70. [DREAM/DREAM/DREAM/DREAM]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[So while the rest of Johto alternately panics, cries, or rushes around trying to capture as many of the soulstealing insects as possible, there are dozens of souls floating around in that dream limbo, drifting in and out of each other's slumbering thoughts and visions. Whether it's nightmarish flashbacks or just those dreams where you're at school taking a really hard test, and then Dracula shows up, and then everybody's naked ... anything is possible when it comes to what people see in their sleep.]

[But what appears in the darkness in this particular spot in the spaceless, shifting mass of dreaming souls... is a door.]

[It's old, and covered with boards and bolts, rusted near-through in some places. The lock is broken-- mangled and half-melted and wrenched out of the keyhole. The only thing on it that doesn't look ancient is a scrap of torn notebook-paper that's taped up on it at roughly eye-level. It reads only a single phrase:]</sub>

Fear of blood tends to create fear for the flesh.

<sub>[More importantly, though... the door is ajar. Through the gap come the scents of rust and metal-- and something organic, fleshy-- and a low, deep hum of industrial machinery. It's not a door that anyone in their right mind would want to go through. ... But for anyone who may have stumbled this far into the dreams of their fellow lost souls, either in flight from some other nightmare or just pure, wandering curiosity... there's just no other place to go but through the door.]




[Go on. Open it. After all.... it's only a dream.]</sub>

[ooc: SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG, GUYS. Thanks for being patient! If you commented on that planning post, there's something spooky planned for your character to do here so please feel free to tag or not tag as it pleases you!]

~*~

[ooc: This is the IC post for what was announced over here! Even if you didn't comment there, feel free to participate! I'm still happy to whip up Silent Hill scenarios for folks!]

Comments

[shiromadoushi]

[[because he comes from a world based on games? Now if there were dice involved...!

And yeah, handing him a gun would be probably less than helpful. The kickback alone would be deadly.]]

I'm used to cooking knives, but I'll do my best! [[really REALLY doesn't want to be useless!]]

[foolishwren]

_{[Sorry, no dice. did you see what I did there]}

How about a switchblade?

<sub>[She pulls a handle from her pocket, pressing the button that brings the blade snapping out.]

[And then holds it out, flat in her palm.]</sub>

I'm doing this with the assumption that you won't stab me at any point. I'm not totally sure you won't, but if you're gonna get out of here intact, I really ought to give you a weapon.

[shiromadoushi]

[[no not at all what pun?]]

[[Looking a little unsure, but he timidly takes it anyway, giving a small nod.

Really, he'd probably do better with something blunt, but beggars, choosers, starting weapons and all.]]

The zombies here... they aren't the dead type, are they. [[if she was giving him a knife... he didn't think that would work well vs the undead.

It was too bad he could somehow call up the White Mage. Turn undead and holy magic would be epic in this situation... too bad magic and survival horror rarely mixed..]]

[foolishwren]

They're not zombies.

_{[Magic had its role here... but none of it was quite the sparkly, flowery stuff that mention of the word usually conjured up. It was an older, fouler brand that most people thankfully did not remember.]}

[shiromadoushi]

Eh? But... [[and he looks down at the crumpled heap.]]

What are they...?

[foolishwren]

_{[Her tone is flat and dull.]}

Monsters.

That's all.

[shiromadoushi]

[[Almost a little vague, but he wasn't going to push the issue. Not with that tone.]]

Sorry...

[foolishwren]

Nn. It's okay.

_{[She pockets the gun, then reaches out and nudges the lifeless body with her pipe.]}

This is the most human-looking one you'll ever see while you're in this place. ... You'll see what I mean if we run into anything else.

[shiromadoushi]

[[a nod]] So they're pretty obvious to tell from normal people, then. [[that was a bit of a relief at least...]]

[foolishwren]

Oh yeah.

There's no mistakin' 'em.

