Monsterhearts:Horror, In Form

Friday August 15th, 4:50 PM
Elsinore, Murdoc's Paranormal Private Investigation Agency
**The group has arrived at Murdoc's only moments ago. Shane still hasn't arrived, and they're setting up in the main room, moving the TV into place, along with chairs and a fold out table. Murdoc is watching them hesitantly as he's speaking with Odie near the hallway.**

**Murdoc**: You guys aren't gonna cause too much ruckus are ya? **He looks at Chris and Liam, since he doesn't really know these kids he's obviously uneasy, slowly regretting his decision about letting them stay in his office over night with Odie.**

**Odie**: They're cool Boss Man. **He murmurs something to Murdoc quietly.**

**Murdoc**: Well I don't want to be back here tomorrow with another one of the front windows busted. **He takes out a cigar and lights it, as he moves to head out the door.** And no drinking! Alright? **He opens the front door and points his cigar at Odie.** I'm serious.

**Odie**: We're not even old enough to drink. **He looks at Chris and shrugs.**

**Murdoc**: And if you *are* gonna drink, you stay outta my damn scotch. **He puts his cigar in his mouth.** I'll be here tomorrow at noon. **He glances at Chris and Liam one more time real quick before he leaves.**

**Odie**: **He waves at Murdoc innocently until he's out of sight. The moment Murdoc vanishes he turns and drops his backpack onto the ground and unzips it as he sits down. He pulls open a secret pocket inside of it and pulls out a bag of weed, throwing it onto the ground in front of him, he sets the bottle Jack down next to it, and then takes out a few pills in a small baggy.**

**Chris**: You take Mary Jane with you to school? **He stops hooking in his N64 to the back of the TV and looks at the bag of weed on the floor.**

**Odie**: Always. **He throws a long ribbon of about ten condoms onto the floor.** I thought I packed my pipe in here. **He sighs.** I think I have some paper in my wallet.

**Chris**: **He looks at Liam and shrugs in slightly confusion.**

**Liam**: You smoke *and* you drink? And what are those pills?

**Odie**: Huh? What pills? **He looks down on the floor, then to the small baggy.** Oh, those are for... Things. They're not drugs. **He looks back into his pack.** Well they're drugs, they're just not *drugs* you know? I used to get panic attacks a few years ago so my mom forces me to carry them around. I don't actually take them anymore though. **He sighs and sits back, not finding his pipe. He murmurs to himself.** Yuri must have it.

**Chris**: Panic attacks? **He goes back to plugging in the AV cables to the back of the TV.**

**Odie**: Yeah, like... You know. I'd panic. **He narrows his eyes.** Usually when I thought something was going to attack me... Kinda thing.

**Liam**: You seemed ok during that fight yesterday. **He's staring at the bag of weed.**

**Odie**: I said I don't get them anymore. Not for over a year now. **He starts to look uncomfortable, grabbing the bag of pills and shoving them back into his backpack.** My mom thinks I still get them, so she gives them to me every day to take, but I haven't taken them for eighteen months. Don't need 'em anymore.

**Liam**: Well that's good. **He grabs his backpack and starts rummaging through it.**

**Chris**: You're not just gonna light up and pass out on us are you? **He sounds a little annoyed.**

**Odie**: **He laughs slightly,** Naaah, I don't get that high. Not usually at least. **He grabs the bag of weed.** Besides, about half of this is for a friend of mine anyway. Can't smoke it all. **He grabs the bottle of jack and stands up, walking over to the fold out table and setting them on it.** What should we do for food?

**Liam**: Pizza? I have... **He pulls out a stack of cash from his backpack and slides it into a fan. It's mostly 1's and 5's.** ...CaaaaAAAAaaashhhhh. **He smiles. It's obviously the money from betting on Chris's fight.**

**Chris**: Let's wait and see. **He walks around the TV and turns it on. He grabs Mario Kart and puts it in the N64, turning it on.** I was thinking that we should get Mexican or something. I saw a place up the road about a mile.

