[X] Make a run for your friends.
You need help.
You can't keep carrying Danielle forever.
That creature is tearing its way through the forest towards.
There is only one thing you can really do in this situation.
You run towards your friends. Once you've regrouped you'll be in a better position to get out of this god forsaken forest. You blast past trees, crash through foliage, trample the dirt ground as you charge through the dark woods towards the trio of lights in the distance, all while the unseen monstrosity continues its warpath towards your location. You push yourself through the final stretch and burst through some bushes, appearing before your friends.
Simultaneously the trio of flashlight beams hit you as you hear Sierra give out a small startled scream at your sudden appearance. They look at you with terrified expressions, but once they realized that it was you they relaxed somewhat. Their looks turn down into your arms where you held Danielle, and once more their expressions grew into ones of panic, especially Eli's.
"Medea, what-"
"NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!" You yell as you tried to hold Danielle out towards them. "JUST TAKE HER!"
Without further prompting Eli rushes closer to you and carefully scoops Danielle out of your grasp and into his arms. Now that you were no longer carrying her the adrenaline that was allowing you to have carried her for so long was starting to die down and you were beginning to realize just how sore your arms were once they dropped to your sides. They were practically
burning from all the strain you had put on them, even the slightest twitch in your arm movements caused a jolt of pain to roll through them.
"We need to get out of here!"
"Say no more!" Eli said as he adjusted Danielle. "We saw a house not too far from here! Whoever lives there might be able to help!"
You nod to him, and soon everyone turned towards the direction the house was in and started running once again. You try to ignore the pain in your arms as you all make your way to the house in the distance, Sierra and Lucas light the way in the dark forest. As the lights of the house drew closer, so did the sounds of the creature storming through the forest. Eventually everyone reaches the house, running past an old pick-up truck and running up a small set of steps onto the house porch.
"Hey! Is anyone in there?!" Sierra yells as she pounded on the house door. "Please! We need help!"
A click came from the door and slowly did it open, the door's hinges creaking as it did so.
The moment the door is fully opened you go completely still, the blood draining from your face and your eyes widening in panic. Sierra immediately slinks backwards from the door, her body tensing up.
In the doorway stood the old man from the clearing.
He stands there silent and still as a statue as he stares down Sierra, who has now backed into the railing of the porch. He shifts his gaze to you and you feel a chill go up your spine. It felt like he was looking through you and staring into your soul. Thankfully his gaze doesn't linger on you for too long as he eventually looks in the direction of the woods, towards the sounds of trees being uprooted and pushed aside drawing closer to the house.
"Come inside," he says calmly, stepping aside to allow entry into his home.
Eli quickly rushed inside with Danielle, Lucas following suit. You stood there a bit hesitantly, looking over to Sierra who looked absolutely terrified. You walked over to her and grabbed her hand, pulling her inside with the others. The moment you and Sierra set foot into the house, the old man slammed the door shut. You jumped a little and Sierra let out a small startled scream.
You started to calm down a bit, panting heavily to catch you breath and resisting the urge to collapse right then and there on the floor. You look around yourself to take stock of your new environment, and your eyes widen once more in shock.
This house... this room... It looked exactly like the abandoned house's entrance room, complete with the stairs and the door down the hall. It wasn't dilapidated or had graffiti scrawled onto every wall, but it was almost exactly the
same just with wallpaper in warm color tones and actually electric lights.
"Now then, what can I do for all of you?" The old man asked, his voice in a complete monotone, as he looked pushed aside the curtains of a window next to the door to look outside.
"Look man," Eli spoke up, looking at the old man with pleading eyes. "We need help! My girlfriend has been hurt!"
"Hmm... Yes, yes. I see..." The old man nodded as he closed the curtains. "And what do you expect me to do?"
"Call 9/11! Tell them we have someone hurt and there is something out there that's been attacking us!"
"I'm afraid I can't do that," The old man sighed as he turned to look at Eli with a almost lifeless look. "I have no phone in which to use."
