Dangerous Ground (Part 2)

"Go!"  Brenda yelled, waving Eric and Tina into the store.  Everyone hustled for the rear door, jumping into the dark store.  Brenda slammed the door closed, only to find the latch broken.  "The door won't stay closed!"  she said, turning to face the rest of the group.
"That's fine."  Dawn said, holstering her pistol.  "We'll set up in here, Jack and I will hold them up up and Joyce and Tina can shoot them."  Dawn pointed to a small ladder.  "You and Eric take the roof.  Keep shooting them and try and draw them to the back."
Eric flashed a thumbs up to Dawn.  "Sounds great to me!"  He smiled and quickly climbed up the ladder, Brenda trailing behind.

The group gets to the store

The next turn starts with a random event, from double 2's.  At least only one zombie spawns.

Broken Key

I figure the broken key/lock will apply to the back door the group just used to enter the store.  The zombies will be able to just waltz in...
The survivors win initiative and everyone enters the store.  They spend a turn searching, but don't find anything useful.  The zombies begin attacking the front gates (which won't do anything) and others begin moving around the sides of the building.

Zombies converge on the store

Eric and Brenda head to the roof, ready to help draw the undead to the store if they start to wander away.  Eric at rep 2 has a difficult time shooting, but I figure this gives him a good chance to get a zombie kill.  I am going to have him kneeling/prone as he leans against the roof edge, and give him a +1 on his hit rolls.  If a zombie manages to get to him before he can react, he will be effectively prone in melee.  They should be relatively safe on the roof.  I hope.

Eric and Brenda go up top

After everyone gets into position, the zombies continue to shuffle towards the group.  Some of the zombies manage to enter the back.

Zombies swarm the store

Two zombies manage to get inside...

...But they don't stand for long!

Eric knelt down next to the edge of the roof, using it to support his rifle.  Looking out into the parking lot, he could see zombies closing on the shop.  Adjusting his sights, he looked for his first target.

"Try to shoot the ones closest.  It will make it easier for the others inside if they have to fight fewer at a time."  Brenda suggested, as she pulled out her pistol.

Eric shifted his aim, finding a close zombie.  "Sounds good to me!"  He said and started firing.

Eric takes a free shot

The survivors get a free turn, winning initiative with the zombies not activating.  I consider having Dawn and Jack exit the back and attack the zombies, but that will leave them exposed to even more zombies to attack them.  The next turn the survivors win initiative.  Brenda takes a couple of shots with her pistol and Eric knocks down a zombie.

Brenda and Eric shoot some zombies

The zombies get a free turn next, with the survivors just standing watching them storm the store.  Jack faces three and Dawn takes on four zeds.  Jack doesn't have any problem, killing his opponents in two turns.  Dawn has more problems, but still finishes her zombies in four turns.

Zombies pile into the shop

Dawn was feeling nearly exhausted.  Bodies piled on the floor were making it hard to stand.  A slow dragging sound and the heavy thud of undead footsteps told her there were still more zombies moving towards the shop.  "They just keep coming!"  she exclaimed between heavy breaths.
"Maybe we need another plan."  Jack replied, cleaning his blade on a scrap of shirt.  "Too many more and we're in trouble in here."
With a groan more zombies moved through the broken rear door...

Zombies start climbing the trash dumpster

Dawn and Jack face another horde

Jack faces two zombies and takes them down pretty easily in one round.  Dawn starts strong, killing one zombie the first round, then looses the second round!  She isn't killed, and looses a die in her melee score, and combat continues.  She ties a round, wins by one another, then ties for two rounds before winning the final round with four hits.  Having lost a round in melee, she has to check for infection.  Rep 5 means a 4+ on a d6 and she is safe.  I roll a 5, Dawn gets lucky.  Maybe I need a different tactic, the melee has been too close!
The next turn, the zombie go first with the last PEF moving up close behind the zombies at the front of the store.

Now what?

Two zombies clamber onto the roof, and more enter the back of the store.  Maybe it's time to make a run for it.

Can they do that?

