"Good, but remember he might still be...on active duty" Daniel circles his finger around his right temple "If it seems so, be sure to play his game for your and his safety - and stay low!"
"Well, what's our plan when we get out of here? Get our hands on some convincing evidence, or find a car and get the hell out of here?" Charlie begins to look worried. "Splitting up might not be a good idea. I know we can't just leave Fletcher back there by himself for long, but we don't even have a plan. If something happened at the sawmill and you had to run, we wouldn't know where to meet you or what had happened."
"If you want to go, though, then go. But I doubt it'll be as easy as just waiting at the sawmill."
But surely better than leaving the poor fellow behind! Best of luck for you all, we'll meet again once this nightmare is over.
After quickly shaking hands with everyone Cummings runs down the tunnel - meanwhile the moaning and gasping has come considerably closer and the professor urges you to go on
Quick now, it must not find us!
You follow the tunnel leading up and after another span of time that feels like hours you reach a wooden hatch at the end of the packed-earth tunnel
Finally!
Charlie inspects the hatch, asking Daniel to hold the torch up to get a better look. Then, he holds his ear up to the hatch to try to hear anything on the other side.
Perception
If everything seems safe, he'll open the hatch slowly, giving himself time to inspect the outside world before fully emerging.
It takes you several moments to realize into which kind of room the hatch opens, then, with a shudder you realize that you must be in the sacristy of the village church. Clerical vestments hang in an open drawer and several pieces of brass dish rest on a nearby table. The room is rather small with one door leading most probably in the opening and the other one into the church proper.
"Doesn't seem like the sort of town to have a church... or the sort of town whose church I'd like to visit," Charlie speculates. He puts his ear up to the door leading into the church to see if he can hear anything on the other side.
Perception
You hear nothing, it seems like the room behind the door must be empty - but now that you think about it, you remember that the church building was used to house the grocery store - a thing that had already confused you when you reached Dunwich in the first place. Even weirder now is that the sacristy is still looking like a room of religion - why would they want to keep it like that while they change the whole rest of the church...
"This would be the door to the grocery store, then. Not a good place to start, even with Osbourn dead. We have to be sneaky to get out of town unnoticed"
"Well, we could go back down there and see what that other tunnel was about," Charlie offers. "But, since the store seems closed, maybe we should take a look around and see if we can find anything useful, or any convincing evidence to build for our case."
Charlie tries the doorknob leading into the church/grocery store to see if its unlocked. If it is, he'll peek into the room just to make sure its empty.
"Right, I'll cover you"
Slowly you push open the door to the grocery store, dust particles dance in the rays of the setting sun that fall through the front door. Everything is quiet and you are alone.
"Alright, let's search this place quickly and quietly - don't want to attract any attention from the outside. There's gotta be something in here that'll give us a better idea of what's going on in this town." Charlie begins searching the grocery, looking for an office or employee's only room, and also checking behind the counter for the shotgun they'd seen earlier.
Perception
Reggie flits into the room searching for camping/hunting supplies. If ther is nothing about he carefully empties a large sack of something and fills it with food that will travel well. Cheeses, jerkey, candy, coffee if he can find a pot. That sort of thing.
Daniel,too nervous to take initiative beyond staring at the door as if expecting a horde of cultists to come in in any moment but used to pilfering, sees what Reggie is doing and gives him a hand.
There is no side room, the grocery store only cosnsits of the former main church room. The shotgun is still at its place at the back side of the counter and Reggie quickly packs a rucksack full of cans and water bottles. He also finds a tent and some other camping supplies, surely enough to give the whole group shelter.
There is no side room, the grocery store only cosnsits of the former main church room. The shotgun is still at its place at the back side of the counter and Reggie quickly packs a rucksack full of cans and water bottles. He also finds a tent and some other camping supplies, surely enough to give the whole group shelter.
Any hooch? These guys don't seem the types to worry too much about prohabition.
Reggie distributes the canteens and supplies among the group.
"That should keep us alive for a while anyway. Now..."
Reggie eyes the shops stock of kitchen matches and kerosene.
"how about we burn this place down?"
There is a bottle of whiskey under the counter, it's still half full.
There is a bottle of whiskey under the counter, it's still half full.
Reggie fills the canteens from the store tap. He adds a bit of whisky to his. "Pretty raw but it will cover the metal taste."
"Well lets just grab the basics for now, the less time here the better"
"Anybody want this?" Charlie asks, holding up the second shotgun. "I'd rather us holding onto it than letting them have another gun."
Seeing Reggie with the whiskey, he says, "Can I have a taste of that? All this stress - I could use a little something to calm my nerves."
Daniel tries to interfere befor Reggie adds Wiskey to his water, which he should be able to do, considering he was helping him. If he fails, he will empty his canteen and refill it.
"Sorry, Reggie, I am not going there again."
"No point leaving that here, so I'll take it. So long as everyone is armed, because it may yet come to all that"
"All set?"
