Play@YSDC

Posted: **Mon Feb 13, 2012 5:54 am**

Z-Day + 1 - 7:11 AM Central Time - Brooks High School, Omaha, Nebraska
In the rear parking lot-
The students, teachers, faculty, staff, and visitors reached the bus and filed aboard. The second EMP device was stationed in the aisle at the rear of the bus, humming with power. Dr. Brigetta Hausmann and Stephanie Bridges took the rearmost seats on the left, with Stephanie taking the aisle seat so she could be near the device. Dr. Liz Somerville sat in the right window seat in the rear, saving the seat next to her for Adam Donnelly. Becky Clarke sat in the driver's seat and started the engine while she waited for her passengers to board. Jerry Law came out of the school's back door and boarded the bus, and Chester Johnson was the last one aboard, having descended from the school's roof via the fire escape.

"Everyone ready?" asked Becky. "Find your seats fast."

Posted: **Mon Feb 13, 2012 4:29 pm**

Donald takes a seat behind Becky and cautions her, "Take it easy when you start rolling. Give the new oil a chance to move around the gears."

Posted: **Wed Feb 15, 2012 4:54 am**

Posted: **Sat Feb 18, 2012 12:14 am**

-With the EMP with us, it is almost a temptation of killing all the creatures we find by the road. But it would take too much time-says Jerry.

Posted: **Wed Feb 22, 2012 7:15 pm**

In the school bus-
"We don't have to kill them," said Stephanie. "First of all, they're already dead, and the EMP will make sure they go down permanently as we pass them. Its range isn't as effective as it was up on the roof of the school, but it should still be close to a mile."

"Don't worry," Becky told Donald, "I'll treat this baby right." Once everyone was aboard, she pulled the lever to close the door and slowly pulled out of the parking lot, heading down the drive to the front of the school, where there was a big hole torn in the fence. The bus would have no problem enlarging that hole and passing through it. It was very difficult to see outside, as almost all of the windows had sheet metal welded over them thanks to the work that Donald and the other mechanics had done last night. The windshield and driver's side window was still open, of course, and the front door and the emergency exit in the rear still had windows through which one could look.

Jack Brunner sat down next to Donald. Rachel Cohen and Dr. Edward Singh sat in the second to last row, on the right side of the aisle, while Chester Johnson and Elijah Smith were seated opposite them, on the left.

Posted: **Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:12 pm**

Donald yawned and nodded to Becky, "Seems like you have things well in hand. If you hear anything strange with the engine or it starts to act funny, let me know. I'm going to try to catch a nap."

Posted: **Wed Feb 29, 2012 2:53 pm**

Jerry:

-Oh? It kills them for good? I thought it would only kill them for the time they would be on range.

Michiko:
She looks at the scientist thinking how lucky she is to be alive...

Posted: **Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:41 am**

In the school bus-
"That's sort of how it worked before," Stephanie told Jerry. "The aliens would send a signal that would periodically revive any of the dead who were disabled by an EMP. Now that we've sent our message, we believe they've stopped the signal. Of course, we haven't tested it yet, but we'll have a chance to do so when we're out on the road. All we have to do is turn the EMP generator off for a little when we come across one or more and wait to make sure they don't get back up."

"You holding up okay, Michiko?" asked Chester Johnson.

Becky drove the bus through the fence effortlessly and turned left on the road, heading west.

Posted: **Thu Mar 08, 2012 11:00 am**

Jerry:
-I hope your right. And with this trip, we will get an idea of the damage done to the country. And we create a safe passage.

Michiko:
-Yes, thank you. I was thinking how lucky we are to be alive. And just thanks to them - she points to the scientists

Posted: **Mon Mar 12, 2012 4:44 am**

In the school bus-
"Well, a safe passage for ourselves, at any rate," Stephanie replied to Jerry. "Once we've gone on our way, the dead will be able to wander back into the areas through which we pass. That's why it's so important that we built the second EMP device and left the first one behind with someone to maintain it. That machine is keeping all of Omaha safe. Without it, the dead would soon reenter the city from nearby suburbs and from Lincoln." She smiled at Michiko. "Thank you, but it wasn't just us. When the generator failed, we needed mechanics like Emilo and Donald to get it running again before we got overwhelmed, and we needed people who could fight like Rachel here to fend off the dead so that we could finish our task. We also needed people to organize everyone and keep order, like Principal Adler. I've seen more than once what can happen when order breaks down. Sometimes the living are more of a threat than the zombies."

"You're welcome, Michiko," said Chester. "You helped them yesterday too, remember. You're already a talented scientist in your own right, and we're going to need your skills too if humanity is to survive and rebuild."

Becky drove west through the deserted streets of Omaha, avoiding corpses lying in the street and disabled vehicles. After about a mile, she drove past the police station. An officer standing on the roof with a pair of binoculars around his neck waved at the bus.

Posted: **Mon Mar 12, 2012 1:55 pm**

It wasn't a comfortable ride. The old school buses had the worst suspensions. But somehow, Donald managed to grab a nap and snored softly.

Posted: **Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:46 pm**

Jerry:
-If only we had know sooner about the emp. Of course I think you did an excellent job by discovering so soon what was the problem and keeping our lives safe.

Michiko:
-Thank you very much, you are too kind- she says embarrassed by the compliment- I didn't do much.

Posted: **Thu Mar 22, 2012 4:20 am**

In the school bus-
Becky waved back and drove onwards to the west.

"Thank you," said Stephanie, blushing. "I actually figured it out and got the message to Omaha as soon as I realized what was going on, but I was more lucky than anything. If it hadn't been for Mr. Foo's communications station at that truck stop, we wouldn't have gotten the message here until too late. I wonder how he's doing? Maybe we can check in on him and the others when we get out that way. It's about four hundred miles west, forty or so miles short of Warren AFB."

The bus soon reached what remained of a National Guard checkpoint. It had been set up early in the morning in an effort to quarantine the city, but the zombies had eventually overrun it. There were corpses piled all around, some with National Guard uniforms, others in civilian clothes. Many of them had been shot in the head, and many of them bore bite wounds.

Posted: **Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:53 pm**

Donald stirred when the bus had come to a halt. He pushed up his cap and looked out the window at the carnage of the guard post and shook his head. "Quite a mess. You think anything might be worth salvaging in there? Medicine? Blood? Weapons?" The question wasn't posed to anyone in particular.

Posted: **Fri Mar 23, 2012 4:17 am**

In the school bus-
Becky hadn't stopped the bus, but she did now. "It's possible," she said. "The checkpoint has been smashed open, so there's no problem driving through. We'll be rolling over some of those bodies, but that won't hurt the bus any."

"None of that blood will be useful," said Dr. Brigetta Hausmann. "We don't know what it might be contaminated with by this point. Those bodies are a day old, and insects will have been at them, maybe even rats. Weapons and other equipment, though..."

"It'll take a little while to search," said Principal Adler. "Do you think we can afford the time? We really want to make it to our destination by sundown. We've got 440 miles to go, so we should make it with time to spare, but we don't really know what condition the roads are in or what we'll run into along the way."

Posted: **Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:23 pm**

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, my mee-maw always used to say," Donald remarked. "And I wasn't talking about taking blood from the dead. A National Guard post like this is almost sure to have a first-aid tent set up somewhere, especially in this crisis. If they do, they could have plasma on ice, medicine, first aid kits..."

Posted: **Fri Mar 23, 2012 2:36 pm**

Jerry:
-I think we should go as fast as we can and only stoped if really needed, but that's just my opinion.

Posted: **Sat Mar 24, 2012 1:55 am**

Posted: **Sat Mar 24, 2012 2:26 am**

Donald doesn't really care one way or the other, he's just bringing up the option for those who might care.

Posted: **Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:24 am**

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3433102/
Jerry isn't insisting very much either.

Posted: **Fri Mar 30, 2012 4:36 am**

In the school bus-
"All right," said Principal Adler. "We can spare a few minutes to scavenge what we can. As long as we don't take too long, we should still make Warren AFB before sunset. Open the doors, Becky."

The bus driver turned the crank, and the front door opened.

Posted: **Thu Apr 19, 2012 10:48 am**

Donald checked the shotgun in his hands once more, making sure it was loaded and ready to fire, took it off safe, and started heading out. "This shouldn't take too long, be back in a jiffy."

He stepped off with a sense of purpose and started checking the area quickly, looking for supplies - and survivors.

Posted: **Thu Apr 26, 2012 5:13 am**

At the checkpoint-
Donald looked around to see what he could scrounge, but there was nothing obvious. It was possible that the area had already been picked clean by other survivors, but none of them were around now. They might have split town. All of the bodies looked dead to him.

He had only just begun his search when he felt the ground shake briefly. The tremor was fairly gentle, not powerful enough to do any damage, and was over within seconds.

In the school bus-
Everyone in the bus could feel the ground tremble as well. "That happened back at the T-Bone too," remarked Stephanie.

"Mein Gott!" exclaimed Dr. Brigetta Hausmann. "They are coming! We must leave at once!"

Principal Adler leaned out the door and called to Donald: "Any luck? That shaking might be a bad sign. I don't think we should stick around here much longer."

Posted: **Thu Apr 26, 2012 2:05 pm**

Donald hurried back to the bus, "You ain't got to tell me twice." Once he took his seat, he informed them all "Looks like scavengers already picked this place clean. Sorry for wastin' your time."

Posted: **Sat May 12, 2012 11:12 am**

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514693/
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514695/

Michiko was looking very careful and it paid: she found something that could be useful.

