Norbury At Night

[Mr. Handy]

While Irene normally has good eyesight, the sudden transition between darkness and light has effectively blinded her. Her hearing, on the other hand, is as good as ever.

[yockenthwaite]

Florence tries to look for clues but her eyesight still seems to be struggling to adjust to the gloom. Likewise her ears still seem to be ringing from the noise of the bombs.

[royya]

We could use these!
Doug calls to the others that stand peering into the hole as he checks the emergency and hands bags.
He tries to switch on the lamps and takes the flask of whiskey to see if there is still some left. In addition, he tries to understand what the numerals are.

OOC,What's inside the bags?

[dormire]

William casts about for clues, looking within the sections, especially near the blood.

Requested Rolls,[url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3642564/]Spot Hidden = 34[/url] [url=http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3642565/]Listen = 98[/url]

[aine]

John goes into 'electrician mode' and doesn't see or hear anything as he is concentrating. He feels the lamps to see if they are hot from recent use and then he tries switching them on. If they work, he positions them to light up all the areas and then switches his own torch off to conserve the battery.

ooc,Are the lamps mains, battery or paraffin powered? And can they be moved/carried? Oh, and how many are there if so?

[Laraqua]

The lamps are warm to the touch from recent use although they weren't used for a terribly long time as they don't burn one's fingers against the glass. They all seem to be working and have plenty of fuel. They're paraffin powered -- which seems a little dangerous. Luckily none of them were knocked loose. Someone must have switched them all off recently. They hang from a bolted loop against the cement though they could be easily removed with the right tool. Its a wonder the blackout gangs haven't made off with them yet.

The numerals are simply a numbering system for the beds and don't seem particularly important although the edge of one seems to have a tiny piece of loose skin and hair attached to it. The flask still contains a little whiskey.

The handbags contain the usual sort of personal oddments. Receipts, ration books, I.D. cards, the odd driver's license, notepads, shopping lists, lipstick, coin purses, tissues, handkerchiefs, keys, sanitary towels, and even a whistle.

William notices the edge of a hand from within the shattered brick building that must have fallen in on someone standing there. He's well covered but there's not a huge degree of rubble so he might be alive if correctly dug out. Might be.

Those who were successful listeners can hear a shuffling sound coming from deep within the tunnel. It sounds like feet. For a moment it sounds like someone quietly calling out: "Help, we're trapped by debris" but the voice is muffled and distant.

[royya]

Doug cleans one of the handbags on the bunk, leaving it empty so he will be able to use it. He place his stuff in there with the flask of whiskey and the whistle he found.
Probably someone was laying on this bunk and banged his head over here when he rose up.
Doug thinks to himself as he spots the tiny piece of loose skin and hair.

[dormire]

William shouts, "There's someone buried over here." He points at the hand poking out from beneath the rubble. "Let's uncover him, quickly!" He begins to move the bricks.

[yockenthwaite]

Florence rushes over and helps William to move the rubble.

[royya]

Doug sprints to where William is and helps him to remove the broken bricks.

[aine]

John frowns as the young man empties the bag. "Steady lad, that's not your property." When William shouts he leaves the lanterns and goes to help. He tries to steady the rubble so it doesn't collapse further onto the body. "Why do you think everyone left their handbags here and dashed off?" He says between breaths as he heaves on the bricks.

[dormire]

William, laboring hard, glances at John, "The bigger question is," he curses as a brick falls on his foot, "Where did they run off to?"

[Laraqua]

The rubble comes off easily, being largely broken bricks and dust, to reveal a young man in his early twenties who probably should be at War and who wasn't in uniform. He might well be a returned soldier but there's no sign of it. Instead he wore a trench coat (quite new, in fact), a brown vest over a white shirt and brown trousers. His face and hair are covered in brick dust and white plaster, most of it sticking to a patch of congealed blood at the back of his head. Without the dust he'd probably be quite a handsome man.

[yockenthwaite]

Florence guesses the young man may be dead, but makes a thorough check for a pulse and any signs of life to be sure. If he is alive she will also inspect his injuries carefully to see what can be done here.

[dormire]

William bends over the young man, taking care to leave Florence plenty of room to work. He begins to search the man's vest, trousers and coat pockets. Seeing inquiring looks, he mutters, "Only looking for some identification papers."

[Laraqua]

The young man is breathing, though its labored, and there's a light pulse. He doesn't seem to have any other injuries. Perhaps some smelling salts from the first aid kit might wake him up? His pockets contain a packet of Lucky Strikes and a lighter engraved with the initials A.H. He has an expensive silver wristwatch on his wrist and no wedding band - there's a bit of a pale spot where one used to have been. He has an American passport and I.D. identifying him as Aaron Hewitt, from somewhere in Tenessee. The most unusual matter is the loaded pistol in his trenchcoat pocket and a metal tube in another pocket. There's no holster for the gun, which is unusual in and of itself. He also has a ballpoint pen, a notepad, and a pack of chewing gum in one of his other pockets.

The 'All Clear' sirens haven't gone off yet. Outside there's the Ack-Ack of the guns and the 'whumps' of distant falling bombs. It won't be safe out there.

Show,roll your Handgun skill to see if you can identify the gun's make and model and identify the metal tube.

[Mr. Handy]

"Hang on!" Irene calls into the hole. "We'll have you out as soon as we can!" She turns to the others. "Maybe the rest of them are down the tunnel," says Irene. "I could have sworn I heard someone in the distance down there calling out for help and saying they were trapped by debris. I bet we can detach that ladder with the proper tools and place it down the hole so we can get in and out. The stairs will suffice when it's time to leave the shelter." She stands ready to assist Florence with the young man if she needs help.

[dormire]

William holds the pistol up in the lamplight, examining it closely. "His name's Aaron Hewitt and he's from the States. Seems our American friend here came into this shelter expecting some kind of trouble."

[yockenthwaite]

"Let's see if some smelling salts work on him," says Florence, opening up her medical kit and digging them out, and seeing if they revive the young man.

[Laraqua]

She uncorks it and waves it beneath the young man's nose, causing him to frown briefly and then come to with a rapid start, almost knocking the bottle clean from her hands. He's a reasonably fit young man, after all. He half sits, one elbow propping himself up, the other hand going straight for a hat that is pinned under a bunch more bricks.

"Hey lady, looks like I get an angel Nightingale all my own," he said with characteristic American flirtatiousness. He has that kind of American accent heard in all of the Hollywood movies. Were movie stars generally from Tenessee? His gaze flicks around and his smile starts to turn into a frown. "Looks like I've drawn a crowd...." His gaze finally lands on the pistol. "Well, ain't that something, mugged in an air raid shelter while tended to by nurses."