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And Still...Life Goes On...

And Still...Life Goes On...

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[Private RP between SkyCladSaya06, Guardian Aelita and Deathscythe386]

6,040 readers have visited And Still...Life Goes On... since SkyCladSaya06 created it.

Copyright: The creator of this roleplay has attributed some or all of its content to the following sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/silent_hill

Introduction





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Have you ever had that feeling? That feeling where your memories suddenly black out, erasing any recollection as to how you got into that scene that unfolded before you the moment you opened your eyes. And that feeling that try as you might, you never can seem to make the connection between what you remember and how you got to that place. It was like that feeling where you enter a room and suddenly forget what you were doing there. However, in this case, you do not just wake up in some familiar room.

You wake up in an odd town, burdened with a winter that seems to span forever.

You wake up in a whole different world that looks so wrong on so many levels. It was like the world was suddenly turned upside-down. Not in the literal sense mind you. Rather, it was as if your very own perception of the world was warped. For what purpose did you come to this town? What could you possibly be searching for? How did you end up in this place? And most importantly...
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Tap...tap...tap...

The cool air wafts eerily across the place you started at. Rising up to your feet, you find yourself in an unfamiliar town in the middle of nowhere. Recalling the last memory you could remember before ending up in that town, you forge on, in hopes that you'll eventually make sense of the situation around you.

And so you walk. Walking, walking. The town seems to be abandoned, judging from what appears to be remnants of a prior civilization littered all around the place. It was also getting unbearably cold. Too cold. It makes it hard to walk and you swear you could already make out your own breath in the air. Your stomach grumbled. You recall when you last ate or drank anything. No, now's not the time for that. Eventually, you decided against it. Gotta make sense of things for now.

The isolation is too unnerving. Forced to explore empty street after empty street, you slowly feel like you're going insane. You hurry on, desperately seeking for the warmth of having company. You try to run around, hoping that the sound of your footsteps would call somebody's attention. Someone. Anyone.

...ee...

Hmm? Was that a voice? You pause for a moment. For a while, you were sure you were able to make out a faint sound of what seems to be a call for help of sorts. Or was it calling your name? You're not sure. First off, was that voice even real? Could it be that what you heard was just a combination of hunger and the general feeling of loneliness permeating your being right now?

...Hey...

There it goes again! Now you're sure it wasn't just a figment of your imagination. That voice was totally real. Turning around, you ran off again in the direction of the sound. You pass empty houses. You pass empty diners. You pass empty cars and bikes. You pass them all as you ran as fast as your feet could take you. Finally, you can spot a faint light in the distance and what appears to be a figure, standing just a few more meters ahead. Mustering what's left of your strength, you ran. Running, running. The figure is getting closer; the light, brighter. You ran until you arrive at a crossroad and in the middle of it, an enigmatic young lady under a lamppost.

You slow down for now. She doesn't seem to notice you. You wonder if she was the source of the voice you just heard. Taking a closer look at her, it doesn't seem like that voice would come from someone like her. Admittedly, she looked way too out of place in this desolate town. Also unnerving is that you followed a voice but did not hear any other footsteps aside your own. You get the nagging feeling something was wrong.

No! It can't be. That voice was real and she was definitely its source. There doesn't seem to be anybody around after all. Disregard every paranoid thought you had. It's a lot more comforting seeing another human being again. Your frenzy with regards to reorganizing your thoughts seems to have caught her attention as her eyes now turned to look at you. You remember the questions you want to ask but just as you were about to ask her--


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Hi, hi! In case you two are a little confused on what everything is about, I'll attempt to clarify things here. This RP is basically an open world exploration type. So... you can write out scenarios to your heart's content! What I've got here is pretty much a half-filled canvas that we will fill with ideas as the characters interact. Isn't that fun? Of course, you have a linear goal which is fulfilling your "immediate purpose" and hightailing it out of that weird town. Exciting eh? But, I did mention that it was half-filled. Of course, there's no way I'm starting a story with just a blank canvas. So! Here are the things I've already set up for now!

- The place looks like a large abandoned town in the middle of nowhere. I was also not lying about the eternal winter part. Everything is white as far as the eye could see. Of course, that doesn't mean it's always snowstorms and hail. You do get clear skies every once in a while. The only thing is that the winter never ends. Oh, and did I mention that the winter never seems to end?
- Clocks don't work. Phones don't work either. Radios don't work as well. Go figure. Oh, before I forget. Laptops don't work either. Well, unless you just use it for light or something. Maybe a quick bookkeeping using Excel. But yeah, no internet connectivity at all.
- Remember the whole "town in the middle of nowhere part"? Yeah, I mean literally in the middle of nowhere. On the sides are very high mountains. The only entrance seems to be a bridge connecting the town to a highway but--well, you'll find out later on. Stay tuned!
- Sometime in the middle of all your exploring, salvaging and character development/interaction/drama, the town will enter a period called Nighttime. And this isn't just your sweet vanilla evening either. Nighttime seems to...change stuff. Does this stuff involve people? We'll find out.
- That voice wasn't just decoration and horror-stuff guys. It comes from within you. Hmm...maybe if you shoot yourselves in the head with a pistol, some freaky mythological character will come out? Want to try?
- No magic or androids or whatever. Regular humans exploring a regular abandoned town. Well, as far as regular is concerned.

Well, that's all for now. I may add more if necessary. If you have any questions, feel free to ask your adorable, little tour guide! I mean literally. You can find her in game. I mean story. I mean--whatever.

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Character Sheet:
Name:

Age:

Gender:

Personality: (At least 1-2 paragraphs)

Appearance: (At least one paragraph. Short description will do)

Inventory: (Things you have on hand)

Background: (What the character was like.)

Other info: (If there's anything else you want to write)

Toggle Rules

Well, this joint's about to head on its way to being a private RP anyway so I'm sure I don't need to repeat the standard rules and stuff. They all apply. The only special mentions for now is:
- No godmodding.
- No magic and sci-fi stuff.
- Regarding characters...you can add as many as you want. Hell, you can even add in ten characters if you want. However, all new characters must be sent in as an actual character. You know, make a sheet for them and submit it here for approval? That stuff. Unless you intend them to just be an NPC which you'll kill off later on. Oh, and as an extension...
- Killing off NPCs is fine. You can have them appear in one scene and die in that scene if you like. However, that cannot apply for listed characters. If you want a listed character to die, you'll have to tell me first.
- As the mod, I'm the only one who can say when Nighttime has fallen. That power belongs to me alone.

The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 3 authors

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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Icy cold winds howled furiously throughout the empty streets of the abandoned town, wafting in through the cracks in the walls and windows of various establishments, filling them with an eerie noise. It doesn't let up even as an exhausted young man wanders aimlessly. His hands were carrying what appeared to be pieces of timber, holding on tightly even as his hands shivered against the cold.

"Another storm...huh?" He muttered quietly under his breath though even his voice was drowned out by the sounds of the howling wind. Struggling against the cold, he slowly made his way towards a rather large building that loomed ahead.

By the time he got to the abandoned hotel, he was almost reduced to a crawl. With what is left of his strength, he pushed the door open, in a bid to evade the unforgiving cold. Inside, the lobby was a mess and did little to negate the cold. Still, what matters is that he was away from the winds and the street. His watch had long stopped working but even he could tell from the color of the sky that it was almost nightfall.

It was almost time for "that" again.

Quickly, he struggled to get up on his feet to shut the door. Not content, he immediately blocked the knob with a chair in order to reinforce the lock. After the chore was done, he headed inside the hotel kitchen to see if there is anything worth salvaging to eat. But no luck. All the cabinets were empty.

"Ha...hahaha!!!" He laughed almost maniacally upon finding nothing. Strange that when confronted with such a hopeless situation, humans laughed instead. "What does "he" want me to do? Eat my left hand?"

Whistle!

A sharp whistling sound snapped him back to reality. A few days ago, he would've found it rather unusual given that he was the only one inside the hotel. But now, he had already gotten used to it. He knew where it was coming from.

Whom it was coming from.

