"Yeah, he's fine. We're fine. It's happy endings all around, up until we get eaten by an army of mini zombies, which is apparently out there," Annie said. "It seems like Ditto Elementary is the source of the infection or one of them anyway. I guess that means we need to go check it out then."

Doc noticed a powwow in the hall on her way to the kitchen, so she decided to stop in. "I have a theory about how this epidemic might have started. We know that flu shots come from chickens. What if one of the chickens in an apothecary company's flock became infected with the bacteria? We know that the bacteria have evolved to respond to the human body in a way that allows the disease to assume control. Maybe it doesn't respond that way to chickens. Maybe it only survives inside the chicken, but doesn't thrive or take over. Nobody in charge would know that there was something wrong. Chicken zero would be free to infect the others at will; I'm given to understand that chickens lead a rather free-wheeling lifestyle. Soon any eggs coming from that flock will be tainted, and the resulting vaccines will cause infection in people who take them."

"I would like to be part of the group that goes to the elementary school. We should see if we can find a record of where the vaccines came from, but also look for other clues. The evidence against the flu shots is not conclusive."

"So we're thinking it's starting with the kids," Delia mused, nodding to Bryan and Neal. "That checks with what we saw."

She listened to Doc's somewhat bizarre chicken theory, but nodded at the final conclusion.

"Since the outbreak was first reported in Monstropolis, I'm gonna say that we aren't gonna be able to solve everything at Ditto Town Elementary, but we can go check it out. At least figure out where the vaccines were shipped from, if possible."

She thought for a moment, then looked at Neal.

"I'll let you start organizing that," she said, then turned and walked toward the kitchen. She grabbed Aron's sleeve as she walked past him, and dragged him along, swinging the door shut behind them.

Neal watched as Delia sauntered off towards the kitchen with Aron in tow. "Alright, so who wants to go on a field trip, then?" he asked turning back to the group in front of him.

"I didn't go on the last one, so I guess it's my turn," Annie said. The idea of tangling with zombies didn't thrill her, but being locked up inside the Mansion was starting to make her feel vaguely claustrophobic.

"If we're goin', let's go," Delia said, pushing through the kitchen doors, back into the dining area. "Everybody take something with them--gun, knife, baseball bat--and if you see a zombie, well, don't let it get you."

Annie followed Delia. She still had Neal's gun. He hadn't asked for it back and she was inclined to take that as permission to keep it for now.

"Come on, guys. Let's get this done," she said over her shoulder to the others.

Neal looked over at Doc and gave a half smile before heading after the others. Easily catching-up with Delia and Annie, the Darkling glanced around the Town Square as the company exited the Mansion.

"If this is a success, remind me to buy you a drink." Neal said to their hostess as he walked on.

Doc picked up a bronze clown statuette that was on an end table, "I'd prefer a bow and arrow, but I guess this'll have to do." She then followed the others.

"We can see about getting armaments later," Delia said, stopping in the front hall to pull her jacket on, then jerked her head toward one of the closets. "But I'd suggest something that's a bit more inclined toward decapitation or explosions. There's a small assortment of swords and things in there--maybe even a bow. Keep in mind, though--nothing short of the complete incapacitation of the nervous system seems to work for these guys."

She looked at Neal, then at the others, then back to Annie.

"I'd suggest that we go single file...someone with good aim should be at the front and at the back, to try to cover, I guess. The school is only a few blocks, but who knows. I'm thinking that our first stop there should be the nurse's office, unless someone has a better idea."

Gamemaster Notes
If you wish for your character to come along, and they have not officially said they're coming, just have them tag along.
Your goal in this area should be to figure out more about the infection. If your character stumbles upon something that might be helpful, or even if they don't, you may receive a PM from a gamemaster with information. If you receive such a PM, it us up to you how much of that information is shared and how much is kept private.

Bryan was one of those who tagged along; after a brief search for a serviceable weapon he came upon a fireplace poker gathering dust in the basement. Thanks to his lack of experience with sword or bow, he decided it would be safer for his companions if he left those options to those able to competently use them.

Annie was on edge the whole way to the school. They hadn't spotted any zombies yet, but the potential was always there.

Doc perused the bulletin board by the front entrance. "Theatrical presentation for Autobot Heritage Month. . . Selma Slicker wins grand prize in fingernail painting competition . . . flu shots, but we knew about that . . . I don't see anything useful here." She went a little further down the hall. "The nurse's office should be near the main entrance, they usually are . . . there we go."

Delia cautiously looked through the window before jiggling the doorknob. It gave way, and she walked in.

"Well...I'm sure we can find all manner of things useful in here. Hopefully we find out where the vaccines were shipped from. I just hope none of us get poked by anything," she shuddered. "I know we're thinking its in a needle, but the fact that so many people got infected here just gives me the creeps."

"I can check her computer. There might be information on there," Annie said, sitting down at the nurse's desk. She turned the computer on and stared at the login screen. "Great. Password protected."

She shuffled through a pile of newspapers and granola bar wrappers and found a post-it note pad. On the top note was the message: Computer Password = I <3 Kids.

"The nurse needed a note to remember that password? That's a bit disturbing," Annie muttered, typing as she spoke.

The revealed desktop was a bit ... cluttered. Lots and lots of unnamed files.

"This might take awhile, guys."