Episode 2A

[brianfenris]

GM POST

Time was that a drive from Fort Hood, TX to Fort Huachuca, AZ would have taken less then two days and would have been interstate all the way, sharing the road fellow drivers and plenty of places pull off to take a break from the long drive. A break down on the side of the road could be resolved with the help of a good Samaritan or state trooper.

That was seven months ago. Six months ago the world ended under the slow march of the undead, turning short trips down the street into an extremely risky venture, if not suicidal. Six months is how long it took 1st Lt. Joseph Reginald “J.R.” Lilly to cross two states, including time spent having to back track around highways and streets blocked with derelict vehicles, circling around zombie infested cities, and gathering supplies. All the time under threat of death from an enemy that never sleeps and is always hungry.

No stress. This wasn't the sort of thing you expected when you joined the Army, but you're experience and military training has served you well in these past few months, finally bringing you across the Arizona border. Not to much longer and you would finally reach your destination of Fort Huachuca.

That was two days ago. You're trip took an unexpected turn for the worse while you were traveling down Interstate 10, coming to the town of San Simon. Just outside the town, you stopped to do a quick recon of the place to assess the zombie threat and a chance to score more supplies. What you found would have caused a weaker man to lay down and die out of frustration.

From concealment, you observed a large camp of a motorcycle gang. You've heard rumors of a motorcycle club that had formed up into small army of dedicated zombies killers. You're hopes of hooking up with a like minded group of survivors was quickly dashed when you recognized the gangs colors. They were the Bandidos; the motto was “Fuck the world. We are the people our parents warned us about.” With that in mind, you fell back to you humvee and got the hell out of their as quickly and quietly as possible, back tracking down the interstate, then turned south then west, using the many dusty back roads to put some mileage between you and the dangerous thugs.

Yesterday, after crossing over the Chiricahua Mountains, you'd thought you got away clean until you noticed in your mirror the distant dust clouds of several vehicles closing in fast on your position. Some how, the Bandidos were hot on your trail. To many to fight, you floored the accelerator and led the bandits on a merry little chase through the back roads of Arizona. It was a long day with a lot of close calls but you managed to finally lose them after ducking into an ranch, the place burned out and abandoned. Hidden from view behind the ruins of the place, you watched with satisfaction as they speed by for the umpteenth time looking for you in vain. Watching them through the scope of your assault rifle, you watched them disappear into the desert. With them in the area, you stayed the night at your hiding place with further problems, from either the living or the dead.

After sunrise today, there was no sign up your pursuers but that didn't mean they weren't still in the area. You decided to risk it and got back on the road, finding your way onto 181 then turning north onto 191. With no sign of the gang, you start back on lonely trip towards the military base.

((This is episode is exclusive to this J.R. Please refrain from posting to this thread. Thank you.))

[farside]

Keeping the Humvee down to 20-25 m.p.h. so as to minimize his dust plume and have greater observation over his surroundings, J.R. made his way up Hwy 191. Watching for any telltales of people out there and occasionally flipping through the channels on his commo gear he tried not to think. Thoughts tended to lead towards memories and those were his enemy. Memories tormented him with everything he had loved that was now gone. J.R. had buried that life six months ago with the last of his buddies and his family. Now was only the slim hopes of survivors that weren't just maggots in the corpse of civilization and Fort Huachuca. The post had some of the Army's most advanced communications gear and if anyone was still around and transmitting that gear would pick it up. Plus, he hoped being out in the middle of nowhere, it might have been spared or at least weathered through the wave and then the rising and might have soldiers there. Deep down J.R. knew it was a slim chance, but if that's all you had to keep you going you grabbed on with all your strength.

Continuing on down the road, J.R. ate an MRE without stopping. He didn't want to waste any time getting out of the area the Banditos were in. Still flipping through the freqs and watching everything in the surrounding area, he continued north.

[brianfenris]

GM POST

There's no sign of your biker friends. It's possible they may have given up now, but with your slow travel along the highway, there was a pretty good chance you'd spot them if they did find you again. For now it was just you, the open road and the MRE ham slice you were trying to choke down.

You roll along a few miles, passing a sign declaring you are coming up on the town of Sunsites, when your humvee's radio comes alive with static and a few random words. Someone alive, possibly several living someones, were on the air and talking.

