Arseidis Charp Logs

[Diana]

STARING PEOPLE. >:[

[Ruthie is a liberal arts major, taking this course cause she needs it and forced to be on this trip so she can eat something other than cafeteria food. Blech. ] -04:53 Oct 08

EVERYBODY IS PARKED AT THE CHAINLINK FENCE THAT SURROUNDS THE PROPERTY WHERE THE LITTLE GHOST TOWN OF ARSEIDIS IS LOCATED... The town itself is not within seeing distance from the fence and the dirt road off the back highway. It will be a short walk down a pretty narrow path. -Ruthie 04:56 Oct 08

[Ian Brown is a petrologist who only recently relocated to Colorado from Minnasoda. He is well prepared, with a pack over his shoulders and a smaller bag he's pulling out of his truck.] -05:01 Oct 08

[Derek is an avid gamer and zombie apocalypse-theorist. Believes the ghost town is the first sign of the coming attack, and has bravely volunteered to join the investigation (and probably save someone's ass while he's at it.)] -05:01 Oct 08

Ruthie: Ruthie was leaning against her car, waiting for everyone to show up, arrive, get ready, or whatever it was they were doing. She would check her watch. Huff. Check her watch again. Huff some more. And now she was clearing her throat out loud and stomping a foot, hoping that would speed everyone up with their whole "equiptment grabbing" thing. "Are we ready to go yet? I have a date tonight!" -05:04 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Oh, so Dillion is feeling well enough to leave the hospital? That's good." Ian said, glancing down at Ruthie. "He's very lucky." -05:05 Oct 08

[Derek grumbles at the nagging voice as he finishes loading his shotgun, giving a crisp "CHIK CHIK" as he cocks the barrel. "Yeah, yeah. Can never be too safe, y'know." he says, slinging the gun over his shoulder and locking his car.] -05:07 Oct 08

Ruthie: "Dude...! What the fuck did you bring a GUN for!" Ruthie nearly missed Ian's reply, she was so busy giving Derek McShootypants a wide-eyed stare. Great, she was on a field trip with lunatics. Well, at least Ian was cool. "Er, yeah. He's feeling a lot better and tonight we're going to get all dolled up and... hmm, celebrate with something special and kinky if you know what I mean." She smiiiirked at Ian. Deciding everyone else was being too slow for her liking, Ruthie hefted her small messenger bag over her shoulder and started marching down the path. "I'm going with or without you guys! All -I- have to do is take pictures." -05:10 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian gave a chuckle. "He must be doing a lot better then, or you're very creative." Then with a shrug he went to the gate. "Just enough to get what you're after hm? Good to know your limits." -05:12 Oct 08

[Sho stood leaning with face pressed to the chain link fence, no doubt leaving fair sized diamond indents in his skin. Oh, and he was mumbling to himself.] -05:13 Oct 08

Derek: "It's for protection, dammit!" He shouted back. "HEY!" he charged up and thumped Ruthie on the shoulder. "Don't just charge headlong into danger! Jeez, didn't you learn anything at that college? For all we know, this damned place could be infested with hordes of the undead!" He backed off and looked around cautiously before trotting up to take the lead. "Proceed with caution." -05:16 Oct 08

Sho: "Guns? Guns to fight skeletons? Illogical just a little," he muttered. Well, maybe there was a bit more than just skeletons to find at Arseidis, and it wasn't like he was the cold hard fact sort of fellow... But skeletons was all he was here for. Pushing away from the fence, Sho gave a hop to readjust the pack on his back and followed after the group. -05:17 Oct 08

Ruthie: Ruthie gave Ian a cross look, but then she was rolling her eyes at Derek. Sho got himself completely ignored when she walked past. What was he doing, anyway? Trying to phase through the fence? "Okay, unless there's a bunch of drunk dudes roaming around the old buildings trying to slip roofies in to our water, I think we'll be okay." As she walked, she reached down in to her bag to pull out a digital camera. Proof to show that she actually came to this fieldtrip. -05:18 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Has anyone in this little group actually talked to the property owner? I like more information about what we're walking into if possible. The town might be the rest of your's concern, but what they were mining is what I am interested in. There's plenty of diffrent ores and their tools should give us a clue hopefully." Ian sounded a bit irritable when brining up the property owner. -05:22 Oct 08

Sho: Caution wasn't exactly at the front of his mind. In fact, not much was going on inside Sho's head while he peered out behind his black curtain bangs at their surroundings. "I did roofies once..." he said aloud with his usual space-casey drawl. He didn't provide any more insight into the event however. -05:22 Oct 08

Derek: Derek shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you?" He asked. "You poke fun now, but I doubt you've even heard the stories about this place, have you?" He gazed mysteriously into the distance as they walked. "If only you knew, then you'd understand why I brought the boomstick." He shrugged. "Oh well. If you end up getting your face clawed off by a rabid zombie, don't come crying to me." As usual, Derek completely ignored those he wasn't currently engaged in conversation with. -05:24 Oct 08

Sho: (( the spelling is bothering me for certain reasons)) -05:27 Oct 08

[Sho is now known as: Shou] -05:28 Oct 08

Ruthie: She stared at Sho with a narrow-eyed sort of glare. Which in turn had her tripping over her own feet because she wasn't watching were she was going on the path. "Isn't the school supposed to handle all that permissions stuff? My professor just gave me the address and date and told me to show up." With a flick of a button her camera was on, and her lens cap deposited back in to the bag. Derek earned himself a smirk. "What ARE the stories then, huh? You know everybody has some story about their down or the local abandoned place, right?" -05:28 Oct 08

Ian Brown: (Thank you) -05:28 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Yes it's suppose to," Ian's distain was obvious, but then he too looked over at Derek. "Yes, tell us what you've heard. I've heard stories too, but I am sure yours are more entertaining." -05:29 Oct 08

[Derek got disconnected somwhow] -05:33 Oct 08

Derek: Derek nodded at both Ruthie and Ian. "Yeah, everyone has stories about their local oddities, but think about it. The inhabitants of this place just up and disappeared. What do you think could have caused that? I don't know myself, but from what I hear some sort of plague spread through town. Killed everyone it got in contact with." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "S'far as I know, none of the bodies have been found." He allowed himself a slight shudder and adjusted the shotgun on his shoulder. -05:34 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Plague, hu?" Ian snickered at that. "I suppose that could happen, but would it not have been caught by at least a few people outside of town? Poisoning could be more local. Bad mining practices." -05:37 Oct 08

Shou: "Until now," Shou chimed in. "I'm going to find the bodies. All of them." -05:37 Oct 08

Derek: Derek scowled at Ian. "Yeah, poisoning, whatever. Doesn't change the fact everybody's dead." He jumped and very nearly pulled the trigger when Shou, who he had been previously unaware of, shared his two cents. "Great Scott, man! Warn a guy before you sneak up on him like that, yeah?" He lowered his gun but kept it in both hands, looking around. "And anyway, that's not sanitary. You pick up a body that's been messed with, and you'll get sick yourself." -05:40 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Everyone dies, but if you keep waving that gun around someone is going to be dead too soon." Ian said, pulling out binocoulers. "This path is pretty curvey, even for making it out of the path of least resistance." -05:43 Oct 08

