Legends

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/OYcscfV.png" width="600px"> [[Play Now | On the road]]

You're an adventurer. It's what you do. Some might call it hunting, but it isn't like you're trying to kill off the legendary beings of folklore. Sometimes it just happens and that's the only way to stop them. It wasn't your fault those vampires decided human blood was better than animal blood again, was it? Sure, you'd browse the internet in search of things that sounded weird, but you never planned on killing. That's what you were doing at this coffee shop at the dark and unholy hour of 5AM - waiting on it to open for a good cup of coffee. The stars were still out, at least what few you could see. The city's light pollution was a little high. While waiting on the coffee shop to open, you pull out your laptop and connect to their wi-fi. You browse news sites for anything that screams paranormal - weird electrical surges or odd deaths with locked doors and missing body parts. [[Continue|Lights on]]

Just as the lights turn on, you find something interesting. In Woodbury, Georgia, there have been multiple cases of arson, burglaries, and tales of some of the townspeople apparently going crazy and attacking each other. Most of the reports were about teenagers, so it could be pranks. Could be, but probably not in your experience. Also unusual was a prank where the principal of the high school's car was found in Lake Arrowhead near Waleska, Georgia but the keys were still at his house. Hanging on the key-holder. The house was locked and there were no signs of forced entry. There appeared to be some details left out of the news postings, too. You saw an image with the beginning of some type of message on the wall of the principal's house. You close your laptop and pull through the drive through to order your coffee. You reach the window, pay for it, then stop at the exit to put directions in the GPS. [[Go to Waleska]] [[Go to Woodbury]]

You put in the directions for Waleska, hoping that you're right and this is a poltergeist or demon stirring up some trouble. It's early and still a bit of a drive, so you open up your favorite podcast and sip your coffee as you head toward the small town. You reach Waleska after about an hour. There is graffiti on the walls of a drug store and on the walls of a bank. It's old graffiti, so nothing you need to look into. No burning buildings. No smell of sulphur. The birds aren't even awake by the sound of it. You pass a deputy's car, but it's empty. The town is quiet. Small, even by small-town standards with a population less than 900. There is a stillness in the air, but maybe it's the time of day. It is still early, after all. The sun's not even up yet - it's peeking through some morning clouds, turning the sky pink and orange. [[Continue|Drive to Lake Arrowhead]]

You put in the directions to Woodbury and put on some music - classic rock - and sip your coffee before pulling onto the road. By the time you reach Woodbury, the roads are busy with people driving to work. Or that's what you thought at first. Then you notice two cars driving toward each other in a parking lot. A friendly game of //Chicken// it seems. "Well, that's not normal," you say aloud as the cars collide. [[Continue|Park it]]

You make the 20 minute drive to Lake Arrowhead and see that a section of the lake is taped off with police tape. You park close to the scene. You get out of the car and take a deep breath. The fresh air feels good after a long drive. The lake is quiet with only the sound of birds and squirrels in the trees. Some frogs croak in the distance. But you're not here for the scenery and ambience. (if: $EMFreader is true)[You're all set! [[Keep going.]]] (else:)[You don't quite have the right items. [[Check the car.|Car Cache]]]

You find the library and park. A group of young teenagers, maybe 13 years old or so, are tossing paint-filled balloons at the wall of the entrance. They look your way, but seeing you there doesn't seem to faze them. You don't know what you're up against, so you decide to grab a couple things from the trunk. [[Check the trunk.|Car Cache]] [[Continue|Slam the trunk]]

You slam the trunk shut and walk down the sidewalk to find businesses that look abandoned with graffiti and broken windows. Some had attempts of boarding up. You hear the crash from the two cars playing 'Chicken' and shake your head. As you pass an alley between a photographer's studio and a gym, you spot a guy, maybe in his twenties with dark hair falling into his eyes. He stands alone. Smiling. You stop, unsure what to do next. [[You shake it off and keep going.]] [[You go after the guy.|To the alleyway]]

Despite the creepiness of the guy and his smiling in the middle of chaos, you shake it off and continue walking down the sidewalk taking in the damage done to the town. Out of no where, you hear a scream and someone collides with you, sending you both to the pavement. "Are you okay?" the man says as he gets up and extends his hand toward you. You nod and take his hand, getting up and brushing yourself off. You have a scrape on your dominant hand with some gravel lodged in it. The man notices and offers to help. "I live just around the corner. I'm sure those kids are gone now. They were just spray painting the side of my house." You ask why he was running then. He looks down sheepishly before telling you that his neighbor spooked him by taking an axe to the fence between their properties. [[Continue|To the man's house]]

