The utility truck reaches the Franklin Road residence and stops beneath an overgrown carport. Grant remains in the cargo area, his injured leg elevated while Maya maintains pressure; Luis and Mateo stay secured beside him.
Thomas Roberts
This is the house, babe. Charlie and I will check inside. Maya, Evan, keep the truck covered and the doors locked.
Thomas and Charlie carry charged UV lamps through a damaged side door. Dust hangs over the entryway, and family photographs lie scattered beneath blackout curtains that seal out the dawn.
Thomas Roberts
No signs of a forced evacuation. The curtains are still drawn, and there may be supplies or documents inside.
A faint scrape comes from the unlit hallway. Then something shifts behind the curtains, followed by a guttural roar that vibrates through the walls and makes the floorboards tremble.
Evan Cole
Thomas, we heard that. Whatever is inside, do not advance blindly. Maya and I have the entrance covered.
The roar answers with movement above them. A shadow crosses the second-floor curtain, too fast and too low for a human, while the dark house exhales the unmistakable threat of a volatile hive.
“I push Thomas back toward the door and use the lamp to cover our retreat. Backpedaling from the approaching monster.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +1)
Charlie shoves Thomas firmly toward the damaged side door, then raises the charged UV lamp between them and the shadow racing across the second-floor curtain.
Thomas Roberts
I’m moving, babe. Keep that light on it, and don’t turn your back until we’re outside.
The Volatile bursts from the hallway, claws striking the floorboards, but the intense violet beam makes it recoil and snarl behind the curtains.
Charlie backpedals steadily, keeping the lamp trained on the creature while guiding Thomas through the side doorway. Dust swirls around their retreating feet.
Evan Cole
They’re clear! Keep the beam up while I cover the threshold. Maya, get the truck ready.
Charlie and Thomas reach the carport safely. Maya opens the utility truck’s rear door while Evan angles another lamp into the house, forcing the Volatile to remain inside.
Thomas Roberts
We’re out, babe. The house is compromised, but everyone is still together. We can regroup from the truck.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine Thomas’s family’s fate
The exposed Volatile or Viral burns and recoils from the UV light.
“In the safety of daylight, they stop to regroup. Charlie trying to come up with a way they can still search the house.”
SUCCESS (Superb Reasoning, rolled -1)
In the carport’s daylight, the team regroups around the utility truck. Grant’s leg remains elevated, Luis and Mateo stay inside, and the Volatile stays hidden behind the house’s blackout curtains.
Charlie Moore
The Volatile cannot cross the intense UV beam, and daylight limits where it can move.
Charlie spreads the residence map across the truck hood, then arranges two charged lamps to overlap the side door and hallway. A third lamp covers the stairs.
Thomas Roberts
We can search from the doorway, room by room, babe. Keep the UV beams fixed, stay within sight, and retreat if the coverage breaks.
Evan Cole
I’ll watch the upper windows and track the lamp angles. Maya can relay supplies from the truck without bringing Grant or the boys near the entrance.
The plan gives them a protected corridor through the first floor and a controlled route upstairs. Charlie marks the family documents, medication, and vehicle keys as priorities.
Maya Rodriguez
That works in daylight. We search quickly, keep every exit open, and leave the moment we have the records or the house stops being controllable.
The exposed Volatile or Viral burns and recoils from the UV light.
“Does Charlie realize the volatile probably leaves the house at night?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 29)
The overlapping UV beams hold the Volatile behind the curtains, where it recoils from every exposed angle. In daylight, the house contains it, but only temporarily.
Charlie Moore
It will probably leave the house tonight, when the light fades and the UV coverage no longer controls its routes.
Thomas Roberts
If it hunts after dark, babe, this house becomes a launch point. We cannot leave it behind us without accounting for that.
Evan Cole
Then the timing matters. We search while daylight and the lamps pin it inside, and we clear the route before sunset.
A sharp snarl scrapes across the blackout curtains. The Volatile tests the doorway again, burns against the overlapping beams, and retreats deeper into the house.
Maya Rodriguez
We keep the truck ready and the family search short. If the light weakens or a lamp fails, everyone returns immediately.
Thomas Roberts
Agreed. We get the documents, medication, and keys, then leave before night gives that thing the whole neighborhood.
“Charlie offers an alternative option. Someone hides out by the house until after nightfall and searches the house while it is empty. He's not suggesting they just do it. He just thinks they should consider the option for the future.”
Charlie Moore
For the future, someone could hide near the house until after nightfall, then search while the Volatile is out hunting. We should consider it, not do it now.
The Volatile recoils again as the overlapping UV beams burn across the curtains. Its snarl fades deeper into the house, confirming that the light controls its immediate routes.
