Play@YSDC

Z-Day - 8:50 AM Mountain Daylight Time - At the T-Bone
In the parking lot-
Jim Kerr was trying to call in the nearest air traffic controller station or police station. He’d been listening to the reports of the fire in Kimball and it sounded like the local Fire Department had been fighting the blaze. The radio operator had said the firemen were being attacked by a mob, that the police were already overrun. Then the radio got cut off.

Jim looked over to the State Trooper’s vehicle nearby. The State Trooper, Bo, was on the radio trying to monitor the situation. Bo couldn’t seem to reach any of the nearby State Trooper stations and was very worried. He also noted that there was almost no traffic coming out of Kimball.

Jim had noticed that most of the people going to the café had come from the motel, except the two young guys who just wandered in.

In the convenience store-
Rita was reading a copy of the Weekly World News. There was a cover about man-eating zombies attacking a small village in Brazil. Rita thought it was unbelievable. She gazed over to watch Horst and Flip.

In the café-
Horst was growing impatient. “I can’t believe that f***ing Hammond has me waiting.”

Flip was watching Lynne the waitress and his mouth was watering, either for Lynne or for the waffles she was supposed to bring. Breakfast at the PMS is s*** compared to what he can get at the T-Bone. Flip was also trying not to think about what Horst did last night. He tried to distract Horst with the television.

In one booth against the wall, Dr. Hausmann was running calculations through her computer and did a lot of “Hmmmm” and “Ahhhh” and occasionally, “tsk.” Stephanie sitting next to her saw that Hausmann was doing calculations to predict the spread of a disease based on a variety of equations.

Stephanie was going over reports, running calculations in her mind, calculating the various consequences of different chemical formulas based on the "substance." She was also wondering what was taking the helicopter so long to fix. She noticed Sean was watching TV and drinking his coffee but not saying much.

Rosie stopped by to fill the coffee. She didn’t show it, but she was a bit worried about the State Trooper that kept coming in, talking to this group in a hushed voice, then going back out to the car.

Ashley was waiting for Charlie to serve up the food and was watching the news broadcast on CNN. Lynne was flirting with Randall who had asked her what time she gets off. Before she could answer, the news had come on, and Lynne hadn’t spoken since the report from Washington.

According to the news anchor, much of New York City was on fire and the CNN crew had barricaded itself in their building. “The city is ablaze with smoke.”

She went on to say, “The Governor has called for the National Guard, but the Mayor is calling for everyone to remain at home. Martial law has been declared.”

The picture on CNN showed much of lower New York was under a cloud of smoke.

Baldwin was also watching the television and getting increasingly worried. He could overhear Tisha the journalist talking with the cameraman Willie, urging him to get going, but Willie was taking his time on his breakfast. Baldwin thought the old cameraman might have the right idea.

Kimberly was also watching TV, very worried. It had become difficult to continue eating her cereal.

Two young guys had just come into the café and taken seats on the counter. One of them had said, “Hey I think I have seen this flick.”

Beth, who was filling out an application, had said, “It’s not a movie, it’s the apocalypse.”

Another older fellow in khakis, Luke, followed them in and took a seat in one of the booths, turning his attention to the television news.

One young lady, Sally, said, “By the look of those wounds I’d say it was some form of insanity. No way someone that injured can move so fast.”

Another woman, Alice, nearby said, “Do you think it was some kind of attack?”

Baldwin shook his head. “Whatever it is, it’s pretty f***ed up.”

“This is because of the f***ing n****s and the Jews,” said the old skinhead sitting in the booth. The younger one laughed.

Baldwin considered speaking to the skinhead about it, but considering himself in the minority thought better of it. He noted the other black man, Gary, who was sitting in a booth with a newspaper was watching him and flicked his eyes back to the skinheads. Baldwin didn’t feel quite so alone.

Gary is troubled by the news on the TV but keeps to himself. He'd like a refill on his coffee but he's not about to call attention to himself with the skinheads talking s*** about n******.
"At least there ain't nothing about California or the west coast on the news." He mutters to himself.

Jim walks closer to the state trooper.
"Hey, you getting anything on the radio? He says loudly. "I can't seem to raise anyone on mine."

Bo sees the Woodlands Ranger/Scout captain fail in getting any radio contact. He stops himself from turning the keys and drive off to check on the nearest town to check on the station to rally some troops. This isn´t a regular extreme weathers incident. This seems biblical. Orders or not. The doctor surely would get where she needed via plan A.

He leans out the window. Lifts the brim of his hat and answers the call. "I got some reports from nearby stations. Was figguring I´d head over to one of them and help out. Care to join up? I heard the Governor called in the NG, so we´d better head out to get a bead on what´s what. They´ll never say anything over the radio if it aint bad." He watches the helicopter group pour inside the cafeteria and bites his lip. "On the other hand, we might better hole up here for a while." He pulls the keys and grabs the radio and portable HAM and exits the patrol car.

He pops the trunk as Jim gets up to the car. "Just grabbing this kevlar and Mossberg for safety." In his belt a Beretta and a cannister of pepper spray sit snuggly. On the left hip, a baton is wobbling as he turns to Jim.

"Judging from the latest reports, we´d be getting visitors soon. Better be prepared. Are you set?"

Sean continues to drink his coffee, thanking the waitress as she refilled his cup. He glances back at Brigetta, feeling regret that he could not help her in some way. He hopes the damn helicopter will be repaired soon and they can get back on the move.

Tisha taps her foot impatiently and looks to Willie. She had been working with the older man for awhile and knew the cameraman did good work, but he sure took his time.

"Are you almost done, Willie? The stuff going on here; it's historic. We could be on the front lines! It's stories like this that get national's attention. And I am not going to miss my chance to make network because you think this dump's hash browns are phenomenal."

Willie looked up, swallowing a mouth full of the hash browns - they were actually pretty phenomenal! "Sorry Tish, when the proverbial's hitting the fan, I've learned to eat whenever I can." Willie drank his last mouthful of coffee, and then pushed his plate away, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand "Ended up four days between meals once. Sierra Leon... now that was the front line."

Dr. Hausmann was engrossed in her work but paused to check the power cable running from her laptop to the outlet below the table. She was obsessive about many things, and the battery on her cellphone and laptop being charged at all times, was just one of her many 'ticks'. As Brigetta sat back up, after checking the charger, she looked at Stephanie, turning her laptop screen so that her co-worker could see. "It's spreading faster than I could have imagined" she said, with an exasperated look.

When Dr. Hausmann addressed her, Stephanie tore her eyes away from the tv screen to look at the laptop. She licked her lips nervously and replied, "Doctor, I'm not convinced the helicopter will be fixed anytime soon, maybe its time we consider another form of transport?"

"Maybe you should go and find Bob?"sighed Dr Hausmann, in response to Stephanie. "Heaven knows how long it will take us by road, but unless he has that thing up and running soon, you could be right."

Rosie watches and listens quietly to everyone's actions and words, while she serves coffee to everyone. The worry deepens, but she pastes on a false smile to hide it. She hopes she has a moment alone later with Bo. She needs some reassurances.

"Judging from the latest reports, we´d be getting visitors soon. Better be prepared. Are you set?"

Jim looks at the trooper with surprise. "You think we'll get trouble out here? I know there was a fire but what exactly is going on that you think we'll have to deal with? He reflexively pats the gun on his hip as he speaks. "I got some nunchucks in the 'copter if you think we'll need to do riot control."

Gary holds his coffee cup up for Rosie to refill. It looks like folks are getting a bit more agitated inside the cafe. If he's learned one thing, it's that people start looking for someone to blame when the s*** hits the fan. It's probably best to get going soon.

"Before the radio gave up to ghosts, there were reports about the cities on the I-80 have been overrun and the police barracks have been breached. The places off from the highway seem to be clear, though. I considered we ´d head there for inforcements. But we might be our own best help. Yeah, bring the cuffs. We never know when we need them."Bo replies to Jim´s question. He reaches the entrance to the cafeteria and opens the door, stops it with his boot and lets Jim past.

"You go ahead. I'm going to grab some stuff from the 'copter."

Jim gets his nunchucks and imagines himself the star of one of those bad dubbed kung fu movies from his youth as a mob of people charge forward and he knocks them down one by one. He smiles at the ridiculousness of the thought. He's sure the trooper is crazy to think that trouble would hit here, in the middle of nowhere but he does scan the horizon before heading back to the cafe.

Removing his foot from the door, Bo enters the cafeteria and nods at Rosie as he leisurely carries his shotgun and various riot gear towards the bar.

He scans the room for the good doctor and finds the techs at one table. He walks over to them and says, "Bo Richards, I´m tasked to deliver a message to a Doctor Hausmann." He glances at the entrance door and adjusts the balance of the Mossberg, eyeing the individual members around the table.

"Wait a sec, I'll go with you."

Sean also heads back to the helicopter with the intention of grabing his gear, especially his rifle. Surely the grill owners wouldn't mind too much, given the insanity that seemed to be overtaking the world at this moment.

Lynne:

Lynne knew that creep Flip was staring at her ass again, but sc*** him, he could stare. This guy was much more interesting than Flip and his Nazi buddies.

The stuff on the news was scary, but at least New York was far away from this s***-hole.

As the news flicked back from the anchor to footage of half of Manhattan ablaze, she looked back at Randle, fluttering her eye-lashes and asked, "D'ya think anyone's hurt?"

Baldwin:

Damnit thought Baldwin, how long's that old f***er Earl goin' to take fixing the truck?

It's a hell of a long way to go to finish his delivery and then a hell of a long way back to Mississippi again, the country was going to hell, and he was stuck in this Redneck dump with a couple of Nazis spouting off about n*****s.

Damnit!

Baldwin tried to concentrate on his breakfast, and not the skinheads, but he knew it was going to make him real mad soon, if they didn't shut their racist mouths.

8:52 AM
In the parking lot-
Sean Blank stepped outside as Jim Kerr was retrieving his nun-chucks from the chopper, so it was a simple matter for his buddy to grab his rifle while he was at it. Then the two of them followed Bo back into the diner. It wasn't good to leave the scientists by themselves for too long, in case of trouble.

In the café-
Randall looked back at Lynne. "It would be a miracle if nobody was," he replied.

Luke took a seat and ordered breakfast. Which wasn't an easy task, as the waitresses seemed phased and rather non-responsive. He watched the news broadcasts and wasn't quite surprised. He never understood them city folks, it was only a matter of time before some of them went crazy. That would teach 'em to live in a concrete jungle...

Ashley eventually saw Luke and came over with a menu. "Can I get you something to drink?" she asked. "Coffee? OJ?"

"Coffee, black," he replied. "And a big omelette with some bacon." Luke replied to Ashley while barely looking away from the television. "There is some strange stuff going on in that concrete jungle." He remarked, not talking to anyone in particular.

The older skinhead noticed Baldwin glancing at him before looking away and glared back. "You got a problem, n****?" he snarled.

The atmosphere in the café grew tense.

OOC,[b]Jim Kerr[/b], you may roll Spot Hidden to see what you noticed when looking around out in the parking lot. [b]Bo[/b] and [b]Sean[/b], you may roll as well.

OOC,Spot Hidden 56 [dice]0[/dice] Excellent. Now that is an Extreme Success! I want to know what I see before I follow Bo inside.

Dr. Brigetta Hausmann

Dr. Hausmann lets out a small gasp as upon hearing her name she looks up from her laptop to see a heavily armed man standing over their table. Seeing he was wearing a State Trooper uniform she regains her composure somewhat and responds "I'm Dr. Hausmann" as she closed her laptop screen.

Willie

The cameraman, now full on bacon eggs and delicious hash browns can't help but overhear the the slur hurled by the skinhead. Looking at Tisha he says "Maybe it is time to make a move. Things look like they might become newsworthy in here, soon... and not in a good way."

"I´m tasked to see you safely to your destination, doctor Hausmann. As your helicopter is malfunctioning I have orders to drive you to your next waypoint. If you rather prefer waiting for repairs, I will stay by your side till you are safely off of the ground. Which meets your mission brief more?"

He registers the argument by the bar.

"'Bout time." Tisha says. She looks over at the skinheads and shoots them a disgusted look, but that's all she does. She had no intention of getting sidetracked from the real story.

She explains her next move to Willie. "I'm friends with the head of the nearby air force base, and he owes me a favor. I'm thinking I talk my way in and get an interview with him, couch it in terms of reassuring the public in these trying times, yadda yadda. If all goes well things will go viral and I'll be the source people around the country are quoting to learn more about what's going on."

Sean Blank,The first thing [b]Sean[/b] noticed was the reduced traffic on I-80. There was still some traffic heading east, but there was none at all going west. In the far distance to the east, he could make out a faint orange glow. Estimating the distance, he guessed it was coming from Sidney. As good as his eyesight was, if that was a fire, it had to be a pretty big one for him to be able to see it at all from this distance. While there were no vehicles coming from that direction, he could see a few tiny figures on the road coming that way, apparently people on foot. They were still several miles away. [img]http://static.flickr.com/8/12587401_7f656726ca_m.jpg[/img]

Tisha/Willie,One thing that concerned [b]Tisha[/b] and [b]Willie[/b] was that their sound guy, [b]Larry[/b], was supposed to meet them here, but he had still not arrived. Someone else could be hired to do the job; all they really needed was someone to hold the microphone close enough to pick up the audio but not so close that it appeared in the shot. It was the sort of thing they could teach someone the basics of on the ride there, or they might be able to find someone at their destination.

Willie,[b]Willie[/b] had been with [b]Larry[/b] in Kosovo, and it wasn't like him to be late. Besides, when he had spoken to [b]Larry[/b] on the phone earlier this morning, [b]Larry[/b] had seemed anxious and had said he had wanted to tell them something, and he had said he would meet them at the T-Bone.

Sean enters the cafe once again and approaches Dr. Hausmann and the others.

"Not much traffic out there right now, and what's there is heading east to Sidney. Some orange glow is coming from there; it looks like a fire, but would have to be pretty big to see it all the way here. Looks like we've got a few stragglers coming this way on foot too."

He looks up at the TV again, and feels for his rifle.

Jim follows Sean inside to the group of scientists. "We need to find Bob and see if we're going to get the 'copter into the air. If not, we need another vehicle because I don't think we can all fit in the trooper's cruiser. Jim says as he turns to Bo. I'm Jim. I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?"

"Bo Richards, Nebraska Highway Patrol." He nods at Jim, the Woodlands Ranger.

Baldwin:


Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! I just want to eat my damn breakfast!

"Excuse me?" Baldwin replies as nonchalantly as he can.

Lynne:

"Jeez, I'd better get them their order before they start another fight. Maybe I'll see you later?"

Lynne gives Randall the once-over and slowly runs her tongue over her top lip. Then she walks back to the food counter to look for Flip's waffles and whatever the hell she was meant to be taking to f***ing Horst.

8:53 AM
In the diner-
"I'll go put your order in," said Ashley to Luke, heading off into the kitchen.

As if summoned by his name being uttered, Bob Larkin entered the diner a little behind Bo, Jim, and Sean, who were near the scientists' table. It looked like everyone was already here.

"You can count on it," Randall said to Lynne, smiling back.

Flip salivated when Lynne approached his table with the waffles. It wasn't clear whether it was because of her or the food, or both. When she set the plate down in front of him, he began to dig into the meal.

David emerged from the office at the back into the diner. Hammond poked his head out of the door and beckoned to Horst before ducking back inside.

"About f***ing time," muttered Hammond, getting to his feet and forgetting all about Baldwin - at least for now. "If he'd kept me waiting any longer..."

"But the food just got here..." said Flip around a mouthful of waffles.

"It'll still be here when we're done. Come on, this is important."

Flip followed Horst to the office, giving one last longing look back at the waffles and another at Lynne before entering and shutting the door behind them.

OOC,[b]Ashley[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

OOC,[b]Horst[/b] and [b]Flip[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Private Meeting

"There he is." Jim says as he sees Bob walk into the restaurant. "What's the verdict on the helicopter? Can you get it fixed?"

Dr. Brigetta Hausmann

"Stragglers approaching... on foot?" says the Doctor, suddenly looking alarmed. "And a fire that's that within a visible distance..." She pauses. "It's time to leave. Now" Snatching up her laptop and standing up Dr. Hausmann finally remembers herself and lowers her voice. "Trooper, if that helicopter isn't airworthy you need to commandeer us another truck." says the Dr, looking Bo directly in the eye.


Willie

"I need a smoke. Lets wait out int he parking lot. I'm sure Larry will be here soon, they man is a reliable at they come. Besides, I cant hold a camera and a mic, so we need him." Willie motions at the waitress to bring over their bill.

Baldwin:

"Thank f*** for that." Baldwin whispers to himself, relieved that the two skinheads were gone for now.

He returns to eating his breakfast and minding his own business, while watching the news nervously. This had to be some kind of government experiment gone wrong, or maybe aliens.

Those sciencey looking women over there looked worried, and so did the cop talking to them. Definitely the government.

Baldwin takes out his phone to see if he can get a data connection. He wanted some real news, not this government censored stuff. If the truth's not on coasttocoastam.com it'll definitely be Reddit somewhere...

edited,[ooc]Edited because I forgot that infowars was a right wing conspiracy site, not at all where Baldwin would be looking[/ooc]

Lynne:

"Just a minute honey, be right back," Lynne goes to get the bill for Willie and Trisha, on the way she sees Bo in body armour and toting a shotgun, "Shit Bo, there ain't no riot in here, just Horst trying to start trouble."

Seeing Jim, Bob reports, "It´s a days work fixing the fuel hose. And I need a few extra hands to do it. The grease monkeys won´t help out. Could you and Sean come back with me and get her back in action? Might take just a few hours if we work together. Then it´s an issue with fuel. Need to find a depot on the way to refuel. Maybe some Air Force Base en route to Omaha?"



Bo looks at the doctor. "I have four spots open. If you need extra wheels, that´s on you. Jump in and pick your besties and we´re off." He goes up to Rosie and kisses her on the mouth. "I´m coming back for you when the dust has settled and we can head to that cabin you talk about. Got a ride to take care of."


Walking out of the office, David sees the state trooper being all mushy with ol´Rosie. "Which one of your ladies wanna a piece of the action on the road to Cheyenne? I´m leaving right now and you´re invited. " He winks at the state trooper. "Not you Bo, too surly for my taste."

Jim looks at Dr. Hausmann curiously. "What is it about people on foot that's got you spooked? You do realize that Omaha is east of here so we'd be driving right towards the fire and them people walking away from it to get there."

Jim nods to Bob. "I don't have any mechanic skills but I got hands that I can use to help you with. It's probably best to take a few hours and fly to Omaha than try to drive there."

Gary finishes his coffee and pulls out a twenty to pay his bill. Now that the skinheads are out of the cafe, it looks like a good time to make an exit.

He can't help but notice how agitated the group is by the table and being the curious sort, he listens to them talk, trying to make sure that it doesn't look like he's listening. He's got a car and he's a good mechanic and he doesn't have to be anywhere right now, maybe it wouldn't hurt to get on the good side of Johnny Law with all the s*** going down right now, he thinks to himself.

Sean nods at Bob. "I'm willing to help, but if time is of the essence and we need to bug out, we should take a car. Hopefully the trooper's is enough. If we need more room, well, I'm sure someone drove here. And we're on government business. Hopefully we can find someone willing to cooperate willingly and we won't need to make this... unpleasant." He'd prefer the easy way, but he was willing to do the hard.

Looking at Dr. Hausmann, he vowed he'd get her where she needed to go. No matter what. God and country depended on him. And more importantly, Dr. Hausmann.

***
Tisha frowned. "Sounds like another delay. We can't afford it." She stands up from the table and puts on her reporter smile.

"Hello everyone. My name is Tisha. I'm a reporter. We have an interview with the commander of the local air force base, but our sound man has flaked out, so we're hiring. It's a really easy job, you can learn how to do it in five minutes. Not only will we pay you, but you'll have the honor of being part of a story that goes down as historic. A great story to tell your grandkids. So, who's interested in being part of history?"

8:54 AM
In the diner-
The TV set suddenly froze on an image of London, showing the Houses of Parliament and the clock tower housing Big Ben on fire.

Baldwin,[b]Baldwin[/b] tried to pull up coasttocoastam.com on his phone, but the page was taking a long time to load. Eventually, it timed out on him. Had has provider blocked it? Wouldn't surprise him. He tried to bring up Reddit, but that too failed to load. He wasn't able to get an Internet connection at all. It could just be that there was no signal in here...or maybe [i]they[/i] had finally flipped the Internet Kill Switch. With everything else going on today, that wouldn't be a surprise either. He also couldn't help but wonder what [b]Hammond[/b] was up to with [b]Horst[/b]. Nothing good, he was sure of that.

David,PCs are free to make up their own minds, but if there's a particular NPC you want to go with you, please choose one and roll Fast Talk.

Tisha/Willie,PCs are free to make up their own minds, but if there's a particular NPC you want to go with you, please choose one and roll Fast Talk.