[farside]

Pulling over and checking his surroundings first, J.R. starts to think things through. Not knowing whether it's a military unit, civilian friendlies with military band access, or unfriendlies (maybe even the bikers) with military gear. Thinking quickly he comes up with a plan to hopefully weed out unfriendlies and make contact if the are a friendly civilian group or a military unit he can hook up with. Keying the mike he says. "Attention, broadcasting units, this is Charlie-36th Engineering-Actual, do you read?" Repeating himself a few times hoping that any enemy will think there is a whole company of soldiers and disappear or if they're friendlies he'll apologize later for the deception. And really, since he is the last survivor of his unit he is technically in charge. It's a gamble, but he can't pass the chance of meeting up with someone else that isn't interested in just raping and pillaging the last remnants of the human race. After that, J.R. continues down the road, not wanting to stay in place for any time.

[brianfenris]

GM POST

You start rolling back down the road again and go a few yards before you radio begins again to spit static and a few indecepheral words. A quick check shows the signal is strong, but you're not in the same frequency as them.

Make a roll on Radio: Basic.

[farside]

Roll Radio / Basic
[dice=100]
Skill: 70%[rand=31538276689098077535564147546411147169857075209549319140891142105]

[farside]

Realizing he's on the wrong channel he starts trying to narrow down the freq. Starting to flip to the frequencies above and below the one he first had received the signal on he transmits: "Attention, broadcasting units, this is Charlie-36th Engineering-Actual, do you copy?"

[brianfenris]

GM POST

No sooner had you stopped sending then a voice crackled loud and clear over your speakers.

“Roger, Charlie-Actual, reading you loud and clear. This is Patriot. Nice to hear a friendly voice out there in the void. What's you status and location? Over.”

[farside]

Desperately trying not to get his hopes up, J.R. replies: "Patriot, currently unit is satisfactory and seeking safe harbor. Lead element south of Sunsites. What is your status and location Patriot? If you are nearby we can meet up if you would like. I do have two questions for you, one is if you know any safe harbor locations and the second if you know the status of Fort Huachuca."

[brianfenris]

GM POST

There's a pause of a few minutes before you get a reply.

“Charlie-Actual, status of Fort Huachuca is unknown. We have tried contacting them by radio but not response. Some of us think they may have been overrun by the stenches. Standby.”

[farside]

"Patriot, Charlie-36th-Actual copies. Roger on standby." J.R. was hoping for something different with the Post, but it wasn't unexpected. Still he had allowed himself to hope, as much as he tried not to be, he was an optimist at heart.

[brianfenris]

"Patriot to Charlie-Actual. Stay on Hwy 191 and head North of Sunsites. Past that you'll pass a gas station called the Country Store. Continue to head North and about one klick you run into some of your people stopped along side the road waiting to meet up with you."

"Becareful as you pass by the town. We've only checked it once and it was in the hands of the stentches at that time. How copy?"

[brianfenris]

With the study hum of rubber on the highway, you head north on Highway 191 to meet up with Cochise's welcoming committee. The flat, empty desert is broken up by the occasional home or farm. Short after Patriot's message you come into sight of the small town on Sunsites, as well as your next challenge of the day: the two lane highway is choked with vehicles of all makes, some of them burned out and various debries; the road is still passable but is going to require you to take it slow as you guide you humvee through junk yard of abandoned vehicles.

[farside]

Slowing down and finally coming to a rolling stop, J.R. pops the hatch on the roof and sticks his head out. Surveying the surroundings with his binoculars, he looks to see if off-roading it might be the better choice.

[brianfenris]

GM POST

Your Humvee is stopped 100 yards from the first street that turns east into Sunsites, Treasure Road. On the sandy corner lot you see a small sign that reads 'Elias Auto Parts' followed by a row of buildings. With the use of your binoculars, you make out that the small town is still and quiet. There is no immediate sign of life or unlife. The same holds true for the scattered on the highway in front of you.

The turn off to Treasure Road is blocked by a four car wreck, but nothing you can by pass by going around it; otherwise the street is clear of anymore stalled care that you can see. You could possibly head into the town and navigate the streets until you got around the the parking lot scattered to the north of you. To your immediate west is the wide open desert. It would be a bumpy ride, but your Humvee could easily cross the flat landscape until the highway cleared up enough for you drive on it again.