Eli clicks his tongue and looks around to the rest of you. First he looks to Sierra, who pulls out her phone and glares down in annoyance before looking back at Eli.
"I've got no service..." She says, shaking her head.
Eli then looks to Lucas who shakes his head.
"Left mine back at camp..." Lucas rubs the back of his head, looking down at the hard wood floor of the house in shame.
Finally he looks to you. You reach into your back pocket and pull out your phone... and immediately realize that it was dead and not coming on.
"Shit."
"And my phone fell out of my pocket when we were running... Dammit!" Eli looked down at the ground, his eyes filled with frustration at the situation.
Sierra walked over to him and reached for one of Danielle's back pockets, pulling out her phone, only to find that the screen was completely smashed.
"Dani is not going to be happy about this..." Sierra remarked.
"This is so fucked, man..." Lucas said as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Hey, old man, think you can give us a ride to a hospital?" Eli asked, only for the old man to shake his head.
"I don't leave during the night. It isn't safe, not like the day." The old man stroked his beard, nodding as if he was agreeing with himself.
"Then what are we suppose to do?!" Eli gritted his teeth as he looked angrily at the old man.
The old man chuckled, and oh god was it creepy to watch him laugh.
"Why, you can all stay here for the remainder of the night!" The old man laughed a jolly laugh, showing that he was missing more than a few teeth. "It has been a while since I last had company!"
"But-"
"Do not worry, my child. Once dawn has broke, I will take you out of the forest."
This old man's behavior... It was like a complete 180 from how he acted to you and Sierra in the clearing. It was like this was a totally different person, but somehow... not. Regardless the old man waves his hand, ushering everyone to the right side of the room, pushing past a door. You all follow after him into the room - the room that was suppose to be the "creepy art gallery" room.
The room, thankfully, wasn't like its dilapidated counterpart. For one it was a lot more welcoming, the walls were covered in soothing blue wallpaper and lamps helped illuminate the room, oak bookshelves were placed up against the wall and contained a great many book on them, in the middle of the room was a sofa with two recliners flanking each side of it, and in front of the sofa was a coffee table which had a candle burning on a tray in the center. The candle must have been scented because the room smelled of hazelnut.
Eli walked past the old man and placed Danielle carefully onto the sofa, sitting next to her and taking her hand in his.
"I'll be back," the old man muttered as he moved back to the door. "I'll get you a first aid kit so you may treat her wounds."
With that the old man left the room, shutting the door behind him. Without the old man around anymore everyone
visibly relaxed. Lucas took a seat on one of the recliners, the one closes to Eli and Danielle. Eli stroked Danielle's hair, quietly whispering something to the unconscious young woman as he placed his forehead against the side of her's. You looked at the couple with concern, silently hoping Danielle was alright.
You feel a hand placed on your right shoulder, turning to see Sierra looking at you with concern.
"What happened out there, Medea?"
You sigh and look back at Danielle.
"We were attacked by that...
thing in the woods." Eli looks up from Danielle, looking towards you expectantly. "It came at me and Danielle pushed me out of the way. She used the pepper spray you gave her, Sierra, on the creature as it went through the air. It hurt it, but it crashed right into her and... well..." You wave a hand at the unconscious Danielle.
"Heh, at least I wasn't wrong about giving you two protection." Sierra let out a bitter laugh. "Still, would have preferred that we never found ourselves in a situation where you wouldn't
need to defend yourselves..."
"Yeah, I know..."
"Medea..." You hear Eli, and you turn to look at him as tears begin to form in his eyes. "I... Thank you. Thank you for getting her out of there... If you didn't I..." He pauses to collect himself. "Well... I don't know what I would do if she were to die on this stupid trip..."
"Hey man," Lucas reaches over and places a hand on Eli's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself over it. It's not like we could have known this would all happen." He gives a lighthearted chuckle. "At least you can tell people your wife-to-be is a badass who maced a bear."
"That was no bear..." You muttered and the room goes deathly quiet. Everyone looks around uncomfortably.
