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Pyro
12-11-2009, 01:42 AM
I am surrounded by darkness.
Where am I?
I'm cold.
Wake up!
How?
Breathe!

Charlie gasped awake. She was slumped over the steering wheel in her '93 Ford with a massive headache.
"What the hell?" she mumbled, sitting up. The entire car was enveloped in a thick blanket of white fog and the front end was stuck in a ditch. When did I crash? Am I okay? She touched the base of her palm to the most painful part of her head, bringing it back to find a small amount of blood. Wincing, Charlie fumbled with her seat belt and then the car door to get out. Blinking her blurry eyes she looked up at the sign right next to her car.

Welcome to Silent Hill

(OOC : right, so third person, past tense, at least a lengthy paragraph)

Tytun
12-11-2009, 03:42 AM
Chris had been driving down the road without really paying attention to what happened. At the moment, it was as if he was in a trance as he drove down this road... When his mind had returned to his body, he found himself parked at the side of the road, the gas tank nearly empty.
"Ah, well great..." he said to himself with a hidden curse. Sighing to himself, he exited the car and looked around. "Where the heck am I?..."

Pyro
12-12-2009, 04:11 AM
Charlie clumsily climbed out of the ditch.
"Have to..." she muttered, feeling dizzy, "...find help..." She staggered past the sign, drawing closer to the town. She had remembered this town from when she was younger but it didn't look anything liked she knew. There wasn't a human being or any sign of life in sight. The fog only seemed to get thicker as she got closer to the center of town, almost like it was being generated from there. Charlie was beginning to see double at this point, her injury taking its toll on her consciousness. She wondered briefly of this was just a dream and if she was going to wake up in a hospital somewhere before losing the feeling in her legs and falling forward onto the pavement, unconscious before she hit the ground.

Tytun
12-12-2009, 04:40 AM
Walking onward along the road, Chris continued to silently curse himself as he moved on. As he did so, he came across a road sign. Looking up, he fixated his eyes on it for a moment.

... Silent Hill...

At first, Chris stared at it blankly for a moment before realizing where he was. "What the?... How did I end up here? Hmm... Maybe they have some gas I can use." With a nod of his head, he began moving on down in search of a gas station. As he continued on for a minute, he suddenly noticed something in the distant fog. Drawing closer, he blinked in surprise when he saw that it was a woman. Quickly getting to her side, he turned her over and lifted her slightly up in his arms. Getting a good look at her, he noticed that she was injured greatly.
"Hey! Hey, miss! Are you okay? Wake up, please!"

Pyro
12-12-2009, 05:18 AM
Charlie winced, hearing a voice in the cold darkness. She felt herself being turned onto her back and called consistently. Fighting the weakness condemning her to sleep, she opened her dark brown eyes. The first thing she saw was a young man with glasses, probably younger than her, and looking rather worried. The second thing she saw was a deformed shape approaching from behind him, its molten-looking head twitching in a very inhuman way. She could not see its arms but it seemed to be dragging something sharp and wooden, judging by the scratching, scraping sound it made as it staggered closer. Charlie's eyes went wide and she scrambled back in fear.
"Look out!" she cried.

Tytun
12-13-2009, 06:47 AM
Chris gave a sigh of relief when the woman woke up. She wasn't dead after all... Before he could ask what she was doing here, he saw her eyes widen in fear and turned at her warning. Moving towards him was the strangest creature he ever saw, almost like something from a horror flick.
"Holy shi-!" he said as he scuttled back a bit in fear. Not knowing what the hell this thing was, his first instinct was to run off. Before he even thought about it, though, his first action was quickly getting to her side and picking Charlie up into his arms. She didn't look as if she could move on her own yet, and there was no way he would leave her to this... thing. With a burst, Chris began sprinting into the fog, barely having a clue where he was going, only hoping that it got away from the creature.

Pyro
12-14-2009, 09:53 PM
Charlie was surprised at the sudden action of the stranger but made no protest. She could handle anything so long as it was human. And that thing they were running away from was definitely not human. As if to prove her point the monster released a strangled screech, swinging long, rigid arms at the two fugitives but was not close enough to strike. Charlie was speechless, completely in shock of what had just happened. This is a nightmare, she thought, It's not real!

Tytun
12-14-2009, 10:21 PM
After a while of his sprint, Chris came upon a smaller sign signifying the entrance of Silent Hill. Apparently, he had made it safely. Though his main purpose was to get fuel for the road, he simply couldn't leave the woman he held in his arms alone. Especially not if that thing comes back...
Looking around, his sights came across a building not too far from where they were. With what remained of his stamina, he quickly made his way over and got the door open with a shoulder thrust. Using his back to close the door, he began breathing heavily as he walked over and sat the woman down in a chair.
"Are you okay, miss?" he asked again, making sure that all was well. "What happened to you? And... what the heck was that thing?!"

Pyro
12-14-2009, 10:52 PM
Charlie hesitated to speak after she was set down, running a hand through her long brown hair uncomfortably. She felt dried blood at her hairline, a sign that the wound had stopped bleeding on its own. She sighed with relief. Keeping the hand on her forehead and resting her elbow in the arm of the chair she finally spoke.
"Thank you for saving me back there but I'm sure I could have outrun that thing on my own," she said flatly, her dark eyes surveying the stranger swiftly but carefully, "I'm sure if you keep far enough away from something like that it won't be able to catch you, judging by how slow it moved. But anyway. I was in a car accident and I came here for help. Unfortunately, as you've seen, this whole town seems to be abandoned. I can wager a guess why." Charlie rubbed her temple; her pinpoint observation and normal strength were finally returning. She briefly closed her eyes, wincing.
"So what's your story, stranger? Come here on vacation? Looking for someone? You an undercover cop on a call?" Though she asked a lot of questions she really didn't trust any stranger and this guy wasn't any different.

Tytun
12-17-2009, 01:06 AM
Chris sighed in relief that she was okay, though her answer was more arrogant than he had expected. Hearing that she was in a car accident, he nodded in acknowledgment now understanding how she had incurred the injury. When she asked why he was here, he gave a soft shrug.
"Honestly, miss?" he began. "I'm not sure. I was taking my time driving down the road when I arrived here. If I could have, I'd have kept driving on, but my car ran out of gas. I traveled down here to get some gas, but I found you instead. And well... here we are."

Pyro
12-17-2009, 01:36 AM
"Hm," Charlie grunted in response, "There's still something missing here..." Suddenly she stood and began inspecting the contents of the room. It was what looked like a bar that had burned a long time ago. The bar still remained, charred, along with fragile-looking stools and a few broken tables and chairs. Charlie paused halfway down the bar. Something carved into it had caught her eye. She ran her fingers over it lightly.
"'Dies irae, dies illa...'" she muttered, "It's Latin." She tried to remember anything about what she had learned about Latin in the second high school she attended, after the accident, when she hardly paid attention at all. She screwed her eyes shut, thinking hard against the dull pain in her head. Then suddenly she knew.
"'The day of wrath, that day...' What does it mean?"

Tytun
12-17-2009, 03:37 AM
Chris watched as Charlie stood up and began moving around the room. At one point, she stopped over at the bar and looked down at something. By the time he had stood and walked over to where she was, he heard her say 'dies irae, dies illa'. Blinking for a moment, he thought it over in his mind at first, but realized he didn't know Latin well. Waiting a moment, he listened as Charlie explained the meaning. Though he couldn't think much about it, he simply said, "Sounds like an omen of some sorts... And by the look of how it doesn't continue, I'd say that the person writing it didn't get a chance to finish."

Pyro
12-19-2009, 03:20 AM
"Apparently," Charlie agreed, vaulting over the bar, "Sounds like some kind of poem or prophecy. There were a lot of those we had to memorize in Catholic school." She examined the shelves, checking to see if there was anything worth taking. Fortunately there was a miniature First Aid kit coated in a thin layer of dust and a small key. She connected the kit to her belt and held up the key to study. It was neatly placed in a semi-hidden area behind the First Aid kit so it was definitely for something inside the bar. Charlie hopped over the bar again to test the back door. Locked, as she expected. She inserted the key. It was a perfect fit. Before she turned the knob she looked back at the man who had saved her.
"Dunno about you, stranger, but I'm gonna be looking for a way out," she said, "I won't stop you from following me but keep up if you are. No offense but if another thing like the one we saw back there is coming I'm booking it." Almost as an afterthought she leaned over and wrenched a barely attached chair leg from its socket to use as a weapon. "You in?"

Tytun
12-19-2009, 06:07 PM
Chris watched the woman go with the search. At first, she had attached a small first aid kit onto her belt. Then, she had found a key which she was now about to use from behind the counter. That was when she spoke about getting out of town. Although he still felt it necessary to get the gas for his car, he simply nodded. "I'm in," he said.

