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Post by Sharei on Oct 2, 2023 20:58:37 GMT -6
[OOC: Strid follows Nagi because Nagi has his sandwich. Decides to eat it while resting against the sofa. Sees the blood, thinks about it, then calmly tells the others its there by asking which of them killed someone.]
Strid, who had been about to take the bag off Nagi's hands with the kind of hunger only true of the starving, stared at his companion as the blind albino turned and walked away with it. He thought about saying something, but the thought was immediately tempered by the knowledge that complaining only ever got you nothing, instead of something. Instead, he dutifully followed his friend into the next room with a quiet curse and went after the bag after it had been deposited on the table. Content with his late dinner in hand, the large man turned and walked around the lounge couch to lean against the back of it. He didn't like to sit while he ate, just in case he had to defend the meal from someone - or something - else.
He had just taken a huge bite when his roaming gaze fell on the blood on the floor. His chewing slowed, then stopped, and he lowered the sandwich.
"Uh..."
His gaze moved again. First from the puddle of blood in the middle of the floor to the streaks that indicated something large had been dragged across it to the industrial elevator. Then his gaze went up, to where the blood had dried on the ceiling. He tipped his head and considered the amount, the size of the puddle, the nature of the streaks.
A large animal or a small human. Male? Female? Looks to be about 140lbs. No discernable marks to indicate human limbs in the blood splatter, but that's deceiving. High impact death to get it on the ceiling.
Swallowing, Strid took another bite of his sandwich.
"So uh - who murdered the body and stuffed it in the elevator?"
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 3, 2023 1:04:48 GMT -6
In the Lounge, Malvin searches for anything of interest. He finds a fun-sized candy bar hidden in the couch-cushions. It looks a little melted, but probably still tastes good. As he inspects the other doors in a clockwise manner, he finds the stairwell door, Quality Documentation, and the Security Office doors are all closed.
Should Jonny try his keycard here, he finds that all these doors remain locked, and their lights turn red when he scans. Jonny finds some clean latex gloves in a box next to the tissues on one of the side tables. Nagi finds a single hairclip in his searches. This leaves only the Design and Development door in the previous room untried. On the Eastern portion of the room, Strid inspects the blood leading to the large industrial elevator. There is no sign of what dragged the body, or what exactly had been dragged, apart from it being the size of a small human. The doors remain firmly closed, and the elevator remains still and silent. Faith and Vegas go into the women’s bathroom, which requires no keycard to enter. The women’s restroom was clean and well lit by overhead lights. On the right side of the room was a set of sinks. On the left was a row of stalls, doors hanging open, save for one at the end with a sign that said, ‘Out of Order.’ If one peered under the door of the 'Out of Order' stall, they would find the visible wall discolored brown, and some of the wall’s plaster crumbled into the floor. Their mirror selves glanced back at them, both from the full-length mirror across the room, and the small mirrors above the sink. There was a soft hum of electricity that one could hear by tuning out the sound of the cycling pop songs underlying it all. Both women have the distinct feeling they are being watched by someone, or something. Attachments:
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Post by indeath on Oct 3, 2023 21:11:44 GMT -6
((Malvin hits on Strid, attempts to prove his innocence then looks at the security room door for a way in. He votes trying to open that door first.))
Malvin stuffed the candy into his pocket for later. The big guy looked hungry and who knew when they’d get out.
“Whoa now, Agatha Christie. We all arrived together. The only one who was here before was you… Fortunately you’re far too attractive to be a serial killer.”
Mal scuttled over to get a look at the blood. Maybe it was just a lot of sauce? Or maybe it was just some weird movie set like the chatty woman had said.
“Plus my arms are far too noodley to be dragging bodies around.”
He waved them about to prove his point then moved towards the door marked security, studying the door and trying to work out how they could break in.
“We should try to get into security. It might have cameras, keys or such. At the very least some information on the building.”
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Post by MP on Oct 3, 2023 21:21:18 GMT -6
[OOC: Faith answers Vegas, then is spooked out of the restroom by a bad feeling. She decides to try the stairwell if no one has found a security guard. ]
Faith looked around from the mirror, uncomfortable with the newcomer's small talk. What was the point of being friendly if you were in competition? And for some reason, her name - her name, her name - caught in her throat. The word felt awkward, like a foreign object on her tongue. Must be tongue tied.
