Prayers and Lies [nWoD]

[Sicarius]

Lauren

Lauren levels the shotgun, ready to fire at a moment's notice. If it was blood, then the victim was close to being a violent crime statistic if she wasn't already. She moved forward to investigate the puddle. She couldn't see, but she could still touch, and smell. She hefted her shotty in one hand and leaned down to investigate the puddle.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

****. ****, that's bad. Jon brings up his right hand to touch the back of his head, then thinks better of it. He imagines touching something smooth and hard--or worse, squishy and malleable.

Staggering back to his feet, he hunches over, sticks his hands out, and begins picking his way towards the lit buildings again.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Randy

Spoiler

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Randy picks up the tightly folded piece of paper and turns it over in his hand. The paper is crisp and fresh but has the appearance of old parchment, no doubt a piece of expensive computer paper if one had to guess. Unfolding the paper is easy enough, even to somebody with fingers nearly numb with cold. The paper unfolds and an image slowly comes to light, a circle with four abstract runes set just off of the cardinal directions. The runes are twisted, ugly things but drawn very precisely, just like the circle encasing them. At the bottom of the piece of paper is written a single in a neat, loopy handwriting that strikes you a distinctly feminine. The message is simple "We are all Instruments of the Divine, Randy."

Lauren and Jon

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Lauren moves to inspect the liquid, leaning down to to dabble her fingers into the liquid before bringing them to her nose, hoping the smell will help her identify whether or not its blood. Fingers wet she begins to lift her arm when a coarse male voice echos down the alley. "I really wouldn't do that ma'am." A scraping noise is heard an instant before a match is lit, being held in a narrow hand some fifteen feet away from you, the light far too dim to make out anything but the hand. You can smell the liquid now, its fumes burning your nose as your mind only takes a moment to discern the cause. The liquid on the ground is a puddle of gasoline. The voice comes again, still coarse and tired and not sounding at all threatening. "Get away! Nothing you can do here, just let me finish God's work."

Jon stumbles towards the light, nothing more than a blur on some distant horizon now but still he stumbles on. After the gruesome fall Jon's steps are slower and more careful, hands held outward to help him balance and to ensure he doesn't run into anything. His plods along narrowly avoiding a dark streetlight before at last making it into the flickering streetlights that were his goal. He turns to catch a quick glance at what he just left and the darkness of that street is nigh impregnable, like a writhing wall of shadows the darkness stands behind him and that alone is enough to make Jon turn back to the light, to continue his search for aid. The first building he comes to is indeed an apartment building and after quickly trying the door he finds it securely locked. A panel of white buttons with names written on plastic next to each one showcases the fact that Jon isn't getting in unless he can talk someone into letting him in.

[Sicarius]

Lauren

"I think not. Put down your matches and keep your hands where I can see them." Lauren aims the shotgun securely at him. She had caught an arsonist before his target building went down. Or wait...she had heard a scream. Was this sick bastard going to burn someone alive? "Where's the woman?" Her eyes were icy with an intimidating glare.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

God **** it all. His fingers dart down the row of buttons, pecking like hungry crows. That done, he takes a couple of good steps back and looks up at the windows. Hopefully someone will notice that he's out in the cold, bleeding freely from the head. If not, he's fully prepared to buzz every apartment in the place until someone gets fed up enough to come down and talk to him.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex looked around quickly, and sighed before leaning back on the seat for a while. After thinking about it, he stepped out of the car and closed the door with a quick hip thrust. There was no going back now. With a resigned sigh he tried to conceal his cuffs in his coat as best he could and tried to stealthily go towards the action.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy puzzled over the message. He wondered who had left it - again, he had some suspicions, but nothing concrete. There were obvious suspects, but he'd wait until he found out more information before making any conclusions.

When the car was ready, he pulled out and headed off to see what grisly work the night would bring, as he puzzled over what the symbols on the parchment might mean.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Randy and Alex

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Randy pulls the car out of the icy lot carefully and when he pulls on to the slightly safer roads he speeds up as fast as he dare while staying under the speed limit, no need to rush, everything will be waiting for him when he gets there. The streets are dark, the streetlamps doing little illuminate the sidewalks, especially when he begins to enter the city's core. It doesn't take too long before he finds the flashing police lights, not too long at all before a police man shows him where he can park. When Randy gets out of his car however, the first thing he sees is an old familiar face wandering through the scene, hands hidden beneath his coat.

Alex sticks his hands beneath his coat as best as he is able and begins to wander through the maze like crime scene in order to try and find out what is going on. He manages to go some time without being caught by a passing patrolman and it seems like Alex's detainment wasn't broadcast to the other officers on scene. Alex walks behind an ambulance, getting ready to make an attempt to enter the heart of the scene itself when a car begins to pull up next to him. At first Alex doesn't think much of this but when the car is shut off and the driver gets out of the car Alex is met with a familiar face.

