But Time Goes On

[Veta]

C. The odds are against him.

[Basil]

C

[slayer22]

C.

*Negotiate

Just to be a jerk

[Roger Stone]

I didz it at like midnight. DEAL.

And, btw, I revised it. IE: put in a huge bit from Chief's PoV. Go readz it.


Also: inb4masterchieftehsupahsoldierjokes

[Veta]

I have a few good one-liners for this scene.

"Give it up! You know Cynthia's the only one keeping you alive!"

"They're comming. You won't last much longer holed up like a turtle!"

[Roger Stone]

No, V.... Just no.

[Roger Stone]

"Let's try to talk him down. I've had enough killing for one day," you say guiltily, getting to your feet. You feel tired, but at the same time brimming with some form of new energy. You trudge towards the front of the store, Chief staying in step. Stopping beside the last car in the aisle, you examine the entrance, searching for any sign of movement.

"I don't see anything. You?"

"No, son, I don't. He ain't waitin ta ambush us right here, as far as I can tell."

"Right.... HEY! BILLY, WASN'T IT?" You yell, cupping your hands over your mouth to amplify the sound. "LISTEN, WE DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU. JUST LET HER GO, AND WE CAN ALL JUST LEAVE." You wait for a response, but get none.

"'EY, BILLY? ITS CHIEF WILLIAMS. I DOUBT YOU REMEMBER ME, BUT I DO YOU. YOU AIN'T A MURDERER, BILLY."

Still nothing.

"LISTEN, SON. ONE A YER BUDDIES IS OUT HERE AND UNCONSCIOUS. WE CAIN'T TAKE EM WITH US, YOU GOTTA GET OUT HERE AND HELP EM!"

Zilch. You begin to grow restless. The sun is setting, and fast. Not long till dark, and who knows what nightmares have come to life?

Anything would be better than this silence. Even a 'You'll never take me alive, coppers!'. At least you'd know what's going on, somewhat....

"SHE'S JUS' A KID! YOU AIN'T GUNNA SHOOT H-"

The crack of a gunshot rings out from inside the store, and fades into the distance.

Chief stops mid-sentence, mouth agape and with a stunned look on his face. Then, while uttering a stream of curses that would make a sailor blush, he runs towards the grocery with shotgun up and at the ready.

Before he can get more than a few paces, an engine revs up from somewhere around the back of the store. A motorcycle zooms around the corner, barreling past the Chief and through the lot towards the entrance. The Chief manages to get a shot off, but it goes wide, missing the driver completely. In a heartbeat, he's out of the lot and around the bend, out of sight.

You'd been frozen, your mind refusing to compute what had just occurred. It takes you a moment to pull out of it. Once you do, you see Chief is torn between following or going inside.

Run inside the store. Maybe she's still alive, only wounded. Just maybe...
Get to the car and chase after the Billy. You want your revenge.
[C]One of you go inside and check there, and the other goes in the Bug with Benn to peruse the biker. Splitting up will allow you to get more done, but if one group encounters something, they might not be able to handle it on their own...
[D]The sun's dropping way too fast. You wager you've got just enough time to get back before it's fully dark. Get the hell out of here.
[Z]CYOA

Time: 7:28 (Sunset at 7:34)

Status:

SPOILER: Click to show

==Active Party:
Steve Ames: Bitten. You find your rib feels completely healed somehow...
Hunger: 65%
Equipment: -9mm Beretta (9/13) 0 spare clips
-Empty 9mm clip
-Transceiver

Cynthia Smith: Status Unknown
Equipment: -Large kitchen knife

Burt "The Chief" Williams:
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (6/8) 6 extra shells
-Standard issue police Taser gun

Benjamin Cooper: Scared out of his wits
Equipment: -Baseball Bat

==Other Party:
Louise Shaffer:
Equipment: -None

Fran Geller:
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (8/8) 9 extra shells
-Sharpened Rapier

Samuel "Doc" Morten:
Equipment: -None

==Vehicles:

Ben's Yellow Volkswagen: 52% Fuel
Total Space:
Cab-- 4
Trunk-- 3

Current Usage:
Cab: 2
-Benn: 1
-Chief: 1
Trunk: None

[slayer22]

C

You go inside.

Others go after that assface.

[Veta]

A.

[Song Nai]

C

Same as COGS

[Tbone]

C

[Basil ze guest]

As tempting as vengeance may seem, it would be foolish to go dashing after the bastard when nightfall is close.

A

[Will]

C.

[Roger Stone]

"Go after him!" You yell, bolting past the Chief and into the store. As you duck inside, you miss Chief nod grimly and begin jogging towards the car where Benn waits, still hunched over.

