You’re looking at the door of your house. You don’t know how you got here, and by all means you shouldn’t be here. Blurred images run through your head: sterile light, the smell of formaldehyde; the lumps of bodies on metal trays, covered in white sheets like ghosts, the streets — your feet are black with grime — filled with piss and waste; and a faint pain that comes from your heart, which you’re not quite sure if it’s physical. You feel vacant . . . something’s amiss.
The yard out front is small, mostly taken up by the driveway where your mom’s car is parked. You’ve got one big tree, a cedar, and a grassy patch of land where you and your sibling used to play in the sprinkler.
[[Ring the doorbell]]
[[Go around the house]]This is your parent’s room. It’s very dark, there’s no windows in here. The big bed takes up most of the room with two night tables on either side. There’s a closet and the bathroom is attached to this room by a door. There’s a ratty blanket on top where your dog likes to sleep, Mom put it down so she wouldn’t get as much dog hair on the sheets.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There won’t be much to do in here, little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should check [[the closet.]]
Or check [[the bathroom.]]]
</center>
[[living room]]
It’s your parent’s bathroom. There’s a big shower and sink that your mom and dad share. There’s not much there except toothbrushes, makeup, and an electric razor your dad uses.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one, there’s really nothing to do here.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should [[look around.]]]
</center>
[[parent’s room]] The living room is fairly spacious, it’s meant to fit four.
Your toys sit in a box by the tv. The little boat you were playing with last time you were here is still sitting out. The game console Ash likes to hog is tucked under the tv stand.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We could [[play with some of our toys.]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[There’s nothing to do here.]
</center>
[[parent’s room]]
[[kitchen]]
[[basement]]
[[stairs]]
[[backyard]]You step down the creaky stairs leading to the basement, the light is inconveniently at the bottom. You carefully descend the dark stairwell and hit the switch. The basement lights up. It’s uncarpeted and unfinished. There are bins and boxes tucked into every corner. There’s a box on the wall by the steps and and old water heater is tucked underneath them.
On the other side of the room there’s a window, half underground, it leads to the back yard.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This isn’t a very nice place to play little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[look around]], there might be something here.]
</center>
[[back up->living room]]The backyard is empty, but for the dog pen in one corner, a shed, and the bushes that line the white picket fence.[ >]<attribute|
(click: ?attribute)[ The bushes are a mixture of dogwood and roses. The lawn is manicured to perfection and it glows with a vibrant green, ripe with life. You’ve got a very small patio accessible from the living room, there’s a couple of chairs. There’s a window that looks into your living room next to the backdoor.]
[[shed]]
[[knock on backdoor->Ring the doorbell]]There is light coming from inside, but the shed is locked!
[[back->Go around the house]]You find yourself on the staircase, the steps are cold and wooden. The railing chops the light from the sun into slices that illuminate the pictures along the wall. The photos are all of you and your family. There’s one of mom and dad on their wedding. One of Ash as a baby in overalls.
There used to be one of all of you together, you only took it a few months ago so it would be the newest, but it’s not there. The nail it hung on is still in place, but the frame is gone.
There are many photos of you taken throughout your life, but as you look you notice that your face is...obscured. It’s definitely still you, but your features are blurry, like someone spilled water on all the photos. Your family’s faces remain unmarred, smiling from behind the glass.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t play on the stairs little one,
let’s go find somewhere else to have fun.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kid, there’s something up with these photos.
We should try to find out what happened to the missing one.]
</center>
[[up]]
[[living room]]It’s a long hallway, neither narrow nor wide. The beige carpet is soft, it’s been recently vacuumed. There’s an end table at the top of the stairs with an iron lamp, a gift from your aunt. The bulb is dead.
On one end of the hall there’s your room and your brother’s room. Your brother’s door has a chalkboard on the front that usually says “KEEP OUT!” in jagged white letters. The board is blank.
On the other end of the hall there’s the linen closet, the bathroom, and the attic. The stairs to the attic are tucked up into the ceiling with a rope dangling for you to pull them down.
There is another staircase leading to the main floor.
[[Your room]]
[[your sibling’s]]
[[the bathroom]]
[[the closet]]
[[the attic]]
[[stairs]]You open the closet door and see stacks of neatly folded towels, blankets, and bed sheets. It’s packed pretty tight but there’s a space at the bottom where the laundry basket usually sits. You could fit there and close the door if you really wanted.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Now is not the time for hiding, little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Couldn’t agree more.]
</center>
[[hallway->up]]This is the bathroom you and your brother share. There’s not much here except for the toiletries you both use. There’s a toilet, a shower, a sink, and a stepping stool you use so you can see yourself in the mirror. You don’t really need it, you’re pretty much tall enough, but it’s handy for getting things in high places.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s no fun to be had in here little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kid, we’ve got no reason to be in here, let’s go.]
</center>
[[hallway->up]]
This is your room. It’s one of the smaller rooms but you don’t mind it. The room is painted a soft yellow color and you have a few drawings taped up. The only other things on the walls are the big window over your small bed and the round red clock next to the door.
The clock makes no sound, the hands are stopped at 11:37. You don’t remember it being broken.
The window over your bed looks out toward the street. You can see all of your neighbor’s houses from here. You’ve often sat on your plush red comforter and looked out to the front yard when the weather was too bad to play in. Your bed is neatly made and your teddy bear Goldy is sitting comfortably among your pillows.
Next to your bed is a small table with your frog-shaped night light. Beside that is a short set of shelves with all your favorite books and some crayons and paper on top.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Why don’t you [[do some drawing]], little one?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Maybe we can see something interesting from the window.
]
</center>
[[look out the window]]
[[hallway->up]]
(set: $verb to "open")
(set: $book to "open")
(set: $key to "open")
(set: $need to "open")
(set: $towel to "open")
(set: $pic to "open")
(set: $hand to "open")
You remember
Wet grass under your feet
The day, bright with a summer breeze
You remember
The ball out of reach
In the middle of the street
You remember
The cries of your father behind you
Blunted by the rolling horn
You remember
The graze of fingers on your neck.
Almost
Too late
You remember.
Eight wheels
(text-style: "shudder")[CRACK] darkness . . .
<p align=right> (text-style: "fade-in-out")[The void.] </p>
[[title<- Open your eyes]]
{
(if: $verb is 'locked')[
It's locked!
](else:)[
You turn the handle and start to walk into Ash’s room. There are classic movie horror posters on the walls, like Vertigo and The Shining. You aren’t allowed to watch those kinds of movies.
Ash jumps up off the bed and stands so that you can’t walk further into the room.
“Hey buddy! What’cha doing here? Want to hang with your big bro? I was just going to go play some video games, you should join me.” He smiles warmly.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That’s so nice! [[Let’s go play!]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Ash is never this nice. He’s trying to distract us, we need to get into that room. Don’t waste the day playing pointless games.]
</center>
[[try to get in]]
]}.
It’s dim and dusty in here. You can scarcely make anything out in the small space but you can smell old papers and neglect. You flick on the light, and it shudders to life, casting a sickly yellow glow over the cramped space. Even at your short height, the ceiling almost smothers you, so you slouch.
There are plastic bins marked with the names of the holidays. Your parents keep the decorations in there. On the other side of Halloween and Birthdays you see a set of golf clubs that have never been used. You step forward and your ankle brushes a stack of albums, a picture of you from 2007 stares up from the cover. Your face is blank.
The light flickers.
<center> (text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t be up here, little one]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[look closer]]]
</center>
[[Back down to the hall way->up]]You climb up onto your bed and crawl over to the window. The motion of the mattress causes your teddy to flop over onto its side. Looking out onto the street you see the big cedar tree and the driveway where your mom parks her car. You don’t see anyone walking around even though it’s such a nice day.
A glimmer of light catches your eye, it’s coming from the window of the house right across from you. That’s where Mr. Ulster lives. His daughter is much older than you and doesn’t live there any more. She used to babysit you when you were very little but it was too long ago to remember. He’s nice enough but you think he might be lonely living there by himself.
You see the flash of light again and squint to see where it is coming from. You see a silhouette in the second floor window, looking out over the street like a shadow, holding the shiny object to its face.
It’s binoculars. As soon as you realize this the silhouette disappears and the window is empty.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[Perhaps Mr. Ulster enjoys watching the birds.
We like birds, perhaps we should draw some.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[There aren’t any birds outside
Mr. Ulster was watching someone — something — else.
Let’s [[go outside.->front yard]]]
</center>
[[do some drawing]]
[[hallway->up]]You grab a small sketchbook and a few crayons. Lying down on the nice carpet you spend some time doodling in bright colors. Normally this would be very fun, but the only things you can think to draw don’t look very nice.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[This is fun, isn’t it little one?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[This is a waste of time.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Drawing makes you happy, that’s what’s important.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Does it make us happy?]
</center>
Your get tired of drawing so you put the crayons and paper away.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Done with that? Maybe we should [[play outside->front yard]],
It’s very nice.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[That’s where it happened, maybe we can find some clues.
]
</center>
[[hallway->up]]
You wait. The silence is cut with growing steps on the hardwood floor. For a moment you think about leaving, just turning and running off into the night, but it’s too late. It’s too late to make things better.
The door opens and you’re looking up into the face of your family. Within seconds you’re in your father’s arms and your mother is crying, though you don’t know why.
“My child . . .” she says.
The rest is blurry. [ >]<attribute|
(click: ?attribute)[ You remember hands on your body and the salty wetness of tears — none from you, you were only in a confused daze — and a feeling of unrest, of some undeniable tension growing out of your heart.]
[[>->1]]You wake up to sunlight pouring onto your face. Normally birdsong would wake you up on days like today, but the outside of your window is as still as death. You do smell something though, cooking food, and the pleasant odor pulls you gently from the haze of sleep.
<center> (text-colour:Red)[Smells like someone is making you pancakes.
We should [[go downstairs.]]]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[Someone’s in the kitchen, which means they’re not anywhere else.
If we stay out of the kitchen we can get a look at the rest of the house.]
</center>
[[investigate the house]]You walk into the kitchen and your father smiles at you brightly from over the counter. He scrapes a perfectly cooked pancake onto a plate.
“Go sit down kiddo, I made your favorite.”
Your mom is reading a newspaper in her usual spot at the table. Ash is fiddling with his fork in his place. You take your seat and your father joins you shortly after with a heaping plate of pancakes and syrup.
Your mom smiles at him and asks you how you slept.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[We slept [[just fine.]]]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[We slept [[like the dead.]]]
</center>“Glad to hear it.” She says and Ash serves you a nice big flapjack, taking a smaller one for himself.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[That’s nice of him to share.]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[Ash is never this generous.]
</center>
You take a bite of the breakfast food.
It tastes like dust, and even though you know they’re piping hot you can’t even feel warmth against your tongue.
When you swallow it grates against your throat.
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[We can’t eat this. [[Ask to be excused.]]]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Red)[You love pancakes, little one, and your dad worked so hard to make them.
You can at least eat a few.]
</center>
[[continue to eat]]Your mom’s smile falters, your father goes still and your brother looks at you sharply. Dad clears his throat and carries on as though you didn’t speak.
Ash serves you a decent sized flapjack and takes the bigger one for himself.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[That wasn’t very nice, little one.]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[Seems like they want to pretend it never happened.
I don’t think that’s wise.]
</center>
You take a bite of the breakfast food.
It tastes like dust, and even though you know they’re piping hot you can’t even feel warmth against your tongue.
When you swallow it grates against your throat.
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[We can’t eat this. [[Ask to be excused.]]]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Red)[You love pancakes, little one, and your dad worked so hard to make them.
You can at least eat a few.]
</center>
[[continue to eat]]Your family freezes again, and Ash looks at you almost angrily.
“You love pancakes.” He says, it’s not a question.
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[We used to love pancakes. We can’t pretend we haven’t changed.]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Red)[Yes, we do, and we’re going to eat them.]
</center>
[[Ask to leave again]]
[[continue to eat]]You shake your head and ask to be excused again. Ash’s glare becomes harsher.
“What’s the matter kiddo?” Your dad asks.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[Nothing is wrong. [[Let’s eat our food.->continue to eat]]]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[Something isn’t right. [[Tell him we don’t feel well.]]]
</center>
“Does your stomach hurt?” He asks, looking far more concerned than he should. Your mom continues to eat and Ash stares.
You nod, even though it’s not your stomach that’s aching.
“Why don’t you go lie down.” Your mom says without looking at you.
“No. Gray needs to eat. It’s been a while since you ate, aren’t you hungry kiddo?” He asks, his eyes pleading.
“It’s fine Eddie.” Your mom tries to reassure, but her lips are tight.
“No, it isn’t fine, Gray needs to eat.” He all but growls, gripping his fork until his knuckles are white. His eyes are boring into your mother and she relents.
“Eat your pancakes Gray.” She says, there’s not room for argument. Ash chews his own food and watches you the whole time.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[You didn’t need to be so difficult, little one.]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[They want to move on, but we can’t, can we?]
</center>
[[living room]]
[[front yard]]The rest of the meal passes quietly. Everyone enjoying the bready flavor of your dad’s breakfast specialty.
You drench your pancakes in syrup, but they still taste like dust. You choke them down anyway.
Your mom leaves for work, dad starts cleaning the kitchen of the mess, and Ash goes up to his room.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[We can go play now, there’s lots to do.]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[There’s a lot we need to figure out, let’s look around.]
</center>
[[living room]]
[[front yard]]You spend some time with your toys, having them chase each other around on the carpet. It’s nice enough, but you have trouble imagining the kinds of things you used to.
You eventually decide to stop and put your toys away.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That was nice, let’s find something else fun to do.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Quit wasting time kid.]
</center>
[[parent’s room]]
[[kitchen]]
[[basement]]
[[stairs]]
[[backyard]]The kitchen has a tall counter that you can just see over the top of. On the other side of it there’s more counter space for cooking, the fridge, the stove, and all the cabinets.[ >]<attribute|
(click: ?attribute)[ The fridge has some letter magnets on it, a few are holding up notes from your mom to your dad, telling him to get detergent and olives, other magnets are holding up drawings by you and your brother. He’s a better drawer than you but he only draws dragons and knights and things like that. They look nice but that’s not the kind of stuff you like to draw.]
Your dad finished cleaning and is sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper your mother left there. He’s sipping a mug of coffee and smiles wide when he sees you before going back to reading.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad wouldn’t like us getting a snack right now.
Let’s find something else to do.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I don’t see anything here. We could check outside though.]
</center>
[[living room]]
[[front yard]]
[[stairs]]
[[basement]]You walk outside onto the grass and look up and down the street. No one is around, there aren’t even any cars driving past.
You hear a door open and turn to see your neighbor, Mr. Ulster, standing outside. He’s looking at you and not moving from the threshold of his house.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s [[play a little bit]], it’s so nice out.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Mr. Ulster looks like he knows something. [[Let’s go talk to him.]]]
