Chris K

"Yeah, okay," Sid says dismissively. It's unclear how much of Chris K's reassurances she took in. "I didn't see anything outside. You know, I didn't believe him before, but Riley's dad must have really cleaned this place up. Or, like, someone else did before they left."

"I hope he don't run into him," Rose says, glancing at the doorway.

"They usually pick him up later than this," Vivian says, "but I don't know what he does in the morning. He may not wake up until they arrive, or maybe he cleans out another house every sunrise."

"Yeah, let's...just be careful, okay?" Rose winces.

The town's layout is simple enough that Chris K can plot out a convenient route. In one, gently curved route, he can hit both hardware stores - MacMillan's first, then Busy Beaver - and a gas station between them. Checking other gas stations will complicate the route, forcing the group to zig-zag between blocks. It's impossible to judge from the map how many cars will be on the streets.

I'm happy to speed up a bit, I thought we might be taking it slow to give the other players a chance to try and interfere, but as that looks unlikely, we can speed up some, and look for more people

"Ok, thats our route, lets move out" Chris says, and they move out Chris First, sid last, Vivian and ROse in the middle

Chris K

The group's first destination, MacMillan's Tools and Hardware, is a bust; at its location on the map is a thoroughly raided convenience store. Presumably it either moved or went out of business well before the dead rose. The store's supply of food, drinks, and cigarettes has been stripped to the bone, but it's possible some less obviously useful supplies may still exist.

The gas station's storefront has also been raided of all food, drinks, and cigarettes. The vehicular supplies, such as oil, windshield fluid, and the like, have also obviously been looted, but not completely. Among the remaining supplies are a few empty red plastic jerrycans. It's possible there may be gas in the underground tank, but without electricity to run the pumps, it won't be easy to access it or even to gauge the remaining supply.

Busy Beaver trade supplies is exactly where indicated on the map. Despite its cartoonish logo, it appears to have been a serious shop for trade professionals - or, at least, people who considered themselves equal to trade professionals - with equipment of impressive supply and quality. Someone's kicked the door in, but not enough people went through here to clear the place out. The group easily turns up some plastic tubing appropriate for siphoning gasoline; if they want any other tools, they're likely to find it here.

Chris takes the gasoline cans (how many should I add to my Char sheet? And how much do they hold?) and the tubing when they find it.

He says to the others "we lucked out. Lets search here for anything else that might be useful before we head off. We need to find things we can use to make shelter and keep warm, and also hold water and food. So anything along those lines would be good. So rope, tarpaulins, poles to keep a tarp up, something that will do as anchors for the bottom, blankets - plus anything else you can think of. May not be the right sort of shop, but see what you can find. And don't forget to check employee lockers for goodies."

ooc

08:25, Today: Chris K rolled 20 using 2d10+5.  Luck 5.


08:28, Today: Chris K rolled 17 using 2d10+5.  Scavenging 5.

Chris K

At Chris K's instructions, the group splits up, gathering various supplies. Sid and Vivian move with confidence that implies they already know what to look for, but Rose is slower and more exploratory, inspecting the shelves as she passes as if imagining new opportunities for each item for the first time. Chris K, on his pass through the store, also turns up some useful gear.

The back of the building does not have any proper lockers, but the employee rooms do contain some personal effects. Among them, Chris K finds a set of keys, one of which corresponds to a large flatbed truck parked behind the shop. The truck has two rows of seats, enough to transport five people comfortably, plus enough space in the bed to carry plenty of tools.

Chris turns the key in the truck to check its battery is ok and also how much fuel it shows, and then stows his gear before gathering the others and getting them loaded up with their gear.

ooc
SUs/equipment - how does this work. So, I said we were looking for camping gear and water containers. If I 'buy' them here I assume they would be cheaper than if I bought them later on when we needed them but were in the desert? And in terms of gear do we need to keep track of every item, or are some things dealt with more generically - like the fuel cans? So I guess I am asking did we just get SUs or did we find some of what we are looking for as well, and need to convert the SU's into the items?

