Z-Day - 6:10 PM Central Time - Warehouse, Omaha, Nebraska Outside the warehouse- Tiny's unerring nose had led the small group inexorably north. Finally, about a mile from the school, he had brought them to a warehouse that looked much like the others in this commercial district. There were two closed garage bay doors in front, with a normal door just beside them. It was still light out, but the sun was getting low in the sky. Less than an hour of daylight remained. Tiny pointed at the building with one paw and barked.
"Guess this is the place," said Miguel.
"You think Darnell came to this dump?" asked LaTanya.
"Tiny's sense of smell is never wrong," said Emily. "If he's with those Marley scumbags, he's in there."
"Okay," said Kate. "We need to come up with a plan. Remember that if we are right about Darnell and his gang falling in with this crowd that they've still got Erica hostage." She looked at Ron and Emilio. "What do you think we should do?"
Emilio knows that the best tactics under normal circumstances would be to negotiate. The situation being as it is, gives room for other avenues. "OK, they got my wheels. I can talk them into handing it back. Then I may see what we´re facing." He lifts his shotgun and adds, "If they start shooting, come after and get me out of there. "
OOC: What kind of weapons does everyone have? Do cellphones work? Does Ron have one? Does he have Darnell's number?
"If I can speak to Darnell alone, I could probably get him to listen to reason. Getting him alone or at least away from the gang bangers will be difficult, though." Ron says.
OOC,The Locations and Weapons list shows which weapons each of the characters have. [b]Ron[/b] has a bow, a .45 automatic, and a saber. [b]Miguel[/b] has a Glock 9mm. [b]LaTanya[/b] has a foil. [b]Emily[/b] has a .38 revolver, an M4 carbine, and a big axe. [b]Tiny[/b] has sharp, pointy teeth. [b]Emilio[/b] has a shotgun and a baseball bat. [b]Kate[/b] has a Glock 9mm, a baton, a shotgun, [b]Doug[/b]'s 9mm automatic, [b]Chuck[/b]'s .357 revolver, and pepper spray.
Cell phones most definitely do not work at all. You can have one if you want, but it's completely useless. The power does not go on if you try.
In a whispered voice, Emilio comments, "Yeah, I can play the crazed mechanic who REALLY wants his ride back and has his boss secret room key. There could be all kind of goodies to trade with. That our motive is to free the girls, should be easy to not mention." He takes a step closer and adds, "I can say I followed the trail of that oil leakage from the crash outside school... Barging in there asking for my wheels might not get me shot at once. Asking for them to free the girls would, for sure."
He watches his boss and says, "We take care of the guy who wasted Chuck when we got the others out of there, right?"
Outside the warehouse-
"Damn straight!" said Emily, gripping her M4.
"Hold on a minute," said Kate. "Nobody's 'taking care' of anyone if we can arrest them peacefully. That's what happened to your son, ma'am. This plan of someone going in alone sounds dangerous. And what happens if they simply deny having the car or anyone from the school besides Lisa? What will you do then? I could try knocking on the door myself, but they don't have to let me in without a warrant. You're right that negotiating is our best bet, but we need to be careful how we go about it. Whatever you decide, I'll be here to back you up." She positioned herself against the wall to one side of the door, holding her shotgun. "Anyone who's not going to try to communicate with them, stay out of sight." Miguel leaned on the wall on the other side of door, his pistol drawn. LaTanya, Emily, and Tiny waited just around the corner from the door, completely hidden from view.
Ron moves out of sight as well. As he did, the surveyed the building, looking for other enterences such a fire escapes or windows that looked into the building.
Outside the warehouse- Kate waited for Emilio to make a decision or take some action, but he remained silent. "All right, I'll knock on the door," said Kate finally. "I'll keep this official. You stand where I was and stay out of sight." She stepped in front of the door, held her badge in one hand, and knocked.
Shortly afterwads, the door was opened from the inside. Two black men with dreadlocks, both of them armed, were on the other side. "What you want?" asked one of them.
"Sir, I'm Officer Kate Wheeler of the Omaha Police Department," she said. "We're doing a check on the neighborhood, looking for survivors and helping out however we can."
"We don't need no help. We're fine here."
East of the warehouse- Ron joined the others around the corner, in a narrow alleyway between two warehouses. The one in question was on the left, and there were no windows on this side of the building. The alley continued, giving access to the warehouse's rear.
Outside the warehouse-
"How many survivors are in this building, sir?" asked Kate. "We're conducting a count. Is it just the two of you, or are there more?"
The men frowned at her. "That's none of your business," said the one who had been speaking. "We don't want no po-lice here. Go away!" He slammed the door in her face, and the click of the lock engaging followed.
"Well, that went well," said Kate.
Behind the warehouse- Emily, Tiny, and LaTanya followed Ron through the alley. It led to another alley that went behind the warehouses in either direction. There were no windows on this side of the warehouse that Tiny had led them to either, but there was a back door. It didn't look as strong as the front door did, but it was still fairly sturdy. If it came to it, it would take some effort for Ron to break it down by himself, but if Emily helped him it would be no problem. However, doing so would make a lot of noise and alert anyone inside to what was happening.
