{M} The Rift • IC

[Craze]

Rated M for Mature
Contains intense violence, excessive language, gore, suggestive themes, disturbing scenes

https://i.imgur.com/Yghdsb6.png



in that restless abyss,

where our eyes once met

I'll wait and I'll call for you

'till you're dead.




Unknown Location
October 31, 1983
8:31 PM

Who you gonna call?

"Ghostbusters!" the children yelled into the night, enthusiastically pedaling on their bikes as they continued singing the theme to Ghostbusters. One was dressed as a ghost, the sheet covering his body not white but painted in a glow-in-the-dark green, a set of eerily yellow teeth glued onto the place where the mouth would be.

The second went of course dressed in the classic Ghostbusters attire, an adequately detailed backpack on his back, complete with ghost trap and the works.

The final child had on a large Doughboy costume, but he'd taken off the mask after multiple complaints that it was too hot.

"Whoa! Hey!" said the kid in the Ghostbusters costume, his bike skidding to a halt. The others did the same. Before they could ask what was wrong, their eyes traced the kid's gaze to the other side of the road.

There stood an enormous mansion, the style somewhere between Gothic and modern. It was almost castle-like, surrounded by trees and foliage.

"Holy cow!" exclaimed the ghost and the doughboy, laughing in disbelief.

"You know what, I bet that's where that rich kid lives," Doughboy continued, stuffing his mouth with yet another nougat bar.

The Ghostbuster nodded. "Looks rich alright."

"I bet they got some sweet candy! I mean, look, they decorated the house and everything!" added the ghost, his squeaky voice muffled by the green sheet.

The house was indeed richly decorated - enormous artificial cobwebs decorated the front entrance, and all through the front yard was a ghastly fog. The path leading up to the front door was lined with pumpkins, each one bearing a face carved with eloquent detail.

The Ghostbuster shrugged. "It's worth a try."

"Everybody's giving out apples and oranges anyway," complained Doughboy. "This looks like the kinda house that gives real candy!"

With enthusiastic laughter, the children ditched their bicycles and ran for the front door. Fighting for the doorbell, the Ghostbuster finally triumphed and landed his finger on the large round button.

A terrifying shriek resounded within the house.

The children's mouths fell agape. They looked at each other, flabbergasted.

"Awesome!" they cheered, already ecstatic over the heaps of candy they'd soon receive.

The door opened with a loud creak. A friendly lady with curly hair and rosy cheeks poked her head out of the entrance. Her face lit up instantly with a smile from ear to ear. "Oh, finally!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I've been waiting all evening, but we never get trick-or-treaters! Oh, and look at your precious little costumes!"

The boys just expressed sheepish laughter, their candy bags at the ready.

"Oh, do come in!" the lady said, gesturing. "I put the candy away, so I'll just go and get it from the kitchen. Do you boys want lemonade?"

The children now glanced at each other, taking a hesitant step back. The Ghostbuster turned to face the lady, smiling politely. "We're really not supposed to-"

"I've got root beer as well!"

Within seconds the children had made their way into the house, the lady vanishing down the hallway and into the kitchen. She had told them she'd be back soon enough, and that they could just wait in the hallway.

"Holy shit, this place is even bigger on the inside!" said Doughboy, his voice echoing through the hall.

The halls were as tall as they were long, a large set of stairs leading up to a balcony overlooking the entrance hall. Long, Gothic windows decorated the corridors.

The green ghost uneasily held onto his bag, feet shuffling. "Guys, my mom told me I really shouldn't-"

With a loud slam, the front door was sealed shut, the lights within the mansion flickering.



"Skylar,

You find yourself in a perfectly squared room, completely void of furniture or other people. You are lying on concrete, and you can see a cockroach slip by as you open your eyes. The ground is as equally dull and grey as the four walls around you. Above your head you can see an electric lantern emitting artificial white light. It swings back and forth unchangingly, stretching and darkening your shadow every time it swings back towards the middle. There is a grey, wooden door on the wall in front of you.

To your right is a small hole the size of a fingertip, just big enough to look through with one eye. A small bug escapes from the hole, rapidly crawling into a crack in the floor. Behind the door, you can faintly hear a muffled voice and radio static."

"Zachary,

You find yourself in a perfectly squared room, completely void of furniture or other people. You are lying on concrete, and you can see a cockroach slip by as you open your eyes. The ground is as equally dull and grey as the four walls around you. Above your head you can see an electric lantern emitting artificial white light. It swings back and forth unchangingly, stretching and darkening your shadow every time it swings back towards the middle. There is a grey, wooden door on the wall in front of you.

In the corner to your left, behind you, sits a black and worn top hat. A mouse stares at you from behind the hat with small, red eyes."

"Honey,

You find yourself in a perfectly squared room, completely void of furniture or other people. You are lying on concrete, and you can see a cockroach slip by as you open your eyes. The ground is as equally dull and grey as the four walls around you. Above your head you can see an electric lantern emitting artificial white light. It swings back and forth unchangingly, stretching and darkening your shadow every time it swings back towards the middle. There is a grey, wooden door on the wall in front of you.

To your left is an enormous painting, more than half your own size. In contrast to the room, this painting is in exquisite shape. A woman is portrayed on the painting. She is sitting on a white bench, behind her is an equally white gazebo and a willow tree. She is wearing a grey dress from the Victorian Era with green accents. She holds a grey umbrella in her hand. Her hair is brown and tied into a tidy and strict knot. Her face is inhumanly pale, and her brown eyes keep staring at you, lifeless and emotionless."

"Derill,

You find yourself in a perfectly squared room, completely void of furniture or other people. You are lying on concrete, and you can see a cockroach slip by as you open your eyes. The ground is as equally dull and grey as the four walls around you. Above your head you can see an electric lantern emitting artificial white light. It swings back and forth unchangingly, stretching and darkening your shadow every time it swings back towards the middle. There is a grey, wooden door on the wall in front of you.

However, to your right, you can see a window - to your surprise, as you were almost certain there wasn't one when you first looked around the room. The window is white and still intact, without any cracks or dents. The window's glass is completely transparent, as if someone just washed it. You can try opening the window, but it is sealed tight. Behind the window you can see it is daytime, with the sun brightly shining in the blue sky. You can see a willow tree and a white gazebo. In front of both is a white bench. The green grass around the bench calmly rustles in the wind."

[Minkasha]

I stare up ahead at the light swinging. It makes me uncomfortable that I am laying down and don’t remember falling. Was I hit by a car? I wasn’t drinking so I didn’t bl- I stop my thoughts as finally I get a better look of the room. Instantly I feel anger, was someone setting up some weird prank? Was someone fucking with me? I knew I had those who disliked me, hated me when I proved myself the better man. Someone was trying to get back.

I stood up, and when I am in my feet I don’t hesitate to open the door with anger showing on my face.

