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Night 11: Recap

Page history last edited by cazares911@... 7 years, 5 months ago

Collateral Damage, Part Eleven: 12 / IT / Creepshow / The Dark Tower / Under the Dome

 

   The Sewers   

 

     Jade, Robin, Ginger, Fred and Cujo take Christine to join the adult Loser's Club and head into the sewers.   Derry's weathermen were wrong.  The storm is not twelve hours away.  The storm is happening now.  Cujo stays behind in Christine.  Everyone else heads down into the sewers to confront Punchinello and IT. A large egg trap Jack in the Box explodes into hundreds of elongated arms and propels the group in different directions.  

     Jade finds herself alone.  The snowstorm far above sounds like bombs.  The entire sewer system shudders.  The farther down Jade goes the warmer it becomes.  Jade gets a telepathic message from Ginger, she's terrified but communicates she is,  "Deep in the sewer.  It’s close.  It’s calling to me.  I’m neck deep in freezing water.  Please tell Robin I love him.  Oh, God, there’s … there’s  … half eaten … partially eaten dead children everywhere.  They’re all floating.  They’re all floating down here". 
  Jade goes  deeper and deeper searching for Ginger or anyone else.   She finds someone.  Jade has a flashlight but can't quite make out who it is.  He calls out, "It's me.  I'm in the Loser's club" but Jade's danger sense goes off and she can tell this man is about to attack.  It's Henry Bowers,the psychopathic school and neighborhood bully and the secondary main antagonist in IT.  He terrorizes the Loser's Club when they are young in the 50's and returns in the 80's to attack them again and again. 

     Henry pulls a blade and tries to stab Jade but she's ready for him and blasts him with a neuro attack.  He goes down.  Jade checks his wounds and does first aid to make sure he won't die, and leaves him behind.  After a while she finds Freddy in full Foxbat costume.  He says he saw Robin get swallowed by one of the Langoliers.  Using the enhanced senses in his helmet he is able to navigate the sewers and find Ginger. 

      

     The Creepshow

 

   Jason, Mateo, Sam, Bridgette, Martina and Caught1 enter the large Creepshow tent.  Inside is a run down city of tents with three "Paths" through it.  The Francesco Lintini, "King" path.  Mr Lintini was a freak born with three legs, sixteen toes  and two sets of genitalia.  He was so respected amongst his fellow "freak" performers he was sometimes referred to simply as "The King".  The other two paths were named after "camel girl" Ella Harper and the Wild Men of Broeno, respectively. 

     PC's chose the King path.  As they followed it the tent walls closed in on them but they all felt as if they were fueled with will and skill but had a difficult time moving or flying around.  They encountered the knife throwers who punctured all four of Caught1's tires.  The PC's beat the knife throwers down and crushed their tent so more would not appear.  He plunged into darkness and fell down into the sewers were he landed in a large splash of freezing water and floating children's parts.  

     Quickly realizing there was nothing they could do to find Sam the others moved on. Soon thereafter they came across a closed tent flap with a ridiculously large combination lock baring the way.  Mateo, consulting his, "Dear Mateo" letter found the line, "And then, Three Streets. Four Steps.  Midnight." and used the numbers 3, 4, 12 to open the lock.

     The tent flap opened to reveal semi worked tunnels that went down.  The PC's followed them but Caught1 was left behind. They descended into the dark tunnels that ... suddenly, around a corner, transformed into a hallway.

     The hallway was kitchy orange,  yellow and faded red.  At the far end was a large brass elevator.  The tapestries on the walls were out of place though.  They depicted large scale battles of elves and goblins and zombies.

     It was clearly the Overlook Hotel and that was clearly the elevator that was about to open and gush insane amounts of blood into the corridor.  In fact, the elevator was descending.   There was a door to open, a possible escape.  PC's tried it but it lead into the kitchen of the Overlook.  No way out there.

     The elevators opened and a flood of blood poured out.  The PC's ran down a side hallway and ended up in a gymnasium locker room from the 70's.  The school bathroom in Carrie.   The blood followed.  Sam had a hunch that he could get out through the drain and he wiped off the small shower drain.  The drain collapsed underneath him and he fell, fell, fell into the sewers below.

     The blood flowed down the huge gaping, endless pit left behind when Sam smashed open the drain.  After the blood flow ended and the last drop drained away (completing the Carrie has her period in the bathroom metaphor), Mateo, Jason, Martina and Bridgette decided to escape out the elevator. 

     But before they did that, Martina started freaking out. She had been taken over by the hotel (or fear) and slipped into the roll of Wendy Torrence and she was terrified of Mateo who she kept calling "Jack" and, "the caretaker".  Martina even tried to get Bridgette away from Mateo so she could flee from them.  She eventually just ran away from him.  He followed.  She got to a staircase and slowly backed up it, sobbing and begging to be left alone.  Mateo slowly followed her and tried to talk her out of it (whatever "it" was).  In fact, Mateo got a little angry with her but kept telling her, "I'm not going to hurt you". 