You follow the man to his house. More teenaged kids scatter, cackling as they toss the spray paint at your head. You manage to duck so that it hits the broken fence behind you. You can hear the neighbor attacking the back fence, the unmistakable sound of wood being chopped. You walk inside and your nose wrinkles as wet dog and burned biscuits hits you. "Oh, yeah. I don't know what those kids did, but it smells terrible," the man says as he walks into the guest bathroom. He comes out with a small blue box filled with bandaids and gauze, a bottle of peroxide, and a clean wash cloth. You take the peroxide and cloth and pour some over your hand then take the cloth and dab it over the scrape. "So, what's your name?" you finally say. "Greg. Greg Masters. Mayor of Woodbury. Sorry." "And what's going on here, Greg?" "It's been like this for a month. It started off as just a handful of kids playing harmless pranks then it escalated into the madness you saw out there." "Anything else weird going on?" Greg shakes his head. "Not really. Some cattle got loose from a nearby farm, and the town cemetary was desecrated. Still don't know who did it, not that we've had much time to look into the crimes with how bad things have gotten." [[Continue|Listen and nod]]

You venture into the alley and look around. A plastic bag swirls around a dumpster. Milk crates are piled next to the dumpster. You spot a bright red spot behind the crates and knock them down. A vertical line and with two dots on the left and two triangles to the right in red paint, a symbol you have never seen before, comes into view. You pull out your phone and look up what it could mean. Before you can see the results, you're shoved into the dumpster and a trio of guys in their mid-twenties runs through letting out a weird, strangled war cry. You groan and regain your composure and pick your phone up off the ground. When you look up, the guy in the black and red hoodie is there. Smiling. [[You attack him.]] [[You ask him who he is.]]

You lunge toward the guy, tackling him to the ground. He laughs and rolls over, putting you beneath him, and punches you with extra strength. You spit blood and manage to shove him off. "Think you figured it out, do ya?" he says. "I know you have something to do with it. What's the game?" He smiles showing sharp teeth. He takes a defensive stance, feet wide and arms ready to block. You pull your blade out of its sheath and throw it, aiming for his leg. [[Continue|He dodges, but the blade still nicks him.]]

"Who are you?" you ask as you put your phone in your pocket. "Just someone who wants to have fun." "I don't think I like your idea of fun." He laughed. A deep belly-laugh. And he laughed some more, doubling over. "Glad that amuses you. So who are you?" The young man stood straight and brushed a lock of hair from his eyes. "I'm Leuk." "What's it going to take to get you out of here, Leuk?" "Nothing. I like it here." "Too bad." [[Continue.|Lunge for him]]

He dodges, but the blade hits his foot. Close enough. He yelps, throws the blade down, and takes off. You hurriedly pick up your blade and chase after him. You exit the alleyway and can't spot your target anywhere. You do see some blood droplets, so you follow them to the manhole nearby. "Of course this jerk chooses the sewers. I'll never find him just running blind down there, though," you say and pull your phone back out to the search results from that symbol. A trickster's symbol. "Shit." [[Continue|Back to the car.]]

You walk back to the car which now has a flat. Someone appears to have knifed the rear tire on the driver's side. The knife is beside the tire. You pick it up. "Great," you mutter as you pull out your phone. //Something's just not right here.// You check your signal - three bars - and open a browser. You research the town's history and local legends. "Bingo." [[Continue|Legend has it]]

"'Legend has it that Br'er Rabbit, or Leuk, makes trouble where things are quiet. He can teach valuable lessons, making him a hero'...A what?" "A hero. They called me that a few times." You spin around to see your tall, shaggy-haired friend in a black hoodie from earlier. "Leuk, I presume." He smirks, but says nothing. You notice he's avoiding pressure on his left leg - the leg you nicked. //At least he doesn't heal quickly,// you think as you try decide your next move. [[Talk it out.]] (if: $pistol and $silverbullets is true)[[Continue|Pull your gun.]] [[Check the car.|Cache2]]