"Faith," she answered simply. She wouldn't ask for the woman's name, but a touch of uncertainty in her tone left room for the exchange.
Then a feeling - like oil down her spine, cold and familiar. While Vegas spoke on the phone, Faith's head came up, eyes flickering to the stalls in search of feet under the doors, faces between the gaps. She saw nothing but a stomach-turning shade of brown that brought to mind the smell of old earth and moisture. If someone was in the stalls, she didn't see them. Suddenly, she didn't want to be here anymore.
Faith glanced at the other woman, lips parting. But there was no one here. Nothing but a bad feeling. With an irritated toss of her head - shouldn't let her nerves get to her - she strolled back outside. If they hadn't found a security guard yet, she'd try the stairwell instead. That should be the quickest path up.
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Post by beastly on Oct 3, 2023 21:40:53 GMT -6
((Jonny is happy with his loot, but then discovers the body is real. He agrees to try security.))
Jonny poked around, delighted to discover the gloves. The tissues... maybe the tissues were for something, but he was making progress! Kind of! He wasn't sure. Shame about the card not working.
"Mal, I'm gonna win this if you don't stop chatting-," Jonny paused when the big man mentioned a dead body in the elevator.
"Oh, did you find a cl- that's really realistic...."
The smaller man peeked into the elevator, but when he caught the scent of blood he froze. Something familiar tickled in the back of his head. Recognition.
"OH FUCK-," Jonny exclaimed, "That's not fake. Oh fuck, we're really trapped here. Fuck."
Jonny clutched the gloves and looked back at Malgrim, then up at the big guy.
"Yeah, sure, security. Maybe."
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Post by Sharei on Oct 3, 2023 21:54:17 GMT -6
[OOC: Strid banters with Mal, tells him that he's a U.S veteran, and follows him to the door. He knocks on the wall next to the door to see if he can bust through it, but decides no he can't. Returns to the couches to rifle through the cushions in the hope of finding anything useful. Warns Faith that there's been a murder and not to wander alone.]
"Hey," Strid said, pointing his sandwich at Malvin dramatically. "Flattery will get you everywhere, but I'm a decorated fucking U.S veteran with medals of honor for exemplary service. I'm homeless, but I ain't no criminal."
He took a bite of his sandwich and tried to ignore the unexpected guilt that bubbled up at the admission. What guilt there was to be had in serving one's country he didn't know, but it was there. He wondered, not for the first time, what unsavory darkness lingered in the corners of his faded memory. He knew he'd served, but where, how long, why? It was all a blank. Every time he tried to reach for the fragments a fog clouded them from sight.
"Blood is dry anyway," he said, pushing off the sofa. "Goes tacky before it dries, so it's been here a little while. And for god's sake, stop freaking out, kid," he snapped at Johnny. "Panicking isn't going to help anything. Breathe."
Following Malvin to the door, Strid peered over his shoulder.
"I could try and force it open. Might be reinforced, though, and it'd be loud."
He took two steps to the right and knocked against the wall, trying to discern if the wall itself was just plaster and plywood. The sound it made was deep and solid. Nope. He might be able to get in given enough time, but the noise and delay probably weren't worth it.
Glancing around - and taking a final bite of his sandwich - he dusted his hands off and returned to the sofas. Flipping cushions up and digging around, he produced an small, empty glass bottle that might have held pills at one time and another keycard. Connie Niels: Receptionist. He stowed the bottle in a pocket to break for a shiv later, if needed, and lifted the keycard.
"Aha," he mumbled to himself. As he did so the doors to the bathroom opened and Faith appeared in the entrance. He caught her eye as she turned to survey the progress of the group.
"Miss! Catchup time," he said, waving the card at her. "There's been a murder, that's why there's no one around, and we're all locked inside. Don't wander alone."
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Post by hadopelagic on Oct 3, 2023 22:38:20 GMT -6
[OOC: Vegas sees a monster, screams, and then hides behind Nagi]
Interesting. Faith had hesitated before sharing her name. Was she an overly private woman? Perhaps. They did exist.
The bathroom was ... unpleasant. Vegas felt an overwhelming sense that they were being watched, so she immediately glanced at the vents, places where perverts might hide a camera.
Then, across the room, she saw her reflection.
What was BioCell? What ... or who ... did they study? Her boots clicking on the floor, she walked over to the mirror and poked it with her long fingernail; if it was a one-way mirror, there'd be no gap between her nail and its reflections (usually; there were rare exceptions).
