Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 4:44 PM Central Time - Tariq and Erin's House, Omaha, Nebraska
On the roof-
Erin Halloran stood on the roof of her home with her client Rashad Sadiq and her husband's friend Samir Hossein. The three of them had been trapped up there since the morning, and now the house was surrounded by dozens of the infected. Even if they had wanted to descend, the fastest of the cannibals had knocked the ladder over just after the three survivors had gotten up on top. Now there were dozens surrounding the single house where Erin lived with her husband Tariq and son Ali, both of whom were at Brooks High School. Tariq worked as a server in the school cafeteria, and Ali was a freshman there, just starting his first year of high school. The mob showed no signs of tiring or giving up, but neither did it seem able to climb the walls. Instead, the horde roamed around them, like sharks circling a boat. It seemed like there was no way out and the three of them were just waiting to die.

Without warning, the crowd surrounding the house just fell over, collapsing to the ground and remaining motionless. There was no apparent explanation for why this had happened, but it seemed that they had been saved.

"Allahu akbar!" cheered Samir.

OOC,[b]Erin[/b] and [b]Rashad[/b], roll Spot Hidden. If it's not listed on your character sheet, the base skill level is 25%. Roll 1d100 using Invisible Castle. You succeed if you get less than or equal to your Spot Hidden skill.

Rashad gasps in surprise. What... what just happened? Did you see them? They just fell over? Is it a trick? He swept his revolver around, and noticed something.

On the roof-
Rashad noticed that at the same instant the infected had fallen over, all of the lights in the houses that were visible nearby had suddenly gone out. Erin didn't notice, her attention focused on the bodies.

"Are they...are they dead?" she asked.

Samir didn't appear to have noticed the lights either. "Should we go down now, or wait here?" he said. "I can probably climb down there and put the ladder back up."

"I don't know, it might be dangerous. But I am worried about Tariq and Ali."

Rashad frowns. The lights went out at the same time they fell over. Mrs. Halloran, I think we should wait to see what has happened. I do not trust this, it does not seem possible. He opens the cylinder of his revolver and checks the bullets, than snaps it shut. Samir, how many bullets do you have left?

OOC,Would Rashad know about EMPs? And could they see the nuclear explosion from where they were at?

On the roof-
"I have about a hundred left," said Samir, counting the magazines for his Glock.

"I agree, let's wait here for now," said Erin. "Maybe my husband and son will make their way here. If this really is over, then someone is bound to come by sooner or later who can reset the ladder."

"And if it's not over, then we are better off up here anyway. You are right."

OOC,There was no explosion of any kind visible or audible, nuclear or otherwise. [b]Rashad[/b] has heard of EMPs, but roll Know to see if he actually knows anything significant about them. If you succeed, I'll fill you in. Physics would be the ideal skill to roll and would give you more information, but the base skill level is only 1% (though you may roll if you like). However, you should roll Electronics. If you succeed at that, I'll let you know how an EMP might affect Omaha's power grid.

Rashad nods. Okay, that's good. I've got sixteen rounds left for my revolver. He stares out at the city deep in thought.

On the roof-
About twenty minutes passed, mostly in silence. The dead bodies continued to lay still, and in all this time there had been no sign of life anywhere nearby. The power remained out.

OOC,[b]Rashad[/b], roll Spot Hidden. Also, you can still roll Electronics to see what you know about how an EMP would affect Omaha's power grid. Your Know score is 65, not 45, but this did not change the outcome.

Rashad Sadiq,[b]Rashad[/b] had heard that an electromagnetic pulse is completely harmless to human beings, but it could be very damaging to electronics. Older technology tended to be more resistant to an EMP, but it would render anything semiconductor-based permanently useless. Since it doesn't affect people at all, it's a mystery why the infected all collapsed at the same instant the pulse went off - if it was a pulse. It could be a coincidence, but the timing makes it seem highly unlikely. His battery-powered watch had also stopped at the same time the lights went out, so that lent support to the EMP theory.

Rashad glanced at the bodies, noticing nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it was an EMP? He mutters doubtfully

On the roof-
"Maybe," said Samir.

Suddenly, Erin glanced down the street and saw a familiar and joyful sight. "Tariq!" she called, leaping up and waving her arms. "Ali! We're up here! The ladder has fallen!"

"Yes, I see them too!" said Samir. He stood at Erin's side and shouted. "Tariq, old friend! It is I, Samir Hossein! I am glad to see that you have survived this day of days!"

Rashad Sadiq,[b]Rashad[/b] knew the recognition phrase instantly - yet it was addressed to [b]Tariq[/b] rather than to him.

Rashad nearly jumps. He manages to compose himself and waves at the newcomers. Hello! To Samir he says. Yes it has been quite The Day.

On the roof-
Samir raised an eyebrow, but did not respond yet.

Erin, Rashad, and Samir watched as Tariq and Ali approached from down the block. Accompanying them were a young goth woman dressed all in black, an aging black homeless man, and a stray mutt that tagged along with him. None of these three looked familiar. They soon arrived at the house.

"Samir! It is always a pleasure to meet you, especially now!" Tariq called up as he lifted the ladder into position. "I think it might be safest if I got my firearms from inside the house before anything has a chance to go wrong. Feel like coming down to join me, or is it safer up there?"

OOC,Everyone is moving to the following thread.

Family