Quickly, he gathered the timber pieces and bolted up the stairs, almost tripping as he did. He hurried all the way into the third floor where he almost tripped to get to the door labeled 317. Taking a key out of his pocket, he unlocked the door and burst in. The sky had already turned black and what little light remains was slowly fading away. Quickly, he shut the door and locked it, just as the last ray of light left the room. Fumbling around the dark, he managed to place some timber on the fireplace and, using one of the matches in the box, started a small fire to serve as a source of light and heat.

It seems he was going to live for another day.

Outside, the once quiet and empty streets echoed with bizarre howling and eerie footsteps, turning it into a hub bustling with activity from once unseen entities. And in the middle of it all, a distinct humanoid shape stood out as she leaned her back on one of the lampposts.

"Wonder when we'll get new arrivals?"

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"Good morning! I bet you've had a rather troubling sleep last night eh? Well not that it matters. You're probably used to it back home or something. But enough about that! I'm sure you have your own questions you want to ask me? Don't worry, I'm willing to answer most of them. Most. Of. Them. Of course, there are some things I won't grace with an answer. Take my three sizes for one. Hell! Even I don't know what they are!

What's that? What kind of place is this? Well--I don't know either! Come on! Use your brain. There's small buildings and houses and diners and stuff. You're in a town duh! What's that? What kind of town is it? Well, why don't you walk around and see for yourself? A word of warning though.

Don't stay up too late now."

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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As Kaede continued to walk after the strange girl she had been trailing for a while, the girl realized her environment felt much colder. Stopping for a moment to look around, she soon saw a town with an almost endless flurry of snow and the darkest sky she had ever seen in her life.
"What...? What is this...?"
Looking around, she saw zero trace of the girl she was following as her braids flew every which way due to the cutting winds. Kaede hugged herself and found that she was still somewhat warm but the feeling wouldn't last. Soon, a voice cut into her mind and Kaede flinched a little, hand moving to her sword on instinct. As she listened in, she frowned and processed the situation a bit. So, if Kaede understood it properly, she was stuck in a town and apparently the night in the town was dangerous. If what her gut was telling her was true then Kaede needed to get to safety and more importantly, out of the cold until she could find a more suitable place to get clothing more fit for this evironment. She snuck around a bit to view her surroundings more until she came across a hotel.
"Hotels are typically home to food, shelter and sources of warmth. I can most likely stay here and then explore later when the dawn breaks. Plus, as much as I dislike it, groups are essential. I can only survive on my own for so long..."
With those thoughts in mind, Kaede entered and began her exploration through the hotel, hoping to find something or someone who can tell her more about this place.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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"Coward." "She might be gone because you were an idiot." "How many more mistakes do you have to commit?"

"As if I didn't know that already..."
The events played out again and again. A desperate cry to watch out, a shattering noise and then everything went black. Over and over, the events leading up to this fiasco. His head throbbed with pain as he awoke.

He was still in his car. And he was still buckled in.
"Irie--!" Predictably, the first thought on his mind was to check if she was still there- and she wasn't. His heart dropped to his stomach. However, seeing that there was no blood or anything and the seatbelt on the passenger seat was unbuckled, a faint ray of hope made it to his heart. Good...that probably meant she escaped. Though maybe due to the argument she had decided not to wake him...or, she might have thought he was done for. Isshiki reached up to his head- good, no wounds. He's still alive. He's fine.

Still, there was already an immediate goal in mind. Though every fiber of his being ached, he unbuckled himself and got out. Salvaging what he could from his broken down car, he started to move away from the crashed vehicle. Before he could think of getting out of here, he had to find Irie. Before he could think of saving Irie, he had to find out where he was. He winced a bit as he heard a voice.

It didn't resound from his head- it positively sounded like someone was calling out. Turning, he listened closely and followed the direction of the voice. It could be another person. It could be something else entirely. But anything was fine, just as long as it was alive. Like him. Hell it could be Irie, though she spoke softer than the voice he was hearing right now.

It wasn't long until he saw a strange figure under a lamppost. Gripping the baseball bat he had retrieved from his car tightly, Isshiki approached- and saw a girl. This girl seemed...too out of place. He wasn't sure whether it was the strawberry blonde hair or the eerily blue eyes. Aside from that, her outfit didn't seem like a uniform of any sort- it couldn't even be considered winter clothing. "Who wears a miniskirt in this weather?" He pulled his black coat closer and shoved one hand in the pocket.

Judging from the strange words he was getting, it seemed like the night here in this town was dangerous. "What the hell is she talking about? But then again...she seems like she's more used to this place than I am..." Steeling himself, he straightened up, deciding to ask the most logical question he could muster right now. "Do you know any ways out of here?"

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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Shuffle, shuffle

Halfway between dozing off and staying awake, Kyosuke overheard light sounds coming from downstairs, no thanks to the cracks in the walls and the floorboards. Something managed to get in, even though he was sure he barricaded the door. Nevertheless, the lack of nourishment had left him feeling rather weak lately and he might've only propped the chair halfway.

"Huh..." Mustering his strength, he got up to his feet and took the crowbar hidden underneath the mattress. He took a sip from the water he got from melting the snow in the pot in order to satisfy his stomach a little before heading out.

As he stepped out into the hallway, he saw that tiny rays of light had finally started peeking in through the windows and walls. That dreaded time was finally ending and soon, he would have to head out and confront the bitter winter winds again.

Shuffle, shuffle

Still, why does the sound persist? From what he's observed, "they" vanish once the night was over. That means whatever is down there might be a living, breathing creature like him. He quietly hoped it was a rather large animal. He could really go for a heavy meal for once.

He finally arrived near the lobby. He stayed hidden by the stairwell, where he observed what was causing the noise. His eyes have long grown accustomed to the darkness. From his position, he could see a rather tall, upright figure. Standing on two legs, he was sure this was not an animal of any sorts. At least, not one he could just kill and eat. With his mind all out of whack thanks to the extreme isolation, it took a while before any logical thought kicked in.

"A...human...?"

It has been a while since he last saw another human being like him. He managed to catch a glimpse of a girl walking around town during the last few days but he never seemed to be able to catch up to her. Was this the person he saw back then? Her hair looked different. Then again, she could've dyed and styled it different, regardless of how much was wrong in that line of thinking.

"Food..." He called out as he walked towards her, using the rather long crowbar to keep his hunched form steady. "Do...you...have...any?"

He managed to reach the front desk where he leaned his rather exhausted body. In comparison, this pale-haired girl still looked like she was bursting with energy. She looked fresh. Probably arrived recently. Tough luck for her, in his opinion. He never really found a way out of here.

"You're...alive, right?"

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"Do you know any ways out of here?"

"You..." From her usual spot underneath the streetlight, the odd woman eyed a rather fidgety looking boy approach her. She stared at him for a moment, as if analyzing something plastered on the boy's face. "Well, well...this might be an interesting one..." She almost grinned as she took note of what she uncovered.

"Oh my God!!! You're a rather handsome guy!!!" She squealed as she immediately tiptoed around him, checking him out from head to shoe. "What brings you to this town? You starting a business? Looking for an endorser? Maybe someone to take their hands in marriage? Gah! Possibilities, possibilities! Oh, I know! You're one of those engineering firms! Those folks who come to places to build oil lines and bridges! Yep, that's totally it!"

Pausing for a bit to stare at the boy straight in the eye, she flashed him another small grin. "Or perhaps...you're looking for someone, aren't you?" The outburst gone, she finally took a step back, maintaining a three feet distance between them.

"Well, this town's landlocked. Only way out is through the bridge that connects to the highway. Just follow the signposts near the post office and voila! There's the bridge." Despite all those detours she took, she actually did answer his question.

