emperor of the dark: chapter one

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<center> <div class="story"> <div class="title"> <<print $ChNumber>> </div> <br><br> <center> //@@.smear;This story uses music and sound effects<br> to enhance the atmosphere. <br><br> Please turn up your volume.@@// <br><br> <b>[[Begin|Phone]]</b> </center> </div> </center>

<<set $keyItems = [] >> <<cacheaudio "anxiety" "music/TensionsDF.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "carradio" "music/muffledtalking.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "crackle" "music/vinylcrackle.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "daniel" "music/FatherOfThePeople.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "door" "music/dooropen.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "emergency" "music/emergencyalert.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "fire" "music/fire-loop.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "general" "music/youknowwhatineed.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "ghoststories" "music/ghoststories.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "growl" "music/growling.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "itiscoming" "music/itscoming.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "knock" "music/heavyknocking.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "lake" "music/lakewater.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "night" "music/nightambience.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "nightmare" "music/REPULSIVECryOfTheUnheard.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "owl" "music/owl.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "rattling" "music/doorrattle.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "rotaryphone" "music/rotaryphone.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "running1" "music/running.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "static" "music/TVstatic.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "squeakymetal" "music/SqueakyMetal.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "therapy" "music/DarkFogDF.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "tv" "music/tv_on.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "whispering" "music/whisperingfx.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "walkingonsand" "music/walkingonsand.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "womancrying" "music/womancrying.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "tub" "music/bathtub.mp3">> <<set $ChTitle to "emperor of the dark">> <<set $ChNumber to "chapter one">> <<set $ChSubtitle to "such terrible things">> <<set $Years to "17 years">> <<set $Time to "12:45am">> <<set $Opt2 to "Phone">> <<set $HOA to "Firefly Grove">> <<set $dreamworld to "the Undermind">> <<set $Ana to "Ana">> <<set $AnaFull to "the Analog">> <<set $AnasFull to "Analogs">> <<set $creature1 to "Growler">> <<set $Angela to "Angela">> <<set $Don to "Dr. Lothario">> <<set $respect to 0>> <<set $NicePts to 40>> <<set $animosity to 0>> <<set $Calls to 5>> <<set $Texts to 14>> <<set $emails to 0>> <<set $Lilith to false>> <<set $smoke to false>> <<set $stone to false>> <<set $stonesoup to false>> <<set $Cassandra to false>> <<set $updateAngela to false>> <<set $threeDolls to 0>>

<div class="navi"> <<link "Inventory">><<goto "Inventory">><</link>><br> <<link "Credits">><<goto "Credits">><</link>><br> <<link "Saves">><<script>>UI.saves()<</script>><</link>><br> <<link "Restart">><<script>>UI.restart()<</script>><</link>> </div>

<center> <div class="story"> The "Inventory" function is not currently being utilized. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <b><a href="http://serabiet.tumblr.com" target="new">serabiet</a></b> for support, beta reading, pictures of her glorious dog, inspiration, Sims chat and story boarding, and for allowing me to use her <a href="http://" target="new">Ichabod Specter</a>, <a href="http://" target="new">Nervous Subject</a>, and <a href="http://" target="new">Bella Goth</a> for story purposes. <br><br> <b><a href="http://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com">chrisnewbie</a></b> for <a href="https://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com/post/616114819562618880/the-meetinghouse-residential-lot-cc-free-created" target="new">the Meetinghouse</a>, <a href="https://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com/post/616114469795479552/pita-floricas-cart-residential-lot-cc-free" target="new">Pita Florica's Cart</a>, <a href="https://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com/post/616113954338603008/division-47-residential-lot-cc-free-created-with" target="new">Division 47</a>, <a href="https://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com/post/616113690867056640/rossum-house-residential-lot-cc-free-created" target="new">the Rossum house</a>, <a href="https://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com/post/616116213024784384" target="new">Espiritu Estate</a>, <a href="https://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com/post/176849601711/the-pink-flamingo-local-bar-in-the-heart-of" target="new">The Pink Flamingo Bar</a>, <a href="https://chrisnewbie.tumblr.com/post/177323345136/another-attempt-to-recreate-a-memorable-location" target="new">the Pleasantview Wedding Chapel</a>, and <a href="" target="new">Hoot Howell</a>. <br><br> <b><a href="http://strangetomato.tumblr.com" target="new">strangetomato</a></b> for <a href="https://strange-tomato.livejournal.com/51310.html" target="new">Lyla Grunt</a>, <a href="https://strangetomato.tumblr.com/post/154387248948/when-youre-successful-theres-always-going-to-be" target="new">Zebeste Quizine</a>, <a href="https://strangetomato.tumblr.com/post/172899902054/oh-she-looks-like-a-bee-does-she-and-her-name" target="new">Nerissa Bee</a>, <a href="https://strangetomato.tumblr.com/post/111482232458/heres-my-version-of-glabe-and-glarn-curious" target="new">Glabe and Glarn Curious</a>, <a href="https://strangetomato.tumblr.com/post/39761256392/my-version-of-willow-nigmos-her-eyes-and" target="new">Willow Nigmos</a>, <a href="https://strangetomato.tumblr.com/post/185591781143/plantsim-labyrinth-this-lot-includes-everything" target="new">Plantsim Labyrinth</a>, and <a href="https://strangetomato.tumblr.com/post/170760714338/the-romantic-its-a-nightclub-for-romance-sims" target="new">The Romantic</a>. <br><br> Royalty free music from <a href="https://www.FesliyanStudios.com" target="new">FesliyanStudios.com</a> <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <center> <<type 0.1s>> @@.smear;You have 1 new message.@@ <</type>> <<timed 5s>> <br> //[[listen|LISTEN]]// <</timed>> </center> </div> </center>

<<if tags().includes("tbar")>> <div id="topbar"> <div id="bbblock"> <div id="bbtext"> <b>EMPEROR OF THE DARK: EPISODE ONE</b> </div> </div> </div> <</if>> <<script>> $(document).one(":passagedisplay", function (event) { if ($("#topbar").length) { $("#passages").css("margin-top", $("#topbar").outerHeight() + 10); } else { $("#passages").css("margin-top", 0); } }); <</script>> <<if tags().includes("HOA")>> <div id="hoabar"> <div id="bbblockhoa"> <div id="bbtexthoa"> <<audio "general" stop>> <b>$HOA</b> <div class="hoasub"> //Welcome Home!// </div> <div class="hoanav"> [[The Board|HOA Members]] [[Amenities|HOA Amenities]] [[Covenants|HOA Docs]] [[News and Events|HOA News]] [[Contact|HOA Contact]] [[Login|HOA Login]] [[End Tour|She is almost home.]] </div> </div> </div> </div> <</if>> <<script>> $(document).one(":passagedisplay", function (event) { if ($("#hoabar").length) { $("#passages").css("margin-top", $("#hoabar").outerHeight() + 0); } else { $("#passages").css("margin-top", 0); } }); <</script>>

