Food Review: Balkan

So, my fiance and I made another fortunate find this week. We were walking around the 2nd floor of the RCBC plaza looking for something to eat before meeting with potential suppliers for our wedding when lo and behold, I saw the words "Yugoslavian Cuisine", I knew that had to try Balkan out. Maanne, who at this point, is very well aware for my penchant in trying out new food gamely went along with me.

The interior of the place is very clean: white walls, wooden furniture, famous Yugoslavians (I assumed anyway. Also, is that the right term?) painted on the opposite site on where we were seated. Payment is made through the counter and the food is self-serviced which I don't mind. Most of the food have one too many consonants which made guessing their correct pronunciations an interesting experience. Good thing that there we're big pictures beside the names to give you an idea on what you're ordering.

For our first visit, we went with the staff's recommendation of Stuffed Pljeskavica (I think it was pronounced as pil-yes-ka-vi-sa)which is a ground beef steak stuffed with mozzarella. Option for side dishes we're white rice, french fries and mashed potatoes. We went with the mash potatoes since they we're out of rice at the time. Boo. For my order, I went with something safe in case the first one was a bust, Chicken Kebab with a side of french fries.Serving time was surprisingly fast, we got our food in 5 minutes!

The Stuffed Pljeskavica wasn't tough at all. We could cut the meat with just a spoon (which is a good thing for ravenous eater like me). The meat was very flavorful, juicy and goes well with the melted mozzarella inside. It's reminiscent of a very well done beef cheeseburger. Definitely coming back for this one again. Maybe with the sandwich variant next time!

The Chicken Kebab was a different take on what we've usually had from previous mediterranean joints we've been into. The chicken is flavorful, tender, wrapped in BACON(!) and had a mild garlic paste mixture inside that really ties it all together. The vegetables we're all grilled nicely to bring out their respective flavors and just goes so well with the kebab. The fries we're nothing special. Would have been even better with rice!

All of the meals are under 200 which was very competitive compared to the other establishments there. Aside from the hard to pronounce names, the Yugoslavian cuisine presented there was very accessible. Everything is just an Eastern Europen take on the most common meat-based comfort foods steaks, burgers, sausages and kebabs. Also, they seem to really like their cheese a lot which I'm sure everyone will appreciate. Definitely coming back here again next time. 4 out of 5 farts! :)

The End of the World: No Room in Hell: Session 2

For this session, there are some changes in the current player roster:
1) JM won't be joining us anymore since RPGs are not really his cup of tea while
2) Gino (a very verbose friend) and DJ (a very cerebral friend) have decided to join Wilbert (who likes killing zombies, a lot!), JR (the team smooth talker) and ME (whose plans never go my way) for another session of The End of The World.

For this article, I've decided to narrate it from my POV instead of the survivor's diary format to cut down on the words and so that I could interject my thoughts more directly.


Part I: Freezer Meet and Greet

The session starts with the Wilbert and Jose accompanied by other NPC survivors (me, JM, Majah and Jae) locked inside the freezer room of the Hotel Intercon with no way of opening the door and a horde of zombies outside. The guys meet Gino and DJ who have been squatting inside the freezer long before looks like. After a quick chat on who's who, the new comers have been put up to speed on what has been happening outside since they decided to bunker in the freezer when all this started.

Soon everyone realizes that they are trapped inside with no way out. Everyone talks this over and gathers what supplies (food and meat hooks as weapons, etc) they could. Wilbert gives some chocolate to Jae as a peace offering, hoping that he won't get stabbed/shot in the back for having kicked the kid's face in the first place. Hmm.. We'll see...

To speed things along my character smoothly blurts out "How about the ventilation shafts?". Everyone mulls this over and follows my subtle cue! (Smooth) Being the pragmatic bastards that they are, they unanimously decide to send the 13-yr kid first as a disposable scout despite Maja's protests. Jeezus, talk about protecting the innocent.