“Ha!” I’ll yet sarcastically to those I suspect are at the other side of the door listening to the radio.

[iandraws]

I open my eyes, blinded by a constantly shifting artificial light. A tiny blur scuttles past me. Out of instinct I flinch away from the cockroach. It scuttles out of sight and I shudder. I sit up and take in my surroundings. I suddenly realize I have no idea how I got there.

A huge wave of unease washes over me. Horror games are a forte of mine and this felt like it came straight out of one. I stand up and slowly walk towards the door in front of me. I gingerly place a hand on the gray wood. It doesn't immediately kill me. That's a nice start. But I had no intentions of opening it just yet. I turn to stop that stupid light from swinging when I catch a glimpse of a window out of the corner of my eye. I stumble back, facing the window and not taking my eyes off of it.

"Oh, fuck that." I spit.

That window had NOT been there a second ago; that shit appeared out of nowhere. My eyes glance around the room. Seconds ago, the only light source was the hanging light above. Now the room was filled with natural light. Day light of all things. So the window was actually there but how was the actual question. One which I didn't care to answer.

After the window didn't try to kill me somehow, I looked away from it and back to the door. Seeing as there was no way in hell I was going anywhere near that window, the door was my only option. I slowly walked towards it, gathering my nerve and as many wits as I could find.

"I swear to fucking God if this turns into some Silent Hill shit..." I mutter. I grab the handle and push open the door.

[Dnafein]

Sitting up I frown at my unfamiliar surroundings. Closing my eyes I count to a slow 10 before openinjng them again. My frown deepens and I pinch myself. "Not dreaming." I mutter.

Getting to my feet I take inventory of my belongings. Taking a long look at what, if anything, I'm wearing and pawing through everything that was in the pockets. Satisfied with my inventory being sorted , I stand up and eye the hat and mouse. Curious, I take a tentative step towards them; Watching for a reaction.

[BumblingBee]

I groan heavily, and admittedly, it's a pretty ugly sound.

"Ugh... what the fuck.."

As if on automatic pilot, my hand reaches for my head to rub worriedly at my temples. Why is my vision so blurry... wait a minute.

Nervously, I sit up instantly, but the movement's too fast for my mind to keep up with. I can't help but groan again, doubling up and resting my head in my hands. Jesus, this must have been one hell of a bad trip. I can't even remember passing out or anything.

I can't remember passing out.

I lift my head in a startled gasp. I bet I look like a rabbit caught in the headlights or something. Jesus Christ where the fuck am I though. Is this some sort of sick joke? No, no that can't be it. I don't have any friends, so who is there to play pranks on me. And even if I did have pals, this would be way too pricey a thing to pull off.

At least I hope it would be.

Cautiously, I slowly rise to my feet. I'm keeping my arms outstretched for balance, as I don't really fancy falling flat on my arse onto concrete. Mind you, it's not like there's anything to hold on to even. Except, a painting?

Wait, that's it.

That's the only thing here.

"... Fuck this shit."

It doesn't take me long to conjure a plan of action here.

Honey Clove Moore is not going to stay in some freaky as shit ghost box room thing to just wait for some existential nightmare creature whatsit to gobble her up or something.

I take a bold step forwards, and try to grab a hold of the picture frame. Now, I like to thing I'm a taller gal, but I admit, it takes some stretching for me to take a proper hold of the thing. I just abouts manage it however, and I try to pull the ornate bugger straight off the wall.

[Craze]

"Skylar,

If it was a live audience you were looking for, you wouldn't find it here.

As you threw open the door, you are welcomed with the sight of what appears to be a suburban living room, very modern in style and actually in quite good shape, much to the contrast of the room you woke up in.

In the center of the room is a small coffee table, upon which sits a set of lit candles as well as a plate with all sorts of chocolate. Above the table hangs a regular ceiling lamp with a faint yellow bulb.

On both sides of the table are couches, both grey and dull.

Upon said couches are your audience.

Dark hollows stare at you, the life that was once within them long gone. On the couches sit a family of skeletons, dressed in perfectly normal clothing. It's as if someone posed them here, all dressed up and everything, and turned all their heads to face you. One of the smaller skeletons, probably that of a child, is even holding up a chocolate in its right hand.

The skeletons are exactly that, however - skeletons. They're dead as doornails.

Their source of entertainment seems even more curious. In the far end of the living room, on top of a cabinet, sits a vintage radio. It emits constant static.

There is another door on your left, and a door across from you."


"Derill,

A fresh autumn wind blows in your face as you push open the door.

Once your eyes adjust, you can see that you are standing right in the middle of a brown forest, the ground richly decorated with leaves of orange and red. An ensemble of tall trees surrounds you, reaching up in the sky almost endlessly.

If you squint, you might be able to make up what appears to be a cabin in the distance.


"Zachary,

The mouse squeaks as you come closer, then scurries off towards you. It dashes between your feet, and disappears into a crack in the wall. You can hear its scratches receding through the walls.

The top hat just sits there, as lifeless as it was before. As lifeless as you'd expect it to be.


"Honey,

You have acquired: Painting.

This object is heavy. It requires two hands to carry it.

As you pull the painting from the wall, your eyes are met with a sight that is as morbid as it is surreal.

Behind the painting, the wall is broken, but beyond a dent or a crack. The wall is completely broken down, forming a fractured hole the size of your torso.

But something is covering up the hole - something alive, something that breathes.

A fleshy substance is stretched over the hole, a red light radiating behind it as it pulses and throbs.
It emits a strange growling, much like your stomach when it's empty. Slime and blood drips from the edges, trickling down onto the floor.

It's as if the concrete skin of the room has been stripped away, to reveal the horrid mess underneath.

[Minkasha]

My jaw drops and I feel my lips tugging to make a skeptical expression, but I’m also too dumbfounded to actually do it so I stare on like a twitching idiot. I’m angry, but now there’s these skeleton automatons that seem like right out of Disney World. This is so…stupid.

Walking forward I stare between the two doors and the automatons. I feel like I’m going to prank back whoever got me, so a little idea enters my mind that makes my blood rush with victory. Running up to one of the bigger automatons I work hard to rip off one of its arms, I noticed the wiring had to be really well embedded into the bodies of the automatons because even as I get closer I still don’t see the cords.

“These things must be expensive” I say out loud to myself just before I proceed with the action.

[iandraws]

The door opens and even more light blinds me. I blink my eyes several times till my vision clears. Walking forward, the crunch of dead leaves reaches my ears. I'm in the middle of a forest. Densely packed trees with leaves the color of fall reach up to the sky on either side of me. I turn around. I don't think my eyebrow could raise any higher. The room I was just in stood behind me. It wasn't part of a bigger building or anything, just a four by four block of concrete with a door.

"What the actual fuck?" I ask myself, walking around the excuse for a building.