"What do you want with this town?" you ask. "What I always want. Amusement." Your hand goes to the small of your back where your pistol hides. "I wouldn't do that. Killing me won't reverse or change anything." "It'll get you gone." "But that isn't how you do things, is it?" You hesitate, but then relax your hands at your side. He was right - you try to avoid the easy way out and look for the best solutions that can make everyone happy and keep everyone alive. "So what do we do?" you ask. "Oh, you do nothing. You're gonna let me have my fun and you're gonna get outta here." [[Continue|No way]]

You pull your gun, aiming for Leuk's head. "Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast," Leuk says and shakes his head. His shaggy brown hair bounces with the movement. "Make it stop." "But it's so fun. The chaos. The suffering." "It's wrong and you have to stop." "Or what? You'll shoot me? Not your style, is it?" You lower the gun and sigh. //He's right. This isn't how I like to do things. There has to be a way to get him to leave.// Leuk takes advantage of your hesitation and kicks your gun out of your hands. You're quick and manage to grab his foot before it hits the ground and throw him down, his back hitting the ground with a //THUD//. While he's lying on the ground groaning, you grab your gun from the lightpole it landed by and shoot. Screams. Some kids take off from behind the bushes where they were hiding, apparently coherent enough now to realize something was wrong. Leuk's holding his stomach as blood pools around his hoodie. "You weren't supposed to do that." "You were supposed to leave," you whisper before pulling the trigger again, sending a bullet straight through the trickster's heart. [[Game Over|Credits]]

"No way. How about you leave nicely?" "You know I'll just find another town." You sigh and stare at the sky, a brilliant shade of dark blue with dark gray fluffy clouds. Storm clouds. "Maybe..." you start to say as you look back at Leuk. He's not there. There's no sign of him and the sky is clear again. You curse and kick a crate, wincing as a broken piece scrapes your leg. [[Continue|Out of the alley]]

You walk out of the alleyway and see a couple of teenagers throw a brick through a window of a nearby house. "I've gotta do something," you say. "What can ya do?" You turn to your right to find Greg holding a crowbar. His sleeve is ripped. You raise an eyebrow. "Oh, yeah. When ya left, my neighbor got bold and attacked me." "Sorry about that. Is there anyone else that doesn't seem to be batshit right now?" Greg shrugs and you grunt. "Make a list of abandoned buildings in the area and then start a list of what the damages are." "Why?" "The buildings are a hunch. The damage - well, that's so we know where to start repairs. You know of any buildings off the top of your head?" "The Peters' farm is up Jones Mill road where it meets Pappy's Creek. No one's lived there in a few years now. Abigail just doesn't wanna sell it." "That it?" "There's an old tobacco warehouse out near the cemetery. You gotta take 109 out there." [[Go to the Peters' farm.]] [[Go to the tobacco warehouse.]]

You walk back to the car while the townspeople run around with more chaos. Breaking windows. Setting fires. Fighting. Running into what little traffic there is. The back glass of your car is cracked and there are dents in the body. The library has been egged. //This has got to stop.// You get in the car and drive down Jones toward Pappy's Creek. Finding the farm is easy. It's overgrown, but you can see the broken fence just before you see the old brick-laden mailbox. [[Continue|The farm]]

You take Highway 109 toward the cemetery. Toward the tobacco warehouse. It was just past the cafe, with a broken window and broken pallets stacked outside the entrance. The loading dock was covered with weeds and vines and was cracked in multiple places. You pull into the lot and switch the car off, looking around. No sign of Leuk. You get out and walk around the warehouse, looking for signs of Leuk and any other exits and entrances. Seeing that the only other way out was thoroughly boarded up and blocked with more pallets, you decide to check out the inside. [[Continue|Inside the warehouse]]

You open the door which falls off the hinges as you push it. "Well, that's great." You let the door hit the floor, setting off a cloud of dust. As it hits the floor, you hear the faint sound of a whimper. "Anyone home?" you ask, turning on the LED flashlight you brought. "Go away!" a small voice screeches from your left. [[Continue|Look toward sound]]

