Group 4 intro: Tasha and Rowan

This group will be starting in Estes Park, Colorado -- Southwest of Fort Collins along 36.

Places of Interest:
- Estes Park Medical Center
- Lake Estes
- Rocky Mountain Pharmacy
- Safeway
- Estes Park Pharmacy
- Rexall Drug
- Timberline Medical
- Family Medical Clinic
- Estes Park Specialty Clinic
- Country Market
- Buckwheat Organic Market
- Famous Eastside Food Store
- Numerous hunting and sporting outlets (Big Red of the Rockies, The Hiking Hut, Outdoor World)

Environment:
The population of Estes Park is approximately 5,858.
It is largely mountainous, with a few heavily populated "settlements".
The mountains grow steeper the further west you travel and grow less steep the further east you travel.
To the north and south, it is largely similar.

For the first time since the outbreak, Rowan made his way into Estes Park. The forest surrounding his cabin were no longer safe for hunting and gathering, since a good bit of the infected scattered out in the surrounding mountains, either chasing the living, or simply wandering, so Rowan had headed here to scavenge supplies he could no longer safely attain in his home, and if need be, hole up in a secure location for a bit. The park was more like a small city or a large town covering the forested Colorado mountains in settlements instead of one large spot, which could be problematic if one considered the population in one enclosed spot. Rowan found himself hoping they had gone towards the highway to the South, it would make this journey a lot easier.
A few more minutes of following the mountain road, and Rowan had arrived on the outskirts of the first settlement closest to his cabin. He looked around, the once familiar town transformed into a shell of what it used to be. Once people, both tourists and residents would be going about today on foot and in vehicles, buying, selling, and sight seeing, now there were a few cars on the road, abandoned, and trash littering the empty street.
Rowan spotted the tallest vehicle on the road, an ambulance, but stopped short at the back of the emergency vehicle when he heard a noise within. He opened the door carefully, and was stunned by what he saw. Inside was a black body bag, and something small within was struggling. Rowan couldn't quite figure out why this shocked him so much.
You don't see that everyday[/i, he thought. [i] Then again, a lot of things you see nowadays aren't what you'd usually see everyday..
He was about to close the door, when a thought stopped him. {i] Would grandfather let this poor soul stay trapped in this body?{/i]. He stepped inside the back of the ambulance, his compact body easily fitting by just leaning down a bit, then the slung his Ute hunting bow off of his shoulder, and an arrow out of the quiver on his back. Rowan knocked the arrow, then reach forward with one hand and quickly unzipped the bag, but he wasn't prepared for what he found.
Inside was a little girl, probably no more than nine, her face half eaten and her skin half decayed by time, but somewhat preserved by the cold, dry air inside the bag. She lunged out of the bag with a groan, hands reaching for Rowans face, but Rowan managed to jump back, almost falling out of the ambulance. After recovering from the initial horror, Rowan snatched the arrow off of the floor, knocked it on the bow again, and pulled the string back as far as he could, wanting a clean kill.
The little girl leaned out of the bag, sitting up as she began to pull herself off the gurney. Rowan hesitated for a moment as she straightened up, looking right into her cloudy, dead eyes, and then he let go of the string, launching the projectile about ten feet and into the zombie-girl's right eye. The arrow met nearly no resistance, and slid in all the way to the feathers attached to the back end of the shaft. Rowan suddenly felt nauseous and struggled to keep his small meal from earlier that day down as he moved to retrieve the arrow, and was thankful it didn't pull the eye out when he slide the arrow from the socket.
The hunter stared down at the child's now still corpse and found himself wondering what she had been doing prior to the outbreak that had brought Colorado, and for all he knew, the united States down to it's knees, and eventually snapped out of his reverie, gingerly closed the girls eyes with his hand and zipped the bag up with a quick Ute prayer for those who had passed along into the next life.
Rowan managed to scavenge a couple of bottles of aspirin from the ambulance before he left, but he managed to only take two steps before he suddenly broke out into tears, falling to his knees and covering his face with his hands and sobs racked his body as he began to remember all of the people he had cared about, and oddly enough the ones he missed the most had been gone the longest, his mother and grandfather.
His tears stopped flowing when he heard his grandfathers voice in his head, reciting something he had said to Rowan many times when Rowan was frustrated or upset.

Earth, teach me
Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.


Rowan sucked in the cool mountain air, steeling himself, then he rose from his knees and began trudging along once more.

Day could not come soon enough for Tasha. At night, she found, she could only sleep in snatches. With all that she had seen, the slightest sound woke her - the rustling of a piece of paper in the wind, the creak of an open door... the shuffling of once-dead feet. That was a sound she had become accustomed to only too quickly. A sound she would never have had to hear in the world she had been born into…
But at least last night they had slept undisturbed. Her nerves were completely fried now. She always expected to be woken in the middle of the night by moaning, rotten mouths and grasping hands that were only half skin. Stretching cautiously, testing her aching muscles, Tasha unwrapped herself from the slender body of the boy who was her only connection left in this world. He looked so small, so fragile. Always shy and gentle-hearted, she was shocked that Julian had not snapped under this sort of pressure. She was shocked that she hadn’t. What sort of monster was she, that this new world had not driven her over the edge into madness yet?