Part II: Security Office

They follow the shaft through which eventually leads to a crossroads in the system. A lot of noises can be heard from both the left and right paths so the team decides that forwards is the safest course of action. They reach the ventilation grill at the end, in which they see two bodies with their brains blown out. The room appears to be the security office of the hotel. The team drops down and starts investigating the room. They start looting the office and they find additional radios, night sticks, batteries and the service pistols of the two security personnel who seem to have had a suicide pact together. However, all that noise has alerted a nearby horde of zombies to the barricaded door of the office which is the only exit they have. They looked through the port hole and there appears to be only about 10 or so zombies. Everyone gears up for their first horde fight.

With Gino's suggestion, the plan is to hold the door slightly open using the nearby locker cabinets as anchors behind the door against the push of the horde. This will create a natural choke point where the group only has to fight the zombies one at a time. Hopefully. Gino and DJ prepare to hold the door against the horde while Wilbert and Jose will attack those who get through using their spears. The team has refrained from using firearms since the noise could lure additional zombies into the fight.

Gino and DJ open the door and brace inevitable. The zombies trickle into the room in groups of 2 to 3 at a time. This forces Gino to help Wilbert and Jose fend-off their attackers. Which leaves DJ all alone in holding the door. Wilbert shows surprising skill with the use of the spear as starts scything through zombie heads one after the other. Gino and Jose guard his flanks to prevent the horde from spilling over into the helpless NPCs.

While the sixth zombie was being disposed of inside the room, DJ feels the the increased pressure of the horde which was unexpected since it should be decreasing by now. He holds onto dear life as more zombies appear inside the room, way more than they expected. The group manages to scrape through the new surge and starts mopping up the rest of the stragglers as they enter the room. Apart from a few cuts and bruises, everyone seems to be ok. They check for bite wounds and fine none. As they start cleaning up, the group hears some garbled chatter over the radio. The only words they we're able to understand were: "Disaster... Evacuate... Laguna.. I repeat, Bulacan... What? Corregidor?" before the transmission was abruptly cut again. They talk it over but are unable to decide. For now, they need supplies and a safe house where they can think things through.

After a short rest, the group sneaks out of the hotel through the lobby. As they leave the hotel, they are bombarded by corpses. It seems that the zombies from the upper floor are following them directly and now it literally is raining men. Unnerved, the group decides to press on into B&B, hoping to find some friendly faces and supplies. At this point Jose announces that he has decided to strike out on his own to look for his dog back in Manila and then make a journey to Palawan to search for Irene. The group tries to reason with him but they are unable to change his mind. For now, Jose will still be with them until Makati Square, where they now have to go in separate directions for their own objectives.

As they pass by the intersection between Park Square, SM and Glorietta, they hear a loud scream and the sound of gunfire. The group decides to skirt through the commotion by passing through Pasay Road but Wilbert stays to investigate. He peeks around the corner, where he sees a police officer and a woman cornered. Wilbert shouts for the officer to shoot them in the head instead which creates a distraction for the zombies, giving the couple enough time to slip through. However they are ambushed by more zombies from a nearby store as they run towards Wilbert. Seeing the hopelessness of their situation he leaves them with a heavy heart and runs back towards the rest of the group where he gets chastised for trying to save everyone, which based the contemporary zombie culture, was incredibly unrealistic. He takes this into heart and is silent for the rest of the journey.

Part III: Makati B&B

The group arrives in front of the Pamana Building which seems to be empty at this point. They turn on their flash lights as they make their way through the ground floor. They find a couple of bodies near the elevator which Gino immediately double taps on the head with his night stick to ensure that they're dead. As they walk to the second floor hallway, they hear some noises and see lights through the door of B&B. Gino peeks and is surprised to find Errol, Raymz and Matt already in the room looting for supplies. (They we're happily chatting away at the table beside us in real life. :p) Since both groups have known each other, they start bartering weapons for food as the players are in short supply of water. The group decides to hole up in the room during daylight and to move again at sundown to better avoid any other hostiles.



Thoughts for this session:
I got cocky with how I handled my last session on the fly and decided to play this session by ear as well. I made minimal preparations which was a really bad idea because the critical scenarios that I planned out did not materialize completely according to plan. I needed to stick to the script so that I could kill off the one-shot players (Me, JM and Jose) to make the narrative less confusing. Since that didn't work out as I hoped, it affected my mood for the rest of the game. I need to adjust better to the flow of the story and not try to railroad it as it just kills the fun for everyone.

