"I'll be back for you all later,"  you say, as loud as you dare.

There's an opening in the wall with a spiral staircase going up, so you head through it.  At the top of the stairs is a wooden door.  You can hear voices from the other side, probably guards.  Quietly, you turn the handle and push it open.  Two guards stand on the other side, their backs to you.  They don't notice you, because they just keep chatting about the weather.  You creep closer, and closer, and then you put a hand over each of their mouths and drag them back through the door before they even realize you're there!

They struggle in your grip, but their flailing is no match for your strength.  You carry them downstairs, still covering their mouths, and toss them into the nearest empty cell.  You steal the keys off their belt while you're at it, and lock them inside.

"What's going on?"  one of them cries.

"What the heck are you?"  Asks the other.

"Shut up, both of you!"  You say,  "I need to know where the Dark Sorcerer lives."

"Why would we tell you that?  You're kidnapping us!"  the first guard says,

"Because if you don't, you die!"  You say, slamming your fist against the bars.

"I'm not talking."  The first guard says, crossing his arms.

"Well, I am!"  The Second one says, trembling,  "He's in the tower opposite us, at the very top!"

"What the heck is wrong with you?"  The first guard says, "If you tell it that, you're breaking your sacred oath to protect the king!"

"I'd rather stay alive, thank you very much!"

"Shut up, or I'll kill you both!"  You say, feeling a little guilty.  (Threatening lives isn't exactly the most fun thing in the world).

They go quiet after that.  There's no way to know how long they'll stay quiet though, so you'd better be quick.  You head back up the stairs and slip out the door.  Luckily, the courtyard isn't all that crowded, but there are still a few Oalkwardners milling about here and there.

A line of bushes sits in the shadow of the wall, wrapping all the way around, so you crouch behind it to avoid being seen.  As fast as you can, you crawl around the perimeter until you reach the tower the guards were talking about. There's no-one there to guard the door, it's almost too easy.  Quickly, you slip inside and find yourself staring at yet another spiral staircase.

You take the stairs four at a time, as they're smaller than stairs for humans.  The tower has multiple levels, with rooms branching off on each one, but you don't stop to look in any of them until you reach the very top.  The stairway ends in a trapdoor. You press your ear up against it, but hear nothing. Pushing on the door reveals that it's locked, with the same type of wooden lock that was on the cells in the dungeon.  For a moment, you panic. What are you going to do if you can't get in? It would be a defeat on the whole purpose of this mission!

Then, you remember that you stole the keys off the guards you trapped in the dungeon.  Checking over your shoulder to make sure no one's coming, you pull out the wooden key ring and try each one of them on the lock.  The key slides in on the fourth try, and the door swings open freely to reveal something like a cross between a bedroom and a laboratory.  One side of the room has a big table full of all kinds of odds and ends, different materials and chemicals. The other side has a bedroll, woven from grass and stuffed with... well, more grass.

You start looking around for anything that looks like it might do away with magic armor.  You look through the contents of the table first, but don't find anything remotely useful. (Though, there is a cage of yellow rats on one corner, which is quite entertaining to look at).  You're about to turn elsewhere when you spy something else. Hidden behind a stack of books is a bowl of a strange green substance, glowing slightly in the dim light.

This is the same fluid that's in the back of the disk you found in the forest when you first woke up!  You pull it out of your backpack to confirm.  Maybe, if you refill the tank on the back, it'll work properly again, and you can find out more about what it does.
> You there's no time for this. Keep looking for the weapon.
You sigh and leave the bowl alone.  Maybe you can come back here once your mission's over.  There's a book lying on the floor next to the bed that you didn't notice until now.  Its cover is blank, and it looks hand bound. Curious, you pick it up and open it to a random page.  Numerous entries in impeccably neat handwriting fill the pages. Looks like the sorcerer keeps a diary.

You skim the pages, looking for any mention of the king's amour.  A full page drawing of a helmet stops you in your tracks. It's entitled, "Kingly helmet."  The next few pages are the same, full of images of chest plates and gauntlets, different designs and chemical formulas.  It's only when you reach the last page of drawings that you find anything useful. A little blurb at the bottom of the page tells you everything you need to know.

It has come to my attention that this amour, while stronger than anything this world has ever seen, is not infallible. It does not block out liquids, so that a little splash of water might be enough to do our great monarch in.  I must keep this fact a secret, or I fear he may have me executed. Thankfully enough, no one else can so much as touch this water either, so there's little chance of it being used against him. I certainly hope none of our enemies figure out a way to circumvent this, as it could spell doom for the entire kingdom.

You look up from the book.  This is perfect! All you've got to do is lure the king down into the dungeons and push him into the water and you're set!  At that moment, you hear shouts from outside. You rush to the window and look down into the courtyard to see the tiny figures of three guards dragging Kralmer into the courtyard.  Your heart begins to pound.  You have to save him!

Then, an idea comes to you.  An idea that might just save Kralmer and everyone else.  You rush down the stairs as fast as you can. When you reach the ground floor, you open the door to the outside just a crack and peer out.  You can just see the guards holding Kralmer on the other side of the courtyard. Now all you've got to do is wait...

A minute later, the king comes out of one of the towers, just as anticipated.  (You know it's him because he's clad in a strange bronze amour, unlike any you've ever seen.  At least, that you remember you've seen). He talks to the guards for a moment, then they all head towards the dungeon.  Quick as you can, you start to crawl around the perimeter, behind the bushes, towards the same place.

You reach the door to the dungeon just as the king and his guards enter, and wait a moment to let them get a little further ahead.  Then, you go in after them. As you sneak down the stairs, you can hear their voices.

"What happened?"  the king shouts.

"We were trapped by a monster!"

You jolt a little.  You'd forgotten all about the guards you trapped in the cell!  The king must've found them.

At this point, you've reached the bottom of the stairs, and are peaking into the next room.  The king and his guards are still talking.

"Go sound the alarms,"  the king orders, "I've got an execution to oversee."

It's now or never.  You dash out into the next room, screaming at the top of your lungs.  Everyone leaps backwards in shock. By the time they regain their footing, you've already scooped up the king under your arm.  He's heavier than most with that armor, but you manage.

"Let me go or I'll have you executed!"  he screams, "Guards, take him out!"

"Never!"  you shout, and dive into the pool of water at the opposite side of the room.

The king shrieks in pain as the water floods through the cracks in his armor.  You turn away, not wanting to watch. By the time you've exited the lake, the king is dead.

The guards stare at you, openmouthed.  You ready yourself to do battle one more time, but then something entirely unexpected happens.  One of the guards in the cage begins to clap. Then the rest of them join in. All the prisoners pick up on it too, until the entire dungeon is applauding.

"Bravo, monster!"  one of the guards in the cage says,  "The rest of us hated him just as much as anyone else.  Now we can all be free!"

"You have done well, Human."  Kralmer says, "I believe you will go down in history as a hero.  Never before has such a great deed been performed alone."

"Yeah," you say, trying not to think about the king's final screams as he died,  "I guess... I guess it was pretty great."
> You epilouge
After the king's death, the rebel group that the king was trying to stop steps into the power vacuum and takes over.  They estate a glorious new order in which all of the people share their resources and the government owns the means of production.*  The people are quite receptive to it, as they hated the old order of things and needed a change.

The story of the Human that ended the terrible reign of king Maeldral is passed down from generation to generation, until it becomes legend.  Some say you integrated into their society and are living a quiet life in a village near the edge of the kingdom.  Others think you returned to your own world.  Whatever the answer, everyone agrees that you are a hero.  Thanks to you, the kingdom is much better off.

The end.

*The only reason this sort of Communism works is because they are fantasy creatures in a fantasy world.  Do not attempt in real life, it never has worked out, and probably never will.


You reach the fortress at about noon the next day.  It's really not much of a castle.  Instead of stone, like you would expect, it's made completely out of wood, with a few rickety looking towers poking up from behind the wall. Once you're only about a hundred feet off from the moat, Kralmer stops you.

"Send my family out this way, when you get out." He points at a spot where the moat goes under the wood.  "You see where the water crosses under the wall?"

"Yeah?"

"That should take you into the dungeon."

You don't say anything.  This is all happening so fast, you're not sure you're ready.

"Thanks again, human."  Kralmer says, "Whatever happens, I'll make sure your legacy lives on."

"Right," you say, "Thanks."

There's no point in stalling, so you start running towards the moat, fast as you can, so no one sees you.  Once you reach the edge, you don't hesitate to dive right it.

The water is warmer than you expected, and murky.  It's hard to stay afloat with a backpack on, but you still manage to keep your head above the water.  Luckily, it doesn't seem to be flowing in any particular direction, so you have no trouble with current.  You swim for the opening Kralmer pointed out and duck under it.  Suddenly, the sunlight from above is gone.  You're in a sort of dirt tunnel, with just enough space at the top for you to breathe.  It's fairly short, and before you know it, the river opens up into a sort of pool at the edge of a huge underground room.

You swim to the edge of the pool, out of breath.  Are you really this out of shape?  For a moment you sit on your hands and knees, panting.  Then, you look up and get a good look at the wall on the other side of the room.  You suck in your breath.  It's lined with cages, set into the wall, dirty and disheveled Oalkwardner eyes staring out at you from behind wooden... well, they're not exactly bars...  more like fat wooden sticks.

It looks like this part of the fortress is built into the hillside, as half of the walls are wood, and the other half, dirt, hard packed.

Thankfully, there are no guards down here, at least not right now.  You need to decide if you're going to free the prisoners now, or wait until after the king is dead.
> You free the people first
You rush up to the bars of the nearest cage to you.  In that moment, you decide that there's no way you're leaving anyone behind.  If you're taking one, you're taking them all.

"I'm here to save you."  You say in a low voice, "all of you."

"What... are you?"  Asks the Oalkwardner in the cage, inching backwards.

"I'm a friend, now let me get these bars off the cage."

You grip the bars and pull as hard as you can, but they don't budge.  This is real wood, not the Paper-Mache everything else in this place is made of.  You're going to have to find another way to get through it.  Maybe you can steal the keys off a guard or something.  Or maybe...

