They were in the middle of nowhere. Empty farmland spread from the asphalt for as far as the eye could see. Mixtures of browns, yellows, and greens drifted away from the large vehicle as it sputtered down the path. The sky had grown eerie over the course of the day; dark storm clouds gathered from the West. A sudden bellow of thunder shook the bus for a quick moment before flashes of lightning played tag among the clouds.
Bea squealed with fear, jumping away from the window and closer to her father’s side. Shy sighed as he pulled his arm out from between them and wrapped it around his daughter’s small body.
“You know there is nothing to be afraid of, Little Hen. It’s only thunder,” he told her, his grip around her tightening momentarily. “Sounds can’t hurt you and as long as you are in this bus with me, the lightning won’t hurt you, either.” The man felt his daughter nod against his chest and allowed a small smile to cross his face. She was just like her mother in so many ways.
“Bless her heart,” spoke a silvery voice from the driver’s seat. Though Shy could not fully see the woman it belonged to, he noted her russet hair and matching eyes through the rear-view mirror. “Y’know, thunder used to scare me as a youngin’. I got over that real quick when I started drivin’. Cain’t let a li’l fear hinder ya if ya wanna go somewhere.”
Bea looked up from her father’s coat to try and see who was talking to her. She sounded really sweet, whoever it was… even if she talked funny. “Who are you?”
“Foxxie’s the name, bus drivin’s the game. I’m the gal in charge a’ gettin’ you and the rest a’ these good folks back home.”
“I’m Bea! And this is Dad!” the seven-year old rushed to get out. Shy chuckled, “You can just call me Shy”
“Shy, it is.” said the woman with a nod as the thunder shook the bus again. “This storm is kickin’ up, ain’t it? We’re about an hour away now, if we kin come across a truck-stop, we can wait there until it blows over.” As if on cue, smoke began to rise from the hood. “Darn thing,” Foxxie muttered, giving the steering wheel a good pop with her hand before guiding the bus to the side of the road. It continued to roll for good ten feet before finally sputtering to its death.
“What’s going on? Why have we stopped?” Drakel questioned, standing up from his seat near the back of the bus, his hands instinctively moving to his waist..
Nex stood up behind the round man, his slender face peeking up above Darkel’s shoulder. “Ma’am, this may be a bit inconvenient, but there is a storm approaching and it might be best to get a move on!”
Foxxie muttered a few profanities under her breath before standing up and facing the crowd. Shy could finally see her now and that southern drawl didn't do her any justice. “Now, I understand that ya’ll may be confused, but it’d be best for all of us if ya just remained in yer seat and stayed calm. Somethin’ happened under the hood; let me go check it out, and then we’ll be on our way. Alright?” Without waiting for a response, the driver picked up the large bag behind her seat, popped the hood, opened the door, and braved the weather.
Meanwhile inside the bus, the passengers were quiet save for the few mutters of irritation and annoyance that floated around the bus.
“SUCK IT!” shouted a teenager from the back, his body rising in excitement. “Ten dollars! Give it up. Both of you. God, this feels good!”
“Jordan, shut up.”
“Yeah, Jordan. For Christ’s Sake, we didn’t ask you to hang just so you could embarrass the hell out of us.”
The young man cleared his throat, the excitement fading from him. He sank back to his seat, picking up his 3DS and casting an irked glance to Zed and Nightwing. Zed was about to speak when a loud roar of thunder shook the bus and Foxxie stepped back into the vehicle. She shook her head and tossed the bag on the driver’s seat before looking back over her passengers.
“I cain’t tell what it is,” she told the group as she wiped the back of her hand against her forehead to get the hair out of her face. “Storm’s comin’ in hot and looks like we’re stuck here till it blows over. Looks like a li’l abandoned house on up the road a ways, and I’d bet we’d be a lot safer there than in this contraption.”
From the looks of the sky, they had only a few minutes to make their decision before the rain started pouring. Drakel was unsure of the idea, but from the bus, the house did look abandoned. It was a rather large home, taking a page from the plantation years. The man was honestly surprised that it was still standing. Hesitantly, he nodded his head in agreement with Foxxie. They needed to relocate to that house. There might be holes in the floorboard, or broken windows, but it would be safer than a bus that could flip in the strong wind.
Nex followed Drakel’s lead, nodding and standing up from his seat. He started to make his way to the front. In the middle of the bus, three older men looked at each other, weighing the pros and cons. From the look of their attire, it had appeared they were travelling for business. Rilla, Awson, and Alpha finally came to a group decision, and agreed to go to the house. K-97 did not like the idea very well - dark and dank were not on his ‘Where to Get Away from a Storm’ list - but he knew it would probably be the best place to keep safe from the strong storm that was about to barrel through.
