Kenny backs away suddenly at the realization that touching Edith might have been excessive familiarity. For a moment he stammers an inaudible apology then he points to the fleeing figure.
"We should keep that guy in sight but far away that we can make a strategic retreat if needed."
John nods absent-mindedly.
"Follow that,... Was it just me, or did that fellow seem awfully dressed up for a barbecue?"
"You're right, John. Good call. Something is very wrong here."
"Remember, if we hurt this guy it looks like some outsiders attacked a local. That would not go well for us. It will be bad enought that no one sees us help put out the fire. I guess we can say that we were trying to help someone who was hurt from smoke inhalation."
So are you following the man or going back to help with the fire? Its going to get very dark very soon under the trees if you move further away from the fire. But you can still see just enough, thanks to the reflective white snow, to stumble through if you want to try and follow.
"I left all of my 'tools' in my backpack. In my room." John admits grudgingly.
"But there's something about him. I swear I've never met him, But he seems familiar somehow."
The burly man sets his jaw. "I'm followin' him. I won't try to stop him again. But I want to see where he's going." He declares stubbornly. Then sets off after the strange figure through the trees.
Kenny was already moving in the opposite direction when John said that he would follow the ambling fellow. "But...what if he attacks again?" Kenny mumbles under his breath before falling in behind John. I was hoping Ms. Edith had a gun in her purse he thinks to himself.His thoughts then drift back to the book that he took from the cannibal restraunteur in Arizona and the rituals it describes. Absently, he recalls the procedures for casting so-called 'spells' that protect one from harm.
The woods are lovely, cold, and dark.
Soon the entire group is stumbling over unseen roots and small stones. Nevertheless, there is just enough light to prevent anyone from walking into a tree.
After what seems like hours, but is probably closer to fifteen minutes, you can see a light ahead, an electric light of some sort. Walking a bit further, you come to the end of the treeline and out into,...
a cemetery. A decent sized cemetery in fact. There is a large stone building down the hill at the edge of the cemetery and there are tracks through the cemetery leading from the woods to the building. You're quarry is shambling, even now around the corner of the building.
"Oh, Yeah. That's not creepy or anything." John mutters darkly.
He looks at the others with a sigh, then sets his jaw stubbornly and follows the figure,...
Kenny curses when he sees the cemetery and the tracks. "That guy is heading along a path someone else made. That means there are more of ...them in there. I don't have anything that can be used as a weapon. Do either of you?"
The sight of the cemetery calls forth memories of the in the truck stop in Arizona and the book that Kenny took from there. He thinks about the contents of the book and silently recites it to himself in order to try to get a grip on what he expects to encounter.
Kenny, only partially aware of what he is doing, begins reciting a chant. As his mind gets caught up in it, he reaches with his left hand and scratches open his right arm (1 point of damage). Almost immediately Kenny feels hot and then a little cold. There is a crack, like a spark of electricity...
Despite the fact that Kenny just gouged open his arm, he looks suprisingly energized.
Kenny's mind is a chaotic barage of thoughts as he walks along the path. Every conspiracy he has ever heard of comes into his mind to be assessed as applicable to his surroundings.
Kenny curses when he sees the cemetery and the tracks. "That guy is heading along a path someone else made. That means there are more of ...them in there. I don't have anything that can be used as a weapon. Do either of you?"
"Plenty." John replies.
"Back in my room,..." He adds reluctantly. "But all I need is a stick or a pipe, and I can use it, to,... um, are you alright?" John says, looking at Kenny sideways.
"Fine, I'm fine. Someone is expecting that guy to return to the building. Maybe we can creep in behind him or something."
John looks at Kenny sideways again, but nods in agreement.
"Yeah, it's a fair bet they ain't expecting company. Let's go."
John leads the way, slowly.
Kenny follows John and tries to put their current situation out of his mind. Absently he looks at any headstones they pass and reads the names if they are visible to him. After a few moments he decides that focusing on the fact that they are walking through a graveyard towards an isolated building does little to calm his nerves.
Kenny cannot read the names on the stones. It is too dark. There is a street-light in front of the stone building and beyond the building is a snow-covered street. There appears to be a house about a half-block further.
Approaching the stone building you get the sense that it is a church building. There is a wooden sign in the front lawn of the building, but it is facing away from you. The tracks lead from the woods, through the cemetery and around the front of the stone building. Which makes sense as you just saw your quarry going around the corner of the building. There is no sign of anyone else in the area.
John stops, looks at the tracks, then to Kenny and the girls. He nods solemnly, and peeks around the building first, then moves cautiously around, following the tracks in the snow,...
Kenny nods back to John then follows along.
The pursued seems to have gone into the building. At least the front door is open. There are no lights on inside, though the street light allows you to see a short ways inside.
Kenny gets close enough to the doorway to peak his head around and see inside.
Kenny sees a small foyer, with scarlet carpeting. Stairs, about five feet from the front door lead up to a set of double doors and there are four doors off of the foyer, two to a side. Various things hang from the walls. Details are hard to make out in the dim light.
John looks around cautiously, looking for an ambush out of habit, then turns back to teh building to see Kenny already peeking inside. He moves to join the reporter, all of his old training kicking in,...
Kenny stays where he is, waiting to see what John's assessment of the place is. For some reason an unfamiliar tune repeats itself in Kenny's mind, resisting all his efforts to banish it.
