Font Lay, Book 1

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Hello, and welcome to Font Lay. This is a horror story, rated for mature audience, due to themes of gore, violence, mutilation, physical and psychological abuse, mental disorder, strong language, explicit scenes and innuendos, substance abuse and death. Because of all of this, viewer discretion is strongly advised (18+). With all that being said, would you like to turn on trigger warnings? They will be displayed at the beginning of each chapter. (note, if you wish to play yet avoid certain parts, you can always ask me on Tumblr; there will be many ways to go about things, and avoid certain events) [[Yes.]] [[No.]] <<set $amet to false>> <<set $shellymet to false>> <<set $arnoldmet to false>> <<set $kevin to false>> <<set $betsy to false>> <<set $dexter to false>> <<set $margaret to false>> <<set $mcdone to false>>

You got it. Trigger warnings are on, and will be displayed. <<set $trigger to true>> [[Continue |Prologue]]

You got it. Trigger warnings are off and will not be displayed. <<set $trigger to false>> [[Continue |Prologue]]

<<if $trigger is true>><<link "View trigger warnings">> <<dialog "Trigger Warnings">>\ Gore. Mental terror. Blood. Body mutilation. Substance abuse. Death. <</dialog>> <</link>> <<elseif $trigger is false>>Trigger warnings are toggled off. <</if>>Let us begin... [[Prologue |Beginning]] <<set $anomalyfull to false>> <<set $anomaly1 to false>> <<set $anomaly2 to false>> <<set $anomaly3 to false>> <<set $anomaly4 to false>> <<set $anomaly5 to false>> <<set $anomaly6 to false>> <<set $rules to false>> <<set $writingitalldown to false>> <<set $writingitalldown2 to false>>

Font Lay

Written by: Luka, aka L

[[You]] [[Characters]] [[Rules]] [[Notepad]] [[Achievements]]

<<if $mcdone is true>>Name: $name $surname Occupation: Private Investigator Age: 34 years old Notes: General information about $name's appearance. <<print $haircolour .toUpperFirst()>> hair colour. <<print $hairlength .toUpperFirst()>> hair length. <<print $eyecolour .toUpperFirst()>> eye colour. <<print $complexion .toUpperFirst()>> skin colour. $height Usually wears formal wear, or business casual. Lives in Vancouver. <<link "Your character">> <<dialog "Your character">>\ Name: $name $surname Occupation: Private Investigator Age: 34 years old Notes: General information about $name's appearance. <<print $haircolour .toUpperFirst()>> hair colour. <<print $hairlength .toUpperFirst()>> hair length. <<print $eyecolour .toUpperFirst()>> eye colour. <<print $complexion .toUpperFirst()>> skin colour. $height Usually wears formal wear, or business casual. Lives in Vancouver. <</dialog>> <</link>> Paranoia: $paranoid When it comes to your work, you are <<if $meticulous > 50>>meticulous. <<elseif $laidback > 50>>laid back. <<else>>... <</if>> <<elseif $mcdone is false>>Your character has not yet been defined. <</if>>[[Return to Game.|$return]]

Romance options: <<if $arnoldmet is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $arnoldmet is true>>Name: Arnold Svonson Occupation: Lumberjack Age: 39 years old Notes: He's been living in Font Lay for his entire life. His whole lineage is from here. Claims to know a lot about the strange occurrences happening all around Font Lay, and its immediate surroundings. <</if>> <<if $shellymet is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $shellymet is true>>Name: Shelly Brown Occupation: Tour guide Age: 34 years old Notes: Resident of Font Lay for most of her life. Has an older sister in Oregon. Used to strange things? Possible drug addiction. <</if>> <<if $amet is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $amet is true>>Name: $aname White Occupation: Detective Age: 33 years old Notes: <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> is a detective from Toronto. Government issued reason for $ahis investigation into Font Lay? <</if>> Other characters: <<if $kevin is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $kevin is true>>Name: Kevin Monroe Occupation: Student Age: 18 years old Notes: One of the missing teens. Short brown hair. Rich, brown eyes. 6 ft tall. Drives a Honda Accord. <</if>> <<if $dexter is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $dexter is true>>Name: Dexter Miles Occupation: Student Age: 18 years old Notes: One of the missing teens. Wears glasses. Shoulder length, black hair. Brown eyes. 5 foot 11. <</if>> <<if $margaret is false>>??? You have not yet to met this character. <<elseif $margaret is true>>Name: Margaret Monroe Occupation: Accountant Age: 45 years old Notes: Kevin's mother. <</if>> <<if $betsy is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $betsy is true>>Name: "Betsy" Occupation: Receptionist at the "Seashell Motel" Age: Around 30 years old? Notes: Possible drug addiction. Some mental disorder? Forgot her surname? Possible suspect. <</if>> <<if $billy is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $billy is true>>Name: "Billy" Occupation: Car mechanic at "Piney's" auto repairs Age: Around 30 plus years? Notes: Seems uneducated, though rather inteligent. For some reason, speaks in strange manner. <</if>> <<if $oscar is false>>??? You have not yet met this character. <<elseif $oscar is true>>Name: "Oscar" Occupation: Sheriff of Font Lay Age: Around 30 plus years? Could be quite more than that, not sure though Notes: A very strange man. Seems friendly enough. Too friendly. Nationalist? Possible suspect. <</if>> [[Return to Game.|$return]]

<<if $rules is false>>You are yet to see the rules. <<elseif $rules is true>>Rules you should follow, while staying in Font Lay: 1. Don’t go out after 9 pm. 2. Make sure to keep your doors and windows locked at night. 3. During the night, your curtains should be pulled over the windows. 4. Always walk in pairs; otherwise, the locals may try to kill you. 5. If you see anyone walking alone, keep a close eye on them; or, if you have the means, shoot them. 6. Ignore the random knocking you may hear. 7. If you hear someone or something calling your name, ignore it. 8. If you see someone outside your window, just cover the window, and ignore them. 9. In the morning, you should be safe to leave your home from 6 am onwards. 10. If you have mirrors, cover them at night. 11. If your reflection starts acting strange, cover it and ignore the sounds. 12. DO NOT respond to the voices that you can’t see. 13. If the outside noises cease, immediately get inside of the nearest place to you. 14. Don’t mind people acting strange. 15. Don’t question anyone’s knowledge. 16. If something manages to get into your home, contact the sheriff. 17. Never swim in the water. 18. If you find a red candy outside of your door, go to the church immediately. 19. If anything about your personal belongings change, burn it immediately. 20. If you’re out of medication, be sure to take them at the local apothecary. 21. Always carry a weapon. 22. If you hear a voice coming from the woods, don’t follow it. 23. If you see children during the night, AVOID THEM. 24. If your clock starts turning backwards, mix salt and water and pour over it. If that doesn’t help, get out of your home and draw a salt circle around you, while counting backwards from 9 to 0. After that, wait for an alarm of the clock from your home, before you may return safely. 25. If you see two moons in the sky... We’re sorry. It’s already too late. And remember! Take your medication! We wish you a happy stay in Font Lay! <img src="images/Rules.jpg" alt="Rules for staying safe in Font Lay" height="900" width="700"> <</if>> [[Return to Game.|$return]]

<<if $anomalyfull is false>><h2>Prologue: What really happened that night...</h2> <<elseif $anomalyfull is true>><h2>Prologue: Could this time be different?</h2> <</if>>“You sure about this road?” Dexter asks you, looking all around you, and the dense, dark green forest. The dusk has come, and the night is slowly approaching, and the two of you are yet to return to the main coastal road, from which you had to exit, due to a tree that has fallen over it. Just your luck. “The map said so”, you say defensively. It is a regular, paper map, though, to be frank, you never actually took the time to study it, before the two of you went on your little road trip. But the true problem is, that the map showed some remote, dirt road, that was supposed to be a shortcut, connecting to some other, smaller, real road, but so far, you are yet to stumble upon that one. Dexter grabs the map from the dashboard, looking over them. He even fixes his glasses, as that will, somehow, make him see more clearly. Well, at least he didn’t turn down the music from the car, so there’s that. “How do people ever manage to get anywhere with these things?” he asks. “My dad takes a brief look at it, and can take you anywhere in the world.” “Mine too”, you say, nodding. “Unfortunately, he didn’t teach me the ways of the map.” Even though he’s not looking at you, you can see that Dexter rolled his eyes, mumbling Ways of the map under his breath. [[NEXT |Prologue 1]] <<set $kevin to true>> <<set $dexter to true>>

“Oh wait”, you say, spotting a sign. Sure, it’s a wooden sign that could use some serious care, but, you don’t judge. As long as it tells you where you need to go, you’re happy with it. Dexter squints at the writing on it. “It just says Font Lay, and an arrow pointing right.” He then turns to you. “As far as I can see, we can only go right.” “Maybe there was a road that led left?” you offer. Dexter exhales. “Well, it’s as good a sign as any; we might as well follow it, and the fact that it is pointing towards some place is good. It’s getting dark, and I don’t want to go through these dirt roads in the night.” You nod. “Agreed. That’s just asking for disaster.” Dexter opens his mouth, like he’s about to add something, but stops, and instead, takes another look at the map. “That’s strange”, he comments, looking. “That place, Font Lay. It’s not on this map, even though the sign clearly said Font Lay.” You, being the voice of reason, try to offer another explanation. “The map is probably outdated, and this is some new place.” Dexter seems convinced. “That would explain the old sign; maybe they didn’t have the time to install a real one.” To strengthen his confidence in you even further, you decide to add, “Besides, remote places are popping like mushrooms! Just last week, I think someone mentioned that they’re building some community place, near Vancouver.” Dexter looks at you, sceptical. “Who told you that load of bull? That’s a blatant lie!” You shrug, gripping the steering wheel a bit tighter, since there was some rubble on the road, making your car jerk a bit. “Hey, you don’t know that; maybe they will.” [[NEXT |Prologue 2]]

“Finally!” Dexter exclaims, happy. “A concrete road!” <<if $anomaly1 is false>>Seems like the path that’s leading to Font Lay is a legit one. And it came not a moment too soon, for there is barely any natural light left. <<elseif $anomaly1 is true>>Seems like the path that’s leading to Font Lay is a legit one. And it came not a moment too soon, for there is barely any natural light left. Also, you seem to be getting some strange feeling of déjà vu? Why could that be? Well, whatever the reason, you decide to write it off as you being tired, as it probably is just that. <</if>> “When we get to that place, we should book a room”, Dexter suggests. “There’s no need for any of us to drive during the night.” “Sounds good to me”, you say, a yawn escaping you. This has been a really fun, yet really exhausting, little trip you two made. It is surreal that you have to return back home, to school, and chores, and all of that boring stuff. “Do you want to switch?” Dexter asks you, seeing you yawn just now. “Nah”, you say, shaking your head. “I am a bit tired, but, I can drive to this place, don’t worry.” A look on Dexter’s face is that of scepticism. “Okaaaay, if you say so.” [[NEXT |Prologue3]]

“Hey mom”, Dexter says. He used the flip phone that he got for his birthday to call her, wanting to let her know about your plans for the night. “Yeah, Kevin and I are driving down the coast, and we had to swerve through some dirt road, because the main one that we were using had a tree that fell down on it, so we had to improvise.” <<set $anomaly1 to true>> “Anyhow, I’m just calling you to tell you that we’ll be making a stop at this place called Font Lay? It wasn’t on the map that we have here, but there was a sign for it.” Sure enough, you guys stumble upon a fairly lit Welcome to Font Lay sign, that wishes people a pleasant stay. “Yeah, we haven’t heard of it either”, Dexter agrees. “But, we just passed a sign welcoming us to this place, so, maybe it’s a new one? You know how these new, smaller places pop up out of nowhere.” You have tuned out of his conversation, listening to the radio. Being a good friend, you turned the volume down a bit, so Dexter can make his phone call, but, that doesn’t bother you; the punk music that you love can still be easily heard, and it is just what you need to keep your sleepiness at bay. But, tiredness is not the only thing that you suddenly notice. There’s some strange feeling, a feeling of something below the surface. Something seemingly right, but not quite. Anxiety? No, it’s not that. Perhaps dread? You’ll try to figure out, but the feeling is quietly growing inside you, and there’s this town that you’re starting to see, a clean town, with barely any other cars other than yours, and almost no people, … and the ones that are there, why are they all giving you these looks? Is it uncommon for a car to pass by? “Kevin!” Dexter yells, snapping you out of your thoughts. So much so, that you almost jump out of your seat. “Jesus Christ, Dexter”, you say, slowing down the car a bit, suddenly feeling very fidgety. “You could have given me a heart attack!” [[NEXT |Prologue 4]]

He waves away your theatrics. “Don’t be so dramatic.” You mock pout, trying to keep things chill, but there is this eerie feeling that you still have. Looking around you, it’s not like the place is the problem, at least not that you’d think that it is, but it is a bit strange, how liminal it looks. The lack of people around, the dimly lit street lamps, casting a faint, orange glow. There is certainly something aesthetic about it, so there’s that. “Hey, look”, Dexter tells you, pointing at someone off on the sidewalk. You look, seeing a person, waving you over for some reason. It’s not a cop, judging by his old, grey suit. [[ Stop to see what the stranger wants. |Stop for a stranger]] [[ Keep on driving, trying to find a hotel. |Don't stop for a stranger]]

You pull up your car, right next to the place on the sidewalk, where the strange man was waving you over. Upon seeing this, he gives you a polite smile. He walks up to the window, just as Dexter pulls it down, so that you could speak to the man. <<if $anomaly2 is false>>“Good evening gentlemen”, the man tells you, giving you a polite nod, and a gentle smile. “I saw you, and thought to offer my help, if you were to need one; it’s not often that we get visitors here, and from what I know, there are no maps of Font Lay sold anywhere outside of it yet.” “That would actually be great!” Dexter tells him, to which you nod. “We are looking for a hotel for the night. Can you tell us how to get there?” “Or if there even is one”, you quickly add. This place is new, by the looks of things, so you’re not sure if they managed to make one yet. “Well, it is not a hotel, but a motel”, the man in a suit corrects Dexter. “It is near, but, it does not yet have a parking for your car I’m afraid.” Dexter looks at you, about to ask something, but the man beats him to it. “But, not to worry! You can park your car right here, as soon as you turn right, just after the café. Then, I can just simply walk you to the motel!” “We don’t want to be a burden…”, you start, but the man just shakes his head. “Nonsense; I was just on my evening stroll, and it doesn’t really matter which way I go, so it’s not a big deal. Besides, it would be my pleasure!” “Okaay”, Dexter says, starting to roll up his window. “Give us a second to park.” [[NEXT |Stopping for a stranger 1]] <<elseif $anomaly2 is true>>You pull up your car, right next to the place on the sidewalk, where the strange man was waving you over. Upon seeing this, he gives you a polite smile. He walks up to the window, just as Dexter pulls it down, so that you could speak to the man. “Kevin, Dexter! Good evening lads! Pleasure to be seeing you again”, the man greets you, giving you a polite smile. How the fuck does he know your names? “Wait, do we know you?” you ask, trying to calm your nerves. “Have we met before?” The man thinks for a second, putting a hand to his chin, and looking somewhere up. “Hmm, well, I’m pretty sure that we’ve met, but maybe that is just my imagination playing tricks one me.” Imagination or not, how did he guess your names correctly then? “But, never mind that”, he continues, giving you an honest smile, which is now just creepy. “You were looking for a hotel, eh?” You and Dexter exchange terrified glances. There’s a moment of silence, allowing you to think how do you want to approach this situation. [[Speed off, deciding to search for a hotel by yourselves. |Speed off]] [[Speed off, wanting to get out of this strange, creepy place. |Gtfo]] [[Go along with the man |Fates repeat]] <</if>>

“Hey, what are you doing?” Dexter asks, as you speed up. “He’s waving at us!” “We are in the middle of nowhere, it is dark, and some random stranger is flagging us down? Yeah, I’m not stopping”, you answer, focused on the road. And honestly, why would you need to stop? This is a very small place, and you’re sure you could find on your own. Even if that means driving through the whole place before you find it. That’s the beauty of small towns. Everything is near. [[NEXT |Cautious]]

The man nods, and you depart. Following his instructions, as soon as you turn right, after the “Fresh Brew” café, you find a lot of empty parking spaces. You put your car in the first one, and once safely secured with a steering wheel lock, you get out of the car, into the chilly night air. It is the beginning of autumn, and while the days are usually still warm and pleasant, early mornings and nights do get cold, especially here. Turning your head, you see the stranger walking briskly towards you and Dexter, with a smile on his face. “A lovely evening, wouldn’t you say?” Classic old timers, always wanting to chat, you think to yourself, while giving him a polite smile. “Yeah, though a bit chilly, eh?” He nods in agreement. “Indeed; that is why I always wear layers. Keeps me warm, and if needs be, I can just take them off, and I’ll be just fine.” You open up the trunk, taking your stuff while Dexter takes his. It’s not that you’re going to particularly need it, but you don’t want them to stay in the car, while you’re at the motel. Safety first, your parents always thought you. “You got your things?” the man asks you. Both you and Jester nod, and he gives you a pleasant smile. “Let us move along, shall we?” [[NEXT |Stopping for a strange 2]]

“Oh, I forgot to say”, the man begins, as the three of you are walking deeper into the small city. “My name is Johnathan. I figured it’s the right thing to do, to introduce myself. What about you two?” The man is walking in front of you, so you are looking at his back. This gives you a moment to think. Maybe it’s the paranoia talking, or that dreadful feeling that you have bubbling under the surface, but, should you give this man your real names? [[Give him your name.]] [[Don't give him your name.]]