</center>You run around the yard, [ >]<attribute|
(click: ?attribute)[ tumbling in the grass and circling the trunk of the cedar many times. It’s fun and it really is such a nice day, but part of you feels unchanged by the cheery atmosphere, it sits heavy within you.
Your messing around eventually has you hopping cement squares on the driveway, seeing if you can make it from one big one to the other in just one step.
You leap and get from the front door block to the middle one.
You leap again and make it to the middle one.
You leap again and you’re on the sidewalk.
You’re about to leap once more to see if you can reach the street but] suddenly a strong arm wraps around you and yanks you up into the air.
[[>->pp]]
You make eyes contact with your neighbor and begin to walk toward him. He looks briefly frightened, as though he doesn’t want you coming near him, and feels inside, slamming the door.
You keep walking though, you can ring the bell and ask why he’s watching you.
You’re halfway across the street when a strong arm wraps around your middle and lifts you up, away from the road and Mr. Ulster’s house.
[[>->pp]]You wake up to the sensation of someone gently shaking your shoulders. You open your eyes and through the haze you see your mother. She freezes when your eyes meet and pulls her arms away from you, sitting on the very edge of your bed.
“Morning hon, how are you?” She asks.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We [[feel great]], it’s good to see her.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’re [[alive]] if that’s what she means.]
</center>At first everything seems to be in its proper place. Then you notice that there is a bloody towel in the trash can, it’s clearly a few days old. You remember seeing a band aid on your mom’s leg that morning, it looks like she cut herself shaving.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It’s just a bit of blood, little one, let’s go.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[[[Check out the razor.->razor]]]
</center>
[[pick up towel]]
[[parent’s room]] You take a closer look at your mother’s razor and see that of the three blades, the middle one is diagonal so a sharp corner is jutting out. She couldn’t help but cut herself.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s fix that so she doesn’t cut herself again,
Then let’s leave.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I don’t think that happened on its own. Someone, or something, wanted to cut Mother.]
</center>
[[parent’s room]] It's locked!
[[parent’s room]] You rummage around a bit, but find nothing of interest.
[[Back down to the hall way->up]]You and Ash spend the whole day playing various games in front of the TV. Dad comes by and plays a few rounds with you but gives up quickly because he’s honestly terrible at it.
You’re not much better. You’re usually much better at games but you can’t seem to get into it. You don’t feel the usual desire to win against your sibling and even your favorite game feels kind of bland.
Ash notices, but continues to ask you to play. Game after game you lose because you can’t bring yourself to really care. Ash is trying everything to get you to enjoy it, and you feel bad, you want to be having fun.
But you can’t.
The end of the day rolls around and dad tells you it’s time for bed. Ash wishes you a quiet goodnight, he looks somewhat distraught as you leave.
You change into pajamas and climb under the covers. Your parents kiss you goodnight.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[That was fun, wasn’t it? We had such a fun day!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We wasted the entire day doing nothing. ]
</center>
[[>->2]]You try to push past your brother, but he easily stops you and shakes his head.
“Nuh-uh, that’s my room. C’mon, let’s play.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s not intrude on Ash’s space, little one,
[[Let’s go play some games->Let’s go play!]], you love video games. ]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’re not giving up that easy, there’s definitely something in there.]
</center>
[[keep trying to get in]]
Ash pushes you back yet again, his playful expression slipping away.
“What’s up Gray? Why do you want in so bad?”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We don’t want in, we want to [[play video games->Let’s go play!]] ]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Because we know you’re hiding something.]
</center>
[[Tell him you know he’s hiding something]]
(set: $verb to "locked")
(set: $size to "locked")
Ash looks shocked for a moment.
“I’m not hiding anything, what would I be hiding.” He says with a forced laughed. He doesn’t sound convinced of it himself.
He looks at you with concern.
“I just don’t want you in my room, ok?” He states firmly. He stares at you pensively for a few moments before speaking again.
“We can play games some other time, I have...homework to do.”
He nods and turns around, pushing the door behind him to close it. It doesn’t shut completely though and through the crack you see him reach for something under his bed.
Over his shoulder he catches you watching and he immediately kicks the door shut, looking almost panicked.
A moment later you hear it lock.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one, I fear you may have hurt his feelings. ]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We didn’t get in but we know something’s in there. We’ll find out what it is.]
</center>
[[hallway->up]]Your backyard isn’t very large, but it’s nice. There are rose bushes against the fence, the bright blooms usually smell nice but right now you can’t smell anything. There’s a shed in one corner of the yard and a doghouse in the other. Your dog, Casey, a golden retriever is curled up inside her little house. She’s looking out at you fearfully and she’s tied to a post among the rose bushes.
You remember Ash mentioning at breakfast that she had run off twice that morning and that’s why she’s tied up. She doesn’t normally ever go far from the house.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We could [[play with Casey]] if we wanted.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should take a [[look at the shed.->look at shed]]]
</center>
[[Go around to front of house->front yard]]
[[Go inside->living room]]You walk over to the shed and try the door, but there’s a padlock on the handle keeping it shut.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We can’t go in there, and there’s no reason to want to.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[There might be something in there, but we can’t get in right now.]
</center>
[[back->backyard]] You know that dad is the one who makes the pancakes and mom is usually with him, so their room is probably empty, that’s where you go.
The bed is neatly made but the closet across from it is ajar.
“Breakfast!!!” You hear your dad call from the other room.
<center> (text-colour:Red)[Come on, let’s go get some pancakes. ]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[What’s in the closet? We might not get another chance to check.]
</center>
[[check the closet]]
[[go to kitchen->go downstairs.]]You creep over to the door and open it the rest of the way. As you do dozens of photographs come pouring out onto the carpet. They are all pictures of you.
Glancing inside the closet doors you see that some have been laid out with painstaking care, as though someone was examining them closely.
“Grey? What are you doing in here?” Your father asks from behind you. He steps forward and looms over you to see the pictures all over the floor.
“You shouldn’t be touching these.” He says shortly and begins scooping them up. Once he’s put them all back into the closet he closes the door and grabs a ring of keys from his bedside table drawer.
He locks the closet with a decisive click and returns the keys to the drawer.
“Let’s go eat breakfast. I made your favorite.”
<center> (text-colour:Red)[That’s odd. Those weren’t out when we first got home.
Someone was looking at photos of us last night. ]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[You made a mess little one, we should have just gone to the kitchen.]
</center>
[[go to kitchen]]Your dad leads you gently to the kitchen and with a hand on your back directs you to your chair.
Your mom is reading a newspaper in her usual spot at the table. Ash is fiddling with his fork in his place. You take your seat and your father joins you shortly after with a heaping plate of pancakes and syrup.
Your mom smiles at him and asks you how you slept.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[We slept [[just fine.]]]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[We slept [[like the dead.]]]
</center>She smiles genuinely, but she looks tired and she is still sitting very purposefully far away.
“I decided to take the day off from work to spend time with you. Your dad said it might be a good idea and I thought so too.” She reaches to pat your head but diverts at the last second to adjust a pillow instead.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That sounds really nice, we can have all sorts of fun.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Dad is worried we’re going to die again, how about Mom?]
</center>
[[Say it sounds nice]]
[[Ask her if she's worried about you dying again]]Her eyebrows draw together and blinks at you as though we’ve thrown sand in her eyes. She looks tired and she inches further away from you.
“I decided to take the day off from work to spend time with you. Your dad said it might be a good idea and I thought so too.” She reaches to pat your head but diverts at the last second to adjust a pillow instead.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That sounds really nice, we can have all sorts of fun.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Dad is worried we’re going to die again, how about Mom?]
</center>
[[Say it sounds nice]]
[[Ask her if she's worried about you dying again]]She startles at the question, eyes wide and breath stopped like she’s been struck in the chest.
“...I don’t know, Gray.” She mutters, it’s painfully honest and she seems to be struggling with it.
“I’m worried about something, but I don’t know what it is...I’m scared I might not know anything anymore…” she trails off and looks at the floor, distraught.
Ding-dong, the doorbell snaps her out of her thoughts.
“Let’s go see who that is.” She says and stands up to go check. She doesn’t wait for you to follow but you go anyway.
Your mom is already going down the steps when you emerge from your room. Ash is leaning over the railing to see her. In his hand he’s got some kind of book. It’s bound in a greenish leather with odd, twisting symbols engraved on it.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s go see who’s hear.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[What’s Ash holding?]
</center>
[[Ask Ash]]
[[Go downstairs]]“Yeah...it does, doesn’t it?” She seems to be asking the question to herself more than you. She turns away and stares at the floor for a few moments before looking at you with concern.
“Gray, I wanted to know if-”
Ding-dong! The doorbell cuts her off mid sentence and she looks away.
“Let’s go see who that is.” She says and stands up to go check. She doesn’t wait for you to follow but you go anyway.
Your mom is already going down the steps when you emerge from your room. Ash is leaning over the railing to see her. In his hand he’s got some kind of book. It’s bound in a greenish leather with odd, twisting symbols engraved on it.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s go see who’s hear.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[What’s Ash holding?]
</center>
[[Ask Ash]]
[[Go downstairs]]Ash jumps when you ask him what the book is. He tucks it behind his back and narrows his eyes defensively.
“None of your business.” He snaps and shoves past you to enter his room. The door slams and you hear him turning the lock.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Ash has always been possessive, nothing new.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[There’s something important about that book. We need to get it.]
</center>
[[Go downstairs]]You pad down the stairs and over to the entrance where you see your mom talking to someone. You slide into the entrance beside her and see Mrs. Warwick.
Your mother flinches away when you brush her leg, it’s slight but you can feel it.
“Oh hello little Gray! I’m so glad to see you!” Mrs. Warwick croons with a watery smile. She’s your next door neighbor. She’s very old and her face is very wrinkled. It’s stretched and folded atop itself so much that her every expression pulls at her skin like the rising and falling of incredibly heavy curtains.
She leans over so she can look you in the eye and her stale, plasticy breath wafts over your face. Normally it would make your stomach turn but it barely bothers you now.
“I was worried when I saw that ambulance outside your house the other day. I heard such a terrible noise and I remembered that I saw you playing earlier that morning and I was afraid for you my dear. I’m very happy to see you well. Both of you.”
She reaches out and pinches your cheek affectionately. Your mother is completely still for the whole exchange. As her rough hand pulls away from where it touched you, you see her nails turning an ugly bluish black, the sickly color creeping unseen up her fingers. The whites of her eyes seem to tinge a slight yellow and her curling gray hair appears to wilt.
“I brought you some cookies.” She says and holds up a small paper plate wrapped in a plastic bag.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That was nice of Mrs. Warwick, we should [[thank her.]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[She’s being rather nosy, this would have been very rude if we were still dead.]
</center>
[[tell her she's being nosy]]You open your mouth to speak but Mom cuts you off.
“Thank you Mrs. Warwick.” She takes the cookies and looks like she is eager to close the door and end the conversation. Mrs. Warwick doesn’t give her the chance.
“Is Ash alright as well?”
“Yes, Ash is fine.” Your Mom gives a tight smile.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[She’s very sweet to be so concerned.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[She’s definitely here to collect gossip.]
</center>
[[>->uu]]
You open your mouth to speak but Mom cuts you off.
“Thank you Mrs. Warwick.” She takes the cookies and looks like she is eager to close the door and end the conversation. Mrs. Warwick doesn’t give her the chance.
“Is Ash alright as well?”
“Yes, Ash is fine.” Your Mom gives a tight smile.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[She’s very sweet to be so concerned.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[She’s definitely here to collect gossip.]
</center>
[[>->uu]]The living room is fairly spacious, it’s meant to fit four.
Your toys sit in a box by the tv. The little boat you were playing with last time you were here is still sitting out. The game console Ash likes to hog is tucked under the tv stand.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We could [[play with some of our toys.->PLAY2]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[There’s nothing to help us with the book here..]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR2]]
[[kitchen->K2]]
[[basement->B2]]
[[stairs->S2]]
[[backyard->BY2]]You spend some time with your toys, having them chase each other around on the carpet. It’s nice enough, but you have trouble imagining the kinds of things you used to.
You eventually decide to stop and put your toys away.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That was nice, let’s find something else fun to do.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Quit wasting time kid.]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR2]]
[[kitchen->K2]]
[[basement->B2]]
[[stairs->S2]]
[[backyard->BY2]]This is your parent’s room. It’s very dark, there’s no windows in here. The big bed takes up most of the room with two night tables on either side. There’s a closet and the bathroom is attached to this room by a door. There’s a ratty blanket on top where your dog likes to sleep, Mom put it down so she wouldn’t get as much dog hair on the sheets.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There won’t be much to do in here, little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I don’t think this will help us get the book, but we could check [[the closet.->C2]]
check [[the bathroom.->BR2]]]
</center>
[[living room->explore]]
It’s your parent’s bathroom. There’s a big shower and sink that your mom and dad share. There’s not much there except toothbrushes, makeup, and an electric razor your dad uses.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one, there’s really nothing to do here.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should [[look around.->LA2]]]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR2]] Everything is in its proper place, you don’t find anything interesting. You hear the dog barking from the backyard.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s go see Casey.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Nothing here to help with book, but we have to keep trying.]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR2]]It's locked.
[[parent’s room->PR2]]The kitchen has a tall counter that you can just see over the top of. The cookies Mrs. Warwick brought are sitting on top, just out of reach. Your mom is sitting at the dinner table, staring out the window. Her eyes keep going back and forth as though she’s watching cars go by, but there are no cars in the street. There were flowers in the middle of the table yesterday, they looked healthy then but they appear to be wilting.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We could [[ask Mom for a cookie.]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We could [[ask Mom to get Ash to give us the book.]]]
</center>
[[living room->explore]]
[[basement->B2]]
[[stairs->S2]]
[[frontyard->FY2]]She gives you a hard look and then looks back out the window.
“Your brother has his things and you have yours, leave him be.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[She’s right, we shouldn’t be asking for Ash’s stuff.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[She won’t help us, we’ll have to find another way to get the book.]
</center>
[[living room->explore]]
[[basement->B2]]
[[stairs->S2]]
[[frontyard->FY2]]
You ask her for a cookie and she looks at you as though you’re a smudge on the windshield that won’t go away. Like she’s trying to figure out if you’re really there or not.
Eventually she smiles and goes back to looking out the window.
“Sure, help yourself.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We can’t really reach them.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[She’s acting strange but she seems willing to do what we want. [[Ask her to get the book for us.->ask Mom to get Ash to give us the book.]]]
</center>
[[Tell her we can't reach them]]She doesn’t look at you, just gazes out the window.
“No, no, go ahead, have as many as you like.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[She’s not listening, maybe we should just go.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[[[Ask her for help with the book.->ask Mom to get Ash to give us the book.]]]
</center>You step down the creaky stairs leading to the basement, the light is inconveniently at the bottom. You carefully descend the dark stairwell and hit the switch. The basement lights up. It’s uncarpeted and unfinished. There are bins and boxes tucked into every corner. There’s a box on the wall by the steps and and old water heater is tucked underneath them.