Melee gets more and more dangerous

Jack and Dawn face another six zombies, three each this time.  Jack has some troubles, taking three rounds to defeat his three.  He tied, but never lost a round so no infection check.  Dawn kills two right off, and ties for four rounds before finally killing the zombie on round six.  She has to check for infection again, and rolls a 4 - just passing!  It's time to get a better plan!

Brenda faces two zeds

Brenda passes her brown pants check and faces two zombies in hand to hand.  I was worried with how the dice had been going for Dawn but Brenda handles her opponents is a single round of combat.  Whew.

Eric takes a peek at  the PEF

Eric crawled along the roof edge, using the ledge as cover.  As he reached the front of the store, he slid his rifle out and slowly sighted the street.  The zombies continued to pound on the barricaded front of the store, but Eric caught movement from across the road.  He used his scope to get a better look...

Are they friendly?

The PEF resolves as an encounter with the living.  It is one of the 'gangs' of the area, this time it is a FEMA patrol that is still "on mission".  They react as a gang, although if walk the walk comes up as result, instead a random team member has to pass a zed check.  If they pass 2d, they won't fire unless shot at, pass 1d they won't fire at all, and if they pass 0d they will fire immediately.  (Similar to the disguised as a zed random event.)

The meet and greet goes to the gang (4 successes to 1)...

Crouched behind a burned tree, Corporal Peter Kowalski tried hard to concentrate on covering his fellow squad mates as they all bounded through the burned forest.  The June sun had turned hot, and Peter felt a steady trickle of sweat down his back.  A signal from Sergeant Jackson made Peter run to his next piece of cover, a burned out Ford hatchback.

“Kowalski!”  Jackson whisper-shouted.  “Stop daydreaming and keep that SAW ready!”

Peter gave a short wave in acknowledgement, wincing at the movement of his bruised shoulder.  A sniper had caught him just on the edge of his vest.  The nasty bruise he had on his right chest and shoulder was better than the alternative, but it reminded Peter that the undead were not the only things to be worried about out here.

A burst of gunfire sounded ahead, the second group of shots today the team was investigating.  Peter saw sergeant Jackson and the civilian doctor Fletcher talking and pointing ahead.  It looked like the team was headed back towards town, Peter really hoped it wasn’t an attack on the outer fence again.

Sergeant Jackson gathered everyone together near Kowalski’s burned out car.  “We’re going to check that gunfire out.  Doc still wants to try and contact any survivors, get them into the camp.”  One of the soldier groaned.  “Stuff it.  We’ve got a job to do, these people may need protection.  That’s why the camp is here.”  The sergeant looked at each soldier, daring them to disagree.  “If they don’t want our help, we’ll have them move on.  We’re not arresting or grabbing anyone.”

“What if they shoot first?”  Private Martin asked.

“Then they are going to need a lot more help.”  Jackson said, spitting into the dust.  “We’re going to check this out and then we’re heading back into the camp, right doc?”

Doctor Fletcher cleared his throat, looking at the fire team.  “Yes, we should try and fix any breaks in the fence we find on our way back, but I’d say a return to the barracks is in order.”  The doctor paused as the men looked a bit more upbeat.  “I am hoping to at least get some blood samples from any civilians, so let’s try to convince them the camp is a safe option for them.  Or at least so I can get a health check done on them.”

Blank faces from the soldiers told the doctor they didn’t care and he’sdbe lucky if the group of civilians didn’t just run at first sight of the patrol.  “Right.”  Sergeant Jackson said, checking is rifle.  “Let’s move out.  Kowalski, you’re on the right, Harris you stay with Kowalski.   Martin and Gonzales take the middle.    I’m on the left, doc stay behind us, keep an eye out to the rear.  We’re going to move quiet, don’t shoot until I say or you have to.  These damn things will swarm us if the hear us.”

The small team of soldiers moved out through the burned forest towards the nearby gunfire.  As they approached the shop Peter spied a rifle barrel slowly extend out and a head pop up behind the scope.  "SNIPER!"  He yelled before firing off a long burst at the rifleman.

Eric learns not to point a gun at armed soldiers!