Laying his eyes on a cute blond in her late teens twenties, David leans in "Would you like to see the open road, honey? I even let you use my stick."

"Better lock this place down, Lynne. I´ll be back tomorra´. Bye ladies!" Bo tips his hat down and heads for the patrol car. "We´re a-leavin´."

Listening only to half the words from the two pals from the egg beater, Bob summerises, "Great, let´s do this as speedily as possible. Better to spend the time fixing a fast ride than sitting in a steet car for eternity." He backs away from the table and jogs back towrads the garage.

Jim looks at the others and shrugs, then follows Bob.

Sean also heads out.

Willie

Willie puts his head in her hands and lets Trisha do her thing. She is the boss, after all. He'd much rather wait, though.

Dr. Brigetta Hausmann

Dr. Hausmann's face flushes "Sorry please don't worry, I'm just under a lot of stress right now". At that moment she looks up at the television showing the scenes from London. "Oh my god" says the Doctor, pointing up to the T.V screen. "Something very bad is happening. Maybe we all should be worried!"

Baldwin:

"Damn internet's down now!"

Baldwin puts his phone away and tucks back into his food, the best thing he can do is finish eating and then check on his truck before things get any worse. Hopefully he can get out of this dump before any of the rednecks decide to start lynching black folk.

Lynne:

"What do mean lockdown! I can't just close the place!"

Lynne looks in panic at the frozen image of Westminster burning and back to Bo, "Are those crazies coming here?!"

"Just lock up and stay quiet." Bo stops by the entry door and waits for his passengers to decide a plan of action.

8:55 AM
In the diner-
Ashley emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray piled with food and beverages. "Looks like CNN's frozen," she said. "Maybe someone should put on the local news."

Sally rolled her eyes at David and laughed. "I've heard a lot of pickup lines in my time, and that one has to be one of the top ten...worst."

Randall turned when Tisha spoke, apparently forgetting all about Lynne. "Hey, I'm your guy," he said. "I'm ready when you are. Once we pay, of course. I don't think they'd take too kindly if we skipped out."

Dr. Hausmann and Stephanie Bridges were now the only ones from their group remaining in the diner.

In the parking lot-
Bo followed Sean, Jim, and Bob outside, standing just outside the entrance. The parking lot extended over toward the garage, outside of which they could see Dave the mechanic working on an old clunker. Max the dog had gotten up and was trotting over to the junkyard.

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

Tisha smiles, all sugar and sweetness. She pulls out her wallet and drops a few 20's on the table, not even bothering with the change. The service here took forever, and news didn't wait.

"Welcome aboard,"She tells Randall. "It's a simple job, I'll coach you on the way."

Bo goes to the patrol car and turns the ignintion to see what the fuel sits at.
"Might have to trade me some gallon gas tanks from the shop."

Jim moves quickly to catch up with Bob. "So what do you need me to do?" He says.

Gary holds up his bill and a twenty and tries to catch Ashley's eye.

Dr. Brigetta Hausmann

"Ok, looks like its time to go", Dr Hausmann says to Stephanie, as she grabs her laptop from the table and unplugs the power-cord from the socket and follows the others outside

Willie

Willie groans, "I guess we're not waiting for Larry then, but looking at the news things are messed up out there. Guess we'd better try and capture the action" With that the cameraman extends his hand to Randall "Willie" he says.

"I need help lifting the fuel hose to repair it. Let´s get this thing fixed." Bob points where to lift the hose from the frame of the helicopter.

David being shot down walks out to his rig and jumps in on his own lonesome. He puts on a tape of Guns & Roses.

Sean attempts to lift the hose and assist Bob in fixing their ride.

Lynne:


Lynne watches Bo walking away to his car, "Asshole."

She turns back to the tables, looking if anyone is still waiting for service. Hammond would kill her if she locked up the diner.

Baldwin:


Meanwhile Baldwin is still eating, "Any chance of another coffee here?"

"I need help lifting the fuel hose to repair it. Let´s get this thing fixed." Bob points where to lift the hose from the frame of the helicopter.

Jim moves over to help Sean lift it up so Bob can get to work fixing it.

8:56 AM
In the diner-
Stephanie picked up her own laptop and left some money on the table to pay for the meal, then quickly followed Dr. Hausmann outside.

"The name's Randall," said Randall, giving Willie a strong handshake. "Thanks for the job." He went outside with Willie and Tisha.

"Be with you in a minute, dear," said Ashley to Gary as she passed him with the tray. "Got my hands full. Coffee's on it's way," she said to Baldwin. She made her way to Sally's table and put her order in front of her.

"I'll take care of that for you, hon," said Rosie to Gary, taking the money and the bill from him. "Be right back with your change."

In the parking lot-
Max disappeared into the junkyard.

David left the diner and approached his rig.

Bo got behind the wheel of his cruiser and checked his fuel gauge. Unfortunately, it was running low. He currently had only a quarter of a tank left. Of course, he could always fill up at the gas pumps outside the garage. They had regular unleaded gas, not just diesel for the trucks. He heard the following on the radio:

In Sidney a patrolman called in from his car: “Help! Anyone Help! The fire is out of control…the entire fire department is gone, just f***ing gone. The station house…there was blood everywhere…no one left alive. The city is f***ing crazy…. Everyone is out of control….. Holy s***! I can’t get through the crowd. They're all over the hood, climbing on it. Banging on the windows…I can’t get through…” Bo could overhear what sounded like snarling or moaning coming from the background. “Oh s***… oh s***…. They’re smashing the window in….. aaaaarrrrghhhhh……” Then the radio cut off.

From Kimball, he got a dispatch. “This is Kimball County Police HQ calling all units…Come in if you’re out there…This is Kimball County Police HQ calling all units…Is anyone out there?”

There was also a State Trooper. “This is State Trooper Joe Barring. I’m heading up I-80 Southeast of Sidney…Is there anyone out there?”

Jenny Cooper and Michael Walters entered the parking lot from the direction of the motel, heading for the diner.

Bob led Sean and Jim over to the helicopter, where he began to work on it with their help. The first thing they had to do was drain the fuel into the barrels he had already collected so that they could work on the chopper's fuel system.

OOC,[b]Bo[/b]'s Luck roll (60% stat) to see how much fuel he has: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Sean[/b] and [b]Jim[/b], please roll Mechanical Repair. The base skill is 20%. [b]Bob[/b], you don't need to roll again, as you already succeeded on your roll earlier. [b]David[/b], it will take you one more minute to get aboard your truck and get it started. Everyone who just entered the parking lot who has not already done so earlier may roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is 25%.

OOC,Mechanical Repair 20 [dice]0[/dice]

"This is State Trooper Bo Richards, at T-bone Diner on I-80, heading East. Safe so far. Over!"

Sean attempts to assist the others.

Mechanical Repair 20%,[dice]0[/dice]

***

Tisha nods. "The way I see it, this benefits us both." She looks around briefly before heading to their car.

Spot Hidden 35%,[dice]1[/dice]

Baldwin:


"Thanks," Baldwin nods to Ashley.

His breakfast was nearly gone now, hopefully his truck's ready to go and he get out of this dump after his coffee.

Lynne:


"I'll get it Ashley," Lynne goes to fetch Baldwin his coffee.

8:57 AM
In the diner-
After serving Sally, Ashley went over to Luke's table and poured him a mug from the coffeepot while Lynne filled one and served it to Baldwin. "Your food will be out in a couple minutes," Ashley told Luke.

Rosie returned and gave Gary his change. Then she tried to change the TV's channel, but all of the stations were either frozen as well or off the air, even the local ones.

"That can't be good," Duke said to Robert.

Jenny and Michael entered the diner, the little bell above the door tinkling when it opened.

Horst and Flip emerged from Hammond's back office, each carrying a cigar. Horst muttered something to Flip under his breath and took out his cell phone.

Flip,"That lyin' sack of s*** [b]Hammond[/b]..." grumbled [b]Horst[/b]. "Thinks he can f*** me over, does he?"

OOC,Everyone inside the diner may make a Listen roll. The base skill is 25% If successful, you may read the above spoiler button for [b]Flip[/b].

In the parking lot-
Azadeh entered the parking lot, on her way to the diner from the motel.

David started up the truck's engine and turned on the music, ready to hit the road.

Sean and Jim began to ably assist Bob in the helicopter repairs. In spite of their lack of training and familiarity, both of them proved naturally adept under Bob's instruction. Bob estimated that they could have the chopper refueled and working by around 11:30 AM if they worked on it without interruption. If more competent people helped them, they could possibly finish even faster.

"Good to hear from you, Bo!" replied Joe Barring over the radio. "I was worried nobody else was out there. I’m southeast of Sidney on I-80. Looks like there’s been some kind of fire in the middle of the city. Fires look out of control. Lots of people walking about. Up ahead, looks like I-80 is jammed up. Probably a car wreck. I’m going to check it out. Over.”

Tisha, Willie, and Randall got in the news van and started the engine.

OOC,Who's driving the van? Is [b]Bo[/b] actually getting on the highway and heading east now, or is he still staying in the parking lot or going to refuel his car first?

Bo replies over the radio, while still stationary outside the diner, "Just make sure you get past and over to the T-bone. There is help here. A lot of places have been overrun by mobs. Don´t act without any backup. Over." As he clicks off he looks at the doctor and entourage. He steps out and opens the passenger door to let them into the patrol car.



He revs the engine and slowly pulls off from the lights of the T-bone. David starts to whistle as the events of the day sinks in. "What a day..."


With the momentum of good teamwork, Bob smiles at Sean and Jim, "Looking good, keep on haulingm guys! Soon we´ll be refuelling."

In the parking lot-
Those outside the diner could now see a dark trail of smoke coming from the area of Sidney, far to the eastern horizon.

Tisha starts the van and begins to pull out of the diner and head for the military base. Honestly, this place was starting to give her the creeps.

***

Sean nods. "Glad to help. You're a good teacher. We may want to grab one or two more folks though, get this done even faster." He looks towards the smoke. "I don't like the look of that."

OOC,Listen 25 [dice]0[/dice]

"Thank you ma'am." Gary says as he puts three dollars on the table and pockets the rest of the change. As the skinheads come out, he settles back in his seat to finish his coffee as he doesn't feel like walking out with them.

Jim acknowledges Bob with a nod to Sean. "Me and Sean have a lot of practice working together." With a look to the east he continues, "I'm kinda interested in flying over Sydney to see what's going on over there."

Sean shakes his head. "That's not our responsibility, Jim. We have to get Dr. Hausman to where she's going, and she seems in a rush."

Lynne:


Lynne shows Jenny and Michael to an empty table and asks if there ready to order.

Baldwin:


"Thanks," Baldwin takes the coffee and sipping at it, decides to take his time drinking. Like Gary, he has no intention of leaving while the skinheads are in the way.

He keeps his right hand under the level of the table close to his revolver, in case things get out of hand.

8:58 AM
In the diner-
Fortunately, Horst seemed to have forgotten all about Baldwin's existence. He glared at the phone with a scowl and shoved it back into his pocket. "F***, no signal!" he muttered. "Come on, we can use the CB in the pickup." He and Flip, headed to the front door, Flip glancing back longingly at the food on his plate.

"Where are you two goin'?" asked Rita as they passed the counter.

"Jus' out for a smoke," said Horst, showing her his cigar. "Courtesy of your husband. We'll be right back."

Rita nodded as the two skinheads stepped outside.

"Thanks," said Jenny to Lynne with a shy smile as she led her and Michael to their table, where they sat down. "Um, I'd like to look at the menu first. Maybe some coffee?"

"Tea for me, cheers," said Michael, with an obvious British accent.

Ashley slipped into the kitchen.

Azadeh entered the diner, where Rosie greeted her. "Welcome to the T-Bone," she said. "I'll show you to your table."

Kimberly stood up, placed some money on the table, and headed outside, waiting long enough for the skinheads to get a safe distance ahead.

In the parking lot-
Horst and Flip emerged from the diner. They lit their cigars and began to smoke as they headed for a white pickup truck.

Tisha drove the news van onto the on-ramp to I-80 West once she and her passengers were belted, with David just behind her in his truck.

Tony, Cathy, Bobby, and Scotty Lathan entered the lot, coming from the direction of the motel.

Bob, Sean, and Jim continued to work on the helicopter, draining the fuel into barrels helpfully provided from the garage. Bob just had to hope they would be able to salvage all of it. There was barely enough to reach Omaha. From the helicopter's radio, they heard that a helicopter unit of the Nebraska State Police was flying relatively near their position but was short of fuel. “This State Trooper Erica Spears…Is there any airfield out there were I can land my bird for fuel? Come in please?”

"These people need help," replied Joe Barring to Bo over the radio. “We need medical assistance here pronto. These people are in pretty bad shape. Looks like a bomb hit them…Damn they all looked dazed and bloody. Damn nasty wounds too…Can’t believe some of them are walking…There’s a couple running towards me now, and they don’t look so good either…I need EMT people down here…"

"I think we're probably better off waiting for the helicopter to be fixed than trying to hit the road," said Stephanie. "We're some 400 miles from Omaha, which would take until evening to reach even under good conditions. With things as they are now, it would take longer, if we even made it in one piece. That fire in Sidney is right in our path, and there may be trouble in cities along the way as well as Omaha itself. With the chopper, we could cross the state in a few hours, and we'll fly over any trouble." She looked at Dr. Hausmann.

Kimberly emerged from the diner.

OOC,I'll play [b]Stephanie[/b] for now, as her player hasn't posted for her since the beginning. [b]Bo[/b], if you want to get [b]Joe[/b]'s assistance, please roll Persuade or Fast Talk. The base skill is 15% for Persuade and 5% for Fast Talk. [b]Dr. Hausmann[/b] or [b]Stephanie[/b] may also try. [b]Randall[/b], [b]David[/b], [b]Tisha[/b], and [b]Willie[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Highway to Hell

Upon hearing that the skinheads will be right back, Gary decides it's time to go. He gets up and as he walks past the table with their breakfast still on it, he stops to unscrew the top of the salt shaker on their table. He knows he shouldn't mess with them but, hey, karmas a bitch!

Once at the door, he stops to make sure they are heading away before he leaves the diner and heads towards his car.

"I know we need to get Dr. Hausmann to where she's going." Jim replies to Sean. "Did you see how agitated she got about the people walking away from the fire in Sydney? Why do you suppose that's got her worked up? She never answered me when I asked. Somethings going down and I just want to get some more information so we don't step in it. You know how often grunts like us get in trouble because the people giving orders don't tell us the whole story!"

"I'm not really sure," Sean says as he's working. "Seems like some sort of pandemic. Flu outbreak, maybe? You can ask her if you want, but she seems focused on her work. But a few extra details would be nice. All I know, this seems top secret and highly important.."

Juggling a couple of outcomes at once, Bo reconsiders the road option.

He "This is Bo Richard, Joe Barrington, did you copy that? We need your assistance as well. Strength in numbers. Do not assist on your own. Go past and meet up here at the diner. We´ll stay put awaiting assistance. Over!"

He starts the car and decides to back up towards the entrance to the diner.
Disregard the rolls below. The first ones seemed not to have worked. Now they look fine though...

Bob knows that if they do this the right way, all will be fine and they´ll get the team to Omaha, without much fuss. "Good work guys. We´ll soon have a working bird! Just make sure all bolts are rightened and secured."

"Hey Bob, did you hear that over the radio? They need fuel and we need a working chopper....maybe we can have them come over here and we can give them some fuel and they can take the Doctor to Omaha while we're working on getting this bird airborne."

8:59 AM
In the diner-
The Lathan family entered the diner just as Ashley came out of the kitchen carrying a food-laden tray. "Hi!" she said. "I'll show you to a booth in a minute."

Rosie led Azadeh to a small table and handed her a menu. "Can I get you anything to drink?" she asked.

"I'll have a coffee," Azadeh replied.

"I'll have some French toast," Jenny told Lynne after she finished perusing the menu.

"That sounds good," said Michael. "I'll have the same."

In the parking lot-
Gary emerged from the diner shortly after Kimberly, who walked across the lot at a sedate pace, letting the skinheads get a decent distance ahead of her. With her dark skin, he couldn't blame her. Still, her route was taking her directly past the white pickup truck that Horst and Flip had just entered. Horst picked up the CB radio and keyed the microphone.

"I can't just leave injured people without help, Bo," said Joe Barring's voice on the radio. "I've got to do something!"

"I don't have enough fuel to make Cheyenne," Erica Spears replied to Bob as he worked on the chopper with Sean and Jim. "Where on I-80 is the T-Bone?"

OOC,The T-Bone is located between Sidney and Kimball.

Bob responds over the helicopter frequency, "This is Bob Larkin, National Park Services, calling Erica Spears. Over. There´s an AirForce Base close to Cheyenne. Warren AFB. We do need assistance at I-80 and have a helicopter over at T-bone Diner. Could we pull our resources? We have a delivery to Omaha. Could we help you and you help us? Over!"

In the parking lot-
"Like I said," replied Erica Spears to Bob, "I don't have the fuel to make Cheyenne. I may not have enough to reach you. It depends where exactly on I-80 you are. I don't know where the T-Bone is located. Over."

"Sorry, just west of Sidney, 50km prior to Cheyenne...Over." Bob felt bad for giving poor directions.

Gary follows Kimberly outside and as he heads to his car, he tries to keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't hassled by the skinheads.

As he works, Jim looks toward the sky over Sydney to see if he can see the other helicopter. "Hey Bob, ask where they are now."

"Erica Spears, where´s your location ATM? Over." Bob relays.

Baldwin:


Once he's finished his coffee, Baldwin leaves payment and a tip on the table and gets up. He leaves the diner to go and check on his truck.

Lynn:


"Okay, I'll be right back with your order."

Lynne smiles and heads off with the order (to the grill?)

9:00 AM
In the diner-
"Done," said Beth, having finally finished filling out the application. She handed it to Rita, who accepted it with a nod and a grunt. "When can I expect an interview?"

"Well, Hammond's probably not too busy at the moment," said Rita. "I'll go and see if he's free."

Rosie fetched the coffeepot and poured a cup for Azadeh, placing it before her as she studied the menu. "Know what you want yet?" she asked.

"I'll have steak and eggs," Azadeh replied.

"How do you like it?"

"The steak medium rare, the eggs scrambled."

"I'll go put your order in. It'll be about fifteen or twenty minutes."

Ashley put Luke's food in front of him, put the empty tray on a countertop, and led the Lathan family to an empty booth.

Lynne entered the kitchen.

OOC,[b]Lynne[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

In the parking lot-
"Check that landing at the T-Bone," replied Erica Spears to Bob. "No way, buddy. I’ll be damn lucky if I can make it to Brownson with what gas I got...I'll never get to your position. Right now I'm a few dozen miles east of Alliance. I thought about landing there, but there's a big smoke coming off from it. Over."

"This is Joe Barring," Joe replied to Bo. "Damn lot of people comin' out looking pretty badly hurt. But I just had some crazed bastard try to break into my car while I was drivin' it. I think these people are damn dangerous, Troop. No luck calling any other State Trooper stations."

Kimberly slipped past the skinheads' Chevy Blazer without them noticing, distracted as they were. However, she could not hear what they were saying inside.

Flip,"[b]Buzz[/b], this is [b]Horst[/b]," said [b]Horst[/b]. "[b]Hammond[/b]'s trying to pull a fast one. Says he don't have our stuff yet but will have it later. That's a crock of bulls***. I want you and a bunch o' the boys to come down here and pay him a little visit. Leave [b]Doc[/b] in charge while you're gone. Over." "Roger that, [b]Horst[/b]," replied [b]Buzz[/b] over the CB. "ETA in twenty. Over and out."

OOC,Someone else at the helicopter ([b]Sean[/b] or [b]Jim[/b]) may attempt to use Fast Talk or Persuade on [b]Erica[/b]. Anyone in the parking lot who wishes to try to eavesdrop on the skinheads should roll Sneak and Listen. The base skill for Sneak is 10%, and the base skill for Listen is 25%. Even if you fail the Sneak roll, you might not be heard. If the Listen roll succeeds, you may click the spoiler button for [b]Flip[/b] above and view its contents. [b]Kimberly[/b]'s Sneak roll (48% skill) moving past the Chevy Blazer: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Kimberly[/b]'s Listen roll (57% skill) moving past the Chevy Blazer: [dice]1[/dice]

"Bob, let me talk to her." Jim takes the mike. "If you can make it to Brownson, you can make it to us. We're just west of Syndey. Anyway, you don't sound like you got better options. Getting closer to us and another chopper is good for us all."

OOC,Fast Talk 44 [dice]0[/dice]

Seeing that Kimberly has made it past the skinheads to her car, Gary goes to his car.

OOC,I want to get my rifle and put it in the front seat of my car. Sneak 10 [dice]0[/dice] Listen 25 [dice]1[/dice]

Sean nods, though Erica can't see it.

