[M] The Room — IC

[Ru]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/9d2e8cd32a263cad72b1e00a6dfda380/tumblr_mk00fhso9g1qdl4k8o1_1280.png

Rated M for sexual innuendos, violence, potential sexual situations, strong language, ass-kicking, awesomeness, and other adult themes like taxes.


THIS RP IS NO LONGER ACCEPTING NEW PLAYERS.

—
A flurry of thoughts overwhelm your mind, twisting and turning at every angle in a self-made darkness deep within your subconscious. In this dreamlike state you wonder where you are and — for a split second — who you are. This black surrounding you is unknown, bewildering, and uncomfortable like a stranger gazing at you from across the room for an uncomfortable amount of time. Staring for what feels like hours until your screen begins to crawl and goosebumps form, causing your hair to stand on end. In this seemingly endless abyss you continue to feel this overwhelming discomfort, though you try to escape it, until finally… your eyes open.

You are lying upon the floor of a miscellaneous room you have never once laid eyes upon before in your miserable life. It is eerily dark, yet not too the point where you cannot make out how wide the small vicinity is. What makes it even worse is when it finally dawns on you: there is no door. How did you get in here? Who brought you here, and why? Questions whirl about in a rapid, spiraling tornado in your brain as you try to make sense of what could possibly be going on, only to receive no answers. In silence you sit there longing to know what is going on.

Then you notice a faint, white, luminescent glow upon the wall directly in front of you. At first it is illegible, until it brightens and you can make out the words seeming to appear forth from nowhere.


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“Only the future can aid you,
The past relies on you to guide,
In silence you may save yourself,
Leaving those to wither,
In silence the future can press on,
Leaving the past to die.”

There are no outlets. No doors, no windows. Your only light is from the faint glow of the text lumining before you upon the wall. Any cell phones that were on your person upon being captured have no signal within the concrete room with no apparent way out. Before this all you can remember is going about your normal daily activities when suddenly there was a loud thwack to your noggin and you fell to your floor into darkness. Upon awakening you see only this room, the text, and nothing else to aid you. In silence you sit in an unknown vicinity you had never seen before, aside from maybe a horror movie or two you may have seen prior to this moment.

The next move is yours.

[Jarms48]

Jason blinked, though even with his eyes peeled open he could hardly tell the difference. Darkness overwhelmed him, the last thing he could remember was getting ready for the campus end of midterm party, the voices of his mates all around him and the constant background noise of the living halls television. How did he get here? His mind began to ponder, his eyes still blinking slowly as they tried to adjust to the dark. He looked around turning on the soles of his shoes, his gaze trying to snap onto anything, the glint of a doorknob, the rays of light, an entrance, an exit.

"Guys?" He questioned, his words resonating against the walls and striking him from every angle. The more he thought of his predicament the more the back of his head began to ache, did someone knock him out? This had to be a joke or at least that's what he assured himself. At the corner of his eye, he caught the faint aura of illumination, his gaze falling across a string of text that seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“Only the future can aid you, the past relies on you to guide, in silence you may save yourself, leaving those to wither, in silence the future can press on, leaving the past to die.” Jason repeated, trying to make heads or tails of it.

"What does that even mean!?" He exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

"Come on guys this isn't funny, cut the bullshit and let me out. Turn off these Scooby-Doo effects and open the bloody door!" He yelled again, shaking his head and a sigh escaping his lips. Jason stormed to the wall in front of him, slamming his hand upon it repeatedly. It was cold, smooth, a texture like concrete, where did they take him?

[bluemoon]

Sarah was cold. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself as she turned onto her side and pulled her knees to her chest. Her skin prickled. Warily, she reached for a blanket to cover herself, thinking she must have left the window open last night before retiring. Her hand patted the floor aimlessly, searching, but coming up empty. A throbbing started at the back of her head and she moaned, opening her eyes just the tiniest bit. Without comprehension, she stared at a solid wall, wondering why her window was not in her view. She looked down at herself, relieved to see she was at least dressed, albeit in thin cottony pajamas, but it was better than nothing, her usual attire for bed. Again, her skin prickled.

Sarah sat up on the floor. "Floor?" Her mind questioned. A late night at work and too much wine had left her thoughts jumbled, but not enough to stop her from realizing she wasn’t at home in her bed. The dim room she found herself in was small, without adornments, almost sterile looking if not for the unkempt look that stained every corner. Wiping at her eyes, she noticed a slight glow on one wall. She rose, trying to read the words. In the distance there was a muffled sound, and Sarah started, looking towards the noise, waiting for it to be repeated. Nothing. Ignoring the continual creepy sensation of being watched, she allowed her concentration to once again focus on the written text. Her bare feet padded across the floor as she approached, her arms crossing her chest in a feeble attempt at modesty.

“Only the future can aid you,
The past relies on you to guide,
In silence you may save yourself,
Leaving those to wither,
In silence the future can press on,
Leaving the past to die.”

There was no sense to it. Sarah placed a trembling hand on the words, following the curving script with a finger tip. Her eyes searched the rest of the small room, desperately trying to locate a door…a window…anything. Finding herself alone, with no escape route, she began to suspect she was being watched by camera, but even that was not evident in this cold place.

“Hello?” She whispered, not sure what she was hoping to achieve. With her back pressed against the wall, she slid to the floor, pulling her knees tightly to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Her sleep shorts scooted high on her thighs, exposing yet more skin to the frigid air. She stared straight ahead, hoping she was dreaming, yet not quite able to hold on to that desire with any conviction. The word "silence" stood out above all the others in what she had read, and she pursed her lips together to keep herself from calling out again. She pressed her head against the wall, the headache intensifying, her skin crawling with fear. Goosebumps covered her skin, adding texture to the glowing words which now illuminated the parts of her body which rested in its wake.

[Mozaic]

It's dark already....

Shaw reached his hands over his head clasping at the back. He groaned pushing himself forward. One hand went out searching the ground. When he felt nothing besides cold stone floor he peaked up from the mess of hair atop his head. "Damn... where am I," he said shoving himself halfway up, “and where's my hat?" His fingers dragged over his scalp. The last thing Shaw remembered was being hit in the back of the head. Nothing else was quite sinking in.

The walls around him had no windows, or doors just solid slabs of concrete. Light illuminated from behind. Looking closer the light formed into words, phrases. "Only the future can aid you," he said. "What the hell does that mean?" It was a riddle no doubt, but why? What purpose did it serve in an enclosed space with no sort of exit? Were the walls going to suddenly rise up, and release him into a killer obstacle course or labyrinth? Or was it timing his demise in an answer correctly or you die kind of way? "I wonder if this has anything to do with my refusal to join the Secret Service...."

Shaw went over to the light moving his hand over each word and around them. In full it read:

Only the future can aid you,
The past relies on you to guide,
In silence you may save yourself,
Leaving those to wither,
In silence the future can press on,
Leaving the past to die.

None of the words went over his hand like he expected. There were no engravings from what he could tell to allow the light in from behind. He still wasn't convinced it was not some sort of illusion, though something was not normal about this situation.

He pondered the riddle. “In silence you may save yourself, leaving those to wither….”

I think for now I’ll see what silence brings me….

[Scene_Dream17]

Mindy let out a soft moan, stirring slightly from where she was leaned up against the wall. She peeled her eyes open tiredly, instinctively reaching up to the vague pounding in her head. She sat up, looking around with her hazel eyes. The room...was creepy. Dark and musty, nearly with no light at all. Like something in a horror movie. She suddenly got the chills. She pushed herself up unsteadily, biting her bottom lip. She then noticed a bright light to her left, and she had to squint to see it.

“Only the future can aid you,
The past relies on you to guide,
In silence you may save yourself,
Leaving those to wither,
In silence the future can press on, Leaving the past to die.”

Mindy took a second, before feeling her heart leap out of her chest. "Die?!" She exclaimed, running to the wall as pounding on the lit up words. "Let me out!" She cried, giving up after she got tired. She huffed, dragging a hand through her hair. As she sunk down against the wall, she tried to retrace her steps. It was an average day, and she was just finishing up her shift. Her boss had left her to close up, and she had just sold the last order of the day. She went to shut off the expresso machine, when she was hit in the head forcefully.

She furrowed her forehead slightly. "Hello?" She called, her soft voice echoing on the hard, stone walls. She bit her bottom lip nervously, before starting to rub her wrists uneasily. At least she was clothed. And alone. This could be a hundred times worse. She nodded slightly, standing. "Hello?" She called, listening intently.

[Alexiel]

Leif stirred in his sleep, there was only darkness to be seen. He tossed and turned on the cold floor as he shuffled about trying to get comfortable, some bruises he had from previous encounters were not appreciative of the cold floor. He woke up abruptly when he heard someone say something loudly. For a moment he thought he had been knocked out in a tunnel and someone was trying to wake him up, though he didn't understand what the voice had even said since he was still sleeping.

"A'right ... Whadya want?" He looked around noticing there was no light at all, not even the sense of any presence in the place. Furrowing his brow agitated that it seemed not even the moon was out he got up and started walking forward with his arm out in front of him till he hit a wall. He turned and started again until he hit another wall. Frustrated from not knowing where he was and feeling like a bat he just listened intently and waited for something. He felt his arms get goosebumps as a light slowly illuminated on another wall just as his eyes were starting to adjust to the dark.

He walked towards the light and noticed it was writing. He took a moment to check himself, he was still wearing the clothes he had on from the match last night, a bit of blood here and there but none of his. Looking back to the writing once it got bright enough to be read he stared at it utterly confused. 'I don't have time to begin to try to understand what this even means.' He thought to himself as he looked around the room seeing that it clearly was not a tunnel. Where the hell was he? There didn't seem to be any way out, so how did he even get in? He rubbed at his arms as he looked back at the writing. "I suppose I am supposed to try to figure out what this means?" He assumed something was listening.. watching... But he was not entirely sure who, or why. He started wondering if the Host was getting mad at him winning too many matches. He scratched at his head as he stared at the text.

[Ru]

Whether you sat in silence or questioned your sanity as a voice piped in with no evident area of where it came from it made little difference. In chronological order from the furthest future room to the last past room the illuminated words scrambled, disappeared, and rearranged themselves to compose an entirely new passage. Some of the letters moved about smoothly and were easy for the naked eye to follow, while various ones darted like speeding jets to their new spots so fast all they became were blurs. There were letters that spiraled, causing viewers who stared solely at it to feel ill. The disappearing ones took light with them, dimming the room further into darkness.

As the new words appeared nothing else in the room changed. The floors and walls were still concrete with no inkling of escape. Even the ceiling itself was concrete. It was as thought someone dumped cement into a block mold and tossed you into it before ceiling it shut. Possibly a tomb thrown deep underground. There was no food, no water, and no signs anyone had ever been in here prior to you waking up in a crazed dazed.

