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Post by jarahamee on Oct 5, 2017 22:47:31 GMT -6
[Cassius lets Hui do his self-exploration and runs to join Sara and Kit. He would then look at his foot.]
Cassius took the quick thanks and noticed that Hui was looking less than social. The man bid him farewell and went to explore on his own. Very well. He felt for the direction his skin was calling from by the rest of the group. It pulled at the edge of his mind This way. Come, join us. It called to him, as if a piece of his personhood was missing. Was the beast really so important to him now?
His foot throbbed strangely but he thought perhaps a piece of the cracked ground was embedded in it when he moved the body. Now wasn't the time to start looking. He was too alone, too exposed. Cassius was smart enough to know humans were pack-hunters too, as much as he would like to think otherwise. He'd look when he was far away from doctor...He moved at a run to rejoin Kit and Sarah.
Kit would see Cassius jogging to join them from the darkness. A fit, naturally tan, angular and somewhat wild-looking middle-aged man. His dark eyes are wide with excitement and his sharpish teeth show as he pants, the darkness complimenting the ugly curves of his scarred face against the depths of his sharp cheekbone. He notices the wolf before him and makes eye-contact momentarily, recognition in his eyes. He did not comment, or ask for his cloak's return. It would help protect her, as his swordsmanship would help protect them...
"... He didn't want to join us. What's that sound?"
Cassius looked away from Sara. He paused to listen to the strange footsteps and voices... Where were they? He then took a moment to look at his foot-wound at that moment... Maybe it burned because a piece of flooring had gotten into it...
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 5, 2017 22:47:42 GMT -6
[ Ari is perfectly happy letting Raine lead. He has ideas (such as to search the rooms and make a torch) but no input on which direction they go. He'll follow Raine. ]
Ari flinched a little when Raine took one of his hands, turning it to look at his wrists, though he didn't wrench away. Really, he was glad to see a familiar face, glad it was Raine. Raine always seemed to know what he was doing, was a leader. He was glad - but he felt guilty for that too. He wouldn't wish anyone in this place, but more than that he didn't want to be alone.
When Raine began to walk more quickly, pulling into the lead, Ari was glad for that too. He gripped the Irishman's wrist tightly, and let the man lead them ahead to rejoin the rest of the group.
"You... You think there's an outside?" Ari sounded startled by the concept. "It-It's not... not just this? This forever?" He made a short jerky gesture with his free hand, encompassing the dirty tile and clinging shadows, the bloody writing and the grime.
"Th-There will be something, we'll need to find... a-a key or... something-something important here. We should... we should look. An-and maybe... C-Can we make a light? If-If we can find some cloth and-and something to make a spark..." He wanted light. He could still see fairly well in the low light, in non-perfect dark, but... Well. Maybe a light or a torch would chase off those skittering shadows. His breathing quickened even as he thought of those things that he couldn't quite see, ghost movements at the corners of his vision. He stepped closer to Raine.
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Post by Marshmallow on Oct 6, 2017 1:29:25 GMT -6
[OOC: Ilchymis panics when he is grabbed by Ghosty McBadTouch and runs straight ahead, stumbling to a halt in the middle of the floor ahead of the main group. He tries to warn the others about the danger.]
Ilchymis' eyes darted left and right, watching the dark figures as they clustered and scurried along the walls. He watched their gnarled, reaching hands with frightful suspicion. They seemed almost to be beckoning, like they wanted him to stay. He wanted to get as far away from them as he could.
The shadows grabbed onto his unseen companion. They grabbed and pulled. Ilchymis felt his breath hitch, and his hurried steps faltered. Even if they weren't latching on to him, he could still feel them. Every shadowy hand that grasped and clawed at the masked spirit sent uncomfortable chills down the construct's spine and pressed icy needles into his chest. His awareness of his silent guardian was ever suppressed, but part of his subconscious knew that the tension squeezing around his inner core was more than just fear. Ilchymis quickened his pace, eager to be out of the reach of his shadowy stalkers.
Suddenly something grabbed his arm again. But this time it wasn't a simple brush of fingers or a fleeting pinch. No, this time the grip was firm, harsh, and deathly cold. Ilchymis screamed as the unseen hand jerked him violently backwards, nearly pulling him off his feet.
The grip vanished almost in the same instant that Ilchymis caught himself and started to pull away. Ilchymis didn't spare so much as a glance to see what had grabbed him. The very second he was free, he ran. He broke into a frantic sprint, navigating the uneven floor as best he could with bare feet, and cold terror breathing down his neck. He didn't stop at the mouth of the corridor, instead breaking right past where the others had gathered and fleeing ahead, further into the center of the wide open room where he hoped the shadows would not follow.
