Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[AntiAntiMatter]

Go back to your room and examine the aura around Anne Price's office from there.

I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I do.

[quip]

I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

I do.

Ditto.

[Argonnek]

You walk through the glorious, chill destroying sunlight to your dorm. On the way, you feel an aura that is... over-energized to say the least. It fluctuates from normal levels to spikes of extremely unstable activity. You look around for it's host, and see that it's Robert. He's marching through the plaza at a strange, unnaturally fast walking pace. You also notice that he's really, really tall. He seems to get this from his frighteningly long legs, which you didn't notice he had before. You think about asking him about the people at the beach, but before you could say anything, he's already fifty yards farther than he was just a second ago. Gah! Why is he in such a hurry? What could possibly be so damn important? Oh well, you're sure that you will find him eventually.

You arrive at your dorm, and it's filled with other guys again. Wait, where did they all come from? Where... Wait, you've asked this before. You're no closer to the answer. Feeling inspired, you go to the dorm office and ask the attendant what happened yesterday that made everyone disappear.

He gives you an amused smile.
"Well?" you demand.
He starts laughing. At first just a chuckle, but soon great, resounding bursts of mirth issue forth from his mouth. He doubles over at his desk, bumping his head on it in the process. He continues on like this even after you get frustrated and leave.

You stomp up the dirty stairwell into the second floor hallway. You are suddenly keenly aware of the filth that has embedded itself into the carpet and walls. The florescent lights are buzzing with malicious intent, the mold leers at you from the dark corners, you can feel the variety of life forms wriggling through their life cycles in the walls. You feel all of this, and you feel that it also feels you. It knows your there and wants to assimilate you, wants to feed on your flesh and blood, to take over and make you serve to spread it further. You feel all of this, and you know it to be true.

"Hey, are you alright?" A voice?!
You turn in an instant and grab the interloper by the shirt, slamming him into the wall as you roar into his face,
"NO! I WILL NOT BE A PART OF YOUR HIVE MIND! I WILL NEVER BE A PART OF YOUR HIVE MIND!!"
He says nothing, just gapes at you in absolute terror. Your mind and vision clear, and you see that it's just some guy who lives here. You let him down.
"Sorry about that," you say lamely. "You startled me."
He just continues to stay frozen.

Leaving him to his own devices, you go to your room and meditate. You search for Ms. Price's aura, but it's gone. You stop and look at the time. 3:43 PM. She should be in her office right now, but she isn't. There's no trace of her anywhere on campus, no sign whatsoever of the abject horror that was her death aura. Maybe you can only reliably 'scan' within a certain radius. Though an aura as phenomenal as hers should stand out like a sore thumb no matter what the distance.


In case you're wondering, I've started school up again. Updates will only appear later in the day (by my perspective). Unless they are really short ones, then I can get them up in comp. class.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Look for Robert's aura.

[Argonnek]

You calm yourself and scan for Robert's spastic aura. It seems like he's also out of range at first, but you feel the massive spike in activity that is his signature. You lose him again, but another surge zeroes you in. He's in the arts building, third floor. He appears to be in the creative writing room. You assume he's taking that class. Why would he be in there if he wasn't?

Your stomach growls. You think about what you have to eat, but the selection is sub-par at best. You wonder where you should eat. The dorm has a cafeteria, but the stuff they serve there makes you grimace just thinking about it. There are restaurants in and near the campus, but you only have the money for fast food. Or you could just eat a sandwich.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Eat sandwich. Contemplate next course of action.

[Argonnek]

You eat the least moldy sandwich in your fridge. It's kind of nasty, but it silences your stomach... for now. You wonder what to do next. You School ID won't be processed until tomorrow, and you hope to god that Ms. Price takes tomorrow off. You feel as if you might have to go and speak to her if she doesn't. Just the thought chills you.

You don't have easy access to a computer, except for the ones at the library. They have monitored internet connections, but they work for anything that isn't againts the school's many, many rules. There are a rediculous number of restrictions on the library's connection. Even your favorite online forums are blocked to prevent anything other than research. It makes perfect sense, but it's still irritating.

You could look for more people you recognize, or you could go out on the town and have some fun. There are many attractions that cost nothing at all, so long as you can convince them that you're a student at the university. They usually require a school ID, so it's going to take some clever talking.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Look for acquaintances.

[mcclay]

look for potentail enemies, see if the name Jethroe bring back anything.
I have a hunch............

[Lillipad]

You assume our enemy is a baseball player who's already dead?

[Argonnek]

The name Jethroe pops into your mind suddenly. You remember hearing about him from somewhere... Having something to do with baseball or music or something. It wasn't very interesting at the time, so you didn't pay much attention. Otherwise, it's just a meaningless pairing of syllables.

You go back down stairs and look around the entrance area of the dorm. You look at as many faces as possible, but you don't see anyone you recognize. You walk out the door and glance into the faces of all of the people around. No change, you still don't know anybody. You walk out to the plaza, cross-referencing each face you see with the remnants of your memory, but see nobody you can recall interacting with. Were you some kind of hermit? Looking around, you see Robert zoom by at his freakish pace not ten feet from you. He really needs to stop and smell the flowers every once in a while.

