The Restless Dead Want YOU To Fight Necromancy

"Not that way," you say.

"Why the hell not?" she asks, hands on her hips.

Her clothes make you feel old, but that's besides the point. How do you concisely explain this? You'll probably have to explain it often, if other people aren't watching the news.

"There's been an outbreak of a plague, which your classmates succumbed to. It's best you avoid the scene, and I can get you to someplace secure. The plague is, apparently, widespread, mostly in the south of the United States."

The other girl bursts into tears, drawing the immediate attention of her two fellow survivors. She has pale skin, an oval face and pale eyes behind big glasses, curly light brown hair streaked with gold glitter, and a matching gold minidress that hides barely any figure at all - and mascara drawing lines down her cheeks as she cries. Her companions are a tall young man with black hair, wearing worn and grass-stained jeans and a red t-shirt with the university logo on the front, attempting ineffectually to comfort her, and the black young lady wearing a midriff-baring emerald halter top and miniskirt combination with her hair in two poofy pigtails.

She punches the crying young woman in the arm, lightly.

"Pull yourself together, girl. You didn't freak out all day and you're getting messed up now?"

"We're safe now," glasses girl manages through her tears.

"Not yet," you add. "Now, who's coming out the window first?"

"I am," says pigtails.

You carry her down out the window, setting her down next to a bed of red, white, and pink tulips.

"What's your name?"

"Shauna." She folds her arms over her chest, looking around at the night.

"You know how to use a gun, Shauna?"

"Yeah, my dad showed me."

"Here."

You hand her your pistol.

"Start shooting zombies if you see any. I'll be down to help out directly."

She inspects it, holding it more competently than you do, not pointing it at you or her feet. That'll do.

You return with Dani and Jacob shortly, one at a time. Dani smells delicious, but you just aren't very hungry at the moment. You're thinking about it, though, so letting go of Jacob is a little harder. You don't think the humans noticed your hesitation.

"Come on, let's get moving."

You lead the way along the direct route back towards your house, through other people's gardens. It's only a few long blocks away heading back west along the creek. If you'd come this way last night – well, you wouldn't have met a werewolf, which might prove useful.

"Who are you, anyway?" asks Jacob. "You're new in town. Do you know Castor and Pollux?"

What delightfully fake names. Twins, was it?

"Not yet, though I look forward to meeting them. I lived here some years ago, and I've just returned."

"You might know my family, then. Jacob Meyer, at your service."

"Meyer, yes. I knew your grandfather Thomas."

A local sorcerous family, rich and well established, not prone to dark magic.

He coughs.

"My great-grandfather. My grandfather was Aaron."

"Ah."

"I want to know why we're going to your house and not to the police," says Shauna.

"I want to know why we're following a vampire at all," says Dani. "Haven't we all seen this movie?"

"My house is enchanted against hostile intrusion, which prevents unwanted visitors such as you had today."

"You're an enchanter, then?" asks Jacob. You glance back at him. He's bringing up the rear, just as Shauna is ranging ahead with your gun.

"I'm a Hermetic ritualist," you correct. "I dabble in enchantment a little, but it's not a specialty. And you're a sorcerer?"

"I'm a hedge witch."

His expression dares you to argue with him. You are actually tempted. Holding off a house full of undead with only your own will and a candle? That's sorcery at its most pure, the imposition of human will upon the world. Still… you don't like it when other people tell you what you should call yourself, do you?

"I'm starting a garden," you comment, as gently as you can. "Perhaps you could advise me about the best herbs to plant?"

The tense lines of his shoulders relax.

"I have a few ideas for things to repel the undead, but…."

He makes a vague gesture at you, and you laugh.

"That is my current problem, yes. I'm trying to figure out how to specify the unpleasant undead."

"So you don't drink blood?" asks Dani.

You finger-comb your hair. How to put this… how to put this in modern terms… hm. A phrase does come to mind.

"In a safe, sane, and consensual fashion, I do."