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
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As Kaede continued to explore the hotel, she grew more and more concerned. No one seemed to be around or if they were, they were trying very hard to stay hidden. Kaede looked out a nearby window to at least check on the weather. It was still snowing but at least the dawn was breaking through. She felt somewhat safer knowing that she could somewhat see what was going on. Though, she wondered if the snow ever dwindled down or if it would always be this harsh. She arrived in the lobby after exploring the hotel for a bit. She didn't learn much, but maybe she could get a good idea on if someone was there through a guest book. She was about to enter the room when she heard a voice speak to her. It sounded drained and weak.
"Food..."
On instinct, Kaede reached for her sword and slowly turned to face the source. It was a male with dark hair and almost lifeless maroon eyes. She studied him a bit.
"Do...you...have...any?"
She then watched as he moved to lean on the desk, seeming rather exhausted. The crowbar worried her somewhat as she wondered if he would attack her after she helped him.
"You're...alive, right?"
Kaede winced a bit. Was he crazy somehow? Of course she was alive. Still, he did seem on the verge of collapse... Sighing, she moved to her backpack and pulled out the lunchbox she had.
"This isn't much but it should at least regain your strength."
Inside the lunchbox was a small salad, some leftover chicken curry, egg rolls and a small cream puff for dessert.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't try to poison myself. You can have as much as you need but something tells me food is limited. I'll ask you some questions after you eat. Is that fair?"

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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It seemed like he had successfully gotten the woman's attention. She looked at him- and slowly she spoke.
"You..."
He steadied himself and gripped the bat tighter in his hand. The woman grinned- again, appearing all the more suspicious to the young man. If she planned any misconduct, he had one swing and a chance to run off. However, what she did next completely startled him.

"Oh my God!!! You're a rather handsome guy!!!" He took a step back as she rapidly approached. Calling him handsome...that was something only Irie did. How strange. It was a foreign feeling to be called that. "What brings you to this town? You starting a business? Looking for an endorser? Maybe someone to take their hands in marriage? Gah! Possibilities, possibilities! Oh, I know! You're one of those engineering firms! Those folks who come to places to build oil lines and bridges! Yep, that's totally it!" "There are so many things wrong with her line of thinking that it's starting to get on my nerves." Isshiki held back a sigh from escaping him, when the woman paused- directly in front of him.

Their eyes met. His yellow ones with those eerily blue ones.
"Or perhaps...you're looking for someone, aren't you?"
What the hell? How did she guess? Did she find his car crash? Perhaps she saw Irie and the latter had mentioned him? It was too much to hope for. Maybe it was just a lucky guess, but her intonation raised too many red flags. One too many, in fact. Once again, that feeling of anxiety and dread felt like he had just taken a punch to the throat. Maybe he was being too pessimistic. Maybe he was overthinking. But it couldn't be a coincidence, could it...?

"Well, this town's landlocked. Only way out is through the bridge that connects to the highway. Just follow the signposts near the post office and voila! There's the bridge." She stepped back. Isshiki paused and loosened his grip just a little. "I...I see." He paused for a moment before deciding to ask another question before he hightailed it away from this strange woman.

"By chance, did you see anyone else aside from me here?"

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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"This isn't much but it should at least regain your strength."

The female newcomer took out a lunchbox from her bag and offered it to Kyosuke, much to his delight. Salad, chicken curry, egg rolls and a cream puff. Been a while since he last saw food that didn't come from a can. Quickly, he accepted the offer and started eating. Even though he was ravenous, he still maintained enough sense to save some for later: something he's picked up ever since.

""Don't worry. I wouldn't try to poison myself. You can have as much as you need but something tells me food is limited. I'll ask you some questions after you eat. Is that fair?"

Kyosuke nodded as he chewed an egg roll. Satisfied, he gave her back her lunchbox with some food leftover for later. It was only now that he noticed that she carried a weapon of sorts with her. A shinai. He recognized it after spending time cleaning the dojo used by the kendo club back at school.

"Fair enough. Thank you." It was no stretch to say the Kyosuke finally felt rejuvenated after that meal. For one, he was finally able to talk straight. "Sad to say my good fortune is your terrible luck at play. Since you're here...means you're trapped like I am."

He looked up at her eyes to see if she was following. "Just to clear things up, I don't know how to get out of this place. Otherwise, I wouldn't be starving right here. I also don't know what it is that causes "those things" to appear at night. And I don't know how you or I ended up here either."

"What I do know is that there's no more food left in this hotel. Already used it all up it seems. We've still got water and if we suddenly become strapped for it, we can always melt the snow. There is a supermarket up ahead where we can gather supplies but, it is quite far off and I can't seem to make it there before nightfall. Oh, and when night comes? The streets are no longer safe. Best thing to do is just hole up in a locked room and sleep."

Kyosuke divulged much of what he knows even before he heard her questions. He thought it would be the things she would ask him about later on. "And you? Do you remember how you got here?"

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The odd woman felt some amusement upon seeing the young man's shocked expression. He looked as if he was really trying hard to analyze his current situation, and about her mention of him apparently looking for "someone". After a while, his grip on his weapon loosened upon hearing about the bridge from her.

"I...I see. By chance, did you see anyone else aside from me here?"

"Hmm...I guess there was that crotchety old dude...no wait. Yeah, he's already gone so I don't think so." She made an odd gesture of someone who looked like they were deep in thought as they tried recalling some data from the inner confines of their memory.

"Oh, yeah! Now that you mention it, I recall seeing another young man, probably around your age, wandering about. He's been here for quite a while though so I'm not sure if he's the one you're referring to...?" She answered him like even she wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"Ah, and there was a lady who came by just last night I think."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
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Kaede blinked. He knew almost every question she was going to ask the minute he heard she was going to ask questions. Kaede wondered if he was secretly a genius or something. However, the word trapped made her wince a bit. There truly was no way out of here...? Kaede felt a small sense of euphoria and fear at the same time. She was finally free of the cold prison her home became and the hateful man who was her father. However, in exchange, she was seemingly trapped in a frostbitten hell. Still, she sighed in relief that there was a supermarket somewhere in town. She hoped to test the waters of night tonight and go and see what made this place so unsafe while this man gathered as many supplies as he could for both of them. She figured it would be a good way to put her skills at swordsmanship to the test.
"And you? Do you remember how you got here?"
Snapping out of her thoughts, she looked over at him.
"Yes, I do. While I was on my way to school the other day, I noticed someone running away. She seemed to be dirty and beaten, almost like she hasn't seen daylight in a year. I was curious and wanted to help so I followed her. Looking back now, it seems rather foolish of me. Still, after following her for a while, I ended up here. I opened a door that tried to be baracaded but only had a chair against it to block entrance. I haven't explored much of this place. I've only been to the lobby and in the hallways of the first floor."
She nodded.
"Still, thank you for telling me all that you know. I only have a few questions remaining if you have the time to answer them."
She cleared her throat a bit, feeling slightly parched after the walk and talking. She was unused to being so talkitive around someone but if he knew this environment like the back of his hand, she wanted as much information as possible.
"For starters, do things like electricity and the internet still work here? Maybe we can try to call the police for help? Also, does the snow here always remain this bad or does it lighten up? Thirdly, do you know where I can get some clothes for the winter? If heat gives out, I possibly run the risk of freezing to death due to being unprepared. Also, is there any source of hot water for cleaning yourself later? Lastly... Would you please stick with me during this time? I understand if you wish to be alone, but from what I've heard, these types of scenarios fare much better if you're in a group. Please at least consider it."

Setting

2 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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"Hmm...I guess there was that crotchety old dude...no wait. Yeah, he's already gone so I don't think so."

Isshiki frowned- what's with all these damn detours? Was she doing this on purpose? Was she seriously provoking him, who had just come from a car crash and had absolutely no idea where he was? Still, he retained his composure and waited for her to speak up more.

"Oh, yeah! Now that you mention it, I recall seeing another young man, probably around your age, wandering about. He's been here for quite a while though so I'm not sure if he's the one you're referring to...?" "Well, at least there's another person here." He had to at least feel some optimism. Though not the person he was looking for, at least he knew that there was another person here aside from this uncomfortably strange woman. Still, he wasn't sure he could keep listening for now. Maybe he was wasting her time, he didn't know.

"I see...well then--" "Ah, and there was a lady who came by just last night I think."
He glanced back. A lady? Maybe...just maybe..."You tell me this now?!" "I see. Well then, I'll be on my way." With a small and polite bow he left the strange woman.

First things first, he had to find the post office. After that, he could find where the bridge was...though almost like a cliche horror film, he had a nagging feeling that the bridge probably wasn't in good condition. Involuntarily, he shivered. Maybe he could get a map or something. There had to be one of those lying around, right? Where did they have maps?

