The Rim of the Rabbit Hole: A Horror-esque RP

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

Just now, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

As Kastel tried to open the door which would lead to the outdoor path to the containment building, and thus the Rabbit Hole, he found it locked.

He frowned, then levelled his handgun at the handle, shooting it.

 

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

He frowned, then levelled his handgun at the handle, shooting it.

 

The lock broke, but the door didn't budge.

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The lock broke, but the door didn't budge.

Kastel sighed, then started to explore what he could. 

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

18 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel sighed, then started to explore what he could. 

The main lobby had a door on the right, a door on the left, and an elevator in the corner.

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

5 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The main lobby had a door on the right, a door on the left, and an elevator in the corner.

Kastel debated for a small while, then stepped towards the elevator.

[Mags she/they]

On 12/6/2024 at 12:21 PM, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

It was the same path she'd walked less than an hour ago, the path that had taken them from Building 2 to Building 1. Something seemed....different this time. Off, in a way that was hard to put a finger on.

Or maybe the first time had been the one that was off.

After a few minutes of walking, about halfway to Building 1, the silhouette of a figure appeared in the mist.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

 

On 12/6/2024 at 2:24 PM, Ookla the Inconclusive said:

Astrid joined her.

 

She stopped dead in her tracks, grabbing Liv's arm.

"Wait," she hissed.

Hopefully it was only another one of their group, but . . . you never knew.

Liv stopped as Astra grabbed her, seeing the figure for the first time. She sucked in a breath, it was probably just Maria.

On 12/6/2024 at 3:02 PM, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

@Ookla the Finwëan

As the two agents got closer, the silhouette resolved into the shape of a young woman with black curly hair. She was facing away from them. She wore a white button up shirt with short sleeves and dress slacks. Standard office clothing. Obviously a worker for the Rim.

"Draw a cab. Is it here yet?" She said, still facing away.

 

The mist cleared further. Tim and Matthew found themselves in the same room, standing across from each other. The room was some kind of office complex, looking completely different from where they'd been before...whatever it was that had happend. In contrast to what they'd seen before, this building was crumbling, overgrown with vines and grass, as if it had been abandoned for years. Papers were scattered about, and most of the light fixtures had stopped working altogether. The scent of life and rot hung in the air.

On 12/6/2024 at 3:05 PM, Ookla the Inconclusive said:

"Oh! Excuse me!" Astrid said, running over.

"Who are you? Could you tell us what's going on here?"

Liv stayed with Astrid as she ran up, not wanting to be alone in this place.

"Maria, is that you?"

On 12/6/2024 at 3:11 PM, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

"The sun is behind you," she said. Her voice sounded...wrong. "The line is not straight this time. Was it ever? You died when you were born. Take a left at the next three minutes."

On 12/6/2024 at 3:46 PM, Ookla the Inconclusive said:

"Er . . . hello?"

She slowed her approach.

On 12/7/2024 at 9:16 AM, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The woman kept talking as she slowly turned, as if some unnatural rhythm drove her forward.

"Watch your step. You know the way out, but it already happened. The trees saw it all; they tell you."

Half of her face was dissolving into mist, the grey tendrils rising into the sky and blending with the murk in the air. Her skin was unnaturally pale and the expression on the remaining half of her face seemed far too calm.

She held a crowbar in one hand.

"The mist is here and it is already you."

@Ookla the Finwëan

Most of the papers he found had to do with internal operations within the facility. There was very little information on anomaly research, unfortunatley.

While the vines were an actual species, it didn't make sense for them to be here in the middle of the Pacific Northwest. Their growth was unmistakably unnatural, even if the vines themselves weren't.

On 12/7/2024 at 11:47 AM, Ookla the Inconclusive said:

Astrid cried out in horror and stumbled back.

@Ookla the Finwëan

Liv shrieked when she saw the woman's face, half dissipated into mist. She pulled her handgun out of her belt, pointing it at the woman.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

26 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel debated for a small while, then stepped towards the elevator.

The doors slowly slid open for him. Surprisingly, the elevator still seemed to be working, despite the rest of the room's condition.

The elevator listed 8 upper floors, counting floor 1 which Kastel was on now, and five basement floors.

12 minutes ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

Liv stopped as Astra grabbed her, seeing the figure for the first time. She sucked in a breath, it was probably just Maria.

Liv stayed with Astrid as she ran up, not wanting to be alone in this place.

"Maria, is that you?"

