Redwall Abbey

This is a survival roleplaying game. It's a mixture of Overlord's Orders, Roleplaying and Mafia.

A new day dawned, with one of the most beautiful sunrises of all time. Light red spread across the wispy clouds. It was yet another day in the bustling world. However, all was not exactly as it had been.

As the age old saying goes - "Red at night, sailor's delight. Red in the morning, sailors take warning!"

This violently red morning was one to especially take warning of. A terrible disease had been spreading throughout humanity, and that crimson morning was the final day that civilization would exist. The disease warped, changed and ruined its hosts. It created monsters - zombies - dead men walking, who would stop at nothing to eat and kill - creating more of themselves. The police were powerless, not realizing that only a head shot would stop these monsters. Millions of people each day became one of them, and soon only ragged groups of survivors remained.

One group of survivors had something in common. They were from all parts of the world, but had been vacationing in Florida when the catastrophe took place. Now they found themselves trekking through the tall brown grass of an abandoned farmer's field. They were well armed and well supplied. If anyone could survive, they could. But little did they know, the next couple weeks would be filled with danger and death.


WELCOME, to the first round of "Survive The Crimson Sunrise." I've thought this up pretty much on my own, and I hope you'll consider playing this survival Role play. I'm very excited to give it a try, as I've thought about it for awhile.

There is only one goal: Survive, in any way you can. And there's an infinite amount of possibilities. Creative players will last longer in new ways, and less active or blundering players will surely wish they had done better.

The game will be fast paced and will continue until only one or two people remain.

RULES:

The Host: This is me, and the host will change after each round, with the sole survivor of the previous round hosting the next one. The host is responsible with keeping the game flowing, killing off characters and controlling a wide variety of things from weather to zombies to humans not represented by forum members. Forum members will die periodically

The Players: Forum member players are responsible for their own safety. They could be killed off at any point and in any way, and have two major things to deal with. One - elemental safety. They need to make sure they are safe from the environment and zombies. The best way to do this is to set up a base with some sort of safety contraption - walls, tin cans to warn of zombies. The more creative and efficient the defense, the more likely they are to survive. Their other main concern is other players. Players can plot against one another and kill each other off. If someone is murdered, the group can decide to kick the one they deem responsible out. A player can leave the main group at any time if they are worried about the other group members. Alone, however, environmental risks are greater.

Food and supplies This game is all about coming up with clever new ways to survive. For this reason, you are all well supplied. Anything you think you would have with you, you can use. String, tins cans, bullets. anything. Be warned, the use of ammunition excessively will result in running out of ammo - which the host can decide will happen at any point. Try using melee weapons instead. You will only need food when the narrator says so. They will provide a nearby location for you to loot. This will force separate groups to converge on one location. Then they can fight, ignore each other or run away. If a group does not scavenge for food when necessary all the members may well die. (Anything can happen!)

Environment I want you to live through this apocalypse however you want to! If you want to hole up in an old school - do it! The environment, old buildings and surroundings (forests, rivers, mountains) are all within your control! If you hole up in a building it will be easier to defend, but there will be more zombies. If you hole up in the forest it will be harder to defend, but there will be fewer zombies. If players are in a group together, they need to agree upon their surroundings - you can't live in a cave and in the middle of a city at the same time! Also, if you simply write "We found a castle with mounted machine guns" The host will likely force you to edit that post. Think realistic please.

Murder: This is the most fun aspect of the game. You can kill anyone, anytime. It could be in your best interest, as it moves you closer to being the last survivor. You could also be a team player, and hope that in return no one will attempt to kill you or suspect you. To murder someone, simply send the host a Private Message detailing how you plan to murder this person. The more elaborate and innovative your plan, the more likely it is to succeed. If you plan to kill an active player, you will be less likely to succeed. Less active players are easier to kill. The host will write in how the death occurs. If Billy sends me a private message that he plans to kill Tommy at night with a knife, the host will start the next morning detailing how the group discovers Billy dead, with a bloody knife on the ground next to him. If Tommy plans to push Billy into the zombies, the host will detail how Billy suddenly stumbles and falls headlong into the zombies. The surviving players may catch the murderer in the act, or suspect someone. They must decide as a group if they want to execute someone, send them away on their own, or do something else. Just talk about it and decide - you can do anything!

Sanity Every time you kill someone your sanity will go down. If you murder them, especially. A great strategy is to act nice and part of the team, while killing people off like a crazy person. However, if you kill too many people, the host can decide that you are insane, or evil. They will then send you a PM, telling you that you can no longer be nice often to other players, or that you must show some sort of aggression on a zombie. This is why you want to be careful when you do things not morally right.

Charcters Forum members can submit their own characters. The host may be looking for a specific combination. For example, a little girl character would not have any skills, but would boost the group's Sanity. If she were to be killed, this would deeply hurt the group's sanity. A strong male character would make the place safe and can deal with zombies. A nurse character would not be able to fight zombies well, but could cure diseased or injured survivors.

Going off on your own or splitting up If the group seems to be crumbling, or quarreling, you can decide to leave the group. You can even talk with other survivors secretly over PMs about leaving and forming your own group. When there are two or more different groups the host will make different things happen to each group. Both groups can attack one another or attempt to steal supplies. They will run into each other again, because the host will force everyone to loot the same supermarket for food or something similar.

Winning The host will kill off players who do not put up good defenses or don't post often enough. The game will continue into there is only one player left standing. If two or more players form a tight knit team, two players can survive rather than having to turn on each other - as that wouldn't make any sense. If this happens, the host decides who is most deserving to be the next host.

RULE NUMBER 1: Be creative, and don't worry about rules. This is about fun, not rigidness. Just PM the host if you think someone has overstepped or you are worried about doing something. Again, This is about fun - not restrictions
RULE NUMBER 2: Don't publicly try to moderate other players, just PM the host. It is his responsibility to keep things in line.
RULE NUMBER 3: Moderators outrank even the host. Follow the forum rules. Do not do anything too over the top.

Points If you die first you receive one point. If you die second you receive two points and so on.

Best Survivors:
1. Gonff                        -         3 Points
2. Søren                        -         2 Points
3. James Gryphon            -        1 Points
------                           -         0 Points
------                           -        0 Points

Hosts:
Round 1 - Fatch of Southsward

Current Players:
1.    Sagetip(Kyle Katarn)[alive]
2.    Eulalia (Eul)[alive]
3.    Delthion (Delthion) [alive]
4.    Gonff (Wilbur Dakfield) [dead]
5.    Sandpaw ( Antonio Francis) [alive]
6.    Groddil (Jason Taylor) [alive]
7.    Søren(Søren)  [dead]
8.    James Gryphon (Sergei Savin) [dead]

I hope this all makes sense. Please ask questions if you need to. Here's a summary

Survive and interact with other players, survive the things the host throws at you, murder people, deal with possible murderers however you want to or team up. stay with the group, split off into another group or go out on your own.

To make a character it's just like a normal RolePlaying game [human characters, for now.]:

Name:
Race:
Occupation:
Age:
History:
Appearance:
Anything else you want to add - please add!

I'll join, but I'm afraid i don't have the time to fill out a character sheet just yet.

Great! No hurry  ;D

(I'm kinda self conscious about hosting parties or starting things, so it's really comforting that you joined.  :) )

This sounds really fun, I'll make a character sheet after I've eaten breakfast! ;D

I'll join, sounds pretty cool.

I will definitely join this! When I get home in a bit Ill get my sheet up!

Ok, here's my character sheet.

Name: Eulalia, goes by Eul
Race: Human
Occupation: Author
Age: 16 (the question is.... is that my real age? ;D )
History: Went to go camping in Florida. When the plane landed, zombies were already there.
Appearance: short, only about five feet tall. Long blond hair and green/brown eyes. Wears good running shoes, dark jeans, a t-shirt and a dark fleece jacket. Though she is small, what she lacks in strength, she makes up for in speed.
Strengths: quite fast, and does lift weights at the gym so she's not completely helpless when it comes to strength. When she is determined, she will get something done. Also, because she is sensitive to touch, smell, and sound, she will notice any change involving those three.
Weaknesses: she cannot swim, she freaks out if a bug lands on her, and she has Asperger's Syndrome which means she isn't very good at reading people and has sensory issues. Because she is sensitive to touch, smell, and sound, things will often bother her and make it harder for her to focus.
Items: she has a backpack which carries all she considers necessary. A machete is strapped to her belt, a pocket knife in her pocket, a flashlight clipped onto her belt. In the backpack are batteries, an extra pair of clothes, money, bottled water, some canned food, a few mechanical pencils and a journal, a toothbrush and toothpaste, lotion, hand-sanitizer, a flash drive, and a Redwall book.

Tell me if there's anything I need to change (wasn't sure if I could already have the supplies or collect them later on).

Name: Wilbur Dakfield
Race: Human (White I'm guessing for specifics)
Occupation: A journalist and upcoming Author
Age: 24
History: Wilbur led a pretty quite and peaceful life in West Virginia. His parents both worked long office hours, so he, being an only child, was alone a lot. This benefitted him however as would explore the forest and surrounding area. Here, he picked up many skills such as Archery, recognizing different plants, and spotting differnet tracks from animals. This curiousity led him to write many a story about the differnet things he would find. By the time he was in college, he had picked up a writing gig at the local newspaper joint and wrote small articles here and there. In his free time he began writing his book, which he planned to publish, but was not able to since college took a bit longer than planned. Now, he had been sent from West Virginia to Florida to do an article on an invasive plant species that orgiginated from there. A week after arriving, the zombies suddenly started to grow in number.
Appearance: Has shaggy brown hair, blue rimmed glasses, and long slacks and polo. Only mild sandels cover his feet. Very tall, around 6'1, and lanky as well. Has blue eyes, and very good hearing.
(Gonna copy Eul here)
Strengths: Can hear and see very well, has keen senses. Knows a lot about the wilderness and animals. He also is good at archery, but using a gun in tough situations is also good.
Weaknesses: Gets nervous and scared very easily. His aim with weapons such as guns is very unsteady, and his stamina is not very high. This is why he usually proposes to sneak around and not use utter brute force.
Items: Has a backpack full of things such as a small spade, fork and spoon, his pistol, assortment of cans, pocket pens and notepad, extra straps of cloth, canteen, couple of old nails and hammer, and dagger. He added a separate pocket for food keeps his bow on his soldier. Also, on his belt is his ammo clip and side quiver which is full of blue feathered fletchings.

Name: Kyle Katarn
Race: White male
Occupation: Jedi Owner of a well-known computer shop in Cincinnati
Age: 47
History: Kyle showed a natural talent for hardware at a young age. His parents nurtured this talent throughout high school and as he got an engineering degree in college. Going on to become semi-famous in the U.S. his fame declined as he shunned it to pursue his strong suit in a variety of high tech repair jobs, working for companies like Apple and Microsoft. Now he puts that experience to good use running his own computer repair shop.
Appearance: Kyle has dark brown hair, mustache and beard. He wears a semi-casual collared shirt with khaki pants.
Strengths: Good with tech, Kyle can produce and repair fantastic contraptions capable of many things. Sensors, booby traps, and even weapons helped him evade the zombie threat throughout the dawn.
Weaknesses: Ensnared by terrible OCD and a fear of failing, he can be extremely self destroying at times. A foil to his technological brilliance, his mentality prevents him from making do with what he has.
Equipment: Set of computer tools, intelligence, a special taser that he nicknamed Tesla.

Name: Delthion
Race: Human
Occupation: Olympic Sabre fencer.
Age: 15
History: He always hated Florida, but he was dragged there by his family, who were killed in the first few days.
Appearance: 5'11", short brown hair. Blue eyes, rather lanky, but decently strong. Wears shorts, t-shirt and hiking shoes.
Strengths: (In this case.) Fearless, calculating, logical, skilled with a blade, and a decent shot.
Weaknesses: Detests swimming, is much more confident being alone. Tries to be a leader frequently, doesn't always work out well.
Items: Many things. ;D

Name: Antonio Francis
Race: Human, Hispanic
Occupation: C.D.C Operative
Age: 27

History: An immigrant from Mexico Antonio moved to the United States at a young age and lived the life of a traveler eventually settling down in Florida. He was exceptionally smart an very quickly graduated High School and Collage. He wanted to serve a good cause so he joined the C.D.C hoping to help people, and continue his Education to get a masters in medicine. Unfortunately the Zombie crises began and Antonio was assigned to a unit trying to develop a cure, vaccine, anything that could help. Something went wrong during testing however and the entire team was killed with the exception of Antonio. He is still attempting to continue his work, however he is forced to move from place to place making it difficult to get anything done.

Appearance: Antonio is Hispanic of medium height. He wears a dirty pair of kakis, a button down, and white lab coat. He has a backpack full of medical gear, and other equipment he's found. He also wears a baseball cap with an imprint of the C.D.C logo.

Name: Jason Taylor
Race: Human (Caucasian)
Occupation: Serial Recluse
Age: 27
History: Jason Taylor was once a highly successful businessman, and one of the most powerful men in the country. Two years ago; however, Jason lost his family in a terrorist attack, and was never the same. He took to the mountains, to live the rest of his life alone. To protect himself from bear attacks, Jason's manor near the summit is stocked with guns and ammunition, as well as a large kitchen with a lot of frozen food. Should the power go out, there is enough fresh food to last Jason two weeks.
Appearance: Jason is a Caucasian male of medium height. He is wiry and not very muscular, meaning he tries not to engage enemies in close quarters, but will if he has to. Jason is constantly seen wearing warm clothing, and constantly has at least one knife strapped to his belt and a powerful rifle in his backpack to ward off bears.

Oi, guess what? I searched for Jason Taylor and here's what I found. Seems legit.

(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/2e/05/2b/2e052b641feab37237c62c6f0486bf22.jpg)

[close]

Items: Because of his lifestyle, Jason's home is stocked with many items required to survive in the mountains. In addition to guns, ammunition, and food, Jason has a small gas stove with several gas bottles that will allow him to boil the surrounding snow into drinkable water, and a lot of warm clothing. Despite being geared up to survive, Jason is not very good at using his equipment, and if locked out of his home, it would be much more difficult for him to survive. Now, miles from his home and in Florida, Jason will do anything to get back to the Rocky Mountains.

Name: Søren
Race: Caucasian of confusing descent
Occupation: Web journalist
Age: 20
History: Was headed on the right track to a successful person and family until the apocalypse. Family and loved ones were lost, tragically.
Appearance: About 6 foot tall, black hair, mostly tan
Anything else you want to add - please add!
Really doesn't have many violent tendencies, but all of that has been blown away since the apocalypse.

So happy to have you all! We'll close signups soon, and the round will begin!

Name: Sergei Savin
Race: Russian
Occupation: Retired
Age: 76
History: His background isn't common knowledge. Locals like to speculate he was involved in the Russian military and defected to the United States during the Cold War. Some evidence seems to point to a mercenary career capped off by a stint fighting paramilitaries in South America. Regardless of his origins, what is known is that he retired to a small backwater cottage in the Florida countryside back in '92, and has stayed largely out of the public eye ever since.
Appearance: Still relatively tall, standing 6'2. Wear and tear makes him look even older than he is.
Strengths: Possesses an overall remarkable athletic physique for someone his age, with good strength, endurance and agility. Sharp vision. Expert marksman, tracker and woodsman. Good understanding of combat planning. Speaks fluent Russian, and some Spanish.
Weaknesses: Poor hearing (a weakness accentuated by a refusal to wear any kind of aids). Bad knees reduce his top speed. Speaks limited English, with a pronounced accent.
Items: Old military-style backpack carrying several changes of clothing, several MREs, basic hygienic and medical supplies, and ammunition for his weapons. Carries a battered AK-47 with a bayonet, several knives (for utility and combat), and a M1911 pistol. Has a set of rugged camouflage clothing, with dark denim clothes in reserve in his pack.

So when this starts, at what rate will this be updated?

@Delthion Multiple times a day - every time I come online I plan to update it. It's a lot, but I'll do my best to keep it going at a fast pace. Someone will die either every week, or two people per week.

To everyone else: Signups will close tomorrow when I make the game's opening post. If you want to survive post often - I will be very hesitant to kill active players, and murder attempts against you are most likely to fail, or merely result in injury.

So how exactly does one play? Do we just discuss moves like in Mafia, or act it out like a roleplay?

I updated my characters sheet.

Quote from: Søren on June 17, 2016, 05:43:40 AM
So how exactly does one play? Do we just discuss moves like in Mafia, or act it out like a roleplay?

Both! When you post here, you become your character. If someone dies, you can talk with the other players about who you suspect to be responsible, and what should be done about it. When there is action, you control your character's movements. Here are some examples:

Host: As Bill scanned the trees, the grass rustled eerily in the wind. He heard a moan - something alive was close by. He took another step, met an object and fell. As he turned, he saw a decaying monster crawling hungrily towards him, snarling and drooling with anticipation.

Soren (the member controlling Bill): Bill kicked the zombie in the face, and drew his knife. He stood up, as the creature turned and began crawling at him again, but this time he was ready. He swing the knife down, ending the fight quickly.

Example 2)

Host: The group awakens and finds Tom missing. When they go to investigate, they find him face up in his bed, with a knife in his chest. Bill has been murdered

Soren (controlling Bill): I don't know who could have done something like this, but I think it may have been Jerry. He and Bill haven't gotten along well recently. Also the clues seem to point to... we should kick Jerry out of the group - send him out on his own. What do you all think?

Quote from: Fatch of Southsward on June 17, 2016, 05:42:03 AM
@Delthion Multiple times a day - every time I come online I plan to update it. It's a lot, but I'll do my best to keep it going at a fast pace. Someone will die either every week, or two people per week.

To everyone else: Signups will close tomorrow when I make the game's opening post. If you want to survive post often - I will be very hesitant to kill active players, and murder attempts against you are most likely to fail, or merely result in injury.

Could it be once a day? Multiple times won't see many members responding, and everyone will feel really stressed throughout their normal lives hoping they won't have died. ;D

It's not like that - it's updates of what is going on and the situations. (I will need to have some control over the zombies you fight / the people you run into)

You don't have to post with each update. You just need to post once, say at least every two or three days.

So basically, I might be posting more than once each day, but no one else needs to.

And there will not be so many deaths, that you could miss two days or an update and suddenly die. If you die, it's because you've gone possibly around 5 days without posting, or because someone murdered you.

I'm not trying to stress anyone out - I'm trying to ensure no one gets bored. Let me know if I overdo it, and I will gladly slow the game down a little.

If you're not able to get online all you need to do is PM me. I will happily spare your life for a time.

It was a bright new morning in Florida. The sunrises were unusually red, which was becoming the usual. A rugged group was moving through a brown field of tall grass.

They had only one thing in common, all of them had been taking a vacation in Florida, and now all of them were ready for that vacation to end.

The group had been brought together by the gravest of circumstances, and now they were nearly as close as family, or, some of the were. They had done some things in the past few months they had never dreamed of doing before. They scanned as a unit, and moved steadily onward towards some unknown destination.

At the head of the group was Kyle Katarn. One of the most important members of the group, he had lots of technological experience in the past, and his expertise had already come in handy. He nervously shifted his collar and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Second was Eulalia, or as the group affectionately called her, Eul. She hooked her thumbs into her backpack, and stepped over a fallen tree. She kept the group in good spirits, and the moral depended largely on her. She had yet to prove herself in strength, and she could almost feel the probing eyes. Were they viewing her as a weak link? A waste of rare resources? She shivered as a bug landed on her: she did not doubt she could prove herself, it was just a matter of doing it.

Third was Delthion. The undeclared leader of the group, he had killed the most zombies so far. His Sabre skills kept the group safe, and not a soul in the group doubted his importance. There were more than zombies in the wild, however, and it was his duty to keep the group safe. He clenched his fist as he stepped over the same tree Eul had just passed - he would not - could not - fail.

Fourth was Wilbur Dakfield. His archery alongside Delthion's swordplay was deadly. He too, kept the group safe. His nerves had gotten the best of him at times, but the situation constantly surrounding him was sure to steel his stomach - or was it? His time would come to prove himself. His ace in the hole was Delthion. He was not as much as a threat, and thus he was less likely to be targeted. This could save him later on.

Fifth was Antonio Francis. No one debated it - he was the most important person in the group. Delthion and Wilbur often flanked him on either side to ensure his safety. The fate of the world may depend on his work in the CDC, and the fate of the entire group may be resting on his medical skills. The death of Antonio, could mean the death of the entire group. He was also in the most danger. Other groups took one look at his CDC hat, and lab coat and immediately marked him as more valuable than food or water.

Sixth was Jason Taylor. Everyone was slightly wary of him. He had told them little, but his actions often showed that he had been through more than anyone in the group. He is a valuable asset for food and survival, and a dangerous opponent. Could he fit into the group and be accepted? Or would he go off on his own? Time alone would tell.

Seventh was Søren. A web journalist, he was still looking for his role and place in the group. His calm demeanor and non violent ways made him a trusted member. If anyone could hold the group together or tear it apart, he could.

Eighth was Sergei Savin. The moral compass and oldest leader of the group, Sergei is well respected. He had not revealed much of his past, but by all appearances he had served as a soldier, and his skills and experience were valuable at times like these. His guidance had brought much of the group up to speed with how to survive, his age was his only limitation. Could he fit in with the younger group at the age of 76? Could he survive the conditions that young, strong men had failed to survive?

Without warning a chorus of snarling sounded up ahead. In a small clearing, several bodies could be seen. A group of 12 zombies had been eating them. Their flesh was decaying and their eyes red and bloodshot. They turned to the group and shambled towards them, growling and biting the air. They were slow, luckily. They were wearing matching Florida State University attire - the remains of a group of college students who had failed to survive.

OOC: You each have full control over any of the zombies you want. You can kill them, knock them over - anything! Deal with them together! Sorry for the long post, it was just to open the game up. The rest of my posts will be much shorter. I may take part in the action to spice it up a bit. Good luck!

Eul heard the snarling before the zombies came into view, and out of habit, she pulled her machete out.

   When she had first run into the zombies, she swiftly killed them and holed herself up in a building for several days, panicked and unsure of what to do. Eventually lack of food had forced her to leave, and now zombies were, as she said, an everyday inconvenience. Several days later she found the group and cautiously trailed them until she decided to join. But that didn't mean she trusted any of them. She slept as far from them as she could with the machete in her hand, and never liked to turn her back on them. She had seen what the disease made good people do, and she wasn't going to trust anyone with her life anytime soon. Even though they made her nervous and she wasn't sure how they saw her, she thought they were pretty cool.

  Humming "Another One Bites the Dust", she swung the machete down into a zombies head, having killed so many of them she was no longer bothered by it. They weren't real people, after all. She had a hard time pulling the machete out of the dead zombie, watching as another one limped towards her. Lifting the machete up, she struck the other zombie in the throat, swinging the machete several times to make sure it wouldn't be getting back up.

Kyle aimed and fired Tesla, stunning his target. Running forward, he kicked the thing into the ground and smashed its decaying skull into pulp with his foot, before viciously stabbing another in the throat with a screwdriver. "4 down!" he yelled before engaging a third.

As the zombies began to approach the main group, Jason Taylor stepped forward. Reaching into his jacket, the survivor pulled out a large pistol and swiftly loaded a clip. In his other hand he unsheathed the large combat knife strapped to his leg. He stepped forwards towards two zombies, and thrust the pistol into the mouth of one zombie. While the undead struggled to free itself, Jason thrust the knife into another zombie's throat. Retrieving the pistol, he whipped the second zombie twice in the face to knock it down. Finally, the survivor stomped on both of their heads to put them down permanently.

Delthion seeing that zombies were attacking leapt upon them, sending many of them back into shadow. He scanned the group as he did so making sure that none of them overextended themselves. He thought he recognized one of the zombies, but he shrugged the feeling aside and swiftly decapitated it.

OOC: Question, what's "Ace in a hole"?

OOC: Dunno, but you won't be his "Ace in the hole" for much longer, amiright? ;) >:D

OOC: An ace in the hole, is basically like an advantage. Your character is very strong, so enemies will target him first - which is an advantage for Wilbur

The remainder of the group was dealing with the surviving zombies. Jason Taylor had stepped forward into the front of the group, when the thirteenth zombie made its appearance. One of the bodies on the ground, was alive. It grasped at Jason's legs and he fell onto his chest. He quickly rolled over, just in time to catch the zombie as it crawled on top of him. It rasped and bit at the air - nose to nose with Jason. With each second the disgusting breath and ragged teeth got closer to dealing irreversible damage.

OOC: are other characters allowed to stop a zombie from attacking another character?

OOC: Yep - the idea is that someone saves him.  :)

OOC: ok, just wanted to make sure.

BIC: Seizing the chance to show the others she could hold her own in a fight, Eul jabbed at the zombie's throat with her machete and yanked upward, pulling the zombie's gnashing teeth away from Jason's face. It lay on the ground, still trying to get up and Eul swung her machete down several times to decapitate the zombie. Seeing it was dead, she turned back to face Jason after scanning the surroundings for more zombies.

"Are you ok?"

Wilbur, who was taken aback as some of his gear had fallen off while the others were fighting, finally got a arrow knocked and started to fire. With a couple shots, one of the zombies went down. However, after he had quickly slain another, one ambushed him from behind. Fear surged through his body as the slimy and cold boys of the zombie struggled to find a reasonable place to bight the young adult. The monster brought both of them to the ground. Using bare instincts, Wilbur acted and pulled his pistol from its holster and shot the attacker three times in the neck. Feel as though he accomplished something he managed a shiny can from his bag and shoved it onto the muzzle of his gun. He had learned this technique a few days back, and for the most part it was pretty effective.

Two more zombies came towards him, but they stopped as they saw the livid writer waving a can at them. It shocked one of the two as a bullet came flying through the end of the can and shot his partner in the head! His life sadly ended the same way; killed by literal fear.

After his quick kill Wilbur picked back up his bow and started firing again, this time making sure to grap his bright silver arrows, which he had spray painted a few days. Finally, after killing a final one the tiresome young soul dropped to one knee and had to think over his situation. He had killed again. He was scared again. How could he keep this up?

Delthion watched as members of the group were held by zombies, then freed before he had a chance to help. He smiled, the zombies fell quickly and without much resistance, he thought as he ended another zombie's existence.

Jason shuffled backwards as the zombie's head landed in his lap. How on Earth had he been pulled down and nearly crippled by one, crippled zombie? Then, multiple shots rang out. The survivor briefly thanked Eul before retrieving his fallen weapons. He stabbed the final zombie in the throat and wrenched it's head off. Seeing that the rest of the zombies had been killed, he reholstered his gun and knife and stormed towards Wilbur. Dealing the other survivor a hefty slap to the side of the face, Jason glared at the younger man.
"Are you insane, you fool? Thirteen bloody undead, already enough to handle, and you have the nerve to go firing guns everywhere? Why d'ya think everyone has knives, to pick their teeth with? We need to move! If any more zombies heard those shots, which considering how many he fired, I don't doubt, we need to be out of here NOW!"

Eul quickly stepped between the two. "Woah, hey, calm down," she said. "I doubt yelling and fighting will get us anywhere, Jason. And I also doubt we were going to stay here anyway, movement is life. Hitting him was uncalled for." She glanced around at the others as she talked, listening for any zombies. "Though we should probably go."

"Oh, yes. What a spectacular idea. But if we get eaten, I blame him."
Jason drank deeply from his canteen and grabbed his knife again.
"We'll need to be careful. Try to move quickly and quietly. Oh, and I need to talk to the boy, we'll catch up with you shortly..."
He shot a glance at Delthion and nodded once, towards a nearby grove of trees.
"Come with me."

OOC: As Groddil suggested, the group does indeed need to be moving again. As you go, you can pass any building you think of. Just write something like this:
"As they walked, Tom pointed out a church on the right - "that might be a decent place to spend the night."
The idea is to come up with a good building to spend at least one night in. If no one can agree on where to stay, you can always spend the night around a campfire - but it will be risky. You can continue your conversations as you walk!