_{[Many had human qualities, in some way, shape or form... but none of them were human. Not a single one.]}

[shiromadoushi]

[[nods, taking a deep breath. You can do this, Bakura Ryou. Just pretend it's a game. It would be just like the Ring to use a survival horror game for a yami no game, wouldn't it?]]

If it's that clear... I think I can do this. [[a small smile that's just a touch unsure. But he's psyching himself up.]]

[foolishwren]

You'd better be able to.

_{[She says it not as a... threat, really. But the meaning in her statement is pretty clear. This place isn't safe.]}

C'mon... we should keep going.

[shiromadoushi]

[[a nod. Hopefully, he'll manage...]]

Un. I'm right behind... [[and he will follow when she starts walking. Giving her space, but still being close by, trying to scan for any change in the hallway or any sign of creatures.]]

[foolishwren]

All right. Stick with me.

<sub>[AND SO THEY'RE OFF.]

[The halls are just as dark, though between the flashlight and the ring (should he choose to use it), they at least have enough light to see by... and enough light to note when the walls start looking... reddish, and sort of sticky. The air is moist.]</sub>

[shiromadoushi]

[[Like the tunnels under Duelist Kingdom, only more horror themed. And less likely to have a pair of player killers to challenge them to a card game at the end.

Still not a particularly fun parallel, but he was already wearing the Ring so what else could happen?]]

Do you know where this comes out?

[foolishwren]

Hard to say.

It'll probably come out wherever it damn well wants to.

[shiromadoushi]

[[a nod]] Like going on a dungeon crawl... I almost wonder if I should be mapping this, just in case. Though it'll probably change, so I don't know if that would help.

[foolishwren]

_{[Heather pauses to dig in her pocket-- then pulls out a crumpled mass of paper.]}

Good idea, actually. Here. You can take care of this. _{[The paper is a map-- one that's already covered in marks from locked doors and blocked hallways.]}

It does change, but not so much that a map is worthless to have around.

[shiromadoushi]

[[Yes! Something he was GOOD at! Time to carefully smooth that out and find his pencil and orient and get working on filling in details and notes. Every little detail and bit of info he has is going on that thing. Now, if they'd been traveling for this long, the spot where they'd encountered the monster would be--- and the trail of papers was...

He's going to be a bit quiet and busy with the mapping for a little bit, pardon him, Heather. He has a pretty good visual memory for things like this so he has a lot of back mapping to fill in!]]

[foolishwren]

<sub>[Bakura can be as quiet as he wants-- if anything, Heather doesn't seem like she's in a particularly talkative mood anyway. So he's free to scribble as much as he wants all over that map.]

[But as they walk, he'll find that the surfaces they're passing... are making less-and-less decent places to write on. Should he press the map to the walls after a certain point, red moisture will seep straight through the paper.]

[The walls have become almost organic, somehow...]</sub>

[shiromadoushi]

[[Gross. Time to try and use his left hand to write one despite the hole in it under the bandage. ... maybe his arm would work better.

He's going to slow a touch to try and get and better look at the walls, however because this is some neat stuff right there.]]

I wonder if this means we're inside something living... [[idly ponders, making a sketch of the texture best he can.]]

[foolishwren]

Eh.

The Otherworld is kinda alive. In a way.

_{[She looks over her shoulder at him as she walks.]}

Don't try to make too much sense of this place. You'll just twist your brain into a pretzel.

[shiromadoushi]

But figuring out puzzles like this is fun, even if you only wind up with more questions at the end!

[[he is far too cheerful for someone in this sort of situation...]]

Can you tell me more about it?

[foolishwren]

_{[He IS far too cheerful. At least that's what Heather thinks, because she actually stops walking for a moment to shoot him a hideous, silent glare over her shoulder. This is her life he's talking about.]}

It's not a fucking puzzle.

_{[... Not that Silent Hill didn't HAVE puzzles...]}

[shiromadoushi]

[[Hey, he was this enthusiastic trying to find out more about the magical item that all but ruined his life. Nothing personal, Heather.

He shrinks back slightly]]

I-- I just meant...