IC-SWORD-Terror By Night(Sally/Zoe/Raquel/Katarina/rangers)

[Mr. Handy]

In the ranger station-
Mutt nodded, took a coil rope about fifty feet in length out of the cabinet, and tossed it up to Deadeye, who took it with him onto the roof. "Well, everywhere we've seen has gone to hell," he said. "We got attacked this morning by a bunch of flying mosquito-like things, and everyone they stung turned into one of those critters roaming around and eating people, and everyone they bite becomes like them too. We reckon they're already dead, on account of I've seen people who were shot dead, not stung or bitten, get back up and attack. It's every man for himself out there."

In the bedroom-
Doc continued to treat Nitro's leg wounds, sewing them up as well as he could.

On the roof-
Deadeye tied one end of the rope to an antenna and dropped the other end over the east edge, away from the road. There were no trees by the road or immediately outside the ranger station, as the area had been cleared, but there were some further from the road. The nearest one was a short distance east of the station. He lay down on his stomach and set up his sniper rifle, then spoke into his radio: "Ghost, when you bring back the pickup truck, park it on the east side near the tree and tie the end of the rope to that tree, in case we need to make a quick getaway." He peered around, looking through the scope, but saw nothing of interest.

Outside the ranger station-
Ghost got behind the wheel of the pickup truck and drove to the east side of the station as Deadeye had instructed him, parking so that it faced south.

[ryansommer]

Sally looks to Dan; "I'm not sure where to start,but essentially, the dead are rising and attacking everyone. From what I can piece together, it started with the meteor shower a few days back. Big mosquito type things came out of the meteors and began attacking people. Those that died got back up and starting attacking anything in sight. Now it would appear, anyone that dies will come back up regardless of whether they have died due to attack, or not. Back at the diner, there was a doctor or scientist that was headed to Omaha. She was working ona cure......" Suddenly, Sally's eyes got wide with excitement. "A radio! Do you have a radio?! Maybe we could get in contact with them and see if they have made any progress."

[Voodoo]

"Yeah we have a radio right over here." Dan says as he shows Sally the radio, "We haven't been able to reach anyone though." Dan walks over to Mutt and says, "We need to set up a watch rotation. I think you guys should get some rest the first watch and me and Jules can take it since you all seem to have more combat experience." Dan starts to walk off before turning back and saying, "If you would feel more comfortable with some of your people then have Sally and Doc join us."

[ryansommer]

"What channels were you trying?" Sally asks Dan as she moves over to the radio. "I'd be happy to help keep watch. This pistols won't be of much use from range, but I could most certainly help Dead Eye keep watch up top."

[Laraqua]

Katarina just sits there, looking downhearted. Coming up to the surface has just reminded her of the fact that everyone was dead. All her family, all her old friends, all those people she used to fantasize about going back to. Her eyes got a little juicy but she was determined not to cry. She hadn't cried before. She wouldn't now. She rested her chin on her hands and tried to focus on what the other people were doing.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,The meteor shower was just last night, actually. [b]Sally[/b], roll Luck if you want to try using the radio.

[ryansommer]

OOC: Jeesh. Seems like ages ago!

Sally fiddles with the radio and gets lucky.

[Mr. Handy]

In the ranger station-
"Sally, that's a kind offer to take watch, but you need to get some rest," said Mutt. "You've been hurt real bad and got your leg broke, and you must be exhausted after everything you've been through. Not to mention that your leg will make climbing the ladder a pain. You can go get yourself some beauty rest when you're ready." He nodded to Dan. "We'll have three watches, three hours each. First watch is 2000 hours to 2300, second is 2300 to 0200, and last watch is 0200 to 0500. We'll leave at first light, and you're both welcome to join us if you like. But it's precisely because my people have more combat experience that at least one of us needs to be on watch at all times. Deadeye's already up on the roof, so he can take first watch. Dan, you can watch with him. Nitro and Ghost can have the middle watch, and Doc and I will take last watch. Julie, I won't ask you to keep watch if you don't want to, but you can help out if you like."

"Hey, Mutt, can I have my gun back now?" asked Doc from the bedroom as he kept working on Nitro's leg.

"Sure." Mutt went over and returned it to him.

