Eddie Caruso sat on the floor of the small house, smiling reassuringly at the old couple.

Of course, with over a dozen zombies banging on the grates outside the windows, smiling reassuringly wasn't doing much good to help the nerves of Dr. and Mrs. Szczedrzykowicz - Eddie had steered waaay clear of that particular Polish unpronounceability, instantly deciding to call them Dr. and Mrs. S. instead.

Eddie had been somewhat lucky: to scare off what had been described to him as a group of drunken assailants, he'd opted to take his shotgun with him. That had probably saved his life: the powerful slugs had floored eight of the zombies, leaving him with only five to deal with, with that many zombies, while he tried to convince the old couple that opening the door to the policeman who had come to help them before he was overrun by the leaving dead was a very wise idea indeed...

That had cost him another clip and a half of his 9mm. He still had both clips of his secondary weapon, but only meant about one bullet per living corpse for each gun... Not much, considering that being blasted with a shotgun had barely slowed them down.

Yet he kept smiling at the old couple, ignoring the banging and the moaning. The safety grates were more than secure enough, and the armored front door was not going to give anytime soon, so for the moment they were safe. His biggest worry now was Monica: he knew she was going to do something insane like trying to rescue him, and he had no way of stopping her...
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:59, Sun 14 Dec 2008.

Monica finished loading the last bullet in her magazine, commenting under her breath: "Shoulda thought of buying of those loader things we use at the range..."

Then, she slid the clip into her 10mm and stored it in her pants. On the opposite side, the large Desert Eagle shone in the purple light that was covering the entire city.\

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! We are ready to roll! Everyone clear on where we are going?" She looked around, and her gaze fell on Karen: "One last time: are you sure you want to come? You know that we are going to meet more of those things, where we are going."

Karen nodded: "I am. Those things are probably everywhere by now, and I think I'll be much safer with you. After all..." She smiled at Nephi: "You already saved my life twice."

Monica nodded, then she looked at Nephi too: "Nephi... I hate to ask but... Well, God knows I've never really believed in religion," - apparently, the inherent oxymoron didn't faze her in the least - "but however that power of yours works, you are the only person I know who can heal the dying, and Eddie may be in some serious need of healing. Please... Will you help me?"

Geoff settled into the passenger seat of Nephi's car and said to Jane, "Nice foot work out there."

He slipped his magazines out of their pouches and started to rationalise his ammo, he watched Jane do the same as they waited for Monic to tell them where they were going.

Nephi looked a little hurt that Monica had to ask, and said "Of course I'm coming along Monica.  The Lord would withdraw His gifts if I turned my back on you guys.  Besides, safety in numbers and all that, and there's too many people to fit into that cruiser."
He noticed Karen's smile, and started blushing, feeling rather uncomfortable.  He said "Don't mention it." to Karen, before he remembered all the fencing gear in the trunk.  Popping it open, he quickly fished out his uniform and rapier, and said "Would anyone else like a fencing uniform?  I was supposed to teach a class this afternoon, and figure that a little protection is better then nothing."

"Well, it's not that I mind being Miss wet t-shirt, but those guys aren't quite looking at my boobs the way I like it: I'm definitely gonna take one. If you have one my size, that is..." She looked interrogatively at Nephi.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:34, Wed 17 Dec 2008.

Geoff watched the girls and Nephi get into the armour and nodded, the padding smoothed over too many of Jane's curves for his liking, but it should keep her warm and a little bit safer.

He looked at Nephi and said, "When we get to somewhere safe, I'd like to try improvising something like that if there isn't one in my size, protecting from random bites may help us." he frowned and touched his cheek, "Mind you, I'm likely to find out if it really does help a lot sooner than others..."

 "Eh I'm not even going to try finding something my size," said Hector in response to Nephi's query, "and it'd be a thermodynamic miracle if you find something in yours, Geoff. I mean jeez, you're six-foot-six! Do you have to order your shirts special from catalogs, or what?!
  "I will take this along this time though," he said as he picked up and began loading up the shotgun.
  "So which one of these identical, shit-hole, apartments is ole Eddy hold up in?"

Geoff laughed at Hector's point, "Pal, it used to be a hell of a lot harder before everyone in the US got morbidly obese. Used to have to have my force stuff tailor made, now it's like there's a Big N'Tall store on every street corner," he paused, "might get harder if this crisis continues."

He looked at Hector, "Yeah, you keep the shotgun."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:30, Fri 19 Dec 2008.

"I'm a big girl, I like big guys..." Smiled Jane.

Monica, standing in the full magnificence of her 5'4", seven good inches shorter than Jane, nodded seriously: "Right, well said."

Then she smiled: "Although I'd rather not go into the details of my being a big girl..."

"Or my liking big guys?" Grinned Jane.

"Or that." Nodded Monica. "The house is about five minutes from here. I thought we should take a break here, rather than going in unprepared."

She sighed: "He talked about half a dozen of those things, which means there's probably a dozen. So, we need a plan."

Grinning at the sight Hector's shotgun, she added: "That's a beginning, though."

Nephi looked consideringly at Monica and Jane, then pulled out two uniforms and held them out.  "Try these on, and see if I got the size right.  Karen?  Want one too?  And as far as planning is concerned, we need to be able to take those zombies out for good.  Where haven't we hit them yet?"
This message was last edited by the player at 08:32, Tue 23 Dec 2008.

  Hector looked up in thought, "Well........it's true we need a better base to retreat to then just our cars, but I'd hate to just leave Eddy here without at least making sure he's okay, even if we are coming right back. I don't know.....well what kind of arsenal do you have stashed away in your pad, Mon? Oh and do you have a computer? It's unlikely we'll get through, what with the phone lines acting up, but I'd like to see if the internet's still up. "

"Stopping at Monica's is a good idea," Geoff agreed, "Nephi's right too, we need to find a way to put these things down. Bullets just ain't doing it."

Nephi brought up another point "What have we got in the way of food and drink?  I'm kind of thirsty, and my faith includes some dietary restrictions."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:32, Tue 23 Dec 2008.

Monica listened with growing confusion, as she realized that maybe, just maybe, she hadn't been quite that clear in her explanation. But she had given them the address of the house - the house where Eddie was trapped, that is... Right? She couldn't possibly have forgotten that detail... Right?

She cleared her throat: "Uh... Guys? I wasn't talking about my house, I was talking about the house... You know? Place where Eddie's trapped? I did give you the address, right?"

Thinking and thinking, though she was sure she had, she just couldn't remember the exact moment when that had happened. Doh!

"OK, let me recap: eddie is trappen in a nice house in the good suburbs..." This time, she made sure to mention the address, and to note how it would take about five minutes by car, normally, but whatever that day had on the menu, normality wasn't it.

Then, as an afterthought: "The point about supplies is good though. Nephi, didn't you tell me once that you were supposed to keep a stock of food or something?"

Nephi spotted Karen's nod, and called out behind him as he went looking for a uniform that would fit "Yeah, all members have been asked to get together a years supply of necessities.  I haven't had the time and money to get that much yet, only a month or so for me, though I'll be sure to point out any members who don't need theirs anymore."  He emerged with Karen's uniform and handed it to her.

Karen smiled as she accepted the uniform; apparently, she had recovered quite well form the ordeal, and was feeling more and more confident as time passed.

The most surprised by her adaptability was Karen herself: she didn't really think of herself as a woman of action - after all, an unemployed ex-secretary is not really the prototype of the action hero - but then... Gift horse and all that.

"Oh......okay. So which of these identical, shit-hole, little apartments is yours?"  said Hector with what he hoped was a smile that would keep another "Monica situation" from occurring on his ass......

"OK," Geoff said, "let's go get Eddie, if we can."

He got ready to drive on, "Monica, why don't you lead the way in the squad car?"

Monica sighed deeply: "Hector, honey... There are days when you are like the sun to me, warm and shiny. And there are othes, like today, where you are more of a neutron star: big, hot... And incredibly dense."

She smiled and chook her head: "None of these is mine, it's just the first parking lot I could find. Anyhoo, Geoff, that sounds like a plan. You guys will probably be a little crowded in Nephi's car, especially with you tall folks in the front seats, but it should do."

Glancing at Karen, Monica saw she was almost completely done with the uniform Nephi had loaned her, and nodded approvingly: "Anything else, before we leave?"

Nephi thought for a moment.  "I don't think so Monica.  You lead, I'll follow.  Who's coming with me?"

"Geoff, Karen and I. Geoff will need the window to shoot, so he'll be sitting next to you. Oh, and Nephi..." She walked up to him and whispered something the others could not hear.

Nephi nodded to Jane.

Geoff nodded at Jane's assessment, "Another thing toconsider is what we do if we're successful in getting to Eddie. Are we going to lock ourselves in with him, or are we running? If so, where?"

  "Oh I'd rather wait 'till we can include Eddy in that conversation," said Hector to Geoff, "From what I've gathered from that phone call he knows a lot more of what's going on then we do. But, if I had to guess, we'll probably have to flee the city for our lives. If the zombie movies are any indication cities tend to get overwhelmed, then the military goes nuts and blows said cities all to hell!  Which means we'll really have to stock up, get Eddy out there, as fast as humanly possible! Which means: NO MORE GABBING IN SOME PARKING LOT! LET'S GET A FREAKIN' MOVE ON ALREADY!"

Nephi nodded as he began to make his way to his car.  "Sounds good to me.  Everyone ready?"

Geoff chambered a round in his pistol and then topped the magazine off. As it snicked home, he said, "Ready."

Right before the beginning of the trip, Jane managed to give Geoff and Nephi a moment alone, with a warning to Geoff to "let Nephi do his thing". As they left, Geoff was feeling his newly-healed cheek.

It was a fairly short journey, to the outsirts of the city, a neighborhood of nice two-floor houses with pretty curtains (behind grated windows) and smalls, well-kept gardens around each one.

It would've been quite an enjoyable sight, but for the dozen or so zombies surrounding one of them banging hopelessly against the grates on the windows and the armored door.

Monica looked at Hector: "I think we found Eddie."

As the two cars pulled over, a couple of the zombies turned around and hesitated, torn between the closeness of the food inside the house and the numerous new preys that had just arrived.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:03, Sat 10 Jan 2009.

Karen looked at the zombies: "I know it may be a silly question but... How do you kill those creatures?"

From fifty yards of distance, and safely inside the car with two armed people and a worker of miracles, the zombies didn't look that threatening.

Still, they were going to get much closer very soon, and Karen didn't much like to think what might happen then. Somehow, though, Nephi's presence made her feel much confident than she would have otherwise...
This message was last edited by the player at 12:51, Sat 10 Jan 2009.

As he pulled in behind the cruiser, Nephi was suddenly struck by two very important realisations:  They didn't actually know how to finish the zombies off, and Karen wasn't armed.  He mentally slapped his forehead before he spoke.  "Karen, I hope you have at least some idea of how to use that sabre I was carrying earlier.  I can't believe we forgot to make sure you could defend yourself.  Stay close, I'll help you."

Karen smiled thinly: "I can probably stick it in my foot. Other than that... I took some self-defense lessons, but I don't think I want to see how well they work against those things."

Nephi continued to think, before he replied "And since I'm the only other person without a gun, let alone any idea how to use one, I'm going to have to get close to those things to actually be able to do anything.  Maybe..." he trailed off, still considering how best to help.

Geoff said, "I still don't know how we deal with those things. I reckon we could try using the guns to put them down and then trying to behead them, surely they can't keep going then?"

He looked over at the house, "If you want I'll go to one side and start firing, see if I can draw them off."

Jane bit her lip: "I don't know... A lonley prey mught be inviting, but I'm afraid most of them will stay near the house, and then we will have two problems to deal with.."

