IC-SWORD-In Harm's Way(Lara Voronova/Steve/Caitlin/Sven)

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Then I'd say you got what you wanted. :lol: Of course, it might not be what's best for you...

On the road-
Steve reloaded his shotgun again as he rode further north. The zombie trailed after him, even as its insides leaked out.

OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you're about ten yards ahead of the zombie, so the darkness penalty applies (unless [b]Caitlin[/b] trains the headlights on it) and the range is normal. Damage is 4d6 per shell at this range. You can wait here safely for this round if you want the zombie to get closer like it was before.

In the barn-
Caitlin sideswiped one of the infected as she steered the truck for the exit from the barn, hitting it hard but failing to knock it over. It didn't even seem to notice. The truck fishtailed as it exited the barn, but it made it outside okay.

Outside the barn-
Caitlin drove out of the barn while Lara sat in the shotgun seat. The two zombies followed them out of the barn, but they were falling behind. Up ahead and to the right, the headlights picked out Steve on horseback a short distance ahead of the one chasing him.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], if you want to fire out the window at one of the zombies behind you, the darkness penalty applies, and your skill is halved further because the truck is moving. This means you'll be using 1/10 of your skill if you do shoot. Aiming at the head means you'd only hit on a 1. The zombie chasing [b]Steve[/b] is a long range shot, which halves your skill, and your skill is halved again because you're in a moving vehicle. However, thanks to the headlights there is no darkness penalty if [b]Caitlin[/b] heads directly for it. Your Handgun skill will be divided by 4 if you target that zombie, with a further -5 after dividing it if you aim at the head.

[Dave Syrinx]

Exhaling after having escaped the barn intermezzo, Lara holds her fire, not to waste any rounds on impossible targets.
"Take it easy, sestra. We´re fine."

[SSior.27]

"We're not fine until we're all in the truck." Caitlin drives intently down the road to meet up with Steve. "Though we may need to figure out seating arrangements once we get Dad."

[Wryce]

Steve rides, and behind him he can see the approaching headlights of his truck. The moment his pursuer is highlighted by the beams, he fires both barrels.

OOC,Assuming that I hold until the headlights catch up to the zombie. Hit on location 7, which I think is a leg or lower torso.

[Dave Syrinx]

Lara checks the interior of the cabin for something she can use as a club, jack or at least a knife. That would be good to have when the rounds are out. She scoops over to the middle section of the seat, making room for Steve when he´s ready to hop in.

[Mr. Handy]

On the road-
Steve fired, blowing off the ghoul's left leg. It collapsed in a twitching heap, now harmless.

Lara could find no weapons in the truck's cab. The glove compartment contained maps, the owner's manual, and the vehicle's registration. The bed of the truck was loaded with various supplies, so there could very well have been something of use there. Caitlin drove the pickup truck along the road until she caught up to her father, pulling up alongside him. The horse whinnied nervously. Behind them in the distance the other two infected from the barn were still following, though they were still a ways behind.

OOC,The cab of the truck can hold up to three people. There is no more room in the back with all of the supplies loaded there, however. You also have the horse, which can carry two, though it cannot move anywhere near as fast as the truck. The truck has four wheel drive, and it can go off-road if needed. You may just want to release it. You may rearrange yourselves as you see fit this round. [b]Steve[/b], you may also reload your shotgun.

[SSior.27]

Caitlin continues to drive near to Steve. Once a moment is able to be spares, she'll stop to let Steve in. And if a murderous infected happens to wander in front of the bumper, that's alright too.

[Wryce]

Once the truck stops, Steve will dismount from his horse. He patted the animal on the side and quickly removed the saddle and dumped it on the ground. Once it was free of any bonds, he opens the car door, and gets in.

"The horse should be fine, they seem to ignore animals. Let's go, Cat. Turn off the main road when you get the chance, we should avoid Crawford." Steve sighs tiredly, not even noticing the use of an old childhood nickname for his daughter. Then he looks over at Lara.

