Millwater

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:: Start: The bus groans to a stop at the edge of Millwater. You're the only one getting off. Through the grimy window, you see it: a single street of weathered storefronts, a blinking diner sign, mountains pressing close like they're trying to smother the place. The driver doesn't look at you as the doors wheeze open. Your sister came here six months ago. She stopped calling after three weeks. You step down onto cracked pavement. The air tastes wrong. Hopefully, your motel room you booked sight unseen will be okay. [[Head toward the diner|Main Street]] [[Check your phone one more time|Phone Check]] [[Go to Motel Room|Motel Room]]

:: StoryInit <<set $contamination to 0>> <<set $day to 1>> <<set $hasBottledWater to false>> <<set $foundJournal to false>> <<set $metSarah to false>> <<set $metSheriff to false>> <<set $metThomas to false>> <<set $vision1Seen to false>> <<set $vision2Seen to false>> <<set $vision3Seen to false>> <<set $factoryExplored to false>> <<set $knowsTruth to false>> <<set $act3Started to false>> <<set $vision2Seen to false>>

:: Main Street <<if $contamination gte 25 and not $vision1Seen>> <<goto "Vision 1">> <</if>> Main Street. <<if $day is 1>>The diner's neon flickers. A few locals watch you from the general store window.<<else>>The street is quieter today. Or maybe you're just getting used to it.<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 50>>Your head throbs. The buildings seem to lean inward.<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 75>>The air tastes like copper. You can hear water running somewhere beneath the street. You're running out of time. You need to make a choice soon.<</if>> [[Enter the diner|Diner]] [[Visit the sheriff's office|Sheriff Office]] [[Go to the old school|School]] <<if $day gte 2>>[[Explore the residential area|Residential]]<</if>> <<if $foundJournal and $day gte 2>>[[Head to the factory|Factory]]<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 75 and $factoryExplored and not $act3Started>>[[Make your final choice|Act 3 Begin]]<</if>> [[Return to your motel room|Motel Room]]

You pull out your phone. No missed calls. No texts from Emma. You scroll back through your message history. The last text from her was three months ago: "Millwater is... strange. But I think I'm starting to understand it. I'll call you soon." She never called. You tried her number a hundred times. It rings, but no one answers. Her voicemail is full. <<if $contamination gte 25>>The screen flickers. For just a moment, you see a new message: "Don't drink the water." But when you blink, it's gone.<</if>> No signal here anyway. One bar, maybe, if you're lucky. You pocket the phone. Whatever answers exist, they're not coming through a screen. [[Head toward the diner|Main Street]]

:: Diner The diner smells like old coffee and something metallic underneath. Sarah looks up from behind the counter, smiles too wide. "Coffee, hon?" <<if $hasBottledWater>> [[Accept the coffee|Coffee Accept]] [[Politely decline, drink from your bottle|Coffee Decline]] <<else>> [[Accept the coffee|Coffee Accept]] [[Decline|Coffee Decline]] <</if>> [[Ask about your sister|Sarah Sister Talk]] [[Leave|Main Street]]

The sheriff's office smells like old coffee and dust. A single desk, filing cabinets, a holding cell that's never been used. Sheriff Hollis looks up from his paperwork—a heavy-set man in his fifties with tired eyes. <<if not $metSheriff>>"Help you?"<<else>>"Back again?"<</if>> [[Ask about your sister|Sheriff Sister]] <<if $metSheriff>>[[Ask about the factory|Sheriff Factory]]<</if>> <<if $foundJournal>>[[Show him your sister's journal|Sheriff Journal]]<</if>> [[Leave|Main Street]]

The school is a single-story building with peeling paint and dark windows. The front door is unlocked, just like Sarah said. Inside, it's dim. Dusty. Bulletin boards still have children's artwork pinned to them—drawings of houses, families, trees. One drawing catches your eye: a child's scribble of something in water. Dark and many-limbed. <<if not $foundJournal>>[[Search the classrooms|School Search]]<</if>> <<if $foundJournal>>[[Look around more|School Explore]]<</if>> [[Leave|Main Street]]

:: Motel Room <<if $day is 1>>The motel room is small and smells like old carpet. A single bed, a nightstand with a lamp that flickers, a bathroom with rust stains in the sink. Through the thin walls, you can hear water running. Always water, somewhere.<<else>>Your motel room. The bed is unmade. It's one of the worst rooms you've ever stayed in. <<if $contamination gte 50>>Sometimes you wake up and don't remember going to sleep.<</if>><</if>> <<if $foundJournal>>[[Read your sister's journal again|Read Journal]]<</if>> [[Rest for the night|Sleep]] [[Leave|Main Street]]

<<set $contamination += 10>> <<set $drankCoffee to true>> The coffee tastes wrong. Metallic, slightly bitter in a way that has nothing to do with the beans. You drink it anyway. Sarah watches you the whole time. <<if $contamination gte 25>>"You're looking a little pale, hon. You feeling okay?"<<else>>"Good, isn't it? We get our water from the old reservoir. Pure as it comes."<</if>> [[Ask Sarah about your sister|Sarah Sister Talk]] [[Ask about the town|Sarah Town Talk]] [[Leave the diner|Main Street]]

"I'm good, thanks." You pull out your water bottle and take a sip. Sarah's smile tightens just slightly. "Bottled water, huh? Don't trust our local stuff?" "Just prefer my own," you say. She nods slowly. "Well. We all have our preferences." There's a coolness in her voice that wasn't there before. [[Ask Sarah about your sister|Sarah Sister Talk]] [[Ask about the town|Sarah Town Talk]] [[Leave the diner|Main Street]]

