After the Outbreak: A Character-Driven Zombie RPG (Started, Closed)

[FinalDream]

The reflection of New York's skyline was mirrored in Elizabeth's aviator sunglasses. Stood motionless on the edge of the hotel roof she felt the warm sun hit her face, and it felt good. In the last few days Elizabeth had found little time to just relax and think things over, she had always been on the move, always with something to do, but in these few minutes before her team departed on their very first mission together she used the time to let her mind run wild with varied thoughts.

You know your problem, you think too much.

Elizabeth smiled recalling the words of her brother. That night as they drove back to the family home in New England together Sean had explained with great passion and detail why he had been arrested at the protest. Elizabeth had been mortified with him and angrily explained that his short fuse of a temper would land him in much more serious trouble one day. One Elizabeth couldn't bail him out from. In response to his sisters venting Sean had laughed, shrugged, and explained that his actions where unlikely to change in the future, but it was OK as the man was been a real dick and deserved what he got. Elizabeth's smile grew wider and she knew that what ever had happened in the city Sean was still alive.

Looking down Elizabeth studied the yellow sticky post-it note she held in her right hand and had found on the inside of the roof access door. Scribbled on with a thick black marker where the words 'Elizabeth - Bring chips' followed by a large friendly looking smiley face. She nodded and let go of the note, watching it flutter down the side of the building towards a zombie on the street. It caught the zombie's interest as it landed on the pavement but after quickly realizing it wasn?t edible it moved on. Mat and Jayden had already left and she wished them a safe journey out in the wild of the city.

Back in the ballroom Elizabeth had told her team to meet up on the roof of the hotel in thirty minutes, she advised they check their weapons and supplies and clear up any business before they joined her. She didn't know what Ashley was doing but she had seen Michael in the lobby with his family. His wife had been proud that he was contributing but his two children didn't understand why he had to leave. Elizabeth smiled and thought of Jessica. Dodging a question from a gentlemen she ducked into the hotel bar where a temporary trade shop had established itself, it seemed no item was off limits from food, weapons to gentlemen's magazines. Catching sight of a pair of plain black woolen fingerless gloves she maneuvered through the crowd to the table and picked them up.

"There in good condition, no holes." The old lady remarked catching Elizabeth's interest.

"What do you want for them?"

"Um, what have you got?"

Elizabeth produced an unopened four pack of AA batteries (always a good trade item) and offered them. The old lady nodded and the two exchanged items. Deciding to browse the rest of the shop Elizabeth was surprised and delighted to see a stall solely selling paperback books and as tempting as it was she decided to wait until she had finished reading her current book before getting a new one. A pair of metal Ray Ban aviator sunglasses caught her eye next, Elizabeth had always been keen on the design and had previously owned a similar pair before the outbreak. The dark purple lenses sported the letter 'P' to show they had been polarized to reduce glare, a useful feature out in the field. They cost her some food rations as well as two packets of batteries.

Leaving the shop ELizabeth rushed up to the room she had occupied previously and finding it empty walked in, bolting the door behind her. She made a mental note to help restore power when she got back. Sitting cross-legged on the bed Elizabeth field stripped and cleaned the M4 Carbine and USP Match pistol on a towel just like she had been taught and having done this so often allowed her thoughts to stray. She had been tasked with retrieving food and water, but individual apartments wouldn?t hold enough, instead they would have to hit a supermarket or a similar store. Assuming they could find an un looted one. Re-assembling her weapons Elizabeth left for the roof early deciding to take a minutes to herself.

Ashley was the first to arrive, her pink tinted hair shone in the sunlight and she seemed pleased.

"Hey."

"Hi" Elisabeth responded.

"So, look, I had a thought. Why don't we hit a convenience store? I mean all that food is begging to be taken right? Plus they would have some sort of trolley for us to bring it all back in."

"That's a good idea."

Ash smirked. "We...we can pick stuff right?"

