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#491875 02/07/09 04:18 PM
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With Derek driving one car, and Mike the other, the group makes its way down the road, following Clarissa's directions. The landscape looks barren, but she seems to be able to work out where she's at in old Abramton.

After about five minutes of slow driving, she calls a halt and gets out, holding her map out and looking over the landscape.

"Over there," she points, to what seems to be a slight mounding of dirt. She trudges over there through the mud, and starts scraping away at a portion of the mound, uncovering a metal hatch.

"This must be the basement of the Morgan's house," Clarissa says. "According to what I read in the books we recovered from that car, the ritual needs to be performed in five different locations, with this one being the first."

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Derek looks at the hatch, clearly not thrilled with the idea of what might be on the other side. "So, what exactly does this ritual entail? Before we pop the hatch, I'd like to know just what we'll be doing down there."


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Clarissa thinks for a moment.

"There's some mumbo-jumbo to recite, and some blood that needs shed in a particular spot. That's about it, as far as I can tell from the books."

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"Just how much blood are we talkin'?"


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Clarissa looks uncertain.

"It doesn't really say. But we have to do it five times, once for each location on the map." She thinks for a moment. "If that scruffy guy did it all by himself, it can't be much."

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"This sounds way too easy, just reciting some encantations and some blood?" John shaking his head "Something else has to be there....make sure you have everything accurate Clarissa who knows what will happen if we get this wrong."

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"I'm not so sure about this..." Ray just clutches Larry's arm.


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Clarissa shrugs at John's remark.

"It sounds crazy to me, but that's what the scruffy guy had in his books."

She looks at the opening to the basement.

"Who wants to be first? I can recite the ritual, but someone else should probably give the blood."

>"I'm not so sure about this..." Ray just clutches Larry's arm.

Larry pats Ray absently on the back. "Me neither, Ray, me neither. I got a chill down my spine a mile wide."

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John pulls out his glock and says "Someone get me a flash light."

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Derek tosses John a flashlight from the supplies and discreetly moves his folding knife up the sleeve of his coat.


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John leads the way into the cellar, followed closely by Clarissa. As John plays the flashlight around the ruined cellar, he sees that an area in the center of it has been more or less cleared of debris, and spray paint used to mark the ground with occult looking symbols.

"Don't step on any of those," Clarissa warns as she gingerly moves to the center of the space. "You stand there," she says, pointing to a spot in one of the symbols. "When I nod, spill some blood on the ground there. I'm not sure how much, but I think we'll know when it's enough."

Clarissa then begins reading from her notes, chanting in a language so unlike anything the others have heard that it doesn't even sound like words, but more of a guttural tune.

After a few minutes of this, she gives a short nod to John.

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Ray leans against Larry and whispers, "...what's going on? Where are we supposed to go? Who's chanting?"


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Larry puts his arm around Ray.

"Sounds like Clarissa chanting. She and John went into the basement, and are probably doing the mumbo jumbo now." He glances up at the pink sky. "Doesn't seem to be doing a damn thing yet."

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Derek keeps an ear to the chanting while scanning the horizon for any movement.


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[Since it's been a while, I'll assume John does the blood bit, and the ritual moves on.]

Clarissa continues chanting, and John slices a finger to drip blood onto the symbols. Power and light flares up, blinding those in the basement and visible even to those outside. The power builds, and then suddenly vanishes. Clarissa stops chanting.

"Well, that's one," she says as she helps John out. He'd lost enough blood after being injured to be unsteady on his feet.

Abruptly, a bright light shines on the group, seeming to come from the coast. Ray has the impression of malevolent attention being focused on the group.

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[If there's any cover offering a shadow, Derek dives behind it]


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Ray lets out a whimper and clutches Larry's arm. "Larry...we need to get out of here...."


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[The cars are the nearest bit of cover.]

"Damn right," Larry says to Ray. "Come on your two, get your asses moving," he calls into the basement opening as he and Ray get into the car.

