The Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse, Group 4, Scene 5
The Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse
Group 4, Scene 5
copyright 2010 comidacomida
It was three blocks before the zombies stopped chasing the lorrie. Sam was forced to floor the accelerator to make it through the walking wall of undead and it sent meat, gore, and limbs in every direction. The lorrie fared pretty well despite the impact; the only real damage was losing the right-side mirror. All in all, it was a successful escape.
"Well... we got some petrol and lived... if that's the worst of it then we might just get outta 'ere." Jeff sat between Sam and Andy, looking at his brother's gun.
Sam watched the road but glanced toward the young husky, "You're pretty good with that thing... better than I'd be." he offered.
"Lots of arcade games." Jeff answered neutrally.
"Just don't go trigger happy," Andy offered, closing his medical kit, "However much ammo you have left might be all that stands between us and a mob of undead."
"I know... I know... geez." Jeff scowled, sliding the gun into his trousers. A silence filled the cab for a short time before anyone spoke. When someone finally did, it was Sam.
"I was thinking..." the raccoon began. "Nobody here knows exactly how far this thing has spread... I mean... for all we know it might be just this part of town... or maybe the whole city... we haven't really found out."
"It might be the 'ole county... or even all a England." Jeff ventured.
"God, I hope not." Sam gripped the wheel tighter, "What I mean to say is, for all we know, things might be safer a few kilometers outside town... once we find what we're looking for, I think we should get out... you know... just drive."
"Suits me fine." Andy answered with a shrug, "But not until we find Mandy."
"That's 'is girlfriend." Jeff explained to Sam, "She's awesome."
Sam actually released a soft, short laugh at Jeff's comment. "Alright... then we'll find this 'awesome Mandy' then get the hell outta here." The raccoon glanced at Jeff again before looking to the road, "I'm heading for Kent." he added, "Everyone's welcome to come with if you want."
"Kent? Hell..." Andy smiled, "Just keep going and let's aim for the Chunnel. I hear France is nice this time of year."
"We could upset the balance and move to Pakistan... you know... reverse the trend." Jeff grinned.
"I think I'll start with Kent, and go from there." Sam replied.
"Why?" asked Andy, "What's in--" Jeff pointed to the picture of two small kits on the dashboard, "Ah..." the medic nodded.
"Like I said... once I get there and make sure everyone's okay I don't really care about what comes next." Sam noted, "I'll drop off anyone along the way that wants to get out, or you can come with and we'll figure out what to do after that."
Andy shook his head, "One thing at a time, Sam... let's figure out the university first and then we'll go from there."
"So you don't have a plan yet?" Sam asked casually.
"Still trying to figure one out." Andy admitted, "I... I just have to make sure Mandy is okay."
"'e's gonna to ask 'er ta marry 'im." Jeff added.
"Congratulations." Sam offered amiably.
"Thanks... congratulate me if she's safe and sound." Andy suggested.
"Alright," Sam nodded, "I'll congratulate you both WHEN we find her safe and sound." he glanced across the cab with an encouraging smile.
"Right..." Andy nodded, "WHEN."
* * * * * *
Steve and Thomas laid together in the dark, bodies close as they waited for their breaths, quickened by the physical exertion, to slow back to normal.
"Nothing else helps you as much to realize just how good it is to be alive." Steve spoke into the blackness, running a paw through Thomas' chest fur.
The fox laughed, "I can't believe you just happened to have a condom on you."
"I can't believe you actually thought about it considering all the other things that could kill us." the shepherd laughed in return.
"Just because we're liable to die a horrible, grizzly, zombie-induced death any minute doesn't mean we can just ignore other safety precautions." the fox pointed out, and the two shared another laugh.
"Ah..." Steve signed, resting against Thomas, "I really needed that, Tommy... thanks."
"The laugh, or the--"
"Both." the shepherd explained.
"Yea..." the fox nodded against Steve's shoulder, "Me too."