Heart pounding and breath ragged, Ilchymis stumbled to an uncertain stop several paces ahead of the others. Had he gone far enough? Were the shadow things still behind him? He didn't want to, but he chanced a quick look over his shoulder. They were still back there, swarming in the hall, charging forward as though to chase only to run back or fade away. They hadn't followed him, not yet at least. Pain stung along his left arm, where his phantom attacker had grabbed him. As if to confirm his experience as real, Ilchymis turned up his sleeve to inspect the bruise. There was barely enough light to see by, but he could still make out the dark splotch of a handprint on the pale skin. A shiver ran down his spine. What even were those things? What did they want? Somehow he didn't think the answers would come, nor give him any comfort if they did.
He looked back toward the others gathered at the mouth of the hallway. Why were they all just standing around? Didn't they know? Couldn't they see..? "D-Don't stay there.. It's bad!" he whimpered. "Can't you see them?"
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Post by tsukikoko on Oct 6, 2017 5:15:50 GMT -6
[OOC: Sara hears the shuffling getting closer and is very insistent that everyone get moving. When Ilchymis runs ahead she goes after him while also leading Pan and the others straight ahead like some kind of collie-wolf, not wanting to leave them behind.]
The prickling unease running currents across Sara’s skin was growing stronger, warning of some impending danger. Her ears flickered, nose twitching; strangely, she would have expected her senses to be better, giving the form she was now in - another side effect of this place no doubt. But she did notice, as the rest of the party reached the large room’s threshold, the footsteps to their right were becoming louder. [You must leave. Do not stay still.] The shifter began to lick her lips, choking back a rising whine as she fretted and continued to gently usher Pandora. Yes. This way. she tried to convey.
At that point Cassius had appeared. She looked towards him, tail curling beneath her slightly, worried what his reaction to her wearing his cloak would be. She felt the man’s eyes upon her, was ready and willing to give up the beast if he asked for it. But he said nothing about it, instead talking about someone not wanting to join them and what the sound was. A stab of guilt and worry hit Sara as she wondered who this other person could be, surely they couldn’t just leave them alone? But there was the rest of the group to worry about, the footsteps getting closer second by second. The shadows were closing in again, claws tugging at Sara’s flesh as she moved, driving her towards a teetering brink. Only the words of the beast - strong and commanding - and her proximity to the friends she wished to defend, kept the torn shreds of the shifter’s sanity from shattering completely. She lowered her gaze, unmoving, trying to compose herself.
A terrified scream snapped the wolf’s head up, just in time to watch Ilchymis barrel past them all, straight into the unknown darkness ahead. Alone. Sara barked and stepped forwards reflexively, unable to stop herself, trying to get the construct’s attention and stop him before he could disappear into the nothingness. Something must have happened to him back in the darkened hall, something the rest could not see, but either way they needed to get away and get moving. The shifter had covered some distance towards Ilchymis, but when she realised he had stumbled to a stop on his own she suddenly circled back, limping around the rest of the group and gently nudging each in turn with her muzzle. After a moment or two, the canine came to stand beside Pandora. She pushed herself under the young witch’s hand, giving her something to hold on to while Sara led her into the dark - the poor girl seemed disoriented, unable to see properly.
Periodically checking to see that the rest of the group were following, Sara made her way straight ahead towards where Ilchymis still stood. She approached slowly, not wishing to spook him further and reached out with her muzzle to gently lick his hand. The poor thing, he was so gentle and kind, but was now trapped in this god-awful place. She hoped to offer at least some comfort, what little she could.
Should everyone else join them, Sara-wolf will continue to try to lead them onwards if no-one else takes up the mantle, or fall in step behind another if they took the lead. So long as they kept moving, kept ahead of whatever was coming for them, or…. no, she didn’t want to think about Stenson that way. Couldn’t, not if she was going to keep herself together.
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Post by Kurodaia on Oct 6, 2017 8:18:52 GMT -6
[OOC: Hui enters the secret area]
He carefully listened as the doctor was sawing something, he didn't want to know what it was. His mind would do the imagining for him and it would only make his stomach turn if he looked, that is if he could even see it. The young man kept wandering through until he came upon the thin rectangle, he was confused by it at first and thoughts kept racing in his mind. He looked at it carefully and pondered going in.
"I might as well die trying to learn."
When the saw stopped, his heart dropped in his chest. He didn't want to look behind him and he could almost feel the fear creeping in his skin, was he found? He couldn't say for certain. He pressed into the rectangle and walked through it, as quickly as he could get out of his movements.
"Please, don't let this lead me to uncertain death." He thought to himself.
The black engulfed him and for a moment a memory came back about a looking glass and a black mirror.
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Post by Sharei on Oct 6, 2017 12:12:51 GMT -6
[OOC: Kit follows Sara and Ilchymis, while speaking to the group about what she knows. Then she continues straight ahead.]