You dart through an "automatic" door that's recently been turned manual and forced open. Inside, you see that the place has been wrecked. No surprise there... Several spots of bright red on the ground catch your eye. Looking closer, they're two pairs of footprints overlapping, likely made of blood from outside. They trail off deeper into the store.

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that those are Billy and Cynthia's.... Yikes. That sounds like something the Chief would say. It must be rubbing off on me....

You follow the footprints. At first you find it impossible not to notice them, but you soon find yourself having to actually look for them. This is through a combination of the print's fading intensity and the growing darkness as you progress into the store. Soon, you can barely see much at all, let alone the prints. They seemed to have been, for the most part, mercifully direct however. No twisting and turning. Through guesswork and luck, you track your way to the back of the store, ending in front of a door marked MANAGER. You pause for a moment to let your eyes adjust a little more, knowing it'll probably be even darker behind this door. As you're reaching for the knob, you spot something that makes your stomach drop out.


Blood has pooled at the foot of the door. Fresher than what was outside. Fresher by far.


Now almost in a panic, you shove open the door, knowing you're probably going to wish you hadn't later. Almost immediately, it hits something solid, halting it's progress. Through the crack that it did open, you can see the pale white gleam of a human hand. It's limp, and unmoving in the least.

That means the thing the door hit is... and it didn't make any noise when I did... You hear yourself let out a despairing groan. You close the door, not wanting to see more.

You turn away, meaning to simply walk out, when you think you hear something. When it doesn't come again, you start to continue on.

Probably just my imaginat- THUNK There! You whirl around, and slam into the door, forcing your way inside. This time you hit something higher up, but it falls away, giving a muffled yelp. You push the door forward more carefully this time, still finding it contacts the same weight as earlier. You shove it open anyways and step inside.

"Cynthia?" you call, feeling hope chase off the despair that had begun to settle in your gut. As your eyes adjust to take in the limited light in the small room, you see two forms. On is at your feet, and apparently the source of all the blood. It's a woman wearing a red and white uniform with black slacks. In a flash of insight, you wager if you were to roll her over, you'd find that her name tag would have "MANAGER" printed neatly on it. The back of her head is blown out, and you've come to recognize this as the exit wound of a bullet.

All that came in at a glance. You're really more focused on the second. She's sitting on the ground, and looking rather surprised. Her hands seem to be held behind her back, and you spot a gleam of silver where the mouth should be.

"Cynthia?" you ask again, and get a muted reply of.... something, in return. You step forward, trying to get a better look. Then, the little light there is catches her eyes just right, and you see a flash of piercing blue. "Ha!" You leap forward, drawing her into a rough embrace. You let go just as quickly, regaining control of yourself. She mumbles again, reminding you she's still got duct tape over her mouth.

"Oh, right." You yank the tape off quickly.

"Ow!"

"Sorry," you say automatically. She just smiles.

"Mind helping me with the other?" She turns, revealing her hands behind her, wrapped at the wrists. You begin undoing them, noticing how they've been worked partway loose. "I... I heard a shotgun. Is...?"

"Chief took a potshot at that last one. Missed..."

"Oh," she says with... relief? Seeing your confused look, she speaks. "He... he seemed good enough. Told me he bound me loose, so I could wriggle free in a while if you didn't come."

"And the gunshot..." You look towards the corpse.

"It was a zombie. It lunged at us when he opened the door. He could have just pushed me into it and left, but..." she shrugs.

"... I thought you were... you know... gone." For once it's you who won't meet her gaze, suddenly finding something about your shoes rather interesting. Then, before you can quite figure out what's occurred, she leans in, places her lips to yours, and pulls back in the same instant, looking just as surprised as you are (although several shades more red).

"Well, where are the others?" she finally says after a few moments of awkward silence.

"They.. went after.... Billy...." You trail off as the realization hits you: they've got the only car and you've got the only means of communication. You promptly facepalm.

"They'll come back, I'm sure," Cynthia states after giggling a little, "But what do we do till then? I'd rather not stay here... This place gives me the creeps."

"No kidding, but I don't think it'd be that great of an idea to be going anywhere on foot," you add, looking outside to see that it's gotten a good deal darker than it had earlier. "Maybe we would be better off just staying inside the store here." As if to accentuate your point, something howls from a ways off.

Stay at the store and try to barricade yourself somewhere. Chief'll come back.
You want to get out of here, now. Look for some transportation.



