Z-Day - 5:05 PM Central Time - Chuck's Auto Body Shop, Omaha, Nebraska In the convenience store- Emily Lubachek frowned as she emptied the can of dog food into Tiny's bowl, thumping the bottom of the upended can to get it to come out. Tiny circled around her legs as she did so, looking up at the food eagerly and licking his lips, enjoying the scent but longing even more for the taste. The electric can opener hadn't worked, and it had taken Emily some time to find an old-fashioned mechanical one.
In the auto body shop-
Next door to the convenience store, Emilio Montoya was in Chuck's auto body shop, in the garage. Chuck's old 1965 Mustang had started up when he had tried the spare key, and it now had a full tank of gas, as well as some jerry cans filled with more gas and some gallon containers of water on the floor next to the back seat, with some old blankets on top of them. Yet the tow truck, which only dated back to the 1990s, had refused to start at all. There was a diesel-powered generator in the shop, but it wasn't working either - it still contained electrical components that had apparently been damaged by the pulse. At the back of the shop, underneath a large black mat and concealed behind a counter, was the trapdoor he had discovered previously. It was still locked, and none of the keys he had would fit it. He was very curious about what might be underneath it, but also wary of Emily discovering he had been inside. The lock was a good one, and he wasn't skilled at picking locks. If he was going to get inside, it didn't look like he could do it in a subtle manner.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], roll Know to see if you can figure out why the tow truck didn't start, but the Mustang did. If you want to try to break open the trapdoor, there's a crowbar you can use to pry it open. This will require a STR x 5 roll.
Emilio deduces that the ignition problem, is a mechanical versus electrical issue with the ignition rotor, but he isn´t sure. He puts the thoughts aside and starts to work on the trapdoor. He gets perfect leverage and something in the lock mechanism snaps. Something worth hiding and locking away must be worth bringing along for the ride...
Knowing that Chuck´s mother probably is unaware of her son´s shady business Emilio is intent on keeping her out of the loop till he knows what is what. Better to apologize for improper behaviour than to be foolish enough to ask for permission to act improperly.
Hopefully he would not regret this action.
In the convenience store- Emily opened up the back door and let Tiny out into the scrapyard behind both the convenience store and the auto body shop, following him outside with the dish in her hand.
In the auto body shop-
As Emilio located a crowbar and set to work prying open the trapdoor, he realized why the Mustang had started but the tow truck had not. His knowledge of all things automotive included the fact that all cars from around the 1982 model year onwards had a computer chip installed in their ignitions, and that the car would not start if the chip were not functioning. The electromagnetic pulse would permanently wreck all semiconductors, including those essential chips. No modern car that had been in the pulse's area of effect would start again, and in fact any car that had been running at the instant the EMP had hit might have shut down as well. Only classic cars using older technology, such as the 1965 Mustang, would still operate within range of the EMP device. The tow truck, which Chuck had bought in 1999, would not.
With a loud crack, Emilio forced open the heavy bolt that had been securing the trapdoor from underneath. Now that it was no longer locked, he was easily able to flip it open. A metal ladder led down into darkness. He realized that if there was a light bulb down there, there would no longer be any power for it. Fortunately, he did still have his lighter. He could hear Tiny barking loudly in the scrapyard behind the shop.
Not hesitating Emilio moves down the ladder and lights the zippo when he touches bottom. Tiny´s bark is quite audible but Emilio decides too continue snooping till he uncovers something of use. Then he´d leave the shop and ask Emily and Tiny to come along to the school. No point in staying here should the plague of zombies came in a second wave.
In the scrapyard- Tiny growled at the back door of the adjoining auto body shop and strained at his leash.
"What?" asked Emily. "What is it?" Tiny barked insistently, refusing to let up. "It's just Emilio busy working. Now shut up and eat your dinner."
With a whimper, Tiny did as he was told.
In the secret room- Emilio reached the bottom of the ladder, lit his zippo, and looked around. He found himself in a large underground room, a square about fifty feet on a side. Most of the room was filled with crates resting on pallets, though there was also a desk in one corner.
"Em? I´m down here! Can you come down and help me down here? What is this stuff? Preparing for the bomb, or what?"Emilio tries to remove a lid from one of the boxes.
In the auto body shop- John Lee walked through the shop, tire iron in hand. He looked around and noticed an open trap door when he looked behind the counter. It captured his attention so much that he didn't hear Emily and Tiny enter. The rottweiler barked at him, straining at his leash, and the angry old woman looked about to release it. She leveled her gun at him. "Hold it right there, you little chink thief!" she shouted.
