Black Rain

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You wake up, head pressed against a cold wood floor. Your surroundings are pitch black. Your...
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Update 1
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    • MariBari

    MariBari

    Lackadaisical Content Creator
    Location
    Wisconsin
    You wake up, head pressed against a cold wood floor. Your surroundings are pitch black. Your hands are bound behind you with what seem to be handcuffs. In the back of your throat, you can taste blood. Your head hurts. From somewhere outside, you can hear the sound of rain.

    Your name is Sarah Winters, rookie private investigator, and you don't know where you are.

    After a moment, you manage to pull yourself upright. The motion makes your headache throb.

    You seem to be in a small room, though it's too dark to get a good look at anything, including yourself.


    Adhoc vote count started by MariBari on May 17, 2018 at 11:55 PM, finished with 4 posts and 3 votes.
    • [X] feel around for a light switch
      [X] try to untie yourself
      [X] Does anything smell particularly of anything?
    Click to expand...
     
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    • [X] Does anything smell particularly of anything?

    Like there's a difference between whether you think you might be in a cabin in a forest or a home in a city. But also SENSORY CLUES.
     
    As a small heads up, multiple commands will be accepted during each update. (Usually the most straightforward or most voted commands.)

    For the sake of keeping things clean and consistent, please do not make multiple commands in a single post. Thank you.

    The next (first?) update will be going up later tonight. I hope you all enjoy Sarah's adventures in the darkness. :lol
     
    Update 2
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    • You take a moment to breathe, focusing on nearby sensory information that might give you a clue as to where you currently are.

    The rain outside is pouring. Judging by the noise, the building you're in currently most likely has a metal roof. You can't hear anything else over the rain.

    A cold draft blows against your skin. There must be an open window nearby. The rain is louder to your right, though the darkness makes it difficult to tell exactly which direction it's coming from.

    You smell soot. There could be a fireplace nearby. Unfortunately, you also smell blood. You have a sneaking suspicion it belongs to you. And, of course, you can faintly recognize the familiar scent of rain on fresh grass. No other scents catch your attention.



    Since you're standing up, it doesn't take very long to make your way over to a nearby wall. You make sure to move shoulder-first so that you don't knock your head into anything. Despite your best efforts, however, your foot snags against something and you find yourself back on the floor.

    After shuffling over backwards to grab it with your hands, you realize that the object you tripped on is an electric lantern. Not quite what you were looking for, but at least you'll be able to see.

    With a quiet click, the room is filled with pale fluorescent light.



    While you want to inspect the room, you prioritize being able to move your hands first.

    Unfortunately, it seems that one of your hands is missing.

    You could have sworn it was there just a few moments ago, but there it is; a bandaged chunk of flesh sitting at the end of your left wrist. A thin metal rod, presumably attached to the bone in your arm, protrudes where your hand should be. The handcuff tied around your other wrist is attached to a clasp at the end of the rod, holding both of your arms snugly behind your back.

    Your headache faintly throbs as you stare at the remains of your wrist. You're remarkably calm, considering the circumstances.





     
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    • Update 3
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    • With the light shining directly on the handcuffs, you begin the slow process of freeing your single remaining hand. After several minutes of struggling, you eventually manage to twist your right wrist far enough to reach the chain that attaches the rod on your left wrist to the handcuffs themselves. With a pinch of your fingers, the lobster clasp on the bar clicks open, and your hand is finally free.

    Well, mostly. You still haven't managed to get the handcuff off of your wrist. But at least you can move your arms freely now.

    You breathe a sigh of relief and roll your shoulders. They are very, very sore.



    Surprisingly, you are still wearing your everyday work clothes. This includes your trusty Detective Trench Coat, a stylish jacket that keeps you warm and dry, and also features eight convenient pockets that you use to store various forms of evidence and other useful trinkets. You also have a fashionable hat that keeps the rain out of your eyes. Of course, all of these clothes would be far more stylish and fashionable if they weren't matted with dried blood.

    As expected, your pockets are currently empty, save for a small pocket purse that you always carry with you.

    Your purse is also empty. Figures.

    Besides your obviously missing hand, your body isn't in rough shape. You have a few bruises here and there, and your headache is really starting to hurt, but you have retained most of your limbs and organs, which is a pretty good sign.


    Your surroundings are unfamiliar. The entirety of the room, which appears to be the entirety of the house, consists of a rectangular space roughly the size of your own apartment. While this would normally be a comforting, cozy fact, it instead makes your current situation all the more uncanny.

    On a whim, or perhaps some kind of detective's intuition, you decide that the wall with the window faces North.