You look in the direction of the voice to find an old mattress, some empty cans of spaghetti rings and bottles of water, and a stack of pallets. "Sure, but why don't you come on out so I can make sure you're okay?" A boy, probably about ten, comes out from behind some pallets. "I'm okay. Hungry, but I'm okay. Whatcha doing here?" "Looking for someone. You haven't seen an older guy around, have you? Maybe limping?" The boy shook his head. You notice his weight is shifted to his right leg. You check him over again, noticing dirt around a scrape on his face. "You sure you're okay?" He nods and you shrug it off. "All right. Well, I'll head on out. You should go on home, not rough it out here." "I don't have a home." "Oh. Well, you don't have anyone looking for you?" He shakes his head and you sigh. "Don't tell anyone I'm here, please! I don't wanna go back to foster care!" "Okay, I won't. But come out to my car. I have a blanket you can keep." You watch him hesitate but finally take a step toward you. He limps slightly. Your eyes catch some blood on his bare feet. "What happened to your foot there?" He looks down and shrugs. "Glass, I think. I wasn't watching the window." You reach the car and grab a blanket from the backseat. "Here you go," you say as you toss the blanket at him. [[You get in the car and leave.]] [[You ask the kid to show you his left leg.]]

You get in the car. The kid waves at you, wrapped snugly in the blanket, before limping into the building. You watch, shaking your head. "I'll get you, asshole. I will get you," you say. You back out the drive and head back into town. Just as you pass the cafe, a woman runs out in front of you and you slam on the brakes. "The end is near!" she screams, staring at you wide-eyed. [[Continue|To the library.]]

"Show me your leg, kid." He stares at you for a moment then a slow smile creeps across his face as he lifts his leg, revealing the nick from earlier. "You caught me, hunter. What are you gonna do now?" "What I should have done to begin with," you say. [[Continue|Pull your gun.]]

{(set: $flashlight to false) (set: $pistol to false) (set: $bronzeblade to false) (set: $pocketknife to false) (set: $machete to false) (set: $woodenstake to false) (set: $rope to false) (set: $silverbullets to false) (set: $EMFreader to false)}

(if: $flashlight is true)[You have a flashlight. This can be used in dark places. Or you could throw it at the monster. Whatever works. (link: "Drop flashlight.")[(set: $flashlight to false)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ (if: $flashlight is false)[(link: "Pick up the flashlight.")[(set: $flashlight to true)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ (if: $pistol is true)[You have a pistol. This doesn't work on ghosts or demons. (link: "Drop pistol.")[(set: $pistol to false)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ (if: $pistol is false)[(link: "Pick up the pistol.")[(set: $pistol to true)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ (if: $pocketknife is true)[You have a pocket knife. Good in a pinch, but not against anything supernatural. Maybe to pick up ectoplasm? Who knows, right? (link: "Drop pocket knife.")[(set: $pocketknife to false)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ (if: $pocketknife is false)[(link: "Pick up the pocket knife.")[(set: $pocketknife to true)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ (if: $machete is true)[You have a machete. The best thing to use against vamps. Slice just right and their head falls off. Works on mortals, too, but we try to avoid that. (link: "Drop machete.")[(set: $machete to false)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $machete is false)[(link: "Pick up the machete.")[(set: $machete to true)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $EMFreader is true)[You have an EMF reader. You use this to detect ghosts. (link: "Drop EMF reader.")[(set: $EMFreader to false)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ (if: $EMFreader is false)[(link: "Pick up the EMF reader.")[(set: $EMFreader to true)+(goto: "Car Cache")]]\ [[Close the trunk.|Lights on]] (if: $EMFreader is true)[[Lake Arrowhead|Drive to Lake Arrowhead]] (if: $EMFreader is true and $machete is true and $pocketknife is true and $flashlight is true)[[You can't carry that much!]]

"Damn loons," you mutter as you ease the car around her while she spins on across the road. You happen to glance in the rearview mirror and see two more people spinning across the road behind her. You turn into the library's parking lot and park. A small group of adults march in front of you, some carrying bats, others carrying shovels. "What the hell is going on now?" you ask. You get out of the car. [[Check the trunk.|Cache2]] (if: $pocketknife and $pistol and $silverbullets and $bronzeblade is true)[You're all set! [[Continue.|Greg's house.]]] (else:)[You don't quite have the right items.]

You reach Greg's house. It is quiet. Much different from earlier in the day. The neighbor has stopped his rampage in the back yard. The kids that were torching houses on the same street were gone. The fires were out, though you're not entirely sure how. Maybe some others weren't affected by Leuk's run for chaos and put them out. It isn't like you saw everyone in town - mostly kids. You walk up the steps to the porch. The door is ajar. //What now?// [[You proceed carefully, gun drawn.]] [[You walk around the house, checking things out.]]

