"I'll just tell them when I go in to exchange hard drives"
"You aren't doing that tonight, are you?" Ashley seems concerned.
"I should be ok. I'll have me sword with me."
About 8 o'clock in the evening, just as Ashley's watch is beginning, the machine is done working its magic.
"I'll be back in a little bit"
I unplug it and take it to Dr. A.
I'm using my Maglight flashlight to help me see.
"Don't go," Ashley pleads with you. "It can wait til morning."
Then suddenly I remembered Horror movie survival tip #1
Never go anywhere alone.
"Your right Ashley, It can wait till morning."
She jumps on you, wrapping her arms around you and burying her face in your neck. She's crying in relief.
I hug her back.
When she is done crying, I will go to bed.
She's crying in your arms, and you notice on the screens, dozens of ghouls running into the building.
I start the van and drive off
"where is a good place to hide out?"
6 break free from the rest and start to run after the van. Seriously.
How would you rate your driving skill level?
I have a drivers license and I've been driving for five years.
I would guess it is at 2@3.
Do you have any evidence that you would be considered a professional driver?
No, other than my job has me driving around a lot and the fact that I don't need to think to do everyday driving.
What sort of driving does your job consist of?
My job 's driving consist of following my boss to our next job site.
The difficult part is keeping up with him.
He is a bit reckless when driving and doesn't slow down to let me catch up.
I've gotten to the point where I can follow him as long as I can see him
The only times I lose him now is when I stop at a red light and it lasts long enough for me to lose sight of him.
Alright.
Since you aren't and haven't yet been a "professional driver" by title, I'm going to give you a 1@10 SAL for driving.
May I have your BRA and ABL? for tech.
That's best of intuition, intellect, and ed level for the BRA, so update it if it needs to be updated.
My BRA is 2@4 intuition.
My Bias is 11@5
The roll is a failure, so it's pretty easy to calculate relative success from that.
§
They're gaining on you quickly, in spite of you flooring it.
Are you wearing a seatbelt?
Probably not, I'm panicking too much to think of that.
Stojan half-drags you from the driver's seat forcibly and takes your seat, yelling, "Move over!"
With him in the driver's seat, cutting corners and pouring on the speed, you're putting more distance between all but one of the ghouls. One is still slowly gaining.
All six of them have skin completely black.
"S---!" Stojan curses, checking the rearview. "We're not going to get away from this one," he yells. "Everybody find something to hold onto!"
I do as he says.
Doublepost
He whips the car into a 180 and shifts gears for a moment for the transmission's sake, muttering another curse, then shifts back, and stomps the gas. The tires squeal loudly. He rolls down the window, and starts shooting as he drives straight for them.
I hold on.
The ghouls hesitate just a moment, and that's all Stojan needs. He makes a sharp ninety degree turn and speeds down a sidestreet.
Stojan is clearly straining, and is driving with more intensity than you have ever seen; driving for his life.
He abruptly pulls over after about ten minutes of driving and shuts off the engines and lights, then quickly rushes over and checks the cameras.
Silence and no movement on the screen.
Ashley is holding onto your arm, shaking and whimpering.
I will wait for awhile to see if anything happens.
Ashley curls into you, trembling slightly still.
"Thank you for waiting until morning," she whispers to you, and kisses you.
"We still need to go in and recover the info on that hard drive...
The docter must have been close to the cure.
Otherwise the ghouls wouldn't attack."
"Maybe...
"Maybe they were after us, or maybe the ghouls don't want people working together on the cure."
"True, I'll try to get it in the morning."
Ashley has relaxed enough to possess the rationale that of course, you two need to sleep and she needs to stay up for her watch. She wakes you later by getting into your sleeping bag with you in much the same way as the night before.
She whispers, "I'm scared, Eli."
"It'll be ok."
I hold her and go back to sleep.
Stojan wakes you for your watch. Ashley goes to get up as well, and Stojan puts his foot down; literally, he keeps her from getting up with his foot.
"Tsk, no, little missy. You need to get some rest."
He goes and lays down himself.
He wakes before Ashley in the morning again, and he says to you quietly, "Eli. I want to apologize for putting my hands on you last night. I saw them gaining on us, and I don't know what came over me."
"It's Ok, I suck at driving compared to you and you doing that is what saved our beacon.
So thank you for dragging me out of that seat
When Ashley wakes up, we need to go back to the fallout shelter.
I'm going to try to recover the doctors research.
You and Ashley are going to stay in the van and shoot any ghouls that come out.
You are going to keep the van running and if you see the black ghouls, you run.
I have another plan if you and Ashley are willing to go in there with me."
"I'm not waiting behind while you go into enemy territory. I saved your life twice now, and if you're going to put it on the line I'd better be there to do it again."
He's kidding around with you, but he seems serious about going with you.
Ashley is still asleep.
I wait until Ashley is fully awake.
"Ashley, Stojan and I are going to go into the fallout shelter to try to get the doc's data.
There are two thing you can do to help us.
You can stay and guard the van or come with us into the fallout shelter?
Which one will you do?"
"I'm not staying here by myself," she says nervously.
"Ok, here's the plan.
We are going to move slowly and methodically.
We are going to eliminate any ghouls we see.
I will be in front serving as a meat shield.
My job is to cut down and stop any ghoul that gets close.
Stojan's job is to shoot any ghoul in front of us or near us.
Ashley's job is to watch our flanks and shoot any ghoul she sees.
...
Shojan, you where in the Special Forces, how would you improve on the plan?"