He pulled his scarf up a bit, and looked to his right. There was a faint sign of what almost reminded him of a massive wheel in the distance.

Should he take the gamble?

"Ah, why the hell not?"

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Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
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"Yes, I do. While I was on my way to school the other day, I noticed someone running away. She seemed to be dirty and beaten, almost like she hasn't seen daylight in a year. I was curious and wanted to help so I followed her. Looking back now, it seems rather foolish of me. Still, after following her for a while, I ended up here. I opened a door that tried to be baracaded but only had a chair against it to block entrance. I haven't explored much of this place. I've only been to the lobby and in the hallways of the first floor."

"I see." His strength rejuvenated, Kyosuke rises up to his feet as he is able to keep his balance better now. "I almost thought this was Purgatory since I arrived here after my bus crashed into a ravine. Guess that confirms that I'm still alive."

The girl apparently had other questions for Kyosuke so he listened attentively. Most of her questions are as expected already though but what stuck out was the offer to stick together. Truly, there are merits to sticking together and going on separate paths. He wondered which one was the wisest to take.

"Hmm...Electricity works...sometimes. As for the internet, no. It doesn't work. There aren't any phone lines or places to get reception either so calling the police is also out of the question. As for the snow...well, the blizzards only last for a day but they do come in when you least expect them to. But otherwise, I haven't seen this snow clear up at all. It's almost like the town's plunged in an eternal winter.

Clothing eh...well, I don't have any spares that will help much but, I think rooms 318, 314 and 315 all have their knobs broken. Maybe you can find something there? Water's not much of a problem since we can always melt the snow though I'm running out of matches."


Kyosuke paused for a moment as he contemplated whether to accept the girl's offer to stick together. Normally, that decision's the safest one to take as having another person with him will help out a lot when it comes to gathering resources. However, what if "that time" suddenly triggers? Would he still be safe around another by then? Would she be safe being around him? He hadn't had much opportunity to study things during that accursed time but as far as he was able to observe, things "change" during that time.

"Alright, I'll stick around with you. It'll also do my mind a favor, having another living being to talk to." Nevertheless, he accepted. No matter how he looked at it, there was no way he'll be able to pull off his little heist alone in his condition.

"Follow me." Kyosuke led the woman to the third floor, where he keeps himself holed up for the cold nights. "I camp out here on the third floor. Some rooms are locked, others' doors are broken down. There may be some clothing in one of those rooms.

We'll have to plan ahead if we want to make it to that supermarket before nightfall. Daytime's the only time we can travel safely on the road after all."

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
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Kaede listened attentively to his words and absorbed any information she could get from him. She frowned a bit, realizing just how grim her situation was. She was essentially stuck with no hope of escape and a slim hope of survival. Worry crept in when she heard all of that. However, she was relieved and a bit surprised when the man spoke again.
"Alright, I'll stick around with you. It'll also do my mind a favor, having another living being to talk to."
Kaede relaxed after hearing that.
"Thank you very much. I'll try my best with your mental state. Normally, I don't really talk to people but in this kind of environment, it's better to have people around."
She then followed the man to the third floor where he camped at. She took a note of her surroundings. Nothing hostile was around and no one seemed to be here but her and this man. She listened in to his instructions and nodded slowly.
"Planning ahead of things does seem like a good idea. Before we plan, can you please wait a few minutes while I try to find some winter clothing?"
She then realized that she never asked his name and he doesn't know hers in all the time they had been talking.
"Oh! My apologies. I was so caught up in the environment that I didn't really ask for your name. We should at least know that much about each other. My name is Kaede Harada. And who are you?"


As the grey haired young lady talked amongst her new companion in the quest through the winter wonderland, a girl with short strawberry blonde hair was unconscious in the snow somewhere near a public park. She had some small cuts on her body as well as a bandage around her head but seemed uninjured aside from that. The snow fell down gently on her as she started to stir. Slowly, the girl opened her eyes, wincing a bit in pain.
"... Mm..."
She sat up as gently as she could, head aching quite a bit.
"... What... what happened...?"
The girl looked around her surroundings to see that she was in a park with the accessories surrounded by snow. Looking to her left side, she had a pink bag that matched her pink jacket. She was very curious and opened the bag. Inside was junk food, clothes, a small book and a wallet.
"Huh...? What's all this doing in this bag? Maybe I can return this to its owner...?"
She went to the wallet first and opened it, looking through it.
"There's a lot of money here... Ah! Here's something!"
She quickly pulled out the card. It was a student ID that had her picture on it and a name.
"Miura... Arakawa...? Is she nearby? Maybe she dropped it...?"
She tried to remember anything about Miura before realizing that she didn't remember anything about herself.
"Ah, this is bad... I don't remember anything at all... This is really, really bad...!"
The girl was a bit panicked and looked over at a frozen pond to see herself in the reflected surface.
"This is what I look like...? Does this mean I'm Miura...?"
Miura thought things over in her mind.
"It'd explain why the bag matches my coat. Still, what am I doing here with food, clothes and my wallet...?"
She thought a bit to herself as she tried to come up with an explanation.
"Well, I probably wouldn't come over to vacation. Although this place is really pretty... Hm... Maybe I should clear my head first..."
She moved to look around in the snow, smiling happily as she started to roll up snow to make a snowman. As she made the snowman, she happily giggled and hummed a bit to herself, calming down from her initial panic. Maybe being in this type of environment wouldn't be so bad. After all, to her snow was pretty and she felt she wasn't alone anyway so she'd have someone to talk to at least. She felt better already as she looked for small rocks or sticks to make the snowman's face.

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4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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"Oh! My apologies. I was so caught up in the environment that I didn't really ask for your name. We should at least know that much about each other. My name is Kaede Harada. And who are you?"

"Kyosuke Nanbara." Kyosuke promptly answered the girl's question. "Well then, I'll be waiting in Room 317. Don't take too long." Having said that, he immediately headed inside the room until she could finish changing.

With another person around, chances of making it to the abandoned supermarket rose somewhat. To top it off, she already had something to defend herself with and she had just recently arrived as well. At least compared to his state right now, she was physically more capable than he was. Nevertheless, she would still need his knowledge if they were to make it there before nightfall.

"Let's see..." Kyosuke snatches a small messenger bag from the floor while he looked for things to bring along. "Well, the water's coming that's for sure. Same with the matches and crowbar." Having placed these in the bag, aside from the crowbar, his attention now turned to the lamp and the radio. He bent down to check if the lamp still had any juice left in it. It turned on fine so he thought it would be a waste to just leave it behind. Likewise, the radio also found its way into the bag.

The pot was a little unwieldy but Kyosuke just couldn't find it in him to leave it behind. In a way, it is one of the little things that kept him alive until now. Plus, there is the chance that their water supply may not last too long now that he has to ration it for both him and Kaede. So it was coming along as well.

"You almost ready?" Kyosuke called out to the girl while peeking into the hallway. "I'll show you the route we need to take."

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"Well, well! Look who we got here~" The odd woman suddenly sprang up from one of the slides in the park the female newcomer was playing around in. "I can't believe I got to meet two--no, wait...Five! Five new faces in one day! Hahaha!" She laughed heartily as she ran over to the girl's position.

"Oh! You're making a snowman eh? Hmm...Ah! Could you possibly be a fan of amusement parks? If you are then congratulations!!! We have a rather big amusement park right here! Yeah, as in really, really BIG!!!" The odd woman almost looked as if she was having the time of her life promoting the city's amusement park, paying no attention to how odd the situation may seem to the outsider.

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Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
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"Hey, Daichi! Where are you going?" "I'm just going to go look at the forest! I think I heard screaming!"

"That's what I said, huh...?"

The voices of his friends drowned out as an overpowering noise came over his ears. It sounded like something was shattering, breaking, trying to get in--


"And one more hit--!" "Gah!"
The post office door crashed as Daichi awoke with a jolt. He looked towards the entrance of the post office he had holed up in for the time being since he had wandered around here for a couple of hours. Putting a hand to his chest, he realized he hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep. More importantly though...
"Who the hell are you-- Whoa! Chill out, man!" Throwing his hands in the air, Daichi backed off a bit from the figure that now stood in the doorway with a baseball bat clutched in their hand. It didn't take a genius to find out that this person was male. Daichi guessed he would be standing a bit taller than the other, but he wasn't the one who was armed with a weapon now was he?