On the other side of the room there’s a window, half underground, it leads to the back yard.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This isn’t a very nice place to play little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[look around->look around2]], there might be something here.]
</center>
[[back up->explore]](set: $towel to "got")
You have the towel.
[[bathroom->look around.]]You walk over to the boxes and bins pushed up against the walls. You push them around as best you can and at first find nothing.
You jostle one stack and a chunk of chalk rolls off the top and lands on the ground beside you. It’s half used up.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s nothing here, little one, please, let’s go do something else.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[That’s Ash’s. He uses it for the board on his door. What’s it doing down here? [[Let’s keep looking around.]]]
</center>
[[back upstairs->living room]]You walk up to the old water heater and spot spider web. More than a few bugs were already woven into that tapestry of death. You look around, but you can’t find the craftsman anywhere; there are no nooks or crannies it can hide in. A buzz grows louder until eventually you hear the fly whiz by your ear. It seems to be heading towards the water heater, and it stops, if only for a second, to look at the thin white silk, then it lunges at that finest of fabrics, embracing such a luxurious kiss from Death.
A chill runs down your spine.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s go [[back upstairs.->living room]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[keep looking.]]]
</center>
You examine the electrical box by the stairs. It’s old and is usually rusted shut, but it looks like it’s been recently opened. It’s too tall for you to reach.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s nothing in there. Let’s go.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I don’t think we need it open right now. Let’s [[look around a little more.]]]
</center>
[[back upstairs->living room]]You go over to the window. It’s also too tall to reach but you can see out into the yard. The grass is neatly trimmed and you can see the shed from here. Oddly, the window is unlocked and you can see imprints where someone’s shoes have torn up the soil by the ledge.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It’s just the yard, little one, we can go out there if we want.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[It looks like someone climbed through this window. We’ll have to find out why, but there’s nothing else here.]
</center>
[[back upstairs->living room]]You approach the dog house, only for you normally docile dog to begin growling. She glares at you from the doorway, clearly warning you to keep away since she can’t go anywhere herself.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[I guess Casey doesn’t want to play right now. Let’s go inside.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[That’s not good, let’s stay away from her. Before we go in we should [[check the shed.->look at shed]]]
</center>
[[Go around to front of house->front yard]]
[[back->backyard]] You walk up to the old water heater and spot a spider web that is almost falling down because there are so many insects caught in it, but there is no spider to be seen. A moth brushes your cheek as it flies up and is also caught in the web.
A chill runs down your spine.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s go [[back upstairs.->explore]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[keep looking.->keep looking.2]]]
</center>You walk over to the boxes and bins pushed up against the walls. You push them around as best you can but find nothing.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s nothing here, little one, please, let’s go do something else.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[[[Let’s keep looking around.->Let’s keep looking around.2]]]
</center>
[[back upstairs->explore]]You examine the electrical box by the stairs. It’s old and is usually rusted shut, but it looks like it’s been recently opened. It’s too tall for you to reach.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s nothing in there. Let’s go.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I don’t think we need it open right now. Let’s [[look around a little more.->look around a little more.2]]]
</center>
[[back upstairs->explore]]You go over to the window. It’s also too tall to reach but you can see out into the yard. The grass is neatly trimmed and you can see the shed from here. Oddly, the window is unlocked and you can see imprints where someone’s shoes have torn up the soil by the ledge.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It’s just the yard, little one, we can go out there if we want.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[It looks like someone climbed through this window. We’ll have to find out why, but there’s nothing else here.]
</center>
[[back upstairs->explore]]You walk outside onto the grass and look up and down the street. No one is around, there aren’t even any cars driving past. A few leaves from the big cedar tree fall down in front of you. They’re brown but it’s not fall. You look and see that some of the leaves on the tree have begun to shrivel and fall onto the dead, yellow grass.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It’s not as fun when the grass is dead, and Dad didn’t want us by the road. Let’s [[go back inside.->K2]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I don’t see anything useful for getting the book.]
</center>Your backyard isn’t very large, but it’s nice. There are rose bushes against the fence, the normally bright blossoms look a little sickly today, and more than a few have fallen to the ground. They look like wounds against the grass, which was bright green yesterday but is now a sickly yellow. There’s a shed in one corner of the yard and a doghouse in the other. Your dog is tethered to a spike in the rose bushes and she’s pulling against her rope, barking in frustration. As soon as she sees you she darts into her doghouse and glares out.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Casey doesn’t seem like she wants to play.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I bet we could get Ash out of his room if we let Casey loose. He’s supposed to be watching her from his room, so if she ran off he’d have to go after her and leave his room empty for us to get the book..]
</center>
[[Free Casey]]
[[Go inside->explore]]You find yourself on the staircase, the steps are cold and wooden.
One picture of your family on the wall is missing. The nail it hung on is still in place, but the frame is gone.
There are many photos of you taken throughout your life, but as you look you notice that your face is...obscured. It’s definitely still you, but your features are blurry, like someone spilled water on all the photos. Your family’s faces remain unmarred, smiling from behind the glass.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t play on the stairs little one,
let’s go find somewhere else to have fun.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kid, there’s something up with these photos.
We should try to find out what happened to the missing one after we get the book.]
</center>
[[up->UP2]]
[[living room->explore]]It’s a long hallway, neither narrow nor wide. The beige carpet is a little dusty and it feels unpleasant under your feet. There’s an end table at the top of the stairs with an iron lamp, a gift from your aunt. The bulb is dead.
On one end of the hall there’s your room and your brother’s room.
On the other end of the hall there’s the linen closet, the bathroom, and the attic.
There is another staircase leading to the main floor.
[[Your room->YR2]]
[[your sibling’s->SR2]]
[[the bathroom->UB2]]
[[the closet->UC2]]
[[the attic->A2]]
[[stairs->S2]]It’s dim and dusty in here. You can scarcely make anything out in the small space but you can smell something rotten. You flick on the light, and it shudders to life, casting a sickly yellow glow over the cramped space.
There are plastic bins marked with the names of the holidays. Your parents keep the decorations in there. On the other side of Halloween and Birthdays you see a set of golf clubs that have never been used.
The light flickers.
<center> (text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t be up here, little one]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[What’s that smell?]
</center>
[[investigate smell]]
[[Back down to the hall way->UP2]]You go to check behind the bins when a dark shape in the corner catches your eye. You look and see that it is a dead mouse, it’s little mouth is open and it’s eyes are staring into space, unseeing.
That’s what smells.
You look around the room and see more mice, all dead. They’re all stiff and unmoving, they almost don’t look real, but the salty, sweaty stench of death is unmistakeable.
You wash it off yourself each night.
<center> (text-colour:Red)[We really shouldn’t be up here little one, please go.]
</center>
<center>(text-colour:Cyan)[...maybe we should leave.]
</center>
[[Back down to the hall way->UP2]]This is the bathroom you and your brother share. There’s not much here except for the toiletries you both use. There’s a toilet, a shower, a sink, and a stepping stool you use so you can see yourself in the mirror. You don’t really need it, you’re pretty much tall enough, but it’s handy for getting things in high places.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s no fun to be had in here little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kid, we’ve got no reason to be in here, let’s go.]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]
You turn the handle to Ash’s room but it’s locked. You can hear him inside.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Ash might need some alone time too. We can play by ourselves today.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[knock]], we need to find out about that book.]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]
“Who is it?” Ash calls from inside. You tell him it’s you and you hear footsteps as he approaches the door. He peeks his head out but doesn’t open the door all the way.
“Yeah buddy? Want to play some videogames?” he asks with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Sure! [[Let’s play!]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We don’t have time. [[Ask him about the book.]]]
</center>“It’s just a journal, Gray, there’s nothing in there that you’d want to read. I mostly just use it to complain.” He chuckles awkwardly.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Alright it’s a diary, let’s leave him alone.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[He’s lying, [[ask again.]]]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]You and Ash spend the whole day playing various games in front of the TV.
[ >]<attribute|
(click: ?attribute)[ You’re usually much better at games but you can’t seem to get into it. You don’t feel the usual desire to win against your sibling and even your favorite game feels kind of bland.
Ash notices, but continues to ask you to play. Game after game you lose because you can’t bring yourself to really care. Ash is trying everything to get you to enjoy it, and you feel bad, you want to be having fun.
But you can’t.]
The end of the day rolls around and Mom tells you it’s time for bed. Ash wishes you a quiet goodnight, he looks somewhat distraught as you leave.
You change into pajamas and climb under the covers. Your dad kisses you goodnight, your Mom does not, she doesn’t even wish you a good night.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[That was fun, wasn’t it? We had such a fun day!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We wasted the entire day doing nothing. ]
</center>
[[>->3]]Ash frowns at you.
“I’m not lying Gray, it’s a journal. Now stop asking about it.” He tries to keep his tone polite but you can hear the frustration behind it.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[You’re going to make him mad, little one, let’s go do something else.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[He’s definitely hiding something, the book must be important. Try to [[go in his room]], maybe we can grab it.]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]You try to dart into the room through the tiny gap in the door but Ash stops you right away. He pushes you out into the hall and looms over you.
“What’s your problem? It’s just a book now leave me alone!” He shouts at you then slams the door in your face, locking it yet again.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[See? We made him mad. We didn’t have to, he was being nice.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to get that book, but he’s not going to tell us and he won’t let us in his room. We have to get him out somehow.]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]You open the closet door and see stacks of neatly folded towels, blankets, and bed sheets. It’s packed pretty tight but there’s a space at the bottom where the laundry basket usually sits. You could fit there and close the door if you really wanted.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Now is not the time for hiding, little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Couldn’t agree more.]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]This is your room. It’s one of the smaller rooms but you don’t mind it. The room is painted a soft yellow color and you have a few drawings taped up. The only other things on the walls are the big window over your small bed and the round red clock next to the door.
The clock makes no sound, the hands are stopped at 11:37.
The window over your bed looks out toward the street. You can see all of your neighbor’s houses from here. Your bed is unmade and your teddy bear Goldy is by your rumpled pillows. His fluffy fur is matted from all the times you’ve chewed on his ears and paws.
Next to your bed is a small table and a short set of shelves with all your favorite books and some crayons and paper on top.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Why don’t you [[do some drawing->do some drawing2]], little one?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We might be able to see something out of the window.
]
</center>
[[look out the window->look out the window2]]
[[hallway->UP2]]
You climb up onto your bed and crawl over to the window. It’s a little cloudy today but still nice.
There’s no one out in the street and you still don’t hear any birds. You do hear your dog barking from the back yard.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[Maybe Casey wants to play.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Casey tried to run away yesterday, maybe there’s a reason why.]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]You grab a small sketchbook and a few crayons. Lying down on the nice carpet you spend some time doodling in bright colors. Normally this would be very fun, but the only things you can think to draw don’t look very nice.
Your get tired of drawing so you put the crayons and paper away.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Done with that? Maybe we should go play with Casey.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to get Ash’s book, let’s figure out how.
]
</center>
[[hallway->UP2]]You walk over to the bushes and reach for the spike. It’s far back though and you have to push through the growth to get to it. More blossoms fall as you press forward, hitting the ground with a dull thump. The thorns cut into you as you try to yank the spike out of the ground. They slash your arms and leave you with little red gashes that trickle blood. A few cut your cheeks and you blink back tears.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one! Stop! You’re hurting yourself!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[At least we know we can still bleed and feel pain. [[Keep going.]]]
</center>
[[Go inside->explore]]You pull harder, the rose bushes jostle around you, the little green daggers rip your shirt and catch in your hair.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Please little one! Enough!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’ve almost got it.]
</center>
[[Keep going]]
[[Go inside->explore]]With a final, fierce tug, the spike rips out of the ground and your dog’s tether comes with it. You fall back and land painfully among the thorns. They stab into your back, you can feel them piercing your skin.
As if sensing she is free, Casey begins barking madly and dashes off to the front yard, her tether trailing behind her.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one! Look what we did! We’re hurt and now Casey’s run off!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Quick! [[Hide behind the shed!]] If Ash sees it was us he might not leave his door unlocked.]
</center>
[[stay in the bushes]]
You hop to your feet and dart behind the small building. You hear a window sliding open followed by Ash’s voice.
“Casey? Casey!” He shouts, then he closes the window with an angry mutter. You wait a few moments and then you hear the front door slam shut and hear Ash running down the street, calling for your dog.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’ve only made it worse!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Quick! [[Go to the room]] and get the book!]
</center>
You rush inside and bolt up the stairs. You reach his room and when you turn the handle the door opens. The inside is dirty, there are clothes all over the floor and many books litter the surfaces. There’s a small open closet with hanging clothes and a pile of shoes and the bed is unmade.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t be in here!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Quick! We need to find it! Where do we look?]
</center>
[[check the floor]]
[[check the tables]]
[[check the bed]]
[[check under the bed]]
[[check the closet->check the closet2]]
[[leave->help him!]]
You check the books on each surface for the leathery green cover of the one you saw, but you don’t see it.
[[check the floor]]
[[check the bed]]
[[check under the bed]]
[[check the closet->check the closet2]]
You push the hanging clothes aside and kick at the pile of shoes but no book emerges.
[[check the floor]]
[[check the tables]]
[[check the bed]]
[[check under the bed]]
You toss the covers every way to see if the book is beneath them but see nothing there.
[[check the floor]]
[[check the tables]]
[[check under the bed]]
[[check the closet->check the closet2]]
You scan the laundry-littered ground, pushing aside taller piles, but see no book.
[[check the tables]]
[[check the bed]]
[[check under the bed]]
[[check the closet->check the closet2]]
You dive to the ground and look into the darkness under the bed. You make out a rectangular shape and grab it. Pulling it out you see it is indeed the book you were searching for.
You hear the front door slam and your father’s voice booms up the stairs.
“Gray!”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This doesn’t belong to us! [[Put it back!->help him!]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Hide it in our room! Quick! Before Ash catches us!]
</center>
[[run to room]]
(set: $book to "got")
{
(if: $towel is 'got')[
(set: $item to "two")
]}
You cross the hall and shove the book between your mattress and the wooden stand it sits upon. Your father shouts up the stairs again, this time with greater urgency.
“GRAY!”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Go down! Now!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should go down so Ash doesn’t get too suspicious.]
</center>
[[go downstairs->help him!]]You stand up and brush yourself off, your skin stings all over from the unforgiving plants. As you look around you see that every single rose has fallen off of the bushes, they’re nothing but thorns now.
The upstairs window opens and Ash leans out.
“Casey? Where’s Casey?” He shouts. You point toward the street. He glances in that direction before glaring at you and shutting the window. A few moments later you hear the front door slam and hear Ash running down the street, calling for your dog.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We should go [[help him!]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[He probably locked the door but we should [[go check.]]]
</center>You rush inside and bolt up the stairs. You reach his room but when you turn the handle it’s locked tight.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Go back down! This isn’t good!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Maybe if we can find a key we can get in before it’s too late.]
