A small and dark ante-chamber is built into the room from the front doors to keep the light from inside from spilling out. The curtain at one end has been thrown askew, revealing the door which is chained from the outside. The room itself is quite wide with scuffed floors and worn benches sitting back to back in the middle. More benches line the walls, with paintings of local scenes and nearby Plymouth adorning the brick above them. Naturally all of the windows beside the entrance door are covered in a heavy shroud of black cloth that blocks your view of the outside world and leaves you enclosed in this cozy little space.
The whole place feels quite warm and cheery due to the lovely big old fire burning on the other side of the building, flanked on either side by the ladies and the gentleman's restrooms. It's given an even toastier feeling because the whole room is bathed in a nice orange glow with very little competition - only one of the wall-mounted lamps is on and that's one of those nearest the door. There is a most peculiar odour of polish, cologne and saddlery, which might be caused by the pile of horse gear strung out over one of the benches which is most peculiar. A portrait of the British King holds pride of place above the fireplace.
The other doors here all have glass-frosted windows with black stencilling giving their labels. On the left are two doors (one broken inward and then mainly closed, though still hanging ajar) and a shuttered window. The labels read Station Master's Office (broken door) and Baggage Room where you can pay to store your baggage. On the right is a door to the restaurant. Near to that is a set of steps that head upwards to what would presumably be a few hotel rooms.
Four of the would-be passengers are standing around a man in station master's uniform who lays upon one of the benches.
Credit Rating Knowledge,It really is quite all right to knock on the Station Master's office door and expect him to manage things for you.
Outdoorsman or Riding Knowledge,These high-quality saddles have been kept in very good condition despite also being well-used. They therefore belong to a keen and enthusiastic rider who nonetheless takes great care of his or her horses.
Law Knowledge,Allowing a chink of light to escape from the railway station would be grounds for a not-so-insignificant fine and some serious dressing down. Of course, one thing that should also be present are instructions to the nearest air raid shelter. There are no such signs in here. Hopefully there isn't an air raid before you manage to board the train.
Art or Art History Knowledge,The paintings are all local pieces of the sort made by ordinary landscape artists who have a neat skill with a paint brush but lack the sense of style that separates mundane painters from the masters. These paintings have been made by a half dozen different artists. Only one has signs of real style but something about the design work leaves you in mind of a painter who has used a skilful photograph as their subject and presumed the colouration. It is a haunting image of a sunset with brooding storm clouds above the flashes of colour with green grasses below.
"Well, I guess the best we can do is keep an eye on him. I suppose if we had some sort of net or something someone could fish out that key... The train still being here is definitely weird." Coming back to his usual self, Charlie grins, "At least it isn't freezing in here, thank God for small mercies."
"Oh there has to be another key around somewhere! I'll leave you to get the one out of the bath tub, whatever that might be for, I'll look around elsewhere." Ilona says impatiently as she heads towards the station masters door. "The train might be delayed but it won't wait forever!"
"If you're going in there,"Kate warns Ilona, "make sure you put a gas mask on first. There's a strong concentration of butyric acid in the office. That may have contributed to this man's current state. Not the madness, but it could have made him collapse."
"All right, how long is it going to take them upstairs? Do we want out? Maybe we see whether Mr. Hagan and I can ram open the door using one of these benches?"
Then he turned to Ms. Aston and said, "I am sorry Miss, what do you need a key for? What are you trying to open?"
"Oh, I want to open the doors upstairs... I dont think I brought my gas mask." Ilona says as she rummages through her purse. "Oh it must be in my luggage outside. I'm sure I'll be fine if I'm not in there long... right? "
"Here, you can borrow mine,"Kate says. holding out her cardboard box with her gas mask, '"I had it on for a bit before, but I wasn't sick in it or anything."
"This is the most ridiculous situation I have ever been in", Frank thought to himself as he watched people scurry here and there. Gasmasks on....gasmasks off...gasmasks on...rushing about like mad men and women. No one seemed aware of the concept of safety in numbers and people kept insisting on leaving and heading off to do their own thing. First there was talk of sabotage and cultists, and now they were treating the Station Master, an apparent victim of this whole ridiculous affair as if he was the enemy. Not that Frank wasn't keeping an eye on him too, but more because the situation had clearly unhinged the Station Master than any thought that he was part of the plot, or attack, or whatever was going on.
Frank felt that he was making Miss Lacey uncomfortable, but he didn't dare leave her alone with her patient. Or with Mr. Hagan for that matter. Perhaps giving her a bit of room would help put her at ease.
Walking over to the bottom of the steps, while still keeping an eye on the apparent invalid, Frank yelled up, "Hey, is everything alright up there?"
Ilona steps back into the room, pulling the gas mask off as she does so.
"I have the keys, I'll go up and open those doors." She awkwardly squeezes past Frank instead of asking him to move
Heard from upstairs by those near the stairwell,Artemis' voice "Countess, he's outside on the platform. Maybe you could run down and let folks know in the waiting room that we have a way of getting out of the building if we want or need to do so."
"Miss Lacey", Frank said in an even tone so he wouldn't startle her, "It sounds like they were able to get someone outside, so if we hear the rattling of chains, or pounding on the door, it is likely a friend. We might be out of this nightmare before we know it."
But he couldn't help but feel like getting outside might be worse than staying in the relative safety of an enclosed area.
"That is good news," says Kate with a grin. "Once they get the chains off, please help me with him so we can get him outside. I think some fresh air might do him good. I know it will me."
"Ah, excellent, hopefully we can still get on the mysteriously still present train." Charlie says as he returns from the bathroom, his timidity forgotten and a grin plastered back onto his face. "Though I do not have a ticket, obviously."
Frank gives Charlie a wry look and says "I was just commenting on the fact that it is odd the train is still here, but no one has come to investigate our situation."
"Yes, that is decidedly odd," says Kate. "I'm sure you'd be allowed to buy a ticket on the train, Mr. Hagan, but are you sure you still want to? We need to warn the people on the train of the danger, of course, but it would be risky to actually ride the train. On the other hand, it may not be safe staying here either."
"What danger?", Frank wondered, "What would we be warning them about? Is the danger on the train? Or is the danger in staying here? There are two reasons people chain doors. To keep things out, or to keep things in. And sometimes people chain doors to keep things in for their own good. What are the chains for in this situation?"