"How long have you been here? Who are you?" The questions came at a rapid rate, and Daichi backed up a bit again. "Chill out! I just got here hours ago!" "Hours? Damn it!" The man cursed, but didn't lower his bat. Daichi swallowed nervously. Alright, he just had to play it cool..."Hey, man? We're kinda...both unsure what to do now so why don't we lower the weapon and talk this out."

Not backing down from the frustrated glare that the other man was giving him, Daichi motioned to himself. "I'm Daichi. Daichi Hachiobei. Most of my friends call me Hatch. You?" The man stared at him for a bit before- "Isshiki. Isshiki Shimazaki." "Good. Now we're no longer strangers are we? Look, we both don't have any idea what the hell we're doing here so why don't we try to explore around this office a bit, huh?"

He extended a hand, grinning. "Truce?" Isshiki eyed the hand for a moment before lowering his bat. "...Truce."

After a bit of exploring around the office, Daichi had managed to get a hold of a faded map; a rather interesting discovery. Isshiki glanced over the map a little. "So there really is a bridge..." "What's that?" The brown-haired man shrugged. "I met an odd woman earlier and she said the only way out of this place is the bridge." Isshiki shook his head, sighing. "I don't know why, but I have a nagging feeling about the bridge. Something feels...off."

Daichi couldn't ignore the fact that there was something about how Isshiki said it that made him feel like he was right in a way. Still..."There's only one way to find out."



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Now with his newfound companion, Isshiki set out once again, this time having a better sense of direction thanks to the map that Daichi picked up. It was faded and hard to see what places were what, but he could make out the general direction of the bridge, and that was good enough for him. For now, at least. There was still the matter of finding out where Irie was, and no map would ever lead him to her instantly. "There's just no way something that convenient is going to happen," He told himself, shaking his head.

Soon enough, they reached the bridge- or rather, its beginning. Daichi squinted. "Man, I can hardly see anything past this place!" He was right; Isshiki noticed the thick fog covering the entirety of the scene that would have stretched out past the bridge. He cursed a bit and stepped forward, outstretching his hand and reaching out. "You're right. I can't even see my own hand past the fog." He grunted, withdrawing his hand. Daichi took a few precarious steps forward, then let his foot hover a bit above where the next plank would be. Cautiously, he lowered it, and withdrew, frowning. "Doesn't seem to be complete either."

"I knew there was something about this damn bridge," Isshiki cursed before noticing a nearby tree. Snapping a branch off, he tossed it into the fog, and listened. When he didn't hear a thunk, he sighed irritably and kicked a stone away from him. "Is this some sick joke?" He growled. Daichi rested a hand on his shoulder, frowning. "Best we can do right now is to investigate the other areas, man. See if there are other ways out. Maybe even gather supplies." As of the moment, Isshiki didn't have enough heart to tell Daichi that the whole place was landlocked according to the odd woman. With a sigh, he nodded gravely.

"That amusement park seems like a good place to start."

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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Kaede entered one of the rooms and raided through the closet inside. Inside was some winter clothing that was colored grey. She sighed in mild relief upon finding some winter wear and quickly changed into her new clothing. She inspected herself in the mirror. She was now wearing a dark grey coat with thick grey fur that went to her knees, wool grey socks and grey snow boots that managed to be her size. She considered herself lucky for a second. Her father never really gave much care to clothing so she never got to own that many winter outfits. However, her luck dwindled down when she remembered that she was stuck in a frozen town that seems to have no real chance of survival. If they can get food, they can at least remain healthy enough. All she needed to do was listen to Kyosuke's orders and she'd be looking at a good chance of survival.
"You almost ready? I'll show you the route we need to take."
Kaede was snapped out of her thoughts by Kyosuke's voice. Grabbing her sword and backpack, she made her way back to Kyosuke.
"Yes, I'm ready. Thank you for allowing me to do this. What route should we take to get there?"


Miura was a bit startled by the appearance of a strange young woman with blonde pigtails, piercing blue eyes and inappropriate attire for the winter. She smiled a bit and waved hello.
"She looks really pretty... I wonder if she's some kind of supermodel? She also seems really friendly."
She stared up at the young woman as she talked about a giant amusement park. Soon, her eyes widened and a smile of delight lit up her face.
"Ah! An amusement park? Wow~! This place really is a lot of fun!"
Miura enjoyed the idea of an amusement park a lot and stood up to properly greet the woman.
"Hey, miss? Will you come with me to this amusement park? I think that it's a lot more fun being in an amusement park with friends rather than being all by yourself. What's your name? I'm Miura Arakawa~"
Miura hoped she wasn't coming off as pushy to this woman but she really did want to go to the amusement park with her. If she couldn't remember anything about her past, then maybe she could make new memories with new friends.

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Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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"Yes, I'm ready. Thank you for allowing me to do this. What route should we take to get there?"

Kyosuke glanced up as he heard Kaede's voice. As she said, Kaede changed her attire into something more appropriate for the weather. He couldn't help to take notice of the coat though. It looked much more comfortable than the one he wore. Silently, he cursed himself for overlooking it when he rummaged through the place.

"Well...we should try making it to the red roof bungalow for starters. That marks half of our journey all the way there." As he explained, Kyosuke drew a rather crude map on the dusty floor with the sharp end of the crowbar. Using the small illustrations he did, he gradually traced the path they would have to take in order to get to the house he mentioned.

"For the most part, walking would be smooth sailing. Upon leaving, we'll turn left down at the street with the busted sign and head straight ahead. When we reach an intersection, we turn right and then another left at the following turn. Without any vehicles, this should take around an hour, maybe half if we ran." Kyosuke tries to recall how many times he's had to make the journey.

"I've been moving some supplies from that house back here. The place is already boarded up so we can take shelter there if we take too long and night falls upon us. It is the second half of our journey which is more frustrating." Moving his crowbar again, Kyosuke proceeded to draw odd shapes on the street past the house he mentioned. Upon closer inspection, the shapes turned out to be crudely drawn cars of some sort.

"A whole bunch of cars and container vans have littered the streets ahead, turning it into one big scrapyard. There's a lot of metal spikes and broken glass around so we'll have to be careful when walking since the snow makes it slippery. I've only attempted to cross once and managed to make it halfway there but the whistle suddenly blew so I had to run back to the house." Kyosuke recounts the incident. "You wouldn't want to be caught trapped in there by those things...Anyway--" Rising up to his feet, Kyosuke looked out the windows. The blizzard had already subsided, coating the surroundings in a fresh patch of powder snow.

"Blizzard's gone so now's a good time to start walking. Let's try to reach the house for starters." Picking up his things, Kyosuke gestured for Kaede to follow him as he headed outside.

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"Hey, miss? Will you come with me to this amusement park? I think that it's a lot more fun being in an amusement park with friends rather than being all by yourself. What's your name? I'm Miura Arakawa~"

"Hahaha!!! Aren't you an amusing little one?" The odd woman laughed as she extended a hand to pat the girl on the head. "Nice to meet you Miura! You can call me...uh, what did the b**ch from that show call herself again..Ah! You can call me Shirley for now~ Ain't that cool! Sadly..."

"Shirley" turned around to look at the mid-rise buildings jutting out of the ground ahead. "Shirley's got some little business to attend to. Can't leave chores lying around the house before I have fun after all...But--!" She tiptoed towards Miura again, leaning her head just a little bit towards hers. "I'll probably meet you there later. In the evening. Plus, more friends may be heading over there since it's really popular! So you won't be lonely at all! Not at all!" Taking Miura's hand in hers, she dropped a key on the girl's palm.

"It's rather far from here but, see that locked gate over there?" The odd woman pointed to a small gate that looked like an entrance to a tunnel of sorts. "You can open it with that key and take the maintenance tunnel. Smooth sailing plus, you'll come out directly inside the amusement park! Ain't that neat?! You get to try out the different rides before anyone else! Ain't that cool?! Well...assuming that some of them still work..." She mentioned that last bit in an almost inaudible whisper in contrast to her squealing earlier.

