Welcome to the Waco Wasteland! (Homebrewish PA Campaign)

((All right that's enough time to allow alternative suggestions. All variables--including lift kits--below determined by dice rolls.))

It takes you almost an hour ((complex Scavenging check)) to find (1.) a pick-up, (2.) with keys, (3.) that starts, and (4.) has some fuel. In all that time, no human has yet come by, but the noise of trying to start various engines--and now successfully starting the engine of a bright red Ram 2500 with a diesel engine and a huge ass lift kit--is enough to begin attracting walkers--specifically a group of about six, some eighty feet (16 squares) away. The tank is 40% full. What do ye do?

It's worth pointing out that Juan has 5 ranks in drive and Reggie somehow has 10 (motorpool in the army or whatever?). And as a reminder, Lake Shore has strangely been cleared as far as you can see in both directions.

"I'll drive, Reggie hop up on the bed and shoot stuff I'm not going to go super fast"

"Sounds good to me, I'll take shotgun and play with the radio!"

As Juan gets into the driver seat, Reggie hops in the truckbed and takes aim at the zombies, but refrains from firing his unsilenced hunting rifle at the relatively small crowd shambling toward you. Meanwhile, Hannah's riding shotgun and playing with the radio. Assuming you're checking FM first, the lowest stations are just static or a "technical difficulties" message on repeat, but, to your surprise there are a number of radio stations with audio. 92.3 is currently playing MercyMe's "I Can Only Imagine," 98.3 is playing the audio of what sounds like a Latin Mass, and 102.5 is playing government-mandated CDC info from before The Fall. Perhaps the weirdest FM station is 103.3, which sounds like garbled nonsense. But Reggie's ears perk up and he gets up from his prone position in the back of truck and comes up to the cab for a closer listen. After a moment ((Profession: Soldier check)), he explains that he's pretty sure it's the raw feed of an encrypted transmission--but y'all don't have decryption equipment. As you begin to scan the AM stations, your first hit is 1330 which is playing some kind of news program, the current topic of which appears to be oil production numbers out of Houston, followed by a very WWII-Newsreel-y pseudo-propagandistic announcements about the ongoing liberation of Humble, recent attacks from the Baytown side of The Bridge, and the successful referendum by the people of New Somerville to join the Republic of Texas. A short soundbite from President Perry follows.

Which station do y'all listen to as you drive?

((By way of a teaser, y'all all failed an Intelligence check))

I look at Reggie. "Any reason we should go back to that encrypted transmission? Because if not I'm going back to the Christian station and hoping the Breakfast Song comes on."

"Naw. Without decrypt tech we couldn't make anything out one way or another."

Hannah shrugs and flips the station back to 98.3 (just kidding) and Reggie resumes his firing position in the back of the truck. Juan continues driving the truck south down Lake Shore. You all stare at the cars that line the road. After a minute or two, you see a handpainted sign on the side of the road that says: "Premium Snake Juice - Pull Off Here!" Hannah begins humming along with the radio ("They don't serve breakfast / in Hell!").

Do y'all stop or keep driving?

"Fuck off whatever that is" Juan says as he keeps driving

Hannah voices no objections to whatever that is being instructed to fuck off.

As you round the bend near Forrester Lane, you immediately come under small arms fire from what appears to be some kind of impromptu base thrown together at the Enclave Court. It's difficult to tell who exactly is firing at you, though Reggie will later mention that he's pretty sure he saw military fatigues of some kind as he was returning fire ((Perception; -4 rounds)). In any case, Juan floors it and even zigzags a little, managing to avoid getting the tires shot out from beneath you ((Drive)). Unfortunately, he fails to spot the tire spikes laced across the bridge in time and blows all four tires ((Perception Crit Fail)). He does however manage to keep control of the vehicle--barely--and force his way through the military-style czechpoint/roadblock set up on the bridge ((Complex Drive Check)). You make it across the bridge and out of harm's way. You may continue on driving on the rims of the car--what do you care about ruining it long term?--but that is louder than a car driving by itself. Alternatively, you may ditch the truck and continue on foot. Or you may do some combination of the two--drive for a while to get away from whatever attacked you and then ditch, etc. Up to you.

You may also, of course, narrate your character's behavior during the above the scene!

"Oh Shit, Oh Shit, Reggie shoot back," Juan shouts as he practices evasive driving, he hits the spike strip fast, "FUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKK, ok hold on this is about to get funky." Swerving around the rather rudimentary roadblock whilst screaming obscenities, once in the clear, he slams on the brakes, "I think we're going to have to hoof it"

In the mayhem, Hannah forgets to scream and instead is just breathing hard, gritting her teeth, and trying to hold on as Reggie fights to control the truck. When they finally come to a stop she lets out a shuddering breath and unpeels her sweaty palm from its death grip on the overhead hand-hold. She shakes out her hands and shakes her head as if to clear the adrenaline from it. She opens the car door.

"Yeah let's try to sneak away or at least get to better cover," she says, her voice sounding far away.

It doesn't happen often, but occasionally the precariousness gets to her. How stupid would it have been to die in a car accident in the zombie apocalypse, after all they've survived? She takes a deep breath, checks her weapons, straightens her shirt and runs her fingers through her hair, and rolls out of the passenger seat and scrambles to get behind the open door of the truck.

Not to be that guy but Juan's driving the truck.

Juan checks to make sure Reggie's ok, but all his mental focus was all on Hannah, he could tell she was shaken, maintaining her composure in that strange way she manages to but shaken nonetheless.. He jumps out of the truck and draws his sidearm, not stopping until he around the truck and next to his leader, he crouches and takes aim, hand on her shoulder., "Reggie, find us somewhere to go Army boy"