DAY 5 – APRIL 22nd 2000
PRASZKA, POLAND – NIGHT
The cracks of potshots are now growing in both intensity and vicinity, with the occasional burst breaking the rhythm. All eyes are drawn to the small, single-family houses shrouded in partial darkness at the end of the rows of garage units.
“I’d say they’re North from here, along the river” says NASCAR looking in the general direction he mentioned.
“And they are really close” adds ALEX.
“I think I’m hearing something heavy in the distance” says LED, his head tilted to the side.
The trio keep listening in silence for about twenty seconds, their bodies frozen and their minds at work. Behind them is DONNA, still working on her latest patient by the dim light of the small fire.
“If we want to do something we better make a decision right now” says LED. “I say we go and help”
“Four against fifty? For some reason I don’t like our odds…” replies NASCAR with concern.
“Plus the townspeople” notes ALEX, “they might not look like much, but if they can point a gun in the right direction and squeeze the trigger, that counts”
“And do they know that our way is the wrong direction?” asks NASCAR.
“Doesn’t matter” interrupts LED, “the Flock’s already engaging the defenders, we just need to flank them and thin the herd”. He sees NASCAR looking hesitant, “what?”
“I thought we were surviving LT. It’s one thing to defend ourself when we’re attacked, but this is us looking for trouble. I don’t want any of us to get killed over some stranger in a town of people who almost shot at us”
“But they didn’t” says ALEX, “they didn’t. The people of this town are trying to survive too, just like us. Now we can help them, so I say we have to help them”
“What for?” asks NASCAR “we don’t know these people; we owe them nothing”
“I need to know there’s still some humanity left in the world” says DONNA loud enough to be heard.
The trio turns towards her; she keeps her head down, her hands still working on the LEADER’s abdomen, “I need to know there’s still humans left out there, not just animals”. She stops working for a moment and looks at the others “I say today is our turn to be humans”
LED steps closer to NASCAR, “we might find friends in this town, shelter, safety. That’s something you can’t loot off someone’s corpse”
NASCAR lowers his head raising his hands in front of him, “okay, okay” he then takes a deep breath, “I’m in, but if it comes down to them or us, all that good Samaritan s**t is gonna be over real quick. Got that DOC?”
DONNA shrugs slightly “that’s fair”
“Alright people” says LED “listen up”
PREPARATIONS
DONNA can’t move, at least until her work is done, so the group decide that she and ALEX are staying (ALEX is the only one who speaks Polish and can translate DONNA’s instruction to the prisoner helping her). NASCAR and LED are moving north and along the river, trying to assess the situation and see what they can do.
Once DONNA is done, she will keep an eye on the prisoners and ALEX will move to join the others.
- LED takes an AKM with reliability 4, and 3 magazines. He also takes the flare and reloads his pistol
- ALEX takes all the four reloads for his hunting rifle (he’s the only one carrying one)
- Codewords are established: “MEXICO” for indicating danger, a generally negative situation, or a negative response to an answer. “EVEREST” for the opposite
- A password is also established: the challenge is “BUDDY” and the response is “HOLLY”
FINAL COMMENTS
The players have set eyes on their next move for the night. At Garage Hotel, the fight came to them, but this time they are going into the (almost) unknown and they have split the group.
Putting on my referee hat, I know what’s coming for the players (or rather, what they are moving to) and I know my role is to engage them, not to kill them. Yet whatever happens, the dice are going to have a role in it, and they tend to be unpredictable.