Pyro
12-20-2009, 12:05 AM
Charlie narrowed her eyes at him, reading preoccupation.
"You sound hesitant," she said, "I doubt any other way would work right now so our best bet it to cooperate. Stick close if you don't want to die." She swung the door open and stepped out of the room into the manager's office. The room was relatively bare with a desk covered in uninteresting papers and a door leading outside. Charlie's calculating eyes quickly skimmed the room for anything crucial and upon coming up with nothing she left out the back door. The fog didn't seem to be lifting any time soon and there was a faint screech in the distance, most likely a monster. Heading for a break in the wooden fence surrounding the building she attempted conversation.
"So...You got a name, stranger?"

Tytun
12-20-2009, 04:26 AM
As Charlie moved about the rooms and ran for the exit, Chris simply followed her making his own observations. From his own scan, the office was also void of anything useful. When they made a break through the fence by the building, Charlie asked if he had a name.
"Well, miss... It's more polite to state your name before asking someone else's." With a shake of his head, he then said, "The name's Chris. What about yours, miss?"

Pyro
12-20-2009, 04:46 AM
Charlie scoffed.
"Sorry, Chris, but polite isn't really my style," she said, "I'm Charlie. And you even dare ask what it's short for I will smack you upside the head. Got it?" She waved the chair leg for emphasis. Charlie was not a sociable person and she made it very clear to anyone who wanted to be friendly. It wasn't like she hated people but she didn't want to waste her time being cordial, especially to someone she might never meet again.
The two made it to the street, passing a few abandoned, rundown cars.
"So," Charlie started again, "You got a family back home? Wife, kids, living in your parents' basement? Sorry in advance if I sound rude but you seem like the type." She playfully smirked and smacked his shoulder. All the while she kept a sharp lookout for anything inhuman. She may have been trying to keep things interesting but she wasn't dumb enough to forget the danger threatening to jump out and bite their heads off.

Tytun
12-20-2009, 04:57 AM
Chris smirked to himself for a moment when she made the threat about her name. 'Just what would Charlie be short for?' he thought to himself. He didn't bother asking, though, since she made a comment about smacking him across the head. Passing down the road and some rundown cars, she asked him if he had a family. With a stifled chuckle as she smacked his shoulder, he pushed his glasses back up his nose as he said, "My parents may live pretty close, but I do not live in their basement as you would put it. I have my own home, though it's simply me there. And what about you?"

Pyro
12-20-2009, 05:56 AM
"Mmm, yeah, family...Not really my style either. Kick me out when I need them most, ship me off to Catholic school where I was labeled 'freak' and 'demon', and don't believe me when I tell them that damn accident was not my fault." Charlie tossed her dark hair back over her shoulder. She was careful to not let any truly personal information slip out in that little tangent.
"Bit unusual weather for a friggin' tourist trap," she grumbled, changing the subject, "Every time I was here it was sunny enough to make a blind man see and a regular man go blind, y'know? Must have something to do with the monsters."

Tytun
12-22-2009, 07:15 AM
Chris looked over at Charlie for a moment as she rambled on, catching the part about some accident. A pain shot into his chest as he remembered that day, which ended up as an 'accident'. Blinking out of his trance as she spoke about the weather, he simply closed his eyes as a smirk fell on his face. "Heh... Yeah, it's definitely different from the time I was here... Wouldn't disagree with you on that part-" Stopping as he saw one of those creatures slowly materialized from the fog. "Hide," he whispered as he dropped out of sight.

Pyro
12-23-2009, 02:47 AM
Once Charlie saw the monster's silhouette approaching from the fog, she readied her weapon. Fuck no, I ain't hiding, she thought as Chris ducked behind a car. Charlie never took well to orders, even if they were in good advice. She either rebelled outright or just completely ignored and in this case it was both.
"Come on, damn shadow," she growled under her breath, "Come get me."

Tytun
12-23-2009, 02:55 AM
Chris was pretty sure the spot he had was good to hide in. Of course, when he looked up and saw Charlie standing there as if she were drawing the creature toward them, he realized that it soon wouldn't be. With a sigh as he stood back up and leaned against the car, he looked at her with half-eye stare. "I guess you're not one for following or taking orders, then..." he simply said.

Pyro
12-23-2009, 10:26 PM
"Are you seriously asking me that now?" Charlie grumbled, waiting for the creature to draw nearer, "I mean, really. There is a goddamn monster coming and you're concerned with my behavior. Stay back there if you haven't got something to fight with." As the monster became fully visible Charlie hesitated for only a moment in awe of its detail. The thing was not very tall, around the same height as Charlie herself, and its skin was very charred and mutilated looking. Instead of arms it had very long, very sharp wooden (or biologically wood-like) planks that dragged against the pavement, creating a rough scraping sound. It had no face to speak of; it was probably burned completely off. Not wasting another second, Charlie charged forward, swinging her crude bat and all the while keeping a close eye on the creature's arms. She managed to strike the side of its head, knocking it down. It shrieked horribly as it fell, swinging an arm out towards her. It took out her knees in one swipe, bringing her dangerously close and in a vulnerable position. Shit! she thought.

Tytun
12-24-2009, 02:17 AM
As Charlie charged in to fight the creature, Chris gave a soft sigh to himself. Apparently, her behavior in dealing with the situation knocked away all the fear he had at the moment. As she went in, he took a quick look around before he found something of use nearby...

Right as Charlie fell from the creature's arm attack and was in a vulnerable spot, a metal rubar was suddenly pierced through the part that was considered the creature's head. Not knowing if that would actually kill the creature or not, Chris immediately backed away as he dragged Charlie away from her vulnerable position. "Don't think that I cannot fight as well," he said to her, his eyes still on the creature.

Pyro
12-29-2009, 04:28 AM
Charlie smacked Chris' hands away.
"And you don't think I can take care of myself!" she snapped, getting to her feet. She watched for a moment as the creature spasmed and twitched on the ground before it finally fell still, blood seeping from its head. Charlie twisted her wrist to crack it before moving forward.
"Let's go," she said flatly, "Nothing more to see here."

Tytun
12-31-2009, 12:42 PM
Chris was about to help Charlie when she suddenly snapped out of his grasp while making a comment. When she said it was time to go, Chris simply remained silent except for the soft sigh that echoed from his lips. Gripping the rubar, he forcefully yanked it out of the creature and then followed Charlie onward.

Pyro
01-01-2010, 12:41 AM
Charlie tossed her hair over her shoulder in irritation, peering through the fog for some sort of escape. All around them were high fences and blocked up buildings: nothing of use.
"What the hell happened to this place?" she muttered to herself. Up ahead she noticed an intersection and jogged the distance to it. But just past the stop sign there was an enormous cave-in, preventing the duo from going any farther.
"Shit!" Charlie spat, kicking a chunk of pavement into the abyss, "Now what?" She surveyed her surroundings, looking for another direction to go. There were two buildings to the right with unblocked doors. One was an apartment complex and the other was an office.
"Okay, genius, where do we go?" Charlie asked, more to herself but louder than before.

Tytun
01-01-2010, 06:18 PM
As he followed Charlie, Chris took note at the strange surroundings as well. Last time he had been here, the place had been a thriving and beautiful location. Now... Well, everything just seemed fucked up. When Charlie spat out, he turned and immediately noticed the abyssal drop in the road. Bending down, he looked at it for a moment, wondering how in the world the road had gotten THIS bad.
"Okay, genius, where do we go?"
Looking up as Charlie spoke, Chris scanned the area around them but only found the two buildings to the right. Mentally shrugging, Chris decided to go with random chance.
"I'd say the office."

Pyro
01-02-2010, 02:29 AM
Charlie approached the apartment building, the one closest to the cave-in. She peeked around the side of it to see where the road ended on the other side of the fire escape.
"Hmm..." she said, "If we can cross the fire escapes to the back of the buildings we can get to the road." She went the the front door of the apartments and tugged the handle. Nothing.
"Looks like you're right, Specs," she said, coining a nickname for her companion, "Office it is. We can get the fire escape from inside and then cross to the apartment. Let's hope the monsters didn't get inside."

Tytun
01-05-2010, 01:52 PM
When Charlie had decided on her own to approach the apartment building first, Chris simply stood there silently while in the back of his mind he had figured she would do something like this. Then again... She seemed to know what she was doing, which was all he needed to make these actions of hers tolerable. Tolerable... even the nickname she had just given him. With a slight eye twitch as he clashed his fingers upon his temple for a moment or two, he nodded at the prepared extent of her plan and moved up to the office door.
From what he could partially see in the inside darkness through the window, there was no movement save for the small flashing red light on the near wall, signifying what appeared to be a clock. Gripping the door handle, Chris gently turned a bit, feeling that full movement when a door was known to be unlocked. With that said feeling, he quietly turned the knob and crept the door open, moving inside along with the door. Once in, he waited for his companion to follow, holding the rubar in his hands tightly all the while.

