Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 5:20 PM Central Time - Brooks High School, Omaha, Nebraska
In the lobby-
Doug led the way into the lobby, followed closely by Darnell and then Roy, who was lugging Erica. Heather brought up the rear, still walking backwards and pointing the barrel of the M-16 back at the door of the security office in case anyone tried to follow them.

The lobby was deserted, as were the halls leading away to the north, east, and west. The double front doors were still completely barricaded, so there would be no getting out that way.

"Which way, mon?" Doug asked Darnell.

OOC,[b]Darnell[/b], roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

Darnell did not hear anything. "Well the adults want us out of the school so I say we go to my house which is only a few blocks away from here. Mom was supposed to work this morning so if she was infected she was infected at the day care she works at instead of at home and if not she should be safe there and we should be safe as well. But I say we take the bitch with us as added insurance cause I do not trust that cop bitch. She will shoot us down as soon as she can."

In the lobby-
"I like the way you think, buddy," said Roy, clutching Erica tighter. "We're keeping her."

"We totally can't go there now," whispered Heather, glancing back at the door to the security office. "They might have heard you and stuff."

"I know a place," whispered Doug. "I'll tell you when we're outside. I meant, which way do we head out of the building? Don't say it, just lead the way."

Darnell thought for a minute and then dug into his pocket where he found a love note he had written to his girlfriend earlier that day along with a pen. He wrote on it and then said, "We will go upstairs and take more hostages then we can be left alone." He then passed the note to the group which said: We will go down the hall to the north stairs but slip out the fire exit in the auditorium! Someone watch our backs!
Darnell then led the way down the hall to Auditorium and north stairs.

In the lobby-
Roy lugged Erica as he followed Darnell, with Doug right behind him. Heather brought up the rear, keeping her eyes and her M-16 trained on the lobby.

In the north hall, ground floor-
Darnell led the way down the north hall, with the others following after him. They passed the doors to the bathrooms on either side of the hall, and then the door to the shop classroom. Two sets of double doors on the west wall led to the auditorium. Each of them had a metal bar that ran through the handles designed to keep the doors closed, apparently as part of an attempt to block off the doors to keep any zombies from getting in through the auditorium. The double doors to the gym on the east side of the hall had no such obstruction, nor did the single door at the north end of the hall that led to the stairs.

Darnell cursed and silently pointed out the bars. He then nodded to the gym and entered there quickly and quietly.

In north hall, ground floor-
Roy hauled Erica through the doors to the gym, blood still dripping from her scalp. Doug and Heather followed.

In the gym-
Darnell and the others entered the big gym, which was deserted. The athletic supply closet remained open as it had been left, and next to it stairs led down to the locker rooms. Without electricity, it was completely dark down there. Two fire exits led out of the gym, one in the north wall and one in the east.

Darnell headed for the fire exit in the east wall.

In the gym-
Roy lugged Erica outside after Darnell, and then Heather and Doug went out too, letting the door close behind them.

In the construction area-
Darnell and the others emerged into the construction area east of the school building. The first thing they noticed was a battered red 1965 Ford Mustang idling on the grass just southeast of the building. The next thing they noticed was Keith Stewart emerging from the east stairwell, right near the car. Heather smiled when she saw him and waved, then pressed a finger to her lips.

OOC,[b]Darnell[/b], roll Listen.

Southeast of the school-
Keith stepped outside not far from the car. When he did, he saw an odd sight to the north, just outside the fire exit leading out of the gym near the northeast corner, in the construction site. Darnell was carrying a bloody baseball bat leading a group of his fellow students. Roy was carrying Trooper Erica Spears with one arm, having slung her over his shoulder. She had been badly injured, and a serious wound on her scalp was oozing blood. Heather Anderson was with them too, carrying an M-16, and he saw her wave and signal to him to be quiet. Also with them was Doug Marley, carrying a baseball bat that was even bloodier than Darnell's.

OOC,[b]Keith[/b], roll Listen.

[Listen 40%: 95]
Keith nods to Heather to indicate he understands. Seeing the blood, body and weapons he has no wish to be involved. He backs away from the group as casually as possible.

Darnell stood in the contruction area and tried to see if he heard anything. He did not hear a thing however. Darnell pointed to the car and started that way.

