Day 1
-Sunny-
Tired that's all Pat can think about, for days Pats been walking rarely stopping for breaks and tripping over himself on multiple occasions, mind kept active only by the occasional chatter on his walkie talkie and the fear that if he were to stop it would be his last. By the time Pat reached the farmhouse you almost couldn't tell him apart from the average zombie.
"Tired... so tired..."
Pat shambles into the house and collapses onto the floor knocked out cold.
"Zzz"
The exhaustion of relentless travel and perpetual terror have been ravaging body and mind for days. You have no time for introductions or projects, the prospect of being able to stay in one place is a greater desire than hunger and thirst combined. A few steps into the house, you collapse to the ground.
[2]
You're standing on a hill, somewhere. All around you are dipping valleys that eventually become hills once again, an endless cycle of rise and fall. The sky is grey, foreboding. A cold wind rips through your very essence. One of the hills ignites, its arboreal surface turning into a raging inferno within seconds. The wildfire spreads down the hill in all directions. A sharp cry in the distance, a plea for aid or a scream of agony, unclear if human or beast or something else, rattles y-You wake up many hours later.
"Hey everybody I'm Zip-E-Zebra and I.... and I.... and I represent Zip-E-Mart.... and Zip-E-Mart.... does.... something, why can't I remember what it does, it seems important, but I'm not sure why, I'm not really sure of anything."
Look over the group and wonder why no one else looks like I do, after pondering these things for a bit he decides to go look inside that barn that guy mentioned and see what kind of stuff was inside.
[6] You ponder over the sharp contrast in appearance, body type, and general mannerism between yourself and everyone else who has come here. You would imagine, just by the odds, that at least someone else would be of your kind. It strikes you in an instant; there is a reason why you are the odd one out. You have fulfilled your potential, your true self. Your external appearance is a perfect reflection of your interior existence. That is not true for anyone else here, hidden behind facades, unintentionally imprisoning themselves. It is your spiritual duty to help everyone here achieve their true selves as you have done, if not as a leader than as a guide.
[4] The barn is much how Briggsby had described it: devoid of animals, coated in rotten hay. The stale stench of livestock expulsions and decrepit grass are nearly overpowering. There are stalls, and a ladder leading to a barren attic area. Someone must have cleared out this alcove, though they left behind a
sickle. A couple of people could probably clean this whole barn up in a day.
“Hmmm, Not bad. There is obvious work to be done though! If you need me, call but I can’t guarantee a response. I can get very... focused. Also, May I please have a blood sample? ”
Chris set’s up a improvised research lab and research’s his own blood sample along with whoever gave there’s to him to check if there is anything out of the ordinary in his or there blood stream.
[2+1] The first thing you will need in a research lab is a designated space, somewhere large enough to run analysis and store samples, but also secluded to dissuade others from interference, accidental or not. Two areas come to mind immediately, the wide open basement, as well as the barn if it can be cleaned up and sanitized.
Your major obstacle in the beginning is a lack of infrastructure. You have no device to run blood tests with, nor do you have a mechanism for storing blood samples. You do not even have syringes to draw blood with. A personalized work table is another fundamental part of the trade, but you have seen few tables throughout the Farmhouse.
No one has volunteered to donate their blood to you, but this is the usual first response in your field. People have always been wary to give blood, they always need a little convincing...
Sam follows Mr. Briggsby in with a smile, glad for a friendly face or two to liven things up. He gratefully accepts the lemonade and thanks Walter kindly.
"Well," he started, "My name's Sam, Sam Dutton. I, uh... couldn't make it as a truck driver, wrapped my damn wheel well around a post and about tore it off learning it, so I just kept working with tools instead. Puttin' A/C and heating in sometimes, ditching so basements don't get flooded, you know. One day I was watching football, and the crowd started going crazy, bitin' each other like that Guns 'n Roses show they made everyone wait for, and I thought it was just sore losers, 'till everything cut to that FEMA emergency broadcast thing."
Sam asks Walter what he thinks needs to get done around here the most. We should establish priorities. Broach the idea of a bulletin board in or around the house we tack chores and tasks onto, so people know what's what. Sam'll help set that up if so, and gather the materials for it.
"No shame in finding something else worthwhile to do in life, it takes a bit of time to figure out what are our strengths and weaknesses. I wanted to be a sailor growing up, believe it or not. Wasn't til I was done with school that I realized serving the Law was my calling. Guess I was always more steady on land than sea. In times like these, there's always a need for someone who knows their way around tools and building. Glad to have ya."