"Well, I guess I'll see you there, Miura-chan! Remember! I'll swing by in the evening! At Nighttime! So just wait 'kay?!" And with that, the odd woman just took her leave. By vanishing into thin air. Like she was just a single frame in the span of an entire reel. No transition slides, no fading animation. She just...vanished.

Setting

4 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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Kaede carefully listened to his instructions and nodded to show that she had understood everything. However, as the two of them a.started their walk, Kaede wondered about what he meant when he said they wouldn't want to get caught by them. She decided to speak up during the journey.
"Tell me, what exactly do you mean by them?"


Miura sulked a bit after "Shirley" left her behind but she did cheer up when she remembered the key she was given. She looked at the small key and grinned.
"I get to go to the amusement park before anyone else~!"
Excited, she followed Shirley's instructions and went through the tunnel. When she came out the other side, a lot of the rides had been covered in rust, almost like they were abandoned. But it was a big amusement park as Shirley promised. Miura decided to try a roller coaster first. She didn't exactly know how to work the control panel but she felt the big red button did something. Pushing it, the roller coaster came to life. She got on the end cart and quickly fastened herself in, screaming with the big drops and overall enjoying herself.

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3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
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While Isshiki would have preferred to have a quiet walk all the way to the amusement park, it seemed like Daichi was legitimately trying to make some sense out of this situation. And maybe even trying to cheer both of them up, though they had hardly ever met before. "So, Ish, how did you get in here anyway?" Isshiki grimaced. That argument...that argument was something he did not want to remember. Again, the issue of Irie being missing came up in his mind and he resolved to look for her once they got to the park. "Car crashed." He replied simply, still keeping his eyes focused on the path ahead of them.

"That so? Have any immediate goals in mind?" Daichi raised his hands a bit. "Aside from getting out of here, of course." Isshiki fought back another grimace as he replied. "Looking for someone." "Oh? And who would that someone be?" "My..." He kept his steps straight as he walked on. "A very important person to me." He settled for now. Surely if she was here she would have scolded him for being too cheesy with that line, especially considering the fact that it came from him.

"Important person, huh? Wonder what could that be--?" "Take a hint already, you dumbass!" He grit his teeth a bit. "Could you quit asking? It's-- It's not something I'd want to talk about right now." Daichi raised his hands again in surrender. "Sorry, man. Didn't know." They were quiet for a bit, and Isshiki couldn't help but revel in the silence that had taken place. Glancing at the other man though, he did grow a bit curious.

"What about you? How did you get here?" Daichi raised his head in thought, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm not too sure myself. I remember running into the forest because I heard someone and bam! I'm knocked out cold and I wake up in this weird town with my belongings. It was like the start of some horror game." Daichi laughed and grinned a bit. "Think that's what this is? A horror game?" "No way something that convenient is going to be happening." Isshiki shook his head, sighing. He was about to ask another question when--

A loud scream ripped through the air, startling both figures as they looked over. They were already at the amusement park, but who the hell was screaming? Isshiki hadn't realized that he said this out loud- Daichi pointed upwards. "Ish, man-- That roller coaster's moving!" "How--?! It's been abandoned for like, how long?! A decade?!" Isshiki stared up at the roller coaster- he had never been a fan of them. Daichi rolled up his sleeves. "Ish! I say we go up there!" "Are you insane?! All we can do for now is wait for the ride to stop and see if the person there is still alive!"

Daichi sighed. "Fine...but let's head on over anyway! We have to at least see if anyone's up there." Shaking his head, Isshiki followed the man as they ran over to the platform where the roller coaster ended and waited.

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Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
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Much of the walk passed by in silence; both from them and their surroundings. There weren't even any animals to keep them company and provide some much needed background noise aside from the sounds of shoes crunching against snow.

"Let's stop here for a bit." Kyosuke urged Kaede to sit down for a little while. He looked towards their next and last turn that marks their journey halfway. Almost close. Around fifteen more minutes. He got one of the water bottles out and drank from it, offering it to the girl when he was done. He was about to rise up again when he heard Kaede ask.

"Tell me, what exactly do you mean by them?"

Kyosuke paused for a while to think when he realized that he had been speaking about "them" for quite a while without properly explaining the things he saw.

"At night...no. It's not accurate to call it that since time is out of whack here. Rather, when the sky darkens after the whistle, strange...things come out. I'm not really sure what they are but, they're not human. First time I encountered them, they chased as if possessed by a mad frenzy. Might hint some cannibalistic tendencies there." Kyosuke recalls the first few nights of his stay.

"You'll probably see them soon enough. Best thing to do then is to lie still and sleep in a safe place. Which is why I've been boarding up my little bases like the hotel and the bungalow. Those things only enter buildings when they see a human there which is why it's important to keep out of sight. They're usually relying on their sense of smell but the cold dulls it considerably."

With that, Kyosuke stood up, extending a hand towards Kaede in order to help her up. He looked at the overcast sky above. "Sky's turning dark again...it's been happening much more frequently lately." Sighing, he turned to look at the faint silhouette of the wreck that looms ahead. "I don't think we'll be able to reach the supermarket before it completely darkens. Let's hide out in the house for a while, resume again when the skies clear up. Come on."

He led Kaede down the street where the red bungalow stood. It's not that noticeable at a glance since the snow had piled up high enough to completely cover the roof. Instead of walking in through the door, Kyosuke showed Kaede how to climb the makeshift steps he placed outside in order to enter through a small latch on the roof.

"Door's completely jammed by me so those things don't get in. From what I observed, they don't seem to be capable of climbing." Kyosuke explains the roundabout method taken.

The interior of the one-story house was rather scarce, making it look rather spacious. Although it was a bungalow, there was a small additional platform that provides a pseudo second floor for the house where the beds are located. As with the hotel, all the windows were boarded up. One had a movable panel that allows them to see outside.

"You can check things out here. I believe it'll be dark soon so you'll be able to see those "things" for yourself."

Setting

5 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
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Kaede listened to his information and couldn't help but feel a small chill go down her spine upon hearing about the monsters that inhabit the town.
"Cannibalistic creatures...? Just what did I get myself into when I followed that girl? Still, at least we can get to shelter soon enough... I just hope I never cross paths with these creatures. If we do, I'll try to defend myself and Kyosuke as best as I can."
She was distracted from her thoughts upon seeing Kyosuke offer his hand to help Kaede up. Kaede took it and stood but tried to hide a small blush. It was her first time holding hands with a guy, even if it was just to help someone up. She hated her teenage hormones sometimes. All traces of a blush faded when she noticed that the sky was starting to turn dark. She heard Kyosuke talk about hiding out in a house. She merely nodded in agreement, mostly due to fear of the dark but also due to knowing her voice was going to crack due to said fear. As they walked to the house, Kaede still held onto his hand. Maybe it was childish and maybe she shouldn't do it, but she was scared. Her father never really cared about how Kaede felt after her mother died and while she and Kyosuke didn't know each other all that well, she felt secure enough with him. After all, if he was the only human around, she wanted to be with him for as long as it took until they either died or got out. When they made it to the red bungalow, Kaede finally let go of his hand, hoping he didn't notice her holding his hand the whole time.
"So, they can't climb up the stairs... That's actually to our benefit. Hopefully, they don't try to knock over the stairway."
She climbed on the steps to get inside and sighed in relief once she made it inside. While the atmosphere was dark, Kaede felt there was no other choice due to the outside world being what it was. When Kyosuke asked her to see the things for herself, she swallowed a little and nodded slowly.
"Alright... I'll go ahead and see what's going on..."


Miura's screams ended when the ride did. She felt her voice be a little bit hoarse but she was still grinning. She glanced over to the side to see two young man standing in front of her. One had spiky hair and seemed very agitated about something while the other seemed very concerned but still mellow enough and had calm brown hair. She jumped out of the cart and hugged the mellow looking young man.
"Oh my goodness! Shirley wasn't lying, I really wouldn't be alone~"
She pulled away after nuzzling him a little to smile warmly at both of them. She was kind of reluctant to give the spiky haired man the same hug since he looked scary to her.
"Ehehe~ I'm Miura Arakawa! Will you guys be my friends? Please~? I'll try my best to not be boring or anything!"