 Through the entirety of the skirmish Antonio had stood by, his hand trembling as it always did. He licked his parched lips, flinching each time a shot rang out. He had a knife, and a gun, but he rarely used them for anything violent. Seeing that the others managed just fine without him Antonio sheathed the long knife glad his own puny attempts at killing these "zombies", or at least, killing them again, weren't called for. The science behind this madness made no sense, and Antonio's every belief was challenged. Still even if he wasn't a fighter he had a job to do.

Scampering over to Jason the young doctor struggled to open his medical bag. "Did you get any of it in your mouth?" He asked not bothering to slip on his dwindling supply of latex gloves. "I'm still not sure how it spreads, and I'm positive you don't want to test my theory that it can be passed through the digestive track, and I've checked their mouths, rotting pieces are falling out all the time. Even if you don't... You don't... well you know, turn, you'll get awful infections for sure. Here swallow this."

Antonio found what he was looking for, a small red pill and held it out to Jason while looking around the group. "Scratches, anyone get scratches? What about skin contact, make sure to wipe off any blood from the... The... The, well, the zombies."

Kneeling down by the bodies Kyle rummaged through the possessions of the former students. Finding an empty handgun he stuck in in his belt before tossing the little food into his pack. No hardware, unfortunately.

"I think we're all good," said Kyle to Antonio. "This group didn't have many supplies left, so I think we should head into the city and scavenge for materials, spend the night as well."

"We do need to be moving, get ready but rest for minute while I talk to Jason." Delthion said as he followed Jason.

Stopping near the trees, Jason turned to Delthion.
"Look, kid. You're the kind of person somebody'd want to be with in times like these. Strong, smart, know what you're doing. The problem is, if you keep looking out for the entire group, some of whom really aren't suited to this situation, you'll get yourself killed. I only have enough food to keep everyone going for two days, tops. That's why I'm leaving the group. I want you to come with me. If we can get out of Florida, we stand a better chance of survival. It might be hard to do, but if we find an aircraft, we can get back to the Rockies, where we can live out this apocalypse in luxury. And if not, well, we stand a better chance of surviving on our own, without CERTAIN people. What do you say, Del?"

Delthion looked back to the group, they looked harmless, but given the chance they would probably put a knife in his back at the nearest opportunity. "Let's go." He said.

Jason nodded, following Del into the woods.
"Glad you decided to join me, kid. We should stick to the woods until we find something useful. A car, food, anything. Less zombies here, and more places to hide."
The man stopped, taking his pistol out.
"Oh, and I almost forgot. Wait here, be back soon. I don't feel like letting them all die, so I'm going to go and HELP them."
Jason jogged back to the treeline. Loading two bullets into the chamber, just in case he missed, Jason aimed the pistol at Wilbur and pulled the trigger. The pistol's muzzle flashed twice, two bullets shooting forth. Not bothering to see if they hit or not, the survivor was already running back to Del as soon as the gun fired.

OOC: Wilbur is hit twice - once in the shoulder and once in the leg. Neither is fatal, but he will need treatment, and will be slow and vulnerable.

This was unexpected, but I like where it's going! Two rival groups.  :D

"Wha-" Antonio fell to the ground covering his head as Wilbur was hit. Cussing he fumbled for his gun dropping it, and its mag. Deciding discretion was the better part of valor he slipped behind a tree leaving the fallen weapon where it was.

"Jason, Jason what're you doing? What was he doing?" He yelled looking around at the others, worried they might start shooting as well.

"Breaking away..." said Kyle in response.

Tentatively aiming the tesla at where Jason had stood, Kyle started forward. After quickening his pace and disappearing into he fields he returned. "Already gone. God, I hope I didn't do anything to make him do it."

Wilbur, who had said nothing last time Jason had confronted him, came crashing down. Both his wounds seared with pain, as he kept yelling on the top of his lungs, "I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE!" His legs were kicking and right arm grabbing his hit shoulder. Through his squinting he saw Jason rushing away.

A flash of rage came over the writer as he lay there wounded, stricken with fear. Where he was hit raged rapidly in pain, but it pushed the hatred inside him. With his right hand, now covered in the Crimson substance, he reached for his own gun. With all of the energy he had left that was not used to cry out in a bloody murder, he pulled the weapon out and continuously pulled the trigger in the general direction of Jason. The pain sadly overcame the young soul, but he faded out with the satisfied feeling of using his earlier mistake; Attracting the Zombies to the gunshot sound.

Eul had involuntarily let out a little cry when the gunshot went off and startled her. Hoping no one had noticed, she rushed over to Wilbur, kneeling down by him and stuttering. "Uh... the bleeding, we - um... we need to stop it. Uh... does anybody have something to stop the blood? Uh... is anybody - er, does anyone know what to do?" She glanced up, making a mental note of where Jason had run. Who knew if he would come back to attack someone else.

  She looked over to her left, pointing. "There. We can get to that barn and hide out in there, just in case any zombies heard us."

OOC: If Wilbur was trying to alert zombies to Jason, he shouldn't have shot his gun. Now all he had was make it even easier for them to find YOU.

(By the way, killing you was Del's idea, Gonff. ;D )

OOC: Oh thanks Groddil... ;D

BIC: After the shots Delthion tore off into the woods. Glancing back to see Jason following him.

OOC: Well, the man was shot twice and on the verge of passing out; He had to think of something. Also, Wilbur dones't know what Del thought  ;D

Original Group:

Zombies seemed to be materializing from all sides - attracted by the gunshots, which had rung out for miles. There had to be over a hundred of them - far too many for the group to handle. There was no choice left in the matter - they made for the Barn Eul had pointed out. (If you want, you can add things to the barn - like a farmhouse or anything you want.)

They laid the unconscious Wilbur in the hay - it was up to Antonio to save him. The sun was quickly setting outside.

Group 2 (Jason and Delthion)

Due to the gunshots, zombies seemed to be appearing behind every tree. It was the dead of night by the time the pair had lost them. Now they sat on either side of a campfire.

OOC: It is up to you to put up defenses if you like. Group 1 is pretty safe in the barn. Jason and Delthion might want to think of something to defend themselves if they want to sleep.

Pulled a few strange contraptions out of his pack Kyle quickly assembled them. "Pressure plates," he explained, putting them down by the entrances. "It'll alert us to any approaching zombies."

  Eul picked up several boards, putting them in the handles of the barn doors to keep it from opening. "There. The wood is a bit warped and brittle, but it should hold... I don't know. It should work though," she said.

  She looked around, seeing a window up in the loft. Climbing up the creaking ladder, she started trying to push hay barrels in front of it. They were too big for her to move, so she climbed down and simply moved the ladder away from the loft.

  "I don't see any other way they could get in. But it would probably be a good idea to have one person awake at a time. In case zombies break in or those two come back."

Jason pulled out his pistol as he slurped down the remainder of a soup can.
"Looks like we lost 'em. I'll take first watch, an' wake you up later. But, I don't want to have to shoot if I don't have to. Can you lend me your sword? It has a bigger reach than this old knife."

Delthion wasn't completely sure that he could trust Jason. "No, you also have a gun, I'll keep my sword. We should also put up a few more reliable defenses. That defend the area which we are not watching."

"I need someone to help me," Antonio told the others regretfully taking out a pair of latex gloves. He'd have to find some more before long, or he'd be out for good. "We need to get the bullets out, before we can bandage him." Antonio glanced around at the others selecting two.

"Kyle, can you hold him still, I know he's uncurious, but if he wakes up in the middle of... He could, well, he could panic. Eul, I need you to hold pressure on the leg while I get the... The... Um, get it out." Hesitantly Antonio produced a plastic baggy containing a pair of surgical tweezers. Holding them ready he laid Wilbur's leg across from him nodding to the other survivors.

"This shouldn't be too hard, I've seen it done before..." Grimacing Antonio dug the tweezers into Wilbur's leg as gently as possible, digging the bullet out of the bone, before dropping the small bit of lead into the moldy hay. "I'll wrap that up now... The shoulder might be a bit harder..."

  Eul knelt down by Wilbur, applying pressure to his leg. She watched with a mix of fascination and horror as Antonio worked on the wound. "Glad you're with us," she said. "I wouldn't have known what to do. Um... should I keep putting pressure on his leg or let go while you bandage it?"

"Fine, but I won't be using the gun."
The survivor looked around briefly at their surroundings.
"Lot o' tall trees around here. We could sharpen some branches and block up an area between two of 'em. Or we could sleep up there. Any ideas?"

"Probably sleeping up there is the better idea." Delthion said as he began climbing a particularly large tree that had many convenient branches on which to sleep.

Wilbur's life was saved by Eul and Antionio's work. He was already gaining the full use of his arm and leg back. He would be slower than before, but at least he could still fight the dead, or the living, if necessary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Night Passes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Group 1:

The survivors awoke, itchy and uncomfortable due to the hay, but well rested. Wilbur was the first awake, due to the pain in his limbs. He was stretching and giving his bandaged leg experimental exercise on a crutch he had found in the corner of the barn, when suddenly he let out a yell, fully bringing the other survivors out of sleep.

The cause of the yell was quickly realized, as one survivor did not get up. Sergei Savin, the old Russian veteran, was staring up at the top of the barn, with a horrified look of pain and fear on his face. By the looks of things there may have been a battle fought in the hay. The straw was kicked up around him as though he had been squirming or writhing, and his face looked horrifyingly pale.

****Sergei Savin is dead****

Brought be the yell, the sounds of walkers could be heard, banging on the barn from outside.

Group 2:

Delthion and Jason awoke to the sounds of walkers. They looked below their tree, and found themselves looking into the harsh eyes of three walkers, who were at the base of the tree, reaching hopelessly for the delicious meal they had spotted at the top.

Still fear stricken, Wilbur hobbled back to get his back, calling out to the others,
"G-Guys! What are we going to do now!"

He tried knocking an arrow in his bow, and found it hard to keep the weapon steady. Thankfully it did not hinder him from pulling the string back, but it still was painful none the less. Hopefully he could slay a few. But of not, he had a backup plan. He threw a good amount of cans where the sound of the zombies came from, and hoped that if they broke through that could stop them for a bit for himself or others to fire and kill. Whew.

Delthion, seeing the zombies at the foot of the tree, climbed down enough to be able to leap down without receiving injury and quickly ended the existence of the zombies at the foot of the tree with his sword. "Well, it looks clear now!" He called up to Jason as he wiped his blade on the grass then sheathed it.

Jason shimmied down the trunk to stand beside Delthion. Finishing off one zombie that still had a head attached, the survivor nodded.
"Yeah, unless they find a way to climb. I say we stay here for the rest of the day. We'll sleep a bit more, taking watches. Get our strength up and travel by night."

OOC:

QuoteTravel by night

I wouldn't do that if I were you...

Delthion shook his head. "No, let's move now, we came from the south so let's head north, staying within sight of the road. Let's see how much distance we can put behind ourselves and the other group." Then he began heading north through the woods.

OOC:

I'll await a post from @Sagetip and @LT Sandpaw , and then something new will happen.

In the meantime we have an issue to address. Søren has recently left the forum, and in respect to him - his character, we will assume, has left sometime in the night. Two down.

Cranking a strange disc, Kyle threw it along with Wilbur's cans. "Motion detected trap," he explained. "It'll stun any zombies when they approach."

"Fair enough. Stick to the treeline. See if we can find anything on the road while we walk."
Jason sheathed his knife and shouldered his pack, before following Delthion north through the trees.

Group 1:

Suddenly sounds of a scuffle could be heard from outside the barn. It was over quickly. A voice from outside could now be heard:

"I'm going to guess somebody's in this barn. Mind if I come in and join you for a while? Name's Randall. I'm a teacher from nearby. I'm here with one of my students, Ryan."

Group 2:

Delthion and Jason had been travelling deeper into the forest for several minutes when they heard a voice from behind them:

"Oy! 'Ello, we was just followin' ya to see whatcha was up to." - said a voice from behind, with a thick British accent.

Two men, both wearing coats were jogging toward them. Both were armed

"Name's Tommy - this here's Eddie. They make 'em strange in America, eh? Everybody eatin' one another and whatnot. Your the first Tree-People we's met though. We were on vacation from London when it all happened, so we're a bit far from home. Reckon we could join you?

Jason took out his pistol and cocked it behind his back.
"Not so fast. Why should we? Do you have supplies?"
The survivor gave Delthion a look. If the time came...

Wilbur looked back at the rest of his group when the voices came. He shook his head, not wanting to trust anyone after his recent incident with Jason. Hopefully they felt the same way.

"Are you sure you're alone?" said Kyle anxiously.

Antonio looked up from where he'd been checking Sergi's body, trying to identify how he'd died. He was no crime scene detective, and without proper equipment, he wouldn't be able to successful investigate the death. Yet it was obvious that Sergi had been awake when his killer struck, and whoever, whatever had killed him was strong.

A chill ran down Antonio's spine and he leapt up blocking the barn door with his body, pulling out his pistol for good measure. "Keep them out," He hissed at the others, even as his hand shook violently. "They... They... They might've been the ones who killed him." He nodded towards their deceased companion.

"Oh Groddil, don't be so paranoid! We're all in this together after all!" Delthion said as he walked up beside Tommy, patting him on his back as Delthion rammed his sword through Tommy's Heart. Tommy fell dead and Delthion watched Eddie fall too.

OOC: I hope this is alright Groddil, I wanted to deal with both of them so that they couldn't respond.

OOC: Yup.

BIC:

Jason lowered his smoking pistol back into its holster.
"They were too dangerous. Didn't trust 'em, glad you didn't either. Help me with their things."
The survivor walked over to Eddie and grabbed his pack.

Delthion nodded to Groddil and took Tommy's gear. "Where should we head? It's getting late."

Wilbur hurried over to the doctor of the group. In a hushed tone, he leaned down and whispered in his ear, "So what do we do? Kill them? If not, they may kill us also."

  Eul bit her lip, not wanting to kill anyone, but definitely not wanting to trust anyone after one of their own had died. "I... don't think they killed him," she said, pointing to Sergi. "They probably would have killed all of us." She looked uncomfortably at the others, not wanting to be near any of them. Would she be next?

  "I think.... well, we can't just ignore them. They could follow us and kill us. But I really don't want to hurt anyone. Maybe we could climb out the window in the loft?" She knew her suggestion would most likely be turned down, as most of her ideas were, but she still wanted to feel as though she was useful and could contribute to the group.

She looked down at her machete, which she had slept with on her lap the whole night so she could easily defend herself if anyone tried to kill her. Keeping it out, she looked uneasily at the door. "Any ideas?"

Group 1:

Randall's voice carried through the barn door - "Yes, we're alone. We just need a little bit of help. Please let us in."

Antonio was still looking over Sergei when suddenly, Sergei awoke, and stared with wide eyes at the doctor. His breath sounded ragged and scratchy. Almost as though he were moaning and growling at the same time.

Group 2:

Tommy looked down at the sword in his chest. He fell onto his knees, dropping his weapon. Gurgling pitifully he reached up towards Jason and made grabbing motions at his throat.

Eddie reacted quickly, firing wildly into the air, but not quickly enough. Delthion gunned him down, narrowly avoiding being hit himself. Eddie fell on his back and glared up at Jason. "You, you... why...monsters..." His eyes closed and he breathed his last.

OOC: Hey, not fair. I killed Eddie, Del doesn't even have a gun. :P

BIC:

"Monsters? No. All men are monsters. Some just cross the line they need to cross."
Jason stomped on Eddie's head, crushing his skull and making sure the dead survivor couldn't get back up.
"Let's go. Anywhere, doesn't matter. So long as we get away from the bodies. Don't want zombies finding us."

"Fine!" said Kyle. Disabling the few traps he had set out around the barn, he shoved aside barricades to make an opening. Before he could say anymore, however; Sergi breathed again. "Christ," muttered Kyle, drawing his tesla.

OOC: Yeah, what's going on? Groddil and I killed Tom and Eddie before they could react. Groddil killed Eddie and I killed Tom!

Delthion nodded and sprinted out of the forest down the road, getting out of the area very quickly, making sure that he didn't trip on any roots, debris or dead bodies.

Wilbur did not know what to do. When Kyle opened the door, he hobbled over to the wall incase one of the people had a gun ready to fire. In the midst of it, Sergei started to breath once more. The writer saw that he still had an arrow knocked, and did not know what to do with it. In a quick decision, he pulled the string back and fired at the old mans body. Poor Wilbur did not know if he was a zombie or not, but he knew that Anonio was much more valuable than Sergei.

Eul had ducked behind a pile of hay when the door was opened, watching as Wilbur fired at Sergei. She tightened the grip she had on her machete, prepared for anything as she suspiciously stared the two newcomers down.

  "What help do you need?" she demanded, making sure her machete was visible, and prepared to duck back behind her cover the second she needed to.

"No, don't open it-" Antonio was cut off as Sergei started to reanimate, the body struggling to rise. Lurching forward Antonio tried to grab hold of Wilbur's bow hoping to stop him from loosing a arrow into the recently dead Sergei.
"Wait, this is a perfect opportunity-" Once again Antonio found himself cut off as Sergei's hand grabbed hold of his ankle. The young doctor crashed to the ground his survival instincts kicking in, and his boot kicking in Sergei's face. He shouldn't have worried, Wilbur's arrow hit Sergei forcing the zombie to release Antonio, who rolled away. He sat panting in the hay, his eyes wide.
"Thanks," He said hesitantly to Wilbur swallowing back the small bit of bile that had collected in his throat.

Group 1:

Randall and Ryan entered the barn - just in time to witness the killing of Sergei. Randall drew a gun and stared around at the group wide-eyed.

"What the devil did you kill him for? We just need protection - a place to spend the night - but you just murdered that... that man!"

Group 2:

OOC: Regardless of a possible mistake on my part (sorry!) , you have successfully killed both of them.

Delthion and Jason saw it from a distance. The road they were following was blocked up ahead. A massive 18-wheeler on its side blocked the entire thing. They could see the distinct shadow of guards on top of the truck. Extending from either side of the truck were patchy walls. They went on for miles - completely encircling a giant supermarket named "Vertego's Food and Goods"

Jason holstered his weapon, crouching further into the bushes. He peeked out at the road and ducked back to Delthion.
"Hey kid, looks like somethin' big. Could be a settlement, could just be gangs controllin' the place. We could keep going through the woods, or we might see if we can gain entry. Get some supplies, be on our way. Whaddaya think?"

Delthion thought a moment, "Maybe we should address them and see what their reaction is? If they tell us to leave or they will shoot then we leave, and if, not then we will see what we do from there. But what do you think? They might just kill us if we walk up to them."

Eul sheathed her machete, putting her hands in the air. "Woah, hey, put the gun down. He was a zombie, we don't know how." She held her breath, hoping they would react in a non-violent way.

Jason took his gun and handed it to Delthion.
"I'll step out into the open, see what happens. If one of 'em shoots at me, shoot him back."
The survivor braced himself, took a deep breath, and stepped out into the road with his hands raised.
"Hello? Don't worry, I'm still alive. For now. I want to know what this place is. Are you letting other survivors inside?"

Still down on his knees Antonio put his hands in the air, he and Wilbur were directly in-line of Randall's gun. Eul was still protected by the haystack, and Kyle... Kyle was hidden behind the door.
"Yeah what she... She... She's right, Wilbu- I mean he was saving me." Antonio added while trying to silently warn Kyle to remain hidden, if the two did turn hostile Kyle might be their only chance of coming out alive.

Group 1: Randall, unaware of Kyle's presence, realized he had all the survivors he knew about under his control. He hesitated for one long second, and then lowered his gun.

"Don't know what you were thinking, letting one of them in here with you. I assume this means you're willing to share the barn for the night?"

(Night is coming soon.)

Group 2:

There was a pause, and then a red dot appeared, directly between Jason's eyes. No shots were fired, and no reply came from the fort.

After a minutes pause, a man wearing a Hawaiian button up shirt and shades stepped out of a small door to the right of the eighteen wheeler.

"No need to worry, so long as you have good intentions. My name's Squire - what do you want? Who are you?"

Delthion whispered to Jason. "I'm not sure that we should pursue this, we are probably going to be more at risk in here than on our own."

Jason nodded to Delthion, before turning back to Squire.
"Just survivors. Our last group was too incompetent, so we left before they got us killed. We were just passing by when we saw this place. Are you allowing others inside?"

Group 2:

Squire's face was unreadable -

"We do indeed allow people inside." He said simply.

The door behind him opened, as though on its own:

"Care to come in then?" - he gestured towards the door and bowed his head slightly.

Eul glanced at the others from behind the haystack, shaking her head. "There's not a lot of room," she said, hinting that they weren't welcome. "Though there might be another barn somewhere nearby, I'm sure it wouldn't be far." She remained hidden, letting her machete hang down by her side, but ready to use it. She didn't know what the people would do next, and she didn't want them anywhere near the barn her group was staying in.

Delthion, who was still hidden from view of the barricade whispered to Jason, "This is way too easy, we need to walk away. They're not searching us, or anything of the sort. Let's get out of here." Delthion, who was still hidden from view of the barricade.

Jason nodded, taking a step towards the door.
"Thank you for your hospitality. We will certain-"
The survivor looked agitated, and began looking around strangely.
"Oh no. He was right behind me when we first saw this place. Must have been separated when the zombies...Squire! I have to go back, find my son! He'll be in this area, probably up a tree or something. I'll return at nightfall, with or without him."

OOC: Was that only a ploy to get out of the area?

Group 1:

Randall frowned.

"I highly doubt I will find another fortified barn within the next few hours for us to stay in. Unless you would like to have our blood on your hands, I think you should let us stay. Send us out there in the dark tonight and you'll be killing our zombified selves by tomorrow morning."

Group 2:

Squire did not seem overly concerned.

"Whatever man, if you really abandoned your group due to their incompetence, how could you have your son with you? Wouldn't he be the most incompetent of all? But I don't care. You don't wanna come in, just say so."

He tossed Jason a chocolate energy bar.

"Whole store's full of em, and much more. Keep it in mind when you're starving alone out there."

"And don't think I'm not onto you. I noticed you used the words 'our' and 'we' when you talked about your old group earlier - when you first stepped out. There's more of you. I know it." His eyes hovered momentarily on Delthion's hiding place, but he did not spot him. "Just know any ill intent towards our group won't be tolerated, or successful. Good luck finding your son."

With that, Squire turned and walked back into the fort.

OOC: Who all is left with group one?

IC:

His knees were starting to hurt. Slowly, being careful not to startle anyone Antonio got up, putting away his pistol. The doctor wasn't sure what to think at this point, clearly this Randall was rather determined to stay, though his compatriot wasn't saying much. In fact, Antonio hardly remembered his name, Ryan or something.
Looking around at the others Antonio shrugged chewing on the bottom of his lip. "Maybe we should talk it over first in the back... You...You...You... We haven't know you for very long, not long at all. And I hardly trust the...the." Antonio just stopped talking, letting himself relax before continuing. "These people I've been with. By he by, have any of you seen Soren?"

OOC: Pretty sure he was murdered.

OOC: Since the actual Soren left mid-game Fatch decided that he would have left in the middle of the night.

Jason caught the energy bar and backed away from the walls.
"I know what I said. I thought he was just behind me. I can never abandon him, no matter how useless. The kid's me own flesh an' blood."
Conversation over, the survivor jogged into the trees.
"You're right, there's something off about the place. Let's put as much distance between it and us as possible."

Delthion nodded, "We need to find shelter, it's getting late." As he ran off after Jason.

OOC: Sandpaw is correct - Soren left in the middle of the night, and, in terms of the game, is basically just dead. Group 1, make your final decision on Randall and Ryan, and then we'll move on.  :)

Eul popped her knuckles nervously, not leaving her shelter. "No weapons," she called, looking to the others for what they thought. If they were going to be near the area when the group was sleeping, she may as well be able to keep an eye on the two. "Drop your weapons. We'll take them and you'll be able to stay. If not, we can't take the risk of having two armed strangers where we sleep." She hesitated, then added, "I mean, you understand, right? How dangerous it is out there, you can't trust anyone."

Delthion continued running for a while, with Jason behind him. Looking around the clearing he was in he said, "We might as well build some defenses around here, it's as good a place as any."

**** Night Passes ****

OOC to Group 1: The results of keeping Randall and Ryan will be PM'd to each of you.

Group 1:

Several days had passed since Randall and Ryan had been accepted into the group. Food supplies were near empty - Randall spoke up:

"There's a large base not far from here - I could take you there. They've built walls around a supermarket. It's filled with food. We just need to figure out how to get inside."

Group 2:

Delthion and Jason had constructed some decent defenses, and thus managed to stay alive for several days. Now food supplies were completely gone.

"Nothing for it, we'll have to go back to that supermarket. Otherwise, we'll starve to death." One of them said.

OOC: Both groups must go to the Supermarket - your method of getting in is up to you. Good luck...

"Who made you the leader..." muttered Kyle. "Getting in can't be hard. Stage a distraction, neutralise guards if needed, get food. And maybe some weapons," he added, holding the empty pistol he pulled from the college students.

"Neutralize the guards," Antonio groaned, "Stage a distraction?" The doctor stood up, holding his stomach hungrily. Everyone was looking thin and ragged, and the smell was revolting. Antonio had spent nearly six years doing nothing but wash his hands over and over again, and now they were filthy. What he wouldn't give for a shower, and a proper haircut. He had taken too keeping his hair as short as possible, cutting it with a knife. Lice could become a huge problem very quickly.
In short the group looked like vagabonds, and Antonio felt like he was made for a higher calling then scrambling for food, and sleeping with one eye open, not trusting this strange group of people. He decided to go out on a limb, and put his trust it something other then himself.
"Why don't we just walk up and ask politely for once." Antonio suggested looking around for support. "Maybe if we say please they'll act like real human beings... They... They... Gaah. It just seems foolish to me too keep pretending like everyone is vicious criminals. We don't trust anyone, maybe we should. And... And... An-Randall and Ryan didn't turn out so bad, and we aren't trying to tear out each others throats." Antonio had a flashback of Jason shooting at Wilbur, for seemingly no reason. He ignored this fact and pressed his argument. "These people are people after all, perhaps they'll just help us, we'll never get on their good side if we attack them."

Eul gave Antonio's idea some thought. "We could maybe strike a deal with them. I mean, I'm sure they're in need of a doctor and some guards, I guess," she said. "But, I don't think trusting them is the best idea. Before I met you guys, I watched as someone killed another person for a bottle of water. We do need food, though. So maybe we could ask them once, try to make a deal, and if not, we can always break in." She started sharpening her machete, waiting to hear the other's thoughts.

Slightly ashamed of his talk of fighting, Kyle changed his opinion. "Well, that doesn't sound too bad. But we definitely shouldn't stay long."

"Well , apparently we have to go back to that supermarket." Delthion said to Jason with a sigh. "I was hoping that we would just be able to hunt, but we aren't finding anything. We should test them again, asking if hey would be willing to give us food, if they are as benevolent as they seem, they ought to just row some down to us."

Wilbur, still using his crutch, looked over and nodded his head in agreement with Antonio.
"I think that is a smart plan. If they can use the doctor and guards, then we would have some sort of base or so that we could get other survivors to and start something up. Plus, anything is better than where we are now." The writer, his hair shagged to the tip of his neck and arm and leg still wrapped tight, wanted anything to just get some sort of normal life back for himself. The red sunrise everyday, the fear of everything and everybody odd, it was just not something he wanted.

"It's settled then," Antonio said happily, he was surprised at how quickly everyone had agreed with him. He supposed they too were tired of feeling as if everything had to be done violently. Looking over at Randall and Ryan, Antonio stood up scooping up his backpack.
"You two ought to lead the... The..." Antonio took a deep breath closing his eyes. "You should lead the way, we don't know where this supermarket is."

OOC: Can we wait on the next update until Groddil gets back?

OOC: Of course! He's an essential part of the two man team. We'll wait.

