Play@YSDC

Brianna awakens, feeling groggy, though the pain in her face has subsided dramatically. The world is pure darkness. Her wrists and ankles are still bound but the rope has come somewhat loose. A piece of paper is held in her hand, pushed up behind her back.

Brianna awakens, startled, and looks confused and shocked. She gasps as she realizes that she's been bound. Thank goodness her pain has subsided, though. The ropes have started to hurt her wrists, however, primarily her one burned wrist, and she winces as she lays on the ground. She sits up, wriggling to get the ropes loose, and tries to pull her torso through the binding on her arms. As she does, she accidently kicks Ronald, hears him grunt, and realizes for the first time he's there.

"Ronald!" she whispers. "Ronald is that you??!"

Ronald sits quietly on the only balcony seat in an old theatre hall. The walls are ornately carved and decorated. The stains suggest the building itself is old and decrepit. There is an old man sitting beside him, chewing his lip and grumbling grumpily to himself about the production. Ronald looks out into the dark theatre and sees movement in the rows of seats on the ground floor. Shadows of the audience flicker in and out of the main body of darkness. Shadows of wolves and pigs, all laughing at nothing in particular. Some, it seems, are simply carrying on polite conversation with each other. Some appear human but warped in an an all too familiar way.

Ronald looks at the stage curtains. Giant red velvet monstrosities, stretching all the way to the ceiling, 30 ft above the floor. The stage curtains almost seem alive and drip with blood and fur.

"The Show's about to begin!"

Says the old man sitting next to him in a very familiar voice

"We should get out while we still can!" Heh Heh Heh!

Ronald finds himself chuckling uncontrolably.

Nobody would buy the tickets. Heh Heh Heh!

Just then, a spotlight appears on the front stage curtains. The crowd roars to life. In the darkness, it looks like the audience is tearing each other appart in a frenzy of mahem and laughter.

Ronald cringes but continues chuckling.

I wonder if they'll refund us at the gate?

The old man sitting next to him replies.

I wonder if they can afford a gate? Heh! Heh! Heh!

The curtains part and and the crowd goes silent. Standing in the center of the stage wearing a showman's flat top hat, is a thin scrawny looking frog.

"I'm Kermit the Frog and welcome to the Muppet show. Our guest tonight... Brianna. yaaaaaaaaaay!"

A spotlight shines on a side curtain off to the side of the theatre. Brianna, completely healed, wearing a shiny pink dress and ribbons in her hair, takes a bow. The crowd loves her.

Ronald looks down at the audience. All puppets. Pig puppets and cow puppets and wolf puppets all laughing hysterically and patting each other on the back and throwing popcorn everywhere. He recognizes the crazy old man sitting beside him making fun of the show too. He's from the Muppet show too. Ronald looks down at his hands and sees only those of a puppet. He's still wearing the same clothes he had on in the hospital, but everything was smaller and made of cheap fabric.

My god! I'm a puppet.

Suddenly, Gonzo stands up and pulls out a flamethrower. He sets Brianna ablaze and turns to the audience and nods his head up and down, laughing maniacally. Brianna screams in pain as she burns. The audience roars its approval.

Ronald can't help himself.

That was a pretty dress.

The old man chuckles.

Yeah, pretty flammable. Heh Heh Heh!

You could say she was on fire. Heh Heh Heh!

Ronald continues to watch Brianna burn and run screaming all over the theatre, catching other puppets on fire in her wake.

Kermit waves his tiny frog arms in the air like a derranged cheerleader.

"OK! OK! Settle down folks. I'd like to introduce our next act."

Just then, Brianna runs screaming past Kermit on stage, her entire body a flaming inferno.

"Ahem, Scooter? Would somebody please put out that little girl."

"Sure thing boss," replies Scooter

Scooter chases Brianna around the stage with a fire extinguisher and the audience goes wild.

The old man puppet looks at Ronald and winks.

I'd like to put that little girl out!

Jesus thinks Ronald, but helplessly chuckles back and responds with his own witty remark.

Me too. Put her out on her ass! In the dumpster! Heh! Heh! Heh!

Ronald can't believe what he just said. Tears stream down his face as he watches Brianna burn and then collapse motionless on the stage. Scooter sprays her down with the fire extinguisher and then drags her off stage.

The audience settles down as Kermit introduces the next act, waving his hands frantically, like a deranged cheerleader.

"Ladies and Gentleman! Mickey and the Janitors. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!"

The red curtain opens to Mickey the Mouth standing center stage, with a line of puppets behind him, all dressed like janitors and holding mops. The janitors start to dance around in unison as Mickey sings.



Rub Dub I was mopping in the tub. All up on a Saturday night. Blood Blood... there was blood in the tub and I was thinking everthing was all right..........

Ronald watches in horror as the act continues. He turns to the old man and throws pun after pun at him, unable to stop himself.

These guys are all washed up! I could mop the floor with em! They're all wet. They should clean up they're act. heh! heh! heh!

Ronald looks over at the old man puppet who chuckles away. His mouth opens so wide, it splits at the seams, shooting stuffing all over Ronald's lap. Then a human hand bursts from the old man puppet's mouth and begins to strangle Ronald. The old man's chest bursts as stuffing flies in all directions. To Ronald's shock and surprise, Louie's head emerges from the puppet, continuing to strangle Ronald with a vice like grip. Louie lifts Ronald into the air as he climbs out of the torn and shredded puppet and chuckles slowly.

Heh............. Heh.................. Heh!

Your up next Ronald! says Louie. Break a leg!

Louie throws Ronald off the balcony into the crowd of thrashing puppets, all calling for his blood. Ronald screams in terror as he plummets to the ground, only to wake at Brianna's feet. Startled and confused, he looks around.

Brianna? Where are we? Where's Louie?

Ronald can't decide which nightmare is worse.

Ronald finds himself similarly loosely bound. It is almost as though his shoelaces were tied together rather then that they were bound together. His hands also, have some flexibility in movement. His head hurts and he is on some sort of sandy floor. The air smells musty.

Both Brianna and Ronald have a blanket to cover them and a hot water bottle sits beneath their backs, protecting them from the cold chill.

Brianna's squirming knocks something hard that rolls away and hits something else with a dull clack. The paper is lost from her hand.

(Dex x 4 to escape - multiple attempts allowed unless you tighten the bindings with a 96 or above)

Brianna effortlessly pulls out of the bindings, and sits up. She feels around in the dark. Wasn't there a piece of paper in my hand? She feels for a few moments with an open hand to where she was sitting, looking for it.

"Ronald?" she whispers, "are you there? Do you want me to untie you?" she says it as quietly as she can for him to still hear her.

Brianna finds the neatly folded piece of paper. She also finds a series of large, cylindrical objects stacked only a few feet from her.

"Louie's a big meany!" Brianna whipsers in reply to Ronald's question. "He's not here I don't think. He punched you in the back of the head with a gun, Ronald!"

Brianna holds tight to the piece of paper and unfolds it. Of course she can't read it though, as it's pitch black. "Did you get to keep your flashlight?" she asks Ronald, then starts feeling around in the dark to see what those big metal things are.

The cylinders are large, heavy and are wrapped with paper. The top of the stack - about three high - has a set of circular grooves. When she knocks it with her knuckle, it mades a heavy metallic thunk, as though full of something. Above the cylinders is a smooth, rectangular shape that follows the walls - shelving?

