Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 9:45 PM Mountain Time - east of Crawford, Nebraska
In the motel parking lot-
The white van trundled its way north through Nebraska. Deadeye was driving, and Nitro was navigating from the shotgun seat. Between them sat Lara Voronova, wearing only a towel and a terrified, anguished expression. She would much rather have been locked in the back of the van, a plain metal box that was cold and dark. During the whole drive, Nitro had had his hands, his lips, and his tongue all over her. He had done everything short of rape her, but she was convinced that was coming. Once they found a place to stop...

And then they did. To the left , a mid-sized town was visible in the distance, but on the right side of the road there was a motel. No lights were on except for in the lobby and it looked deserted. "That looks like a good place to stop for the night," said NItro, pointing out the window with his right hand, which still held his pistol, while squeezing Lara's bosom with his left.

"Works for me," said Deadeye. He turned off of the road and into the parking lot. The motel was an L-shaped, two story building. Deadeye found a spot to park the van right near the main entrance. There was a concrete staircase right near it that led up to the exterior balcony that gave access to the upper floor. Deadeye shut off the engine and pocketed the keys.

In the motel parking lot-
Nitro and Deadeye opened their door and climbed out. Nitro grabbed Lara by the arm and she was dragged out with a yelp. Both men slammed their doors and looked around.

"Let's check the main office for some room keys," said Deadeye.

"Come on, bitch," said Nitro. "Move it!" He forcefully hauled Lara towards the front entrance.

In the motel parking lot-
Nitro pressed the barrel of his pistol into Lara's back. She stumbled as he shoved her through the front doors. Deadeye followed right behind them.

In the motel lobby-
The lobby was deserted, but the lights had been left on. "I'll find the keys," said Deadeye, going behind the front desk.

In the motel lobby-
Deadeye grabbed a bunch of keys from behind the desk and came back out. "Got 'em," he said. "Let's go upstairs."

"Yeah, upstairs," said Nitro. "Heh heh heh." Lara cringed as he licked her neck, turning her head so she wouldn't have to look at him. Then he hauled her back outside, followed by Deadeye.

In the motel parking lot-
Deadeye led the way up the concrete steps to the upstairs balcony. Nitro dragged Lara after him as she whimpered in terror.

On the balcony-
Deadeye stopped at the first door on the balcony, found the right key after some experimentation, and unlocked it. He opened the door, went inside, and swept the room. "Okay, it's clear. Come on in."

Nitro pulled Lara into the room. She dragged her legs, but to no avail.

In the motel room-
"Keep the lights off," said Deadeye. "No sense drawing attention to ourselves. Maybe those things will pass us by if they don't see us."

"Yeah, good thinking," said NItro, still gripping Lara by the arm.

The room was a standard motel room, with one large bed and a nightstand on either side. There was also a TV on the wall opposite the bed and a small writing desk. But it was the bed that NItro was focused on. "No!" cried Lara as he hauled her closer.

In the motel room-
"Get in bed, bitch!" snarled Nitro, flinging Lara onto the bed.

She landed on her back and lay petrified. "No..." she sobbed. "Please..."

"Tie her up," said Deadeye, covering her with his rifle. "Tie her up real good."

NItro used the bayonet on his AK-47 to cut the cord for the window blinds. He bound her wrists painfully tight together with one end and tied the other around one of the bedposts. Lara began to scream as loud as she could, as if it would do any good.

"Gag her," said Deadeye.

Nitro took out a handkerchief and fashioned it into a gag. Lara's screams were muted, but she didn't stop squirming and crying.

In the motel room-
"Oh, yeah," said Nitro with a sickening grin. He reached for his belt.

"Wait your turn," said Deadeye.

"How come you get to go first?"

"Because I'm the one who recaptured her. I'm the one whose mouth she stuck a gun in, and I gotta pay her back. Besides, you were all over her during the ride up while I drove."

"Yeah, but I didn't actually get to screw her."

