The fact that the group seemed to be dismounting and going vehicle by vehicle meant they had a little bit of time, but Kayla's words of urgency weren't lost on the young officer.  They'd started out as partners, they were supposed to be nothing more than co-workers but somehow in his mind Kayla had always seemed like something so much more...and now there was literally nothing he wouldn't do to protect the gorgeous woman and her young daughter.

The way he saw it they had two choices stand their ground, perhaps park their SUV close enough to the RV so as to limit access to both and fight if necessary, or salvage what they could, hop in the SUV and flee...yet again. "Put your vest on," Zack said pleading with the older detective, "and take mine for Dani." they'd both had their vests in the patrol cruiser when they fled Atlanta. He grabbed the department issue H&K patrol rifle and chambered a round from the magazine as the threw the sling over his shoulder.  Neither option was particularly appealing.

The riders seemed to stop and gathered around a singe vehicle. Carefully opening the doors the riders stepped away and waited. A large undead man tried to climb out of the vehicle to the passenger side. As if on queue the riders on the other side grabbed its legs and drug backwards and facing down back into the car. A rider from the passenger side quickly stepped forward and slammed a hatchet into the back of the thing's head.

"Christ, they're just kids."

"So were the last ones," Kayla pulled Dani tighter into her arms, she couldn't imagine her little growing up and having to go through what these kids were.

She had put on her vest and for a moment was going to insist Zack to the same with his, but he wanted her to use it shield Dani, and she was fairly certain arguing with him would just slow them down, and time wasn't something they had of right now.  "Mista Zack clothes too big" Dani chuckled as Kayla tucked in between the plates of protective armor as best she could.

The riders seemed very methodical, in their search and were still a ways off gathered around a single vehicle.  Kayla was tired of running. All the violence didn't help, but she had Dani, and that meant she didn't have much of a choice.  She wondered if she would have given up already without her.  She felt like she should know exactly what to do. Dani was too young to notice, but Zack seemed to expect that of her. Christ the young man was only 24 years old, 12 years her junior and barely out of college he should have out chasing girls and getting laid every chance he could, which with the way he looked she figured wouldn't be hard.  Instead he'd end up with her, and all this shit had forced him to become the best man, and best, albeit reluctant father figure for Dani she'd ever met.

Whatever, she could think about all that shit later.  She was all but out the door before she finished her train of thought.  Kayla bee lined it to the cruiser, carrying Dani along with her.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:46, Tue 20 Apr 2021.

The teens seemed more interested in the cars. Then it dawned on Kayla. They were looking for something specific in the cars other than fuel. Her guess was keys. But, then, why not hot wire a car?

Odd, so odd. Her instincts as a top notch detective were telling her something more than simple car liberation was afoot. Looking at Zach, he seemed to sense something was up as well. But the look on the young man's face showed he was not as sure as Kayla was.

Kayla had gotten Dani safely into their vehicle, but now instead of getting in the SUV as well.  Zack watched as the detective studied the group; using the vehicle as cover as her eyes darted back and forth between each of teenagers, studying them and how they interacted with each vehicle.  Zack had been singular in his focus, concerned only with the gorgeous detective’s safety, clearly she had picked up on something he had missed.  He moved from the RV closer to woman hoping they could figure this out together.

"Bingo!" A tall teen shouted. She was wearing a Viet-Nam war era tiger-striped field jacket with designer jeans and a pink-trimmed Mossy-Oak camo cap. Hanging from her trim waist was what looked like an old P-38 9mm pistol of WW2 vintage and she had an M1 carbine slung across her back. "I found one!"

The others gathered around and similarly equipped and armed with what looked like vintage arms and equipment. They must have gotten into an museum or surplus warehouse somewhere. One of the boys was carrying a modern hunting rifle, however, with a high power scope. Most likely used for hunting deer and the like. But, it could prove super deadly at this range.

"Hot damn!" Another boy shouted and dug into the floorboard of the car the girl had shouted from. When he stood up he was holding a car seat, one to fit a baby.

That took Kayle and Zack by surprise. The last either had expected was that. A bottle of booze, a portable stereo, or even some food. But a car seat for an infant!

"I'll strap it down to my quadrunner." The boy said as he trotted back their ATVs.

"Come on, let's check the RV." Another girl said. "I need more girl-stuff."