She lowered the window and spoke loudly to Monica and Hector: "You guys, do you think we should try to get their attention?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:20, Mon 12 Jan 2009.

  Which caused Hector to roll down his and yell back, "Well rolling down our windows and yelling at each other like this might be a good start, but mind telling me why we're doing this?"

"Well, how do we get in - or get Eddy out, for that matter - with those things crowding the doors?" Jane shrugged: "Geoff wanted to shoot a few of them, and I guess that might work, but... What do you think?"

Nephi's face firmed, decision made.  He said "Karen, stay close to me.  With the Lord's help, I will protect you.  And I'd like to teach you how to fence when we have time, if you'd like to learn."  He then motioned for everyone to stay in the car, and jumped out to start Blessing his rapier.

Nephi got out of the car, retrieved a sword from the trunk. Connoisseurs would identify it as a rapier.

With 45 inches of steel shining in the late-morning light, he set it down on the closed trunk and... Started praying, apparently.

The prayer went on for a minute, maybe a minute and a half - it feels like a lot of time when you have a dozen undead slamming on doors and windows not a hundred yards away...

Monica was more than a tad confused when Nephi seemed to decided it was time for the morning prayer.

She was even more confused a minute later, when she realized all the zombies had frozen in mid-banging and had turned to look at Nephi.

She looked at Hector and pointed at the zombies: "I don't know why, but... If we wanted their attention, I think we got it."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:10, Mon 19 Jan 2009.

 "Nephi," called out Hector as he slowly reached for the shotgun, "you might want to cut that shit out now."

Geoff pulled out his pistol and opened the car door. He aimed at the creatures and made sure he was kneeling and firmly braced, "Uh, people, we might want to decide what we're doing right now."

Geoff yelled over to Hector, "We'll draw them to us and you an Mon try to sneak around and get those inside out. Jane, why don't you come out and shoot, Karen can take over the driving. Nephi, you might want to watch our backs, I'm going for disabling shots first as that seems to slow them. Fire is a ritual cleanser isn't it? Maybe we should try that when we have the chance."

He grasped his pistol in a solid double hand grip and aimed at the nearest zombie's kneecap. He centered his focus and fired.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:22, Wed 21 Jan 2009.

Nephi vaguely heard the conversation going on around him, but the Lord's power had him in it's grasp, and he ignored the sounds as if they were meaningless.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:08, Thu 22 Jan 2009.

The shot set the zombies in motion.

Well, all except the one Geoff had kneecap, unless you count "falling face first" as being in motion.

As one man (for want of a better word), they started shambling toward the group.

It was quite a long shamble - but then there were quite a lot of zombies.

It was going to take the first zombie well over a minute to reach them, but then the party would really get started.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:11, Thu 22 Jan 2009.

"So" said Hector as he gazed at the encroaching horde with growing concern in his voice, "we should just stay in here and wait for you to run off then?"

Slowly and deliberately, Jane got out of the car and pulled out her gun: "Actually, I kinda like that 'cleanse them with fire' idea. Mon, you never used that hair spray I got you, right?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:02, Fri 23 Jan 2009.

Monica got out herself and rummaged into her backpack until she found the item in question: "This one? Well, I'm not really the hairspray type, y'know... Why?"

Then she got it, and frowed. She was not quite sure it would work, but more than used to Jane's bizarre ideas, her only comment was: "M'kay... Just say 'pull'!"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:02, Fri 23 Jan 2009.

Adopting the same stance as Geoff, Jane aimed in the general direction of the zombies and ordered: "PULL!"

In an impressive pitching performance, Monica threw the canister at the nearest zombie, which was at around thirty yards.

Jane followed the descending arc with her Model 21, and, when she judged it was at the right distance from the zombie, she pulled the trigger.

The canister exploded in a large fireball, setting the nearest zombie on fire and knocking down two more.

The closest zombie fell on the ground in a burning pile, with no apparent intention to ever rise again.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:14, Fri 23 Jan 2009.

Nephi swayed as the Blessing concluded, but he was exhilerated as well.  The Lord had blessed him with a gift far beyond what he had expected.  He murmured a brief prayer of thanks, and took a moment to test out what he already knew - the Lord had made his rapier lighter, quicker and sharper then any blade he had seen before.  His introspection was brought to a swift end as he heard an explosion and saw the zombies on their way.
"What's the plan?" he yelled.

"Yes!" Geoff shouted, "Can anyone trade me my gun for a pitchfork and torch?"

He aimed again, they needed to slow them down still, "Mon, can yo yell to loverboy and tell him to get anything flammable he can in the house?"

He fired again, trying to take out the leg of the fastest zombie... he still shuddered at using the word.

  "Wow......." said Hector as he stared out the passenger seat window, assessing the fiery carnage Monica and Jane just unleashed on the horde, "you girls just broke so many laws there. If I wasn't so sure that society was about to completely collapse, I might just be upset. So we just trying to blow 'em up, in some kind of frontal assault deal, or are you still going to lead them away, Geoff?"

Geoff thought quickly as he fired again, "If we lead them around this car, we can set it alight, that might get a good number of them."

He shouted to Nephi, "Just how attached are you to this vehicle, Nephi?"

Monica muttered some words a lady should not say, as Geoff's shot went broad. "You know, I kinda wish we'd thought of that when we had a car primed and ready to be set ablaze... Now we would have some Molotov cocktails or something."

She sent a bullet into one of the zombies. The thing didn't seem to really notice.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:18, Mon 26 Jan 2009.

Nephi called back "If it keeps us alive, I can deal with losing it, though I'd like to get my scriptures, hymn book and first aid kit out first.  But forget those movie style exploding cars.  It doesn't happen like that in real life."

The armored door opened, and a cop with a shotgun came out; as soon as he cleared the doorway, the door got locked behind him.

Marching toward the zombies, which didn't seem to pay much attention to him, Eddie began shooting them one by one at close range with his Riot Gun.

"MONICA" ***BLAM*** "AMANDA" ***BLAM*** "D'ANGELO!" ***BLAM*** He shouted, each word, punctuated by a shotgun blast. "DIDN'T I TELL YOU" ***BLAM*** "NOT TO COME HERE?" ***BLAM***

At this point, the zombies began to take notice: apparently, however much they disliked Saints, they didn't have much love for people with shotguns either, especially when the shotguns were blasting them to the ground by the handful.
This message was last edited by the player at 18:26, Tue 27 Jan 2009.

"It doesn't need to explode," Geoff said, "if we puncture the tank it'll make a pool of gas, then we need to light it when the zeds are close. If the zeds are close now Eddie's done a Rambo. Hey! Hector, can you get the road flares out of the cruiser's trunk?"

Nephi ran to the front of the car, ready to slice the first zombie that came within reach (and being careful to stay out of the line of fire).  As he did so, he also pointed out "And how would we all get away from the zombies that aren't fried?  There's too many of us to fit in your cruiser, and all the noise we're making is probably attracting more zombies."
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:17, Tue 27 Jan 2009.

As Nephi moved, two of the zombies hesitated, unsure whom to pursue first, and a third one lunged at him.

The Blessed blade described a graceful arc, cutting easily through the zombie's body: the creature fell in a heap on the ground.

Geoff selected another target as he tried to figure out how Eddie had succeeded in taking the zombies down.

Nephi looked at the nearby situation - two zombies that looked like they were turning to go after Eddie, and one zombie in a heap on the ground probably about to rise again.  The other zombies were currently too far away to worry about, but getting closer.  He closed his eyes as he brought the hilt of his rapier to his face (something he'd seen many fencers do in the movies), thought 'Lord, guide my blade.' and struck.

It was impossible to say whether or not it was the Hand of the Lord guiding Nephi's blade, but that didn't make its effects any less devastating: both zombies fell to the ground, sliced almost in half.

Suddenly, the zombies were down to five, two of which were still struggling to stand up after Eddie's blasts.

The tide had turned, and now the living outnumbered the dead... Except the three remaining dead who were still standing were all piling up against Eddie.

He blasted two more of them with the shotgun, but the buckshot pellets didn't get through to the zombies' spine, and while the blast slowed them down it didn't stop them.

Rambo was beginning to have some problems...
This message was last edited by the player at 12:40, Wed 28 Jan 2009.

For a moment, Monica looked at his friend with eyes like saucer plates... "Never piss off a saint..."

Then, Eddie's situation took precedence: she aimed carefully at the back of the zombie closest to Eddie...
This message was last edited by the player at 12:40, Wed 28 Jan 2009.

Geoff looked around, someone was looking out for them today. He reckoned that Monica would probably be aiming for the zombies threatening Eddie, she might be able to take them all out, but he didn't want to risk it.

He took careful aim at the base of the neck and fired at the zombie nearest Eddie, once he'd squeezed the shot off, he switched to the next nearest,fired again, and fired a third round into the final zombie.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:43, Thu 29 Jan 2009.

Three shots, three bull's eyes. Jane could barely believe it: she knew Geoff was good, but that was... Impressive? Amazing? Find-a-bed-and-I'll-show-you?

As the last of the zombies fell, she planted a big kiss on Geoff: "That's my guy!"

  "Damn guys," said Hector with a smile as he finally got out of the car, with shotgun in hand, "I think a certain bunch of somebodies have been watching to many Stalone flicks" he then called out to Eddy, "Are you alright? And was that all of them?"

Eddie looked around, taking in the whole scene: "I am, it was, and... What the heck are all these civilians doing here?!"

Looking pointedly at Monica he added: "Especially the ones I had forbidden from coming?"

Nephi took the time to stab all suspect zombies with his rapier, just to make sure they weren't getting back up again.  While he did so, he said "All of us except Karen there were attacked at Monica and Jane's shop by zombies.  We escaped out the back, spotted Karen wounded in her overturned car and got her out.  The Lord used me to Heal her, and we got into our cars.  Monica told us about your situation, and I wasn't going to let a friend down.  We came to help."  He thought for a moment.  "Are the people in the building you came from okay?"

"Who whatted you to what whom?!" Blurted Eddie. "Hector? Geoff? Is he making any sense to you?"

He looked at what was left of the dozen living dead before adding: "Are you telling me that this insanity is general, and there is more to come? And that we have miracle workers as icing on the cake, too?"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:17, Fri 30 Jan 2009.

Monica shrugged. "Welcome to the new millennium Eddie baby... A bit ahead of schedule, but what can you do? And, by the way, you are welcome: if you ass needs some more saving, we are here for you."

Eddie muttered something, but decided there was no point in starting a fight - he knew how it would end anyway.

Then, looking at Nephi, he added: "There are two people in the house, an old doctor and his wife. They are fine, but this living-dead business did a number on their nerves."

Looking at his colleagues - well, mainly Hector, seeing how Jane wasn't quite done with Geoff yet, and he knew better than to try to interrupt her - he finished: "I got lucky: he used to go hunting and still had a box with over a dozen shotgun rounds. That'll teach me to carry some extra ammo. Would you happen to have some?"
This message was last edited by the player at 16:39, Fri 30 Jan 2009.

"Ask Hector about ammo, Boss," Geoff said, "he's using the shotgun. As for making sense, a lot of things ain't making sense today, I think some things we are just going to have to take on faith until we can think a bit more clearly."

Mind you, it wasn't the events of the day that were confusing Geoff's mind, it was thoughts of Jane...

 "Yeah I've got a mixed box of slugs and shells in the car, but maybe we should continue this conversation inside" said Hector, as he looked around nervously.

"If the good doctor lets us in..." Sighed Eddie. "He's a bit on the shy side, 'specially now. Try not to appear too intimidating."

Then, after looking again at the two giants, he continued: "Right, nevermind. Just, stay out of sight."

Nephi was content to follow Eddie's lead, though he did turn back to the car and say "Karen, are you coming?"