The two remained laying with one another as the lorrie continued its trip down the street. After a time, the two disengaged, each redressing. They sat in silence until Thomas finally spoke up, "So... what now?"
"Now, we try to live through this." Steve answered.
"Yea... I know." Thomas replied, "I mean... between us." Although the darkness was complete, light wasn't necessary to imagine the expression on the fox's muzzle.
"We try to live through this." the shepherd repeated, "Anything else has to wait until we're not knee-deep in shite."
"Yea..." Thomas let out a sigh, "True enough... true enough." and silence reigned once again... for a little while. "I'm thinking of moving back to the United States." he added.
"Going back across the pond, eh, mate?" Steve chuckled, "To somewhere they don't have zombie problems, I bet?"
"I'm just thinking that running away from my problems has only been causing more." the fox answered.
"Heh... well, in your defense, I doubt you'd have thought you'd wander into a zombie infestation during your travels." Steve countered.
"Well, it'd sure be a sign that someone up above hates me if I get back only to run into another wave of undead monsters." the fox laughed.
"Yea... that'd be quite an adventure." the shepherd agreed.
"Come with me." Thomas suddenly suggested.
"What?" Steven questioned.
"Come with me... back to the states." the fox pressed.
"Aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself there, Tommy?" Steve asked, "I think we have to figure out how to survive this whole hell-on-earth thing first."
"Then say 'yes' and give me something worth living for." Thomas pressed the issue.
"Heh... there's plenty more worth living for than me, Tom." the dog advised in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Good... then you can come to America and show them to me." the fox noted.
"You make it sound so easy." Steve responded noncommittally.
"After surviving all of this? Yea... it'll be a cake-walk."
"We'll see..." the shepherd responded, "we'll see...."
* * * * * *
The university gates were open, and Sam brought the lorrie up to the main building, stopping it on the round-about that encircled the campus' large water fountain. Once the rubbish bin was opened Thomas and Steve hopped out, walking around to the side to meet with the rest of the party. "So what's the plan?" the German shepherd asked the three from the cab.
"We have to find the Scholastic Wing." Andy spoke up, turning to look at the large building looming before them, "I've never been here before, and Mandy never really talked about the layout of the campus."
"It's that one." Thomas spoke up, pointing to the entryway to the right.
"Are you sure?" Sam asked, "The building just looks like a gigantic star to me... five different wings means there's more of a chance to be wrong than right."
"I'm sure." the fox nodded, "I came here about a month back... ended up getting my arm caught in the door... had to wait for one of the janitors come take the damn thing off its hinges."
"Not one of the luckiest souls out there, are you, Tommy?" Andy inquired.
"Just think of it this way," the fox shrugged, "If I hadn't gone through that I might not have remembered which entrance was the right one."
"Always look on the bright side a life." Jeff sang the chorus of the song quietly.
"Monty Python... cute." the fox responded flatly.
"Heh... you know about em over in America, do ya?" the young husky grinned.
"We can chat later." Andy interjected, "Come on." and the group followed him over to the door, all except for Sam.
"I'll meet you over there... I'd feel better having the lorrie close by just in case we need a quick exit." the raccoon explained. Nobody objected, but Jeff stayed to help watch his back.
Steve, Andy, and Thomas all entered the building slowly, and with caution. The interior of the hall had streaks of blood along the floor with an occasional dried, red pool. Several windows were smashed and what appeared to be a trophy case was completely looted. Not far from it, a trophy lay on the floor, thick-end covered in blood.
"Not a bad idea." Andy noted, and he moved over to retrieve the lone trophy, examining its weight with one hand, "Hmm... better than a scalpel, anyway."
While the wolf was arming himself, Steve and Thomas glanced down the several different hallways leading out of the entryway. "Hey..." Steve spoke up, "There's something written on the wall here."
"And over here too." Thomas added.
The three survivors moved to look at the writing on both walls. The hall to the left had a quick scrawl done in what appeared to be spray paint. It read, "Danger in Food Service Centre." The hall to the right, in big letters scribbled into the wall in marker was written, "We're alive." followed by an arrow pointing with a hastily scribbled "112" beneath it.
