Root of Nightmare IC: Start of Slumber

[Callos_DeTerran]

In today's news, the police have still refused to give out a list of names of the people killed in what is now being known the Rice-Eccles Shooting. There are, however, twenty-five known fatalities that included a number of the bank robbers themselves. We do know that four men and women have been apprehended and that the supposed ring leader, a Stephanie Kirdrow, may have some connections to recently deceased death row inmate James Kirdrow.

A radio blares away the soothing voice of Peggy Smithson, the KSL radio news anchor, as she details the large shoot out that had occurred in front of the Rice-Eccles Stadium not seven hours ago at 12 PM and has been on the news ever since that incident. But it was merely part of the background noise at Bill & Nada's cafe where people have come for the good food and little else.

The shooting began when the police cornered the armored truck that the robbers had been using to escape and several armed assailants burst from the back of the vehicle to open fire on their pursuers. Civilians were quickly caught in the gunfire.

The entire cafe has this grungy 1920's feel to it, much of the paint faded and begun to peel, the cook a rather greasy man who makes an awesome plate of fries while an older woman waits on the half-full diner with old experience at the job. Despite it's bland surroundings though, one can still see their reflections in the chrome on the chairs and stools, a brief hint of cleanliness to be had in the otherwise dingy surroundings. But the food is good and service is fast (if testy) so few complain. Almost a half dozen people populate the stools and tables, either dining alone or talking quietly to their own companions.

This just in...I'm hearing a report that there are still running gun fights through out the city. It is unsure if these are merely criminals taking advantage of the chaos or if they are in liege with Kirdrow's gang.

Streetlights provide all of the illumination outside, keeping the rain slicked streets well illuminated for those on their way home from work or recreation. It's almost a shame that the cafe's neon sign isn't capable of lighting up anymore, since it'd likely brighten the humid darkness outside quite well, but there was little to help with that. Bill and Nada's cafe is a multi-story affair though only the first floor is part of the diner, the other(s) devoted to living space for the owner/cook and his wife/waitress. A well-built and sturdy building.

Despite the mildly alarming news on the radio, there's no noise of gunfire close to the diner itself, meaning it's quite safe to dine and rest for the moment...

Feel free to introduce and interact with one another until the next post.:smallwink:

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe Swift

A young woman of approximate college age sits at the bar, leaning with her head resting on one hand and staring in silent amazement at the speakers relaying the news to the cafe. Her fingers massage their way through her purple-dyed bangs to the blue-black locks that make up the rest of her hair. She lifts her head up, shaking it in disbelief while her now free hand reaches for the drink that had been sitting in front of her.

"I... wow. I was just there yesterday! This is still Salt Lake, right?" she asks nobody in particular. Her beverage slides coolly down her throat, prompting a delicate swallow. She spares a glance downward at the guitar leaning propped up against the bar in front of her, just to make sure nobody had made off with it. She lets out an annoyed huff; she never would have worried about something like that before.

The young woman picks idly at some french fries, digesting the news along with her food. She ***** her head, as if listening for sounds of gunfire. Nothing. Of course. This was a wonderful part of town, and that was usually saying something. Still a wonderful place. Kind of hot, though. She wipes a faint trace of sweat from her cheek with the dark blue sleeve of the long coat she has on. It hangs low below the barstool, dragging the sides back a bit to expose her dark red t-shirt and designer jeans as she sat cross-legged, now chewing on her index finger a bit. An interesting sight to the non-regulars, to be sure.

"Ho boy... I hope this clears up soon, I kinda wanna go home..."

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

The bell at the door jingles cheerily as another patron enters the little diner. Nicholas paused just inside the door as though caught off guard by the simple sound, and examined the bell just a few seconds too long to be seen as quite 'normal'. He let the door swing closed deliberately and listened again for that chime, a sound from a memory he was losing pieces of every day.

The man took a shuddering breath-- but he was probably just cold. After all, the rain outside had him soaked to the bone... did he walk here or something...? Nicholas ran his fingers through his permanently wrinkled, sandy-brown hair as though realizing how wet he'd become, but shrugged and walked dripping over to one of the vacant bar stools. Not like he could do much about it now.

Nicholas is of just over average height, light build, and pale skin; his thoroughly soaked tweed jacket might seem out of place on someone his age, that being probably not even 30 yet, but somehow he manages to wear it as though nothing else would fit better. As he gets closer a tinny, blaring sound from one of the earbuds of his MP3 player can be overheard, though exactly what he's listening to is hard to pick out yet. His stylish glasses (http://www.spexfactory.co.uk/ProductPics/292small.jpg) have rainwater splashed all over the lenses, so instead of trying to continue seeing through them he pulls them off and puts them on the bar in front of him, taking the opportunity to palm his hands over his face like a man trying to stay awake. "Excuse me," He said quietly, almost timidly, to the aging waitress. "May I please have a triple-scoop sundae? With sprinkles?" The request brings a distant smile to his face for a little while.

While he waits, Nicholas goes ahead and removes the tweed jacket to drape it over the stool behind him and let it dry some. Beneath he wears a black t-shirt under a plain white long-sleeve dress shirt, unbuttoned.

MP3 Player: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lL2ZwXj1tXM

[sdeligar]

Josef Kincaid

For about the hundredth time since he had arrived over an hour ago, Josef, looks over to the door watching the new patron closely for a moment before shaking his head and turn back to the soda in front of him. Face it man. Another client stood you up. Not that it's a big surprise considering what's going on out there.

Leaning back in the booth he adjusts the thick coat, trying to get comfortable while keeping the heavy gun concealed. Should have left the stupid thing in the car. Not like I'll actually need it in a place like this. Getting Paranoid are we?

Sighing again he drains his glass and waves over the waiters. "Can I get a refill please?" He glances behind her at the case displaying there dessert selection. "Let's add a slice of pecan pie while we are at it. Thanks." As she returns with his order he reaches into his pocket pulling out the money for both. He had learned early on not to let a bill just sit around. It was bad for ones reputation when you had to leave in a hurry.