"Yep, I'm just looking for my... Uh... nevermind. I'm coming." - It took her a moment to remember that her bag was still in the wreck of her car.

She still couldn't wrap her mind around this whole business of living dead and miracle workers. At least, her personal miracle orker was a nice guy"Nnar as she could tell, plenty of Saints were of the grumpy variety.

She and interlocked her arm to Nephi's and smiled brightly to him: "This should look inoffensive enough, don't you think?"

Nephi's face went through several emotions - shock, confusion and nervousness - before settling on blushing red with nervous embarressment.  He said "Uhh, sure.  Ok." before deciding to shut up lest he unintentionally insulted Karen.

Jane promptly took Karen's lead and grabbed Geoff's arm: "Good idea, Karen! Couples look much less intimidating, right Geoff?"

Monica raised an eyebrow with a half-smile, but didn't comment. She did, however, look interrogatively at Hector.

Geoff shrugged and smiled lopsidedly, "Whatever you say, Jane. You know people more than I do. Whatever we do, I suggest we do it quickly. We know how to stop them now but ammo's limited and enough of those things may well be able to take down Nephi's holy mojo. No offence Nephi but I have to figure that if your powers work, God exists and if he wanted these things all dead, they would be. The Big One must have plan and God usually helps those that help themselves."

Geoff struggled with the metaphysical issues that Nephi's powers presented him. He decided to follow the old maxim, "Trust in God but keep your powder dry".

  After giving it moment of thought, in mock reluctance, Hector did indeed grasp Monica around the shoulder; then nuzzled the top of her head a little with his face, like a horse, before he said, "What are you going on about now, Geoff?"

Eddie raised an eyebrow: "Wayne, who made you a philosopher all of a sudden? Did you have bread and smarts for breakfast or something?"

In truth, Geoff had always been one of the smartest guys Eddie knew, but apparently today he was feeling particularly deep.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:07, Wed 04 Feb 2009.

"Don't rightly know, Sir," Geoff replied, "I guess there's just something in the air today."

Eddie shot a glance at the remains of the zombies: "Heh. I guess there is."

With a shrug, he took the lead and knocked at the doctor's door. "Doc S, it's me. It's okay now, you can open the door."

No answer came for a few long seconds, then: "Please leave."

Eddie frowned: "Doctor, I have some civilians here, would you please let us in?"

"How do I know they haven't been infected?" Came again the voice from behind the armored door.

Nephi snapped out of his stunned state, and addressed the person behind the door.  "Doctor, none of us are infected.  The Lord would have shown me if they were, and used me to Heal them.  Ask anyone here how the woman beside me is still alive now."

Eddie sighed: "Okay, I think we can start looking for another house now..."

Sure enough, no more answers seemed to come from behind the door.

 At which point Hector gave Nephi a rather dark look, then he swallowed, gritted his teeth, and as calmly as he could he said to him, "Nephi..... until you've actually done your Saint routine in front of someone, please don't say you are one to people that still think the world is a sane, rational, place. Just a few hours ago if you said that to me I'd of probably tried to convince you to get into the back of my squad car, then I'd call in for a background check to see if you were just off your meds, and needed to be brought back to your caregiver, or needed to be brought back to your asylum."

  Then Hector took a moment to gather his thoughts, knocked on the doctors door and called out to him, "Alright if that's how you feel, we'll go. We only came here to pick up our fellow officer and friend, after all. Of course you must realize if they've gotten this far from the city the 'infected', as you called them, must be everywhere. A new horde could form outside your door again any minute. Then you and your wife will be all alone, weaponless, unable to contact anyone as the phones are out, with only a couple inches of wood between being torn apart and eaten. Likely you two will be in your attic, in vain hope they won't find you, huddled together in fear as the door breaks down, wondering why you didn't let in the three heavily armed policemen, and their two expert marksmen girlfriends, that all offered to help you, in. But hey, it's up to you. No skin off my nose. Byeeee!"

Hector's description may have been somewhat overdramatic: the doctor had concrete walls, grates at the windows, and an armored door. Being an ex-hunter, he may still have had his shotgun, though he had given most of the bullets he had left to Eddie.

Overall, he could resist the zombie attack for days, but... You can't really outlast the living dead, and that was a factor to consider.

The heavy locks clunked and the the door was opened partially. The chain was still attached, but at least they had made that much progress.

An elderly man with light blue eyes gazed suspiciously at the group: "I don't need you. I can protect my house, and we have supplies for several weeks. We can wait this out."
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:27, Fri 06 Feb 2009.

"That's understandable, Sir," Geoff replied, "you were good enough to take our friend in when things were desperate, but you didn't know then that so many people would come here and then try to impose on your hospitality."

He smiled, "Things are looking bad here and it's time to look to your own safety, Sir, and the safety of those you love."

He went to turn and then looked back into the man's glittering blue eyes, "We'll go and try to find people that can help restore order. It's a big call and we may well not succeed, but if we do, we'll be back to get you, Sir. In the meantime, is there anyone you'd like us to try to reach? If we can, we will."

He smiled again, the lopsided smile he used that made his ugly features transform into that curious bulldog grin that people found cute, he never knew why, but hey, it worked, "I wish you good luck, Sir. Also, they seem vulnerable to fire and getting hit in the spine, if you try to shoot them I suggest you aim for the base of the throat, that might be the easiest way to take them down. Again, thank you for keeping my friend safe until we could come get him and I wish you long life and happiness."

As he waited for the old Doctor to tell him if he wanted anyone contacted, Geoff turned and said, "Uh, Eddie, Sir. I'd like to try to swing by a radio station that's still functioning, what we know about taking these things down needs to be broadcast."

"Stasio? What are you doing?" Came a voice from inside.

The doctor looked behind his shoulder and replied: "Don't worry about it, Anka, it doesn't concern you."

"You aren't leaving these poor people out to fight those... Things, are you? The kid back there must be the same age as Antek."

The "kid" was probably Nephi - who wasn't really a kid by any sensible definition of the word, but did have kind of a boyish look...
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:46, Wed 11 Feb 2009.

Nephi decided to leave the talking to the others, then looked at his family rapier.  Snorting in disgust, he looked around at the 'dead' zombies, and started cleaning off the gore dripping from the blade.

Eddie smiled conciliatorily: "Look, Doctor, there is no real threat anymore, so all we really need is to make a quick phone call to the precinct to see what the situation is, and I'm sure we will be out of your hair in no time. Right guys? Guys? What are you looking at?"

Eddie turned around to follow the others' gaze, and noticed, in the distance, a corpse in advanced state of decomposition advance towards them. Judging from the floreal dress, a woman, who had died at least a decade earlier...
This message was last edited by the player at 13:30, Fri 13 Feb 2009.

Nephi stopped cleaning his blade and looked at the slowly approaching zombie.  With a dramatic swish of his rapier, he assumed the 'en guarde' stance and said "Doctor, may we continue this conversation inside?  We believe these things can sense the living, and the next one may not be so slow."

The doctor glanced at the approaching zombie, then sighed.

The door closed, and a couple of seconds later opened again, this time without the chain: "Come in... If something happened to you, I'd never hear the end of it."

Nephi glanced back and said "Thank you Doctor."  He then looked at his companions and, without breaking his guarding stance, said "Ladies, after you."

Geoff let out the breath that he hadn't even known he'd been holding and waited for the others to get inside before following them into the house.

The doctor stood aside and let the small procession through. The house was very tidy and clean, with furniture that looked like it was made from real wood and soft, thick carpets on the floors.

The doctor and his wife were short, and looked even shorter beside giants like Hector and Geoff.

After locking the door behind the last visitor, the doctor turned to look at them and sighed.

His wife smiled friendly, inquiring politely if someone wanted something to eat or drink.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:53, Tue 17 Feb 2009.

Nephi's stomach growled loudly, and he looked at the others, rather embaressed.  "If it's not too much trouble Ma'am."

"That would be wonderful, Ma'am," Geoff agreed enthusiastically, "but only if you're sure you can spare it."

"If it's not too much trouble..." Started Karen.

Mrs. S laughed heartily: "When my son was a kid, he used to bring home plenty of friends for lunch, or dinner, or a snack, or... Well, after cooking for a small army of hungry adolescents, half a dozen people shall be no trouble at all."
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:26, Wed 18 Feb 2009.

Indeed the Szczedrzykowicz family seemed to have no problem putting on the table enough food for a whole football team. While she cooked, Mrs. S chatted amiably with everyone within earshot, and in a few minutes the group learned that the Szczedrzykowicz's had a good reserve of food, water, and other first-necessity items stashed in the cellar, plus a diesel generator with enough fuel for weeks.

  "So Eddie," said Hector as he rested the shotgun against the wall near the door and sat down at the kitchen table, "mind telling us what you know about the crazy crap going on out there?"

While the cooking was progressing, Nephi asked to use the bathroom, so that he could finish cleaning his rapier.  Once finished, he then sheathed it and sat in the living room.

"Yes, Sir," Geoff agreed with Hector's request, "just what is going down here? Things seem a tad wierd at the moment."

Eddie couldn't do much more than shrug: "I don't know any more than you do: I came to investigate a report of a domestic disturbance, and found half a dozen crazy guys waiting for me. Except that they weren't crasy, as much as dead."

"But... Didn't you warn... Monica? About the danger? I thought..." Karen felt like some piece of the puzzle was missing.

Eddie scratched his head: "You know, you are right... I mean, at first I thought I was going insane, but then the doctor said something about zombies, and for some reason it just seemed to be the right idea. Funny...."

Monica was about to add something, but then someone knocked at the door. "What... A zombie with good manners?"

"Remember to say "Good Afternoon" before shooting it in the neck." Geoff chuckled.

"We'd should let whoever is out there in quickly before the real zombies turn up."

   And in an instant Hector was on his feet, with shotgun in hand as he leveled it at the front door, "Geoff.....open the door, and be prepared to duck down."

Nephi notices the others standing up, and pops his head out the living room doorway to have a look at what's happening.

Geoff got up ready to open the door on Hector's command.

  "Planning on willing the door open or what?" said Hector, in an exasperated manner, at Geoff just standing there staring at the door.

Eddie watched with some amusement until Geoff finally managed to unlock the door (not as easy as it may seem) and open it.

More hilarity ensued when the open door revealed... Nobody.

Eddie scratched his head: "Well... that was anticlimactic."

A tap on the window made him turn his head: there was a young woman out there, smiling and waving excitedly.

Then she noticed the open door and disappeared, to reappear moments later in front of it, still smiling: "Hi...".

Nephi felt that something was wrong with the new arrival, and said a brief prayer to himself, asking the Lord to let him see the truth.

Little Blondy looked flushed and excited, but not worried: "Sorry to disturb you. Crazy out there, huh? Have you seen my husband by chance?"
This message was last edited by the player at 11:34, Tue 03 Mar 2009.

Nephi slumped against the door frame in shock, completely unprepared for what the Lord allowed him to see.

Excited Blondie looked over at Nephi, cocked her head sideways and commented: "You okay? You don't look so hot."
This message was last edited by the player at 07:45, Wed 04 Mar 2009.

Eddie turned around, and had to search his memory for a moment for the name: "Yeah... Nephi. Are you alright?"

At that point, Doc S, who had kept out of sight, got a good look at Blondie and interjected: "Xynthia? Is that you? Don't stay out there, it's dangerous!"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:45, Wed 04 Mar 2009.

Geoff bent down to Nephi and said, "Hey, buddy, what's the matter? Hector, get the door once the girl's in. I'll look after Nephi."

He moved to pick the man up and carry him to a sofa or chair if any were nearby.

Karen was by Nephi's side a moment later, a concerned look on her face. Geoff didn't seem to need much in the way of help in carrying Nephi, but Karen insisted on lending him a hand anyway.