"That's it." Andy spoke up. The group waited only long enough for Sam and Jeff to come inside, and then they went immediately down the hall to room 112. The unassuming door had a single rectangular window along the right side, about a meter tall by a hand's-width wide. The group couldn't see through it however, as it appeared to be covered up by paper.
"So..." Steven spoke up, "...now what?"
"We knock." suggested Jeff, and he moved to the front of the group and rapped his knuckles against the door. He waited patiently then looked back to the group, shrugged, and knocked again. Everything was incredibly quiet for many long moments but, finally, the group could hear muted talking from within. After another pause a section of paper was peeled away from the door's window, and an eye peered out at them. It widened, and the group could hear the sound of a lock turning, and the door opened.
"Come in! Come in, quickly!" said the middle-aged ewe. She ushered everyone inside then swiftly shut the door behind them. The room appeared at first to be in relatively good condition but, as everyone's eyes wandered, they saw a section of wall that appeared to have been hastily cleaned of huge amounts of blood, leaving faint, red streaks. Several dents were still visible in it, and a 2 meter long bundle of cloth lay to the side. There were splotches of blood seeping through the cloth bundle, and an avian foot poked out from one side.
The ewe moved back to sit at a round table with four others: a well-dressed aging bull, a young red squirrel with orange-and-green spiky hair, a portly-looking dour panda woman, and an old, tired-looking, haggard bulldog. The bulldog spoke up first, "How do we know they're safe to bring in here?" he demanded, his voice gravely and raspy.
"They aren't like those... things." the ewe explained, her soft voice vibrant, "They're here to help!" Her face was alight with hope.
"Look at them..." the bull scowled, "I dare say that it appears that they could hardly save themselves." he announced in the Queen's English, "I wouldn't be surprised if they hadn't made it here on sheer luck alone."
"Nothing like us, huh?" questioned the squirrel of the bull, her voice full of contention.
"Watch your tone, young lady." the bull countered.
"Headmaster... however it is they made it here, they ARE here... and the more of us there are, the safer we are." the panda offered amiably, her accent decidedly eastern in origin.
"The more of us here the bigger a target we become..." the bulldog grunted, "and if it comes to running... well... that's it for me." he patted his right leg, drawing the party's attention to it for the first time. There was a make-shift bandage wrapped around it, and plenty of blood was soaking through.
"Hey, gov... let me take a look at that." Andy offered, holding up his medical kit, "I might be able to help."
"No... no help." the bulldog declared, "If it comes down to it and those things get in here, there's nothing anyone can do to help."
"At least let me take a look to make sure it doesn't get infected." the wolf pressed.
"NO!" the bulldog barked, "I said NO! I don't want your help! I don't--" he was cut short by the sound of a roar from somewhere down the hall.
"Dash it all, Gerald..." the bull gnashed, "I told you to keep your bloody muzzle shut." The university survivors quickly huddled together. But the group quickly sprung into action.
Sam and Thomas quickly began moving tables, barricading the door with them. Andy gave up on helping the bulldog, instead choosing to reinforce the windows peering outside by blocking them off with stacks of chairs. Steve stood in the middle of the room, casually taking a moment to assess the situation. After a long pause, he finally moved to one of the ventilation ducts and flipped a latch on it before hefting a chair up and slamming it against the vent several times, throughly jamming the access hatch.
"Listen..." Andy said as the group drew close again, "I don't think these people will be of much help... they're all in shock, and probably haven't had anything to eat or drink in a few days."
"They certainly seem to get along well." Steve offered dryly, glancing at the university survivors, already starting a new argument.
"We can't help them right now." Andy noted, "But once we find Mandy we'll come back for them... there's enough room in the lorrie for everyone, right?" A round of nods went through the party.
"Listen..." Jeff spoke up, "We need ta find Mandy... and I know she said she was gonna be 'ere." he glanced around, "This is a really big 'all... 'ow we gonna do it?"
