Ch. 9 Copperhead Road

[HoneyDog]

Howard is still unable to get his hands on Brophy.

Grapple,Grapple 25: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/791713]Grapple[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]34[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

William douses himself with the water, wondering why the flames aren't going down.

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence was not yet done with Brophy; he took yet another swing at his hated enemy with no intent of stopping.

Fist 50%,[dice]0[/dice]

OOC,Third time was not the charm

[Philulhu]

As William tried frantically to extinguish the flames that seemed to flare up again as soon as doused them with water, Thomas dropped down into the ditched beside him. The young policeman grabbed his shoulder. ”William, are you alright?! The flames are out!” he shouted.

Further along in the same ditch, Brophy cried out weakly as he tried to pull himself along. The shoulder struck by Thomas now appeared useless and, with just one arm, his mobility was severely impaired. His feet kicked out against the muddy walls of the ditch but there was no purchase to move him forward.

OOC,Brophy is badly wounded and barely able to move, so any hits are automatic. Can I also have a party luck roll?

[HoneyDog]

Howard manages to get to his feet. Staggering over to Brophy, he grabs the man's head and pushes it under the filthy water, holding it there.

Luck,Luck 55: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/791768]Luck[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]10[/b]

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm still on fire!" screams William. "Can't you see it?"

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence takes an opportunity to literally kick Brophy while he's down, striking the old man with a heavy stomp to the ribs.

Kick 1d6+DB,[dice]0[/dice]+[dice]1[/dice]

[Philulhu]

Thomas pulled William from the water and dragged him bodily up onto the edge of the ditch. ”The fire’s out, William!” he shouted, shaking the lawyer by the arms.

In the ditch, Brophy struggled weakly, unable to dislodge Howard’s powerful grip. When Lawrence stomped on his ribs, there was a sharp crack and the old man convulsed like he’d been plugged into the mains, throwing Howard clear. Brophy’s back arched and he looked up into the eyes of executioners, his mouth open in a wordless disbelieving scream, before his body went limp and he splashed facedown in the filthy ditchwater, lifeless and still.

There was an unreal silence, broken only by the crackling, popping sound of the fire on the truck. As one, they turned to look for James but their friend was nothing but a blistered pile of dead flesh on the flatbed. Flames and black smoke continued to rise into the air but the fire itself was starting to die back. The smell of burnt flesh that emanated from the truck was truly nauseating.

In the distance, in the direction of the town, headlights could be seen from a car coming in their direction...

OOC,Howard & Lawrence - how do you feel about Brophy’s death?

[HoneyDog]

Howard’s hands are shaking. His hatred for Brophy is mixed with the emotions he feels from taking another life. He looks up as the headlights approach, his mind blank.

[Mr. Handy]

"It still burns!" cries William.

OOC,Please let me know when I don't see the fire any more.

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence breathed heavily as he looked down upon the corpse of Brophy, the adrenaline granted by the violent combat finally fading away; his normally placid face was twisted into a wild-eyed look of sheer hatred, which was all he felt towards the man who had turned James into a monster. The oncoming car certainly caught his attention away from the body, however, and he quickly looked up towards the approaching light.

OOC,[b]Lawrence[/b] is still filled with absolute hatred towards [b]Brophy[/b], though he's soon going to realize that he's committed actual murder, even if [b]Brophy[/b] somewhat deserved it.

[Philulhu]

”The fire is out, William!” said Thomas firmly. ”Look for yourself.” And he released his grip and stepped back to give the lawyer space to check for himself.

In the distance, the growl of the car’s engine could be heard.

OOC,William - the flames do appear to have gone away, although you will still be wary of other fires, so, the truck, for example... All - the car is still a couple of minutes away. Is there anything you want to do before it reaches you?

[Mr. Handy]

"Everyone into the ditch!" calls William. "We'll travel along it. We have to get as far away as we can on foot, and the water will cover our tracks."

[HoneyDog]

Without thinking, Howard follows William's lead and retreats down the ditch.

[Bullfrog]

OOC,Question: what's the surrounding environment like?

[Philulhu]

OOC,It’s a narrow road, barely more than two cars wide. It is surfaced, but the surface is pitted and broken. On the side with the ditch, there are partially submerged fields. It looks as if they were worked at one time but not recently. On the other side of the road, there is the swamp, with cypress trees and open water.

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence, who was already in the ditch, ducked down to lower his profile as he spoke.
"Listen: I say we go a good distance in the ditch, then cut across the road and head into the swamp."

[HoneyDog]

Howard nods frantically in agreement.

[Philulhu]

Progress in the ditch was slow and the four men were no more than 100 yards or so away from still-burning truck when the approaching car slowed down and stopped alongside it. The driver got out and inspected the truck before they turned away, staggered to the side of the road and vomited into the ditch.

After about a minute, they straightened up, wiped their mouth and looked up and down the road.

OOC,Spot hidden, please.

[HoneyDog]

Howard tries to get a good look at what is happening.

Spot Hidden,Spot Hidden 35: [url=https://orokos.com/roll/792777]Spot Hidden[/url]: [u]1d100[/u] [b]28[/b]