THE MALL ARCHIVE-- YE OLDE THREAD

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

EET ES BEGUN!!!!

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

(WELCOME EVERYONE! IT BEGINS HERE!
So for simplicity's sake, let's keep the action in this single thread, and when players move from 'the mall' we can begin a new thread. Overall our goal should be to come up with excuses for our players to meet though there will be NPCs to interact with shortly.

AT THE MOMENT--

Nat & Micah stand outside in the open courtyard next to the Starbucks. They could run inside there, though it seems less protected than the large fortress of the mall, just at the end of the courtyard, which many people are running towards. However, Nat may feel some compulsion to help any left over coworkers and prefer to go back. If you run inside the mall, you will be in the same location as the other characters.

Patti, Ben & Dr. Victor are on the first floor of the mall, Ben just inside a store that's next to the other two. You can see out the windows to the mayhem outside, or perhaps retreat inside a store or up the stairs to a higher level.


The GMs will be keeper of time, and will be the ones to advance it. We won't normally be wanting to get into the nitty-gritty of exact time too much, but in this intro it is significant because the sun is about to set. Something different will happen at night. :) Feel free to say that your character does such and such and goes here or there, but keep in mind we don't want to go beyond say 15-20 minutes per post, so we don't get too far out of sync. Please also avoid 'dragged characters', I.e "I grab so and so and pull them inside." Mention that you are going inside, and if the other player decides to follow, assume that they continue doing so.
For NPCs, if they are 'your' NPCs, (the ones you have created for your character, such as Nat's coworker) you may control them as well, dragging them with you or making out with them or whatever you want. Treat 'our' NPCs as you would other players. (Ask nicely and they might make out with you. :B)
One more note, if you need to have an 'out of character (OOC) moment' please put the writing in italics and parentheses to distinguish it.

ARE WE ALL READY?

..Um, YES I AM! :D)




April 4th, 2012

It was a colder than average day, and at 7:15 PM in particular. It was a half an hour until sunset, and the sun already neared the horizon, disappearing behind buildings for most. Citizens near the Westlake Center had been shocked at a barrage of careening cars, and a sudden influx of cell phone calls all at once had brought down local phone service, leaving everyone with the dreaded 'no bars.'

Out on the street, cars still spun madly and dangerously, like they were fleeing from invisible cop cars. Quickly, there were pileups. Those who witnessed them thought they looked strangely slow or unrealistic. The pop of a glass window and the rain of hail-like chunks of safety glass. The crunch of a car's hood folding up like Venetian blinds, hubcaps whizzing through the air like Frisbees. The worst of course, was when you could see the person inside.

Nat and Micah were aghast to see a car roll once, and skid down the road next to them, leaving a dark smear behind it that they hoped was oil. There wasn't much time for the car to slow, before a blue sedan rammed into it, sending it flipping end over end and showering the road below with various vital liquids. Sirens blared in the distance, and they saw a cop across the street in his black jacket and characteristic blue shirt. He attempted to herd people away from the road, but it was little help when cars were rolling down sidewalks. People ran in every direction, panicked. Nat remembered his coworkers inside the coffee shop, which stuck out in the open like a target covered in glass windows. A car could easily smash through. The Westlake center beckoned from just beyond the open courtyard, which thankfully had yet to have a car plow through it just yet.


Inside, Dr. Victor and Patti saw the doors swing open over and over, as panicked people ran inside, cowering and shaking. Some people were running to the upper floors of the mall, some just frozen and gawking at the chaos.

In the Daiso, Ben's lovely cashier left him standing holding his half rung-up basket, jogging to look out the store's roll down that her coworker had vanished from. There were the sounds of panicked people and screaming echoing from outside.


(Let's get some reactions from people, and then I'll continue on..! If you don't reply in the next day, I will assume your character stands around dumbfounded for a moment and continue. :) YAY EVERYONE!)

[∆§Indea§∆]

                It felt like the world had frozen in place and everything was in stop motion. A wave of cars pilled up before him, the liquid on the road was growing suspiciously red and there were bits in it that just shouldn't be there. Micah heard someone screaming, not the horror movie scream but something much worse. This was not a good place to be. Micah looked towards the glass building, standing like a fortress to the chaos before him. He turned to the blonde guy standing next to him.
“ I have no bloody idea what's going on but I think we should get the hell out of here, I'm running that way, coming?”

                Micah darted towards the entrance narrowingly avoiding running people as much as he could, jumping over forgotten trollies. The sign above read in blazing green and yellow “Lush”. He pushed through the throngs of people into a large open mall, people were running in all directions. Micah got caught in the flow of panic and was forced to move towards the back of the mall, he went along until he finally ducked into the nearest shop. It contained novelty gift items and a few books. He watched mystified as waves of people continued to flow mindlessly before him. A few people were in the store with him but he hadn't noticed them before. A skinny old guy whose hair stood at all ends was sitting in a corner with a blank look in his eyes as if he was home watching TV, car keys in his hand shaking. A woman with glasses at the counter was staring disbelieving into her phone as if willing it to begin working again. The shop assistant was hiding under the counter, the only sign of his existence, a small sobbing sound.
Micah turned around to see if the blonde guy had followed him.

