Arik

The world collapsed weeks ago now - perhaps two months, though without a calendar, it's getting difficult to remember just how many days. The fall was incredibly fast, all government bodies responsible for maintaining order in a crisis falling one after another. Few survived the initial days, let alone the subsequent weeks. Arik was one of them.

Arik's initial food and water supplies have long run out, forcing him to scavenge to survive. Some days are better than others, but he's currently at the end of what he hopes is a particularly bad streak. His search for supplies has taken him to a small community, Carleton; a sign by the side of the road indicates the population is a paltry 267, and it's undoubtedly less than that now.

Arik is currently slightly outside Carleton, looking inward. He sees no movement around besides birds and the occasional varmint; no human figures, living or dead. On the main road, however, he can see a bright red camping tent pitched in the middle of the road. It is partially unzipped, but not far enough for him to see inside; however, he can see the top of a safety-orange backpack poking out from the bottom of the zipper.

Arik is a couple hundred feet away from the tent. He has not entered the community proper, yet, but the tent itself sits in the shade of buildings on either side.

The slight grumble of his stomach was a clear reminder of how lean the last few days had been.  If he hadn't had outdoor training in the military, he'd probably not have survived.  For a moment, his mind wandered to the carnage he'd seen leaving the Metroplex...the dead walking, the dead feeding, the screams of the living as they became the dead...he shook his head out of the fog of memory.

He knew he'd give in at some point and go investigate the tent..."You can't find if you don't seek." he muttered very softly to himself.  However, he allowed his training to kick in.  He knew he could outlast someone when it came to the waiting game.  He'd done it many times when sniffing out Syrian cells back in the day.

He stealthily found a spot where he could see the tent and the buildings, hid himself among the brush and leaves...and waited

OOC: If nothing moves or happens within the next 4 hours, let me know and I will move the story along.

Scouting/Perception: if scouting the area it is 23 if just Perception 24
19:56, Today: Arik rolled 23 using 2d10+7.  Scouting the Area (+8 if it is just perception)?

Stealth/Hide Not sure what to add other than luck?? IF just adding luck it is a 16 if not, then would need to know which attribute to use.
19:57, Today: Arik rolled 8 using 2d10.  Stealth/Hide (not sure what to add).
This message was last edited by the player at 01:01, Wed 31 Mar 2021.

Arik

Arik is not the only one watching the tent. After the better part of an hour, he sees movement in one of the buildings on the side of the road. Looking closer, he sees two men keeping watch on the tent. One has some sort of longarm - probably a shotgun or a hunting rifle - and the other is not holding a weapon in his hands, but could easily have a sidearm holstered out of sight. Like Arik, both are clearly trying to stay hidden, but lack his military discipline, so they reveal themselves to a careful observer when they get up to stretch their legs or relieve themselves.

When Arik spotted the men, a small knot of anger formed in his gut.  He took a breath and calmed himself.  'It's bad enough we have to fight against the dead to survive...but we also have to fight against idiots.  Can't they see we need to work together,' he thought to himself.

He first marked the men's location and their general movements.  He then traced a path, visually from tree to tree to get to the building across from the men.  With a firm resolve, he executed his plan.  He waited until a moment when the men seemed to not be looking his direction and moved stealthily to the next position.  When he reached the next spot, he does the same.  Moving and observing he makes his way from spot to spot until he reaches the building across from the men.

Arik

Moving from tree to tree when the men aren't looking is difficult. The timing is tight, and Arik can never be sure if they're looking away for a minute or just a split second. He manages to make it to the second tree successfully, but as he starts moving towards the third, the man with no visible weapon turns back towards him.

At that moment, he hears two gunshots in quick succession from elsewhere in the city. Both men's heads instinctively snap towards the sound, though the source is not visible when they're indoors. A moment later, the man with no visible weapon turns back towards Arik, but he's already hid himself behind the tree again.

Soon, a staccato of more gunfire rings out in different calibers. The man with the longarm pumps a fist, while the man with no visible weapon steps closer to the building's window. As he steps closer, Arik spots a handgun stuffed into the waistband of his jeans.

"They got one on the east side," says Longarm, his voice drifting out of a shattered storefront to reach Arik. "Maybe more. C'mon."

