Track 11: Spooky

[Mr. Handy]

Seeing that the creature is safely ignoring her, Liz goes back for another vehicle. It will have to be the Bentley, as the remaining two are convertibles and won't offer protection.

[SunlessNick]

Child! Do you not know that there are far worse things than I waiting for you? Only I can protect you from them. Come to me!

"Now you tell me," Zara mutters, before shouting "Why would I believe you? You've poisoned my whole life!"

She's not going to it. Although she does kind of believe it.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Clearly frustrated by the situation, the being emits a blast of blue-white energy.

Spoiler:

d20

The lightning-like bolt strikes the ground in an uninhabited area, turning the grass to ashes but doing no further harm.

Meanwhile, P tries to steer the vehicle towards the being.

Spoiler:

d20

It's difficult to steer the car on the grass, so it doesn't quite reach the thing before its front end falls into a ditch.

Spoiler:

d20Borderline, so . . .

Liz is able to approach in the other car, but, as luck would have it, it runs out of gas just before reaching the being.

There's something of a Mexican standoff; the creature is surrounded by cars, so it can't get by, but none of them are touching it, and are not if full operating condition.

[Mr. Handy]

As long as the being continues to ignore her, Liz siphons some gas from one of the other disabled vehicles into the Bentley.

[jp1885]

Grumbling in frustration, P jams the gear stick into reverse and, revving the engine furiously, back the car out of the ditch.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

As long as the being continues to ignore her, Liz siphons some gas from one of the other disabled vehicles into the Bentley.

Easy enough to do, but it takes some time to perform the "transfusion," if you will.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Spoiler:

dex 5d20

P struggles to get the Rolls out of the ditch, but with little success. Black smoke starts to come out of the exhaust pipe.

Meanwhile, with no other direction to go, the entity directs a blast of energy at the ground directly below itself.

Spoiler:

d20

It successfully blasts away enough earth to form a deep hole, into which it disappears.

[SunlessNick]

Zara risks leaning out of the van, trying to see where the creature went.

[jp1885]

“Confounded vehicle!” shouts P as he emerges from the stricken Rolls.

Fluffy dice clenched in his fist, he strides to the hole and flings them in before peering downwards.

[Mr. Handy]

Liz continues siphoning fuel, so that she'll be ready in case the entity returns.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Both Zara and P can tell that the hole goes down quite a long way, and that there's a dull amber glow at the bottom. There's no sign of the entity at the present time. A distant rumbling sound emerges from the pit, then slowly fades away; at the same time, it changes its apparent position, from the center of the pit to the side, and then, seemingly, moving away from it in the same direction, until the sound disappears entirely. A eerie silence follows; then, a few seconds later, the sound of many wings as a large flock of starlings flies away from a wooded area of the park at full speed, heading in the opposite direction from the pit. Simultaneously, there is he chittering of squirrels as they, too, flee the area.

[Mr. Handy]

"Sounds like it headed over in that direction," says Liz. "We'll need to get these vehicles moving again so we can go after it."

[jp1885]

“I concur,” replies P. “Assuming I can extricate that blasted Rolls… Where the devil is Otto? He’ll help.”

[SunlessNick]

"I think this one's had it," Zara says of the van.

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

While discussing the situation, the investigators see that, one by one, the trees in the area from which wildlife fled topple over with loud crashing sounds. With his mighty strength, Otto is able to pull the Rolls out of the ditch. It's the worse for wear, but drivable. With gas in the tank, the bread van is operable, but Zara's vehicle is out of commission, as she suspected. There's still the Bentley and the two convertibles.

Enough time has gone by for somebody to inform the authorities. Ambulances, firetrucks, and police cars show up, sirens blaring and lights flashing. The responders seem bewildered by the situation. Seeing that Otto is the only one around not currently inside a vehicle -- everybody else fled on foot -- they ask him "What in blazes is going on here?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Looks like we have to help Otto out," Liz says to P. "I'm the best at talking to people - particularly men - so I should probably take the lead here. We should couch what we say in scientific terms, so we can tell the truth without them understanding a thing we say. If they did understand it, they'd probably have us committed."

[jp1885]

"Otto will be very glad of your assistance Dr. North," says P gratefully. "I will take to the wheel once more and try to catch the entity when it surfaces."

With a curt nod, the scientist clambers back into the Rolls - hopefully the creature won't give him the slip!

[VictoriaSilverwolf]

Spoiler:

d20

A combination of scientific knowledge and personal charm allow Liz to completely sway the responders to her side. Their general attitude is "OK, what can we do to help?"

More trees topple over, and water bursts from the ground, apparently the result of an underground pipe being broken open.

"Oh-oh," says one of the firefighters. "If this -- what did you call it, Doc? -- gets to the natural gas line, it could cause big trouble."

The cops are busy holding back a crowd of reporters and the curious. (Among the former is John Shade and his crew.) The ambulance workers are treating a few folks for minor injuries, mostly from falls and the like while fleeing the being. A couple of people can be heard saying things like "Hey! That's my car! Who's been messing with it?"

"This is John Shade, with a special report from Local Mysteries. Did three self-styled psychic investigators release a monster from Hell? Stay tuned!"

[SunlessNick]

Zara will go with P, in the hopes that another vehicle will be available to grab at the destinaion.

[Mr. Handy]

"What you need to do first is evacuate the civilians and secure the perimeter," Liz tells the responders. "That includes the reporters. They're only putting themselves in danger by their presence here. Then we'll need to neutralise the entity by running into it at speed in a vehicle. The vehicle has to be completely enclosed, as there will be an electrical discharge. The rubber tyres will keep the vehicle grounded, so that the occupants will be unharmed. You have the authority to commandeer any vehicles we need." She then joins the others at the Rolls. "Let's get after it. Maybe one of us should drive."