[Dr. Maneep Pamplemousse]

                Patti didn't like the look of this, not one bit. Aunt Dottie was injured in a Black Friday stampede at a Walmart in Arlington a couple years ago and Patti wasn't about to let that happen to her.

                She moved as quick as she could up against the window at the front of the "Made In Washington" tourist tchotchke store. Keeping her body as flat against the windows as she could, she began to work her way towards the opposite end of the mall, hoping there'd be less madness down there.

                As she moved past the escalators, she saw the mass of crowded, pushing bodies collapse forward and tumble down towards the bottom. She made a mental note to be extra cautious when she reached the passthrough that opened up to the Metro level below. She wasn't even sure why anyone would want to crowd in underground in a situation like this anyway.

                What the hell was going on here?

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

(Good idea Brett, if you are unsure of anything or need a GM to place you just ask and I shall modify it! Put your request in caps so I see it. )

[Suyoi]

Dr. V put his fingers to his forehead. This is going to be a long, long, long shift. Moving against the current of fleeing bodies, he paused at the glass entrance for a moment. His eyes scanned the street which had the characteristics of the inside of a washing machine filled with children's toys put on spin. While not exactly disturbing to witness, he did let the twinge of disdain slip across his face. If there was going to be any help, it would be if he stayed alive to provide that help.

The good doctor removed his leather jacket, slipping it under his arm. He knew he had to get to his car fast; not for the ability to drive, but to gather supplies. While not one to carry a portable clinic-in-a-case, Dr. Victor did have at least basic emergency supplies tucked in a duffle bag; tourniquets, bandages, ointments, ice packs, sutures, neoprene gloves... Dear God! My gloves!

Dr. Victor decided it would be best to attempt the mad dash to his car, humming "The Flight of the Valkyries." After all, it was no different than everyone's other psychosis or mass hysteria; SARS, Bird Flu, H1N1, Mad Cow Disease, Hanson... Just another "tragic incident in human history" in which they will make a pointless holiday in order to comemorate societies failings as the established citizenhood collapses under the weight of... Under the weight of... BAH! Just another day!

[Gillsing]

(I googled for "hanson disease" and found that Google wanted to call Leprosy "Hansen's disease". Phew! For a moment I wondered if I had inadvertently named my character after a disease: Benjamin Leprosy – unattractive nerd.)



                Ben pocketed his phone and looked around. None of the other customers seemed to know what was going on, but most of them started to move hesitantly toward the store entrances. While that was the only way to go, was it really such a good idea to move toward all the noise and people?
                Unable to make his purchases, Ben quickly decided to leave the basket on the counter and follow the cashier out of the store.

                "Hey, what's going on?"

                Sure, she wouldn't know either. But maybe she'd turn around and they could find out together? Wouldn't that be sweet...

"Sonya," the clerk from Daiso-
"... What happens? A protest?"

The tiny, cute lady stopped moving forward, with people rushing past her like lunatics. Ben caught up.

[kilnarak]

                Nat found himself backing further and further away from the carnage, closer to the lost-looking man as well as the Starbucks. He couldn't understand what was going on, and it frightened him. The blonde flinched at each crash and scream, trying to make himself look away from gruesome pile-up, but he found his gaze keep being drawn back.

                Nat nearly jumped out of his skin when the stranger (was that an accent?) finally spoke - he had half forgotten the man was there, that he had tried to address him mere moments earlier. He stared, uncomprehending for a moment, then nodded haltingly. "Y-Yeah, okay."

                Nat started after the man and made it a few paces before looking back at the Starbucks - realizing, first, that there were still people inside, and second, how easily a car might smash through the building's glass facade. He wasn't sure that he'd call many of his co-workers friends - but there were a few, and Sarah had retreated back inside in response to the crashes. "W-wait!" Nat turned back toward the stranger, only to find that the man had run off, presumably into the mall. Ah well, what else could he expect from a stranger?

                Nat darted back into the Starbucks and was greeted by the frightened and glassy-eyed stares of the people who had taken refuge inside.


Sarah, his coworker looked alarmed, still standing behind the counter. She ran over to him.



He pushed his way quickly to his supervisor to relay his thoughts on the (lack of) safety. The man, Neil, seemed unimpressed by Nat's panicked plea however, and insisted that it was safer inside than it was out there. "But the walls are mostly glass!" Nat fought a losing battle, and in the end he left the Starbucks with only Sarah and a handful of the coffee-shop's patrons. He and his small group rushed for the relative safety of the mall, joining the crush trying to push their way inside.

