(IC) An Unceasing Hunger [Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf]

[WindStruck]

Now that this little ravine was overcome, Chelsea was wondering if all this was worth it. Hopefully she could still make it to the Lodge and get some help, somehow... assuming the phone lines were still working, and there were even any sane people still there.

She continues through the forest, likely making slight muddied tracks at first, and tries to spare her feet any more suffering.

Spoiler: Chelsea

Show

Blood Tokens: 5
items: bikini
-excellent swimmer

[Metastachydium]

Slowly backing off into Jim, Carine shakes her head and raising the spade very, very slowly she points towards the bedroom door. In there. she half-says, half-mouths twisting her neck and upturning her head to make sure there's an unbroken line of sight between her lips and Jim's eyes.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze

[MaltholLoth]

Jim follows the stare and point from the spade to the other door. He wants to say 'not to worry, it's just the proper occupant getting out of bed', yet he knew this was very unlikely given what he'd just seen in the bathroom. Other possibilities try to come to mind but they keep coming back to one scary thought. He didn't want to be that.

At first he lets out a simple "'K", and moves besides her. Brandishing his knife, he chances a glance at the woman that he can put his free hand on her arm. "If there's that someone there who wants to tango, then now they'll have two to tango with"

Maybe he could get to the kitchen area again... Ahhh, he wanted to be a Knight in shining armour for this woman, but given how strongly she'd hit him before, he wouldn't be surprised if she was the one doing the heavy work, but he'd sure try his best. He gives a gentle squeeze of her arm before only leaving it there lightly. Maybe it will reassure her, but it kinda reassured him too.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

[7LayerDipstick]

With Jim and Carine standing just outside the restroom, and before Jim can move toward the kitchen, the door to the bedroom at the end of the hall opens. It is not any sort of sudden motion nor a slow creep. The door merely opens like any person might open a door, and from the doorway, bathed in the bit of light pouring in from the bedroom, steps that same man that attacked Carine. He turns to regard the two figures standing together near the opposite end of the cabin, allowing the two to clearly see both the bandaging of his abdomen and his face. This individual is, or looks exactly like, Shia LaBeouf. As he stares at the two, his face slowly splits into a malicious grin, and even from this distance, both Jim and Carine can see the bloody residue between his teeth. Despite his clear bloodthirst, Shia remains stationary, standing in the light from the doorway and not moving a muscle.

Having extricated herself from the ravine, Chelsea continues her way through the woods, and it feels like only a few minutes pass before she can see the park lodge through the trees, though she is sure it must have been much longer. However, something is clearly amiss as Chelsea also spots an overturned vehicle, some sort of pickup truck, lying across where she is pretty sure the road is. The truck is clearly belching flame from near its engine, and plumes of black smoke are disappearing up into the canopy of pine needles above.

[MaltholLoth]

"You're that freak who bit Carine aren't you!? What's wrong with you man?" Jim rattles off and gesticulates with the knife. Then as he looks at them more, a sense of familiarity comes to him. Was that... That actor. He knew he was famous for the films but what was his name? Or wait, was he that singer hmm. Jim narrows his eyes. What was with the bandages? He had all of his hands so the bathroom man hadn't targeted him to get them.

[Metastachydium]

The human mind is a truly strange thing. Case in point, despite all her visceral fear, even as the creature that Carine suddenly recognizes as Shia freakin' LaBeouf slowly emerges from behind the bedroom door, the grotesque mental image of Jim and herself somehow tangoing this thing to death persists, just like the nagging anxiety stemming from the fact that Carine doesn't actually know how to tango.

That and the sudden, contradictory urges to limp away in panic or just fall over and go catatonic aside, however, she manages to draw enough strength from Jim's proximity to join him in admonishing the predator. Y-yes! W-why don't you just go **** off, stupid cannibal Shia LaBeouf? Leave us alone! Unfortunately, her voice doesn't quite seem to agree with that plan. It comes out mousy, powerless, frightened and, worst of all, shaky, trembling in good synch with the raised spade.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze

[MaltholLoth]

He wants to hold Carine, as her shaky voice squeaks out. It takes a moment, then the name clicks in Jim's mind. Ah that who it is... Bloody film stars, probably whacked out on something when he bored of having so much money.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

[WindStruck]

What the hell?