    With this in mind, the North wall is sparse save for the aforementioned window and a bed, which seems to consist entirely of a mattress on a steel frame. It's actually kind of pathetic. There aren't even any sheets.

    The West wall is far more interesting. It houses what appears to be a workbench of some kind, featuring a variety of tools and knickknacks. This particular workbench is suited towards a variety of tasks, as though the person using it stopped by Hobby Lobby and purchased everything in the tool aisles simultaneously.

    The South wall consists of a door, a coat rack, and a few unopened boxes with strange labels on them. One reads "Sarah," another has "Safety," and the third is marked "Emergency."

    The East wall has a very small kitchenette, with a fridge, several cabinets, and a gas stovetop. You're not particularly hungry, though that may be due to the vague nausea that permeates your entire intestinal region.

    All in all, not a great way to start the day.



    You were...

    What exactly were you doing?

    You distinctly remember doing some investigative work at a diner. It was a small-time gig. Somebody stole money from a cash register, you know the drill.

    Most of the time investigating a diner doesn't lead to getting kidnapped and taken into a creepy shed, right?

    ...right?

    Your thoughts are cut off momentarily by a noise outside the house. Something between a growl and a snarl, you think.

    All at once, there's a throbbing pain in your left hand. Well, it's more of a stump at this point. Regardless, it hurts. Whatever painkillers you were hyped up on over the past several minutes are starting to wear off.

    You just have to avoid panicking, and everything is going to be okay.

    You pick up the electric lantern with your right hand.

    It's time to do some sleuthing.




     
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    • MariBari said:
    and purchased everything in the tool isles simultaneousl
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Aisles.

    This is remarkably creepy, and the writing is excellent. I approve. (That said, I'm not convinced it actually needs the 'mature' rating; if you think it does, you should probably put a warning up-front about why. Generalities are fine. If you're not sure, feel free to ask privately; I promise you we're not scary. (Unlike this story.))

    That said,
    [X] Listen closely to the animal. Do you recognize it?
     
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    [X] Look in the unopened boxes, fridge, and cabinets.
     
    Baughn said:
    Aisles.

    This is remarkably creepy, and the writing is excellent. I approve. (That said, I'm not convinced it actually needs the 'mature' rating; if you think it does, you should probably put a warning up-front about why. Generalities are fine. If you're not sure, feel free to ask privately; I promise you we're not scary. (Unlike this story.))
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    I figured that I would play it safe with the mature tag; considering that Sarah has the capacity to get severely injured over the course of the narrative, as well as the grim setting in general, I think this story is more suited for an adult audience. Of course, if I'm misusing the mature rating, I'm more than happy to remove it from the thread. : )
     
    MariBari said:
    I figured that I would play it safe with the mature tag; considering that Sarah has the capacity to get severely injured over the course of the narrative, as well as the grim setting in general, I think this story is more suited for an adult audience. Of course, if I'm misusing the mature rating, I'm more than happy to remove it from the thread. : )
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    If you think the tag is appropriate, we certainly won't discourage you. The specific scenario I'm worried about is if someone starts reading your quest, gets invested in it, and is eventually put off as the tone takes a turn for the darker. This could be avoided by providing a warning up-front, but there's no rule about it. You know best if it's likely to matter or not.

    Oh, and you probably shouldn't threadmark posts that aren't part of the main narrative in that manner; the forum doesn't know, so they'll still show up in reader mode. The 'informative' threadmark category would be better suited. (Though OOC chatter in general probably doesn't need to be threadmarked at all.)
     
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    Baughn said:
    If you think the tag is appropriate, we certainly won't discourage you. The specific scenario I'm worried about is if someone starts reading your quest, gets invested in it, and is eventually put off as the tone takes a turn for the darker. This could be avoided by providing a warning up-front, but there's no rule about it. You know best if it's likely to matter or not.

    Oh, and you probably shouldn't threadmark posts that aren't part of the main narrative in that manner; the forum doesn't know, so they'll still show up in reader mode. The 'informative' threadmark category would be better suited. (Though OOC chatter in general probably doesn't need to be threadmarked at all.)
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Thanks for the info on threadmarks! I'm still getting used to the interface. Earlier posts threadmarked as OOC are now blank, so reader mode should work properly now.
    Adhoc vote count started by MariBari on May 18, 2018 at 4:54 PM, finished with 13 posts and 9 votes.
    • [X] Listen closely to the animal. Do you recognize it?
      [X] look out the window for anything familiar
      [X] inspect boxes
      [X] Look in the unopened boxes, fridge, and cabinets.
      [X] Find something to defend yourself
      [X] Pick two work tools that can be used as weapons.
      [x] Look out the door. What is outside your room?
      [X] Remember the basics of cqc.
      [x] Inspect under the matress
    Click to expand...
     