Maybe it was all a prank, a ransom, or even a dream, however, would any of those be this odd? In such a plain room, yet the bizarre letters — your only light — seemed to be alive and changing at will. Any thought of it being a projecting was easily tossed out the window because there were no holes to let in light. On the same note, how long could you stay in there with no flow of oxygen?


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“Faint whispers,
Distant cries,
Tell the truth,
Or will you lie?

Insanity can be a fun,
Concrete to padding,
Padding to death,
Don’t forget to hold your breath.”

However, the eighth line only appears for three out of the seven rooms can see the last line: Jason, Kisarah, and Kim. The rest it the letters will not stop moving as they disappear and reappear; spin and spiral; stop and zip; and all with no apparent end.

[bluemoon]

Sarah sat with her back to the illuminated wall, staring straight ahead for an unknown amount of time. Minutes, or hours, had passed, and with the passage of time she began to grow more nervous. It was too quiet and she began to doubt her decision to remain silent. Almost in a trance-like state, she didn’t register the change behind her until the movement of the letters caused shadows to move in the room. Standing, she took in her surroundings once more, her eyes pulled to the swirling figures. New words were forming, creating yet another cryptic saying, one in which the last line seemed to be garbled, the letters not finding their place.

“Faint whispers,
Distant cries,
Tell the truth,
Or will you lie?

Insanity can be a fun,
Concrete to padding,
Padding to death,
… "

Sarah watched and waited, growing impatient when the message did not complete itself. It was her only interaction and she felt desperate to know the ending. She leaned forward, slapping the wall, trying to make the last line stop moving. Frustrated, she stepped back, murmuring under her breath.

“Come on…finish.” Another moment passed.

“Hey!” she called out louder. “Hey! Your wall is broken. Hello? Is there anybody out there?” Now that she had spoken, she found comfort in her own voice and with each sentence, she became louder, hoping to attract the attention of anyone…her captors….another captive…someone who would talk to her. Anyone.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me? Please answer me. My name is Sarah…” She waited again, feeling panic creeping into her spine. “You can’t keep me in here forever! Damn it! Answer me!” She slapped the wall again, feeling the coarse concrete under her palm. Then an idea surfaced. If she was placed inside this room, then there had to be a way out, even if it was hidden. She began rubbing her hands along the surface, searching for any cracks, hoping to find a concealed opening. She knocked on the walls in places, her hands in constant movement. She covered every inch of wall that she could reach, bending and stretching, until she reached the point where she had started. She stopped, finally turning to face the wall with the still circling bottom row of letters.

She read the message over and over again, trying to make some sense of it. She remembered the earlier sound, when she first woke up. Was that the distant cry? Perhaps another prisoner? Truth…lies…did that relate to what they might say to each other? "Insanity can be fun..." She certainly felt as if she might go insane if she didn’t figure something out. Perhaps insanity was the last step. You lose your mind and then you die. The first message had also talked of death. It was a game, and she hated games.

“What do you want?” She screamed to the empty room. “Just what the hell is it that you want?”

[Jarms48]

Jason did laps around the room, hands patting against the wall for a hidden switch, a loose slab or weakened piece of concrete. He would have been happy with anything, instead he got nothing. He paused to wonder how long he had been doing it for, he assumed hours but no doubt it had only been several minutes. Jason sighed. Closed his eyes and took in a heavy breath, annoyance flooded across him. He was tired, he had places to be, he had a class the very next day.

"Guys. If you're not going to let me attend the festivities at least let me have my textbooks, that way I can do something productive." He said with a groan, thinking he might as well check his phone, though he assumed there wouldn't be a signal. He dug his hand in his pocket and pulled out his smart phone, he flicked his thumb across the screen, unlocking it with a single movement. He was right, not a single bar, again he sighed. They must have went to some lengths to get him here.

"Fine, fine. I don't care, I really don't, I'm just going to play Angry Birds." He muttered half-heartedly, drooping to the cold floor and started playing his mobile games.


* * * * *

Jason's head perked up, he heard something, a voice, muffled, groggy as if they were waking up. Then again, a personal muse, more direct, controlled. Was it one of his friends? It was definitely a male, that he was certain of. Jason turned off his phone, he still hadn't realized the words had shifted, his game and this new variable had drawn his attention. He pondered calling out, though realization soon struck him, if that wasn't one of his friends then who was it? A passerby? Another captive? The capture?

He kept himself from panicking, his mind pondered every possibility. He looked around, no vents, no grates, no holes, no doors, windows or bars, how was he getting air? He was trapped in a confined space with a limited supply of oxygen. He had to say something, to warn the person who's voice he just heard, capture or captive it did not matter. "Hey, hey buddy. Try to stay calm alright, don't freak out whatever you do, just listen to me, okay? We're trapped in here, like it or not, what I am about to tell you may scare you, but I want you to listen, and just breathe slowly and talk to me. We only have a limited supply of oxygen, look around, there's no ventilation grates. Stay calm and take easy breaths, it'll keep you alive. Trust me, please."

[Mozaic]

The lights shadowed overhead. “What now?” Shaw picked himself up off the ground in a grudging manner. The words were changing on the wall. He placed his hands there hoping something different would happen this time. Nothing. “Faint whispers, distant cries, tell the truth, or will you lie?”

