The Diner

[Bloodaxe]

Derek Lancaster- Journalist

Derek walks back to his table, still trying to get reception on his phone. Sits down and starts speaking quietly to his cameraman John, maybe you should bring in your gear. We might be out of the way enough nobody will show up here, but let's be ready just in case. If we get lucky you can get some good footage that I can turn into a special report that hopefully will get us outta this backwater. Maybe somewhere like Chicago, Dallas, Seattle... Miami! Wonder if they have world bikini championships. I'd cover that.

Derek stands up and starts walking back to the corner booth, still fiddling with his phone. My phone isn't getting-

Suddenly, in the middle of the diner, Derek sneezes.

You cant get a signal. Cell isn't working at all now. The TV cuts out, then flips back on with the same message again and agin in a loop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niMb-hR6gZ0

[Marcel]

Derek Lancaster- JournalistRaising voice and addressing everyone in the diner, Does anybody think it might be a good idea to try and keep people out? If this is airborne, I don't want anyone potentially infected coming in here and sneezing on me.


Derek stands up and starts walking back to the corner booth, still fiddling with his phone. My phone isn't getting-

Steve B. - Trucker

Giving up on his phone, Steve says to Derek, "Maybe you're right. We need to lock the doors." He goes to the foyer and says out the outer door to the Bikers, "we are closing doors before the contaminated air arrives. Get in here!"

Chingy, Let's get inside, grab a drink, and see if there's anything new on that broadcast.

[OGRE MAGE]

Chingy
Parking lot

As Chingy and his two brothers of the road enter the diner, he gives the trucker a confused look.

He thinks to himself How is closing the door going to keep out the bad air? And.... This guy must be nuts to tell 3 Outlaws to "get in" anywhere.

[Bloodaxe]

Whitey & Tiny : Bikers

Whitey
Get a load of him, giving orders. But he might be right. We saw people wandering around on our way here. Could be some crazies.

Tiny
I aint hanging out here all night. We're at a diner, might as well eat.

The two bikers head inside the diner & sit down.

[AleBelly]

Chance sits alone at his booth. The emergency report and various conversations swirl around the room, almost as if they have to join forces to penetrate the fog in his skull. The narcotic pills in his stomach dissolve, sending signals to his brain that combat his surging appetite. Judging by the nearly untouched food on his plate, the pills are winning.

Still, Chance knows something is amiss. This is much more than just the usual shitty science reporting he's come to expect from the media.

He decides to bide his time before making his next move.

[Marcel]

Steve B. - Trucker

As the bikers go past with their disapproving glares, Steve says sarcastically, "Take your time". Thinking to himself as the bikers are near, "damn do they stink, these fuckers never shower".

[Bloodaxe]

The TV cuts off abruptly. Flo the waitress changes the channel, but all are static.
Damn TV!

[Bloodaxe]

John : Camera man

John looks out the window into the darkness , then sits back down at the booth he shares with Derek.
What should we do?
He readies his small camera.

[ybn1197]

Tucker Riley - Nightwatchman

Derek Lancaster- Journalist

Walking over to the corner booth and looking at the nightwatchman's shirt to see if it has a name-tag.

Hey, uh, Tucker? You don't by any chance have any weapons, do you? Anything we could use to keep infected people out would be helpful.

"Ummm, yeah, yeah I do."Tucker is obviously perplexed at the events but finally manages to get himself together and head out to his car.

Does anybody think it might be a good idea to try and keep people out? If this is airborne, I don't want anyone potentially infected coming in here and sneezing on me.

Tucker opens the door and nods at the journalists words. It made perfect sense to him. He heads over to his Chrysler Concorde. It was an old car but it still ran. He unlocked the door and reached inside to grab his gun belt; synching it around his waist. He checked to make sure the flashlight was still working and grabbed a couple of spare batteries from the middle console. He took his walkie-talkie and placed it in its pouch on the belt. He knew he was too far from the depot and wouldn't be getting any messages from there but old habits die hard and he just felt naked without it. With all that he felt he needed, he locked the car back up and headed back into the dinner.

Derek Lancaster- Journalist
Derek stands up and starts walking back to the corner booth, still fiddling with his phone. My phone isn't getting-

Suddenly, in the middle of the diner, Derek sneezes.

Tucker stops in the doorway, eyes transfixed on Derek. "Didn't you just say it could be airborne?!" Tucker covers his nose and mouth with his left arm.

[OGRE MAGE]

Chingy
Diner

Chingy ignores the truckers insolence.........for now. As soon as he hears the sneeze coming from the yuppie looking guy, he pulls his neck rag back up around his nose and mouth.

He pays VERY close attention to Tiny without making it too obvious. Is he sweating a lot? Does he seem to be eating his food normally? Is there anything strange about the way he looks or acts?

To Flo Hey red.......you got a few more beers back there for me and my brothers? They got a mighty thirst from the road.

[Marcel]

Steve B. - Trucker

Steve sits at the counter and offers suggestions aloud to anyone within earshot. "Is there a landline in here? Should we turn off the Diner sign outside or the Open for Business sign in the window?"

[Scott308]

Derek Lancaster- Journalist
Inside near the booths

Tucker Riley - Nightwatchman

Derek stands up and starts walking back to the corner booth, still fiddling with his phone. My phone isn't getting-

Suddenly, in the middle of the diner, Derek sneezes.

