Charlie arrives at the campus maintenance lot with Thomas and Maya, reinforced hammer secured at his side and the vehicle checklist folded in his pocket. Behind them, Evan remains at the dorm with the others, guarding the medical supplies and watch rotations.
Maintenance sheds and equipment bays sit beneath the lowering afternoon sun. Several university vehicles wait between them, their windshields dusty and tires slack, while distant infected noises drift across campus.
Thomas Roberts
We check the lot first, then the sheds. Keys, fuel, battery, tires, and enough room for passengers. We do not get distracted by anything we cannot use.
A white utility truck stands apart from the others, its tires recently disturbed and a faint smear of mud drying along one wheel well. The cabin looks intact, but the hood is locked.
Maya Rodriguez
That one has been used recently. No visible keys, though. Check the cab and nearby office before we force anything.
Thomas tests the driver-side handle, then peers through the window at the dark dashboard. From somewhere beyond the equipment bays, a hoarse groan answers with two scraping impacts.
Thomas Roberts
We have company somewhere nearby. Let’s find those keys fast, and keep the truck quiet until we know what is under that hood.
✓ Quest Accepted
Determine whether the white utility truck can serve as emergency transport
“Charlie inspect around the van for keys or signs that someone came through recently.”
SUCCESS (Good Investigation, rolled +4)
Charlie circles the white utility truck, inspecting the mud, tire tracks, door seams, and gravel beneath the chassis. Fresh scuffs lead toward the equipment office.
Behind the rear tire, he finds a university key ring half-hidden in damp grass. A numbered truck key hangs beside a small padlock key, both still clean.
Thomas Roberts
Nice catch. Those tracks point straight to the office, and the truck key means we can check the ignition without forcing anything.
Charlie follows the disturbed gravel to the office steps and spots a second useful detail: a red fuel-can tag lying beside the threshold, marked with the same vehicle number.
Maya Rodriguez
That tag gives us the fuel location. If the can is still there, we may have enough to move this truck without draining the dorm reserves.
The keys open the truck’s cab. Inside, a clipboard lists a full tank inspection from yesterday and three passenger seats cleared for transport, while the dashboard remains dark.
Thomas Roberts
This is better than we hoped. We have the keys, a fuel lead, and confirmation it was serviced recently. Let’s secure the area and check the office.
+ New Item Acquired
Truck keys
“Charlie nods and follows behind Thomas as they sweep the lot.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Agility, rolled +2)
Charlie nods and follows behind Thomas as they sweep the maintenance lot. Maya covers the opposite side, while the lowering sun throws long shadows beneath the parked vehicles.
Thomas Roberts
Stay close and watch the gaps under the trucks. If anything moves, we regroup by the utility vehicle and keep the route back clear.
Charlie checks tire wells, open cabs, shed doors, and the gravel between equipment bays. The lot remains still except for loose plastic ticking against a fence.
Maya Rodriguez
The west side is clear. I found no keys or fuel there, but the sheds have intact locks and no fresh damage.
Thomas completes the eastern sweep and signals Charlie toward the office. Together they confirm the lot has no visible infected and retain a clear retreat path.
Thomas Roberts
Good. We have the truck, the keys, and a secure approach. Let’s check the office for fuel records and anything useful before we start it.
The three regroup beside the office steps, with the white utility truck behind them and the marked fuel-can tag ready to guide the next search.
“Charlie moves to beside the door and peers inside the office for movement.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +2)
Charlie moves beside the office door and peers through the narrow gap. Dusty desks, filing cabinets, a wall map, and stacked fuel logs sit motionless inside beneath dim window light.
Charlie Moore
No movement inside. The office is clear enough to enter.
The stale office air carries paper, oil, and old dust. A clipboard hangs beside the nearest desk, while a locked cabinet and a rack of labeled keys line the back wall.
Thomas Roberts
Anything moving? If it is clear, we can get the fuel records and check whether that cabinet holds spare vehicle supplies.
Maya angles her flashlight through the glass, confirming the empty corners and the clear space beneath the desks. The office contains no visible infected or fresh disturbance.
Maya Rodriguez
Clear from here. I’ll watch the lot while you and Thomas check the paperwork. Keep the door controlled and leave the retreat path open.
Thomas Roberts
Good eyes. We can enter quietly, find the fuel location, and learn whether this truck has enough range to get everyone home.
“Charlie searches the office record for the fuel location while Thomas inspects the cabinet”
SUCCESS (Good Investigation, rolled +0)
Charlie enters quietly and spreads the fuel logs across the desk. He matches the utility truck’s number to yesterday’s entry, finding the current fuel cache listed in Bay Three beside the south fence.
Charlie Moore
The truck is assigned to a marked fuel cache, not the dorm reserves.
Thomas Roberts
Bay Three, south fence. That gives us a specific search instead of wandering through every shed.
Thomas works the cabinet key from the ring and opens it without forcing the lock. Inside are spare fuses, battery cables, tire chains, work gloves, and two sealed vehicle emergency kits.
Maya Rodriguez
The lot stays clear. If those kits include a jack and jumper cables, the truck becomes a much safer option.
Charlie checks the log’s notes and confirms Bay Three holds two tagged fuel cans, both recorded as full during yesterday’s inspection. Thomas places the emergency kits beside the office door.
Thomas Roberts
We have the location, the equipment, and a full-tank inspection. Let’s collect the cans, then test the truck before sunset.
✓ Quest Accepted
Secure the tagged fuel cans
− Scene Quest Removed
Determine whether the white utility truck can serve as emergency transport
“Charlie nods and helps move the supplies before they approach bay 3.”