OOC: You have my thanks.

OOC: Guess who's back?

OOC: I saw Kit back on a few days ago. Why you askin' Groddil?

OOC:

/me slaps head.

Look a couple posts up, Gonff. ME! Now Del doesn't have to wait anymore.

OOC: Now we just need @Fatch of Southsward to return... :P

OOC: No, we need Groddil to post in character. ;D

OOC: Oh yeah, good point. ;) @Groddil Pls do what Del said. BTW James these mentions things are really useful.

OOC: I am on vacation in Florida. I get back Wednesday. Sorry for the late notice - I thought I would be able I get on more here.

Jason checked the magazine in his pistol and tucked it back into his holster.
"Yeah, we will. I'll talk to Squire, see if we can get inside. If anyone asks, you're my son, and you got held up because the zombies jumped you. I don't want them getting suspicious."
The survivor shouldered his pack and started walking back towards the supermarket.

OOC: You actually went on vacation to Florida. ;D Hear any suspicious growling recently? ;)

OOC: Disregard.

OOC: Both groups will approach the base now, but officially they approach at different times. (Even though I will be talking to each group separately as squire at the same time.) This is just because there's no need to be killing one another... (yet  :) )

You will not spot one another until I let you know. Your current goal is simply to get in and to get enough food to survive.

Back in Context:

Group 1: The group, led by Randall, approached the supermarket's entrance. It was as formidable as ever. Still out of sight, it was up to them to make a move into the open. They could try to sneak in, or they could simply ask to be let in. Which option would work? Only time would tell...

Group 2: Delthion and Jason, an hour after the other group's approach, were hiding in the very same spot. Well under cover, it was all up to them to make their presence known, or to sneak in. They had little knowledge that another group they had once been a part of was at the same location trying to do the same thing. They weren't thinking about it. They were just thinking about their empty bellies - time was running out...

OOC:

Shouldn't the arrival times be reversed? I thought me and Del were way closer to the supermarket than Group 1.

"Alright then," Antonio murmured to the others, keeping his gaze locked on the walled supermarket. His attention was focused mostly on the armed guards, though he kept glancing around to check for zombies. Taking a deep breath the doctor turned and nodded at the others. "I'll go first and make sure they notice me, then you... You... All of you follow behind if I don't get shot..." Antonio reconsidered chewing nervously on his lower lip. "Actually maybe one or two should stay here, just in case."

OOC: @Groddil It doesn't really matter - just go ahead and try to get into the supermarket however you see fit. Just remember, the two groups are not there at the same time, and won't run into each other immediately.

Group 1:

As soon as Antonio stepped out, a red dot appeared on his chest. A man, previously encountered by Delthion and Jason, wearing an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, opened the door and stopped a few meters from Antonio. He cast his eyes over the group.

"Don't mind the red dot. No harm will come to you, if your intentions are right. Who are you? What do you want? Name's Squire, by the way. Always forget to mention it to new arrivals."

Jason nodded at Delthion.
"Remember, if anyone asks..."
Not waiting for an answer, the survivor strode back into the road.
"Hello? Is Squire there?"
While waiting for the man to arrive, Jason beckoned Delthion to come out.

"I'm Antonio Francis," Antonio answered carefully, keeping his hands away from his sides. "We're looking for supplies, we were hoping you'd help us out." He motioned for the others to stand up as well, while walking slowly towards Squire. "Can we come in, or do you want us to stay out here?"

Delthion wasn't sure what Jason was going to finish his sentence with but he followed Jason into the open.

Group 1:

The door behind Squire opened and he bowed, gesturing towards it: "Why, of course you may come in. That supermarket in there has plenty of supplies. Perhaps you could even find a home among us."

Group 2:

The red dot appeared on Jason's chest. Squire, clad once again in his Hawaiian button-up opened the door, looking pleased, and approached.

"Ahh, I had a feeling you would come back." He scanned the two figures uncertainly. "You certainly look thinner than when we last met. What do you desire this time?"

Jason cleared his throat and greeted Squire.
"We decided to take you up on your offer. We wish to be let in, and to help in any way we can, so long as we can have food and shelter."

OOC: Could I destroy the universe and the space time continuum by shooting Squire? ;D ;)

Also everyone else, tho art needed. @Eulaliaaa!  @Gonff the Mousethief   @Sagetip   

OOC: Hahaaa, you're right on that note! Luckily, I doubt you want to shoot Squire, considering that he is surrounded by armed guards, who would immediately kill you all.  :)

Group 2:

The door opened behind Squire as if by itself:

"We are always willing to forgive, even those who have rejected our hospitality. If you would follow me."

Squire turned and walked into the doorway. The hooded figures on the walls lowered their weapons slowly.

Jason began following Squire towards the door.
"My apologies for giving off that feeling. We had no intention of rejecting your hospitality. As soon my son and I managed to find each other, we were ambushed by zombies. There were too many for us to kill, so we had to lose them. It took us a long time to shake them off, as well as find our way back here."

Group 2:

Squire nodded. "I understand where you're coming from. We are not offended."

They passed through the door and found themselves in a large compound. Barrels of weapons and ammo could be observed. Seeing that the guests had noticed them, Squire grinned:

"These are only for the guards and initial defense. Our real armory is farther inside - towards the center. Just thought I'd let you know we aren't stupid enough to put all our resources on the edge of the base, where they are vulnerable. Even if someone managed to take the gate, they would have no chance getting further, unless they managed to defeat an entire town's worth of armed people."

He glanced down at Jason and Delthion's weapons.

"I would ask that you leave your firearms here. We are about to enter the inner level of the base. No one carries weapons in there. If anything was to happen, there is always someone standing by at the armory, ready to hand our weapons. You will be safe without yours, for now. You are allowed, of course, a knife - as a tool and in case someone on the inside turns."

Delthion quickly whispered to Groddil, "I don't trust these people as far as I can throw the lot of them! Let's just wait out here so that we still have some means of defending ourselves."

Jason shook his head slightly at Delthion.
"Certainly, we'll just put them here. "
Jason unholstered his pistol, removing the clip. He threw the gun down and shoved the clip back into his pocket before rummaging around in his pack. It was one of the rifles taken from Eddie and Tommy. Jason popped the bullet out of the chamber and leant it against a barrel.
"Del, get the other rifle. It's in your bag."
Unbeknownst to Squire, there was another gun. After searching Eddie's belongings, Jason had found a pistol of the same make as his own. Thankfully, they were very common. It was buried deep in the survivor's bag, wrapped in foil inside his Med-Kit. With the clip in his pocket, the pair of survivors still had enough bullets to get them out of a tough situation and into the possession of more weapons, should the need arise, plus their knives.

OOC: the other guy was Tommy

Squire drew a pistol from a hidden holster, and tossed it down next to Jason's weapons.

"If that's all then - go ahead please - give me a second." There were two metal doors at the end of the compound. Squire was having a quick chat with a guard who had just returned from the wall top. Squire finished the conversation and as the guard began to dismantle his sniper rifle, Squire called after Jason and Delthion:

"Carlos just finished his shift. I've got to cover for him until Luke gets here. Take the door on your right - it will take you to the supermarket. It's about dinner time. Tell Cynthia Squire sent you! She'll give you extra food!"

OOC: Whoops, sorry guys. I'm on vacation with limited access to internet.

BIC: Eul kept her hand on the hilt of her machete, prepared to defend herself or anyone in her group if they were attacked. "Just like that? You're so willing to let people in?" she asked, looking around for any traps or zombies.

Group 1:
Squire blinked in apparent confusion.

"But of course, it was you that wanted to get in the first place. No need for machete drawing - if you don't want to come in, then don't. Also, they might not like it if you draw that fully." - he gestured with a thumb behind him, where four guards now had their weapons level with Eul's chest.

"As for your question, every person is a resource - an asset. We own an entire supermarket with plenty of food. We welcome people in - because in this new world every life is valuable. We're building something great here. A community the zombies will not be able to penetrate."

Kyle crossed his arms. "That's all well and good, but there's a first time for everything."

He turned to the others. "The place certainly looks safe. I don't see why we shouldn't go in. The only problem is that if there is a fight, we would be outnumbered. And surrounded."

"I've seen those zombies infiltrate and overrun top grade military bases." Antonio said, mostly to himself. Turning to the others he pointed to the guards stationed on the walls. "If they wanted us dead, they'd have shot us from a hundred yards off. I'm willing to gamble that we'll be fine, and you can blame me if... If... If... I suppose you can blame me if we all die." Nodding to Squire, Antonio stepped forward at the head of the group.

"Please don't kill us," Antonio tried to laugh at his bad joke, but only managed to chuckle awkwardly. "Ah, we'll follow you in."

Eul slowly took her hand off the machete, keeping her hands where they could be seen. "Alright," she said. "I don't see the harm in coming to this place." In reality, she would rather stay away from the place and pick through the remains of some town to find what she needed. It was safer and she was better at scavenging than determining whether or not some one was able to be trusted. She remained alert, picking up every detail she saw and trying to figure out as much as she could about the place.

Group 1:

The decision made, the group entered the base. They found themselves in the same compound that Delthion and Jason were at. Squire gestured towards the weapons piled all around the compound. "Firearms are left here. You may keep your knives." He nodded at Eul - "You may also keep that machete of yours."

He gestured towards the two doors at the end of the compound.

"Once you've put away your weapons, exit through the door on the right, it will take you to the supermarket. Tell Cynthia Squire sent you - she'll give you extra food! I've got a few things to take care of here before I call it a night. I'll meet you at dinner."

Kyle tossed his tesla and the empty handgun on the table. He opened the door on the right and held it for the others.

OOC: Only one door (right or left) - you have to pick to follow Squire's directions or not! @Sagetip

Jason nodded.
"Thank you, Squire. If there's anything you need in return, we'd be glad to help."
The survivor waited until Delthion had removed the second rifle, before leading him through the door. Whispering to his companion, Jason looked around the supermarket.
"Don't worry, Del. I still have the other pistol in case anything goes sour. Oh geez, this is big. How are we expected to find Cynthia?"
The survivor walked over to a nearby citizen.
"Hey, we're new here. Squire told us to see Cynthia; Any idea where she is?"

Group 2:

The grizzled survivor nodded.

"Aye, o'er there. Just a few more steps. Ye can't miss it. Little food stand. Go through the line, get the grub. If Squire told you to see 'er, make sure ye mention that Squire sent ye. Ye'll get good food. Not like the mess we've had to live on fer years. Cynthia likes to please new 'uns, see?"

Eul felt slightly better about the situation now that she knew they weren't taking her only weapon, and she looked around at the others. "Do we want to send some people in the right door, and some in the left? I'm curious to see around this place, they seem not too bad, but I still want to see. Besides, we would probably only get in trouble or whatever if they were hiding something," she whispered, looking around the room.

Jason thanked the other man and led Delthion towards the food stand. After waiting in the line for a while, Jason found himself at the front of the line. The survivor introduced himself to Cynthia.
"You Cynthia? I'm Jason, and this is my son Delthion. Squire sent us."

Unclipping his pistol holster Antonio set it down carefully, keeping the knife with him. Glancing over at Wilbur he motioned at the bow.
"You'll probably need to leave that behind." He warned, pulling his pack up higher on his back. "We want to do everything in our power not to startle or anger our hosts." He said in response to Eul. "But we can... Can... We can ask if your curious. Thanks Kyle, c'mon everyone." Antonio, acting much braver then he felt, led the way through the door Kyle was holding. His eyes wide as they stepped into the supermarket.

"Where do you suppose," He asked glancing back at the others. "We'll find Cynthia?"

OOC: I'm going to assume this means group 1 has decided not to enter the other door.

BIC:

Group 1:
Having heard what Antonio had said, a citizen nodded at him.

"Cynthia's right o'er there - the little food stand. Never seen ya 'afore. New citizens eh? We get em all the time. Be sure to tell Cynthia you're new - she likes to treat newbies with the good food. Otherwise you'll get the soup. Always avoid the soup when you can, my friends." - he looked down upon his own bowl of soup with disgust.

Group 2:

Cynthia, a blonde woman with her hair pulled back in a pony tail, had been reaching for a soup ladle until Jason spoke. She beamed at Jason.

"Oh, I'll bet he's told you all about how I like to play favorites with the new arrivals! Figure they deserve something special to ease the exhaustion of living outside the walls!"

Instead of serving the soup, she leaned down and pulled out a steak dinner.

"We have new people show up all the time, so I've had it all cooked and ready just in case. Here you go darling." - she handed the sustaining food to Jason and Delthion.

OOC: Cynthia sounds like she's from Diamond City.

BIC:

Following the others through the door, Kyle listened to the citizen. "At least it's food," he remarked before starting towards Cynthia.

OOC: Is that the settlement in Fallout 4? (My roommate in college played that game - that's how I know.  ;) )

Group 1:

Cynthia smiled at the new arrivals. "Hmm, not sure I've seen you around before."

She reached for the soup ladle - "Quiet folks, are you? I thought I knew everyone in this settlement! Meet someone new every once in awhile, I suppose."

OOC: Yes, it's the settlement. Nice catch.

BIC: Kyle smiled weakly. "Yeah. Squire sent us over to you, since we're new arrivals.

Group 1:

Cynthia grinned - "Ahhhh, that's why I've never seen you before. Wow, that's a lot of new arrivals in one day! We had another group of two come in earlier today! I served them steak, and there's plenty left over! Eat up darlings, there's enough to go between all of you!"

She handed over six plates of the juicy looking steak. (Note - it's six, to include Ryan and Randall, if anyone's forgotten they're still with you!  :) )

Eul stayed near the back of the group, looking around the area and seeing all the exits she could use if it was needed. She smiled at Cynthia, accepting a plate. "Thank you very much," she said, remembering the last time she had eaten a steak. It had been too long ago. "You said there was a group of two? Do you know who they were?" Her mind immediately jumped to Delthion and Jason, but she pushed that thought away. The chances of that happening were small, right?

Accepting the plate, and a set of eating utensils Antonio glanced around looking for somewhere to sit. "This is quite the place you have here." He commented to Cynthia while waiting for the others to get served. "I suppose Squire is in charge, did he... He... Did he come up with the idea of building the wall?" Antonio didn't like the idea of a wall, if something got in, then everyone would be stuck inside. He'd seen the same thing happen with a chain-link fence.

As Eul asked her question Antonio too thought of Delthion and Jason. He could only hope that if the two were here, they wouldn't run into each other. That could lead to some awkward situations. Still, it did remind him, he'd have to warn Squire about them, and what the two were capable of, whether they were here or not. Squire deserved to know.

OOC: We'll wait for either @Delthion or @Groddil to post one more time, then we'll move on.

Delthion was content to follow Jason's lead, so he did so silently. Then as he was walking back he spotted the original group and Wilbur, he quickly hid his face and told Jason about what he had seen. "We need to put some distance between us and this line. But we need to stay in the base, maybe we could volunteer for guard duty?"

Jason nodded.
"I was thinking the same thing myself. Come on, we'll go see Squire."
The survivor scarfed down the last of his steak and made a break for the door.

Group 1:

As the conversation continued, the forks became increasingly more heavy. The steak was finished, and it had become a terrible burden to get out of the chairs. Antonio was fast asleep, face down on his plate of steak, Eul reached to wake him, but her arm was too short and it seemed like he was miles away, at the end of a dark tunnel. One by one, the group's heads dropped onto their plates.

Group 2:

As Jason walked towards the door he was only dimly aware of Delthion falling behind him. He became aware that his head was on the ground. Had he fallen suddenly? It didn't really matter - the ground was nice. The ground was comfortable. He should spend the night here, he decided. His last fleeting vision was of two boots walking up to him and stopping inches before his closing eyelids

Both Groups:

All the survivors awoke to find themselves in a chain link compound. There were roughly twenty people in the compound altogether. All of their clothes and bags were gone, and they were dressed in matching white shirts and blue jeans. Each three survivors were chained to a post. Delthion, Jason and Antonio to one post, Eul, Wilbur, and Kyle to another post and Randall and Ryan were tied along with a survivor who appeared to be dead, were tied to another post.

OOC: For those interested, the steak was, of course, drugged. The way to avoid being drugged was to simply not tell Cynthia that Squire had sent you, or to enter the second door to find the compound.

OOC: Kyle?

Quote from: Sagetip on July 21, 2016, 04:17:53 AM
OOC: Kyle?

Yeah I noticed as soon as I posted - just fixed it

Kyle blinked the blurring as out of his eyes. "Damnit," he said upon finding himself in the present situation. As the others came awake, he observed the room. "My things," he realized. All of his materials were lost, taken by Squire and his people. He pulled against the chains. "Squire!" he yelled. "Where the heck are you?"

Jason awoke to see the original group was tied up with them.
"Squire? You're making a mistake, we're not with them! We're on your side, get us out of here!"

Delthion smiled grimly. He had thought that the steak might be drugged, but there wasn't any reason why they should have, so he let the matter rest. "Well, I think that we'll be here for a while. I was worried something like this might happen." Delthion said and then leaned his head back against the fence.

As the shouts sounded Antonio's eyes flickered open, blinking in confusion. "Wha-?" He turned his head to see Delthion and Jason chained next to him. Surprised Antonio tried to pull away, his bonds clinking pitifully at the meager resistance.
"You two did something didn't you," Antonio accused glaring around at the twenty or so other prisoners that were with them. "You tried to kill someone I'll bet, and they took us all."

"No...but we were all fools. I didn't trust Squire the moment I saw him. Although I didn't see a reason that he should do this to us. I wonder what is the point behind our imprisonment." Delthion said keeping his head laid back against the fence.

Eul woke in a state of panic, cracking her knuckles several times to calm herself down as she looked around for something - anything that would help. She pulled at the clothes, every seam on them causing her brain to scream at her mercilessly. She looked around at her surroundings, noting every single detail of the place. Then, finally, she looked over at the others. "Does anybody know anything about what's going on here?" Her backpack. She needed her backpack. And her machete. Where was it? She closed her eyes, cracking her knuckles again before looking around the room again, forming different plans in her head.

The door opened, and two figures emerged. They took several minutes to unlock several padlocks, before finally opening the chain link gate into the compound.

One figure was immediately recognizable as Squire. The other was a tall man, with a grey mustache and a warm looking winter coat with a fur interior.

They took a second to survey the area, which had several bunk beds in a corner, a few cots in another corner, a firepit in the center surrounded by lawn chairs, and posts with chains throughout the rest. Eul, who was looking around the area carefully, also noticed the upper half of a fire escape ladder, broken off beyond reach on the wall.

The tall man with the gray mustache and coat was wearing the pair of boots that Jason had seen just before falling asleep.

He was clearly the leader, Squire bowed his head and stood behind him as though in respect.

"Ahhh, this is a sight for sore eyes. A few of you" - his eyes darted towards a beaten looking group in the back left "are old friends, who made a few mistakes and nearly destroyed everything. We can find it in our hearts to forgive you."

Others of you are new - his eyes darted towards the survivors.

"No doubt you consider yourself wronged. Well I'm here to tell you this is only fair. You see, this world is no longer just about survival. It's about resources. It's about contribution. You" - he pointed towards the newcomers - "Owe me a cow, that we put down for steak. Raise your hand if you own a cow."

He shook his head at the group. "What a shame. Luckily for you, we forgive those who take from us. We do require them, however, to give back. That's why you'll be working, and hard. You've paid back the cow when I say you have. No nonsense. Understand?"

Kyle narrowed his eyes. "And who says that you'll be decent enough to uphold your offer?"

"Sir," Eul said, deciding to take on a more reasonable tone. "If that cow cost you anything and you couldn't afford to give it to us, why did you not say so before you gave it to us? We would have been able to decide whether or not we wanted to take it or not. I think it would be fair for you to let us go. Really, you lied and we owe you nothing because we didn't know."

Delthion kept his head back calmly, he didn't care if he had to work hard, although he expected that in a few weeks he might. "So that was the purpose to all of this!" he muttered. But he did nothing else besides listen the the rest of the group.

The man shook his head slowly.

"Ahh, yes. I thought it might come to this. We've got to learn a lesson, I see. Squire, which are the new people?"

Squire walked forward, he pointed each person out.

"Jason, Delthion, Eul, Antonio, Wilbur, Kyle, Ryan and Randall, sir."

The tall man stepped forward.

"I've failed to introduce myself. My name's Tyler. Tyler Byurn. I'm the leader of this little community. Now maybe you had it good out there, maybe you didn't. But you're here now, and you serve me, you belong to me. You work to repay your debts. You will come to me for food, shelter. I will provide, but for everything you take you must repay. Already you have spent a night taking shelter in my compound. Two days work I'd say. Possibly a week each for the cow."

"Now, I know you don't seem to believe in my power. That's why you're going to be disciplined. Taught to fear. Squire, your weapon please."

Squire shivered and slowly handed Tyler his .45 pistol.

"Now, lets see. Two major things I don't like. You" - he pointed at Kyle with his weapon - "challenging my decency, and you" - he pointed his gun at Eul - "challenging my honesty. How can I forgive you? Thing is this is personal. I can't. That's why we'll have two punishments. One for each thing you've done."

He hesitated and then fired his gun twice at random, two survivors fell to the ground dead.

Randall and Ryan were no more.

"Now that that's settled. Time for work. You'll be expanding our walls on the eastern side. The hammers, nails and boards are in the corner. You'll have loaded AKs on you at all times, don't even think about escaping."

He started to walk away, then turned suddenly. "One last thing. You work hard. If I consider your work under - par, someone dies for it."

Eul looked down at the ground, hoping to cause no more trouble. This man clearly couldn't be reasoned with. "I apologize, sir," she said as sincerely as she could, though she was furious and didn't want to dwell on what could happen. She hadn't failed to notice the fire escape ladder, and the bunk beds that could be moved to reach it. Maybe during the night when everyone was asleep she could move a bunk bed and take a quick glance at the surroundings around the fire exit before making a move. Whatever she did, she didn't want to leave the others behind.

Jason decided it was time to pipe up, before Typer left. He cleared his throat and addressed the settlement's leader.
"Mr Byurn? If I may? I just wanted to say something, and Squire should tell you the same. When Delthion and I first arrived at your community, we said we would be glad to help in any way we coul to repay you. I apologise if I sound rude, but my point is that, unlike some..."
He shot a glance at the other prisoners.
"...We were grateful for the shelter you provided us with. If you wanted our services, you merely had to ask. I just feel like this is a bit...extreme. Anyway, I've said my part. I suppose I had best save my breath for the work."

As the gun went off Antonio flinched, looking away as Randall and Ryan slumped over. It had been his idea to walk up and trust these people, a idea he was regretting. He could say nothing for Jason and Del, but the others had trusted him, and he had failed. But if years of medical practice had only taught him one thing, it was not to dwell on one failure.

Pulling his chain as far as it would go Antonio shuffled to the left, where one of the people, Tyler had called, "Old friends." Were chained.

"Hey," He said to an older man, the closet person to him, and the only one Antonio could talk to without shouting. "I've done the simple math sir, if one night of sleeping in his compound means two... Two... Aargh. Two. Nights of work, and one meal means seven, we'll be here awhile." Drumming his fingers on the floor Antonio continued nervously. "How long does Byurn intend on keeping us?"

Kyle watched the two dead men go limp. Staring at Typer, he opened his mouth to say something, but closed it abruptly. "You," he shot at Jason. "Fast talking your way out? Typical..."

The man Antonio has spoken to, a man wearing a plaid shirt, shook his head:

"He intends on keeping you forever. In a week or two, your 'debt' to Byurn will be a year's worth of work." He said, with a Hispanic accent discernible.

"You will work until you die or he kills you. We barely escaped last time, made a break for it when a crowd of zombies distracted the guards. He sent out a search party. Captured us two weeks later. Half of us still live."

Tyler raised one hand, and immediately all the chatter fell to silence.

"Squire mentioned you in particular, Jason. While the others work, you will come with me for a little while. We'll have a little chat."

OOC: @Groddil the contents of this conversation will be PM'd to you. It is your choice to share them with the others or not.

BIC:

"The rest of you are wasting time. Get to work!"

The survivors soon found themselves pounding in nails, under close watch. They were close together, and found that quiet conversations could be held without the guards noticing. Jason had not yet returned.

Kyle drove another nail into a board. "This is terrible structural design," he commented, so himself mostly. "Screws would be a far better choice of fastener, but hey..."

He opened another box of nails and started on more wall.

OOC: Are the survivors wearing any shoes? If so, what kind and what do they look like? Also, what kind of material are they going to be walking on? Concrete? Dirt? It's not that important if you're not gonna use it against me in the story :P

One more thing, how long are the nails? I may be getting too detailed here, but if this were real life I think it would be important to know.

OOC: I wouldn't worry about it too much, but you're wearing workboots from the supermarket. The nails vary in size from 1 -3 inches.

The compound is dirt. The inside of the supermarket is concrete.

OOC: Woah! That went really fast! I wasn't able to respond at all...but it's my own fault I suppose. I am confused though, who are all of these people and what are we supposed to do?

OOC:

@Fatch: I've PMed my reply to you. (I'm guessing that's what you wanted me to do :P)

As Eul worked, an idea formed in her mind. It was dangerous, but she wanted to get out as soon as possible. While reaching for another nail, she 'accidentally' spilled the entire box. With a gasp, she dropped down and clumsily tried to pick them all up, apologizing and dropping half the nails she grabbed. "I'm so so sorry, it will never happen again! I'll pick it all up, I promise, I'm so sorry!" She continued to apologize, her eyes flicking upward to see if the guards attentions was where she wanted it. As her hands flew over the nails, she oh so slowly pressed her shoe down onto a nail that had its point facing up. The nail went through the sole and between her foot and the side of the shoe. It was at an angle, so it didn't go through the shoe and poke out the top. Nervously, she looked at the guards to see if they had noticed while she picked up the last nail, setting the box on the table. "I'm so sorry, it won't happen again," she said.

Kyle slowly worked his way over to Eul. "Nice," he said. "With enough materials, I can make that into more than just a stabbing weapon..."

OOC: @Groddil Yep, that's what you were supposed to do!  ;)

@Delthion You're not behind on anything.  Just talk with the people working besides you (Eul, Kyle, Antonio, Wilbur and yourself) Don't worry too much about the minor characters - they are there to give you information, to die, or to fulfill some purpose. No need to remember things about them or anything.

BIC:

The overseer eyed Eul suspiciously, then shrugged, and trudged back to his post, muttering about clumsy people.

Soon after, Jason returned to the slave compound. The survivor had a guard following closely behind him as he ducked into the work area. The guard slammed the gate as Jason shuffled inside. Walking as if he had been injured, or at least concussed, the survivor made his way over to Delthion and slumped against the fence.

The day ended with hardly food, water or a break to speak of. All of the slaves felt thin, exhausted, hungry and thirsty. They were marched out of the workzone at gunpoint, and returned to the compound. Mercifully, they were not chained this time.

Squire walked into the compound, and spoke to the survivors for the first time since they had lost their freedom.

"I've been told to inform you that Byurn will happily supply you with another night's rest here. He will require another full day's work in compensation. Also for the meals you have had, two day's work is required to compensate him. Finally, I am to tell you that Byurn has each of your names written on a separate rock. If he is unsatisfied with your work tomorrow, he draws a rock, and kills the person who's name is on the rock."

Squire sighed and muttered in an undertone so the guards would not hear. "I'm sorry. On the bright side, no chains tonight. You may light a fire for warmth."

He turned before any reply could be made, and left the compound.

Kyle grimaced. "Unless we sleep outside, and starve, there is no way to get out of his debt."

He buried his face in his hands. "Why? Why. I had to agree with this..."

Eul, who had called top bunk closest to the fire exit, curled up into a ball on her bed, cracking her knuckles once again. She had studied the layout of the compound carefully, noting every small detail. While she wasn't fatigued, she knew days of this would wear down her strength and lower the chances of her being able to get out. "You guys wanna light a fire?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"With what?" grumbled Kyle. "No electricity to make any sort of spark, or firewood."

