[IC] The Nightmare Concept (Invite only)

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

For some reason, you lay stagnant, out in space, as spiral galaxies glow in bright multi colors and meteors zipping past. Stars sparkle all over. It all creates such beautiful imagery before you, but you sense...deep down...that something is off.

Your head turns, without you wanting it to, over to your right, where you spot a meteor far off, getting closer. Very quickly you notice it...moving, as if it has limbs. As it approaches further, you see eyes. Too many, in places that don't make sense.

Then it moves in close enough to see in full clarity. You can't make sense of it. You are engulfed in...tentacles, looking at you but looking past you. Drawing ever more inwards yet contracting back at once.

A crash of thunder awakens you, followed by the sound of obvious downpour. Your bed is not soft like you remember, but hard and rough. The orange glow of candles make the room clear to see. This is not your room, but a cave. You are laying on some kind of stone slab.

[mmarage]

I jerked awake from the strange dream. I sat up quickly, my vision blurry, and my body heavy. What was up with that strange dream...? I blinked a few times... was... I sleeping on the ground? It was the only real explanation for the hardness beneath me instead of my usual soft bed... did I roll off...? I rubbed the bleariness from my eyes and my mind slowly began to catch up with the reality around me. "T-This... this isn't my room...!" My heart began pounding wildly.

Where was I? The last thing I remembered had just finished getting ready for bed. I had double checked the doors and windows, ensuring that they had been locked. Then, I just laid in my bed and drifted off to sleep, nothing eventful had happened, right? No... nothing happened... then how...? Was... I drugged? How did they manage that then...? I felt perfectly normal up until that point... did... they manage to knock me out just as I was stirring...? I'll have to figure that out later... I need to figure out where I am and how I can get home.

I swung my legs over the slab and finally took a good look at the area. The place that I was sleeping... it was a stone slab, surrounded by candles. It appeared that I was on an altar. "God... were they going to sacrifice me...?" It appeared that the altar was in a cave of some sort. I worried momentarily about the rough floors, no doubt covered with sharp pebbles and rocks that would cut my feet, but that's when I noticed that I was dressed differently than how I went to bed... I was no longer only clad in a plain white t-shirt and gray sweatpants, rather I was in my usual attire. My black pants, black and white running shoes, black t-shirt, and white short sleeve button down shirt.

"They dressed me? Why?!" I felt momentarily violated and a little gross that some strangers had actually stripped me down and dressed me while I was sleeping... however, the pressing need to get out of here before whoever took me here returned and decided to chop me to bits for whatever sick twisted ritual they had in mind. I noticed that they had even left things in my pockets... why? Why go through all of this? Kidnap me, dress me, drag me to some cave, put me on an altar, but leave me completely unrestrained, with some of my usual items on top of it all?

I dug through my pockets and produced my cell phone, a simple black flip phone with a sword charm dangling off of it, a bit of an older model, but it worked perfectly fine for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a signal, it wasn't that surprising, just frustrating, I was in a cave after all, I could be several feet beneath ground, the signal was obviously blocked. My wallet, just a simple brown leather one, all of my cash and cards are still inside, so robbery wasn't a motivation... but of course at this point I couldn't for well say what possible motivation for all of this would be. My pocket flashlight, a simple black flashlight in the case of emergencies or dark areas, I made sure to carry one wherever I went. Finally, a blue pocket knife, I always carried it with me in case I ever needed to protect myself... Definitely something that you wouldn't want to let your captive keep on their person, especially if you leave him unrestrained.

I put everything back into my pocket and got off of the slab. I was careful not to step on the candles beneath me. I could see the exit not too far away. No wonder that the rain and thunder was so clear... This wasn't going to be pretty, but what other choice did I have? I either go out and risk getting sick, or lost, or killed, or I stay here and wait for my kidnappers to come back and complete their little ritual. I stopped just at the mouth of the cave and gazed out to the distance, trying to see if maybe I could make something out through the storm, some signs of civilization, somewhere where I could get some assistance...

