[Snowpocalypse] Back Home (R 3.4)

edited March 2014 in Snowpocalypse
To Rossi:

Your night passed, and you did the wood for sled swap with Cappah. The wolves were gone, no trace. No tracks, either, oddly enough.

The sled is, well, cozy. Who sat on whose lap? The rest of the trip, though, it was thankfully uneventful. The damn sled couldn't take an attack, but it's pretty quick. Jester wanted to stop by to see his moms, since you're coming from the south. I assume you don't object?

We pick up with the pair of you trudging across the frosty ground of the graveyard after parking the sled... what did you name it?

"Moms will be so happy that you got me, you know, fixed." Jester says brightly. "Well, not fixed, like fixing a dog, heh. On the whole way you did it, are you good to talk with them about it?"

Comments

  • Tracks blow away in the wind, and wolves are pretty smart — I'm not surprised there were no traces of them when we left. I sat on Jester's lap, just because he's taller... I think the bumpiness of the sled might have made it a little uncomfortable for him; but we're here now, so I'm not going to gripe.

    We named the sled "Ol' Stinky" — largely because the smell that engine made burns your nose like turpentine. I don't mind stopping to get a break from the smell, and I'm sure Jester's moms will appreciate seeing him again, feeling better. "I don't see the point in talking about it," I answer quietly, "I have a sneaky suspicion your moms already know about it, and it's not like I know what happened... Frankly, unless they bring it up, I'd rather not talk about it."
  • To Rossi:

    "My moms are sharp, but they don't know everything, Rossi." Jester chides. "And yeah, I could see why you'd want to avoid mentioning your magic powers to the only two women who'd actually have a clue. Or could, you know, maybe help you out... that makes sense."

    You're both maybe fifty feet away from the mausoleum when Jester stops, sniffs loudly, and asks, "Hey... you smell that? Some weird smoke." He shrugs, "Maybe Bond found some new wood." He laughs, "Or Mel grew some new weed. Ever had her bud?"
  • Well when he puts it that way... "They told you where to find me in all of fucking Chi-town, Jester — I'm just a little freaked out by that ... Maybe I'll say something..." I shake my head when he asks about my trying Mel's weed, "nah. I don't do drugs... They fuck with my meds." I sniff the air trying to discern what it is — is it a familiar smell?
  • To Rossi:

    "Wasn't so hard," Jester says with a grin. "They only had to hunt down the sweetest heart in all Chi-town." He hobbles on, but he knows that was super corny, he's just daring you to call him on it.

    That smell, it's not wood or weed. Smells like... garlic? Sort of like garlic, but there's some chemical smell to it, too.

    "What the..." Jester says, looking up ahead as you come round to the entrance. It's already open.

    Jester starts hobble jogging forward, worry on his face.

    What do you do?
  • I roll my eyes at the joke, but it gets a smirk out of me. That smell on the wind is just too fucked up — garlic? Chemicals? Are they cooking something? I pick up my pace, but opt to follow closely with my shotgun out and ready — just in case. I'm looking around outside to see if there's any evidence of coming or going.
  • edited March 2014
    To Rossi:

    You follow Jester inside the mausoleum, and the smoke in here is bad. No cooking going on, no way. The ceiling is black from something. There are bodies in here, burned bodies. Hard to count, probably three or four? They are facing towards the door, on their backs. Only husks.

    Jester's breaking down as he starts hobble-running towards the stairs down,"Oh shit.... ohshit ohshit, Rossi..."
  • My jaw drops as soon as I see the bodies, my eyes scanning the room for answers. What the fuck happened here?!?! I call out to him, "Jester! Jester! Stay down!"

    What. The. Fuck?
  • OOC: Reading the sitch. Roll+Sharp. +1XP.
    (Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 2, 1. Total: 4)
  • To Rossi:

    Jester's not listening to you as he moves down the short stairs to the set of underground rooms where his moms stay. You follow, I assume.

    You come down to see him hitch up a step, "Oh... oh no." He pushes forward into his awkward gait and drops to his knees beside the body of Bond. She's been shot several times, obviously dead. Has been for a while.

    There are other bodies in here, too. One is stuck in the wall, only the torso up showing. It's as if the wall sucked him inside and quit halfway through. The guy's face is frozen in a rictus of fear. He's wearing camos. You recognize him, Rossi. He was a Soulja Boy.