Julie helped Sally settle into the chair in front of the radio and set it up for her, showing her how to operate the shortwave. "We haven't heard a peep from anyone for hours," she said. "Nothing but static. You might want to go ahead and reload your pistols, by the way."

Sally did feel exhaustion catching up to her now that Mutt mentioned it. She still had strength to keep going, but for how much longer could she keep it up? She hunted through the frequencies, at first finding nothing but static. But then she heard a young male voice: "Hello? Can anyone read me?"

On the roof-
Deadeye continued peering around, finally spotting something in the distance. He went deathly pale, shocked but not broken. "We got company!" he shouted into his radio so that all could hear him. "One bogey incoming from the south, high speed, range a few hundred yards and closing fast." He zeroed his rifle and focused his scope on its head. "I think maybe it followed us. Hang tight, folks, I got it."

Outside the ranger station-
Ghost saw a moving shadow in the distance, but couldn't quite make it out. He got out of the truck and tied the rope around the nearest tree, some ten yards east of the ranger station. Then he hustled back towards the van.

[ryansommer]

Sally's eyes went wide with surprise. She keyed the mic: "I'm reading you. Over. Who are you? Where are you? Over"

Sally released the mic and looked back to Mutt. "Yeah, I am tired and do need to sleep but I think getting on the roof will be best for me. My leg is shit and if I need to climb that ladder in a hurry, I'm either going to slow you all down or be the last one up. Either way, it's not good. Give me a sleeping bag and I can catch a few winks up there."

[Voodoo]

Dan figures if there is one monster out there then there is a good chance more aren't to far behind. Grabbing his rifle he heads out the front door to watch over that other fellow that went to move their vehicles.

[Mr. Handy]

On the roof-
Deadeye began firing at the distant zombie's head. His first shot missed due to the fading twilight, and his second was even wider. A third bullet missed, as did a fourth and fifth. "Damn!" he said, adjusting his sights. "Slippery little bugger."

In the ranger station-
"I'm on Martha's Vineyard," said the young man on the radio, excitement in his voice. "Where are you? Over."

"Well, I can carry you on up to the roof when you're done on the radio if you like," said Mutt, returning to the main room while Doc kept working on Nitro. "Got any sleeping bags, Julie?"

"No, but we do have a couple of thick blankets in one of the cabinets for emergencies," said Julie. She walked over to Katarina. "Hi, how are you doing? Would you like something to eat?"

Outside the ranger station, on the balcony-
Dan emerged into the crisp night air and stood at the rail on the south side of the station, looking around. He could see the man reach the van and get into the driver's seat.

OOC,[b]Dan[/b], roll Spot Hidden at half skill to see if you spot the zombie. If you succeed, roll Sanity for seeing it. Sanity loss is 0/1d10, so you lose no Sanity if you succeed at the Sanity roll or 1d10 if you fail. If you lose 5 or more, you may go temporarily insane. In that case, roll Idea. You want to fail this roll, since you will go temporarily insane if you succeed. If you see the zombie and do not go insane, you will be able to fire if [b]Deadeye[/b] does not take the zombie out with the next shot. Firearms skills are also effectively halved due to the dimness.

Outside the ranger station, ground level-
Ghost looked around, but he couldn't see what Deadeye was shooting at. He ran back to where he had parked the van and got behind the wheel.

[Voodoo]

While Dan could see the man called Ghost getting into the van he was unable to see what Deadeye was firing at. Dan decided to move down closer to the van in hopes of getting a better view.

[ryansommer]

"We're in Nebraska at a Rangers Station" Sally says into the mic. "What news do you have from Marthas Viniard? Have you been able to contact anyone else?"

[Mr. Handy]

On the roof-
Deadeye kept firing, missing with his first shot due to the dimness. His second shot was much better, only missing by a handbreath. His thhird, however, connected and splattered its brains all over. The creature fell, and he ceased firing. "Got him!" he said on the radio. "All clear."

Outside the ranger station, ground level-
Ghost drove the van closer to the station as Deadeye fired from the roof. Dan reached the bottom of the stairs shortly after Deadeye stopped shooting. He couldn't see the body, but that was probably a good thing. Had it gotten close enough for him to see, it might have been able to attack him.

Ghost drove past the station and turned around so that the van was parked on the road thirty yards due west of the station, facing south, before getting out. He waved to Dan. "You can go on back up!" he called. "Deadeye took care of it."

