Part 67: Last Night- Page 65

So, without suggestions as to where to go, I figured we could, I donno, wait around for a little bit.

>z
Time passes.
>z
Time passes.
The cold wind blows harder, tugging at the hem of your trenchcoat.
>z
Time passes.
A sizzling bolt of lightning cuts through the night sky, illuminating your surroundings in a sudden sheet of blinding white radiance that leaves eerie, green afterimages scarred onto your retinas.
>z
Time passes.

*** ka-WHAM!!! ***

A monstrous clap of thunder rolls across the sky, shaking the whole town to its foundations.
>z
Time passes.
A gust of wind blows your hair into your face.
>z
Time passes.
Curtains twitch behind a grimy windowpane, and you glance over in time to see a lean, suspicious face pulling back into the shadows.
>z
Time passes.
Flakes of ash drift gently down from the sky like gray snow, coating everything with a thin layer of soot, which is quickly washed away by the rain.
>z
Time passes.
The rain slackens off momentarily to a weak drizzle, then returns afresh in a brief, freezing downpour.
>z
In the distance, you can hear the lonesome keening of a train whistle drifting on the wind. You look to the east in time to see the train go by, rolling southwest past the mill toward less melancholy climes.
>z
You hear a soft rattle behind you, like an empty tin can rolling across the uneven ground. When you turn, there is no one there.
The cold wind blows harder, tugging at the hem of your trenchcoat.

I cut out a whole lot of nothing, but I've rarely seen this kind of thing.
Depending on where you are in the city, there's idle background description.
It's a strength on the part of the author.

So now what.
Hmmm...
You know, there's a couple of places I've always wanted to check, but never thought to.

First up...

>s
Entrance to the Paper Mill
>e
As you cross the railroad tracks, the air seems to lift slightly, becoming more breathable once again.
Mill Road
The cold wind cuts through your clothes, chilling you to the bone.
>e
The road heads out over a narrow breakwater jutting out into the ocean.
Breakwater
The sea thrashes against the shore with storm-driven fury.
>ne

At the Foot of the Lighthouse

The sea thrashes against the shore with storm-driven fury.

The great bronze door of the lighthouse stands slightly ajar, revealing a narrow rectangle of blackness within.

I've never gone into the Light House after it exploded.
I wonder what'll happen.

>enter lighthouse

Bottom of the Lighthouse

Nothing has happened.
Huh.

>up
The stairs now lead to nowhere but broken masonry and empty sky.

Oh. I guess that makes sense.
Are the stairs broken somehow?

>look at stairs
The stairs lead up in a spiral to the top of the lighthouse.

No they don't.

>Look at Sky
You can't see any such thing.

Hmmm... I guess there was a small rush when completing this last chapter.

>out
The rain is still coming down, so you open your umbrella.
(first taking the umbrella)

At the Foot of the Lighthouse

The sea thrashes against the shore with storm-driven fury.

The great bronze door of the lighthouse stands slightly ajar, revealing a narrow rectangle of blackness within.

So, there's one other place, I never checked out.
Maybe I can sequence break with it.

>sw
Breakwater
The sea thrashes against the shore with storm-driven fury.
>w
Mill Road
A sudden gust of wind suddenly snatches the umbrella from your hands.

Aw, My umbrella!
But no time for that now!

>s
Junction
>e
Narrow Street
>e
Outside the Real Estate Office
>se
Alley
High up on the wall of the northern building there is a narrow, transom-style window. One of the garbage cans has been pushed up against the wall directly underneath it.
The clouds overhead mutter restlessly to themselves.
>enter fence
Dropping to your hands and knees, you wriggle underneath the loose board and scramble down a muddy slope.

Narrow Beach

The sea thrashes against the shore with storm-driven fury.

Near the bottom of the slope, a sewage outflow pipe juts out over the beach, about three feet above the ground. A roaring gout of water pours from the mouth of the pipe out onto the sand.

A sizzling bolt of lightning cuts through the night sky, illuminating your surroundings in a sudden sheet of blinding white radiance that leaves eerie, green afterimages scarred onto your retinas.

I was never sure if the pipe was a one-way street.

>d
You can't get much lower than the ground.

*** ka-WHAM!!! ***

A monstrous clap of thunder rolls across the sky, shaking the whole town to its foundations.

Not that way.

