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[sub][@Surtr Inc][@He Who Walks Behind][@Prosaic][@FernStone][@Mike73][/sub]
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[code]The Reid Farmhouse - Outside to Main House[/code]
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The newcomer was freaking out? Penny was freaking out. She wasn’t necessarily afraid of bugs, but the concept of being devoured alive by a swarm of creepy crawlers did not rank highly on the list of her ways to go. She put her hands on her temples, closed her eyes, and tried to think of some kind of means of escape, but everything came back to “kill it with fire” and with Justin, thankfully alive but out cold, that was a play they could not make. She bit down on her lip hard, her eyes shooting open and giving Britney a look of disgust as the other girl put a hand on her shoulder. Penny quickly shrugged her hand away, but she listened as her former friend instructed her to try and reach out to Billy.

“What’s that bum going to do?” asked Penny with a snip in her voice. “It’s your shitty ideas that got us here in the first place.”

Her words were harsh and rang with truth, but the look of concern that flashed across her face when Britney mentioned that her brother might be in danger was proof enough that Penny was willing to try the absurd suggestion. She had already lost one brother in her lifetime—lost, but not dead, she reminded herself—and she knew that losing Billy, even with her low opinion of him that bordered on outright hatred, would completely crush her. She bumped past Britney and took a seat on the stairs, bringing her knees up to her chin as she closed her eyes. She had to find a way to reach him. But how? And what would she even say?

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[sub][@Surtr Inc][@FernStone][@Zombiedude101][@Majoras End][/sub]
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[code]The Reid Farmhouse - Garage[/code]
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Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. This had gone beyond a fun times, breaking-and-entering, Hardy Boys-esque investigation and dove straight into nightmare territory. Not only were they now creeping around the garage of a potential serial killer, but they had just witnessed some nightmare construct assault their friends before the sky turned dark with bloodthirsty insects. As the others helped Maddied seal up the garage Billy rampaged through the shelves, looking for repellent, tiki torches, a bug zapper, literally anything despite knowing that such an item would be way too little to ward off a swarm so large. He was knocking over a bunch of empty paint cans when a banging came from the floor, followed Hagan shouting.

Jordan called for help, and he joined with Kimberly as they began shoving the tools away from the secret hatch in the floor. Even after the tools were removed the door did not budge, but taking a cue from Jordan’s playbook Billy grabbed the crowbar and pried open the locked hatch with a pop. Never in his life did Billy think he’d be relieved to see Hagan, but he did not have a chance to help the big guy up—or even notice that Aliana had been cloaking them—before he heard Penny’s voice as she yelled: [i]“Billy, you fucking asshole, if you’re dead already I am so going to kill you!”[/i]

He backed away from the hatch, looking wild-eyed across the darkened garage. Her voice did not come from the hole in the ground, nor had she snuck into the garage with Maddie. He had even seen her run to the house. “Did y’all hear Penny?” he asked, receiving zero indication that any of the others had. There was no possible way they could’ve; even if she had screamed it from the house, there was no way it would’ve been heard over the swarm. It was as if the voice had only been inside of his head, which was alarming in its own right. 

[i]“Son of a bitch, are you seriously going to just ignore me?”[/i]

“Penny? Penny?” he said out loud. “What the hell’s going on?”

[i]“Billy, goddamnit, if you’re still alive let me know. C’mon you big idiot. Answer me.”[/i]

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[sub][@Surtr Inc][@He Who Walks Behind][@Prosaic][@FernStone][@Mike73][/sub]
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[code]The Reid Farmhouse - Outside to Main House[/code]
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[i]“I’m not an idiot!”[/i]

Penny jumped up from the stairs. She had heard Billy’s voice in her head. She turned towards Britney, a stunned look on her face. How did she know that was going to work? How did that even work? Penny composed herself and, shouting over the swarm, let Britney know that she had gotten through. She paced back and forth in front of the stairs, trying to keep up mental conversation with her brother.

[i]“Yes you are but that’s beside the point. Are you hurt? Is everyone with you okay?”[/i] she thought.

[i]“We’re fine, I think. The barn kids found a way to meet up with us. How are you doing this?”[/i]

[i]“How would I know? I just am.”[/i]

[i]“Oh, great. Well, now what?”[/i] he asked. 

It was a good question.

“They’re all together,” said Penny to Britney. “Now what?”