"No thank you. I'm fine." Sarah's smile doesn't change, but something flickers in her eyes. Disappointment? Suspicion? "Suit yourself, hon. Let me know if you change your mind." [[Ask Sarah about your sister|Sarah Sister Talk]] [[Ask about the town|Sarah Town Talk]] [[Leave the diner|Main Street]]

<<set $metSarah to true>> You pull out your phone, show her the photo. Your sister, smiling, taken last Christmas. "I'm looking for my sister. She came here to teach at the school. Her name is—" "Emma," Sarah says immediately. <<if not $metSarah>>"Yeah, I remember her. Sweet girl. Real curious about everything."<<else>>"I already told you, hon. She left."<</if>> "Left? When?" "Oh, maybe... three, four months back? Time gets funny around here." She wipes down the counter that's already clean. "Said something about a job offer somewhere else. Portland, maybe? Seattle? One of those cities." "She didn't tell me she was leaving." Sarah shrugs. "People don't always tell family everything. Maybe she wanted a fresh start." <<if $contamination gte 25>>Her voice sounds strange. Distant. Or maybe it's just your headache.<</if>> [[Press her for more details|Sarah Press]] [[Ask about the school|Sarah School]] [[That's all for now|Diner]]

"How long have you lived here?" "All my life," Sarah says. "Born here, probably die here. Most folks in Millwater are lifers. We don't get many newcomers." "Seems quiet." "It is. That's how we like it." She smiles. "Though it wasn't always this quiet. Used to have the factory, back in the day. Employed half the town. When it closed... well. Things changed." "What kind of factory?" "Chemical processing, I think? I was just a kid. They made something for lumber treatment, wood preservatives, that sort of thing. Closed down in the eighties. Some kind of scandal, but nobody talks about it much." <<if $contamination gte 25>>Something about the way she says it makes your skin crawl.<</if>> [[Ask about the factory|Sarah Factory]] [[Ask about your sister|Sarah Sister Talk]] [[That's all for now|Diner]]

"Did she seem upset? Worried? Did something happen?" Sarah's expression doesn't change. "Honey, I serve coffee. I'm not a therapist. She came in, had breakfast sometimes, was always polite. Then one day she didn't come in anymore. That's all I know." "Someone must know more. The sheriff? Other teachers?" "Sheriff Hollis might have something in his files. School's been closed since budget cuts, but you could look around I suppose. Nobody stops folks from visiting." She turns away, refilling the coffee pot that's already full. [[Ask about the town|Sarah Town Talk]] [[Leave the diner|Main Street]]

"The school's closed?" "Budget cuts," Sarah says automatically. "Town couldn't afford to keep it running. Kids get bussed to Fairmont now, forty minutes away." "When did it close?" She pauses. "After... after your sister left. Month or two after, maybe?" <<if $contamination gte 25>>The timeline doesn't make sense. Or maybe you're not thinking clearly. Your head hurts.<</if>> "Can I go look at it?" "Door's probably unlocked. Nobody bothers locking things in Millwater. Nothing worth stealing." [[Ask about your sister again|Sarah Sister Talk]] [[That's all for now|Diner]]

"Where is the old factory?" "East end of town, past the residential area. Can't miss it—big chain-link fence, 'Keep Out' signs. Been abandoned for decades." "Anyone ever go there?" Sarah's eyes narrow slightly. "Why would they? Nothing there but rust and old chemicals. Dangerous, probably. You're not thinking of—" "Just curious." "Curiosity," she says slowly, "isn't always a good thing in Millwater." The way she says it sounds like a warning. [[Ask something else|Diner]] [[Leave|Main Street]]

<<set $metSheriff to true>> You show him the photo. "My sister, Emma. She was teaching here. She's been missing for months." Hollis barely glances at it. "Not missing. She left. Filed the paperwork myself." "What paperwork?" "Standard stuff when someone leaves town. Forwarding address, that kind of thing." He shuffles papers on his desk, not meeting your eyes. "Can I see it?" "Privacy laws. Can't show you other people's files." "She's my sister—" "And she's an adult who chose to leave. Happens all the time. People come to Millwater thinking it'll be peaceful, then realize it's too quiet. They leave. That's all there is to it." <<if $contamination gte 25>>His voice sounds rehearsed. Like he's said this exact thing before.<</if>> [[Press him|Sheriff Press]] [[Ask about the town|Sheriff Town]] [[Leave|Main Street]]

:: Sheriff Journal You pull out your sister's journal and place it on his desk. "I found this at the school. She was investigating something. The factory, the water—" Hollis doesn't touch it. Doesn't even look at it properly. "That doesn't prove anything. People get paranoid in small towns. Too much quiet makes folks imagine things." "She wrote about the water tasting wrong. About people watching her—" "Sounds like she was stressed. Teaching's hard work, especially in a place like this." He pushes the journal back toward you. "Look, I'm sorry about your sister. But reading too much into a stressed woman's diary isn't going to bring her back." "Bring her back? You think she's dead?" He pauses. Caught. "Figure of speech. I meant it won't help you find her." <<if $contamination gte 50>>His face seems to blur. Or maybe it's your vision. You blink hard.<</if>> "The factory," you press. "She was investigating the old factory. What happened there?" Hollis stands. "Ancient history. Closed before you were born. Nothing to do with your sister." His hand rests on his belt. Not threatening, but... present. "I think we're done here." [[Leave|Main Street]]