You decide to give him your actual name. It’s polite, and since he was the first to introduce himself, it’s only fair. You’re being way too paranoid about all this. <<set $anomaly2 to true>> “My name is Kevin”, you say, “and my friend here is Dexter.” “Kevin and Dexter”, Johnathan repeats, nodding to himself. “Well, pleasure to be meeting you, Kevin and Dexter.” “Good meeting you too, sir”, Dexter says, making Johnathan chuckle in response. “I see that you two are very polite; it’s good, to see polite, young men, such as yourselves. There is hope for this country yet!” [[NEXT |Real names]]

For safety concerns, you decide to give him fake names. You don’t know this man, and will never see him again in your life. There’s no need for him to know who Dexter and you really are. “My name is Ben”, you say. Dexter gives you a weird look, but you nudge him with your elbow, to follow your lead. “And my friend here is Nick.” “Ben and Nick”, Johnathan says, repeating your names. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Ben and Nick.” “Ah, good meeting you too, sir”, Dexter says, still a bit unsure of your decision on the names. “I see that you two are very polite; it’s good, to see polite, young men, such as yourselves. There is hope for this country yet!” [[NEXT |Fake names]]

Aside from his weird political comment, the three of you continue, but, your walk starts to drag on a bit. Didn’t Johnathan say that this motel was close by? “Ah, excuse me sir, how long until we reach the motel?” you carefully ask, not wanting to seem rude. Dexter gives you a thankful smile. It looks like he was wondering the same thing. “In a minute, we should be there”, Johnathan says, his pace brisk. “It is not the fanciest of places, but there is talk that they are planning to renovate it, make it look real nice.” “Wait”, Dexter says, stopping you all. “Do you hear that?” Johnathan turns to you, confused. But, you do pick up on what Dexter is talking about. [[NEXT |Turn for the worst]]

There’s a sound of crying, from relatively close to you. And, if you’re hearing it correctly, it sounds like children crying. You start looking around, while Dexter does the same. It doesn’t take you long, to spot two children, sitting on the entrance steps of one of the houses. They are boy and a girl, and both have their faces in their hands, crying. “We should go help them”, Dexter says, starting to move towards them, but, to both your and his surprise, Johnathan grabs him by the arm, stopping him. Even though his face is gentle, something inside of you is feels that something is very wrong here. “No need to pay them any mind”, he tells you both. “They are of no importance to us, whatsoever. Also, aren’t you tired? Don’t you wish to get to the motel as soon as possible?” Dexter tries to pull his hand away, but Johnathan grip is too tight, too strong. “Hey, let go of me!” Johnathan doesn’t react to that, and instead, just passively stares at both you and Dexter. “This could have gone way smoother.” [[NEXT |True Johnathan]]

A blood curdling shriek escapes Dexter’s mouth, as Johnathan pulls him by his arm, dislocating it, and sinks his razor sharp teeth into Dexter’s shoulder. Ripping a chunk of Dexter’s flesh, he looks at you, with murky, pale green eyes. The crying stopped, and you start to hear giggling from somewhere behind you. Dexter turns to you, barely conscious. “Kev-kevin… Run…”, he manages to say, before Johnathan’s, now decaying, arm claws at Dexter’s stomach, ripping it open, and spilling his guts on his grey suit. The adrenalin is not even letting you think, so instead of vomiting on the spot, you turn and run, as fast as you can, ditching your luggage. With your car key in hand, you sprint down the cold, narrowing streets of Font Lay, lights flickering ominously. There are giggles all around you, but you don’t dare to stop and look. All you hear from your friend, is his last outcry of pain. [[NEXT |Running]] <<audio "KidsLaugh" volume 0.3>> <<audio "KidsLaugh" play loop>>

Spotting your car parked right where you left it, you start sprinting to it. But, a woman appears, exiting from a side street, next to the café. She looks at you, with a fake surprise evident on her face. “My, what’s the rush honey? Do you need any help?” She is close to your car, but with some luck, you may be able to enter just in time, if you don’t fumble with the keys. And so, you make sure that they are gripped tight in your hand, ready to unlock the car. [[NEXT |Not so fast]]

You reach the car, and to your relief, the woman is not even looking at you; rather, she is looking somewhere behind you. “Ah, seems like it’s not my night then.” With that, she returns to her alleyway, leaving you alone on the street, the only thing to keep you company, is the giggles; constant, child giggles. You open your car door, and as soon as you do, a blinding pain shoots up your left leg. “AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!” you yell out, your screams filling the silent night. Falling onto the driver’s seat of your car, you turn around, only to see the two children, boy and a girl, who were crying before, now staying right there, looking at you with their cold, dead, black eyes, and smiles that are too big to be human. “Don’t you want to help us?” a little boy asks you. “WHY DIDN’T YOU HELP US!?” the girl yells, face contorting into that of pure fury, razor sharp teeth on full display. “Now”, the boy continues, his smile ripping his face apart, revealing rows and rows of teeth, elongating his small frame into a stick like humanoid. “You will learn to suffer.” Even his voice has become way deeper. [[NEXT |Death]] <<audio "KidsLaugh" stop>>

He extends his arm towards you, bones snapping, muscles and tendons tearing, skin ripping, and splattering you with blood, that’s filled with maggots. His nails have sharpened, and once he grabs you by the thigh, his nails sink into your flesh, instantly drawing blood. You yell out in pain, as he yanks you out of the car, right onto the blood stained pavement. As soon as your back touches the ground, the little girl slams her foot onto your palm, shattering it. “We will have sooo much fun with you”, she tells you, as you scream in agony. “We will rip you apart, limb from limb, and feed you your organs, so we can suck them all up from your stomach, all the while you beg us for death.” She also starts transforming, into a creature similar to the monster that was a little boy. “N-no,… M-moom,… Daaaad!” you manage to yell out, before her hand is jammed into your stomach, ripping your intestines, and shoving them into your mouth… [[Limbo]]

A blood curdling shriek escapes Dexter’s mouth, as Johnathan pulls him by his arm, dislocating it, and sinks his razor sharp teeth into Dexter’s shoulder. Ripping a chunk of Dexter’s flesh, he looks at you, with murky, pale green eyes. The crying stopped, and you start to hear giggling from somewhere behind you. Dexter turns to you, barely conscious. “Kev-kevin… Run…”, he manages to say, before Johnathan’s, now decaying, arm claws at Dexter’s stomach, ripping it open, and spilling his guts on his grey suit. A creature that was Johnathan cocks his head at you, giving you a malicious smile. “Oh, so you lieeeeddd…. I’ll remember that…..” <<set $anomaly3 to true>> The adrenalin is not even letting you think, so instead of vomiting on the spot, you turn and run, as fast as you can, ditching your luggage. With your car key in hand, you sprint down the cold, narrowing streets of Font Lay, lights flickering ominously. There are giggles all around you, but you don’t dare to stop and look. All you hear from your friend, is his last outcry of pain. [[NEXT |Run little lamb]] <<audio "KidsLaugh" play loop>> <<audio "KidsLaugh" volume 0.3>>

Deciding to play it safe, you don’t wait a second more, before your foot slams on the gas. Your wheels turn in place, creating smoke, and a second later, your car speeds off, leaving the strange man behind you, looking at you. “We can find a hotel on our own”, you say, taking a sharp turn left. “You sure you still want to stay in this place?” Dexter asks you, looking a bit pale. You nod, albeit a little frantically. “Yeah; once we get to it, I’ll feel much safer in a place where there are other people, and somewhere where I can lock my doors, and, and…” “Kevin, breathe”, Dexter tells you, trying to calm you down. “Slow down, and take a few deep breaths. I can’t have you hyperventilating while you’re behind the wheel.” You listen to him, inhaling and exhaling, allowing your lungs to completely fill with air, holding it for a moment, then releasing it. Sure enough, it does help you calm down, and you are able to continue your search for the hotel in relative ease. [[NEXT |Trying your luck]]

Spotting a few other people, who all tried to flag you down for some reason, you finally spot a motel, called “Seashell motel”. There, you park on one of the many empty spots, happy to spend the night, even though this whole place is still creeping you out a bit. “Thank God”, you say, getting out of your car. “Quick, let’s get our stuff from the trunk and get in; I don’t want to spend more time than necessary outside.” Dexter nods, already on his way to the trunk. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” You open the trunk of your car, getting your stuff out, as Dexter takes out his. Locking the car, but not before you put the steering wheel lock first, you head for the entrance to the motel. The feeling of dread is following you, and it only seems that it is growing more and more, as the time passes. [[NEXT |Motel]]

“Nope”, you say, before speeding off into the night. In your rear view mirror, you see the strange man looking at you, his head tilted. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Dexter asks you. “Not sure what you’re thinking, but I’m getting us the fuck out of this place”, you tell him, driving straight, in hopes of exiting this town, as fast as possible. Dexter nods. “Exactly what I was thinking.” [[NEXT |Trying, are we?]]

“Yes”, you answer cautiously, as Dexter gives you a wild look. “Yes we were.” A strange man gives you a nod, a grateful smile on his face. “Yes, this old man still remembers well! Anyhow, you should know that there are no hotels around here, only a single motel, but, if you were to ask me, those are basically the same thing.” “Suuure”, you say, going along with whatever this strange man is saying. Yes, he may know your names, and yes, he is creepy as hell, but, maybe that’s where it all ends. Maybe he’s just weird like that, and once he helps you, you don’t have to see him ever again. Let’s just hope that it all goes smoothly, if you leave a good impression on him. “Yes, yes”, he says, nodding. “Anyhow, why don’t you just park over there, as soon as you turn right, just after the café. Then, I can just simply walk you to the motel!” “Oookaay, give us a moment.” The man nods, and you depart. Following his instructions, as soon as you turn right, after the “Fresh Brew” café, you find a lot of empty parking spaces. You put your car in the first one, and once safely secured with a steering wheel lock, you get out of the car, into the chilly night air. It is the beginning of autumn, and while the days are usually still warm and pleasant, early mornings and nights do get cold, especially here. [[NEXT |Second time's a charm]]

You open the double glass doors, and are greeted with a red rug, that spans from the door, to the reception desk, and to various other entrances, one of them being the staircase that leads both up and down. Walking up to a reception, there greets you a young woman, with puffy ginger hair, and a brilliant smile. Her blue eyes, even though they are crinkled from a smile, seem a bit cold, but, you write that off on your paranoia being worse than it actually should be. <<if $anomaly4 is false>>“Good evening boys!” she greets you, politely leaning towards you for a moment, before returning to her perfect posture. “Out at night? You must be new here!” Dexter and you exchange a confused look, before shrugging it off. Returning a smile, you tell her, “Yes, we are just passing, and we’d like a room for the night.” Beside you, Dexter nods, seemingly caught up with the woman’s beauty. You gotta admit, she has some nice curves. “Why of course! Of course!” she says, her manicured fingers flying over the keyboard of her computer. “Can you tell me, under what names should I put you?” [[NEXT |Betsy]] <<elseif $anomaly4 is true>>“Ah, Kevin and Dexter, just the boys I was waiting for!” she greets you, politely leaning towards you for a moment, before returning to her perfect posture. “Out at night again? Youngsters, you never learn.” What in the actual fuck? you think. How does she know both of your names? And what the fuck does she mean out at night again? Without waiting for you to say anything, she extends her arm, giving you a key. “The room is 102, just like the last time. Again, do check the rules. They are there for a reason. And, with that, we wish you a pleasant stay at Font Lay!” With that, she motions towards the staircase, leading up to your room. You tilt your head at her, because of her bizarre warning, and even more insane knowledge of both you and Dexter, along with the whole room and again thing. But, she just continues looking at you, with that big smile, and those unresponsive eyes. Dexter grabs your sleeve, urging you to move. “Common man, let’s go.” [[NEXT |Betsy 2]] <</if>>

Along your way, you see a good few more of lonely, smiling individuals, trying to flag you down. Naturally, you haven’t stopped, and have continued going straight, even running a few red lights, when you spotted people near the traffic lights, on the sidewalk, where you’d have to stop. That wasn’t going to happen. Though, what does end up happening, is something that is first spotted by Dexter. “Hey, what are they doing?” You look at him, before looking at the sidewalks, where you spot a couple people looking up. “Maybe something is flying overhead?” you take a guess, trying to look up yourself, but not seeing anything. The fact that it’s dark out doesn’t help. Dexter tries the same, but comes up empty. “Yeeeah, I got nothing.” “Well, it’s probably a plane or something, but their reaction seems a bit t- HEY” [[NEXT |Big league]]

The hood of your car gets pierced by, something. It looks like a white pole, and it just went straight through your engine, destroying it in an instant. “What the – “Dexter doesn’t even get to finish his sentence, when the pole retracts itself back into the sky? The few people around are standing frozen now, looking at your wreck of a car. The pole thing stopped you in your tracks, and thank God you had your seatbelt on, otherwise you would have gone right through the windshield. Slowly, you open your car door, to see what just happened. Dexter does the same. “Oh, they don’t know”, you hear one of the people from the sidewalk say. “Their funeral”, the other one adds. “What are they talking about?” you ask Dexter, who is looking up at the sky. When he doesn’t answer you, you look up as well. [[NEXT |Big one]]

A cloud is above you. An enormous cloud, that can be distinguished, even though it is dark. The street lights don’t illuminate it, but there is something that is giving off a very faint glow. “Why is it glowing like that?” Dexter asks, and you look at him. He is still standing there, watching. He doesn’t even make a sound, when something directly from the sky, stabs him through the mouth, digging itself right into the pavement beneath him. [[NEXT |It was never a choice]]

“DEXTER!” you yell out, seeing that the same pole that destroyed your car, has now stabbed your best friend, killing him on the spot. A moment later, your car is riddled with the same poles, that are all coming from the sky, and are even attached to the cloud overhead. Are they, alive? you think to yourself, looking back up. The laughter erupts around you, and is coming from the few people standing on the sidewalks. The pole, or, tentacle thing, then lifts Dexter’s lifeless body up, and retracts the remaining tentacles from your car. You can’t help, as you stand there, frozen, staring at the cloud. A hole in the middle of it opens, revealing a shadowy outline of something, that produces a slow, faint, blinking light. Tentacle takes Dexter straight into it, and his body disappears. [[NEXT |Death 3]]

You manage to get a hold of your legs, and so, you begin to run. Unfortunately, running proves to be a futile attempt, as your stopped, by a sudden pain in your back. Looking down, you see a tentacle protruding from your stomach, just below the rib cage, bloodied. It went all the way, stabbing the pavement as well, cracking it. You open your mouth, trying to say something, to yell for help, but no sound comes out. Instead, you cough some blood out, right onto the tentacle. You are lifted in the air, and the last thing you see, are the laughing few people, from down below, and your car, riddled with holes… [[Limbo]]

“I don’t like this”, Dexter tells you, as the two of you exit the car. A little distance from you, comes the man, walking towards you at a brisk pace. Once he is in hearing range, he tells you, “A lovely evening, wouldn’t you say?” “Yeah, though a bit chilly, eh?” you ask, because it seems that Dexter has gone full silent mode. He nods in agreement. “Indeed; that is why I always wear layers. Keeps me warm, and if needs be, I can just take them off, and I’ll be just fine.” You open up the trunk, taking your stuff while Dexter takes his. It’s not that you’re going to particularly need it, but you don’t want them to stay in the car, while you’re at the motel. Safety first, your parents always thought you. “You got your things?” the man asks you. Both you and Jester nod, and he gives you a pleasant smile. “Let us move along, shall we?” [[NEXT |Different?]]

“Oh, I forgot to say”, the man begins, as the three of you are walking deeper into the small city. “My name is Johnathan. I figured it’s the right thing to do, to introduce myself, especially when I already know your names. It is only fair.” “Nice to meet you?” you say, though a bit unsure. Still, Johnathan doesn’t seem to mind, looking at you over his shoulder, and giving you a polite nod. “I see that you two are very polite; it’s good, to see polite, young men, such as yourselves. There is hope for this country yet!” [[NEXT |So far, so good]]

Aside from his weird political comment, and even weirder knowledge of you and what you have decided to do from the start, the three of you continue, but, your walk starts to drag on a bit. Didn’t Johnathan say that this motel was close by? “Ah, excuse me sir, how long until we reach the motel?” you carefully ask, not wanting to seem rude. Dexter gives you a thankful smile. It looks like he was wondering the same thing. “In a minute, we should be there”, Johnathan says, his pace brisk. “It is not the fanciest of places, but there is talk that they are planning to renovate it, make it look real nice.” “Wait”, Dexter says, stopping you all. “Do you hear that?” Johnathan turns to you, confused. But, you do pick up on what Dexter is talking about. [[NEXT |Same old story]]

There’s a sound of crying, from relatively close to you. And, if you’re hearing it correctly, it sounds like children crying. You start looking around, while Dexter does the same. It doesn’t take you long, to spot two children, sitting on the entrance steps of one of the houses. They are boy and a girl, and both have their faces in their hands, crying. “We should go help them”, Dexter says, starting to move towards them, but, to both your and his surprise, Johnathan grabs him by the arm, stopping him. Even though his face is gentle, something inside of you is feels that something is very wrong here. “No need to pay them any mind”, he tells you both. “They are of no importance to us, whatsoever. Also, aren’t you tired? Don’t you wish to get to the motel as soon as possible?” Dexter tries to pull his hand away, but Johnathan grip is too tight, too strong. “Hey, let go of me!” Johnathan doesn’t react to that, and instead, just passively stares at both you and Dexter. “Destined to repeat your fate; funny how that works.” [[NEXT |True Johnathan]]

Spotting a few other people, who all tried to flag you down for some reason, you finally spot a motel, called “Seashell motel”. There, you park on one of the many empty spots, happy to spend the night, even though this whole place is still creeping you out a bit. “Seems like you were right”, Dexter tells you, getting out of the car. “We did manage just fine on our own.” You exit the car as well, a prideful smirk on your face. “Well, I do tend to be right, most of the time.” Dexter rolls his eyes. “Yeah right.” You open the trunk of your car, getting your stuff out, as Dexter takes out his. Locking the car, but not before you put the steering wheel lock first, you head for the entrance to the motel. The feeling of dread is following you, and it only seems that it is growing more and more, as the time passes. [[NEXT |Motel]]

“Kevin Monroe, and Dexter Miles”, Dexter answers. The woman, whose name tag says is named Betsy, nods, before typing it in. “There we go!” she announces, once finished. She then turns and grabs the keys from behind her, giving you a room 102. “Have a pleasant night”, she tells you, as she drops the keys to your palm. “And, before going to bed, do check the rules. It will help you survive.” “What does that mean?” you ask, as that strange feeling in you starts to amplify both fear and paranoia. Betsy just smiles. “It will help you not to die, silly! And also, have a wonderful time. We wish you a pleasant stay in Font Lay.” With that, she motions towards the staircase, leading up to your room. You tilt your head at her, because of her bizarre warning, but, she just continues looking at you, with that big smile, and those unresponsive eyes. Dexter, who is, surprisingly, taking all of this better than you, nudges you. “Common man, let’s go.” [[NEXT |Motel room]]

You arrive to your room, 102. The hallway looks eerily like the one you’ve seen that in that one horror movie, that you can’t recall the name of. The red carpet, the pale, yellow walls, with occasional, random picture, and a few small tables, with plants on them. “Beggars can’t be choosers”, Dexter tells you, as you unlock the door. What greets you is a modes room, with a bathroom, and a nice, decent sized bedroom, with a double bed. “Like we’re engaged or something”, Dexter jokes, tossing his stuff near the table in the room, above witch is the TV. He plops onto the bed, exhaling in relief. “Ahhh; comfy.” You set your stuff aside as well, and the first thing that catches your attention, is a sheet of paper on the table. Dexter sits up, looking at what you’re looking at. “Oh, those must be the infamous rules that the receptionist mentioned. What’s up with that anyways?” You shrug. “Your guess is as good as mine.” With that said, will you check the rules, or will you go straight to bed? [[Check the rules.]] [[Don't check the rules.]]

You decide to check the rules; besides, it’s a single piece of paper, it’s not like it’s going to take you forever to do it. <img src="images/Rules.jpg" alt="Rules for staying safe in Font Lay" height="900" width="700"> [[NEXT |Sleeping]] <<notify>>Rules unlocked!<</notify>> <<set $rules to true>>

“Fuck it”, you say, deciding to ignore the rules. You don’t know what Betsy’s deal is, but there is absolutely no reason for you to read the rules just for your “survival”, as she had put it. Plopping down next to Dexter, you look up at the ceiling fan, and sigh. “Honestly, I needed this rest.” “Me to bud”, Dexter agrees. “Me too.” Turning to your side, not even bothering with the clothes, you tell him, “Good night, Dexter.” You feel the shifting of the bed, as he does the same as you just did. “You too, Kevin.” [[NEXT |Sleeping 4]]

“Are these for real?” you can’t help but ask. Dexter is behind you, looking over your shoulder. “This has to be a prank”, he says in disbelief. “Are we being pranked right now?” Your breath quickens, fear creeping up your spine, giving you chills. Dexter notices this, and turns you towards him. “Hey, Kevin, look at me”, he tells you. You follow his instructions, seeing his sympathetic smile. “Just take a deep breath.” Inhaling deeply, you hold your breath for a moment, before exhaling. In truth, this does help you relax, if only for a small amount, but, better something than nothing. “Feeling better?” Dexter asks you, letting go of your shoulders. You give him a weak nod. “Yeah. A bit.” He nods, satisfied. “Good.” You almost gave him a genuine, small smile, but that was interrupted by a knock. [[NEXT |Sleeping 2]]

There are a few problems with this, but the main problem, is the very sound itself. It is not someone knocking on your door. What it is, is someone knocking on the glass. “What the…?” Dexter asks, moving slowly to the curtains, that are covering the window. “Dexter, no!” you say, grabbing his arm, and yanking him back. “Hey”, he says, regaining his balance. “What was that for?” “Because of this!” you answer, waving the rules in front of him. “It says to ignore the knockings and everything!” Dexter rolls his eyes. “Kevin, please, there’s no such things as monsters, and those rules are probably some strange prank by the motel. You know, to build an image of a spooky town, to lure the tourists.” This makes you pause, even with the knocking on the glass in the background. Could that really be it? But, what of the feeling that you have? What of the strange behaviour of Betsy, or the people outside? No cars? All of those empty parking spots? Something doesn’t add up, but for the life of you, you can’t figure out what. [[NEXT |Sleeping 3]]

Dexter walks up to the window. “You’ll see; this is all just a very elaborate setup, and this knocking? It’s nothing”, he concludes, spreading the curtains wide. The both of you stand there, staring at the reflections of the two of you. The reflections stare back. “See?” Dexter asks you, turning towards you. All the hair on your body stands on ends. Dexter’s reflection didn’t turn; it is still staring straight forward, and its face is starting to grin. “L-look!” you yell, pointing at the reflections, moving back deeper into the room. Dexter turns, at the exact moment that his reflections eyes start to bleed. Dexter screams, and so do both of your reflections. [[NEXT |Reflections]]

All around you, shadows start to dim. You start seeing multiple reflections of both you and Dexter, with their bleeding eyes, screaming at you. They are all around you, they are moving towards you, extending their hands. “Dexter!” you yell out, looking everywhere, trying to spot your friend amidst the chaos. “Where are you!?” “Kevin!” Dexter yells back, from, somewhere. “What is goAAAAHHH!” “Dexter!” you try again, but to no avail. Looking all around you, the multiple reflections are almost on top of you. As soon as you feel the hands of one of them on your back, the surge of impending doom is so strong, that you just shut down, falling into a deep, dark, sleeeeeeppppp….. [[NEXT |Aftermath]]

