Z-Day - 11:11 PM Mountain Time - south of Crawford, Nebraska In the loft- Steve Bell and his daughter Caitlin lay curled up on bales of hay in the loft of the barn, wrapped in blankets. It was a cold and terrible night. They had barely survived the day, and Steve's wife Myra had not. They were still struggling with the loss.
When it had gotten dark, it became too dangerous to stay in the house and try to fend off the infected that were coming down from Crawford to the north. The two of them had holed up in the barn, where they had already gathered various supplies. The doors were barred, and they had climbed up to the loft and pulled the ladder up after them. At the front of the barn, a large, wide opening looked out onto the night. Steve's shotgun was at his side, but he had used many shells throughout the day and was down to his last box. Fortunately, the attacks had dwindled as time went by. There hadn't been any sign of movement outside for a couple of hours now.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], please roll against your Listen skill on 1d100. The base skill is 25% if it's not on your character sheet. Also, please roll Spot Hidden at 1/5 of your skill (due to the darkness). You will need to get less than or equal to 1/5 of your listed Spot Hidden skill on 1d100 to succeed, so [b]Steve[/b] needs an 8 or less and [b]Caitlin[/b] needs a 7 or less.
Steve Bell stared out of the loft opening, into the cold Nebraska night. It had been a long, terrible day and the night wasn't much better. Now he had time to think about what had happened, what he had done. He hadn't gotten much sleep, needless to say, but his daughter had insisted that he try.
He glanced over at Caitlin, bundled up nearby. She was the only thing keeping him going. His daughter had such a bright future ahead of her, and now-
Steve was startled out of his train of thought by a sudden noise. He grabbed and readied his shotgun while trying to peer out into the darkness. He sees nothing.
In the loft- Steve could hear soft footsteps outside, coming from the area in front of the farmhouse. He couldn't see who or what was producing them. Perhaps the house itself was blocking his view. He could only see the rear and side of the house from here.
Steve's mind raced over his options. It was probably another infected. But if it wasn't... A survivor? That might be even more dangerous. He had to think about Caitlin's safety. Still, he couldn't leave another human being out there with... them. Damn.
"Alright, stay down, out of sight. I'm going to turn on my flashlight, see if I can't draw them out. Maybe it's someone else who survived. If it's another one of those things... Well, I only hear one."
Steve Bell takes his flashlight in the hand holding the pump of the shotgun and flicks it on, casting a pool of light out onto the ground below. He is ready to fire if necessary.
In the loft-
When Steve pointed his flashlight below, he caught sight of a young woman running below, racing from the house towards the barn. She was about Caitlin's age or a little younger with blonde hair. She was beautiful - and stark naked. She was also badly injured, with many bruises and cuts on her body, and she looked very weary, terrified, and desperate. She carried a pair of matching pistols.
Caitlin stood up and moved to her father's side, peering down. "Oh, God!" she cried when she saw the other woman. "We have to help her!"
"Don´t shoot!" the woman gasps and looks at the tree and her two 9mm pistols. "There´s a monster coming after me, so keep quiet.."
Outside the barn- Lara dropped the pistol from her right hand, gripped the one that had been in her left hand in her mouth, and tried to climb the tree standing just outside the barn in an effort to reach the opening that led to the loft. However, she wasn't making any headway. She could hear a pair of footsteps from back at the farmhouse, but she still couldn't see anything there. They were gradually getting closer.
In the loft-
Even with the aid of the flashlight, Steve couldn't see anything out there yet. He hurried over to the ladder and lowered it over the edge of the loft to the interior of the barn. Then he slung the shotgun over his shoulder, attached the flashlight to his belt, and scurried down.
Caitlin had her own flashlight out and was peering out into the darkness below, but she still couldn't see anything. "Hang in there!" she hissed. "My dad's coming to let you in!"
In the barn- Steve reached the bottom of the ladder and stepped onto solid ground. The doors were not far away, and it would be a simple matter to unbar and open them. He could hear a pair of footsteps outside, getting slowly closer to the barn. He gauged them to be at the house.
In the barn- Lara retrieved her gun and scrambled inside the barn. She saw an old pickup truck parked here, its bed packed with supplies. A nearby ladder led up to the hayloft.
Before Steve could get the doors fully closed, he caught sight of what was pursuing her. It was definitely one of the infected, its angry red eyes glinting in the dark. It was only a few yards away from the still open doors, blood dripping from its jaws, and it was getting closer. Lara recognized it as one of the ones that had been chasing her. More footsteps could be heard back at the house. This thing wasn't alone.
A blanket fluttered down from the loft. "Here you go," said Caitlin.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], roll Sanity on 1d100 for seeing the zombie. Sanity loss is 0/1d10, so you lose no Sanity if you succeed at the roll but 1d10 if you fail. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, you must roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane. As long as you don't go temporarily insane, you may act freely and may close and bar the door before the zombie can get inside without having to roll anything. [b]Lara[/b], you do not need to roll Sanity, as you've not only seen this particular zombie before, you've also recently lost the maximum for seeing zombies already. You may close and bar the door with your own action, and you get to go first. Alternatively, you may climb the ladder without needing to roll anything. You may also take the blanket and wrap it around yourself in addition to either of these things.
If you want to shoot at the zombie, there will be no time to aim at the head. You can get off two shots with one pistol before it can get inside, and the range is point blank. If you want to fire both pistols, you may, but at 1/5 of your skill. Since the range is point blank, this becomes 2/5 of your skill. That would give you four shots, but your chance to hit for each one would be low. For each bullet that hits, you'd need to roll 1d20 for a random hit location. If you do shoot, you won't be able to seal the doors and will have to hope that [b]Steve[/b] doesn't go insane. The zombie will get inside and attack if the door isn't closed and barred after both of you act, presuming it isn't destroyed. [b]Steve[/b], if you fire your shotgun, you may use one or both barrels, again at point blank range. Either way, you only roll once on 1d100. If you do this, though, you'll have to do it before [b]Lara[/b] closes the door. Even if your chance to hit is 100% or more, you must still roll in case of an impale or Malfunction. The shotgun does 4d6 damage at this range per barrel, and you'd only roll 1d20 once on the random hit location table listed in the Rules and Guidelines thread.
In the loft- Caitlin took off her blanket and dropped it off of the edge of the loft. "Here you go," she said before turning back to the window and nervously looking out with her flashlight. That's when she saw the thing coming. She gulped, but she narrowly kept her fears in check.
Steve's mindlurches at the sight of the horror outside, the still fresh images from earlier today briefly assaulting him. However, he manages to hold it together enough to slam the door and bar it once more.
OOC,Hah, I fail my first ever sanity roll. It's strange that despite running and following the game for so long, I havn't actually played it myself. Till now, that is.
Seeing the man hesitate at the sight of the zombie, Lara gets her both guns up and train them at the lurker. The blanket falls on the ground behind her as the man regains his posture and bolts the door. A couple of rounds saved.
Good thing they have supplies and a car. So, a blanket to shield herself from cold and a plan for an escape, sometime in the close future. First things first....
When her target is lost, she stoops and grabs the blanket and wraps it around her, tucking the ends in as with the smaller towel before. She flicks the safety on on one of the 9mm and puts it in her cleavage. The primary gun she keeps in her right hand, safety off. "Thanks, guys. I´m reely happi you home.. I´m Lara. Lara Vornonova. I...I.. need rest. Those bastards..."
In the barn-
The conversation was interrupted by the thing outside starting to pound on the doors. They easily held - for now.
Steve noticed that Lara was speaking with a foreign accent.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], roll Know to try to place her accent. Only one of you may climb the ladder this turn, not both.
In the loft- Caitlin gasped when she looked out the opening. Two more of the infected had shown up and were approaching the barn. "Hurry and get up here!" she called. "There's three of them now!"
Steve places the accent it easily. However, he has more important things on his mind. The ladder wouldn't hold him and Lara at the same time, so he unslings his shotgun and covers the door.
Up the ladder, Lara nods to Caitlin and heads for the opening of the loft to the yard between the house and the barn. Only having one Ruger ready for action, she levels it against the targets battering the doors. "Thaks for the dress, sestra."
OOC:
Spoiler:
Assuming the round is over when Steve is waiting for his turn at the ladder.
OOC,You didn't need to roll Climb to get up the ladder, but I'll give you a check in your skill for that. DEX x 5 would be appropriate.
In the barn- Steve could tell that Lara had a clear Russian accent. Moscow, by the sound of it. Before he could dwell on this, there was more pounding on the doors - a lot of it! The doors nearly caved in under the relentless assault. They would surely breach the doors within seconds.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you may roll Climb to get up the ladder this turn. Normally you'd roll DEX x 5, but your Climb skill is better.
In the loft-
With one pistol tucked in her bosom and the other clutched in her mouth, Lara quickly scaled the ladder and reached the hayloft. A young lady about her age or a little younger, with red hair and freckles, was waiting to help her up. "You're welcome," she said. "Oh, you poor dear! My name's Caitlin. I'm a medical student. Let me help you." Both women then heard the barn doors cracking. "Daddy, hurry!" She gripped the top of the ladder.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b], you may work with [b]Caitlin[/b] to try to pull up the ladder while [b]Steve[/b] is climbing it. This will require a Resistance Table roll of the sum of your STR scores against his SIZ. This gives you a total of 20 against a 14, or an 80% chance. That way he'll make it to the loft if you succeed, even if he fails his roll.
If you want to instead shoot at one of the zombies beating on the door, you get two shots with one of the pistols. The range is normal, and you may aim at the head. Don't forget the -5 penatly for exhaustion as well as the -5 for aiming at the head.