<center> <div class="passages2"> <div class="location"> @@.blur;215 Sim Lane@@ </div> <br> <center>And the things that still <br><br> looked for her in its empty halls <br><br> and sterile rooms.</center> </div> </center>

<<audio "womancrying" play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="marysue_hesdead.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> It's hard to understand anything she's saying. I hear "father" once or twice, but mostly I just keep hearing the word "dead," and all I can think to myself is</div> <br> <center>[[Oh.]]</center> </div> </center>

<<audio "womancrying" stop>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_phoneear.png"><br> //Dead?// <br><br> <img src="angela_phonehand.png"><br> The word stretches its long, sickly limbs, and scrapes its nails against the inside of her skull. <br><br> //Dead?// <br><br> <img src="angela_putphonedown.png"><br> But it's not [[that word]] she's thinking about as slowly, as calmly, she ends the call and sets the phone back on the counter, next to the knife (and what a lovely pair they made, those cruel, brutal things!) and turned herself away. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <center>Message deleted.</center> <<timed 4s>><<goto "almost home">><</timed>> </div> </center>

<<audio "crackle" stop>> <<audio "general" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_subway.png"><br> The ride back was somehow both unbearably long, and not nearly long enough. <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> You know, that morning, I was lying in bed, dreading it. I didn't want it to start. But as I got closer and closer to Pleasantview, I didn't want it to end.</div> <br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> That's understandable -- you felt conflicted because you were coming back to a place where you've experienced significant trauma. Not on your terms, not because you wanted to, but to bury another part of your past. No rational person looks forward to that.</div> <br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> Am I rational?</div> <br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> Of course you are... do you think you're not?</div> <br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> [[Sometimes I wonder...|She is almost home.]]</div> </div> </center>

<<audio "crackle" loop play>> <<audio "rotaryphone" volume 0.05 loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="phone_faraway.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> The phone is ringing.</div> <<timed 5s>> <<goto "Sometimes they do that.">> <</timed>> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_closeup.png"><br> Instead, [[it rings|landline]]. <br><br> And rings.<br> And rings.<br> And rings. <br><br> <img src="phone_angelawatch.png"><br> Shrilly bleating, bleating like something wounded, something dying, [[something stuck and suffering|She watches it from across the room.]]. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="radio_closeup.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I don't know why I bother paying for a landline. I don't even have an answering machine; I could get one, but then what? People would just leave me messages. <br><br> I guess I like the way it looks. Maybe I should just unplug it?</div> <br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<audio "rotaryphone" fadeout>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="phone_closeup.png"><br> Finally, after what feels like a series of increasingly malignant eternities, the phone rings once more, and then -- <br><br> <img src="kitchentable.png"><br> Her tormentor falls silent. <br><br> //Bliss.// <br><br> <img src="cellphone.png"><br> Behind her, lying quiet and forgotten on the counter, the dark screen of her cellphone begins to @@.smear;glow@@, bright and threatening. <br><br> <img src="angela_window.png"><br> [[For fuck's sake.|Incoming Call]] </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_checkphone.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> It was my mother. I guess I knew even then that something had happened... she never called me unless it was something. Something he'd done, or hadn't done, or said. Another lie she'd caught him in. <br><br> She'd call and scream at me like it was my fault, and then hang up before I could say anything more offensively useless than "hello?"</div> <br> Well. <br><br> In that case. <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I let it go to [[voicemail|1 New Message]].</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="pleasantview.png"><br> Pleasantview... <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I always swore that I'd never come back.</div> <br> <img src="woodland_lilithandlucy.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> Not after what it did to Lilith... and Lucy.</div> <br> <img src="woodland_lucy2.png"><br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> You mean after what Lilith did to Lucy?</div> <br> <img src="therapy002.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> Lilith didn't do anything.</div> <br> <img src="therapy008.png"><br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> You still believe that?</div> <br> <img src="therapy005.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> Why wouldn't I? It's the truth. You don't stop believing in the truth after enough time passes, or whatever it is that you're all waiting for.</div> <br> <img src="therapy006.png"><br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> I'm not waiting for anything. You're entitled to your beliefs.</div> <br> <img src="therapy003.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> But you believe I'm wrong.</div> <br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> It would be inappropriate for me to --</div> <br> <img src="therapy001.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> It doesn't matter, does it? What I believe? What really happened? They want to believe it was her. She made it so easy for them.</div> <br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<audio "general" stop>> <center> <div class="hoatext"> Welcome to $HOA! </div> </center>

<center> <div class="hoatext"> <center> $HOA has many great (and private!) amenities to offer our lucky homeowners and their approved guests! </center> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <img src="amenities_clubhouse.png"> </td> <td> <b>The Clubhouse</b><br> Our private, members-only Clubhouse offers a wide variety of options for fun and relaxation. </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <b>Cozy Lounge</b><br> Curl up with a cup of fresh coffee or tea by a warm fire on one of our plush sofas in the communal lounge, or learn a new skill on our antique piano recently donated to us by our president, Daniel Pleasant. </td> <td> <img src="amenities_couches.png" width="400"> </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <img src="amenities_pooltable.png" width="400"> </td> <td> <b>Social Activities</b><br> We encourage our members (and their approved guests) to socialize and form close bonds with one another by engaging in appropriate social activities such as a friendly game of pool or cards. </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <b>Complimentary Breakfast</b><br> Firefly Grove knows that breakfast is the most //important// meal of the day, which means that it's //important// for our members to have easy access to a healthy, hearty meal at the beginning of every day! </td> <td> <img src="amenities_coffee.png" width="400"> </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <img src="amenities_formal1.png" width="400"> </td> <td> <b>Banquet Room</b><br> Members looking to host a more formal event have access to our fully decorated banquet room, complete with catered buffet table and trained staff. </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <b>Members-Only Gym</b><br> Conveniently located right next door to the Clubhouse is Firefly Grove's private gym, which offers professional-grade exercise equipment. </td> <td> <img src="amenities_gym.png" width="400"> </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <img src="amenities_outdoorpool.png" width="400"> </td> <td> <b>Private Pool(s)</b><br> Those looking for a cooler, more gentle resistance workout also have access to a large outdoor saltwater pool... </td></tr> <tr><td> ...and a tranquil, perfectly heated indoor pool for those days when the weather is somewhat less than ideal. </td> <td> <img src="amenities_indoorpool.png" width="400"> </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <img src="amenities_spa.png" width="400"> </td> <td> <b>Spa and Private Bath</b><br> Enjoy private, member's only access to our intimate spa facility featuring professional massage therapists and special bath area where you can steep yourself in sulphur, milk or mud. </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td> <b>Poolside Picnic Area</b><br> And should you work up an appetite with all of that relaxing, hosting, exercising and swimming, we also offer our members (and approved guests) the option of a quaint poolside barbeque. </td> <td> <img src="amenities_picnic.png" width="400"> </td></tr> </table> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="hoatext"> <center> $HOA is owned and maintained by your friendly neighbors and fellow homeowners, which assures pride and civility is prioritized in our community! <br><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="300"> <img src="daniel_portrait.png" width="300"> </td> <td> <b>President</b><br> Daniel Pleasant<br> Ext. 115<br> president@fireflygrove.com </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="300"> <img src="jan_portrait.png" width="300"> </td> <td> <b>Vice President</b><br> Jan Tellerman<br> Ext. 116<br> vp@fireflygrove.com </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="300"> <img src="cass_portrait.png" width="300"> </td> <td align="left"> <b>Secretary</b><br> Cassandra Goth<br> Ext. 117<br> secretary@fireflygrove.com </td></tr> </table> <br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="300"> <img src="dora_portrait.png" width="300"> </td> <td> <b>Treasurer</b><br> Dora Ottomas<br> Ext. 118<br> treasurer@fireflygrove.com </td></tr> </table> </center> </div> </center>