 

[TheIronRuler]

Smiley awkwardly limped towards Detective Samson. As he reached to shake his hand, the detective stood there, not responding.
"Excuse me, Detective?" Smiley asked the detective.
The Detective grabbed the cane Smiley was leaning on and tossed it to the other side of the room. Smiley didn't bother to continue faking his injury. "I suppose I come with you." Smiley looked at the Detective.
The detective didn't answer Smiley. He didn't even ask for his name. He just put his hand out towards him. Smiley quickly replied with a handshake, but this time he made sure he didn't speak.

Minds molded by war think alike.

The detective sat on the stage in the ballroom, waiting for any other volunteers for his crew. His cold eyes gave off the feeling of fear, but Smiley knew that it was only due to what the man saw, not did. The detective was about to retire, at least by the gossip Smiley heard at the lobby, before the dead began walking. He lived in the USA for over twenty years, emigrating for the United Kingdom.

Those eyes didn't let go of Smiley.

"Can I join you?" the voice of a man was heard behind Smiley. Smiley turned around and saw an elderly person, perhaps even older than him. "Hello" Smiley turned to him, "What is your name?" he asked. The man was wearing a leather jacket and blue jeans, something you'd expect from a biker gang member.
The man didn't say a thing.
"Hey, can you hear me?" Smiley asked the man again, this time touching his shoulder. The man suddenly turned to Smiley, "They said I would lose control of my body at age sixty six." The man said, without even looking at smiley. Smiley took a step back, letting the old man continue with his monologue. "They said I couldn't take care of myself. They took my work away. They put me in a home for the sick." the man looked at Smiley for the first time.
"Have you ever been in one of those pits?" the man asked Smiley, but Smiley didn't answer him. "They drug you, take away your identity, your precious memories." the man said, but this time Smiley understood what he was talking about. He could feel his pain.
"I'm seventy four-" The man said with pride, lodging his hand in the back of his pants, he pulls out a magnum .357 revolver with six chambers, "-I never did start shaking-" the man said, starting to play with the pistol, moving it through his hands, turning it on the trigger while still loaded, "-And I never did stop doing what I loved." The man stopped shaking his revolver, and reached a hand for Smiley. "Name's Bob, and I'm a locksmith, and a survivor".
Smiley looked at the man standing in front of him. He didn't see an old back of bones, but a young craftsman. "Welcome to the team" Smiley says, smiling at Bob.
Bob pointed at something behind Smiley. "That thing is my protection" Bob said with pride. Smiley looked behind him to see a long spear with a sharp metallic jagged point at the end, welded together. "Make sure it won't get stuck in their ribs" Smiley said, but then he noticed he made a display of knowledge he shouldn't know. "Keep it near you" Smiley tried to correct himself, but the suspicion already became inherit in Bobs' mind.