Shaw slammed his fist into the wall. “Enough already!” Small drops of blood fell down the wall. The feeling was nothing more than a sting, but looking at it he was surprised with slight amusement. He was generally more in control of his emotions, and anger was always pointless. Then again he had never been trapped in such an enclosed space with no idea what was going on before. Shaw was used to being one step ahead of everything. His mother had made him this way.

The worst of it all was he was being forced to think, and he hated thinking.

He leaned onto the wall with his head deep in his folded arms. Gray hair whitened in the glow of the lights. Beneath him the words continued to flicker, never ending. After a moment of staring he closed his eyes feeling nauseas. Mum I could really use a few wise words right now or if you could just make these words stop dancing on the wall… that would be nice too.

Shaw pushed himself away and turned his back towards the wall. For the first time since he woke up he began thinking that perhaps he was not the only one here, and even if they couldn’t hear him he might as well try for something. “Can anybody hear me?”

[Ru]

Whatever object their captor used to knock him out got him good as he laid on the floor unconscious for some time. The first set of text was already gone and replaced with a new set before he finally stirred into the waking world, gazing over the letters with hazy eyes. Immediately he jumped upon realizing he heard a female screaming about how his wall was broken. Eyelids shot up into his head as he frantically looked around the room, expecting an earthquake to have demolished part of his house, only to conclude he was no longer in his own house. Heck, he doubted he was even in the same state!

“Buh but… My wall looks fine!” Victor exclaimed, scrambling up to his feet. His gaze jerked about in search for the source of the feminine voice, only to deduce he was only in a room where he was trapped. “I—I… I’m sorry, miss! I um… Where are you? I… I can try to help!” Frantically he felt along the walls in hopes of finding a hole where he may be hearing the voice from or even a compartment to open a hidden door. The desperate search attempt resulted in zilch, other than building up panic and fear in his mind. “What if… I can’t get out of here…? I… Mum…” The boy’s hands trembled, Vick… She’s gone…

Seeking the source of the voice or a plausible way out was tossed to the side temporarily as he finally began reading the words on the wall. “Faint whispers… distant cries… huh?” Vick began mumbling the rest of the riddle to himself until he reached the butt end of it, when he couldn’t withhold his panic any longer. “DON’T FORGET TO HOLD YOUR BREATH?!” came an ear shattering scream escaping his lungs. “I… no… please…” With his back pressed against the wall furthest from the haunting text he slumped down onto the floor as his lower lip quivered.

Then it dawned on him what occurred prior to waking here. Fear washed away from his features, only sorrow remaining as he skidded down towards the floor. A chin was pressed harshly against his chest with his back pressed against the cold concrete previously beneath his feet.
Due to a player dropping GM replies are postponed until next Saturday.

[Mozaic]

On the other side he swore he could hear someone jabbering about. His eyes widened, and he placed his ear immediately at the wall. Whoever was on the other side was having a frantic melt down. The smart thing would be to try to calm them down, but he wasn’t sure they could even hear him. It sounded like he was trying to talk to someone else. Perhaps someone in another conjoining room. Which must have meant these rooms worked something like cells, each room connected with another. “Hello? Hello!”

He listened in closer. What was he going on about? “Oh! The riddle. Wait a minute!” He gasped looking over the words that had yet to settle. “I didn’t get that last bit. Ugh.” He quickly covered his eyes realizing he had been staring too long at the wall. “Don’t forget to hold your breath?” He took a quick observation of the room. There were no windows or doors which meant there was no oxygen getting in unless there was some secret ventilation system, a microscopic one. “I got this one! But I don’t think holding my breaths going to be much good here. Good thing Mum spent all that time with those controlled breathing exercises.”

Shaw pulled out his pentacle from inside his shirt. They may have taken his hat, but they hadn’t gotten to this, although having his hat again would be nice. He closed his eyes holding the pentacle up as he bowed his head. The words spoken were soft, a prayer. His mother had taught him a great many things. This was the most important. Even though he could no longer hear or see her, he knew if he was patient enough she would somehow guide him.

He parted his lids staring down at the ground through the holes of the star. “Hmmm. I forgot. I must have missed our plane by now. Hopefully she went on ahead. A kid shouldn’t be by herself for too long I gather.” He smiled reaching into his pocket. He felt along the edges until his fingers reached the tip of a folded piece of paper. He withdrew it. It was a ticket for England to New Orleans in America. He had left his passport in his suitcase. “She’ll be fine. No sense in me worrying.”

Shaw lowered himself to the ground in a meditative position. He made sure to face the wall so that he could note any sudden change in the light patterns. He made sure to keep his eyes closed too. Staring at the still moving words would be foolish. Now what did it all mean?

[Ru]

For those without the last line letters began to appear where it should be, though in no particular order. Occasionally one of the correct letters remained in place, but the rest continued scrambling sporadically; they never ended on a coherent word. Only those three free received the most important piece to the puzzle, even as the purple haze sifted into the rooms from seemingly nowhere. No ventilation system to be seen; no cracks in the walls or floors; and no other feasible way for anything to get out, yet the gas appeared.

Those who received the last line and were bright enough to cover their mouths were unaffected, as were any other victim who thought to force their airways closed. Death did not meet those who did not cover their mouths in time. In fact, the fumes had no scent and appeared to do nothing to those who inhaled it — at least, not on the surface.

