Murray's Journey: Finders Keepers

[Mr. Handy]

"I was just on the other end, and the room there is clear, as is the tunnel itself," says Murray, his glib tongue as effective as ever. "I took care of the nasty things on the entire floor, except for the nurse monster that can't get out of her own room and this other thing that wandered off some time ago. I'll be right behind you, and you'll be fine as long as you don't leave the room until I get there. It's far more likely that something bad will come up behind us. Do you really want to be bringing up the rear if that happens?"

[Laraqua]

"This other thing?" asks Craig, his voice breaking. He licks his lips which are now almost entirely devoid of lipstick. "Sure, hell, all right."

Murray laces his fingers together and Craig steps up, groaning, and easily gets into the vent.

"Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought."

Craig starts crawling.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray hoists himself into the passage and follows Craig.

[Laraqua]

Nothing seems to impede their progress as they head into the room with the elevator shaft. On the plus side, the fleshy walls provide enough of a slope that they won't need to fall down.

"This place looks so different now, so much wore," said Craig. "You think ... we're just getting deeper?"

[Mr. Handy]

"I dunno," says Murray with a shrug, "but I think we'd better take the stairs instead. There are the surgical tools if you want them." He points out the tools in the operation prep room.

[Laraqua]

"What? You want me to do surgery on myself?" he asked, limping after Murray as they head to the doors that break the corridor on half.

As Murray opens the door, he comes to see the back of a nurse in a red uniform whose facing away from them, a twitching grub-like thing beneath her neck somewhere over the spine. She whimpers, mewling, then slowly starts to turn.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray swiftly and quietly shuts the door again.

OOC,I didn't say I was going anywhere just yet. We could pack the surgical tools in the suitcase first. They might be useful if we can find a doctor and the means to sterilize them.

[Laraqua]

Show,sorry, when you said you pointed out the tools I took it to mean that you were vaguely pointing them out before moving onward. Happy to let you have put them in your case.

[Mr. Handy]

OOC,That's okay, and thanks. Do I manage to get the door closed in time?

[Laraqua]

Show,stealth check. You can close it in time but whether it squeaks....

[Mr. Handy]

The door creaks loudly when Murray shuts it. That may be for the best if we can use it to misdirect the nurse, he thinks. "Quick, this way," he hisses, leading Craig to the door to the nurse's station. Since she's in the corridor, she can't be in that room. The other exit from the nurse's station would lead back to the hall on the other side of the door he had just closed.

[Laraqua]

Craig panted heavily as they quickly nipped through the door into the nurse’s station and through to the other side, pausing a moment at the second door to listen in.

OOC: Make your listen check and say how you would like to proceed to the stairs.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray looks around the nurse's station to see if anything catches his eye while he makes his way through; he hadn't had much time the last time he was here. He puts his ear to the door to the other hall, but he can't hear anything. "When I crack open this door," whispers Murray, "I'll see if the nurse is in our way or aware of us. If she is, I'll close the door again. Otherwise, we'll proceed slowly and very quietly to the stairs. Just follow me and try not to make a sound, okay?"

[Laraqua]

Craig nods mutely, clutching at his bandaged wound.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray opens the door slightly and peeks out into the hall beyond.

[Laraqua]

Show,there's no point peeking when you have to stab a flashlight beam out into the corridor to see anything at all. You might as well open it all the way so you get a better view more quickly and can react faster.

The corridor is clear. He can hear the double doors shutting at about the same moment as he opens this one.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray beckons to Craig to follow him and slips out into the hall. "Close the door behind you," he whispers as he leads the way to the stairwell's door.

[Laraqua]

The stairwell is closed with a metal grille door that is currently locked. Hopefully Murray can make short work of it before the nurse returns.

[Mr. Handy]

Murray hands the crowbar to Craig. "Hold this," he whispers, fishing out his lockpicks. "If I can't pick the lock, we'll have to resort to that to pry open the door fast." He tinkers around with the lock and soon hears a satisfying click.

[Laraqua]

Craig clutches the crowbar for dear life and sighs when the lock clicks and Murray swings it open. The stairs smell musty like a used book store with just a hint of urine. It sure doesn't smell hygienic.

As Murray steps onto the landing, there's an eerie wail of an air raid siren that starts up its mournful cry.