<div class="hoatext"> <center> $HOA is a close-knit community committed to a higher standard of living in every measurable way, from social communications to health and wellness, right down to the most minute details of lawn care; nothing escapes our rigorous oversight. <br><br> In order to ensure that $HOA's ideals are realized, we require that all homeowners agree to and abide by our member bylaws. Please be aware all rules are strictly enforced at all times in order to ensure that $HOA's mission to establish neighborly bliss and satisfaction is realized. Expulsion from the $HOA community, as well as other appropriate punitive measures, may apply. <br><br> <b>$HOA Homeowner Agreement</b> <br><br> I.<br> In compliance with the town of Pleasantview's safe night dictum, $HOA members and approved guests will be expected to be safely located indoors each evening by 10pm. Failure to comply may result in removal from the $HOA community. <br><br> II.<br> <center> <img src="hoa_curfew2.png" width="600" height="350"> </center> <br> All public spaces must be vacated by sunset. All facilities (ie. clubhouse, gym) will be promptly locked each evening in compliance, and will not be reopened to members until 7am the next morning. It is imperative that members and approved guests not be on the premises overnight. Failure to comply may result in removal from the $HOA community. <br><br> III.<br> <center> <img src="hoa_lawns.png" width="600" height="350"> </center> <br> All lawns must be rigorously maintained. Brown patches, overgrown grass, muddy holes and weeds are all unsightly manifestations of human failure and intolerable apathy. Basic weekly lawn maintenance is included in the HOA fees, but each individual homeowner is ultimately responsible for the well-being of their own lawn. Any unusual discoloration must be promptly reported to the Board. Unauthorized digging is discouraged. Failure to comply may result in removal from the $HOA community. <br><br> IV.<br> <center> <img src="hoa_garbage.png" width="600" height="350"> </center> <br> Each household will be provided with a garbage can, a recycling bin and a green waste cart. All waste receptacles must be removed from sight on day of collection. Waste receptacles may not linger at the curb for more than 12 hours. Monthly sanitization of all receptacles is highly encouraged as a measure of proper pest prevention. Do not force $HOA to clean up your mistakes. Failure to comply may result in removal from the $HOA community. <br><br> V.<br> <center> <img src="hoa_maid.png" width="600" height="350"> </center> <br> Basic housekeeping services may be acceptable. Please inquire with the Board before hiring any outside services to ensure the safety of all community members and approved guests. <br><br> VI.<br> <center> <img src="hoa_phone.png" width="600" height="350"> </center> <br> Do not answer the phone between the hours of 11pm and 4am. The $HOA community phone lines are known to be unstable during these hours. Should the phone ring during these hours, the homeowner should make a note of the time, how long it rings, and how many attempts at contact are made and promptly deliver this information to the Board during normal operational hours. <br><br> VII.<br> <center> <img src="hoa_suppers.png" width="600" height="350"> </center> <br> As part of our Good Neighbors Social Initiative (GNSI), Sunday Suppers will be held one Sunday a month, at 6pm, in the Banquet Room of the Clubhouse. Attendance is compulsory. If for some reason a member is unable to attend, their absence must be registered with and pre-approved by the Board. Non-members will not be permitted at Sunday Suppers. Members will enjoy their meals without complaint. Food and alcohol will be provided. Failure to comply may result in removal from the $HOA community. </center> </div>

<center> <div class="hoatext"> <center> $HOA would like to extend a warm <b>Welcome Back!</b> to Angela Pleasant, who is returning to us after an extended stay in Belladonna Cove! </center> <br> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="hoatext"> <center> The $HOA Board is not currently accepting any casual inquiries. <br><br> If you are facing an emergency, please contact Jan Tellerman at vp@fireflygrove.com. </center> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="hoatext"> <center> $HOA Member Login </center> <br> You do not have the necessary credentials to login to the $HOA Members area. Please contact the Board if you believe this is an error. </div> </center>

<<audio "general" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_subway1.png"><br> Already she is back inside of the tidy confines of her hometown of [[Pleasantview]]... hurtling through the dark, grime-encrusted arteries that pulsed just beneath the thinning skin of manicured lawns, power washed sidewalks and white picket fangs, all meticulously encapsulated within [[gleefully rigid HOAs]]. <br><br> <img src="angela_fists.png"><br> A muscular coil of dread begins to stir somewhere deep inside of her. <br><br> <img src="angela_subway4.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I could feel it building. That hideous sensation. I tried to stop it before it could really take hold, using the methods that you taught me. I remember thinking,// oh, it's going to be a bad one,// which only makes it worse, and I remember [[counting backwards from 10]], and then...</div> </div> </center>

<<audio "static" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="acrosstheaisle.png"><br> [[Something moved across the aisle.]] </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="imnottired.png"><br> "I'm not tired." <br><br> <img src="yourealreadyasleep.png"><br> [[But that couldn't be right.]] </div> </center>

<<audio "emergency" stop>> <<audio "static" stop>> <<audio "fire" stop>> <<audio "crackle" volume 0.95 fadeout>> <<audio "nightmare" volume 0.10 loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_inbetween.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> She sent me somewhere only partially birthed.</div> <br> <img src="angela_shieldeyes.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> A half-formed nowhere swaddled in <<if $smoke is false>>[[fog|smoke]]<<elseif $smoke is true>>smoke<</if>>.</div> <br> <img src="angela_shieldeyes2.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I thought I was all alone...</div> <br> [[Something moved in the distance.]] </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_cuphands.png"><br> <img src="angela_lookaround.png"><br> <img src="smokefog_angela.png"><br> [[Something's out there|Reach out]]... </div> </center>