You take your EMF reader and walk around the tape. Nothing. You decide to check the rest of the lake. After walking for twenty minutes and finding nothing, you give it up. There's no sign of a ghost. Slightly relieved but mostly disappointed, you load the car back up and head back to town. Your stomach growls as you pull into the city limits, so you swing the car into a fast-food drive through and order a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit with a sweet tea and hash brown. As you wait in line, you put directions to Woodbury in your GPS. //On the road again.// [[Continue|Go to Woodbury]]

You nod slowly as you realize what was going on. "You got a computer?" "Yeah, why?" "I have a couple things I need to check out but I need the visibility of a large screen instead of my phone." Greg nods and leaves the room. He comes back with a sleek black laptop. "Do you need anything else?" You shake your head and open the laptop. There's a guest login, so you click it and open up a browser. You go to a mythological website and look for similar things that have happened - the fires and the chaos. //Tricksters thrive on chaos and knocking authority down a peg,// you read to yourself. //So that makes sense. So whoever this is would be happy about the chaos, but why isn't Greg as affected as the rest of the town?// "Did you find what you were looking for?" Greg asks. "I think so. Greg, why aren't you, ya know..." "Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs? I dunno. It's like it's the whole town. I've tried to get everyone together to do something, but no such luck." You think for a moment. Some of this wasn't making sense. "Thanks for letting me borrow your computer. I'll get out of your hair now." "Oh, you're no problem at all. Sane company is nice right now." You laugh and give a nod before leaving. [[You go back to the car.|Back to the car.]] [[You go to the alley to check things out.|To the alleyway]]

You pull your pistol out and open the door. Greg is sitting at the kitchen island, bound to the stool with duct tape with duct tape over his mouth. //Shit, what's going on now?// You creep inside, gun ready, rush to Greg and rip off the duct tape covering his mouth. "Thank God you're all right!" he whispers. "What's going on, Greg?" you ask as you pull out your pocket knife and cut the duct tape binding his hands together behind his back. "I wish I knew what to tell ya. Kid comes in and ties me up then trashes the house. Broke my mama's old teapot and teacups." "I'm sorry, Greg. I know this is hard, but what did the kid look like?" "He had on a black hoodie. Dark hair. Dark eyes. Something was just off with this kid." "You have no idea," you mutter under your breath as you stand up and take a look around. The place really was trashed. The living area sofa was ripped and the recliner was knocked over. "Any idea where he went? What he wanted?" you ask Greg. Greg shakes his head and you sigh. //There goes that thought. What's next?// [[Continue.|Search the house.]]

You creep back down the steps and walk around the house. The curtains are drawn in the living room, but the kitchen's blinds are partially open. You see Greg tied to a stool at the island. //Shit!// You look around the room, but see nothing else. There's no sign of who did this to Greg. You decide to check the rest of the house, just to be safe. You make it past the kitchen to the office. The flowers outside the window are smashed, and there's mud trailing away from them toward the neighbor's fence. "Unghhhhhh," comes across the yard. You walk over to the fence and see the neighbor sitting up holding his head. There is some blood dripping down his face. "What happened?" you ask. The man just stares at you and groans. You hop the fence and help him up. "Where are those hooligans?" the man says. "I don't know, sir. Is there anything I can do for you?" "Just get me inside. I'll be fine." [[Continue|Greg's neighbor]]

"I'm going to take a look around. See if there's any sign of him." Greg nods and gets a glass of water. His hands shake. //This really isn't fair to anyone.// You walk down the hall. There are a couple of drops of blood by the door to Greg's office, which is open, so you check there first. The laptop is smashed to pieces and some of the books and pages are on the floor. The window is open. There's blood on the window sill. //Got you, asshole. But how did he travel so quickly? And where is he now?// You look out the window and see a large shoe print in the flower bed just outside the window. Some mud trails off toward the neighbor's house. You pull out your phone and look up Leuk's habits from the legends. //'Leuk Rabbit likes to torment figures of authority by putting their lives out of their control.' Okay, that tracks with what he's done to Greg. 'Leuk Rabbit is a demigod with some god-like powers, including the ability to teleport.' Shit. So that's how he's getting around.// [[Continue.|Greg enters]]

A gasp tears you from your thoughts. Greg stands in the doorway, his hands covering his mouth. "I'm sorry, Greg. It's a lot to take in." "A lot to take in? It's madness. None of this makes sense. I was fine until you showed up!" "Greg, I had nothing to do with this." "Well, no one bothered me until you came into town! Not even my crazy neighbor." "How about you tell me exactly what happened while we clean up?" "What happened was some nutjob came into my home and tied me up!" "Did he say anything?" "While he was smashing my house to bits? No. He sang. He was //singing// as he smashed everything." The last sentence was barely a whisper. Tears fill Greg's eyes and you notice he's gripping a blanket. Your blanket. [[Ignore the blanket and help clean.]] [[Ask about the blanket.]]