Kit pushed to her feet when Sohl stopped next to her. His kind words rolled over her, and though she told herself that she didn't need them, they wound themselves deep into her heart. Faolan offered his condolences as well, and a sterner warning she already knew about Stenson's possible resurrection. It served to remind her further that although Stenson was gone - she had to fight the surge of grief that rose up inside thinking about it - that the others yet remained. Sohl remained, and Ilchymis, and Sara, and all the others. Some of them were familiar with the rules of this twisted place, and she could hear a young man explaining them to a redhead just behind them, but others like Sohl and Sara were not.
Kit took a deep breath. They had to keep moving.
As if in response to that Ilchymis ran forward with a scream and Sara gave chase. Kit felt weariness flowing over her. Of course, they would not have had any time to breathe.
She looked around herself, but whatever had frightened Ilchymis wasn't visible. She thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye, but it vanished when she looked at it. With steel in her voice and in her spine, she turned to the rest of the group and began to move, following Sara and urging any who strayed to catch up with a hand gesture.
"They're right," she said to the rest of the group as they moved. She made quick pace, her eyes and ears alert, and scrutinized her surroundings. She was looking for anything they could use or investigate while trying to keep an eye out for traps or danger.
"This isn't the first time I've been here," she said to them all. "Some of you have also seen it before. Faolan-" Her voice caught. "I'm so sorry about what happened last time." But that was the last that she could afford in the way of pity.
"It was different the last time - a vast stone maze of darkness, unending. You couldn't see, and there was no telling if you were going backwards or forwards. There were traps in the floor that when you stepped on them they would kill you. Watch where you're going." Her brow scrunched as she tried to recall all of the relevant information. "There were monsters and swarms," she explained. "And when one of us died, we'd revive as monsters ourselves to kill the rest of the people still alive. And if we stayed in one place for very long, it was as though the maze came to us. We can't stay put, and above all, we have to stay together. Look out for anything that could be used as a weapon, or anything odd. There were items last time, and keys, like some kind of horrifying video game dungeon. We may very well need to find something to escape. And above all, if you think something's there, it probably is, so stay alert and stay quiet."
Kit reached Sara and Ilchymis. She put her hand on Ilchymis' shoulder. She didn't reassure him that everything was alright because that would be a lie, so instead, she said, "we're here. Everyone's here. We'll try and protect you. We all have to work together."
To the rest of them, she said, "let's keep moving forward, and hope we don't run into any dead ends."
She pushed aside any remaining grief, and cold seeped into the cracks of her mind. There was no more room for pity and self-indulgence. Now it was time to survive. Kit strode forward, straight ahead.
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Post by MP on Oct 6, 2017 12:58:52 GMT -6
[OOC: Sohl suggests the group adopt a buddy system and also stop making noise. He audibly suggests they go down the left passage while silently indicating the straight path. As added misdirection, he throws his scalpel down the left trail as far as it will go, bouncing it off the wall.]
Sohl might have missed the snatches of conversation through his hands, but he couldn't mistake the sound of Ilchymis' scream. He jerked with surprise, teeth bared as he rounded on whatever was after Ilchymis. He thought he saw something in the shadows, but it was gone in another moment. He hurried his steps to catch up with the construct, shushing the constrict's whimpers.
"Okay, it's okay. I believe you." he murmured in an undertone, one pointed ear angling toward the opposite hall. "But you can't scream. We can't make a sound, or that thing will know where we are. If you see something, you pull on my sleeve, alright? Or tap our shoulders - anything quiet."
He paused to listen to Kit's explanation, nodding a little at each point, still glancing around at his companions. Keeping count now that the stragglers had caught up.
"Buddy system," he added in the pause. "So no one falls behind."
His ears flickered again, tracking the soft but approaching sounds of something shuffling in their direction. His hackles rose. And all their screams and barks and echoing scraps of conversation would only entice it closer. Sohl lowered his voice, raising his palms to draw their attention in case they missed his words.
"But we need to stop talking - we're too loud, and there's something coming that way," he pointed, and the hairs on his arm stood on end as if something might lunge out of the dark and snap at them. Raising his voice slightly and moving to stand before the left hall, he continued. "We should go. This way, okay?"
His words echoed in the doorway, but he wasn't looking at it. Sohl's eyes were wide and prompting as he nodded, not in the direction of the left path, but down the main hall and away from the sounds they'd made. This way, that way, he didn't care really. As long as they were quieter than metal.
