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]

Outside, you see the sun going down on the west. Only a couple hours of daylight more.

There are dead-dead corpses on the street, crashed cars, rubble, hastily made barricades. Piles of burned bodies still smolder, empty gun cartridges litter spots here and there, all signs speaking of fierce battle.

Monica is already rushing ahead some, impatient and reckless, worry for her husband cutting on her survival instincts.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle doesn't curse, much, when Monica rushes ahead. She just grumbles and picks up her own pace a bit.

Maybe the zombies in this area are already re-dead?

[pheliskougra]

Is it any surprise that a zombie jumps out of an alley and attacks Monica?

Most likely not at all.

Is it any surprise this is not a shambler, but a quick-moving walking corpse that is armed with a two-by-four, and plenty able to to use to whack the woman out of balance and off her feet?

Is it a surprise the way the zombie screeches at its intended victim, acting more like a cunning predator than like a flesh-eating drone?

Finally, is it a surprise how Kelly drops into a crouching position for stability, takes aim with both hands and taps Mr. Armed Zombie with a bullet to the head, sending it tumbling away from Monica?

[aeons_crackshot]

Now, on the other hand, is the perfect time for cursing.

Annabelle has never run into 'smart' zombies before, and she would much rather have kept up that record, thank you.

The tumbling zombie gets another bullet or two to the head to make sure it will no longer be a problem. (There is no such thing as overkill, there is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload'.)

[pheliskougra]

A very good idea, splattering the thing's head completely, it was already trying to get up.

Kelly curses loudly, and shoots at two more feral zombies coming out of the alley: one carrying a tire iron, and another, holy crap, a cleaver!

[aeons_crackshot]

"I do not get fucking paid enough for this," Annabelle grumbles.

Tire Iron and Cleaver can get what Two by Four got, with extra lead.

[pheliskougra]

Well, you're not actually being paid for this at all.

Which fits well with the 'not enough' part.

Between you and Kelly, the zombies are easy to dispatch: feral does not mean particularly smart. And now Monica has a new chance to learn caution.

[aeons_crackshot]

"What the HELL is going on here?" Annabelle asks no one in particular. "Those were a hell of lot smarter than they should have been."

[pheliskougra]

Kelly shakes head, helping Monica stand. "I have no idea, but I gave up hoping it's a nightmare." Monica's rather shaken by the experience, murmuring a 'thanks'.

"We need to find a safe spot for the night, I don't want to be out here with those things in the dark."

[aeons_crackshot]

"How far are we from your apartment, Monica? Think we can make it before dark?"

[pheliskougra]

Monica's still a lot shaken by the close call (and obviously her shoulder is very much sore from the blow she received). "We.... yeah, we should. It's the last building on that block, overlooking the park." She points ahead, and you can estimate an hour or so of brisk walking.

[aeons_crackshot]

"Let's get going, then," Annabelle says with a reassuring smile.

[pheliskougra]

Monica does not seem much reassured, but starts again. Kelly's definitely skittish, warily eying every corner and alley and side street they pass.

A few more zombies, of the common shambler type, show up attracted by the gunshot sounds, but are easily to dispatch or avoid. The sun's starting to disappear under the horizon already when they reach the building and come across a (demolished) barricade. Dead-dead corpses are scattered around, shot, hacked, gnawed on.

[aeons_crackshot]

"Well, there WAS someone holed up here. The question is, where are they now?"

[pheliskougra]

Monica does not stop to consider, heading to the stairs. "Fifth floor." The stench of dead is strong inside the building.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle is mentally crossing her fingers that they're not headed straight on into very bad news as they head upstairs.

[pheliskougra]

As you move up, there are more barricades and more blasted zombies... and gnawed corpses. From the 4th to the 5th floor, the number of bodies goes steadily smaller, until they find an intact barricade.

The symbol to 'safehouse' is spraypainted on it.

Good sign?

[aeons_crackshot]

Probably, but Annabelle's not jumping to conclusions just yet. Annabelle looks around for a way over or through the barricade.

[pheliskougra]

There are a couple crates that can be used for such purpose, the three women should have little difficulty going over. On the other side they find one of those safegates, once past it, Monica makes a beeline to her own apartment's door.

Interesting, it's all locked up safe but the secured area looks empty.

[aeons_crackshot]

"Survivor's holed up in your apartment, maybe?" Annabelle asks as Monica works on opening the door.

[pheliskougra]

The woman shrugs a bit, trying to not look too worried: she opens the door and heads in calling for her husband. "Roger? Roger!"

Only silence.

[aeons_crackshot]

Annabelle may be cursing internally as they move into the apartment. She's looking around, trying to piece together what may have happened here.

[pheliskougra]

The apartment... is actually very neat, clean and in order.

Kelly stays by the door.

Monica comes out of the bedroom with a sheet of paper on hands, frowning.

[aeons_crackshot]

Oh great, looks like he left a note. Annabelle represses the urge to bang her head against the wall.

"What is it, Monica?"

[pheliskougra]

"They left downtown." The woman sighs, obviously skipping over the personal parts... mostly. "...I'm leaving this note hoping you will not come here read it, but if you do, we had a very rough couple of days: those things swarmed the front door, and HERC barely managed to hold them back. They were just a squad of five, and there were too many hallways to watch."

She pauses, skipping over another personal part, likely. "...we blocked the rear and side stairwells, and formed a bottleneck we could defend. Overnight, the attacks trickled off, and in the morning an HERC chopper landed on the roof. After they secured floors 5 to 12, they started evacuating people to the Stadium, which is their main base now. I overheard some of them talking about more outbreaks happening up north..."

"More?" Not good news.