peckenpaugh | OUTSIDE

Entry tags:

! ic/ooc,
* endgame

OUTSIDE

outside

the garden looks very nice today He blooms over every surface, pokes through cracks between bricks, climbs walls and lamp posts, hangs from roofs. He sees you. This is what they meant by infinity, and it is chilling to behold.

Without streetlamps, without starlight, without the moon, campus is dark. A layer of ash is starting to collect over everything like snow, filthy and warm to the touch. The vines are thick as a carpet out here, and they move. Wriggling, writhing, squirming, breathing. They are alive. Out here the purple flowers glow, petals pulsing to the rhythm of a song that never reaches your ears. Aside from the magical starlit pathways still shimmering from earlier in the night, that purple glow is the only light.

In every direction, there is ruination, broken things and billowing smoke. There is no telling how far it stretches, this field of vines and purple flowers. To Paw Paw in the north, certainly. And judging by some of the memories to be found, through the town of Elflock Falls, as well.

If you must be out here, be quick. He will find you if you don't hurry. He will take you.

flee through the rabbit's hole Somewhere in the woods there is a place that's still safe. A spot set aside by the holler itself. A prison for the one who gave his heart away. So secure, it's still protected, still free of The Thing's infection.

Though a seance had called him here once before, he cannot enter this space again. At least not for now. Not so long as your friends fight and push and never give up. So long as you defeat the inevitable.

Clovers still carpet this little ravine, and the old train car stands as it always has: covered in tags and half-rusted but sturdy. The air is still cool and damp, but a fire now roars in the pit beside the train. Candy and snacks, some in packages so old you hardly recognize the brand, sits out in a neat little pile, pristine, fresh and new as the day it was donated.

Tonight, the trees that wall the little ravine stand taller and stronger than they've ever seemed to before. Something pushes at them, but they push back. Even the smallest ones are fighting the invasive growth.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Lukashenko and Bub have led you past vines, fought off creeping things and cultists blocking the way. Into central classrooms, up to the second floor. Lights off, and they climb through girls' bathroom's strange mirror. This eerie little room with the single filing cabinet is no stopping point though. You must keep moving, you must get to safety.

It's only once you've emerged through that strange seamless door in the side wall that the awful heavy feeling of fury and hunger finally subsides. You are somewhere cool. Somewhere safe. You emerge from the creaking metal can you've stepped into, and find yourself in Peckenpaugh's forest, at the old train car.

Edited 2020-06-02 03:41 (UTC)

Is this home? It can't be home. This place is alien. Awful. Where do the vines end?

As six teens creep out of one of the auditorium side doors, the sky rumbles. The sick, swirling gray-green clouds seeming to churning in anger at their audacity. They step out into the central green, where vines criss-cross the pathways, each one a hairtrigger trap waiting to be sprung. Aside from the gentle rain of ash and near constant writhing of living vines, everything is still. Eerily so.

Some of the 8' planks that had been built around the Surly Stump have been pulled down by the new growth. Though it's hard to see through the ash rain and haze what's beyond, if anything at all.

That's not where you're headed, anyway, though.

Medical supplies. In the infirmary. An easy trek on any other day, now blocked in almost all directions by vines. Crossing the central green looks like a fight the whole way, no time saved for the more direct route. You could walk the perimeter of the middle park if you're careful, or slip between the remains of the auditorium and the radio station and try to reach the infirmary via the main road.

No matter where you go, you're going to have to walk past the station and central classrooms to get there. Suddenly, a 2 minute walk feels much, much more daunting.

Winter recoils at the sight the moment she's stepped out the door. She had expected something bad, but this? She's caught breathless for several seconds, but they tick by, one, two, three, and she steels her resolve with a breath. Her dress may be a bit too festive for how this night went, but worse are her shoes, which she bends down to unbuckle and kick off by the door. This asshole can have these damn things if he wants them. She's already worn away the skin at her heel.

Probably best to test how aggressive the vines are here, while they're still by the door. Winter rights herself and immediately, in her most outdoor voice, asks, "So, which, uh, which way's best?"

Armani-- also inappropriately dressed for the gravity of the situation-- has already found his place at Eddy's side as they start to head out. When they pause to survey the horror that is their campus, he reaches to take his hand. Armani's own hand is kinda sweaty.

It's... a lot to take in.

"Um. Can we sneak around? I don't have my wand on me to be able to freeze the vines..." He does have several talismans, though. Including a dead snake, which is definitely going to help him out tonight.

