DARK*MATTER: Midnight at Milwood Morgue

[Cowpie Zombie]

Jim approaches the dart players and asks if he can join in; in response, the four men turn and stare at Jim with eyes that can only be described as empty, hollow. Then they quietly put down their darts and leave the pub, not walking so much as shuffling, the kind of shuffle you would expect to see from much older men.

Tom shakes hands with the newcomer. "Barnes, Jimmy Barnes," the newcomer says. "Have you--" Barnes stops short and glances around at the pub. "What the f--" he trails off.

All four of you see what Barnes is surprised by; the entire pub is slowly emptying as everyone follows the dart players out the door. No one speaks; no one jostles; no one runs. Within 30 seconds, the entire pub is empty. Even the bartender, who had served you drinks without emotion, is nowhere to be seen (you didn't see him leave with the others, but he is no longer there).

The pub is empty, except for the five of you.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"Huh?" Tom says, pushing his glasses onto his face with his forefinger. He grins. "Well, I guess it's safe to say that Happy Hour's over."

[Forgot to let you know earlier. I have my laptop on me and that's about it, except for the clothes on my back. Everything else is in the car.]

 

[Remus Lupin]

Jim, in no rush to return to the pouring rain, threw the darts half-heartedly at the dartboard. Turning to the remaining patrons, he asked, "I don't suppose any of you is heading in the direction of Edinburgh. I could use a ride and a place to dry out."

 

[zenld]

"The hospitality in this town is overwhelming."
*Goes to door and looks out to see where everyone went. Also checks to see if there are other people on the street.*

"I wonder where they went." Turns to others in pub. "Anyone else want to go see?"
Starts pulling his coat around him, and making sure his camera is working.

[i will be attempting to follow the people if possible. here's to hoping others come too.]

 

[Remus Lupin]

"Sure, I'll come," said Jim. "Mind if I throw my pack in your car?"

[Jim follows Adam out of the pub].

 

[Greydt]

Joyce looks around, startled at how quickly the pub emptied. Hearing Adam's question and seeing him and another patron starting to leave, she quickly grabs her purse and clumsily puts on her overcoat.

"Wait! I'm not sure what's going on, but I don't want to be left here alone..."

 

[Cowpie Zombie]

Jim and Adam try the front door and find, to their surprise, that it is securely locked from the outside. They rattle and shake it as best they can but it is to no avail—the door is a thick, heavy oak with an ancient and elaborate iron handle. It won’t be opening anytime soon.

Seeing that the door is locked, Jimmy Barnes mutters an obscenity under his breath and slumps down in a chair. "Nice," he says.

You hadn’t noticed before, but you now see that the only two windows in this dank, smoke-filled pub are sealed with wrought-iron bars. No chance opening those, either.

The four of you are now standing at the front door of the pub, locked inside.The latecomer, Jimmy Barnes, sits dejectedly in one of the chairs.

Outside, the rain seems to pick up and you hear thunder rumble in the distance.

 

[Andrew D. Gable]

"Great," Tom says, stating the obvious. "We're locked in."

Man, when I said I wanted something to happen, I didn't mean being locked in this dreary place... He shakes his head and takes a seat at the bar. Absentmindedly, he reaches into a little bowl of bar peanuts and munches on a few.

"So anyway," he mumbles half-heartedly, "since we're going to be stuck here a while. What brings you all here?" He pushes his glasses up onto his face again. "Me, I'm checking out a report some guy gave about a big black cat, we thought it was a panther. Of course, it was just a stray. How about all you guys?"

 

[Remus Lupin]

[Jim explores the bar, looking for some alternative exit, such as a cellar or a storage area with a rear ramp].

 

[Greydt]

Joyce glances over to Tom with somewhat of a distracted look as she watches Jim search the pub "I was passing through the area to meet a colleague...my name is Joyce...Joyce Minton."

Taking a cue from Jim's search, Joyce also begins to look around the pub for an alternate exit.