This is also my first time where my players would really talk everything though. I tried giving everyone enough time to say their piece but at some point the discussion gets repetitive. I need to wrap these jaw sessions faster by being more forceful as a GM. I was able to control this during the fight scenes by counting down from five which kept everyone on their toes. The fight scene felt repetitive at some point but there's only so far I could have gotten with very generic zombies. I'm seriously considering wrapping this story line soon so that I can introduce other scenarios with more varied and interesting enemies.

Overall I was nnot very happy with how I handled things. The good that came out of it is that I was able to see a lot of the things that I need to work on in one session so hopefully I can address them earlier. It looked like the guys had fun but since we tried waiting for another player, we ended up playing quite late. Should have set a better timeline for everyone. Oh well, learn and learn.

Show Review: Over the Garden Wall

Over the Garden Wall is a mini series that is creepy yet delightful, whimsical yet profound at the same time. It's a part of these new animations that are both for adult and children. It a bandwagon that I've started hitching myself onto since I've been away from watching cartoons and anime for a while. This show is slapstick comedy on the surface that will delight kids but when viewed by adults, you get something more profound. Existential even.

It tells the story of two brothers who are lost in the forest called the Unknown and their journey to get home. Unlike Adventure Time which I found to be too.. weird? (I'll get back to finishing it eventually) this show is a bit more relatable albeit more on the creepy side. I'is in the same vein as Courage the Cowardly Dog was for me as a kid, where the protagonists face something weird every episode. It is literally facing the Unknown (fear of and the forest itself) which I mostly chickened out growing up, hence a long list of unfinished horror games to my belt. I've recently begun exploring that side of myself and this show is a good start I think. It's not overtly creepy but there is a heavy feeling that something is off. Very off throughout the show.

The show is only 10 episodes long, each lasting about 11 minutes so it's pretty short. The first season ended on a high note for me. If it did end this short (which I doubt) then I'm happy with that because it looked like the show knows when to stop correctly unlike other TV shows like Supernatural where the network is just milking the cow dry for all it's worth. I highly recommend this show to most people, adult and kids alike. :)

Game Review: The End of the World: Zombie Apocalypse

A short review for The End of the World: Zombie Apocalypse RPG system that I ran last Thursday.

PROS:

1. Very light rules wise which translates to quicker games and smoother game flow. The game is more about having fun than following the rules. So there is less need to consult the rule book for clarifications. This is a nice pick-me-up game for new and casual players.

2. Having the option to play as yourself/fictional characters and your hometown/fictional one means that the game should suit any preferences for any casual playgroup.
3. The game provides 5 different scenarios to guide you in running you're game ranging from the regular undead infection to more complicated scenarios involving religion or prehistoric lifeforms. The GM has a choice on which scenario to pick depending on the play group's experience and preference.

CONS:

1. Smoother games = more story creation on the fly. Though as a GM, Not really a con since this is a nice problem to have I think. Just have to stock up on electrolytes before hand.
2. Some portions of the game are left intentionally vague or the game leaves this up to the GM's discretion. I'm expecting FAQs and Erratas.
3. Not for hardcore RPG players who like to do a lot of number crunching.
4. The game is more appropriate for experienced GMs since a lot of the world building is entirely up to the GM. But since you have the option to play as yourself in your hometown, it's more of a baptism by fire for first time GMs.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:

A light and casual RPG that's face paced and can be played with most groups. The game basically gives the DM short guidelines on how to play the game and the rest is up to the GM. I made some mistakes while hosting the game which is to be expected since A) that was my first game using this game and B) it was my first time to DM.

To be honest, I was initially hoping for robust scenarios specfying what should happen per session like in DND since up to this point, most of my RPG experience is based on playing DND 5th. This means my first game was a baptism by fire that I survived with only a few minor burns. The players enjoyed themselves overall but some parts of the session needed improvement like my handling of tests, narrating the results of such tests and item management (food/water/ammo count, weight management).

