Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: Red Blood Sunset

Dina didn’t waste any time escaping.

The larger man with the yellow bandana, who had previously not had any important information on the red wallpaper other than “Grave Robber” now had the name “Tank,” Plot Armor 18.

He grabbed ahold of Kimberly and, after a quick instruction from the fake sheriff, pulled her along toward the property down a long driveway that wound haphazardly back away from the road.

I could hear Kimberly screaming, "Please don't hurt me, I'm pregnant. Please!"

She didn't have to act scared. She was scared. At least she managed to get her Pregnancy Reveal activated, though it only buffed her Grit by a single point. She had not really had time to set it up.

The sheriff grabbed Dina and followed him.

The third guy gave me the absolute creeps. He was still called Deputy Bradley Speirs on the red wallpaper. Whatever trope hid his identity was still blocking me.

But he looked thrilled as he ran up to Dina, ruffled her hair, and let out a hyena’s laugh. He was younger, unshaven, unkempt.

Antoine and I were left in the back of the car as the three of them walked up to the property. Up close, it was clear that the vehicle we were in was not a modern police car—not even in 1989. It was old, rusty, and worn down. If we had seen it in bright daylight without the high beams in our eyes, our characters would have known those guys were not actual cops instantly.

Off-Screen.

“I don’t like this,” Antoine said. I could see that he was trying to remove his handcuffs with pure strength. Of course, his efforts were in vain.

“I don’t think you’ll be able to do that off-screen,” I said. “If you can do it at all.”

Antoine thought for a moment. It was difficult to fight your instincts. “Dammit. You’re right. I did say I was a weightlifter, at least. Might help.”

I shrugged. “Can’t hurt. Dina should be out of hers soon.”

He nodded.

“But what about Kimberly? Those guys… they looked dangerous,” Antoine asked. “Did you see anything about their tropes?”

I shook my head. “The two with the masks were just called Grave Robbers. I assume they have a trope to stop them from being scoped out from the road when they come to grab Samantha. The other two looked like NPCs still, but I’m guessing that will change.”

Antoine nodded.

“We could try kicking out the window,” I suggested, pointing to the window beside Antoine. There were bars blocking us from getting into the front seat. Unfortunately, as soon as I said it, I knew it wouldn’t work. We were Captured on the red wallpaper. If my escape idea were plausible, I would have gotten a buff from my Escape Artist trope.

“Never mind,” I said.

“Gotta set you up for the TV buff, right?” Antoine asked.

I nodded. Raised by Television required the audience to know I was a Film Buff so that I could do some heroic stunt and get a boost for it. I wasn't sure we would get the chance to set it up with how fast the plot was moving.

“And Bobby has already gone into his role somewhere,” Antoine said. “Any idea when he’ll show back up? Do we know for sure?”

“Finale I think. Finale for Dina too,” I said.

He looked up ahead. I followed his gaze.

“Right on schedule,” I said.

Two of the men, the larger guy and the sheriff, were running in our direction. They were absolutely booking it with a panic in their eyes.

The sheriff reached the car, and we were suddenly On-Screen.

“God dammit,” he said as he opened the driver’s side door and got inside.

“What do I do?” the other man asked. I could see now his name was ‘Tank’ on the red wallpaper.

“Go find her!” the fake sheriff yelled. “Bring her to me!”

The sheriff reached to turn on the car and I realized that he had left the keys in the ignition. That would explain why he was in such a hurry to get back to us—he didn’t want Dina getting here first. Antoine and I couldn’t have reached them.

He drove the car up the driveway. We curved around until the thick woods cleared and we could see a large, worn-down plantation-style manor sitting upon a hill. The side panels had once been white, but they were now gray from weathering.

There were lights on in some of the rooms.

Lumber had been piled up under tarps outside as if someone were planning to renovate.

It didn’t look as decrepit as I was expecting from the look of the sign in Camden’s picture, but then the sign was technically thirty years older than the building, which I believed had been brought to Carousel back in 1989.

Standing in front of the building was a man I had not yet seen. He was arguing with the fake deputy, pointing his finger out in the distance, clearly ordering the deputy off.

I could see both of them clearly on the red wallpaper suddenly. I looked at the sheriff driving us. I could see him too.

We pulled up in front of the house and the sheriff opened his door.

“Got two of them right here, boss,” the fake sheriff said. His name on the red wallpaper was still Randall “Randy” Halloway. His Plot Amor was 19.