Liv shrieked when she saw the woman's face, half dissipated into mist. She pulled her handgun out of her belt, pointing it at the woman.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

The woman took a teetering step towards them, then another, all the while speaking in that strange tone, uninterrupted.

"You're rising to the deepest depth. We let them talk sometimes to help you feel better. You're path isn't yours."

Slowly, her walk turned into a crazed run, dashing at Liv, holding the crowbar up. Her voice didn't change whatsoever. No yell, no sound of exertion.

"The silence stretches until it breaks. Listen to the roots; they hum in reverse."

She swung the crowbar at Liv's head.

Edited December 9, 2024 by Ookla the Ouroboros

[Mags she/they]

Just now, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The doors slowly slid open for him. Surprisingly, the elevator still seemed to be working, despite the rest of the room's condition.

The elevator listed 8 upper floors, counting floor 1 which Kastel was on now, and five basement floors.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

The woman took a teetering step towards them, then another, all the while speaking in that strange tone, uninterrupted.

"You're rising to the deepest depth. We let them talk sometimes to help you feel better. You're path isn't yours."

Slowly, her walk turned into a crazed run, dashing at Liv, holding the crowbar up. Her voice didn't change whatsoever. No yell, no sound of exertion.

"The silence stretches until it breaks. Listen to the roots; they hum in reverse."

She swung the crowbar at Liv's head.

Liv fired the handgun twice as she approached, not sure if she'd hit the thing or not. As the crowbar came down she tried to dodge backward.

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

8 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The doors slowly slid open for him. Surprisingly, the elevator still seemed to be working, despite the rest of the room's condition.

The elevator listed 8 upper floors, counting floor 1 which Kastel was on now, and five basement floors.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

The woman took a teetering step towards them, then another, all the while speaking in that strange tone, uninterrupted.

"You're rising to the deepest depth. We let them talk sometimes to help you feel better. You're path isn't yours."

Slowly, her walk turned into a crazed run, dashing at Liv, holding the crowbar up. Her voice didn't change whatsoever. No yell, no sound of exertion.

"The silence stretches until it breaks. Listen to the roots; they hum in reverse."

She swung the crowbar at Liv's head.

Kastel went downwards one floor. They wouldn’t put anything dangerous in the higher floors, though hopefully the dangerous things had moved towards them. He needed to study their containment.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

8 minutes ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

Liv fired the handgun twice as she approached, not sure if she'd hit the thing or not. As the crowbar came down she tried to dodge backward.

The dodge turned out to be unneccessary, as the shots seemed to have enough force to stagger the woman and break her momentum. 

Her voice showed no reaction, though, even as the bullets ripped through her body. 

"Go forward to get behind you. You're lost, right when you should be."

The two bullet holes in her chest bled curls of mist that rose into the air. She stumbled back again and dropped the crowbar.

Slowly, and still speaking those strange words, her body began to unravel. The bullet holes grew wider, the flesh around them dissolving into mist. She continued to speak, even as her neck and mouth turned into fog.

"You left your name at the edge of the fog. The forest drinks your shadow. The sun in the sky and never rising. Yet, here it is, backwards..."

Her voice faded into a whisper, like the slight stirring of air, as the last of her body turned into mist. All that was left was the faint outline of a woman, made of grey mist, hovering there in the air.

Listening closely, the two agents could still hear her strange monolouge, eminating from the mist in a faint whisper, too quiet to make out the words.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

Just now, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel went downwards one floor. They wouldn’t put anything dangerous in the higher floors, though hopefully the dangerous things had moved towards them. He needed to study their containment.

The first basement floor seemed to be a housing unit of some type. The elevator opened up to a cafeteria area, and beyond that were a number of hallways with numbered doors, like a hotel.

Edited December 9, 2024 by Ookla the Ouroboros

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The dodge turned out to be unneccessary, as the shots seemed to have enough force to stagger the woman and break her momentum. 

Her voice showed no reaction, though, even as the bullets ripped through her body. 

"Go forward to get behind you. You're lost, right when you should be."

The two bullet holes in her chest bled curls of mist that rose into the air. She stumbled back again and dropped the crowbar.

Slowly, and still speaking those strange words, her body began to unravel. The bullet holes grew wider, the flesh around them dissolving into mist. She continued to speak, even as her neck and mouth turned into fog.

"You left your name at the edge of the fog. The forest drinks your shadow. The sun in the sky and never rising. Yet, here it is, backwards..."

