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Post by Garage on Oct 3, 2015 16:52:41 GMT
The lottery…. Once designed to win you a fortune is now a way of choosing those who would find safety, our elation at finding out we were winners was quickly quashed by our neighbours, friends and in some instances by our family. It was made clear that we were scum, that we had rigged the system, that we had bribed our way on the ships, designed to take people to safety. The hostility shown to us by those we had thought friends will stay with me for the rest of my life.
Police and military support was non-existent and we had to deal with physical violence from those dissatisfied on our own. Several attempts to hurt my family, one in our own home, made me fight back. I am not a violent person, I shy away from trouble, just wanting to live in peace. This last attack resulted in me pulling the pistol I had gotten from one of my “contacts” and shooting a man dead.
The shock of this sits with me still but sat on board the military transport listening to the horror stories of the others luckily enough to be gathered up, I am chilled to the bone. How could we do this too each other? We are civilised beings and I will never understand it.
Kim and her family are as shocked as us and we huddle together, along with Matt and his wife and children, 12 people, 3 families together in a sea of strangers.
The journey to Plymouth was nightmarish, stories of those infected coming back to life and attacking non infected, like zombies from all the films recently, circulated. A military woman in fatigues told us that we had to be tagged to incase there was an issue with our identity in the future, a small microchip under the left arm, a small sting and it was done.
As we closed on the city we began to hear gunfire, mainly large calibre stuff from the roof mounted 50 cals on the supporting humvee’s. We ducked down, the children crying in fear as the gunfire continued. The woman who tagged us, was looking grim her hand straying to her holstered pistol and the screams we could hear were not of pain……. But of hunger.
The trucks in the convoy didn’t stop and often we bounced into and over something, I shock my head not wanting to focus on what that could have been. The gunfire continued as we screeched into the Ferry port and into a military compound. Wire fencing surrounded the area as thousands of people tried to force their way in.. Getting off the lorry we quickly moved towards the terminal, where soldiers waited to scan us as we entered. Machine turrets were firing over the heads of the people, not to warn them off but to protect them from what was coming behind them and in panic they forced their way into the compound. I was knocked flying by the mass of hysterical humanity, my family ripped from my grasp as soldiers bundled them through the check points and on to the waiting ships. My last sight before they were gone was of my daughter shrieking for me!!
I scrabbled up to see Kim prone as well and I dragged her up to her feet as the wave of infected came charging towards the now broken compound. towards the mass of frightened humanity all desperate for escape. Grabbing Kim we ran towards one of the parked trucks, the furthest away, hoping that the driver had left the key in the ignition and to our relief he had. I bundled Kim into the passenger’s seat and started the truck. “Search the glovebox” I shouted and dropped the truck into gear. Circling wide I built speed and smashed through the chain link fencing as the Infected attacked those trying to escape. The screams of both will live with me for a long time.
“Where are we going?” Kim shouted over the sound of the engine, “we need to find a boat to catch up with our families!” She was holding a 9mm pistol, 2 spare magazines and a tactical torch.
“This was a military operation Kim, we need to find a military base!” was my reply, and I kept my foot hard on the accelerator trying to out run the screaming of the Infected as they closed in for the kill…… After a few minutes I slammed on the brakes and brought us to a stop at a roundabout. “Check google for one.” I said and before I finished my sentence she was pointing, “That way, that way!”
Several more frantic minutes and we arrived at Fort Austin. The main entrance was barricaded and we were challenged immediately. A Marine Sergeant stopped us and after explaining to him who we were and what had happened he scanned our chips.
He explained that the only way we would be allowed in was if we gave up our arms. Kim handed over hers and I listed mine before handing them over. A thorough search of us showed them we were telling the truth, why would we need to lie? These are the guys who could get us to our families.
We asked to see the officer in charge and the Sergeant, who’s name was also Austin, took us to one Lieutenant Mahoney. The Lieutenant explained that he had not the means to get us to the Channel Islands and that if we wanted to go we would have to make our own way. The lieutenant seem hesitant answering Kims questions and I twigged, “Kim, The lieutenant is the highest ranking officer here…. It should be someone of higher Rank.” I looked at the Lieutenant and asked, "is there anything we can help with?"