Sarah - "Oh God, what's going on?! Did you see anything?

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

The light in the city waned, and so did the maniac cars. Not because they weren't there, or because the chaos was letting up. More, because the wreckage was piling up quick, and blocking off the roads. In time, all those that wanted inside the mall were there, milling around with the confused and terrified. Many people retreated up the stairs and away from the signs of chaos. Mall employees abandoned their posts and joined them in their confusion.



(Dr. Victor, please repost this following, modified to your tastes and I will remove this.)

Dr. Victor considered running across the chaotic commons, but recalled seeing an indoor stairwell to the parking garage that would be a safer bet. The elevator was comically overcrowded, where did they think they were going to go? He dashed down the grimy cement stairs, along with a few other eager escapees to the underground parking. It was hot, from so many idling engines and the exhaust was choking. Cars lined up, trying to get out of the garage, but weren't going anywhere. He ran past them to his car, which was in line of sight to the exit. He saw the problem, the booth operator was absent, people waiting, ridiculously, for him to return. He dug through his car, and found the items he was seeking. The sounds of people arguing, honking, and the hum of engines echoed through the chamber. He glanced back to the exit as he closed his car door.
A beautiful, pale, dark haired woman lifted the flimsy gate arm and was nearly run down by eager cars. They spilled out into the road, bumping into each other's fenders in their haste.
She breezed inside as though nearly getting run over had not been much of a bother, and slipped past them on the opposite side to the Doctor, disappearing from his sight. She wore something pale, and he could catch glimpses of it through rushing car windows as he looked for her, he couldn't tell if her dress was covered in flowers, or blood.

[Suyoi]

Bringing a hand over his mouth, the good doctor choked back the attempt to shout over the din. His muscles tightened around his bag, sweat condensing on his forehead. The sad state of the garage left him with little choice but to escape from is carcinogenic embrace. Carbon monoxide poisoning, decreased brain function, lack of motor skills, fatigue, hallucinations, suffocation, respiratory arrest.

Dr. Victor continued his tragic thought process for a few moments more, staggering against the decision to pursue or egress. Legs leaden and welded to the concrete and asphalt, he knew continued immobility would not help himself nor the girl who fled. He had to reach clean air, a clean area, and someone who knew what ever the hell had the city in such a frenzy of stupid.

When they had those pointless disaster drills using the middle school students as victims and bodies of a bomb explosion, this scenario never came up. And they wondered why I laughed at them? Had they never thought of the mire of humanity and selfishness they would traverse in order to complete the 'triage?'

Dr. Victor attempted to head to higher ground, out of the parking garage if possible, but barring any other routes, to the top of the parking garage as the need for helicopter transport would still be viable up there... artfully dodging the psychotic and neurotic persons who wish they remembered how to drive.

[Gillsing]

       "A protest? 'Occupy the Mall'? Nah... They'd have pickets or something. These people look more like something happened."

       Making damn sure to not leave the cute little lady's side, Ben tried to catch the attention of one of the stressed out persons passing by.

       "Hey," he yelled, "what's happening?"



Random Passerby man -
"Some kind of BioTerror I heard! Oh GOD!"

[kilnarak]

tab Once they were inside of the mall, Nat let Sarah take over - the crowds of panicked people disoriented him, and he was more than happy to follow her lead. He did pause a moment, however, to cast a quick glance back toward the Starbucks. He was a bit startled to find that his doubts as to the safety of the building were correct - he hadn't picked it out amidst the general din, but in his flight to the mall a red pickup had crashed through the side of the Starbucks. He worried briefly for the people still inside, but was distracted from those thoughts when he spied movement near the pickup. At first he thought it was a person, but the way it moved quickly made him decide it wasn't - a black shape, almost like smoke, that slipped fluidly into the breach in the Starbucks' wall. It made him think of all of those stories about shadow-people, all of those urban legends about ghosts and monsters. But it was gone so quickly, had he really seen anything?

tab "Nat! Did you see something?! We need to get further in!" His attention was wrenched away as Sarah grabbed one of his arms and dragged him further into the mall - away from the stampeding herds trying to get in.

tab "Th-There's a car, it-it must have crashed, just after we left," he answered, once they were at a safer location, near the 'Fireworks' store. Nat didn't mention the eerie black figure - he had mostly convinced himself by now that it was just smoke from the crashed truck.

[◊◊BLOODBEASTER◊◊]

(Hi everyone, trying out something new. If you would, please give us an overview of what you're doing in the appropriate thread (possibly copy paste your last post), and continue from there! Thank you and thanks for bearing with me as I try to figure out how to do things xO)

Nat, Patti, Ben and Micah, please move to the "FIRST FLOOR" Thread from here.
Dr. Victor, please head to the "ROOF" thread.
THX EVERYONE! <3