The man he had called “Boss” was called “Merritt Speirs,” Plot Armor 22.

Off-Screen.

I could see now that all of the enemies had three tropes in common: Desperation, Home-Lair Advantage, and Nowhere to Run.

Desperation

This villain is in a desperate situation. The worse their situation becomes, the more desperate and violent they will act. Debuffs Moxie and Savvy to buff Mettle and Hustle.

Home-Lair Advantage

The villain can travel freely, unnoticed due to their knowledge of the setting and its passages - both public and secret.

Nowhere to Run

The setting for this story is isolated. There is no one to ask for help within the story, and nowhere to go that the enemy will not find you.

That was a very concerning combination. Dina was supposed to find a way to get away and then stay off-screen until the Finale. That was the plan. The question was: would she be able to do it?

Each of the enemies had additional tropes that made them unique as well.

“The leader there and the crazy one are brothers,” I whispered to Antoine, though he could probably guess that from their last names. “Leader has a trope called ‘Avenger’ that triggers with the death of a loved one.”

“Ah. Kill the crazy one, the brother gets more dangerous,” Antoine said.

“That’s it.”

I told him about the tropes they all shared, but then we had to stop talking as we were suddenly On-Screen.

“Get out of the car,” the sheriff yelled as he pulled open the door of the cop car.

The sheriff grabbed me by the hair and pulled me out. The man called Tank had returned and was holding onto Antoine. They forced us around the house until we came across a storm shelter.

The leader, Merritt, opened the shelter and we were forced down into it. Kimberly and the NPC, Samantha, were already inside.

We fell down into the hole, hard. I couldn’t exactly catch myself with my hands handcuffed behind my back.

Then, I stared up at Merrick. The sky above was the color of blood. It would be night soon.

“We got no aim to harm you,” he said. “My crew and I come from a different path of life but we are still good believers, and we will not lay a finger on you as long as you do what you're told and you don't cause trouble. We'll be out of here in a few days’ time and then you can be on your way. As soon as our business here is finished it'll be like this never happened. But you gotta do what we say, got it?”

None of us responded. He didn’t wait for an answer.

The storm shelter door was closed. Everything went dark.

~-~

“Do you think Dina is okay?” Kimberly asked. “If they find her, she won’t just let them take her alive.”

We were still On-Screen so we were limited on what we could talk about.

“She’s probably halfway to Carousel by now,” Antoine said reassuringly. “She’ll have the real cops here soon; we’ll be okay.”

“Halfway to Carousel?” Samantha asked. “I hope she’s not going in that direction. Won’t find much.”

“What?” Kimberly asked. “I thought Carousel was just down the road.”

“Sure, it’s there, it’s just there’s no one there to help. Town’s been pretty much abandoned for decades now.”

Oh. The Carousel of this story wasn’t a midwestern college town or a bustling metropolis, it was a ghost town.

After all, we had Nowhere to Run. It might not matter. Dina was supposed to stick around and stay out of sight. We hadn’t planned on her running back to Carousel. I hoped she didn’t decide to.

“What is going on here?” Antoine asked.

Samantha was silent for a moment. The shelter was dark so I couldn’t quite see her, but then I heard her crying.

“I’m sorry for bringing you all here. I was just scared. And now you’re here with us too. We’re never going to leave.”

“It’s not your fault,” Kimberly said gently. “You couldn’t have known…”

I think Kimberly hugged her in the dark, or at least tried given the fact that her hands were bound behind her.

Whatever the case, Kimberly’s Moxie jumped up three points. Samantha, the level 50 NPC, must have had a trope that activated because Kimberly comforted her.

“We need to get your hands out in front of you,” Samantha said. “I don’t know how to break the locks, but if you can get your hands in front of you we will have a better chance.”

Samantha herself was not bound.

She walked us through, one at a time, stretching our arms down below our waists and sitting down, then trying to get our legs through the loop our arms made so that our arms could go all of the way around.

Kimberly got hers done quickly. Antoine, who worried his larger muscles would get in the way, took a little longer.

I wasn’t really built for it. I only managed to get my hands in front of me because the others helped me force them.

I had never played jump rope with my arms before. With that done, at least, we stood a chance.

~-~

The needle on the plot cycle was ticking closer to First Blood. This story was moving faster than any I had been in.

Not too long after we had our hands out in front of us, the door opened back up and the five figures we had seen were now standing before us. I finally got a good look at all of them on the red wallpaper.

