340

The captain screams and throws his hands to his face: he has been hit. Blood oozes thickly through his fingers as he crumples slowly to the ground, the assassin’s bullet lodged deeply in his skull.

The shock of Frankland’s death, following so closely after Sergeant Haskell’s, hits you like an icy shower. You cower behind the truck, shivering with fear, afraid that you will be next. For a terrible moment the fear consumes you, and all you want to do is run as far and as fast as you can. Knott has taken cover among the pines and he pleads with you to stay where you are. But you cannot think clearly; panic has overwhelmed your senses. Blindly, you scramble to your feet and stumble towards the woods and, in your haste, you trip and fall, skinning your hands and knees on the flint-sharp shale: lose 1 ENDURANCE point.

Inadvertently, your fall saves your life. A shot passes over your head a second after you stumble, missing you by a hand’s breadth. The imminent danger clears your mind and you race towards the trees with renewed determination to survive. Knott encourages you to increase your speed and you pray that you will reach cover before the sniper has a chance to work another round into the breech of his rifle.

Add together your Stealth skill total and your current ENDURANCE points score. (Note: If your ENDURANCE is low and you are heavily encumbered, it may be advisable to discard some of your Backpack Items in order to increase your Stealth skill total.

If your total score is 15 or less, turn to 57.

If it is 16—19, turn to 83.

If it is 20 or more, turn to 254.