While Aris' attire isn't at all impractical for what they're currently undertaking, his white suit is getting blacker and blacker as the ash falls from up above and he looks tense as he takes in their surroundings. It's not that familiar anymore and that's unsettling. But...there's no other choice, is there? They need to rescue their friends and take care of the ones that're still here. He slips the drum stick out of his pocket and turns it over in his hand. It's not the wand he'd assumed it was when he left his dorm earlier tonight, but a tiny makeshift weapon's better than no weapon at all.

Probably.

"Like, avoid the paths?" he asks, gesturing to the writhing vines that seem to be collecting there and waiting for them, "Yeah. We might find more of them if we go the long way around but...maybe's better than definitely, right? We'll be okay if we keep our guard up!" He concludes this with a nod and a smile he doesn't really feel, but...morale's feeling a little low.

Edited 2020-06-03 00:26 (UTC)

Stepping outside, Patrice still looks more annoyed than anything at the situation at their school, even as a nervous energy buzzes around him and the hand shoved in his pocket runs fussy circles along the top of the rune there. He surveys the group as he shifts from foot to foot, and wishes they had a slightly different party. Oh well.

After Winter abandons her shoes, he goes to pick them up after a moment of consideration. "Might be useful for hitting something, or throwing as a distraction," he says, even if no one gives him a weird look. He's doing a great job.

"In fact, let's throw one out now and see what happens. Hard to know what to do with barely any info." The young man poises to throw one shoe relatively close to a clump of vines, but in a surprising show of consideration, waits for complaints before he actually does anything.

Edited 2020-06-03 00:42 (UTC)

Eddy hovers somewhere between Winter and Armani. Wandless. Though of everyone here he's definitely not the savant. But then he's more of a fists first problem solver, anyway.

The sight outdoors is sobering after two relatively easy jaunts through happy memories. The destruction seems endless and there are no good options here. Just one hopefully a little less worse than the other.

He squeezes Armani's hand as he takes it, his own no less sweaty.

"Go for it," he agrees, having been moments away from snatching Winter's shoe himself. It's maybe not the most reassuring plan endorsement.

Presley owns only one suit and one pair of dress shoes, both charmed ash-grey in a weak nod to the prom theme. A few hours ago, he'd regretted not buying something flashy to wear to his junior prom, and now, well... small favors.

"Put some power into it and throw it in the direction of the central green," Presley suggests. They might as well test out one of their routes, and the straightest line to the infirmary is as good as any. "And just in case... get ready to run."

"Ah, DSW clearance heels, I hardly knew ye." Winter crosses her arms, and then uncrosses just one the wave her hand toward the central green, quiet consent to lobbing her heel.

"Heels suck anyway, right?" Patrice asks idly, taking aim as directed by Presley and loosing the shoe. He's got good arm strength, so it flies a decent distance before landing amongst the vines on the central green.

Something out there bends as Winter's shoe soars. Several somethings. Like a trapdoor spider snatching prey that wanders too close to it's hidey hole, whatever's out there stretches at least eight undulating arms out and neatly plucks the shoe from the air. A split second of visceral arachnid horror, and then just as quick, it's gone.

Silence.

Then rustling. A single ropy tendril rises up into the air. It turns this way and that, an under-cooked spaghetti periscope. Searching.

Winter ducks her head, as though she can get below whatever that thing's line of sight is. Now, she's whispering. "Mm, yeah, no."

"Hate that," Armani agrees, nose wrinkling. "Think we can go 'round the perimeter? We could cut through the buildings, but it's dangerous if you go steppin' on anything barefoot."

Like everyone else, Aris had turned his gaze toward Patrice and the sacrificial shoe that he'd launched out into the central green. His eyes go wide at the result and he shakes his head adamantly in agreement with Winter and Armani. Nope. Definitely not without their wands. He touches the back of his neck and exhales a small breath, making an effort to lower his voice too.

"Maybe we should throw the other shoe too?" he suggests, "Somewhere closer to the perimeter? So we can, like...at least guess how far that thing's reach is?" He considers this, then adds, "Or one of us could give Winter a piggyback so we can go the long way?"

Why, yes, this is a serious suggestion.

Edited 2020-06-03 02:44 (UTC)

"Are we planning on going through broken glass?" Presley asks dryly. Which... considering the state of the auditorium, okay, maybe there's broken glass around here, but surely they'll feel the shards under the ash if they actually get to that point. "Carmichael hasn't spent years doing the utmost for her forest goblin aesthetic to not run barefoot now. We can still get there in a few minutes if we go the long way, we just have to go now."

Presley sounds more confident than he actually feels. He hates standing around, not knowing what's coming for them.