Emilio smiles at Kat and waves for her to stand behind him. He readies the shotgun and knocks on the door forcefully, stepping to the side of the door - aiming the shotgun at the opening.
Outside the warehouse- Emilio's loud knocking echoed. He waited, but there was no response.
"What now?" asked Kate.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], roll Listen.
Behind the warehouse- Emily remained in the alley behind the warehouse with Tiny and glared at the door. "What the hell are we waiting for?" she asked. "Girl, hold Tiny's leash. I want both hands free for the M4."
"Maybe we shouldn't just break in the door," said LaTanya. "Give the folks at the front a chance. People could get killed."
"That's the idea..."
East of the warehouse- Ron heard the women talking from around the corner, in the alley running along the side of the warehouse.
"Then we´ve got to open it ourselves..." He puts the muzzle of the shotgun at the lock and fires. The shotgun makes a roaring sound and Emilio reloads. "Now, we can try the door again."
OOC,Is [b]Ron[/b] staying where he is, in the alley between the warehouses? There are no doors or windows on this side. If you're exiting the alley, please let me know whether you're going to the front or back of the warehouse.
Outside the warehouse- Kate muttered under her breath at Emilio's rash action, but there was no taking it back now. There was nothing for it but to follow through. The door shuddered under the impact, but remained stubbornly sealed, so she raised her own shotgun and blasted it. The door was blown inwards and nearly knocked off its hinges. One of the hinges snapped, leaving the door at an awkward angle. On the other side was a hallway that immediately went around the corner to the left. There had been nobody immediately behind the door; if there had been, whoever was there would have been perforated. Miguel drew his Glock and stood ready, leaning against the wall beside the gaping doorway.
Emilio Montoya,[b]Emilio[/b] heard footsteps running in the hallway, beyond the door and to the left. There were several people there, and one of them had moved to a position not far to the left of the front door. They were not visible from outside.
Behind the warehouse- Emily let go of the leash and raised her M4, cutting loose with a burst at the back door that struck the lock with a single round. The bullet blew open the door, revealing the people inside - and they saw her too.
OOC,[b]Ron[/b], roll Sanity for seeing [b]Emily[/b] die. Sanity loss is 0/1d6. If you remain sane, you may act freely. If you choose to shoot, the two Jamaicans are at normal range. One has a badly injured leg and carries a shotgun. The other is unhurt and has a submachine gun. You may use either the bow or the pistol. Anyone still standing after you and [b]LaTanya[/b] fire will get to return fire. If you fire and miss, roll Luck to make sure you don't hit [b]Tiny[/b]. If you wish to try a hand-to-hand attack there is no danger of hitting [b]Tiny[/b] (barring a critical failure), but both Jamaicans will get to shoot before you attack.
Emilio keeps the shotgun raised and bolts inside, heading to the left where the sound came from. "Time to hand over my wheels, assholes!" Getting inside he covers the area to the left with the shotgun, leaving a path for Kate to follow.
Looking for doors to open or open door-ways to check Emilio waits for Kate. "This will probably take us to the double garage and some office. I heard multiple definite footsteps from over here..."
ooc:
Spoiler:
I edited the earlier post and this one is a no-action. Emilio is waiting.
Seeing Emily get blasted apart shook Ron badly. Watching the woman die brought home the reality of what they all were doing and the finality of this violence. This was not some cops and robber TV show where lots of shots are fired, they all miss and the bad guys surrender. No. This was real. Real bullets and real consequences. His hands tremmbled as he raises his bow but he was not able to fire. His mind would not allow him to as the gravity of their actions had settle in.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], you won't have time to wait or speak once you get inside. You'll see when I post my update.
[b]Ron[/b], you lost enough Sanity that there's a good chance you'll go temporarily insane, in which case you probably didn't get that shot off anyway. You didn't roll Idea, so please do that now. If you fail that roll, then you're still able to act. If you succeed at the Idea roll, then you go temporarily insane. Also, [b]Emily[/b] wasn't young; she was 63.
Behind the warehouse- Ron didn't even get into the line of fire, thankfully. The instant he saw Emily die, he froze up and remained still. LaTanya gripped the M4 and leaned against the wall, unwilling to expose herself. She pointed the barrel at the back door in case anyone came out.
Ron Moore,You are [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2736449/]catatonic[/url] for six rounds, including the one that just ended and the current one.
Outside of the warehouse- Kate's eyes widened at Emilio's increasing recklessness. This was not how any of this was supposed to happen. But she was not about to let him get himself killed without at least trying to protect him. She followed him through the broken door, crouching low. Miguel was right alongside her, Glock in hand.