Hope that sort of makes sense

Chris K

The truck looks new, probably no more than a couple years old. The battery still holds a charge, even after couple months unused, and the fuel tank looks half-full. Sid, Vivian, and Rose emerge from the shop with supplies, mostly of the type that Chris K requested.

"I had to go through all the tarps to find this one," Sid says, sounding satisfied with herself, as she throws a rolled blue plastic tarp into the flatbed. "It's perfect! Big enough to put under a tent or keep the rain off, but small enough to carry if we roll it up right."

"You spent all your time doing that," Vivian answers. "We had to get everything else."

"It's important!"

"It's a fixation," Vivian says, then slips her hands into her jacket pockets. "You know what they call a fixation on tarps, right?"

"Uh..." Sid pauses, giving Vivian a confused look.

"Tarpel tunnel syndrome," Vivian says simply. She maintains a poker face for a long moment, but finally breaks, a smirk lifting one corner of her mouth involuntarily.

Rose sighs under her breath, then locks eyes with Chris K. "What do we do now? Back to the gas station?"

Chris looked at thir haul and scatched his chin. "I don't think we have enough tubing to siphon the gas station. We need to go car to car to find some with gas still in and siphon that into the truck and as much as we can into the gas cans. Once we've got enough to get to the next town we can roll out."

ooc

Happy New year - does the truck use regular fuel ie the same as cars, or is it different? Would Chris have any idea about mileage on it?

Regarding SUs and Kit, I'll spend the three I have got, and based on what we found and what I spent I think we have the following

Some red plastic jerrycans
Tubing for siphoning fuel
Blue plastic tarp
Rope and pegs for tarp
some Water containers
bedding for the 4 of us
Is that right?

Chris K

"Okay..." Rose says. "How long is that going to take? Everyone else is probably awake by now. Even if they don't know we're gone yet, they're going to come here to pick up Murphy. What if they see us? It's a small town."

Chris looks at Rose, and the others "Ok Our second option is to head off straight away to somewhere we can get to on half a tank of gas. Anyone know the area around here to know how close the next town west is? Or the nearest next town if its not west?"

ok on the gear - what about these questions though please?

Does the truck use regular fuel ie the same as cars, or is it different? Would Chris have any idea about mileage on it?

Chris K

Rose, Sid, and Vivian go quiet, all three exchanging glances. Though no one says anything, they nonetheless give off a sheepish air as the silence extends on.

Finally, Vivian sighs. "No. I don't know the area, I don't have a map, and neither does anyone else."

"Once we get on the highway, there'll be signs - " Sid starts.

" - but if we can't plan our route, we'll need more gas," Vivian interrupts.

Chris sighed as well "hindsight is 2020, should have thought of where I was going to go before I lit out..." he pauses and looks around.

"But we can't wait here, or the others will find us and likely try and stop us. So ..." he got out the map again and looked at it "IF we can find a gas station on the west side of town we shoudl head for that, and try and fuel up. gets us out of the centre at least. SOund ok? ANd hopefully we can find a road map there too."

ooc
was actually meaning mileage as in miles per gallon ie roughly how far does Chris guess they could get on half a tank, but the other info is useful too!

Chris K

Vivian cocks her head to the side slightly, giving Chris K a skeptical look, but then puts her hands up. "Alright. I've already said my piece on the gas station. If you've got a plan, fine. Better than standing around."

"And if that doesn't work, we can get on the highway and try there," Sid adds.

Vivian turns her head slightly, rolling her eyes at an angle Sid can't see. "We'll have options," she says, opening the truck's passenger side door.

As they get in the truck and head off Chris says "I know the gas stations is probably a bust for fuel, but I'm hoping for a map at least. And as its a station on the edge of town, there may be vehicles around we can try which haven't been siphoned. Otherwise, we're just going to have to just chance it."

ooc
Which way is the farm from the centre of town again - ie is west taking us back towards it?

