Sarah went back downstairs, to check out the areas left unexplored. Going back out into the hallway, she decides to first check out the other doors in the main hallway. The first room she enters seems to be a very basic storage filled with all sorts of construction materials- exactly like an extremely tiny hardware store. Gathering all the items for easy collection, she tallied 6 lengths of pre-cut PVC piping, three spare wooden planks, three boxes of nails with varying amounts left in them, three peices of torn tarp-like material, three small spools of electrical wire, three D-cell batteries, and a metal crowbar. Taking the crowbar in hand, she continues on to the other rooms.Leaving the room, she goes on to the next door, entering what must have been a break room. It's sad to see everything in such a broken state, a billiard table with a missing leg, broken microwaves, a dead plant in the corner.
You find four cups of instant ramen that are still good, along with two large band-aids and two small bottles of rubbing alcohol.You enter a back room connected to the break room, finding restrooms in a state of disrepair. There's another alcohol bottle in the sink, though.
Walking back out into the hall, you walk across to the only door on the other side of the hallway. You open it to hear rushing water, some sort of place to observe the hydroelectric turbines, and more closely, some sort of spill-way that must have been for fish or something. You find a lead pipe and a nine-volt battery, still in it's package. Having nothing left to explore in the main hall, you consider stopping to tell everyone there's a lot more things down here, but you stick around in the hall for a second, and decide against it. So far, you might have a lot of batteries, but nothing other than melee implements weapon-wise. You think there's a few other doors near Reception you haven't opened. All the items you've found have been moved to the Main Hallway for easy collection and stockpiling.
---Meanwhile, F2---
Robert considers making a sling for the larger weapons, namely the new Galil and his Mossberg, and asks about any extra cloth. "Should take maybe two? It's not that hard to secure one to my back or something."
Rhea sets down her small medical satchel, hefting the larger one over her shoulder in it's place, and sets about looking for some kind of crutch. She hopped up after a moment, without saying anything, grabbing a large broom. It was one of those with the large rectanglular head, and she was able to screw off the broom handle and use it like a cane. Gingerly trying it out, she finds she can walk well enough to move about by herself.
"This is... useful. Not ideal, but... what is these days...?"
Neither Oleg nor Robert spoke for a moment.
"W-well, shouldn't we keep going..?"
"Yeah. Maybe one of us should make sure Sarah is OK? Sure, she hasn't screamed, and we'd hear that, but... I'll meet back up with you. I just don't think we should leave anyone alone during the day."
Oleg goes down into the main hall to meet up with Sarah.
---
Robert opens the door on the inside of the guard room, Rhea following along closely behind.
"Huh, some kind of machinery room. Looks like it's just for monitoring, but all the dam turbines seem OK... Quieter than I thought, really."
"Woah... They're a lot larger than I thought. I remember reading stuff about new power sources, and hydroelectric being one of them, but, seeing it up close like this... It's humbling, in a way..."
Rhea half-limped over to the glass pane separating her from the powerful turbines, churning away with the powerful currents generated by the river. Rhea silently watched them, lost in thought.
"Feels like a thing of the past, you know?"
"W-what does?"
"The energy crisis. Not even just that, but political debates... society feels like it's gone now. Not totally, I mean, well..."
"I know what you're saying..." Rhea quietly muses, barely audible over the muffled but ever-present rushing waters.
Rhea speaks up again. "You know... It really did feel like the world was going to end. I'm not overly religious, but... I did pray to whatever higher power. I think everyone did. Watching the patients roll in... some infected, immediately quarantined... and then, in that room just behind us... It's just frightening to think about. I wish I could stop, but it won't leave my mind. The imagery-
Rhea's makeshift cane wobbles underneath her, almost causing her to topple over. She catches herself without putting any pressure on her ankle, but still looks shocked for a moment.
"S-sorry... I should look for a real crutch, or something..."
"You sure you don't want me to help you? It's not any trouble..."
"I should be fine. Just... have to focus a little more on walking than normal."
"Yeah... Hey, just... thinking about it I guess. You said you saw all those people as a doctor when all this started. What was that like? I mean, we've all seen things we don't want to talk about, but... sometimes, you have to."
