030-035 » a-hunting they will go

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: Eastern/Central Mathias.
WHEN: Days 030-035
WHAT: Unexpected changes come to Mathias, followed by a Hunt.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: Plotting post over here! And shiny new CR meme too.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Marco Beltrami "It Hears You"

DAYS 030-032
A CHANGE IN CIRCUMSTANCES
The day after the earthquake dawns like any other in Mathias Township. The sky is a light winter grey, clouds obscuring even a hint of true sunlight, and snow falls off and on in dustings that rest atop the piles left from the storm a few days past. The air is bitterly cold, a gentle wind feeling like ice in the sub-freezing temperatures, and residents should be grateful that the earthquake didn't do more damage than just breaking a few household objects.

It seems like business as usual. It will not be until the second day that residents will begin to notice the difference.

The General Store's shelves have not been restocked. Items in kitchens have not replenished in the passing night. Food from the previous day has aged as normal, and as the days continue to pass, things will begin to grow stale or become moldy as they would in the outside world. Two days pass, three, four... Still, the food does not return.

Perhaps rationing should be considered.



NEW ARRIVALS
The newest arrivals to Mathias will wake on the snowy beach near the Grey Gull restaurant. They should probably hurry inside and get warmed up before hypothermia sets in or something finds them out in the cold...

---

DAYS 033-034
IN THE NIGHT, IN THE DARK
These days, too, seem to be simply more of the same. The days are cold and grey, the food does not replenish, and they continue to be trapped in this eerie town. But when night falls, the story changes.

An hour after sunset, it begins. Scratching sounds at walls, like something searching for a way inside. The ominous feeling of something out there in the darkness, moving through the town, stalking through the night. The inability to find any sign of something being there at all. It's enough to make anyone feel like they're going mad. To happen just one night, it could be a fluke, a trick of the mind as so many things here seem to be. But to happen a second night, with more intensity... There is something there, or they are going mad.

It's hard to know which to hope for.

DAY 035
THE HUNT
This day is not like the others. There is something in the air, a dreadful anticipation that rises inside them all as the hours pass. Every moment that brings them closer to nightfall brings it closer too — if only they knew what it was.

An hour after sunset, the Hunt begins.

Those who are outside at this time are gripped by such terror that they can do nothing but run and be chased. They are prey and the predators that stalk them with steadfast determination are creatures never meant to be seen by mortal eyes. All lights outside go out, from streetlamps to flashlights, and the world descends into deeper darkness, only the clouded moonlight and curtained glow from illuminated houses lighting their way as they flee.

Those who are inside at this time are trapped in their safe havens. No doors or windows can be opened from within, nothing can be broken or forced, and they can do nothing but wait and listen while their friends and neighbors are pursued by creatures whose very presence they can feel in their bones and whose growls echo in the night, entwined with the screams of their victims.

In the thick darkness, these creatures appear little more than shadows, large and looming, deadly and unknown, but in rare glimpses in scattered pieces of light, the Hunted are met with a sight they cannot comprehend and will never be able to properly describe or fully remember, for these creatures cannot be fathomed within the limits of the human mind.

The Hunt lasts for one hour exactly and then the creatures vanish into the darkness, leaving only fear and death in their wake.


ABOUT THE HUNT
— Players may choose to have their resident be one of the Hunted or a Witness to the Hunt. None are exempt from the the Hunt and all will be affected by it in some way.

— Those who are hunted must flee the creatures or they will die. The Hunted may move throughout the town at any speed, for the creatures may choose to move both quickly or slowly, but the creatures will always inevitably find them. The only escape is to seek shelter — the creatures will not enter a building where living people are, but they will follow the Hunted into buildings where there are no other living people.

— Those who are trapped within buildings at the start of the Hunt are unable to open doors and windows from within, but the Hunted may open them from outside in order to take shelter in these safe havens.

— Those who are hunted are unable to fight back against the creatures until the moments just before their death. This is due the creatures only having physical form in these final moments, rendering any attacks against them useless, whether they be physical, magical, or psychic in nature. Attempts may be made in those moments before death, but by then it is too late — the prey has been caught.

— When one of the Hunted is caught, there is no escaping, there is only screaming in madness as death falls painfully upon them. No one can come to their aid and their body will be found afterward, the bloody remains ripped and torn apart by something that cannot be identified. Large sprays and pools of blood stain the area around the corpse, turning the snow sickening shade of crimson that darkens as the hours pass.

— After the creatures have vanished, there are no signs of them to be found in the snow. There are no tracks or marks of any kind save for the carnage of the fresh kill.

— Those who have been sacrificed to the Hunt will revive two days later on Day 037. The conditions in which they revive will be detailed later, but there will be only minor lasting physical damage from the Hunt.