He flopped down into his bunk. "Jason," he said. "What did Tyler want with you?"

Jason ignored Kyle, shaking his head and wincing.
"I don't want to talk about it."
He moved back to his position on the fence near the gate. He nodded to Delthion, who joined him at the gate. His plan had had to be delayed, due to the work. He had to join in briefly to avoid making the prisoners suspicious. Now, it was time. Leaving his "son" at the gate, Jason shuffled through the slave compound towards Wilbur. Time to finish the job. Reaching into his pocket, the survivor cocked the hammer of the Colt Python revolver he had concealed. When he was less than ten feet away from the other survivor, Jason pulled the weapon out of his pocket and shot Wilbur twice in the back of the head. Still holding the gun, the survivor turned on his heel and ran for the gate.

OOC: You guys have a lighter @Sagetip (sorry I forgot to mention that.)

The guard, who appeared to have been waiting for this very thing to happen, grinned and let the two through the gate.

"Guess ol' Byurn was righ' 'bout you two. Made of stern stuff eh? Useful allies. Come with me, I'll bring ye to the man himself, he'll want to talk to you."

The gate slammed behind him, and the three left the compound, leaving one guard still on duty.

Behind in the compound, many of the slaves were yelling in horror. Wilbur lay face down. This time, Jason had finished him for good...

Group 2:

Jason and Delthion were brought before Byurn. He did not appear surprised to see them.

"There is no room for weaklings in my compound. This is part of survival. The weak will die, and the strong" - he smiled at the two before him - "will put themselves above others and live. They will keep humanity alive. They alone can save us all. You have proven yourselves strong. I'm providing you with your weapons, food and this radio. You may keep my Python Revolver. While you are away from the base, my mission for you is as I explained to Jason. You scout the land, find survivors and send them here. Find out more about the knights. They are freedom fighters giving me trouble. I need to know where their base is. Only people I can count on, like Jason here, will be able to help me defeat them. Good luck gentleman."

Kyle sat bolt upright, wincing as his head hit the bunk above him. Cursing, he got out of bed and ran after Jason. "What the hell!" he yelled through the gate. "A psychopath, that's what you are!"

Eul sat upright with a gasp as the loud noise tore through the air. Trying to slow her heartbeat, she quickly took in the scene. Wilbur was dead, Jason and Del were missing, and Kyle seemed to be trying to get himself killed. She climbed down, using the lighter to start a fire in the firepit (OOC: I'm assuming there's already a place to light a fire) so everyone could see what was happening better. "Is anyone else hurt?" she yelled above the screaming, crouching down by Wilbur to make sure he was dead. They should have never come here. She stepped away, taking a deep breath and looking around.

"Thank you, Mr. Byurn. We'll scout out the Knight's base and radio in. If we can, we'll gain their trust, try and get inside. We'll get a lot more information that way. Del, you don't have a handgun, so you can take the revolver."
Standing up, Jason handed the revolver to Delthion and stretched briefly.
"Okay, let's go get our packs. Grab some supplies, refill on ammunition, and leave as soon as possible."

Kyle was fuming as he walked back towards the fire. "As if it couldn't get worse."

He knelt down and held out his hands to warm. "Surprisingly cold for Florida..."

  Eul watched as smoke rose from the fire, noticing that it was between her and the guards. She looked up, seeing the fire exit. Rising up into a standing position on her bunk, she kept a careful eye on the guards as she lifted a hand. She was too short even if she jumped, and she didn't want to try jumping and pushing herself off the wall to get any higher. An injury as the last thing she needed. Sitting back down, she removed the nail from he shoe, glancing up at the guards, and tucking it into her waistband. It was easier to reach that way.

  Eul scrambled down to the floor and slowly went to crouch by Kyle. "Hey," she whispered. "The fire exit's right above my bunk. I'm too short to reach it. Wanna give me a boost? Antonio can help you up after me, then we can pull him up and find out where to go from there. The lighter would be useful to have, we should probably take it." With that said, she stood up, her eyes darting towards the guards as she casually climbed up to her bunk to lie down.

OOC: Should I go over now, or get Antonio?

Antonio was sitting on the opposite end of the fire, watching as the flames slowly ate through their makeshift fuel. He looked up as Kyle and Eul whispered to one another, standing up he changed his position so he was closer to them; so he could hear.
"I'm in," He muttered as they finished talking. "I'll help, and I'll keep my mouth shut from... From... I'll stay quiet about trusting strangers too."

OOC: Yeah, I guess we start climbing up and wait for Fatch to start PMing us the next step.

Kyle walked over to Eul's bunk and laced his hands together, forming a step. "Here you go," he whispered.

Eul waited for Antonio to get to them before she cast a glance towards the guards, quickly stepping onto Kyle's hands, reaching as high as she could. She was barely able to wrap her finger around the bottom rung. She tried pushing herself up by kicking off the side of the bunk and pulling herself up, not having as much upper body strength as she had thought. "Should have... done more of these at the gym... while I had the chance," she muttered, grabbing the next rung and climbing the ladder quickly and waiting at the top, her hand reaching down to do what she could to help people up. She looked around the roof, pressing herself down against it to make herself less likely to be seen as she studied her new surroundings.

"I'll help you up next," Antonio suggested copying Kyle's hand-step. "I don't think Eul or I would be strong enough to pull... Pull you up, and I'm a fairly good jumper. Once your secure I think I might be able to reach your hands..." Antonio looked around nervously, most of the compound's occupants were already asleep, if any of them bothered to look over at them who knows what they might do. Whether they would keep quiet, alert the guards, or ask to join in. Antonio didn't want to take that chance, and as much as it pained him to leave them to their fate it was something they had to do if they wanted to survive. "Hurry," He muttered to Kyle.

Easily pulling himself over with the other's help, Kyle reached down so Antonio could grab his hand.

Group 1:
The three escapees, now with roof access, surveyed their surroundings. They could see all over the compound. They could see crops beginning to grow in one corner, guards marching the perimeter and the houses and makeshift dwellings the residents must live in.

The building they had climbed onto was built to have roof access, and a trap door on the roof would allow them to enter the inside.

Group 2:
Groddil and Delthion shouldered their packs, as the gates shut behind them. A zombie who had been banging ceaselessly on the walls, turned and shambled towards them.

They were back in the wilderness.

OOC: Is the government going to get involved at all?

BIC:

Kyle tested the trapdoor on the roof. "We could go inside," he said. "We'd have to probably fight off armed guards, though, but I need materials to build a weapon."

He reached for the handle. "We also need our packs..."

OOC: I mostly make this up as I go along. I just decide what I think would best test the group, and do it.  ;)

So yeah, I don't know about that one. No current plans to involve the government.

BIC:

Footsteps could be heard - a pair of voices were talking.

"I swear Peter, there's something up here." Came a deep voice.

"A bloody pigeon no doubt. I was havin' a nice nap 'fore you waked me up for this you know." Came a saucy reply with an English accent.

The trap door was grabbed on the other end, and it began to raise as one of the two guards began to push it up.

Kyle pushed the others behind the trapdoor's hinge, so the guard emerged facing away from them. As soon as the heavy iron door closed, Kyle kicked the guard in the knee and wrapped his arm around his neck. Crude, but effective. He pulled the man's gun away as the guard lost consciousness.

The other guard raised his weapon and leveled it at Kyle.

"You'll pay for that'n mate!"

OOC: I wasn't aware that the second guard was coming up.

I'm going to bed, so Eul and Antonio have the second guard.

Jason ignored the zombie, rummaging through his pack.
"Eh, Del. Ya think ya can take him?"
The survivor motioned to the zombie, as he reached into the bag and pulled out his rifle. Having exchanged the old bolt-action rifle taken from Eddie for something better (the benefits of allying with Byurn), he now pulled his new rifle out of the bag. Shouldering the pack, the survivor inserted a clip into the gun. It was a SIG SG 550, a very good weapon. Switching on the attached laser sight, Jason clicked the rifle from burst fire into semi-automatic and fitted on the silencer.
"I can shoot him if you want, though."

Eul, who had been standing right next to Kyle, slowly moved in front of him with her hands in the air. "Alright, alright. Calm down man, it's ok. I'm putting my hands in the air so you can see them, ok? See? No sudden movements, it's ok. Calm down, man." She hoped Kyle or Antonio would be able to shoot him or take him down, as she was not sure how to disarm the man without possibly getting Kyle behind her shot. She was hoping for Kyle to take the opportunity to shoot the man while his attention was focused on her.

Grabbing the first guard's gun, Kyle savagely bashed the second guard to unconsciousness with the stock of the weapon. Grabbing his ammo and sidesrm, he offered the pistol to Eul. "Here. If you can't use it, give it to Antonio. I'd like more than one of us armed."

He started down the trapdoor.

Eul took the gun, making sure it was loaded and safety was off. "Of course I can use a gun," she said defensively, going down the trapdoor after Kyle and quickly studying every detail of their surroundings once again. Her gun was raised, though she didn't want to shoot it unless she had no other choice. Shooting a gun would raise an alarm, making it all the more impossible to get out. She looked for a fire exit escape route or map posted on the wall. Maybe it would have information as to where the best place to leave and possibly look for their supplies would be. Kyle had wanted to go after the supplies, and while she wanted them as well, she would rather get out of this place than get caught going after something they didn't necessarily have to have.

Grabbing a few materials from a nearby toolbar, Kyle shoved them into his pocket. "There should be a storeroom somewhere, and a medical wing where Antinio can get more medical supplies."

Group 1:

They entered a hallway. The first door on the right, which they glanced into, was full of gear.

There were dozens of barrels inside the room, and each was filled with a different item. Guns, bags, watches, clothes, ammunition, shoes, weapon sights, laminated armor, canned food and so on. They could distinguish their own gear among the lot. How many people must have been captured to create such a stockpile?

The door on the left was a doctor's office. Bandages, first aid kits, microscopes and surgical equipment lined the walls. It looked as though the room was used often. There was a single vial, inside a glass case, labeled "Y5dd Pathogen Antidote." Many other antidotes labeled with various medical terminology and also the word "ineffective" were gathered in a box next to the glass case. Clearly the scientists of this place were trying to replicate the single vial.

A third room had a wall completely covered with a map. Various areas of the map were marked, with small notes. One read "Former police station. 10 survivors based here." Some of the notes had been crossed out with the word "terminated."

East of the supermarket, there was a giant question mark, with the word "Knights?" written in black marker.

Finally, beyond the rooms, there was a stairway with an "Exit" sign above it.

OOC: Who's well equipped now, Groddil  >:D

Kyle grabbed his bag and filled it with tools and anything that could be used to build another thing. "Get another set of clothes and some good boots," he said. "They'll be coming after us."

Turning in the AK that the guard had for an M4A1 carbine and a SOPMOD kit, he picked a P226 as a sidearm. Searching the other rooms, he called to Antonio. "Come look at this. They've been doing research on an antidote."

OOC: We lucked out big time ;D

BIC: Eul went into the the room with their things, making sure the place was clear before she searched through her bag. Everything was in order, and she found her old clothes under the bag. "Yes," she muttered, immediately changing into her old clothes and running shoes. Quickly, she put everything where it belonged, clipping her machete and flashlight onto her pants loop and placing her pocket knife in her back pocket. "Good, good, great," she whispered as she strapped the backpack onto her back, searching through the other supplies. Taking some body armor she hoped would be small enough to fit, she tucked it under her arm as she strapped a watch to her wrist. Opening her bag, she took canned food and water, some ammunition too. Hurrying to the medical area, she took a first aid kit and closed her bag.

Finally, with her gun ready, she went into the map room, making sure no one else was there. She took the map down, folding it and tucking it under her arm with the armor, and she looked at all the notes, scattering them and putting them out of order. Quickly, she found the others. "You ready to go? What did you guys get?" She heard what Kyle said, and grudgingly took the boots she had been wearing, putting them in her bag. Nothing else there was something she was willing to even touch other than a baggy green sweatshirt, which she put on over her jacket.

"SOPMOD kit," explained Kyle. "I can change the gun to fit plenty of different circumstances. It won't just be zombies we're killing..."

He scattered a few parts over the table. "I'm modifying my tesla so that it's more like a rifle. The old pistol build won't work..."

He folded up a map and stuffed it in his bag. "I'll take some of the body armor pieces, but not too many, we'll want to move quickly."

He looked at Antonio. "Should we take the antidote? At the very least, it's safer here..."

OOC: You guys moved really fast. :P

IC:

Antonio quickly changed from his prison clothes into a more suitable pair of clothing, he even managed to find his old CDC cap, though he left off putting on the old medical jacket. Digging around he found a good AR-15 with a scope which fit his hands, a combat vest with some Kevlar protection; which he filled with magazines of ammunition, a pistol and a combat knife. In his backpack he loaded a good supply of food and other necessary equipment including a poncho, and map of the local area.

Following Kyle into the medical room he added to his original stash of medical supplies, collecting a wide selection of medicines and clean bandages, gauze, and even injection needles. Satisfied he zipped the lot up pulling it onto his back. Curiously he wandered over to stand by Eul and Kyle looking curiously at the so called antidote.
"I wonder if it works, or how it works..." He paused then opened the case and slipped the antidote into one of his pockets. "I'll bet they have samples here, if they figure it out good on them. But I feel these people would use a possible antidote selfishly. We need to take this to a proper lab, and have it tested." Tightening all his straps down, and adjusting his heavy gear so it fit more comfortably he nodded to the other two.
"I'm ready."

With the plentiful gear of their enemies on them, the three escapees exited the building, and found themselves only a minute's jog from the gate. Eight guards were scattered in different positions at the gate, but their backs were to the survivors. They were, naturally, watching the road for enemies, not the supermarket.

One of the guards turned around - it was Squire. His eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock to see the three friends so close by.

Kyle leveled his rifle at Squire. "If any of you say anything, he's getting a bullet through the heart. Drop you weapons."

OOC: Wait, before I post my reply to this situation, would the guards even hear Kyle? I mean, they're a minutes jog from the gate, which is where the guards are, so I don't think they would be close enough to hear him say that. At most, Squire would see Kyle aiming at him and decide whether to raise an alarm or not.

OOC: :P noise carries.

Delthion shrugged at the zombie and deftly decapitated it with his sword that had been returned to him. "So what exactly are we doing?" He asked, cleaning his blade on the grass.

OOC: We're a minutes jog away. That's... kinda far if you think about it. Anyhow:

BIC: Eul quickly ducked back inside the building before the guards had time to react, hoping the others would follow. She couldn't believe Kyle just drew the guard's attention to them, they needed a plan. They could barricade the door to think of one. She remembered seeing a bottle of some kind of alcohol in one of the rooms, and with the paper from the map room, they could use the lighter and make a molotov cocktail. Since they had access onto the roof, they could climb up and throw it towards the area where crops were growing. Not only could it damage their food supply, but it would make a distraction and possibly give them a chance to make a run for it.

OOC: If they're a minutes jog away from the gates, than they probably could barely see each other. :P

Kyle followed Eul into the building. "Well, we can't go through the gates. Any ideas...?"

His eyes strayed towards the bottle, thinking along the same lines as Eul.

OOC: When Fatch says a minutes jog from the gate, it isn't stressed that they still were that far away when Squire turns around. They could have jogged up to the gate and be much closer when everything goes down. Besides if they were that far away, I'd assume about a hundred yards, then shouting at them so they could hear would probably wake up everyone in the base. I think for our own sakes of continuing we'll assume our characters were less then thirty yards off when Squire spots them.

IC:

Kneeling by the door Antonio leveled his AR towards the door and windows, twisting his head slightly to speak to the others. "Damn, why'd you have to speak? We could have pretended to be some guards patrolling around, it was dark he might not have noticed." He shuffled back looking over the bottles. "We've got to get out of here fast, or we're done. Did any of you see any vehicles? I might not look it, but I can get a car running without a key." Antonio didn't notice, but his speech impediment seemed to vanish with his excitement and nervousness. His hands were sweaty, but a determined look had planted itself on his face. He wasn't getting captured again.

A shouting conversation could be heard from outside. The voices became more audible as the guards approached the building.

"Who the devil was it Squire, I heard them shout!"

"Just another guard patrol. I recognized them. A joke, no doubt."

"Squire, don't be ridiculous. That was a threat, and it came from inside, and it came from the area near the slave enclosure. Escaped slaves, no doubt about it."

"Well you go inside and see about it then, if you're so sure."

"Squire, remember what happened last time you got too friendly with the slaves? Remember what Byurn did to you after you helped them escape?"

"I believe I've proven myself time and time again by bringing in more slaves since then, John."

"Well if Byurn finds out - "

"If I find out what?" Came a deep voice. Byurn was outside!

Dead silence fell over the guards.

The door below opened, and Byurn's voice got steadily closer -

"No point denying it, you fools. I know they escaped. Guard went in for that idiot's body and was going to ask his friends if they wanted to bury him tomorrow. Realized none of them were there. So they're inside this building?"

"Yes sir, and you'll run into them if you keep walking!"

"I want to run into them. We're going to reason with them. You up there! We come in peace. Don't shoot alright? I just want to talk, man to man."

Eul had the molotov cocktail prepared, motioning for the others to remain silent. She held her hand out for the lighter, looking up at the trap door. If they lit the crops on fire, Byurn might think they had left the building and search for them elsewhere.

Byurn, apparently unhappy about the dangerous silence and confined quarters, was now backing out of the building. The survivors had a view of him suddenly from the window. He shouted into the night angrily

"Come out here now!" - he suddenly grabbed a guard that must have came out with him and suddenly pulled a gun, and held it against his head - "Or I kill your spy! If that's not enough I can order every prisoner in the pit to be executed to! I don't know where you are, but I know you can hear me!"

Kyle didn't respond, but pressed the lighter into Eul's hand.

Eul took the lighter and dropped her backpack, crouching and making her way to the ladder, feeling nauseous with fear. As quickly as possible, she went up the ladder onto the roof, her hands shaking slightly. The crop field was in full view, and she lit the paper on fire, waiting several seconds before hurling the molotov cocktail towards the field with as much strength as she could.

All the guards outside ducked as a bottle flew from the roof and landed in the fields - causing a huge ball of flames to suddenly light up the crops. The fire quickly spread.

Byurn cursed angrily.

"Nowhere to go from up there, I'm afraid! If you're not down here soon, this man is going to die. I'm going to ask you some questions and you're going to answer them!"

He nodded to his men, and they spread out around the building, so that a Molotov could not get them all.

"You throw one of those stupid things at me, you burn your own man! I know even people like you aren't that low! Even I wouldn't do it!"

Kyle called back, without showing himself. "You think we'd take our chances to save a "spy" we don't even know? We already left the others behind, you think we'd save a complete stranger?"

He shifted positions so that if he stood up, he'd get a good line of fire at Byurn.

Byurn actually looked confused, and tore his gaze away from the roof, and looked at the guard, who was now panting in fear.

"You don't know him at all?"

OOC: we should probably wait for Sand to catch up.

OOC: That's what I was thinking.

 "Don't shoot, if they open fire we'll be suppressed in seconds." Antonio warned as he peeked out the window. "But I got a plan, be ready to throw one of those Molotov cocktails when I shout."
Digging into his pocket Antonio raised a hand so it could be seen out the window, slowly he stood up so he could see the guards protecting Byurn.
"Don't shoot, you can kill that man if you want, we don't care, but I think you care about this." Antonio held up the antidote vial, for Byurn to see. "You'll let us pass, or I will destroy this antidote, Y5dd Pathogen Antidote and we'll shoot you. Let us pass, and let us get out of range, and I'll leave this with one of your guards!"

OOC: Ha ha, I see his plan. ;)

Eul, who had scrambled down the ladder and joined the others again, quickly prepared another molotov cocktail, ready to ignite it at any second. "Good idea," she whispered.

Jason shrugged as he continued fiddling with the rifle.
"We need to scout the place out. Gain their trust, get as much stuff as we can, and run. Head north, as always."
The survivor paused for a second as he heard noises inside the supermarket.
"That doesn't sound good. Place could be under attack. Come on, we have to make a run for it. We'll come back here later and see if the place is still intact."

Byurn's face turned pale.

"You would risk robbing thousands of the cure to this disease purely to escape yourselves? Clearly I misjudged you. But there may be a bigger problem."

He turned and stared at his hostage, for the first time since the survivors had met him, in fear:

"If this man isn't with me, and he isn't with you... Then who's he with?"

No sooner had the sentence been finished when the entire gate exploded. The scene erupted into pure chaos. Some guards, believing Eul, Antonio and Kyle to be responsible opened fire on them. The windows shattered and Antonio, still standing in the open, was hit in the stomach. Luckily, he had picked up a combat jacket, and the force of the bullet merely knocked the wind out of him. Smoke grenades flew over the wall, covering the entire battlefield in blinding, dense smoke. The only visibility was flashes from gun muzzles as both sides opened fire.

"It's the Knights! I got one!"

"Send these murderers back where they came from!"

A full scale war seemed to have broken out. Squire pushed open the door, and collapsed inside, holding his left shoulder in obvious pain, and panting frantically. He glanced up and found himself staring into the faces of Eul, Kyle and Antonio. "P... Please don't kill me!" The entire building shook as a grenade flew over the wall and blew a sizeable hole in the side.

Group 2: As Jason and Delthion ran, they passed lots of zombies. More than they had ever seen. They were shambling in droves towards the supermarket, from which booms and shots could now be heard.

"I won't, but they will," Kyle said to Squire, motioning towards the destroyed gates.

He turned towards the others. "We need to leave a different way. There must be some sort of side gate, or at least an escape route."

Offering a hand to Antonio, he looked at the wall. "We could climb over the outer wall."

OOC: Aw man, I wanted to see how my plan would have worked. Oh well.

IC:

Clutching his stomach Antonio groaned, allowing Kyle to pull him to his feet. He deftly slipped the vial of antidote into his pocket, standing unsteadily as he looked around at the others. "Are... Are?" He shook his head violently. "Are you all okay? I think I got hit... Eul you okay?" Antonio glanced at Squire then, still clutching his bruised stomach the young doctor knelt down gently touching the inured man's shoulder. A spray of bullets thundred through the open windows making him flinch instinctively.
"Why don't we ask him?" Antonio advised applying pressure onto Squire's wound. "Alright Squire, do you know about a back entrance, or escape rout? Somewhere we could get out without running through that battle?"

Eul was crouching down to avoid the bullets, realizing she should be wearing the vest instead of carrying it around. She quickly put on the body armor, pulling her backpack on again. "I'm fine, what about you, Kyle? Squire, we need you to help us out. We won't leave you behind, you'll get out safely with us, ok?" She held her machete tightly in one hand, keeping the map tucked under her arm in the other.

Delthion heard loud explosions coming from the base. Delthion turned to Groddil as they ran, "They seem to be in trouble in that supermarket, I doubt they have any time to worry about us, let's not do carry out this mission, it seems rather pointless to kill people that aren't direct threats. Wilbur was a threat, but these knights aren't at the moment."

"Agreed. Like I said, we were only doing this to gain their trust enough to horde supplies before we escaped. Right now, it doesn't look like they're fit to give orders anymore. Y'know what, Del, stuff it, They'll think the Knights got us if we disappear, there's the North Star, let's go.

"Take this," said Kyle, holding out his gun to Eul. "Cover the entrance, I'm going to try and make an explosive to leave behind for Tyler..."

He emptied his bag of parts and started making a bomb.

Quote from: Groddil on July 29, 2016, 09:49:19 PM
"Agreed. Like I said, we were only doing this to gain their trust enough to horde supplies before we escaped. Right now, it doesn't look like they're fit to give orders anymore. Y'know what, Del, stuff it, They'll think the Knights got us if we disappear, there's the North Star, let's go.

"Sounds great!" said Delthion as he strode off in the night. ;D

Squire nodded

"South side of the base, little door to the outside. Can't miss it, there's a .guard tower right next to it"

As the hordes of zombies, attracted by the noise approached, the sound of an engine could suddenly be heard, and the gunfire lessened. A large military vehicle could be seen through the smoke, driving away into the woods. Several figures on horseback followed.

The smoke cleared further, revealing hundreds of zombies, shambling into the base. Half of the residents were now in the open area inside the base, armed with guns.

"Hurry! There must be hundreds of them!"

Shots rang out once more, as the townspeople began to fight the zombies. It was a clever strategy - hit hard and retreat, leaving the dead to do as much damage as possible.

Squire coughed feebly : "Hurry, get out of here. They have forgotten you're here for now, but they will soon remember once the shock of the attack lessens."

Group 2:

Jason's radio crackled to life, and Byurn's voice could be heard clearly:

"Just had an attack on the supermarket from the Knights. They retreated East, into the woods, towards Bennett Farms. Head that way and find out where they are hiding. Byurn out."

Kyle wanted to ask Squire who the nights were, but decided not to. Holding up three charges, he put them in his pockets before taking his rifle back from Eul. "There's the guard tower," he said. "If we stay on the roofs and keep low we should be fine."

"That sounds go to... To... To me, lead on Kyle. And c'mon you." Antonio grunted pulling Squire to his feet and supporting him. "Point us wrong, and we'll use you as a zombie snack." Struggling slightly the two men followed after Kyle and Eul.

Jason stared dumbly at the radio, before pulling out his pistol. He pressed the talk button on the radio and fired several shots into the air.
"Byurn? They've got as pinned down. We're in some sort of abandoned house, there's knights every- Del! No!"
The survivor pulled the trigger if the gun twice more, before dropping the radio to the ground and stomping on it.
"Radio's broken. Let's get out of here."

Squire did not look pleased about this, but consented.

The odd group of four made it to the guard tower, and opened the door to leave. As soon as they stepped out, however, a raspy voice and an ugly face greeted them.

Byurn was burnt and scarred. His face was mangled from burns. Seeing them staring, he smiled lopsidedly.

"Your little trick with the crops. Thanks for that."

He pulled the pin on the grenade he had been holding, but did not let the handle pop up.

"I release this handle we all die. You shoot me, it releases, we all die. You people could have ruined everything. You're stupid! Foolhardy! Who the devil do you think you are? Look at what you've done! Trusting Squire once again. Did you think I did not arrange for him to send you here? It was I who shot him in the shoulder. One way or another I knew we would all end up here, right now. And now we're here. And you're going to hand me the antidote, take off my gear and get out, to never come back."

Group 2:

Attracted by the shots, over two dozen zombies that had been headed for the supermarket turned and shambled towards Delthion and Jason instead. They were surrounded on all sides.

Jason shrugged, raising his rifle.
"Out of the frying pan..."
Double-checking the silencer, Jason squeezed the trigger several times, watching the heads of two zombies split open, while a third undead had its leg shredded.
"Think you can handle melee? You still have that revolver."

Kyle stopping halfway to grabbing his handgun, but instead grabbing a handled disc next to the holster. He cradled it in his hand behind his back, waiting for an oppurtunity.

Plunging his hand into his pocket Antonio drew out a vial, holding it towards Byurn, consequently allowing Squire fall to the ground. "Here, is this what you want?" He asked pulling back his hand and hurling it away, the vial landed several yards away disappearing into the dark mud.
"Why don't you go...Go.... Grab it?" He smirked raising his rifle to point at Squire's head. "Or are you going to blow us all up." Twisting his head toward Eul he whispered to her, hoping it was quiet enough so that Byurn couldn't hear. "Move back, get... Get... Move out of the blast range. Then pop him, you can right?"

Delthion nodded and began to cut his way mercilessly through the undead horde, killing several of them before retreating to catch his breath and let Jason take care of them for a minute or two. Then Delthion went back to killing them, making sure that he was out of reach of the zombies.

While Delthion was catching his breath, Jason had flicked the rifle back into three-round burst and continued blowing away the zombies. A few nearby zombies, close enough to hear the quiet shots, rambled over, but were quickly put down. Eventually, the two survivors had dealt with most of them. Jason set aside his rifle and drew his knife to finish off the rest of the undead.