Chris K

The group heads towards the western edge of town. Though a small community, it is enough to support multiple gas stations, and after a bit of searching, they eventually find one not marked on the map they took from the police break room. Heading inside, they find the store ransacked, much like many others; however, while the cigarettes, automotive supplies, and nonperishable food, snacks, and drinks have been cleaned out, the road maps are largely untouched, and they find a fold-out highway map covering the southwest corner of Arkansas and parts of Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas.

Without any way to power the gas station's pumps, it's impossible to tell whether the underground tanks have any fuel left, let alone access it. There are always vehicles around, however, whether parked on the side of streets or sitting in driveways. Sid volunteers to siphon the fuel out of their tanks, but once she puts her skills to the test, turns out to have a harder time of it than expected. At the first vehicle, it takes her a couple of minutes of sucking on the inner tube to get anything out of the tank, and once she does, immediately descends into a coughing and spitting fit when she gets gasoline in her mouth. For a few seconds, gasoline spills out of the tubing onto the ground before she can direct the stream into the jerry can.

Gathered around the donor vehicle as Sid's sounds of disgust subside, the group suddenly hears another sound - that of an approaching vehicle on asphalt. Though not in sight yet, it sounds like it's only a few blocks away, and coming closer.

Chris ducks down and says "SHit. Take cover everyone, we don't want to be seen if possible." He helps Sid stash the siphoning kit under a car, before taking cover himself. He'll try and get cover in a place near the road, so he can see as much as possible of it, probably from under the car they're siphoning

ooc
what the layout here - are there lots of cars nearby? I assume our truck will stand out like a sore thumb to anyone who knows what vehicles were here before?

Chris K

The group takes cover as per orders. He stashes the siphoning kit easily enough, but isn't able to fit under the car himself. There is too little room for anyone of their group to fit besides possibly Vivian, and even then that would be too tight a squeeze to do quickly; instead, Chris K is forced to take cover through a shattered bay window just as the vehicle turns the corner.

He recognizes it as belonging to the community he and the others had left behind just hours before. It rolls past their commandeered truck, but comes to a stop on the street. As the engine cuts, Chris K hears a voice:

"No, they're dead. They're all messed up. That mother's alive, I know it."

It's Lawrence Coseb's voice, followed by the sound of a vehicle door opening and closing.

"I'm gon' check it out. Keep them guns ready."

Chris steps out from hiding, his M4 in his hands, but not pointed at anyone, he moves forward and says "Hi Lawrence, its just me and some others. Best come out guys. We're leaving. Thats all. No need for any trouble."

He keeps his eye on the vehicle as well, trying to make out how many are inside it, and who they are

Chris K

Lawrence has his own rifle in hand, though like Chris K, he's not pointing it at anyone. Behind him, in a car, are two more men. Chase sits in the passenger's side seat, eyeing the confrontation warily. He doesn't look eager to get out of the car. In the back seat is another man. Chris K recognizes his face, but doesn't know his name. He never did learn it.

"Kowalski?" Lawrence asks. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

At Chris K's call to come out, Rose emerges from her hiding place. A second later, so does Vivian. Sid does not. Lawrence glances between the three visible people for a moment, then narrows his eyes.

"Thought for a second you two might have had a good reason for being here," he says before shooting Rose a disdainful look, "but ain't no reason she should be out of fields. No reason but one. You're serious, Kowalski? You're gonna cut and run? Now?"

"Yep. Were leaving. What Malcolm did going after that other group was the last straw. This is not a community I want to be part of. So, were just gonna fill up our truck here and then we're gone and not your problem. What you guys out here for anyways?"

Chris K

"We're picking up Murphy," Lawrence says. "Like we do every day. Like we're supposed to. Because we've got just a little bit of something we call integrity and responsibility."

