001-003 » a chilling mathias welcome

[villagemod]

WHO: Everyone.
WHERE: The east end of Mathias, along the waterfront.
WHEN: Days 001-003
WHAT: The newest residents of Mathias Township are welcomed with a storm.
WARNINGS: Will update as necessary. PM this account to have a warning added!
NOTES: A small love letter from your mod. This spot can be used for plotting.

RECOMMENDED ♫ Deadly Avenger "Mara"

DAY 001
THE ARRIVAL BEGINS

Is it the whooshing crash of waves on dark jagged rocks that wakes you? Perhaps. It might also be the near-continuous rumble of thunder growing closer every second, the vibrations almost seeming to come from the wet sand beneath your hands. Or maybe it’s the shivering of your own body as water recedes from the pebble-covered shore, the cold sinking into your very bones as a chilled wind picks up. It could be any of these things that rouse you from a deep slumber that leaves you feeling groggy and out of sorts--

But it’s the fear that gets you moving. A deep, intense terror grips your chest and squeezes the breath right out of you, and you know without a shred of doubt that you have mere minutes before whatever it is you’re so afraid of arrives on that stretch of rocky beach to greet you. Even if you want to stay rooted to that spot and faced it head-on, your body betrays you, a survival instinct etched into your genetic code forcing you to seek shelter.

Welcome to Mathias. You should probably run now.



THE STORM ARRIVES

When the storm crashes into the small township, it's hard to remember what life was like before it. The ocean becomes a raging thing, waves rising and falling as if trying to attack whatever they can reach along the coast. Any foolish enough to venture along the beach have no hope of surviving the encounter; their bodies will be swept out with the current, gone in the blink of an eye.

The wind is a howling beast, screaming between buildings and driving spikes of cold into any crevice it can reach. The rain is just shy of freezing, every drop like a shard of icicle trying to itself into your skin. It will bite at your nerves and leave you shaking if you stay out in it too long, so you had best get inside if you haven't already. You certainly don't want to attract the attention of the lightning that arcs in the sky like a vengeful god ready to unleash its wrath.

The Grey Gull restaurant sits at the edge of the town along the beach, and just a few yards away are two parallel rows of houses lining what might be a picturesque street if the world weren't beginning to resemble an apocalyptic landscape.

Move quickly, and choose wisely.

DAY 002
THE STORM RAGES ON

The storm has somehow become even more violent overnight. The world outside your shelter might be trapped in an endless night, for all you can see through the thick covering of storm clouds. Lightning continues to streak across the sky, thunder following almost immediately in its wake, threatening just how near those spikes of electricity truly are. You can see them touch the shore at times, even the street between the homes, but never the buildings themselves. A blessing, perhaps, or an oddity to take note of?

Some may be foolish enough to try venturing outside. They are welcome to, of course, that is their right, but the rain is still like ice and that lightning is so very near. You may try heading further into town, and you can certainly see buildings beyond this row of houses, but should you walk toward them...

Well. It is far from a pleasant experience. Exhaustion sinks into your bones so quickly that it leaves you reeling, and every second you push through it makes you physically ill with a feeling that you might collapse at any moment. The second you turn away from that path, however, you feel infinitely, and even more so each step back the way you came.

Something wants you to stay where you are. Perhaps you should.

DAY 003
THE CALM DESCENDS

The third day begins much as the second, with waves crashing upon the shore and thunder booming with such force that the ground seems to shake. It feels very much like the world might end right there, torn apart by a force of nature unlike any seen before. Any who venture outside at this time are almost immediately afflicted with a terror so intense that they can make it no more than a few yards or the short distance to cross a street before they become incapacitated by the fear that sets their heart beating dangerously fast. The term scared to death may very well become literal this day.

And then, suddenly it stops. The rain, thunder, lighting— all if it just stops and the silence that fills the night is deafening. There are no sounds of life within the town, no car motors or dogs barking or the voices of anyone beside those new arrivals in the immediate vicinity. In fact, none of those things even exist in Mathias. There are no cars, no animals or insects, no other people. There is just... emptiness and silence.

It may be best to wait until daylight to move further inland.



