Charles' Journey: Loss

[Laraqua]

There's a sudden buffet of wind against the shuttered windows, rattling the steel casing against the wooden frames, as a billowing ash cloud passes them by, blanketing the door's window in darkness. The whole building seems to rattle and shake, the noise erupting loudly around them and encompassing them in noise and vibrations that shoot up and down their very bones. The electric lights flicker all around them. The CD player erupts in jarring static and fragments of music. Then the lights explode, showering glass shards everywhere, and the room is plunged into darkness.

[Pickman37]

"...The hell!" Charles exclaims as he instinctively raises his arm to shield his face at the sight and sounds of the lights exploding. In the darkness he can feel the shards raining down upon him. He winces as he lowers his arm, once again feeling the pellets stuck in his flesh from the shotgun blast; the rush of adrenaline having passed.

As the afterimage of the exploding lights fade from his eyes, he peers into the darkness. The room is cloaked in complete black.

"Hey!" He calls out to Rochelle. "What was that all about?"

He waits for a response...

[Laraqua]

His only response is an angry wind that whips against the shuttered windows, banging on the door, and the ringing in his ears. The place is dark, nearly pitch black, though he's pretty sure he has a lighter somewhere about his person that might provide some illumination. Perhaps Rochelle had gotten knocked out by some of the debris?

[Pickman37]

Charles fumbles through his pockets, searching for his lighter. Upon finding it, he removes it and, on the second attempt, manages to light it. Holding it aloft, he scans the room for any sign of Rochelle...

[Laraqua]

The only sign of her is a shadow that marks the floor. A shadow of congealed ash.

[Pickman37]

Charles stands over the ash, bewildered...

What the hell is going on here....?

He balances himself against a table, knowing he needs to get to a hospital soon. Unfortunately, Rochelle was to be the one to lead the way...

"LILY!" Charles shouts out.

Did that crazy bitch say that Lily was gone before all this happened? That can't be...

Charles extinguishes his lighter and waits a few minutes for the metal to cool. He then re-lights it and makes his way towards the washroom in the flickering glow to investigate...

If my dear sister is playing a game of hide and seek, there'll be hell to pay...

[Laraqua]

There is a small, folded white card that seems to have been dropped near the ash by the counter. Checking through the Staff door, he can see a short hallway whose bathroom door on the right has been left somewhat ajar.

[Pickman37]

Before proceeding down the hallway to the bathroom, Charles picks up the white card and unfolds it, holding the lighter close in order to see....

What's this...?

[Laraqua]

The card simply says:

WhAt Is LoSt MaY yEt Be FoUnD
oVeR tHe DaRk & uNdErGrOuNd
HaUnTeD pLeAsEs BrOkEn SoUnD
lIgHt ThE bOrDeRs & hUnKeR dOwN
rOsEs TwIsT tHe CoRdEd CrOwN
mAy YoUr BlIsS bE oVeR nOw

The lighter is beginning to warm up.

[Pickman37]

Charles reads the card, shakes his head and pockets it absent-mindedly. He extinguishes the lighter to cool it off and waits in the dark before proceeding...

OOC,Does Charles have his gun still and the tire iron after the confusion of the previous scene? If not, he'll retreive those items before carrying on down the hall. If he has them, he'll holster the gun and, armed with the iron, proceed down the hall once the lighter is cooled and re-useable.

[Laraqua]

Charles doesn't have them on him after the confusion of everything going dark but he might be able to take a look around to find it. Having said that, his lighter is getting quite hot.

[Pickman37]

Laraqua,Before I go on, is the lighter still getting hot right now? I had extinguished it to cool it off in my previous post and was presently standing in the dark for a few minutes. If it is, I may be putting it down soon ;)

[Laraqua]

Show,whoops. My mistake. Well it'd be hot for now but may cool down if you're willing to wait a minute or two ... in the dark. Was that something rattling the shutters? :twisted:

[Pickman37]

OOC,No problem. I just thought something more sinister was about to happen with my un-lit lighter!

Charles stands in the dark, pondering recent events. Despite his usual demeanour, he is anxious about Lily.

That little shit better not be fucking around!

He can hear his thoughts so clear in the darkness of the bar, he can swear he spoke them aloud. He pauses and takes a breath...

Dammit! If that lunatic hadn't shot me, I could have kept myself together better...

He chuckles out loud realizing the unintentional pun that came to mind. Then he remembers what he saw at the bridge and gives the lighter a quick flick to see if the whiskey bottle was near to him at the bar.

Gotta keep it together...They better not have her.

His mind spins a bit and he curses out loud at the non-existent Rochelle...

"DAMN YOU! YOU RAG! WHY DID YOU BRING US HERE!"

His voice echoes loud into the hollows of the darkness and the silence that returns sends a shiver upon his soul. He flicks the lighter again searching for the bottle. His anxiety is fever-pitched and he glances back through the darkness in the direction of the back hall. He has to find her but he will not go weaponless...

It was then that Charles remembered his second lighter. He began to fumble on his person looking for it...

OOC,Do I need a Luck Roll to find that second lighter as stated on my character's equipment list?

[Laraqua]

That single flash of light does indeed reveal a broad variety of booze on the shelves behind the bar counter.

Charlie's fingers quickly grab that other fresh lighter.

[Pickman37]

Charles uses the new lighter to quickly find a bottle of whiskey. Upon its discovery, he grabs the bottle and deftly, with just his thumb and forefinger, flicks the cap off and pilfers a swig. As the burn of the alcohol reaches his belly, he thinks to himself...

I've got to keep it together. I have to get to that hospital but I need to make sure Lily is not here...

He pockets the warm lighter and, with the new lighter, begins to search the cluttered ground for either his gun or the tire iron...or at this point anything that can be utilized as a weapon...

[Laraqua]

The tire iron sits on the floor only a few paces away from the pool table but there is no sign of his gun. There's also a few pool cues stacked up against one wall nearby. Its odd but despite his eyes having adjusted to the gloom the light from the lighter barely extends more than a few feet around him.

[Pickman37]

Charles thinks for a second. A pool cue would have longer reach but he has met some tough hombres in his life and it wouldn't take much to shatter one with a single strike. He elects to retrieve his tire iron and then makes his way down the hallway towards the washroom. As he walks, he tries to squint past the halo of light created by the lighter but to no avail...

[Laraqua]

The washroom is stark in its emptiness. Tiles have fallen from the walls, plaster flaked from the ceiling, collecting on the peeling linoleum like the detritus of a life that's passed him by. There's truly no sign of his sister or of Rochelle. The mirror glass is cracked and it reflects his face in a ridiculous form - all jagged edges and doubled angles.

[Pickman37]

Charles scans the room and, seeing no alternate means of exit, lashes out. It is as if the room itself is mocking him and he swings at the mirror with the tire iron, shouting out at the same time...

"DAMMIT! WHERE DID SHE GO!"

His voice and the sounds of shattering glass momentarily breaks the shroud of silence filling the room but the stillness returns just as quickly. In the aftermath, the fragments of the mirror remaining only further distort his appearance...

With his blood pounding in his temples and his breath coming in quick, short bursts, Charles sets upon a course of action.

I need to find that hospital and get medical attention first then I'll find Lily...

He returns back down the hall into the bar. As he passes the bottles, he selects something small and handy that fits into his inside jacket pocket...perhaps a 375 ml liquor bottle but a beer bottle would do. Anything he could use as a weapon on the go, smashing the bottom off when the time comes to utilize as a jagged knife. He intends to scan for his gun as he makes his way to the exit into the street, alternating between the two lighters he has...