Dani chokes on air, distracting everyone from the conversation as Jacob pats her on the back encouragingly.

You're missing some context here.

You pass the rest of the walk with basic introductions. You are a vampiric ritualist whose primary concern at the moment is securing the town. Jacob is a hedge witch and pre-med biology major at the university. He knows Dani from baking club. Mousy Dani is a history major and the closest she's come to the supernatural is 'being a renn faire nerd.' Shauna is Dani's roommate and a business major, Dani explains, since Shauna is busy attempting to look like the star of an action movie. Is that what you look like with a gun?

You suspect you look worse.

All three of them attended the frat party because they were feeling bold and celebratory at the end of the semester. All three of them are unwilling to talk about what happened when things started getting bad.

All three of them fall upon leftover soup and rolls from dinner like starving monsters, once you've successfully shepherded them inside and extracted your gun from a reluctant Shauna. Kathy takes charge of them, as Claudia gestures you over to the couches. You sit next to her.

"Good evening."

"Good evening." She glances back into the kitchen at the new horde feasting at your kitchen island. "I was going to tell you we had about two weeks of food for everyone, as things stand, but if you keep bringing people in…."

"I couldn't very well leave them there."

"Does that mean everyone can bring anyone they know? Kathy has a boyfriend and best friend she wants to invite. We all have friends we're worried about."

You frown at her.

"It's not solely my decision. Yes, it's my house, but we all need to be consulted. We'll discuss it."

Claudia frowns.

"Democracy's no way to run an operation."

To a certain extent you agree, but you lack context, and consulting others gives you context. You're not so arrogant as to think you'll make the best decision out of a sky blue mind.

[]"I want you in charge of the domestic front. Get everyone together for a meeting, you can tell me more about the food situation."
[]"I think it's fair that Bob Henderson is in charge of the domestic front. Ask him to get everyone together for a meeting."
[]"I'm going to focus on domestic matters, I won't make you worry about whether or not there's enough food for everyone."
[]Write-in

And….

[]"I'm going to ask Bruce to take point on zombie fighting, it's his area of expertise."
[]"I'm going to ask you to take point on zombie fighting, you can organize the groups that go out while Bruce leads one."
[]"I'm going to take charge of military matters myself."
[]Write-in

"I want you in charge of the domestic front. Get everyone together for a meeting, you can tell me more about the food situation. I'm going to ask Bruce to take point on zombie fighting, it's his area of expertise."

Claudia accepts, and organizes the awake and wakes the napping. The whole household apparently wants to be at this meeting, despite the day creeping into night.

"I suppose I'll start. I'm Morgan, everyone, and it's my honor to meet you. I'm a vampire, as in the Dracula stories, though less inclined towards stalking young women in nightgowns. My specialty is magic, such as the wards around this house that keep unwanted visitors from our door. My plan in the next few days is to do my best to stabilize our current zombie crisis. Claudia, could you introduce yourself?"

Introductions go around the room. Claudia is a horticulturalist. Bruce is army, retired. Ezra Henderson is a carpenter by profession, building furniture. His girlfriend Hannah is an anthropologist. Zoya, Ezra's daughter, is the theatre major. Will is the one studying social work, and her brother River is a former marine and current park ranger. Will adds that her mother Cleo is on the road somewhere, and that hopefully she will arrive tomorrow. Bob is an economics professor, his ex-wife Deedee a radio reporter. Kathy is a high school student, "But I've taken a first aid course and I'm learning to use a shotgun."

"Scary," comments her brother Wyatt. "My turn? I'm a mechanical engineering major. I… am also double majoring in magic studies, with a focus on earth magic and technomancy."

You blink. Kathy stares. Bob has another drink.

Wyatt's mother leans up on her elbow and says, "You're studying witchcraft?"

"Wizardry isn't witchcraft," Jacob corrects. "Different animals."

"I do not care, young man," Deedee snaps.