"We're seeing signs of rioting even out here. Coming here seems safer than risking flying somewhere where there's unrest."

Bob is greatful he´s not alone in the parking lot.

Bo Richards turns the ignition off exits the patrol car, remembering to take the keys out. Standing by the door he calls back to Joe. "You better come up to Sidney and the T-bone and we can talk face to face. There´s no place to be roaming the streets man. We have a good place here. Over!"

Baldwin:


Baldwin gives the skinheads a wide berth as he walks across to the garage. He doesn't want to overhear what they're saying, it would only make him angry.

9:01 AM
In the diner-
Rita led Beth over to the door to Hammond's office and knocked. "Got an applicant for the waitress opening, Hammond," she called. "You busy?"

"Naw, send her in," said Hammond from the other side of the door.

Beth opened the door and entered the office.

"Anything to drink?" Rosie asked Azadeh.

"I'll have coffee," she replied.

"I'll go put your order in and bring you back your coffee, hon," said Rosie, heading into the kitchen.

Duke and Robert sat down on a pair of stools at the counter.

"Anything I can get you to drink while you look at the menus?" Ashley asked the Lathan family.

"I'll have a Coke," said Bobby.

"You will not," said Tony Lathan. "Not for breakfast. OJ for the boys, coffee for me."

"I'll have coffee too," said Cathy, her voice distant.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

OOC,[b]Beth[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Private Meeting

In the parking lot-
Baldwin proceeded east toward the garage, where his truck was parked.

"No can do," replied Erica to Jim Kerr. "I want to help you, but I'll be damn lucky if I can get as far as Brownson, and if I do I'll be on fumes. Couldn't fly even one mile beyond that. Not sure if I will be able to make it to Brownson, but no way can I get this bird back up in the air if I do make it. I'm willing to try, though. I would appreciate you folks trying to secure fuel and have it ready for me there when I land... there's a community college of some sort there, and maybe they have aviation fuel. I would also appreciate some protection for the bird...Over."

"Don't think I can make it past Sidney, Bo," replied Joe Barring. "That place is a royal mess, let me tell you."

Bud and Alex entered the west side of the parking lot, followed by Father Roger McCormick. Gary followed Kimberly past the Chevy Blazer. Horst and Flip, the two skinheads inside, got out of the vehicle, stubbed out their cigars, and headed back for the diner. They did not even notice Gary's presence, and Flip seemed completely oblivious.

Kimberly turned and approached Gary when he went to his car and moved his rifle. "Hi," she said to him. "You didn't happen to hear what those two scumbags were saying when you walked past them, did you?"

OOC,[b]Baldwin[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakdown

OOC,[b]Bo[/b] has already tried and failed to convince [b]Joe Barring[/b]. Someone else might have better luck. [b]Horst[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the Chevy Blazer: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Flip[/b]'s Listen roll (36% skill) in the Chevy Blazer: [dice]1[/dice]

Bob works on the helicopter to get it ready asap.

Bo clutches the radio. "No sweat, brother. Try to find a place to hole up in and radio back when you´re secured. Over!"

"Roger that. I'll see what I can do about getting someone out to meet you in Brownson. Over." Jim says.

Turning to Bob, he says, "What do you think Bob? Can we load up a couple of these barrels of fuel and send it out to Erica in Brownson to get her here?"

Kimberly turned and approached Gary when he went to his car and moved his rifle. "Hi," she said to him. "You didn't happen to hear what those two scumbags were saying when you walked past them, did you?"

Gary shakes his head as he answers. "Nah, I'm sorry. I couldn't hear anything but I really didn't try to get to awful close."

Sean shakes his head. "We don't have time for this.". But he does not push it, continuing to work on the helicopter.

In the parking lot-
"Can't do that," said Joe over the police cruiser's radio. "I put on the badge to help people when they need it, not to lie low. Over."

"Please do that," Erica replied on the chopper's radio. "Without fuel waiting for me, I'll be dead meat on the ground. My ETA to Brownson is 45 minutes - if I even make it. If not, I'll have to set down early. That should give you plenty of time to bring the fuel and some protection to Brownson. Over."

Bob realized that one barrel of fuel was more than enough for the short hop from Brownson to the T-Bone, and they had already pretty much filled the first barrel draining fuel from the broken-down chopper. It was feasible to bring it there, but they would need a pickup truck or a big rig to carry it. It would take time to refuel Erica's chopper in Brownson, so they'd need to be able to protect it while it was refueling. There was one more problem: they had just enough fuel on them to barely make it to Omaha. If they used some to bring Erica's chopper here, they could pump the rest of the fuel into it, but it would no longer be enough to make it all the way to Omaha. They'd be a few miles short. They'd have to find somewhere along the way to refuel, or make it the rest of the way on the ground.

"Don't sweat it," Kimberly told Gary. "I couldn't hear what they were saying either, but I'm sure they're up to no good."

Just then, gunshots ripped the air in the distance.

OOC,Everyone in the parking lot may roll Listen to try to determine where the gunshots originated. The base chance is 25%. Those inside the diner will need to roll Listen just to hear the shots, and better successes will give you some indication of direction.

Sean looks around frantically when he hears the shots, and he goes for his rifle.

Listen 53%,[dice]0[/dice]

Old Bud:


Bud is watching the two skinhead guys who are walking towards the diner when he hears the gunshots.

Psychology,See what he thinks the Nazis are up to. Old Bud - Psychology (05%): [dice]0[/dice]

Listen,Old Bud - Listen (45%): [dice]1[/dice]

He turns towards where he heard the shots coming from, looking to see what's going on.

Spot Hidden,Old Bud- Spot Hidden(55%): [dice]2[/dice]

"They came from over there I think," he says to Alex, pointing.

In the parking lot-
Bud pointed to the east, at the junkyard beyond the garage.

"My rifle is back in my tent," said Alex. "Should I go get it, sir?"

Bud,[b]Bud[/b] could recognize the caliber of gun being fired from the sound of the shots. It was a .357 Magnum.

Bo gets his Mossberg from the seat next to him, gets out and stands by the car, using it as cover. He scans the area around the junkyard and garage.

Listen,Listen 58 [dice]0[/dice]

Jim is startled by the sound of gunshots. "I'll get back to you as soon as I can Erica. Keep me posted on your progress." Dropping the mic, Jim pulls his pistol.

"It came from over here!" He says to Sean and Bob.

Listen,Listen 25 [dice]0[/dice]

Gary's conversation is interrupted by the gunshots. His immediate reaction is to look at the skinheads but it's not them.

He rethinks his plan of putting his rifle in the front seat and takes it out of its case. You should find a safe place Ma'am. I don't know what's going on but gunshots and skinheads are never a good combination."

Bob is unphased by the gun shot and continues working. "Better stay here guys. I need you alive."

In the parking lot-
Jim could tell that the sound of the gunshots had indeed come from the junkyard as Bud had indicated. It was impossible to see anything within the junkyard itself, though a bunch of people and two dogs were gathered nearby, outside the garage.

Sean looks around for any traces of hostiles. If he sees none, he slowly nods. "I agree with Bob. We need to get this bird up and running ASAP."

9:02 AM
In the diner-
"Did you hear that?" asked Luke, looking up from his coffee. "Two gunshots, outside."

"Yeah, I heard 'em, man," said Duke. "They came from the direction of that old junkyard."

"Probably someone just shooting a varmint, then. It's stopped now."

OOC,[b]Robert[/b]'s Listen roll (50% skill) in the diner: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Duke[/b]'s Listen roll (35% skill) in the diner: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Rita[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Ashley[/b]'s Listen roll (50% skill) in the diner: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Sally[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Tony Lathan[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Cathy Lathan[/b]'s Listen roll (60% skill) in the diner: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Bobby Lathan[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Scotty Lathan[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]8[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]9[/dice] [b]Luke[/b]'s Listen roll (65% skill) in the diner: [dice]10[/dice] [b]Jenny[/b]'s Listen roll (45% skill) in the diner: [dice]11[/dice] [b]Michael[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]12[/dice] [b]Azadeh[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]13[/dice]

In the parking lot-
"Oh my God!" cried Stephanie.

"Zis place is not safe," said Dr. Hausmann. "Ve must get in the air quickly."

A cherry red Porsche 911 pulled away from the motel and turned onto the dirt road heading north and south. It sped onto I-80.

Horst and Flip glanced around when the gunshots went off. There had only been two shots, and then silence. "Come on, let's go back inside," said Horst. The two of them went back into the diner.

"I'm not sure anywhere is safe any more," said Kimberly to Gary. "I'm more worried about all those innocent people here. If things go south, they're likely to get hurt. Maybe that State Trooper will be able to do something, but there's only one of him. Think we should go talk to him?"

"I'm not sure anywhere is safe any more," said Kimberly to Gary. "I'm more worried about all those innocent people here. If things go south, they're likely to get hurt. Maybe that State Trooper will be able to do something, but there's only one of him. Think we should go talk to him?"

"Yeah, it might be good to let him know we got his back." Gary says, watching the skinheads going back into the cafe.

He heads over to the trooper with his rifle pointed down, motioning to Kimberly to follow him.

"I don't know man. I'm starting to think we might be better off taking the fuel and the scientists and go to a working 'copter in Brownston." Jim says but he holsters his handgun and goes back to work draining fuel. He's going to keep an eye on the crowd at the junkyard in case things start escalating.

Sean nods. "Might be. If things get rough here we may have to. I'd just rather not risk getting caught up in the rioting and jeopardizing our mission."

Old Bud:


Bud considers the gunfire, the plume of smoke from the large fire over the horizon, the heavily armed state trooper across the car park and the failing communications.

"Ordinarily, I'd say no - just let that cop handle things."

"But all things considered, yes I think it might be a good idea to get your rifle - just in case."

Bud follows Alex towards his tent, keeping an eye out for trouble.

"Those gunshots were from a three-fifty-seven magnum."

9:03 AM
In the diner-
Beth emerged from Hammond's office and passed Robert and Duke. "Hey, guys, I got the job," she said. "Shortest job interview ever. Personally, I think the boss is a creep, but as long as he keeps his hands to himself I can put up with him. Is Rosie around?"

"In the kitchen," said Ashley to Beth, overhearing. "She'll probably be out in a minute." She turned back to the Lathan family. "Need a little more time to decide?"

"No, I know what I want," said Scotty. "Pancakes!"

"Bacon and eggs for me," said Bobby.

"I'll have bacon and eggs too," said Tony.

"I'll have...whatever..." muttered Cathy, her mind wandering.

"She'll have the same."

Horst and Flip went back to their table and sat down. Flip immediately began to shovel waffles into his mouth as if he had never left the table. Horst picked up the salt shaker and started to sprinkle it in his soup, but the top came off, dumping a mound of salt into it. He rose to his feet and roared: "What the f***?! Where's that Indian bitch?"

In the parking lot-
"Ze sooner ve can take off, ze better," said Dr. Hausmann. "Ve cannot afford delays."

Gary and Kimberly approached Bo. Kimberly stood behind Gary and to one side, letting him do the talking.

"You got a good ear, sir," said Alex to Bud. "Yeah, always be prepared." He jogged back toward the motel ahead of Bud, though he was clearly holding back to allow the older man to keep up with him. Father McCormick entered the diner.

OOC,Everyone outside who passed the Listen roll earlier heard [b]Horst[/b]'s outburst. [b]Alex[/b] and [b]Bud[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Wake Up Call

"Hey trooper." Gary calls out as they get closer.

"I don't know what's going on but those skinheads seem to want to start something. I just wanted to let you know that if you need backup, I got your back. If you want me to stay away, I can do that too but if it comes a time to pick sides, I want you to know I'm on your side."

Gary makes sure that his rifle is pointing down and his hand gripping the stock is well away from the trigger.

"Did you hear that? One of the skinheads is yelling inside the diner." Jim says to the others. "I don't like working here with no protection. We already heard gunshots and we don't know what the hell is going on."

Sean curses under his breath, then looks to the group. "Maybe it's time to go, then. And we head off to Brownston."

"Thanks man! I´m covering the rear from here, in case the shooter comes out here. You´re deputised to deal with the Aryan mess in the diner as you see justified. I´ll join you if there´s no danger out here in ten seconds. Good luck!"

Bob connects the last bits to the rotor engine and checks the led-callibrator-s14 for a positive readout. "Check the systems panel, Sean. Let´s see if she purrs!" He adds, "I´d rather leave here on half tank and alive than on a full tank and half-dead!"

Sean does as instructed, deciding that it was no longer advantageous to remain here.

Stephanie waits with bated breath to see if the helicopter will be back in working order before things heat up in the diner.

9:04 AM
In the diner-
"I'll, uh, go put your order in," said Ashley, hurrying into the kitchen. She passed Rosie on her way back out to the dining area.

"Easy, man," said Flip to Horst around a mouthful of waffles. "She'll get hers soon enough. They all will. We just have to be patient a little longer."

"Easy for you to say," mumbled Horst. "You got your food."

Rosie made her way over to Horst's table. "Can I help you, hon?" she asked.

OOC,[b]Horst[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill) to notice [b]Lynne[/b]: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Flip[/b]'s Fast Talk roll (5% base skill) to calm [b]Horst[/b]: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Ashley[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

In the parking lot-
Dr. Hausmann approached the helicopter, motioning to Stephanie to accompany her. "How much longer are ve going to be stuck here?" she asked. Bob could tell that it would still take about another two and half hours to finish repairing the helicopter, and he didn't know if they had that long. Erica Spears's State Police helicopter was due to arrive in Brownson in a little over forty minutes, which was much sooner. They'd drained about one third of the fuel from his helicopter's tank so far, and it would take another twenty minutes to drain the rest of it. There was still the issue of finding a vehicle capable of transporting the fuel to Brownson and making sure the landing area was secure for her, of course. Time seemed to be running out, the way things were going.

"I've got your back too," said Kimberly. "I got a shotgun in my vehicle, and I think it's time I went and got it." She hurried to her car and retrieved it before rejoining Gary.

Sean looks around, hoping to find some vehicle capable of transporting the fuel.

Spot Hidden 39%,[dice]0[/dice]

"We're on a mission of national importance here," Sean states confidently. "If need be, we need to take one of those trucks, or maybe the big rig. Once this is all over we can compensate the owner. But I get the feeling if we just sit around and wait we're all dead."

Ten seconds pass and Bo decides to leave the patrol car's relative cover and enter the diner once more, to provide the promised backup.

Bob is sweating bullets. "OK, let´s be smart. If we as you say empty this system and gets the barrels on a flatbed or something out there and head for Brownston, we´re up in the air in double time than fixing this clipped bird. I´m leaning towards that. I just don´t like quitting. But it seems we ought to do what´s smart and not what´s safest on a sunny day. ´Cos it´s raining crap today!"

"I've got your back too," said Kimberly. "I got a shotgun in my vehicle, and I think it's time I went and got it." She hurried to her car and retrieved it before rejoining Gary.

Gary waits for Kimberly to get her gun and by the time she gets back, Bo is already heading towards the diner. True to his word to back him up, Gary follows.

OOC,Spot Hidden 50 [dice]0[/dice] Edited because I forgot to roll Spot Hidden

Jim is satisfied that everyone is on the same page and continues to work draining the fuel. The sooner they can get to Brownston, the better.

OOC,Spot Hidden 56 [dice]0[/dice] Edited because I forgot to roll spot hidden.

Sanity Roll,Sanity 60 [dice]0[/dice]

Keeper,I get a +20 bonus roll to Sanity but I think I should have put a minus 20 to the d100. Is that correct for the future or should I just add 20 to my effective sanity?

Gary stops and calls out to Bo. "Hey, I think I know where the gun shots came from."

Sanity Roll,Sanity 85 [dice]0[/dice]

Jim was keeping an eye on the crowd by the junkyard but what he sees emerge is something unbelievable.

"Bob. Sean. Do you see what I'm seeing over by the garage?" He forces himself to keep working as he speaks. "We really need to get the hell out of here."

Sean glances up

san 50%,[dice]0[/dice] Possible loss [dice]1[/dice]

"The F*ck is that? "

Bo replies, "What? Where?"

9:05 AM
In the parking lot-
Bo reached the front door of the diner and stood in the entrance when Gary alerted him. Gary and Kimberly were right behind him. "If it's necessary," said Kimberly to Bo, "you can go in first. It's probably best if Horst doesn't even see me or Gary, but we can follow you inside if you can't keep him under control."

Gary/Jim Kerr,[b]Gary[/b] and [b]Jim[/b] saw the mechanics, the dogs, and [b]Baldwin[/b] retreat to the garage's entrance, which was blocked from view by the corner of the building itself. The man followed them very slowly and was also soon hidden from sight.

In the diner-
"Look at this!" roared Horst, gesticulating at his soup. "That goddamn squaw must've loosened the lid on the salt shaker while we were outside having a smoke! Where is she?"

"Lynne didn't do this," said Rosie. "She was with me the whole time. I don't know who did, but we'll make it up to you. I'll go get you a fresh bowl of soup." She picked up the bowl.

Horst seemed mollified, at least for now, and sat down to eat his main course. "Yeah, okay. But I expect my meal to be on the house."

"Hammond won't like that, but that's too bad for him. After the trouble you've had, you shouldn't have to pay."

"Yeah, too bad for Hammond. I'll settle up with him later."

Bo could see from the entrance that Rosie had things under control.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b]'s Charm Customer roll (80% skill) to pacify [b]Horst[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

"Ya´ll fine and dandy in here?" Bo renains in the doorway and tries to remain calm.

Replying to Bob, Stephanie says, "I think that moving now is better than waiting around. Especially if it'll get us back in the air faster."

"Hey Doc, do you think you can find a truck to load the fuel on? Me, Bob and Sean need to keep working to get the fuel drained." Jim says to Stephanie. "But stay away from the garage. That's where the gunshots came from."

Bo replies, "What? Where?"

"I saw a man chasing the mechanics into the garage and I think he was holding a gun." Gary says to Bo.

Bo replies, "Roger that. Do we have the passengers ready for the Brownston leg? The heli crew should be able to get the fuel loaded. I think we should get a move on and get a head start to the other chopper. If nothing else to clear the road. " He looks for Hausmann. "Gary, which is your ride? You care to do an escort gig, to Brownston?"

"My car is parked here and I got no place I need to be right now so if you need me to stay deputized and help, I'm in."

9:06 AM
In the parking lot-
"Ja, Stephanie and I can handle that," said Dr. Hausmann, "but a pickup truck will only hold one of the barrels. If we want to haul all three, we need a big rig. Those are only at the garage. Let's stay with the State Trooper. He can help us and protect us at the same time." She went over to Bo, motioning for Stephanie to follow.

"My car is here too," said Kimberly, "but it's not going to carry a barrel of aviation fuel. I'm with you."

The first barrel was now full, and Bob switched over to the second one.

Just then there were two shotgun blasts, the first louder than the second. After that, there was silence.

OOC,Everyone may roll Listen to try to determine the source of the shots. The base skill is 25%.

In the diner-
"We're all fine in here, sugar," said Rosie to Bo with a wink. She headed back toward the kitchen.

"Hi, Rosie," said Beth as Rosie passed. "I'm Beth, the new waitress. Hammond told me you'd show me the ropes."

"Come with me to the kitchen, I'll get you settled in." Rosie and Beth entered the kitchen. Then the shotgun blasts rang.

OOC,Everyone may roll Listen to try to determine the source of the shots. The base skill is 25%. [b]Rosie[/b] and [b]Beth[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

OOC,Listen 58 [dice]0[/dice]

Jim keeps working, hoping the shotgun blasts don't mean more trouble.

OOC,Listen 25 [dice]0[/dice]

Gary stands behind Bo, backing him up.

Listen 53%,[dice]0[/dice]

Sean frowns as he hears the shots. "I really think we should see about taking one of those big rigs. We need to be able to carry all this fuel. And frankly, I'm of the view it's getting a little too hot out here."

Bo nods back to Rosie. To Gary he says, "Let´s get the situation cleared out there. Things look tidy in here."

All the while, Bob kept on filling the next barrel with fuel.

"Blasts came from inside the garage." Sean says. Two different guns too. I don't know what's going on here, but things may be about to get wild. Be ready. ." He continues to work.

Gary heads over to the garage.

Bo trails after Gary, checking the yard for trouble.

9:07 AM
In the parking lot-
Kimberly went with Bo and Gary toward the garage, and soon they were standing near the entrance. The trailer from Wallace's broken-down tanker truck was parked in the only open bay, which would allow people to enter or leave. Dr. Brigetta Hausmann and Stephanie Bridges followed them, keeping well back. "There's some sort of argument going on in there," whispered Kimberly. "Earl wants his mechanics to do something, and they're refusing. He's calling them afraid and telling Baldwin and some kid to do whatever it is." Stephanie nodded, hearing it too.

Bob, Sean, and Jim kept working on the helicopter as the fuel started to drain into the second barrel.