[AntiAntiMatter]

Follow Robert. Try to talk to him. Later, go to the library and look up Jeathroe.

[Argonnek]

You try to follow Robert, but he's too fast. He rushes trough the crowd at lightning speed and loses you in the process. He appears to be heading to the southern men's dorm, but you can't be sure. Bah, he can't be so interesting as to warrant stalking.

You head to the library and research the name Jethroe. Apparently, he was a center fielder for the negro league of baseball in America during the fifties. He played for two teams, for about three years total. Once again, you don't see why you feel the need to research him, but you decided to anyway. If your subconscious is so intent on reading up on him, then it must be important, right?*

The librarian starts to bore holes in the back of your skull with her eyes, so you get up and look around for more acquaintances, allies, and enemies. Observing none in the library, you exit and walk toward the central posting board. You get there and lean against it as if you are waiting there for someone, looking up at the clock tower every now and then to avoid suspicion.

You do this for half an hour, causally looking around at faces as if you expected to see someone looking for you. You see no one you know immediately, but just as you start to leave you spot - for a split second - the most radiantly beautiful girl you've ever seen in your life passes by. She has allure that would make Aphrodite jealous, but in the tiny moment you saw her you where overwhelmed by the sorrow she gave off in her aura, as if the world would never be a happy place for her again.

As soon as your brain processes this, she's already gone, lost in the masses that you hadn't noticed were so thick before. You can't see her aura at a distance without meditating right here, but that would look weird. You couldn't get her heading due to her aura, so you can't reliably follow her.


*I don't know what you guys think is hinting at this Jethroe guy, but I assure you I wouldn't put such an obscure reference into the story. Honestly, I had no idea who he was until I googled him after you mentioned him for the first time.

[AntiAntiMatter]

The girl seems to be your girlfriend/crush. Talk to her later. In the meantime, go back to your dorm.

[Argonnek]

You shake your head vigorously, clearing it, and head back toward your dorm.

You get close enough to have the stark brick building tower over you when you hear a distant rumble. It becomes a roar and the earth beneath you heaves, casting you aside like tissue paper. The ground dances beneath you, and you hear glass shattering and the unmistakable crashing of brick walls being torn asunder. Something inside you seizes control of your limbs, and you pick yourself up. You sprint with impossible speed away from the dorm as bricks and masonry form a cloud all around you. You fall countless times, and you barely recognize your own arms because of the blood that oozes from every tiny scrape and cut. The same primal instinct that took your limbs keeps you going until you are completely clear of the falling buildings. You collapse and give in to sweet darkness.

You awake in the plaza. Everything around you is a blur. The fountain bubbles to your right. You think you feel its cool water splashing on your hands, but it's not. You vaguely register the color red when you look at your palm. You attempt to lift your arms, but black out from the pain.
A while later, you reawaken. It's darker. The fountain has gone silent. You want to get your hands to your face, to rub off the grime, but you don't want to waste more time unconscious. You curl your toes, and are satisfied that you still have them. You move your fingers despite the agony that it causes you, and conclude that you don't have nerve damage. Good. You're just gonna sleep here for a while. After all, the cobblestone is so warm....

You are roused, still in the plaza, by some jackass in a white uniform who shines a flashlight straight into your eyes. You try to tell him off, but you only manage to make a groaning noise. You turn your head to the side, and he starts making talking noises at you. You try to wave your arm at him, but the attempt just makes you cry out as your nerve endings beg for mercy. You notice through the pain that you are still conscious, and that your arms feel covered in some sort of cloth. You force your eyes open and look at your surroundings, using your abdomen to sit up. It's night time, but the area is awash with light. There are ambulances and fire trucks around the school. There are, however, no buildings at all. None. The entire university has been converted into a debris-filled parking lot. You gape stupidly at the spectacle as the paramedic tries to reason with you. You focus enough to realize that he's trying to ask you for your name.

You work your jaw a little and try to speak.
"John.." you manage.
"Okay, john I just ne...ou to stay calm." You can understand most of what he says. "Can you t... me, how ma... ingers I'm holding up?"
He lifts three fingers.
"Three..."
"Alright then," he says. "I'll ju...eave you these bot... water. Don't go an... some people will help you out in a second."
He drops three bottles at your side and jogs in the direction of some firemen. You slowly move your arm to grab a bottle, but your fingers are uncooperative. You maneuver both of your arms to grab it, pull off the loose fitting cap with your teeth and down the entire thing in three gulps. You throat stings a little, but it felt really good to drink something after the ordeal.
Before you can give the events of the day too much thought, some more paramedics come over with a gurney.
"Can you stand?" asks one.
You make an attempt to, and slowly get to your feet. They immediately walk you to the gurney and lay you down on it. You are rolled toward an ambulance, and are amused by the thought of the various bits and pieces dangling above you as if you never left the crib. You chuckle and doze off.