Ronald finds no flashlight on him though he has his wallet with him. As he moves, something slips off his chest and down his shirt. Something small and metal. Some sort of bell?

Sorry Kiddo! No torch here.

Ronald frees himself as well. He holds the bell in his hands, feeling by sight.

Janitor!

Don't worry about Louie now sweety.

Ronald unties all his bindings and then inspects the cylinders.

Stay close Brianna and whispers only OK?

[O.C. Does Ronald still have his backpack? His puppet? His bird Edgar? His Banjo?]

Brianna puts the paper inside the band of her thick woollen stockings, then starts to crawl on her hands and knees, pausing to put one hand out in front of her every so often, to feel for the wall. Once she finds it, she starts to crawl along the perimeter, hoping to find the doorway.

"Ok, Ronald, I'll whisper only. But I really want to get away from Louie. Do you want to come with me?"

The walls are lined with shelving containing heavy bags of paper, packets of oddly shaped items and more of the cylinders of varying sizes but always the same shapes. Brianna makes it to the corner and starts feeling around the next wall when she bangs her head hard against a piece of wood that swings gently away. Reaching out to grasp it, she finds its a ladder with rope sides and wood planks for stepping on.

Ronald get up and follows Brianna.

OK, but be really quiet.

He reaches for the cylinders and feels around for a lid of some description. Ronald whispers out to Brianna through the darkness.

Brianna, are you OK?

The 'lid' is sunken in a millimeter or two from the rest of it. These cylinders can't be opened. Feeling up her finds several jars with lids that could be unscrewed.

Ronald is starting to breathe heavily now.

Don't lose it in front of the kid. Don't you dare....

He opens the jar, shaking nervously.

Damn you Louie!

The jar is now open. A slightly sweet smell permeates the air but it's too faint to be identifiable.

Brianna pulls gently on the ladder to see if it will hold weight. She stands, and if it doesn't cave, she puts her first foot on it.

"Ronald! I think I found something!" she says in a hushed tone.

The ladder holds.

Brianna climbs, foot over foot, holding on tight. Swinging madly in the dark is a disturbing feeling, however, so she goes slowly.

"Ronald.....you coming???"

Her hands brushes wood barely a few feet up. It seems to be some sort of trapdoor. The role ladder is wedged in the gap, holding the trapdoor partially open.

Brianna takes a moment to talk to herself quietly. The voice inside her head is usually the reasonable one.

"So, if this comes up someplace scary, and I'm trying to escape....there might be people standing near it guarding it. Hmm..." she whispers.

She pushes very, very gently on it so that it will hopefully open just a crack, and sticks her head very close to the crack so that she can see what is above.

The darkness is so pure that she could swear she saw silhouettes moving about. Perhaps there is just enough ambient lights to detect motion or perhaps there was no much nothingness that her eyes had to register something.

Ronald smells the jar of sweet something or other and then remember what the creepy paramedic lady in the emergency ward said.

Only drink bottled water.

Ronald smells the jar again.

Only eat fruit in jars! He whispers spookily, mocking the paramedic lady. Ronald snickers at his own joke. A necessary distraction.

Ronald then hears Brianna's voice, whispering through the darkness, coming form above him. He whispers loudly.

Brianna! What are you doing?

Brianna climbs back down the ladder when she hears Ronald laughing maniacally.

"What am I doing??? What are you doing?? Do you know what that is before you opened it?"

Brianna feels around in the dark for Ronald and where he is, then finds him and sniffs deeply at what he's opened, trying hard to determine what it is.

Considering she's standing so close, she starts to talk in a whisper, speaking fast and excitedly at what she saw upstairs.

"Ronald...I found a ladder, and at the top is a wooden trap door. I think there's people up there though...like....I pushed it open real gentle so I could peek out and I coulda sworn I saw people walking around up there.....maybe if it was dark enough up there, we could riggle out without them noticing you know? Maybe......ya.....I think.....I have an idea."

The jar seems to contain strawberry jam. It somewhat dimishes the seriousness of the situation.

"Strawberry jam? It's like its...following you...." Brianna chuckles at her joke, then looks at Ronald and stops laughing abruptly. She takes a finger full and slurps it up. If only we had buttered toast to go with it....

"So? What do you think? You wanna pose our escape?"

Brianna feels very hungry at the taste of the jam.

Brianna's stomache growls loudly and she clutches it and winces.

"Ooohh...I'm soo hungry." She stoops to her hands and knees and feels around on the floor, crawling along til she feels anything else besides the jam. "I hope there's bread or something too...."

Ronald jerks the jam away from Brianna and wipes off her finger.

Brianna, No!

[O.C. Ronald tries to stop Brianna from eating the jam (initially, he is holding it) if not then definitely not a second time]

He puts the jam down and grabs Brianna by the shoulders with both arms and shakes her once.

Don't eat anything down here! Do you understand me!

Ronald calms down and lets go of Brianna

I know.... I'm hungry too. You remember what the scary lady up stairs said. Only drink bottled water luv. Louie left us that Jam. You on Louie's team now? I'm on team B. B for Brianna right?

Brianna laughs at Ronald when he tries to grab the jam away, then begins to whine. "Ronald" she complains. "It's just jam!!! It tastes good!!! And I'm huuunnnngggry!!!"

She looks at Ronald darkly, and hangs her head. Thinking of Louie is only making her upset. The big jerk!

"Okay, Team B. I like that," she says, changing the subject. "Wanna get outta here? We need a plan, because there's a trap door I found that goes into a really big dark room, but I think there's people up there. I betcha they're watching to see if we try to escape. Got any ideas?"

Ronald is thankful for the blackness. At least Brianna can see the lines of worry etching themselves across his face.

Maybe....

Ronald starts to think up a plan... a bad one, but a plan.

Gather up as many of these canisters as you can. Lets's search out the whole room and see what we can find.

Ronald then takes the hand bell and puts it off to the side where noone will bump it. He looks around the room, feeling for anything that could be useful.

O.C. Does Ronald still have his backpack?]

He finds his backpack in the middle of the room. There are packets, jars and paper bags of all sorts of descriptions. Brianna's fingers brush over what is obviously a loaf of bread.

Brianna reaches out to the bread bag and gasps in excitement. Can Ronald see me? What if I have just one piece....with only a little bit of jam? She sits there, torn for a moment, then grabs the loaf and shoves one full piece of bread in her mouth.

Still chewing, she says, "Mmm.....um.......R..rona...ld (gulp)...mm.....I found........smack smack......a loaf of b..bread.....(munch munch)......(swallow). You wanna piece?" Just then, there is a terrible, groaning screech and the room gets icy cold. An upwelling of icy cold air surges into the room, welling up from the basement floor, moving up in a horizontal barrier of coldness. Ronald and Brianna hear a terrible cry of terror and pain come from somewhere, muffled, in the hospital.

"Now! Let's go now!!! They'll be distracted!!!" Brianna grabs the loaf of bread and tries to shove it into Ronald's back pack, then grabs as many of the cans as she can before heading for the rope ladder. "So am I allowed to know the plan, Ronald?" she says in a panic stricken voice.

[O.C. If Ronald doesn't let her shove the bread into his back pack, she throws it aside.]

Ronald hears Brianna still chewing and mouthing her words through a full jaw of jam and bread.

He stops what he is doing and rips the loaf of bread from Brianna. He is so angry, he clenches his fists. Ronald raises his voice, just a bit, to emphasize his point.