"Where did she go?" "Forwarding address said Portland." "Did you verify that? Did anyone actually see her leave?" Hollis's jaw tightens. "Look, I understand you're worried. But your sister is a grown woman who made a choice. I can't investigate every person who decides Millwater isn't for them." "This isn't like her. She wouldn't just disappear—" "She didn't disappear. She *left*." He stands up, conversation over. "If you want to file a missing persons report with the state police, that's your business. But as far as Millwater's concerned, your sister left voluntarily." The finality in his voice is a wall. [[Leave|Main Street]]

:: Sheriff Town "How long have you been sheriff here?" "Twenty-three years," Hollis says. "Took over from Sheriff Brennan when he retired." "You must have seen a lot of changes." "Not really. Millwater doesn't change much. That's the point of places like this—they stay the same while the world moves on." He shuffles papers. "Quiet town. Quiet job. That's how I like it." "Sarah mentioned the factory closing changed things." "Did it? I suppose. Lost some jobs. People moved away. But the town survived. We always do." <<if $contamination gte 25>>"Do people leave often?" "Often enough. Young folks especially. No opportunities here. They go to the cities, looking for something more." He meets your eyes. "Most don't come back." The way he says it sounds final. Permanent. <<else>>"Seems like a lot of people have left." "Economic reality. Can't fight it. The ones who stay, though—they stay forever."<</if>> [[Ask about your sister|Sheriff Sister]] <<if $metSarah and not $askedFactoryQuestion>>[[Ask about the factory|Sheriff Factory]]<</if>> [[Leave|Main Street]]

The residential area is a cluster of small houses, paint peeling, yards overgrown. Most look abandoned, but a few show signs of life—flickering TV lights, cars in driveways that haven't moved in weeks. <<if $contamination gte 50>>The houses seem to lean toward each other, whispering.<</if>> At the end of the street, an old man sits on a porch. He's watching you. Has been since you turned the corner. <<if not $metThomas>>[[Approach the old man|Meet Thomas]]<<else>>[[Talk to Thomas|Thomas Talk]]<</if>> [[Explore the neighborhood|Residential Explore]] [[Leave|Main Street]]

The old Millwater Chemical Processing plant looms at the edge of town. Chain-link fence, rusted and torn. "KEEP OUT" signs faded to near-illegibility. "DANGER: HAZARDOUS MATERIALS." The main building is concrete and corrugated metal, windows broken, doors hanging open. Behind it, you can see storage tanks, piping, a reservoir. <<if $contamination gte 50>>The air here tastes thick. Wrong. Your skin crawls.<</if>> <<if not $factoryExplored>>This is where your sister came. This is where the truth is.<<else>>The factory. You've been here before. It remembers you.<</if>> <<if $hasFactoryKey or $factoryExplored>>[[Enter the factory|Factory Interior]]<<else>>[[Try to find a way in|Factory Search]]<</if>> [[Examine the fence line|Factory Fence]] [[Look at the reservoir|Factory Reservoir]] [[Leave|Main Street]]

<<set $foundJournal to true>> <<set $contamination += 5>> You search through the classrooms. Most are empty, chairs stacked on desks. In what must have been your sister's room, you find her desk. The drawers are mostly empty, but taped to the underside of the middle drawer is a small notebook. Your sister's handwriting. You pull it free. The first entries are normal—lesson plans, observations about students, comments about how quiet the town is. Then they change. "The water tastes wrong. Everyone says I'll get used to it." "Had the strangest dream. I was drowning but I could breathe." "Sarah watches me when I don't drink the coffee." "Found something about the factory. Need to investigate." The last entry is barely legible: "They all know. They've always known. The water—" It ends there. [[Take the journal|School After Journal]]

:: School Explore You walk through the empty hallways. Lockers hang open. A few backpacks still sit in cubbies, forgotten or abandoned. In the main classroom, more children's drawings cover the walls. Most are normal—families, pets, rainbows. But several show the same thing: dark water, something beneath it. Different children, same image. <<if $contamination gte 50>>The drawings seem to move in your peripheral vision. You blink and they're still again.<</if>> One drawing has text in a child's handwriting: "It lives in the water and it dreams about us." You feel cold. [[Leave the school|Main Street]]

You slip the journal into your pocket. Your hands are shaking. <<if $contamination gte 25>>Your reflection in the classroom window looks wrong. Too pale. Eyes too dark. You look away quickly.<</if>> [[Leave the school|Main Street]]

:: Read Journal You flip through the journal again, looking for anything you missed. Early entries are mundane—lesson plans, student observations, notes about adjusting to small-town life. Then the tone shifts: "Week 2: The water tastes metallic. Everyone says you get used to it. I'm trying." "Week 3: Headaches every day now. Sarah at the diner watches me when I don't drink the coffee. It feels... wrong." "Week 4: Dreaming about drowning. Every night. But I can breathe underwater in the dreams. I can hear voices." "Week 5: Asked the sheriff about the old factory. He changed the subject. Everyone changes the subject." "Week 6: Found old newspaper articles at the library. Factory contamination was worse than they admitted. People got sick. Some died. Others... the articles stop mentioning them. Just gone." "Week 8: There's something in the water. Not just chemicals. Something alive. Something old. I can feel it watching. It knows I know." "Week 9: Met Thomas, former factory worker. He told me everything. The reservoir. The thing beneath. He said I should leave. I can't. Not without proof." "Week 10: I'm running out of bottled water. Every time I try to leave town, I end up back at the diner. Sarah smiling. 'Have some coffee, hon.'" "Week 11: Can't tell what's real anymore. Dreams and waking blur together. It's calling my name. It wants me to come to the reservoir. It promises answers." The final entry, barely legible, the handwriting deteriorating: "Week 12: I'm going tonight. To the reservoir. To find the source. To see it. If you're reading this—" It ends there. The pen dragged across the page. Like she was pulled away mid-sentence. <<if $contamination gte 50>>For a moment, you swear the ink moves. Reshapes itself into different words: "Join us." You blink. It's back to normal.<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 25>>Your hands are shaking. The journal feels cold, damp, like it's been underwater.<</if>> [[Put the journal down|Motel Room]]

