You force yourself to ignore the deadly hail of lead churning the ground around your feet, and concentrate all your efforts on reaching the safety of the alleyway. Seconds pass like hours until finally you enter the narrow, tunnel-like passage.
At the far end you discover a battered pick-up truck, daubed with clan emblems and slogans, parked beside a fire-escape ladder that is lowered all the way to the ground.
+ +A splash of sparks lights up the lodge as your weapon is chewed up by the chainsaw
You leap up and launch a two-footed kick to Mad Dog
The moment you input the correct number,
You take the tub of Atropine tablets and check that its seal is intact; then you slip the tub into your pocket as you hurry out of the store and retrace your steps all the way back to the hospital exit. (You need not make a record of the Atropine on your Action Chart.)
+ +As you leave the hospital and make your way back to your car, an armed clansman with a solar torch comes walking across the lot. You freeze in your tracks, and then hide behind one of the wrecked autos. Judging from the direction in which he is walking, there is a strong possibility that he will catch sight of your roadster before you reach it.
You tug the transceiver from your backpack, only to discover that its power-pac has been smashed by a ricochet. (Delete the
Rickenbacker glances at the broken transceiver and shakes his head. They
he says, cocking his machine pistol. Let
With that he rises from his knees and empties an entire magazine at the clansmen
When you look back, Rickenbacker is busy reloading. You tap his arm and point to the alley, saying, I
You focus on the top of the outcrop, and at first you see nothing untoward. Then, about a minute later, a puff of smoke issues from the rock, as if a bullet has smacked into its surface. Patiently you watch the outcrop, half-expecting something else to happen. You do not have to wait very long: within a few minutes there is a rumbling noise, like the sound of distant thunder, and several giant cracks appear in the outcrop. Suddenly a whole section gives way and hundreds of tons of rock come tumbling down the mountainside.
+ +You watch open-mouthed as the landslide spills out across the freeway, blocking the lanes in both directions. Rickenbacker tugs at your sleeve and suggests that you turn around and drive back to the colony as fast as you can. Numbly you nod your head and reach out to restart the engine.
The route Jaeger took yesterday, when he hiked from the well in the mountains to Interstate 8, followed the course of the San Cristobal Wash. For him it was a difficult trail to follow on foot, and you soon discover that it is an even harder one to negotiate in a pick-up truck. The broken ground is deeply rutted and littered with boulders, and it takes more than an hour to make the fifteen-mile climb to the well.
The well itself is located at the bottom of a bowl-shaped gully, shaded from the sun by two peaks of the Mohawk Mountains. A pump house stands beside the bore-hole, to which is affixed a sign that reads:
-You park the pick-up beside the pump house and Jaeger helps you unload the containers. I had to draw the water up by hand yesterday,
he says, nodding towards the bore-hole,
Beyond the door you discover an old locker room that served as a changing area and equipment store for the fire department officers and paramedics who were once stationed here. A quick search uncovers a Fire Extinguisher, a Fire Axe (3), and enough medical supplies for three Medi-kit units.
+ +If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
The elation you feel at having found the medicine store is dampened when you take stock of your surroundings. Tens of thousands of bottles and containers line the shelves, not only in this room but in several other adjoining storage areas as well. And to make matters worse, there seems to be no logical order to the way the medicines have been stored. It could take you a week or more to inspect them individually.
Hoping to get lucky, you search the shelves for the better part of an hour until you notice, by chance, that the base of each container carries an index number. Now you concentrate your efforts on finding the catalogue, or file, that is the key to this storage system. Ironically, you discover it
Within minutes of finding the print-out, you locate a tub of Atropine tablets. You check that its seal is intact, and then slip the tub into your pocket as you hurry back to the roadster. (You need not make a record of the Atropine on your Action Chart.)
+ +Mad Dog launches a wild, sweeping slice at your head. You avoid instant decapitation by rolling across the debris-strewn floor, but, as you rise to your feet, a wave of dizziness robs you momentarily of your sight, and you stumble backwards against the wall. Your vision clears, and as Mad Dog approaches, you duck below his wild sweeps and thrust your weapon at his chest. You draw first blood. The clan leader squeals like a stuck pig and pulls away, but quickly recovers and attacks like a man possessed.
