mother_of_god | Midwich Elementary School (Nightmare World)

[Monsters: Faceless children, ghost babies, a few roaches]

[Tasks: Wander around inside. The walls and floors are now made of chain link and grating, and covered with blood and similar organic goo. Chains hang from the ceilings, and in several places, strange cloaked statues are displayed in inaccessible rectangular gibbets. The exit doors in the lobby are replaced by a giant set of sharp-bladed fans- trying to get out would result in slicing and dicing.
-There's a pair of the cloaked statues inside the school office, flanking a strange door with no handle. It does, however, have a slot in the center, and a conveniently slot-sized card on the ground in front of it. This door leads to the rest of the school; all the others are jammed or blocked.
-In the first floor girls' bathroom, the sound of a child sobbing breaks out. There are no children to be found inside.
-Upon exiting that bathroom, the characters find themselves on another floor. Reentering will put them in a different bathroom. This time, the stall door opens to reveal a decayed corpse, strung up with medical equipment. "Leonard Rhine- the Monster Lurks" is written on the wall behind it in blood.
-There's a classroom with only a table full of telephones and scattered cards. One telephone may ring and lead to an NPC conversation.
-The library has shelves stocked with religious-looking books. One shelf has a book of fairy tales, open to a relevant page [which I'll put in when the time comes]. Another, more out of the way, has less-relevant but vaguely interesting info [which I'll also put in].
-Depending on how things go and player preference, there may be an NPC encounter and boss fight.]

It's the courtyard again. The snow has turned to a steady, warm rain, and there's something "off" about the whole place- the building looks more distressed, the hedges thornier. The sharp smell of burning bites the nose.

In the concrete in the center, a mysterious occult symbol has been burned.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"That's because you're awesome."

It might make more sense to have both hands free, but sense is for people not trapped in a CREEPY-ASS SCHOOL FULL OF DEAD THINGS. Steph is quite happy to hang on to Sokka's hand and inspect the window bars with just one.

"I just want out. I don't even know how we got here. God, I hope we're the only ones, I hope everyone else is OK..."

In theory, they might be able to get the rust-encrusted, painted-over screws off of the barred part, then pry the rust-encrusted frame off. They might even be able to get the chain-link stuff beyond off.

But it's all black outside, and it doesn't even look like there's a ground below.

So, that might not be the best option here. Maybe.

"...oh, that can't be good."

It's okay, though. Having company means much less of the freaking out.

"Okay, uh ... not that way. Maybe if we head back outta this stupid bathroom and try to find the clocktower? I think that's how I got in."

D:

Sokka sighs. But at least it's more frustrated and annoyed than freaking out. He scowls at the abruptly-useless-window and tightens his grip - on his club and Steph's hand. "All right. Look for other windows, too, fire escapes, anything. This place looks like it's falling apart, we could probably force our way out if we needed to."

"There's just nothing outside to break out to," Steph says, anxiously. "It's like we've been -- like we've shifted worlds again or something."

Her grip on his hand gets just that bit tighter for that.

"If we have? This is totally the worst world yet."

"Agreed. This wasn't world-hopping, it didn't feel like it."

His voice is a little darker for that. He should not be such an expert on this stuff. Sokka looks back at Steph when she grips his hand and attempts the weakest smile known to man. "It's gonna be okay. We'll get back to the farm."

His weak smile sucks. Steph uses his captive hand to drag him in and kiss him, as reassuringly as she knows how.

"Course we will."

Kisses aren't as fun in creepy scary hell schools. Sokka takes them anyway because they're Steph-kisses.

"C'mon," he says quietly, giving her hand a little tug, making an attempt at a much better smile. "Let's get going."

Kisses make Steph happier. She grins at him. "There was totally another door back in the hallway. Let's go find it."

Goodbye, creepy bathroom!

Well, there was another door back in the hallway.

This isn't that hallway. It's a different one. Same decor, totally new layout. Although the new layout is at least more open, so there's a whole series of doors to try.

"... I like this place even less when it does this to us," Steph says sullenly, reaching back to grab Sokka's hand again.

Which isn't there.

"Sokka?"

Nope, still no Sokka.

"SOKKA!"

O noes the narration has written him out!

Edited Date: 2008-09-24 11:09 am (UTC)

Fuuuuuck!

Well, there's still a bathroom door. Is that any consolation?

NO.

"SOKKA!"

There's some more shouting. And some storming back into the bathroom, angry and maybe a bit freaking-out-y. Stupid disappearing boyfriend D: D: D:

Sokka's not in the bathroom.

Probably because it's a different bathroom. There's only one big stall, at the far end of the room. The door to it is slightly ajar, but not enough to see into.

THIS WHOLE THING SUCKS ARSE.

Ajar door. Well, huh. That's getting opened.

... just in case Sokka ducked into it and hid. For a prank. It would be a hilarious prank.

creeeeak

There is a dessicated corpse strung up by the arms with stretcher straps and IV tubes from the ceiling.

That may count as a hilarious prank to someone.

"AUGH!"

... Steph's first reaction was to punch it.

Now she's shaking her hand desperately and looking VERY GROSSED OUT.

(grossed-out, also, beats panic in reaction stakes. Panic later. WHEN SHE FINDS SOKKA WHO THE NARRATION CRUELLY STOLE AWAY.)

"Oh that is DISGUSTING. Oh man. Geez. This place doesn't get any better, huh?

"...I'm not talking to you, so don't answer."

This last is to the corpse, of course.

Fortunately, the corpse does not seem to be the talkative type.

The wall next to it, however, is offering some information. In blood.

Leonard Rhine-
the Monster Lurks

It is also offering a shotgun.

"Leonard Rhine. Classy."

She eyes the shotgun with distrust.

"...Batman would really disapprove of this. On the other hand, Batman's not here, and I'm not Batman, and those monster kids are freaking me out..."

For its part, the shotgun is about as active as the corpse.

It's got ten rounds in it, but there don't seem to be any refills around.

It's really tempting.

Steph sighs, and picks it up, weighing it in her hands a few times.

Carefully (and with quite a bit of fumbling) she removes the rounds and drops them firmly on the floor.

"No."

But the gun itself will make a better club than her splintering bit of wood, and also, may look threatening. (The wisdom of maybe keeping some rounds to fire into the ceiling or similar does not occur to her.)

The shotgun was not part of any sort of trap, or if it was, it is a very slow-moving trap.

There doesn't seem to be anything else of particular interest in the bathroom, unless Steph has developed a sudden interest in rusty grating or filthy walls.

Not so much, no.

Except in that way where her interest revolves around getting away from them.

"Sokka? You came out here and hid, right?" she calls, coming back into the hallway. Or at least, into what she hopes is still the hallway.

It's the blocked-off hallway from before.

This place is not so much into the standard space-time continuum.

D:

"I AM REALLY STARTING TO HATE THIS PLACE," Steph announces at the top of her lungs before starting down the hallway. Or up. She's kinda lost track of what's where at this point.