**Odie**: There's also a sandwich place right down the street, passed the bar, and just passed that smoothy place. **He walks over and grabs his backpack, then slides it over the floor until it stops against the desk in the corner.**

**Chris**: **As the sounds of the game start up, he looks at Odie, speaking in a low voice.** ...Is it a Mr. Smoothy?

**Odie**: Maybe? **He tilts his head as he remembers, never paying attention o the name.** Yeah, I think it is.

**Chris**: I love the smoothies from that place. **He looks like he's trying to decide if he shouldn't immediately go get one.**

**Odie**: I guess we could head there whenever. **He looks at Liam, thinking Chris's fascination with smoothies is weird.**

**Liam**: **He just shrugs slightly and then goes back to looking into his backpack.**

**Chris**: I guess we should wait for Shane to get here before we decide... **He turns and grabs a controller and sits down on the couch.**

**Odie**: **He walks over and sits down next to Chris.** This is the new Mario Kart?

**Chris**: **He sets up a multiplayer race.** You guys may be good at fighting games, but no one's got me when it comes to racing. Prepare to be blue shelled. **He glares at Odie fiercely as Yoshi's bubbly sound effects come from the TV as he locks in his pick.**

***About two hours later...***

**Odie**: **They just walked back in from getting some smoothies and mexican food.** So I asked the guy, you know, what the hell does he want? It was an even trade. **He shrugs.** But he pulls a knife on me and I'm like, hey, if you're gonna get violent here then that means *I'm* going to have to get violent. **He sets the bags of Mexican food on the fold out table.** So he puts the knife away, and we settle on the trade, ya know? Anyway, that's how I got a Squirtle *and* a Bulbasaur right from the start.

**Liam**: **He looks sorta confused.** People take pokemon really seriously at our school apparently. **All he got was a burrito and a small cherry and chocolate smoothy.**

**Odie**: Just another day in my life. **He puts the straw up his smoothy to his lips and takes a drink. He got blueberry and mango.**

**Shane**: **He rolls his eyes, he also got cherry and chocolate and a burrito.** I think you're exaggerating that story a little. Since when does Yuri carry a knife around with him?

**Odie**: Always. Yuri always has a knife. When he was born, he was holding it in his hand and they used it to cut their cords.

**Chris**: Their? **He walks in carrying a big bag of four burritos and two extra-large smoothies. One is Nectarine, and the other is Beef and Caviar.**

**Liam**: Twins. **He nods.**

**Chris**: ...Right. **He puts his food on the table next to Odie's.** Those guys sound like a lot of fun. Dangerous... But a lot of fun. **He pulls out one of the beef burritos and unwraps it, biting into it. He speaks out of the side of his mouth as he chews.** So why don't you hang out with them anymore?

**Odie**: Who, the twins? **He pulls out his foam box of enchiladas and opens it up, grabbing a fork.**

**Chris**: **He swallows his food.** Yeah. **He takes another bite.**

**Odie**: They work nights, sleep all day, and they go out of town a lot. **He starts eating his fucking enchiladas.**

**Chris**: What do they do? **He seems confused that a pair of teenagers would be working the graveyard shift somewhere.**

**Odie**: Work security for this museum in Temecula. They also go out of town to pick up, like, shipments and stuff.

**Liam**: How'd they get a job doing that? **He sits on the couch and unwraps his burrito, eating it.**

**Shane**: **He sits down on the arm of the couch close to Liam.** They must be terrible at it. They probably don't even have a hundred pounds of muscle between them. Seems like if someone tried to break in they'd just get their asses kicked.

**Odie**: They're pragmatic. **He shrugs and takes a drink from his smoothie.**

**Chris**: **He wipes his mouth.** And Yuri's got that knife. **He smirks and nods at Shane and Liam. He's obviously making fun of Odie and his other friends.**

**Liam**: Haha. **He takes a sip from his smoothie.**

**Odie**: **He shrugs and shakes his head.** Whatever. **He starts eating more quickly and stops talking.**

**Chris**: So what do you guys wanna do now? Mario Kart is four players. **He grabs one of his smoothies and then walks over to sit on the couch as he eats his burrito.**

**Liam**: **He looks to to the side, not having won a single race earlier.** maybe we should try something else.

**As Liam finishes saying that the front door opens suddenly, and Karen, wearing a black coat that's only held closed with a black belt, revealing the top of a diamond-studded strapless top, which shows off her respectable cleavage. She's wearing long black panty hose that end just at her mid-thigh, just below the bottom of her coat. Her hair doesn't seem to be styled in any particular way, and the front of it falls over the right side of her face, obscuring most of it, the rest is pushed behind her left ear. A small grey-blue pack is strapped over her shoulder.**

**Karen**: **She looks at Odie and then to the others, her gaze lingering on Chris for a moment.** Odie, is Murdoc here?

**Odie**: He had to head out of town on some emergency, though he'd call you. **He sits on the edge of the fold out table, causing it to move a little. He puts another fork of enchiladas into his mouth, he swallows i quickly, and then speaks.** You're drop'n some package off right?

