Salmon Lane - London, England 8:45 PM - Saturday, September 7, 1940
Eddie stood just outside the doorway, facing Story, Elizabeth, and Brook.
Elizabeth Young,[b]Elizabeth[/b] knew that the letters ARP stood for Air Raid Precautions. This man was evidently an air raid warden, just the sort of person who could guide them to the nearest shelter.
OOC,[b]Story[/b] and [b]Brook[/b], please roll History. [b]Eddie[/b], please roll Spot Hidden.
Eddie was able to see past the strangers and make out all the gory details. Behind them was a stack of crates, and in its shadow the corpse of a young woman lay sprawled on the floor. The blood trail led across the floor directly to her. The woman was about twenty years old and was pretty - or at least she had been. Her body had been mangled and chewed by something with large teeth. She wore a low-cut red dress with a short skirt, she had shoulder-length blonde hair, and her cheeks were bright with rouge. A handbag was slung over her shoulder. Her face was locked in a grimace of fright, her eyes bulging.
OOC,[b]Eddie[/b], please roll Sanity. Sanity loss is 1/1D4+1. If you lose 5 Sanity, you must roll Idea. If you succeed, you go temporarily insane. If you fail, or if you lose less than 5 Sanity, then you may act freely.
Brook, the teenage girl, glances behind her, at the body of the young woman. "We think some kind of animal attack...but it seems like more than that..." She looks at the man again, serious. "We think she was killed in the street and dragged in here."
Story was seemingly preoccupied concerning what sort of savage beast would do this that he barely registered the man speak. Catching Brook's eye he forces a smile as he realized that for once he was not in the moment, rather his mind was wandering... which for Story, is most unusual. He proceeds to follow his companions out the door looking at the man as he comes near.
Eddie led the group back outside, where his bicycle rested against the wall of the building. A small black cat lay in the basket, apparently asleep. A sign above the loading door read "HORRANCE AND SON." The street led off in either direction, intersecting with a much smaller street. There were no street signs in evidence, however. There was a faint reddish-orange glow in the distance ahead and to the left, which was the only light source visible. To the left, the street crossed a canal via a footbridge. To the right, it intersected more streets.
At this point, Eddie could now hear the drone of aircraft engines far overhead and in the distance, though they were getting closer...
Eddie Lawlor,The way to the air raid shelter was down the current street, Salmon Lane, to the right, which was back the way he had come. After a short distance in that direction, it intersected with an angled street, Yorkshire Road. Turning left would take them to the shelter.
"Right, ladies & gent, the shelter's down 'ere and to the left. We're looking for Yorkshire Road. Keep close & keep yer wits about yer."
Eddie fetches his bike and starts to wheel it in the direction of the shelter, urging the rest to follow him. He also keeps a wary lookout for the approaching aircraft.
The small group proceeded down the street to the right, then turned left onto an angled street. Oddly, there were no street signs at any of the intersections.
OOC,[b]Story[/b], [b]Elizabeth[/b], and [b]Brook[/b], you may all roll History.
Elizabeth Young/Brook Davies,[b]Elizabeth[/b] and [b]Brook[/b] both realized why there were no street signs. In the middle of 1940, all the street signs in London had been removed in an effort to make it more difficult for the Germans to find their way around in the event of an invasion. The invasion had never happened, but the lack of signs did make it harder for them to find their own way around. [b]Brook[/b] was from London at least, but she was from a different time and wasn't used to the extreme darkness. Still, at least the air raid warden seemed to know where they were going.
Remembering why there were no street signs, Brook frowns a little, and tries to make out details and buildings in stead. Perhaps she will recognize something. It is a strange feeling to be walking around a pitch black and earlier version of her home town. Not really sure where they are, she contents herself with following Eddie.
Eddie knows these streets like the back of his hand, so has to be careful that he doesn't lose his new companions.
While aware of the approaching airplanes and the need to get to safety, his main worry is the young woman back at the warehouse. Have we got a murderer on the loose, on top of everything else? Bloody hell, he thinks, shaking his head. At least Felix looks comfortable. "Turning out to be a heck of a night" he mutters, stroking the cat's head.
Elizabeth follows the direction Eddie is heading in, trusting him to know where they are going, in the absence of street signs. She smiles as she sees him stroking the cat.
Eddie led the way down the road. The street signs had all been removed, but there was still a helpful sign present: a narrow wooden board affixed to a wall that ended in a pointing finger in the direction they were heading. It was hard to read it in the dark, but when they got close, they could see that it said "THIS WAY TO THE SHELTER."
As they neared an old church, the droning noise of the airplanes got louder. High in the sky, dull gray shapes flying in formation made their way inexorably closer from the east. There were no RAF planes visible trying to stop them. Where could they be? A distant whump from behind them indicated that bombs were starring to come down. The church's windows all had blackout curtains visible within, and the large double doors stood closed. A sign identified it as St. James's Church, and another smaller one indicated that the air raid shelter was inside.
Story,[b]Story[/b] realized why there were no street signs. In the middle of 1940, all the street signs in London had been removed in an effort to make it more difficult for the Germans to find their way around in the event of an invasion. The invasion had never happened, but the lack of signs did make it harder for them to find their own way around. Still, at least the air raid warden seemed to know where they were going. It also occurred to him from the very limited damage that they had seen thus far that it was still early in the Blitz, which had begun on the late afternoon of September 7, 1940. Perhaps it was even the first night. He also understood why there were no RAF planes in the sky. At this point in the Battle of Britain, there were less than forty operational aircraft in the RAF, which had been taking a pounding in the last couple of months and was on the ropes. It had been Hitler's decision to change the strategy from targeting the RAF's airbases and radar stations to terror bombing of London that had actually turned the tide and given the RAF the necessary time to rebuild.
Eddie led the way through the darkened church, closing the front door behind them after everyone had entered. All of the windows were shrouded by blackout curtains, but they were guided from a man's voice from below calling: "I say, the bomb shelter is down this way! Do mind the stairs!"
Another man further below with an Irish accent shouted "What in the blazes are ya doin', boyo?! All the grief in the world for a curious Irishman, but ya run headlong into the furnace for any old schmo. Who knows who they could be."
A third man, his voice sounding older, called "Absolutely, Archie, do be careful! The raid is still on and we don't know if these people are friend or foe!"
The first man spoke again: "This is a bomb shelter, after all, we actually want Londoners to find their way in, not but stuck upstairs. By all means keep the door shut till I return though." He paused briefly. "I say, there's a bomb shelter here if you need it, here in the church basement!"
The Irishman then said "Your sense of honor, while annoying, is honorable. But these folks could be looters. You're putting everyone down here in danger!"
An older woman replied "If you ask me, you'll find bigger crooks in Mayfair than round here. And even a looter needs shelter in an air raid; let the man guide them in!"
The first man called yet again: "I say, if anyone is in need of a bomb shelter, there's one right here!!"
The sounds of the voices guided them through the blackness until they reached the top of the stairs at the back, where they found a middle-aged clergyman in ministerial garb.
OOC,Everyone is moving to the thread linked below: