The town looked long dead but they pulled over because they saw movement, and because they were desperate. Jack, Christie, Andrew, Herman and Victoria were all good friends but there was a little tension between them and that had been the jumping off point for a road trip. Clear the air; have a bit of fun; see the country. Except they were lost and there weren’t a lot of people on the highway to give them directions.
The town didn’t seem to have a name and was clearly deserted; half the buildings in ruins; but Jack spotted a figure back from the main road so pulled over. He, Christie and Herman got out and walked after the figure, calling out, but the man, whoever he was, kept walking unsteadily away. Victoria and Andrew hung back at the jeep, flirting, as the trio made their way between the ruined buildings.
By the time they caught up with the strange man they were a good hundred yards into the town, but when Jack reached out and grabbed the man’s shoulder all three of them gaped in horror as he turned. His eyes were dead sockets and the cold lifeless hands that reached for them were decayed and worn. He let out a sepulchral groan and shambled forward. Christie screamed, staggering back but Herman turned on his heal and fled.
Jack and Christie ran after him. Now they had turned they could see zombies emerging from every building, following the sound of Christie’s scream. Their route was blocked off! They ran to the left, hoping to circle round but more zombies were coming from that direction. Jack was the fastest runner. He sped ahead, drawing them away from the other two. Herman and Christie ran back toward the jeep, momentarily pulling away from their shambling pursuers. But ahead they could see the zombies closing on the jeep, not only blocking their escape but threatening Andrew and Victoria.
Herman and Christie waved their arms, drying to draw the zombies back toward them to save their friends, hoping to outrun them and skirt back round to make their escape; but the zombies were quicker than they anticipated. Suddenly they were closing in from almost every side.
Herman and Christie ran down the street away from them but they weren’t fast enough. Three zombies caught up to them, dragging Herman down. Christie ran on but four more zombies caught up to her, their grasping hands quickly overcoming her strength. She screamed again but it was too late. They were dragging her down and they were feasting on her.
Meanwhile Jack came round a corner to bring the jeep back into sight but there were zombies closing in on it again. Andrew and Victoria called to him as they climbed back in. He ran across the road to wait for them as they slammed the jeep into reverse and backed hard into two approaching zombies. But the zombies weren’t killed. As the jeep stopped to let Jack climb in the zombies clawed their way onto the back.
Desperate to protect Victoria, Andrew climbed back up to fight the zombies hand to hand but they grabbed him, tearing at his skin and biting his flesh. He didn’t stand a chance.
“Leave the car!” shouted Jack. “We have to get out of here!”
“But Andrew…” whimpered Victoria.
“Leave him!”
They had never been close but Jack grabbed Victoria’s hand, wrenching her out of the jeep’s driver’s seat and pulled her down the road.
Moaning, the zombies stopped their feasting and shambled after them but with open road their dead limbs couldn’t keep up. Jack and Victoria sprinted to the town limits, pulling away from the living dead.
They paused at the very edge of town and looked back. In less than five minutes their entire lives had changed.
Three of their friends had been brutally killed.
Their entire belief system had been cracked – if zombies could exist then what other monsters might lurk out there waiting?
And they were suddenly stranded and lost in the middle of nowhere, possibly being tracked by the undead… or something worse.
DESIGNER’S NOTES
Like most games of Necropolis, this report really demonstrates the way the rule mechanics tend to encourage the development of really cinematic scenes, each with a very different feel: the chase through the streets; splitting up; drawing the zombies towards them to save their friends; running over the zombies; vicious hand to hand combat on top of the jeep and fleeing characters being dragged to the ground and devoured by overwhelming numbers. Also, the characters tend to take on personalities of their own through their actions: Jack breaking off by himself; Christie and Herman thinking about their friends; Victoria boldly using the jeep as a weapon; Andrew trying to save the woman he secretly loves.
As a side point it's kind of funny the pose Christie has on that picture as she's being ripped apart by zombies!
It’ll be interesting to follow the continuation of this storyline as Jack and Victoria wander through the wilderness trying to find their way back to civilisation. And interesting to find out what will be after them next time…
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