You sling your bag off your shoulders and go through the contents until you find what you're looking for.  It takes a minute, and for a moment you fear it might have fallen out of your bag.  But no, at the bottom of your bag, lays your lighter, untouched since the night you first woke up.

Maybe, you can use this on lock of the cell!  Because even that's made of wood, for some reason.  Or maybe you should just play it safe and look for the keys...
> You attempt to burn through the lock
Working quickly, you put the lighter up to the keyhole and flick it on.  Somehow, even after you swam through that moat, it still works.  The lock catches instantly, faster than you would've thought possible.  Once again, you grip the bars and wrench open the door.

"Are you a wizard?" The Oalkwardner asks,  "What kind of magical power is that?  I've never seen anything like it?  Also, is it going to eat the whole door?"

You glance once again at the door to see that the entire thing is engulfed in flames.  How is it possible for fire to spread that fast?  Either this is your faulty memory at work, or this wood is different from the stuff back at home.  Even as you think this it's already spreading to the rest of the cell.

"Get out of there!"  You cry, pulling the Oalkwardner out of the flaming cell.

The fire is spreading quicker and quicker.  Before you even manage to take so much as two steps back, the entire wall is in flames.  The other trapped Oalkwardners scream as they and their cells are consumed in the flames.

"We've gotta get to the exit!"  The Oalkwardner says, pointing to an opening in the wall, with a spiral staircase just beyond it,  "Come on!"

"But what about-"  You're cut off by a loud crack.  The exit collapses, and sparks fly everywhere.  One of them lands on your Oalkwardner friend, and catches him on fire.

"Gaahhh!"  he screams as the flames engulf him, burning him as if he's made of paper.  Your stomach turns at the sight and you look away.

At that moment, the ceiling caves in, and falls right on top of you, killing you instantly.
> You epilouge
So, you're dead.  But let's look on the bright side of things, shall we?  After you died, the fire spread to the rest of the palace, burning it completely to the ground.  No one escaped, not even the king and his invincible suit of amour!  Not even his children made it out, so there was no one left to take his place.  No one, that is, except for the rebel alliance the Grand Protector and his army were trying to find.  With the king dead, they sweep in and take power within a month.  They estate a new order, where everyone shares what they have, and the government owns the means of production.*

Even you get to live on in the hearts and minds of everyone you saved from the king's reign of terror.  They even erected a statue in your honor!  (Though, it looks nothing like you).  You will be known forevermore as, "Human, Martyr of the New Order."

So, in a way, even you get to live happily ever after.  Everyone, it seems, gets a happy ending.

Except for all the innocent people you killed in the dungeon.

And Kralmer, because his entire family is dead.  He will forever curse your name.

*I swear, I'm not communist.


You rush up to the bars of the nearest cage to you.  In that moment, you decide that there's no way you're leaving anyone behind.  If you're taking one, you're taking them all.

"I'm here to save you."  You say in a low voice, "all of you."

"What... are you?"  Asks the Oalkwardner in the cage, inching backwards.

"I'm a friend, now let me get these bars off the cage."

You grip the bars and pull as hard as you can, but they don't budge.  This is real wood, not the Paper-Mache everything else in this place is made of.  You're going to have to find another way to get through it.  Maybe you can steal the keys off a guard or something.  Or maybe...

You sling your bag off your shoulders and go through the contents until you find what you're looking for.  It takes a minute, and for a moment you fear it might have fallen out of your bag.  But no, at the bottom of your bag, lays your lighter, untouched since the night you first woke up.

Maybe, you can use this on lock of the cell!  Because even that's made of wood, for some reason.  Or maybe you should just play it safe and look for the keys...
> You go find a guard and steal the keys
"I'll be right back,"  you say, turning around.  There's an exit a few yards away, a neat gap in the wall with a spiral staircase behind it.  You head up the staircase as quietly as you can and find yourself at a wooden door. You can hear muffled voices on the other side, probably the guards.  Gently as you can, you turn the knob and open the door. Sunlight floods into the room, blinding you momentarily. Seems the door opens into the courtyard.  Two guards stand on the other side, their backs turned to you, chatting about the weather.

Ever so slowly, you inch out the door, getting closer and closer until they're in your reach.  They still haven't noticed you. Then, quick as you can, you grab them, clapping your hand over their mouth.  Before they have a chance to react, you dash back through the door, carrying them with you. Soon as you reach the edge of the stairwell, you throw them down onto the floor below, killing them instantly.

You hurry down the stairs, taking them two at a time.  After making sure the guards are thoroughly dead, you check their pockets for keys.  It doesn't take you long to find them. Strangely enough, they're made of the same wood as the lock.

"I'm back!"  you say as loud as you dare.

You dash to the first door and unlock it, then go to the next, and the next.  Soon, every cell is unlocked, and you're surrounded by a bleary-eyed crowd of Oalkwardners, staring up at you.

"What now?" one of them asks.

"I'm getting you out of-"  You start to say, but stop.  Above you, you can just hear the sound of muffled voices.  You put your finger to your lips, and creep towards the exit, where you can hear better.

"Why is this door open?"  one asks, "And where are the guards?"

Crap!  You must've forgotten to close the door behind you on your way back down!

"I thought I heard something down there,"  Another voice says, "Let's go check it out, I've got a bad feeling about this."

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs resonates through the whole room.  You ready yourself for a fight as the bottoms of Oalkwardner feet and red and yellow cloaks become visible on the stairs.

"What on earth?"  one of them says. They must've seen the dead guards at the bottom.  You don't waste any more time. You charge into the room with the stairwell, screaming at the top of your lungs.  Five guards stare at you from halfway down the stairs, too stunned to move, at least for a moment. You use it to your advantage, bounding up the steps and plowing through the first two before they even think to raise their weapons.

Of course, the other three are a little smarter.  They back out of your reach before you can take a swipe at them, and ready their spears for an attack.  You stop ascending for a moment and assess the situation. They've got the high ground, and their spears are ready.  You may be stronger than they, but a shaft of wood through the heart will still kill you, regardless of who's holding it.

Without warning, The Oalkwardner in front leaps into the air towards you, ready to bring her spear down on your head.  You leap backwards, nearly tumbling down the stairs, just avoiding what could've been a fatal strike. For a moment, you're both off balance, but you recover first, and drive your fist into her face.

"Noooo!"  one of the other Oalkwardners cries, and charges at you wildly.

You step out of the way just in time, and he trips over his own feet, falling off the rickety spiral staircase to his doom.  That's four down, now where's that last one. You look around wildly, just in time to see the edge of a cloak disappearing through the door at the top of the stairs.

"Come on!"  You call down to the prisoners below, "We have to get out of here, now!  Up the staircase!"

The prisoners obey, flooding into the room, and starting up the stairs after you.  There are about two dozen in all, not as many as you might have thought, but still a substantial number to herd out of a fortress like this.

As you lead them out into the courtyard, a high pitched shriek cuts through the air.  It's an alarm, just like the one back in Arrorn! The entire courtyard is in chaos, people running this way and that, guards and civilians alike.  The gateway out is on the other side, about a hundred yards away, sitting wide open. But it won't be for long, even from here you can see guards gathering by the big swinging doors, getting ready to push them closed and trap you inside.

"Quick, to the exit!"  You shout, breaking into a run.  Everyone else follows as you weave through the crowd, trying your best not to trample any innocent people.  (If, indeed, there are any innocent people in this place). It looks like you might just make it, until you've made it about halfway across the courtyard.  Seemingly out of nowhere, guards on little ponies, like the ones that invaded Arrorn, flank your band of criminals. Slowly but surely, they're closing in, going ahead of you to cut you off.  If you don't do something fast, you're going to be surrounded.

There's no time to think though.  No time to come up with a brilliant plan.  Before you even quite realize it, there's nowhere left to go.  The guards are in front and behind, to the right and to the left.  You are struck with a strange sense of Deja Vu.  This isn't the first time you've been in a situation like this, it happened back in Arrorn too!  So if you just do the same thing you did before, you'll get out of it just fine.

"Don't stop!"  You cry, "I'll clear a path!"

There's no time to pick out the weak link, so you just plow on forward, attacking the guard directly in your path.  Soon as you get within range of the spears, you leap into the air and drive your foot into the guard's chest.  He tumbles off the horse, screaming, and all the prisoners flow through the gap you've created.  After you've ran a good thirty feet from the circle, you glance over your shoulder to make sure everyone got through.  But to your horror, only about half have made it past the circle.  The rest of the guards have closed in further, getting rid of the gap you created.  More of them have to get taken out if you are to have any hope of saving everyone.

Worse, there are more guards coming from the sides, and the doors are halfway closed.  If you don't get the rest of the prisoners out quick, no-one will make it out at all.
> You cut your losses and lead those who are left out to freedom
It hurts more than you could've ever imagined, leaving people behind like this.  But there's no sense in you dying too.  You keep running until you reach the gate and the others follow.  As you pass through it, you notice a few of the Guards coming after you on ponies out of the corner of your eye.  You're about to turn and fight them, when something shoots out from the shadows and knocks the first one off his horse.  Then it takes down the second, and the third!  Kralmer has come to your aid.

"Let's get out of here, Human!"  He cries, catching up to you,  "We've gotta leave the kingdom as fast as we can!  Go somewhere else, where they'll never find us."

"Right," You say, "I hope we've got enough supplies..."

"We'll survive, we can forage if we need to."

"Perfect, you got somewhere in mind?"

"Sure!  I'll lead the way..."

A week of walking later, you cross the border of the land you were in and into somewhere nicer.  You and the former prisoners integrate into a nearby village.  They all celebrate you as their hero, and come together to build you a nice, human sized house.  After a few months of living there, it really starts to feel like home.  You even get used to the food.

As for Kralmer, his family just so happened to be amongst the half you managed to save.  It's a good thing too, you're not sure he would've forgiven you if you hadn't managed to get them out alive.  You have dinner with him most nights, and the two of you become quite good friends.

The villagers are happy to have you as part of their community.  After the brave deeds you committed, they see you as their last line of defense.  If anything ever happens, you'll be there to save them.