It was just there. Nothing attached to it, no pipes or wires, just a block of concrete in the middle of a forest. Was it some sort of shed or something? I shrug my shoulders and take a second look around. In the far distance I spot something that definitely wasn't a tree. A cabin maybe? It's too far away to tell.

Again, I didn't have much of an option so I began to walk towards the cabin. Maybe I would get some answers there. The thought also occurred to me that there could be some serial killer, monster, or horrible thing lurking there as well. But this wasn't a video game and I wasn't limited by any programs or interfaces. As I walked towards the cabin, I look around on the ground beneath me for any sort of weapon. A big stick. A gardening tool. A gun if I'm really lucky. A gun would be nice. A sword maybe? I don't care what it might be. If I can find something, I am going to pick it up.

[Craze]

"Skylar,

You have acquired: ...skeleton arm?

After a few tugs, the arm parts ways with the shoulder and you fall on your back to the floor. Your action seems to have done more than just rip off the arm of your bony friend, as its skull comes loose from its shoulders and rolls into your lap.

The radio's static seems to increase..."

"Derill,

Your eyes can't help but notice something sticking out of the leaves. It appears to be a somewhat rusty rake, missing a few of its teeth but still capable of getting the job done."

[iandraws]

I almost miss the brown handle of a rake. I bend over and pick it up, turning it over in my hands. There are a few teeth missing, but not too many. I give it a few experimental swings, the metal whistling through the air around me. Not the most effective weapon in the world, but beggars can't be choosers.

With the rake in hand, I set my sights on the cabin and continue on my way.

[Minkasha]

“AHHHHHHHH!” I scream, ripping off the arm from the socket and not seeing a single wire come from the joint. I just realized what I have in my arm isn’t actually fake. My ass landed on the ground, I’m pinned next to the table and as things go bad to worse, a skull lands right on my man cave. “Ah! Oh! Ah!” Fearful, freaked out gibberish sounds sputter out from my mouth and I squirm away from the undead living room scene to get back on my feet and try to kick the skull away from me. “Jesus!” My low voice squeaks and I grit my teeth.

‘Breathe, breathe, breathe’ I keep telling myself to keep my mind sane. I’m staring at the scene and the skeletons with new, disturbed, eyes. I don’t want to touch them, but I am now realizing that they aren’t fake either. Through my visual senses being freaked out I hadn’t even heard the radio. Now its scratchy noise bothers me. I’m starting to get scared. I hate this with everything in me. I’ve never been in a situation like this before. Fear almost gridlocks me and that heavy stillness in my body makes me resentful to whoever brought me into this warped joke.

Bolting, I run to the door on the left to try and open it and flee. At this point the fact I’m carrying a skeleton’s arm is the least of my concerns. Bone is disgustingly smooth.

[Dnafein]

As the mouse takes off I freeze, watching the rodent flee. I wait a moment or two before finishing my approach. My hand closes on the top of the hat, before I quickly lift it tom the ground before jumping backwards. I watch the spot the hat was in before peeking inside the hat itself.

[Craze]

"Derill,

You have acquired: Rake

As you approach the cabin, you seem to get a better notion of how big exactly this forest is. It seems to stretch on forever, without a single dent or bump in the landscape. Rows and rows of trees, leaves and dirt.

Once you are closer to the cabin, you can see that it has a door and two windows - at least, from this angle. The windows appear to be shut from inside, but the door is opened slightly. You can faintly hear music..."

"Skylar,

The door opens and reveals another room. It shows more of the suburban household, this time what appears to be some sort of entrance hall. There is a large front door to your right, accompanied by two large windows that show a dark night sky, rain ticking away on the glass.

On the wall to the left of the door are a series of coat hangers attached to a railing. Most of them are empty, save for a leather jacket.

Directly ahead of you, you can see a set of stairs leading up and a set of stairs leading down."

"Zachary,

You have acquired: Top Hat

The spot where the hat had been appears to be empty, but as you pick up the hat, you feel a strange chill. The space around you seems to emit a deep rumbling... then, as soon as you notice it, it's gone again."

[iandraws]

I continue my trek through the woods with the rake in hand. Something about this place just doesn't feel... natural... It was all too flat. There aren't any hills or slopes or anything to walk over. Just flat dirt and trees as far as I could see. That and the cabin. I had gotten to the front of it. The two windows looked locked from the inside but the door was at least open. There wasn't a porch, just a dirt path that led to the front door. I follow it and I can faintly make out music coming from inside. I'm normally a fan of music but this time all it did was make my heart beat faster. It felt like it was hurling blood through my veins as I reached out to grab the door and walk inside.

[Minkasha]

I closed the door behind me and lean against it. I feel my back press hard against the surface. My mind burns, what thoughts should be running through my mind? What do I do? My eyes look straight ahead at what lies next. I feel my brows furrow. Fine, just keep going Skylar. Pulling from the door I try to quiet my heartbeats in my ears with louder breathing.

There was no doubt I was going to walk to the window. It is the first thing here that makes sense. I am glad there is an outside to look at. I need it. Snatching the jacket, I look outside the window as I go to put on the coat and afterward, if I have the coat on, I step outside into the rain.

[Dnafein]

As the rumbling stops I wait a moment then shake my head. Closing my eyes I take a deep breath followed by another. This place had to be messing with my head, I think to myself. Spinning the hat between my hands I laugh softly. "Always wanted one of these." I mutter before storing the hat in the most appropriate place, atop my head.

Turning my attention to the door I approach it slowly and open it far enough for me to peek out of, hoping to see something vaguely familiar.

[Craze]

"Derill,

As you enter the cabin in the woods, you can clearly distinguish the song that is playing.

'There's something happening here...' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIoKr9VDg3A)

The scent of homemade tomato soup penetrates your nostrils. In contrast to the forest, the cabin feels warm and cozy.

The inside of the cabin isn't much, and it's typically what you'd expect from a hunting lodge. There's a bed in the left corner, just next to the fireplace. Smoke trails from the smoldering logs, indicating that the fire has been disturbed only recently. On the wooden floor is an enormous bear skin rug, complete with head and paws.

On the other side of the fireplace sits a large green armchair. An untouched glass of whiskey rests on a small coffee table next to it. On said coffee table is also a gramophone player, emitting the song you're hearing.

Should you look to your right, you'll see an array of animal heads mounted to the wall. From larger creatures such as the elk, to smaller ones like rabbits and foxes.
A hunting rifle hangs among them, centered like the showpiece of the collection. Whether it's actually loaded or not, you can't tell from here.

To your direct left is the source of the tomato soup scent; a large, black stove. On top of it sits an enormous red pan, which likely contains the substance you're detecting."

"Skylar,

You have acquired: Leather jacket

You don't hesitate a moment and take your chance to get out of the house as soon as you can.

As you open the door, raindrops fall onto you and a brisk night air welcomes you. It's cold outside, and you must be thankful for that leather jacket by now.
Not only is it raining - in the distance, you can hear thunder rumbling, and after a few seconds, a lightning strike lights up the sky.