Ruthie: "You know, there's no proof anyone actually died here." Of course the guy with the gun totally jumped to the CRAZY stories. At least Ian was being more reasonable. Shou was just crazy! "It's way more likely the town died out because of the other town that opened up nearby. Everybody just moved away." Ruthie dashed forward a few spaces, turned around to walk backwards, and started snapping a few pictures of her 'partners'. -05:43 Oct 08

Shou: Shou didn't much care for theories. He was in on this trip for the discovery of it all. As soon as he found one of those corpses, he'd know why these people had "disappeared". An eyebrow cocked at Derek, though it wasn't as if anyone could tell thanks to his hair. "You honestly couldn't hear my footsteps and breathing right beside you? I have asthma you know..." His complete disregard for the man's last statement was obvious. Really, why did everyone think he was dumb? -05:44 Oct 08

Shou: Oh, pictures? Shou lifted a hand, cocked his head, and popped a sideways V-fingers up the side of his head....but he forgot to smile. Hm. Should be okay, regardless. -05:49 Oct 08

Derek: Derek growled. Why did none of these people understand the importance of a good defense? At least that Ian guy was scouting ahead. "Good work, man. With someone as methodical as you and someone as well-prepared as me on this team, there's no way we can lose!" He said, striking a heroic pose just as a flash seared his retinas. "ACK! I'VE BEEN BLINDED! FLASH-BANG! EVERYBODY GET DOWN!" He shouted, hitting the deck in an entirely-too-practiced maneuver, shotgun in hand. When he looked up to see it was just Ruthie with her camera, he scowled even harder and got to his feet, quickly dusting himself off. "Dammit, woman, turn that thing off! Don't you know the light attracts beasts? That includes the undead, in case you were unaware!" -05:50 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian looked down at Derek and his left hand twitched slightly, his right hand still holding the binocolours. "No beast is going to be attracted to a group of humans during the day, and even if we encountered a mountain lion or bear, isn't that what your little toy is for?" Ian turned to Ruth. "You got long range lends? I think you'll be able to get a good first shot of the town in another quarter mile, if this trail doesn't go way off." -05:54 Oct 08

Ruthie: "Way to go, 'Captain Prepared'. Hit the dirt for a flashbulb." Another roll of her eyes. Deliberately keeping her camera out, Ruthie turned on a heel and resumed snapping her pictures. Hopping over mangled vines and twisted branches that occasionally littered the path. "Man, why is this trail so long, anyway? We should have just driven down to the town!" -05:54 Oct 08

[(Timeout) Derek stared too long into the abyss.] -05:56 Oct 08

Shou: "It's a known fact that nothing spooky will happen if the victims have an easy getaway." Pause. "What? Didn't we have a ghost hunter with us? I could have sworn..." -05:56 Oct 08

Derek: Derek frowned, but shook his head and put on a friendly face. If he was going to travel with these clowns, he could at least make it a pleasant experience. "Well, how was I supposed to know? A blinding flash is a blinding flash, no matter how you put it." He said matter-of-factly before turning to Ian. "Mountain Lions and bears are the least of our concerns, friend..." he trailed off mysteriously before returning to Ruthie. For once, he actually agreed with something she said. "Yeah, everybody knows vehicles are the ultimate defense against a horde of zombies. Why else do you think those survival people are always looking for gasoline in the horror flicks?" -06:00 Oct 08

Ruthie: "I thought there was going to be a lot more of us too." she muttered in response to Shou. "Shouldn't there be at least a class worth of people here?" Inching away from Derek, cause he was just TOO weird, her questions was aimed at Ian. Who seemed to have a way better grasp of what they were supposed to do for the trip. "Not that I mind, the fewer of us here, the quicker we can look around and people not get lost, I guess." -06:03 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "I have a feeling someone at the school dropped the ball on the recruitment of specialists. We can treat this like a preliminary scouting expedition. Get in, get our info, and get out." Ian wouldn't say why he thought someone would drop the ball, because he didn't think it was neglect. He knew some people wanted things from this town, he just wasn't expecting this level of secrecy. -06:06 Oct 08

Shou: A thought occurred to Shou, one that he was almost certain would make anyone uncomfortable. It certainly bothered him. But instead of saying anything, he just kept his mouth shut and stumbled and wheezed down the path alongside Derek. -06:10 Oct 08

Derek: Derek nodded firmly. "Yeah, if this were a true expedition there'd be much more people. As it stands, though, four people is the golden number for scouting missions. Four is also the golden number for zombie apocalypse teams, so we're good on both ends!" He gave a chuckle and sized up his companions a bit more seriously. Ian was the oldest, and thus knew the most (in general, Derek was the master of fighting the undead); his experience and instinct could come in handy. Ruthie may be a bit dim, but she was at least sensible and to the point. Shou was mysterious, but the quiet ones are always the most badass fighters. -06:11 Oct 08

Ruthie: "Oh sweet, there it i-.... is..." Only for a split second did she look excited. Ruthie was expecting a lot... MORE. They were now trotting down hill on the windy path, leading to what was nothing more than a 'one street town'. From Ruthie's perspective, it wasn't even THAT. Just not even ten whole buildings on the two sides of a dusty wasteland. And a church down at the end of them. "Gods, maybe it only needed four people after all. This isn't even theme park sized..." -06:14 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Large or small, I feel your camera is going to be of great use. Start taking pictures." Ian was relieved when he saw the place. There was little chance he'd need to come out here a second time. "Boys are you ready to earn your pay, or credits?" -06:17 Oct 08

Shou: Ghost towns hardly ever were more than a few buildings in girth. Was Ruthie expecting the good ol' town of London to be laying in ruins for them to explore? "Less hiding places," Shou muttered in response. Maybe he should have elaborated on that bit of wisdom. Naw. They probably understood what he meant. "Yessir," Shou said, saluting at Ian as he snapped to attention and the shovel and other tools in his pack rattled. -06:19 Oct 08

Derek: "Just turn off the flash." Derek warned as he went over the hill, shotgun at the ready for any unsavory encounters. Looking around cautiously, he answered Ian. "Yeah, man. Let's do this." His gaze passed over Shou and, thinking he had the right idea, came up and saluted as well. "Right you are. We'll have to be extra careful if we want to avoid being gorged on by the damned." -06:22 Oct 08

Ruthie: "Ugh, you know, even Deatheaters would be more likely than zombies..." muttered Ruthie. She bet Derek would be way more fun if he were dressed up in Hogwarts robes and waving around a wand instead of being a total nutcase with a gun. Ruthie left the flash ON. "Anyway, I guess we can split up and each check out a couple buildings? That's like, two for each of us, right? Then meet up at the church." -06:27 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian nodded, because it really was the most sensible plan. "We meet up and then choose which buildings or outlining areas need more studying. And eat lunch then as well." It was always good to have time limits and people's stomachs, specially young mens, was a great one to use. "See you all shortly." -06:30 Oct 08

Derek: Derek gnashed his teeth. Everything he stood for shouted out against splitting up, but he didn't want to be here any more than she did, and splitting up would cover more ground. "Sounds... fine." He reaaally didn't want to split up the team, even if it was temporary, but the plan made sense. "Just... Just be careful, all of you." he advised, looking at each of them as though they were about to head into the fight that would kill them. -06:31 Oct 08

Shou: "Dibs on the Doc's home!" Shou shouted, thrust an arm in the air, and took off running toward the building. Heading into a fight that would kill him? Doing it with a stupid smile on his face. -06:32 Oct 08