But that hasn't happened yet.  For now, you've been blessed with some much needed peace...


"I'll be right back,"  you say, turning around.  There's an exit a few yards away, a neat gap in the wall with a spiral staircase behind it.  You head up the staircase as quietly as you can and find yourself at a wooden door. You can hear muffled voices on the other side, probably the guards.  Gently as you can, you turn the knob and open the door. Sunlight floods into the room, blinding you momentarily. Seems the door opens into the courtyard.  Two guards stand on the other side, their backs turned to you, chatting about the weather.

Ever so slowly, you inch out the door, getting closer and closer until they're in your reach.  They still haven't noticed you. Then, quick as you can, you grab them, clapping your hand over their mouth.  Before they have a chance to react, you dash back through the door, carrying them with you. Soon as you reach the edge of the stairwell, you throw them down onto the floor below, killing them instantly.

You hurry down the stairs, taking them two at a time.  After making sure the guards are thoroughly dead, you check their pockets for keys.  It doesn't take you long to find them. Strangely enough, they're made of the same wood as the lock.

"I'm back!"  you say as loud as you dare.

You dash to the first door and unlock it, then go to the next, and the next.  Soon, every cell is unlocked, and you're surrounded by a bleary-eyed crowd of Oalkwardners, staring up at you.

"What now?" one of them asks.

"I'm getting you out of-"  You start to say, but stop.  Above you, you can just hear the sound of muffled voices.  You put your finger to your lips, and creep towards the exit, where you can hear better.

"Why is this door open?"  one asks, "And where are the guards?"

Crap!  You must've forgotten to close the door behind you on your way back down!

"I thought I heard something down there,"  Another voice says, "Let's go check it out, I've got a bad feeling about this."

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs resonates through the whole room.  You ready yourself for a fight as the bottoms of Oalkwardner feet and red and yellow cloaks become visible on the stairs.

"What on earth?"  one of them says. They must've seen the dead guards at the bottom.  You don't waste any more time. You charge into the room with the stairwell, screaming at the top of your lungs.  Five guards stare at you from halfway down the stairs, too stunned to move, at least for a moment. You use it to your advantage, bounding up the steps and plowing through the first two before they even think to raise their weapons.

Of course, the other three are a little smarter.  They back out of your reach before you can take a swipe at them, and ready their spears for an attack.  You stop ascending for a moment and assess the situation. They've got the high ground, and their spears are ready.  You may be stronger than they, but a shaft of wood through the heart will still kill you, regardless of who's holding it.

Without warning, The Oalkwardner in front leaps into the air towards you, ready to bring her spear down on your head.  You leap backwards, nearly tumbling down the stairs, just avoiding what could've been a fatal strike. For a moment, you're both off balance, but you recover first, and drive your fist into her face.

"Noooo!"  one of the other Oalkwardners cries, and charges at you wildly.

You step out of the way just in time, and he trips over his own feet, falling off the rickety spiral staircase to his doom.  That's four down, now where's that last one. You look around wildly, just in time to see the edge of a cloak disappearing through the door at the top of the stairs.

"Come on!"  You call down to the prisoners below, "We have to get out of here, now!  Up the staircase!"

The prisoners obey, flooding into the room, and starting up the stairs after you.  There are about two dozen in all, not as many as you might have thought, but still a substantial number to herd out of a fortress like this.

As you lead them out into the courtyard, a high pitched shriek cuts through the air.  It's an alarm, just like the one back in Arrorn! The entire courtyard is in chaos, people running this way and that, guards and civilians alike.  The gateway out is on the other side, about a hundred yards away, sitting wide open. But it won't be for long, even from here you can see guards gathering by the big swinging doors, getting ready to push them closed and trap you inside.

"Quick, to the exit!"  You shout, breaking into a run.  Everyone else follows as you weave through the crowd, trying your best not to trample any innocent people.  (If, indeed, there are any innocent people in this place). It looks like you might just make it, until you've made it about halfway across the courtyard.  Seemingly out of nowhere, guards on little ponies, like the ones that invaded Arrorn, flank your band of criminals. Slowly but surely, they're closing in, going ahead of you to cut you off.  If you don't do something fast, you're going to be surrounded.

There's no time to think though.  No time to come up with a brilliant plan.  Before you even quite realize it, there's nowhere left to go.  The guards are in front and behind, to the right and to the left.  You are struck with a strange sense of Deja Vu.  This isn't the first time you've been in a situation like this, it happened back in Arrorn too!  So if you just do the same thing you did before, you'll get out of it just fine.

"Don't stop!"  You cry, "I'll clear a path!"

There's no time to pick out the weak link, so you just plow on forward, attacking the guard directly in your path.  Soon as you get within range of the spears, you leap into the air and drive your foot into the guard's chest.  He tumbles off the horse, screaming, and all the prisoners flow through the gap you've created.  After you've ran a good thirty feet from the circle, you glance over your shoulder to make sure everyone got through.  But to your horror, only about half have made it past the circle.  The rest of the guards have closed in further, getting rid of the gap you created.  More of them have to get taken out if you are to have any hope of saving everyone.

Worse, there are more guards coming from the sides, and the doors are halfway closed.  If you don't get the rest of the prisoners out quick, no-one will make it out at all.
> You go back and save the rest of them
"Go on without me!"  You cry, "I'll catch up!"  You turn and run back to the circle of guards, and knock the first one you reach off his horse.  Then you do it again, and again. By the time the guards realize what's happening, you've already taken out four of them.

The rest of the prisoners take this as their cue to leave, they rush through the gap you've created and head towards the gate, and as soon as the last of them has gone past you, you turn to follow, but find yourself face to face with even more guards.  You tense for battle once more, and start swinging, taking down as many as you can!

But they're getting smarter.  Instead of surrounding you, they all form a barrier in front of you, cutting you off from the gate.  You try to plow through them as best you can, but as soon as you take out one, another takes its place!  Suddenly, a sharp pain pierces your side. You look over to see a single Oalkwardner, driving a spear deeper and deeper into the side of your stomach.  Then, another pain, this time in your back. You've been stabbed once again!

The pain brings you to your knees, as more and more spears pierce your flesh.  The last thing you see before everything fades to black are the last few prisoners slipping through the door as it closes with a few of the Oalkwardner guards hot on their heels.  Whether or not they survive is in their hands now...


After word gets around about how you helped save that Oalkwardner girl, the villagers seem to trust you enough to allow you to roam the city without sounding any alarms.  Over the next few days, you help with preparations for the funeral, in part because there's nothing better to do, but also because you feel a little bad about not helping Merk with his search.  Who knows?  Maybe you would've been the difference between his life and death.

When the day of the funeral rolls around, the entire town gathers in the square.  It's the most extravagant display you've ever seen in your short time at the village, with tons of food for all and more flowers than you've ever seen in one place before.  It must've cost a fortune in... whatever these guys use as currency.  Merk must've done quite a lot to help the community, because there sure are a lot of drooping ears.  (Which, you've learned, is the Oalkwardner's equivalent to crying).

You stand at the edge of the crowd, still not quite feeling like a part of the community, as the Elder gives a speech.

"We are gathered here today to commemorate the life of Merk, Gertra, and Silia, three of the greatest-"

A pounding in the distance interrupts the speech.  The whole crowd turns towards the source of the noise just in time to see a whole procession of Oalkwardners dressed in the brightest reds and yellows, all riding creatures like ponies, but with little spines running down their back instead of manes. They beat on little drums, all in sync.

The Oalkwardner at the front of the pack raises her arm and raises her voice.

"Presenting, the great Yelgar, Grand Protector of Realgna and the surrounding country!"

The Drummers beat their drums faster and faster now, parting to allow a carriage to pass through, drawn by three lizard-like creatures, the size of bulls.  The crowd parts for the carriage, and it stops right in front of the stage.

The door on the side of the vessel opens, and out hops a rather tall Oalkwardner wearing a red cape and strange, red bracelets spiraling around the entirety of his forearms, like snakes.

"People of the village of Arrorn!"  He says, "I have come with grave news.  It truly is a shame to interrupt such a lavish funeral, but there are more important matters at hand.  It has come to my attention that there is a base of Rebels in the area, planning to overthrow the kingdom and estate a blasphemous 'new order.'  These are the very same rebels that killed these three!"  He gestures at the paintings of the three fallen Oalkwardners, set on easels on the stage.  "We must act now, lest our glorious empire be overthrown.  Outside this village is the seventy-third division of the King's army, sent to protect this village and take out the Rebel scum in our midst!  It is for this reason, that the King and I felt the need to impose martial law on this village and the surrounding area!  We will also be tripling the tax to sustain our troops.  And we'll be taking all this lovely food you've set out for the funeral.  Desperate times, desperate measures and all that."

A cry of protest comes from deep within the crowd.  "You're already taking three quarters of everything we have!"  A female Oalkwardner pushes her way to the front of the crowd to confront the Yelgar.  "We can barely survive as it is!  And that food for the funeral is the last of our reserves, we only took it out in the first place because Merk and the others did so much for us in their lives!"

Yelgar stares her straight in the face.  "I understand your concern."  He says, "But as I said, desperate times, desperate measures.  Guards, restrain her!"  Two of the horsemen hop off their steeds and grab the girl by the arms, forcing her to her knees.  Yelgar raises his hand, and slaps her across the face, and the crowd gasps.

"Do not question the authority of the Crown."  Yelgar says, still deathly calm, "Or you might wind up like them too,"  he nods towards the paintings.

"Who gives a crap about the Crown?  We're all gonna die anyway under your 'martial law', so may as well go out fighting!"  The girl glares at Yelgar, as the whole crowd seems to hold its breath.

"I see how it is," Yelgar says, clearly disappointed.  "Then let this be an example to anyone else who thinks of dissenting."  He reaches beneath his cloak and pulls out a wooden knife, raising it above his head to strike at the girl, now trembling in the guards grip.

"C-come on,"  the girl says, voice faltering,  "They can't stop all of us!  I say we finish what those rebels started!"

