IC-SWORD-Family Reunion(Lara/Bells/Sven/Tricia)

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,Yes, congratulations! :D

In the barn-
Jake's shot drilled his target between the eyes. There was no doubt in his mind that the man was dead. He had seen the infected take a lot of damage and keep going, but a shot like that to the head brought them down every time. Veronica nodded and loaded a fresh shell into her shotgun to replace the one she had fired.

Outside the barn-
"One down, two to go, Dad!" Clyde called up from below.

Inside the gate-
By the time Lara was in a position to see the zombie, it was already dead. The body lay in the road beyond the ranch's perimeter fence, about fifty yards west of the front gate, which was barred. If she wanted to investigate the corpse, she would need to go out there.

[Dave Syrinx]

Seeing the walker is outside the perimeter, Lara relaxes and waits some more. Two to go? She scans for more targets. If they stay outside of the fence, she´ll let them pass. Else...

[Pickman37]

Jake Bell ponders the situation for a second...

If that infected bugger came from the west on foot, it means we should have time to fill the last jerry cans. If they were on horseback, they would have met him long before he got here...We should have the time!

Outside the barn-
"One down, two to go, Dad!" Clyde called up from below.

"Good job boy! We should have the time. Does your Ma need any help down there? I can send Veronica down if need be!" Jake shouts.

He then notes Lara creeping around the fence line..

"Hey Blondie!" Jake shouts at Lara. "Stay close in case we have to leave in a hurry. Don't want to be fetchin ya from a distance!"

Jake continues to scan the horizon and waits for a response from Clyde...

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the barn-
Mary shook her head.

"No, we're good down here, Pa!" Clyde called up as he started to fill up the second jerry can.

In the barn-
Jake and Veronica kept watch, but the next half hour passed without incident. Below, Clyde filled up the second jerry can, and then the third. "We're all done, Pa!" he shouted up to the loft when he had finished.

[Dave Syrinx]

Lara doubles back to the cars, throwing a glance at the fence as she´s almost at the cars.

[Pickman37]

Jake and Veronica kept watch, but the next half hour passed without incident. Below, Clyde filled up the second jerry can, and then the third. "We're all done, Pa!" he shouted up to the loft when he had finished.

"Good job, son!" Jake shouted down to Clyde. "Send that foreign boy on up..er...Sven is his name I think..."

Jake addressed Veronica. "I'm gonna head on down and help Clyde look over the vehicles. The foreign kid can help the watch then we should be ready to go."

On the ladder down out of the barn, Jake considered the situation...

I hate to leave the farm. We could make a stand here but who knows how interconnected these two skinhead groups are. Besides, if they have numbers and heavy arms, how long before we give in? The thought of the skins shooting up the ranch and kidnapping the ladies makes Jake shutter...I hate the unknown but better to be safe than sorry...We'll head up the road east and hopefully find others like us and a safe haven...

Despite trying to think positive, the burden of leaving the farm and the fear of what is out there is no comfort for Jake...

As Jake reached the ground, he encountered Sven....

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the barn-
Lara arrived at the vehicles and joined the others. Caitlin followed her.

"I'm not a foreigner," said Sven, "I'm an American. My family came from Sweden originally, but I was born here." He headed inside, reaching the ladder to the loft as Jake finished climbing down. Sven climbed up the ladder to join Veronica while Jake went outside.

OOC,You're getting ahead of yourself. There isn't time just yet to inspect the vehicles. Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden and Listen. The base chance for both skills is 25%.

[Dave Syrinx]

Lara picks up something over the conversation of the others. "What was that?"

[Pickman37]

Keeper,Sorry Mr. Handy. I jumped the gun there. I was lulled into a false sense of security due to the relative peace we've been experiencing this morning...which is the point of a zombie movie...just when you relax.... :D . Anyways, I've editted my previous post and please disregard the three mechanical rolls for [ZA]Jake Bell (3444881,34444883 & 34444889).

"I'm not a foreigner," said Sven, "I'm an American. My family came from Sweden originally, but I was born here." He headed inside, reaching the ladder to the loft as Jake finished climbing down. Sven climbed up the ladder to join Veronica while Jake went outside.