     The moment seemed to pass and she docilely went were Mateo told her to.  They used the elevator to get out and the ended up in the room of mirrors. They were back in the tent rooms, in the Creepshow.

     Scaffolding was built in a half circle around the tent room. Ten feet up on the scaffolding were ten wooden man sized creates.  Each crate had a large panel of wood that swiveled from one side to the other.  On one side there was a painting of a clown.  On the other side was blank wood.  Each Clown Box was directly above one of the mirrors.  Each mirror showed the location of .... someplace else.   One of the mirrors showed a field of roses leading up to a Dark Tower.  Clearly, there was a way to access them mirrors and pass through them to the location they showed. 

     If only they knew how.

    

   The Sewers   

 

     Jade and Foxbat go deeper into the sewers, searching for Ginger.  Jade has a psychic flash the Loser's Club started their Ritual of CHUD.   Jade could tell it wasn't time to start the ritual with her group, not yet anyway.  It wasn't long after that Jade and Foxbat found the true lair of ... IT?  Punchinello?   They find ginger in a giant web.  Thousands of tiny spiders crawl in and out of her hair, mouth and clothing.  She's in a coma.  Foxbat tries to free her when someone is dropped from above and splashes into one of the horrible sewer pools (filled with freezing water, blood and children body parts). 

     It was Sam.  He landed, submerged and immediately pulled himself out. They all exchanged stories but didn't have long to consider their next action.  A large spider was moving through the web.  Foxbat went to free Ginger while Jade and Sam fought the spider. 

     The spider turned out to be fake.  It split open like a toy.  Eventually the demonic looking Punchinello clown attacked them with horrible toys and ... the Ritual of CHUD started.  Jade reached out to Jason and Mateo, even though there were not near by and telepathically asked if they were ready to join the Ritual.

     Mateo joined, Jason, insecure from the very begging, does not join.

     

 The Ritual of CHUD

 

     A psychic battle of will and Id.  A telepathic onslaught of memories, faith and belief.  Mateo is bombarded with thoughts of the past, Sam's will is confronted with mysteries and unanswered questions, Jade is bombarded with lives saved and lost, Foxbat is assailed with his wrongdoings and the damage and harm he has caused but ... without Ginger and Jason the outcome is never truly in question.

 

Punchinello easily wins the Ritual of CHUD.

 

The Sewers   

 

     The Ritual begins and ends instantly.  Everyone loses.  Just as Punchinello gains the upper hand the Langloliers attack.  Punchinello is swallowed and then the Langolier turns on itself, both are removed from space and time.  Sam, Foxbat (carrying Ginger) and Jason flee the sewers and run into the blizzard above.  The can hear the chainsaw maws of the Langoliers closing in on them.

     The PC's plunge forward into white silence.

 

     The Creepshow

 

   The tent room of mirrors and clown boxes has a secret.  The clown boxes have a direct connection to a specific mirror.  If you make the correct connection by identifying the clown, you can open a portal to the mirror.   As Jason, Mateo, Martina (much calmer now) and Bridgette (taken over by Tony) ponder the room something happens.

     One of the mirrors was reflecting pure white and radiated cold.  Suddenly, from that mirror, Sam, Jade, Foxbat and Ginger fall out. They are covered in snow and freezing but relatively okay (except for Ginger, who is catatonic).   After discussing the clown boxes and the mirrors with the new comers Mateo has Foxbat crawl into the clown box that is directly above the mirror showing the Dark Tower. Foxbat disappears into the clown box and does not return.  They don't see him appear in the Dark Tower mirror.  He's just gone. 

     Then the clown boxes all rotate and a voice over a loud speaker announced names of clowns.  Each box has a different looking clown with a different name.  And then the game begins.  After one rotation where the voice tells the PC's what the clowns names are it begins again.  PC's are forced to remember the names of a dozen separate clowns and each time they get the answer wrong, one of the mirrors cracks and explodes. 

     Finally, they get through the game.  Four of the mirrors are destroyed including the one that showed the Dark Tower.  They only have one thing left to try.  The bronze key.   Jason, in fey form is able to use the key in the mirror that reflects a blue forest.  It unlocks the portal and two ancient, powerful elven spear sorcerers step into the tent room.  The room vibrates with their power.  They are clearly unhappy to be ... here.  Using their spears they direct everyone else away and say to Jason, "Come with us. We can only keep this portal open for a moment.  They are not welcome but you are.  You are half fey, half human.  You should be with us in the undying lands. Come.  You must choose now".

     Jason declines and stays with the group.  The elves immediately move back through the portal and then  the mirror with the blue forest shatters.

     There are only five mirrors left and one of them has the cold white light they know to be a portal back into the perfect storm. 

