ANOMALY: An AI Dungeon Tale

You awaken strapped to a chair. A flickering light creaks and sways above you. The room you're in looks abandoned and filthy. There is a table nearby, filled with various tools and surgical instruments. In front of you is a door. Echoing through halls you cannot see, you hear the voice of your captor.

"Hello, prisoner."

You open your eyes and see a man standing before you. He's tall, muscular and has an unkempt beard that hangs over his lips. His face is covered by a bandage wrapped around it, which he removes as you stand up. You notice that the man's left eye is missing, but otherwise his appearance doesn't seem out of place.
The man smiles at you, then walks over to the table. He seems to be searching for a specific tool. You see a key sticking out of his pocket.

> You tug on the straps keeping you bound.
You tug at the straps keeping your arms tied behind your back. As the man turns around, you see a drill on the table. The man looks at you, then looks back at the drill.

> You tug harder.
The man looks at you, then looks back at the drill. He walks over to you and sticks his face in yours.
"Try it again, pretty boy."
You turn your head away and close your eyes.

> You try to stay calm.
You open your eyes as the man grabs your head and holds it still. He leans in close to you.
"Try to escape, and I will kill you."
The man turns around and begins digging through the table.

> You quietly try to free yourself while he's distracted.
He pulls out a small hammer and a chisel. He walks over to you and looks down at you, smiling.
"Are you ready to talk?"

> You say "W-What?"
"Are you ready to talk?"
You open your mouth to answer, but before you can, the man slams the chisel into your face. You fall back in your chair and groan in pain. The man walks over to you and looks down at you, smiling.
"Are you ready to talk?"
You nod your head.
"Good boy."
The man grabs the chisel off the ground.

> You realize you don't even remember anything and that you won't have any answers to his questions.
The man holds the chisel to your head and stops.
"Tell me what you last remember."
You try to think back, but nothing comes to mind.
"I-I don't know."

> You say "I-I can barely think..."
"Think hard!"
The man places the chisel on your arm and hits it with the hammer. It hurts like hell, but at least you didn't feel anything break.

> You say "Ow, stop! Just give me a moment to clear my head, please!"
The man stops and pulls you up to face him.
"If you try anything, I will kill you."
You nod your head vigorously. The man grabs your throat and begins to squeeze. You try to pull away, but he just squeezes harder.
"Do you know what this is?"
The man pulls his hand away from your throat and reveals a key, which he places on your chest.
"This is the key to your freedom."
The man turns around and begins searching through the tools on the table.
"Freedom is earned, not given."
The man turns back around and reveals a long blade in his hand.

> You say "How do I earn my freedom?"
The man looks at you, smiling.
"Good question. The answer is simple: I ask you a question, and you answer correctly. Then, I will give you the key, and you may leave.

> You say "What's the question?"
The man smiles.
"As expected of a hero."
The man walks over to you and places the blade against your chest.
"What is my name?"
You look at him, confused.
"Your name?"
The man pulls the blade away and smiles.
"Correct."
The man grabs your throat and begins to squeeze.
"What is my name?"
You struggle to breathe, but he doesn't let go. Eventually, you begin seeing black spots.
"What... is my name?"

> You say "I... I can't... I can't think when you do that..."
The man looks at you, confused.
"Think."
You struggle to think, but nothing comes to mind. The man begins squeezing again.
"What... is my name?"

> You say "Kain?"
The man stops and backs away.
"No."
The man pulls the blade up to your leg and presses the blade into it enough to hurt, but not enough to cause bleeding.
"What is my name?"

> You say "David."
The man begins pressing the blade deeper and deeper into your leg. It hurts, and droplets of blood begin to seep out slowly.
"What is my name?"
You try to think of anything else, but you're focused on the pain.

> You say "Alfred."
The man looks at you, confused.
"No."
The man continues pushing the blade deeper and deeper into your leg. It hurts more than anything you've ever felt, and you can feel your leg bleeding.

> You say "Sam."
The man stops pressing the blade in and looks at you, smiling.
"Yes."
The man turns around and walks back over to the table. He places the knife on it and walks back to you. He grabs your throat again and begins to squeeze.
"What is my name?"
You struggle to think, but you're unable to do so under the man's tight grip.
"Tell me."

> You say "Sam."
The man stops and pulls his hand away.
"Correct."
The man reaches his hand into his pocket and pulls out a key, which he flashes in your face.
"This is your freedom." He puts the key back into his pocket and walks the other way.
"Good luck using it, though... Ha ha ha... I want you to use this time to remember who I am and why you're here. You figured out my name, but you don't recognize me. If you haven't escaped by the time I come back, I'm going to ask you more questions."
He opens the door and leaves, locking the door behind him and taking the table with him. He slides the key under the door.
It's just you and the darkness now.
"Think, dammit!" you say to yourself.
The man's face is somewhat familiar. The more you think about it, the more you're able to remember him. He used to work with your father.

> You try to release yourself from your constraints.
You try to slip your hands out of the rope, but they won't budge. You try to shift your weight in an attempt to throw the chair across the room, but it's solidly nailed down.

> You shift the rope around to try and make room for your hands to slip free.
After a few minutes of squirming, you manage to slip your hands free.
You stand up and are immediately dazed and light headed. After a few moments, you regain your composure and pick up the key that Sam dropped.

> You use the key on the door.
You unlock the door and step outside. You're in a hallway, which is just as dirty and decrepit as the room you just escaped from.
The walls are lined with other doors, some of which have barred windows you can see through.

> You look through one of the windowed doors.
The room is dark, but there's just enough light to see inside of it. You look through one of the windows and see a woman in tattered clothing lying in a corner.
The woman turns to you from her corner, and you are horrified to see her face is mostly smoothed over with twisted flesh, save for a disfigured mouth and an eye. The woman stares at you with her one good eye, as she begins to stand.
The woman screams at you from the window, but no sound escapes. She beats her fists against the window and falls back into a corner.

> You look through another door.
You look through another window and see a man in a suit. He sits in the corner of his room, quietly sobbing.
The man looks up at you and makes eye contact. He stops crying and stares at you. He slowly gets to his feet and walks over to the window.
The man begins to scream at you, but no sound escapes his mouth. He presses his face up against the window and stares at you.

> You notice that his eyes look unnatural.
His eyes are unnaturally red, as if he's been crying blood.
The man stares at you with his mouth agape. You feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

> You swiftly walk down the hallway and avoid looking through anymore doors.
You walk down the hallway, but not before looking through another door.
This time, you see a young girl with long blonde hair sitting in the middle of her room. She appears to be around the same age as you.
She looks at you and smiles. She waves at you, and you feel compelled to wave back. Afterward, she begins to cry.
You continue walking down the hallway. The atmosphere is becoming increasingly unnerving.

> You come to a door and slowly open it.
You open the door and walk into a room. You see a humanoid creature standing over the bloodied corpse of Sam. Its head is twitching unnaturally fast, and it is covered in bindings, wraps, and stitches. You try to get a good look at its face, but you can't make out anything past the wraps around its face and its blackened blood.

> You sneak.
You slowly approach the monster, attempting to remain unseen. You pick up a discarded knife off the floor and prepare to strike.

> You stab the creature in the back.
You stab the creature in the back. It screams out in pain and turns around to look at you. You are horrified to see that the monster is actually a horribly deformed Sam.

> You stab it again.
You stab it again, and it falls to the floor, writhing.

> You stab it in the throat and wriggle the knife around until the creature stops moving.
You stab the creature in the throat and slowly push the knife around. The creature gurgles and blood spurts out of its mouth. You pull out the knife, and blood pours out of the gaping hole in the creature's throat.

> You stand up, watching the creature die.
You watch as the creature's body slowly gives out. It twitches and writhes on the floor for a few minutes before it stops moving all together.
You sit there in shock, unsure of how to react.
The monster looked exactly like Sam, save for the beard. Its face was completely hairless, but it shared Sam's facial features. You're glad that Sam is dead at least. You don't know what you'd do if he was still alive.
The monster begins to move, writhing on the floor. It lets out a wet gurgle as blood spurts out of its throat.

> You pick up a hammer from the table and bash the creature's face in.
You pick up the hammer and smash it into the creature's face. The monster's head caves in, but its still alive. It twitches and flails on the floor, smearing blood everywhere.

> You hold the creature still and keep hitting its face with the hammer.
You hold the creature down and repeatedly bash its face in. It begins to cave into its skull, and blood pours out onto the floor. The monster lets out a gurgling noise and goes limp.

> You hit the creature's head one last time with all of your strength.
You raise the hammer one last time and slam it down as hard as you can. The hammer crushes through the creature's skull, and bits of bone fly out in different directions.

> You stand up and examine Sam's body.
You walk over to Sam's body and examine it. He has a deep cut going from his belly button to his neck, and his throat is ripped out. Blood covers his body, and he isn't moving.

> You examine yourself.
You are covered in the creature's blood. Your leg hurts, but it's otherwise fine. You're wearing nothing but a pair of old boxers. You feel your head and find that your hair is completely shaven off.
You feel a bit light-headed.
You feel a wave of nausea hit you, and you quickly turn away to vomit. After a few minutes of dry heaving, you stand up and look at the creature again. It hasn't moved.

> You take one of the longer knives from the table and walk through the next door.
You walk through the next door and find yourself in what looks like a police station lobby, but it looks abandoned. Dust covers every surface, and the room is filled with a thick silence. A counter runs along the right side of the room, and you see a bullet-ridden sign hanging upside down from the ceiling. It reads "Weapon Check."
The silence is broken by the crackling of a public announcement speaker. A voice cuts on, "Would Sam J. Hall please report to the front desk?"
The voice is distorted and unnatural. It unnerves you.
You hear the voice again, "Would Sam J. Hall please report to the front desk?"
It's an automated message. You get a small feeling of guilt, knowing that Sam is dead, but then you remember that he tortured you, and that you're not the one who killed him.
If anything, you avenged him by killing that monster.

> You try to find a front door that leads outside.
You try to find a way out. You look around the room and find nothing but a door on the left wall, leading into a dark hallway, and a door on the right wall.
The front doors leading outside are heavily barricaded. You wouldn't be able to get past without some heavy equipment or a lot of help.

> You examine the left hallways first.
You enter the dark hallway, examining it before making a decision on where you'll go next. You look around and see that the hallway is empty except for dust and a few pieces of furniture.

> You realize that the left hallway doesn't have another door, so you go back to the right hallway in the lobby.
You enter the right hallway and find a door on the left wall, with a sign that says "Bathrooms." Above it is another sign, this one reads "Office." You also see a staircase at the end of the hallway.

> You go into the bathrooms.
You enter the bathroom and find that it is just as empty as the rest of the building. You find a light switch and flip it on, but nothing happens.

> You use one of the bathroom sinks to clean yourself off.
You turn on the sink and water begins to flow out of it. You dip a hand underneath the stream to make sure that it's not hot, and then you start to wipe off the blood that covers your body. The water has a rusty, iron smell to it.
You finish cleaning yourself and look at your reflection in the mirror. Your face is normal, but there is a large scar in the bridge of your nose. It looks recent.

> You touch the scar and try to remember why you have it.
You gently touch the scar and feel a sharp pain. It's a very recent injury, but you don't know how you got it.

> You walk out of the bathroom and enter the office.
You see a small desk and a bookshelf. There is nothing on the desk, but the bookshelf has a few binders on it.
You go over to the bookshelf and examine the binders. One of them is titled "Handbook for Employees."
You open it up and begin to read through it.
"Welcome to Starlight Drive-In!" the first page reads.

> You put the binder away and look at another.
The second binder is labeled "New Employee Orientation." You open it up and begin to read.
The first page reads:
Hello and welcome to Harrilton Police Station!
We're ecstatic to have you here on the force. Your first day won't be easy, but if you follow the rules and instructions laid out for you in this binder, you'll be fine.
You flip through the pages. The rest of it is filled with rules and regulations for how to handle hostage situations, self defense techniques, and a code of ethics that trainees need to promise not to break.
You find another section that sticks out to you. "Dealing With Anomalies!"
There's a picture of a horrifically distorted monster resembling the one you killed earlier.
"Anomalies," the page reads. "They come in many shapes and sizes, even human ones, but all are to be treated as great threats to your life and limb!"
There's another picture of a normal human, but their jaw is instead a pair of sharp mandibles.
"They can even mimic your physical appearance. Hourly screenings are necessary to prevent anomalies from sneaking through our ranks!"
You put the binder away, too disturbed by the various pictures of horrific monsters, and even pictures of gore that demonstrate what anomalies are capable of.
You see a cabinet and decide to open it. Inside, you find various weapons and instruments of torture. You see a device that can make a person's skin peel off like plastic wrap if they touch two wires attached to a battery.

> You pick up a shotgun and check to see how many shells are loaded in.
You pick up the shotgun and check to see how many shells are loaded into it. You find that there is only one shell in the shotgun, but there are more in a small box on the shelf.

> You load the shotgun with the shells in the small box and sling it over your shoulder.
You load the shotgun with the shells in the small box and sling it over your shoulder. You then close the cabinet door and begin to leave the room.
You hear a man's voice coming from behind you. "Hello, detective."
You swiftly turn around but see nothing. You're beginning to get a little freaked out by all this.

> You walk towards the closet-like door you noticed earlier.
You walk over to the door and open it. You find yourself in a small room with no windows or anything; it's completely empty. You begin to feel uneasy about this, but you push those feelings aside.
You exit the room, unsure of what to do. All exits are blocked off as far as you can tell. Then, you hear that voice again. "Detective, we need to talk."
You feel a force tap your shoulder. You look and see nothing once more. You feel a little braver this time and you demand, "Show yourself!"
A dark figure steps out from the shadows. It looks vaguely human, but its eyes are nothing but voids and its mouth runs from ear to ear.
"You read the section about anomalies, yes?" he asks. "There are worse things than you saw in that binder, and then there's other more... benign things they didn't cover, such as myself."
You don't answer, you just stand there in shock. "Yes, detective, I'm an anomaly, but I don't like labeling myself as such. I prefer to call it a condition."

> You say "You keep calling me detective. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmm... You do seem rather out of it... Old Sammy dosed you up good, didn't he? Heh heh heh heh...."

> You say "He... Dosed me? He drugged me?"
"Oh yes, detective. He drugged you, and he'll kill you if he finds you... He was always a few screws too loose," the figure says.
"Uh... About that, another anomaly killed him..."
"Hah! I knew that would happen! Tell me the details..."

> You say "Uh... He was sliced from his stomach to his throat, but his throat was ripped out."
"Yes, yes... The dog will do that. I bet he mimicked old Sammy too, yes? You know, he used to be my pet, but then he got lost and trapped in the system, just like you did. I don't blame you if you killed the dog, and I can always find another... Besides all that, I suppose you're wondering why I'm here."

> You say "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to help you, detective. We have common goals, but... Oh, that's right, you don't remember quite yet. Tsk tsk tsk, Sammy did bad things to you... Your beautiful, curly hair is all gone, you have quite a nasty wound on your face, and your leg is bleeding... What a cruel man... I will help you out of the blockade in the entrance."

> You say "Um... Okay..."
"Follow me, detective." The figure leads you back into the lobby where the blocked off front doors are.
He pulls out a coin and rolls it under the blockade. "You may want to take over behind the desk, detective." You do so, and he snaps his fingers once. The coin explodes, showering the surrounding area in debris.
A large hole is all that remains, leading outside.