[javcs]

Jack Liam

A young fellow who looks to be in his early twenties sits at a table, munching fries after his burger. He's wearing jeans and a loose dark gray t-shirt, his jacket casually set on his chair behind him.

"That keeps up for more than a day or two, there'll probably be curfews imposed and police all over. Might even call for outside assistance. Make my job even harder," Jack mutters disgustedly.

[Fan]

Thomas Isvael (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wN7x4DlfuCY&feature=related)

Thomas gave a noise somewhere between a sigh, and a "pheh", drinking down the warm liquor from his glass, his long coat dry as he had been here since long before it had started raining, and a half empty bottle of whiskey sat beside him.. he had a good tolerance for alcohol, pity he had gotten the bottle that way, and hadn't been able to bring himself to take a drink till the news came on.

These damn TV reporters, ambulence chasers all of em', none of em' concerned with helping out the people, or actually reporting any NEWS for the life of their thrice damned, heartless selves. Death's got ratings. Pah. If you actually dug, and got anything worth reading other than "X died in Y location last night" you'd have more FAITHFUL readers who cared..

This philosophy was one held entirely by himself, newspapers were dying out, being replaced by online newsletters that updated hourly.. hell.. even the TV casters were starting to feel the heat from the new "Online Revolution". He didn't care..

Thomas took another bitter gulp of the warm liquor, why should he care? Because the truth is what's important. Whether other people care or not, is just trivial garbage....

Thomas sighed audibly, heading over to the coat rack, finally shrugging off his coat.. he took out a pack of ciggarette's from the pocket.. sighing when he remembered that the bars had gone smokeless... along with all the other public places.. he put the pack back, and slung the shoulder holster he had for his gun, the permit he had printed onto the leather, and a paper copy in his back pocket.

He turned to examine everyone in the room.. a wet looking guy with a rather odd set of attire.. both casual and formal.. damn new wavers.. The other man.. suspicious type.. likely concealing something underneath that super huge coat. No one wears a coat that many size larger than what was needed if they weren't hiding something.

Then, a pretty younger girl.. with oddly dyed hair.. **** all if it was his business though.. He just liked taking in everyone in the room, playing over what their personalities might be in his head... Such was the woes of a reporter's mind when it went un-worked as long as his has..

Lastly, was the only one who seemed to be making a peep in the whole damn joint aside from Nada screaming at her husband. He seemed to at least be trying to talk, which meant that he wasn't afraid of voicing his opinion, depressed, or hiding ****.

He decided to take a seat next to the only talkative one, holding his bourbon in one hand, and slowly sipping from the glass of strong, warm liquor as he said.

"The police here? Nah, this is a big city. I've seen dozen's of instances like this.. Though.. That gang.. Their leader said some creepy **** right before they put the disturbed little **** down. I got it somewhere if you wanna see it. Did a newspaper article on it, first time any of my ****'s ever hit the front page."

[javcs]

Jack Liam

Jack raised an eyebrow as the fellow came over and sat by him, "You're a reporter, eh? So ... running gun battles all over the city are common here? And the local PD hasn't done anything about it? Hasn't requested assistance? And nobody else has done anything? Wonderful, wish I'd known that before I came out here."

[sdeligar]

He tried not to laugh he really did but having been a victim of PD politics he couldn't help but feel the man was a bit naive."Are you kidding? Calling in for help over a few gang members and some stupid bank robber would be politic suicide, for the chief and city hall both. No, nobody is going to do anything until they are sure there neck isn't on the line. Unless things turn into a full blown riot of course." Taking another bite of his pie he leans back.

"As for the head of this little group I guarantee by the time this is over everybody will just say he was on drugs and to stupid to knock over the local 711."

[javcs]

Jack Liam

"Gang activity is one thing. Gang gunfights almost never hit the news unless somebody gets killed or one happens near where someone 'important' lives. Which doesn't actually happen all that often, since most of them are crap shots, and most of them know that if they stay out of the well-off neighborhoods, nobody who can do anything about it cares enough to get involved. Then there's a brief surge of interest and activity, and a week or so later, it slips out of the public interest, and everything goes back to the way it was," Jack gestures at the radio, "Widespread and ongoing gunfights in the news? That can't last for very long before public outcry and media pressure starts demanding actual concrete actions with genuine effect, rather than the cosmetic stuff that usually happens and leaves things unchanged in the long term. The political damage from being driven to concrete actions before doing anything cosmetic can be tantamount to political death, depending on when the next election is and the issues a viable challenger runs on.
Even imposing curfews and pulling cops off desks aren't long term changes, they're cosmetic, they just make it look like things are being done to address the problem."

[Callos_DeTerran]

As the talk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGUi6spQ9M0&feature=related) about the gang shootings and the events of the day continued among some of the patrons, something...was wrong. A growing electric tingle in the air, making the hair at the back of your necks stand on end as something primitive screams DANGER! in the back of your minds behind the 'civilized' parts. But there was nothing to trigger such a peculiar reaction!

Not yet anyway.

"Get another pie out of the freezer!" Nana calls out to her husband, breaking the spell with a dose of normality. Before one of the stacks of drinking glasses stacked up behind the counter began to tremble, falling off with a loud crash of shattering glass. Outside a car alarm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdsuUlEP57g) begins to shriek like a wounded animal. With alarming abruptness the radio cuts out as well, leaving silence where before there had been the soothing voice of a news caster.

By that point, everyone in the diner can feel it, the soft but steadily growing quiver in the ground below. Nana shrieks as more glasses and plates fall to the ground, shattering just like the glasses before them as the tremors grow worse. Bad enough the enitre diner began to shake and rumble violently, the second floor groaning with the threat of collapse though thankfully it doesn't. Other buildings close by don't seem to be as lucky as the ear-rending noise of asphalt ripping can be heard, a massive crack tore across the street and down the middle of it.

The tremors last for almost half a minute before quieting down, leaving just the noise of people screaming and hollering, abandoning buildings for the relatively safer streets. Down the southern street flames can be seen, likely from a burst gas line, but for the most part the earthquake seems to be over.