Jerry was looking nervous too and something caught his attention too, but he doubted it could help.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514698/
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3514699/

OOC: Sorry, forgot completely of this game

Posted: **Sat May 12, 2012 10:06 pm**

Posted: **Sat May 12, 2012 10:32 pm**

Posted: **Mon May 14, 2012 4:41 am**

At the checkpoint-
Jerry hadn't found anything useful during his search, but Michiko managed to find a hand grenade in one of the dead National Guardsmen's pockets. No sooner had she picked it up than she heard the others calling from the bus.

In the school bus-
"Let's go!" called the principal to those still outside as Donald climbed back aboard the bus.

Posted: **Mon May 14, 2012 3:01 pm**

Donald took his seat behind the driver's seat and said, "I was really hoping there'd be more there... but I reckon it stands to reason that this place would be ransacked first. Any survivors of the guard after the outbreak hit would have seen to getting everything useful before high-tailing it out." He looked out the window and wondered where they would have run off to.

Posted: **Tue May 22, 2012 11:29 pm**

Jerry:
-Well we didn't found a lot of things useful, but at least we didn't suffer any nasty surprise, isn't it?

Posted: **Wed May 23, 2012 4:16 am**

"Amen to that," Donald agreed.

Posted: **Mon May 28, 2012 4:33 am**

In the school bus-
Once everyone was aboard, Becky shifted the bus into gear and rolled forward, over the bodies of the dead. The tires crushed limbs and skulls beneath them. Soon the bus was past the checkpoint and out into the suburbs of Omaha. Becky swung onto I-80 and headed southwest through the suburb of Chalco, passing by Millard Airport, which was to the right.

Posted: **Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:05 am**

Jerry
-If the world didn't seemed to be ending, we could think it's just a a normal voyage with students.

Posted: **Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:18 am**

In the school bus-
"If it were, we'd be in trouble," said Principal Adler with a lopsided grin. "Nobody signed a permission slip."

Posted: **Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:39 pm**

Jerry starts laughing
-I imagine all the complaints and sues you would receive!

Posted: **Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:48 am**

Donald said matter-of-factly, "Without law, there won't be any lawsuits." He's found his seat again and got comfortable to take another nap while he could.

Posted: **Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:43 am**

In the school bus-
"Well, at least there's a silver lining," said Dr. Bernard Smith. "Be nice to have a world without lawyers. Most of them are nicer when they're roaming around trying to eat people than they were when they were alive." Erin Halloran coughed. "Present company excepted, of course."

Posted: **Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:52 am**

To that, Donald laughed. Readjusted, and tried to find some sleep.

Posted: **Tue Jul 03, 2012 12:33 am**

In the school bus-
The bus continued southwest out of Omaha along I-80. There were some delays due to obstructions, mostly cars and trucks left abandoned on the road. In some cases it was necessary to take a detour to go around them, but they managed. After about an hour or so, the bus was nearing Waverly, to the northeast of Lincoln. The engine coughed and spluttered, and then died.

"Dammit!" shouted Becky as the bus coasted to a stop on the highway. She thumped the steering wheel. "Looks like the repair job didn't hold. I'll see if I can get this old hunk of junk moving again. Who'll help me?" She cranked the door open and stood up.

Posted: **Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:00 am**

Donald slowly opened his eyes at Becky's outburst and yawned, "Huh? Oh... gave up the ghost, did she? I'll give you some help."

Posted: **Tue Jul 03, 2012 5:45 am**

In the school bus-
Lucy and Declan followed Becky and Donald outside.

Outside the school bus-
Becky popped the hood and took a look at the engine, clicking her tongue. "Man, we never should have tried to undertake such a long trip in this ancient wreck," she said. "Well, let's do another patch job and try to get her running long enough to get where we're going."

Posted: **Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:42 pm**

Donald tsk'd Becky... "Now now," he said calmly, "there's nothing wrong with her that a little tender loving care can't fix. Yeah... see here?" he pointed out the cause of the engine seize and said, "We should be able to get it running in no time. Let me get my tools."

Posted: **Sat Jul 07, 2012 10:45 am**

Michiko is worried watching outside. And if the generator fails too?
Jerry is more worried with the living than the dead.

Posted: **Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:55 am**

Outside the school bus-
Though Donald had matters well in hand, the others tried to help. Lucy couldn't do much. "If this were an aircraft, I'd have no problem," she said. "I'm not used to working on a bus."

Becky's assistance was much more able, and she was able to speed things up considerably. Donald did a pretty good job too. Donald figured that it would take only half an hour before they could get back on the road, and that once he resolved this problem he was sure there would be no further mechanical difficulties - unless they did something with the bus that would cause it damage.

Posted: **Mon Jul 30, 2012 3:08 pm**

Donald is far too focused on repairing the bus to be paying attention to his surroundings, trusting the others to do it for him.

Posted: **Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:36 am**

In the school bus-
Michiko watched through the slits between sheets of metal that let her look through the windows, but she saw nothing important. Jerry, however, noticed something as Donald and the others were finishing up their repairs.

Posted: **Mon Aug 13, 2012 2:49 am**

Outside the school bus-
Lucy saw nothing but the engine, and Becky was also preoccupied with it. Declan, however, had keen eyesight. As they finished their repairs on the engine, he glanced down the road ahead to the southwest. "Hey, guys," he said, pointing down the road. "There's a young fellow walked out of the north and reached the highway some ways ahead of us. He's heading the same way we're going. Japanese, by the looks of him. Funny, but he's missing part of one of his little fingers. He's lucky; I'm missing two whole fingers."

"Well, he can't be a zombie," said Lucy. "The EMP device would have taken him down."

Posted: **Mon Aug 13, 2012 3:58 pm**

Donald responded, "He could be infected... if they bit off his finger." He was putting his tools away at that time, ready to get moving again. "Guess it wouldn't hurt much to slow down as we drive by and ask him some questions."

Donald had either forgotten, or purposefully put it out of his memory that they were all infected. Recurrences of scary zombie flicks were all he was clinging to. It was preferred over the thought of being infected.

Posted: **Sun Aug 26, 2012 9:47 pm**

In the school bus-
With everyone aboard again, Becky started up the engine and it turned over. Then she shifted into gear and started down the highway once more. She honked the horn and pulled up alongside the young Japenese man, who was walking southwest on the shoulder. He had not even noticed that the bus was there until the horn had sounded.

Ryuu Kin could see the obese woman behind the wheel of the bus, but she was not at all a pleasant sight. A large black man sat in the seat behind her. He was only slightly overweight, and Ryuu could look at him without wanting to be sick. "I'm Principal Lawrence Adler," he said, his voice a deep, rumbling bass, "from Brooks High School back in Omaha. We're on our way to Cheyenne. Need a lift?"

Posted: **Mon Aug 27, 2012 7:42 pm**

Since they were closer, Donald gave the man a closer look, checking for any bulges that might indicate he was hiding weapons, and the finger to see if he was bleeding out.

Posted: **Tue Aug 28, 2012 3:37 am**

Posted: **Tue Aug 28, 2012 2:35 pm**

Donald couldn't tell from the man's baggy clothes if he were concealing anything, but he checked him for signs of zombie-ness regardless.

Posted: **Fri Aug 31, 2012 9:03 pm**

"I'm Ryuu Kin, thank you very much." I say as I step onto the bus and take a seat near the front, nodding politely to anyone who looks at me. "I don't suppose any of you know whats going on?" I say taking count of everyone on the bus.

Posted: **Sun Sep 02, 2012 5:25 pm**

"Invasion," Donald responded looking at the guy who took a seat near him. "Martians put something in the air that make us all walk around like meat puppets once we're dead and lose our own will." He knew it sounded crazy, but it was the simplest explanation from what he gathered from all the brains at the school. With a nod he said, "If you think I'm pulling your tail, consider the alternatives. Hell is overflowing... the dead are risen ushering us into the end of times. Either way you look at it... we're pretty screwed."

Donald was an aging black man with gray hair who wore overalls that had his name sewn on - right over the word 'Janitor'.

Posted: **Sun Sep 02, 2012 7:09 pm**

"My what an interesting theory." I reply stifling a laugh, still the man did have a point, I didn't have any better explanations come to mind. There certainly was something very strange going on. My mind went to my family, "Do you know how far this has spread?"

Posted: **Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:01 am**

Donald merely shrugged in response.

Posted: **Mon Sep 03, 2012 1:10 am**

I speak a little louder. "Does anyone know how far this is spread, even a rough idea? One city, the country, the world?" Of course if anybody could survive this it was my family but I still worried.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2012 4:53 am**

In the school bus-
Donald could see now that Ryuu was close that the missing part of his finger was not a new injury, and it had long since healed over. He seemed unhurt.

Once Ryuu was aboard, Becky cranked the door closed and then shifted the bus into gear. She pulled out, and the bus continued on its way southwest down the highway.

"It's worldwide," called a pretty blonde woman wearing a black dress with a white lab coat over it sitting at the back near some sort of complicated electronic device at the rearmost part of the aisle. She made her way forward. "Hi, I'm Stephanie Bridges, and I've learned a lot about what's happening. What Donald says is mostly correct, though I doubt the aliens are from Mars, and the biological mechanism that makes the dead rise isn't airborne. It has, however, gotten into the water over the years and has infiltrated the entire ecosystem by now. The dead were reanimated through an electrical signal from space that activated this virus. The bite transmits a poison that merely kills the victim, who would then rise upon death, though I did encounter one person who was immune to it somehow. Yesterday afternoon we managed to transmit a signal into space in the aliens' own language that we believe tricked them into thinking that their mission was accomplished. From that point on, the dead will no longer be reanimated. We also put together a couple of EMP devices - eletromagnetic pulse. That machine at the back of the bus is one of them. The EMP disables the electrical impulses that cause the dead to animate through a form of galvanism. It puts the dead down, basically. Any of them that were already active within range dropped, and the same happens to any that wander into range. We were able to save what was left of Omaha that way, and the other EMP generator is still there."

Though Ryuu's English was good enough that he could have understood Stephanie's words, some of the meaning of the scientific jargon went over his head.

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2012 1:58 pm**

Donald smirked to the new guy in an 'I told you so' way and gave a quick shrug again. He asked Stephanie " What do you suppose they will do now that they think we are all dead?"

Posted: **Tue Sep 18, 2012 11:33 pm**

"My, it seems you've been busy." I say admirably in response to the scientific babble. "Do you know how the governments are looking? I'm guessing we're under martial law, is the military intact?"

I turn my head to Donald and answer his prompt. "Well I doubt the aliens would kill us for no reason, they probably want our planet our something. Whatever it is they want I doubt we're out of the woods yet." I nervously check my pistol, "I don't suppose either of you have .32 caliber rounds?"

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:32 am**

In the school bus-
"I have .32 rounds," said a swarthy MIddle Eastern-looking man in his early forties seated in the middle of the bus with a teenage boy who resembled him somewhat and a woman with Irish features in her late thirties, across the aisle from another Middle Eastern-looking man. He shrugged off his backpack and opened it up. "My name is Tariq al-Tikriti. The ammo is in magazines, eight rounds each. How many do you need?"

"Well, the aliens were summoned to Earth by a terrestrial species that lives underground," said Stephanie. "It was dormant for ages, rarely venturing near the surface, but it recently did so. These creatures somehow signalled to the aliens to come and wipe us out, like you might call the exterminators if you suddenly found your home infested with vermin. The aliens think their job is done now, so they've left, hopefully. The creatures underground are still around. That's what must have caused the tremors we felt earlier in Omaha." She paused for breath. "I don't know if there's anything left of the government. The President's helicopter went down and he was missing the last I heard. At least some elements of the military have survived. Warren Air Force Base west of Cheyenne was still operational and secure as of midday yesterday. That's where we're heading."

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2012 3:57 pm**

Donald shook his head at Stephanie's explanation, "Like a goddamned saturday afternoon horror special." He wasn't sure if he believed it or not, but the girl was smart, and he believed that she believed it. That was good enough for now.

To Ryuu, Donald held up the shotgun he was toting, "This is all I got, and I borrowed it. Sorry."

He turned in his seat to face Stephanie and asked, "What about those FBI-type fellows? Were they alien or underground folk? Were they in disguise, or do they all look just like us?"

Posted: **Mon Sep 24, 2012 9:50 pm**

I get up and walk over to the middle eastern man, dropping my heavy camping backpack in the back of the bus before taking a seat across from him(In front or behind if not available) with a grin. "Thank you very much sir, I only need three. All I have is a handgun, and I'm afraid I'm not very good with it." I say with a light hearted laugh. As I take and load the bullets I look up and speak loudly again. "Are cell phones working? I couldn't get anything outside but I might have just had bad reception." Again I think of how much I want to check up on my family, if I can't contact them via phone I might have to start walking.

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2012 3:47 am**

In the school bus-
"Yes, I can spare three," said Tariq, handing Ryuu three magazines as the young man sat across the aisle, next to the other Middle Eastern man, who slid over to the window seat. "Cell phones don't work, no. Even if the EMP device hadn't fried your phone, the satellites are offline. Landlines may still work, but I wouldn't bet on being able to make a long distance call. The handgun isn't all you have. That sword you carry looks excellent, and it never needs to be reloaded. Do you know how to use it?"

"Those feds looked human," said Stephanie, "but from the description of what they did, they can't be - or at least, not fully. Maybe they're aliens disguised as humans, or maybe they're under alien control somehow. I really don't think the aliens happen to look just like us. That's like something out of a science fiction B-movie. Don't get me wrong, I like science fiction B-movies, but they're completely unrealistic. Then again, if you've ever seen Plan 9 From Outer Space, that's pretty much what the aliens are doing here."

Posted: **Mon Oct 01, 2012 2:23 pm**

Donald shook his head, "Sorry... I usually stay tuned to the Home and Garden Network." He looked back toward the front of the bus, out the windshield to see if they were passing anything familiar. Meanwhile, he thought about the feds they encountered and tried to remember if there were anything abnormal about them, strange tics, accents, movement irregularities, and the like.

Posted: **Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:28 am**

In the school bus-
"Oh, I watch HGTV too," said Stephanie. "Mainly for the gardening. I know quite a bit about botany."

Donald saw typical flat Nebraskan land out the window. Every so often, they passed through a small town. He had gone up and down I-80 before in better times, but he didn't recognize anything they were passing. They were less than half an hour from Lincoln at present, and eventually the towns would become suburbs. He recalled that the "feds" did have odd movement, in that they had moved faster than seemed humanly possible. Now he knew why. Their speech seemed normal, and there was nothing unusual about their accents. The man had seemed less familiar with the way things were done and not as intelligent as the woman. And of course they had the ability to paralyze and harm people with the power of their minds. John Lee was dead as a result, and genuine federal agent John Lake had been badly hurt.

Posted: **Tue Oct 02, 2012 6:47 pm**

When Stephanie mentioned an interest in botony and gardening, Donald's curiousity perked up. "Oh really? Maybe we could share some notes some time. The school is generally interested in keeping the grass green and at a certain length... and some of the trees pruned. But I threw some flowers and hedges here and there to pretty it up a mite."

Posted: **Tue Oct 02, 2012 9:24 pm**

"You saw federal agents?" I ask the middle eastern man I'm sitting with.

[Spoiler-Button]I'm ready whenever too.[/Spoiler-Button]

Posted: **Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:07 am**

In the school bus-
"Yes, I noticed your garden as the helicopter was coming in for a landing," Stephanie told Donald. "It looks especially nice from the air. That would be great to talk about gardening with you."

"I'm Samir Hossein," said the man sitting next to Ryuu. "I'm not sure they were really federal agents. I wasn't there when they...did whatever it was they did."

The next couple of hours passed uneventfully. Stephanie and Donald had a long talk about botany. Donald had thought he knew a lot about the subject, but talking to Stephanie he realized how little he actually knew, at least compared to her. He learned about a number of new horticultural techinques.

A little before 11:00 AM, the bus was rolling along I-80. The skyline of Grand Island was visible across the Platte River to the north. The river ran from northeast to southwest, and the highway crossed over it on a bridge not far ahead.

Posted: **Tue Oct 09, 2012 8:04 pm**

After his long talk about plants and gardening, Donald decided he'd catch a quick cat nap while things weren't all that life threatening. He expected the others would wake him up if something transpired.

Posted: **Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:19 am**

"I only need three bullets sir." I say with a light hearted chuckle as I put them in and hand him the clips back. Lifting the sword from its strap on my backpack as I speak again. "I know how to make a swing but I've never really used a sword in combat, this one's never even been out of its sheath, or at least not since I can remember." My eyes grow stoic and my voice excited as I look at my family heirloom. "Father said, carry this and the spirits of all the dead ancestors of our proud family are with me." My heart grows heavier and my voice drops as I speak again without thinking. "This is usually hanging in our home, but it seems the kami of my family are with me during this crisis, not them." Realizing that I was speaking what would sound like nonsense to non-shintos I quickly speak again, faking my light hearted tone from earlier. "Of course I probably need it more then them anyway." I say with a grin as I put the blade back in its resting place. I wonder if I need to do a purification ritual for the zombies I killed, if they were already dead is putting them down an unclean act? I've never killed anyone but father had, he showed the ritual I had to do if and when I did. Oh well, I'm not willing to get off the bus and separate from this group just to go look for a river. I'll probably be heading for home as soon as I get what I need from the military base, I'll just do it on the way.

spot hidden success, 1 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3728398/

Posted: **Mon Oct 15, 2012 4:28 am**

Posted: **Mon Oct 15, 2012 5:11 am**

"Oh my do you all see that, someone's blocked the bridge." Ryuu says, perking up and looking closer.

Posted: **Mon Oct 15, 2012 7:48 pm**

Donald stirred, shifting the hat from over his eyes where he could see out the front windshield. "Detour?" he asked.

Posted: **Mon Oct 15, 2012 8:50 pm**

"This is good, this means the military base is still operating to some degree if the bridge is blocked." I say enthusiastically.

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:56 am**

In the school bus-
Becky cursed under her breath and stopped the bus. She took out her maps and started going over them. "We're not even halfway to Warren Air Force Base yet," she said. "That's just the city of Grand Island across the river. And we don't know when the bridge was blocked. It could have been done 24 hours ago, when all this was just starting. The people who barricaded the bridge may very well be dead by now. However that bridge got blocked off, we're going to need an alternate route, and we can't ask On*Star."

Posted: **Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:50 pm**

Ryuu calmly moves to the front of the bus and looks over her shoulder, he was more used to looking at city maps but this wasn't so different. Plus he had some experience with maps like this in his travels. He stares closely for a moment before tracing his finger along a root and speaking. "Couldn't we go this way?"
OOC- I thought we were close to the base, oh well.
Success 27 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3736294/

Ryuu goes back to his camping pack and takes out the large survival knife that was in a side pocket, he sits down and cuts his hair as close as he can with the crude blade. He looks to his new friend with a grin, "I probably wont want my hair in my eyes seeing as we're in a crisis situation.

Posted: **Wed Oct 17, 2012 7:04 pm**

Donald nodded, "Save the hair... makes for good kindling to start a fire."

He didn't really get out much farther than the local store, so he had no idea of alternate routes in the area - and he hadn't looked at a map in a very long time excluding the geography maps in the class rooms as he was cleaning up.

Posted: **Wed Oct 17, 2012 7:35 pm**

"If you say so." Ryuu says skeptically, he puts the hair in one of his backpacks pockets regardless though. Looking back at the middle easterner who gave me the ammo I speak again. "May I ask why your so well equipped? And why are we going to this air force base anyway?" Being raised in a criminal organization Ryuu had very little faith or respect for the government, to him a functioning military base isn't exactly the beacon of security it might be for others.