Emilio led the way inside, shotgun first, only to find himself staring down the barrels of a sniper rifle and a revolver wielded by two Jamaican men who were standing about six yards down the hall, in front of open door to the left. There were clearly things going on behind them, but he had no time to be concerned with them, though he did hear Keith Stewart's voice somewhere back there saying "Oh my God! I need a weapon." Kate and Miguel burst inside as well.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], roll 1d100 for initiative since both you and the rifleman have DEX 15. If you get less than 28, you may fire at whichever target you prefer. The range is normal, and you're close enough to do 4d6 damage with the shotgun. If you get more than 28, you'll have to wait until he fires before you get to act. If you happen to roll exactly 28, roll a second 1d100 for your new initiative roll and wait for me to roll another 1d100 for the rifleman.
In the entry hall-
The recoil pushed Emilio backwards, causing the buckshot to perforate the ceiling and the shotgun to slip from his grasp. It clattered to the floor.
Miguelalso found himself moving slowly. At the opposite end of the hall were two more Jamaicans, one with a shotgun who had just blown Tiny to bits, and the other with a submachine gun. The one with the shotgun moved with moderate speed and kept the open back door covered. The other one, just a fraction of a second later, spun around and snapped off a single shot at Emilio, not intending to give him a chance to recover his shotgun or use his baseball bat. He fired from the hip, and the bullet went wide. Luckily for him, it didn't hit either the rifleman or the man with the pistol but embedded itself in the wall.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b]'s shotgun did not jam. The middle malfunction number is used when the shotgun is somewhat dirty, and while I don't know it, I'll call it 98. The 97 is still a critical miss (and a misfire), so I ruled that he dropped the shotgun. Probably a good thing too, as he was seen as less of a threat. Since he didn't have it in his hands, he didn't get to act before the others in the current round. Currently [b]Kate[/b] is lying prone and holding her shotgun. While she can act, she cannot attack as she already rolled Dodge this round. Of course, had she not done so, she wouldn't have been able to attack anyway. :twisted: The Jamaican with the shotgun has a wounded leg, but the one with the SMG is unhurt. Both have already fired this round.
[b]Emilio[/b], roll Sanity for seeing [b]Miguel[/b] killed. Sanity loss is 0/1d6. If you don't go temporarily insane, you may now act. You may grab your shotgun and shoot at one of the two Jamaicans at the far end of the hall if you wish. You may even hit both, as they're at medium range. If you fire and hit, roll 1d3. If you get two or more, you hit both of them. For each one you hit, roll 1d20 for a hit location and 2d6 for damage (since they're between 10 and 20 yards away). Or you may take some other action instead. Keep in mind that you're already badly hurt from the car crash. One bullet could easily kill you.
Behind the warehouse- LaTanya quivered in fear at the sound of all the gunfire and screaming. She leaned against the wall clutching the M4. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way... she thought. She looked at Ron for guidance, but he remained paralyzed.
Ron Moore,You have four more rounds of temporary insanity, including this one.
Aroused by adrenaline he goes for the shotgun and brings it up to shoot at the two remaining thugs on the other end of the hallway. "Bhaaa!" he screams in dismay. The shotgun must have busted as there clearly is something wrong with it. He looks dumbfounded at the two Jamaicans as he waits for the next rain of bullets. The gung-ho bravado didn´t work out as well in real life as in the movies. He can do nothing more than smile at what probably will be his last thought.
OOC:
Spoiler:
Since he went in first he had no intention of backing down. The odds were quite good. -If I had rolled a d10 instead of a d100! He couldn´t leave Kate alone in the hallway anyways. But fingers crossed, it ain´t over till....
OOC,Actually, [b]Kate[/b] is going to crawl outside this round. You could have helped her get outside as your action too, but it's too late now.
I forgot that your shotgun is not one of the dirty ones. [b]Chuck[/b]'s shotgun is clean and has a Malfunction number of 00, so it still doesn't jam. Rolling a 99 is not going to be good, though...
Behind the warehouse-
While Ron stood frozen, LaTanya peeked in through the open back door. She didn't like what she saw, but she knew that she had to do something to help the others at the front. She crept inside, but she wasn't very quiet.
Ron Moore,You have three more rounds of temporary insanity, including this one.
In the entry hall-
There was nothing wrong with the shotgun, but there was something wrong with Emilio. He scooped it up and fired it again, and once more it slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor. He didn't know whether it was the sweat spilling from his pores, grease on the gun, his jitters, or some combination of things, and he didn't have time to consider it. One thing was clear: the Jamiacans would show him no mercy this time. Kate dragged herself out the front door, pain shooting through her body from her broken leg. "Move your ass!" she shouted to Emilio.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], it is your turn to act now. First you must roll Sanity for watching [b]LaTanya[/b] get blown away. Sanity loss is again 0/1d6, but since you already lost 2 for seeing someone get killed, you can lose at most 4 more. Any loss of more than 4 counts as only 4. Thus, you cannot go temporarily insane. It's up to you whether you want to fight, flee, or try something else. The same rules as before apply if you try to pick up your shotgun again and fire.
Outside the warehouse- Kate cried out as her shattered leg wracked her with pain. She propped herself up against the wall beside the door, resting her shotgun in her lap. She had escaped with her life, but how far could she possibly get now?
Emiliois shaken by the Tarantino display in the hall. He stumbles backwards, retreating after Kate to the outside. As he does he stares at his hands, and the blood now on his hands. What was he thinking? LaTanya, Miguel and Kate - all gone or badly wounded. A change comes over Emilio as he steps outside in the sun. Touched by the cool air, the mechanic returns to his old self. Gone is the John McClane who had gotten into him after the school incident with the walking dead. He´s back to Emilio - the mechanic.
Behind the warehouse- Ron continued to stand stock still.
Ron Moore,You have two more rounds of temporary insanity, including this one. Note that you couldn't actually see inside from your position, so you didn't see [b]LaTanya[/b] get shredded. A good thing too, since that means nobody in the warehouse has seen you either. Really you shouldn't even be able to talk while you're catatonic, but I'll let it slide.
Outside the warehouse- Emilio stumbled out and saw Kate slumped against the wall next to the door, her face pale and stricken. "Why?" she groaned. She looked up at Emilio and handed her shotgun to him. "Here, I've still got my Glock." She tore away her uniform's pants leg and began treating herself. The bullet had thankfully deflected after breaking her leg, but the wound was pretty bad, and she couldn't do much besides stopping the bleeding.
He accepts the shotgun and steps away from the busted door. Making sure he´s out of line of fire from the inside. "We had to go in, right? This was not how it was meant to go... My plan to scare them didn´t work out." He backs a few steps further, clearly struck by the events in the corridor. How come I´m alive and not Migue and LaTanyal?
He decides that the other side had had intent to shoot any intruders anyway and assumes a position to get a shot at anyone trying to walk out of the storage area. "Are you good enough to move? Should we get Ron and the others back to the school? We can´t do much here now... " "I´m sorry I messed up, Kate."
He shifts his weight from left to right, not wanting to stand still. The chock was still affecting him.
Behind the warehouse- Ron remained frozen in place. From inside the warehouse, he could hear Keith Stewart shout: "Hey! Don't shoot, I'm unarmed."
A moment later, Darnell called: "He is lying he has a bomb strapped to him. Shoot him down. Kill him!"
Ron Moore,This is the last round of your temporary insanity.
Outside the warehouse-
"My leg's broken," said Kate weakly. "We should find Ron and get back to the school, but I can't go anywhere by myself. Going in there with guns blazing was a mistake., but you couldn't have known any better. I should have."
Then the two of them heard Keith and Darnell's shouts from inside the warehouse.
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], if you want to carry [b]Kate[/b] anywhere, you'll need to make a roll on the Resistance Table pitting your STR of 11 against her SIZ of 11, giving you a 50% chance. If you fail, you will go nowhere this round.
"Here, get ready." he says to Kate while he helps her get to a foot. He uses his shoulder as support for her arm on the bad side. He keeps the shotgun in the arm he holds behind the officer, giving him a chance to shoot at anyone following them.
East of the warehouse- Emilio helped Kate into the alley that ran between the two warehouses, heading towards the back where Ron waited. She groaned in pain, but she managed to keep moving. There was no way that Emilio would be able to both hold onto her and fire the shotgun at the same time, so he'd have to let her go if it came to that.
Behind the warehouse- Ron could hear Darnell shouting from inside the warehouse, closer now: "Shoot him he said he would escape and lead the police here telling them about your drugs and hideout and gang!"
"What the-- " said Keith from inside the warehouse. "Lou, Damon, holy shit! What a mess. Put those guns down--look, I'm unarmed. Do you two need help?"
"This asshole here punched me and told me that he was going to run to the police and bring them back here to have you all arrested. He told me that he was a snitch for the police because of drug convictions. So I think we should put him in handcuffs and lock him in a room."
"Nobody kills anyone without my permission," said Damon's voice from within the building. "We got enough trouble without killing each other. Maybe Keith was trying to escape - it wouldn't surprise me. I can't imagine he'd admit to being a narc if he was one, though, and I don't see any bomb. You don't look hurt either. If he was going to warn the cops, he's too late - they already know we're here. That lady cop from the school was part of that raid. She got away with one guy out the front door, but she won't get far. I shot her in the leg and broke it. If you want to make yourselves useful, we've got two choices. You can try to stop them from escaping and telling anyone else what we've got here. Try to take the cop alive if you can. We can make her tell us who else knows about this place so we know whether it's safe to stay here. Otherwise, we're going to have to evacuate in the vehicles, 'cause we won't be able to stay here. You'd have to go back down and tell the others to all come up. Keith, you're not going outside unless Darnell goes with you, but you can go back downstairs."
It was gut check time for Ron. He could not let anymore people get hurt. He had to let Kate and Emili escape.
Turning towards the others he motioned for them to flee. He mouthed the words "Go! Go! Run!" To them as they approached. Ron step his weapons on the groung and waited by the door for Emilio and KAte to flee.
Behind the warehouse-
"Okay, Damon," Ron heard Keith say from within the warehouse. "You gotta get that cop--dead or alive."
"I do not trust you Keith," said Darnell. "If you go anywhere with me I am going with you and if you make one false move you will get shot. So where do you wish to go?"
"For God's sake, Darnell, take it easy with that pistol--I ain't runnin' away. Anyways, Damon said I have to stay put, but you feel free to chase after that cop."
"I will go with you if someone makes sure that Keith goes back downstairs. Afterwards we will talk about you killing my girl and the father of my baby, I know she came at you so it's her fault but we will talk understand?"
"I'm not going anywhere with my leg like this, mon," said Damon Marley. "Yeah, we'll talk later. I'll make sure Keith goes downstairs. Lou, you go with Darnell." Two sets of footsteps receded, heading for the front of the warehouse. "Keith, go back down and send Wesley up to look at my leg."
East of the warehouse- Emilio and Kate stopped just at the back of the alleyway when Ron gave his silent warning. They were close enough that they could hear the conversation inside the warehouse, though.
So, are Kate, Emilio and Ron at an L-junction, which ends in the back entrance of the storage? A dead end, as well? That´s what an alley is, right? That means they´ll, minus Ron, should they decide to leave him, will have to backtrack out on the main street. Then hopefully evade anyone coming out the front of the storage. OR, is there a way away from the alley from where they stand, like to the left?
I´m troubled by Emilio´s state of mind, right now. He´ll wan´t to get Kate out of this mess, he´s created. But, he doesn´t want to leave Ron to a certain death, either. Considering this, he´ll hesitate and then take Ron´s advice and make a run for it with Kate hobbling beside him.
Taking the best way out of this death-trap, Emilio takes Kate out of harms way, heading for the school again, to get help. What to say about this mess, has to be put up as earnest as possible. The fault was on his head. He´d barged in there, all amped up on adrenaline. To what a cost?
He nods at Ron and scutters away with Kate. This feels bad, but it beats resting in a pool of blood and gore.
OOC,The alley is not a dead end. There are actually two alleys forming a T-intersection here. The one you just came up runs between the two warehouses to the north and south. The other one runs behind them on the north side. There is a north-south street a short distance to the west that is accessible from the alley. At the eastern end, a much longer distance away, is another street running north and south. The school is about a mile to the south. Please let me know which way you're going.
The two cripples 'swiftly' take the left turn and trie to get to the closest north-south street. The goal is to turn directly north, as this would be unexpected to any pursuers. The idea is to survive as long as possible, not to get to the school as quickly as possible.
OOC,Well, you did hear two people head for the front of the warehouse, but you're behind it. Unfortunately, [b]LaTanya[/b] took the M4 inside the warehouse with her, so you'd have to go in if you wanted to get it.
East of the warehouse- Ron made his way back down the alley towards the front of the warehouse. As he got closer, he heard voices coming from just outside the warehouse's front door.
"I cannot see anything," said Darnell. "You have a clue?"
"No idea, mon," said a Jamaican man, probably Lou. "Your guess is as good as mine." There was a pause. "We're not going to find them standing around out here. Just pick a direction and we'll start looking."
In the street- Emilio helped Kate to the western exit from the alleyway, but it was slow going. If they were going to make anything approaching decent time, he would have to carry her. They reached the street, which stretched out into the distance to the north and south.
Changing tactics, Emilio lifts Kate up and hurries north. He checks for any walkers on the street, and cuts across the street to take the next street west. The plan is to head south on the next parallel.
East of the warehouse- Ron heard Darnell reply: "Coach Moore, why did you try to attack us when all we want is to lead like you all taught us to do on the football team?"
"Shit, Darnell" Ron said "I was coming here to try and prevent all of this..... nonsense. When I heard they were coming to look for that young lady, I tried to get here before them and talk to you to prevent all this shit from happening. Looks like I was too late."
"This isn't leading, Darnell. Kidnapping that woman was not the character of the young men I raised on that field."
East of the warehouse- Darnell and a Jamaican man appeared at the mouth of the alley, at the southern end. Darnell pointed his pistol at Ron, and the Jamaican trained a shotgun at him. "I did not want to kidnap her," said Darnell, "but you all want to put me in jail for killing someone who had to face justice, I was God's hands in that deal and He protects me. Now who is going to protect you?" Darnell spoke to the Jamican, "Looks like we got another hostage, one that we can use to get the others back here. Down on your knees hands behind your head, sir."
OOC,[b]Ron[/b] is moving to the thread linked below. Please stop reading the current thread at this point. Everyone else remains in the current thread.
In the street- Emilio scooped up Kate in his arms and carried her north to the end of the block, where there was another four-way intersection. The streets looked deserted, littered with parked and wrecked cars, the occasional dead body, and various debris. The way to the west was clear.
Emilio continues west hoping to find a way south at the next intersection. The police officer starts to wear him down, though. Just a bit more..., he pants.
In the street- Emilio carried Kate west for a block before he reached another four-way intersection where he could turn south. So far his back was holding up, but the school was over a mile away. Still, he was young and strong and should be able to make it. It wouldn't be pleasant, though.
"Thanks for getting me out of there," said Kate weakly. In addition to having a broken leg, she had lost a good deal of blood. "Where are we going?"
He puts her down and lets her rest against the wall of the building. At the same time giving himself time to breath. "I´m figguring we´d better make it back to school by taking the long way. That way we won´t be cut off by the Jamaicans. We wouldn´t want that, right?" He says that in a hushed voice not to give their position away.
Emilio helps Kate to her feet and gives up the task of carrying her and lets her use his shoulder as support for her bad foot. This way they both can have one hand free to shoot anyone or anything coming up on them. They start off southwards.
In the street-
Setting Kate down and having her lean on him slowed down Emilio, and it was taking him much longer to walk south. Further, he would need both hands free if he were to fire the shotgun.
"Yeah," said Kate, gritting her teeth due to the pain. "The doctors there can look after me. I'm just sorry we couldn't save Erica. Maybe whoever tries next will have better luck - if they're even still there. I can't help thinking about what's going to happen to her now. It would have happened to me too if we hadn't gotten away. I don't know who's going to be able to anything, though. As far as I know, I'm the last cop in the city now." She took a breath. "Miguel was really an undercover police detective. I didn't know it myself until the principal told me earlier this evening. And now he's gone, just gunned down..."
"I see. But I guess everyone counts at the current state of things. They took what they wanted. Killed my boss and kidnapped that pilot. I don´t know what those guys have going. Are they gang members, or what? When we get back, we´ll stay at the school and hope the ones who don´t want to live with those killers, come back. If we can muster a larger crew to break Erica out, we´ll do it. But as I see it, we´d better stay at school. Which we´d probably should from start. It was my loud mouth and my affection for my car and all shit with the Lubacheks going on that clouded my judgement. I´m much better fixing a generator than getting a hostage out. You´ve seen that first hand. Now let´s get our asses home." He supports Kate and adds, "We do need to keep a ceremony for the lives lost today, do you know who would be suited to boost morale now that Principal Adler is still at the lions´den?"
Shit, not only didn´t I help anyone get rescued, I wound up getting Emily and a girl killed. An undercover detective lewn away and the Principal left behind. What a disaster!
In the street- Emilio and Kate reached the next intersection. They were now about a block west of the warehouse and a mile north of the school.
"Principal Adler is still back at the school," said Kate. "He's done a fine job of leading us so far, and he'll continue to do so. You're right, we do need to stay at the school until we can muster enough force to free Erica. I won't be going with them, not with my busted leg. I can't bear thinking about what they're going to do to Erica in the meantime, though. That could have been me..."
OOC,I think you got the principal confused with [b]Ron Moore[/b], who stayed back at the warehouse. [b]Principal Adler[/b] never left the school.
It will take twenty minutes to reach the school while walking. If you carry [b]Kate[/b], you can reduce that to ten minutes. There are time-sensitive things happening in other threads in Omaha, but I hope I can speed things up once they are resolved.
"Ahhum. I mean Ron. Let´s get back to school, safe and one step at the time. We don´t want to trip, do we?"Emilio will try to get back to school by moving at a controlled pace rather than carry Kate and risk dropping her or falling over. This way they´ll have a chance to spot anyone trying to ambush them.
In the street- Kate grunted and nodded, still in obvious pain from her wound, but she continued slowly. "It'll get dark before long," said Kate. "Maybe that will work to the advantage of whoever tries after us. But who will that be? Who's left that can go? There's Rachel Cohen, but she's there to protect the scientists, not to go on the offense."
"Hey, I don´t know. Maybe we´ll just have to wait. Let´s get to the school."Emilio continues onwards helping Kate the best he can without carrying her.
In the street- Emilio and Kate reached the next intersection. They were now nine blocks north of the school. "I just hope nothing bad happens to Erica in the meantime," Kate said.
As it starts to get darker, Emilio considers the option to look for a car that would start. An old model being parked on the sidewalk. That would get them back faster. And he´d be able to hotwire it, at least he thinks so. "Let´s see if we can find a classic and get some speed, this sucks."
"Kate, it´s a long way to the school. Maybe too long and it´s getting late. We´d better hole up in one of these residential houses." Emilio checks the closest door to see if it opens. "We can rest here and keep lookout for raiders. Just we keep out of sight from anyone, we´ll be safe. It´s not safe out here on the streets. If walkers from outside the EMP perimeter comes here, they will be unaffected by the pulse.""How much ammo do you have left?" He tries the door...
In the street-
The first door Emilio tried was locked.
"No..." moaned Kate. "We have to reach the school. We have to tell them what happened and where the warehouse is. It's Erica's only chance. If we don't hurry, they could clear out of there. And I need a doctor." She checked her belt pouches. "I've got almost two full magazines for my Glock, and some smaller 9mm magazines for my other automatic. I've got Chuck's .357 Magnum, but no reloads for it. I also have a bunch more shotgun shells."