Husband and Wife, Sera and Jster Hall, agreed to go to the house soon after Foxxie mentioned the idea. With three children, staying in a cramped bus would be bad for all of them. As long as the kids were safe, things would be fine. Mbl Hall, the oldest at 15, was to keep an eye on Nargle (12) and Doivid (5) at all times. The final person to agree to transfer was none other than Miss Nat, a beautiful starlet from California who was working her way up the ladder of fame.
“Alrighty then, so it’s settled. Getcher things, and we’ll be headed in. It’ll only take a hop an’ a skip, so we should be there before the rain hits,” Foxxie said, grabbing her tool bag, a radio, and her cellphone just in case they got some signal on the way. The rest of the passengers followed suit.
She was wrong. Luckily the door to the old abandoned house was cracked open, but thanks to the rust, Foxxie couldn’t fully push it out open.
“Damned thing. Why won’t ya just budge?!” Foxxie muttered in irritation. Her hand rubbed the sore shoulder that had been used to try and open the door. It would definitely be bruised in the morning.
“Allow me,” Shy insisted as he wrapped a hand gently around her arm. “I’ll take care of it.” The man moved her aside before leaning back and giving the door a hard kick. Immediately the door swung open, revealing the rotten smell of dead ladybugs and dirt. “Well, this will be cozy,” Shy said, turning back around with the largest smile on his face.
Just as he was about to move out of the doorway to let the others inside, a white and blue mass caught his eye. The face that was one full of color drained to an ashen grey and his features froze.
“What is it?” Foxxie asked him, the rest of the group just staring at him like he was insane. She followed his gaze and gasped when she finally saw what he did. Her brown eyes looked back over the group and numbers started forming in her head. Someone was missing. “The rest of ya’ll go inside and find a room. Be careful of the floor. We’ll be back in a jiff.” Along with Shy, they ran to the form that was lying face down in the grass, Rain pelted them and the white shirt on the body was soaked. Foxxie shook her head as they crouched down beside the corpse. “Lord ‘ave mercy…” she whispered.
A knife had been plunged into the poor man’s back. Shy reached down and turned the man over. Drakel was dead, the gun he had always carried laid on the ground like a Clue pawn. Officer down.
Dead: Drakel - Cop
Day Phase 1: Begin
When you cast your vote, cast them here in the IC. Keep discussion in the OOC.
Day Roles (if any) send me PMs immediately. Night Phase 1 will begin when all votes have been cast.
Remember, your votes count. The only way you can win is by playing carefully. Use your heads and you'll be fine.
Bea squealed with fear, jumping away from the window and closer to her father’s side. Shy sighed as he pulled his arm out from between them and wrapped it around his daughter’s small body.
“You know there is nothing to be afraid of, Little Hen. It’s only thunder,” he told her, his grip around her tightening momentarily. “Sounds can’t hurt you and as long as you are in this bus with me, the lightning won’t hurt you, either.” The man felt his daughter nod against his chest and allowed a small smile to cross his face. She was just like her mother in so many ways.
“Bless her heart,” spoke a silvery voice from the driver’s seat. Though Shy could not fully see the woman it belonged to, he noted her russet hair and matching eyes through the rear-view mirror. “Y’know, thunder used to scare me as a youngin’. I got over that real quick when I started drivin’. Cain’t let a li’l fear hinder ya if ya wanna go somewhere.”
Bea looked up from her father’s coat to try and see who was talking to her. She sounded really sweet, whoever it was… even if she talked funny. “Who are you?”
“Foxxie’s the name, bus drivin’s the game. I’m the gal in charge a’ gettin’ you and the rest a’ these good folks back home.”
“I’m Bea! And this is Dad!” the seven-year old rushed to get out. Shy chuckled, “You can just call me Shy”
“Shy, it is.” said the woman with a nod as the thunder shook the bus again. “This storm is kickin’ up, ain’t it? We’re about an hour away now, if we kin come across a truck-stop, we can wait there until it blows over.” As if on cue, smoke began to rise from the hood. “Darn thing,” Foxxie muttered, giving the steering wheel a good pop with her hand before guiding the bus to the side of the road. It continued to roll for good ten feet before finally sputtering to its death.
“What’s going on? Why have we stopped?” Drakel questioned, standing up from his seat near the back of the bus, his hands instinctively moving to his waist..
Nex stood up behind the round man, his slender face peeking up above Darkel’s shoulder. “Ma’am, this may be a bit inconvenient, but there is a storm approaching and it might be best to get a move on!”