**Karen**: Yeah. **She looks over at Chris as she pulls the pack from around her shoulder, pulling the strap over her head.** I didn't know you knew Odie.

**Chris**: Didn't know you knew Odie. **He leans back.** ...Small world. **His voice sounds more suave than normal.**

**Karen**: Me and Odie go way back. **She looks to Odie.** Right Odie?

**Odie**: Yeah I guess. **He shrugs and puts his food down.** That the package?

**Karen**: This is it. **Odie walks up and takes it from her, putting it on the table after he walks back.** So what are the four of you doing here? Just waiting for me?

**Odie**: Stayin the night to watch the place.

**Karen**: All night? **She looks around the small space, seeing that they've set up a TV with some game consoles and have a bunch of food.**

**Odie**: I'm gonna be here 'til noon tomorrow.

**Karen**: Well, keep an eye on that, **She motions for the package.** for me. It was a pain in the ass to get it. **She turns to head out.** Say hi to Yuri for me, when next you see him. **She looks at Chris and smirks slightly as she pushes the door open and walks out.**

**Liam**: What's her deal? **He takes a big bite of his burrito and chews it as he watches the front door.**

**Chris**: **He crumples up the wrapping of his burrito and gets up to grab another one.** She lives next door to me.

**Liam**: What? **He stops chewing and looks at Chris as he walks to get another burrito off the table.**

**Chris**: Her and her brother came by my place and had dinner the other night. Her brother is... **He pauses in thought as his hand wraps around another burrito.** Weird.

**Odie**: She's crazy hot. **He grabs his smoothie and sips from it.**

**Liam**: I thought she was a hooker.

**Shane**: **He laughs suddenly, spitting out a little bit of his smoothie from between his lips as he raises the back of his hand to cover his mouth. He gulps.** That's what I thought too!

**Odie**: **He just shrugs, not caring how she dresses.**

**Chris**: What? **He sounds offended that they would say that.**

**Liam**: Was she even wearing pants? **He looks a bit bewildered.**

**Shane**: Sure didn't look like it... **He finishes off his burrito and then crumples up the paper, tossing it across the room, it lands next to the trashcan.**

**Chris**: She doesn't look like a hooker. **He unwraps his second burrito and takes a bite, he sounds annoyed with them.**

**Liam**: Well not a cheap one, like one of those high-end prostitutes that millionaires hire to accompany them to parties.

**Shane**: Yeah, that's like, you know, not as bad. I mean, it's not like she was some trailer-park gal or something.

**Taylor**: **Tired of these homos talking about my waifu this way. Rolling to** ***Shut Liam and Shane Down*** **1 + 1 + 2** **Cold** **Marking Experience.**

**Chris**: **He groans.** What are you guys gay? Why would you complain about a girl that looks that way, dressing like that?

**Liam**: **He gulps down the last bite of his burrito nervously.** She dresses like a tramp, we're just making an observation!

**Shane**: **He glances at Liam and then shakes his head.** Yeah, sorry, didn't mean to put down your girlfriend... **He rolls his eyes.**

**Chris gains the condition "*White Knight*".**

**Chris**: Maybe she was headed to a party or something.

**Odie**: No she always dresses that way. I like it, it's like that classy femme fatale look from the fifties. She reminds me of one of those broads you'd see in The Shadow or something.

**Chris**: Yeah. **He looks at Odie and motions to him.** Exactly like that kinda girl. She's not vapid either, like most pretty girls.

