Play@YSDC

Todd, in front, begins to slowly and as quietly as possible creep up the stairs, followed by Karl and Gracie likewise stepping carefully. Although dark, there is enough dim light from the open front door and other sources to see their way.

Reaching a balustraded landing he notes a couple of half open doorways, one to his right at the end of a short corridor, another to his left across a hallway, and a third also to his rear left at the end of another corridor. There is no sound, the house seems to hold its breath, as if something is about to happen.

Suddenly, without warning a figure appears from the doorway to your rear left. It, vaguely human, is moving fast towards the top of the stairs. Huge eyes stare wildly at you from a grime covered face. Clothes little more than rags, as filthy as the face. The hands hooked into claws with bony fingers protruding from tattered woollen gloves reach towards you as it breaks into a stumbling run all attempts at stealth now abandoned. Its lips, covered by an unruly mass of hair, spray saliva as a croaky voice screams, “What happened to me, what happened to me?”

OOC:   Todd, Karl and Gracie, please make San rolls (0/1d2)

Rutiger,from your position at the front door you hear the commotion...

Simon,you reach down and retrieve the object, it is indeed a microphone bearing the TSF logo, it looks undamaged. As you begin to straighten up you are aware of movement somewhere below amongst the shadows, something, you did not see enough to describe it, moved, or rather scuttled, as if seeking a deeper darkness. At this moment you hear shouts from upstairs...

Hippo,still wandering outside the house, you hear shouted voices coming from within. At the front door you can see Rutiger start, and swing his head towards the open front door...

Simon Quispe

Startled, Simon jumps up and chucks the microphone down into the darkness. Then he turns around, and runs back to the previous room, shutting the door behind himself. He grabs a kitchen chair and tries to pop it under the doorknob.

Todd Guzman

"Hell!" Todd jumps in fright, raising his arms to fend off the creature.

"Lyn, is that you?!" cries Gracie. Then she screams and flees down the stairs.

OOC,Sanity roll (current level 70) for seeing the figure: [dice]0[/dice] Sanity loss: [dice]1[/dice]

Hippo

Hippo walks towards the house to see what the commotion is about.

Karl Anderson

Karl stays where he is, bracing himself & ready to back Todd up any way he can if things get ugly.

For the next few moments chaos breaks out on the stairs. Despite Todd flinching with surprise and Karl standing firm just behind him, Gracie turns and screaming runs down the stairs.

Gracie’s blood curdling scream seems to have an effect on the stranger, he stops moving and stares at the two men who bar his way. In those few moments of stillness Todd and Karl get a good look at the creature that has appeared from the doorway. They see a dishevelled man, who from the state of his person and accompanying odour has long avoided any application of soap or water. His eyes roll in a state of madness as saliva floods from where you presume his mouth to be amongst a long untended beard. Having paused in all but facial movement he glares toward the two, “What is it? What’s happening to me?” the question is more of a shouted accusation. As he speaks fresh blood trickles from his nose, while his eyes seem to take on an imploring caste as if he is begging an answer.

Before anyone can answer or move he suddenly grabs at his stomach, howls with pain and begins to rip open his filthy rag of a shirt, “Help me! In God’s name help me! It hurts”. He drops to one knee, and you watch in horrified fascination as his stained white stomach skin writhes and ripples with movement...

Hippo,as you move towards the front door you hear a female scream of pure terror from within...

Simon,scurrying back into the kitchen you are able to close the door to the cellar and wedge one of the kitchen chairs under the handle. However from the state of the chair whether it would stop a determined assault from below is open to question. As you finish wedging the chair you hear a sharp female scream from the stairs

Todd Guzman

"Hell!" Todd says again. He figures they've found a homeless guy who'd been squatting here. He knows he should try to help or call a doctor or something but all he can do is stare, backing slowly away...

Hippo

"Gracie that you? What's going on in there?"

Hippo picks up any blunt club like object such as a branch or plank and hurries to the house.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she says, catching her breath. "There's a...person upstairs. He's...messed up."

Rutiger Paddington

I'll try calling the police, and tell them we have a potentially dangerous situation here.

Karl Anderson

Karl carefully backs down the stairs, keeping Todd between himself and the man.

"What's your name fella? What're you doing here?" he calls.

"No sudden movements Todd" he whispers. "Don't wanna agitate him further.."

Simon Quispe

Simon goes back to the rest of the team.

"There's something in the baseme..." he begins, but then notices the new person.

"Who-who is this?"

Hippo

Hippo appears at the door, loosely clutching an old plank.

On the landing at the top of the stairs the dishevelled figure claws at his exposed stomach. Todd can see the grey white flesh of his exposed stomach writhing and churning as if something within is moving.
Despite the shouted question, the hobo seems to ignore the presence of those on the stairs. His head hangs own as if mesmerised by what is happening inside, “Help me!! Dear God help me. Make it stop!!” His words, an awful scream of desperation, end with him raising his head and staring directly at Todd. For a brief moment you can clearly see the fear and pain displayed within his wide staring eyes.
Then before anyone has chance to react, blood spurts from his forehead as a tear appears in the centre of it. His eyes suddenly fill with blood and a scream of pure agony ends in a spray of redness. His stomach writhes with a renewed intensity, then, with a wet ripping sound, splits open from navel to throat depositing steaming entrails in a heap in front of the still kneeling figure. From amongst this bloody mass thousands of small white grub like spider things scatter in search of shadows and darkness, some head towards the stairs.

Todd and Karl,please make San Rolls (1/1d6) for seeing this new horror. And DEX Rolls to avoid the spidery things.

Gracie: Simon pushes past you as you run down the stairs to find Hippo entering the building holding a large piece of wood.
Rutiger: You call the cops and an automated voice informs you that your call will be answered as soon as possible.

Gracie cringes, terrified, as she gets out of the others' way.

Todd Guzman
Horrified, Todd staggers as he tries to avoid the spider things.

Karl Anderson
Karl is practically wetting himself. He holds onto Todd for support, fearing he is going to topple down the stairs.

As the tiny worm-spider things scuttle for any shadowed or dark areas, and there are plenty, some rush toward the two men on the stairs, both of whom make frenzied attempts to avoid them. For a moment Todd seems as if he is about to lose his footing and come crashing down the stairs on top of Karl. Yet at that moment he seems to rally and retain his footing. However a moment later Karl, on the step below him, screams at the sensation of something crawling up the inside of his trouser leg and clutches at Todd in an effort to maintain his balance, both men teeter on the edge of disaster.

OOC:   Todd and Karl: Please Roll luck

Simon Quispe

"What's going on? Are you alright?" Simon shouts up the stairs, realizing the stupidity of this question... It certainly sounds like that somebody is NOT alright. But Simon is afraid to go further.