Play@YSDC

Z-Day + 1 - 8:37 AM Central Time - Omaha, Nebraska
On the road-
William Christian Nadelmann had arrived in Omaha early yesterday morning, shortly before the National Guard had cordoned off the city, thus trapping him inside. Some sort of disease had broken out, and those infected were attacking people and trying to eat them, according to the early reports. He had been forced to take shelter in a local police station, which had then been besieged by a mob of the infected. He had been up on the roof late yesterday afternoon when the building had been breached and the survivors had barricaded themselves there. Just when the door giving access from the building had been about to give way, the attack inexplicably stopped. All of the infected in the streets had simply collapsed, like puppets whose strings had been cut. At the same instant, all electric lights that they could see went out, and all electronic devices had ceased to function. It was believed (and later confirmed) that this was all due to an electromagnetic pulse device designed by a group of scientists at nearby Brooks High School. They had also discovered that the "infected" were actually reanimated corpses, which, if the scientists were to be believed, had been activated by extraterrestrials.

Early this morning, Bill had set out with one of the police officers, Officer Scott Rundle, to search for survivors and scavenge for supplies. A series of strange though mild tremors had struck while they were on their expedition. Now they were returning to the police station. As they approached from the west, it quickly became apparent that something was wrong. The building was gone, and in its place was a heap of rubble! Two vehicles were stopped on the road in front of the ruins.

OOC,[b]Bill[/b], please roll Spot Hidden.

"Oh dear God..." William whispers in a cracked voice as he walks slowly towards the rubble.

William sees something.

On the road-
William saw even from this range that one of the vehicles was a classic red Mustang, and the other was an old green Volkswagen minibus. He hadn't found any cars that had worked since the EMP had gone off yesterday. One of the cops had mentioned that all modern cars had electronic ignitions that would have been fried by the pulse, but anything from before around 1982 might still work. The Mustang was in the road alongside the minibus, which was parked in front of the remains of the police station. A man in the driver's seat of the Mustang was speaking to a woman driving the bus, and a disheveled policewoman sat in the car's shotgun seat - she didn't appear to be moving. There were also a few civilians in the back seat. The minibus was packed full of people, a mix of cops and civilians, several of whom looked injured. Just then, the driver of the minibus opened her door and got out of the vehicle.

William shoulders his rifle, raises his hands, and continues walking slowly towards the cars. Once he gets within ten feet of the bus or when someone noticed him approaching, he says, in the calmest voice that he can muster, "Hello there. Do you guys have any idea what in the Hell happened to the Police Station?"

On the road-
"It was like this when we arrived," said a woman in the back seat of the Mustang. "I'm Megan Petrovich. The only one of us who would know is the policewoman we pulled out of the rubble, and she's unconscious. I tried to revive her, but she won't wake up. But I suspect it's similar to what happened at the school. There's this...creature that burrowed in from underground. It's enormous, and it wrecked the place."

"Yeah, and it's chasing us!" said the teenage girl next to her.

"Erica, please!" called a policewoman from the minibus. "You've got to fight it!"

The woman who had gotten out of the minibus was starting to slowly walk to the east. "I'm trying, Kate!" she said through gritted teeth. She clenched her eyes shut and concentrated hard, thinking of all of the things that made life worth living. Then she managed to break free of whatever was restraining her and scrambled into the driver's seat of the minibus, slamming the door behind her.

"What...what was that?" William ask Megan. His hand lowers to clutch his holstered revolver. "What's wrong with that woman...Erica right?"

OOC,[b]William[/b] makes a psychology roll to make sure [b]Megan[/b] isn't lying, [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4511829/]but fails[/url].

On the road-
"Yeah, Erica," said Megan. "I'm not sure, but I think that creature affected her somehow. Look, you'd better get in before that thing gets here. The minibus is packed too full, and while the Mustang is full, I think we could squeeze you into the back." She seemed sincere to William, and genuinely frightened.

"I'll never fit," said Officer Rundle. He looked at his round belly, then at William. "Too many donuts. You should get out of here anyway. I'll manage on my own."

OOC,That roll actually succeeded as you have 46% in Psychology.

Mr. Handy,I actually failed that psychology role. You gave me a secret penalty: "[color=#0000FF]The following secrets are for William Christian Nadelmann:[/color] Bill's years of isolation have hampered his social skills. All social skills (Bargain, Credit Rating, Fast Talk, Persuade, and Psychology) are at -5 when meeting someone for the first time, though no skill will be effectively reduced below 1.

"Thanks a lot for the offer, but where are you guys going?" William asked Megan. "I'm looking for my daughter Rose Nadelmann, she goes to Brooks High School."

OOC,William makes a persuade role against Officer Rundle to convince him there is space, [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4514334/]but fails[/url].

William turns to Officer Rundle. "C'mon Rundle, you're not that big, I'm sure you can squeeze in." William said. "Plus it's Hell on Earth out there, you've seen it."

On the road-
"We're heading to Warren Air Foce Base, near Cheyenne, Wyoming, Mr. Nadelmann," said Megan. "Most of the students and faculty already left for there in a school bus this morning, but your daughter wasn't on board. I know Rose; I'm her social studies teacher. But she never showed up at school yesterday. Most students didn't. School was canceled due to the state of emergency, but some people didn't hear about it and came anyway. Then we got stuck there."