"Don't worry, you'll get your chance. While you're waiting, set up a rope so we can get down from the balcony and barricade the stairs. When I'm done with her, it'll be your turn. Then I'll start my shift on watch and wake you to relieve me at 0200. Just make sure you actually get some sleep instead of banging Lara the whole time." Deadeye gave him the room keys.

"Yeah, yeah." Nitro left the room and closed the door behind him.

Lara whimpered and shook her head madly from side to side as Deadeye got on top of her, his pistol in one hand. "Not so tough now, are you?" he said. Without warning, he ripped the towel off of her and cast it on the floor, leaving her naked.

In the motel room-
"Mph!" cried Lara through her gag as Deadeye ran his hands over her body.

"Now I'm gonna make you pay," said Deadeye. He unbuckled his belt, and her eyes widened in terror. How had it all gone so wrong? She had killed Jeff, she had been free, and she had had the upper hand. I should have killed you the first chance I had! she thought furiously. Next time I won't hesitate. Just give me another chance!

But Deadeye didn't. He pulled his pants and his boxers down over his hips, then violently wrenched Lara's legs apart. She squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed, her muffled screams calling weakly into the uncaring night.

In the motel room-
This was far from the first time the skinheads had raped Lara. She had endured it many times before, and once more made little difference to her. She kept her eyes closed and put her mind aside, letting it go blank, protecting her fragile psyche as she always did.

After what seemed an eternity, Lara felt Deadeye's weight lift off of her. He pulled up his pants and buckled his belt. "Ah, that was great," he said. "Hey, Nitro, your turn! I kept her warm for you!"

Nitro threw open the door and hurried inside. "Finally," he said, ogling Lara and licking his lips. "Now you're mine, bitch."

In the motel room-
"Barricade and rope are all set up," said Nitro as Deadeye left and shut the door behind him. He approached Lara, who glared at him hatefully. She cringed as he stroked her cheek. "I'm gonna really enjoy this." Then he pounced on top of her, crushing her into the bed. Lara let out a muffled cry. Again, she was defenseless. There was nothing she could do while his hands and mouth crawled over her body. When he went for his belt, she closed her eyes once more. Not again! she thought. Please...no more...somebody help me...

In the motel room-
Lara steeled herself, shutting off her mind as she was violated yet again. Nobody saved her. Nobody was going to, and she accepted that.

In the motel room-
Lara tried to shut out the world around her, but a noise from outside drew her notice. There was a loud tearing and crunching sound coming from below. A faint glimmer of hope welled up within her.

In the motel room-
A rifle shot echoed from outside, overpowering the constant squeaking of the bedsprings beneath Lara. "Dammit, missed him by a hair!" shouted Deadeye from outside. "One of those things came out of nowhere! That peckerhead's already halfway through the barricade!"

Nitro grunted as he pressed up and down. "Oh, why now?" he grumbled. "Can you handle it yourself?"

"Yeah, I'll get it! Keep your pants on...or off."

Lara moaned.

In the motel room-
"Heh heh heh," said Nitro, continuing his assault on Lara.

Another rifle shot rang out. "Dammit, hold still!" shouted Deadeye. The sound of crunching wood continued.

In the motel room-
There was another shot from outside. "Yeah!" cheered Deadeye. "Got him at last!"

In the motel room-
For the next five minutes, Lara heard no more commotion from outside as she lay in agony.

In the motel room-
Lara kept her eyes clenched shut, wondering when her torment would end.

In the motel room-
More tearing and crunching of wood came from outside, followed by Deadeye's hysterical laughter.

In the motel room-
"What's going on out there?" called Nitro, but he was only met with more laughter - and more ripping from outside. Grumbling, he pulled himself off of Lara, hoisted his pants, and zipped up his fly. Then he unslung his AK-47 from his back. "All right, I'm comin'." He gave Lara a sickening grin. "Don't go nowhere." He turned toward the exit.

She stared at his retreating back with pure vitriol. "I hope you both die!" she shouted.

In the motel room-
As soon as Nitro disappeared through the door, Lara began trying to slip her hands free from the cord that bound them. However, it had been tied very tight. Tears spilled afresh from her eyes. Outside, she could hear Nitro's laughter join in with Deadeye's, along with the sound of wood being torn and smashed.

