Shotgun Diaries: Deadly Biology

Jan 25, 2016 3:51 pm
http://i.imgur.com/L2rPaEz.jpg

As each of you wakes up and gathers some semblance of groggy awareness, the first thing you realize is that your hoods are off and your hands are no longer bound to the slats of the livestock trailer being pulled by the red semi-truck you were originally loaded onto at gunpoint. In fact, the eighteen-wheeler and its trailer lay crumpled on its side nearby, one member of disturbing cargo still dangling by a wrist from the sidewall, naked from the waist down and the carving of muscle from its legs exposing bare white bones and finally putting a face (sort of) to the screaming you’d heard two (?) days back. The two male drivers and three female passengers that had been riding up front in the cab, who had been butchering away at your fellow captive despite the fact that food resources were still aplenty most everywhere you went, and whom many of you had sworn oaths to repay in kind at some point before hope started creeping away from each of you bit by bit, are nowhere to be seen.

Only nine of you remain, sitting at the roadside gathering your senses. As dusk approaches a night carrying a pregnant moon, a chill starts creeping in, made worse by the humidity in the air that freezes on the skin. You were sure there were more, and looking around your assumptions are proved correct as a group of maybe four or five corpses lay sprawled around the road or in the ditches around you. An old woman, who you’d all seen bagged when it was your turn to get loaded into the trailer, sits staring blankly at the ground seeing nothing but probably reliving unspeakable horrors over and over in her head. Her gnarled fingers, the tips black with frostbite, hold a wire cutters; and you all rub at the deep cuts in your wrists remembering the pain as every bump and jar of the highway in the last few days bit deeper and deeper into your skin until warm blood ran down to your elbows and you thought (even hoped sometimes) that the wire would saw your hands off.

It’s dark, and a light snow is falling. The air feels well below freezing. Many of you are underdressed for the weather, something that didn’t seem to be much of a concern to your captors. On the side of the road next to you a sign in rising moonlight reads "Ipswich: Pop. 943". Ahead you facing west you can make out the geometric shapes roof tops and a water tower; a small town by the looks of it. Your backs face a gravel driveway running about 300 feet to the north, with a blue one-story house and a unattached garage at the end. Directly in front of you numerous round bales of hay are scattered in a large empty field.

Supplies: 5
Zombie Clock: 0

Rolls

Starting Supplies Check - (24d6)

(515264616612455643441225) = 90

Jan 25, 2016 4:49 pm
Connor shakes off the shock of waking up this way quickly and moves to the over to the cab of the overturned truck to see if there is anything salvageable. He approaches wearily, walking slowly on the loose gravel, glass, and the accumulating snow in an attempt to keep the noise down. There's chance one of the captors were infected and turned while barreling down the highway. That could have caused the accident. Nothing else appeared to have been the cause anyway.
Jan 25, 2016 4:52 pm
Cola stumbles a few steps as she tries to get to her feet. She makes her way over to the old woman, but keeps her distance in case the old lady has lost it. "I...are you alright? Did...did you cut us all free, before the accident I mean? Thank you. Do you know what happened?"
Jan 26, 2016 8:03 am
Grace's eyes are wide with shock at her situation. "I can't believe any of this is happening!"