— The Hunted will lose 5 points of sanity. Those Witnesses who find the corpses will lose 2 points of sanity, or 3 points if they are not unaccustomed to this type of sight. Others who are merely Witnesses to the sounds of Hunt may choose to lose 1 point of sanity as a result of the experience.

---

CONDITIONS UPDATE

— THE WEATHER is fairly typical of a northern winter. The sky is almost always grey, the temperature is below freezing during the day (and colder at night), and a light snow falls intermittently. The sun sets early in the evening. Residents should bundle up when going outside and not venture too far into the dark night...

— THE FOG remains blocking the paths in the forest beginning a few dozen yards past the treeline, urging residents to stay huddled within the town proper, and it also now blocks the northern section of town, beginning just past Hill Lane, before where residents know the chasm in the earth to be between Hill and Stine Road. Venturing into the fog is ill-advised.

— DISAPPEARANCES continue. Sherlock Holmes is still missing, and Phil Coulson, John Constantine, Zed Martin, and Helen Magnus have vanished as well.

---

OOC NOTES

— FOOD will be restocked in some fashion in the next full log, don't worry. We aren't going full survival mode yet.

— DAY 036 The next log will cover Day 36 only and will include the locations of deaths and any corpse burials that occur the night of Day 35 or are planned for Day 36. (There will be prompts included for both the "living" and the "dead" in this single day log.) Please submit all information by Wednesday, Feb 17.

— MOD STATUS It's mostly just Amy steering this ship for now, so things will probably be pretty slow for a while. Apologies in advance, and please don't feel shy about pinging me if you're stuck waiting for something.

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Comments

Negan | The Walking Dead

[vampirebats]

Days 30-32 | OTA

[vampirebats]

30
Never one for being idle, Negan can be seen out and about. He stops by the general store to grab a couple things, he can be seen wandering around for a walk to either clear his head or keep an eye out for anything odd... hard to not do that nowadays, even if patrols don't seem necessary. He'll give a neighborly wave or nod towards anyone that he recognizes.

Later one, he winds up at the library to peruse the selection. "Man, some of this shit is old, isn't it?"

But even if it's mostly old shit, it's a novelty. Books aren't exactly a priority back home, generally speaking. More important things to scavenge.

31-32
When he starts noticing the food isn't replenishing like it usually does, Negan feels fear twisting in the pit of his stomach more than he wants to let on. He wanders the General Store, fingertips idly brushing over emptier-than-usual shelves.

"Is it just me, or is this place drying up?" Despite the question, he doesn't seem to be directing it at anyone in particular, just thinking out loud.

"What, did the goddamn earthquake make it impossible to get us some more food? Mess up some magic mojo going on?" He huffs to himself, a muscle in his jaw tightening as frustration sets in.

Well, fuck. This isn't looking good, if the food doesn't start coming back real goddamn soon.

31

[thering]

There had been a bit of a commotion in 1306 when Raylan and Doc got rescued from the glorified hole they had been stuck in shortly after the quake. After that there had been some tension in the air and it seemed to be determined to roll over into the next few days.

After almost everyone else had retired for the evening, Doc was sitting by himself on the floor in front of the fireplace. He's been about as curt with everyone else as he had been all along with Negan, so Negan probably wouldn't notice anything too different.

He does look to be wanting to sleep on the floor though, curled up in front of the fireplace. He's already brought a pillow and a blanket down to the floor with him. That's a little different, considering the couch is right there sitting untouched.

"If you're after a nightcap you can help yourself to a new bottle." The one next to Doc is taken.

[vampirebats]

Oh, he might have picked up on the curtness to the other guys in the house just from observing things, but-- you know. It's not really stopping him from wandering down to where Doc is huddled up on the floor anyway. He's quiet for a few moments, debating whether or not to say anything or let the guy sleep it off.

"Nah, been trying to cut back." A little at least. "What's with the camp out on the floor, Doc?"

No sense beating around the bush. "Look-- maybe you should go back up to bed. The wife banished me to the couch a time or two and I've slept on worse than that since. Maybe you'd be more comfortable..."

[thering]

Doc raises an eyebrow but otherwise doesn't pass a comment about Negan trying to cut back. Maybe that's a good idea, given how things are only going to get worse as the days go on. Maybe Doc can't bear the thought of letting his bottle go. He's been self-medicating this way for so long, he doesn't know what to do with himself if he doesn't drink when he has it so freely available to him.

"No." Doc hesitates, averting his gaze, grip tightening over his bottle as he drags it close, right next to him. "I need the light."

[vampirebats]

Negan didn't have the luxury of drinking much back home after things went to shit. No one wants to be piss drunk when Walkers decide to come munching at your door. It's been a nice reprieve, getting to indulge again. But he's starting to get a little antsy, a little concerned.

"Yeah? Alright..." It makes sense to him. Doesn't mean he's heading off just yet though. "You gonna be okay?"

[thering]

That is a terribly loaded question. One that Doc decides he doesn't want to lie about, but doesn't want to respond truthfully either. So he just gives a small shrug and pulls enough blanket away to give Negan space to sit on the floor next to him. If he wants to.

"You may join me for a drink. If you wish."

[vampirebats]

"And here I thought you said that bottle was yours..." And this is a terrible idea, probably, when their last couple encounters have gone pretty damn bad, but it's not stopping him from taking a seat when it's offered. He settles on the space with a sigh as his eyes trail towards the fire.

"But I think I'll take you up on that."

32

[conning]

Neal happens to be in the General Store himself, for the third time in two days, looking to see if things have started filling back up. When he hears Negan a row over, he walks over to join him, the worry clear on his face. "It's drying up. We're going to start need cooking or preserving the perishables, ASAP."

[vampirebats]

When he spots Neal in there with a similar idea to him, he tries to at least present some kind of calm demeanor. No reason to make that worry clearer on his face. "Hey, c'mon. Worry'll turn you grey, you know. Be a damn shame."

He relents though, shrugging his shoulders. "You're right though. We can try preserving what we can, but Doc's got a tidy little store of food he's been hoarding back, cautious asshole that he is. We can be fine until hopefully whatever the fuck this is sorts itself out."

[conning]

Neal smiles at Negan's comments, though it's more an automatic reaction than a genuine expression. When Negan mentions Doc's stockpile, Neal nods. "Yeah. We're lucky he was thinking ahead."

The rest of them should have been, too, but it's too late for that now.

"...You think it will? Sort itself out?"

[vampirebats]

He shrugs his shoulders at the question. Does he think it will? "I have no goddamn clue, if we're being honest here. Hard to guess what's going to happen around here, isn't it?"

But he's-- hoping at least.

Day 34 | OTA

[vampirebats]

The days stretch on and while Negan had gotten kind of used to a full belly since his arrival, he can deal with hunger pangs. He can ignore that. What he can't goddamn ignore? The scratching. He thinks he's going insane at first, that his mind is playing tricks on him. Wouldn't be the first time he's wondered if he's already lost it.

But then it happens again. It leaves his skin crawling, puts him on edge like he's a goddamn rabbit about to be eaten by a wolf or whatever. He feels like prey. He feels like this place is trying jerk him around again.

And you know what? He's not gonna have it.

However ill-advised it is, he heads out to do a quick patrol around the area. See what he sees, if anything at all. "Come on now," he calls into the dark, hands sliding into his pockets as keen eyes scan the streets in front of him.

"Come out, come out wherever you are. Don't be shy now. I'm told I'm pretty damn tasty..."

Taunting likely won't work and he knows it. Probably some goddamn animal or-- demon or whatever the shit is going on here.

[waywardsister]

Negan's not the only one out and about. Claire's got her hair tied back messily, and she's still in pyjama pants and a tank top, though she slipped on boots and a thick jacket and scarf - no use freezing her ass off too much. Still, she's outside with an iron fire poker as an improvised weapon, trying to locate the source of the scratching noises.

Maybe rationing food is making her lose her damn mind.

When she hears the voice, she draws closer, making sure not to sneak. Claire doesn't know Negan too well yet - but she knows it's a shitty idea to sneak up on people who might be high strung and expecting a fight.

"Not sure I'd find an answer to your taunting or lack therefore more worrisome."

[vampirebats]

"Well, if it isn't Little Miss Badass herself." Goddamn, but he'd kill for a fire poker. All he's got is a flashlight he might've nicked off Doc. Not a hell of a lot for protection, but he doubts anything he could get his hands on could really do the crazy shit around here any harm.

"You seen anything yet? Because I sure as hell haven't."

[waywardsister]

Claire snorts, in amusement and dismissal of the moniker. Damn right she's a badass. And short too, unfortunately.

"Damn right it's me. Only thing I've seen is your salt and pepper beard out here."

Claire scratches her cheek as if to indicate it.

"You been hearing that noise too, old man?"

[vampirebats]

"Ouch, went for a blow right below the fucking belt, didn't you?" But if the grin is anything to go by, he likes it.

Anyone who's got the guts to bust some balls once in a while... well, they're alright in his book.

"Yeah, believe it or not, not that deaf yet. Shit's been keeping me up... feels like it's close by, but why the goddamn hell can't we see it? Think it's ghosts or some shit?"

[waywardsister]

"Only blows worth dealing," Claire quips, matching the amusement of his grin. Ah, but she can appreciate someone being a good sport. Funny as it is to get Dean all riled up and flustered, some back and forth elbow shoving is oddly relaxing.

