Nan runs down the hall, heading for Room 114.
She considers pressing the elevator call button, but just as she begins to pass the elevator, it chimes on its own
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Nan runs down the hall, heading for Room 114.
She considers pressing the elevator call button, but just as she begins to pass the elevator, it chimes on its own
Nan continues running down the hall.
Room 111...
Room 112...
Room 113...
Room 114.
Room 115 is locked, and Nan doesn't have the key!
Something rattles the chains on the door beside her.
Nan calls out, asking if the presence behind the door is Henry.
There is no verbal response -- just more rattling of chains.
Nan continues running down the hall. These are the last two doors.
There's a window at the very end of the hall, some distance after the door to Room 117, but for some reason it's dark outside.
Nan tries the door to Room 116.
The lights go out.
Nan stumbles, trying to find her way.
Something is approaching in the darkness, making soft, shuffling noises.
The window should be at the end of the hall. It would be relatively easy to find.
Nan fumbles and draws out the ALARM CLOCK, but it provides no real illumination!
The door to Room 117 opens.
A hurried voice comes from the other side, telling Nan to get inside!
Nan hesitates only for a moment, and then dives into Room 117, spinning around to see an unfamiliar man close and bolt the door.
Nan tries to catch her breath.
The man nods calmly, and tries to reassure her.
He says it's all right, she's safe now.
Nan freaks out and begins demanding answers in a panic. The man places a hand on her shoulder and nods once, saying she's had a bad scare, but she's going to be okay. He says she shouldn't worry. Just calm down, and keep her voice down.
The man from Room 117 introduces himself as Pablo.
Nan takes a deep breath and sits on the bed, trying to calm herself. Pablo sits as well. He places the FIRE AXE on the bedside dresser, evidently having noticed Nan's worried looks at it. He assures her he would never use it on a person.
After a few moments, Nan takes a breath and asks quietly what's going on.
Pablo answers calmly.
He tells Nan there's a blackout in the hall, but as long as the lights are on in here, they're safe.
Nan demands to know exactly WHAT they're safe from. Pablo tells her to calm down again.
He says in the time that he's been here, he hasn't figured out exactly what those things are. But when the lights go out, they find their way in.
Those uninvited things.
He tries to reassure Nan. He tells her that in the light, nothing can hurt her.
Did whatever it is behind the dresser on the right just change?
Nan asks if Pablo is sure nothing can hurt her in the light.
He pauses, glancing down, then quietly admits he is not completely certain. But it certainly has seemed that way from what he's observed in the past.
Nan jumps suddenly, pointing at the dresser. She tells Pablo something has moved behind it.
Pablo asks Nan if she's sure she saw something.
Nan is certain she saw something. Pablo grabs his axe and holds it at the ready, and on his signal, Nan pulls the dresser back quickly.
...there's a rat sniffling behind the dresser, near a small rathole where an outlet used to be.
The rat, discovered, quickly scurries into the hole.
Nan asks Pablo if these things might be attacking the wiring, forcing blackouts.
Pablo says he thinks the blackouts aren't purely electrical... that he knows Nan is new here, but surely even she can tell there is more at work here than bad wiring.
Nan asks Pablo how long he's been here, and what the date and time are.
He says he doesn't know how long he's been here -- maybe seven or eight days. He says when he came here, it was the 14th of October, and when Nan arrived it was the 24th, so he's been here for ten days.
Pablo shrugs at her response. He says it's hard to keep track of time in this place.
Before Nan can question more about the rathole, Pablo asks her if she's hungry.
Nan's still feeling sated from the pizza this morning.
Nan says she's not hungry now, but it would be good to have something for later. Or at least know where she could get food around here.
Pablo stands, nodding. He says he is going to go to the Janitor's closet and see if there's any canned food left there. That's what he's been eating since he got here.
But it's dangerous, and he asks Nan to wait here. She'll be safe.
Splitting up rarely works well....
Nan grabs Pablo by the shoulders and insists that he not leave her alone. There is strength in numbers, after all. If they split up, Pablo could be in danger too.
Pablo assures Nan he's done this before, that he knows what this place is like. She doesn't know what she's up against ye