Nana stands from where she had fallen, a couple bruises and cuts from broken glass, shaking her head, "Is everyone alright?" she calls out in a shaky voice.

Reflex save DC 15 to avoid falling down and taking 2 points of damage from the fall and glass.

[javcs]

Jack Liam

As the quake begins, Jack staggers up out of his chair, and manages to keep his feet, but he can't keep the look of surprise off his face, "I'm good. Anybody hurt?" Jack replies, startled, "An earthquake? In Salt Lake City?"

Jack grabs his jacket, and pulls a flashlight out, in case the lights go out. Going to the door and looking outside, checking on his car parked out front, "Land lines working? Should probably call in the fire down the street."

[sdeligar]

He had been in the process of responding to Jacks comment when every hair on his body suddenly seemed to try and rip themselves out of his skin and some dark corner of his mind starts to scream.

Sliding out of the booth he stands looking around as he rests his hand on the concealed pistol. He quickly releases it though as the ground begins to shake and he moves to the bar intending to dive under it should the roof start to collapse.

Managing to stay standing, but only just, he walks around checking on everyone offer any help to the hurt and trying to keep everyone from going into a panic. As he does he glances over to Jack at the door."I've lived in Utah all my life and there have been earthquakes in the past but never enough to drop building or tear up the roads. See anything else going on out there?"

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe Swift

She had been swiveling around on her stool to argue with the men behind her about the nature of the police when the fear had struck, sending a shiver up her spine. It had been so long since the last time, so why now? Why...?

The ground begins to quake. Slightly at first, but it builds in intensity until it tears the roads asunder. Desperately reaching for anything to hold on to, the young woman is thrown bodily from her seat and -- I am 25 years old, and I am doing my job. -- lands harshly on the floor. For 4 years, it has been my job to hunt them. Today I am in charge. Phoebe groans softly. Something doesn't feel right. Is this another -- I can see them now. They close in, snarling and baring those great big fangs. I give the order to fire, and -- there is a sudden pain. Her sharp, panicked cry fills the diner as the shaking intensifies. Somewhere, a roaring burst of flame can be heard. Phoebe -- tuck my head in between my hands and pray. No, this isn't right. Not how it was supposed to go. I can feel them on top of me, tearing me open and...!

The tremors fade away. Trembling, eyes dilated in a moment of pure terror, Phoebe's hand gently reaches for her stomach. Blood. She sits up gingerly, and looks down at herself. Must have landed on a broken glass... just what she needs. She rolls her eyes. At least it's over. ...Right?

"Wh-what... what the hell!" She pauses a moment to check if guitar is still safe. It is. Sigh of relief. She pulls herself up to a standing position. "I... um, I cut myself. Is there maybe a first aid kit handy?"

The young girl fishes around in her purse for a moment, pulling out a cell phone and checking to see if she was still getting a signal after all of that. God damn...

[javcs]

Jack Liam

"People running around panicking, like you'd expect." Giving Josef a studied look, "This is gonna be a lot worse than a simple riot."
Glancing at the woman picking herself up off the floor, noticing her shriek and tremors, Yeah, I should have one in my car. Hang on a sec."
Jack steps outside to get a first aid kit and a blanket from his car, "Here, sit down and wrap yourself in this, you don't want to risk going into shock and having a bad reaction."

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

Nicholas had just taken the first bite of his icecream when the rumbling of the very ground beneath the store rattled the bowl right off the side of the counter. Nicholas glanced around shocked as the diner erupted into craziness, glass shattering, people scrambling, the lights flickered once or twice. The whole world seemed like it was falling apart before it finally... settled once more. Nicholas hadn't moved from his bar stool and remained there unscathed.

A moment later, as though sound suddenly came back into focus, the world around him suddenly felt Real again as opposed to the daydream that it had seemed a moment ago. His head rapidly clearing, Nicholas made a non-verbal grunt of surprise at the injured girl that had been sitting near him and jumped up from his chair to see if she was all right. "Woah, woahwoahwoah," He slid to his knees beside her, and putting one hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right? You're bleeding, where are you cut?" This, of course, was asked half because he hadn't had time to determine the answer to the question himself, but half because it was important whether or not the girl was present enough to be aware of it herself. If her mind was sharp and aware, it was a very good sign. "My name is Nicholas, what's your name?"

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe Swift

She doesn't answer the question at first, too preoccupied with things like breathing and returning her heart to "below hummingbird" levels of beating. Ok... ok. This is ok. Just an earthquake. A bad one, but still - earthquakes aren't out to kill people. At last, she turns her head to acknowledge Nicholas.

She gingerly peels up her shirt a bit, exposing her stomach up to the beginning of her ribcage. There's a couple of rather nasty lacerations from where the pieces of shattered glassware were shoved against her. Fortunately, nothing seems to have gotten stuck. Little rivulets of blood run down soft skin to start staining/ruining her jeans. She grimaces and points to the problem area.

"Here. It... yeah, you see it."

She slumps down into her seat, taking the offered blanket and draping it over her shoulders with a grateful nod and a brief flash of a smile.

"My name's Phoebe. I'm..." There's a moment of hesitation, brought on by a brief haze over her mind. It vanishes as quickly as it came. Just shock, nothing more. "...A student up at the University of Utah."

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

Nicholas tries to hide the flinch when the girl exposed her wounds. They were probably not serious, but still looked rather painful, and would probably scar without stitches. Instead, though, he smiled and met the girl's eyes. "Phoebe? That's a very pretty name. It's nice to meet you, Phoebe." He looked a little closer at the cuts. "Naah, these are nothing, we'll have this patched up in three minutes." He glanced up when the other man reappeared from his car with whatever supplies he could gather. "Thank you," Nicholas offered to Jack when he provided the first-aid kit. "I'm Nicholas," He repeated for the other man's benefit, but moved on to pulling open the smallish First Aid kit to take stock of what was inside.