Still, no one moves.  The whole thing reminds you, once again, of the girl in the forest the night you woke up.  The guilt of leaving her behind wells up within you, are you really gonna let it happen again?
> You yeah, you can live with that. This way you get to stay alive, even if you have to live as a coward.
You want to do something, you really do, but fear paralyzes you.  It's all you can do to look away as the knife comes down.  Even without looking, you know when the knife falls by the gasps of the crowd and the final screams of the victim.

"Do not forget the events of today,"  Yelgar says, "Remain under the crown, lest you meet the same fate as this poor, misguided soul here."

A wave of nausea hits you, you can barely manage to stay standing.  What kind dictatorship is this?  The village seemed almost peaceful when you first arrived, but now, you're not so sure.  Your thoughts are interrupted when you hear one of the guards say,

"Sir!  What on earth is that?"

You turn to see one of the taller soldiers pointing straight at you.  Your heart begins to pound.  Now the rest of the guards are looking at you, you can feel their eyes all over you, crawling over your skin like spiders.

"It's a monster!"  Yelgar cries,  "Capture it before it destroys the village!"

You should do something, run, hide, get ready to fight.  But suddenly there doesn't seem to be enough oxygen in your lungs, as much as you gasp.  You fall to your hands and knees, heaving.  Another panic attack?  There's no time for this, you have to escape... but it's so... hard to breathe....

Before you know it, you're surrounded by guards, all pointing spears your way.  They close in so tight that any one of them could take you out in one blow if they really needed to.  Why isn't anyone standing up for you?  They all know you're harmless.  Maybe they're all too afraid to say anything.

The guards all bring down their spears at once, and you know no more...


I don't know what it is with me and zombie games, I just love them. A while back, I wrote a story called No Man's Land. It did a lot better than I expected, prompting me to try again. So here it is: Ultraoverlord Strikes Again, Zombie Style.

A NOTE ABOUT THE GAME:

The structure of this story is kind of a new one I'm experimenting with. There is only one 'win' scenario, the rest are deaths. Now, given that, there a few different ways to get there. Different choices can get you there in different states of health, with different supplies, and different people. I made this with as much replayability as possible, and there are references to characters in each storyline sprinkled throughout other storylines. See if you can find them all!
> You start
You watch as the coffee slowly filters out of the machine, and into your mug. After it's finished, you pick it up and take a sip. Perfect.

Life in the apartment isn't easy. You and your wife don't have enough money for a house yet, and you don't have any kids, so an apartment seemed like the best choice. You have a few commodities; a microwave, a TV, and a coffee maker. You do your own dishes and drive to the laundromat to wash clothes, but you're still content.

You sit on your beater couch and drink more coffee. Your wife isn't even awake yet. You wake up an hour before her every morning. The quiet is nice. It gives you time to think. You think about what you'll have to do today. Today is Sunday, chore day. You're pretty sure it's your turn to wash the dishes. You put your mug down and get up. Better to get the dishes done now than put it off.

Just before you start the disposal, a sharp beeping noise startles you. It came from the TV, but nobody turned it on. You peek into the living room, and see the TV screen. It has flashing images and warnings on it. There's a national security threat. Worried, you turn up the TV's volume and listen in. Your wife, woken up by the beeping, slowly wanders in.

"What's going on?" she sleepily asks. Before you can answer, a robotic voice blasts through the speakers.

"ATTENTION U.S. CITIZENS. AN ACT OF TERRORISM HAS RESULTED IN A DEADLY INFECTION IN THE FOLLOWING STATES: TEXAS, TENNESSEE, OKLAHOMA, KANSAS..." the list goes on. You don't hear California, your state. You're still safe, for now. You and your wife watch as the TV cuts to live news footage. A woman stands in a demilitarized zone, with heavy fencing, and military personnel everywhere. The newslady announces that unaffected states have set up border guards to prevent the spread of disease. Forces from other parts of the world are also rushing in, with Mexican and Canadian soldiers struggling to keep the infection inside the U.S.

The TV then cuts to a live shot of sick people. They aren't slow, or drowsy, like when you have the flu. No, they're the exact opposite. They're ravenous. They stumble around a a speedwalk pace, and they look dead. Bloods soaks their clothes. Their eyes are glazed over. Suddenly, a deer bounds into view. You watch in horror as the infected surround and kill the deer. The footage immediately cuts away.

You wife begins to panic. You try to console her, reminding her that the whole world is fighting to keep the monsters at bay, and that you two will be just fine. Sacramento is a long ways away from California's border. Perfectly safe. Perfectly safe. You're perfectly safe.

Suddenly, the TV makes an announcement: "ALL MALES OVER THE AGE OF 18 ARE REQUIRED TO LOCATE THE NEAREST OUTPOST AND CONTRIBUTE TO HOLDING THE LINE."

> You go to the border
Panic sets in for you. You're supposed to stay, to help your wife, to be safe. You can't accept this. But you have to.

You pack everything you can think of: Clothes, food, water, towels, a book. Everything you have room for. You don't own any guns, and the knives in the kitchen seem useless against these predators. Even after loading up, your backpack still feels light.

You say goodbye to your wife, once, twice, three times, and it still hurts to leave. It feels unreal, like a dream, riding the elevator down, hailing a cab, and telling the driver to take you to your own funeral.

The trip takes about three hours. There are a lot of males over the age of 18 in California. When you get out of your cab, you are greeted by a steely man wearing a full set of bulletbroof armor. He orders you to follow him, and shows you to a barrack.

"This is your new home for the time being," he says in a gruff voice. The room is full of hammocks. Each one has a table and a storage unit next to it. You select the cleanest-looking one and put your stuff down. "How long is the time being?" you ask. The man looks at you. "Until this all blows over."

The next thing you know, you are kneeling in front of a human-shaped target, with an assault rifle in your hands.

"The first rule of operating a weapon is to never have your finger on the trigger unless the barrel is aimed at your target," the instructor says. All these military people look so similar, you could swear this was the same guy who showed you to your hammock.

After you're shown the proper way to fire the monster in your hands, you are ordered to take a shot. You aim directly for the target's chest, and open fire.

You are successful only in breaking the cardboard hand off the target. Your shoulder aches from the recoil. "Don't get discouraged, you'll get the hang of it." the man doesn't really seem to care about you in particular. You pause to look down the row of trainees. They are all just random people with expressions of fear or pain on their faces. As you look at their weapons, you conclude there must somehow be a gun shortage. Three of the trainees are using BB guns.

After three rigorous days of training, you're almost dead. Your shoulder is in immense pain. You want desperately to call your wife, but any and all electronic devices were confiscated, 'for security reasons.' You hate this. You just want to be back home. You just want things to go back to how they were...

You are suddenly called up, along with all the other recruits, to grab your guns and march to the battlefield.
> The Battlefield
You are down on one knee, behind a metal wall. There is a hole, just big enough for you to see and shoot out of in front of you. Ahead is a grassy field. The trees were cleared in anticipation of the dead. All to your left and right, a line of hardened soldiers mixed with scared civilians stands ready to fire, as soon as the signal is given. Your heart is pounding in your chest.

Suddenly, the line of trees is broken by a small pack of the dead. Before you can react, a machine gun takes out the whole horde. After that, it's a steady stream. The infected march through the trees, only to get shot down once in full view. All around you, gunshots ring, commands are yelled, and the groans of the dead get louder and louder.

You succeed in taking down a few zombies. Most of the time, as soon as you set your sights on one, someone else kills it. You try to calm your nerves and pretend it's just a game or something. Point and shoot. Simple as that.

After about an hour, the undead conga line shows no signs of stopping. The commander is just about to give the order to pause and reload when his walkie-talkie begins to crackle. He answers, and proceeds to shout to his colleagues that a large section of the blockade down south just broke. Hundreds are already dead and the zombies have made it to civilian territory. Instantly, your mind flashes to your wife. You can't let her die.

You pull away from your post and address the commander. "I have to go," you say.

"Absolutely not," the man responds.

"Please," you beg. "My wife, I have to-" the man cuts you off. "Teams have already been sent out to round up women and children. They're being taken up to Washington. It's more safe there. Don't worry about your wife," he says. You catch a tone of uncertainty in his voice. Suddenly, another soldier shouts. You look over the wall and see that you won't make it. The zombies and advancing faster than they're being taken down. You look back at the soldier. He can see it too.

"RETREAT! RETREAT!" you hear as you run for your life. Behind you, you can hear screaming. You drop your gun, it's only weighing you down, and you aren't very good at using it anyway. Retreat, you hear as you run up to the gates. Retreat, you hear as you hastily get in an abandoned car. Retreat, you hear over the deafening sound of the metal walls collapsing.
> You retreat...
You speed away from the military zone. The terrain slowly morphs back into city. But it's all empty. Nobody is around, and it seems like the power grid is gone. But that doesn't matter. If everyone's gone, that means the military evacuated them, and that means your wife is safe. Now you just need to worry about you. As you drive on, you see a sign declaring that you have 80 miles until you reach Sacramento. That's no problem. You have a head start on the dead, and a car.

Just as you pass under a bridge, you hear a loud pop noise. Just as you feared, your tire popped on shards of glass. You look around. Actually, this whole road is covered with an even layer of glass shards. Thank goodness you're wearing shoes.

The car is useless now, as all four tires are popped. You couldn't even push it forward, because the traffic up ahead is deadly. The streets are full of abandoned cars, some with their lights on, some with doors still open. You don't know how long you have before the dead catch up with you. You look around and hastily make a choice.
> You get food
Food is always the top priority. If you're going to survive, you'll need food. Period. You look around. Nothing is in the immediate vicinity, so you'll have to do some exploring. You head toward the traffic jam up ahead.

As you weave your way through the cars, you notice something odd. A lot of the windows are smashed, and there's blood on the inside and outside of most of the cars. The military wouldn't do something like that. A thought crosses your mind: You left a while after hearing that a southern wall fell. The zed could have already been here, which means you're already too late.

You pick up the pace, dodging cars and debris. As you pass an SUV, a zombie pops out of one of the windows and swipes at you. They were definitely here. You break into a run past all the cars.