Scant seconds later, Nephi was laying on the living room sofa, with Karen holding his hand.

Monica and Jane came out of the kitchen, where they'd been helping Mrs. S (for values of "helping" equal to "nibbling on what she was cooking", mostly), to see what the fuss was about. Monica approached the sofa, but Karen seemed to be pretty territorial about her miracle-worker.

Despite a hint of worry about Nephi's distress, Monica had to smile: apparently, her friend was in for some interesting times. Then she wondered if that would affect his miracle-working, and somehow the thought made the scenario much less entertaining...

Jane followed her friend to the living room, and reflexively slipped an arm around Geoff's waist. Having so claimed ownership, she looked over at Xynthia: "You don't want to be caught in the open with those things around."

Xynthia shrugged: "If you say so..." Then she stepped inside and smiled at the doctor. "But seriously, they are kinda cute and fuzzy once you get to know them."

Nephi began to recover from the shock of what he'd seen, only to blush bright red when he became aware enough to notice Karen's hand holding his.  His mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but he was unable to say anything.

Geoff surrendered the care of Nephi to Karen, he loomed over her and said, "Is there anything you want me to get him?"

Still kneeling at Nephi's side, Karen looked up (and up... and up) at Geoff: "Maybe just a glass of water, please?"

The doctor looked at Xynthia: "Xynthia... Are you sure you are feeling okay? Do you need... Anything?"

Xynthia chuckled: "Oh, don't worry Doc, I'm being a good girl." She pulled out a small bottle of pills from her pocket. "Never leave home without them. But you know what's funny? All this time I tried to warn people that they were coming, and they thought I was craZy and put me on psych drugs. And now they are here, and you know? You were right all along!"

The doctor looked confused, and Xynthia continued: "Remember how you said that if I faced my fears with firmness and decision they would run away screaming? Well, it was mor of a walking away shambling, but it really worked!"

The memory of the flower-dress zombie came into everyone's mind: slow as it was, it was still supposed to be out there somewhere... So where was it?
This message was last edited by the player at 15:39, Mon 09 Mar 2009.

Geoff nodded and walked to the kitchen and said, "Uh, ma'am? One of my friends is feeling a bit woozy. Would it be possible to get him a glass of water, please?"

Nephi began to recover from his second shock, but isn't ready to say anything yet.

  "Maybe I should put this gun down now." said Hector as he finally lowered his shotgun, as he somehow doubted this, clearly touched-in-the-head, woman to be "blast the head off" worthy.

Xynthia nodded, still half-smiling: it was like the whole world was one big comedy put together for her entertainment.

"That'd be nice of you. Oh, by the way, I'm Xynthia, Xynthia Smith." She held out a hand, but not in anybody's exact direction...
This message was last edited by the player at 12:43, Tue 10 Mar 2009.

Jane followed Geoff in the kitchen, throwing one last glance at Xynthia, and arrived to find the old lady smiling to Geoff: "Of course dear. Here, let me get one for you."

Mrs. S opened a cupboard and took out a glass: "So, did any more of your friends show up? I heard someone knocking."

Jane peeked into one of the pots where something was filling the air with a very nice smell: "Actually, it's someone you know: little blond girl, name that sounds like a French car?"

Mrs. S froze in her tracks: "Xynthia is back?"

Geoff cocked his head at the tone of the gentle old lady's voice, "Yes, Ma'am, that's the girl's name. Is there a problem?"

Mrs. S sighed: "Well, I suppose not, as long as she has her pills... And even if she didn't, she probably wouldn't be dangerous."

Somehow, Geoff got the impression that her last part had been spoken, at least in part, in an attempt to convince herself of its truth.

"Thanks for the information, Ma'am," Geoff replied as he took the water back into the room, "I'll keep an eye on her and see she doen't harm herself or anyone else."

"Monica D'Angelo." Monica shook the hand being offered. "So what's your deal?"

"Who, me? I'm a pastor's wife. No, seriously! There's no law saying we can't be hot, you know?" She looked at the others as if defying them to try and deny that. "Anyway, I can't seem to find Ed. That'd be my husband, Reverend Edgar Allan Smith."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:30, Mon 16 Mar 2009.

   At that point Hector came out of his stupor, running to close the door with a big, "Oh shit!"

Xynthia smirked at Hector's haste: "Hey, take it easy pal: if you're worried about the lady in the flower dress, it's okay - I knew you wouldn't enjoy the company, so I sent her away. Oh, don't give me that look: I told you, they are a lot like kids - all it takes is a firm hand.

The doctor stepped forward and approached the young woman: "Look Xynthia, I know you think this is the rise of the living dead you have been announcing for so long, but trust me, it isn't. In fact, there is nothing special about it: we've seen this before."

He raised his hands to prevent possible outbursts from the others: "Please, let me explain. Have a seat, if you will, it won't take long."

"The thing that appears to be reanimating the dead is actually a parasite. It mimicks some of the functions of the dead cells it consumes, and once it colonizes a body it can replicate its original movements by partially replacing the cells responsible for them. However, it cannot replace the original digestive system, and it burns through its supply of cells very quickly. In order to keep the bodies mobile, it must have fresh living tissues to replace the cells it burns, which is why the bodies attack living creatures."

Opening his arms in a "that's all there is to it" kind of gesture, he finished: "The mechanism through which the parasite operates is still being studied, but I must stress that there is nothing supernatural about it. The dead are not coming back to life, and there is no evil intent reanimating them: just a strange product of unicelluar evolution, not unlike pneumonia."

Xynthia raised an eyebrow: "Nice story, Doc, but how come it's the first time I hear it? If this has happened before, why did the news never talk about it?"

The doctor shrugged: "Because the thing was contained, and divulging the results of the study were deemed a risk for national security - and not just by the United Stated. Most of the research is classified secret in at least three nations, that I know of, and a couple of folders are US Top Secret. None of the reports is below confidential - actually, even what little I told you is classified, but after what happened today I expect most of the research will have to be opened to the public: the cat is out of the bag."

Nephi recovered from his double shock in time to hear the Doctor's little explanation.  He thought about how much of the Lord's revelations he should share, and decided to share everything.  He said "Thanks for the information Doctor, but the Lord has shown me a few things - and the revelation was most uncomfortable.  No offense Xynthia, but you're crazy.  You're also infected with something that has no right to be on Earth, has made you even crazier then you would be, and has given you power over those zombies, though you're still human."
He then turned his attention back to Karen, and, without meaning to, said (in French) "Thank you beautiful woman."

Xynthia snorted: "Listen, John of Arc, they've been telling me I was crazy since I was fifteen, and you know what? I may be certified, but at least <i>I<i> never claimed to have a direct channel with the Big Guy Himself. Oh, and by the way, of course I am human, what the Hell else would I be?"

"Hey! Back off bi..." Karen cast a quick glance at Nephi and checked herself: "Blondie! If Nephi says you are dangerous, that's enough for me. I think you should go back to your friends out there."

"People, please! You are still guests in my house!"

"You are absolutley correct, Sir," Geoff agreed and stood in the centre of the room trying to exude calm, "we've all been through a heck of a lot today already and whilst I personally owe Nephi my life," his hand went instinctively to the bite mark on his face, "I'm pretty sure that the last thing he'd want to do is start a witch hunt. Why don't we all try to sit down and discuss this calmly, I'd say rationally, but as we're talking about such strange things, I'm not sure it's the correct word. Now, metaphysics was never my strong point, but let's try to be even and as calm as we can."

He looked over at Xynthia, "Ma'am, would you mind sitting down? Nobody will be harming you or throwing you out whilst I'm around." he moved over to stand near Jane, his touchstone and dead-eyed shot should the worst come to the worst.

"OK, lets try to discuss this in a more or less civilised manner. Who'd like to start?"
This message was last edited by the player at 10:18, Tue 24 Mar 2009.

   As Hector slammed the last lock over the door he turned around with barely restrained  anger brimming on his face, "Nephi.......didn't we just have this conversation not twenty minutes ago about you blabbing this stuff to normal, rational, people?"

Nephi looked sheepishly at Hector.  He said "Sorry about that.  I must have been more rattled then I thought."  He took a breath and looked around the room.  "I didn't mean to imply that Xynthia should be thrown out or anything like that.  I'm a guest here, and don't have the right to say so.  All I was really trying to do was tell you why I was shocked when I saw her.  And I don't know why she can tell the zombies what to do.  Maybe her meds interfere with whatever parasite makes them zombies - lets her control them without becoming one."

Xynthia's smirk returned: "So... You say I'm crazy, but you believe the craziest part of what I told you? Hey, Doc, how do you diagnose that?"

The doctor looked unhappily from Xyntha to Nephi, clearly regretting letting either one in the house, and quite possibly the rest of the merry brigade as well.

Monica coughed twice to attract the others' attention: "Xynthia... Nephi... Karen... Everyone, really. I think the doctor was very kind and generous to let us in, and this is a poor way to repay this kindness."

Jane nodded: "You can say that again, sis. I think the least we can do is to try and be on our best behavior. That would include-" She stopped as someone - or something - knocked on the door again.

"You know... Considering there's an army of zombies going around eating anything that moves, there's quite a crowd out there."

Geoff moved over to the door and looked at Hector, "Same routine as before, partner?"
He waited for a reply and intended to open the door as soon as Hector confirmed the plan.

  At which point Hector then took a couple steps back, raised his shotgun once again and said, "Do it, Geoff"

Geoff opened the door.

As the door swung open, Hector found himself aiming his shotgun at a guy in his late thirties or early forties.

Judging strictly from his clothes, he was a priest.

Judging strictly from his 9mm, he was not not much into turning the other cheek.

Still, the gun was pointing at the floor, and he didn't seem too worried about the large barrel aimed at his face: "Good afternoon, officer. Don't mind me, I'm just here to get my wife. Sorry if she disturbed you."
This message was last edited by unknown at 19:19, Thu 30 Apr 2009.

Nephi looked strangely at the new arrival.  'There's something not quite right about him.' he thought to himself.

Xynthia flung herself past the shotgun and in the arms of the new visitor: "Al!"

...With the kiss she planted on him, he'd better be her husband!
This message was last edited by the player at 16:31, Sun 05 Apr 2009.

There was something dissonant in the image of Xynthia and Allan kissing... But before anyone could figure out what that was, Mrs. S came out of the kitchen: "Lunch is ready. Allan! Where have you been dear, it's been such a long time. Hello Xynthia, it's good to see you again. Please, come in, come in, you might get cold, or... Well, you might get cold."

Geoff brightened up at the thought of lunch and said, "Why don't you come in, Sir? We can all sit down and discuss things over lunch."

Nephi thought to himself about what he'd just learned, and decided to wait until he was either alone with the others or the priest said anything before sharing.  Hector would just start loudly talking again if he just blurted it out like last time.

Allan smiled as he accepted the invitation. Passing the threshold proved unnecessarily complicated: now that she had found him, Xynthia had decided she wasn't gonna let him leave, and apparently that meant becoming an extension of his arm.

Then again, he had known full well who he was marrying, so he just put up with the latest, and by far not the greatest, oddity of his wife.

As the door got locked behind him, he exchanged greetings with everyone.

Geoff double checked the locks and then followed his hosts and the Smiths into the dining room. He fussed over the Doctor's wiffe and made sure to hold the chairs for the ladies as they sat down. There was no point forgetting manners, even if the world was ending...

The dining table was quite crowded, with eleven guests and a significant amount of food. Mrs S quickly rearranged the table to make room for the last unexpected guests, and invited everyone to sit down.

The table sorted itself quite naturally: Xynthia took the place next to Allan, of course; Jane, Monica and Karen apparently found it an excellent idea, for they decided to sit next to Geoff, Hector and Nephi respectively. Somehow, Nephi and Karen ended up on the farthest spot from Xynthia and Allan, and Karen kept looking at them with not-quite-concealed mistrust.