Though he was no paramedic, Nicholas was familiar with the basic concepts and may have taken a First Aid course a long time ago for PE credits during College... or something. At any rate, it wasn't hard to tell that the little Kit was rather restricted in the good it could do (it wasn't going to help anyone with a gunshot wound, for example), but fortunately minor glass cuts were exactly the kind of thing it had been put together with a mind toward. "May I please?" He asked before touching anything, but if given permission will proceed to tear open one of the little packets antiseptic/anesthetic wipes (or three) to clean the wound. "Is everyone else ok?"

[javcs]

Jack Liam

He opens his mouth to start talking, pauses, shakes his head, "Jack Liam. With the unfortunate exception of the current circumstances, it is otherwise good to meet you."

[sdeligar]

Josef Kincaid

Satisfied that there are no serious injuries he walks over to help with Phoebe's wound."Josef Kincaid I'm a PI. Considering what happened to most of the building we should be grateful a few cuts and bruises are all we had."

Finished there he walks around the store until he finds the radio and turns it back on to see if he can find anything about the earthquake." You know whats strange. I remember hearing the University had the equipment to detect earthquakes before they happened and could send out warnings. Usually the would have cut off the radio broadcast for an emergency signal. You'd think they would have known something this strong was coming."

[Fan]

Thomas Isvael

Like a true hard ass, Thomas had managed to stay in his seat, the shaking had sent it swaying too and fro, but he had his reflexes about him enough that he could finish his drink before standing, he surveyed the people calmlu, pulling out a small notebook, and writing down the happenings, and reactions of the people towards said happenings, he was a man after the truth first and foremost. Such things were more valuable to him than live itself.

When he finished, he calmly takes out a cigarette, lighting it, and letting the smoke waft into the air, blowing a few perfect rings as the man from before tossed his medkit, and blanket, the people going about their pleasantries... he made sure to document the girl's pauses, either she was very easy to traumatize, or she was hiding something.

When everyone else was done, Thomas strolls over in a non chalant matter towards the door. Chuckling when he saw the crack in the street. So this was an actual disaster. It would be the ultimate chance to get the truth from this town. Satisfied that he had a decent hold on the situation, he turns around, removing the cigarette from his mouth to speak.

"Calm down, check the local news channels, and see if the land lines are running before you check your cellphones. In an Earthquake, Cell Towers are highly likely to collapse, or have their transponder shaken loose. Check the landlines, and the underground connections before you hit up the Cellphone. If the first two aren't working than your unlikely to find a signal. Also, someone turn on the radio, and shift it towards the Emergency Broadcast station. See if our area was the only one hit, and if the government is taking any sort of action."

He was a fast thinking, and an observant man, he looked for the radio then, seeing if Bill or Nada still kept one around. People these days, so reliant on TV's, or Cellular Phone. In his day, people had sense enough to trust in sturdy things built on sturdy principal. Radio Sations were designed to take disasters, all a Cell Tower was designed for was to resist High Winds.

[Callos_DeTerran]

"We have one back in the kitchen.." Nana says shakily, casually brushing some of the glass out of her path with her shoe. By then though Jack has already gone outside to retrieve his own from his car, which thankfully looks unharmed. People have gathered out in the street, looking confused and scared as they appraise the damages that have occurred.

They talk and mumble amongst themselves, mostly unconcerned with Jack himself as they congregate into a group, feeling safer together. It was difficult to tell if they actually would be though. Not when it was impossible to tell if the quake was finished or if another tremor was coming. Soon enough he's back inside though where it's quieter and just the small group to worry about.

Phoebe, surprisingly enough, finds that she still has a signal on her cellphone and dials the emergency number quickly, only to hear static (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E-MtJBAZvw) coming from the other end of it. A call back to her house got the same annoying result.

"Huh? The landline doesn't work.." the cook calls from the kitchen, walking into the doorway leading to the restaurant area holding the receiver in one hand and a bewildered look on his face. That radio to had fallen silent, but at least it wasn't screeching out static.

Then everything goes dark. Without warning or aplomb, the lights just turn off, an ominous silence falling as those people are left in the dark with each other. The streetlights still seem to be working, though no one outside seems to have noticed.

That's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OTfVsD6wgk) when you hear it. Four or five times, coming from the kitchen behind the large shadow that is Bill.

Soft at first, before Phoebe's cellphone begins to give off an ungodly loud screeching (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzOdCY2P5M) before it abruptly stops and Bill groans, though with the lights out, nothing can be seen in the shadows cast by the lose of power...

[javcs]

Jack Liam

Jack quietly draws a pistol behind his back, as he switches on his flashlight, directing the light in the direction of the kitchen.
"Sir? Are you alright?" He calls out softly as he slowly and quietly steps towards the kitchen.

[sdeligar]

As soon as the lights had gone out the same part of his mind that has screamed earlier had starting working itself back into a frenzy. Something was very wrong here and that screeching sound was not a good thing.

He pulls out the flashlight in his pocket with one hand while the other pulls the heavy revolver from it's holster. With a slightly clicking sound the light comes to life and he runs the light over the room, careful not to blind anybody. "Might be good idea if the rest of you stayed low. Just in case something happens."

From the customer side of the bar he starts shining the light through the window into into the kitchen the gun held so it would point at the same spot as the light.

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe Swift

"Gah! What the!?"

Phoebe hastily shuts her cell phone off and holds it at arms length, as though worried it would suddenly grow teeth and attack her. When it doesn't, she slowly retracts her arm and slips the evidently useless phone back into her purse.

In the darkness, she whips her head every which way, looking for... anything. Then, one light. Two. One gun. Two. She swallows nervously. What the hell kind of people are these, that casually bring handguns to local diners? And more to the point, what the hell is going on here, and why does it feel so... so...?

She stands, and glances at her hand: trembling. Stop that. This isn't one of those times. You stopped that months ago. Quit thinking of it like that.

"Well, I thought I'd go outs-- er... y-yes sir. I'll stay put."

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

When the darkness fell, the surprise came so quickly that for a split second Nicholas' brain mistakenly interpreted the abrupt change in lighting as a bright flash instead of the polar opposite thereof, and so instead of scrambling around like the others Nicholas spent the next half-dozen breaths trying to let his eyes adjust to the darkness.

