- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
You turn and flee, running from the shade – if you stay here any longer, you will die. There is an enraged shriek behind you, a terrible scream that you shove to the back of your mind as you focus solely upon your escape. Step by step, you force your weary legs to carry you across the bridge. You do not even dare to turn your head, in fear that such an action would slow you down enough for the woman to catch up to you. It is not until you have made it across, and when your calves are seizing up in painful cramps, that you have the agonizing luxury of turning to see whether death has caught up to you.
The corridor is empty.
You wonder if you are safe.
Maybe. Maybe not.
The world is no longer grainy and devoid of colour, however, so perhaps the woman is gone for now. You try to comfort yourself with that thought.
Suddenly, your heart throbs excruciatingly. As you clutch your chest, a wave of nausea comes over you, accompanied by a burning sensation rising up your throat. Without so much as an apology, you heave out the contents of your stomach – empty, nothing but gastric juice, you note with clinical detachment – onto the once-clean hospital floor. Your head begins to feel heavy. As the world spins around you, you fall, into the puddle of your own vomit, and black out.
***
Consciousness returns far more slowly than it had left you. Every inch of your body is hurting; your legs more than anything else, of course. You open your eyes blearily. Everything looks terrible, like shit, you think for a second, before realizing that your spectacles had become crooked and smeared with vomit when you fainted. I need to clean myself up. Groggily, you drag yourself up with heavy effort, looking around for the sign to the washroom. Thankfully, it is not far away.
The sensation of cool, clean water revives your flagging spirits slightly. Though your shirt is ruined from the burning charm and the vomit, there is nothing else you can wear at the moment, and you are not about to go around topless. After you have cleaned up your spectacles, you stagger back into the hallway. That little spot of unconsciousness has left you feeling somewhat refreshed, but you are now aware of the growing hunger in your belly.
How long has it been since I last ate?
You take out the phone to look at the time: the clocks on the wall are as useless as ever, their hands frozen into position. The message is still there… ‘what is most important?’. Damned if I know, you think irritably. Something strange has happened; it looks like many hours have passed since you last checked the time. Were you out for that long, or…
Turning off the screen, you pocket the phone again and look around you. The power here seems to be working just fine – though this place is as deserted as when you first woke up, there is at least enough light to see by. It is silent, but you feel that the silence is somehow different from the atmosphere in the other buildings; where it was oppressive there, here the quietness is almost peaceful.
You cast your gaze down, examining the lines painted onto the walls and floor. Every now and then there are words written within: Advanced Laboratories. Research Laboratories. Imaging Department. Auditorium. Administrative Offices. These lines must serve as guides. If you follow them, you can probably get to their respective areas.
Opposite you there is a board, upon which office memos as well as notices for parties and events have been pinned.
Your stomach rumbles. You will have to find food soon… perhaps you can assault one of the vending machines lying around.
***
15:46
A. You try to shake out the food politely. You remember seeing people do this on TV. It should work if you tilt it just right.
B. You smash the vending machine open. No time for pleasantries, and no one is around to get mad at you anyway.
C. You try to mess with the electronics that control the vending machine. You know what you are doing… you think.
D. You try to mess with the electronics that control the vending machine. You don’t know what you are doing, but there is no harm in trying, right?
***
That aside, you will also need to decide what to do next. You are not feeling at your best, but does that mean you should lounge around and rest?
***
A. You turn around and go back through the corridor, to the physiotherapy building. The ghost does not seem to be around anymore, and you might be able to search for the rest of your companions without being harassed by it. They may be in need of your help.
B. You decide to investigate the research building while you are here. Since so much time has inexplicably passed, you are quite certain they would have moved on too. If you did not trust them to be able to take care of themselves, you would not have split up.
1. You search the Advanced Laboratories.
2. You search the Research Laboratories.
3. You search the Imaging Department.
4. You search the Auditorium.
5. You search the Administrative Offices.
C. You feel like taking a well-deserved break in a more comfortable location. You seek out the nearest lounge and rest your feet in there. You think it is probably best if you don’t push yourself too hard: you don’t know when you will be able to escape, after all.
The corridor is empty.
You wonder if you are safe.
Maybe. Maybe not.
The world is no longer grainy and devoid of colour, however, so perhaps the woman is gone for now. You try to comfort yourself with that thought.
Suddenly, your heart throbs excruciatingly. As you clutch your chest, a wave of nausea comes over you, accompanied by a burning sensation rising up your throat. Without so much as an apology, you heave out the contents of your stomach – empty, nothing but gastric juice, you note with clinical detachment – onto the once-clean hospital floor. Your head begins to feel heavy. As the world spins around you, you fall, into the puddle of your own vomit, and black out.
***
Consciousness returns far more slowly than it had left you. Every inch of your body is hurting; your legs more than anything else, of course. You open your eyes blearily. Everything looks terrible, like shit, you think for a second, before realizing that your spectacles had become crooked and smeared with vomit when you fainted. I need to clean myself up. Groggily, you drag yourself up with heavy effort, looking around for the sign to the washroom. Thankfully, it is not far away.
The sensation of cool, clean water revives your flagging spirits slightly. Though your shirt is ruined from the burning charm and the vomit, there is nothing else you can wear at the moment, and you are not about to go around topless. After you have cleaned up your spectacles, you stagger back into the hallway. That little spot of unconsciousness has left you feeling somewhat refreshed, but you are now aware of the growing hunger in your belly.
How long has it been since I last ate?
You take out the phone to look at the time: the clocks on the wall are as useless as ever, their hands frozen into position. The message is still there… ‘what is most important?’. Damned if I know, you think irritably. Something strange has happened; it looks like many hours have passed since you last checked the time. Were you out for that long, or…
Turning off the screen, you pocket the phone again and look around you. The power here seems to be working just fine – though this place is as deserted as when you first woke up, there is at least enough light to see by. It is silent, but you feel that the silence is somehow different from the atmosphere in the other buildings; where it was oppressive there, here the quietness is almost peaceful.
You cast your gaze down, examining the lines painted onto the walls and floor. Every now and then there are words written within: Advanced Laboratories. Research Laboratories. Imaging Department. Auditorium. Administrative Offices. These lines must serve as guides. If you follow them, you can probably get to their respective areas.
Opposite you there is a board, upon which office memos as well as notices for parties and events have been pinned.
Your stomach rumbles. You will have to find food soon… perhaps you can assault one of the vending machines lying around.
***
15:46
A. You try to shake out the food politely. You remember seeing people do this on TV. It should work if you tilt it just right.
B. You smash the vending machine open. No time for pleasantries, and no one is around to get mad at you anyway.
C. You try to mess with the electronics that control the vending machine. You know what you are doing… you think.
D. You try to mess with the electronics that control the vending machine. You don’t know what you are doing, but there is no harm in trying, right?
***
That aside, you will also need to decide what to do next. You are not feeling at your best, but does that mean you should lounge around and rest?
***
A. You turn around and go back through the corridor, to the physiotherapy building. The ghost does not seem to be around anymore, and you might be able to search for the rest of your companions without being harassed by it. They may be in need of your help.
B. You decide to investigate the research building while you are here. Since so much time has inexplicably passed, you are quite certain they would have moved on too. If you did not trust them to be able to take care of themselves, you would not have split up.
1. You search the Advanced Laboratories.
2. You search the Research Laboratories.
3. You search the Imaging Department.
4. You search the Auditorium.
5. You search the Administrative Offices.
C. You feel like taking a well-deserved break in a more comfortable location. You seek out the nearest lounge and rest your feet in there. You think it is probably best if you don’t push yourself too hard: you don’t know when you will be able to escape, after all.