Pyro
01-08-2010, 03:32 AM
Upon entering the building, Charlie's dark eyes immediately scanned the room, looking either for monsters or something useful, preferably the latter. When her search came up empty she noticed Chris holding a door open for her. Grunting indifferently she passed through, grumbling under her breath,
"Aren't you the gentleman." She glanced around the room, taking in as much detail possible in the absence of light. "We need a flashlight..." From the dimensions and objects in the room she determined it to be a storage room. Gotta be flashlights in here...she thought.
"Hey, Specs, look around for a flashlight or anything useful, 'kay?"

Tytun
01-08-2010, 11:29 AM
As Charlie exclaimed about him being a gentleman, though it came from a grumbled voice, Chris simply shrugged to himself behind her. At least he had been trying to remain himself in light of the situation... Once she was in, he closed the door, causing the natural light to dim even further. Sure, closing the exit would make it harder for them to leave in case of a surprise attack, but it also would alert them to anything entering through this side. Hearing her call him over, he moved up in the darkness and noticed what seemed to be a storage room.
With a sigh, he said, "Sure, assuming no one has already removed those items..." Opening the storage room door, he slid himself into the room and began fumbling about in the darkness. As his hands slid over the shelving, he eventually fingered his hand over something. Letting his thumb feel over the surface, he found a button and clicked it... Light! So there was a flashlight remaining! Using the small beam of light to search the room more thoroughly, he located a second flashlight along with some batteries, useful in case the lights were used too much. As he began to leave, his eyes caught sight of something that interested him. Reaching over, he grasped the small radio's handle and brought it over to him. Clicking the 'on' button, however, he slightly pouted when there wasn't a sound emitting from it. "Must be broken..." he thought to himself, but then suddenly he felt something. A drip, or something small, had just landed on his head. Moving his hand up, he touched something wet... Letting his hand down into the beam of light, he saw something red on his fingers. Moving the beam of light up slowly, he quickly fell backwards out of the storage room at the sight of the dead body hung on the ceiling. "What the fuck happened to this place?..." he said more to himself as he sat there, the beam remaining on the grim sight.

Pyro
01-16-2010, 02:47 AM
The sudden brightness caught Charlie's attention and she turned toward the source.
"Hey, toss me one," she began to say but soon noticed what Chris had seen that made him fall backward. Her eyes were wide for only a moment before they narrowed.
"It's hung strategically," she noted, striding over to Chris and not too politely taking one of his flashlights, "Look. The arms are pointing in a specific direction." She pointed the beam in the direction the arms were hung. On the opposite side there was a door blocked by two large crates. Charlie grinned.
"And there we go." She didn't consider the trap factor.

Tytun
01-16-2010, 07:07 AM
Chris blinked to himself silently during his calm down as she moved by and abruptly snatched the spare flashlight from his hand. Her pull partly made his hand flare up, which he showed by the quick shaking of his hand. The mild pain was enough to return his focus to the real world, and he shakily stood back up. Seeing what Charlie meant as she pointed at the puzzle, he watched as she made her way to the secret door and remained silent for a moment. Eventually, his mind comprehended the factor that the door was blocked for a possible reason.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. "This is possibly a trap..."

Pyro
01-21-2010, 02:23 AM
Charlie looked back at him with a disbelieving expression.
"Even if it is, which I doubt, I suppose the trap would be a couple of those shriveled things or maybe a tripwire. Either way I think we can handle it. Now are you gonna help me unblock the door or what?" She moved to the crates and tucked her flashlight into her jacket pocket to keep her hands free. "Seriously, these crates are kinda big. It's a two-person job."

Tytun
01-22-2010, 03:20 AM
Chris caught sight of her disbelief, and could only sigh back. True, whether the trap was real or a ruse for monsters, the effect probably wouldn't be that much of a surprise... Situating his flashlight onto a clasp along the rim of his belt line, he then moved against the crate to Charlie's side. With a whispered grunt, he began pushing the crate with Charlie's help, slowly moving the first crate to the side.

Pyro
01-23-2010, 10:01 PM
As they moved the crates, Charlie heard a slight scratching on the door. An animal? she thought, Who would wall up an animal in a place like this? Now, Charlie wasn't exactly a people person but she loved animals. If there was one in trouble she would risk everything to help it. Once the door was unblocked she grabbed the handle and swung the door open...revealing a little girl kneeling on the floor with a paring knife. She was maybe ten years old with short black pigtails and dressed in dirty blue jeans and a ripped green shirt. Upon seeing the door open and two strangers standing before her, the girl stood and ran backwards into the room they revealed, her eyes wide with fear.
"Go away!" she cried, her voice quivering as she pointed the knife at them, "Don't come near me!" Charlie blinked. What the hell is going on?

Tytun
01-26-2010, 05:20 AM
Once the crates had been pushed aside, Chris leaned his back against the closer one as he closed his eyes and sighed to himself. From the way this entire journey seemed to be going, he assumed that this was just the easy part. Of course, his train of thought was too deep to notice the scratching sounds that came from behind the door. When the door was opened, he snapped back into attention just in time to see the young girl before she ran back in fear. Poking his head into the room, he looked confused at the little girl for a moment.
"How... in the world did she survive this?..." he thought to himself.
Shaking the thought from his head, he knelt down at the doorway. He did not move forward in concern of frightening the young girl anymore than she already was.
"It's okay..." he said in an attempt to calm the girl down. "We're not going to hurt you. We just need to find a way over to the next building. ...Maybe you can help us?"

Pyro
01-27-2010, 02:00 AM
Charlie took a tentative step back, shining her flashlight directly in the girl's face. Great, a kid. I hate kids. She rolled her eyes at Chris' question.
"Oh, right, she'd know her way having been walled in here," she said sarcastically, "Real smart, Specs. Next you'll be hugging a damn Shriveler thinking it's your mommy." She chuckled at the thought though she didn't find it amusing at all. "Hey, kid," she called, directing her attentions to the child once more, "Got a name?" The little girl nodded, still holding her knife up.
"Echo," she replied, "I got lost looking for my daddy."
"How long have you been in here?" She scrunched up her small face in concentration, an "endearing" sight that made Charlie want to vomit.
"I don't know. What's today?" Charlie sighed, her patience wearing thin.
"Tuesday. The eleventh." Echo's eyes widened if it was possible.
"I've been in here for...a whole week." She feebly fell against the back wall, lowering her knife and staring at the floor in disbelief. How is she still alive? Charlie wondered.

Tytun
01-27-2010, 05:10 AM
Chris, after hearing Charlie's comment, was about to snap back until he realized her attention was on the child now. With a sigh, he listened into the conversation as the two conversed. As the conversation ended, his fingers were rubbing over his eyes in slight disbelief. A whole week... This room was bare, with nothing that could have provided sustenance... How in the world did she survive this long?
Standing back up, he looked at Echo and said as gently as he could, "Echo... Why were you looking for your daddy? Did you two get separated?"

Pyro
01-31-2010, 05:07 AM
Echo looked up at Chris, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"Daddy told me to wait while he talked to the scary-faced man," she said, her small voice quivering, "I waited by the door but he didn't come out. So I went in here to look for him. There was a loud sound outside...I think it was a siren. Then the light went off and I got stuck in here. There was a knife and a flashlight in here but nothing else. Have you seen my daddy?" She was crying now and Charlie was getting bored.
"Alright, so now what?" she asked, "I don't want a kid following us. She'd only get herself killed." She could almost predict exactly what her companion was going to say to that and winced in advance.

Tytun
02-01-2010, 05:54 PM
As he listened to each word Echo spoke, he quickly scanned his memory for any similarities. A normal man... A scary-faced man... As far as he could recall there wasn't anyone here besides the three of them.
With a sigh, he shook his head slightly. "Sorry, Echo. The only other person we've seen is you..."
Bending down to be more eye level with the girl, he gave a quick sharp glance at Charlie for a split second, then returned to Echo with another sigh. While he did not fully agree with his companion, he couldn't prevent himself from recalling a painful memory...
"It... might be best if you stayed here, Echo," he stated calmly. "If your father comes back around, he'll want to find you easily. Besides, if we come across him along the way, we'll tell him you're alright."

Pyro
02-02-2010, 05:07 AM
Charlie was caught off guard by Chris' response.
"Huh?" she grunted, her eyebrows rather high up on her forehead. Echo had a more dramatic reaction. The little girl ran the distance between herself and the two adults and latched onto Chris.
"No!" she bawled, "I don't wanna be alone anymore! I'm scared!" Charlie shook herself back into her normal state and sighed loudly, leaning against the wall and folding her arms across her chest.
"Are we really doing this right now?" she muttered to herself in aggravation.

Tytun
02-03-2010, 02:00 AM
The original reason for saying what he did was something Chris only felt in his heart. Of course, noting the off-guard Charlie did make his day, if only slightly. As he tried to move away, however, Echo had braced herself onto him with a tight grip. Looking down at the bawling girl, his memory resurfaced with all its horrid proportions... Shivering slightly, he paused for a few moments, his morality battling his feelings. Eventually, he sighed and bent down to face Echo again.
"...Alright. If you come with us, though, you need to stick close to us, okay?" He said with a soft smile to her.