He felt rather than saw Phoebe standing up next to him, but didn't feel confident enough to follow her, instead remaining seated between the barstools. The light of the streetlights outside began filtering into his vision finally, confusing him as to why he was so seemingly blinded for those seconds. Then one of the flashlights swooped a stray beam of light across his face and like he'd had his eyes closed and just opened them, his eyes leapt back to 100% and he blinked owlishly while staring around like a man waking from a dream he'd thought for sure was reality.

Around his neck, all but forgotten, the earbuds of his MP3 player continued chiming low-quality music.

MP3 Player: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ3slUz7Jo8

[Fan]

Thomas Isvael-

The sound of the screech bites into his ears, causing a ringing tone to linger.. damn things.. he thought to himself.. he had never liked the whole cellular revolution that had swept the nation, and was a strong proponent of the law that put them out of commission while driving.. and then that noise.. that wasn't natural for a machine he make.

He sauntered over in the dark, lighting his way via Lighter, he needed his jacket, with the heat off, the ice cold Salt Lake City air had set in, and he found himself shivering.. especially with all that gorram rain going on outside.

He shouldered his jacket, and did the buttons up, bathing in the warmth that the extra layer of cloth provided, and his hand resting solidly on the Desert Eagle at his shoulder.. damn nut cases already had theirs drawn when there was nothing going on but Bill sharpening his butcher's blades. Damn Nervous Twits.

[Callos_DeTerran]

The lights (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE_oDn5ibko) play over Bill easily enough, but there's another noise to accompany the hushed and slightly alarmed talking coming from the other diner inhabitants.

Drip. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9tNJsAnf2g) Drip. Drip. Drip.

Crimson droplets drip from the tip of a large, almost triangular, piece of black metal that protrudes from the center of Bill's chest like it had always been there. It looked like a piece of sheet metal had crudely been fashioned into the shape of a prison-shiv, wrapped in sharply barbed metal wire. As Jack and Josef's lights play over Bill, throwing his ashen face into stark relief as blood begins to run down from his nose, they can see the sight of some thing shifting it's footing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OTfVsD6wgk) to make that chilling noise once more.

"BILLLLL!" Nada wails, eyes rolling back in her head as she collapses to the ground in a dead fate, soon joined by the lifeless body of Bill to reveal something from out of a horror movie, but given terrible flesh and form. It has no arms or legs, those have long since been replaced with long stiff blades that scrape along the ground, the sharp edges crusted with some red fluid that some of you realize, with some disgust, is blood (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-GzXp-Fzv4). But it's torso and head are remarkably human...to a point. Pallid flesh is tightly bound by straps that look as if they were supposed to be restraining this creature, even covering where it's eyes and mouth should have been. Should being the key word, there's no sign of a depression on the straps that would indicate where eye-sockets or a mouth would be.

And (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vk495G4cuU4) yet it is breathing, all of you can see the rise and fall of it's back, hear the raspy noise as it sucks in a breath and lets it out, hyperventilating for just a moment. It coils it's limbs inwards, crouching down and still barely seen in the flashlight's life-saving cones of light before springing straight forward like a coiled spring to crash (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPeO9VPZoMI&feature=related) through one of the diner's wide windows and out unto the streets outside filled with people.

A woman screams (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-G--kKuGCO8&feature=PlayList&p=724C66EA3891E3D1&playnext=1&index=3) from outside..but not where that thing had landed. Could there be more of those things outside?

The question has to be left unanswered at the moment, with the shaken diner-goers forced to deal with the grisly situation at hand...and the fact their assailant may return to finish it's bloody task.

I need both initiative checks and the fact each character has lost 3 sanity from both witnessing a unexpected murder (some didn't take this sanity loss) or 3 from seeing something that should not be (Some didn't get this three). To put it simply, each character lost three sanity.

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe Swift

Nada's scream echoes in Phoebe's ears, piercing into her mind and fading away into oblivion. She can hear other things now; the dripping of blood, the excited, raspy breathing of... of... oh god, she can see it! Trembling, she slips an arm through the strap in her guitar case, and -- I am 16 years old, and I am on vacation. My friends and I are waiting out a storm. It is warm and comfortable, and -- slides the instrument onto her back. Just where it needs to be. The comforting weight on her back is like a lover's embrace.

She presses herself against the bar, trying her best to look as small as possible. The lights flicker, once. Twice. I can hear somebody screaming, and I do not recognize the voice.

"Go away, go away, go away. I am not not here. Go away..."

Everything is so cold. The floor is coated in frost, and I nearly trip and fall on his body. He is -- crashing through the window, the grotesque figure is gone. Outside, somebody screams. Phoebe tries to pull herself off the ground. Run. Be ready to run. Stay with others. But run. -- dead. There are five massive icicles pinning him to the floor, one in his throat, and one in each elbow and knee. I am 16 years old, and I have seen my first corpse. I scream.

She is on her feet and leaning heavily with one arm against the bar. Her eyes are locked on the shattered window.

"Ready..."

[sdeligar]

At the sight of the blood dripping from the strange knife his training and adrenaline starting fighting for control, one is saying make sure the bastard pays while they other scream RUN WHILE YOU STILL CAN.

However both get there but kicked to the curb the moment his eyes register the thing standing behind Bill and for what seems like a couple years all his senses just seems stuck on replay as it tries to twist what he was seeing into some kind of reasonable explanation. He had always believed the worst thing he had seen was the day they stormed that serial killers storage facility full of body parts, and yet here was proof that it could get much worse.

It was that screeching sound that suddenly got his brain, training, and adrenaline all working again and they were all screaming "Kill the Freak!" and as the thing crashes through the window Josef turns and follows the thing outside his gun and flash light ready to show the bastards who's in charge.

