Exit 23

[Vardeman]

The figure backs away slightly shifting into, shielding his eyes from the beam of light with his left hand, a pool cue cocked back in his right hand. "Don't you be lettin that wolf-thing back in here, man." He seems to sag a little, shivering. "Ohh, man..." he mumbles and staggers slightly, dropping the pool cue and leaning heavily against the video game. "I wanna get out of here," he whines.

V

 

[Jarval]

OOC: Sorry about the delay in updating. A combination of the boards going off-line at an inconvenient moment, and an overdue assignment have messed up my posting schedule somewhat. I'll update tomorrow, and then should return to regular updates.

 

[Jarval]

The washroom:

John looks through the notes, taking a little longer than Daunte. All the Hoffmann Institute paperwork firmly states that Michel Galvin was cult leader, and a diabolist. Les Treize Corbins seems to refer to a group of his followers, but the name still niggles at John. He's certain he's seen it somewhere else... Shaking his head in annoyance, he focuses his attention back on the notes.

Apparently, Michel Galvin disappeared ten years ago, and his estate was sold by his relatives on the legal deceleration of his death. Further study of the notes indicates that the business executive BJ's just stabilised is Jonas Riley, an agent for the Hoffmann Institute, who was sent to the Galvin estate to check it was free from "demonic influences" before the completion of the sale.

John finds one more point of interest: The snowglobe Daunte's currently holding was found in a concealed compartment in the attic of the Galvin manor.


The arcade:

Ben and Nick recognise the guy in the arcade as the short order cook from the fast-food restaurant they saw in the donut shop.

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

John looks thoughtfully at the notes, and then at the businessman. "I wonder what you could tell me, Mr. Riley," he murmurs. The mysterious disapearance of a supposed diabolist, an odd agency known as "The Hoffman Institute," an attack against their employee, who was carrying... the snowglobe. John stares at it. Looks closer, and realizes what's inside the snowglobe.

Holy s***.

He continues staring at it, entranced, until someone disturbs him, at which point he jumps three feet in to the air in surprise.

 

[Vardeman]

"I am Ben Two Crow of the National Park Police. Are you injured?"

Danny stands up, still shielding his eyes from the flashlights. "Uhh... no..." he begins, "But man, what it done to that guy. Oh my god! I can't believe it..." His words wind down into a panicky kind of muttering.

V

 

[loxmyth]

Holy s***.

He continues staring at it, entranced, until someone disturbs him, at which point he jumps three feet in to the air in surprise.

"What is it?" Daunte asks, and then jumps back as John does the same. It seemed that everyone was a bit on edge at the moment. Then the young man followed the academic's gaze to the object in his grasp. "What? This old thing? What do think it has to do with anything?"

 

[Thomas Hobbes]

John very slowly puts down the snow globe, and takes a step back. "Look at the snow globe. Look very closely." His voice takes on a clinical, detached tone. "You will note that one, the snow globe continues to snow long after it has been shaken. I rather expect it will continue for some time- forever wouldn't surprise me. Two, you'll note that the building inside the snow globe is the building we're inside. Doesn't that strike as just a little odd?" He looks at the ice on the floor. "Among other things, anyway."

 

[ErichDragon]

Danny stands up, still shielding his eyes from the flashlights. "Uhh... no..." he begins, "But man, what it done to that guy. Oh my god! I can't believe it..." His words wind down into a panicky kind of muttering.

"Ok, calm down." Ben tries to sooth the shaken man as he holsters his gun.

"Let's get back to the others and get you some coffee." Ben will try to usher everyone back to the donut shop.

 

[loxmyth]

John very slowly puts down the snow globe, and takes a step back. "Look at the snow globe. Look very closely." His voice takes on a clinical, detached tone. "You will note that one, the snow globe continues to snow long after it has been shaken. I rather expect it will continue for some time- forever wouldn't surprise me. Two, you'll note that the building inside the snow globe is the building we're inside. Doesn't that strike as just a little odd?" He looks at the ice on the floor. "Among other things, anyway."

Duante shrugs his shoulders, looking perplexed. He raised the globe to eye level and cocked his head as he gazed at it. There was something troublesome about it, but he had been trying to put it out of his mind and concentrate on what was going on around him. "Yeah it's weird, but so what? Maybe the globe was made here. It's just a momento from the gift shop. One of those things tourists pick up, you know? 'Hey honey, traveled the American mid-west, got trapped in a rest stop by a psychotic murderer, all I have to show for it is this snow globe.' That could be it, couldn't it, right?"

But even as he said the words, Daunte was realizing how unlikely it was. The globe had been in the briefcase with the rest of this weird cult stuff. It was the briefcase of a very orderly, businesslike man. A man like this wouldn't be carrying a cheap trinket home for his wife.

Sighing and running a hand through his black curly hair, Daunte rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'm listening," he stated, caramel eyes resting on John. "What do you think this thing is?" He absently shakes the globe again, then holds it out.

 

[Vardeman]

"Ok, calm down." Ben tries to sooth the shaken man as he holsters his gun.

"Let's get back to the others and get you some coffee." Ben will try to usher everyone back to the donut shop.

Danny lets himself be led back into the donut shop, visibly shivering, possibly in shock. Given a cup of coffee he will slowly & mechanically drink it, still muttering some, the only intelligible words being 'snow' and 'wolfman'...

V