Jake could hear Sven talking outside and realized his mistake. As Sven passed Jake, Jake stopped him...

"Sorry son," Jake spoke softly. "I didn't mean to upset you. It was only a misunderstanding caused by your name and the fact you arrived with Lara, who is definitely from another country. It was my mistake and I apologize." Jake nods to Sven then carries on outside.

As Jake walked outside, he noticed the concerned look on Lara's face and paused to scan the yard....and thinks he spots something...

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the barn-

Lara Voronova,[b]Lara[/b] could hear the unmistakable sound of two motor vehicles approaching from the west.

Jake Bell,After [b]Jake[/b] stepped outside, he caught a glimpse of two vehicles approaching on the road north of the ranch. There was a gray pickup truck followed by a van of the same color, and they were coming from the west. They were still a long way off, but they would arrive within a minute or so.

OOC,You heard [b]Sven[/b] just fine. The Listen roll is for something else. You made it outside, but there was no time yet to do anything with the vehicles. Don't worry about thinking you had more time there. [b]Lara[/b] is Russian, by the way. You might have mixed her up with [b]Katarina[/b], who is Romanian and listed right above her in the Character Sheets, though she is not in this thread.

[Pickman37]

Spotting the vehicles, Jake springs into action...

"WE GOT GUESTS FROM THE WEST!!!

Jake raises his rifle and tries to sight them in preparation...

"Let's get some of the ladies to the Civic just in case they have to run! He attempts to shout up to the barn with a voice already hoarse and struggling against the late morning Montana heat. "Veronica! Sven! We got some vehicles approaching!"

[Dave Syrinx]

"I hear them.", Lara replies and gets into the drivers´ seat of the truck she had arrived in. As she drove it previously, she hopes she did leave the keys in the ignition. They must have been there, otherwise they couldn´t have pushed it up to the barn.
She Waits for everyone to get ready.
"We leaving?"

[Mr. Handy]

In the loft-
"Ladies first," said Sven, pointing to the ladder leading down. Veronica wasted no time in scrambling down it.

Outside the barn-
Lara slipped behind the wheel of Caitlin's father's pickup truck. The keys were indeed still in the ignition. While she did this, Caitlin climbed in the passenger side of the cab and slid over into the middle seat, leaving the shotgun seat open for someone else.

"Ma, you and Tricia get in the Civic!" said Clyde, standing ready with his rifle. Mary hustled Tricia over to the car, and both women got inside the front seats.

Two gray vehicles came down the road north of the ranch from the west, and now they were visible to everyone. The lead vehicle was a pickup truck, and behind it was a large van. They pulled up outside of the ranch's gates, blocking the way out.

[Pickman37]

Mr.Handy,I have this lay-out of our ranch based on previous info: - A flat ranch south of an east/west road with a grove of trees in the SW corner (from the ranch house) - Front gates (now blocked) at the north end - Ranch house 50 yds south of the gate - Barn 50 yds west of the house with a gas pump present. (Lol..oh joy) Hopefully this is correct.... Is there any other breaks in the fence among the yards perimeter? Maybe where the cows get out....If not we may have to drive Caitlin's father's pick-up through the fence (not the Civic for sure!) and depending what kind of fence it is? (Wood posts, wire, etc.) Anyways, I feel I will direct the ladies to drive the two vehicles (Caitlin's pick-up and the Civic) to the south side of the ranch house...Maybe they can provide firearm cover from there or even get away. Anyways, that's my plan on the spur of the moment...

Jake Bell can hear noise coming from the barn when the two vehicles block the entrance and knows someone is vacating the loft...

"Sven, Veronica! We need cover from the loft! He shouts painfully, his voice already hoarse from the previous excitement. "Find a knot hole and take aim without being seen!

He then shouts to Lara and Mary, the strain not as bad due to distance...

"Get those vehicles over to the south side of the ranch house! Get ready to cover us or make a run for it through a section of the south fence! Ram it if need be!"

He then addresses Clyde...

"We need to back away from the farm truck and the gas pump and take cover in the barn doors...but don't take your sites off of 'em..."

Jake beguns to slowly backstep towards the barn, rifle in position. He can't believe how thirsty he is now and the sweat threatens to invade his eyes. He can feel his heart pounding heavily...enough so, that he believes he can feel it in his ears....