The ability to create scenarios on the fly means that I can control the pace and difficulty of the game depending on how my players are doing. Although this means I have to prepare a lot of stuffbefore hand, it just translates to a better and faster gaming experience for everyone including me as opposed to following a written scenario that could drag on because of the players focusing too much on the little things.
I will definitely play this game again to see far my creativity will take me. I've always though about writing a novel and this seems like a good starting grond as any.

The End of the World: No Room in Hell: Session 1

Here's my report for last night's End Of The World RPG session. It's a long read, it's actually a short story now. Some scenes I had to embellish a bit for them to make sence to everyone but me. >_<;

End of The World: Zombie Apocalypse

 Survivor's Diary Day 1:

I am writing this since... I guess it serves as a distraction to pass the nights where anyone can't sleep because of all the screaming. And those. Those are the good nights.

I don't know if we should have seen it coming. Because of the SAF 44 debacle and how it was mishandled further, there was a lot of clamor for the President's resignation. Hell, even the police went through with their mass leave as a show of protest. Around the time, petty crime has been on the rise and we've heard of riots and fires on heavily populated squatters'sareas on the fringes of the metropolis.

It started on a Thursday night, February 5, 2015. I'll never forget that day. It should have been any other Thursday except with traffic literally at a stand-still.There seemed to be a lot of road accidents lately. The MMDA might have taken a mass leave too for all I know. So that left me, Jose, Wilbert and JM closing shop at BnB since we're hungry and we've heard the malls are still open.We walked over to Glorietta since I was hankering for some Manam Express meals. As we're walking to the G4 foodcourt, we heard an announcement over the PA system:

"To our patrons, we are pleased to announce that Ayala Malls will not close for tonight until the grid-lock traffic affecting the metro has been resolved. We've talked with our vendors and they have agreed to keep their establishments open in the mean time to serve you're shopping needs. Ayala Malls, because you deserve more!"

"Wow, that's new." said Jose, " I don't think they've ever done that before.". Wilbert nods and just looks away. The traffic has been pretty bad on the way so he was still fuming over it.
As we near ascend the elevator near Jollibee in the 2nd floor, we heard a new announcement:

"The Ayala Malls management is pleased to announce that we've coordinated with our fastfood partners and everyone is now entitled to a free meal on us! We're going to setup a distribution centers at various parts of the mall. Kindly follow our security personnel as they organize the food lines. Thank you and have a great night!"

"Look, the guards are setting up in front of Itallianis!" shouted JM. "Screw Manam then, nothing beats free food." I quickly blurted out. And so the four of us quickly ran to the other escalator to go down and be one of the first persons in line to get the free grub. Afterwards, we started walking around the mall and noticed that the cinema is doing re-runs tonight. Everyone agreed that World War Z deserved a second viewing. As we're watching the film, I noticed that the sound effects are crisper than I remembered. I mentioned this outload and JR remarks "Damn, must be Dolby Digital!". And so the movie ended after a couple of hours. We left cinema with the other movie goers and as we went our the Cinema 7 doors, we noticed that the whole floor was eerily silent. It looked like the place was looted but there hardly seemed to be anyone else but those who watched the movie.


"I've seen enough B-rated movies to know where this is going." mutters JM as he hefts one the velvet rope stands nearby. Wilbert and I took out our respective Swiss Army knifes while Jose tenses his body for anything that could happen. As we passed by Wendy's, Jose suggested that we could use some of the knives in the kitchen as additional weapons. As we go near the counter where food was everywhere. We see a dak silhoutte slowly stand up at the farthest corner.

Deciding that discretion is needed for now, the group slowly backs away from the counter.

"We should go to the 4th floor of Rustan's through Debenham's. That their kitchen section." opined Jose. I replied with "Damn man, you sure know this place a lot.". So we walked over to the escalator near Debenham's and through the rotating door leading into Rustan's. Their seems to be an aweful lot of blood on those door handles.Inside Rustan's, there are signs of looting as well. Some of the lights are destroyed while others are flickering. Things are definitely not looking good.

We ambled over to the kitchen area and started looting for weapons. Wilbert went to the nearby Curtain section to get some curtain poles. Using the nearby stash of electric tapes, the knives were tied to the poles to create make-shift spears for the three of them. The knife boards got taped to our left arms as impromptu shields like the magazine vambrace that Brad Pitt used in World War Z. I opted for a cleaver instead. There's something comforting about the solid weight of it in my hand.
Everyone takes spare knives just in case and puts it in their backpacks.