THE NIGHT DARKENS

For those who are foolish enough to leave the relative safety of the cluster of houses near the Grey Gull, they will find their journey quite chilling, in a very literal sense. There is another row of houses beyond where they had been, branching off on either side into a neighborhood. There are no lights on in any of these homes, though there are occasional streetlights illuminating their way. But as they continue further, reaching a third block of houses, those lights begin to dim, until they have gone out completely, and what had previously been a simple fall chill becomes biting cold as the temperature sharply drops.

In all of this, there is silence. No sounds travel through that night air to comfort them, and even looking up to the sky stretched out above them offers little reassurance. That sky is black, without a single star and not even the faintest outline of the moon to guide them. All that reaches them here is the barest hint of light traveling from the way they've come. The longer they linger outside in this place, the colder it will become, and any light they carry with them will slowly begin to dim as well.

Truly, they should have waited until the sun rose once more.

---

LOCATIONS

THE GREY GULL is what one might expect of the most frequented restaurant in a small coastal town. The wrap-around porch is lined with white chairs characterized by peeling paint. Exposed wooden walls and worn seating speak to its many years of existence, and the mishmash of décor confirms that the owner never much cared for how the place looked. What mattered here was the food, and faded chalk menus advertise soup specials and a daily pie. The bar appears to have once been well-stocked, but all the bottles remaining are unfortunately empty. There is, however, quite a bit of food in the kitchen that is somehow as fresh as if it were purchased that day.

The second floor of the restaurant is a sparsely furnished apartment. There are no personal items to be found; perhaps it was waiting to be rented out to someone.

THE HOUSES are well-kept, middle-class homes, four lining either side of the street. Their doors are unlocked, windows unshuttered, and everything within feels like the owners might return at any second. There is running water and electricity, fresh food in the fridge, photographs on the wall... but also dust everywhere. If you didn't know better, you'd say the place had been abandoned for years, and yet nothing has aged. It is both strange and unsettling, and yet no matter how hard you search, no answers may be found within these homes.

What can be found within them, however, is a phone. One single black phone within a main room of the house, and beside it, a list of handwritten numbers and names that have been crossed out.

1302 8-5491 Thomasen
1304 8-9256 Lyrie
1306 8-4712 Anders
1308 8-3201 Mulcalley

1301 8-0415 Sanderson
1303 8-6762 Reese
1305 8-9132 Evers
1307 8-9025 Hirano

Should your character choose to shelter in one of the houses, you are welcome to choose the features of that particular unit. Please reply to the comment thread below with the details you decide upon, specifying the house number in the subject line.

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Comments

[40seconds]

Yeah, I agree with you there. And it could always be worse.

[ At least they have shelter and some supplies, although Coulson wonders just how long those things will last. If they're here for the long haul, they might have to get creative. ]

I suppose that's to be expected, although personally, I'd welcome the humor as a break from the reality of things.

[ She's talking to the guy who cracked a classic dad joke to one of his (former) team members and had said joke fly right over his head. It was very upsetting. Well, not really, but he was ready with the delivery and it just fell flat.

Maybe the two of them aren't so different after all. A healthy appreciation for jokes is always a good sign. ]

You too, huh?

[ He glances over at one of the side windows just briefly before looking back at her. ]

I was actually thinking a quick reconnaissance trip couldn't hurt.

[ And hopefully this one wouldn't end with him riveted in place by an inexplicable sense of terror. ]

[waywardsister]

[ Claire listens, at first with a look of surprise that slowly melts into a delighted grin.

Hah! Finally someone who's head is screwed on the way hers is.

And most importantly: Finally a so-called adult who pitches her idea, meaning he might be less likely to try and talk her out of it or leave her behind.

Being so A+ earns him a light punch to the arm. It's not hard at all, just enthusiasm practically leaping from Claire's face. ]

I knew there had to be someone with sense around here. Not bad, old man. I'll come with!

[40seconds]

[ Well, that's funny, because there's a few people in Coulson's world would say his head isn't always screwed on correctly, but they seem to be in the minority.

And as far as he can tell, there's safety in numbers here, so if she's willing, he's not going to insist she stay back. That punch to the arm makes him chuckle, because it's a kind of camaraderie that he's used to receiving from his team, and even if it makes him the slightest bit homesick (not that this is home, far from it), it just warms him up better than any heat from a fire could. ]

Well, we don't know what we'll find out there, if anything, so it might be too soon to say if I have sense or not. [ But he's still smiling, and he can't help but shake his head in mock annoyance. ]

I'm not that old, though. I am, however, ready when you are.