<<set $day += 1>> <<set $contamination += 5>> You lie down. Sleep comes quickly, too quickly. <<if $contamination lt 25>>Dreams of your sister. She's calling for help but you can't reach her. <<elseif $contamination lt 50>>You dream of water. Dark water. Something moving beneath the surface. It knows you're here. <<elseif $contamination lt 75>>You're underwater. You should be drowning but you're breathing. Your sister is there, but her eyes are wrong. "Join us," she says. "The water is kind." <<else>>The dreams and waking blur together. Are you asleep? Were you ever awake? The thing in the water knows your name. It's been calling you your whole life. <</if>> You wake. <<if $day is 2>>Morning light filters through dirty curtains. Time to continue investigating.<<elseif $day is 3>>Another day in Millwater. Your headache is worse.<<else>>Day $day. How many days have you been here? It's hard to remember.<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 25 and not $vision1Seen>> [[Get up|Vision 1]] <<else>> [[Get up|Motel Room]] <</if>>

<<set $metThomas to true>> You approach the porch. The old man doesn't stand, just watches you with rheumy eyes. He's thin, trembling slightly. Late sixties, maybe seventies. Hard to tell. "You're Emma's sister," he says. Not a question. "How did you—" "You look like her. Same eyes. Same way of standing, like you're ready to run." He coughs, wet and rattling. "I'm Thomas. Worked at the factory for thirty years. Retired in '82, year before it closed." "You knew my sister?" "She came to see me. Asked questions about the factory, about the water. Smart girl. Too smart." He gestures to the other porch chair. "Sit. If you're going to ask the same questions, might as well be comfortable." <<if $contamination gte 25>>His hands shake constantly. You notice his fingernails are dark, almost black at the tips.<</if>> [[Sit down|Thomas Talk]] [[Ask about the factory immediately|Thomas Factory]] [[Ask what happened to your sister|Thomas Sister]]

You sit. The chair creaks. Thomas stares out at the street, not looking at you. "What do you want to know?" [[Ask about the factory|Thomas Factory]] [[Ask about your sister|Thomas Sister]] [[Ask about the water|Thomas Water]] <<if $foundJournal>>[[Ask about contamination|Thomas Contamination]]<</if>> [[Leave|Residential]]

You walk through the residential streets. Most houses are dark. Some have broken windows. Others look lived-in but no one ever seems to come or go. In one yard, a child's swing set sits rusted and still. In another, laundry hangs on a line—how long has it been there? The clothes are stiff and faded. <<if $contamination gte 50>>You pass the same blue house twice. You're sure you didn't turn around.<</if>> A dog barks from somewhere. Or maybe it's something else. You keep walking. [[Back|Residential]]

<<set $factoryExplored to true>> <<set $contamination += 10>> You step through the broken door into darkness. The factory floor is vast, empty. Rusted machinery looms like sleeping giants. The air is thick, chemical, wrong. Every breath tastes like metal and rot. <<if $contamination gte 50>>The walls seem to pulse. Breathing. Or maybe that's just your heartbeat in your ears.<</if>> Faded signs point to different areas: PROCESSING, STORAGE, MAINTENANCE, RESERVOIR ACCESS. Your sister came here. Walked these halls. What did she find? [[Head to Processing|Factory Processing]] [[Check Storage|Factory Storage]] [[Go to Reservoir Access|Factory Reservoir Access]] [[Search for an office|Factory Office]] [[Leave the factory|Factory]]

You walk the perimeter. The main gate is chained shut with a heavy padlock—new, unlike everything else here. Someone wants this place sealed. Most of the fence has holes, but they're covered with fresh wire. Recent repairs. Then you find it: a side entrance, half-hidden by overgrown bushes. The door is ajar. Someone's been here recently—fresh footprints in the dust. <<if $contamination gte 25>>Your sister's footprints? Or someone else's?<</if>> You could go in. Should you? [[Enter the factory|Factory Interior]] [[Not yet—look around more|Factory]]

You examine the fence. Most of it is old, decades of rust and weather. But sections have been repaired—new wire, new posts. Recent work. Someone is maintaining this place. Keeping people out. Or keeping something in. <<if $foundJournal>>Your sister wrote about the factory. She came here looking for answers.<</if>> [[Back|Factory]]

Behind the main building, a large concrete reservoir sits surrounded by rusted piping. The water inside is dark. Impossibly dark. You can't see the bottom even in daylight. A sign reads: "WATER TREATMENT - AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" This fed the town's water system. Still does, maybe. <<if $contamination gte 50>>The water moves, even though there's no wind. Ripples spreading from the center. Something just below the surface. You hear your name. It's coming from the water.<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 75>>[[Look into the water|Reservoir Look]]<</if>> [[Step back|Factory]]

<<if $contamination gte 75>> You approach the edge. The water is black, reflective. You see your face— No. That's not your face. The eyes are too dark. The smile too wide. Your sister's face appears next to yours. She's underwater, looking up. Her mouth moves: "Come down. The water is waiting. We're all waiting." You stumble backward. <<set $contamination += 10>> [[Get away from the reservoir|Factory]] <<else>> You look into the water but see only darkness. Nothing moves. [[Back|Factory]] <</if>>

