The Traci Situation (Side Mission part 1)

Bright buttery yellow sunlight was bathing the road, making it a sandy color to Traci’s eyes.  The overgrown fields, trees and shrubs normally trimmed by this time of June showed how quickly nature was reclaiming the world.  It had been a long night of walking, but Traci kept moving forward, Chad following just a few steps behind.

Splitting away from Dawn and Jack (why didn’t Jack come with her?) had been tough, but Traci was sick of Dawn always wanting to keep moving.  They had stopped at plenty of farms, homes or even roadsides that would make for a good place to wait this out.  Any day now, the army was going to sweep through and clean this up.  Traci just wanted to go home.

“Hey, is that what you were talking about?”  Chad asked, walking up next to Traci and pointing at a billboard.  “It says next left, that can’t be too far away.”

Traci nodded, glancing at the sign for an RV dealer.  “This must be the spot I saw, there should be a camper or RV we can use for a home for now.”  Traci was a lot less sure than she sounded.  She was tired of walking and hoped this was going to be a worthwhile stop…

Traci and Chad have left Dawn and Jack and are looking for a place to stay.  They have been walking through the early morning and have put some distance between them and Dawn.  Traci at first just wanted to get away, but convinced Chad she had seen a dealership on the drive yesterday that had campers.  Whether or not this is the place she saw, there is a chance for them to find a useful camper or RV.

It is morning of Day 72; this is a rural area with an ER of 3.  There are three PEFs and 5 zombies on table.  I am using the ATZ:FFO rules, with the modified melee rules and tight ammo.  I will use normal searching/looting with draws from the risks and rewards deck.  Traci and Chad are on foot, entering along the main road, looking for a place to stop.  Both of them have packs, as they took half the supplies with them when they left.  They are both ‘grunts’ with Traci the leader.  I am giving Traci some star powers – she can react as a star, but doesn’t get a second attribute (yet?) and can be killed normally like a grunt.

Traci – Survivor Rep 5, Pep 4/ Sav 3; SMG and Machete (BAP as backup); body armor.  In her pack she has an assault rifle, shotgun, BAP, baseball bat, one unit of food and 2 luxury items.

Chad – Survivor Rep 3, Pep 1/ Sav 2; Assault rifle and Baseball bat (BAP as backup); no armor.  In his pack he has a shotgun, BAP, one unit of food and 2 luxury items.

Chad is fully loaded, Traci can carry a little more and both are anxious to be able to stop and rest.

Traci and Chad approach the RV dealer

The first couple of turns are uneventful, as the pair walk towards the dealer.  One PEF gets revealed as 'something is out there', increasing the ER to 4.  Things start to come apart when I get doubles, and a random event.

Traci swears something is out there

Traci was leaning against the SUV, watching the road and trying to shield her eyes from the harsh morning sun.  Several zombies shuffled around the area, some attracted to the pair as the moved along the road.  In the lot with the campers, Traci could hear the metallic scrape of the fence being attacked by a zombie.
"We should keep moving."  Chad offered, looking towards the small garage near the SUV.  "Let's check the garage and then keep heading towards the shop."
"Yeah, that's a..." Traci trailed off as she was looking at a zombie that had wandered from behind the nearby billboard.  She dropped her arms to her side, nearly dropping her weapons.  "No..." she mumbled.

This is going to be a bad day...

A random event comes up, and it's "Loved One" meaning a nearby zombie is a loved one and requires a 'Zed or No Zed' check.  Of course, Traci is the one who gets hit with this.  Somehow Beckie has managed to wander here after turning.  What a bad development for Traci!  She manages to pass 0d on her check as well.  At least the zombie is too far away to charge.

Beckie returns!

Chad decides they need to get into the garage, he is going to have to take care of zombie Beckie for Traci...

Chad heads into the garage

Chad tried the door, finding it unlocked.  He threw open the door, stepping into the must dark garage.  Garbage and junk littered the small space, looking as if it had been hastily searched or emptied before.  As he stood just inside the door, two forms rose from the junk, zombies!

