VHS 001: The Beginning of the End

## Cast

May Leigh: Abigail Rose

Markeia McCarty: Achira Sampson

Luis Carazo: Lampwick

Michelle Nguyen Bradley: Juniper Song

Noxweiler Berf: Game Master

## Summary

The group, along with Joe "Skeeter" Jenkins, Lawrence "Papa Bear," and Malibu Stacee, walk along a railroad not far outside of the community of Bakersfield, on a delivery mission for The Ender's Line.

Juniper looks at a worn photograph she carries of her and her parents when she was a baby.

We flashback to Lampwick the day the world ended, a day on which he slept with a woman and then stole her wedding ring, purse, and car. He turns on the car radio and hears of the horrors of the beginning apocalypse.

We flashback to Abigail before the fall, sitting on her favorite park bench in Boston, watching nature. A man in a dark suit approaches and and asks if Abigail is going to be "joining us," saying that "you can call Judith. She's worried sick." The man assures Abigail that she's "never alone."

Abigail and Malibu Stacee discuss Malibu Stacee's gum-chewing habits. Achira and Malibu Stacee discuss what life was like before the fall, and Achira tells her not to look back on the past, because it hurts too much.

Achira hears a rustling sound in the woods. Nox asks the players for their intentions, initiating combat. Three Romeros (the name for the undead in this world) approach. Achira downs one of the Romeros with a headshot, but the other two call behind them for other undead, so the group decides to make a run for the safe house about a mile away. While attempting to run, Lampwick is grabbed by a Romero. Malibu Stacee headshots the Romero, and Lampwick escapes, but drops his pack in trying to wipe the black bile of the Romero off of his face to prevent infection. Achira picks up the dropped pack, taking some of its contents for herself.

The group reaches the safe house, but Lampwick sees that Malibu Stacee has Romero scratches on her arm. Malibu Stacee begins to yell and panic. The group decides to amputate Malibu Stacee's arm. Achira distracts her by singing the Cheers theme song, and Lampwick chops Malibu Stacee's arm off. Skeeter cauterizes the wound. Malibu Stacee tells Achira, "I never had a sister," before passing out.

While Malibu Stacee is unconscious, the group discusses putting her down or leaving her behind, as it is unlikely she will survive the amputation. Papa Bear convinces them to at least try to save her.

The group finds that the safe house, number 113, is well-stocked, and has both a radio and a VHS player. They turn on the VHS and load the provided tape into it. The tape is a message from a figure called Ten-Four, a leader of the Ender's Line, giving some information about what to look out for and emphasizing the urgency of delivering goods to a community in need of medical supplies.

As the group is bickering over the decision to save Malibu Stacee, a radio message comes in from someone called Five, who gives more directions for delivering the supplies, including some sought-after oranges that will be used to make penicillin by a doctor in a community further down the line.

The group eats a few of the oranges and searches through the given supplies, finding some maps, some food, and five VHS tapes. Achira is excited to find *Pretty in Pink.*

Suddenly, the people outside start yelling and knocking on the door, and the group hears the sound of a chainsaw. The group partially opens the door, seeing a strange Romero pushing against the door and trying to get in. Achira suggests pouring some gasoline from the generator under the doorway and lighting it to set fire to whatever is on the other side. Lampwick accidentally knocks the can of gasoline over, getting gas all over the floor and everyone's clothes. The group cleans up the gasoline inside the safe house as best they can, and Achira pours the remaining gasoline under the door, and lights the gasoline.

The group opens the door, and finds the gruesome, scattered remains of Malibu Stacee, Skeeter, and Papa Bear. Whoever, or whatever, did this had malicious intention.

The group decides to clean up the bodies and camp overnight in the safe house, with the exception of Achira, who goes off on her own, insisting that staying in the safe house is certain death.

Lampwick plays one of the VHS tapes, and finds a message from a man in a labcoat, promising a cure to the virus.

## VOD Link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ys8Cc228c-0