Raackman - Beneath the Bandages (unfinished)

>"So, have you thought of a place for us to hang out yet?"
"Well, there's an abandoned warehouse somewhere in town, or a broke-ass old cabin way out in the woods. Anywhere else is just too sketchy or dangerous."
>A pause from James over the phone
>"Yeah, that cabin probably has bears or something living in it, how about we give the warehouse a chance? I hear nobody lives near or around it because really bad things have happened to people around there, and disappearances. And if that doesn't work, there's a few work sites that got cancelled and left alone out there that we could hang out at too."
>Anything that gives you guys some privacy is welcome
"Yeah, the warehouse it is. Let's meet at the intersection leading down there."
>"Alright, we'll meet there, I'll text the others."
"See ya then."
>You hang up your cell phone
>Now, you should have a nice private place to hang out at for a while
>You slip on some shoes and move into the garage, opening the large door, you jump on your bike and head towards the intersection
>There's a big avenue that leads directly to the warehouse
>Should be easy to get to anyway
>A short ride later, and you arrive with the rest of the group
>There's five of you in all, so you stand in a fairly large circle
>"Ah, there you are, so, let's get going."
>Courtney looks around, then back to the group
>"I think we should get there on foot. Leave the bikes here."
"Are you sure? It's a pretty long walk."
>James looks over to the warehouse at the end of the street
>"Eh, it's like, a hundred or more feet away, that's not too long of a walk."
>You sigh
"Fine, let's go."
>You and the group begin your walk towards the warehouse
>This place is completely different from anywhere else in the town
>Totally abandoned, most of the houses here only suffer from neglect, rather than vandalism
>Have to wonder why, it's not like this place is actually all that dangerous or scary
>Sure, it's quiet, and lonely, but...
>But
>No, there's something out here

>You look around, nobody near by, nobody else
>It's lonely out here, that's for sure
>But, something seems to be watching
>Maybe this is what people have been talking about in terms of creepy
>Like a whisper, you hear James from behind
>"Hey, are you sure about this?"
"This was your idea, we should just stick to it for now, if the warehouse ends up being a bad idea, we can just leave."
>He looks unsure
>You look at the scenery, cracked street, faded paint on the houses
>It's like a post apocalyptic setting
>Quiet, lonely, with a sense of danger
>Courtney's just as quiet voice also close behind
>"H-Hey, I'm getting kinda creeped out here, maybe we should leave?"
"You suggested that we go on foot, and we're just gonna look around a bit, then go."
>Maybe this place is just too lonely
>The warehouse is close now
>Not too far
>Jack and Duncan haven't said anything this whole time
>You look back, and they seem just as worried as James and Courtney
[YouTube] Hunter x Hunter 2011 OST 3 - 5 - The Prey
>That pressure from before had been growing steadily
>It seems to be getting to your friends
>The warehouse is very close, by now, you're only about 20 feet away
>It's shaped similar to an old WWII hangar for aircraft, but mostly filled with old boxes and wooden crates
>You take a few steps closer, and the pressure grows in intensity
>It's almost unbearable
>But, something keeps telling you to move forward
"Well, let's check it out."
>Reluctantly, the whole group slowly enters through the massive doors that have remained open for as long as the warehouse was here
>That pressure is still hear, but it's beckoning you further into the building
>A quiet breeze moves into the warehouse
>Then you feel that pressure beginning to build around your head
>Why are you so tempted to go into this warehouse?
>[It's quiet, isn't it?]
>A clearly audible voice
>Not from one of your friends or yourself
>You whip around, and the entire group seems to have noticed
>[It will be quick]