You find yourself on the front porch of the house you were in. It's very simple and suburban - a white deck with wooden fence, two chairs on the porch. In front of it is a neatly kept garden, with a perfectly trimmed hedge in front of it. A large tree stands at the edge of the garden.

Further ahead is a long street, illuminated by street lanterns that appear to be flickering occasionally.
Their light isn't particularly bright, and only casts long cones of light onto the concrete road. The rest of the street goes hidden in darkness, but you can make out the faint silhouettes of other houses.

Ahead of you lies the suburban street. To your right you can see a large forest in the distance. To your left is another row of houses, which appear to lead towards some sort of factory.

You can also turn back into the suburban house."

"Zachary,

Truth be told, you're looking quite dapper.

The door complains loudly as you open it, its hinges rusty and worn out. Peeking through the gap, you see a long, grey corridor with several fluorescent tube lights attached to the ceiling. One of them is annoyingly flickering on and off.

At the very end of the corridor, there is a wall, and on said wall is a small, rectangular sign that glows green. Large white letters read out 'EXIT' with an arrow pointing to the right.

For a second, you feel uneasy. As if you were in a ship's hold. But the feeling passes quickly.

You can faintly hear the sounds of machinery, but there is something else as well... a low rumbling."

[Minkasha]

“Huh” I feel the air escape my lips. I stare around in each direction. The outside was more accessible and liberating than I imagined. Somehow, I feel better simply from getting on this porch. What I see vaguely through the darkness looks so generic I can’t tell where I am. I drop the skeletal arm, finding how crazy I was from even taking it with me this far. I really need to find the police and report this.

Still whoever did this hasn’t been brave enough to show himself, and it angers me I can’t get him back immediately. But he was stupid to leave me in that room like that. I wasn’t going to be so weak to stand in fear in that room just because. Time to get going, hurry. I keep the leather jacket close to my body, this is all strange and I’m happy it’s over.

Of course because of the weather I see no one walking about. The thunder is a focusing sound that helps me get going. I run off the porch and straight to the street. If I wasn’t going to find anyone in public then I was going to get to the next closest house I can get to and knock on their door.

[Dnafein]

I watch the corridor for a few moments. Trying to pin down the source of the brief uneasy feeling; Be it a moving shadow or the design painted along the walls. Slipping through the door I pull it closed behind me and start down the corridor, my head tilted to listen to the machinery and while trying to locate the source of the rumbling.

[iandraws]

Looking inside the cabin, everything looks normal. The smell of soup drifts past my nostrils as I can hear the music more clearly.

'what it is ain't exactly clear...'

Never had I related more to a Buffalo Springfield song. I had no idea what was going on but it was definitely not normal. Nothing dangerous yet, but that window back in the small room. That had not been there when I first woke up. I hadn't seen a soul since I left that pace either. Granted, I had been in the middle of a forest, but I wasn't sure if that was even true.

I walk into the cabin. It isn't that big but it looks like someone was just here not too long ago. The food on the stove, the fire still crackling, the untouched glass of alcohol, it all just screams that I'm not alone. But I don't dare call out.

Look, call me boring, but I am not a heavy drinker and I've never tried drugs. I spend most of my nights in my apartment, playing a game, and avoiding people. I may share a beer or two with some friends, but never anything crazy and always before it gets late. I just...

I hate the idea of blacking out, so I purposefully avoid putting myself in situations which make that possible. And yet, here I am in this cabin with no idea how I got here. Something is happening and it is not a good thing. If I had been drugged, maybe that could explain the weird window in that room, but even then I'm still in danger. Someone would have had to drug me in the first place. I didn't want to call that person's attention to me with fucking abandon. I don't know about you, but I felt like that wasn't the smartest idea.

That's when I turn and see it. The rifle hanging in the middle of dozens of dead eyes. I can feel my survival-horror instincts kick in. I slowly walk towards the wall of trophies till I'm standing right in front of it. I don't take it just yet. Instead I look at it, trying to see if anything is connected to it, like a trip wire or something. At the same time, I look for any spare ammo laying around.

[Craze]

"Skylar,

The area appears to be completely deserted. The houses are dark and unlit, traces of life long gone. As you wander the dark streets, the storm seems to increase. You can hear the thunder growing closer.

You knock on the doors of several homes, but there is only silence..."

"Zachary,

Moving through the corridor, you notice the sounds of machinery echoing from further down the corridor.

Once you reach the end, standing beneath the green-lit EXIT sign, you can clearly pin it down; the sound is coming from the left, down a large set of stairs. To the right you can see an emergency exit door.

The rumbling, however, appears to be ambient."

"Derill,

Your eyes scan for traps that have been rigged to the rifle, but you see none. The rifle only sits there,
temptingly glinting in the sunlight coming through the windows.

You see no ammunition, either.

As you stand and watch the rifle, the Buffalo Springfield song appears to be coming to a close. As the last sounds fade out, it transitions into another:

'Every breath you take...' (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMOGaugKpzs)

[Minkasha]

I…don’t know what to do. It’s dark, wet…this place is empty as if everyone was dead. But there were lights and power…I…I’m standing in front of one of the doors, a hand to my head. My skull aches, this just doesn’t make sense. This was a prank. This was a prank?

“Don’t stand here” I say out loud to myself. I sound judgmental. I step back from the door, following my own order. If I kept on my feet, I will find something eventually. Though I haven’t formed an idea I get back to walking down the sidewalk, trying to figure it out on my head. I’m on edge. This is uncomfortable. But I’m tough, I’ll make it happen.

This part of the town is deserted, and I don’t remember finding a phone on the wall. I don’t want to go into the other houses because the skeletons freaked me out too much. I decide I need to find some shelter in the woods. My skin tells me it’s cold and to go back in, but my insides…my gut can’t let go of the feeling of smooth bone in my hands.

Walking past the house I had come from, roughly guessing since they are so alike, I walk into the woods. I’m expecting them to be empty and I’m just focused on trekking in the woods at a power walking pace.

[Dnafein]

Reaching the end of the hallway my eyes are immediately drawn to the familiar looking exit sign, and before I catch myself I've already started that direction. Stopping I stand and listen; Considering the sound behind me and the rumbling, I chew on my lip. While the exit is incredibly appealing, my curiosity is demanding to be heard.

My various experiences in the gaming world tell me I need to explore the source of the machinery sound before I can escape. Logically I know I should just leave; But I find myself struggling to follow logic. I have no idea where I am, no idea what may be waiting outside. Exploration, after consideration, seems wiser.

Turning away from the exit door I head down the stairs moving slowly.

[BumblingBee]

Somehow,

I managed to rip the darned thing from the wall, it's pretty heavy though, and I have to use both hands to hold it. Soon enough however, I wish I'd never bothered.