</center>
[[go downstairs->help him!]]You jog into the living room to see your dad by the front door, talking with Ash who is holding your dog’s tether. There is no dog attached to it. Your mother is watching them but has not gotten up from her place by the window.
Your dad turns as though he’s about the shout up the stairs again but stops when he sees you. His face quickly becomes horrified as he takes in the bloody cuts that litter your body.
“Gray.” He breathes, his voice heavy with fear. He rushes to your side, leaving your brother to care for the dog.[ >]<attribute|
(click: ?attribute)[ “What did you do? What happened?” He asks you in a panicked whisper. His hands gently turning you and touching you to see the extent of the damage.
“The rose bushes.” Ash states flatly, glaring at you.
Your father looks at your brother, then you. There are tears brimming in his eyes.
“Why would you...what were you…” He trails off as he looks you up and down again. He’s trembling all over. “Nevermind, let’s go get you cleaned up.” He says and scoops you into his arms, holding you close with a firm gentleness, like you might break.]
“Dad, Casey is-” Ash tries to say.
“Not now Ash, I’ve got to take care of Gray.” He states resolutely, climbing the stairs and taking you to the bathroom.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We hurt ourselves, and now we hurt Dad.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[A couple of cuts won’t kill us, but I’m not sure if Dad realizes that.]
</center>
[[continue]]Dad washes every cut with extreme care, making sure they’re cleaned, lathered with neosporin, and bandaged. Any time you wince he winces harder and apologizes profusely, stroking your hair.
He dresses you in your pajamas and carries you to bed. He tucks you under your covers with care, as though they might keep you safe during the night.
“Does anything hurt?” He asks, worry creasing his brow.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’re fine, we hope Casey is too.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’re not going to die from this.]
</center>
[[We're fine]]
[[We're not going to die]]He nods solemnly.
“I hope so too kiddo.”
“Do you want me to sleep here tonight?” He asks earnestly.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’re [[ok]], he should rest.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We don’t need it. [[Does he?]]]
</center>He flinches at the statement and you can see tears in his eyes again.
“Do you want me to sleep here tonight?” He asks earnestly.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’re [[ok]], he should rest.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We don’t need it. [[Does he?]]]
</center>You tell him you don’t need him to stay, but ask him if he needs to. He stops and stares at you with a quirk to his eyebrows, considering it for a moment.
“I’ll be alright as long as you are.” He answers at last.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’re [[ok]].]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[You didn’t used to be [[so worried.]]]
</center>“Alright kiddo, get some sleep.” He leans over and kisses your forehead. He lingers there longer than he should and you feel a couple hot tears drip onto your face. He suddenly wraps his arms around you and holds you in a tight embrace.
You can feel his shoulders shaking and his breath hitching, he’s crying.
“I love you Gray, I love you so, so much.” He whispers, his voice breaking and his hug tightening.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We [[love you]] too.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[…]
</center>
[[say nothing]]He looks sad for a moment before he strokes your cheek.
“No, but things are different now. With everything that’s...happened, I need to be extra sure that you’re not going anywhere. I need you to be ok...are you ok?”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’re [[ok]].]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’re [[ok]].]
</center>He clings tighter and his breathing comes harder.
“Please say something.” He pleads.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We [[love you]] Dad.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[…]
</center>
[[say nothing->say nothing2]]A broken sob leaves your father and he all but climbs into the bed beside you in an attempt to hold you closer. His voice comes out halting, interrupted by short, tear-filled breaths.
“D-don’t do this to me,p-please say something. I need-I need to know that you’re here- that you’re st-still here. Oh God please Gray, I need-I need…” he trails off into incoherent sobs. He tries to form words but all he can manage is repetition of “please” and “I need”.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We [[love you]] dad, we’re going to be ok.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[…]
</center>
[[say nothing->say nothing3]]He breaks down wailing, holding you close and now the only thing he can say is “no”.
Over and over and over again.
“No” “No” “No”
You can feel your own broken body from a few days ago. You know he must have held you just like this, chanted the word no just like this, willing life back into something that was cold and bloody and dead.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Tell him we [[love him->love you]] for goodness sake!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’re [[alive->alive2]], dad.]
</center>
He freezes in his embrace and his sobs die down. He stops rocking you back and forth and pulls back to look you in the face. His eyes are red and puffy.
“Yes, yes you are.” He breathes before pulling you in again.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We [[love you]] dad.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Do you know why, dad?]
</center>
[[ask]]He pulls back again and looks at you, genuinely thoughtful, before he shakes his head.
“No, I don’t know why, and I don’t care. All that matters is that you’re here...you’re here…”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Yes, and we [[love you]].]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Do you think we’ll stay?]
</center>
[[ask->ask2]]He goes stone still and his shoulders begin to shake yet again.
“...you have to...you have to…”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We will, dad. We love you.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[...We love you.]
</center>
[[Tell him you love him->love you]]He breathes a shuddering sigh of deep relief and holds you for a moment longer until his crying stops.
He separates and kisses your forehead again. He sniffles and wipes his eyes quickly, trying to hide his distress behind a big smile.
He wishes you a goodnight and leaves the room, closing the door behind him. You don’t hear his footsteps on the stairs, he’s probably sitting outside.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad really loves us, we should be more careful.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I’m not sure we can ever be careful enough for him.]
</center>
[[>->3]]You wake up the next day with your muscles feeling sore and your skin stinging. You sit up and look out your window. It’s overcast today, gloomy and grey but it doesn’t look like it will rain. The cedar tree’s leaves have turned completely brown and the same is happening to other trees on the street.
On the street below you spot the tail end of a red and white vehicle. It’s an ambulance, sitting outside of Mrs. Warwick’s house.
The lights are off.
A glint catches your eye and you look across the street to see Mr. Ulster’s silhouette staring at you through binoculars from his upstairs window.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[I hope Mrs. Warwick’s ok, I’m sure Mr. Ulster is worried too.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[No lights, that could mean something bad, or something much, much worse.]
</center>
[[>->>>>>>]]You slowly get out of bed and notice a note on your door.
“Mom’s at work and I went out to get some groceries. If you’re reading this, I’m not back yet. Stay inside. If you need anything, ask Ash.
-Love, Dad”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[He’s right to be worried, we should do what he says and play inside today. He should be home soon.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Something happened to Warwick and Ulster is back to spying. There’s too much going on outside to stay in here.]
</center>
[[explore the house]]It’s a long hallway, neither narrow nor wide. The beige carpet is a little dusty and it feels unpleasant under your feet. There’s an end table at the top of the stairs with an iron lamp, a gift from your aunt. The bulb is dead.
On one end of the hall there’s your room and your brother’s room. His chalkboard says {
(if: $book is 'got')[
“I know you took it”
](else:)[nothing.]} On the other end of the hall there’s the linen closet, the bathroom, and the attic. There is another staircase leading to the main floor.
[[Your room->YR3]]
[[your sibling’s->SR3]]
[[the bathroom->UB3]]
[[the closet->UC3]]
[[the attic->A3]]
[[stairs->S3]]You try to pull the rope to the stairs, but it won’t budge. Someone has locked the attic.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad probably didn’t want us up there, it’s not very safe.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Too much safety is stopping us from getting answers.]
</center>
[[Your room->YR3]]
[[your sibling’s->SR3]]
[[the bathroom->UB3]]
[[the closet->UC3]]
[[stairs->S3]]This is the bathroom you and your brother share. There’s not much here except for the toiletries you both use. There’s a toilet, a shower, a sink, and a stepping stool you use so you can see yourself in the mirror. You don’t really need it, you’re pretty much tall enough, but it’s handy for getting things in high places.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s no fun to be had in here little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kid, we’ve got no reason to be in here, let’s go.]
</center>
[[hallway->explore the house]]You turn the handle to Ash’s room but it’s locked. You can hear him inside as well as the faitn sound of loud music.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad said to talk to Ash if we needed something, we’re ok for now. Maybe we could [[play videogames.]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Ash might try to enforce Dad’s “no going outside” rule, we should avoid him.]
</center>
[[hallway->explore the house]]You and spend the whole day playing various games in front of the TV.
You do well enough and it’s mostly fun. Dad comes home and kisses your head. Mom doesn’t come home until after dinner, she looks tired, Her and dad fight.
The end of the day rolls around and dad tells you it’s time for bed. Ash doesn’t wish you a goodnight, he just watches you through his door, glaring.
You change into pajamas and climb under the covers. Your dad kisses you goodnight, your Mom doesn’t.
<center>(text-colour:Red)[That was fun, wasn’t it? We had such a fun day!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We wasted the entire day doing nothing. ]
</center>
[[>->4]]You open the closet door and see stacks of neatly folded towels, blankets, and bed sheets. It’s packed pretty tight but there’s a space at the bottom where the laundry basket usually sits. You could fit there and close the door if you really wanted.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Now is not the time for hiding, little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Couldn’t agree more.]
</center>
[[hallway->explore the house]]This is your room. It’s one of the smaller rooms but you don’t mind it. The room is painted a soft yellow color and you have a few drawings taped up. The only other things on the walls are the big window over your small bed and the round red clock next to the door.
The clock makes no sound, the hands are stopped at 11:37.
The window over your bed looks out toward the street. You can see all of your neighbor’s houses from here. Your bed is very messy and your teddy bear was knocked onto the floor sometime during the night. His fluffy fur is matted from all the times you’ve chewed on his ears and paws.
Next to your bed is a small table and a short set of shelves with all your favorite books and some crayons and paper on top.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Why don’t you [[do some drawing->do some drawing3]], little one?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We might be able to see something out of the window.
]
</center>
[[look out the window->look out the window3]]
[[hallway->explore the house]]You grab a small sketchbook and a few crayons. Lying down you feel that the carpet is dirty, almost sticky, but you spend some time doodling anyway. Normally this would be very fun, but the only things you can think to draw don’t look very nice.
Your get tired of drawing so you put the crayons and paper away.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Done with that? Maybe we should go play with our toys.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to go outside.
]
</center>
[[look out the window->look out the window3]]
[[hallway->explore the house]]You climb up onto your bed and crawl over to the window. It’s a little cloudy today but still nice.
The ambulance is still outside but you don’t see Mr. Ulster in the window anymore.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t go out there, let’s find something else to do.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to go out there and find out what’s going on.
]
</center>
[[do some drawing->do some drawing3]]
[[hallway->explore the house]]You find yourself on the staircase, the steps are cold and wooden.
One picture of your family on the wall is missing. The nail it hung on is still in place, but the frame is gone.
There are many photos of you taken throughout your life, but as you look you notice that your face is...obscured. It’s definitely still you, but your features are blurry, like someone spilled water on all the photos. Your family’s faces remain unmarred, smiling from behind the glass.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t play on the stairs little one,
let’s go find somewhere else to have fun.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kid, there’s something up with these photos.
We should try to find out what happened to the missing one after we go outside.]
</center>
[[up->explore the house]]
[[living room->LR]]The living room is fairly spacious, it’s meant to fit four.
Your toys sit in a box by the tv. The little boat you were playing with last time you were here is still sitting out. The game console Ash likes to hog is tucked under the tv stand.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We could [[play with some of our toys.->PLAY3]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should go outside.]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR3]]
[[kitchen->K3]]
[[basement->B3]]
[[stairs->S3]]
[[backyard->BY3]]You spend some time with your toys, having them chase each other around on the carpet. It’s nice enough, but you have trouble imagining the kinds of things you used to.
You eventually decide to stop and put your toys away.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That was nice, let’s find something else fun to do.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Quit wasting time kid.]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR3]]
[[kitchen->K3]]
[[basement->B3]]
[[stairs->S3]]
[[backyard->BY3]]This is your parent’s room. It’s very dark, there’s no windows in here. The big bed takes up most of the room with two night tables on either side. There’s a closet and the bathroom is attached to this room by a door.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There won’t be much to do in here, little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[C’mon, let’s go outside.]
</center>
[[closet]]
[[Bathroom]]
[[living room->LR]]
It's locked.
[[Bathroom]]
[[living room->LR]]The kitchen has a tall counter that you can just see over the top of. The cookies Mrs. Warwick brought are still on top but their crawling with bugs. A few fall off the table to your feet. They’re thin and red with little pincers on their rears.
Earwigs.
You look over and see the flowers on the table are dead, drooping pathetically. The bugs appear to be coming from the vase, crawling from the flower’s carcasses to live everywhere else in the house.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[That’s gross, we should tell Dad when he gets home.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[That is pretty nasty, let’s go outside.]
</center>
[[living room->LR]]
[[basement->B3]]
[[stairs->S3]]
[[frontyard->FY3]]It’s your parent’s bathroom. There’s a big shower and sink that your mom and dad share. There’s not much there except toothbrushes, makeup, and an electric razor your dad uses.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one, there’s really nothing to do here.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Nothing here, let’s go outside.]
</center>
[[Parent's room->PR3]]
You step down the creaky stairs leading to the basement, the light is inconveniently at the bottom. You carefully descend the dark stairwell and hit the switch. The basement lights up. It’s uncarpeted and unfinished. There are bins and boxes tucked into every corner. There’s a box on the wall by the steps and and old water heater is tucked underneath them.
On the other side of the room there’s a window, half underground, it leads to the back yard.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This isn’t a very nice place to play little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[look around->look around3]], there might be something here.]
</center>
[[back up->LR]]You walk up to the old water heater and something crunches beneath your foot. You look down and see the body of a cockroach, it’s not the only one. There are about a dozen cockroaches scattered around the room. All of them are dead. There are also bugs dangling from a torn spider web above the heater, there are so many that the web ripped apart.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s go [[back upstairs.->LR]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[keep looking.->keep looking.3]]]
</center>You walk over to the bins and boxes, carefully avoiding the bugs on the floor, even if they are dead. You shake a few stacks but some wasp carcasses fall off and and land on you, so you stop.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s nothing here, little one, please, let’s go do something else.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[[[Let’s keep looking around.->Let’s keep looking around.3]]]
</center>
[[back upstairs->LR]]You examine the electrical box by the stairs. It’s old and is usually rusted shut, but it looks like it’s been recently opened. It’s too tall for you to reach.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s nothing in there. Let’s go.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I don’t think we need it open right now. Let’s [[look around a little more.->look around a little more.3]]]
</center>
[[back upstairs->LR]]You go over to the window. It’s also too tall to reach but you can see out into the yard. The grass is neatly trimmed and you can see the shed from here. Oddly, the window is unlocked and you can see imprints where someone’s shoes have torn up the soil by the ledge.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It’s just the yard, little one, we can go out there if we want.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[It looks like someone climbed through this window. We’ll have to find out why, but there’s nothing else here.]
</center>
[[back upstairs->LR]]You try the front door, but it’s locked. You need the front door key to unlock it from here and Dad takes those when he goes out.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad said not to go outside.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Dad’s trying to keep us in but we need to find out what’s going on.]
