CHAPTER ONE: Jack's Journey: Opening Hours

[Seon]

Sighing, Jack fumbled through his piles of keys to unlock the interrogation offices.

[Laraqua]

The first interrogation room, nearest the men's toilets, contains a simple table with a recording device embedded in the middle of the table, two chairs, and tiny windows. There's not even a 1-way mirror to make it exciting. The second interrogation room is more typical with a 1-way mirror between this room and the one over though it is otherwise furnished precisely the same as the other room. Written in lipstick on the walls are the words: Oh God Where Did They Go I Should Have Done It Earlier There's No Point Looking She's Gone Now And The Police Blame

[Seon]

Jack walked over to the middle of the Second Interrogation room and then pressed the Play Button.

[Laraqua]

There's a few moments of static but Jack can make out the words "...Monday, 23rd..." Then the tape clears somewhat. "Detective Ronald Kachs and Detective Lisa Welsh present. Could you please identify yourself for the record?"

A woman's voice: "Dora Ashby."

"Thank you. Can you tell us what happened on *static* *static* -view Hotel?"

"I'm not sure what I can tell you. I don't know why I'm here. No one was paying attention and she slipped into the water."

"She would be?"

*static* "-why I'm here, isn't it?" The woman's voice sounds distraught. It certainly sounds like the Ash he met at the bar.

"Yes, miss. We're just trying to get everything straight on the record. So let's back up a little. How did the afternoon go?"

"Well, we'd just come back from the Lakeside Amusement Park after being there for a few hours and it was starting to wear on to the mid-afternoon. We grabbed a bite to eat at the cafe in the hotel..."

"We would be?"

*static* *static*

*static* "-at happen-"

*static* "-outside. It was a lovely day, you know? And we'd promised her a swim. But then someone called..."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

"She didn't say?"

Ash sighs. "No."

"Did you see anyone else at this time?"

"No, the courtyard was empty."

"No one at all?"

"Not that I saw, no."

"Could there have been someone?"

"There were hedgerows, sure, someone could've hidden behind them. Why do you ask?"

"So what happened ne-?"

A long burst of static follows.

"-bruising around the wrists and ankles."

"What? Bruising? How?"

"They look like handprints, miss."

"Wha-?"

The door creaks open. "Detectives, we have a problem. Could you come out here?" asks an unknown fourth voice.

"Yes, of course. We'll be right back Mrs. Ashby. Interview suspended at *static*."

The recording (an old tape, for some reason) is obviously corrupted. You might be able to clean it up for a clearer sound if you had the expertise or could find someone who had it. Heck, maybe Cecilia could shed some light on the tape.

[Seon]

Jack grabbed the tape from the recorder. He could see how this would be useful. He slipped the baton back into his pocket and pulled out the shotgun.

"Getting back's not going to be easy, is it?" Jack muttered out loud. "No matter. Let's see...map map map... Hmm...Garage... there had to be cars there, right? Or something like that?"

He grumbled out a few note as he left the office behind.

[Laraqua]

As Jack leaves the interrogation room, he hears a woman's terrified scream coming from somewhere else deeper in the building. After a moment of silence, she screams again. It's coming from the right hand side of the back of the building. Or at least, somewhere around there.

[Seon]

"Damnitdamnitdamnit," Jack muttered out quickly as possible. He began to run towards the Cells.

[Laraqua]

The first door slams shut behind him just as he throws open the second door to reveal a water-stained concrete corridor lined with cells on either side. One of those shuffling tatter skinned monsters has its arms thrust between the bars of the second cell to the right. It jerks back the moment the door slams open and stumbles around to face Jack. Luckily, Jack is faster then it and may act before it does. Unfortunately, he only has the baton and the flashlight in hand.

[Seon]

"Oh no, you don't!" Jack yelled out as he charged towards the monster. He swung the baton and heard it thwack against the monster's head. However, he had ran too close to the monster for his own liking and saw that barely did not have enough time to pull the baton back to defend himself.

[Laraqua]

The baton thwacks against its rubbery skin but seems to have little or no effect as it lurches toward him. Regrettably, the baton doesn't get in place in time to parry the attack and the creature's bony knife swoops inand bites deeply into Jack's abdomen. Something triggers at the base of his memory but he manages to shake it off and keep on his feet. The agony in his guts flares through his body but he still has a chance to take it out if he moves quickly.