More bizarre happenings. At the very least, this was vandalism. Was someone attacked in the truck? Was.. the road being blocked?

Chelsea cautiously continued to approach. She got much closer, though she was still in the edge of the woods. She peeked from behind a tree to get a better look at the lodge, the parking lot, roads, and the truck that was on fire. She wanted to make sure there were at least no more people who looked crazy around here.

Spoiler: Chelsea

Show

Blood Tokens: 5
items: bikini
-excellent swimmer
-fairly dirty

[7LayerDipstick]

Chelsea crept forward and peered out from the edge of the woods toward the lodge and the burning truck. From here, she could see that the truck was a humble beige and emblazoned with the words still legible as "Park Ranger," though the final 'r' was starting to warp and bubble from the heat of the flames. The lodge itself seemed to be intact from this angle. The doors were on their hinges, none of the windows were broken, and no other signs of unusual damage as far as she could see. The parking lot was a bit of a different story. Three vehicles were sitting in the lot, one being another ranger truck, this one seeming intact, and the other two being ordinary four-door cars which both had damaged windshields. Both were covered in several spiderwebbing cracks, seemingly from repeated strikes with some blunt object. The last thing Chelsea noticed was the entrance to the parking lot. The truck's rear slightly obscured the small section of pavement, but Chelsea was reasonably sure that she could see what looked like three skulls sitting in a straight line across the span of pavement, all three pointed directly toward the burning truck.


Carine and Jim hurl words at the cannibalistic actor as he stands still with his vicious grin. After a brief moment of silence, Shia tilts his head as if considering the duo before he begins to walk forward. His strides are calm, leisurely, without any semblance of haste. He walks as though he were on a relaxing stroll down one of the many paths in the park. Even as he walks, his arms remain locked to his sides, not swinging even slightly with his stride, and his face remains locked in his malicious smile, though the detail of his face becomes lost in the dimmer light of the hall once he crosses the threshold of light from the bedroom.

[MaltholLoth]

Jim swallows hard, one foot slides back and hits the wall. As Shia approaches, options run through his mind.
Run. No, the way he went off into the trees earlier, they'd have no chance.
Fight. Small chance of success and yet he does look injured already.
Delay. If he could hold off Shia then at least Carine could get away. At this point, any thought of having been her Knight in shining armour is fading fast as the desire to survive kicks in. He looks around the room and sees the hot dogs on the floor!
Feed. Give him what he wants, meat, run and throw those sausages at him... Apart from it not being sausage meat but human...! Human!

This was not going to be pretty or sit well with his conscience. "I've a plan,.."
He says as he doubles back into the bathroom. He knows he stands no chance of picking the man up quickly, let alone throw him.

He looks at the man slumped there and his plan falls apart as he feels sick in the pit of his stomach.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

(1d6)[2]

Removed content in favour of above.
With that he goes for the easiest cut he can do with least resistance... He hopes. With all the force he can manage he drives the knife through the man's neck trying to sever it in as few hours as he can.

Head in hand, he runs back and throws it over to Shia. "Here, eat up!" once the head is in the air, he grabs for Carine to start dragging her to the door ready to run.

[WindStruck]

Seeing no one around, Chelsea creeps out from behind her cover and makes her way into the parking lot. She's pretty sure no one's alive in that burning truck, and.. honestly she had better not get close in case it explodes.

What she does decide to check out are the other two cars with damaged windows. She walks over, rough asphalt under her feet only slightly cushioned by a fading layer of mud, and cautious of debris on the ground. As she nears the cars, she is even more weary of sharp, dangerous debris, like broken glass. Pretty much all of her attention is focused on not accidentally stabbing her feet as she approaches a car.

Once she's close enough to be able to lean her head near a car and bring her hands up next to her face to eliminate glare, she peeks into the cars to see if.. well, at this point, she had hoped there were no dead bodies or anything inside. Though you'd think if there were, the glass would be completely broken?