With all that hustle and bustle, we didn't notice one of the store clerks approach us. He seems to be part of a larger group that's hanging back for now. "What's happening here?" he asks wearily? "Don't mind us." says Wilbert as he's strapping the board to his arm. "I'm sorry sir but that'shop lifting. We don't want any trouble from Management.". "Look around!" Jose shouts "It's all going to hell man. What's a few more missing items? Here, you can have my credit card if that makes you feel any better. The clerk seemed not so sure but he takes Jose for his work and goes back to his fellows to talk about the card in his hands.

While they're distracted, the group hurriedly goes down the escalator to the third floor.

Down at the third floor we can see the devestation outside through the open windows near the escalator. There seems to be more fires nearby and people are running everywhere. You can hear the sound of several helicopters as they pass by. "Shit, I'm gonna need a yellow short" said Jose. I asked why. "This could be a freaking coup for all we know!". "But what if we encounter the rebels?" says JM. "Then we can rip the shirts in front of them." Jose counters.

And so the group decided to roam the 3rd floor which happens to be the clothing section of the store. As we're moving, something grabs Wilbert's right leg with both hands. Wil panics and lashes out kicks it in the head. As we back away quickly, we hear the sound of a kid crying.

Jose quickly rushes forward to comfort the kid who has now suffered a broken nose. He was able to quiet the kid down eventually just as we hear this peculiar sound seems to be getting louder. It's the droning sound that you would hear in the background if there we're a lot of people around you.
Everyone notices this and keeps quite for a while. Waiting for what happens next. For what seemed like an eternity, the sound slowlyrecedes as if it was moving further and further away.

"So, what do we do now?" I whispered. "There should be a security office at the basement of the store and a small armory over at the Hotel Intercon" Jose said calmly. "And just how the hell would you know all that??" Wilbert hurriedly replied. Jose gives a cocky smile and utters "You don't wanna know man.". I roll my eyes behind everyones backs as we started descending to the basement from the third floor.



As we're stepping away from the basement escalator, we hear three shots fired coming from the security office. Jose quickly decides to put the yellow shirt he found earlier on top of his spear as a
parley flag and shouts "Don't shoot! We're not hostile".
"Then who the hell are you?" shouted the armed man.
"We're just trying to get to the security office."
"Yeah, like every looter I've had to shoot the whole goddamn night."
"We're not looters, we're just trying to find a safe haven sir."
"Yeah, well that ain't gonna happen son."
"How about my car for safe passage?"
"You shittin me boy?"
"No sir." (Shows him arm and dangles his keychain)
"Hand it over to me slowly..."
"I'm coming out. Don't shoot." (Jose removes the actual car key and hides it in his pocket)
"w\Which one is you're car?"
"It's on the other side, which is why we wanted safe passage. Here's the remote for it since it's automatic."
"This sounds too good to be true. You pulling a fast one on me son??"
"No sir, we'd rather just take our chances elsewhere than get shot here."
"Hmp. Okay. Tell your companions to get out and we'll go together to the car."
"Okay guys, let's go. It's cool."
"You pretty boy. (point at Wilbert) You got the flashlight. You start. (points the gun at Wilbert)
"Don't you want to come with us? There's strength in numbers." says Wilbert.
"Mind your own business."
"..."
And so the group walked toward where Jose's "car" would be parked, which just happened to be at the other end near the escalator to Hotel Intercon, alleged by Jose. As the group passes by one of the support pillars, an attacker lunges for Wilbert. He instinctively strikes his right elbow backward and the attacker gets entangled with the armed guard (whom we always referred to as Manong afterwards), and a wresting match ensued. In the heat of the moment, Wilbert uses his spear to stab the attacker in the leg, figuring that it was a big and safe target for disabling him. He manages to stab the attacker who was startled that he had to back away immediately. But not before the was able to bite Manong in the neck.