> You say "What the fuck was that!?"
"It was a coin, detective."
"Yeah, I know it was a coin, but why the hell did it explode?"
"Oh, that was just an old trick of mine I picked up some time ago. Very useful."

> You say "You know what? Never mind..."
"Now then, I'll leave you to it. I'm going to have to speak with the Chief, he'll be wondering where you are. Goodbye for now, detective."
The figure walks off into the shadows once more.

> You walk out of the police station.
You make your way out of the station and see empty streets covered by a thick fog. You see smeared blood leading into a sewer drain, and a smashed skull next to a fire hydrant. You are filled with unease.
"Where the hell is everyone?" You mutter to yourself. You slowly walk down the road.
Suddenly, you see a child walking down the street, looking around nervously. His head is twitching unnaturally, and he has a piece of bloody flesh in his teeth. It's an anomaly.

> You get behind cover and wait for the child anomaly to pass.
You hide behind a corner and wait for the child to pass. It stops, staring at you and sniffing the air. You don't breathe as you stare at it in terror. The child lets out a growl and charges at you. You run before you're cornered. The child gives chase, sprinting after you with unnatural speed. You run into an alleyway, the child snarling at you.

> You swing your shotgun like a bat at the child's head.
You swing your shotgun like a bat, smashing into the side of the child's head. It falls to the ground, before jumping up and sprinting away from you. You let out a sigh of relief and relax.
"Phew, thought it had me for a second there." You say to yourself.
Suddenly, you see a pale, gaunt figure step out from the shadows.
Its body is utterly featureless, but its arms end in sharp, bony points. Its body twitches and convulses as it approaches you.
You hear shaky, uneven breathing noises coming from it.

> You shoot it in the chest with your shotgun.
The creature bursts into a cloud of dust and gore as the shotgun blast tears through it. It still stands, with its body barely hanging onto itself by a thread. After a moment, it takes another step towards you, then falls to the ground. Blood pools around its body. You cock the shotgun and an empty shell clatters to the ground.

> You walk out of the alleyway and see a drive-in restaurant with boarded up windows with a sign that says "Starlight Drive-in."
You see a large building with boarded up windows. You walk towards it, and find yourself at the Starlight Drive-in theater.
The sign above the entrance reads "Welcome to the Starlight Drive-in."

> You open the front door and step inside.
You walk inside, and find a cashier's window with a glass pane.
It's mostly empty, save for a few chairs and a cashier desk.
You see a sign that says "Psychic Seer: Tell your future for 5 dollars."
You walk over to it, and look inside. You see a pig's head with "5 cents" written in blood above it.

> You sit down in one of the chairs and collect your thoughts.
You sit down in one of the chairs and try to collect your thoughts.
You shift the shotgun in your hands, trying to remember who you are. All you know is that you're apparently a detective.

> You try to remember your first name.
The only thing you can remember is your first name: Lee. You can't remember anything else, but you're thankful that you remember your first name at all.
Suddenly, the door opens behind you. You turn around and see the dark figure from before. He makes eye contact with you and smiles. "Hello again, detective. Sorry that I left you alone for so long."

> You say "I got attacked by two anomalies..."
"Yes, the child and the pale one. I saw that you dispatched of the pale one, but I wonder where that child is now..."
"Who are you? What's going on?"
"My name is not important, detective. But you may call me Reginald."
"What's going on?"
"It's very simple, detective. This is a game. A twisted game."
"What kind of game?"
"A dangerous one. I've been watching you for quite some time, detective. I know you've seen things. Strange things. But I assure you, this is all real. It's not just you."
You stare at Reginald, unsure of how to respond.
"If you want answers, then you'll have to find them. That's what you do, isn't it? That's what you've always done. You hunt down those who wrong others. This is no different."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want to see if you can survive."
"What do you mean?"
"I've seen your files. I know you. You've seen too much. You're a danger to yourself and others with the information you carry in your mind. It will only be so long before you remember. Sammy boy drugged you for a reason. I have the ability to help you, but in exchange, you must survive the onslaught of horrors that will hunt you."
"How do I do that?" You ask.
"By killing them before they kill you." Reginald responds.
"These creatures, they're after me?"
"Yes. They are. You're the prey, but that can be said for everyone else as well. They are the predators. You'll have to figure out which is which as you inevitably meet other people."
"What do you mean?"
"The predators will be after two things: your life, and your memory. You must defend both. If either are taken from you, then it is game over. Now, I will give you one piece of advice: trust no one. Besides me, anyways. I only want to see you succeed."
"I can't trust anyone? Not even another survivor?"
"You can try, if you'd like. But I think you'll find that they may be more untrustworthy than the creatures that hunt you, but that's if they're even human at all. You read the part of the training book that said that these creatures can mimic regular humans, right? That's no joke. So you'll have to be extra careful."
"What about you? Am I able to trust you?"
"That's up to you, detective. I would love to have your trust, but I can't tell you whether to trust me or not, that's your decision. All I can do is give you the information you require."
"So what now?" You ask.
"Now, we play the game. I'll be here to guide you through your journey. Whenever you're ready, you should enter the next room behind the counter. It's lucky you chose this spot, because a rather... interesting fellow as recently died in there. There, you will find some equipment and some proper clothing. Along with whatever you can take from the dead, of course. Once you're ready, you should find the hospital. Your journey will truly begin there. Look for a man named Dr. Pomson. He can counteract the substance that clouds your memory with a neutralizing agent meant to counter it. I do hope he's still alive... Well then, I'll see you soon, detective. Make sure you're ready."
Reginald steps into the shadows once more, leaving you alone again.

> You go into the room behind the counter Reginald mentioned.
You walk into the room that Reginald told you to go into.
The room is dimly lit, but you see a man sitting in a chair. He appears to be dead, with a bullet wound to his forehead.

> You examine the room for any supplies not on the dead man's person.
You search the room. You see a trunk in the corner and open it. It has a Starlight Drive-In employee uniform, a flashlight, a fold-able pocket knife, and a pair of leather boots with a black sock in each of them. You put the uniform on and find that it fits surprisingly well. You put on the socks and boots, then take the knife and flashlight.

> You search the dead man.
You walk up to the dead man and kneel down beside him. He is wearing a gray short sleeved shirt with a Starlight Drive-In logo on it, and a pair of blue jeans.

> You search his pockets.
You reach into the dead man's pocket and pull out his wallet. You open it up and see several different cards.
You take a hotel room key card and put the wallet back in the man's pocket. The text on the card said "Carol's Inn, Room 23".

> You search the dead man until every pocket is empty.
You look at the dead man and see a small bulge in his left front pocket. You put your hand in his pocket and pull out a round metal tin with a red cross on the front of it.

> You open the tin.
You open the tin and find a rolled up piece of paper inside. You unroll the paper and see that there is writing on it.
You read the note:
These ain't the droids you're looking for. Move along.

> You groan at the dumb note and toss it aside.
You throw the note aside and notice something glinting in the corner of your eye. You pick up the tin and see that there is a small hole in the bottom of it, and that a golden coin is hidden inside.

> You take the coin.
You pick up the coin and notice that it looks very similar to the one that Reginald used to blow a hole in the entrance to the police station. Maybe you can replicate what Reginald did before.

> You put the coin in your pocket and leave.
You leave the room and head back to the front desk. You walk up to the front desk and see that the window is open.

> You pull out your shotgun and carefully look around.
You see a group of rats eating something on the floor. As you look closer, you see that it is a severed hand with a revolver clutched in its fingers.
You hear a low growl coming from the darkness.

> You shine your new flashlight where you heard the noise come from.
You shine your flashlight at the source of the noise. You see a large beast, like a hairless bear with a man's face, but standing on two legs. One of its hands is missing, with a bloody stump left instead. It lets out a terrifying roar.

> You put your flashlight away so that you can properly wield your shotgun. you wait for the monster to come into the light, then you shoot it in the face.
The shotgun blasts through the air and explodes out of the end of the barrel. The leads pellets hit the monster in the face, smashing through it's face and destroying its eyes. It lets out a horrible scream and stumbles backward.

> You toss the shotgun aside and flip the pocket knife open before jumping on the monster and stabbing it in the throat.
The knife slides through the monster's thick skin with ease. You stab it again and again, until you see that the knife is buried in it's throat. It writhes on the ground, barely fighting back and struggling to breathe.

> You take the knife out of its throat and back off.
The knife comes out of the creature's throat with a pop. The monster begins to wheeze and gasp, desperately trying to breathe through its ruined windpipe. It struggles in pain for a few moments before going limp.

> You use your flashlight to scare the rats away from the hand and take the revolver.
You shine the flashlight at the rats, and they run away from the hand, squeaking as they go. You grab the revolver with your free hand and pick it up. It is surprisingly light.

> You check its ammo.
You look at the cylinder of the revolver and see that it has five bullets. You push the cylinder to make sure that they are all there. They are surprisingly clean. You put the revolver in your pocket, put your knife away, and strap the shotgun on your shoulder again.


> You leave the building.
You leave the building and walk out to the street. The fog is too thick for a flashlight to do anything of worth.

> You walk down the road, looking for a bus stop that may have a map of the city on it.
You walk down the road for a few minutes before finding a bus stop. It has a map of the city on a post in the middle of it.

You look at the map and see where you are.

> You try to figure out a good route to the hospital.
You look at the map for a while, trying to find a good route. You find one that leads through a few roads that don't look too bad.

> You follow that route and make your way towards the hospital.
You begin following the route. It takes you through a few roads that aren't too bad. You keep your shotgun out and your ears twitching.
You see a dead anomaly on the ground with several bullet holes riddling its body. It lays in a pool of its own blood. It's a spider-like creature, but with human features on its face.
Its appearance disturbs you, but you're glad it's dead. What worries you is that the body looks fairly fresh.
You continue on and find that the next road is blocked off by barricades and a large amount of police vehicles.

> You climb over the barricades.
You decide to climb over the barricades. They are only about knee-high, so it is easy to do so.
You get over the barricades and notice something on one of them. It's a small piece of paper.

> You take the piece of paper and examine it.
You pick up the piece of paper and unfold it. It appears to be a page torn out of a notebook. You read it and discover that it is a message for anyone trapped outside.

> You read it.
"Hello, friend. If you are reading this, then you are in danger. The monsters have taken over, and there's nothing left for us in this place. We tried so hard to keep them out, but we failed. I suppose you are wondering why I'm not outside with the others. The answer is simple: I am not a fighter. I am a writer. I write stories. But, sadly, there is no more time for me to write. There is only survival. I wish you the best of luck, friend. You're going to need it. Godspeed."

> You put the piece of paper back where you found it and keep moving. you wonder what the note meant about "keeping the monsters out".
You continue down the road and come across another anomaly. It's alive, but barely. It's covered in its own blood and is crawling across the ground, making retching and coughing noises. This one is different from the others. It has taken the form of a giant human fetus. You look at it and feel disgust, yet a twinge of pity.

> You move past it.
You continue down the road, following street signs displayed on the bus stop's map from earlier.
You see a building up ahead. It's a hotel. Its neon lights are still functional, and the sign reads "Carol's Inn". You remember the room key you found on the dead body earlier.

> You enter Carol's Inn.
You walk up to the inn and go through the front door.
The interior of the inn is fairly well-lit. A small chandelier hangs from the ceiling, with fake candles on it still shining.
The stairs leading up to the rooms is blocked off by furniture. There is a dead, humanoid anomaly with a distorted face next to a sign written in its blood that reads "Carol won't let go that easy! Go away or die!"
There is a front desk in the corner of the room. There is another note on it.
You approach the front desk and look at the note on it.
It reads "Carol's gone mad. Whoever reads this, put the old hag out of her misery."

> You loudly knock the butt of your shotgun against a wall and say "Hello? Carol? Are you up there?"
You walk up to the stairs and loudly knock the butt of your shotgun against a wall and say "Hello? Carol? Are you up there?"
No response.
You walk back over to the front desk and look at the note again.
You have a feeling nobody's home, but you can't be too certain.
You walk back over to the stairs and look up them. You see a blood trail leading up to the second floor.

> You carefully dismantle the barricade until you can move through.
You walk over to the barricade and start removing the furniture that's blocking the stairs. You pull a dresser away from the stairs and set it aside. You then remove a bookshelf and carry it over to a couch.

> You move through the barricade.
You finish removing the barricade and go up the stairs.
The second floor hallway is dark, and out of every door in the hallway, there are only three doors that aren't boarded up. There is a note on the ground in front of you.

> You read the note.
The note reads "Don't try to find me, you won't succeed."
You look at the doors. It seems that Carol is in one of these rooms. The question is: which one?

> You look at the numbers on the doors that aren't blocked off.
The first door reads "12". The second door reads "16". The third door reads "23".

> You take the room key you looted from the body in the Starlight Drive-in and use it to open the door that says "23".
You take the room key you looted from the body in the Starlight Drive-in and use it to open the door that says "23".
The door creaks open. You enter the room.
The room is covered with what looks like chalk drawings of stars and moon, surrounding a pentagram. There is a small table in the center of the pentagram, holding a variety of different kinds of candles.
Among the candles is a sacrificial dagger and a vial of strange purple liquid. There is a piece of paper on the table.
You walk over to the table and pick up the paper.

> You read what the paper says.
The paper reads "Tonight's the night! The portal will be open, and my father will rise once again! Please, do join us!"
You look around the room. There's nothing else of substance here.

> You ruin the pentagram by scuffing it with one of your boots in case the paper isn't lying.
You take one of your boots and scuff at the chalk lines of the pentagram, destroying it.

> You take the vial of purple liquid and the dagger.
You pick up the vial of purple liquid and the sacrificial dagger. You put the dagger in your belt, and the vial of liquid in your pocket.
You exit the room.

> You twist the knob of the door that says "12".
The door is locked. The door is rather old, and you could likely break it down.

> You kick the door down.
You raise your leg and ram it into the door, knocking the door off of its hinges.
You enter the room.
The room is empty except for a small nightstand next to a bed.

> You search the nightstand.
You open the top drawer of the nightstand and search through it.
You are disgusted to find a tiny, slimy anomaly with sharp teeth looking up at you. It's whispering something.
It's saying "Sam crammed your mind and took the key from your heart's lock. You'll die, die, die, and we'll all cheer and cheer and cheer as the detective writhes and dies and writhes and dies and joins usssss..." It's horrible, and you want it to stop.
You slam the drawer shut, shutting the monster inside. You try to forget the monster's words.
You exit the room, and approach the final door. You twist the doorknob, and it's surprisingly unlocked.
You open the door, and find a normal motel room. A false shelf is open that leads to a staircase. You walk down the stairs.
At the bottom of the staircase is a heavy wooden door. It's unlocked, so you push it open.
You are met with a disgusting scene. A mutilated corpse is hanging from the ceiling. It's a woman, but you don't recognize her.
You notice that her eyes are moving and rapidly looking around the room. She's still alive. It must be another anomaly.
Suddenly, you feel cold metal push up against the side of your skull and a stern, old voice of a woman speaks. "You must not be able to read, because I wrote that bloody little note down there for a reason, son."
"You wrote the note?" you ask in surprise.
"Yeah, I did," she says coldly.

> You say "You must be Carol."
"Bingo," she says. "I suggest you don't move a muscle, kid."
You stare at the woman. You can see that she's at least in her late fifties, but her voice sounds much older.