There was a gap. A real mirror, then.
Suddenly, in the reflection, Vegas saw something move across the ground behind her. A quick flash of movement, the hint of an inhuman shape. And she was alone with that ... that thing!
She sprinted toward the door, slammed her shoulder against it, and tumbled into the breakroom with a scream.
"In the stall! In the stall!"
Vegas ran to the most harmless-looking guy in the room, the one with a cane, and half-hid behind him. "There's something in the ladies restroom," she said.
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Post by Marshmallow on Oct 3, 2023 23:10:49 GMT -6
[OOC: Nagi pockets the hairclip, and gets unnerved by talk of murders. Tries to stay calm but then gets startled by Vegas. Suggests one of the others check out the restroom on her behalf while trying to calm her down. Will otherwise try to stay close to Strid or the main bulk of the group if people move rooms. (Herd instincts woo)]
The door turned out to be locked, understandably. Beneath he sign on the wall he felt the blocky outline of a keycard reader and shrugged. Searching the area around it by touch yielded nothing of value. Just something that felt like a simple hairclip, probably dropped by an employee in passing. On a whim, Nagi pocketed the item on the off-chance they bumped into its owner later.
Chatter from the opposite side of the room, and Strid's voice in particular, drew his attention away from the locked door and sent a cold shiver down his spine. A body..? Blood? Murder?
If he weren't already pale as a ghost, he'd have visibly blanched at the thought. Something in the far-off haze of memory recoiled and nausea threatened. A nervous, airy laugh escaped him before he could help himself. "Surely that's... a prank, right? Halloween decorations? 'tis the season for scares and all that?" he asked hopefully. Unconsciously, the blind man started to move closer to the bulk of the group, closer to Strid for the familiarity. Safety in numbers, some faint instinct told him. Stick with the herd.
"Someone should call the --"
He didn't get to finish his sentence before a door slammed open with a bang. A woman's scream cut across the room, and suddenly she was huddled right up close against him as if trying to hide from something. Nagi felt his adrenaline spike in response to the woman's fear. He held up his free hand in an effort to calm her (and himself). "We'll, um, get someone to go check it out for you, okay? So just take it easy. It's probably nothing to worry about, but we should all stick together for now. Just to be on the safe side."
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 3, 2023 23:46:21 GMT -6
As the group congregates to observe the old blood streaking on the linoleum floor, they are rudely interrupted. There is a soft hum they can feel through the building like an electrical surge, interrupting the droning, soulless pop songs with a soft hiss and sputter. As if in response, the lights flicker on and off, making an audible buzzing noise. A power surge? For a few seconds, the room is bathed in darkness, and then… The lights flicker back on, and haltingly, now skipping here and there, the music returns. Something about the beat seems off, erratic now. The elevator chimes softly, and the 2nd floor light appears above the elevator door. There is a soft, repetitive mechanical clunk and a loud grinding sound which comes from within the elevator shaft. The 2nd floor light remains lit, and it again thumps, creaks, and grinds. Attachments:
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Post by hadopelagic on Oct 4, 2023 0:09:40 GMT -6
[OOC: Vegas says they gotta escape, and then she tries to barricade the bathroom door - she asks for help]
"No ... nobody go in there. It's dangerous. This whole building!"
She flinched at the flickering lights. Something had gone tits up in BioCell. The electrical glitches were just the tip of the iceberg. What did they research, anyway? Aliens? Freaking monsters?
"We have to get out of here," she said. "Fast."
Vegas had to reevaluate everything. This was no longer a "sit around and wait" situation. There was a body's worth of blood on the floor, something ... fast and inhuman in the bathroom. And where was everybody? The employees, the security?
"My phone doesn't work. I take it y'all have tried to call out? Of course you have. That's the first thing we do, when we're trapped. Call for help. But tech doesn't work right in here. I'm telling you - we're in trouble."
During her first assessment of the strangers, Vegas had viewed them as potential customers. Now, she studied each person in an attempt to gauge their usefulness in a life-or-death battle for survival.
Big guy, pale hair. He was strong. Excellent. He could break a window, carry a person, throw a punch. His friend was level-headed and helpful. Probably a group player, considering his compassionate nature. The woman was a hard egg to crack, but she seemed intelligent and headstrong. And the young men? Good god. She hadn't noticed before, but one of them had a real babyface. Was he a teenager? Whatever the case, they were energetic, possibly brave.
