ASH: Louie

[Piano man]

Louie reaches to the end of the shotgun and turns on the flashlight he had taped to the end of his barrel. He heads for the 2nd floor looking for signs of the other people.

[Laraqua]

The hospital sounds conspicuously empty. He can hear the dripping of water from a faucet as he passes the nurse's station nearest the stairs. He knows well enough of the amenities behind the closed door of the nurse's station.

[Piano man]

Louie leads with the shotgun and slowly makes his way to the amenities behind the nurses station.

Hello....is anyone out there. I'm not going to hurt you. Unless you attack me. Then I'm going to kill you.

[Laraqua]

His voice comes back to him as an echo as he climbs the steps, his feet making sharp raps on the linoleum floor.

[Piano man]

Louie continues on looking for some sign of another person. He thinks he knows what is going on now. It's just like the matrix. They want you to be comfortable in that other reality so you don't come back here and stop them. He is very likely wrong, but he takes comfort in the thought that he somehow bettered the spirits in this place.

[Laraqua]

The second floor corridor appears empty to the sweep of his flashlight though he gets the feeling that the shadows themselves are retreating from the light - and not in the usual manner.

[Piano man]

Come on spirits. I'm ready for you. You haven't taken me down yet. You've taken everything I've ever cared about. Now it's my turn. I'll go down to the lake and stop you there if I have to. Louie continues to search. If he finds nothing on the second floor then he'll make his way to the third. There were so many people still asleep. There has to be someone here.

[Laraqua]

There's a letter stuck to a blood smear on the floor. Written on the soggy pages are the words: "I came here looking for respite. The doctors said I'd be safe. But where did everybody go? I can't keep searching like this. I'm getting tired. The phones don't work, either. I keep going around and around and I keep thinking that I've seen this place before, in my dreams, of a place long ago. It doesn't make any sense yet still I'll look. At least, while I remain in here, the infection can't spread."

[Piano man]

Louie stuffs the piece of paper in his pocket and continues to search for other signs of life.

[Piano man]

Louie notices that there is a severe lack of anything but him. So he takes this chance to pull out one of his joints and lights up. Hey at least I might think that the ghosts are cooler this way.

[Laraqua]

The weed is good, very good, giving him a slight head spin. He starts to feel a little paranoid, however, by the end of it. He also feels very hungry ... a feeling made better by the sight of the copious amounts of candy that have come from the broken vending machine. A veritable carpet of it... The snacks don't even look tarnished, their wrappers clean - possibly because they had been safe behind the glass in a reasonably sealed compartment when the ash came.

The shadows seem to flutter about, moving just out of view. He hears something clatter to the floor by the nurse's station. Something behind the counter.

[Piano man]

Louie makes his way over the to the snack machine and indulges his cravings a little with a bag of chips. He then grabs his shotgun and makes his way slowly over to the nurse's counter trying to see what is making the noise.

[Laraqua]

As he fetches the chips, he hears a swish, swish, swish of something being dragged against the floor. Something small. Reaching the counter, he sees the telephone receiver brushing against the floor, dangling from its cord.

[Piano man]

Louie knows that something had to have moved the receiver or it would probably not be moving. He shines his light all around the area trying to see what it might have been.

[Laraqua]

He hears a short giggle as something darts passed behind him, feet slapping across linoleum. He catches a glimpse of something moving up the stairs.

[Piano man]

Louie is freaked by the sound of giggling. If there is one thing that is out of place in this situation it's laughing. Still if there is someone alive out there he has to know. He makes his way up the stairs slowly leading with his gun.

[Laraqua]

Louie's foot hits a can of soda, sending it careening across the room. It explodes with a whoosh as it hits the wall. Someone must have been shaking that one up earlier...

[Piano man]

Louie sees the soda go flying across the room. Dam I was thirsty too. Stupid pasties. He continues on looking for signs of life.

[Laraqua]

There are fresh, bloody footprints leading up the stairs. Small footprints, like those of a child. A woman stands at the top of the stairs, her violet-and-black veil hanging low across her back, her white dress stained at the hems with blood, rusty water and unrecognisable stains. The uniform of a High Priestess of the Sanctified Protectorate - the cult Louie has called his own. She faces away from Louie.

[Piano man]

Louie cocks the shot gun before calling out. Hey High Priestest, are you alive? Cause if your not you're about to have a little date with Mr. Shotgun.