In the construction area-
Roy, still carrying Erica, along with Heather and Doug followed Darnell and got closer to Keith and the car. As they approached, Keith could see that Erica, while unconscious and badly injured, was still alive.

"Now that's a sweet ride," whispered Roy.

Doug nodded. "Let's jack it, mon," he replied.

"Hey, Keith," said Heather quietly with a smile when she got near. "Why don't you come with us? I know you totally don't want to stay here with those losers. There will be enough room for all of us if we lock the bitch in the trunk."

OOC,Everyone, roll Spot Hidden.

[OOC, Spot Hidden 35% (1d100=45)]

Wide eyed at the motley group and the suggestion of stuffing a person in the trunk, Keith nervously replies to Heather: "Uh yeah," then a grin spreads over his face, "hell yeah! Let's split."

Southeast of the school-
Darnell led the group over to the car. As he did, he spotted out of the corner of his eye that the car had been left unlocked with the keys in the ignition. He also saw that there was a hole in the south side of the fence large enough for the Mustang to pass through. Heather took no notice, but Roy caught a glimpse too. Doug was too focused on getting out to notice.

"It's not locked, and the keys are still in it," said Roy. "We can get out through that big hole in the fence."

"I'm totally driving," said Heather, opening the driver's door and slipping in. She flipped the trunk release. "The engine's still running, even."

"Shotgun," said Doug, getting into the shotgun seat. "I'll guide you, and I'll hold that M-16."

Heather handed it across.

Darnell got into the back seat first and slid over to the right. Keith got in and sat in the middle of the rear seat. Roy stuffed Erica in the trunk and locked her in, then got into the left rear seat himself. Doug passed the baseball bat back to Roy.

Roy and Darnell noticed a man appear on the roof, and they recognized him as Adam Donnelly. He was not armed, but he had clearly spotted them.

"We'd better make like a tree and get outta here," said Roy.

Darnell said, "Hit it Heather Baby."

"Yeah! No-one will tell us what to do - ever again. I'm so stoked to be with you guys."

Outside the school-
Heather hit the gas pedal and turned the wheel, steering the Mustang through the hole in the fence. "Like, which way now?" she asked.

"Turn right," said Doug, and Heather did. "My dad owns a warehouse a ways northwest of here. He's got a whole posse working for him. They've got guns, drugs, anything we could ever need! Keith, your old boss is dead, mon. He killed my uncle and he had to go down. You don't need him any more, anyway. It's too bad we couldn't bring my sister, but dad will make sure she gets picked up."

Roy glanced back at the school. "There's the principal, coming around the corner to the construction site. Keith, your buddy Miguel's with him." Darnell caught a brief glimpse of them too before the Mustang roared past the school and the building blocked them from view.

OOC,[b]Darnell[/b] and [b]Keith[/b], roll Spot Hidden.

[OOC, Spot Hidden 35% (1d100=30)]

"Hey, Doug, the man had it coming. I'm glad he's dead - now I'll have a new boss."

"Miguel you say? He's a good kid, there's no chance of stopping these wheels for him to jump aboard?"

Darnell said, "We can't take everyone with us and I never liked that principle. He will try to talk us into being arrested or he is helping the man get a bead on us to shoot us down. If you stop Heather I will come over that seat and drive away." While he was saying this Darnell was looking around and he saw something.

On the street-
"Like, no way am I stopping!" said Heather. She caught a glimpse of something in the road ahead.

"Yeah, mon, the principal would have our hides," said Doug. "Maybe my pop can pick up Miguel when he comes for Lisa, later." The conversation distracted him, and he didn't see anything.

Roy wasn't paying much attention to anything outside the car.

Everyone but Roy and Doug could see a small group of people walking in the distance ahead. They were some two blocks away from the school and heading closer. The people in the car recognized Tariq al-Tikriti and his son Ali (who rode a bicycle), Lori Desmond, the homeless man Alvin Drummond, and the dog Murray that always followed him around. There was also a woman in her late thirties, as well as two unfamiliar men with Middle Eastern looks.

"There's some people up ahead," said Heather. "Which way do I go?"

"Turn right," said Doug, pointing at the intersection ahead, one block away from the school. Heather did as he directed and the car rounded the bend. The pedestrians were no longer visible.