Pyro
02-04-2010, 04:53 AM
Charlie rubbed the back of her neck as if the situation gave her physical pain.
"Alright, let's get one thing straight," she said, "I don't want that kid anywhere near me. It stays with you, got it?" She shot a glare at Chris during her last sentence, showing that she was serious. "Well, let's get going. We've got a lot of ground to cover and I don't want to be caught with my pants down at night."

Tytun
02-04-2010, 05:01 AM
Chris looked up as Charlie began speaking, incidentally backing up a bit when she shot him the glare. Noting how restless she was being, he sighed and then looked back down to Echo. Gently picking her up, he sat her down on his back, holding her legs firmly for support. With her in a piggyback hold, he then said to her calmly. "Let's go, Echo. Wouldn't want to keep your dad, and miss grumpy pants over there, waiting."

Pyro
02-04-2010, 05:32 AM
Charlie ground her jaw in annoyance.
"Who the hell are you calling Miss Grumpypants?" she snapped. During her miniature fit she stopped paying attention to where she was going and tripped over a box. Luckily she caught her balance before she fell but something that fell out of the box attracted her attention. She bent over and picked it up.
"A handgun?" she murmured. She didn't quite know how to use a gun but she knew it would help immensely with the monsters. She checked the cartridge for ammo. Damn. Empty. She shrugged and tucked the weapon into the back of her jeans, covering it with her jacket.
"We should find an office if we can to see if they have a floor plan," she thought out loud, leading the way out of the storage room, "I doubt there'll be one but it's worth a shot, especially with all the locked doors in this place.

Tytun
02-04-2010, 05:41 AM
It took all Chris had to not laugh at Charlie's comment, and even more when she nearly tripped. He eventually contained himself as he moved up to her, at a reasonable distance with the girl on his back. Seeing that she had found a handgun, he nodded slightly as he made note of the empty chamber.
"Good idea," he said as she spoke about locating floor plans. "If we manage to find one, it'll definitely help us out greatly."

Pyro
02-05-2010, 03:14 AM
There was only one other room on the ground floor of the office and the door was locked so Charlie made her way to the stairs. They were old and many had been broken so passage was treacherous.
"Hey, kid," she growled, tossing a glare at Echo who swallowed hard, "Did you notice anything weird about this town before you got locked in that closet?" The little girl shook her head.
"No, it was just a little cloudy," she replied, "It's almost never cloudy here so I thought that was weird."
"Okay, but everyone was still here and there were no monsters, right?"
"W-what do you mean?" Oh, shit. She doesn't know about the monsters or that this town is abandoned. Charlie sighed, berating herself for being nice to a kid.
"Listen, kid, you know the Boogeyman?" Echo nodded, fearful.
"There's a whole bunch of his friends running around right now. And Chris here and I are the good guys so you'd better listen to us. We'll make sure they don't get you so you can get back to your dad safely. Sound good to you?" The girl seemed satisfied.
"Okay," she said, "But I told you my name is Echo."
"I know that. But don't think that because I'm one of the good guys I'll be a nice pushover like someone in the group." She shot a glance at Chris before shutting up. It became apparent why she used to get in trouble in school: her mouth was too big for her own good.

Tytun
02-05-2010, 03:58 AM
Chris moved behind Charlie on the climb up, keeping his distance in case of a misstep or break in the floor. As he progressed up, he listened to the conversation that the two were having. Oh yeah, he thought to himself, this little group is going to have SO much fun together... Ignoring the glance Charlie gave him, he began to grow fed up with her attitude. Something must have happened in her past to create such an annoyance, but he didn't see any reason to force her to tell him. Not that she would, anyway...

Pyro
02-05-2010, 09:23 PM
Upon reaching the second floor Charlie began to hear a sort of crackling noise, like static. She paused a moment, trying to determine where it was coming from. She took a few steps forward then stopped again. The noise increased in volume and roughness. She looked back at Chris.
"Do you have a radio or something in your pocket?" she queried.

Tytun
02-06-2010, 01:47 AM
Before Charlie had even asked about the radio, Chris could also hear the sound. Looking around a bit, he noticed how close the sound was, but that he couldn't see it. When she asked if there was a radio, he blinked in surprise, remembering that he DID pick up a radio. Moving his right hand into his pocket, using his other arm to keep Echo steady on his back, he pulled out the radio and held it out. Just as the two expected, the sound grew in strength.
Handing Charlie the radio so he could regain a good grip on Echo, he then said, "Looks like it's directing us to something..."

Pyro
02-06-2010, 02:21 AM
Echo squeezed her skinny arms around Chris' neck tighter at the sound.
"I don't like it," she whimpered, "It's scary." Charlie rolled her eyes and began testing doorknobs. On the third door she managed to open it...only to jump back, startled. The dead body of a Shriveler had fallen forward, its long stiff arms sticking out at odd angles. Charlie felt her heart rate spike. Bits of its spine were jutting out from its thin reddish brown skin, proof of and extreme and painful slaughter.
"If this thing is dead..." she reasoned, looking up in horror. A deep, grumbling roar resonated from inside. Panicked, Charlie tried to drag the corpse out of the way so she could close the door.
"Uh, a little help!" she cried, not wanting to know what was coming at them from inside the room.

Tytun
02-06-2010, 02:35 AM
Chris began to speak comfortly to Echo as they proceeded down the hallway. When Charlie opened the third door, he staggered back a bit when a Shriveler's body dropped out of the door. Before he could get a real good look at it, however, a deep roar echoed from the room. If they hadn't heard it before hand, the radio was now going off the charts with its distortion.
With clinching teeth, Chris says to Echo, "Hold on tight!" as his arms drop from holding her. Immediately, he grips a part of the Shriveler and, with Charlie's help, pulls it easily aside. As Charlie went back to close the door, he continued dragging the corpse a bit more, getting it good and away from the door.

Pyro
02-06-2010, 05:53 AM
Charlie slammed the door shut once the Shriveler was out of the way, her breathing labored and uneven with fear. The adrenaline rush was quickly wearing off and she held the doorknob to steady herself while she calmed down. The radio's static had lowered in volume when she shut the door and Echo had started crying again.
"The radio...The radio emits static when monsters are near!" Charlie exclaimed. She gave Chris a long, grateful glance as she realized what a useful tool her held without her knowing. Though she wouldn't say it out loud she thanked him.
"So," she said, "I guess that room's not an option."

Tytun
02-06-2010, 04:48 PM
Sitting down as the door was shut, Chris began trying to comfort Echo as she cried. Hearing Charlie's explanation on the radio and monsters, he gave a soft smirk to himself. Heh... Didn't think the radio was actually important... Looking back up, he thought he saw what appeared to be a grateful look from Charlie, though it was hard to say so.
Standing back up with Echo on his back again, he then said, "Looks like it... We should probably head for the exit."

Pyro
02-07-2010, 01:31 AM
"We should find the fire escape and maybe some bullets," Charlie agreed, "Let's keep moving." They walked on for a few more feet, testing doors as they went. So far, all were locked. Echo still whimpered from behind Charlie, making the latter very annoyed. She ran a hand through her hair in irritation.
"Is there an off switch for that thing?" she snarled, glaring back at the child, "'Cause if it doesn't shut the hell up I'll give it something to really cry about."

Tytun
02-07-2010, 02:28 AM
Chris nodded toward Charlie's command, and they began the continued search. Upon testing the 9th door, Charlie glared back at Echo and made an annoyed comment. At this point, Chris was about fed up with her attitude, especially towards the child.
"You don't like it, Charlie, deal with it," he said quite plainly. "Echo's frightened no more or less than you or me, so she's allowed to whimper, cry, and scream. If you were in her shoes, you'd do the same thing."

Pyro
02-07-2010, 03:34 AM
Charlie blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected Chris to retaliate. Speechless for once, she furrowed her brow trying to remember what she was doing.
"U-u-um," she stammered, "Right. Didn't know kids were so important to you, Specs. I'll lay off a little." That's not a sorry. Still bewildered, Charlie continued to test the next door. Dammit, locked again. Are there any unlocked doors on this level? Charlie tried to keep her face turned away from her two companions. She was embarrassed and her face was flushed red. Damn.

Tytun
02-07-2010, 03:40 AM
Chris, only seeing her stutter at the moment, looked back to Echo and gave her a smirk. This way, he showed that he had her back in case Charlie started again. Looking back at Charlie, though, he noticed that she seemed to be stunned more than he had expected. This actually confused him, since he was really expecting her to retaliate with such wrath that he wouldn't be able to think straight for a full week. Instead, she had stammered and, even though she hid it well, he caught glimpses of her flushed face.
He was about to say something when he heard the ill-fated radio acting up again. "Charlie!" he said in warning.