There's a hole there, which I should really be quite pleased about, a means of escape and all that. It's just a darned shame that something's covering the bloody thing. Good god does it look disgusting. It's like the type of shit you'd see in some gruesome horror film. Ugh, just. No.

... OH MY GOD IT'S BLEEDING TOO!

In a madd mush of fear and disgust all rolled into one, I throw the painting at the... thing.

[iandraws]

"Ughhh. I hate this song." I mutter.

I almost went to turn it off but froze. That wasn't a Buffalo Springfield song. But records always had just one artist on them. At least, the ones I knew did. Besides, who even listens to records anymore these days anyway? No. Something was definitely not right here.

On top of that, it was almost as if the songs had been speaking me. The first one drew my attention to the gun. Now this one was saying someone was watching me. That I belonged to someone and they were watching every step I took. What the fuck was going on??

I turn away from the music. I don't care what's going on. The fuck if I'm just gonna let it happen to me. I have no idea if there's ammo in this gun but, even if there isn't, it'll make a better club than the rake.

I reach forward to pick it up.

[Craze]

"Skylar,

The concrete turns to mud as you move into the forest. Crispy autumn leaves break beneath your feet with every step. The thunderstorm has reached its full potential now, the wind howling around you as the tall, thin trees sway back and forth. It's a miracle if you come out of this without a cold.

The forest appears endless, and as you wander its vast expense you seem to have gotten lost. The suburban neighborhood is nowhere to be seen, and you haven't a point of reference; only the endless trees.

Then suddenly, a flash of lightning. It's so bright and sudden that it blinds you, if only for a second.

When you open your eyes again, you almost can't believe what you're seeing.

The storm has passed. Silence is all around you. It is still dark, it is still night, but it's as if the storm never took place.

Instead, a low but thick fog hangs over the ground. It seems to spread all through the forest, reaching as far as you can see. And there, within the fog, you see a light. Flickering, briefly, then going out. It's not far."

"Zachary,

You leave the exit behind, deciding instead to follow after the sounds of machinery.

Descending from the stairs, you seem to have reached some sort of basement. It's appearance is dated, presumably built in the late 1800s, but you can see that the lights and machinery are modern.

Four enormous grey tanks produce the sound you've been hearing, buzzing and growling loudly. They appear generators, though their size is incredible. They're at least two times as tall as you are, and their width spans across several feet.

Further ahead, you can see an archway that leads to another part of the basement area. This is more wine-cellar like, with large wooden cabinets lining the walls. You can see a wooden door at the very end, an antique oil lamp resting on a barrel next to it.

Though it seems fairly old, the area appears to be maintained well. You can't detect a single cobweb,
and the tanks are in pristine condition. Nowhere near rusted."

"Honey,

The painting swirls through the air and lands into the hole with one of its edges. You may have expected it to fall down after, but the painting appears to be... stuck.

Defying gravity, it sinks into the visceral thing. It consumes the painting whole, until its final edge disappears into the goo. After a few bone-chilling sounds of gnawing and rumbling, the hole mends itself and appears just as when you first saw it.

But for a second, in the brief gap the painting created, you swear you saw something. A silhouette, moving behind the mess. Something, or someone, was standing behind that transparent layer of flesh-colored goo."

"Derill,

You have acquired: Hunting rifle

'I'll be watching you.'

Your hand reaches for the rifle. For a second, from the corner of your eye, you see something flickering. But there's no lights in the cabin - was it the fireplace? No. Impossible. Fireplaces don't function like electric lights...

Ignoring the oddity, your hand wraps around the rifle.

You feel a sudden chill.

The music cuts, ending abruptly on a nerve-wrecking screech.
You are engulfed in darkness.
It doesn't take your eyes long to adjust, but once they do, you see that it has suddenly turned to night.
Blue moonlight shines into the cabin, specks of dusts drifting in the beams of light. A thick fog seems to have spread into the cabin, obscuring the floor - and your feet - in total whiteness.

You hear a twig snap outside."

[iandraws]

"Oh FUCK NO." I mutter, glancing at the door.

My mind goes into overdrive. Okay, so I am now ninety percent certain something unnatural is going on. Nothing human (with enough resources to pull something like what just happened off) would waste any time on me. So it was supernatural. Great. What now? I look down at the gun in my hands. Everything went to shit the moment I picked up the damn thing. I doubted putting it back would fix anything, but...

I glance over at the drink next to the chair then the pot on the stove. Someone lived here. This was someone's home and I had a feeling that that someone was right outside. If they saw the gun was gone, then they'd definitely know that I was there. There was still a chance that they didn't know yet though. That was what I was banking on.

I put the gun back in its place as quietly as I can. But what next? There weren't any other exits so I need a place to hide. Under the bed would provide the best cover, but I wouldn't be able to make any sort of quick escape. The arm chair was big, but it was probably the first place whoever was outside would go. I looked around frantically, panic starting to set in. Then it hit me.

With trusty rake in hand, I rush to the front door as quietly as I can. The door is still slightly ajar from when I first came inside and its hinges open inward. I move to stand against the wall on the side of the hinges. That way, if someone came inside, the door would conceal me till they were far enough into the room to let me escape.

I clutch at the rake like a teddy bear... And wait......

[Minkasha]

I feel miserable. The wind sways my steps, the loud crackling of bowing bark shakes me. Moving forward feels as difficult as returning to the bodies I left behind. I’m soaked, sweaty, shivering, angry. What was I hoping for out here again? I keep looking, aimlessly. I’m desperate for something.

Light hits my eyes and I groan, sealing them tight from the sudden burst into my vision. This is too much, I’m disoriented and I want to scream in every direction.

“Damn…god…” I stress out loud, rubbing my eyes with wet palms. What am I going to do out here? “What!?” I stare to see the weather has entirely stopped. I’m sickened. My face feels hot and my jaw dropped open. The cold air stings the inside of my cheeks. I’m so confused. “Damn it! Damn it!” Running, I burst for the light. To me light equals life, the living. I run as hard as my sick body lets me. I tunnel vision on the light.

[Craze]

"Skylar,

You bolt towards the light, disregarding everything around you. You fail to see the cabin that looms up out of the mist, and before you know it you run head-first into a wooden door. The door swings open harshly.

Once you recover from your 'bump', you see that you are now in what appears to be a hunting cabin. The only source of light is the smoldering fireplace. Everything else is dimly lit by the moonlight coming in through the square windows."

"Derill,

You hide behind the door as quick as you can. Soon, you hear breathing, and footsteps are rapidly approaching.

Before you know it, something crashes into the door and swings it wide open. Like a ping-pong ball your forehead ricochets off the door, only to have the back of your head knock into the wall behind you."

[Minkasha]

My head throbs and I begin coughing after the impact that sends me to the floor. Even with things as they were I couldn’t help but find the fireplace a good sign and to be inside somewhere a sign of safety. My head falls against the ground. I rub my face on the floor, it feeds cathartic and through the pain I sigh.