"The fuck man?" said the attacker, whom we'll now call Ben, over his bloody mouth.
"The fuck's wrong with you asshole??" shouted Wilbert.
"Just wanted the goddamn gun. Jeesuz I'm bleedin..." (puts his hands over his leg)
"I'll help you cover it up, but you gotta help us man." said Jose.
"You crazy? That guy bit Manong!" shouted JM.
"we need all the help we can get guys..." pleaded Jose.

A loud bang silences everyone mid-sentence.

Everyone looked at the source of the sound. Manong could be seen with his smoking pistol pointed over at Ben who now had a bullet hole in his forehead. "That's for my partner you bastards." he muttered. This was the first time we've seen cold blooded murder done first hand. It's one thing to hurt someone and a whole 'nother universe to watch the light go out of their eyes.

"Damn, he's bleeding" muttered Jose, after a long silence, as he tears a piece of his shirt to bandage for the wound in Manong's neck. He ties the bandage around the neck. He knots t for good measure which surprised Manong. He accidentally discharges his pistol once again.
"You have no idea what you're doing eh?" I said to which Jose replied "At least I'm doing something!".
"He won't survive long with a wound like that..."
"I know, we gotta find a first aid kit. Or better yet, a hospital."
"There's... there's a kit in the.. office." mumbled Manong.
"We need the keys to the security office then. You gotta trust us on this one."
"Like, I gotta choice. Here.... take it."
"Who's going back with me?" said Jose.
"I will, volunteered Wilbert".
"Ok, we'll stay here and guard Manong and the kid (whom we later found out was called Jae)." said JM. I nodded.

While Jose and Wilbert we're going back, JM and I decided to move Manong to the nearest support pillar for cover. As we're moving Manong, he started aiming his gun behind us to which I muttered "wha?" before 3 louds bangs explode in my only working ear. Tenitis here we go. I back away and looked at what he was firing at.

It was the first walkers we've met and there's three of them. They seem to have been attracted by the all the noise. They we're not pretty look at. Ghastly wounds and pale skin,d that ghastly smell of rotting meat and sulfur.They just wouldn't stop coming despite Manong unloading his clip into them. I was too stunned to tell him to aim for the head. He could have been aiming for all I know but the blood loss isn't really helping. I panic and started running backwards til I saw Jay, I crawled over to him to try and steady myself.

It looked like I was defending him but it took everything I had just to stand up straight. JM goes on the offensive and he seems remarkably comfortable with the weapon. Stabbing the first
two zombies through the eyes to damage the brain. Hell he even manages to swirl the damn thing around while pierced just to ensure that nothing would be left intact. He later remarked that training in fencing and arnis seemed to have come in handy after all this time.

Cut into Jose and Wilbert as they approach the security office.

They we're able to open the door without any fuzz. The office has already been ransacked but they found a first aid kit in one of the debris, 4 flashlights, 4 nightsticks and a hand-held radio with no batteries. As they go around, two zombies suddenly blocked their way. They seem to be ones Manong shot earlier.

Jose immediately closes the door but leaves it ajar intentionally so Wilbert could thrust his spear through the gap. Jose grunts as a pushing match with the two zombies ensue. Not knowing how long before Jose can hold, Wilbert tries his best to stab a head which he does just in time before Jose gives out. Jose intentionally backs away and the last zombies stumbles forward. Will steps on the zombie's back to steady it while jose uses his knife to stab the zombie at the back of the head. Bodies pumping full of adrenaline, they take a few minutes to recover and run back towards the others.

Back into our little drama.

JM manages to stab the last zombie through the ear but not before Manong got several more bites. JM and Wilbert return with the medical kit but it's too late. There's no way could survive with that many bite wounds. I turn Jae around as Jose covers Manong's face with a hankerchief. He takes Manong's service pistol, point it beside his head, utters a silent prayer and pulls the trigger. At this point, we we're all just standing silent.

Until.Until we heard the sound of wet meat hitting the pavement. It was bodies. Dozens of them. Falling from the first floor railing and sliding down the escalator. The horde is coming.

It's 500 meters to the Hotel Intercon escalator. Rule number one: Cardio. Shit.

We haul ass out of there, I even had to drag Jae to urge him forward. The poor kid's catatonic. His young mind can't handle that much shit in such a short amount of time. The hoard's 50 meters behind us.

