A Bump in the Road

"The radio was reporting that there was a cordon around the city, at the highways.  That means anyone inside the highway loop is going to be left to their own devices."  Cindy sighed.  "They said something about check points at the interchanges."  Cindy finished a can of soda.  "They want people to report refugee centers, at the schools in the 'burbs."

"Well, we can try down Spencer, or Prospect Avenue..."  Mark offered.

"Both of those go west - the airport was a war zone two days ago, and I think we can still see smoke rising out there.  I say we go east, towards the Locks area."  Cindy tossed her can in a recycle bin nearby.  "Besides, I may not have cell service, but I still have an app with realtor codes.  We can get into dozens of empty homes to hole up until we can all get home."

"Sounds fine to me.  I don't know where anything is around here!"  Allen laughed.  "Plus it will be better than sleeping on the floor, or in my truck for the next week!"

"Okay, so we head up Carlton Street and then try and cross the highway at Calumet..."  Mark started discussing their plans, as the sun climbed into the hazy morning sky.

I decided the group would take the rest of day 2 to get to know each other, take stock of what they have and just prepare in general.  This would be Day 3, and start in the morning. 

The group split into two vehicles, Mark and Ben in Mark's red Jeep would lead the way, with Allen and both Cindy and Dawn following in his big rig.  Everyone carries their weapons, a unit of food and everything else is divided between the vehicles.

Before I started, I rolled 2d6, and passed 0.  That lead to a random encounter, which I rolled up as a gang that has setup a road block.  I generated 5 gangers, with 2 cars, blocking an intersection.  They would be hostile, but Team Mark wouldn't attack until attacked (they are still citizens, and they have not had to deal with hostile living people yet.)  There will be no zombies at the start, but 1 +d6 will spawn on every doubles roll.  These will appear in a random section of the board.  If they appear where someone has died, or in the two locations with dead bodies, the zombie will replace the body.  The encounter rating is a 4, and the law is active (they will arrive in 1/2d6 turns after shots fired.)

This looks like trouble

Starting with an in sight test, Mark wins and swerves off the road and stops.  He and Ben bail out of the jeep, and move forward through the car wash and gas station.  Both groups are well out of range of each other, so we start maneuvering towards each other.

Allen and the big rig drive onto the board the next turn, and stop to the right.  Allen's team jump out and head up the alley on the right.

This alley seems quiet

"Maybe this is a check point?"  Ben whispered as he and Mark ran forward.
"I don't think so.  Those aren't cops.  Still, we'll see if they will just let us pass."  Mark suggested hopefully.

Mark Ran forward, and triggered the in sight test again - this time a few figs were in range of each other (everyone has pistols or a machine pistol) and we find out that gangers are not a talkative lot...

Hey, can we just drive through?

Mark poked around the hood of the Hummer, and yelled at the nearest gang member.  "Hey - what's going on?  We just want to get through!"  The answer was a hail of bullets, thudding into the hood and engine of the truck.  "Hell with this!"  Mark pulled out his pistol and fired back.

For once things really went my way.  Two gangers opened fire, one with a machine pistol, the other with a pistol,  They couldn't hit the side of a barn.  Mark shot back on reaction and dropped one, but only stunned him.  On Mark's next activation, he did the same to the other ganger in range.  The police were only two turns away at this point, so Mark decided to try and get into the gas station kiosk/office on his next turn.  The PEF inside resolved as two zombies.  Mark easily handled them in melee.

Never fails that an unfinished building becomes the center of action.

Ben made his citizen brown pants roll, and moved up behind Mark.  From there he fired his shotgun and killed one of the gangers.  The remaining gangers must be fanatics, as they shrugged off the loss of three members and continued the fight.

Ben moved up and exchanges fire

"Ben get in here!"  Mark yelled as the last zed slid to the floor.  I can hear the cops coming, I don't think we want to be on the street when they get here!"
"Gahhh!  Those guys are coming after me!  Don't shoot!"  Ben shrieked and ran.

The next turn, the gangers activated, and one moved to trigger an in sight test.  Ben failed his brown pants roll and ducked back, behind cover by the office.

Citizen Ben, how disappointing.

Meanwhile, over in the alley, Allen's group entered the auto parts store from the back.  They ran into a group of citizens hiding out.  Pleasantries are exchanged, but that's all.  With the police just about to arrive, the group decided to stay with their new friends for now.  Tactically I should have moved out and used Team Allen to fight the gangers, but I didn't want to see everyone arrested.

This is actually inside, not a roof meeting...

Ben recovers and climbs through the window into the store.  Ben fails another brown pants roll, and Mark misses the gangers.  The gangers move up on Mark and Ben, and begin to pepper the building with shots.  The police roll up and get out (and promptly don't activate for two turns) but the gangers keep firing.

Time for the law to assert control.

