Norbury At Night

[yockenthwaite]

"Yes agreed," says Florence to Irene. "We don't want anyone out on the streets tonight who shouldn't be there. It's too dangerous."

[dormire]

William feels a wiry hand grasp his elbow and considers shaking it off, but he's too knackered to fight. "Thanks, mate. Sometimes the good leg doesn't want to work like it should." With the assistance of the stranger, he makes better speed toward the shelter.

[Laraqua]

There's the rapid sound of gunfire and the drone of engines comes closer, leaving a trail of explosions building in crescendo behind them. Curse the people manning the air raid sirens. It looks like it was a case of too little too late. At least the entrance to the air raid shelter can be seen. Its a concrete box, really, with a metal door flanked by sandbags. There's a large building beside it. One of those council estates that they like to cram full of paupers. Its a few dozen feet ahead or more, just over the road, and there's a good chance the planes will fly overhead before they reach it. They're not the only one heading that way. A woman struggles forward with her dog on a leash, coming from her estate and heading straight for the shelter.

Show,you each get one more post before a bomb drops on the shelter. Don't post your entrance but feel free to post reaching the road. The planes are just about overhead.

[aine]

John hasn't much to lose; he's been this close before and he's already lost everything in his life. So he sticks with the young man with the cane and goes whichever way William decides to try for: the building or the shelter.

[dormire]

William grips John's arm tightly and tries to shift his weight to his good leg. "Let's give it a last run, mate," he says. "We'll either die in the street or not." With that he picks up the pace as much as his heavy prosthetic will let him and steers the two of them toward the shelter. He lifts his cane and they begin an awkward, three-legged race against death. As they near the entrance, he yells to the woman with the dog, "Coming through! Get yourself below, now!"

[Mr. Handy]

Irene starts up the motor quickly and operates the clutch to shift the modified bus into gear, knowing that she's going to have to move fast once the bombs fall and every second could count.

[yockenthwaite]

Seeing Irene start up the motor Florence quickly checks the medical kit she carries and readies herself for what is coming next.

[royya]

Comeon ... move along, faster.
Doug yells to John and William as he sprints forward to reach the shelter

[Laraqua]

The planes shoot past overhead and as they do so there's a trail of whump whump WHUMP then silence as the air is ripped apart around them by bombs, sending shrapnel whipping around from bricks and windows and chunks of trees and there's a pattern of light and shadow that shreds past their vision and pulses past them. Their feet were on the ground but then they're on their face and sliding and bits of something bite into their skin. Their heads shake and their bones rattle as the explosions crack and shatter past and around them. As the silence settles, a silence punctuated by a shrill sound through their ears, they can start to lift their heads and see that part of the apartment building ahead of them has been knocked down into rubble across the air raid shelter.

Seeing the bombs drop so close, No. 1 Ambulance (the bus) is expected to take a look down the bombed out streets for victims and survivors. The other two ambulances are to await further instructions from known sites.

[yockenthwaite]

Shuddering from the blasts Florence recovers herself and readies herself in position. "We'd better go and look for victims nearby," she says to Irene. "We're lucky the bombs didn't hit us - that was close."

[aine]

Johnny lies there, his arms covering his head. He is temporarily deaf with his ears ringing from the pressure of the bomb but he can feel the violence of the explosions as the ground shudders and the air is ripped apart. Once it stops, he lifts his head and, from the light of flames, can see the shelter is covered in rubble. The remains of the apartment looks non too stable and he can't see the woman or the dog. "Come on." He coughs and wipes dirty phlegm from his mouth, he tries to stand but his balance is all shot so he crouches there, shaking his head trying to get his ears clear. He reaches over and shakes the body next to him, then he climbs to his feet and stumbles over to the rubble to see if there is any way into the shelter.

[dormire]

William lays on the ground, face pressed against the gritty pavement, until he's sure that he's not dead. A hurried jostling assures him he isn't, as the stranger that assisted him stands and advances toward the building. He slowly and painfully props himself on one elbow, shaking the brick and plaster dust from his hair with his other hand. His cane lies before him, half-buried in rubble. Cray grabs it and begins the process of righting himself, at the same time looking about to make sure that there isn't someone who needs help nearby.

"Hey," he shouts at John's retreating back, "Thanks for the assist, there, mate."

[Mr. Handy]

"Too right," says Irene. She pulls out and starts driving down the street towards where the bombs had hit, keeping her eyes peeled for survivors and hazards.

[royya]

Doug rolls over pull himself up to a sitting position, beside some bruises and abrasion under his cloth he is OK.
He taps on his clothing to clear the dust and gets up to help john clear the rubble from the shelter entrance.

[Laraqua]

There's a few men covered in plaster dust and dirt who are heading toward the rubble strewn bomb shelter. There doesn't appear to be anyone, alive or dead, amongst the rubble so perhaps the inhabitants of that place had all evacuated into the shelter as they are meant to. Luckily its an underground shelter so it has a small chance of surviving a nearly direct hit. A woman staggers out from behind a couch that is lying tipped on its side amongst the bricks and broken glass, and she looks around with obvious confusion as blood trickles down the side of her face.

[Mr. Handy]

Irene stops the ambulance near the injured woman and gets out, motioning for Florence to follow her. "It's all right," she says to the woman in a reassuring tone of voice. "We're here to help." She allows Florence to take the lead in treating her wound. While she has decent training, she knows the nurse is better at it.

[yockenthwaite]

Florence gets out of the ambulance and accompanies Irene to tend the woman. "Relax, it's ok, we can help you."

OOC Although maybe not!,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3632584/]Try to First Aid injured woman near couch (stat 70%) (1d100=100)[/url]

She struggles to tend the woman's wounds. "Irene can you come and help?"

[Mr. Handy]

Irene nods and tries her best to stop the bleeding, but she can't see what she's doing in the blackout. "I'm sorry," she says. "We'll have to get you to hospital. The doctors there can help you better." She guides the woman to the ambulance to help her inside.

[yockenthwaite]

"Should we look for any other wounded before taking her to hospital do you think?" asks Florence, looking around, trying to make sense of the scene around her.

[royya]

Over here ... we need a ride.
Doug calls to the women that came to help with the ambulance as he motions at himself and the two others.