That morning, a cleaning lady came to work. She was told by Betsy that only the room 102 was occupied, and that she should clean it, for the reservation was only for the night. Cleaning lady nods, taking her cart and cleaning supplies, before going to the staff elevator. Reaching the room, she knocks politely. Not getting an answer back, she takes her stack of keys, putting the right one into the lock, and opening. Inside of the room, she is greeted by a big, nauseating mess. Before entering, she shoves her hand into her pocket, taking out a bottle of many different coloured pills, filled to the brim. She opens the bottle, and puts around ten different pills on her hand, before putting them inside her mouth. From her cart, she takes the water bottle, to help her swallow them all. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for drugs to kick in, and she can feel her mind relaxing. numbing to the gory sight. It is only then that she enters, taking the dried out husks of what were once two teens, that were left just standing, looking at the window, and putting them on the bed. She cleans the room from all the bodily fluids, before she dials for Sheriff to come down for them. After a job well done, she goes back to Betsy, and informs her that her job for the day is done. Betsy nods, with her ever-present, dumb, megawatt smile. “Good”, Betsy says. “Good.” [[Limbo]]

You’re not sure how much time has passed when you wake up by something, but the lamp you turned on when you initially entered the room was still on, and since you don’t feel rested at all, you’d say that it wasn’t much. Groggily, you sit up, rubbing your eyes. Once you do, you look over at Dexter, who’s sound asleep. You gently shake his shoulder, waking him up. “Huh”, he asks, confused. “Kevin?” “Listen”, you tell him, putting a finger to your lips, making a hush motion. He looks at you confused, until he hears it too. The knocking. “That’s not coming from the door”, he notices, and you nod. You turn toward the curtain covered window, and listen. Knock. There. Again. [[NEXT |Sleeping 5]]

You slowly get up, and so does Dexter. “Is someone throwing stones?” he asks, genuinely confused. You shrug. “I’ve no idea.” Creeping to the window, you start to hear the knocking getting a bit louder. With a shaky hand, you pull the curtain open, and there, you’re greeted by the dark, night sky, and the reflections of both you and Dexter. The knocking stopped. “Huh”, you say, turning towards Dexter. “Maybe it was some bird or something.” To your surprise, Dexter doesn’t say anything. Instead, he is pale, and is looking terrified. “Dexter?” you ask. “You okay?” His hand trembling, he points behind you. You turn around, only to see your reflection, which is now smiling with a smile that’s too big to be human. A moment later, his eyes start to bleed, and Dexter’s reflection follow suit. You scream in sheer terror, as does Dexter, and both of your reflections as well. [[NEXT |Reflections]]

“How the fuck did she know our names?” you ask, reaching your room. “And what did she mean, when she said that we were out at night again? “Hell if I know”, Dexter tells you, opening the door to your room. What greets you is a modes room, with a bathroom, and a nice, decent sized bedroom, with a double bed. The moment you step foot into the room, you close the door, making sure to lock it, and to leave the key in the lock, while twisted, so no one can unlock it from the outside. “Good thinking”, Dexter tells you, nodding. “My tired brain would never be able to think of that.” “Better safe than sorry” you tell him, finally allowing yourself a moment to breathe. Sure, many crazy things have happened, but, you feel relatively safe now, and besides, you just need to make it through the night. At 6 am sharp, you’ll be out of here, and will never look back. So, until then, you might as well get some sleep, but, before you do, there are those infamous rules, right on the table. Will you read them? [[Check the rules. |Alternative rules]] [[Don't check the rules. |Alternative no rules]]

You decide to check the rules; besides, it’s a single piece of paper, it’s not like it’s going to take you forever to do it. <img src="images/Rules.jpg" alt="Rules for staying safe in Font Lay"> [[NEXT |Sleeping 6]] <<notify>>Rules unlocked!<</notify>> <<set $rules to true>>

That morning, a cleaning lady came to work. She was told by Betsy that only the room 102 was occupied, and that she should clean it, for the reservation was only for the night. Cleaning lady nods, taking her cart and cleaning supplies, before going to the staff elevator. Reaching the room, she knocks politely. Not getting an answer back, she takes her stack of keys, putting the right one into the lock, but, to her surprise, she can’t stick it all the way in. The lock seems to have a key inside already, and so, she just sighs. She’ll have to do this the hard way it seems. And so, she takes a crowbar from her cart; one of the many tools she had to carry whilst working here, for many reasons. This time, it was used to brute force the door open, as is most often the case with using crow bars. Inside of the room, she is greeted by a big, nauseating mess. Before entering, she shoves her hand into her pocket, taking out a bottle of many different coloured pills, filled to the brim. She opens the bottle, and puts around ten different pills on her hand, before putting them inside her mouth. From her cart, she takes the water bottle, to help her swallow them all. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for drugs to kick in, and she can feel her mind relaxing. numbing to the gory sight. It is only then that she enters, taking the dried out husks of what were once two teens, that were left just standing, looking at the window, and putting them on the bed. She cleans the room from all the bodily fluids, before she dials for Sheriff to come down for them. After a job well done, she goes back to Betsy, and informs her that her job for the day is done. Betsy nods, with her ever-present, dumb, megawatt smile. “Good”, Betsy says. “Good.” [[Limbo]]

Would you like to try [[again? |Beginning]] To try and see if there is anything that can be done to save the boys... See how the town, and its occupants, react the second time around... Or perhaps you wish to cotninue on? If that is what you want, then simply proceed to [[Chapter 1...|Before page]]

<h2>Chapter 1: New case.</h2> You are reading newspapers, and enjoying your freshly brewed coffee, when suddenly, your phone rang, interrupting the tranquillity of the bright, autumn morning. You take the phone and put it to your ear. “<<textbox "$name" "">> <<textbox "$surname" "">>, PI.” (input your name and surname, with first letters being capitalised) Once done, click [[here. |Gender Choice]] <<set $he to " ">> <<set $him to " ">> <<set $his to " ">> <<set $hes to " ">> <<set $is to " ">> <<set $haircolour to " ">> <<set $hairlength to " ">> <<set $eyecolour to " ">> <<set $height to " ">> <<set $complexion to " ">> <<set $man to " ">>

And what is your gender? [[Male]] [[Female]] [[Non-binary]]

Investigator $name $surname was a very promising young man. Is this [[correct? |Call]] It [[doesn't |Chapter 1...]] seem right. <<set $he to "he">> <<set $him to "him">> <<set $his to "his">> <<set $hes to "his">> <<set $is to "is">> <<set $man to "man">>

Investigator $name $surname was a very promising young woman. Is this [[correct? |Call]] It [[doesn't |Chapter 1...]] seem right. <<set $he to "she">> <<set $him to "her">> <<set $his to "her">> <<set $hes to "hers">> <<set $is to "is">> <<set $man to "woman">>

Investigator $name $surname was a very promising young person. Is this [[correct? |Call]] It [[doesn't |Chapter 1...]] seem right. <<set $he to "they">> <<set $him to "them">> <<set $his to "their">> <<set $hes to "theirs">> <<set $is to "are">> <<set $man to "person">>

“Good morning, detective $surname”, came the voice from the other end. “My name is Margaret Monroe, and I’m calling about my son, Kevin.” “What about him?” you ask, taking your reading glasses off, and putting them onto the table, next to your half drank cup of coffee. “He’s missing”, Margaret answers, not missing a beat. “For how long?” you ask. “And have you contacted the police yet?” At this, she hesitates. A theory starts to develop in your mind, but, you don’t wish to judge. “Well,”, she begins shakily, “it hasn’t been more than a few hours? But please, I swear, he would have answered at least one of my calls by now, and I just can’t reach him! I haven’t contacted the police because they would just disregard that as me being too paranoid, but I know my son, please.” “Margaret, calm down”, you tell her, internally sighing. This is not your first time that a concerned parent has called you about their child, just because they haven’t picked up their phone in a few hours. Thankfully, you were always correct about those, and those children would show up in a day, with a logical explanation of how their batteries have run out or something. “Are you sure that this is not just you being worried over nothing? I mean, it is early, and he may be sleeping, or his phone could have died; there could be a lot of explanations as to why he’s not picking up.” “I also called his friend, Dexter, who was with him”, she quickly adds, interrupting you. “And he’s not picking up either!” [[NEXT |Call continues]] <<set $margaret to true>>

“And have you contacted Dexter’s parents?” “Yes! And also, his phone keeps ringing, but to no avail! I’m sorry, but I just don’t know what to do!” she concludes, and you can hear her starting to sob. “My poor boy, something happened to him, I just know it! Please detective, please, I’ll pay, I just need you to see if you can find him, or at least get in contact with him, anything. “Alright, alright”, you say, relenting. “Give me their numbers, and I’ll try to get a hold of them. After that, I’ll get right back to you with what I find, okay?” “Oh thank you so much!” she tells you, and you can practically hear the relief in her voice. “Okay, so Kevin’s number is…” [[NEXT |Trying to call the teens]]

After a good few minutes, and a bunch of unanswered calls, the situation starts to smell fishy to you. All the calls are going through, you think to yourself, stroking your chin, lost in your thoughts. So why wouldn’t they answer? Surely, even if they were driving, one of them could answer? Well, deciding to update Margaret about this, you call her back. She picks up immediately. “Yes?” she asks, even before making sure that you’re the one who called her. “You were correct”, you tell her, looking at your trusty [[notepad |Notepad]]. “Neither of the boys are picking up, even though all the calls went through. If the problem was a battery or something, the calls wouldn’t be ringing.” “My thoughts exactly!” she agreed. “Oh, detective, please, you have to see if you can find them, or get in contact with them; please, I’ll pay double, just make sure my boy is alright.” [[NEXT |Accepting the case]]

This is where you'll be able to take notes during the story, when given a chance. Here, you'll be able to write things to remember for later use, or to be able to piece together information more easily, when it comes to the town Font Lay, and the strange things happening. Will you discover the secrets of the town? Will you manage to pick out the true theory, out of many? <<if $writingitalldown is true>> Notes $personalnotes <</if>><<if $writingitalldown2 is true>> $personalnotes2 <</if>> [[Return to Game.|$return]]

Achievements: <<if $rules is true>>"You have to know the rules, so you'd know how to break them" - read the rules <<elseif $rules is false>>Undiscovered achievement. <</if>> <<if $billy is true>>"A strange man, Billy is..." - meet Billy <<elseif $billy is false>>Undiscovered achievement. <</if>> [[Return to Game.|$return]]

Deciding that, since you have no cases left to solve, you can accept this one. It shouldn’t be that big of a problem to solve, so you might as well; besides, you’re going to get paid very nice sum. “Okay Margaret”, you say, jotting things [[down |Characters]]. “Tell me, where were they last seen? Were they going somewhere? Went somewhere? I need all the details you can give me." “They were returning from Tofino, but because it was late, they decided to take a break at some place called, Font Lay I think? That’s what Dexter’s mother had told me, that Dexter called here late last night, to say that they were making a stop because they were tired, at that place.” Confused, you take a map from your desk, and begin searching for this place Font Lay. You’re certain you’ve never heard of it, nor have you seen it on a map. And, once you take a quick look, marking any possible path from Tofino to Nanaimo, you find that there is no place with that name. “Are you sure about the name?” you ask, holding your phone with your shoulder, and a map with both hands, looking up and down, in case you missed it somewhere. [[NEXT |Looking at the map]]

”Yes, I’m sure”, Margaret answers with conviction. “I specifically recall that name being strange to me, for I’ve never even heard of that place, but I figured it was some new, small place that will be put on a map, once they update the maps.” Seems logical. “Okay, but can you tell me specifically where to look? I don’t know where would I start, because there are many ways they could have gone, so I’d like to have some general area, if you happen to know it.” Margaret seems to be thinking for a moment, before answering, “Dexter’s mother mentioned that they were driving down by the coast, when they had to take a dirt road, because there was a tree that fell over on the main one.” So, they were either somewhere near either Tofino or Nanaimo, you think, since those are the only parts where they could have driven by the coast. The main road leads through the island, so that is ticked off the list. “Okay, got it”, you tell her, a plan already formulating in your head. You are going to take a ferry to Nanaimo, and take a drive along the main road, and look for a sign, or some exit, that would lead you towards Font Lay. Margaret mentioned a dirt road, so you’ll have to keep a close eye for those. [[NEXT |Setup time]]

“Well, I’ll drive down the road that they should have been on, and see if I can locate that town, Font Lay”, you inform her. “If I find anything, I’ll call you, and also, if you find anything, you inform me, okay?” “Oh, and one more thing, before you go”, she stops you from hanging up. “Their car is honda accord, dull green in colour, so do watch out if you happen to see it”, she concludes. You write it down. “Got it. Alright, take care, and I will contact you soon.” “Good luck detective $surname, I hope you manage to find my son.” And with that, you hang up, before getting out of your chair, and going to the standing coat hanger, where you’ve left your trench coat. [[NEXT |Setting up in the car]]

Putting your trench coat on, you exit your office, into the apartment building where it is located. Passing by a few doors, you are at the entrance, where you check your mail, again, just to be sure that nothing new has been delivered to you, before you go out onto the street. The autumn morning is pretty chilly, so you make a mental note do buy a new scarf, for your previous one was destroyed in an accident, which involved a bit too many beers, and a cabin with a wooden stove. The cabin is just fine, but your scarf caught on fire, when it, somehow, ended up on top of the stove. Even though you managed to put it out in record time, by then, the scarf was rendered unusable. Bringing your hands around you, making sure that you’re trench coat is as close to your body as possible, not letting a single wisp of wind through, you make your way to your car; a good old Ford Explorer. This car has been with you through thick and thin, and hasn’t failed you yet. Sure, it does help that you’re taking very good care of it, but, you can’t disapprove of the fact that the people who made it did a damn good job. Unlocking your door, you… [[Easily slide in. (you’re around 5’4 or 162 cm) |Small height]] [[Get in without much difficulty. (you’re around 5’11 or 180 cm) |Medium height]] [[Had to move your seat quite a bit back, so you would fit comfortably in it. (you’re around 6’5 or 196 cm) |Tall height]]

Once inside, you take a look at your rear-view mirror, fixing it. <>There, you meet your <<cycle "$eyecolour" autoselect>> <<option "brown">> <<option "blue">> <<option "grey">> <<option "hazel">> <<option "amber">> <<option "green">> <</cycle>> gaze, which people have a tendency to compliment. <> <>And once you accompany your beautifully coloured eyes, with your <<cycle "$complexion" autoselect>> <<option "porcelain">> <<option "ivory">> <<option "olive">> <<option "black">> <</cycle>> skin colour, you are truly decent looking individual, and people have even told you as much. <> [[NEXT |Hair]] <<set $height to "5 foot 4 or 162 cm">>

<>Once the mirror is set to your liking, you decide to fix your <<cycle "$hairlength" autoselect>> <<option "short">> <<option "medium">> <<option "shoulder">> <<option "chest">> <<option "back">> <</cycle>> length hair, by giving it a quick work with your hands. Maybe it's because of the way that Sun hits it at a right angle, or simply because of your skills to fix yourself up, but its <<cycle "$haircolour" autoselect>> <<option "black">> <<option "dark brown">> <<option "light brown">> <<option "blue">> <<option "ginger">> <<option "grey">> <</cycle>> colour is really sticking out. It almost looks glossy, even though you don't use any type of those hair products, that would give such an effect. <> [[NEXT |Done with setup]]

Once satisfied with your overall looks, you put the key into the ignition, and start your car. It takes but a second, before the engine rumbles into life. Putting your hands on your steering wheel, you inhale the cold air, before exhaling deeply. Another day, on this beautiful world. You start driving towards the ferry terminal, which is not a very scenic route, but, it is also not long, so you don’t mind. Once there, you’ll get a ferry for both you and your car, that will take you to the Vancouver Island, and from there, your search begins. If you had to estimate, this can all be done during this day, with even a few hours to spare, if you don’t take too any unnecessary breaks. People are also waking up, getting into their cars, and driving past yours, going to their jobs. There are clouds in the sky, but not enough to cover the Sun, and a good deal of its rays from coming down onto you, warming you up, even if just for a little bit. It is a promise for a sunny day ahead, and you don’t mind that at all. [[NEXT |Car ride commences]] <<set $mcdone to true>> <<audio "Radiosong" fadeoverto 5 0.2>> <<audio "Radiosong" volume 0.2>> <<audio "Radiosong" play loop>>

You turn a radio on, and start drumming with your thumbs. Since you barely had time for your morning coffee, some music is the perfect solution to fully wake you up from your sleepy state. It’s not that you’re not a morning person, it’s just that it is an early morning, and the cold weather just makes everyone not want to get out of their warm beds, and thick covers. Looking outside, when you can, you see people greeting each other on the street, kids going to school, carrying their big backpacks. A very wholesome scenery, and hopefully, you’ll be able to bring Margaret that same peaceful feeling, when you find her boy safe and sound. No parent should go through what Margaret is going through, but, you’ve seen it happen before, and you’re sure that you’ll be seeing it more as well. Still, bringing hope to people, bringing them peace and happiness, along with justice from time to time, is why you’ve chosen this profession. Sure, you could have gone the official route, becoming a police detective or something, but that is way too politicised, and there, you’d have to answer to someone, who’d be telling you what to do and how to do it, and you just couldn’t picture yourself that way. Being a PI is a rebellious way, in your opinion, of doing the right thing, and you try to prove that on every case that comes your way. That’s why you’ve been known as one of the better ones in your line of work. Sure, there are others, but you are all up there, as the top dogs of private investigations. Not a very known title, and not very famed with the police, but, they can’t bother you, unless you really step out of the line, and mess with their work. So yeah, it’s basically like any other type of job in that regard. [[NEXT |Scenic ride]]

<<cacheaudio "Radiosong" "audio/RadioSong.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "Radiosong2" "audio/RadioSong2.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "KidsLaugh" "audio/KidsLaugh.mp3">> <<set $meticulous to 50>> <<set $laidback to 50>> <<set $paranoid to 0>> <<set $leginjury to false>> <<set $billy to false>> <<set $oscar to false>>

It doesn’t take you that long to reach the terminal, and now, you’re in a car line to enter it. You wouldn’t expect this many people to be going to the island, this early in the morning, but, it probably has something to do with the fact that it is Friday, and people may be going on an extended weekend or something. Who knows, but, you don’t mind the wait. If anything, it is calming, as you’re listening to the radio, and looking out towards the water, where the small waves can be seen. Each wave casts a small spray of the salty water, and between the waves, you can see seagulls diving in to get the fishes that happen to be near the surface. The Sun hits the water at different angles, occasionally blinding you, if you look just in the right direction at the right time. To battle that, you take the sunglasses from your glove compartment, and put them on. That fixes the problem right up. [[NEXT |Scenic ride continues]]

It isn’t long, before you make your way onto the ferry with your car, and you are directed towards a free parking spot on it. Slowly, you make it to the designated spot, parking your car, turning your radio off, and exiting your car. With a little stretch, you lock your car, and get onto the deck of the ferry. The moment you do, the Sun hits your face, and the chilly air caresses your skin, giving you goose bumps. A weird combination of both warm and cold, but, it is something that you’ll just have to brave through. It wasn’t this cold when you got out of your house, though, your house is in the city, and not near the water, where it’s usually windier and colder. Well, you live you learn; you’ll start adding more layers in the future. [[You start walking around, inspecting the ferry in more detail, along with people on it. |Meticulous]] [[You find a seat near the railing of the boat, looking down at the water. |Laid back]] <<audio "Radiosong" fadeoverto 5 0>>

You just can’t help it; since forever, you were always the detailed one, the one who was looking into everything, inspecting everything, and this helped you in your job immensely. And if anyone were to ask you why you do it? You’d say simply because, you like to be aware of your surroundings, at all times. Being cautious like this can up your chances in any life or death scenario, and you’d rather be ready for it, than to be caught up unawares. And so, you begin by pacing all around, trying to get a feel of the ferry, and the people on it. Upon a brief observation, they all seem like regular folks, going to the island to stay there for a little while, just to enjoy their weekend, before they have to return to their jobs and the mundane life. All normal stuff, and when it comes to the ferry, there is nothing fishy going on anywhere; at least not that you see anything suspicious. [[NEXT |Meticulous One]] <<audio "Radiosong" stop>> <<set $meticulous to $meticulous + 3>> <<set $meticulous to Math.max(0, $meticulous)>> <<set $meticulous to Math.max(100, $meticulous)>>