<<set $smoke to true>> <center> <div class="story"> <div class="Angela">No, not fog... <<timed 2.5s>> [[smoke|memory: bonfire]]. <</timed>> </div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="412.png"><br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> Well. <<timed 2s>> Sometimes they do that. <</timed>> </div> <<timed 6s>><<goto "Still.">><</timed>> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="livingroom.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> Still.</div> <<timed 5s>> <<goto "I wish that it would stop.">> <</timed>> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_knife.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I wish that it would [[stop]].</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="kitchen_blinds.png"><br> She tells herself: //In case of emergencies.// <br><br> But then it rings. <br><br> <img src="angela_stare.png"><br> And she tells herself: //If it were an emergency, they'd call my cell.// <br><br> And so it rings.<br> And rings.<br> And rings. <br><br> <img src="angela_back.png"><br> And she waits for it to [[stop|stop 2]]. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_handextended.png"><br> Hesitantly, she extended her hand into the ether, each finger tremoring, shivering. She was not ordinarily this brave -- she doesn't even like to reach into a dark room to flip on the light switch for fear of what hidden monstrosity might meet her as she felt along the wall, but the figure in the distance appeared small; childlike. <br><br> //Lucy?// <br><br> "Hello?" She called to it, [[hand trembling in front of her|deep growl]]. Her voice seemed to immediately sink into the thick smoke and disappear. "It's okay, I won't hurt you..." </div> </center>

<<audio "emergency" loop play>> <center> <div class="passagesVHS"> <span class="glitchy" data-text="SEVERE WEATHER WARNING">SEVERE WEATHER<br> WARNING</span> <br><br> <<timed 2s>> <<type 0.20s>><span class="glitchy" data-text="PLEASE BE">PLEASE BE</span><</type>> <</timed>> <<timed 4.5s>> <<type 0.20s>><span class="glitchy" data-text="CAREFUL">CAREFUL</span><</type>> <</timed>> <<timed 8s>> <<goto "Half-formed Nowhere">> <</timed>> </div> </center>

<<audio "growl" stop>> <center> <div class="story"> <<audio "walkingonsand" loop play>> <img src="Unhumanwalk1.png"><br> It stepped forward in slow, measured steps, in no great hurry; it did not worry about her outrunning it. <br><br> <img src="Unhumanwhyhello.png"><br> Without the veil of <<if $smoke is true>>smoke<<elseif $smoke is false>>fog<</if>> to obscure its features, it was horrible; its crimson eyes bulged from their sockets, engorged with blood and malice; its gray skin mottled with veins and bruises; and its mouth ringed with sharp teeth like a spiral filled with broken glass. <br><br> <img src="Unhumanchase.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> It was fast; impossibly fast. </div> <br> <img src="Unhuman_lunge.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> And I was not.</div> <br> The <<if $smoke is true>>smoke<<elseif $smoke is false>>fog<</if>> spun and swirled, filling her mouth and seeping into her lungs. Her legs struggled to move against the heavy gray resin that sucked at her feet, preventing her from putting any meaningful distance between herself and the thing pursuing her. <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I could actually feel the air behind me splitting open as it lunged for me. My head was full of [[thunder and teeth|struck down]]; I remember wondering if it would make me suffer.</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_sinktofloor4.png"><br> No, the fangs in that word had been ground down years ago, worn down to nubs on the bones of her sister, her cousin, her grandmother. They could barely break the skin anymore. <br><br> <img src="angela_sinktofloor1.png"><br> It was the sick assembly of syllables parading along behind that word that were making it so hard to breathe properly, that had turned her legs to shit suddenly, and caused her heart to beat violently, violently. <br><br> She needs to sit down, but the chairs are on the other end of the planet. <br><br> <img src="angela_sinktofloor3.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I should have picked the knife back up. I just didn't have the energy anymore.</div> <br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> What did she say?</div> <br> <img src="angela_floor.png"><br> [[You have to come home, Angela.|Message deleted.]] </div> </center>

<<audio "growl" volume 1 play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="bigstretch.png"><br> A deep, threatening growl cut through the <<if $smoke is true>>smoke<<elseif $smoke is false>>fog<</if>>. <br><br> <img src="angela_surprised.png"><br> She quickly pulled her hand back to her chest and staggered back half a step, a frightened cry leaping from her throat. <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I feel stupid now, looking back on it.</div> <br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> Unhuman things often take the form of children to gain the trust of their targets.</div> <br> <img src="angela_smoke1.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I should have known better. Instead I just stood there like a moron, holding my own hand, too scared to do anything except stare at it.</div> <br> <img src="unhumanhand.png"><br> She watched, paralyzed with terror, as the thing cloaked in <<if $smoke is true>>smoke<<elseif $smoke is false>>fog<</if>> began to twist and writhe. It's skin stretched and tore as it's true form expanded, far too big and sharp for its false cocoon. <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I wanted to run, but where the hell was I going to go? There was nothing but <<if $smoke is true>>smoke<<elseif $smoke is false>>fog<</if>> and this -- I don't know, this //[[creature|Pull back]]//. <br><br> This world was empty.</div> </div> </center>

<<audio "fire" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="bonfire1.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> It wasn't a big fire, but at the time, it was almost scary. Up until that point, my experience with fires had been contained to the small metal pit in the backyard, so I had never seen flames reach that high.</div> <br> <img src="bonfire2.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I remember the sky was overcast, and the weatherman on TV kept telling us that a storm was rolling in, but we'd been planning this for weeks -- an evening of black smoke and yellow flames, and the crackle of boiling sap and the ocean clawing at the shore -- and we weren't going to let a little rain dictate shit to us.</div> <br> <img src="bonfire3c.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> It was heavenly, and then it wasn't, and when I look back on it, I can't remember which was which, only that something had ended and something new had begun.</div> <br> <div class="return">[[<<|Half-formed Nowhere]]</div> </div> </center>

<<audio "walkingonsand" stop>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="Unhuman_castoff.png"><br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> But you escaped, somehow.</div> <br> <img src="Unhuman_struckdown.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> [[Somehow.|Ana wins!]]</div> </div> </center>

<<audio "static" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="tv_attack1b.png"><br> <img src="angela_lookback.png"><br> "$Ana?" <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> At first, I was so relieved to see her, but...</div> <br> <img src="tv_pained.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> Something was wrong.</div> <br> <img src="angela_reach.png"><br> "$Ana?" She said, again, [[taking a hesitant step in the Analog's direction|regrouped]]. </div> </center>

<<audio "static" stop>> <<audio "growl" stop>> <<audio "ghoststories" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_running.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> Time is impossible to keep in that place. It passes differently -- sometimes too fast, sometimes not at all. I don't know how long I ran for, I just know that I was [[alone|Ana]] in the vast emptiness of $dreamworld. <br><br> I just wanted to [[wake up]].</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> I was terrified that something would happen to $Ana; she's been with me for so long, I almost can't remember what it was like before her. <br><br> But at that moment, I was even more terrified that I'd be stuck there if she couldn't help me get back.</div> <br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_ohshitwut.png"><br> <img src="215simlane2.png"><br> The house crouched in the dying light and watched her approach. <br><br> It had been years since she had left, but [[it remembered]] her... remembered the sound of her footsteps on the stairs; the weight of her floating in its cold, acrylic womb; the patter of her tears raining down onto its floors, soaking into its bones... and the way she had haunted it since the day they’d brought her [[home]]. </div> </center>