Kowalski passes 0d and fires his SAW at Eric.  Yikes!  Luckily, Eric is in cover, and manages to not get hit.  He is outgunned and passes 0d for his received fire check. Eric decides to head for the hills!  Instead of just removing him, I have him drop prone, and I will move him to the nearest board edge as fast as possible.  I am going to 'break' the rules and give the other survivors a chance to get him and convince him not to just run off (a re-roll of the test).  The patrol finishes off the turn by shooting at zombies...

A lot of shooting, not a lot of hitting...

With 12 shots, the soldiers manage to kill 3 zombies.  That's not going to get it done!  The next turn starts with a random event. (double 1's, so only one zombie spawns at least.)

It helps...a little

The distraction allows me to re-position one model which may trigger in sight checks.  I move Joyce to roof, out of sight.  Hopefully she can help clear out some zombies!

Joyce goes to the roof

The clatter of automatic weapon fire echoed from the street, bullets pinging off the barricade on the front of the building.  Dawn waved to the roof ladder "We need to get out of here!"
Joyce hustled up the ladder, onto the roof.  A thumping from the roof was followed a bang from the dumpster in the back.  "Tina!  find out what's going on up there!"  Dawn said as Tina climbed the ladder and got out on the roof.
Moments later more zombies entered the back of the store.
"Time to dance, hon!"  Jack said to Dawn with a grin as they fought the undead.

Eric starts off with a run to the back..

...he jumps down to the dumpster...

...and off into the nearby neighborhood!

The living win initiative, but Eric starts everything off.  He passes 2d for fast move, and even with a 4" penalty for getting up from prone and dodging Brenda, Eric manages to make the table edge.  He passes 2 2d checks for jumping down, once onto the dumpster and the second to the ground.  Apparently Eric is a parkour expert!

The patrol commences fire!

The patrol starts firing on the zeds, I figure they had better start using their overwhelming firepower or they will be buried under zombies.  One member clears his out of ammo, everyone else whittles away the undead.

The survivors take some shots as well.

Three zeds enter the store - it was still a bit close at the door for Dawn and Jack to go outside and fight, so they waited for the zombies to enter.  Three zombies manage to get to the patrol as well.

Dawn and Jack clear out the store

Zombies surround the patrol

Gunfire was thundering in the air, the near constant tinkle of spent brass spilling on the pavement filling the silence between gunshots.  More and more undead shambled from the ruins, drawn to the cacophony of the battle.  Sergeant Jackson looked around, they were too exposed for this.  "We need to move!  Make for the fence, we'll leave the civvies on their own!"

The guttural moan of zombies from all sides made Kowalski look around, worried.  "Sarge!  We need to go!"

"On me!"  Jackson yelled, charging his weapon as he turned towards the camp.  "No bounding, we run and gun!"  The team turned and started fighting their way towards the ruined camp.

Zombies coming for the patrol

With the shooting, there are an impressive 22 zombies closing on the soldiers.  They are going to execute a left turn and go for the camp.  There's only a couple of zeds near Dawn's team, but Eric has run off.

It's getting clear behind the liquor store

"If we hop the wall, it looks pretty clear towards the tank!" Joyce called out.  "We can make it up the street or even through that fence if we want."

Dawn and Jack exchanged looks as they cleaned their weapons.  "What do you think Jack?"  Dawn asked.

Pausing for a moment, Jack looked out the back door.  "I think we leave the army to it's battle and we try and find Eric."  He looked back at Dawn and added "I wouldn't want to leave a kid out there alone."

Dawn nodded.  "My thoughts exactly."  She yelled up the ladder "We're going after Eric!  Jack and I will clear a path, let's go!"

Dawn is facing a failed mission anyway, but even without that the group wouldn't let Eric just run off.  They are going to follow Eric and see if they can catch him.  I guess we may see the FEMA camp in a later game...

I didn't grab pics, the team easily extracts from the building and makes the board edge (it's barely 6" from the door to the edge) killing four zombies on their way out.  I'm going to hold off on the keeping it together check, as the next scenario is more or less a part 2 of this one.