Daniel stands by the door and, as soon as the answer is affirmative and he is sur that he does not hear a sound from beyond the door(
: ), he opens the door, just a little to peek outside :
"Ready. But where are we going, next?" Charlie turns to the Professor, "Where in this town could we find some historical information about what's been going on here? Is there a library, museum, or town hall or something?"
"I thought we were set for weird Mr. Whateley, to see how he manages to stay alive against this cult?"
Daniel tries to interfere befor Reggie adds Wiskey to his water, which he should be able to do, considering he was helping him. If he fails, he will empty his canteen and refill it.
"Sorry, Reggie, I am not going there again."
"I understand. Sometimes it is better to taste the metal."
Charlie: Reggie pours out a couple of fingers for Charlie. "Here. We should save the rest."
"If we are going to see Mr. Whately I'll take the shotgun. There is something I want to ask him"
Daniel: "Just a minute." Reggei hurries through the store grabbing some bottles and a cotton dress.
DM Z: First are there any more shells or bullets? Second I want to use the Kerosene, some good glass botles, and rags made from the dress to make some firebombs. No Zippo style lighters yet but Ronson had been making one push and permenent match style lighters for years. Reggie will grab and fill a couple.
Oh, and check the til. waste not want not.
"Nice thinking, Reggie," Charlie says as he watches him check the cash register, then offers a helping hand with crafting the makeshift bombs.
All in all there are 7$ 20 cents inside the til - not bad for a normal weekday in such a small town.
Under the counter are also 12 buckshot shells for the shotgun. There is enough material to produce 6 fire bombs - nice idea!
Looking at the door the Professor muses
Good thinking, we need more information about Whateley, the history of the village this Bishop family etc. Normally we would find such information in a church register - but since the church is a grocery store, I say we try the chapel at the graveyard, what do you think?
"Well it would be a place they won't expect us to go..."
It's just one big room, judging by the architecture you think there have been side rooms when this was still a church, but all interioir walls have been taken out to make space for more counters and desks.
Is that a daring "Let's go"?
the professor grins and walks back into the sacristy, checking the back door.
"Sounds like it. No point staying longer than we need to"
"To the chapel it is then"
Should nobody interfere, Daniel opens the door, takes a peak ( ) and, if the way is clear hurries, with reasonable caution ( ) across the graveyard to the chapel.
As you reach the back door the sun has already sunken beneath the mountains and darkness has fallen on Dunwich. As you cautiously open the door you suddenly notice torchlight from the right and you quickly close the door again just in time to prevent being seen by a patrol of three men. They carry torches and two of them also have a gun in their hands...
Behind you the Professor whispers
Is that normal or do they know that something is amiss?
"They must know we can not get far without any means of transportation, perhaps they noticed another group of strangers,"- Daniel nods in the direction of the remaining associates of Mr. Harris - " too. My guess is they patrol the town and the inns and outs. However, we should be prepared for the worst and, if possible, try not to make our whereabouts known."
"Let's wait for them to pass, then make a go for the chapel. At the very least, they won't be getting me without a fight," he says, grimfaced.
The group passes slowly but the look in their hardened faces shows clearly that they are actively looking for something...or someone...
Murph just waits in silence.
Ok, off we go!
the professor whispers and sprints out of the door.
Murph stumble after the rapidly moving professor, trying to be quiet but at a fast pace...
Sneak
Daniel is far to nervous to get cought to spend to much time on getting to the chapel without being cought...
Charlie dashes out quietly, following the professor to the chapel.
Stealth
Reggie moves like a leaf on the wind. An effect rather mitigated by accidently knocking Murphy into Daniel.
Murphy's muffled sound of surprise is enough to alarm the torchbearers and behind you, you can see the dancing torchlight and hear their hushed voices.
The professor grimaces as he notices your fauxpas, but stays at the top of your group and opens the rusty cemetary gates for the rest of you - then he points at a silhouette that is even a bit darker than the surrounding night and whispers
That's the chapel, quick!
Murphy just didn't get his footing back and continues to stumble.
Acrobatics
Daniel, eager to reach the 'safety' of the chapel, sadly remains oblivious to Murphys difficulties, darting through the opened gates toward the chapel, slowed neither by the uneven footing nor suffering from one of the tremors that frequently hinder him nowdays - in the fluent movement fit for the hero of so many romantic adventures of the past...
:
Charlie follows the Professor's directions, dashing across the cemetary towards the chapel at full speed.
Acrobatics
Reggie turns in mid scramble to help Murphy...
and manages to more good than harm.
Daniel sprints across the cemetary evading tomb stones and holes in the ground. He is the first to reach the chapel building, but as he tries to push open the door the rusty hinges resist his efforts.
Only as the rest of the group also reach the building the door swings inward and you are able to enter it while behind you the now agitated voices of the searching villagers can be heard.
At first glance the chapel is empty and consists only of an old dusty altar and six benches. There is no cross, not are there any other religious symbols in the room. The air is damp and a bit musty, which surprises you because of the high temperatures during the last days.