Cole's Journey: Lock & Key

[Laraqua]

Ash simply begins to hum to herself once more. It takes him a moment but Cole locates Brookhaven easily enough. Its on this side of the bridge. He just needs to follow Nathan Avenue past the Lakeside Amusement Park and then turn right on one of the roads.

[Garrett]

I start sprinting there, so excited I've forgotten completely about Ash.

[Laraqua]

Cole rushes in through the door and starts making the long way through the winding stairs, which slows him down a bit lest he go sprawling and break his neck.

Show,what thoughts rush through his mind as he goes?

[Garrett]

Mary's alive, Mary needs my help, Mary's alive, Mary needs my help, Mary's alive, Mary needs my help......
[Spoiler-Button]something like that [/Spoiler-Button]

[Laraqua]

It takes so long to get down to the very bottom that when he's burst free of the door he breaks into a run across the wooden jetty. He doubtless wants to sprint but that would take him a shorter distance quicker. At least with a run he might make it down to the end of the jetty. The lake around him is a flat grey, swirling with fog, but the fog seems less tight now. He can see further away. It is as though a pressure has somewhat lifted from the area surrounding him as he runs along, turning right onto the main jetty and running all of the way to the West and East Garage. He sees no sign of Lily. Either she hid behind the lighthouse as he ran past or down onto one of those water level platforms or perhaps she fell off the jetty itself. Who can say?

Soon he is back onto the road and free to follow Nathan Avenue around. There is a sound, however, a shivering sound like leaves rubbing together alongside a heavy, drawn out panting like someone struggling to breathe. There's a stink to the air. Stale sweat and old booze that reminds him of the homeless he used to live amongst back when he was a child.

[Garrett]

I don't pay any attention to the sound other then putting my hand on my gun as I keep running.

[Laraqua]

Cole can make out a shivering creature whose flesh drapes off it like old, buzzing clothing as it shambles onto the road but he sprints past it and keeps on going, planning to follow Nathan Avenue until he can reach Brookhaven. His sister's there. She must be.

Show,make three rolls. One at Con x 5. Then Con x 4. Then Con x 3. Let's see how far you can run.

[Garrett]

success critical 5 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3786307/
fail 91
success(I think) 32 http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3786310/
OOC- Is the thing chasing me?

[Laraqua]

Cole has left the thing well behind but he's only a third of the way there when he has to pause to pant and stagger along, trying to move despite his burning lungs. He must've been on his feet longer than he thought. He would've assumed he could get there easily. Still Sandford Street is longer than he had expected and he hasn't quite reached Nathan Avenue yet. Pine trees loom up around the road on either side, boxing him in, the leaves of the bushes rustling nervously about him.

[Garrett]

What the hell was that monster? Can't-Can't think about that right now, those fucking things are the reason I have to get to Mary, we have to get the hell out of here.
What will I say when I get to her? she knows what I do if that message is any indication.
Screw it I'll think about that later, I just have to find her first. I continue moving as fast as my body will let me towards my destination.

[Laraqua]

After a painstaking journey along that long curving road he finally reaches Nathan Avenue and has to follow it as it run over a river that flows out onto Lake Toluca. This bridge is lower than the other one and he can see the grey waters below. Everything seems grey here - wrapped in a sort of colourless gauze. At least there's been no chasms blocking his way. He's also probably less likely to get ambushed as he crosses the bridge.

Probably.

[Garrett]

Oh God I'm so close, I can believe she's alive, all these years I've wasted. Why didn't she ever try to find me? Whatever, I don't care, I just can't believe I'm going to see her again. I'd live through all the shit that's happened to me here a dozen times over if it got me Mary back. I think to myself, feeling hopeful and happy for the first time in what feels like forever. I continue huffing my way across the bridge.