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

Despite the drum of rain and occasional crashes of thunder, a constant hum can be heard in the distance. It is faint, and details of whether it is a siren or something else cannot be made out.

Staring through the mouth of the cave, you can barely make out a short few steps of dirt, maybe some bushes. After this, however, the land drops into the ocean, which seems to go on forever.

All this can be seen, however, by the moonlight, though there appears to be some kind of light coming from outside the cave and off to the left.

The rain is coming down, and the dirt outside is totally soaked, the type of mud that you would sink into a few inches with each step.

Inside of the cave is a book, laying on the ground beside the altar. The area surrounding the altar is surrounded by what appears to be a Satanic five pointed star drawn on the ground surrounding it.

[mmarage]

"...I'm... at the ocean...? How... How long was I unconscious...!?" I lived in Nebraska. To get to either sea, it would have taken a minimum of 20 hours if they were to drive me to the ocean, and I doubt that they would have been able to sneak me past airport security or get me to seem conscious enough to go through the process of going through the security check without waking me up.

Either way, the path looked pretty treacherous to navigate... I sighed quietly and turned around. My blood ran a bit cold when I saw the pentagram drawn around the altar. "What the...?" A satanic ritual...? Really? This... isn't good. I took a deep breath and noticed the book. Maybe it might have some clue as to what they were trying to accomplish, or maybe they might have left something in there to indicate where I was or who they were or... some kind of a clue that could help me. I walked over to the abandoned book and opened it, beginning to flip through the pages by the dim candlelight.

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

The book has been sitting here fore a while. It is partially damp, and many of the pages are even torn. The one thing that would deter you from understanding it the most, however, is that it isn't written in English, or any other language you recognize for that matter. Various neatly drawn symbols fill the pages that arent warped or ripped, but not a single English word can be found.

[mmarage]

"This book's in a completely different language, I'd need a computer to try and even begin deciphering this thing, and even then, I'm sure that the translation would be very shoddy... but... maybe I should keep this book with me. I mean... old school horror game logic, if it seems important, you should take it for a puzzle later, and it'd suck to backtrack all the way back here to get it later." I took a deep breath and held the book to my chest, approaching the cave's entrance once more. I poked my head out into the rain and looked off towards the left, where the light was coming from.

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

The rain continues pounding outside, but the leaves of the trees in the forest nearby are thick enough to nullify the downpour significantly.

Through the trees, not that far off, in fact, you notice fluorescent light, though the trees make it impossible to see exactly what its coming from.

[mmarage]

I walked out from the cave and cautiously approached the light, staying close to the natural wall, not wanting to get too close to the edge of the cliff. The heavy rain and winds may have loosened the ground, and I could go barreling several hundred feet below to the ocean, which may or may not be shallow and filled with rocks... Plus, I haven't ever really been able to deal with heights.

As soon as I reached the trees, I stuck close to them and continued approaching the source of the light, trying my best to keep my body hidden behind the trees in the event it was the vehicle of my captors. I wouldn't want to get out just to immediately be caught once again...

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

After a short stroll through the mud and trees, you reach a gate entrance of a cemetery. The light was coming from the various lamps along the gate, to light the way for visitors.

Inside the gate, splitting the graves on two sides, is a sidewalk. A change of pace from the muddy terrain. It appears to be leading to more buildings, all of which have lights on inside.

On the ground nearby, leaning against the fence, is a large backpack. Though damp, it may not be damaged.

[mmarage]

"Civilization... hopefully this'll be over soon..." Though... I had the feeling that this was far from over. I saw the backpack and walked over to it. "Looks like someone just abandoned it... this could protect the book from getting wet. Hopefully no one'll miss this." I opened the backpack to check out its contents and see if there was something useful inside.

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

Only a small puddle of water and a few loose threads greet you when you peer inside.

A humanoid shadow casts itself in the light, but then vanishes a second after. Whoever casted it must have walked off into the nearby building, which looks like a church, but no crosses or recognizable religious symbols decorate it.