"I have no idea what it was, but it sure as shit wasn't a bear." You shook your head as you sat down on the ground, giving your weary and tired legs rest at last. "And frankly, I don't want to know. I just want us all to get out of here safely..."
"Mmgh..."
Everyone's heads snap in the direction of Danielle, who's eyes were starting to twitch open.
"Danielle?" Eli muttered as he sat up on the couch.
"E... Eli...?" Danielle managed to say, sounding both tired and in pain. "What... Where am I...?"
Eli lunged forward and pulled Danielle into a hug. Danielle responded by letting out a pained gasp as she started tapping her boyfriend on the shoulder and Eli promptly let go.
"Danielle, I am so sorry! I was just so worried about you!" Eli look down at the ground apologetically.
"It's fine, but my arm..." Danielle winced as she tried to move her right arm, gripping her shoulder. "I think my collarbone is broken..."
"Anything else broken?" You asked. Danielle looks over to you and smiles.
"Medea..." Danielle says happily, smiling through the pain. "You're alright..."
"Danielle," You look at her seriously. "Tell us how you are feeling."
Danielle's smile fades and she mumbles a bit. "I have this splitting headache... I feel... tired, I guess... I feel sick to my stomach... And all this light... it's bothering my eyes..."
"I think you might have a concussion, Dani." Sierra said as she crossed her arms.
"Shows me what I get for playing the hero..." Danielle chuckles bitterly as she leans into Eli. "But... I am so glad you are okay, Medea..."
"Thanks to you, Danielle." You give the dark haired beauty a gentle smile.
"Ah, I do hate to interrupt."
Everyone turns there attention to the door where the old man had
once again entered. In his hands was a silver tray, and on it were five tea cups, a steel kettle, and a first aid kit. Quietly the old man shuffled over to the coffee table and sat down the tray onto it.
"It was fortunate that you all came when you did, it was about time for my midnight tea session." The old man chuckled again. "It is nice to have so many visitors, especially ones so young."
"Wait, you said midnight." You interjected. "Is... is it really 12 AM?"
"About 12:37 AM, but yes." The old man nodded.
That was surprising. You really had thought it was later than that... When you all left camp it was maybe a little after 8...
You don't have long to dwell on it as the old man interrupts your thoughts by clapping his hands.
"Right!" he says jubilantly. "You are all free to stay here for the night! I have a few guest rooms upstairs for you all to use. Might be a bit dusty, I rarely get visitors." The old man chuckles once again. You really wish he'd stop doing that. "Other than that, feel free to have your run of the house! Read one of the books here, sit by the fire in the next room over, grab a snack in the kitchen on the other side of the hall, or perhaps wash up in the bathroom upstairs. Do as you please! You are all guests in my home, and you know what the good book says about hospitality!"
The old man laughs again as he turns to go back to the door, marches over to it quickly. Just as he reach for the doorknob he stops dead in his tracks.
"Oh, before I forget. Just do an old man one favor," He looks over his shoulder, looking over each of you with a dead serious look. "Don't go in my basement. Everywhere else in the house is fine, but the basement is forbidden. Do you understand?"
You feel a cold sweat break out all over you, but you and your friends all nod to his request. The old man smiles his creepy smile and opens the door, stepping through it and shutting it behind him.
Once again you and your friends were left
alone in this room. Eli begins to open up the first aid kit, getting the supplies he needed to help his girlfriend. Lucas meanwhile pours himself a cup of tea that old man left for them. And Sierra had made herself busy by looking at the books on one of the bookshelves.
What should you do?
[ ] Talk with one of your friends. - Write In (Note: You are allowed to vote for a second action if this is chosen.)
[ ] Explore the main floor of the house.
[ ] Explore the second floor of the house.
[ ] Go upstairs and get some sleep.
[ ] Go look for the kitchen. It has been a while since you last ate.
[ ] Go investigate the basement.
-[ ] Get someone to go with you. - Write In (1d100 per person)
[ ] Try to convince everyone to leave the house and try to get back to camp. (4d100)
] Screaming 'Lucas, com'ere, you are gonna love this!'