[Laraqua]

Cole makes his way down Nathan Avenue, feeling himself closing in. His harried thoughts means he can't quite remember which street he has to turn down. It's the first right onto Carroll Street. Follow it along and it should be on the right. After catching his breath he manages to run and make it to the right hand turn before having to pause for breath again. There's a laneway with a series of narrow houses pressed tight up against each other and lookin onto the car park for Pete's Bowl-o-Rama. That'd be another place his sister probably would've liked to visit. There was that homeless kid, Ralph, who used to talk about how he used to go ten pin bowling with his mom before his dad beat her so bad she got an acquired brain injury. Ralph and his mom were out on the street after that and his mom weren't any good for anything anymore. At least he had one, though. Some of the homeless kids used to take turns borrowing her. Some of the men did, too, but in a different way.

On the other side of Pete's stands Carroll Street. He starts down it. On the left he can make out a nice house next to Texxon Gas. Then there's a stretch of weed-infested nothing on the left side of the road. On the right there's Heaven's Night and then more nothing.

[Garrett]

I keep making my way towards the asylum. Bowling, I remember once Mary asked if we could do that and I asked if she could pull thirty bucks out of her.... God I was such a dick. I'll take her bowling as soon as we get out of here, I'll take her anywhere in the damn world she wants to go.

[Laraqua]

Brookhaven Hospital appears to have seen better days. It looms over the street like a wraith - its windows boarded up in places and its fence spattered with rusts like most things metal in this god forsaken town. The concrete walls that line the walkway up to the front doors do not look welcoming either and someone has sprayed Abandon All Hope Nutcases on the wall for good measure. This town is a real hell hole. It's amazing to think anyone could live here let alone come on vacation. Whatever is going on between those walls it's unlikely to have been comfortable for poor Mary.

[Garrett]

"GOD DAMMIT!" I scream. The building is closed! of course the fucking building is closed! Every damn time I think I've caught a break! Okay, maybe I can find something in there that will give me a hint as to where she is. "MARY, IT"S YOUR BROTHER! MARY?" I yell again as I walk through the doors and start poking around. I look for some kind of record system, something that might tell me where the patients went when the building closed, assuming nobody answers my yells of course.

[Laraqua]

Cole steps into the dilapidated reception area. Crumbling white tiles cover the walls and a blue-and-white linoleum tiles stained with muck and dirty footsteps cover the floor. There are a pair of emergency exit posters on the wall that should help him find his way (see maps below). There's a long counter across reception that contains a single computer and a telephone with a message pad on one side with the words: 'Pharmacy Delivery Remember Laura Pendleton's birthdate'. Most of the goods in the Reception counter involves simple stationary and other moulding bits of useless paperwork. There's a door behind the desk marked Reception. One to the right marked Pharmacy and one to the left marked Director's Room. The Pharmacy door is locked and has a keypad beside it. The Director's Room is also locked but this time just with a normal key. The keypad seems to be working. Perhaps they actually have power down here.

[Garrett]

"MARY?" I yell one last time, though half heartedly. I see if the computer will turn on and if it has any info if it does. Then I try to force my way into the directors room and look for info their.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3791436/ lockpick success.

[Laraqua]

The computer doesn't turn on. It looks like the power cord has been partially eaten through - perhaps by mice? Its a simple business to get into the Director's Room. It's a pretty standard office with a jacket slung over the chair. This computer doesn't even have a power cord. There's a big old-fashioned fax machine / photocopier in the corner of the room that does have power. There's also a filing cabinet whose key is in the top drawer of the desk. All the files in there appear to be accounting and staffing files. There is a photograph on the desk of a man with his young daughter which is signed Milly. There's a Health Drink sitting by the monitor as well which looks appetising. Apparently it helps with healing times following injury.

Considering the map, he probably needs to get inside the Document Room but to get in there he needs to get into the Reception Office. The Reception Office is locked, though, and it appears that someone has filled the key hole with polyfiller. He may need to find something to dissolve it if he wants to get inside. Either that or find a fire axe to tear the whole thing down. It's almost as though someone doesn't want him to find out the fate of his sister.

As he looks around, he hears something shatter somewhere down the opposite side of the building - perhaps from the Day Room.

It might be a good idea to find a better weapon than his tazer.

[Garrett]

I take the drink and sneak towards the source of the noise, pistol in one hand, flashlight in the other, off.
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3791529/ 16 success, critical I think.