In the motel room-
Lara strained at her bonds, but her efforts were just as useless. More laughter and crunching wood came from outside.

In the motel room-
Lara made more strenuous efforts, and while she could feel the cord around her wrists starting to loosen, she wasn't free yet. Outside, the crunching stopped - and screaming began!

"Yes!" cheered Lara. "KILL THEM!"

In the motel room-
Lara still couldn't free herself. Outside, the screaming suddenly stopped.

"Die, die, DIE!" she shouted.

In the motel room-
The only sound Lara could hear from outside was a kind of chewing and crunching. She rejoiced that the men who had raped her were being eaten, but how could she keep from being eaten herself when she still couldn't free herself from the cord?

In the motel room-
Lara wept as she struggled uselessly against the cord.

In the motel room-
Lara struggled some more, but it was no good.

Lara frantically wriggles her wrists to get free. To her devastation the string from the blinds hold her bound to the bed posts. She draws a deep breath and spits at her wrists to possibly make the string more flexible. Desperately trying to collect her thoughts to decide if she really is better off free... She decides she´ll have to get free and then decide what to do.

In the motel room-
Lara remained bound, but she realized that she was gradually loosening the cord. If she persisted, she might get free yet - hopefully before it was too late. The sounds from out on the balcony continued unabated.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], if you wish to try again, you may now roll against DEX x 3.

Finally! She slides her left hand out of the string as the knot has widened enough. She uses her free hand to get full freedom and looks for something to defend herself with. In her nakedness she tries to find her panties to put them on while ooking for anything to use as a bat. The creeps didn´t leave a gun, did they? She itched to put a bullet in Deadeye´s head - giving him a tribute to his name...
Perseverance kicks in and she clams down - better to get out unseen by the monsters eating the skins than drawing them upstairs. If she hasn´t got them up the stairs yet, chance was they´d be content as they are.
Should any of the skins have escaped from downstairs, Lara will come after him with a vengeance.

Windows, weapons clothes? In that order!

Lara is in manic mood. Safety then revenge if that´s still an option...

In the motel room-
Lara quickly realized that she didn't even have panties. After everything that had happened, her memory was a blur, but she gradually recalled the situation. She had taken them off when she took a shower back at that small farmhouse. When Mutt and the other skinheads had come for her and her friends, she had been in a hurry to escape. She had only had time to grab the towel, which now lay on the motel room's floor, and had left her underwear behind.

The only window in the motel room was in the same wall as the door, right next to it. The door stood open, but she couldn't see from here what was going on beyond it. All she could hear was that dreadful chewing sound. The skinheads had left none of their weapons behind, of course, nor was there any clothing in the room.

Reluctantly, membering the ordeal of getting to where she is, she wraps the towel around her chest and tucks it in place so it barely covers her. Then she heads for the wimdow to see if she can get it up. No chance she´d take the stairs...

Lara snatches the sheet from the bed and sneaks up to the door opening to try to get down the stairs from the balcony. The sheet will if nothing else be a way to distract anyones vision when fleeing. The sheet can be used to cover a zombie´s head to make it harder to follow her. She steps out hoping to find a real weapon and to be able to get out of here. The zombies present hopefully are entertained by the skins.

Fingers crossed, she makes it out on the balcony

In the motel room-
Lara's legs felt weak and wobbly after what she had just been through, but she was still able to walk, albeit not quietly. She gingerly crept out of the open door.

On the balcony-
When Lara emerged onto the balcony, the first thing she saw was Deadeye's corpse lying at the top of the stairs. Only one of the ghouls was present, and it was on top of him, disemboweling his remains with its teeth. Blood and entrails dripped from its mouth, and its fierce red eyes seemed to smolder. It paid her no heed.

Nitro, on the other hand, was very much alive, to Lara's dismay. He stood watching the scene just a few feet away from the door, holding his AK-47 in his hands. He showed no sign of noticing her.

