"Huh," he grunted looking up. "Looks like a truck rolled. What could have caused that?"
"I don't know," Angel responded, "but let's see if the driver is ok." She began to pull onto the shoulder. "We'll have to turn around anyway and find another way back to Suburbia since the road is blocked by the truck." She pulled the VW and the Caravan around in a tight circle, while the Land Rover pulled up behind them.
Ahmed climbed up on the truck and checked the cab and the cabin, while the others clambered out of the vehicles and gathered around. "There's no one here - it's empty." He gestured off into the woods. "Look around, he might be lying in the woods hurt."
As the team began to scatter to the woods they suddenly noticed that smell. And then they saw the zombies.
"There's more of those @#$% things?!"
* * *
Turn 1: The group is surrounded as both sides activate and the zeds move first. They have two to their rear, one each to the left rear and right rear, and two more to the left front.
Bob opens fire first being in the most immediate danger, and gets an OD. Angel shoots the rifle, but only gets a knock back. Joe fires from behind the Caravan, getting an OD as well. Ahmed hits his target, but fails to OD it. Two down, but two more enter, attracted by the gunfire.
Turn 2: The zeds are immobile, but the team is active. Ahmed misses. (The rest of the team is starting to wonder if it's worth keeping him around - of course, they can always use him as zombie bait if he doesn't start pulling his weight!) Bob hits and gets an OD, then, warned by Ahmed about the two zeds behind the truck, moves around the front of the truck. Joe and Angel both advance and fire. Joe misses, but Angel gets an OD for the kill with the shotgun.
Turn 3: The zeds are still immobile, while the team continues active. Again Ahmed hits for no damage. Bob hits both of the zombies behind the truck, but only gets a knock back. Angel gets a hit for a knock back, while Joe gets an OD to down another zed. The fire attracts two more zeds.
Turn 4: No one moves, activation is tied with a double 6.
Turn 5: Neither side activates.
Turn 6: Both sides activate with the team going first. Again, Ahmed hits with no kill. Angel scores another OD. Joe moves back to his original position and fires on the advancing z, but only gets a knockback. Bob hits both of the zeds behind the truck again, but again only scores a knock back. On the positive side, there's only one zombie left on its feet. On the negative side, it advances on Angel. One more zed is activated by the gunfire.
Turn 7: The zeds are not active again, while the team is. Angel, Joe and Ahmed all miss the zed charging Angel, but Bob nails the one that just entered. Despite all the gunfire, no new zombies appear.
Turn 8: Zeds activate with a 3, but the team activates with a 4 and gets to go first. Angel misses in her panic, but Joe scores one hit on the zed charging her and makes it count, scoring an OD. The other zeds continue to advance, but no new zeds appear this turn.
Turn 9: Activation is tied again, keeping everyone in place.
Turn 10: Zombies fail to activate, but the team can move. Angel gets two solid hits, but no OD, only knocking the zed back. Joe does get the OD, though, putting one down. Bob backs up 4" hoping to give Ahmed a rear shot at the zombies and fires, hitting for just a knockdown. No new zombies appear.
Turn 11: The zombies fail to activate again, while the team moves. Bob fires and knocks the zeds back again. No new zeds appear.
Turn 12: Both sides activate, but the team can move first. They start by regrouping, with Bob moving back up 3" towards the truck, while Angel and Joe reposition themselves on the vehicles and Ahmed continues to stay out of the way. Bob moved just a little too far forward and finds the zeds in his face, while Joe takes a chance of hitting the Land Rover if he he has to fire on the one closing on Angel.
Turn 13: The team again moves first when both sides activate. Angel misses the zed in her face again. Not wanting to hit the Land Rover, Joe moves up beside her and blasts the zed, but only achieves a knock back. Ahmed fires at one of the zeds closing on Bob and gets an OD vs. his Rep since the zed was not facing him. Bob fires at the other one, but only gets a knockback. No new zeds show up.
Turn 14: The zeds activate but the team doesn't, putting them in a very precarious position. Angel is charged and freaks out - breaking and running away, and leaving Joe in the lurch. The zed changes its target to Joe, who fires and gets a hit for a knockback. Bob is also charged and prepares for melee. He wins the melee, passing 2D6 more than the zombie and gets a "Pop Goes the Weasel". No new zeds show up this turn either.
Turn 15: The team is again inactive, while the zombies are able to move. The zombie that charged last turn gets up and charges Joe again. He prepares for melee, but both pass 0D6 and the melee continues to next turn.
Turn 16: The team activates while the zombies don't this time. Joe wins the melee, also getting a "Pop Goes the Weasel" and the field is cleared of zeds.
* * *
The team looks around at the carnage and gathers together between the cars.
"I can't believe this is still happening," Angel says. "We've driven for miles and we're still running into these things? Is it going to be safe even in Suburbia?"
"Who knows?" Bob ventures, "but we need to try to get back there and see."
The others agree. They mount up and turn around, starting on the long detour home.