Rolling face up, I close my eyes, undo the jacket I was wearing and collapse my arms wide on the ground. I’ll deal with the door in a minute, for now I just need a break.

[iandraws]

Okay, to be fair, most demons and shit in games open doors slowly. I wasn't expecting a heavy plank of wood to come swinging at my face at 1000 miles per hour.

Having bounced off my face, the door swings slowly back away from me again. I try to keep as quiet as I can, but fuck did that hurt. I rub the back of my head and squint at whatever monster came stumbling inside.

To my surprise, it wasn't a monster. It was just some random guy who was now rolling on the floor. I watch as He moves to lay on his back and take his jacket off. He looks soaked to the bone.

But I'm still suspicious.

I bend down and pick up the rake i had dropped. I take a few steps forward but stay close enough to the door in case things go to shit.

"Hey!" I say, trying to catch the guy's attention. "Who the fuck are you?"

[Minkasha]

“Uh!” I am startled near shitless. I try to hold back the sound, but I’m jolted with panic. I flinch and scramble to my feet so quickly I hadn’t even realized I stood until a second later. My eyes are narrow, trying to focus my vision but the water from my hair keeps trickling down my face. Seriously, right now? “Gh” I mutter with seething frustration, wiping my hair back and blinking water away.

In front of me is some cis guy. I also see the weapon he’s got in his hand. I see red. I raise my fists, ignoring how my entire body is shivering.

“You-ACHO!” Crap. I’m getting sick. I sneezed and my hair flopped back in my face. “Damn it!” I’m flustered, angry, confused, a little embarrassed. My hand spreads across my face and rubs wildly to get my hair out of the way again. “This is your fault!” I yell at the guy. I bet he set this up. Pranked me. “You bigoted asshole!” Going for it, I charge the man. He set up the dead bodies. He’s gotta be the killer that arranged the corpses!

[iandraws]

I watch the guy in front of me sneeze and sputter. Suddenly he shouts at me. Before I can so much as ask what I did, he's running at me with fists raised. Without even thinking about it, I've raised the rake up between myself and the sneezing lunatic.

He grabs onto it and I can't tell if he's trying to yank it away from me or is just using it to stay standing. I stand my ground, hanging onto the rake as tight as I can.

"What the fuck?! Calm down!" I say, trying to make eye contact with him. "Whatever the fuck it is you think I've done, I'm almost positive I didn't do it. Just back off!!"

[Minkasha]

My body is shaking. The grip I have on this guy’s weapon is tight to the point by my joints hurt. He’s yelling at me and my teeth grit in response. Heart is pounding fast. I want to fight. I don’t want to feel cold, scared, weak. I am forced to look in his eyes and realize he’s some guy just a little older than me, so I guess.

My body is giving away but I won’t lose face, locking my knees to keep standing. I want to collapse and curl into a ball to warm myself. I still have no idea what I’m holding on to, but I hold onto the man’s weapon desperately.

“Murderer!”

My forehead is thrown forward as I try to headbut the guy. If I can land it I’ll try to punch him some in the ribs. If he pulls or moves the rake at all I’ll be screwed and collapse onto the ground. I’m exhausted but I’m fighting for my life.

[iandraws]

The guy struggling over the rake with me looked exhausted, tired, cold, and wet. If he wasn't trying to attack me, I may have felt pity for him. But then...

"Murderer!"

What the actual fuck? Does this guy think I killed someone? Maybe that's why he was attacking me. The guy was bleary eyed and losing it. I had to calm him down somehow. But how? He wasn't listening to me. He wasn't-

I was probably very lucky that this guy was tired because otherwise I would have never had enough time to see the head-but coming. I pull my face away from him as he lunges forward. With him off balance, I push forward and knock him to the ground. He lands on his back on the bear skin rug with a soft thud. I look down at him, rake held at the side. I felt my chest rising and falling heavily.

"I am not a fucking murderer." I say as clearly and slowly as I can. "I haven't killed anyone. I don't even know where the fuck I am or how the fuck I got here or who the fuck you are. So if you are even slightly sane and can understand what I am saying please, for the love of god, calm the fuck down."

[Minkasha]

Inside of me I wrestle with the urge to cry or roar, stemming from the same emotions. On the ground this time I entirely collapse onto the fur flooring under me, breathing heavy. I have no choice but to hear the guy’s words. I don’t think he’s pranking me because he sounds exactly how I feel. It makes me relax a little and I roll to the side, hiding my face. I scrunch my features and finally submit to holding myself into a ball. I’m going to be so sore, I want warmth so bad.

“Call the police, there is something wrong here...” I finally say, going back to what I had originally intended. “The entire neighborhood was empty. And there were...bodies...” I trail, not feeling it in me to elaborate anymore.

[iandraws]

Now that the guy had calmed down, I was finally able to relax a little. I feel my posture slouch a tiny bit, my grip on the rake loosening. I look down at the guy and now I actually do pity him. He seems like he has seen a lot worse than I had. I feel kind of bad for yelling at him honestly, but I couldn't think of any other way to calm him down. He asked me to call the police but something told me that wouldn't do much.

"Not yet," I reply. "We need to get you warm first."

I walk over to the guy and bend down. Gently, I lift him into my arms. He isn't the lightest but I still manage to do it. I carry him over to the armchair and set him down in it. Then I walk back towards the door and pick up the rug. I give it a few good shakes before bringing it back to the shivering mess in the chair. It's fur so I figured it would make for a pretty good blanket. I wrap it around him, then turn my attention to the fireplace.

I crouch in front of it, looking down into the embers. I rub my hands and hope that my camping skills are enough to get the thing going again.

Whoever's watching me, I think to myself. Please cut this guy some slack.

As I work I talk over my shoulder.

"My name's Deril," I say. "What's yours?"

[Minkasha]

My breath hitches the moment this guy touches me. My body wants to tense, but instead keeps shivering. I’m being raised in his arms and I despise every second of it. Without control over myself, I look away. I don’t want to be looked at, I feel disgusting. He’s holding me like some sad damsel. My entire body feels wrong. My eyes shut to block out my moving world.

As my body is set down, my head drops and I still cannot fight how much more relaxed I feel now. I don’t’ want this safety, not if it’s coming this way. I can’t say thank you, I shouldn’t have been in this position.

A blanket touches me and I continue to bury my gender dysphoric feelings. Finally seeing the guy’s back away from me, my eyes release tears I’d been shaming myself from wanting to release.

‘You fucking little weak bitch. Crying? Now that a man is here to take care of you, you let your true colors shine – right Skyler? Here it is, you little princess. Your big knight’ The negative self-talk wracks my mind. It disturbs me how unstable I am considering what the hell is happening right now.

