Play@YSDC

Rutiger Paddington

"These blasted cops are probably looking for donuts! Ugh!"

I step out of the house, not wanting to get injured. The show must go on, and it wouldn't be the same without its host.

"What's going on up there?" cries Gracie, backing towards the front door.

Todd Guzman Todd teeters precariously, barely keeping his balance.

Back outside the house once more Rutiger falls to his knees and dry heaves a few times.

Rutiger,[i]He feels as if he wants to be sick but fear makes his forehead suddenly awash in cold perspiration. Something seems to be moving within his stomach, something that twists and turns. The pain is horrendous he knows that if he vomits the thing that moves within him will tear his gullet due to its enormity. Then, as quickly as it came it is gone, leaving nothing worse than a foul taste within his mouth and a soreness within his throat, as if something had been thrust down his throat against his will.[/i]

Gracie, with an effort, swallows the fear that is rising within her and slowly backs out of the doorway to find Rutiger on his knees heaving as if he will never stop. Before she can speak he stops heaving and looks up at her, she can see the film of perspiration that coats his forehead, he swallows with a grimace...

Hippo tightly gripping the length of wood stops at the foot of the stairs, he hears Simon’s question and sees the lad a few steps up from him. Further up in the shadowed stairwell he can see Karl and Todd balancing near the top of the stairs, as his eyes adjust to the gloom he can see other things moving around them, small grublike things but not clear enough to be able to truly see their nature. As he watches he hears Karl scream and grab at the figure in front of him...

Simon, the only answer to your query is a horrid scream from Karl as he raises one foot high as if in some kind of dance and clutches at the teetering figure of Todd one step above him...

"What's wrong?" asks Gracie, going over to help Rutiger.

Karl Anderson
Karl rallies himself and swats manically at his trousers. It's not the first time he's done this, but it may be the last.

At the top of the stairs Todd and Karl quickly restore their balance. It seems the strange creatures have gone into the shadows and vanishing amongst the cracks and gaps of the staircase, though Todd is certain that he can hear ominous scuttling all around him.

Karl, satisfied that none of the things have climbed his trouser leg, relaxes a little.

From his position at the top of the stairs Todd can see the awful remains of the tramp in the centre of the hallway to your left. The door from which he had emerged (B), to your left-rear, hangs partially open as he had left it, through the gap you can see a shaft of daylight in which dust motes dance and swirl.

Todd Guzman

"We're okay," Todd calls back down the stairs at the others' shouted questions. "The guy ... died from some kind of bugs. This place must be infested. We definitely need to speak to that real-estate agent." Steeling himself, he moves toward the door from which the man came.

Simon Quispe

"Bugs? You mean, simple, real bugs?" Simon asks, while slowly ascending the stairs.

"Oh, there's someone down in the basement too, I'm afraid, by the way," he adds stupidly, not really knowing how to say this in a better way.

Karl Anderson

"N-no, these were definitely not n-normal bugs," Karl stutters. "I'm going back outside. The realtor's on her way and I've got a few ... questions."

He backs down the stairs, wearily watching every crack and shadow.

Rutiger Paddington

"Should we just blow this place up to seal the evil inside? We're probably going to need a lot of TNT."

"Um...what?!" says Gracie, startled. "Lyn could still be in there!"

Pale faced and still shaking slightly, Karl squeezes past Simon on the stairs, before moving through the front door to the fresh air beyond. For a moment the rush of cool September air seems to provide an almost physical barrier between the normality of the outside world and whatever lurks within the house.
From the expression on the face of Gracie something Rutiger has said has caused surprise, shock even. In the sudden silence, broken only by the cawing of some distant crows, the distinctive sound of a car engine can be heard approaching.
A few seconds later a red convertible pulls into the yard, stops next to your van and a slim, attractive female with long fair hair slides out the first thing she does is light a long cigarette then bends to retrieve a briefcase from the car’s interior. Seeing you at the door she smiles and extending her hand moves towards you, “Hi, Vanessa Volker. How can I be of help?” For a moment all three of you get an intense feeling of familiarity from this woman.

Karl,you are certain this is the woman you saw in your earlier vision.

"There was someone in the house," says Gracie, not entirely sure what's going on herself. "It's...messy."

Karl Anderson

Karl relunctantly shakes the woman's hand but tries to hide his misgivings.

"Call me Karl. Thanks for coming over Vanessa. Sorry to tell you this, but I think you've got squatters. Best you go see for yourself."

Is kidnapping a realtor a federal offence? he wonders to himself. Maybe if they get her inside, they can get some answers to what the hell is going on.

Vanessa continues her smile, “Karl, okay. I was surprised by your call as I had no idea that your company had decided to follow up their initial request. So you will forgive my confusion to finding you here at the house without making proper arrangements”
She turns at Gracie’s words and for a moment the smile is replaced by a shadow, “Someone in the house?”

OOC:   Gracie and Karl: Please roll hard INT (INT halved)

Karl Anderson
Karl is lost for words. Dammit, he thinks. This dame is trying to bamboozle me.

Gracie is confused, as usual.

OOC,INT roll (50 / 2 = 25% stat) about [b]Vanessa[/b]: [dice]0[/dice]

“Someone inside” Vanessa Volker repeats as she passes you all at the door and enters the house. The shadow seems to have vanished and the smile returned, “Tell me where is Miss Cartwright?”

Hippo

"Damned if we know." mutters Hippo, almost inaudibly.