Tucker stops in the doorway, eyes transfixed on Derek. "Didn't you just say it could be airborne?!" Tucker covers his nose and mouth with his left arm.

Derek's eyes dart around nervously, gauging reactions to his ill-timed sneeze. Now hold on just a second! Let's not do anything rash, here. I'm fine- it's just a sneeze. I've been at a damn Tiddlywinks tournament all day, nobody was biting anyone there. Besides, I've been in here with all of you for a while now; if I was sick you would have already been exposed.

[Norjax]

John J. Pongrass – Camera Man
Inside Diner, sitting in booth



John looks around with arrogant disgust and slouches with an indifferent posture in the booth. “Leave it up to the amateur media to spread hysteria. By this time tomorrow, they’ll be backtracking on their wild speculations. I’ve been through dozens of such public-panic events all over this mad gone world. They always end up as exaggerations.”

He starts recording the scene in the diner (to check the camera settings) and jokingly narrates, “We are here at the climactic scene to a Junk Pictures presentation: ‘Chickens with their Heads cut off'!”

[ybn1197]

Tucker Riley - Nightwatchman

"I think we should, at the very least, turn the diner sign off. No point in attracting attention. I'm sure there are some dumpsters out back. Maybe we should move them to block access to any rear entrances. This gives us full sight of anyone trying to get in."Tucker sends a look of disgust at the cameraman and shakes his head. "Funny how you work for the media which causes the hysteria."

[Norjax]

John J. Pongrass – Camera Man
Inside Diner, sitting in booth



John looks at Tucker and grins in a sarcastic manner, “You know, mate, not all media people are the same. The beauty-shop types on the tele are among the more incompetent, in my personal experience. What about your experience, hmm? “ He gestures a nod with his head, “What do you suppose police officers think when your kind is referred to as ‘rent-a-cops’?”

He gets up for a better view of the parking lot and turns to Tucker. “If there really is a contagion out there, there’s not much us common folk are going to do anyway.” He takes another swig of Glenlivet and looks through his camera, outside, towards the main road.

[Bloodaxe]

Chingy
Diner

Chingy ignores the truckers insolence.........for now. As soon as he hears the sneeze coming from the yuppie looking guy, he pulls his neck rag back up around his nose and mouth.

He pays VERY close attention to Tiny without making it too obvious. Is he sweating a lot? Does he seem to be eating his food normally? Is there anything strange about the way he looks or acts?

To Flo Hey red.......you got a few more beers back there for me and my brothers? They got a mighty thirst from the road.

Flo the waitress

Flo saunters over to the bikers table and drops off two pitchers and a few mugs.
Here ya go fellas.

[Bloodaxe]

Steve B. - Trucker

Steve sits at the counter and offers suggestions aloud to anyone within earshot. "Is there a landline in here? Should we turn off the Diner sign outside or the Open for Business sign in the window?"

Barb the waitress

Barb lifts a landline phone from behind the counter to show you. She holds the receiver to her ear then sighs.
Nothing. Not even a busy signal. Dead. I gotta get home to my kids.

[Bloodaxe]

Tucker Riley - Nightwatchman

"I think we should, at the very least, turn the diner sign off. No point in attracting attention. I'm sure there are some dumpsters out back. Maybe we should move them to block access to any rear entrances. This gives us full sight of anyone trying to get in."Tucker sends a look of disgust at the cameraman and shakes his head. "Funny how you work for the media which causes the hysteria."

The cook/owner sticks his big head out the pick-up window.

Mel diner owner
Shut off the lights? What for?
He looks annoyed & confused.

[AleBelly]

The soporifics begin to wear off as the gravity of the situation becomes apparent. Chance looks to the parking lot, where a dome light reveals someone gathering a weapon from his car. Even if the loss of cell phone service and TV signal are nothing, he realizes things could get ugly quickly. He stands from his booth and heads over to the kitchen, with three priorities.

1) He doesn't like all the glass windows in the diner. He tries to remember if there's a nearby building with less breachable walls.
2) He looks into the kitchen for a sturdy broom or other item with a sturdy stick that could serve as a staff.
3) He asks Flo "Is there a way to get up on the roof? And can you lock it from the outside?"

[Bloodaxe]

The soporifics begin to wear off as the gravity of the situation becomes apparent. Chance looks to the parking lot, where a dome light reveals someone gathering a weapon from his car. Even if the loss of cell phone service and TV signal are nothing, he realizes things could get ugly quickly. He stands from his booth and heads over to the kitchen, with three priorities.

1) He doesn't like all the glass windows in the diner. He tries to remember if there's a nearby building with less breachable walls.
2) He looks into the kitchen for a sturdy broom or other item with a sturdy stick that could serve as a staff.
3) He asks Flo "Is there a way to get up on the roof? And can you lock it from the outside?"

1) the front is all glass, but its about 3 feet up. You don't remember seeing any other buildings close by, at least a few miles.
2) you might run into some problems if you just stroll into the kitchen, you don't see any mop handy, but there must be one somewhere


3)
Flo the waitress
Huh? Watcha wanna go on the roof for?
She looks at you like you are crazy.