OOC:10:03, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 2,8 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,(6+2)8. Notice.

"Joel... Joel... Joel...", Murphy grabs Robertson at the shoulders, trying to calm him down, then slaps him in the face when he won't stop blathering.
"Sorry, mate, but you have to listen to me. Ward's at the Circle W. Evans's in town. Everybody's preparing to fight off the bloody injuns. I'm the only one foolish enough to still be here."

He looks up at the man, earnestly. "You have to pack your things, Joel."

Joel looks like he's been slapped in the face (because he just was), but he snaps out of it. "Alright...alright...you have to help us get Sally moved, though. She can't stay here alone!"

As Joel is talking, Paddy notices a small orange tabby in the corner of the room. Its fur is standing on end, its ears are set back, and it's looking wide-eyed deeper into the house, where Emma and Sally are. It's also hissing.



And something just moved past the window.

Murphy reaches into his shirt and pulls a silver cross that he wears on a leather band out from underneath.

"Sure, mate, happy to."

He stares at the little cat, then turns around and moves to the side of the window, pushing the curtains to the side a little and peeking out.


10:54, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 2,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,2. Notice.

"I think I saw something...Joel, come here. You look out here, make sure there are no Comanche about."
Or rabid cougars.

"I'll be seeing about Sally." Murphy resists the urge to draw his pistol, but he makes sure the gun rests easy in his holster, then calls out to the mother. "Emma? Everything all right in there?"

There doesn't seem to be anything outside but darkness, and the horses aren't making any noise, so nothing seems to be bothering them at the moment. That's cold comfort if whatever he saw is sneaking up on them instead their steeds, but it's something.

Joel nods and sticks his scattergun out the door. He stands at attention, but his hands shake.

"Please! Help us!" says Emma from the back. "I think she's getting worse...no baby, don't bite, it's Mama..."

"You keep your eyes on the window Joel... watch for them savages!"

Murphy crosses himself, then goes into the next room.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS2-CktchfM">some mood music</a>

There's a rank smell in the tiny room. Emma kneels down at the bed, trying to comfort her little girl. She's frazzled, her normally perfect hair in disarray, and one of her hands is bandaged.

And little Sally...

Sally Robertson thrashes about, her teeth snapping and grinding as she strains against the ropes tied around her wrists to keep her in the bed. Her dark hair is matted, her skin is pallid save for the blood caked around her lips, and her eyes are sunken and bloodshot.

"There, there, sweetie..." Emma whispers. Her bandaged hand caresses Sally's brow, though she pulls it away sharply as the little girl's teeth snap at her wrist. "It's ok...help is here!"

((OOC: Make a Fear check, + Grit, -4 for the Fear Level. This is against Fear/Nausea, not terror.))

09:11, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 18,8 using d10-1,d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of (10+9)19,(6+3)9. Fear check.

"Holy Jesus..." he whispers.
"Emma - when did she bite ya?

He nods at the answer. "Good, we'll have the Marshal have take a look at that, too. Get me something to gag her - a wooden spoon or something. Can't have her bite everybody or spook the horses. We'll need to bind her, too, wrap her in blankets, most like. Can you get all that? I'll stay with her."

He knew, of course, that Sally was beyond saving. But Emma and Joel might not be. He didn't know if the infection - or whatever it was - could be stopped in Emma, but it was worth a try.

What if that here was little Rose?
No, not even think that.

"It...it was...she got so still, and then she just started thrashing..." Emma says. "The sun hadn't gone down yet, I think..."



"A spoon..." she says absently, then nods, and hurries out of the room.

Leaving Murphy all alone with the creature that had once been little Sally Robertson, age 9.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:06, Fri 04 May 2012.

Murphy pulls his pistol from the holster and aims betwern the eyes of the thing that used to be Sally.
His hand trembles for a long moment, then he sighs, and shoves the pistol back in his belt.

"I'm sorry this happened to you."

What had the world come to? Dead people runnin around? Comanche on the war path. He'd need to talk to Father O'Rourke about that.
He knew he should put an end to this - but what would he tell their parents? What would he do to Joel if he came to him and told him his daughter was beyond saving?

"St. Patrick, give me strength."

He made sure that Sally couldn't get out of bed, then went back to the other room.
Joel, put down the shotgun and have a seat with me. You too, Emma. Sally will be fine for a minute."

He waited for them to sit down, unsure on what he could tell them to convince them.

"I've got the spoon!" Emma says, waving a wooden ladle around as she takes a seat.

"I don't feel comfortable letting this go." Joel mutters. "I could swear something's out there, just out of sight. What if it's come back? What if it's the Indians?"

"Joel, Emma- you know I'm your friend, right? I'll never forget that you were very kind to Flora and me, back when we came here. Joel, you got me that job at the Circle W. And Emma, you were a friend for Flora from the beginning and introduced her to the others in town. And you were a big help when Rose came, we didn't know anything. I'm telling you all that so you know that I'm not talking lightly and:  don't want to hurt you.

He sighs again. Their pain and grief  fills the room like smoke and makes it hard to breathe. Or so he imagines.

"I've seen  that before, what Sally has. Seen it in the war up North. Seen it in the old country, too. There is nothing anybody can do to help, I'm sorry. The best you could do is ease her suffering. But you, Emma, we must go and get that bite wound treated before the infection spreads."

There. It wasn't quite true what he told them, but how do you tell a parent that that thing in the other room was not Sally anymore? That their daughter died and they never knew it?