For A, choose one other thing to do:
1. Try to find some way to get the power back on in this joint. A back up generator maybe.
2. You're not terribly hungry, but you may as well try and find something to eat. See if you can find some raw meat again...
3. Those dead gangers out there had guns. Lots of them. Take a chance and go collect them before returning to the safety of the store.
4. That kiss was all too brief. Another, perhaps?

If B, where do you search?
1. Check the lot for cars with their keys still in them. Maybe you'll get lucky.
2. Gut instinct tells you to look around back.
3. Around the store itself. You don't know why, but you think it might be worth a shot.
4. Just walk. Real men don't need no stinking wheels.

(OoC: Note there's no Z. NO COMBINING OPTIONS. That means no "B1, but grab the guns while you're doing so.")

Time: 7:35 (Total Darkness at 7:54)
Status:

SPOILER: Click to show

==Active Party:
Steve Ames: Bitten. But you find your rib feels completely healed somehow...
Hunger: 67%
Equipment: -9mm Beretta (9/13) 0 spare clips
-Empty 9mm clip
-Transceiver

Cynthia Smith: A-Ok
Equipment: -Large kitchen knife

==Other Party:
Louise Shaffer:
Equipment: -None

Fran Geller:
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (8/8) 9 extra shells
-Sharpened Rapier

Samuel "Doc" Morten:
Equipment: -None

Burt "The Chief" Williams: Status Unknown
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (6/8) 6 extra shells
-Standard issue police Taser gun

Benjamin Cooper: Status Unknown
Equipment: -Baseball Bat


==Vehicles:

Ben's Yellow Volkswagen: 52% Fuel
Total Space:
Cab-- 4
Trunk-- 3

Current Usage:
Cab: 2
-Benn: 1
-Chief: 1
Trunk: None

[praetorian]

A 1.

[Veta]

B2.

My guts tells me to get out as soon as possible and find the others.

[Tbone]

B2 & A1.

[Song Nai]

A 3

Here are my reasons"
1. Lighting the place would probably draw unwanted attetion,
2. Feed when you need,
3. Getting some doesn't seem like a good idea. (For once)

[Will]

A4.

[Veta]

What the hell. I change the vote to A4.

[Basil ze Guest]

A 3

[Roger Stone]

"We may as well settle in here; the Chief'll come back for us," You decide, despite that being one of the furthest things from your mind. You lead the two of you out of the dark room and towards the front of the store, coming out into what little of the fading daylight is left. As you do, you hear Cynthia gasp slightly beside you.

“What, what’s wron-“ you stop as you find she’s looking at you. More precisely, at your chin and neck. You feel the spot with your hand, and see it come away with blood, reminding you once again of the foul deed the Other did earlier.

“You don’t think that... That could have infected me, do you?” She’s biting her lower lip, and looks honestly worried. You rub your hand over your mouth, and are thankful to see it come away crimson-free. You think with disgust that the other likely licked his lips, savoring the residual that was there.

“No.. I think you’re alright. I’d better go wash up none the less. I’m sure it’s not a pretty sight...”

“Alright, if you say so, I trust you,” she says, smiling nervously. “But I am getting hungry. So, I’m going to go see if there’s still anything good in here.”

“Ok. Just call out if you need anything. I’ll come running.” She nods and smiles, more confidently this time. You feel her watching you go for awhile before turning off down an aisle to scrounge for food.

===

Chief sits hunched over the wheel, solely concentrated on the biker in front of him. Billy weaves through the streets expertly, casting nervous glances back, but the Chief follows him gamely. The sun is setting, but neither of the two seem to notice nor care.

“Git over here, you bastard. I gave you a chance! AND YOU KILLED THEM!” he screams, unaware of doing so. Drops of rain begin to dot the windshield. All too quickly it turns into a downpour, soaking the two vehicles. The road becomes slick, but both still manage to stay in control as they race through the streets. Thunder booms overhead.

Benn sits shotgun, slumped over. Blood soaks the seat and floorboard. His neck is a bloody pulp; the glass that had barely scratched Chief back in the parking lot went past him and into Benn. He bled out before Chief went back to the car to give chase after Billy. Chief shoved him into the passenger's seat instead of dumping him out of the car. Be damned if he was going to give an easy meal to whatever wandered by.

Billy rounded a corner around a three car pile-up, looking almost like he's going for a spill before managing to right himself. Chief follows after, but the car hydroplanes.

"FUCK!" Chief yells, getting red in the face. He skids and joins the other three cars, watching as Billy streaks around another corner and vanishes. Chief pulls away from the wreck; the Beetle is damaged but still functional.

Taking a quick glance around, Chief realizes it's already night, and he's a good deal away from the grocery. He also sees the Civic Center is a lot closer. Something howls in the vicinity, and with it Chief knows trying to head back now would be suicide.

"Well, I'll get back ta the base. The kids will have ta just bunker down fer the night. They'll be safe, I hope. I'll go for them first light....."

The Beetle drives off, heading towards the center.

===

You swish and spit some mouthwash you had come across into the sink. The once green liquid comes out a disgusting orange. A flash light is at your feet pointing up, shedding light in the bathroom. Pulling your shirt up, you wipe off your mouth. Your eyes are drawn to your bandages, however.

That rib hasn't bothered me at all lately. Not since Drew... You pull your shirt fully off and peel the wrappings, gently prodding the area. No pain.

Huh. That's odd.

Then, a boom of thunder, accompanied by Cynthia's scream. You drop everything and rush out. You find her seated in the middle of an aisle, bread, peanut butter, and jelly splayed out in front of her.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Oh, ha ha, nothing. Sorry, the thunder made me jump," she giggles, "Any reason you don't have a shirt on?"

"Oh, uh..." You stumble, having forgotten that you were half naked. "I kinda dropped it to come save you from some giant monster..." She laughs again.


"So, Cynthia, about before-"

"I'm sorry, it was totally inappropriate. I shouldn't have done that, so-"

"Relax. It's alright," you say, moving closer. "Actually, I liked it."

"Wh- What?" She says, getting up uncertainly.

"Come here," you croon, taking her into your arms. She immediately melts and leans against you. You can feel her breath grow heavier, and her heart beat faster. You lean in, but she leans back.

"Wait. Just... Wait. I'd rather not get whatever you've got, but I wouldn't mind either.... I'm so confused. If you're gone, I don't want to go on without you. But if I get what you've got, I might hurt someone... I don't know what to do," she's practically begging, with tear welling up in the corner of her eyes.

Current time: 7:57 PM (Dawn at 6:03 AM)

Just go for it.
Stop. The chance of infecting her isn't worth the risk.
[C]Just be with her. As much as you want to, you'll settle for just holding her for awhile.
[Z]CYOA

SPOILER: Click to show

==Active Party:
Steve Ames: Bitten. But you find your rib feels completely healed somehow...
Hunger: 69%
Equipment: -9mm Beretta (9/13) 0 spare clips
-Empty 9mm clip
-Transceiver

Cynthia Smith: A-Ok
Equipment: -Large kitchen knife

==Other Party:
Louise Shaffer:
Equipment: -None

Fran Geller:
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (8/8) 9 extra shells
-Sharpened Rapier

Samuel "Doc" Morten:
Equipment: -None

Burt "The Chief" Williams: Status Unknown
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (6/8) 6 extra shells
-Standard issue police Taser gun

Benjamin Cooper: Dead
Equipment: -Baseball Bat


==Vehicles:

Ben's Yellow Volkswagen: 45% Fuel
Total Space:
Cab-- 4
Trunk-- 3

Current Usage:
Cab: 2
-Benn: 1
-Chief: 1
Trunk: None

[Song Nai]

C

[praetorian]

C. I think I'ma play it safe this time.

[Veta]

Hmm... C.

[Roger Stone]

"No... You're right, I'm glad you pointed it out," you say, pulling away. She looks both relieved and disappointed at once, the two managing to coexist on the same set of features. You back up and sit down, leaning against the shelf lined with boxes of crackers and other such edibles. You look up and get lost in her eyes a moment before finally speaking. "But we may as well enjoy each others company while we can." You open your arms and invite her forward with a wave. "Don't worry, I won't bite," you joke with black humor.

"That's not funny..." She whispers, but approaches anyways, sitting beside you and leaning in. You wrap your arms around her and sit in silence, merely relishing the way her body molded to yours. She settles her head cautiously against the hollow of your neck, as though not sure she was 'allowed' to. After a moment, she closes her eyes and a smile of genuine happiness slips across her face.

"Hey..." You lean your head back forward. Between the rain pounding outside and the extra heartbeat thumping against your chest, you had almost fallen asleep.

"Hmm?"

"When- When we were out there, I kinda wanted to go with Billy. When you turned-... I'm sorry for doubting you."

"Don't apologize... I wasn't in control of myself; I was.... not there. I don't know.... But next time, if there's a next time, I want you to get away from me, alright? I don't know what I would have done with myself if I-" The word 'killed' was what you had thought, but your mouth refused to form the necessary syllables. "-if I harmed you somehow."

"..."

"Promise me. Please? Next time I turn, promise you'll stay away."