[waywardsister]

[ Claire puts a hand on his arm in mock comfort, mirth dancing in her blue eyes. He's just making this too easy. ]

It's okay. You keep telling yourself what you need to hear.

[ She gestures to the bag slung over her shoulder. ]

And don't worry. Whatever it is, I'm prepared. Candles, matches, a weird flashlight with a crank on it, couples of knives, iron, silver, salt... trusty chair leg, too. You got anything on you?

[ She poses the question as they're on their way out. Suit might be just an old guy in... well, a suit, but he's of the tolerable sort for adults, Claire's found.

Sure, she's nearly 21 and technically counts as adult, but she also knows that most people this guy's age see her as little more than a kid, still. ]

[40seconds]

[ Everyone has their sticking point, and apparently she just found his. But oh well. Moving on. ]

Not nearly as much as you do. I found a couple of dull knives in one of the houses, but that's about it. Even a dull knife can be useful if there's enough force behind it, though.

[ He answers as he follows her out the door. And that amiable nature of his has served him well over the years; it sometimes gets people to lower their guard so he can strike when they least expect it. That quality may or may not come in handy around here, but at least it's lending itself well to forming alliances.

And in his experience, age isn't really that useful of an indicator. Someone could be young but still be cool under pressure and resourceful too. If she can hold her own, he'll gladly cooperate with her. ]

[waywardsister]

Well, you just gotta be persistent, right?

[ Claire smirks at Coulson.

Really, there are few things that can't be weapons if you just try hard enough. ]

You ever fight something? Not that I've seen anything that could be punched around here so far, but... well, you never know.

[40seconds]

Exactly. Persistence pays off more often than not, in my experience.

[ He chuckles at that question. ]

Have I ever fought something? Oh, I don't know. Yes, I've fought things- well, people, actually, and I was actually unarmed for some of those fights.

[ He doesn't look it, exactly, but he can throw a pretty mean punch when a situation calls for it. ]

[waywardsister]

You don't say.

[ Claire actually does look a little impressed despite the sarcasm, lips tugging into a little smirk. Frankly, he doesn't look it - but then, Claire also knows that people can be a lot more than they look. How many people dismiss her for being just a young girl, after all? ]

Wait, so you're just letting me swing big speeches about protecting you, but you're fully capable? For shame.

[ There's no reproach in her voice, though, just amusement. ]

[40seconds]

What can I say? You give good speeches. I'm usually the one spouting off a grand speech, so it's nice to be on the listening end for once.

[ He can't hold back an amused chuckle himself. ]

How about we just agree to protect each other? You watch my back, I watch yours.

[ It's how he's always worked and it hasn't steered him wrong thus far. ]

[waywardsister]

[ It's... not how Claire has worked before. For a moment something flickers in her eyes, and surely Coulson has seen it in enough people to recognize it. That instinct to bristle against needing any sort of help or backup.

The survivor's guilt poorly hidden underneath it all.

But Claire swallows the instinct.

Maybe just this once, she can be smart about this shit. ]

Sounds good. I got you.

[40seconds]

[ Oh, he's very familiar with that look and how to handle it. ]

It's your choice, of course. If you'd rather go alone, I understand completely.

[ They're strangers, and they have no reason to trust each other. Of course, Coulson's the last person who would stab anyone in the back, but he knows that no one here has any reason to believe that.

But then she agrees, and he offers her what he hopes is a reassuring smile. ]

Good. I'm ready when you are. Left or right?

[ Without a map or anything to lay out the path for them, either direction could be a potential adventure, or it could turn out to be nothing at all. He's not willing to bet on that last one, though. ]

[waywardsister]

Hmmm...

[ Claire glances one way then the other. They look pretty much identical. So, when you don't want to go wrong, you go... ]

Right. Age before beauty?

[40seconds]

Sure, that works for me.

[ If something bad is going to happen, he'd rather have it happen to him than to her, so he doesn't hesitate taking a couple of steps to the right. ]

Hey, look at that: the things that go bump in the night haven't made an appearance.

[ Not yet, anyway. What happened to not tempting fate? ]