Play@YSDC

Artemis clenched is jaw as the silence became deafening. He helpd the walking stick at the mid point and rapped the silver knob against the door with two sharp, quick and hard raps. "Countess, Ms Aston, is everything alright in there? Could you open the door? Frank and I are wanting to help get others down the rope."

Frank Durant

"Is the door locked? Could they have already climbed out too?", Frank asked loudly so Artemis could hear him as Frank moved further up from the steps still covering the hallway.

There is no response.

"It wasn't Frank," Artemis looked back towards Frank. He shifted to where he could try the door knob with his left hand to see if it was locked.

It isn't locked.

His left had turned the knob and it didn't stop. He shot a glance at Frank and nodded at the handle and the door. Artemis turned the knob and pushed the door open, while at the same time pivoting his left leg backwards. Frank would have a clear shot at anything standing back from the doorway.

"Frank, follow me please..."Artemis pushed the door further open and swung the flash light's beam about the room with his left hand. He took a step further into the doorway looking over his shoulder quickly to see if Frank was there behind him.

Frank follows Artemis, covering him with his pistol (pointing slightly over his shoulder and off to one side). He is listening for movement or sounds from the other rooms assuming that Artemis will let him know if trouble is coming from that direction. Frank is keeping quiet for the moment in hopes that if there is a "hostile" up there it will keep him from being pinpointed accurately.

There are light repetitive footsteps coming from Room 1.

Charlie halts at the top of the stairs, surprised to see an empty hallway. "Mr. Richter, Mr. Durant?" He calls out, "Where is everyone?"

There are men's voices shouting from Room 2.

"Jonathan, is that you down there? Who are you with?" shouts a voice.

Indistinct response.

"Is the Countess down with you and Jonathan? We are trying to get everyone to get out, but the station master has come too yet," shouts the same male voice again.

From downstairs comes the nurse's voice, "There's someone behind the locked restaurant door! Someone horrible!"

As Artemis entered the corridor, he pulled up when he saw Charlie.
"Charlie, who was that? What's going on out here? We need to get everyone out the window."

Already turning to head back down the corridor, Charlie rapidly says "Miss-Lacey-says-there's-someone-in-the-restaurant, I'll-get-her-up-here."

"Frank, I am going back downstairs...if you can cover the hallway and the stairwell, we may need your help." Artemis yelled over his shoulder as he followed Charlie down the stairs.

Brushing past Frank in the corridor, Charlie makes his way to the room Frank left.

Kate makes her way up the stairs and heads for Room 2.

The dark and chilly corridor is currently empty.

"Charile, help Ms. Kate out the window, we are coming up to talk about what the three of us should do next." Artemis shouted as he came up the stairs with Frank. He took a moment to look back down at the bottom of the stairs, then upwards in the corridor. "Folks, where is everyone? Charlie? Ms. Kate?"