After Ryuu has spoken to the man he turns back to the scientist woman, "If we drive by a car with this EMP on board would the vehicle become unusable, and how hard would it be to get a working one seeing as it's obviously possible?" The realization of the EMP wiping out other vehicles suddenly occurred to him. That was bad, there were far too many people on the bus for him to hijack it. As tempting as bringing a working EMP back to his family was he still probably wouldn't steal it even if he could.

Posted: **Sun Dec 02, 2012 9:39 pm**

In the school bus-
"Yes, that could work," said Becky, studying the route through the back roads south of I-80. "We'll probably run into less trouble if we're off the highway, and it might even be faster this way." She folded up the maps again (no easy feat), put them away, and pulled out.

"Good idea to cut your hair," said Tariq. "I won't shave off all of my hair or my beard, but perhaps I could trim them some. Why do we have all of these weapons, you ask? Well, I came from Iraq in 1991, after a failed attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein. I know what it's like to live under such a shadow, so I vowed to always be prepared and never let my guard down. It's a good thing I did, too."

"Yes, an EMP will ruin any cars we pass, within a mile or so," Stephanie told Ryuu. "Only cars that are over thirty years old without electronic ignitions will still function after they're exposed to the EMP. Of course, there are plenty of cars that we've gone nowhere near and haven't been hit by it. The best thing to if we wanted one of those would be to shut off the EMP temporarily and then proceed to get one. Once it's driven out of range, we could turn the device back on. There's a small risk of the dead wandering by while the device is off, however."

The drive continued uneventfully for another hour. It was around midday when Becky announced that they were halfway to their goal. A north-south road went by on an overpass a short distance ahead, but it was high enough that the bus could fit underneath. The area below the overpass was concealed in shadow from the noon sunlight.

Posted: **Sun Dec 02, 2012 10:19 pm**

Talking to the scientist Ryuu responds immediately.
"Well I don't suppose I could convince you to turn off the EMP for a little while then? I'm need to get back to my family-" speaking louder so many of the people around him can hear he goes on. "-and if the risk is really so low I'm sure nobody would mind." He looks pleadingly at both the scientist and the driver.
Persuade success, 26 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3810142/
Spot hidden fail, 73

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2012 2:41 am**

Donald was back to napping by this time, on and off, and didn't have much to say about the whole shutting-off-the-EMP thing.

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2012 3:59 am**

On the school bus-
"I guess we can do that," said Stephanie to Ryuu. "I think you ought to stick with us, but I can understand wanting to be with your family. Of course, we'd better get back to I-80 first. We'll have a better chance of finding a usable car on the main road. Where does your family live? Are you sure you can find your way on your own?"

Becky drove on towards the overpass. When they got closer, a flatbed truck could be seen stopped underneath it, blocking the westbound lane. She shifted over to the eastbound lane temporarily as she passed below the overpass. As she drove past the stopped vehicle, the bus suddenly lurched and a hissing sound came from the front of the bus. She struggled with the wheel, but it did not respond at all. The bus swerved into the truck as it started to swing in front of it, only stopping when it collided with the concrete wall on the right that supported the road above.

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2012 6:46 pm**

The sound was familiar enough to Donald that he immediately snapped awake and braced himself for the worst of it.

Posted: **Mon Dec 03, 2012 10:23 pm**

success 64 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3811466/
Ryuu grips the front seat hard to prevent himself from moving as the bus lost control. As soon as it steadied he runs up toward the front, "What happened?" He asked commandingly, gripping his pistol and trying to look out the window.

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2012 5:43 am**

On the school bus-
School buses lacked seatbelts, but luckily Donald and Ryuu managed to remain in their seats. Some others weren't so lucky and spilled out into the aisle, suffering minor injuries of varying degrees. One of them was Dr. Brigetta Hausmann, who was hurt further. Stephanie fell on top of her, but she wasn't as badly hurt because the doctor broke her fall. Dr. Bernard Smith kept his seat, as did Lucy Armstrong and the principal. Vice Principal Sharon Kaplan wasn't so fortunate and was badly hurt. Laura Shelley, who had been next to her, also fell out and was injured as well. Michelle Marquez maintained her balance, and Tariq did likewise. Amelia also managed it, but Jerry couldn't quite and was slightly bruised. Becky's reflexes were perfect.

"Both front tires popped," said Becky, cursing under her breath. "We must have run over something. Probably the same thing happened to that truck."

"Hey, I recognize that truck!" said Stephanie. "It was at the airfield where we refueled the helicopter yesterday. After Corporal Gardner kidnapped Kathryn McCoy and stole a police cruiser, two of the guys who had been under his command took the truck to try to chase him down and rescue her."

Posted: **Mon Dec 10, 2012 2:29 pm**

Ryuu looks back at all the injured people, unsure if he should try and help them or head outside. He worried that this might have been a trap, someone could be about to ambush them, with this thought in mind he decided he would be more useful taking a look outside. Looking to the fat driver he motioned to the door, speaking quietly. "Open the door, I'm gonna have a look outside." (If she's unconscious or something I just open it myself.) He slowly moved out of the bus, pistol out and moving in a slow crouch.
Sneak success 32 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3819129/

Posted: **Sat Dec 15, 2012 3:03 am**

Donald follows the man out, though he isn't thinking so much about an ambush. "I wonder if those truck tires will fit this bus," he pondered aloud as he went to checking the size and spacing of the lugnuts on the rims.

Posted: **Mon Dec 24, 2012 6:19 am**

On the school bus-
Chester was fine, but Julianne fell and was slightly hurt. Declan kept his balance, and so did Enrico, Michiko, and Teresa. Elijah tumbled out of his seat and bruised his shoulder. Diana fell next to him, but she wasn't too badly hurt either. Kelly had excellent coordination as always, and Ali also managed to stay put. Sunny took a fall and was slightly injured. Adam Donnelly was thrown hard, but his injuries weren't as bad as they could have been. Lori had no problem, nor did Rachel and Dr. Edward Singh. Dr. Liz Somerville slipped from her seat, landing badly. Erin Halloran was unharmed. Rashad was not so lucky, ending up hurt. Samir Hossein had better reflexes, but Jack Brunner did not. He was somewhat injured.

Outside the bus-
After Becky opened the door, she waddled after Ryuu and Donald. The three of them looked around in the shadows beneath the overpass. Donald saw that fortunately the truck's tires were the same size as those the school bus used. They could all see that the truck's front tires were shredded, as were the two front tires of the bus. However, the flatbed's two rear tires were intact and could be used to replace the bus's front tires. Ryuu glanced down and saw that a black strip lay stretched across the road underneath the vehicles with metal spikes jutting out from it at a backward-pointing angle.

"Dammit!" cried Becky. "Whoever put that spike strip there stopped two vehicles with it. Why would anyone do that? It's not going to do a thing about the dead."

Posted: **Wed Dec 26, 2012 8:22 pm**

Donald says to the others , "We can lift and put that truck on blocks then take its rear tires to exchange with our front. But best we make sure this place is safe first. A booby trap like this can only have one purpose. Best check for bloodshed around that other truck."

He checked the shotgun he was carrying to make sure it was ready to fire, then headed toward the other truck cautiously, inspecting it for signs of gunplay.

Posted: **Thu Dec 27, 2012 4:56 am**

On the school bus-
Brigetta had no problem treating her own injury, and she felt a little better. Stephanie picked herself up and did an excellent job on her own bruises. Sharon managed to patch herself up completely. MIchelle Marquez went over to help Laura, but she wasn't able to assist, nor could the principal. Laura only made it worse when she tried. Rachel, however, did an amazing job on her original injury. Jerry couldn't do anything for himself, but Amelia did it for him. Julianne managed to treat her bruises. Elijah couldn't quite reach his, so Chester had to help. Diana had no luck either, though Michiko aided her. Sunny. however, had no difficulty. Adam accidentally worsened his cuts slightly. Dr. Smith came over and helped him, repairing all of the damage except for what Adam had inflicted himself. Liz managed to treat herself, and she was as good as new afterwards. Rashad wasn't quite able to help himself, and Samir couldn't do anything for him either. Teresa came over and treated him, improving his condition a little. Jack patched himself up fully.

Stephanie checked on the EMP device. "Phew!" she said. "It's still in good working order. That would be all we needed, for this thing to break while we're stuck here."

"I think I know what happened to the truck," Dr. Bernard Smith called outside. "Stephanie recognized it as the one that the National Guardsmen used to pursue Gardner, who fled with his hostage in a State Police cruiser yesterday. Those cruisers are used for highway patrol duties, and they carry spike strips like the one that stopped us cold. I bet Gardner laid a trap with it here to stop them, and it looks like it worked. We just happened to get caught in the same trap."

"Then he got away," said Stephanie, lowering her head. "Oh, poor Kathryn!"

Lucy Armstrong and Declan McLeod went outside to help.

Outside the bus-
Donald saw no sign of any blood, bullet holes, or shell casings in his inspection of the flatbed truck. The area was deserted, at least for now, but it could take upwards of an hour to change both tires.

Posted: **Sat Dec 29, 2012 1:37 am**

Donald wasn't paying much attention for tracks. His priority was to get the bus running again. "Someone will need to see about moving that tire-buster before we move along."

He grabbed some tools and got to work removing good tires from the flat-bed truck.

Posted: **Tue Jan 01, 2013 3:02 am**

Seeing no signs of hostile people Ryuu goes back onto the bus to see if anyone needs help.