The stairs were not the only way down. The rope made of bedsheets that Nitro had set up lay in a pile on the balcony just in front of her, with one end tied around the balcony's railing.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], roll Sanity for seeing the zombie. Sanity loss is 0/1d10. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, roll Idea. If you fail that roll, you may act freely. Otherwise, you go temporarily insane. Also, please roll Spot Hidden, at 1/5 of your skill due to the darkness. Since the base skill is 25%, this gives you only a 5% chance.

It´s not the sight of the zombie that gets her, it´s that scum holding the AK that stops Lara in her attempt to take in the scene. Nitro had not been in her mindset when she exited the room, at least not alive. Many scenarios goes through her head as she realizes this is the end. Nothing else steals her attention as she stares down from the balcony...

On the balcony-
The physical and emotional trauma that Lara had endured was just too much for her. She remained motionless, with no will of her own, as events unfolded around her. After a couple of minutes, another zombie staggered into view below from the direction of the highway and the town on the other side of it. Sensing a meal, it shambled up the stairs to the balcony and joined its fellow ghoul in its disgusting feast. A third zombie arrived from the same direction as the two on the balcony rose from their meal and turned on Nitro. One of them grabbed him and began to squeeze. It hurt him a little as it tried in vain to bite him. The second zombie also grabbed hold of him as the third mounted the stairs slowly and reached the top.

Lara finally came to her senses. Against all odds, she was still alive. Shaken to her core, but alive.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], you'll need to roll Sanity for seeing these new zombies, but you're mostly used to them now. Sanity loss is 0/1. If you fail your Sanity roll for seeing the second zombie, you can lose no more Sanity for seeing zombies this chapter. If you succeed, you must roll again for seeing the third zombie. You may act freely now. You are indefintely insane, and in fact you have been for some time. Your indefinite insanity is post-traumatic stress. Enjoy!

Coming out of her stupor, only to see yet another risen dead - makes Lara flinch but it also makes her snap into action. She uses the bed sheet she holds and flings it at the zombie just ahead of her. Then she uses the 'rope' to get her down from the landing to the bottom floor. She wraps it in aloop around her arm to avoid falling head over hells down on the floor boards.
At least, that is way she envisions herself to do...

Any weapon is out of her mind at this time, just escape - is on her mind. Anyone stopping her will be met with force.

Awkwadly, Lara tries to get down safely, failing miserably...

On the balcony-
Lara tossed the sheet at one of the zombies, but it completely ignored it, intent on its feast. She grabbed the end of the makeshift rope, wrapped it around her arm, and vaulted over the railing. Unfortunately, in her haste she had put too much weight on it too fast, and the sheet tore, sending her plunging to the asphalt below. Nitro tried to follow her, but the zombies had too tight a deathgrip on him. They continued to crush him, and he blacked out. They gnawed on him voraciously, and he perished.

In the motel parking lot-
Lara hit the ground extremely hard. Her vision swam as the pain of her injuries threatened to overwhelm her.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], roll CON x 5 to stay conscious.

The pain makes Lara pass out on the asphalt...

In the motel parking lot-
Sleep and exhaustion overcame Lara. She was certain that she was going to die now. Her one consolation was that the skinheads who had abducted and abused her were dead too. They hadn't died by her hand, but they were dead all the same. With the darkness, the pain stopped.

An unknown amount of time later, it returned with a vengeance. Somehow, Lara was still alive. Her broken, bleeding body lay in the parking lot in front of the motel, agony shooting through it. Far above, she could see the zombies still chewing on Nitro's corpse. It hurt to move, but it hurt to lie still almost as much.

Slowly, without making a noise, Lara tries to sit up. She tries to assess her injuries and where it hurts the most. Is there anywhere to get to to get out of sight of the zombies? She´s not dead, yet. But ist sure feels as if she´s really close to be. They are dead, at last...
A car in the parking lot, maybe?

In the motel parking lot-
The van was parked nearby, close to the motel's front entrance. There were a few cars scattered around the lot as well. Lara's injuries were severe. Her skin, where it had contacted the asphalt, was scraped raw. It hurt all over, and no one part of her seemed worse than all the others. No bones were broken, at least. She might be able to bind her injuries up and stop the bleeding, but she would need medical attention and lots of rest before she could heal completely. She wasn't going to get any of that here. She could move, but it would be painful. She managed to sit up.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], if you want to try to treat your injuries, roll First Aid. If you succeed, roll 1d3 to see how many HP you regain.