She made a face, the other girl gave a knowing look of support. Even the apocalypse wasn't enough to drown out the pain and aggravation of a woman's monthly cycle. Nodding without realizing, Kayla sympathized with girls. But, they would have to make a decision on what to do. The kids were close enough to be at the RV in minutes at a lazy pace.

"Zack, watch Dani, and keep an eye out." Kayla brought Dani back to RV to be with Zack.  She just hoped she was making the right decision.  Perhaps as a woman, and a mother, she could at least talk to them.  She was tired of running, and more importantly she was tired if fighting, especially kids.

Was that was taken care of, she opened the hard-sided black hard sided Pelican case made out of Polypropylene copolymer that contained among other equipment her ballistic vest and Heckler & Koch 416 patrol rifle.  After double checking the security of her plates and vest, she quickly loaded the rifle with a 30 round magazine and set it next to her.  “Just in case,” She certainly wasn’t going to openly attack a group of children, but at least she wouldn’t have to fishing for if things got to that point.   She didn’t want to fight, but she wasn't going to be caught off guard like last time.

The pair of girls were approaching the RV. They were waling and talking, it was as if they were walking down to the corner mart for a box of tampons. Not walking amid abandoned cars during the apocalypse. As they got closer Kayla began to make out their conversation.

"..yeah, but I don't really like him." the shorter girl was saying. To Kayla she looked like she was 15 year old red-headed teen going on 30 year wannabe with her overly dark eye shadow and camo bandana tied around her hair. "He's strong and all, but he's really gross. He talks about anal sex all the time. That's just not right."

"True that." the other girl was saying. They drew closer allowing Kayla spy them through the windshield of a nearby car. "I watched him the other day during the fight. He spent more time watching Mitzi's ass than shooting at those people in the church."

They both laughed. Then they came into view a few yards away. Realization his Kayla like a pile bricks from a rooftop; they were not playing. The girls had their hair covered with camo cloth. Probably cut from cam t-shirts. They wore camo on their bodies in patches to break up their outline. They cane dark pigment on the shining highlights of their face. They were made up to blend into the terrain like soldiers.

Zack still wasn't sure what Kayla was up to, but he would back her up however he could.  Once he knew Dani was somewhere safe, he moved to a better position where he could see what was going on, as well as cover Kayla.

The girls talked their way past Kayla and went over to the R.V. as they talked about a boy named Luke and two men that they called the 'Twins' who seemed to be in charge. Once they got to the R.V. they went inside cautiously, pistols at the ready and flashlights out.

with Kayla still outside the RV, Zack was the only thing, or person, between these girls and Dani.  Luckily the small narrow doorway, and cramped interior of the RV meant he had a significant advantage in terms of position. The girl's would have to enter one at a time through the narrow doorway and then turn a sharp corner towards the short hallway that lead the back of the SUV and the multiple narrow entries while facing a controlled string of fire from his 5.56 patrol rifle which would be absolutely devastating at such extremely close range.  Just as the door opened he flicked the rifle's safety to the fire position and waited until the moment was right.

Apparently their hesitation to quickly flee had backfired; and now Zack, a dozen years her junior, was trapped inside an RV with her daughter and two armed assailants rapidly closing in.   When they were on the force she had been responsible for training and looking out for him; and even though their relationship had become much more intimate last night that motherly instinct was impossible for her to shake, when it came to both Zack and Dani.  She knew Zack was willing to fight, and die, for Dani if it came it, and Kayla would fight like hell for him too.

She didn't like the idea that it was a couple of young women, girls really, but the two people inside that RV meant more to her than anyone.  Luckily for her, they hadn't even noticed her as they passed by.  She took up a defense position using the abandoned cars as cover, one where she could easily defend both the entrance to the RV as well as keep an eye on anyone else further down the road.  Unfortunately for the two girls threatening her young daughter it meant that if Zack knew what he was doing they would be caught in a devastating crossfire from two patrol rifles. Still Kayla was a resourceful woman and hoped it wouldn't come to that, she didn't like the idea of violence especially around Dani.  It wasn't coincidence that she had been one of the most talented and decorated detectives in the department back before all this shit started.  She was beautiful, charismatic, and a very shrewd interrogator and negotiator she'd literally lost count of how many times that had given her advantage when dealing with suspects, so many of them had given up or confessed without even realizing it.  Kayla hoped she still had a couple tricks left up her sleeve before the shooting had to start.  "Ladies, I suggest you turn around and go back to your friends." She shouted her presence now revealed. "My family and I would simply like to leave and mean you no harm."