In the secret room- Emilio tried to open one of the crates, but it was nailed shut. He would have to try to pry it open with the crowbar in order to open it. Just then, he heard Emily's shout from inside the store.
In the auto body shop-
"No, no, no, no!" shouted John Lee, raising his hands. "I'm no thief! I came in here looking for people - I heard a noise!"
"Right, and that's why you broke open the trapdoor!" shouted Emily, pulling back the hammer on her revolver.
"It was like that when I got here! That must have been the noise I heard. There must be someone else down there!"
Emilyrelaxed a little and uncocked the hammer. "Emilio! Where the hell are you? You down there?"
In the secret room- Emilio could hear Emily's exchange with the new arrival as he tried to force the crate open. He had loosened it a little, but it was still stubbornly sealed.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], if you want to try again, you'll now roll against STR x 6 to pry open that crate.
"Yeah! I´m down here! What´s going on up there? I found this stash.... What´s this stuff? Preparing for the big bomb, or what?""I´m bugging out of this place and need provisions to get by for a while and you´re coming with me, Emmie! Don´t shoot that guy... He will probably be more use to us alive. I´m coming up in a second..."
He puts some muscle behind the crowbar and the lid gives way a bit more. Emilio takes a look at its contents and starts up the ladder.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], there wasn't enough time this turn to both open up the crate and climb the ladder, so you're still down there. This turn you can climb up and talk to [b]Emily[/b] and the new arrival.
In the secret room- Emilio barely managed to pry open the crate. Removing the lid, he looked inside and saw dozens of pairs of what were either designer jeans or very good counterfeits. A very strange thing to find in a crate in a secret storeroom beneath an auto body shop, that was for certain.
In the auto body shop-
"You broke open that trapdoor, Emilio?!" called Emily, loud enough for him to hear. "What the hell did you go and do that for?! Get your ass up here! And we're not going anywhere without my son! I don't know who this guy is: some Chinese kid." She looked John over. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm John Lee," he said. "I'm a journalism student. I just came in here looking for other survivors. There's people at the school across the street. I saw a lady on the roof."
"Yeah, I just came from there. My son's there right now."
Montoya leaves the jeans and whatever might be hidden under them. He gets up to the workshop-floor and faces the two up there.
To the man, he says, "Emilio Montoya, I work here. Just behave yourself, will you, and there´ll be no trouble. We could actually need someone to keep a look out. Will you see that no one is coming in from outside. That is someone infected, I mean. I need to speak to Mrs. Lubacheck.""We´re going to get your son, Emily. No worries. We just need to have the right stuff with us. What´s down there? Jeans? And what else?"
In the auto body shop-
"I'm John Lee," said the young man with Chinese features. "I don't want any trouble. I'll go stand outside. All the infected just fell over earlier, I don't know why. Do you think they might get back up?" Nervously, he stepped back out the front door.
Once he was outside, Emily turned to Emilio, still frowning. "I don't know what all Chuck keeps down there," she said, "but I do know it was none of your business to go forcing open the trapdoor and poking around without permission. How did you even find it?" She pursed her lips in thought, fingering Tiny's leash. "Chuck will know everything that's in there. Maybe he'll even tell you if you help get him out of that lockup where they've put him on that trumped-up murder charge. That Jamaican kid already tried to kill him - he's clearly not safe in there. Chuck's got some friends around town who might help us if we could round them up, but we don't know if they're even still alive. Plus, by the time we do that, they could have moved Chuck somewhere else. We may need to just go in quick and pull him out. What do you think?"
"Listen, things are not the sunny side up, now. Chuck is locked up, yes. We have not the power to bust him out, unfortunately. But maybe we can find something here in his stash to bargain for his release with. He is a good man to have by ones side and I´m not truly sure the zombie-things are dealt with, just quite yet.
Let me see what he´s been saving for a rainy day and bring that to the negotiation table. Then we head for the school and say that we´re willing to help - but, that we need Chuck to get the rest of the things. He´s a devil on negotiating so he will do his part, no doubt. The sheriff will have to look the other way as the country obviouslu is in a state of war. Normal laws don´t apply, untill it all blows over. If it does... And by then we´ll be somewhere safe. Just help me out, please Mrs Lubachek?"
