welcome to mayfield: day 3

[mayfield_mods]

[Those who wake up in the town on the third day will soon notice that something's definitely off. The cracks in the sky are appearing more frequently and lasting for minutes at a time, and there's a strange white fog drifting over the clouds.

For those who've just arrived, welcome to our new little town! We're sure you're glad to see your missing friends again; nothing to worry about here, they've just been too busy enjoying the upgraded carnival to go back home. Any bleeding limbs or serious wounds you may spot are obviously just a sign of how much fun they've been having.]

OOC: If your character damages or affects the carnival or town in a noticeable and normally permanent way, please comment here.

Comments

[theboywiththebook]

[He nods to Jenny as he takes a couple of steps behind her. He's now between Jenny and Olivier.

Well Henry certainly hears the voices.]

I hear voices...

[adventurerextraordinaire]

[Cade isn't happy about being the least exposed, though at least he can defend the group if something sneaks up behind them. He whispers to the group.]

"Yeah, me too. Let's go."

[Cade has his sword in his right hand and his loaded revolver in his left, just in case of ambush.]

[voiceofauthority]

[She extends the energy so that the tunnel is further illuminated.]

Stay close. No sudden movements. Could be one of those clowns Henry saw ... Or that woman who's pictures are plastered all over here.

[mayfield_mods]

[There's nothing to be seen, but the sound of two voices speaking continues.]

[queen_of_swords]

[Olivier nods, and squints, trying to see where the voices are coming from.]

If it's that woman, I want at her first.

[theboywiththebook]

[Henry soon lets out a hushed whisper.]
Shhh! I can't hear them.

[He steps closer, behind Jenny, towards the sound, listening extremely hard as to what the voices are saying.]

[adventurerextraordinaire]

[Cade is about to make a lewd comment about letting Olivier have her way with the redhead. However, thinks better of it for numerous reasons, not the least of which is that he too wants to hear what the voices are talking about.]

[mayfield_mods]

[The two voices can be heard, very faintly; the group will have to strain to hear and understand them. The voice in italics is that of a young woman's; the voice in bold is that of a middle-aged or older man.]

Richard! There you are.

Were you looking for me, doctor?

Sort of. I guess I just wanted to get your opinion on this whole thing. Have you changed your mind?

Let’s just say when Mr. Zemekis promised us a “world free of pain and fear”, a circus wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

That’s not really what I meant, Richard.

I know what you meant. I don’t really know how to answer your question, though. It’s a bit too soon to say, isn’t it?

[The two voices continue speaking, but the sound is getting further and further away. If the group wants to hear more, they have no choice but to follow...]

[voiceofauthority]

[Jenny quickly writes down everything in her notebook before wrapping a protective arm around Henry and moving forward. They need to know more. Richard, was that Richard Grey? If so was the woman Annie? It's possible, but she won't be jumping to conclusions.]

Stay close.

[queen_of_swords]

[Olivier nods, and digs through her bag for her rope, handing one end back to Cade, looping some around her belt, then passing the other end to Henry.]

Be careful.

[As quiet of a whisper as she can give without altering the voices to them, but loud enough for at least Henry to hear. She knew there was something going on here. Were they stuck in an alternate time. Why would the owners of the voices be hiding from them?]

[theboywiththebook]

[Henry has taken his own notebook out and written this inside as well. But it's strange hearing this. Richard was part of this mess? Had he helped cause it?

When Jenny wraps his arm around him, he stares ahead as they start moving. Taking the rope offered to him by Olivier he remains quiet. ]

[adventurerextraordinaire]

[Cade looks at the rope stupidly.]

"Uhm, what am I supposed to do with this?"

[voiceofauthority]

[Jenny pauses and wraps the rope around Henry before doing the same to herself. She still keeps her arm around him though, just in case. As she's wrapping it around Henry she tells him to pull out his gun just in case. She's pretty sure she can take out anything that's in here, but she wants everyone prepared just in case.

Once they're all tied in she keeps pushing forward, straining to hear.]

1/2

[mayfield_mods]

[As the group follows, the sound of the voices picks up again.]

I just don’t know why you and Evan insist on being so paranoid. Look around! It’s only our first week here and Johnathan already threw a carnival for us. If that’s not hospitality, I don’t know what is!

I suppose. It’s awfully... nice? A bit on the creepy side, though. These “drones” are bad enough on their own, but somehow slapping clown makeup on them seems to make it even worse.

Oh, don’t be a spoilsport. Relax a little for once in your life! Say, look, it’s the Tunnel of Love... would you care to escort me, Mr. Grey?

Ha... I think I’ll have to decline, my dear. Wouldn’t want to start any rumors, now would we?

Oh, phoo. You’re no fun at all, Richard.

Now you just sound like one of my critics.

[mayfield_mods]

[abruptly, the faint sound of the two voices is overshadowed by one much louder and much closer: a woman's shrill scream, reverberating up and down the tunnel at an earsplitting volume.]

[queen_of_swords]

The rope is to keep us from getting separated.

[That bit is whispered to Cade, then she quiets as the voices start up again, and the wheels in her head are turning. One week. This was the first days of Mayfield, wasn't it?]

[At the shriek, Olivier grits her teeth and draws her sword, careful not to get Henry with it, holding it at the ready along with her pistol as she follows Henry and Jenny]

[theboywiththebook]

[There are more voices and Henry has already started taking down more notes on their conversation. What was this all about? This carnival happened at the beginning of it all? Finishing copying the notes, Henry takes out his gun like he's told by Jenny.]

[But the scream makes Henry jump. What was that? Was it more of those clowns? After all this, Henry had a feeling he is not going to be so fond of them.

Keeping the gun raised, he looks to the others. Should they head back?]

[adventurerextraordinaire]

[Cade ties the ropes about his waist, then readies his weapons. Just then the scream fills the tunnel.]

"Someone needs help. Let's go!"

[Ultimately though, Cade is at the back and Jenny is at the front, so its up to her.]

[voiceofauthority]

[Jenny shakes her head, no, they're not rushing into danger. In fact, this whole tying Cade to others idea is a pretty good way to keep him out of trouble.

She lets a shock of energy shoot from her finger and run the length of any tubing that might be above them to illuminate the back of the tunnel. It's probably going to turn up nothing though. That seems to be the way of things in this place.

The voices had mentioned drones, something she had written down. It seemed as if this was the very beginning of Mayfield. The first three houses that had been occupied. By willing occupants no less. So it wasn't a virtual war games, it was a virtual reality sim much like the SIMS game from back home. It made sense. Some weirdo going in and playing house with them all just like you did in the game. Experimenting and testing on them like how some people would put their SIMS in rooms without doors or no toilets. Only this was worse then slow torture. This was continuous torture that forced you to stay on your toes, and most of these suckers didn't have toes to stand on.

She gestured before continuing to push forward. If they could get out of here that was good. If they could get more information, even better.]

[mayfield_mods]

[If they keep going into the tunnel, they'll reach a blackness that drops off into nothing.

If they fall, only bits of them will float back down to the entrance.]

[queen_of_swords]

[Olivier gives the rope ahead of her a tug.]

The sound of the water is changing. Be careful.

[theboywiththebook]

[Henry will shine his flash light ahead as he tries to catch a glimpse of what's ahead.]

I can't see anything else.

[adventurerextraordinaire]

[Cade peers into the darkness as hard as he can but sees nothing.]

"There is something unnatural about that darkness. Unless we can find a way of lighting up the inside, we should not go in there."