond them was flat, lightly wooded ground that seemed to continue forever.
"Okay, ladies," said Mutt. "We're stopping for the night. Katarina, come on out. The rest of you girls stay put."
Katarina Iliescu,[b]Katarina[/b] realized that the skinheads in the front of the van might be able to hear her talking, so telling her plans to the others could tip them off. She knew she had to continue to use her wiles to manipulate the men in order to save herself and her friends. If she maintained her cover, she just might stand a chance of pulling something off tonight. They had to sleep sometime. Though they'd be sure to take shifts, there would be fewer to contend with at any one time.
Lara Voronova,[b]Lara[/b] realized that the skinheads in the front of the van might be able to hear her talking, so telling her plans to the others could tip them off. If more than one skinhead came to open the van's door, it would be very dangerous to try anything. If only one was there, it would still be risky, but at least the four of them would have a chance if they worked together. Getting separated from the other women would be dangerous. If the skinheads tried to take her off somewhere by herself, she would be hard pressed to stop them once they got her alone. The one thing she had going for her was that [b]Mutt[/b] wanted to take care of her personally. Maybe should could use that to get close to him. Even if she died, she might be able to take him with her.
In the van-
"Don't fret," said Ghost, "we're not gonna let anything happen to you."
"I didn't see anything out there," said Mutt. "If you're afraid there is something and you don't want to attract its attention, just keep your voices down and you'll be fine."
Katarina slid forward and climbed out of the van, where Mutt took her by the arm.
"Just relax, Zoe," said Ghost as he slid the door shut. "I'll be back for you after we get settled in." The lock clicked shut, leaving the other three women trapped in darkness. Footsteps began walking away towards the front of the van.
Katarina Iliescu,As [b]Mutt[/b] and [b]Ghost[/b] escorted her around the front of the van, [b]Katarina[/b] could see the pickup truck parked a short distance ahead, and nearby to the west was an unusual, large rock formation that pointed up into the sky that was just starting to darken. About thirty yards east of the road was an elevated ranger station. [b]Doc[/b] was helping [b]Sally[/b] out of the truck, and [b]Deadeye[/b] was helping [b]Nitro[/b] head towards them.
"You be a good girl," [b]Mutt[/b] whispered in her ear as he pulled her along. "Not a word about the girls in the van, understand? I'd hate for anyone to get hurt."
[b]Katarina[/b] nodded.
OOC,[b]Katarina[/b] is moving to the following thread. Please stop reading the current thread at this point. Everyone else remains in the current thread and should roll Listen.
Zoe sighs, "Those scum have taken Katarina." Then in a grim voice, "Maybe our execution will not be too soon, the rats need to hole up first, there might be a chance for revenge."
OOC,Zoe will attempt to loop her legs through her arms, so that her hands are in front; DEX x2?
OOC,That's right, DEX x 2. Go ahead and roll. If Invisible Castle is still down, there's no need to wait for it to come back up. You can use an alternative roller or real dice.
Raquel Orozco,[b]Raquel[/b] could hear the men and [b]Katarina[/b] walking past the front of the van. She heard [b]Mutt[/b] whisper: "You be a good girl. Not a word about the girls in the van, understand? I'd hate for anyone to get hurt." They then receded into the distance. It was extremely hard to hear what was going on outside. The van must have been at least partially soundproofed.
Lara Voronova,[b]Lara[/b] could hear the men and [b]Katarina[/b] walking past the front of the van. They then receded into the distance. It was extremely hard to hear what was going on outside. The van must have been at least partially soundproofed.
"Keep trying," said Lara softly. "They're gone now, but I don't know how long before they come back. They won't kill Katarina. Maybe she can help us from the outside."
OOC,[b]Zoe[/b], you may try another DEX x 2 roll to get your arms around your legs and in front of you.
In the van-
"I will help," said Raquel. She removed her own cuffs and crawled over, feeling her way in the dark, then lent Zoe a hand. "The hard part is getting your arms past your rear. Then you can slide them under your legs." Even with her help, Zoe knew that everything depended on her own coordination.
In the van-
Even with Raquel's help, Zoe wasn't making much progress.
"I can't stand it in here," said Lara. "We've got to get out before they come back."
OOC,Rolling 1d6 is not the same. That would give you a 33 1/3% chance, not a 28% chance. If you had rolled a 5, it would not be certain whether it was a success or a failure. Since you didn't, I'll take it this time, but from now on please roll 1d100. If Invisible Castle goes down again and you don't have a d10, you can use any other online dice roller.
[b]Zoe[/b], you may try another DEX x 2 roll.
In the van-
Again, Zoe realized that she was trying to hard. Once she relaxed her muscles, she easily slipped her arms under her legs and around them, so that they were now in front of her.
OOC,Thanks to the critical success, that took almost no time at all. [b]Zoe[/b], you can act again this turn. If you want to try to break into the door's inner workings to access the locking mechanism, you'll need to roll Mechanical Repair. Because of the complete darkness, you'll be working by touch alone and must roll at half skill. This makes it 32.5%, so you'll need a 32 or less to succeed. If you fail, you just waste a turn. If you succeed, it will take multiple turns to get to the locking mechanism - and then you'll have to actually pick the lock once you do. If you fail, go ahead and make a second attempt, as I've already updated the other thread.
