Episode 5 - Barriers
Jodi leaves the office room. She looks left and sees the horde of zeds scrabbling at the door to the distillery. She looks right and sees the tall hallway with the splotches of shadow she'd initially gone down. She steps out into the hall, her back pressed to the cold concrete wall. She grips the wooden handle of the axe, sweating palms making the polished grain seem even more slippery. If they take one look at me, she thinks, they'll see me and I'll be their next insta-meal. She prays she's not seen and inches her way further away from them. She fights the urge to break into a run. They'd be instantly drawn to the sound of running feet.
It's now late afternoon and leaving the office is not the best of ideas. Maybe she should just leave her companions. They were the perfect distraction right now. She could find another way out. Could be free and... but, she couldn't. Her companions needed her. She cursed her own sense of obligation. Millie's arm was broken. Tony's memory wasn't all there. Ron was... well, Ron was probably the most capable of them all, but she hadn't been blind to Tony and Ron's altercation on the street. They didn't exactly see eye to eye.
Do the zeds notice Jodi (I'm going to say unlikely since they're distracted and not looking in her direction)?
(Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
They don't notice her, and she makes it around the corner where she had initially ran into the walkers after her chase of imaginary Amy.
She remembers that there was a balcony that overlooked the distillery. Probably where managers could come out and see how the work was progressing. She had to try and make it to that balcony. Of course, her companions might not be there. If they had any sense, they would've made their way past the two that were at the outer door and back into the street to find a different place. This one was now officially over-run.
Once around the corner, she peered down the hallway.
Does she see stairs leading up to the next floor?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but... +Event: Expose / New ideas
She see's something that exposes some new ideas what is it?
I'll use MAG. The images are: gun emplacement, water wave, spear and shield, cthulhu, whirlwind, dark energy, arrow/spear, rotary cutter, and a pill
Initial thoughts come from the wind and wave.
The afternoon light dimmed suddenly, then hold hard rain began to pelt the windows in a positive deluge as gusts of wind rattled the windows.
She wonders at the rain and wind. It would cut down on visibility and mobility if their group did make it outside. That could be dangerous. But maybe they could use that too. The zeds wouldn't be able to hear as much either. It might be just what they needed.
She moves towards the stairs.
Does she make it to the second story without any problems (somewhat likely as I think the zeds have mostly been attracted already down the hallway)
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
What's the problem? Is it a zed?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No +Event: Refuse / Success
Are the stair broken or something?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
Hmm. I think they are metal stairs. What could smash through those? The only thing that I can think of that would destroy a chunk of stairs would be some sort of blast from a tank cannon.
Jodi stares, and she can see huge chunks of rubble from a hole in the wall to the outside, and some of the stairs are damaged. Some sort of explosion from the outside.
Jodi stares at the stairs, at the rubble choked stairway, and the feeling of being in a war zone creeps over her.
Is there a gap through the stairs and rubble that she can crawl through?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
...and what? Does the rubble to big to move?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
No, she can move it, but it's very loose and precarious. The whole thing could shift and slide down atop her if she attempts to move it or squeeze through it.
Does she attempt to move it?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
She doesn't think it would be wise to move it, but it might be the only way to reach her friends if she can't find another way up.
She'll keep looking for other stairs.
She moves past the rubble-filled stairway and looks out into the night through the gaping hole. Lightning flashes, and a positive gale lashes the side of the building. Furious rain slashes through the gap.
In the lightning, does she see anything out of the ordinary?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
What does she see?
Meaningfully / Lonely
Near the gap, she sees a child's doll. The plastic face is half melted and one eye stares at her accusingly in the lightning flashes. The clothes are a princess dress covered in mud and something red. She thinks of Amy, and an immense feeling of loneliness starts to crawl into her skin.
She backs away from the gap and the loneliness, wanting to weep.
"I'm sorry," she whispers into the wind. "I'm sorry, Amy," and she scrubs away at her eyes, as if to push the sorrow out of her. It doesn't work. The wetness from rain or tears from her face feel like they're drowning her. She retreats back further into the hallway until her back hits the wall, and she sinks down to the floor clutching her knees to her chest, the axe resting at her feet. For long moments, she sits huddled in the dark, listening to the moaning wind, like it were some sort of prophet telling her ancient truths.
