tampered | but dogs can look up

but dogs can look up

When; The afternoon into the evening of January 2nd... spanning sundown >:]
Rating; Rated G for Ghouls. Wait no. Let's say PG-13, maybe even R.
Characters; Anyone. EVERYONE. Get up in here!
Summary; A normal evening at one of the City's bars turns into ~~Shaun of the Dead~~ a ghoul attack.
Log;

[ While many of the City's denizens may have been growing gradually more anxious since the new year struck, a certain ominous paranoia closing in around them, life does not stop or even slow down for nerves. And without any tangible evidence of something amiss, it's easy for those who have been more actively occupied to bury themselves, all but missing the early warning signs of whatever may be closing in.

And so it is that one may find oneself out this evening, in the last hours of dusk before darkness falls over the City, unwinding over an after-work drink or grabbing an easy dinner. Of course, if one were to linger too long... | ]

[ Momentarily posting time divided threads, to indicate before and after sundown. Feel free to mingle before dark, or have your characters' ghoulish guests arrive after the sun goes down... ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Penny was going to stay at the Welcome Center, but she keeps thinking something--or someone--is watching her. It's giving her the heebie jeebies and she's not all that keen on hanging out with just the dogs and Lucretia for company.

She ends up ducking into the first drinking establishment that looks moderately well-populated. It's lovely to see Wilson there.]

James, hey! [Wait. He looks like he's seen a ghost.] James?

[ He does pull his gaze away from the window, eventually, to look at Penny, though he's still looks quite shaken. ]

Penny-- hi. Sorry, I was just...

[ And he looks back toward the window and frowns. ]

I thought I saw someone.

[She glances over at the window that was so intriguing Wilson. Although Penny doesn't see anything, the mere fact that someone else is a little on edge is enough to cause some concern.]

No problem.

[Problem.]

Maybe you did--see someone, I mean. Things have been creepy all day and the dogs wouldn't stop barking.

[Yeah, problem. He glances back towards the window again, but whatever was there isn't there now.]

Really?

[He sighs, shifting a bit, uncomfortably.]

I've felt... something has just been off, all day. I just didn't really think anything of it.

Really really.

[She gets up to look out the window properly. It might be dark out, but it's not so dark that she wouldn't be able to see something moving around.]

Something's off alright. I'd think I was just paranoid if it weren't for the dogs, but...

[There's something Wilson really doesn't like about Penny being near the window. So he gets up as well, staying protectively near her.]

That's what I thought, too... that I was just being paranoid.

[And then something moves outside, and Wilson leans in towards the glass.]

Wait... that's not--

[His eyes narrow in examination, and then widen.]

Danny?

[She squints into the dark. There's definitely a person there...]

Danny? Who's Danny?

He's... my brother.

[He frowns. And then the figure draws closer, more of the scarce light falls on him, and the rot is visible - he's not badly decayed, but he is most certainly, visibly dead. And Wilson positively recoils, pulling back from the window in anguished shock and horror.]

That-- I-- he can't...

[Yeah there is not a complete sentence forthcoming. The words trail off and Wilson is left staring, slack-jawed and taking gasping breaths.]

[She had no idea Wilson had a brother. Before she can comment on this information, the monster--person--becomes more visible. Penny takes a step back, half terrified and half... curious? That's not quite the word.]

James?

[She turns her back on the window and the whatever-it-is outside to grab Wilson's hands, trying to bring him back to earth.]

[He grasps back after a moment, pulling his eyes off of Danny to look at her.]

He's not-- he can't be dead, I--

[Of course, he can. Wilson hasn't seen him in years. Danny stops just shy of the window and glares directly at Wilson... then throws himself against the glass. Wilson, unsurprisingly, flinches, his grasp on Penny tightening in urgency.]

We have to get out of here.

[Penny screams when the man throws himself at the window (she thinks it's forgivable in this instance).]

But he's--he's out there, where do we run?

[It most certainly is forgivable.]

I don't know, we're-- ["we're trapped" are not words he wants to say] ... is there another way out?

[A back door? It's probably not likely, in this little hole in the wall. He's glancing around, when Danny throws himself against the window again. Wilson jumps, and pulls back from it. They at least need to get away from the window, but cornering themselves further is hardly wise.

The bar isn't entirely deserted, either - the crowds have thinned, certainly, but they're not entirely alone here. They're hardly the only ones in danger.]