Seeing the man hustling for the ladder, Lara abandons her post by the opening. Helping Caitlin with the ladder would benefit them all, shooting could be saved to later. She tugs at the other side of the ladder and Slowly but surely, the ladder slides over the ledge of the loft. More a matter of physics than the girls´combined strength, she guesses.
Steve slings the shotgun back and rushes up the ladder, all in one motion. This proves to be somewhat difficult. However, he manages to get up there, thanks to the help of the girls.
"Great! Now, we kill the intruders..." She steadies her gun hand with her left hand, to gain some stability to her worn muscles, in hope of lowering her odds of hitting the closest zombie in the head. "Standing above the creeps, instead of running away from them is a real good feeling", she muses to herself. Smiling as she squeezes the trigger guard.
In the loft- Lara found that she barely needed Caitlin's help, thanks to a rush of adrenalin. The two women hauled up the ladder while Steve was still on it. He made it onto the loft, and not a moment too soon. A loud crash came from below, indicating that the barn doors had finally been knocked down. Caitlin and Lara hurried over to the opening and looked down. Two of the zombies had already entered the barn. Whatever they were doing inside, they were no longer visible from the loft. The third was still within sight. Caitlin kept her flashlight trained on it.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Steve[/b], you may each shoot at the zombie for one combat round. First [b]Lara[/b] gets one shot with a pistol, then [b]Steve[/b] may fire his shotgun - either one or both barrels. Finally, [b]Lara[/b] gets her second shot, and then [b]Steve[/b] may fire his second barrel if he only fired one. The range is normal, and thanks to the flashlight and the closeness of the zombie, there is no penalty for darkness. There is only a -5 penalty due to aiming at the head (and [b]Lara[/b]'s additional -5 penatly for exhaustion). [b]Steve[/b], you can indicate in the Note section in Invisible Castle whether you fire one or two barrels. If two, you only need to make one Shotgun roll. It will take 10 or more damage to the zombie's head to destroy it (or 40 damage overall, if you were to shoot it without aiming at the head and didn't happen to hit it through luck). Once the zombie is destroyed, there is no need for further shots this round.
As much as the adrenaline had helped her haul the ladder up, it too makes her hands shake badly, making her aim too wide, missing the target. "Chyort voz'mi !"
The shotgun is unslung once more, and Steve takes careful aim at the head of the shambling figure. He fires one barrel and blasts the thing square in the face, reducing the beasts head into a bloody smear across the side of the barn wall.
OOC,I fired one barrel, and impaled, even with the -5 that I forgot to put in the notes of the roll. Remember, shop smart. Shop S-mart.
In the loft-
The zombie's head was blown into bits too small to see, and the headless corpse collapsed outside. The two inside the barn were still not visible.
Caitlin exhaled in relief. "Well, we're safe," she said, "but we're trapped up here. What do we do now?"
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Steve[/b], please roll Listen at full skill and Spot Hidden at 3/5 of your skill (thanks to the flashlights). [b]Lara[/b], you still have the -5 penalty, so your Spot Hidden roll has a 10% chance of succeeding.
Getting 10 damage on 8d6 was not guaranteed, so you still needed to roll just to make sure. I rolled for you this time.
Steve doesn't relax yet. He hears something, but he can't see what it is.
OOC,Sorry, I forgot entirely to post the damage roll I made. I did make it though. Bit less than you rolled, actually, at 26. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2816715/]One barrel, impaled on a 6 (needed 9 or lower) (8d6=26)[/url]
The shotgun blast rings in Lara´s ears and she fails to see anything below, except for the colourful display.
"We have problem." She comments to their situation. "I shoot before and many zombies came. Now we´ve shot again. Many more will come. Have you shot one before, mister?" She gets to her feet after not seeing anything moving. And starts to move over to the opening overlooking the yard. "If we get stuck up here when more are coming and the supplies are still in the car we´re in trouble." She thinks for a second while standing at the opening looking for more attackers. "What if we use the ladder to exit from here? While someone is covering the doors from here while the others climb down? Then we can get the drop on those monsters from two angles... Otherwise only make them interested in the noise outside?"
OOC,It is certainly possible to lower the ladder out of the opening so that it leads outside.
I forgot that the Spot Hidden rolls should have been at 2/5 skill with flashlights, not 3/5. It didn't matter anyway in this case.
Steve Bell,[b]Steve[/b] could hear two pairs of footsteps slowly approaching the barn from the northwest, in the direction of the highway. One seemed to be at the house, and the second set was further back, at the highway itself.
"OK, we get the ladder out. Kill the monsters and drive away before all comes here, yes?" Lara begins to drag the ladder towards the opening. She stops almost right away and offers the spare gun to Caitlin. "Here!"
"Sounds like your right, I think I can hear more coming. I'll head down the ladder, you cover me from up here. If something happens to me, get my daughter out of here, you understand?"
"OK, get down and I cover ones in here. Get to the car and I´ll shoot ones coming at you. You, watch your dad, sestra."Lara waves Caitlin to the ladder where Steve is preparing to climb. She goes back to the edge of the loft and tries to spot the two dead below-
In the loft- Caitlin took the second pistol. She had never fired one before, but it couldn't be that hard. While Steve climbed down the ladder, Lara peered over the edge of the loft on the inside, but she couldn't see the zombies. It soon became apparent why.
Caitlin watched as Steve reached the ground outside the barn. No sooner had he done so than the two remaining zombies emerged from the gaping hole where the barn doors had once stood and came after him. At the same time, another one headed for him from the other direction, coming around the corner from the farmhouse. Caitlin watched in horror as they closed in.
OOC,[b]Caitlin[/b], roll Sanity for seeing the new zombie. Sanity loss is 0/1d10. If you succeed, you lose no Sanity, but if you fail, you lose 1d10. If you lose 5 or more, you must roll Idea. If you fail this roll, then you may act freely, but if you succeed, you will go temporarily insane.
If you fire at one of the zombies below, you will not have time to aim at the head before they attack [b]Steve[/b]. The base skill with Handgun is only 20%, and you may fire twice. For each bullet that hits, you would roll 1d20 on the random hit location table in the Rules and Guidelines thread and 1d10 for damage. If your roll to hit was 4 or less (1/5 of your skill), this is an impale and the bullet does 2d10 damage instead. However, for each bullet that misses, you must roll Luck. Failing this roll means you will hit [b]Steve[/b] by accident, as the zombies are very close to him. You may prefer not to shoot at all.
[b]Lara[/b], you also have the option to shoot twice as above. However, while you have decent Handgun skill, your Luck is even lower. You do not need to roll Sanity, as you're used to zombies after having recently lost 10 Sanity for encountering them.
Outside the barn- Steve reached the bottom of the ladder and was shocked to see the infected approaching him from both inside and outside the barn. He did not have much time before they attacked him.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], first you must roll Sanity for seeing the new zombie. Sanity loss is 0/1d10 as before. but you've already lost 4 Sanity for seeing zombies and can lose a maximum of 6 more. If you roll a loss of more than 6, it counts as only 6. If you lose 5 or more, you must roll Idea as above. If you do not go temporarily insane, you may act freely.
You only have one shell left loaded in your shotgun. If you choose to fire it, you are at point blank range, which doubles your effective skill. You'll still need to roll in case of an impale or malfunction. There is no time to aim at the head before they attack you, and all surviving zombies will get to attack you after you fire, which could be the end of you.
If you choose to try to get back up the ladder quickly, roll Climb. Failure means that you'll still be low enough for the zombies to attack you. In that case, you should roll Dodge a few times just in case. If you succeed at the Climb roll, you'll reach the loft safely.
OOC,Is it possible for me to make a full-on sprint away from the zombies? I think it'd be difficult for three relatively uncoordinated 'people' to completely surround a man. Also, how fast are these zombies? I recall mention of there being different 'speeds' of zombies. Sorry for all the questions, just exploring my options.
OOC,Yes, you can simply run away from them. You have one zombie coming from the west and two from the east (where the barn is), so you could run north or south to get away from both groups. These zombies move slowly, so you could outrun them, but you wouldn't be able to keep running forever.
Sanity Loss,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2825532/]10... really? Well, that's 20% of remaining SAN...[/url]
Idea,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2825533/]62% - Insanity, here I come.[/url]
Seeing another of the infected round the corner and close in on her dad, Caitlin's composure cracks. She screams shrilly "WATCH OUT! THERE'S ANOTHER ONE! DADDY, DON'T LET THEM GET YOU! DADDYYYY!!!"
In the loft- Caitlin was clearly distraught, but there was nothing Lara could do for her. Not wanting to risk hitting Steve, the two women could only watch as he led the three zombies away to the south. By the time there was enough space between them and Steve to shoot without much risk, they were all enshrouded by darkness.
And then another zombie came out of the darkness from the direction of the farmhouse. It shuffled towards the barn.
Caitlin Bell,[b]Caitlin[/b] gaped in terror as more zombies came out of the night. There had to be dozens of them, scores of them! They were all converging on the barn.
[spoiler][b]Caitlin[/b], you have gone indefinitely insane as a result of losing 20% of your Sanity, but your indefinite insanity will not kick in until your temporary insanity ends. I'll let you know what it is at the time. In the meantime, you may act freely.[/spoiler]
OOC,[b]Lara[/b], it is Psychoanalysis that can suppress temporary insanity, not Psychology. The base skill is only 1%. Needless to say, you failed and cannot try again. You also cannot both try that and climb down the ladder. It's a good thing too, because if you had climbed down there, the zombies would have been able to attack you. The same thing can happen if you climb down now.
[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], you may both fire two shots this round. You may target a zombie's head, with a -5 penalty to hit, but if you do this both of your shots must target the same zombie. If you kill your target with one shot, you don't get a second one this round. If you fire at the zombies chasing [b]Steve[/b], your Handgun skill will be reduced to 1/5 its regular level due to the darkness. Aiming at the head will bring a -5 penalty on top of that. You will not risk hitting [b]Steve[/b] unless perhaps you critically miss. Shooting at a zombie outside the barn doesn't have the darkness penalty, just the -5 for targeting the head.
Outside the barn- Steve hurried away to the south, the three zombies trailing after him. He was able to widen his lead on them a little, but they were still less than five yards away. He was approaching a cornfield, one of several on his farm.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you are still too close to fire at a zombie without risk, though you are now out of point blank range. You may reload your shotgun while running, by the way.
Seeing even MORE emerge from the shadows, Caitlin brings the gun to bear and squeezes off some rounds at the oncoming foes, too frazzled to aim for anything in particular. This, of course, does not help her success in hitting the brutes.
The aging farmer sees the cornfield ahead and begins to swing to the left in an attempt to run a wide circle that would get him heading back towards the barn. Steve digs through one pocket full of shotgun shells as he reloads his gun. The sound of gunshots spurs him on even faster.
In the loft-
The zombie continued on to the barn unimpeded. It bumped into the ladder, causing it to topple over and clatter to the ground, leaving the women stuck in the loft. The zombie than entered into the barn and was gone from sight, but another one emerged from the blackness to take its place. It too slowly approached the barn. Steve and the zombies following him rounded the corner of the barn and were no longer visible.
Caitlin Bell,More and more of the infected came out of the night and swarmed towards the barn. Those that had already arrived began to filter inside. They were everywhere!
OOC,If you wish to unjam the pistol, you will need to roll Handgun or Mechanical Repair, whichever is higher. The base skill for both is 20%, so it doesn't matter if [b]Caitlin[/b] were to try, but [b]Lara[/b] would use Handgun (again with the -5 penalty for exhaustion). If you succeed, roll 1d6 to see how many rounds (including this one) it takes to clear the jam. If you fail, you just waste the current round. If you critically fail, you break the weapon.
[b]Caitlin[/b], you may fire two shots again if you wish. If you give the gun to [b]Lara[/b], she may only fire one shot this round, as she did not start with it ready.
Behind the barn- Steve ran around the side of the barn and reached the rear, managing to enlarge his lead on the three zombies behind him a little more. They were still close enough to pose a danger, however. Beyond the barn, to the east, stood the stables. He would also be able to reach the front of the barn again by running around the north side.
OOC,The zombies are still close enough to reach and attack you if you shoot at one of them now. One more round of running will give you enough of a lead to fire safely once.
OOC,What's in the stables, as far as Steve knows? Any horses? Also, the kind of stable I'm imagining is the type that is a covered building with large doors on either end and individual stalls for the animals. Correct?
Larafumbles awkwardly with the 9mm trying to get it unjammed. While doing so she realizes she has 12 rounds left. They have to count, not get wasted. "Sestra, don´t shoot at them, we have no bullets." She stares down at the barn filling with zombies and curses that the ladder fell down. Then she sees that if she had had climbed down she would have been in the midst of the crowd.
"We are safe up here, sestra. They not come up. Do you have eat up here or only in car?"
While talking, Lara looks around for something alike to a fishing rod or hooked pitch fork and some rope or hemp. Is there a block and tackle in the opening up here? She tries to come up with a way to get some of the gear from the pick up´s bed.
"Got keys to the truck?"
The infected were close behind yet, but he was gaining ground. He tore through the doors of the stable, and spins to slam them shut behind him, presuming nothing horrible is lurking immediately within.
Caitlin, having lost sight of the enemy for a time, lets her arms fall of their own weight and pants heavily. Panic still creeped around the edges of her eyes as she spoke in a shaky voice. "They're inside. My dad's outside. We have no way out. What are we going to do?"
In the loft-
The newly arrived zombie also trudged into the barn.
Lara Vornova,Two zombies had entered the barn, and no more were visible outside.
Caitlin Bell,Over a dozen of the infected were in the barn now, and many more were outside. The place was crawling with them!
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], you may roll Spot Hidden to search for something to use. The base skill is 25%. You may also both roll Idea.
Outside the stables- Steve ran for the stables and was now close to the entrance. The infected on his trail dropped a little further back, giving him some - but not much - breathing room.
OOC,You couldn't both reach the stables and get inside in one round. You may do so this round if you wish without having to roll anything. The zombies are now almost ten yards behind you. If you fire at one of them, you'll only have a 10% chance to hit due to the 1/5 darkness penalty (or 5% if you aim at the head). You may fire both barrels together (one Shotgun roll for both) or one and then the other (two separate Shotgun rolls) in the same round if you wish. If you fire, the zombies won't be able to attack you this round. However, you'd be hard pressed to get inside and bar the door the following round if you did. You may do it now with no problem.
Realizing that they might be better off if they stay still she stops and reflects on their dilemma. Could they maybe shout at Caitlin´s dad to get him lure them over to his location? That could work if they were to remain completely quiet... That is at least one of the ideas running though the model´s mind. She pulls Caitlin to herself and hushes.
"shhh..sestra... c o m e ..."
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] is an archaeology student, not a model. You might have mixed her up with [b]Katarina[/b]. The Spot Hidden roll actually had a 20% chance because of the fatigue penalty, but it failed either way. The Idea roll should be INT x 4 instead of INT x 5 due to fatigue, but you still succeed - barely.
The keys to the truck are in the ignition, and it's all ready to go. There is no food in the loft, unless you want to eat hay. ;)
In the loft-
Neither Lara nor Caitlin could see anything of use up here but numerous bales of hay. It was just too dark to search thoroughly.
Lara Voronova,[b]Lara[/b] realized that the two of them were safe up in the loft for now. They couldn't stay up there indefinitely without food or water, however, and getting down could be dangerous and painful. Perhaps if the hay bales were pushed off the edge, they could cushion the landing of someone dropping down, and she could then replace the ladder. However, doing that while the two zombies were in the barn would be extremely dangerous. The best chance they had was to be ready for when [b]Steve[/b] is able to draw them out after him.
While she's up here, it would be a good idea to get some medical treatment. [b]Caitlin[/b] had mentioned that she's a medical student, and she had a first aid kit.
[spoiler][b]Lara[/b] can also try First Aid on herself again at this point, but again there's a -5 penalty.[/spoiler]
In the stables- Steve rushed inside and dropped the bar to keep the door shut behind him. Outside, he could hear the three infected moaning. Inside, he could see the two horses in their stalls. They whinnied and were obviously agitated, though they did seem glad to see him. A lantern also hung on a hook near the entrance. At the back of the stables, another identical door led out.
Caitlin collapses in Lara's arms, sobbing. "There are keys in the truck," she says when her sobs subside. "You asked about the keys. They're in the truck."
"Good, then we can drive." Lara hugs Caitlin back. Feeling her arms and legs ache she helps herself to the medical bag Caitlin has. "I may? It hurts bad."She manages to patch up some of the bruising.And feels a little better. "When we´ve rested a bit and those tings have left the barn. We push the hay down and jump. Then drive and fetch your dad. Now can you look at my back? I think I´m wounded there. Fell down stairs before." She puts the medical bag aside and lets the blanket fall off her back.
OOC,[b]Caitlin[/b], you may try a Medicine roll to further treat [b]Lara[/b]'s injury. If you succeed, roll 1d3 to see how many additional HP she recovers.
Steve Bell,[b]Steve[/b] could tell that it was the presence of the infected that agitated the horses. He had seen them display this behavior earlier in the day too. He didn't know how, but somehow they were able to sense them - something which could prove very useful. Horses had enough sense to be disturbed by the infected and avoid them, and they often seemed to him to be more sensible than humans. The infected had ignored the horses during their earlier attacks on the farm, however. They only went after people.
[spoiler]If you ride a horse, you will not need to make Ride rolls under normal circumstances - only if you are trying a fancy maneuever or attempting to ride through zombies, or something similar.[/spoiler]
In the loft- Caitlin was able to expertly treat Lara's injuries, which she saw were consistent with a fall from significant height onto a hard surface. She cleaned and bandaged the many minor cuts and put ointment on her abrasions. Lara felt a good deal better - at least physically - but it would be days before she would completely recover.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b], you may try to unjam the gun again if you wish by rolling Handgun (with the -5 penalty for exhaustion). If you succeed, roll 1d6 to see how many rounds it will take to finish, including this one.
In the stables-
The lantern wasn't electric, so Steve ignited it. He opened the stall and hastily saddled the horse as banging on the stable door began. He had just mounted up when the door was smashed inwards by the three zombies that had been chasing him.
Failing to eject the cartridge from the jammed round last attemptLara closes her eyes and makes the process step by step. Going through the steps listening and feeling her way through. She pushes the magazine eject button at the bottom of the pistol grip and removes the magazine from the Ruger's handle. She then slowly pulls back on the slide to eject any round that might have been chambered in the pistol barrel. When having examined the pistol she checks the magazine for displaced rounds in the mag, pulling them out one by one then putting them back in. Lastly she pushes the magazine back up the grip and it is ready for use. She counted 12 rounds left. That would be enough for three encounters at the most. That is if she´s lucky. Hopefully it will be enough to get them safely in the truck.
Outside the barn- Steve spurred his horse to a gallop after he exited from the stables, leaving the zombies behind inside, though he could see they were still following him and heading for the rear exit when he rounded the corner. He raced around to the front of the stables, then across the open ground to the barn, and finally around it to the front. When he reached the front of the barn, the two zombies that had entered in his absence stepped over the broken barn doors and emerged, just a few yards away from him.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], roll Sanity for seeing these new zombies. Sanity loss is 0/1d10 as before. If you lose more than 6 Sanity, it only counts as 6. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, you must roll Idea. As long as you fail the roll, you're okay, but if you succeed then you go temporarily insane. As long as you do not go insane, you may act freely. Note that if you fire at a zombie (both of which are at point blank range), any surviving zombies will get to attack you, and there is no time to aim at the head.
In the loft- Lara continued to work on clearing the jammed pistol while Caitlin treated her many cuts, scrapes, and bruises. When Steve shouted, she was almost - but not quite - done. The zombies that came out of the barn were now visible.
OOC,All of this was too much to do in one round, but I sped things up since everybody was busy doing something that would take multiple rounds. This update covers four rounds.
[b]Lara[/b], it will take you one more round to finish unjamming the pistol. You cannot fire it this round, but you may spend this round finishing so that you could potentially fire in the following round.
[b]Caitlin[/b], you may fire up to two shots now if you wish. There is no danger of hitting [b]Steve[/b] if he rides away, and you may aim at the head in that event.
Caitlin Bell,Several zombies emerged from the barn, but there were still plenty left inside and even more had remained outside.
Steve tugs on the reins and turns the horse away from the oncoming zombies. Throughout this he shouts at the monsters, and also encouragements up to the women.
"Just stay quiet up there girls, they should follow me! Just hang in there! Get in the truck as soon as you are sure they are gone!"
Steve's mind is hardened by the events of the day and his need to protect his daughter.
Worried that the cruel monsters would find a way up to the loft, Caitlin fires two shots into the throng beneath her inside the barn, firing wide both times. "Why don't we just let them all in and set the whole place on fire while we climb out the window? Would be better than me trying to shoot all of them!"
On the road- Steve spurred his horse west, following the dirt track that led away from the barn to the edge of the paved highway running north to Crawford and south away from it. The horse didn't need any encouragement; it was just as eager to get away from them as he was. The two zombies from the barn trudged after him, but they couldn't keep up with a man on horseback.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you may fire your shotgun safely this round if you wish to do so. The zombies are far enough behind you that there is a darkness penalty, cutting your skill to 1/5 of its normal level. If you aim at the head, there is a -5 penalty on top of that. At this range you would do 4d6 damage per hit. The same rules as before apply for shooting at zombies.
In the loft-
The two women were safe enough up here for now, but they couldn't stay here forever. There was that tree within reach of the edge of the window which one of them could use to climb down and then set up the ladder, in addition to the possibility of jumping onto bales of hay. Those bales could be tossed to the base of the tree to soften any fall from that as well. Lara finally finished clearing the jam and her pistol was ready to fire.
Lara Voronova,The two zombies shambled off to the west in pursuit of [b]Steve[/b], though they moved much slower than he did. They were now barely visible in the darkness.
[spoiler]There is now a darkness penalty if you wish to shoot at either of the two zombies following [b]Steve[/b]. Your effective skill is only 1/5 of its normal level, and there the a -5 penalty on top of that for exhaustion. Aiming at the head adds another -5 penalty.[/spoiler]
Caitlin Bell,Some of the zombies trailed off after [b]Steve[/b], but plenty of them remained. They were inside the barn and outside the barn, swarming all over the place! How could anyone hope to kill all of them?
[spoiler]If you wish to shoot at the zombies following [b]Steve[/b], a darkness penalty now applies. Your effective skill is 1/5 of its normal level, which gives only a 4% chance. If you aim at the head, you'll only hit on a 1 on 1d100. The zombies around the barn do not have the darkness penalty.[/spoiler]
OOC,You may attempt to get down if you want to do so. Only one of you may try to climb the tree this round. Whoever does this would need to roll Climb. If you fail the roll, roll Jump. If you just jump off the loft, roll Jump. There are currently no hay bales in place, but one of you may push them off of the edge either inside or outside of the barn this round to help the other get down.
Feeling more confident as she has managed to clear the gun, Lara hauls some bales down the bottom of the tree. While doing so she tells Caitlin"You climb - get the ladder! I shoot the fucks! I´m better." She waits for Cait to hustle and a target to present itself coming out of the barn.
Fire his shotgun back at his pursuers. He misses, but he didn't expect to hit. He keeps the zombies at a safe distance, but trys to insure they keep chasing him. Essentially, he's herding them, just like cattle. Only the cattle is chasing him in hopes of eating his flesh.
OOC,[b]Caitlin[/b], you are still in the loft and the ladder is on the ground. Before you can replace it, you must climb down. You'll need to roll Climb (and Jump if that fails). The base skill for Climb is 40%, and the base skill for Jump is 25%. Your action this round will be climbing, and you will not be able to do anything with the ladder until the following round.
[b]Steve[/b], you may fire the second barrel this round if you wish as well. You may not, however, move until the following round.
Lara Voronova,Both of the zombies that entered the barn have emerged. There shouldn't be any left inside.
On the road-
Buckshot sped off into the night as Steve emptied one of his barrels. The two zombies continued towards him unhindered, and they were now less than ten feet away.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you are currently at point blank range, but if you remain here the zombies will get to attack this round. If you ride away and fire, your skill will be halved (effectively negating the point blank bonus), but there is no darkness penalty this round because they are so close. However, you cannot aim at the head this round, also because they are so close. If you move, make sure you specify which direction you're going. You may reload while moving if you do not shoot.
In the loft- Lara waited while Caitlin scurried down the tree.
Outside the barn- Caitlin scaled the tree like Spider-Man and made it to the bottom in record time, then picked up the ladder and leaned it against the barn, so that the top was now accessible from the loft.
Caitlin Bell,[b]Caitlin[/b] realized to her horror that she was now surrounded by the infected. They closed in on her from every direction, from outside of the barn and from within. There was no escape!
OOC,You had pulled up the ladder when [b]Steve[/b] climbed up, but you had later placed it against the outside of the barn when he climbed back down. Then more zombies showed up and knocked the ladder over on their way into the barn.
Since you critically succeeded on your Climb roll, you got down with enough time to set up the ladder last round. Now [b]Lara[/b] may spend her action this round climbing down. She does not need to roll anything.
[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], please roll Listen in addition to whatever action you take. [b]Lara[/b], remember your -5 penalty for exhaustion.
Seeing how swiftly the farm girl had scaled the tree, Lara holds the 9mm in her right hand and holds on to the ladder with her left and starts climbing down, slowly. She keeps a look out fro any zombies closing in on Caitlin. "Can you start the car? I´m right behind you!"
OOC,I edited the final line of the OOC comment in my last post right after making it, but it seems you read it before I was able to do so. Please roll Listen, remembering the -5 penalty.
Her heart beating in her chest, makes it impossible to hear anything but the thumping vibrations in her eardrums. Lara barely hears her own voice when she speaks to Caitlin.
Steve unloads his other barrel into one of the zombies. The blast catches the monster in the face, pulping it. He urges the horse north along the road, in the direction that he and Caitlin were planning on heading in the morning.
OOC,A fortuitous hit location roll. We were heading north, right? If not, make that the other way.
Moving on the hay and through the loose leaves, Caitlin heard nothing, astounded at the silence of the enemies bearing right down on her. "Lara! Get your ass down here! Now!!" She then moves beneath the ladder and pulls the scalpel out of her pocket and flicks the cardstock sleeve off the blade, holding it up in a futile effort to protect herself. "It's bad luck to stand beneath a ladder..." she whispers nervously to herself.
OOC,BTW, Spider-Man wasn't created till the 60's, hahaha.
OOC,Good thing this game is set in the 2010s, then. ;) It's The Terror Out of Time that's set in 1930.
Nice shot, [b]Steve[/b]! Yes, your ultimate destination is north. Of course, Crawford is only about a mile to the north, and that's where the zombies were coming from.
On the road- Steve's shotgun blast took off the top of the head of one of the infected, dropping him even as the horse trotted off north on the highway. The other infected continued its dogged pursuit, heedless of the buckshot that could just as easily fell it. It had dropped back, but it was still coming.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you may reload both barrels while moving if you wish. If you stay where you are, the second zombie will be about ten feet from you when you finish reloading and are ready to fire, presenting the same situation as last round, except that you can have both barrels loaded at that point.
Outside the barn- Caitlin cringed involuntarily as she saw the hordes closing in on her. They had her completely encircled now, and their arms were reaching out for her. Tears filled her eyes, and she shuddered as they came in for the kill. Then she blinked the tears away. The infected were gone. The only one visible was off in the distance to the northwest, chasing her father, who was on horseback. She could barely see them in the dark.
Lara reached the bottom of the ladder and rejoined Caitlin.
Caitlin Bell,Your temporary insanity has worn off, and now your indefinite insanity kicks in. Your insanity is a phobia: you are now terrified of zombies (aka "the infected"). You'll still be able to act freely when encountering them, and can fight them or run away from them as you see fit, but the one thing you won't be is calm.
Stowing the scalpel again in the retrieved sleeve, Caitlin starts toward the waiting vehicle. She turns only to wave Lara on and shout "Come on, now's our chance!"
Steve reloads both barrels of his weapon, slowing his horse enough that by the time he is done reloading, he will be in the same position he was when he dealt with the previous zombie.
