1. An encounter on a lonely road

[Cearlan]

Maynard is still feeling as though someone has poured icewater down his spine ... "what the hell was that? he asks himself as he arrives at the doorway of the diner. Standing in the doorway as Maynard's jaw all but drops as he sees the chaos in the darkened room and sees Burns comes barrelling towards him out of the darkness, fists flying in every direction.

"What the ..." is all me manages to get out as a Burns haymaker flies towards him.

"Woah there big fella!" Maynard shouts as he rolls under the punch from the windmilling madman before he gets too close.

OOC:   The dice roller don't seem to be working - I'll sort something out tomorrow.

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Dorothy sips the coffee and shivers, taken aback by the chaos going on around her. She tries to figure out what's wrong with these people, but she can't seem to get a grip on the situation.

Spoiler:

Psychology = 60%[dice]0[/dice]

She steels her nerves.

"I'm Leigh, from the Weekly. My editor would be glad to publish a story about these 'dead lights.' Who wants to give me an interview?"

[Mr. Handy]

"There's something off about the way the waitress reacted," says Sean to his passengers, He goes over to the kitchen door and tries to peek inside.

OOC,To simulate penalty or bonus dice, you'll need to roll 1d100, as well as 1d10 for each penalty or bonus die. Then you compare the tens digit of the 1d100 roll and all of the 1d10 rolls, taking the worst roll for penalty dice or the best for bonus dice to be the tens digit, along with the ones digit from the 1d100 roll.

[Priest]

OOC,To simulate penalty or bonus dice, you'll need to roll 1d100, as well as 1d10 for each penalty or bonus die. Then you compare the tens digit of the 1d100 roll and all of the 1d10 rolls, taking the worst roll for penalty dice or the best for bonus dice to be the tens digit, along with the ones digit from the 1d100 roll.

OOC:   Thanks Mr. H. Cearlan, ( and anyone else) if you have difficulty with the dice roller, just roll normal dice (real life). We are all grown ups.

[Cearlan]

Dodge (25%)

39%

The ducking Maynard fails to duck low enough and is struck on the back of the head by Burns' meaty right fist and staggers off to his left crashing into the nearest seat and or table.

[Priest]

Dorothy speaks, her voice loud to compete with not only the storm outside but the commotion breaking out inside the diner. However it seems that in all the commotion no one is listening, although the moustached man who is standing next to her places a restraining hand on her shoulder, “Best not to interfere, miss. Burn’s there is none too fussy about who he hits, men, women, pigs it’s all the same to him”. He releases Dorothy’s shoulder and tips back his cap, “When the fuss dies down, I’ll tell you what Burns told us”.

Burns fists flailing wildly uncaring of their target catches the ducking Maynard hard enough to send him spinning from his path. Whether the big man had noticed or not is open to dispute as he continues his run towards the door.

Meanwhile, Sean, flashlight in hand, ignores the commotion behind him as he makes his way to the kitchen door through which he had watched the waitress go, a few seconds ago.

Sean,As surreptitiously as you can without looking as if you are following her, you open the door to the diner’s kitchen. Everything looks clean and tidy, obviously the owner takes pride in the place. The kitchen, a small well kept establishment, backs off the main diner with many windows looking east, North and South the west wall is backed onto the diner. The room is filled with noise both from the outside storm and from its effects within. Pots and pans that hang from the ceiling, swing and clash together with every gust of wind, this also has the effect of making various shadows dance and move in your flashlight. At first you see no sign of the waitress, but then one of the shadows steps clear of what you take to be the rear door, [color=#0040FF]“Can I help you? Customers aint supposed to be back here”[/color] Her voice while pleasant and sweet with youth, holds a hint of surprised annoyance, you guess she hadn’t been expecting to be followed…

As the redoubtable Psychic Investigator crashes into a heap on a nearby table top, Burns pulls the diner’s door open, ably assisted by the wind. With an inarticulate cry he disappears through the doorway into the storm that rages outside. The door, left open, crashes back in the wind glass from its window flying like missiles in all directions, but luckily failing to find any targets. A few moments later a tremendous flash of lightning reveals Burns heading at a dead run for the truck, body bent against the driving wind and rain…

[Rooter]

"My goodness," Judith exclaims in dismay at the violent disturbance, and hurries across to aid the fallen gentleman. "Mr. Heldstom, are you injured?"

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Dorothy is shocked by the violence going on around her, but tries to remember everything she's seeing. When the lightning flashes, she tries to find something to write with -- maybe the waitress has a pencil and pad to take down orders. This is too big a story to miss, and she wants to take notes.

[Mr. Handy]

"Sorry, Miss," says Sean. "I was just wondering if I could get a cup of coffee."

[HoneyDog]

Kieffer also comes over to help Maynard. "Are you hurt?" he asks.

[Priest]

Sean,The waitress, surprise now obvious in her face as well as her voice, subconsciously straightens her apron, the simple act making her name badge easy to see in the flashlight. With a smile that seems almost as fake as the blonde colouring of her hair she replies,[color=#0040FF] “Sorry you surprised me, coffee is in the main diner if you wait out there I’ll be with you in a moment”[/color] She turns, places her hands on her hips and as if talking to herself,[color=#0040FF] “Now where is that first aid kit? Oh of course there you are”[/color] Sean watches as she reaches up to a shelf above the grill and pulls down a large tin marked with a red cross and the words[i] ‘First Aid’[/i]…

Both Judith and Kieffer rush over to the side of the sprawling Maynard. But in the dim light of the diner can see little injury, it seems more that Maynard was caught by a lucky blow that sent him flying.