When everyone finally settled down, Allan spoke softly to his wife. Very reluctantly, she let go of his arm. "Doctor, I would like to say Grace, if that is fine by you?"

The doctor seemed less than enthusiastic at the idea - possibly because of the unusual amount of funny metaphysic talk he had been forced to endure - but he nodded nonetheless.

Allan opened his arms, and right then he was every bit the priest in front of his congregation: "We thank You, oh Lord, for the food that we are about to eat, and the water we are about to drink. May Your blessing descend on it, and sanctify it, that it may give restore to our bodies and strength to our souls."
This message was last edited by unknown at 19:19, Thu 30 Apr 2009.

 Shoot ,thought Hector to himself as he was closing re-bolting the front door these crazy people kept leaving wide open,  I'm going to have to practice my 'scary black guy, starring you down from the barrel of a shotgun look' the way these people are just shrugging it off and all.  "I'll be there in a minute!" he then called out.

As the priest said Grace, Nephi had bowed his head and clasped his hands together.  Then he felt a strong wave of cleansing power sweep over the table at the conclusion of the prayer, and found himself gaping like a fish in surprise.

"Amen." Concluded Eddie, helping himself with a portion of cheese and rice entrée.

Bread was passed around, water was poured, plates with various types of ham and salami were quickly depleted of their contents.

"Amen." agreed Nephi.  He opened his eyes, and thanked Mrs. S before choosing a modest portion of everything.  Nephi resolved to take the priest aside for a private talk after lunch.  'Did he notice my noticing?' he wondered to himself.

"Amen," intoned Geoff before helping to pass around the bread and water, "I must say, Ma'am, you've really done us proud here, and at such short notice too."

     After which Hector entered the kitchen. "Hey gang," he said as he once again plopped into a chair and leaned his shotgun against against the wall right next to him, "I miss anything?"

For some reason, Xynthia seemed to find Hector's question funny, and started giggling like a school girl.

Mrs. S apparently decided to ascribe it to another of Xynthia's many oddities, because she just ignored it and smiled at Geoff: "Thank you, dear. Make sure to leave some room for the meat, I think you will like it."

Monica looked over at Jane, who was religiously following Eddie's lead, and began to imitate her: "Better hurry up Hector, before we clear the table and leave you empty-handed."

"Yep, Mon is right,-" She took a bite from the entrée and stopped in mid-joke. "Mrs. S? Can I adopt you as a mom? Or at least a very very close aunt?"

The old lady laughed heartily: "I'm glad you like it honey. We rarely have guests, so I don't get to show off my cooking skills very often. "

Geoff smiled back at the reverend's wife and said, "I don't mind if I do, Ma'am."

As he munched away, he smiled at Jane, having an adopted mother like Mrs. S would be good, that way maybe she wouldn't try to make doughnuts any more. Still, Jane more than made up for her lack of cullinary skills in other departments...he hadn't seen shooting like she displayed earlier for a long time...

He swallowed his mouth full and said, "So, apart from eat this marvelous meal, what are we going to do?"

Eddie wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a sip of water: "Ma'am, that is some of the best food I've had in... I can't even remember."

He then turned somber and looked at Geoff: "Clearly, we need to contact the precinct. The phones have been acting up all morning, and the radios are even worse, so we need to-"

"They're already dead." Allan interrupted him. "Two of the prisoners got in a fight, one of them got killed and turned, then he killed the other. Two officers tried to intervene, which set the zombies free... And then all hell broke loose."
This message was last edited by unknown at 19:18, Thu 30 Apr 2009.

Nephi blinked a little, then politely asked "Not to be rude or anything, but, how do you know?  Were you at the precinct or something?"

Allan shook his head. "No, I wasn't there, but I saw it just the same. I know it to be true, just as I knew you would all be here. It is my gift." A dark bitterness crept into Allan's voice when he said "gift".

Nephi looked a little excited, but glanced at Hector before calming down.  A trace of eagerness could still be heard as he said "Can we speak after lunch?  I believe we have a few things in common."

As Allan poured a glass of wine for his wife, he looked across the table and nodded to Nephi. "Of course."
This message was last edited by unknown at 12:51, Fri 01 May 2009.

"Damn, Eddie," Monica turned to her friend, as she tried to process this latest bit of news. "Does that make you the guy in charge now?"

Geoff made the most of the others taking up the conversation to have some more food. He looked up at Eddie and said, "If we can't get in touch with the precinct, you're the ranker here, Sir. What you say goes."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:28, Fri 01 May 2009.

Eddie nodded slowly, pensive: "I guess it does."

He was troubled by the news, bt also by the ease with which the others seemed to be taking supernatural powers for granted... Well, most of the others, at least: the doctor looked as if he'd just eaten a lemon. And a bad lemon, at that.

Jane emptied her plate (in some prodigious and inexplicable way, she seemed able to keep up with Geoff in that department) and took a sip of water: "Well, now that we know how to eliminate those things, I think we should kill as many of them as possible. Is kill even the right word anyway? they are already dead..."

"Kill is the right word, yes." Now that the conversation was again on a familiar, rational ground, the doctor was much more at ease.

"As I was trying to explain," He continued, with a reproachful look at Allan, "There is nothing supernatural about this. The parasites that animate the corpses are a perfectly natural life form. It is our anthropocentric nature that-" He stopped, looking at Xynthia, who had gone white all of a sudden.

"Are you not feeling well?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:20, Fri 01 May 2009.

Xynthia shook her head: "Just a little nausea. It will pass."

She took another sip of wine, and continued: "But please Mrs. S, don't take this the wrong way: it's really not your fault. Actually, this is the best lunch I've had in a while. I'm just a bit tired, I guess."

Concern was etched into Allan's face as he quickly turned toward his wife. Gently taking her hand in his, he said, "It's been an emotionally wrenching day. Perhaps you just need to lie down for a bit."
This message was last edited by unknown at 18:47, Fri 01 May 2009.

Xynthia smiled thinly at her husband, and kissed the hand holding hers, then brought her other one up to rub her forehead, as if trying to fight an impending headache: "Maybe you are right."

She looked over at their host: "Doc, mind if I borrow your couch for a while?"

The makeup on her forehead, not evident at first sight, was now smudged, revealing what looked like a colorful tattoo underneath. The patter wasn't really clear, but it felt.. Wrong, somehow. The doctor was sort of entranced at the sight, and simply nodded.

Xynthia excused herself as she stood up and made for the living room.

Allan stood, taking his wife's arm, so he could help her to the couch.

With her husband on her side, Xynthia lay down on the couch. She closed her eyes and sighed: "It's getting worse, you know. I think she's decided to give me another gift. I don't know how long this can go on before..."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:31, Fri 01 May 2009.

Nephi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to the Doctor, then took another look at Hector's face and had another mouthful of water instead.

Monica gave the Dr. a curious look. "You're saying that the dead bodies have been taken over by some parasite? How do you know that?"

the doctor glared at Monica: "Kids nowadays don't pay any attention anymore... We have seen this before. There were even studies on the parasite to understand the exact mechanisms that it used, for its medical potenial was extraordinary: just to give you an example, during the original outbreak the reanimated corpse of a paraplegic man was able to walk on its own legs."

Monica simply smirked in Stanislaw's direction. "Yeah Doc, I caught the biology lesson. What I'm asking is, how the hell do you know all this super secret classified stuff?"
This message was last edited by unknown at 17:17, Sat 02 May 2009.

"Well, I thought it was clear: I was in the research group that was conducting those studies." He replied simply. "I had a disagreement with our military oversight, but I kept in touch with the other scientists. When finally a civilian team was created and the studies on the medical benefits restarted, I thought my son could pick up from where I had left..."

   "I'm guessing" said Hector after giving this some thought, "that these 'experiments' took place in town somewhere, and that has something to do with this little outbreak of ours?"

The doctor grimaced: "The laboratory is not far from the city, and many researchers prefer to commute, but the safety procedures are extremely strict. But a parallel strain evolving here with no relationship with the original is even more implausible."

Nephi thought for a moment, then spoke "Here's something else to think about - do we hole up somewhere safe, try to figure out a way to stop the 'infection' or whatever it is, or do we try to get out of town before the military drops a nuke or two on us?"

"Doctor Szczedrzykowicz," Geoff said quietly, "if you had the facilities would you be able to try to do anything about this? I know it's a tall order as it looks like a fully equipped military lab couldn't control it. However, if there's even the remotest possibility that you and your son could help here, I feel we should try it. The question is, if you do feel it's feasible, where do we take you?"

Geoff looked at the others, "If we assume that all that has happened to us is true, and that we're not all delusional, we also have to accept that we've been brought together for a purpose. I believe we may have been brought together to aid the good doctor in finding a cure to this, or at least a way to help people."

He paused a moment, "I know that sounds insane, but let's face it, we're not the people we were this morning, we've all had "gifts" of some sort. If that's the case, we need to make the best of those gifts."

Allan knelt down next to his wife and spoke in a soft voice. "You're stronger than you know, Xynthia." He ran his hand through her hair, gently caressing the side of her face. "We both know it's going to get harder, but I am here to help you. I will never leave you. Together we will get through this."

Xynthia pulled her husband close and hugged him with all her strength: "I don't know what I would do without you..."

She held him like that for maybe a minute, then she relaxed back and chuckled: "Wow, look at that!" She said wiping her tears: "My eyes are leaking... Think I should call a plumber?" She laughed, then smiled at him, serene and happy again.

Once again, the doctor ignored the supernatural talk (he was getting very good at that) and replied in a measured tone: "I am sure the problem will be dealt with, and without resorting to nuclear warheads. The parasite is sensitive to some chemicals, particularly some salts of silver, that can be safely, if expensively, used to clean relatively large areas."

"I'm guessing by this little fortress of solitude the Doc has here, that the possibility of an uncontrolled outbreak has crossed his mind once or twice." Monica looked at Dr. S. "Which means you guys never came up with anything like a cure or a vaccine, right?"

"Nonsense!" Replied the doctor forcefully.

"I simply protected my house against thieves and vandals, like any responsible person. And why would we need a cure?" The doctor went back to his lecture tone: "This is not a pathogen we are talking about: in the context of a healthy immune system, the parasite simply cannot survive more than a few minutes."

"And... If the immune system is unhealthy?" Asked Karen in a subdued tone.

The doctor did a double-take: "Beg your pardon?"

"You said that, in the context of a healthy immune system, the parasite cannot survive." Repeated Karen. "What happens if the immune system is unhealthy?"

"Well, um... The case never really presented itself, and we didn't actually experiment on living people, so all I can offer is an educated guess. I suppose the parasite might cause some kind of pathology, feeding on healthy cells, or possibly become dormant, waiting for the host to die."

"Is it possible that a variant of the original strain could develop that is able to infect healthy people? Like when bacteria develop a resistance to antibiotics?"

Doc S thought about it for a moment: "I... Suppose it might be possible, yes."

Karen pushed on: "What would the effects of such an infection be?"

The doctor scoffed: "Young lady, that wouldn't even be an educated guess, but pure science fiction!"

"Please... Just your opinion as an expert."

The man sighed: "Well, I suppose, if the parasite fed on healthy cells, it might be able to emulate them even better, and possibly even outperform them. But really, this is a shot in the dark."

"Why this preoccupation with an unhealthy immune system?" Monica looked at Karen like she was studying her. "Is there somethin' you need to share with the rest of the class, Karen? Are you sick?"

Karen shook her head: "I was just thinking about how this thing could have escaped... What if a sick researcher got accidentally exposed?"