"We're doing this out of integrity," Rose insists. "Malcolm - "

"I didn't tell you to talk," Lawrence growls, but doesn't even look at Rose. His eyes stay locked on Chris K. The silence drags on for several seconds before he speaks again.

"It's funny what you said - filling up your truck. But it ain't yours, is it? Only ones with claim to this town are Murphy and Riley. That means this is their town, which really means it's our town. Our truck, our gas, our supplies...probably our food in your packs, too, ain't it? Took it right out of our storeroom, didn't you?"

His mouth presses into a thin line, except for one corner, which twerks upward in a tiny, mirthless smirk. "And that makes you our problem, too, don't it?"

Chris looks at Lawrence and just smiles "Well, I'm no lawyer, so I'm not sure that living in the place before everything went to hell means you own it all. Because if it did, it means that everything we have all taken since we left where we were when this all started is theft." Chris looked left and right theatrically "But as I don't see any Cops around, I don't see any issue about that unless we want to create it." HE again looks up the street, before looking back at Lawrence "How may vehicles you see Lawrence? Since Ive been round town I reckon theres more than enough for one each for everyone in the group. And here we are, the three of us, taking just one vehicle. And in exchange for leaving you our other vehicles, then we took some food in trade. I think thats a good deal. And if you take it, then you'll never have to see any of us again. We'll leave town - now with what we got - and never come back. You can tell the others that as well. You wont have to worry about us in your plans."

ooc

08:56, Today: Chris K rolled 15 using 2d10+4.  Cha 4.

Chris K

As Chris K speaks, he sees Vivian's hand slip into her jacket pocket. Lawrence appears to notice as well, as Chris K sees him subtly tense up, ready to fight. The two in the car seem to pick up on the tension as well; while the unknown man looks ready to fight, Chase's eyes flick to the sides, taking in all avenues of retreat. This doesn't look like pure fear from him, either; while clearly nervous, there's also an undertone of tactical thought to him, suggesting that he sees the prospect of abandoning Lawrence less as a necessary loss and more as an opportunity.

Lawrence seems unamused by Chris K's theatrics, but appears to give his reasoning fair consideration. Once Chris K is done, he thinks for a moment before his mouth slowly curves into a grim, mirthless smile. "You ain't wrong. Fair price to cut loose the dead weight, especially without any mess."

He leans in close, his smile disappearing and his voice dropping to a cold whisper.

He leans back, his eyes hard and burning with restrained anger. Without another word, he turns and walks back to the car.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:00, Wed 27 Jan 2021.

Chris motions to the others to stand still as Lawrence walks back to the car, and then waits for the car to pull out. Once theyre gone he lets out a deep breath and says "I think we should forget the fuel for now and head off. Once were a few miles out of town we can start trying cars on the road. Happy with that?" Assuming they agree, he adds "The more miles we have between us and that asshole the better. Hes one person I won't miss."

He pulls out the highway map and spreads it out on the bonnet of the ruck, and invites tehm all over "You can come out now too, Sid. Smart thinking" he adds.

Looking at the maps he tries to find where they are and then looks at the surrounding area to figure out a good first destination.

"SO where do we head, any ideas? Also, which roads to use?"

ooc
Is there a good map you can suggest I should look at to figure a route? My American geography is pretty poor

Chris K

With some room to breathe, the group checks over the highway map. Lawrence and the others were likely the only vehicle traveling from the farm, and the others probably are not aware they have fled the community, so they can probably travel roads relatively close to the farm in safety. While the highway map shows too great an area to provide much detail, the group can plot out a path that will take them out of Arkansas and into Texas on their way to California. The fuel already in the truck should last a couple hundred miles at least - plenty of road to find more vehicles, more gas, and more opportunities.

With nothing else to keep them here, the group is on the road again in minutes. This time, they leave Milton's perimeter for the final time, leaving Malcolm's community - and all the relationships, disagreements, and history they created there - behind forever.