Pyro
02-07-2010, 05:17 AM
Upon hearing the radio crackle Charlie immediately shook herself into alertness. Chris had called out to her but she already knew. Something was coming and she needed to be ready for it. Charlie retreated a few steps to be closer to her companions. Safety in numbers, she reminded herself. She spread her feet apart and held the chair leg at the ready to start bashing some monsters.
"Let's go," she growled under her breath.

Tytun
02-07-2010, 05:32 AM
Chris saw how Charlie drew closer to him, he knew that at this moment he had to rely on her for protection. Hearing her words, he nodded in silence and prepared himself to follow her.
"Just lead the way..." he said calmly.

Pyro
02-07-2010, 06:22 AM
Charlie gulped, not wanting to know what lay before them but knowing there was no escaping it. She tentatively stepped forward, making sure Echo was safely behind her and Chris. The radio's louder than last time. Is this thing bigger than a Shriveler? Is it like the thing that killed the Shriveler back there? Questions soon to be answered, she figured.

Tytun
02-07-2010, 06:43 AM
Chris took a single step forward along with Charlie, following her lead. Unfortunately, he didn't notice how loud the radio was becoming. In fact, none of them could have been prepared for the creature lurking in the darkness...
As Charlie approached the next hallway intersection, an enlarged, hardened arm swung down suddenly and crashed into the floor, missing her by a fraction of an inch. The arm remained where it was for a moment before slowly sliding back around the corner. A slow shambling sound echoed immediately afterward, and the creature's hidden form became visible as it passed into sight.
All in all, the sight was hideous. The creature that stood before the group resembled what appeared to be a humanoid bear, though its entire skin was covered in what appeared to be rock/stone. The disfigured face of the monster turned to face them and, with an already angered expression, roared in all its rage as it slowly approached them.

Pyro
02-08-2010, 03:11 AM
When Charlie turned into the adjacent corridor she immediately jumped back a step. An enormous stony arm had crashed down in front of her, splintering the floor where she had just been standing. Echo let out a small shriek and hid behind them, clutching her paring knife tightly. Charlie stared wide-eyed at the massive creature, overwhelmingly intimidated by its size alone.
"What the fu-" she began but had to duck as the monster swung and massive arm at her head. She grasped her weapon in both hands and swung at the thing's midsection, grunting loudly from the force. A sickening snap caused her stomach to drop in horror. The chair leg had not done an ounce of damage to the creature, instead shattering and leaving Charlie with a useless stump of wood.
"Chris, I think we have a problem," she said nervously, slowly back away. Her eyes went over the thing several times, trying to find its weak spot.

Tytun
02-08-2010, 03:37 AM
Chris, as Echo moved behind him, began to distance himself from the creature as it swung at Charlie. Watching from where he stood, his jaw hung in surprise when her weapon simply snapped against the creature's skin. For a moment, he felt that somehow this creature was tied to something he knew, something he didn't want to recall...
Looking at Charlie as it attacked, the creature continued to roar in wrath as it made a swing at her head. She had dodged, and delivered a heavy blow to it's midsection, but the end result left her with a broken weapon and an even more pissed off monster. Seeing that Charlie's attention was not completely on it, the monster made an attempt to grab at her...
Seeing the creature going for a grab, Chris suddenly sprung into action. Without a real plan or incentive, he rushed to Charlie's side and pushed her out of the way. Of course, this ended with him being grabbed by the creature instead of its intended target...
Now with something in its grasp, the creature made a more victorious roar as it gripped Chris tightly in its right hand. Turning to its right, the creature made a forceful 270 degree turn and smashed Chris' body into the wooden wall, causing the male to scream out in anguish. Thankfully, the force from the blow wasn't enough to break any bones, but the creature wasn't about to stop there. Moving Chris toward it, it gripped him with both hands and began bear-hugging him, attempting to squeeze the life out of his prey...
As the creature did this, it made only one mistake in the matter. Now with its back turned to Echo and Charlie, the two females could see a pink, pulsating flesh bulb on the creature's back. The bulb itself was as big as Echo's head, and seemed to have a youthful and sorrowful face on it.

Pyro
02-08-2010, 05:20 AM
Charlie yelped as Chris pushed her out of the way, giving a tiny cry of pain as her already injured head connected with the wall. For a moment she could only see white and rapidly tried to blink it away so she could focus. Chris was screaming...the monster was killing him...Charlie's vision cleared.
"What...?" On the small of the beast's back there was a pinkish orb that throbbed slightly. It rather reminded her of a child's face. No time, no time!
"Echo! Your knife!" she snapped, holding out her hand. Echo, frozen in terror, extended her shaking arm to give Charlie her knife. With an immense battle roar, Charlie drove the knife into the pulsating organ, bursting it. A shrill screech exploded through the air, forcing Charlie and Echo to cover their ears.
"Aaaannngh!" Charlie whined involuntarily, collapsing to the floor and curling into a fetal position. Memories of her classmates' screams filled her ears over the sound of the monster's shriek and she began to writhe on the floor, unable to block them out.

"Charlie, don't leave me! Charlie! Help me! CHARLIE!!!"

"STEPHANIE!!!"

Tytun
02-08-2010, 05:31 AM
Chris was unable to do anything as the creature squeezed the life out of him. In the mere moments of its hold, he slowly began to lose consciousness. As he faded, he was forced into a dream-like state of that day... the memory he had so longed to forget... In the dream, he could only watch as the boy and girl he remembered so well were attacked by the unknown man, how the boy tried to save his sister by pushing the man away and only ended with the man taking his sister along to his death... Suddenly, he felt as if he had been dropped, but couldn't react to it...
Upon its bulb rupturing, the creature, along with the shrill cry, roared in wrathful anguish as blood quickly fell from its wound. The creature itself rocked back and forth a bit before finally dropping to its side and curling up, dying in its own blood.
Chris' consciousness slowly began to come back, but his body was too weak at the time to do much. After a struggle to lift his own head, he looked over at the other two. Seeing that they were okay, he gave himself a soft smirk as his head dropped back to a resting position...

Pyro
02-08-2010, 06:12 AM
The screams from the past evaporated with the death of the monster and Charlie finally removed her hands from her ears. Panting and coughing, she attempted to get up. Echo, seeing that the creature was dead, raced to Charlie's side to help her up. Now in a sitting position, Charlie tried to catch her breath.
"Guh..." she choked, "What the fuck was that?!"
"Look!" Echo cried, pointing at Chris' motionless form. Charlie half walked, half crawled to him and shook him by the shoulder.
"Hey!" she called, "Get up! Come on, man! Wake up!" As a last resort she slapped him in the face, hoping to rouse him. Don't leave me here! her mind screamed.

Tytun
02-08-2010, 06:17 AM
Still a bit in dreamland, Chris didn't exactly feel the shaking Charlie gave him nor the words she spoke. Suddenly, a large and sharp pain planted itself on his right cheek, stimulating all of his senses and nerves at once. End result, he jolted upright with an 'OUCH!!'. Blinking in surprise, he looked to his side where Charlie was. Judging by where her hand was, he gave her a stare.
"What was that for?!" he exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he almost died.

Pyro
02-08-2010, 06:27 AM
Despite him yelling at her, Charlie flung her arms around Chris' neck in relief.
"Oh my god!" she breathed heavily, "I thought you were dead!" It took only a second for her to remember herself and push back, putting on her tough, antisocial exterior. She cleared her throat forcefully.
"Is that the thanks I get for saving your ass?" she spat, glaring at him, "Gee, I feel appreciated." Echo quietly padded over and tapped Charlie on the shoulder. "What?" The little girl bent over and whispered in her ear,
"If you don't want him to know, wipe your eyes." Charlie stared at the girl confused then realized what she was saying. She hurriedly rubbed the tears off her face with her sleeve, keeping her face turned away from Chris.
"Thanks, kid," she muttered to Echo then said louder, "We should keep going. The faster we get out of this place the better."

Tytun
02-08-2010, 06:32 AM
Charlie's sudden embrace was definitely a shocker. Even when she had pushed back trying to regain her tough self, he stared at her with a confused look. Then Echo walked up to her and spoke something, which Charlie responded to quickly. Utterly confused as Charlie stated that they should move on, he simply shook his head in defeat and grunted as he struggled to stand to his feet.
"Damn... Remind me never to do that shit again..." he joked softly as he began moving forward slowly, using the wall as support.

