FP-S5: “I say out there, this is QUITE rude.”

Sunday, 22 Oct, 9pm: Byron followed Jane as she led the way to her cabin. She pointed out, “Watch yer step there. That plant’s poisonous. You doing OK back there? Not walking too fast fer ya am I?” Byron wondered, “For someone with a backache, she sure is spry. What have I gotten myself into? Some lustful hick?” The cabin was simple and small but did have an attached shed. Jane described the area, “Out here I can just sit and listen to the birds and animals. Peaceful. Tell ya what, I’ll be in the garden over there. The wood pile is right over there.”

While Jane whistled away in the garden, Byron picked up the axe and got to work. 30 minutes in, and he was already sweating; so, he took off his shirt. “God, I hope I’m not arousing that old woman.” He got into a good rhythm in sync with the tune Jane was whistling. What happened to her whistling? He was about to turn to look when he suddenly passed out.

Monday, 23 Oct, 7am: After checking the hotel guestbook, Marcus headed for the stairs, “I’ll check if they actually stayed. Careful these bannisters, they’re very loose. Hey, there’s wooden boxes filled with bones up here. Must be Baker’s collection.” That drew Clive’s interest as he too climbed the stairs while Marcus continued further down the hallway checking more rooms, “Empty. Except for decayed bedding and furniture. Wait, these last rooms have bedrolls. Must be Tucker’s and Baker’s. Heck, where’d the rest of the team sleep?”

James exited the Assayer’s Office finding Harold in the street who announced, “Hey, I found a metal tent stake. No corrosion so must be from Baker’s team. And look at these drag marks. Like maybe they moved the tents not bothering to fold them up?” James was more interested in the skeleton, “Maybe they original setup on a bed of termites and moved to better ground. Let’s find the jail first then we can investigate that.”

Around the corner of the hotel, they found the separate stone Jail house partially collapsed. Two jail cells: one with the roof caved in but the other intact, “Was chained and padlocked till someone cut that rusty link. See the shiny edges? But where’s the skeleton?” They both stepped into the cell where James found a non-human knuckle bone and Harold dug up an ancient spear with its stone head. Harold assessed, “Not native Indian.” James assessed, “So unusual. Astonishing!”

7:30am: Byron was just starting to slowly gain consciousness. His head and underarms throbbing, “Where am I? My arms, so numb.” As his eyes opened, he realized he was naked and manacled to a chain draped over the center beam of a room from which he hung, “What? What the fuck did I get into?!” The strong scent of iron and stench assaulted his nostrils, moisture on his forehead, “Is that sweat or blood?” Panic as he started to twist and turn. And that’s when he saw the other body hanging behind him. Also naked but eviscerated with blood-drawn symbols all over her body…what remained. “HELP!!!”

Clive knelt over the 20 boxes taking inventory: what looked like one skeleton per box with a Cincinnati Univ logo note-page detailing the content and location found. “Human and creature bones separated. Found throughout the town. Here’s a creature set labeled as from the jail. That must be what Jane was talking about.” Marcus was down the hall doing his own investigation. The last room occupied by Dr. Baker per his personal effects left behind. On the nightstand desk, he found an old daguerreotype photo of a man and daughter from around the 1860s. “I think I found a picture of Jane’s mother and maybe grandfather.” Marcus stuffed it in his backpack to show the others.

Clive started to dig into the boxes, mostly humans. The humans with physical damage. Broken skulls or cut rib or femur bones…maybe spear or arrowhead. A massacre? Indians upset white-man encroached on their holy lands? But what about these creature bones? Large skull, no tailbone, stood upright, bony protrusions all over. Aged about the same as the humans. “No way!” The creatures attacked the human miners?! “Marcus, we need to take these boxes down and show the others.” At the same time, both exclaimed, “You won’t believe what I found.”

After exploring the empty jail, James and Harold returned to the tent drag marks. That led north-northwest from the jail, between two old houses. Where they found cut tent canvas and camping equipment tossed into the woods. As if someone was trying to hide evidence Baker’s team was even here. “Jane? Then why would she tell us about the town? One old woman able to overcome Baker’s entire team?” And that’s when they heard Marcus and Clive calling from the hotel stoop. Clive was already laying out the jail skeleton in the street. 8-9 ft tall. Which got everyone asking in quivering voices, “Where the hell is Byron?!”

