Monsterhearts:Touched

Friday August 15th, 8:50 PM
Elsinore, Murdoc's Paranormal Private Investigation Agency
**Odie**: Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you three? **The slight glow in his green eyes fades quickly, and he looks at each of them.**

**Chris**: **He kicks the head away from him and gets to his feet, his shirt is bloodied and gross from swinging at the creature.** What the hell just happened?!

**Liam**: **He's trembling as he stands in place, almost afraid to move. He's holding the wooden box with the pendant in it tightly, but staring down at the severed head in front of his feet.**

**Shane**: Fuck this- **He turns to run out the door.**

**Odie**: Stop! There might be another one out there! **Shane freezes in place.** Close the door.

**Liam**: **He looks out the windows, jittering. He speaks quietly in almost a whisper.** Another one?

**Odie**: Yeah... So everyone just... Calm down. Take a seat, and we'll... You know... Talk about the giant dog that attacked us... **He looks nervous, more because he doesn't know how to handle this situation than due to the gluttonous amalgamation of bloated corpses that just tried to kill him.**

**Taylor**: **Rolling to** ***Shut Odie Down*** **to get him to stop trying to pass the situation off as something normal. 6 + 3 + 2** **Cold** **is 11.** **Marking Experience.)**

**Chris**: **The adrenaline is wearing off, and he's quickly becoming a lot more terrified of the creature that just attacked them.** WILL YOU STOP CALLING IT A FUCKING DOG!?

**Chris gains a String on Odie.**

**Odie**: **He tenses up, the situation getting the best of him.** Alright! It's not a dog!

**Liam**: Umm... Well what the hell is it? **He looks at Chris and then Odie, still frozen in place.**

**Odie**: It's... A thing... **He drops his katana and lowers his arm, it shatters on the floorboards.**

**Chris**: A "thing"? What kind of thing?! Explain what the fuck is happening! **He sounds furious for the first time since the others have met him, mostly due to also being scared out of his mind at this point, and he just wants some answers.**

**Odie**: **He takes a step back.** How about we all just calm down, and we'll talk about it.

**Chris**: How about you talk Odie! We're listening!

**Odie**: **His eyes dart to Liam and Shane and then back to Chris.** It's like a zombie. We don't know what the hell they are, alright? They just have something to do with that symbol on that pendant.

**Avarada**: **His voice whispers ever so quietly in Liam's ears.** Take the box...

**Liam**: **He closes his eyes, trying to will Avarada's voice to be quiet.**

**Chris**: Yeah? Well what about your... Fucking ice sword or what ever the hell that was?! **He looks at the floor, to the melting ice.**

**Odie**: **He looks like he's ready to just try and run.** I... Uhh... You know, have... Certain... Abilities. That are supposed to be a big secret.

**Shane**: You fucking kidding me with this shit?

**Odie**: Let's just... Calm down... **He puts his hands up.** Alright? Everyone calm the fuck down, take a seat, and I'll explain to the best of my... The best I can. We need to not flip our shit, because we don't have a full grasp of the situation. Alright? So just take a seat on the sofa and take a breather.

**Chris**: **He looks outside, wondering if he should just run to his car, but after a moment he walks over to the couch and sits down. He takes a long, deep breath, and then breaths out slowly.**

**Liam**: **He looks down at the head still sitting on his left shoe. It's disgusting empty eyes looking up at him.** ...I'm not sure I can move.

**Shane**: **He's starting to become more angry than afraid, he runs up a next to Liam and punts the head, sending it flying across the office and splattering against the wall. He grabs Liam by the shoulders and leads him over to the sofa.**

**Liam**: **He shivers slightly as Shane lets go of him and he sits down on the sofa.** Thanks. **He's just staring at the thing in the corner, still holding the box tightly.**

**Shane**: **He sits down next to Liam, on the sofa's arm.** Alright Odie, get talk'n.

**Odie**: I have to make a phone call... Real quick. **He turns and moves over to the desk, dialing up a phone number.**

**Shane**: **He furrows his brow in complete annoyance.** Seriously?

**Chris**: **His anger is quickly fading away, the surreal situation is numbing him back to normal, similar to how a dream would.** It's a Zombie...

**Odie**: **He's talking quietly into the phone as someone answers, but they can still hear him.** ...Hey, Sylvia, it's Odie. ...Veronica there...?

**Shane**: **He's speaking in a hushed tone.** He tells us to take a seat so he can talk to us, then he makes a fucking phone call...?

**Liam**: **He gulps as he looks at the body of the thing, after a moment he closes his eyes and looks away.** ...So what do you think is happening?