Rubbing her eyes dazedly, Tasha sat up and raked her fingers through her matted hair and looked around. She vaguely remembered where she had chosen to sleep that night. She had holed them up in an abandoned apartment, after checking to make sure there was no one in there who was dead. She had piled the furniture against the doors, blocked out the windows with blankets and duct tape, and barricaded them in the safety of what looked like it had once been a baby’s bedroom. At least… that was what the cradle suggested.
She tried not to think too hard about the absence of the baby from that cradle…

“Julie,” Tasha whispered, reaching out and nudging the boy gently. He was awake in an instant, crying out in fear and jerking away from her touch. She winced slightly at that. He hadn’t broken yet, no… that didn’t mean he was entirely whole. “It’s me, Jules. It’s alright… you’re safe.”

The boy stared at her for a moment, still half lost in sleep and not registering her words, but slowly he went limp, curling up in a shivering ball on the blue and yellow rug they had used as a bed. Tasha sighed quietly and put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. She knew what would be going through his mind. Only a few days ago he would have been waking up in his own bedroom, back at home, to the smiling face of his mother.
But there was no time to wish after things which were long gone, and would never be again.

“We’ve got to get moving,” she told him quietly. “We’re running out of food and we can’t have them finding us here.”

Weakly, Julian nodded, and Tasha came to her feet. Every muscle in her body ached, but she did her best to ignore it. This was no longer a world of tea and heating pads. There was no luxury left for her. If muscle aches from running, from fighting, were all that she had to worry about, she was lucky.

She crossed the room to the backpacks resting up against the wall. She dug into one of them, pulling out their last packets of pretzels. That was all that was left for them. This was why they had to find food today… and as soon as possible.

They ate in nervous silence, both occupied, thinking of what might be waiting for them in the day to come. Not a day had gone by since what Tasha had come to see as the end of the world when she had not seen a half-rotten man, or a woman, or a child shambling soullessly through the streets. How widespread this epidemic was, she did not know… but that didn’t matter. Right now, she was here, right smack in the middle of it, and so far she had found no way to escape. When it had all begun her group had been large – three adults and ten children. She and Julian were all that was left of them.
Most of them had gotten up again and tried to kill her. She did her best not to remember that.

It took approximately ten minutes to shift the furniture out of the way, with the help of Julian, who was still not very strong. Tasha waited until she had her weapon in hand – a crowbar from the camp – before she let the door swing open.

Nobody there. For once they had chosen a spot that was truly safe.

Keeping Julian close behind her, moving as quickly and quietly as she could, Tasha fled the apartment building they had taken residence in for the night and ran out onto the nearly abandoned street. Abandoned…
She had faith that it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

((GMin' time. I'll be stepping in to present you with problems and challenges as well as facts about your surroundings and the like. Sorry you both had to wait so long.))

Rowan
Unfortunately, the sobs issued forth from your dismay drew the attention of a few formidable foes. They stumble forth, two from one side of the street (left) and three from the other (right), drawn in by the sounds of prey. Two are male -- standing at 5'11'' and 5'8'', one from each side of the road. One, from the left had side, has an injured leg and is limping, slowed considerably; the other seems to be in working condition.
The three women very in height and condition. The one on the left hand side of the street is structurally undamaged, though her death appeared to be extremely painful. She has chunks of flesh missing from each available part of her body and she is soaked in congealed blood. One woman from the right hand side of the street is in worse condition, actually missing an arm. Tendons and strips of muscle hang from where the appendage once was; her face had also sustained damage -- with an entire cheek having gone missing. The last woman was the most injure of them all -- she only had one arm, the rest of her body had been ripped limb from limb. Her legs no longer existed and her other arm was strung along, uselessly, by barely connected flesh. Her abdomen had been torn open, evident from the trail of blood and decaying organ pieces she left in her wake.
You have no doubt in your ability to escape these foes, simply dashing a few hundred feet would put enough distance between you and the group to stay a step ahead of them, even though they would continue to pursue you.
Fighting is always an option, but the longer you stay in one place, the longer you risk the addition of more zeds.