In the auto body shop-
"No, wait, we're coming out!" called Emily. "Okay, Montoya, we'll try it your way. We don't need to waste time going down there and looking through the stuff, though. I know there are guns, ammo, medical supplies, and food and water. That's plenty to offer. After you two fixed the generator and saved all our asses, I can't believe what those ingrates did to my son. They owe us one, and that's a bargaining chip too. We need to head over there now and negotiate his bail. If they still won't let him out, then we'll have to try Plan B. Come on, let's go. I'm going to need you to back me up if things go south." She tugged on Tiny's leash and pulled the dog outside.
Oustide the auto body shop- John was standing watch outside when he heard a male voice calling: "Oi, over here!" from across the street. A young man about his own age was emerging from a hole in the school's perimeter fence, waving and patting his jacket.
Emily and Tiny emerged from the shop. Emily waved to the youth across the street. "Keith!" she called. "Stay there, we're coming over! Chuck and I need your help!"
"That´s settled, then. So we should get some of the guns in the car just in case, we´d need them for a reason or another..."Emilo adds when they are all outside spotting the boy, Keith.
"No thanks, I´m trying to quit. Besides, the area is full of flammable fluids, so I´d put away the lighter, Keith." To Emily, he says, "Listen, if things go wrong, we should load up with a few samples of medicals and arms to show what we´re good for. And if plan B comes in view we´d need them anyway. Shall we bring the items?"
Keith is frozen, his arm outstretched holding the cigarettes, "Just being friendly," he says, mumbling.
"Arms? That sounds interesting, can I lend a hand? You lot have no idea what it's like inside the school: boring as hell - they may as well be zombies, ha-ha!"
Montoya studies the newcomer. Apparently Mrs Lubacheck knows this Keith character. John Lee, on the other hand, is another matter. "Sorry for being blunt. Just don´t want my Mustang to go up in smoke. We have the means of escaping this hell-hole of a place. We´ve got to pick someone up first. We got all the things we need to get to a secluded place and ward off them infected people. Hey, I had my hands full of one gal´s brains in there." He motions at the school building across the road. "Keith, do you know this guy, John Lee? You´re the same age, right?"
To the offer to assist in lugging parts of the stash Emilio replies, "Yeah, that would be just what the doctor ordered. The three of us could get the things in the car then we should get out of here."
Keith puts away his smokes.
"Escape! I like the sound of that. I'll help... and if you can squeeze me in to your Mustang - that would be a damn fine thing.
Well, they must have seen each another. One year apart, aiming for journalism respectively law. They´re bound to have had some courses together, right?
"Hmm, we´re getting her pretty loaded now. Maybe if we can put a trailer behind her. A really odd thing would be to fasten the toll truck to the Mustang with a winch and toll the toll truck. This baby may just have the torque to pull it off. That way we can get more people along comfortably. And the equipment. Now, we have one spare seat. Unless someone fancies adding some weight to the trunk."
Emilio lets Mrs Lubacheck reveal any more on the mission at hand.
OOC,Actually, [b]Keith[/b] and [b]John[/b] have never met before. There's a reason for that, but you don't know it yet. I'll have [b]Emily[/b] and [b]John[/b] speak when I update, which should be on Sunday.
Outside the auto body shop-
"I don't think we should bring the guns from down there," said Emily. "They might land Chuck in more trouble and raise all sorts of questions about where he got them. Medical supplies we could bring, but I don't know if we have time to go down and haul them up. We might not even need them, so best not to show what we have unless we need to. I'm hoping we can talk them into letting Chuck out without having to cough up any goods. After all, the school does owe him for the repair work. That should suffice for bail, but if not, Chuck and I can offer more. I say we head over to the school now before something happens to him. We have enough guns on us for protection anyway. I've got my revolver, and here's Chuck's shotgun." She offered it to Emilio, along with the extra shells. "Here, you can use these if you need 'em, but give them back to Chuck once we get him out. Keith, are you packing? I'm not so sure about leaving town. The dead are all around, but we seem to be safe from them in this area. If we do have to go, I know a place."
"I'm not from around here," said John Lee, "I'm from Cheyenne - long story, and it sounds like we don't have time for it."
"I don't know you well enough to give you a gun, but you've got that tire iron, and I'm sure you can pull some Jackie Chan moves too."
"What, you think that just because I'm Chinese, that means I have to be a martial artist?"
"You mean you're not?"
"No, I am, as it happens. But you shouldn't just assume."