After finding clear roads again, you spot a road sign. It advertises hotels and shops, and tells where they are. You see a supermarket that's very close. You set off to find it, and hope that it wasn't picked clean.

After navigating the roads, you see the supermarket. Unfortunately, a fair amount of zombies surround it. You watch to see if there's any way to slip through, but the zombies all wander aimlessly and block the entrances. Besides, even if you got in, you wouldn't be able to get out.

Just as you are about to give up, a boy, no older than sixteen, goes running into the market. He must have been watching, just like you. But unlike you, he found a way in. He dodges the zombies and makes it to the doors without ever touching one of them. A minute goes by, and the boy comes up onto the roof with a bag of food in his hand.

You and the boy realize at the same time that getting out won't be so easy. There's nothing to jump on top of, and the zombies were drawn by the noise. They've surrounded the building, and are starting to climb the dumpsters and cars onto the roof.
> You help the boy
You decide that the boy is worth saving. If he can run like that, he'll be useful to you as a partner. The only question is, how do you go about saving him?

You know they're distracted by noise, so you start there. You see a truck on the opposite side of the road. It could work. You run over and see if the truck is operational. To your surprise, it's in almost perfect condition. However, when you try the door, you find out it's locked. You look back at the store. The boy is running out of time. In a moment of panic, you slam the car window with your elbow. This shatters the window and sets off the car alarm.

The boy is as startled as you are. As for the zombies, you delayed them. About half the group splits away from the store and targets you. You realize this is a big mistake. You didn't stop the zombies on the roof, and now you have a sizable herd following you. You turn to run an abandon the boy, when you see that he made it. The small lapse in attention for the zombies let the boy jump off the roof. He hits the ground and sprints off into the trees. Instinctively, you follow him.
> You follow him
You can barely maneuver around the horde. You manage to escape and follow the boy. He's definitely a better runner than you, but you can keep him in your sights. He doesn't go far before entering a large storage warehouse from the back door. You know the boy saw you, so you continue forward.

When you reach the warehouse, you peek through one of the industrial windows. To your surprise, there are three people in the warehouse. The boy, a girl roughly his age, and another woman, presumably their mother. You watch as the boy unpacks the food bag. He was able to fit a surprising amount of food into the bag. The girl picks it up and adds it to a large pile of canned goods in the corner. The three begin to talk, and then the boy turns and looks directly at you.

You panic and duck. They probably think you're a creep now, or worse. Your best bet is to get away from the warehouse. You get down on all fours, and make it a few feet before you hear the boy behind you.

"What are you doing?" he demands. You turn around. The boy has a Glock pointed right at your forehead. As soon as you turn, the boy's expression changes. "Oh. You're the guy the broke that truck window, aren't you? You want a reward or something?"
> Yes
Getting a reward is reasonable for saving this boy's life. "Yes," you say. The boy rolls his eyes. "Great," he says. "Come inside."

The boy leads you inside. The woman stands defensively between you and the girl. "Mikey, who is this?" the woman says. Mikey doesn't reply. He walks over to the food supply, picks up a can of peaches, and throws it, more at you than to you. You catch the can and examine it.

"Where are you from?" the girl asks, before her mother shushes her. You answer anyway. "I'm from Sacramento. I was out fighting for the border, but it collapsed. Now I'm here. I don't have any supplies, or a home, and I don't know if my wife is alive."

The woman seems genuinely sorry for you, but Mikey isn't convinced. "Thanks for the sob story," he says. "Now leave."

The mother shoots him a scolding look, before addressing you again. "Feel free to stay here a few nights. You can have some of our food, providing you're willing to help out."

That sounds like more than a fair deal to you. You accept, then sit down against one of the walls. "Oh," the woman suddenly says. "How rude of me. I should introduce myself. I'm Barbara, and this is Megan," the woman motions to the girl, "and this is-" Mikey cuts off his mother. "I'm Mikey."

"Well, what should I do?" you ask. "Oh, we're just waiting around right now. The sun will set soon, and Mikey just brought more food, so we'll be fine. Feel free to get a book, or something to entertain yourself. Mikey, will you roll our guest an air mattress?" Barbara says. Mikey shoots a dirty look to his mom, then you, before dragging an air mattress out from one of the units and dropping it on the ground.
> You settle in
You read a book from the pile, then pace around the warehouse, examining everything. The warehouse is big enough for 1000 people to stand shoulder to shoulder in it. There are a few storage units within the warehouse that the family is using for backup. You note that the only gun in the warehouse is in Mikey's possession. Each family member seems to have a sort of 'cubby' for personal stuff.

Hours pass, and nighttime is upon you. You watch out the window. A few lone zombies wander across the roads. The warehouse is actually quite hidden by trees, so you feel safer. "Okay," Barbara says."Bedtime. We'll need our strength for tomorrow."

You start to go over to your air mattress. "Oh, not you," she says. "I just mean the kids. They need all the energy they can get. As soon as they sun goes down, so do they!"

Barbara pulls a Sudoku book from the pile and starts to entertain herself. You sit on your air mattress and decide what to do.
> You talk to Barbara
You go sit next to Barbara and watch her play a Sudoku game for a few minutes. "How did you end up here?" you finally ask.

Barbara explains that her husband was also drafted, so she took her kids to somewhere safe. When they happened upon the warehouse, it was abandoned and empty, but also out of the way of the dead. The perfect base. "I'm sorry your first impression with the kids wasn't that great. Megan can be shy, and Mikey gets worked up easily, but they'll warm up to you. Say, did you see my husband? His name is David, he has brown, curly hair, and he wears a necklace with him all the time."

You try to picture him in your head, but you can't. "Nope, didn't see him." Barbara seems disappointed. "But I'm sure he's fine," you say, a little too quickly. "Most of the civilians and soldiers were evacuated when the walls fell."

> You go to sleep
After fully inflating the air mattress, you decide to get some sleep. As you lay there, you think about the day. So much happened. Last night, you were in some military barrack hammock with ten other strangers, and now you're in a warehouse on an air mattress. You make one last promise to yourself before nodding off: you will find your wife.
> In the Morning
When you wake up, everyone else is already up. Megan is setting up a breakfast of canned fruit, Barbara is rolling up the air mattresses, and Mikey is nowhere to be found.

You sit up and do your best to fix your hair with your hands. You probably smell terrible, but whatever. Megan puts a plate of dried cranberries and an apple in your lap. You thank her, and eat quickly. You haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon, back at the barracks. After breakfast, you stand up and decide what to do with the day.
> You supply Run
The warehouse has very little in the way of weaponry. If you're going to survive, you'll need weapons. You tell Barbara that you're going on a run, and leave the warehouse. You take a backpack with some meager supplies.

The zombies have mostly cleared out. That works to your benefit, since you have only your fists for protection. You don't know this area very well, so you head in a random direction, remembering street names as you pass them.

Eventually, you come upon a tank in the middle of the road. The hatch is still open, and blood is splattered on the side. You climb inside. After searching the tank, you come up with a walkie-talkie and a water bottle. You try the walkie-talkie, and every channel is silent on the other end. You decide to leave it in the tank so you know where it is if you need it.

As for the tank itself, you've never seen the inside of one before, so you don't know if it's operational or not. You decide to not touch anything, and exit the tank.

You are disappointed at the lack of supplies in the tank. Shouldn't there be some rocket launcher, or at least a flare gun? You are very disappointed. So disappointed, in fact, that you almost miss the man running from a horde of the dead out of the corner of your eye.

You turn to look - it seems like you've found the owner of the tank. The man is clearly a soldier, he is dressed in all camo, and has a large, scary-looking gun over his shoulder. Closer inspection reveals that the gun has no clip, and therefore no ammo. The man swears and looks back at the herd, causing him to trip over a fire hydrant.

You feel like you should help, but you don't want to get in this man's way, and besides, what could you do? You're defenseless. You watch as the man pulls out a knife and starts to hack away at the group of zombies. Unfortunately, he quickly falls. You've never seen them infect someone, and it's not a pretty sight. The man's screams soon die down. After another few minutes, the horde wanders away from the man.

After they're a safe distance away, you inspect the corpse. Bite wounds cover the man's arms and torso. You don't know how long you have until he turns, so you move quickly. You take the gun off of him and check his pockets. He definitely was out of ammo. You also get his knife out of his hand. It's a durable, large knife, one that should have a holster or some sort of container. If it did, the man doesn't have it.

You come back to the warehouse with your finds. It's not a lot, but it's something. When you ge there, Mikey is also back. He succeeded in getting more food. You set the gun off to the side, and pocket the knife for yourself. Barbara notes your findings, and puts the gun in a storage unit. "So the kids don't get at it," she explains.
> You dinner
Dinner consists of canned meat and bread. The four of you eat in silence. Today was certainly a productive day. You sit and think about the next day.

The silence is broken by someone pounding on the back door of the warehouse. You sit up. Everyone glances around nervously. Finally, Mikey gets up and looks through the window.

"It's just a zombie, I got..." Mikey trails off. You get up and look through the window.

A hundred. No, a thousand. The streets are filled with zed. A small pack have found their way to the warehouse. "We can't risk killing them," you say. "Opening the door would be a bad idea. We need to hide, and be quiet."

Megan hurriedly blows out the candles you used for light. You hide behind a storage locker, while everyone finds a quiet place. The inside of the warehouse is silent. From the outside, you can hear moaning and pounding. The small pack is attracting more zombies.

"This isn't going to work," Mikey says. "We need a better plan." You hurriedly think of a way out of this. "We need to distract them," you say. "Is there a way onto the roof?"
> The Roof
You climb up onto the roof using a ladder, and taking out the skylight. The roof is curved, so keeping your balance is a struggle. You look out into the sea of the dead. It doesn't look as big from here, but it's still too many. There's no chance of distracting them. Unless, somehow, you could sneak through them.

You climb back down the ladder. "There's no way through that," you say. "We're surrounded." Mikey walks over to the door. "I bet I could get through," he says. You open your mouth to stop him, but Barbara beats you to it. "Absolutely not. You won't be able to run through that, no matter how fast you think you are."