>enter pipe
(the outflow pipe)
You'd never be able to push your way in through that rushing outflow of water.

The cold wind blows harder, tugging at the hem of your trenchcoat.

Looks like Miranda can't get back into the sewers from here.
Pity.
Guess we'll go across the bridge.

>u
You pick your way up the slope, push the loose board aside and slip back in through the gap.
Alley
High up on the wall of the northern building there is a narrow, transom-style window. One of the garbage cans has been pushed up against the wall directly underneath it.
>nw
Outside the Real Estate Office
>w
Narrow Street
A sudden gust of wind blows a cold spray of rain into your face.
>s
Whateley Bridge
The clouds overhead mutter restlessly to themselves.
>s

Town Square

Michael -- or rather, the thing that has possessed Michael's body -- is standing here.

Oh, hey, Hubby.
Uh...

The poor old man's mutilated corpse hangs from the top of the obelisk.

A sizzling bolt of lightning cuts through the night sky, illuminating your surroundings in a sudden sheet of blinding white radiance that leaves eerie, green afterimages scarred onto your retinas.

Michael looks at you and smiles. It is not a particularly pleasant smile. He walks over to the obelisk and places his hand against the bloodstained stone, then mutters something guttural under his breath. The twisted hieroglyphs begin to shine with an eerie phosphorescence which quickly brightens and envelopes Michael. His form wavers, then becomes transparent, and when the light fades he has disappeared.

The obelisk is still glowing.

Well, Miranda better head back to the house, ASAP!

>look at man
The poor man's torn and broken body has been savaged nearly beyond recognition. You can hardly bear to look at him.

*** ka-WHAM!!! ***

A monstrous clap of thunder rolls across the sky, shaking the whole town to its foundations.

The obelisk is still glowing.

I wonder how many New England towns have Egyptian structures just jutting out of the center of their communities.

>look at obelisk
The obelisk measures about two feet square at its base, narrowing slightly as it rises a good fifteen feet to a bluntly pointed tip. An iron ring is embedded in the stone high up on one side, about two feet from the top. Dense, twisting hieroglyphs cover all four sides of the obelisk, although they are too worn to be read clearly. The obelisk is glowing with an eerie, green phosphorescence.

The green phosphorescence fades away; the obelisk is only dark stone once again.

Well, time to high-tail it.

>e
Riverwalk
>s
Chilly Avenue
The rain slackens off momentarily to a weak drizzle, then returns afresh in a brief, freezing downpour.
>sw
The ground begins to rise sharply as the road climbs up into the hills south of town.

Scenic View

The top of the lighthouse has been blasted away, leaving only a blackened stump of shattered masonry.

Miranda smirks at her good work, no doubt.

>nw
Outside the House
The front door stands open to the north.
The Verlac mansion looms before you, casting an air of menace over the clearing.
>look at sky
The clouds overhead are a boiling, flickering mass of blackness; flashing here and there with violent bursts of sheet lightning. The chaos seems to center on the whirling hole over the lighthouse, all of the storm's fury gradually spiraling closer and closer toward its center. The sight of that horrible, whirling hole makes you shudder, involuntarily recalling that hideous entity that lurks behind those clouds.

I guess the powers that be still think everything is going down at the old light house.

>n
Foyer
The front door stands open to the south.
Your luggage is still here, spread out all over the foyer.

It's gonna be dark in the basement.
I can't remember if the flashlight works.

>turn on flashlight
You flip the switch on and off uselessly. The water must have finally done your poor flashlight in.

The flashlight doesn't work.

>n

Darkness

A sudden chill creeps up your legs from the ground. Looking down, you see milky tendrils of a clammy mist rising sinuously around your feet, entwining themselves about your legs. You start to run, but the mist seems to entangle you and hold you in place.

"I told you, the game was over," murmurs a thick, blackly evil voice from somewhere just behind your ear. "There was never any way you could escape me. And now you are dead, and I have your husband. You may have delayed my plans for now...

"... but I'll find another wife."

The mist slithers up your nostrils and down your throat. It is like inhaling liquid putrefaction, and you have passed out from the sheer, nauseating horror of it long before you actually suffocate.



*** You have died ***


In that game you scored 72 out of a possible 100 points; this is your darkest hour.

Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, UNDO your last move, give the FULL score for that game or QUIT?


















Ideas?