Eul gave a small nod, then slowly started going backwards. She looked around, maybe there would be something to help get her group out without anyone getting hurt other than Byurn. Her gun was raised and she was ready to shoot Byurn if she had to.

Group 1:

Squire lay face down in the mud, unable to pick himself up from loss of blood. He made small choking noises as he began to drown in the mud.

Byurn laughed when Eul pointed her gun at him. He stepped forward and wrapped up Antonio in a tight hug.

"Going to shoot me, eh? Drop the gun, go pick up that vial and bring it to me. Try anything and poor Andy here gets it!"

He brought his mouth very close to Antonio's ear : "If that vial is lost, you will pay dearly for it. I promise you that."

Group 2:

The zombies were taken care of, but the rumbling sound of a military vehicle could be heard. The Knight's truck rumbled by, and Jason and Delthion could make out several figures in military camo in the back. They were laughing and joking. It was clear why they were called the Knights - several of them were on horseback behind the truck, and all of them wore leather armor. They were heading East.

Eul slowly placed the gun on the ground, then stood up and made her way towards the vial behind Byrurn without a word. She started walking towards Byurn, then dropped the vial and tightly wrapped her hand around Byurn's grenade hand while slamming her elbow into his neck several times.

Byurn was shocked by the seemingly gentle girl's violent actions, but he was a seasoned survivor who had been through many a tough situation. He had been in scraps before, and he had no intention of being bested by someone he had initially judged to be the weakest of the group.

Roaring angrily, he used his free hand to grab Eul's elbow, stopping the dangerous neck blows. He bit down angrily on the closest thing he could reach. As he was holding Eul's elbow, that happened to be her hand. She yelled and drew her hand back - the ring finger on her left hand had been bitten off!

His actions caused him to lose hold of Antonio.

 
Taking advantage of Eul's sudden attack Antonio launched his own; kneeing the man several times in the stomach, and grappling to hold him still. "Keep ahold of that grenade, don't let it go off!" He shouted to Eul as he fought to secure Byurn's free hand. He snagged his combat knife, wrapping his fingers around the hilt. Bursting the clip that held it in place Antonio raised the blade. His actions fueled by adrenaline, he stabbed wildly towards Byurn's abdomen.

Kyle held the disc out while he pointed his handgun at Tyler. "Raise your hand!" he shouted to Eul. He flicked a switch on the disc, sending out a strong magnetic signal that violently pushed the grenade away, so it exploded harmlessly away from the group.

OOC: Hope that's okay. :P

Byurn fell to the ground, clutching his stomach, where Antonio's knife had done its work.

He lay on his back, face up, but only a smile could be seen on his face.

"Ahhh, you don't know how good you got it here. Ain't nuthin' out there for you. You've ruined the only hope you" - he coughed hollowly - "could have had. You're going to die out there."

He laughed, and his voice sounded scratchy and hoarse. He turned his gaze directly to Eul.

"You're their leader. Go on then! Let the sheep out of the pen. Go out into the land of the wolves. Lets see how good that does you. These two sheep here may not know you, but I know you Eul. You may act all kind and friendly, but on the inside, where it counts, you're just like me. Just like me. Hahahaaa."

He spread his arms wide - exposing his already damaged body. "Now's your chance. Kill me, take my place as the wolf. I am unarmed. Nothin' to stop you. You can rule this new world. It always falls to people like us to lead. People like me. People like you. People like Jason."

"Don't let nothin' get in your way. Not me, not them" - he nodded sideways to Kyle and Antonio. "That's why you gotta kill me."

OOC: Byurn just perceives Eul as the most threatening. This does not mean only she can kill Byurn. It is up to each of you to decide.

Kyle grabbed Eul's arm to stop her from pulling a weapon. "Let him bleed out," he said, glancing back at Antonio. "We couldn't save him anyway, and he deserves a painful death..."

Eul clenched her jaw, having held her hand up as Kyle told her, she used her free hand to tear a piece of cloth off her hoodie sleeve and wrap it around her hand, where her finger was missing. She struggled to remain calm, having a hard time processing the situation as she answered. "No. I'm not like you," she said, her voice tight with pain. "People like you... they never pull through to the end." She pulled away from Kyle and picked her gun up, pointing it directly at Byurn. She hesitated, then lowered the gun. Painfully, she picked herself up off the ground. "Come on, let's go."

Kyle hefted his rifle. "Good choice. Where to? I'd like to think that those Knights are a viable option. An enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?"

OOC: Last post for the night.

OOC: Eul!!! YOU ARE MAKING THE MISTAKE THAT ALL GOOD GUYS MAKE THAT ALWAYS LEADS TO A SEQUEL!!! YOU ARE NOT MAKING IT SO THAT HE DIES BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT!!! This will come back to haunt you all! ;D

OOC: but... she's like Jason Bourne... ;D

Ok, and are you guys just going to ignore that fact that he just bit my finger off and it's bleeding and I'm obviously in pain and need immediate medical attention?!

OOC: I'm dying laughing at this! You guys have made this game a lot of fun! I really appreciate the participation - I didn't expect it to go this far. ;D

Byurn sat up slightly, his eyes watching the survivors as they began to move away.


"Oh ho ho, where you going? Get back here and finish this!"

"Tony! You already tried to kill me once! Finish the job! Prove yourself! Don't follow after Eul! Come back here Antonio! Ha! You're all weak. Hopeless. You're all as good as dead!"

OOC: You know, I could make an argument that having an elbow slammed into your neck (a pressure point) by someone filled with an adrenaline rush would immobilize you at least long enough for the immediate actions of another character to prevent you from biting off someone's finger. But, you know, who cares? It's just a finger ;D

OOC: Hmm, I found something interesting. I saw something or other on the internet the other day. I present to you... Real life Jason Taylor:

(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/2e/05/2b/2e052b641feab37237c62c6f0486bf22.jpg)

Looks about right.

Stopping suddenly, Antonio turned around stalking back over to where Byurn was lying. The doctor smiled slightly, obviously not bothered by the sight of blood.
"When I was in training," He told Byurn as he wiped his knife off on a clean bit of their past captor's clothing. "I was told that we had to do everything in our power to save lives. Even if death is inevitable. Of course I wasn't your typical doctor. And I can see very little hope for your survival, abdomen wounds are deadly. But don't worry, I was trained to deal with diseases that were sure to kill people, but sometimes, when those... Those diseases became to much... Sometimes it was easier to just ease the passing. I'm being merciful." Laying the knife on Byurn's throat Antonio pulled the man's head forward sliding the blade cleanly like as any scalpel, not cutting the windpipe, but the vital blood arteries in the throat. Byurn would black out almost immediately, and die seconds later. "Your sick Byurn, that'll help."

Standing Antonio cleaned off the blade again sheathing it before turning to the others. "I wasn't about to leave him alive to suffer like that," He said defensively as he retrieved his AR-15. "Also Eul, let me handle that, and what should we do about him?" He motioned at Squire who was still semi-drowning in the mud, as he moved to check Eul's hand.

Byurn's eyes showed no fear.

"That's the way, doctor."

As the knife was thrust he chuckled his last words: "Just like me..."

Group 2:

As the sun began to set, a dull wind picked up and the grass and trees rustled. Delthion and Jason were bone - weary from fighting the undead. Every shot simply brought more of them, and the smoke billowing from the supermarket attracted the dead from miles around. They were both panting, and drenched in sweat. They had to find a place to lie low soon.

OOC: Fatch, Jason was using a silencer during almost that entire battle.

OOC: Even with a silencer, weapon shots can be heard. Besides, there were lots of them in close proximity to you.

Honestly, it's just to get you guys to a new location of your choice. Don't worry about being tired.  :P

OOC: Okay, thanks! ;D

Kyle grimaced as Tyler's life drained out, before turning and looking out over the demolished gate. "I'm going to go set the charges. Be right back." He went off alone towards the wall.

Eul let Antonio see her hand, glancing at Squire. "Just..." she tightened her grip around her injured hand. "We shouldn't let him drown," she said, hugging her hand to herself. "Do you have anything to help this?" she asked, clenching her jaw and focusing on a point on the ground.

Group 1:

The sounds of the townspeople could be heard. They had, of course, heard the grenade go off. They sounded dangerously close. There was not much time left to get away. They would almost certainly be spotted soon. Their only cover for several hundred meters was the darkness beginning to fall as night approached.

Group 2:

The shadows lengthened, and the night came. Soon it would be too dark to see the zombies coming.

"Let's get out of here," Delthion said to Jason as he took off into the woods.

"They'll help... Help him." Antonio said rolling Squire over so he was no longer drowning. He went to check Eul's hand but stopped as the sounds of angry townspeople drew closer. "I'll treat that when we're clear. Just keep as much pressure on the wound as... As... AS possible." Antonio hesitated, looking around for Kyle. He hadn't returned from setting the charges yet.
"We need to go, Kyle will be able to catch up... Right?" Uncertainly he moved towards the back entrance pushing it open and peeking out. It seemed clear.

Kyle armed the last charge and closed the cover for a nearby circuit junction. Picked up his gun, he fitted the modified grenade launcher to the barrel. A few changes and it would remotely detonate the bombs. He hurried back to the others. "We need to get a fair distance away so that the charges don't kill us," he said.

Eul gritted her teeth, the gun tucked into her waistband as she put as much pressure on her wound as possible, keeping the map between her elbow and side. They would need it later, she was sure of it. Hopefully there wasn't too much blood for them to see what it said. "C'mon, let's go," she gasped, kicking the door open and looking around carefully before running off into the forest.

OOC: I am afraid I cannot allow you to blow up the entire supermarket. In light of what you have already posted, lets just assume the bombs destroy a good portion of it. The reasoning on my end here, is that there are zombies all over the outside of the base, and you would not be able to put down that many explosives. In addition, the townspeople began coming for you as soon as they heard the grenade. There just isn't enough time.

Group 1:

The three ran away, with explosions and smoke pluming into the sky behind them. The red sky was marred with black smoke. The dead were attracted to the base in even greater quantities. No one was able to pursue them as they made their escape.

OOC: Both groups have escaped entirely. Find a place to settle down for awhile, and describe it to me a little. We're going to do a time skip, so pick someplace you could feasibly stay at for a little while.

OOC: how about an underground shelter behind a house, maybe we could stumble across a neighborhood. How does that sound to you guys?

OOC: Good.

OOC: That sounds fine, I'll start.

IC:

Antonio wasn't sure how long they had been running. They'd crossed a considerable distance, even while dodging groups of zombies. The sun was starting to rise in the east as they came across the outskirts of a suburb named Merryville, probably it had once been supplied by the supermarket they had just escaped from, now it lay abandoned oddly peaceful in the morning light.

Grass had started to grow out of control in the yards, and the houses were just beginning to look run down. Broken windows, deserted cars, and graffiti mixed with the government notices placed everywhere of evacuation and health warnings. It looked as if Merryville had a warning of the apocalypse before it reached them. As seen by the lack of zombies prowling the streets.

"We need to rest, and I need to treat Eul's hand." Antonio panted as they passed the town's population sign.

OOC: Ya'll should expand on my description, so Fatch has a better idea of the town and hiding place we choose.

Kyle pulled up the garage door to a repair shop. "Huh. Strange..."

He looked around more. "We could get one of these vehicles working - they're not too damaged. But for now, there should be a clinic around here somewhere."

  Eul looked at the big van near the front of the garage, which seemed clear of zombies. "That may work best, we can store all our supplies in that and use it as a house, too." After looking underneath the van and all around, she plopped down on the ground and leaned against the wheel. "I'm not walking any further today. I'm done," she said, still holding down on her hand. The pain had somewhat gone down, but she was still on the edge of tears, especially after running for what she guessed was two or three hours. She finally was wrapping her mind around the idea of losing her finger now that she had the time to process it. Everything before had been happening too fast for her to actually think.

  "You're welcome, by the way," she spat. "I could have taken it and ran." She couldn't help but be mad. Not at Kyle and Antonio. But at Byurn and the compound. They did this and they would probably keep hurting others. Whoever attacked those people last night... she wanted to know who they were.

Kyle pointed down the street at a white-clothed body. "Looks like they left a few behind. She's probably a nurse, you two can check it out. I'm going to see what I can do here."

He opened the hood on the van. "Mechanics isn't my forte, but it can't be too hard."

Jason, after walking for much of night along with Delthion, soon found himself brandishing a set of bolt cutters he had taken from the supermarket, and cutting his way through a barbed-wire fence. They had stumble across a little town, most of which was in ruins, but a large, concrete building remained intact. As the faded, charred lettering above the solid  door indicated, this was some sort of underground parking garage. Any vehicles outside had long been stolen or destroyed, but maybe, just maybe, they would get lucky inside. The building was severely lacking in the window department, with the only entrance being the chain-link gate. Soon enough, Jason had cut a sizable hole and crawled in. He motioned to Delthion to follow him. A lot of vehicles inside weren't much better off, either, but Jason soon came across a little staircase and descended it to another floor. This was where they lucked out. The gate had obviously been shut after the zombies had gained access, because there were several (very thin) undead. Jason kicked one to the ground and removed its head with his knife, then pointed to the jackpot. A black hummer, probably once owned by some stuck-up, hipsterish, millionaire, was awkwardly parked across several parking spaces, with the driver side door wide open. Unfortunately, there were no keys.
"Del. Owner of the car's probably a zombie. Look for one of them wearing an expensive watch or something. I'm going to go try and get the main gate open, so we can get the car out of here."

"Well I'm really glad you didn't." Alonso told her sincerely as he opened his backpack. Digging through the hastily stored contents he found a clean scalpel, bandages, and penicillin laying them out in a neat row. Glancing over his shoulder at Kyle he made an awkward jerking motion with his head.
"I've worked with... With cars before. I'll help you when I'm done." Turning back to Eul the doctor twisted a bandage and handed it to her. "You might want to bite down on this. I have to clean away any rot that's... That's... Anything bad that might be collected on the stump. It'll hurt. And we don't have any hot water so... I'll need your lighter..."

OOC: Just to double check - I'm fairly certain the antidote is still lying in the mud at the supermarket, right? (Also, if it is, please don't edit a post to pick it up  :P If you forgot it, you forgot it.  :) )

OOC: Oh sh- bad stuff. Oh well.

OOC: Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's still at the supermarket... whoops :P

BIC: Eul eyed Antonio nervously. "What're you gonna do? You mean you didn't get any medical supplies that could help with pain? Ibuprofen? Something?" Reluctantly, she dug through her bag and pulled out the lighter, handing it to Antonio. "The bleeding's slowed down, I doubt we'll have to... uh, do whatever you're thinking with that lighter. I've also had it covered, so, uh, I don't think rot would set in already, right? Maybe we should look for a clinic, unless you brought antibiotics."

OOC: Sand, I don't know what you're doing, you're making me nervous with that lighter ;D

"Relax, and no, I have nothing that can help with the pain." Clicking the lighter open Antonio ran the tiny flame up and down his scalpel blade. Satisfied that it was sanitary he took ahold of Eul's hand pinning it to his knee so she wouldn't be able to jerk it away. Swiftly as he could Antonio cut through the small jagged bit of bone from where Byurn's teeth had torn through bone, along with the blackened flesh where mud and filth had caked. The cut would round off the wound, and keep any bone from remaining exposed. He winced inwardly and tightened his grip on her hand smearing a dab of antibiotics into the freshly bleeding wound. Winding a bandage around the hand to keep his handiwork clean.
"Well that wasn't too bad." He commented, the ordeal had taken less then five seconds to complete, something he had done on purpose. Not everyone was okay with getting that sort of surgery done. Better to do it fast. "It'll hurt of a little bit, and you'll need to change the bandage, but you... You should be able to still use your hand fairly well."

OOC: Slight PP  :P

OOC: Nah, you're fine. And Fatch, out of curiosity, how much of the finger did he bite off?

BIC: Eul, as any conscious person would if a bit of flesh and bone was cut away with a hot knife, had screamed and tried to pull her hand away. Now that the bandage was around her hand, she held it with the other one. "Thanks," she muttered, setting her backpack to the side as she placed the map on the ground, unfolding it. "Let's see where we are." She looked down at the map, studying it carefully.

OOC: He bit if off just above the joint. This leaves you with about an inch's worth of stub.  :D

We'll wait on @Delthion and then if everyone is ready we can time skip.

OOC: Ok.... maybe I could get some sort of metal finger thing to attach to it. Like a knife. Or a screwdriver. Ooh, what about a little pocket knife? Or I could get a little hook. Instead of a hook for a hand, I'll just have a little finger hook. Yargh, Eul the pirate!

OOC: Which would be great until you go to rub your eyes in the morning, or get an itch on your back, or need to pick your nose. ;)

OOC: True, that reminds me of a joke my great uncle once told me... Maybe I could put a tiny little crossbow on it. With little poison darts for it to shoot. And flaming darts, and tracking darts, and heat seeking darts. Think of the possibilities!

Delthion was confused at Jason's question, "You mean look for a zombie wearing an expensive watch? A dead or living one?" asked Delthion standing to the side of Jason and the Hummer.

Jason chuckled.
"I was joking, just see if you can find a zombie that looks rich, or important; they'll be the owner. Try and start the car, I'll open the gate."

Two Years Later....

Two screams echoed in the quiet world. This, along with gunshots and curses had become the norm. The sounds of passing planes, air conditioning and humming electricity and not been heard for many a long night. Instead they had been replaced by the constant moaning and shambling of zombies, accompanied by the night howls and hoots of the few wild animals that had managed to survive.

A dog, mangy and stray licked at an empty can. The small force caused the can to roll slightly, helped along the way by the wind. It made a faint clunking sound as it rolled and bounced. It rolled into a limp body, laying in the middle of the street. A vehicle nearby with damaged headlights was running. The damaged headlights flickered over the dead body, and the engine hummed endlessly. The dog panted as it stood next to the can, observing the world of a midnight in an apocalypse. As it trotted away hoping to find food, its animal brain failed to recognize the significance of the red liquid coating its paws.

As the dog left the only sound was the engine motor finally stuttering and coughing as the gas ran its course at last...

Group 1:

Awakened by one of the two screams, Eul, Kyle and Antonio awoke. Things had changed in the past year. The garage they had set up camp in now sported various basic living necessities. The windows and doors had been boarded up and only one entrance remained. Little vantage points on the roof and near the door had been created to allow the area to be easily defended. Traps and wires zigzagged around the area. There were arrows stuck in the wooden barricades outside. They had gotten the van running, and its front, sides and bumper were covered in zombie remains. Countless trips, in concert with the map Eul had kept, had kept the group alive. It had not been an easy two years.

The people themselves had been largely changed as well.

Eul had become much more hardened, particularly because of the events that had passed with Byurn. The nine - fingered woman and her machete had claimed many a shambling zombie's brain. She no longer feared the dead. Nor the living for that matter. Her face was thinner from hunger, and her clothing was worn and patchy. Dirt and other substances stained her old shirt.

Antonio had also changed a lot. His old nervous self would likely never disappear in a crisis, but he had changed too. He often had a colder look - as though he had seen things one ought not to have seen. Byurn's last words "just like me" often echoed in his head. His slaying of an enemy in cold blood had made a pretty good impact, though he hid it well. He put down his enemies without hesitation, and perhaps was becoming a figure to be feared. Who knew, however? Only time would tell.

Kyle, loyal and sensible was largely the same. He had not been forced to make a gruesome decisions and he alone retained an air very similar to that which he had begun with. Perhaps he alone would be able to hold Eul and Antonio and himself together until the end...

Now awake, they heard the scream yet again. It was close by... Perhaps too close...

Group 2:

On that very same night, Jason and Del were awoken by a different scream. The two never slept without their weapons in their parking garage, and they were instantly up and ready to defend themselves. No one seemed to be in the immediate vicinity, however. The parking garage had been upgraded significantly since that night they settled there two years ago. Terrifying warnings, etched in zombie blood, now could be seen outside the walls to scare people away. Dead zombies and a few figures that might not have been zombies until recently could be seen along the neighboring street. The hummer had been upgraded with spikes and a mounted gun. It was smeared with the blood of the slain. Still, it had not been an easy two years.

Jason's eyes now darted around ceaselessly. They were darkened with lack of sleep and reddened in the edges. His beard was untrimmed and he truly had a terrifying visage. He heard the voices of his victims on late nights. Delthion had heard him occasionally mention their names in his sleep. Wilbur's name, the most commonly mentioned. The killer did not seem to trust anyone he came across. Delthion alone was allowed to survive in his presence with a weapon. The settlements in the area had run across him once or twice, and the whispered name of Jason Taylor struck fear into the hearts of the innocent.

Delthion, although not as monstrous as his cohort, had been affected by the constant companionship of Jason. He was slow to trust and fast to act. His victims occasionally crossed his mind, but he tried not to think about them. His old family and life seemed a thing of the past to him. Strange, even. How had he gotten along so well with all those coworkers and friends? Wasn't it right, always, to trust no one? Who had he become? Who would he become? Who was he before all of this?

The two heard the growling of a zombie, accompanied once again by a similar yell. This time a word could be distinguished: help!

It was close. Perhaps just outside the parking garage...

OOC: What?!?!?!?!

Gonna take a little while to adjust to this...

OOC: Don't worry too much about most of this. The change in characters is mostly just what I've observed so far. Ultimately who they are is completely up to the person in control of each perspective character. They don't have to live or act by what I've laid out at all.

It's mostly just to get the stage set once again. And hopefully to make an interesting transition.  :)

The important part is the screams.  ;)

OOC: Is this the first time we've heard them?

OOC: Ooh! ;D

BIC: Eul was up in a flash, her machete out and ready to defend its owner. She quietly hurried over to the only exit, taking a quick look through the cracks in the boards over the window beside it. "See anything?" she asked, looking out into the street for anyone. Her four fingered hand rested casually on her gun.

"No," replied Kyle, who had taken up a spot on the walkways above. He scanned the area with one of the various scopes attached to his nearly unrecognizable weapon. "Looks empty..."

OOC: why are we still in the garage after two years? We were just about to start up that car and head north. :p Eh, no matter.

BIC: Jason sat up, rubbing his eyes warily. The survivor's hand reached for his pistol, which now had an attached silencer and laser sight.
"Hey, Del. You hear that? Sounded like a scream... I'm going to go check it out."
Jason loaded a clip into the pistol and stood up.

Delthion stood and reached for his sword. "I better go with you, no telling what might have happened out there." Delthion said and followed Jason.

OOC: @Sagetip - this is the first time.

BIC:

Group 1:

Across the bend at the end of the street, the trio spotted a flickering light, reflecting on the nearby houses and signs. The faint cry of an engine could be heard, but it didn't sound as though the vehicle was moving. The howl of a dog broke the silence, but this time a yell accompanied it. Both sounds definitely had come from the same location that the lights now flickered at.

Group 2:

Delthion and Jason exited the building and the source was soon obvious. One of their road traps had caught a victim. He appeared to have been climbing a barrier and was tangled in barbed wire. Despite cutting himself on the barbed wire, he was desperately trying to crawl through. The reason, of course, was the zombie who had grabbed hold of the man's leg. The zombie lifted its face and snarled at the newcomers, before going back to attempting to eat its next meal. This zombie was a new sort of threat. It was wearing a Kevlar vest and a helmet with a protective piece to prevent damage to the face. It had a shield strapped to its arm which read "Riot Control"

The African American man in the barbed wire was bleeding heavily and he sobbed and screamed desperately for aid.

Eul crouched down, her machete up, and silently made her way towards the light. She checked her surroundings carefully as she went from cover to cover. "C'mon," she whispered. "Let's see if they're a threat."

Delthion swiftly crawled through a secret entrance through the fence that he and Jason had made some months back and decapitated the zombie, then knocked the man unconscious. He took what the zombie was wearing and tossed it to Jason, then went back into the fence dragging the man behind him. "What should we do about this guy?" Delthion asked as he finished crawling through the fence.

Jason reached into his pocket, pulling out a roll of duct tape and a simple bandage.
"Patch him up, Bind him, and take him inside. Search him for weapons, and we'll keep an eye on him, so he doesn't turn into a zombie. He might have some useful info. I'll be with you shortly."
Jason looked at the zombie's had an effective, if disgusting, set of armor. He reached into another pocket, pulling out a folded garbage bag. The survivor tossed the armor into it, slung it over his shoulder, and trudged towards the river, just on the outskirts of the suburb, but still within shouting distance of the garage. Thankfully.

OOC: Groddil I already did took the gear and tossed it to you.

Delthion nodded and began to do what Jason had advised.

Group 1:

A pickup truck was running in the middle of the road. The dog scurried off, spooked by the presence of these new strangers. There were several bodies on the scene. Two of them were pinned against a light post by the truck. Another lay just outside the open driver's side door on the pavement. A single living person was in the passenger side - battered and bloodied. The window was broken, and heedless of the glass, a zombie was reaching through - trying to get a hold of the weakened man. The man was trying to edge away, but there was nowhere to go.

Group 2:

This man was tougher than he seemed to be. Despite his initial display of apparent weakness while the zombie attacked him, he now showed some resolve.

This resolve was just enough for him to wake up very shortly after being knocked out. He found himself inside the parking garage, guarded by Delthion.

He was groggy and confused to find himself bound. His eyes went wide and he began yelling:

"They know! They see! They know everything! They will find us!" He tried to flail violently - but he was bound. Instead he fell over, and lay there face down, sobbing.

"Please kill me... No more of it. I can't do it anymore!"

He lifted his face and looked straight at Delthion, his eyes raving and bloodshot - "They know you. They know this place. They are here!"...

Jason, still taking the armor towards the river, stopped momentarily. The wind had picked up and the trees and bushes swayed and creaked. He could hear something close by - in the woods. He felt a crazy sensation. Perhaps it was just paranoia, but he felt as though he was being watched.

Eul rushed forward, sending the machete into the zombie's skull, ending it for good. As she used the machete to make sure the bodies against the light post weren't coming back, she glanced at the others. "Antonio, you should get that man out of here. See to his wounds, he might have information. Kyle, could you check the perimeter for others? I'll see the back of the van. There might be something useful or more people."

 Sprinting after Eul Antonio held a pistol ready, unwilling to fire unless absolutely necessary. However it was better to be safe then sorry when it came to zombies, even Eul with her machete missed occasionally. He needn't have worried, Eul made short work of the undead leaving him free to holster the gun.

"Alright," Antonio said not questioning her orders. Though he felt a tinge of resentment. One could argue he was the most important of their group, and probably the only one with a masters in medicine and mechanics, but he stayed silent knowing better then to begin arguing about who should be in charge.

"Calm down," Antonito hissed reaching in through the truck's broken window and unlocking the door. "I'll help you... You... We'll save your life, but you have to stay quiet." Hoping the man got the message Antonio slid him out dragging him towards their base.

Kyle's boots crunched over gravel as he checked the other sections of the base they had built. Cautiously shining his flashlight around, he made sure to keep it pointed down. Didn't want anyone seeing it in the sky.

Quote from: Fatch of Southsward on August 11, 2016, 12:10:29 AM
Groddil, still taking the armor towards the river, stopped momentarily. The wind had picked up and the trees and bushes swayed and creaked. He could hear something close by - in the woods. He felt a crazy sensation. Perhaps it was just paranoia, but he felt as though he was being watched.

OOC: Jason. :P

BIC: Jason looked around warily, before drawing his gun. He tossed the garbage bag into the river, shook it around, and slung the bag back over his shoulder. He filled a small plastic container with water and shoved it into the bag. Pistol brandished, the survivor jogged back towards the garage.

Delthion was slightly surprised at the man waking so soon. Delthion turned to the man and said, "Alright, I'll kill you, just tell me this. Who are they? What are they?" He finished the sentence then radioed to Jason, "Get back here now, something is coming, I don't know what yet, hurry and be alert."

Jason, who was now just across the street from the garage, pulled out his radio.
"Del, load him into the back of the hummer. Get as many supplies as we can fit in the car as possible; fuel, food, and water. We've been hanging around here for too long, but we have enough supplies to start our journey north. Grab the keys and start her up. I'm driving, so I'll open the gate on my way inside."
The survivor tucked the radio back in his pocket and wrenched the chain-link gate open.