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Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
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As the ride ended, both men checked each cart carefully. All hope seemed lost until the last cart, when a girl dressed in almost all pink- pink coat and pink hair. And it was either both of them were too tall, or she was just really small compared to them. In any case, though, the girl seemed happy for some reason, and--

Rushed up to hug Daichi. Daichi blinked.
"Oh my goodness! Shirley wasn't lying, I really wouldn't be alone~" "Shirley? Is that the name of that weird woman earlier? Is she with the weird woman?! What's with all the freaks running around here!?" Isshiki's hand clenched around his bat again, but Daichi glanced over and quickly signaled for him to keep it down. Though reluctant, Isshiki grunted a bit and lowered his weapon. With a small grin, Daichi turned to the girl again as she continued speaking.

"Ehehe~ I'm Miura Arakawa! Will you guys be my friends? Please~? I'll try my best to not be boring or anything!" Friends? "There's almost no time for friends in this godforsaken place," Isshiki thought to himself bitterly, but remained quiet. "Hey there, Miura! Would it be fine if I called you Miu? I'm Daichi, and this scary guy over here is Isshiki." Daichi spoke for them both and for that, Isshiki was thankful. He didn't want to have to walk on eggshells around this girl. "And yeah, of course we'll be your friends~"

"If you're done socializing there, I've a mind to go look around a bit more." Isshiki glanced at the sky. Seemed like it was starting to darken. Remembering the woman's words, he decided to keep his guard up. "It's also going to get dark soon so we best be looking for a place we can hide in for the night." Having spoken, he turned around to walk away. Daichi smiled apologetically at the girl. "Sorry, he's just really like that. But anyway, we'd better follow him around."

Isshiki on the other hand decided to check some of the abandoned buildings in the amusement park. Finding only a few items of interest, he decided to look at the rides. Coming up to a carousel, he noticed a piece of paper lying on one of the rusted horses. Reaching over, he took the piece of paper and peered at it. It seemed to be a torn page, most likely from a notebook. Though it was too dark to see any form of writing on it, he tucked it away into his pocket for now. Perhaps in the morning he'd look at it and try to find any clues about the place on it.

"Hey, Ish! Come check this out!" Right. He was still with them.
With his steps heavy, he walked away from the carousel to follow Daichi's voice.

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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"Well! I suppose it's about time..." The odd woman grinned to herself as she took out a small whistle from her pocket. "Heehee~ Fun's just about to start, courtesy from yours truly~"

With that she blew the whistle, until the sky was completely enveloped in darkness. Slowly, the scenery started changing. Shadowy tendrils crept up doors and windows while walls gave way to reveal massive cracks. Houses stirred, and an unearthly wailing resonated from several corners of the streets. Upon observing this, the woman turned to the amusement park that towered over the other houses.

"Hehehe! Good luck keeping ahead of this! I might give you a reward if you live through the night~"

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"It's starting." Kyosuke glanced up from the corner of the house. No matter where he goes, he could always hear that damned whistle beckoning that darkness has fallen. Rising up to his feet, he walked towards Kaede as he peered into the small crack he made in the window.

"There...!" Kyosuke pointed while whispering. "That's them. They're no longer human even though they look similar to us. You've got to be careful around them."

The things walking outside appeared to shuffle around aimlessly, sniffing and groaning as they limped in different directions. An unearthly glow came from their eyes as their heads turned as if it was hunting something in the empty streets. "I think those "eyes" aren't that functional. Otherwise they would've already seen us peering through the cracks. I'm thinking their vision is based on size. Can't see anything smaller than them, apparently."

Checking up on the other living person with him, he realized that he's dragged her for quite a while. All that walking was rather tiring. "Why don't you lie down for a while? Nights leave a rather strange effect on the human mind. It feel stretched somehow. I'll wake you up if there are any new developments." He gestures to the pseudo second floor before walking to a door on one side where a chair had been propped up the knob.

"Alternate exit route. It can only be opened from the inside." Kyosuke explained.

Setting

6 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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Kaede flinched a little upon seeing them crossing every which way. Despite looking like humans, the otherworldly glowing coming from their eyes made her feel a sense of fear. She listened in to Kyosuke's words and watched as he showed her an exit route in case something happened. As he explained, Kaede felt a nagging feeling enter the back of her mind as she voiced a concern she had.
"Wait. If staying up during the night will stretch your mind, why don't you get some rest as well?"
Part of her somewhat regretted asking that question however most of her mind wanted him to get some sleep. If whatever was out there had the capacity to affect minds, then it'd be much better if they got as much rest as possible to avoid one of them or both of them going insane due to the strange environment. Unless...
"Or are you already used to the strange environment that your mind doesn't get as stretched?"


Miura watched Daisuke introduce himself and Isshiki. Isshiki was really grumpy which caused her to fear him a bit but Daichi seemed super nice so Miura felt incredibly happy around him.
"Yeah! You can call me Miu~ But can I call you Dai-kun, then? I think it's only fair."
As she walked with Daichi to find out more about the place, Miura heard a small whistle blowing as the sky grew darker. She frowned a little. It was already getting so dark outside but where was her new friend, Shirley? She promised she would show up at night so...
"Maybe she's late because she really had a lot of chores to do...? I hope she shows up soon..."
As she heard Daichi call for Isshiki's attention, she decided to try to get to know him a bit better. Considering she had amnesia, maybe if she learned more about him, she'd learn a bit about herself. She offered a small smile to Daichi.
"Dai-kun? Can I ask how you got here? I don't really know myself. I think I might have amnesia..."

Setting

3 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
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"Must be getting late..." Daichi thought to himself, looking around a little more. Since Isshiki had went off to explore a bit on his own, the man was stuck with Miura, their newfound companion. Looking over at her to check if she wasn't some monster in disguise, he breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that she was still there.

He led Miura over to a performance tent of some sort- it seemed like many plays or just shows in general had been held there. Of course, it was abandoned and devoid of any life, but he noticed a crumpled mass sitting on the stage. Grinning, he ran over to the stage, stopping and bending down to pick up a piece of paper- a flyer of some sort. "Come see the amazing floating magician Pinwheel? What a laugh!" He snickered, looking at the stage. That must have been "Pinwheel". He bent down to check the crumpled mass, laughing as he noticed it was merely a puppet of some sort.

Running out to the entrance of the tent, he called out. "Hey, Ish! Come check this out!" Hearing Miura start to speak, he turned around to see her offering a small smile. "Dai-kun? Can I ask how you got here? I don't really know myself. I think I might have amnesia..." He laughed. "I'm sure you'll remember in time, Miu. But I'm not sure how I got here either. I just remember stumbling into a forest since I heard someone screaming and then I blacked out! Then I woke up in a post office and I-- kind of met Ish just earlier." He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"What the hell did you want, screaming like that?" Isshiki walked into the tent, baseball bat slung over his shoulder and with his frown still in place. Daichi picked up the flyer and showed it to Isshiki, grinning all the while. "Take a look at this- it's just a puppet with voices from backstage, I'd bet! It's right over there." Daichi briefly motioned to the crumpled mass on the stage, laughing.

"Pinwheel? He's not actually a pin in a wheel!" Daichi stopped when he saw the frozen look of shock on Isshiki's face. The spiky-haired male slowly pointed behind him. Daichi turned around...


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The crumpled mass rose up above them, seemingly shaking and trembling. It was a puppet of some sort, obviously- covered in a torn black cloak, and with six long sticks coming out from its back. The sticks had lanterns on the ends, creating an ominous rattling noise whenever the mass moved. Serving as its "heads" were three masks- also moving. All three faces stared ominously at the group before looking at each other.

A distorted scream ripped from all three masks, and Daichi immediately grabbed Miura. "Stay behind me, Miu!" "I don't think we'll be able to kill this thing...best if we just--!" Isshiki hefted a heavy stone lying nearby and hurled it to the best of his ability at the monster. The monster floated up, evading the rock but startled enough to create a small window of time. "Come on, let's go!" Isshiki bolted from the tent, and Daichi grinned apologetically. "Sorry for this, Miu--" He quickly carried her under his arm, having enough arm strength to do so, and followed Isshiki. The "Pinwheel" ripped through the canopy of the tent, screaming and rattling its lanterns in an act of hostility.