Eventually, she pulls herself together, the keening wind still wails it's song of sorrow, but there's nothing else to be done but continue down the hallway, looking for some more stairs up.
She comes to an intersection with another hallway that stretches left. She peers down it.
Does she see anything dangerous?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
Zeds?
(50/50 | 9[d10]) Yes
A lot?
(50/50 | 3[d10]) No
There's only a few. We'll say 1d4.
4 = 4[d4]
Ohhhkay. 4... still seems like a lot, but it's not a herd of them. It's a lot for one person though.
Four of them are wandering down the hallway moaning.
Do they spot her? Unlikely since she's being cautious and the wind is making it hard to hear.
(Unlikely | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Yes, but they're far away.
But regardless, their dead eyes latch onto her warm flesh, and they are lumbering towards her.
Jodi curses and backpedals and jogs to the intersection with the lonely doll.
The rubble still doesn't seem safe. She decides to cut through the gap by the stairs, and go try her luck outside. Perhaps the two zeds by the outer door her group had initially entered the brewery through had wandered off now, and she can make her way to her companions that way.
Or maybe she can find a fire escape that leads to the second floor and she can find another way in that way.
She steps over the doll, trying not to look at its damaged face and into the night.
It's not night time yet, but the clouds and dust and rain have blotted out the sun, casting the light into a near-dark twilight.
She puts one hand up by her eyes, covering them from the slashing rain and looks about for a fire escape. Does she see one?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
No, but there's a fallen piece of rubble, like a piece of a nearby building that has collapsed atop this section of Johnston's Brewery. She can climb the rubble and make her way to the second story or even up to the roof with a bit of luck.
She starts climbing up the rubble.
Are there any zeds that notice her climbing and start coming towards her?
Again, I'm going to say unlikely in this bad storm.
(Unlikely | 3[d10]) No
She climbs up the wet slippery stone. Rusty rebar juts out of the rubble, like ancient stalagmites.
Does she make it up the rubble without incident? Given her athleticism, minus the wetness, I'll say somewhat likely.
(Somewhat Likely | 4[d10]) No, but...
She does have an incident, but it's not a fall.
She drops her axe.
The axe spins off into the darkness below, clanging against the sidewalk below.
She wonders if she should climb down and get it. She decides it's not going anywhere, and she knows where it is and can come back and get it later. She decides to press on. From the rubble, she sees a window where the rubble has smashed it's way through down into the interior second story room. She's careful not to cut herself, and uses her wrench to brush away any shards of glass before climbing in.
From the rubble pile, she cautiously peers down into the building through the window. She's going to needs some light soon.
She waits for her eyes to adjust and then listens and peers down into the room holding her breath.
Are there any zeds in this room?
(50/50 | 7[d10]) Yes
A lot?
(50/50 | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
Yes...and they hear the scrapings of glass breaking off above them and start to move towards her.
Can they easily climb up to her from the rubble on her side?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
Are there more than a dozen in the room?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
I'll say there are ten that are milling about then.
They hiss at her, opening their teeth in hungry anticipation. Those in front try to climb up the rubble. but they are pulled down by others who are equally as hungry to sink rotten teeth into fresh flesh.
If they do climb up, is there room on the blocks for more than one to climb up at a time?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 8[d10]) Yes
Jodi considers. They have to climb up the rubble inside the room to her position outside the room. Their upper bodies would be exposed to her. She could stay and brain them as they came up, but it would be risky if multiple zeds climb up at once. She could quickly get outnumbered, scratched, bit, or even pulled in and torn apart. She decides to beat a hasty retreat back down the slippery rubble to her axe.
Does she make it down without slipping?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
Is she nearly to the bottom when she slips?
(50/50 | 7[d10]) Yes
She's ten feet from the bottom when her foot slips on the wet concrete and she flails towards the ground.
She reaches out to catch herself. Does she arrest her fall?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
Her hands slip across the slippery concrete. Thankfully, she manages to grab hold of some rebar, and her hands aren't cut. She wishes she had her dad's thick leather work gloves, when the cold metal bites into her fingers. She pulls herself back up and makes it down the rest of the way, without suffering more than a few minor abrasions.