Once the group began to move, Sohl raised his scalpel, taking the blade between his fingers as he would a throwing knife. He drew his arm back, eyes narrowing, and hurled the tool in complete silence down the left hallway. He lost the silver glimpse of it in moments, but he could hear it a long way after as it clattered off a wall and kept on going, carried by the momentum of his throw.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 6, 2017 14:14:58 GMT -6
{OOC: Pandora lets herself be led by Sara, into the dark. Upon reaching Ilchymis, she tries to comfort him in her own clumsy way. As Kit mentions odd items, Pandora remembers the papers she picked up in her room and mentions them to the group, bringing them out of her box, before Sohl reminds the group that they should stay quiet. As sticking to the group remains her first priority, she’ll hold on to the papers for dear life, but is worried that trying to put them back in her box might make too much sound.}
Pan felt the shifter’s ears flick beside her, an anxious movement. How she just wanted to help in this, she just wanted to reassure people that everything would be alright. That they would get out and no more people would die. She really wanted to be able to smile at them and say that they would find a way out soon. But she couldn't. Even if she tried, she knew she wouldn't be able to force the words past her lips. It would just be a lie. A horrible one at that. And she didn't want to lie to these people, especially not now. It wouldn't help anyone. What would even help at this point? She couldn't offer some kind of miracle, even if she wished for nothing more. She couldn't give them a portal or some other way out of here. All she had at the moment was some stupid box and dirty bandages. Magic of any kind would have been so handy now.
Then a scream tore through the air, tinged with raw fear. Pandora jumped, shoulders shooting up at the sound. Barely seconds passed before a shape, a young silver-haired man ran past the little group, coming from the same direction as the scream. There was a sudden absence, a rush of colder, damp air, as Sara bolted after him, only to come to a halt as she realized the young man had stopped. As Pandora stood there, she began to realize that it wasn't her eyes that hadn't been able to adjust to the dark, well, at least not quite. It really was that dark. More like a tangible mist than an absence of light. This darkness that surrounded them almost seemed unnatural, even if she couldn't tell what natural and unnatural was in a place like this. If she had to be honest, she doubted if there even was a difference here. Nothing made sense, yet it remained perfectly clear that they had to stay alive and avoid something. Then, the young witch felt a warm nose against her hand. Sara had come back and now, the shifter began to lead her towards the condensed dark, towards the silver-haired man, who was now standing with someone else. Soon, Pandora was walking alongside Sara, at the same time, trying to look around, to see if anything seemed worth mentioning, but also looking at the two men ahead. “Thank you...”, she whispered quietly, the gratitude directed at the shifter.
As she got closer, she could begin to make out the silver-haired man’s features, saw his eyes wide with fear. Before she could stop herself, she drew breath to speak. “Hey...”, she said, half-regretting the words in the same moment they left her lips. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this too...”, the young witch said, careful not to raise her voice, as she looked at the silver-haired man, “but we’ll stick together... all of us...” How this awkward attempt at comfort, or whatever it really could be called, was received, was strangely important to the witch. At the moment, she couldn't tell why, but the thought of just walking up to him, ignoring him as if what he felt didn't matter, definitely didn't sit well with her. She had no idea what else to do.
As the red haired woman from before spoke up, explaining how everything worked, a rare scowl twisted Pandora’s lips. This had happened before? And she had survived? Faolan had been there too? Quickly, the young witch looked out across the group, trying to find the doctor. How did this even work? Had Faolan survived too? What was this? Then odd items were mentioned. There was something, she had something, something she had found in the room she woke up in. The papers! The ones she hadn't spared a second glance, they had to count right? Before she could speak, someone suggested a way of making sure no one fell behind, and the group seemed to begin to move forward again. Already, Pan’s hand rested on the lid of her box.
“You said odd items, right?”, she tried, speaking quietly, hoping Kit would hear her, “I think I might have something... found some papers back there... didn't have time to read them.” Slowly she pulled the papers out of the box, holding her breath, careful not to make a sound. “I don't know if they're useful or not... but I have them here.” She hoped that maybe, if there was some sort of map or something drawn on the papers, they would be easier to see than the machine writing. Gods, she hoped the papers were useful. Then someone pointed out the obvious advantages of remaining quiet, and she regretted that she had spoken. Fucked up again. The young witch really hoped she hadn't ruined it all for everyone. Afterwards she heard the clatter of metal fading into the distance and the group seemed to continue down their previous path. Holding on to Sara, Pandora would clutch the papers, worried that trying to put them back in her box might make too much sound.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 6, 2017 15:02:19 GMT -6
[OOC: Raine moves forward into the room with ruined furnishings, and pokes the bundle on the ground with a stick to see if it has anything useful in there.]
Raine listened to the Redhead speak. It sounded like the premise of a bad movie, but... Ari next to him clearly believed every word. And if Raine had no memories of a maze, he had a faint recall of something else... Well. He would play by the rules here, only there was at least one thing that she had missed. How could he let people know they were powerless here?