"Once we get somewhere safer, we'll see about getting you some clothing, miss. Some of Caitlin's should fit. We're headed up north, to my brothers ranch in Montana. It's pretty isolated so we should be safe there. You are welcome to come with us."

[Dave Syrinx]

"I´m happy to do that, sir... Thank you for helping me." Lara checks the rear view mirrors to see how the horse does.

[SSior.27]

Caitlin stops to let Steve in and, once he's in, continues down the road. She nods wordlessly to Steve and follows the instruction, turning at the first road she sees.

[Mr. Handy]

On the road-
Steve slipped into the shotgun seat as the horse hurried off to the east, back across the farm and away from the infected. The two shambling ghouls ignored it and continued following the truck, but they were still fifteen yards back when it sped off down the road to the north towards Crawford, leaving them in the dust.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden at 3/5 of your skill (thanks to the headlights). If you decide to turn the headlights off, the roll will be at 1/5 of your skill instead.

[Wryce]

Hawk eyed Steve Bell spots something in the night.

OOC,Dammit, I roll two impales in a row (One here and one in Terror Out of Time) and they are BOTH spot hidden rolls! Sigh.

[Dave Syrinx]

Turning her attention back from the rear view, Lara fails to see what Steve spotted.

[SSior.27]

Caitlin focused intently on the road, trying to look for... something... and finding... nothing.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Actually, those were criticals, which are even better than impales, and the one you got in The Terror Out of Time was a very good one; you wouldn't have noticed as much detail with just a normal success. This one, you might have wanted to fail... :twisted:

On the road-
There were no turnoffs before reaching Crawford. The highway went past it on the right. Roads led along the edge of town and into it to the left. To the right was the motel from which Lara had escaped. The road continued onwards as well.

Steve Bell,Glancing out the window ahead and to the left, [b]Steve[/b] saw another of the infected emerging from Crawford. It had noticed the truck and was very, very close to it. However, if the truck kept moving past it, there would be no danger. [spoiler][b]Steve[/b], please roll Sanity for seeing the zombie. Sanity loss is 0/1d10. Again, you can lose no more than 6 more Sanity for seeing zombies for a while, and if you lose 5 or more you must roll Idea as before.[/spoiler]

[Wryce]

"Damn, another one out of Crawford." says Steve, nonplussed.

"Keep driving."

OOC,I almost wish I could go ahead and lose two points so I don't have to deal with the risk of insanity anymore.

[Dave Syrinx]

Lara looks at the parking lot and the cars. "There are guns and ammunition on two of the men who attacked me at this hotel... But dangerous. Too many infected here close to town. That van over there is OK, but keys is by the hotel... Guess we don´t need it? Go on drive past." Coming back here makes her hope they get to that ranch without any incidents.

[SSior.27]

"Don't have to tell me twice, Dad." Caitlin pushed the accelerator even further down, realizing that there was probably no reason to drive the speed limit with the infected running about.

[Mr. Handy]

On the road-
The truck zoomed past Crawford, soon leaving it behind. Up ahead, the road was clear.

OOC,There are road maps in the glove box. All of you may roll Navigate to try to plan a route. The base skill is only 10% if you don't have it on your character sheet. You have a nearly full tank of gas, barely enough to make it to the ranch - if you don't get lost along the way. Since there will now be plenty of time to rest, you may roll without a penalty, [b]Lara[/b]. Feel free to talk to each other and interact, and [b]Steve[/b], you may reload your shotgun as well. A good deal of time will pass before anything happens. It's currently 11:38 PM. If you were to drive through the night, you would reach the ranch at around 6:15 AM, provided there are no delays. Each of you please let me know when you are done and are ready to move things along.

[SSior.27]

OOC,Blessed Cthulhu, [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2861666/]I made it[/url]!

As she was driving, Caitlin asks Steve to grab the map from the glove box and spread it out. "I only want to stop long enough to see where we're going. We should have enough gas to get us to where we're going if we can get the right route."

**When Steve unfolds it, Caitlin will stop long enough to (quickly?) find her chosen route.**