Posted: **Wed Jan 02, 2013 3:13 am**

Outside the bus-
"You know, the airfield where I worked can't be too far from here," mentioned Lucy as she aided Donald with the tires. She knew what she was doing, and she turned out to be quite strong. "I recognize this truck from there." They started by using wrenches to remove the nuts securing the bus's flat front tires and the truck's good rear ones.

Becky rolled up the spike strip and shoved it underneath the flatbed truck before fetching a jack, opening up her toolbox, and getting to work, but she wasn't much help. Neither was Declan, whose arthritis was acting up again. Donald estimated that it would take about an hour to change both tires.

On the school bus-
Brigetta kept working on her injury, but it was too awkward with just one usable arm. However, Stephanie was able to assist her. "Danke, Stephanie," said the doctor.

"Anytime," said Stephanie.

Michelle completely repaired the damage Laura had caused herself, and Dr. Smith did the same for Adam. Liz finished helping Rashad. By the time Ryuu had gotten back on the bus, everyone who had been hurt in the crash was once again seated and doing better.

Posted: **Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:40 pm**

Donald advised the others on the time estimation and expected someone who was not actively doing something would be keeping an eye out for brigands and ruffians. He didn't mind doing the work, it kept his mind off of how messed up everything had gotten.

Posted: **Wed Jan 02, 2013 8:41 pm**

Donald advised the others on the time estimation and expected someone who was not actively doing something would be keeping an eye out for brigands and ruffians. He didn't mind doing the work, it kept his mind off of how messed up everything had gotten.

Posted: **Fri Jan 04, 2013 3:37 pm**

Ryuu goes back outside and leans against the truck while staring out in the other direction with his hand in his pocket on his gun, he also put his katana on his back while he was on the bus. this way he could keep in eye one way and was unlikely to be shot in the back if someone attacked from the other direction.
[Spoiler-Button]Ready whenever[/Spoiler-Button]

Posted: **Sun Jan 06, 2013 3:20 am**

Outside the school bus-
The afternoon wore on as the mechanics worked. There was only superficial damage to the front of the bus from the collision, thanks to its armor plating, so they concentrated on replacing the tires.

Posted: **Sun Jan 06, 2013 4:42 pm**

After some time passes Ryuu begins to slacken in his watch, figuring that any attacks would have come by now.
[Spoiler-Button]spot hidden fail 59[/Spoiler-Button]

Posted: **Sun Jan 13, 2013 11:03 pm**

Donald is still too preoccupied and focused on the task at hand to notice anything out of the ordinary.

Posted: **Mon Jan 14, 2013 5:07 am**

Oustide the bus-
Lucy was also too busy to notice anything, but Becky's vision was extremely sharp. When they were about halfway done changing the tires, she pointed off to the west. "There's a small pack of coyotes out that way, three of them. They're close to a mile off, but they're heading towards us. They look a bit thin and gaunt."

Posted: **Tue Jan 15, 2013 3:33 am**

"Coyotes?" Ryuu says with mild alarm, taking his families katana from it's strap and squinting towards the horizon to try and see the hounds.

Posted: **Thu Jan 17, 2013 7:43 pm**

Donald looked at the blade-wielding man nearby and nodded approvingly. "Gunshots are sure to bring about unwanted attention. Do we have any more weapons like bats or knives?" He took up a bar they used to jack up the vehicle and tested it in his hands saying "This may work fine."

Posted: **Sat Jan 19, 2013 8:37 pm**

Outside the bus-
"My nail gun's nice and quiet," said Declan, readying it and taking aim to the west. "I just hope they don't howl much."

"I've been lugging around this steel pipe all this time," said Lucy, unstrapping it from her back. "Might as well get some use out of it."

"I can beat the crap out of them with the butt of my shotgun," said Becky, "and I know Principal Adler always carries that baseball bat." She called into the open door of the bus. "Hey, Principal, we got three coyotes incoming. We can use your bat out here."

In the bus-
The principal picked up his Louisville Slugger and stepped outside. Jerry Law followed him.

"Coyotes?" said Stephanie. "I remember a bunch of reanimated coyotes back at the truck stop. If these are more of the same, the EMP device will take them down before they get close. But they could be living coyotes."

Outside the bus-
The seven people had to crawl under the bus to get to the west side of the tunnel, as the vehicle was blocking it off completely in its current position. They had plenty of time as the coyotes loped closer, and during this time Jerry got his nightstick ready and offered his chainsaw to Donald. Ryuu and most of the others didn't spot them until they got quite close. There were indeed three of them, and their eyes weren't glowing red like the zombies. They were alive with hunger, which made them no less dangerous. Declan fired his nail gun as soon as they got into range, but he missed badly. The coyote on the right lunged at the principal, its jaws snapping on air. The middle coyote came at him from the other side, but it fared no better. The coyote on the left had not yet reached the defenders, advancing slowly.

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2013 3:52 am**

Donald rushed forward to the principal's assistance, attacking at one of the coyotees on him, but his metal lug-wrench swings harmlessly over the creature's head.

Posted: **Mon Jan 21, 2013 3:30 pm**

Ryuu takes a deep breath as the beasts approach, more worried about his families sword then his own safety. As the coyotes come into range he swings the blade out of it's sheath with a roar
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3877030/ making contact with one of the dogs and cutting deep into it's body with a spray of crimson. http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3877035/
[Spoiler-Button]The katanna does 1d10+DM right? That's what I rolled. 12 damage by the way.[/Spoiler-Button]

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2013 6:06 am**

Outside the bus-
Ryuu cleaved the middle coyote cleanly in half with a single blow! Blood gushed out of both halves as the animal collapsed. Becky swung her shotgun at the other coyote that was attacking the principal, connecting with it and bludgeoning the beast. It fell over and lay still, though it had not been slain. Lucy brained the remaining coyote, bloodying its head but not quite felling it. Jerry crushed it with his nightstick, beating it to a bloody pulp.

Posted: **Tue Jan 22, 2013 1:11 pm**

"Well who wants jerky?" Ryuu responds as he leans down to the wounded coyote and slits its throat with his knife. He then sits down and begins skinning and dressing the animals. "Hey, can someone bring me my backpack?" He calls, knowing he'll need some of his tools if he's actually going to do this. He had done it plenty of times on his journey, but the biggest animal he'd ever done was a fox.

Posted: **Wed Jan 23, 2013 6:08 pm**

Excitement over, Donald went back to work on the bus tires.

Posted: **Thu Jan 24, 2013 6:14 am**

Outside the bus-
Principal Adler and Jerry Law ducked back under the bus, where they passed Amelia Delacroix as she emerged with Ryuu's backpack. Everyone else except Ryuu resumed working on changing the tires.

While the principal and Jerry went back aboard the bus, Amelia joined Ryuu, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Y'all got the right idea!" she said. "Waste not, want not. Coyotes can be good eatin'. We get where we're goin', I can cook 'em up real good. You won't even know it was dog meat. We brought a good deal of salt with us, so we can keep the meat fresh. And we can tan and keep the furs too; it gets cold at night." She helped Ryuu ably; she had clearly done this sort of thing before.

Posted: **Thu Jan 24, 2013 1:09 pm**

"I hope you don't mind but I was actually going to make it into jerky right now, that way I can take it with me when our paths diverge." Ryuu said, although his tone might fool you he wasn't asking.

Posted: **Sun Jan 27, 2013 11:24 pm**

Outside the bus-
"Y'all killed one yourself," said Amelia, "so you've earned the right. We've got enough food to get the rest of us where we're going. Are you sure about heading off on your own? There's more dangers out there than just the walkin' dead, as you can see. Much safer with forty or so of us than only one. Can't stay awake forever out there."

Posted: **Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:13 am**

Ryuu pauses and looks her in the eye. His tone was hard and cold, not the friendly one he had earlier. "I'm not a God damn idiot, I know going off on my own is dangerous. Right now, in this second that we are talking, my little sisters could be braced behind a door, desperately trying to keep some zombie from coming in and killing them. My family doesn't have a fucking EMP keeping all the nasties away like you do, they're probably fighting for their lives right now; and I'm not gonna sit on my ass and 'hope' when me being their could be the difference between them surviving our not." After he finishes talking he quickly finishes his work and goes back on the bus. Trying to find someone who he could persuade to come with him, he didn't have hopes though. Altruistic people vanish fast in these kinds of situations.

Posted: **Mon Jan 28, 2013 5:16 am**

Outside the bus-
"All right," Amelia called after Ryuu. "You do what you have to do. Just remember that there are many kinds of nasties, and not all of them are stopped by an EMP."

Posted: **Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:03 pm**

Ryuu just grunts in reply. As he gets on the bus and looks around for someone who he might be able to take with him he begins thinking about the EMP again. Once he gets to the military base the people will probably let their guard down a lot, plus they won't really need the EMP anymore. Maybe if he just offered to wait with the bus while the others proceeded inside... no cause they can turn the EMP off, they won't need to leave the bus behind.

Posted: **Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:47 am**

Posted: **Tue Jan 29, 2013 10:21 pm**

OOC- Ryuu would just approach any/every able bodied man he could who appeared armed and alone. He would offer them money and protection if they agreed to come with him, he would also plead and beg if he thought that would work.

Posted: **Wed Jan 30, 2013 4:38 am**

In the bus-
Ryuu quickly zeroed in on a likely-looking man. He was big and strong, with a .45 automatic in a belt holster, sitting by himself with his head lowered. He glanced up when Ryuu approached. "Jack Brunner," he said, extending his hand.

Posted: **Wed Jan 30, 2013 10:21 pm**

"Ryuu smiles and shakes the hand firmly. "Hello Mr. Brunner, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Before the man replies Ryuu goes on, "Do you think the government will restore order eventually? Or a more relevant question I suppose would be, do you still place any value in money?" He says with a coy smile.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3893918/ 22, fail I think

Posted: **Thu Jan 31, 2013 6:16 am**

In the bus-
"Money doesn't matter any more," said Jack, his handshake limp and without feeling. "I don't know if anything matters any more."