OOC,[b]Kimberly[/b]'s Listen roll (57% skill) outside the garage: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Brigetta[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) outside the garage: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) outside the garage: [dice]2[/dice]

In the diner-
Ashley emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with two orders of French toast and brought it over to Michael and Jenny's table. "Here you are, darlings," she said, serving them.

OOC,Listen 25 [dice]0[/dice]

When Gary reaches the garage, he holds back to let Bo go first.
"I'm not really that good at defusing situations, especially not out here in the middle of nowhere." He says as he steps to the side of the tanker.

Bo hoistes himself up to the loading bay and peeks around the corner into the garage. "All good here?"

Oustide the garage-
Kimberly nodded. "I'll stay here with the scientists," she said.

OOC,The trailer is parked partway in the garage. The tanker has been separated and is out in the parking lot.

Trooper Bo Richards,[b]Bo[/b] could see [b]Hammond[/b] and [b]Earl[/b] at the back of the garage, holding shotguns. [b]Dave[/b] and [b]Mitchell[/b] stood off to the side, along with some tall kid he'd never seen before. [b]Dave[/b] gripped a wrench, and [b]Mitchell[/b] held his baseball bat. [b]Baldwin[/b] was standing nearby with his revolver drawn, and [b]Wallace[/b] was in the cab of his truck with his rifle. But what got his attention the most was the dead man lying on the garage floor. He had been shot repeatedly by handguns and shotguns. He was nearly skeletal, much of the skin eaten away. One of the shotgun blasts had blown his face to bits. He wore coveralls and shoes. [spoiler][b]Bo[/b], please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 1/1D4+1. If you lose 5 Sanity, please roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane. Otherwise, you may act freely.[/spoiler]

Bo stops mid-sentance... "Wooa. Step back boys. That can be contagious. A hole in the head is never good." He points his shotgun at the men. "Gary, step carefully and don´t look at the floor."

Gary stops at the bay door and instinctively looks at the ground when Bo tells him not to. He immediately regrets it.

9:08 AM
In the parking lot-
Bob, Sean, and Jim continued their work as the fuel kept draining into the barrel.

In the diner-
"Thanks," said Jenny, as she and Michael began to eat.

"Any time," said Ashley, moving along until she got to Robert and Duke. "I'm sorry, have you guys been helped yet? Are you ready to order?"

"Might as well," said Duke. "We gotta eat, even if the world's falling to pieces. I'll have pancakes."

"Waffles for me," said Robert.

Outside the garage-
"Bo, that there is a real life zombie," came Mitchell's excited voice from inside the garage. "It came crawling up out of the ground out in the junkyard and followed me and Wallace into the garage where the Boss blew its head off."

Bo and Gary entered the garage, while Kimberly remained outside, guarding Brigetta and Stephanie.

"Damn straight," said Earl from within the garage. "I thought he was crazy 'til I saw that thing for myself."

"The bastard bit me!" called Wallace. "Hurts like hell, and my head feels like it's on fire. I think I need a doctor."

OOC,[b]Bo[/b] and [b]Gary[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Breakdown

Jim keeps working with the other men. It's been a couple minutes without more gunfire and with Bo heading to the garage, he feels a little safer.

Bob also safer as the shooting has stopped says, "We´ll half done now. Let´s get this baby filled and then we roll them up on a flatbed or something. Do we have a vehicle?"

Sean shakes his head. "Don't think so. That's why I think we need to take one of the big rigs. We're on a matter of national importance here, and I care far more about getting the Doctor where she needs to go than I do inconveniencing a few folks." He looks towards his rifle, and it's clear he means to force the owner of the rig to hand it over to them in a hijacking in all but name.

9:09 AM
In the parking lot-
Bob was getting a little ahead of himself. Tapping on the barrel, he could tell that it was only about a third of the way full, and it was only the second out of three barrels. It would take more than another fifteen minutes to finish draining all the fuel, and they still had no vehicle capable of transporting it.

In the diner-
"Anything to drink?" Ashley asked.

"I'll have a coffee," said Robert.

"Me too," said Duke.

"Okay," said Ashley. She took their order and went into the kitchen, passing Rosie on her way out with Horst's soup.

Outside the garage-
"Let´s get to the patrol car and start off towards Brownson," said Bo after he backed out of the garage, waving to the scientists to follow.

"Wait," said Dr. Hausmann. "Ve haff no way to transport the fuel yet. I thought ve came here to get a truck. Ve should all go together once the fuel is loaded. Safety in numbers, ja? Anyway, that man said he needs a doctor."

OOC,[b]Ashley[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

9:10 AM
In the parking lot-
The second barrel was now getting close to halfway full.

In the diner-
Rosie went over to Horst's table and put the soup in front of him. "Here you go, darling," she said. She placed a new salt shaker on the table after making sure the lid was screwed on tight.

Horst sprinkled a little salt in the soup and tasted it. "Ah, that's much better," he said, mollified.

Flip gulped down the last of his waffles. "More!" he said.

"You sure are hungry, sweetheart. Sure, I'll go get you another order." She headed back toward the kitchen.

Outside the garage-
"I think we should help that man," said Stephanie. "Is it safe to go in the garage now, do you think?" she asked Bo.

Jim looks around as he keeps his hands on the hose, making sure they don't lose any fuel.

"It´s safe if I cover you Doc, they´ve got shotguns." He opens the door to the loading bay once more. "MEDIC coming in." He leans in and checks the coast is clear.

"Jim, what do you think is happening in the garage?" Bob Larkin says as he keeps working.

9:11 AM
In the parking lot-
Experimental taps on the barrel showed that it was now half full. Or, if one was a pessimist, half empty.

In the diner-
Rosie disappeared into the kitchen.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

Outside the garage-
"Only I am needed," said Dr. Hausmann. "Stay outside, Stephanie. The trooper can look after me." She followed him into the garage.

"Yes," added Kimberly, "and I'll stay out here and keep you safe."

OOC,[b]Bo[/b], [b]Kimberly[/b],[b]Stephanie[/b], and [b]Brigetta[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Breakdown

"I don't know." Jim responds to Bob. "All I know is the trooper is over there now and the gunshots have stopped. I just wish this fuel would drain faster. He finishes in mild frustration.

9:12 AM
In the diner-
"I'll be watching you!" called Rita as Luke went past her and outside.

In the parking lot-
Luke walked over to his pickup truck, which was parked close to the front door. His weapons were right where he had left them.

The fuel continued to drain into the barrel, all too slowly.

Sean keeps working in silence, intent on getting this done as fast as possible.

Jim looks around absentmindedly as the fuel continues to drain into the barrel.

Taking another drag of his cigarette Luke leans around to look into the diner window. Cathching Rita's eye he gives her a wink lifting his mug to her.

9:13 AM
In the diner-
Rita scowled back at Luke, still watching him like a hawk.

In the parking lot-
The barrel was now over two-thirds full.

Nothing had changed, and all was eerily quiet here...but how long would it stay that way?

Luke continues smoking just outside the diner.

Sean continues working, beginning to allow himself to believe they might just get through this in one piece.

Jim hums a song softly as the draining continues.

9:14 AM
In the diner-
Rosie emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tray of food.

"Shouldn't be long now," said Horst, checking his watch. "Another five minutes, maybe a little more."

In the parking lot-
The second barrel would be full in a couple more minutes.

Luke continued to smoke, his cigarette now little more than a stub.

OOC,[b]Luke[/b], please roll Listen to see if you heard [b]Horst[/b].

In the parking lot-
Luke could hear every word Horst said.

OOC,[b]Luke[/b], you may also roll Psychology. The base skill is 5%. If you fail, you'll just have to draw your own conclusions.

Luke will take note of the time, walk inside to pay his bill then light another cigarette as he walks out to stand by his vehicle.

"Sean, keep an eye on this one, I'm going to get another barrel." Jim says as the barrel fills up.
He rolls another barrel into position to make a smooth transition and not waste time.

"Roger." Sean says, as he keeps working.

9:15 AM
In the diner-
Rosie strutted over to Horst's table and deposited the plate of waffles in front of Flip, whose mouth was watering. "Here you go, hon," she said.

"That was fast!" he said, already stuffing his face.

"I had them rush the order, in light of the...earlier incident. I gather you two are in a hurry." She glanced over at Horst. "You keep lookin' at your watch."

"Thank you kindly," drawled Horst.

The bell above the door tinkled as Luke came back inside and approached the counter where Rita worked to pay for his meal. "That'll be fifteen bucks even," she said with her hand outstretched. "Cash or credit?"

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b]'s Psychology roll (5% base skill) about [b]Horst[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

In the parking lot-
Jim had the third barrel ready to go. The second one was now almost full.

Jim waits to swing the hose over to the third barrel. By his calculations, they have about a half hour to get to Brownston to meet up with the other helicopter. He looks over towards the garage. "I wonder if they got a truck lined up. We should start loading."

9:16 AM
In the parking lot-
As soon as the second barrel was topped up, Jim switched the hose over to the third, empty one. A few people were on their way to the diner from the motel. The old man and the youngster were on their way back, only now the young man had an AR-15 rifle across his back. There was a woman with them, and she had a rifle slung over her shoulder and a shotgun in her hands.

In the diner-
"Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you," said Rosie, sashaying back into the kitchen.

Luke handed Rita his credit card, and she tried to run it through the machine. "Damn thing's not working," she said, handing it back. "Don't suppose you've got enough cash?"

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

On the Grill

Sean looks towards the group with some suspicion, and he glances down at his own rifle carefully laid a few feet behind him.

"Why all the weapons? You all expecting trouble?" The fact that he himself has a weapon within arms reach does not diminish his caution. Anyone of these people could be a potential hostile.

Jim stays by the third barrel as it's being filled. Like Sean, he's concerned about why everyone is carrying weapons now and waits for an answer.

9:17 AM
In the parking lot-
Alex, Bud, and Samantha entered the parking lot where Sean, Jim, and Bob were working on the helicopter. The pump began to fill the third and final barrel with fuel.

"We heard shooting earlier, sir," said Alex. "We figured it was best to be prepared for anything."

"Do you know what it was about?" asked Samantha. "Wild animals, maybe? I imagine there's coyotes in these parts, or maybe even a bear."

In the diner-
Luke grunted and handed Rita a twenty. She opened the register and put it away, handing him a five in change.

Ashley came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of food and walked over to Rita. She spoke quietly to her.

Rita/Luke/Ashley,"There may be trouble," said [b]Ashley[/b]. "[b]Rosie[/b] told me that [b]Horst[/b] is expecting something to happen in the next few minutes. She overheard him talking and saw him looking at his watch. I don't know what it is, but I doubt it's good." [b]Rita[/b] nodded. "Go tell [b]Hammond[/b], tell him and [b]Earl[/b] to get their shotguns," she whispered back. She grabbed a .38 revolver behind the counter.

OOC,[b]Luke[/b] and [b]Ashley[/b] automatically hear the above. Anyone else inside the diner may roll Listen. The base chance is 25%. If successful, you may view the above spoiler button. [b]Ashley[/b]'s Fast Talk roll (60% skill) to convince [b]Rita[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

Sean nods as he works. "Aye, is best to be prepared. I don't know, truthfully, but things are getting bad out there, so you had all best be on your toes. There's a lot of rioting going on out there."

"We heard shooting earlier, sir," said Alex. "We figured it was best to be prepared for anything."

"Do you know what it was about?" asked Samantha. "Wild animals, maybe? I imagine there's coyotes in these parts, or maybe even a bear."

"It came from the junkyard I think. Didn't last long but not sure what is was about. Sent some people to the garage to see but they haven't come back yet." Jim says to the two as they walk past.

9:18 AM
In the parking lot-
"Might have been a wild animal, then," said Samantha. "Thanks. What's with the helicopter?"

Luke emerged from the diner and walked briskly toward his pickup truck.

In the diner-
As Luke left, Rita called: "Hey! What about a tip?" He ignored her.

"Don't eat so damn fast," said Horst to Flip. "We want to stick around a little longer. They could be delayed."

"I can order thirds," mumbled Flip around a mouthful of waffles.

Ashley went over to where Robert and Duke were seated and served them their food. "Sorry for the delay," she said. "Things are a bit hectic today."

"I understand," said Robert, but she was already walking past him, heading for the back office.

"She's hot, huh?" said Duke, nudging him.

"Yeah, but I prefer that new girl that they just hired."

Ashley knocked on the door to the office. "Boss, it's Ashley," she said. "Rita sent me."

OOC,[b]Horst[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) to overhear [b]Ashley[/b] and [b]Rita[/b]: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Flip[/b]'s Listen roll (36% skill) to overhear [b]Ashley[/b] and [b]Rita[/b]: [dice]1[/dice]

"Military business," Sean says with an official tone. He continues working.

"Might have been a wild animal, then," said Samantha. "Thanks. What's with the helicopter?"

"Maybe. Every thing seems to being going to shit these days, including the helicopter." Jim replies.

9:19 AM
In the parking lot-
"Understood, sir," said Alex to Sean.

"Well, I hope you get it working again," said Samantha. She and Alex went with Bud into the T-Bone.

Luke unlocked the door of his truck, got behind the wheel, and shut the door.

The fuel continued to drain. The barrel was now about a third of the way full.

OOC,Everyone in the parking lot may roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

In the diner-
"Come on in," said Hammond from the other side of the back room's door. Ashley opened it and slipped through, shutting it behind her.

The little bell above the front door tinkled as Alex, Bud, and Samantha entered the diner, just in time to see Ashley the waitress disappear through the door in the back. There was no other waitstaff visible.

"Welcome to the T-Bone," said Rita, who was behind the register at the front counter. "If you'll wait a minute, one of our waitresses will be with you shortly."

The place was fairly crowded, as it was breakfast time. The TV was powered off. The new arrivals took notice of two skinheads at one table, one old and one young. The old one kept looking at his watch, and the young one was stuffing his face with waffles.

OOC,Everyone inside the diner may roll Listen at half skill. The base skill is 25%, so this is effectively 12.5%. This means you would need to roll 12 or lower to succeed. [b]Ashley[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Danger

Listen 53,[dice]0[/dice]

Sean continues to work, but hears something.

LIsten 58,[dice]0[/dice]

Jim goes back to looking around after the others enter the diner.

In the parking lot-

Sean Blank,[b]Sean[/b] heard two vehicles approaching from the north, down the dirt road. They sounded heavier than regular cars.

Jim Kerr,[b]Jim[/b] heard a couple of vehicles approaching from the north, down the dirt road.

"Someone's coming," Sean says. "Or someone. Sounds like two vehicles, heavier than normal. Could be trouble, so be alert."

"Yea, I heard that too. Maybe they have some information about what's going on out there."

9:20 AM
In the parking lot-
"This is Erica Spears," came the female helicopter pilot's voice over the radio. "I'm about 25 minutes out of Brownson now, and I'll be on fumes when I get there...if I get there. I sure hope you'll be there waiting for me." The final barrel was not yet halfway full, and they still didn't have the means to transport the fuel, however.

Luke hastily started the engine of his pickup truck. Just as he was starting to pull out, two vehicles approached from the dirt road to the north. The first one was a large white pickup truck, and it was followed by a white panel van. The men in these vehicles had shaven heads. There were three visible in the cab of the pickup truck, and the driver wore a red beret. Four more rode in the back of the truck, two with rifles and two with shotguns. There were another three men in the front seat of the van, though there were no windows visible that would let anyone look into the back of the van. Both vehicles made U-turns so that they faced back north and parked about halfway between the T-Bone and the motel, some fifty yards away.

In the diner-
Flip finished off the waffles. "They're here," he said to Horst, gesturing to the floor-to-ceiling windows to indicate the two vehicles parking outside.

OOC,[b]Horst's[/b] Listen roll (25% / 2 = 12.5% base skill): [dice]0[/dice] [b]Flip's[/b] Listen roll (36% / 2 = 18% base skill): [dice]1[/dice] [b]Bud's[/b] Listen roll (45% / 2 = 22.5% base skill): [dice]2[/dice]

Flip/Bud,[b]Ashley[/b]'s raised voice could be heard from behind the back room door, but it was not possible to hear what she was saying, as the door was fairly thick. The sound of the two vehicles approaching from the north was also audible outside.

"There's a lot of them, and they're armed." Sean says, stopping with the fuel for now and picking up his own weapon. He does not intend to start trouble, especially given the number discrepancy, but he wants to be ready for it if kicks off.

Jim reaches for the mike inside the helicopter.
"We're just finishing up with the fuel and will be heading to Brownston momentarily. I figured we had 30 minutes but if you say 25, we'll be there in 25."
While he's talking, he unsnaps his holster and pulls out his pistol and keeps his head on a swivel.

Samantha

Listen,[dice]0[/dice] (sorry not sure yet what I'm doing wrong: rolled on dice: 61)

Michael Walters

Listen,[dice]1[/dice] rolled on dice: 7 Still catching up but here are the two listen rolls.

Michael frowns at the number of weapons on show. 'Crazy Americans - any excuse to play at cowboys. No wonder the deaths by guns count is astronomical here.' He keeps his thoughts to himself.

9:21 AM
In the parking lot-
"Roger that," said Erica over the radio. "More like 24 minutes now, and that's if I even make it. If I have to land sooner, you'll need to come to where I am. If that happens, I'll try to set down on a road. Over."

Bob kept the fuel pump going, and the final barrel was now halfway full. His pistol was within reach, but he didn't draw it yet. There was no sense in antagonizing these men, and he knew they were outgunned and outnumbered.

The ten men got out of the vehicles, except for one of the riflemen in the back of the pickup truck. He had a sniper rifle on a bipod, and he began to set it up. The one with the red beret had a large pistol, three of the men with him had shotguns, and two had M-16s. The three from the van were armed with pistols, and one of them carried what looked like a satchel.

Luke pulled out with a screech of tires and drove onto the on-ramp to I-80 west at high speed.

In the diner-
Rosie emerged from the kitchen. "Where's Ashley?" she asked Rita.

"Hammond's office," said Rita, glancing nervously out the windows.

"Better hurry," said Bud. "I can hear her from here, and she sounds upset."

"I can't wait to get a look at that meteorite," Jenny said to Michael. "I've never seen one up close before."

OOC,You made the dice rolls on the online roller correctly, and your numbers were visible. You just can't see them until after you submit your post, that's all. Then you can go back and edit your post based on the results of your roll. I'll use the dice roller's numbers, which both failed, so neither of your characters heard anything. Please also post for [b]Ms. Foo[/b] in Wake Up Call.

"These guys are up to no good," Sean whispers to Jim. "Thing is, I'm not sure we can do a damn thing about it. It's clear that he does not like this, but he continues to work, telling himself if they can get out of here whatever happened would no longer be their problem.

"How about we head off now and take a look at that landing, Jenny?" Says Michael. "It might still be warm and wouldn't be super to be the first humans to see this particular rock from outer space?"

ooc,I don't know if Michael can see the minor army that's just turned up but he's keen to avoid any contact with them and will try to get to his ride without meeting them; they look like trouble!

"Keep me apprised of your location. I'll let you know when we are on the road. Over." Jim puts down the mike and finds a spot that gives him some cover from the skinheads.

"These guys are up to no good," Sean whispers to Jim. "Thing is, I'm not sure we can do a damn thing about it.

"We may not be able to do anything about it but we sure as hell can't sit on the sidelines if they start shooting up this place."

Whilst she impatiently waits for a waitress to appear, Samantha considers what she knows of the layout of the truck stop and whether there's any part of a building up high where she can get a good view of the junk yard and surrounding area; she wants look for the wild animal and possibly get a sighting on it before it disappears.

Sean looks conflicted, but finally nods. "If they start something we hit them hard and fast. They're not soldiers; hopefully when we start shooting back they'll turn tail and run."

9:22 AM
In the parking lot-
The sniper finished setting up the sniper rifle, while the other nine men proceeded at a brisk pace to the diner. The one with the red beret gestured to the man with the satchel and then the gas pumps. "Toss it there, Nitro," he said, "then get back to the van and keep the engine running. If you hear a gunshot, any gunshot, or if someone tries to tamper with the satchel, set it off."

"Right, Buzz," said the man addressed as Nitro, heading for the pumps as the other eight approached the front doors of the diner.

Bo, Brigetta, and Stephanie rounded the corner, coming from the garage, and they froze when they saw the skinheads.

Luke's pickup truck vanished into the distance.

OOC,[b]Luke[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

The Hunter Hunted

In the diner-
"Yeah, let's pay for our meal as soon as Ashley comes back and get out of here," said Jenny to Michael. "I'm just about done eating anyway, and those guys look like bad news." She pointed at the approaching skinheads visible through the windows. "But how are we going to get out of here without going near them? They're coming this way."

Samantha could not see the junkyard from inside the diner. It was a one-story building, so the only good vantage point was probably the roof, but she had no idea how to get up there. Rosie was a waitress, but she rushed past them without seating them.

Rosie hurried to the back room and knocked on the door. "Ashley, you in there?" she asked. The door opened, Rosie entered, and then it closed behind her.