The cloudy, violet smog encased the entirety of each room as the letters on the wall faded into nothing. Soon all that was visible was the color from the gas. After fifteen minutes it began to fade away, revealing a missing wall. Where the letters once were the concrete seemingly disappeared, leaving behind a gaping black hole leading into a slightly larger room.

Stage One Complete.

Victor immediately threw his hands over his mouth shortly Shaw attempted to yell at him, though he heard none of it. His palms pressing hard against his nose and mouth were merely coincidental. As the fog appeared he closed his eyes tightly, curling in on himself in some attempt to pretend nothing was happening. All was well and he was back at home where his mom was preparing dinner while he worked on his extra credit assignments. She was singing silly songs as she mashed the potatoes, keeping the skins mixed in with the demolished bits just the way he liked them. There was no inescapable concrete room; no purple, gaseous smog; and she was still healthy.

Once the smoke lifted Victor stared forward into the black hole which had been revealed. Such a dark looking cave-like structure, but it was the only apparent way out now. Did he have to continue on with this game to proceed? Would he gradually go forward through more rooms until freedom? Or was he trapped in this pointless game forever?
The side effects for the smog will be revealed in next week's GM post.

Each character is now entering a larger room and gaining a companion, except for one room which will only have one victim inside. You will be PMed who is in your room and who you now hear during Stage Two.

[bluemoon]

Sarah continued to stare at the shifting letters on the wall. Her mind was wandering, pulling her back to the night before waking up in this room. Work. She was bartending, answering the call of the drunk and disorderly patrons of the bar. She had paid little attention to their faces then, and now she tried to remember if any of them seemed odd or strangely attentive--if there might have been anyone who seemed shifty enough to have been responsible for putting her here. She was frozen in place, staring ahead, long since given up hope that anyone had heard her earlier. Suddenly she realized someone was talking, and jerking from her memories, she clung to the stranger’s words, although he did not seem to be responding to her outcry.

“…hey buddy… I want you to listen, and just breathe slowly and talk to me. We only have a limited supply of oxygen, look around, there's no ventilation grates. Stay calm and take easy breaths, it'll keep you alive. Trust me, please." The voice relaxed her and she found herself taking slower, more controlled, breaths. Her eyes darted about the room, realizing the speaker was correct, no ventilation meant no fresh air coming in. She had not thought of that, had only been interested in finding a way out. How long did she have? Hours? Days? She didn’t have a clue.

The letters on the wall continued to move and Sarah found her eyes drawn to them again. At first she didn’t notice the purple haze that was creeping up the walls, enveloping the floor. She was concentrating on breathing slow and easy…breathe in …breathe out. The fog was to her waist when she saw it, forcing a sharp gasp to escape her lips. Frantic, she looked for its source, trying to hold her breath while the room became obscured by its heavy presence.

“No.” She whimpered, unable to stop herself from taking in a deep breath. The lettered wall was gone, nothing but the purple color remaining. She held her breath again, struggling with the effort. When she couldn’t hold out any longer, she pulled her thin cotton top up over her mouth, exposing the skin of her abdomen. Her hands quickly cupped her mouth, pressing hard to create as much of a barrier as she could. Finally she squeezed her eyes shut as well, blocking out all color and light.

When Sarah’s eyes opened, the wall was gone, as was the fog. Her hands remained frozen in place. Her room had doubled in size, but she was no longer alone. A man was before her and she assessed him quickly, taking in his gray wavy hair, thin mustache, and nice clothes. The new room was just like hers and she assumed he was a prisoner, just like herself.

Her hands dropped to her sides, and hesitantly, she spoke. “Hey…”

[Ru]

Victor gulped down saliva hard as he managed to scramble himself back up to his feet. Moving on to what went beyond the dark hole was terrifying, but remaining in this room wasn’t beneficial. At least heading forward he could possibly get out of here, or maybe die — either way it was over, right? The scrawny lad headed on, shoving his hands into his pockets while pressing his arms tightly against his torso. His gaze was kept low, neck shrunk back on his shoulders with his bangs scattered every which way in front of his face.

The small hall was oddly pitch black, especially when it led into another room similar to the first, though a bit larger than the former. His eyes were wide, still adjusting from complete darkness to dimly lit. Thus far no text appeared on the wall, though he managed to make out a silhouette in what he was certain was a hallway like the one he just came out of. How many more people were involved in this? Or were they the one who dragged him here…?

“Uh… um… h—hello…?” the boy stammered, stepping into the center of the room. He gazed around in search of text possibly leading him to the next step, but nothing was on these walls. All he could make out were two black exits where him and the stranger had come from. Like the previous room there were no vents, ways to the outside world, windows, or anything of the sort.

All of those who breathed in the smoke begin to feel hot, almost feverish.
If creating a co-post with the person who is also in your room is easier, then please feel free. Though, I would advise doing it through IM rather than PM, namely to save time. However, do it whichever way is easiest and quickest for the both of you!

[Mozaic]

Before he woke up here Shaw recalled being in a park. He had been holding a bag. For some reason he was having trouble recalling what was inside. What he did remember was the fight he had earlier that day with Ruby. The poor thing probably thought her brother abandoned her. She had every reason to believe so especially since he never showed her how he felt.

To be honest though he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about her. Everything had happened very suddenly. When her mother fell ill he was being introduced into her family for the first time. Despite their mothers being sisters his mother chose to raise him alone, and far away. His father barely knew of his existence, but there was no mistaking the relation when he laid eyes upon him.