"First order of business is gonna be getting more food and water. I scrounged up all I could, but with a group of this size we're bound to run dry in a few days. We need to set up some organized runs into town for food, and other supplies. On my way here I saw that there was a
Crazy Chicken Supermarket out towards the highway, but it'll take a day's walk just to get there. Long term, we should finds some seeds or vegetables and start putting these fields to work, but I wasn't born with any green thumbs. Too bad the owners didn't leave any livestock behind, a cow or pig would be a big help. For water, I put whatever pots, jugs and other big containers I can find outside during the rain. It's served me so far, but relying on rainwater is always a roll of the dice. Later on it would be mighty handy to get a generator running, you'd be the man in charge of that, huh?"
[5] "Bulletin board....yeah, that's a million dollar idea. I've been meaning to find a use for this thing." Sam drags out a
large whiteboard from a closet, complete with multiple makers and erasers. "Looks like it was part of some sorta kid's game, for learning or something like that. Anyhow, it'd be perfect for what you were saying. We'll put it right on the kitchen wall since everyone's gonna come through here once or twice a day at the least.
Calvin is not deterred by petty things Things like sleep. he goes and tries to find a complete map of the area. Then he tries to the major landmarks and mark them on the map. (e.g. zombie cluster here, potential base there, food here, etc.)
"My name's Alex, and Pardon me for sayin this but i'm rather agnostic at the moment. God might be the only thing keeping us alive, it's true, but god also has a equally fair chance of wanting us dead, Mr.Briggsby. I'll still pull my weight and behave myself if you'll have me, but i'm not likely to be praying anytime soon when survival is still a hour-to-hour question."
After talking is all done, Alex went to attempt to locate and capture a lone thinker zombie. He also gathers any rations he could while in Edinburg, Accompanying Calvin in his mapping with the logic that two sets of eyes were better than one.
Walter Briggsby is stonefaced as Alex clarifies his position. "Now, listen. Like I said before, if God wanted us dead, we'd be dead right now, no question. The fact that we're alive and breathing is a testament that we're being watched over. If you don't think faith is as important to your protection as any gun or knife you carry well....shoot." He shakes his head. "I'll give you a free pass today. Your tired, your nerves are all shot to hell, mind's all jumbled. Take today to get everything in your bones all settled. But make no mistake, this house is still standing because everyone and everything inside of it is grateful towards its creator. I'm not putting myself or the others, at risk if any single man, woman or child wants their pride to risk our holy sanctuary. Keep that in mind."
Briggsby is more than happy to help Calvin to one of his spare
road maps of Edinburg. The map lists the town's population at 866, and that small population is reflected in that there aren't that many landmarks in Edinburg proper. Still, Calvin and Alex set out as a loose duo to check the town out together.
[5] The first thing that is noticeable about Edinburg once they reach it
is that the town has seen better days. The pair remain careful not to attract zombie attention, but also vigilant in their recording.
Each block holds about 5 zombies stumbling back and forth. There are signs of zombies in the various main street buildings, so there are likely more unseen in these structures. A handful of well dressed zombies are wandering with the Small Bank. The biggest threat is a small herd of zombies congregated in the middle of the Public Park, around 30 of them.
There are neighborhoods of scattered houses in the difference.
Moe's Diner looks relatively zombie free. When the two investigate, they find rotten plates of half-finished food and coffee cups. These dining patrons must have fled in the middle of their meals. While scouring for rations, Alex hears the groans of a zombie in the kitchen. Peering inside, he sees an idle zombie with a tell-tale sign of a Thinker; it has a solid grip on a kitchen knife.
[4+1] Alex sneaks behind the zombie, and once he's close enough he swings his spear horizontally and smashes the tip onto the zombie's knife, sending it flying away. As the Thinker turns, Alex grabs a large metal pot on the counter and slams it over the zombie's head, a useful tactic in stunning them. This is not a normal zombie however, and it responds, by not only removing the pot, but tossing it back at the animal trainer. It's a clumsy throw, but Alex still has to duck to ensure it flies over his head and hits the oven behind him. The Thinker scans the floor for its knife as Alex reaches some conclusions. Capturing a Standard requires some tricks, and the cognitive abilities of a Thinker are much higher. He'll need more than a spear to knab this one, either some specialized tools similar to what he used back in his circus days, or some clever traps. He ducks out of the diner before the Thinker can rearm.
They return to the Farmhouse empty handed but brimming with new information.
Everyone consumes a Ration from the Stockpile.16 Rations
Matchbox [9]
2 Rusty Shovels
5 Bibles
The Farmhouse - Two story structure. Current HQ. Neglected weedy fields.
*Walter Briggsby - Retired cop. De facto Leader.