Smiley sat down on a chair, looking at Bob polishing his metallic spear and glancing over to look at detective Samson occasionally. Ireland... Smiley thought to himself, Veteran of Northern Ireland...It must be it Smiley continued thinking to himself.
"Yo" someone shouted at us from the hallway leading to the ballroom. "You needin' sum company?" the voice asked us. A young man, perhaps even a teen, walked towards us with tight blue jeans and a T-shirt. "I want two help ye guys" the young man said, approaching Smiley instead of detective Samson, he held his hand high expecting something. Smiley reached out his hand for a handshake, the young man suddenly tried to hit Smileys' hand. Without thought, Smiley grabbed the young mans' hand and kept it from hitting him.
"What do you want?" Smiley asked with a threatening tone. The young man tried to let go of Smileys' grip but failed, "Relax, man. I want to help. Let me go, man" he pleaded.
Smiley let go of his hand. "What can you do?" Smiley asked the young man.
"Name is Andy, and I be a master of the arts" Andy said proudly. Smiley raised an eyebrow to the sound of the word 'arts'. "I'm a Capoeira master and a Parkour journeyman, though I got better while the zombies started eating meat-" Andy pointed at Smiley. "-I can be a great asset for you" Andy said, this time with a more relaxed tone.
"You'll get bitten-" someone said from behind Smiley. Smiley turned around and to his surprise he saw Detective Samson speak for the first time. He voice was deep and rough. "-We can't allow such a liability" Bob added.
"Then let me prove myself" Andy said. "You drop him-" Samson pointed at Smiley, "-And you get in". Andy smiled when Samson told him his mission. Without hesitation, Andy charged at Smiley.
Open hand. Chest. Closed fist. Left Kidney. Open hand. Throat. Knee. Groin.
Andy laid on the ground, twitching. He didn't have a chance against Smiley. As Smiley stood there, looking at Andy, Andy stretched his legs and began spinning on the ground. He tried to drop Smiley but smile jumped back. Andy stood up, his head held high.
"Shit-" Andy said, "-I can't believe I couldn't drop you." Andy said with disappointment, turning back towards the exit from the ballroom. "You can go" Detective Samson said to the surprise of the others near him. "But...Why?" Andy asked with confusion.
"If you can survive his maneuvers, you can take on a dead man" Samson said. Andy jumped in the air and lifted his hands, shouting "Yeah!". But before he could sit next to the group, Smiley stopped him.
"For self defense-" Smiley asked Andy while his hand rested on his shoulder, "-Do you have any weapons?". Andy pulled an antique from his pocket, a World War One era Trench Knife. "For stabbing-" Andy stabbed the air, "-And for crushing" Andy used the brass knuckles attached to the knife. Smiley smiled at Andy, letting him go.

 

[MatParker116]

ooc: apologies for this but a network crash ate my original post

Navagating the streets of New York pre-outbreak was hard now it was nearly impossible. The street were choked with debris and smatterings of the undead which made navigating them near impossible for Mat and his team. Michaela had directed them to a small pharamacy located in a mall near the hotel and Mat was anxious to get there so they could move on to a nearby hospital.

Moving through the streets was challenging and the noise of climbing over cars, destroyed barricades and avoiding fire's soon attracted a small group of zombies to Mat and his group.

"Only kill one when its nessecary we don't want to attract attention" Mat whispered to his team as they huddled together on top of an abandoned H2 before signalling for them to move on. Staying off the ground as much as possible they continued on until James slipped and fell, landing on top of zombie. Holly quickly reached out a hand and pulled James up while a swing from Mat's bat took care of the zombie.

"You bit?" Mat asked and James shook his head in reply.

"Good let's get going" Mat replied pointing to the sign for there first port of call and leading his team on.

The mall itself was trashed and Mat saw a few looters still lurking but the sight of his and Holly's rifles made them keep there distance. Finding the pharmacy itself was easy but like most other stores the front was smashed in and the shelves had been raided. Thankfully few people had thought to search the back in the panic and it was still relatively well stocked.

"David, James go in back with Micheala and grab what you can we'll stand guard and grab what's left out here. Be careful though" Mat said. With that he set his back pack down and started grabbing bandages and few pills left while the rest of his team spread out in the store and began searching.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Jayden and his crew proceed single-file into the city sticking to the alleyways and sometimes cutting through buildings here and there. On their quests for firearms and weapons they came upon a few more overrun checkpoints but Jayden didn't want to risk his team's safety for those weapons because at each turn zombies seemed to be tightly packed in said checkpoints. Finally Jayden came upon the first subway station they were to come across. Jayden and his team ran to the entrance trying not to draw any undead. They ducked inside the subway station and found it to be relatively intact. Jayden handed Chekhov a spare flashlight as he led the way to at least the hub and not deeper onto the commuter tracks. The air underneath stank of rotting flesh and sewer water which oddly was not supposed to be in a subway tunnel. The hub was clear and Jayden popped an extra red flare that he had as temporary light.