<<set $vision1Seen to true>> <<set $contamination += 5>> The world tilts. You're not in your motel room anymore. You're standing on Main Street, but it's wrong. The sky is too dark. The buildings lean inward. Water runs down the street, ankle-deep, flowing uphill. <<if $foundJournal>>Your sister stands in the middle of the street.<</if>> She's soaking wet. Her hair drips dark water. When she opens her mouth, more water spills out, but somehow she speaks: "You shouldn't have come here." "You drank the water." "Now it knows you." She points behind you. You turn. The reservoir. Miles away, but you can see it clearly. The water moves. Something vast rises beneath the surface. Too many limbs. Too many eyes. It sees you. "Find me," your sister whispers. "Before you become like me. Before—" The water rises. Covers your mouth, your nose, your eyes— <<timed 3s>> You gasp awake. <<if passage() is "Sleep">>You're in your motel room. Morning light. Sweat-soaked sheets.<<else>>You're on Main Street. People are staring. How long were you standing there?<</if>> Your hands are wet. [[Catch your breath|Motel Room]] <</timed>>

"Tell me about the factory." Thomas is quiet for a long moment. Then: "Millwater Chemical Processing. We made wood preservatives—chromated copper arsenate, pentachlorophenol, creosote. Nasty stuff, but it paid well. Company knew what they were doing. We all knew." "Knew what?" "That it was poisoning us. The runoff went straight into the reservoir. Company said it was treated, diluted, safe. They lied." He coughs again. "By the time anyone tested the water properly, half the town was already sick. Birth defects. Cancers. People going... strange." "Strange how?" "Memory problems. Personality changes. Some folks just wandered off into the woods and never came back. Others..." He trails off. <<if $contamination gte 50>>"Others what?" "Others changed. Stopped being themselves. Started being part of something else."<</if>> [[Ask about the contamination|Thomas Contamination]] [[Ask about your sister|Thomas Sister]] [[Ask something else|Thomas Talk]]

"What did you tell my sister?" "Same thing I'm telling you. The truth. That this town is dying, has been dying for forty years. That the water is poison. That something woke up when the chemicals hit the reservoir." "Woke up?" He looks at you directly for the first time. His eyes are clouded, yellowed. "There was something down there already. Old. Sleeping. The chemicals fed it. Or woke it. Or became it. I don't know which. But it's in the water now. It dreams, and we dream with it." <<if $foundJournal>>"My sister wrote about that. About the water dreaming." "She understood. Understood too much, maybe."<</if>> "Where is she, Thomas?" "Where everyone goes who gets too close to the truth." He points toward the east, toward the factory. "The reservoir. That's where it calls from. That's where they all end up." [[Press him for more|Thomas Press]] [[Ask about the contamination|Thomas Contamination]] [[Ask something else|Thomas Talk]]

"The water—how does it affect people?" "Slowly at first. Headaches. Strange dreams. You start seeing things that aren't there. Or maybe they are there, and you just couldn't see them before." He coughs. "Then the memory problems start. You forget why you came here. Forget you wanted to leave. The town starts feeling normal, natural. Like you've always been here." "And then?" "Then you stop being you. Bit by bit. Until there's nothing left but the water's dream of what you were." <<if $contamination gte 50>>"How long does it take?" "Depends. How much you drink. How much you fight it. Your sister lasted three months before she couldn't resist anymore."<</if>> "Can it be stopped? Reversed?" Thomas laughs bitterly. "You think I'd still be here if it could? I've been drinking this water for sixty years. I am the water now. Just waiting to dissolve completely." [[Ask about your sister|Thomas Sister]] [[Ask something else|Thomas Talk]]

<<if $foundJournal>>"My sister's journal mentioned contamination. What exactly is in the water?" Thomas wheezes. "Chemically? Arsenic, copper compounds, phenols, trace organics. Enough to kill you slow. But that's not what matters." "What matters?" "What's underneath the chemicals. What they fed. The thing that was always there, waiting." He meets your eyes. "You've been drinking the water." It's not a question. "How can you tell?" "I can see it in you. Starting to take hold. You've got maybe a week before you can't leave. Two weeks before you forget you wanted to." <<set $contamination += 5>> The casual certainty in his voice terrifies you. [[Ask how to stop it|Thomas Stop]] [[Ask about your sister|Thomas Sister]] [[Ask something else|Thomas Talk]] <<else>> "What kind of contamination are we talking about?" "The permanent kind. The kind that gets into the aquifer and stays there forever. Company went bankrupt before cleanup. Government sealed it off and called it handled. But you can't seal off an aquifer. Water flows. Spreads. We're all drinking it. Always have been." [[Ask about your sister|Thomas Sister]] [[Ask something else|Thomas Talk]] <</if>>

"You have to tell me more. Where exactly? What happened to her?" "She went to the reservoir at night. Said she was going to confront it, document it, expose it. I told her not to. Told her it wouldn't matter. The town protects itself. Always has." "And?" "She never came back. Not really. I saw her a week later, walking down Main Street, smiling. But her eyes were wrong. Empty. Like looking into deep water." <<if $contamination gte 50>>A chill runs through you. You've seen that look. In the mirror. In the reflections in windows.<</if>> "That's not possible." "In Millwater," Thomas says, "impossible is just another word for normal." [[Ask something else|Thomas Talk]] [[Leave|Residential]]

