Ch. 3.1 - On a Dark, Deserted Highway...

[HoneyDog]

"Let's take the left-hand path" says Howard. "It looks like the most direct route."

[Mr. Handy]

William nods and follow along.

[peper757]

Thomas follows the others, taking in the surroundings and occasionally glancing at the hotel behind them.

[Philulhu]

The path lead around the northern edge of the lake before it turned south again and carried on until they could see the buildings they had first observed from the other bank. The buildings have obviously been abandoned for some time, as they were overgrown and belongings left behind had long since eroded or broken down, leaving shards of rusted metal and broken pottery underfoot.

Although there was no sign of anyone in the buildings, the investigators couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.

[Mr. Handy]

"All right," says William. "Let's go back to the hotel."

[HoneyDog]

“Yes” says Howard, peering anxiously around him. “Maybe we can try and search the other guest rooms”.

[Philulhu]

By the time the four men walked back to the hotel, the light had started to fade and tendrils of mist were rising from the lake. In their absence, the gas lanterns along the side of the hotel had been lit. Of the owners or other guests, there were no signs.

Under the tea towel in Howard’s room, the edges of the sandwiches had started to curl.

Time check,It is now 6.30pm.

[HoneyDog]

Arriving back at the room, Howard sees the tray of sandwiches. He is starving but wary. He picks up a sandwich and sniffs at it. "I hope they haven’t poisoned this” he tells the others. His hunger getting the better of him, he takes a bite.

OOC,Isn’t the other guest with us?

[Philulhu]

Howard chewed on the sandwich. It was tasty but dry.

OOC,No, he stayed in his room. [i]First draft. [b]Howard[b] chewed on the sandwich. It was tasty but dry. After a monent or two, he could feel his throat start to constrict and it was only a matter of monents before his brain registered that he couldn’t breathe and the realisation brought on a massive, and fatal, heart attack. From the reception area, the faint sound of sardonic laughter could be heard... ...[/i]

[Mr. Handy]

"He might have drugged the sandwiches," says William. "Nobody should eat any until we see if it affected you. In the meantime, let's see if there are any hollow walls or secret passages or anything." He begins to search the room.

OOC,Spot Hidden roll (60% skill) searching the room: [dice]0[/dice]

[Bullfrog]

Lawrence takes William's advice and doesn't eat the sandwiches.
Can't be too careful

[Philulhu]

Howard had showed no ill effects as a result of eating the sandwich so the indications were that they were fit to eat.

OOC,If searching the room(s), can you say where you are searching and/or what you are looking for?

[Mr. Handy]

Seeing that the sandwiches are safe to eat, William takes one and begins to chew on it as he searches.

OOC,I'm searching [b]Howard[/b]'s room right now (where the sandwiches were left), and I'm looking for any secret passages that could provide a way for someone to get into or out of the room, probably in the walls or the floor. If there's a peephole or something that would let someone look inside, I'd like to know that too.

[HoneyDog]

Howard is still hungry and he eyes the other sandwiches covetously.

“Do you not want yours, then?” he asks Lawrence.

[Bullfrog]

"There is absolutely no chance of me eating a sandwich. I do not trust their treacherous food."

OOC:   Is there a window in the room? If so, Lawrence flings the sandwich out the window.

[Philulhu]

Lawrence threw his sandwich out of the window, much to Howard’s dismay. It landed in the mud, where it was immediately fought over by a couple of crows.

William’s checked out the room while ate his sandwich. The door to the adjoining room was unlocked, but had a heavy bolt at the top so although it moved in the frame, it seemed secure. Turning the rug in the middle of the floor, however, exposed what appeared to be a trapdoor, with a heavy ring in the middle...

[HoneyDog]

The sight of the trapdoor makes Howard forget about the sandwich. He whistles slowly.

“Gee, Mr. Preston!” he exclaims. “Guess I owe you an apology! Let’s take a look! Does anyone have a flashlight?”

[Mr. Handy]

"I've got a lighter," says Howard. "Perhaps Thomas would have a flashlight." He grasps the ring and tries to open the trapdoor.

[peper757]

OOC:   Thomas hands over his flashlight, if he has one.

"Do you need a hand with that?", Thomas asks. He then adds "Maybe we should have a lookout, to keep a watch out for prying eyes...".

[Philulhu]

William pulled at the ring but the trapdoor was shut tight and whatever held it in place wasn’t budging.

OOC,Sorry for the lack of an update yesterday. I’m on my hols and just ran out of time :oops: