Prayers and Lies [nWoD]

[Ms.Malbolge]

Winter bites deep into descending night. The moon wanes in a sky far removed from darkness as the lights of the city obscure the stars, the night now a pale curtain beseeched with smog and clouds and all the unnatural lights of man. The city pulses like a living thing. The cars that traverse its streets, the people that walk its avenues and even those fouler denizens who lurk in the city's many dark places form the lifeblood of what you have come to call home.

Randy
The lights flicker as Randy sits in his office, seated rather comfortably on his office chair as he flips through the exams of his students. The crisp white paper feeling comfortable in his hands as he casually looks through the pages, glancing out the words only in passing. Winter exams, the personal hell in which all students must traverse, that rugged mountain one must scale in order to attain a future in his course. A loud thud from the other room drags Randy from his idle musings and his eyes glance up, passing over the old oak desk whose entire surface is covered with loose paper and open books as he prepares to get some of his grading out of the way before the winter break. Eyes settling on the door to his office, flanked by two tall, intimidating bookshelves. Randy's eyes linger on those severe shelves for a moment, a gift from his old friend Chris, 'Bookshelves speak volumes about a professor Randy, I think these will suit you." the old man said when he arrived with them, a gift to congratulate Randy on becoming a professor. Randy notes that perhaps they do speak volumes about his professorship and they do serve to intimidate the freshmen though the cynical part of Randy's mind cant help but think they'll be a pain to move if he doesn't get tenure.

Candice enters the office then, holding her right hand to the top of her head and rubbing the spot slowly while a look of annoyance slowly spreads across her face. "The book you requested 'O master." she says, smirking a bit as she plops the book down upon another. She yawns and stretches her back, placing her narrow, delicate hands on the small of her back as she does so. You take a minute to notice how she is dressed, a tight purple shirt decorated with neo pagan symbolism in red ink, black leather pants with far too many buckles, chains and spikes. She stops by the coat hanger and gently puts a hand on her coat. "Anything else Mon Professeur? Can the slave finally go free?" She tilts her head down and does her best to flash Randy those green, puppy dog eyes of hers. You're about to answer no doubt when the loud ringing and flashing of your office phone draws your attention away from Candice, who with an over exaggerated show of grumpiness huffs and plops down into one of the stiff wooden chairs.

Alex
Alex signs his name for the hundredth time that night, finishing the signature with a small flourish to signify his gratitude that the long day is in fact finished. Already having changed out of his scrubs and back into his clothes he steps out into the long, labyrinthine hallways leading from the employee locker rooms to the front entrance. The hallways are over lit and oppressively white, the only color the lines painted on the walls to show those new to the hospital where they are headed. His shoes click and clack noisily on the white tile of the floor, disturbing a silence equally as oppressive as the white of the halls. After a few minutes of navigation that comes easy to Alex after years of familiarity he finds himself facing the employee entrance. The glass is fogged up, obscuring the outside but you can still tell that its one hell of a cold night out, the ice hanging from the archway over the door has been there for two days now and if there is one thing everyone hates it is driving on ice.

You manage to make your way to your car, getting into the economy sedan after forcibly prying the ice off of the door and as you sit there with the heater on full blast, waiting for the car to heat itself and you up, you see a line of four ambulances leaving their garage not too far away. Curiosity strikes you, for you've been known to occasionally accompany the EMT's even though you're now a full fledged doctor. The car is warm enough, the streets look recently plowed and you find yourself wondering if you should just go home, or follow your curiosity.

Lauren
Lauren is on the job, nestled into her warm police car with a cup of hot coffee nestled between her hands as she watches the streets around her. Her car is parked in the cities underbelly and the shadows are long and dark here and so her car is made clearly visible as it sits below a street light, a beacon to all those who would break to the law to be weary. The department has been understaffed since eight patrolmen were suspended for excessive force, and so Lauren the traffic cop finds herself doing patrols, in the seediest parts of the city, without a partner.

The silence of the car is broken when suddenly her radio blares, the blocky black device seeming to produce more static than discernable noise but she can hear it never the less. "Car E-13 be advised we have a 911 call reporting unusual activity in an alley south of Belmont Square. Please head to the vicinity and investigate, over." It takes Lauren a moment to realize that she is indeed in car E-13. Putting her coffee in the holder and bumping her elbow hard on the locked shotgun next to it and prepares to go to work.

Jon
Jon steps out of the bar and takes a moment to bury himself deeper into his coat while trying to get the smell of liquor and cigarette smoke out of his nose. Looking around at the long shadows of the city's less reputable part of town he can't wonder why some of the city's best night spots tend to be in the worst places imaginable. The silence of the streets is an eerie thing, but with the weather as it is most people are choosing to stay home. Something Jon found out tonight when his tour of the city's nightlife left much to be desired. The silence is broken suddenly by the distant wails of police sirens, something commonplace here. He turns and starts to walk down the street in search of his vehicle, all the while the sirens get closer.

Jon walks about half a block before he hears the strange sound while approaching a nearby alley near which he is parked. The sound is one of violence, like metal being slammed into concrete with resounding force. A grinding screech is heard immediately afterward as the metal object is being dragged. Like nails on a chalkboard the sound sends shivers down Jon's side and he finds himself wondering for a moment if he should investigate, or ignore it and head home.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy sighed a bit as he leafed through the papers. It was the same old story - A few good ones, a number of bad ones, and a lot of mediocrity. And, of course, there were the hilariously terrible ones that provided him with party anecdotes. He was just reading one student's interpretation of how Thor's hammer Mjolnir and the Midgard Serpent were in reality phallic symbols designed to mask a pervasive fear of impotence when Candice entered. A cure for that condition if there ever was one, he mused idly as she entered. Odd taste in dress, granted, but that somehow made her more appealing.

He was aware his eyes were lingering just a touch too long when the phone rang. Grateful for the distraction, he turned away, raising his index finger to signal her to wait for a moment as he picked up the reciever.

Randy speaking. How can I help you?

[Sicarius]

Lauren

"10-4 dispatch." Lauren hated working without a partner. It meant some punk on the sidelines could blast her and would get away with it scot-free. Cop-killers were the worst kind of scum. Well, she had the radio and could request backup. She eased the car onto the lane and drove down to Belmont Square.

[Kuma Da]

"Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat pocket nor a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.

In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again." -Lewis Carol

Jonathan Blake

Jon stands in the mouth of the alley, uncertain. While he hesitates, the wind rakes cold fingers through his hair and he inhales sharply, tasting the chill.

Go home, says the winter. There is a stiff toll for loitering in my season, to be paid in body heat.

Shuffling his feat and blowing on his hands, he waits for the sound to come again. But it doesn't. A deep and compelling silence falls over him, broken only occasionally by the distant sounds of traffic.

Jon feels something tugging at him. It's curiosity, intermixed with the first pangs of inspiration. The wind swoops back over him. He shivers. His fingers twitch.

I'm just going to take a peek. And then I'm running back to my car before this night gets any colder.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex sighed with the fullness of a guy who had been working a few too many shifts today and adjusted the mirror to watch the ambulances leave. He warmed his hands against the heater and pulled his coat tighter around him, and thought of chilling out back home with a bit of wine before his next shift. Always someone else coming in, dead or dying, always those to save and those to watch die... and then the crushing despair of what else waited at home hit him. Nothing, just an empty house and an empty bed to mock him.

Rubbing his eyes quickly he pulled out into the road and, quickly as he dared, jetted after the ambulances. The EMT kids could probably handle it, but maybe someone was trouble and maybe that person needed immediate attention. Helping people, it was better then the alternative.

"I hope someones going to welcome that sound..." He said, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.

[Ms.Malbolge]

RandyRandy places the phone to his ear and he is met with a cacophony of noise that causes him to flinch. A sound like metal being dug into pavement fills Randy's ear, loud enough that Candice flinches and makes a disapproving face. The sound continues for an instant before a feminine scream sound, for a moment overcoming the grinding noise. The two sounds join together in a torturous symphony that continues for only the briefest of moments before all fades to crackling static. The static fades slowly into silence over the next two seconds and you hear a deep inhale followed swiftly by a slow exhale. "Randolf?" comes a familiar voice, coarse and deep. The voice is familiar but only vaguely so. "Time to get the books out Randolf." The line disconnects and Randy is left listening to a dial tone. The barrage of noise happened fast, too fast for him to make sense of immediately. Candice is sitting upright in her chair, a frown spread thin upon her face. "What the holy hell was that?" she says, eyes searching Randy's.

LaurenLauren's drive is uneventful but slow going. The city has never paid too much attention to this part of town and the roads bear a dangerous layer of ice and packed snow. The orange street lights cause the ice to shimmer, the reflected light on the crystals causing the ice to appear as a thousand stars burning in the layered ice, only to die again as you pass the light and descend into the more familiar shadows. Not long until you find the alley in question, a narrow, dark thing snaking between a club and a seedy hotel. Standing before the alley is a man whose back is turned to you. The man is of medium height, wearing dark jeans and nestled into a large dark coat. The mans dark curly hair is obscuring his face but you can see the gleam of the mans glasses as you pull up. The man seems to start to turn his head, no doubt to get a better look at you, when suddenly he jerks his head back towards the alley, transfixed on the shadowed entrance. Lauren, still sitting in the warmth of her car, suddenly hears a feminine scream coming from the darkness of the alley, a torturous scream that seems to last for eons though it quickly fades to silence.

JonJon stands before the alley, mind struggling with the idea of whether or not to proceed into its shadowed depths. It seems like ages since he heard the grating sound, like metal grinding into pavement and now the shadows are silent. Jon hears the sound of a car pull up not too far from him, the rubber of the tires crunching the ice on the streets making its approach a bit obvious and the fact that it seems to be pulling up directly behind you makes it even more so. Jon, naturally, shifts his head to see who the new arrive is but his eyes catch something moving in the alley and the sounds of a number being entered into a phone are heard. After a moment that loud, grinding sound can be heard again quickly followed by the sound of a woman screaming. The sound is enough to send shivers down Jon's back, or they would if he wasn't already shivering from the cold. Soon the sound ends and another sound is heard, as if someone is talking at a great distance, too great for you to make out the words.

AlexAlex pulls out into the freshly plowed streets and darts after the ambulances, going as fast as he dare under the circumstances. Their route snakes through the streets of the city's fairer neighborhood before turning swiftly south and heading towards the darker streets of the city's south end. The drive only lasts a mere seven minutes and the roads are nearly deserted at this time of night and with the weather that has hit the city it is no surprise that people are staying in their warm houses. Finally the four Ambulances slow down and you can see the distinct flashes of police sirens that seem to have the northern entrance to an antique bookstore surrounded. The ambulances move past a pair of officers standing near a roadblock and when it comes to Alex's turn they halt his vehicle rather than simply letting it pass. An officer approaches the driver's side door and knocks on the window. "Sir this area is off limits to the public for now. Im going to have to ask you to leave." comes the voice from outside of Alex's foggy window.

[Sicarius]

"Car E-13 here, possible assault in progress. Requesting backup immediately. Current location, south of Belmont Square."

Lauren grabbed the shotty. Overwhelming force didn't mean jack, and she might be able to beat the charge if she prevented a crime. She stepped out of the car, sizing up the alleyway, looking in the above windows to see if she could see anything in the gloom.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex followed the ambulances to what seems to be an antique bookstore of some kind. He pulled his car up to the police blockade, and was already pulling out his wallet by the time the officer asks him to roll down his window. The officier asks him to leave as he keeps the window rolled down, but Alex responds evenly.

"Dr. Alex Robertson, officer, EMT Professional. I was off duty when I noticed this disturbance. What seems to be the problem, how many injured?" Alex said, flashing his medical badge before putting it away and keeping the car idling in drive.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

It's compelling. Like the creaking of floorboards in a deserted house, or the skittering sound branches make when they pass across a windowpane. Jon takes an involuntary step forward. Then he hears the scream. His mind jolts into survival-mode.

Forget it. This isn't worth my life, even if there's someone out there who needs help...right? Right?!

******.

Not for the first time, Jon wishes he had bought a cell phone. He starts to trot back towards the club, then skids to a stop as the door of the recently parked car opens and a woman steps out.

"Pardon me, ma'am. Could you call nine--is that a shotgun?" Jon stops talking long enough to actually get a look at her. He takes in the uniform and her bearing. Calm. Confident. Wary. "Officer? I'm sorry. I didn't see the badge. I just heard someone screaming down at the other end of the alleyway and I was going for help."

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy's mouth hung open for a moment, before snapping it shut... he shook his head swiftly, then gave Candice a slow look, pursing his lips.

Wish I knew, m'dear... but it scared the **** out of me, pardon my french... though... I wonder.. he said, looking at the bookshelf.

He shook his head. Like I said, not sure, but come on, I'll walk you to your car.

[Ms.Malbolge]

RandyCandice rolls her eyes and stands up. "Chivalry is dead, buried, and fully decomposed beyond the point of molestation." she says as she walks over to a thin coat rack and grabs her blissfully black coat, shrugging it on easily. "I'll see myself out professor, girl power and all that." she says, winking at him for a moment before exiting the office. Her coat, which is rather long unfortunately, denies Randy the perfect parting view of her narrow posterior and the night seems a little duller for it. Randy is left alone in his office with naught but books and mostly shoddy exams to keep him company. While he sits there, debating whether to open a book, leaf through some more exams, or follow Candice out the door and escort her anyway, the phone rings again.

AlexThe Officer, whose name tag declares him an Officer Burgman, shines the flashlight at Alex's medical identification and back to his face. "Alright." he declares before looking around at the scene a bit. "You can park near the squad cars but try to stay out of the way. Burgman takes a step back and lifts the police line tape, waving the good doctor through. Alex finds the parking space easily enough and when he exits his car he almost wishes he were headed to the warmth of his place rather than a cold crime scene. Police and forensics dart to and fro, many bearing clipboards or small plastic bags full of what can only be surmised as evidence. When Alex tries to enter the bookstore he is stopped by a tall, burly detective. The man towers over the good doctor, his pudgy face bearing a thick mustache and his small blue eyes peer at Alex from beneath equally thick blond eye brows. "Who the f*ck are you and what the f*ck do you think you're doing on my crime scene?" the man asks, prodding Alex in the chest with a thick finger while his other hand is buried deep in his right pocket.

Lauren and JonJon addresses Lauren who is far too busy looking up at the windows of the nearby hotel to pay attention to Jon. The windows are dark and you find that none face the alley directly, apparently a brick wall view isn't a feature for hotel's, especially one that looks like they charge per the hour. The alley is still a pillar of darkness between two brick buildings and while the two stand there nothing else seems to happen, no more noises escape the darkness of the alley, the only things of note being the occasional passing traffic and the flickering streetlights.

[Sicarius]

Lauren

"Get clear, civilian. Backup is on it's way." Lauren cocked the gun, and seeing the way was safe for the time being, moved cautiously toward the direction where the scream was coming from. She cocked her shotgun and had it ready, looking for the assaulter.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

"Of course. I just wanted to make sure you knew...wait a minute. Lauren?!" Recognition flashes across his face. "Look, I'll stay out of the alley and out of your way, but if I see someone making a break for it, I'll give a shout."

[Sicarius]

Lauren

"No. You get clear, Jon. Let me do my job." Lauren hated meeting somebody on duty. The internal affairs guys pounced on that. Letting your buddies off with warnings was a big offense. And well, if Jon got his head blown off because he stuck around with his best buddy Lauren, well, she'd have a suspension for dinner at the debrief. By stressing that he should leave, as much as it made her a bitch, it was for his own good.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy sighed, almost dreamily as he watched Candice exit, and for a moment he was conflicted as to whether or not he should follow her. When the phone rang again, however, it was with a knot of discomfort in his gut that he picked up the receiver.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

"Alright. Will do. You be careful, though." Jon jogs away from the scene, heading back to his car. He unlocks the door, slides in and turns on the engine, but he doesn't pull away. Chafing his hands together against the cold, he watches the alley through his rearview.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Non-deterred by the abrasive nature of this new detective, Alex responds with a smile. "I suppose its difficult to wear a white coat all the time." He sighed to himself, "Dr. Alex Robertson, EMT Professional." The doctor continued, pulling out his medical badge once more. "Could you direct me to the injured or are going to be deaths on your 'f*cking' crime scene?"

[Ms.Malbolge]

RandyRandy picks up the receiver and puts it to his ear. The sounds that assail him are not the grinding of metal and pavement nor are they the screams of some unknown woman but instead a familiar voice. "Randy?" The voice is heavy and hoarse, coming from a man with decades of drinking behind him his voice isn't the most pleasant sounding. "Randy this is Kris. Are you free for a few hours? I've got something I'd like you to take a look at."

Jon and LaurenJon sits in his car carefully watching the alley, and Lauren through his rear view mirror but it doesn't seem as if much is happening. Lauren stands there before the dark opening of the alley, nothing seeming to move under her dutiful watch. Her brief talk with Jon fresh in her mind. Perhaps it is because she is fairly new at patrolling, or perhaps it is Jon, who distracted her for a moment but suddenly Lauren remembers that she called in for backup and she never got an answer. The street lights flicker for a moment before they fade to darkness. The area around Lauren is suddenly plunged into night as is Jon's car, the engine dying just as he loses sight of Lauren in his rear view mirror.

AlexAlex flashes his medical identification for the second time that night but this time it doesn't seem to have any effect on the detective, who only glares at Andy all the harder. "Patrolman!" he shouts to an officer standing a fair ways away. As the officer starts jogging over the detective looks to Alex, "Don't know what f*ckwit called the emt's but they aren't needed here." The patrolman reaches the detective who turns to him. "Hold this guy on scene and in cuffs until I have a chance to get to him." the officer nods and grabs his cuffs. "If you don't mind?" he asks, waiting for Alex to hold out his hands, the fact he isn't forcing Alex's hands behind his back and into the cuffs speaking volumes. The detective starts to walk away but turns back to the patrolman. "Oh, and find out what a**hole let him into my crime scene without authorization." The detective then disappears into the bookstore while Alex is put in cuffs.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

With a shudder the engine dies. The lights go with it. For a few moments, Jon sits in silence, breathing frosty ghosts across the window glass. Then a telltale dread steals up the back of his spine like a centipede, prickling the hairs it passes. All of a sudden he needs to not be alone.

Opening the door to his ride, Jon steps back out onto the curb. "Lauren? My car's dead."

[Sicarius]

Lauren

"What the hell is this?" Lauren moved on reflex. Someone must have done something to the nearby lights. It meant she was a sitting duck, but they'd only know where her position was last, so she needed not to be in that position. She tried to inch back to her car. If they were prepared, she was just going to get her head blown off going in alone.

Then she heard Jon, complaining about car trouble of all things. Did she look like a mechanic. No, she was an on duty officer. "Leave it! Get out of here now!" She screamed at him.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

"******. I'm going." Jon resists the urge to hold up his hands as he jogs away. He heads for the nearest set of illuminated buildings, looking for a payphone or a pedestrian with a cell.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy nodded, even though no one could see him. He let out a barely audible sigh as he spoke into the handset. Not surprised. It's been that kind of night. Shall I meet you at the precinct?

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex glances around as the commotion happens, not really understanding until they pull out the cuffs. "What is the meaning on this?" He blurts out, not looking pleased at all, and staring at the patrolman he left behind. With a resigned sigh, he holds out his hands, imaging the vast quantities of alcohol he could have already consumed, and the amount he'll need after tonight.

"So.. Officer, whats really going on?" Alex said kindly, watching the person now entrapping him and hoping he was pretty inexperienced.

[Ms.Malbolge]

RandyRandy nods and there is a brief moment of silence as Kris seems to talk to someone else nearby. The words are lost on Randy by the tone is decisive and commanding, Kris must be in his element. "Not this time Randy. We got a day old scene we just discovered in an antique book store." here is another pause followed by a deep sigh. "It looks a lot like the other ones, maybe a copy cat or maybe we got the wrong guy.. I.. just come take a look at it alright?" The last words seem almost desperate. The last investigation took a lot out of Kris, the recovering alcoholic having fallen off the wagon trying to piece together the occult clues left at the scenes and only after Randy's aide was he able to make progress with the case, the closer the two came to solving the case the more healthy Kris became. Kris reads off some hurried directions and asks Randy to come as quick as possible, saying he'll let the patrolmen know that he is expected.

AlexThe medium height, rather lanky patrolman cuffs Alex's hands before him, ignoring all else as he secures the good doctor's wrists. "You're being held on scene temporarily I guess." the patrolman says, leading Alex through the maze of police before opening the back door of a cruiser. The officer opens the door and gently guides you in, holding your head down with his hand so you do not bang your head. "Stay here until the detective comes for you. Don't let me find out you moved from here." he says, giving Alex a serious look before closing the door, locking Alex in the backseat of the cold police car.

Lauren and JonLauren starts to step back towards her car. She had just turned and yelled towards Jon when another feminine scream fills the night air, the sound washing over the two who seem to be able to hear it much more clearly in the near total darkness of the street only to be silenced once more. The lights for this entire block are now out, though seem to show no sign of darkening the streets beyond. Jon finds himself with no luck, no body else is on these streets that he can see let alone anyone with a cell and the cell phone companies have long since bought and removed the city's pay phones, at least the ones not in high traffic areas. With the scream having sounded once more and cut off even more sharply than before the two find themselves trying to find two solutions to the same problem and both seem to come up short. The power is gone, all around them is darkness and yet still they frantically look for ways to avoid the violence that would be right before their eyes, if everything were not colored in midnight.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

******.

Jon keeps running, heading for the next block over. He'll start pounding on doors if he has to.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

"Hey- hey!" Alex shouts in vain for the officer to come back, and then looks around. Assuming hes still not very watched very carefully, he tries getting that car door open.

[Sicarius]

Lauren

Being an officer meant making difficult decisions. It was inevitable. Lauren knew that the myriad of possibilities opened before her were really only two. Try and move forward blindly and hopefully put an end to the violence, or stay back and get backup.

She hated this. She was cold. She was tired. She wanted to curl up and sleep. But she needed to do this. She needed to trust herself that everything was going to be alright. Life sucked, a lot. It was true, but if she hoped everything would be alright, who knew, she might even surprise herself.

Steeling herself, Lauren broke every smart cop rule and moved forward in the direction of the sound, trusting her instincts to help keep her out of harm's way while she was sticking her head into the fire. To serve and protect...she better bring that girl home alive, or she would've wasted her good karma for nothing.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy quickly agreed, then set down the receiver - he hurried to his car. He was worried as much about Kris as about the victim - Kris was still alive, but if he took this case as hard as the last one, that might be the case for long. A copycat? Damn it all. He'd hoped the original case was dead and buried. He'd seen things in practice that he'd really rather not see outside of a textbook.

[Ms.Malbolge]

RandyRandy finds his car parked in an unmarked space within the professor's lot, a space reserved for those professors who have yet to gain tenure and are not considered important enough to warrant a personal space. Randy can't help but notice that his is one of the few cars still present and as he opens his car door he gets a good look at the old, brown brick buildings of the college with its vaulted halls and labyrinthine grounds. Settling into the worn drivers seat Randy turns on the car, turning up the heat in order to help thaw the copious amounts of ice that have gathered on his windshield. As he sits there, waiting patiently for the car to become comfortable he notices a folded up piece of paper in his passenger side cup holder, a piece of paper that seems to tug at his memory for he doesn't remember it being there when he pulled in this morning.

AlexAlex finds the hard seat of patrol car more than a little uncomfortable as he leans to the side, trying to get his cuffed hands around the latch. It isn't too hard an ordeal, for the good doctor's hands were cuffed before him and not behind his back. Alex pops the latch and finds that the car isn't auto locking and when the door opens Alex is greeting with a cold blast of wind to his already cold face. With the door now open Alex must decide whether to run about the area in cuffs or remain where he is until the overbearing detective gets enough time to deal with him.

Jon and LaurenJon breaks into a run, heading towards the light of the nearby streets even as Lauren beings to make her way into the alley. Jon finds himself blinded in the darkness, the only thing telling him which way to run is the street lights nearly a block away. As he runs down the icy sidewalk, shoes making a distinctive crunching noise with each footfall as his shoes crack the thin layer of ice, he can't help but thing about that grating feminine scream, the sound seeming to give him the energy to run faster. Jon is over halfway to the comforting street lights before he finds that his shoes were perhaps not the best thing to wear when running full tilt over ice. His feet fly out from under him and in the blink of an eye he is on his back, staring up at the too bright night sky. His vision swims with spots of blurry light as he stares up at the too bright sky and his hair is slick and wet, as is the entire back of his head which feels as if its on fire. It takes a long moment for Jon to realize what happened and his vision remains blurry after the bright spots of light fade, telling him that he has lost his glasses.