"How do I stop it? How do I reverse the contamination?" Thomas shakes his head slowly. "You don't. Once it's in you, it's in you. Only thing you can do is leave. Get out of Millwater and never come back. Might slow it down. Might not." "What about my sister?" "Your sister's gone. Been gone for months. Whatever's walking around wearing her face now... that's not her anymore." The words hit like a physical blow. "You're lying." "I wish I was, kid." His voice is gentle, almost kind. "But if you go to that reservoir, if you look into the water... you'll see her. Or what's left of her. And then you'll have to choose." "Choose what?" "Whether to save yourself or join her." <<if $contamination gte 75>>"Maybe it's too late for you to choose already."<</if>> [[Ask something else|Thomas Talk]] [[Leave|Residential]]

The processing floor is a maze of vats, pipes, conveyor systems. Everything is corroded, dripping. The floor is slick with something dark. <<if $contamination gte 50>>You hear dripping. Constant, rhythmic. Like a heartbeat. Like breathing.<</if>> A safety poster on the wall, faded: "PROPER PPE SAVES LIVES - REPORT ALL SPILLS IMMEDIATELY" Someone wrote beneath it in marker: "Too late. It's already in the water." [[Examine the vats|Factory Vats]] [[Check the control room|Factory Control]] [[Go back|Factory Interior]]

The storage area is filled with drums. Hundreds of them, stacked floor to ceiling. Most are corroded, leaking dark stains onto the concrete. Warning labels: TOXIC, CORROSIVE, CARCINOGENIC, HAZARDOUS WASTE. <<if $contamination gte 50>>The drums seem to hum. A low frequency you feel in your teeth, your bones.<</if>> In the corner, you find something else: a makeshift camp. Sleeping bag, empty water bottles, a lantern. Someone was living here. Your sister's backpack leans against the wall. [[Search the backpack|Sister Backpack]] [[Leave it|Factory Interior]]

A heavy door marked "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY - RESERVOIR ACCESS" It's unlocked. Recently used—the hinges are oiled, the floor swept clean. Beyond the door: stairs leading down. The sound of water, constant and close. <<if $contamination gte 75>>Your name. Whispered. Rising from below like steam.<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 50>>You should turn back. But your feet move forward anyway. The water is calling.<</if>> This is where your sister went. Where everyone goes eventually. [[Descend the stairs|Reservoir Chamber]] [[Turn back|Factory Interior]]

You find what must have been the plant manager's office. Desk, filing cabinets, a calendar still showing March 1983. The filing cabinets are mostly empty, cleared out. But one drawer jams when you pull it. You force it open. Inside: A folder marked "CONFIDENTIAL - DESTROY AFTER REVIEW" It contains water testing reports, medical records, incident reports. All showing the same thing: poisoning, contamination, sickness. Covered up. Hidden. Denied. One document catches your eye: A psychiatric evaluation of workers who reported "auditory and visual hallucinations near reservoir." The psychiatrist's conclusion: "Subjects display consistent descriptions of entity. Recommend immediate psychological intervention. However, subjects refuse treatment, claim entity is benevolent, protective. Three subjects have since disappeared." <<set $contamination += 5>> [[Take the file|Factory File Taken]] [[Leave it|Factory Interior]]

The vats are enormous, crusted with decades of chemical residue. Labels are barely readable: "CCA-C", "Pentachlorophenol", "Creosote Blend 7". One vat is different. Cleaner. Like it was used more recently. You look inside. Dark liquid. Not quite oil, not quite water. It moves, even though nothing is stirring it. Ripples spreading from the center. <<if $contamination gte 75>>Your reflection looks back at you. But it's smiling when you're not. "Come closer," it whispers.<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 50>>You feel dizzy. The vat seems deeper than it should be. Infinitely deep. You could fall forever.<</if>> [[Step back|Factory Processing]]

The control room overlooks the factory floor. Broken windows, control panels dead and dark. A desk buried under paperwork. You search through the papers. Most are routine—production logs, safety reports. Then you find something different. An internal memo, dated June 1982: "RE: Containment Breach - Reservoir Sector Multiple workers report unusual symptoms after exposure to Batch 7-R runoff. Recommend immediate evacuation and decontamination protocols. RESPONSE: Recommendation denied. Production quotas must be met. Workers to be reassigned and monitored. Any further reports to be classified." Stapled to it, a handwritten note: "They know. They've always known. But the thing in the reservoir doesn't want them to stop. It's hungry. The chemicals feed it. Or wake it. Or ARE it. God help us." <<set $contamination += 5>> [[Take the documents|Factory Documents Taken]] [[Leave them|Factory Processing]]

You fold the papers and pocket them. Evidence. Proof. <<if $contamination gte 50>>Though part of you wonders: proof for who? The town already knows. The sheriff knows. They all know. They've chosen to stay anyway.<</if>> [[Continue exploring|Factory Processing]]

<<set $contamination += 10>> Your hands shake as you unzip it. Inside: her camera, dead battery. A water testing kit. More journal pages, loose and scattered. You read them: "Day 1 in the factory: Found evidence of intentional contamination. They knew. They always knew." "Day 2: Can't leave. Every exit leads back to the reservoir. It won't let me go." "Day 3: Saw it in the water. Many limbs. Many eyes. It spoke without speaking. It knows my name." "Day 4: I'm so thirsty. The bottles are empty. The reservoir water looks so clean, so clear. Maybe just one sip." "Day 5: " The last page is blank except for one word, written over and over: COME COME COME COME COME COME COME <<if $contamination gte 75>>You hear it. Whispered. Your name. Coming from deeper in the factory. From the reservoir access.<</if>> [[Take the journal pages|Factory Take Pages]] [[Leave the backpack|Factory Storage]]