"There are not many of us left in fact I have lost contact with a 4 man scavenging squad. They went a mile up the road to a supermarket but should have been back ages ago."
Preparations didn't take long and Kim and I were given a few more extra magazines for our pistols. They also gave us access to a military 4x4 Land Rover. The journey to the supermarket was quick, the directions combined with A local map got us there with no hassle.
A Humvee was sat in the car park and there were several blood stains all over the place and we entered cautiously.
Kim though had other ideas and kicked a discarded can across the room! Shelves stood bare or nearly so yet we entered carefully.
They rushed at us from 2 directions, hands out stretched clawing at us. We raised our pistols and started firing. We had heard rumours about the but this was our first personal experience of them. Kim seem unsure and took a claw attack on her leather jacket luckily the leather stopped it.
Expending more ammunition than I wanted I downed the 2 and we then went and found the trapped marines. 2 were dead, 1 unconscious and 1 injured i quickly gathered the Dead marines dog tags whilst Kim hunted for the marines supplies, finding 3 she took them to the vehicles whilst I checked the dead. The sounds of kim talking to someone, an exchange that soon got heated and I moved outside, pistol drawn.
Some lowlife was trying to mug kim, she had her pistol drawn but didn't want to use it. I cocked my pistol behind his ear and told him to go. A few seconds of deliberation and he fled.
We loaded the wounded back into the vehicles and kim driving the Humvee we headed back.
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Post by Garage on Oct 9, 2015 12:27:12 GMT
Session 2
Its amazing how such a short period of time has passed since my family was ripped from my hands. I have no knowledge of their whereabouts, their safety or health and this boils inside of me. Kim too feels this way, we need to find them, we need to hear their voices.
We are stood in the entrance of Fort Austin, the journey back from finding the missing marines on their supply run was relatively brief and we hand over the missing and wounded soldiers to the waiting men. Names and descriptions fly past my head and I kind of glaze over as exhaustion hits me. One name I do hear, though is “Angels of Death”.
Kim asks Sergeant Austin about communications and he leads us to the Comms tower, where signaller Arthur is. The sound of her curses greet us as we enter and her frustration is evident as she slams her comms unit into the desk. It turns out she has lost communication with command and is unsure on where the fault is. Kim, desperate to find out whether her, our families, are alive offers whatever assistance required. “until I can find out where the problem is you wont be able to help.” Comes the reply. Suddenly the explosions rock the city around us and we all rush out side to see massive plumes of smoke rising in to the sky. Lieutenant Mahoney says, that there was the potential of Bombing as fail safes but nothing had been confirmed! Kim is appalled! Claiming that there are innocents down there but too me it makes sense. Hundreds of thousands had become Infected, maybe more and the numbers were rising. Kill them all with weapons of destruction…. Yes you may get innocents but those who survive will survive….
Lieutenant Mahoney is not filling me with confidence, despite his offer of food, bed and shelter, he seems overwhelmed! Surely his training should kick in and he should be more confident outwardly at least, for his men. Sergeant Austin backs his officer absolutely, which is what I would expect, but I plan on keeping Kim alive so will take no chances. I asked the Sergeant on the chances of resupplying the ammunition we expended when we rescued his men, well that and a leg holster for us both. Kim’s keeping her pistol in a bloody tool belt!!
Sufficiently reloaded, I got the impression that the soldier on the stores would have refused us if the Sergeant hadn’t have been there we head to the infirmary. I want to find out some more information on these so called Angels of Death. Corporal Knox describes the attackers to us, black jackets with a winged skull motif, these sound more and more like bikers. Kim’s GoogleFu discovers that there were many noise complaints around an abandoned church in the Egg Buckland Area. Something Sergeant Mahoney seems keen on checking out. We head to the mess hall for some much needed food. Exhaustion quickly follows and we are given bunks to crash out in.
