The Apoc-Fur-Lypse, Group 4, Scene 7B
The Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse
Group 4, Scene 7b
copyright 2010 comidacomida
Andy panted as he raced through the abandoned streets. He ran as fast as he could, Mandy's paw
clenched tightly in his. It had taken nearly everything he had to find her-- he had sacrificed
it all to get her back and he had been successful... but, as the two of them sprinted through
the city devoid of living population, he realized then, more than ever, that he hadn't saved her
yet-- he hadn't saved himself.
"Come on, Andy... not much farther." Mandy encouraged him. The fennec woman took the lead,
continuing forward and keeping the same pace as Andy's breath labored in his chest, his tongue
panting. He felt like his heart was going to burst; his lungs burned but, the moment he heard
the echo of a rasping growl roll through the city streets he required no further rest-- he ran
like a shot.
Becca kept pace, a salvaged pipe from the rubbish bin of the overturned lorrie had not left her
paw. Andy glanced toward her only long enough to confirm that she was keeping pace. The
squirrel was a strange find; he hadn't known whether or not she would stick with him and his
fiance, and yet, there she was. Andy looked back ahead, slowing as he saw a set of signs beside
the road, "There..." he pointed, coming to a stop.
Mandy looked to where he pointed, "South?" she inquired, leaning on the side of a building to
catch her breath.
Andy nodded, "Yea... just another one score blocks and we're out." he widened his stance,
resting his palms on his bent knees as he rasped and gulped air down.
"So long as you don't faint on us." Becca remarked, breathing heavily herself.
"I didn't come this far just to fall unconscious." Andy responded, slowly straightening up his
posture. He tightened his grip around his medical bag and glanced back to Mandy, "Ready?" he
asked.
She nodded then asked, "Are we taking the central carriage way straight out of town?"
Andy shook his head, "No... I'd rather detour." and he motioned to the sign, "If we head east
just a little we can pass through the park... I have a feeling there'll be less zombies."
"You sure about that?" Becca asked, "The park is a little bit open."
"I'm not sure about anything." Andy answered truthfully, "But there's a good chance in my mind
that it'd be safer than traveling along a street that's been clogged by cars and probably had
people running all along it when they were trying to escape."
"So... find somewhere that you'd find less people and hope it means less zombies?" Becca
questioned.
"That's the hope." Andy nodded, starting forward along the side road.
"Well... about this time that's all we have." Mandy answered, following after him.
The survivors traveled for nearly an hour, taking it slow and being careful about every step.
Andy led them along two side streets, narrowly avoiding a large group of zombies meandering about
the main carriage way. The sun was setting by the time they reached the park, and the thought
of the long, deep shadows cast by the trees certainly didn't make him feel very good about his
decision. Clearing his throat, the wolf put on airs and tried to come across confident,
"Alright... we made it. We're over half way there."
"Not much farther." Mandy gave his paw a squeeze, "Then what?"
Andy paused at the question, but it didn't take him very long to come up with a reasonable
suggestion, "Find a usable car and keep driving until we don't see any zombies.
"What happens if we can't get far enough to get away from whatever this is that's causing the
zombie thing?" Becca questioned.
"Then we stop in Kent." Andy explained.
"What's in Kent?" Becca asked.
Andy didn't respond at first but, after a pause, replied, "An obligation for a friend."
"And then?" Becca pressed.
"I don't know." the wolf responded, unable to suppress all of the frustration from his voice.
"Alright... alright..." the squirrel relented, apparently able to sense his unease, "Personally,
I think we should get a boat."
"I don't think any of us knows how to sail." Mandy pointed out.
"Neither of you two, maybe..." Becca shrugged, "I was practically born on the sea."
"Boat it is." Andy noted with finality, "but let's focus on getting out of Ratherbig first." he
added.
"Yes..." Becca acknowledged, "let's."
The three crept through the park quietly. Andy stopped every few minutes to listen, now and
again halting their progress as he thought he heard anything that could have been a zombie. He
held his medical bag with a white-knuckled grip, straining to make out the slightest indication
that there were undead nearby. Thankfully, however, they made it through the park.
Unfortunately, when they emerged things did not go as well.
"Car!" Mandy pointed down the road to an old Standard Vanguard. Andy's eyes followed her
finger, and widened when he saw it swerving across the roadway.
"Zombies!" Becca added, gazing at the car as well as it careened down the street, four zombies
flailing this way and that as they grappled with the boxy top of the estate car, "It's coming
this way!" she shouted.
"Come on!" Andy ordered and started sprinting across the street, running between parked cars,
over the bonnet of one, and past a collection overturned motorbikes. Becca followed quickly
after with Mandy hot on her tail. The wolf quickly ushered the girls under the cover of an
alley and poked his head out into the street to see the progress of the car-- just in time to
see it make a final swerve and jump the curb, heading right towards him.
"RUN!" he screamed to the girls, and the impact of the car striking the side of the building
threw him from his feet. Andy struck the wall on the opposite side of the alley and was
peppered with flying debris. He fell to the ground, bricks, mortar, and torn pieces of metal
landing all over him.