((OOC: Make a Persuasion check, please.))

Sorry, forgot about that.
06:49, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 4,1 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 4,1. persuasion.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJNGCpGp00o">some mood music</a>

There is silence in the tiny cabin. The wind whistles outside as Murphy's words begin to sink in.

"No!" Emma screams "No! I won't leave my baby! There has to be something, anything we can do! You're not a doctor...you can't say what can and can't be cured! No!"

"Emma..." Joel says quietly. He sags against the wall, looking for all the world as if he'd been punched in the gut. "Emma...he's right. Our baby...it's rabies for sure. Never seen it come on so fast, but she's so little...there's no cure. Emma, if we don't get you treated right now..."

"NO!!!" Emma shrieks, and runs back to Sally's room. A door slams, a bolt is thrown.

Joel looks at Murphy. The first tears are beginning to stream down his face. "Oh god...what do I do? I've failed her...failed my little girl...and if it's rabies, and Emma has it too..." He states Murphy straight in the eye. "I can't lose them both, Paddy. I can't."

Why the hell is there a bolt on that door!?

"You won't, if I can help it. Wr gotta get that door open and drag Emma out. It's spreading too fast to get one."

He gets up and hammers his fist against the door.

"Emma! Emma open up, I'm sorry. Open the door and we'll take you and the girl to the doc. Come on, open!"

OOC: 08:21, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 1,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1,2. persuasion.
Hell, I don't believe that myself...

There's noting but silence on the other side of the door for a few tense minutes...

Until the sound of breaking glass shatters the quiet.

"Emma?!"
Murphy throws himself against the door, trying to force it open.

OOC: 10:07, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 9,5 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+3)9,5. Strength.

some mood music

The bolt isn't very strong, and the door pops right open.

The room, however, is empty. The window has been broken, and there are a few scraps of cloth stuck to the shards. There's also a trail of blood from the bed to the windowsill. Nothing large, just a few droplets...but the fact it's there at all is worrisome.

And the horses are beginning to whinny...something's disturbing them.

"Christ on his cross!" Murphy yells, then backs out of the room, almost running into Joel.
"They're out through the window and I think Emma might have cut herself. Hurry, mate!"

Murphy hurries outside, towards the horses and searches for Emma and Sally.

OOC: 11:07, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 7,2 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (6+1)7,2. notice.

Emma has made it to Embarr and is busy trying to untie him, though the bundle in her arm is slowing her down. Embarr does not seem happy in the least, and is bucking away from the woman and her infected child as best he can.

"Emma!" Joel shouts as he follows Murphy out. "Emma, wait!"

Then he screams and falls to the ground, an arrow poking out the back of his calf. A grey skinned figure runs into the lamplight from the cabin, another arrow already knocked and drawn!

"Oh, bloody hell!"

Grey warpaint? I thought them savages are more into reds... the idle thought trails through Murphy's head as if he saw a play in Dublin.
He pulls his pistol, then kneels down next to Joel to see if there's anything he can do to help.

"Emma, Joel's been hit. Please come to your senses woman!"

07:24, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 5,7 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,(6+1)7. persuasion, calming emma down. 07:24, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 5,3 using d6,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 5,3. notice, checking joel.

The wound is shallow, though that arrow's going to have to come out. Joel seems more in shock than in pain, and he's trying to turn around and face the oncoming attacker.

Emma, on the other hand, is still trying to unhitch Embarr. "Hold them off!" She cries. "I'll get Ward! Everything will be fine if we get to Ward!"

She probably believes a doctor is the only way of helping her family...but if she heads to the Circle W, she'll run right past that undead soldier!

((OOC: Draw initiative cards for me, please.

Joel is currently Shaken by the wound.))

---

Turn Order
Emma: AD
Joel: JS
Comanche Raider: 2C
Murphy: Not drawn yet

08:59, Today: Mad Irish Murphy drew the single card: 3S using the Deadlands system. Initiative.

"Damn it, Emma, there's Comanche about, the road to the ranch is blocked!"

Emma finishes untying the horse and leaps on...but Embarr begins to buck wildly. She screams as the horse tosses her off and canters a short distance away. She lands hard, the bundle spilling open.

Little Sally rises and snarls, eying her mother with hunger in her dead eyes.

"Emma!" Joel cries, and starts crawling toward her and away from the Comanche. He's still in incredible pain, though, and doesn't get far.

((OOC: Emma tries to ride, but the horse doesn't like the zombie baby, so she has to make a Ride check at -2 to remain horsed. She's an extra, so she has no Wild Die.

Emma's ride: 08:02, Today: The Stray rolled -1 using 1d4-2, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Emma's ride. Ouch. That's a fail. Since the horse was not moving at the time, she takes 1d6 damage from the fall.

08:06, Today: The Stray rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. falling damage. She's not seriously hurt, but she's prone and Sally is out of her grip and able to start attacking. Sally will be dealt in Next Round.

Joel attempts to unshake: 08:08, Today: The Stray rolled 1 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 1. Recover from Shaken. He fails to Unshake, so he can only take free actions. His action is to crawl half his Pace closer to his wife.

Cards for next round:
Joel: AD
Emma: QD
Sally: 4C))

---

Murphy's up next!

OOC: No card for the indian?

Murphy grabs Joel by the arm and pulls him up, taking a quick shot at the indian.

20:23, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 7,10 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 7,(6+4)10. Shooting
20:24, Today: Mad Irish Murphy rolled 23 using 3d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3,(6+6+5)17. Damage.