As I drift off I think back to us using our phones…. How much longer will we be able too? We as a society are reliant on technology to survive, but surely at some point, if this infection continues, it will begin to fail. Then how will we survive? I cant let that occupy my mind if I want to rest.
It seems though that these infected wont let me rest. In the dark of night there comes a sound I hoped and prayed never to hear again. The scream of hunger of the Infected sends shivers down my soul. The one encounter Kim and I have had with them so far showed me that they had no remorse, no sympathy only a hunger that fresh meat and blood can sate. The gates hold for now and they are soon driven off.
Morning finds us all in a briefing room. It’s a sombre group that gathers, 30 or so men and women, survivors of the initial Infected attack on the compound that saw 73 killed, including the bases commander and 2nd in charge. The Lieutenant introduces us as civilians who have proved our worth, in securing their missing men and he says that he wants more information on the biker gang, that attacked his men. He says that they have also lost contact with Efford Fort and he wants to see if there are any survivors left. Signaller Arthur believes the loss of communication with the outside is at the radar dish station just outside of the base.
The Lieutenant also said that he wanted locations of medical supplies and food/water located as they were in for the long haul……I pointed out that if that was the case then they had better find a way to defend the main gate… In fact I suggest am idea to block the main gate entirely, moving all the vehicles into the car park outside and to use the small side gates to enter and exit the yard, an idea Kim seemed to agree with, as she suggested find local building supply yards and raiding them for stuff to use.
Out of all of those “missions” the only one that we really need to succeed is repairing the communications so we jump on board with that. Signaller Arthur, us and a marine by the name of Smith all sneak out of the rear gate and start the short journey to the compound.
After a very short while we hear cries for help coming from our left. I move over to investigate with Smith and we quickly see a pair of legs coming out from underneath a large fallen branch. Hastening forward to help we discover that the man is in fact already dead, crushed to death by the falling tree but slight movement in the bushes to the north of the dead man reveals an Infected! The old man is stood there looking at us, boils covering his face and hands as he cries for help!! Suddenly from behind us the sounds of a large group of Infected! Their screams of hunger ripped through the woods and Kim and Arthur set off towards the compound at a sprint.
With my pistol already in hand I fire a shot into the old Infected, wounding it before turning and running after the others. Smith, the marine is providing covering fire taking several down with his Assault Rifle and Arthur makes it to the compound Gate first. She quickly gets the gate open and shouts for Kim to get through. Despite Kim’s head start I’m faster than she is and I quickly sprint past her and into the compound. She is next and she decides to run back parallel to the fencing to try and help Smith as he is close to being swamped but his luck was holding and he managed to disengage and make into the compound before the Infected got to the gate. It soon became a target shoot as the infected failed to get in, my accuracy with the pistol had improved greatly, my short bursts becoming increasingly effective, and the 5 in front of Smith, Arthur and 1 soon fell. Kim though had gotten into difficulty as one of the Infected forced the chain link of the fencing apart and got his hand and arm through, snagging Kims long hair.
She cried out in pain and I set off to help her and arrived just as she managed to kill one of the 3 but I quickly gunned the others down. A scream of anguish and pain echoed from the compounds buildings and we ran back to the main area, to see Smith on the floor and infected on his back. Arthur was trying to kill it and we joined the fray, it eventually succumbed to the combined efforts of the 3 of us. It was too late for Smith and I striped him of his rifle and spare magazines. He wouldn’t need it anymore
Arthur started to flap and I stepped forward and calmed her down and to my amazement she even followed my orders and set off to find the fault in the cables. Kim went with her to find the breach in the fence and both were close to each other. A small man sized hole had been force threw the fencing and the cables had been chewed. This was a planned attack……. Arthur said the parts I need to repair the wiring are in that building and as we approached the door to go in she said…… “This compound is supposed to be manned at all times…..”