[mmarage]

I took a deep breath, picked up the backpack, upended it, and tried to shake the water out as best as I could. Once I was somewhat satisfied, I placed the book inside and zipped it up. I slung it around my back and looked off toward the church where I had seen the shadow. "There's someone here... hopefully they can help me." I walked through the gate and up to the church. I was never that religious, while my parents were Christian, we didn't really go to church that often, I never read the bible or anything... in fact, I'm pretty sure that a lot of Christians would call me a sinner and say that I deserve to go to hell. Not that it mattered.

I took a deep breath, then opened the door and peered within. I hoped that the church would be filled with people that had no idea what was going on only a few hundred feet away, that they'd take pity upon me and help me on my way home.

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

Behind you, a man stomps his feet down in the mud. He hunches slightly, struggling to lift his head enough to look at you. He limps a few steps in your direction, before a gaspy, but threatening scream leaves his mouth.

He picks up the pace as he walks after you, eventually walking into the light to reveal his clothes are tattered, and the skin on his face is partially torn or rotted away revealing bleeding, crimsom muscles and sickly white bone. His arms shoot out and he attempts to grab you

[mmarage]

I turned around quickly only to be met with that ghastly visage. "W-What the hell...!? S-Sir y-you're injured, w-we need to get some help." Something felt off about him. That noise he made, it sent chills down my spine. I instinctively got out of the way before he grabbed me, stepping around him quickly, I didn't know if he was trying to use me as support, or trying to attack me. I put my hand in my pocket and wrapped it around my pocket knife.

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

The mans hands miss, smacking together in the light, revealing his finger bones have had the flesh ripped away.

Despite his painful looking wounds, however, he doesn't seem so much in pain as he is pissed off.

He balls his gory hand into a fist, and swings it into your stomach

[mmarage]

"What the hell... he's... rotted... decomposing..." Thankfully for me, I no longer had my back to the church door. However, I had forgotten about the stone steps that I had climbed to reach the church door. When I stepped backwards, to try and dodge the man's punch, my foot was met with empty air. Not expecting this, I stepped further than I had intended, stepped on the edge of the step, lost my balance, and fell to the bottom of the stairs. It wasn't a very high drop, however the stone beneath me certainly didn't feel pleasant as I smacked against it. A sharp pain then a dull ache flowed through my back.

I quickly regained my bearings, grabbed the pocket knife from my pocket, stood up, and flicked it open. "G-Get back, I'm warning you, I'm not afraid to use this!" I had the definite feeling that I should not let this man touch me. He probably wants me dead or seriously injured by the way that he's acting.

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

The rotting man looks past your knife, ignoring it to continue his threatening gaze right in your eyes.

And then, more shadows move in the dark outside. Another, rotting person, a woman this time, but she isn't stumbling but walking quickly. A piercing, psychotic screech fills the air, and then another man starts stumbling, though very quick at a jogging pace, towards the church.

[mmarage]

"What the hell is going on here!?" I backed away and looked at the figures that were approaching me, a sickening conclusion coming to my mind. "Zombies? Really? Are you fucking kidding me!?" There was no way that I was going to be able to take them all on, not with a pocket knife. I began running towards one of the other buildings, I certainly wasn't going to get around this guy at this rate.

[MikkishtheLeprechaun]

The buildings, while lit, were built with old fashioned, Gothic architecture. The building you rushed toward was marked with a sign that read "Sal's Clinic." It was a small medical facility, and probably only functioned as the town doctor's office in it's day. It was made of wood, some of which was wet and rotting, but its doors were big and heavy like the doors of the church.

Down the mossy, muddy, cobblestone street, more people approached, releasing terrifying yells of anguish and blood lust. In the dark, you couldn't really see the details of their rotting, grotesque selves, but the stench of dead rotting flesh rose in the air.

[mmarage]

I coughed a bit at the horrendous stench. I hoped to god that the doors were unlocked, they looked strong enough to hold off the zombies for a while if I barricaded and locked them. I ran to the clinic's doors and tried to open them. "C'mon, open, open, please!"