"Aye, ah think there is a way oot." He said to Ari quietly. "'Though finding it is likely tah be difficult." Sohls injunction against loud noise was a wise one, and he moved forward with the wolf's prompting, towards where Ilchymis stood. "A light might be a good idea" He mused. "The flickering does get tirin. Take a look for something long and solid tah serve as a base" He grinned at the shifter beside him, waving toward the ruined furnishings. "If nothing else, t'will make a fine club." He walked forwards himself, but paused next to Illchymis. Pan was already there trying to soothe him, and he looked at the expression on the tall mans face. Silently he hoped that whatever he had seen was only in his mind... but given the reactions of everyone else here, Raine knew that was unlikely. The thought of unseen hands grasping at him was an uncomfortable one, so he put it out of his mind and walked over to the crumpled form on the floor. Wary of this house of horrors, he jabbed it sharply with the metal rod he had pilfered, before nudging it with a foot. If it remained unmoving, he would inspect it for things to aid in making a torch - bits of burnable clothing, mostly.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 6, 2017 15:31:07 GMT -6
[Faolan buddies with Pandora, agreeing with Kit and Sohls ideas. Follows Kit straight ahead, while looking through the book for any clues.]
“It wasn’t your fault, you don’t need to apologize.” Faolan said said after a moment of shock, trotting after the redhead in an attempt to to keep up with her longer, determined strides. The ragged group finally clustered together, halting once they reached Ilchymis and Sara.
Within seconds Kit and the blond, golden eyed youth had started firing off ideas - smart, stable survival ideas. The doctor nodded in agreement, looking for Pandora at the mention of a buddy system. The witch was as disorientated as ever, perhaps even more so even then the many times he had seen her in hospital. She definitely needed a buddy.
“Pandora. Buddy with me?” He said in an undertone, continuously glancing between the group and the corridor on the right. Shadows still flickered in his peripherals, but they were faded and insignificant. No, we was more worried about those footsteps, which were getting louder by the second. “It’s getting closer. We need to play their game, get moving.” He hesitated, looking at Wolf-Sara’s limping gait. He’d have to reset her knuckles as soon as possible. He had also noticed officer Lucidus’s limp, had seen the dark gunk coating the mans foot. Not good. Couldn’t have him dying of infection or some awful disease. But, now was not the time.
Thankfully, Kit had already started striding forward again, and the doctor followed closely behind, making sure Pandora and any stragglers stayed with the group. The blonde left the witches side for a moment, walking alongside the groups redheaded leader, motioning at the booklet he was holding. He mouthed the word ‘clues?’ at the woman and shrugging slightly. The light from the one flickering bulb in the area was fading fast, so as quietly but as quickly as possible, he flipped through the pages of the battered notebook, looking for any clues that might help the group. It definitely wasn’t the best time to do some light reading, but the sooner they knew if it contained anything useful, the better. And who knew if he’d get another opportunity to look through it at all. The splicer never kept his gaze on the pages for more then a second, too scared of what might happen if he let his guard down for even a second.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 6, 2017 23:24:34 GMT -6
As Cassius examines his injured foot, there was no sign of any jagged object or bits of linoleum caught in the wound, although it did seem to be dirty and caked with decayed grime and his own blood. The sides of the wound had become swollen and red, while the throbbing continued to grow steadily worse. As he continued forward with the others, he would feel painful pressure each and every time he put weight on the limb.
Ilchymis, once more spooked by the sudden onslaught of ghostly shadows, tore off ahead and into the center of the area. As he staggered to a stop in the center, he would nearly have run knees-first into a bench in the darkness but thankfully stopped just short of running into it. While standing trembling in the open room, he would find that the shadows had finally receded back into the darkness, for now.
Sohl was trying his best to hush the group, audibly suggesting taking the left path and also tossing a scalpel in that direction. When the metal surgical tool did finally hit a surface, it was a sound like breaking glass or porcelain followed by the sound of the metal tool clattering off of the tiled floor. Whatever he hit, it had made a bit of a mess.
Meanwhile, as the group made to move straight forward, the mass on the ground appeared to be a corpse. The body was that of a woman, her face unrecognizable due to the amount of damage sustained. Between large bite marks all across her head and features, a missing throat and esophagus, and crusted blood dripping from the ears, it seemed this individual died quite the gruesome and violent death. The torso seemed equally destroyed, barely covered by its ripped nightgown where exposed skin and flesh could be seen from underneath, as if something had been...pulling or twisting at it. As Raine poked and prodded the body, it let out a strange squelching sound, but otherwise it remained motionless. Within its hand seemed to be some kind of piece of paper, crumpled within the clenched fist.
Near the bench and body, there was a table, upon which sat an old board game of checkers long abandoned by whoever had previously been playing it years ago. Beside the board was a small plastic bottle, rust-orange in color with a corked stopper. The label on the bottle had been ripped off, and inside were small circular white pills. The stopper seemed half removed, but otherwise the pills inside were clean and untouched. Two other tables could be seen in the near-dark space. There seemed to be items on some of these tables too. On the far left wall of the space were barrels and a few crate-looking boxes, and further ahead in the right corner was an old, abused looking piano. Further still ahead seemed to be a pair of double doors, next to which was a medical cart, more than likely used to wheel around supplies. All in all, they might find that the space reminded them of some kind of lounge or entertainment area.