Ruthie: As Shou ran off towards the "Hospital", which wasn't anything more than a simple home and doctor's office, that left several other buildings to explore. The Saloon. The Grocery Store. The Tailors. The Barbers. The Post. The Inn. and a Cafe. -06:34 Oct 08

As Shou ran off towards the "Hospital", which wasn't anything more than a simple home and doctor's office, that left several other buildings to explore. The Saloon. The Grocery Store. The Tailors. The Barbers. The Post. The Inn. and a Cafe. -Ruthie 06:34 Oct 08

Ruthie: (ahem. exsqueeze meh)) -06:35 Oct 08

Derek: Derek nodded and headed off in another direction, aiming for the grocery store. If there were any usable supplies in there, it would make this whole thing a lot easier. After that he figured he'd check out the Saloon. Saloons were known for their cellars full of stuff. Derek's first priority on this scouting mission was to find areas to lock down for defense and survival. -06:37 Oct 08

Shou: Wheezing and coughing by the time he reached the door, Shou had to pause a moment to catch his breath. With a hand leaning against the door to brace himself, the other fished in his pocket for his..car keys? No. Lime sucker? No, but he did shift it to his other hand. Ah, there we go. Inhaler. After a dose, he felt a little better and pocketed the inhaler again. Then he reached for the door and pushed it open, tugging the wrapper off of the sucker with his teeth at the same time. -06:42 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian took stedy steps to the Post. It would be there that the last of the comings and goings of the town would be found and clues to what the normal life would be. It was also his best shot at finding anything else of interest. As he got to the outside of the building his boots made the old boards of the porch creek. "Good thing this isn't a wetter climate or this be all rot," he muttered to himself. -06:45 Oct 08

The insides of all the buildings looked pretty much as expected. Cobwebs, dusts, rotton wood. Plant material having grown up through floorboards or open broken windows. Though, there were strange things too. How each place was still FILLED with things. If people had packed up and moved out of town, would they have left all that furniture and items behind? Not a bit of it looked like it had been distance for decades. -Ruthie 06:53 Oct 08

The Doctor's home looked like a strange cross between an office and a medical room. The main floor had waiting chairs near the cracked front windows. A small table where people probably waited their turn or for visits. The back contained several rooms, each with a bed ripped up and molded over time. In one room, though... dark brownish red splotches seemed to cover the walls and floors. Paint, blood, prank or real... either way, scrawled across the ceiling were the words. LET ME OUT. -Ruthie 06:53 Oct 08

The Grocery store, covered in a cedntury's worth of dust, seemed to be stocked up as if it were only yesterday that the clerk put everything up on the shelves. Labels and perishables had long since rotted away, and cans were rusted or bloated near to bursting. The cash register had been left open, with shiny bits of coin and money still left inside. But it was the smell of the place that was most noticable. Pungeant, awful, almost like sulfer. -Ruthie 06:53 Oct 08

At the Post, old wanted posters were still clinging to the walls on top of faded paint and peeling wallpaper. Stacks of letters, newspapers, and packages were piled up and scattered everywhere. A person, or even an animal must have gone through there, slinging things around in search of something, because the place looked like a storm blew right through it. On the front desk, there was something carved right in to the wood. THEY'RE COMING. THEY'RE COMING. THEY'RE COMING. -Ruthie 06:53 Oct 08

Ruthie: Ruthie walked herself in to the first building she found, which incidentally was the Tailors. Having her camera up and clicking away, she cringe at the old moldy fabric smell. Bolts of old fabric were lying around, covered in green molds. She cursed when a rat ran under her feet and skittered away to an unseen corner. The part that freaked her out the most, though, were the mannequins. Even those old human-like mannequins in shopping malls from the 80s didn't look as disturbing as these things. She stepped closer to one, squinting her eyes at it's neck. There was a slash across it. Paint too.. Ugh. Some assholes probably thought it was hilarious to come through a make things look all "spooky". -06:56 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian frowned looking at the place. What he had expected was nothing, what he found was amazing and at the same time disturbing, and not because of the words left carved into the wood. That wasn't to say he was so jaded not to find it haunting, but he had bigger worries, such as, did someone really go through all the mail? If so Ian knew what he wanted wouldn't be found there. Still he looked around, to see if there were any other clues to be found. "Someone is going to need to come out here and catalogue all this," he said as he picked up a random letter. -06:57 Oct 08

Derek: Derek immediately recoiled in disgust at the smell of the place. Sulfur. He liked to think he knew all there was to know about zombie-hunting, but even he couldn't point out what the smell meant. Instead, he turned his attention to the shelves, frowning in disappointment as he took note of everything. "Damn, it's all rotted. Even the canned food wasn't spared." He added as he picked up one of the bloated cans and gave it a sniff, grimacing at the practically toxic odor. Replacing the can, Derek knew he'd find no supplies in this rotted old hole. Even so, his curiosity started to nag at the back of his mind, so he decided to investigate the area for the source of the disgusting smell. Letting his nose lead the way, Derek started off down one of the aisles. -07:04 Oct 08

Shou: The innards of the Doc's residence were eerily silent. It was the first thing that Shou noticed as he stood just inside the doorway and let his eyes adjust to the dimly lit interior. With so many cracked windows and lifting floorboards, it was a wonder that there wasn't any whistling of wind. He took a step inside and the floorboards underneath his feet creaked in protest. No surprise there. In the distance, he heard a door shut, but really thought nothing of it. He wasn't the only one here in this town after all. For a moment, he settled on one of the waiting chairs, hands on his thighs, shoulders lifted toward his ears as though he was awaiting news of a loved one. But then he pushed back to his feet and moved further into the building. When he came to the mold infested back rooms, he paused to bite off the candy from his sucker stick, pocket said stick, and pull a flu mask from his pack. This much mold wasn't good for someone with a breathing problem. Then he proceeded into the room until he stood in the middle. He hadn't noticed the message just yet. -07:07 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Nothing but the normal letters and messages that a frontier town would get. Ian wasn't so much disappointed as unnerved. Everyone really had just disappeared. There would not be this many letters if people had slowly filtered off to new towns and settlements. This meant many lost things WOULD be here, which would make his benefactor happy. Assuming the right lost things were found. Ian really rather have been outside looking at the mines! Still though, this was an interesting place. Going to the Postmaster's desk he checked the drawers. -07:12 Oct 08

There at the postmaster's desk, the letters Ian picked up were... strange. Typical letters might be about business, gossip, family news. Most of them coming from out of town were normal like that. The ones from in town, though... didn't seem to have any sort of rhyme or reason. Strange, confused babblings. Some almost like poetry. Others, repeating nonsensical phrases or words. -Ruthie 07:14 Oct 08

In the back of the Grocery, the smell was getting even worse. There weren't any windows back there to see clearly with. There was a sound. Buzzing, gnawing... tons of flies. In fact, when stepping in to the very back room, there were so many flies flittering about they were kamikaze diving around Derek's head. At a corner, just barely visible in the dim light... bodies could be seen. Carcasses of dozens upon dozes of dead, rotting, animal carcasses. -Ruthie 07:14 Oct 08

While Shou stood, clueless in the room, things remained perfectly silent. Not a sound. Just something dripping. Dripping. Dripping. One drop landing with a splat on Shou's shoulder. Water. Smelly, cloudy water. -Ruthie 07:14 Oct 08

