Prelude - William

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill looks around for the nearest torch, or better yet oil lantern, thinking to himself, These bastards are going to burn tonight, by SUPLEX I swear it to be true!.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

The only source of flame was the Old Man's candle that he was carrying when he went into the shack. The pile of corpses had already been doused with oil and stacked with tinder in preparation, though. You seem to remember there being a clay crock filled with embers and coals that the Old Man used for cooking. There should be some still smoldering in there.....

As you look around and quickly weigh your options, you notice that many of the gravesites are now sporting half-escaped corpses and a handful of skeletal forms in the process of extracting themselves from their final resting place. Night is setting in quickly and you are grateful that you cannot see the putrid forms as they rise.

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill rushes towards where he hopes the hot coals will be. He realizes in an instant that she should have brought the spade, but time is too precious. He grabs and digs for the coals, taking them into his hands he ignores the burning, and turns to throw them on the pile of corpses!

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Searing pain courses through your left arm as the coals burn and blister the skin of your hand. Dashing from the hut, teeth clenched, you toss them into the pile and it immediately burst into flame. You have to shake your hand to remove the last few pieces of coals from your palm; they'd stuck there when the skin melted.

That's when you notice that the most disturbing part about this whole scenario isn't the corpses or the writhing mass of burning figures before you, but the complete silence in which they die. There's no groaning, no mumbling of "Braaaaaaains", or anything that remotely resembles human interaction. They silently suffer as the flames consume them. The only sound you hear is the crackling of the fire itself and the sound of dirt being dug and flung by bony hands.

Another shock of pain courses up your arm. You really need to get that covered and cared for, though there's not much chance of being able to work on that while you're in THIS location!

[TigerStripedDog]

Big Bill smiles grimly at the spectacle. Flexing his burning hand. No stranger to pain, he knows it'll pass. Sorry you didn't get to see this Old Man, sorry I slept in Bill thinks with a twinge of regret.

Grabbing his club, Bill heads out, for the nearest town. There are still more bodies squirming out of the graves. He should get some whiskey on that hand, and in his mouth... and oh yeah, warn the townsfolk. There was something about that ogre, and that thing he carried that might be important.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

You follow the simple dirt path in a steady lope, eating away the distance. As you near the town you start to notice that something isn't right. There's no smoke coming from chimneys. There's no glow of candlelight. There's no sound at all beyond the occasional sound of farmyard animals and even those sound strained.....

[TigerStripedDog]

Gus swears quietly to himself. That Ogre thing with that blue stone must have gotten here first. The whole town could be done for by now. But that town is the only option. Can't escape the undead on foot. They walk all day and all night... they don't stop... they never stop. The only way to get away from them is on horse. Have to faster in the 12 hours I can travel than in the 24 hours they can.

Farm animals, they might still be alive. Might be a few left, and maybe supplies too.

Gripping his club, against the pain of burnt hands, Bill heads into town to find a horse and supplies.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

The simple wooden stockade seems to be in order, though the gate is hanging open. There's many footprints going both in and out of the gate, so it seems that some people may have escaped into the woods. As you stride into the town, you gaze around the open area known as the 'murder field'; a wide open area within the town directly in front of the gates. If anything were to break through the doors they would have a 50-yard span of open area to contend with. Eerily enough, there's no bodies lying here. There are scattered bloodstains and plenty of refuse left behind by those who were fleeing, but no human or zombie corpses.

As you cautiously make your way across the Murder Field, you hear a strained voice yelling out "Bill! Biiiiiiilllll!" It seems to be coming from within the Mayor's house toward the center of town. You can see it from where you stand, the main street leading directly to it....

[TigerStripedDog]

Having not been here long, Bill wonders who else could have known his name. There could be survivors left, someone who couldn't or wouldn't flee. And, they might have supplies. Bill heads in that direction.

[Ismaels-Legacy]

The closer you get to the Mayor's house, you begin to hear rumblings from within houses. Once you reach the square there is no doubt that there are zombies within the homes, but for some reason they are holding back. Standing on the cobbles of the town square, you look over the mayors house. You attention is drawn to the second floor where there is a balcony for public speeches. Standing there, in his royal livery, is the mayor, his neck clearly broken, lolling to the side, with one arm dislocated and hanging limply. His lips have been torn off from his zombie like state and you suddenly realize that this is causing his words to be altered....he's not yelling out "Bill", he's yelling out "Kill"!

Zombies are now staggering from their homes, slowly working their way toward your position.

[TigerStripedDog]

Now surrounded Bill curses to himself. FUCK! This damn language and its sound alike words. There is no getting out of this one now Bill, maybe you deserve it anyway for sleeping in. Either way, they are coming with me when I go...

"SUUUUUPLEEEEX!!!!!"

*Bill rushes to start beating the ever loving snot out of the zombies.*

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Bodies are slowly massing in the square, though you move to meet them and they are thrown off guard (What guard mindless automatons can have). The first few fall quickly, skulls bashed in, rib cages crushed, and shoulders broken. That's when things start to get tricky. The waves of undead continue, though now you have to watch your footing. The first time something grabs your ankle, you absentmindedly break the offending arm with SUPLEX, but you quickly realize that that doesn't stop them from making further attempts. Corpses flop about, biting the air in an attempt to get to your yielding flesh. Even those whose skulls are entirely bashed in fall to the ground and start to flail madly. The good news is, the Flailers tend to topple those around them.

Perhaps you should begin to make a fighting retreat before the horde brings you down in sheer numbers alone. If nothing else, make your way to the Murder Field so you can have some room to work with....

[TigerStripedDog]

Bill goes into a crouched stance, time to make a play. Launching with his legs he begins to spin, SUPLEX extended outwards he tries to guide his whirlwind of undead-death towards the square, or at least the hell out of here. Hard to know where something like this will take you.

"SUUUPLEEEeeeEEEeeeEEEEXXXX!!!"

[Ismaels-Legacy]

Bodies fly as the carved wooden mass pummels their soft, decaying flesh. They stumble into each other, toppling those surrounding you. While you've managed to fell those closest, you've only managed to delay the first wave. Through wobbly vision you notice that there are even more undead staggering from the alleyways and entrances, all making their way to your location.

With a maniacle gleam in your eye and a deaths-head grin, you grip the handle of Suplex even tighter, vowing that you will take down as many of these undead vermin as possible if you are destined to fall.

(Final info provided in PM)