Thomas Roberts
That is a possible reconnaissance method, babe, but only with a concealed shelter, a return signal, and a clear extraction route. We do not improvise it tonight.
Evan Cole
I’ll add it as a future option. We would need to observe its night pattern first, identify where it leaves, and confirm the house can be searched without trapping anyone.
Maya Rodriguez
It could reduce the risk of fighting through the interior, but waiting outside has its own risks. For now, daylight and UV give us the safer window.
Evan writes the idea beside the residence map while Maya checks the lamp batteries. The beams remain steady, the truck stays ready, and the group preserves the current search plan.
Thomas Roberts
We consider it for later, babe. Today we collect the documents, medication, and keys, then withdraw before sunset.
The Volatile or Viral burns, or the Biter recoils; Banshees and Demolishers suffer no UV effect.
“Charlie says they should search the outside of the house first. They might find evidence the family left already. He looks Thomas in the eye and reminds him it is too soon to give up hope. Thomas himself said his mom would want to leave and help others.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled -1)
Charlie Moore
We should search outside first. We might find evidence your family left already. It is too soon to give up hope, Thomas. You said your mom would want to leave and help others.
Thomas Roberts
You’re right, babe. We check the yard, garage, and side path before entering farther. If they left deliberately, they may have marked where they went.
Thomas and Charlie follow the carport perimeter beneath the steady UV beams. The Volatile remains trapped behind the curtains while daylight washes the overgrown yard.
Near the garage, Charlie finds fresh tire tracks beneath the weeds, a dragged recycling bin, and a handwritten note sealed in a plastic food bag beside the side gate.
Thomas Roberts
That handwriting is Mom’s. She wrote, ‘We’re going to the church shelter with supplies. Helping neighbors first. If we miss each other, follow the marked route.’
A line of faded blue paint marks the fence posts toward the church parking lot. The garage door is locked, but the family’s minivan is absent, confirming they left under their own power.
Thomas Roberts
They got out. They were helping people, just like I knew they would. Now we have a real direction to follow.
Quest Complete
Determine Thomas’s family’s fate
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Superb→Legendary
“Charlie hugs him and asks how far the church is, and how much time they have?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +3)
Charlie Moore
How far is the church, and how much time do we have?
Charlie hugs Thomas beside the marked fence, holding him briefly while the overlapping UV beams keep the Volatile recoiling behind the curtains.
Thomas Roberts
It’s about three quarters of a mile to the church parking lot, babe. We have several hours before sunset, but we should move before the roads get busier.
Thomas studies the blue marks leading through the side streets. The route avoids Franklin Road and connects directly to the church’s rear lot, giving them a concealed approach.
Thomas Roberts
Mom marked the safest path, and that is our advantage. We can check the shelter without bringing the truck through the open intersection.
Evan Cole
I can confirm the route from the map. Ten minutes by vehicle if the service lane is clear, then a short walk to the shelter entrance.
Maya Rodriguez
Then we keep this stop brief, preserve the lamps, and return before the Volatile has a chance to become our problem.
✓ Quest Accepted
Get clear of the Franklin residence before sunset
The Volatile or Viral burns, or the Biter recoils; Banshees and Demolishers suffer no UV effect.
− Story Quest Removed
Verify whether Charlie’s family is at 1847 Franklin Road
“Charlie agrees and gets back in the car with Thomas so they can head out and check the church.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled -3)
Charlie and Thomas return to the utility truck while Maya keeps the overlapping UV beams fixed on the curtained house. The Volatile recoils behind them, unable to cross the burning light.
Thomas Roberts
Everyone aboard, babe. We take the marked side streets, keep the doors locked, and reach the church before the route gets crowded.
Charlie climbs into the passenger seat beside Thomas. Maya and Evan secure the rear doors around Grant, Luis, and Mateo, while one UV lamp stays aimed toward the house.
Thomas starts the engine, and the truck’s sudden growl carries across the quiet neighborhood. The house disappears behind them, but the exposed lamp drains one battery bar before Maya shuts it off.
Evan Cole
Blue marks ahead. The first turn is clear, but keep right. There’s a stalled sedan narrowing the next lane.
Thomas threads the truck between the sedan and a leaning fence, scraping the passenger-side mirror hard enough to fold it inward. No one is injured, and the route remains open.
Ten minutes later, the truck reaches the church’s rear parking lot beneath an overgrown line of trees. A blue paint mark points toward the shelter entrance, and the team arrives with daylight still holding.
Quest Complete
Get clear of the Franklin residence before sunset
The Volatile or Viral burns, or the Biter recoils; Banshees and Demolishers suffer no UV effect.