Panic begins to set in. The walls feel much closer than they are. The groans get louder. There really is no way out of this.

Suddenly, gunshots rip through the air. You watch through the window as the horde of zed quickly hit the ground like dominoes. In a matter of seconds, the road is clear. You rush outside to see who, or what, killed the zombies.

Parked on the road is a large passenger bus and a big rig. Several men armed with various types of guns are set out the bus windows. They killed all the zombies. The door to the big rig opens, and a man steps out. He wears a bright orange vest over a bomber jacket, and wields a machine gun in his hands.

"Hi, folks," he begins with a creepy smile.
> You attack him
Without hesitation, you tackle the man. The machine gun flies from his hands. As soon as you hit the ground, three bullets from three different guns hit you in the side. You topple over in pain, and the man gets up.

"Well, that wasn't very wise, now was it?" he taunts, before kicking you in the face. The pain in your nose makes you see flashes of light that aren't there. You lay on the ground, motionless, while the man laughs. Eventually, you finally bleed out.
> You reset Game
I don't know what it is with me and zombie games, I just love them. A while back, I wrote a story called No Man's Land. It did a lot better than I expected, prompting me to try again. So here it is: Ultraoverlord Strikes Again, Zombie Style.

A NOTE ABOUT THE GAME:

The structure of this story is kind of a new one I'm experimenting with. There is only one 'win' scenario, the rest are deaths. Now, given that, there a few different ways to get there. Different choices can get you there in different states of health, with different supplies, and different people. I made this with as much replayability as possible, and there are references to characters in each storyline sprinkled throughout other storylines. See if you can find them all!


You climb up onto the roof using a ladder, and taking out the skylight. The roof is curved, so keeping your balance is a struggle. You look out into the sea of the dead. It doesn't look as big from here, but it's still too many. There's no chance of distracting them. Unless, somehow, you could sneak through them.

You climb back down the ladder. "There's no way through that," you say. "We're surrounded." Mikey walks over to the door. "I bet I could get through," he says. You open your mouth to stop him, but Barbara beats you to it. "Absolutely not. You won't be able to run through that, no matter how fast you think you are."

Panic begins to set in. The walls feel much closer than they are. The groans get louder. There really is no way out of this.

Suddenly, gunshots rip through the air. You watch through the window as the horde of zed quickly hit the ground like dominoes. In a matter of seconds, the road is clear. You rush outside to see who, or what, killed the zombies.

Parked on the road is a large passenger bus and a big rig. Several men armed with various types of guns are set out the bus windows. They killed all the zombies. The door to the big rig opens, and a man steps out. He wears a bright orange vest over a bomber jacket, and wields a machine gun in his hands.

"Hi, folks," he begins with a creepy smile.
> You let him continue
"Well, it seems to me that your lives were just in some very serious danger," the man continues. "Luckily, me and my people were just driving by. We just saved you from certain death. No need to thank us. All I ask is just a little something in return," the man says in a cutesy voice. "You wouldn't want to upset me, now, would you?"
> You offer gun
You go back inside and get the gun out of the storage unit. You take it outside and offer it to the man. He rips it out of your hands. "Wow," he says after examining it. "One damn gun, and it doesn't even have ammunition?" he looks at you, faking confusion. "You're gonna have to give us a little more than this."

"We don't have anything else," Mikey says behind you. You turn around to shush him, but the man stops you. "I don't believe that. In fact, I can see something right now that you could give us." The man points to the warehouse. "Me and the boys have been on the road for a long while, and we could really use a rest. Now, how about you fix us some dinner, yeah?"
> You refuse
"No," you say. "It's already more than we can afford to give you the gun, so I'm not going to allow that." You watch the man's expression. He lets out a small laugh, and looks at the ground. Then he suddenly grabs you by the shirt collar and leans in so close you can smell the cigarettes on his breath. "I think," he whispers, "that you may want to reconsider that."
> You reconsider
Reluctantly, you step aside and show the man the door. He smiles at you, and steps inside. Slowly, his men file out of the bus and follow him.

Inside, the man turns and looks around. He lets out a small whistle. "This is quite the place you have here, isn't it?" he says. "Now, make with the dinner."

You and Megan hastily prepare canned vegetable soup for your guests, while Mikey and Barbara make them chairs to sit on. When you are done, you give each man a bowl of vegetable soup and a small cup of water.

"What's the matter?" the man says. "You didn't make any for yourselves. Won't you dine with us?"

"There's no more. You're already eating half of our food," you say. The man raises his hands. "Forgive me for more rudeness. Here, you can have mine." He slides he bowl of soup over to you, and throws the spoon at you. "Please, sit."

Everyone eats dinner in silence. Barbara sits with her kids off to the side. None of the men make eye contact with you, except for the leader, who smiles at you. Finally, the bowls are empty. Megan hurriedly collects them and throws them away.

"Wow. Now, I don't believe for a second that the gun you gave us is the only gun you have. There's gotta be more, right? So are you going to give it to me, or will I have to take it?" You notice Mikey grabbing at his gun, holstered on his belt.

"Yeah. That boy has a gun," you say. Mikey gives you a look full of hate. "Well," the man says. He gets up and walks over to Mikey. He puts his hand out. "Give it to me."

Mikey dumps the gun into the man's hand. "Thanks," he says. "I really do appreciate it."

Back outside, the man addresses you once more. "That was a wonderful gesture, yes it was. Now, I think you've got quite the setup here," the man motions to the warehouse, the road, and the trees. "In fact, I love it so much, that I think we just might have to come back someday." The man's smile disappears. "You'll still be here, right?"

"Y-yes," you say, and curse yourself for stuttering. The man pats you on the shoulder, a little too hard. "Great. See you soon." With that, the man gets back into the big rig, spits onto the ground, and drives off.

> You what now?
The four of you sit on the ground in the warehouse. Mikey finally speaks. "What are we gonna do about this?"

"We can't do anything," you say. "They already left."

"I'm talking about next time. He said he's coming back. Let's be ready for him."

"Actually," Barbara interrupts, "I think the best thing to do now is leave. He can't find us again, if we go deeper into the city. The big truck won't be easy to drive in the city streets. They're full of bodies and abandoned cars." It seems like the decision is left up to you: stay and fight, or find a new home.
> You find a new home
"We should leave," you say. "We don't have numbers or weapons on our side." Everyone seems to agree, even though they don't like it. Since it's getting dark, you decide to leave in the morning. You lay down on your air mattress and try to get some sleep.

In the morning, you begin packing. You are about halfway through the food when you realize that you don't have a vehicle. There's no way the four of you can carry all the food and water, plus the extra. You'll need to go look for something.

It's not as easy as finding any car. You need one that can seat four people, plus all the supplies. As you walk down the road, you see a billboard for a used car dealership. Perfect.

After a while, you spot the car dealership. The entire area is clear of zed, which means the trip back will be easy. You start your trip over to the dealership when you see something written in marker on a store window:

GOT GUNS?

WE GIVE FOOD, JEWELRY, AMMUNITION, GASOLINE

> You don't have anything you want to trade right now
You walk past the ad. You just don't have anything you're willing to give up, not yet. You make your way over to the dealership.

Most of the cars are gone, but you expected that. You do have three choices: A pickup truck, a minivan with a trailer attached to it, and a convertible. The choice is quite obvious for your needs.

Luckily, the minivan door is unlocked, and the keys are on the dashboard. You check the fuel gauge - you have a full tank. You thank your lucky stars and drive the minivan and the trailer back to the warehouse.
> You take off
When you get back, the others have already gathered everything up. You load the group's belongings into the trailer, and then everyone gets into the minivan. Megan seems sad to leave the warehouse. Barbara doesn't seem too emotionally attached to it. Mikey's expression is difficult to read.

You head up the road, looking for a place to go. Cars and debris block most roads, so your options are limited. All you need is a shelter big enough to support the group of four, and hidden well enough that you won't have to deal with Big Rig, or anyone else.

Finally, you decide to pull away from the major city roads and go out into the countryside. There, you find a nature center. It's perfect for the group. It's big, secluded, and even has a natural river running next to it, a potential water source.

The group unpacks and begins to get comfortable in their new home. This seems like an upgrade from the warehouse. The are two floors, and a lot of easily accessible windows.
> You what now?
The most obvious thing to do is explore the new terrain. If there's some sort of supply cache or other survivors nearby, you need to know about it. "Nobody goes alone this time," you say. "I'll be going. Mikey, we can use you, too. Barbara, Megan, do you want to come?"

Megan slowly nods, and paces over to you. "I'll hold down the fort while y'all are gone," she says. You nod, and start setting up a pack. You bring a flashlight, clothes, water and food. Megan brings along a poetry book, and Mikey is traveling light.

Once outside, you get a good look at your surroundings. A dirt road connects you back to civilization. Then there's the woods beyond the nature center. You are deciding the best course of action, when Mikey speaks up. "I'll go into the woods alone, and look for stuff. You and Megan go that way." Before you have a chance to respond, Mikey is off.
> You into The City
Megan follows you along the dirt road, until you see buildings again. Most of them are useless, like hair salons, and the ones that could be potentially useful, like gas stations, have been looted. You are about to turn back when you see a gun store up ahead.

You and Megan race over to it, as if it will disappear if you aren't fast enough. The store has a small group of zed inside, and the front window was smashed with a cinder block, but you can see guns hung up on the walls. "We need to get in there," you whisper to Megan. She nods.

Both of you split up to find a good makeshift weapon. A board, a hammer, a pipe - anything will work. The nearest building to you is a flower shop. The front window is smashed, just like the gun shop. Why would someone bother to break into a flower shop? It's the least of your worries, because you get a large glass shard out of it. You wrap your shirt sleeve around it for better grip and come back to the gun shop.

Megan returns with a long, flat wooden board a few moments later. "Ok, you go in, grab as many guns as you can, and get out. Okay?" you say. Megan nods. You position yourself in front of the broken window and whistle. The zombies all notice you at once, and start to fumble out the window. Once there's enough clearance, Megan darts into the store.