"Well, the fastest way is to take the Mustang..."Emilio says as he accepts the proffered shotgun. He gets over to the driver´s seat and fires up the engine. "Hop in, guys! School´s next!" The extra shells he puts in his jacket pocket. He pushes in first gear and rolls out to the waiting trio.
"Just the ´65 - for now. Let´s drive over there!"Emilio pops the passenger´s door for the others to enter through. "Boys in the back, ladies up front."
Outside the auto body shop-
"I could lend you Chuck's knife," said Emily to Keith, "but you'd have to give it back once we get him out."
John Lee climbed into the back of the Mustang after Keith slid over. Then Emily pushed the shotgun seat back and got in the front, and Tiny jumped into her lap. She closed her door as Emilio pulled out, driving across the street.
Outside the school- Emilio drove up to the southeast corner of the fence. The main entrance in the middle of the south side was fully barricaded, but the fence had holes in it at the southeast corner that someone could fit through. He had used one of these holes, which had been torn in the fence by the zombies, to leave the school and go over to the garage.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], if you want to drive through the fence to get to the school quickly, roll Drive Auto. If you want to park here and go through the fence on foot, there's no need to roll anything.
Emilio attempts the tight squeeze through the hole in the fence. He grimaces as the jagged edges of the wire fence tear up the paint. "I´ll have it airbrushed in Vegas, after all this is over..." He drives across the school yard to the main entrance and honks the horn twice.
OOC,The car will never fit through the holes. Instead what you're doing is crashing through the fence to make a hole big enough to fit. You may lose control of the car due to that failed roll, so you won't necessarily get where you want to go, but you know that the front doors have been barricaded too. There are no other entrances on the south side of the building.
Skidding through, tearing up the fence, coming to a stop... Emilio, should the Mustang be operational, drives left on the school yard to ge access to the auditorium doors.
OOC,[b]Keith[/b], roll CON x 5 to stay conscious. If you succeed, you may attempt to use First Aid on one person this round (the base skill is 30%, and it restores 1d3 HP and wakes the person up if you succeed), or you may do something else.
Jees! What a crash! Well, that´s for succeeding in the other thread .
Coming to, Emilio moans and tries to move. His chest aches and he feels something wet all over his face. "F***! That hurts..." He tries to see through the red haze and attempts to open the door to get out. "We must... get the others... out of before...it blows..."
As he moves in his seat he tries to see who was helping him, barely making the recognition of Keith, he mumbles a "Thank you man... Shit, shit, shit!"
Outside the school-
Once Emilio came to his senses, he realized that the car was in much better shape than its passengers. It had luckily landed on its four wheels, and while it was damaged, it could still be driven. The fuel lines had not leaked either. Classics like the Mustang were not as fragile as modern cars, and they didn't build them like that any more. Of course, they weren't building any cars any more. It would take several hours to smooth out all the dents and restore the vehicle to pristine condition, but it would drive okay for now, provided it sustained no further damage.
Emily, Tiny, and John all remained unconscious, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b] and [b]Keith[/b], you may each act now. If you wish, you may roll First Aid to attempt to heal 1d3 damage on the person or dog of your choice and awaken whoever it is. [b]Emilio[/b], you have the option of driving the car wherever you wish to go instead. You do not need to roll anything now unless you ram the fence a second time, but I think you've learned your lesson, and you're already inside the fence anyway. Besides, when you're ready to leave, you may drive through the conveniently car-shaped hole in the fence. Yes, the crash was bad, but it could easily have been a lot worse. The damage rolls were on the high side (except on the car itself), and there were a couple of failed shock rolls to boot. It's a good thing you weren't going fast, or there would have been fatalities! It's also lucky that [b]Keith[/b] remained awake.
Seeing that the car is not in such bad shape as he first figured Emilio starts to see what he can do for Emily. Trying to assess her wounds, he tries to stop the bleeding.... Unfortunately he´s better with engines than wounds. Doing the best he can he shakes Lubacheck, "Mam?! How are you? We´re getting Chuck out!""Do you see if you can get John up, Keith?"
In the construction area- Donald Woodridge ran around the northeast corner and through the construction area on the east side of the school. From here he could see a 1965 Ford Mustang stopped a short distance southeast of the school. He could see Emilio and Keith inside trying to revive Emily Lubachek and a Chinese-looking teenager he didn't recognize. Tiny, the Rottweiler, lay in Emily's lap.