"We won't both fit," said Rundle. "Maybe I could squeeze in if you weren't there, but I won't hear of it. I'm not leaving you behind."

OOC,Thank you, good catch! You're right, I'd forgotten about that.

William's stony expression melts and a tear rolls down his cheek as he grabs Megan in a bear hug. "Oh thank God, she's safe. Thank you." He then turns to Rundle. "Rundle man, I'm sorry. I've got to find my daughter."

On the road-
Officer Rundle nodded. "If you're not getting in the car," he said, "I'll stay with you and help you find your daughter."

"I don't know she's safe," said Megan, a little uncomfortable at William's embrace, "only that she wasn't at school. We really can't stay here; that thing will catch up to us before much longer."

William knew that Rose and her aunt lived about half a mile from here - back in the direction from which the vehicles had come, to the east.

"Where my daughter is staying is only about half a mile east." William says, biting his lip in thought. "If you guys could me a lift there I'd be in your debt."

On the road-
"But that thing is back that way!" protested the teenage girl. "It's chasing us!"

OOC,I was hoping that Syrinx would post for [b]Jimmy[/b], who's driving the car, but he hasn't returned yet. [b]William[/b], please roll Persuade, remembering the adjustment. If Syrinx does return before I update, [b]Jimmy[/b] may act freely and disregard the result of the roll if he wishes.

Jimmy draws on his cigarette and looks at William "Daughter, huh? We can't leave a girl all lonesome, can we?" "Let's try to go around that thing...." Jimmy plans to drive a four block turn to get somewhere near where Wiliam's daughter is at.
"Can we go a couple of blocks that way?" Not waiting for a reply, wanting to get some headway from the threat, he smiles at his passengers. "Chill guys, we'll be just fine."

On the road-
"Erica, go!" shouted Megan. "Drive the minibus out of town a couple of miles down I-80. We'll catch up with you. This Mustang's a lot faster than that old clunker."

"Okay, we'll find a place to stop and wait for you!" Erica called back. "Good luck!" She sped off down the street to the west.

William squeezed into the back seat of the Mustang with the others, and he noticed that Brian and Heather had their hands cuffed behind their backs. Megan sat beyond them, on the opposite side of the car. Jimmy was in the driver's seat, and the unconscious policewoman rode in the shotgun seat. Jimmy pulled out and drove a couple of blocks to the south before heading east and then back north, following William's directions. Soon they arrived outside a two-story house that he indicated was the one.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is 25%. [b]William[/b], please roll Luck.

"Where's she?" Kowalski asks checking for signs of life.

After having had a string of bad luck, Jimmy finally has some luck. Not like getting lucky with a woman or a hit... just lucky in the everyday sense. And he has his eyes with him.

On the road-
The front door and ground floor windows were all boarded up, but the upstairs windows were not. A woman and a teenage girl waved from one of them.

"Rose, I'm here!" William called up to the window as he emerged from the car, beaming from ear to ear. "Thanks for the ride, man," he said to Jimmy. "I think the three of us can handle it from here. We'll never all fit in your car, and I'm not going anywhere without them."

"No we can't leave the girls here, better we exit and hold up here till everyone are ok to travel." He pulls out the keys. "Then, later, we can see who wants to stay and who wants to continue to the base."
Jimmy looks at the others in turn.

On the road-
"We're coming down, Bill!" called the woman from the window. She and Rose vanished from the window. A few minutes later there was the sound of heavy objects being dragged away from the front door. Then the ladies came outside. "Daddy!" cried Rose, running up to William and throwing her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you and your Aunt Sarah are all right," said William, hugging her back.

"Hi, I'm Sarah Goldstein," said the woman, a pretty blonde.

"I'm your Driver." Jimmy Kowalski says letting the cigarette wiggle in the corner of his mouth as he speaks. "Jim. Glad to be able to help, miss." He turns to Brian and Heather in the back seat of the Mustang. "You guys want to make a run for it, right?" "You may stay here and I take those folks to safety. You'll do your best of the situation and the cops will be out your hair. Deal?" Checking with William and his family he adds. "In that case you can come with."

Jimmy has no intention to let the thugs out of their cuffs. He keeps the door open for the thugs to hop out through the passenger door.

On the road-
"For reals?" asked Heather, squirming out of the back seat of the Mustang.

"I don't know if we should be doing this..." said Megan.

Brian followed Heather out of the car. "What about these cuffs?" he asked. "We'll be sitting ducks if we can't use our arms. And what about that worm thing? And those zombies will be back now that the EMP device is destroyed."

"The what?' said Rose.

"Thank you," said Sarah, smling at Jimmy. "Thank you so much." She and Rose squeezed into the back seat with Megan, and William got in after them.

"You got your legs, don´t you? Use them and be inventive." Jimmy fiddles in his jacket pocket. He tosses a small key on to the street. "Behave now!" He shifts ti first gear and slowly revs the engine, leaving the cuffed pair to their fate.

