Malcolm understood this was going to be a touchy situation and decided taking a back seat was probably the best way to go. Getting out of the car with her he called dout.

"Juan, Chris, Ramona, Diana and Tamara. Come with Riley and I. The rest of you stay put and keep your eyes peeled yeah?" He says, turning to Riley. He kept a light hearted smile on to try and comfort her.

"It's better nowadays to lie low, if your folks are as resourceful as you are I'm sure they'e making it work." He glances down the street towards the houses in question then back at her.

"Ladies first." He says.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:41, Mon 02 Dec 2019.

Chris nods at Malcolm and asks "We motoring, or hot footing it?"

Mal looked at Chris, deep in thought.

"We should fan out, go on foot I think. I domt want to get one of our cars disabled if some asshole finds us."

Diana shakes her head, sliding to the edge of her seat and climbing out of the van. As she does so she purses her lips and says,

"Shepherd, eh? I must remind you that you are expected to conduct yourself in a manner befitting the wielder of that title."

Injury notwithstanding his reluctance to act was beginning to aggravate her. From the moment an individual takes authority over a group of people is the moment where their future rests on that individual's shoulders. All that they do should be for the benefit of the group. It speaks volumes of Malcolm's leadership for him to be so glib in these affairs.

She huffs and furrows her brows, pouting just a little as she speaks in an aside to Malcolm. "The task of supporting your flock comes to you. You are uniquely able to provide emotional support. Try using that gift to guide us down the path you've laid before us."

Diana didn't have the best--or any--relationship with Riley. Projecting her own insecurities and desires onto her made it easier to empathize. Whether or not Riley possessed the constitution necessary to weather the loss of her family she could not say. Perhaps Riley's shortcomings didn't mirror her own.

Diana doesn't know much about grief. She's not known anyone die who wasn't due to die, if that terrible sentiment makes any sense. Both of her grandparents on her mother's side passed away at a good age, when Diana was already out of her teens. She had never known her biological father, so that's fewer people to mourn. Her dog died suddenly, when she was fifteen. Hit by a car. That had broken her heart, but Diana is aware that there might be further, more devastating ways for her heart to be broken, just over the horizon. She's fortunate to have never felt real pain, not really. Diana always imagined loss of family would be as horrific as if she'd lost all her limbs.



She doesn’t turn but responds, “Is it?” her voice airy and unfocused, a casual response she isn’t thinking about. Immediately Diana feels her heart pang. She blinks a little, and then looks vulnerable, embarrassed somehow as she turns to face Riley.

"Unless I'm mistaken the sign we rode past estimates Milton's population at around one thousand." Diana clears her throat, and casts her gaze down the block in both directions before returning to Riley. "Thus it's only natural to assume the town's fighting strength is, for the moment at least, depleted. Perhaps it is the objective of whomever was behind the two blockades we had to disassemble.

While I fully accept the necessity of a real battle from time to time, it is still a surprise to be tasked with punishing bandits without warning. Should we initiate a search we'd best prepare for further confrontation.

Can you think of any locations that would offer refuge you would like to visit first?"
This message was last edited by the player at 07:58, Tue 03 Dec 2019.

Ramona let the conversations play out without getting involved. Instead, she readied herself by doing some leg and arm stretches -- taking care to be ginger with her injured leg. That the town was dead silent gave Ramona some cause to be concerned, though. It seemed like everywhere you went, dead were walking. Where were they now?

Malcolm said nothing as Diana spoke to him quietly. His eyes hinting at a deep resentment to a random lecture. He broke away and unclipped his rifle and reloaded the magazine while letting the others stretch.

"When we walk down dont clump up. I dont want some idiot with a machine gun to end humanities last hope. Kale you hear a gunfight break out grab a car and save our asses." He reloads his rifle and does a scan of his surroundings, finally his eyes rested on Riley. While shes proven to be the competent, friendly and trustworthy he couldnt shake the fact that she was now an emotional timebomb and all bets were off if things didnt go well down the street.

The responses that were given to her question went unheard. "Maybe they're the one who set up the blockades." Riley stared blankly down the street. This heavy feeling in her chest won't be going away anytime soon.