<<audio "ghoststories" stop>> <<audio "storm1" stop>> <<audio "wind2" stop>> <<set $Cassandra to true>> <center> <div class="passages2"> "She was waiting for me." <br><br> "The woman upstairs?" He asked, pen frozen in his fist, nib digging into the paper. "Did you recognize her?" <br><br> <img src="lilithsroom_cassandra.png"><br> "Yes, of course. It was Cassandra." <br><br> He made a sputtering, unprofessional sound. "Cassandra //Goth//?" <br><br> She nodded her confirmation. <br><br> "But how did she --?" He stopped himself. //She won't know, either,// he thought. He cleared his throat, and tried again. "What did she want?" <br><br> Her knee jittered, nervously. <br><br> <<if $stonesoup is true>> [["She wanted me to tell you something."]] <<elseif $stonesoup is false>> [["She said she had a message for me."]] <</if>> </div> </center>

<<audio "growl" volume 1 play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="Unhuman_crawl.png"><br> <img src="angela_fearful.png"><br> //Shit.// <br><br> The thing had regrouped already, although the force of $AnaFull's attack seemed to have left it in an irrepairably altered state. <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> She meant to kill it. I think. I don't think she was able to, though.</div> <br> <img src="angela_unhuman.png"><br> It skittered, crab-like, across the sand, joints clicking painfully as it hissed and growled, still fixated on her, hatred radiating from it, as if though it blamed her for its current realignment. <br><br> If it hadn't planned on making her suffer before, it surely would now. <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> And if [[she couldn't fight it|Run, Bitch]], there was no way that I could.</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="passages2"> Don blinked. <br><br> "Me?" <br><br> Angela made direct eye contact for the first time since she'd entered the room for their appointment that day. Her eyes were a stormy mix of distrust and curiousity. <br><br> [picture of Cassandra holding the item from Zebeste]<br> "She said, 'it's only going to get worse. There's nothing you can do. She'll die like the rest of them.'" <br><br> [[Don's computer]] </div> </center>

<center> <div class="passages2"> "A message for you?" <br><br> Angela fidgeted and picked at her fingernails, her leg jittering reaching a level of obnoxiousness that made his nerves stutter and twitch. <br><br> "You don't have to tell me," he reminded her, forceably injecting a calm, reasonable tone into his voice. It left an artificial aftertaste at the back of his tongue. Jitter-jitter-jitter. The whole room jittered with her. He wanted to reach across the short distance separating them and steady her leg, as he'd done with <<linkreplace "Cassandra">>[[Nina]]<</linkreplace>> so many times before. Why couldn't she just be still? He wanted to take a baseball bat and shatter her fucking kneecaps. "But whatever it is she told you, it's clearly troubling you, and that's kind of what I'm here for." <br><br> Tell him.<br> Don't tell him. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>WELCOME, DON!</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> [[Check e-mail|emails]]<br> [[Check patient files|patients]]<br> [[Check personal documents|personal]]<br> [[Check recycling bin|recycling bin]] </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>PATIENT MEDICAL RECORDS</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="50%" valign="top"> [[Broke, Skip|Patient: Skip]]<br> [[Dreamer, Darleen|Patient: Darleen]]<br> [[GilsCarbo, Goopy|Patient: Goopy]]<br> [[Gorey, Allegra|Patient: Allegra]]<br> [[Goth, Bella|Patient: Bella]]<br> [[Grunt, Lyla|Patient: Lyla]]<br> [[Kat, Tara|Patient: Tara]] </td> <td width="50%" valign="top"> [[King, Gordon|Patient: Gordon]]<br> [[Loste, Kristen|Patient: Kristen]]<br> [[Neengia, Rainelle|Patient: Rainelle]]<br> [[Nigmos, Willow|Patient: Willow]]<br> [[Pleasant, Angela|Patient: Angela]]<br> [[Quizine, Zebeste|Patient: Zebeste]] </td></tr> </table> <br> <div class="return">[[<<|Don's computer]]</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>PATIENT MEDICAL RECORD</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%" height="1"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="50%" valign="top"> <b>Patient Name</b><br> Skip Bernard Broke<br> DOB <br><br> 55 Woodland Drive<br> Pleasantview, SimCity 94545<br> Old Country </td> <td width="50%" valign="top"> <center> <img src="file_skip.png"> </center> </td></tr> </table> <br> <b>In Case of Emergency</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%" height="1"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="50%" valign="top"> Brandi Broke <br><br> <b>Relationship</b><br> Spouse <br><br> <b>Home Phone</b><br> (555) 555-4792 </td> <td width="50%" valign="top"> 55 Woodland Drive<br> Pleasantview, SimCity 94545<br> Old Country <br><br> <b>Work Phone</b><br> (555) 555-4792 </td></tr> </table> <br> <b>General Medical History</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%" height="1"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="50%" valign="top"> <b>Chicken Pox (Varicella)</b><br> Immune </td> <td width="50%" valign="top"> <b>Measles</b><br> Immune </td></tr> </table> <b>List any Medical Problems (asthma, seizures, headaches):</b><br> Patient has a family history of high blood pressure. Patient has been suffering from long-term insomnia and complaining of headaches. <br><br> <b>List any allergies:</b><br> Patient has no known allergies. <br><br> <b>List any medications:</b><br> Demetonin 15mg, taken nightly <br><br> <br> <b>For Demetonin Trial Only</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%" height="1"><br> <br><br> <div class="return">[[<<|patients]]</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>PATIENT MEDICAL RECORD</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="50%" valign="top"> <b>Patient Name</b><br> Angela Mary Pleasant<br> 02/05/1988 <br><br> 215 Sim Lane<br> Pleasantview, SimCity 94545<br> Old Country </td> <td width="50%" valign="top"> <center> <img src="file_angela.png"> </center> </td></tr> </table> <br> <b>In Case of Emergency</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="50%" valign="top"> Mary-Sue Pleasant <br><br> <b>Relationship</b><br> Mother <br><br> <b>Home Phone</b><br> (555) 555- </td> <td width="50%" valign="top"> 215 Sim Lane<br> Pleasantview, SimCity 94545<br> Old Country <br><br> <b>Work Phone</b><br> (555) 555- </td></tr> </table> <br> <b>General Medical History</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="50%" valign="top"> <b>Chicken Pox (Varicella)</b><br> Immune </td> <td width="50%" valign="top"> <b>Measles</b><br> Immune </td></tr> </table> <b>List any Medical Problems (asthma, seizures, headaches):</b><br> Patient has no known underlying medical issues. <br><br> <b>List any allergies:</b><br> Patient has no known allergies. <br><br> <b>List any medications:</b><br> Demetonin 15mg, taken nightly <br><br> <b>List any related symptoms:</b><br> <b>Date</b> Patient has suffered from insomnia and other sleep-related issues since early childhood. When she is able to sleep, she dreams vividly. She experiences nightmares at an unusually high rate. Common themes include being chased through unfamiliar territories. While not unusual, the content of her dreams do have cause for concern.<br> <b>Date</b> Patient reports that dreams have grown worse following the death of her cousin, Lucy Burb (10), and subsequent disappearance of her twin, Lilith (17).<br> <b>Date</b> The Tricous all die. Effects.<br> <b>Date</b> Patient has relocated to Belladonna Cove. Will continue our appointments via Zoom, unless nocturnal activity improves.<br> <b>Date</b> Nocturnal activity remains unchanged.<br> <b>Date</b> Patient has begun to exhibit some concerning symptoms. I am concerned about the possibility of self-harm, and have alerted the necessary authorities.<br> <<if $updateAngela is false>> <<linkreplace "Update file.">><<set $updateAngela to true>><b>Date</b> Patient has returned to Pleasantview following the death of her father. Patient reports having a nightmare on the train; $Ana sent her to the outer realm -- why? She knows better. Patient encountered a $creature1 and was nearly attacked, but $Ana was able to protect her. A further breach of the $Analog's Oath occured later ine dream, involving the presence of both Zebeste Quizine and Cassandra Goth.<</linkreplace>> <<elseif $updateAngela is true>><b>Date</b> Patient has returned to Pleasantview following the death of her father. Patient reports having a nightmare on the train; $Ana sent her to the outer realm -- why? She knows better. Patient encountered a $creature1 and was nearly attacked, but $Ana was able to protect her. A further breach of $AnaFull's Oath occured later in the same dream, involving the presence of both Zebeste Quizine and Cassandra Goth. <</if>> <br><br> <b>For Demetonin Trial Only</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> Angela has been selected for the Demetonin Trial program. <br><br> <b>Placement approved by:</b><br> D. Lothario <br><br> <b>Reason for admission into program:</b><br> Angela has met or exceeded the conditions to qualify for the program. <br><br> <b>Analogue companion assigned:</b><br> Ana#00001 <br><br> <div class="return">[[<<|patients]]</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>INBOX</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <table width="100%"> <tr><td width="25%" valign="top"> <<if $emails gte 4>> B, E<br> <</if>> Broke, Dustin<br> Caliente, Nina<br> Bruty, Sandy<br> Pleasant, Mary-Sue<br> Bruty, Sandy </td> <td width="5%" valign="top"> </td> <td width="70%" valign="top"> <<if $emails gte 4>> [[It will not end well.|Email: Erin: A Threat]]<br> <</if>> [[My father...|Email: Dustin: My Father]]<br> [[Dinner reminder|Email: Nina: Dinner]]<br> [[Re: Request for Interview|Email: Sandy: Interview 2]]<br> [[(no subject)|Email: Mary-Sue: No Subject]]<br> [[Request for Interview|Email: Sandy: Interview 1]] </td></tr> </table> <br> <div class="return">[[<<|Don's computer]]</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>RECYCLING BIN</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> A couple of pictures of Nina, a txt file, an img file flyer for some Easter event at Mary-Sue's HOA clubhouse <br><br> <div class="return">[[<<|Don's computer]]</div> </div> </center>