Pyro
02-08-2010, 06:45 AM
Charlie stumbled alongside Chris and Echo, clutching the paring knife that was still coated in thick monster blood. It had more use than the broken chair leg anyway. All the doors on this level were locked...except for one. The last door on the right gave though it was a little sticky at first. Charlie shined her flashlight into the room, checking it for signs of life: human, animal, or monster. With nothing present she moved into it. It was an office of some sort, definitely a manager or a CEO's. There was one large desk in the center and a few chairs around it. Everything was covered in a light coat of dust. Charlie check the desk drawers for useful items. In the bottom left drawer she found a cartridge that matched the gun she still had tucked in her waistband. Sure enough there were bullets in it. She pulled out the gun and reloaded it, tucking it back in its place behind her jacket. Noticing Echo staring at her she said,
"What? It won't go off unless I cock it." The child didn't look convinced. Charlie rolled her eyes.

Tytun
02-08-2010, 06:55 AM
Upon entering the room, Chris hugged his side against the wall, definitely still aching from his battered body. Seeing Charlie head for the desk, he tiredly looked around the room. Once his eyes fixated on the window nearby, he forced himself to shamble over to it. Looking out, he simply glimpsed at the far-off ground for a moment before realizing where they were.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, getting his hands down at the base of the window. Opening it up, he turned to Charlie and said, "What are the odds that this room happened to have that fire escape?" Looking towards the building across from the office, he blinked when he thought he saw a male running down a hallway. "What the..." he said to himself.

Pyro
02-08-2010, 10:29 PM
Had she not just experienced something traumatizing, Charlie would have grinned at the discovery.
"Excellent," she said, "Let's get going." She climbed through the window first, hopping down onto the metal stairs. She waited for Chris and Echo before continuing on the precarious journey to the apartment building.
"I'm scared," Echo whined.
"Then don't look down," Charlie shot back, "Jeez, how old are you and you don't know that?" She winced in advance in case Chris decided to berate her again.

Tytun
02-08-2010, 10:36 PM
Chris moved to the side as Charlie acknowledged his discovery. Seeing her climb out the window, he helped Echo out before he did so as well, grunting the entire time. Standing up on the metal stairs, he stretched a bit before shaking slightly, feeling as if his wounded body was starting to mend. Hearing Echo exclaim she was scared, he bent down to comfort him. As Charlie spoke, however, he instead placed his hands on her ears, preventing Echo from listening to her comments.
"It'll be alright, Echo," he said calmly after removing his hands and gripped hers gently. Afterwards, he followed Charlie along the journey.

Pyro
02-08-2010, 11:23 PM
Slightly relieved that Chris didn't snap at her, Charlie shrugged and continued. The fire escape was sturdier than she thought and carried them all the way to the next building. Charlie kicked in the closest window and carefully climbed through. The first thing she noticed was the smell and had to cover her mouth and nose.
"Damn it!" she choked, her voice muffled, "What is that?"

Tytun
02-09-2010, 01:01 AM
The other two followed her up to the next building. As the window was opened, he watched as Charlie entered and followed suit. As soon as they were in and Chris lowered Echo down to her feet, he too began to notice the foul stench. Covering his nose and mouth up, he moved over to where he had smelled the scent strongest. Opening the door, he looked away quickly to prevent himself from throwing up from the sight...
"Yeah..." he said with a muffled tone, "This is just getting better and better."

Pyro
02-09-2010, 02:06 AM
Charlie glanced over at what Chris was looking at: a dead Shriveler with its torso ripped wide open. Its guts were strewn out around its body, probably the cause of the stench. Charlie, with her arm still held up over her face, reached back to draw her gun. She gestured to the kitchen.
"You check in there for anything nasty," she said to Chris, "I've got the bathroom." She cautiously made her way into the room, keeping her gun in front of her in case anything decided to jump out at her. So far nothing. Until she pulled back the shower curtain...

Tytun
02-09-2010, 02:12 AM
With a nod, Chris made his way to the kitchen door. Pressing up against it, he slowly pushed it open and disappeared inside. Once in, he looked around in the dimness of the room. Since it was partially difficult to hear anything, he sighed and fumbled a bit for a switch. Eventually, he found it and flipped it on. Looking around now, his eyes widened when he saw the mangled mess in the room.
"Dear god..." he said to himself as he examined one of the Shriveler bodies. "Either someone managed to survive against these things, or..."

Pyro
02-09-2010, 02:43 AM
Charlie gulped back a wave of nausea. Inside the bathtub words were written in what looked like fresh blood.
"'Solvet sęclum in favilla...'" she read aloud, "More Latin...'Will dissolve the world in ashes...'" She remembered the first Latin inscription they had seen in the bar. Dies irę, Dies illa...Solvet sęclum in favilla... The realization came to her like a punch to the face. The ancient rhyme she learned in Catholic school...describing Judgment Day. Swallowing the lump in her throat she returned to the main room. Looking between Chris and Echo she decided, They don't need to know.
"Find anything?" Charlie asked, "Bathroom's clear."

Tytun
02-09-2010, 03:32 AM
Reentering the main room, Chris noticed that Charlie had returned as well. Shrugging, he said, "Not much, only more of those dead creatures. Looks like someone was here and took out quite a number of these things." Going back to Echo's side, he then asked, "So, what's next?"

Pyro
02-09-2010, 04:31 AM
"We try to get out of this hellhole," Charlie replied matter-of-factly, "I-" She was interrupted by the sound of sirens from outside. "The hell?" Though Charlie was relatively unfazed by the sound, Echo seemed to be outright terrified. The little girl began to hyperventilate and her eyes grew wide.
"No, it's happening again!" she shrieked before running out of the room into the hallway.
"Echo!" Charlie called, going after her. But the girl was nowhere to be seen. What the-Where did she go?

Tytun
02-09-2010, 05:03 AM
As the sirens blared, Chris's attention turned back to the window, and he quickly made his way over to it. Looking all around outside, he couldn't determine where the sound was originating from. Suddenly, he heard Echo shriek causing him to turn back to the group. Of course, by the time he was facing them, Echo had already disappeared and Charlie was making her way to the now opened door. Quickly, he ran out of the room behind her, but couldn't locate Echo either.
"ECHO!" he called out, a look of terror on his face. With his hands up and pulling at his hair, he added "No..."

Pyro
02-09-2010, 05:33 AM
Charlie sighed roughly.
"Great, now we have to go find her. Let's just hope she doesn't get killed. Or we don't. I'd hate to die looking for someone else's damn kid." That was when she noticed the walls. A dark watery substance had begun running from the ceiling, coating the walls and spreading a sort of pale green mold. The entire process was unnaturally fast. Charlie's head whipped around, trying to figure out what was happening. Before she knew it, the change was over and the two were faced with an entirely new apartment building that still looked rather like the first...just creepier. Charlie tested the door they had just come out of.
"What the hell?" she said, her anxiety beginning to show in her voice, "It's locked!"

Tytun
02-09-2010, 05:49 AM
Chris was about to glare at Charlie when he noticed the change that occurred around them. The process took only about seven seconds, too fast for any normal hallucination... As Charlie went back to test the door, Chris moved to the wall and hesitantly placed his hand on it. Though it still remained like a wall, the strange pulsating feeling it gave off caused him to move his hand away, shaking it in disgust.
Hearing Charlie complain about the door, he looked over to her and said, "After all that we've been through... Was this really a surprise? Then again, this is becoming too much..." Chris was scared shitless now... They've dealt with the creatures, but what was this suppose to be? A nightmare?

Pyro
02-09-2010, 09:34 PM
"Okay...okay...okay...Everything's fine...You're okay...There's a way out of this..." Charlie had begun pacing back and forth restlessly, muttering to herself, trying to figure out something to do. She tugged a hand across her scalp repeatedly, a nervous habit she was prone to in extremely stressful situations. Come on, dammit, think!

Tytun
02-09-2010, 09:43 PM
Chris continued to look around for a bit, only noticing Charlie after several seconds. Just looking at her partially made her satisfied and frightened at the same time. Where was the so-called direct woman that she had played earlier? No... This whole incident was starting to show her true self. In the end, he guessed, she would see his as well. But forget that... On to more recent matters...
Moving over to her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye with a worried look. "Hey, you alright? Come on... If you're going to act like this, I doubt we'll have a chance for survival."

Pyro
02-09-2010, 10:40 PM
Charlie bit down on her lower lip to prevent it from quivering. Once she had collected herself she said,
"You're right. I've got to be strong if we're gonna survive." She tossed in the jab at the end to take Chris' worry off. I can't have you concerned with me. Charlie pulled away from Chris, slightly uncomfortable with the friendly gesture. She checked both ends of the hallway and decided to go left. The room they just left had been close to the end on the right side so Charlie figured if Echo went anywhere she went left.
"So now we have to find the kid before we can leave. And I thought this day couldn't get any worse."

Tytun
02-09-2010, 10:49 PM
The jab and push off that Charlie gave him told Chris that she was calm and back to her usual self. Sighing in half-relief, half-annoyance, he watched her walk off for a bit before following. It was then that he heard her speaking about finding Echo. Immediately, a slight smirk crossed over his face. "So she does care about the child," he thought to himself. "Nice surprise."