Dorothy looks quickly around the counter for pencil and paper. Not more than inches from where she stands she sees the waitresses order pad and a small pencil attached by a piece of string, quickly grabbing it she begins to take notes on the strange events.

From the corner comes the raised voice of the old lady, “Ah, I see the gentleman has made it to the truck”.

At almost the same moment a clock strikes the hour, it is now 11:00. Outside the storm is still raging, but it sounds as though it might be relenting slightly. The rain still falls, but not as heavy as before; the wind still blows, but seemingly with less vehemence; thunder still rolls and booms almost incessantly; and lightning still flickers all around, but the reaching forks seem less numerous.

[HoneyDog]

Kieffer

Hearing that the driver has reached the truck, Kieffer is curious to see what the madman does now. He reaches the door of the diner and shuts it, although the missing glass means that he is exposed to the wind and rain. He makes out the outline of the man in the darkness.

[Priest]

OOC:   Positions (at the moment): Sean is in the kitchen where the waitress had disappeared to a few moments ago in search of the first aid kit to tend Emilia Webb’s injuries. Dorothy stands between Emilia Webb and Sam Keelham (moustache), holding a pencil and notepad that she has found on the counter top. Judith has rushed to the side of Maynard, who was roughly thrown aside by the fleeing Jake Burns. This Jake Burns has fled into the storm for his truck it seems. Keiffer, having at first also gone to Maynard’s aid, has followed the fleeing Jake Burns to the diner door (what remains of it) and waits to see where Burns is heading. Alister, having also been roughly manhandled by the fleeing Jake Burns has picked himself up and brushed off his clothes. The old couple, the Brewers, sit at the far corner table, seemingly unconcerned by the goings on within the diner, yet aware of something strange outside. There is limited light within the diner, from Sean’s flashlight although this is only what leaks through the kitchen door at the moment, and the continual flicker of lightning sometimes increased by a surge in the storm.

Despite the wind driving rain into his face from the now glassless door, Keiffer is amazed to see that Burns, moving fast for a big man and in the teeth of the storm too, climbs into the cab of the truck, slamming the door behind him. For a few moments Keiffer sees the big farmer searching for something, and in a flash of lightning can plainly see a look of horror on his face. However the image is temporary in a moment the cab of the truck is plunged into darkness as the lightning flashes out. A moment later another flash reveals that the cab is now empty…

[Cearlan]

Maynard lies on the floor clutching his ribs where they connected with the table after Burns' fist connected with the back of his head and sent him sprawling.

"I reckon I'll be alright ... just winded I think." he gasps between breaths. "What the hell just happened?"

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Dorothy tries to see if Miss Webb has calmed down any, even though her own nerves aren't too steady at the moment. She hopes she can read her own handwriting when the lights come back on. She speaks softly to the man with the mustache.

"Thanks for the warning. I'd like to get your side of the story. You seem like the voice of reason here. The Weekly will make sure to spell your name right," she adds with a weak smile.

[HoneyDog]

Kieffer

“Wha..what the hell just happened” stammers Kieffer. “Did I really see that”?

He turns back from the door. “Did anyone else see that? He just disappeared!”

[Mr. Handy]

Sean steps back out into the diner and holds the kitchen door open for the waitress. "I know first aid myself," he says to her. "I can help you with that. Looks like someone else got hurt too. The coffee can wait."

[Priest]

The moustached man smiles and nods, “No problem Miss. Name’s Sam Keelham manager of this gas station. Like I said Burns is a bit of a handful, likes to throw his weight around. Drinks too much and it makes him think he’s tougher than he is. Came in a while back claiming some spook light had made him drive his truck off the road, too much cheap moonshine probably. Makes it in an old still up at his place, just like his pappy used to”

Looking from Keelham to Emilia, Dorothy is surprised by the calm demeanor she is suddenly exhibiting. It is as if the sudden burst of chaos that afflicted the diner has had a calming effect upon the woman.
“Grandfather? Where is Grandfather?” She looks around as if searching the dim interior of the diner for someone.

OOC:   Dorothy may attempt a Regular Psychology Roll at this point on Emilia

Sean,The waitress, Mary Laker, flashes a wan smile in your direction, one you think hides a hint of relief. “Thank you” She hands you the oblong shaped tin with its iconic red cross markings. [ooc]At this moment, as she hands you the tin you may try a [b]Hard Spot Hidden[/b], to see if you notice anything outside through the back door window.[/ooc]

Within the diner, despite the broken glass of the front door allowing wind and rain to fly into the room as far as the counter, things slowly begin to calm down after Burns’ rude exit. Slowly Maynard, rubbing at his ribs and back of head, climbs to his feet, assisted by the Englishwoman, Judith.

His back turned to the door against the wind and rain, Keiffer stares back into the diner, a strange look of confusion and apprehension mixed upon his face. He mutters something about someone disappearing but a blast of wind that sets things on the counter rattling, makes it difficult to work out who he is talking about. Luckily at the same moment the elderly lady points out through the window, “Oh look Teddy, that truck driver has gone off with the Angel”

OOC:   Alister may make a Hard Spot Hidden Roll to see if he can see what the old lady is pointing to. For the other occupants of the diner an Extreme Spot Hidden is called for.

[evil_scientist]

Alister Sergeant

Alister stands up and brushes off the dust from his clothes, and, once again, glances toward the window...

Spot Hidden 45/22%
[dice]0[/dice]

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Spoiler:

Psychology = 60%[dice]0[/dice]

Dorothy is baffled by the young woman's strange behavior. It just doesn't make any sense.

"What do you think is spooking her, Mister Keelham? She said something about light, too. Any strange phenomena around these parts?"