A small blood trail was on the floor of the building leading to a door on the far side, Arthur needed to go to the other door so she went off and did that whilst I followed the blood. Just as I opened the door a man burst through it, all covered in boils and dressed in military fatigues. The battle on the floor was messy and I took a wound but between the 3 of us we managed to kill it and I hope now my wound isn’t Infected. I guess time will tell. I will ask Kim to put me down if that happens. I do not want to come back.. and I wouldn’t want my family to see me like this. better I die than become one of them.
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Post by Garage on Oct 21, 2015 14:23:00 GMT
Session 3
It took several hours for Signaller Arthur to fix the busted communications wiring and fuse, so Kim and I spent the time fixing the breech in the fence and searching the compound for useful items. I discover a second pistol and a few more magazines locked in a wall mounted strongbox. The pistol I kept with a spare magazine but the rest I stuck in Kim’s tool belt. When all was done we locked up and compound and quickly made our way back to Fort Austin.
I suggested to Signaller Arthur that she get the comms back online whilst I report to the Lieutenant, which she seemed more than happy to do. It seems though my near death experience had set a black mood on my shoulders, I suppose having a human being trying to rip your throat out with his teeth will do that. Needless to say my report to the Lieutenant started badly and ended up worse. I retrospect I suppose sticking a finger under his nose and daring him to take Smith’s assault rifle away from me probably wasn’t the best way to start a conversation but i was in full flow….. 5 minutes later and I am walking with purpose towards the Comms tower, my first clenched in anger.
It didn’t take Arthur long to make contact and it was a long frustration wait until we heard our families over the air waves. So far the ships had made good time and the channel islands are truly free from infection. I do not know what I would do if I lost my family. We struggled so long to get our daughter that she was a blessing in a bad world. No I know they are safe I can make plans to get there. But first I wanted to get my wounds checked out.
The medic and for the life of me I cant remember her name… checked me over and said my wounds had healed satisfactorily but as a precaution she quarantined me in a side room, just to be sure. “Don’t worry love” I said, “if I feel myself getting Ill I end it myself.” She looked at me, with shock and I grinned, “my family are safe and I will not put you lot in jeopardy.”
After a few hours she let me go and I grinned at her again before walking outside. The recon team that had gone to find the Angels of Death had returned and their determined nods to me told me they had found them.
That night the screams of hunger were heard outside the gates and they made several attempts to breach the gate. The scavengers had better get the materials back here quickly so we could blockade the gateway.
The following morning Sergeant Austin asked us if we were still keen on bringing justice to the AoD, as they were being called, and I nodded empathically but Kim, was less keen to go. She wanted to talked to them first before going in guns blazing, but I wasn’t having none of it. “Kim, they didn’t give the Sergeants men a chance when they killed them, why should we give them a chance?” She wasn’t sure but agreed to come along, at least to keep me safe.
The Lieutenant called a briefing and made a point of telling us we didn’t have to go, that we were not soldiers, that we had done enough but again I wasn’t backing away. They had killed Her Majesties soldiers, in cold blood. They needed to pay.
The mission was set, 2 fire teams, kim and I in the first with 2 marines, and the second of 4 marines, would attack the church and surrounding buildings taking out the bikers where we found them.
It didn’t take long to get ready, the marines were trained for this and Kim and I, well we didn’t have much to get ready. Kim refused an assault rifle saying she didn’t want to kill them, she would use her bat if required, though I did notice she was carrying her pistol.
The bikers had taken over an old church and the old church hall and we breeched in 2 teams. Each team had a silenced weapon with them and we quickly cleared the first building, taking out 4 bikers. Things got a bit more hairy after that. 18 bikes were parked outside the church and the contact plan was for Team 1 (inc me and Kim) to enter the church grounds on the side through a small gate and team 2 was too provide a distraction and cover fire before assaulting from the front.
We noticed there were several bikers were milling round the church ground supposedly on guard and when the distraction hit we quickly entered. A small burst from my rifle put one down, but he staggered to his feet again a short while later blood streaming from the bullet wounds as he fired off his pistol at us. Sergeant Austin followed me and engaged another.