**Odie**: Really clever. **He nods in agreement.**

**Shane**: Wow, so are the two of you just gonna marry her together? **He finishes off his smoothie and annoying popping sounds can be heard from the cup.**

**Odie**: She's got the hots for one of the twins. Like, bad. **He eats a mouthful of rice.**

**Liam**: Yuri? **He's just sitting there, holding his smoothie between his legs.** Tough luck, he's- **He almost says something about Yuri being really hot but stops.** ...Got a knife and a job and stuff...

**Odie**: **He nods as he eats.** Yeah, Yuri. Dunno why she likes him.

**Chris**: Hmm... **Rather than being disappointed that she's showing a lot of interest in another guy, he mentally accepts it as a challenge. After a short pauses he decides to try and change the subject.** ...So what's in the package anyway? **He nods to it.**

**Odie**: Dunno. **He doesn't seem to care as he continues eating without even looking back at it.**

**Liam**: **He looks at Shane, then Odie.** We should look...

**Shane**: Totally. **He nods.**

**Odie**: **He puts down his food and turns to the pack.** It's probably nothing. **He flips open the strap and pulls out a small wooden box. The front of it is latched closed. He holds it up, looking the latch over for a moment, then snaps it open and pulls the lid back, a light chemical smell immediately emanates from it. Like nail polish remover and gasoline.** Stinks. **He looks inside the box, and a pendant, about the diameter of a fist, is laying at the bottom. It's cracked down the middle with a strange design on it, but it shines like it's been polished to a mirror finish. A look of realization passes over Odie's face for a moment, it quickly fades and he acts like it's nothing.** It's a piece of jewelry, broken.

**Liam**: **He gets up and walks over.** Let me see.

**Chris**: **He leans forwards, then looks down into the box and shrugs before leaning back.**

**Odie**: **He holds it out for Liam to see. Shane walks up and looks down into it as well.** Just some pendant or something.

**Chris**: It does kinda smell. That's weird. **He takes a step back and eats the rest of his burrito, crumpling up the paper and tossing it into the trashcan.**

**Liam**: **He sniffs a few times.** It's probably the polish they used to clean it. I helped my aunt polish her silverware and it smelled like that... Sort of. **He looks tilts his head to get a better look at the symbol on it.**

**Liam's reflection turns dark and his eyes flicker gold for a moment.**

**Avarada**: **His voice whispers through Liam's mind.** ...Take it. **There's a loud creek down the hall, which is now very dark as no lights are on anywhere except the front room.**

**Liam**: **He quickly takes a few steps away from the pendant and looks down the hallway.**

**Chris**: **He walks over to get his third burrito and looks down the hall.** What was that? **He unwraps the burrito and takes a bite.**

**Shane**: Sounded like one of the doors opening. **He doesn't seem to care about it, walking back over to the sofa and grabbing his smoothie. He shakes it, immediately remembering that it's empty.**

**Odie**: **He shuts the lid and latches it closed as he turns to look down the hall.** Boss probably left the window in his office open.

**As he says this a silhouette seems to crawl across the hall with the sound of quiet scratches. The shadow melts away almost as soon as its seen, the darkness hiding whatever it is.**

**Liam**: **He takes a step back.** ...You guys saw that. Right?

**Chris**: Didn't look like any open window I've ever seen. **He puts his burrito down on the fold out table.**

**Odie**: **He just lets out a long sigh, putting the wooden box on the table.**

**Shane**: What was it? **He walks up between Liam and Chris and looks down the hall. He sounds slightly spooked, but hides it well.**

**Odie**: There's a dog from a place up the road, gets in through the back door sometimes. **He grabs his smoothie from the table and starts walking down the hallway.** I'll get him.

**Chris**: You're going alone? **He looks at Odie almost like he's crazy.** That was a damn big dog.

**Odie**: She's harmless, stay here I'll be right back. **As he walks forwards he seems to melt away into the darkness, vanishing entirely.**

**Liam**: Should we go after him? **He looks at Shane, then Chris.**

**Shane**: He said he could take care of it.

**Chris**: We should probably check it out, might've been one of those thieves we're supposed to be here to watch for. **He doesn't sound like he actually believes it's a thief.**

**There's suddenly a loud unearthly growl that echoes through the air, followed by a crash. Roll to** ***Hold Steady*** **to follow after Odie.**