<<set $emails to $emails + 1>> <center> <div class="medfile"> <b>INBOX</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <b>from:</b> "Broke, Dustin"<br> <b>date:</b> ##-##-## 7:03pm<br> <b>subject:</b> My father... <br><br> Good evening, Dr. Lothario. <br><br> My name is Dustin Broke. My father, Skip Broke, was one of your patients. <br><br> I'm writing in the hopes that you might be able to help me with a delicate matter relating to my father's passing. I've recently come across some personal paperwork leading up to his death that I'd like to discuss with you. <br><br> I think you might find it very interesting. He certainly did. <br><br> - Dustin <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<set $emails to $emails + 1>> <center> <div class="medfile"> <b>INBOX</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <b>from:</b> "Pleasant, Mary-Sue"<br> <b>date:</b> ##-##-## 1:53pm<br> <b>subject:</b> (no subject) <br><br> Don, <br><br> By now I assume you've spoken to Miss Bruty. I hope you won't be upset with me for suggesting that she contact you about the book. <br><br> I know you were a great confidante for Daniel, and you may feel obligated to protect him, even now. As his wife, I believe I also knew him relatively well, and I do believe that if he were still able to communicate with us, he would want his story told. Furthermore, I have the greatest faith in your ability to be discrete. <br><br> While it is ultimately your decision, I want you to know that you not only have my blessing to grant Miss Bruty an interview, but my full encouragement. <br><br> - Mary <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<set $emails to $emails + 1>> <center> <div class="medfile"> <b>INBOX</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <b>from:</b> "Bruty, Sandy"<br> <b>date:</b> ##-##-## 1:53pm<br> <b>subject:</b> Request for Interview <br><br> Dr. Lothario, I assure you, that language will only encourage me! <br><br> While I will pretend to respect your position, I want to reiterate that you will be //generously compensated//, and at a time when I hear that your clinic is in need of funding...! Fate couldn't be more mysterious, could she? My offer remains open, sir, but please don't waste too much of our not unlimited time trying to convince yourself that you're too principled for such macabre follies. <br><br> Quoth the youthful:<br> "Spoiler Alert!"<br> //No one ever is.// <br><br> Shamelessly,<br> Sandy <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<set $emails to $emails + 1>> <center> <div class="medfile"> <b>INBOX</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <b>from:</b> "Bruty, Sandy"<br> <b>date:</b> ##-##-## 1:53pm<br> <b>subject:</b> Request for Interview <br><br> Good afternoon, Dr. Lothario, I hope this email finds you well. <br><br> As you may have guessed from the subject of this electronic epistle, I'm contacting you with a request: an exclusive interview for my next book, future SimCity Times Best Seller //Title: The Daniel Pleasant Story//. <br><br> Though it may seem ghoulishly, //fiendishly// sudden (the poor man's wittled remains hasn't even been laid to rest yet, o woe!), I've already received authorization from Mrs. Pleasant to tell her late husband's story, and it's via her recommendation that I have contacted you, as she tells me that you are a close family friend, as well as as a dedicated professional. <br><br> Naturally, you will be fully credited and generously compensated should you agree to my very normal, very accommodating terms. <br><br> Regards,<br> Sandy <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>> DonMega's PC > Documents</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> [[Thoughts + Notes]]<br> [[Demetonin Trial]]<br> [[The Analog's Oath]] <br><br> <div class="return">[[<<|Don's computer]]</div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>> DonMega's PC > Documents > Thoughts + Notes</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <<type 0.1s>> Personal documents and thoughts, Agent Scully-style. Only the most recent entry will be typed. Previous logs already exist. Remember to keep it short because readers ain't got time for all that. <</type>> <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>> DonMega's PC > Documents > Demetonin Trial</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> Information about the Demetonin Trial. Participants, Circe, Analogs, etc. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>> DonMega's PC > Documents > The Analog's Oath</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> Rules and regulations for the Analogs. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="medfile"> <b>INBOX</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <b>from:</b> "B, E"<br> <b>date:</b> ##-##-## 1:53pm<br> <b>subject:</b> It will not end well. <br><br> Mr. Lothario <br><br> I hope your latest appointment with Miss Pleasant was worth it. I prayed that you would listen, but it seems I have gone unheard. That is a pity. <br><br> Your blood will fill our coffers. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<set $emails to $emails + 1>> <center> <div class="medfile"> <b>INBOX</b><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%"><br> <b>from:</b> "Caliente, Nina"<br> <b>date:</b> ##-##-## 4:34pm<br> <b>subject:</b> Dinner reminder <br><br> Hey, lover. <br><br> Don't forget about our dinner date tonight at Londoste. Reservations are under your name, 7pm. Don't forget to save room for dessert. ;) <br><br> Love,<br> Nina <br><br> <img src="blackline.png" width="100%" height="1px"><br> <b>One attachment:</b><br> <<linkreplace "dessert.jpg">>dessert.jpg<br> <img src="dessert.png"> <</linkreplace>> <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="therapy_angeladon1.png"><br> "And when you went inside, did the house..." He hesitated. The words turned to glue in his mouth, arid now, bone-dry. His tongue rattled. "What did it look like? Was it normal, or did it seem...?" <br><br> His voice trailed off. <br><br> <img src="therapy_angeladon2.png"><br> "I don't know," she said. She watched him, mirroring his unease. "There was a [[commotion on the train]], and I got woken up before I could go in." <br><br> <img src="therapy_angeladon3.png"><br> Don nodded slowly, a strange, nauseating melange of relief and disappointment roiling inside of him. "Ah," he said. "I see. Then I think..." He cleared his throat, desperately wishing he had something to drink. "I think that I should [[warn you]]." </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="subway_commotion1.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> There was a woman... she got on the train shortly after I did, and sat off by herself at one end of the car.<br><br> I woke to her standing by the window, completely freaking out.</div> <br> <img src="subway_commotion2.png"><br> "//They followed me. Oh, God, they followed me.//" <br><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> She just kept saying it, over and over again.</div> <br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> They?</div> <br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> That's the thing...</div> <br> <img src="subway_commotion3.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> There was no one out there.</div> <br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="therapy_angeladon4.png"><br> "//Warn// me?" <br><br> <img src="therapy_angeladon5.png"><br> "It's Ana," he said, delicately. <br><br> <img src="therapy_angeladon6.png"><br> "She's become [[symptomatic]]." </div> </center>