"Barricade the bathroom door," she said, breaking away from the group. She threw herself against one of the sofas, trying to push it against the ladies room entrance. "Somebody help me!"
Who would respond? Who could she rely on?
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Post by indeath on Oct 4, 2023 5:53:23 GMT -6
((Malvin attempts being reassuring. Asks for a bobby pin or something like it. Objectifies Strid and suggests he help Vegas. Looks through his own pockets for something to use. Main focus being getting into security.))
Malvin’s eyes boggled slightly at the chatty woman’s words but it was no time to panic. He didn’t want to admit he hadn’t thought of his phone. It was better off in case the government was tracking him.
“It’s probably a cat or a raccoon… I mean if it is a monster I doubt a sofa will stall it for long. It’s probably in the ducts… and this isn’t helpful. Does anyone have a clip or bobby pin I can use to break into security? Maybe there’s weapons or something.”
Malvin was under no delusions that he was a people person. Certainly not a comforter but sometimes his mouth ran before his brain caught up. He looked expectantly at Strid then the sofa.
“Go on, muscles.”
At the very least the view would be good. He fished around in his own pockets hoping for something pointy and hoped security believed in the second amendment. Though he’d prefer a dagger for some reason.
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Post by jarahamee on Oct 4, 2023 8:15:34 GMT -6
The door to security is an electronic keycard door. There is nowhere for a physical key or for the door to be picked with a lock pick.
As Malvin attempts to break in, the door makes a high pitched whine that seems to be the precursor to a security alarm.
They will need a keycard with proper clearance to enter this room.
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Post by indeath on Oct 4, 2023 14:53:24 GMT -6
(( Grim glares at the door before going to help Vegas.))
Malvin gave the door a withering look, a swift kick. So much for that. They were doomed. Then proceeded over to help with the barricading. Putting his back into getting the sofa to move. Maybe there was another keycard under there.
“I hate these high tech buildings… What even happens when the power goes out?”
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Post by Sharei on Oct 4, 2023 15:14:19 GMT -6
[OOC: Strid rejects being objectified and says that the elevator moving is more worrying. He takes his keycard to the nearest door that hasn't been tried. He then tells the rest of the people with keycards to try doors and to do it quickly.]
Keycards Connie Niels: Receptionist.
Items Small glass bottle
"Sorry Nagi, no such luck. That's real blood on the floor. And apparently we have a thing in the bathroom now. Wonderful."
As the building seemed to shiver and the lights went out, Strid felt his chest constrict uncomfortably. That wasn't good. Maybe a little panic might be warranted after all.
As the lights came back on and the rest of the group began to move, Strid glanced between Vegas, the sofa, and the bathroom door with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, no," he said, taking his keycard to one of the other doors that hadn't been tried yet. "I'm more worried about what might come down the blood-covered elevator, and barricading ourselves in without an exit isn't the smartest goddamn plan. Help her while I do this."
Raising his voice so that the room could hear him regardless of who was panic screaming, Strid called:
"People with keycards! Try all the doors, or hand your card off to someone who can. We need an exit and we need it now. The rest of you try and help barricade the bathroom door. Nagi, keep a listen for any strange noises you can't identify."
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Post by MP on Oct 4, 2023 17:35:36 GMT -6
[OOC: Faith asks Vegas for details, helps move the couch, and goes to try her keycard on all the remaining doors.]
It was then, as the burly hobo approached her with a warning, that Faith noticed the blood. She paused, eyes flickering around the crowd. All still accounted for. And her initial worries were unfounded - the stain looked too old to have come from any one of them.
"Don't be ridiculous. No one said anything about a monster," she hissed at Malvin. And then to Vegas: "What exactly did you see?"
Her tone might be skeptical, but Faith had shifted gears the moment she saw the blood. She moved to help the other two with the sofa, getting her fingers under it and hefting with an almost brutish aggression for her prim clothes.
Now the power was failing too - wonderful. The dark didn't bother her, or even the flickering lights. But it was a sign that things were changing. The place had an almost predatory feel to it, and she for one did not intend to be prey. Once the couch was in place, she strode toward the stairwell door. The hobo's loud voice caught her attention as she passed. He seemed like he could handle a potential murderer in the building.
"I'll try this one," she told him, flashing her keycard as she fell into step.
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