On the road-
"Wait!" shouted Heather as the Mustang pulled away. "What about my drugs! I need my drugs!"

OOC,The handcuff key is too small to fit on a regular key ring, but the unconscious policewoman had one on her belt, so I'll say you left them that one. Usually they're standard, and any handcuff key will open any pair of handcuffs. [b]Heather[/b] and [b]Brian[/b] are moving to the thread linked below. Please stop reading the current thread at this point. All other characters remain in this thread.

Alone Together

"Worm thing?" asked Rose. "What worm thing?"

The car soon reached what remained of a National Guard checkpoint. It had been set up early in the morning the day before 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.

Jimmy pulls the hand brake and pulls out his revolver, letting the car idle. He exits the Mustang and sees if he can get through the checkpoint. "Anyone care to cover me here?" He scouts the surrounding area.

On the road-
"I've got you covered," said William, sticking his rifle barrel out of the window. "I'm the only other one with a gun, aside from Sleeping Beauty over there." He nodded towards the unconscious policewoman in the shotgun seat.

Jimmy quickly saw that there was a clear path through the checkpoint. The dead had long since smashed their way past it, and thankfully they stayed dead now.

"The others have already probably passed this way," said Megan. "They should be waiting for us a mile or two down I-80."

Jimmy gets the gear in and slowly drives through the checkpoint.

As he passes the first part of the checkpoint, Jimmy is careful not to disturb the dead soldiers, better let them rest in peace.

On the road-
The car made it through the checkpoint and down the road without incident. After a couple of miles, they came upon the VW minibus, which was parked in the shoulder, and pulled alongside it. "What happened to the prisoners that were with you?" demanded John Lake, calling out the window.

"They needed to leave place more more reliable partners." Jimmy says. "Problem with that?"

On the road-
"They'll die out there," said John.

"It was more important to save these innocent people," said Gretchen. "There was no more room in the car. At least they have a chance on their own."

"Let's just hit the road," said Erica. "We've got over 400 miles to Warren Air Force Base, and we're wasting daylight."

Checking the gas meter on the Mustang, Jimmy drives away planning to get them to the base. He tries the radio for a cassette in the player.
"Let´s forget this place, right? New horizon, new future..."

On the road-
The radio dated back to the 1960s, and it did not have a tape player. Not that it worked, anyway. The electromagnetic pulses had destroyed its innards. If it had been a more recent car with an eletronic ignition, it wouldn't have been able to go anywhere at all.

OOC,[b]Jimmy[/b], please roll Luck to see how much fuel is in the gas tank.

Looking at the needle of the fuel meter, Jimmy smiles. This would at least take them closer to a fill-up station than he had thought. The I-80 is disappearing under the hood of the Mustang and Jimmy keeps an eye open for a gas station.

On the road-
Amazingly, the Mustang's tank was nearly full. It would be a long time before it needed a refill. There was enough fuel to get them most of the way to Warren Air Force Base, perhaps even all of the way if they didn't go too fast.

"We could have at least got the cuffs off them," said Samuel, piping up after a long time chewing the inside of his cheek and trying to hold back his anger. "Instead of near guaranteeing their deaths. Or at least, y'know showed some respect for the dead. Throwing a key at 'em just to add insult to injury, shows Jimmy sees them as no better than dirt. And that girl couldn't be more than seventeen either!" Samuel shakes his head. Not a lot he could do now, or even then, being so recently crippled. If he'd gotten out, who knows what the other man would have done? Kicked him out instead? Knowing Brian had more worth than him? The guy fixed cars and had two working legs. "It would've taken less than a minute to uncuff them. They got off nicely enough and we have *guns.* Fuck sake man, what's got into them?"

And what's gotten into me, either?

Why didn't I speak up? Why didn't we stop to uncuff them either?

"We have to watch Jimmy."

And ourselves....

On the road-
"Yeah, that was not cool," said Jerome Hooper.

OOC,[b]Jimmy Kowalski[/b], the one who threw the key and sped off, is driving the Mustang. You're in the minibus, which is crammed full of most of the others.

Samuel nods, glaring at the road.

EDITED MY LAST POST to make that clear.

On the road-

OOC,[b]Samuel[/b], please roll Luck to see how much gas is left in the minibus's tank.

[­dice]1d100[­/dice]

[dice]0[/dice]

Note to Mr. Handy, never never never never make me roll Luck! I'm seeing helicopter explosions all over again. :p

On the road-
"Guys, we've got a problem!" called Erica Spears from the driver's seat. "The gas needle's on empty. This bus is running on fumes!"

OOC,Oh, it's not quite that bad this time. Still bad, though.

"We need to stop by the next car we see and siphon its fuel."

On the road-
"First, let's siphon some from the car in front of us," said Erica. "Then we can get far enough to find more." She honked the horn to get Jimmy's attention in the Mustang and then brought the VW minibus to a halt.

Jimmy acknowledges the honk and pulls over.

On the road-
Erica got out of the bus and went over to the Mustang on the driver's side. "We're almost out of gas," she said to Jimmy. "How much fuel have you got? We need to siphon some from you if we're going to get far enough to find more."