"That is unlikely." Replied the doctor: "There safety measures to prevent this, it is almost impossible to get accidentally exposed to the parasite. Furthermore, in the unlikely event of exposure, a cycle of silver salts would be administered that would kill the parasite."

"What if it wasn't a mistake?" Said Jane.

"Excuse me?"

"You have a thing that can reanimate the dead and possibly make the living stronger, faster,-" She stopped and restarted: "Okay, I'm gonna rephrase that. This parasite could potentially have medical and military applications, but after twenty years you are pretty much where you started. What if somebody else asked the same question Karen did? Someone with a weakened immune system got willingly infected with the parasite, and suddenly they found themselves smarter or whatever... And then they left the lab, and the parasite spread."

"Well, on second thought... Maybe didn't get that much smarter. "
This message was last edited by the player at 06:50, Mon 04 May 2009.

"'Almost impossible.'  You said it's 'almost impossible' to be accidentally infected with the parasite.  And since it takes a little while for the infection to show, someone who is infected could leave the lab none the wiser, and start infecting others." Nephi started to get a little heated.  "Furthermore, since we're dealing with an outbreak, either the lab's security protocols failed somewhere, or this was a deliberate release.  Either way, lots of people are dead, and lots more are going to die before this is over - one way or another.  Heck, before we figured out how to kill them, we came close a couple of times - Karen there is only alive because I was blessed with a gift."

"So as long as we're healthy, we could get bit by one of those things out there and be fine? Is that what you're saying." Monica shook her head. "I'm sorry Doc, but I'm not buying it. The Reverend said Eddie's entire precinct is dead. The average cop is healthy and physically fit. I think this bug's already affecting more than just those with weak immune systems."

A look of sadness crossed Allan's face as he watched his wife retreat once more into her own world. The knowledge that Xynthia's madness protected her, provided him with very little comfort. He kissed her hand and stood up. "Get some rest. I'll be nearby should you need anything."

Karen smiled at Nephi and kissed his cheek.

"My knight in a shining armor... But, if Monica is right, and the parasite is affecting healthy people, haven't we all been exposed? Is anybody feeling sick?"
This message was last edited by the player at 19:58, Mon 04 May 2009.

"Doc says it's a parasite, Karen, not a virus. I think we still need to be bitten for it to pass from one of them to one of us. Geoff's the only who got bit, right? And Nephi took care of that." Monica sat back in her chair. "If this thing goes airborne, like a virus, we might as well put our heads between our legs and kiss our asses goodbye."
This message was last edited by unknown at 20:18, Mon 04 May 2009.

After checking to make sure that the front door was still secure, Allan picked up the shotgun and returned to the dining room. He placed the shotgun along the wall, near the doorway that separated the dining room from the living room. He picked up his wife's unfinished wine, and poured more into the glass. He took a drink as he silently observed the ongoing conversation.

"Oh hell" said Hector, as he nearly choked on the last bite of his meager helping of the meal, "You mentioned a 'military oversight' didn't you, doc? Could the military have gotten its hands on a sample of your parasite? 'Cause if you're swearing blind that your lab has nothing to do with this....... "
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:23, Thu 07 May 2009.

"They most certainly did: not long after I left, the whole laboratory was in their hands. The more recent group was based in a different facility entirely." The doctor unconsciously rapped his fingers on the table, troubled by the implications.

Nephi blushed bright red from Karen kissing his cheek, and completely forgot what he was going to say.

"Are you thinking that somebody might've been messin' around with this to use as a weapon, or make some kind of super soldier?" Monica asked Hector. "I guess we should never underestimate the government's ability to screw things up. That's our tax dollars at work." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, if the military's got any hand in what happened, I'm sure they've already gone into cover-their-ass mode. We'll probably never learn what really happened. Keep that in mind when you hear any word from official sources." Monica was suddenly struck by a thought. "We should turn on the news. They may be lying about what set this off, but at least we'd get an idea of how wide spread it is. Doc, do you have a radio or TV?"

"Now, now!" Admonished Mrs. S: "You are not thinking about leaving the table halfway through lunch, are you? Whatever news may be on, I'm sure they will keep airing them for the next half hour."

"Mrs. S, I swear if I eat another bite, you'll need a crane to get me outta this chair." Monica smiled at the older woman. "Lunch was great, really. We can't thank you enough. I just need to check the news real quick, and then I'll come back and help you with the dishes."

Monica stepped into the other room and turned the TV on, keeping the volume low. She flipped through the channels of static, infomercials, and reruns. She paused on a channel showing a news set. The camera was at an odd angel, and the set was completely empty, as if it had suddenly been abandoned in mid-broadcast. "That can't be good," Monica muttered to herself. Finally, she found a national news report. Chaos seemed to be erupting all over the world.

Allan followed Monica into the other room and watched the news broadcasts. Shaking his head, he said, "It's spreading much faster than I expected. The Almighty, in His infinite wisdom, didn't see fit to show me when things would start." His voice was filled with bitterness. "The city isn't going to be safe. Too many people. We need to get away from the populated areas, and we need to leave soon, before the roads become congested."

After he finished eating lunch, and thanked Mrs S. for her efforts, Nephi drew the Reverend aside and asked "I hope you don't mind indulging my curiosity, but I wonder, why did you Bless only the water?"

Allan was staring at the TV screen when Nephi approached him. He turned to face the younger man, but the pastor seemed distracted by other thoughts. "What? The blessing?" Nephi's question finally registered with him. "Because it was enough to just bless the water."

Allan walked back to the dining room, where most of the group was still gathered. "This is rapidly going to get worse, much worse. Staying in the city, surrounded by a dense population, is not going to be safe. Fort Monroe is a few hours from here. It has solid concrete walls, surrounded by water. It's a good, defensible location, and we may find supplies there -- weapons, food, first aid. But there is the risk that the parasite is already running amok through the military population that is based there."

"Another option would be to head for the mountains and get away from the infected. We'd have clean mountain water, and plenty of fish and small game that we could live off of indefinitely. I have a vehicle already prepped and ready to go. We could be there in less than a day."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Monroe

Geoff steeled himself, "I'd agree with you, Reverend, we need to do something and soon." he paused uncomfortably, "Every fibre of my body says run and hide, but I swore to serve and protect the people of this city."

he swallowed hard, "Now, admittedly, I've not done a good job of it thus far, but this isn't the same world as yesterday. I'm going to try to find some sort of authority, Fort Monroe is a good idea and see if we can fight this think, or at least save as many as we can. I appreciate that lots of you have other priorities and I respect that."

He instictively touched his badge, something he'd always considered as a meal ticket, "It's time to start earning this."

Xynthia stretched and rose from the couch, looking at Geoff like a curious cat: "That is very heroic and all but... By this time tomorrow, there won't be that many people left to save."

"You might be right, which is why if we're going to do something, we need to start soon." he replied to Xynthia, "Boss," he looked over at Eddie, "what are your orders?"

Eddie rubbed his cheek in thought, then started in a dubious tone: "I think our first priority should be to keep as many people alive as possible, which means finding those who are still alive and bringing them to a safe place. 'Course, we need to find one of those first. We need ammo, plenty of it, those damn things just shrug them off."

He sighed and paused for a second before continuing: "And I think we must do anything we can to stay alive: there are many good cops who are dead, but no dead cops who are good."

"Agreed, Sir," Geoff repiled, "so, what options do we have? We'll need guns, ammo and some form of protected transports, of course, a secure area too. I'm getting hazy on my geography here, what choices do we have? Fort Monroe is one and it sounds good, but are there others?"

"Monroe is a six-sided stone fort, completely surrounded by a moat. Assuming the place isn't already over-run with infected, it could offer some protection from the outside world. It's an active army base, so there are a lot of soldiers and their families stationed there. Which means, they could've already been compromised by the parasite. If we go there, we'll want to be prepared to run into a lot of infected."

"The other option I can see, is to head to the mountains and get away from the spreading plague. There are resources in the Appalachians that could sustain us for a long time." Allan shrugged. "Those are the best options I can think of, but I'm open to any ideas the rest of you may have, as long as we make a choice quickly."

"As for transportation. I have a vehicle already stocked and ready to go. It might be a little tight with a group of this size, but I think we can make it work. Xynthia and I can go get it and be back shortly."

Nephi broke in "You might want to Bless your weapon before we go anywhere Reverand.  I Blessed my rapier, and it worked wonders against the infected.  Didn't need to hit them in the spine, but a spine hit was much easier to finish them.  As for transportation, my car's outside, and so is their police cruiser.  And I've got some fencing equipment in the trunk for anyone else who needs a little protection."

Allan nodded at Nephi. "Already taken care of." After checking his ammo, Allan turned toward Xynthia. "Time to go, sweetheart." Gun in hand, he unlocked the door and opened it just enough to see if the street was clear.

Xynthia stretched one last time, put on the shoes she had taken off as she was laying down to get some rest, and waved friendly at Mrs. S, looking quietly at them from the dining room threshold: "Right-o. Doc, Mrs S, thank you for a wonderful lunch and a great time. Now, let's go get home."

As soon as Xynthia and Allan left, the others locked the door behind them.

Karen sighed with relief as soon as the door closed. "Are we rally considering going with those two weirdos?"

Monica shrugged. "I dunno, after what we've seen today, I think we'll need to redefine what weird means."

"I guess you're right..." Replied Eddie pensive.

"Say, Nephi," He continued, "Do you think blessing a gun works too?"

"So what are our options? I mean, if we don't go with them, what do we do? Stay here and wait until this whole thing blows over?" She looked at Dr. Szczedrzykowicz. "Does this parasite eventually... I dunno, die out on its own? Or will any body its invaded keep moving indefinitely until we burn it or sever its spine?"

Nephi thought for a moment before answering Eddie's question.  "Umm, not sure really.  Blessing the gun itself would probably just help you shoot a bit straighter, and I'm not sure if the Lord would Bless the ammunition."

The doctor shook his head a little impatiently: "There is no such thing as perpetual motion, young lady: the parasite consumes the bodies in order to animate them. Eventually, it will have nothing left to burn and will have to stop."

Jane pulled out one of her spare .45 magazines and set it down on the living room table: "I think this is a good time to find out... If we keep burning bullets like we did back at the shop, we won't last long."

Nephi shrugged, and said "Ok.  Am I Blessing anyone else's ammo at the same time?"

Monica shrugged as she placed her own clip on the table. "It certainly couldn't hurt."

  Hector hesitated for a moment as took out the clip to his gun,"Do you need anything to bless our various items, Nephi? Like holy water or oil to immerse our clips into or something?"

Nephi answered "No, not for this.  I only need to say a prayer, and the Lord will answer or not as He chooses."
As he finished speaking, Nephi returned his attention to the ammunition on the table, thinking of the words to speak in his prayer.  Then he began, asking the Lord to Bless the ammunition to be more effective against the unnatural things seeking to harm them.
When he finished, he tiredly gestured for Hector, Monica and Jane to take their clips back.  "The Lord hasn't told me how long the Blessing will last, but it's done.  Kind of tiring too."

Jane didn't let Nephi's casual tone fool her: "Nephi, you don't look so hot..."

She surreptitiously shot a "here's your chance girlfriend" glance to Karen before continuing: "Maybe you should sit down a bit."

"Yes, Jane's right!" Said Karen as she took Nephi's had and all but forced him to sit on the couch, where she took place right next to him - as close as possible, and holding his hand all the while.

Jane couldn't quite dissimulate a grin: "I'll get you a glass of water..."
This message was last edited by the player at 19:43, Tue 19 May 2009.

"Thanks Nephi." Monica smiled as she watched Karen entwine herself with the young faith healer.

She turned her attention to the doctor as she picked up her clip and reloaded her gun. "So as soon as this parasite runs out of hosts, it should die out. Are humans the only thing this bug likes to take up residence in? Did you guys ever test to see if it affected animals?"