"Alright rest here for a little bit. When that flares goes out that's our cue to get out so make use of what time we have left." Chekhov leaned against the gradient as he flashed his light down into the tracks being overlooked by the hub to see sewer water at the foot of the tracks. Jayden looked at the sphere of light Chekhov danced around in the darkness.

"How deep do you think it is?" Jayden whispered as to not disturb anything that might be dwelling in the tunnels.

"About foot deep I think. Not too deep but could still pose problem if we run through it. Make lots of noise." Chekhov responded. His face was wrapped with thought and intent as he scanned the bottom of the tracks. Jayden drew back and grabbed a commuter map of all the train lines in the city. He brought it close to the red light and traced the path back to the hotel with his finger. The closest was one block away from the hotel but there was no station but only a service exit leading to a manhole. Jayden folded the map back up and swatted a gnat that hovered around him.

"Hey Jayden, how much longer do we have left to the police station?" Jerald asked as he leaned onto a broken ATM machine. The glass scratched the surface of the concrete against Jerald's boot the more he leaned against it.

"About seven more blocks to the east and that's if we don't have to crawl through any more garbage in those alleys. If the alleyway are blocked then we'll have to go through the buildings like earlier. Why so eager to get this job done already?"

"It's nothing like that I just wanted to know just in case we-" A blast ripped through the air and a feeble cry went out as Audrey clenched her mouth as she looked at Jerald. Jerald was face down on the floor with shrapnel fragments sticking out of his back. The explosion and the fragmentation ripped through Jerald's back revealing flesh through his thick overcoat. Jayden aimed his rifle first at the subway entrance just in case any Zed heard the explosion. Then he looked over the gradient to see figures sloshing in the tunnels but they were most likely zombies stirring from the explosion. Chekhov quickly looked over at Jerald's body then at ATM machine.

"Booby trap, improvised most likely..." Chekhov quickly combed over the ATM machine and noticed a red wire sticking out the back of the machine that led to the entrance. "We follow this wire, we find whoever did this." Jayden nodded and grabbed Aubrey arm as he motioned to Chekhov to lead the way once again. Chekhov leaned his head out and saw that there were no zeds nearby that heard the blast but Chekhov still had a face saying that he saw something.

"What did you see, Chekhov? We gotta move fast! Come on, out with it." Jayden insisted.

"I saw a figure in one of the buildings across the street. Definitely not zombie..."

 

[FinalDream]

"Wait? There's only three of us?" Michael looked surprised. "Don't you think we could do with a few more people?"

"No." Elizabeth replied "The more people we bring the greater the chance we have of giving ourselves away. A small team should be able to move through the city and reach some sort of convenience store pretty much unnoticed, if we keep quiet."

"Right, but how do we bring all the food and water back? The three of us can't carry enough to feed everyone here for more than a few days, and that's with some system of rationing in place."

"We use a roller-cage." Ashley interrupted. "One of us pushes the trolley back and others cover him."

"Him?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "You mean me!"

Elizabeth nodded

"OK, this could work."

"We'll be vulnerable on our return trip, the trolley wont be able to move quickly and it's likely that it will make a great deal of noise but it's our only choice if we want to bring back enough supplies." Elizabeth paused. "Ashley..."

"You can call me Ash, your not my mother."

"Ash, used to work part time at a store not far from here. She still has the key so it'll be easy to get in and out without drawing attention to ourselves. We want frozen goods, assuming we can get power restored to the hotel they'll last us a while, any vacuum packed or wrapped goods. Bottled water only too. Basically things with a long life. If we have enough space you can pick something for yourself are we clear?"

The others nodded.

"Ash will take point, Michael watch our rear."

Michael laughed. "They teach you all this at NYU?"

Elizabeth grinned. "Lets go."

 

[wkim564]

Meanwhile back at the hotel, John was working on gathering a group together to establish a safer perimeter. He decided that the hotel should be used more of as a last stand position and proceeds to enlist support in the lobby. After several minutes of calling for some aid, he gathers a group of 4 other guys.