"We can split up to cover more ground." Sam offered, "It's more dangerous, but it'll allow us to search faster. The less time we're here the less time we have to attract zombies..." he glanced over his shoulder at the other survivors, "assuming they don't do it for us."
"The air duct." Steve pointed, "Zombies can get through there, yea... but they'd have to be awfully small... probably about Jeff's size." he glanced to the young husky, "You're a suff-nut, right Jeff?"
"You want me to go crawling around in the duct work?" the husky questioned.
"Well... you're the right size, and you have a gun. It's one of the safest options." Steve offered.
"These kinds of buildings have a central office." Andy pointed out, "If we can get there and use the public announcement system then we might be able to get the attention of any survivors... Mandy included."
"Brilliant." Steve offered, "only problem is that there's no power."
"Most buildings like this had battery-powered PA systems... chances are good that they still do." Andy countered.
"That's taking quite the chance." Thomas stated.
"Other options then?" the paramedic questioned.
"We can just run." the ewe interrupted. The party looked back to her, "Well... we can."
"Do YOU know Mandy O'Connor?" Andy asked.
"Sweet little fennec fox girl? Pretty eyes, long white hair?" the ewe asked, "Oh yes... I have her in one of my composition classes." the woman sighed after a long pause, "...or HAD... I don't even know anymore."
Andy stood in a moment and was at the ewe's side, "Did you see here before all this happened?"
"Well... yes... but..." the ewe began, but Andy spoke right over her.
"Where was she? Where were you? Do you think she's safe?"
The ewe shrugged, "I'm sorry, young man, but I don't know... I just..." she let out a sigh, "don't know." and she moved to take a seat back at the table.
"I don't wanna leave Mandy." Jeff said, "But she might be right... at some point we may have to think about just running..." the husky's ears drooped.
"Not yet... not yet we don't." Andy stated in a no-argument-acceptable tone.
"Alright..." Sam nodded, "Until then, we should consider a--"
"Does everyone hear that?" Steve spoke right over the raccoon.
"Hear what?" Andy questioned, but, by that time, everyone fell silent. That is when they heard the sound; it was coming from one of the pockets of Jeff's cargo pants.
"Oh!" the husky exclaimed quietly in revelation, and he opened the pocket and pulled out a radio, "James' radio..." he set it on the counter beside the group.
"I thought I heard someone talking." Steve announced. He was about to say something else, but the radio began transmitting again.
*STATIC* "Attention residents of Ratherbig. This is the fifth of five messages, set to be transmitted at the top of every hour and one minute thereafter for five minutes. If you are hearing this message, know that you are not alone. If you are in condition to travel, use the most direct route to reach the Ratherbig Police Station. If you encounter any stricken individual do not attempt to interact with them; get away immediately. Bring any receiver with you that you can, but keep the device off until the top of every hour. These messages will repeat and more information will be made available as it comes in. This was the final message for this hour." *STATIC*
The group looked to one another, then to the university survivors, who were all staring at one another. Steve rubbed his muzzle, "Well... looks like it's time to consider that plan..."
<END SCENE>
It's that time again, Apoc-Fur-Lypse fans! Group 4 has their lorrie refueled and is heading toward the University. With any luck they'll manage to find what they're looking for (in a good way, as opposed to her being a zombie, etc etc). Will they? Keep reading to find out!
Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the breakdown of the action for this scene.
Does the group encounter any zombie issues during their trip?
**Luck roll to avoid attracting attention. Average must be 10 or higher.
Sam 5 + trait of 6 = 11
Jeff 8 + trait of 4 = 12
Steve 5 + trait of 6 = 11
Andy 6 + trait of 6 = 12
Thomas 7 + trait of 0 = 7**
_Group averages 10.6. SUCCESS.
The group is not attacked._
Can the group navigate the University Grounds?