**Illiadius**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*.** **3 + 3 - 1** **Cold** **is 5.)**

**Taylor**: **(Rolling to** ***Hold Steady*.** **6 + 2 + 2** **Cold** **is 10.** **Marking experience.)**

**Liam gains the condition** **"Terrified"** **and freezes up.**

**Liam**: I... Umm... He said to stay here, so... **He nods.** I'll just stay here, I'm sure he's fine.

**Avarada**: **His voice hums through Liam's mind.** ...So... Weak...

**Shane**: **He looks at Liam, seeing that he's just as spooked as he is.** Random skater kids is one thing, but I'm not getting mauled by a dog. **He crosses his arms over his chest and stays put.**

**Chris**: Well I'm not letting *him* get mauled by a dog. **He shakes his head and quickly walks down the hallway. As he walks into the darkness he murmurs to himself** At least not by himself. **He starts to look around to see if he can make anything out.**

**As Chris walks down the hall he hears a bit of a commotion. It's quiet, like whoever is causing it wants to keep the others from hearing. It's coming from the office all the way at the back of the hall, last one on the left.**

**Chris**: **As he nears the back office he calls out.** Hey Odie, you alright?!

**Odie**: **His voice rings out.** Yep! I'm- **There's a quiet thump.** -great! Told you to wait at the front!

**Chris**: You need help man? **He walks to the door of the back office and looks inside.**

**As Chris walks into the room, it's very cold and it reeks like rotting meat. The light from outside casts long shadows over the small office. Odie is nowhere to be seen, but Chris immediately spots something large crawling over the floor. A bone-chilling voice tumbles out of the creature in inhuman echoes, sounding almost like two or three raspy voices speaking at once.** ...Y-o-o-o-u-u... N-e-e-e-d-D-D-D... H... h-H-h-e-l-l-l-p...

**Chris**: ...That's not... Funny? **He takes a step back from the door, keeping his eyes on the creature.**

**The thing slowly moves towards him, one of its limbs moves into the light from the window, it looks like a hand, but it's bloated and shines as if it were wet, something sharp is at the ends of its fingers.** ...N-o-t... F-u-n-n-N... N-n-n-y... w-W-a-a-a-i-t... **It stops and shifts slightly.** ...a-h-t... F-r-o-o-o-o-n-t... W-a-i-t...

**Chris**: Odie? **He's backed out into the hall now, ready to run.** C'mon man.

**Liam**: **He calls down the hallway.** What's that sound?!

**Chris**: **He keeps backing up.** That better not be you Odie, because I'm about to beat your ass if it is!

**The bloated hand slides out from the doorframe and into Chris's view, he still can't quite make out defining features, even with his eyes adjusted to the dark, but he sees it dig its nails between the floorboards, and it seems to start pulling itself out into that hall. As it does there's a clattering sound, like glass breaking. Whatever it is, it pulls its hand back into the room and lets out shriek that tears through the walls like they're paper.**

**Chris**: **He jumps and stumbles back, then turns and runs back towards Liam and Shane.**

**Shane**: What the hell was that?! **There's a slight tremble to his voice.**

**Avarada**: **Again his voice hums through Liam's mind, monotone and soft as always.** ...Music.

**Liam**: I don't know. **He whispers to himself very quietly and grabs the sides of his head as he backs away from the hall.** Be quiet!

**Chris**: There's someone in the back office. I don't know if Odie's just fuck'n with us, or if someone really broke in, and I don't know what the hell that sound was! **He walks over and grabs the lamp off the desk, unscrewing the bulb and shade. He pulls the cord out of the wall and walks back in front of Liam and Shane, holding the Lamp like a bat.**

**Odie is suddenly launched from the darkness and falls to the floor, sliding until he hits Chris's feet.**

**Odie**: **He looks up at Chris, obviously in pain.** You guys.. Should probably... **He quickly gets to his feet, and as he does there's a quiet shattering sound, and a chunk of ice rolls from the the darkness of the hallway.** ...Run.

