The Last Stand

[pheliskougra]

It's a dark stormy night might be a cliché in story-telling, but it's also stark reality now: the patter of heavy rain and the crack of thunder rousing you to conscience.

You are inside your sedan, face-first into the deployed airbag. Your chest hurts a little from the yanking of the seatbelt, but besides that minimal discomfort you seem uninjured.

The car is halfway into a ditch beside the road, the left-side light still on. The engine is stopped, and the whole of the car is askew, stuck in an odd angle. There's a crack on the windshield, passenger side, and the rain is washing off what seems to be blood.

You remember... a person, running into the road right in front of you. No time to stop, and you only had a glimpse before hitting the person, losing control of the car and crashing.

Probably you should do something about your current situation.

Who are you?

Why were you going to Union City?

Comments

[pheliskougra]

The people are surprised at your offer, and Monica is the first to speak up. "Hm, no. I have my gun." She pulls from the right pocket of her hoodie a PPM9... how cute.

No, seriously, with that little 'peashooter', even you would be hard pressed to drop a zombie.

"We could check the police precinct, they might have left something there." Ted speaks up again. "Also, there's that hunting and fishing store on the Old Road."

Jackson gives a nod. "I think we all could use some weapons... those going and those staying. And extra ammo too." He gestures to a small table near the door where a Death Adder .45 revolver is resting, at hand for quick use.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle gives the wee PPM9 a LOOK. "You can't go wrong with more weapons and ammo," Annabelle agrees.

This may be Annabelle's Guiding Principle of Life, you never know. "Which of them is closer to us?"

[pheliskougra]

"The Hunting Lodge, its some five blocks north of here." Ted explains. "The police's twice as far."

"I guess we could make a run for it. But some have to stay to keep the Woodruffs quiet." Jackson nods.

[aeons_crackshot]

"The who?" Annabelle asks.

[pheliskougra]

"Peter and Sarah. The... things, killed their children. Peter is in a nonstop panicked anxiety attack, wanting to run out and away. Sarah is in shock and denial. I'm not keen on leaving them alone in the house." Oh, right.

Ted shakes head. "Myself, Monica and Annabelle could take care of the gun run? A few shotguns, maybe a rifle, a couple handguns, and as much ammo as we can carry. They have those big camping backpacks there."

[aeons_crackshot]

"Sounds like a good plan," Annabelle agrees. "If we're not back in a few hours...."

Well, they probably know what that means.

[pheliskougra]

Jackson shakes head. "A couple hours until sunrise yet; sit down, and relax." It is better to have daylight on your side, right?

Monica finally moves away from the window, and sinks into the couch.

[aeons_crackshot]

It couldn't hurt. "I don't suppose there's a pack of cards around the place?"

It's not like anyone's going to sleep, right?

[pheliskougra]

Actually, they have. So killing time is not so bad after all...

Once the sun is out, Jackson will offer a round of three lies for breakfast, along with mineral water.

[aeons_crackshot]

Thankfully, no one loses their shirt over the course of the night.

Annabelle has eaten far worse things than MREs, so she scarfs the..whatever it's supposed to be down with hardly a pause.

[pheliskougra]

The package says 'meatloaf with gravy', the contents tasting more 'meatlike with sludge'... you're sure there's a law somewhere about feeding people crap like this.

Ah well.

Monica and Ted are ready to go.

[aeons_crackshot]

"I think you'd best take point, Ted," Annabelle begins. "I don't know where we're going after all."

And Monica's gun is, well, pathetic.

[pheliskougra]

"Watch my back, then..." Well, at least Monica has a gun. Ted carries a baseball bat.

Come to think of it, the bat is a better choice than the little peashooter.

Jackson will open the gate after they check the street, and Ted gives his father a tight hug. Not a goodbye hug, no, just a 'see you later, after this risky thing I'll attempt' hug.

[aeons_crackshot]

Of course. Goodbye hugs are a way to tempt fate.

Annabelle follows, watching his back. And their sides, and their front and rear too. She believes in being thorough.

[pheliskougra]

You and your group meet with just a few shamblers on the way, all easily dispatched.

As Ted said, four blocks up north, at the beginning of the Old Road, there is the hunting and fishing store.

Good news, it seems intact. Un-looted.

Bad news, it seems locked up pretty tightly.

[aeons_crackshot]

Time for plan B, then: Breaking and Entering.

Annabelle looks around for potential weak points in the building's security.

[pheliskougra]

A bit of force in a back door would probably work... or climb and enter thru the ceiling too, with the advantage that a ceiling-entrance would not make the building vulnerable for shamblers.

It all depends on how broken and looted you want to leave the place as, after you get what you need.

[aeons_crackshot]

"The roof looks like the place to start to me, that way nothing will wander in behind us while we're looking for things."

Annabelle IS capable of thinking ahead, no matter what her smart ass teammates may say.

[pheliskougra]

Ted gives a nod, and after checking the alley, climbs on a dumpster: from there he can help Monica into the roof, while you keep watch, then you while Monica keeps watch, then haul himself up while both keep watch.

Once up, Ted will work into breaking open a ventilation duct so they can shimmy in, taking care for not making too much noise.

Last thing they need is attracting shamblers, right?

[aeons_crackshot]

Definitely.

Annabelle keeps a sharp eye out for trouble while Ted works on the ventilation duct.

She'll make shimmying in look ridiculously easy, once they get that far.

[pheliskougra]

Monica will have not much trouble either.

Ted will have to squeeze in a bit, and will get a scrape or two on the way down, but besides that... they're in.

Ooh, candy store. There are heavy 'hunting revolvers', shotguns and hunting rifles, a very nice selection for fending off zombie hordes.

[aeons_crackshot]

This is Annabelle's face once she sees what's outside the duct: :-D

There are guns, lots of shiny, shiny guns. She eyes the shotguns and rifles with a practiced eye.

[pheliskougra]

It's a well-stocked hunting place, everything simple and functional.

Ted gets to work, gathering a roll of rope and a big backpack. They will need you to shoot off the locks of the displays, and once that's done, the young man gathers a scoped hunting rifle, two revolvers, two shotguns, and then ammo.

A lot of it.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle approves. Once she's taken care of the locks, she gets started on getting loaded for bear zombie.

Hm. Shotgun, rifle, crap-ton of ammo.....

[pheliskougra]

Hopefully you'll not mind carrying an extra shotgun and revolver, right? After all, it's good to have extras.

Ted will drag a table display under the air vent, and drag himself up and out with the rope. Then, the group can haul their 'supplies' up at their leisure, and stuff the backpacks full once they are on the roof again.