Ruthie: Ruthie took a dozen pictures and shuffled around, bored as can be and completely immune to the eerie atmosphere. Well, aside from those wooden, creepy mannequins. Sometimes she thought one of them moved, but that sort of thing happened when you were snooping around a dead town all by yourself after idiots kept talking about zombies and undead. Ruthie had to climb over one of the fallen creepers on her way in to the back. It didn't look much different. Just more fabric, a few sewing machines and... "What the fuck is th-AAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEE! Her blood curdling scream could be heard clear across town! -07:17 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian was stuffing a few of the weird letters from the Postmaster's desk into his pack when he heard the scream. Ian was not the heroic type, but in a town like this it was best to be forwarned of anything and so he quickly left the building, headed to where he heard Ruthie, to find out what sort of horror, mundane or otherwise, awaited them. -07:22 Oct 08

Derek: Derek swatted at the flies buzzing around him as he made his way towards the back of the store. The odor started to get to him, so he pinched his nose as he looked around. The smell was starting to make his eyes water, so he'd take a quick look at what the source was and then get the hell out of there. He reached a back room, and slowly opened the door, feeling slightly nervous despite all his bravado earlier. Creepy ghost towns tended to do that. After swinging the door open and taking in the revolting sight of all the dead animal corpses, Derek backed out, shaking his head. "Poor, damned animals." he muttered in a sort of eulogy. He made his way back out of the grocery store and almost immediately after he closed the door he heard a bloodcurdling scream. Jumping back in shock, Derek unloaded a shotgun round into the door of the store before realizing the scream sounded vaguely Ruthie-ish. He turned to start bolting in the direction of the scream, but saw Ian running in the same direction. "Alright, you see what happened to Ruthie, I'll go make sure Shou hasn't fallen yet!" he shouted across the town before breaking off toward the doctor's place and very nearly busting down the door. "Shou! SHOU! Answer me, man! Are you alive?!" -07:24 Oct 08

Shou: Pat...pat....pat... The sound suddenly switched its rhythm and Shou felt something tap his shoulder. Glancing over, he spotted the drop of mucky something and immediately he frowned. Taking a step back, Shou tilted back his head and gazed up at the ceiling. Something was leaking on the floor above. But that was hardly as much of a concern as the message he'd finally noticed. The smears on the walls had looked like paint, so naturally he'd disregarded it. But now he was almost certain that this was not the case. "Let me..ou--" A banshee wail came tearing through the building and Shou nearly leaped right out of his skin! Whirling around, he darted back toward the front, backpack rattling, floorboards crying out in agony. He cleared the doorway and the veranda beyond-- and plowing right into Derek. Together the pair tumbled to the street in a cloud of dust and flailing limbs. -07:27 Oct 08

The source of the scream was at the Tailors, yet... not a soul was there. It was obvious someone HAD been there. Ruthie's footprints as she wandered around the place. In the back, her bag was lying on the floor and her camera was smashed in to pieces. But Ruthie? No where to be seen. -Ruthie 07:31 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian was glad Derek went the other way. He didn't need to be accidentally shot when he went to find out why Ruth just screamed. He went into the Tailor's shop and shuttered. Manikins gave him the heebee jeebees. He did not call out to Ruth, unsure what had caused her to scream and sure as hell not wanting to alert any 'somethings' to his presence. Or at least that had been the plan until he saw her gear on the floor. "Damn it, the camera." There would be no knowing if she caught a picture of what caught her now. How could her footprints just stop? And there be no blood or other prints. "Fuck!" Ian, despite his better judgment went out the back door. "RUTHIE!" -07:34 Oct 08

Derek: Derek was wholly unprepared for the mass of human flying at him at the speed of sound, and as such was knocked forcefully backwards into the dirt, flailing about as he tried to disentangle himself from his attacker. "RAAGH, YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE, BASTARD!" he shouted, unloading the second round into the dirt before finally managing to get to his feet and assess the situation. Shou was on the ground, looking quite like he had seen a ghost or thereabouts. Normally Derek would have started cursing at him for ramming into him, but the look on Shou's face said it all. "Shou, what did you see, man?" he asked, putting down his gun and reaching a hand out to help his companion up. -07:36 Oct 08

Shou: The next few seconds were a blur of struggle, a shotgun firing, and-- was that cologne or zombie repellent? And when Derek untangled himself, Shou lay on his back, arched over like a snail stuck on its shell mostly because of his backpack. He wasn't sure what had scared him more - the scream, the message, or the shotgun just barely missing his face. But when Derek offered a hand to help him up, he took it and muttered, "Messages...blood... Possibly a knocked over chamber pot." -07:43 Oct 08

Shou: "Also, I think I swallowed my lime sucker whole..." -07:45 Oct 08

Ian's shout sure didn't get a reply. And the only people outside were Shou and Derek. Even the gunshot didn't seem to disturb anything outside of a flock of birds, cawing and flapping away. But wait... Through the clouded glass windows on the second floor of the saloon, shadowy figures could be seen passing by. ...or was that just a trick of light? -Ruthie 07:46 Oct 08

Ian Brown: This was not the type of job Ian liked. He didn't mind working alone, but with a too small of group, mysterious happenings, and now one member of the team missing, Ian was pissed. Grumbling to himself Ian headed for the Saloon. He didn't even bother calling out to the boys, but he didn't hide what he was doing either as he used both arms to swing open the doors. -07:49 Oct 08

Derek: Derek could barely make out Shou's mumbled reply, but he nodded all the same. "Alright. We're going to the Saloon." He said decidedly. "If I know anything about Saloons it's that they're good for shelter and defense." He said, cracking open the break-action shotgun and popping in another pair of shells from his pack to replace the ones he had wasted earlier. Cocking the gun with another metallic "chik chik", Derek noticed Ian, who was already heading into the saloon. "I knew he was a smart one." he chuckled to himself, entering the saloon a few seconds behind him. -07:52 Oct 08

The Saloon, like the other places, was abandoned, derelict and devoid of life. Bottles of booze on the shelf were undisturbed, most even still filled with various shades of liquer. The mirror that once decorated the shelves behind the bar had been cracked in a dozen different places. Here too were signs that people just up and left. Forgotten umbrellas, canes, even guns scattered about the room. A loud THU-THUMP hit the floorboards upstairs. Maybe it was not so devoid of life after all. -Ruthie 07:56 Oct 08

Shou: Well Shou didn't really want to go back into any of the buildings. He'd rather just stay outside and find the graveyard. But as Derek began to walk away, he started to feel rather...exposed. There were eyes on him. Or maybe the joint he'd smoked earlier was finally wearing off. Either way, he didn't want to be alone, so he scrambled after Derek, gluing himself to the man's side while wide eyes darted back and forth. "Who was that screaming? Was that Ruthie? Where is she?" -07:58 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Gone," Ian said not looking back behind himself at the two behind him. He studied the room then dropped his shoulder bag on the bar as he headed up the stairs, his backpack too secure to bother getting rid of it and having the more important gear besides. If there were people it was only a fifty fifty shot they wouldn't hear the stairs being used. -08:00 Oct 08