Other than Desperation, Home-Lair Advantage, and Nowhere to Run, the kidnappers each had one or two unique tropes that defined their behavior. I tried to memorize everything so that I could predict what they would do.

Bradley Speirs

Plot Armor: 22

__________

A crazed assailant with a hyena’s laugh. He pretended to be a deputy to lure us into complying with him and his gang.

Tropes

Desperation

This villain is in a desperate situation. The worse their situation becomes, the more desperate and violent they will act. Debuffs Moxie and Savvy to buff Mettle and Hustle.

Appeal to Authority

This villain will first appear as an authority figure and will not be seen as an enemy until their true nature is discovered.

Home Lair Advantage

The villain can travel freely, unnoticed due to their knowledge of the setting and its passages - both public and secret.

Blood Joy

This villain is energized by carnage. Witnessing or participating in murder, mutilation, or similar buffs an assortment of stats.

Nowhere to Run

The setting for this story is isolated. There is no one to ask for help within the story, and nowhere to go that the enemy will not find you.

~

Tank

Plot Armor: 18

__________

A large man with a yellow bandana and a slow wit. He is loyal to Merritt but is willing to help out any of his fellow villains. He was one of the assailants originally chasing Samantha.

Tropes

Desperation

This villain is in a desperate situation. The worse their situation becomes, the more desperate and violent they will act. Debuffs Moxie and Savvy to buff Mettle and Hustle.

Figure in the Shadows

This villain will be unidentifiable before they are properly introduced in the story.

Home Lair Advantage

The villain can travel freely, unnoticed due to their knowledge of the setting and its passages - both public and secret.

Nowhere to Run

The setting for this story is isolated. There is no one to ask for help within the story, and nowhere to go that the enemy will not find you.

Hostage Taker

The villain will not outright kill the player in combat until the Final Battle, instead attempting to take them hostage for their specific purposes.

Just Following Orders

This villain will do whatever their leader says regardless of their own morality.

~

Merritt Speirs

Plot Armor: 22

__________

The leader of the outfit. He is cunning and has some really ambitious ideas, if only he could keep control of his beloved brother.

Tropes

Desperation

This villain is in a desperate situation. The worse their situation becomes, the more desperate and violent they will act. Debuffs Moxie and Savvy to buff Mettle and Hustle.

Home Lair Advantage

The villain can travel freely, unnoticed due to their knowledge of the setting and its passages - both public and secret.

Nowhere to Run

The setting for this story is isolated. There is no one to ask for help within the story, and nowhere to go that the enemy will not find you.

Avenger

This villain will pursue with a fury those who harm their friends or loved ones. They will receive relevant buffs in doing so.

~

Randall “Randy” Halloway

Plot Armor: 19

__________

Loyal, but not particularly impassioned. Randy follows orders and is smart enough not to blow his own toes off. Watch out.

Tropes

Desperation

This villain is in a desperate situation. The worse their situation becomes, the more desperate and violent they will act. Debuffs Moxie and Savvy to buff Mettle and Hustle.

Appeal to Authority

This villain will first appear as an authority figure and will not be seen as an enemy until their true nature is discovered.

Home Lair Advantage

The villain can travel freely, unnoticed due to their knowledge of the setting and its passages - both public and secret.

Nowhere to Run

The setting for this story is isolated. There is no one to ask for help within the story, and nowhere to go that the enemy will not find you.

Chatty Kathy

This villain was cursed with the gift of gab. Perhaps you can make them pay for it.

Just Following Orders

This villain will do whatever their leader says regardless of their own morality.

~

Tim

Plot Armor: 18

__________

He is the youngest member of the group and the least comfortable with what they are up to. There still might be a chance to reach him.

Tropes

Desperation

This villain is in a desperate situation. The worse their situation becomes, the more desperate and violent they will act. Debuffs Moxie and Savvy to buff Mettle and Hustle.

Figure in the Shadows

This villain will be unidentifiable before they are properly introduced in the story.

Home Lair Advantage

The villain can travel freely, unnoticed due to their knowledge of the setting and its passages - both public and secret.

Last Thread of Humanity

This villain is not yet a complete monster, but with one tiny push, they may become one. Free of their burden of conscience, they will be uninhibited in their pursuit of murder. When activated, buffs Mettle and Hustle.

Nowhere to Run

The setting for this story is isolated. There is no one to ask for help within the story, and nowhere to go that the enemy will not find you.

~-~

It was evident they had not found Dina, but our characters would not know that.

