Maya remains at the refuge with Daniel, Luis, Mateo, Ellie, and the other residents while Charlie, Thomas, Evan, Andre, and Rosa follow the marked industrial route toward Larry’s Garage.
The utility truck rolls between silent warehouses, recovery gear rattling in back. Infected crowd the intersections ahead, far denser than the route notes suggest.
Evan Cole
That is not normal density. I’m seeing movement in the loading bays, on the roofs, and behind the rail fencing.
A shriek echoes from a warehouse. A Banshee vaults over a parked car, while a Charger slams into the truck’s side and forces the crew out before they reach the garage.
Thomas Roberts
Everyone out, now! Stay together and get behind the concrete barrier!
The truck rolls driverless down a sloped service lane, its rear doors swinging open. A Spitter stains the pavement, and a Screamer’s call draws Virals from adjoining buildings.
Andre
The garage approaches are closing in. We need a direction, Charlie, before that truck disappears.
✓ Quest Accepted
Regain control of the utility truck
“Charlie looks around wildly to survey the area before pointing toward on of the open bays to Larry's Garage. Telling everyone to run inside and pull the door down. It will buy them time.”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled +0)
Charlie surveys the industrial lane, tracking the open bays, concrete barriers, truck slope, and infected movement. One open garage bay leads directly toward Larry’s Garage.
Charlie Moore
That bay! Run inside, everyone. Pull the door down behind us!
Thomas Roberts
Move, move! Stay together and keep the lamps up!
Charlie leads them through the open bay as Virals spill around the truck. Andre and Rosa cover the rear while Evan keeps the route marked.
Andre
We’re inside! I’ve got the side clear. Someone get that door down!
Thomas and Andre seize the rolling security door and haul it downward. Rosa shoves a steel cart beneath the track as the last survivor crosses the threshold.
Thomas Roberts
Door’s down, babe. We bought ourselves time, and Larry’s Garage is right ahead.
“Charlie tells them to head deeper into the building. They need to break line of sight before something tears through the door.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +2)
Charlie Moore
Deeper into the building. Move now, and break line of sight before anything tears through that door.
Charlie leads them past stacked tires and tool cabinets into Larry’s Garage, turning through a service corridor until the lowered security door disappears from view.
Thomas Roberts
This way, babe. Keep low and stay together. We have room behind the parts shelves.
Thomas guides the group into a deep maintenance bay. Evan marks the route, while Andre and Rosa pull a shelving unit across the corridor without blocking their retreat.
Andre
Line of sight is broken. Nothing outside can see us from here, and the side exit is still open.
Evan Cole
The radio is quiet. I’m marking this bay as our temporary cover point and checking the next path toward the office.
A heavy impact shudders through the distant door, but the sound fades behind concrete and machinery. The team crouches deeper inside, concealed and intact.
“Charlie says he counted at least 4 new kinds of infected. Can anyone else confirm that?”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled -2)
Charlie Moore
I counted at least four new kinds of infected. Can anyone else confirm that?
Evan Cole
Confirmed. Banshee over the car, Charger hit the truck, Spitter covered the lane, and Screamer drew in the Virals.
Andre
I saw all four. The Banshee and Charger were closest, but the Spitter’s attack forced us out before the door came down.
Aunt Rosa
Confirmed from the rear. I saw the Screamer near the loading bay and the Spitter’s trail across the pavement.
Evan records Banshee, Charger, Spitter, and Screamer on the route map, adding their observed behaviors and locations. The radio battery loses one bar during the transmission.
Thomas Roberts
Four confirmed variants, babe. That changes the garage run completely, but at least we know what forced us off the truck.
The team stays concealed behind the parts shelves while Evan finishes the entry. Their count is verified, and the new threat information is preserved for the refuge.
“Charlie checks his weapons and asks what everyone noticed about the new infected. Aby weaknesses or obvious attack patterns? The one spitting acid has him worried. He checks the handgun with the untested silencer.”
SUCCESS (Superb Perception, rolled -1)
Behind the parts shelves, Charlie checks the reinforced hammer, its wrist lanyard, the charged UV lamp, and the handgun. The untested suppressor remains firmly attached.
Charlie Moore
What did everyone notice about their weaknesses or attack patterns? Any obvious openings? The Spitter worries me most. I’m also checking this handgun and its untested suppressor.
Evan Cole
The Banshee used height and surprise, but it still recoiled from UV. The Charger committed to a straight rush, so barriers or a sidestep may defeat its approach.
Andre
The Spitter stayed back and attacked from roughly fifteen yards. It needed a clear line, and it exposed itself while aiming. Concrete stopped the acid, but do not rely on thin cover.
Aunt Rosa
The Screamer was not fast, but its call brought the Virals running. Silence or distance matters most. I saw it pause before calling, like it needed a moment to draw breath.
Thomas Roberts
UV drove the Banshee and the Virals away, babe. Keep the lamp ready, avoid open lanes, and never let the Spitter choose the distance.
Charlie checks the handgun’s magazine, chamber, safety, and suppressor seating without firing. The weapon is loaded and mechanically secure, though its altered report and reliability remain untested.
“Charlie says they have to find a way to get recover the truck if they want to make it out of here. The Refuge is too far for them to make it on foot before nightfall. Which means taking down the infected. Or they need to hole up somewhere for the night and wait for the horde to pass. He asks everyone to chime in.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Charlie Moore
We have to recover the truck if we want to get back. The refuge is too far on foot before nightfall. We either take down the infected, or hole up until the horde passes. Everyone chime in.
The team stays crouched behind the parts shelves as another distant impact rolls through the garage. Evan opens the route map while Andre listens toward the covered bay.