Eul shone her flashlight into the backseat and checked the bed of the truck to see what supplies the man had.

OOC: Gimme the details, Fatch, ole buddy, ole pal ;D

OOC: Since you didn't respond to my last request...

GIVE ME YOUR XBOX USERNAME

OOC: whoops, I'll go reply to that :P

OOC: Sorry, had to get your attention.

OOC: Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaame! ;D

Quote from: Groddil on August 11, 2016, 01:26:13 AM
OOC: Jason. :P

OOC: I've been trying not to make this mistake the whole game... Good catch!  ;D

Group 1:

The bed of the truck contained very little. The man they had rescued, however, was wearing military gear, and he had several grenades in his front pockets. The body outside of the driver's side door was wearing similar gear. He had several bullet wounds, and blood soaked the front of his clothes - he had been shot from straight ahead while driving, it seemed. The two bodies pinned to the pole by the truck had clearly been zombies for a long while.

As they dragged the man away, he coughed out a dire warning:

"I thank you... Must... get out of this place... Supply run... gone wrong...enemies" his head dipped and he lost consciousness. He was clearly still alive, however.

Group 2:

Jason heard footsteps, rustles and once he entered the city, he occasionally glimpsed a shadow. The pursuer was clearly good at what he did. It was not long before the number of shadows seemed to increase. They never stayed in view for long. He saw one jump from roof to roof above him, while another ducked into an alley just as he looked back. Small whistles and whispers could be heard, and as he opened the gate, he knew they were watching.

The man grabbed Delthion and wrenched him closer : "They have no name... They have no mercy.... Don't let them take you! End it here, with me. Death alone is escape."

Jason still had the pistol in his hand. As he ducked into the parking garage, he heard the man's insane musing. The survivor raised his gun and shut one eye. He pulled the trigger once, shooting the man in the leg.
"Shut up! Get in the car!"
Jason kicked the man off Del, grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt, and bundled him into the rear seat of the Hummer. Jason grabbed a rope from a nearby crate and wrapped it around the prisoner, binding his arms to the side of his body, and his legs together. Finally, he clipped the seatbelt over the bound survivor and reapplied the duct tape to his mouth, this time with a solid gag over his tongue to stop him spitting it out.
"Del, you're in the passenger seat. Check the mounted gun's ammunition, I'll get the supplies."
Jason jogged over to a destroyed station wagon, which functioned as their storage area. He lifted out a large ammo box, which contained ammunition for the mounted gun, as well as several of their other guns. Jason reached under his shirt, taking out a key on a chain. He unlocked the ammunition box, pulling out a hand grenade. After relocking the box, he carried it to the hummer. The survivor loaded the ammunition, then the gallon drum of water, then the crate of food. He went back to the sedan and took out Byurn's revolver, and his silenced rifle. Jason tossed the revolver onto Delthion's seat, hid his rifle in the driver's side footwell, and strapped the grenade to the roof of the vehicle, just out of sight of anyone outside. He hopped into the driver's seat and turned the key.
"How's the gun going for ammo?"

OOC: Let's just say that the mounted gun is above the passenger seat.

OOC: In standard Military hummers, or the MRAP replacements, it's in the middle or controlled by remote (respectively) but seeing as that's a civilian model...

BIC:

Kyle jogged back towards the others. "Nothing out there," he said, looking at the injured man. "What did he say?"

Delthion quickly checked it, found that it was half empty, reloaded it. "It's full. I said I would kill that guy if he told me who they were, it probably would be best if I kept my word."

Quote from: Sagetip on August 11, 2016, 04:04:40 PM
OOC: In standard Military hummers, or the MRAP replacements, it's in the middle or controlled by remote (respectively) but seeing as that's a civilian model...

Yeah, I know. But if Del sits up the back, the prisoner'll probably do something bad. :P

Group 1:

The group went silent when suddenly a loud rumbling sound could be heard from the direction the van had come from, it started quietly, and quickly grew. Then they saw it. Zombies - thousands of them. The sound had been hundreds of footsteps mixed with snarls. They stumbled towards them quickly. The one in the lead was wearing football pads and a football helmet. There had been a big football game before the disaster - an entire stadium turned into zombies was now approaching them - and not just from one direction. The streets on all sides suddenly seemed to fill with zombies.

Group 2:

Delthion and Jason heard a muffled thump noise - and some sort of whistle. There was the sound of impact and one of the vehicle's tires hissed as the air was released. One of the shadow figures had a silenced sniper rifle.

Jason looked Del.
"For that shot to hit, they have to be in the garage with us. Get on the gun, tear this place apart. I'll go cannibalize the pickup truck over there for another tire."
The survivor grabbed his rifle and nudged open the door. Slipping the armor over his shoulders, the helmet onto his head, and strapping the riot shield on his arm, he faced the shield towards the entrance and made a beeline for the pickup truck.

Kyle pulled a grenade and tossed it into the crowd of undead. "Get back to the van, I'll cover you!"

He started gunning down zombies with precise shots.

Delthion followed Jason's advice and tore the garage apart with bullets, after completing a circuit around the garage at chest height he moved his shots down three feet or so, after this circuit he stopped allowing silence to follow.

Jason ducked behind the pick-up truck, inspecting its tires. There was still one in a pretty good condition. He dashed back to the Hummer, opening the back and pulling out a tool kit. The survivor managed to remove the hummer's popped tire, and set about taking off the pickup's still intact one.
"Hey, Del. Try covering fire on the entrance ramp. If they want to get more shots off, they'll have to come back in the way of the bullets!"

OOC: Watch for sniper glare, any light will be reflected from the scope.

"Where did they... They come from?" Antonio shouted, but he didn't have time to say any more as the zombies marched unsteadily towards him and the injured man. Realizing that time was of the essence the doctor grabbed the man under the armpits and dragged him bodily towards the van, leaving a blood trail on the asphalt.

Heaving with all his limited strength Antonio dumped him unceremoniously into the back of the van retrieving his AR-15 as he did. Fumbling with the magazine he clicked it in place, aiming and firing inaccurately into the horde from the back of the van. Even after two years he wasn't the best shot, and they didn't exactly have a lot of ammo to practice with.

Leaping out and slamming the back doors shut Antonio rounded the van's exterior towards its driver's seat, firing all the while.

  Eul jumped in the back of the van to keep an eye on the injured stranger. She opened the window separating the back from the front. "How did we not see them? They're so loud. How did they even find us like that?" She glanced at the man to see how he was reacting to the situation. "Where..." she began, but answered her own question. They wouldn't have time to go back to the house. The map. Her stuff. Their supplies. She cracked her knuckles, giving a shrug. "Let's go, go. C'mon!"

Group 1:

The man regained consciousness as he was pulled back to the van. His eyes widened in horror, but he was too weak to contribute much more than that. The horde had now completely surrounded them - every alley and street was full. The van engine sputtered and died as they closed in. They began to shake the van, and the windows were cracked as they banged on them. The man they had rescued, flat on his back, pointed feebly directly above him - "The sunroof! The sunroof!"

Group 2:

One of the figures was hit, and he yelled in pain, but escaped the garage - he had to have been wearing armor too. He didn't make it far - he collapsed just outside. Fired from outside through the entrance, bullets pinged and ricocheted off the walls. A gruff voice from outside yelled out:

"Sdacha! Surrender!"

Jason, having removed the pick-up's tire, rolled it towards the hummer, keeping the car between him and the shooters.
"Who are you? We're not surrendering without knowing who you are!"

Group 2:

The bullets immediately stopped. Dead silence came over the parking garage. A chuckle, that sounded so close it almost seemed as though the man was inside with them, echoed eerily throughout the garage.

"Wisdom is given in our time... In our turn... Jason... Taylor... You ask who I am? Perhaps the only man to ever escape us will tell you. We know he is in there. We know you saved him. Give him to us... And your sins will be forgiven and forgotten... Give him to us and our time of coming for you will be delayed... Give him to us... and you will be rewarded

Delthion certainly didn't want to be rewarded, and didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him. But it seemed like a better alternative than trying to resist an unknown force. But he remained silent to let Jason respond.

Jason cut the man free and pushed him forward. He whispered to his companion.
"Del, load the tire onto the wheel. We need to get ready to leave IMMEDIATELY."
Jason raised his voice as he shoved the prisoner forward, pistol at his back.
"We didn't save him. We took him for information. He hasn't told us anything. If I hand him over to you, do you promise to let us leave this place? Because we will. If you let us, we'll leave this town and never come back."

Delthion quickly put the wheel on the axle and started the Hummer, gathering what supplies that they had acquired over the years.

Hopping down from the walkways onto the roof of the van, Kyle popped the sunroof and held out his hand. "Hurry up! We need to make it to the back entrance in time!"

"We're completely surrounded! How is climbing on top going to help!" Antonio shouted in horror as a zombie head managed to shove itself through the driver seat window, leaving most of the face hanging on the broken glass. It snapped at him, struggling to break more of the window and get at him.
"Uaaagh," Shoving a knife through it's eye Antonio rolled into the walkway following Kyle. He snagged some of the emergency bags that had been kept under the seats pulling them onto his back. "What do we... we do?"

Group 1:

The windows began to crack in earnest. A hand shattered through the glass, and the zombie wearing the football helmet stuck its face inside. It grabbed Antonio and began trying to bite him. The face guard on the helmet kept that from happening, but more of them were struggling to get in too.

Another hand broke through on the opposite side, and multiple arms began grasping and reaching. They grabbed hold of Eul's hair, and began dragging her towards the snarling mass.

When things seemed as though the could get no worse, they did. Another zombie had its arm stuck in the door handle. The door now slammed open and shut, as the zombie pulled it open, and the horde pushed in and closed it. The van was groaning under the pressure of the horde, and some zombies were ripping pieces off of the sides

Group 2:

The man began to cry. "No, no! Let me go! Kill me! Anything but this! Please sir, if you have any heart left in this world, don't do this!"

A figure jumped down from above the garage entrance, and landed heavily. He stood, masked in the shadows holding out his arm.

"It will be as you say. You may leave in exchange for this prisoner. But don't go too far Jason Taylor. Don't go too far..."

OOC: Isn't the guy supposed to be gagged? Jason will pretend he didn't hear that.

BIC:

Jason couldn't hear the prisoner's muffled begging, so he shoved him heavily towards the strange figure and walked back to the Hummer.
"Tire all changed? Good, shove over. I'm driving."
The survivor gave a quick glance into the back of the Hummer, where their supplies were already stacked.
"Good, we're leaving. Now. Hope you haven't forgot anything."
Jason holstered his pistol and waited for Delthion to leave the driver's seat.

Kyle fired his pistol, killing the zombies breakin into the van. "Hurry up!" he yelled. "We'll have to leave the guy we found!"

OOC: @Groddil Once again, good catch!  :D Yes, we'll treat it as though he was screaming into his gag. Either way, your decision is the same, I'd say?

Also, since you've caught so many of my errors, I feel compelled to point out that you referred to Jason as a she  :P ::)

Group 1:

The man desperately reached up for the sunroof: "WHAT!? No, get me up there! I'm not 'the guy you've found!' My name's Eric! Don't leave me here to die!"

Group 2:

"Thanksssssss..." hissed the figure. The prisoner's yell was cut short, and the sounds of retreating footsteps could be heard from all around the parking garage.

"It's a cruel world, 'Eric', replied Kyle. "You're not a priority..."

Delthion quickly moved over and motioned for Groddil to drive with reckless abandon.

"Get on the gun, just in case. We're going."
Jason climbed into the hummer, flicked the switch to lock all of the doors, and wound up the bulletproof windows. He slammed his foot on the accelerator, plowing out of the garage and through the open gate. He kept driving until they had left the town miles in the dust.

 Lifting his booted foot Antonio slammed it into the zombie's facemask with all the force he could muster. It didn't hurt it per say, but it was enough for him to pull his other foot free of its grasp. Scrambling to his feet Antonio looked up, his eyes widening as Eul was pulled towards the window by her hair. Rushing over he struggled against the many hands reaching through, smashing at them with his rifle stock.

"Use your machete!" He yelled to Eul as the rotting hands started to grab ahold of his shirt. "Kyle get ready to pull us top-side quick!"

OOC: Slight edit for consistency.

OOC: this moved fast...

BIC: Eul had her machete out and ready when her hair was grabbed, and she reached back and cut it off, pulling away from the zombies. She turned, hacking at the hands reaching in. "Climb up, go. You can reach the sunroof, can't you?" she yelled back, glancing over at Eric. He might have information they needed.

OOC: Did you just cut off all your hair!? Legit bro   :D

:)

Spoiler

(http://cdn-media.extratv.com/2015/10/26/walking-dead-825x580.jpg)

[close]

BIC:

Group 1:

Eric tried to stand to reach the sunroof, but the van was shaking so much from the zombies that he couldn't manage it. He clutched his side and clenched his teeth in agony:

"My ribs... from the crash... I can't do it alone - you've got to help me get up there!"

He reached under the  front seat and withdrew a revolver. The group momentarily was focused on the fact that he was now armed, but he made no move to use it on them. Instead he unloaded several times into the heads of the encroaching zombies. The growls, snarls and bashing had grown so loud he had to yell to make himself heard:

"I don't know why you're still in here! Get on top of the van! I'll hold them off until two of you get up. Then one of you can boost me. Please don't go up there and leave me! I don't want to die!"

Kyle decided he couldn't wait. Crouching down, he grabbed Eul under the shoulders and hauled her up. The 18 year old girl wasn't too hard to lift, and he guestured to Antonio. "You'll have to help him up, Eul and I can grab his hands."

OOC: Sorry for the PP.

Lurching back Antonio pulled himself free from the creatures' grip, going to where Eric was laying he bent down, his teeth clenched. "This'll hurt," Antonio warned grabbing the man around the waist and hauling him towards the sunroof. "Reach up! Kyle, Eul grab his arms!"

Grasping one of Eric's hands, Kyle looked st Eul. "Get his other, c'mon!"

Group 1:

His face a mess of pain, Eric was hauled up to through the sunroof onto the top of the van, where he collapsed gasping for breath. Antonio was the lone member still inside the van as the zombies began to break through in earnest. They were closing in on all sides - he had seconds - less than seconds - to get onto the sunroof with the others!

OOC: EUL!!!

"Help meeeee!" Antonio screamed, his voice having gone up a few octaves. Leaping upward his hands clenched the side of the sunroof in a desperate attempt to pull up and save himself. He might have made it too had one of the zombies not lurched forward snagging his boot in its jaws. As more zombies rushed forward to join in, Antonio felt himself slipping back down, his face creased in absolute terror. "Help, helphelphelp!"

OOC: One last time: @Eulaliaaa!

OOC: Sorry, I've been too busy to get on the forum :P

BIC: Eul reached down with one hand, grabbing Antonio's wrist as she hacked at zombies with her machete using the other hand. "C'mon, let's go!" she yelled, looking around for an opening in the horde of zombies. "See a way?"

OOC: This situation is a little evil...  :)

Before someone asks - there are too many zombies to shoot your way out of this one. I hope that's alright, but the zombies have to be some sort of threat to the groups, and if this many can't cause a problem, then they really aren't much of a threat.  ;)

BIC:

As the van shook violently below the four exhausted, but tasty looking, survivors, time seemed to stand still as they suddenly recognized the way out.

Roughly 20 yards away on a nearby building was a fire escape. The building had still been under construction, because a large ladder was located on the first level of the fire escape. The building had been a tall one, and the ladder looked to be long enough to reach from the fire escape to the van. The only problem was the horde of zombies between them and the fire escape. One of them was going to have to run through the horde to extend the ladder to the others to make a bridge to safety. The horde was thinnest in the direction of the fire escape, but there seemed to be too many zombies to just run through. Whoever went would have a very high chance of being eaten alive in front of their friends. Someone had to go...

Eul, Antonio and Kyle looked slowly towards Eric, but he shook his head violently.

"I can't make it. I can barely walk. You can't just throw me to those monsters. One of you has to go!"

The van continued to groan and creak as the zombies tore it apart, bit by bit...

Group 2:

Sorry for neglecting you - you handed over your prisoner, so that made your encounter pretty concise. You are not forgotten.  :)

Kyle stared st Eric. "Are you crazy? You aren't expecting us to sacrifice ourselves for you?"

He stared at Eil and Antonio. "We have to leave him."

  Eul looked around at the situation, hacking away at the closest zombies. "We can't just leave him," she said. Maybe there was something within throwing range that could make sound that would draw the zombies away. She glanced around the area for anything that might work. If there wasn't anything, she might have an idea. "Ok, this is bad. We could start shooting at them where they're thinnest, clear a path to that fire exit. I'm the fastest and smallest, I'm more likely to make it. Plus, I'm most skilled with a machete and I can take down any that get near me. If it comes down to that, I can make it."

Kyle pointed to one of the lower ladders. "That ladders looks loose. If you can pull it up and push it across to us, we can cross above the zombies."

Eric looked around the group in horror.

"Leave me? What on earth did I do to you to deserve these endless attempts to abandon me? Have I done you any wrong? I have a family!"

He waved his hands at the two men : "And you two! Sending a kid into those monsters! What kind of people are you? You're sending her to her death! She's just a girl! She won't make it!"

The van shuddered, and everyone dropped to their knees to keep balance.

Eric slowly nodded.

"Well. I said my piece. Someone's got to go. And they've got to go soon. I expect this roof of the van to hold little more safety than the inside did."

  Eul was used to being underestimated, but Eric calling her just a girl incapable of accomplishing such a task still ticked her off. She turned to him. "I'm more likely to make it than anyone here. So make yourself useful, and take my gun. Start clearing a path, I'll go." She looked to the others, ready to jump down and make a run for it, waiting for them to open fire and help out.

Kyle took aim with his rifle. "Ready when you are," he said.

Antonio had been busy inspecting his torn boot, he looked up his face ashen. "I don't think we have much of a choice at this point. Eul is right, she's more likely to make it, and we can only try this once." Loading his AR-15 he aimed down the sights targeting a large zombie, he shot hitting it in the shoulder knocking it off its feet.
"Damn this. Eul make sure to take off all your gear before you go, don't even take your machete, there's too many to fight off anyway. You'll need both hands free to get up that ladder as fast as possible."

Clearing the chamber Antonio began firing at will, hitting zombies and pavement alike. Still it had the desired affect, thinning the crowd somewhat.

"You think I have a death wish?" Eul laughed as she dropped her backpack. "I'm taking my machete." She crouched down, hoping her combat armor would help if any got close, and took a deep breath, waiting for an opening as the group opened fire. She saw a chance and jumped off the van, her machete in one hand and a knife in the other as she ran full speed towards the fire escape and cutting down any zombies that managed to grab on to her or were close enough to attack.

Eul landed on the ground, and was immediately rushed on all sides. Roughly a dozen were behind her, five were on the right and left and eight approached her head on. They extended their arms and growled excitedly. Their next meal was not far away now. Drawn by the gunfire, more zombies poured from the side streets and alleys into her path - closing some of the gaps.

How would she get through the first wave? The eight in front of her were blocking her path.

A spray of bullets took down a few zombies. Kyle loaded a fresh magazine and took aim again. "Hurry up, these bullets aren't endless!"

OOC: *sigh* it would be helpful if you guys aimed specifically at the ones closest and in front of me :P

OOC: I meant the eight in front of you.

OOC: Antonio's not a great shot, if he shot at the ones in front of Eul he might end up hitting Eul. :P  ;D

IC:

Antonio's heart jumped to his throat as zombies swarmed in on Eul. Had they just sent her to her death? His lip trembled as he emptied one magazine and reloaded another, the swarm of angry lead biting into, and even ripping through zombies. There was no way he could ever take down the ones charging her head on, Kyle had seen to a few, but they were closing in fast. In desperation his eyes landed on the thin leftmost flank, and a wild idea popped into his head.
  "Run left! Run left and dodge around!" He screamed over the growling, aiming down his sights and blasting bullets into two of the flanking zombies' heads. Due to how well they had lined up in their shuffling walk the powerful bullets ripped through the rotting flesh slamming into a third tripping it up, sending the clumsy creature to the ground. He was out of bullets, but Eul could handle two zombies.

Hopefully...

OOC: Well, I'm just saying... this is the second time I've risked my life for you boys and last time I lost a finger. Jeez, a little appreciation is all I ask ;D

BIC: Eul saw the opportunity and took it, taking down the two zombies with ease and continuing on her run to the fire escape. If she could get up it, she would send the ladder down so the others could cross and get to safety.

The next wave of zombies had been slightly thinned by Antonio's gunfire. Several of them were on the ground. There were two on the ground directly center, and four were shambling towards Eul to the right and four stood awaiting her to the left. If she hopped over the dead ones, she could avoid this wave altogether!

The rest of the group heard voices and turned to see several figures wearing all black with matching black bandanas, along with sunglasses. They were a good ways down one of the alleys. One of them had a sniper rifle. They appeared to be trying to get a clear shot on the van, but the horde of zombies was preventing them from doing so. Eric groaned -

"Could this be any worse? Those are the guys that shot my driver!"

This new group appeared to own a pickup truck - and one of them was now standing on the cab. He lowered an assault rifle and took aim...

Eric raised his pistol as well, aiming for the villain. His aim was shaky from the stress and his grave injuries.

"What do we do? We can't engage them and keep Eul safe!?"

The van door was torn off below them and zombies poured inside. They banged on the ceiling and shook the van more violently still.

Kyle handed a clip of ammo to Antonio. "This is my last mag, it should fit in your rifle. I'll try and keep the sniper down, you stay on the zombies."

Loading the magazine into place Antonio took aim, killing a zombie with a lucky shot. "I'm getting better at this," He muttered to himself, repeating the process and felling another. He slipped slightly, the van was shaking horribly. "Let's hope this thing can hold... Hold... Stay together a little longer."

Just waiting on @Eulaliaaa!

OOC: sorry, I've been busy. Three essays in the first week of school :P

BIC: Eul bounded over the dead zombies, reaching the fire escape and swiftly climbing up. Pushing the ladder, she watched as it fell on top of the van so the others could use it. As she did so, she saw the people and ducked down, moving to a place where she was out of their range. They didn't look friendly, so if she could get a clear shot, she would take it.

The figures dressed in black took several shots, and the bullets ricocheted all around the top of the van.

Antonio - aiming for the zombies and in the line of fire - was hit. His armor vest took the shot, but the impact knocked him back, and he teetered on the edge of the van - waving his arms for balance. One slip and he would fall backwards into the horde of zombies.

As Eul leaped over the fallen zombies, one reached up and grabbed her leg. It had been knocked over after being shot in the shoulder and it was not dead. She stumbled and fell out of sight. For one brief moment Antonio, Kyle and Eric thought all hope was lost. Then she popped back up again and reached the ladder.

OOC: I thought you were gonna kill me off for a second :P Yay, I'm ok ;D

BIC: Eul started firing at the figures shooting at her group, hoping to distract them to give her group the chance to make it across.

Ignoring the mysterious group shooting at them, Kyle reached out for Antonio's hand. Grabbing the doctor's forearm in a strong grip he pulled back on the surprisingly heavy Antonio. The weighty Kevlar armor was not helping either.

"Whoa, whoa." Antonio struggled for a moment, partially blacking out from the tremendous force of the bullet. Recovering his balance thanks to Kyle, he rolled towards the center of the van's roof, laying on his back and sucking in great mouthfuls of air. Still, he didn't have time to recover, in fact they didn't have any time at all.
"I'll go," He groaned, standing up, swaying slightly. He felt as if he had been hit by a mound of bricks. He gaged, then vomited, heaving. "I'll go first Kyle, bring him next." He jerked a thumb at Eric.

Still gagging Antonio grabbed up Eul's bag and crawled across the ladder joining her on the fire escape. "Here," He said handing the bag to her. "You ought to help Kyle with Eric, I'll come help, just give me a moment." The doctor fell back laying against the wall as he fought off the vertigo that was making his vision swim.

The sniper yelped when Eul hit him and fell backwards, into the horde of zombies.

Another man, filled with rage jumped up, brandishing an assault rifle. He fired short bursts at the group. The ladder shook as it was hit once or twice. The people on the van ducked - narrowly avoiding being hit.

Eul aimed at the man, shooting back at him. "C'mon, let's go," she yelled, ducking back under cover and looking at the others on the van. "We gotta get outta here. Kyle, help Eric across. Don't let him fall." She shot at the man again, glancing up to see if she had hit him.

OOC: /me eats popcorn and waits for Eul to die. ;D

OOC: Is this still going on?

OOC: hope so. Sage, Sand, Poooooooooost!

OOC: You're gonna die anyway Eul, not killing that main guy was a bad idea...good thing LT was there otherwise you would have been dead long before now. ;D

OOC: Keep up this talk and you're next, buddy.

Kyle switched to his old tesla that he still carried around. Firing off a burst of electricity, the bolt illuminated the zombie horde in blue light as it skimmed by the man with the rifle. "Go!" said Kyle, ready with Eric.

OOC : Yeah it's still going - just waiting on Sandpaw to escape the van.  ;)

OOC: I have escaped the van, Antonio is recovering on the fire escape.

QuoteStill gagging Antonio grabbed up Eul's bag and crawled across the ladder joining her on the fire escape.

OOC: my bad - waiting on Kyle and Eric

Quote from: Sagetip on September 05, 2016, 02:15:04 AM
Kyle switched to his old tesla that he still carried around. Firing off a burst of electricity, the bolt illuminated the zombie horde in blue light as it skimmed by the man with the rifle. "Go!" said Kyle, ready with Eric.

Lightning edit: Oops. I guess it's really my bad.

Seeing that Antonio had made it across, Kyle took the mag out of his rifle and put it in his belt. "Hold this," he said to Eric, gripping one of the man's arms in his hand. "Follow behind me. Try anything, and I'm sure my friends will shoot you."

He started across the ladder.

Group 1:

Kyle and Eric successfully made it across the ladder. A final shot from Eul sent the gunman tumbling from view. They were free!

The four spent the remainder of that day escaping the horde time and time again, although not nearly as intensely as this had been. Still, the zombies seemed to be around every corner, on every street. None of them had realized just how bad the situation was for the world. They had heavily underestimated the force of the zombies.

When Eul, Kyle, Eric and Antonio finally emerged from the town, they were all dripping sweat. They were covered in the blood of the dead, but overall were none the worse for wear. Eul was limping slightly, and Kyle was bleeding from his shoulder. Antonio, still railed from being shot, was walking hunched over, holding what was, perhaps, a broken rib. Eric was draped between Eul and Kyle - in and out of consciousness. Sheer determination alone kept the group moving forward. Eric panted out directions as best he could. They had to get to the safe place soon!

"A right... here. Got a camp... We will be safe... Hurry!"

The dead shambled along behind them - they weren't out of the woods yet. And they still had to decide if they trusted Eric enough to allow him to take them... wherever he was taking them.

Group 2:

The hummer had continued for some time along the road. Jason and Delthion were leaning back in relief. Whatever had been after them, or that man, was surely gone now. As they laughed and talked, Jason happened to glance in the rear view mirror. He jumped up in surprise.

Far behind them, and gaining ground fast, was a tank. The barrel was leveled directly at them, and seeing that they were spotted, a magnified voice carried to them.

"Stop your vehicle. If you don't stop now, we'll stop you for you. We're just looking for someone."

OOC: A tank was gaining on a Hummer? :o Fast tank. Or bad roads.

IC:

Last time Antonio had considered just trusting somebody they had ended up drugged, and working as slaves for a psychopath. The doctor shook his head, pulling out a knife.
"No, we'll make our own camp." He groaned, leaning against a tree. "We'll kill what's left of them, uggh, and... And find a house or something."

OOC: Really bad roads  ;)

"We probably will need to stop. Even if they aren't looking for someone, what's the worst that they can do?" Delthion said, hoping Jason would listen.