Coming down the ladder, Lara goes straight to the busted doors of the barn and makes sure the barn is clear before getting in to the truck. Depending on which side Caitlin takes, Lara will either get in to the driver´s seat or the passenger´s seat. "Are we clear?" Assuming Caitlin has hopped in behind the steering wheel, Lara gets in on the other side and says, "Hit the road!"
OOC,You're trying to do too much in one round. You can both get inside the barn this round, but it will take another round to get into the truck and start it up, and a third round to actually drive out. You don't need to roll Drive Auto just to start driving. A roll is only required when doing something dangerous or tricky.
[b]Lara[/b] has higher DEX than [b]Caitlin[/b], so she reaches the truck slightly ahead of her.
On the road- Steve broke open his shotgun and reloaded both barrels, then slammed it closed again. The remaining infected person was now catching up to him.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you may fire again, using one or both barrels (and if you fire both barrels, you may fire both at once with a single Shotgun roll or one after the other using two separate Shotgun rolls). The range and chance to hit are the same as they were two rounds ago.
Outside the barn-
The two women ran into the barn.
In the barn- Lara and Caitlin hurried over to the pickup truck. Before they could get inside, three zombies shambled into view outside, visible through the wide open doorway.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], either or both of you may fire safely this round. The range is normal, but there is still a darkness penalty - unless someone gets in the driver's seat and starts up the truck, in which case there won't be thanks to the headlights. Note that if you fire you can't also get into the truck, and vice versa. You also won't be able to move the truck this round; that will have to wait until the following round. No Drive Auto roll is required at this point.
It worked so well last time, that Steve attempts the same maneuver again. This time, he fires both barrels, and the twin blasts shred the creature's chest.
Lara lets Caitlin run past her to the car and fires twice at the infected to the left. Her second round hits the thing in the forehead. It´s not enough to stop her target, though as it only jerks it´s head back and continues onwards.
The sound of the shots spurs Caitlin forward to open the truck door and jump inside. There, she fumbles frightenedly for the keys and the headlight nob.
OOC,The darkness penalty is not -5, it's dividing your skill by 5, but it doesn't apply this round since [b]Lara[/b] could let [b]Caitlin[/b] turn on the headlights before firing (she needs a little extra time to aim anyway). Both of those shots hit and kill one of the zombies.
On the road- Steve emptied both barrels one after the other into the ghoul's torso, knocking it down. Then, incredibly, it got back up and came after him again. Its ribcage was shattered, its heart shredded, and yet it still moved. Nobody could possibly have survived those wounds, and yet...Now it was just a handful of feet away, and his shotgun was empty.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], you may reload while moving. If you stay here, the zombie will get to attack you.
In the barn- Caitlin turned the key, and the engine roared to life. The headlights lit up the three zombies as they entered the barn. Lara double tapped, putting two slugs into the lead creature's head and sending it sprawling, but the other two were now just feet away.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b], you can get into the truck before [b]Caitlin[/b] or the zombies act. If you fire instead, the zombies are at point blank range, but then they will get to attack you. They will also attack if you remain where you are or if you try to get past them to the exit on foot. The only way to avoid them is to get into the truck.
[b]Caitlin[/b], once [b]Lara[/b] gets in you may drive out of the barn. You won't be able to get very far this round, though, and you will need to roll Drive Auto to get out without bumping into a zombie. The base skill is 20%.
Steve spurs his horse forward, and snaps his shotgun open. He slides two more shells in place. In the distance, the throaty roar of the truck could be heard in the otherwise quiet night.
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.
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."
"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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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]
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.
"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.
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.
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.**
Steve pops the glovebox and pulls a map of the area. Flicking on the overhead light, he opens the map the best he can in the cramped quarters.
"We should probably take these roads here... They should take us around the bigger towns, and we should be able to get there before our gas runs out."
He looks out the windows at the surrounding area. "It looks pretty clear. We should at least stop and see if we can't find Ms. Vornonova some clothes in the stuff you packed."
OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2861735/]Navigate 25 (1d100=5)[/url]. Invisible Castle really likes me for some reason. Unless I navigate so well that I realize the roads surrounding Crawford form some horrible eldritch sign that drives me mad. It's happened before.
"No hurry with clothes... Just get us there, thanks." Lara is grateful and needs the rest. She´ll lay her head back and get some sleep. It´s a long time since she slept.
Spoiler:
With those stellar rolls, I´ll save my roll... I´m fine to go ahead. Unless something gets in the way of our road trip...
OOC,That Navigate roll was a critical success, so you've found some shortcuts that will shave some time off of your journey.
On the road- Steve had driven to his brother's ranch before on numerous occassions, but he hadn't needed to avoid cities before on the way. Still, he found an excellent route that was actually faster than the way he normally took. Caitlin also knew the way quite well and understood the new route, so they would have no problem taking shifts. Their course would take them through lightly populated parts of South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana, and it looked like they would even arrive before sunrise. The tank would be pushing empty when they got there, but they were confident they would make it, and there would be more gas to be had at the ranch. There were extra changes of clothes for both of them among the supplies in the back. Caitlin's clothes would be a little tight on Lara, but they would fit her.
Lara leaned back and let exhaustion take her. After all the horror and anguish she had endured, she really needed the rest. What she had gone through would normally make it hard to sleep, but she was so wiped out that she was slumbering quickly.
Some time after Lara falls asleep, Steve glances up from the map and looks over at Caitlin. She looked so much like her mother that it hurt. He turned away before the memories could come, but it didn't help. The horrors that had come into his simple life were impossible to avoid.
"How are you holding up, Caitlin?" He spoke quietly, so as not to wake up their new companion.
Caitlin laughs tiredly. "You mean after all that's happened today? After..." Her words fail her for a good few seconds. "I'll live," she said, unconvincingly. "You?"
"I just want you to know that no matter what, I won't let anything happen to you. I couldn't... Well... You and I, we're all that we've got left. We're going to make it through this. We have to."
"Believe me, I'm not intending to give up on either of us too quickly. Just... if I were to become like... become like them... I don't want to live like that..."
Steve stares out the passenger window, into the dark woods. His face is drawn and weary, showing age in a way that had not been present before. For the first time in his life, he felt old. Old and worn out.
OOC,It wouldn't be a proper zombie horror without cliches. They are the genre's flesh and blood... so to speak.
Lara opens her eyes slowly as the car comes to a stop. "We´re there?" Taking in the scene she decides they are not. She flips the safety off the gun and looks around for any trouble coming at them.
On the road-
The next hour passed uneventfully, and it was past midnight. The truck had crossed the border into South Dakota some time ago and was now nearing a bridge leading across a river.
OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden at 3/5 skill (thanks to the headlights).
[b]Steve[/b], did you ever reload your shotgun? I don't think you said.
On the road-
Peering ahead, Caitlin could see that the wooden bridge was out. A large section in the middle of the bridge looked to have been destroyed, and there was no way the truck would get across the river here. She also saw three of the infected shambling into view from the sides of the road. The truck rolled past them before they could close in, but now they were behind it.
"Stop the truck!" Caitlin shouts, seeing the bridge. "The bridge is gone." The last thing she wanted was to be wrecked beneath a broken bridge on a night like this.
Steve slams on the breaks as Caitlin shouts, not having spotted the broken bridge.
OOC,Yes, I meant for Steve to reload while he was out of the car switching seats, I just didn't get the chance to post that. Should've done that before I said I was ready to advance. [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2876559/]1d100=16 Drive[/url] if you need that for stopping in time.
"We have to find another way, quickly. There are a few of them not too far behind us." Caitlin could feel the fear starting to rise up her back into the base of her neck at the thought of those beasts closing in with their planned route destroyed as it was.
"I get out and you drive away. I shoot and you shoot from the car. We have bigger chances."Lara reaches for the handle to get out. "No need to risk going to the ditch chasing away..." Assuming she can get out of the car, she waits for the car to move back the way they came and aims at the pursuing walkers as they close in. Hoping for a couple of shotgun blasts out the window of the truck.
With her being in the middle, Steve is well positioned to keep Lara from getting out of the truck.
"Look, don't be ridiculous. I'm sure we can get out of this without anyone having to go run off and risk getting bit. Worst comes to worst... well, let's hope the ads were right about this thing being built Ford tough."
OOC,Just out of curiosity, what would the rules be like on, say for example, full reversing into a small group of zombies? Also, is there enough space to 3-point turn?
On the road- Steve stopped well short of the bridge. The three infected reached the road about fifteen yards behind the truck.
OOC,No Drive Auto roll was needed to stop in time, though it would have been had nobody spotted that the bridge was out. Instead, you can use that successful roll for whatever maneuver you try now. You may reverse past them, and thanks to your success you won't crash into them and risk damaging the truck. You may also do a three-point turn here. While you'd have to go off-road, the truck is perfectly capable of doing so and the terrain around is flat. For that matter, you can leave the road entirely if you wish. Once you're clear of the zombies, you can easily outdistance them.
Since the land is flat and the truck is built for off-road travel, Steve turns the car around, driving off the road and around the infected. When they are past, he will get back on the road and drive a safe distance so that they can stop and figure out a new route.
"See? No problem. Nothing like good solid American engineering."
On the road- Steve easily bypassed the trio of infected. After a quick review of the map, he found that there was another bridge a few miles to the west that would get them across the river and back on track.
"Good another bridge. Are we close to your brother´s farm?"Lara adjusts a sweater and a pair of jeans she borrowed from Caitlin´s luggage in the back, when they switched drivers earlier on.
ooc:
Spoiler:
If that´s OK without stating that in-character earlier?