The first zombie you kill is a huge jolt. You stab the glass shard into its skull, and it hits the ground dead. You're proud of yourself, but there are many more after that one. So you go again. You thrust the glass shard into a head, and then pull it out. This time, however, the shard breaks. Your hand is left bleeding, and you have no other weapons. Luckily, as if on queue, Megan comes running out of the building with three guns over her shoulder, and another few in her hands. Without having to say it, both of you flee in the direction of home.

You slow to a walk after you've put enough distance between you and the dead-heads. "That was impressive. You're just as fast as your brother," you comment. Megan gives a fleeting smile. Suddenly, she points out something. "Look over here."

You stand in front of a concrete wall with the U.S. military seal hastily painted on with spray paint. Below that is a short message:

HOPE IS LOST FOR THE REST OF YOU. THE DEAD NEVER SLEEP, AND NEITHER CAN YOU. WASHINGTON IS THE ONLY SALVATION. COME TO WASHINGTON OR DIE. LE

It seems like the writer was going to say something like "Let" or "leave", but they were interrupted while writing the message. Still, this is big. You estimate you're in the middle of California. If you head north, up through the rest of the state, then through Oregon, you'll arrive at Washington. You look at Megan. She looks back with a flicker of hope in her eyes.
> You get home
Barbara and Mikey are dumbfounded at the news. Everyone's thinking the same thing right now. Yes, the temptation of safety is strong, but traveling through a whole state and a half to get there? Unthinkable.

"It doesn't matter," you say. "Every second we spend here is a second we could be moving forward. We should leave now." Barbara shakes her head. "I think we should leave tomorrow. We'll need the rest, and we can scavenge for more food and things like that."

"It's not worth it," you say. "We have a gun. We have a minivan with gas in it. We can make it. Besides, there's no time to scavenge. It'll be dark soon."
> You stay, and leave in the morning
"Okay, we'll stay. But tomorrow, we leave. First thing in the morning." Everyone nods their heads in agreement. You have a bad feeling about this.

After everyone is settled down and laying on their air mattresses, you slip out the front door. Outside, it's still rather free of zombies. You sit down on the road and look around. You think about your wife, and Washington, and everything that's happened. So much changed in just two days.

Suddenly, you hear leaves crunching behind you. You turn around, thinking it's a zombie, but it's not. It's a soldier. He has frizzy, unkempt black hair, and still wears his uniform. "Mind if I have a seat?"

You feel oddly safe around him. He hasn't shown any signs of aggression, and to your knowledge, he has no weapons. He does, however, have a duffel bag. "I been watchin' you, with that group." "Watching me?" you say in surprise.

"Yeah, watching you. The way you raided that gun store. I'm gonna be straight with you; these folks are slowin' ya down. I'm headed to Washington, just like you are. I believe you're more capable to get there if you travel lighter."

"Where are you going with this?" you ask. "I'm askin' you to ditch these people and come to Washington. You have family there, correct?" You nod. "'Kay, then. Why waste time? You have no connection to these people. You don't even know their last names."

"How do I know I can trust you?" you ask. The man's expression doesn't change. "I guess you don't. But that's a decision I'm gonna leave to you." Both of you sit in silence on the road for a few minutes. Then, the soldier gets up and opens his duffel bag. He takes out a can of spray paint, and walks over in the direction of the unfinished message.
> You stay with the current group
"Sorry," you say. "But I already made a commitment to these people. Hopefully I'll see you in Washington." The man smiles over his shoulder. "Okay," he says. "Your funeral." He goes back to pick up his duffel bag, and leaves. You get up and go back inside the nature center. You lay down on your air mattress, and ponder if you made the right choice.
> You leave for Washington
After everything is packed up, you do one last check to make sure you didn't forget anything. You find a few water bottles in a vending machine, but nothing else. You say goodbye to your makeshift home, and get in the driver's seat of the minivan.

On the road, you follow roads that you know to head north. You try to stay and back roads, just in case you run into anything. You're determined to make it to Washington.

While driving, Barbara thinks to open up the glove box. The group is rewarded with a U.S. map and another bottle of water. You set the map up on the dashboard so you can see it while driving. You decide to follow I-5 north, which should take you right up to Washington.

Your trip is cut short after a few miles when you come to a blockade in the road. A chain fence was haphazardly set up in the middle of the road. A handmade sign hanging from it reads: FOLLOWERS' TERRITORY. TRESPASSERS WILL BE LOOTED AND FED TO THE DEAD.

> You head through the fence
You refuse to let some stupid sign deter you. Who are the 'Followers' anyway? You don't care. You and Mikey get out, and move the chain link fencing.

After that, it seems like smooth sailing. You do start to notice, however, that the place seems less quality here. Graffiti covers the area, and certain buildings are just gone.

Suddenly, you see something off to the side of the road. There are three men standing off in a secluded alley. One of them is tied to a pole. The other two are mercilessly beating him with pieces of metal.
> You intervene
You get out and take a gun with you. "Hey," you say. The two attackers look over at you. The man tied to the pole can barely move his head. "What's going on here?"

"This fine gentleman over here," one of the men points to the beaten victim, "has broken our golden rule. That rule is NO TRESPASSING. And it seems to me that you are also breaking that rule. So I think a punishment for you is in order as well!"
> You see what else he has to say
"Rico, what do you think this man deserves?" one of the men says, addressing the other. "I think a proper beating is in order," Rico responds. Before you can step out of the way, he steps forward and hits you with the metal bar in his hand, knocking you to the ground. The two proceed to hit and kick you until you're numb. Eventually, about halfway through, you realize you're not going to make it out of this alive. You wish you had taken the detour.


You get out and take a gun with you. "Hey," you say. The two attackers look over at you. The man tied to the pole can barely move his head. "What's going on here?"

"This fine gentleman over here," one of the men points to the beaten victim, "has broken our golden rule. That rule is NO TRESPASSING. And it seems to me that you are also breaking that rule. So I think a punishment for you is in order as well!"
> You shoot them both
You won't let the man continue. You draw your gun and shoot both men down. They were at close range, but it still took a few shots. Once they're dead, you go up to the victim. His face is swollen, and his nose is bleeding. He flinches, expecting you to attack him too.
> You kill the hostage
You have no interest in dealing with another group member. You put the man out of his misery, and get back in the car.
> You keep driving
You begin to get a bad feeling about the place. The empty buildings and atmosphere feel a lot more sinister now than they did a second ago. Your instincts kick in, and you try to drive away.

You quickly find that the roads have been blocked off by debris. They're herding you in a certain direction. You can't get out of the car, either, as you start to see other people watching you out of buildings and behind trash cans. In a last ditch effort to get away, you throw the minivan in reverse.

As you try to back out, you see something: a large truck blocks the way out. They've sealed the road behind you. A man holding a golf club comes out of a nearby building and starts running toward the minivan. In total panic, you speed down the road, away from the truck.

Barbara is gripping her armrests in fear. You would be, but both your hands are on the steering wheel. You drive down the road, exactly where they want you to. You can hear the truck following closely behind you. Suddenly, you drive into a dead end. The way forward is blocked. The truck pulls to a stop behind you, trapping you.

You have no choice but to get out of the car. A mob of people has gathered around your vehicle. Your group follows suit, and gets out of the car.

"Okay, let's not waste time. Give us your stuff, and your car, and we'll escort you to your new home," barks a large, bald man. The crowd of angry people with their guns pointed at you reminds you that you'll have to speak carefully.
> You offer a deal
"We can work this out," you say. The man lowers his gun. "I'm listening."
> You offer a group member
You look back at your group. "I'll give you a person, from my group. They can work for you, or whatever you want." The man seems to strongly consider it. You regret making the offer, but it's too late now. You look back one more time. Barbara gives you a look of total disgust.

Finally, the man nods. "Yes, I think that just may work. Reginald, clear the road outta here," he says to another. He turns, and looks over your group. "I want the girl."

Barbara starts crying immediately. Megan has a look of fear on her face, and Mikey shows nothing but resentment. Two people break from the crowd and grab Megan. They pull her away and out of sight. "Okay," he says. "That's it. Take the little track over there, it'll take you right out of here." The man turns to walk away. "Pleasure doing business with you," he adds.

Barbara and Mikey get in the minivan without you, and drive off. Mikey flips you off from the backseat. You admittedly feel terrible. As the crowd parts, you feel terrible for your choice. But you can't go back now. You follow the minivan on foot, until you're out of the slums.
> ....
You aren't sure how to feel as you pace up the road, vaguely in the direction of Washington. You feel remorse for your decision, and wish you could take it back. Giving up Megan was a stupid choice. She cared about you, and you would gladly hand her over for your own protection. There's no more time to dwell, though. That affair took up the whole day. It'll be dark soon.

you continue up the road, in search of a place to spend the night. About an hour after the sun goes down, you spot something. It looks like a military outpost.

It ends up being exactly that. Judging by the footprints and blood, this place didn't last too long. It's only been a few days, and people are dying fast. Not even the military can seemingly stand up to the ever-growing threat of death. You open the door to the trailer and look inside.

You are rewarded with another gun, this one a Stag-15. It has a half-empty magazine. Other than that, you find nothing in the trailer. It's as good a place as any to sleep, and it has a pullout couch/bed.

You are awoken in the morning by growling. You sit up quickly and look out the window next to the door.

Zombies. And several of them. They have wandered up and down the street, surrounding you on one side. If you could get out the door, and past the horde, you could outrun them and head north again.
> You shoot them
You load up the gun and kick the door open. The closest group of zed growl, and stomp over to you. You kneel for better balance, and do your best to aim. When you pull the trigger, you are surprisingly accurate. By the time you're out of bullets, you've cleared just enough of a path out. You slip by the trailer and move up the street at a steady jog, away from the zombies.

After you've slowed to a walk, you notice another building coming up. It looks kind of like a factory building. It has several floors, is made of brick. Three smokestacks jut out of the building's roof. it seems worthwhile to check out, so you run up to it. You are disappointed to learn that the entrance is surrounded by fencing.