"None that I know of. If they're not here, they'll be at the farm." Riley took the lead. "This way." She began leading the others to her home.

Diana doesn't say anything in reply to Malcolm and just huffs a little bit at nothing, curly hair brushing her shoulders as she undoes her ponytail. Diana knows she's ordering him around, and that he was the leader, but she was right. While it may be their humanity that pushes people to step up and take the lead should the need arise, Diana didn't believe talent was what separated her and Malcolm's approach so much as readiness.

Diana clasps her hands in front of her and softens her expression, intent on watching the youth man until he makes eye contact with her.



Diana retrains her focus on the teenager, eyeing her levelly. While the girl's response warranted further questioning Diana surmises it would be beneficial to leave the interrogation for later. Riley's tone may not have sounded decisive but her words did so the medic smiles and obliges her guide.

She turns her head, looking to see if she has Dahlia's attention. She raises her eyebrows and gestures toward the house with a nod of her head and a shrug of her shoulders, as if to ask her sister whether she wanted to accompany them or not.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:52, Wed 04 Dec 2019.

Malcolm, Diana, Juan, Chris K, Ramona, Riley


Malcolm lists off the names that will accompany Riley to her family home. Dahlia is not one of them, but she looks over at Diana from the corner of her eye. When Diana wordlessly offers the opportunity for Dahlia to flout Malcolm's orders, Dahlia nods, falling into step behind Diana.

The others stay true to their assignments. Kale steps out of the vehicles but leans against the side of the van, turning his back to the away teams in order to watch the streets. Mason keeps his rifle at low ready, but moves to the lawn of a nearby home, stepping under the shade of a tree and, like Kale, keeping an eye on the streets. Hale, unarmed, stays in the van.

The away team fans out, as Malcolm orders, but no attack comes. The group meets neither gunfire nor the moans of the walking dead before they reach Riley's home. Her father's blue pickup truck is sitting in the driveway, but her mother's Ford Ka is nowhere to be seen. There's also something strange about the house, but it's hard to put a finger on what - it looks normal but off at the same time.

Riley is naturally the first to approach the house. As she climbs the front steps, she notices how silent it is inside. She can't remember the last time she walked up to the front door and the house had felt so cold and empty. When she tries the front door, it's locked.

In reply to Snicker (msg # 14):

Juan readied a throwing dagger as he moved about the outside of the house. Others where heading for the front, so he moved around back. He would most likely end up knocking before going in, assuming there was a rear entrance. After all, the dead would start reacting to any sound the second they hear it, thus giving away thier postion inside. However, he would wait for the others to be ready before he did so.

ooc-06:45, Today: Juan rolled 21 using 2d10+5.  Per/int roll.

Watching Riley go to the front door Malcolm walks over to the truck and checks the bed and cab of the vehicle. Looking for signs of use or anything else that could give her hope.

"Riley, what are their names?" He asks without looking at her.

Ramona walked lightly, keeping herself reasonably spaced between everyone. The curved end of the crowbar taps her palm in anticipation. Although it wasn't their main target, Ramona felt that visiting the house was the right thing for Riley to do. Everybody needed closure. Even if it came in the form of a grisly sight. Ramona looked at Tamara knowingly, then held up her palm in a 'waiting' gesture.

Chris thinks about stopping Riley and is relieved when the door is locked. The fact they haven't been challenged is not a good sign, but a locked door suggests her family may have left in good order. He hopes so.

HE sweeps the area around them looking out for any zeds

ooc

21:20, Today: Chris K rolled 11 using 2d10+5.  Per/Int roll.

Malcolm, Diana, Juan, Chris K, Ramona, Riley

Malcolm checks the truck, but there's not much to see. It's clearly seen several years of use, though it probably has a few more years left in it. Nothing gives any indication whether it was used in the last few weeks.

Moving around back, Juan sees that the house has a rear entrance and a small patio. Up against the house is a milk crate that Riley's family apparently used to carry empty beer bottles, as it's filled with them. More beer bottles are carefully placed around it, several rows deep, before giving way to wine, cooler, and liquor bottles. Someone's been doing a lot of drinking.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:12, Fri 06 Dec 2019.

Riley felt the cold handle in her palms, and the resistance of the lock mechanism denying her entrance. Of course, what else was I expecting?

"Murphy's my dad, my mother's Miriam. Connor and Shannon are my two sisters." Riley listed out the names as a response to Malcolm's question. She aligned herself up against the window to steal a peek into the house...

Mal put the hand on the hood of the truck to feel of ots been used recently but it was cold. He took a deep breath, turning back to everyone. He gestured to the lawn.

"Well someones here, and they care about the length of their lawn." He looks to Riley."Should we just knock?"

In reply to Snicker (msg # 19):

Juan moved carefully to the back. His knife ready, he stayed low and away from being in directly front of the door. There might be a person with a gun on the other side. He tried a quick peek via one of the windows to see if he could spot anyone.

Malcolm, Diana, Juan, Chris K, Ramona, Riley

Neither Juan nor Riley see or hear anyone inside the house, but Riley - looking into the kitchen specifically - recognizes that the house seems cleaner than when she left. When she lived here, a day would hardly go by without seeing dishes in the sink or frozen food defrosting on the counter, but now it looks downright spick and span.

There's an unnerving quality to seeing a familiar environment so sterile.

Slithers of alarm creep beneath her skin.

"I suspect as much, yes. But we won't know for certain unless we look into the matter."

In reply to Snicker (msg # 23):

Juan tries to catch sight of the others round the front of the house. Waving, he shakes his head no while pointing to the back. Trying to indicate he saw nothing.

"Give me a second, Malcolm." Riley answered. "Guys, get your weapons out. I think someone's been in the house recently." Riley stepped down from the porch onto the lawn. She reached down, removing a piece of rock from the dirt. After a few seconds of unraveling the dirt, she fished up a key. She smiled in relief with the key in her hand.

Mom was fed up with Dad forgetting his keys, so she finally decided to hide an extra pair in the garden, just for him.

With the key in the doorknob, she slowly opened the front door.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:31, Sun 08 Dec 2019.

Malcolm nods at Riley, he still has his rifle in his hands but when he sees her procure a key from the rock he takes a couple steps to get into the side yard so Juan can see him better and starts waving to him to come back to the group. If they were going inside someones home he wouldnt want them to get the wrong idea and start shooting them before we had the chance.

The more details Diana considered about the town location, its population and the labor of love it took just to reach this destination, the more she didn't feel comfortable with just a handgun.

Admit it. You're worried about this one. The facts are all out of order, the pieces don't fit the way they're supposed to.

It was ironic that the reasons compelling her to crack this mystery were the same ones that made her so uneasy. Riley's words of caution underline the possibility that this incident may be more serious than anticipated. Who would have thought that a maintained lawn would be too disturbing too ignore.

Diana grimaces, as though this is all slightly awkward. "With any luck, this will all be for naught. Still, be on your guard."

Diana's glance finds Dahlia, almost involuntarily. She is about to speak when she notices Juan's approach. She gives him a look, and draws herself upright.

No Spanish around that one.

Chris hangs back keeping watch outwards for anyone - or anything - trying to approach from behind them, glancing now and then at the others to make sure he didn't loose sight

Malcolm, Diana, Juan, Chris K, Ramona, Riley

"You don't have to tell me, Princess," Dahlia says. "I'm always on my guard. You're the one who always wants to make friends."

Despite her best efforts, Dahlia's voice betrays her tension. Malcolm's comment about the lawn, drawing the attention of everyone who hadn't already noticed it was recently mowed, had made her distinctly uncomfortable, moreso than overt displays of violence typically do. She casts a side-eye at the lawn, then mutters to herself, "Qué mierda."

The door opens just the way Riley remembers. The house is silent, and still feels familiar. The air smells somewhat reminiscent of her teenage sisters' bedrooms (one of which was formerly Riley's room); not stale but not fresh, of unwashed clothes and bedsheets.

Tamara nudges Ramona's side. "You should go in with her. Just in case."