Evan Cole
The truck is exposed on the slope, but the service lane gives us concrete cover for part of the approach. Waiting here is safer if the horde keeps moving.
Andre
I favor sheltering first. We can secure this bay, ration the lamp, and watch the exits. A night push risks the Banshee and Volatile activity.
Aunt Rosa
We have water, dressings, and enough food for one night, but not much room if infected breach the outer door. Recovering the truck preserves our best route home.
Thomas Roberts
We should not fight the whole horde, babe. If the movement thins before dark, we use the barriers, UV, and a short recovery run. Otherwise, we barricade here and leave at first light.
The options are clear: hold the garage through the night, or recover the truck during a confirmed lull without splitting the team. Evan marks both plans and their retreat points.
“Charlie says if they wait out the night, they will need to get to a different building first. The horde won't move on if it thinks they are still inside. And the charger will tear through the door based on what it did to the truck. If they decide to fight through, they won't survive unless they kill the screamer and spitter right at the start. The scream will just bring more infected and the spitter will shred their cover.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Reasoning, rolled +3)
Charlie Moore
If we wait out the night, we need another building first. The horde will stay if it thinks we’re still here. That Charger can tear through this door like it did the truck. If we fight, the Screamer and Spitter die first, or we lose our cover.
Evan Cole
Agreed. The Screamer is the alarm, and the Spitter controls the lane. I found a maintenance passage from this bay to an older storage building. It has a second exit and no exterior windows.
Evan spreads the map across a toolbox. The passage runs behind concrete walls toward a sealed storage building, giving the team a concealed relocation route before darkness.
Andre
Then we relocate quietly before the horde settles. We do not engage unless the Screamer or Spitter blocks the passage, and nobody opens that outer door.
Aunt Rosa
I’ll carry the medical kit and mark the passage. Once inside, we barricade the new exits and keep the lamps pointed at the doors.
Thomas Roberts
You’re right, babe. We move the moment the impacts fade, secure a different building, and let the infected search an empty garage.
Evan confirms the passage is clear by radio reflection, and the storage building’s side door is already unlatched. The team now has a verified shelter route and a concrete plan to evade the horde.
“Charlie says ot sounds like relocation is the move then. But they need to be careful because the storage building has never been searched. And who knows what they will run into once night falls.”
Charlie Moore
Sounds like relocation is the move, then. We need to stay careful because the storage building has never been searched, and night could change what we face.
Evan Cole
I’ll lead with the map and check each section before anyone settles in. The passage keeps us covered, and the side exit gives us a fallback.
Andre
I’ll take the rear and watch the passage. We move quietly, keep the lamps ready, and leave the garage exactly as we found it.
The distant impacts fade into the industrial maze. The team gathers water, medical supplies, radios, lamps, and the recovery tools they can carry without slowing the relocation.
Aunt Rosa
Medical kit is secured, and I’ve marked the route. Once we reach the storage building, I’ll help check the doors and establish a quiet staging area.
Thomas Roberts
We’ll take it one room at a time, babe. No assumptions, no splitting up, and no rushing just because the light is going.
Evan opens the concealed passage. Charlie follows with Thomas close beside him as the group slips from the maintenance bay toward the unsearched storage building, carrying their plan into the darkening hours.
“Charlie uses the radio to inform the refuge that they were separated from the truck and are stuck out here for the night. He tells them to lock down the refuge until they get back and don't even consider trying to rescue them.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +1)
Charlie Moore
Refuge, this is Charlie. We were separated from the truck and are stuck out here for the night. Lock down until we return, and do not attempt a rescue.
The radio crackles through the concealed passage, carrying Charlie’s message across the industrial route. Evan keeps the group moving while Andre watches the rear.
Maya Rodriguez
Understood, Charlie. The refuge is locking down now. We will not send anyone after you, and we’ll keep the lamps, gates, and medical station ready.
Thomas Roberts
They heard you, babe. We get through tonight, keep everyone safe at Belmont, and bring this team home together in the morning.
Maya confirms the lockdown over the radio. Doors seal, watches shift, and the refuge keeps its rescue teams inside while the signal fades beneath concrete.
Evan Cole
The storage building is ahead. I’ll check the first section, then we secure the side exit and establish a quiet radio schedule with Belmont.
The team reaches the unlatched side door without drawing attention. Evan eases it open, and their lamps reveal a dark storage corridor lined with pallets, offices, and closed interior doors.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure a defensible shelter for the stranded team
− Scene Quest Removed
Regain control of the utility truck
“Charlie follows them as they start to sweep the storage building. He says they have one more obstacles to overcome by morning too. The truck is still running. It will probably run out of gas before they get to it.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Investigation, rolled +0)
Charlie follows Evan through the storage corridor, keeping the UV lamp angled across pallets, office doors, and shadowed gaps while Thomas stays close behind.
Charlie Moore
We have one more obstacle to overcome by morning. The truck is still running, and it will probably run out of gas before we reach it.
Evan Cole
Then fuel becomes our first morning task. I’ll map the shortest covered route from this building and mark every place we can avoid open ground.
The sweep proceeds room by room. Evan opens the offices, Andre checks the rear passage, and Rosa inspects the storage bays without disturbing the barricaded side exit.
Andre
No movement, no fresh signs, and the rear exit is still usable. This building is clear enough to hold until dawn.
Thomas Roberts
We’ll solve the fuel problem together, babe. For tonight, we stay quiet, keep the lamps charged, and make this place safe.
The final office is empty, and the team secures its doors with a shelving unit. Evan posts the radio schedule while Charlie checks the group’s supplies and retreat path.
Regain control of the utility truck
Quest Complete
Secure a defensible shelter for the stranded team