When Zoe runs to her Rebecca slings her rifle and runs to meet her, enfolding her in a tight hug. "Sis! I was so worried. We're almost through. Just a bit more and we're home" she encourages her sister. Her frightened heartbeat settles down as Zoe's presence reassures her that her sister okay and they'll get through this. "You've done great so far." She smiles for a moment at Rusty. "At least someone's enjoying himself. Put your war face on, Rusty. We need you to keep us two safe!"

After the explosion, she breaks the hug and raises her rifle again. "Explosives, sheesh."

She smiles at Alex as Alex executes the diversion "Alex, you are a genius!" she enthuses. "All right, let's get Matt back to the vehicle. If there's any time left after that we do one more supply run." She escorts Zoe and Sean as they move Matt.

-1 Stress. +1 to Zoe's mobility roll with assistance.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:58, Thu 21 Mar.

A brief, very shaky smile appears on Alex's face at Rebecca's praise, though she won't really feel glad about anything until Matt is at least safely in the vehicle.  "Th-thanks.  That will only get us a few minutes, but hopefully that's all we need."

Not everything they've scavenged is even in the Range Rover yet, unfortunately, but at least a lot of it is packed, enough supplies for a little while.  And the short distance they still have to cross to reach the vehicle seems vast, Alex hovering near Matt, Zoe and Sean as though her nearness will help them along.  All she can really do, though, is help keep an eye out for obstacles and make sure the door of the Rover is open and waiting for them.

"Should we lay him down, is that better?" she asked Sean, anxiously, trying to work out in her head how they might best fit all the people and supplies into the space available.  The Range Rover had seemed huge before, but not so much now.

16:02, Today: Sean Anderton rolled 31 using 10d6 with rolls of 5,4,1,5,3,3,6,1,2,1.  PUSH. Mobility 4 + stress 6. One success and two walkers.

"That's quite cool." Ryder watches the prototipo whirl around the parking lot, walkers shambling after it.

Everybody seems to be struggling to get Matt into the Rover, and there are trolley loads of supplies waiting to be loaded. He knows the prototipo won't last forever and he's tempted to help out, but it's like Matt's a football at the bottom of a concerned citizens pile on. He figures he might have to shoot people even to get close.

Instead he grabs sacks of dried goods they hadn't loaded before and starts stuffing them into the trunk, pasta, rice, bourbon, jelly beans in the jumbo size tubs, tamales. Essentials. "Next time, I might consider boosting a Kenworth."

---

OOC: Ryder Hudson rolled 11d6 with rolls of 2,4,1,6,3,3,1,4,6,3,3. Load Matt. AGI:5; Mobility:2; Stress:4. Two successes. No walkers.
Ryder Hudson rolled 6d6 with rolls of 3,3,5,1,3,6.  Packing for Walmart. Survival. WIT:2; Stress:4. One success. One friendly neighborhood walker.

This message was last edited by the player at 18:49, Fri 22 Mar.

As Zoe feels the warmth of her sister's embrace, a surge of determination pulses through her veins. Even if she is difficult and stubborn and a pain in the ass Zoe will always need her big sis…

Then she turns to Matt and  struggles to lift him, slipping around in all that messy blood. She grunts through clenched teeth, "Come on, Matt, you gotta help me out here!" His weight and the sight of the blood overwhelm her. Tears blur her vision, mixing with sweat on her brow as fear and frustration consume her as she can’t get pictures of Bob out of her head. Then she can’t help herself thinking about her dad and why he left her…

OOC-16:59, Wed 20 Mar: Zoe Saroyan rolled 41 using 15d6 with rolls of 4,1,1,5,2,2,3,2,5,6, 1,1,1,5,2.  Mobility. – 1,1,1,5,2.  Mobility' class='helphover'>41
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:39, Mon 25 Mar.

Matt is beginning to sense the activity around him, but is still in extreme pain. He hears Zoe's call for help and tries to shift his weight to his stronger left leg. "I'm sorry," he murmurs, "that bastard shot me."