Lauren steps forward into what she can only hope is the alley and after a few steps she bumps her shoulder on the corner of the building to the alley's right side. Wincing from the pain she uses her new found orientation to make her way deeper into the alley. Though there is no way to physically tell she is in the alley it seems as if Lauren can 'feel' that she has entered it. The darkness seems to become more oppressive and a feeling of unease fills Lauren, doing more to send shivers down her spine than the cold ever could. After what can only be a few feet her heavy boot strikes what sounds to be a glass bottle, sending the loudly clanking bottle deep into the alley. The bottle seems to roll for several feet before it enters something wet with a dull splashing sound. It doesn't take an expert to tell that something is wrong for everything around is frozen solid.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

As he waited for the car to finish warming up from the abysmally frigid temperature to which it had sunk, Randy picked up the paper curiously. He assumed it was just something left by a student - he thought he'd locked his car that morning, but things did occasionally slip his mind, after all.

[Sicarius]

Lauren

Lauren levels the shotgun, ready to fire at a moment's notice. If it was blood, then the victim was close to being a violent crime statistic if she wasn't already. She moved forward to investigate the puddle. She couldn't see, but she could still touch, and smell. She hefted her shotty in one hand and leaned down to investigate the puddle.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

****. ****, that's bad. Jon brings up his right hand to touch the back of his head, then thinks better of it. He imagines touching something smooth and hard--or worse, squishy and malleable.

Staggering back to his feet, he hunches over, sticks his hands out, and begins picking his way towards the lit buildings again.

[Ms.Malbolge]

RandyRandy picks up the tightly folded piece of paper and turns it over in his hand. The paper is crisp and fresh but has the appearance of old parchment, no doubt a piece of expensive computer paper if one had to guess. Unfolding the paper is easy enough, even to somebody with fingers nearly numb with cold. The paper unfolds and an image slowly comes to light, a circle with four abstract runes set just off of the cardinal directions. The runes are twisted, ugly things but drawn very precisely, just like the circle encasing them. At the bottom of the piece of paper is written a single in a neat, loopy handwriting that strikes you a distinctly feminine. The message is simple "We are all Instruments of the Divine, Randy."

Lauren and JonLauren moves to inspect the liquid, leaning down to to dabble her fingers into the liquid before bringing them to her nose, hoping the smell will help her identify whether or not its blood. Fingers wet she begins to lift her arm when a coarse male voice echos down the alley. "I really wouldn't do that ma'am." A scraping noise is heard an instant before a match is lit, being held in a narrow hand some fifteen feet away from you, the light far too dim to make out anything but the hand. You can smell the liquid now, its fumes burning your nose as your mind only takes a moment to discern the cause. The liquid on the ground is a puddle of gasoline. The voice comes again, still coarse and tired and not sounding at all threatening. "Get away! Nothing you can do here, just let me finish God's work."

Jon stumbles towards the light, nothing more than a blur on some distant horizon now but still he stumbles on. After the gruesome fall Jon's steps are slower and more careful, hands held outward to help him balance and to ensure he doesn't run into anything. His plods along narrowly avoiding a dark streetlight before at last making it into the flickering streetlights that were his goal. He turns to catch a quick glance at what he just left and the darkness of that street is nigh impregnable, like a writhing wall of shadows the darkness stands behind him and that alone is enough to make Jon turn back to the light, to continue his search for aid. The first building he comes to is indeed an apartment building and after quickly trying the door he finds it securely locked. A panel of white buttons with names written on plastic next to each one showcases the fact that Jon isn't getting in unless he can talk someone into letting him in.

[Sicarius]

Lauren

"I think not. Put down your matches and keep your hands where I can see them." Lauren aims the shotgun securely at him. She had caught an arsonist before his target building went down. Or wait...she had heard a scream. Was this sick bastard going to burn someone alive? "Where's the woman?" Her eyes were icy with an intimidating glare.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

God **** it all. His fingers dart down the row of buttons, pecking like hungry crows. That done, he takes a couple of good steps back and looks up at the windows. Hopefully someone will notice that he's out in the cold, bleeding freely from the head. If not, he's fully prepared to buzz every apartment in the place until someone gets fed up enough to come down and talk to him.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex looked around quickly, and sighed before leaning back on the seat for a while. After thinking about it, he stepped out of the car and closed the door with a quick hip thrust. There was no going back now. With a resigned sigh he tried to conceal his cuffs in his coat as best he could and tried to stealthily go towards the action.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy puzzled over the message. He wondered who had left it - again, he had some suspicions, but nothing concrete. There were obvious suspects, but he'd wait until he found out more information before making any conclusions.