“Where is Dina?” I screamed.

“She’ll be back soon, I’m sure. We’ll find her. As a gesture of goodwill, I’m going to bring you inside. The basement has food, a place to sleep, and a restroom,” Merritt said. “Now don’t test us. We will not hesitate to get violent if we are provoked.”

The fake deputy Bradley leaned down into the shelter. If he noticed that we had our hands in front of us he didn’t say anything.

“One at a time,” he said with a devilish smile.

Kimberly went up first.

Whatever was going to happen would happen soon. The needle on the plot cycle was practically on First Blood.

As Bradley lifted Kimberly up, he leaned down and whispered something in her ear.

I couldn’t hear what it was, but she took it as an opportunity. She headbutted him in the face. He maintained his grasp on her with one hand and backhanded her in the face with the other.

With that, the clock started. For every minute Kimberly survived, the weaker the enemies would become.

But they had firearms. I wasn’t sure how long any of us could last.

As soon as he hit her, Antoine was up and out of the shelter. He bounded upon the fake sheriff, the only character other than the deputy we had seen with a gun.

Antoine knocked him to the ground and kicked the gun from his hand.

Samantha was out of the shelter next, then me.

“You stupid girl!” Merritt yelled after Samantha as she ran away.

I jumped on the gun that the fake sheriff had dropped and pointed it out in front of me. I pointed it at Merritt.

“Let us go!” I screamed.

Merritt looked at me with an annoyed expression. He walked closer to me and moved to grab the gun.

I pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

“You caught us,” Merritt said. “We’re what you might say… preserving ammunition right now. I told you all we didn’t mean you any harm at all. Didn't even load the guns. This can all work out in everyone’s favor.”

He grabbed something from within his waistband.

“This one does have ammunition,” he said as he fired the gun into the air. “So I advise you to listen up.”

Tank had gotten ahold of Antoine again and Bradley was still holding on to Kimberly.

They forced each of us to our knees.

“Now I told you I was a believer and I’m gonna show it right now by forgiving you. We’re going to take you down to the basement. When you get there, tell the man downstairs how reasonable I was despite your indiscretions. That’s all I ask.”

He put the gun back in his waistband.

“Now,” he said to his men. “Get them down into the basement and then find th—”

Bang.

A gun went off.

I turned to see Bradley, the fake deputy with the demented laugh. He was still aiming the gun down at Kimberly, who lay strewn out on the ground.

Antoine broke free from Tank and lunged at Bradley but it was too late.

She was dead.

Antoine got several good hits on the Deputy’s face and gut. The man cried out in pain at each blow but also laughed a sickly laugh after each one. There was only so much Antoine could do in handcuffs.

Before Antoine could exact further vengeance on the deputy, Tank, grabbed him and kneeled down on him. He was pinned.

“What did you do that for?” Merritt screamed at his brother. He came and grabbed him. It looked like he would strangle him. “Don’t you understand what you just did?”

“She broke my nose. We was gonna kill ‘em anyway later. You said so,” the Deputy protested.

“We needed the guy downstairs to trust that we wouldn’t hurt him or his daughter while he makes the withdrawal, that we were men of our word. Reasonable. Now, you went and ruined that. You idiot. If he thinks we’re psycho killers he’s just gonna go to the police,” Merritt cursed loudly, “You can’t control it for ten minutes?”

“Merritt, I didn’t think about it like that,” he said, as Merritt lay into him with a punch of his own. “Merritt, I’m sorry.”

Merritt turned to the man who had dressed as a sheriff. “I told you to watch him! Who gave him bullets anyway?”

“He must have swiped them himself,” the fake sheriff protested. “Honest. I didn’t have any to give him. It was like you said. We were saving ‘em.”

Antoine reached out for Kimberly’s fallen body while Merritt screamed in frustration.

“It’s just one thing after another. This was a simple shakedown. Threaten the guy’s daughter, and get money. How do you manage to screw that up?” Merritt screamed.

“I’m sorry Merritt, I didn’t think about it like that. She did break my nose though; I wasn’t lying about that.”

“I don’t give a damn about your broken nose!” Merritt screamed. “Now we’ve got a mess on our hands.”

Kimberly had only survived for a couple of minutes or so. Enough to drop them down a single point. Maybe the trope rounded up.

As Antoine and I struggled to free ourselves, an increasingly disheveled Merritt paced back and forth, his hand on his waistband right next to his gun.