Shaw was about thirteen when they met. His father gently held his head up as he peered into his eyes. Next thing he knew he was being locked in an embrace. It would be another year until he was to be accepted into the man’s life. Most was of his mother’s doing. Some of her still harbored a bit of resentment over the fact he chose her younger sister all those years before.

But Shaw was the same with Ruby when they first met. So much so he refused to tell her he was her brother even knowing in just a few moments after she would know everything. One thing his father was indefinitely was a family man. He would find some way to mend the two together.

None of this was really important. The three of them were gone now, and he was all Ruby had left. It was only starting to dawn on him how significant that was. The next day they would have been on a plane to New Orleans where they had relatives awaiting their arrival. Had a day passed already though? How long ago did all of this happen? Either way he needed to stop fooling around. She needed him.

Shaw looked over the wall. The last part was beginning to settle, then the wall disappeared. However, not before the room began to fill some sort of gas. “Damn it, you idiot.” He knew it was too late so he used one of his scarfs to cover his mouth and nose. He stood up feeling out in front of him allowing himself to pass into the next room.

“Hey,” a woman spoke. He let down the scarf from over his face, and greeted her with a smile. “Hello. Ordinarily I tip my hat, but I….“ He scratched his head. “…I sort of misplaced it. I’m Shaw Rockwell by the way.”

He became short of breath. His body felt very warm. “The gas. I think I might have…..” Pushing his hair back over his head Shaw dropped down to his knees feeling it impossible to find anything to lean back on.

[Ru]

Those who inhaled the fumes continued to have a gradually increasing degree fever. Once the heat reaches a high degree the victim begins to feel lightheaded. As time wears on they begin to swear they hear curious, eerie sounds (https://soundcloud.com/dearsweetaru/monsta1). Aside from their new roommate, their room appears to be entirely empty — excluding Kim, whose room is entirely empty. The noises steadily grow louder and louder, until the listener could swore the source was directly beside them. At its pique the sound begins to subside, seeming to creep slowly behind them. Then there was silence.
This is solely a GM post and does not give any players permission to shorten their post's length. Next Saturday will have a GM reply and more to do with Victor, unless more occurs during the week involving the boy, in which I will reply with only Victor.

[Jarms48]

Jason made another lap around his desolate room, his eyes navigating across the darkness, he rolled his tongue, thinking, pondering. He hadn't noticed the gas, it was insensible, he felt light headed, a sudden fatigue falling upon him. He was dizzy, what he could see - thanks to the little ambient light emitted from his phone, was a haze. He sat against the wall, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, his mind focusing on saving every bit of oxygen.

"Hey buddy, you still there?" He asked, his voice rather soft giving the circumstance. A yawn interrupting his thoughts, "I might be a little quiet for a bit, my eyes feel rather heavy, I think I might need to have a nap." Another yawn escaped his lips, Jason looked to the phone in his hand, he pressed his index finger on the screen bringing up the menu. He turned it off, he thought it best to save his battery power. Jason closed his eyes just as the gas became visible, he didn't see it, already drifting into unconsciousness.

[Alexiel]

Leif was exercising when the purple haze first started to fill the room. As soon as he saw it he thought it could not possibly be good and he covered his face with his shirt to breathe through for the time being. He was working out too hard doing some stretches and kicks off the wall that his breathing was fast and heavy. Holding the shirt up to his face only made the breathing more difficult. But he didn't want to inhale whatever that haze was, he even tried to relax himself by keeping his eyes closed for the time being.

After what felt like forever of seeing images of his home, his friends, even his family, He decided to open his eyes and stop living in this dream like state that was in his head. When he opened his eyes the haze had gone away , and there was a hole in the wall that originally had the words scrawled across it. He walked up to the hole and inspected it cautiously. Was it a trap? He couldn't tell entirely. He could make out another room on the other end of the hole. He decided to climb through and see why this happened. as the one source of light now had a hole blown through it there was not really a reason to stay in the old room especially since it emanated some strange fog.

Miranda watched the purple fog come from seemingly no where. It engulfed the space around her. She covered her mouth and nose with her sweatshirt sleeve. She knew nothing from the fog would be good; especially with it being purple. After what seemed like forever, Miranda watched the fog disappear and watched as it retreated back. Her body relaxed, and she uncovered her mouth quietly.

As she stood and looked around the room, she noticed that the room had doubled in size. The wall with the ghostly lettering had seemingly disappeared, leaving a new room in its place. Miranda stiffened when she heard foot falls, heavy with hard breaths. Almost like the men in her gym, after an hour workout. She ducked into a corner stiffly, biting her lip. "Hello?" She asked shakily, nervous.

Hello?
Leif heard the wavering voice call out and he jumped slightly, taken by surprise. He continued walking forward as his breathing relaxed and he replayed her greeting in his head. That voice sounded familiar.
"Oh uh.. Hello there." His eyes were starting to adjust to the lack of light, but only barely. He was able to make out her shape as he walked into the large room, slowing down his steps and stopping. He Realized why she sounded familiar and hesitated taking a step back.
"I think... Are you the one that put me here? I heard your voice earlier... Before the fog, When I first woke." He paused as if he was thinking back on it as if it were a distant memory. He realized it was not really that long ago and blushed in embarrassment, though he knew he probably could not be seen either. He unwound his undershirt and put it back on quickly in case the light source returned soon, not wanting to share his body that much with a stranger who very well could of been the one that shoved him in here.