[javcs]

Jack Liam

As the lights caught the creature, Jack's eyes widened in shock as his jaw dropped slightly, unable to articulate anything until after it leaped through the window, "What the F*** was that?!"
As it disappeared into the street, Jack's face smoothed over as he took a deep breath, shutting out emotions and concerns for the screams coming from the street. They are already dead; I cannot save them. Why did it leave the diner? It had us surprised in close quarters, all we had was two guns and two flashlights; it had us, dead to rights. It could've killed half of us before we even had a chance to shoot. It slipped up. It left armed opponents alive behind it.
Jack toggled the illuminator on his pistol, and moved to where he could see the street and the threat. "We're not gonna be able to outrun that thing on foot. Especially not if there's more than one of them."

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

Nicholas stared. Inside of him his mind was screaming in horror and shock, but his mouth wouldn't move, his vocal chords felt like ice burning in his throat. And that was before the Nightmare stepped out from behind the freshly murdered corpse of the diner's owner.

The thing that shocked him the hardest, in a display of the brain's inexplicable tendency to focus on the strangest things under stress, was how unmistakably Real the thing appeared. His eyesight, hopped up on adrenaline and fear, caught every detail and carved them unforgettably onto his frontal lobe as though with a chunk of shattered glass. The pain was exquisite, and he wasn't even the one that'd been stabbed.

He could see every scratch. Every chip on every flesh-grafted weapon. Every drop of blood, some dried, some still clinging to the knife that just reemerged from Bill's back. He begged silently to look away, but could not.

Frantically, his mind tried to summon a defense of logic and academia, a doomed attempt to reason with his brain and convince it that what he was looking at was not, could not, be real. But the thing that all the intellectual denial in the world could not protect him from was its breathing. A hissing, gasping, gurgling noise, like the last breath drawn through a baleful slash wound to the throat. Nicholas shook like a dry leaf.

[Fan]

Thomas Isvael

Thomas promptly rubs his eyes... Well ****, looks like he DID see that. Oh well, he'd seen worse in his days as a early reporter having to cover a natural disaster, and in his personal life.. both of which were things he wasn't proud of.

He unholsters the Desert Eagle .50 Cal pistol, on a good shot this thing could go straight through a door, forget about your ribs saving you from this puppy. Yeah.. they had protection... they could keep everything together... just stay together, and unload on anyone who tries to attack them...

"Okay everyone, we need to stay calm.. this place obviously isn't safe anymore, we need to stay together, keep our weapons loaded, and ready, and protect those who don't. I'll be damned if I know what's going on here, but obviously some nasty **** just went down. Those of who without guns, please find a weapon to improvise.. just so you can keep them at bay, or defend yourself if we get divided.

The police station is likely already flooded with people from the Earthquake, I don't know if there's a National Guard Depot near by, but if someone can get to Google Maps on one of your smart phones, that'd be lovely.

The key to surviving a disaster is sticking together, resourcefulness, and keeping your eyes, and minds sharp. So please, refrain from freaking out until we're safe. I understand that we're all pretty... well.. that thing there has me pretty freaked too, but we can't waste time."

Intelligence, he thought to himself, he was freaking out both inwardly, and outwardly, but he could keep his voice level for now... he knew that since that thing had gotten in here, that it was likely that there were more on the way from that same venue.. never hold out hope that there's just 1 of anything. Where there's 1 there's 2.. where there's 2 there's more.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Even as four of the people within the diner, including Nada, trying to cope with what had just happened, Jack and Josef rush out of the broken window in pursuit of the thing that had killed Bill. At first it hadn't made sense to Jack why it'd ignore armed people but once outside it became distressingly clear.

The thing hadn't just leaped out the window, it had impaled another person on it's rusty arm blades and begun to repeatedly stab the prone flesh of the woman who had screamed. It wasn't ignoring the armed opponents because it was crazed or ignorant of the danger...it was going after the easier prey. Nor was it alone, more screams sprout from the edges of the crowd. The intersection of the street had turned into a slaughter house that Jack and Josef had willingly jumped into.

By the flame of the burst gasline they can only watch as four, no, five of these creatures begin a deadly dance among the panicking people, cavorting freely in wide spinning-circles of blood that have already left almost ten people bleeding out on the ruptured pavement. At least one of the creatures is taller, by a good foot, above everyone in the crowd with it's flesh a darker...'grayed' hue then the others around it.

"SCCCCcrrrrrrrcchhhhhhhhh!" it howls to the night sky above, accompanied by a screech from Phoebe's cellular phone..even though she hadn't opened it or anything...

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe Swift

Nicholas can feel a sudden small weight on his arm. It squeezes... gently. Phoebe's hand rests gently atop his own, shaking slightly. She catches his eye and offers him the briefest of half-smiles. He had helped her; now it was her turn.

She does not move, except to flinch again when her powered down cellphone emits another grotesque screeching sound. Her breath catches in her throat, and she has to force herself to remember to keep her lungs engaged. Her free hand wanders to her purse, and clutches at the accessory. ...No! She recoils in horror from it. Could there be a worse time for that!?

A deep breath. She squeezes Nicholas' hand again.

"...Stay. Stay with me. Be ready to run, but... stay."

She tries in vain to stuff the horrible sense of deja vu deep down into the corners of her consciousness... and fails.

Diplomacy to aid Nicholas in recovering from his sanity loss: [roll0]

Spot, to keep an eye out for creepy stuff in the diner that wants to eat me: [roll1]

Listen, for very similar reasons: [roll2]

I like rolling things!

[sdeligar]

Have you ever had one of those moments where after you do something time just seems to freeze and you think Wow! That was stupid! Yea, after jumping out that window Josef felt like his last about an hour.

As he looks at the scene in front of him he tries to consider his next action a little more carefully. Alright this thing is a predator that's why it ignored us. We weren't the easiest prey in the group. So if I start shooting either 1 they decide a fight isn't worth it and run or 2 they all concentrate on me. Either way it will buy time for everyone else to clear out.

While his survival instinct is telling him to make a run for it while everyone else is busy the other cop trained part of him that wanted to get the people out of here was telling him to shoot carefully. Josef decided survival instinct was a jerk.

Aiming for the closest of the group and opens fire.


Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

[Callos_DeTerran]

Amidst (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_v1ze3GJaLE&feature=PlayList&p=62BAACDD6A9D6F0B&index=111) all of the screaming and panic out in the intersection, Josef reacts on a cop's instinct and quickly levels his firearm at the closest of the creatures. The same that had murdered Bill not so long ago, and then a gun shot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBefCcsAyrA) rings out over the screams and sound of steel cutting meat.

Just for the creature to lean to the side at the last moment, right blade raised in the beginnings of a massive over-head chop, and the bullet glance off the side of the rusty piece of metal with a loud ring and small spray of sparks.

The thing's leather-wrapped head swivels to face the source of the gun-shot, inadvertently sparing the man who was about to be killed, as did the taller one who was surrounded by a circle of bodies.

Maybe survival instinct wasn't such a jerk all the time, since it was a miracle he hadn't shot one of the people in the crowd.

But as one he had shot out takes a single step, a familiar screech (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzOdCY2P5M) is heard once more, even as Jack hears gurgling growl from the beast.

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

Nicholas stared at Phoebe for several long half-seconds, his eyes flickering through emotions of fear and wonder and anger and things deeper and more basic even than emotions with such rapidity that it was as though the indecision of wanting, nay, NEEDING to somehow communicate the horror paralyzing his body in order to relieve it and simultaneous unwillingness to visit that horror on anyone else, to spare them the torment that now gnawed at his chest, clashed visibly in the clouded sea-green of his irises. The warmth of her hand squeezing his seemed to get through to him, though, and a glimmer of determination fluttered somewhere beneath his expression as he began to struggle against the fear overpowering his thoughts instead of suffocating quietly to his death.

Always in movies and books and legends we are told of unlikely heroes thrust into abnormal and desperate circumstances, under which they rise to the challenge. We elevate the determination of willpower that it takes to shrug off a mystical enchantment, or the presence of wits to react in the face of the unthinkable, or to stand up when all the world is commanding us to fall down to the heights of hero worship, wanting to be just like our role models when the time of crisis comes. But each of us wonders quietly, to ourselves, 'If that was me... would I be strong enough? Would I be able to function, if my world came crashing down around my ears?' These are the thoughts that then entered the mind of one Nicholas Greenwoode.

This is it. The next breath came easier, as though just realizing that there was a need to react released a grip on his lungs. This is the moment that decides whether I lock up or keep moving. A gunshot exploded in the room, or near to it at least, and instead of ignoring it (or even, failing to hear it at all) Nicholas jumped by knee-jerk reaction and stared in its direction. Am I going to Freeze? Am I going to Freeze? ...Do I have a choice? Nicholas blinked. ...Yes. Yes I do.

And the spell was broken.

Nicholas returned Phoebe's grip, and then glanced back over at her, his still frightened expression now also expressing reassurance... and thanks. Still far from fearless, Nicholas' mind had taken the impact of that first contact... and though battered, had survived. The next scream from outside finished cementing his attention in the present, for now, and he scrambled up to a kneeling position instead of sitting blankly, back against the bar. Peering through the windows and summing up what had happened and what was about to continue happening, Nicholas' eyes went wide as he tried to think. His gaze hovered unnerved over the blade-creatures for a few seconds too long, his mind still straining to permit the concept of their existence to enter it without cracking, but from this test too he emerged intact. "Ok... Ok..." Finally, his thoughts seemed to kick into overtime to make up for lost ground. Get out of here. Not safe. He glanced around the room, looking for options. ...Stairs!! Nicholas looked back at Phoebe and squeezed her hand again. "Come on!" Urgency overrode most emotion in his voice, which cracked a bit from shock-induced dryness, but the other thing that could be heard in his tone alone was a sense of protectiveness. ...I will stay with you.

[javcs]

Jack Liam

"F***," Jack muttered, ducking out of sight, hissing, "Phoebe? Nicholas? Are either of you armed?"

OOC:

Hide check: [roll0]

[Fan]

Thomas doesn't hesitate, he moves quickly, and quietly behind the counter.. they hadn't reacted to his sight, nor any sound at their proximity.. the cellphone had also been ignored... since they had been mostly quiet before, they had targeted Nada, Bill's groans are what gave him away... This Gunshot had only cemented his theory.,

These sequence of targets only had 1 thing in common, they were loud, or in close proximity when they made noise. Whatever these things were, they reacted to sound. His Desert Eagle was useless now, too loud, you can't make an effective silencer with the material's around him.. regardless he grabs some newspapers off the counter, stashing them in an internal coat pocket.. they would come in handy later.. Never the less, he took cover behind the counter, and began searching for the Butcher's Blades that Bill had once sharpened so lovingly...

[Callos_DeTerran]

Maybe (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-KFsh2bOM4) it was providence, or perhaps they were just being ignored for now in favor of a larger group, but in any case Phoebe and Nicholas are able to reach the stairs leading up to the second floor without incident. But they are narrow, one at a time at best, with the planks barely wide enough to safely stand on.

Just as Thomas and Jack can duck behind the counter, crouching there in the darkness with only the noise of the massacre outside to keep them company beside their own pounding heart beats. The gun shot had rung out as clear as day, even all the noise, but a quick glimpse over the top shows that Josef is still standing...for now.

How much longer is in doubt, the creature he had shot at crouches low, planting it's arm blades on the ground before skittering forward like some crazed insect. Only once it's close does it launch itself forward, plunging both of it's arm blades into Josef's shoulders and driving him back a foot or two from the momentum of the strike, barbed wire tearing at the dirty wounds as the creature retracts it's blade and warily steps back, already coiling itself down to the ground again as the larger one begins to stride through the crazed mob towards the commotion.

Josef takes 10 damage from it's attack.

[sdeligar]

"ARrgh! Dammit!" If it wasn't for the fact he had been shot and stabbed before he probably wouldn't have been able to stay standing. And it was probably a very good thing he did stay up. Seeing the smaller creature ready to attack again and the larger one headed his way he decides it might be time to pull back a bit and give himself a little more working room. Fortunately for him the creatures momentum had knocked him practically right up against the cafe again so turning he jumps back into the same window the creature had cleared on a moment before. "Incoming! I hope you people are ready to defend yourselves in there!"