Lauren and Jon

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The man's hand doesn't move for a moment, and Lauren can only see the one hand. Finally the man moves his hand up a bit. "Alright officer, you win. Hands are up, consider the matched dropped." The lit match falls from the mans hand then and as it tumbles you can't help but ask yourself if you used a bad choice of words. The match lands and immediately the alley becomes an inferno. In the blink of an eye the darkness is banished and Lauren finds herself in a hell of fire and pain, for she was not only standing near a large amount of gasoline, but there was other puddles she missed behind her as well. With Lauren now standing in the middle of an inferno, pain filling her senses as the fire consumes her flesh, it is impossible to see if there is indeed a woman, or if the man is still there.

Jon starts hitting the buttons, buzzing the unknown tenants in hopes someone will answer. It takes a long time but someone finally buzzes back. "What the f**k you wan't?" comes an extremely irritated voice over the intercom. Suddenly a loud roar of fire is heard from behind Jon and when he turns he sees that the alley, once hidden in darkness, is now ablaze. It takes a moment before Jon realizes the implications... Lauren was still there!

[I'll tally up damage taken after the alley sequence unless you reach a point where it kills you that is. Lauren is getting pretty badly burned and she has to wade through even more fire either way to get out of the alley.]

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

"Call 911. I'm bleeding from my ******* head and I'm pretty sure I'm now a witness to some sort of violent crime. Look, I'm sorry for disturbing you late at night and all that crap, but--"

Saints and angels.

He doesn't quite feel the heat wash over his face, but he still has to blink against the brightness.

Lauren. Oh my god. Lauren.

"****. If you think I'm messing with you, look out your window. Then give the fire department a call."

Jon stares at the conflagration for a few seconds as his thoughts try to claw their way through the gauzy haze of what is probably a mild concussion.

Don't be an idiot. If she's in there now, then there's nothing that you can do for her. Just sit tight and wait for the ambulance.

His feet start to move on their own, back towards the alley.

This hasn't really been a night for good decisions.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

"Randy?" Alex says, softly, before walking over to meet him. "Am I glad to see a familiar face. I came to help out at the scene, and.... its been crazy, they detained a Doctor for no-" Alex kept his cuffs concealed as best he could, looking around rather jittery, then eyed him remembering his work. "What are you doing here?"

[Sicarius]

Lauren

Insanity. That had to be the only reason. Lauren didn't think it a rookie mistake to think a man would light gasoline on fire while he was standing in such a confined location, so close. The fumes igniting would kill him.

But still, who cared about the woman, Lauren needed to save her own neck. Hoping that her orientation was still correct, she hurled into a run, holding her breath and shutting her eyes to avoid damage to the most sensitive areas of her face. Her uniform was not flame retardant, but it took a bit for something to burn to the point where it ignited. Her face, on the other hand, was different. With one hand, she covered her eyes and forehead with the crook of her elbow, preventing the flames from reaching it as best she could.

Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run Run

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy gave Alex a tired grin and a nod. Evening, Alex, I just got a call that indicated there was something in my field of expertise as needed looking at down here. Do you have any idea what the conundrum in question is?

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex smiled back. "Not really. I was leaving work and noticed a couple of ambulances heading in this direction, thought I'd see what I could do to help." He shook his head. "But the police certainly want to keep whatever is happening in there contained. People might be hurt in there and all they are worried about is the god damn press on it." He continued, gritting his teeth.

"I hate to ask, Randy," Alex began, looking back at him. "Could you get me inside with you? If they barred me, I'm sure they barred any other doctors..." He let that thought hang between them.

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy nodded Let's see how much pull they'll give me... but I'll damn sure try. If someone in there needs medical attention, the last thing we need is beraucratic B.S.

So saying, Randy approached the police lines, looking for a familiar face.

Name's Randy Vandermarten... I was called to consult on this case. Let me through, please.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Lauren and Jon

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Jon's feet move of their own volition and he soon finds himself running as fast as he dare on the icy ground back towards the alley. He doesn't know if the stranger is going to call the fire department and right now such things are far from the forefront of his mind. Right now there is only Lauren and the flames. It doesn't take him long before he finds himself halfway there. The flames die down briefly after they ignite but the blast is still enough to burn and Jon finds himself breathing hard and warm despite the icy night. It seems that only a heartbeat later Jon is standing near the smoking alley, looking around frantically for any sign of Lauren.