Hidden,The baton has a base chance of 40% and a damage of 1d8. You may reroll your 1d4 to see if you get more damage or not. It's up to you but won't affect this turn. Personally, it's a tricky one as I could make it count as a cosh or a nightstick, I'm not sure which, but I'm going with cosh as it's meant to be larger than the more modern asps. An older model. Two grapple checks would let you disarm him but he's got an embedded weapon, so instead I'm going to have to count that as a regular parry.

[Seon]

Spoiler:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3318505/

What do you know, I rolled maximum...

Jack winced, then raised the baton to attack the creature in the head once more. The baton struck, striking the head of the creature one more time, with a skull shattering force.

Unfortunately, he grew dizzy due to bloodloss and nearly dropped his baton in the process.

[Laraqua]

The creature hits the ground and lays there squirming and writhing with the now familiar schtick. His radio is hissing loudly, had been ever since he entered the room but his eyes had already taken in the threat. The radio static is starting to clear up already, though, but a swift kick couldn't hurt.



"It almost got you, didn't it?" asked a sultry woman's voice. A casual turn of the head reveals Ash sitting on a metal bunk bed at the opposite side of the cell, elbows on her knees, hands dangling between her legs. She's long-legged and fairly pretty, with a slightly seductive quirk of the eyebrow. She rises off the bunk and approaches the bars with an exaggerated hip swing. "My hero..."

Extreme Bartender!!!,Who needs a luck roll?

[Seon]

He delivered one swift kick to the creature, almost slipping in the pool of his own blood, before he turned to Ash.

"Yeah..." Jack mumbled. "Come on...let me get you out of..."

Hang on.

"How did you get inside this cell?" Jack asked. "Last time I heard, you were in the Interrogation office..."

[Laraqua]

"I have no idea. I think I must have hit my head or maybe I've been hallucinating." Her gaze flicks down to the monster by his feet. "Maybe I still am. All I know is that it was dark and warm and moist and I could hear these... I don't know. They sounded like fans or something similar. I crawled to the door and it was open. Well, not open. The door was gone and the frame felt all concrete rimmed in metal. I kept crawling and I could hear these ... I'm not sure what they were. I crawled straight, hit a wall, followed it. I went the wrong way. I realise that now. I went right instead of left and the doors were left but I wasn't thinking. This room had a faint glow to it so I came in here and then something came in after me. I slammed the cell door shut to lock it out and I went to sit over on the bed. I think I must've passed out. When I came to, it was almost back to normal." She stares at the monster. "Almost."

Her gaze flicks back to Jack. "Wait, what do you mean the last time you heard? You don't look like a detective ... but you sure do look familiar. Kinda handsome, too."

[Seon]

"I'm the bartender at Annie's Bar," Jack said. "Cecillia sent me over to get you since...well..." he shrugged once at the monster. He kicked it again for good measure, grimacing as sharp pain shot up his side.

"Here...I'll let you out," Jack said, fumbling through his key ring. "You still have your phone?"

[Laraqua]

"Cecilia? You know Cecilia?" She frowns and grabs at the bars. "Wait, which bar? Annie's? Wait. You're Jack, right?" She seemsafraid.

[Seon]

"No, I'm Rochelle," Jack said sarcastically. "Of course I'm Jack, silly."

[Laraqua]

Ash grips onto the cell door bars. "Oh, y'know what? Why don't you go on ahead. I'd only slow you down." She suddenly starts favoring one leg. "I got this hell of a bruise on my thigh." Since she's wearing a black A-line skirt that ends above her knees, it's the only part of her leg covered. "And you know, it seems pretty dangerous out there. Don't you think? Why don't you just leave me the keys and I'll see myself out?"

[Seon]

"Ohhh that's true!" Jack said. "You would only slow me down, leading me to get eaten by angry, ravenous dogs and giant knife-armed monsters that's surrounding this police station! I mean, I have a shotgun, so I'm fine, but what if I have to protect you too? Your limping would attract every monster around miles too! I have a first aid kit, so I should be fine."

"But I have a better idea than what you said! I am not going to give you the keys. I mean, how do I know that you won't try to follow me for protection? That would slow me down too! So I think I better leave you in this cell. You have plenty of..." he waved at the monster's decomposing body. "Food and drink, so you should be fine. Should also be safe behind that bar. Oh don't worry. These bars will hold. Uhh...hopefully anyways. In case it doesn't, I'll hang this clip-on radio at the door to this cell block. It makes VERY loud noises whenever one of these creatures are here, so if one of these things are walking around in the hallway, you'll know! Well, they'll know you are in here too, but nothing's perfect, right?"

[Laraqua]

Ash's eyes widen in shock and horror. "You w-wouldn't? Look, I just.... I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. I'm just scared."