[javcs]

Jack Liam

Jack quietly slipped closer, staying low and behind cover, as he switched to a one-handing grip on his Glock and pulled a stun gun out of a pocket, waiting for one of the things to get within reach to hit with it.

[Fan]

[Thomas]

Thomas.. was sick and tired of waiting. He wasn't going to run up the stairs, but he'd be DAMNED if he was going to stay here, and wait to be picked off like Bill was..

He slowly crept up the stairs, not desiring to be seen, or heard by these creatures.. but he'd be damned if he'd go off alone.. so he would go upstairs with the rest of the sane group.



Rolls:

Hide:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2654320/

Move Silently:

http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/2654372/

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe Swift

There is a moment of hesitation. Phoebe's eyes turn toward the shattered window to glimpse outside. She quickly shoots her attention back to Nicholas, to the urgency in his voice. There is a moment of surprise. She feels her hand squeezed in turn, and she nods.

Memories wash away, leaving behind nothing but stairs... and White. It is the White that surprises her. The sheer, piercing brilliance of a world without memory. Her footsteps thump softly on the staircase, just a half second behind Nicholas'. The White starts to crack with each little percussion, chipping and falling away... I am 22 years old. I am in a diner, being led up a staircase by a man I do not know. I am not scared. Downstairs, a cry of pain and a dull crunch of glass shatter the silence. The White crumbles, and Phoebe is thrust back into the moment. I am running up a staircase. I can feel his hand in mine, this man that I do not know. The sweat of his palm makes me a promise; we are not going to die tonight...

She turns her head to look behind her as she allows herself to be led into the unknown.

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

Had he been alone, Nicholas would have swallowed the distance up the flight of stairs in seconds by using his long legs to take the stairs three at a time. As it was he consciously slowed down so as to not drag Phoebe into a trip and fall on the way up, but they still managed to clear the staircase almost as quickly. Nicholas was vaguely aware of one of the other patrons-come-Survivors following them up to the second floor, but his attention was largely on what he found once up there...

OOC: Can't really do much until I know what's there to be done with, so. :smallwink: :smallbiggrin:

MP3 Player: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4PN7Xbexq4#t=0m32s

[Callos_DeTerran]

Nicholas and Phoebe quickly ascend the narrow stairs to find a thick door sitting closed at the top of it, firmly shut against the possibility of customers accidentally wandering up to the second floor where Bill and Nada lived. Both despair for a moment, even as Nicholas tries the doorknob and thankfully finds the door unlocked. Quickly the two climb up unto the second floor, beckoning for Thomas to hurry up.

There's a number of locks, chains, and dead bolts on the door, a surprising sight considering this city, but who where they to argue with providence? A hallway stretches to either side of the duo, the one to the right leading to a living room with windows that overlook the streets below. A kitchen and dining room are only separated by a tall wooden counter. There's two doors on the wall behind them though, one of which has another chain securely fastened to it. Perhaps it leads up to the roof?

To the left are three doors arranged at the end of the short hallway, one left cast open to reveal a small but functional bathroom.

============

Down below the situation wasn't beginning to calm in the least like it might have been up the stairs, the smaller creature seems intent upon following Josef now that the man has turned to run. Josef can feel a blood-spattered blade crease the air just behind, mostly because of the slash opened on the back of his coat, just barely missing flesh. Even as he dives back into the diner, the creature does as well though it doesn't skid quite as well and slams into the counter that Jack is hiding behind.

[javcs]

Jack Liam

After the thing slams into the bar, Jack quickly lashes out at it with his stungun.

[sdeligar]

Josef Kincaid

His gun still in hand he quickly aims at the creature and fires again hoping to put the creature down while it's still concentrating on Jack.

[OverWilliam]

Nicholas

As soon as the door came open in his hand, Nicholas motioned quickly to Phoebe and hurried her inside before practically flying through the portal himself. Before he could get it closed Thomas came into view, and without even pausing to think he pulled the door back open and tried to stay quiet as to avoid attracting the Bladertons. Once all three were through to the upstairs, he almost stopped to consider getting the other patrons in the diner through to relative safety, but was startled out of that thought by the next gunshot from downstairs and quickly closed the heavy door. They could handle themselves... and if they couldn't, there wasn't much he could do to help them. He did, however, leave the door unlocked, just in case they followed behind them-- after all, he reasoned in a moment of clarity, Bladertons didn't seem to have opposable thumbs anyway. If they decided they were coming through a door, a few locks wouldn't buy more than a few seconds of time before they simply demolished the whole thing. Nicholas fought down a shiver as he realized how easily he'd begun assuming such things as fact.

"Ok... ok... ok..." He muttered to himself, backing away from the door as though it might explode at any moment. Just as his adrenaline fueled fight-or-flight instincts were beginning to fall through, Nicholas' higher brain functions were beginning to return, if perhaps a little more gradually, and a question coalesced through the haze: "...What now?" He looked at the other two, and then dimly around the rest of the... apartment?... unsure what to do next.

[PhoeKun]

Phoebe

In the relative safety (or at least quiet) of the upstairs, Phoebe tosses her head back and lets out a deep sigh of... well, not quite relief, but a fair amount of tension is released from her body.

Almost immediately, she pulls her cell phone back out of her purse, and pops the casing off of the back. Out comes the battery, out comes the sim card, which she pockets before reassembling the phone and placing it gingerly by the now shut door and rejoining the others.

"If it goes screeching again, I don't want to be near it," she reasons softly, "Eff it. Thing's under warranty, I'll make them give me a new one..."

With that out of the way, she looks around the upper floor and takes stock of her surroundings. It's getting easier to get her heart to beat at a rate not typically reserved for hummingbirds, but it still takes a conscious effort on the young woman's part. What now, indeed?

"I don't... I don't know. I want to hide... the roof maybe, another room... I want a second door between us and them."