//I'm sure it just looks like mine. It's not like I'm the only one with that blanket.// "How about we get this cleaned up?" you say as you bend down and start picking up loose papers from the books scattered on the floor. "Yes. Yes, let's do that," Greg says. He picks up the desk chair and puts the blanket in it before leaning down and picking up books. "Maybe we can clean up the town, too." You chuckle. "Yeah, we can work on it. Think we better get to the bottom of what's going on first." "Do you..." Greg trails off and looks away. "What?" "It's nothing. Foolish." "Today, I don't think much of anything is foolish." "You're probably right. I was just thinking, do you think that kid has something to do with what's going on? I've never seen him and this is a small town." You shrug. "I wouldn't think too much about it. Let's just get this cleaned up." [[Continue.|An hour later]]

"Where'd you get that?" you ask pointing at the blanket in his hands. He looks down. "Oh, I found it by the back door." //Looks like I was right. He's at the tobacco warehouse. I need to set a trap. Get him away from here and fix everything later.// "Got to go, Greg. I'll help you clean up later." "Oh, don't worry about it. Ya saved me and all." "Not yet I haven't." You storm past Greg and out the door. //I probably need some supplies, but what?// (if: $pistol and $silverbullets is true and $rope is true)[You're all set! [[Continue|The trap]]] (else:)[You don't quite have the right items. [[Check the car.|Cache2]]]

An hour later, the two of you were drinking a cup of coffee in a clean house. "So, what's next?" Greg asks as he stirs sugar into his mug. "Not sure," you say before taking a sip of your black coffee. You knew what needed to be done, but you couldn't get Greg involved. "I think I'll check a few things out around town. Find the pattern." Greg nods and takes a drink. "Yeah, that makes sense. We should do that." "No, Greg. You're staying put. I'll figure this out. Thanks for everything you've done so far." //Gotta get on out of here. Set a trap.// You stand up, putting your mug on the island. "I'm going to head on out. You stay put. Please." Greg sighs, but he agrees. You leave the house, plan in mind. You just hope it works. (if: $pistol and $silverbullets is true and $rope is true)[You're all set! [[Continue|The trap]]] (else:)[You don't quite have the right items. [[Check the car.|Cache2]]]

You drive to the tobacco warehouse. No one's there. There's no sign of the blanket, but you're glad that you didn't confront Greg about it. He probably would have reacted poorly and you wouldn't have been able to finish the job. You sit on an old bucket inside the warehouse and wait. After a couple hours, you hear a click from behind you. An unmistakable click of a pocket knife opening. You don't turn. "Took you long enough," you say. "I was having so much fun in town with your pal Greg. He's a talker, ain't he?" "You're still not going to give it up, are you?" A step forward then a chuckle. "Thought this rope was gonna snare me, did ya?" Leuk steps over the rope snare. "No," you say as you turn around. "But the runes you just stepped into ought to do the trick." Leuk's smile drops and he lunges for you, but he can't reach. You hold a mason jar in one hand with the lid in the other. "//Vos auferat. In tenebris. A hic. Hoc tenet.//" A swirl of light and Leuk is trapped. "Got you, asshole." [[Game Over|Credits]]

You draw your bronze blade and lunge toward Leuk. He dodges. "Not that easy," he says. He pulls out a dagger of his own and lunges toward you. You roll out of the way, but his blade grazes your arm. The burning sensation in the slice fuels your anger and you throw your blade at Leuk. He gasps as the blade hits his shoulder. You take the opportunity to lunge for him and grab the blade, twisting it. "I told you. You're done here," you say as you shove him away, pulling the blade out. A wet stain spreads over his hoodie. You pull a handkerchief out of your pocket and wipe the blood from the blade. You look up and Leuk is gone. //Oh, no clean up. Nice.// You put the blade away and walk toward the main sidewalk, out of the alley. You run right into a woman screaming. [[Continue.|Whoa, what's wrong?]]