Nephi all but collapsed onto the couch as the spiritual drain really hit him, feeling too sluggish to react to Karen's closeness, and half mumbled "Yeah, sitting down is a good idea."

The doctor thought about the question for a second: "We tried to see i it would affect the corpses of some mammals and primates, but the results were negative. It seems the parasite depends on some sequences that are specific to human beings, but I don't know if they were ever isolated."

Jane came back from the kitchen with a glass of water, which she passed to Karen. The other woman smiled and nodded at Jane, then helped Nephi take a sip.

"You said, if I remember correctly," added Geoff, "that certain salts of silver would destroy the virus, or it may have been the people that it destroyed. I understand it's an expensive option, but which salts and where are they most easily available. I'm thinking that if some sort of dispersal weapon is feasible then it might be wise to try to point that out to the authorities, it's less likely to destroy the uninfected than, shall we say, napalm."

The doctor nodded firmly: "That was the contingency plan back then, I believe it hasn't been changed. Silver nitrate was the compound they had chosen, if I recall correctly."

He didn't mention that, beside the zombies, the amount of silver nitrate the military were probably planning to release as they spoke was going to kill any single fish in God only knew how many miles, and possibly contaminate the city's water supply...
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:10, Tue 21 July 2009.

"So they had a plan in place, if this thing ever got away from them. From what we saw on the news, it doesn't sound like they put their plan into action." Monica looked over at the doctor. "What do you think went wrong?"

A thought ran through Nephi's fogged brain, and he let out a laugh.  "Isn't it interesting that you keep saying there's nothing supernatural happening, yet this parasite is killed by silver - the bane of so many supernatural monsters."

The doctor's face didn't hide his annoyance: "Silver nitrate is a pesticide. It kills fungi. It kills plants. It kills fish. There is nothing supernatural in a mushroom, a patch of grass, or a trout."

He pointed at Nephi with a wizened finger: "Now, if you were to tell me that some of the so-called supernatural monsters may have been in fact infected by something like this parasite... That I would have a hard time arguing with."

Then, Doc S turned back to Monica and answered: "I don't know that anything went wrong yet: probably, nobody realized what was going on at first. They are probably setting the plan in motion as we speak, I'm sure there is nothing to worry about as long as we keep our heads."

Monica shook her head. "You need to take your head outta the sand, Doc. Look outside. Check out the TV news. Something has gone wrong. In fact, the words horribly wrong leap to mind."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Mon 25 May 2009.

Grey eyebrows furrowed over greyer eyes: "Young miss, your lack of respect..." *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

"Here we go again!" said Hector, sarcastically, as he once again picked up his shotgun and entered the living room.
"Jeez Doc, did you put a sign saying 'Zombie Survivor's Relief Shelter' or something?" 

The banging on the door repeated, this time louder: "Dad, open up!"

Mrs. S stepped forward as she heard the voice: "Antek? Is that you?"

"Mom! Yes, it's me, open the door!"

Eddie approached the door: "Everyone, ready to shoot."

He unlocked the door and opened it, making sure to stay out of everyone's line of fire.

Anton's jaw dropped as he noticed the array of fire weapons aimed at him and Betty: "Mom? Dad? Are you okay?"

The onlookers, for their part, couldn't help but notice the large, handgun he was holding: it looked a whole lot like the famous BFG Monica kept as her last resort, and attracted a lot more attention than his large backpack, or his equally big briefcase.

Betty screamed in surprise at the number of guns and ducked to the side of the door.  She gulped at mouthfuls of air, as frightening as her ordeal had been first thing in the morning, this was a far more lethal threat!

Nephi's fogged brain found the scene hilarious for some reason, and started laughing.  In between snorts of laughter, he managed to say "I don't think they're a threat."  He then fell off the couch laughing uncontrollably for about a minute.

Monica moved to help Nephi back onto the couch. "Geez Karen, what did ya' put in his water?"

"That's my son! Put down those weapons!" Coming from the nice, quiet Mrs S, the order carried a strange persuasiveness...

Horrified by Nephi's sudden and rather disturbing bout of laughter, Karen watched as he slid of the couch and continued to snicker wildly before she snapped out of her bemused state of mind in time to help Monica ease the young miracle worker back onto the couch.

Flustered by Monica's accusation, Karen blushes slightly as she sits next to Nephi on the couch. "What? I didn't put anything in Nephi's drink, I swear." She replies, too worried about Nephi to see that Monica was probably joking with her. As if Karen would ever consider slipping something into Nephi's drink, nope, never, not in a million years... maybe in her wildest dreams. "Is there anything I can do Nephi?" She asks, truely concerned about him.

Hearing Mrs S.' command, and the concern in Karen's voice cleared Nephi of his sudden case of the giggles.  "Sorry about that.  I don't know what came over me.  I just found it really funny that all these people are pointing guns at a guy coming over to visit his parents."

"If I came visiting my parents packing like that," Geoff said, "I'd expect a starange welcome."

Geoff lowered his pistol and said, "Hi, I'm Geoff Wayne, Apocalypse Surviours' Welcome Wagon."

Betty looked at Anton from her place next to the doorjam not quite ready to stick her head around the corner to check where the guns were now pointed.

Hector gave a reluctant sigh as he lowered his shotgun, "Alright, better get in here then."

"You're exhausted to the point of delirium Nephi. You really should rest, take a nap at the very least, if you can't get some honest to goodness sleep." Karen said placing the back of her hand against Nephi's forehead to see if he had a fever from the day's hard miracle working.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:06, Fri 12 June 2009.

Nephi agreed with Karen's statement, and said "Yeah, sleep sounds good.  Not really making much sense, even to me.  Wake me up if anything happens."  He then stretched out on the couch and closed his eyes, intending to at least have a nap.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:07, Fri 12 June 2009.

"Will do... mon cher." Karen whispered as she rested Nephi's head in her lap, gently stroking his locks of hair as she did so, looking perfectly content to be trapped on the couch with him while he rests.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:07, Fri 12 June 2009.

A few minutes of quick-paced walk later, Allan and Xynthia were at the entrance of the underground garage where their vehicle was parked.

"Wait. I can feel them. At least three... And something else."

"Stay close." Allan tightened his grip on the gun as he scanned the area. "What do you mean something else?"

Xynthia shook her head: "I don't know... It feels different."

She rubbed her forehead to remove the makeup and make sure her mark was visible. "I'll be okay, they'll think I'm one of them. Be careful: whatever this other thing is, it's very angry."

The parking was completely devoid of other people. There was a number of empty places, but also many parked vehicles behind which a number of threats could hide.

The couple made their way through the rows of cars and vans, looking for the very specific spot where they had been directed to park.

Allan's approach was stopped as he saw two obviously infected "people" standing in front of his motor-home. One was an overweight, middle-aged man. His clothing was very dirty, and his shoulder looked like someone had taken a bite out of it. The other was a young woman who, even in her undead state, had not lost all of her attractiveness. It was her eyes that gave away that she was no longer among the living. Allan sighed as he recognized her as Julie, a local grocery store clerk. He raised his gun and pointed it at the young woman.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:19, Fri 12 June 2009.

A precision double-tap sent two bullets straight in the undead's spine. The creature fell back without a sound.

And then the zombie next to it look at its fallen companion, back at Allan, and seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"That's not normal..."

Xynthia was interrupted by the creature's howl.

"That's definitely not normal!"

From somewhere else in the parking, another howl resounded.

"Get to the RV!" Allan tried to watch both the zombie in front of him, as well as where the howling sound came from. If he saw anything move, he was prepared to shoot.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:19, Fri 12 June 2009.

"No way! I can walk back if need be, you can't! I'm not leaving you alone against..." *PLOP* ... *PLOP* ... *PLOP* ... *PLOP* ...

The sound brought to Xynthia's mind the image of freshly cut steaks hitting a marble table. The woman closed her eyes and concentrated on the Madness in her soul.

*PLOP* ... *PLOP* ... *PLOP* ... *PLOP* ...

As the sound grew nearer, the couple could finally see it source.

It was the most horrid zombie they had met yet: mostly decomposed, charred from head to toe, completely naked... And it looked as if its flesh had molten like wax. His feet were large masses of flesh that left behind a blach patch of ichor whenever they touched the ground.

It was... Running, sort of, with the most uncoordinated movement you could imagine: arms flailing, legs kicking around, head bobbing side to side, and yet, somehow, it managed to look creepy rather than ridiculous.

And it was fast: it had covered the distance in just a few seconds.

The creature stopped and howled again, then looked at the couple: its empty orbits could not hide the malevolent intelligence animating it.

Allan raised his gun, pointing it in the direction of the sound. The creature that emerged was hideous. Allan stared at it for a moment, too stunned to squeeze the trigger.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:20, Fri 12 June 2009.

As Allan raised his gun, the zombie screeched and... Changed.

Xynthia muttered a swear word as she realized what had happened. The creature before them was not a normal zombies: whatever Allan was seeing, it was not what she was seeing, and it was probably something human mind was not designed to handle.

She braced herself and... She changed too.

The young woman stepped between her husband and the undead and commanded: "Stop! The Mother commands it!"

The creature cocked its head sideways and clucked something that may or may not have been an answer.

Allan wasn't capable of comprehending the true nature of the creature in front of him, so his mind created its own horrific image instead. He knew what he was seeing was not the actual form of the monster, but his fear was very real. He stood frozen until his wife moved between him and the creature, breaking his line of sight. He looked down as he slowly started to back away, and dug into his pocket for his keys.

Xynthia heard her husband step back, but she didn't turn: as long as she used her ability to convince the monster she was facing that she was on its side, she had the same scary, alien aura as it did, plus she didn't dare turn away from the creature.

The monster was not a zombie like the others: Xynthia knew that trying to control it was pointless; the best she could hope for was keeping it busy, giving Allan time to come up with a plan. She hadn't considered, however, that there was another zombie behind her, and neither had Allan.

Allan turned, and came face to face with the zombie. The creature made an ungraceful lunge for the minister, but Allan just managed to keep out of its reach. He pulled the keys from his pocket and ran toward the vehicle. "Xynthia, get ready to run to the motorhome!"

Xynthia took a step backwards, then another - and then the creature spoke.

FATHER.... COMMANDS. ABOMINATION.... MUST.... DIE. SISTER.... YIELD.

Xynthia's mental barriers came down crashing to protect what little sanity she had left, as the woman realized what the creature was about to do.

Her otherworldly aura faded, and she smiled sweetly to the horrifying vision before her: "Aw... Sorry, I'd love to stay and play, but mom's calling me for dinner. I'll call you later. See ya!"

She spun around and dashed toward the motorhome. She had barely reached it when the creature let go another, even more horrifying howl. Its chest exploded  in a cloud of black ichor, and a mass of tentacles popped out of it.

As Allan turned on the vehicle, the monster *PLOP* began *PLOP* to *PLOP* run *PLOP* toward *PLOP* them.

As soon as Xynthia was safely on board the motorhome, Allan threw it into gear and hit the gas. "Hang on to something," he yelled to his wife as sped toward the creature.

The vehicle accelerated, but in the short distance available it didn't get to any considerable speed: the creature jumped... And pretty much splatted on the flat front of the motorhome.

The zombie didn't seem to have suffered much more than minor damage, however: it clawed its way upwards until it covered most of the driver's side front glass.

The tentacles coming out of its chest looked like a monstrous octopus, complete with a large toothed beak in their center and several sharp spikes coming out of each of them.

The creature started hitting the glass forcefully with as many limbs as it could.

Allan's voice was a mix of anger and frustration as he yelled at the creature. "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire!"

A muffled thunder resounded, and suddenly the zombie howled in pain. A moment later, white fire erupted from the hole in its chest where a tentacled monstrosity was still trying to break the motorhome's windshield.

