Cpl Bawer reaches the school shelter as its doors shudder under distant impacts. Survivors cluster with bags and blankets, preparing to abandon the building before the approaching dead arrive.
The main corridor is jammed by a young adult woman broadcaster in a red rain jacket, gray scarf, and battered headset. She plants herself before the gym doors, gripping a handheld microphone.
the broadcaster
Stop pushing past me! The child found alive in the ruins has to be checked before anyone leaves.
Two exhausted survivors carry a small, dust-covered child toward the gym. The child stays silent beneath a borrowed coat while frightened adults argue around them.
the broadcaster
We are still missing a child. We do not even know which name belongs to the one in that coat.
Grant Dunn
Clear the corridor. We need facts, not a panic stampede. Pele, Doru, secure the rear doors.
the broadcaster
Then help me find whoever can identify them. If we leave now, that child could vanish into the evacuation.
✓ Quest Accepted
Identify the child in the coat
✓ Quest Accepted
Find the missing child
“I question the nearby survivors about the missing child.”
SUCCESS (Fair Reasoning, rolled +1)
Cpl Bawer
Who saw the missing child last? Tell me exactly where and when.
The nearest survivors turn toward Cpl Bawer. Their panic settles into focused recollection as the corridor shudders under another distant impact.
the exhausted mother
I saw them near the east stairwell, just before the first doors started shaking. They wore a yellow raincoat.
the exhausted mother
Please let that be enough for someone to find them.
the older survivor
Small child, dark hair, red sneakers. They were calling for someone named Eli, then the lights went out.
the broadcaster
East stairwell, yellow coat, red sneakers, calling Eli. That is the first clear lead we have.
The survivors point toward the marked stairwell entrance. Cpl Bawer now has a definite description and location for the missing child, while Grant’s Marines hold the rear doors.
“I search the east stairwell for the child”
SUCCESS (Fair Perception, rolled +1)
Cpl Bawer enters the east stairwell, moving past dusty steps and a flickering emergency light. The corridor noise dulls behind the heavy fire door.
A yellow raincoat shows beneath the landing above. Red sneakers are tucked against the wall, and a small figure stays rigid in the shadows.
Noah Mercer
Are you looking for Eli?
The child is a small, dust-covered youngster with dark hair and a borrowed coat over the yellow raincoat. Their frightened eyes lift to Cpl Bawer.
Cpl Bawer reaches the landing and finds the missing child alive, concealed behind stacked maintenance crates. The child does not resist being found.
Noah Mercer
I heard everyone yelling. I stayed here because I could not find Eli.
From below, the broadcaster calls for an update as another impact trembles through the school. The child is now located, with the stairwell route clear back to the shelter.
Quest Complete
Find the missing child
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Fair→Good
“I reassure the child and escort them downstairs”
SUCCESS (Good Willpower, rolled +4)
Cpl Bawer lowers herself to the child’s level, keeping her movements steady. The stairwell still trembles, but the route downstairs remains clear.
Cpl Bawer
You’re safe now. I’m taking you downstairs with me.
Noah Mercer
Okay. I can walk. Please do not leave me behind again.
The child grips the edge of Cpl Bawer’s gear as they descend together. Small shoes tap each step, and the emergency light flashes across the yellow raincoat.
Noah Mercer
Eli had a blue backpack. He went toward the gym when the lights went out. He said he knew where Grandma was.
They reach the lower landing without incident. The fire door opens onto the crowded corridor, where the broadcaster spots the child and immediately waves survivors aside.
the broadcaster
You found them. Bring the child here. Grant, we have a name and a direction for Eli.
“Is Eli hiding somewhere inside the gym?”
NO, AND WORSE (Likely, rolled 98)
The broadcaster guides the child behind her as Grant Dunn reaches the gym doors. Their metal hinges groan, and a cold draft carries dust and a faint, rotten stench from inside.
Grant Dunn
Nobody enters until we know what happened. Pele, hold this corridor. Doru, watch the stairwell.
Grant Dunn cracks the gym door open. The emergency lights reveal overturned benches, scattered blankets, and a blue backpack lying alone near the far bleachers.
Noah Mercer
That is Eli’s backpack. He went in there, but he was not hiding. He was looking for Grandma.
Beyond the bleachers, the rear gym doors stand ajar to the outside service yard. Several dark figures move past the opening, drawn toward the shelter’s noise.
the broadcaster
Eli is not inside. The gym has another exit, and those things can use it. They are already closing around the school.
Grant Dunn
Then we have lost the trail and gained an entry point. Bawer, stay with the child. We seal this corridor now.
“I ask the child to tell us their name”
SUCCESS (Good Reasoning, rolled -2)
Cpl Bawer
Tell us your name.
The child looks from Cpl Bawer to the open gym doors, clutching the borrowed coat. Their answer comes softly, but the strained silence carries it down the corridor.
Noah Mercer
My name is Noah. Noah Mercer.
A loose metal bench scrapes beneath the child’s shifting foot, striking the floor with a sharp clang. Dust trembles from the rafters, and figures outside turn toward the sound.
Grant Dunn
Noah Mercer. Good. We have a name now. Bawer, keep him close while we move.
the broadcaster
Noah, did Eli say where Grandma was? Give us anything you remember, but keep your voice down.
Noah nods quickly, eyes fixed on the gym’s rear exit. The name is secured, but the noise has shortened the shelter’s remaining time.
Quest Complete
Identify the child in the coat
Attribute Upgrade: Reasoning Good→Great