Chris K

"Yeah, I can drive," Rose says breathlessly. She is clearly worn out by the hours of walking, but tries to smile anyway. "You - you do mean just driving, right? I can't steal a car, if that's what you mean."

"I can drive," Vivian adds, then studies Chris K's face carefully. "Why wouldn't we go straight away? I thought we wanted to leave before anyone comes looking for us."

Chris nods at Vivian "Yeah we do. But I thought some of us might want to rest." Chris shrugs "but then again, those that aren't driving can rest." Talking to all of them now he continues " So we need to find a vehicle as quick as possible, ideally with keys or we wont be able to get it started. We also need to get as much fuel for it as we can."

He looks around to get his bearings "I don't know what the fuel situation was - ie how much of this town has been cleared of it by us, but I suggest we head to the nearest petrol station, and get some fuel cans and fill them up if we can there - or by siphoning vehicles. On the way we should check any vehicles we find. When we move be careful. I think Rileys dads clears the streets, but there could still be zeds in buildings or vehicles. How does that sound as a plan?"

Chris K

"'Petrol station'?" Sid gives Chris K a sidelong look and a grin. "Do people say that here? I've never heard anyone say that except for my British uncle."

"There's a couple problems," Vivian says. "Gas pumps run on electricity. Unless we can find some way to power them, we can't get the gas out. I've never siphoned gas before, but I think it needs some kind of rubber tubing. Do you know where we can find that?"

Chris nodded and rubbed his chin "Shit. I wish I thought of that BEFORE I lit out, could have prepared more" He looked around for any zeds whilst thinking.

"So Rubber tubing could be in a hardware store - like a bit of a hose pipe would do right? So have any of you spotted one of them? Or a garage - I mean one that does repairs, not just a gas station. SO we could try there too. If we can get some and siphon enough for a full tank, then we can leave sorting out the gas station until we're a distance aways. Whilst we're looking though - we could use a road map"

ooc
I'm in England, so I do say Petrol station, and as a result Chris phraseology may be slightly off when I try and do American English. Just put it down as one of his quirks...

There are no walkers within the immediate area, but Chris K notices that Sid and Vivian are also casually glancing around as they talk. Rose only belatedly notices their surveillance and starts looking around as well.

"This town's, like, a thousand people," Sid says. Her tone of voice is almost derogatory. "Do they even have hardware stores or garages or anything like that?"

"They definitely have those," Vivian says flatly. "People in towns like this can't live without their tools and their trucks."

"Okay, where are they?" Rose asks.

"I don't know that," Vivian frowns. "We should split up. Two and two. Chris, who do you want?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:56, Wed 11 Nov 2020.

Chris glances at the others, and then does a quick calculation, and says "You happy to come with me Rose?"

ooc
Has Chris visited the main street, I'm assuming thats where the stores are? If so, are there any stores on their which might have maps of the area? Like an Estate agent (Real Estate? Someone who sells houses basically...), or tourist office? Or maybe a Police Station? A Library?

Chris K

"You want me?" Rose looks up, surprised, but then stands. Her breathing is still slightly laboured, but from the look of her smile, she seems to have momentarily forgotten.

"Sure, I'll come! Where to?"

"Ok. I think for now we need to not get too seperated. So we'll just go round the block in twos. In different directions. What we need is a local map or a sign that points us to someplace that might have a map - a library, a school or the sherriffs office. IF that doesn't work, then we'll need to re-think. If you find somewhere that might be worth investigating, quickly check it for zeds but come straight back - this is just a recce - not the actual getting phase. OK? If we go in somewhere, we all need to be togethor. Happy with that?"

Chris K

"Going around the block?" Vivian asks. "As in, the same block? That won't get us far."

"Yeah, we'd have to do that, like, four or five times to cover the whole town," Sid adds.

"Do you think a town like this has a map?" Rose asks Chris K. "The sign outside said it had a population of a thousand. It might be one of those places where everyone knows where everything is, and it probably doesn't get a lot of visitors."

"It's fine," Vivian says, giving a dismissive wave of her hand. "Sid's right, if we stick to the main street, it won't take us long to check everything. Come on."

Vivian and Sid take off on one direction. Sid says something else to Vivian as they go - it's too quiet to make out, but it seems to be another joke.

"I just want to say thank you, by the way," Rose says, giving Chris K a smile. "I know we haven't talked much, and it's hard to trust people right now, but you took a chance on me. You're taking a chance on me now, having me watch your back. I won't let you down."

SO Im assuming AMerican towns are all formed in blocks, is that not the case? OR is this one too small for that to really count? Are we on the high street now?