Posted: **Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:14 pm**

Ryuu's smile melts down into a knowing, sympathetic grin. "You've lost something or someone very important to you haven't you?" he asks.

Posted: **Fri Feb 01, 2013 5:46 am**

In the bus-
Jack nodded morosely. "My whole family," he said. "My wife, our five children. Why couldn't they have started up that EMP thing sooner?"

Posted: **Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:12 pm**

Ryuu knew that Donald was an elderly man, kept to himself mostly, and didn't seem to have any connections nor did he seem overly concerned about relatives that may or may not still be alive. It may have come up at some point in casual conversation that he had lived a long and lonely life as the school janitor and cartaker for quite some time. Although old, he was quite capable with mechanical things. Working on heavy machinery and all his yard work kept him in decent shape for an older guy.

Honestly, Donald didn't have any idea why he was going with the others except to work on the bus should they need it. He was good at what he did and doing it kept his mind off of all the other weirdness going on.

Donald estimated the time it would take to finish repairs and mentioned it to the others so they could be ready when it was time to roll. If anyone was just standing around, he suggested to them, "Why don't you scout about and see if there is any evidence of who put these traps here and why?" He expected the search to be fruitless, but in times like this it helped people to keep their mind occupied with something rather than let them toil over things over wich they have no control.

Posted: **Fri Feb 01, 2013 10:22 pm**

Ryuu nods and puts a hand on the mans shoulder. "I can't imagine anything worse then losing my family, that-that's what I needed from you. I need someone to help me save my family,-" Ryuu doesn't have to try very hard to make his voice start shaking, he takes a deep breath before he continues. "-my innocent little sisters, my brother, my old man, they could all be fighting for their lives right now while I'm three states away on a fucking vacation!" He punctioates the sentence by slamming his fist down on the metal bus. "...or worse they could already be, dea-" Ryuu's voice cracks on the last word and he leans his head down, 'hiding' the tears in his eyes.

Posted: **Sat Feb 02, 2013 11:38 pm**

In the bus-
Jack started to weep, the tears flowing freely. "It's too late to save my family," he said, drying his eyes on his sleeve, "but maybe I can still save yours. Where do they live? I'll go with you."

Outside the bus-
Donald guessed that changing the tires would be completed a little before 1:00 PM. There was still time to reach the base before it got dark, as long as there were no further delays. When Amelia finished with the meat and hides from the coyotes, she took a look around for evidence, but she was just wasting her time. Jerry went back outside to have a look around, and he noticed something. He scouted some distance to the west before returning.

"There's tire tracks leading off to the west, the way we're going," said Jerry. "Someone was parked on the crest of the hill up there and pulled out in a hurry. That's why the tracks are still vsiible. They look to be about a day old and made by a standard-sized car. It also looks like a couple of people climbed up the support column here to the overpass above us."

Posted: **Sun Feb 03, 2013 3:19 am**

Sweet. Ryuu thinks to himself pridefully. He lets a few tears fall down his face as he looks up, "God bless you sir, I know there's no replacing what you've lost; but you'll always have a place in my family for this." He coughs deeply to compose himself before continuing. "Like I said we're like, three states away. It's about 15 hours by car or a few days by foot, I already convinced the scientist girl to turn off the EMP so we can get a car. I just needed someone to come with me so we can drive constantly, avoid the zombies ya know. As long as we pick the right car we should be able to do it with only one or two stops for gas." After hearing Jack's response Ryuu goes back to the Iraquian he spoke to earlier. "Excuse me sir, but I was wondering if I could take advantage of the generosity you displayed earlier and take those extra clips after all, being that I'll be leaving soon."

Posted: **Sun Feb 03, 2013 10:01 pm**

Donald continued to work dilligently on the tire. He figured Dr. Smith was right about his theory (once he heard about the earlier conversation) and stated passively, "I guess it was the soldiers from the truck that climbed the columns, probably in search of another operational vehicle. If they're still around and notice our bus is operational, they may try to comandeer us."

Posted: **Mon Feb 04, 2013 4:23 am**

In the bus-
"Of course," said Tariq to Ryuu, handing over a few .32 magazines. "Will three be enough?"

"We can't shut off the EMP device until the bus is moving again," said Stephanie, "but if you want to set off now, you can get out of its range before too long. It's close to ground level, so its effective range is reduced to less than a mile, I'd guess about half a mile. We came from the east, so you wouldn't want to look in that direction, and we'll be going west once the tires are replaced. You could follow the north-south highway on that overpass, though. Holdrege is a decent-sized town not far to the north, so you may be able to get a car there, but it could also be dangerous."

Outside the bus-
"Yeah, it must have been Alvarez and Flynn," said Dr. Smith. "I can't imagine they'd still be around here, though. If they couldn't find any other transport up there, they'd have moved on to look for it elsewhere and get back on Gardner's trail. I'd guess it was Gardner parked up on that hill. He just couldn't resist sticking around to watch his trap at work. Either that or he wanted them to see him to keep them from paying attention to anything else. Either way, it sure as hell worked. Gardner's the one you've really got to worry about, if he's still in the area." Dr. Smith shuddered. "He shot our original pilot in the head, cool as you please. And I don't even want to think about what he's done with that poor girl."

Posted: **Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:11 pm**

"Three should be fine, thank you so much sir." Ryuu says earnestly. "If things ever settle down and you ever find yourself in Chicago look up the Kin family, I'll pay you back for this." Ryuu decides that heading north would probably be the best idea if a town was really nearby. After putting the clips away, one in his pocket and two in his backpack, and donning his backpack he asks Jack if he's ready to go. If so he heads up the interstate, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that might pose a threat.

Posted: **Mon Feb 04, 2013 3:02 pm**

Donald considers talking to the men about their dangerous decision, but he knows well enough that they know well enough what dangers lie ahead. "Good luck to you, may God favor your path," Donald told Ryuu as he left the bus.

Posted: **Mon Feb 04, 2013 10:25 pm**

"And yours as well!" Ryuu calls back as he keeps moving.
ooc-is there a concrete shoulder or something that I could duck under, you know to stay out of sight? Or anything that would justify a sneak roll while I'm moving out in the open?

Posted: **Mon Feb 11, 2013 4:47 am**

In the bus-
"The best of luck to you, my friend," said Tariq to Ryuu as he left the bus. "May you find your family and keep them safe."

Jack followed Ryuu out the door.

Outside the bus-
Jack shook Donald's hand with a strong grip. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," he said. "If we survive the trip to Chicago, maybe I'll head out your way sometime and look you up. I'm sure I'll need the shotgun and shells you borrowed from me on the road ahead. You've got a whole busload of people with you, but it's just going to be the two of us out there." Once he got back his gun and ammo, he joined Ryuu on the journey north. The two of them vanished from sight before long as they hiked beneath the overpass, which kept them in the shade and hidden from view.
The Road to Hell

Less than half an hour after Ryuu and Jack had left, Donald and the other mechanics finished replacing the tires. "All right," said Becky. "Let's get this show on the road."

Posted: **Wed Feb 13, 2013 4:36 pm**

Satisfied, Donald put his tools away and made sure the tire puncture strip was no longer a threat for further traffic through this area before getting back on the bus.

Posted: **Wed Feb 20, 2013 5:45 am**

In the bus-
Once everyone was safely aboard, Becky shifted the bus into gear. It went on to the west, passing dirt roads that intersected it going north and south and plenty of farms with fields full of wavy corn. This continued for almost 25 more minutes without anything interesting visible.

Posted: **Fri Feb 22, 2013 2:24 pm**

Donald looked out at the fields and thought of better times.

Posted: **Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:33 am**

On the bus-
Becky drove onwards, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. She continued down the road for another mile and a quarter, passing another farm. At this one, there was an RV parked in the driveway that looked badly damaged and had some bullet holes in it. A few dead bodies lay on the lawn in front of the farmhouse, one of them missing both legs.

Posted: **Fri Mar 01, 2013 11:24 pm**

Donald looked at the RV scene only for a few fleeting moments before looking away at the request of the contents of his stomach.

Posted: **Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:55 am**

On the bus-
Becky only cringed a little when she saw the scene and kept going. Over half an hour went by without incident.

Posted: **Wed Mar 13, 2013 3:42 pm**

Posted: **Thu Mar 14, 2013 5:15 am**

On the road-
An hour later, the bus had made it as far west as Ogallala, passing somewhat to the south of the city. Becky turned left, heading south on Big Mac Road. "We're going to need to find some fuel soon," she commented. "Tank's running low."

Posted: **Thu Mar 14, 2013 2:14 pm**

Donald looked out the window, keeping his eyes open for a gas station. "I've heard of guys making desiel fuel from frying grease and some choice chemicals... but I'm not sure if I remember the other parts or quantities. Regardless, it'd probably gunk up the engine after another hundred to two hundred miles."

Posted: **Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:10 am**

On the road-
The bus went past a wrecked car on its side that had apparently rolled over. Becky noticed nothing else out of the ordinary and kept driving. "Another hundred miles or two should do it," she said. "Of course, we don't want to come up short. We could siphon some diesel from a truck, but I haven't seen one on these back roads. Probably have better luck on the highway. Of course, there have to be pumps somewhere." Ahead and to the left, a SaveMart convenience store loomed. Its storefront faced the road and had once consisted of plate glass windows, but they had been smashed to bits. The parking lot in front of it contained a line of half a dozen motorcycles, but no other vehicles. There were also a garage and a couple of gas pumps. "Well, well, just what we needed!" She pulled into the parking lot and stopped the bus.