She staggers around, stamping her feet, as feeling returns with circulation. Identifying the largest of the group, she stands by Horace and comments: "Those people were freaks! Thank God we made it out alive!" She stamps her feet some more, now really beginning to feel the cold. "You think we should get inside? That house looks a lot warmer than out here."
Last edited January 26, 2016 8:04 am
Jan 26, 2016 8:06 am
Matt looks and listens. Then he goes over to investigate the hay bales, figuring that they could be arranged into a wind break, but still allow for avenues of escape when danger arrives.
Jan 27, 2016 1:19 am
Micha stands slowly, rubbing his wrists to restore circulation. "Come on we have to move. The noise from the crash will draw them. We can at least use the houses for shelter." He turns towards the bodies and starts removing shirts and jackets finding another one to put on. He also rips a sleeve off of a shirt. Then he starts looking for a large glass shard.
Jan 27, 2016 1:33 am
Horace glances down at the woman, " Where'd the mean people go? Dey ain't here no more. "
Jan 27, 2016 9:41 am
Grace looks shocked at Hoss' question, taking it as a suggestion. "You mean they might be inside the house?? Maybe we'd better go further into town, then."
Jan 27, 2016 5:12 pm
"Yes, they could be in the house. They could be in the town. They could be anywhere. That house is our best option for tonight. It is cold and getting dark. We need shelter now. Someone...someone can sneak up and check it out, then come back for the rest of us. Any sign of blood, break in, or...trouble...we go for town."

Cola looks around, "Would...would someone check out the house?"
Jan 27, 2016 10:03 pm
Micha turns after hearing Cola's question. "Yea, sounds like a plan. " He walks over to Connor. "Want to help check out the house? I'm Micha by the way."
Jan 27, 2016 11:55 pm
Connor notices numerous footprints packing the snow around the overturned cab, as well as a significant amount of blood. As the tracks move away from the cab however, they become obscured by the falling snow. The cab is empty of all but one passenger; a woman with a crushed face against the cracked windshield and a long neck bent at a fatal angle...

The old woman seems catatonic, and doesn't respond to neither Cola's nor Horaces's inquiries at all. She continues to stare at the ground. Whether the shivering is from the increasing crisp winter chill creeping in with the night, or from shock is unknown.

Matt walks across the road to examine the hay which is scattered in the field. As he approaches one of the nearest round bales of hay he realizes they're a lot larger than he'd anticipated. They're densely packed and stand about five or six feet tall, and about as wide. It wouldn't be surprising to learn that they probably weigh close to 3/4 of a ton each. While a clever survivor could possibly come up with any number of uses for these bales, it's going to take some serious muscle to move them; more than even a strong survivor can do alone. It would probably require a tractor with a farm grapple or bale spear loaded on the front, which is about the only way they likely got out here in the first place.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Dm43LOUZJIU/TQuqiEa4AsI/AAAAAAAAFoE/-bYcM38MReY/s1600/PC150026.jpg

Micha starts looting the corpses of clothing. There's no jackets on any of the corpses, but there are various short and long-sleeved shirts of the t-shirt or button up business variety. He then looks for a shard of glass.
OOC:
@Cerris214: If you are in fact looking for the glass shard to use as a weapon (which is what I assume your plan is) please roll 4d6 for Micha; as he is a Dangerous archetype, I'll allow it. If you roll at least one "6", you may narrate what Micha finds any way you like. If you fail to roll at least one "6", I'll narrate how Micha's search goes.
OOC:
Also, if the plan is to go check the house in a sneaky manor, Leland (Matt) might be the best candidate for the job, as he is in fact a Sneaky archetype. Connor is a Fast survivor, so he could certainly haul ass to the house, look around, and haul ass back before any potential threats could react (assuming he rolls successfully, of course), but that doesn't mean those potential threats might not see him run back up to the road and give your location away.
Jan 28, 2016 7:13 am
Micha takes a moment during his search to check and see what the other two members are doing.
Last edited January 28, 2016 7:14 am