I told you! Don't eat anything until we know its safe. Spit it out! Now!

Roald grabs Brianna and sticks a finger down her throat, trying to get her to throw the bread and jam up. He pries open her mouth, so she doesn't bite him. He doesn't give up until Brianna pukes up the evil meal she just ate.

Throw it up! Now!

Ronald shakes and gags Brianna with at least one finger down her throat, praying to god she vomits.

I didn't.... risk .... my... neck.... to see you turn...... into.... one of them.

Don't eat or drink anything! You hear me! This whole place is haunted. Louie is the devil! You hear me Brianna! We can't trust him.... You want to end up like the doctor?

[O.C. Should we stop and do some sort off grappling check if Brianna resists]

The upswelling of cold weakens both their muscles as it is followed by a sense of hopelessness. Everything seems so worthless, pointless. An unending trail of pain and loss. What was the point? What had ever been the point? How long could they survive this? A day? A week? Where would they go?

Brianna doesn't resist Ronald, matter of fact, she's completely shocked at the great lengths he'd go to to keep her from eating anything. His finger down her throat was far too much for her at this stage of the game....combined with the sinking hopelessness of the hospital and the freezing cold air, she's ready to give.

"Oooooaaaahhh......." Brianna wretches, and finally throws up, filling Ronald's shoes and socks with the sticky gooey remains of the bit of jam and bread. Unfortunately for Ronald, in all his well meaning attack, his shoes and socks are now both wet and gooshy, and covered in little bits of bread and jam. Brianna starts to cry at having been manhandled into throwing up, and lays on the floor, sobbing.

"I don't wanna be here anymore...." she finally wails, snivelling all the while.

A low, soft, child-like wail can be heard in the distance as though in answer to Brianna. The sound fills their hearts with despair and draws tears to their eyes.

Brianna stops to listen for a second, sniffing and snuffling for a moment.

There is dead silence for a moment as she listens, then she rolls over to her side.

"Ronald? What was that?"

Ronald hugs Brianna as she cries. He shivers in the cold wind and feels like giving up and giving in. Ronald feels like eating everything in site, he's so hungry. He wants to curl up into a ball and cover himself in jam. What a nice tastey little stroodle he'd make for all the zombies and killer wires loose in this blasted hospital.

Ronald's eyes bulge out like saucers when he hears the strange wailing. He's thankful Brianna can't see the fear in his eyes through the forever blackness of this dungeon getaway.

Oh bollocks!

Be tough Ronald. Time tah show these wankers you're no poofter!

I heard it kiddo.... we are so out of here!

Ronald rises to his feet and starts to gather up cylinders, quickly and with purpose.

C'mon... follow me.

He puts as many of them in his back pack that will fit and starts to climb the rope ladder.

Grab Edgar and be quiet Brianna. We're gonna catch these wankers with their willies out!

Brianna grabs Edgar quickly and stifles a laugh at Ronald. Streudel? She imagines Ronald rolled up like a sugar topped pastry, jam covered head to foot, and laughs out loud. She claps her hand over her mouth quickly, and follows after him, snickering under her breath.

"What're you gonna do with those tins Ronald?" she asks, as she puts a foot on the rope ladder.

I'm gonna throw em at the bad guys kiddo. C'mon follow me.

Ronald strains his eyes as he climbs the rope ladder in the dark, trying to see anything that could help him escape. The dark is extremely unnervingand and Ronald has to stop half way up the rope ladder to compose himself. He begins to hyperventilate, breathing in and and out so quickly you could set your watch to it.

Ronald grits his teeth and think about the evil janitor Louie. It gives him strength to think about crashing one of the canisters over his head and then poking him endlesssly for information. With a really long stick.

Louie!

Ronald quickens his pace, as he continues up to the trap door and slowly opens it.

[O.C. Ronald loses 1 SAN]

The darkness is absolute. The trapdoor opens with a soft growl of rusted hinges. The floor is uneven rock, overlaid with about an inch of smooth sand. The air smells somewhat musty but is also scented much like a garden might be. For the first time in ages, his breathing is free from ash.

Brianna yelps in surprise as she pulls up on the ladder, as she swears she feels something brush her leg in the darknessbelow. She tries not to scream. Did it just do it again??? Oh no!!! What's down here???

She pulls herself up the rope ladder, trying to be quick. The darkness is making her a little queasy. Her eyes open wide but still can't bring in any other light. Just darkness seeps into her pupils, overwhelming her conscious mind with panic.

"Ronald.....(screech of surprise)......we need to.....get out of here.....quick!"

[O.C. Sanity was 70, rolled 89. Sanity loss 1]

Ronald quickly climbs out of the trap door and looks off into the darkness. He prays to himself for light and deliverance from this evil wretched place. He reaches down and pulls Brianna up and out of the trap door. Ronald bends down and whispers in Brianna's ear.

Shhhhhhhhh! I know your scared sweety, but if we're real quiet, we'll find a way out of here.

Ronald pulls out one of his canisters and grips it tightly, ready to throw it at anyone who steps into his path. His heart skips beat after beat as his mind's eye imagines things in the dark that just aren't there. He toughs it out for Brianna's sake and bites down on his own lip to hold his focus on the task at hand. Ronald grabs hold of Brianna's hand with his free one and slowly edges forward into he darkness.

[O.C- passed sanity check]

Brianna inches forward with Ronald, unaware that she's not breathing. She's been holding her breath since they jumped out of the trap door. Her eyes are wide, trying to see anything in front of her, but all she can see is immense black at the moment.

She follows him, holding onto his shirt hem so that she can tell where he is, and starts humming softly to herself. The black is so thick, that she feels it'd surely drive her mad.

[O.C. Sanity loss 1, now 68]

The ground is thankfully not all that uneven. Sand is kicked up with every step. For the first time all night, their lungs feel easy and satisfied without the ash to clog up the air. The darkness is total.

OC: Which direction do you head from the storeroom ladder?

Ronald slowly inches forward (north) from the ropeladder. One hand holding Brianna hand, the other out in front of him holding a canister. he talks in hushed, soothing whispers to keep Brianna calm.

Just stay calm Brianna. We're almost out! Almost there!

Craperjacks! Are we outside the hospital? Where have you sent us Louie? Damn you!

Brianna breathes deeply and follows Ronald, clutching his hand tightly.

In the darkness, she is acutely aware of the sounds she can hear. She realizes that she can hear the goosh goosh of Ronald's steps as he walks along, shoes fillled with the contents of her stomach only a moment ago. She feels embarassed that she barfed in his shoes, and blushes, not that it is visible to anyone what she looks like at all. She holds Edgar's cage tightly to herself and hears his little wings flutter gently at her movements.

She then hears the growl of her own stomach, and widens her eyes to see if there is any light visible at all. A moment ago when she first peeked out of the trapdoor, she thought she saw movements and outlines of people. Strange that now I see nothing.....there must be no entrances open. Or maybe there's no entrances at all.....how will we ever get out of this place???

Is that something else touching my leg??? Oh god!!! [O.C. Sanity 68, rolled 82, sanity loss 1]

[O.C. Oops forgot Ronalds sanity check

Ronald is still as cool as a cucumber. All be it a slightly twitchy, nervous wreck of cucumber. Possibly an English Cuke. He holds Brianna's hand tight, imagining how scared she must really be.

C'mon Ronald.... hold it together man!

[O.C. Arg!!! Can't seem to catch a break today on invisable castle!]