"I don't think staying in here is a good idea. Explosives and big targets don't mix."
He slowed the hummer to a crawl and hit the brakes.
"Get on the gun, just in case."
Jason kicked open the door and stepped into the open."

OOC: Gun's not gonna do much if it's an American tank. M1 Abrams uses depleted uranium as armor.

Russian tanks, on the other hand. Shoddy communist construction.

BIC: Kyle nodded in agreement with Antonio. Yeah. We can look at your camp in the morning, but in the meantime..."

"It would be best to hole up in a building on the outside of town for the night," Eul said. "We'll check out your camp tomorrow. But right now we need food and shelter, and you need to answer our questions." She stopped to look around for a place to stay, determining what the safest building or place would be.

Quote from: Sagetip on September 06, 2016, 11:52:32 PM
OOC: Gun's not gonna do much if it's an American tank. M1 Abrams uses depleted uranium as armor.

Russian tanks, on the other hand. Shoddy communist construction.

BIC: Kyle nodded in agreement with Antonio. Yeah. We can look at your camp in the morning, but in the meantime..."

The point is in case anybody gets out of the tank. At least then we've got some leverage. Barely, but still...

Group 1:

Eric shook his head slowly.

"Alright then. Have it your way. I wouldn't bother but I owe you my miserable life. That shack over there looks like it would pass for shelter. It looks like a storm is brewing, so we need to hurry and get to shelter soon. I would still prefer to be under a stone roof with a fire, but suit yourselves."

Group 2:

The tank approached quickly - rumbling over fallen trees, bodies and abandoned cars. It rolled to a stop no more than ten yards away from the hummer.

Several other vehicles approached more slowly - held back by the mess of the road. An old pickup truck and a minivan.

A man with binoculars attached around his neck, stepped out of the car. He cursed.

"It's them alright. Don't move a muscle you cowards."

The tank leveled its barrel and a dozen men fanned out into the trees around them.

"We went to great lengths to free one of our men who was long captured by a group of terrorists. You handed him back over to them. We saw from the binoculars. Explain yourselves. How can you put your own life so far beyond the lives of others? He was a good man. You gave him to torturers and killers. We followed you here because he was like a brother to us. How can we forgive you for doing what you have done?"

"Frankly," said Delthion, still manning the gun. "There's no reason why you should forgive us, but this is a world of survivors, those who don't adapt die. He was scared out of his wits and had lost the will to live. He would have gotten us killed if we hesitated. Now we can adapt, join forces and try to take care of this so-called terrorist group, or you can attempt to stand before the storm and snap like the oak in that fable, the choice is yours! If you choose to kill us though, you will die in the process, if you let us live, we will share our knowledge of the area and our resources with you, any group in this day and age will need extra manpower." As he finished he leveled the gun at the speaker, maintaining a look of indifference.

Jason folded his arms.
"Exactly. Whoever you once knew was long gone. By the time we found him, he was stark raving bonkers. I've got a son to take care of. Did you have a family before all this happened? Then you'd know how I feel. You would do the same. Would YOU exchange somebody for the life of YOUR family? Besides, you don't know he's dead. If I hadn't have handed a COMPLETE. STRANGER. Over to those people, then I would be dead. My son would be dead. Is that what you'd want to happen to YOUR child?"

Group 2:

The man stepped further into the light, giving them a better view of him. He was wearing full military camouflage gear, and a simple officer's military cap. His features were sharp, but aged. He spread his arms wide.

"You talk to me of what I would want with my son? You, who only moments ago left a family with no hope of a returning father? His sons and daughters, still young and helpless, will never have a father again. And that's on you."

"Son, I've spent thirty five years in the military, and I've seen far worse than this. I've been raised and served with the ideals of dying for my country. In the face of terror I would not stand down and hand over someone who had never done me wrong. I would have fought. I would have died. As you should have."

"Now I stand, arms spread wide, defenseless. Would you like to shoot me down, as you practically already have done? I guess the difference is - this time you would die for doing it. There's no way out of this for you."

He turned to Delthion - "I don't know if this man is really your father. He ain't even sightly the picture of you. But if you think this mess is a storm that can snap me, you're gravely mistaken. This ain't nothin'. I don't fear death. I could have you both blasted away in a second."

Now he addressed them both.

"I will not deny that we need people. Everyone does. Ain't no reinforcements on the way anymore. Every life lost is another spot left empty. You say you know the area and its resources? What do you know? Do you have charts? A map? What can you offer me if I take you in?"

Delthion eyed the man with an eyebrow raised, "I have no intention to shoot you unless you give the order to kill us. My father has the maps and such."

Jason pulled the map from his pocket, along with a lighter.
"First you talk of killing us in some sort of vigilante rage, just for doing what anybody would have done. Now you want our help? How do I know you won't just stab us in the back. I can offer a lot. Information. Food and water to last a long time. Another car, with more fuel, and that's in a better condition than anything you've got, short of the tank. What do you have to offer me? Because we've been betrayed too many times."

"It'll do better then anything else... Else I suppose." Antonio grunted, he slung his pack off his shoulder and found a half mag of pistol ammo which he loaded. "I'd give anything for a river to... To wash in, we'll die of who knows what covered in this gore." He quickly disposed of the few zombies with the knife, holding the pistol at the ready just in case. Finished Antonio led the way, moving a little faster as he wasn't carrying Eric, his assumed broken rib leaving him to check the possible shelter. Moving up to the shack he leaned against the rotting wood wall by the door, prepared. One pained kick later he burst the door open, gun at the ready, looking inside for any possible dangers.

Group 1:

There was a lone figure on the ground at the back of the shack. It looked up at him as he entered, and began reaching towards Antonio, moaning hungrily. The wall behind him had words written in blood. They read: "Liar".

Group 2:

The old soldier glanced down at the map and chuckled. "This is useless. There's a dozen of these things at any gas station within thirty miles of here. I've got one in the car myself."

He laughed and nodded, waving his fingers. A giant of a man with bulging muscles that seemed to fight the constraining tank top he was wearing stepped out of the back of the mini van.

"You ask what I have for you? You owe me enough to make up for a good man. What you have here - it's not near enough. You don't know that we aren't going to betray you. The only thing I can promise you is what I've promised every man here. Fair treatment. They're still here safe and sound. No reason you should deserve any more than that. Give Axel here your weapons. Once you've done that we'll let you ride in the back of the minivan."

He grinned slowly, and raised a hand to the tank behind him. "But I sure as paint ain't leavin' you two out here after the damage you've caused me. There's not much of a choice in it for you. You're with us or you're dead. We don't normally take this stance, but in the name of the man who died at your hands I'm going to make this right as best I can. You prove your value and good nature to me, then you can go."

"What damage? We caused you no damage, you want us to pay you back? Then you should give us that opportunity instead of asking us to surrender our weapons, we are in no position to attempt an escape. Only a fool let's his judgment be clouded by emotion, especially in this day and age. If you take our weapons, you gain ammunition, but lose two men. We are willing to help, show us the children and wife that the man left behind him. He gave his life for your cause, let us do the same to honor his memory! What could we possibly do against you? You have superior armament and manpower, if we try to escape or pull anything, punish us accordingly!" Delthion finished still manning the gun, waiting for the man's reply.

Group 2:

The man shook his head.

"I am giving you the opportunity. Put down your guns. You will be blindfolded and brought to our home. There you may meet his family. If you have the guts."

Delthion looked to Jason, they hadn't much else to do in this situation. It seemed like the best plan, but were they trustworthy? "I'll do it," said Delthion, climbing out of the Hummer and relinquishing his weapons. "Just make sure nothing happens to that sword. When we are helping you, you'll want me to have it."

Quote from: Fatch of Southsward on September 09, 2016, 01:57:19 AM
The old soldier glanced down at the map and chuckled. "This is useless. There's a dozen of these things at any gas station within thirty miles of here. I've got one in the car myself."

@Fatch of Southsward: I never gave him the map. Jason's holding it over a lighter right now threatening to burn it as leverage.

@Groddil - in this situation the map from Byurn's compound would be the one that got you leverage. Yours is useless, in this spot, unfortunately.

Group 2:

The giant man, Axel, took Delthion's weapons and grunted appreciatively. He blindfolded Delthion and lifted him easily into the back of the minivan.

The military man looked at Jason warily. Jason worried him - his eyes were wild and lost looking. This man looked crazy.

"You might as well join him. There's nothing you can do alone."

Eul stabbed the zombie in the brain, going outside and glancing around to see if anyone was visible before going back inside. She looked t the word written on the wall to see how long ago it was made. "Ok, I can take first watch if you guys want some sleep. I'll get a fire started, there's some food in my bag we can eat. Is anyone hurt?" she looked at Eric, her eyes narrowing. "You have some talking to do, buddy."

OOC: Fatch, are you talking about the map I took from the room?

OOC: @Eulaliaaa! Yep!

OOC: Dis gone be good ;D

NOPE:

"I don't trust you. I'm sure you've done things far worse than us. Why else would you have a tank? But you've already taken the only person I care about who isn't six feet under in the middle of Oregon right now. Fine."
Jason waited to be blindfolded.

Group 1:

OOC: Ya'll jumped the gun a little bit. I'll back up slightly:

As Eul (or Antonio-whichever responds first) stepped into the shack to get the zombie, an unseen figure behind the door grabbed ahold of him (or her) from behind and knocked him (or her) to the floor. It growled and flailed as the downed hero struggled. The zombie sitting on the ground climbed up and began to crawl towards the fallen figure.

Group 2:

The man shook his head.

"I have not done anything near what I believe you have done. Time will tell. We have a psychologist at base. Axel, go ahead."

The massive man blindfolded Jason and bodily lifted him into the back of the mini van.

Rushing in behind Eul Antonio stabbed downwards, plunging his knife into the creature's skull. The blade slid through rotting flesh and softened bone easily, leaving the zombie lying on top of her, but dead. Taking his pistol, Antonio preformed an awkward shove towards the oncoming zombie's head. Its jaws clamed around the pistol, muffling its growling somewhat, and giving Antonio enough time to run it through the eye with his knife.

Antonio panted from the rushed actions, his adrenaline kicking in a bit too late. He made sure to roll the suppressing weight of the dead zombie off Eul, helping her up. "You okay?" He asked hesitantly.

Eul had been about to stab up at the zombie's face when Antonio took action, and she pushed the finished zombie off of her. "Yeah, thanks," she said, standing up and looking around for more dangers. "I'll search the shed and start a fire. There's food in my bag."

OOC: We need you Fatch! ;D

OOC: Don't worry, I'm still around.  ;) I've had a lot of homework piled up recently

BIC:

Night began to fall upon the survivors. As soon as Fatch returns tomorrow, it will be daytime.  :D

Group 1 :

The survivors fell asleep around their fire one by one. The wind howled outside, and splattering of rain could be heard. They took watch in shifts, wary of Eric's camp nearby. By morning they would be tired and weary. Eric alone seemed to sleep peacefully...

Group 2:

Jason awoke unrestrained in a living room. A man with a five o clock shadow beard and a white coat sat watching him.

"Ah, Jason. How nice to see you. How are you doing today?"

Delthion awoke in a bed, Jason was nowhere in sight. Axel was waiting beside him. It was clear he had slept little, spending his time standing guard.

He gave Delthion a friendly smile.

"Boss has taken a liking to you. Said he'd let you meet the family, as you asked. I can take ya to see 'em now, if you're game..."

When it was her shift, Eul fixed her wounds as best she could, cleaning and bandaging them. When it wasn't her shift, she slept. She had a dream about riding a train to New York City that was actually in North Dakota to make a deal with a zombie locked in a skyscraper made of bananas and Oreo filling. Said deal would end the apocalypse and shower all the magpies in the world with uncooked pasta and make all beetles spontaneously combust whenever they sneezed pumpkins. What a dream.

OOC: ;D

OOC: Kyle dream of electric sheep #confirmedsynth

Quote from: Sagetip on September 12, 2016, 11:53:51 AM
OOC: Kyle dream of electric sheep #confirmedsynth

Can't wait for December. Getting FO4

OOCd Sweeeeet.

Delthion rose, "Thanks, I don't believe I ever caught your name. Mine's Delthion." Extending a hand.

Jason let out a yawn, then eyed the man cautiously.
"As well as a day can be after most of the world is dead and guys with tanks argue morals with you. Where's Delthion?"

Group 1:

Full morning had dawned, and it found a group of four wearily waking to meet the sunrise.

Antonio had curled up into a pained position as he slept. Still, his ribs felt much better. Perhaps they were not broken. Kyle was in the best shape out of them all. He was nearly as good as new. Eric seemed to have retained his walking ability, with the help of a handy stick. The stress of the last day seemed to have gotten to Eul slightly. She looked restless and pale. She coughed hoarsely -  prompting Eric's suggestion:

"Our camp is nearby. Food, water, medicine. I owe you people. You've got to come with me. I'm going back today, and I can't leave you out here without feeling guilty. I can help you and return the favors you have done me. It's the least I can do. Please, just trust me."

Group 2:

The huge man nearly crushed Delthion's hand in a crude imitation of a handshake. "Axel. Used to train marines for the army. Folla' me now." He turned, mercifully released Delthion's hand, and exited through the nearest door - Delthion stood slightly, and could see a glimpse of something outside. He couldn't see it fully though.

----

The man in the white coat smiled.

"He's a good man, Jason. i assure you his morals are the best. Can the same be said for you?"

The man stood and approached the nearby window. "He does not trust you, I am afraid. He was not impressed with your actions. He stated that you would have died and taken everyone down with you if Delthion had not stepped down first."

"To answer your question, however, Delthion is safe, as promised."

He turned and looked Jason in the eyes:

"What do you think? What does your past hold? I see in your eyes some sort of burning anger. Torment. Perhaps it is fear. You are running, Jason. But where you are running to, I do not think even you know."

Jason scoffed.
"He thought I was planning a suicide attack? Ridiculous. All we wanted was to leave."
He leant back in the chair.
"My past holds a lot of things. The loss of most of my family. A trip across the country just before all this mess started. Since then, I've been trying to survive amongst incompetent fools, slavers, and idiots with tanks who are trapped in the past. Me? I've found my baggage, but there's a crowd blocking the way out of the terminal. I'm running, but I'm running home."
He stood up.
"I'm assuming you want something? Let's just get straight to business. The sooner we can leave, the better."

OOC: Groddil: I'm pretty sure by now that Fatch will do everything in his power to stop you from leaving the area.
BIC: Wiling sleep from his eyes, Kyle sat up and stared at Eric. "Going back where? Who were those people last night?"

Quote from: Sagetip on September 13, 2016, 12:08:18 PM
OOC: Groddil: I'm pretty sure by now that Fatch will do everything in his power to stop you from leaving the area.
BIC: Wiling sleep from his eyes, Kyle sat up and stared at Eric. "Going back where? Who were those people last night?"

Yeah, I know, we've discussed that. Doesn't mean Jason won't keep trying, though. Also, accidentally thanked that post for some reason.

Eul leaned against the wall, causally sharpening her machete as she listened. "Who are they and who were those people shooting at you last night? Does you group have a lot of medicine?" She glanced at the others, giving a look that said 'we should go'.

OOC: So, I'm going on a trip and will be gone for two days. There's something I really need to do with my character before we get much farther, so just please don't do a whole lot of time skips :P

OOC: 15 years later... ;)

OOC: noooo! ;o;

OOC: We will wait for you.

Yeah, I'm afraid our story is moving towards a close, and it's best if everyone is together.

Sorry, it's just hard for the two teams to run into one another when they're in different states. And that's half the point of the game  ;D

BIC...

Fourty years had passed. Eul and Jason, best friends, used their wheelchairs to approach the grave of Antonio....

Jk  ;D :D

OOC: But what happened to Kyle and Del? Did they open a zombie hunting range together?

OOC: Kyle and Del sat on the porch in rocking chairs.

Delthion: "Gosh darn it, mah old knee is actin' up again, must be a storm

Kyle: "Young'n, if you complain about that knee of yours anymore, I'll teach ye a lesson with my old cane, promise I will,.."

Delthion grimaced and was worried about the possibility of letting out a strangled sob under Axel's crushing grip, but somehow, Delthion's hand was not paralyzed from Axel's grip, Delthion shook his hand trying to get the blood back in it, and followed Axel.

@Eulaliaaa! Are you back yet? There's a very important game that you need to partake in. ;D

OOC: Yeah, I'm just waiting for the others to respond to what my character said.

Stretching Antonio half listened to Eul as he checked his weapons. His AR-15 was completely out of ammunition. though he stilled had the mags for it, all he needed was bullets to load into it. His pistol still had two magazines, plus the half mag that was already loaded. Antonio shoved that into his belt so that it was within easy reach. Checking his knife, the doctor discovered the blade had dulled and rusted slightly, but it was still in decent condition.

"We promised him we'd take him... Him... We'd get to his camp." Antonio said speaking up after catching Eul's look. "But we'll be smart about it, you guys have any suggestions? I'm not feeling very trusting today."

Kyle too was out of ammo for his rifle, but his pistol still had two mags. He stared at Eric. "I would agree. Does anybody mind me going ahead? I'm quite interested in this camp of his."

Eul looked at Eric. "How about he answers my questions. How many people are there, do you have medical supplies, who were those people shooting at us?" She didn't want to go anywhere without knowing anything.

Group 1:

Eric shook his head.


"No one's really sure about that group. They give our group trouble now and then. We've not yet managed to capture one. They always go for small groups of us - they never mess with the main camp. The screams were... some of ours. They didn't make it. They were eaten alive. Our driver saw the situation was hopeless and he tried to drive away. They shot him. That's about all I know. You saw how they reacted to you - they tried to kill us all. You're safer with us now."

"We have lots of people. There's only one other group I know of that's as big as us. Unfortunately, they aren't the friendliest of types. Like I said, the only safe place out here these days is with us. We have walls and troops to keep the dead, and the living, at bay."

"As for medicine, one of residents ran a hospital before... all this. Under his direction, we've managed to accumulate quite a stash. Whatever you need it for, I'm sure they have it. They don't give it out easily, but I can vouch for you. I've never seen Dr. Bonum fail to cure a patient that was within help - he's only failed to save bite victims and cancer victims, and lets face it, they're beyond any doctor's care."

He place one foot on top of a nearby rock and looked back "So what do you say? Who here wants to survive?

Group 2:

As Delthion opened the door, it was as though he has stepped into a magnificent paradise. Great walls spread around a bustling marketplace and dozens of homes. It looked as though it was an old cottage wilderness camp that had been walled in. There was a lake, a blacksmith, stables, a certain tank parked near some sort of garage door, livestock, crops and much more. People smiled and nodded at Axel, and gave Delthion a curious look as they passed. No one seemed unfriendly. A group of kids were playing soccer. One of them shot for the goal, but it hit the post and bounced to Del's feet. Axel paused and looked back, raising an eyebrow and watching him closely.

The psychologist leveled his face inches from Jason - eye to eye with him. He was no longer cheerful or carefree.

"I have only three questions for you Jason..."

"How many of the dead have you killed?"

"How many people have you killed?"

"Why"

"Answer well, and a word from me can get you out of here. Lie to me, and I will do everything in my power to keep my people safe from you."

Delthion pretty easily caught Axel's intent staring. Grinned widely and began playing with them, unfortunately, from birth he had been dreadfully awful at soccer, and so his team lost 56-0. "Well that was fun," said Delthion, winded from the hour long game. "But I believe that we are supposed to be doing something.

OOC: This is a very accurate description of what would actually be happening in real life, the score too. ;D

OOC: A crushing loss...  ;D I'm not sure about an hour - long game. I meant for you to simply do a move and kick it back to them, but this works to. I doubt Axel would have realistically watched you for an hour, but we'll role with it.  ;)

OOC: Sounds good! I probably should have thought of that before posting though. ;D

Eul leaned forward with interest. "Is there a cure for a bite?" she asked, glancing at the others.

OOC: Fatch, I think the correct word your psychologist is looking for is 'Walkers', not 'the dead' ;D

OOC: I'm glad someone recognizes where I blatantly stole that line from.  ;D

OOC: there've been a few things I recognized ;D

"I do," Antonio said, rolling his eyes and he hoisted his backpack on. "Which is why I don't trust you, but just as long as we don't have to surrender our... Our weapons, lead on."

Jason raised an eyebrow.
"That's an easy one. I must have killed... several hundred undead? Some directly, some indirectly. All for a reason. You want people? I've killed four. The first was a terrorist, before this happened, so long ago. He... killed my wife. Tried to kill me. The second and third were two other survivors. My son and I were alone, and they seemed dangerous. Kept pointing guns at us and making threats. We didn't want anything to do with them, but they wouldn't leave us alone. Self-defense. In all my life, I've only ever committed one murder. That was two years ago. My group had been captured by slavers, there was around ten of us. The slavers said that to gain their trust, we had to kill the weakest member. So that night, we made a plan. Once the slavers trusted us enough to let us off our chains, we'd make a run for it. I guess I drew the short straw, because I did it. The next day, we escaped, and me and Delthion never saw the others again. I'm not proud of it, but I think the only reason I keep going is because I've got one other relative left to take care of. If you take him, then I'm going with him, one way or another."

Group 1: (I'm going to assume you're on board to go with Eric. That seems to be the general vibe.)

As they walked as Eric instructed he answered Eul's question.

"Cure a bite? Heavens no - no doctor alive can do that. I've only ever heard of one cure, created by accident in a lab. No one was ever able to replicate it. We haven't heard anything about it in a long time."