OOC,Yes, that's fine. You've only been on the road for an hour, so you've still got quite some distance to go.
On the road- Steve drove west and soon found the other bridge, which was thankfully intact. He crossed it and continued on the way north, easily finding his way onto the proper course.
Thankful that the alternate route is unblocked and crossed, Caitlin relaxes. "Let's just hope we get there before we run out of gas," she says as she slips back into a light slumber.
On the road-
Another couple of hours passed in silence, with the women getting some sleep while they had the chance as Steve drove ever northwards. The terrain got hillier as they proceeded through the western part of South Dakota and into North Dakota.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], please roll Spot Hidden at 3/5 skill again.
Steve drove through the cold and dark North Dakota night. With the girls asleep, he had nothing to take his mind off the terrible things that had happened to his family and, as far as he could tell, the rest of the country. His mind kept focusing on his wife's face, how he had seen it just before...
On the road- Steve continued driving. Without warning, there were three figures crouched low in the road directly ahead. They turned to look as the truck bore down on them, their red eyes bright in the glow of the headlights. They had been feeding on a woman's corpse lying in the middle of the road.
OOC,[b]Steve[/b], please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 0/1d10. Since you've lost 4 Sanity for seeing zombies recently, you can lose at most 6 more. Any loss of more than 6 counts as 6. If you lose 5 or more, you must roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane. Also, please roll Drive Auto, regardless of whether or not you go insane.
Steve's eyes widened as he suddenly sees the monsters tearing into the woman's corpse. Given his recent train of thoughts, this is profoundly disturbing to Steve, but his darker thoughts are scattered when he loses control of the car.
OOC,I failed my Sanity roll and my Drive roll, lost the maximum amount of SAN, BUT I did manage to fail my idea roll so I'm not temporarily insane. If we survive slamming into a pile of zombies, that is.
[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2917721/]Sanity at 66 (1d100=83)[/url]
[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2917724/]Sanity Loss up to 6 (1d10=8)[/url]
[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2917725/]Idea for Insanity at 60 (1d100=80)[/url]
[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2917726/]Drive at 40 (1d100=62)[/url]
On the road- Steve slammed on the brakes instinctively as he plowed into the trio of infected, knocking them aside and causing significant damage. The truck received some dents, but it was built Ford tough and could take a lot of punishment. The truck rolled past the zombies, and all seemed well at first, but then the vehicle began to list to the left and slowed to a crawl. The left front tire had been punctured. In the rear view mirror, the zombies could be seen in the tailights staggering to their feet and coming after the truck. They were about fifteen yards behind. The collision startled Lara and Caitlin awake.
OOC,Okay, so, a flat tire isn't necessarily going to cause the car to become inoperable. Can I ask how this will affect me game mechanics wise if I were to try and keep driving? Or is the car in bad enough shape that I really have to stop it or risk ruining it?
Lara is abruptly awaken by the skidding truck. She looks around for what caused Steve to stop the car. She flips the safety off the gun and checks for targets. "Why stoj?"...."...stop?"
OOC,The truck can still drive with a flat tire, but it moves very slowly. In fact, it moves at about the same speed as the zombies that are following you.
Steve curses, and then starts driving forward again, but he couldn't drive fast enough to outrun the infected and still maintain control of the truck. The best he could do was keep pace with them.
"We popped a tire. We can't get very far until I change it, and there are a few of those things chasing us."
On the road- Steve drove north for a few hundred yards, the infected doggedly trailing along behind him. There was a spare in the back, but it would take quite some time to change the tire, and the infected would have to be taken care of somehow. It would take forever to get to the ranch at this pace, as it was still about 150 miles away.
OOC,No, not in this case. It would improve your base range, but the zombies are already within your base range. Due to the darkness, you'd be at 1/5 of your Handgun skill just to hit them. Aiming for the head would mean another -5 penalty, applied after your skill is divided by 5. You may fire up to two shots this round, but keep in mind that you only have ten bullets.
[b]Steve[/b], please roll Luck.
On the road-
A little further down the road, the figure of a young man appeared in the headlights. He was sprawled on the dirt, facing away from the truck to the north and sobbing uncontrollably. The truck's reduced speed meant that Steve could easily avoid running him over. The three zombies were still following a short distance behind.
"What the... Damn it! There's someone alive out there!"
Steve halts the truck a short distance before the man in the dirt. If he has time to turn the truck around, he does so. In the likely event he does not, he grabs his shotgun and a flashlight and leaps out of the truck.
"We can't just lead them over him. We're going to have to take these things out on foot."
On the road- Steve could see that the zombies were so close that there was no time to turn around, not with a flat tire. He and Lara jumped out, leaving Caitlin in the truck's cab. The man lying in the road ignored them both. He just kept sobbing and moaning. "Clara! Why?!?" he bawled.
The three zombies continued to advance while the truck was stopped. They were now only about five yards away and would arrive very soon.
OOC,The zombies are within point blank range for [b]Lara[/b], but not for [b]Steve[/b]. They are close enough that there is no darkness penalty, and there is no time to aim at the head. However, if you fire this round, you will not get to move, and the zombies will be able to attack you after you fire. They will also be able to attack if you remain where you are, as they will reach the truck this round. If you get back in, they won't be able to attack you yet.
Steve fires a barrel of his gun but misses the approaching creatures, his nerves still jangled from the impact.
OOC,I dunno what's going on with Invisible Castle and my internet, but it won't let me roll. I tried to roll and nothing happened it just sat there loading. I'll try again tomorrow. EDIT: Nevermind. I found the roll. Rolled an 80. I'm going to die.
Steve holds his breath and resists the urge to blast away with the other trigger immediately, holding to fire when he can see the whites of their eyes. Or bloody red, as the case may be.
Last Words,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2935458/]Ninety Nine[/url] so... unless the malfunction on a double barrel is just on a 100, my gun breaks. If it is malfunction only on 100, I do technically hit at point blank range.
"Sestra! Shoot them!!!"Lara screams at Caitlin inside the truck. Seeing the ghouls within meters makes Lara take half a step backwards. This reminds her too much of the motel incident. She does not want to be here anymore...
"SESTRAA!!!"
Steve,I just checked the book (5.6e just cause the pdf was handy). It says all shotguns are 00 for malfunction. Well, there's one that's lower, but it's a folding one, so not applicable.
And just because we can't figure if Caitlin left her gun or not...
Forgot the gun,Caitlin leaned out the truck window. "[color=#FF0040]With what?[/color]" she shouts to Lara. "[color=#FF0040]We left my gun in the barn when I climbed out the window! Unless you've got another one in here?![/color]"
Has the gun,Managing to get out after the bustle of the others piling through the doors, Caitlin squeezes off a shot at the one nearing Lara. She trusted her dad would be able to hit the infected with his shotgun, especially at close range. Not anticipating to hit anything, she was most [url-http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2936409/]surprised when it hit[/url].
OOC,[b]Steve[/b] would hit at point blank range, but he's not at point blank range, so that does miss.
[b]Caitlin[/b], you left the other pistol at the barn, so you don't have anything to shoot. You may want to revise your action.
OOC,I intended to hold the second shot till they were closer, as implied by the post. However, if I can't do that I totally understand. Either way, I'm still probably up the proverbial creek.
She did state in a spoiler that she "forgot the hefty wieght of the gun" and thus still would have it. You said she didn´t have to leave it behind... Or am I misreading the post? (Back in the barn.)
OOC,[url=http://www.callofcthulhu.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=178&t=2488&start=80#p108257]The post in question.[/url] Also, I edited the previous post just to incorporate either possibility. Will re-edit it depending on the Keeper's discretion. (Though on the way to the truck, Caitlin was allowed to use it.)
OOC,I don't see where [b]Caitlin[/b] fired the gun after leaving the barn, but I'll allow that she still has it. Now that I've had a chance to read [b]Steve[/b]'s earlier post, I can see what his intention was (I was half-asleep and in a hurry last night). The shot does (barely) hit. [b]Steve[/b], you can roll 1d20 for hit location and 4d6 for damage. [b]Caitlin[/b], you can roll 1d20 for hit location and 1d10 for damage. You also get a second shot with the pistol, and you're just within point blank range to boot, so your chance to hit is 40%. However, there is no time to get out of the truck while still having time to fire this round, so you'll have to fire through the open door. Just as well, as you won't be in as much danger inside the truck. There's a good chance that together you'll take out one of the zombies before they attack, but that would still leave two.
On the road- Steve, Lara, and Caitlin peppered the leading infected person with bullets and buckshot. One of its legs snapped and he went down, but somehow he kept crawling forward. Caitlin knew that the man should have been dead, and that what she was seeing was medically impossible. Even Steve and Lara, without much knowledge of medicine, could tell that. The sobbing man lying in the road just kept wailing and calling out Clara's name, oblivious to the danger he was in.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], you may both act now. The zombies are all at point blank range. The one attacking [b]Lara[/b] has taken 38 damage. If it takes at least two more, it will be destroyed. [b]Lara[/b], you may shoot at it with no problem. [b]Caitlin[/b], if you fire at it, you must roll Luck for each shot that misses to avoid hitting [b]Lara[/b]. If you shoot at one of the other two, you don't have to worry about it. [b]Lara[/b], if you kill your zombie with one shot, you may then direct your second shot at one of the other zombies, but there is no time to aim at the head this round. Next round you'd be able to do so, so you may wish to conserve ammo. [b]Caitlin[/b], you may aim at the head if you target one of the two zombies on [b]Steve[/b], but remember the -5 penalty. This applies after the point blank bonus, giving you a 35% chance to hit with each bullet.