Tasha
Your faith has proved true -- though they had yet to notice you, a few steps in any direction would indicate the numerous deadheads that were milling about this apartment building. You can assume that they had once lived her, or at least were in the vicinity of the building upon their death. A quick count estimates the numbers of foes around fifteen. Though this had seemed quite clear the night before, it seems as though you had been quite lucky.
You notice a few things around you that may be of assistance:
1) A few paces away there is a vehicle, the door to the driver's side hangs open and you can see no individuals inside. You can assume they had exited in a hurry or had been dragged unwillingly from within. The key is still in the ignition and the light from the dome indicates that it still has battery power. You can't be sure of the level of gas, however. You may be able to reach the vehicle without drawing attention, assuming it is done quickly and quietly enough. There are a few zeds that will notice you if you are in the car for too long, simply by turning in the correct direction, and you know the sound of a starting engine will draw in numerous deadheads.
2) Directly across the street there is a short alleyway. From your position, you see no shadows within, leading you to believe that it is clear. You are certain, however, that moving across the street will draw attention from a few zeds. You are unsure if this alleyway emerges to another street or is a dead end, but you can see a fire escape towards the rear of the alleyway -- shadow consumes the path keeping you from noticing much beyond the fire escape, but you see no movement. The fire escape would be easily accessible -- a dumpster stands below it, so the ladder could be reached. The fire escape is attached to an adjacent apartment building and appears to lead to the roof -- approximately ten stories high.

A few moments later, Rowan caught movement in his peripheral. He spun, his right hand tightening on his bow as his left hand moved for the quiver on his back. He spotted five in all, two males and three females, and only one of the males seemed to produce any real threat at all as he began to close the distance between himself and Rowan, bring his hands up for Rowans flesh.
The walker was 10 paces away, but Rowan managed to keep a calm head on his shoulders as he took two steps back to create more distance to get a shot. Rowan slowly backpedaled, brought his bow up in front of his chest at an angle and knocked an arrow. He pulled the string back and took a couple of seconds to get a bead on his target, then fired the arrow when the Zed was merely 5 paces away. At that range, he didn't really need to aim, and the arrow nearly went through the place he had struck, just below the right eye and burying itself to the feathers. Rowan decided he could sacrifice at least one arrow as the other Undead began to enclose on him.
He turned and began to jog, knowing that even a more intact zombie wouldn't be able to catch him at a healthy walk, but he wanted to put as much distance between himself and them as possible, hoping they would lose eyesight of him ahead.
After all, he didn't want them follow him, because he knew exactly where he wanted to go.

Tasha hesitated for an instant, swallowing tightly. She glanced back at the boy who clung so tightly to her hand. He was shaking down to his very roots, and so was she, but she was better at hiding it. She drew a long, deep breath. Alley, or car...? Alley, or car...?

The car would draw lots of attention when it started. Running to the alley would gather a few of the walking dead, but less than the car would... and she was fairly sure that she could smack them over the heads with her crowbar. She was getting good at that. Besides, it was easier to hit someone in the head to hit a flying baseball...
Swallowing again, though her mouth was as dry as she had ever felt it, she drew Julian in beside her. Raising her crowbar, she pointed down a path between the zombies, towards the alley. Julian shook his head frantically, but in the end he had no choice. As quietly and as quickly as possible, Tasha ran through the pack of the dead, keeping Julian securely at her side, swinging to kill when one of the zombies turned to look at her. But she did not stop to see if the ones she struck fell - she just kept running until she reached the alley, plunging into the darkness, knowing that she could easily outrun the dead.

She did not take the fire-escape - there were bound to be dead within the building as well. She kept running, hoping there were no dead lurking in the shadows, and hoping that the street beyond would be less packed with them.

Rowan:
Your mark is hit expertly, but there is no time to rescue the used arrow even if you had wanted to. The injured zachs lag behind, but the intact ones keep right on moving. They pay no mind to their fallen comrade and continue to pursue, even after you manage to get quite a lead. Your perception allows you to hear their moans and, a quick stop to measure the distance, they are still moving in your direction.
Experience would say that zeds are not quick to lose interest in a potential meal, even if they can no longer see you. What's more, their hungry cries have drawn the attention of a few more of the undead, who had been milling about unaware of your presence. Though they cannot see you, the undead that are calling after you have urged them to join the chase. You have a great lead, but it may be another mile or two of not seeing you before they lose interest completely.

Tasha:
The zeds that notice you, whether you swing at them or not, let out a feeding call of sorts. Most of them turn in your direction just as you disappear within the mouth of the alley and begin pursuing. You estimate that it will take them about five to ten extra minutes, depending on their level of damage, to catch up to you. Those that you swing at are "disoriented", but the lack of focus and centered stance keep your swings from killing any of them. One particular zed does drop to the ground, the force of the impact causing him to topple over due to a damaged leg.
The alley way seems devoid of life and unlife alike, strange considering the amount of deadheads that had been surrounding the other apartment building. The alley turns sharply in both directions once it hits the buildings that stand back to back with those on the street you had just exited. To the right is an open path, but the left is blocked by a ten foot fence. Given more time, you may have been able to scale it, but with Julian in tow and the wails of hungry undead on your heels, this is a chance you should not take.
Down the length of the alley to the right, you can see a single exit in the next fifteen feet -- then next closest exit is approximately forty feet further away. You can see three zombies between the first and second exit, but they haven't noticed you as of yet. There seems to be no zachs between you and the first exit, however, you can see the shadow of another chain link fence in the entrance of the first exit. You see no shadows indicating the presence of zeds on the other side of the fence, however, and you are unsure if the fence must be scaled or if it is easy to open.