Kim went running for her bat out, trying to get the drop on one but they all seemed to move into cover before she could get close and clobber one. It turned out all of them were armed so she had to duck for cover, drawing her pistol as she did so. I was having trouble hitting the wounded biker, burst fire wasn’t doing it so I switch to the scope and a single shot splattered his brains out all over the gravestone behind him.
A stopped, a stared at the fallen man, a man I had killed. A chill seeped into my bones as I looked at him and bile entered my mouth. What had I done!! The sergeants voice cut through my remorse, and I quickly looked at him. More bikers were coming all of them armed. We were here to get justice for the fallen soldiers and too end a threat to the area. I didn’t have to like what I had done but I would do it.
Later retrospection would tell me that a little part of the goodness in me died with that man.
Kim was having the same trouble as I was and despite wounding a biker several times she couldn’t end him. It was luck on her part that finally killed him, a wild burst from her pistol tore into his leg, hitting an artery and dropping him like a stone. She was ashen faced but moved on with us. It didn’t take long for the rest to be killed.
Storming the church was quick and easy, a single burst from Kim killed one of the 3 men inside and the remaining 2 quickly surrendered. We gathered up the fallen weapons, and found the pile of “loot” they had been gathering. Lots of money, jewellery and items that would have been worth something before the infection but little 2 help the small military community forming.
Platicuffing the prisoners we got ready to leave.
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Post by Garage on Nov 10, 2015 13:10:41 GMT
Session 4
Time has passed since we came to Fort Austin, 75 long days to be precise. 75 more days away from our families. Both Kim and I chaff at the delay in finding a boat but there seems to be something more to do to secure this growing community. And a community it is becoming. Since we took out the Angels of Death the numbers in Fort Austin have doubled, with people being rescued all the time. This is both a great boon and hindrance. Resources within the Fort have become stretched meaning we have had to go out and forage. And that is where we have found most of the people. Kim and I, it seems, are the only “civilians” allowed to go out regularly, I guess our help at the beginning was appreciated after all. Efford Fort, which I had great hopes of was a trap, the Screamers (as the infected are now being known as) were waiting and it took a lot of ammunition to clear it out.
With no help, nor resupply, Lieutenant Mahoney was loathe to hand out too much ammunition as his orders, oh he’s still getting them, are to clear his area of the city. The trouble is the Lieutenant is caught between a rock and a hard place. His is the only Military command in this area and yet he doesn’t have the personnel to do as he’s ordered. I kind of feel sorry for him. Kind of…..
In our time here, since the Angels of Death, I have started training. Who would have thought that!! Before we came here I was overweight, badly so for my height and now I go jogging…. My drive to get fit, to not be a burden to those around me has me out running most mornings. Ive found an old bow as well and regularly practice with that, though im no where near Robin Hood’s ability I can hit the target with most arrows. It is the friendships that i have struck up that have surprised me the most. Kim and I have been friends for over 10 years and watch each others back completely but apart from that my friends were only a few trusted souls. Now though I find myself speaking to Lydia, to Brum and Emily a lot about things I wouldn’t talk to normally. Do I crave the normality of life that I had before the Infection or do I just do it because it is expected of me. Those are the ones I rescued.
And of course April.
I look at her and I see Tegan, my happy smiling 5 year old and I wonder what she is doing , is she safe and well or has she become….. Several times I find April, on her own, sat in a corner sobbing to herself and my heart broke for her. How could I not try to help her. Jerry seemed unable to reach her, she does what he asks but that’s it. To me though she speaks, often in whispers with glances over her shoulder to make sure her dad isn’t watching, which he invariably is. His jealousy is written across his face, that she would speak to me and not him galls him but I’d rather she speak to someone that descend into silence. I fear that will become a problem soon.
Sergeant Austin has been a settling influence on those we bring back to camp, getting to know all who come in, making them feel safe. To me and Kim he has become Thomas, im not quite sure when we went to first names but it makes him seem more real, in a way. Morale is bad in the camp, signs of descent are becoming more and more real with the marines showing less respect for the orders passed down. I wonder how long it will be before we get the first refusal to follow orders.