You decide to just sit beside the railing, and turn your face towards the Sun, enjoying its warmth. The day is young, and you are on a job, but, when moments like these occur, you like to make them count, and the best way to do that, is to just relax, and fully enjoy it all. Overhead, the seagulls are flying, people around you are talking and laughing, and the ambiance seems light and chirpy. Inhaling the cool air, you close your eyes, and let your mind relax, and you cross your arms, and allow yourself a moment to enjoy this little break, before the eventual drive around the island, and locating the teens. "Ah", you exhale, a smile forming on your face. "I could get used to this." [[All there is left to do now, is enjoy your scenic ride to the Vancouver Island. |Ferry combines]] <<audio "Radiosong" stop>> <<set $laidback to $laidback + 3>> <<set $laidback to Math.max(0, $laidback)>> <<set $laidback to Math.max(100, $laidback)>>

While exploring the ferry, you find yourself back to the entrance to the lower area, where the cars are. The ferry just started going towards the island, and the last person to board it had just done so, and you are looking at their sleek Mercedes Benz, all black in colour. There is this feeling deep within you, nagging your thoughts into a certain direction. This car isn’t suspicious by any stretch, it can just mean that someone rich was in it, but there is just something telling you that there is more to it than that. So naturally, you decide to investigate a bit further. Casually leaning against the door that lead to the upper deck, you take out your phone, and pretend that you’re doing something of importance; the important thing was to look busy, just so you can sneak glances without looking like you’re there to, outright, watch someone for no reason whatsoever. The person exits their car, and from here, and because of your sunglasses, you can barely see the detailed features, but, you are certain that that person is… [[A man |Adam]] [[A woman |Anna]] <<set $agender to " ">> <<set $aname to " ">> <<set $ahe to " ">> <<set $ahim to " ">> <<set $ahis to " ">> <<set $ahes to " ">> <<set $aself to " ">> <<set $aman to " ">>

Definitely a man. But, due to his big, black trench coat, and a black fedora, you can’t make out much else. The styling choice was probably deliberately picked, so one could not easily see his exact features. You’re also not sure what it is, but something starts screaming that this man is a government figure of sorts. But anything more specific? You’d have to stick around to find out, but, if your hunch is correct, you’ll have to be very subtle about it, otherwise you can be charged with interfering with a government official or something, and that is not something you need. Deciding to play it safe, you quickly make your way back onto the deck, and to the nearest railing, to overlook the water. Blending in is something that you became very good at over the years, and hopefully, that guy hadn’t spotted you, and your little escape. [[NEXT |Ferry combines]] <<set $agender to "male">> <<set $aname to "Adam">> <<set $ahe to "he">> <<set $ahim to "him">> <<set $ahis to "his">> <<set $ahes to "his">> <<set $aself to "himself">> <<set $aman to "man">> <<set $amet to true>>

Definitely a woman. But, due to her big, black trench coat, and a black fedora, you can’t make out much else, aside from her raven black hair, that is going past her shoulders a bit. The styling choice was probably deliberately picked, so one could not easily see her exact features. You’re also not sure what it is, but something starts screaming that this woman is a government figure of sorts. But anything more specific? You’d have to stick around to find out, but, if your hunch is correct, you’ll have to be very subtle about it, otherwise you can be charged with interfering with a government official or something, and that is not something you need. Deciding to play it safe, you quickly make your way back onto the deck, and to the nearest railing, to overlook the water. Blending in is something that you became very good at over the years, and hopefully, that girl hadn’t spotted you, and your little escape. [[NEXT |Ferry combines]] <<set $agender to "female">> <<set $aname to "Anna">> <<set $ahe to "she">> <<set $ahim to "her">> <<set $ahis to "her">> <<set $ahes to "hers">> <<set $aself to "herself">> <<set $aman to "woman">> <<set $amet to true>>

Surprisingly, the ferry ride didn’t last that long; honestly, you expected that it would be longer, but you’re not complaining. In fact, you’re happy that it wasn’t as long as you thought, because that means that you’ll be able to start with your search sooner, and eventually, end it sooner. It is all going your way, and you are happy about that. You follow other passengers down to where the cars are parked, so you can get into yours, and get in line to exit. <<if $amet is true>>Walking up to your car, you spot the strange $aman. <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> moves like $he’s on a mission, not even glancing at other passengers, just going straight for $ahis car. Your gaze follows $ahim for a bit, before you decide to just leave it be. You’re not here to try and found out who $ahe is, nor what is $ahe doing here; you’re here to find the, supposedly, missing teens, and you’re going to do just that. No more distractions. Getting to your car, you unlock it, and hop right back in. <<else>>Getting to your car, you unlock it, and hop right back in. <</if>> [[NEXT |Off the ferry]]

You start driving down the main highway, making sure to look at every road that might lead you off of it. If your deduction is anything to go by, it will either be here, or near Tofino. Though, looking at lanes for both directions, is proving to be a bit tricky, but, that’s why you’re sticking to the right lane, going just below the speed limit. You’ll be damned if you miss it, just because you wanted to rush the whole process. Are people honking at you from time to time? Sure, but, no one is forcing them to go behind you; the left lane is open, and they can just switch to it, and drive past you. It is so easy, and you’ve never understood why people react so emotionally, when they can react productively. [[NEXT |Another car ride]] <<audio "Radiosong2" play loop>> <<audio "Radiosong2" fadeoverto 5 0.2>> <<audio "Radiosong2" volume 0.2>>

“Where could it be, where could it be?” you ask yourself out loud, looking both left and right. So far, no dirt road exits have been spotted, and you’re approaching the part of the highway where you start going through the island, towards Tofino, meaning that, most likely, the dirt road you’re looking for will be there. Well, you don’t mind; the whole ride is two and a half hours long, a bit more, but yeah. Nothing extreme, and still, it can, easily, be done in a day, even with the detours. Not to mention that you’re going to be payed double your regular rate, so that’s always a bonus. The beauty of this job is that you don’t work for anyone, other than yourself and your client. Because of that, you have full control over the work, how you approach it, when, and for how long. Sure, you give it your best, but, if you decided after this case to give yourself a few days off, you absolutely can, and you don’t have to answer to anyone about it. Beauty of freedom; you’d have it no other way. [[NEXT |Little did MC know]]

Now, the drive has become quite monotonous; following the highway, and many other cars, going in the same direction as you, with trees on both sides. It’s scenic, but it all looks the same, and your mind starts to wander, from time to time, and you have to will yourself to the present moment. To not do that would be very irresponsible from you as a driver. But still, you can’t help it; you don’t mind these moments, when your body operates on autopilot, and your thoughts start moving freely, on their own accord, even though you’re awake, and not asleep. [[NEXT |Reflexes]]

Blinking rapidly, as your mind registers something, you spot a dear right in front of your car! [[Swerve out of the way! |Deer on the road]] <<timed 2.5s>><<replace "#timedresponse">>[[Hit the deer. |Dead deer]]<</replace>><</timed>>[[Hard break! |Deer on the road part two]] <<timed 2.5s>><<replace "#timedresponse2">>[[Hit the deer. |Dead deer]]<</replace>><</timed>> <<set $carwreck to false>>

You turn your steering wheel sharply to left, making your car collide with the railing, but not full on. It still goes forward, the right side of your car screeching as it connects with the railing, making some nasty looking damage to the outer side of your car. Thankfully, this action, along with the sparks that had erupted, made deer snap out of its trance like state, and run off into the woods. Once you stop, you exhale a breath that you barely registered that you even took. “Fuck.” Turning the car off, you exit, to see what amount of damage you’ve just done to your vehicle. [[NEXT |Deer is okay]] <<set $carwreck to true>> <<audio "Radiosong2" fadeoverto 5 0>>

You don’t react in time, and your car collides with the deer head on. The creature’s legs are broken instantly, as it ends up on top of the hood of your car, slamming into your windshield. One of its antlers pierces it, and almost wounds you in the process. Your car, after the collision, skids to a stop. “Fucking hell”, you say, looking at the dead animal, right in front of you; because of the said antler, it stayed on your hood, and has not fallen off. You manage to drive the car a little bit off to the side, even though the railing is stopping you from going any further than a foot off the actual road. Getting out of your car, a phone is already in your hand, as you decide to call a tow truck, so they can get your car, and give you a ride to the repair shop. But, something stops you from dialling anyone, as your gaze looks out into the woods spotting something that looks like a beginning to a dirt road. Hell, there’s even a whole exit from the highway down onto it. Were you that distracted, that you haven’t seen it? [[NEXT |Better call Billy]] <<audio "Radiosong2" fadeoverto 5 0>>

Walking around your car, you take a closer look, spotting a giant, peeled scar on your car. Your right side mirror is gone too, but, the windows are okay, and the car doesn’t seem to have any dents. You sigh. “Well, thankfully I’ll be payed double; that should cover for this damage.” You take a look around, at the trees surrounding you, and the other cars, from which the drivers are all looking at you, as they pass. The ones that were going the same way as you stop to ask you if you need any assistance, but, with a smile, you wave them off. It’s nothing to worry about, and your car is still quite usable and functional; it’s only not as pretty as you like to keep it, but, a problem at a time. No need to do everything at once. [[NEXT |Oh look, a sign]] <<audio "Radiosong2" stop>>

You start going around your car again, wanting to return to the driver’s side, when you get a nagging feeling to look towards the trees. And so, you do, and there, you spot something resembling a dirt road. You scratch your head, taking your sunglasses off. Did I not see this? you think to yourself, as you continue examining it. Hell, there’s even a small exit from the highway towards it, that you could swear was not there; at least, not that you’ve noticed it, up until now. You narrow your eyes. “Strange”, you comment, crossing your arms. “Was I that zoned out?” Sure enough, there’s even a small, wooden plaque, on one of the trees near the “entrance” to the dirt road. “It can’t be”, you say, as you start making your way there, putting some speed into your steps. Walking up to it, you see that, in dark green letters, it is written a simple Font Lay text, with an arrow, pointing in the direction of the dirt road. [[NEXT |Well, alrighty then]]

Confused, you start looking around. Wait, are we that close to the other coast? Have I just not noticed?” Even though things don’t make much sense, you decide not to dwell on it, and go to this new, mysterious place; because the sooner you get there, the sooner you can find the teens. But, before you do that, you check your watch, just to be sure, and see that it is only 1 pm. Doing a little calculation in your head, you only affirm that, at least, there’s an hour that is separating you from the coast to here, maybe even more. “Maybe they got it wrong?” you say, as you start your walk back towards your car. “Maybe they miscalculated, or maybe they heard seagulls and thought it was near the coastline?” Well, whatever the case, you get into your, now damaged, car, and go down the dirt road, that should lead you to the strange new town, Font Lay. [[NEXT |This is where these two merge]]

After a few minute drive, you see a new looking sign, with a written Welcome to Font Lay!, in dark green letters, with some drawn pictures of trees and houses around it. It is not long after that, that you spot a few cabins here and there, before a decently sized town comes into view. “This place is new?” you ask, with a confused arch of your brows, as you look around. The thing with it is, that, aside from the modern looking places, there are also some ancient looking ones; chapel, wooden houses, bars. But, if they are as old as they seem to be, how can this place be new? Was it built on some previously established settlement? Is that why no map shows this location? Though, if that is the case, wouldn’t there be this location mapped? Under its previous name of course, but still, wouldn’t it be there? You don’t recall seeing anything that would match this place, not that you’ve seen at least. [[NEXT |Strange little place]]

You slam on the breaks, gripping the steering wheel tightly, your knuckles turning white. With greeted teeth, you watch the deer, as it just continues to stand there, and look at you dead in the eyes. Your car screeches to a halt, a mere few feet from the deer, making you rock back into your seat. Thank God for seatbelts, otherwise you’d have probably flew out through the windshield. It seems like your decision to, for once, change your summer tires to winter tires on time paid off in the end. [[NEXT |Good brakes]]

As you’re sitting there, trying to catch your breath, the deer seems to snap out of its trance like state, and hops off into the woods. Your gaze follows it, only to spot an exit, that you didn’t even notice before; an exit to some very remote looking dirt road. “Huh”, you say, driving your car slowly there, stopping right at the entrance to it. There, on one of the trees to the left, is a relatively small wooden plaque, that reads Font Lay, in dark green letters, and an arrow pointing down the dirt road. “Was that always there?” you ask yourself, thinking it over. Did you really miss this? Yes, your thoughts may have wandered off a bit, but even then, you should have seen this, no? Also, if your estimates are correct, aren’t you some good ways off of the coast? The coast near Tofino should be around an hour or so drive from here; at least, you think so, upon checking your clock, and seeing that it is 1 pm sharp. Well, whatever the case may be, you start driving your car down this mysterious dirt road, despite all of the things that are off about it. “The sooner I get this done, the better”, you tell yourself, as the trees start to surround you more and more… [[NEXT |This is where these two merge]]

You decide to walk up to it, forgetting about your current problem. Upon closer inspection, you discover that there is a sign on one of the trees to the left of the actual entrance to the dirt road. “Need a hand”, you start reading the sign, written in dark green coloured letters. “Just call Piney’s auto repairs!” There is a number written down below. What a coincidence; not only have you found the mysterious Font Lay, but they also have an auto repair shop, which is just what you need. So, you decide to call the number; might as well kill two birds with one stone, right? “Hello,”, come a voice over the phone. “This is Billy, from Piney’s auto repaire shop, how can I help ya?” “Hello”, you answer, walking back to your car, “my name is $name $surname, and I would need your help; I’m on highway 4, right by the dirt road, that leads to Font Lay?” <<if $anomaly5 is true>>"Oh, yeah, hello friend! Been a minute, been a minute", he tells you, with a cheerful voice. "And yes, I recall everything, I'll be there in a jiffy!" "Ah, okay", you tell him, a bit confused by his response. "I'll be waiting then." "See ya soon $name!" he tells you, before hanging up. [["What a strange fellow", you say, looking at your screen. |Convenient, eh?]] <<elseif $anomaly5 is false>>“Ah, yes, I know just where you are!” Billy answers jovially. “I can be there in ten minutes tops.” “Perfect”, you tell him. “I’ll be waiting then.” “Noted”, Billy says. “See ya in a bit!” With that, he hangs up, and you put your phone back into your pocket. [[NEXT |Convenient, eh?]] <</if>> <<audio "Radiosong2" stop>> <<notify>>Meet Billy!<</notify>>

With some reluctance, and the fact that you managed to find a pair of single use gloves in your car, you got the antler out of your windshield. After that, it wasn’t that hard to get the dead animal off the hood of your car, despite all the nasty looks that you’ve seen people cast your way. You certainly didn’t ask for this, to kill this poor animal. That’s just something that, unfortunately, happens, from time to time. Maybe you should have just waited for Billy, so he could help you with this dirty work? Meh, the guy will have to tow your wreck of a car; there’s no need to bother him with this as well. [[NEXT |Billy the saviour]] <<set $billy to true>> <<set $anomaly5 to true>>

“Need a helping hand?” First, you heard the rumble of an engine, and only then, did you hear the question. You were busy dragging the deer to the edge of the forest, and your senses have been dulled by the constant passing’s of cars, so you didn’t think much of it. You straighten up, careful not to touch your clothes with your bloodied gloves, as you look in the direction of the voice. There, in all of his glory, was, supposedly, Billy, with his very old, and rusty looking tow truck. He is leaning out of the window, with a strangely calm and happy look on his face. You shake your head, as an answer, but also to disperse your thoughts. “No, no need, thank you; I’m assuming you’re Billy?” The chubby, bearded man nods, with a smile on his face. “One and only! Here to help with all of your auto repair needs, and anything else that I can help with!” Strange guy, you think to yourself. Though, he seems cheerful, and you can’t hold that against people; some are happier, while others are not. That’s completely normal. It’s your analytical brain that likes to make things into something they are not. Billy hops out of his truck, walking up to you, and it is here that you spot that he is wearing just an undershirt and a flannel, paired with regular jeans and scuffed, leather boots. Isn’t he a bit cold dressed like that in this weather? [[NEXT |A helping hand, right?]] <<set $anomaly5 to true>>

“I see that you’ve had an accident”, he tells you, walking up to you, and extending his hand for a shake. You shake it, but only after you take the bloodied gloves off. “Yeah”, you answer, a bit sheepish about it. You’ve never had an experience like this, even though you live in Canada, and have been exploring its wonderful woods every free weekend that you can. There’s just something about nature and outdoors that has always lured you, the calmness of it all, and just the feeling how everything in that moment is right. “Should have paid better attention.” “Meh”, Billy says, shrugging. “It happens to the best of us.” He points with his thumb over his shoulder, right at his tow truck. “That bad boy there has seen its fair share of road kills, and has contributed to a good number of them. That’s just what happens when you live in very rural areas I suppose.” [[“Riiiight” you reluctantly agree, a bit uneasy about his comment. |First response]] [[You nod. “Yeah, I suppose.” |Second response]] [[You sigh. “Even though it was never my intention, I still feel guilty about it.” |Third response]] [[“Well, no use stressing oneself over something that has been done, and can’t be fixed”, you say, nodding. |Fourth response]]

“Riiiight” you reluctantly agree, a bit uneasy about his comment. Yes, there are people who have less empathy than others, but towards animals? Maybe that’s why you never understood hunting for sport, for it is something that you find to be solely cruel, since it doesn’t serve any purpose, other than some fucked up entertainment. If it was for food you’d understand, but killing defenceless animals just for fun? You can’t get behind that. “Well”, Billy says, clapping his hands. “Let me just hook your car up, and we can be on our way.” You nod. “Alright.” As he goes into his truck, you go into your car, making sure that the hand break is lowered, so he could pull your car without any problems. [[NEXT |Four merge into one passage]]

You nod. “Yeah, I suppose.” His reasoning seems logical, and besides; it truly was only an accident. “Well”, Billy says, clapping his hands. “Let me just hook your car up, and we can be on our way.” You nod. “Alright.” As he goes into his truck, you go into your car, making sure that the hand break is lowered, so he could pull your car without any problems. [[NEXT |Four merge into one passage]]

You sigh. “Even though it was never my intention, I still feel guilty about it”, you conclude, your shoulders slumping, as you cast your gaze downwards. Billy gently claps you on the shoulder, and you can feel the heat radiating from his palm. “Hey, I get it”, he tells you. “It is never nice to see an innocent animal die, but sometimes, it just happens. The only thing you can do is move on.” Not the most profound words you’ve heard, but you’ll take it. He’s trying his best to comfort you, and you appreciate that. You give him a small smile. “Yeah.” “Well”, Billy says, removing his hand, before clapping them together. “Let me just hook your car up, and we can be on our way.” You nod. “Alright.” As he goes into his truck, you go into your car, making sure that the hand break is lowered, so he could pull your car without any problems. [[NEXT |Four merge into one passage]]

“Well, no use stressing oneself over something that has been done, and can’t be fixed”, you say, nodding. Billy nods as well, giving you a big smile, and a thumbs up. “Exactly!” “Now”, he continues, clapping his hands. “Let me just hook your car up, and we can be on our way.” You nod. “Alright.” As he goes into his truck, you go into your car, making sure that the hand break is lowered, so he could pull your car without any problems. [[NEXT |Four merge into one passage]]

Billy turns his truck around, which is an impressive feat, considering the dirt road is barely big for it to normally be on it, let alone diagonally. Still, Billy manages, and after that, he backs up his truck, before stepping out to put a hook on your car, so he can drag it. “You can drive with me, or in your car”, he tells you. “Whichever you prefer.” [[Drive with Billy.]] [[Drive in your car.]]

You decide to drive with Billy. “Sure, I’ll drive with you.” You exit your car, making sure to lock it, before going to the passenger seat of his tow truck. A moment later, Billy joins you, getting into the driver’s seat. “Sorry about the mess”, he tells you, fastening his seatbelt. To be completely honest, there is so much food wrappers, trash, and many other things lying around, but, you’ve seen worse, and there was enough space for you to remain, mostly, clean, so you don’t mind much. The only thing bothering you a bit is the lingering smell that you can’t place, but, for that you can just crack your window open a little, and the draft will take care of that. Simple. “No worries” you tell him, as you fasten your seatbelt; what just happened solidified the idea of it in your mind, possibly, for life. [[NEXT |Driving with Billyboy]]

You decide to drive in your car. “I’ll stay in my car, if that’s fine.” Billy shrugs. “Suit yourself. Just, don’t use the steering wheel and the breaks, and aside from that, you can do anything.” You give him a thumbs up. “Got it.” “Well, buckle up”, he tells you, as he makes his way back towards his truck. [[“This will be a short ride.”]]