In the ranger station-
Doc was now about halfway done with Nitro's leg. Mutt breathed a sigh of relief when Deadeye reported on the radio. He smiled at Julie, who shivered nervously. "Don't worry, darling," he said. "With Deadeye looking out for us, you've got nothin' to be afraid of."

Julie looked concerned when Katarina failed to respond. "Would you like to freshen up?" she asked her. "The bathroom's small, but there should be enough room. We could have a talk while you do - just us girls."

"I'm at my parents' estate," replied the young man on the radio to Sally. "They...they didn't make it. I don't know what else is happening on the island. I just hunkered down here with my dad's hunting rifle and I'm waiting for it all to end. I had heard from people in various parts of the world earlier, and it was pretty bad everywhere. I haven't gotten anyone else on the radio for hours. Haven't seen any of...them...either in a while."

[ryansommer]

"What is your name?" Sally asked the young man on the radio. "My name is Sally. I'm sorry to hear about your family. I'm.... I'm sure I've lost my family as well. I've been away from them fo so ling that I never got a cahnce to tell them 'I love them'." Sally paused as tears welled up in her eyes.

[Voodoo]

Dan continues to scan the area while saying, "Thats ok, I prefer to cover you until you're back upstairs."

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the ranger station, ground level-
Ghost looked around briefly, then shrugged. He locked up the van and walked back to the bottom of the stairs. "I'm done down here," he said. "Let's go on up."

On the roof-
Deadeye pulled out his partial magazine, displeased at how many bullets he had spent to take out just one target. "What a waste of ammo," he muttered to himself as he reloaded with a full one.

In the ranger station-
The young man sniffled on the other end of the radio. "They know," he said at last. "My name's Jason. I'm only fifteen. I listen on shortwave radio as a hobby. Most kids my age surf the Internet instead, but I've always liked radios. And they still work, but the Internet doesn't any more. I know, I've checked. Are you a ranger, Sally?"

Julie took Katarina by the arm and helped her to her feet. "Come with me," she said, leading her into the bedroom. The girl followed mutely.

In the bedroom-
Julie led Katarina through the bedroom, where Doc was still helping Nitro. She ushered her into the bathroom.

In the bathroom-
The bathroom was very small, with barely enough room for the two of them. There were a toilet, a sink, and a shower stall. There were no windows, and the only way out was the door back to the bedroom, which Julie closed. Then she opened the sink's faucet. Running water flowed into the sink, the sound making it harder for anyone not in the bathroom to overhear them. "Are you okay?" she asked Katarina softly. "How can I help you?"

[ryansommer]

"It's nice to meet you, Jason." Sally says warmly. "No, I am not a ranger. I am a nurse. I was traveling to a new job when all this went down. We came to this ranger station to find a safe place to stay for the night. There are two rangers here who are very nice and are letting us stay here." Sally takes a note of what channel she is speaking to Jason on.
"Jason, are you in a safe place? Somewhere where they cannot get to you?"

[Voodoo]

As Ghost headed up the stairs Dan followed him up to continue his shift on lookout.

[Mr. Handy]

On the roof-
Deadeye resumed looking around, scanning the dim horizon through his scope.

In the ranger station-
Ghost and Dan returned from below. "The vehicles are in place," reported Ghost.

"Good," said Mutt. "Glad you made it back up here."

"Not exactly," replied Jason on the radio. "I'm upstairs at my parents' place. That's where the radio is, and it's not really portable. But there haven't been any of them around here for hours, and I was able to take care of the ones that showed up earlier with the rifle. But it's dark now, so I couldn't see them until they got close to the house. I never wanted to kill anyone, but those people just went crazy. They would have eaten me if I hadn't shot them. God, what could make people do that?"

In the bathroom-
Katarina looked blankly at Julie, wondering how much she could trust her. She couldn't tell much about her, but she had to trust someone. She wrapped her arms around the other woman and pressed her face against her shoulder as tears spilled down her cheeks, tears that had been bottled up during months of anguish.

Katarina Iliescu and Julie St. James,"Please," whispered [b]Katarina[/b]. "There are more girls locked in van. Help us." "We will," answered [b]Julie[/b]. "We already know about the others." She gulped. "What should we do?"