Spoiler: Chelsea

Show

Blood Tokens: 5
items: bikini
-excellent swimmer
-fairly dirty

[Metastachydium]

Over the earworm of a tango electronico still playing in her head and, perhaps more alarmingly, her way too loud and way too irregular heartbeat, Carine manages to hear Jim making his cryptic pronouncement about a "plan" and, what is quite certainly more alarming, she sees him slip back into the bathroom from beside her. With a confused Jim? she makes an attempt at following suit, limping backwards probably a bit faster than it would be prudent while keeping her wide, panicked eyes on the approaching Shia and doing her best to pinpoint Jim's position on the basis of the very disturbing sounds emanating from the Room She Was Previously Not Allowed to Enter for some reason she'd rather not think about.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

A roll: (1d6)[4]

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze

[MaltholLoth]

With revulsion spinning within him he stops Carine backing into the bathroom. "Sorry, it's not going to work, we're just gonna have to fight our way out" he says lacking conviction as his mind comes back from the dark place it had been, annoyed at his own self imposed delay.

With some will power regained as he brushed past Carine he runs forward, no shout, no flailing arms wildly, just focus on getting to Shia clearly, knife held down by his side as he goes, ready to strike up into the stomach area of his target...

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

(1d6)[5]
Ooc, I think this was more likely than the thinking he had.

[7LayerDipstick]

Chelsea walks past the blaze. Even keeping her distance, she can feel the radiance of the flames heating her exposed skin. She needs to adjust her path around the truck several times to avoid the shattered glass of the side windows. Nonetheless, with care, Chelsea manages to approach the nearest car without further damage to her feet. She can immediately see a slowly spreading pool of fluid centered on the space under the engine as she walks up to it. She can see a few things, peering into the interior through the driver-side window. First, there is a pile of what seem to be wallets of various shapes and sizes sitting on the passenger seat. Second, in the passenger footwell is at least two purses. Third, in the backseat, there is a single large duffel bag. Lastly, she can see that the rear passenger-side window is wide open.

Jim slips back into the bathroom and moves over to the body while Shia continues his casual stroll toward the pair. Carine watches as Shia's eyes follow Jim as he rounds the doorway. Then, once Jim is out of sight, those eyes lock onto Carine. Though he is looking at Carine straight in the eyes, she has a distinct feeling that Shia is not honestly acknowledging her as a person.
In the restroom, Jim holds the knife at the ready, staring at the deceased man for a long moment before he turns and exits the room, stopping Carine's movement in the process. Then, passing her, he approaches Shia and intercepts him as he steps out of the hallway. With one motion, Jim brings the blade up and into Shia's abdomen. It is only now that Shia's eyes turn to meet Jim's, and, without a single sound or grunt of pain in response to the cold metal embedded in his flesh, he moves with extraordinary speed to bring his own arm up and seizes Jim near the elbow and pulls, the knife pushing deeper into the cannibal as a result. Jim can feel the crushing strength of Shia's grip as he starts trying to pull Jim closer.

Spoiler: NOTICE

Show

Shia LaBeouf has lost a blood token

[MaltholLoth]

Jim wasn't sure how this was supposed to go, but this seemed wrong. Why didn't he even flinch at the knife? He tried to pull free but the strength of the guy was enough that it was hurting. As he's pulled closer, Jim tries to readjust his feet to try and pull away. "Get off me you freak!" Jim says as he tries to struggle free. "Carine help me! Hit him or something. Quick!" he shouts as he then tries to punch and claw at where the bandages are already.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

(1d6)[4]

[Metastachydium]

Carine freezes as she watches Shia tank the knife like that, but then, he grabs Jim. And Jim calls for help. Her help. The world around her goes all red, and shaken out of her stupor, she half-slides, half-hops forward (and without her realizing that much, likely well into grabbing range) essentially clawing at the wall to hasten her progress and swings the spade in a vertical arc, intent on smacking Shia hard straight on his forehead.

Spoiler: Ours Is the FURY!

Show

Attack! (1d6)[3]

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze

[WindStruck]

Chelsea peers at the collection of wallets and other personal effects. There was just no way someone would leave their wallet or purse lying around like this. Especially dozens of them altogether. These had to have come from people but... where where they?

A chill went up her spine just thinking what may have happened. And recalled seeing what looked like skulls near the burning truck. Briefly bending over to examine the ground beneath the car, she feared it was a massive pool of blood, but it was probably just oil or something. Perhaps the car was sabotaged so it would not run?

Well this wasn't good. It wasn't good at all! Chelsea carefully backed away from the car, once again avoiding shards of broken glass on the parking lot. She needed to find a phone, or someone else fast! Though her hope was dwindling that she would actually run into someone else that wasn't crazy. Chelsea's next destination was the front door of the lodge. She tries to open it.

Spoiler: Chelsea

Show

Blood Tokens: 5
items: bikini
-excellent swimmer
-fairly dirty

[7LayerDipstick]

Peering under the car, Chelsea's fears are abated as she can see that the liquid is oil leaking from a series of four punctures in the engine's steel. Fear confronted, Chelsea backs away and turns toward the lodge.
While most of the building is an imposing construction of lumber, the main doors are modern glass fixtures with the full accompaniment of handicap-accessible features. Trying the door, Chelsea finds it to be unlocked. A simple foyer can be seen, only about fifteen feet between doors, with a bulletin board on the right wall and a rack of informative pamphlets on the other. The door presumably leading into the lodge proper is a more traditional wooden affair without windows, though there is still an automated system for opening the door like the exterior. From here, Chelsea can already see some worrisome signs. The floor leading into the lodge has a splattering of what is clearly blood, and the left door has a spattering of blood about halfway up, and an oddly shaped lump of something fuzzy stuck in the mess of blood.

Jim struggles against the crushing pull of Shia, landing several good blows against the cannibal's bandaged ribs. Though his smile doesn't falter, Shia does let out a grunt with each impact. Jim is reasonably sure those grunts weren't just pain but also had a hint of... satisfaction?
Meanwhile, Carine manages to limp her way toward the scuffle with violent intent. She brings herself much closer to their assailant than would probably be wise, but Shia seems focused on maintaining his hold on Jim. Carine raises her spade at the exact moment that Shia fails in his goal, and Jim breaks free of the grapple. Overbalanced, Jim finds himself both falling backward and, as it happens, extracting the knife from Shia's torso. In that fraction of a second between losing balance and landing on the ground, Jim can watch as Carine brings down the spade directly toward Shia's head. Again acting with inhuman speed, Shia's eyes snap to the incoming blow, and his arm raises to intercept the weapon, but his reaction is moments too slow despite his speed. The shaft of the spade catches on the tips of his index and middle fingers, bending them back with a visceral snap as they far exceed their limits. The failed block may not have stopped the blow, but it was enough to divert it just enough that it only slightly grazes Shia's face and leaves the majority of the force to be absorbed instead by his shoulder as he pulls himself away.
Before either Jim or Chelsea has a moment to recover, Shia backs away in a controlled stagger until he is again illuminated by the light from the bedroom. With a flourish, his injured fingers dangling limply from his hand and blood pouring from the open stab wound, Shia performs a deep stage bow, his head tilted up to keep his eyes on the two and, as it happens, keeping that uncanny grin visible to both. Righting himself, he begins to walk, again unhurried, into the bedroom.

Spoiler: NOTICE

Show

Shia LaBeouf has lost a blood token

[MaltholLoth]

As Jim falls back to the floor, he doesn't take his eyes off the crazed Shia LaBeouf. As Carine brings down the spade on Shia, he can't believe the speed but the way the fingers snap and dangle repulses him, and he shudders at the sight. He scrambles to try and get back on his feet, like a silly spider trying to break dance or a drunk clown avoiding a pie thrown at them.

As Shia bows and slowly recedes into the bedroom, Jim gets to his feet. He can't help but let out a big shaky breath, and feel his hands tremble slightly as the adrenaline of the situation goes unused. Like a startled rabbit, he stands there watching the man and then the empty doorway.

His mind reels over thoughts of Shia. He didn't seem high, he'd smiled at the pain and that look... The knife did nothing and he had just pulled him closer. That strength! Fingers.. Eurgh! What would have happened if Carine hadn't been there, he didn't know, but it seemed likely that he would have not lived to tell the tale. The thought scared him greatly, standing there unmoving.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

[Metastachydium]

As her anger fades into a nauseous terror watching Shia's theatrical exit with the bow and twisted smile and destroyed hand, Carine stumbles backwards half a pace, all pale, huffing, her legs shaking uncontrollably. Is it… Is it over? she asks with a jarringly, improbably high pitch to her voice, before realizing what she was so enraged about a moment ago. You alright? she adds then, too afraid to take her eyes off the doorway and see for herself.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze

[MaltholLoth]

Jim can hear someone talking, but it doesn't register at first. Further thoughts go through his mind. The person in the bath, that smile, how he's just stabbed someone. He takes a moment to look down at his hands, the red blood dripping away chilled his soul. His stomach churned and roiled as he looked back at the doorway.

At last, the words of Carine sink in. "Muhh".

Looking down at his hands again, like in Macbeth, he feels dirty and moves to the sink. Removing the gloves and runs his hands under the water, scrubbing away what he can. A splash of water reaches to the stove top that was still on and hisses at the cold water. The sudden sound startling him from his own world, he turns to it knife in hand then back to where Carine was. After a few seconds of tension he relaxes, then focuses on the woman before him... "I... I.. I'm sorry, did, did you day something? Oh my word! Are you OK?". He strides towards her.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

[WindStruck]

Oh God, this really was turning into a horror movie! And yet.. she hadn't seen any actual bodies yet... The anxiety was mounting, however, as she just knew there would be some, somewhere, at this point.

Chelsea avoids the blood and makes her way into the lodge proper. Wasn't there an office or a reception desk somewhere around here??? Heck even the back area of the restaurant should have a little office with a phone or something.

Spoiler: Chelsea

Show

same old same old

[Metastachydium]

Relieved to first hear and then see that Jim can walk and talk just fine, Carine decompresses somewhat and flounders forth trying (and, naturally, failing) to meet Jim halfway. Upon reaching the man (or, rather, his reaching her), she simply leans forward, resting her forehead against Jim's shoulder and going mostly limp. Don't mind me. she says in a torpid mumble. You kind of answered my riddles two. Too scared and two tired to think, she lets her stream of consciousness take over at this point and brave the way of the non sequitur. That book was right. It's easier. So much easier. Jim? she hears herself speak up again. Once my leg's all grown back, we should really try that tango thing someday.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze

[MaltholLoth]

Jim wraps his free arm around Carine as she bumps her head into his chest. Still keeping an eye on the bedroom doorway, he brings his face down and touches his nose to the top of her head. If he'd been braver, he no doubt would have kissed it instead, but as it was... It was probably just warm breath she felt.

"Do you know how to tango?" he gently asks "because... I don't" then smiles."Oh we should try and get you to the lodge, there should be help on the way now and if that crazy guy is still about, the greater numbers of people there will help"

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

[Metastachydium]

Fair and fair. Carine concedes dozily, raising her head slightly and with some visible difficulty to return Jim's smile. Drag me onwards, killjoy. she adds, slipping into marching position and giving Jim's ribs a warm little squeeze.

Spoiler: Carine

Show

Blood tokens: 4/5
Item: folding spade (equipped)
Other belongings: white one-shoulder T-shirt, light gray high ankle skinny jeans (now slightly redesigned), flat thong sandals, a dishtowel and half a roll of gauze

[MaltholLoth]

He readjusts to hold Carine better. "Hey! I just don't want to be stepping on your toes all the time. We could always take the lessons together?" he says before stopping to say "Or did you have some other plan that would would like to do? Just say if there is, I won't mind"

[Metastachydium]

Nah, that sounds nice. Carine mutters in response, leaning on Jim to brace herself for the arduous journey ahead. And if I'm gonna still have toes, you can step on them all you want.