The drive to Font Lay begins, and, if Billy is to be trusted, you should be there in no time. “Oh, I got to ask”, you begin, wanting to kill the time with some small talk, that may or may not prove useful to you. “When was Font Lay founded? I’m certain I haven’t heard of the place until now.” Billy seems to think about it for a moment. “Well, me personally, I’ve been living here my whole life, though I am not sure when it was founded. If I had to guess, it was some time ago, because it was here, fully functional, when I came about.” He then turns to you, offering you a big smile. “You know how it is; time flies, and things are forgotten.” You narrow your eyes ever so slightly. “What do you mean by that?” He laughs it off. “Nothing, nothing just the ramblings of a bored lad.” [[NEXT |Driving with Billyboy part two]]

“And have you seen anyone new arrive?” you decide to ask. Maybe Billy has seen the teens, and can point you in the right direction. “Two teens, driving a dull green honda accord? Have you seen them maybe?” Billy scratches his head. “Well, maybe they have? I know that I haven’t seen anyone, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t come. I know that small places like this usually know about stuff like that happening in a matter of hours, but, if they came during the night while everyone is asleep, the information wouldn’t travel as fast.” Fair enough, you think, nodding. “Well, thank you for the answers; I know I can sound a bit straightforward with the questions, and I do apologise for that.” Billy laughs, shaking his head. “Hey, no need! I like talking with new people, for I already know everyone back at Font Lay. So you can imagine, not a lot of topics have left for us to talk about, since we know everyone already.” Now with this conversation halting, would you like to take some notes of it? Of course, you don’t have to, but taking occasional notes can help you discover things more easily, and can help you connect the anomalous information. [[Write down some notes.]] [[No need.]]

There’s no need; talking with Billy is not a part of your job, nor are you going to treat it as such. Just a small talk, a friendly chat; nothing more, nothing less. Your actual job will start soon enough, once you get to Font Lay. [[NEXT |Arrived]] <<set $laidback to $laidback + 5>>

Write down some notes… <<textarea "$personalnotes" "Writing down..." autofocus>> [[Close your notepad. |Arrived]] <<set $writingitalldown to true>> <<set $meticulous to $meticulous + 5>>

After a short while, the two of drive past a sign, welcoming people into Font Lay. Not a couple hundred meters from it, you enter a quaint looking town, with happy people on the streets, milling about. “Welcome to Font Lay”, Billy tells you, as he drives down what seems to be the main street. “Home sweet home.” You take a look outside, noting how beautiful this place is, even though it is quite old fashioned; or, the beginning of the town is. As you make your way through it, you come across various buildings, some that look modern, while others look ancient in comparison. “What’s with the old buildings?” you ask, looking outside your window. “As I said, this place has existed for a good while now”, Billy answers, waving to some people outside, who wave back at him, and even laugh. “Some buildings are old, while the newer ones are modern. Not sure why they decided to make it so, and not make it look more adequate, but oh well.” [[NEXT |Well, here we are]]

Billy manoeuvres his truck with impossible grace for such a thing, backing your car expertly into his shop. You exited first, because there would be barely any space for you to do so once inside the garage. The only question you have now is how will Billy manage to get out there. Aside from that, you take a look around, seeing many people around, going about their day, but what really gets your attention, is the smell of weed in the air. There are more than a few people freely smoking, all of them enjoying their time, and the aroma is wafting everywhere around you. “So”, Billy returns you from your reverie, walking up to you. “I should be able to fix this in around two days.” This surprises you. “Two days?” Billy nods. “Two days indeed; I will have to change the windshield, see if anything is done to the interior of the car, but also, the most time consuming thing will be actually getting the windshield.” “You see”, he continues explaining, “I don’t have one just lying around; I’ll have to order it delivered here, and that will take some time.” [[NEXT |News]]

“But don’t worry!” he reassures you, “There is a motel where you can stay; it’s pretty comfy, and you’ll see, everyone around here is pretty nice in general. A bit weird, but that’s just their charm. You’ll see what I mean soon enough.” “What about my clothes?” you ask him, not even entirely sure why. He just smiles. “We also have stores! Where do you think we’re getting our clothes from?” A solid argument. “Makes sense.” “Glad you agree”, he says, looking like he’s going to turn away from you, but stops himself. “Oh, and the motel is that way”, he says, pointing north from where the two of you are standing. “It’s like a five-minute walk, if you really take it slow. Tell Betsy that that Billy had sent you, and she’ll probably give you a one night free of charge! Sweet deal, am I right?” [[You nod, giving him a smile. “Thank you Billy, I appreciate all your help.” |First option]] [[You clasp his shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Will do; thank you.” |Second option]] [[“Alright”, you say, with a stiff nod. |Third option]] [[“You sure it can’t be fixed a little bit faster?” you ask him, not wanting to spend that much time here, in the unknown. |Fourth option]]

You nod, giving him a smile. “Thank you Billy, I appreciate all your help.” This brings a big, bright smile on his face. “No worries $name! Glad I could be of help!” With that, he turns around, and walks back into his shop. You turn away from him as well, and starting going down the path that, he pointed, should lead you towards that motel. Hey, if you’re going to be here for a few days, you might as well get comfortable. [[NEXT |Welp, to the motel]]

You clasp his shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Will do; thank you.” He returns the shoulder clasp, basically mirroring your expression. “No worries friend! I am just glad I could be of help, and thankful that you came by. I barely have work around here!” You laugh, taking a few steps back. “Yeah, I bet.” “Well, he tells you, turning towards his shop. “I’ll see ya in a few days.” “See you Billy”, you tell him, turning away, and starting down into the opposite direction from him, where he pointed that the motel was. Hey, if you’re going to be here for a few days, you might as well get comfortable. [[NEXT |Welp, to the motel]]

“Alright”, you say, with a stiff nod. You’re not very happy with all of this, but there is nothing you can really do about it. Your car needs to get fixed, and in order for that to happen, you have to wait a little. Just your luck, but oh well, it happens. He nods as well, though unlike you, he has an easy smile on his face. “Well, I’ll be seein ya in a few days.” “Yes”, you agree, turning away from him, starting towards that motel he pointed out, since that it really the only thing you can do now… [[NEXT |Welp, to the motel]]

“You sure it can’t be fixed a little bit faster?” you ask him, not wanting to spend that much time here, in the unknown. Billy shakes his head, making a show of pointing out how sad he is that he can’t help you with that. “I’m afraid not.” You sigh. “Alright…” He claps you on the shoulder, trying to cheer you up. “Don’t be so glum! You’ll see, Font Lay is a really nice place, and a very scenic one too!” “If you say so”, you say, defeated. “Alrighty”, he says, turning away from you. “See ya in a few days!” You don’t even say anything, and instead, just go in the direction he showed that the motel should be. This will be a long few days, you can already feel it. [[NEXT |Welp, to the motel]]

Well, it only took a handful of minutes, and quite a number of awkward stares, but you find yourself standing in front of the “Seashell motel”. A nice looking place, even though, judging by the empty parking spaces, it seems that it is currently vacant. Still, the lights are on, and the motel seems to be working, which is good. You can get a room, and see if you can dig up something on the teens; see if they’ve been here or not, that kind of info. You step through the automated double doors, which open with a faint hiss. The interior looks nice; it is relatively modern, albeit minimalistic, with only a few sofas, and a few potted plants, decorating the otherwise big space. Though the thing that is displayed as the centre of the attention, is definitely the reception desk, located in the middle of the area, decorated with posters, advertisements, lamps and small potted plants. Behind it, is a ginger woman, seductive in looks, and with a big smile, that is very near to being creepy. [[NEXT |Meeting Betsy yet again]]

You decide to relax in peace, without doing anything to the car; and that means, not even turning the radio on. You’re not sure what type of damage has been done to the inside of your car, even though you think that it’s, probably, minimal. Still, better safe than sorry. The scenery around you is more than enough to keep you occupied; the lush, green forest, with only a handful of leaves that have started to turn orange and yellow, the big, old trees, emitting this cold, timeless ambiance. Looking around, you’d never say that you’re just by the highway, rather that you’ve ventured into some unexplored forest. [[NEXT |Almost there, to your location]]

But, true to his word, after around ten minutes of sightseeing, you spot a new looking sign, welcoming you into Font Lay. Not long after that, you start seeing houses, that become more and more frequent, as you get closer to town. What started with only a few cabins, now turned into a decent little town, with people all around, going about their day, seemingly very happy. Though an odd thing strikes you; there are multiple buildings which look ancient, but there are also the ones that look very modern and up to date. It is a very strange thing to see, things built so sporadically, but not only that, but shouldn’t the presence of those old buildings imply that this place has existed for quite some time? Shouldn’t it be on the map somewhere? Any map? All of that strikes you more than a little odd. [[NEXT |Things are strange indeed]]

After a short, expert, drive from Billy, he told you to exit your car, near his auto repair place, so he can back it up nicely on the centre. Looking inside, you understand him. It would be a tight fit for you to get out of there if you remained in your car, so this was the best course of action. He starts manoeuvring his truck with impossible grace for such a thing, backing your car expertly into his shop. You exited first, because there would be barely any space for you to do so once inside the garage. The only question you have now is how will Billy manage to get out there. Aside from that, you take a look around, seeing many people around, going about their day, but what really gets your attention, is the smell of weed in the air. There are more than a few people freely smoking, all of them enjoying their time, and the aroma is wafting everywhere around you. “So”, Billy returns you from your reverie, walking up to you. “I should be able to fix this in around two days.” This surprises you. “Two days?” Billy nods. “Two days indeed; I will have to change the windshield, see if anything is done to the interior of the car, but also, the most time consuming thing will be actually getting the windshield.” “You see”, he continues explaining, “I don’t have one just lying around; I’ll have to order it delivered here, and that will take some time.” [[NEXT |News]]

<<if $carwreck is true>>Some people around you stop to look at your damaged car, but even despite that, you are yet to see a single person that doesn’t seem genuinely happy. It’s as if you’ve entered some hippy society or something. <<elseif $carwreck is false>>You slow your car down, looking at the people around you, who do glance your way, but quickly lose interest. They all seem genuinely cheerful and happy, and your presence means little to them, which is only a little bit odd. Usually, small places like this, small communities like this, will be on high alert when someone new appears, like how you just did. <</if>> <<if $meticulous > 50>>Strange, you think to yourself, as you look around. Aside from you, there’s not one single other car that you’ve seen here. <<elseif $laidback > 50>>Driving around for a bit more, you decide to park, and go for a walk around the town. <</if>> Spotting an empty parking spots, right there on the side of the road, you park your car. [[NEXT |Time to figure it out]]

Exiting and locking it, you take a look around, but what immediately hits you, is the smell of weed in the air. It is practically wafting all around you, so you start whipping your head around, trying to see if it is someone near you, but no. Sure, you spot a good few young folks who seem to be smoking it, but there is no explanation as to why is the smell all around you. Even the wind is not helping in taking the scent away. Still confused by it all, you walk up to the sidewalk, stopping a guy and a girl who are walking by, laughing at something the guy had said. “Excuse me”, you say, getting their attention. You offer them a friendly smile, before continuing, “could I have a moment of your time?” Both of them look at you, their eyes slightly dazed. “Sure thing”, the guy says. [[NEXT |Little interview]]

Stepping on the side of the sidewalk, you take out your notepad, just in case you need to write something. “So,”, you begin, “can you tell me, firstly, why is there such a strong smell of marijuana in the air?” The pair exchanges a look, snorting. “Because almost everyone smokes, duh”, the guy says, before the two start laughing. “And if they don’t”, the girl adds, once they finish with their fit of laughter, “then they are on meds. I mean, we are all on meds, but some use weed so as not to take as many meds as the rest.” You tilt your head, ever so slightly. “Pardon me?” Now the two of them are looking at you like you’ve grown a second head. “What?” [[NEXT |Meds problem?]]

“You just said, everyone was on meds, correct?” you ask, just wanting to set things straight. “And why is that?” Is this some drug community?, you wonder, as you wait for their answer. “Because we have to?” the guy offers, still looking confused by your question. “It’s mandatory, and it helps us.” “What do you mean it helps you?” you ask, in hopes of debunking this whole drug thing. [[“Excuse me.”]] <<set $oscar to false>>

The pair looks over your shoulder, and you turn around, only to see a sheriff. A very tall, pale looking man, with regular build. His face is shaven, and his seemingly short hair is hidden underneath a sheriff’s hat. He wears the whole uniform and everything. He gives you a polite smile. “You are new here, I’d say.” You nod, as you hear the pair behind you shuffles away. Casting a quick glance over your shoulder, you see that they’ve turned around, and went in the opposite way, animatedly speaking as if nothing had just happened. Turning back towards the sheriff, you nod. “Yeah, I just got here.” Seeing the opportunity to work with the man, in hopes of him helping you find the teens, you quickly add, “I could use your help actually, if you’re not too busy.” The sheriff looks surprised, yet in a pleased way, with this. “Oh? And how may I help you, …?” he finishes, leaning slightly towards you, implying that he lacks the knowledge of your name. And though he is a figure of law, will you give him your real name, or perhaps not? [[Give him your real name.]] [[Give him an alias.]] <<set $oscar to true>> <<set $realname to false>>

You decide to give him your real name. “$name $surname, PI.” “Oh, an investigator”, sheriff comments, extending his hand. “Well, investigator $surname, my name is Oscar, but everyone simply calls me Sheriff. Whichever you prefer, is fine with me.” The two of you shake hands. “Pleasure to be meeting you”, he tells you. “As well”, you tell him, not wanting to wait further. If you manage to find the info on the teens, you can be out of here in no time. “Now, can you tell me abo – “, you start, but Oscar lifts his hand, silencing you. “Please, let’s talk in my office”, he tells you, motioning for you to follow him. “It’s only a few minute walk away from here. I think it’s better than just standing here, in the middle of the sidewalk, no?” Reluctantly, you agree. “Yeah, I guess so.” He smiles. “Perfect; now, if you’ll follow me…” [[NEXT |Follow the sheriff]] <<set $realname to true>>

You decide to give him an alias; it's not like this man needs to know your name, and honestly, the less the authorities know of you, the better. “Charlie Lipton, PI.” “Oh, an investigator”, sheriff comments, extending his hand. “Well, investigator Lipton, my name is Oscar, but everyone simply calls me Sheriff. Whichever you prefer, is fine with me.” The two of you shake hands. “Pleasure to be meeting you”, he tells you. “As well”, you tell him, not wanting to wait further. If you manage to find the info on the teens, you can be out of here in no time. “Now, can you tell me abo – “, you start, but Oscar lifts his hand, silencing you. “Please, let’s talk in my office”, he tells you, motioning for you to follow him. “It’s only a few minute walk away from here. I think it’s better than just standing here, in the middle of the sidewalk, no?” Reluctantly, you agree. “Yeah, I guess so.” He smiles. “Perfect; now, if you’ll follow me…” [[NEXT |Follow the sheriff]]

True to his word, after a few minutes of walking and idle chit chat, you find yourself standing in front of a small, sheriff’s station. “It’s not the most impressive looking”, he tells you, opening the door for you. “But it’s more than enough for little old me.” Entering the dimly lit place, you say, “Well, as long as you’re satisfied with it I guess.” <<if $realname is true>>He leads you through the main area, to one of the rooms on the side. On the door, the plaque reads “Office”. Opening this door for you as well, he motions inside, with a friendly smile on his face. “Do come in, inspector $surname.” <<elseif $realname is false>>He leads you through the main area, to one of the rooms on the side. On the door, the plaque reads “Office”. Opening this door for you as well, he motions inside, with a friendly smile on his face. “Do come in, inspector Lipton.” <</if>> [[NEXT |Office talk]]

You sit at a relatively comfortable chair, in front of the sheriff’s desk, looking at the books that are on his table, a small lamp, and a little moonflower plant. “Would you like something to drink?” he asks you, walking up to the cabinet. Through it’s mostly glass doors, you can see glasses lined up, along with some glass bottles, with various alcohols. “I have this really nice whiskey; aged for twenty years.” [[You drink, and you’d like a glass.]] [[You drink, but you refuse.]] [[You don’t drink.]] <<set $mcdrinks to false>>

“Sure”, you say, giving him a polite smile. “I’d like a glass.” He returns the smile. “Coming right up.” Taking a whiskey bottle from the cabinet, he pours two glasses. Once done, he corks the bottle back up, and sets the two of your glasses down onto his table, before seating himself on his chair. He lifts his glass towards you. “Cheers.” You clink your glass with his. “Cheers.” [[NEXT |Onto the questions]] <<set $mcdrinks to true>>

“I’m good, but thank you”, you tell him, giving him a polite smile. “I’m sure it’s wonderful.” He nods, pouring himself a glass. “It is indeed; very good whiskey, that’s easy to drink and so very tasty.” Once he is done with pouring, he corks the whiskey bottle back up, and goes to sit on his chair, his whiskey glass in hand. He lifts it towards you. “Cheers.” You nod. “Cheers.” [[NEXT |Onto the questions 2]]

You give him a polite smile. “Thank you, but I don’t drink.” He shrugs, turning towards the cabinet. “Suit yourself.” Taking a glass, he starts pouring, and once he’s done, he corks the whiskey bottle back up, and goes to sit on his chair, his whiskey glass in hand. He lifts it towards you. “Cheers.” You nod. “Cheers.” [[NEXT |Onto the questions 2]]

Taking a nice gulp, the smooth whiskey goes down your throat as easy as anything; you’re actually surprised there’s not even any burn to it, and the little sweet taste… “It’s sweet.” Oscar nods knowingly. “Indeed; it’s mixed with a dash of honey. Honestly, I had a few bottles, and now am left with only one. It is just so good tasting, that one forgets that it is still alcohol, and that it should be drank as such.” At that last part, he chuckles a bit. “Now,”, he begins again, taking his hat off, letting his short, brown hair out, “you wanted to talk to me about something, eh?” You nod. “Yeah.” [[Missing teens.]] [[The whole drugs thing.]] [[Font Lay.]]

“Can you tell me, have you seen a car, aside from mine, come into town?” you begin. “It is a honda accord, and there were two teens in it. Do you know anything about that?” Sheriff thinks for a moment, tapping his chin with his index finger. “Not to my knowledge, no; I don’t know of anyone coming into town or of any car that matches the description.” “Though that doesn’t mean that that didn’t happen”, he quickly adds, seeing the resignation that started to show on your face. “It just means that I wasn’t informed of it. Not even I can know everything that goes on around here the moment that it does. If they’ve gotten here during the night, then there’s no way that I’d possibly know!” Seems logical, and the answer lifts your spirits, if only for a little bit. “Where would you suggest that I start looking for them?” “Probably the motel”, he offers, thinking. “If they came during the later hours of the day, then they’d probably go there, to spend the night. Aside from that, they may have camped in their car, but if that’s the case, I think it would be best if you searched around the town, just in case.” You sigh. “Well, at least I, kind of, know where to look.” Oscar offers you a sheepish smile. “Yeeeah; sorry about that.” [[The whole drugs thing. |Druggies]] [[Font Lay. |Towny]]

“The pair that I’ve talked to earlier mentioned that everyone was using medication or weed”, you say, remembering the conversation. “Can you tell me something about that? Why would everyone who lives here, need to use some medication or marijuana?” “Well because it’s mandatory”, he explains, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Though, to be fair, kids don’t use any drugs nor medication, just to clarify.” You lift an eyebrow. “And why is it mandatory?” you ask, trying to probe further. “It is for their safety”, sheriff explains. “Well, their mental health, and by default their safety.” <<if $realname is true>>“You see, inspector $surname,”, he starts, leaning on his elbows, before you have a chance to ask more. “There are many strange things that happen here, and it is in our duty to protect people, and their minds. The best way we can do that, is by providing them medication, free of charge, from a local apothecary. Also, that medicine is made of natural ingredients, mainly local plants. So don’t worry, it is not as we’re actively harming anyone with that.” <<elseif $realname is false>>“You see, inspector Lipton,”, he starts, leaning on his elbows, before you have a chance to ask more. “There are many strange things that happen here, and it is in our duty to protect people, and their minds. The best way we can do that, is by providing them medication, free of charge, from a local apothecary. Also, that medicine is made of natural ingredients, mainly local plants. So don’t worry, it is not as we’re actively harming anyone with that.” <</if>> Leaning back into his chair, he concludes, “That would be all about that one.” [[Missing teens. |Teensies]] [[Font Lay. |Towny 2]]

“Can you tell me a little of this place?” you ask, hoping to finally find out something concrete about this place. “When was it founded, why it isn’t on any maps, those things.” “Well, that’s relatively simple to answer”, he tells you, nodding. “Font Lay was founded a good couple of centuries ago, though the exact year, I am not certain of. But, if I had to guess, somewhere around 12 hundred’s.” You gape. “13th century???” He nods. “I think so, yes.” Completely caught off guard with this information, you just manage to ask a simple, “How?” “How what?” Oscar asks in turn. “How come that it’s that old? And if it is, how come that it’s not on any maps?” Oscar finishes his glass of whiskey completely, before answering. “Font Lay wasn’t always a town per se, rather it was a settlement.” “The reason as to why it was never mapped out, is simply because of the ignorance of people. They never even bothered to come here, and if someone, by some mistake, did come here, they’d just write this place off as some type of camp ground or something.” [[NEXT |Big explanation]]

“Ahhhh”, he exhales, putting down his glass, with barely any whiskey left in it. “That hits the spot.” “Now,”, he begins again, taking his hat off, letting his short, brown hair out, “you wanted to talk to me about something, eh?” You nod. “Yeah.” [[Missing teens.]] [[The whole drugs thing.]] [[Font Lay.]]