Pan had finally pulled the pages out that she'd found earlier, and as she glanced over them she would find that they looked like medical records of some sort. The ink typed letters were brief and quick, reading the following: Page 1 - Patient has awaken, medicine administered successfully. Behaviors are directional, guided. Vision - Impaired/gone Smell - Impaired/gone Ability to Eat - Still to test
Page 2 - Patient has been subjected to motivational experiments, attention span seemed non existent until live food was brought in. Patient then exhibited extreme motivation to eat, despite food source fighting back. Continued experimentation needed. More disposable test subjects to be delivered.
Faolan had also begun to page through the few leafs of paper remaining in the ruined journal. There only seemed to be a couple of hastily written entries, leaving the other pages blank or torn out completely. They read: Entry 3 - I don't know where they went, there's no sound, only the dripping water....the others said they heard a scream. I was left behind, I tried to catch up but I twisted my ankle. BAD. I heard the scream and I tried to catch up, I really did. But it was too late. By the time I got there, they'd been torn to pieces. I think I might die in here... Entry 4 - I found one other, in the bathrooms. They were huddled under a sink, but the others...oh God, the others....they were shredded. They're faces, their throats, they were all torn up. I can't even begin to describe their limbs. While we were in there, I saw a figure approaching us, and I saw it open its mouth to scream but then it ducked away, like it'd seen something scarier than itself...We made it out of there, but I remember looking back, I heard someone crying. It sounded so sad, so lonely. Entry 5 - In pain, I found pills..(illegible)...safe. Can't stay long, writing down to keep track..(illegible)...oblong- The rest of the final entry had been torn in half. Perhaps whoever owned this journal had taken the other pages and hid them, or strewn them about. Either way, every little bit of information would be helpful.
Hui, back where the others had just come from, had managed to slip unnoticed inside of the secret passage. Once inside, he would find that the area was much darker than where he'd just come from, lit by a single sliver of light that crept through from the only working bulb in the previous room. The area seemed to be some kind of office, with a desk and chair sitting towards the back of the room, a few disheveled bookcases, and some pages strewn about the room. A table also rested against one wall, on top of which was another corpse-like figure lying stretched on its back facing up at the ceiling.
Now....
The shuffling had picked up to the sound of bare feet slapping across the concrete tiled floors. As soon as Sohl had tossed the scalpel, the thing approaching in the dark let out a hissing breath and pattered full tilt towards the noise and into sight. At first it seemed to be headed straight for the group, but at the sound of breaking glass, the thing turned and pursued the sound with a lurching, limping gate. In the short amount of time the others would've been able to glimpse it's face, they would see a large dark hole lined with thin, jagged teeth. The thing had turned too quickly to get a real good look at the rest of its face, but then a question might occur to the victims...did it even have a face? It stopped just out of sight, a disturbingly sudden action, and stood with a leaning posture staring off into the darkness. Here it stood, only a short distance from the group, a wet snuffling sound rasping through its open, gaping mouth as it stood there in the silence. It could be thinking, it could be listening, or it could be waiting.
From outside of the secret area, there was a metallic thunk, a louder thunk, and then a bang as a the table blocking the cell was thrown aside with the force of the door as if it hadn't even been there to begin with. Although Hui couldn't see the other side, he would be able to hear the sounds of something dragging across the floor, towards the secret area he'd found. Not long afterwards, the dim sliver of light on the other side of the door suddenly went dark, as if someone were about to enter, still dragging its prize along with it.
[Map: Hui secret room (entrance is near the top of the map) - HereThe rest of the group - Here
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 7, 2017 2:59:41 GMT -6
[ Ari goes to search the north-most table. At the arrival of the monster, he goes still and silent and hopes someone else knows what to do. If it approaches him, he's going to bolt toward Raine. ]
Ari flinched at the sight of the body, watching as Raine approached it to check it over. He had seen dead bodies before, bodies that had been mauled by wild animals (or by Marchelute), but... this was different. The way it had been torn and shredded, most of the face gone as if it had been bashed in or bitten out... He didn't want to go near it. A small corner of his mind was half sure that when prodded, the thing would lurch back to life and attack them - and even when it didn't, he still didn't trust it.
He stepped a bit away from Raine, planning to search their immediate surroundings without straying too far from the group. He picked his way slowly a bit further into the room, making for the next table to see if he could find anything of use there.