+ +You notice a Hunting Knife (2) lying nearby, on top of an office cabinet, and quickly grab it as Mad Dog launches a wild, sweeping slice at your head. You avoid instant decapitation by rolling across the debris-strewn floor, but, as you rise to your feet, a wave of dizziness robs you momentarily of your sight, and you stumble backwards against the wall. Your vision clears, and, as Mad Dog approaches, you duck below his wild sweeps and thrust your weapon at his chest. You draw first blood. The clan leader squeals like a stuck pig and pulls away, but quickly recovers and attacks like a man possessed.
+ +You follow the sign, taking the smaller road that branches away to the west. The name Laguna
stirs memories of your childhood before The Day
, for it was at Laguna Beach, California, that you were born and raised. You are still thinking about your old home, wondering if it is still the same, when the reservoir and dam appear in the distance. The two features make an impressive sight, enhanced by the rugged backdrop of the Cargo Muchacho Mountains and the knowledge that the land on the other side of the reservoir is California state territory.
You bring the convoy to a halt at a point overlooking the wide service road that runs across the top of the dam. Cutter goes forward to check its cracked surface and after walking its entire length, returns to declare that it is passable.
+ +You must now take a Drink or lose 3
Using the tube, you siphon a couple of gallons from the truck and transfer it to a fuel tank inside the pump house. Then, using the truck
Outside, Jaeger locates and opens the valve of the outlet pipe, which looks like a huge faucet, and out pours a coughing stream of crystal-clear water. With a triumphant yell, the two of you rush to the pipe and take turns lying on the ground beneath it until you are completely soaked to the skin. The water is cool and refreshingly pure
In less than twenty minutes you have drawn the sixty gallons you require and loaded the heavy containers onto the back of the pick-up. (If you wish, you may take this opportunity to refill your water canteen.)
You cannot see your own weapon, but Kate
Mad Dog frees his saw and launches a wild, sweeping slice at your head. You avoid instant decapitation by rolling across the debris-strewn floor, but as you rise to your feet, a wave of dizziness robs you momentarily of your sight, and you stumble backwards against the wall. Then your vision clears, and, as Mad Dog approaches, you duck below his wild sweeps and thrust the muzzle of your empty machine pistol at his chest. You draw first blood. The clan leader squeals like a stuck pig and pulls away, but quickly he recovers and attacks you like a man possessed.
+ +During the combat, you may use the empty machine pistol as a Club (2).
The route Jaeger took yesterday, when he hiked from the well in the mountains to Interstate 8, followed the dry watercourse of the San Cristobal Wash. For him it was a difficult trail to follow on foot, and you soon discover that it is even harder to negotiate in a pick-up truck. The broken ground is deeply rutted and littered with boulders, and progress is painfully slow.
Rather than continue in this direction, you decide to try a more indirect route that takes you west, away from the Wash, across an expanse of desert. By chance you happen upon the remains of a dirt road that winds southwards into the mountains. You stay with this track and, although its surface is far from perfect, you make good time.
At length you reach a ridge that overlooks the well. The site itself is located at the bottom of a bowl-shaped gully, shaded from the sun by two of the Mohawk
Carefully you descend, following the dirt road as it zigzags towards the site. You are within a few hundred yards of your destination when you are faced by an unexpected hazard. You take a sharp right bend to find that a section of the road beyond has collapsed. You brake, but the wheels skid on the loose stones and the rear of the truck starts to slide out towards the edge. Frantically you fight to correct the skid as the truck slides nearer and nearer to the edge of the steep ravine.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Driving skill score. Add to this total your current
You pull over to the side of the road and Rickenbacker radios to the convoy, instructing it to stop and stand by. Using your magnifying device you are able to see that behind the tents a road block has been erected. It consists of rubble and auto wrecks, and it completely blocks the highway leading to the town of Westmorland. The road south to Brawley is open, but there are several strange-looking people standing at the junction, either singly or gathered in groups. Some are dressed in brightly coloured patchwork clothes, others are half-naked; yet all of them have one thing in common: they move with such lethargy that, from a distance, they resemble a colony of shambling zombies.