“But then, we had enough”, he says this, standing up from his chair, looking somewhere in the distance. “We didn’t allow people to just disregard us, and so”, he continues, calming down a bit, “we started building. Creating. Expanding. Offering people shelter when they didn’t have any.” “Still government doesn’t really give a fuck about us, but, at least, they respect us enough to know of us. And to give us the recognition that we deserve.” You tilt your head a bit. “You seem quite passionate about all this.” He nods, resolutely. “Yes. I am just a piece of this place, but a piece nonetheless, and as such, it is my duty to keep it safe and secure, and to make sure it’s not looked down upon.” Interesting, you think, as you look at the man in front of you. You get nationalists, but he also has this strange way of speaking, and his story is rather peculiar… Still, it is best to leave that for some other time; right now, you have other things to worry about. [[Missing teens. |Teensies 3]] [[The whole drugs thing. |Druggies 2]]

“Well”, Oscar says, clasping his hands together. “I’m afraid that is all the time that I have for now.” You get up, and the two of you walk out of the office, and Oscar is even polite enough to walk you to the entrance door, and open them for you, as well. “I’d recommend starting to look for those teen at the motel”, he tells you, as you exit the station. <<if $realname is true>>“Good luck inspector $surname!” he tells you, giving you a small wave. “Hope you find those teens.” <<elseif $realname is false>>“Good luck inspector Lipton!” he tells you, giving you a small wave. “Hope you find those teens.” <</if>> You return the wave. “Thank you, sheriff. I hope too.” And with that, the two of you part ways; sheriff Oscar back into the station, and you in the direction of the motel, that he had provided you with. [[NEXT |All roads lead to the motel it seems]]

But before you go to the motel, woul you like to take some notes after all this? [[Take some notes. |Gathering notes]] [[No need. |All roads lead to the motel part two]]

Best to keep track of it all... <<textarea "$personalnotes2" "Writing down..." autofocus>> [[Close your notepad. |All roads lead to the motel part two]] <<set $writingitalldown2 to true>> <<set $meticulous to $meticulous + 2>>

Another thing that you’ve seen, is how there are many people, who are open carrying guns. It is those same people, that have been looking at you strangely, but luckily, that’s all they did. Mixing drugs and firearms is never a good combination, and you don’t want to end up on the receiving end of that. Also, the day has heated up nicely. The Sun is up above, providing you with some much needed warmth. But, even with it, there is still a chilly breeze, which is to be expected from a coastal town. [[NEXT |Walking onwards]]

After a nice little walk, you come to the one and only, “Seashell motel”. It falls under the category of one of the more modern looking places here. “Well, this is the place”, you say looking around the empty parking lot. “And just my luck, no cars; great.” With a sigh, you walk up to the entrance. It is a big, double glass door, with a sign above it, that just spells out Seashell, with a picture of a seashell in the down right corner. [[NEXT |The place]]

Walking in, you step onto the red carpet, that leads throughout the lobby, into different direction. The walls are pale yellow in colour, and there are many plants and lamps around. But, the main attraction, is the reception desk, made of carved wood, polished and decorated with pictures of Font Lay, some legal papers, small potted plants, lamps and a computer. Behind it, a frail looking guy is sitting and writing something down. You walk up to him. “Hello.” Your greeting startles him, but, upon seeing you, he gets his bearings. “H-hello. Welcome to “Seashell motel”. How may I help you?” You look him up and down, because he’s visibly shaking. “Are you alright?” He lifts a finger. “One moment please.” Out of his pocket, he grabs a decent sized pill bottle, opens it, and dumps around 5 or 6 pills in his hand. Putting the pill bottle on the reception desk, he puts them, all at once, into his mouth. Taking the water from the desk, he waters it down, audible gulping. With shaky hands, he returns the water bottle down, and takes his pill bottle back into his pocket. It doesn’t take a single minute, before his shaking subsides, and he adopts a glazed, happy look on his face. “Much better”, he tells you, looking much more relaxed. “Now, how may I help you?” [[NEXT |Finally something concrete]]

Eyeing him warily, you decide to disregard his blatant use of medication, which you assume are the ones that the sheriff was talking about. “Yeah, I was wondering if you could tell me something.” The guy nods. “Sure thing.” His badge reads Sebastian M. “Well, Sebastian, I was wondering if you could tell me, did you happen to have any guests last night? Two teens, getting a room maybe?” You can practically hear the gears turning in his head, before he says, “Just a moment please.” He starts typing something in the computer, while you patiently wait. After a few moments, he seems to fins what he’s looking for. Tilting his head slowly up, so he could look at you, he answers: [["Yes. They were here."]]

Going towards the entrance, you take your phone from your pocket. Dialling the number, you register a ginger woman walking past you, but don’t give her much thought; your priority now is finding out if the teens have made it back home safe. Putting a phone to your ear, it rings only once, before Margaret picks up. “Detective $surname? Have you find my son?” Well, that answers that question. “Not yet, though that is why I’ve called. I’m in Font Lay, currently in “Seashell motel”, and as it turns out, your son and his friend were here last night. I also asked, and the receptionist said that they’ve checked out this morning, at around 10 am. So I wanted to call, to see if they’d made it home yet, for I may have missed them, while coming here.” “No, he hasn’t come home yet”, Margaret tells you. “I’ll try calling him, see if he picks up; though, they should have seen the missed calls? Why wouldn’t they call back then?” “I don’t know”, you tell her honestly. That thought also came across your mind. “But do call me back, if you find something out.” “Of course, detective. And thank you”, she says, before hanging up. You sigh, returning your phone into the pocket of your trench coat, when a tap on the shoulder attracts your attention. [[NEXT |Betsy arrives]]

Turning around, you spot a good looking ginger woman, presumably the one who passed by you. She gives you a beaming smile, and a small wave. “Hello there!” You return the smile, although yours isn’t half as bright as hers. “Hi.” “I’ve heard from Sebastian that you were asking about some of our guests?” she asks you, with a tone that’s relatively friendly, but eyes that, somehow, look completely dead. You glance at the reception desk, only to find it empty. “Well?” she asks, expectantly. [[“Yes, I was”, you say, explaining.]] [[“It is a private investigation”, you tell her.]] [[“Can you tell me something about them?]]

“Yes, I was”, you say, admitting. “And may I ask why?” she asks, lifting an eyebrow. “Sebastian didn’t know, but it is illegal for us to just go ahead and hand out information about people who stay at our establishment you see.” You nod. “I understand, and I apologise, but you see, I’m trying to find those teens. A mother from one of them, Kevin, had called me, worried sick, and she wanted to see if her son was alright. That’s why I asked.” The woman nods in understanding. “I understand, but don’t make a habit out of it, okay?” You nod. “You got it.” She nods, turning away, and not adding anything else. She just returns to the reception desk, where she takes the position where Sebastian was a few minutes ago. As for you, while you’re waiting for Margaret to call you back, you decide to return to your car, since there is really nothing here for you, now that you’ve found out that the teens are no longer here. [[NEXT |Exiting the motel]]

“It is a private investigation”, you tell her. She lifts an eyebrow, her smile not dropping. “Well, if it includes me and my establishment, it can’t really stay that private. Sebastian didn’t know, but there are strict policies about us not handing out information about our guests to anyone without proper paperwork.” You sigh, getting annoyed. “Look, I was employed by a concerned mother about her son; I don’t exactly have the paperwork, but I do have the legal right to investigate, as can be easily proven in my office back in Vancouver.” The eerie smile she wears twitches ever so slightly. “Well, inspector, I couldn’t care less about that. Now, do take yourself out, for you are not welcome in my motel anymore, and I will not be asking twice.” Not wanting to cause unnecessary havoc, you turn around, not even providing her with an answer, and make your way towards the door, without looking back. [[NEXT |Exiting the motel]]

You exit the motel, and slowly start towards your car. With hands in your pockets, you decide to take your time, looking at the buildings around you, and the town itself. People here seems happy, but if all of that is because of the drugs, then this nice looking farce is much more twisted, than how it looks on the first glance. And what’s more is, you don’t really understand why are some armed people still giving you weird looks. They all seem to be debating something, so you just adjust the collar of your trench coat, and speed walk a little, until you’re out of their sight. It is only then, that you return to your leisurely pace. But, even that is not for long, before your phone rings. You take it out, and see that Margaret is calling you. You put a phone to your ear. “Hello?” “Detective $surname?” You can hear the tremble in her voice. “Margaret”, you begin cautiously, “what’s wrong?” “My son’s not picking up!” she tells you, a sob escaping her. “Something must have happened to him, oh my God…” “Calm down Margaret”, you tell her, trying to ease her worries. “No reason to work yourself up over it; I’m sure we will find both him and Dexter.” [[NEXT |Sebastian]]

“But detective, I just know it, my son is missing”, Margaret keeps telling you, as you walk down the street. “I have to contact the police; it’s nothing personal against you, but I just have to, because he’s missing now, I guarantee it, and…” You stopped listening, the moment you got close to your car. “Ah, Margaret? I’ll have to call you back”, you tell her, hanging up the phone, before even hearing the response. The reason for your reaction, is a person in your car. Dead, person in your car. [[NEXT |What the hell]] <<set $paranoid to $paranoid + 10>>

You, slowly, open the door to your passenger side, and the smell hits you almost instantly; the metallic tang of blood, but the smell is the least of your concerns. The body, you realise, belongs to Sebastian. His tongue has been ripped out of his mouth, and put into his hands, that are neatly positioned in his lap. His neck is bruised, and you can see that his windpipe seems to have been caved in. It takes everything in you not to retch at the sight, as you get away from the car, not taking your eyes off of Sebastian’s lifeless body. “What the fuck…?” you ask, putting a hand over your mouth. The sight engraves itself into your skull. [[“Well, well, well…”]]

Turning around like a startled deer, you spot the sheriff, standing a few feet behind you. His face is unreadable, as he looks at the scene, then back at you. “What do we have here?” [[“I swear, I have nothing do to with this”, you quickly say, trying to explain yourself.]] [[You open your mouth, but nothing comes out.]] [[“I just found him like this”, you explain.”]] [[Seeing that the situation is dire, you decide to try and make a run for it.]]

“I swear, I have nothing do to with this”, you quickly say, trying to explain yourself. Oscar doesn’t look convinced. “So a mutilated body just happened to be in your car?” “Yes!” you say, desperate. “I was just at the motel, and when I returned, I saw this, and – “ “Imma stop you right there”, he tells you, starting to walk towards you, while grabbing his handcuffs. “You can explain everything to me back at the station.” “No, please, I’m innocent”, you tell him, to no avail; he’s still coming towards you, now with cuffs in his hands. [[Surrender to your fate.]] [[Resist.]]

You open your mouth, but nothing comes out. You’ve never been in a situation like this, and the anxiety of it all grips your throat. The sheriff just shakes his head, taking the cuffs from his belt. “So, the usual answer; fine with me.” He gets next to you, cuffing your hands behind your back. “You know the drill; anything you say can and will be used against you, in the court of law, and blah blah”, he says, tugging you after him. You offer little to no resistance, for your mind is too busy thinking about how this will affect your job, and your life in general. This will end up on resume basically. Whenever someone looks up your name, they will see this charge, even though you had nothing to do with it, and are not guilty of it. Will you lose clients? Will you have to find another job? Hell, you still may end up in prison! Though, that is not very likely, for you have faith in your lawyer, but still, it is not a good situation to be in regardless. [[NEXT |What kind of sheriff is this]]

“I just found him like this”, you explain. As he’s getting closer to you, the sheriff arches his eyebrow. “Did you know? And how did he end up there in the first place, hm?” “I don’t fucking know”, you yell out in response, becoming more agitated. His behaviour is unacceptable, because he doesn’t even have a proof of you doing anything! Yet, here he is, deeming you guilty. He takes the cuffs off his belt. “Yeah, you can explain all of that to the judge, not me.” “You fucking asked, moron”, you tell him, now truly angry. Even though he doesn’t show you, you get a feeling that your words do have an effect on him, which gives you some small satisfaction. [[NEXT |Ah shit, here we go again]]

Seeing that the situation is dire, you decide to try and make a run for it. All of a sudden, a gunshot goes off, and you feel a burning pain, going through your right leg. “AAAGH”, you cry out in pain, falling to the ground. Looking at your leg, you see that you’ve been shot, and that he blood is starting to exit through the wound quickly. “Resisting arrest?” you hear a question being thrown at you, by non-other than the sheriff himself, with a gun still in his hand. “That wasn’t very smart of you, inspector.” Clutching your leg, you look up at him, hatred in your eyes evident. “Fuck you, you sack of shit! Why the fuck would you just shoot me like that?” He just shrugs. “You started to run, and I shot you in the leg. What else did you expect was going to happen?” “You’ve no right!” you snap back. “That’s illegal!” He looks you dead in the eye, as he says, “Here, it isn’t.” And with that, he takes the handcuffs, cuffing your hands, as your leg throbs. He hoists you up, with surprising strength, and starts to, basically, drag you towards his station. [[NEXT |This fucker sheriff]] <<set $leginjury to true>>

You wait for him to come up to you, before extending your hands. The moment you do, he puts his cuffs on them, locking them. “Glad you see reason”, he tells you, coming up beside you, and leading you towards his station. [[NEXT |Good one]]

[[Attack the sheriff.]] [[Try to run away.]]

You decide to attack the sheriff. Those martial art classes should come in handy right about now. You lunge at him, but before you can even register, he takes his gun, and shoots you, right in the abdomen. This stops you dead in your tracks, as you clutch your stomach. “Shouldn’t have done that”, the sheriff tells you, shaking his head, albeit with a very passive face, showing no emotion. On shaky legs, you manage to say one final, deviant “Fuck you”, before you collapse to the ground, blood seeping through your fingers. Oscar walks up to you, holstering his pistol, and taking something out of his pocket. “On the bright side,”, he tells you, as he squats near you. “Your blood will be used for a better cause. Now, hurry up and die.” Surprising you, with the sharp object that h pulled out of his pocket, he stabs you, right between the ribs, and into the heart. A cough escapes you, spitting blood. The last thing you see, before everything turns black, is Oscar’s smiling face, and his eyes flashing a dull, yellow colour… [[Limbo |Limbo 1]]

Wanting to use the element of surprise, you quickly turn around, and bolt in the other direction. All of a sudden, a gunshot goes off, and you feel a burning pain, going through your right leg. “AAAGH”, you cry out in pain, falling to the ground. Looking at your leg, you see that you’ve been shot, and that he blood is starting to exit through the wound quickly. “Resisting arrest?” you hear a question being thrown at you, by non-other than the sheriff himself, with a gun still in his hand. “That wasn’t very smart of you, inspector.” Clutching your leg, you look up at him, hatred in your eyes evident. “Fuck you, you sack of shit! Why the fuck would you just shoot me like that?” He just shrugs. “You started to run, and I shot you in the leg. What else did you expect was going to happen?” “You’ve no right!” you snap back. “That’s illegal!” He looks you dead in the eye, as he says, “Here, it isn’t.” And with that, he takes the handcuffs, cuffing your hands, as your leg throbs. He hoists you up, with surprising strength, and starts to, basically, drag you towards his station. [[NEXT |This fucker sheriff]] <<set $leginjury to true>>

The two of you enter the familiar station. You’re not that worried, and that is the only reason why you went with all of this willingly. Sure, you’ll have to explain some things to your lawyer, but you’re certain that the situation will be resolved relatively quickly. Though, if anyone was to tell you, this morning, that all of this would have happened to you, you’d think them insane. Strange are the ways of life. Oscar leads you to one of the three cells that are in the station. He opens the door, and motions for you to get inside. You do so without complaints. He closes the door behind you, and locks it. “I suppose you’re innocent until proven guilty”, he tells you, looking at you with an impassive face. “But it’s not looking good.” “We’ll see about that”, you say, under your breath, as the sheriff turns, and walks away. Which is odd. [[NEXT |Is this guy new to the job?]]

He didn’t even frisk you; he just left you with all of your possessions, including your phone and everything. And so, you take it out, deciding to type out a quick message to your lawyer. With your thumbs over your keyboard, you start to type, when suddenly, you hear someone entering a station. You stop, getting closer to the bars of your cell, to try and listen in, as to who it may be. And so, you put your ear between the bars, trying to see if that will help you hear who is it, that the sheriff may be talking to. <<if $amet is true>>[[NEXT |A meeting new]] <<elseif $amet is false>>[[NEXT |Choose A now]] <</if>>

A voice that you hear talking to the sheriff, sounds like it belongs to a $aman; now, who that $aman is, is a different question entirely, but, maybe you’ll get a chance to see and find out. And, sure enough, the sounds of their voices cease, and you start hearing footsteps, that are growing louder and louder with each step. After a few moments, in the hallway where the cells are, two people walk in; one is sheriff, and one is the mysterious $aman that you’ve seen back at the ferry, when you decided to snoop around. <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> is wearing the same attire from before, but has taken the hat off, and the sunglasses, and now, you can fully see $ahis face. <<if $aman is "man">>He has piercing, blue eyes, and shoulder length, wavy, black hair. He has trimmed beard, and a very chiseled jaw. <<elseif $aman is "woman">> She has piercing, blue eyes, and her jet black hair, falls in waves just below the shoulders. She has very sharp facial features. <</if>> [[NEXT |So far so good]]

How does the voice sound? [[Masculine.]] [[Feminine.]]

<<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> comes up to your cell, looking you over, before looking back at the sheriff. “You think that this $man has information that I would require?” The sheriff nods. “Well, $he did kill a person from here, so I’d assume so, yes.” “I didn’t”, you retort, looking angrily at the sheriff. “And you’ve no proof, so why don’t you stop spewing lies about me to everyone.” Oscar rolls his eyes. “Do ease off on the attitude, okay? I’m just telling it how I’m seeing it.” “Well what you’re seeing is plain wrong”, you snap back, not willing to let him lie about you like that. “Enough”, the $aman interrupts you both, from bickering any further. “You may leave us, sheriff.” He eyes $ahim carefully, before nodding. “Alright.” You slump down next to the cell door, right on the cold floor. With that, he leaves the two of you. The $aman then squats near your cell, looking at you. [[NEXT |Little chat]]

“What is your name?” $ahe asks you. [[Be cooperative. |“My name is $name $surname.]] [[You cross your arms. “What is your name?”]] [[“And who are you?”]] [[“Why does it matter?”]] [[Remain silent.]]