"Whoa," you say as you grip her shoulders to steady yourself and her. "What's wrong?" "You gotta help me! Julie's chasing me! With a butcher knife!" You look past her in the direction she came from and don't see anything. A young woman runs into the road, singing at the top of her lungs. Two teenaged boys broke a window to the drug store across the road. //What is going on here? Shouldn't everything have stopped with Leuk gone?// "Ma'am, nothing is there. You're safe," you say. She turns around and breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank God." "What's going on?" "I wish I knew. One minute I was talking to my neighbor, Julie, and the next, she was chasing me with a butcher knife." //So, nothing stopped. What now?// [[Help her home.]] [[Back to the car.]]

"Let's get you back home and check on Julie." You wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Oh, thank you. I can make it myself, though." "I'd feel better knowing your friend wasn't trying to kill you. What's your name?" "Amy. Amy Griner." "Nice to meet you, Amy. So what way are we heading?" "Over down Dogwood Street. The little white house with the yellow door and black shutters." You walk with Amy until you see it. A woman shrieks next door. [[Continue.|Tell Amy to go on in and check on the neighbor's house.]]

"Why don't you go on in and let me check on Julie?" Amy's eyes widen and she shakes her head. "I don't think that's such a good idea. She's not herself." "I'll be fine." Amy hesitates, but nods and runs inside her house. There's a click of the door being locked. You walk down the path to Julie's house, a red-brick home with a black door and black shutters. A crepe myrtle tree stands in the front yard by the mailbox. The glass from the living room window shatters followed by a maniacal cackle. You walk around the house to check things out. A woman stands in the middle of the living room throwing books, glasses, figurines, and whatever else is within reach. She sees you and shrieks as she throws a glass cat figurine toward you. You walk away from her house and back to Amy's. [[Continue|Amy's house]]

You knock on Amy's door. "Who's there?" "It's me. You can open it." Click! And the door opens. You step inside. The living room decor is coastal themed, which you find odd given that the town is no where near the coast. "How is she?" Amy asks. "Are there any abandoned places in the town?" Amy raises an eyebrow at you and nods. "The old Peters farm. There's an old church down by the academy, too." "Is there anything in the middle of town?" She pauses and presses a finger to her lips as she thinks. "The old feed store is in the middle of town by the post office!" "Thanks, Amy." [[Check the car|Car Cache]] [[Go to the Peters' farm.]] [[Go to the old feed store.]]

You walk down to the old feed store. It hasn't been used in a long time from the looks of the broken window partially boarded up and the weeds growing through the cracks in the concrete. //Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Leuk isn't here.// You walk around the building looking for signs of anyone being there. Nothing. Just to be thorough, you try the door. Someone coughs behind you. You spin around to see Greg. "Oh, hey," you say and brush your jeans off. "Hi again. Thought I heard something over here." "Yeah, I was looking for some abandoned places some of the troublemakers might hide. I thought maybe this since it's central to everything in town." "Nah. You might want to try the old Peters' farm. It's more remote and known to have some of the local kids drink in the field." "Yeah? Anything else remote like that?" Greg scratches his head and looks thoughtful for a moment. "The old tobacco warehouse on 109. It's not been used in a decade." "Thanks, Greg." [[Go to the Peters' farm.]] [[Go to the tobacco warehouse.]]

You pull into the farm's drive and park. First glance and nothing seems out of the ordinary for an abandoned farm. Some of the windows are boarded up on the big white farm house. The railing on the porch is broken. There's a step missing and another one is broken in half with part of it sticking up. The bushes are overgrown and there are weeds growing through the porch. Dandelions. Upon closer inspection, a tree limb has fallen next to the house, puncturing the roof. //Doesn't look like much of a hideout.// You get out of the car and walk up to the house. The porch creaks. A board breaks. You wipe the window. Dust build-up from a decade of negligence. There's no sign of Leuk or anyone else. You walk around the house until... //AHHHHHH!// Your voice escapes you as you fall. Right onto some spikes in the bottom of a large pit. Leuk's laughter is the last thing you hear before you feel, see, hear nothing at all. [[Game Over|Credits]]

You help Greg's neighbor up the steps of the back porch and into the house, easing him down in a chair at the kitchen table. "Thanks for that. If you don't mind, there's a cloth in the top left drawer there by the back door." He coughs then groans as you pull out a cloth and wet it. "So, what happened, sir?" You start to press the wet cloth to his wound, but he snatches it from you and does it himself. "Dunno. Don't remember much of anything. I was working in the backyard and that's the last thing I remember." //He doesn't remember attacking Greg? That's weird. I wonder if it's like that for everyone affected.// "Well, since you're all right, I'm going to go check on Greg." "Go. I'm fine." [[Continue|Greg's house]]