Brianna hits a stair in front of her, and stumbles down hard onto it, catching her off guard.

"Oooff!" She can't help but grunt as she falls a bit down.

Edgar's wings flap and beat panicked, and she hugs his cage tight, and swallows hard.

Let's not try doing that again, ok. Just go slower this time.

"Ronald are you ok?" she whispers softly.

[O.C. Sanity passed

She falls down and scrapes her knees across the second and third step before catching her balance.

Ronald unknowingly stumbles on to the first step in an unkown length of stairway. He begins to tumble forward but catches his footing on the second stair. He instinctively holds out his arm to prevent Brianna from falling past him.

Stairs?

Rocks and stairs? Whre the Bloody Bollucks are we?

Ronald helps Brianna up and shakes her off.

Be careful and hold my hand Brianna. We should hurry down these stairs. Just hold on tight.

Ronold looks for a railing or anything he might be able to use to guide him and Brianna safely down the stairs. His hand holding the canister shakes furiously as his mind races, imaging what he'll find in the darknes.

Dam you Louie....

[O.C sanity now 77]

Brianna falls and begins to cry, trying to hide it and look tough. She gratefully accepts Ronald's help up, but can't help the tears streaming down her cheeks. What the heck??? Where would stairs take us?? It seems like we're underneath the hospital, considering all the ash is missing in the air...it's so weird down here.....

She continues to follow Ronald, "Where are we Ronald?? Are you sure this is the way?"

Brianna has no idea where she is, stumbling around in the dark, but this place seems very convoluted and dark. Would they ever find their way out of this hellhole???

[O.C. Sanity passed]

The ninth step leads down to a flat piece of sandy ground. Ten steps ahead - in Ronald's stride - and his foot bumps against a step leading up. Each step seems to be curved. Perhaps some set of concentric circular steps?

Brianna tugs on Ronald's hand.

"No Ronald, we musta gone the wrong way!" she whispers, and tries to turn around to go back up the stairs.

Where are all the people I thought I saw before....didn't I see silhouettes of people walking up here? Knock on wood....I hope we don't meet up with anyone!

O.C. Sanity passed

Ronald stops on the stairs and bends down on one knee. He whispers to Brianna.

You know something I don't Brianna?b Do you know where we are?

Ronald begins to breathe steadily again, breathing in and out, practicing his new age hippie breathing techniques he had learned on the internet.

[Sanity check Passed]

Brianna looks at Ronald's outline blankly, then begins to shake her head.

"Well, no....not really. I don't know where we are. But this isn't gonna take us anywhere now is it?" She gestures to the circular staircase. "I say we go back up and keep walking til we reach a wall. Maybe if we feel along in it we'll find a way out."

Brianna feels helpless and lost, like one time when she got lost at the department store and wandered for a good half an hour before Mum found her. Panic stricken, crying, she wandered through seemingly endless rooms of clothes and purses, wallets and shoes before she found the other side of the store entirely. But this was different, in a way, because Ronald was a comfort in a way she hadn't had before. What would I ever do without Ronald?

[O.C. Sanity check failed lost 1 sanity

Ronald, his confidence restored, whispers to Brianna.

I know kiddo.... and that's just what Louie would think too. He's probaby got some sort of sick and twisted custodial freak show planned for us up there. C'mon... I think we're out of the hospital. Let's keep going.

Ronald finds the outside of the hand rail and follows it along the sandy floor.

That's good thinking Brianna, we'll look for a wall down here.


[O.C. - sanity check passed]

OC: There is no handrail.

The two make their way steadily up the stairs until they reach the flat surface once more. A few dozen paces ahead, their feet clatter across some hollow piece of floor. The air still smells pungent, like flowers and fruit, and something else. There seems to be a faint wind blowing.

Brianna feels the small breeze on her cheek and sucks in her breath.

"Ronald, maybe we're getting close! Maybe that's a door or something!" she whispers excitedly.

She bends to feel around on the dirt floor. Were there really flowers growing? Or was she just imagining things???

[O.C. Sanity passed]

After three paces her right hand presses against ceramic. Reaching up, she feels the stalks of plants.

Brianna quizzically feels up the stalk, to the top of the plant, exploring the leaves with her hands.

"Um.....Ronald??" She's not sure if she's found anything of interest, but considering it's pitch black, she wouldn't want to get separated from him either.

She breathes into the plant, wondering what in heaven's name it is. The sweet smell of flowers is still in her nose, and she loves the feel of the gentle breeze on her face.

[O.C. Sanity failed..lost 1, now 65]

edit: forgot sanity check

Ronald bends down to see what Brianna has found.

What you got there kiddo?

The welcome smell of plant is heaven to his battered psyche.

sanity check : passed (barely)

Brianna begins to feel along the floor in the close vicinity of the plant, to see what else is there. She crawls on her hands and knees now, not wanting to be surprised by any more stairs and such. She crawls past the plant, feeling along with both hands.

The ceramic tile is cold on her hands and she shivers again. Why didn't I grab the blanket from the storeroom? She mentally scolds herself for having forgotten it. And we had waterbottles too....darn!

[O.C. Sanity passed...holy shit best roll ever!!!! do I earn some back??? ]

Brianna's energetic search takes her minds off the darkness enough as she comes to feel more assured of herself. The darkness no longer frightens her. She finds a series of bouquets across the floor before finally reaching the walls.

Brianna begins to feel up the wall to see what else is there. She feels the bumps and grooves as she goes, until she can't reach and has to stand up. Then she continues to feel along the wall, walking slowly along and stretching hands up and down the wall. "Please....just get me out of here" she whispers.

Brianna tries desperately to think of the last time she was happy...a very difficult task at this point. Her family had been ripped apart, leaving her alone with a hideous experience, burnt skin, and a terrible sinking feeling that Auntie Penelope wouldn't return to visit after the initial shock wore off. Now this....this madness...this hell of a hospital with rude nurses, freezing cold temperatures and weird doctors trying to put people to sleep. She bites her lip and tries not to cry at the terrible reality surrounding them. A formidable knot forms in her throat, and she swallows hard and blinks, trying desperately to ignore it.

Ronald follows Brianna and whispers

It will be Ok. We'll find a way out!

[O.C. Sanity check : Passed]

Brianna continues to walk along the wall, feeling with her hands up and down. She continues until she detects something interesting by feel with her hands.

She reaches a gap in the wall, curved edges lead to where the cool wind blows. Her foot treads upon a wooden plank - loose and sticking out an inch higher than the rest of the floor. Bells tingle gently. If she bends down to feel around the wood, she will find that a series of wooden planks are balanced on top of metal rods that seem much like railway lines.

"What the...?" Brianna's foot hits the wooden plank, and she grits her teeth when the bells jingle. "Oh no!" she whispers. What if there's someone else down here besides her and Ronald, and they just heard that???

Brianna feels around the hole, then sticks her hands inside the small opening to find out what it is. A cold air vent? Or an escape door? Ugh....I just want OUT of here!!!

"Ronald? Where are you? Do you feel that wind? It's coming from this hole...what do you think it is?"

I think it's fresh air Brianna. These rails might just lead us out of here. C'mon, saty close.

Ronald feels out where the railway ties lie and then follows them, moving against the cold wind.

Careful of the bells.

sanity : passed

The tunnel is about seven feet high and five feet across. The bells make a mournful jingling sound as the boards are trodden on. Unfortunately, the boards stretch almost right across the tunnel, making it difficult to step around them.