Pyro
02-10-2010, 12:03 AM
Charlie held her gun out in front of her, sensing this "Otherworld" was more dangerous. She tested doors along the way, seeing if any were unlocked. By the end of the hallway, none were. Kicking the last door and cursing in frustration she went over the dimensions of the hallway in her head over again, trying to figure out if she had missed anything. All the doors are locked...Echo was too panicked to lock anything if she ran into a room. Kids don't have that instinct. But...Charlie froze, covering her mouth with one hand, her dark eyes growing wide in horror. She left before the change. She's not in here with us. Charlie weakly leaned against the wall, her legs feeling like jelly.
"She's not here," she said in disbelief, "We're trapped."

Tytun
02-10-2010, 03:37 AM
The further the two moved down the hallway, the less hopeful Chris became of the situation. Once Charlie kicked the door in frustration, he simply leaned against the other wall, his left hand over his eyes and glasses. Of course, once Charlie exclaimed that they were trapped, he simply sighed in agitation.
Looking back down the hall to where they had entered from, he then said, "Damn it... No, I will not give up here! If Echo's out there alone, we're going to find a way out of this shit!" Looking around, it was obvious about one thing. Chris now had a look of wrath and worry. He lost one young girl before, he wasn't about to lose another one. Calming down a bit, he then pointed down at the other end of the hallway. "There's at least two doors down that way we haven't tried..." Without really waiting on her reply, he began moving that direction.

Pyro
02-10-2010, 03:54 AM
"They'll be locked," Charlie moaned softly, sinking down the wall into a sitting position, "Who knows how long this change will last? We're stuck in here until it goes back. Cornered..." She struggled to keep the memories of being trapped in the fire at bay, Stephanie's voice begging Charlie to save her...
The desperate tears that had been able to break through after the fight with the big monster returned as Charlie sat slumped against the wall, marking their path down her face. I give up for now, she told herself, I'm so tired...

Tytun
02-10-2010, 04:52 AM
Chris made his way down to the other side of the hallway, taking note of three doors they had yet to check. Slowly, he began examining them one by one, yet each one was as stated locked. Upon checking the last door, he punched the wall forcefully, his teeth clinched up. Trying to hold his frustration off, he turned his head to look out of the window nearby...

Pyro
02-10-2010, 05:07 AM
(total flashback)

Charlie hugged her knees to her chest as the tears fell, hiding away to rest, if only for a brief moment. Her mind's eye was engaged now in her past...the last time she felt totally helpless...

"Come on, it'll be fun."
"I'm not sure..."

No matter where Charlie ran, the fire was everywhere, blocking all escape. She began to panic, feeling cornered.
"Charlie! Help!" Stephanie? She was just behind me! But now Stephanie was behind a pile of burning debris, trapped.
"Stephanie!"
"Charlie, don't leave me here! I don't wanna die!"
"I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Unbeknownst to Charlie, she was repeating the phrase over and over for real, unable to come back into the real world, if you could call it that.

Tytun
02-10-2010, 05:16 AM
Chris continued staring out the window, unable to see anything from the other side. With a sigh as his anger dropped drastically, he turned around and began heading back the other side. Upon reaching the halfway point, he began to hear Charlie's voice. Growing closer, he finally understood what she was saying.
Arriving by her side, he placed his hand on her shoulder and shook. "Hey, Charlie! Snap out of it!"

Pyro
02-10-2010, 06:03 AM
Charlie reacted instantaneously, throwing herself backward, away from Chris.
"No! Get away from me! Don't-" It was then she caught herself, realizing what she was saying. "I-I-I...I guess I must have spaced out a little. Did you find anything?" She kept her hair down in her face so he wouldn't see the extent of her minor breakdown. I'm sorry.

Tytun
02-10-2010, 06:11 AM
As he was pushed back, Chris simply looked at her with a slightly surprised. Twice she had fallen into some trance, both times she seemed different. Sighing, he moved back over to her and sat beside her. For a moment, he remained calm and silent, but then his right arm slowly landed on her opposite shoulder. Pulling her a bit closer to him, he used his left hand to move a mass of her hair away from her face.
Seeing the minor difference in her face, he sighed as he said, "No, I didn't find anything. Even the window bared no answers." Looking to her, he then said, "And you do not look alright at all... A bad memory, perhaps?"

Pyro
02-11-2010, 04:09 AM
Charlie struggled against him at first, trying to reject any closeness.
"Shut up!" she snapped but her voice shook, "You don't know me! Don't try to-" Try to what exactly? the little voice of reason inside her head asked, You've done your part. Just rest for awhile. I don't want to start blubbering on someone I just met. Relax, the voice told her, He's not going to leave you. Charlie closed her eyes and stopped moving, hanging her head in defeat.
"I guess...there's nothing left but to wait...I am tired..."

Tytun
02-11-2010, 04:15 AM
Feeling her struggle against him, Chris almost made the notion to leave her be. Suddenly, her state changed again and found that she had given up on escaping. He pulled her softly into his grip, letting her head rest against his shoulder.
"If you're tired, then rest," he said calmly. "I'll stay awake for now."

Pyro
02-11-2010, 06:38 AM
At Chris' warm embrace Charlie gave a single choked sob. With shaking hands she reached up to grasp onto his upper arms and shoulders, holding onto him like he was going to disappear if she didn't.
"You keep helping me and I never thank you," she said, her voice muffled slightly, "I'm such a cunt." Now all my insecurities are coming through. That's just fantastic.

Tytun
02-11-2010, 07:07 PM
The choked sob upon his embrace cause Chris to blink in surprise. As he hands grasped his upper arms and shoulders, he looked down at her with slightly widened eyes. Was this... her true self?... Her words seemed less hostile than they usually did as well. With a soft smirk, he embraced her slightly closer and said, "Don't worry about it, Charlie. Just get some rest for now..."

Pyro
02-12-2010, 02:02 AM
Charlie relaxed, finally easing up. Could she end up making a friend out of this stranger? That hasn't happened since before the accident...over ten years ago...What was this town doing to her? Why was she brought here? What was it all for? I'll figure it out sooner or later...Charlie pushed all those thoughts aside as she closed her eyes, succumbing to the exhaustion of the day's perils.

Tytun
02-12-2010, 03:32 AM
After a while, Chris finally felt his companion's body loosening up as she fell asleep. With a sigh, he brushed her hair softly for a moment before leaving her alone. Even though he had experienced the same mental exhaustion as Charlie, he didn't feel the need for sleep just yet. As a result, he remained awake and alert, not knowing what this strange 'nightmare' would bring.
Several minutes passed with silence, and Chris felt himself drifting off into subconscious. Although he fought against it, it felt like a strange force overpowered him and he was thrust into sleep. In his 'dream', he found himself in a familiar hallway. At the moment, he felt at peace, and progressed towards a room as if he had never left the place. Upon entering the room, he spotted a young girl on the other side brushing her hair. His entrance apparently caught her attention, because she stopped and turned to face him.
"So," she said with a soft smile, "are we going to the coast today, Big Brother?"
Immediately, Chris snapped awake, finding himself covered in a thin layer of sweat. Was that... his sister?... Although he wanted to deny it, he knew the truth... This place... seemed to be reawakening that dreaded memory, but for what purpose?

Pyro
02-15-2010, 11:33 PM
Charlie awoke from her shallow sleep at Chris' startled jump. She tossed herself back, drawing her gun and looking around for any monsters.
"What?" she hissed, "What is it? Did it shift yet? What happened?" Upon realizing the radio was silent, she calmed down a little but still held her gun ready, one hand on the slide to cock it if necessary.

(sorry for lateness D:)

Tytun
02-16-2010, 03:52 AM
Chris stared at the ground for a while, only noticing later that Charlie was up and ready to shoot something. Blinking a few times, he then scratched his eyes a bit as he said, "Ah... Just a bad dream, sorry about that..."

[It's cool. XP]

Pyro
02-24-2010, 10:16 PM
Looking around, Charlie noticed the hallway looked the same save for one detail. There was an outline of a door to her right, the wallpaper concealing it against the rest of the dingy hallway. She pointed at it.
"There!" she exclaimed. She stood and approached it, feeling it to see where the doorknob was. She glanced back at Chris, now fully back to her old self.
"Do you have like a key or something on you?" Charlie asked, "Can't very well get through painted wallpaper without something pointy to break it."

Tytun
02-25-2010, 11:35 PM
Watching as she moved, Chris blinked in surprise when Charlie had found something of interest. Seeing that she was feeling for something, he slowly got up to his feet and moved beside her. Sure enough, he was able to see the faint outline of where a door would be.

When Charlie asked for something sharp to use, Chris fumbled through his pockets a bit until he found his car keys. As he handed them over to her, he stated, "I hope you plan to give those back..."

Pyro
03-01-2010, 06:24 AM
Charlie snatched the keys up and dug the pointiest one into the paper, dragging it down to tear it. She handed the keys back to Chris and continued ripping the paper apart with her hands until a door was visible. Charlie sighed with relief at the knob, which turned very easily.
"Alright, bitch," she mumbled, thinking out loud to the town, "Whatcha got for us now?"