8am: Byron hear movement outside. Saw flickering shadows interrupt sunlight peeking thru the boarded windows. Heard a chain rattling at the door, before seeing someone step in. Him temporarily blinded by the pure sunlight. Then a familiar voice, “Damn it, you’re awake. I’m not finished preparing yet. And I didn’t tie yer feet. That’s going to make it difficult.” Byron twisted and struggled and pleaded. Jane continued, “Hush now. Let me think. The others didn’t put up much fight. I was able to get about 15 years out of the last two. Life ain’t such a great thing kid. I’ll use urs wisely. Just hush now. Fear just spoils the taste of your flesh.”

As Jane turned to find a shovel to bash her sacrifice, Byron desperately struggled. [penalty STR] Fortune a link broke in his chain, dropping him to the floor. He charged, wrapping the chain around Jane’s neck. A bucking bronco. He held tight [Brawl 02] as she now pleaded in an ever weaking voice, “You’re choking me. You…don’t…understand. All your friends will die…if I don’t…stop them.” She finally passed out allowing Byron to search her pockets for the key. He removed his manacles. And then bound and chained Jane to a sturdy workbench.

Allowing him time to search for clothing. Mistake. He found bones in the corner suggesting there had been many sacrifices over the years. And clothing with the Cincinnati Univ logo. All at once, Byron realized that was Clara Potter’s eviscerated body. His Sanity gone [lost 8 points: Indefinite Insanity = Red Mist]. Byron raised the shovel…it was almost 20 minutes before he regained conscious thought. Only to view the carnage he’d caused. Jane beaten to a pulp, lanterns destroyed, furnishing busted. Like a Tasmanian Devil gone wild. Bull-in-a-china-shop.

8:30am: As the others formulated their plans to find Byron, Marcus pulled out the picture to show the others. Which allowed him to see the writing on the back, “1861 James and Jane Mel. That Jane looks maybe 11, which would make her, what, 73 years old now? Our Jane is only 40ish. That must be her mother in the picture.” Marcus continued, “I also found Baker’s journal. That might give us clues to their whereabouts.” Scanning to the last pages, he found references to meeting a silver-haired Jane in her 60s (even Baker questioning the picture Jane who must be 80 now).

Marcus continued, “Here’s a 16 October reference to Dr. Stewart and Clara gone missing. I’d guess just one of those professor/student flings, out in the woods studying anatomy.” Then Marcus’ voice rose in pitch, “Early morning 17 October: Baker frightened by owl hoots and movement in the streets. Scared! He’s putting his lantern out to not attract attention. Fears whatever massacred the town now returns. His journal ends. That CAN’T be good!”

Byron fully insane. Clothed in patchwork that didn’t fit. Some memories of his team, he picked up the axe to follow a well-worn path leading east. Vague memories of a path from whence he came. His team?

9am: James interrupted Marcus, “That’s it. Pack up, we’re going to get Byron!” Just on the eastern edge of town, some see movement, but all hear the rush of air as 3 coprolites strike James/Harold/Clive. James incredulous, “Hey, who threw that? I say, stop that!” Harold jumped as he saw, “Over there. They blend into the tree colors, as if camouflaged. Oh shit, 2 of those creatures per the bones you laid out!” Harold fumbled to draw his gun. James disbelieved, “Nonsense. Just more hillbillies. I say out there, this is QUITE rude.” Indeed, as a spear embedded in his shoulder [major wound, failed CON, unconscious]. James dropped like a rock.

Now the creatures exited the woods, surrounding the team. Marcus shouted, “Damn it Harold, use your gun. Shoot them! Scare them. They’ll run away.” More coprolites thrown as Marcus and Clive advanced to grab James by his collar to drag him back to town while under the protect coverage of Harold’s gun. But Harold paused in confusion or disbelief. Finally, he took aim at one of them, then fired…purposefully over its head. Marcus and Clive drug James into the closest building, the Assayer’s Office where Marcus performed First Aid on James as Harold entered to cover from a window.

Marcus berated, “Damn it Harold, how could you miss?! They’re huge!” Clive rushed to the back of the office to bar the back door. James began to stir, “What happened?” Marcus spoke up, “I’ll tell you what happened! Your damn ‘dinosaurs’ are intelligent killer creatures herding us into town or somewhere. They had their chances to massacre us. They didn’t even flinch at Harold’s shot. God help Byron if he heard the gunshot and is coming this way to investigate!” 

CONCLUSION: https://rigglefp.blogspot.com/2020/11/fp-s6-finale-i-am-jane.html