Sorry about that, [b]Steve[/b]. :cry: You're not quite dead yet, but you're doomed at this point and it won't be long. If you like, you can take over the man you've found lying by the road once he snaps out of his insanity (which won't be until after this combat is over). I''ll draw up a character sheet for him this weekend. I'd intended for him to be a throwaway character, hoping the zombies would eat him and give you a chance to get away (which was the purpose of the Luck roll). Probably the only way to stall the zombies long enough to either kill them or escape once the tire blew would be for somebody to die and keep them busy eating. The woman's body you had passed earlier was pretty much picked clean at that point, but a fresh corpse does buy you some time.
Steve goes down, feeling the bloody claws dig into his body. The empty shotgun falls from his hand and clatters a few feet away from the open truck door. He looks at Caitlin, his face a mask of pain, before passing into darkness.
OOC,I kind of figured I was screwed after I missed the first time. There were a couple factors contributing to why I did what I did. I saw Steve as not being the kind of person to leave anyone behind to the fate that befell his wife, and he wouldn't kill another survivor just to save himself. Thinking back on it, he may have done it to keep Caitlin safe, but I didn't consider that angle at the time I made my decision. Ah well. It's survival horror- if no one dies, you're doing it wrong.
Caitlin's eyes widen seeing Steve go down out of the corner of her eye. "DAD! NO!" She turns and squeezes the trigger twice towards the monster lumbering toward her
Target + Question,not the one attacking Steve nor the one nearest Lara. Despite her panic, she doesn't want to hit the normal companions. She's more trying to keep the third off her ass so she can get to Steven. I doubt she can move after firing twice?
On the road- Lara's bullet lodged itself in the zombie's spinal cord, and it lay still at her feet at last. Behind her, the two on Steve continued their gruesome repast as he bled out. The other man kept wailing.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], roll Sanity for seeing [b]Steve[/b] killed. Sanity loss is 0/1d6. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, you must roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane, but if you fail you may act freely.
You may both fire two shots this round at point blank range if you remain sane. They may be aimed at the head (with a -5 penalty) provided that both shots from each person are aimed at the same target. This would give [b]Lara[/b] an effective skill of 101% and [b]Caitlin[/b] an effective skill of 35%. It takes 10 points of damage to the head to destroy either zombie.
[b]Caitlin[/b], you were right that you couldn't move and fire in the same round. Both of the other two zombies are attacking [b]Steve[/b], so there is no zombie near her.
Lara, getting jaded by all she´s seen is more annoyed by the quailing man behind her than the gruesome feast ahead of her. She shuts the sound out and feels the recoil of the gun as she shoots the second target on top of Steve. She feels only one bullet leave the gun. The exploding head of the infected mad man brings sound to her world once more.
She watches Steve´s life run out of his body and brings her gun towards the still munching zombie on top of him. Not sure if it´s dead or dying. The shot sestra had hit got lodged in the head, maybe to something vital...
ooc:
Spoiler:
Might be a second d10 for Caitlin for impale, right?
On the road- Lara's single shot blew out the brains of one of the zombies, and it collapsed. Caitlin shot the other one in the head, but it continued chewing. The man lying on the ground just sobbed. "Clara...it's not fair..."
OOC,[b]Caitlin[/b]'s shot was a 9, but she would have needed a 7 or less (1/5 of 35) to get an impale, so that was just a normal hit.
Both of you may fire at the remaining zombie twice. It will take 8 more damage to the head to finish it.
"Good shot, sestra."Lara accompanies Caitlin by her father, dragging the foul corpses of the crazies off of him. "Into the car.." She says softly. "Treat him there." Lara watches Steve. "It´s gonna be right" She sas to him reassuringly.
On the road-
Each of the women put another bullet into the ghoul's skull, and it collapsed on top of Steve's body. It was obvious from looking at him that Steve was very dead, beyond all hope. The adrenalin of danger and battle faded, and now Lara and Caitlin felt weariness. They were still in the middle of nowhere with a flat tire, about 150 miles from their destination, and they were dangerously low on bullets. Caitlin had now lost both of her parents, and Lara was all she had left - and the possibility that her uncle and other relatives in Montana still lived.
"I love you, Clara..." moaned the weeping man lying in the road.
OOC,If you want to move the man into the truck, you will have to make a Resistance Table roll pitting your STR against his SIZ of 12. If you work together, you may combine your STR scores, giving you a total of 20 (and thus an 80% chance). If you want to try to help the man out of his insanity, that will take a Psychoanalysis roll (not Psychology). The base skill is only 1%, but [b]Caitlin[/b] has it much higher. You may do this while trying to move him, but not while taking some other action.
If you want to start changing the tire, you'll need to roll Mechanical Repair. The base skill for that is 20%. Even if you succeed, this will take quite some time. This time will be shortened if you both succeed at Mechanical Repair rolls.
[b]Caitlin[/b]'s second shot never happens, since her first did enough to kill the zombie. In fact, [b]Lara[/b]'s second shot never happens either, since both of their first shots were enough to finish it off.
Caitlin knelt by Steve's side, tears flowing profusely down her face as the adrenaline of combat wore off. She knew there was nothing to be done to bring him back, even with everything she had memorized from those damn textbooks, but still could not bear to leave his side just yet. Through the tears, she whispers "You protected me through it all so far. I couldn't have made it without you. I love you, Daddy."
Realizing Caitlin´s father is quite dead, Lara puts her hand on her shoulder and comforts the girl. "I´m very sorry..." Words seem to be meaningless and she moves to the back of the truck to look for a jack and pare tire.
Caitlin tries to take comfort in the other woman's words, but she was still alone. Some little hope gleamed because she was not by herself. Slowly getting up, she walked back a little before finally turning away from Steve. Seeing Lara trying with the tire, she approaches the man huddled on the road. Tears still wet in her eyes, she reaches a hand to him and does her best to calm him. "Sir..." she says haltingly. "We need to get you out of here." Perhaps it was the emotion as opposed to her words, but it seemed to possibly help.
On the road- Lara got the spare tire, jack, and tools out of the back of the truck, but she wasn't very mechanically inclined and didn't really know how to go about changing a tire.
The man sniffled, taking some comfort from Caitlin's words and actions. He sat up and faced her, his eyes glistening. "Th-thank you," he said. "They ate Clara. I couldn't save her...I just kept running until I couldn't run any more. They would have eaten me too if you hadn't been there. My name is Sven. Sven Petersen."
OOC,[b]Caitlin[/b], you may now try a Mechanical Repair roll to try to change the tire. [b]Sven[/b] will help too. [b]Lara[/b], you can't roll again just yet.
Wryce, let me know if you'd like to play [b]Sven[/b]. I haven't drawn up his stats yet, but I'll try to do that later tonight. Don't forget that you also have two other characters. You haven't posted for [b]Dr. Edward Singh[/b] in ages.
"Hi, Sven! Lara Voronova - not mechanic."Lara drops the jack. "Where´s that shotgun?" She checks the mud for the shotgun and go over the truck to look for shells for it. The few rounds left in the 9mm wouldn´t last for another encounter.
On the road- Lara found the shotgun where Steve had dropped it. Searching his body, she found an open box with sixteen shells remaining. She broke open the shotgun, loaded both barrels, and closed it up again.
Sven jacked up the pickup truck and set to work changing the tire. He clearly knew his stuff, but it would take him some time working by himself.
OOC,[b]Caitlin[/b], you haven't tried a Mechanical Repair roll yet. The base skill is 20%, and you may try it if you want to help [b]Sven[/b]. If you succeed, the time required to change the tire will be shortened considerably.
Lara having put the 9mm in the lining of her jeans, with the safety on keeps the shotgun at her waist pointing forward. Should some other monster come running at them, she´d be prepared. She moves a few steps away from the dead Steve and the car and asks Sven, "Where did you come from? This or that way?" She listens to see if she can discern any noise over the two mechanics behind her.
Spoiler:
I guess, Lara doesn´t know Steve will awake pretty soon. She will believe the skinheads got bit and were infected. Steve is dead and that´s that. Sounds fair?
As Sven works, Caitlin offers, "Would you like a hand?" though she knows the most help she can be in this state is holding the lugnuts to keep them from rolling away.
"We... I came from the radio station, back to the south. Clara and I we... We were broadcasting how to bring down those things. You have to get them in the head, you know? But it's harder than it sounds... They got Clara..."
Sven falls silent and begins working intently under the car, hiding the tears streaming down his face.
OOC,Actually, [b]Sally[/b] did tell [b]Lara[/b] that the dead were rising back at the end of Chapter 4, in Planet Terror. However, [b]Lara[/b] found it hard to believe and has never seen it happen herself...and she still hasn't.
On the road-
It took Sven half an hour working in the dark, but he managed to change the tire. He discarded the flat by the side of the road, lowered the jack, and put all of the tools back in the rear of the truck. Nothing had disturbed them while they worked, and the area seemed completely deserted.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b] and [b]Caitlin[/b], if there's anything else you want to do while [b]Sven[/b] was busy changing the tire, you may do so while he was working.
While Sven is changing the flat, Lara asks Caitlin if there´s more shells for the shotgun in the truck. And maybe more weapons. She checks the ammo for the two handguns. She divides the ammo so it´s the same number of bullets in each gun. Are there any axe or blade in the truck?
Lara, content with the quietness checks the truck for more weapons. "Sven, you have a gun? Or you can have mine.. Not many bullets." Having found a hunters coat along the things on the truck, she puts it on and pours the shells from the box in the two front pockets.
