SPECIAL - BALLARD CANNIBAL MISSION

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

The Aurora Bridge is a "cantilever and truss" bridge, so it didn't have the tall supports along the sides. Without anything towering above them, the high vantage point really felt like the top of the world. It began to snow again, silently.

A crunch of safety glass let them know zombies were still an issue here - they could see them among the cars, trying clumsily to get free and pursue the living. None were pinned in place like the remainders on the road behind them, but the obstacles made it possible to ignore them and keep going, if so inclined...

Several cars just ahead had been on fire long ago, blackened mess peeked out from beneath the snow blanket. A popping and twisting aluminum sound couldn't have been coming from anywhere else - the shadows under a car began to stretch out into a humanoid form, that worked its liquid jaw in time to the unnatural metal noises.

Dark Ghost-
"GwwwwddddSRak!!"


Colqhoun-
"Getting a bit crowded on this bridge, isn't it?"

Davin slowed in his tracks again, raising his weapons.

Davin-
"Think we gotta get into this."

[Dr. Jar]

Ashley-

"Right."

He would strike at the ghost with his flare if it was within proper distance, and takes a sword to the head of any zombies that come too close. It wasn't quite as good at slicing anything denser than rotten meat anymore.

He had gotten over being as overzealous as he had been in the past. Zombies were just the tiniest bit passe and there were too many of them in general to get excited about smiting.

He aimed for the nearest one to give the poor creature the merciful fate it deserved.

[dice=20+4] for the ghost
[dice=20+4] for the zombies!

Ashley officially misses the ghosts and the zombies both somehow! Maybe they were too quick. He hisses in pain since an overthrown swing pulled some already-angry muscles.

"Urgh..." [rand=008767152437940243734661098569631654804471717216078657571999356151]

[DKender]

Alex was briefly dazzled by the magical winter scene. What a view! What a day! It was better suited for a romantic Hallmark movie than a cannibal rescue mission. He could imagine two vibrant sweethearts reuniting on the bridge. They'd embrace and twirl around, as dancing skeletons frolicked with zombies.

Then, the ghosts appeared.

“Crowded. Ah. Ha. That’s one way to put it. Remember to avoid their eyes, Pastor. Ashley! Focus on the ghosts - I'll handle the zombies.”

Alex did not carry a flare, so he remained close to Ashley and swung at the zombies that Ashley strangely missed. It was routine by now, the crack of skulls. He'd learned how ignore their faces and any vestiges of life like clothing or jewelry that spoke to their former personalities.

[∆§Indea§∆]

"Fucking hell…"

Micah hung back at a safe distance, keeping to the higher points and glancing anxiously towards the grinding metal sound. He really really hoped it was just the dark ghost jerking their chains but a sick feeling hung uncomfortably in his stomach. He tried to look helpful and was ready to spring in there if needed. He kept clear of zombies only taking action when a couple of them got too close. One was a middle aged father type and the other was just a kid, both ferocious in their undeath. How the fuck had Calqhoun made it to 403 by himself? The guy was awfully fucking cavalier, it was creeping Micah out almost as much as the noise.

[Dr. Maneep Pamplemousse]

Patti was strongly starting to distrust Colqhoun. First he opined on them joking about inspirational speeches at the beginning of a dangerous mission and now he was joking about ghosts, despite having claimed they never encountered such creatures at the church in Ballard. If this was a trap, she fully intended on bashing in his head personally.

She danced past Ashley's wild swings to address the more dangerous target: the ghost.

[dice=20+4][rand=8055910203281204088946763309957157844239238448896379641476032928]

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

((We'll say Ashley missed that one, but honestly, I'd set the difficulty for a zombie roll more like 5. They hella sad.))

Ashley was too eager to take out all targets, and his divided attention led to inaccuracy. Patti cast a sideways glance at Colqhoun and did something about the ghost.

Dark Ghost-
"GwwwwddddSRak!!"


Patti-
"..."


Dark Ghost-
"sssssss..."


Colqhoun-
"Right. Good job, then."

Just as the ghost was finished burning, another fire started under a car nearby it - a chain reaction?

Davin-
"Jesus."

As Davin and Alex whacked at zombies, the fire came up surprisingly close to them. Getting a little bit of hustle on was starting to look like a good idea.