"Wait..." cautions Handgun, holding out a hand. Despite the distance, Arik can tell he's staring in his direction, trying to spot something.

"Wait nothing," Longarm retorts, stepping out of the storefront. "We let 'em, they'll screw us out of our share. I'm going."

Longarm breaks into a jog, passing out of sight, while Handgun continues to squint in Arik's direction, hand coming down on the grip of the weapon in his waistband.

Arik knew he'd almost been spotted. Pushing himself further against the tree, he waited.  Hearing the shots from the other side of town made him even more alert.  As the two men's conversation ended, Arik tried to time the appearance of Longarm at the door.  If he knew how long it took one man running from the window and out the door, he could wait until the other began to leave and try to reposition himself, he thought to himself.

Once Longarm appeared and ran off...Arik waited.  He had to outlast Handgun...hopefully it wouldn't take long.  People needed his help.

Arik

The difference between Longarm disappearing from the window and exiting the door is mere seconds, barely enough for Arik to make the next tree. After Longarm has passed out of sight, Handgun continues to watch Arik's general position, hand resting on the grip of the weapon in his waistband.

He is distracted, however, by more gunfire from the same direction as before. Once again, there seems to be a mix of calibers, and the shots come in a sudden, chaotic staccato before dying away. Handgun is clearly concerned, if not distressed, by the gunfire. His attention strays until, in the lull following the exchange, there are two more gunshots.

"The fuck," Arik faintly hears Handgun say before rising and exiting the storefront, heading in the same direction as Longarm.

Arik takes a quick, short breath as Handgun exits the doorway.  His mind worked quickly.  'I could easily take the pack, but, it is most likely empty and I don't have time to take down the tent...besides, people may need my help!' He knew what he was going to do before his thoughts told him he was correct.  A few moments after Handgun had left, he broke cover and moved as quickly as he could towards the buildings and cover.  He'd try to stay hidden but didn't want to let Handgun get too far ahead of him.  Knowing he'd most likely by needing it, he readied his weapon as he moved.

Arik

Once out of the building, Handgun breaks into a brisk jog. Given the man's speed and familiarity with the area, Arik must either forgo stealth or allow Handgun to slip away. Fortunately, Handgun does not seem to be looking back behind him; given his preoccupation with his destination and the sound of his own feet on the street, it's possible he won't notice Arik even if he breaks into a run behind him.

As the man starting moving away from him, Arik knew he had another tough decision to make.  Readying his weapon, he took off at as brisk a pace as he could while hoping to maintain a little stealth.  Scanning the area in front of him he had two objectives, stay in sight of handgun and have cover near if he needed.

Planning in his head as he ran, he prepared himself for that moment when either Handgun heard and confronted him, or, when he saw Handgun's friends as he'd know it was time to find cover.

Arik

Handgun obviously knows where he's going, and crosses through the small town quickly. The few walkers visible cannot keep up with either him or Arik. As they move, more scattered gunshots echo through the empty streets, growing closer as they move.

After a few minutes, Handgun breaks into what must pass for the town's central park, a now-overgrown patch of grass, trees, and benches about the size of a city block with a large concrete fountain in the middle. Longarm - who Arik can now tell is carrying a shotgun - and another man with what looks like a machine pistol are taking cover behind the fountain, carefully peeking over its low bowl. As Arik watches, a gunshot comes from further downrange, causing the men to duck.

Handgun stops for a moment, assessing the situation, then runs to the side, circumnavigating the park entirely to take cover behind an abandoned truck. Crouching low, he shouts, "What the fuck's going on?"

Machine Pistol, without looking back, answers: "Motherfucker broke through the ambush! Flank him!"

As Handgun moved into position, Arik quickly scanned the area for any cover.  As he maneuvered into position behind the cover, he ran his options through his mind.

‘Handgun was the leader...taking him out might cause the others to either panic and run or surrender.  The other two might have more firepower, but, there is only one real option here,’ he thought to himself.

“Truly only one option,” he whispered to himself. ‘Surprise and lack of cover should give him a clear opportunity to end Handgun,’ he thought as he raised his rifle, aimed, and squeezed out a short burst at Handgun.

OOC: short burst is 3 rounds