Jake Harrison, a construction worker. He was mainly chosen so that they had somebody with building expertise to help them while on the field. Very little combat ability, but he still managed to bring some valuable tools in the construction of the barricades.

George Smith, an ex army man. Didn't get very far due to his lack of interest and dropped out soon after joining. However, he still had some combat skills and had a firearm on him.

James White, he used to work as a sales clerk. Nothing really special about him, but he already had a weapon and figured he had nothing better to do.

Calvin Vogel, an elderly firefighter. Although he looks old, he is clearly in great shape. Although he has no firearms, he found a fire ax in the building and seems very capable with it.

With his group assembled, They proceed to break apart some wood and other scraps that they can take with themselves to a point they will designate. After about 20-30 minutes of scrapping unnecessary furniture, John leads Calvin and George on a scouting mission to determine a good point of defense within easy distance of the hotel's front. First the head into any nearby alleys that could lead them to the front. Marking all of the alleys they could find on a map, the group head back to James and Jake who were watching the furniture. Very little zombies were encountered, no causalities and they were for the most part handled with melee weaponry.

 

[TheIronRuler]

Samson sat on the stage, waiting for more volunteers for his team. Bob leaned against the stage and continued polishing his metallic spear. Andy laid on the stage, looking at the ceiling.
"Should we move?" Smiley asked the three men. "Ye, Te rest already left" Andy commented while still laying on the stage. "Do we know what we'll be looking for?" Bob asked Samson.
"Supposed to be communications. We should also look for a generator" Samson said with his cold eyes. "Shit, man, we would need a tanker of Diesel if we use a generator" Andy commented, but the rest of the group were shocked Andy had such knowledge. "You know about generators?" Smiley asked Andy. "Wen I were a kid, we didn't 'ave any wires at home-" Andy said, getting up from the stage floor. "-So we 'ad generators for electricity" Andy finished his sentence, looking at Samson.
"Then we'll need a tanker-" Bob said, holding his spear. "-The port" Andy said, interrupting Bob in mid-sentence. "You're mighty useful, Andy" Smiley said to Andy, amazed at his display of knowledge.
"We still need communications. A radio of some sorts-" Smiley said quietly to himself, Bob interfered "-A HAM radio. It's almost as old as me, but it works just fine". "We don't need no food" Andy said, walking towards Bob. "Listen, Kid, a ham RADIO. It's for amateurs, and I know someone that uses it-" Bob suddenly realizes something, lowering his gaze he continues, "-used to know someone that used it." Bob added. "Where is it located?" Samson turned to Bob, "At the hellhole I told you about. A tenant there is?" Bob took a deep breath and continued, "-was, a war hero. He had an arsenal of small arms and a HAM radio he used to talk with his friends, usually in Morse." Bob finished his sentence, sitting down on the floor of the ballroom.
"Then we have our objectives." Samson stood up and showed the rest of the group a 9mm Parabellum USP handgun with a sound suppressor attachment. "This should be illegal-" Samson held the handgun above his head, "-but now, this is our last resort before we decide to let every god damned walker find our location". The group all nodded with agreement.
One the rooftop, four men stood waiting for their chance of glory, or their grim demise. Only their skill and a hefty dose of luck would decide their fate. Samson, a man who served his country as a SAS operative, emigrated from the United Kingdom for a reason. He held a cricket bat in his hand, a holstered USP 9mm Parabellum handgun with a sound suppressor attachment, on the shoulder rests a leather strip holding a Lee Enfield Mk. 3.
Smiley, a veteran of many wars stood holding a 7-iron gold club and a holstered Jericho 941 .45 ACP.
Bob, the death proof man, held a .357 revolver in his pocket and his own metallic spear of his making.
Andy, the master of Capoeira and a Parkour Journeyman, will deem himself worthy in the crowded streets of the city and on top of rooftops. A trench knife from WWI rests in his pocket, its origins unknown.
"We move out" Samson said, and the group followed.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"Alright, where?" Jayden asked quickly.