OOC,[b]Rosie[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Danger

Sean whispers to the others but does not look at them, pretending to still be working. "That guy's setting up an explosive. We've gotta do something. I say we all shoot and neutralize him then take cover. Things are about to get ugly, but we do not want them with the ability to blow us all to hell."

"On second thoughts, I don't think we'll wait for the waitress." Michael takes Jenny by the hand and then steers her adroitly across the cafe floor towards the door he assumes leads to the back of the building. He drops a $20 note by the cash register as they pass. "Let's go out this way." And follows Rosie.

"What the?!" Samantha watches the back of the retreating waitress with dismay. "Can't say I blame her though; I wouldn't want to serve these guys who are coming in. Looks like trouble and I doubt they'll be happy to see us armed to the teeth either. Should we hide our guns maybe?" She says to Bud and Alex. As she says this she sidles to the counter and stands behind it with her three guns out of sight.

In the parking lot-
"Are you nuts?!" hissed Bob. "We're outnumbered and outgunned. They'll kill us all, then plant the bomb anyway. We can't get the doc to Omaha if we're dead. Those gas pumps aren't that close to chopper. There's a chance that even if it blows, which it might not, we might be far enough away. It depends how much explosives are in the charge."

In the diner-
"Hey, that's not enough!" Rita called after Michael and Jenny. She was about to chase after them, but then Samantha got behind the counter and blocked her path, followed quickly by Alex, who also kept his rifle hidden behind it. From here they could see that Rita carried a .38 revolver. "You can't come back here! Outta my way!"

Michael led Jenny down the short corridor to the back. The door to the back room was to the right, but straight ahead was a fire door that led outside.

"Are you nuts?!" hissed Bob. "We're outnumbered and outgunned. They'll kill us all, then plant the bomb anyway. We can't get the doc to Omaha if we're dead. Those gas pumps aren't that close to chopper. There's a chance that even if it blows, which it might not, we might be far enough away. It depends how much explosives are in the charge."

Bob's right... and besides, we can't just shoot people because we think we know what they are going to do." Jim continues to monitor the fuel situation but he looks for the best cover.

"Yeah, you're both right," Sean says. "But mark my words, these guys are going to start trouble. And I don't think they'll be content with leaving us alone while they do." He keeps a close watch on the men, specifically Nitro.

Tony Lathan fixes a wide, forced smile onto his face as he addresses his kids. "You two are gonna love Yellowstone, I just know it! Yessirie, seeing the majestic beauty of this land is a real treat. Isn't that right, dear?' He says to Cathy. He knows she's distant and that they've been having problems, but surely a little forced cheer will paper over them and they can make this trip a success.

9:23 AM
In the parking lot-
"Just stay calm, Trooper," said Buzz. "We got a right to bear arms, and none of this is any of your concern."

Nitro threw the satchel up against the gas pumps and then began to jog back to the van, holding the detonator in his hand. Meanwhile, Buzz waved to Horst through the diner's floor to ceiling window and led the seven skinheads with him into the diner while the sniper kept an eye on things.

Bo led Brigetta and Stephanie over to the helicopter.

In the diner-
"Yes, dear," said Cathy with a sigh. Clearly her heart wasn't in it, though.

"Where's the food, already?" complained Bobby. "It shoulda been here by now."

Scotty continued to play his Nintendo Switch, ignoring everything around him.

Michael opened the fire door at the back of the diner, revealing the empty ground behind it. He and Jenny slipped outside. They couldn't see anyone from their current position at the rear of the diner. To the north, which was incidentally the direction in which the meteor had fallen, a dirt road some fifty yards to the left disappeared into the distance. This was the road halfway between the motel and the truck stop. Of course, the meteor had landed several miles away, so it would take a very long time to get there on foot.

Bud casually slipped his revolver into his inside jacket pocket.

The bell above the front doors tinkled as Buzz pushed them open and strode inside, followed by seven more skinheads. Two of them had assault rifles, three had shotguns, and the others had pistols. The two with the assault rifles looked very similar. They might have been brothers. "Everyone just relax," said Buzz. "Everything's going to be just fine, folks. Just keep on eating. Our business is not with you. We have business with Hammond."

Horst and Flip stood up and joined Buzz. "Jeff and Guzzmann, watch the front doors," said Horst. "Mutt, you're with us." One of the men with the assault rifles went with Horst, Flip, and Buzz went toward the rear of the diner. The other one with the assault rifle and one of the men with shotguns stood in front of the doors. The other four kept an eye on the crowd and the other doors.

"I'll remain calm as long as you do Sir," Sean says somewhat hypocritically. He goes back to work. Hopefully they could get out of here before all hell breaks louse. He chides himself to focus on the mission. But he still keeps an eye(and ear) out.

"That's right Cath! We're all having fun, right guys?"

Tony frowns at his son. "Hey there Scotty, maybe put the game away for a little bit? And I'm sure the food will be out soon."

Then he sees the armed men enter the diner, and his face grows pale.

"You know what, why don't you both keep playing your video game? Bobby, why don't you watch and ah... give your brother some tips?"

He locks eyes with Cathy and attempts to be reassuring, likely doing a poor job of hiding his own fear. "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding. Let's not get in the middle of things."

"I hope you're wrong Sean... but I fear you're right." Jim says quietly.

"Let's keep walking round the building and see if we can get to my car without being molested. Says Michael. "Just look casual."

Samantha is slightly relieved. "That's fine by us. You didn't hear any wild animals out there did you? I'm a zoologist and was about to go out and have a scout for it. You don't mind if I do?" She wonders how on earth she's going to get her three guns out though.

9:24 AM
In the parking lot-
Nitro got behind the wheel of the van, still clutching the detonator in his fist, looking back toward the gas pumps.

"I don't like this one bit," said Bo, "but my first priority has to be seeing you safely off to Omaha. Of course, after that, there's gonna be hell to pay. How's the fuel going?"

Bob tapped the barrel. "Another couple of minutes," he said. "You got a truck?"

"Yup. Here it comes now."

Baldwin pulled up in his big rig, Gary and Kimberly in the cab with him. "Oh, hell no!" growled Baldwin when he caught sight of the pickup truck and van on the dirt road halfway between the motel and the T-Bone and the skinheads in them. The one in the back of the pickup truck had his sniper rifle trained on the diner, and the one in the van held the detonator. There were also several more visible inside the diner through the floor-to-ceiling windows. "Those crackers gotta die..." He reached for his pistol.

"Hold off on that," said Bob. "They planted a satchel charge by the gas pumps, and the one in the van has the detonator. He's got orders to set it off if any shots are fired."

Behind the diner-
Jenny shut the door behind them and followed Michael to the northwest corner of the diner. Peeking around the corner, they could see the skinheads' vehicles parked on the dirt road, facing north. The van was closer to them, which blocked the view of the sniper in the pickup truck somewhat, but both of them seemed to be focused on the front of the diner and had taken no note of them. Michael's car was in the motel parking lot, well beyond the dirt road.

OOC,[b]Michael[/b], if you want to try to head for the motel, please roll Sneak. The base skill is 10%. Even if you fail, they might not hear you.

In the diner-
"Oh, God..." gasped Cathy when she saw the armed men. "This trip was your idea, you know."

"Ishi the Killer would make minced meat outta these guys," said Bobby. "He'd just take his katana and slice and dice them before they even saw him."

Scotty continued playing, though whether or not he had actually heard his father was unknown.

"Just sit tight, girl," said the skinhead with the M-16 at the front door to Samantha. "We won't be long."

Horst, Buzz, Flip, and Mutt went into Hammond's office, closing the door behind them. One of the men with a shotgun followed them and took up a position outside the office door, while the remaining one stood outside the door to the kitchen. The other two, with pistols, looked around the main dining area and kept an eye on the crowd.

OOC,[b]Samantha[/b], you may roll Fast Talk if you wish. [b]Horst[/b] and [b]Flip[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Danger

Sean continues to work. Bob was right; getting Dr. Hausmann up in the air needed to take priority now. She seemed very concerned about this pandemic she was researching, and getting bogged down now could be disastrous.

He does still keep watch on the skinheads, but hopes he does not need to get involved and that nothing kicks off until they're safely in the air.

Tony hisses at his wife and son to be quiet, not wanting to attract any attention from the robbers or whatever they were.

Samantha doesn't want to leave her guns so she stays behind the counter. "Well okay, we won't get in your way but if you're going to do any shooting will you let all these people get out first?" She says to Skinhead M-16.

Fast talk,[dice]0[/dice]

"Quickly, while they are looking the other way!" Michael leads Jenny towards the motel car park. He tries to walk calmly and quietly so not to seem suspect or alarming.

Sneak,[dice]1[/dice]

"Just a couple more minutes..."

"Oh, hell no!" growled Baldwin when he caught sight of the pickup truck and van on the dirt road halfway between the motel and the T-Bone and the skinheads in them. "Those crackers gotta die..." He reached for his pistol.

"I'm with you but getting into a shootout with a bunch of innocent people around has got to be a last resort." Gary cautions.

9:25 AM
Between the motel and the T-Bone
Jenny followed Michael across the uncomfortably open ground. The two of them soon reached the dirt road, a short distance north of the vehicles. Jenny wasn't any quieter than he was, her footsteps crunching on the ground. However, if either skinhead heard them, they showed no sign of it.

OOC,[b]Jenny[/b]'s Sneak roll (10% base skill) to not be heard moving: [dice]0[/dice] Sniper skinhead's Listen roll: [dice]1[/dice] Detonator skinhead's Listen roll: [dice]2[/dice] Everyone, please roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

In the parking lot-
"Yes," said Kimberly, getting out of the truck. "We have to make sure these people get where they're going first. Then we'll deal with the skinheads, carefully."

"Oh, I'll be careful, all right," said Baldwin. "I'll make sure to kill the one with the detonator first. We have to do something about these racist nutjobs before I take the fuel to Brownson, though. This can't wait until I get back. All of these people could be dead by then."

"If they were just going to kill everyone, they'd have done it by now."

"And we have to get to Omaha as soon as possible," insisted Dr. Hausmann. "The fate of the world is at stake. There are billions of lives in danger, and that outweighs the handful here."

"Please," pleaded Stephanie. "This is more important than you know, and you'll never be able to kill the man with the detonator before he sets it off."

Baldwin shifted the truck into gear and glanced over to Gary. "If you're with me, shut the door and get ready," he said. "Otherwise, this is your last chance to get out."

OOC,[b]Kimberly[/b]'s Fast Talk roll (52% skill) to get [b]Baldwin[/b] to wait before attacking the skinheads: [dice]3[/dice] Everyone, please roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

In the diner-
The skinhead with the M-16 softened. "Look, if you want to go out there, nobody's stopping you," he said. "You're free to leave at any time." He and the other skinhead at the front door moved to either side to allow anyone who wanted to pass.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

Tony gets up. "That's our cue. Come on honey, kids." He waits expectantly for them to get up and plans to usher them out the door.

Listen 25%,[dice]0[/dice]

Sean's listen 53,[dice]0[/dice]

Listen 53,[dice]1[/dice]

OOC:   messed up the first roll, sorry.

Seeing what's about to happen, Sean raises his rifle and points it directly at Baldwin.

"Listen to the Doctor. You fire the first shot I swear it will be the last thing you ever do."

In the parking lot-
"Seriously, man?!" said Baldwin. "Look, I'm not gonna fire a shot, and if you fire that rifle, they'll set off that bomb anyway. I can't hit from this range with my pistol. My momma didn't raise no fool. I'll take my truck around to the north side of the truck stop and come down the dirt road from the north. They're looking this way, not that way. Then I can build up some speed and ram my rig down that scumbag's throat. He'll never even know what hit him. The van's parked facing north, and he'll be crushed to a pulp by the impact. The pickup truck's behind the van, so the collision will hit that too and should disrupt the sniper."

OOC,You didn't mess up the roll, it's a bug with the spoiler button. When there's an apostrophe in the button's display text, it won't open. You can view the contents with the Quote or Edit features, though the dice rolls won't show unless you actually edit the post. Your Listen roll succeeds, but the sound won't actually happen until the next turn starts. I'll let you know what you hear at that time. Anyone who wants to try to talk [b]Baldwin[/b] out of it may roll Fast Talk. The base skill is 5%. [b]Gary[/b] has been talking to him long enough that he may use Persuade instead if he wishes. The base skill for that is 15%.

In the diner-
"Not so fast!" said Rita as the Lathan family started to get up from the table. "You never paid for your meal!"

"We never got our meal!" protested Cathy.

"They're preparing it now in the kitchen, and it'll go to waste if you just leave. You still have to pay."

OOC:   I'll wait to post for Sean until Starspawn gets a chance.

Tony looks exasperated. "Don't you have more important things to be concerned with? You cannot seriously expect us to eat during a hold-up." He looks towards the skinhead. "Um, No offense."

Persuade 40%,[dice]0[/dice]

The cashier seems unsympathetic, however.

OOC,Listen 25 [dice]0[/dice] Persuade 15 [dice]1[/dice]

"Even if that does work, you run a good chance of messing up your truck and that doesn't even account for the mess of them inside the diner with the innocents. I'm pretty damn sure they hate people of color. What do you think will happen if we do end up killing one or two of them outside? Gary says as he tries to reason with Baldwin.

OOC,Listen 58 [dice]0[/dice]

"Hold on there Sean." Jim says emphatically. "And you too mister. We can't go off half cocked if anyone is going to survive. There are a dozen of them and half a dozen of us. Bo here is the law. Let's follow his lead."

Michael walks over to his car and gets his key out to unlock it. "Get in, quietly." He says to Jenny. He's hoping he can get in himself, start the engine and drive sedately away towards the meteorite.

"You can't seriously expect them to stay here with the children?" Samantha says to Rita. "It looks like it's your boss or whatever that's brought this trouble here; people could be paying a lot more than money if you don't let them go."

persuade,[dice]0[/dice]

Sean keeps his rifle trained on Baldwin.

"Listen to what everyone is telling you. Besides, you start something and things are likely to escalate and draw US all into it."

fast talk 5%,[dice]0[/dice] Ouch! Hopefully all of us talking and having a gun on him gets me a bonus. ;)

9:26 AM
In front of the motel-
Michael and Jenny reached the motel's parking lot. His car was right where he had left it.

In the parking lot-
"You saw what happened on TV," said Stephanie to Baldwin. "Dr. Hausmann and I are the only ones who can cure this thing, and to do that we have to get to Omaha. We need that State Police chopper, and we need to get the fuel there."

"Well..." said Baldwin. He wavered, but ultimately he sighed. "All right. Never could say no to a pretty face. I'll help you, but as soon as I've dropped off the fuel, I'm comin' back and wasting those assholes." He got out of the truck and went over to the back, opening up the trailer. At that time Bob finally finished draining the helicopter's fuel tank. "Great," he said. "Let's get these barrels loaded and hit the road fast."

Just then, high-pitched screaming came from inside the diner.

OOC,The gun doesn't give you a bonus, as [b]Baldwin[/b] figures you're bluffing. He knows that if you fire the rifle, the bomb will detonate. However, some characters haven't rolled yet. [b]Jim Kerr[/b]'s Fast Talk roll (44% skill) trying to talk [b]Baldwin[/b] out of it: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Persaude roll (44% skill) trying to talk [b]Baldwin[/b] out of it: [dice]1[/dice]

Sean Blank,The screaming came from the rear of the diner. While it was high-pitched, it was definitely a man's voice.

Jim Kerr,The screaming came from the rear of the diner. While it was high-pitched, it was definitely a man's voice. [b]Jim[/b]'s hearing was good enough, and the man's screams were loud enough, that he could hear every word: "NO! No, please, I'll talk! I'll tell you where the guns are!"

In the diner-
Rita was adamant. "You're not going anywhere until you've paid for your meal in full," she insisted.

"It's not a holdup," said the man with the M-16. "We're just here to have a nice, friendly talk with Hammond." High-pitched screams came from the back office, casting some doubt on this statement.

Tony opened his mouth once more to protest, but the sound of screaming cut him off. He opens his wallet and throws a few twenties down on the table.

"Needless to say, we won't be back." That said, he tries to usher his family out of the diner.

Sean slowly lowers his gun, quietly relived he did not have to shoot the man. But he's equally sure he would have had it come to that.

His head snaps around as he hears the screaming, and he looks around at the skinheads still outside to gauge their reaction.

"Man's voice, from round the rear," he tells everyone, specifically looking at Baldwin. "Listen, I don't like it anymore than you, but we have a job to do."

"I'm just a zoologist," Samantha mutters as the screaming starts. Humans were so complicated; give her animals any day. "I think I'd like to leave now." She says to the skinhead on the door. "You carry on; I'm off to track my coyote, it's probably gone already." She picks up her guns, holds them non aggressively and walks towards the door.

Michael unlocks his car and climbs in, "Come on, Jenny, get in! Do you want to be caught in the crossfire? I'll call the police once we are on our way." He can't afford to get mixed up in whatever was going down; he had more important business this morning.

"I heard it." Jim replies to Sean. Then he whispers more quietly to him, "Sounds like the skin heads are here to get some guns. I don't think they want to shoot up the place."

Gary will hop out and help load the oil in the back of the truck. He'll keep his eyes on the skinhead's movements as best he can.

9:27 AM
In front of the motel-
Jenny and Michael got in his car after he unlocked the doors.

OOC,[b]Jenny[/b] and [b]Michael[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Wake Up Call

In the parking lot-
Across the road at the motel, everyone could see Mr. Foo and Ellen Cody emerge from the front door. Mr. Foo was carrying a large submachine gun, and he had a sword in a scabbard on his belt.

The skinheads in the vehicles kept watching the diner, unaware of anything behind them at the motel. The sniper chuckled a little when he heard the screaming.

Samantha followed the Lathan family out of the diner's front door and into the parking lot. Scotty was still playing his video game as he was walking, not paying attention to his surroundings, but Bobby was looking at the motel. "Cool!" he said. "It's that old Chinese dude who owns the motel, and he's a got a machine gun and a sword! He's a total badass!"

Baldwin and Bob helped Gary load the first of three barrels of aviation fuel into the back of the truck. "They can do whatever they want to Hammond and Earl," said Baldwin. "They made their own bed, and now they can lie in it. It's the innocent people I worry about. Horst and his racist cohorts are worse than you can possibly imagine. They've been doing business with Hammond and Earl, and now it looks like they've had a falling out. Once they've got what they came for..all bets are off. There's nothing stopping them from taking whatever - or whoever - they want. All the fuel, all the food...it's a good thing we're getting out of here in my truck, or they'd grab that too, along with your chopper and avgas. All that stuff's better than gold now, and they know it. Don't you see the world has changed?"

"We need to work out who's going, and in which vehicles, and which route to take to Brownson," said Bo. "Best to do it now before the fuel's fully loaded, so we don't waste time. My cruiser holds five including me, and Baldwin will drive his truck. He can have two passengers in the cab."

"Stephanie and I shall go with you," Brigetta told Bo. "in the back seat."

Bob nodded. "I'll ride in the back with you, ladies," he said. "I only have a 9 mil. Someone with a better weapon should ride shotgun."

"I'll stay here and do what I can to protect people," said Kimberly.

"We could take I-80 to the east," said Bo. "That's the fastest route, but probably not the safest. The highway's a mess from what I heard on the radio. There's also Route 30, which is about a mile north of here and runs parallel to I-80. The dirt road over there leads to it, but we'd have to go past the skinheads to get there."

Jim Kerr,"Where?" asked [b]Horst[/b]. "Liquor closet!" cried [b]Hammond[/b]. "Trapdoor! They're in the crates marked pots and pans!" "You're gonna show me. Get up! We're all going there." "My finger! It moved!" "I saw it too!" [b]Flip[/b] shouted. "It doesn't matter, let's go," said [b]Horst[/b].

In the diner-
Right after Samantha and the Lathans left, Horst and Flip emerged from Hammond's office, followed by Earl, Rosie, and Ashley. Then Buzz and Mutt emerged, dragging Hammond, whose face had gone ashen. They headed for the door to the kitchen.

OOC,Everyone inside the diner may roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is 25%.

"Language, Bobby!" Tony scolds his son.

Oh great. Things are about to kick off here, and not in a good way. Has the whole world gone mad?

He tries to hustle his family to their vehicle, intending to get the heck out of here.

"I know they're not saints," says Sean. "But we have a job to do. We need to get this virus or whatever it is under control, or society will fall apart and people like Horst will get to kill everyone they dislike."

As soon as he hears Brigetta is planning to go with Bo, he raises his hand. "'ll ride with you too. Watch your back. As for the route, I'm given to understand speed is of the essence, so we should take I-80. It's a risk, but we're not in a position where we can avoid them."

"I'll ride with Baldwin and the fuel." Jim volunteers. "We haven't much time. Hammond is giving them the guns as we speak."

