IC - 1 - It Was a Dark and Stormy Night - Louis

[BoyBlunder78]

"Just checking!" Louis grins at Darren and looks at his outfit appreciatively. Then he strikes a pose and roars, thrusting the trident into the night sky,
"I am the Creature from the Black Lagoon!' He looks down at his hands, "I was hoping to get a pair of black rubber gloves but had to make do with these yellow ones instead."

"Ha ha, more like Aquaman with those yellow gloves! But does your trident does look cool." Darrenlooks over at Shirley looking down the road, seeing the shape all laughter leaves his face and he stands straighter, squaring his shoulders. " Here comes the jerk."

[Mephistophilis]

Harry marches up the road towards the house and eventually the hunched figure looks up and notices him and the others trailing behind. 'Come on you sissies!' he shouts down the street. 'I ain't standing out here all night holding my dick.' Yep, it's definitely Roger. He straightens up and starts drumming on the fence with something metallic, making a repetitive clanking noise that becomes increasingly irritating the longer he does it. It's not really clear if Roger is wearing a costume, he's dressed in double denim and doesn't seem to have anything on under his battered blue denim jacket which perfectly complements his mullet to add that certain air of redneck menace.



You all know Roger Simmons. he's a bully, pure and simple. If he has any redeeming features none of you know what they are. He's cruel and vindictive, seeming to take delight in picking on the weakest kids in Northfield but also with an unnerving ability to find people's weak spots and insecurities and stick the metaphorical knife in. The only person in Northfield worse than Roger is Ace Simmons, his older brother. Ace is just out of juvie where he spent six months for beating some guy half to death, at least, that's what they say. Where Roger is a bully, Ace is a psychopath. At least Roger has his own sort of code of honour, however twisted and perverse it is. You kind of believe him that if you successfully complete his dare he'll leave you alone, at least for a while, he said it in front of everyone in school and he won't want to lose face.

-----

The grounds of the Barnaker House are enclosed by a four-foot high wrought iron gate, rusted and peeling, with battered 'No Trespassing' signs posted at intervals along its length. The fence is topped by sharp spikes that look like they could do some serious damage if anyone fell on them. It's difficult to make out anything within the yard due to the overgrown but patchy and brown shrubs and bushes that line the fence on the inside. Roger is leaning on a solid looking gate that seems to block a gravelly driveway while there's another pedestrian gate in the fence a little nearer Harry.



Rising in the centre of the grounds, the Barnaker House itself is clearly in poor condition. The paint is peeling or completely stripped off, and while the slate roof is in better shape there are plenty of loose and missing slates. All of the windows are shuttered against the elements (and stone-throwing vandals) and these are crudely secured with boards nailed across the outside. Through a couple of gaps in the weathered shutters, a few dim and flickering lights can be seen. From the street Harry can see a porch out the front of the house and the front door beyond that.

In the twilight, Harry and Shirley can just make out a few bats fluttering in and out of the eaves of one corner of the house, silhouetted against the few shards of moonlight. The broiling mass of flittering shapes seems to thicken as the sky darkens.

The characters are on the sidewalk at the top right of the map. Roger is by the gate to the driveway.

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's go in," says Harry, heading for the pedestrian gate. He would much rather be in a house with no actual ghosts in it than out here with the rain and Roger. "I ain't afraid of no ghost. And yes, I know that's a double negative. It's a Ghostbusters reference."

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren walks up with him to open the gate. "Msybe we should go round back and see if we can see whats there"

[LiviaBlue]

Shirley jogs behind Harry trying to push through the closet gate in an attempted to reach the porch and keep her costume from becoming soaking wet.

"More overgrown weeds, that's what you're gonna find," she tells Darren being a little short with him.

"See! We're going inside, Roger , just like we agreed."

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren looks down as this damp off white blur pushes past, shrugging his shoulders. Walking behind them he goes to try and peer in through the windows.