She finds the axe at the bottom and picks it back up, grateful to feel its heft in her hands again. She then decides to stay on the outside and make her way around to the side of the building they had initially come in.
Are there any zeds between her and the side of the brewery entrance they'd initially come in?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Yes there are, but they aren't close. They're far away.
I'll say it's very unlikely they notice her.
(Very Unlikely | 3[d10]) No
She makes it to the side of the building that they'd come in. She's soaked to the bone from the cold rain, and her hair is plastered wet against her face. She studies the darkness.
Are the two zeds still there?
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
They're still there, thumping against the metal door, as if two bodies are going to open it.
How to get them away from the door? she pondered, studying the surrounding terrain.
And sitting there, for some reason, the smell of dust and wet concrete, and the feel of her wet hair on her face, reminds her of a concert she went to with some friends where she danced in the rain. The axe in her hand is nearly transformed into a cold Coca-Cola. She can't remember who she'd gone to see. That was a decade ago. What was his name? A country singer. She'd always liked country music. Songs about family, God, and country. Songs of hope. Even the rhythmic thumping of the walking corpses against the metal door is somewhat percussive and reminiscent. She feels so much in that moment, but she can't feel the hope and promise she'd once felt then.
How had Barbara been able to keep her faith? To keep the hope? Jodi thinks of the pocket New Testament in her bag. It was probably waterlogged by now anyway. Besides, how much hope could the stale words give her? God had forgotten the world, hadn't he? Barbara had never believed that, no matter the arguments she and Jodi had had. Her friend never lost faith. But she was not Barbara, and the world had turned upside down in a new kind of hell.
Despair threatens to swallow her whole again. She huddles in the cold, feeling rain trickle cold, like a dirty fingernail down her back. She wishes she could somehow rewind the clock and press play again. If only she could find the rewind button maybe things would have turned out differently.
"Amy," she whispers into the rain.
Jodi leaves the office room. She looks left and sees the horde of zeds scrabbling at the door to the distillery. She looks right and sees the tall hallway with the splotches of shadow she'd initially gone down. She steps out into the hall, her back pressed to the cold concrete wall. She grips the wooden handle of the axe, sweating palms making the polished grain seem even more slippery. If they take one look at me, she thinks, they'll see me and I'll be their next insta-meal. She prays she's not seen and inches her way further away from them. She fights the urge to break into a run. They'd be instantly drawn to the sound of running feet.
It's now late afternoon and leaving the office is not the best of ideas. Maybe she should just leave her companions. They were the perfect distraction right now. She could find another way out. Could be free and... but, she couldn't. Her companions needed her. She cursed her own sense of obligation. Millie's arm was broken. Tony's memory wasn't all there. Ron was... well, Ron was probably the most capable of them all, but she hadn't been blind to Tony and Ron's altercation on the street. They didn't exactly see eye to eye.
Do the zeds notice Jodi (I'm going to say unlikely since they're distracted and not looking in her direction)?
(Unlikely | 2[d10]) No
They don't notice her, and she makes it around the corner where she had initially ran into the walkers after her chase of imaginary Amy.
She remembers that there was a balcony that overlooked the distillery. Probably where managers could come out and see how the work was progressing. She had to try and make it to that balcony. Of course, her companions might not be there. If they had any sense, they would've made their way past the two that were at the outer door and back into the street to find a different place. This one was now officially over-run.
Once around the corner, she peered down the hallway.
Does she see stairs leading up to the next floor?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but... +Event: Expose / New ideas
She see's something that exposes some new ideas what is it?
I'll use MAG. The images are: gun emplacement, water wave, spear and shield, cthulhu, whirlwind, dark energy, arrow/spear, rotary cutter, and a pill
Initial thoughts come from the wind and wave.
The afternoon light dimmed suddenly, then hold hard rain began to pelt the windows in a positive deluge as gusts of wind rattled the windows.
She wonders at the rain and wind. It would cut down on visibility and mobility if their group did make it outside. That could be dangerous. But maybe they could use that too. The zeds wouldn't be able to hear as much either. It might be just what they needed.
She moves towards the stairs.
Does she make it to the second story without any problems (somewhat likely as I think the zeds have mostly been attracted already down the hallway)
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
What's the problem? Is it a zed?