</center>
[[living room->LR]]
[[basement->B3]]
[[stairs->S3]]
Your backyard isn’t very large. The grass is completely dead. You notice that the rosebushes are gone. The trash bin is spilling over with thorny branches and next to it is a pair of garden shears. All of the bushes have been cut down into stubs and thrown away. The flowers are still all over the ground but they’ve been ripped apart by careless feet. They’re no longer vibrant and have turned a decaying reddish brown.
It makes the yard look like the site of spilled blood left to dry in the sun.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad probably cut them down, to protect us.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Dad’s scared enough of thorns to go this far...that’s not good. We can get to the front yard by going around from here.]
</center>
[[Front yard->FY]]
[[Go inside->LR]]You walk around the house so you’re in the front yard. The dead grass and leaves crunch beneath your feet. An unpleasant smell reaches your nose and you notice a dead raccoon by the cedar tree. It look emaciated, it’s eyes frozen facing the sky.
You approach the ambulance, but as you do someone shouts at you from the street.
“You did this, didn’t you!?” It’s Mr. Ulster, he’s marching toward you, seething with anger.
Before you know it he’s right in front of you and has grabbed you by the shirt.
“You did this! She’s dead because of you. Everything has been dying since you came back!” He’s screaming and spit is flying into your face as he yanks you around.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Kick him and run inside!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kick him and run inside!!!]
</center>
[[Kick him and run inside!]]
You swiftly kick Mr. Ulster in the shin and he drops you abruptly. Cursing and screaming that you’re a brat. You almost fall over and begin to run toward the door.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[No! Not the front door!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Remember, it’s locked! Go to the back!]
</center>
[[Go around the back]]You divert course and start running toward the back yard. Mr. Ulster isn’t far behind you.
“Come back here! You little thing! I know what you are! I know what you did!”
You careen around the corner and wrench open the back door.
You turn to lock it.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[No time!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We have to get Ash!]
</center>
[[Get Ash]]You abandon the door just in time for Mr. Ulster to crash through it. He keeps yelling as you leap up the stairs three at a time, your lungs burning.
“I saw everything! I saw that truck splatter you across the pavement! Whatever you are you shouldn’t exist!!!”
You get to the upstairs hall.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Throw the lamp!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Throw the lamp!]
</center>
[[Throw the lamp!]]You grab the heavy lamp your aunt gifted you and hurl it down the stairs. It connects with Mr. Ulster’s middle and he falls down a few steps. He’s not much more than winded though and you can tell by the swears he’s hurling that he’ll be back on his feet soon.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Get Ash!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Get Ash!]
</center>
[[Get Ash!]]You try Ash’s handle but the door is locked. You pound on the door, shouting your brother’s name but there’s no reply. The low thumping of music from the other side gets louder.
You hear Mr. Ulster at the bottom of the stairs.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Hide under [[your bed!]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Hide in the [[linen closet!]]]
</center>
You turn and open your door, slamming it behind you. None of the upstairs rooms have locks except Ash’s room and the attic. They’re both sealed tight.
You dive under the bed, crawling as deep into the shadows as you can. Your heart pounding, trying desperately to be quiet, hoping Ash might come to help.
Mr. Ulster bursts through the door a moment later and stalks around to the side of the bed. He’s out of breath but he keeps talking.
“Thought you could hide from me? You little abomination!?” His livid face appears in the gap beneath the floor and the bed.
You scramble to get away but a hand grabs you by the ankle and drags you from under the bed.
You scream and kick but Mr. Ulster is much bigger and stronger than you. He wraps you up in his bony arms, his fingers digging bruises in your skin.
“Shut up!” He growls are he tries to hold you still. Throwing you onto the bed and pulling a small pocket knife from his belt.
“Time to go back to where you came from!” He roars and raises the unsheathed blade over his head.
Then Ash is on Mr. Ulster’s back and is pulling him away from you with all his strength.
“Run Gray! Call the police!” He screams, right before Mr. Ulster backs up and slams him into your wall. Your drawings cascade down around them.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Get out of here!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[You have to [[help Ash!]]]
</center>
[[Leave->Run]]You make a mad dash to the other side of the hall and tear open the linen closet. You tuck yourself into the small space inside and shut the door. The only rooms up here that lock are Ash’s room and the attic, and they’re both sealed.
You hear Mr. Ulster’s steps at the other end of the hall and you try to quiet your breathing, your heart is beating so hard you fear he might hear it.
“Thought you could hide from me? You little abomination!?” His voices rings out from the direction of your room. Then you hear a short, angry roar when he doesn’t find you under the bed.
You hear more footsteps traveling across the hall and you curl in tighter on yourself.
The door flies open and you’re blinded by the light.
“C’mere!” He growls and drags you out of your hiding spot by your shoulder. You’re pinned to the floor and Mr. Ulster’s hand is on your throat, the bony fingers digging bruises into your neck.
You can feel your pulse thudding beneath his grip, desperately trying to reach your brain as you kick and claw at the man above you.
“Time to go back to where you came from.” He snarls. You feel the void beginning to creep in around the edges of your vision.
Then Ash is on Mr. Ulster’s back and is pulling him away from you with all his strength.
“Run Gray! Call the police!” He screams, right before Mr. Ulster backs up and slams him into the closet shelves. Towels and sheets cascade down around them.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Get out of here!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[You have to [[help Ash!]]]
</center>
[[Leave->Run]]You throw all your weight into Mr. Ulster’s side. It isn’t much but it’s enough to knock him off of your brother.
Ash is up in a second and grabs hold of your hand, dragging you both away from where Mr. Ulster is screaming furiously.
[[Run]]You scramble away from your attacker and your brother. As you reach the stairs you trip over the toppled table the lamp was on. Before you can get up there’s a hand on your wrist pulling you to your feet.
It’s Ash. He yanks you with him and you’re both sprinting down the stairs, Mr. Ulster close behind.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Run!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Go! Go! Go!]
</center>
[[Run->run2]]The two of you make it almost to the dining room when you feel a hand in your hair. It pulls you back, dragging your heels through the dirty carpet.
“Let go!” Ash screams and turns to help you. Mr. Ulster uses his other arm to shove your brother to the ground.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let us go!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Don’t hurt him!]
</center>
[[>->>>>>]]Mr. Ulster doesn’t even seem to hear you as he tosses you against the wall. It knocks the air out of you so you can’t scream anymore. He grabs your head in one hand and pulls you back as though he’s about to smash your skull against the wall.
“Dead things should stay dead.” He whispers.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[No!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Stop!]
</center>
[[>->>>>>>>>]]Mr. Ulster is suddenly wrenched away from you. You slide to the floor, panting, bruised, and so terrified you can’t even see.
You hear grunting though, and a wet cracking sound.
You finally look up to Mr. Ulster unconscious on the floor with your dad standing over him looking rattled. Ash gets up from the floor and immediately runs over to, your dad snaps out of his daze and they’re both by your side. Ash just sits there, breathing heavily and looking you up and down in fear.
“Gray are you alright?” Your dad asks, trying to sound calm but clearly fraying at his edges.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[we’re a little bruised, but we’re ok.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’re not severely injured.]
</center>
[[We're okay]]They both sigh in relief.
“Ash, go call the police.” Dad commands and Ash gives you a shaky smile before complying, albeit reluctantly, he doesn’t seem to want to leave your side.
Your dad checks you over again and again to make sure you’re not too hurt.
“They’re on their way.” Ash says and come back around the corner to kneel next to you.
“Alright, Ash, take Gray upstairs to your room. When they get here you come down.” Your dad looks at you “You stay up. Once your brother leaves, lock the door. Got it Gray?”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We understand.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Why are you hiding us from the police?]
</center>
[[Got it.]]
[[Ask why]]“Good.”
As you stand up you notice your Dad’s handkerchief on the ground, it’s soaked with sweat, you could [[pick it up]].
You and Ash both climb the stairs, you pretend not to notice when Dad collapses against the wall and puts his head in his hands, shaking all over.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This is horrible.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[This is horrible.]
</center>
[[>->>>>>>>>>]]“Don’t ask any questions, just go.”
As you stand up you notice your Dad’s handkerchief on the ground, it’s soaked with sweat, you could [[pick it up]].
You and Ash both climb the stairs, you pretend not to notice when Dad collapses against the wall and puts his head in his hands, shaking all over.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This is horrible.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[This is horrible.]
</center>
[[>->>>>>>>>>]](set: $hand to "got")
{
(if: $item is 'two')[
(set: $item to "three")
]}
You now have the handkerchief.
[[>->>>>>>>>>]]You and Ash sit on the bed. He holds you close and doesn’t say a word, he doesn’t have to.
You hear the sirens, then your dad talking with the police downstairs.
He calls up for Ash after a while and you’re left alone while they talk.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad probably doesn’t want us any more scared.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Dad put us up here because the police have record of us dying. If they saw us they’d start asking all sorts of questions.]
</center>
[[>->>>>>>>>>>]]The police leave and take Mr. Ulster with them. Once the sirens are long out of earshot, Ash comes to take you downstairs.
Mom and Dad are waiting for you. Dad looks a little manic, Mom looks haunted, and they both look tired.
“Gray…you alright?” your Mom manages, but she can’t seem to look at you, not really. You nod anyway.
“I think Gray needs some rest...and the rest of us need to talk.” Dad stands and leads you back upstairs.
He gets you ready for bed and holds you close before kissing you goodnight. He doesn’t seem sad tonight. He seemed almost ready to burst with anger, so he couldn’t say much to you.
After he leaves, Ash comes in and sits on your bed.
“I’m sorry I didn’t open the door right away.” he whispers, tugging at your bed sheets nervously, afraid to meet your eyes.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It’s alright, [[we’re ok.]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[What were you doing in your room?]
</center>
[[ask him->we’re ok.]]“I-” Ash starts but your dad shouts for him from the bottom of the stairs.
“I gotta go, we’ll talk later.” He stands up and takes a few steps to leave before pausing. Then he turns around and runs back to wrap you in a tight hug.
“I love you Gray.” He whispers and squeezes you so hard it almost hurts. He pulls back quickly and gives you a quick, hard kiss to the forehead.
“Goodnight.” He mutters, almost shyly, and then he’s gone.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[He loves us very much.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Maybe he’ll tell us what he’s hiding tomorrow.]
</center>
You curl up under the covers, feeling even more sore than when you woke up. You try to sleep, but you can hear shouting from downstairs.
[[listen]]“Gray wasn’t supposed to go outside! You were supposed to watch him!”
“Don’t yell at Ash, what Mr. Ulster did is not his fault!”
“Well maybe it wouldn’t have happened if you had come home on time, don’t think I haven’t noticed how much later you’ve been getting back Genevieve!”
“Don’t you dare blame this on me Edward, you weren’t here either!”
“Oh! So this is my fault!”
“No! But it isn’t my fault and it isn’t Ash’s! Calm down!”
“Calm down!? Our neighbor just broke into our house and tried to kill our child and you want me to be calm!?”
“More calm than you are now!”
“Well I can’t be calm! Everything is falling apart Genevieve and I can’t sit here and do nothing!”
“Well maybe you should! Because screaming at us, locking up the house, and cutting down rose bushes isn’t going fix it!”
“Then what will!?”
“Nothing! Nothing is going to fix this! I know you want to believe that everything is fine but our child CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD! And I for one think there might be something wrong with that!”
“So you’d rather Gray was dead!?”
“I’d rather Gray had never been hit by that truck in the first place! But it happened! Then suddenly our child shows up at our door, perfectly healthy and terrible things start happening! You’ve got to see that the two are connected!”
“It doesn’t matter!”
“Well it should!”
The screaming dies down and you hear everyone going to their rooms to sleep. Dad will be sleeping on the couch tonight.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This isn’t what we wanted.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[This isn’t what anyone wanted.]
</center>
[[>->4]]You wake up and shiver in the cool morning air. Sitting up, the white light of the overcast sky falls over you.
You slip out of bed and your bare feet connect the the carpet. It feels rough beneath you and the nice soft white has become the unsettling yellow of rotting teeth.
You walk over to the door and see another note taped to it.
“Ash is out looking for the dog. Mom and I are home but I want you to stay in here. I left some video games for you to play.
Just stay in here today.
-Love, Dad”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We could [[play games]], Dad seems like he wants us to stay in here.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[He wants us in here but we need to find answers now more than ever.]
</center>
[[leave]]The sound of your door opening wakes you up, and what comes in carries the shape of your sibling. There are bags under his bloodshot eyes, and his fingers twitch like after too much coffee.
He doesn’t say anything as he approaches. The pillow he grabs from the bed is on you before you can react, blocking the air from reaching your face.
“I’m sorry Gray, but I don’t know what else to do.” What might be tears wet your hands as you bat uselessly at his face.
“I’m the one who brought you back, but I was wrong.” He presses you into the bed, overcoming your strength with ease.
“You’re not you. I know you aren’t. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
You kick and dig nails into his skin, but he continues unfazed like automata, repeating his apology again and again.
Soon your struggles lessen. You can hear rain gently tapping against the window.
Your vision, already dark, fades away into nothingness.
You slip into the Void.
[[You are dead.]]
<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18518913_1190400907748980_70908911_n_zpsalnb6hdq.jpg">
Thank you for playing.
[[>->end]] It’s a long hallway, neither narrow nor wide. The beige carpet is grimy and you can see the bodies of dead earwigs lodged in the corners where it meets the walls. There’s an end table at the top of the stairs, the old lamp is gone.
On one end of the hall there’s your room and your brother’s room. His chalkboard says “shed”.
On the other end of the hall there’s the linen closet, the bathroom, and the attic.
There is another staircase leading to the main floor.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We should go back to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Ash wants us to check out the shed, we should do it.]
</center>
[[Your room->YR4]]
[[your sibling’s->SR4]]
[[the bathroom->UB4]]
[[the attic->A4]]
[[stairs->S4]]You try to pull the rope to the stairs, but it won’t budge. Someone has locked the attic. You hear the scritch-scratch of tiny feet running around up there. Mice.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Dad doesn’t want us up there, it’s not safe.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We can’t get up, but we need to get into the shed, not here.]
</center>
[[Your room->YR4]]
[[your sibling’s->SR4]]
[[the bathroom->UB4]]
[[stairs->S4]]This is the bathroom you and your brother share. There’s not much here except for the toiletries you both use. There’s a toilet, a shower, a sink, and a stepping stool you use so you can see yourself in the mirror.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[There’s nothing in here for us, little one, let’s go to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Kid, we need to get into the shed.]
</center>
[[back->leave]]You turn the handle to Ash’s room but it’s locked and you know no one is in there. His chalkboard says “shed”.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Ash isn’t here, let’s go back to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[He’s not here but he wants us to check out the shed.]
</center>
[[Your room->YR4]]
[[the bathroom->UB4]]
[[the attic->A4]]
[[stairs->S4]]This is your room. It’s one of the smaller rooms but you don’t mind it. The room is painted a soft yellow color and the carpet is almost dirty enough to match.