John hears the sound of scraping and knocking coming from somewhere within the building. It sounds a bit like rocks hitting each other. The sound is loudest through one of the doors to the right. A door that is slightly ajar.
John holds up one hand in a fist, then extends two fingers, making guick pointing motions to the right. Then he glances back at Kenny, and looks somewhat embarrassed.
"Uh, sorry. In there, to the right." He whispers. Then cautiously and slowly enters the room, heading slowly towards the open door,...
Kenny nods his understanding and waits for John to get a few steps ahead of him. He then looks back at Edith and Carlotta and turn to follow John as quietly as he can.
The door appears to open on a stairwell going down. Unfortunately its too dark to see much detail.
Kenny looks to John as if to say 'we came this far, might as well continue'. He then takes a step into the foyer and toward the stairs. If nothing happens he will proceed down.
As he moves forward, the tune continues to play in Kenny's mind. He then realizes it is the same tune that played on the Muzak in Song's dinner in Arizona. Kenny last heard it before he went into the basement there, where the kidnapped women were held.
"Where's a flippin' flashlight when you need one?" John mutters, barely loud enough to be heard by the close Kenny.
He proceeds SLOWly, one hand on the wall, trying to be as quiet and careful as possible.
Kenny reaches for his cellphone in order to use its light in this dark hallway. It is not at his belt; he left it at the bed and breakfast since it had no reception in this area.
Miss shambles along behind Kenny, not wanting to go forward, but more terrified to be left behind. She very quietly whispers words of encouragement to herself. Frightened of losing the men in the darkness she takes hold of the back of Kenny's shirt. She looks through her pockets as they walk hoping to find something resembling a weapon. All she finds are 2 bobbins from a sewing machine, a piece of ribbon and a pen. "I could use the ribbon like a garrote..." she mutters to herself.
There does appear to be a light switch on the wall near to the door.
Kenny reaches out to the lightswitch then stops suddenly. He lets out a "hmmm?" to guage the reactions of his companions.
John shakes his head, and continues carefully downward. He idly fingers the small digital camera in his own pocket as he proceeds,...
With no light, it is slow going down the stairs. After about ten steps, John puts his foot down and finds a floor where he was expecting space. He has reached some sort of landing and the wall feels open to the left. Whether there are more stairs or a hallway cannot be determined as it is pitch black.
The sound of digging and scraping is louder but still some distance away.
Shakiing his head and muttering to himself (Something about 'kingdom' and 'nightscope')John pulls out his cell phone and thumbs it to activate it. The small glowing square shines relatively brightly in the darkness, allowing him to see the next step, if barely. Moving slowly, bent over almost double trying to peer into the gloom, he moves forward,...
;P
Kenny sees the light from John's camera and follows along, often using his hands to feels for the steps in front of him.This is more frightening than Arizona or Virginia he tells himsef.
John sees that the steps do descend again down to the left. At the bottom, John gets the sense of a larger room opening off to the right and he can just see a suggestion of a table and metal backed chairs. The sound of digging and scrapping echoes in the room, but its source is still not near.
John reaches for Kenny's arm, and ends up reasonably close. Though he can't say later who jumped more at the touch. He leans in close and whispers near Kenny's ear,...
"I hear them, but I don't think they're too close yet. Maybe we should risk turning on the light? I'd hate to sneak up blind on a bunch of tomb-robbers only to find out THEY have night vision goggles!" He hisses.
'Not to mention, if they're unfriendly, It would nice to be able to see in case we have to beat a hasty retreat.'
John reaches for Kenny's arm, and ends up reasonably close. Though he can't say later who jumped more at the touch. He leans in close and whispers near Kenny's ear,...
"I hear them, but I don't think they're too close yet. Maybe we should risk turning on the light? I'd hate to sneak up blind on a bunch of tomb-robbers only to find out THEY have night vision goggles!" He hisses.
'Not to mention, if they're unfriendly, It would nice to be able to see in case we have to beat a hasty retreat.'
"Good idea" Kenny replies. He is impressed by John's ability to think strategically, an area that Kenny knows himself to be deficient in.
"Be still, be right back." John whispers. Then carefully makes his way back up the stairs, his cell phone lighting the way, barely, until he reaches the light switch.
"Here goes nothing." He tells himself, and flips the switch. He tenses as the light comes on,. waiting for shouts or other sounds of alarm at the light.
As the light comes on Kenny makes an inarticulate but definitely audible noise. He straightens up from his crouching position and turns to rush up the stairs. But instead he turns and looks into the room, arcing his head to encompass as much as possible.
John pockets his cell, moving to look around the now lit room, and listening for any sign of sudden notice of their presence.
Flourescent light bulbs on the cieling hum, flicker and then begin to shine, gradually growing brighter.
The room beyond is filled with 6 tables, each surrounded by folding chairs. There are two doors on the west wall, both closed and two doors on the east wall: one closed and one partially open. Small plaques on the doors read 1-3, 4-7, 8-12, and Teens. There is another door on the far side of the room, as well as a half-wall counter It looks like a kitchen on the other side of the counter, likely reached through the closed door. The digging sound seems to be coming from the partially open door on the east wall. This is the door with 4-7 on it.
Kenny whispers to John "Do we wait here or check the door? Whoever is in there must know someone is out here."