It seems Lieutenant Mahoney wants the Civilians to start earning their keep, as he’s given Kim and I permission to lead a small scrounging group as food is getting scare. Geoff, Bryan, Lydia and Kelly volunteer or are told to go and the atmosphere is thick with tension that you can scoop big handfuls of it. Kelly is definitely one to watch. The glare’s she gives Bryan and Kim are hateful and I motion to Lydia to watch her.
We gather by the gates, a pair of pick up trucks, with covered backs are ours to take plus 2 big holdalls per truck. Thomas explains that ammunition is becoming scarce but the Lieutenant doesn’t want anyone out of the compound without as gun. We are shown where we are expected to search, house to house gathering up anything that is useful. But to avoid the hospitals as the last scouting mission there met with Screamers just waiting to eat us. I told the groups to keep their eyes open for trailers for the trucks so we can carry extra stuff.
First on the list is a doctors surgery, and we get there with no hassle. Lydia and Kelly are with me and I’d be as happy as a fat kid in a sweet shop if not for the glares Kelly gives me. Despite that riding with 2 beautiful ladies in a truck is a good way to spend the morning. Kim has Bryan and Geoff and knowing her she is chatting away. Arriving at the surgery we quickly scout the area and back the trucks up as close as we can get them. I leave Geoff on guard and the rest of us breach the outer doors. Electricity is failing, and the self opening doors refuse to open. Bryan hefts his crow bar and we pry the doors open. I spent my youth buying knives, convincing myself that I was like John Rambo, surviving in the wilds, when in reality I was a child with lots of knives. Having the knives on me meant I could wedge the door open, to stop us from being trapped inside.
Moving in I direct Kim and Bryan round one way of the ground floor and my group go the other. We manage to find a lot of drugs and medical supplies, some of which goes into my personal stash. I know Kim doesn’t want to stay much longer and I have to agree with her, if our families are alive then we are in the wrong place.
Moving upstairs there was 4 rooms and we quickly moved through them, though the last door is locked. Rattling the door, we are met by the screech of screamers. Thinking quickly I sent Kelly down the wall of an adjoining room with instructions to bang on the wall loudly to draw the screamers away from the door, which she does quite successfully. We all try to force the door, but it seems well built and we fail miserably.
Moving off quickly we head to our next point of call the Premier Inn and the Toby Cavery next door. I get lots of strange looks about the Premier inn but all the clean bedding in there will provide warm for those who have nothing and bandages if required. Kim clears out the vending machine as well and we move next door. Kim takes the rest inside whilst Lydia and I start Syphoning off fuel from the cars in the car park.
We are working well filling up the jerry cans when we here a crash from inside and then screech of a screamer. Without thinking I set off at a run, drawing my pistol as I did so and head for the main doors, which are closest too me, Lydia a ways behind me, I guess all that training has paid off… Throwing open the doors I run inside.
My first glance shows me 3 screamers, 1 is grappling Kim and is trying to bite her, even in the darkened room I can smell the blood, and the screamers frenzy as it tried to bite her told me she was wounded. The other 2 are gaining on Kim. Without thinking I raise my pistol and fire a short burst, aiming for its head and im rewarded as its head explodes, spraying Kim with blood and gore, luck must have been looking down on Kim as none of the blood went into her mouth or near her eyes.
The second Screamer grappled Kelly clawing at her face whilst the last went for Bryan. Raising my pistol again I fire another burst and whilst I hit the screamer didn’t stop. A final combined effort from everyone brought the last 2 down. Bryan rounded on me, ranting at my recklessness, Lydia nodded in agreement with him and I just looked at them until they finished. “Next time” I said quietly, “you can save yourselves”
Kim’s hand rested on my arm and she smiled wanly, “Thank you Gary, for saving me again” and I helped move her to a chair where I could tend her wounds. And it wasn’t long before she was back on her feet, a little unsteady but able to carry on.