It takes everything in me to not sob. I’m a disaster. What was happening? I’m so disoriented. My wet clothes feel suffocating but I won’t take them off and reveal more of myself to this guy. Tears fall from my cheeks onto the fur. I stare as far away from Deril’s vision as I possibly can. I don’t want anyone to look at me right now.

“Skylar…” I say in a hushed whisper.

[iandraws]

He sounds beaten. Broken. Like he's given up. It hurts and I can't help but blame myself for it. I don't know what else I could have done... but maybe I should have figured something out.

Regardless, it was hard hearing the guy hold back tears in his voice.

"That's actually an awesome name, dude." I reply. And it wasn't a lie, that name is pretty cool. It's just the only thing i can think to say at first.

I keep working at the fire place, doing everything I can to get it to light again.

"You've got quiet the grip, man. You probably would have beat the fuck out of me if you hadn't been soaked to the bone."

I decide to try every trick I know to cheer this guy up.

"I knew this one guy, really big into wrestling. He used to challenge people all the time just for kicks. Got kind of annoying to be honest, but he was a nice guy."

The embers glowed a little brighter and I grew hopeful

"But yeah, this one time it was pouring outside and he had just gotten inside. Now this idiot, who is drenched to the bone by the way, this idiot decides that I was in his chair. So he offers to wrestle me for it and I'm like fuck it, why not."

I can't help but laugh at the stupid memory.

"So I stand up and face off with him and I swear it was like he was in slow motion. I threw him to the ground so hard the people below us came up to complain."

I shake my head, looking over my shoulder at Skyler and smiling. He doesn't look at me and I can see trails of tears down his cheeks.

"So yeah, you've got quiet the grip there dude." I trail off.

A moment of silence passes.

"I'm sorry I picked you up," I say after a while. "I just... I didn't want to ask you to stand. If I had seen what you say you've seen, man, I'd be curled up in a ball too. Its just the floor probably isnt the best place to do it, you know?"

I wanted to ask about what he'd seen. An empty town? Dead bodies? The more things happened the more questions kept bubbling up. But I held back. If he wanted to talk about it, he'd do it in his own time. I wasn't going to force him to.

I sat quietly in front of the fire, trying to bring some life back into the darkness of this place.

[Minkasha]

I lean my head against the chair. I am caught in this uncomfortable place between surrender and anger. Deril’s privileged life sours me with envy. ‘Haha, you tried but I am used to winning all the time. It just happens to go my way all the time haha. It's so great being cis and white!’ Is what his entire shtick translates in my mind. I want to spit in his face and yet he’s the first living person I’ve seen. I…want to stay around him. I feel that there is hope in getting through this strange stuff if I do.

Suffocating my emotions, I numb myself and the tears stopped. I quickly wipe them, wanting badly for Deril to not have seen of them. I need to get myself together. I glance over to him and the fire. Against the light I see more of Deril’s appearance. He has a big head. That was the first not-unnerved thought that had come into my mind since being put here.

I furrow my brows. Why was he focusing on me? We need to escape.

“Call the police. We need to get out of here. Someone out there is a killer, a mass killer maybe if all those houses are empty because of him.”

[Craze]

"Derill,

You have lost: Hunting rifle
You have acquired: Rake

"Skylar and Derill,

The fire warms up nicely for a while, bringing comfort to the both of you. The fog clears within the cabin, though it is still very much present outside. You can see the mist hanging low in front of the door, like an entity, unable to enter, repulsed by the fire.

All things considered, the cabin is actually quite cozy.

Suddenly, a sound from the outside breaks all sense of comfort.

It blares through the forest, reminding you of a ship horn. It appears distant, but the sound is ominously loud... then it gives way to silence again."

[Dnafein]

A low whistle escapes my lips as I see the generators. That's a lot of power. I think to myself as I approach them. I study the closest, looking for a control panel or switch. It has already occurred to me that if they were to be powered off it would garner attention, and so I search for a way to shut them down even as I consider my options.

My eyes are drawn past them as I spot the archway. Moving away from the generators I spot the wooden door and the cabinets; A plan starts to shape itself in my head as I start moving towards the far door opening the cabinets as I do. Looking for one big, and empty, enough to hide in.

[Craze]

"Zachary,

You find a cabinet that's about your size, though you might have to really squeeze in in order to hide. You remove all the empty bottles, and a spider scurries away as you do so. Once the cabinet's empty, you climb in and close the door.

Through a small, horizontal gap in the door, you can keep watch on part of the basement.

The rumbling grows louder..."

[iandraws]

"Yes! Gotch you!" I exclaim with triumph as the fire ignites once more. The room starts to heat up and the mist clears away.

I hear what Skyler says and I pause, thinking. With the fire lit and no sign of a monster anywhere, maybe this was a chance to pause and think rationally. I mean, I hadn't even thought to call anyone since I woke up. I was too focused on freaking out.

I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. Even as I press the numbers I have a sinking feeling no one will answer. Fuck it. It's at least worth a shot.

I hold the phone to my ear when suddenly the ground reverberates beneath me. The sound of a horn like that of a cargo ship blares from far away outside. I stare at the slightly open door as the sound disapates and the phone keeps ringing.

[Craze]

"Derill,

You hold the phone up to your ear...

...but there's no one there." (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e33yjsT_kSI)

[iandraws]

I put the phone back into my pocket, still staring outside as the fear began to sink in.

"No one answered..." I said. "Of course no one FUCKING ANSWERED!"

For the first time since I woke up in that cement room, everything began to sink in. How could I know if any of this was real? A window that wasn't there, an infinite forest, this person on the chair in front of me, fucking daylight, how could I know that it wasn't all just in my head?

Slowly I bent forward, my hands pulling at my hair just to feel something. I couldn't feel anything else. Just stress and fear. This wasn't some horror game for me to survive... this was a fucking nightmare. And I didn't know how to wake up.

[Minkasha]

I stare outside the open door. From the moment I heard it I couldn’t stop staring. What was that? It was something bad. I want to scream, but I’m trapped in my own body – voice included. I stare, and stare…until Deril’s voice snaps me out somewhat. How far has this killer succeeded. He killed the entire town? Was he alone? How the hell was I kidnapped and put in this anarchist town?

My tongue feels heavy but I finally manage to speak. I need to get to Deril because the more he acts the way he does, the more it freaks me out and the angrier I’m getting. My teeth grit.

“Man. Close the door.” I say with my irritation pouring through, but my voice shakes too and I can’t hide my emotions. I do everything in my control to keep my face neutral. “Close the door already!” I say a second time with more commanding a tone. I had reached into the depth of my lower tones, I was going to be respected.

[Dnafein]

As the rumbling gets closer i close my eyes and turn my head to better track it. I listen cqrefully trying to hear something more then just a rumble. Finally I commit to my plan.

Leaving my hiding spot I rush over to the generators and turn off the one closest to the hallway. As soon as I do so I rush back to my hiding spot. Entering the closet I pull the door mostly closed; Looking through the gap left I wait breathing softly, my heart pounding in my ears.