I don't think so...

[Penny is more than happy to put distance between Wilson and herself and the window. She won't admit that they're trapped, either. And on the bright side, if there's only one door, there are only so many ways a creepy rotting person can get inside.

The other patrons seem to be realizing that something's not quite right, too.]

Okay. We need to stay calm and think.

Yes. Right. If-- if we can... blockade it, somehow--

[Of course he can't tear his eyes away from Danny, even as he shrinks back and tries to think. And then... then Danny strikes again - and the window breaks.

Cue absolute panic.]

[Okay, the rotting person breaking in through the window definitely warrants another scream. Penny isn't inherently brave or capable of acting in the face of zombies, but she can latch on to Wilson.

So much for the blockade idea.

And English sentences.]

[She's not the only one who screamed, though Wilson's is a shorter, startled yelp. Latching on is fine with him, too; he latches back, tightly, and pulls them both away from the grotesque likeness of his brother that's scraping through the broken glass.

So much for that, indeed.

Since he's got Penny - quite literally, he's scanning the scrambling, thinned crowd for anyone else he knows that's still there. Namely, he knows that House was still around the last he saw.

Of course, even as he looks around, moving backward, that ghoul is pulling himself through and towards them.]

[Penny can't help but notice that the angry person seems to be coming directly at them.]

Why is he after you?

I don't know.

[But it might be because it's sort of Wilson's fault that Danny ran away and became homeless and presumably died at some point thereafter. Super.

They can talk about that at a time that is not now.

Or never would also be okay.

For right now now, he's still got one arm around Penny - he's protective, okay? - and is grabbing with the other for something to fend Danny off with. He finds... a cue from the bar's pool table. Well, that would probably work. Keeping his eye on Danny, glancing away only momentarily now and again to look out for House, he backs up from the approaching ghoul.

And in spite of that protective arm, one thing has become totally clear to him.]

Penny... you probably want to get away from me.

[Never is okay. Penny can do never.

What she can't do is get away and hang out while Wilson gets attacked. She's already terrified and playing damsel-in-distress; being a helpless bystander isn't something she wants to add to tonight's experience. Penny took a bunch of self-dense lessons when Derek was in the City. She can totally handle this.]

I really don't. I could... I don't know, distract it, then you could hit it?

[Never it is!

He's raised the pool cue with his free arm, holding it between them and the approaching ghoul. He'd really rather Penny not volunteer herself as a taunt. Not that they have a lot of time to argue.]

You're saying you want to be bait?

[He is pretty incredulous. Just saying.]

[This truly is a bad time and place for arguing. Regardless:]

I don't want to be, but I'm not ditching you and I don't think either of us'll come up with a better plan in the next five seconds.

[She's serious, Wilson. She also has great faith in Wilson's ability to render a zombie-thing harmless with a pool cue.]

[That he just frowns at.]

I really wish you'd ditch me.

[But he sighs. They don't have time to press the issue.]

All right... if you're sure.

[And he tightens his grasp on the pool cue. Yeah. This is gonna go well.]

Well... too bad.

[That wasn't the wittiest rejoinder. She needs to work on those at a time that isn't now. Now is a time for doing... whatever it is she's doing.

Which is taking off one of her shoes and hobbling to the thing's other side. It's focus is still on Wilson.]

Hey!

[And this spectacular phase of the plan culminates in Penny throwing her shoe at the monster's head (her aim is pretty good). The other shoe is coming off just in case she has to, like, bludgeon the thing with her heel or something.]

[ While the ghoul stays focused on Wilson rather intently, it does react to the shoe being thrown at it. It lets out a sound not entirely unlike a his as it heads toward Penny.

Which Wilson is not very happy about, even if it was the plan he was sort of forced into reluctantly accepting. His part is of the utmost importance; he lifts the pool cue and slams it down, hard, on the ghoul's head - even though he cringes visibly while he does so.

Now, though, the ghoul continues to advance on Penny... so he repeats the bludgeoning. ]

[At least it works.

Unfortunately, it works and that is a hissing zombie coming at her. Wilson's initial hit with the pool cue doesn't do nearly as much to faze it as she might have hoped (and poor Wilson--that can't be easy for him). Penny holds her second shoe up defensively.]

Wilson...?

but dogs can look up

open hi breaking time is cool

SMASH.

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