The window over your bed looks out toward the street. You can see all of your neighbor’s houses from here. Your bed is very messy and your teddy bear is gone.
Next to your bed is a small table and a short set of shelves with all your favorite books and some crayons and paper on top. There’s also the games your dad left for you to play.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We could [[play games]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to get into the shed.]
</center>
[[back->leave]]You find yourself on the staircase, the steps are cold and wooden.
One picture of your family on the wall is missing. The nail it hung on is still in place, but the frame is gone.
There are many photos of you taken throughout your life, but as you look you notice that your face is...obscured. It’s definitely still you, but your features are blurry, like someone spilled water on all the photos. Your family’s faces remain unmarred, smiling from behind the glass.
From here you can see that your Dad is in the kitchen. He’s staring blankly out the window, your teddy bear clutched in his hands.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t play on the stairs, let’s go back to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should keep away from Dad if we want to get into the shed.]
</center>
[[up->leave]]
[[living room->LR2]]The living room is fairly spacious, it’s meant to fit four.
Your toys are strewn all over the floor and there are unwashed dishes on the tables. There are ants crawling on everything, eating the remains of food.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We should go back.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to get into the shed.]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR4]]
[[kitchen->K4]]
[[basement->B4]]
[[stairs->S4]]
[[backyard->BY4]]You try the door, but it’s locked.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It seems Dad doesn’t want us to play in the basement.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[The shed key is down there somewhere, we’ve got to get it.]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR4]]
[[kitchen->K4]]
[[stairs->S4]]
[[backyard->BY4]]Your backyard isn’t very large. The grass is completely dead and the rose bushes have been cut down. The flowers have rotted on the ground and are buzzing with wasps. The air hums with the beat of their wings but it’s not a lively sound, it makes you uncomfortable. The buzzing is coming largely from the dog house and you see the repeating circular architecture of the wasp nests.
The roof of the shed has similar structures hanging from it.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t be out here, we could get stung. Let’s go back to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s go see if we can get into the shed, but be careful.]
</center>
[[shed->shed2]]
[[inside->LR2]]
The door is locked by a padlock.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We can’t get in, let’s go back to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[There’s definitely something in there. The key for the lock is in the basement, let’s go get it.]
</center>
[[inside->LR2]]
You walk into the kitchen and your footsteps cause your Dad to turn and see you.
“Gray! I told you to stay in your room!” He scoops you into his arms and carries you back to your room. Setting you down on his bed he marches to the door, your teddy bear clutched in his fist.
“Stay here.” He orders, and slams the door.
[[leave->>>>>>>>>>>>]]]]You dart into the bathroom and slam the door quickly shut. Muting your mother’s shrieks on the other side.
“Genevieve! What the hell is going on?” You hear you father shout.
“I can’t, I can’t do this anymore.” Is your mother’s reply.
“What do you-” Your father is cut off. You hear your mom’s footsteps exit the bedroom.
“Where are you going?” Your father demands angrily. You don’t hear what you mother answers. From your place in the bathroom you can only hear the muffled sounds of shouting fading away.
You wait a moment longer and you hear the car engine start, followed by more screaming. You feel something crawling on your neck and swipe at it. You turn around and see that the whole bathroom is crawling with little orange house centipedes. They’re all over you, their many legs clinging to your skin and clothes.
You brush them off quickly.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This can’t be happening.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s quickly grab the keys to the basement and figure this out before it gets any worse.]
</center>
[[Leave->PR5]]This is your parent’s room. It’s very dark, there’s no windows in here. The big bed takes up most of the room with two night tables on either side. There’s a closet and the bathroom is attached to this room by a door.
Your mom is sitting on the bed with her back to you. She’s hunched over and you see her shoulders shaking slightly. The sound of her crying is quiet, almost inaudible, but the hitched breathing is unmistakeable.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Mom...we should [[comfort her.->be quiet]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[If we’re quiet we can get the keys without her seeing us.]
</center>
[[be quiet]]You take a step and the floor creaks underneath you. Your mother freezes and her head snaps to look at you. She gets to her feet quickly and stands so the bed is between you.
“Gray.” She says quietly, wiping her bloodshot eyes.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We should [[ask if she’s ok.->ask her for the keys]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should [[ask her for the keys]] to the basement.]
</center>
You open your mouth to speak but she cuts you off with a sharp hiss between her teeth.
“I don’t want to hear it, go back to your room, right now.” She jabs the air with her finger, pointing to the door. She backs further away from you.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Mom…]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We can’t.]
</center>
[[...]]
[[leave->LR2]]Her eyes narrow and she finally steps around the bed to stand closer to you. She leans over to look you in the face, but she’s still too far away to touch.
“You heard me. Upstairs. Now.” Her tone is cold and commanding, there’s none of her usual maternal warmth in it.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Maybe we should [[go.->LR2]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We have to [[get those keys.]]]
</center>
You take a step toward her, opening your mouth to speak, but she recoils, her eyes widening with fear. Her arms fly up to shield her, as though she needs to defend herself from you.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Mom doesn’t seem ok, we should [[go.->LR2]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[She’s afraid of us. [[Why?]]]
</center>You take a few steps closer and she sucks in a sharp breath, backing up until she hits the wall.
She shakes her head violently and whispers in a harsh voice
“Stay away from me!”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s [[leave her alone.->LR2]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Why would she be afraid of us? We should [[ask her why.]]]
</center>You step closer to your mother and ask her why she is scared of you. She doesn’t seem to hear your question because she only presses herself harder against the wall and thrusts her palm out like she’s trying to place a barrier between you.
“I said stay away from me!” She spits, her voice wavering with fear. A few stray tears slip from her wide eyes and streak down her face.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[She’s not ok right now, we should [[go.->LR2]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Mom, [[what’s wrong?]]]
</center>She doesn’t answer your question, just shakes her head more and more vehemently. She slides sideways against the wall and her back falls against the bedside table. She gasps at the pain and throws her arms out, knocking the lamp onto the bed where it rolls and falls onto the floor with a muted crash.
She falls with it. She’s sitting on the ground now, her legs curled under her, her arms up defensively, her head turned away so she is looking at you sideways as tears continue to fall down her cheeks.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[...]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Mom?]
</center>
[[speak]]
[[say nothing.]]“Stop calling me that!” She shouts, tearing her eyes away from you and letting out a broken sound into her own shoulder.
“I’m not your mother, I’m not your mother.” She shakes her head and her entire body heaves with her frightened sobs.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[...]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[What you mean? Mom?]
</center>
[[speak->say nothing.]]
[[say nothing.]]You step closer to her hunched form, like this she’s below you looking up. She won’t look up now, only coils further in on herself.
“No, no. Just leave me alone.” She mutters.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[...]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Mom, it’s us.]
</center>
[[speak->speak2]]
[[say nothing.->say nothing.2]]“Don’t lie to me!” She screeches and lunges forward. She shoves you away, hard, and you collide with the wall and the floor at the same time.
She looks horrified for a moment before she shakes her head as though to clear it, her expression shifting to one of anger.
“I don’t know who-what you are, but you’re not my Gray, you’re not my baby.” She curls her arms into her chest, cradling the air as if she’s holding an infant. She tilts her head down to the invisible bundle, crumpling to the floor so she’s kneeling in front of you.
“I saw...I saw…” She mutters.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[...]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Saw what?]
</center>
[[speak->say nothing.2]]
[[say nothing.->say nothing.2]]“I saw the truck. I saw it hit my baby. I heard the crunch and I saw the blood. I saw my child die, I saw it…” She keens and holds the air closer to her chest, rocking slightly. She sucks in a few painful breaths.
“Gray died...then you came” She looks over at you with disgust, her shaking lips forming a sneer. “I don’t know why you’re here. Walking around wearing my baby’s face, pretending like you’re part of this family, but I know…I know…” She nods but then she curls in as another round of weeping overtakes her, like a wound in her side.
When she looks over at you again there’s fear in her swollen eyes.
“Are you here to punish me?” She asks in a whisper, cradling her arms closer as if to protect the empty space she holds.
Her face crumbles.
“You are, aren’t you? You’re here to haunt me we with my baby’s face, aren’t you?”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[...]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[…]
</center>
[[...->....]]“Why?” She asks, all her breath pouring out of her like water from a broken cup.
“Why are you doing this? Why do you want to torture me?” Her arms finally fall to her sides limply, abandoning the invisible bundle. Her eyes dart back and forth as is if searching for the answer.
“I know I failed, that if I had said the right thing or been in the right place or done something different Gray might still be here.” Her hands clench into white knuckled fists.
“I know it’s my fault,” She sobs “it’s my fault, it’s all my fault…”
Her head slumps forward and dangles for a moment. Then it lifts again and her anger has returned.
“I know, I don’t need you here to remind me, you little monster!” She growls, spit flying from her mouth with the words.
“I lost my baby! I’ve suffered enough!” She grabs the lamp and throws it at you with an enraged shriek. You scramble out of the way just in time for it to shatter against the wall.
“Enough! Leave me alone! Leave!” She jumps to her feet and grabs the end table, flinging it with all her might in your direction.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We need to get away from her!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[The keys! They fell on the floor!]
</center>
[[run->run3]]
[[get keys]]You see the shining keys in the splintered remains of the end table and you dart forward to grab them. Your mother is screaming in fury, throwing whatever she can get her hands on at you.
A book connects with your head and leaves you with a cut next to your ear, you fall back and leave the keys on the floor
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Get away!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[She won’t let us get close!]
</center>
[[leave->run3]]You turn toward the door and hear your father’s voice.
“Genevieve!”
Your mom lets out an ear-piercing howl, it sounds less like anger and more like agony. She’s screaming in pain.
“My Baby!” She wails, her sobs are closer to screams “My baby!”
“Genevieve! What’s wrong!?”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Go to Dad!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[If he sees us we’ll never get the keys! Hide!]
</center>
[[Go to dad->Closet]]
[[Closet]]
[[Bathroom->BR4]]Your father bursts into the room and takes in the scene before him with shock written on his face.
“Get that thing away from me!” Your Mom screeches. Your Dad looks struck by demand, only able to stare at his wife in horror and confusion.
“GET IT AWAY!!!” She shrieks.
Your dad scoops you into his arms and backs out of the room. You can hear your Mom screaming as he carries you up the stairs and into your room.
He deposits you on your bed, your teddy bear is wedged under his arm as he looks you over, his eyes glazed over with pain and confusion.
“God, I hope she didn’t hurt you. I don’t understand-” He stops speaking abruptly at the sound of the front door slamming shut.
You both hear the car engine start.
“No.” He whispers, fear dawning on his face.
“Stay here” He tells you and in an instant he’s running down the stairs calling your mother’s name.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This can’t be happening.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s get the keys and figure this out before it gets any worse.]
</center>
[[>->>>>>>>>>>>>]]This is your room. It’s one of the smaller rooms but you don’t mind it. The room is painted a soft yellow color and the carpet is almost dirty enough to match.
The window over your bed looks out toward the street. You can see all of your neighbor’s houses from here. Your bed is very messy and your teddy bear is gone.
Next to your bed is a small table and a short set of shelves with all your favorite books and some crayons and paper on top. There’s also the games your dad left for you to play.
[[leave->hall]]It’s a long hallway, neither narrow nor wide. The beige carpet is grimy and you can see the bodies of dead earwigs lodged in the corners where it meets the walls. There’s an end table at the top of the stairs, the old lamp is gone.
On one end of the hall there’s your room and your brother’s room. His chalkboard says “shed”.
On the other end of the hall there’s the linen closet, the bathroom, and the attic.
There is another staircase leading to the main floor.
[[Your room->>>>>>>>>>>>]]
[[your sibling’s->SR5]]
[[the bathroom->UB5]]
[[the attic->A5]]
[[stairs->S5]]You try to pull the rope to the stairs, but it won’t budge. Someone has locked the attic. You hear the scritch-scratch of tiny feet running around up there. Mice.
[[Your room->>>>>>>>>>>>]]
[[your sibling’s->SR5]]
[[the bathroom->UB5]]
[[stairs->S5]]{
(if: $need is 'got')[
This is the bathroom you and your brother share. There’s not much here except for the toiletries you both use. There’s a toilet, a shower, a sink, and a stepping stool you use so you can see yourself in the mirror.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one…]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Grab the stool.]
</center>
[[grab the stool]]
](else:)[This is the bathroom you and your brother share. There’s not much here except for the toiletries you both use. There’s a toilet, a shower, a sink, and a stepping stool you use so you can see yourself in the mirror.
[[Your room->>>>>>>>>>>>]]
[[your sibling’s->SR5]]
[[the attic->A5]]
[[stairs->S5]]]}
You turn the handle to Ash’s room but it’s locked and you know no one is in there.
[[Your room->>>>>>>>>>>>]]
[[the bathroom->UB5]]
[[the attic->A5]]
[[stairs->S5]]You find yourself on the staircase, the steps are cold and wooden.
One picture of your family on the wall is missing. The nail it hung on is still in place, but the frame is gone.
There are many photos of you taken throughout your life, but as you look you notice that your face is...obscured. It’s definitely still you, but your features are blurry, like someone spilled water on all the photos. Your family’s faces remain unmarred, smiling from behind the glass.
[[Up->hall]]
[[living room->LR3]]The living room is fairly spacious, it’s meant to fit four.
Your toys are strewn all over the floor and there are unwashed dishes on the tables. There are ants crawling on everything, eating the remains of food.
[[parent’s room->PR5]]
[[kitchen->K5]]
[[basement->B5]]
[[stairs->S5]]
[[backyard->BY5]]{
(if: $key is 'got')[
[[Unlock door]]
](else:)[You try the door, but it’s locked.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It seems Dad doesn’t want us to play in the basement.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[The key for this door is on the floor in your parent’s room. ]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR5]]
[[kitchen->K5]]
[[stairs->S5]]
[[backyard->BY5]]]}
Your backyard isn’t very large. The grass is completely dead and the rose bushes have been cut down. The flowers have rotted on the ground and are buzzing with wasps. The air hums with the beat of their wings but it’s not a lively sound, it makes you uncomfortable. The buzzing is coming largely from the dog house and you see the repeating circular architecture of the wasp nests.
The roof of the shed has similar structures hanging from it.
[[shed->shed3]]
[[inside->LR3]]
The door is locked by a padlock.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We can’t get in, let’s go back to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[The key for the padlock is in the basement, and the key to the basement is in Dad’s room.]
</center>
[[inside->LR3]]{
(if: $key is 'got')[
The room is in complete disarray, broken tables and lamps are all over the floor. The sheets have been torn from the bed and books have been tossed everywhere.
[[Living room->LR3]]
](else:)[The room is in complete disarray, broken tables and lamps are all over the floor. The sheets have been torn from the bed and books have been tossed everywhere.
You see the keys on the floor where they fell earlier. They can unlock the basement.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Mom...this is awful.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[get the keys]] and go downstairs.]