Edinburg - Small rural farming town.
*Small Bank - Handful of well-dressed zombies
*Public Park - Small horde of 30 zombies
*"Moe's Diner" - Thinker within
*Neighborhoods - Scatterings of various homes
The Forest - 30 minute walk behind The Farmhouse.
Blesgate - Half a day's travel East. Strange, aloof people in odd dress encountered here.
Name: Calvin p. hunt [BlackPaladin99]
Appearance: Generic human male
Item: Compound Hunting Bow
Occupation: parkour teacher
Nostalgia: video games.
Equipment: Compound Hunting Bow [12 Arrows] (Silent)
Road Map of Edinburg
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Alex "Pet everything" Karson [Dustan Hache]
Appearance: A man in his fourties wearing a thick pair of overalls with multiple claw-marks from animal handling. Brown hair with streaks of grey here and there, brown eyes.
Item: Steel Spear
Occupation: Animal Trainer for circuses and zoos.
Nostalgia: Spending time with his pet dog Chaos.
Equipment: Steel Spear
4 Rations
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Willow [Naturegirl1999]
Appearance: Human female with tired looking eyes due to not sleeping much since the apocalypse
Item: First Aid Kit
Occupation: Gardener
Nostalgia: Not being hunted all the time, being able to sleep for longer periods of time without worrying about getting killed, being able to garden in piece without losing everything the next day due to looters
Equipment: First Aid Kit [100%]
4 Rations
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Zip-E-Zebra [King Zultan]
Appearance: He appears to be of average height but you can't really tell do to the anthropomorphic zebra costume he's wearing which as far as he's concerned is what he is, the zebra is wearing khaki pants an a black polo shirt with green stripes on it and Zip-E-Mart in bold letters on the back.
Item: Kukri Knife
Occupation: Corporate Mascot
Nostalgia: He's sure he'd be nostalgic about something if he could remember anything from before a few months ago.
Equipment: Kukri Knife
4 Rations
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Sam Dutton [Xvareon]
Appearance: Tall and leanly muscled, with mid-length, messy black hair he keeps scratching out of habit. Still wearing his steeltoed boots, blue jeans and utility vest from his last job, stained with pizza sauce and drips of coffee.
Item: Metallic Flashlight
Occupation: Handyman
Nostalgia: Recycling items, like taking motors out of fans and vacuum cleaners. Preferably while tuned out with an MP3 player plugged in his ears. He always got a thrill out of packing as much as his dumpster could possibly hold, burning anything combustible, and stripping down everything else for the recycle bins. Doesn't have the same zest when he has to do it to survive.
Equipment: Metallic Flashlight (Solar-powered)
4 Rations
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Chris Mercer [Knightwing64]
Appearance: Chris is a handsome man, Albeit slightly pale due to long nights of studying. His eyes are a brilliant yet haunting blue. He is of European descent and has inky black curly hair.
Item: Bottle of Antibiotics
Occupation: Biologist
Nostalgia: Being commended for his great work in gene modification and viral agents. Also misses his job.
Equipment: Bottle of Antibiotics [100%]
4 Rations
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Pat A. Johnson [Fluffe9911]
Appearance: A thin man in his late thirties wearing a ripped cheap looking grey business suit and wireframe glasses with a noticeable crack on one of the lenses. Black hair with a large bald spot at the top, brown eyes and white slightly wrinkly skin.
Item: Luxury Cologne Bottle
Occupation: Financial manager
Nostalgia: His pet hamster Dave
Equipment: Luxury Cologne Bottle [100%]
4 Rations
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Tim [TricMagic]
Appearance: Brown haired girl. Brown eyes, white skin
Item: Acoustic Guitar
Occupation: Pryotechnics
Nostalgia: Fire. One benefit of the zombie apocalypse is getting to cause explosions and fires without anyone getting on your case. Sadly, the times where one can easily get fireworks under the table.. Wait, that never existed, so still as difficult, but no longer illegal.
Equipment: Acoustic Guitar
4 Rations
Health: Normal
-----
Name: Caroline Brucer [heydude6]
Appearance: Naturally long-haired brunette who currently keeps her hair in a bun. Wears her old disheveled baseball uniform (minus the hat). Hasn't been able to find the time to go to the gym and has thus regressed into a more feminine physique.
Item: Hunting Rifle
Occupation: Baseball player
Nostalgia: Celebrating with the team after a good game.
Equipment: Hunting Rifle [20/20] (Bolt-Action, Scope)
4 Rations
Health: Normal
Author
Topic: Roll to Rebuild - Day 3 [9/10] (Read 9349 times)