"Ok..." She breathes quietly, obviously not liking the prospect of you turning again. The two of you lapse into silence again, allowing the sounds of rain and your breathing to contest each other unopposed. Before long, you feel her breathing even out and deepen.

"My father...." She mumbles sleepily, barely coherent, "...was a rotten drunk..." You say nothing, only give her a light squeeze. Soon, she's fast asleep, the smile still gracing her lips.

I should probably stay up.... Keep... Watch... All too quickly after that thought, you've nodded off as well.

========

Chief shifts Benn's limp bulk to one shoulder, a vein popping out on his neck. He pounds the side door of the compound heartily, eager to be free of his burden and out of the freezing rain.

"EEEYYYY! FRAN! LOUISE! DOC! SOMEBODY!" He yells, knowing that the wind and rain likely masked his cries with natural ease. He keeps hammering and howling, soon going hoarse and hand aching. Hell, Chief's everything was aching. This dead weight on his shoulder is a pain in the arse. He has no business hefting it at his age, but he couldn't bring himself to set the body down in the mud.

Just as he was about to head back to the car and try another entrance, the sounds of movement come from inside. A few minutes later, Chief's knees are threatening to give out, and the door swings inwards. Chief hurries inside quickly, and puts down Benn into the nearest chair. Likely one from the disassembled barricade spread about the hall. Fran lets out a breathless gasp as she sees the bloody spot on Benn's neck.

"Is he-" She isn't able to finish the sentence. Chief shakes his head sadly. She squeezes her eyes shut and turns away to hide her tears. She takes a moment to regain her composure, then turns back.

"Where are the others?" She asks flatly.

"Back at the grocery, like as not..." Chief hangs his head slightly in shame, clearly not proud of what happened. "You still got that radio?"

"Yea... Yea. Here." She fumbles for her belt, unclipping the yellow walkie-talkie hanging there. "What happened?"

"Not now. Just hold on," Chief asks, depressing the TALK button.

========

You awake abruptly to a explosion of thunder. Looking around, it takes you a moment to realize you'd fallen asleep.

"Ah, so you're awake! Wonderful," exclaims a cheery voice from above. You startle hard enough to wake Cynthia up. Looking skyward, you see none other than the Punisher hoodie kid perched atop the shelf, looking interestedly down upon the two of you. The leaps forward, pulling off a fluid front flip before landing gracefully in front of the two of you.

"Sorry, Cynthia, didn't mean to wake you," he apologizes gleefully, leering at the pair of you. You jump to your feet, and place yourself between her and the oddball.

"Who the hell are you? And what do you know about... This" You gesture around vaguely.

"Me? Riley Farson, at your service! As for what I know, well... Let's just say more than we have time for. I was simply checking up on you, Steve. Because you interest me greatly, Steve. Greatly indeed." He continues smiling like a man belonging in an asylum.

He'd look right at home in a straight jacket...

Before you can retort with a witty remark over his 'interest' in you, your pocket screams with a loud Chirip!. You hear someone speaking muffledly. Riley looks towards it with an amused look.

"You going to get that? I was hoping to palaver a spell, but, if you're busy..." He shrugs, still grinning like a loon.


Lunge at him. You'll get your answers by whatever means necessary.
Ignore the call and chat with this loon. Let him have his say.
[C]Answer the transceiver. It might be important.
[D]Try and draw you pistol and pop him. Somehow, you've got a clear feeling you'll be better off later....
[E]Just run for it. This guy gives you the creeps; you want to get as far from him as possible.
[F]Hold your ground and do nothing. Let him make a move.
[Z]CYOA

Current time: 8:25 PM (Dawn at 6:03 AM)

Status:

SPOILER: Click to show

==Active Party:
Steve Ames: Bitten.
Hunger: 73% (!)
Equipment: -9mm Beretta (9/13) 0 spare clips
-Empty 9mm clip
-Transceiver

Cynthia Smith:
Equipment: -Large kitchen knife

==Other Party:
Louise Shaffer:
Equipment: -None

Fran Geller:
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (8/8) 9 extra shells
-Sharpened Rapier

Samuel "Doc" Morten:
Equipment: -None

Burt "The Chief" Williams:
Equipment: -Pump Action Shotgun, (6/8) 6 extra shells
-Standard issue police Taser gun
-Transceiver

Benjamin Cooper: Dead
Equipment: -Baseball Bat


==Vehicles:

Ben's Yellow Volkswagen: 36% Fuel
Total Space:
Cab-- 4
Trunk-- 3

Current Usage:
Cab: None
Trunk: None

[The Goddamn Batman]

B, loons are fun!

[Tbone110 The Amurican Bastard]

C

[Veta]

C.

[Song Nai]

C