Rolls

4d6

(1253) = 11

Jan 28, 2016 7:39 am
Matt frowns in disappointment that the hay bales won't work. Sucking his teeth, he looks speculatively over at the blue house. He really doesn't like the prospect. But, if he has to do it, he figures it's best to check it out before it's completely dark. He scopes the various paths toward the house and proceeds to sneak from cover to cover until he can get next to the house, observe the doors and windows for signs of use and accessibility, and listen to hear if there's any noise from within.
Jan 28, 2016 4:13 pm
Micha fails to find any significant shards of glass or other instruments that can be used as a weapon in the vicinity; the cab's windshield, while spiderwebbed from one of its passenger's heads, remained intact. The side and sleeper windows that did happen to break were made of safety glass, as thus shattered into small jagged pieces. Unfortunately, as Micha was dragging his hands along the ground in the fading light looking for an adequate shard, his palm was sliced open on something. Blood begins running out of the gash fairly liberally, and some first aid is going to be necessary.
OOC:
@Cerris214: Whenever a survivor fails at taking a risk, the ZM narrates what happens, which is always bad and frequently death. I hardly think that death is in order at the moment, and oftentimes I'll reduce a player to a Helpless survivor status first before death of it makes sense, which I don't think is reasonable for these circumstances either. Micha, in this case will be penalized 1d6 for future risks (meaning they only get 3d6 to do Dangerous survivor things) as a result of his sliced Palm. This penalty can be removed if Micha uses one of the group's supplies, to patch his hand up. If you choose to use one of the supplies (of which you currently have five), feel free to narrate that Micha used one of the supplies (please explain what the supply was and how it was used, etc.)
OOC:
@Spaceseeker19: Please have Matt take a risk as a Sneaky survivor and roll 4d6. We're ignoring fear dice mechanics for the moment because there's nothing as of yet to instill fear in any of your survivors. Matt passes the risk if you roll at least one "6". You may then feel free to narrate what happens as you please. Remember, you may not add any supplies to the group's pool during the narration process ("Oh wow, Matt found a stockpile of grenades and machines guns and food stores... It was a prepper's bunker!"); supplies can only be added in a specific process when finding sanctuary. Be sure to include what, if anything, Matt does discover before returning back and reporting in with the group. If Matt fails, I'll go ahead and narrate what happens. Good luck!
Supplies: 5
Zombie Clock: 0
Jan 31, 2016 8:38 pm
OOC:
Going to use a supply to bandage hand.
Micha winces as his hand drips blood onto the cold ground. He presses one of the shirts against his hand to stem the blood loss. He passes the front of the truck and barely spares a glance for the dead woman, then looks harder as something behind her catches his eye. There is a small satchel wedged in the seats behind her. He climbs up to the side and pulls the door open. Micha then climbs down and grabs the bag. It is a small first aid kit. Climbing back out he examines the kit in the failing light. Much of the contents are gone but some still remain. He first uses an alcohol swab to clean around the wound. Next he uses a styptic packet to stop the bleeding. He grimaces as the powder burns. He then uses suture bandages to close the wound. He cover it all with the last remain gauze roll and seals it with a bit of tape. He slips the strap of the bag over his shoulder thinking "Can always find more to fill this back up."
Feb 1, 2016 5:13 pm
OOC:
Okay perfect. Meanwhile it's Monday of Week 2. So while the supplies just went down by one for the use of the First-Aid Kit, you're not in sanctuary yet, so none go down otherwise. However the Zombie Clock has just increased to Rank 1.
OOC:
@Spaceseeker19: Is Matt still going to a Risk check to sneak up to the house and check things out?
Supplies: 4
Zombie Clock: 1
Feb 4, 2016 12:18 am
Matt sneaks up to the house in unhurried stretches of movement, alternating with longer periods of stillness where he looks and listens for movement.

Rolls

Sneaking - (4d6)

(1243) = 10

Feb 5, 2016 4:53 pm
Even considering the time taken into account for Matt's slow and careful sneaking, a while goes by and Matt never returns from his search of the property.
Feb 5, 2016 10:21 pm
"This is taking to long. I'm going to check on that guy." Connor takes off toward the house. He is less concerned with hiding, just getting there and back. When he gets to where he can see the house he gives it a wide berth, his head is on a constant swivel looking for danger.
Feb 6, 2016 2:07 am
Watching Connor move out towards the house, Hoss is confused. " Are we going to the house now? What 'bout the other man?" Hoss glances towards the others. It's obvious that he is uneasy.
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