The wolf was stunned for several seconds by the impact, but he forced his body to obey, crawling
free from the rubble. A heavy weight pinned his leg and he glanced back to see a large section
of wall had collapsed onto his lower body. He turned toward the girls and saw them picking
themselves up amidst the rubble; Andy was relieved to see that they didn't appear to be
seriously injured, "Mandy!" he called.
Mandy and Becca were at his side in an instant. They worked to clear the rubble off of him as
fast as they could, "Andy... are... you okay?" his girlfriend asked, gripping his paw.
"Fine." he lied, feeling the tell-tale crackle of more than one broken rib as he inhaled. It
wouldn't kill him, he knew... but if they stopped to give it the attention he needed then he had
no doubt that the extra time would cost them dearly.
"Hurry..." Becca announced, "They're almost done with the driver..."
Andy looked in that direction, seeing the zombies tearing the crumpled car apart. The driver, a
young terrier of perhaps 14 years of age had nowhere to go. The medic stopped watching, ears
lowering as the zombies got inside; Andy was sure he'd never manage to silence the memory of the
lad's scream.
"Fuck..." Becca growled, "Fuck!" the squirrel stood up, glanced to Andy, then Mandy.... and ran.
"Becca!" Mandy called after her, "HELP!!!"
Andy took another breath, fighting to avoid wincing as he felt his ribcage shift around the
broken bones. He gripped Mandy's paw, "She has the right idea..." he announced, heart beating a
mile a minute. He knew what he was going to say, but still had to force the words out, "Don't
worry... just go."
"Andy... I'm NOT leaving you." Mandy announced, picking up a hunk of torn metal from beside the
rubble.
"Damn it, Mandy..." Andy groaned, trying to pull himself free, "Don't do this... just get away!"
"I said I'm NOT leaving you!" she repeated, gripping the metal in both paws as three zombies set
upon them.
Andy ducked into a ball, throwing a piece of brick into the first zombie's face. It stumbled
upon impact. Andy had just enough time to throw his arms up in defense as the second zombie
descended upon him. It did not attack, however; instead, the zombie ejected a huge spray of
blood from its muzzle as the sharp end of a torn hunk of metal emerged from between its jaws.
Mandy stood over the impaled undead, her paws gripping the metal pole rammed through its head.
The wolf looked up at his girlfriend, hope finally starting to re infuse his body-- but his heart
stopped as he saw a large zombie black bear rise up behind her. "NO!" he screamed, and watched
helplessly as the bear's decaying paw slammed into the fennec fox's side, launching her down the
alley.
"MANDY!" Andy screamed, gritting his teeth as he forced his leg out from beneath the rubble. He
cried out in pain as his ankle dislocated, but he refused to be stopped by it. Lowering his
head, Andy slammed into the zombie's gut, knocking it off balance and forcing it into the alley
wall. The already weakened structure gave way and the bear fell through it. The medic barely
managed to catch his balance but, once he did, he turned to where Mandy been tossed.
Relief flooded through Andy when he saw Mandy getting to her feet. She glanced at him, then to
the hole in the wall. He looked back to it as well, watching as the bear tried to extricate
itself from the rubble. "That's our cue." she said. Grabbing hold of his wrist, she ran.
Andy, biting back a cry of pain from the agony of his ankle, followed.
"God DAMN it!" Andy moaned as they came to a stop much further up the street. He leaned back
against the front of a store, tears streaming down his eyes as his whole body shook from the
pain. His chest labored for breath but he was forced to keep it in check; every time he inhaled
it felt like a dozen knives ground their way into his sternum.
"It's okay... it's alright..." Mandy tried to calm him. He looked to her, so beautiful despite
the dirt, the grime, the blood, the fear... she was still Mandy.
"Marry me." he said.
Mandy smiled, "You're asking me NOW?" she asked around the expression, "Can't we save this for a
more romantic moment?"
"Marry me." he repeated, reaching into his torn trousers to pull out a small, velvet box.
Mandy reached out and grabbed his wrist, a severe expression drawn tightly across her muzzle.
Andy felt his throat constrict as she shook her head. "Ask me once we're out of all of this..."
she spoke, and Andy felt his heart fall... right until she added, "and I'll say 'yes'."
Andy closed his eyes as she leaned forward and kissed him with a passion he was sure would hurt
him all over in his condition... but he didn't feel any pain... not when there was so many other
things to feel at that moment. His head swam... the pain was gone... his heart beat with the
full fury of someone who had every intention of living.
"Wow... that'll be a memorable proposal." Becca noted flatly from above. Both Andy and Mandy
looked up; the squirrel was gazing down at them from the roof of the building. "Around the
back... get to the ladder... there's more coming." the squirrel motioned westward.
Andy motioned Mandy to go ahead and he followed, limping as he used the building for support.
As the wolf reached the edge of the building he looked westward to a large square, and his
breath caught in his chest. A roiling mass of bodies trampled through the open ground, pushing
past fences and flowing around abandoned vehicles.