Sitting up and trying to apply pressure to the rawest patches of scraped skin, didn´t do anything to improve her sense of misery. Seemingly, a towel as only means for treatment isn´t enough.

However, the van, nearby makes her keep a short term goal. Can she get into the van, she´ll probably be able to find an emergency kit somewhere. That could be what she needs to properly see to her wounds.

ooc:

OOC,[b]Lara[/b] has been "lucky" so far (though if she were really lucky, none of these horrible things would have happened to her and she wouldn't be in this mess. Her survival is amazing, but she's being pushed to the limits here. And things are bound to get worse... I've heard good things about Heavy Rain, but I'm waiting for the price to come down before I get it. I just got Fallout 3 GOTY with cash I got as a gift after its price dropped to $30, but I haven't had much time to play it yet. You might want to post that in the general OOC thread, as other players aren't allowed to read this thread.

In the motel parking lot-
Lara used the torn end of the bedsheet that she had used as a rope and the handkerchief with which she had been gagged to bind the worst of her wounds. She did stop the bleeding, so she wasn't getting any worse, but she wasn't getting any better either. She stood up, her legs aching and even weaker, and made her way over to the van while she clutched her side. She tried the doors. but they were locked. She might be able to break the windows, though she ran the serious risk of getting cut further by the broken glass, and another injury might be her last. Even if she were to get inside, starting the vehicle up would be another matter. The skinheads no doubt had the keys. When she glanced back at the balcony at what was left of them, she saw the three zombies rise from their meal and begin to shuffle towards the stairs leading down to the parking lot!

Knowing she shouldn´t be able to outrun these ghouls for very long, she huddles behind the van and looks for a water drain or sewage lid. If none is present she´ll crawl under the van and hide beneath it, in hope of escaping becoming the next course on the menu. If not she´s too exposed to the gaze of the zombies...

Then, considering that she´s in full sight of the zombies, she´ll circle the motel from her position in the parking lot. She´ll draw see if they follow her. Then she´ll continue around the motel, to search the bodies of the skinheads for the keys. THEN, she´ll get the van and drive off. It´s a plan at least.

In the motel parking lot-
Lara ran as fast as her bruised and cut legs would carry her. Even in her wounded state, she could move about twice as fast as the zombies, though how long she could keep it up was another question. She started to circle around the motel, and they did indeed follow her relentlessly. Painfully she made her way to the back of the motel. On this side there were no roads visible, only flat ground stretching off as far as she could see - which wasn't far. There was no access to the balcony from back here either, only from the stairs in front of the building. She was alone, naked but for a towel, badly hurt, unarmed, starving, running out of energy, in both physical and mental anguish, and frightened out of her wits. Yet she did not give up nor give in to panic. She hustled around the other side of the motel, outdistancing the ghouls who had devoured her tormentors and now sought to do the same to her. She once more made it to the front while the zombies were still behind it. The highway looked clear from here, stretching off into the distance both the way the van had come and the way it had been going. The town from which the dead had come was barely visible across the paved road.

Huffing for breath, Lara mounted the stairs, her legs crying out with every step. She finally made it to the top, where she found the grisly remains of her erstwhile captors. Just a short time ago they had been forcing themselves on her, and now there was very little left of them. But there was no time to gloat. The three zombies were not that far behind her, and she barely had enough time to find the keys and get back down to the van before they completed their circuit of the building and trapped her up here - not to mention the possibility that more of them could show up at any time. She would have to hurry if she were to have any hope of getting out of this alive.

OOC,Let me know whether you're searching [b]Nitro[/b] or [b]Deadeye[/b] and roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is only 25%. If you're not sure which one of them is likely to have the keys, roll Idea.

Deadeye had driven the van here, so his pocket were the first for Lara to search. While going through the pockets she scanned her surroundings. Her being to focused on finding the keys gives her no time to notice anything.