"Oh, shit, you startled me." One of the girls said. "Sorry, we need some things, you know pads, tampons, liners. If have some to trade we would be glad to."

The girl said as she slowly stepped back a step to look towards Kayla. She had her hands in plain view, and away from her weapons, but she perfectly blocked the other girl from Kayla's view from shoulders down so Kayla had no way telling what the other girl mey be reaching for or holding.

"Yeah, sorry to enter your, ah, home here." The other girl stammered. "We didn't realize anyone was still here. We'll trade you ammo, water, or gas for some any tampons and pads you'll part with."

The first girl gave her a crooked smile, "Yeah, you know end of the world but a girl still has to deal with being a girl. Go figure."

If anyone could sympathize with a couple of young girls it was Kayla, stuck in the middle of all this shit with a daughter and still very much a woman.  Still, after everything they’d been though she couldn’t let her guard down just yet. Her beauty and charisma might have been a great gift, but the one talent she relied on more than any other was her incredible knack for reading people and situations. So often she seemed to know what someone was going to say or do before they even did it.  She’d didn’t have a lot to offer these girls but if she could help them she would but first she had know their intentions were true and not some ruse so she took just a moment to scrutinize both of them, and what they were or were not doing.

The seemed true to their words but not to their actions. There were others near, teens armed and ready to fight, and Kayla had seen first hand how teens could be as ruthless as the most hardened prison lifer. The girl in the back was not simply standing there making idle conversation about the difficulties of womanhood. She was preparing, Kayla could feel it.

Inside the RV Zack could hear everything through the thin walls, and from the tone in Kayla's voice he could tell something was afoot.  He remembered the day she first taught him about learning to read your partner's cues.  He had only been on the job a couple days, and she had caught him staring at her chest.


She could have had him kicked off the force barely a week into the job, instead she had taken a different approach and the lesson stuck.  Now Zack waited for her to determine their next move, the teenagers unaware to his presence.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:11, Fri 14 May 2021.

Zach felt a tug at his sleeve. Looking down at the girl, Danni pointed at something across the RV from them. Following the finger pointer Zack was taken aback when he realized that there was a half open cabinet in the tiny bathroom across the RV from them. Inside the door was a tall, narrow shaving mirror that looked down the hallway at the girl standing just inside the RV's side door. She was standing very close the girl in front of her, blocking her actions from Kayla.

As Kayla was speaking, Zack could see the girl very carefully slide an old German P-38 9mm pistol from a holster at her hip. Ass if some sort of queue that she was ready, the girl casually patted her friend on the butt. Zack knew that if the girl were to looked back she would surely see the mirror, and his reflection in it.

Zack smiled at Dani as he felt the tug and gave the girl a thumb's up, the universal symbol of approval before making a sweeping motion with this hand and pointing to the bedroom towards the back of the RV encouraging the girl to go back and hide.  He followed that by putting his hands over his ears, a gesture he'd heard Kayla tell the little girl was called "earmuffs"  until now that gesture had usually been followed by Kayla yelling at Zack with some choice words not suitable for children.  This time it was different, he wanted Dani to go hide and cover her ears because things were about to get loud and scary.

The loud report of a patrol rifle chambered in 5.56 was bad enough; when fired inside an enclosed space and combined with the shorter 11.5 and 14.5 inch barrels typical among issued patrol rifles the sound and overpressure would be incredibly startling for the unprepared.

Once he knew the girl had done as instructed Zack quickly flipped the rifle's safety to fire position and squeezed the trigger.  His shot was aimed towards the girl standing beside the other holding the pistol.  He didn't want to hurt either of them, let alone kill anyone but there was no way he would let them harm Kayla.  Hopefully it would give the older woman the advantage she needed.
This message was last edited by the player at 21:33, Fri 14 May 2021.

Kayla could tell something was off about these girls and while she hadn't expect a shot ring to ring out from the RV when it did.  Still as soon as she heard the rifle's tell tale snap she moved to better cover.  She sure hoped Zack had seen something she hadn't, after all they were just fucking kids. "Last chance ladies," she shouted, "drop the weapons and let us talk.  We can help you."  She really hoping they could be reasoned with.