"Hard to believe, with your hearing, but I'll take your word for it. Unfortunately no dice on the ghosts. Believe me - ghosts I could deal with. Klaus said there are none here, and none of the tricks I've got up my sleeve actually help against whatever this is, either."

[vampirebats]

"We are not in disagreement there." And hey, he believes in ball busting. A lot of the time, it's fun to get someone riled up, but sometimes, it's damn sure fun to be around someone who can trade that shit right back as good as they get it.

"Sorry, I forgot my goddamn hearing aid." He huffs out a sigh, looking around them. Well, not ghosts. It's... something else then.

"It's not any animal I've ever heard either... at least nothing I can place, especially with how goddamn good it is at making sure we don't see it."

super late, no starbucks, but hope this is okay!

[fika]

The food supplies no longer replenishing is worrisome, in the long run, but he's survived on less for longer than a few days.

The real concern was the scratching - the implication of something else out there in the dark, an untraceable thing that watches them, leaves them at a loud disadvantage. The what ifs that will come after the first sign of all of it going to shit.

He hears Negan, and clears whatever distance is left in a blur of spacetime, a blip of blue and ozone, even if he appears a distance away.

"Jesus, Negan, thanks for that insight," Five's frown pinches at his nose, even as he tosses a look around them, own hands shoved into pockets as his whole frame curls inwards, defensive.

it's always okay!

[vampirebats]

The food is worrisome, yeah, but Negan's in the same boat. He's been in the thick of the apocalypse with fuck all to fill his stomach. It's not his favorite, but hell, he can manage it.

What he can't manage? The shit that's happening to them right now. The threat that something's after them, that's keeping them up at night, taunting them.

"Holy shit, you're a creepy little bastard in the dark." Zapping around all over the place like that.

"And you're fucking welcome. Just don't let me catch you gnawing on me like a wily chihuahua if the food runs out." There's a teasing grin that's quick to follow his words.

"Let me guess, you ain't seen nothing yet either?"

'wily chihuahua' is sending me sjgkhk

[fika]

And it all really does feel like one big taunt. Like a reminder of control, a reminder of how much everything here still feels like conscious effort on Mathias' part.

It isn't the physical worry of hunger somewhere down the line, but the way the unknown can chip away at each of their sanity. Because at the end of the day, minds are very good at filling in the gaps of knowledge with unkind speculation.

Five exhales a long suffered sigh. "I wouldn't worry about that," he counters with a sharp smile. "Your running mouth would be more than enough as a deterrent." He's sure that if anyone starts gnawing on anything, they will have bigger concerns all around.

He shakes his head, stepping forward. "And no, not a damn thing. Kind of tempted to set something on fire at this point."

Five shouldn't be so short, then maybe he could be upgraded to a cooler dog!!!

[vampirebats]

It wants them in their place. It wants to make a goddamn example maybe. He lets out a sigh, shaking his head in annoyance.

That's what Negan is worried about. If this shit doesn't get better... he's seen what hunger does to people, low resources. Fucking goddamn, but he's seen people desperate enough to actually eat each other and he doesn't want any part of that. Hard to focus on the big enemy if you're starving.

"Hey, are you really gonna say I'm not a little bit charming? Entertaining? Admit it, you'd miss it if I wasn't running my mouth." Which is all the more reason to not gnaw on him really.

"Yeah? Just fucking burn something to the ground, huh?"

damn negan, better guard your kneecaps!!

[fika]

Yeah, god forbid the complacency gets too comfortable.

It's a good play, taking aside the fact that it was being done on all of them. And honestly, underneath the joking about said gnawing aside...that would not be something Five would like to witness much of either.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. You've grown on me. Like fungus. Your ankles are safe. Happy now?" Five waves a dismissive hand, nose wrinkling. "Personally, I always saw the value in some peace and quiet." It's a blatant lie. As much ad Five will bitch and complain about the chaos of running mouths - of his siblings, of people who are becoming annoyingly friend-shaped - he'd rather it exist. He'd rather never sit in lifeless silence ever again.

But he's got an image to uphold, even if that image includes lying to himself as much as he can.

"Yeah - you know, just to see if there's something in the walls," obviously, Negan. "I'm running out of smart ideas here. Thinking of turning to the caveman approach real soon."

[vampirebats]

"Jesus, buddy... hope you're not gonna be the clubbing and dragging off kinda caveman before all this is through." That's just not the way to take a wife.

Negan wishes he could say the same about peace and quiet, but the idea of living in total silence, all alone, sounds like a special kind of Hell to him. He wouldn't last. He'd want it all over with as soon as possible, but--

You know what's more important right now? The annoying fucking noises everywhere. "Hell, maybe you're on to something. We could knock out some walls at least, pull up some floors... I don't know."