On the balcony-
Lara began to hastily search Deadeye's body. He had a backpack on his back that would take a little time to get off of what was left of him. In his hands he gripped an M-16 assault rifle on a sling. He wore a utility belt with various pouches. From the belt hung a few grenades, Dan's .357 Magnum revolver that he had taken away from her, and two 9mm automatic pistols. She rooted through his pockets and pouches, but so far there was no sign of any keys. No zombies were visible yet, but they surely wouldn't take much longer. She didn't know if she dared spend any more time up here. The zombies would surely catch up with her before long, and there was a good chance she wouldn't survive another plunge from the balcony.

OOC,The Spot Hidden roll was actually for the search. If you want to keep searching, specify which corpse you're searching and then roll Spot Hidden again. You may take the M-16 and/or something from the belt without taking any additional time, but remember that you only have two hands. The M-16 can be slung over your shoulder when not in use. To take the belt or the backpack and put it on would require an entire round (during which time you would be unable to search or go anywhere). If you decide to go back down now, you may do so safely. You might not be able to if you stay up here another round.

Not finding the keys, she settles for the two 9mm and pulls them up in each hand. She starts down the stairs again, the correct way - using the steps. She keeps her hands stretched out in front of her and makes a semicircle move away from the corner she just came from - hoping to put some ground between herself and the pursuing zombies. She has no keys, but at least the means to fend of the monsters. In lack of having the real monsters to kill, Deadeye and Nitro, she has a a serious itch to kill anything. Should those zombies show themselves, she´d not back down. She´d shoot them down and spit at them.

Call it retribution, vengeance, or whatever. If any man shows up, she won´t be sure if she´ll leave him standing. The actions of the skinheads, all from the days in the crammed cells and the time to this sleazy hotel, she´d begged for an opportunity to kill these assholes.

"Just cam, you scum!" Lara breathes out vehemently.

On the balcony-
Lara snatched up the two handguns and hurried back down the stairs to ground level, wincing with every step.

In the motel parking lot-
Lara reached the bottom of the stairs just in time. The three zombies came lurching around the corner and towards her. Had she waited any longer, she might have been caught up there. The things were only about seven or eight yards away, and her confidence quickly evaporated. She might be able take down one of them before the others were upon her, but certainly no more than that. In her weakened, wounded state, she didn't stand much of a chance.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], if you still want to shoot at one of the zombies, you get two shots in this round. The range is normal, and they are close enough that there is no darkness penalty - only the -5 for aiming at the head. If you go for head shots, both must be at the same target. However, any surviving zombies will then get to attack you before you can do anything else. If you run, there is no need to roll anything. Just let me know which way you're going.

Lara quickly makes a decision to count the odds and decides that she´s better off getting some more distance between herself and her targets. She runss a distance away from the zombies, across the parking lot and finds a spot behind the hood of one of the abandoned cars. Then, maybe there´s a shot worth taking and not ending up eaten in the process.

In the motel parking lot-
Lara darted across the parking lot, her wounds aching as she put more strain on her body. She had about fifteen yards' lead on the ghouls when she reached the edge of the parking lot, where it met the highway. She ducked behind a car parked there and leaned over the hood as the zombies advanced slowly.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], you may safely take two shots now with one of your handguns. There is enough light coming from the motel and its signs that there is no darkness penalty at this range. The range is normal. The handguns are now listed on your character sheet and they each do 1d10 damage.

Keeping the zombie in the middle fixed with one of the Rugers she snatched from Deadeye she keeps the other 9mm firmly in her left hand. She aims for the head. The first shot goes too high. The second, however, is dead center... With the middle target down, Lara aims at the leftmost of the remaining ghouls. The itch, to kill is diminishing as the rush from the actual kill-shot makes her weigh her options. Is there time to take out the left one and still be able to get away, or is she forced to move across the highway and shoot at the two remaining from the other side? As she considers she starts backing, away from the threats.

ooc:

In the motel parking lot-
BANG! BANG! The twin shots ripped through the night, and the zombie in the center went down with a single bullet through its brain. The other two began to circle around the parked car, one on either side, heedless of their own safety and threatening to surround Lara. They were getting dangerously close now. Behind her, the highway stretched off to the left and right. On the other side of the highway was the town she had seen, the town from which these things had come in the first place.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], if you fire again this round, any surviving zombies will be able to attack you right after that. Whatever you decide to do, please roll Listen at full skill and Spot Hidden at 1/5 skill.