<<audio "tub" loop play>> <<audio "ghoststories" stop>> <<audio "nightmare" stop>> <<audio "general" stop>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_tub004.png"><br> <img src="angela_tub009.png"><br> //Symptomatic.// <br><br> <img src="angela_tub006.png"><br> Steam filled the tiny bathroom she had once shared with her sister, turning it into a makeshift sauna. Her skin tingled and dripped. <br><br> //Symptomatic,// she thought, and a deep chill raced through her, unaffected by the scalding water she'd steeped herself in. <br><br> <img src="angela_tub002.png"><br> //Symptomatic,// he'd said, choosing his words with surgical precision. <br><br> But Dr. Lothario's explanation of the virus spreading through the Analogues suggested another might be more accurate: <br><br> //Dangerous.// <br><br> //She's become dangerous.// <br><br> <img src="angela_tub008.png"><br> [[She would have to be dealt with.|knock knock]] </div> </center>

<<audio "knock" play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="tub_startled.png"><br> A thunderous knock caused the door to shudder in its frame, and tore her from her melancholic reverie. <br><br> <img src="tub_callout1.png"><br> "Mom?" She called out, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. "Grandpa?" <br><br> No, that couldn't be right; Herb could barely make it up the stairs, and even if he'd been able to muster up the strength to pound at the door, his gentle temperament would never allow it. <br><br> <img src="tub_callout5.png"><br> "Hello?" <br><br> <img src="tub_callout4.png"><br> Suddenly, the bathtub seemed too hot, too small and confined; too vulnerable. <br><br> <img src="angela_towel1.png"><br> She all but leapt into her towel, wrapping it tightly around herself and cursing her earlier self for deciding to leave the fresh set of clothing she'd selected lying on the bed in her old room. <br><br> <img src="angela_towel2.png"><br> "Hello?" She called again, hesitantly [[approaching the door]]. "Mom? Is that you?" </div> </center>

<<audio "tub" stop>> <<audio "knock" stop>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_towel3.png"><br> "Mom? Is that you?" <br><br> Somewhere on the other side of the door, she could hear [[muffled voices]]. </div> </center>

<<audio "door" play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_door1.png"><br> <img src="angela_door2.png"><br> Slowly, she eased the door open, wincing at the shrill wail of the hinges. <br><br> <img src="angela_door3.png"><br> "Mom?" She called, again. <br><br> [[The TV turned off.]] </div> </center>

<<audio "carradio" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="theloft.png"><br> Someone was [[watching TV|knock knock 2]] in the loft. </div> </center>

<<audio "door" stop>> <<audio "carradio" stop>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_door8.png"><br> Quickly, her heart pounding frantically, she shut and locked the door. <br><br> <img src="angela_door7.png"><br> //Shit,// she thought, backing away from the door until she bumped back into the counters. //Shit, shit, shit.// <br><br> <img src="angela_door10.png"><br> //Now what?// <br><br> With the loft between herself, her bedroom and the stairs, she was effectively [[trapped in the bathroom]]. </div> </center>

<<audio "knock" play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_door11.png"><br> "Angela!" <br><br> <img src="angela_door12.png"><br> The sound of her mother's voice, irritated as it was, was easily the most beautiful thing she'd ever heard. <br><br> <img src="angela_towel4.png"><br> "Mom!" She launched herself at the door, fumbling with the lock, her hands shaking with relief. "Thank God it's you." <br><br> "Hurry up," Mary-Sue said, sounding vexed, sounding as if Angela's decision to take a bath had aggrieved her in some hideous way. "You're taking too long." <br><br> Angela thought of her quiet apartment in [[Belladonna Cove]], and how peaceful it had been just beyond the reach of her mother's volatile temper and perpetually shifting triggers. <br><br> Her fussy, short-fused mother was still preferrable to anything else that might've been lurking on the other side of the door. <br><br> <img src="angela_door13.png"><br> "Why didn't you answer me earlier?" <br><br> <img src="angela_door14.png"><br> "Hey --!" Her immense relief curdled slightly as she watched her mother stomp down the stairs, seemingly in another one of her notorious snits. <br><br> <img src="angela_door15.png"><br> //What the hell is her problem?// <br><br> She sighed, and [[pulled her towel more tightly around herself|Put on some clothes]], as if it could ward off the chill of her mother's frigid constitution. </div> </center>