Melanie...couldn't believe his build. Even if it was only a shadow that was visible, it looked strong. She nearly burst out laughing when he asked if she put him in here. "Do I look capable of dragging you around?" She asked, holding her arms out to prove her point. Her skinny frame looked almost fragile. She laughed lightly. "Did you put me in here?" She asked, crossing her arms.

He thought for a moment, Was he drugged and did he drag a girl in here in a stupor? But why would he trap himself in a room as well, that would be a silly thing to do. Leif scratched at his temple lightly as he felt even more embarrassed. "I would remember doing something like that I think... Plus I would not be lame enough to get myself put in this... er.. place too." He took a moment to check out the room, it felt as if it fit to the same standards of the other one.

"We should not speak too much....if this room is anything like the previous one I was in ... there didn't seem to be any means of air flow...I was being careless before and exercising because I didn't care much what would happen, I was just too bored... but now that we are here together.. well I'd rather try to keep you alive, and if we both got dragged in here, there must certainly be others." He paused frequently trying not to take too many breaths in. Trying to control his breathing to only be an exhale during his speech. He took his shoes off and set them down, and started to feel around the room to confirm if there were no grates for ventilation. He suddenly was hyper-aware of the surroundings and situation now that he had another life in his hands.

[bluemoon]

Sarah looked silently at the man as he spoke. The single word, “Hey...”, that she had uttered had been more a statement of surprise than a greeting, but she couldn‘t blame the man for his confusion. As he introduced himself, she studied the room behind him. Much to her dismay, there didn’t appear to be any exit--the walls in his room were as stark as hers. Although he seemed an odd sort, she felt there should still be some sort of relief in her at having found another person, but as her stomach clenched, all she could feel was dread.

Sarah wondered where this new development would lead. Nothing was occurring by chance, and whoever, or whatever, was behind this setup, malevolence seemed to be at their core. Too many nights spent in front of the television watching horror movies had tainted her assessment of the situation. Would she and Shaw be pitted against each other for survival? Would only one of them be allowed to leave the room? Maybe they would form a friendship, only to be torn away from each other when they finally felt safe. No matter where it led, there didn’t seem to be a happy ending.

Sarah’s musings stopped when she heard a distant voice…the voice of the man she had heard a few times now. It was difficult to hear him…he sounded farther away…or perhaps he was speaking softly. “The gas!” She thought suddenly. She had forgotten about it…and the fact that she was not experiencing any effects…no nausea, dizziness, or fainting. She must have covered her nose and mouth just in time. Maybe the others were not as lucky. She had barely formed that thought when Shaw collapsed to his knees. She rushed to his side, forgetting her apprehension as she reached down and gripped his shoulders to provide support.

“Hey…are your okay?” She dropped to her knees beside him, immediately feeling the heat coming off his body. The thin cotton of her pajamas provided no insulation between them and as his fever rose, she felt a warmth spread across her skin. She scanned the room quickly, not expecting to find anything of use, but unable to stop herself. “Can you help me? Let’s get you against the wall.” She moved behind him, slipping her hands under his arms and lifting slightly, intending to drag him across the room if necessary.

[Mozaic]

In a heavy breath he spoke something to the degree of an agreement. With her help he moved to the closest wall. He leaned his head back feeling the heat intensify, and his head become lighter. From the depths of the room he swore he heard the sound of something unnatural. “Do you hear that?” The sound was gurgled like someone was blowing their nose, and having a horrible time breathing. But he wondered more of it. It was sludgy, and gruesome sounding. Too strange to be human, but what else? Or was it all in his head? “Please tell me I’m not the only one hearing that?”

Shaw tried pushing himself up. He made it fewer than inch before falling back down. He groaned out of aggravation though the effect of whatever sickness he had was taking a great hold of him. It was just getting trapped in an inescapable room with the added bonus of getting sick was not his idea of a good day.

Sarah was uncertain as to how she should respond. Shaw was obviously sick, and he was getting worse. What if he was hearing voices in his head. It would go along with her original suspicions that someone might be trying to pit them against each other. She took a step closer to the wall, straining to hear anything unusual.

“I’m sorry, I don’t hear anything. “ She responded. “Is it a voice?”

“No,” Shaw said. “I heard one at one point. I don’t think they could hear me though.” He folded back his hair over his head taking in slow breaths. It didn’t really seem to be worth explaining. She already said she couldn’t hear it, and just because he described it didn’t mean she was going to. Clearly it was no more than his imagination, a work of hysteria caused by the sudden illness. Still something needed to be said. “No…. It was more…. I….” He was running out of words to say so to put it simply he said, “It’s a monstrous, horrible noise.”

Sarah felt a chill at his words. Hopefully the sounds he heard were nothing more than a fever-induced phantom. Anything more and she wasn't sure they would survive the night...or was it day? She had lost all sense of time and was surprised to also note the lack of hunger or thirst.

She knelt beside him and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. There's nothing here. We are safe." She sat on the floor by his side, wishing she could believe her own words. "We should rest, maybe catch a few hours of sleep." She slipped her hand off his shoulder and folded it into her lap. With her legs stretched out before her, she leaned her head back against the solid wall and stared up at the ceiling. There was little to do but wait--but for what, she could not imagine.