"It looks like you're going to be full so once the fuel is loaded, I'll wish you good luck. I'm going to stay here and keep an eye out for danger with the skinheads. My car is working and gassed up so I'm good. Gary says to the others. "I threw in with Bo here but I can't just drive off and leave the people here. I got your back Kimberly."

In the parking lot-
"How are we going to get to the car?" asked Cathy. "It's back in the motel parking lot, and those guys are between us and it."

"Well, Brownson's about three miles away," said Bob, "though it may take a bit more than three minutes to get there if there are delays. The chopper's due to get there in about eighteen minutes, but it'll be a few before we finish loading and can hit the road."

OOC,There is still room for one more person in the truck's cab, which holds three.

"We'll just have to hope they're as willing to let us pass as the ones inside were," Tony says. "Okay Cathy, kids. I need everyone to get behind me and hold your hands up in the air, like this." He demonstrates. " Scotty, you too, put the game away. We're going to walk very slowly and non threateningly past them. If any of them make any sudden movements or point their weapons at us, you immediately stop, alright?"

Having said this, he begins to lead his family back to the motel, very slowly so as not to alarm the armed men.

Samantha looks in amazed disgust as Mr Foo exits the motel with his odd weapons. These people are going crazy! She thinks. She doesn't want to follow the family with the snotty kids either.
She turns off and walks along the edge of the diner hoping to find a dumpster or something so she can climb on the roof away from all these people and look for her animal. She walks calmly.

9:28 AM
In the diner-
Emboldened by seeing Samantha and the Lathans leave unmolested, more people started to get up and head for the front doors.

"Why are you letting people out, Jeff?" demanded Horst as he neared the front.

"I didn't think-" started the skinhead with the M-16 by the front doors.

"No, you didn't. Nobody else leaves, got it?"

"Yes, Horst." He gulped and moved to block the front doors again, and people returned to their seats.

Horst and Flip led the way to the kitchen doors, but when they tried to swing them open, they found that a large table on its side was blocking it. They put their shoulders to the doors and used their considerably strength to push it aside.

In the parking lot-
Scotty reluctantly put the game on pause and followed his parents and brother toward the motel, their hands all in the air.

"I'm hungry," complained Bobby. "When are we gonna eat?"

"If they kill us," Cathy said through gritted teeth to Tony, "I'll never speak to you again."

Mr. Foo ducked back into the motel. The Lathans soon reached the dirt road. The skinheads looked at them, but they made no move to stop them or aim at them.

Samantha went in the other direction, to the east, rounding the corner toward the garage.

Baldwin, Gary, and Bob loaded the second barrel into the back of the truck.

"Thanks, Gary," said Kimberly. "I'm glad I'm not alone."

Bo got in the driver's seat of the State Police cruiser and unlocked the doors for the others. Stephanie and Brigetta slid into the back.

OOC,[b]Samantha[/b] is moving to the thread linked below:

Breakdown

"Maybe we can grab something at the motel," Tony tells his son. "They had vending machines there, right? And no one seems interested in that place. How bout it, kids? Candy for breakfast!"

"You already hardly speak to me now, honey," Tony shoots back at his wife, but quickly regrets it. "Sorry. Just, trust me, alright? And if they shoot anyone, I'm in front."

He continues to lead his family past the skinheads. Smiling broadly and exaggeratedly, he nods at one in greeting, doing his very best to ignore their weapons.

Sean gets into the passenger's side of Bo's cruiser.

Gary will help load the last barrel into the truck.

Jim will keep an eye on the skinheads from passenger seat in Baldwin's truck.

9:29 AM
In the diner-
Horst and Flip finished muscling aside the table and pushed their way into the kitchen. Hammond, Earl, Rosie, and Ashley followed them, with Buzz and Mutt bringing up the rear. Hammond had recovered somewhat and was now able to walk on his own.

In the kitchen-
The kitchen was deserted. A steak was still cooking on the grill, having been left there unattended.

In the parking lot-
Bo started up the cruiser's engine and got on the radio. "This is Nebraska State Trooper Bo Richards, calling Erica Spears," he said.

"Roger that, Trooper," said Erica's voice on the radio. "I'm a little more than fifteen minutes out from Brownson now. I hope you'll be there soon."

"We're about to leave now. The last of the fuel's being loaded as we speak."

Baldwin, Bob, and Gary loaded the final barrel into the back of the rig, and Baldwin pulled the trailer shut.

"Yeah, there are vending machines!" said Bobby.

"Candy for breakfast!" cheered Scotty. "All right, Dad!"

A car from the motel parking lot drove past the skinheads' vehicles and headed north along the dirt road. The skinheads watched the Lathan family carefully as they passed, but once they were well past them, they returned their attention to the diner. The Lathans continued to the motel. Mr. Foo came out of the front door to meet them.

OOC,[b]Tony[/b], [b]Cathy[/b], [b]Bobby[/b], and [b]Scotty[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Wake Up Call

Sean looks back at the women. "We'll get you to Omaha as fast as we can, Dr. Hausmann. Just stay calm. Things may get dicey out here; we don't know what the roads are like."

"Okay, let's rock and roll." Jim says to Baldwin as the trailer doors are shut.

After the last barrel is loaded, Gary will move back to the garage and attempt to circle around behind the skinheads watching from the truck and van.

9:30 AM
In the kitchen-

OOC,[b]Hammond[/b], [b]Earl[/b], [b]Rosie[/b], [b]Ashley[/b], [b]Horst[/b], and [b]Flip[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Beneath the Surface

In the diner-
The patrons looked around nervously, and the skinheads remained alert.

In the parking lot-
Kimberly followed Gary around the corner to the garage.

Bob got into the back seat of the cruiser, and Bo began to pull out, leading the way to the highway. Baldwin got behind the wheel of his rig, which still had its engine running, and followed.

The Lathans and Ellen Cody entered the motel after Mr. Foo handed some things to his wife, who was inside the front door. Then Mr. Foo gripped his submachine gun and began to stealthily approach the vehicles in the dirt road some fifty yards away from the diner. Unfortunately, the skinhead sniper suddenly looked back when he was about halfway there. "Nitro, behind us!" he called.

OOC,[b]Gary[/b] and [b]Kimberly[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Breakdown

Sean holds his gun and looks out the window.

In the diner-
A single rifle shot rang out somewhere outside. Some of the patrons instinctively ducked for cover.

In the parking lot-
"Get him, Deadeye!" shouted Nitro, fumbling with the detonator. The sniper struggled to detach the rifle's bipod so that he could turn and fire the other way.

This gave Mr. Foo the opportunity to fire first. Nitro was riddled with bullets, several striking his left arm, two hitting him in the upper body, and one snapping his head back. The detonator slipped from his dead fingers to the floor of the truck, and there was nothing left of him but a bloody mess. The SMG made very little noise. Mr. Foo then turned the barrel on Deadeye, but it pulled up and to the right, the bullets passing harmlessly over him. Then Deadeye got his rifle free and returned fire, striking Mr. Foo in the chest. The old man collapsed, motionless.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 1/1D4+1, so you lose 1 Sanity if you succeed but 1D4+1 Sanity if you fail. If you lose 5 Sanity, you must roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane. If you don't go insane, you may act freely.

Sean san 50%,[dice]0[/dice] Possible loss [dice]1[/dice]

The carnage hits Sean harder than he expects, and it's enough to jolt him out of his single handed focus on the mission. He turns to Bo.

"We have to help the old man! Can you get me a shot on the sniper?'

OOC:   If Sean can attack this turn he may, depending on what if any penalties he has.

In the parking lot-
Bo, having just started driving, came to a halt so that Sean had a potential shot lined up at the sniper.

OOC,[b]Sean[/b], you may roll Rifle if you wish to shoot. There are no penalties for a rifle shot from here; the range is 50 yards. It's very long range for anyone with only a pistol, though. If you hit, please roll 1D20 for a hit location and roll your damage.

Rifle 60%,[dice]0[/dice] [dice]1[/dice] location [dice]2[/dice] damage

Sean had never shot a man before, and he did not particularly wish to start now unless he had to, but these skinheads had proven themselves dangerous. The screams he had heard earlier had proven that much. He lifts his rifle and attempts to bring the sniper down.

In the parking lot-
Sean's bullet struck the sniper in the back of his left leg, rupturing his femoral artery and severing the limb. He fell, bleeding out in the bed of the pickup truck.

OOC,Nice shot! 8-) That's actually an impale, since you rolled no higher than 1/5 of your skill, which means you get to do an extra 2D8+4 damage. Of course, even with the minimum roll, that's still 21 damage and more than enough for an instant kill. [b]Sean[/b], please roll Sanity for killing him. Sanity loss is 0/1D4.

San 47%,[dice]0[/dice] Possible loss [dice]1[/dice]

Sean feels nothing for the man he just killed. Maybe he should feel guilt, or sickened by the sight as he had been with the other man. But these skinheads were evil men; they seemed willing to blow up the entire diner to get whatever it was they wanted. So he found only a slight relief that he had taken one of them down.

He sees the old man,and his heart goes out to him. Part of him wanted to get out to see if he could stabilize him. But the mission had to come first.

"Let's go," he tells Bo. "We can't afford to get dragged into this further." Hopefully the people in the motel could get the man inside and do something for him. And without their deterrent and two deaths the rest of the skinheads might back off. He's not optimistic, but he feels he's done as much as he could.

OOC,Sanity 84 [dice]0[/dice]

Jim watches out the window as shots ring out. He's concerned about what's going on but they promised Erica that they'd be at the airfield with the fuel when she arrived.
"Let's go." He says to Baldwin.

9:31 AM
In the diner-
Jeff took a walkie-talkie from his belt as the second shot sounded, though from his position he couldn't actually see the shooting. "Nitro, what's going on out there?" he asked. "Did Deadeye have to shoot someone? Why didn't you set off the bomb?" There was no response.

OOC,Skinhead's Listen roll (36% skill) at the rear of the diner: [dice]0[/dice]

In the parking lot-
"Holy Hannah!" exclaimed Stephanie, her eyes wide.

"Well done, Sean!" said Brigetta.

"Right," said Bo, taking the carnage in stride. "Let's roll." He pulled onto the highway, then did a U-Turn so that he faced east toward Brownson and Sidney, the smoke of which was visible in the far distance.

Baldwin stopped the truck when he saw the skinheads go down. "The hell with this," he said, opening his door, drawing his revolver, and jumping out into the parking lot.

Across the road, Ms. Foo, Ellen Cody, and all of the Lathans except Tony ran out of the front door of the motel. Little Scotty Lathan was carrying a pistol and a baseball bat. Then the corpse of Deadeye began to twitch. Leaving the rifle in the bed of the pickup truck in a pool of his own blood with his severed leg, he climbed over the edge and flopped onto the ground, his eyes red and full of more hate than he had ever had when he had still been alive. He then began to drag himself across the ground toward where Mr. Foo lay.

OOC,[b]Baldwin[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 49 - 25 = 24): [dice]1[/dice] [b]Baldwin[/b]'s Sanity loss: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Baldwin[/b]'s Idea roll (65% stat) to avoid temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]6[/dice] Duration of [b]Baldwin[/b]'s temporary insanity: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Brigetta[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 53): [dice]2[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 90): [dice]3[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 70): [dice]4[/dice] Everyone, please roll Sanity for seeing [b]Deadeye[/b] rise from the dead. Sanity loss is 1/1D8, so you lose 1 Sanity if you succeed or 1D8 if you fail. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, you must roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane. If you are already temporarily insane, the duration of your insanity will be extended. You may also conceivably go indefinitely insane if you lose enough Sanity. If you don't go insane, you may act freely. [b]Deadeye[/b] is fifty yards from the vehicles, and Mr. Foo is 25 yards further away. If you don't go insane, you may act freely.

Baldwin,Kill all the skinheads. 'Nuff said. Your temporary insanity lasts for 7 rounds, five of which have just passed, leaving two. However, if you go temporarily insane again from seeing the zombie skinhead, who is a viable target, that will be extended.

Sean San 47%,[dice]0[/dice] [dice]1[/dice] Possible loss

Sean keeps his composure, but his eyes go wide upon seeing the man who he had just killed start to move once again.

"There's no way he could have survived that shot.What the hell is going on?"

He trains his gun on the man but hesitates, too caught up in disbelief to take the shot.

ooc,Basically forgoing Sean's turn here, he's a bit in shock. If however the creature looks like it will reach anyone else this turn(Including Mr. Foo), Sean will attempt a shot. He has no illusions that this thing is friendly.

OOC,Sanity 83 [dice]0[/dice]

Baldwin stopped the truck when he saw the skinheads go down. "The hell with this," he said, opening his door, drawing his revolver, and jumping out into the parking lot.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Jim yells to Baldwin. "Aw hell."

Jim will draw his revolver and exit the truck, using it as cover from the diner as best he can.

9:31:12 AM
In the diner-
Another rifle shot sounded outside. "That's not Deadeye!" said Guzzmann.

"Yeah," said Jeff. "It came from the other direction. Come on!" He pushed through the front doors, gripping his M-16, and Guzzmann hurried after him with his shotgun. The little bell above the doors tinkled. The two pistol armed skinheads made their way to the front doors to guard them and back up their fellows.

OOC,Jeff's Listen roll (56% skill) at the front of the diner: [dice]0[/dice] Guzzmann's Listen roll (36% skill) at the front of the diner: [dice]1[/dice]

In the parking lot-
A few seconds after Gary leaned around the corner of the garage and shot the dead skinhead sniper in the back with his rifle, Jeff burst from the front doors of the diner and raised his M-16, which also had an underbarrel grenade launcher. Baldwin, utterly enraged, fired two quick shots at him. The first shot whizzed past and struck the wall, but the second hit him full in the chest. It knocked him back slightly, but he was otherwise unaffected. Then Guzzmann burst out after him, pump shotgun at the ready. Jim was a short distance behind Baldwin, and he could see this from around the corner of the truck's cab. Then Jeff fired the M203 grenade launcher directly at Baldwin! His left arm was torn to shreds by the blast.

OOC,[b]Baldwin[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 44 - 25 = 19) for seeing the zombie: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Baldwin[/b]'s Sanity loss for seeing the zombie: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Baldwin[/b]'s Idea roll (65% stat) to avoid extended temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]10[/dice] Additional duration for temporary insanity: [dice]12[/dice] [b]Baldwin[/b]'s Handgun roll (62% skill) shooting at [b]Jeff[/b], shot 1 of 2: [dice]11[/dice] [b]Baldwin[/b]'s Handgun roll (62% skill) shooting at [b]Jeff[/b], shot 2 of 2: [dice]13[/dice] HIt location on [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]14[/dice] Damage to [b]Jeff[/b] from .38 bullet: [dice]15[/dice] [b]Jeff's[/b] Rifle roll (67% skill) firing the M203 at [b]Baldwin[/b]: [dice]16[/dice] Primary hit location on [b]Baldwin[/b]: [dice]17[/dice] Damage to [b]Baldwin[/b] from grenade: [dice]18[/dice] [b]Baldwin[/b]'s CON x 5 roll (80% stat) to stay conscious: [dice]19[/dice] [b]Jim Kerr[/b], you may roll Dodge to try to get out of the blast radius. If you attack, you won't be able to try.

On the highway-
"My God, he'll be killed!" cried Stephanie.

"What?!" cried Brigetta when the shooting erupted. "Nein, nein, we don't have time! What about that other truck driver, the one who was bitten? We can still get him!"

OOC,Bo's Sanity roll (current level 59) for seeing the zombie: [dice]3[/dice] Brigetta's Sanity roll (current level 52) for seeing the zombie: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Brigetta[/b]'s Sanity loss for seeing the zombie: [dice]8[/dice] Stephanie's Sanity roll (current level 89) for seeing the zombie: [dice]5[/dice] Bob's Sanity roll (current level 69) for seeing the zombie: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Sanity loss for seeing the zombie: [dice]9[/dice] With the cruiser facing east, [b]Sean[/b] is on the wrong side of the car to be able to shoot out the window at the skinheads to the north, as his window is on the south side of the car.

The carnage happening all around him compels Sean to act. He looks towards the scientists. "Stay here and keep your heads down!" Then he gets out of the car(as much to shield the scientists from return fire if this does not work out) and attempts to slink around into a position where he can take a shot at one of the skinheads. The one with the grenade launcher, if he has his pick.

Sean stealth 36%,[dice]0[/dice] Well drat. Guessing I can't fire until next turn, and that's an iffy prospect at this point. :( But hopefully the skinheads are too distracted at this moment to be paying attention.

As the skinhead fires the grenade, Jim dives for cover.

OOC,Dodge 30 [dice]0[/dice]

9:31:24 AM
On the highway-
Sean got out of the car. Using it as cover, he leaned the barrel of the Marlin rifle across the cruiser's roof and took aim at the skinheads.

"Baldwin's not going to be in any condition to drive a truck, even if he survives," said Bob, "which doesn't look likely."

"We need Wallace!" insisted Dr. Hausmann. "He is dying, but he can live long enough to get the fuel to Brownson."

"We're too far away for pistols to do any good," said Bo, "and even my shotgun wouldn't do much damage at this range." Then he saw what was happening through the diner's front door. "S***, they've got hostages!"

In the diner-
One of the pistol-toting skinheads went up to Sally and pointed his gun at her. "Get up," he said. "You're coming with me." Trembling, Sally rose to her feet. The man wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her over to the front door. The other skinhead with a pistol seized Azadeh and pulled her over to the door as well, holding her in front of him with his pistol to her head.

In the parking lot-
Jim Kerr dived around the corner of the truck, but not fast enough to stop some of the shrapnel from hitting him in the butt. Fortunately, he was enough away from Baldwin, who had borne the brunt of the blast, that he didn't get hurt as badly.

Kimberly and Gary fired at the skinheads from around the corner of the garage, but both of them missed. Then the skinhead with the shotgun returned fire at Kimberly, peppering her right arm with buckshot. She collapsed, bleeding. Gary had luckily been spared, as Kimberly had blocked the pellets from hitting him.

"We got innocent people in here!" shouted the skinhead with the assault rifle. "Hold your fire and stay away, or they might get hurt!" Then both skinheads began to backpedal to the diner's front doors, through which two more skinheads holding two women in front of them with pistols pointed at them were visible. However, Baldwin showed no sign of stopping. While his left arm was useless, his right arm still held the revolver. Seeing Kimberly go down, he took aim at the skinhead with the shotgun who had dropped her...

OOC,Primary hit location on [b]Jim Kerr[/b]: [dice]0[/dice] Damage to [b]Jim Kerr[/b] from grenade, long range: [dice]1[/dice]

Sean sees the hostages and curses. He can't possibly take a shot like this. But then he sees Baldwin, grievously wounded but it was still apparent he was going to fire again, and that forces his hand. His only hope was that they could take down the skinheads fast enough that they would either not have the opportunity to harm the hostages, or would decide that harming them would not work as a deterrent. He aims for the skinhead with the grenade launcher, inhales to steady his aim, and fires.

Sean rifle 60%,[dice]0[/dice] Wow, same exact thing I rolled last time! :o Hit location [dice]1[/dice] Damage [dice]2[/dice]

It's another damn good shot, and despite the situation Sean feels a hint of pride in his skill.

Jim goes under full cover and yells back. "You boys were the first ones to get hostile. Just leave now and no one else need to get hurt."

9:31:36 AM
In the parking lot-
Baldwin shot wildly at Guzzmann, but he missed. Guzzmann returned fire, blowing off his left leg and killing him instantly. Baldwin fell backwards, not far from where Jim Kerr had taken cover. He wouldn't be driving the truck now.

Jeff was caught flatfooted, and Sean's rifle shot struck him in the heart and sent him sprawling flat on his back, blood gushing from his wound.

Gary pulled Kimberly around the corner of the garage, out of view.

OOC,[b]Baldwin[/b]'s Handgun roll (62% skill) shooting at [b]Guzzmann[/b]: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Shotgun roll (58% skill) shooting at [b]Baldwin[/b], close range: [dice]1[/dice] Hit location on [b]Baldwin[/b]: [dice]3[/dice] Damage to [b]Baldwin[/b], close range: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Jeff[/b]'s Dodge roll (32% base skill) to take cover from [b]Sean[/b]'s shot: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Jim[/b], please roll Sanity for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] killed. Sanity loss is 1/1D4+1, but since you lost 1 Sanity already for something similar, you can lose a maximum of 4. Any loss of more than 4 counts as 4 instead.

In the diner-
"Damn, they killed Jeff!" cried the skinhead holding Azadeh.

"It's all gone to hell," snarled the one with Sally. "Fall back!" The two skinheads backed away from the front doors and out of sight from outside, taking their hostages with them.

On the highway-
"Oh my God!" exclaimed Stephanie.

"We need Wallace, now!" said Dr. Hausmann. "He's our only chance to get to Omaha."

"There's still one of them outside," said Bo. "It's not safe to go over to the garage yet."

OOC,Sean, please roll Sanity for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] killed. Sanity loss is 1/1D4+1, but since you lost 3 Sanity already for something similar, you can lose a maximum of 2. A failed roll will cost you 2 Sanity no matter what.