OOC,[b]Donald[/b], you may reach the car this round, but you may not also apply First Aid yet.
Outside the school- John Lee and Emily still did not respond. Donald came into view to the north, heading in the car's direction.
OOC,It's not a fumble, just a normal failure. [b]Keith[/b] and [b]Emilio[/b], you may each try First Aid again once or do something else.
Donald was told of an accident, so he tried to take in the whole of the situation before he got up to the vehicle to see if there was a second vehicle involved, if gas were leaking, or if there were any other enviornmental dangers. "What happened here?" the janitor asked as he approached. "I'd ask if everyone is alright, but obviously Emily seems in bad shape. Is anyone else in need of medical attention?"
"Hi, Donald! Reckless driving on my part. The gas tank is not damaged, so don´t worry about that. She´s just a bit bruised. This lady is worse off. "His second attempt on stopping the bleeding [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2339959/]was as bad as the first.[url] "Yes, you can see if you can get the bleeding to stop here. I´m having no luck at finding the source. "We´re coming here to get Chuck out of the arrest and to see if ya´ll needed transport somewhere. I got this baby to run so we´ve the means to go places."
"Seems to me," Donald says as he pushes in toward the injured lady, "this place is safer than venturing abroad. That EMP device is keeping the dead down." He tore the clothes away from the wound to expose the injury. "Here's the problem," Donald said as he applied direct pressure to the wound. "She's going to need better medical attention, but I think we can patch her up." Using bandages or just the clothing he had ripped off the woman, he bandages her up and stops the bleeding."Can you help me move her back in so we can get a doctor to take a look at her?"
Mr. Handy,the image I used for Donald disappeared. So please use the link I provided above.
Donald lifted his eyebrow to Keith and suggested, "Charm school?"
First aid fubar,Sorry bud. That was like 2 days ago... I can't remember 15 minutes ago. All I remembered was you said [i]something[/i] about first aid, so I didn't want to keep you waiting.
OOC,I have a similar problem. I always reread the previous posts before replying to them.
Outside the school- Donald arrived at the Mustang and began to look Emily over. Her wounds were severe, but he knew he should be able to get her stable. Tiny, the Rottweiler in her lap, was injured almost as badly. The Chinese teenager didn't look too bad, at least compared to the others.
Those who were conscious could see Dr. Helene Saunders running around the northeast corner of the school and through the construction area. She would arrive in a minute or so.
OOC,[b]Donald[/b], you've already succeeded at your First Aid roll. Just roll 1d3 to see how many HP [b]Emily[/b] recovers. [b]Keith[/b] and [b]Emilio[/b], you may each try First Aid on someone unconscious again if you wish.
Outside the school- Emily moaned, coming to her senses when Donald treated her injuries. Tiny whimpered in Emilio's arms, still in great pain. Before anyone could get out of the car, Dr. Helene Saunders arrived. "Geez, what happened?!" she asked.
"I was going to ask that," muttered Emily. "Where's my son? Is he all right?" She glared at Emilio. "You're fixing this car, on your own time. And you're not allowed to drive any more."
"Let me look at the kid in the back," said Dr. Saunders. "I'm an astrophysicist, not a medical doctor, but I'll do what I can. The real docs are not far behind me," She pointed north to the construction site, across which the scientists and Michiko could be seen making their way.
OOC,Good thing I'm already at 0 Sanity, then!
Anyone wishing to help [b]Dr. Saunders[/b] treat [b]John Lee[/b] may roll First Aid. If you succeed, roll 1d3 to see how many HP he gets back.
Donald wiped the blood off his hands and onto his overalls. Standing, he looked down at Emily and said, "I'd try to take it easy, little lady. You were messed up right good. Jostle that wound around and you might start bleeding out again." He looked back to the school building and then back to those in the wreck, "Why don't we all move this back inside before something more undesirable befalls us?"
After walking back to the car with Saunders, Emilio makes a sloppy job at treating John in the back of the car. Interrupted by the outburst of Mrs Lubacheck, he replies, "That´s right, Emily, I won´t be driving you anywhere in this car, again. I quit! Now we´ll get everyone to a safer location, right. If nothing else, I´m out of here on my lonesome self when you´re safe."
Emilo sizes Keith up. "Sure, we could go all Dukes of Hazards on those zombies if they get back up. But first, back to school again." He starts to help Emily out of the car.
"Yeah, sure thing," says Keith Stewart.
.