(50/50 | 4[d10]) No +Event: Refuse / Success
Are the stair broken or something?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
Hmm. I think they are metal stairs. What could smash through those? The only thing that I can think of that would destroy a chunk of stairs would be some sort of blast from a tank cannon.
Jodi stares, and she can see huge chunks of rubble from a hole in the wall to the outside, and some of the stairs are damaged. Some sort of explosion from the outside.
Jodi stares at the stairs, at the rubble choked stairway, and the feeling of being in a war zone creeps over her.
Is there a gap through the stairs and rubble that she can crawl through?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
...and what? Does the rubble to big to move?
(50/50 | 1[d10]) No, and...
No, she can move it, but it's very loose and precarious. The whole thing could shift and slide down atop her if she attempts to move it or squeeze through it.
Does she attempt to move it?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
She doesn't think it would be wise to move it, but it might be the only way to reach her friends if she can't find another way up.
She'll keep looking for other stairs.
She moves past the rubble-filled stairway and looks out into the night through the gaping hole. Lightning flashes, and a positive gale lashes the side of the building. Furious rain slashes through the gap.
In the lightning, does she see anything out of the ordinary?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
What does she see?
Meaningfully / Lonely
Near the gap, she sees a child's doll. The plastic face is half melted and one eye stares at her accusingly in the lightning flashes. The clothes are a princess dress covered in mud and something red. She thinks of Amy, and an immense feeling of loneliness starts to crawl into her skin.
She backs away from the gap and the loneliness, wanting to weep.
"I'm sorry," she whispers into the wind. "I'm sorry, Amy," and she scrubs away at her eyes, as if to push the sorrow out of her. It doesn't work. The wetness from rain or tears from her face feel like they're drowning her. She retreats back further into the hallway until her back hits the wall, and she sinks down to the floor clutching her knees to her chest, the axe resting at her feet. For long moments, she sits huddled in the dark, listening to the moaning wind, like it were some sort of prophet telling her ancient truths.
Eventually, she pulls herself together, the keening wind still wails it's song of sorrow, but there's nothing else to be done but continue down the hallway, looking for some more stairs up.
She comes to an intersection with another hallway that stretches left. She peers down it.
Does she see anything dangerous?
(50/50 | 8[d10]) Yes
Zeds?
(50/50 | 9[d10]) Yes
A lot?
(50/50 | 3[d10]) No
There's only a few. We'll say 1d4.
4 = 4[d4]
Ohhhkay. 4... still seems like a lot, but it's not a herd of them. It's a lot for one person though.
Four of them are wandering down the hallway moaning.
Do they spot her? Unlikely since she's being cautious and the wind is making it hard to hear.
(Unlikely | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Yes, but they're far away.
But regardless, their dead eyes latch onto her warm flesh, and they are lumbering towards her.
Jodi curses and backpedals and jogs to the intersection with the lonely doll.
The rubble still doesn't seem safe. She decides to cut through the gap by the stairs, and go try her luck outside. Perhaps the two zeds by the outer door her group had initially entered the brewery through had wandered off now, and she can make her way to her companions that way.
Or maybe she can find a fire escape that leads to the second floor and she can find another way in that way.
She steps over the doll, trying not to look at its damaged face and into the night.
It's not night time yet, but the clouds and dust and rain have blotted out the sun, casting the light into a near-dark twilight.
She puts one hand up by her eyes, covering them from the slashing rain and looks about for a fire escape. Does she see one?
(50/50 | 5[d10]) No, but...
No, but there's a fallen piece of rubble, like a piece of a nearby building that has collapsed atop this section of Johnston's Brewery. She can climb the rubble and make her way to the second story or even up to the roof with a bit of luck.
She starts climbing up the rubble.
Are there any zeds that notice her climbing and start coming towards her?
Again, I'm going to say unlikely in this bad storm.
(Unlikely | 3[d10]) No
She climbs up the wet slippery stone. Rusty rebar juts out of the rubble, like ancient stalagmites.
Does she make it up the rubble without incident? Given her athleticism, minus the wetness, I'll say somewhat likely.
(Somewhat Likely | 4[d10]) No, but...
She does have an incident, but it's not a fall.
She drops her axe.