You walk back to Greg's and open the door. His eyes grow wide when he sees you and he shakes his head no. You ignore it and walk in. //Click!// You hear it and jump out of the way just as a small explosion happens. You're fine, but some shrapnel hit Greg in the leg. You rush over to him and remove the gag from his mouth and grab the kitchen towel. "I told you not to come in!" he says. "I don't think taking this out is a good idea. I'll call an ambulance." "You can try, but I don't think anyone's gonna be around. That guy said the whole town was under his spell now. Can you believe that? Like he's magic or something." "Maybe he is," you say as you dial emergency services. "Hello, yes. I'm at 341 Dogwood Drive in Woodbury. There was a small explosion and my buddy here got hit in the leg with some shrapnel. He's conscious and the blood seems to have stopped." Greg groans as you put the kitchen towel around the piece of wood sticking out of his leg. "Hold that there. They said they're sending someone from the next town over." "What are you doing?" [[Continue.|Go through the junk drawer]]

You go through the kitchen drawers and find the junk drawer. Duct tape. You tape around the towel and Greg's leg and untie him. "Just making things easier. What happened?" "Some guy comes up and attacks me, ties me up, sets up the explosives, then leaves. All he said was the whole town was under his spell now and soon there'd be no one to save me." Moments later, sirens wail outside. You move out of the way and let the EMTs work. "Good job on the dressing," one of them says. They load Greg up and carry him out to the ambulance. "You coming?" he asks. You shake your head no. "Got some things to check out." Greg nods and they leave. //Now back to business.// [[Go to the Peters' farm.]] [[Go back to the tobacco warehouse.|The trap]]

(if: $pocketknife is true)[You have a pocket knife. Good in a pinch, but not against anything supernatural. Maybe to pick up ectoplasm? Who knows, right? (link: "Drop pocket knife.")[(set: $pocketknife to false)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $pocketknife is false)[(link: "Pick up the pocket knife.")[(set: $pocketknife to true)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $woodenstake is true)[You have a wooden stake. Contrary to popular belief, this does not work on vampires. It works on a succubus, though. And even some gods. Do not recommend for ghosts or demons. (link: "Drop wooden stake.")[(set: $woodenstake to false)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $woodenstake is false)[(link: "Pick up the wooden stake.")[(set: $woodenstake to true)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $rope is true)[You have rope. It's a freaking rope, ya dolt. It might come in handy, but for what? (link: "Drop rope.")[(set: $rope to false)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $rope is false)[(link: "Pick up the rope.")[(set: $rope to true)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $bronzeblade is true)[You have a bronze blade. Good for injuring certain gods. It definitely works on mortals, too. But no demons or ghosts. (link: "Drop bronze blade.")[(set: $bronzeblade to false)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $bronzeblade is false)[(link: "Pick up the bronze blade.")[(set: $bronzeblade to true)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $pistol is true)[You have a pistol. This doesn't work on ghosts or demons. (link: "Drop pistol.")[(set: $pistol to false)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $pistol is false)[(link: "Pick up the pistol.")[(set: $pistol to true)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $silverbullets is true)[You have silver bullets. Silver kills just about anything. (link: "Drop silver bullets.")[(set: $silverbullets to false)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $silverbullets is false)[(link: "Pick up the silver bullets.")[(set: $silverbullets to true)+(goto: "Cache2")]]\ (if: $silverbullets and $pistol and $bronzeblade and $rope and $woodenstake and $pocketknife is true)[[You can't carry all that stuff! | Oops]] [[Back to the library|To the library.]] [[Back to Greg's|Greg's house.]] [[Back to the car.]]

Producer - Dana LaShay Game Concept - Dana LaShay Lead Narrative Designer - Dana LaShay Inspired by Joel Chandler Harris's //Br'er Rabbit.// Other lore used includes the Cherokee "tar baby" story & Anansi the spider. Artwork - https://pixabay.com/images/id-6090487/

You ran out of room in your pockets. Something has to go back. [[Trunk |Car Cache]]

What are you doing? Trying to get yourself killed? That's way too much stuff. [[Put it back |Cache2]]