<<audio "knock" stop>> <<audio "general" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_door6.png"><br> <img src="angela_door4.png"><br> <img src="angela_door5.png"><br> She paused at the edge of the small [[loft]] space, feeling silly and irrational, but no less hesitant to cross its path. <br><br> //It was just Mom,// she told herself. Probably channel surfing as she stewed in her own venom. //Don't be such a pathetic moron.// <br><br> <img src="angela_scuttle.png"><br> Holding her breath, she scuttled past the empty space as [[quickly and quietly]] as she could, focusing on [[her bedroom]] door. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="theloft2.png"><br> The loft sat empty, the wall-mounted television staring blankly back at her. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_bedroom1.png"><br> <img src="angela_bedroom2.png"><br> Her old room had been transformed into a guest room, as impersonal and modest as a magazine ad. <br><br> <img src="angela_dressed.png"><br> She dressed quickly, eager to finally shed the damp towel. <br><br> <img src="angela_godownstairs.png"><br> Then, she made her way [[downstairs|loft tv]] to find her mother. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> Whatever else happened, she would not die in a towel like some kind of slasher movie goofball whose entire reason for being was to become a machete cozy. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<audio "carradio" stop>> <<audio "general" stop>> <<audio "ghoststories" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_kitchen1.png"><br> "About time," Mary-Sue greeted her when she entered the kitchen. <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen2.png"><br> "Am I late for something?" Angela asked. There didn't appear to be any food prepared, so she couldn't have delayed a meal; nor had her mother or grandfather locked her into any commitments. <br><br> Rather, they had hardly spoken to her at all since she'd returned to Pleasantview. <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen3.png"><br> "Do you realize," Mary-Sue said, pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee. "Just how valuable my time is?" <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen4.png"><br> //Immeasurable,// she thought, but wisely kept it to herself. An entire childhood of similar refrains had taught her that nothing else would suffice. //There is no unit of measurement in the known universe that could successfully convey the depths of your martyrdom, Mother.// <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen5.png"><br> "I don't think you appreciate the sacrifices I've had to make in both my life and career in order to deal with you." <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen10.png"><br> //Deal with me?// <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen6.png"><br> "And all the while //you resist me//." <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen7.png"><br> Mary-Sue shoved the coffee pot back into place with enough force to crack the glass. The scent of old, stale coffee filled the kitchen. <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen8.png"><br> "Mom, what --" <br><br> The question fell down and died halfway across her tongue. <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen9.png"><br> "Over, and over, and over, again, you disappoint me, child." <br><br> <img src="angela_kitchen11.jpg"><br> "And your [[father and I|Exit Light, Enter Night]] will no longer tolerate disappointment." </div> </center>

<<audio "ghoststories" stop>> <<audio "anxiety" loop play>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_kitchen12.png"><br> "[[Are you out of your fucking mind?]]" She cried, taking a step back as her mother wielded the knife, its blade crusted with old blood. <br><br> "Language, child," she said, softly. "You don't want your father to hear you speaking to me like that." <br><br> <img src="daniel_slither.png"><br> "//Dad can't hear anything because he's// dead//! That's the whole reason I came back, remember?"// <br><br> <img src="daniel_slither2.png"><br> //"Don't be silly, child."// <br><br> @@.blurrier;//"Angela..."//@@ <br><br> <img src="angela_lookdown.png"><br> //"See? He's right there."// <br><br> Revulsion and terror rolled over her in waves as her father slithered into view, his face contorted in agony, her name gurgling in his throat. Instinctively, she backed away, and [[tripped backward over the kitchen chairs|Trip Over Chair]]. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_hesitate.png"><br> "Ana..." <br><br> <img src="tv_pained2b.png"><br> <div class="Angela"><b>$Angela:</b> [[So I did.]]</div> </div> </center>

<div class="title"> emperor of the dark </div>

<center> <div class="story"> <center> <<fadein 5s>>And the things that still <br><br> <</fadein>> <<fadein 15s>>looked for her in its empty halls <br><br> <</fadein>> <<fadein 20s>>and sterile rooms.<</fadein>> </center> <br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="belladonna2.png"><br> When she'd first left Pleasantview, she hadn't had any specific destination in mind; she'd simply aimed for "anywhere but here." <br><br> Belladonna Cove had never been "home," but at least she'd been able to live anonymously, instead of always being her sister's ghost. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<<audio "static" stop>> <<audio "crackle" loop play>> <<audio "anxiety" unmute>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_tub1.png"><br> She awoke with a shuddering gasp, splashing cold water over the sides of the tub onto the floor and wall. <br><br> //Oh, God,// she thought, and shivered, and sat, too fatigued to haul herself from the icy depths. <br><br> <img src="angela_tub2.png"><br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> It's Anna.</div> <br> <img src="angela_tub3.png"><br> <div class="Don"><b>$Don:</b> She's become symptomatic.</div> </div> </center>

<<audio "static" loop play>> <<audio "anxiety" mute>> <center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_shocked.png"><br> "Ana...?" <br><br> <img src="ana_wakeup.png"><br> The Analog stood in the doorway to the living room, [[a storm of static|Ana Static Message]] forming on her face. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_run1.png"><br> <img src="angela_run2.png"><br> [[That was a request she could fulfill|Ana Wake Up]]. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_nervous1.png"><br> She froze with her hand on the handle, her parents temporarily forgotten. <br><br> <img src="angela_nervous2.png"><br> A wraith of a man, floating by the fence. <br><br> <img src="nervous_closeup.jpg"><br> //Come outside.// She grimaced as his voice spread like a stain inside her skull. //Come to me. We can go far away from here.// <br><br> <img src="angela_nonono.jpg"><br> //No,// she thought, stepping backward onto her father's hand. The dry crunch of his bones beneath her foot made her want to scream. <br><br> //Come outside,// the man bade her, again, and she shook her head, //no.// <br><br> <img src="nervous_thenrun.jpg"><br> //Then [[run|Run around table]],// he said, his voice a wisp of smoke. //While there is still time.// </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="daniel_slither3.png"><br> With her heart conducting a frantic symphony in her chest, she rolled over and crawled under the table, and away from her mother's knife. <br><br> <img src="daniel_slither4.png"><br> At her heels, her father slithered and moaned, dragging himself by his elbows and fists. His hands grabbed at her feet, but he was too weak to hold on. <br><br> She kicked his hands away, focusing her full attention on [[the back door|Door: Unlocked]]; if she could get outside, she could escape. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <img src="angela_chairfall2.png"><br> "We ask //so little// of you," Mary-Sue said, moving closer. Angela's eyes moved from the ruins of her mother's face to the knife in her fist. <br><br> <img src="angela_chairfall.png"><br> //I'm dreaming,// she thought, but the realization brought her no relief, no respite; no safe haven. The dreamworld was no shelter, and she was not invulernable, lost within the folds of it. <br><br> She still had to [[escape|Run from Daniel]]. </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> Immediately, she inwardly cringed; she'd never even sworn in front of her mother before, let alone //at// her. <br><br> Mary-Sue, however, only smiled. <br><br> <div class="return"><<return>></div> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <span id="tv1"> <img src="loft_tvoff.jpg"> </span> <<timed 2s>> <<audio "carradio" loop play>> <<replace "#tv1">> <img src="loft_tvon.jpg"><br> //"Severe weather... residents advised to stay inside..."// <</replace>> <</timed>> <<timed 7s>> <<goto "downstairs">> <</timed>> </div> </center>

<center> <div class="story"> <center>Blessedly, the door was unlocked.</center> <<timed 4s>><<goto "Angela sees Nervous">><</timed>> </div> </center>