Rather than being pinched between the two zombies, Lara gets up on the hood and slides over it to make it as fast as possible back to the hotel. The vicinity to the town area puts her in a dangerous position. She doesn´t see or hear anything. But the knowledge that these creeps were drawn here from the town is reason enough for her to double back.

ooc:

Lara fleetingly gets up on the hood, she manages to almost evade one of the zombies, but the second gains on her. She swings her left arm at the close target, ready to fire if need be. But her intention is to get out of there not stay and fight.

ooc:

In the motel parking lot-
Lara vaulted over the hood of the car with ease and twisted away from the zombie on that side of the vehicle, only to nearly run right into the outstretched arms of the other one. With an involuntary gasp, she darted past it, its cold dead hand just brushing her battered flesh. But she was past it and kept running, unable to hear anything but the pounding of her heart. She made it back to the front of the motel, the two zombies right on her heels. But what could she do now?

OOC,No, I won't save those two rolls. You'll just roll new ones as needed. I don't think you'd want to keep that 100 anyway. The zombies are still too close to attack safely because you doubled back and ran past them. In fact, they're so close you wouldn't even have time to aim at the head.

Up the stairs, for sure is her goal. Back to that room. It still has a door that can be shut and she´ll take her last stand there before getting those bleeding keys from one of the corpses on the stairs. That is when her most pressing nightmare is over.

IDEA! : Lara hesitates...

In the motel parking lot-
Lara suddenly realized just how dangerous her intended course of action was. The skinheads had barricaded the staircase, but one zombie had brought the barricade down and killed Deadeye by itself, and these two zombies together had killed Nitro. The motel room door wouldn't hold up for long, and the skinheads had been better armed than she was. The room was small and wouldn't leave her enough space to move around. Once the zombies broke in, her chances wouldn't be good. She also didn't know how many more zombies would be drawn from the town across the road. How many of them had heard the gunshots? How many were on their way already? As much as she wanted the van and the skinheads' other stuff, it wouldn't do her any good if she died trying to get it. Traveling on foot would be painful, especially barefoot, but she could still outdistance the zombies. She would get tired eventually, though, and they wouldn't. She would have to hope she could find a better place to make a stand or someone to help her.

She decides to turn in the direction of the highway they had come from earlier to get away from this town and to possibly find someone not infected travelling on the road. Another possibilty is that a house or a farm out of the direct bounds of the city will have a more suitable place to hide out at and get some clothes. Lara doesn´t remember the way to the motel as she had been occupied fending off Nitro´s dvances.

Keeping her distance from the pursuing zombies she makes a seventyfive degree turn in the direction the van had arrived from. The soals of her feet aches almost as bad as the rest of her battered body but she soldiers on with her towel flapping.

On the highway-
Lara ran, the ghouls stumbling after her. Not only was she in pain, but the night was chilly, especially without clothes, and she was getting very hungry. She hadn't eaten a thing since lunch, and she was lucky she'd been able to drink some of the water while she had been in the shower. She did recall passing a farm not long before she got to the motel, and she felt better about the choice she had made. The prospect of returning to the room where the skinheads had ravished her for the final time hadn't been a pleasant one anyway, and the prospect of dying there was even less so.

When Lara reached the highway, she glanced back and saw that her pursuers were a good ten yards behind her. But then she glanced over her other shoulder and saw another one lumbering towards her from the direction of the town. It had already reached the highway and was just five yards away. Now she knew she had been about to make a fatal mistake by heading up the stairs. It was moving as slow as the others, at least, so she should be able to outrun it. Ahead of her lay only darkness.