You take the pages. They feel damp, cold. Like they've been underwater. <<if $contamination gte 50>>Your sister's last days, documented. Her descent into the water. Soon that will be you, unless you escape.<</if>> [[Continue|Factory Storage]]

More evidence. More proof that won't matter. But you take it anyway. [[Continue|Factory Interior]]

<<set $contamination += 15>> The stairs lead to an underground chamber. The reservoir. It's massive. A dark pool stretching into shadows, fed by pipes from above, draining into the aquifer below. The water is black, perfectly still. <<if $contamination gte 75>>No. Not still. Something moves beneath. Something vast.<</if>> On the edge of the reservoir: footprints. Fresh. Leading to the water's edge. And then nothing. <<if $contamination gte 50>>You see faces in the water. Dozens of them. Hundreds. All the people who came here. All the people who drank. All the people who listened to the call. Your sister is among them. She's smiling.<</if>> The water ripples. Something is rising. [[Look into the water|Reservoir Vision]] [[Run|Factory Escape]]

<<set $contamination += 20>> <<set $vision2Seen to true>> You look. The water is not water. It's something else. Alive. Conscious. Ancient. It has always been here. Before the town. Before the factory. Before humans walked this land. The chemicals didn't create it. They fed it. Woke it. Gave it a way to spread, to reach, to touch. It dreams. And those who drink the water share its dreams. Become part of its dreams. Until there's no distinction between dreamer and dream. Your sister rises from the water. She is pale, dripping, impossibly beautiful and utterly wrong. Her eyes are black. Bottomless. "I tried to warn you," she says. "But you came anyway." "The water knew you would. It always knows." "Join me. It's so peaceful here. No more questions. No more fear. Just the dream. Forever." She reaches for you. [[Take her hand|Bad End - Join Sister]] [[Pull away|Resist Vision]]

You run. Through the reservoir chamber, up the stairs, through the factory floor. Your lungs burn. Your vision blurs. Behind you: the sound of water. Rising. Following. You burst through the broken door into daylight. The sound stops. You're outside the factory. Safe. For now. <<if $contamination gte 75>>But you felt it. The pull. Part of you wanted to stay. Wanted to join her.<</if>> You know the truth now. You know what happened to your sister. The question is: what will you do about it? [[Return to town|Main Street]]

<<set $contamination to 100>> You take her hand. Her fingers are cold. Wet. They close around yours with impossible strength. "Good," she whispers. "Come into the water." You step forward. The water is warm. Welcoming. It closes over your feet, your legs, your waist. You should be afraid. You're not. Your sister pulls you deeper. The water closes over your head. You can breathe. You are home. The water dreams, and you dream with it. Forever. You have joined the water. Your investigation is complete. [[Restart|Start]]

You stumble backward, gasping. The vision fades. Your sister—or what looked like your sister—sinks back into the water without a ripple. <<if $contamination gte 75>>You can barely tell what's real anymore. Was that her? A hallucination? Both?<</if>> You need to leave. Now. Before you can't anymore. [[Flee the factory|Factory Escape]]

<<set $vision2Seen to true>> <<set $contamination += 5>> The world shifts. You're standing in water. Ankle-deep. It covers Main Street, the diner, everything. The sky is the wrong color—bruised purple, sickly green. People walk past you through the water. Sarah. Sheriff Hollis. Thomas. Others you don't recognize. They don't see you. Or they see through you. Their mouths move but no sound comes out. Then—all at once—they speak in unison: "The water provides." "The water remembers." "The water dreams." They turn to look at you. All of them. Eyes black and bottomless. "You're almost ready." The water rises. Knee-deep. Waist-deep. Chest-deep. You try to move but you're rooted in place. The water touches your chin, your lips, your nose— <<timed 3s>> You gasp awake. <<if passage() is "Motel Room">>You're in your bed. Soaked in sweat. Or water. You can't tell which.<<else>>You're on the street. People are staring. How long were you standing there, frozen?<</if>> <<if $contamination gte 75>>Your reflection in a shop window looks wrong. Too pale. Eyes too dark. For just a moment, you don't recognize yourself.<</if>> The visions are getting stronger. Lasting longer. Soon you won't be able to tell them from reality. Time is running out. [[Breathe|Main Street]] <</timed>>

You pack your bag. The evidence. Your sister's journal. The factory documents. You walk to the edge of town. The road stretches ahead. Empty. Free. <<if $contamination lt 50>> You make it three miles before you collapse. A trucker finds you, calls an ambulance. [[Continue|Ending - Escaped]] <<elseif $contamination lt 75>> You make it a mile. Then two. But every step feels wrong. Like walking against a current. You turn around. Just to look back. Just once. The town is behind you. Waiting. [[Keep walking|Ending - Escaped Contaminated]] [[Turn back|Ending - Returned]] <<else>> You make it to the road. Your feet stop moving. The water is in you now. Too deep. Too strong. You can't leave. It won't let you. Your feet turn around. Walking back to town. Back to the reservoir. You have no choice anymore. [[Accept it|Ending - Returned]] <</if>>

You gather everything. Documents. Journal pages. Water samples. Photos. You drive to the nearest city. Walk into the state EPA office. "I need to report environmental contamination. Millwater. People are dying." <<if $contamination lt 50>> They listen. They investigate. [[Continue|Ending - Exposed Success]] <<elseif $contamination lt 75>> They listen. But you're not making sense. Your story sounds insane. Hallucinations. Entities. Water that dreams. "We'll look into it," they say. They don't. [[Continue|Ending - Exposed Failure]] <<else>> You try to explain. But the words won't come. You sound insane. Paranoid. They're looking at you like you need help. Psychiatric help. You flee before they can commit you. [[Return to Millwater|Ending - Returned]] <</if>>