Clarissa helps John out of the basement. He's clearly weakened by loss of blood so soon after his injury.

The entire group gets back into the cars, and Clarissa gives directions to the next location on the map. As the cars pull away, the unnaturally bright light follows them like a spotlight.

"Three more to go," Clarissa mutters as they pull up to the next location.

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"Why can't we just ask them to leave...nicely?" Ray whimpers. "I don't think this whole driving to different places and chanting is going to do very much good...not with whatever that icky thing is following us!"


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Larry glances at Ray. "You know something about that light, Ray?", he asks.

Clarissa gets out of the car and starts digging around for the basement opening, Mike helping her. They find the opening and had down into it. The sound of chanting can be heard as before, and when it stops Clarissa and a shaken Mike come back up to the cars.

Clarissa looks a bit crazed, her eyes shifting from side to side as she gets back into the car and directs them to the next location. Mike manages to drive the second car, although he's looking a little pale.

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"What light? I was talking about the icky thing that seems to be really focused on us. Don't you feel it?" Ray scrunches up her nose at Larry, as if surprised he can't see things she sees...well, feels.


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Derek looks at Clarissa and notes the look. He discreetly checks his folding knife and his longer blade still in his coat.

He asks Clarissa, "How many more of these are there?"

Last edited by Derek Icelord; 03/10/09 12:54 AM.

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[very sorry everyone for the ubrupt leave my mother board decided to croak so had to save up to get a new one and all that stuff but I am back now]

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John being very weak from the loss of the blood and injured speaks in a very tiredly tone "Someone else is going to have to give blood the next time...." John then closes his eyes to get some rest

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Originally Posted By: Kryssie - This Date
"What light? I was talking about the icky thing that seems to be really focused on us. Don't you feel it?" Ray scrunches up her nose at Larry, as if surprised he can't see things she sees...well, feels.


"All I see is some spot light that follows us around," Larry says. "But if you say something icky is behind it, I believe you. Anything we can do about it?"

Originally Posted By: Derek Icelord
Derek looks at Clarissa and notes the look. He discreetly checks his folding knife and his longer blade still in his coat.

He asks Clarissa, "How many more of these are there?"


"Three more", Clarissa says as she directs him to stop at the next location. She quickly finds the entrance to the basement this time, it being in roughly the same location as the others.

"Who's next?" she calls as she heads into the basement.


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Jacob levers himself out of the back seat of one of the cars, wincing as his wounds open a bit. He walks around, stretching his legs.

"This is devil's work, to be sure," he exclaims. "I'll have nothing to do with it."

He faces into the light and begins praying softly.

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"I don't know," she whispers softly to Larry. "I...could try to talk to that man again...m-maybe I should go with Clarissa. Help me?" She hears Jacob's words and frowns, "Someone needs to stay with Jacob and help him...comfort him..."

Last edited by Kryssie - This Date; 03/15/09 11:23 AM.

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Originally Posted By: Kryssie - This Date
"I don't know," she whispers softly to Larry. "I...could try to talk to that man again...m-maybe I should go with Clarissa. Help me?" She hears Jacob's words and frowns, "Someone needs to stay with Jacob and help him...comfort him..."


"That old goat would spit in the Devil's eye," Larry says. "He'll be fine. If you want to give something a try, though, I need to take a turn in the blood mobile, so I'll help you in."

Larry helps Ray out of the car and into the basement, cautioning her when she needs to duck and guiding her around the debris on the floor.

The two of them take up a position where Clarissa directs, inside one of the symbols painted on the ground. It's a bit tight for two, but Larry doesn't let Ray get far from him in any case.

As Clarissa starts chanting, Ray feels herself drift away from the scene, rising upward. She can, in the way of dreams, see everyone huddled around and in the cars, and the light that shines from the Tower in the Sea onto them.

She floats along the shaft of light, drawn toward the Tower. She ends up in the same circular room with the same old gentleman. An addition to the room is a huge screen TV that shows the scene around the cars.

"Welcome back, my dear," the man says. His manner again attempts to be charming, but Ray senses the corruption beneath the veneer he projects.

"What are you and yours trying to do in those basements?"

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"Leave us alone," she states without hesitation. "We just want to go home, sir. Please." She reveals no more and no less. "Who are you and what do you want? Why are you tormenting us?"


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"Might I remind you that you are the visitors here," the old man says. "I neither invited nor desired your presence, and would be happy to see you go."

"As to who I am," he continues, "your kind hasn't the words or concepts for me. I was gone from your realm long before your ape forefathers left the trees."

"If you're leaving, don't tarry on my account." He turns back to the screen showing the cars, and waves his hand negligently. Ray feels drawn back along the shaft of light, thumping back into her body in the basement just as Larry finishes the ritual shedding of blood. She can't see how pale he is, but can feel the coolness of his skin.

"Let's go Ray, one more stop before we see if we're all nuts or not."

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The group gets back into the cars and Clarissa drives them to the last house. Again, she gets out and calls for a volunteer to donate blood in the cause.

Mike, pale from his donation earlier, declines. Jacob refuses to take part in a Satanic ritual. Larry, also pale, waits to see if someone else will do it.

In the meantime, Clarissa heads into the basement. Shortly afterward, everyone hears a scream, and she stumbles out.

"There's a body," she gasps, "a young girl!"

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Derek cautiously peers inside with his folding knife held ready.


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Derek sees the body of a young woman, probably in her late teens, slumped in the midst of painted symbols in the basement. Her arms have makeshift bandages wrapped around them, as if she'd hurt herself several times.

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Ray lets go of Larry's hand and feels her way to Derek. "What do you see?" she asks, tentatively.

(<passes a god-note>)


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"Dead chic. Maybe 18ish with lacerated arms. Wait here" Derek grabs a flashlight and quietly creeps into the basement, knife at the ready.

[If nothing else is down there, he'll check the girl to see if she's still got blood left, and make doubly sure she's dead.]

Last edited by Derek Icelord; 04/01/09 08:32 AM.

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Larry comes up behind Ray, peering over her shoulder as Derek moves into the basement.

Derek finds a knife laying beside the girl, but other than that nothing. He puts a finger to her throat, and finds no pulse. She's pale, and none of her wounds bleed. Derek would guess that she'd been unconscious and left to bleed out here.

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Derek moves the corpse to the nearest corner, then pops back out to the others. "Basement's clear."

Last edited by Derek Icelord; 04/04/09 07:22 AM.

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Clarissa peeks back into the opening, then moves in to assume her spot in the symbols.

"Who's donating this time?" she calls out.

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"I-I guess it's my turn?" Ray is tentative, but she starts to feel her way through the opening.


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"You sure about this, Ray," Larry asks as he helps her to the right spot, giving Derek a scathing look as he passes.

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"No, I'm not, but there's really no one else who's gonna do it, is there. Jacob wants nothing to do with this, and I can't blame him. John's already really drained. You've donated...Mike's donated...that leaves Clarissa--who won't self-sacrifice, I'm sure--Derek, and myself. We'll need Derek to be alert, Larry..." Ray tries to justify everything. She doesn't really want to be there, but she doesn't see any other choice.


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"Okay, Ray," Larry says. He makes sure she's in the right spot, and gives her the pocket knife he'd used on himself. "I'll watch for Clarissa's nod, and tell you when. You don't need a lot each time, so for God's sake don't slit your wrist or anything."

Clarissa's chanting fills the basement space with its rising and falling tones. Each time she nods to Ray, Larry whispers, "Now," to her, the signal to shed some blood on the symbols below her.

This part of the ritual goes on for some time, leaving Ray light headed by the end. As Clarissa voices the final phrases, lightning and thunder boom overhead. There's no rain yet, but those outside take cover in the cars just in case.

And then, silence...

[Continued in the last scene]

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