Sleeping sounded almost wonderful right now. Was it a good idea? They were in a cloud of darkness with little to go off of what could happen next. Her words were comforting, but he was afraid. There was nothing there. She was right. Surely the room wasn’t big enough to be hiding much. She had to be right. Which meant it was in his head. This little bit scared him. How long before this place drove him completely mad?

He struggled out of his jacket, and threw it over her. “I’m not sure if you’re cold, but you could probably use it better than me.” He unraveled his scarves setting them to the side, and leaned his head up against the wall. “You sleep. I’ll rest my eyes.” As he spoke he stared into the darkness searching out the room. Something was going to happen. Something had to happen. Things couldn’t be still forever. Someone had brought them here for a reason, and all they could do was wait. Waiting was usually something he was good at, not so much when it came to his life, or a possible chance of death.

Shaw closed his eyes letting out a sigh. He already couldn’t tell what would be easier, going to sleep or staying awake. His eyes were heavy, but the sound of the creature left him uneasy.

[Ru]

For those who inhaled a mass amount of the fumes the symptoms got worse rapidly while the others felt them at a much slower rate. The noises growing louder, becoming more and more gruesome and vicious, almost as though a rabid beast was slobbering as it gnawed on the leftover carcass of its kill. As though it finish chewing on the marrow, the creature lets out a deep, low growl and the room begins to change. At least, for those effected by the gas it does.

The room flickers, though there is still no apparent light source in the room. With each brief second of darkness the partner in their room gets new, odd features added to their appearance. Yellow eyes, scaled skin, horns, the works. Until they become so grotesque it is impossible to believe they even looked human once. Fear wells up inside those effected by the lavender gas from earlier to a phobic point where even death seems like a better option than remaining in the same room as this hideous beast whom was once just as human as they were.

Your hands appear normal as do your feet and any other part of your body you can see without a mirror. The lights continue to slowly flash on and off, then abruptly stop, leaving the only lit thing in the room the gold eyes of the person in the room.


Heat rose up in his face, though at a significantly slower pace than this stranger in the room. Victor took a few steps back until his spine hit a wall, then he scooted to the nearest corner and slinked down to the ground. His body shook a bit, trembling out of a fear he didn’t understand. The stranger before him grew horns, but nothing else. It was nowhere near as gory as what he had seen in his life outside of these concrete walls, however he continued to feel as though his life was threatened. Stuck in these encased walls he knew there was no way out. “Nap… o—okay…” in his thoughts he prayed sleeping was all this strange man would do.

[bluemoon]

It was like waking up from a really bad nightmare into another one. Everything in his head was at first blank while his body remained in shock. The gruesome noise coming from the flickering darkness had grown louder, and more terrifying. Shaw could feel himself quivering all over, his breath sinking deeper into his chest, and his heart began racing at an incredible pace.

He clawed his way up the wall trying to keep a distance from whatever it was lurking. “Show yourself! I’ve had enough!”

In that moment he glanced over at his roommate. In all the mess of everything that had happened he had yet to learn her name. But at this point it didn’t matter. Whatever this thing was lying here was not who he had originally come into contact with. “Demon!” At the very moment the room went dark, and those glowing yellowing orbs lighted the room he let out a frightful scream.

Sarah, startled from sleep by Shaw's outcry, had lifted her head from the pillow fashioned from his coat and looked at him. In the dim light she could see he was terrified, and much to her surprise, his gaze was directed at her. She lifted a hand towards him, hoping to pacify his fear.

"Shaw...it's all right. There is nothing here." As if to reassure herself, she glanced about the room, checking the corners and walls. Nothing moved. The simple movement made her head buzz and she felt warm, almost feverish herself, and wondered if she might be catching something from him. Using the wall to push against, she stood, deciding not to bridge the gap between them.

"You need to calm down. There is no such thing as demons." She met his gaze, trying to gauge his reaction.

“No!” he shouted clutching his head and backing away from her. “Stay away!” Her outstretched hand looked like nothing more than a claw reaching out towards him. He could barely stay focused on her words while they were covered by such horrible snarls.

The creature rose up, and he fell backwards into the corner trying to get away. His vision shook inside hers, but his focus wouldn’t drift. He was catching more onto her voice. “You… are you her? Is the woman I met still here?”

Sarah's mouth dropped open as she realized what Shaw was implying. She shook her head from side to side, taking a step back to give the young man more space. "It's me, Sarah, I'm right here." She said softly. "Whatever you are seeing, it's not real. Please, you have to try to see past whatever they are putting inside your head."

She wiped sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. It was getting hotter in the room and a barely audible hissing noise was coming from within the walls. "It's not real." She repeated, talking both to herself and him.

“I can’t….” he said. “I’m too afraid.” He clutched his head curling himself up into a tight position against the walls. “Too afraid,” he repeated in a lower tone, “too afraid…. It won’t go away…..”

What’s happening to me?! “Sarah? Please.” It took all of him to hold onto that one name, that one sliver of reality. Sarah…. The voice he was hearing had to be hers… or was it a lie? Was the creature trying to fool him? Maybe the woman had never existed to begin with. Maybe she had been no more than an illusion to bait him into trusting it. Oh! What a fool he was! No wonder she hadn’t heard the noise. She was pretending! “GAAAHHHH!!! STOP!!!!”

Shaw closed his eyes wishing for an end to this madness as tears streamed down his face. He took in a deep breath trying to gain some control over his emotions. His body only seemed to be slowing out of sheer exhaustion. “Not real. Not real. Not real…” he repeated to himself over and over again.