The axe spins off into the darkness below, clanging against the sidewalk below.
She wonders if she should climb down and get it. She decides it's not going anywhere, and she knows where it is and can come back and get it later. She decides to press on. From the rubble, she sees a window where the rubble has smashed it's way through down into the interior second story room. She's careful not to cut herself, and uses her wrench to brush away any shards of glass before climbing in.
From the rubble pile, she cautiously peers down into the building through the window. She's going to needs some light soon.
She waits for her eyes to adjust and then listens and peers down into the room holding her breath.
Are there any zeds in this room?
(50/50 | 7[d10]) Yes
A lot?
(50/50 | 10[d10]) Yes, and...
Yes...and they hear the scrapings of glass breaking off above them and start to move towards her.
Can they easily climb up to her from the rubble on her side?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
Are there more than a dozen in the room?
(50/50 | 2[d10]) No
I'll say there are ten that are milling about then.
They hiss at her, opening their teeth in hungry anticipation. Those in front try to climb up the rubble. but they are pulled down by others who are equally as hungry to sink rotten teeth into fresh flesh.
If they do climb up, is there room on the blocks for more than one to climb up at a time?
(Somewhat Unlikely | 8[d10]) Yes
Jodi considers. They have to climb up the rubble inside the room to her position outside the room. Their upper bodies would be exposed to her. She could stay and brain them as they came up, but it would be risky if multiple zeds climb up at once. She could quickly get outnumbered, scratched, bit, or even pulled in and torn apart. She decides to beat a hasty retreat back down the slippery rubble to her axe.
Does she make it down without slipping?
(Somewhat Likely | 2[d10]) No
Is she nearly to the bottom when she slips?
(50/50 | 7[d10]) Yes
She's ten feet from the bottom when her foot slips on the wet concrete and she flails towards the ground.
She reaches out to catch herself. Does she arrest her fall?
(Somewhat Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
Her hands slip across the slippery concrete. Thankfully, she manages to grab hold of some rebar, and her hands aren't cut. She wishes she had her dad's thick leather work gloves, when the cold metal bites into her fingers. She pulls herself back up and makes it down the rest of the way, without suffering more than a few minor abrasions.
She finds the axe at the bottom and picks it back up, grateful to feel its heft in her hands again. She then decides to stay on the outside and make her way around to the side of the building they had initially come in.
Are there any zeds between her and the side of the brewery entrance they'd initially come in?
(50/50 | 6[d10]) Yes, but...
Yes there are, but they aren't close. They're far away.
I'll say it's very unlikely they notice her.
(Very Unlikely | 3[d10]) No
She makes it to the side of the building that they'd come in. She's soaked to the bone from the cold rain, and her hair is plastered wet against her face. She studies the darkness.
Are the two zeds still there?
(Likely | 9[d10]) Yes
They're still there, thumping against the metal door, as if two bodies are going to open it.
How to get them away from the door? she pondered, studying the surrounding terrain.
And sitting there, for some reason, the smell of dust and wet concrete, and the feel of her wet hair on her face, reminds her of a concert she went to with some friends where she danced in the rain. The axe in her hand is nearly transformed into a cold Coca-Cola. She can't remember who she'd gone to see. That was a decade ago. What was his name? A country singer. She'd always liked country music. Songs about family, God, and country. Songs of hope. Even the rhythmic thumping of the walking corpses against the metal door is somewhat percussive and reminiscent. She feels so much in that moment, but she can't feel the hope and promise she'd once felt then.
How had Barbara been able to keep her faith? To keep the hope? Jodi thinks of the pocket New Testament in her bag. It was probably waterlogged by now anyway. Besides, how much hope could the stale words give her? God had forgotten the world, hadn't he? Barbara had never believed that, no matter the arguments she and Jodi had had. Her friend never lost faith. But she was not Barbara, and the world had turned upside down in a new kind of hell.
Despair threatens to swallow her whole again. She huddles in the cold, feeling rain trickle cold, like a dirty fingernail down her back. She wishes she could somehow rewind the clock and press play again. If only she could find the rewind button maybe things would have turned out differently.
"Amy," she whispers into the rain.
(Enjoying my content? Want to show your support? Consider joining my Patreon at Roll, Ponder, and Play!)