They quickly loaded all the full crates of food and drink whilst I went into the kitchen, looking for cloths to use as bandana’s, if they were going to get into the action then they needed to protect their faces from blood spatter.
I returned a few minutes later with an armful of tea towels and several opened bottles of industrial strength bleach. I tossed the clothes at the others before moving out to the trucks to finish syphoning the fuel. It was time to leave. I felt that now in more ways than before, the incident with Bryan inside confirmed to me that Kim and I would be better off on our own and I decided to find a vehicle we could use and to secure supplies for it, all without the rest of the group noticing. My plan in place I waited for the others to come out and we set off towards the district we had been tasked to search.
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Post by Garage on Nov 13, 2015 12:49:40 GMT
Session 5
Its amazing how much my frustration has built in the few minutes since the encounter with the screamers. Both Bryan and Lydia’s claim of recklessness has rattled me…. Not in a good way. Stuff them Its Kim I’m protecting.
We move into the area, as we drive we notice that a couple of the roads have rough barricades across them, made by abandoning cars over the road. We don’t try and get passed, instead find another road to head down. As soon as we enter we start searching, but we knock on the doors first to offer succour to those inside, but we find no living. Slowly as we move we begin filling the vehicles with items the survivors may need, and im always on the look out for another vehicle, one with more storage capability and one I can take for Kim and I when it is time to leave.
One house we knock on gives us the distinct sound of screamers inside and remembering what we were taught we cleared the house first. Both Kim and I were slightly injured, more scrapes than anything to worry about, but the wounds she had sustained at the Toby Carvery were slowing her down. Once the vehicles were fully loaded we headed back to the Fort and a good nights rest.
Morning finds us back on the road. The full Jerry cans had been replaced with empty ones and we had the gear bags again. Carrying on from where we left off we find a small line of shops built with flats above them, and a line of parked cars. But most importantly Kim and I see the curtains move in 2 of the flats. We head up there and knock on the doors, explaining who we are and that there is food, shelter and protection at Fort Austin. The people inside are quite rude and rebuff us saying they have food and safety there, Without kicking the doors in and forcing them out at gun point, Kim and I move off. It seems the shops below have been stripped out, one of them was a supermarket and their claim of having food is quite possibly true, so we carry on down the street knocking and searching.
Not far away I spot a van, high topped with roof bars and a ladder to get on the roof and its perfect. A quick search and I find the keys on the sun visor. Pocketing the keys I make a note of its location and we carried on down the road. Kim though heard something, a sound of grating metal on metal so we quickly turned around. When we reached the shops the main road had been barricaded by a couple of cars……
Turning round again we carried onwards, but the feeling of being boxed in began to settle on my shoulders. Clearing the houses went well after that, and to my delight we found a small trailer to go on the back of one of the pickup trucks, allowing us to scavenge more stuff.
After hitching it up, I clambered up onto the roof of the van, like I had done since we found the road blocked behind us and sat overwatch. Lydia stood at the back of the convoy watching as well. It was her scream that alerted me to the danger, that and the fact the van started to rock as a man climbed up the back. Armed with baseball bats 5 people just appeared as if by magic. Whether I blinked and missed it or I was a way with the fairies I don’t know but suddenly we were being swarmed! The man coming at me cracked the bat into my legs but his weak one handed strike, whilst it hurt, didn’t knock me off my feet. I raised my assault rifle and a 3rd burst exploded his head like a melon!
Kim burst out the house she was searching, drawing her pistol as she moved. You can really tell she has been practicing as she raised her hands and fired a short burst into one of the people, who was caught in the open. Kims burst felled him. Lydia screamed in pain and I switch my focus to her, the words I had utter the day before flitted through my mind, “next time, you can save yourselves” as I fired a short burst killing one of the 2 men attacking her, whilst Kim ran towards the trucks but at the last minute dived on the floor and fired a short burst under the body of the truck hitting the woman in the ankles, the scream told its own story as the bullets shattered bones, severing veins and arteries, she would bleed out.
I shot the last man attacking Lydia in the body, 3 round burst straight in the side and he fell to the ground, dead I presumed.