He had barely begun to look over the table when the crashing clatter from the other room made him duck, breath hissing past his teeth. The sound of feet slapping on the tile stilled him, made him hold his breath. He turned slowly, wide-eyed, peering toward the sound. Something man-shaped lunged out of the shadows, running toward the left room where the sharp noise had come from. Man-shaped but certainly not a man - it's head seemed to be all gaping maw and sharp teeth.
He had hoped it would go into the room, follow the sound, but no, it had stopped in the doorway. He shifted slightly, brought his hands to his chest gripping either injured wrist, hoping to mask any scent of blood. He breathed softly, shallowly, trying not to make any noise, but otherwise stood frozen - he didn't want it to notice him, but from his posture he seemed ready to bolt if it started his way. He'd go... back to Raine. Raine had a weapon. Raine would know what to do. But only if it came at him - better he stayed where he was, unnoticed.
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Post by MP on Oct 7, 2017 9:15:29 GMT -6
[OOC: Sohl removes his sweater to reduce noise. He cautiously examines the corpse's injuries to determine the killer's weaponry, as well as preferred attack patterns. When the monster arrives, he makes a distraction. He moves by timing his steps to the monster's and skirts around behind it. He throws a checkers piece down the operating room tunnel. If it turns on him, he will lead it away down the monster's original tunnel. Otherwise, he sneaks back to the group, again timing his steps to the monster's.
Sohl pulled off watched the corpse attentively as the Raine man prodded at it, ears pricking at the sound of the squelch. When the dead one did not spring up to attack them, he let go of Ilchymis' hand and came to crouch beside it, poised on the balls of his feet and ready to spring back in case Kit was right. Save for a small unhappy frown, he seemed otherwise unphased by the mess, looking over the wounds with a practiced predator's eye. Tooth, claw, or feeding marks, the shape and depth of the wounds, the state of the blood...anything could be useful in determining what manner of beast they were up against.
Satisfied, he stood with a small apologetic shrug towards Ilchymis and proceeded after the others. The curl girl's papers gave him some pause, but the handwriting was spidery and difficult to make out, and he was too slow a reader. He skimmed only briefly over their shoulders before moving past them to the game board. His eyes brightened at the faded patterns. He knew this! Checkers - checkmate! No, maybe that was something else. It didn't seem fair to put check in both of words and expect people not to be confused.
He was turning over the game pieces in his fingers, taking comfort in the smooth weight of them - almost like river stones - when the pattering footsteps became audible. Sohl stiffened at the sight of the approaching shape, waiting for it to turn and lunge at them. When it began to move past them, his head tipped quizzically. Speculatively. He held up a hand to Ilchymis in a steadying gesture and began to move away from the group, skirting widely around the creature's back and moving toward the damp-smelling tunnel. Easy now. It was just like baiting kuchoras, wasn't it?
Sohl moved with careful, reaching strides, timing each step to the patter of the creature's own feet. Sound masked in this way, he came to a stop some distance away from the group, facing the tunnel from which they'd come. The shambling thing stood poised to his right, seemingly listening. Was it blind? Could it smell him? Sohl wasn't sure. If it turned on him, he could be away in a flash down the lefthand tunnel, drawing it away from the group. In the meantime, he raised the checker piece still clasped in his hand. The movement was all but silent with his sweater off, and Sohl paused only to gauge his throw before hurling the piece into the dark.
The shot pinged down the tunnel to the operating tables - a small sound but for the shift and echo of disturbed tiles. Sohl had forgotten about the broken floor, and he felt a pang of pleased surprise at the added effect. At a stretch, it could pass for the sound of someone attempting to move over the broken floor.
If the monster began to follow the distraction, Sohl turned on silent footsteps and crept back to the group, again timing his steps to the creature's, motioning for them to do the same.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 7, 2017 9:28:20 GMT -6
[Faoan freezes and keeps quiet. Grabs Pandora to stop her doing anything stupid]
Faolans eyes widened in sympathy as he read page after page of the makeshift journal, each entry adding to his growing sense of panic. Torn to pieces...shredded...crying...and something about pills? The writing became scrawling and illegible at this point, the paper itself torn and warped by what Faolan hoped wasn’t blood. Who had the notebooks author been? A doctor? A visitor? Had others come here, on previous Halloweens? The doctor frowned and ran a finger over the ripped spine of the book as the last page fluttered closed. Whoever they had been, they had most unhelpfully torn out the remaining pages, leaving their story on a ominous cliffhanger.
The scraping footsteps suddenly became a full-tilt sprint, and Faolan whirled around and shied away violently as something barreled it’s way into the room, running directly towards the group. Just as he went to turn and sprint away, the creature lurched towards the sound of breaking glass, stopping indecisively after only a few more unsteady steps. Listening? Smelling? Faolan froze, staring in horror at the humanoid monstrosity. It stood there and wheezed, each spluttering inhale through it’s massive, toothy orifice squelching loudly through the room. The doctor closed his eyes for a second, slowed and quietened his breathing. Just the sight of the monster was almost enough to cause him to hyperventilate, have a full blown panic attack, which, would be extremely unhelpful given their current situation. Faolan shifted on the balls of his feet and reached out, gripping onto Pandora’s arm. He knew the witch, and didn’t want her getting herself killed in some act of heroic sacrifice.