Lauren's world becomes one of fire and pain as she instinctively closes her mouth and eyes, no doubt also raising her arms to cover her face as she turns and makes her way as fast as she can out of the blazing alley. Soon she finds herself kneeling on the pavement, eyes and lungs filled with smoke as she struggles to breath. The initial explosion of flame having died down to more minor blazes Lauren takes a brief moment to inspect herself. Her uniform is burnt, as are her eyebrows and hair, which she can tell is burnt simply from the potent odor coming from the singed hair. She is in pain but she has been through worse, perhaps some minor burns here and there but she'll live. She hears footsteps approaching quickly as her eyes start to clear and a mans figure comes rushing at her through the smokey haze.

Randy and Alex

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Randy and Alex approach an officer standing near the old bookstore's doorway who promptly stops them both. The officer moves to speak but Randy cuts him off, leaving the officer to think for a moment before he raises his index finger. "Wait here a moment please." The officer then ducks under the police tape lining the front door and disappears into the store. It's a long cold wait out there in front of the crime scene, a long time before the officer arrives, looking at the both of you. "Um.. The detective said that there was only one. Which one of you is Randy?" the young officer asks hesitantly, looking between the two men.

[Kuma Da]

Jonathan Blake

"Lauren! ******. If you can hear me, come towards the sound of my voice!"

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

I'm Randy. This is Alex, he's my medical consultant on this one. I'll probably need his advice, if the nature of the evidence from last time is any indicator Randy said in a grim, implacable voice he'd gotten much practice with refusing grade changes to undergrads.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex looked a little worried at first, but allowed Randy to answer and waited for the response anxiously.

[Sicarius]

Lauren

Lauren immediately hacked up the pack of Hostess Mini Blueberry Muffins she had eaten about 30 minutes ago. She could feel an open wound or two, but as she coughed up her lungs and the remainder of her stomach, she saw a figure approach. She tried to order around the running figure, although it mostly came out as coughed up English. Friend or foe, she didn't know, but she wasn't about to become a star on the memorial board at the station. She tried to stand up and ignore the pain as best she could, intent on stopping the figure if it turned out to be her wonderful friend the arsonist.

[Ms.Malbolge]

Lauren and Jon

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Lauren tries to stand up, fighting back the nausea and pain that races through the very fabric of her being. She takes great rasping breaths even as she attempts to cough up her lungs and wheezing she manages to get a foot underneath her and then another. She stands as best she can, form swaying side to side as her feet shuffle to maintain her balance. The figure still makes it's way through the smoke and it is obviously searching for Lauren. Finally you hear the figures voice say, "Lauren! ******. If you can hear me, come towards the sound of my voice!" and you realize it's Jon, coming back to aid you.

(Since all Jon did was shout, the above paragraph serves as the response to both of their posts.)

Randy and Alex

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The officer at the door looks at Randy then at Alex, a look of uncertainty written upon his features. The policeman pauses for a long moment before he simply nods his head and takes a step back. "Detective Zerivik is waiting for you in the next room." Randy and Alex enter, Alex no doubt doing his best to cover his cuffed wrists with his coat all the while keeping an eye out for that burly detective. When you enter the next room you see the man Randy knows as Kris and Alex knows as Detective Zerivik. The tall, lanky man is dressed in a cheap, crumpled suit and scuffed black shoes. Over this is a tan lined trench coat in which the man is bundled into rather tightly. He turns as you approach, fixing each of you with his dark brown eyes which seem large behind his glasses. He smiles a small smile as he sees Randy. "Glad you could make it Randy. We have a real..." he pauses as his gaze turns to Alex. "Who is this Randy... and why is he cuffed?"

[WhiteKnight777]

Randy

Randy looked puzzled for a moment, turning to Alex What the... why are you cuffed? Turning back the detective, his voice a little puzzled This is my friend Alex - I brought him along in case I needed a medical opinion.. as for why he's got cuffs on, I didn't even know they were there - I was in too much of a hurry to get in here. Can you get 'em off him? And after that... bring us up to speed on what's going on.

[Tichrondrius]

Alex

Alex looked a bit sheepish. "I ran into some patrolmen that saw fit to detain me. Needless to say, I was rather stuck out in the cold until my associate Randy arrived. He seems to be more of a people person than I am, and we were led inside. Unfortunately, I forgot to inform him about my..." He jiggles the cuffs for effect. "...little run in. But I am here to provide a medical opinion." The doctor continued, smiling over at Randy. Randy really had saved him out there.

[Ms.Malbolge]

This is not an update!

This is me saying I'm pulling the plug on this game. The constant lack of someone posting and delaying my updates on the days I wish to has been driving me up the wall since last year.

So it is that I, as of this instant, am pulling the plug.

Sorry to do so but no game is going to cause me aggravation for a month and get away with it.

You guys all have other games so it's not that big a loss.

See you around guys.