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Player note.
This seems like a short write up, most of my posts have been longer but we did a lot of searching and whilst Matt could have put more Infected encounters in, or bandits its building up to an exceedingly dangerous next session.
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Post by Garage on Dec 1, 2015 8:59:12 GMT
Session 6
The sound of the ejected shells tumbling from the roof of the van I was stood on was the only sound to be had. I quickly down off the roof and ran round to where Lydia was, crumpled on the ground with a large swelling on her head. I felt for a pulse, but that was the limit of my ability, Kim though had learnt a lot form her St John’s Ambulance husband and quickly assessed her condition. Realising it was serious we quickly finished searching the houses we were on and moved off, and only stopped to hook up another trailer to the other 4x4. Knowing we were coming to a barricade I asked Bryan to take the lead and smash through it, which he did with a loud crash. The front of the 4x4 was damaged, but it was still drivable, and I quickly over took him to take the lead.
The strain of the unprovoked attack was obviously still telling, as I completely missed a pair of police stingers, designed to puncture the tires of speeding cars, that were just thrown across the road taking out all 4 of the vans tires and causing me to crash the van into a small car.
The impact rocked me back but I was otherwise uninjured. What i didnt know then was a group of 8 people had run out from a driveway and placed the stingers before me and then were proceeding to attack our small convoy.
One of the attackers opened fire at Kim in the 3rd vehicle missing her and Geoff, who was in the back tending Lydia. Another fired at Kelly and she rocked back as the bullets struck her.
It seemed half the group of 8 were armed with baseball bats, the other half with pistols and they were working in pairs, one of each. 1 pair ran for me and I new the greatest threat to me was in front. I stepped round and frantically pulled the trigger, putting two 3round bursts into his chest, the first burst killed him….. the second just made a mess (a massive 15 successes to hit!!!)
But in killing the first one I took my eye off the 2nd and he reminded me of his presence when he struck me with his base ball bat. Blood was running freely from me as I spun round and finally gunned him down before he could hit me again.
Silence…..
I quickly checked to see if the others were ok, Kelly was dead, Geoff, wounded, Kim too and we quickly searched the bodies for weapons and ammunition.
Leaving the bats we picked up 4 pistols, each with a single mag and 37 rounds of ammo. Kelly’s and Lydia’s ammo, from their pistols was distributed to Geoff and Bryan who had both played a part in killing the attackers, along with a pistol of their own, not one given to them by the soldiers of Fort Austin, and I said I would explain why I had armed them to the Lieutenant.
We bundled the stingers into the back of the pickup trucks just as the hedge line next to us was destroyed by a heard of infected, a massive herd. It seems our little gun battle was right next to the hospital, the one place we had avoided so far. Abandoning the van, we bundled into the pickups and sped away, and it was a while before the leading elements of the herd stopped chasing us. I hoped they made their way into the estate…..
We were still pushing to get back, Lydia was still unconscious and most of us were still wounded. Kim and I were still desperate to reunite with our families that the time for leaving was soon coming.
The Fort was a welcome site and I quickly debriefed Thomas as the trucks were unloaded. I warned him that an armed group were operating out of that area and they would need to be dealt with if they wanted to investigate anymore of it. Kim was concerned about the herd and to be honest I was in agreement with her. If we had woken it and it had fed enough to make it mobile then it could make its way this far.
Thomas and I were talking a day or so after coming back, Kelly’s body had been buried outside the walls of the fort. “The fort isn’t big enough for this group to survive in, there is no where to plant food nor raise cattle and we are running out of munitions. Is there anywhere else in this area that we can resupply from?”
We bandied several ideas around and settled on the Commando base 8 miles north east of Plymouth. It would be a long hard trek and if the Lieutenant wasn’t up for it, Kim and I would go alone. I warned Thomas that time was growing short for us and that after this we would be fading into the background and then away.
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Post by Oliver R Shead on Dec 5, 2015 6:26:04 GMT
Sounds intense! Those gun battles are brutal.
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