**Survival (12) to find the way to the correct wing.
Sam 3 + trait of 6 = 9 FAILURE
Jeff 2 + trait of 6 = 8 FAILURE
Steve 7 + trait of 4 = 11 FAILURE
Andy 3 + trait of 7 = 10 FAILURE
Thomas 5 + trait of 8 = 13 _ SUCCESS**
Thomas knows where to go to get to the right location._
Can the group find any survivors?
**Awareness (11) to locate anyone still alive.
Sam 1 + trait of 6 = 9 FAILURE
Jeff 3 + trait of 5 = 8 FAILURE
Steve 8 + trait of 6 = 14 SUCCESS
Andy 2 + trait of 3 = 5 FAILURE
Thomas 3 + trait of 9 = 12 _ SUCCESS**
Steve and Thomas find a clue that leads the group to survivors._
Can the group calm the survivors and get any information?
**Influence (12) to interact with the survivors.
Sam 8 + trait of 2 = 10 FAILURE
Jeff 7 + trait of 3 = 10 FAILURE
Steve 5 + trait of 2 = 7 FAILURE
Andy 7 + trait of 4 = 11 FAILURE
Thomas 1 + trait of 2 = 3 _ FAILURE**
The university survivors are too shaken to be of any help._
Ths is a zombie apoc-fur-lypse... how about some zombies?
**Zombies appear on a roll of 5 or less.
Roll is 2.**
Zombies confirmed.
Can the group barricade the side hall before the zombies find a way in?
**Ingenuity (12) to successfully block access to the hallway.
Sam 5 + trait of 6 = 11 FAILURE
Jeff 0 + trait of 4 = 4 FAILURE
Steve 3 + trait of 6 = 9 FAILURE
Andy 4 + trait of 8 = 12 SUCCESS
Thomas 2 + trait of 4 = 6 _ FAILURE**
Steve notices something else the party missed._
Does anyone notice the police radio?
**Awareness (10) to realize it's making noise.
Sam 4 + trait of 5 = 9 FAILURE
Jeff 4 + trait of 5 = 9 FAILURE
Steve 5 + trait of 6 = 11 SUCCESS
Andy 5 + trait of 3 = 8 FAILURE
Thomas 0 + trait of 9 = 9 _ FAILURE**
Steve hears the radio and the party listens to the broadcast._
Determine the group's next unofficial leader.
**Influence roll, highest wins. Sam gets +1 for being leader last scene.
Sam 5 + trait of 2 = 7+1
Jeff 6 + trait of 3 = 9
Steve 5 + trait of 2 = 7
Andy 3 + trait of 4 = 7
Thomas 3 + trait of 2 = 5**
Jeff takes the lead of Group 4.
Each character involved in this chapter now loses 1 Plot Point for successfully surviving without a Harrowing Event taking place.
Non-contributing readers, you may vote for your MVP to regain their lost plot point. Anyone who does not have a character involved in this story arc may vote. You may vote by personality, contribution, style, personal preference, or any method you like to make sure your preferred survivor continues to fight another day. Andy was the favorite for last chapter... let's see if he can keep up the popularity.
Contributing readers please choose the next direction for the group. The ad hoc leader gets 2 votes while everyone else gets 1.
Option 1: Split up to cover more ground.
Option 2: Jeff through the air duct while the group reinforces the entryway.
Option 3: Get to the central office and use the P.A.
Option 4: There's no way she would have survived-- just get to the police station.
Plot Point Opportuntity:
Anybody in the group may spend a plot point to find Mandy alive. If this Plot Point is not spent then there is no guarantee that she will be.
Anybody may also spend one plot point (no more than one each) to give the remaining university survivors 'shield' status, ie: they will offset deaths in the group and/or zombie attacks by becoming the first targets. This will happen a number of times equal to the total Plot Points spent by the group toward this end. Hooray for expendible red-shirts!
Congratulations to Group 4 getting to the University and remaining alive! Just remember: you have a Harrowing Event coming soon... so consider options accordingly. Good luck!