[iandraws]

I stand and walk to the door, completely done with this shit. Nightmare, horror game, delusion, it didn't fucking matter anymore. I was done. I closed the door, channeling my anger at the situation into thought. Though it was dark outside, I didn't feel tired. Probably because I had only just woken up less than an hour ago and it was only dark because the fuck if I know! But I can't say the same for Skylar. It was a little annoying how standoffish he was about me helping him, but I guess seeing a town full of dead bodies might stress a guy out. I should just let the guy get some rest. But a thought occurs to me and I can't. Not yet.

I walk back to the fire and lean against the wall with my arms crossed, thinking carefully before I speak.

"You've probably been through a lot and I don't want you to think I'm saying what I've seen is worse." I glance at the time-changing gun. "But that doesn't make it any less unnatural."

I sigh, running my fingers through my hair.

"I woke up in a small cement room with nothing but a rusty light hanging over my head, a wooden door, and no memory of how I got there. Next thing I know, there's a window in the wall that was not there before."

I start pacing as I talk about all the insane things I've just witnessed.

"I leave the place, right? I go outside and I'm in the middle of the forest and it's daytime. I don't know what else to do but try to find a way out and to civilization. I find this rake." I say, lifting it up as if to prove something. I'm already starting to talk faster and faster. "And then I keep walking till I find this cabin. The fire is lit, there's soup on the stove, and there's a gun hanging on the wall. I'm already stressing out and what the fuck is a rake supposed to do against anything? So I walk over and I grab the gun. THEN shit just hits the fan! The sky just decides to go "hey! how about it be night time now for no reason?" It was like mid day just before you got here and now it's night. Then you show up out of nowhere, soaking wet, calling me a murderer, and trying to beat me to death."

I stop pacing and turn to face Skylar.

"So I know there's a lot of crazy shit happening right now, but I need you to tell me something. Why are you soaking wet? Were you in the middle of a storm? Because I haven't seen a drop of rain since I woke up and, if you have, then... then..."

I trail off. Then... what? I already knew something fucked up was going on. Maybe I just wanted Skylar on the same page.

[Minkasha]

I am seriously debating Deril’s sanity right now. Only problem was that I too woke up in a cement room. My tongue feels thick and I lick my lips. A sharp sneeze takes me and I pull at my clothes. It’s so uncomfortable, suffocating. What this guy has been through, was breaking my understanding of things. I can’t really handle it.

“Yeah Deril it was raining hard. I don’t know what to tell you. But if that horn sounds louder if we hear it again, we’re running out of here” I state matter-of-factly. The circles he made made and all the rambling he did made my hands tighten on the arms of the chair. “Can you stop? Please”

[Craze]

"Zachary,

You run to switch off the generator, but once you're on your way back to your hiding spot, something else besides the generator powers down. All of the generators emit complaining groans, eventually quieting completely...

...then the lights turn off. Complete darkness surrounds you.

The rumbling seems to have disappeared."

"Skylar and Derill,

You feel piercing chills run over your spines."

[iandraws]

"Stop what?" I ask, Skylar's question catching me off guard.

Before he could answer, a shiver ran from my neck down to the base of my spine. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing on end and every part of my being is scream at me to run. Instead I stand still, looking around the corners of this cottage. Then and there I decided it didn't matter what was going on. Not yet. We just needed to be ready for whatever this place was going to throw at us.

"Skylar, I don't trust anything about this place." I say. "Frankly, I don't completely trust you. And, to be fair, the first thing you did when we met was try to beat the shit out of me."

I look at the guy sitting in the seat, bundled up in a bear skin rug, and still wet with rain water.

"And I don't expect you to trust me either. But there's something big going on here. Something unnatural. Storms don't just disappear, right?"

I gesture towards the window at the rainless sky.

"And I get the feeling that we aren't going to survive whatever the fuck is happening by just sitting here doing nothing. So we need to get you dried off and, then, we need to get a move on. I'm going to start looking for things we can use. You get some rest or do whatever."

I turn away from him and start looking around the cabin. My eyes fall on the wall of trophies and the mounted gun. Although I have no intentions of touching that rifle ever again, the trophies look salvageable. I walk away from the fire and reach up to the antlers of an elk's head. I grab them and attempt to tug the trophy off the wall.

[Minkasha]

I resent what Derill has to say to me. He makes me defensive, but I don’t want to do this alone. I sit in my emotions and bodily discomforts while the cis guy looks away. It looked like he was playing with an elk head? Uh why? Finally, though, I decide I can’t handle these clothes. A dark shiver touches my spine and against how tired and now sickly I am, I stand up. I don’t say anything to Derill for now. I am focused on bottling myself together. We’re not going to die here. I don’t even want to think about it. The fear builds. I feel nausea.

Looking around the cabin, I look for anything that might contain clothes. If I see male clothes, I’ll try to find a place to put them on out of Derill’s line of view. I don’t care if they are too big on my body. I just want dry clothes, desperately.

[Dnafein]

As the generator starts to spin down I start to rush back to my hiding spot. The groaning of the other generators cause me to stumble in surprise, and darkness falls. My eyes remain locked on where my hiding spot was and even unable to see anything I continue to creep forward, arms out ahead of me.

Feeling my way I slip back inside the cabinet and pull the doors closed. And then an unexpected sense of dread slips over me as I notice the complete silence. Shaking my head I dismiss the growing uneasiness. With everything off they will rush to turn it back on. I just have to wait. I tell myself in my head. And wait is what i intend to do.

[BumblingBee]

I think it's because I'm just so completely and utterly so fucking horrified that I stand there for so long. I just can't pull my eyes away for the thing, at all. It's atrociously absorbing.

Something seems to finally bring me round though.

I blink, scream, and launch the painting at the thing.

Just my luck though, as the painting simply hits the wall besides the gaping wound and clatters to the floor rather loudly.

Well fuck.

What the hell do I do now?

...

An uncomfortably long amount of time passes. I'm sure it feels longer than it actually is like, but yeah.

Hmmm.

Ummm.

This is kinda awkward really.

It's either boredom, or a sudden spark of courage (All maybe even both sorta smushed together) that suddenly compels me forward.

With far more caution than I'm used to, I carefully approach the hole. I make sure to take small steps, as un-threatening and calm as I can make myself appear. I've got horrible long old legs though, so it doesn't take me too long to reach the thing.

I stand next to it, unsure and (despite my best efforts) fearful. Lordy, I feel like I'm on a first date or something...

Jesus Honey what has your life come to.

Unknowingly leaning this was and that, arms folded and closed off. At least on a date you usually know what species your partner is, usually anyway.

You know what, fuck it. You only live once and shit.

"Yolo I guess,"

And with a boldness that I hope isn't becoming a habit, and just go right on ahead and stick my arm forward to touch the... thing.