> You say "I'm not here to cause any trouble."
"I know why you're here," she says. "Jackson is dead, isn't he? I heard you move into his room after you kicked the other door down up there. Did you kill him?"

> You say "No, but he is dead. I found him with a gunshot would to the head."
"What the hell happened?" she asks.
"I don't know, I just found him at the Starlight Drive-In..." you say.
"The Starli- Oh, dammit... I told him not to go there... I believe you, sweety."

> You say "What's so bad about the Starlight Drive-In?"
"You've never heard of the urban legend of the drive-in?" she asks.

> You say "I'm afraid I don't remember much, let alone anything about an urban legend."
"It's a place old Reginald stays when he's not skulking around... You've met him, haven't you?" she asks, poking the barrel of her rifle against your temple.

> You say "Yes, I've met him. What do you know about him?"
"I know he's a bloody leech that needs to be killed. I don't know why he stays there, but I know he probably killed my sweet, sweet Jackson. I always knew something was wrong with him. I just didn't know he was an anomaly until hell broke loose."

> You say "Funny thing, he doesn't like being called an "anomaly". He calls it a "condition"."
"Yeah, well, whatever it is, it needs to die, just like the rest of these freaks."

> You say "I'll keep that in mind. I'm not an anomaly, so could you please lower your weapon?"
"Gimme a name and occupation and we'll see, sweety."

> You say "I'm detective Lee. I don't remember anything else. A man named Sam drugged me with something weird, so I don't have all my thoughts together."
Carol lowers her rifle.
"I know who you are... I recognized you straight away, but I had a feeling you were an anomaly. Sorry about all this, detective. You can't trust nothin' these days. If there's one thing I know about those bastards, it's that you can tell if it's an anomaly if it doesn't give you the right name when you ask. Welcome to my inn."

> You say "Thanks, Carol."
"So, did you want a room or something to eat?" she asks.
"I'd like to know more about what's going on, if you don't mind. What the fuck are these things in this town? Is the entire world like this?"
"I'm afraid I don't know if the whole world is upside down, but I like to believe it isn't. Our city is surrounded by a thick wall, but it got breached recently. Hell broke through our dam and almost everyone's either dead or missing now. Outside our walls is nothing but a damn wasteland full of those freaks," she explains.

> You say "How long has it been since they broke though the wall?"
"It happened a week ago. We thought we had them under control, but they're obviously stronger than we thought."

> You say "I see. Do you know anything about a man named Sam Hill?"
"Yeah, and you don't? He's the police chief's right hand man. Oh, wait, you said he injected you with somethin' that messed your brain up, right?"
"Yeah, that's right," you say.
"Well, he's some sort of mental anomaly alright. A real nasty one. He's human, but he might as well be a monster like the rest of em."

> You say "He tortured me an demanded that I tell him his name. He got killed by an anomaly in the police station."
"Yeah, I'm not surprised he's dead. What a piece of work..."

> You say "Do you know a man named Dr. Pomson? I was told he's have medicine that would help me remember things."
"Dr. Pomson? He's holed up in the hospital I think. Who told you to find him?"

> You say "Er... A supposed friend of mine."
"Did he happen to mention what his name is?"
"Uh... No. He didn't. I've just met him recently and all he told me was that he was my friend."
Carol shakes her head.
"That might have been Reginald, sweety. Did he have black eyes and a big mouth?"

> You sigh and say "Yes..."
"I thought so. That piece of work has been running around claiming he's your friend, but I know he's lying. He doesn't have any friends, he just uses people and throws them away when he's done. I'd watch out for him if I were you. If you want, you can stay here tonight and leave first thing in the morning."

> You say "Sure, but I'm not staying in the demonic room with the pentagram."
"Pentagram ro- Oh son of a bitch! Lucy broke in again! You ruined the pentagram, right?" she asks.
"Yes? Why?" you ask.
"Because if these monsters are real, then maybe demons from hell are real too. Was there a vial with weird liquid in it, sweetie?"

> You say "Yeah? I have it right here..."
Carol takes the vial from you.

> You say "What's the liquid in the vial?"
"I don't really know, but it has anomaly blood in it. I know that for sure, because I caught her making a batch in another place when the city wall was first broken. It's something evil!"

> You say "Maybe Dr. Pomson could take a look at it?"
"I don't think he'd want to mess with stuff like this. He's already struggling enough trying to survive as it is, bless his heart..."
She puts the vial in her pocket.

> You say "It might be useful if we know what it is, though..."
"I'll make sure it's disposed of properly, don't you worry. In the meantime, why don't you go get yourself some rest? You look tired."
"Okay," you reply.
You spend the night in a comfortable bed, and you sleep well. You awake in the morning to the sound of Carol knocking on the doorway. The door you knocked down is still on the floor.

> You say "Hey Carol..."
Carol comes in has something in her hands.
"I brought you something to eat," she says.
"Thanks," you reply.
She puts the tray on your lap and gives you a fork and knife.
"Thank you," you say, before starting to eat the eggs.
"So, are you feeling any better? Remember anything else?"

> You say "Nothing useful yet, sadly. I remember my dad's face, but not his name."
"That's okay, honey. You'll remember in time."
You eat your eggs, then put the tray on the floor.

> You say "I'll need to get moving towards the hospital soon. You got any water I could drink?"
"Of course, hold on," she says.
Carol gets a glass of water from the kitchen and brings it to you.

> You drink it.
You drink the water and put the glass on the floor.

> You say "Thanks, Carol. I appreciate it."
"Anytime, honey," she replies.
You put your shoes on, and pick up your shotgun.
"I should be going now," you say.
"Alright. Be careful out there, okay? Watch out for any kids out there, because they're likely to be anomalies. Little kids are rare in this city since they die so easy, poor souls..."

> You say "I'll keep that in mind..."
"Good. Be careful, honey," she says.
You leave inn and step out onto the foggy streets. You walk down the road you remember from the bus stop map.
"Should be close..." you say.
You keep walking for about an hour, occasionally looking around to make sure you're not being followed. Eventually, you see a hospital sign up ahead.
After passing a couple more buildings, you finally reach the hospital.
Many of the hospital's windows are broken or boarded up, and the front door is locked with a lock and chain. You walk around to the back, and find a fire escape. You go down it and find yourself in a hallway.
You try to open the first door you see, but it's locked.

> You say "Doctor Pomson? You in here?"
You hear some quiet sobbing from the end of the hallway. You follow the noise and find a metal door with a window in it.

> You look through the window.
You see a crying girl in a bed. She's covered in blood, and there is a dead anomaly twitching and writhing in a pool of its own blood. She has a knife in her shaking hands.

> You open the door.
You open the door, and the girl looks up at you. She's a teenager, with long blond hair and a pretty face covered in tears and snot.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screams, pointing the knife at you.

> You say "Hey, calm down, I'm a friend. I won't hurt you."
"P-Please j-just go away..." she sniffles.
The anomaly's twitching has grown less frequent as its life slowly drains out of its body.

> You say "It's okay, sweety. I'm a detective. I'm a police officer. You can trust me."
"O-Okay..." she sniffles, "What do you want?"
"What's your name?"
"M-Melissa..."
"Okay, sweetie. My name is Lee. Are there any other normal people here in this hospital?"
"No... I don't think so..."
She starts to cry again.
"D-Daddy said they were all evacuated. He lied. He lied."
"It's okay, sweetie. Just calm down and tell me what happened."
"I was asleep, then there was a loud noise and screaming. I hid under the bed, like Daddy taught me. Then he came to my room and... and..."
"It's okay, sweetie. Take your time."
"An-and then he grabbed me and we ran. We got separated. I heard him screaming, and I kept running. Then I locked myself in here, but t-the monster came, and... I don't know where I am..."
She starts crying again. You put a hand on her shoulder, and she flinches.
"It's okay, sweetie. I'm not going to hurt you. What was your father's name? Maybe I can find him."
"D-Daddy..." she says, "His name is David Pomson."
"Pomson? I'm looking for him already, actually. I need him to help me."
"He's dead, isn't he? Like my mommy and my big brother?"
"I don't know, sweetie. I hope not."
She breaks down in tears again.
"It's okay, it's okay," you say, trying to calm her down.
"I want to go h-home..." she sobs.
"I know, sweetie. This is all very scary. You did a really good job on killing the monster, though. That was a very mature thing to accomplish. It can't hurt you anymore."
"I-I stabbed it a lot."
"You sure did. It won't be hurting anyone else, either."
She smiles a bit.
"You're very brave. Do you feel up to walking around the hospital for a bit? I'm looking for your father, and it would be nice to have some help."
"I-I guess so. I need to find Daddy..."
"Okay. I'm going to need you to stay really close to me. I have a shotgun, and I might need to use it if we find more monsters. If I'm about to fire, cover your ears."
"Okay."
"Let's go."
You turn, and lead the way. You go back up to the ground floor. You listen for noise, but are met with silence. You tentatively walk out into the lobby. It's destroyed. There's no sign of life.

> You search for David Pomson.
You walk into a hospital room, and see a man leaning up against the wall. He weakly looks over at you, and his face lights up when he sees the girl next to you.
"Hello?" You say.
"Daddy!" The girl screams, running to him.
David weakly opens his arms, and the girl leaps into them. He wraps them around her as she cries on his shoulder.
Suddenly, David strengthens his grip and begins crushing the girl in his arms. She begins choking, unable to breathe as she squirms. His head begins violently twitching as a crooked smile creeps up his face. His teeth are grit, his eyes pure red.
You run forward, and smack the disguised anomaly with the butt of your shotgun as hard as you can. It releases Melissa, who falls backwards and starts violently coughing.
You point the shotgun at its head.

> You say "God damn it! I knew it was too easy!"
It begins laughing in a distorted voice as it rises from the ground. Its mouth opens wide, revealing sharp yellow teeth.

> You say "Melissa, cover your ears!", then shoot the anomaly disguised as David in the mouth.
Melissa covers her ears as you fire. The shotgun bucks, sending a spray of lead and magnesium shards into the monster's mouth. Blood, skull fragments, and brain matter splatter against the wall, and it falls limp.

> You say "God damn it... Melissa, are you okay?"
"I... I'm fine... D-Daddy..." she says, shakily.
She begins sobbing as she hugs you. You hug her back, and you feel her tremble in your arms.

> You say "That wasn't your daddy, sweetie. The monsters like to play tricks and make you think they're normal people."
She only cries in your arms.

> You say "We're going to find your dad, I promise."
"How... c-can you promise that? Y-You don't e-even know where he is!"
"That's true. But I'm going to help you look for him. I was told by multiple people that he was here."
"You were t-told by that Doctor Kessel? He's a b-bad man! He wanted to cut open my d-daddy and m-m-make him like that!"

> You say "No? I don't know who Doctor Kessel is, sweetie."
"He w-wants to make m-more monsters like the ones outside!"
"I see. Thank you for explaining that."

> You say "Come on, we have an entire hospital to look through."
"Okay."
You begin walking through the hospital with her. She holds your hand, looking around at the various rooms as you go. You look around as well.

> You search for David Pomson.
You walk into a hospital room, and find a man lying in the bed. He has bandages wrapped around his head, as well as multiple cuts on his face and arms.

> You say "Hello?"
"Hello," he replies.
"I'm looking for David Pomson."
"He'll be back... He always comes back... He said he would bring me food from storage..."

> You say "How do I know you're not an anomaly?"
"You can kill me if you want. I don't care anymore... My wife is gone... They took her."
You lower your head. He might not actually be an anomaly. He might just be an unfortunate man who lost his wife to the evils swarming the city.
Or he could be an anomaly that's about to trick you into lowering your guard. You don't know.

> You point your shotgun at his head and ask if he's sure about that.
He blinks at you, then turns his head away. "If you don't think I'm a real person, then just kill me. Just don't let that girl watch."

> You lower your shotgun and sigh.
"I'm sorry," you say.
"It's okay. I know I'm going to die here eventually. If that girl is a human and isn't fooling you, then you should get her somewhere safe. Do that, at least."

> You say "Of course."
"Thanks. If I see Pomson again, I might ask him to put me down for good. I don't have anything left to live for."
You hear something behind you, and you turn around with your shotgun at the ready. It's another thin that looks like David Pomson, but you can't be sure if it's really him. He's holding a bag of what looks like food. He has a pistol in his other hand.
"What the hell is going on here?" he asks.

> You say "You, tell me your name."
"I'm Doctor Kessel."
"Are you sure?"
He raises an eyebrow, then says "Yes, I'm sure. Who are you? And who's that little girl?"
You look at the little girl behind you.
Suddenly, an axe is brought down on the man's head from behind. Another person that looks like David Pomson is holding the axe. He looks disheveled, has blood running from his mouth and nose, and has several bruises and cuts. He's breathing heavily. "Gotcha, you shapeshifting fuck!" he snarls. The thing below him with an axe in its head begins twitching and growling. He takes his axe out of the anomaly's head, then brings it down again. Melissa, covers her eyes and cries.
He keeps swinging until the anomaly stops moving.

> You say "Alright, what's YOUR name?"
"David. David Pomson. I'm the real one."
"What happened to you? The real you, I mean."
"I was nearly done in by these anomaly bastards... It's funny that this one pretended to be Doctor Kessel, since that man is a monster in his own right."

> You say "I found your daughter here. Tell me, what was her name?"
"Julia. Julia Pomson. That little girl is my daughter."
Your eyes widen. "She... She said her name was Melis-" you try to say before you feel something slimy constricting your neck. You grab at it, but feel the slime sliding through your fingers. You try to gasp for breath, before you're finally unable to breathe at all.
Pomson rushes forwards and swings his axe down at the fake daughter strangling you. The axe connects with its head, splattering blood on your shirt. It legs go of your throat and begins writhing on the ground. It lets out a pained hiss, then stops moving.
Pomson turns to you with a grimace on his face.

> You say "Fuck.... Oh fuck, I thought she was real... Jesus fucking Christ..."
"I'm sorry, sir..."
Tears well up in your eyes. You feel like a complete idiot for falling for it, even though you had good reason to.
Pomson braces his axe. "What's your name, sir? I hope I get the right answer, because I think I know you."

> You say "Lee. Detective Lee."
"What's your last name, Detective?"
"I don''t remember. That's why I'm here, doctor. A man at the police station injected me with some fucked up substance that's messing with my memory and I can barely remember anything."
"What was the man's name, detective?"

> You say "His name was Sam Hill. He worked with my father, I think."
"I see." Pomson lowers his weapon. "Now I know you're real. Your last name is Carter, by the way. I knew your mother before everything went to hell."

> You say "Thanks for the information."
"I'm sorry to hear about your father, by the way. He was a good man."
"What happened? Did he die?"
"No. He went insane, just like Sam and your mother did. If I were you, I'd stay away from him."

> You say "Why is everyone in this town going crazy? I met with Carol yesterday at her motel and she seemed a tad nuts."
"I have no idea. Maybe stress is just getting the better of all of us, or maybe there's something in the fog."

> You say "Something in the fog? Is there some anomaly-made chemical in the air?"
"I don't think so. It would have to be a pretty complex mixture to cause the things I've seen. Maybe it's just human nature."
"What have you seen? Did you see my father or Sam?"
"I don't want to talk about it. It's too depressing."
Pomson stares at the bloody bodies on the ground. "Sheesh, what a mess. It's a strange feeling, looking at your own dead body, along with the body of your own daughter..."