OOC,[b]Emilio[/b], if you want to keep trying doors, roll Luck.
Trying some other doors, Emilio faces the reality that they´ll have to soldier on towards school. "Forget this. OK, but get up on my back again and let me try to get us back as fast as possible. Every second out here feels like a hazard."
In the street- Emilio scooped up Kate and slung her over his shoulder, enabling him to walk much faster. She pressed her face against his shoulder and quietly sobbed. They progressed another block, and they were now seven blocks from the school.
In the street-
"Uh huh," sniffled Kate. She lifted her head, dried her eyes, and looked back over Emilio's shoulder. "I'm the one who failed. I'm a lousy cop, and I got one of my own killed."
Emilio had progressed another block. They were now six blocks north of the school, and one block west.
In the street-
The noise Emilio heard was instantly recognizable as a running automobile engine moving closer. Someone who spent as much time around cars as he did couldn't mistake it. But it was coming from behind, not ahead. Glancing back, Emilio saw the Jamaicans' VW minibus off in the distance, approaching from the north.
"Jeez, you better get off, Kate. We´re having visitors."Emilio lets Kate climb off of him and says, "Get that Glock ready. We´ll see what they want." He steps out on the street and stand in the middle, raises the shotgun and aims at the approaching car. If they want to talk, they sure would stop at a distance. If not he´ll have to stop them by shooting the tires or the window shield. "Make sure you hit the driver if they try to run me over..." He makes a little tap dance to get the blood flowing...
In the street-
"Oh no," groaned Kate. "They've found us." When Emilio set her down, she leaned against a nearby parked car, one that would never go anywhere again, and drew her Glock. She clutched it fiercely as the Volkswagen approached, her knuckles turning white with terror. The vehicle approached to about fifty yards from where Emilio stood before stopping.
In the street-
The minibus wasn't getting any closer. It was still just under fifty yards away. While it had tinted windows, Emilio was able to make out two Jamaicans sitting in the front seats. One was the guy with the shotgun, and the other was Doug Marley. He couldn't tell if anyone was further back in the bus. Kate squinted at the vehicle. "Can't see a thing," she said.
The Jamaican in the driver's seat got out, and Doug slid over into the driver's seat to take his place. The guy with the shotgun pointed it at Emilio and called "Drop your weapons and we won't kill you!" Emilio could see that his leg was bandaged - Tiny had bitten him - but he did not appear too badly hurt.
OOC,If you want to shoot at him, the range is normal, but you'd only do 1d6 damage at this distance.
Determined not to back down, Emilio replies with a blast with the shotgun. The shot hits the unbandaged leg with brute force."Come and get us, mon!"
To Kate, he hisses, "Take down the driver, or at least the wind shield if you can."
He pumps the shotgun into action and prepares to take a second shot, should the man not go down - or if the other Jamaican decides to try to run him over.
"At this range I'll be lucky to hit the van at all," said Kate, who couldn't even see the driver through the tinted windscreen. She opened fire as the VW did indeed start moving closer. Her first two shots went wide, but the third struck the vehicle, pinging off the fender. The bus was already swerving, and the shot distracted the driver even more. It began to fishtail badly and skid. Emilio was no longer in danger of being run over, as the vehicle was far off course, but there was still an angry, wounded Jamaican with a shotgun trying to take him down.
Whatever Emilio did now would result in a blast from the Jamaican... He shoots another shell at the man far away. Hi misses. The wound in his stomach had taken the edge off of his aim.
Roll:
Spoiler:
1/03/2011, 13:57
Just using the die roller for another game: Montoya´s shot at the Jamaican-
"NO!" cried Kate. All thoughts of personal safety thrown aside, she holstered her pistol, slid to the pavement, and crawled over to where Emilio lay. "Don't you die on me!" She applied pressure to his head wound, her determination to save his life making her hands work like magic. Emilio returned to the land of the living, coughing weakly. While Kate had been busy saving his life, Doug Marley had climbed out of the VW and was pointing a Glock 17 at them. Kate raised her bloody hands. "Don't kill him!" she begged. "Please, I'll do anything you want!" She looked at Emilio with watering eyes, swallowing. "They got us. Don't try to be a hero, or they'll finish you off. As long as we're alive, there's still hope."
OOC,The shotgun only does 1d6 damage at that range, not 2d6, but you missed anyway. Lucky for you it didn't do 2d6, or you'd be dead now. As it is, you took 5 damage, taking you to -2, but [b]Kate[/b]'s critical success at First Aid gave you back 3 HP, bringing you back to 1.
Emilio can feel the icky substance in his face as he tries to link "Ough! No-o hero, got it.! He winces and watches the smirking Jamaican in the clouds.
OOC,No problem. It didn't matter anyway, as that shot missed.
In the street- Kate squeezed Emilio's hand, her palm sweating with fear.