> You move on
Picking at the fence isn't worth it. Besides, why waste time here? Your goal of getting to Washington is still the highest priority. You leave the warehouse alone and continue on your way.
> You what's new?
You continue to walk down the road as before, this time with a gun slung over your shoulder. You spot a sign telling you that you're still on I-5, on a crash course with Washington.

The sun beats down on you as you realize you are quite thirsty. Hungry, too. The way ahead looks bare. Bare except for a road sign. It tells you that if you continue ahead, you'll reach a small town. Next to the town's name, written with blood, is a small message: COME ONE, COME ALL

If you turn to the right, you'll arrive at a rest stop. There won't be food or water, but there will be a gas station (probably empty), and a pharmacy.
> You check the rest stop
You make the decision to see if there's anything worth taking at the rest stop. It's a short walk, and if there's any water, you'll gladly take it.

Just as you suspected, the gas station has been looted of everything. The cash register, the food, even the toilet paper is all gone. Someone beat you to the punch. Oh, well. You go to check the pharmacy. That has been looted too, but not all the way. A few bottles have been left behind, scattered among the shelves. You take a bottle of painkillers and a roll of bandages. Nothing else really seems useful.

> You head to the town
The collar of your shirt is soaked with sweat by the time you spot the town. It's relatively small, and a wall of cars and metal scrap surrounds it. A front gate set on hinges to swing open is right in the middle of the road. Above it sits a guard tower.

You are spotted well before you get to the door. You are ordered to get on your knees and place any weapons you have on the ground. You place your gun on the road in clear view of the tower and comply. The gate swings open, and a small group comes to meet you.

The group consists of a clean-shaven man, a small boy, and a woman holding a clipboard. "Hello. My name is Rose. Welcome to Fort Z."

After the group makes sure you aren't going to hurt anyone, you get your gun back and are welcomed into the community. You are surprised at how fast it went up. It's only been a few days, but the walls are up, and the community is thriving (for now). There is no shortage of people, and homes and buildings have been turned into sleeping quarters, storage, and everything else you can think of. "Well," begins Rose. "It seems like you've come a long way, would you like something?"
> You what are the rules around here?
"Well, there aren't many rules around here, because no one seems to be causing any trouble. Just don't hurt anyone or steal anything and you should be fine," says Rose. "Also, don't do anything stupid," adds the clean-shaven man.
> You who are these people?
"Oh, jeez," Rose begins. "I couldn't hope to remember everyone's name. But, this is Callaghan," Rose says of the clean-shaven man. He reaches out to shake your hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he says. "Then there's Max," Rose pats the little boy on the head. The boy is hiding behind his mother's legs. "We're kind of like the government around here. Other than that, you can make friends as you wish."


You load up the gun and kick the door open. The closest group of zed growl, and stomp over to you. You kneel for better balance, and do your best to aim. When you pull the trigger, you are surprisingly accurate. By the time you're out of bullets, you've cleared just enough of a path out. You slip by the trailer and move up the street at a steady jog, away from the zombies.

After you've slowed to a walk, you notice another building coming up. It looks kind of like a factory building. It has several floors, is made of brick. Three smokestacks jut out of the building's roof. it seems worthwhile to check out, so you run up to it. You are disappointed to learn that the entrance is surrounded by fencing.

> You break in
You use the butt of your gun to hit the fence poles repeatedly. Eventually, the pole gives way, and part of the fence falls away. You step in, and into the factory.

As soon as you step inside, you see a woman picking through a pile of debris. She looks up at you as you enter.

"Oh. Hi," she says. She seems rather uninterested in you. "What are you looking for?" you ask. "Parts," she replies. "Parts for an engine. More specifically," she pulls a piece of notebook paper out of her pocket and reads it, "...a fan belt."

You nod. "Okay."

"My name's Clarice, by the way," she says out of nowhere. You are caught slightly off guard, but introduce yourself anyway. Suddenly, Clarice pulls a large black thing out of the wreckage. "Found it," she says triumphantly. She heads out of a side door. "By the way," she adds, "Don't bother following me."


You aren't sure how to feel as you pace up the road, vaguely in the direction of Washington. You feel remorse for your decision, and wish you could take it back. Giving up Megan was a stupid choice. She cared about you, and you would gladly hand her over for your own protection. There's no more time to dwell, though. That affair took up the whole day. It'll be dark soon.

you continue up the road, in search of a place to spend the night. About an hour after the sun goes down, you spot something. It looks like a military outpost.

It ends up being exactly that. Judging by the footprints and blood, this place didn't last too long. It's only been a few days, and people are dying fast. Not even the military can seemingly stand up to the ever-growing threat of death. You open the door to the trailer and look inside.

You are rewarded with another gun, this one a Stag-15. It has a half-empty magazine. Other than that, you find nothing in the trailer. It's as good a place as any to sleep, and it has a pullout couch/bed.

You are awoken in the morning by growling. You sit up quickly and look out the window next to the door.

Zombies. And several of them. They have wandered up and down the street, surrounding you on one side. If you could get out the door, and past the horde, you could outrun them and head north again.
> You search the trailer for another weapon
Not wanting to waste bullets, you scrounge around the trailer for something sharp. Eventually, you find a piece of plastic that looks like it used to be part of a canteen. Nonetheless, it's sharp.

You open the trailer door and slice away, just like with the glass shard. You're able to clear a small opening for you to charge through, and you make it away from the horde at a running speed.

After you've slowed to a walk, you notice another building coming up. It looks kind of like a factory building. It has several floors, is made of brick. Three smokestacks jut out of the building's roof. it seems worthwhile to check out, so you run up to it. You are disappointed to learn that the entrance is surrounded by fencing.


"We can work this out," you say. The man lowers his gun. "I'm listening."
> You offer half your supplies
"Half our supplies," you offer. "Please, just let us pass. We need to get somewhere, quickly." You search for any sign of anything behind the man's eyes. You find nothing. "Sorry," he says. "But unless you have a better offer than our current demands, this won't turn out well for you."


"We can work this out," you say. The man lowers his gun. "I'm listening."
> You offer your gas
"Gas," you say. "You can have it. Just leave us enough to get out. You can take the rest." The man doesn't even consider it. "Look around you, stupid. Do you see a single functioning car?" You look around. "NO!" the man yells. "We don't have 'em 'cause we don't need 'em. If you don't start making me a good offer, I'm just gonna have to start taking without asking first."


You begin to get a bad feeling about the place. The empty buildings and atmosphere feel a lot more sinister now than they did a second ago. Your instincts kick in, and you try to drive away.

You quickly find that the roads have been blocked off by debris. They're herding you in a certain direction. You can't get out of the car, either, as you start to see other people watching you out of buildings and behind trash cans. In a last ditch effort to get away, you throw the minivan in reverse.

As you try to back out, you see something: a large truck blocks the way out. They've sealed the road behind you. A man holding a golf club comes out of a nearby building and starts running toward the minivan. In total panic, you speed down the road, away from the truck.

Barbara is gripping her armrests in fear. You would be, but both your hands are on the steering wheel. You drive down the road, exactly where they want you to. You can hear the truck following closely behind you. Suddenly, you drive into a dead end. The way forward is blocked. The truck pulls to a stop behind you, trapping you.

You have no choice but to get out of the car. A mob of people has gathered around your vehicle. Your group follows suit, and gets out of the car.

"Okay, let's not waste time. Give us your stuff, and your car, and we'll escort you to your new home," barks a large, bald man. The crowd of angry people with their guns pointed at you reminds you that you'll have to speak carefully.
> You give up your supplies
"It's all in the trailer," you say, which is true. The man looks behind him, and snaps his fingers. "Boys, unload the trailer." He turns back to you. "Now that that's out of the way, I will be happy to escort you to your new home."
> You attack
You pretend to walk over to the minivan to surrender the keys. Everyone's eyes are on you. You open the door, and grab a gun out of its holster. No one can see you. You ponder who to shoot first. "Well?" the man taunts. "Am I getting the keys or not?" Decision made.

You thought you could be quick enough to shoot somebody. But you didn't even pull the trigger. Not once.


You won't let the man continue. You draw your gun and shoot both men down. They were at close range, but it still took a few shots. Once they're dead, you go up to the victim. His face is swollen, and his nose is bleeding. He flinches, expecting you to attack him too.
> You leave the hostage
You can't take in a new member, and you also can't trust him. You leave him tied to the pole, get back in the car, and drive off.


You won't let the man continue. You draw your gun and shoot both men down. They were at close range, but it still took a few shots. Once they're dead, you go up to the victim. His face is swollen, and his nose is bleeding. He flinches, expecting you to attack him too.
> You take the hostage with you
You can't leave the man out here like this. It's not safe. You untie the rope holding him to the pole. He gives you a look of pure gratitude. You have him hide in the trailer, and you take off.

> You keep going
There's no time to waste. You gunshots echoed throughout the area, and you doubt those two were alone. With the man hiding in your trailer, you try to drive away.

You quickly find that the roads have been blocked off by debris. They're herding you in a certain direction. You can't get out of the car, either, as you start to see other people watching you out of buildings and behind trash cans. In a last ditch effort to get away, you throw the minivan in reverse.

As you try to back out, you see something: a large truck blocks the way out. They've sealed the road behind you. A man holding a golf club comes out of a nearby building and starts running toward the minivan. In total panic, you speed down the road, away from the truck.

Barbara is gripping her armrests in fear. You would be, but both your hands are on the steering wheel. You drive down the road, exactly where they want you to. You can hear the truck following closely behind you. Suddenly, you drive into a dead end. The way forward is blocked. The truck pulls to a stop behind you, trapping you.

You have no choice but to get out of the car. A mob of people has gathered around your vehicle. Your group follows suit, but the former hostage stays in your trailer.

"Okay, let's not waste time. Give us our hostage, your stuff, and your car, and we'll escort you to your new home," barks a large, bald man. The crowd of angry people with their guns pointed at you reminds you that you'll have to speak carefully.
> You give up the hostage
Slowly, with your arms raised, you walk over to the trailer, and open the door. The hostage steps out with his arms raised. "Wonderful," the man says. He grabs the hostage by the shirt collar and hands him over to another man, who drags him away. "Anything else?"