> You say "Where is your real daughter located?"
"She's dead in her hospital room on the second floor. She didn't die to those freaks, thank God. She had Leukemia."
"I'm sorry, Pomson."
Pomson walks over to the dead body of what looks like his daughter, but with a snake-like arm and a now deformed smile. "God, these creatures are fucking disgusting..."

> You say "They are. I saw one that looked like a little kid outside yesterday. It looks no older than 10 years old."
"Yeah, they can shape-shift into anything, given enough time. Including the loved ones of those they wish to manipulate."
"Manipulate? Why would a monster do that? I thought they were just animals following their instincts."
"No. They're intelligent, and not in a good way. They can speak, but that's only if they're old enough. You'll probably come across younger ones the most, since they love to breed a lot, but the oldest ones are the ones that can act the most human-like, like the two anomalies I just killed."

> You say "I see. That makes sense."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to blabber on. It's just... you know."
"It's fine. I understand."
You look at the two bodies. "So, now what?"

> You say "You got a man in that room that wants you to euthanize him."
"Yeah, I know. I can't do it. I'm not a killer of men."
Pomson sighs. "Well, then, I guess you're up, detective."
"What? Me? I can't kill a man in cold blood!"
"Then I don't know what to tell you."
You don't respond.

> You say "We can't let him suffer, and I'm opposed to just tossing him out to get eaten outside."
"Well, I don't know what to do about him. You can try and play Mr. Therapist with him if you want, but he's probably too far gone by now. When a man loses hope like that... It's hard to come back from that."
"Yeah... Fuck, I don't know..."

> You say "Look... If I... If I take care of your suicidal patient for you, will you help me? Sam Hill injected me with something, and now I can't remember a damn thing. I was told you have something that could counteract whatever he stuck me with."
Pomson nods. "Yeah, I have something for you. I know exactly what he injected into you. Put the patient out of his misery, then I'll talk to you about curing what ails you."

> You say "Fuck... I didn't want to have to kill him..."
You walk over to the patient. He stares at you, then at the bloody bodies of the anomalies behind you. "I'm sorry," you say.

> You put a pillow over his face, then shoot through it with the revolver in your pocket.
The pillow muffles the gunshot. His body reacts and seizes up for for a brief moment, then he goes limp. Blood soaks the pillow beneath his head. You put the revolver back in your pocket.
You look at your hands. They're still shaking, and you can't steady them.
"You're a stronger man than me, detective..." Pomson says as he places a hand on your shoulder. "Let's go get you cured of that poison, shall we?"
Pomson takes you to a small operating room. You recognize the equipment, but just barely. Most of it looks like it's from the 50's. A small tray lays on a table, with several syringes laid out neatly.
Pomson takes one of the syringes and retrieves a substance from a cabinet. He fills it up with the liquid, then tells you to sit down.
"This might hurt a little. Just a tiny prick."
He injects the syringe into your neck and injects the substance into you. He pulls it out, and then presses a cotton ball to the injection site.

> You say "Thanks, doc... I hope this stuff works."
"Yeah, well, I'm just glad I could help you." he says, taking a band-aid from a drawer and applying it to the injection site. "That should do it. It's an antidote to the poison in your system. Just take that, and it should all be fine."
"Thanks, doc..."
You sit there for a moment, waiting for something to happen.

> You say "How long until I start remembering things?"
"Uh... Give it about half an hour. Then, you'll remember everything."
"Thanks, doc..."
Pomson nods, then makes sure the door is securely locked to prevent any intrusions from any wandering anomalies.
You wait and wait. Just as you are about to ask if the substance Pomson injected even worked, your mind is suddenly overflowed with information.
Your full name is Lee Wesley Carter, your father's name is John, your mother's name is Lois, you remember that you were there when the anomalies first broke through the city's walls, and you remember what happened to make Sam go crazy. You remember that your failure to save Sam's son during the initial chaos made him snap. You remember what caused the wall to break. You remember everything.
"Phew... Thank God that's over..." you say, wiping the sweat from your brow.
"Yep. All done," says Dr. Pomson. "You should be able to remember everything now."

> You say "I... I was there when the wall broke."
Pomson stares at you, his face expressionless.
"I was there when the wall broke," you say.
"I know."
"I saw it break."
"I know."
"I saw it happen..."

> You say "Fuck, I can see all the bodies and the blood when it happened..."
You begin hyperventilating. "It's okay. Take a deep breath, you're having a panic attack," says Dr. Pomson, handing you a paper bag.
You take the bag and breathe into it.

> You say "I tried to save Sam Hill's son, a-and I watched him get taken away and get torn in half. God, I fucking failed and that's why Sam tortured me..."
"It's okay, it's okay," says Dr. Pomson.
"I watched them tear him apart and I did nothing. Nothing." You begin to cry.
"I know, I know. You've been through a lot, but you're safe now. That's what matters."
"No it isn't! Nothing matters anymore! I saw them kill Sam's son! I saw them kill my brother! I saw them-"
"You don't need to keep reliving this, you're better off now."
"No I'm not! I'm in Hell, aren't I? There's no way I can escape the things I've seen... We just lived in constant fear for years, and now so many people are gone."
"It's over. You can let it go."
"No I can't! It'll never be over!" You stand up, knocking over the chair you were sitting in. "This isn't a self-contained thing, the entire world is like this! We're all going to fucking die. Carol told me it was hell outside the walls and I don't think I believed her, but I remember now," you say. "Those monsters are out there, and they're taking over. I saw them. They moved like swarms of ants. So fucking many."
"Settle down, Lee," says Dr. Pomson.

> You say "I... I can't... I can't settle down..."
You begin hyperventilating again. "Breathe into the bag, son," says Dr. Pomson.

> You say "Fu-Fuck, I... I can't... I don't want to... Fucking... This is hell, we're all gonna die, fuck fuck fuck!"
"Calm down, it's alright," says Dr. Pomson.
You fall to the ground, shaking and barely able to breathe with the weight of the world on your shoulders. You were supposed to save Sam's son, not watch him get torn apart. You would be in such a better place if you hadn't failed. You saw your brother get eaten alive. You were supposed to make it out of the city, not get left behind. You were supposed to do your job as a police officer but everyone died around you.
You were supposed to keep your loved ones safe, and you watched them die. Now you're supposed to get better, but the images won't leave your head. It's too much to handle.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." you say.
"It's alright, it's alright. You're safe now."
You close your eyes, and try to take a deep breath.
You look up, and you can see Reginald peering from behind a corner with his dark, soulless eyes. He seems impatient. He disappears before you can say anything to Pomson.
"R-... R-R-Reg-Reginald..." you sputter.
"Who? There's nobody here but us two. It's alright, Lee. You'll be fine as long as you breathe."
"Breathe... Yeah..."
"In for ten seconds, out for ten seconds. Yes?"
"Yeah... Just need to relax."

> You say "Just... Need... To... Relax..."
You take a few more shaky breaths, and slowly start to calm down.
"I know it's hard, but we'll get through this together," says Dr. Pomson.

> You say "So... This is our world..."
"It is. This is the world you'll be living in for the rest of your life."
"This is a nightmare. This isn't my world. My world isn't this bleak and depressing. There's no anomalies."
"This is the world all of us live in. You can't live in some fantasy world where we're all safe and no monsters exist. It's unhealthy."
"I'm trying... I just can't..."
"I know. It's alright. I'll be here with you every step of the way."
"I can't do this..."
"You can, and you will. You're stronger than you think. You made it this far without knowing who you even were when so many other people would have failed in your shoes. You are a survivor. You can get through this."
"I can't. I'm tired. I just want to sleep."
"It's alright. Sleep, then. We'll find a clean room. We'll talk again when you wake up."
"Promise me something. Please."
"Anything."
"If you ever find Grace... Tell her I'm sorry for being such a piece of shit. I never got to apologize to her before this all happened."
"I will. What does she look like, Lee?"
"Blonde, pretty. She has a birthmark above her upper lip that looks like South America."
"I know who you're talking about. If I ever see her, I'll relay your message to her."
"Thank you..."
You and Pomson find a clean, secure room in the hospital. Pomson helps you barricade the door and sleeps in another bed on the other side of the room. You drift away to sleep.
You awake to find Dr. Pomson shaking you awake.
"What's going on?" you ask.
"Quiet," he says.
You hear a voice coming from the hallway, speaking in a low tone.
"Lee the Carterrrr should have been smarterrrrr than to look into his miiiinnnnd..." it sang.
You hear something sharp scraping against the walls.
"He talked to Reggie, the anomalous veggie, and was set on a path none too kind..." it continued.
"Get your shotgun ready, Lee." Pomson whispers.
You grab your shotgun and check it. You have five shells left.
"He talked to Carol, who I stuffed in a barrel, and sent her on her way to Hellllll..." the anomaly sang.
The voice stops singing, and you hear footsteps coming towards your room. You point the shotgun at the barricaded door.
"Come on, motherfucker..." you whisper. Pomson is petrified in fear.
The footsteps stop outside your door. You hear something being slid across the floor, then a low growl.
"Leeeeeeeeeeee..." it growls.
The thing outside slashes at the door, tearing apart the wood. You fire your shotgun, and you hear a roar of pain from the hallway. You fire again, blowing a hole in the door and hitting the creature. Black blood and chunks of flesh go spraying onto your bed and the wall behind it. The beast lets out a roar as it collapses backwards, dead.

> You say "Three shells left..."
"That thing was saying a lot of odd and personal things about you, Lee. Who the hell is Reggie? Did that thing do something to Carol?" Pomson asked, panicked.
"I know a guy named Reginald... He uh... He sent me to find you, since he knew what Sam injected to make me forget everything... And I don't know, but it might have actually killed Carol. Fuck, I really hope not..." you say.
"You know a guy named Reginald? What the hell is going on?"
"Look, he's the type of person who will only make himself known if he wants you to know him. He's odd... But he was there for me when I needed help, and I'm grateful for that."
"Well, I hope he helps you well enough..." Pomson said.

> You say "Maybe. He told me a lot of things. I'm important to the anomalies for some reason, and they really want me dead specifically. I apparently know something that they don't want anyone to know."
"Yeah, and what's that?"
"I don't know. Something about me though. Something specific. I think it has to do with why the wall was able to be broken at all. I think I'm the only one who knows that the wall was sabotaged by one of us, and that's how the monsters were able to break through. I think they don't want me to find the person responsible and make sure it never happens again."
"But the guy in charge of the city said that it was just a random attack over the radio while the police were trying to evacuate people to safezones."
"He's wrong. I know he is."
"So you know something they don't... I guess it's too late to say anything now, since nearly everyone is dead."

> You say "Yeah... Way too late. Does the name "Jenson Fritz" mean anything to you, doctor?"
"Jenson? It sounds familiar but I can't place my finger on it. Why, did he have something to do with this?"
"Yeah, he was the one who sabotaged the wall. I'm just wondering if you know him, or knew of him."
"Hmm... I don't think so. How puzzling. If what you say is true, then give him a good beating or two for me when you find him."

> You say "I will. I'll make that fucker pay for what he did."
"So what's the plan now?"
"I don't know. Maybe find Jensen and kill him? I don't know what I'd do after that, though."
"You could stay here with me and help whoever comes to us for help."
"Too dangerous, and we'd run out of supplies and not be able to help anyone else eventually. That, and it would attract attention from the anomalies."
"Well, then we could try and leave the city and go somewhere else. There's bound to be other places where humans are safe..."

> You say "That'd be nice I suppose..."
"Then we should start moving. The noise might have attracted some of the anomalies, and-"
His voice is drowned out by the sound of gunfire in the other room. Rapid gunfire coming from a rifle. You hear distorted growls and screams.
"What the hell?" you ask.
You dismantle the barricade and walk into the room, your shotgun raised. You see another doctor holding an AK-47 surrounded by several dead bodies, some human, some not.

> You point your shotgun at the man and ask who he is.
"Heh! I'm Doctor motherfuckin' Kessel!" he bellows.
You feel a hand on your shoulder from Pomson. "Yeah, that's Kessel. It's not an anomaly. Treat him like one, he's batshit crazy," he whispers into your ear.


> You say "Pomson here says that you're not lying about your name. Why haven't I seen you in this hospital yet?"
"Yeah, well, you've been busy lookin' at dead people, kid. I've been out there, takin' care of business."
"What do you mean? You've been out there by yourself?" Pomson asks.
"Pomson, Pomson, Pomson, I've been shootin' the hell out of those demons since they first arrived. They're afraid of me. They die just like us, and that's the God's honest truth!"
"Whatever you say, Kessel."
"Now, since you ladies are awake now, I'm gonna need some help cleaning this shit up," Kessel says.

> You say "I'm not helping you do a thing. I need to get moving."
"Ah, hell, kid. I'd force ya, but you got a gun as well," Kessel says, shrugging.

> You say "Yeah, I got a gun alright. Come on Pomson, let's leave already."
"Sure thing."
You and he leave the hospital through a broken window. The fog is still as heavy as ever.
"Should we head back to the police station? There will be guns there, right? It should be highly defensible..." Pomson suggests.
"There's a massive hole where the entrance used to be after uh.... I kinda blew my way out because it was too barricaded to move through. It might not be the best in terms of defense now. That, and I saw some anomalies kept in cages, and I want to stay away from that shit," you respond.
"Well, there's always my house. It isn't the best, but it has a couple guns, and is pretty defensible."
"Let's go there then."
You and he take off down the street. You hear gunshots in the distance, and a screeching howl.

> You ignore it and steer clear of the source of the noise.
"Let's go this way," you say.
"Why? It's a straight path to my house from here."
"Trust me, I want to avoid the source of all that racket. Steer clear."
Just as you say that, however, something bursts from a nearby house. It's a 7 foot tall anomaly. It has a pig's head, but the body of a man. Its claws are sharp, and its body is splattered with dry blood. It carries a severed human head in one of its hands. It spots you and begins to charge.
"Holy...!"
You and he turn to run, but it's already nearly upon you. It charges past you, and you turn around just in time to see it collide with Pomson.

> You shoot the monster in the back with your shotgun.
You pump your shotgun, and fire. The blast hits the monster in the back, and it howls from the pain. It claws at its back, trying to stop the pain.
Pomson crawls away from the beast.

> You take your sacrificial dagger and stab the beast in the leg.
You leap on top of the monster and jam your knife into its flesh. It howls again, and swipes a claw at you. You manage to avoid having your head cleaved in two, but the claw still slices open your chest.

> You stab at its throat.
You try to jam your knife into the monster's throat, but it smacks you away with a paw. Your face hits the pavement, and you lose your knife in the process.
The monster looks down at you and growls.

> You shoot another shotgun shell into its chest.
You pump your shotgun, and fire again. The blast hits the monster in the chest, and knocks it onto its back. It tries to stand, but you manage to leap onto its chest and break its nose with the butt of your shotgun.

> You blast a hole in its head with your last shotgun shell.
You put your shotgun against the monster's head and pull the trigger. Your shell goes through its head, and out the other side, leaving a massive hole in its skull.