Derek: Derek grunted a bit as Shou attached to his side, but merely shook his head as they entered the saloon together. "Yeah, it was Ruthie. I'd bet all my shotgun shells on it." he said, as the thump hit the floor. He jerked his head up, staring at the rotted planks for several seconds before lowering his gaze slowly. Turning to Shou, he spoke: "Dunno where Ruthie went, but I get the feeling we're about to find out." Immediately spotting the guns on the ground afterward, he motioned to Shou and - wait, where did Ian go? Derek's gaze bolted to the stairwell to see the last of someone's foot disappearing up the stairs. "Dammit, Ian.. You're gonna get yourself killed." He shook his head and turned to Shou. "Arm yourself," he said, pointing at the guns, "Better safe than sorry, anyway." -08:04 Oct 08

CREAK. CREAK. CREAK. There was no way to sneak up those stairs, with the way the wood was rotted and loose. At the top there was a small hall. On one side there were several closed doors. Probably the rooms where harlots took their beaus. On the otherside was the railing, looking out over the main saloon floor. There were now no more sounds coming from any of the rooms. -Ruthie 08:08 Oct 08

Shou: "Right..." Peeling himself away from Derek, Shou moved toward the nearest table with a gun on it. His nerves were on edge and the thump upstairs wasn't helping at all. "You know..I didn't want to mention this earlier because I really wanted to find some skeletons today but..." He picked up the gun and turned it over in his hand. The chamber was rusted in place. "When someone said something about how there was supposed to be more people with us... I dunno, my mind went to that astronaut movie. Apollo 18 or whatever. About how the whole trip was set up just so that home base could see what was up there on the moon. The astronauts were basically...lab rats." -08:11 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian looked ot at the main floor, taking note of the bar and the piano and the chandelier. He doubted he'd find what he came up there for, but he opened the first door anyways. He'd look into each one and if he found nothing screw it! -08:11 Oct 08

Derek: Derek listened to Shou, looking around cautiously with his shotgun in hand as he did so, then nodded. "Yeah... I'm getting that kind of vibe too, man. Stay close; now that we know something's out there we can't afford to be caught out alone." He looked up at Ian for a few seconds before deciding that he knew what he was doing. "C'mon, let's barricade the place. If there are more out there, we'd better make it hard as hell for them to break in." He said, looking around for a hammer and nails he could use to board up the windows with. -08:17 Oct 08

In the first room, there was the typical budoir of a well to-do whore. Dusty and stale for sure, but this place didn't seem to succumb as badly to the elements as many of the other buildings. Nothing was in there. In the second room, the decor was plain. Simple. A large bed with it's stuffings ripped out and strewn everywhere. Recently. In the third... there was Ruthie! Lying in the middle of the floor, unconcious with a bloodied welt at her temple. Her clothes half soaked with cloudy water and stained with what looked like mud. -Ruthie 08:18 Oct 08

Shou: "Is that such a good idea?" Shou asked, still studying the several guns around the room. "We can't hold out forever with no food. And what if there's something in here?" -08:22 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian entered the room cautiously. How Ruthie got there he wasn't sure and he didn't want to be come the trapped and Ruthie being the bait. When he got to where Ruthie laid he carefully knelt down and checked her pulse. -08:24 Oct 08

Derek: Derek stopped in his tracks, gazing forward as though frozen. Soon enough, he melted backwards and returned to the table Shou was standing by. "Damn, you're right." he grumbled while taking a seat in one of the old wooden chairs at the table and laying his shotgun across it. "I suppose we should look around for escape routes or 'last stand' points." -08:26 Oct 08

Shou: "I think we should get out of here before the sun starts to set. We should have a few hours at least," Shou replied, taking a seat across from Derek. "You know, now that I think about it. That message could just be a joke. This whole thing could just be a joke. Whose idea was it to come here anyway? I got a message from Ruthie." -08:28 Oct 08

Derek: Derek took his chin in his hand, brow furrowed in thought. "Yeah, the message I got was from Ruthie as well. You know, for someone who didn't want to come here in the first place, she did seem adamant about bringing us all here." Even the usually level-headed Derek was starting to be roped into Shou's conspiracy theory. "I think once Ian's done bungling around up there we should consider our options." -08:33 Oct 08

Ian Brown: (brb) -08:35 Oct 08

Shou: "Okay..well... All of those guns are useless. Time kind of wrecked the hell out of them. So..." Getting to his feet and pushing his chair back with his legs, unintentionally making a resounding, irritating, wood on wood sound, the young man shrugged off his backpack and dropped it with a thump onto the table. He dug around for a moment in the main compartment, pulling out a lunchbox and a few cans of soda. Then he snickered and said, "Hey look. Mary Poppins bag," as he proceeded to pull a five foot long shovel, spade first, out of the bag. It was collapsible but...details. -08:40 Oct 08

Derek: "Damn." Was all Derek could say. They were in a saloon, likely with some murderous phantom or other, with no plausible escape routes and dud weaponry. Things were looking bleak if the fight was brought to them. He arched a brow as Shou pulled out a full-sized shovel from a bag that could definitely not hold it. Cracking into a grin and chuckling a bit, Derek leaned back in his chair, very nearly snapping the back off, and eyed the man before him. "So what's that for?" he asked, folding his arms out of impatience. If Ian didn't hurry up, Derek was starting to consider leaving him behind. -08:49 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Well she was alive, but she wasn't awake. At least Ruthie wasn't a large woman. Gruffing slightly Ian picked up the girl and started heading down the stairs. "Boys, you still here?" he called out halfway down. -08:51 Oct 08

Shou: "What else? Digging up the dead." Shou cast Derek a happy little smile and hugged the shovel as if it were his favorite teddy bear. "Yeah. Still here. What did you find up th-- Ruthie?" -08:54 Oct 08

Derek: Derek looked over at Ian, and started to speak, "Well, it's about- the hell?" he interrupted himself mid-sentence at the sight of Ruthie in his arms. Derek stood up and took a few steps toward Ian to get a closer look. "What the fuck happened?" he asked. -08:56 Oct 08

Ruthie: Off the floor and halfway down the stairs, being carried like a sack of potatos, Ruthie finally groaned. Her limp body went tense in a split second, and all of a sudden she was all swinging, flailing limbs, and screaming like a banshee. "HOLY SHIT. DON'T TOUCH ME! FUCK YOU! AAIIIIIEEEE!" In all her swinging, she may have swung a punch or two at unfortunate souls standing too close. -08:56 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian got a glancing blow on the chin and promptly dropped Ruthie. Like hell he was going to get bruised up from some half hallucinating chick. "Good you're awake. Means you can walk." And then he walked over Ruthie. -08:59 Oct 08

Derek: Derek arched a brow at Ian as he dropped Ruthie. "Damn, you're cold, man. I can respect that." He said, watching as Ian passed him. Looking down at Ruthie, Derek arched a brow. "Jesus, what happened to you?" he asked, noting the welt on her head. -09:02 Oct 08

Shou: "Ruthie are you alright?" Shou asked a little more kindly than the other two boys. Dropping the shovel, he moved to the girl's side and crouched to inspect the lump on her head. "Now we definitely need to leave. We need to get her to a hospital." -09:04 Oct 08

Ruthie: Ruthie hit the floor in a heap and let out another grooooaaaan. Now, not only was her head splitting, her assbone was good and sore too. On the brightside, it looked like she had realized who she was with. Every guy there earned her most vicious glare as she leaned on one hand and pressed her palm against her head. "Thanks, dick." she growled out first. "I don't... I don't know. I think some... guy... clonked me. He was just standing there, holding this dead animal..." -09:05 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Maybe there's a wildman living out here." Ian wasn't sure, but it was the most sensible conclusion. "In any case Shou is right, you're hurt and there's no reason to ignore that. This town isn't going anywhere. Let's get out of here." Ian took a few steps then paused and turned around. "I'm afraid he smashed up your camera. Put in an insurance claim with the school. Make sure they get you a new one." -09:07 Oct 08