"Besides, its best to keep your priorities in order to stay alive. Don't worry about curing a bite - worry about not getting bit in the first place. That's how we're all still here isn't it?" - he smiled grimly.

~~~ A short while later ~~~

Eric put his hands in the air suddenly, nodding at the others to do the same. They cut a winding path through deceptions and traps until they approached a great walled settlement. A lake, with fisherman on the edges sparkled in the sunlight, and the walls, lined with guards towered above them. Old cottages and dirt paths cut through the dense woodlands. The gate was open for them ahead. Two men sprinted out an embraced Eric in relief.

"Thank god you're alright Eric! What happened to your team?" Said the first man. He looked just like Eric - a brother perhaps?

"Dead. I would be to if not for these people here." Said Eric shakily

"Indeed? They seem to have weapons..." added the other guard.

Eric's brother shook his head. "I'll have no man or woman who saved my brother disarmed here. Come in! Come in! Anything we have I can offer you Eric's share and my own as well. We owe you deeply. We value a life's debt very highly here. They walked in the door and saw a strange sight - Delthion, along with a massive muscular man. They were talking to two small children. Delthion was on one knee...

Group 2:

Delthion and Axel were comforting the two little ones. Their father was gone forever, but they seemed to be taking it alright.

"I wish Daddy could come back." said the daughter unhappily. Axel, who seemed to have warmed towards Delthion quite a bit, wiped his eye momentarily, before turning to see newcomers.

Eric, his brother, Eul, Antonio and Kyle were walking up the path. Delthion turned and saw them as well...

Group 3:

The psychologist seemed to be deep in thought. "Very well, join the General and I. We will go see how Delthion is doing, and discuss your predicament."

Jason and the doctor left the room and were joined by the man that had held Jason and Delthion up earlier. The general and doctor talked in low voices, no doubt about things concerning Jason, as they approached Delthion's cottage. They saw two groups before them - Delthion and Axel on the left and Eul, Antonio, Kyle, Eric and Eric's brother on the right. Jason's eyes widened...

OOC: "Eric's brother". ;D

BIC: Delthion looked rather surprised to see the other group of survivors. Would they never learn not to follow the second group? He pretended not to notice the group, he wasn't willing to make the first move.

At first Antonio didn't even recognize Dethion, he'd grown in the two years since they had met last, an though there was a slight flicker of remembrance Antonio couldn't recall the face. However as the young doctor looked from the kids to the approaching adults his awkward smile changed in a harsh glare in a moment. His hand went for the pistol shoved in his belt, but he thought better of it, simply leaving a hand resting on the weapon.
"That's Jason, I'd swear it." He whispered to Kyle, alerting the other survivor. "If he's teamed up with these people we might not be able... Able to trust them. We should prepare to fight our way out, you should tell Eul."
Adjusting his stance Antonio stepped forward tapping Eric on the shoulder, speaking in a louder voice. "Hey, do you know who that is?" He asked pointing to Jason.

Kyle looked at Delthion and Jason. He was still wary of Jason, substantially more so than Delthion. Hopefully the presence of armed guards would prevent him from trying anything on Antonio, Eul, and himself.

Eul had her gun out the second she saw Jason, pointing it at him and watching for any move he made. "What is he doing here?" she demanded, glancing at Del. "Him too."

Jason lifted an eyebrow at Eul.
"Hey, you, whoever you are. Why don't you put down that gun?"

"Whoever I am?" Eul repeated. "You know me, Jason. And you're a murderer." She kept her gun aimed at him, looking at Eric. "You can't trust him, he'll turn on you the second he feels like it. He killed one of our own without reason."

"Murderer? One of yours? Which one were you? The two shifty men? The slaves with the weak link? Or the pre-undead terrorists? The terrorists, wasn't it? Yes, you look familiar. You were there, weren't you? In Montreal? How did you get to Florida, you unhinged freak?"

Delthion assumed that Jason knew the true identities of those to whom he was speaking, and so trusted to what might or might not be a plan.

A dozen armed men, pointing guns at various members in confusion joined in.

"What the heck is going on?"

"Drop the weapons!"

"Eric, why did you bring these people in here?"

The doctor and the general exchanged looks darkly...

Jason's looked around at the guards.
"Which one of you is Eric? You made a big mistake with this one. It has to be her. She was there. She's one of THEM. From Montreal. She'll kill you. Her and her terrorist buddies, they'll slit your throats when you aren't looking!"

"Why don't you tell them about Wilbur? You shot him and ran, you and your friend, Del. We're not terrorists, that's ridiculous. You were working with that guy, Byurn, weren't you? What was it that he talked to you about that one day, huh? You seemed fine when you came back." Eul wasn't about to live anywhere near this murderer, they'd all be dead before they knew it.

OOC: @Jason Unfortunately, you gave up your weapons earlier - just a reminder.

Quote from: Fatch of Southsward on September 26, 2016, 04:14:18 AM
OOC: @Jason Unfortunately, you gave up your weapons earlier - just a reminder.

OOC: Editted. How come Eul has a gun, though?

BIC:

Jason's eye twitched.
"Byurn? I remember that name. The slaver. Wilbur was the one he wanted dead. I don't know why he did, but I did you a favor. If I hadn't have done as he asked, all of us would have collars on our necks and bullets in our skulls right now, buried six feet under the dirt in the middle of the worst place in America, because if I hadn't have done it, he never would have trusted anyone enough for us to be able to make our escape! Not that it matters to you. You weren't there. The only place you've been is Montreal, on that September evening four years ago. I swear to all that is holy, if I hadn't have had my weapons confiscated, I'd do to you what you did to my wife and daughter!"
The survivor curled his hands into fists, as he began to feel as if his mind was losing its grip on reality.

OOC: No problem - they saved Eric, so they got to keep their weapons.

OOC: Maybe if Jason hadn't handed over his prisoner...

OOC: Maybe. But you only had zombies to deal with. We had a bunch of weird, spec-ops loons ready to waste us if we didn't. :p

OOC: We had them too. :P

OOC: We had them in tanks. ;D

The general fired a shot into the air

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

Axel grabbed the end of Eul's gun and wrenched it away. He snapped it like a stick and tossed it aside. Dozens of men lowered their weapons and closed in around each survivor.

The men went about disarming Eul, Antonio and Kyle. One reached for Eul's machete, but Eric slapped his hand. The man turned to him with a glare.

Eric met the gaze without fear : "What sort of treatment is this? I don't know who these others are, but these here saved my life. This one with the machete, her name's Eul, she ran into a horde of zombies alone to save us. Stand down."

The guard muttered darkly, and continued on his way. All the survivors were disarmed. Eul was allowed her machete. Antonio and Kyle were allowed their knives.

The General stepped forward.

"My name is General Stone. No more of this madness. I will act as judge and jury of this mess. Now then. Jason and Delthion, who do you say these people are? Terrorists? Speak truthfully if you want to live. You three, I don't know what really happened to Eric, or how you were involved. Explain yourselves. Who do you say these two men are? No need to mention what you've already said - I was listening. Just expand a little. Something doesn't make sense in these stories."

He shuttered and turned back to Jason.

"You say you recognize the name Byurn? I recognize it too. That bloody man deserves to be burned alive for what he's done. And you were working for him..."

He lifted his gun and bashed the butt of it into Jason's head, knocking him to the ground. Delthion moved forward slightly, and Stone immediately turned and punched him in the face. He fell as well.

The General stood above them both. Delthion spat out a tooth, and blood ran freely down Jason's head.

"I BROUGHT YOU IN! WITH MY FAMILY! WITH MY PEOPLE. AND ALL THIS TIME YOU WERE WORKING WITH BYURN? GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T KILL YOU RIGHT NOW! START TALKING, AND NO LIES."

Eul opened her mouth slightly, and the General turned on her

"And I don't know what to think of you lot yet. But if I have any reason to doubt what you're telling me..." He narrowed his eyes and shook his head once - indicating dire consequences.

"I don't believe I've introduced us all properly my friends. We are the Knights. Sworn enemies of Byurn and his slavers. Enemies of terrorists and monsters" - he glanced at Eul, the accused terrorist, and Jason, who he was starting to believe actually was a terrorist.

"The Knights take a life's debt seriously. VERY Seriously. When you save a life you are owed one. When you take a life, a life's debt you owe. What you say here... What we decide here... That will decide... everything..."

"I don't know who they are. They look familiar. But they've got something against me. The only people I know who have something against me are from Montreal."
After the beating, Jason looked up at Stone.
"Calm the hell down, you bloody idiot. I have no love for that slaving piece of filth. All I did was gain his trust so we could stab him in the back later. But it looks like you attacked them before we got the chance. I HOPE you burned him alive, because it saves me a damn trip."

"You must... Must be out of the loop General." Antonio said coldly. "I killed Byurn myself nearly two years ago." His eyes flashed as he pointed towards Jason accusingly. "This man's name is Jason, he was with us nearly two years ago when this all started, until we separated violently. He took a young kid with him as well, Delthion." Looking at Delthion Antonio frowned and motioned towards the seventeen year old hesitantly.
"That might be him. Either... Either, whatever. The point is Byurn let Jason leave if he killed one of our group. Wilbur, you remember that name Jason? You shot him in cold blood, he wasn't fighting, he wasn't... Wasn't threatening you or anyone else. And you killed him. Under Byurn's orders no less. We managed to escape later," Antonio motioned towards himself Eul and Kyle. "And in the process you knights, attacked, and I killed Byurn. I slit his throat after he bit off Eul's finger, and I'd do it again if I had too."

"So you're the Knights," muttered Kyle, remembering the map in Byurn's compound. "We never meant you any harm," he said louder. "Only to the two you have under your jurisdiction. Delthion and Jason. You shouldn't have trusted them, obviously they've done terrible things in the past. Furthermore, we brought back one of your number, alive and well..."

OOC: You know Delthion's never actually done anything wrong, he's just been tagging along with Jason. He's going to get a horrible deal no matter how this turns out, just because he's held company with a bad guy.

Just goes to show you've got to choose your friends wisely.

"Knights?" Eul asked, sounding hopeful. "I remember hearing about you. You were on the map we found in some room at that place. I helped Antonio and Kyle escape when we were taken prisoner, we raided their supplies and got out, thankfully. But that Byurn guy bit my finger off, we almost died." Eul held up her hand, showing the stump where her finger had been. "They're not still around are they? I thought they'd be long dead after the zombies got in. Anyhow, if you're against those people, I'm with you. They're murderers."

Delthion looked rather offended and answered, with a controlled ferocity that made the others step back a bit. "You sir, need to learn to control your temper and not lash out before gathering all the facts. Now I have done nothing worthy of reproach. Yet, don't make me start now." As Delthion finished a dangerous gleam appeared in his eye. Then he calmed and continued speaking. "I have done nothing but help you, and I haven't done anything that makes me a cold-blooded killer. You sir, are out of control, and you need to take a deep breath before this gets out of hand."

OOC: I will respond to your responses in time as Stone. Whenever you feel you have pled your case to Stone as much as you wish to, indicate but saying so OOC.

Beware: anyone could die here. Construct your defense/offenses well. (Hint hint...Your life will depend on the strength of your plea)

Quote from: LT Sandpaw on September 28, 2016, 01:58:55 AM

OOC: You know Delthion's never actually done anything wrong, he's just been tagging along with Jason. He's going to get a horrible deal no matter how this turns out, just because he's held company with a bad guy.

Just goes to show you've got to choose your friends wisely.

It was his idea to try and kill Wilbur the first time, and he killed one of the two people who joined up with us. So technically...

BIC:

Jason laughed.
"You killed Byurn? Good. I don't know why you think I liked him so much, the man was a snake... Wilbur... Yes, I remember that name. He's the one who died, so that everyone else could live. Sad, yes, but it was either the cripple died, or all of us worked until our deaths, him included."
The survivor stood up.
"I never wanted any of this. I didn't want to be here, I didn't want to come to Florida in the first place, and I sure as the heavens above did not want what happened in Montreal. So, if I could get my vehicle and my son back, I'd be very happy if our paths never crossed again. The only people I want to see again are my family, but they're all dead except for Del. Who knows? Maybe if you ever find yourself in the Rockies after this is over, I'll buy you a drink and confess my sins so I can die a happy man. Until then, stay. Out. Of. My. Way. Because the next person who tries to take away the only family I have left, I swear to the powers that be, I will kill you slowly, even if I die doing it."
Somebody opened their mouth to speak, but Jason cut them off.
"And before you say anything, yes. I know. He's not biologically related to me, and living government officials with adoption paperwork are kind of hard to come by around here. But I'm the closest thing to a father the kid has, and that's what counts. Its an honor, really."
The survivor turned to Stone.
"General, let me tell you one thing. You, me, Byurn, the men from Montreal; we're all more alike then you may want to think. We're killers, who, in the absence of the law are governed only by our own morals. Some are stricter than others, yes, but right now? There's not an innocent man on the planet, and that's a cold, hard fact. It might be a god idea to remember that."

"Well General, I think that my actions here speak for themselves. I have already befriended the man's family that unfortunately has since passed, and I have played with the children for an entire hour. What possible reason could you have to hate or fear me? I hope that this will lead to a long and beneficial relationship between myself and your people. Byurn enslaved all of us, Jason used his only play to get himself and me out of there, at the first opportunity we betrayed him because of his behaviour, I for one abhorred Byurn's ways, and now that I have found this place, I am pleasantly surprised to find good in the world!"

OOC: Responded.

"What..." Antonio gasped, his eyes blazing with righteous anger. "I don't remember being let out after you killed Wilbur. Eul, Kyle, and I were still slaves. You... You... You..." Antonio had to take a breath for a moment, to recollect himself so he could keep talking. "You didn't do it to help us, you did it to save yourself."

The young doctor rounded on Delthion, realizing who he was for the first time. "You befriended them, and played with their kids? Did you charge through a horde of zombies to save them? That's what Eul did to save Eric. Did you take a bullet to provide covering fire so the others could escape? That's what I did." Antonio untucked his filth covered shirt and shredded Kevlar armor to show the large, green and yellow bruise from where the sniper's bullet had connected.
"Did you practically carry those kids for miles while... While fleeing from zombies? Because that's what Kyle did for Eric. We didn't want too, we didn't even need to save him, but we did anyway. Because that's what the human race needs, courage and selflessness that goes beyond reason."
Antonio stepped back coughing into his elbow as he seemed to reconsider. Chewing on his bottom lip he turned to face the general, the hard anger fading. "There's no love lost between us, but I'd rather not see the kid... kid... Delthion killed."

Delthion looked very confused. "What kid? I don't remember anything like that..."

OOC:

Quote from: Delthion on September 30, 2016, 02:34:46 AM
"Well General, I think that my actions here speak for themselves. I have already befriended the man's family that unfortunately has since passed, and I have played with the children for an entire hour.

OOC:

Quote from: LT Sandpaw on September 30, 2016, 02:44:55 PM
The young doctor rounded on Delthion, realizing who he was for the first time. "You befriended them, and played with their kids? Did you charge through a horde of zombies to save them? That's what Eul did to save Eric. Did you take a bullet to provide covering fire so the others could escape? That's what I did." Antonio untucked his filth covered shirt and shredded Kevlar armor to show the large, green and yellow bruise from where the sniper's bullet had connected.
"Did you practically carry those kids for miles while... While fleeing from zombies? Because that's what Kyle did for Eric. We didn't want too, we didn't even need to save him, but we did anyway. Because that's what the human race needs, courage and selflessness that goes beyond reason."
Antonio stepped back coughing into his elbow as he seemed to reconsider. Chewing on his bottom lip he turned to face the general, the hard anger fading. "There's no love lost between us, but I'd rather not see the kid... kid... Delthion killed."

His character was referring to yours, but couldn't think of his name at first, it being some time since they last interacted.

OOC: Ah...thanks!

General Stone and the knights listened carefully to everything that was said.

When Jason and Delthion remarked that Stone was out of control the town rumbled angrily and a few stones flew from the crowd, with a chorus of "Boos." One struck Jason across the brow, and blood trickled over his eyes.

At Antonio's declarations, several knights cheered and the town clapped. Some stepped towards Jason threateningly.

At Eul's words, Eric nodded, and winked at several townsfolk.

Delthion's plea drew some nods, and Axel nodded and grunted in an affirmative sort of way.

At Jason's declarations, The doctor and Stone once again exchanged dark looks. They plainly were not buying into his story. They also did not like his aggressive and angry tone.

Stone stepped forward slowly.

"Well. Your accounts of things don't quite match up, Jason. You claimed they were terrorists from Montreal, and you didn't know how they got here, yet you've admitted that you saw them at the slaver's compound?"

"You claim your intentions are good, but you have already helped take a valuable life away from us. You think I'm out of control? How would you react if someone as close as your brother was taken from you?"

"Now then... If anyone has anything left to say. Now's the time. Axel, line them up."

"Of course my story didn't match up. It was pure speculation. I haven't seen these people in years, you expect me to remember exactly who they were?"
Jason bristled further as soon as the word 'brother' left Stone's mouth.
"A brother? What about a wife? Or a daughter who hadn't even turned ten? That's what happened in Montreal. That's what happened when three terrorists set off a pressure cooker bomb in the conference room my family was in, as I was giving a speech. My daughter watched her mother die a few feet away from her. Total chaos, dead people everywhere. She had a huge piece of shrapnel in her arm and she still didn't want to leave her mother. I had to drag her out of that building. And even then, when we thought we were safe in the streets, surrounded by cops, one of them still ran at the survivors with a gun. He got a few shots off before the police put him down. And my daughter never even lived to see the hospital. So don't talk to me about loss. You have no idea what it felt like to be there. For any of us... I think we both know what happens next. So get on with it."

OOC:

Quote from: Soren

Spoiler

[close]

OOC: I am not sure you are dead quite yet, but in the event of your death. You were a good teammate Groddil! Always willing to carry out my nefarious plans. It's funny that even though I had all of the ideas, you were the one that carried them out and so I am the more virtuous one. ;D

Kyle stared at Jason."You think all this is justified because you lost someone? If killing a person in the name of another was allowed, you and Delthion would both be stone dead. Acceptance is the first form of recovery... and it doesn't seem like you've accepted the fact that your family isn't coming back, and nothing ever will. Would they want you doing this?"

Jason laughed.
"Justified? Nobody's trying to prove anything; everyone here knows what's about to happen and who's gonna die. But how about one more old saying before I go to Hell? 'Never judge somebody until you've walked a mile in their shoes.' You may think that I'm a monster, and in many ways I am, but I know what you feel. I'm not completely heartless, why do you think Del's still alive? Why didn't I kill him years ago when food was getting scarce? I've made my peace with the things I've done and I know my fate. All I hope is so do you, when the time comes. We're all guilty of something. All lost something and gained something. Now, if you'll hurry up, I've got a dance with the devil."
He looked at Stone expectantly.

OOC: Kyle is 20 years older than Jason. ;)

Quote from: Sagetip on October 01, 2016, 01:44:25 PM
OOC: Kyle is 20 years older than Jason. ;)

Did not expect that. Edited.

OOC: It's my fault really, never made it clear except in the character sheet.

OOC:

Quote from: Eulaliaaa! on June 18, 2016, 02:46:09 AM
OOC: ok, just wanted to make sure.

BIC: Seizing the chance to show the others she could hold her own in a fight, Eul jabbed at the zombie's throat with her machete and yanked upward, pulling the zombie's gnashing teeth away from Jason's face. It lay on the ground, still trying to get up and Eul swung her machete down several times to decapitate the zombie. Seeing it was dead, she turned back to face Jason after scanning the surroundings for more zombies.

"Are you ok?"

So everything that Jason has done is Eul's fault! KILL EUL!!! ;D

OOC: how were we to know he would turn into what he did? Huh? Huh? From what I know, you were supporting him the whole time!

Anyhow, in a situation like this, silence is golden for a girl like Eul O:-)

OOC: Well, Jason did have a small chance of surviving - he could have been exiled under certain circumstances. I must say his recent response has made survival very unlikely.  :o

OOC: Cruel mercy. He's acting like he wants to die, so don't give him what he 'wants.' :p

OOC: I.... I don't think that would ever work with this group of people, in this situation, Groddil. :P

OOC: I know. Snarkasm. :p

Anywho...

Goooooooooodbyeeeeeeeee moonmen! I say goodbyeeeeeeeeee a moonmen. Goooooodbyeeeeee, moooonmeeeeen. Goodbyeeeyeeeyeeeeyeee a moonmen. Goodbye!

General Stone considered for some time. The survivors had gone silent, so he decided it was time to make a decision. Just before he did so, Eric whispered something into his ear. Whatever it was, Stone did not look pleased.

"Axel. Matt. Nick. Get them all on their knees."

For one terrifying moment each survivor looked up into the cold eyes of General Stone.

"I will settle all of our debts here and now."

One of the knights had left earlier, and now returned carrying a fire axe. He handed it to Stone with a firm nod, before backing up again. Wielding the giant axe as though it weighed naught, Stone strode confidently before the line of survivors on their knees. Some of them struggled. Jason in particular. Others were still.

He walked to the first one on the line: Eul.

"Eul, as I believe you identified yourself. I do not know your past, but I doubt the claims against you. I find you responsible for saving the life of Eric. We owe you a life's debt."
He laid the fire axe on her shoulder, with the sharp side facing outward. "If you be willing, you may rise now as one of us: a knight. If not, you are free to go once all has been decided." (I'm going to continue along to the others. You can respond to this part whenever you get the chance, as though it had only just happened. Don't consider the lines that happen after this point.)

After Eul had answered, Stone moved on to Delthion. He placed the axe on his shoulder, sharp side in. "Delthion, I find you partially guilty in the death of Sir Mark. You may not rise as one of us. I will not, however harm you. Axel has vouched to protect you. You may leave here in peace when all has been decided. You will be well supplied for your journey."

After Delthion had answered, he moved on to Antonio. He placed the axe on his shoulder, sharp side out. "Antonio, I find you responsible for saving the life of Eric as well. The life debt is already owed to Eul alone, but we give you our gratitude. You may rise, if you wish, as one of us. As our brother."

After Antonio had answered, he moved on to Kyle. He did not place the axe on his shoulder. "Kyle, Eric has told me that many times you opted to leave him behind to die. For this reason you cannot be one of us. We have no quarrel with you, and you did help us get Eric back, willingly or unwillingly. We will supply you well for the journey you will take after this. I wish you nothing but the best of luck, friend. If we encounter you again, we will make no aggression towards you."

After Kyle had answered he moved onto the last survivor left: Jason. He slammed the blunt side of the axe down on Jason's shoulder, dislocating it with a sickening crunch. "You destroyed the life of our dear friend. I find you guilty in the death of Mark. And of the deaths you have caused in the past. As punishment each member of the Knights who wishes to will inflict vengeance upon you. They may not kill you yet, however."

A small line formed before Jason. One by one the military men punched him in the face, slapped him or kicked him. Each one said only the same words. "For Mark. For his family." Several of them wiped their eyes. Mark had been well liked. With each strike Jason was injured more. Soon streams of blood poured down his face, and his nose was broken. Teeth were missing in considerable number.

The line eventually came to the Mark's children and wife. His wife shook her head, and slapped him. He was already bruised and bloody, and he spat the rusty taste to the side, letting out a hoarse cough. She glared at him, but looked appeased. "I can only wish you luck with whatever comes after this world, Jason. My husband would have forgiven you, but I cannot."

Next each of her children approached, but they merely glared at him, and walked off silently. Perhaps a worse punishment than the blows.

Finally the last man in line reached the front, Axel. He had shed his coat, and wore only a tank top. Bulging biceps and muscles struggled to be contained even by this. The massive man wiped a single tear. "Mark was my best friend. Knew him since we was kids. The breath you draw now that he's gone's an insult to his memory if ya ask me."

Axel took a boxers stance, and delivered a crushing blow to Jason's lower stomach. Jason felt ribs break, and organs recoil. His breath came in gasps - one of his lungs had been collapsed by the blow. Axel bowed his head and backed away. Jason's head was down, staring towards the ground. He had no energy left to lift it.

"Now." Said a slightly shaken General Stone. "Eul, as payment for the life's debt I give Jason or Delthion's life into your hands. By rights we should kill Jason for what he has done to us. If you wish to fulfill your debt by saving him from us, you may. If you wish to finish him yourself, that is also your choice. We respect your decision on this matter. If you kill Delthion, we must let Jason live."

Stone fell to a knee in front of Eul, and handed her the axe. She took it and looked slowly up at Jason. She could end his life now with a single swing. Beside him, there was a stump. She could swing the axe into the stump to spare him. She glanced to her friends Kyle and Antonio. They could offer her their advice. She approached Jason, and he coughed one last time, spitting blood and saliva into the earth. He raised his beaten brow slowly, with lots of effort, to look into her eyes. One of his eyes has been shut by the blood flow. His nose was sideways and broken and his mouth was missing half his teeth. His good eye had lost the raving, mad look. It held only defeat. He prepared to utter what last words he could. His breath was shallow - he had been beaten at last. She glanced sideways to Delthion. He nodded slowly to her. It was all up to her now.

OOC: This is one of the big moments in our story. I've been looking forward to this one for a long time. I hope I've written it to the level it deserves. Sorry for beating up Jason, Groddil. ;)

I hope I can match this moment in the rest of the story (I at least feel that it's a pretty cool moment.). I've got a plan or two already in play.  ;D

OOC: oooooh dang. OOOOOOOOOOOH DANG!!!

WHAT?!

;D

Oh jee, oh good golly gosh, oh me, oh my. Wow. Wow wow wow.

Huh, Kyle or the Knights. Kyle or the Knights. Who is Antonio going to be with? Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh. Wut. Hum. Oh dear me, this is intense.

Well, here goes nothing ;D

BIC:

Eul stood to her feet, thanking Stone quietly. She watched the other survivors as Stone dealt with them, noting their reactions and answers. Her mouth opened slightly as Kyle was told he couldn't stay, but she decided not to say anything. She would have to think and see what to do. She watched as the Knights beat Jason nearly to death, not feeling bad for him, but still sickened slightly at the situation. Even more so when she was handed the ax, and with it, Jason's life. She stood before him, looking to the others to see what they were wanting. He was a danger to herself and her group. He would kill them if she didn't end his life, she knew that much.

OOC: Just a reminder - You can also kill Delthion instead. (Just making sure you know that's an option.)

OOC: Yeah.... yeeeaaah...

POWER!!! UNLIMITED POWER!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

"What are you... Waiting... For? Do it. Already... Gonna die... Anyway. Stupid... Brute. If.. You kill... The kid, last thing... I'll do."
He coughed heavily, spitting blood.
"Is take... You with... Me."
The survivor closed his eyes, the blood made vision impossible. All he waited for was the end. The sweet relief of death, to become reunited with his family. His true family."

OOC: Kinda weird how even though Del and I had the exact same role in Mark's "death", he gets to go free and I get killed. (Because whether or not Eul kills me, I'm not gonna survive.)

OOC: Feel free to join the Knights you two, Kyle will happily remain outside, providing intelligence and a helping hand to Knight operations.

OOC: Eul, Kyle, and Antonio have been together longer, they can trust each other. Just because these people are against Byurn, doesn't mean they can be trusted. Splitting up would be a really bad idea.

OOC: If Eul does not kill you, you will survive - my explanation would be sheer rage over Delthion's death kept you going. The doctor would fix you up. You would be badly injured, but you would live. I'm not killing you both off. No way Jose.

Delthion argued better and acted better as of late. Axel stood up for him. Also I felt like Jason was the one who really did make the decision to hand over Mark. And in Stone's eyes Delthion is just a kid and you're the mastermind. Hopefully this explains the decisions here.

 Grunting Antonio stood up, looking Stone in the eye. "I'll think about it," He muttered folding his hands behind his back. The past two years had left a sore spot in Antonio's conscious, a fracture in his soul. He was used to brutality on almost every level, and death seemed like an everyday thing. His previous career as a doctor left him used to blood and terrible injuries. But even he averted his eyes as the Knights assaulted Jason, releasing a whistle of disgust.
"If you're going to kill a man, finish him with dignity." He muttered to Kyle, but mostly to himself. Antonio's gaze hardening as the man Axel delivered the finial blow leaving Jason bleeding on the ground. Stone's declaration made Antonio visibly flinch. The familiarity of the situation hit him like a blow of the axe. Last time their foe had been left bleeding on the ground, Eul had left him to suffer and Antonio had had to finish the job. Last time she had been incapable, and that was with Byurn, and this time he couldn't intervene if Eul made the wrong choice.

Walking up behind Eul he laid a hand on her shoulder, whispering so only she could hear. "Can you kill him Eul? With one swing?" Two separate questions almost. "You know what I would do, he will hold a grudge for the rest of his life if you leave him to suffer. You will be safer, all of these people will be safer." Drawing his knife Antonio offered it, holding the blade so Eul could take the handle. "In case you don't want to use that axe, I know you're more familiar with a blade. Just make sure to push his head down when you make the cut, don't pull his head back. He'll die faster, with less pain."


OOC: I kinda feel bad for Grodds, his character was one of the best. The fact that he was bad made him good, if that makes any sense. Oh well, OFF WITH HIS HEAD!

  Eul gave a nod, glancing around. She wanted him dead, he was a danger to her group. She slowly set down the heavy axe, reaching back and pulling out her machete. "When this is over, there's something I need to tell you and Kyle," she whispered back to Antonio.

  Eul looked down at Jason. It seemed like the life she had before, in the real world, was just a dream. That happy, funny, caring girl that wanted to make the world a better place was dead. She was a survivor now, haunted by nightmares and regret. What had this world done to them? She lifted the machete up, giving Jason a small nod before bringing the weapon down and burying it into his skull.

Quote from: Fatch of Southsward on October 04, 2016, 01:38:02 PM
OOC: If Eul does not kill you, you will survive - my explanation would be sheer rage over Delthion's death kept you going. The doctor would fix you up. You would be badly injured, but you would live. I'm not killing you both off. No way Jose.

Delthion argued better and acted better as of late. Axel stood up for him. Also I felt like Jason was the one who really did make the decision to hand over Mark. And in Stone's eyes Delthion is just a kid and you're the mastermind. Hopefully this explains the decisions here.

OOC: Even though I was the one with all of the murderous plans in the beginning... ;D

As the townspeople dispersed, Stone and Axel approached those who remained. Jason's body was dragged away by two men towards a graveyard.

"It is time for some of you to leave" - said Stone matter of factually. "Those of you who have been offered a place among us, it is time to decide who you wish to stay with."

He turned to Delthion and Kyle alone: "Good luck my friends. We bear you no ill will. I hope this mess gets sorted out some day. I'm sure you will still be around when that happens. Safe passage and good fortune to you. We will supply you well for your journey, whatever the destination may be."
""

"I don't know if it's a good idea for us to split up," Eul said, glancing at Antonio to see what he was thinking, then she hesitated. "What medical supplies do you have?... and weapons?"

OOC: Other people...??  ;D

BIC:

Stone shrugged - "It is your choice. We have food, weapons, a tank. Not sure what else you'd be looking for. Meds I suppose? You don't look so well, by the way. You're very pale. When's the last time you slept or ate?"

"Maybe I should see a doctor. I might be getting sick," Eul admitted. "Food and water wouldn't hurt, either." She glanced at Kyle and Antonio. "Antonio, are you staying or going? I don't want the group to split up, if you ask me. It's up to you."

"I..." Antonio considered everything that had happened to them ever since he had met these two friends. They had been through a lot together, and he trusted them with his life as he hopped they trusted him. Eul with her machete and heart, and Kyle with his courage and determination. But he also remembered Stone's words, and the cure they had lost two years before.
"I will understand if you want to stay with Kyle, Eul, he'll need your help out there." Antonio said, interweaving his fingers as he smiled. Exhaustion weighed on his shoulders as he shook his head, forcing himself to continue. "But whether you stay or go, I need to continue my work I started years ago with the C.D.C. We know its possible, or at least theoretical to create a vaccine, and maybe even a cure now. I can do that with these people, the Knights can protect me and provide me with resources we three could never access alone. And I should... Should at least try." Antonio shrugged, a part of him wanted to take back his words and stay with his friends, but he knew what he had to do. He held out his hand to shake Kyle's, knowing this would be goodbye, for now.
"Good luck, if you ever need me Kyle, I'll be ready... Eul, are you going with Kyle?"

Eul took a second to think, now knowing where her friends stood. She held her hand out to Kyle. "It's been an honor. But I'm afraid my best chance of survival is being here. Maybe I can help Antonio with the cure. Who knows how long we have left to live, any of us. I'm sorry, and I wish you the best of luck."

Sooooo, this has been dead for quite a while. I don't know if anybody is up for it, but maybe we could start a new one?

Yes. By all means yes. (even though I wasn't in this one)

Alright, then. I could start another thread and host the next game if enough people are interested, I guess.

Should we mention everyone in the original, I don't think many of them check forum games all that often.

Sure, I'll go ahead and mention them. It doesn't seem like anyone is interested, though.

@Sagetip
@Delthion
@Gonff the Mousethief
@LT Sandpaw
@Groddil
@Søren
@James Gryphon

Hey, I'm gonna be hosting another game if anyone is interested, would you guys like to play?

Hm sure, I'll consider it.

Alright, so that's possibly two...

I'll go ahead and make the thread to see if anyone else would sign up.

My apologies. Free time is a bit of a scarcity for me. Let me go ahead and fast forward to draw this round to its well deserved close.

Eul was bitten in the town, thus why she was looking sick. The cure was still in the mud at the compound and that was the only way to save her. She didn't go for it/remember it so she eventually would have died.

The next phase involved the creepy group you have had some contact with. They would eventually fight with you, killing one member. As of now that would have been Kyle.

After Kyle's possible death (it could have been someone else) The Knights would have been overthrown by the terrorist group, and put into gladiator pits. Delthion would have dueled Axel and Antonio would have dueled the general. Delthion was to be wounded by Axel and Antonio was to beat the general. Then Antonio and Delthion would have dueled for the game win.


Based on quality of post thus far, the win is granted to Antonio

That was my plan, sorry for not being around much. You all made this a lot of fun! Thank you for the good time!

On a side note, Eul probably would have won or come close to winning if she remembered the cure was at Byurn's compound.

That's cool! And by the way, next game I play, you won't be looking to me for someone to put their life on the line for you guys. Seriously. First I lost my finger and then I got bit. All for you. ;D