You cross your arms. “What is your name?” The stranger lifts an eyebrow. “Don’t be a child and just answer the question. Otherwise, your case is not looking good.” You turn your head to the side, but relent. “$name $surname.” “Was that so hard?” the stranger asks you, smirking a little. “And in turn, my name is $aname White. I’m a detective from the Toronto police department.” This catches your attention, disregarding everything previously. “A detective? What are you doing here?” “That’s classified”, $aname deadpans. “And I should be the one asking you that.” You sigh. “Initially, I came here to find a supposedly missing son, of this woman Margaret. She called me this morning, concerned that her son wasn’t picking up, and because it wasn’t 24 hours, there was nothing she could do, in terms of contacting the police. And so, she called me, asked me to see if I can check things out.” [[NEXT |Hello to you too 1]]

“And who are you?” you ask in return. The stranger lifts an eyebrow. “A detective from a Toronto police department. Now, as I’ve asked already; what is your name?” Suddenly aware that this is a person from actual law enforcement, you decide to become polite. You are being framed for murder, and you do not need to make the situation worse than it already is. “$name $surname”, you answer. “Private investigator.” The detective smirks. “Now, was that so hard?” [[NEXT |Hello to you too 2]]

“Why does it matter?” you ask, defeated. The stranger tilts $ahis head. “Well, do you want to get out of here or not? Whatever is fine with me, but I think that, in your case, it’s kind of an obvious choice.” “Unless I’m mistaken”, $ahe quickly adds, shrugging. A spark of hope lights within you. “Wait, wait, I’ll answer you.” A tiny smirk appears on the strangers face. “Happy to hear that.” [[NEXT |Hello to you too 3]]

You remain silent. The stranger quirks an eyebrow. “Not sure why would you use your fifth amendment in this situation, but, if that’s how you want to play, I can just leave here, leave you to your silence.” Hearing this, you decide to reject that original idea. “Wait.” The stranger tries, and fails, to hide a tiny smirk. “Yes?” You can see right through $ahis false innocence, but, decide to ignore it. “I’ll tell you what you wish to know.” At this, the stranger smiles. “Good. Begin with your name.” [[NEXT |Hello to you too 4]]

“My name is $name $surname.” you answer, not seeing a reason to be impolite. The $aman nods. “From what I was told, you are not from here. So, my next question is, what has brought you here?” You lift an eyebrow. “Let’s start with what your name is, since I was polite enough to introduce myself.” The $aman sighs. “My name is $aname White; I’m a detective from the Toronto police department.” Your eyes widen at the information. “Really?” $aname nods. “Yes. Now, let’s return to my question; what has brought you here?” [[NEXT |Hello to you too]]

A voice that you hear talking to the sheriff, sounds like it belongs to a man; now, who that man is, is a different question entirely, but, maybe you’ll get a chance to see and find out. And, sure enough, the sounds of their voices cease, and you start hearing footsteps, that are growing louder and louder with each step. After a few moments, in the hallway where the cells are, two people walk in; one is sheriff, and one is a mysterious man. By the looks of him, he looks like someone of authority, and the fact that he holds himself like that as well only works in reinforcing that idea. Once he gets closer, you can see that he has piercing, blue eyes, and shoulder length, wavy, black hair. He has trimmed beard, and a very chiseled jaw. [[NEXT |So far so good]] <<set $agender to "male">> <<set $aname to "Adam">> <<set $ahe to "he">> <<set $ahim to "him">> <<set $ahis to "his">> <<set $ahes to "his">> <<set $aself to "himself">> <<set $aman to "man">> <<set $amet to true>>

A voice that you hear talking to the sheriff, sounds like it belongs to a woman; now, who that woman is, is a different question entirely, but, maybe you’ll get a chance to see and find out. And, sure enough, the sounds of their voices cease, and you start hearing footsteps, that are growing louder and louder with each step. After a few moments, in the hallway where the cells are, two people walk in; one is sheriff, and one is a mysterious woman. By the looks of her, she looks like someone of authority, and the fact that she holds himself like that as well only works in reinforcing that idea. Once she gets closer, you can see that she has piercing, blue eyes, and her jet black hair, falls in waves just below the shoulders. She has very sharp facial features. [[NEXT |So far so good]] <<set $agender to "female">> <<set $aname to "Anna">> <<set $ahe to "she">> <<set $ahim to "her">> <<set $ahis to "her">> <<set $ahes to "hers">> <<set $aself to "herself">> <<set $aman to "woman">> <<set $amet to true>>

You sigh. “I was sent here, by a worried mother, about her, supposedly, missing son”, you explain. “I’m a private investigator, and so, I took the job. Though it was going to be a piece of cake, but here we are”, you conclude, motioning with your arms around yourself, showing your cell. This seems to catch detective’s attention, even if ever so slightly. “Her son is missing? He went missing here?” You shrug. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I was at the motel earlier, and the guy who worked there”, you say, before stopping yourself. After a deep breath, you continue. “The guy who worked there, Sebastian; he’s the one who was killed, and got stuffed into my car. He told me that they left this morning, that they checked out, according to the computer records, but then, I got approached by this woman, a ginger woman, who, I guess, works there as a receptionist as well. We talked, and I didn’t even see Sebastian, nor where he went, but once I came back to my car, he was there. Dead.” $aname listens to you, not even moving. It’s impressive, really how $ahe can squat, and yet not move an inch. [[NEXT |So this what happened]]

“Okay”, $ahe finally says. “First, I’m getting you out of here; second, you will be, technically, in my custody, until I see into this mess with the murder.” Your face lights up. “I can get behind that.” $aname nods, getting up from $ahis squatting position. “Alright.” <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> turns to the right, from where $ahe came with a sheriff, and yells, “Sheriff!” A hurried footsteps are heard, before he comes in, with a confused look on his face “Yes?” “I need you to release $name from here”, $aname tells him. “<<print $he .toUpperFirst()>> will be under my custody from now on.” <<if $realname is false>>The sheriff looks at you, with narrowed eyes. “Lying about your name? I see…” $aname looks at you with a raised eyebrow, but you only give a fake smile to the sheriff. “Sorry not sorry.” <<elseif $realname is true>>He sighs. “The only reason why I’m doing this is because of your authority, detective $aname. Otherwise this one would be staying in the cell.” <</if>> With a great deal of reluctance, he takes his keys, and unlocks the door to your cell. You exit, with a barely contained smug look on your face. With a turn towards $aname, you ask, “Shall we?” <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> nods. “Yeah; let’s go.” [[NEXT |Unite texts]]

Once outside, you begin, as the two of you start walking, “I think we should go back to my car, so you can see the crime scene for yourself. That way, maybe we can spot something that could lead us to the culprit.” $aname nods. “You’re right; the murder has my priority now, and my original task is not as time sensitive, so it’ll be alright.” You nod. “Glad you agree.” Then, with a motion of your head, you start leading $ahim. “This way.” As you make your way, you can’t help but feel the stares all around you. Looking over your shoulder, you still see the sheriff, looking at the two of you, with narrowed eyes. It doesn’t help that the people who happen to be around as well, are all, also, staring at the two of you. Like you’re some type of a freak show or something. Maybe there’s a reason for that. But, all of those hypotheticals will have to wait. [[You’ve got a murder to solve. |Limbo 2]]

“Thought it was going to be an easy thing”, you continue, elbows on your knees. “I thought that it was another one of those simple, worried mother calls. You know, when they are just paranoid, but all it was, is that the phone’s battery died or something.” “Well, turns out, it may be more than that”, you conclude, shaking your head. “And how did you end up here?” $ahe asks you, eyes calculating. “By being framed”, you say, devoid of any emotion by this point. “Someone put a body of a dead guy in my car. And it just so happened, that the sheriff came about, and decided that I was the guilty one, for some reason.” $aname thinks it over. “Well, probable cause can be a reason to get locked up…” “I didn’t do anything!” you tell $ahim. “I’m completely innocent!” “Isn’t that what they all say?” $aname asks you, arching an eyebrow. “How come your case is different?” “Because I’m not a criminal”, you explain, exasperated. “And besides, if you’ve seen the corpse, you’d know; how the fuck was I even supposed to do that? With what?” [[NEXT |So this what happened 1]]

“That is true”, $ahe says, giving you a small nod. “That’s why we’ll go and see the corpse.” You tilt your head in confusion. “We?” “Yup”, $aname says, getting up from the squatting position. “I’m taking you with me. If you were guilty, I think that I can transfer you to the Toronto police station, where you’d end up eventually either way, or, if you’re not, we can find the culprit. You said that you were here searching for a missing kid, so I’m guessing you’re some type of an investigator, right?” You nod. “Yeah; private investigator.” $aname nods. “Right. So, you could be of help, and maybe you can even help me with figuring something out. Two sets of eyes and all that.” “Okay”, you agree, enthusiastically. Not that you care to help about $ahis mysterious case, rather you just want to get out of this cell; and not only that, but you know that you can prove it to $ahim that you’re innocent, and the faster you do, the faster you can get back home. [[NEXT |Almost united]]

<<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> turns to the right, from where $ahe came with a sheriff, and yells, “Sheriff!” A hurried footsteps are heard, before he comes in, with a confused look on his face “Yes?” “I need you to release $name from here”, $aname tells him. “<<print $he .toUpperFirst()>> will be under my custody from now on.” <<if $realname is false>>The sheriff looks at you, with narrowed eyes. “Lying about your name? I see…” $aname looks at you with a raised eyebrow, but you only give a fake smile to the sheriff. “Sorry not sorry.” <<elseif $realname is true>>He sighs. “The only reason why I’m doing this is because of your authority, detective $aname. Otherwise this one would be staying in the cell.” <</if>> With a great deal of reluctance, he takes his keys, and unlocks the door to your cell. You exit, with a barely contained smug look on your face. With a turn towards $aname, you ask, “Shall we?” <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> nods. “Yeah; let’s go.” [[NEXT |Unite texts]]

“Anyhow”, $ahe continues, “my name is $aname White. Since you told me your name, I think it’s only polite for me to do the same.” “Now”, $ahe says, without giving you a chance to add anything yourself, “why were you here? And why are you here?” $ahe concludes, waving $ahis arms around, showcasing the cell that you’re in. You sigh. “Well, I came here on what I thought was going to be an easy job.” “There is this woman, Margaret”, you continue explaining. “She was worried about her son, Kevin, who, supposedly, came here with his friend for the night. I guess that they did spend the night here; at least, that’s what the guy who got killed told me.” “Pause”, $aname tells you, looking confused. “A guy who got killed?” You lift your hand, without looking up. “I’m getting to that.” [[NEXT |So this what happened 2]]

“But yeah”, you say, continuing. “It hasn’t been even twelve hours, and she got worried, and so, because she couldn’t contact the police, she contacted me, to see if I can go and check things out. Offered to pay me double my rate, and so, me thinking that it is going to be another one of those easy cases, where mothers are just being worried over nothing, I took the job, thinking it’s going to be easy as anything. Boy, was I wrong.” “First, it was this place”, you say, showing all around you. “I barely found it. Never have even heard of it, and only through some very strange coincidence, did I find it. But alas, I’m digressing.” “Then, I go to the motel, where I talk to this guy, a young adult, Sebastian, who was working the reception. I ask him about the kids, he checks some logs on his computer, tells me that they were indeed there, but have left this morning. Strange, considering I haven’t seen them nor their car, nor are they answering their phone, but whatever.” “And after all of that, I go back to my car, and what do I find there?” you ask rhetorically. “Sebastian, dead, in my car. And just so it happens, that the sheriff, all of a sudden, appears yet again, to see me next to my car and Sebastian’s lifeless body.” “Wow”, $aname says, genuinely stunned. “Didn’t expect all that.” You sigh once again. [[“Neither did I.”]]

“Well,”, $aname begins, getting up from $ahis squatting position. “I’ve heard enough.” You look up at $ahim. “So? What’s the verdict?” $aname looks at you. “Well, it’s too early for me to tell, without having much evidence; but, I highly doubt that you had any involvement with the murder.” “Which is why,”, $ahe continues, before you have a chance to add something, “I’ll be taking you with me. You’ll be out of this cell, but you’ll be under my “custody”, $ahe explains, putting air quotes on the last word. “You can even help me with things here, and if we find the kids, all the better. How’s that?” You don’t even have to think about. “Fine with me.” $aname nods, satisfied. “Good to know.” [[NEXT |Almost united]]

“My name is $name $surname”, you begin. “I’m a private investigator.” The stranger looks mildly impressed. “Really? And what were you doing here then? Business, or pleasure?” This almost makes you laugh. “Business.” The stranger nods. “Do go on.” “So, I was sent here by a concerned mother”, you explain. “Margaret is her name.” “She was worried about her son, who, she thought, went missing, even though he and his friend had called the mother of the friend, to tell her where they were. That’s how Margaret provided me with information of this place, even though I’ve never even heard of it.” [[NEXT |So this what happened 3]]

“I honestly thought that this was going to be one of those easy, just a paranoid mother cases”, you continue. “Still, I would have accepted, even before she offered to pay me double the pay rate. And now, not only was it not as easy as I thought that it was going to be, but I’m also being framed for murder.” “Wow”, the stranger says. “That’s quite a jump; how did that happen?” “I went to this motel”, you answer, recounting the events. “It was my first lead, in finding the teens. It’s called “Seashell motel”, it’s not far from here.” “There, I met this young guy, Sebastian. He was working the reception, and when I asked him about the teens, he checked the logs on his computer, and had confirmed that they’ve been there, but it also said that they checked out this morning. That was strange, but, maybe I’m just guessing wrong. I don’t know.” “Anyhow, then, I talked to this ginger lady, and have not even seen when Sebastian disappeared from behind the reception desk. Not thinking too much of it, I decided to return to my car, only to find Sebastian’s dead, mutilated body stuffed into my passenger seat.” [[NEXT |This is a big explanation]]

Even now, you can recall the sight in gruesome detail. “It was awful; I’ve never seen anything like it.” The stranger nods. “I bet.” You sigh. “And then, to top it all off, the sheriff appears randomly, and decides that I’m the guilty one, for some reason. Now, here I am.” “There”, you say, a look of relative resignation on your face. “That’s my story.” The stranger looks thoughtful, mulling over everything you’ve told $ahim. After a minute, $ahe, slowly, stands up, stretching $ahis legs. “I believe you”, $ahe says, finally. “I don’t think you had anything to do with the murder, and your story is easy to check, but all in all, I think you’re telling the truth.” Once again, a spark of hope ignites. “So I’m free to go?” The stranger makes a sheepish face. “Weeeelll, not quite. In a way, you will be, but you’ll have to be under my supervision basically.” Upon seeing your confused face, the $aman continues. “Sheriff has as much power here as I, so it’s not like I can just flaunt my authority over him. I need to tell him that he needs to let you go, because you’ll be with me, and I can, eventually, take you into custody, back in Toronto. Buuut, if I find that you’re not guilty, obviously none of that needs to happen, and there is nothing that the sheriff can do about it at that point.” [[NEXT |Almost united 1]]

You nod, getting to the door of the cell. “Alright; I’m cool with that.” The stranger smirks. “I’m loving the enthusiasm.” “Oh, and I’m $aname, by the way”, $ahe adds. “$aname White.” You give $ahim a smile. “Pleasure to be meeting you, $aname. If only the circumstances were better, but, beggars can’t be choosers, right?” $aname chuckles. “Right. Anyhow.” <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> turns to the right, from where $ahe came with a sheriff, and yells, “Sheriff!” A hurried footsteps are heard, before he comes in, with a confused look on his face “Yes?” “I need you to release $name from here”, $aname tells him. “<<print $he .toUpperFirst()>> will be under my custody from now on.” <<if $realname is false>>The sheriff looks at you, with narrowed eyes. “Lying about your name? I see…” $aname looks at you with a raised eyebrow, but you only give a fake smile to the sheriff. “Sorry not sorry.” <<elseif $realname is true>>He sighs. “The only reason why I’m doing this is because of your authority, detective $aname. Otherwise this one would be staying in the cell.” <</if>> With a great deal of reluctance, he takes his keys, and unlocks the door to your cell. You exit, with a barely contained smug look on your face. With a turn towards $aname, you ask, “Shall we?” <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> nods. “Yeah; let’s go.” [[NEXT |Unite texts]]

Sheriff is as springy as they come, even though he may not seem like it. Let's take a few steps [[back. |“Well, well, well…”]]

Once in the station, Oscar has to drag you to the cell as well, all the while your leg is wounded and bleeding, without offering any type of remedy for that. Not calling any doctors, ambulance, anything. He just stuffs you into the cell, onto the cold, metallic bed. “There we go”, he says, dusting off his hands. “Aren’t you forgetting something?” you yell out an ask. “I’m bleeding, you fucking asshole!” He throws a glance your way. “Oh; right.” With a shrug, he leaves your cell. “Tough it out.” “Hey, wait!” you yell, wanting to get up from the bed, but the pain returns you to it right back. “You piece of shit! Help me!” But, he just ignores you, and instead, goes back to, presumably, his office, leaving you all alone here. [[NEXT |No help from the sheriff]]

Thankfully, the fucker doesn’t know how to do his job, or is just not even a real fucking sheriff, but he had left you with all of your stuff, including your phone, wallet, trench coat, everything. And so, after taking the trench coat, and wrapping it tightly around your leg, in a very bad bandaging effort, you decide to call the actual police. But, before you do that, your thumb hovering over the call button, you hear someone entering the station. Footsteps, and then voices. Sheriff is talking with someone. You don’t wait more than a second, before yelling, “Help! Help me!” <<if $amet is true>>[[NEXT |Saviour]] <<elseif $amet is false>>[[NEXT |Pick a saviour]] <</if>>

Hurried footsteps can be heard, before you see a $aman from the ferry, rushing in, with a gun drawn. This time, $ahe doesn’t have the fedora or the sunglasses on, and so you can see $ahis features clearly. <<if $agender is "male">>Once he gets closer, you can see that he has piercing, blue eyes, and shoulder length, wavy, black hair. He has trimmed beard, and a very chiseled jaw. <<elseif $agender is "female">>Once she gets closer, you can see that she has piercing, blue eyes, and her jet black hair, falls in waves just below the shoulders. She has very sharp facial features. <</if>> There is a concerned look on $ahis face, as $ahe surveys the room. It takes $ahim a moment to spot you. “You okay?” “No!” you yell, as the stranger and the sheriff come near your cell. You can see the annoyance on sheriff’s face. “This fucker shot me in the leg and has refused to give me any treatment for it!” you explain to the stranger. “And has locked me in here for nothing! I need you to help me, please.” The stranger turns towards the sheriff, a cold look on $ahis face. “Call the ambulance, now.” Sheriff returns the cold look. “Fine.” With that, he is off, probably to make that phone call, while this stranger stays with you, a somewhat sympathetic look on $ahis face. “Not sure what happened here”, $ahe says, pointing at you in the cell, “but I would appreciate if you could tell me, while we wait for the medics to arrive.” [[NEXT |Saved]]

The person you see entering with the sheriff is... [[a man. |Male A pick]] [[a woman. |Female A pick]]

“First, I want to thank you”, you tell $him, “for providing me with help. That fucker just shot me, and left me to bleed out, as far as he was concerned.” “But why did he shoot you?” the stranger asks. “I tried to get away, because someone is trying to frame me for a murder?” you say, confused with the whole situation. “Oh wow”, the stranger says, eyes widening. “How did all that happen?” You shrug, sighing. “Hell if I know; I was at the motel, talking with this worker, Sebastian, before he got placed in my car, dead.” “It was gruesome”, you add, remembering the scene. It still makes you shiver. “I’ve never seen anything like it; not even in the movies.” “Oh wait”, you say, stopping the stranger, who just opened $ahis mouth to say something. “The sheriff did nothing about the body! You can go to my car, and see it for yourself. I don’t think that anyone did anything about it, and by the looks of you, I think that you’re probably qualified for such a thing…” [[NEXT |That smile]]

With hurried steps, you can see both sheriff and the mysterious man, coming towards your cell. Once he gets closer, you can see that he has piercing, blue eyes, and shoulder length, wavy, black hair. He has trimmed beard, and a very chiseled jaw. There is a concerned look on $ahis face, as $ahe surveys the room. It takes $ahim a moment to spot you. “You okay?” “No!” you yell, as the stranger and the sheriff come near your cell. You can see the annoyance on sheriff’s face. “This fucker shot me in the leg and has refused to give me any treatment for it!” you explain to the stranger. “And has locked me in here for nothing! I need you to help me, please.” The stranger turns towards the sheriff, a cold look on $ahis face. “Call the ambulance, now.” Sheriff returns the cold look. “Fine.” With that, he is off, probably to make that phone call, while this stranger stays with you, a somewhat sympathetic look on $ahis face. “Not sure what happened here”, $ahe says, pointing at you in the cell, “but I would appreciate if you could tell me, while we wait for the medics to arrive.” [[NEXT |Saved]] <<set $agender to "male">> <<set $aname to "Adam">> <<set $ahe to "he">> <<set $ahim to "him">> <<set $ahis to "his">> <<set $ahes to "his">> <<set $aself to "himself">> <<set $aman to "man">> <<set $amet to true>>