    Format Update
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    • Hello everyone,

    This update is taking a bit longer than expected. There are going to be a few minor adjustments to the format of Black Rain, but most of them are on my end. Don't panic if things look a little bit different, particularly in the "status screen" department.

    Thanks for your patience!

    -MariBari
     
  • Informational
    • Update 4
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    • Reacting to the sense of danger, you snap into a familiar stance, buried deep in your muscle memory after years of top secret military training. Pulling an X-Acto knife from the workbench and a larger kitchen knife from the kitchenette, you flick your wrists into place. Your execution is perfect. With your legendary stealth skills, you can...

    Wait, shit. You forgot that you were missing your hand.

    Still, you found a couple of weapons, and released some tension. Your nerves are pretty frayed right now.

    You would pocket the knives, but they would just ruin your wonderful trench coat. You could always carry one in your right hand, but then you wouldn't have any hands left to carry the lantern around, which is kind of important considering how dark it is outside. You don't trust yourself to carry a lantern and a knife with one hand; you'd probably just end up hurting yourself.

    Kitchen Knife acquired
    X-Acto Knife acquired



    The door, as expected, is locked from the outside. Whoever kidnapped you clearly didn't want you to leave, considering how big the padlock is. It's a solid wooden door with no windows. The hinges look fairly sturdy, too.




    You open the box labeled "Sarah," using the X-Acto Knife to cut the packing tape.

    Inside are three jars.

    The first contains what appears to be blood, although there are several small chunks of meat swimming throughout the liquid.

    The second contains a mutilated human hand suspended in formaldehyde.

    You almost drop the jar, but your hand shakes as you place it back in the box. It takes quite a bit of effort to stop yourself from vomiting. But a detective is a detective, and you're not going to pass on an important clue just because you're squeamish.

    Carefully, delicately, you lift the jar from the box and take a closer look at it.

    For lack of a better detectively description, the hand is positively fucked up. The middle finger has been entirely removed, leaving a bloody gash that digs all the way into the hand's palm.

    Turning the jar around, you notice orange nail polish on the nails of the dismembered hand.

    Your eyes drift towards your own right hand, and you're taken back to a few days ago when your best friend said that orange nail polish would go well with your complexion.

    This time, you don't stop yourself from vomiting.

    The kitchen sink is a lot filthier now.

    You reach for the third jar in the same way most people would reach to rip off a band aid, wrapping your hand firmly around the top before yanking it out of the box all at once.

    The third jar contains a human eye.

    Immediately, you reach up to your face. There is in fact a bandage positioned directly over your right eye.

    You don't even scream. You simply set the jar down and collapse onto the floor, your legs unable to hold your weight any longer.

    You think that you're going to wait a while before opening anything else. You're not sure how much more of this you can handle before you have a full mental breakdown.

    Eye Jar acquired
    Gore Jar acquired
    Hand Jar acquired



    A good idea. The steel-framed bed doesn't seem like it'll hold many surprises, so you make your way over to the North wall and lift up the mattress.

    Thankfully, the bed isn't hiding any more of your body parts. Instead, it's hiding a single D battery, which you promptly shove into one of your pockets for safekeeping.

    The mattress itself isn't in bad shape. You don't notice any mold or bugs, and it smells surprisingly clean. You wouldn't mind sleeping on it.

    D Battery acquired



    For reference, the window isn't very large and is fairly high up on the wall. The sill comes up to about your shoulder height. You quickly realize that the shack is partially underground.

    Directly in front of you is some poorly-maintained grass. You can see the rain pouring onto it. Several meters ahead of you, you can glimpse the beginning of a tree trunk. Beyond that is impenetrable darkness, too far away for your lantern to give you a hand.

    Remembering the snarl you heard earlier, you decide to close the window. Unfortunately, it seems that it won't be that easy; a hole has been drilled through the wall and the wooden frame of the window, and a padlock has been threaded through. The reason for doing so baffles you. Why would somebody lock the window open?

    Regardless, you don't see any signs of the source of the noise outside at the moment. You really, really want to believe that you're currently safe.



    You haven't heard that sound since it happened the first time. All you can hear is the rain.

    Considering how on-edge you are right now, you wouldn't be surprised if it was something unrelated. A car revving on a highway, a tree falling over... just about anything could make a weird snarling sound with how much the rain drowns out the context.

    You quietly sit yourself down on the bed, as far away as possible from the "Sarah" box.

    You want to go home.

     
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