Tytun
03-01-2010, 04:58 PM
In a sense, Chris was relieved that the keys were back into his hands upon their use. Of course, he had expected that either they would break against the walls against Charlie's forceful use, or that some creature was hiding behind the paper to take whatever punctured through. At the sight of the blank door, though, he simply shrugged at the obvious idea behind it. Beforehand, he would have found this a clever way to hide something normal. Here, however, finding something normal was a bit strange with all of the unnatural crap...
As Charlie readied herself to open the door, Chris did a quick calculation over the group. Right now, they were missing Echo. Aside from that, Charlie was the only one with a weapon now. If she went down... She won't go down.
"At this point, I'd say we're prepared for whatever is beyond the door," he said in a calculated, sincere tone.

Pyro
03-06-2010, 04:26 AM
Charlie's mood dropped drastically at those softly-spoken words and she cast one brief, forlorn glance at her companion.
"Do you really think that?" she whispered. But she didn't wait for an answer. She swung the door open, aiming her gun in case of attack. The room was dark and stank of mold and mildew but some light enabled visibility. The radio made no sound so far so Charlie ventured forward, holding her flashlight and gun out in front of her like she'd seen cops do on TV. There was some shuffling behind some cardboard boxes. Why are there so many boxes here?
"Hello?" she called, "Is someone there?" An eerie child's snickering reached Charlie's ears and she suppressed a shudder. "Echo, is that you?"

(lol, no it isn't, Charlie. Oh hey, I found a cool operatic recording of the poem she found "Dies Irae" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEs3owwEPL0)

Tytun
03-06-2010, 04:27 PM
Chris ignored Charlie's comment as they moved into the room. While Charlie's light was pinpointed straight ahead, Chris made a slow, clean sweep around the room with his light. When Charlie called out, he looked at where she was pointing her light and maneuvered his own in that direction. The eerie snickering made his skin crawl, but he shook it off and waited for a second response. A few seconds passed, and it was obvious that whatever was behind those boxes, it definitely wasn't their little companion. Looking to his side, Chris located and picked up a sturdy piece of metal. Giving Charlie a heads-up on what he was about to do, he then aimed and threw the metal at the boxes. A direct hit! Upon contact, the boxes fell down and apart like dominoes. Now, it was up to Charlie in case something jumped out...

Pyro
03-28-2010, 02:49 AM
Charlie slowly advanced, keeping her gun out front though her hands were shaking.
"Whoever's back there, come out!" she commanded, "I'll shoot!" The giggling came again, first that creepy child's laugh but it soon changed to dark and evil sounding. Charlie stepped around the fallen boxes and pointed her light at what was behind them. A child (or what looked like one) was huddled in the corner, its long scraggly brown hair covering most of its dirty body.
"Who are you?" Charlie asked, droplets of sweat beginning to slide down her face in fear, "Come on, talk to me!" The child raised its head but its hair still covered its face. It slowly stood, revealing a filthy, charred grey dress Charlie seemed to recognize.
"Let me see your face, kid." The child shook her head, shuffling her grimy bare feet. Anger replaced fear for a moment in Charlie's mind, causing her to stride forward and grab the child's stringy hair, pulling it away from her face. The fear returned immediately as she saw exactly what was under the dark curtain. The child's face was normal enough but her eyes...her eyes were Charlie's down to the exact shade of chocolate brown. Charlie backed away as quickly as she could without tripping over her own feet.
"What the hell?!" she spat. The little girl began laughing again, louder and darker than before. Charlie's flashlight dimmed for a second but when she shook it and it turned back on...the girl was gone.

Tytun
03-28-2010, 03:45 AM
Even though Charlie moved up to confront whatever was making the laughter, Chris stayed behind knowing he'd only get in the way without a weapon. From where he stood, however, the fallen boxes only prohibited his vision. Unable to see the young child, he didn't know what had been behind there... or that it was gone.
After a moment of silence, he looked over to Charlie and saw the epitome of fear on her face. Slowly itching his way around to her, his view finally ventured around to the interior of the boxed-off area. At that moment, he noticed nothing.
Looking to Charlie, he whispered, "What?... What was there?"

Pyro
04-06-2010, 04:54 AM
Charlie shook her head compulsively, like a psych patient.
"Nothing..." she said, "It was nothing. L-let's go." She shakily tried pushing past Chris in her hurry to just get away from this place. She didn't care if there was anything important here, or if there was another way out. This place was wearing her down and she wanted out. Forget Echo, she's probably dead or found her dad, Charlie thought, thinking only of her own (and possibly Chris') safety, Just...I just want it to stop...

Tytun
04-06-2010, 06:01 PM
Chris watched as Charlie moved past him and out of the room. Although she showed that she wanted to leave, he couldn't follow her just yet. This was the only room that had been open and must contain some exit from this nightmare. Looking around the room carefully, he noticed a door previously hidden behind the boxes. Unsure of what to do for a moment, he eventually acted and wrapped his hand on the doorknob. Slowly, he turned the handle...

Pyro
04-26-2010, 04:42 AM
Charlie stepped into the hallway once more, shining her flashlight around to see if the change had happened again. The walls remained grey and damp, charred black near the ceiling. She felt safer here than in the storage room. That child, that demon, disturbed her more than anything she had seen in this town so far. It was her and she knew it. At least it was her likeness. And it was her dress from when she was a child...she remembered her old white dress with the little ruffles at the hem and the flower pattern at the neckline...It was barely recognizable now on that little monster's body, scorched and filthy like everything else in this hell hole. But Charlie knew if she continued on that path she would find more and more disturbing things that reminded her of the fire and her past and she wanted nothing to do with it. The only question was...
"How the hell do I get back?"

Tytun
04-26-2010, 04:50 AM
As soon as he opened the door, Chris' head began to pound uncontrollably. Collapsing to his knees, his vision blurred as he almost literally passed out. It was only for a few seconds, but as he regained his composure, he noticed how the entire room looked completely normal now. For a moment, his mind tried to make sense of it all, but then he gained a feeling of safeness that he hadn't had before. Looking to the door that lead back into the hallway, he immediately went to it and opened it up. He hoped to find Charlie there, but he didn't know if the door worked on the building or just the room...

Pyro
05-10-2010, 12:01 AM
Charlie suddenly felt a bizarre, dull pain in her head, like she had been struck with a hammer. She gasped in the sensation as it temporarily blinded her and she could hear the door slam shut behind her. When the wave had passed she looked around, realizing the hallway had gone back to its normal, abandoned appearance. But the moisture dampening the walls was gone along with the mildew smell and the sense of evil hanging around. The door to the storage room opened again but it was only Chris.
"Let's try the other doors," she said, "There's got to be a way out of here."

Tytun
05-10-2010, 04:49 AM
Chris calmed his beating heart as he saw Charlie in the hallway. At least he hadn't lost two of his company... Hearing her commenting on checking other doors, he nodded with a yeah. Immediately, he went to check if the door ahead was unlocked. Sure enough, it opened with a simple twist. Taking a look inside for a few moments, he noted nothing of importance in the room and went back out into the hallway.

Pyro
05-31-2010, 06:40 PM
(just to keep from being recycled cause I have no idea what I'm doing XD)

Charlie found another unlocked door but it was only a linen closet. Just before she closed the door, however, she noticed something odd on the third shelf. There were three cartridges for the same type of handgun she carried. Weird but at least it's helpful, she thought as she took them and closed the door.

Tytun
06-03-2010, 01:49 AM
After a bit of searching with no success, Chris decided to return to the previous room where the headache had occurred. Heading back to that same door, he looked passed it and saw that it ended on an outdoor fire escape. Looking up and down it, he determined that the stairs leading up went all the way to the roof and the stairs heading down just barely touched the ground. Looking back in, he called out, "Hey, Charlie! We've got an exit!" Though he felt bad for leaving the small child behind, his mind hoped that she had simply used this escape to head off... Hopefully...

Pyro
06-16-2010, 10:24 PM
Charlie felt a weight lift from her chest as Chris found the fire escape. A huge grin spread across her face. She hadn't smiled like this in years and damn it felt good! She raced to the door and followed her friend out onto the escape.
"I can see the other side of the cave-in!" she said, pointing to the street across from the building, "We're almost out of here!"

Tytun
06-21-2010, 04:21 PM
Upon reaching the bottom of the fire escape, Chris overheard Charlie's excited comment. Looking ahead, he too saw what she had seen and couldn't help but give a sigh. They were finally getting somewhere! As he was about to rush ahead in half-glee, half anxiety, Chris suddenly remembered about the creatures that were most likely roaming this area. Before he could even take the chance to look around, a fog began to roll in, almost immediately blocking their view. "Ah, hell no..." he said softly to himself.