There was no way the wolf could have possibly managed to count them all... not in the ten
seconds he had before he bolted to the ladder, pain completely forgotten as the flight response
took over. "Bloody hell." As the zombies continued coming, Andy realized that the building
would not be standing for long.
<END>
Group 4 is fighting tooth and claw to get a positive ending. Including this scene there are only two more chapters... and they'll be spending all of it in a Harrowing Event; you heard me right-- because the last scene is coming up, this Harrowing Event will have a part C!
What follows is a behind-the-scenes look at when and how everything went to hell in this scene, and a chance to save your favorite character(s). Andy and the two girls are all that's left and they may very well die without a LOT of intervention-- chances are greater than not that people will die without contributions from readers... the Plot Points are THAT low.
Can the group find a safe path from their crash site to the edge of the city?
Survival (13) to avoid zombie interaction.
Andy 6 + trait of 7 = 13 SUCCESS
Mandy 1 + trait of 4 = 5 FAILURE
Becca 4 + Trait of 6 = 10 FAILURE
Andy chooses a good direction.
Any unpleasant events as they travel through the abandoned section of city?
Average Luck (12) roll to avoid a potentially deadly situation.
Andy 1 + trait of 5 = 6
Mandy 0 + trait of 6 = 6
Becca 8 + Trait of 6 = 14
Average roll of 8.33. FAILURE
The group is in dire straits.
The party must duck for cover as a car comes careening down the road with zombies all over it.
Agility or Awareness (12) to avoid the car.
Andy 5 + trait of 4 = 9 FAILURE
Mandy 6 + trait of 5 = 11 FAILURE
Becca 3 + trait of 5 = 8 FAILURE
Nobody manages to avoid injury
How hurt are they?
Vitality (10 + amount the prior roll missed the target #) to to avoid taking a serious wound.
Andy 3 + trait of 4 = 7 (13 needed) FAILURE
Mandy 8 + trait of 8 = 17 (11 needed) SUCCESS
Becca 9 + trait of 5 = 14 (14 needed) SUCCESS
The girls get bumps and bruises but Andy is hurt bad. He loses 6 Vitality. Andy does not have 6 vitality to lose and must spend one Plot Point to reduce the Vitality damage to 3.
Can everyone get up and moving again before the zombies respond to their presence?
Agility (10) to get away before the zombies finish off the driver (Andy is at -3 to the roll).
Andy 8 + trait of 4 = 12-3 FAILURE
Mandy 7 + trait of 5 = 12 SUCCESS
Becca 5 + trait of 5 = 10 SUCCESS
Mandy and Becca get to cover but Andy is pinned by debris.
Will the girls stay to help Andy?
Tenacity (8) to bugger out while they can. Mandy is at -5 on the roll.
Mandy 7 + trait of 3 = 10-5 FAILURE
Becca 3 + trait of 5 = 8 SUCCESS
Mandy stops to help Andy while Becca buggers out.
How many zombies survived the crash?
Roll 1d10.
Roll = 3.
The group will have to kill three zombies.
Can the two of them kill the three zombies.
Agility (12) to kill it with a melee attack. Roll must be +1 over difficulty to kill. Each character may continue their attack until they fail to hit or kill a zombie.
Andy 3 + trait of 4 = 7 FAILURE
Mandy 8 + trait of 5 = 13 SUCCESS-KILL
Mandy 1 + trait of 5 = 6 FAILURE
Mandy kills one zombie. Two remain.
Can the two of them manage to escape the zombies without being torn apart?
Agility or Awareness (10 +1 for every 2 zombies) to evade the zombie horde. Target # is 11.
Andy 5 + trait of 4 = 9 FAILURE
Mandy 6 + trait of 5 = 11 SUCCESS
Mandy gets away but Andy is still stuck.
Andy better be really lucky.
Luck (10 + amount the prior roll missed the target #) to survive.
Andy 9 + trait of 6 = 15 Needed 11. SUCCESS
Andy manages to wriggle out from beneath the slag and get away.
Andy loses 1 Luck point for needing to roll.
Does anyone see the mob of zombies closing fast?
Awareness (10) to see the zombie mob. (12) to notice the leaders.
Andy 7 + trait of 3 = 10 SUCCESS
Mandy 4 + trait of 3 = 7 FAILURE
Becca 6 + trait of 5 = 11 SUCCESS
Andy and Becca can sense the zombies-- it's time to go!
No one in this chapter loses a Plot Point because there is a Harrowing Event taking place... but that won't help them in the long run. What comes next is the final scene of Group 4's Zombie Apoc-Fur-Lypse. Two people are slated to die without immediate and powerful intervention, but it's still possible for any and every survivor to meet their doom. The final survivors will have to make a Luck roll based on their remaining Plot Points and let me tell you: two survivors are very VERY low.
During this Harrowing Event, rolls will help a character survive but what it really comes down to are Plot Points. The more Plot Points a character has the better chance they will have to survive. One lucky soul has a good reserve of Plot Points but, regardless, there is no survivor that can risk not getting more!