Z-Day - 10:00 AM Mountain Daylight Time - Underneath the T-Bone In the warehouse- Buzz and Mutt led the way back up the stairs and into the warehouse, carrying their crates. Earl, Ashley, and Thomas carried the remaining sealed crate, followed by Hammond lugging Kerry and Flip escorting Rosie.
"Careful," whispered Horst. "We don't know what the situation is up on the surface, so be prepared for anything."
"I hear someone upstairs, opening the trapdoor," Mutt whispered back. "He sounds like a demon laughing."
"That's Hammond," Flip added quietly.
"Same difference, then," added Horst. "He shoulda run when he had the chance."
OOC,[b]Earl[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill):
[dice]0[/dice]
[b]Rosie[/b]'s Listen roll (60% skill):
[dice]1[/dice]
[b]Ashley[/b]'s Listen roll (50% skill):
[dice]2[/dice]
[b]Horst[/b]'s Listen roll (25% base skill):
[dice]3[/dice]
[b]Flip[/b]'s Listen roll (36% skill):
[dice]4[/dice]
[b]Buzz[/b]'s Listen roll (49% skill):
[dice]5[/dice]
[b]Mutt[/b]'s Listen roll (56% skill):
[dice]6[/dice]
Rosie/Ashley/Flip,The sound of something heavy being moved, followed by the trapdoor opening, came from upstairs. Then [b]Hammond[/b]'s maniacal laugh drifted down from above.
10:01 AM In the warehouse-
The group carried the crates across the warehouse to the stairs leading back to the surface.
Rosie/Ashley/Flip,"Need any help, Boss?" came [b]Dave[/b]'s voice from far upstairs.
"Thanks, [b]Dave[/b], I got this," said [b]Hammond[/b] after a pause. Then there was the sound of liquid spraying. "Those skinheads are down there with a bunch of those people who won't stay dead. I managed to get away while they were fighting. Now I'm gonna burn 'em all!"
Buzz and Mutt began ascending the stairs when a stream of liquid began flooding down them from above. "S***, run!" cried Buzz, turning around and running back with Mutt into the warehouse just ahead of the flood. Thomas had been around the truck stop long enough to recognize the scent of diesel fuel. It spread out quickly across the floor.
Horst and Flip grabbed their hostages and headed back downstairs, followed closely by the others.
10:02 AM In the warehouse- Earl and Ashley didn't hesitate, running with Thomas downstairs with the crate ahead of the spreading fuel. Buzz and Mutt were right behind them with their own crates.
In the fallout shelter-
"Stop boss, someone else down there," yelled Dave from far above. "Who is down there, identify yourself?"
As everyone rounded the first landing, there was a whoosh from above, and the top of the stairs was lit by an orange glow as the warehouse was engulfed in flames! "BURN IN HELL YOU BASTARDS!" screamed Hammond from far above at the top of his lungs.
"My own brother-in-law just tried to kill me!" exclaimed Earl. "And Rita's down here too!"
"Where'd he get the gas?" asked Buzz. "I thought the damn pumps blew up!"
"It's the fires of hell!" cried Mutt as they hastily descended the next flight of stairs. They were out of immediate danger now, the conflagration far enough above them. "We're trapped down here!"
"No we're not," said Horst, who was strangely calm. It wasn't like him to be the voice of reason. "This sweet thing managed to get in here from the compound through the tunnels." He squeezed Kerry. "That means we can get back that way."
"The demons are below and they are hungry," said Flip.
Horst laughed. "If we run into any demons, they'll be sorry they messed with me." Now that was more like him.
Thomas is not sure that's the best idea, but it's probably a better option than whatever awaited them topside.
"I can't believe Hammond would do this. I mean, he's a prick and all, but this seems pretty hardcore. And everyone else just went along with it?" He shakes his head in disbelief. Had they been only a few steps further along there was a good chance they'd all be dead now, and it sobers him.
He looks towards Horst's prisoner. "Um, any chance we can get her to tell us the way she came?" He doubted it; the woman seemed distraught. And from what he saw he could hardly blame her.
10:03 AM In the fallout shelter-
"How 'bout it, Kerry?" said Horst. The poor young woman was not responsive, a thousand yard stare on her face. "Yeah, I guess you're right. The other one sure ain't gonna talk. Earl, on the other hand, isn't a blubbering wreck...yet. So, Earl, you gonna tell us how she got in...or would you rather play This Little Piggy?"
Earl gulped. "All I know is that there's a sealed hatch at the far end of the hall, past the cell block," he said. "Me and Hammond found the girls banging on it, trying to get out. We opened the hatch and hauled them up. I never poked around down there, though."
The group finally reached the bottom of the stairs. The open gate loomed before them.
Thomas is still not thrilled about going down the hatch, but he reasons if Kerry had made it it was probably safe. And it seemed like Charlie and the rest had gone down ahead of them.
Besides, it had to be safer than braving that inferno. He continues forward.
10:05 AM In the short hallway-
The group proceeded into the reception area.
In the reception area-
Here the three dead bodies, two skinheads and one priest, still lay, thankfully unmoving. "We're in hell," said Mutt, his voice full of wonder. "We're all in hell."
Thomas keeps moving. He really wishes Horst would give him a gun, but he knows he'll just mock him again, so he keeps quiet.
In a way, maybe this was a blessing. Horst seemed unstable, and there was every chance a firefight might erupt if they reached the surface. Hopefully no more of those things were down below, though.
Thomas,[b]Thomas[/b] heard a squeaking sound coming from up ahead, accompanied by gnawing. He recognized the sounds as being made by rats, and they were coming from one of the cells; specifically, the one containing the dead body.
"Um, guys, I'm hearing some sort of squeaking sound, I think it's rats. They sound like they're coming from one of the cells up ahead. The one with the...dead body." He does not speak out the obvious conclusion of what they may be doing.
10:08 AM In the cell block-
The group kept going into the cell block. As it passed the open cell door, everyone could see that Thomas was right. There were two rats in the cell, one already chewing on the corpse and another heading across the floor in order to join it in its gruesome feast.
