CREATED by dsweet: 7/16/00 0a1,9 > 000715 -- Cray Canyon Cold Snap -- part II > ========================================== > > AUTHOR: dsweet > COMPOSED: 7/16/00 > STORY: > Despite the Conductor asking everyone to return to their assigned seat the > will-be-adventurers have decided to mill around trying to learn more about the > man who has kill two people. UPDATED by dsweet: 7/19/00 5a6 > UPDATED: 7/19/00 9c10,20 < man who has kill two people. --- > man who has killed two people. > The adventurers find the apparent murderer's co-workers. > They all used to work for Diversified Interests Mining Company until it closed > for the winter. > They all travel from Cray Canyon via mule to Brown Creek where they caught the > train. > They spend every winter in California spending their years wages. > The mine has only recently been bought by Diversified Interests. > It used to be owned by North Colorado Mining Company. > The Conductor is standing by. > He seems satisfied by the adventurers questioning style. UPDATED by dsweet: 8/31/00 6c6 < UPDATED: 7/19/00 --- > UPDATED: 8/31/00 20c20,39 < He seems satisfied by the adventurers questioning style. --- > He seems satisfied by the adventurers questioning style. > > After learning as much as they can from the witnesses and the dead man's co- > workers everyone heads off to bed again. > Over the next hour or so most of the pasengers experiance bad dreams. > The dreams are more of a feeling then a story. > A distant screams and then a women speaking animatedly in German waken everyone > from a feeling of dark smothering cold. > > Luckily Chris' character speaks German so he up stages the reporter who thought > she'd get an exclusive interview with the lady. > Her infant was abducted. > The band of will-be-heroes search for the baby by spliting up. > Half head to the engine and the others who don't lock themselves in their car > head to the cabose. > > The engine is nearly searched completely but nothing is found. > The train is cast into darkness as they enter a tunnel. > Halfway through the tunnel the train comes to jarring halt. > Metal on metal screams against the rough UPDATED by dsweet: 8/31/00 34a35,36 > While searching they find a tenth of the passengers have gone into some sort > of melancholy zombie state. 39c41,43 < Metal on metal screams against the rough --- > Metal on metal screams against the rough hewn rock walls. > The gas laterns flicker out again and a jubilant cry can be heard from the back > of the train. UPDATED by dsweet: 8/31/00 43c43,57 < of the train. --- > of the train. > > The number of zombified passengers seems to have jumped to about a third and > when the train comes to a stop all the zombies wander out into the tunnel. > The will-be-heroes witness the zombies form into strange rotating triangles > that slowly round the train. > Some of the band go outside but when the interfere with a triangle's movement > they are attacked. > When they flee the zombies go back to what they were doing. > > Meanwhile in the train, the other come onto a a train car frozen solid under > two feet of ice. > They slowly beat their way into the train car with a fire axe. > > The outside group come into site of a triangle they has the Berstock UPDATED by dsweet: 8/31/00 43a44 > It about 5:15am at this point. 57c58,71 < The outside group come into site of a triangle they has the Berstock --- > The outside group come into site of a triangle they has the Berstock as a > member. > When they go after him, he appears to be dead but still he moves. > Unlike the zombies he reacts with his own will and is intelligent. > He controls the zombies around him to protect himself since he is unarmed. > Despite the all his guile and the attacking zombies our wil-be-heroes shoot him > multiple times and no one in the band is seriously injured. > The sight of the pulverized berstock shock anyone who see hims. > His head flobs behind by only a little muscle tissue. > There are holes in his chest where light can be seen through. > Nevertheless, he manages to scramble away beneath the train and disappear into > the crowd on the otherside. > > UPDATED by dsweet: 8/31/00 71c71,83 < --- > Back in the train after a half hour of beating on the car's door they get bored > and start blasting away. > With a magazine emptied they enter the car and find everyone and everything > covered in ice as thick as was on the door. > They start beating on a person covered in ice hoping to free the person inside. > Quickly they decide the person is quite dead. > He also happens to have the meloncholy grin of a zombie. > Everyone in the car does. > > Everyone meets up outside and discuss what has happened to them. > They decide to go after Berstock en mass. > Despite all the gun play the Berstock continues to move about, but nearly all > his limbs are rendered useless. UPDATED by dsweet: 8/31/00 38c38,39 < The engine is nearly searched completely but nothing is found. --- > The engine is nearly searched completely but the infant is not found. > A talisman is found in Berstock's luggage though. 49a51 > All of the zombies mumble things about freeing the father. 83a86,110 > > The will-be-heroes collect all the non-zombies into the front of the train and > manage to disconnect the frozen car from the rest of the train. > An engineer starts up the train pulls it out of the tunnel. > Rick takes the head of Berstock and the talisman and goes with it. > > With only minutes before dawn the moving triangles mumbles are becoming quite > loud. > A caring will-be-heroe revives a wounded zombie who is now out of her daze. > A good reaction roll allows her to reveal that the berstock who is possessed by > a native american spirit called Haimannock. > He has been separated from his father, Rononatha, by Cray canyon for eons. > Both have been buried and powerless until Diversified Interest's mining > division only just released the son. > They both fear light and find fire deadly. > > Armed with the knowledge the will-be-heroes light the corpse of Berstock on > fire. > The zombies come out of their daze. > The unzombies are encourage to wander towards the escaping train where they > should meet up with the rest of the passengers at the next stop. > > And in a short time a portal to another reality blocks the nearest tunnel > exit. > This time they all go together.