When the car was ready, he pulled out and headed off to see what grisly work the night would bring, as he puzzled over what the symbols on the parchment might mean.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Randy and AlexRandy pulls the car out of the icy lot carefully and when he pulls on to the slightly safer roads he speeds up as fast as he dare while staying under the speed limit, no need to rush, everything will be waiting for him when he gets there. The streets are dark, the streetlamps doing little illuminate the sidewalks, especially when he begins to enter the city's core. It doesn't take too long before he finds the flashing police lights, not too long at all before a police man shows him where he can park. When Randy gets out of his car however, the first thing he sees is an old familiar face wandering through the scene, hands hidden beneath his coat.

Alex sticks his hands beneath his coat as best as he is able and begins to wander through the maze like crime scene in order to try and find out what is going on. He manages to go some time without being caught by a passing patrolman and it seems like Alex's detainment wasn't broadcast to the other officers on scene. Alex walks behind an ambulance, getting ready to make an attempt to enter the heart of the scene itself when a car begins to pull up next to him. At first Alex doesn't think much of this but when the car is shut off and the driver gets out of the car Alex is met with a familiar face.

Lauren and JonThe man's hand doesn't move for a moment, and Lauren can only see the one hand. Finally the man moves his hand up a bit. "Alright officer, you win. Hands are up, consider the matched dropped." The lit match falls from the mans hand then and as it tumbles you can't help but ask yourself if you used a bad choice of words. The match lands and immediately the alley becomes an inferno. In the blink of an eye the darkness is banished and Lauren finds herself in a hell of fire and pain, for she was not only standing near a large amount of gasoline, but there was other puddles she missed behind her as well. With Lauren now standing in the middle of an inferno, pain filling her senses as the fire consumes her flesh, it is impossible to see if there is indeed a woman, or if the man is still there.

Jon starts hitting the buttons, buzzing the unknown tenants in hopes someone will answer. It takes a long time but someone finally buzzes back. "What the f**k you wan't?" comes an extremely irritated voice over the intercom. Suddenly a loud roar of fire is heard from behind Jon and when he turns he sees that the alley, once hidden in darkness, is now ablaze. It takes a moment before Jon realizes the implications... Lauren was still there!

[I'll tally up damage taken after the alley sequence unless you reach a point where it kills you that is. Lauren is getting pretty badly burned and she has to wade through even more fire either way to get out of the alley.]

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

"Call 911. I'm bleeding from my ******* head and I'm pretty sure I'm now a witness to some sort of violent crime. Look, I'm sorry for disturbing you late at night and all that crap, but--"

Saints and angels.

He doesn't quite feel the heat wash over his face, but he still has to blink against the brightness.

Lauren. Oh my god. Lauren.

"****. If you think I'm messing with you, look out your window. Then give the fire department a call."

Jon stares at the conflagration for a few seconds as his thoughts try to claw their way through the gauzy haze of what is probably a mild concussion.

Don't be an idiot. If she's in there now, then there's nothing that you can do for her. Just sit tight and wait for the ambulance.

His feet start to move on their own, back towards the alley.

This hasn't really been a night for good decisions.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

"Randy?" Alex says, softly, before walking over to meet him. "Am I glad to see a familiar face. I came to help out at the scene, and.... its been crazy, they detained a Doctor for no-" Alex kept his cuffs concealed as best he could, looking around rather jittery, then eyed him remembering his work. "What are you doing here?"

[Sicarius]

Lauren

Insanity. That had to be the only reason. Lauren didn't think it a rookie mistake to think a man would light gasoline on fire while he was standing in such a confined location, so close. The fumes igniting would kill him.

But still, who cared about the woman, Lauren needed to save her own neck. Hoping that her orientation was still correct, she hurled into a run, holding her breath and shutting her eyes to avoid damage to the most sensitive areas of her face. Her uniform was not flame retardant, but it took a bit for something to burn to the point where it ignited. Her face, on the other hand, was different. With one hand, she covered her eyes and forehead with the crook of her elbow, preventing the flames from reaching it as best she could.

Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy gave Alex a tired grin and a nod. Evening, Alex, I just got a call that indicated there was something in my field of expertise as needed looking at down here. Do you have any idea what the conundrum in question is?

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex smiled back. "Not really. I was leaving work and noticed a couple of ambulances heading in this direction, thought I'd see what I could do to help." He shook his head. "But the police certainly want to keep whatever is happening in there contained. People might be hurt in there and all they are worried about is the god damn press on it." He continued, gritting his teeth.

"I hate to ask, Randy," Alex began, looking back at him. "Could you get me inside with you? If they barred me, I'm sure they barred any other doctors..." He let that thought hang between them.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy nodded Let's see how much pull they'll give me... but I'll damn sure try. If someone in there needs medical attention, the last thing we need is beraucratic B.S.

So saying, Randy approached the police lines, looking for a familiar face.