</center>
[[Bathroom->BR5]]
[[Living room->LR3]]]}The bathroom is full of tiny little house centipedes crawling over the sink and shower. A few land on your neck and you swat them away.
<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/unnamed_zpsqz7po8rx.png">
You found an Easter egg for being dumb.
[[back->PR5]]
(set: $key to "got")
You pick up the keys. You can hear the sound of the car pulling out of the driveway followed by the slamming of the front door.
“GOD DAMMIT!” You hear your father shout, followed by the sound of shattering glass.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Mom’s gone…]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[...[[let’s go->LR3]] get the shed key.]
</center>{
(if: $key is 'got')[
You walk into the kitchen and notice the dead bouquet of flowers has been knocked onto the floor, shattered. The dry, rotten petals are scattered everywhere. There are piles of red, dead earwigs around the broken and the living ones are all over the walls and floor. Your Dad has his head buried in his arms on the kitchen table, crying into his sleeves.
You step on some broken glass and his head snaps up.
“Gray! I told you to stay in your room!” He scoops you into his arms and carries you back to your room. Setting you down on his bed he marches to the door, your teddy bear clutched in his fist.
“Stay here.” He orders, and slams the door.
[[>->>>>>>>>>>>>]]](else:)[You walk into the kitchen and notice the dead bouquet of flowers is spilling over with dozens of earwigs. There are piles of red, dead bodies around the vase and the living ones are all over the walls and floor.
You can hear your father and mother outside screaming, the car engine is still running.
[[Living room->LR3]]
[[Front yard->FY5]]]}You go out the front door and your mother immediately screams from the car window and revs the gas to back out of the driveway, the only thing that stops her is your father throwing himself in the way with both hands up to stop her from leaving.
“Gray! Go inside! Right now!”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We should [[go inside->K5]]]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should probably go inside. ]
</center>You use the keys to unlock the door and start walking down the dark steps. It’s so inconvenient that the light switch is at the bottom. You feel spider webs catch on your hands and face, you bat them away and turn on the light.
The bulb flickers to light and you can finally see around.
The floor is practically writhing with cockroaches. They’re everywhere. And great black spiders are making webs in the rafters. The room seems to pulse with the shiny, scuttling bodies of insects, and as you step onto the floor it crunches beneath your foot.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This can’t be safe, [[we should go->LR3]] back to our room.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s [[get the shed key]] and go, it’s in the lock box.]
</center>(set: $need to "got")
You step gingerly over to the lock box, still crushing bugs under your weight. You can feel the ones you don’t squash crawling over your feet and up your legs.
You’re not tall enough to reach the lock box.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Let’s just go.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to get up there somehow.]
</center>
[[Back up->LR3]]You pick up your stool with both hands. As you lift it you see something small and brown underneath. It hisses at you and scurries off.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Little one…]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s go get the shed key.]
</center>
[[Go]]It’s a long hallway, neither narrow nor wide. The beige carpet is grimy and you can see the bodies of dead earwigs lodged in the corners where it meets the walls. There’s an end table at the top of the stairs, the old lamp is gone.
On one end of the hall there’s your room and your brother’s room. His chalkboard says “shed”.
On the other end of the hall there’s the linen closet, the bathroom, and the attic.
There is another staircase leading to the main floor.
[[Your room->YR6]]
[[your sibling’s->SR6]]
[[the attic->A6]]
[[stairs->S6]]You try to pull the rope to the stairs, but it won’t budge. Someone has locked the attic. You hear the scritch-scratch of tiny feet running around up there. Mice.
[[Your room->YR6]]
[[your sibling’s->SR6]]
[[stairs->S6]]You turn the handle to Ash’s room but it’s locked and you know no one is in there.
[[Your room->YR6]]
[[the attic->A6]]
[[stairs->S6]]This is your room. It’s one of the smaller rooms but you don’t mind it. The room is painted a soft yellow color and the carpet is almost dirty enough to match.
The window over your bed looks out toward the street. You can see all of your neighbor’s houses from here. Your bed is very messy and your teddy bear is gone.
Next to your bed is a small table and a short set of shelves with all your favorite books and some crayons and paper on top. There’s also the games your dad left for you to play.
[[Hall->Go]]You find yourself on the staircase, the steps are cold and wooden.
One picture of your family on the wall is missing. The nail it hung on is still in place, but the frame is gone.
There are many photos of you taken throughout your life, but as you look you notice that your face is...obscured. It’s definitely still you, but your features are blurry, like someone spilled water on all the photos. Your family’s faces remain unmarred, smiling from behind the glass.
[[Up->Go]]
[[Living room->LR4]]The living room is fairly spacious, it’s meant to fit four.
Your toys are strewn all over the floor and there are unwashed dishes on the tables. There are ants crawling on everything, eating the remains of food.
As you walk with your stool over to the door you hear your Dad’s footsteps coming from his room toward you in the living room.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We shouldn’t have come down here little one.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We need to keep away from him and get downstairs.]
</center>
[[parent’s room->PR6]]
[[kitchen->K6]]
[[basement->PR6]]
[[stairs->PR6]]
[[backyard->PR6]]“Gray! I told you to stay in your room!” He scoops you into his arms and carries you back to your room. Setting you down on his bed he marches to the door, your teddy bear clutched in one fist, your stool in the other.
“Stay here.” He orders, and slams the door.
[[>->YR6]]You quickly run out to the front yard with your stool, knowing that he will see you if you go for the stairs. The tree has lost all of its leaves, they lie all over the ground like a dead, brittle carpet. You can barely see the brown grass they cover. It’s cold and overcast, the light from the sky is an oppressive greyish white.
There’s a buzzing in the air and you smell something rotten on the wind. Looking over you see the carcass of the raccoon has decayed into a mottled red and there are flies and maggots swarming it. It almost appears as though the fur is swirling as they gorge themselves on the dead flesh.
You shake your head as the flies begin to buzz around you, perhaps they think you are a meal as well.
[[Run to backyard]]You slip around the side of the house and end up in the back yard. The wasps buzz around you but you can’t wave them away while your hands are full.
[[Go through backdoor]]
You carefully open the back door and slip inside, closing it gently behind you.
You tip-toe carefully forward, you can hear your father in the kitchen, muttering to himself.
You make sure not to make a sound and you make your way back into the basement.
You set your stool down in front of the lock box, crushing some of the squirming insects that coat the floor, and step onto it.
You open the lock box, the rusted hinges creaking, reluctant to be moved. There’s a key hanging inside next to some wiring.
You grab it and pocket it.
[[>->oo]]Suddenly there is a loud crash behind you and you whip around to see several black shapes on the ground among the insects. They seem to have fallen along with a chunk of the ceiling over by the window.
In an instant they are up, flapping their wings and squawking angrily. You see now that what fell was several ravens that were roosted in the wall by the backyard.
They start to fly around in blind panic, their inky wings in flurry as they search desperately for an exit. They bash into the walls and the window, even into you, with talons leaving you with little cuts as you throw your arms up to protect yourself.
You’re knocked from your stool and fall to the ground. The wind is knocked out of you and immediately the bugs are all over. They’ve been agitated by the birds and are scuttling every which way in fear.
You struggle to get to you feet with the birds now focusing their manic energy on you, as though you are a predator they must fight in the cramped quarters of this newly found prison. They bear down on you, their screeches filling your ear and the bugs are in your hair and clothes.
You want to scream, but fear a cockroach might find its way into your mouth, all you can do is fearfully protect your eyes.
You suddenly hear footsteps near the basement door, your father is coming to investigate the noise.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We need to get away from this!]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We can’t let him take the shed key!]
</center>
[[Leave through the window]]You struggle to your feet, shaking off the bugs and batting away the birds. The furious ravens shatter the lights overhead, raining glass onto your shoulders and casting the room in even greater darkness, Without the lights to see it feels as though the shadows themselves are your attackers, tearing at your flesh and creeping across your skin.
You grab hold of your stool and with your arms no longer up to protect your face the birds yank at you hair and peck at your eyes.
You blindly make your way over to the window with your stepping stool, guided by the dim grey light it casts into the room. You set it down underneath the small pane, it’s too small for anyone other than you to fit through.
You hear the creaking of the basement door being opened and you quickly jump up to the ledge, your hands pushing open the glass and digging into the moist earth on the other side.
You desperately drag yourself through, the mud packing into your fresh wounds and sticking under your fingernails as you claw your way free.
You finally get through, your clothes stained black by the earth and blood mixing with dirt on your face. You get to your feet and stumble away from the churning darkness of that basement, feeling as though you just dug yourself out of a grave.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[...little one...I’m so sorry…]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Go look inside the shed.]
</center>
[[Go to shed]]You slide the key into the padlock and turn it. The metal seal opens and you slip it out of one side so the door is free to open.
You yank the door, and in doing so dislodge two of the wasp’s nests. They burst open on the ground and the angry residents come buzzing out, swarming you and stinging you.
You jump inside the tiny structure, swatting them away, closing the door to keep them away.
[[>->ooo]]You turn around and see only darkness in the small room. You’re shaking all over from your numerous cuts, stings, bites and scratches. You feel battered and bruised, the unusually cold temperature isn’t helping either.
You reach over and switch on the light. The low-hanging orange bulb reveals what Ash wanted you to see.
[[look]](set: $pic to "got")
It’s a ritual of some sort, and something inside you knows that this is the reason you are alive. This is the root of these past days of joy and suffering.
A shiver runs down your spine.
You can see where pieces of this puzzle have been removed, but in the center of the symbol drawn on the ground you see the missing picture frame from the staircase. Your family looks up at you and you look at them. You see your family at they once were but no longer are.
Whole.
<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18492735_1188889427900128_1809667881_n_zpsnxduhlse.jpg">
“Gray!” You hear your father’s voice from the front yard. He sounds frantic and is undoubtedly looking for you.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We should go to him, we’re hurt.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[If he sees us he’ll be upset for sure. We need to get back to our room without being seen.]
</center>
[[leave shed]][[Go around house->back]]
[[Basement window]]
[[Go through backdoor->back]]
{
(if: $item is 'three')[
(set: $item to "four")
]}
You run forward and kneel next to window you came through earlier. You pull it open and lower yourself back inside carefully, letting go of the ledge to see your Dad emerge in the back yard.
You turn to see that the birds have ceased in their flight, and most of the bugs are also dead. The room is quiet and still.
Most of the ravens seem to have bashed themselves to death on the walls. As you walk over to the stairs you hear a set of flapping wings and near the floor you see a raven hopelessly tangled in a multitude of spider webs. It flaps again and lets out a weak call, but every movement only dooms it more.
You climb the first set of stairs, then the second until you arrive in your room.
{
(if: $pic is 'got')[
You push the picture under your mattress for safekeeping]}
You hear your father calling your name and you wait for him to come find you here.
He eventually opens the door and walks in.
“Gray, where did you-” He takes in your appearance and after a brief pause he rushes over and pulls you close.
[[>->oooo]]He washes you of the mud and your dried blood. He puts cream on your stings and bites. He bandages your new cuts and gives you clean clothes.
After he cares for you he takes you back to your room. He’s kept your teddy bear close, if not in his hands, at all times.
He sits you down on the bed. His hands are twitching and his brow is shining with sweat.
“Gray, you’re going to stay in here for the rest of the day. I-I-I can’t have you getting hurt anymore. I’ll be sitting just outside your door if you need me...I love you.”
He kisses your forehead softly and caresses your face reverently. He looks at you as though you might break just from the pressure of his gaze.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We [[love you->love you2]] too Dad.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[...[[we’re sorry]], Dad.]
</center>You don’t get very far before a strong arm wraps around your middle and picks you up.
The picture of your family slips from your grasp and falls to the ground. Your father doesn’t see it and steps it into the mud, cracking the glass and ruining the photograph
“Gray! What are you doing- WHAT HAPPENED!?” He takes in your appearance and after a brief pause he hugs you close and runs upstairs as fast as he can. [[>->oooo]]
He nods and smiles, but you can see that his mind is falling apart at the seams as much as it feels like your body is.
He stands to leave, but then realizes he still has your teddy bear.
“Here, this is yours.” He says and hands it to you. You take Goldy, your bear, and hug him close, watching your father leave.
A moment later you hear his back sliding down the closed door as he takes a seat just outside.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Now we know what Ash did, what good did knowing do us?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[What good did any of this do any of us?]
</center>
[[>->5]]His eyes water and he pets your head again. He sounds choked as he speaks.
“Me too Gray...me too.”
You’re both apologizing for so much more than just the events of this day. You can see in his eyes the replay of the moment where his hand was just barely too slow to stop you running into the street.
He can surely see how you understand now that all that has come to pass, beginning with that moment, is your responsibility.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We [[love you->love you2]] too Dad.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Love you too Dad.]
</center>"Gray! What on earth are you doing!” Your father shouts in a panic, setting you down on the grass. He kneels in front of you and grips your shoulders so hard, like he’s afraid you might drift into the sky if he lets go.
“You’ve got to stay away from the street, you hear me? I don’t want you playing anywhere near it, a car could come by and you-” He pauses in his almost desperate lecture to look down, his eyebrows pinched in pain. He gives you a little shake before looking you in the eyes intently.
“Stay away from the street, do you understand?”
You nod.
“Let’s go inside, no more playing out here. You can play with me for the rest of the day, alright?”
He takes you in and you spend the rest of the day with him. He plays with you and it’s fun enough, but every time he catches your eyes wandering toward the windows he tries to distract you, all while hiding an expression of genuine fear.
After a while of this, many games and lots of cartoons, your dad puts you to bed. Dressing you in your pajamas himself, something he hasn’t done for years.
You crawl between the covers and both he and your mom kiss you goodnight.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[He was right to stop us, we shouldn’t have been going to Mr. Ulster’s house, we should have been enjoying the beautiful day.
Little one, you should enjoy what you have,
It’s lovely here and your family loves you so much.
Don’t question it so much.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We’ll talk to Ulster tomorrow, we’ve just got to wait until dad’s not looking.
He definitely knows something and we’re going to find out what.
We both know that for all the niceties, something’s wrong here.
We’ve got to keep looking.]
</center>
[[>->2]]“Good, good. It would be a shame if either of them got hurt, they’re both so nice. Ash looks so much like his father, and Gray definitely has your looks.” Mrs. Warwick laughs at her own comment but your mother goes stone still.
“Have a nice day Mrs. Warwick.” She grits out. Your neighbor barely has time to look confused before the door is closed in her face.
Your mom refuses to look at you and stalks into the kitchen with the plate of cookies.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Mom’s probably just tired, she’s had a rough couple of days. We should let her rest on her day off. Let’s go play.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Mom seems like she wants to get away from us, I don’t think she’ll want to talk. Let’s go try to get Ash’s book.]
</center>
[[explore]]You wake up to the sound of rain on your window. You don’t feel like moving right away, the experiences and injuries of the last few days keep you down like weights.