    There are Soulja Boys, one hand is sticking up from the earth, the rest of his or her body buried. Another is lying in the fetal position beside most of the contents of his stomach and an amazing amount of blood and viscera. Something awful happened here.

    And Bond is dead.

    Jester reaches a hand out to touch his mom's. He's lost it, Rossi. Blubbering and heaving sobs in soul-reaving pain and horror.

    What do you do?
  • Of course I follow him! This is fucking awful! I've got my gun out, and I'm checking the whole place for signs of life — or hostility — but a sinking feeling in my gut tells me I'm not going to find any...

    That's when we happen on whatever the fuck happened in Jester's moms' room... It's a fucking massacre in here. My jaw drops in a combination of awe and terror at the sight of it all. The blood, the pained faces, and the sight of poor Bond — executed, by the looks of it. I swallow hard, and come up behind Jester, kneeling behind him and putting my hand on his shoulder...

    "I'm so sorry, Jester," I whisper quietly, "I'm so sorry..."
  • To Rossi:

    Jester kneels there for a few moments, just hurting. He doesn't flinch from your touch. He looks back at you, eyes red, "Did you... did you see Mel? I... I didn't see her."

    You didn't see her on the way in. One of the burned bodies might be her, but you get the feeling it isn't her, doesn't seem right, with four of them in the same position like that.
  • I shake my head, "I'm guessing not... But that's just a guess..." I close my eyes and think on it, fucking on edge about whatever could have done this. I pull Jester into a hug, holding him tightly and kissing his forehead. "Do you want to do something for Bond? I don't really know what people do for these kinds of things..." I've never been on this side of death before, really. Not in a position where I could really do something about it...

    Something is tempting me to let my guard down, and open my mind to the whispers in my head... It worked with Jester, and I'm afraid they're the only thing that might know what really happened here.
  • To Rossi:

    Jester nods. "Yeah... she wanted to be burned. We can. There's fuel." He reaches for you, at first in an attempt to get up. Then he pauses, and bends down to hug into you, putting his head to your chest. He sobs a little, then pushes himself the rest of the way up, starts hobbling over to get the fuel. "We should take her body outside. Let her return to nature."

    Do you want to skip ahead to the burning, or is there more here?
  • I hold Jester tight as he sobs into my chest, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tearing up myself... I don't know how the Soulja Boys found this place, or why they'd come out here and shoot poor Bond; but I can't help but feel terrible about how awful this world has been to Jester lately... He deserves so much better.

    Let's do the burning. If Bond's spirit has anything to say, I'd guess that would be the time for me to hear her say it...
  • To Rossi:

    We skip ahead to the impromptu funeral.

    Jester didn't bothered with cleaning out the other corpses, you get the feeling he may never return to this place. With your help, he found a nice stone slab, and carefully arranged Bond's body on it, then liberally poured fuel.

    That done, he steps back to stand beside you, and starts singing a dirge for her. It's her favorite song, which, much like her life, is sad but reflective. He lights a match and drops it onto the trail of fuel. The fuel catches fire, even in the bitter cold, and the flame crawls its way to her body.
  • I want as the fire snakes up the trail Jester made, up the stone slab, up onto Bond's body... The whole process is painful to watch – like I said, I've been lucky to not bury loved ones this far into my life... Other than mom. I've got the mask off, for the most part, so I can watch this without the orange tint my mask gives the world. I'm staying close to Jester. Trying to be supportive. These Soulja Boys have gone too fucking far...

    During it all, I find myself listening to the wind... The howling sometimes tells me secrets when the world is quiet. The world feels particularly quiet right now.
  • OOC: Opening brain. Roll+weird.
    (Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 4, 3. Total: 8)
  • Rossi, what does the psychic maelstrom look like to you? What happens when your brain is opened?
  • Not a hell of a lot anymore... It used to be worse — before my Mom convinced my asshole of a Dad to give me meds — but now it's just voices on the wind, and the occasional episode when the auras are really active. Now, "opening my brain" is as easy as listening to the voices in my head. There's no fanfare, no visions, nothing like that. I just choose not to listen most of the time.
  • To Rossi:

    The smoke rising from Bond's funeral pyre swirl and dance in the chill air. Jester continues singing, but mixed in are voices. You recognize Bond's clear voice first, but then there are others. She isn't talking to you, she's talking to them, the Soulja Boys.

    "... we don't know where the generator is, alright? Just take what you want and move on."