You walk to the factory. To the reservoir. The water is waiting. Your sister rises to meet you. "You came." "I came." "Are you ready?" [[Yes|Ending - Convergence]] [[No, this is wrong|Ending - Last Resistance]]

The hospital. White walls. Clean water. They test your blood. "Elevated arsenic, copper, organic compounds," the doctor says. "You need treatment. Where were you exposed?" "Millwater." The doctor pauses. Exchanges a look with the nurse. "We'll... we'll notify the proper authorities." They never do. You recover. Mostly. The nightmares never stop. Dreams of water, of drowning, of your sister's face beneath dark ripples. Sometimes you wake up and your sheets are wet. Not sweat. Water. You moved to Seattle. Changed your name. Started over. But on quiet nights, you hear it calling. The water. Your sister. "Come back. Come home." You never do. But you know, someday, you will. You escaped Millwater, but Millwater never escaped you. [[Restart|Start]]

You keep walking. Every step is agony. The pull is overwhelming. But you walk anyway. Miles pass. The town disappears behind you. You make it to the highway. Flag down a car. "Hospital," you gasp. "Please." They save your life. Treat the contamination. You survive. But you're changed. The water is in you. Will always be in you. You dream of Millwater every night. See your sister in every reflection. Hear the reservoir in every faucet. You warn people. Try to tell them. Nobody believes you. The town still stands. Still drinks the water. Still feeds the thing beneath. You couldn't save them. You couldn't even save your sister. But you saved yourself. Is that enough? You escaped, but the guilt will haunt you forever. [[Restart|Start]]

You turn back. The town welcomes you. Sarah smiles at the diner. The sheriff nods. Thomas doesn't look surprised. "Knew you'd come back," he says. You walk to the reservoir. Your feet know the way. Your sister is waiting. "I knew you'd join me eventually." You step into the water. It's warm. Kind. Peaceful. You sink beneath the surface. You can breathe. You are home. The water has claimed you. You and your sister are together now. Forever. [[Restart|Start]]

The investigation takes months. EPA. State police. Federal agencies. They descend on Millwater. The reservoir is tested, confirmed toxic. The aquifer is contaminated. The town is evacuated. <<set $contamination += 10>> You watch from a distance. The town is cordoned off. Hazmat teams. Cleanup crews. They find bodies in the reservoir. Dozens of them. Your sister among them. The official report: "Industrial contamination led to neurological damage, resulting in mass psychosis and multiple deaths." That's the story they tell. Clean. Rational. Safe. You know the truth. The thing in the water wasn't destroyed. Just scattered. Sleeping again. Waiting. But you saved lives. Exposed the cover-up. Your sister's death mattered. You attend her funeral. Closed casket. You don't look inside. Some nights you still hear the water calling. But you don't answer. You exposed the truth. The town is gone, but others are safe. [[Restart|Start]]

Nothing happens. The EPA sends one inspector. He drinks coffee at the diner. Talks to the sheriff. Files a report: "No evidence of current contamination risk." The story dies. Millwater continues. The water flows. The entity dreams. You tried. You failed. <<if $contamination gte 50>> And now you can't leave. The contamination has you. [[Return to Millwater|Ending - Returned]] <<else>> You leave. Start over somewhere else. Try to forget. You can't. You tried to expose the truth. Nobody listened. Millwater endures. [[Restart|Start]] <</if>>

You step into the water. Your sister takes your hand. Pulls you deeper. The water closes over your head. You should panic. Struggle. Drown. Instead, you breathe. The entity surrounds you. Infinite. Ancient. Kind in its own alien way. You understand now. It's not evil. Just hungry. Just lonely. Just dreaming. And now you're part of the dream. Your sister's face. Your own face. All the faces of everyone who came before. Dissolved. United. One. The water dreams. And you dream with it. Forever. You have joined the water. You and your sister are one with the entity. [[Restart|Start]]

"No. This isn't right. You're not really her. And I won't become... that." Your sister's face twists. Sadness. Or hunger. Hard to tell. "Then you'll die. The contamination is too deep. You can't survive without the water now." "Maybe not. But I'll die as myself." You turn and run. Out of the factory. Out of town. You collapse on the highway. A car stops. Paramedics. Hospital. You die three days later. Multi-organ failure. Toxic contamination. But you die as yourself. Not as part of the dream. Your last thought: I saved myself. Even if I couldn't save her. You resisted to the end. It cost you everything. [[Restart|Start]]

:: Act 3 Begin <<set $act3Started to true>> You wake in your motel room. Or think you do. The walls are breathing. The ceiling drips water that evaporates before hitting the floor. You can hear the reservoir from here, miles away, a constant whisper. <<if $contamination gte 75>>You're running out of time. You can feel yourself slipping. Soon there won't be enough of "you" left to make any choice at all.<</if>> You have three options: Gather what evidence you have and run. Leave Millwater behind. Save yourself. Go to the authorities outside town. Bring media, investigators, force them to see the truth. Burn it all down. Go to the reservoir. Find your sister. Join the water. Stop fighting. Which will you choose? [[Try to escape|Ending Path - Escape]] [[Try to expose the truth|Ending Path - Expose]] [[Go to the reservoir|Ending Path - Surrender]]