> You say "Wow.... Haahh... Fuck... Pomson, are you alright?"
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. That thing just took me by surprise is all. Where the hell did it come from?"
"Hell if I know. Let's get out of here before something else comes."
You turn around and are face to face with an anomaly that is two inches taller than you, yet has the face and body of a child. It smiles at you with blood soaked teeth. It lets out a laugh that sends shivers down your spine.
"It's killing time!" it says in a voice that is both childish and terrifying.
You feel a sweep at your legs from another source and you hear Pomson screaming.
Your legs give way and you fall to the ground. You look up to see another similar creature, yet its hair is as long as its body. The hair wraps around your legs and it yanks, tying your legs together and are pinned down by the child monsters.
"I'm going to tear off your head and piss down your neck!"
Pomson's screams have turned to gurgles as something rips into his body.

> You pull out your revolver and shoot one of the monsters in the face.
You aim your gun at one of the monsters and pull the trigger.
The bullet rips through its face, and out the other side. The monster falls to the ground, dead.
The other monster with the long hair grabs your arm and bites into it. The pain is searing and you scream out in pain. You drop your revolver on the ground as you try to wriggle free.
The monster with the long hair lets go of your arm and pounces on you, trying to claw your eyes out.


> You break the monster's nose by sending your palm into its face.
You push the monster back and send your fist into its nose. It falls back and shrieks in pain. The hair that was around your legs disappears as the monster howls in pain.
"I'll eat your fucking toes!"
You pick up your revolver and almost shoot, but the creature that had ripped into Pomson grabs your arms and tosses you aside. You realize that Pomson has long stopped making any noise.
The monster crawls on top of you and you see that it has a ripped and blood-soaked bag over its violently twitching head. You manage to grab its arms before it can swipe at you.

> You lunge your face at its stomach and bite into it.
You hear the monster let out a howl as you tear a chunk of its flesh out. You push the monster off, then scramble to pick up your revolver.

> You pick up your revolver and shoot the monster in the head.
The monster falls to the ground and stops moving. You realize the other one has left.
"It's over."

> You check on Pomson.
You run over to the body and kneel down. The top half of his body has been ripped off, and blood is everywhere. You don't see any pulse, and his eyes are open and glazed over. He's dead.

> You say "God damn it... God fucking damn it..."
You realize that you are standing in a puddle of blood. Pomson's blood.
"Fuck, Pomson... God damn it, I'm so sorry..."

> You collect your empty shotgun and leave.
You grab your shotgun and leave the area. You are left standing in the middle of a dark and quiet street. Your chest is bleeding, but the scratches aren't very deep.

> You try to find somewhere safe to hide.
You walk to the nearest house and try the front door. It's unlocked.
"Thank Christ."
You enter the house and close the door behind you.

> You check the house for anomalies.
You slowly look around the foyer and into the rooms on the ground floor. You don't find anything, but you do find a can of spray paint and a red paint marker.

> You go to one of the bathrooms and clean yourself.
You sit on the toilet and take off your shirt to clean your cuts. There are four long cuts on your chest that need stitches, but you don't have access to a hospital.

> You clean yourself, then look around the house for a needle and thread.
You find some sewing supplies in the bathroom. You sterilize the needle with the stove in the kitchen, then return to the bathroom.

> You hesitate.
You stare at the needle and thread, then at your chest. You've never had stitches before, but you're pretty sure it isn't a good idea to do this without anesthesia.

> You say "I can do this... I can do this..."
You slowly push the needle through your skin, wincing in pain. You pull the wound together and begin sewing it shut.

> You say "Augh, FUCK! God... Fuck!"
The pain is excruciating, and you find yourself gritting your teeth as you push the needle through your skin.
"This... This isn't so bad... It's getting easier..."

> You say "Ow ow OW! Fuck, never mind! It's not easy! It's not fucking easy!"
You drop the needle and thread and hold your chest. The bleeding has stopped, but your chest hurts like hell.
"Stupid idea... I need to find some bandages or something..."

> You rest for a moment, then clean your chest off again.
You lean back and rest against the tub. Your breathing is heavy. Your chest feels like it's on fire, and the fact that Pomson is dead still hasn't fully registered in your mind.
"I can't do this alone. Fuck, Pomson's dead, Carol's probably dead..."
You feel utterly alone.

> You search the house for clothes to rip up and turn into makeshift bandages.
You find some clothes in one of the bedrooms. You tear the shirt and pants into long strips and wrap them around your chest.
The pain is still there, but it's duller now.

> You put your shirt back on and secure one of the bedrooms with barricades before resting on one of the beds.
You pull your shirt on, then grab a nearby wooden end table and use it to barricade the door.
"Okay... I can get through this. I just need to rest for a bit..."
You close your eyes and fall asleep.
Hours later, you wake up to a scream.
"Ah! Lee! You're alive!"
You sit up and see an anomaly in the room with you.
"How horrible! You're alive! This shouldn't be, it shouldn't be! Your bones aren't crushed, how sad, how sad!" it screeches.
The anomaly is bird-like, yet still quite humanoid. It's small and weak-looking, with dirty white feathers and red claws. It has the beak of a bird, and its face is contorted into a look of agony and sadness.

> You grab your dagger and stand up out of bed.
"I have a name. It's Lee. Lee, Lee, Lee. Say it with me. Lee. Not Lee. Lee," it squawks.
The Anomaly stares at you, still contorted in its strange expression of sadness and agony.

> You wait for the anomaly to make a move.
"Why do you wait? Why do you wait? Kill me! Please kill me!"
The Anomaly begins to hop up and down in place.
"Kill me! Kill me!" it squawks.

> You say "...You want me to kill you?"
"Yes! Kill me, please kill me!" it screeches.
The Anomaly hops up and down. You can see in its face that this is no laughing matter for it.

> You say "I thought you were just saying that it's a bad thing that I'm not dead..."
"Oh, it is. It is. It's just that I'm so sad... So sad..." it squawks.

> You say "Why are you sad? I thought you freaks loved hurting humans."
"I don't know why. I don't know why. It's just that ever since I first saw you... We all saw you, we all agreed, and we all hated you... But something went wrong. Something went wrong with me. You're alive, it's sad, sad! If you were dead, I'd be sad, sad! Kill me, kill me, so that the sadness goes away!"
The Anomaly begins to pace back and forth.
"Kill me, please kill me. Kill me. Please kill me. Kill me, please kill me," it squawks in rhythm with its pacing.

> You grab the anomaly by the head and stab deep into its throat.
The Anomaly lets out a shriek, but doesn't try to stop you. You stab the dagger into it's throat repeatedly, and blood begins to pour out.

> You stab the knife one final time and wring it around to cause the most damage to its windpipe.
The Anomaly falls back and stops moving. It's dead. You feel a strange amount of pity and guilt.

> You look around to see where the anomaly could have entered from.
You look around and see that one of the windows is open. That explains it.

> You grab your things and leave the building.
You run out of the building after securing all of your belongings.
Your stomach begins to growl. You've got to get food soon.
A police officer, or at least what looks like one, sees you and gives chase. He tackles you to the ground.
He begins strangling you. You look into his eyes to see that they're blood red. "Stop... resisting..." it grunts. Your face feels hot and your throat hurts.
You take the pocket knife from your pocket and flip it open. You stab into the anomaly's stomach and rip it open. Blood pours into your chest and face as its intestines begin to fall out while it screams in agony. It lets you go and falls over backwards, holding its bloodied stomach.
You get up and start running again.
You look behind you to see that the police officer is trying to give chase, but it ends up falling to the ground, splattering its inside on the pavement. It writhes on the ground, slowly dying.

> You say "Fuck you, I win!"
You continue to run. You don't look back.

> You look for a store that might have food.
You see a small shop up ahead. It looks like a small farmer's market.
You go inside and look around. There is nobody in here. You see two dead anomaly bodies, which makes you nervous.

> You search around for food.
You search around and find a bag of baby carrots. It's not much, but it's something.
You take a small handful and eat them. They're very stale and not very appetizing.

> You search for something better to eat.
You look around and find a small can of peaches. It's expired, but you don't care. You open it and eat the contents.
It's incredibly sweet and delicious.
You find another can that looks promising.

> You open the can and empty the contents into your mouth.
The can says "Beefaroni" on it. You open it and empty it into your mouth. It's moist, and it doesn't taste great. It would be better if it was heated up in a microwave, but you don't have such a luxury.
"Hungry, detective?" a familiar voice suddenly says from behind. You nearly throw the can in surprise.
"Jesus Christ!" you say when you turn around. It's Reginald.
"Hello, detective," he says, "I see you're still alive."
"My, you're a mess! What a waste of tax dollars that so-called officer was back there, hmm?" he says with a wry smile. You flip him off and he chuckles.
"I'm terribly sorry about your friend, Pomson. These beasts are nothing to trifle with, as you have already seen clearly. That man was brave to go out in search of safety for the both of you. His fate is rather regrettable. I had taken a liking to him, even if he did distract you... I trust that you know what to do next, now that you have your memory back?"

> You say "My new objective is to find and kill the fucker that caused all this."
"Indeed! Jenson Fritz... I respect the man, and have had many dealings with him, but this is not something I ever asked of him. In fact, this entire disaster has ruined quite a lot of my plans."

> You say "Your plans? Plans for what? You're an anomaly, right? What could you possibly want with humanity that doesn't involve cold-blooded murder?"
He chuckles, a dark and chilling sound.
"I am not my own master, entirely, Mr. Carter... I have my own orders, as you do your own."
You scoff. "Orders? Me? I can choose whatever I want."
"And yet our goals align. I need you to kill Jenson Fritz, yet you want to do so anyway, regardless of what I want. In a way, you're following orders."
"You're delusional."
"Am I? What are you doing here, then?"
"I'm trying to survive. You said it yourself. I lost a man to these... things. I'm not going to let them kill me. If I die, it'll be on MY own terms, damn it."
"Fair enough. I admire your spirit, detective. You have quite a fire inside of you. Don't let it be snuffed out. However, the other light that DOES need snuffing... One Jenson Fritz... Now, detective Carter, you can distrust me and scoff at my words all you like, but I have proven myself to be quite useful to you. I am the reason you escaped that accursed police station, and I am the reason you found Pomson and got your memory back. If anything, I'd at least appreciate a 'thank you'."

> You say "Fine, thanks for helping me with all that. Your point about Fritz?"
He smiles, his sharp teeth bared in a grin.
"My point is, you should go kill him now to prevent him from doing such things to other human settlements in the future. He's in his office, hiding like a coward. Go on, I believe you have a shotgun, pistol and knife. I trust you can handle yourself."

> You say "My shotgun is out of shells and I only have 2 or 3 shots left in my revolver. I've had to start killing anomalies with my knife."
"Ah, a pity. A shotgun would make this much easier. Regardless, you still have the blade. I believe you can do it."

> You say "If you're so knowledgeable about things, then tell me. Is the gun store all looted, or can I find some arms and ammo there?"
He chuckles again.
"It's not looted. Nobody's had the time to completely deplete its resources quite yet. I trust you'll head there next?"

> You say "Yeah. I'm not going after Fritz without actual firepower."
He smiles.
"I must be off, detective. It's been a pleasure speaking with you. Perhaps we'll see each other again."
He backs away into the shadows and disappears. You're alone again. You put your head in your hands. You're getting sick of all of this. You just want to get this mission over with and find somewhere safe.
You stand up, bracing yourself.
"Time to go."

> You find another bus stop to look at a map.
You walk to the next bus stop. You spot a newspaper stand there. You walk up to it and look at the papers. All outdated. Figures.
You look at the bus stop's map, find out where you are, and figure out a safe route towards the nearest gun store. You begin heading there. You walk down the street, keeping an eye out for anything that could be a potential threat. Nothing so far.
You take a turn down a side street. Suddenly, you hear a sound to your right. You turn your head and are met with the sight of an 8 foot tall bear-like monster walking on its hind legs. It looks just as surprised to see you as you are to see it.
You both freeze.

> You say "I'm going to assume you can understand human speech. I've killed a lot of you fucks, so I wouldn't try it. I'm not covered in human blood you know."
It growls at you. Well, more like roaring.
"Just walk away, anomaly. I'm not in the mood, and I assume you value your own life."
It begins walking towards you, growing more confident.
"Not a good idea, pal. WALK. AWAY."
It continues approaching you, not intimidated in the slightest. You sigh, and pull out your revolver.
"Alright then."
You aim your revolver at the creature's head and fire. The bullet enters the left side of its forhead and comes out the right, leaving a gaping hole and sending the creature stumbling back with a paw to its head.

> You rush forwards, stab your pocket knife into its gut, then rip it open.
You charge the creature, who seems confused and in pain. You stab the knife into its stomach and pull it upwards, opening up the entire stomach.

> You pull out its entrails.
You pull out the large intestines and organ and watch as the creature weakens.
It has a look of regret on what remains of its face as it slowly dies.
You stand there panting.

> You say "I fucking told you!" and spit on the monster.
You stand there panting.
"Fucking hell."
You hear a thumping noise coming from down the alley. You turn your head and raise your gun. You slowly walk down the alleyway, turning every so often to check your surroundings.

> You just keep moving towards the gun store.

You decide to ignore the thumping and you leave the alleyway. You continue on your path, but not before giving the anomaly you just mutilated a glance. It's clearly dead.
After some walking, going down winding streets, and passing through a couple alleys, you finally find the gun store you're looking for. "Guns, God, and Freedom" the sign reads. The door is locked with a lock and chain, and the windows are protected by a grate.
You can hear muffled voices coming from inside. You knock on the door and listen. The voices die down, and you can hear footsteps approaching the door.
A small peephole on the door opens, then shuts.
You hear more talking on the inside. They're likely discussing what to do with you.

> You say "Hey, I'm not an anomaly. I just killed one a few minutes ago. This ain't human blood on my shirt."
You knock on the door and state "Hey, I'm not an anomaly. I just killed one a few minutes ago. This ain't human blood on my shirt."
The door swings open.
A man holding a semi-automatic shotgun aims at you. He's gruff with a big beard that covers the majority of his face, and he's wearing a baseball cap with he American flag on it.
"Got some ID on ya, son?" he asks.
"No sir, I don't. I know it may not look like it, but I'm a detective from the police station. My name is Lee Carter. I solved that missing person's case about Brody, remember? It was in the papers after it happened."
The man seems to remember you. "Ah, yes, that kid who went missing. You're the one who found him. What are you doing here? Are you here to buy a gun?"
"Buy...? Uh... You still trying to uphold the economy during all this? Most of the city is dead, friend."
The man pauses. He seems to be thinking hard about something. Then, he sighs and says "Yeah, I guess it is pointless now. What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to recoup and get some firepower. I got a job that needs doing, and I can't do it with what I have right now."
The man lowers his gun. "Get in here before one of them monsters notices you!"
You walk inside and see multiple people gathered around a table, playing Texas Hold Em Poker. "I'm Jed, by the way. This here's my store. It's nice to see a face I recognize. Now just what in Sam-hell are you doing in a Starlight Drive-In uniform? You don't work there last time I remember!"
You sigh as the door shuts and locks behind you. "It's a long story, trust me. I'd rather have a police uniform but sometimes you just gotta make do."
"Heh! I get it, Mister Carter. I believed it was you and not some monster cuz I recognize the face from the papers and you said your name right."
"Yeah, I've been fooled a few times. They're smart when they're not barbarians."
"I'll say. Take a seat and I'll get you some clean clothes that have extra pockets to carry shit in. We don't just got guns and ammo here y'know, we also got tactical gear!"