    "We've got orders, lady. We're turning this place over. Your boy Jester was seen with a masked man who's causing trouble all over. Killed some of our friends."


    Then, you hear a gurgling, hissing voice. A voice in pain and angry,

    "You had best leave, or I will make you leave."

    "No! No, Melly, stay calm. Listen, she's sick, alright? Just ignore her ramblings, she's just a sick lady..."

    "I told you, Bond. One of us will die... kill me, you asshole."

    "You know what? Fuck this. Just shoot these bitches..."

    You hear the sound of guns firing, barking forth death. A woman's scream. Then the sound of stone and earth and fire and more screams, hastily given orders cut short.

    The cold beats back Bond's funeral pyre quickly, and the fire dies to embers. In that other time, the one you're eavesdropping on, you hear the flames and the screams of the dying fade as well.
  • I let the fire burn a little longer, and eventually look away, trying to silence the voices again when they turn to screams... Where the fuck is Mel?

    After some time, when Bond's funeral pyre is down to embers and ashes, I turn to Jester and give him a hug. "I don't think Mel's here, Jester... Do you know where she might have gone?"
  • To Rossi:

    Jester quirks a frown. "Well... if she's still alive." He doesn't meet your gaze, doesn't want to answer. "The Field."

    "Let her go, Rossi. Don't go."
  • I'm a little surprised by that answer — he doesn't want to go find his own mother? Isn't he the one who risked death to get his mother some meds, and now he's willing to just let her up and waltz into the hornets' nest? He's already lost one mother, and now he's giving up on the second? I don't think I can accept that... I wouldn't have driven all the way out to my father's clinic, just to turn around at the last second if he said Jester needed a fucking transfusion or something...

    "If I went out on some suicide mission, would you try and stop me?"
  • To Rossi:

    Jester's too worn to show any other emotion, "Of course I would. But Mel's... she won't listen. To you. Or me. Revenge isn't the answer. She's... what she's doing is a mistake, but she won't go out any other way." He swallows, tries to start collecting himself. He knows what you're going to do.
  • I brush his cheek gently with my hand, and look him deep in the eyes, "Let's try and get to her... Just stop her before she gets there, and bring her to Poptart's or something. We can try and talk some sense into her... Make her take her meds or something. If we're really too late, and we can't catch her, then we'll deal with that then — OK?"
  • To Rossi:

    Let's see you Manipulate dear Jester here.
  • OOC: alright... Manipulating Jester. Roll+hot.
    (Rolled: 2d6. Rolls: 2, 1. Total: 3)
  • To Rossi:

    Jester nods, "Alright, Rossi. We'll try." He closes his eyes, grimaces once like he's putting Bond aside, moving on as best he can. "Let's get in the sled, she'll be walking. She may not even make it."

    He starts hobbling towards the sled, now committed to doing the best he can.
  • Fuck...

    I head over to the sled and check my shotgun to make sure it's loaded, then mask up again and get moving.
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    You both get onto the sled and fire it up. Jester's still driving. He calls over your shoulder, "I'm gonna take a walking path, not the highway. That way we can look for her on the way, alright?"

    He moves along at a decent clip along the frozen sidewalks, dipping onto the street to get around snow drifts from time to time. The snow has covered up any trace of her so far, but it's a long ride north to Soulja Field.

    Hey Rossi, why don't we let the dice decide this? Give me an Act Under Fire. If you make it, then you get to Melancholy before she reaches her destination.
  • OOC: Alright: AUF to get to Mel before she gets ot Soulja Field. Roll+Cool.
    (Rolled: 2d6+1. Rolls: 2, 2. Total: 5)
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    You head north for a mile, maybe two, and come within a block of your old place, the one where Molotov found you and you had to cut and run. With Jester driving this sled slow and easy, you know you're prime targets when you hit Frontie's old stomping grounds.

    Jester's insistent that Mel came this way. If you keep motoring along through here like this, Stink Bug, or maybe the LostKeys, or even one of Frontie's family is bound to give you trouble. You just know it.

    What do you do?
  • Fuck, fuck, fuck...

    I reach for the handbreak before entering Frontie's old stomping grounds, and give a quick glance around before whispering, "Jester... We should get you out of here. I'm wearing stuff that can stop a stray bullet or two, but you're not. I killed Frontside Indy and Grab because they were fucking with Silica... If a member of his family comes looking for revenge, I don't want you at risk..."
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    "What if she's in there?" Jester whispers back. "What if we go around, and miss her? She's shitty with directions, Rossi. I'm sure she went this way."
  • "Well," I whisper back, "what if I go through, and you go around? I know how to get out of trouble – I'd rather not drag you into a gunfight if it comes to that."
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    Jester licks his lips, considering. Then he shakes his head, starts reaching for the brake, "We'll both go around. We can get ahead of her, maybe."