"Oh my God! Ronald! Why are you going through there???"

Brianna is terrified of where this tunnel may lead. Perhaps it's the way out. Or knowing Louie....perhaps it's a trap to someplace worse. Fudge!

She steps onto the platform and holds on tight, gritting her teeth as it wiggles everytime Ronald moves. "Ohhh...." She grips the edge tightly and feels like she's going to barf again. Perhaps this time she can aim for Ronald's trousers....Brianna starts to snicker then. Thinking of the 'goosh, goosh' sounds of Ronald's sneakers temporarily cheers her up.

She makes her way slowly along the plank.

[O.C. Are there planks with bells on them all down the tunnel, covering the tracks? If so, is there any space between the tunnel wall and the tracks Brianna and Ronald could walk (no bells?) ]

[O.C. No D, she posted there's nowhere to walk without jingling them. Besides it's pitch black. Even if there were could we really tell the difference?]

[O.C.- I say we charge along the boards and hope that whoever put the bells there can't beat us to the end before we get there.]

You in for a run in the dark kiddo?

Ronald psyches himself up and gets ready for a good run.

You want me to carry you luv?

"Um.....ok" Brianna says with a sigh of resignation, and takes Ronald's hand. I'm so sick of this place...the dark...and the weird places in this big room...yuck!

"I can run, but if you carry me we probably won't make as much noise right?" She looks up at the black shadowed figure that she's come to know as Ronald and tries hard to squelch her mistrust. Ronald would never do anything strange like Louie did would he? He wouldn't turn out to be a bad friend......would he???

She pushes the thought from her mind, and grips Edgar's cage tightly. "Hold on Edgar. We're gonna go for a run! Doesn't that sound like fun? It might be kinda bumpy but you'll be ok. I'll keep you safe." Somehow the tiny little flutters of his wings and Edgar's gentle cooing keeps her sane.

Ronald picks up Brianna and holds her tight to his chest. He walks for a few steps on the boards and tries to get a feeling for their placement. When he thinks he has it, Ronald makes a run for it, ignoring the bells, relying on speed and surprise to get him out of the tunnel.

What the hell am I doing?

As he runs Ronald finds himself humming the Ramones

"Hey!... Ho!... Let's Go! Hey!..... Ho!..... Let's Go!"

[O.C. If Ronald trips or tumbles over, he will do everything he can to shield Brianna from crashing into the railway ties.]

The two thunder along the boards. The corridor seems to stretch on forever. The wooden boards, loosely kept over the two railway tracks, shake but don't slide as they run along. Time passes. Surely a minute, at least a minute had to have passed by now.

"Uuuuu....yuuuu....uuuu...." Brianna can't help but see what her voice sounds like as they plunder along. The jiggling of Ronald running makes her voice go up and down comically.

Her teeth clatter together as they go, and she clutches Edgar's cage tightly. Edgars' little wings flap like mad though. He doesn't care for the clattering at all.

"Wow....it just goes on and on forever!" Brianna knows Ronald likely doesn't want to hear this...after all she's no little toddler anymore. Brianna is nine after all, and she must be getting heavy by now.

[O.C. How long do the bells jingle for as Ronald runs? Are they still jingling away?]

Ronald stops for a rest and sets Brianna down.

Whew! C'mon let's keep going. This air must be coming from somewhere.

Ronald leads Brianna down the tracks hoping this tunnel has an end and soon.

[O.C. Too many twinkies?? ]

There seems to be bells at the ends of each plank and new ones are set ringing with each step they take. Ronald just manages to catch his breath when he bangs his nose, forehead and then torso against something hard and solid. Reaching up, he feels some sort of large, metal wall in front of him that seems to be carved with something. Reaching his hands into the middle he feels two inward-curving holes. Reaching to the left and right finds him stepping down off the planks and finding that the metal is set into the rocky wall, though there appear to be no hinges.

Ow! Crap-er jacks!

Ronald rubs his nose and stomps his feet furiously.

Craper-jacks! Craper-jacks! Craper-jacks!

He pounds on the metal barrier with both his fists until he's too tired to hit the door any longer. Ronald then slumps to the floor and quietly sobs.

Crap-er-er-er-jacks!

Brianna hates seeing someone upset, especially Ronald. He's always been the first one to cheer her up. But he must've whacked his head pretty hard.......

Brianna sits down next to him and hugs him to make him feel better. After a moment, she pulls Mickey the Mouth out of his back pack while his head is down, and slips him on her hand.


"Hey there ol' buddy.....seems to me you put your smile on upside down today!" She says in a squeaky high pitched voice, hushed of course to not be too loud. "That poor ol shnoz of yours musta been stickin out again. You should really get it looked at!" Brianna puts Mickey's face very very close to Ronald's, and stares at his nose in the dark. "Yep, it's definately stickin out WAY too far...." she says after a moment. tee hee hee hee!

Ronald chuckles at Brianna and then wipes his eyes.

Geez! Not in front of the kid you big poofter!

Suddenly Ronald stops crying and jumps to his feet. He pushes his face up to the holes in the crafted metal door.

Do you hear that Brianna? Holy smokes! There's kids out there!

Ronald yells through the hole.

Hey! Who's there! We're trapped! Somebody help us!

Sanity check : passed
Sanity check : passed
Sanity check : passed

[O.C. Ronald is keeping his mind but not his cool]

The door splits in half with a tired groan and opens outwards, forcing them to step back. The doors stop once there is a one foot gap between them. Inside it is still just as dark but with a vague smell of damp.

Get behind me Brianna.

Ronald strains his eyes trying to get a glimpse of what is beyond the door. He listens carefully for what he can't see. Slowly he moves backwards, clearly frightened and unprepared for whatever is out there. He herds Brianna as best he can away from the door.

"Hello?............ Louie?"

ooc - listen check successful

Brianna is startled by the sudden groan of the door, and jumps out of the way. She moans a little out of sheer terror, and stands speechless. Oh no.. oh no.. oh no.. oh no.. oh no

The damp smell lingers in her nostrils and permeates every bit of imagination she has. What could it be....why is it damp? Is there water in there? Is it....

Brianna doesn't know what to think, feeling turned around and terrified. She sinks to her knees and grasps her arms around the sides, then starts rocking herself back and forth. "No......no.....this....can't be.....happening.....no....."

Shhhh Brianna. It's OK! You'll scare the kids.....

Ronald squeezes Brianna's hand and reassures her he's there to help.

It's OK kids. I'm gonna get you all out of here. Can't you hear them all Brianna? Louie's been collecting kids! I knew it all along. He's the poofter!

Ronald, still scared and cautious listens carefully for any movement coming from behind the doors.

Ronald takes his puppet from Brianna and in Mickey's voice, uses his ventriloquism to make it sound like the voice is much closer to the doors than Ronald actually is.



Hey Boys and Girls! Who wants to get the H-E- Double hockey sticks out of here?

[ooc -listen check : successful]
[ooc - ventriloquism check : fail]
[ooc - sanity check : fail Sanity now 76

Ronald shivers in the cold dark air and seriously questions his plan.

Damn you Louie!

Brianna whimpers, and realizes her cheeks are soaked in tears.

"I..I'm n..not going in there.. R..Ronald. Not unless...unless we can s..see what's in front of us."

All of a sudden something occurs to her.

"Ronald, can you swim?"

Swim? Yeah! What are you playing at?

Ronald continues to back away from the door slowly.