Posted: **Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:37 pm**

Donald eyed the motorcycles warily. He expected if anyone could rough it out against the zombies, it would be a motorcycle gang. And if they were that rough, they might be the sort who would want to take from the weaker sorts. "We might have company. I wouldn't be surprised if those bikes belonged to somebody nearby."

Posted: **Fri Mar 29, 2013 4:24 am**

At the gas pumps-
"Well, hopefully if we leave them alone, they'll leave us alone," said Becky. "I just want to fill up our tank with diesel and get out of here. I will take someone with me for protection, though. Jerry, let's go."

Jerry Law nodded and followed Becky out of the bus after she opened the door. The two of them walked around the bus to the pumps. Becky picked up the handle from one of them.

"What do you think you're doing?!" a man's voice boomed from somewhere that Donald couldn't see.

Posted: **Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:29 am**

"Shit!" muttered Jerry quietly under his breath. Jerry looked around seeing if he could determine where the voice was come from.

Posted: **Sun Mar 31, 2013 2:36 am**

Donald hunkered down a little, scooping up his shotgun and checking to make sure it was ready to fire.

Posted: **Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:01 am**

Posted: **Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:21 am**

Posted: **Wed Apr 03, 2013 4:42 pm**

Donald tries to determine where the voice is coming from but isn't sure. He figures the people are probably within the gas station. He would be... someplace defensible. So Donald started low-crawling to the back of the bus, the emergency door, where he might be able to sneak out unobserved and circle around to get the jump on these people if they proved to be anxious for a fight.

Posted: **Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:06 pm**

Michiko is looking anxious. Even with the EMP, this trip was turning dangerous.

Posted: **Wed Apr 10, 2013 3:25 am**

At the gas pumps-
Becky couldn't tell where the voice was coming from by the sound, nor could she see its source.
In the bus-
Donald crawled to the rear of the bus, where the EMP device sat in the aisle, still thrumming. The emergency exit was just beyond it, but it would be a simple matter to step over it if he wished.

Posted: **Thu Apr 11, 2013 12:32 am**

Jerry lets out a quick "pssst" to get beckys attention as he hurridly ducks behind whatever cover is nearby and pokes his head round to keep an eye man on the roof.

Jerry calls out "OK, man on the roof, you got the gun, we don't want no trouble. Our bus is low on fuel and we gotta get some and then we can be out of your hair. That OK with you?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 11, 2013 5:01 am**

At the gas pumps-
Jerry ducked behind the bus, which aside from the gas pumps was the only nearby cover - and unlike the pumps, it was armored.

"The fuel is ours!" the man's voice called back. "We're not just gonna give it away. You want it, you gotta trade us something worthwhile. Whaddaya got?"

Posted: **Thu Apr 11, 2013 4:11 pm**

With the man on the roof, Donald felt he should be relatively hidden from view from the look-out, but he knew he wouldn't be alone. He carefully stepped over the EMP device to get closer to the emergency exit. He looked around for a blanket or jacket to safely drape over the device so that if they were to come on the bus they wouldn't see it so easily.

Posted: **Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:16 am**

Posted: **Fri Apr 19, 2013 4:01 am**

At the gas pumps- In the bus-
"Good thinking," whispered Stephanie, seeing Donald looking around. Crouching low, she made her way to the back of the bus. She took off her lab coat, revealing a sleeveless black blouse and a 9mm pistol tucked into her belt, and draped the coat over the EMP device carefully. "It'll still work, don't worry. You'd have to cover it completely with foil or something similar to block the pulse."

Posted: **Fri Apr 19, 2013 3:08 pm**

Donald smiled and gave Stephanie a wink, helping her with the lab coat. He whispered back, "Maybe we can put some more pillows or blankets around it so they don't think too much about it? Just a big pile of blankets and pillows... that's what we have here." He started looking around the bus for things with which he could camouflage the EMP device a little better.

Posted: **Sat Apr 27, 2013 8:19 am**

"What do you want?" yelled Jerry across the forecourt. "You want money or something else? We're from the school down the road we don't have much besides books. We just need enougth fuel to get where we're going"

Posted: **Sun Apr 28, 2013 4:31 am**

At the gas pumps-
"Something else," called the man to Jerry. "Money ain't worth jack anymore, and we don't care for books. But I see you do have guns, and I'm sure you got bullets to go with them. Give us enough guns and ammo, and we'll let you fill your tank."

In the bus-
"Thanks," said Stephanie. "We don't have blankets or pillows - not much call for those in a school I guess. But we can stack up the boxes of supplies around and over it." She helped Donald move the boxes to hide the EMP device.

Posted: **Mon Apr 29, 2013 1:44 pm**

Donald hears what they ask for and shook his head, "We can't give them our weapons. That's suicide." He suggests to the others up front, "Maybe they can agree to a trade of services. I can fix just about anything. Maybe they could use a good mechanic?"

Posted: **Wed May 01, 2013 10:57 pm**

"These are desperate times my friend. Ammo and guns are in short supply all round but they are key to surival and that is why we all need them. Guns and transport, two very imporant things for survival otherwise we'll all be seeing out the rest of our days, however long or short they may be, in this stinking garage in the middle of nowhere. If a gun goes wrong we always got bows and arrows or our fists but if transport goes wrong that's the end of us.

How about in exchange for some fuel and maybe a bite to eat we fix those bikes up of yours and get them in perfect condition and I will personally guarantee you 100,000 miles from each of those engines after our spanners has tuned them up and got them running nice. What do you say?"

Posted: **Mon May 06, 2013 5:01 am**

In the bus-
Stephanie was not very subtle in trying to help Donald. He thought he did a decent enough job, and the EMP device was not visible, but the camouflage might not withstand close inspection and someone might realize that there was something under all that stuff.

"I'd better go outside and talk to that guy," said Principal Adler. He stepped out.

At the gas pumps-
The man on the roof laughed at Jerry. "We got plenty of food right here," he said, "and we can keep our hogs purring on our own, thank you very much. Guns and ammo for fuel, that's the deal."

The principal joined Jerry near the front of the bus. "I'm Principal Adler," he called up to the roof. "Maybe we can work something out. What kind of guns do you want?"

"Rifles are the most important for us."

Posted: **Mon May 06, 2013 8:08 pm**

Donald stepped out the back of the school bus and glanced about to see if he was visible and if he had a clear path to get around the building without being spotted.

Posted: **Wed May 08, 2013 7:59 pm**

"Man I aint even got a rifle to trade" says Jerry under his breath, "I'm going to leave you to it principal, you keep 'em talking and see if you can come up with a deal".. Jerry heads back around the bus and inside. "Becky, you come on inside the bus until this deal is struck, I think we should all get inside and prepare. I have a plan B and maybe C"

Posted: **Mon May 13, 2013 4:41 am**

In the parking lot-
Donald opened the rear exit and slipped outside behind the school bus.
At the gas pumps-
Becky nodded and followed Jerry back on board the bus.

"We don't have much in the way of rifles," said the principal. "How about other types of guns?"

"Rifles or no deal!" called back the biker.

"Okay, we do have one rifle - but it's a good one. An AK-47. If I can convince its owner to part with it and its ammo, can we have the fuel?"

"That ain't enough! How about some shotguns too? I saw your driver with one of those."

"That's the only shotgun we have. So, the AK-47 plus the shotgun, and our ammo for them?"

"We need more than that."

In the bus-
"Okay, what have you got planned?" Becky asked Jerry.

Posted: **Tue May 14, 2013 1:00 pm**

Donald found his new vantage point was enlightening, however... it left him pretty open to observation.

Posted: **Mon May 20, 2013 3:48 am**

In the parking lot-
Donald spotted a man in a leather jacket lying on his belly on the roof of the convenience store. He was holding a rifle, which he turned to point in Donald's direction. "Hold it right there!" he called. "What do you think you're tryin' to pull?!"

Posted: **Tue May 21, 2013 9:22 pm**

Donald threw his hands up in the air and said "I have an offer for you. Perhaps you will find it acceptable." He stepped forward and lifted an eyebrow, "I know a thing or two... some ju-ju from my great aunt down south in Louisiana. I can keep the zombies at bay from you, promise you a good night's sleep or two. All you have to do is let us keep our weapons and fill our tank. I'll even let you prove it." He stood straight and proud, hands went to his sides, "You go find one of those zombies and bring them back, I'll make sure they drop dead before they get within shooting range. What's that worth to you?"

Posted: **Sat May 25, 2013 11:12 pm**

In the parking lot-
"Yeah, right," snickered the man, keeping his rifle trained on Donald. "How dumb do you think we are?"

Posted: **Wed May 29, 2013 5:16 pm**

Donald knew he wasn't a good liar. He didn't even want to try any further than he already had. He glanced over to the others and waved a hand, "Ask them if you don't think I can. They'll tell you."

Posted: **Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:00 am**

In the bus-
Amelia heard Donald's conversation with the biker and climbed out of the rear exit to join him.

In the parking lot-
Amelia stood beside Donald. "It's all true," she said, her voice loud and booming. "I am Amelia Delacroix, from N'Orleans, and I am a mamaloi - a priestess of Vodoun!"

"Of what?" asked the biker.

"Voodoo, to the uninitiated. We have the power! I am descended from the legendary Marie Laveau."

"I don't know who that is, lady."

"She was the greatest mamaloi of all, and quite an influential person in the 19th century. Her secrets were passed down from mother to daughter, and I possess them!"

"You're freakin' nuts!"

Posted: **Mon Jun 10, 2013 11:00 am**

Donald said to the man, "What if we can prove it? Then maybe a good night's rest free of these concerns might be worth a little bit of gas?"

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 4:16 am**

In the parking lot-
The biker gave a scoffing laugh. "You're just as loony as she is!" he said. "If you really had mojo like that, you wouldn't need guns, but they can keep us plenty safe. So why don't you make that trade? The AK-47 and the shotgun, their ammo, and something more. Got any submachine guns?"

"We might be able to give you one," Principal Adler called from the front of the bus.

"Okay, add that in and enough ammo for it, and you can fill your tank."

Posted: **Thu Jun 13, 2013 9:00 pm**

Donald shook his head, "The guns aren't to keep us safe from the zombies. They're to keep us safe from people who would attempt to strong-arm us into giving up our defenses or resources... people like you." He looked to the principal and said "We shouldn't deal with him. We leave off a little way then throw some mojo down to bring the zombies this way. In another day... we can come back and take all the gas we want, no problem."

Posted: **Sun Jun 16, 2013 3:42 am**

In the parking lot-
"Fine, if you're not going to trade, then get out of here!" said the biker.

Posted: **Tue Sep 03, 2013 11:54 am**

Donald looked to the others, turning his attention away from the biker and said, "This thing runs on deisel... if need be we could make our own. All we need is a grease trap, filter, and some other chemicals to mix together with the grease. It will most likely gum up the engine, but we'll get a good 200 miles before that happens. Saw it on a show once." He snapped his fingers saying to himself, "What were those other chemicals... "

Posted: **Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:33 pm**

In the parking lot-
"We already got a grease trap," said Amelia, nodding. "And I'm sure Becky has a spare filter that'll do the trick."

Stephanie leaned out of the back door, beaming. "I know exactly what chemicals to use!" she exclaimed. "I saw the same show. I can get 'em together and mix up enough fuel to get us to the base in nothing flat. We'd better get out of here while we still can. I'll mix the diesel on the road."

Posted: **Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:48 pm**

Donald shot one last glance at the biker, then started heading back to the bus, "Great... let's get while the getting is good."

Posted: **Sun Sep 08, 2013 1:37 am**

In the parking lot-
Amelia followed Donald back onto the bus, closing the back door behind her. Becky pulled out and drove away, turning right at the next opportunity so she could keep heading west. During the trip, Stephanie was able to use a grease trap, a filter, and various chemicals she managed to scrounge from things they had brought with them to cook up enough homebrew diesel to get the bus the rest of the way to Warren Air Force Base. They stopped briefly when she was done so she could funnel it into the tank before resuming the journey.

"This is high quality stuff," Stephanie told the others. "If we're lucky, it won't even damage the engine."

After a while, Becky got back onto I-80 and continued driving. Nothing else happened until about an hour after they had left the gas station.

Posted: **Sun Sep 15, 2013 7:37 pm**

Donald smiles as the home-brew diesel is poured in the gas tank, glad he's able to contribute to the group's efforts since he was a lousy bluffer back at the gas station. Things were starting to look up for them.

Posted: **Mon Sep 16, 2013 2:30 am**

On the road-
The bus passed through what was left of Sidney, which had become a blackened shell. Scattered fires still burned here and there, but they were able to pass through the ruins without incident.

"We're only a few miles away from the truck stop where we were stranded yesterday," said Stephanie. "Looks like Sidney was burned down. I remember it was on fire when we flew over it on our way eastward. Seems deserted now. I remember there was a man trapped on the roof of Cabela's. He fired a flare, but we couldn't do anything to help him. No room in the helicopter to pick anyone up. Erica did radio the location to the Air Force, but I doubt they managed to get him and anyone with him out. They'd have had their hands full."

Posted: **Sun Sep 22, 2013 6:30 pm**

"Probably wouldn't hurt to check and see if he made it," Donald suggested. "I mean, if it isn't out of the way and blocked by debris." He looked around to see if anyone was interested in the idea.

Posted: **Mon Sep 23, 2013 3:35 am**

On the road-
"Maybe," said Principal Adler. "Cabela's would also have plenty of guns and ammo, so there's that too."

"Of course, we'd have to find it first," said Becky. "I've never been out to Sidney before, so I'm not sure where it would be. The maps we've got don't have that level of detail, and this bus don't have GPS."

"With the satellites down, GPS can't update," said Stephanie, "but the static maps as of the most recent update would be good enough. Of course, with the EMP device on, every GPS gadget within a mile or so is already fried.

Posted: **Mon Sep 30, 2013 4:06 pm**

Donald had nothing to add about the location of Cabela's, having never been there before. He shrugged, "Seems to me we should be able to hit nearly any Wal-Mart if we wanted to stock up on weapons and ammo. They should have some rifles and shotguns, right?"

Posted: **Fri Oct 04, 2013 4:29 pm**

Michiko was confused. This place seemed like many other she had seen since this all started. Only ruins.

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4245050/

Posted: **Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:26 am**

Posted: **Tue Oct 15, 2013 2:22 am**

On the road-
"Walmart would have guns and ammo too, yeah," said Becky, "but they're more likely to have been cleaned out already if there are any survivors. Then again, Cabela's might have been too. Of course, only Cabela's had someone that we know was alive as of yesterday. And I know where to find it." She drove through the streets of Sidney until they pulled up in front of a tall building that, like so many around it, was just a blackened shell. The darkened lettering was still visible above the entrance.

"Looks like the fires gutted the place," said Principal Adler. "It's possible there's still someone up on the roof, as there'd be a fire door blocking access, but it may be dangerous to go inside. The building might not be stable any more."

Posted: **Thu Nov 14, 2013 9:44 pm**

Donald looked at the building and asked "Don't they tend to lock up weapons and ammo in weapons lockers? I think something like that might have survived the fire. Could be worth the risk of venturing in if only to check it out."

Posted: **Mon Nov 18, 2013 4:50 am**

On the road-
"You may be right," said the principal. "That also increases the chances that they haven't been looted already, as they probably would have been at a Walmart. Any volunteers to go inside?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 22, 2013 7:14 pm**

Donald lifted his hand, "I'll go. Anyone want to go with me?"

Posted: **Mon Nov 25, 2013 6:12 am**

On the road-
"I'll come with you," said Lucy Armstrong. The burly mechanic hefted her steel pipe and followed Donald out of the door of the bus after Becky opened it.

"So will I," said Jerry Law. "Just in case there's trouble in there." He drew his .45 automatic, slapping in a fresh magazine as he joined the others outside.

"Be careful," said the principal after them. "Try not to spend too much time in there. We only have a few hours of daylight left, and we want to get to the base by nightfall."

The three volunteers approached the front of Cabela's. The front doors were no more, but what had happened to them wasn't clear. The building's interior was visible through the opening, and it was a charred mess. The reception desk had survived the fire, as it was made of marble, but it was coated with ash and burned debris.

Posted: **Sun Dec 01, 2013 2:33 pm**

Donald first checks the floor to see if it looks strong enough to support their weight, and for any sign that there might be a sub-level that could house more goods. Then he checks the walls and ceiling to ascertain if there is a certain threat - or the safest path of travel. He says "Might be a small-ish safe under that reception desk. But chances are they'd keep safes in an 'employee only' area."

Posted: **Mon Dec 02, 2013 12:52 am**

In Cabela's, on the ground floor-
Lucy checked behind and beneath the reception desk. "No safe," she reported.

Donald took a look around at the ruined building. It obviously hadn't collapsed yet, but he couldn't be sure it wouldn't fall on top of them if they disturbed it. He did locate a stairwell past the reception area that went up to higher floors and the roof as well as down to the basement.
Lucy examined the walls and ceiling carefully. "The exterior walls won't give way," she said. "The interior walls aren't as strong, but they should hold up. It looks like the support columns holding up the building are intact. The real danger is the stability of the ceilings and the roof. Too much pressure on them could cause them to break."

Posted: **Fri Dec 13, 2013 6:57 pm**

Donald nodded to Lucy. "Try to stick to the outside walls then. If the roof does come down, we should have a better chance of survival against the strong supports than in the middle of the rooms." He looked toward the stairs and said, "I don't like the idea... but I'm going to check downstairs. I suggest we work from the bottom up as a team."

He started to make his way gingerly toward the stairs going down.

Posted: **Mon Dec 16, 2013 5:34 am**

In Cabela's, on the ground floor-
The stairwell was in the middle of the building, away from the interior walls, so the three of them made their way carefully there. "The stairwell's made of concrete," said Lucy. "That's a good sign. That means it should hold up, even if the place comes crashing down." The stairs led up to higher floors and down to the basement. Unfortuantely, it was very dark down there.

Posted: **Fri Dec 20, 2013 3:33 pm**

Donald looked around for a 2-foot piece of lumber and some rags in hopes of making a quick torch. He didn't expect it would last long, but at least they could get a quick check of the basement with some light source.

Posted: **Mon Dec 23, 2013 6:19 am**

In Cabela's, on the ground floor-
It didn't take Donald long to put together a makeshift torch. He lit it and led the way downstairs.

In Cabela's, in the basement-
Donald, Lucy, and Jerry entered the basement. The extensive fire damage was evident even in the dim torchlight.

Posted: **Tue Dec 24, 2013 3:38 pm**

Donald warns the others, "Don't try to move anything without everyone taking a good look at it first. Pull the wrong support and the whole place could come down on us."

Posted: **Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:37 am**

In Cabela's, in the basement-
It took about five minutes searching through the fire-blackened, dark basement, but eventually Lucy found a row of large metal lockers behind some debris. "Looks pretty intact here," she said. She tried the doors, but they proved to be locked.

Posted: **Fri Dec 27, 2013 3:24 pm**

Donald pushed forward and said, "Excuse me, let me give that a shot." He fished out some pieces of metal he kept in his back pocket and stuck them into the lock. In a few moments, after some fiddling about blindly, the old man proved to be useful at something more than just repairing machinery and gardening. An audible click proved the door was now unlocked. Donald stepped back and smiled. "Would you like the honors?"

Play@YSDC

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