Issue 1 Downtime

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 12:25 pm**

"I don't know you're you either," he pointed out, approaching carefully.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:21 pm**

"I don't care. I have to trust something right now and that's you two. Otherwise I'll..." Go even more insane? "...I'll lose my mind."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:24 pm**

Miss McManus wasn't quite looking like herself. It was probably the first time he'd seen her with her hair down, frazzled and streaming down her back. There was blood down the front of her dress, and on the hand she was still fussing with the handkerchief. She eyed Steve warily.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:51 pm**

The sight of the bloody dress made him freeze, threatening to wrench free the emotions that had been suppressed by terror. His knees suddenly felt weak and he grabbed the wall for support.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:53 pm**

"How do we make this stop?" she asks, somehow having convinced herself that Steve would know. Someone had to, right?

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:01 pm**

"It started when I went to... to..."

It was suddenly too much to even stand and he fell to his knees, sobbing.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:05 pm**

"When what?" She pressed. "How do we get back?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:15 pm**

"I went." Sniff. "To talk to... my parents... and... they..."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:35 pm**

"Oh no... oh god no... What happened?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:39 pm**

"They're d-dead... they've... been dead the whole time."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 2:57 pm**

She blanched.

"But... how?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 3:19 pm**

"The same way you didn't know you were leaving when I first met you. Or... first met you here. Or maybe not even that..."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 3:26 pm**

"This place... it's in our heads..."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 3:34 pm**

"I can't do this right now. I just... I can't..."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 3:36 pm**

"What choice do we have?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:52 pm**

"I can't deal with this when those things are still about."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 4:57 pm**

"But how do we make it stop?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:00 pm**

He wiped his eyes with his sleeve as he thought over how the door to their... his room had shut behind him and not even his key would open it. Then for some reason he had tried that weird looking key. It had worked, but then everything went...

A light went on in his head and he pulled the strange thing out, holding it up triumphantly.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:05 pm**

"Did you find what that unlocks?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:17 pm**

"The looking glass," he said as he stood. He approached the nearby door to the game room, across from the ballroom.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:19 pm**

"...this is no time for riddles."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:29 pm**

He stuck the key in and gave it a turn.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:29 pm**

As Steve does this, the ballroom's large double doors bulge and creak as the dancers beyond ram it.

The game room doors open to reveal a more familiar state of things.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:38 pm**

Nailah winces at the dancers pressing against the door but looks relieved to see the normalcy of the hotel beyond the doors Steve just opened.

"That's it! That's the way back!" she says, hurrying through.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:39 pm**

Samantha too dashed after Nailah through the door.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:46 pm**

Steve followed them through.

"Quick! Close the doors!" he said, grabbing one.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:50 pm**

Nailah nods and takes the other, slamming it close.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:52 pm**

And Samantha managed a few deep breaths before leaning against the wall and shuddering deeply.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:01 pm**

After a moment, Steve peeked back into the hall.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:02 pm**

All is normal.

Relatively.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:08 pm**

"Oh thank god..." she says, falling down on her knees and sitting down.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:11 pm**

She looked down at herself and began to tremble again.

"I... I just..."

"...I need to go."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:16 pm**

"Sam wait. We... we need to figure out what's happening here."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:17 pm**

"Stop... stop calling me that... you don't know me..."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:18 pm**

He left the door and eased down against a wall. Through the incredible relief, a question insisted to be asked.

"...where the hell are we?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:25 pm**

"No, you're right, I don't. But it still sounds right to me and I... I need to know why. I don't know where we are, I'm not even sure how I got here anymore."

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:33 pm**

"Then just... let me get clean," she pleaded.

"You... you can..." her mind reeled. "...you can wait in my room?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 6:40 pm**

"O-okay. I just don't want this to happen again to one of us..."

"Stay here with the key, Mister Jones. That means you'll be safe, right? We'll be back soon and try to understand what's happening.

Posted: **Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:42 pm**

Nowhere here is really safe.

"A-alright..." he nodded.

Issue 1 Downtime

Stay close to me...

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