Edited 2020-06-03 03:02 (UTC)

"As much as I'd love a r-ride," Winter says with a smile that pulls flat pointed Aristotle's way. Kind, but amused. "I'll be fine." To illustrate, she hops back and forth on her toes, light-footed. "We should go though. If not for...whatever that is, then for everyone else. I'll watch my step. Swear."

She walks a few careful steps around the outside of the auditorium, cautiously avoiding any vines as she makes her way toward the radio station and the path that will lead them to the main road. Winter stops, though, before she's gone too far, and glances over her shoulder. "Thanks for paying so much attentin to my feet, Presley."

Armani gives Presley a side-long glance, almost sheepish to even be looking at him. It's brief-- blink and you'll miss it-- but the thought is so clearly written all over his expression: Does Presley Mondragon have a foot fetish?

He looks away quickly, eyes forward. "Okay, then! Let's hurry on."

Edited (bad tag) 2020-06-03 03:16 (UTC)

Well, the shoe outcome is unsurprising but still pretty shitty. Wandless and potentially comprised of some ~~idiots~~ less capable classmates, Patrice's worries are at least twisting into irritation, an emotion that's much easier to process right now. He wags Winter's other shoe at her as he tries to slip past the others, ready to put himself as far forward as they'll let him shove himself.

"Take this at least so you can hit something with it if you need to. And like Presley said, everyone be ready to run."

Edited 2020-06-03 03:27 (UTC)

Winter accepts the shoe with a nod, and as she watches the ground for stray vines, she keeps an eye out for a rock she can use to sharpen the heel into a finer point.

Unfortunately for him, Presley misses the loaded glance from Armani. "We've all been forced to see your feet, Carmichael. You've been kicking off your shoes in the grass since freshman year."

His attention switches from Winter to his roommate when he spots Patrice sneaking ahead of them. The rest of them might not know what Patrice is doing, but Presley is intimately familiar with Patrice's self-aggrandizing, glory hound ways. He also moves right to the front of the group, refusing to be shown up.

Edited 2020-06-03 03:55 (UTC)

This is how they move, some staying back, others vying for the front, all of them at least a little cautious, hopefully.

The furthest reaches of the nightmare tree's canopy hang over the side of the auditorium's ruined roof, casting strange, swaying shadows everywhere and making it hard to tell what's solid and what isn't. There are no monstrous difficulties in getting around the edge of the auditorium, but chunks of the roof do litter the way. There are even a few prom decorations out here. Half a toy space ship, a few styrofoam meteors, one of the dinosaur eggs the snacks had been laid out in.

The path between the auditorium and the radio station is narrow. Narrow enough that it is probably violating some fire codes, which means it's a tight squeeze for more than two abreast. It's dark, too, except for the single flickering light bulb at the very end. Click, click, click, wrrrr, the sound of an electrical light desperately trying to stay lit echoes faintly down that narrow path, barely audible over the breeze.

The strobing yellow light illuminates a patch of campus's main street at the far end of the path. It seems there are fewer vines out there, but you need to reach it first.

Not particularly concerned about his place in line, Aris falls into step behind the Wildgulch boys as they head toward the ruined auditorium. It's dark and, as much as he wishes he could use his drum stick to cast Lumos, he fishes into his pocket and pulls out his phone instead, turning on the flashlight to illuminate the darkest parts of their path. He's particularly grateful for this light when they enter the path to the radio station, though the dim light it provides does nothing to make tight space less creepy.

Especially with that repetitive, struggling click.

As they near the main street, he holds the phone out in an attempt to get a better view of what's between them and their destination. Then he looks over at Winter. "...Double-sure about that piggyback?" he asks quietly. It seems worth checking since...they might be getting close to that be prepared to run part.

Edited 2020-06-03 04:31 (UTC)

As Presley goes to meet him up front, Patrice tries to jostle him just a little as a show of solidarity and NOT in reassurance that they both might need. As they progress forward and the way narrows he frowns, flexing his fingers slowly as they advance, as if preparing to swing at anything that startles him.

"Piggy-backing will slow you both down," he scolds Aris, almost but not quite gently. "I think we should go as quickly as we can single file with a watch at the back."

Edited 2020-06-03 04:43 (UTC)

"I thought it was a nice idea," he murmurs to Aris, following behind him. Armani's still holding on to Eddy's hand even as the path narrows, walking just in front of him. He has his phone out now too, using it to light the path ahead.

SOMEWHERE SAFE

AMONG THE VINES

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary

ADVENTURE: To the infirmary