Foxxie muttered a few profanities under her breath before standing up and facing the crowd. Shy could finally see her now and that southern drawl didn't do her any justice. “Now, I understand that ya’ll may be confused, but it’d be best for all of us if ya just remained in yer seat and stayed calm. Somethin’ happened under the hood; let me go check it out, and then we’ll be on our way. Alright?” Without waiting for a response, the driver picked up the large bag behind her seat, popped the hood, opened the door, and braved the weather.
Meanwhile inside the bus, the passengers were quiet save for the few mutters of irritation and annoyance that floated around the bus.
“SUCK IT!” shouted a teenager from the back, his body rising in excitement. “Ten dollars! Give it up. Both of you. God, this feels good!”
“Jordan, shut up.”
“Yeah, Jordan. For Christ’s Sake, we didn’t ask you to hang just so you could embarrass the hell out of us.”
The young man cleared his throat, the excitement fading from him. He sank back to his seat, picking up his 3DS and casting an irked glance to Zed and Nightwing. Zed was about to speak when a loud roar of thunder shook the bus and Foxxie stepped back into the vehicle. She shook her head and tossed the bag on the driver’s seat before looking back over her passengers.
“I cain’t tell what it is,” she told the group as she wiped the back of her hand against her forehead to get the hair out of her face. “Storm’s comin’ in hot and looks like we’re stuck here till it blows over. Looks like a li’l abandoned house on up the road a ways, and I’d bet we’d be a lot safer there than in this contraption.”
From the looks of the sky, they had only a few minutes to make their decision before the rain started pouring. Drakel was unsure of the idea, but from the bus, the house did look abandoned. It was a rather large home, taking a page from the plantation years. The man was honestly surprised that it was still standing. Hesitantly, he nodded his head in agreement with Foxxie. They needed to relocate to that house. There might be holes in the floorboard, or broken windows, but it would be safer than a bus that could flip in the strong wind.
Nex followed Drakel’s lead, nodding and standing up from his seat. He started to make his way to the front. In the middle of the bus, three older men looked at each other, weighing the pros and cons. From the look of their attire, it had appeared they were travelling for business. Rilla, Awson, and Alpha finally came to a group decision, and agreed to go to the house. K-97 did not like the idea very well - dark and dank were not on his ‘Where to Get Away from a Storm’ list - but he knew it would probably be the best place to keep safe from the strong storm that was about to barrel through.
Husband and Wife, Sera and Jster Hall, agreed to go to the house soon after Foxxie mentioned the idea. With three children, staying in a cramped bus would be bad for all of them. As long as the kids were safe, things would be fine. Mbl Hall, the oldest at 15, was to keep an eye on Nargle (12) and Doivid (5) at all times. The final person to agree to transfer was none other than Miss Nat, a beautiful starlet from California who was working her way up the ladder of fame.
“Alrighty then, so it’s settled. Getcher things, and we’ll be headed in. It’ll only take a hop an’ a skip, so we should be there before the rain hits,” Foxxie said, grabbing her tool bag, a radio, and her cellphone just in case they got some signal on the way. The rest of the passengers followed suit.
She was wrong. Luckily the door to the old abandoned house was cracked open, but thanks to the rust, Foxxie couldn’t fully push it out open.
“Damned thing. Why won’t ya just budge?!” Foxxie muttered in irritation. Her hand rubbed the sore shoulder that had been used to try and open the door. It would definitely be bruised in the morning.
“Allow me,” Shy insisted as he wrapped a hand gently around her arm. “I’ll take care of it.” The man moved her aside before leaning back and giving the door a hard kick. Immediately the door swung open, revealing the rotten smell of dead ladybugs and dirt. “Well, this will be cozy,” Shy said, turning back around with the largest smile on his face.
Just as he was about to move out of the doorway to let the others inside, a white and blue mass caught his eye. The face that was one full of color drained to an ashen grey and his features froze.
“What is it?” Foxxie asked him, the rest of the group just staring at him like he was insane. She followed his gaze and gasped when she finally saw what he did. Her brown eyes looked back over the group and numbers started forming in her head. Someone was missing. “The rest of ya’ll go inside and find a room. Be careful of the floor. We’ll be back in a jiff.” Along with Shy, they ran to the form that was lying face down in the grass, Rain pelted them and the white shirt on the body was soaked. Foxxie shook her head as they crouched down beside the corpse. “Lord ‘ave mercy…” she whispered.
A knife had been plunged into the poor man’s back. Shy reached down and turned the man over. Drakel was dead, the gun he had always carried laid on the ground like a Clue pawn. Officer down.
Dead: Drakel - Cop
Day Phase 1: Begin
When you cast your vote, cast them here in the IC. Keep discussion in the OOC.
Day Roles (if any) send me PMs immediately. Night Phase 1 will begin when all votes have been cast.
Remember, your votes count. The only way you can win is by playing carefully. Use your heads and you'll be fine.