>It will be quick?
"What will be quick?"
>Jack suddenly collapses
>You gasp as a pool of blood suddenly emerges from under his body
>"Oh shit!!"
>Duncan suddenly sprints for the exit
>And suddenly falls as his head falls backward
>You can see his terrified eyes as they go blank
>Courtney suddenly runs into the warehouse
"Courtney, wait!!!"
>You run for her, forgetting about James
>No more coherent thoughts, just adrenaline
>The lights flicker as you run after Courtney through the boxes
>[You'll do.]
>You come to an empty space among the boxes and crates
>At the very middle of the space, her body lay there
>In several pieces
>Sinister dark red appendages appear from the ceiling, writhing around in the air
>They reach for you
>And you do nothing
>A different voice enters your mind
[You will make a good host]
>Crates around you suddenly pop open, and old bandages float towards you, wrapping around
>They begin to strangely glow as they envelope your body
>...
>...
>[That was convenient]
>[Indeed, we were almost out of time for our beloved son]
>[The body won't last long without those bandages]
>[It's fine, he will be unique, having a body and whatnot]
>[Such a hassle, but worth it]
>[How are you feeling, son?]

"How am I feeling?"
>Right now?
"Nothing."
>No skin, you're just a mass of energy constricted into a human like shape
>The body was destroyed as soon as you entered it, the bandages that currently act as skin will have to do for a while
>[Well, you asked for the experience of being a human, here you go. Right now I'm probing the other human's brain.]
>You stretch out your body
>Pushing what seems to be your arm, you see how far you can reach
>Suddenly being restricted to such a small space
>Without any skin or body, it will be hard to move around
"Are there any clothes I could use?"
>Your father currently probes the other human's brain, while your mother watches over your transition to a human life
>[The other human might have suitable clothes, as they were wearing something that could cover most of your body.]
>You feel the presence of your father begin to bring the body over
"Oh, you left him alive?"
>[It's easier than taking the information from a dead body]
>He's also still conscious
>Poor man, his head is wide open and being painfully picked
>You look up at him, suspended in the air, as he looks directly at you
>Clearly, he can't talk anymore
>Important information about this world is being fed directly to you
>You gained plenty from your host body, but you'd rather be sure about this world, gain multiple views on the world
"So, how do I go about becoming more human? Or getting myself a body?"
>[Believe yourself to be human, and truly wish to be one. Eventually, bones and muscle will begin to form, with skin replacing your bandages.]
>[But if your skin is destroyed, bandages will once again replace the opening.]
>[Okay, I'm done with the boy]
>The body of the other human drops to the floor, dead
>An unfortunate death
>You move to the body, grabbing at what appears to be... a hoodie
>And a shirt, with some... sweats?
>Strange names and slang from these humans, indeed
>And his shoes
>Now, where to start?

>Supposedly this human went to a place in which others gather and learn information
>A school, so it's called
>Should you attend with the name of this human, or one of your own?
>Or you can remain anonymous
>Let whatever human that you meet first give you a name or nick-name
>It won't be until some time tomorrow that this "school" will begin
>You can travel to the grounds of the school and see how long it should take you to get there by foot
>Then you can wait and find out what time it starts at
>Perhaps meet other humans, see how to talk to them
>And figure out how to work this new shape and body
>You walk out to the opening of the warehouse, and see the bodies of the humans laying around
>Hopefully those get cleaned up before they start to rot and stink up the place
>Won't want to ruin your experience once you have a nose
>You continue your walk down the street the humans supposedly followed to the warehouse
>Their bikes are still here, unsurprisingly
>You study them, and identify your host's bike
>This ought to work with your body, if you can move your legs correctly
>And his memories can be a guide
>You walk the bike forward and push down on the pedal, starting off towards the school
>On your way, you pass more humans, or, people in this case
>You observe their features and faces, their clothes, as much as you can as you quickly move past them
>This way you might be able to replace these old memories and lingering personalities
>And give yourself a wider range of body types to construct yourself
>With every bit of your body that you gain, the bandages covering those areas will fall off, but will return if the flesh is destroyed
>These bandages serve as a way to get you used to the shape of a human's body, and to construct one yourself easily enough
>You eventually spot it, the reasonably sized campus and the buildings that comprise it
>The sun is beginning to lower itself below the horizon as you finally reach the grounds themselves