Survivalist Plot: Our Tools and Our Reasons

[meat_mooks]

End of Day Two

If there were any signs of life at all, it could be said that the town is now sleeping. After a blistering day in the sun, the cool of night may be a welcome relief - at least, in terms of temperature. The knowledge that the crews foes are out there, now hidden under the cover of darkness, will be decidedly less comforting.

On the south end of the city, a series of red signal flares goes up, signaling that at least one crewmember has found safety out there. Howard waits across the street with binoculars, ready to hail anyone he sees down.

Comments

Diana Setting Off Flares

[meat_mooks]

[Diana and NPCs]

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[keep_surviving]

Diana was stood in the garden, flare gun in one hand, light in the other, trying to figure out how best to do this. She wouldn’t use all the flares, just half. Enough for a repeated series of shots to catch attention but still saving the gun for future for use.

She sighed. Why did everything have to come back to planning for the worst events? Yes, Diana had always been a ‘planner’ of sorts, but not like this. Not planning for life threatening situations.

Oh well, at least she wasn’t as bad as Howard. And at least the both of them weren’t as bad as Albert. God forbid.

Diana looked around herself one more time, keeping the light steady. She didn’t want to wave it about and attract attention just yet, but she wanted to make sure nothing was about to ambush her the moment she sent the first flare up. No way to know for sure though and standing here wasn’t getting anything done.

Raising the gun above her head, she switched the flashlight off and wrapped her finger around the trigger.

Three blasts. Three shots of red into the sky. The recoils as shuddered down her bad arm, jerking her shoulder painfully.

Stupid. She should have used her other arm. Why hadn’t she thought of that?

No time for hindsight. The moment she’d shot the third flare she turned and made her way out of the garden back towards the other house at a brisk pace. Her legs ached to run away from the threat of danger but she forced herself not too. The flares served another purpose, as distraction as she left, running would just attract attention. Save the energy for the last mad dash once the house was in sight.

Diana cast a glace over her shoulder, the flares were descending at a lazy pace, casting a red glow over everything that Diana found more threatening than comforting. It made all sorts of shadows that moved way too much for her liking, but she dare not turn her flashlight back on.

Worst of all, it made her visible. Casting aside the cool logic of a brisk walk exit, she was unable to resist making a jog for the gate.

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[meat_mooks]

Something slinks out of the house Diana just left. The sound of the flares confused it, but scent - scent is what tells it where the prey is. And the prey is on the move, shoes making little slap sounds against the ground, and the prey smells like fear and sweat. It moves from the backdoor of the house and then quickly, to trap its prey, heads to the street.

Between Diana and the house, there's the sound of something breathing hard and of claws against asphalt. In the light of the flares the silhouette of one the beasts they encountered earlier can be seen.

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[keep_surviving]

Diana froze at the sounds and stared right at the illuminated face of her stalker.

She couldn’t move. Even her lungs seemed to be struggling with the concept of inhaling and exhaling. She was stuck.

That is, until an aftershock of pain rippled through her arm and snapped her back to her senses. Cursing herself. Really, she should be used to all this by now.

No time to plan. No time to pick the best direction. She just ran.

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[meat_mooks]

It runs after her, but while it's quick and burly, Diana may find that it doesn't turn very well - in fact, it slides when it's on a flat surface and when it's on grass, the needly-claws sticking into the Earth slow it down significantly.

It tries to get to Diana before she ends up back in the house, where the walls and doors will slow it down, but as it slips on the cement sidewalk it misses her by inches.

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[keep_surviving]

Diana literally couldn’t believe her luck and she threw out a thankyou to whatever god thing might be watching her right now

Taking a sharp turn, she barges into the door, knocking it open and slamming it shut behind her before turning into the closest room.

She ran around the house a little while, making turns into rooms and doubling back on herself, not wanting the creature to know her final destination.

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[meat_mooks]

The creature slams into the door an instant after Diana closes it. While she runs through the house, it rams it, again and again, until the door falls. Then it starts sniffing for her.

The whole house smells like human, and with Diana's doubling back and weaving, it can't pick up where she is. It pauses and listens for her, getting agitated without its success. Getting agitated without its kill.

There, in the dining room, the sound of ragged, hushed breathing. Smart prey, three different exits from that room. It creeps over to the entrance to the dining room, snuffling. Diana's best bet may be to try to lock it in a room and run, or attack it with whatever weapons she might have at hand.

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[keep_surviving]

Diana stands with her back pressed to the wall, desperately trying to keep her breathing under control, preparing herself.

She can hear it getting closer. She can feel the fear starting to work its way back into her limbs. She can feel her shoulder starting to complain again. She ignores it all.

Instead, she focus’ on its breathing and her own adrenaline. It takes all her control to remain where she is and not make a dash for the exit. She needs it to be close for this to work the best it can.

She waits until it’s nearly ontop of her, summons her courage (or her desperate need to survive), then steps out from her cover.

Within a few split seconds, she’s raised the flare gun and pulled the trigger. She knew these weren’t meant to be used for weapons, but she’d just shot something that was on fire into a monsters face at close range, so she was relatively sure it would do some damage.

Not that Diana had stopped to check. The moment she’d felt the shudder of recoil she’d turned and rushed out of the room, desperate to get to the roof and as far away from this thing as possible.

Re: Diana Setting Off Flares

[meat_mooks]

The beast lurches back, startled by the explosion-

-and then bursts into flames. Fire spreads over its skin, transfiguring it into a frightening likeness of an effigy at a burning. It squeals in agony. The air is filled with the scent of cordite and bubbling grease. Hot oil spits off its skin.

It does not follow Diana. It drops dead instead. The flames spread throughout the room, but Diana is long-gone by then.