+ +I don
you say to your partner. Radio the convoy and get them to put Cookie on. Maybe he knows something about these weirdos.
Rickenbacker complies with your request and, within a minute or so, you are talking to Cookie person-to-person. Sounds like you
says Cookie, after listening to your description of the people at the junction. They
You thank Cookie for the advice and sign off by telling the convoy that you and Rickenbacker are on your way back. You are about to reach for the ignition when suddenly you hear movement away to your right. You turn your head and see three Crazies
You bring your magnifying device to bear on the bridge and focus on the thin man. The stick he is holding has a forked cleft at one end, and he appears to be attempting to catch snakes, probably for food. You hand your glasses to Rickenbacker to let him observe the man
What do you think?
you ask.
Rickenbacker shrugs. I can
Slowly you drive towards the bridge, your eyes fixed on the man
As you run through the deadly hail of lead, you are half-aware of a burning sensation that cuts across the back of your calf. But it is not until you reach the safety of the alleyway that you dare to look down, to find that you have been wounded: lose 2
Quickly you staunch the bleeding and then hobble the length of the narrow, tunnel-like passage. At the far end, you discover a battered pick-up truck, daubed with clan emblems and slogans, parked beside a fire-escape ladder that is lowered all the way to the ground.
+ +Fighting back the sadness that you feel at having lost your roadster, you put on a brave face and join the others on the far side of the dam. Some of the colonists are celebrating their entry to California, but their numbers are few and, in the main, the mood of the colony is one of pessimism. You may have crossed the Californian state line, but you still have a long way to go before you reach civilization.
+ +Pop Ewell tries once more to radio Pine Valley, but the contact is worse than before and he concludes that the mountains must be blocking the signal. On this side of the river lies the remains of a dirt road which runs north to south. Maps are consulted and it is found that this trail leads north to a small camping settlement called Picacho, and south to Yuma. As it is far too dangerous to approach Yuma, it is decided to go north in the hope of finding a way through the mountains to Highway 78.
You join Rickenbacker in the clan pick-up truck and begin scouting the way ahead.
You follow the highway for a quarter of a mile until you come to a junction. Directly ahead you see a large building with a sign that says:
-You feel sure that the local fire department would have a map of the local area, so you drive onto the forecourt and park near the main door. Covering your face against the stinging wind, you leave your roadster and run towards the building. Inside the lobby, bathed in the light from your vehicle
As you turn to leave you notice an open door off to your left.
| First Number | +Second Number | +Third Number | +|
|---|---|---|---|
| First Group | +8 | +104 | +13 | +
| Second Group | +6 | +54 | +9 | +
| Third Group | +4 | +[adjustable numbers] | +7 | +
The sound of the F14
Following your reunion with your fellow colonists, you are escorted by the army to the US Naval Hospital in San Diego, where those who require it receive expert medical attention. News of your daring journey spreads quickly, and many hundreds of San Diegans besiege the hospital for a glimpse of those who have come out of the Omega Zone, a region where no civilized man was thought capable of surviving for more than a few weeks.
It is not long before the full account of the hardships and perils you have faced are coaxed out of your fellow colonists by the news-hungry Californian populace. Within a few days you discover that your personal exploits have made you quite a hero in their eyes, especially when it is revealed that you were born and raised in California. Your reputation is further glorified when the full story of your love for Kate Norton is told, and of how you saved her from the clutches of a despised HAVOC leader against all odds.
The army and the civil leaders stage a special ceremony in honour of the indefatigable spirit that you and your colony displayed during your exodus. News of the ceremony comes as an unexpected surprise, yet there is an even greater surprise awaiting you. At the end of the grand ceremony, you are reunited with your family, all of whom have survived the post-holocaust years. It is a joyous and emotional reunion, the memory of which you will cherish for the rest of your life.
@@ -6049,118 +6263,18 @@