> You say "I appreciate it, Jed. Thanks."
"Don't mention it! I'm just doing my part when the world's upside down! I trust your mission is a holy one, since everyone's only ever said anything good about ya except ol' Grace in the bathroom."
"G-Grace...?"
"Yeah? You know 'er?" Jed asks.
You sigh heavily. "Fuck... Yes, I know her. I didn't think she was still alive."
"Well you'll see in a minute. She should be out in just a moment. Lemme get you those new clothes..."
You sit down with the rest of the group. They seem disturbed by the sheer amount of blood covering you, but they heard your conversation and know that you're no monster.
Soon, the bathroom door opens. A young woman walks out, and you're not shocked to see that it's Grace. She's aged rapidly from immense stress. You turn your eyes away instinctively.
"...Lee?"
"Hi Grace... Long time no see?"
She sits back down at her spot at the table. She avoids eye contact with you.

> You say "I don't plan on staying long. I have things that need doing."
"Yeah... I understand. There's a lot of bad people out there, even if everyone else is dead out there, huh?"
"You could say that. I still have a job to do," you say.
"You always did love your job... Especially more than other important things..." she says, which cuts really deep.
"Please don't start, Grace. I ripped out a monster's intestines just a few minutes ago so I'm not in the mood to get into it with you in front a bunch of people I don't know."
"Fine. But we are going to talk, and it's going to be today."
You rest your head on your hand and sigh. You feel weak around her.
Jed comes back out and sees the tension in the room. He clears his throat. "Lee, sir? I got some clothes for ya!"
He's holding a pair of tactical urban camo pants with several large pockets, an urban camo longsleeve shirt, a hunting vest, and a fresh pair of woodland camo socks.
"You can clean up in our bathroom. Just leave your dirty clothes in a pile in there, I'll take care of it."
You smile and get up, heading to the bathroom and taking the cloths Jed gave you. "Oh by the way, I fixed up a makeshift shower in there! Use it all you like!" Once inside and with full privacy, you strip off your clothes and turn on the shower. As you step in, you realize how amazing the water feels on your skin.

> You wash yourself.
You wash yourself quickly, but thoroughly. You find yourself grossed out as you wash the blood off of your body and out of your hair. You've had to end a lot of life in the past few days, even if they were monsters.

> You stand in the shower for a minute or two, thinking about how you'll approach Grace.
You stand in the shower for a minute or two, thinking about how you'll approach Grace. You're not going to beat around the bush. You'll apologize for your actions, but make it clear that you're a better man now. You've proven that to yourself already. You won't ask for her to join you, but you'll tell her to stay safe. You still care about her, even if you'll likely never be together again.
As you get out of the shower, you realize you're no longer exhausted or sore. You also realize you're not sunburnt in the slightest. The fog outside has absorbed most of the light.

> You dry off and put on the clothes that Jed gave you.
You dry off and put on the clothes that Jed gave you. They fit you perfectly, almost as if they were tailor-made for you.

> You take a deep breath and walk back into the main room with everyone else.
You take a deep breath and walk back into the main room with everyone else. You see that many of them are wearing clothes that look just like yours, or variations of it.

> You sit down where you was sitting previously.
You sit down where you was sitting previously, and a plate of food appears in front of you. It's more vegetables than you've ever seen in one place, and they're all cooked perfectly.
"You came in just in time, Mister Carter! Jess here made dinner, and we had enough for ya!"
You thank him and dig in. You didn't get very full at that shop earlier.
You're about halfway through your food when you hear an explosion outside. It's very loud, and very close.
"That sounded like it was inside the post office!" someone yells.

> You finish your food while everyone else panics.
You finish your food while everyone else panics. You get up and see a woman rush into the room, looking terrified.
"What the hell was that?" she asks.
"An explosion. Someone probably had an explosive weapon or something and was in a tight spot," you say.
"I think I know who it was," a man says, running into the room. It's Jess' husband, Tom.

> You say "I'd personally just say to leave it. Don't draw attention to yourselves, y'know?"
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking," Tom says. The room it tense.

> You wait for everyone to calm down.
Everyone waits for several minutes, but after the explosion there is no more noise. After a few more minutes people start to relax.
"Probably a one-time thing," you say. "Nothing to worry about."
Tom nods. "You're probably right."
Suddenly, a new noise comes from the same place as the explosion. It's a distorted wailing coming from an injured anomaly.
"Yep, someone blew up a monster out there but it's still alive..." you mutter.
Everyone's attention is drawn to the sound of the wailing anomaly. The room is deathly quiet save for the sound outside.
It eventually degenerates into a death rattle before it finally fades away.

> You say "Sounds like it died."
"Yeah... it died," Tom says, still looking towards the door.
"Well, I guess that's good."
"Yeah... it's good."
Tom goes quiet and returns to his seat. Everyone else does the same.

> You say "So, have any of you made contact with any other people outside this here gun store?"
"I tried to go out a couple weeks ago," says Tom. "But it was too dangerous."
You nod.

> You say "Dangerous is a word I'd use. A uh... I friend of mine died recently to those things out there. They ambushed us and I barely got away."
"Jesus," says Tom.
"I mean I had an idea for us to go out there and try to kill all the monsters we can find, so that there's less for us to worry about," another person says.

> You say "Hah, you can try alright. Good luck with that."
"Why do you say that?" the man asks, looking angry.
"Because you're talking to someone who's been out there for a few days now, shit isn't pretty," you say, "Wanna see the cuts on my chest? I got clawed once, and it was bad enough that I was forced to stitch myself up with a needle and thread I found."
"Shit, are you serious?"
"I'm serious as a heart attack," you say. "And that's just one of my stories. I got plenty more."
The man looks worried now.

> You say "An anomaly broke into the house I was staying in the other night. It was some weird bird thing. Instead of attacking me, it begged for me to kill it. I think it said something about being sad if I died, even though it hated me. It was so fucking odd, but I killed it anyways. I'm not sure how easily I'll sleep after that."
"That's messed up," says Tom.
"Yeah, it really is."
"So... you're staying here now?" asks the man who had the idea.

> You say "No, I gotta hit the road soon. I have someone I'm supposed to uh... 'meet'. It's someone important, and that's all I'll say on the matter."
The man looks at you for a few seconds, and then nods.
"Alright then," he says. "We'll stay here as long as we can. I hope we get help soon."

> You say "I hope you do, but all I've found out there is death. I think after I've done everything I need to do in this city, I'm gonna go through the broken wall and try to find another settlement somewhere."
"That's pretty dangerous, isn't it?" asks Tom.
"Yeah, but it's also necessary. I mean there's gotta be other survivors somewhere right?"
Tom nods.

> You say "The city's fucked. After I'm done with my business, there's nothing left for me here."
"You sure about that?" Grace interjects sarcastically.
You pause for a second.
"Yeah, I am."
"We still have some business. Why don't you start there? Ever since we've been holed up here, I've been hoping I could get a chance to talk to you," she says coldly.

> You grit your teeth and say "Fine. I want to take this to another room where we have some privacy."
"We don't have that kind of privacy here, you know," says Grace.
"We still have the bathroom I just washed myself in."
Grace rolls her eyes.
"Fine," she says.
Grace and you stand up from the table, and head to the bathroom. Grace enters the bathroom with you, then locks it behind you.

> You say "Alright. Because I haven't had the luxury of a gun store fitted with defenses, I haven't had a lot of time to think about us. You should start since you likely have something better to start with than me."
"What do you mean?"
"You had time to prepare a speech. Come on, spit it out. I don't have all day."
Grace sighs, then begins.
"I really don't know where to start with you. You're so frustrating to even think about. I can't believe I used to like you. That was a different time, though. A different life even. Now, until you leave, or something else happens, we have to put up with each other."

> You say "I'm not asking for you to come back to me when I say this, but I've changed, Grace. This world has kicked the shit out of me, and I've built myself back up. I recognize what I had with you now, and I regret many of the things I've said. I know I was a piece of shit, and I didn't give you enough attention, but this entire disaster has taught me a lot of valuable lessons."
Grace nods.

> You say "That's not to say you were a saint either. You always had snide little comments that were designed to dig under my skin and make me angry. You talked like you wanted our relationship to have stability and meaning again, but you acted like you wanted to see me fail."
Grace seems taken back by your statement.
"Is that what you think? Is that what you think this was all about? For your information, no. I never wanted to see you fail. I saw you becoming more and more miserable every day we were together. When you told me about your dreams of becoming a cop, I saw the light in your eyes again. I knew you were doing something you wanted to do, not because you felt like you had to for our relationship. You wanted to become a cop even though it was the last thing I wanted, and you tried your best to please me regardless. When that didn't work, you lashed out at me. You had no respect for me, after the years we've been together..."

> You say "I lashed out because NOTHING pleased you, Grace. Nothing. I had so much pressure on my back, and I felt like everyone was always breathing down my neck, cop or not. When all I ever got from you was disapproval and scorn, it fucking hurt me. I acted angry, but really, I was sad and scared. I felt like no matter how much progress I tried to make in life, I only lost more and more ground."
"You're so full of it. You're just trying to justify your own mistakes. You can't even admit that you were an angry, aggressive, obnoxious prick that nobody could stand to be around. You're trying to say I'm at fault here, but it's not me that's the problem. YOU are the problem."
You shake your head in disbelief.
"No, you don't get it. You think you have it all figured out, Grace. Yeah, I get it, I made choices and decisions that I could have refrained from making in hindsight, but you knew the type of house I grew up in. You knew that never trying to have even the slightest bit of sympathy for me in anything wouldn't end well. You knew that constantly pushing my buttons and emasculating me would make me resentful."
Grace snorts in disgust.
"Yeah, well you know what? I'm done with you now. Don't come back to me for any reason. You're not a part of my life anymore."

> You say "You don't have an argument anymore. That's one thing I picked up on from when we were still together. Any time you knew I was right, you resort to that bullshit where you just tell me to fuck off. You're full of it."
"Yeah? Well you're full of it too. But the difference between us is that I'm actually self aware enough to admit when I'm wrong."
You chuckle at her remark.

> You say "I admitted several goddamn times that I was a real piece of work in this conversation, Grace. That's another thing, actually. One reason I resented you is because I felt like you never listened to me. It was all in one ear and out the other."
"That's not true, I always listened to you. Maybe not in the way you wanted me to, but I was a good girlfriend, Lee. I was always there for you, and I helped you in ways you couldn't even see."
"I don't think so. If that were the case, I wouldn't be so resentful towards you. And don't even start with that "you're just resentful because you were a bad boyfriend" nonsense. You were not a good girlfriend, Grace. You were selfish, and self-centered. I'm not wrong about that."
Grace rolls her eyes, and turns away from you. She stares up at the ceiling for a moment before speaking again.
"So you're saying you're too good for me now? Is that it? I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend, so you're just going to go find someone else instead?"
"No. That's not what I'm saying at all. Don't twist my words when you know you're in the wrong."
Grace stays silent for a moment.

> You say "Look at you. You've lived in safety and luxury with friendly faces surrounding you for what, a week and a half while everyone else has been getting mutilated in the streets? I saw a friend get torn in fucking half by one of those monsters out there, and I've nearly had the same thing happen to me god knows how many times. The biggest difference between you and me is that you're spoiled and pampered while I've had to claw and fight for everything I've ever wanted."
Grace's eyes narrow at your remark, but she says nothing.
"Now you're quiet. I bet you didn't expect me to say that, huh? I won't act like it's a bad thing you had a good life, what I'm trying to say is that you need to have some fucking perspective for once. Empathy for others that are going through rougher shit than you. I'm actually happy that you're safe and surrounded by people that care about you, but you shouldn't act like you know everything about the world, about me, when that's all you've experienced during our own personal apocalypse in this godforsaken city."
You finish your rant and stand in silence, waiting for Grace to respond. She leans up against the wall and covers her face with her hands, taking in a deep and shaky breath.
"I'm sorry," she says.

> You stand in silence for a moment.
You stand in silence for a moment, not really sure how to respond to this.

> You say "Sorry if I sounded harsh, but I think it all needed to be said. I might not have been thinking about it while trying to survive, but I've had this poison festering inside me for a while."
Grace doesn't say anything. She takes her hands away from her face and looks down at the ground.

> You place your hand on her shoulder and say "I don't hate you, Grace. I think I still have some love for you, even though I know we should probably stay away from each other."
Grace looks up at you, a faint smile on her face. "I still kinda love you too, Lee. I... I'm sorry. I really am. I was a coward and a fool. I should have never blamed you everything that went wrong with us. I'm glad we can still talk and be around each other. We need to cherish the people we have left, not waste time hating each other."
You nod. "You're right. Apologies are in order all around. I shouldn't have acted the way I did back then. I should have kept my anger under control. I'm really sorry, Grace."
She nods, "You're forgiven. I'm just glad we can talk like this like nothing is out to kill us out there."
You hug her, and she hugs you back.

> You say "Yeah. Thank you for talking to me. This needed to happen."
"No problem. I'm just sorry it took this long to have it."
You chuckle, "Me too."
Grace walks out of the bathroom and back to seat. You sigh and sit down in your chair.

> You say "Alright fellas, we sorted some shit out. We're on good terms now."
The group nods and smiles. You are about to say something else, but you notice a dark figure in the corner. It's clearly Reginald. He holds up a watch and taps on it twice before disappearing again. He's growing impatient with you.
"You alright, dude?" Jed asks.

> You say "Uh... Yeah, I'm fine."
"You sure? You look a little nervous."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired, I guess."
The group nods and goes back to their discussion. You try to pay attention, but your eyes are beginning to droop and you're having a hard time staying awake.
"Tired, friend?" Jed asks.
"Yeah... Today has been exhausting."
"Ah, I understand. Trust me, you get used to this after a while."
You begin to feel yourself black out. You try to fight it, but the darkness overtakes you before you know it.
You wake up on the floor several hours later. There's something soft beneath you. You'r on a thick blanket in the supply room of the gun store. Everyone is sound asleep. You see a digital clock on the wall that reads "6:56 AM".
You sit up and look around. You notice something on the floor next to you. It's a small bottle of water. You unscrew the cap and down the whole thing in one gulp.

> You get up and stretch, popping your bones and your back.
Your bones pop and crack as you get up. Your whole body feels sore, but you feel a lot more awake after getting the rest you needed. You begin to stretch as your yawn. You hear someone talk in their sleep, but it's unintelligable.


> You leave the supply room and sit down at the table in the main room.
You leave the room and head to the table in the main room. You're alone in this room.
"Morning, detective Carter."
You jolt and see Reginald sitting across from you. He looks rather annoyed and impatient.
"What the hell?" You ask.
"You're not a morning person, are you?" He asks.
"No, I'm not. Why are you here?" You ask.
"You've had a long day yesterday, yes? Gutting that anomaly and tearing out the insides... How savage, yet effective. It was quite a show. You also spent much of your energy on that pretty little thing... Grace, was it? Now that you have your resolution with her, perhaps it is time to focus on the task at hand concerning our mutual friend, mister Fritz?" He asks.
"Yeah yeah, I know you're getting real impatient, Reginald. I still have a life you know. I didn't expect to run into anyone here, let alone an old ex. I'm still going to grab some guns and ammo and head out to put Fritz down." You say.
"Oh? Is that so? I've studied humans for quite a while, and I know you quite badly want to stay here. What's not to like? Friends, food, safety, perhaps a reignited old flame? You'd love to stay here instead, hmm?"

> You say "Yeah, I'd love to stay here, but I know I have a job to do. It's better for my own sake that this happened, Reginald. I'm glad I talked to Grace. I'll be able to focus."
"Hmm, I don't know if that's the case. I believe you'll be too emotionally involved with other things."
"I can handle it. I'll be fine."
"Alright then, the door is that way, detective. Goodbye, and good luck. I hope you don't get too distracted from now on, provided that there is nothing else absolutely necessary for you to accomplish."

> You say "Yeah yeah, disappear into the shadows already. I just need to talk to Jed, and I'll be on my way. Talk to me outside, I don't know exactly where Jenson Fritz's place is."
"Of course, detective. I'll see you outside."
Reginald stands from his chair and backs away into the darkness, leaving you alone once again.

> You wait for Jed to wake up.
You wait for a an indefinite amount of time before the door to the supply room opens. It's Jed. He yawns and rubs his eyes. "Mornin', sir... When'd you wake up?"

> You say "You can just call me Lee, Jed. I woke up at around 7 or so."
"I guess I slept for a long time. Usually I wake up around 5:30,'" Jed says.

> You say "Hey Jed, remember what I said about needing to meet with someone important last night? I gotta meet then as soon as possible and I'll need supplies."
"What do you need, Lee?"
You pull out your revolver. "Got any speedloaders for this? That, and I need one of those semi-automatic shotguns of yours with some extra shells."
"I think I got just the right bullets for that there revolver, and I got fuckin' PLENTY of shotguns and shells to go around! I might as well send you with two, heh!"

> You say "Thanks, but I only need one. Could you attach a strap to the shotgun please? I'm gonna be traveling quite a ways."
"Yeah, sure thing. I'll have it for you in a few minutes."
Jed leaves the room and closes the door behind you.

> You wait for Jed to come back out with some supplies.
After about ten minutes, the door opens and Jed hands you a shotgun with a shoulder strap. He also gives you a box of shotgun shells. "I've reloaded these with regular buckshot. I assume that's what you want?"
You nod. "Thanks. Now, the-"
Someone else walks over and places three speedloader cylinders for your revolver down on the table.
"Oh. Speak of the devil. Thanks!"


> You say "These will do very nicely, Jed. You would not believe how grateful I am."
"I have an idea. Be careful with those, okay?"
You pick up the speedloader and examine it. The outside of the cylinder is brass, but the inside is a strange, transparent material.
You unload the one bullet left in your revolver and well as the spent casings. You place the bullet into your pocket and load the revolver with the speedloader. It's incredibly satisfying, and your revolver is fully loaded now. "Damn, you were ridin' along with only one bullet left, Lee?"
"You know it." You pick up the box of shotgun shells and the speedloaders and place them in your inventory. "Thanks, again, Jed."
"No problem. Grace is waking up in the supply room. Maybe you should say goodbye before ya leave."

> You say "Yeah, you're right."
"She's in the supply room with everyone else. I'll tell her to meet ya in here. Just gimme a sec."

> You wait for Jed to fetch Grace.
Jed goes back into the room where you assume Grace is located. He comes out a minute later with her following him. She's very tired looking, and she's rubbing her eyes.

> You say "Morning, Grace."
Grace gives you a small smile. "I can't believe I slept for this long... How long have you been up?"
"What time is it?" You ask.
"8:40 or so." Jed says from the other side of the room.
"So an hour and forty minutes then." You say.
"Oh, one last thing! Lemme fetch some food and water for ya and I'll you'll be set!" Jed says before rushing back into the supply room. You hear a few embarrassed apologies from Jed as people groan and complain in the other room.
"Wait... You're leaving? So soon?" Grace asks.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, but I have to go." You say.
"I understand... But... I don't want you to go." Grace says.

> You say "I said I needed to meet someone important last night. I wasn't lying. Today or tomorrow, depending on how things go, may end up being one of the most important days of my life."
"Oh? Is it someone I know?"
"Nah. I don't even know em, but I still need to 'meet' em. It's hard to explain, but it's really important."
"I see... I wish we had more time to catch up, Lee."
"I know, me too. After everything is said and done, I think I'll come back here and we'll see how things go from there."

> You get up and hug Grace one last time.
You hug Grace, and she hugs you back. "Take care of yourself, Lee."
"I will." You say. "You too."
"Give 'em hell." She says with a wink.
Jed comes back with multiple food items and several water bottles. "I know this is a lot, but you would not believe the amount of shit your outfit can carry! I picked it out specifically for that reason!"
He helps you strategically store every bit of supplies on your person.
"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it." You say.
"Don't mention it, bud. Glad to help out a fellow man in need. Don't get yerself killed out there, you hear?"

> You say "I won't. I won't forget your kindness, Jed. I'll be seeing you."
"I sure hope so, bud. I sure hope so."
You wave goodbye to Jed and Grace before yo unlock the door and step out into the fog. You close the door behind you, and you hear it get locked by someone inside.

> You walk to somewhere secluded.
You walk along the sidewalk until you find a good hiding spot. You crouch behind a bush and open one of the cans of food that Jed gave you. You scarf it down and then satisfied. You throw the can aside, but it lands on something squishy. You look at it and are horrified to see the same tiny anomaly you say in the drawer in Carol's Inn, slimy appearance and sharp teeth and all.
"Your mind is free, free, free, but your pulse will soon go dead, dead, dead! You'll writhe and cry as we cleave your skin from your muscle, then your muscle from your bones! Hee hee h-URGHK!"
Suddenly, a shoe crushes the monster and spills its blood on the ground. It writhes for a moment before the person crushing it steps harder. You hear a snap, then it goes limp.

You look up to see Reginald standing over you. "What a pest," he remarks.

> You say "Ugh, thanks Reginald. That little thing creeps me the fuck out."
"You're welcome. Now, you need to know where our mutual friend is? He's in the city hall, still. Guarded by bulletproof glass, gates, and security systems..."

> You say "I had a feeling."
"Indeed. He lives in so much safety from the calamity he caused. What a coward, and how regrettable it is that he lives. How, tell me, how much ammo did that man give you? You'll need quite a bit if you are unlucky with the anomalies prowling the streets," he says.

> You say "I have a fully loaded semi-automatic shotgun loaded with 8 shells. I looked at the box of ammo he gave me, which has 16. I have 24 shells. That, and I have 19 bullets in total for my revolver. I still have two knives as well."
"Good, good. You will need them. Remember, no matter what he says, do not hesitate to put a bullet in his skull. The man deserves no less for what he did."

> You say "Right. Now... Wait, if you can just sneak around the way you do, and if morals don't bother you in regards to killing, why haven't you done this yourself?"
"Agility is my greatest strength, detective. I am no fighter like yourself, and I am still as mortal as any human, despite my seemingly intangible nature. You have great proficiency in both hand-to-hand combat and firearms, which are skills I woefully lack. Believe it or not, I need you more than you need me, which says a lot considering how much you really need me in the end."
You realize that Reginald makes a good point. You sigh, then ask "Alright, then I'll kill him myself. What kind of security are we looking at? Any armed guards?"
"Approximately three guards, and they are quite armed. What is left of the government in this city is a skeleton crew. A skeleton of bones that the dogs still chip away at from all their nibbling."
"What's the layout of the building? Is it a big skyscraper or a small one?"
"It's only four stories tall, which is quite small compared to others in this city. There are three entrances into the building, two of which are most likely barricaded shut. The only open entrance is likely the front door, which is most likely where Jenson's guards will be. You'll have to kill them quickly before they have a chance to put an end to your crusade."
"How do you know all this?"
"Do you really need to ask, detective? Had I not just uttered that agility is my greatest strength? I get around, detective. I move without a sound, and I observe. I know all this because I've SEEN all this, completely undetected," Reginald says with a smug tone and crooked smile.

> You say "Alright, fair enough. All I need now is directions."
"I can provide you those as well. We are currently located next to the Guns God and Freedom weapons store, yes? The one on Hulburry Rd. From here, head two blocks East and one block South to find the city hall. I trust your navigation skills are up to par."

> You say "Okay, but I don't have a compass, and all this damn fog doesn't let me see where the sun is in the sky. I don't know which way is East."
"Well, detective, I can help you with that as well." He takes the watch he flashed at you in the gun store last night and hands it to you. "This watch has a compass on it. It is quite expensive, so I am putting a lot of faith in you to not break or lose it. I understand if circumstances are less than favorable, but please do try and keep it safe. I treasure it quite a bit."

> You say "Right. Thanks, Reginald. I'll head straight to the city hall. I'm gonna knock some fucking heads together."
"You sure are determined, detective. Remember, from here you need to head two blocks East, and one block South. You'll see it clearly. We're quite close already."
Reginald steps back into the shadows. "Do the world a favor and end him. Godspeed, detective," Reginald says before he has completely disappeared. You're alone once more.
Time to head to the city hall.

> You follow the compass of Reginald's watch and head two blocks East.
You begin walking in the direction of the compass, which leads you to a new area of the city. The buildings are much more modern, and they look as if they are made out of paper. You muse mockingly that a strong wind could probably destroy this entire block.
Approaching from a dark alleyway comes an anomaly. It has taken the form of a frail young woman with a mouth full of sharp, bloody teeth and gnarled claws on its fingers. It hisses and growls at you. Behind it, you see the child-like anomaly with long hair from before. It is dragging a body, which looks as if it has been chewed and clawed at.
You feel rage at seeing the long haired anomaly. It was the main one that kept you distracted while Pomson died. It takes one look at you and smiles. Its nose is still broken, leaving its face rather disturbing to look at. "I said I'd eat your toes, and I'll eat your fingers too. Hee hee hee hee...."

> You say "I'll fucking end you, you little cunt. You're gonna regret showing your face to me."
"I'm gonna regret showing my face?" the long haired, child-like monster says, laughing. "You're the one that's gonna have his eyes scratched out by me, you ugly fat prick."

> You say "Nobody will mourn you, monster."
"Nobody will mourn you either, tubby. You'll be forgotten in a week." The long haired child-like monster says.
"Your insults about my weight make no sense, freak. I WISH I could get fat, but I can't because I'm too busy putting your kind down." You respond.
"My kind?" the monster asks, sounding smug.

> You aim your shotgun at its face, ignoring the other monster it's traveling with.
You raise your shotgun, aiming at the child-like creature's face. It stares at you with a twisted smile, showing off its bloody teeth. The other monster hisses and yelps, shrinking back.

> You say "You know what? You deserve worse than a quick death in one shot. I'm gonna beat you to death." and lower your shotgun. you hold it like a baseball bat.
You raise your shotgun, holding it like a baseball bat. You grab the barrel with your other hand, charging at the child-like monster. He recoils as fear flashes in its eyes.

> You swing your shotgun at its legs to knock it down.
You swing your shotgun, hitting the child-like monster in the legs. It falls backwards and hits the ground hard. You swing the shotgun again, this time hitting its stomach and causing it to have the wind knocked out of it.

> You elbow the other monster in the nose to keep it from helping its ally.
You jab your elbow to the side, hitting the other monster in the face. It howls in pain as it's nose is clearly broken. It backs off, seemingly too scared to try to help its ally.

> You grab one of your knives and quickly stab the other monster in the throat so that you won't be interrupted in torturing the long haired anomaly.
You grab one of your knives, quickly stabbing the other monster in the throat. It gurgles as blood spurts out of its throat.

> You take your knife out of its throat and put it in your pocket before returning your attention to the long haired monster.
You pull your knife out of the other monster's throat and put it in your pocket. You look at the child-like monster, who has already recovered from your attack and is trying to stand up.
"Ready to give up?"
The child-like monster slithers its hair towards you in an attempt to attack your eyes, but you grab its hair and pull your knife back again. You yank it to the ground and cut its wriggling hair at scalp-level. The hair itself bleeds as you cut it off, and the anomaly screams in pain while you have your knee on its neck.
"I'll milk your heart of it's blood!" it shrieks.
You take one of its flailing arms and sharply bend it backwards, breaking it.

> You break its other arm.
You break the other arm as well, both of them sounding like twigs. The child-like monster is now defenseless.
"Ready to give up?"
"Yes! Please!" it shrieks pitifully.

> You say "Too bad, I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully. If it wasn't for you, I would have been able to defend my friend. His name was David Pomson, you abomination. Say his name."
"Fuck you!" it screams. You get off of its neck, flip it over, then stomp on one of its knees.
"Say his fucking name!" you demand, grinding your foot into its knee. It screams in pain.
"David! David!" it shrieks.
"His full name! Say it, god damn it!" you shout, grinding your foot into its knee.
"David... David... David Fucking Pomson!" it shrieks, beginning to cry.
"Good. You see how your friend over there is dead? It can't help you, can it? I couldn't help David Pomson because you had constricted my legs and tried to bite my arm off."
You put your foot down and pick the monster up by what's left of its bloodsoaked hair.

> You punch the anomaly in the stomach several times.
You punch the child-like monster in the stomach several times. It groans and wheezes.

> You throw the anomaly against the wall, pick it back up, then throw it again.
You pick up the child-like monster and throw it against the wall. It lets out a pained yell, then hits the ground with a thud.
"Stop, fucking kill me already! You prick!"

> You say "No, you don't get to rush through this. You don't deserve to get through this quickly. If you did, I would have just shot you in the face."
"You're a prick. I'll remember you when I'm up there," it says, motioning upwards.
"You're not going to Heaven, you little shit. God doesn't have time for demons like you."

> You stomp on one of its knees again.
You stomp on its knee again, and it screams.
"Guh, human! Human over here! One of you useless fucks help me!" it shrieks into the air.

> You look around to see if any other anomalies are coming.
The only thing you see is a woman.
She's wearing a tank top and shorts, and has long brown hair. She's not exactly pretty, due to her malformed face and violently twitching head. She's an anomaly, and she's coming right for you.

> You sidestep the new anomaly and stab it in the back of the head.
You sidestep and stab the anomaly in the back of her head. She grunts and asps for a moment, then drops to the ground, twitching.
"Who's next?" you demand.
You see another anomaly. A large monkey-like creature no less than five feet tall. It makes eye contact with you, sees the dead anomaly bodies, then the horrifically injured child-like anomaly writhing in pain, then runs away with its tail between its legs in fear of you.
"Oh, so you're not coming to try me? Fine. Next time, don't hesitate to come try me."
You drop the knife and crouch down besides the child-like anomaly.

> You say "I'm a new man, freak. I'm strong. I'm fast. I'm better than you."
"You're strong? You're fast? You're better than me? You're fucking worthless, and you'll die like the rest in fucking agony! Fuck you!"
You smile at the creature. "Which part of you am I going to break now?" You ask.
The creature tries to scratch you with its broken arm, but it's no use.
"My turn." You grab the child-like anomaly's wrist and break it in one quick motion. The child-like creature screams in pain.
"Aw, that hurts, doesn't it?" You ask as you place your boot back on the knee you stomped on and grind your heel into it. The creature screams again.
"I want you to know, we aren't a weak species. We're strong. We landed on the fucking moon, and what have you accomplished? All you've ever done is pillage and destroy." You grab the creature's broken arm and twist it. The creature screams again.
"You know, when I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut." You pick up the child-like anomaly and hold it in the air.

> You say "I had aspirations that didn't involve making another species extinct. I had dreams that involved discovery and exploration. I never wanted to hurt anyone in the first place. But you? Your species? That's another story."
"A story that's about to end. Because your extinction will come." You slam the child-like anomaly into the ground. It lets out a scream as it's head hits the ground with a sickening thud.

> You say "We'll wipe you out like you tried with us. I don't care where you came from, or why, I care that you all die for what you've done to us."
"I won't let you do that. I'll make sure you never see another sunrise." The child-like anomaly spits blood at you.

> You say "You're broken. What could you possibly do? I cut your hair off, broke your arms, beat the fuck out of you, and probably broke one of your knees. You're finished."
"You think you're so powerful, but your species never saw us coming. Your military is nothing compared what we're capable of." The child-like anomaly begins laughing.

> You say "Shifting goalposts are we?"
"We are your predators, little one. You just don't know it yet. We've always been here, waiting." The child-like creature begins laughing again.

> You stomp on its knee again.
"Oh shut the fuck up you abomination." You grab the leg of the creature and stomp on its knee, breaking it even more. The creature lets out a pained scream.
"I know I won't be able to kill you all by myself, but I'm contributing. There's others like me."
You pick the dagger off the ground and raise it to the monster's face.
"Oh for the love of Christ, kill it already detective!" you hear Reginald whine behind you. You turn around and see him with his face in one of his hands.
"Sorry, Reginald, but-"
"REGGGIIIIIEEEEE" the childlike monster shrieks. "TRAITOR! TRAITOR! TRAITOR!" The child-like monster squirms, spitting curses and insults at Reginald.
"Just kill it already, you're wasting so much time and energy!" Reginald says.

> You say "Fine. I think this monster has suffered enough."
"You'll be broken, human! I'll swallow your soul!"
You stab the monster in the throat and hear it gurgle and choke. Blood pours from its neck, mouth, and nostrils.

> You yank the knife around to destroy its windpipe.
You pull the knife out of the monster's neck, then stick it back in and twist it around. The monster's eyes roll into the back of its head as its movements slow and weaken.

> You pull the knife out of its neck and wipe the blood off on its body.
You pull the knife out of the monster's neck and wipe the blood off on its body.
"Alright, alright, I'm done. That's enough," you say.
"Thank you, detective. Just one more block Southwards."
He disappears into the shadows once more while staring at you.

> You look at the dead body of the child-like monster.
You look at it for a while, thinking about how it can morph into a perfect imitation of a human being if it had wanted. Perhaps you went to far in your wrathful torture.
You look at the compass, then head South.
You see a large building. You recognize it due to your history as a police officer and detective. You sneak up to it and ready your shotgun.

> You search for security cameras.
You see security cameras on the building, and decide to look for a way to disable them.
You look around the building and see a power box, but there's a camera watching over it.

> You go into one of the camera's blindspots and throw rocks at it.
You throw several rocks at the camera, but most of them miss. One hits it, and it nearly breaks. It's now tilted towards the sky and away from the powerbox.

> You open the powerbox.
You open the powerbox and look at the wiring. You see that one wire is black, one is white, one is blue, and one is yellow.

> You yank all the wires out at once.
You pull out all the wires, and immediately the building goes dark. You hear some yelling, then footsteps coming from inside.
"What happened?" a voice comes from inside.
"We're in the dark!" another voice says.

> You sneak around and try to find a way inside.
You test every possible entrance, but the front entrance is the only one not boarded up. It's locked, however. You hear people talking inside.
"Why is it so dark in here?"
"I don't know, Mike. Let's turn on the lights."
"How? The power is out. I'll go check the power box."
"Okay.

> You hide and wait for someone to come outside.
You quickly hide. A few moments later, a man in heavy tactical gear carefully walks out, wielding a sub-machine gun. He looks around, seemingly wary of anomalies in the area.

> You sneak up behind him and grab him before shoving your knife into his throat.
You run up behind him and grab him. You pull out your knife and put it to his throat. He immediately stops struggling.
"What the fu-" he begins to say, before you cut his throat.
He lies on the ground, gasping and grabbing at his throat. His movements slow until he stops moving altogether. One down, two to go before Jenson Fritz.
"What was that? Everything alright out there?" the voice inside the building calls out. "Mark? What's going on out there?"
You peer through the window, but can't see much.

> You quickly loot the dead man's helmet and put it on.
You take the man's helmet and put it on. You hear footsteps. "Oh shit, I think something caught Mark! We need to start barricading!"

> You rush to the front door and aim your shotgun down the entrance before it can be closed.
You aim your shotgun down the entrance, ready to fire. You see another man in tactical gear. His eyes widen as he sees you.

> You fire into his chest once.
Your shotgun bucks, and a cloud of lead flies forward and into the man's chest. He falls back, letting out a short grunt. The vest he's wearing takes most of the impact, but he has the wind knocked out of him.

> You kick his helmet off and shoot his face.
Your shotgun bucks, blowing the man's face off. A shower of gore splatters the floor and surrounding walls. You hear panicked yelling and footsteps.

> You rush inside.
You rush inside, and find a staircase. You run up the stairs. At the top of the staircase is a heavy, armored door. You can hear panicked voices from inside.

> You examine the armored door.
The door is heavy, armored, and shut. You can hear panicked voices from inside.
"What the hell do we do?"
"Barricade the door!"
"We need to get out of here!"

> You say "Oh, JENSON! I know what you did, you fucking weasel! I know your dirty little secrets!"
Your voice is drowned out by the sound of the door being barricaded.
"What was that?"
"Somebody out there?"
You hear nothing but silence.

> You remember the coin you found in the Starlight Drive-In.
You flip the coin in the air, catching it as it falls. Perhaps you could recreate what Reginald did to let you escape the police station.

> You back up from the door several yards away, then roll the coin at the door before snapping your fingers.
You back up from the door several yards away, then toss the coin at the door. You snap your fingers.
A bright flash of like consumes the room. You cover your ears and are assaulted by the sound of a loud explosion. You smell smoke.
It worked.
The armored door is open, barely hanging onto its hinges. You walk through with your shotgun ready. You can't hear anything until your ears recover from the loud sound.
You see a man in tactical gear holding onto his leg. A large piece of debris is lodged into his leg, and likely hit a major artery.
Another man lays on the ground, writhing. He's wearing a cheap business suit. He's rather rotund, and he has a sharp moustache. A deep cut goes across his face, and he's bleeding profusely. It's not a mortal wound by any means, but it's rather nasty.

> You kill the man in tactical gear.
You walk forward and point your shotgun at the man. He raises his hands and begins to squirm.
He says something, but you can't hear very well right now. You blast a hole in his face, breaking his skull and splattering the floor with gray matter. You stare at the dead man for a moment, before moving on to the last one.

> You walk to the man in the suit and lift him up by his collar.
You lift him up by his collar and yell at him. He doesn't respond. He's in a state of shock, and he's bleeding profusely from his face.

> You say "ARE YOU JENSON FRITZ!?"
He looks at you with his mouth open, but he doesn't respond. He's in a state of shock.
You shake him and say, "ARE YOU JENSON FRITZ!?"
He nods.
You put your shotgun away and lift him up with one hand, and pull out your sacrificial dagger with the other. You hold the knife to his throat.

> You say "I know what you did, you fucking weasel! You let the wall get broken!"
He tries to struggle, but you're too strong. He whimpers like a little girl.
You continue to yell at him, "I know what you did, you motherfucking coward! Everyone is dead because of you!"
You toss him to the ground. As your hearing slowly returns, you hear him pleading for his life. He says something about the "bigger picture".

> You say "Bigger picture? Everyone's dead you cunt. There is no bigger picture."
He looks at you and says, "It was bound to happen! It was necessary, I assure you! Not everyone is dead! Haven't you noticed that the town is mostly empty? There should be bodies in the streets if it was just murder!"
You stop, processing what he just said. "...Excuse me?"
He continues, "The anomalies aren't just killing and eating! They're taking people outside the walls of this city, and they have a much greater purpose for all of us! We're at the dawn of a new era, good sir! This is just the beginning!"
He gets off the ground and dusts himself off as you aim your shotgun at him. "You could be a part of this! You're Lee Carter, correct? Imagine being whatever you imagine! Morphing your flesh to your will! Only the truly undeserving are dead! You can be whatever you want! This is the future, good sir!"
He takes out a strange vial filled with purple liquid and you recognize it. Your eyes widen. He says, "This is the answer! Drink this, and you'll be a part of the future!"
You slowly approach him. "What... is it?"
He grins and says, "It's the beginning! It's the future! The beginning of a new world order! Take it!"
He shoves the vial into your hand and you look at it. You feel yourself hesitate.
"Trust me. If you don't trust me, trust yourself. Drink it."
The vial is smooth to the touch and cools your hand. You're surprised it isn't warm. It's tempting, that's for sure.
But...
"What is it actually? I've seen a vial of this stuff before. Stop being vague and shit, just say what it actually is."
He smiles and says, "That's a fair question. It's an answer. Specifically, it's the answer to all your problems."
"I said STOP BEING VAGUE!" you shout, aiming the shotgun at him again.
"It's what started it all. It's created with so many wonderful chemicals. The process is sped up with anomaly blood mixed with human blood after much testing!"

> You say "Wait... Does... Does this stuff make people into anomalies?"
He smiles and says, "Not just people. You. You specifically. It'll make you faster, stronger, and smarter than a regular human. You could be a god among insects! Just... Just think about it!"
Your heart beats like a drum in your chest. You drop the vial and step on it, breaking it. You are filled with both complete understanding and limitless rage.
"So that's it. That's what you were doing. You're trying to make more of these fucking monsters. You have labs where this shit is created, don't you?" you ask.
The man backs away and pulls out another vial. He opens it, then drinks it. "Mister Carter, you will regret ever coming here, good sir!" he says in a mocking voice. He backs away before lurching to the ground, groaning and grunting in agony. "The.... future..." Jenson wheezes.
 You stand over him as he continues to transform in front of you. You continue aiming at him, but something inside you stops you from killing him here and now. The man's skin begins to turn a dark gray as his body mass increases dramatically. His head pops up, and you see nothing but blood-red eyes.
His head begins twitching violently as you hear bones popping, breaking, and reforming inside his body. His suit rips and the tips of the bones in his fingers break out of his skin, forming sharp and bloody claws.
Just before it has a chance to pounce, you hear a loud bang next to you. A bullet enters its head and comes out the other side, spraying the wall in gore.
You turn around to see Reginald holding your revolver. The anomaly that used to be Jenson Fritz falls to the ground.
"How-"
"Like I said, detective. My greatest strength is my agility. Now you understand things a bit more clearly, hmm?"
"Is that what happened to you? You drank that purple bullshit?"
"Forced down my throat, more like." He scoffs. "But, that was so many years ago. Your father was not even born yet when it happened. I am quite old, detective."
He hands you back your revolver. "Jenson made a deal with a group of anomalies quite similar to me. He was fooled into thinking that becoming a beast was the next step in evolution. Before you bring up how I believe anomalies can't accomplish what humans can do in terms of science and progress, most of them are beasts. I am a VERY rare breed, detective."
You drop your shotgun to the ground. "I... I think I believe you. Christ... So, what now, Reginald?"
"I'm glad you asked, Lee. Now, we're going to go downstairs, where my brethren are waiting. They want to meet you."

> You say "Your brethren? Other smart anomalies like you?"
"Yes, there are more of us. Quite a few, actually. We all live together in a little place we made for ourselves."
"How many? You said you were a rare breed."
"Hmm, if you were to see our community, I think you'd understand why our kind don't have many offspring."
"So how many of you are there?"
"Eighty-two in the entire world. Ten, including me, in our sect in this part of the world."

> You say "Wait, I have one last question. I... I used that coin trick to blow open the door. How the fuck is that possible? How does it work?"
Reginald laughs.
"I don't even know myself, detective. Not everything is as scientific as you may think. Remember that pentagram you destroyed in Carol's Inn? If you hadn't destroyed it, something very bad would have happened to make out situation much more dire. There are more forces at play than the purely physical. Besides, anomalies are quite impossible if you look at it from a purely scientific lens!"
Your eyes narrow. "What, so are you gonna pull a rabbit out of your ass next?" you ask.
"Don't be silly, detective. The force that allows anomalies to exist and for coins to explode is not just a malleable metal you can shape into anything you want. Things are very specific and very difficult to get a handle on."

> You say "Okay, sure, whatever, mystical bullshit. Let's just go and talk to your little friends already."
Reginald nods, and smiles. "Come on, then. Follow me. Oh, and don't worry about any anomalies bursting through the front door you left open. We took care of that already."
Suddenly, the power comes back on and every window and door in the building has a thick metal sheet cover them. "Ah! There it is! My kin have reactivated the power and security! We will not be interrupted."
"Well, that's a relief." You say.
You are lead down the stairs and see that the dead body at the front entrance has been removed, leaving only a pool of blood. A group of eight people stand around the entrance. They look at you as you approach. They all have black eyes, yet they all each have something strange about them. Extra large eyes, a comically curved nose, an impossibly smooth face, etc. Reginald's odd feature seemed to be his large mouth and more than sharp teeth.

> You say "You're all of Reginald's kin, huh?"
"Yes, Carter. We are all of his kind." One of them says.
"We witnessed you utilize one of our favorite tricks involving that coin. Amateurish execution, but we are impressed nonetheless. Good job, human." Another one says.
"We're impressed with everything you've done so far, disregarding simple coin tricks." Another says. They all seem approving of you.
"Well, thanks I guess. But I don't understand something. You all have black eyes. How come none of you have red eyes?" You ask.
"Ah, that is a common question. Our eyes appear black to you because our sclera has been blackened. That, and so has the skin around our eyes. A quirk of our special breed of anomaly." One says.
"It's much less odd than an anomaly with the body of a bear and the head of a man, no?" Another says.

> You say "Alright... So, what do you all want from me specifically?"
"We want to help you, and above all, humanity. Your accusation about the purple substance being created in labs? You were right on the money." One says.
"You are not the only one chosen for this. There are exceptional humans everywhere. Some in China, some in India, a surprising amount in Japan, some in Brazil, and so on. Special people that have what it takes to take the world back. That, and the people surrounding them."


> You say "What, so me and a bunch of other people in the world are a bunch of "chosen ones" or something?"
"That's right. But you and some others in what is left of this country are our main priority. We need you to succeed, because without exceptional people like you, we won't be able to succeed in spreading our message. You will be able to inspire people into seeing what is going on. You will remove the curtain and let the world see why it has been ravaged by monstrous abominations, and you will destroy the labs used to create them."

> You say "But why are anomalies being created? Why are monsters being made to kill people and make more of them?"
"That is something we don't know for absolute certain. We believe it has something to do with an original anomaly, leading a cult where it is the cult's own god. A creature powerful enough to kill any man where they stand if faced alone. However, it is merely speculation, and we are still putting the pieces together. We have no other likely culprits, but it is still merely a theory." Reginald explains.

> You say "So, the plan is ultimately to kill a mortal god? Fucking hell..."
"Yes. That is the plan if we are proven correct. For now. Until then, you and many others have been chosen to spread the word of our success and herald our victory against these evil creatures." Reginald says.

> You say "This is a lot to take in."
"I understand. It is a lot to take in, but you are strong and intelligent. You will be able to handle this information."
"Yeah... So, what's next?"
"Next? We leave the city and we burn a laboratory to the ground." Reginald says.
TO BE CONTINUED