OOC-By my count, that's 3 successes, and 3 walkers for getting Matt to the car. Also, Ryder got 3 successes and 1 walker to gather more supplies and bring them to the car.

Things happen rapidly, even for people trying to carefully bring a injured man to the car so he does not bleed out. While Juan's device is still making noise, the sudden movement and sounds of speaking seems to draw several of the walkers to the group. Its a much smaller number than the full horde, still distracted and being lead away. However, they are close enough to break off and start wandering towards the living as they are getting into the car.

(OOC-Everyone expect Ryder & Matt gets another +1 stress for the swarm becoming aware of you. You don't need to engage them...yet, but a small group is headed your way.)

Ryder on the other hand stuffed all the dried goods he can into a shopping cart, and started to wheel it towards the car. However, the same small group of break away walkers nearly snags him and the cart as he zips by them.

(OOC-Ryder suffers a single walker attack. He may roll any combat or mobility skill to avoid it, and 1 success will be enough, but if he fails I will roll on the single walker attack table.

Ryder's roll will happen first, but anyone can post their actions which will occur after that. Depending on the results of Ryder's roll, we will be able to know if he made it to the car and loaded it, or if something else happened.

Matt is now in the car. All your stress counts should be up to date on your bios.)
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Mon 25 Mar.

It’s the smell that gives them away. Decay. The sewage scent of festering gut matter and the sweetness of rot. The walkers are faster than Ryder imagined. They must have been channeled by the shelves right into the still open doors, and out onto the loading bay. As he piles the last bag of rice on top of his cart, the whole teetering cartload wobbling, the first of the walkers lunges from the store, stumbling in her eagerness, teeth chomping spastically.

“Shit.”

Walkers can deceive, he knows. They may look slow, but if they get bunched up, you can quickly find yourself in a Walmart full of trouble. The first one is a plump woman in a Walmart uniform, waxy flesh purpled with dead veins. She grabs the cart, using it to launch herself at Ryder. He recoils, his fist cracks into her head, foot kicking her legs out from under her. She crashes to the concrete floor and he crushes her skull with his boot. Even as she goes still, he catches sight of more walkers crowding inside the store, flowing towards them with single-minded hate.

“Ok, we need to go—” he turns and runs towards the SUV, cart weaving drunkenly “—like right now!”

He rams the cart into the rear fender, spilling bags of pasta, rice and flour into the waiting trunk. He shovels the rest of the produce inside, one eye on the walkers. At least Matt is loaded.

---

OOC: Ryder Hudson rolled 14d6 with rolls of 6,6,2,3,3,6,3,2,2,5,5,2,2,5 Unarmed Combat. STR:4; Close Cbt:3; Martial Artist talent +2; Stress:5. Three successes. No walker.

In reply to Ryder Hudson (msg # 390):

Needless to say, the small group of dead that stood between Ryder and the car stood no chance. Even after the former living woman he took down, there where several more. None of them even slowed him as he proceeded to punch, kick, and throw various dead people until the path was cleared to the car.

OOC-Everyone can now post. The small group that had been heading your way is no longer an issue.

With Matt at last inside the Range Rover, Alex scrambles in after him, expecting to leave while they have the chance, now that Ryder has taken out the small group of Walkers threatening them.  It's both reassuring and scary how good he is at that sort of thing, though she has no time now to think about that too much.  She settles Matt's head in her lap, trying to make him more comfortable as she checks to make sure the bleeding from his wound isn't too bad.  That short journey from the security room has been rough on all of them, one way or another, and she's still shaking from the stress and fear.  Not that she has a lot of time to think about that, either.  Looking after Matt is all she can really focus on.

"Now that Matt's all tucked in the car and Ryder's aced that walker showdown like a boss, it's time to hit the road."

Zoe strides over to her scooter. "I'm taking the lead," she declares. "See you at the ship, guys!" With a rev of her scooter's engine, she speeds off. "Hang on, Rusty," she calls out to Rusty who is back in the backpack. "We're getting out of here," then she speeds off towards the ship.