"Oh. Oh ya, that's um....that's good. I....um...."

Brianna feels confused and disoriented, and her head swims terribly all of a sudden. What's going on??? Why does Ronald think there are kids down here? I can't hear them??

"Are you gonna go in there, Ronald? Like to go after the kids? Cuz if you are, I think I'm just gonna stay here....."

Ronald calls out one last time.

Is anybody in there! Come out! I'm gonna get you all out of here!

Ronald is confused at why Brianna isn't tring to help the children inside the room. Ushering Brianna backwards, Ronald, clearly frightened, takes another few steps away from the door.

Can't you hear them Brianna?

Oh man what do I do?

Brianna shakes her head, then remembers it's pitch black. "Um, no. I don't hear anything." She sticks a finger in her ear and wiggles it up and down. "You really here kids down here?" she asks incredulously.

Brianna's journey in this cold dark place has left her feeling hopeless and deserted. If only they'd brought the blankets, or could see. She walks backwards as Ronald ushers her back, and feels confused and disoriented.

How could Ronald hear something I can't? Is there something wrong with my ears???

You can't hear them?

Ronald takes another step back from the open door and tries his hardest to see through the blackness.

Oh bloody hell and bollocks! Something is wrong here!

Ronald starts to shake and once again, is thankful Brianna can't see him. His mind races with paranoid thoughts that chill him to the bone. Ronald can't remember ever being so scared and helpless. Too scared to cry, Ronald continues feeding his paranoid episode.

Who would build such a thing to keep all these children loked up...... or locked out!

Run! Brianna... Run!

Ronald's heart races at the thought until he just can't take it any more. He scoops up Brianna and darts back down the tunnel, away from the door and the spooky childlike voices only he can hear.

Damn you Louie!


Spot Hidden (if it helps in the dark) : Fail
Sanity check : Pass

The wood trembles underfoot as he makes his way back. His lungs heave, hurting under the need for oxygen as he sprints, his arms tremble, weakened by the blow to his head. Yet still he runs. More than a minute. More than two. Then the walkway abruptly ends and his shoes hit the dirt.

Ronald sets Brianna down and looks back behind him with wild eyes full of terror. he stopped crying about 30 seconds ago as his heart was suddenly filled with purpose.

I gotta get Brianna out of here!

Ronald cups his hand around his ear and listens for any noise down the hallway. He scrambles back to the wooden planks on the walkway and puts his ear to the planks hopingh to pick up some vibrations from his persuers, imaginary or otherwise.

You OK kiddo?

[ooc - listen check successful. sanity check: successful]

Brianna is wide eyed at Ronald's sudden change in behaviour. "Um......ya......I guess so. Are you???" she asks incredulously, and feels suddenly nervous. Why was Ronald acting so strangely? Should I be worried too? What's going on?

Brianna bends over and feels on the ground to see if there are any rocks. The dirt floor must have a few hiding somewhere.....

There are no loose rocks. The sand is evenly spaced. The wooden boards do not vibrate with pursuers. There is no sound at all other than your selves and a faraway dripping sound that comes from the direction the planks led.

Brianna has had enough. "Is there nothing to throw in this god forsaken place!" she says angrily, likely far too loud to conceal their location. "EEEEEERRRRRRRRAAAAAHHH!!!!" She hits the sand with both fists and picks it up in fistfuls and throws it.

"I WANNA GO HOME!!! I HATE THIS PLACE!!! STUPID LOUIE AND HIS STUPID COAT AND THIS STUPID AWFUL PLACE!!!! I HATE IT HERE....I HATE IT!!!!!! I HATE IT!!!!!! I HATE IT!!!!"

A giggle sounds from somewhere in the darkness.

Brianna stops, face frozen, fists still clenching sand. She breathes in and out a few times in silence.

"Ronald?" she whispers. "Did you hear that?"

Oh Bollocks! What was that?

Ronald reaches into his pack and pulls out one of the canisters he had collected earlier.

Brianna get behind me.... Who's there? What are you playing at?

Ronald listens carefully for more giggling, trying to discern where it came from and how close it is.

ooc - listen check : Pass

ooc - sanity check : Pass

Brianna listens, but can't hear anything more. Instead she crawls behind Ronald and waits in the darkness, her eyes wide and ear perked for any sound.

It feels like a cold finger traces down her spine and she shudders deeply and moans a little. What's there....who's there? And will they be friendly? Or weird like Louie was?

A little girl's voice...

Footsteps crunch the sand around them.

Ronald picks up Brianna with one arm and grips the canister in the his free hand.

Oh Crap-erjacks! Stay back! You aren 't kids. Your something else aren't you! You little devils! What are you playing at?

Ronald swings his canister arm through the darkness and calls out for help.

Louie!

Holding Brianna, Ronald inches backwards and then jumps into a run onto the dirt screaming... He swings his canister where he thinks there are children and runs into the darkness holding Brianna closly to his chest.

I won't let you have her.... You can't have her!

Looooooooooooouuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiii!

ooc- I was a little confused at whether or not the tunnel just ended or continued on with a dirt floor now instead of tracks. I assumed it kept on going or opened up into a dirt floor or something. Ronald runs either way swinging and protecting Brianna to the best of his ability. If the tunnel ends he runs back the way he came. If he can continue on the dirt floor he will.

The smell of roasted meat tingles at his nostrils. His right foot crunches into something crispy, messy, catching at him with a cage of bones though he manages to keep from tripping. The aroma of cooked meat grows quicker. His other foot stumbles across, knocking into something and sending it rolling.

A giggle sounds from somewhere behind him.

Brianna looks down from her perch, clinging to Ronald's side and having swung her arms around his neck, and feels him stumble against something. The smell of roasted meat is too much for her, and it's tingling aroma in her nostrils makes her stomach growl, and sends her into a tizzy of mixed emotions.

"Ooooohh....." she groans, then feels bad that she's whined about her growling stomach again....after all, Ronald was only trying to keep her safe.

Try to think of other things....Ronald will say you can't eat it so don't even think about it....the yummy smell....and how good it would taste....no DON'T think about it.....think about something gross......like.....um......uh......meat......or NO!

Brianna gives up and whispers to Ronald, "D'you think they're really bad Ronald?"

Ronald sets Brianna down and picks up the object he had just kicked, painfully aware what might roll along the floor in a place like this.

They aren't children Brianna.... not anymore! I hope to god that smell isn't what I think it is.

Ronald feels the object in his hand to relieve his suspicions. When the giggling continues, Ronald is now maore angry than afraid, but so filled with hate and fear he can hardly keep himself from running off into the darkness, screaming and tearing at his own eyes. Instead he holds Brianna's hand tightly.

Stay away you devils! You'll not have her! Louie! Help us damn you! This isn't funny any more!

Sanity check : Fail Sanity now 75


Dam you Louie!

The object is a flashlight.

"The smell....isn't what you think it is?? Like what do you think it is??" Brianna hides behind Ronald, having lost her nerve entirely. "We should run! Are they bad people ? How come they keep singing!?"

Brianna shakes with fear. This felt all too familiar.....like kids closing in on a particularly geeky kid in school....circling around him and ganging up.....

What?! Did Ronald just say anymore?? What are they??? Oh no! I don't wanna die!!!!

A flashlight? I must be off my bloody bird!

Ronald doesn't trust the coincidence, but beggar's can't be choosers. He clicks on the flashlight and shines it all around the room or tunnel or hall or whatever the hell this place is.

Oh we're gonna run kiddo! Just stay close.

OOC - Ronald lets go of Brianna's hand so he can hold one of the canisters in his free hand while he illuminates the tunnel with the light. He mutters to himself.

Come into the light you little devils....

OOC - Do I have to continue rolling sanity checks for the darkness?

OOC: No. It ain't dark no more, silly.

Ronald realises that he isn't in the tunnel any more. He must have run back out into the main cavern. The ceiling is somewhere up in the darkness above but Ronald hasn't move the flashlight to illuminate it so it's hard to be sure just how high up it is. The walls are several dozen feet away. Circular pits dot the landscape, each with the circles lined with large steps two feet high and two feet across. There is at least one trapdoor in sight on the sandy floor.

A little girl of eight, dressed in a Victorian outfit, stands paused, mid-run, one foot on the floor, three dozen feet away. She seems as though she were to run passed them. Footsteps echo behind but when he whirls, he sees only three stopped boys around the age of ten, and he hears the footsteps sounding behind him again.

He also realises what he stepped into. The charred and broken body of Jason, his face twisted in agony and torment, his lips still working, his eyes still moving, though he should be dead. Now roll Sanity.

Brianna swivels around to see the boys behind her, and starts to scream uncontrollably. Her screams hit a high pitched terrifying level when she sees Jason's mangled body in front of her.

She runs as fast as she can, trying to dodge the kids if they run at her.

[O.C. Sanity loss 3+1?=4, spot hidden 45, rolled 59]

Sanity Check Spot hidden check Pass, Pass

Oh god ...... Poor Jason! Ah crap-erjacks, you were a bugger weren't you? Where's Jill?

Ronald spots the hidden door. His eyes bulge like saucers as he makes his decision quickly. Ronald follows Brianna and grabs onto her shirt collar.

C'mon!
Using the flashlight as his weapon Ronald charges for the distant gloomy door, shining the light on anything in front of him and hoping he is quicker than the devils sourounding him. When he heaches the door, he turns and stands infront of Brianna. He shines his light, prtecting the door, keeping the creepy little children at bay as best he can. Ronald cries out to Brianna, waving the flashlight furiously.

Brianna! Open the door! Open the door!

The children, there are five of them now, are paused only a half dozen feet away - their eyes rolled back to display the whites, their hair and clothing wet. The door is bolted shut from the inside.

Crap-erjacks!

Ronald holds the flashlight on the 5 children and waits a few seconds, listening carefully for any movent or giggling. He prays he got them all.

Shh Listen.... Can you hear them Brianna?

Brianna wipes at the tears streaming down her cheeks, and reaches up to unbolt the door. "I don't think this is it Ronald.....we shoulda taken the plank door." She yanks at the bolt, hoping it will unlock.

"Something tells me this leads us nowhere." She turns around to look at the kids again, "Do they stop when you shine the flashlight on them? Cause if they do that will probably buy us some time."
I don't know why I think this is all normal.....what the heck is wrong with those kids and how come they've got no colour on their eyeballs?? Why is this all seeming totally expected at this point???

The unbolted door is easily opened, revealing a rather ordinary-looking corridor beyond. There is movement beyond these five children - somewhere in the gloom.

Brianna looks into the grim looking corridor, and back to Ronald. "D'you think they'd follow us in here? Cuz if they can get it open....then we might die for sure....."

She looks warily at the kids behind her and scuttles through the door.

Ronald grabs Brianna and lunges into the corridor, slamming the door shut behind him. For whatever reason the door was locked from the inside, these demon children were the most immediate threat to Brianna's safety.

Bollocks to you kids!

He pulls himself and Brianna off the ground and quickly inspects the corridor.

Take that you little buggers! That's how we play! You little buggers! You want to play some more! Ha!

Ronald realizes he's ranting and tries to calm himself. His heart is racing a mile a minute.

You OK Brianna?

Ronald holds onto the door handle just in case.

Someone tries to turn the door handle from the other side.

Brianna yelps and scrambles away from the door. "Is it locked from inside here? C'mon, let's get going!" Brianna jumps to her feet and starts to run down the corridor in front of them.

"Ronald...hu hu hu (panting) um.....didja see that thing move past the kids....hu hu hu....like almost like it was...hu hu hu... someone else down here too? Or were....hu hu hu ...... my eyes playing tricks on me?"

The corridor makes a turn to the right into darkness. Without Ronald's flashlight, she can't see very much but Brianna can tell the corridor becomes a dead end of sorts. Perhaps there would be more clues if she had more light?

"Oh no!" Brianna turns around a few times, looking at the dead end walls. "Darn it!!!" she hisses angrily. She walks back to where Ronald is standing, holding the door closed, and continues, "Ronald, can I borrow your flashlight?" she asks, holding her hand open and waiting for him to hand it to her. " It just looks like a dead end." she says, shaking her head in frustration.

Ronald holds tight onto the door handle and sets his foot on the wall to brace it.

Sod off yah devils!

He watches Brianna bolt down the hall and then come running back to him.

Brianna, tell me what's around the corner! Hurry!

Ronald hands Brianna the flashlight and then puts both hands on the door handle, pulling with all his might.

You little buggers! Hurry Brianna! Loooooooouuuuuiiieeee!

Brianna grabs the flashlight and scampers back to the end of the hallway, then turns and shines the light to the end. If it continues, she follows it.

"Stay there Ronald....don't worry......I'll be quick!"

The corridor ends in a wall but there is some odd quality about a patch of bricks that form a lighter rectangle, about two feet wide and eight feet wide. There is a sloping groove to one side that it appears something might slot into.

Brianna runs her hand over the bricks, and squints, wondering if she's imagining the change in color or not.

She tugs lightly at the top one, to see if it might move. If it doesn't she looks at the floor to see if what might slot into the missing spot is laying on the floor.

"Ronald? This is kinda weird....like a secret trap door or something!"

Ronald looks around for anything he might be able to tie the door knob to.

O.C> He has something he could use as amakeshift rope but he needs to tie tot to something.

Still putting all his energy into keep the door closed tight, Ronald yells out to Brianna.

Can you open it?

The only thing in sight is a crowbar near Ronald's feet but that certainly wouldn't make a very good tie. The top brick doesn't move from its place but Brianna doesn't have very much grip on it.

Brianna begins to punch each brick to see if any of them are mobile.

It hurts.

The groove, quite deep and turned inwards a bit, seems to be mocking you.

Brianna notices the crowbar at Ronald's feet, and runs to grab it.

"Don't move ok Ronald....keep the door closed. It might take a while to get out of here, so just don't go anywhere ok?"

Once back to the bricks, she tries to put one end into the slot and push.

The crowbar fits snugly.

Roll under 40% to open it.

Brianna tugs on it, but it doesn't move.

[O.C. Darn it! Bad roll....can she try again?]

She tries again, with a grunt of effort, but still it doesn't budge.

She furrows her brow, and pushes again. This time she hears a lurch of movement.

"Ronald! I think I might've done it!" she exclaims.

Open the door! Open the door!

Ronald holds the door closed with all of his might. His pipe cleaner shaped arms begin to strain. Sweat beads on his forehead like midnight mist on a park bench.

Brianna! What's there!

The door opens to reveal... A large, monstrous, humming, buzzing chunk of metal, heat coming off the darn thing. It crouches to the right of her, alien and uncertain. To the left are several steel boxes bulging off the wall. OOC: Electrical repair, electronics, mechanical repair or similar rolls may identify them. You may roll once for each, if you succeed at the base rate, you know what they are.