**Chris**: What the hell is happening Odie?! **He keeps the lamp ready, grasping it firmly in his hand, as he bites the inside of his lip.**

**Odie**: It's just a dog!

**As Odie says this the four of them see the silhouette of a figure crawling towards them down the hall. The haunting voice trembles through the air.** ...J-u-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s... U-u-h-h-h-h-H-H-H-h... **Three sickly looking hands slam into the light suddenly. All of them are left hands, of different sizes, bloated and slimy, their finger nails are sharp and look like small metal claws that have been stuck into them.** ...d-d-D-D-D-o-o-o-o-o-o-G-g-g-g... **The three arms dig into the floor with their artificial claws and suddenly pull a large bulbous mass into view. It looks like the drowned corpse of a very obese man or woman, however it's not just a man or woman, but apparently several, fused together somehow, cloaked in ripped clothing. At the front of it is four heads, all seeming to sprout from one fat neck, the base of which starts just above the where the three arms extrude. The creature quivers as it pulls its full bulk into the light, it has no legs, but six or seven other arms seem to writhe forth to grab the corner of the wall, appearing to extend from within it's gluttonous form.**

**Liam**: **His eyes are as wide as they can possibly be.** ...Oh... My... Fucking... God... **He starts to tremble.**

**Chris**: **He suddenly feels like the lamp he's hold is completely worthless against something that appears to be straight from his more horrifying nightmare.** ...Odie?

**Odie**: It's a really ugly fucking dog! **He takes a few steps back, not having realized how huge the creature was when it was in the darkness.** That's all!

**Shane**: That's... Not a dog... Man. **He takes a few slow steps backwards.**

**Chris**: So... Are we running yet? **The inside of his lip is bleeding from biting it so hard earlier.**

**Odie**: I told you to run, so run! **He seems to be the least scared out of them, and it doesn't look like he intends to run at all.** Get the fuck out of here!

**One of the three heads sniffs the air, and the creature stops, all three heads turn and look at the fold out table.** ...R-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-n-n-n... r-r-r-r-R-r-R-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-h-h-h-h-n-n-N-n-n... **Despite it's bloated mass, it suddenly leaps towards the table, slamming into it and knocking it over, sending the wooden box clattering to the floor and sliding until it crashes against the far wall.**

**Odie**: Don't let it get the box! **He runs fowards and brings up both his hands, interlocking his fingers together, and then quickly bringing them down as one fist onto the horror, the slam into it with a sharp thud, and the creature screams another unearthly wail. Several arms burst from its body and grab at Odie, scratching at him and trying to get him off.**

**Chris**: **He looks at the box, and then to Odie.** Get the box! **He runs forwards and slams the lamp down at the creature, beating it several times, adrenaline surges through his veins and he swings the lamp at the creature as hard as he can to try and help Odie.**

**Avarada**: **His voice pulses through Liam's ears and head.** Take the box...

**Liam**: **His eyes dart to the box, snaps out of his freeze and runs over grabbing the box.** W-what do I do?!

**Odie**: I SAID RUN DAMN IT! **He pushes Chris away with his shoulder.** SO RUN!

**Shane**: **He runs and opens the door.** Let's go!

**Chris**: I'm not leaving you with this thing! **He raises the lamp stick above his hand, turns it so that he's holding it downwards, like a knife, and with both hands he thrusts it down into the disgusting creature.**

**The lamp slams into the weak flesh, and puss bubbles out. The creature screams again.**

**Odie**: Fuck it. **He pulls his right arm back and in a shine of white-blue light there's suddenly a shard of ice in his hand, long and thin. He twists it in his grasp and it forms into a katana, seemingly carved from ice. He immediately slashes off two of the arms, and then slashes another two off. He pulls free and takes and step back.**

**Chris**: **He stumbles backwards and falls on his ass as he sees Odie swing a sword suddenly.** What the hell?!

**Odie**: **He swings the katana in an arc and slashes off the rest of the arms. Blood and puss bursts from the creature and coats his shirt.** I said run. You don't fucking run! You just stand there like idiots! Hitting a fucking aberration with a LAMP!! **He slams the katana down into the creature and it breaks off inside of it. He presses his foot against it and kicks it as hard as he can, sending it rolling into the wall as it screams in agony. He puts his hands together and conjures another long shard of ice, then walks up and slams it down at the neck, hacking away at it for a few seconds until the three heads pop off and rollover the floor, each of them stopping at the feet of Liam, Chris, and Shane. Odie turns to look at them, pointing his bloodied stained Katana at them.** Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you three? **His eyes seem to be glowing green.**