"Zoe, don't go alone!" Rebecca calls after her. "We're in no shape to go back in there for more supplies. All right, Ryder, floor it. And don't lose Zoe" she says seriously. "We still haven't found what was jamming the walkie-talkies." Until they are back to the ship, Rebecca isn't off duty and she scans the nearby buildings for any signs of an ambush or a final attack by Craig, who was now almost assuredly walker chow. "And by the way Ryder, that was damn impressive."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:17, Mon 25 Mar.

"Try and keep him stable." I say to Alex as we get everything situated in the back seat. Once Matt is secured in the vehicle, I slide into the front passenger seat and anxiously wait for Ryder. Shifting in the seat, I glance backward and see the incoming shuffling Ghouls headed in our direction. They're growing in numbers, too. All of this could go badly very quickly. "Hurry up, Ryder!"

My eyes are drawn to Zoe as she jumps on her bike- along with Rusty- to make their escape.

OOC-anyone who is driving may make a mobility +2 roll to try and drive away. Zoe will have to make her own mobility +3 roll(+4 w/Rusty). Those in the car may assit the driver or Zoe, by calling out warnings. Matt may not provide help. Anyone helping gives +1 die per person helping that driver.
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:16, Tue 26 Mar.

Ryder doesn’t need to be told again. He dumps the last of the scavenged goods in the trunk and slams the tailgate, sending Indian basmati grains flying as the top bag cracks.

As he hops into the cabin, handing the rifle to Sean, Zoe is already revving her scooter. No car is quiet, but Zoe's scooter is something else. He slams the door on the noise and fug of gasoline fumes and glances over his shoulder at Matt and Alex. Matt looks better. At least someone is looking after him. That’s all they can hope for until they bring him back to the ship. The amount of blood on his pants is pretty unsettling, and Ryder briefly wonders what will happen to the SUV’s fancy leather interior.

Then he remembers he stole it and wonders why he should give a damn.

"Thanks Rebecca," he says, grinning as Zoe slaloms past. He eyes the herd of walkers. There are hundreds. More than ever were in the Walmart when they arrived. Craig, with his bloody music, has drawn them from miles around. Who knows what the exit road will be like? "I'll do my best to keep Zoe in sight and Matt stable, but it's still gonna be rough." He glances at Sean, smiles. "I suggest buckling up."

He secures his belt and shifts into drive. He stays still, watching the crowd of walkers get bigger. They’ve taken over the parking lot, huddled around the gate like vultures, awkwardly shuffling towards the cars. It’ll be damn hard to get in or out now, that’s for sure. Eventually, he eases the big Range Rover forward.

"Oh yeah, just in case I forgot to mention it, I busted the lights on the way in." He looks over at Matt. "Was kind of hoping Matt could fix 'em. Maybe Juan can have a look when we get back, though I'll probably end up fitted with machine guns or scything blades. Anyway. It's dark and we have no lights. ...so I'll be using the Force to get us back to the marina." He winks at Sean. "Thought you all should know."

---

OOC: Ryder Hudson rolled 14d6 with rolls of 1,6,4,1,6,6,2,1,3,4,3,1,3,4.  Driving Mobility. AGI:5; Mobility:2; Car+2; Stress:5. Three successes and a walker.

OOC-Waiting for Zoe's post to update.

OOC: obviously happy to share successes if Zoe needs them, and if there are any left over given the circumstances of our weird drive.

"Okay, just relax, Matt, we're in the car now and we'll be back at the ship in no time."  Even Alex hardly knows what she's saying, and there's no telling how much Matt is hearing, but the sound of her voice is the important thing, something to help keep him calm during the journey.  "We'll be back in no time, and then Sean will fix you up, just like he did for me.  Rebecca, too, she can help.  You'll be all right."

Again checking his wound, adjusting the makeshift bandages as best she can if necessary, she takes a quick glance around to make sure there aren't any more Walkers closing in.  Zoe has already zoomed off, she notices, which should also help as a distraction, though that also makes Alex worry about the girl.  With all those Walkers newly released from the store, plus all the noise attracting even more, things are a lot more crowded than usual out there.  At least she won't also be trying to show off for Ryder, Alex hopes.

"You'll be fine, Matt.  We're all here to look after you, just relax."  Squeezing his hand, she brushes his hair back, smiling soothingly.  She couldn't relax, not yet, but as long as she could reassure him that would be enough.

OOC: Trying to reduce stress, because the group's collective stress is nearly 30(!)

With adrenalin masking the pain, Matt is beginning to feel better. Glancing down at his hip and seeing the bandages for the first time, he whinces. Good thing I have more shirts. He looks up at Alex and smiles, "Thanks Alex ... I'm glad you're okay. It was my turn to get shot. Did you find Craig?"

OOC-Matt and Alex may lower their stress by 1. I have updated your bios as such.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:18, Tue 26 Mar.

Rebecca buckles her seatbelt. "It's tough to keep up with Zoe. Just do what you can." Her presently high opinion of Ryder drops when he talks about the busted lights. "Yeah, you did fail to mention that. We could have found something in there to help, but it's too late now. The best we can do is shine a flashlight up here." At least he's a good driver, and fighter.
She turns to regard Matt. " And we didn't find Craig, but I wouldn't worry about him. He just called hundreds of Walkers to his own location and he hasn't got power anymore. He's not important. The important thing is, how are you holding up? We'll get you right. You're the toughest one of us." She gives Matt a smile.
Rebecca resumes her watch, preparing to call out a warning if she sees anything that could cause problems for Zoe.

Assisting Zoe.

“Let’s stop taking turns on that, okay?” Alex says, though she also laughs a little out of sheer relief that Matt is awake and talking.  “No more getting shot.  But no, no idea where Craig is,” she adds, more quietly.  “I was more afraid that he’d find us before we could get out of there. But he just ran off, I guess.  He must have completely snapped after being stuck by himself for so long.” Had he not shot Matt, she might even have felt sorry for him, but now she just hopes that he’ll never be in a position to hurt anyone ever again.  “The Walkers probably got him, they’re crawling all over the place.”

OOC:
21:19, Today: Zoe Saroyan rolled 73 using 20d6 with rolls of 5,4,1,4,3,5,5,5,6,6, 5,2,4,4,1,4,3,1,1,4.  Mobility
21:20, Today: Zoe Saroyan rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.  Mobility assistance from Rebecca.

Agi 5, Mob 4, Scooter 3, Speed freak 2, Rusty 1, Stress 5, Rebecca 1

2 successes and 2 walkers

There was actually a cap of dices to an individual roll. :)

Both vehicles proceed to head off, trying for the exit. The problem was that more Walkers where being drawn to the Wallmart. Juan's device kept most of the horde away from the area the living where in. However, trails of the creatures where still been drawn by the fire, the light, and the sound of the burning building.

Ryder tries to drive away slowly, but the sudden movement draws nearby Walkers that where otherwise heading for Jaun's device. The everyone in the car sees the dead all around them, reaching for the windows and for the living within. Former men, women, even children trying to break the glass once they understood some sort of barley seen barrier kept them from living flesh.

Ryder's survival instinct gives him a sudden urge to DRIVE FAST NOW! He speeds up, knocking the dead away like tenpins. However, without lights, he does not see the car scrap against one of the nearby lightposts, now dark without power. People see sparks and hears metal tearing, lighting up the rotten faces staring at them outside the car. All now reaching for the fast moving metal steed full of meat.