Figuring that the throbbing of her leg won't get any better anytime soon, and with most of the overwhelming urge to just freak out and scream herself into sweet oblivion, she then inhales deeply. Shall we? she points towards the door. This place scares me ****less. Can't shake the feeling he's still around and lurking.

[MaltholLoth]

"Me too." he replies, then shudders. As they reach the door he follows up with "Be careful what you show me to do though... As I may just do it.." Jim then quickly but gently taps his foot on Carine's.
With a smile he moves his foot away, and slides the door to one side.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat

[7LayerDipstick]

Chelsea remembers how the lodge looked when she was there earlier today. The small information desk just off to the right of the entrance where the young man had greeted her when she entered. The display model just opposite the desk on the left showed a lovingly crafted scale version of the park that the sign claimed was topographically accurate. The large, open room with the ceiling towering effortlessly three stories above her head. Thanks to the massive window covering the back wall and looking out over the evergreen landscape, the room seemed so much more spacious. It was bright and cheery, with comfortable seats scattered throughout the room, most clustered around either the window or the stone fireplace that dominated the center of the room with its chimney reaching high up into the ceiling. Even with as few people as there were, the space felt well-loved.
Embedded in the left wall was the restaurant where she had a bite to eat, where the seating spilled out into the rest of the room, where she overheard the trio of men discussing their mountain hiking plans over paper cups of coffee and maps that spilled over the edges of the table.
Over to her right was the entrance to the exhibits showcasing the different environments and wildlife that observant hikers could find in the park. She remembered seeing a young boy peering into one of the displays with unbridled curiosity as an older woman in a park ranger uniform explained something about the contents.
Near that showcase, slightly further down the wall, was a door marked as "Employees Only," and opposite that door back by the restaurant was a hall leading to the restrooms, an elevator to the second floor, and an entrance to the kitchen.
On either side of the room, just past both of those, were stairs leading up to a balcony which provided a much better view out the window with a row of seats for a relaxing viewing experience. That balcony wrapped around the sides of the room, leading into hallways to the seating rooms. Smaller rooms with fireplaces for the colder months and equally exquisite views. If Chelsea remembered correctly, one of those rooms had a small bar, though she couldn't recall which in that brief moment between remembering and opening the door.
Immediately, Chelsea can see that the lodge has become a disaster. Chairs are overturned, and some have their insides torn out as if by claws. The stairs on the right have several steps completely missing, with the wood splintered and lying in a pile on the ground. Off to her right, her eyes are drawn to a pool of blood congealed on the surface of the information desk. Further right, the doors to the nature exhibits are closed but clearly cracked. To her left, the shutters to the restaurant counter have been brought halfway down but are jammed at an angle in the tracks, and the seating area appears to have had a vortex pass through. The fireplace in the center of the room seems intact, though there does seem to be a splatter of blood on the stone chimney about fifteen feet off the ground. In fact, looking around again, Chelsea can see several bloody areas, but she can't see any signs of a body or even a piece of a body.

Meanwhile, Jim and Carine collect themselves from their encounter, and after a moment of human connection in the face of adversity, Jim slides the door aside and supports Carine as they exit the building into the fading light of the evening. As they begin moving, they both hear the crunch of glass, but it is swiftly interrupted by a distant rumble from the direction of the lodge. Turning toward the sound, they can see a cloud of black smoke caught under the canopy of needs far off in the distance.

Back at the lodge itself, Chelsea also hears this explosion coming from the direction of the road, though to her, it is far, far louder and is accompanied by the sounds of various objects striking the wooden walls. Especially notable are the two loud thumps when something significant impacts the wall and then again when it lands on the ground.

[MaltholLoth]

"Hmm we should hurry, it's looking like it's getting dark." he says looking out at the sky. As they hear the noise and turn to it "What in blue blazes!" he secures his grip on Carine as they set to go.

Spoiler: Jim

Show

Blood tokens: 5
Item(s): multitool with torch, cabin kitchen knife, couple of alcoholic wipes
Dressed: Comfy waking boots, loose cargo trousers, loose t-shirt and lightweight waterproof coat