Her voice faded into a whisper, like the slight stirring of air, as the last of her body turned into mist. All that was left was the faint outline of a woman, made of grey mist, hovering there in the air.

Listening closely, the two agents could still hear her strange monolouge, eminating from the mist in a faint whisper, too quiet to make out the words.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

The first basement floor seemed to be a housing unit of some type. The elevator opened up to a cafeteria area, and beyond that were a number of hallways with numbered doors, like a hotel.

Kastel sees this, then goes down another floor.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

3 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel sees this, then goes down another floor.

As he clicks the button, an automated voice fills the elevator.

"UNAUTHORIZED. CLEARANCE REQUIRED."

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

As he clicks the button, an automated voice fills the elevator.

"UNAUTHORIZED. CLEARANCE REQUIRED."

Kastel sighed, then ventured through the housing, hoping to find a keycard or something to that effect.

[Mags she/they]

8 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The dodge turned out to be unneccessary, as the shots seemed to have enough force to stagger the woman and break her momentum. 

Her voice showed no reaction, though, even as the bullets ripped through her body. 

"Go forward to get behind you. You're lost, right when you should be."

The two bullet holes in her chest bled curls of mist that rose into the air. She stumbled back again and dropped the crowbar.

Slowly, and still speaking those strange words, her body began to unravel. The bullet holes grew wider, the flesh around them dissolving into mist. She continued to speak, even as her neck and mouth turned into fog.

"You left your name at the edge of the fog. The forest drinks your shadow. The sun in the sky and never rising. Yet, here it is, backwards..."

Her voice faded into a whisper, like the slight stirring of air, as the last of her body turned into mist. All that was left was the faint outline of a woman, made of grey mist, hovering there in the air.

Listening closely, the two agents could still hear her strange monolouge, eminating from the mist in a faint whisper, too quiet to make out the words.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

The first basement floor seemed to be a housing unit of some type. The elevator opened up to a cafeteria area, and beyond that were a number of hallways with numbered doors, like a hotel.

Liv watches her in horror, taking another few steps back despite herself.

"Well at least . . . at least the gun worked," She said, voice cracking as she fought down panic. @Ookla the Inconclusive

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

28 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel sighed, then ventured through the housing, hoping to find a keycard or something to that effect.

The area was built with a number of cleverly hidden light fixtures, and designed in a way to probably make it feel more comfortable, despite it being underground. Like it was open to the outdoors. There were a number of plants growing in rectangular planters, embedded in the walls, probably to add some color to the otherwise drab white walls.

Unfortunatley, this floor too had fallen into disrepair. Most of the lights were off, shrouding the entire place in darkness. The plants had mostly wilted, as if left unattended for weeks. Or longer.

Unfortunately, Kastel couldn't find much in the way of a keycard. There was nothing in the sort in the cafeteria area, and almost all the doors to personal rooms were locked.

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The area was built with a number of cleverly hidden light fixtures, and designed in a way to probably make it feel more comfortable, despite it being underground. Like it was open to the outdoors. There were a number of plants growing in rectangular planters, embedded in the walls, probably to add some color to the otherwise drab white walls.

Unfortunatley, this floor too had fallen into disrepair. Most of the lights were off, shrouding the entire place in darkness. The plants had mostly wilted, as if left unattended for weeks. Or longer.

Unfortunately, Kastel couldn't find much in the way of a keycard. There was nothing in the sort in the cafeteria area, and almost all the doors to personal rooms were locked.

Kastel shot some of the doors.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel shot some of the doors.

Each of them contained a small bedroom with a desk and a personal bathroom to the side. They were filled with personal effects and clothing items, everything to suggest that most of the facility personnel actually did live on-site, at least temporarily. 

For the first few rooms there was no luck, though one did have a document on the desk, next to a mug of writing utensils.

Federal Agency of Research and Control
Facility WA-ACM-4 "The Rim"
Internal Correspondence

I know you keep taking my pens, Walter. I don't give a [CENSORED] about your "trades" or whatever. Just give it back, or I'm filing a report. I've had enough.

Eventually, he managed to find a card with the name "Samantha Clearwater" on it. The photograph was of a young woman, probably in her mid twenties, with light skin and curly black hair. She had a smirk on her face, like she wanted to smile more but wasn't supposed to for the photo. The bottom of the card read CLEARANCE LEVEL: 2

[Wittles he/him]

2 hours ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

As the mist cleared further, Kastel found himself in a room completely different than the one he'd been in when the fog had enveloped him. In fact, he found himself in the lobby of Building 2, the lobby they'd passed through before entering the outdoor portion of the facility to get to the Containment building. 