Across the room is another door.

Ronald is given some respite as they stop pulling at the door and instead start thumping it.

"Uh...........Ronald? I think I found......the.....um.......heater? Maybe? But there's another door!"

She passes through the tiny room with the machines and tries to open the next one.

A low, wailing siren can be heard in the distance as she opens the door out into a brown brick corridor. There is a distinctive whistling sound and then a whump! The place shudders and flecks of plaster and bits of brick fall down.

The 'children' from behind the door start banging at it, struggling with the door from Ronald who now stands in the dark.

The flashlight Brianna holds flickers and when it comes back on, she sees a wet little girl standing out in the corridor, a door opened to the left of her.

Ronald hears Brianna say the word door and lets go of the door handle. He dart backwards and already commiting the hall to memory, he drags his hand along the crumbling wall as he runs. As he rounds the first corner leading to the now open hidden brick door, Ronald grips the corner wall and launches himslef around the corner in a panic. He spots some of Brianna's light and moves towards it. When he enters the hall, Roanld struggles to make out anything along the walls and floor. His heart is beating so quickly he just can't focus on anything but Brianna's safety and the new soaking wet little girl in the hall.

ooc mechanical check: Fail badly ( I think the metal boxes are rice cakes)

Ronald quickly spots the new door.

C'mon! Run!

Under the light of the flashlight, Ronald is disgusted with the crumbling scenery. He, however has no time to ponder the physics of it all. He grabs Brianna's shoulder to get her moving and runs to the new door. Ronald turns the door handle and hopes for the best.

Stay away from us!

The door behind had opened soon after they left. Footsteps thumped the floor behind him, easily beginning to catch up. The door opens easily, revealing a stairwell, and behind them little children giggle.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!!!!" Brianna screams as she follows right after Ronald and then scampers down the stairs.

"Run Ronald! Faster!!!"

The stairs lead ever onward and upward. Brianna, being already ahead, easily makes it up the steps ahead of the children that follow. Ronald must succeed on three Dodge rolls to escape the children's grasp if he intends on running.

ooc-you mind if we slow this down a bit? Not to be a pain, but if we were going to get out of this we had to play smart. The point of getting to the door was to establish another clear route with the children behind us again instead of all around us. Ronald would have tried to close the door behind him just like he did last time.

Door to Door. that's how you move when you want to survive an apocalypse. Ronald would have shouted loudly for Brianna to give him the flashlight. then they could move slowly up the stairs with their backs to the top of the stairwell and the light on the kids keeping them in place. That was Ronald's plan at least.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEKKK!!!!!" Brianna screams as she follows right after Ronald and then scampers down the stairs.

"Run Ronald! Faster!!!"

I think Brianna is behind Ronald anyways. Anyways tell me what you think and I'll delete this post. If you still want the three dodge rolls

here they are :http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1313356

If I get the flash light then Ronald will slowly move up the stairs backwards with the light on the children.

Ronald takes hold of the flashlight and turns, halting the children again in their step as they throw open the door. Behind them comes a sickening wet crunching, cracking sound and the stench of burnt meat floats up again to assail their nostrils. In the distance there is another squeal and a whump. Vibrations run up their feet and legs and more plaster and bits of brick drift down.

OOC: The Dodge rolls were only if you were gonna make another break for it.

Ronald quickly backs up the stairs with Brianna, keeping the light on the children. The sounds and the smells make Ronald's head spin. Ronald finds some inner strength he had been saving deep inside him. He straightens himself up.

All I've ever tried to do was save this little girl. Well you can't have her!

When the children are at the furthest disance the light will reach down the stairs, Ronald runs for it.

C'mon Brianna. Move!

The two are almost on the landing when the children are out of sight and range. As Ronald turns, the footsteps begin to pound the stairs behind them. There is a door barely three feet away. A plain wooden door, not the white doors that are normally found in hospitals. Another Whump! sounds further off. More drifts of plaster.

When Ronald reaches the door he quickly turns to flash his light on the children running up behind him.

Open the door Brianna! Quickly!

ooc- I'm with Trixie. She says she opens the door while Ronald keeps the children at a good distance away down the stairs with the light.

The door opens into a darkness beyond dark. There is the sound of sniffling and snorting coming from out there. The scent of blood and dried pus, of burnt meat and old bandages, disinfectants and bleaches. Another whump! Another series of vibrations. Somewhere, out there, glass shatters.

Brianna slowly backs through the doorway. She feels frozen inside. It didn't seem like inside the staircase was any better than into the hallway. Both sides had their troubles.

She whispers, "Ronald. We're in big trouble I think."

Ronald partially vomits in his mouth. His fear takes him and he closes the door at the top of the stairs.

Crap-erjacks! We can't go out there.

Ronald holds the light on the frozen children, probably ten or twelve feet down the stairs. His heart pounds in his chest and he tries something new. He takes a deep breath.

They're still children... I think?

Ronald tries to reach out to the children in the most adult voice he can muster.

OK kids! I just wanna talk. I'm gonna turn off the light and if I hear anyone coming up the stairs I'm gonna turn the lights back on and we're gonna have to take a time out. OK? Now please tell us what you want.

Ronald turns off the lights and listens for the sound of feet coming towards him. If he hears anything he turns the light back on.

"We want to play a game," says the children. "A game of hide and seek. A game of chasey. Any old game. I think our old play mate wants to find you..."

Brianna screams a blood curdling, bone chilling scream.

"Turn it back ooooon!!! Turn on the light! Oh god they can talk!!! Aaaaaaaah!!!!"

Dammit kid!

Ronald flicks on the light to keep Brianna from screaming.

OK. Calm down Brianna! Listen kiddo. we're really screwed here. If you can't calm down, these kids are going to get us. We're gonna try this one more time. Brianna stay behind me and don't you dare scream. You hear me? This is really important.

Ronald turns back to the frozen kids.

Sorry bout that. Brianna's not gonna scream this time right Brianna?

Ronald turns his attention back to the spooky demon children and grips Brianna's hand tightly. If he thinks she's about to scream again, Ronald squeezes it and sshhhh's her.

What's your old playmate's name? Maybe we're old friends.

Ronald turns off the light and hopes for a reply.

"We don't know," says the children together. "But he's coming to find you... He's very cranky that you let us have him." Tiny feet turn and run down the stairwell away from Ronald.

The sound of snapping bones and further waves of the stink of burning meat flow up through the stairwell. Something had entered the very bottom and was scraping its way along, something that slithered and snapped.

Ah crap-erjacks.

Ronald hesitantly turns on the light and shines it down the stairs at the slithery scraping mess of whatever new monstrousity this evil evil place just caughed up.

What now? Damn you Louie!

Get ready to move kiddo!

A shape, a figure, a silhouette. Roasted flesh slithers and cracks. Bones, glistening, snap forward, revealed, hidden, by tendons that pull and contract. An arm reaches up, the elbow displayed, the hand clamping firmly on a step. Its head twists to one side, mouth gaping, hair burnt off, face a mass of scars but still recognisable - Jason - it propels itself up onto the next step, a weird hop, a disgusting lump that shudders shiveringly forward.

Oh Jason! What have they done to you?

Ronald turns around and opens the door. He shines the flashlight into the darkness hoping for some obvious escape route.

Move to Chapter 2...