The three gangers poured enough fire into the building and managed to hit Ben, who went down stunned.  With the last shot, one ganger caught Mark, who also went down stunned.  With cops behind them, I figured the last ganger would move up, either to finish off Mark and Ben (and take the shotgun!) or use them as hostages.  The ganger ran to the door.  The gangers went first, so Ben and Mark recover from their stun.

Shots cracked around Mark, tinging off of the displays left in the store.  Ben groaned and crashed to the floor.  Mark felt a kick in his shoulder and spun to the floor.  The world grew suddenly quiet, and blurry.  Shaking off the cobwebs, Mark saw one of the gangers standing in the doorway, raising his pistol...

Doubles come up, and two zombies wander into the area.

Mr. zed shows up.

The next turn, Mark activated, the ganger missed two shots, and another as Mark charged him in melee.  Mark killed him in melee, right off.  The gangers outside fired again, but missed.  Even seeing one of their own dead, they still decided to stick it out.

More doubles came up, and zombies pour into the streets.  Including the dead ganger right next to Mark.

Here come the dead

The police put one zombie down right away.  The gangers manage to take out one zombie, but the others close in on them.  Mark and Ben decide to just watch from the store.  Mark picks up his pistol and Ben loots the dead ganger.

The zombies shamble forward

The zombies sense food

The undead finally get to the gangers

Officer Daniels faces a zombie

"Wow its gone to hell out there."  Mark whispered to Ben.  "Well, more hell than it has been recently."  Mark was watching the melee outside.  One of the gangers went down under a pile of zombies and the other ran.
"FREEZE!"  Officer McDougal yelled at the ganger as he rounded the sign.  The ganger didn't even slow down.  Firing twice, the ganger dropped to the pavement.

The end of this gang

Officer Daniels falls to the undead.

A couple of turns go by with no activation for Team Mark.  The zombies kill officer Daniels, and Officer McDougal runs for the hills.  Not an impressive showing by local law enforcement.  As the zombies begin to feast, Mark and Ben emerge from the gas station.

"Let's get 'em!"  Mark yelled and charged.  Ben hefted his bat and started to follow Mark.  As he rounded the Hummer, he saw the zombies tearing apart the ganger's body.  The gruesome sight made Ben's stomach lurch.
"Oh God!  What are they doing!"  Ben yelled and ran back, loosing his meager breakfast along the way.

Mark passes 2d for see the feast, and charges the zombies.  Ben only passes 1d, and slumps back to the store.

The dead don't seem so bad after that...

Luckily Mark has turned into a zombie killing machine.  He kills one, and the other two fall to him when they attack on their turn.  Ben rallies, and he and Mark begin searching for keys to the blocking cars.  There are only a couple of bodies available to search, or we have to hope some one left the keys in one of the cars...

My luck doesn't hold, and I am going to have to try and hot wire them.

"Ben!  Hop in to the gold one and see if you can hot wire it."  Mark yelled as he ran towards the truck.  "I'll try this one!"
The gold Camaro fired up, some tune thumping from the car's interior.  Ben smiled as he backed it up through the intersection.  Killing the engine, the streets seemed suddenly quiet.  "They left them in this one!"  Ben laughed as he got out.  "Maybe we should keep it - it seems fast!"
"Do you really want some gangers car?"  Mark asked.  "If these guys have friends, they may not like the idea of you cruising around in it."

Lets move, Ben!

Ben rolls a one for the gold car.  And finds the key in the ignition.  Ben moves the car and he and Mark head back down the street to the jeep.  Meanwhile, Team Allen pile back out of the car parts store, and get his rig running and headed up the street.  As Mark and Ben get back to the jeep, I roll doubles, and more zombies show up.

More Zeds

"Head on Allen!  We'll catch up!"  Mark waved the truck forward as he charged the zombie.
With a roar, Allen's big rig rolled up the street, zombies shambling out of side streets desperate to grab the fleeing truck.

Allen floors it past the roadblock.

This time the jeep starts!

"Hey we got company coming!"  Ben yelled.  He fired a couple of shots from his shotgun, but missed.  "I don't think they want to ride!"

Mark slammed the jeep around, and headed up the street after Allen's truck.

Quite the welcoming committee

Off we go!

Mark ran over one zombie, and managed to keep in control.  It was a short trip to the exit from the board.  

Once they left the board, the scenario was over.  I would call this at least a marginal success, and as it was an encounter between "major" scenarios, I am not going to check for advances, nor will I check for keeping together.  Regardless of the outcome of the next game, Mark will qualify for survivor status afterwards.

Mark zipped up past Allen's truck, taking the lead again.  For just a moment, he thought he saw a policeman running down a side alley.  "Just a few more blocks to the highway!"  he yelled at Ben.  "Let's hope they don't just start shooting!"

"Mark, I'm sorry man, I lost it back there..." Ben was shaking.

"Don't worry about it!  This is crazy, just pull it together and stay with me, we'll get through this together."  Mark reassured Ben.  "All of us together..."