    What do you do?
  • I nod a few times, "Alright." It's not the best course of action, but I'd rather not get pinned down with a fucking sniper... I mean, I don't expect the entirety of Frontside's family to have a fucking scoped rifle, but I don't want to push my luck.
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    You skirt the gang territory, taking MLK north. MLK is gridlocked, but in a skinny sled like this, Jester is able to wind around, keeping a steady speed, too. He's a decent driver. His eyes are ever on the dangerous part of town, searching for signs of his mother, peeking between buildings, scanning rooftops. But there's nothing.

    After three blocks, you're in Soulja Boy territory, which means you'll be stopped if you enter, frisked, maybe even roughed up and ejected. They're pretty hostile about heir turf lately, and armed to the teeth.

    Jester stops the sled, in the middle of the street, between a couple blocks of ice over SUVs, just enough visibility to see the "checkpoint" set up ahead, with concrete barriers and a a pair of armed guards. They see you, too. But they won't come out to mess with you, you know this.

    What do you do?
  • Considering the rate these guys are getting killed and blown up, I'm surprised they have anybody left. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if Jester's mom turns up... If she doesn't turn up after a while, I may have to go ask our friends at the checkpoint if they've seen her.
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    Are you planning on heading up there to chat? Jester's stopped the sled, that's what he's going to do.
  • Jester's going to go chat with those fuckers? No. "Jester... Wait here. Keep the sled warm. I'll go chat with them."
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    Jester gives you a look, like please don't get in trouble, and nods. The road from MLK down to the checkpoint is pretty clear, considering everything around it. You see granules of salt at the edges, even step on actual stretches of asphalt. It's odd.

    Ahead are those two guards: Em-six-teen and Tank. Which one of them do you recognize, and why aren't you involved with them anymore?

    This is Em-six-teen:
    image

    Tank stands up, looks directly at you when you get about fifteen feet from the barrier, and says, "What do you want, stranger?"
  • Em-sixteen tried to recruit Ross for the Soulja boys a few seasons back... I was seriously considering it until she told me what "boot camp" is like. A moon of drinking, shooting, and basically being a slave to every senior member of the Soulja boys. She said she spent the first two weeks naked, doing "favors" for her squadies.

    Not my kind of party.

    Anyway, I walk up to Tank, my shotgun slung over my shoulder, and slow — but don't stop — when he asks what I want. "I'm looking for someone. You seen an older woman come walking through here? Spouting nonsense?"
  • To Ross:

    Tank eyes the shotgun more than you. "Why? You lookin for your ole lady? heh." He looks to Em-six-teen, who rolls her eyes at the joke, keeping her game face on. "Why would your bitch be comin through here?"

    How did Em know Ross was actually a girl?
  • She knew? Huh. News to me. She must have caught me taking a piss or something.

    I stare Tank down, not flinching at his stupid joke. "Because some of your friends decided to shoot up her wife, asshole, and she killed them. All of them. And now she's coming for you."
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    Tank and Em both look at you, like you just became reallll important just now. Em speaks up, "One of em lived? Choppah said they were both KIAs."

    Then Tank brings up his rifle, not aimed at you, just demonstrating he's armed. An assault rifle, in fact. "What do you mean coming for us, asshole?"
  • I look over to Em when she talks, and add, "just one more fucked up thing to add to the list of shit I've seen today." I turn back to Tank and add, "I mean she's probably coming for your fucking home — payback for killing her fucking wife. Your boys walked into their home like they owned it, shot a nice old woman taking care of her sickly wife, and the place turned into the seventh circle of fucking hell! You ever seen a hand sticking out of solid fucking concrete? A torso merged with the fucking wall? four bodies burned alive?"

    I shake my head, "you've been shaking down people over this generator of yours, and this time you crossed a fucking line. I dunno what that woman's capable of, but if she comes this way, she's gunna unleash the second fucking apocalypse on you guys... If you know what's good for you, you'll let me and my friend back there talk her down."
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    That's one hell of a manipulate, if you want to hit the dice.
  • OOC: Manipulating... Roll+Hot.
    (Rolled: 2d6. Rolls: 6, 4. Total: 10)
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    Tank glares at you, then steps back, saying to Em, "Watch him."