Derek: Derek's gaze snapped to Ruthie as soon as she said the phrase 'dead animal'. "Shou's right. We need to get the FUCK out of here." He said, clambering for his shotgun. He popped it open and made sure there were shells in it before closing it with a metallic clunk. He slung the shotgun over his shoulder with one hand and as he extended the other for Ruthie to get up, he looked over at Ian. "Nah, man, I saw this huge-ass pile of dead animals rotting in the back of the grocery store." His slightly fearful face should serve as proof enough. -09:09 Oct 08

Ruthie: "What about my bag? I need my bag." Ugh, her camera! That thing cost her a fortune. Accepting the help, Ruthie was shakey getting to her feet. Whomever had clonked her, had did it hard enough that she was still seeing spots. "I'll get my stuff and we'll get out of here, yeah. I definitely don't wanna run around with some animal collecting psycho out there." Ruthie sure wasn't going to end up like one of those horror movie bimbos that wanted to stay and explore! That was crazy! -09:13 Oct 08

Shou: "Dead animals? But don't you find it weird that there were no footprints in the dust? At least not in the Doc's house. And the only footprints here are our own." Eyes cast down at the floor, Shou was following said footprints. "We should all stick together this time." -09:15 Oct 08

Derek: Derek nodded at Shou. "Yeah, Shou's got the right idea. We're not letting you go anywhere on your own, Ruthie." He said, standing at attention with his gun at his chest for emphasis. "Alright, let's get a move on before whatever big bad is stalking us comes out of the shadows." he said, holding his gun at the ready. "Lead the way, Ruthie." -09:17 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian did not want to discuss the weird things. Shou was right, absolutely, which was all the more reason to leave and come back with a diffrent type of team. "Ruthie is too unstable to go around anywhere by herself so of course we will go together." If Ian left with as many people as he started with he'd call this a good day. -09:17 Oct 08

The moment they opened the saloon doors and tried to step outside, that is when the chaos happened. PEWPEWPEW! Three sharp gunshots rang out, all three coming so close to hitting IAN that it was clear something, or rather someONE was deliberately aiming. And where ever they were, they were shooting from long rage and out of immediate sight. -Ruthie 09:21 Oct 08

Derek: Derek stumbled sideways as the gunshots rang out over the dusty road. "Sniper!" he shouted, growling angrily as he looked around wildly. "Stay back, I know how to handle this." He said, holding an arm out to bar the others' paths. He slung his shotgun over his shoulder, placing his other hand in a pocket, and sauntered out onto the road smooth-like. "Alright, brother. Come on out and we can settle this man-to-man." He said, looking around calmly. -09:24 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Damn it!" Ian was now against the wall just beside the door. "So this was a little set up, eh?" Ian reached into his jacket with both hands and pulled out two high caliber pistols. "New plan, you... what the fuck!" Was Derek trying to get killed? -09:25 Oct 08

Derek got no response. He didn't seem to be the target. That was made even more clear when Ian dared to try and take a look around the doorframe and another round of PEW!PEW!PEW! went off. -Ruthie 09:32 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Fine, they want to play that game." Ian stood up and walked back to the bar and looked at the bottles. There was still alcohol in them. It gave him an idea. "Shou, get Ruthie out of here." -09:34 Oct 08

Shou: Shou was hiding under the table right about now. His lunchbox and drinks still on top and the bag open. But food was not particularly on his mind at the moment. He was more concerned with the bullets that had nearly turned Ian into swiss cheese. And then he saw Derek waltz right out into the open and panic overwhelmed him. He thought that at any second he would see Derek's head would explode with a bullet to it but when the next round missed him by a wide margin, some of the fear subsided. "Ian...is there something you wanna tell us?" he asked. "Like why the hell whomever that is, is shooting at just you?!" -09:34 Oct 08

Ruthie: Meanwhile, Ian wasn't the only one shouting what the fuck. Ruthie too had ducked back inside, making sure she wasn't near any windows. Her head was aching after being temporarily kidnapped, and now there was a gun fight? "What kind of field trip is this?!" she howled. She didn't see the hatch on the floor opening up, or the wet hand reaching out. Not until it grabbed her ankle and yanked. Ruthie hit the floor with a startled scream, and was draaaagged along the floor and down in to the hatch! Where it was dark, damp, and smelled stroooooongly of sulfer! -09:35 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian looked up at Shou. "Do you really think now is a discussion for empolyeement practices? You need to... Ruthie!" What was with this woman getting kidnapped! -09:38 Oct 08

Shou: "Ruthie!" Scrambling across the floor on his hands and knees, Shou reached the hatch first and clawed at the seam. There was no handle and it cut up the skin around his fingernails but he still managed to claw it open. The hatch hit the floor with a hard thump and a waft of sulfur had him gagging and choking. Still, he trust his arms into the darkness, groping around and calling out, "Ruthie! Ruthieee!" -09:41 Oct 08

Derek: Derek blinked as more rounds were fired at Ian and lowered his brows dangerously. He picked up his shotgun and strode purposefully towards the Saloon just in time to hear Shou shouting at Ian and see Ruthie being pulled down a cellar hatch. "God DAMMIT!" he shouted, punching a wall in frustration. He looked meaningfully between the two, his expression fierce. "One of us needs to get Ruthie- SHOU!" He shouted as he noticed Shou writhing around in the hatch. "Dammit, man!" He said, yanking the man out of the hatch. "You're gonna get yourself killed!" -09:43 Oct 08

Ruthie: One could hear Ruthie screaming, but it was echoing. Meaning, there was a passage there under the saloon. Perhaps under the entire town. Down below, it sounded like running water was rushing by. But it was too dark to actually see below. It smelled AWFUL and Ruthie's screaming voice was getting fainter and fainter! -09:43 Oct 08

Derek: "We need to approach this with strategy." Derek continued. "Someone's got to take care of that sniper so Ian doesn't get headshot on our way out, and someone needs to -carefully- go after Ruthie." He dictated. Splitting up was the last thing they needed to do, but it was their only option. -09:45 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian reached into his back pack and pulled out a head lamp. He was use to working in caves after all. Putting it over his head, Ian turned on the light and since Shou had been dragged out of the hatch, jumped in feet first. A satifying splash was heard. "Come out, come out, whoever you are." -09:45 Oct 08

Derek: Derek blinked after Ian. "I guess that solves that problem. C'mon Shou, we've got a sniper to hunt." he stated, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder again as he strode towards the door. -09:46 Oct 08

Shou: Shou slapped Derek's hand away from him and lept up to his feet. He hurried over to his backpack, tossing out useless items until he found his flashlight. "I'm going after Ruthie. I don't care about some idiot firing at us. Where are your priorities?" A glare was cast toward Derek before the young man grabbed up his shovel, turned on the flashlight, and moved to the edge of the hatch. Carefully he lowered himself down. -09:48 Oct 08

Derek: Derek glared after the man before shouting "If someone doesn't take care of that asshole we'll be going home with three people anyway!" Staring into the hatch, Derek sighed heavily and grumbled. "God dammit, man." He muttered angrily, before switching on his shotgun's tactical light and dropping in behind them. -09:50 Oct 08

