Exit 23 Dark•Matter Story Hour (NOW COMPLETE!)

[shadowlight]

Alright, that's about enough time off for you buddy.

You can't just start up a semi and hurl it at a diner full of PC's, then let it drop off.

Update, man, we need that update!

Here Here!

 

[fenzer]

No kidding. Where are you Joshua? I almost forgot about this little gem. Post soon my man. We need some lovin'.

 

[Desdichado]

I anticipated my schedule at work returning to normal so I could work on updates here and there between meetings and phone calls, but it still has not happened (maybe after March 12th?) Anyway, I've also been thinking I need to squeeze an update out sometime soon myself, and today isn't too bad. I'll see if I can't put one together today or tomorrow.

 

[Desdichado]

"Exit 23"
VI.​

Glass, brick, snow and dust flew through the air as the rig slammed into the side of the restaurant, plowed through the wall and counter and finally ground to a halt against a pile of rubble that it had made against the far wall of the building. The six customers all dived for cover, some with greater alacrity than others. Dr. Neary went down under a pile of collapsing roof tiles. Most of the rest of them fell heavily to the floor but were able to avoid any serious injury (poor Dr. Ned's Reflex save was real bad. He went into negative hit points three times during the session!).

The driver's door opened and the man with the parka and the Detroit Tigers hat hopped out, a pump action shotgun in his hand. Like a fool, he yelled before attacking, and was answered by a hail of bullets from the M-16, dropping him to the ground. Will walked over and gave him a nudge with his foot. "What an idiot!" (really bad initiative roll, unfortunately. Also, he really is kinda an idiot. )

Dr. Neary was dragged back and and resuscitated. The truck driver was tightly bound and every effort to bring him back around was made as well. It was getting more difficult, but after half an hour or so, Dr. Neary stood up a bit shakily and ashen-faced made his way to the truck driver, helping him to come to some form of consciousness.

Jane, with a feverish glint in her eyes, turned to him. "What the hell is going on here? Who are you and what do you want?"

The truck driver, tried to laugh at her, but fell back into coughing up blood when he tried. "It doesn't matter who I am. And soon it won't matter who you are either. You'll all be dead!"

"Doesn't want to talk, does he?" said Don Truitt with a dark scowl on his face. He had popped the large sideways hood on the wrecked truck. He reached in for a minute and then came forward towards the fallen truck driver. In his hands were the red and black clamps to a pair of jumper cables. He touched them together, getting a nice spark and ozone smell. "Take his shirt off and see if his nipples like the feel of these. That might loosen his tongue. And if not, we can always go lower..."

Jane stood up exasperated. "You can't do that. I won't stand for it."

"Move aside!" said Will to the cop. "There's no time to mess around with this *&@%er! There may be other zealots out there, and I'm not gonna wait until I feel a bullet in my back to find out." Jane hesitated.

The truck driver, reading the mood in the room turned a bit panicky, but he maintained his facade of bravery as best he could. "Do your worst!" he said, a bit shrilly. "We'll all soon be dead anyway!" As if in answer to his words, a howling wind started up again outside, and the snow started to swirl and reform.

"Looks like our old friend is back," said Nichols in a high, cracking voice, backpedaling as fast as he could. They could all hear a gleefull roaring sound now, and shining silver eyes were glowing at them from the snowy coalescence, which was starting to take on the appearance of a shaggy, enormous humanoid.

"It's the globe!" said Dr. Akens. "We've got to destroy it, or he'll keep reforming!" Will made as if to shoot it again. "Don't!" shouted Akens. "It won't work any better than it did before!"

"Well, what then?" said Will, panicked now himself.

"I'm thinking!"

Will grabbed Akens by the shirt. "You don't have time to think!"

Akens pulled away, moving suddenly. He snatched up the globe and threw it into the MacDonald's frier, where it burst into sudden flame. The winter demon, now fully formed, suddenly had a look of terror across its face, and it screamed in fear, before bursting into flame itself, and burning itself out into nothingness.

All six of the customers of the rest stop fell to the ground exhausted and frigid. "Glad that's finally over," someone muttered. The wind and snow had slowed tremendously since the destruction of the snow globe; stars were even starting to appear above them. It looked like whomever had said that was right.

Then they all say up at once. Outside they could hear the sound of approaching automobiles -- two long, black Lincoln Town Cars with government plates. Men with sunglasses (yes, at night) and dark suits stepped out, with guns in their hands.

"Come out with your hands up and surrender the snow globe, or this isn't going to be pretty," called out one of them. Dr. Akens looked at the frier, which was now engulfed in a roaring fire. There was no sign of the snow globe anymore...

 

[William Ronald]

Joshua,

Thanks for the update!!! I hope you can finish the story soon. I remember the shock at the table when the truck driver put a new spin on the phrase "drive-thru" restaurant. It was a great game and a great table -- in part to a very good GM.

Also, any chance that you can make the next Chicago EN World Game Day?

 

[Desdichado]

Thanks! I'm actually to the point where two or three (at the most) more updates will actually complete the Story Hour entirely! which is a very exciting proposition. The delay (and I apologize folks) has been largely due to my incredibly hectic schedule at work in recent months. I did, however, finally get reassigned to another job that I'm enjoying much more (and where my time isn't nearly as crunched) so now that I'm more or less acclimated to that new job, I typed up the update. I make a lot of claims on when I'm going to update that I don't follow through on, but what they heck -- I'll do another. I think I can get this Story Hour complete within the week.

Then I've got several sessions of my actual regular campaign that I DM that I'm interested in creating a Story Hour for. :\ Never a dull moment for someone addicted to writing this kind of stuff up...

EDIT: Sorry, I don't have any plans to come to the next Chicago gameday. Maybe in the fall. More than about once a year is difficult, because it's far enough away that I really have to spend one night. That seems like a lot for gaming. Plus, we've successfully held our first Detroit Gameday, and there's hope that we can do another one again soon, making my "need" to come to Chicago a lot less acute.

 

[William Ronald]

Joshua:

I understand about being busy. My own work on a homebrew campaign has been slowed because of work and school. Still it is good to see an update.

I understand about the distance factor. If my car was in better shape, I would be tempted to drive to a Detroit Game Day. Hope you can make it in the fall.

 

[fenzer]

Josh! thanks for the update! Sorry for the busy schedule. I'm just happy your out there writing up this good stuff.

 

[Desdichado]

Thanks, fenz! It's nice to be back and have the opportunity to have another go at this, frankly.

 

[Dakkareth]

Ahh, Dark*Matter ... that's all the advertisement needed. Cool story hour