    Em looks over at Tank, but he's walking away a few feet. She looks to you, "Aint no him here. heh... dumbass."

    As you and Em both stand there, only a concrete barrier separating you, Tank pulls a radio out of his pocket and checks in. "This is MLK Gate, checking in. South Cottage, check in."

    There's a pause, then a response on the radio, "South Cottage here."

    Tank barks into the radio, "South Lake Gate, check in."

    Another pause, this one shorter, like they know the drill, "South Lake, checking in."

    Once again, Tank calls, "Dearborn Gate, check in." Silence. He repeats, "Dearborn! Check in!" No response.

    Voice from South Lake calls, "I'll hump it to Dearborn Gate."

    Em asks you, "Hey, you can talk this chick out of being stupid? I'm not letting you in to just buddy up with her, Ross."
  • I don't comment on Em's response — I don't care if women know the truth, but I don't like addressing it either... Best to keep people guessing. I look to her when she asks if I can talk Mel down, and coldly answer, "I don't know if I can, but this guy might."

    I turn and call over to Jester, "Jester! C'mon! I think we found her."
  • edited March 2014
    To Ross:

    Em looks over at Tank, then motions you both in, "C'mon." Jester hops off the sled, hobbles down. Em calls to Tank, "I'm ridin the jeep over to Dearborn, Tank."

    Tank looks up, waves her on. She pulls back the wooden barrier to let you both in, then leads you around a building to hop into a jeep with chains on the front wheels and treads on the rear. It's in good condition. It's a hardtop.

    She motions to the seats "Get in, I'll drive you over." Jester moves like he's getting in the back. What do you do?
  • I get in the passenger seat, not causing trouble. I suspect it won't matter if the Soulja boys try to stop Mel or not, so I don't bother telling them to hang back... I know if I were Jester's mom, I wouldn't be listening to reason right now. When I close the jeep door behind me, I whisper, "It'd be best if you stayed back if she's over there... Mel's got a sickness that only her wife really had a handle on."
  • To Ross:

    Em nods, she's bought into your story, more or less. She speeds up, turning down side streets heading towards the lake. The Soulja Boy territory is very organized. A running joke in Chi-town is that the Soulja Boys would take over things if everybody would clean up their fucken back yard.

    You arrive at what was Dearborn Gate, evidently. You can see the lake over a set of guardrails. The concrete barrier here is moved aside. Casually, like somebody just nudged it out of the way.

    You see one guy here, but he looks like he just ran up. Em is getting out of the jeep, calling to him, "Hey, 'Pache, where's Eagle and Hummer?"

    The guy, Apache, answers curtly, "Fuck if I know. The gate's abandoned."

    Ross, when you get out of the jeep, you spot a couple of spots near the gate. Maybe a couple feet across, no snow or ice. No asphalt either, just earth.

    What do you do?
  • I'm scanning the area quickly as soon as I hop out of the jeep, and spot the two patches of ground where asphalt used to be... "I'd check there," I answer coldly, pointing to the two new patches of ground, "might want to get a shovel..." I don't know how the fuck Mel is doing this, but we need to find her now.

    I'm looking for any signs of where she might have gone...
  • To Ross:

    Apache heads into a building nearby for some supplies, while Em calls on her radio, "We've got a breach! Everybody at home, we have a breach at Dearborn! I repeat, the south is compromised!"

    She looks to you, Ross, "You know where she'd go?"

    Jester answers, "The Field."

    "Shit!" Em-six-teen curses, heading towards her vehicle, "Get in the jeep."
  • Fucking assholes... Of couse they'd report a breach in perimeter — "It's not a good fucking idea to mess with her right now... I'd be running away from the breach if I were you." Well, all I can do is hope we get there first. I'm hopping in the jeep as quickly as I can.
  • To Ross:

    Em is chattering on the radio while driving at a high rate of speed. Jester leans up and says into your ear, "I've got her meds. They calm her down. Should stop this... madness. But then what?"
  • Then what? Fuck if I know... I turn back and whisper, "then we get her the fuck out of here... I'll talk to Poptart about helping find a place to lay low with her, and we'll keep an eye on her while I try and sort out shit with Silica and Hadden. If we're lucky, it'll sort out quickly and we leave this fucking city in the dust!"
  • Please go here.
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