Shou: (( I'll be back asap, assume Shou is just following people! )) -09:52 Oct 08

With Ian's light leading the way, it was clear that the tunnel was an old one. Not as old as the town itself, but old enough to have been there for quite a while. As they guys walked, ever so often they would stumble in to a cellar. Suggesting that the tunnels connected all of the buildings together. Even the cellars were flooded with the cloudy, terrible smell water. And littered here and there would be dead bodies of various sized small animals. Ruthie wasn't screaming anymore, but the sounds hinted at a struggle somewhere further town the tunnel. -Ruthie 09:55 Oct 08

Derek: Derek waded through the muck, slowly panning his shotgun's tactical light around at the surroundings. "This place must be incredibly old.." he said, still looking around. From all appearances, what they were walking through was the town sewers. Derek cautiously stepped around any and all dead animals they encountered, keeping his shotgun pointed firmly forward. -10:00 Oct 08

Before long, another light could be seen at the end of the tunnel, just around a corner. Candlelight or fire, as it was flickering gently. A sillouetted shadow of a man's shape being cast against the muddy wall. Ruthie could be heard again. This time in growling, angry muffles. Ian wisely turned off his lamp and took a peek around the corner. There was Ruthie, hands tied and mouth gagged. As a lumbering fellow in mud soaked overalls was trying to gently pet her hair. In a corner of the cell was another huge pile of dead animals. Across several tables seemed to be collected items from all over town. Candles, undamaged cans of food, a huge thick book, letters from the post office, mangled mannequins... What they needed was a plan! -Ruthie 10:07 Oct 08

Derek: Derek, noticing Ian peeking around the corner, turned around, shining his light back down the tunnel as he back up closer. "What do you see?" He asked in a whisper, keeping his attention focused to their rear. -10:10 Oct 08

With one of those grimly annoyed and mysterious looks that Ian seemed to be known for, he stepped aside allowing Derek and Shou to take a peek around the corner and see! -Ruthie 10:12 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Crazy old mountain men. This was something Ian could deal with. It was good to be sure everyone was on the same page though and he waited for the boys to get an eye full. "That one, he ain't gonna intentionally hurt Ruthie, but that's not really the point," Ian whispered. "We need to draw him away from her though all the same. Them type are usually stronger then they look." -10:15 Oct 08

Shou: (( back )) -10:15 Oct 08

Ruthie: Ruthie seemed to be in a bad place. After all, she was tied up and being petted by A CRAZY HILLBILLY. With every pet, she cringed and wriggled trying to scoot away. Growled her COMPLETE disapproval. This was a page right out of every country murder spree ever. She was going to die a hillbilly wife and gutted up like a rabbit! Ruthie was practically sobbing. -10:16 Oct 08

Derek: Derek looked over his shoulder and, understanding the gesture, flicked off his light and peeked around the corner himself. Derek looked on incredulously, mouth slightly open in disgust. Just what the hell was that creep doing? After sizing up the area, Derek retreated and addressed his companions. "Alright, here's the plan: We need to lure that man over here so we can knock him out or kill him, whatever is more appropriate for the time." Derek nodded at Ian. "Right. I suggest we flicker one of our lights so the crazy guy comes on over. Those types are known for their attraction to 'shinies'." -10:16 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian thought it was in the realm of crazy plans, but how else would you catch a crazy? Ian flickered the light on the walls of the dwelling, then on the floor. "Come to the slaughter you fat piggie," he muttered under his breath. -10:21 Oct 08

Shou: Why were they both looking at him? "I... I don't want to be the bait though..." Shou mumbled, looking pretty pale about this whole situation. But he supposed he didn't need to even say it because Ian went ahead and did it anyway and Shou scrambled to one side of the opening, waiting with his shovel poised to strike, hands shaking something fierce. -10:22 Oct 08

Derek: Derek sighted down his shotgun, making sure no friendlies were in the line of fire, and aimed at where the lumbering hill-billy would come from. Now all there was to do was wait. -10:24 Oct 08

It was Ruthie that saw the light first, assuming it was her rescue and squealing trying to get their attention. In turn, it made her "friend" spin around to see what she was staring at. He couldn't even seem to talk real words. He mumbled out a mix of grunts and growls as he lumbered quickly across the cellar. In his hand was a very large old hunting knife. He was not surprised at all to see three of them around the corner, and wasted no time at all in swinging around his knife trying to hit jugulars. -Ruthie 10:25 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian went low and then went under the blade, going behind the hill-billie, coming up to pistol whip him. Ian had a few questions for the fellow. -10:27 Oct 08

Shou: Shou let out a terrified (and slightly effeminate) yelp and threw the shovel up between his throat and the knife. The resounding CLANNNNG! that followed rang in his ears but by the time the shock wore off, Ian was already on the move! If being cracked across the face wasn't enough to keep the big guy down, Shou's thump to the head with the shovel might just do the trick! -10:30 Oct 08

Derek: Derek roared and backpedaled the slash, unloading both rounds into the giant of a man. Sidestepping and fumbling with his pack, he reloaded the shotgun with a fresh pair of shells only to find both Shou and Ian attempting to knock the sod out. -10:30 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "Are you trying to get one of us too with that shot gun?" Ian growled as he stepped away. It was time to rescue a damsel and a swiss army knife was now in Ian's hand. -10:33 Oct 08

Knocking him out did not seem to work, he was moaning and snarling, but those bullets hit home. The big muddy sack of crazy hit the mud soaked ground with a sickening SPLAT. He looked pretty dead, especially with those pools of blood oozing out of those bullet wounds. -Ruthie 10:33 Oct 08

Derek: Derek spat at Ian. "It got the job done, didn't it? I made DEAD sure not to get either of you in the line of fire, so don't give me that shit!" -10:34 Oct 08

Shou: "Stop fighting and get Ruthie. I want to leave right now," Shou whined, taking a step between the bickering duo. -10:37 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian walked over to Ruthie to cut the ropes, his eyes flittering around the room as he did so. Good thing he was cutting away from her. -10:38 Oct 08

Derek: Derek stepped on the beast's corpse, rolling it with his foot and pointing the barrel of his gun directly at the giant's head. "God save us, you bastard." He said before pulling the trigger, unleashing a round of lead into his head. -10:40 Oct 08

Ruthie: "Holy shit, holy shit...! I am so dropping this class!" As soon as Ruthie was cut free, she was clinging on to Ian with a death grip! "THank you, thank you...! I'll never call you a dick again! Unless you're asking for it!" She didn't seem to notice at all that he was looking for something in the cellar room. -10:41 Oct 08

Shou: "Wait. What are you do-- Dammit, Derek!" The guy earned himself a girly thump or two of the fist to the arm. "You didn't have to turn his head into ground beef!" Thump thump! The sulfur smell and the sight of the fresh corpse turned Shou's stomach and he scooted away a few feet to hunch over and vomit. -10:44 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian smiled somewhat gently at Ruthie. "It's okay. You're okay now." He patted her with his free arm. "Why don't you go join Shou at the exit?" -10:44 Oct 08

