On a Midnight Dreary

[armeggedonCounselor†]

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
`Sir,' said I, `or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you' - here I opened wide the door; -
Darkness there, and nothing more.
-The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe

((Kaitlyn Williamson, continued from Sup, Nerds?))

Kaitlyn wasn't certain why she had decided to go to the haunted house. She didn't particularly like them. People jumping out at her in weird costumes and screaming made her kicking leg twitch. Still, it seemed like a good idea to get inside as night fell. And for some reason the haunted house seemed like a good idea.

Kaitlyn was not sure why it had seemed like that.

The door to the employee entrance had been locked tight, but the wooden jamb was full of dry rot and had been chewed on by some form of insect. It yielded to a couple solid kicks, the door creaking as it swung open. The interior of the building smelled of dust, and was dark as the moonless night falling around her. She paused on the threshold, certainly not afraid. No, she was simply... cautious. And her mouth was dry due to dust and lack of water, definitely not fear. She pulled her bag around and dug through it, looking for water. Her hand closed on something hard and plastic, and she pulled from her bag... a flashlight. She dimly remembered seeing it when she was searching her bag earlier, but it hadn't really registered. She flicked the switch, the powerful beam cutting through the darkness into the building. The light revealed dusty counters and clouded mirrors - a dressing room, for the monstrous actors to get into character. Kaitlyn stepped inside cautiously, looking around. She spied a light switch on the wall, and reached out to flick it on instinct. Of course, nothing happened. She had suspected as much.

She heard a loud creak and spun, light waving wildly. She waited, heart hammering rapidly. Still nothing came toward her out of the darkness. "Just the building settling," she said, trying (and failing) to ignore the fearful waver in her voice. She stood for a second, willing her heartbeat to slow down. It didn't work, but the act did make her feel more calm. She turned and pushed the door as closed as it would go with its broken jamb. It would be obvious to anyone with eyes that the door had been broken open, but it made her feel a little better that way. She turned into the building and strode forward, to explore the abandoned building.

[armeggedonCounselor†]

Kaitlyn dozed fitfully, slumped against a wall. Every time the building creaked, she jolted up, looking around wildly before settling back down. So, when the announcement came, she was awake in moments. She half-listened as she began stretching, until she heard Dan's name. His name on the list of dead surprised her. He must have died only a few hours after they parted the day before. She hadn't expected it to happen so soon. She- wait. What had the announcement just said about danger zones?

Her collar began beeping.

"Fuck."

Kaitlyn grabbed her bag, and bolted out the door, sprinting away from the amusement park and into the woods, her collar's incessant beeping driving her steps.

((Kaitlyn Williamson concluded in Check Out My New Weapon, Weapon Of Choice))