     Suddenly, Kirby runs out of one of the mirrors.  He crashes into a mirror on the far side smashing that one.  Kirby picks up the remains of the broken mirror, turns and flings it back at the  mirror he just came out of.  That mirror smashes too.  Mr. Rush is on the ground in a bloody mess.  Kirby was carrying him but dropped him as they came through the mirror.  He's obviously dead.

     But ... no ... Jade heals him and stables him for the  moment.  She doesn't know how long he'll last though. Tension mounts between Kirby and Mateo but winds down.  Everyone can hear the sound of Caught1's engines roaring but they don't know where it's coming from.  Finally, Caught1 and Carrie blast through the tent wall, take out the remaining mirrors and skid to a halt.  Doors pop open and everyone gets inside a car.  Sam puts Ginger in the back seat of Carrie where she is next to Cujo. Jason gets in the passenger side. 

     Mateo gets in the driver side of Caught1 with Martina and Bridgette in the passenger side and Kirby and Jade in the back seat with Mr. Rush across their laps.  The cars drive and drive and drive.  They pass through the blizzard, pass out of Derry and continue driving until there is nothing in front of them but white silence.  Behind them can be seen a writing mass of colossal white tentacles folding in on itself.  A mass of writing white horror where Derry once was. 

     The radio picks up one channel.  The Running Man.  Sounds like the show is over.  No more episodes.  Then the radio picks up ... the Loser's Club.   They can be heard talking about IT and how it ... wasn't there. Then the radio goes out and plays nothing but static.

     The white silence drives goes on for hours.  People drift off to sleep.  The horrors fade.  Mr. Rush gets worse.  Cujo has to poop but after a brief conversation with Jason (who can speak to animals when in fey form) decides to hold it. 

     Suddenly, a huge white tentacle of ice reaches up from the writing mass behind them, rises up into the heavens and smashes down like a great tsunami.  Sam, through blind luck, swerves enough so that Carrie avoids being crushed.  But Carrie flips.  Again and again and again.   Jason managers to get out of the car immediately the first flip and isn't seriously wounded, Sam, Ginger and Cujo are not so lucky.

     All three or bruised, bloodied, gashed, smashed and crushed. 

 

     Caught1 avoided the ice tentacle but runs full speed into the invisible dome.  Caught1 is obliterated.  Martina goes through the front windshield and smashes full force into the dome.  She's pulverized.  Mateo barely manages to grab Bridgette and he shields her from the brunt of the wreck but she just a little kid and she's seriously wounded.  Kirby is banged and Mateo are banged up but neither is even bloodied in the crash.  The benefit of bulletproof skin.  Jade, with a spot of danger sense and her enhanced dexterity is able to roll out and avoid damage. 

 

     Caught1 is smashed into pieces but it did a tremendous amount of force damage to the dome and shattered a portion of it.  But the dome is already repairing itself.  Jason catches up with them and they all push, pull, shove or dive through the rapidly repairing dome. Everyone makes it all the way except for Kirby who has is right foot sliced off when the dome seals.  Jade heals the wound shut and the wounded, broken party limps forward.

 

Elsewhere ...

 

     Sam wakes up.  He is being pulled through the vast, white silence. All he can feel is pain but that's not what woke him up.  Dog shit.  The smell of dog shit woke him up.  Sam's eyes flutter open, he's being pulled by strong hands.  She's in a nurses uniform.  In one hand she pulls him, using the other she drags Ginger.  She doesn't notice you are awake.     

     Sam glances behind.  There is a form in the white void.  A large, furry, canine.

     "Don't worry", the dog seems to say.  "I've got your scent now.   I won't leave you. I'm a good dog."

     Sam loses consciousness.

 

     Sometime later, Sam wakes up.  He's immobilize. Broken ribs, fractured shoulder.  He can hear a woman talking, "Oh! You're awake!  I'm so glad!  You're Sam, right?  Sam Shade!  I know all your cases!  Followed you in the papers forever!  You're great, Sam!  I'm your number one fan!".

 

Elsewhere ...

 

     Mateo carries Bridgette, she's catatonic and Tony hasn't made an appearance in a while. Jason, in giant form, walks behind Mateo and carries Kirby and Mr. Rush's body.  Jade carries Martina's body. Everyone travels in silence for a while.   There is nothing but a small road leading into white silence ... no ... there is something.  A single house in the middle of the vast white nothing.  PC's go to the house.  When they near the door it opens wide and a slender red headed woman yells out, "Quick! Get in!  They're everywhere!".

     PC's run inside and the red head closes the door behind them.  She yells upstairs.  "Their are survivors!". 

     A man comes quickly downstairs. 

     And this man is directly responsible for everything you have gone through.

     And he's Stephen King's co author on the upcoming novel, "Collateral Damage".

     And he has plans to kill you all. 

     Well, not all of you. And it's not really his plan.  But it is.

     Anyway. He's going to let one of you live.     

     And that's how you meet Jon Cazares. 

 

 

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