With hurried steps, you can see both sheriff and the mysterious woman, coming towards your cell. Once she gets closer, you can see that she has piercing, blue eyes, and her jet black hair, falls in waves just below the shoulders. She has very sharp facial features. There is a concerned look on $ahis face, as $ahe surveys the room. It takes $ahim a moment to spot you. “You okay?” “No!” you yell, as the stranger and the sheriff come near your cell. You can see the annoyance on sheriff’s face. “This fucker shot me in the leg and has refused to give me any treatment for it!” you explain to the stranger. “And has locked me in here for nothing! I need you to help me, please.” The stranger turns towards the sheriff, a cold look on $ahis face. “Call the ambulance, now.” Sheriff returns the cold look. “Fine.” With that, he is off, probably to make that phone call, while this stranger stays with you, a somewhat sympathetic look on $ahis face. “Not sure what happened here”, $ahe says, pointing at you in the cell, “but I would appreciate if you could tell me, while we wait for the medics to arrive.” [[NEXT |Saved]] <<set $agender to "female">> <<set $aname to "Anna">> <<set $ahe to "she">> <<set $ahim to "her">> <<set $ahis to "her">> <<set $ahes to "hers">> <<set $aself to "herself">> <<set $aman to "woman">> <<set $amet to true>>

The stranger gives you a smirk. “Nice deduction skills.” Then, $ahe nods. “Alright; while you’re at the hospital, I’ll go and check it out. After it, I’ll come to the hospital, and we can have a longer chat, okay?” You nod. “Yeah, you got it.” It is then, that the sheriff returns. “The ambulance will be here in a few minutes. I told them that we’ll be waiting outside for them.” The stranger nods, and says, “Alright”, before looking back at you. “Can you walk?” You stand up, but buckle on your right leg a bit. The sheriff opens the door to your cell, and the stranger gets to you, slinging your arm over $ahis shoulder. “I got you.” You offer $ahim a shaky smile. “Thank you.” [[NEXT |Medics arrive]]

The three of you exit the station, so the chilly air. The day is slowly passing, and unfortunately, you are nowhere near finding Kevin or his friend. And on top of all of that, you got shot in the leg, and are being framed for a murder. This day is just getting worse and worse. At least the stranger seems to be on your side. “Oh, ah, I forgot to ask”, you say, looking at the stranger. “What is your name?” The stranger looks at you, surprised by your question. “Oh. Right, right.” “My name is $aname White”, $ahe tells you, offering a small smile. “And you?” “$name $surname”, you tell $ahim. “Pleasure to be meeting you, even though the circumstances are very far from ideal.” <<if $realname is false>>The sheriff narrows his eyes at you. “Lying about your name? It is looking even worse for you now $name.” You open your mouth to retort, but are interrupted by the blaring sirens of the ambulance. <<elseif $realname is true>>The blaring sirens of the ambulance appear out of nowhere, interrupting your talk from continuing further. <</if>> [[NEXT |New addition]]

The medical staff get out of the car, dressed in their white scrubs, with masks on their faces. “We’ll take $him from here.” $aname nods. “Okay; just give me the address, so I’d know where to go after I do something first.” While the two of them exchange the info, Oscar doesn’t take his eyes off of you, all the while you are being carried in the ambulance car. “We’ll be seeing each other again”, he tells you, with a clear warning in his tone. “I’m sure we will, dickhead”, you tell him, flipping him off. Because that’s exactly, what he deserves. [[NEXT |Limbo 2]]

Many paths, there are. Many roads to take. And certainly, there are many secrets to uncover. This is your chance to do just that. You could go to where the road has decided to [[diverge first |Scenic ride continues]], when you first got on the ferry. Or perhaps, you'd like to go and have a chat with the [[sheriff? |“Excuse me.”]] Or [[Billy? |Better call Billy]] As I've said, many paths there are, and these aren't even all of them. But, if you wish to [[continue, |To be continued]] you are free to do so...

“My name is $name $surname”, you begin. “I’m a private investigator, and was sent here on a case.” The stranger nods. “Noted; also, did not expect that. But please, do go on.” You nod. “So, I was sent here by a woman, Margaret. She was concerned about her son, Kevin. She thought that something happened to him, that he, somehow, disappeared. But, because not enough time had passed, she decided to call me, and see if I can look into it al.” “That’s how I came to know of this place”, you continue. “I didn’t even know it existed, before she mentioned it to me.” “Same here”, the stranger says, nodding. “Until my superiors brought it up, I’ve never even heard of the place.” “Anyway”, you say, continuing with your story, “I had luck, otherwise I wouldn’t even be able to find the place. But, that luck seems to have ran out, for I stumbled upon a hurdle after hurdle after that.” [[NEXT |So this what happened 4]]

“As it turned out, the teens were indeed here”, you say, remembering the motel interaction. “I went to this motel, “Seashell motel”, where I talked to this guy, Sebastian. He looked at their logs, and had told me that they were there for the night, but had checked out this morning. The timing was a bit odd, but whatever, I decided that it had to mean that we just went past each other, and that I haven’t seen them.” “Though, when I called Margaret to inform her of this, she then tried to call them, to no avail. And also, as I got to my car, I found Sebastian’s dead body in it, seated in my passenger seat.” The stranger frowns. “How did that happen?” You shrug, sighing. “I wouldn’t know. All I know is that someone is trying to frame me, for some reason.” “But why would someone do that?” the stranger continues, trying to figure it out. You repeat the action of shrugging. “As I said; I don’t know. I wasn’t here for even a half of the day, and also, I’m not even sure how, in that little time window, someone even managed to set it all up. It just doesn’t make sense.” “But, nevertheless, even though I’m not guilty, when I walked to my car, the sheriff appeared all of a sudden, and decided that I was. And so, here I am”, you conclude, showing around your cell with your arms. “Locked up for nothing.” “Rough day you had”, the stranger comments. [[You nod. “Yup.”]]

“Okay,”, the stranger says, getting up from the squatting position, and dusting of $ahis hands. “I think I’ve heard enough.” “So?” you ask. “What’s the verdict?” The stranger looks you over. “I don’t think you did anything to be held here.” A sliver of hope starts developing in your mind. “So I’m free to go?” With a sheepish smile, the stranger answers, “Well, in a way, but not quite.” “You see”, $ahe begins explaining, once $ahe sees the defeated look on your face, “I can’t just release you from here myself. The sheriff is still a factor, and it’s not like I have some jurisdiction over him. So, I’ll have to make a deal with him, in order for him to let you go.” “What deal?” you can’t help but ask. [[NEXT |Almost united 2]]

“I’ll just have to take you with me”, the stranger elaborates. “It will be as if you’re under my custody, when in reality, that will just be a fancy way of saying that you’re innocent, but I just need to prove it with my superiors. But don’t worry, we will resolve the whole thing as quickly as we can, I promise.” You think it over for a second, before nodding. “Alright; I’m okay with that.” The stranger smiles. “Glad to hear it.” <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> turns to the right, and opens $ahis mouth, but stops. <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> returns his gaze to you. “By the way, my name’s $aname White.” Without waiting for you to say anything else, $ahe turns $ahis head to the right, and yells, “Sheriff!” A hurried footsteps are heard, before he comes in, with a confused look on his face “Yes?” “I need you to release $name from here”, $aname tells him. “<<print $he .toUpperFirst()>> will be under my custody from now on.” <<if $realname is false>>The sheriff looks at you, with narrowed eyes. “Lying about your name? I see…” $aname looks at you with a raised eyebrow, but you only give a fake smile to the sheriff. “Sorry not sorry.” <<elseif $realname is true>>He sighs. “The only reason why I’m doing this is because of your authority, detective $aname. Otherwise this one would be staying in the cell.” <</if>> With a great deal of reluctance, he takes his keys, and unlocks the door to your cell. You exit, with a barely contained smug look on your face. With a turn towards $aname, you ask, “Shall we?” <<print $ahe .toUpperFirst()>> nods. “Yeah; let’s go.” [[NEXT |Unite texts]]

It is not long, before you’re back at the station. Before all this, it looked like a nice place, but now? Now, it doesn’t look so appealing. Oscar leads you to one of the three cells that are in the station. He opens the door, and motions for you to get inside. You do so without complaints. He closes the door behind you, and locks it. “I suppose you’re innocent until proven guilty”, he tells you, looking at you with an impassive face. “But it’s not looking good.” “Fuck”, you mumble under your breath, as you sit down onto the bed. Oscar locks the door to your cell, and leaves you to it. [[NEXT |Is this guy new to the job part 2]]

The odd thing that comes to you first, is the fact that he didn’t frisk you. Didn’t take your wallet, your phone, nothing. Well, you’re not going to complain about that tiny stroke of luck. You take your phone out, and get ready to call your lawyer, when suddenly, you hear someone entering the station. You stop, getting closer to the bars of your cell, to try and listen in, as to who it may be. And so, you put your ear between the bars, trying to see if that will help you hear who is it, that the sheriff may be talking to. <<if $amet is true>>[[NEXT |A meeting new]] <<elseif $amet is false>>[[NEXT |Choose A now]] <</if>>

He gets close to you know, so how are you going to go about this? [[Surrender to your fate.]] [[Resist.]]

<<if $anomaly6 is true>>You approach the reception desk, and as soon as you do, she greets you. "Hello $name, and welcome back to the "Seashell motel". A few night here, right?" This catches you unprepared. "Sorry, what?" "I asked", she repeats, slower, "was it a few nights here, right? Your reservation." You shake your head. "How do you know that?" She chuckles, covering her mouth. "Oh, don't you worry your pretty little head about that! I know many things, and I possess a vast knowledge; now, I'm assuming it was three nights, so I'll just book you for that much." "Oh, and a discount because of Billy", she continues, as if she was some type of a fortune teller. "I swear, that one will bury me in debt. But I just can't refuse him! You know how he is." "H-how...?" you manage to mumble out, but she just ignores you, and instead, gives you the key to a room. "102, just like the last time", she tells you. "Remember to check the rules, and I wish you a pleasent stay at Font Lay!" You nod, very confused by all of this. Your body gets into an autopilot, and goes for the stairs by itself, before you can even get a hang of what the hell just happened. [[NEXT |Familiar, eh???]] <<elseif $anomaly6 is false>>You approach the reception desk, and she greets you. “Welcome to the “Seashell motel”; how can I help you?” On the tag of her blouse, it says Betsy. This must be the Betsy that Billy talked about, you think to yourself, as you offer her a smile in turn. “Hello, my name is $name $surname. I was wondering, if I could book a room for a couple of days?” Betsy nods. “Of course”, she says, as she begins typing something on the computer in front of her. “Oh, and ah”, you add, remembering, “Billy told me to tell you that he had sent me?” Unsure, you wait for her reaction. She looks up at you, still with a smile, though her eyes betray her slight confusion. “Billy…?” she says, looking up. “Do I know Billy…? Hmm…” You open your mouth to tell her that it doesn’t matter, but her eyes suddenly light up. “Oh, I guess I do! Billy, what a goof that one.” “And don’t worry”, she says, as she continues typing. “I’ll give you a discount.” [[NEXT |Legendary room]] <</if>>

After about a minute, she takes one of the keys, and hands it to you. “Room 102. It has been reserved under your name, for the next three days. Also, be sure to check the rules, which will be on the table.” You take the key from her, offering a nod and a small smile. “Thank you.” Her smile grows a bit more, starting to look a tad bit sinister. “No problem. and we wish you a pleasant stay at Font Lay.” You part ways, with you heading towards the stairs, while she stays behind the reception desk. There is an elevator, but honestly, your room is on the first floor, so it’s not like there’s too many steps to take. So the staircase will do the trick. [[NEXT |Strange rules, these are]]

Getting into the hallway that leads to your room, you can’t help but remember the one that you’ve seen in that famous horror movie, “The Shining”. It looks kind of like that, only the carpet is dull red, and there are some potted plants, lamps and even some small tables in here. You walk up to your room, and unlock the door. Upon entering, you are greeting with a nicely decorated room, with a queen bed on the right, a big closet in front of you, and to your left, a table and a chair. There’s also a night table by the bed, and another door that lead to the bathroom. There are clean towels on the bed, and aside from a potted plant, there’s a piece of paper on the desk. You close the door, and go to examine the paper. Taking a quick look, you realise that these must be the rules that Betsy had told you about, but, what in the hell are these rules? <img src="images/Rules.jpg" alt="Rules for staying safe in Font Lay" height="900" width="700"> [[NEXT |Familiar, eh???]] <<set $rules to true>>

“What the fuck?” you ask, as you sit on the bed, studying the rules. “Is this some type of a joke?” You put them back on the table where you found them, deciding to go back down to the reception, and ask Betsy about these. And while you’re at it, you can also ask about the tens, because you previously haven’t. Two birds with one stone. And so, you exit your room, making sure to lock it, and turn towards the end of the hallway, where you see someone stepping out of the elevator. <<if $amet is true>>After a closer inspection, you figure out, that it’s the $aman who you’ve seen back on the ferry. ($ahe) is still bundled up in $ahis outfit, so there’s not much else you can see, just as was the case back at the ferry. As the two of you walk, once you get closer to one another, you exchange polite hello’s and proceed to go your separate ways. So that one will be staying here as well, you think to yourself, as you start to go down the stairs. It will be interesting to see why. [[NEXT |Back to Betsy]] <<elseif $amet is false>>Who do you see? [[A man. |A is getting picked again]] [[A woman. |A is getting picked again 1]] <</if>>

It is definitely a man, and his timing seems impeccable to yours. But, that’s a mystery you’ll have to put on hold for now; you still have the task of finding the teens, and asking Betsy about those strange rules. As the two of you walk, once you get closer to one another, you exchange polite hello’s and proceed to go your separate ways. I'll be keeping an eye out for you, stranger, you think to yourself, as you make your way downstairs. [[NEXT |Back to Betsy]] <<set $agender to "male">> <<set $aname to "Adam">> <<set $ahe to "he">> <<set $ahim to "him">> <<set $ahis to "his">> <<set $ahes to "his">> <<set $aself to "himself">> <<set $aman to "man">> <<set $amet to true>>

It is definitely a woman, and her timing seems impeccable to yours. But, that’s a mystery you’ll have to put on hold for now; you still have the task of finding the teens, and asking Betsy about those strange rules. As the two of you walk, once you get closer to one another, you exchange polite hello’s and proceed to go your separate ways. I'll be keeping an eye out for you, stranger, you think to yourself, as you make your way downstairs. [[NEXT |Back to Betsy]] <<set $agender to "female">> <<set $aname to "Anna">> <<set $ahe to "she">> <<set $ahim to "her">> <<set $ahis to "her">> <<set $ahes to "hers">> <<set $aself to "herself">> <<set $aman to "woman">> <<set $amet to true>>

Getting back down to the reception, Betsy is still there, with her eerie smile. Once close enough, she greets you, “Hello, $name. How may I help you?” <<if $anomaly6 is true>>Completely disregarding the previous, strange conversation with her, you say, “Yeah, I wanted to ask about the rules.” You've decided to begin with that first, before you move on to the teens. “They seem to be rather strange; would you mind telling me a little about them.” <<elseif $anomaly6 is false>>“Yeah, I wanted to ask about the rules”, you decide to begin with first. “They seem to be rather strange; would you mind telling me a little about them.” <</if>> “Oh, well that is simple”, she tells you, all smiles. “They are there, to teach you of the basics. Follow them, and you will live to see another day here.” [[You balk. “I’m sorry, what?”]] [[You laugh.]] [[You lift an eyebrow. “And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?”]]

You balk. “I’m sorry, what?” She tilts her head. “As I’ve said; they are there for your safety. Follow them, and you should be good to go.” You shake your head. “Yeah, I understood the words you’ve said, but I would need an explanation of them. And of the whole deal with all that.” Betsy nods, it seems, in understanding. “I understand $name. It is a bit hard to wrap your head around, but I promise you, there is nothing to worry about! As long as you follow the rules.” You shake your head again, because she is either playing dumb, or she legitimately doesn’t get it. “No, I asked to explain them to me. Why do I have to go to the church, or to ignore the voices and knocks. What the hell is up with all that?” She gives you an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, but I simply do not have the time for that. Anything else?” [[NEXT |Merging happens here]]

You laugh. Betsy just stares at you, with a smile on her face, though her eyes are showing confusion. Once you see her face, you stop. “Oh, you weren’t kidding?” She shakes her head. “No. I was serious.” “Oohhh”, you say, slowly nodding. “Right.” “Anyhow”, she continues, before you get a chance to add anything else. “Any other questions?” [[NEXT |Merging happens here]]

You lift an eyebrow. “And what, pray tell, do you mean by that?” “What I mean by that is”, she elaborates, “that if you follow them, you will live. And if you don’t follow them, you’ll, most likely, die. Simple.” “You have to be fucking with me”, you say, not believing what she’s telling you. “This has to be a fucking joke.” She shakes her head, seemingly unbothered by your comments. “No; it is quite real, as I’m sure you’ll come to see in the days that you are here.” You ready yourself for a good few more comments, but Betsy cuts you by asking, “Is there anything else?” [[NEXT |Merging happens here]]

“Yeah, could you tell me, if there were two teens, boys, who happened to book a night here?” you ask, deciding to move along with your questions, if she’s as busy as she claims. She smiles apologetically. “I’m sorry, I cannot give information about our visitors. It’s in the policy.” [[“But I need it for my investigation”, you explain. “I’m a private investigator.”]] [[“I understand”, you say respectfully.]] [[“It’s important”, you try, with a pleading look on your face.]]

“But I need it for my investigation”, you explain. “I’m a private investigator.” “The policy is still clear”, she answers, her face not changing in the slightest. “And I can’t give you any information, just how I wouldn’t give anyone information on you. Hope you understand.” You sigh. “Fine, fine.” At least you tried. [[NEXT |Cliffhanger time]]

“I understand”, you say respectfully. If she says that she is forbidden by the law, there’s really not much you can do, considering you’re not an actual cop, and don’t have any type of permit to ask her for sensitive information like that. She smiles. “Thank you for understanding.” [[NEXT |Cliffhanger time]]

“It’s important”, you try, with a pleading look on your face. “I was sent here, to see if I can find their whereabouts, for one of the kid’ mother had sent me to, and – “ “Pardon me, $name”, she tells you, cutting you off. “I understand what you’re telling me, I do, but there is really not much I can do. The policy is clear, and so is the law.” Seeing as you’re not going to be able to make her tell you anything, your shoulders slump. “Okay.” [[NEXT |Cliffhanger time]]

“Well, that is all for now”, you say turning away from here. “Thanks.” “You’re welcome $name”, you hear her tell you, as you start walking back to the stair case. Your mind is swirling with thoughts, of what you should do next about it all, when suddenly, a gunshot rings out from outside. [[Limbo |Limbo 2]] <<set $anomaly6 to true>>

This is the end of the release. Thank you so much for playing, and be sure to check my <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lthestoryteller">Tumblr</a> for more information, such as updates of this story, and of course, if you have any bug reports or general asks, you can do all of that there. See you soon.

<<if $trigger is true>><<link "View trigger warnings">> <<dialog "Trigger Warnings">>\ Murder. Death. Roadkill possibility. Mutilation. Blood. <</dialog>> <</link>> <<elseif $trigger is false>>Trigger warnings are toggled off. <</if>>Chapter 1... [[Proceed |Chapter 1...]]

“Can you tell me something about them?” She shakes her head, never taking her eyes off of yours. “No, and Sebastian shouldn’t have either. He didn’t know, but we have a strict policy about not giving out information, about our guests. I hope you understand.” Realising that there is nothing that you can do, because you’re not an official cop or detective or anything, you nod, shoulders sagging slightly. “I understand. And sorry for bothering you.” She tilts her head, her smile beaming. “Water under the bridge. It’s all good.” And with that, she turns away from you, and goes behind the reception desk, where Sebastian was a minute ago; you didn’t even notice when he went away. Odd, you think, as you go for the entrance to the motel. The best course of action, now that you’re waiting for Margaret to call you back, and upon learning of the fact that the boys have went away, is to just return to your car, and see what you can do from there. [[NEXT |Exiting the motel]]

Bullseye. “So they were here? They got a room?” Sebastian nods. “Yup.” Remembering that you haven’t seen a car outside, you decide to ask, “Did they leave?” He looks at the computer, before returning his gaze towards you. “Seems so.” But if that’s the case, how come you haven’t crossed path with them? Even if they got out of the town before you showed up, there is only one road leading here, and you’re pretty sure that you would have spotted them somewhere. “Can you tell me when did they leave?” you decide to ask. Once again, he takes a look at his computer. Squinting, he tells you, “Around 10 am.” You look up, while you’re calculating in your head; if that was the case, shouldn’t they be home by now? Deciding to call Margaret, to check if her son had come home, you smile and thank Sebastian, before turning away from him. [[NEXT |Something doesn't add up]]