Another fire ball came up from another car. The fumes of the ghosts were easier to smell when they were burning, in the cold, windswept air.

[Dr. Maneep Pamplemousse]

Patti decided the safest place from bursting fireballs was on the far side of the large metal hunks. Unless cars really blew up as easily as they did in the movies.

Still, she dared, and hopped onto the hood of a car and began running and jumping from car to car as best she could.

[dice=20+2][rand=5845474182983703370390408169969628185007086621816927141875404042]

[∆§Indea§∆]

Micah followed Patti's lead run across and jumping over obstacles, keeping a wide eye out for danger. He glanced behind a few times just to make sure the others were close behind.

[rand=24762521591037512340438635554164653011484625749296815199586562812]

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

Patti and Micah were the first off this part of the bridge, but the others soon followed. Colqhoun was slower than preferable, but Davin hauled him along.

The bridge was looong. The survivors moved swiftly, but at the expense of all stealth, and also ended up slipping on now-slicked car hoods and metal bits. It was uncomfortable, but creeping over the bridge slowly was worse.

They finally reached street on the other side. Landfall for the bridge was near the top of a steep hill. A few zombies staggered in the snow ahead. The humans huffed and puffed, and tried to assess where to go from here.

[Dr. Jar]

Ashley-

"Good job Patti!"

He offers her quickly, jogging slowly past her to beat more zombies with his sword, and holding his flare up with his other hand, far away from his face. He wondered, idly, if he should occasionally switch the hands he used it with. Maybe he'd get one muscular arm or something from all of this. In either case, he kept out of the way of the others.

"...We should press on... and quickly."

Ashley was too distracted by the setting to be jarred by the Pastor's words.

Ashley paused briefly to admire the snow: it really was beautiful, all in all.

He looked towards the others, when he realized that he wasn't really sure where they were going: beyond that, everything was lent an alien perspective by all of this.

Ashley started to move in what he decided must be the right direction.

[DKender]

As they reached the end of the bridge, Alex exhaled. This was no longer a romance movie. No! It was an action movie. One with fireballs.

“Pastor Colqhoun, how are you holding up?” Alex worried that the man would be too weak for more vigorous activity after his ordeal earlier, so he ran to his side and decided to become a self-appointed bodyguard. "If you need help, please let me know, Sir."

((OOC: I like the smoke effect as the burnt ghost ))

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

The roads here were jammed with cars and the remains of wrecks. Skeletons and thin bodies were scattered randomly in the white-blanketed scene.

Davin-
"Fremont Way to 39th, down the hill to Leary, and follow the bends in that road all the way there, huh?"


Colqhoun-
"Unless anyone wants to go under the bridge and see the Fremont Troll. I think we danced over his head at the end there."

They took the left hand path like Meester Crowley, and walked on the shoulder of Fremont Way.

[Thy Dungyeon Maestyr]

((I'm gonna let this adventure go DeeKocentric for a bit, if I may beg ur indulgence.))

Colqhoun-
"Good looking out, young man. After you..."

It was hard to move between the cars and the group ended up single file. It also meant that zombies weren't much of an issue. Being in Fremont was like old times downtown - a lot more cars in the middle of the street, and a lot more zombies, but still far from the hordes of the first night.

Alex was the only one able to hear Colqhoun and talk with him, over the crunch of snow and clamor of occasional clumsy undead.

Colqhoun-
"You seem ... more patient with me than the others."

[Dr. Jar]

Ashley-

Ashley was too far away to catch wind of the conversation, and seemed preoccupied with forging the way forward and reading signs.

He wasn't the best with directions and this area wasn't the most familiar place.

He spared Patti a glance, and then paused to look back at the other two and ensure he was going where they seemed to be going.

[DKender]

To Colqhoun, Alex explained:

“Haha! Oh, no. Micah’s just sassy. Please don’t take it to heart. And the rest are are serious types. Especially Nurse Davin. It’s their way.” He was thoughtful for a second. “Plus, you remind me of my summer camp youth pastor. He was a funny guy. Good funny, not funny funny. He took us rafting in, like, a real river once, which was awesome. I knocked my head on a rock when my canoe overturned, but that happens."

He shrugged.

"Well, uh, point being - everyone here will do their darnest to help your friends. Cross my heart. Hope to ... nevermind."