"A job well done, Mister Ian Brown. Professor Yoshi sure does know how to plan his excavations. Nobody move, now." The voice came out of no where. It sure wasn't a hillbilly. Another man appeared, coming down the cellar steps. He had a gun trained on Ian and a Cheshire cat smile. "Good thinking to use the girl as bait for the wildman. And he even provided a gun-slinging patsy to lay the blame on if anyone wound up dead. Can't figure how the bone digger fits in but... well. All -I- came for is the book. SO how about you walk on over to that table over there and hand it to me." -Ruthie 10:45 Oct 08

Derek: Derek pumped his shotgun with a satisfying *chik chik* that released the shell into the water. He looked over to Shou and opened his mouth to speak, but grimaced as he started to vomit and turned away, only to hear the voice of someone, or someTHING else. "Show yourself." He said, bringing his shotgun up to eye level. -10:47 Oct 08

[Derek didn't realize the man appeared))] -10:49 Oct 08

Shou: Maybe it was because he was standing ankle deep in stank water, but Shou's whole body turned ice cold. Slowly, he stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, staring at the new patron to the cellar. "This was...all a set up? I knew it. I fricken called it!" Eyes hesitant to leave the man with the gun, Shou's gaze moved to Ian. "What book? What is this all about?" -10:50 Oct 08

Derek: Derek lowered his shotgun as something clicked in his mind. "Wait, 'A job well done'? What the hell is he on about, Ian?" Derek's gaze burned into Ian's head. "Answer me, dammit!" He shouted. -10:51 Oct 08

Ruthie: "Bait...?" she repeated the word dimly, also taking a look at Ian. Crazy hillbilly guy wasn't enough, there was something else going on too? -10:52 Oct 08

[Derek accidentally closed the tab] -10:53 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "I am impressed, you know Yoshi well enough to know how he operates and yet are flinching one of his little prizes." Ian kept his eyes where the man could see them as he slowly walked to the table. "There are always little gems in this world collectors want. Some of them will pay very handsomely for. I myself don't care about the prize very much." Ian picked up the book. "Friend, you sure you want to make THAT man angry when he's only a few states away? I have heard what he can do halfway across the world." -10:54 Oct 08

"What do I care about a man who uses kids to do his dirty work. I did try to save the girl, after all. Sorry, sweets. Normally I like to sweep a girl off her feet, but with a man like Ian Brown around... A man's gotta make sure the competition is knocked out first." The gun never left Ian, even if the guy did give a winsome smile over in Ruthie's direction. "I for one would quit talking, Mister Brown. Otherwise I might be obliged to kill all of these witnesses... Bring me the book." -Ruthie 10:59 Oct 08

Derek: Derek raised his shotgun again. "Somebody tell me what the FUCK is going on, or I'm going to start shooting." He warned, cocking his shotgun again for emphasis. -11:00 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Ian was good at what he did, and what he did was not study rocks all day, despite his degree. "The book, of course." Ian then threw the book at the man with the gun, hoping his assesement of the others in the room was correct or he would most surely be dead, and them as well. -11:01 Oct 08

Shou: Still very confused about everything, Shou stared from person to person as they spoke, not unlike a child witnessing a mommy and daddy argument. All he knew was that he thoroughly hated two of these people right now and nobody was paying him much attention because he didn't have a gun. Well, he had something at least and he was going to use it. Surprisingly quick for someone usually so slow, Shou reached back and whipped his flashlight at the mystery man's head, hopefully distracting him long enough for the other two to do something. -11:06 Oct 08

The Man caught the book with a smirk. Only to get clonked in the head with a flashlight two seconds later. Snarling in rage as he dove for the book, he opened fire at Ian and Derek first. Those assholes had the guns. And while shooting he ran at and grabbed Ruthie. Cause asshole withs guns always had bleeding hearts for the damsel in distress. "COOL IT. I'LL KILL HER, AND GLADLY TOO!" -Ruthie 11:09 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "You kill her, that means I get to wound you, find out who you work for, and make sure you wish I killed you." -11:11 Oct 08

Ian Brown: (Lost half that!) Ian was bleeding from his right arm, but didn't seem to be too worried about it. -11:11 Oct 08

Ruthie: Yeah, no, Ruthie wasn't doing this again! While gunguy shouted, she elbowed him hard in the stomach, then she spun around to kick him right in the balls. As he doubled over she was snatching his gun out his hand and backing away quickly. Aiming it, despite the fact she had no damned idea how to use the thing. "Yeah, I'm not staring in a horror flick, dammit! Everybody quit using me for shit!" -11:12 Oct 08

Derek: Derek rolled to the side, attempting to dodge the bullet but yelling out in agony as he slammed into the dank water, searing pain in his leg. He looked up just in time to see Ruthie kick the man all over the place and at seeing such a glowing display of awesomeness, Derek mustered up the strength to climb the wall and lean against it, putting his weight on his non-injured leg. "Kick ass." he said, shooting Ruthie a fierce grin before turning his gaze to the man, expression turning angry again. -11:15 Oct 08

Shou: Well apparently the only one with some guts was Ruthie! Shou cheered as she hoofed the guy square in the jewels, smiling at the girl's words. "Even for comfort hugs?" he piped up in the background. -11:15 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "What I said earlier I meant. Shou, you any good with ropes? It's time we tied him up and get out of here." Ian glanced over at Ruthie and grinned. "You should take a few self defense courses. You've handled yourself well here honey." -11:19 Oct 08

Shou: "You! You don't get to make decisions!" Shou growled, pointing a finger at Ian. "You used us!" -11:20 Oct 08

Derek: Derek shot Ian a glare as well. "I wouldn't talk so sweet, bro. You've got some explaining to do yourself." He nodded in agreement with Shou, turning to point his gun at Ian. -11:20 Oct 08

Ian Brown: "I did not, my empolyer did. If you have a problem with how this all turned out feel free to talk to him. And please stop pointing that thing at me, that man is not dead and I'd like to keep him that way." Ian said pointing to the guy on the ground. "He's breathing, thus he's dangerous." -11:21 Oct 08

Ruthie: "Can we point guns at Ian AFTER we get out of this hell hole? It's not like we won't see him at school!" Ugh, honey! What was with guys calling chicks that? Her boyfriend was soooo much better with words. While the guys did their cock display, Ruthie snatched up the ropes and did the dying. "I want out of here." -11:22 Oct 08

[(Timeout) Derek stayed still too long and is dragged away by plot bunnies.] -11:24 Oct 08

Shou: Making a face like he was tasting something disgusting, Shou forced his tongue to stay in check and instead just moved toward the cellar stairs. "I'll open the door," he grumbled, stomping up them one at a time. -11:24 Oct 08

Derek: Derek rolled his eyes and lowered his gun. He didn't feel any better about this at all, but if what Ian was saying was true, it'd be better to learn what was happening then shoot the only people who had any idea of what was going on. After Ruthie finished tying up the man, Derek beat him across the back of the head with the butt of his gun to make sure he was out cold. "Alright, let's get this asshole out of here." He said, flicking on his light and going ahead with Shou. -11:25 Oct 08

Ian Brown: Once the man was tied up and knocked out for good messure, Ian finally took a look at his arm. "No golf this week," he muttered as he started to follow, pausing to pick something up out of the mucky water. The trip back to the cars was going to be fun. Ian wondered how long the adrenalin was going to hold out for Derek. -11:27 Oct 08

Ruthie: Ruthie made sure to follow close at everyone's heels. "Man. I am so quitting Professor Yoshi's class..." -11:29 Oct 08

THE END. .... OR IS IT. -Ruthie 11:29 Oct 08