**Chris**: Well he said the pendant attracts those... Things. **He looks out the front windows.** Odie can clearly create some kind of ice weapon... I'd say he belongs to some secret society of monster hunters.

**Liam**: **He looks at the front windows.** Well I guess the sign *does* say "paranormal" investigator...

**Shane**: **He narrows his eyes and looks to the window, then back to Odie.**

**Odie**: Veronica? ...It's Odie... I'm down at Murdoc's... Yeah... We had another one of those pendants dropped off and I think one of those... Things attacked to try and get it back...

**Liam**: **He looks back to Odie.** If he's a monster hunter he doesn't seem to know much about this monster.

**Chris**: Maybe it's something new... He said "they" don't know what these things are. **He looks to the disgusting corpse splayed against the wall.** ...That means it's not just him. His boss is probably in on it too... And so is whoever he's calling.

**Liam**: What if he's calling them to come kill us?! Like we found out about his secret and now we have to die!

**Chris**: I think he'd have done us in already, or at least tried to, the guy clearly has some... Power. **He bites the inside of his lip, it's still bleeding, and it stings, but it helps keep his mind focused.** He hacked that thing up like it was nothing.

**Odie**: Well call the Twins in early and get them to watch the museum, this one's fresh and I need you here to... You know, do whatever it is you do with these things. **He looks back at the other three.** ...No. **He turns back around.** Definitely don't bring *them* here... Because the last time *they* were around one of these sigils one of them almost burned the place down.

**Shane**: **He crosses his arms over his chest.** ...This is too fuckin weird...

**Liam**: So you don't think he'll kill us? **He looks at Chris.**

**Chris**: No. **He looks at Shane.** But that doesn't mean that we might not have to fight out way out of here if he tries something.

**Shane**: **He nods.** Odie's not very strong, or fast. If he tries to pull anything we could outrun him easy.

**Odie**: ...And bring a mop, the thing spilled nasty crap everywhere... Yeah... Seeya. **He hangs up the phone and turns to look at the other three.**

**Chris**: Who'd you call? **He leans forward on the couch.**

**Odie**: A lady named Veronica, she uhh... Runs that museum. One of these things attacked that place a few times... We're trying to figure out what they are and where they come from... **He looks to the side, still nervous.**

**Chris**: ...And? What's your deal? **He wipes his lip with the back of his hand. This is the second time the wound has been re-opened in as many days, and it's bleeding a little.**

**Liam**: Yeah, you created a Japanese ice sword...

**Odie**: Well it's a long story... Umm. **He pauses.**

**Chris**: We have until twelve noon tomorrow, remember? So talk.

**Odie**: Well, umm... Gist of it is that... Some cult did a ritual on me, I was possessed by a demon. Then I got unpossessed and spent a long time suffering panic attacks and going in and out of mental institutions for a few months, and I still need to pass a psych evaluation every three months just to go to school. From there some creature, that was similar to that thing. **He motions to the pile of rotting flesh-creature.** Just... Way fucking creepier, and way fucking stronger, attacked me, and when I finally drummed up enough courage to kill it, I manifested some powers from when I was possessed... **He shakes his head.** Now I work with Murdoc to hunt down monsters.

**Liam**: **He whispers.** So he is a monster hunter...

**Chris**: You were possessed by a demon? **He stands up, looking at Odie cautiously.**

**Odie**: Umm... I guess, technically, it was a "Demon Spawn", not a demon.

**Shane**: **Everything so far sounds ridiculous, but he does remember Odie being absent from school for a long time, and then after that he wasn't quite right for a few months, he always seemed just on the edge of running away whenever he'd see him with anyone.** ...So what's the difference?

**Odie**: Demons are smarter and more powerful, in general. Demon spawn are kinda like... You know. Footmen or something.

**Chris**: So Demons are *real*? **He doesn't seem to like that explanation, and even with mouting evidence he doesn't seem to believe it.**

**Odie**: ...Short answer... Yes. **He looks tot he side and then back at Chris.**

**Liam**: ...Umm. So... What can you do? **He grips the box tightly against his stomach.** ...Like... What's your super powers...?

**Odie**: **He looks nervous with everyone watching him.** ...Well. I can conjure ice, and... **He holds up his hand and a long shard of ice appears in it with a dim flash of blue white.** Change its shape. **The shard changes into a katana.**

**Chris**: **He looks at the weapon.** Why a samurai sword?

**Odie**: Huh?

**Chris**: Can't you conjure a big battle axe or something more... Destructive?

**Odie**: Hey, the Katana is an ancient mystical weapon from the orient. They used it to cut tanks in half with it in World War II. **He swipes it through the air.**

**Chris**: **Odie's description of his sword lightens his mood and he chuckles.** No they didn't. That doesn't even make sense. You can't cut a tank in half with a sword.

**Odie**: Haven't you ever watched the history channel? There's documented footage of that happening.

**Chris**: **He's about to object, but just stops, after what he's seen so far he might as well just believe crappy asian swords can cut armored tanks in half.**

**Shane**: So now what? You're some demon wizard or something? **He shrugs.** And we're just supposed to deal?

**Odie**: I'm not a wizard, or a demon, and you don't *have* to deal... But I'd like it if you didn't tell anyone. **He looks away from them.**

**Chris**: Like anyone would even believe us... **He puts the back of his hand to his mouth, rubbing off a bit of the blood from it.**

**Shane**: Yeah, what am I gonna do, run home and tell my parents that I was attacked by some horror movie monster? Knowing them I'd get stuffed full of Ritalin and they'd send me to a shrink. **He seems to tense up at the thought.**

**Liam**: ...So what do we do? **He looks nervous, and still a bit scared, despite winding down.**

**Odie**: Well the biggest change is that all of you are... You know. "Touched" now. **He turns his katana into a cane and props it onto the floor, leaning on it.**

**Chris**: **He watches Odie turn his ice katana into and ice cane.** Touched? By what? What does that mean?

**Odie**: Normal people don't see things like this... **He motions to the creature.** ...They'll see it out of the corner of their eye and just think it's a big dog. Or some homeless guy sitting in the dark.

**Liam**: Huh? **He looks confused.** I'm pretty sure I'd notice a giant three-headed dead guy crawling around.

**Odie**: That's the thing, you *wouldn't*.

**Chris**: I agree with Liam. That's obviously *not* a dog.

**Odie**: **He sighs.** Alright, I'm not good at explaining things. Veronica should be here soon, she can explain it better than I can, alright? **He shakes his head.**

**Liam**: So is there really another one of those things out there? **He looks out the window.**

**Odie**: Don't know... Could be. We don't know anything about these things. Best to play it safe. **He points his cane at the box is Liam's hands.** The only thing we *do* know is that the sigil on that amulet has something to do with them.

**Chris**: Sigil? What's a Sigil. **Odie keeps saying it like he's supposed to know what it is, like it's some common term.**

**Odie**: A sigil is an icon, or design, that carries some kind of power. Like magic. Things bearing that sigil seem to carry some power over life and death. They... Reanimate these things. When their power runs out, or is disrupted, the item they're on breaks.

**Liam**: So these "zombies" are here to take their power then? **He keeps from looking at the creature, looking down at the box instead.**

**Odie**: We don't know. We've found pendants like that inside of one of them, another was held by some... **He shakes his head.** Warlock or something, another on a Necromancer.

**Chris**: A Necro-what? **These terms are starting to irritate him.**

**Odie**: Jeez, you are the worst kind of not-nerd Chris. **He sighs in annoyance.** A necromancer, someone that brings things back from the dead. Haven't you played an RPG?

**Chris**: No, they're boring. **He looks at Shane and then Liam.** These aren't exactly common terms right? I'm not alone here.

**Shane**: I don't know what the hell any of this means. All I know is that it's weird and I don't like it. **He looks very tense, like he's about to just get up and leave.**

**Liam**: I knew what a Necromancer is... **He looks at Chris and then looks down.**

**Chris**: Well I know what a Warlock is, it's like a male Witch. **He looks at Odie.** ...Right?

**Odie**: Yeah I think, to be honest I don't know if there's a difference... **He sighs, the smell of that creature is starting to get to him.**

**Chris**: **After a moment of awkward silence he rubs his neck.** Alright, so now what?

**Odie**: Huh? What do you mean? **He still seems nervous about this entire situation as his eyes keep darting between the three other boys.**

**Chris**: What do we do? Wait until your friend from the museum gets here? **He seems to be taking this whole situation a lot more calmly than he was earlier.**

**Odie**: ...Uhh... Yes? **He raises his eyebrows and looks to the side, unsure.**

**Liam**: **He just sits there, looking around the room, trying to keep his eyes from wandering to that rotting thing, or any of its pieces.**

**Chris**: **He sighs and walks over, sitting on the couch next to Liam.** I knew I should've tried to leave with Karen.

**Shane**: **He rolls his eyes and shakes his head as he leans back against the side of the sofa.**

***An hour of awkward waiting later...***

**Veronica has arrived, along with a younger woman named Sylvia. Veronica is in her early forties, but is still attractive in a librarian sorta-way, though her good looks are hidden by her wearing a lot of medical equipment, such as a hair net, a surgical mask, latex gloves, a long white lab coat, and a translucent face shield. She's hunched over the creature, which has been moved onto a folded out operating table, and she's cutting into it with a scalpel, she's narrating what she's doing to a tape recorder that's sitting at the end of the table. Most of the mess the creature created has been mopped up by Sylvia, her assistant, and much of the office has sheets of plastic covering everything now.**

**In the last half-hour Shane has somehow fallen asleep, and he's slowly slide to the side, leaning his head and upper body against Liam's shoulder. He's breathing softly, not snoring, but his breaths have a quiet hum to them.**

**Veronica**: **She cuts deeply into the creature with scalpel. Her voice has a very slight non-descript eastern-European accent.** It appears to be another amalgamation of several bodies... Four or five, it's hard to be certain as I cannot tell where one begins and another ends... All of them show signs of having drowned. Each set of lungs has liquid in it.

**Sylvia**: **She's in her early twenties, has platinum blonde hair and light brown eyes. She's standing near Chris, watching Veronica autopsy the creature from a distance. She doesn't seem to want to get too close to it.**

**Odie**: So anything at all? **He's been pacing back and forth since they go here.**

**Veronica**: Patience... **She pulls back flesh and puss and coagulated blood flow off the table and onto the floor.** This one is especially ghastly... **She shakes her head and cuts into something that squishes loudly.**

**Chris**: **He's leaning up against the bathroom door.** So you two run a museum? **He looks at Sylvia.**

**Sylvia**: The one in Temecula. **She keeps her eyes on Veronica as she speaks.**

**Chris**: Odie said you guys could explain... Whatever the fuck this is that's happening.

**Sylvia**: **She looks at Odie, then looks to Chris.** Well ask a question and I will answer it to the best of my ability. You don't see something like... Well that thing, every day... **She looks at Liam and then back to Chris.**

**Chris**: He said something about being "Touched", what's that mean exactly? **He rolls the back of his head against the door and crosses his arms over his chest.**

**Sylvia**: Alright, have you ever noticed, when you hear a word for the very first time in your life, you will hear that word again within twenty-four hours? **Her voice is stoic, but she sounds like she genuinely wants to explain it to him, like she's been in this situation before and knows what he might be going though.**

**Chris**: Umm... **He thinks about it for a moment, looking away from her.** ...Yeah... **He looks back to her, strangely confused that she's right.** Yeah, I have.

**Sylvia**: The truth of matter is that you have heard that word before, you just didn't pay it any thought. Your brain didn't register it. The human mind labors to remain in a certain state. Human nature is to recognize and *enforce* patterns, even against logic or rationality. You heard the word before, but it had little impact. No meaning, so it's tossed out, the information is useless and the word is replaced with something else. You hear the word again, but *this time* you care, the word has *affected* you in some way, directly, and your brain remembers that. Then it looks for patterns. "Where else can I use this word?" "Who else is using it?". You brain accepts the word as something important, part of a larger vocabulary of speech. It starts to actively *look* for that word. You follow me so far?

**Liam**: **He nods quietly, not wanting to wake Shane up, he's secretly enjoying that he's fallen asleep on him.**

**Chris**: Yeah, I think I do. **She's definitely pique his interest with her example.**

**Sylvia**: Being "Touched" is the same way. There have been many times in your life where you've seen things that you don't understand. Something dark skittering down the side of the road out of the corner of your eye? It's a dog. A strange voice calls out to you from a distance? It's the wind. The house creaks at night for no apparent reason? The house is settling from the day... etc. Strange things happen every day, your brain just doesn't care. *They're not important to you*. That is... Until something like this happens. **She looks at Veronica as she's operating.** Then your brain opens up. It suddenly *needs* this information to survive. It's important to your well-being. **She looks back to Chris, her eyes darting to Liam for a brief moment.** From this point forwards you'll start to see things, a lot of things, differently. Your brain is going to actively try to make sense of things it didn't care about before. The thing skittering on the side of the road isn't some animal, it's a hellhound. The voice that calls out to you from a distance isn't the wind, it's from the translucent form of a weeping woman down the street. The house doesn't creak because it's settling, it's creaking because of the long sick-thing you saw crawl up into your attic. **She sighs and looks back to Odie.** This night will change your whole life, and it's unlikely that you'll *ever* be the same again.