"Ish?! I think it's following us!" "Of course it's following us, dumbass, keep running!"
As the monster gave pursuit, Isshiki frantically looked for a possible hiding place.

Such were the horrors brought about by the Nighttime.

Setting

6 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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"Ara? Where's everyone going?" The odd woman feigns surprise as she nonchalantly walks along the amusement park stalls and caught sight of Isshiki, Miura and another boy running from the park's "mascot", brought to life by the magic of Nighttime.

"Oh, so they managed to find him after all. Heehee~ This should be quite interesting." The odd woman rubbed her hands with glee as she warped into the top of the merry-go-round, providing her a better view of the scene unfolding in front of her eyes.

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"Wait. If staying up during the night will stretch your mind, why don't you get some rest as well?"

Kyosuke heard Kaede suddenly speak up. Concern? Maybe. After all, they were the only humans around as far as Kyosuke was concerned. It was only natural for them to watch each other's backs.

"Or are you already used to the strange environment that your mind doesn't get as stretched?"

"Something like that I guess..." Kyosuke explains. "I've been sleeping in a lot so I haven't felt its effects too much. There are times when I...feel strange somehow. It's like there's these voices speaking in my head. Telling me to do things. Staying up late often does that. It makes the voices stronger."

He turns to face Kaede. "Taking a good night's sleep alleviates the effects though. In a way, it kind of resets it. So I'll be fine for a while. It usually takes me four nights before my mind feels stretched." Kyosuke tries to assuage Kaede's concern over his mental well-being as he walks over to take another peek at the crack. "What the--?"

Suffice to say, he was rather astonished with what he saw.

Two boys and a girl were running away from what appeared to be a three-headed, larger variant of the monsters that littered the streets during Nighttime. They were obviously living people; otherwise the monsters would've left them alone. It was probably safe to assume that they're stranded like him and Kaede.

"Never mind. Looks like neither of us is getting any proper sleep tonight--!" Kyosuke climbs up the hidden latch they used to enter the bungalow. "Oh, can I count on you to apprehend these people in case they--you know?" Nevertheless, Kyosuke decided to take his own precautions before sticking his head out of the roof and calling to the group.

"Hey! Up here! Quick!" He gestures to the steps, showing them how to get inside the reinforced dwelling.

Setting

6 Characters Present

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa Character Portrait: Kaede Harada Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara Character Portrait: The Proprietress
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As Miura watched Daichi play a bit with the puppet before throwing it to the ground, Miura was almost ready to pick it up and place it back where it had belonged. However, before the innocent girl could do that, the puppet rose up to become a scary monster with limbs, lanterns and three faces roared at the two. Miura almost couldn't scream as small but terrified noises escaped the girl.
"Stay behind me, Miu!"
Miura felt herself get pulled back by Daichi and she looked over. Was he trying to protect her?
"Dai-kun... Be careful..."
Her voice came out, shaky and meek. Her worries were slightly eased as Isshiki threw a rock... only for the worries to skyrocket into fear when the thing effortlessly dodged the rock. Tears were rolling down her cheeks when she suddenly heard Daichi speak again before hoisting her underneath his arm and running. It at least surprised her fear away temporarily before she just let herself be carried, going a bit into shock from the horror. This was not Miura's idea of a fun time when Nighttime hit. She wondered where Shirley was and when she saw Shirley sitting on top of the merry-go-round, Miura hadn't gotten full control of her voice back yet so she was just gesturing with her hands for Shirley to follow the three of them and get to safety. However, she didn't think the woman saw her and felt like an idiot for not trying hard enough. As they ran from the screaming monster, Miura soon noticed a man calling out and showing them how to get inside a dwelling of sorts.
"Isshiki! Dai-kun! Look! Someone's showing us how to get inside!!"


Kaede nodded slowly at Kyosuke under his request to keep an eye out in case they were a threat to their survival. She drew her sword out of its holder and stared at the three people as they descended down inside with Kyosuke. She decided to survey them individually. The first was a spiky haired man clutching a baseball bat as if his life depended on it. His eyes looked wild and desperate, almost as if he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Kaede judged him to be the biggest threat almost instantly. She glanced over at the other man. He had light brown hair and wore a track uniform of sorts. Clutching onto the only girl aside from herself, Kaede assumed the two were dating right out of the gate. He seemed to be a complete moron to her, just another unlucky person in an unlucky environment. The last one was the only girl. Pink hair, blue eyes, pink clothes; Kaede felt rather envious on how feminine and pretty this girl was. No one would bat an eye in her general direction so someone like her must have been getting admirers almost all the time. She decided the girl was innocent as well, given that the girl was still crying from her experiences. Kaede frowned a little as she pointed the end of the sword at the spiky haired man before moving it towards them all.
"If you're thinking of trying anything stupid like attacking us, know that I'll slice you to bits and leave your carcass to the monsters outside."
Did it sound crazy? A little bit, but with how unstable that spiky haired man looked, Kaede felt she should get the warning out first before trying to judge these people.
"Now then, one at a time. Who are you, how did you get here, what supplies do you have and why should we trust you?"

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View All » Add Character » 9 Characters to follow in this universe

Character Portrait: The Proprietress
Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki
Character Portrait: Kaede Harada
Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa
Character Portrait: Kurona Narimasa
Character Portrait: Irie Amagase
Character Portrait: Kouhei Nakishima

Newest

Character Portrait: Kouhei Nakishima
Kouhei Nakishima

"You kids were trying to steal my stuff. No way I'm letting thieves get off so easily."

Character Portrait: Irie Amagase
Irie Amagase

"We'll get out of here. Together."

Character Portrait: Kurona Narimasa
Kurona Narimasa

"Surviving's as good as it gets."

Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa
Miura Arakawa

"Hm... Is this world some kind of winter wonderland? What could possibly be so dangerous?"

Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
Daichi Hachiobei

"This place is weird..."

Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
Kyosuke Nanbara

"Get out of here, huh...?"

Character Portrait: Kaede Harada
Kaede Harada

"I need to get out of here. I can't afford to make Father worry."

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki
Isshiki Shimazaki

"I'll do anything it takes to find her!"

Character Portrait: The Proprietress
The Proprietress

"Shall I help you remember?"

Trending

Character Portrait: Kouhei Nakishima
Kouhei Nakishima

"You kids were trying to steal my stuff. No way I'm letting thieves get off so easily."

Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
Kyosuke Nanbara

"Get out of here, huh...?"

Character Portrait: The Proprietress
The Proprietress

"Shall I help you remember?"

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki
Isshiki Shimazaki

"I'll do anything it takes to find her!"

Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa
Miura Arakawa

"Hm... Is this world some kind of winter wonderland? What could possibly be so dangerous?"

Character Portrait: Irie Amagase
Irie Amagase

"We'll get out of here. Together."

Character Portrait: Kurona Narimasa
Kurona Narimasa

"Surviving's as good as it gets."

Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
Daichi Hachiobei

"This place is weird..."

Character Portrait: Kaede Harada
Kaede Harada

"I need to get out of here. I can't afford to make Father worry."

Most Followed

Character Portrait: The Proprietress
The Proprietress

"Shall I help you remember?"

Character Portrait: Isshiki Shimazaki
Isshiki Shimazaki

"I'll do anything it takes to find her!"

Character Portrait: Kouhei Nakishima
Kouhei Nakishima

"You kids were trying to steal my stuff. No way I'm letting thieves get off so easily."

Character Portrait: Kaede Harada
Kaede Harada

"I need to get out of here. I can't afford to make Father worry."

Character Portrait: Irie Amagase
Irie Amagase

"We'll get out of here. Together."

Character Portrait: Daichi Hachiobei
Daichi Hachiobei

"This place is weird..."

Character Portrait: Miura Arakawa
Miura Arakawa

"Hm... Is this world some kind of winter wonderland? What could possibly be so dangerous?"

Character Portrait: Kurona Narimasa
Kurona Narimasa

"Surviving's as good as it gets."

Character Portrait: Kyosuke Nanbara
Kyosuke Nanbara

"Get out of here, huh...?"


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