Play@YSDC

Archie takes Felicity's hand and when she pulls, he enjoins his strength with hers, pulling him back over the threshold, and -- at least temporarily -- out of immediate danger from the awful creatures. He is careful to keep moving so that he won't be in the way of the others as they try to escape, as well.

"Thank you, Miss Hayward. Much appreciated. That was very brave of you, by the way."

"Cheers," says Felicity, giving a quick peck on the cheek. "It was frightening, but I think it's also the most fun I've ever had."

Most of the investigators manage to shake off their undead opponent and, in a more or less daring way, they all find themselves safely in the second carriage, followed by Randolph. All but one are saved. Poor Alfie is not that lucky. Although he manages to repel the skeletal woman who was biting him, he then squirms and screams. Something suddenly changes him. His skin turns pale and dry, his mouth begins to smear with blood. He is seized with convulsions and his mouth makes horrible faces. Within seconds, Alfie transforms into a living dead creature, one of the cursed passengers of the Liverpool-London express.

OOC:   Roll Stability difficulty 4. If failed you lose 2 points. You can spend 1 point of Stability and add it to the result.

After some moments of astonishment and terror for the end of poor Alfie, Henry takes the notebook from the bag and, with a face still full of sadness, begins to study the pages of mathematical formulas. After about half an hour, he adresses the others with triumphant but still melancholy words.

"Yes! I was right. We are now in the train set..."
"We need to reach the locomotive, get inside and increase the speed of the train. This will open the gate again for our way back."

'For the love of...' gasps Andrew as he watches Alfie transform before his eyes. He thinks back to his struggles on the roof of the carriage. That could have been me.

L1d6

Felicity manages to take everything in stride, too caught up in the adventure of the moment, though she does shed a tear for poor Alfie. "One of us could make it there via the roof, someone good at mechanical things," she says. "but now we know they can climb. Before we try that, is anyone hurt? We'd better take care of those injuries before we leave the safe carriage."

Stability roll (0 points spent):
1d6

"No, Alfie!" Archie cried. "NOOO..." The name transformed into a mournful cry and then stopped, stunned into silence at the loss of his new friend.

My current Stability is 7. I will spend one point for the roll.

1d6

“Mercy me! Stand back, everyone.” Clarence watches aghast as poor Alfie transforms. He keeps his sword at the ready, aimed at the new zombie.
“Let us avoid being bitten at all costs and end this nightmare!”

Stability: 8, use 1 roll: 5

Previously said:   “Randolph, I am so very sorry.” He realises that Randolph must be at his wits end to be so unaffected by the loss of his son.”

OOC:   It is Alfie the one who died (the investigator of the player who has left). Randolph´s son, Henry, is still alive.

After checking and seeing that nobody is hurt, Randolph says:
"So, someone has to reach the cabin of the locomotive, get in, put coal in the furnace and speed up the train. All this, while avoiding ending up like your friend Alfie. Does Anyone have a plan?"

"Well, if we try what I just did to get to the other end of the first car," says Felicity, "we know they'll climb up to the roof. One of us could get past them, but then whoever did it would be trapped on the other side. They could be knocked off the roof, maybe, but there's a bunch of them. What if most of us go up on the roof to get them all up there and distract them, while one sneaks through the now empty car to the locomotive?"

'We're in the second carriage? Those creatures in the first. So we just need to get past that carriage and then into the locomotive? We know they can climb onto the roof, but not very quickly. If we had some weapons we might be able to fend them off for a while...' He muses, 'What would happen if we disconnected the coupling from the locomotive to the first carriage? Would the locomotive pull away?'

"I would think so," says Felicity, "and probably faster without all that weight. But would all of us fit in the locomotive?"

Archie scratches his chin for a moment, stroking his steadily growing whiskers, the looks over at Felicity.

"Did you happen to glance toward the engine while you were up there? Or were you too busy fighting off the creatures?"

Clarence walks down to the far end of the carriage and looks through the door at the end.
“If we could draw them along the roof to the back of the train and then scurry down and back here to safety, it might give our engine man a chance, hmm.” He ponders his idea and then walks back up to join the conversation.

Henry thinks a little and then replies to Andrew.
"Disconnecting the wagons will work, but we have to do it when we are all in the locomotive. Whoever is in the locomotive will be able to get back. Whoever stays in the disconnected wagons will stay here with them."
Clarence sees that after the second car there is a third one, the restaurant car. This is the last one.

Previously said:   Would all of us fit in the locomotive?

Yes, it is feasible, but someone will have to stand on the edge clinging to the body of the locomotive.

Archie raised his hand, and spoke up.

"Well, I volunteer to be the person standing on the edge. Miss Hayward has already risked life and limb for our sakes. It can be my turn this time."

"Thank you," says Felicity. "We can secure you to the locomotive with your belt. Maybe we should go across the roof to reach the locomotive before the dead can climb up there. Then we'll just have to hold them off until we can uncouple the first car."

Clarence says,
“The rest of us can climb up to the roof and draw the dead all the way to the far end of the carriage behind us. Then we drop down into the carriage and peg it back here and then onto the locomotive. That should give our engine man and stoker time to prepare.
So long as that carriage is empty, of course. Do you know if it is, Henry?”