(OOC: I agree. Violence and perversion towards children is never a good thing. I think you handled it a alright.)

The shot took all of the females by surprise. The shot girl fell screaming and clutching her arm. The pistol fell to the floor with a clank. Kayla jumped at the unexpected shot despite herself. The other teen dropped to her knees reflexively and covered her head with her hands. Danni gave a yelp and shut her eyes tightly.

The other teens stopped their search and looked towards the RV. Kayla was blocked from them by the cars see stood behind. But they could see the teen on her knees just in doorway of the RV.

"Come on!" A tall boy shouted and began trotting towards the RV. Four other teens followed after him.

Kayla caught the glint of metal off of the dropped pistol as she ducked behind cover, Zack had seen the pistol, she had not.  Now she suddenly knew why the young rookie had fired the shot, he had done so to save her life.  Her position afforded her a position where she could see both the two girls and the four advancing teens without having to compromise her position, which meant that for the moment she still had an advantage. Zack had only fired  single shot, so with the chaos they were almost certainly still trying to figure out where it had come from.

The girl had been struck be in the arm, which meant she could still be helped if everyone acted fast, but first Kayla had to know that she, and her family, where safe.  She hated to admit it, but somehow in all of this Zack had become family, and as the matriarch she was responsible.  If she played her cards rights she help the teens and take care of Dani of Zack.

"Ladies," Kayla spoke "tell your friends to put down their weapons, all of them, and we can help you."  She did everything she could to sound as soothing and comforting as she could under the circumstances.  "I can help your with you girl problems, take care of your wound, all of it."  To let them know she was serious she pulled a tourniquet and supplies from her belt.  She would help them, but they had to be willing.  "But I have to know my family will be safe first."  She spoke in a way she hoped the girls would understand, the same manner in which members of the fairer sex spoke to each other when they desperately wanted to confide in one another.  It had been the better part of two decades since she had been a teenager herself but she hoped they understood.
This message was last edited by the player at 00:54, Tue 18 May 2021.

Zack hated to pull the trigger, but the idea of losing Kayla was unacceptable to him.  This whole fucked-up crazy world had taken a lot from both of them, but as long as he was still breathing, he wasn't about to let it take her.  He could hear Kayla talking to the girls, trying to help everyone come out of this the best way they possible could.  Months ago back at the precinct he never would figured Kayla Redding as the type of person who cared deeply for others, but in the past few months he had come to learn the her reputation as a gorgeous, ball-busting tough-as-nails detective was nothing more than a façade she put up to protect herself.  In fact the more he learned about Kayla the more beautiful she became, inside and out.

While the sound of his rifle had been deafening for a split second, it had the added benefit of vibrating the walls of the RV just enough so his reflection, or that of Kayla, was no longer visible in the small mirror hanging from the door.  This meant he could better move to assist Kayla or cover the four teens now advancing from the distance as necessary, without exposing his position.

"Kerry! Hey Kerry, are you ok?" The leading boy called out from about thirty yards away. He was trotting forward now. He had a rifle slung over his back and a short spear made from a sapling with a knife strapped to its end in his hand. "Who shot. Was it Marcie? I told you not to trust that bitch!"

The other boys began trotting to keep pace. One of them seemed amused by the situation of one girl shooting another out of jealousy.

Sitting on the floor of the RV and gripping her bleeding arm the girl who Zack had shot was crying when she yelled in rage "Fuck you, John Bannon! I'm shot, Kerry is fine!"

The other girl sat on the step with her hands held up in front of her chest. She looked worried, like she had just stepped into a bear trap. She looked towards the approaching boys.

"Stop! Stop there!" Kerry shouted at them. "Somebody lives in this thing. They thought we were robbing them. Kerry pulled her pistol and someone inside shot her. There is another one right here in front of us too. A woman, she seems ok."

(OOC: Need a perception roll for Kayla, something about the scene is a little off to her.)

05:54, Today: Kayla Redding rolled 10 using 3d4+2 with rolls of 2,3,3.  Perception reroll.

In reply to Kayla Redding (msg # 36):

(OOC:kayla has a sinking feeling that the way the girl is talking to the approaching boys is off, like she is implying more trouble than is seen. it sort of feels like she telling the boys that kayla and zack are 'ok' to demonstrate that they are threat.)