My legs get entangled with the kid's. Jose trips. JM almost got grabbed but he loses balance. Wilbert had to run back and help us. 35 meters.

The combined moaning of the hoard wakes the other lurkers in the parking lot. The flickering lights start playing with our minds. They seem to be multiplying everytime the lights go back on. We reach the escalator but there's three zombies there. Jose runs forward and lures them out while the rest edge around and run across the glass doors.

20 meters.

Jose barely makes it back as Wilbert and JM close the metal railings shut with a loud clang. That should hold them for a while.

We silently ascend the escalator. Lo and behold, the gorgeous Hotel Intercon lobby. Fully furnished but slightly damaged, zombies included. There was 10 of them just roaming around. We sneaked past them one by one until we reached the back offices behind the front desk. We open the closest door, its pitch dark. Jose opens his flashlight but covers the top part with his hand to focus the light. Clever. It seems to be a cubicle farm. Could be for Sales or Reservations. As we slowly check each cubicle.
We hear sounds of crying. Shit. Don't tell me there's a Witch?

Wilbert throws one of the D20s from his bag. Little buggers always seem to make a lot of racket somehow.

The crying stops. "Who's there?" said a lovely voice.
"It's ok miss, we won't hurt you." said Jose.
"She sounds hot." I mmuttered.
"Did someone say rape?" someone else whispered.
"Wha-- No!"
"DID SOMEONE SAY RAPE?!" shouted the lovely voice.
"No one's raping anyone." said Wilbert sternly. He approaches the the lady and upon seeing his face, he seemed to have calmed down.
"What's you're name miss?"
"... Maja"
"The actress??"
"... No."

Introductions we're made. She seemed to have hidden in different spots during riot and miraculously got away unscathed. She told us she fell asleep a couple of times while hiding so she doesn't know everything. We could tell she was being real cagey about her story. Frankly, she was too pretty and we were all just a bunch of nerds so let it slide.

For now. We cut the chit-chat and ask her about the hotel's security office. She remembers that there we're a lot of people there around the time of the riots. We figured that the place got looted again like the last one. We ask what else is out there. She mentions the women's locker room and the kitchen.
Jose suggests that someone that pretty could be a liability later on and a quick visit to the locker room is in order. We agree. That short skirt isn't helping us focus on where we need to. We go back out and stop near the locker room door. JM and Wilbert volunteered to check it out while the rest wait outside in the corridor.

Room's pitch black. Again. Will throws his D20. Makes a hell of a racket. Again. No further sound. They open their flash lights and see that it's a small square room with lockers on the walls. There a body but it's slowly breathing. Real slow. They decide to take it in stride and look for untouched lockers. They found one but they have nothing to open it with. Maja's hairpin pins could have come in handy but she was outside so tough luck. The body in the corner starts convulsing and they haul ass.

"Anything good?" I asked. "Zilch" replied JM. as they hurriedly locked the door. Odd. We hear a moaning sound and Maja recognizes it.
"Carla is that you?"
Moan.
"Are you alright?" More moaning.
"We gotta go Maja." said Jose.
"But my friend is in there!"
"Are you kid... Look it's too late. She's a goner".
"What do you mean?"
"Zombie." said Wilbert as he pushes forward.
"You guys are kidding right?"
"Darling, How I wish we were."

Carla seems to be making quite the racket inside. The lobby zombies seem to want in on the action. The basement horde doesn't want to be left out either, after going to the trouble with the door below. We see them slowly creeping towards us.

Jose takes out tablet. Cocks it with "You only live once" in the music player before throwing it into the middle of the horde. The horde faces inward as it follows the streaming sound and strobing sound of Joses's tablet. One of the buggers steps on it by accident. The crowd starts facing towards us again. But the tablet did it's job. We started barricading the only door into the kitchen with whatever we could find.

But it's not enough to hold the combined strength of that many moving bodies. The onyl safe spot is the freezer room. A giant safe full of thawing meat inside.
With no time to think, we go inside the freezer and lock ourselves in. In the middle of all that meat. Some of which are starting to smell funky. Not the most comforting of omens.

Shit.