Lara keeps moving away from the town in hope of getting to the farm, unhindered. If something were to come at her, she keeps her two guns ready, pointing upwards while running. No use in running with arms stretched out, that would seep all strength out of her before long.
The most likely encounter, she deduces is a zombie travelling on the road who got alerted by the gunshots and started to return along the road, towards the motel. That´s her primary worry. Had the zombies in town been alerted, so was the ones on the road.
Anything ahead?

Keeping her stride, she hopes she´ll be out of reach for these beasts sensory guidance before she collapses.

On the highway-
Lara ran on and on for what seemed like forever. The zombies dropped out of her view almost right away, but she knew they were back there, relentlessly hunting her. The farm hadn't seemed that far away, but the van had been moving quickly. It was much harder on foot, and her feet were getting blistered. Her muscles ached, everything hurt, but she still kept going, certain that death awaited her if she faltered. She was an excellent sprinter, but not so good when it came to distance running, especially in her current condition. Still, she ran as though her life depended on it - because it did.

After far too long, Lara came across a dirt track leading off to the left. Barely visible in the dark in that direction was a small farmhouse. She wheezed for breath as she reached the turnoff. Thankfully, she had encountered no zombies on the road. She couldn't see the ones behind her either, but she knew they would catch up with her before long.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], roll CON x 5. Failure will not cause you to collapse (unless perhaps it's a critical failure).

Breathing heavily, Lara stumbles on, almost falling over. She regains her balance and moves past the dirt road to the left. No point in leaving a trail for her pursuers to follow. Her plan is to throw her towel ahead a few meters on the highway, as a decoy, then jump the ditch a bit further to get the dogs of death off her ass. Then head on to the farm house through the trees or the cropland - anything to make the trace of her disappear.

Outside the farmhouse-
Lara could feel her muscles cramping up as she made one final effort. She moved a short distance farther down the road, shed her towel, and tossed it ahead. Then she cut across the front yard and reached the farmhouse's front porch. At this point, behind the house and to the right, she could see a barn.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], you are now suffering from exhaustion. Until you get 30 minutes of continuous rest, you will receive a -5 penalty to all skills, and all stat rolls will have their difficulty multipliers reduced by one (for example, DEX x 5 would become DEX x 4). Please roll Listen. Don't forget to apply the penalty.

Between her coarse breathing, she has a complete moment of clarity, as if the exhaustion of her body has granted her a spider sense. She values the barn versus the farm house. The house opted for more escape routes and would have a the facilities she´d like, shower, clothes, food. But the barn might hold some rakes and shovels, suitable for defense. She also probably could climb a ladder to a loft and be out of reach - without food... Her stomach growls and that´s all she needs. First food then the loft - if there are either.

Reroll:

Outside the farmhouse-
Lara tried the front door, but found that it was locked. Just then, she heard slow footsteps on the highway behind her. They were moving slowly but getting closer. She couldn't see what was making them, but she could guess.

Hearing the footsteps she decides to head for the barn instead. Possibly finding a pitchfork to be able to quietly put her follower out of commission without alerting all walkers in the vicinity. Barefoot towards the barn - no way, she´d get through a locked door without making any noise.

Outside the barn-
Lara raced around the right side of the house and hurried to the barn. As she got closer, she saw there was a long, wide opening above the barn doors, leading to a loft. A tree stood outside the barn, and it might be possible to climb it up to the loft. As she got close to the barn, a flashlight beam emanated from the opening and bathed her in a pool of light. Up above she saw a middle-aged man standing in the loft, holding a shotgun in one hand and a flashlight in the other. A young woman about her own age or a little older, with red hair and freckles, moved to the man's side. "Oh, God!" she cried when she saw Lara. "We have to help her!"

"Don´t shoot!" Lara gasps and looks at the tree and her two 9mm pistols. "There´s a monster coming after me, so keep quiet.." She tosses one of the guns up to the loft then bites the other one and starts to scale the tree.

Lara plainly drops the spare gun and tries to get up the tree. However her spent muscles fail her and she can´t get a good grip to get her started.

OOC,[b]Lara[/b] is moving to the following thread. Please don't read the posts above the one in the link.

In Harm's Way