The doctor prayed that no-one would panic and make noise. The blonde boy was uncomfortably close to the monster, but seemed to know what he was doing as he threw an object down the operating room tunnel, creating another loud distraction. As helpful as he was being, Faolan couldn’t help but feel extreme worry for Sohl, wanted nothing more for him to creep back to the group and get away from the creature.
At this thought he fixed Pandora with a hard stare, hoping to god the woman wouldn't attempt anything. His grip on her arm tightened pleadingly, the message of ‘don’t try anything’ clear even though he stayed silent.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 7, 2017 11:54:57 GMT -6
{OOC: at the sight of the monster, Pan clutches Faolan’s arm. Then, she considers running in the opposite direction to make noise and distract the creature from the rest of the group. Eventually she decides against it. She places a hand on Sara, both hoping to comfort her, but also to stop the shifter from charging away to distract the creature, if she should feel that urge. As she hears pohl throw the checkers piece, she'll wait until it's safe to move and then try to get the group to move on silently, whilst holding on to Sara and Faolan.}
Pandora was relieved to see the group move forward. Her every step was careful, trying to avoid making noise. The shuffling from the right hall came closer. A hissing sound filled the air, and a creature pushed out of the darkness. Shapeless, awkward and unnatural. Vaugely, it reminded her of something she had seen before... of course, those two things could barely be compared. This creature, with its thin needle teeth and hulking figure. Nothing nature could create was meant to look that way. Had... had someone made these creatures? Who would make something like this?! The words on the papers she still held surfaced in her mind for a second. Were these people the patients? Or the doctors? Briefly, she allowed herself to hope that the creature would just continue down the left hall, leave them alone. If it could just... continue on its way. But it stopped, of course it had to stop! It was so close to just leaving them alone. So fucking close! Why hadn't it?! Couldn't it just have left?! Clasping a hand over her mouth, Pandora muffled not only her own breathing, but also stopped the whine that had been forming in her throat. On instinct, she clung to Faolan, holding his arm. She tired to focus on her breathing as she clung to the doctor, not wishing to look at the horrid creature more than she had to. That thing needed to leave, it needed to leave now. It shouldn't become aware ot who it was in a room with, and it sure as hell shouldn't turn to approach them. It had to move on. Sooner rather than later.
She could sprint. From past experience she knew she could run for a fair amount of time. She wasn't thinking of trying to outrun the creature, or wear it out, she'd get lost in this place before that happened. But she could run. She could run down the hall that creature had come from, throwing stuff on the ground, creating noise. Creating a distraction. Making a mess. Eventually, she would get lost, run into a dead end. Maybe that creature would find her then, maybe she wouldn't. Either way she would be completely lost. Alone. But. If that gave everyone else a chance. Sara, Faolan, everyone, if they had even the most remote chance of escaping and getting out. She would take it. In a moment, her entire body tensed, immediately ready to sprint down the hall the creature had come from. She drew breath, shallow so as not to make much noise. Then she looked at Faolan, at Sara. If this could help them live. If this gave them another chance.
There was a hand on her arm now, gentle, but still firm. Pandora blinked, looked down at the hand holding her arm, then op at the owner. Faolan. That's right... wasn't it? She couldn't leave them. Well, she could, and depending on how she did it, it might help everyone. But... she didn't want to leave them. A tremor of fear dominated her body for a second, her heart had never stopped racing, slowly she nodded at the doctor, letting him know that she wasn't going to run. Then, as she remembered how Sara had charged ahead, her lips pressed into a thin line. Sara. If the young witch didn't get to charge away as a distraction, Sara sure as hell didn't either. Maybe it was selfish, but Pandora didn't want to loose the shifter, and definitely not like this. Seeing the shifter beside her, she reached out, running her hands through Sara’s fur, letting her hand rest on her shoulder. Even though she didn't say anything out loud, she turned her gaze to the shifter. The look in her eye, coupled with the way she held her hand on Sara’s shoulder was an obvious plea. Please don't go. Please stay here. Don't leave. I don't want you to get hurt.
She jumped, as the checkers piece was thrown down the hall, bouncing off the floor again and again. Someone had created a distraction. Perfect. If she had seen who it was, she would have had to fight the urge to hug that person. Slowly, she moved her arm, so she could hold on to Faolan as well. Holding her breath, Pan would wait until it seemed safe to move. When it did, she would try to get to group to continue down the path they had already chosen, holding on to Sara and Faolan all the while.
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