Chad shoots one zombie

Chad isn't surprised by the zombies, and manages to shoot one, knocking it down.  His Rep of 3 is going to be a challenge.  The next turn the survivors go first, and Traci rushes in to help out.

Traci finishes off the last zombie

Chad is okay in melee, as he has the brawler advantage and a bat.  His shooting is pretty poor, the assault rifle gives him 3 shots, but he is missing more than hitting.  So far the noise hasn't been an issue.

Beckie gets closer to the garage

The zombies miss a turn, and the survivors search the garage, finding a luxury item.  Now if they can just find a working RV or if the car is functional, that would be good.  The next turn Beckie slams into the door, which holds, but two more zombies are getting close...

Beckie attacks the door

Traci placed the whisky bottle in her pack, tinkling with the vodka and tequila she had found with it.  Kicking around the box they had come from, she sent broken glass across the floor.  "At least these couple bottles survived, we can party later!"
Chad grinned, he was looking forward to being alone with Traci and no zombies trying to eat them.  "Sounds great!  We can have some fun."  Chad said.
A thud and shudder came from the door.  Through the window Traci saw undead Beckie pounding on the door, trying to get in.  Immediately he mood changed and she nearly wailed in sorrow.  "We have to get out of here!"
Chad watched the door buckle as it was slammed by zombie Beckie.  "Not this way.  Out the front!"

Traci leads the way out the front of the garage

Chad moves to take care of Beckie

Traci shoots and kills one zombie, Chad shoots and misses Beckie.  The next turn is all zombie, with two zombies getting to Chad in melee.

Chad faces down two zombies

An undead jogger flopped over the low stone wall to Chad's left as he tried to draw aim at the undead woman in front of him.  His hands were shaking from the fear of the dead so close and his shot went wide, missing Beckie as her undead arms reached out for him.

Chad Takes down the first zed

Chad has the brawler advantage, and facing two zombies, is in good shape - he is using his rifle, so no weapon bonus, but rolls the same number of dice, 4, in the combat and has a bonus success.  He wins the first melee by 1, leaving just Beckie.  This is always where my luck seems to go sideways, and this time is no different.  Chad looses the next round, but isn't killed or OOF, and fights another round down 1 rep.  He manages to win, but doesn't get the 6 needed on the infection check.  Chad is infected.

Chad wins, but is infected

Chad brought his rifle down on undead Beckie's head, splitting it open and finally killing her.  He took a deep breath, feeling a burning feeling in his left arm.  Looking at it, he was horrified to see the bloody bite mark.  Quickly tearing away his sleeve, Chad could already see the black tendrils on his arm of the spreading infection.
"NO!"  He yelled, knowing this was a death sentence.
Traci gaped at Chad, she never thought this could happen...

The next PEF moves forward

Traci stood stunned, looking at Chad.  She didn't even hear when the man with a shotgun stepped around the SUV, reacting only when he spoke.  "Do you need help?"  He asked.
"What?...  We, uh We're looking for a camper or something."  Traci looked around, quickly recovering when she saw the lean man standing there.  "Be a sweetie and give us hand?"  She asked with a smile and flounce.

We meet Kevin, a fellow survivor

The second PEF moves forward and reveals as a lone survivor.  We meet Kevin, Rep 4, armed with a shotgun and the medic advantage.  Traci scores amazing with her meet and greet, scoring 5 successes!  Kevin only manages 2, and joins the group!

Time to head towards the dealership

Kevin couldn't believe his luck!  Meeting someone living who didn't just want to kill him, and a hot chick at that!  Too bad for her friend, Kevin had seen plenty of those bites, he knew Chad might not last the rest of the day.  While part of him would miss another gun around, Kevin could tell Traci would be more fun one on one.
"My arm is killing me!"  Chad growled.   "Let's get inside and see if there is anything we can do."
Traci gave Chad a smile, encouraging him to continue.  "Good idea, sweetie.  Let's check in the building, maybe we can find keys.  At least get off the road."
Kevin finally took his eyes off Traci's legs when she mentioned the building.  "I went in there, but didn't get a look around.  There's something or someone inside."
After a hacking cough Chad managed to say "Well, let's be careful, but get moving!"

To be continued...