[Mephistophilis]

Before anyone can open the smaller pedestrian gate, Roger sidles in front of it and hold his hand over the latch firmly. Beneath his grip everyone can now see there's a padlock on the gate. 'Let's get a look at you bunch of losers,' he sneers. He holds out his finger and starts counting them, 'One, two, three, three and a half for a girl,' his brow furrows at three like he's struggling to count, 'Looks like half wimped out before they even got here. Bunch of chickens, I'm gonna get em back in school next week, I'm gonna get em good.' He then looks them all up and down, evidently studying their costumes, 'Hey 'Shirley Two Shoes', your feathers are getting wet,' and he pulls off one of Shirley's delicate paper feathers and scrunches it up into a soggy ball, flicking it at her. Then he turns with a nasty laugh to look at Louis, 'Geez Louise, you look like a bag lady, you borrow that outfit from your momma?'

While this exchange is going on Darren tries to get a look at the house windows from his position outside the fence. But there's not much he can see at this distance except those occasional flickers of light. Then he feels a pull at his elbow. As he's turning round to see what it is, he notices Roger point behind him and exclaim, 'Hah, that's another half, makes four in all.'


And standing behind him is his little brother Ian, dressed in red pyjamas with a plastic spiderman mask pushed onto the top of his head, carrying a bright orange plastic bucket shaped like a pumpkin. 'Hey, what are you doing here?,' he asks. 'I thought we were going trick-or-treating? No one lives in the old Barnaker House, silly.'

[aine]

“Oh man, I knew this was a bad idea.” Louis mutters.
“Daz, maybe we should take Ian home first.” He says hopefully.

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren looks st Louis Then turns to Roger "NO! hei s not doing this, he's too young and not part of this!! Turning to Ian I told you to stay home, I gave you my two fave toys to stay in. I'll make ut up to you next year, promise. Mom and dad will kill me if your out at this time...in this weather! C'mon I'mtaking you home!" Grabbing Ian by the shoulder he goes to take him away.

[Mephistophilis]

'Bwok, bwok-bwok-bwok,' goes Roger, flapping his arms. 'Looks like we got ourselves our first chicken.' He draws the last word out menacingly. 'I should have known you'd be the first to lame out Pickett, you always were a loser. Bringing your little brother as an excuse, pathetic.'

[BoyBlunder78]

"hes not supposed to be here!! Im gonna take him home and be right back!"Darren says through gritted teeth, clenching his fists

[Mephistophilis]

'Aw come on Darren, let me hang out with you,' pleads Ian. 'Are you going in the Barnaker House? I wanna look inside, come on Darren.'

'Hah, the baby's got more balls than you Darren, you only got that one ball,' spits Roger. He turns away in disgust, 'Such a doofus.'

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren stares angrily at the back of Rogers head. Fighting back the urge to swing 'thunder' and smash it like an overripe pumpkin. Averting his gaze to look at Ian "Right you little dork. Looks like your staying.But you stay close to me, you dont wander off,you DO NOT leave my side! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!" Placing my hands on his shoulders, repeating myself till ian acknowledges me, nodding his head vigorously.

[LiviaBlue]

Shirley swats at the spot Roger plucked one of her feathers. "Watch your hands! though her warning holds no bite, especially after having to dodge the ball of paper aimed at her face. "And who are you calling half? I'll have you know I've camped in worse places than this."

The drenched swan stands with her hands on her hips, but can't channel any of the sassiness of her costume-sake.

"It's not a big deal, Darren," she tells the boy when his little brother shows up, we'll be home before your parents get up in the morning.

[BoyBlunder78]

Just staring past Shirley the rain dripping off his mask running down his face.Keeping his brother behind him he asks in a flat tone, " Are we getting this done or what?"

[Mephistophilis]

Roger grips the top of the gate and jumps up to land with one foot on the top of the rusted metal, just avoiding the sharp spikes. Then he leaps off the other side to land confidently in the yard. He looks over his shoulder, smirking at you through the fence.

'Come on you dweebs, I'm not hanging around.'

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren holds his brothers hand, letting everyone go before them. All thoughts of how this night could've been an6 fun all gone from.his head.

[aine]

As he trails past Darren and Ian through the pedestrian gate, Louis says,
“Don’t worry, Daz. I bet we’ll be outta there in no time; hey, what’s the betting the front door is locked!” He ruffles Ian’s wet hair and pulls the lad’s hood up.
“Come on, let’s get it over with.” He goes across the lawn to join Roger.

[Mephistophilis]

There's a lock on that gate. Roger vaulted it.

[BoyBlunder78]

Seeing the locked gate Darren offers to help folk over it.