<strong>Ricky Mulch: A Night that will Change Lives<br/>On top of the Blood Bar</strong><br/><br/>Ricky saw silent destruction.  Gore and blood splattered on the Tower, numerous toppled alarm pillars, and dark shapes scurrying across the town commons.  His eyes were as sharp as ever, but the night was dark.  Normally the alarm pillars would provide some light, but well over a dozen of them were down.  Still, he could vaguely make out a dark shape moving about in the deserted tower.<br/><br/><em>"Anything?"</em><br/><br/>Frozen with terror and surprise, Ricky remained silent and unresponsive to Lauren's whispered question.  His eyes were fixed on the Tower, and the figure inside.  He moved like a human, but when a glimmer of moonlight lit up his face, all Ricky could see was rotting skin and muscle.  The undead raised a long pole -- no, a rifle -- and pointed it to the sky.  Twin reports rolled over the compound.  The zombie was moving like a person.  The zombie was firing a gun.<br/><br/>The enveloping and disorienting din of gunfire shocked Ricky from his reverie.  Next to him, Lauren and Red both hit the deck.  Ricky stayed upright, spinning around and taking in the sporadic flashes around town.  Now there were voices, yelling, screaming, pleading.  He looked back towards the town square.  Several of the black shapes were moving towards the Town Hall; nearly all of the alarm towers were down.<br/><br/>His hands reached up and pushed through his hair, his mouth an open O.  No alarms went off.  That meant most people would be caught off guard.  The gunfire seemed to be coming from all over the town.  That meant the undead had somehow slipped past their defenses.<br/><br/>Ricky's first instinct was to bolt for the Town Hall and the bunker underneath, but then he thought about everyone in the Bar beneath him.  Not only was it his job to protect them, but they would all probably bolt for the Town Hall as well.  If he could get down there and instill some order, they could move out as an organized group.  If they kept the inner wall at their back and the North Road in front of them, the zombies wouldn't be able to get at them without crossing open ground first.  Truly, there was safety in numbers.<br/><br/>He looked back at the Tower.  The rifle wielding zombie who moved like a person was gone.<br/><br/>Ricky crouched and grabbed the shoulders of Red and Lauren, helping lift them up while he talked.  He spoke just loud enough to be heard over the gunfire.  "Look, we gotta get downstairs and get everyone in the bar moving towards the Town Hall together.  Most of the alarms have been knocked out by--"<em>What WAS knocking them out?  Way too fast...</em>"--something.  There's a bunch of undead coming from the west and north, some of them are already in the town square.  We need to move, NOW!"<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Inventory and Character Status</div><div class="spoiler_body"><strong>Inventory:</strong><br/><span class="bbc_u">POCKETS</span><br/>1.) Handgun  (with belt-clip holster)<br/>2.) 1 Clip of Ammunition (13 rounds) (back pocket)<br/>3.) Pocket sized note pad (front pocket)<br/>4.) Black Pen (front pocket)<br/>5.) Deck of Cards (includes Jokers) (back pocket)<br/><br/><strong>Current HP/SP Status:</strong><br/>Body Points - 166/166<br/>Stamina Points - 155/160<br/>Status - Top Shape</div></div>