The Jamaican with the shotgun limped forward, keeping it trained on Emilio and Kate. "I got 'em covered," he said. "Disarm them."
"Sure thing, Lou," said Doug Marley. With his pistol in one hand, he kicked the fallen shotgun and the baseball bat away from Emilio's reach. Then he removed Kate's belt with all of her weapons attached and slipped it around his own waist. "Finally got my piece back." After that, he picked up the shotgun and slung it over his shoulder. He cuffed Emilio's hands behind his back with Kate's handcuffs and patted him down, but he didn't find much. He couldn't miss the boxes of shells he carried, which he kept and placed in his backpack. When he finished, he scooped up the bat just as Lou arrived.
In the street-
"Not if you don't give us a reason to kill you," said Lou.
"Your turn next," Doug said to Kate, patting her down.
"Please, Doug," she said, "you don't have to do this. Let us go. We won't tell anyone."
"How stupid do you think I am? You held me prisoner, now see how you like it." He stopped for a second and grinned. "Take off your shirt."
"Wh-what? No-"
"I said, take it off." He pointed his pistol at Emilio. "Or your boyfriend gets it."
"Okay, okay!" Kate unbuttoned her uniform shirt and shrugged it off, revealing the Kevlar vest she was wearing underneath it.
"I knew you had a vest. Now take that off too."
Kate lowered her eyelids as she removed her vest, stripping down to her bra. She reached out for her shirt to pull it back on, but Doug shook his head. She wiped off her bloody hands on it and let it drop instead.
While Doug was searching Kate, Lou tried to haul Emilio to his feet, but he was a little too heavy. "Into the bus, mon. Back seat."
Emilio gets to his feet and winces at the pain. He manages to get into the back seat of the vehicle.
Getting seated he buckles up. "Why are you kidnapping people, guys? That pilot, and the others? Why?"
In the street- Lou slipped the Kevlar vest over one arm and helped Doug pick up Kate. They took her inside the minibus and placed her into the back next to Emilio, where she buckled herself in too.
"I'll drive," said Lou, sliding behind the wheel and placing the vest on the empty seat beside him. "You keep an eye on them."
"Right," said Doug, sitting in the middle seat and keeping his pistol trained on the captives. "Look, we hadn't kidnapped anyone. Darnell and his friends took Erica as a hostage to keep anyone from coming after us. The rest of them joined our posse of their own free will."
"What have you done with Erica?" asked Kate.
"Don't worry, we're taking good care of her. We can't risk anyone else finding out where our hideout is. That's why we can't let any of you go."
Lou nodded as he started to turn the VW around. "It's either take you prisoner or kill you. I'd be perfectly happy killing you after you shot me, mon. The only reason I'm keeping you alive is because the pretty lady cop asked so nicely."
In the street- Lou began driving back the way they had come. As the VW rolled along, KatebandagedEmilio's stomach wound, cannibalizing his shirt to do so. He felt a lot better when she was done. "Sorry I had to ruin your shirt," she said, "but I don't have much left in the way of clothes." She self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest, gripping her shoulders and looking nervously at Doug who still held them at gunpoint.
Soon the minibus reached the street in front of the warehouse and approached the garage doors, which were closed.
"You know why I came after you guys, right? You took my car right from under my nose..." He puts his hand around Kate to give her some comfort. "Is she all right? I´m quite a mechanic and can get her patched up quite good."
He looks at the two Jamaicans. "The stuff in the Mustang, I have more at the garage... Meds, guns, provisions. If you´re looking to get away, you should have enough of that stuff. Just saying that if you let us and the pilot go we can give you that stash. Take whoever wants to join you and drive away. I bet you didn´t expect the car to be loaded with good stuff? So, there´s more where that came from. You could get to the garage from the road facing away from the school area. Then get the stuff. That is if you can convince your boss to let us and Erica go. You know you can´t stay at this place any longer."
Outside the warehouse- Kate pressed against Emilio, putting her own arm around him and leaning her head on his shoulder.
"No, we don't know that for sure," said Lou as one of the garage doors slowly opened. "That's something we're going to find out, but it's the boss's decision whether we stay or go. And we don't need your permission to go to Chuck's shop and take the rest of his stash. We can just go there tonight and get it. As for the Mustang, Darnell and his friends showed up driving it. I know it used to belong to Chuck, but I don't think he named you in his will. Heh, knowing him, he'd probably rather be buried in it than let anyone else have it. We got this other mechanic named Brian working on it. He's pretty good. Our wheelman Ernie was doing a good job too, until your friends wasted him. Still, maybe we can put you to work and get some use out of you. We'll see what Damon says."
The garage door finished opening. Inside was Lisa Marley, waving. Lou drove the minibus inside. The sun was very low in the sky. As they passed inside, Emilio couldn't help wondering if he'd ever see it again.
On the main floor- Lou drove the VW in through the open garage door onto a vast warehouse floor and parked next to the red Mustang, which was sitting there with its hood up. "Out," said Doug.
So, trying to not get shot at again. All those names.... Cheers!