Wyatt presses his hand flat against the couch arm, carefully calm.

"We had a whole library full of magic books growing up, mom. It's not that surprising, is it?"

"This is your fault," his mother informs his father.

"I had no idea!" the man protests.

"Why didn't you tell me?" asks Kathy.

"The sooner we finish this meeting the sooner we can go to the hospital, correct?" Deedee asks you. "Get on with it, then."

Good focus, that woman.

[]"Wyatt, you're already familiar with the library. Could you skim through them tonight and find references to zombies and the undead for me?"
-[]"Please have Jacob assist you."
-[]Don't ask him to include Jacob.
[]Don't ask Wyatt to research the undead. He might rearrange your books.

"I'm Lisa, I'm an electrical and computer systems engineer for Ava Labs. I'm now wondering how many of my coworkers are wizards."

"Or witches," says Jacob. "There are technowitches. …I suppose it's my turn, then? I'm Jacob, I'm a bio major and hedge witch."

After that it settles back into introduction. Dani and Shauna introduce themselves again. Dani adds that she's pretty crafty and can cook, if they're listing survival skills. Abby is a data analyst and part time National Guard member. Her 14-year-old sister Grace works part time at a pizza place after school and could help cook?

"My mom's on the road here," comments Will. "She's going to want to take over the kitchen."

Assuming she arrives safely, no one says.

You change the subject to logistics. You have food for a little under two weeks, cleaning chores will be rotated, trash will be sorted in case trash pickup will be disrupted. Claudia will handle assigning people to the different tasks.

"I have a question for you all, mind," Claudia adds. "I want to start that garden for you, I picked up enough to plant the whole acre, but I don't know if you want to keep some lawn. It's mostly going to be potatoes."

[]Turn the whole lawn into a garden (1 acre).
[]Turn three fourths of the lawn into a garden (3/4 acre).
[]Turn half the lawn into a garden (1/2 acre).
[]Turn a quarter of the lawn into a garden (1/4 acre).

"I, ah. Thanks for the rescue, but I want to be clear – I'm clearing out tomorrow," Jacob says. "I have to check in with my friends and coven, my family. So don't include me on any chore charts, okay?"

You don't like the idea of useful people wandering off where you can't see them, that's how they end up bitten by zombies. Still, do you want to keep them all in the house? That would quickly end up a very crowded slumber party.

"Would you be safe to travel?" you ask. "If there was an unfortunate encounter."

"Dani and I'd go with him," Shauna volunteers. "Lend me a gun and I can shoot zombies."

That seems like overconfidence. Guns are actually quite difficult, you've found.

"Who here has experience with firearms – or the military?" you ask. "I know that Bruce, Abby, and River have served."

Those with combat experience are you, Bruce, Claudia, Abby, and River. Claudia is not leaving the house tomorrow. Those who have used a weapon at all include Kathy, whose first shooting experience was today, Shauna, and Ezra Henderson. Grace immediately volunteers to learn.

[]Everyone can leave, as long as they don't travel alone and bring a weapon. (Eight groups.)
[]Everyone must travel in a group with at least one person who knows how to use a weapon. (Five groups.)
[]Everyone must travel in a group with at least one person who has previously seen combat, not just hunting practice. (Three groups.)
[]Only those competent with weapons should leave the property. (One group.)
[]Groups should only leave the property if you're available to escort them. (One group, including Morgan.)
[]No one should leave the property right now except you.
[]Write-in

Kathy and Grace are very enthusiastic, but Kathy is 17 and Grace is 14. Shauna, 19, does not strike you as a particularly safe bet with firearms either – she's a little too enthusiastic for you to be comfortable.

[]You must be over twenty-one to fight zombies.
[]You must be over eighteen to fight zombies.
[]You must be over sixteen to fight zombies.
[]You must be over fourteen to fight zombies.
[]Write-in

Y'all rolled your only natural 100 to date on Wyatt's 'is he magic' roll. Enjoy.