OOC,Sanity 82 [dice]0[/dice] Sanity loss 1

Jim is sad that Baldwin just died but he did it to himself so he can't feel too sorry for him. There's more important things to worry about yet, like how to stay alive and get the hell out of here. Jim is going to keep an eye on Baldwin just in case he "wakes up" and tries to crawl over to him.

San46%,[dice]0[/dice]

Rifle 60%,[dice]2[/dice] THREE impales? Mr.Handy, I swear I am not fixing these dice rolls. :o damage[dice]1[/dice] Impale damage [dice]3[/dice] Location [dice]4[/dice]

Sean is also not too broken up over Baldwin's death. While he feels bad for the man, right now he is focused on eliminating the threat. "Let me just take care of this last one!" He fires another perfect shot.

"Everyone, stay alert! One of these guys already came back to life, so don't let your guard down!" He sees Jim has the same idea and nods approvingly at his friend.

9:31:48 AM
In the parking lot-
The bullet struck Guzzmann in the groin.With an agonized scream, he fell dead right next to Jeff. Jeff had actually survived the shot somehow for several seconds, but with nobody to help him he too bled out and expired.

Jim crawled over and watched Baldwin, but the dead man showed no signs of movement - at least not yet.

OOC,[b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Dodge roll (29% skill) to take cover from [b]Sean[/b]'s shot: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Jim[/b], please roll Spot Hidden.

In the diner-
"Man, whadda we do?!" cried the skinhead holding Azadeh.

"I've got a plan," said the one with Sally. "Bring her and follow me. You too," he added to the skinhead in front of the kitchen doors. They retreated to the rear of the diner.

OOC,[b]Sally[/b] and [b]Azadeh[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Hostages

On the highway-
"Nice shooting!" said Bo. "Quick, get back in and I'll spin us over to the garage so we can get Wallace."

OOC,[b]Brigetta[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 51) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] killed messily: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 88) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] killed messily: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 67) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] killed messily: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Sean[/b], please roll Sanity for killing the skinheads. Sanity loss is 0/1D4. Also, everyone please roll Spot Hidden.

OOC,Spot Hidden 56 [dice]0[/dice]

Now that the shooting has stopped, at least briefly, the pain from the grenade shrapnel hits him. However, not willing to leave the truck, Jim continues to keep an eye out for trouble.

San 45%,[dice]0[/dice] loss [dice]1[/dice]

Spot Hidden 39%,[dice]2[/dice]

Sean tries to play it cool, but the fact that he had just killed three people weighs on him. Even if they were skinheads, he was pretty sure he was going to hear the scream and replay these images in his head for quite awhile. He tries to stop himself from shaking.

If only I hadn't fired that first shot. Baldwin would not have gotten out and gotten himself killed. Damn it, four people dead.

Bo brings him back to the present, and he yells back to him, his eyes not leaving the road. "Wait just one minute! One of these guys already got back up, and I need to make sure no one else is going to before it's safe." He keeps an eye on the corpses, waiting for the first sign of one of them moving.

9:32 AM
In the parking lot-

Jim Kerr,[b]Jim[/b] could see that there was some commotion between the motel and the dirt road. The old Chinese man was being helped up and back toward the motel by the maid, with the [b]Lathan[/b] family close behind. The old Chinese woman was running as fast as she could move, which wasn't very fast, across the highway and toward the motel. On the highway across from diner, the police cruiser was stopped. [b]Sean[/b] was standing behind it, his rifle aimed across the roof toward the diner. The two skinheads lay motionless in front of the diner's front doors, and [b]Baldwin[/b] was also unmoving next to him. There may have been more happening that he couldn't see, but the building and the vehicles blocked his view. Then he glanced behind him and saw a small group of people on I-80 almost a mile to the east, slowly walking this way. [b]Mitchell[/b] had climbed up on the roof of the garage, and [b]Gary[/b] was again looking around the garage's corner.

On the highway-
"We're running out of minutes!" protested Brigetta. "That chopper can't wait!"

"We've got more trouble," said Bo. "Four of the skinheads just slipped out the back and making a run for their vehicles on the dirt road, two with pistols and two with shotguns. They've got two female hostages. And down I-80 to the east, I see some people almost a mile away slowly walking closer. At this rate they'll be here in about ten minutes. We may want to reconsider going that way to Brownson."

"I see 'em too," said Bob.

OOC,[b]Bo[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (56% skill) on the highway: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Brigetta[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill) on the highway: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (66% skill) on the highway: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (70% skill) on the highway: [dice]3[/dice]

Trooper Bo Richards/Bob Larkin,Four skinheads were moving from the rear of the diner toward the vehicles on the dirt road with two female hostages. One of the skinheads with a pistol and one of the hostages had pulled ahead, and the other three skinheads, two with shotguns and one with a pistol and the other hostage, followed close behind. There was some commotion between the motel and the dirt road. The old Chinese man was being helped up and back toward the motel by the maid, with the [b]Lathan[/b] family close behind. The old Chinese woman was running as fast as she could move, which wasn't very fast, across the highway and toward the motel. On the highway across from diner, the police cruiser was stopped. [b]Sean[/b] was standing behind it, his rifle aimed across the roof toward the diner. The two skinheads lay motionless in front of the diner's front doors, and [b]Baldwin[/b] was also unmoving next to him. Then he glanced to the east and saw a small group of people on I-80 almost a mile away, slowly walking this way. [b]Mitchell[/b] had climbed up on the roof of the garage, and [b]Gary[/b] was again looking around the garage's corner.

In the diner-
"Is it safe to leave?" asked Alice, nervously.

"I don't know," said Bud. "I thought I heard something back there, but I'm not sure what."

OOC,[b]Alex[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the diner: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Listen roll (45% skill) in the diner: [dice]5[/dice]

"Hey!" Jim yells over to Gary. "We need someone to drive the truck. Is there anyone in the garage that can help? It's vital!" He adds for emphasis.

"Shit" Sean mutters. He hates to leave, especially while the skinheads have hostages and could still be a problem, but Dr. Hausmannwas right, and any further delay could prove fatal to their mission.

He gets back in the vehicle and reloads his rifle as Bo takes them to the garage. "Sorry I got you folks roped into this," he tells the scientists. "You said this other trucker is bitten? I hope we can convince him to help us, and he's not contagious."

"I still think we need to take I-80 if it's the fastest way, especially given the delay. But if you're not confident in getting us there in one piece I guess we have no choice." He tells Bo.

9:32:24 AM
On the highway-
After Sean got back in the car, Bo turned back onto the parking lot. "Route 30 may not be safe either," he said. "We'd have to get past the skinheads to go that way."

In the diner-
"There are those guys who went into the kitchen," said Alex, "but they didn't come back out when the shooting started."

In the parking lot-
Jim kept watching the corpses, but none of them moved.

As Bo drove past the truck and was about to head for the garage, he saw Wallace come trudging over from around the corner. "Wallace!" he called. "We need your help. These scientists have to get to Omaha, it's urgent. Their helicopter is broken down, but there's a State Police helicopter heading our way to pick them up. It can't make it all the way here, so it's gonna land in Brownson. We have to bring the fuel out there. It's all packed in Baldwin's truck, but...he can't make it."

Wallace winced when he saw his friend's body - or what was left of it. "Man..." he said, shaking his head. "I'm not in such great shape myself, but these ladies patched me up and gave me something for the pain. I reckon I owe them one. It's only a few miles, anyway."

OOC,[b]Wallace[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 64) for seeing gruesome corpses: [dice]0[/dice]

"Thank you sir," Sean nods in relief to Wallace. "You may be saving humanity here with your actions."

He turns to Bo and frowns. "In that case, I'd rather take I-80. At least these creatures don't have guns. I hope."

ooc,Sorry, I'm guessing Sean can't see the skinheads from here right ,they're out the back?

Father Roger McCormick spoke up before moving out to the parking lot, "I can't say how safe it is yet to go outside, but I need to do something - Im not terrible at first aid, I will try and help any injured I can".

As Father McCormick enters the parking lot he calls out "Who's hurt? Let me help".

OOC,If you failed your Spot Hidden roll, you don't see the skinheads. [b]Jim[/b] succeeded earlier, so I'll update him on what he saw. [b]Father Roger McCormick[/b], you've actually been inside the diner, not the parking lot. You can check the Locations and Weapons thread if you're ever unsure where you are. If you'd like to, you may move out into the parking lot this round and speak to the people there.

Jim Kerr,To the west, [b]Jim[/b] could see one of the skinheads with a pistol in one hand and his other around a woman's arm. They were running toward the van parked on the dirt road, and they were nearly there.

Jim is glad that it looks like the skinheads are leaving. He can't tell at this distance if the woman with the man is willingly leaving with him or is being forced to leave with him but at this point he can't do anything to interfere. He'll try to get up into the truck if he can do so while still staying under cover from being shot. Hopefully, someone who can drive truck will get here soon.

Dr Haussmann winds down her window in the cruiser and shouts over to Jim and Wallace, "Get on that rig now! We've got to go!" She sits back exasperated, "Standing there gossiping like fishwives. Bo," how many minutes left until the rendezvous?"

9:32:36 AM
In the parking lot-
Father Roger McCormick stepped past the two dead skinheads, who were clearly beyond help. An M-16 with an M203 underbarrel grenade launcher lay at one's feet, and a shotgun was next to the other.

"We've got about thirteen minutes or so," said Bo, checking his watch. "I'll get us back out on the highway and get ready to lead the way, and Wallace can follow in the truck." He pulled out and onto I-80 once again.

Wallace rushed over to the truck as fast as he could and got in the driver's seat while Jim Kerr got in the shotgun seat. The shrapnel in his backside made sitting painful, but he could put up with it. No sooner had they closed the doors than Baldwin began to stir. His eyes opened, red with rage and hunger. Though he had only one leg and one usable arm, he was still somehow able to move...

OOC,Everyone, including those in the cruiser, please roll Sanity for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead. Sanity loss is 1/1D8, so you lose 1 Sanity if you succeed or 1D8 if you fail. You can lose at most 8 total Sanity for seeing zombies during this chapter, so if you've already lost Sanity for seeing zombies, the maximum you lose will be capped. For instance, if you lost 1 Sanity previously for seeing a zombie, you can lose at most 7 now. Any roll of 8 will count as 7 instead. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, please roll Idea. If the Idea roll succeeds, you will go temporarily insane. If you do not go insane, you may act freely.

Jim Kerr,[b]Jim[/b] saw the skinhead and the woman with the pistol vanish around the other side of the van. Three more skinheads, two with shotguns and one with a pistol, and another woman who the one with the pistol had by the arm, moved into view beyond the edge of the diner, also heading for the van. They were almost there.

On the highway-
"Oh my God!" cried Stephanie when she saw Baldwin begin to stir back on the lot.

In the diner-
"Maybe we should get out of here too, man," Duke said to Robert.

"I'm not leaving until I make sure Beth is okay," he said. "We know they went into the kitchen, but they haven't come out." He tiptoed over to the kitchen doors and listened. Then he cracked open one of the doors and peeked inside. "It's empty. Come on." Duke followed him into the kitchen.

"And how long will this trip take do you reckon? " Sean asks.

Then he sees Baldwin stir.

San 41%,[dice]0[/dice] Loss [dice]1[/dice]

The fact that another of these things was rising was a sharp punch to his already fragile psyche, but he manages to just barely keep from panicking.

The mission. Remember the mission, damn it!

He leans out the window and shouts at Wallace and Jim. "We need to go! There's no time to waste! "

Then his eyes land on Father McCormick, and he yells to signal him. "Get those weapons by the dead men, quick, and get back inside! The dead have been coming back to life, and they're a threat to everyone!"

ooc,Hopefully I'm not meta-ing here. I assume since Sean has seen two dead men come back to life he's now fearful others might. Also if he can't say all of this in a turn please let me know and I'll edit.

OOC,Sanity 81 [dice]0[/dice] Sanity Loss 1 Current Sanity 80

"Let's go. Follow that cruiser!" Jim watches as the skinheads take the two women with them to the van. He's pretty sure they aren't going willingly but to do anything more here would jeopardize their mission. "I'm sorry..." He mutters voice trailing off, knowing that his words don't matter.

Father Roger McCormick grabs the M-16 and shotgun "This is all kinds of messed up". An expression of extreme distate covers his face as he rushes back inside the diner carrying the weapons.

Sanity,[dice]0[/dice]

"Come on, come on." Dr Haussmann mutters under her breath and she is relieved as both vehicles start moving. She looks back to check on the truck and sees the dead driver start to pull itself across the ground.
"It can't be, not here, not already!"

Sanity 55%,[dice]0[/dice] 1sanity point

9:32:48 AM
In the parking lot-
Terrified, Wallace slammed the truck into gear and drove as fast as he could out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

Father Roger McCormick bent down between the corpses and collected their long guns. The assault rifle had a full magazine, but the grenade launcher was empty, having been discharged earlier. Any additional grenades were probably on the dead man. The shotgun was a 12-gauge pump action model, though a couple of shells had already been fired from it. Both weapons had straps allowing him to sling them over his shoulders for easier carrying. While he did this, Baldwin dragged himself across the asphalt toward him, but with one arm and one leg, he wasn't moving very quickly. Before Roger could retreat into the diner, however, the dead bodies on either side of him suddenly came to life, their eyes a bright red! They began to rise and reach out for him...

OOC,[b]Wallace[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 63) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Wallace[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 7): [dice]9[/dice] [b]Father Roger McCormick[/b], please roll Sanity again for seeing the zombies. Sanity loss is 1/1D8 as before, though you can lose a maximum of 7 Sanity now, so a roll of 8 will count as 7. If you lose 5 or more, you go temporarily insane. Otherwise, you may act freely. To retreat back into the diner, please roll against DEX x 5 on 1D100. If you choose to attack a zombie, please choose which one you're attacking (the one that used to have the rifle or the one that used to have the shotgun) and make a 1D100 roll against the appropriate weapon skill. The M-16 is capable of burst fire of three bullets. If you choose to fire a burst, you only make one Rifle roll, but with +15 to your skill. You may only target one zombie with the burst. If you hit with a burst, please roll 1D3 to see how many bullets hit. For each bullet that hits, you will need to roll 1D20 for a hit location and 2D8 for damage. The range is point blank, so all ranged attack skills are effectively doubled, and the doubling is applied before the +15 for a burst.

On the highway-
"If the road were clear, a few minutes," said Bo as he executed a three point turn and brought the car back around facing east toward Brownson. "But it isn't, so it'll take longer."

Brigetta gaped at the moving dead man, and her horror widened when she saw the other two dead men rise up and converge on the priest who had just taken their weapons. Stephanie broke down and began to sob, all of this too much for her.

OOC,[b]Brigetta[/b] started with 55% Sanity, but her Sanity score has been reduced since then, so that roll is a failure. [b]Sean[/b]'s action is perfectly fine for this round. Each combat round is twelve seconds, which is enough time to call out what you did, and you know enough in character to be able to guess what would happen next. Everyone, please roll Sanity for seeing the skinhead zombies. Sanity loss is 1/1D8 as before, though again your total Sanity loss for seeing zombies is capped at 8. If you lose 5 or more, you go temporarily insane. Otherwise, you may act freely. If you are already temporarily insane, its duration will be extended if you go temporarily insane again. If you've already lost 7 or 8, you need not roll again, as your loss is guaranteed to be 1 or 0, respectively. [b]Brigetta[/b]'s Sanity loss: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Brigetta[/b]'s Idea roll (80% stat) to avoid temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]10[/dice] Type and duration of temporary insanity: [dice]14[/dice] [dice]15[/dice] [b]Bo[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 58) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 87) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 7): [dice]11[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b]'s Idea roll (75% stat) to avoid temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]16[/dice] Type of temporary insanity: [dice]19[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 66) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]4[/dice]

Dr. Brigetta Hausmann,You are now temporarily insane for the next ten rounds. Your insanity is an intense phobia of zombies that roots you to the spot. Fortunately, you're inside the cruiser and will go where it does. Feel free to roleplay your insanity. You're also indefinitely insane now, as you've lost at least 20% of your Sanity within one game hour. That effect will kick in once your temporary insanity is over.

Stephanie Bridges,You are now temporarily insane for the next nine rounds. Your insanity is a severe emotional outburst of crying.

Sean Blank,You are now indefinitely insane, having lost at least 20% of your Sanity within one game hour. Your insanity is that [b]Dr. Hausmann[/b] has become an attachment for you. You cannot bear to be away from her for any great length of time. She is the absolute center of your life now, and losing her would be unthinkable.

In the diner-
Rita screams when she sees Baldwin rise from the dead, raising her .38 revolver, though she does not have a clear shot with the priest in the way. Likewise, Alex and Bud take out their guns and take aim. Alice suddenly found that she could not stop giggling.

OOC,[b]Rita[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 65) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Rita[/b]'s Sanity loss: [dice]12[/dice] [b]Alex[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 75) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 65) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Sanity loss: [dice]13[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Idea roll (85% stat) to avoid temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]18[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 55) for seeing [b]Baldwin[/b] rise from the dead: [dice]8[/dice] Everyone, please roll Sanity for seeing the skinhead zombies. Sanity loss is 1/1D8 as before, though again your total Sanity loss for seeing zombies is capped at 8. If you lose 5 or more, you go temporarily insane. Otherwise, you may act freely. If you are already temporarily insane, its duration will be extended if you go temporarily insane again. If you've already lost 7 or 8, you need not roll again, as your loss is guaranteed to be 1 or 0, respectively.

Alice,You are now temporarily insane for the next thirteen rounds. Your insanity is a severe emotional outburst of laughing.

In the kitchen-
Robert looked in the staff bathroom. "Beth's clothes are here," he said. "She must have changed into one of those waitress uniforms."

Duke peeked through the open door to the liquor closet. "Hey, check this out," he said. "There's an open trapdoor in here. I think we know where everyone went now."

OOC,Seeing Skinheads Sanity 80 [dice]0[/dice] Sanity Loss 1 Current Sanity 79

"God damn. It just don't get any better." Jim says as he sees the skinheads rise from the dead in the parking lot as they leave.

Father Roger McCormick curses as he stops in his tracks "Jesus, Mary and Jospeh. Gah the Devil's always on the left". He turns to the left and fires a burst from the M16 at the zombie on the left side.

Sanity,[dice]0[/dice], [dice]1[/dice]

Rifle,[dice]2[/dice], [dice]3[/dice]

Bullets,[dice]4[/dice],[dice]5[/dice],[dice]6[/dice],[dice]7[/dice]

The horrors are too much for Sean, and something inside him snaps. But with that snap comes enlightenment; he looks back at Dr. Hausmann and realizes all that mattered was protecting her. The reason all of this had happened was before he had put something else before her. He had tried to save that old Asian man and that had led to all of these horrors. He would not make that mistake again. She was going to save the world, and he would do anything for her.

"Spores, molecules, compounds, virus." Dr Haussmann sits facing straight ahead. Her body is motionless but her mind has gone into hyperdrive, regurgitating her scientific research.

"Spores in the air. Where from ? From the sea from animals from space infection infection. Prions could be prions. spongiform encephalopathy, mycologistic, C2OHO2. Archea, virus, compounds."
Most of it is repetitive and incomprehensible. It goes on.

Sean looks back at Dr Haussmann. "Don't worry Brigetta, I'm here. I won't let these bastards get us."

[psychoanalysis 1%,[dice]0[/dice]

His words don't reach her, but he did not expect them to. He'll just have to protect her until she gets better. And Sean knows she will; she's the most brilliant woman in the world, after all.

9:33 AM
In the parking lot-
Roger fired a burst at Jeff, raking his left arm and upper body with a couple of bullets. What should have slain a normal man had little effect on him, merely knocking him back slightly. Before Roger could fire again, Jeff lunged at him, embracing him in a death grip which was far too strong to escape. Then Guzzmann came up behind him and bit a huge chunk out of his right arm. Pain and terror shot through Roger, and his arm burned as if it were on fire. He realized, too late, that he should have fled when he had the chance. To make matters worse, Baldwin continued to drag himself closer and had now closed half the distance.

OOC,That Rifle roll was actually an impale, as it's no more than 1/5 of your effective skill, which is doubled by point blank range. That means the first bullet in the burst does an extra 2d8 damage. It doesn't seem to do much good, though... Extra damage from first bullet: [dice]0[/dice] Which zombie gets hit (1=[b]Jeff[/b], 2=[b]Guzzmann[/b])?: [dice]1[/dice] Zombie [b]Jeff[/b]'s Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]2[/dice] Zombie [b]Jeff[/b]'s Grapple attack (25% chance) on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]3[/dice] Zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]4[/dice] Hit location on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]13[/dice] Damage to [b]Roger[/b] from [b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Bite attack: [dice]14[/dice] Zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Grapple attack (25% chance) on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Roger[/b], please roll Sanity for being bitten. Sanity loss is 0/1D10. Again, if you lose 5 or more Sanity, you must roll Idea as above. While you are grappled, you can no longer escape, and you are not strong enough to have any chance of breaking the zombie's grip. As long as you don't go temporarily insane, you may act again now. As you attacked last round, you were not allowed to try to dodge the zombies' attacks on you. If you attack again this round, the range is point blank.

On the highway-
Bo started driving down the highway to the east. Bob curled up into a ball as much as his seatbelt would allow. Stephanie saw the dead men rise and begin to eat the priest, and she wailed, burying her face in Brigetta's shoulder and moistening her lab coat with her tears.

Behind them, Wallace shuddered as he made a U-turn so that the truck was now facing east as well and followed the cruiser, glad to be out of there.

OOC,[b]Bo[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 57) for seeing the zombies: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Stephanie[/b] loses 1 Sanity regardless and does not need to roll. [b]Sean[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 37) for seeing the zombies: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Sean[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 3): [dice]15[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 65) for seeing the zombies: [dice]8[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 5): [dice]16[/dice] [b]Bob[/b]'s Idea roll (65% stat) to avoid temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]19[/dice]

Bob Larkin,You are now temporarily insane for the next six rounds. Your insanity is stupor. You may not act for the duration of your insanity.

In the diner-
Alex pointed his rifle at Jeff and squeezed the trigger, putting a bullet into Jeff's leg through the glass door. Bud also fired his revolver, shooting Jeff in the leg and chest. The bullets had little effect.

"He can't die!" screamed Rita, gripping her own gun but not wanting to waste her bullets. Alice just continued to laugh uncontrollably.

OOC,[b]Rita[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 62) for seeing the zombies: [dice]9[/dice] [b]Rita[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 5): [dice]17[/dice] [b]Alex[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 74) for seeing the zombies: [dice]10[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 60) for seeing the zombies: [dice]11[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 3): [dice]18[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 54) for seeing the zombies: [dice]12[/dice]

In the kitchen-
"Should we check that out?" asked Duke, glancing back at the sounds of shooting and screaming.

"Too dangerous," said Robert. "Without guns of our own, we won't stand a chance."

"What if we run into those other skinheads down there?"

"We'll have to hope they don't see us. Come on." He and Duke went into the liquor closet.

In the liquor closet-
"We'd better be quiet when we head downstairs," whispered Robert as he and his friend approached the open trap door. There was a bare light bulb set into the ceiling of the stairway below that illuminated it.

Father Roger McCormick "Gah, damn the devil to hell, Lord save me". Father Roger McCormick shakes as the reanimated corpses take hold of him.

Sanity (88%),[dice]0[/dice], [dice]1[/dice]

OOC,before I act again, am I able to try firing once again or is the injury & grapple preventative of that? Although I cant roll strength to escape, is rolling grapple an option?

Once they are safely on the road (if anywhere is really safe), Jim looks around the inside of the cab for a first aid kit. He's still under the effect of the adrenaline rush from the shootout and seeing the dead come back to life but he knows that soon it will wear off and he will need to take care of his injury.

"Are you okay? Did you get bit or shot?" Jim asks Wallace.

Father Roger McCormick awkwardly aims at Jeff and fires a burst in a last ditch effort to get free.

Rifle,[dice]0[/dice], [dice]1[/dice]

bullets,[dice]2[/dice], [dice]3[/dice], [dice]4[/dice], [dice]5[/dice], [dice]6[/dice], [dice]7[/dice],

"We just need to get to Omaha, there is a cure in Omaha." Dr Haussmann whispers to herself after her scientific outburst.

"We're going to be fine,"Sean says. "I'll make sure none of those things get close. We'll get you to Omaha and you'll save us all, Brigetta. I know you can do it." The guardsman looks at her with the admiration of a zealot.

9:33:12 AM
In the diner-
Alex fired another bullet, which hit the dead man in the rear end. Bud fired two more bullets, one of which whizzed past his target just before the other struck the walking corpse's right arm. Again, the shots had little effect.

"Nothing can kill them!" cried Rita, bolting into the kitchen.

OOC,[b]Alex[/b], [b]Bud[/b], and [b]Alice[/b], please roll Sanity for seeing what happens to [b]Roger[/b]. Sanity loss is 1/1D4+1, so you lose 1 Sanity if you succeed or 1D4+1 if you fail. If you lose 5 Sanity, please roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane (or your temporary insanity gets extended if you are already insane). If you do not go insane, you may act freely.

In the parking lot-
"God, they're killing him!" cried a woman from somewhere above Roger. Was she an angel? A shotgun blast hit the dead man that was grabbing him from above, blasting a hole in his right shoulder, but he did not even seem to notice.

More shots struck the dead man who had Roger in an embrace, and he himself stitched a line of bullets across the man's stomach and leg. A human should have been long dead by now, but this thing was no longer human. Roger felt strangely calm as his assailant crushed him with a strength even greater than his huge body should possess. He knew he was prepared to meet his Maker. His ribs snapped like twigs, and the pain was almost unbearable, but at least it was brief. The last thing he saw before he passed out was the dead man starting to rip his innards out with his teeth.

OOC,[b]Alex[/b]'s Rifle roll (80% skill) shooting at zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]0[/dice] Hit location on zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]3[/dice] Damage to zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Roger[/b]'s extra impaling damage to zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Handgun roll (65% skill) shooting at zombie [b]Jeff[/b], shot 1 of 2: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Roger[/b]'s Luck roll (90% stat) to not be hit: [dice]7[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Handgun roll (65% skill) shooting at zombie [b]Jeff[/b], shot 2 of 2: [dice]8[/dice] Hit location on zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]9[/dice] Damage to zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]10[/dice] Zombie [b]Jeff[/b]'s Grapple damage to [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]11[/dice] Zombie [b]Jeff[/b]'s Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]12[/dice] Hit location from Bite attack: [dice]15[/dice] Damage to [b]Roger[/b] from critical Bite attack: [dice]16[/dice] Zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Grapple attack (25% chance) on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]13[/dice] Zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Roger[/b]: [dice]14[/dice] I'm sorry, [b]Roger[/b], but you have died. Feel free to pick up a replacement character (or more than one) from the available pool. Remember that the characters of players marked MIA are also available.

In the liquor closet-
Duke and Robert began to descend the stairs, though they were anything but stealthy.

OOC,[b]Duke[/b]'s Sneak roll (10% base skill) going downstairs: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Robert[/b]'s Sneak roll (40% skill) going downstairs: [dice]2[/dice]

On the highway-
"Not here," said Wallace to Jim in the truck. "I got bit earlier by the one in the junkyard, though. It still burns, but the doc helped and gave me something for the pain."

Jim found a first aid kit in the glove compartment, but he would not be able to use it on his own rear end, especially not while he was sitting on it. Wallace also could not use it while he was driving.

Stephanie continued to sob, while Bob remained useless. Fortunately, Bo remained steadfast, his steely gaze fixed on the highway ahead as he drove. The vehicles soon left the truck stop behind.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Spot Hidden. The base skill is 25%.

Sean grips his rifle and looks out at the road.

Spot Hidden 39%,[dice]0[/dice]

OOC,Spot Hidden 56 [dice]0[/dice]

"I just got hit from some grenade shrapnel. It's not far to Brownstown. We'll check on our wounds there. You got any first aid skills?" Jim says. He keeps the first aid kit handy, even though he can't use it yet.

"We've got four people staggering down the road about half a mile from here," Sean says. "They're spread out, so it might be tough to get past them if they don't move out of the way. If you think the vehicle could take it I'd advise just trying to mow one down and force our way through. If these are people they'll get out of the way. Otherwise... I guess you could also try and go off road around them."

Spot hidden,[dice]0[/dice]

ooc,Sorry I was playing Brigitte as temporarily insane but I note she is indefinitely insane. I can edit this post if it isn't suitable.

"Just drive through them - we can't stop for anything! We must get to Omaha!" Dr Haussmann cries from the back seat.

9:33:24 AM
On the highway-
The police cruiser and the truck sped away to the east.

OOC,[b]Wallace[/b], [b]Bo[/b], [b]Brigetta[/b], [b]Stephanie[/b], [b]Sean[/b], [b]Jim[/b], and [b]Bob[/b] are moving to the thread linked below:

Get to the Choppa!

In the parking lot-
The two dead skinheads began consuming Roger's corpse, and they were joined in their macabre feast by Baldwin, who had finally reached him. Then the satchel charge by the gas pumps exploded, and the pumps themselves cooked off immediately afterwards, sending orange and black columns of flames into the sky. The blast wave struck the dead men, though the priest's body was shielded by the bodies of the ones who were eating it.

OOC,Primary hit location on zombie [b]Baldwin[/b]: [dice]0[/dice] Damage to zombie [b]Baldwin[/b]: [dice]1[/dice] Primary hit location on zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]2[/dice] Damage to zombie [b]Jeff[/b]: [dice]3[/dice] Primary hit location on zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]: [dice]4[/dice] Damage to zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]: [dice]5[/dice]

In the diner-
"Take cover!" screamed Alex, dragging Alice away from the front of the diner and toward the kitchen doors, followed closely by Bud, who helped him. The blast struck the floor-to-ceiling windows and doors, shattering them into deadly shrapnel.

OOC,[b]Alex[/b]'s Dodge roll (45% skill) to avoid the shrapnel: [dice]6[/dice] Primary hit location on [b]Alex[/b]: [dice]8[/dice] Damage to [b]Alex[/b]: [dice]9[/dice] Primary hit location on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]10[/dice] Damage to [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]11[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Dodge roll (24% base skill) to avoid the shrapnel: [dice]7[/dice]

In the kitchen-
As Alex and Bud pulled Alice into the relative safety of the kitchen, Rita fled into the liquor closet.

On the stairs-
"What was that?" whispered Duke after the twin blasts.

"I don't know," replied Robert, "but I'm glad we're underground now."

9:33:36 AM
In the kitchen-
Alex and Bud, pulling Alice between them, followed Rita into the liquor closet.

In the liquor closet-
Rita hurried through an open trapdoor in the floor down a stairway.

On the stairs-
Duke and Robert continued to carefully descend.

9:34 AM
In the liquor closet-
Alex and Bud helped Alice, who was still laughing her head off, down the stairs. "There are people far below us," whispered Bud. "They're heading even further down."

On the stairs-
Duke and Robert reached a landing, at which the stairs turned around and continue down. Rita was not far behind them.

OOC,[b]Rita[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) on the stairs: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Alex[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) on the stairs: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) on the stairs: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Listen roll (45% skill) on the stairs: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Duke[/b]'s Listen roll (35% skill) on the stairs: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Robert[/b]'s Listen roll (50% skill) on the stairs: [dice]5[/dice]

9:35 AM
On the stairs-
Alex and Bud pulled Alice downstairs, soon reaching the landing. Rita was still ahead of them.

In the fallout shelter-
Duke and Robert found themselves in a larger room that had many boxes of both wood and cardboard. A quick look around revealed that there was an old red curtain hanging on the wall at the back.

The place was some kind of storage room. The boxes were all marked: VCRs, Levi's Jeans, Liquor, Cigarettes, Watches, Expensive luggage, DVD players, Sweaters, Beer, Cooking supplies, Leather jackets, televisions, cellphones.

The shelter was not earthen but seemed hardened and old, concrete and wood with materials unlike that of the rest of the diner.

OOC,Everyone may roll Spot Hidden and Idea.

9:36 AM
In the fallout shelter-
"This place is definitely older than the T-Bone," said Robert. "You know what it reminds me of? Those old missile silos they've been turning into private residences. It must have been built by the government back in the fifties, when the Cold War was heating up. They did a lot of work in this area at the time. If this is like those missile silos, it may go down very far. But if it's not, what the hell is it?"

Rita stormed into the warehouse, her revolver in her hand. "What do you two think you're doing down here?" she demanded.

"Looking for your staff," said Duke. "They've come down this way."

Alice gradually came to her senses and stopped laughing as Alex and Bud helped her descend. Once she was able to walk on her own, Bud reloaded his revolver.

Bud noticed a set of footprints and drag marks leading to the ratty old curtain at the far end of the room. "There's a lot of footprints," he said. "Some of them are very recent. Whoever made them was very heavy - or carrying something heavy. I hear the people far below us too, and something else, really faint. It sounds like screaming and...moaning. The moaning doesn't sound human. It sounds like those...things."

"You stay away from that curtain!" insisted Rita. "All of you, get the hell out of here! This is private property!"

"We can't go back up there!" protested Alice. "Those things are right behind us! I can hear them coming!"

OOC,[b]Rita[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill): [dice]0[/dice] [b]Rita[/b]'s Idea roll (55% stat): [dice]1[/dice] [b]Alex[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill): [dice]2[/dice] [b]Alex[/b]'s Idea roll (80% stat): [dice]3[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (25% base skill): [dice]4[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Idea roll (85% stat): [dice]5[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (55% skill): [dice]6[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Idea roll (65% stat): [dice]7[/dice] [b]Duke[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (30% skill): [dice]8[/dice] [b]Duke[/b]'s Idea roll (70% stat): [dice]9[/dice] [b]Robert[/b]'s Spot Hidden roll (50% skill): [dice]10[/dice] [b]Robert[/b]'s Idea roll (85% stat): [dice]11[/dice]

9:37 AM
In the fallout shelter-
A single gunshot rang out from far below.

"We're the least of your worries, lady," said Bud. "I'd worry about whoever's down there shooting."

Frowning, Rita tore the curtain aside and hurried down a flight of stairs. The others followed.

9:38 AM
In the fallout shelter-
Rita led the group down one flight of stairs so far, reaching a landing beyond which they all kept going down. The temperature had dropped since they had started descending. The second landing was just ahead, and the stairs continued down beyond it.

9:39 AM
In the fallout shelter-
Everyone continued to follow the footprints lower, noting that there was some old wiring throughout the facility. However, at the end of the long stairs going down, they found a wide open gate with pieces of a padlock on the floor in front of it. The foot trails went under the gate and continued further, which Bud pointed out to everyone. At this point everyone could hear the screams and the moans, coming from somewhere beyond the gate.

9:40 AM
In the fallout shelter-
Rita rushed ahead through the open gate, her revolver gripped tightly in her hand. The others followed.

"Be careful," whispered Bud. "Don't make noise, or they'll hear us."

In the corridor-
Just past the gate, the corridor rounded a corner to the left. The screams were clearer now. No doubting them. There were human screams. And something else. The moaning and hunger of something not quite human anymore.
Near the gate was an open switch box on the wall with a lever and three signs, one above another. The top one said: 'Welcome to the Geronimo Federal Detention Center. Use of Deadly Force is Authorized.' The middle one said that the facility was built in 1953 by the Department of Defense and the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. The bottom one said: 'Reminder - This is a TOP SECRET facility of the U.S. Government. Failure to abide by all TOP SECRET protocols is subject to felony prosecution and imprisonment.'” The hallway was lined with tiles, and they went down at an incline toward a closed door at the bottom of the low slope.

OOC,Everyone, please roll Listen. The base skill is 25%.

9:41 AM
In the corridor-
"Careful," whispered Alex when they reached the door. "I hear them not far ahead of us. Sounds like they're searching for someone. They're reporting that various rooms are clear."

Bud cracked open the door with one hand, his revolver in the other. He peeked through. "There's four skinheads in a short hall just past the next room," he whispered. "Crap, they've got hostages. Hammond, Earl, and two of the waitresses." Then there came the sound of automatic gunfire in the distance well beyond the door, followed by a single shot.

"That was an M-16," whispered Alex. Then he whipped around and gasped when he saw two skinheads and the priest stumble through the open gate behind them. None of them were armed, all of them had red eyes and horrible bloody wounds, and they moaned as they approached with their hands outstretched.

OOC,[b]Rita[/b]'s Listen (25% base skill) in the corridor: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Alex[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the corridor: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill) in the corridor: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Listen roll (45% skill) in the corridor: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Duke[/b]'s Listen roll (35% skill) in the corridor: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Robert[/b]'s Listen roll (50% skill) in the corridor: [dice]5[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Sneak roll (40% skill) in the corridor: [dice]6[/dice] Everyone, please roll Sanity for seeing the zombies. Sanity loss is 1/1D8. If you've already lost Sanity for seeing zombies, you can only lose 8 Sanity overall from seeing them. For instance, if you lost 2 Sanity previously, you can lose at most 6 Sanity. Any loss of more than 6 would count as 6 instead. If you lose 5 or more Sanity, you must roll Idea. If you succeed at the Idea roll, you go temporarily insane. Otherwise, you may act freely. [b]Rita[/b] does not need to roll. She will lose 1 Sanity regardless.

9:41:06 AM
In the corridor-
Alex snapped off a shot, grazing one of the skinheads in the gut, while Rita fired and struck his right foot. Bud, his face contorted with rage, shot him in the arm with what should have been a fatal bullet, but he didn't even slow down. Nor did the other two. Guns did not seem to frighten them, or even hurt them much.

OOC,[b]Alex[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 73) for seeing the zombies: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 59) for seeing the zombies: [dice]1[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 53) for seeing the zombies: [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Sanity loss (maximum of 6): [dice]5[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Idea roll (65% stat) to avoid temporary insanity - failure is good: [dice]6[/dice] [b]Duke[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 65) for seeing the zombies: [dice]3[/dice] [b]Robert[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 90) for seeing the zombies: [dice]4[/dice] [b]Alex[/b]'s Rifle roll (80% skill) shooting at a zombie: [dice]7[/dice] Which zombie does he hit (1=Jeff, 2=Roger, 3=Guzzmann): [dice]10[/dice] Hit location: [dice]11[/dice] Damage: [dice]12[/dice] [b]Rita[/b]'s Handgun roll (20% base skill) shooting at a zombie, shot 1 of 2: [dice]8[/dice] Which zombie does she hit (1=Jeff, 2=Roger, 3=Guzzmann): [dice]13[/dice] Hit location: [dice]14[/dice] Damage: [dice]15[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Handgun roll (65% skill) shooting at a zombie, shot 1 of 2: [dice]9[/dice] Which zombie does he hit (1=Jeff, 2=Roger, 3=Guzzmann): [dice]16[/dice] Hit location: [dice]17[/dice] Damage: [dice]18[/dice]

9:41:12 AM
In the corridor-
Rita fired again and missed, but Bud's aim was true. He put another bullet into the skinhead's right arm, again with no apparent effect. "Why won't he die?!" he screamed. The men kept coming, uncowed by the hail of bullets. They would be close enough to strike after another volley.

OOC,[b]Rita[/b]'s Handgun roll (20% base skill) shooting at a zombie, shot 2 of 2: [dice]0[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s Handgun roll (65% skill) shooting at a zombie, shot 2 of 2: [dice]1[/dice] Hit location on zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]: [dice]2[/dice] Damage to zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]: [dice]3[/dice]

"Everyone through the door, now!" Alex commands and walks backwards with his gun trained on the nearest dead guy. If he can get another volley in time he will aim for the head of the nearest one but his main priority is getting everyone through the door and shutting it.

Relevant roll,[dice]0[/dice]

9:41:24 AM
In the corridor-
Sheer panic set in as the red-eyed men advanced. Duke and Robert made it through first. "Outta my way!" shouted Rita, shoving Alice aside as she followed them. Bud made it through next. However, Alice had been slowed down, and the three men caught up to her, one biting a huge chunk out of her arm while the other two barely missed. Alice screamed in terror, crying "It burns!" as she too made it through the door along with Alex.

OOC,[b]Duke[/b]'s DEX x 5 roll (75% stat): [dice]0[/dice] [b]Robert[/b]'s DEX x 5 roll (75% stat): [dice]1[/dice] [b]Rita[/b]'s DEX x 5 roll (65% stat): [dice]2[/dice] [b]Bud[/b]'s DEX x 5 roll (60% stat): [dice]3[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s DEX x 5 roll (45% stat): [dice]4[/dice] Zombie [b]Jeff[/b]'s Grapple attack (25% chance) on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]5[/dice] Zombie [b]Jeff[/b]'s Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]6[/dice] Zombie [b]Roger[/b]'s Grapple attack (25% chance) on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]7[/dice] Zombie [b]Roger[/b]'s Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]8[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Dodge roll (18% base skill): [dice]17[/dice] Hit location on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]11[/dice] Damage to [b]Alice[/b] from Bite attack: [dice]12[/dice] Zombie [b]Guzzmann[/b]'s Grapple attack (25% chance) on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]9[/dice] Zombie [b]Guzzman[/b]'s Bite attack (30% chance) on [b]Alice[/b]: [dice]10[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Dodge roll (18% base skill): [dice]18[/dice] [b]Alice[/b]'s Sanity roll (current level 58) for being bitten: [dice]15[/dice] Sanity loss: [dice]16[/dice] I'll count that roll as a DEX x 5 roll, which succeeds. Amazingly, everyone got through the door! Everyone is moving to the thread linked below:

Prisoners