OOC,[b]Lara[/b]'s pistol has 5 bullets left, and [b]Caitlin[/b]'s has only 2, so it's impossible to make them even (unless you want to waste a bullet). Which gun gets 4 bullets, and which gets 3?
There are no more shotgun shells in the truck. The only sharp object in the back of the truck is a hatchet.
Lara gets the one with three bullets. A novice might need more attempts to actually hit something. During the reallocation of arms, she decides that it´s better if Caitlin hands the shotgun. It was her father´s and she should have it.
"Sestra,take your father´s gun. It´s your prize. Use it good."Lara weighs the pistols and hands the lighter of them to Sven. "No more love, just pain." Having done what she can, she gets behind the wheel and says, "The farm?"
Caitlin numbly takes her father's shotgun and holds it almost as if she does not recognize what it is, somewhat like River Tamm in the final episode of 'Firefly'. Lara's question brings her back to her senses. She helps Sven into the truck when he's finished and pulls out the map again before nodding to Lara. "Let's go."
On the road-
Everyone got back into the truck again, with Lara behind the wheel, Cailtin in the shotgun seat, and Sven seated between them. Lara started off to the north again, following Caitlin's directions to reach the ranch. They had been delayed for quite a while, but Caitlin estimated that they would still arrive a little before 6:00, shortly before sunrise - as long as there were no further delays. Right now it was about a quarter past three in the morning.
OOC,Feel free to talk to each other during the journey. Let me know when you're ready for me to move things along.
The two pistols are identical except for the number of bullets they contain. The lighter one would actually be the one with three bullets as opposed to the one with four.
After driving at a steady pace for a couple of minutes, Lara breaks the silence. "Sad for your families. Really sad. We like family... almost." She extends her right hand to Caitlin and presses hers. She glances at Sven right behind her. "Right?"
Caitlin takes the offered hand before allowing Lara to return her hands to the wheel. "He was all I had left... Until you showed up... How... how did you manage to get to us?" she asks, trying desperately to get her mind off the events of the past few days.
OOC,There is no back seat. The only seats are in the cab of the pickup truck, and it seats three. [b]Sven[/b] is in the middle seat, so [b]Lara[/b] would be reaching past him.
Lara gets back to driving the pick up with both hands. The 9mm is kept in one of the front pockets of the coat. "I... got involved with some bad people and was a slave. They fled from the bad things. I and some of the skins, you say that? Skins head... They...they kept me in a room. And used me..." She reflects on what had happened. "I got away and followed the road to your farm. Without clothes." "In Russia I was a student in Archaeology." "Now, I wish I was GRU."
She tries to laugh at her own story. "No use crying. Best to laugh."
Caitlin Bell,[b]Caitlin[/b] didn't know of any skinhead groups in the area around her farm, but she did remember that there were some in Montana. In particular, there was a large group of them only a few miles away from her uncle's ranch.
OOC,You may continue to talk to each other as much as you wish. When you are done conversing, each of you should let me know when you are ready to move things along.
Caitlin nods to Lara's opening up a bit, wishing she could say it, but no words seem to leave her lips. So much has happened today. So much has happened...
"So, who are at the farm? An uncle or many friends?" The ride was going to be a long one and she´d like to know what she could be driving into. "Are you OK, mister?" She asks Sven as the man was surely distressed after the incidents with the creatures.
Caitlin Bell,[b]Caitlin[/b]'s [b]Uncle Jake[/b] and [b]Aunt Mary[/b] owned the ranch. In addition to them, her cousin [b]Clyde[/b] and his wife [b]Veronica[/b] would hopefully be there too. They also worked on the ranch.
On the road-
The truck continued on its long journey to the northwest for a couple more hours, driving across Montana towards Caitlin's uncle's ranch, which wasn't far from the Canadian border. The eastern sky was just starting to get tinged with false dawn, and they were less than forty miles from their destination now. The road they were currently on wound its way through a steep valley that rose up on both sides.
OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden at 3/5 skill.
Sven Petersen,Up ahead, [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2988888/][b]Sven[/b] could see that the road was blocked by a rockfall[/url].
[spoiler]I went ahead and rolled for you. I forgot to apply the 3/5 penalty, but you made the roll even with it.[/spoiler]
OOC,Sorry, I totally missed you posting. I've been kind of brain dead the last few weeks. End of semester, exams and classes and all that. I should be more on the ball in a couple weeks when I'm done with all that.
"Woah, woah, stop! Looks like the roads out ahead!"
On the road- Lara quickly brought the truck to a halt well before the rockfall, which she still couldn't see from here. There was no way to drive off the road here, as the sides of the valley were too steep, but she had passed a turnoff a short distance back at the entrance of the valley and could easily get back there. Caitlin knew her way around and had access to the maps, and she would have no problem finding an alternate route.
OOC,A Drive Auto roll would only have been necessary if everyone had failed the Spot Hidden roll, but I gave you a check in the skill anyway. The base skill is 20%, by the way, not 25%.
Lara nods. "Take the turn-off back there." She double-checks it on the map and mutters, "As long as graboids don't come up from the ground..." as she checks a new route. "From all these detours, we will probably need to fuel up the truck before we arrive."
The Russian archaeology student takes the alternate route and tries to drive the truck fuel efficiently. They´re in no hurry getting to the farm. The goal is to get there or as close as possible.
On the road- Lara had no difficulty reaching the turnoff and getting back on track by following Caitlin's directions. As they progressed, the sky began to get a little lighter, though it was still fairly dark. Sven sat silently between them. Their lives had been turned upside-down, but they still had them. They had all suffered terrible loss, yet there was still hope. Not far ahead lay the ranch belonging to all that was left of Caitlin's family, and with it - hopefully - safety. There still remained enough fuel in the pickup truck's tank to make it the rest of the way there, but only barely. It would be running on fumes by the time it got there, but it should make it. Lara drove onwards. She had so much pain inside, but at long last she had her freedom. Sven had lost everything, but perhaps he would have a chance to mend his broken heart. A new day was dawning on a new world.
OOC,Congratulations on surviving Chapter 6! It will probably be a couple of months or so before I can wrap up all of the other threads, but in the meantime you may continue to converse and interact with each other. Chapter 7 will pick up with your arrival at the ranch, shortly before 6:00 AM.
OOC,Should we roll on checked skills? If so, may I ask some clarrification.
1) Roll d100 for a checked skill.
2) If roll is greater than skill percent, increase by 1d10 (or is it 1d6?)
3) If roll is less than skill percent, increase by 1%
4) Repeat for all checked skills.
Is that about it?
Caitlin looked in the light of the rising sun, seeing the farm approaching. "We made it. I can't believe it..."
OOC,That's pretty close. Normally we do skill experience rolls when the chapter concludes for everyone, and I post full instructions then. You can probably find them late in Chapter 5's OOC thread. These checks are done in the OOC thread. You can see a list of your checked skills in the Locations and Weapons thread. You get the 1d10 increase if you get higher than your skill on 1d100, but there is no increase if you get less than or equal to it. Also, everyone in this thread gets 1d10 Sanity points for reaching the ranch. You're not quite there yet, but you will be pretty soon, so you might as well roll for it between chapters. You can all really use it at this point - especially [b]Lara[/b]! She's down in the single digits, and she's very lucky she didn't hit zero.
Lara looks for something to listen to on the radio. If it is still in functioning order. Even a tape would do. She turns the dial and pushes some buttons. "Maybe someone is broadcasting something?" Looking up from the dashboard and following Caitlin´s gaze, Lara brakes and watches the ranch from afar.
"Another day, sestra. Another life. Good." She kicks second gear in and starts to lift the clutch to bring the truck to slowly roll down the sloping hill side towards the farm. "Sven! Good Morning to a new day."
Seeing the farm makes her spirits rise and she feels revitalized.
Caitlin shook her head. "Forgive me for not sharing in your optimism. My mom died. My dad died. All I have left to hold onto may or may not be at that farm out there." She points out the front windshield, and as she continues, the words she speaks seem to change her outlook a little. "There and the three of us... We made it... Through losses, we made it... I guess that is something to be hopeful about."
OOC,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2999506/]Sanity Gain (1d10=1)[/url]
[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2999512/]Mech Repair, Spot Hidden (1d100=50, 1d100=49)[/url]
[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2999513/]Mech Repair, Spot Hidden Gain (1d10=7, 1d10=5)[/url]
Sven looks up and speaks up, hesitantly.
"Good morning. I, uh, I don't think I ever thanked you for saving me. I'm sorry about your family Caitlin, I know how you must feel. When Clara... When I lost Clara, I couldn't imagine going on anymore. She was everything. I was ready to die... But I've been thinking... She wouldn't want that. I don't think your parents would want you to give up either. We have to keep going, for the people that loved us."
He looks somewhat embarrassed by his small speech, but he seems to have broken out of the depressed stupor he was in before.
Not locked up with raping skinheads, Lara allows herself to smile. Having found a cap, not much different from one she had had as a little girl in Moscow, she maneuvers the truck towards the farm. The coat provides some warmth but it´s the company that´s make her feel hope. They are alive, at a cost. More steep for others. A though goes to Katarina and Zoe and other girls from the compound. Are they alright... even alive?
OOC,In the OOC thread, but you can do it now. You've already rolled your Sanity gain (you got 10!) but not your skill checks. I'm sorry there's been such a long delay in finishing up the chapter for the other threads, but it's almost over. I think Chapter 6 will wrap up in a week or two, with Chapter 7 starting in early September.