"One of the buildings across the street, I'll look-" Jayden put his hand on Chekhov and walked back to the ATM machine. He walked over Jerald's body and grabbed a piece of glass that wasn't sticking into Jerald. He propped the jagged piece of glass in the barrel of his gun and slowly sat himself at the base of the stairs. He pushed his gun higher and higher until Jayden got a good view of the street facing the subway entrance where the presumed figure was. The Corporal's piece of glass scanned the street from side to side until it took notice of a shadow on the second window three stories up in an apartment building. Jayden saw a glare from a sniper scope. Then a bullet ripped through the piece of glass showering Jayden in it for a few seconds. Jayden coughed up a few bits of glass and looked at Chekhov.

"Sniper, across the street. Second window from the corner and three stories up. Red apartment building." Jayden rubbed his eyes then looked to both Chekhov and Audrey before him. "I need a runner..."

Almost immediately and as expected Audrey was first to step up but Jayden was quick to that as well.

"This isn't just some race Audrey, that sniper out there wants us dead and he isn't going to hesitate when he sees you leave out here..." Jayden insisted.

"Jayden, don't worry. I know what I have to do and I knew the risks when I signed up for this anyway and in a way this is sort of a race y'know? It's a race from death and some people can run faster than him than others. I'm one of them." Audrey said boldly. Jayden could see Audrey's green eyes glisten with confidence or bitter acceptance about death. Jayden couldn't refuse and Chekhov reluctantly agreed as well.

"Alright fine, when I say go you run the fastest you can across the street so I can get a bead on the bastard. Be careful out there..." Audrey nodded and assembled against the corner. Jayden breathed a little heavy but soon he found a calm balance in his breathing. His gripped tightened against his rifle.

"Go!" Audrey sprang from her position like a cheetah running against a gazelle. She was a blur in Jayden's eyes as he rose to see the sniper aim towards Aubrey. As Jayden breathed in he saw the sniper see him. As Jayden held his breath he saw the sniper bring his rifle towards him. As Jayden breathed out he saw the sniper fall back with gore spurting through a hole in his throat. But with a muscle spasm or the spite of the dying sniper his rifle fired. Out of the corner of his eye Audrey stumble and fall. Jayden's heart sank to his stomach.

 

[FinalDream]

Elizabeth gagged at the pungent smell, the odour was thick, sticky and lingered in the surrounding air. Raising her hand to her mouth she continued to walk on by but found her eyes transfixed on the sight. The burnt pile of bodies was stacked high on the corner of the street and composed of men, women and children. Remnants of clothing fluttered across the sidewalk in the emerging cool breeze that sounded sorrowful as it whistled through the buildings. They had stumbled upon an old military checkpoint. Ash climbed the abandoned M1A1 Abrams Tank and onto the roof of a coach. She surveyed the green and white tents contained within the concrete barricades ahead.

"What do you see?" Elizabeth called up.

"Nothing. Not even the dead linger." Ash replied.

Contemplating the rather poetic choice of words from Ashley she turned to Michael who seemed preoccupied inspecting a mounted machine gun.

"It's empty and judging from the amount of spent shell casings littering the place something big went down here."

"Could we borrow it?" Elizabeth nodded at the gun.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Assuming we could find ammunition, we could pick it up on the way back. Though we'd have to find a way to remove the bolts holding it down. Could take a while."

"Leave it for another day."

Ash jumped down and flexing her knees landed arms outstretched like a gymnast. She grinned at Elizabeth.

"Alright, you two search for ammunition, you never know what were going to run into ahead so lets be prepared. Ash collect M4 magazines and get one for yourself. Michael look for some grenades, see if you can find some for your rifle too. I'll check the tents for any documentation and medical supplies. Fifteen minutes max, I don't want us to hang around and it goes without saying - be careful."