[Dave Syrinx]

Lara watches the vehicles. Somehow these seems to be too organized to belong to any rag-tag skinhead pin heads. "Stoj...." she replies to Jake, not sure if he can hear it. He seems to be on the way to the other side of the ranch house. Nothing bad in that.
She raises an open palm through the open side window.
However, then she starts the truck and brings it so the front towards the north gate.

She flicks the head lights on and off in morse. _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ _

This action to show they need help and not want to casue any trouble could make the visitors to show themselves. The skinheads - should this be them, would probably also get out and state their business... Let´s hope these are good people. She doesn´t hold her breath, though.

"We see who visits, Sestra...", she whispers to Caitlin.

OOC:

Spoiler:

No offense taken regarding Sven and his anscestry, Pickman

[Mr. Handy]

Outside the barn-
Clyde jumped behind the wheel of Jake's pickup truck and started up the engine. Jake reached the cover of the barn. He could catch glimpses of men climbing out of the vehicles outside the gates, on the north side only. Their bald heads and uniforms, which matched those of the horsemen who had come by earlier this morning, and the rifles they carried told him everything he needed to know about who they were. They took cover behind their own vehicles.

Mary started up the Civic and tried to drive around the side of the ranch house, off the driveway, but the car got stuck in the mud. "Oh God oh God oh God..." moaned Tricia, next to her.

Caitlin gripped the seat, her knuckles going white. "Lara, why are we still here?" she asked. "Uncle Jake said to drive behind the house."

In the barn-
Veronica groaned, having just reached the bottom of the ladder, and climbed back up to the loft.

In the loft-
Sven found a knothole to peer through in the north wall of the barn and kept watch, but there was little he could do if it came to a fight. The skinheads were out of pistol range, but he did have a good vantage point.

OOC,The layout is almost correct, but the trees actually cover the area southwest of the house, not the southwest corner of the ranch. In fact, they go almost up to the house. The ranch is quite large. The perimeter fence, which is made of wood and does not have wire, encloses the entire property. The front gates are the only opening, and that's where cows would be brought in and out. There is plenty of room for them to roam on the ranch itself, which has large pastures. Also, keep in mind that the Civic is not made for off-road travel, and there is no road on the south side of the house.

[Dave Syrinx]

Realizing that the visitors are indeed the same as feared, Lara just says "Da, da... Looks we are stuck here." She nods at the Civic bogging down. She starts to turn the truck around to give the Civic a nudge to get free.

"I try to get them going." She will drive the truck slowly to ease the Civic oout of the mud. By power and not speed.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,[b]Lara[/b], please roll Drive Auto. The base skill is 20%.

[Dave Syrinx]

Lara drives almost as she intends.. almost...

[Pickman37]

As Jake backs into the entrance of the barn, chaos descends! He could make out several armed, bald-headed men in uniforms departing the vehicles and, in a moment of clarity, realizes maybe they should have foregone the filling of the jerry cans and just fled...

Oh you stupid old man... Jake belittles himself...

He watches as Clyde runs to the farm truck and starts it up, instead of backing into the barn on foot, weapon drawn with him...

"Boy! Where ya goin?" Jake shouts hoarsely, his voice dry and cracked from the heat and most likely unhearable....

He watches the Civic pull away around the corner of the barn, out of view...However, he still hears it a second later then Lara's truck follows after...However, instead of distant engines, he hears the sound of motors still there and a dull thud...

He tries to focus on the sights of his gun and the Skins in the distance but also tries to remember how muddy the yard was before this encounter and considers if the Civic could handle it....

The tires! I should have changed the car's tires...As bald as a coot! I'm a thoughtless fool!

Jake felt despair descend upon him. They were in a mess and he had to re-group....but how...? The barn wasn't the place they needed to be. He attempted to count heads to determine how many of the enemy there was and quickly contemplate how to get this group back together...

We have enough weapons to fight this small group at this point but how to get everyone back together? Maybe this group is attempting to hole us in until reinforcements arrive....We need to act fast! Suddenly, Jake bolts upright! Damn! Does Sven have a rifle? He attempted to plumb his memory for the answer because that would help...