"I... I really don't... I haven't really told anyone what it was like, those first few days. It was something you should never want anyone to see. It was horrible. The people who weren't immune in the slightest, those that didn't have to die for the fungus to take hold? Those memories haunt me. And whenever I see one of those infected, especially as close as that last one was, I... It's hard to keep going. It really is. The only thing that stopped me from killing myself those few weeks after the start was the thought that I'd turn into one. That maybe enough of my brain would remain viable, and I'd be trapped in it or something. That's why I don't talk about what happened early on."
Rhea shivered slightly, able to stay up on her makeshift cane.
"But you're tough. Probably tougher than any of us combined."
"H-huh?"
"I know that if I saw that, I'd have went crazy a long time ago. I can't speak for the others, and maybe Oleg is pretty tough too, but he didn't have to watch people turning right in front of him. Maybe once, but you had a whole city or so barging in, ready to turn en masse."
"I..."
"You're the kind of person all those recruiters talk about. They always want someone with strength, and everyone thinks they mean being strong mentally and physically, but no one ever thinks about the most important kind, the strength to keep going. You've totally got that."
Rhea slowly made her way to Robert and threw her arms around him.
"This dosen't mean you're g-getting in my pants, but thanks."
---
Rhea, and Robert are in the room of the Hydroelecrtic Dam, F2.
Oleg and Sarah are in the Main Hallway of the Hydroelectric Dam, F1.
Exits are North (Security Room) / Multiple (Explored)
The room(s) has been looted.
It is Daytime, Hour 5 (5:00). You have no one at a vantage point. Rhea is less shaken up over recent events now. All members of the group are slightly shaken by recent events.
Rhea has a sprained left ankle, treated. It will take 5-6 days to heal fully. She will be able to walk normally in 4-5 days.
Rhea is in mild pain.---
Oleg (Cheesecake)
Utility Knife [Worn], equipped
Normal Pack (4)
- Ruger GP100 revolver, fully loaded (7)
- Box of Pistol Ammo, [7]
- Utility Knife [Brand New]
- Toolkit x1
Rhea (Tiruin)
Normal Pack (4)
- USP .45, full magazine (15)
- Spare USP magazine, full magazine (15)
- Scalpel [Brand-New]
- Bottles, Empty, x4
Large Medical Satchel (6)
- Food x6
- Water x6
- Cloth x6
- Alcohol x2
- Painkillers (10) x1
- ---(filled space)---
Sarah (Greenstarfanatic)
Crowbar [Pristine] (Equipped)
Normal Pack (4)
- OTs-33 Pernach full magazine (17)
- Spare Pernach Magazine, (15)
- Cloth x2
Robert (Patrick Hunt)
Back-strap Holster
Durable Pack (4)
- Box of Shotgun Shells [6]
- Combat Knife
- Galil Box [[Galil(Tritium Ring/Aiming Laser/Grenade Launcher (Rubberballx1) Fully Loaded (30), Flashbang Grenade x1 / Rubber Ball L.Grenade x1, Galil Magazine (30)
---
((Two notes here. One, I should explain what the "shaken" thing means- whenever someone gets a close call, or an otherwise traumatic experience, they are shaken. This dosen't do anything to most rolls unless you're on the verge of going insane, however, it does heavily affect sleep. Before the conversation, if Rhea were to go to sleep, she'd spend an hour or two tossing about before managing to actually sleep, everyone would have the chance of vague nightmares.
Things that can happen include waking up in the middle of the night, having very fitful sleep, nightmares that decrease the rate at which you calm down (Slows the rate at which you calm down naturally, making it easier for you to freak out), among other things. Right now, you'll all be able to sleep reasonably well, though that's only if nothing else happens like the Maws event.
Secondly, I'm not going to write anything sexual beyond maybe a very leave-it-to-the-readers-to-imagine makeout scene, so don't worry about that. That dosen't mean you can't hint at or go after such things, it just won't happen on camera. Also, if any of you have complaints about where something is headed or the way I'm handling things, shoot me a PM. I won't bite.))