Unlike last time, though, the lights seemed mostly broken. The lobby was shrouded in darkness, with individual fixtures only flickering occasionally. The floor was cracked in places, papers were scattered across the floor in patches, and the entire room was in a general state of disrepair.

 

Quote

I was thinking like a ghostometer(a device that detects paranormal activity) and sample collecting things so I'd be able to do kind of on the fly analysis kind of things. 

Spoiler

Those are the kinds of things he'd want to bring in that role, right?

 

 

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Doomfrog said:

 

Quote

He will have a device for detecting anomalous frequencies, yes, and I think it's in character for him to have portable lab equipment type stuff. That's his job. So I think you're good to go!

 

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

7 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

Each of them contained a small bedroom with a desk and a personal bathroom to the side. They were filled with personal effects and clothing items, everything to suggest that most of the facility personnel actually did live on-site, at least temporarily. 

For the first few rooms there was no luck, though one did have a document on the desk, next to a mug of writing utensils.

Federal Agency of Research and Control
Facility WA-ACM-4 "The Rim"
Internal Correspondence

I know you keep taking my pens, Walter. I don't give a [CENSORED] about your "trades" or whatever. Just give it back, or I'm filing a report. I've had enough.

Eventually, he managed to find a card with the name "Samantha Clearwater" on it. The photograph was of a young woman, probably in her mid twenties, with light skin and curly black hair. She had a smirk on her face, like she wanted to smile more but wasn't supposed to for the photo. The bottom of the card read CLEARANCE LEVEL: 2

Kastel took this, then doubled back to the elevator, attempting to figure out how to use it.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

4 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel took this, then doubled back to the elevator, attempting to figure out how to use it.

There was a reader Kastel could hold the card up to.

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

1 minute ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

There was a reader Kastel could hold the card up to.

Kastel held the card up to the reader, then pressed the button.

[The Bookwyrm he/him]

4 minutes ago, Ookla the Dragonslayer said:

Kastel held the card up to the reader, then pressed the button.

As the reader detected the card, the automated voice said "CLEARANCE 2 ACCESS GRANTED."

Quote

Which button? Which floor is he going to?

[Through the Living Wrath he/him]

2 minutes ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

As the reader detected the card, the automated voice said "CLEARANCE 2 ACCESS GRANTED."

Kastel pressed the basement 2 floor.

[Through The Living Glass She/They]

1 hour ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The doors slowly slid open for him. Surprisingly, the elevator still seemed to be working, despite the rest of the room's condition.

The elevator listed 8 upper floors, counting floor 1 which Kastel was on now, and five basement floors.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

The woman took a teetering step towards them, then another, all the while speaking in that strange tone, uninterrupted.

"You're rising to the deepest depth. We let them talk sometimes to help you feel better. You're path isn't yours."

Slowly, her walk turned into a crazed run, dashing at Liv, holding the crowbar up. Her voice didn't change whatsoever. No yell, no sound of exertion.

"The silence stretches until it breaks. Listen to the roots; they hum in reverse."

She swung the crowbar at Liv's head.

 

1 hour ago, Ookla the Ouroboros said:

The dodge turned out to be unneccessary, as the shots seemed to have enough force to stagger the woman and break her momentum. 

Her voice showed no reaction, though, even as the bullets ripped through her body. 

"Go forward to get behind you. You're lost, right when you should be."

The two bullet holes in her chest bled curls of mist that rose into the air. She stumbled back again and dropped the crowbar.

Slowly, and still speaking those strange words, her body began to unravel. The bullet holes grew wider, the flesh around them dissolving into mist. She continued to speak, even as her neck and mouth turned into fog.

"You left your name at the edge of the fog. The forest drinks your shadow. The sun in the sky and never rising. Yet, here it is, backwards..."

Her voice faded into a whisper, like the slight stirring of air, as the last of her body turned into mist. All that was left was the faint outline of a woman, made of grey mist, hovering there in the air.

Listening closely, the two agents could still hear her strange monolouge, eminating from the mist in a faint whisper, too quiet to make out the words.

@Ookla the Inconclusive

 

1 hour ago, Ookla the Finwëan said:

Liv watches her in horror, taking another few steps back despite herself.

"Well at least . . . at least the gun worked," She said, voice cracking as she fought down panic. @Ookla the Inconclusive

"Yep," Astrid squeaked.

She cleared her throat.

"What was that?!"