Charlie nods and helps Thomas carry the emergency kits from the office. Maya keeps watch at the doorway while the marked fuel-cache note remains visible on the desk.
Thomas Roberts
Good. We keep the kits together, collect the cans, and bring everything back to the truck before testing anything.
The sealed kits contain a compact jack, jumper cables, tire plugs, warning triangles, a flashlight, and basic roadside tools. Charlie checks each item before stacking the kits beside the utility truck.
Maya Rodriguez
The supplies are accounted for. Bay Three is only a short walk along the south fence, and the lot is still clear.
Thomas lifts one emergency kit while Charlie carries the other. Maya locks the office behind them, then follows with the key ring and fuel-cache tag.
Thomas Roberts
This is starting to look like a real transport plan. Fuel, repair gear, passenger space, and a route back to the dorm.
They proceed along the south fence toward Bay Three, staying within sight of the white utility truck. The full fuel cans await in the marked bay beneath the lowering sun.
+ New Item Acquired
Vehicle emergency kits
“As they sweep around the exterior of the bay, Charlie asks Thomas about his family.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +0)
The bay’s corrugated walls glow orange in the lowering sun. Charlie and Thomas sweep around the exterior while Maya checks the fence line and the marked fuel tags.
Charlie Moore
Thomas, what can you tell me about your family? Anything that could help us recognize their neighborhood or plan the approach?
Thomas Roberts
They live in Franklin, in a quiet subdivision east of the main road. My parents keep a blue minivan, and my younger sister usually parks her red bicycle by the porch.
Thomas slows beside a chained service gate, his eyes fixed on the distant campus road. He pulls the Franklin map from his pocket and points to a cluster of side streets.
Thomas Roberts
The house has a brick front, white shutters, and a detached garage. Dad would probably shelter there, but Mom might check on neighbors if the phones stopped working.
Maya approaches with the fuel-cache tag, listening without interrupting. Beyond the bay, two sealed cans sit beneath a painted number three, exactly where the log placed them.
Thomas Roberts
I can give you the landmarks and the safer turns. If we find them, I want to arrive prepared, not panic and rush into the first house we see.
“Charlie asks what they are like, his parents and siblings?”
SUCCESS (Legendary Diplomacy, rolled +2)
Charlie Moore
What are they like, your parents and siblings? Tell me what I should know about them before we reach Franklin.
Thomas Roberts
Dad is patient, practical, and stubborn about fixing things himself. Mom is warmer, quicker to worry, and always keeps extra food for somebody who might stop by.
Thomas rests one hand on the fuel can, speaking over the soft rattle of the bay’s metal walls. His guarded expression eases as the memories become specific.
Thomas Roberts
My younger sister is observant and sarcastic. She notices when people are lying, hates being treated like a kid, and can turn any quiet room into an argument.
Thomas Roberts
Dad will probably secure the garage and check the locks. Mom will gather supplies, then try to help every neighbor she can. My sister may be the one pushing them to leave.
He points across the map, adding the brick front, white shutters, detached garage, blue minivan, and red bicycle to the approach landmarks. The family becomes more than an address.
Thomas Roberts
If the house is quiet, we knock and call out first. If the minivan is gone, we check the garage and nearby houses. I know how they think now, and that gives us a real search plan.
“Charlie nods and moves to back up Maya in collecting the fuel”
Charlie nods and moves to back up Maya at the fuel cache. He checks the bay entrance and fence line while she confirms both sealed cans match the truck number.
Maya Rodriguez
Both are full and properly tagged. Help me carry them back, and we’ll keep the route clear between here and the truck.
Charlie lifts one fuel can by its reinforced handle as Maya takes the other. Thomas gathers the map and watches the open lot behind them.
Thomas Roberts
That gives us enough fuel to test the truck without touching the dorm reserves. Franklin is becoming a real possibility.
They carry the cans along the south fence in measured steps. The bay, service gate, and parked vehicles remain quiet beneath the fading afternoon light.
Maya Rodriguez
Fuel secured, emergency kits ready, and no movement in the lot. We can load everything and inspect the truck before starting it.
The group reaches the white utility truck without incident. Charlie sets the fuel can beside the rear wheel, and Maya places the second beside it as Thomas unlocks the cab.
Quest Complete
Secure the tagged fuel cans
Skill Upgrade: Mechanics Great→Superb
+ New Item Acquired
Fuel cans
“Charlie passes Thomas the key and waits for him to turn the engine over.”
Charlie passes Thomas the utility-truck key and steps clear of the driver’s door. Maya keeps watch over the lot while the fuel cans and emergency kits wait beside the rear wheel.
Thomas Roberts
Thanks. I’ll turn it over first, listen for anything wrong, and shut it down if the engine sounds rough.
Thomas climbs into the cab and inserts the key. The dashboard lights wake in sequence, the fuel gauge rises near full, and the engine starts on the first turn.
Thomas Roberts
It runs. No warning lights, no ugly knocking, and the idle is steady. This truck may actually get us to Franklin.
The engine settles into a low mechanical rumble across the maintenance lot. Charlie checks beneath the front end while Maya watches the fence and the distant sheds.
Maya Rodriguez
No leaks from here. Let it idle long enough to confirm the temperature stays normal, then we can load the fuel and repair kits.
Thomas Roberts
I’ll check the mirrors, lights, and passenger space while it warms. Charlie, after that, we should test the tires and battery before committing to a route.
Load and secure the transport supplies
Quest Complete
Find a working car for emergency use
Attribute Upgrade: Perception Good→Great