When Ashley and Michael had left Elizabeth sighed, the strain of always been active was beginning to catch up to her and she could feel her joints aching. Brushing her hair back she reached into her bag and produced a plastic bottle, slowly unscrewing the cap she took a quick look around and felt a little uneasy at how quiet the junction was. Taking a mouthful of warm water she returned the bottle and began to search the checkpoint. Ten minutes of searching produced a half empty box of medical supplies and from the command tent a map of NYC marked with all sorts of notes and notations. That would prove useful. Collecting Ashley and Michael the group carried on towards the supermarket. Elizabeth didn't notice the solitary figure watching her from an open window above.

 

[wkim564]

The materials have been gathered, John and his crew head out to some of the nearby alleys near the front of the hotel to block them. Jake and James are carrying the equipment as they are the least combat capable. As the head out, killing all the zombies on the way as quietly as possible, the group finds the alley clear. George and John guard the area in front of the barricade so that no zombies can damage it during construction. Calvin guards the workers himself, Fire ax in hand. James and Jake proceed to build the wall.

Jake says: "It'll be a while to get this done. I'm going to build this about 8-10 feet tall and reinforce the base of the structure so it wont be easily knocked down. it should hold up to any zombie attack. Give me about an hour to get this done, I already pre-built some of this."

John: Get it done faster, we can't stay in the open to long.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

The only thing that Jayden could hear was the thumping in his heart as he ran towards Audrey. His footsteps echoed in the silence after the sniper was taken down. Audrey was face down with her crowbar not far from where she had stumbled and fell. Then Jayden stopped in his tracks as he saw Audrey stand up and rub her head a little.

"Audrey! Holy shit you weren't hit!" Jayden ran up to her and looked her over. Only a few scratches could be seen. Jayden was relived at the fact that he hadn't lost another member of his team.

"Why? Did he shoot at me?" Audrey grabbed her crowbar and waved to Chekhov who was halfway down the street following something. Jayden looked back and ran to him with Audrey close by. By the time Jayden got to Chekhov Jayden already knew what he was following. Chekhov's hand ran under the red wire leading to the building that the sniper was in. The wire soon ran into the window that the sniper fired out of. Jayden checked the door and he slowly pushed it in. But the tripwire rigged behind the door caught the reflection of light leaking into the building. Instinctively Jayden leaned down and snipped the wire with his scissors that he keeps in his utility pouch. He pushed the door open and saw a grenade against the corner of the door and if Jayden hadn't seen the wire then he too would have been blown away. Jayden crept up on the room from the smell of freshly fired gunpowder. Again he leaned up against the door and looked through the slits to see if there were any traps but all he could see was the corpse of the sniper. Jayden kicked in the door and his eyes widened to his find.

The sniper himself died on the floor next to two crates of ammunition, a box filled with tear gas and flashbang grenades, two Benelli M1014's, an FN P90, and finally a few Glocks to light up any survivor's day. The sniper himself used an M24 but what really scared Jayden was the fact that the sniper wore an NYPD outfit with riot gear. Jayden leaned over and picked up the sniper's shield. It was coated in blood but Jayden could still see the NYPD's logo on it. Then the handheld radio began to squawk.

"Wolf-9, Wolf-9 did you lead the lambs home? I repeat did you lead the lambs home, over?" The radio said. Jayden grabbed the radio from the table and waved his hands out the window for the Chekhov and Audrey to enter. Jayden didn't know what to say until an idea sparked in his mind.

"Roger that... they... bit it, over." Jayden said with a low voice. The worst that could happen is that they know that their sniper is dead and investigate. Jayden liked those odds.

"Wolf-9, is there something wrong with your voice, over?"

"Roger, one of them nicked me in the throat, over..." Jayden hoped that they would buy it and soon he could hear his team nearby.

"We're sending Locust 1 and 3 to your position for some first aid, over."

"Negative, I'm fine over. Only grazed me, over."

"They're on the way anyway ,Wolf-9, we're just making sure, over and out." Jayden swore under his breath and looked to Chekhov and Audrey who just walked in.

"Grab some guns... we're setting up an ambush."