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

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren and Ian both follow Harry and Shirley.

[Mephistophilis]

The door to the final room on the ground floor is ajar. It is some kind of family or living room, in better shape than the others. The mildewy smell is not so pronounced in here, but the nasty urine tang of ammonia is evident.

The flashlight beams show that against one wall there is a large sofa, grubby but not obviously mouldy or damp, you could even consider sitting on it. On the wall opposite the sofa there's a large set of white-painted wooden shelves. On the shelves are dozens of glass and ceramic miniatures and statuettes, on a middle shelf flickers one of Roger's candles casting barely any useful light. Dominating the highest shelf there is a large furry shape. Sitting immobile, it has a sinister, scowling face, and hazy unfocused eyes. The fur is grey and glistening, but faded and patchy. It looks to be a particularly ugly stuffed cat.

Below the shelving, the floor is covered in debris, fragments of figurines, a photo frame.

It is difficult to localise but somewhere there seems to be the sound of scuffling or scratching.

The wallpaper is peeling and stained. But by the window there's a patch of it that seems to be...well, it's hard to describe, writhing?

[BoyBlunder78]

Notice stuff :40
1d100

[Mr. Handy]

"Probably more rodents," says Harry. "Too bad that cat isn't still alive. Then it would deal with them."

Notice Stuff roll (40% / 2 = 20% skill) in the family room:
d%

[LiviaBlue]

Shirley crinkles her nose at the smell. "So, in which one of these rooms do we wanna set up our camp?"

Hard Notice (60% / 2 = 30%):
d%

"Maybe not in this one. There're bugs or worms under that wallpaper," she points to the spot by the window with a grimace.

[Mephistophilis]

Shirley points at a patch of stained and peeling wallpaper beneath the window. It seems to be writhing or squirming somehow. Could it be bugs or worms? As if in answer, something slices through the paper, a sharp white teeth, a pointed snout and twitching nose, whiskers, the face of a rat burrows and rips followed by its claws and then a dark furry body and long tail. It slips out the tear in the paper and scurries off into a dark corner and disappears from view.

[Mr. Handy]

"No, not this one," says Harry. "Maybe the dining room. I didn't see much in there, but maybe we'll see more with some light. We also haven't checked upstairs yet."

[LiviaBlue]

"Awww! It's a possum!" Shirley squeals delighted.

"Let's see what's upstairs then! Just sitting around doing nothing gonna be boring," she tells Harry as she turns towards the staircase with a skip in her step. Before climbing it, however, she uses her poker to make sure the steps are not rotted through and rattles the handrail to see if it's still secure.

[kabukiman]

"Shouldn't we explore all this floor before we go upstairs? I want to be sure that there isn't anyone else here. "-says kyle.

[aine]

Once that scary figure outside disappears, Louis feels more confident to move around again. As Harry has left the oven door open, he peers inside to look closely at the interior.

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren and his brother stay with Louis." Your right Kyle is rather chexk and make sure no ones hiding anywhere here before we go upstairs. "

[Mr. Handy]

"Let's search the dining room first, then go upstairs," says Harry, heading that way.

[kabukiman]

Kyle follow Harry.

[BoyBlunder78]

As do Darren and Ian.

[Mephistophilis]

Inside the oven Louis finds it full of a thick layer of ash. And poking out from the ash are several pieces of what looks to him like bone.

These aren't from a chicken, a cow, or any other farm animal Louis can think of.

OOC:   Having passed your Nature roll will help you pass your Science Class roll so you only have to get a normal success now to reveal the below

These bones are actually all fragments of the same bone. Fitting them together Louis identifies it as an ulna bone, the forearm of a human. From the size, a human child.

OOC:   The realisation that this is the bone from a human child will require a Sanity check - 1/1d4 loss

Kyle, Harry, Darren, and Ian wander back into the dining room, the scent of urine persists. It's barely lit by the spluttering candle ground into the heavy wood of the oval dining table at its centre. Shining their flashlights around the room it's the same as before, precarious looking wooden chairs, not even the whole set, upholstery ripped and spilling out.

The flashlight beams reflect off the shattered fragments of a mirror hanging from a crooked frame on the south wall and scattered across the floor. The battered china cabinet with no door is essentially empty, the tiniest shards of broken porcelian are unidentifiable. Water runs down the walls in a most disconcerting quantity, this house isn't even able to keep the rain out.

But there's no one hiding in here, that's for sure.

Shirley is moving here.

[Mr. Handy]

"Okay, it doesn't look like there's anything of interest here," says Harry. "Let's go upstairs now."

[BoyBlunder78]

Darren takes the lead, keeping hus brother close, poker raised and slowly makes his way up the stairs. "We're coming up now Shirley can you see anything?"

[Mephistophilis]

While Louis is poking through the ash and bones in the oven, in the near total darkness, he hears something behind him.

Ring ring. Ring ring. Ring ring. The telephone is ringing.

Kyle tarries for a moment in the dining room, shining his flashlight under the table, looking for anyone hiding against the cabinet. When he's finished, he turns around to find the other three have started up the stairs.

OOC:   Roll Notice Stuff

There's a noise, coming from the kitchen. Ring ring. Yes, definitely a noise. Ring ring. There it is again. Like a telephone ringing.

-----

Darren, with Ian close behind him, takes the lead on the stairs, Harry shining his flashlight back on forth from behind to illuminate the way. He prods the steps with his crowbar but they seem solid enough. The handrail is a bit shaky but holds. Each step elicits a dissonant note from the boards, like a shriek, almost as if they're in pain.

The condition of the house on the top floor is possibly even worse than the ground floor, there is water trickling down the walls and great patches of staining across the peeling wallpaper and exposed plaster. There is extensive green mildew, and even patches of rot where some of the wooden floorboards are exposed. There's a damp, mildewy smell to match. But that's overpowered by something else, ammonia, strong, musty, and bitter - more than rat urine, something more, bat guano perhaps. And another smell, putrid and sweet, like rotting food.

At the top of the stairs, Shirley is standing beside the only visible window to the south, boarded shut with the external shutters closed and little light penetrating through the cracks. She seems to be staring into a mirror hanging beside it. Overhead there's a loft hatch or trapdoor.

You're moving here.

[aine]

Louis spins round from the oven and stares down the hall, suddenly realising he is all alone.
“Cripes. Guys? Do you heat that?” He gets out the pocket knife and starts walking towards the telephone.

Nature 60 roll: 21 science: 10 roll: 82

[Mephistophilis]

Holding the pocket knife tightly in his hand, Louis advances towards the yellow phone mounted on the wall. He can barely see anything in the darkness but it's definitely ringing, Ring ring. Ring ring. Squinting at the telephone it doesn't look to be in a great state of repair. In fact, is that the phone cable on the floor, disconnected from the receiver?