NOR - Carson, Leroy

[Laraqua]

The two move off while Dr. Sutcliffe is distracted.

[Piano man]

So Carson. Tell me about your dream. It might be important. You were there in my dream, at least for a little while. I'm wondering if there is a connection.

[Laraqua]

+2 to Fast Talk, +1 Persuade and +1 Psychology for Louie.

+1 to an appropriate skill for Carson.

[OathinBlood]

"I don't know...it was so long ago. I remember it being an ordinary day. I was talking to Leroy when an emergency announcement went over the P.A. It said something about a chemical spill. Me and Leroy decided to head down. The next part is a blur - some black fluid or gas or something outside started...hurting?...Disintegrating?...people. Leroy and me headed to the dispensary, where we sealed ourselves in with one or two other people. That's when I woke up."

[Piano man]

Louie let's out a little gasp.

Ok Carson. We need to pick up the pace a little. Your dream is part of mine, but I think that we need Leroy to help explain. I think that you will be able to help us understand what has gone on over the last three years.

[OathinBlood]

"A communal nightmare..." Carson picks up the pace to Leroy and Joel's ward.

[Laraqua]

Joel's ward is actually on the second floor - I checked the maps, no wards on the first. Do you take the stairs (nearer) or the elevator (past the stairs)?

[OathinBlood]

[OOC: Well, Louie's in a wheelchair, so elevator it is.]

[Piano man]

Louie starts speaking and then stops. He seems unsure of what he is about to say. With a deep breath he decides that honesty is the best policy.

Listen. There is something you should know. Early on in this experience something happened to you. You were turned into a mindless zombie. Later on you attacked a few of us, and I was forced to shoot you. It didn't stop you though, just slowed you down. I believe the minute you turned into a zombie........well...I guess there is no good way to say this. You were dead. That's when you woke up I'll bet. It seems that everyone who has woken up has died in some way or another. Me I was attacked by a bunch of zombie kids. I'm willing to bet that when we talk to Joel, and Leroy that we will hear similiar stories.
Louie pauses for a few seconds and continues.

I'm really sorry you know. I didn't want to shoot you, but I had no choice. You weren't really you.
Louie trails off fearing that he's said to much already, and that he looks like a raving lunatic

[Laraqua]

The elevator doors open, revealing Leroy and Joel with a janitor's tray and food tray, respectively.

[ImpInTraining]

"Hey... Obi-wan! There you are. Hungry?" He glanced around the waiting area, "Any chance there's a courtesy phone down here? Or a pay phone?"

[OathinBlood]

"Leroy! We were looking for you." says Carson, nodding towards Louie to indicate him. "Glad you've woken up."

[Laraqua]

There are pay phones on the first floor waiting area.

The meal deliverers are going to be mad as hell when they find the food trays missing, though.

[Piano man]

Louie smiles at the thought of food.

Ya I'm starving, but I wouldn't suggest going to the lobby right now. There were just some government guys trying to take away anyone who just woke up. I kicked up enough of a fuss that they left, but they called for goons to come and take us. They will be here shortly. Let's walk and talk. I'm sure we can find another phone. I take it from the Obi Wan comment that you have the same memories of what happened that I do. Carson needs to be filled in so let's all compare stories and see if we can't figure this out. I have some theories, but I would like to hear what you have to say first.

[ImpInTraining]

"I didn't want to say anything in front of the doctor, because Leroy seems to think it's not over. If it isn't, and he's not just a paranoid lunatic, then we don't know who to trust. But yeah, Leroy and I compared 'dreams' ... and we've concluded it wasn't a dream, but that's not saying it wasn't a mass hallucination. I'm still not quite sure what parts were real and what parts weren't," Joel responds, offering a covered tray to Louie.

[ImpInTraining]

He looked to Carson and asked, "Wait a second... weren't you the guy that Louie shot with the shotgun? You were dead..." He looked questioningly to Leroy and asked, "He died, right?"

[OathinBlood]

"Yeah. I had a dream...no, nightmare, too - but I didn't go into a three-year long coma. I think I was asleep for...I don't know, but it was less than a week. I just assumed it was a Rohypnol..." Carson paused, rattling the bottle in his pocket, "...overdose. It's happened before. But then I found out that 500,000 people went comatose, including Leroy, who was in my nightmare."

[ImpInTraining]

Joel pulled the two men into the elevator by their shirts, "Get in here..."

He pushed the "G" button.

"500,000 people? Jeez. Well, in our experience, you got some water from the air ducting into your eye or something and went into zombie-constructor mode, building some blockade with the rest of the dead-heads. Obi-wan here came along and said, 'He's one of them...' or some such thing... levelled his shotgun at you, and KERBLAM!" Joel made an imitation of someone shooting a shotgun and it kicking and nearly fell on his weakened ass. After regaining his composure, he said, "Louie said you were 'walking dead'. But hey, I fought for you even though the rest of them just stood around and let them blow you away. Not much I could do at 15 years of age against some crazy janitor with a shotgun though... you know?"

[Piano man]

Louie gives Joel a stern look. Not as a boy, but as one man to another.

Listen I've already told him about that, and it was hard enough to do without you blathering on about it. Now I have a theory about what's going on. I should start by saying that I saw a zombie already. Well kind of a zombie. Doctor Sutcliffe looked dead to me, but only for a couple of seconds. I thought I was imagining things until the same thing happened to Jill. Now Carson here was asleep for only a week, but he died fairly early into the experience. Now I showed up here after I was surrounded by little kids covered in water. I can only assume they killed me, and I woke up here. What happened to you two right before you woke up.

[ImpInTraining]

Joel ignored Louie for the moment, continuing on to Carson, "So the moral of the story is ... if he's toting a shotgun, don't stick around him. Come to think of it, as we we heading off to save my mum, he chickened out and went running back to the hospital - taking the only real weapon we had with him." He sneered at Louie, "Thanks for that, ya wanker."