Zoe follows in Ryder's wake. The SUV leaving an opening the scooter can manage through. However, with her narrow light beam, she can't see the distance between her and the horde being run over and pushed through. One of the dead manages to catch her hair, pulling back hard. She has to turn to keep her neck from being broken, and from her backpack she hears Rusty growl and roar in a rage. Her neck feels like its on fire, but suddenly the pressure is ended. Quickly looking over her shoulder, she sees Rusty holding a decomposed hand by the wrist. Its still twitching as he drops it on the ground.

Both vechiles manage to leave the Wallmart and the horde of the dead behind. The swarm does not follow along. The lure of the burning building and Jaun's device drawing them back into the parking lot.

OOC:
The SUV takes damage.

16:33, Today: Secret Roll: Fate 2 rolled 15 using 4d6 with rolls of 3,1,5,6.  Armor for car. – [roll=1711485190.65124.382353]

SUV, with the additional damage its already taken, only has 1 'health' point left.

Zoe takes 2 health damage.

Craig is on the hill, dropping a empty gas can and holding his pistol with the other hand. He watches his place of work, his kingdom, his place of a peaceful death go up in flames. He sees two vehicles driving away from the mass of dead, and notices the walkers entering the burning building. Heedless of what it would do to them.

He wavers, wondering if he should just use the pistol on himself. A painless death he never had the courage for. However, he felt something else now. Hatred. Hatred of Bob and his new friends who destroyed what little he had left. They got away with their loot, and he had nothing now. What did he ever do to them? Not share?

"Its not fair..." He growled, angry. He had been angry since he lost Alexandra to cancer. At least she had never lived long enough to see all this. He had no doubt she would not have made it. After he lost her, all he had was the store. Now he had nothing. Nothing but the hatred he carried for Bob and his friends.

It was then he felt an iron grip on his gun hand. His wrist was twisted, almost professionally, and he dropped the weapon. Then he felt himself being forced to his knees. Looking up, he saw the men with the shaved heads, some with red ballcaps.

"Well, well, well. Walmart Craig. Never thought I would see you again." Came the familiar voice. "I think you took advantage of my generous nature Craig. We had a deal. I remove the pests from your store, and I leave you in charge of it-for the price of weapons, food, and anything else we needed."

Craig looked up, and saw Kevin. Well, he called himself 'Grom' now, but it was really just Kevin. He had known the man for years, and he had only gotten worse after the end of the world. He had always been a bastard, but now he was a bastard who had lots of other bastards following him.

"It has not been a good day for me ether Walmart Craig." Grom, aka-Kevin went on. "I saw those losers raiding a coffee shop. Got the doc to jam their walkies with his new Gizmo. Was planning to take them down at the store, but then they spilt up. Thought it would be the perfect time to take em out..." Kevin looked at his men, who then looked away from their leader as if ashamed. "...but two of my trucks get taken out by a motorcycle sidecar and a bow and arrow! What the fuck guys? You had guns!" He snarled.

"We did shoot the driver...but..." one of the men whined.

"Shut up, Tommy! I don't want to hear excuses! You got nothing, and they took out two trucks worth of guys!" Kevin/Grom yelled at the man. "You did not even bring me those lunatics!"

"They got away..." Tommy said, crestfallen.

Kevin moved over to the man and slapped him. He seemed to then get control of himself, and draw a pistol. "Tell ya what, Craig." He turned back to the former store owner. "Its been super shitty today, so I am just gonna kill you, watch you get back up, and then kill you again. Sound good?" He then aimed.

Craig was thinking about shooting himself, so this seemed like a good deal. However, he remembered Bob. Driving away with his new friends. Laughing, no doubt.

"You could. But then you will never know where those people are going." He said, staring Kevin in the eyes.

Kevin paused, and growled. "I could torture you into talking."

"You should know torture is a shitty way of getting info. I want those people dead as much as you do, now." Craig pointed out. He was no longer afraid of anything. Death had no meaning anymore.

Kevin lowered his gun. "Well, shit. I guess I am gonna have to leave you alive for a little while longer, Walmart Craig." He gestured, and his men slammed Craig on the back of his head. All he knew then was darkness.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:24, Tue 26 Mar.