Eventually you have no choice but to sit up and slip out from under the covers. The air is cold and the normally pleasant smell of damp rain mixed with earth reeks of mildew.
You get ready slowly, you feel like taking your time today.
Once you’re back in your room you hear a gentle knock on the door before your brother tentatively lets himself in.
“Hey Gray.” He says with a weak smile. He looks as tired as you feel, but he seems genuinely happy to see you.
“Dad told me about what happened, with mom and the basement and everything. How are you doing?”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’ll be [[alright]], in time.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We want to be alright, but we’re [[not sure]] if it’s possible.]
</center>
Ash nods, but you see his eyebrows drawing together in worry. He sits on your bed and gestures for you to join him. You sit beside him.
You and Ash sit on the bed for a moment, only the sound of rain on the window behind you fills up the silence.
Finally, Ash speaks.
“So...you saw what was in the shed?”
You nod, he nods in return, his lips thinning. Another moment passes without anything being said when you notice that Ash is shaking beside you. You look at him fully and see that he’s doing his best to stay still while tears roll down his face.
“I did this.” He mutters when he notices you looking at him “I brought you back and everything that’s happened since then is because of me.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It wasn’t all bad, Ash.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Do you wish you hadn’t brought us back?]
</center>
[[Reassure]]
[[Ask]]Ash’s shoulder’s slump, but not in defeat, more in letting go of some unknown tension.
“I’m not sure either.” He breaths.
He sits on your bed and gestures for you to join him. You sit beside him.
You and Ash sit on the bed for a moment, only the sound of rain on the window behind you fills up the silence.
Finally, Ash speaks.
“So...you saw what was in the shed?”
You nod, he nods in return, his lips thinning. Another moment passes without anything being said when you notice that Ash is shaking beside you. You look at him fully and see that he’s doing his best to stay still while tears roll down his face.
“I did this.” He mutters when he notices you looking at him “I brought you back and everything that’s happened since then is because of me.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It wasn’t all bad, Ash.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Do you wish you hadn’t brought us back?]
</center>
[[Reassure]]
[[Ask]]“It’s a whole lot worse than it ever was before.” He snaps. His head is bowed and he’s gripping his own knees as though he’ll collapse if he lets go. He’s still crying quietly.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[…]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[So you regret it?]
</center>
[[Ask]]“No! Not at all!” He looks over to you. He must see how tired you look because his expression crumbles and he whimpers softly. He takes hold of your shoulders and turns you to face him.
“No matter how bad things get, it’s still better than not having you.” He states, looking into your eyes and trying to hold back the tears.
“They said you were gone forever and I couldn’t take it. I couldn’t imagine a world without you, it was too awful. I’d bring you back a thousand times, even with all the bad stuff, b-because, I...I…” He loses all control at the end and the stoic mask he was trying to maintain slips away so that your older brother is just as much a child as you are.
He pulls you in and hugs you tight.
“I don’t want to live my life without you in it.” He whispers as he holds you close.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[You don’t have to.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Even if you lose everything else? Even yourself?]
</center>
[[Reassure->rr]]
[[Ask->aa]]He pulls back slowly and his tears stop, but it’s not forced this time. He looks you hard in the eye and says
“Yes.”
[[Next->n2]]You feel him smile against your shoulder and his tears subside. He pulls back and wipes his face.
[[Next->n2]]{
(if: $item is 'four')[
You and Ash sit there for a moment longer when you reach down and pull out the items you had collected from the previous days. The towel with your mother’s blood, the book stained with your brother’s tears, the handkerchief soaked with your father’s sweat, and the photo of you all together.
Ash looks confused for a moment before realization dawns on his face.
“You have everything to repeat the ritual.” He mutters and you nod.
“The book said that all pieces of the ritual had to be present in order for it to work right. Maybe if we do it again with these, plus something that has part of you, and all of us together, it will work this time without the bad side effects!” He looks at you with more hope in his eyes than you’ve seen in awhile. In this moment, he’s the Ash you remember once again.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[If it fixes this, it’s worth a try.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Let’s do it.]
</center>
“We’ll need your teddy bear.” He says.
So you grab Goldy.
[[Next]]
](else:)[Suddenly his expression changes to one of seriousness and he leans in close.
“We have a decision to make.” He states.
“We have to decide if we’re going to tell Mom and Dad the truth about what I did.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[If we tell them, it might destroy what little we have left. This should stay between Ash and us.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[They deserve to know, and maybe they’ll start to fix this whole thing once they understand how it got broken in the first place.]
</center>
[[Tell]]
[[Don't tell]]
]}
You and Ash race downstairs where you are pleased to find both parents in the living room. He explains everything to them at a breakneck pace before almost dragging them over to the shed. They follow him in a stupor of confusion and disbelief until they see the symbol chalked onto the floor of the small building.
Ash instructs them to stand in their places and then sets out all the pieces of your family that you collected.
He kneels down and begins to read from the book. Your parents look at one another, afraid and doubtful but with a tiny spark of the same hope you saw in Ash’s eyes.
You look down at the photograph that you placed in the center of the symbol and seeing your family when it was together makes squeeze your hands into fists and your breath catches in you chest.
You don’t know if this will work, you don’t know if anything will get better. But you want it to, more than anything.
And for the first time since you returned, you too dare to hope that your family might be whole once again.
[[>->You are dead.]]Ash looks saddened by your choice, but he nods in understanding.
“Then we won’t tell them...but…” He drifts off and looks suddenly very frightened.
“I don’t think we can stay here without them knowing. Dad will just get more and more protective, and Mom will keep on believing you’re not you. I think you’re right, the truth would wreck them, but you being here will wreck them too.” He looks at you apologetically.
“If we’re trying to spare them...we can’t stay.”
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[He’s right. We’re slowly killing this place and Mom and Dad with it. We and Ash need to leave.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Ash has got a point, we’re ruining everything around us...but it’s just us. If we’re leaving, Ash can’t come.]
</center>
[[Tell Ash you're leaving alone]]
[[You should both leave]]“What!? You can’t go by yourself! You’re too little!”
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[You’re not that much older than us, Ash.]
</center>
“I don’t want to stay behind. If you’re going, I’m going with you.”
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Whatever we’re doing to Mom and Dad, it’s happening to you too, Ash. We won’t let it go on any longer.]
</center>
He struggles for words for a moment. His face goes red and tears sting at the corners of his eyes. He stands abruptly and towers over you.
“No! I’m your big brother! It’s my job to take care of you!” He shouts, and you can see his heart breaking as he realizes that you won’t be changing your mind.
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[It’s our job to look after you too, Ash. We’re the ones hurting you, it’s time we did what was best for everyone...and left.]
</center>
“No...I don’t want this, I said I needed you in my life!” He shouts but you can feel his resolve breaking.
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[If you come with us, you won’t have a life left for us to be a part of. One way or another everything around us dies...we can’t let you be one of those things.]
</center>
“But...I…”
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Please, Ash, we love you too much to hurt you, and whether we mean to or not, we will hurt you. Let us go.]
</center>
“I...I love you too, Gray.” He finally relents. Falling forward and hugging you like it’s the last time he’ll ever get to. It might be. He looks up and you can see the brokenness in the sagging of his shoulders, the unshed tears, and the downcast of his eyes.
“I’ll help you pack.” Ash whispers.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[He doesn’t deserve this.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[None of them deserved any of this. But now we’re ending it for them, one last sorrow then the suffering is finally over.]
</center>
[[Next->n3]]The two of you prepare for your departure in silence. Ash is crying all the while but tries not to let it show. He helps you climb down from his window and then you both sneak out to the nearest intersection.
Ash doesn’t know what you’re going to do or where you might go, he’s scared.
So are you.
He grabs you for one final hug.
“I’ll see you again, Gray.” It’s half a question and half a promise.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We love you, we’ll see you again.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[...goodbye.]
</center>
[[Next->You are dead.]]He nods and gives you a smile that’s meant to be reassuring but just comes off as unsure.
The two of you pack. He helps you and you help him.
Once you’re ready to go he writes a letter and leaves it on your bed. It’s a goodbye to your parents.
You climb out of Ash’s window and begin your journey.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We’ll be alright as long as we have each other.]
</center>
Ash smiles, it’s genuine this time.
“Yes, yes we will.”
<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18554475_1210613682397888_1462842668_n_zps0sqeshev.jpg">
[[Next->You are dead.]]He looks like he wants to disagree with you, but ultimately he relents.
“Alright, if that’s what you think we should do. Maybe once they know, things will start to get better.”
He places a hand on your shoulder and the two of you make your way downstairs where your parents are talking quietly in the living room.
They both look tired, especially Mom, but they’re both here.
She jumps when she sees you and instinctively tries to stand away from you. Dad turns and sees you and when he spots you and your brother he throws her a warning look.
You can Ash approach, and both your parents look very uncomfortable, for different reasons.
“Mom, dad, we have something we need to tell you.” Ash begins.
[[Next->n4]]Once Ash has finished explaining the ritual and you explain your search for answers, they both look completely shocked. They can’t even speak at first, only stare with wide eyes and slack jaws.
“So...it’s really Gray?” Your Mom asks Ash. He nods and she looks at you with cautious hope. She stands and walks over to you very slowly. Her eyes meet yours and she touches you for the first time in days, a gentle hand on your shoulder.
“Ash...I don’t know what to say, except thank you.” Your father mutters and pulls your brother in for a hug.
Your mother won’t tear her gaze from you though.
“Gray, I want you to go get in the car.” She says abruptly.
“What? Why?” Your father asks.
“There’s one more thing I need to do.” She states and walks over to get the car keys.
“Like what? Try to kill our child again?” Your father spits. He’s saying it out of fear but your mother still glares daggers at him.
“I would never hurt our children.” She mutters angrily.
“Gray, the child you asked to get into your car, is our child. You know that now, right?” He asks, stepping behind you defensively.
She regards the three of you resolutely.
“I will, after I do this.” She affirms.
Your Dad opens his mouth to speak but she cuts him off.
“And I’ll do it alone. Just Gray and me.”
Dad turns you around and looks at you with concern.
“Gray, I don’t want you to go. You need to stay right here in this house where I can always protect you. Stay right here I and I will keep you safe, even from her.” He mutters the last part loud enough for her to hear. He’s kneeling so he’s level with you one of his hands rests on your shoulder.
“Gray, get in the car.” Your mother orders, but there is some of her old gentleness in it. She lightly places her hand on your other shoulder, looking down at you.
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We should [[stay with Dad]], for our safety.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We should [[go with Mom]], she wants the truth as much as we do.]
</center>You pull away from your father and head to the front door to get in the car.
“Gray?” Your father asks, his eyes wide with hurt and bewilderment. You walk past Ash who is also looking concerned, but he doesn’t try and stop you. He just grabs your Mom’s sleeve as she walks past and kindly implores her.
“Please bring Gray back.”
She looks at him seriously and nods.
Your father is trailing behind you both as you go outside and get into the car. He shouts all the while.
“You’d better bring that child back, you hear me? If you do anything, anything, to hurt that child I swear to God there will be hell to pay. You hear me Genevieve! That is my child and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep them safe! Nothing! NOTHING!!!” He screams as you and your mother pull out of the driveway.
She says nothing as you drive. You don’t know where she’s taking you, or what she intends to do.
But whatever she’s doing, it’s for you.
Or rather, she’s doing it for Gray.
You hope that she believes that you Gray.
<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18518507_1210613545731235_1381080514_n_zpsqpsxwg6c.jpg">
[[Next->You are dead.]]You pull away from your mother and your father takes you in his arms. She recoils as if struck, tears filling her eyes, but she does not back down.
“Fine.” She states, and then she turns on her heel and marches out the door. Ash goes to follow her but your father stops him with a hand on his arm.
“Let her go. We have all we need here.” He says, pulling the two of you into his sides as you watch mom’s car pull out of the driveway into the street.
“I’ll take such good care of you. I promise, nothing bad will ever happen to us ever again.”
Something dark passes over his face but you curl into his side and all three of you watch the rain.
Your father couldn’t stop the tragedies of your past, but he’s going to do everything he can to prevent the ones of your future.
<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18555263_1210613552397901_1270169508_n_zpsamreuzl5.jpg">
[[Next->You are dead.]]<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18518913_1190400907748980_70908911_n_zpsalnb6hdq.jpg">
[[Next->Outside]] <img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18579362_1190400897748981_271836183_n_zps60ui2lpl.jpg">
[[Next->>>>>>>>>>>>>]]<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18601501_1190400954415642_1768917020_n_zpsccypnadq.jpg">
[[Next->>>>>>>>>>>]]<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18554955_1190400921082312_1593363526_n_zpsct1ptd4m.jpg">
[[>->>>>]]<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18579181_1190400901082314_2081708729_n_zpsxrcxtfow.jpg">
[[>->>>]]<img src="http://i347.photobucket.com/albums/p467/Maeve_Potter/18554658_1190400924415645_1488207376_n_zps3nachnvx.jpg">
[[>]]<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Did we do it?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[I’m not sure we ever could have, but we tried.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[So we failed?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We didn’t fail, but there was no way for us to succeed.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[It seems even in this place we can’t escape it.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We can’t escape it any more than those in reality can.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[So tragedy and horror, they are our curse?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[They are part of what it is to be human, is that a curse?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[I don’t think it is a curse to be human.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Then tragedy and horror are not curses either.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Yet they are despised.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[We cannot help but pick and choose the parts of ourselves we prefer.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[But it would be a mistake to forget the parts that bring us pain, for without pain, there is no joy.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[It would be an even greater error to deny that they exist at all.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[We push away that which makes us uncomfortable, hide it from our sight, but in doing so we bury our own truth in a grave made for lies.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[That is why we could not escape it, not even here.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[This place exists specifically to remind us of those things we wish we could ignore.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Children die, families suffer and fall apart. Death is final and it makes no exceptions for the innocent.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Indeed, no matter how it pains us.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[But the child was brought back to life, the irreversible was reversed.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[The death was undone, but not its consequences. That is the true horror of life’s ending, not the moment of its extinguishment, but the agony of those who must endure without its warmth.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[So loss and grief are also part of being human.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Unfortunately, yes.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Many will think this senseless. They will brush it off because they do not understand, or do not want to understand.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[They do so because they would rather play a game that only shows them the parts of humanity they love, this is an ugly game, we recoil from ugly things.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[So we make them look.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[Ultimately, it is their choice. They have the control. They must choose the reality they accept.]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[So make your choice, player. What is more senseless and revolting?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[To tell the story of the death of a child?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Or to seek a reality in which children never die?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Red)[An ugly truth?]
</center>
<center>
(text-colour:Cyan)[Or a beautiful lie?]
</center>
Which do you choose?
[[Choose to pretend->Untitled Passage 1]]
[[Choose to accept->end2]]<center>
Jane Colon-Bonet
Julia Mueller
Maeve Potter
Nohan Meza
2017
</center>