Name's Randy Vandermarten... I was called to consult on this case. Let me through, please.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Lauren and JonJon's feet move of their own volition and he soon finds himself running as fast as he dare on the icy ground back towards the alley. He doesn't know if the stranger is going to call the fire department and right now such things are far from the forefront of his mind. Right now there is only Lauren and the flames. It doesn't take him long before he finds himself halfway there. The flames die down briefly after they ignite but the blast is still enough to burn and Jon finds himself breathing hard and warm despite the icy night. It seems that only a heartbeat later Jon is standing near the smoking alley, looking around frantically for any sign of Lauren.

Lauren's world becomes one of fire and pain as she instinctively closes her mouth and eyes, no doubt also raising her arms to cover her face as she turns and makes her way as fast as she can out of the blazing alley. Soon she finds herself kneeling on the pavement, eyes and lungs filled with smoke as she struggles to breath. The initial explosion of flame having died down to more minor blazes Lauren takes a brief moment to inspect herself. Her uniform is burnt, as are her eyebrows and hair, which she can tell is burnt simply from the potent odor coming from the singed hair. She is in pain but she has been through worse, perhaps some minor burns here and there but she'll live. She hears footsteps approaching quickly as her eyes start to clear and a mans figure comes rushing at her through the smokey haze.

Randy and AlexRandy and Alex approach an officer standing near the old bookstore's doorway who promptly stops them both. The officer moves to speak but Randy cuts him off, leaving the officer to think for a moment before he raises his index finger. "Wait here a moment please." The officer then ducks under the police tape lining the front door and disappears into the store. It's a long cold wait out there in front of the crime scene, a long time before the officer arrives, looking at the both of you. "Um.. The detective said that there was only one. Which one of you is Randy?" the young officer asks hesitantly, looking between the two men.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

"Lauren! ******. If you can hear me, come towards the sound of my voice!"

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

I'm Randy. This is Alex, he's my medical consultant on this one. I'll probably need his advice, if the nature of the evidence from last time is any indicator Randy said in a grim, implacable voice he'd gotten much practice with refusing grade changes to undergrads.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex looked a little worried at first, but allowed Randy to answer and waited for the response anxiously.

[Sicarius]

Lauren

Lauren immediately hacked up the pack of Hostess Mini Blueberry Muffins she had eaten about 30 minutes ago. She could feel an open wound or two, but as she coughed up her lungs and the remainder of her stomach, she saw a figure approach. She tried to order around the running figure, although it mostly came out as coughed up English. Friend or foe, she didn't know, but she wasn't about to become a star on the memorial board at the station. She tried to stand up and ignore the pain as best she could, intent on stopping the figure if it turned out to be her wonderful friend the arsonist.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Lauren and JonLauren tries to stand up, fighting back the nausea and pain that races through the very fabric of her being. She takes great rasping breaths even as she attempts to cough up her lungs and wheezing she manages to get a foot underneath her and then another. She stands as best she can, form swaying side to side as her feet shuffle to maintain her balance. The figure still makes it's way through the smoke and it is obviously searching for Lauren. Finally you hear the figures voice say, "Lauren! ******. If you can hear me, come towards the sound of my voice!" and you realize it's Jon, coming back to aid you.

(Since all Jon did was shout, the above paragraph serves as the response to both of their posts.)

Randy and AlexThe officer at the door looks at Randy then at Alex, a look of uncertainty written upon his features. The policeman pauses for a long moment before he simply nods his head and takes a step back. "Detective Zerivik is waiting for you in the next room." Randy and Alex enter, Alex no doubt doing his best to cover his cuffed wrists with his coat all the while keeping an eye out for that burly detective. When you enter the next room you see the man Randy knows as Kris and Alex knows as Detective Zerivik. The tall, lanky man is dressed in a cheap, crumpled suit and scuffed black shoes. Over this is a tan lined trench coat in which the man is bundled into rather tightly. He turns as you approach, fixing each of you with his dark brown eyes which seem large behind his glasses. He smiles a small smile as he sees Randy. "Glad you could make it Randy. We have a real..." he pauses as his gaze turns to Alex. "Who is this Randy... and why is he cuffed?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy looked puzzled for a moment, turning to Alex What the... why are you cuffed? Turning back the detective, his voice a little puzzled This is my friend Alex - I brought him along in case I needed a medical opinion.. as for why he's got cuffs on, I didn't even know they were there - I was in too much of a hurry to get in here. Can you get 'em off him? And after that... bring us up to speed on what's going on.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex looked a bit sheepish. "I ran into some patrolmen that saw fit to detain me. Needless to say, I was rather stuck out in the cold until my associate Randy arrived. He seems to be more of a people person than I am, and we were led inside. Unfortunately, I forgot to inform him about my..." He jiggles the cuffs for effect. "...little run in. But I am here to provide a medical opinion." The doctor continued, smiling over at Randy. Randy really had saved him out there.

[Ms.Malbolge]

This is not an update!

This is me saying I'm pulling the plug on this game. The constant lack of someone posting and delaying my updates on the days I wish to has been driving me up the wall since last year.

So it is that I, as of this instant, am pulling the plug.

Sorry to do so but no game is going to cause me aggravation for a month and get away with it.

You guys all have other games so it's not that big a loss.

See you around guys.