The creature lost its grip and fell, and a sickening crunch and a small bump announced that at least one of its limbs had been crushed under a wheel.

Xynthia crumbled back on the seat.

"...so I packed as much firepower as I could and came here." Finished Tony, sipping on the coffee Mrs S had thoughtfully provided for him.

He tapped pensively on the cup: "I'm not sure exactly how this happened, but it seems the entire country was hit by the outbreak."

Nephi's eyes blink open and closed a few times, deciding whether to wake or not, and then open fully - to see Karen's face looking down at him.  Realizing where his head is laying, he blushes bright red as he rolls off the couch.  "Er, sorry about that.  Did I miss anything?" he says as he picks himself up off the floor.

"It's ok, you haven't missed much, just Anton here telling us his tale." Karen said before patting lightly on the couch cushion next to her hoping Nephi would have a seat right next to her.

Nephi looks around the rather full sitting room before sitting where Karen indicated, quite puzzled that she didn't seem to mind that he'd used her lap as a pillow.

Betty sat by listening intently after introductions had been made.  She looked around at the odd collection of personalities and realized that the house had beocome a sanctuary from the chaos outside.

"This is great," Geoff said, "but now that your family's reunited, would it be sensible for us to start planning exactly what we are going to do. If, as Anton says, this infection is spread throughout the country, the sooner we decide how we respond, the better."

Nephi thought for a moment before adding "I don't know how well the Doctor is set up here, but if we need supplies then we should visit members of my church that have been infected.  Church leaders have been telling us for years that all members should have supplies set aside to last at least a year.  If we know they're infected, then we know they won't need the stuff they've set aside."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea Nephi... though, why were your church leaders telling you to set aside a year's worth of supplies?" Karen asked curious about Nephi's church leaders more than the prospect of supplies.

The sounds of something like a truck could be heard pulling up outside the doctor's house, followed shortly by a knock on the door. "It's Allan and Xynthia," the pastor yelled from the other side of the door.

Nephi replied "Two reasons really.  1. In case the members had lost their income for some time - they could live off their supplies until they got back on their feet.  2. In case some major disaster happened, when everything has gone to hell and you can't be sure that you can get what you need."

"Hey sounds like the Rev and his crazy wife are back." Hector called out, with a slight terseness in his voice.

Monica moved to stand behind Hector. "Go ahead and open the door, hon. If they look infected, I've got your back." She aimed her gun at the door.

Geoff stood well back and opposite the main door and raised his pistol once more, the drill was getting slick now.

"Ok, ready." he said.

  "Okay....I do hope you guys know to wait for me to get out of the way before emptying those guns pointing at my backside though." said Hector with a smirk as he once again opened that door.....

Allan had his own gun in his hand, but it was held down and at his side. His other arm was draped protectively around his wife. The assortment of guns pointed in his direction didn't seem to surprise Allan. Not waiting for an invitation to enter, he stepped forward, slowly and cautiously, as if he assumed the others wouldn't shoot him. "I'm sorry, that took a bit longer than expected."

"So in other words, for a situation just like this." Karen comments as she watches the boys stack up next to the door before opening it to the preacher and his wife, at least that's what she could tell from the sounds of things.

"Yeah.  Stocking up for a situation like this." Nephi replied thoughtfully.  "I'm just idly wondering how many stockpiles we could expect to find, given how faithful, or not, the local members have been."

"They look like they're still among the living to me," Monica said, as she lowered her gun. Monica slid into the chair next to her friend, Jane, and casually rested her feet on the coffee table. After listening to Nephi she said, "I dated this guy once who used to say that everyone should have a "zombie plan". I just thought he was a weird role-playing nerd that had read one too many comic books."

Nephi chuckled a little.  "I don't think the church leaders wanted us to have a 'zombie plan'.  It was more in case of a war or major natural disaster where supplies would be hard to come by, like an earthquake, hurricane or major storm.  But it'd work great for us anyway."

"Those stockpiles might well come in useful at some point," Geoff agreed, "but right now, we need to decide what we're doing."

Allan led Xynthia to the chair next to Monica, when he noticed the young doctor sitting on the couch next to Mrs. S. "Tony! It's good to see that you're alright." The Reverend sat in the chair next to his wife. He pulled a map out of his pocket and spread it out on the coffee table. "The officer is right, we need to come up with a plan, and we need to do it quickly."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:51, Thu 25 June 2009.

A look of surprise crossed Anton's face: "Allan? Xynthia? I haven't seen you in ages! Are you guys alright?"

Xynthia smiled at him: "Never better: I made lots of new friends today! Pity we couldn't stay and play, but I'm sure we'll get another chance."

Anton blinked once, perplexed: "Um... Okay, sure. Anyway..." He hesitated only a fraction of a second before continuing: "Geoff. I came here to bring some important information to my father, and ask for his advice, but I guess you guys have a right to know. For starters... There's no help coming."

"You mean the army doesn't know, or it's just not coming?" Karen asks from her position on the couch next to Nephi. "If not, then how do they not know? Wouldn't someone have contacted them?"

Nephi added his opinion "I'd be inclined to think the army's already infected.  Any zombie outbreak in the movies always hits the armed forces or the emergency response people first."

Anton sighed: "Actually, this is more of a bureaucratic screwup: see, the original plan for an outbreak called for the emergency teams to be equipped with chemical weapons that could render the zombies harmless without damage for the population."

Doc S raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean 'the original plan'?"

Tony shifted uncomfortably on the sofa: "Well, as you know, silver nitrate is heavily poisonous to fish, so there were pressures to come up with a plan that would not endanger the marine environment. When our studies proved that the zombies cannot survive more than three days without a source of food, the plan was changed: the goal now is not to eradicate the threat, but to contain it until it takes care of itself."

"Why would something that's already dead need a food source? Or are you talking about a food source for the parasite that's reanimating the bodies?" Monica looked from the older Dr. S to his son. "Please don't say it's brains."

Geoff had just put his pistol away when the good doctor's son tolhim there was no help coming.

"So, the people of the town have been abandoned to their deaths because people are worried about fish?" Geoff shrugged, "I guess it figures."

He looked over at Hecto and Eddie, "OK, so up to now, I've not been what you might call a paragon of the force, but this sucks big time. The people we've sworn to protect and serve have been left out to dry."

He sighed, "As far as I can guess, running for the hills isn't really an option if the Government have decided on containment rather than active attempts to save us, the city will be cordoned off, and my guess is we're too late to beat the blockade. That leaves us two options, we hole up somewhere safe and hope that after the infected starve to death, the authorities won't just wipe us out to be on the safe side, or we try to save as many people as we can. To do that we'd need a minimum of three steps: securing a suitable site, getting people there and letting people outside know what is going on, if the authorities can keep this under wraps, we're toast."

He looked at the civilians, "Given the Szczedrzykowicz connections with the research programme, anyone sticking with the family might have a chance of surviving by hiding, there may be enough residual influence in who they know to stop any mop-up squads eliminating you. Now, given the situation, I think we need to make some decisions quickly. anyone got any ideas?"

Tony looked apologetically at Geoff: "I'm afraid I'm not done with the bad news yet... First to answer Monica's question: yes, the reanimated corpses need a source of energy; as they reanimate the bodies, they consume them for sustenance, so to keep them moving they have to replace what they eat with other human cells of the same kind."

He paused for a moment: "That mostly means muscles, but the... Menu... also includes bones, tissues of various kinds, and yes, brains. That's why they go after the living, and why it was considered a viable option to secure the area, possibly evacuating the population for a brief period, and then let the infected bodies die, again."

Looking back at Geoff, he finished: "And here's the last of the bad news: as there are no other reported sources of the parasite, all the plans foresaw an outbreak in close proximity to the lab, with a realistically small number of infected, for the first few hours. I don't think this is what we are having here: whatever happened, it seems it's not local. Could be the entire State, possibly even the country."

Nephi summed up the situation in his words.  "So we're basically on our own, against who knows how many infected, and you're eventually going to run out of ammo.  And to make things even better, they can somehow sense the living.  Remember what happened at the shop?  They kept gathering while we were on the ground, and started wandering off when we got high enough." He took a breath, and continued "Pretty high odds against us, but we will survive."

Allan looked at Geoff. "You're assuming they had time to set up their blockade before things got out of hand. Getting through a police barricade in and of itself shouldn't be a problem. It's not like we're going to find any armed soldiers actively manning it at this point. I suspect they've either all been killed or infected. It's the walking dead that we need to worry about. But you're right, if we're going to get out of the city, we need to do it soon, before it's so overrun that we're trapped." Allan looked at the others in the group. "I don't think we'll be safe if we stay here. Xynthia and I encountered a creature that was different from the other animated corpses we've seen. It was far more powerful, and I'm sure there will be others like it."

He pointed to the map he had. "If we go to the mountains, we'll be away from the populated areas and have a lot less infected to deal with. Food and water won't be a problem. There's an unlimited supply of fresh mountain streams and plenty of fish and small game. We can live off the land indefinitely. I've got some hunting and fishing gear of my own, but I'm sure we'll find even more in some of the cabins up there. I've got a vehicle that is large enough to transport a group, and it's designed to travel through any terrain, including mountains."

Allan's hand pointed to a different location on the map. "Or there's Fort Monroe. It's a stone fortress surrounded by a moat. If we can secure it, it would offer us a lot of protection. It's still an active Army base, so we should find supplies of food and weapons there. However, the island around the fort is populated with military families. We'll probably run into a lot more infected if we go to the fort, then if we head to the mountains."

"If it is a widespread problem, you're right, Reverend, it probably will be easy to leave. Staying alive will be the hard part, after that, living with ourselves will be more difficult." he sighed, "Now I know that those of you with families have other priorities but look at the facts, no matter how bizzare they are. We're surrounded by reanimated corpses and we have seen for ourselves that powers are at work here beyond my imaginings, if not yours Nephi, or yours Reverend and Mrs.Smith."

"The three of you appear to have manifested gifts, who or what has granted those gifts is a matter for debate." he looked around at them, "You need to decide whether you were granted those gifts to keep yourself safe, or to aid others."

"Now, I'm not trying to say one way or the other, I'm sure that in time you'll be shown the way. But for me, the way is clear. People are dying out there, people that we might be able to save." he paused, "Now I know that if we just head out without a plan we'll end up as dead as those we are looking to save, so we need to think now. I propose heading for Fort Monroe, if we all decide to go we can pick people up on the way. Once there we isolate the island if we can and clear the infection from it. Then we assess our supply and weapon situation and plan accordingly from there. What do people think?"

   "If we're taking a vote, I'm with Geoff on this one." said Hector as he walked over to group from the doorway, "We can't just turn our backs on everyone else in this city, like those bastards in Washington have.  Besides, those mountains you keep going on about, Rev, are just the Appalachians. They're not like the Rockies or the Cascades, they're more like big hills then real mountains. And.....well I've never been up there, things might of changed, but those used to be hills that the term 'hill-billy' was coined. Such people don't tend to cotton toward foreigners or us 'dark-folk'."

"The only "family" that I've got is right here in this room." Monica's eyes passed over Jane, Eddie, and Hector. "Nothing else in this town matters to me, so I say we hit the road. I don't care where we go, as long as we stay together."

Nephi thought carefully before he took a breath and spoke "I don't know where my family is - we're not close - but I have faith that they'll be looked after.  So the only people I have any true ties to are here.  I also have no real opinion on where we go, as long as we help anyone we can along the way.  My car can take three or four besides myself, and the trunk still has the rest of the fencing gear in it.  Hmmm, Fort Monroe and a greater risk of infected, or the mountains and harsher living consitions.  I'll abstain from the vote, but wherever we go, we'd better stock up quickly before we leave."