Sorry- slightly confused by the post

Chis doesn't let Sid or Vivian get too far before saying "Hey your right. Lets all head to the main street and see whats up there first. We can go house to house after that if we need to."

He smiles at Rose and says "Thats ok. We're all going to need to get to know each other and trust each other if we stick togethor. But don't be offended if next time I choose someone else - it will just be so I can get to know them a bit better - ok?"

When Vivian and Sid stop Chris moves beside them and says "Ok - Vivian, if you know town better than me you lead, then Sid - you watch left, then Rose - you watch right, and I'll be tail end charlie, ok?"

Chris K

"Yeah, that's fine!" Rose says, smiling. "And, yeah, I'd be glad to get to know you. I guess we'll have time now! It's just..."

She sighs. "...it's like no one wants to do that. No one wants to trust anyone but themselves, and I see why they think that - there's a lot of bad people out there. No one knows that better than me. But we need to rely on each other, or we're not going to make it."

Vivian doesn't know the town much better than Chris K, but together, the group makes its way to the main street. Along the way, they pass a primary school and a high school, both of which are modestly sized single-storey buildings. The downtown area is longer than it is wide, but consists of a handful of city blocks with various buildings. Among them, Chris K can see a sheriff's office and a combination library/community center.

"Ok - I think we try the sheriffs office first. Probably been stripped clean, but might still be some maps or info on the walls, or something else that would give us a clue where any hardware stores are. Keep your eyes on any shops we pass, in case they might have something in we could use to siphon gas. Same order - ok?"

He motions to Vivian to move down the street on the sidewalk on the side by the sherriffs office. They move on the road edge, to give them some reaction time in case anything comes out of any of the buildings.

"Rose Sid - Keep and eye on the buildings to our side,  - I'll watch our backs and the main street."

ooc
Am assuming we haven't passed seen a gas station yet? or seen any zeds in the streets? Are there any vehicles on the main street?

Chris K

Vivian takes the lead, as instructed, and Rose and Sid watch the storefronts to each side. If any of them see anything, they give no indication of it. Chris K himself sees nothing behind them. Murphy's claim of keeping the streets clear appears accurate so far.

When they reach the sheriff's office, the door is hanging open. The lower glass window has been shattered, and shards of broken glass are visible in the gutter, presumably knocked off the sidewalk by dozens of feet. From what little they can see outside, it looks like the office has indeed been stripped, but they can't see how much is left from outside.

By now, the dawn has given way to morning. If there is anyone or anything walking about, the group is easier to see now.

Chris moves up to Vivian, and motions the others to close up. "I'll go in first, you guys watch the street. Once I'm sure it clear, we'll all go in and search."

He waits for the others to agree. Once they do, he bangs against the door a few times, loud enough so anything in the nearest room at least should hear it and approach, and waits. If nothing comes out after 30 seconds, he'll move in.

Chris K

Vivian glances over as Chris K pounds on the door, then returns her gaze to the street with renewed alertness. She says nothing, but looks agitated.

"You know..." Rose starts to say. "I'm not sure, but I think Murphy gets up pretty early - "

"Shh," Vivian interrupts quietly.

Other than his companions, nothing responds to Chris K's knock. Stepping inside, he can tell he's not the first one to raid the sheriff's office, though he may well turn out to be the last. The entire interior is a mess; more shards of glass crunch under Chris K's feet, and everything that could possibly hold something - gun safes, lockers, filing cabinets, desk drawers - hang open. All the guns, ammo, nightsticks, tools, and even snacks and drinks seems to have been stolen. This office may well have been the first thing raided after civilization fell, and the most exhaustively so, but Chris K can still see some papers left abandoned on desks and in drawers. Seemingly no one was interested in taking paperwork; if the raiders were all locals, they may not have bothered taking the maps either.

Chris motions the others in and says "its clear, starts searching for a map. Sid can you watch out front, I'll check the back." He starts to move off and then stops and adds "As its daylight now we're gonna need to be a bit mroe careful - not just from zeds, but in case Murphy sees us." and then checks out the back before searching for any information of use

Chris K

"Can do!" Sid gives a mock salute before moving to the nearest parked car. Stopping a moment to peek underneath, she crouches beside it and starts peeking up and down the street while Chris K, Vivian, and Rose head into the office.

Vivian and Rose start searching through lockers and drawers, but even in the seconds before Chris K passes into the back room, he can tell most of the remaining papers are A4 sheets of clerical paperwork, not maps. In a town this size, the locals probably know where everything is by heart, and the sheriff and deputies don't need a map to navigate.

The back room appears to be a combination break and briefing room. If anything, it's even more chaotic than the front. It looks like anyone who didn't find what they wanted in the front was twice as desperate by the time they got to the back room, or perhaps was just more comfortable searching thoroughly when out of view from the street. Lockers hang open, desk drawers are emptied, and vending machines are smashed. Each cupboard in the attached kitchenette is empty, as is the open fridge. Just at a glance, Chris K can tell this room has been raided of everything that could possibly be useful to the locals...but on one wall, locked under unscratched glass, yellowed by age but otherwise untouched, is a six-foot-by-four-foot town map.

Chris Whispers "Jackpot" and leans through to the main room, and says "Guys, theres a map in here. Let Sid know, and tell her to come in and have a look."

He waits until they area all int eh room, and then examines the map togethor "Ok we need to work out where we are and where we need to go. I want you all to have a look in case we get split up"

Chris K

The other three join Chris K in the room. Though it's only a difference of a few seconds, Sid is noticeably tardy, and when she enters the room, Chris K notices her eyeing every piece of visual cover from the doorway before entering.

Vivian looks up at the map for a moment, one hand on her hip. "Are we going to take it with us?"

"It's under glass," Rose replies.

"So break the glass," Vivian says, holding out her hands with palms turned upward. "Unless you're - what? Afraid of getting fined?"

"I don't want to carry that map around," Sid grumbles. "You could sleep under it! I don't want to unfold that thing in the street, it's...a pain."

According to the map, the group is roughly in the center of town. Most brick-and-mortar businesses should be in the general area, but a few convenience stores and gas stations are scattered throughout the town as a whole. The bulk of the town's land area seems to be residential housing, with blocks separated by two-lane streets. Some, but not all, businesses are labeled, but the map looks like it's been hanging on the wall for years, if not decades, so it's not clear how current it is.

Chris examined the glass and then says "Sid can you watch the front, I'm gonna try and break it. We can take it with us."

Once Sid is on watch, he uses the butt of his M4 to try and smash the glass, before using his knife to cut round the edges and get the map out

Chris K

Chris K has no trouble shattering the glass and extracting the map. It is yellow with age and, currently, does not have a single crease on it, but this will undoubtedly change if the group intends to bring it with them. At six feet by four feet and printed in horizontal orientation, Chris K can only barely hold it by the sides by straining his arms as far apart as possible, and then it would be impossible to read unless he wanted to inspect something directly in front of his nose. Held vertically, he could hold it more comfortably, but it would still be almost impossible to read. Actually using the map will require either holding it up for someone else to inspect or spreading it out on a table or the ground - and on many tables, its edges would hang over the side.

Chis puts the map on the floor, and folds it so that the centre of the town and the immediate area are still visible on a section about 18 inches square. He then invites the others to look it over with him, asking Sid to keep guard.

He will look at the map to determine what is nearby in terms of possible places for finding some rubber tubing for siphoning, as well as garages. He'll ask the others if they know anything about which areas might already have been cleared by Malcolms group, and note that on the map if he can

Chris K

"Why can't I help?" Sid protests. "You think I can't read a map? Oh, whatever."

With Sid on guard, Chris K and the others look over the map. As expected, most shops are clustered around main street, where they are now. Labels are printed on several, though not all, of the buildings. Upon careful inspection, Chris K spots two likely tool shops: "MacMillan's Tools and Hardware" and "Busy Beaver Trade Supplies". A combination gas station and garage appears to be just a couple blocks from their current location. The map is clearly quite old, however, and it's possible not all of its marked locations still exist.

"Riley's dad said something about the gas station, right?" Rose asks Vivian.

Vivian nods. "He said all the survivors in town got together to access the underground tank. They took as much with them as they could. If there's anything left, we can't get at it anyway. Gas pumps run on electricity."

"And Thomas was looking for tools, too, I think?"

"He found some on the farm. I don't think anyone's gone for the hardware stores yet. Malcolm's focused on camping supplies so far so everyone has a place to sleep. That and horses, for some reason. And Juan's back on the cement thing again..."

She sighs, exasperated, but shakes it off. "Never mind. It's not our problem anymore." She looks at Chris K. "Even if they did try the tool shops, no one would have taken rubber tubing. Everyone who siphons gas already has some."

Chris nods at the others, and then calls Sid back in "I only sent you out because we need a guard. I have no doubt you can read a map ok? Anyway I think this our route shoudl take int the two hardware stores, and any gas stations on the way - we'll need a can for gas at some point" Chris looks back at the map and tries to work out the route

ooc
The rough idea is to leave here and head to the nearest Hardware store, checking any gas stations on the way. We'll also check cars for keys quickly. If any have keys we'll check tires and then try and start them. IF the first hard ware store has no tubing, then we'll head for the second, on the same sort of assumptions. But not sure which hardware store is closest?