Zenith : In Character → Threads, Logs, Events

Day 70.

Weather: It's nice out, but it'll take a while for anyone to see that...

Events: Everyone wakes up some time after 8am, on a wooden bench in a small, windowless room. The floors are bare concrete, the walls white brick. The ceiling is dominated by harsh fluorescent lights. Does this sound familiar? Does this sound really familiar?

So yeah, everyone is back in the small rooms on the edge of the arena again this morning. But something's different. When everyone gets to their respective locker rooms, they don't find a protein bar breakfast, but a selection of fruits and pastries. While still comfortable, the change of clothes waiting in everyone's lockers aren't gym clothes, but things like tunics and robes, something you might wear to a Renaissance Festival or in The Hobbit. And the maze that waits for them all in the arena?


Yeah, it is not a bounce house.

Where an inflated bouncy maze stood just hours before, there are now solid, dark stone walls, reaching about ten feet up into the air. There's a hallway ahead of everyone which, like yesterday, splits in a few different directions. The rooms are dim, and illuminated by torchlight. While the first hall is safe, the rooms after that seem a little less so. They're also... not too different from the maze yesterday. Hell, if people are really paying attention, they might notice that the obstacle rooms are in the same order. The actual maze is the same, it's just... a dungeon now.

So, where people were jumping into ball pits and over hurdles yesterday, what will they find in their place? The course has been altered as follows:

Trampolines Hallways: Other than the first hallway and the rooms that are just forks in the road, there are several rooms that are just empty hallways. Except, like any good ancient trap, these rooms have pressure pads in random spots in the floor that will shoot darts out of the wall. Well, no, not darts. They're paint balls, and like the paint ball games, if you get hit, you're paralyzed. It's 2 minutes per hit, no matter where the paintball hits you.

Pillars Levers: Arranged in a circle in the middle of the room are a dozen levers, just sticking out of the floor. There's a closed door on the other side of the room that's locked until, you guessed it, you pull the right lever. If you pull the wrong lever, you get shocked. The shocks get worse with each wrong lever pulled, and they don't exactly start out light. Everything resets shortly after a subject leaves the room.

Slides: You climb up one side, then slide down the other. These aren't any different, other than the slides being metal now. There's no danger here.

Hurdles Mini-Maze: Yo I heard you like mazes so I put a maze in your maze These rooms are filled with mirror and glass panels, and are arranged to form a smaller maze within the maze. There are no hidden dangers here, it's just a small mirror maze that may not even lead you to where you want to go.

Tunnels: Two tunnels, next to each other, that require crawling through. The tunnels have no light within, which makes it nerve wracking when there are pinches that will be difficult for some of the larger subjects to get through. The dark also hides the many, many bugs and spiders within.

Ball pits Water Traps: The pits have lost their color, and are instead filled with dark, murky water. The water is generally between waist and chest height, with sharp drops hidden by murk and much that will plunge anyone who missteps deep underwater. There's also debris under the water, ready to trip you up even more.

Climbs Rocks: Where the walls yesterday had nice little handholds and everything being squishy, what people have to deal with today is not as nice. Now, climbs mean pulling yourself up a steep pile of rocks. And a lot of those rocks just aren't fixed in place, so climbing means the chance of stepping on a loose rock, or pulling rocks out completely, causing a small avalanche. None of these are heavy enough to kill anybody, but if you do end up in an avalanche, it's going to hurt.

Pyramids Peaks: Two pyramids next to each other. The two structures glow and pulse in many lights and colors, but the lights and colors stop as soon as a person steps through them. The first person in a group (or any single person not in a group) to walk through the pyramids will be hit with a strong wave of euphoria that'll bring them to their knees. The euphoria only lasts a couple minutes, and isn't really a danger to anyone, it just slows progress when you're traveling with someone who's high as a kite.

Ropes Lasers: Here's the laser trap that yesterday's obstacle was emulating. If you break the line of the lasers crossing this room, it activates the zapping mechanism in your implant. You could hypothetically just power through the lasers, but it's not a good feeling.

Balls Beams: A balance beam that goes from one side of the room to the other. The good news is that the beams are easier to balance on and get across than the balls yesterday were, but the beams are up a little higher, and the drop is... Well, it won't kill you if you fall, but there is a layer of fog obscuring the ground, and there's no clear way back up if you do fall.

Creatures Sphinx: No more fun inflatable creatures to climb up. Instead, each of these rooms have a large Sphinx statue in the middle of it, and once you're in the room, the entrance and exits surprise you with a pocket door that slides shut. The Sphinx will then "ask" a riddle, as sphinxes do, over an unseen speaker. The voice is robotic, and will not respond to questioning aside from repeating the riddle. Luckily, none of the riddles are particularly complicated. The doors will slide open again once the riddle is answered.

The maze once again ends with a large slide that will drop you off at the elevator up to the old trading post, where people will find their phones, some snacks and drinks, and a dry set of their own clothes. Today's maze will for sure take more time than yesterday's, but may take about the same amount of time to actually get out of, since most people chose to play around on the bounce course. Everyone should make it out during daylight hours.

The exception to that is Lucy and Ulani. People may notice that they have lockers waiting for them in the morning, but no one will see them in the maze, or leaving it, and their belongings are nowhere to be found in the rooms that they were staying in. They have both been either removed, or claimed by the maze.

Oh, there's one more thing: Those subjects whose subject number ends in 1 (That's Scotty, Owen, and Tobias) may feel like their affinity has gotten a little boost, which may help them with certain parts of the maze. It's not anything supernatural, they're just feeling pretty good today. Too bad there aren't prizes for today's challenge, or they might have had an edge.

Day 69.

Weather: Light rain on and off throughout the day.

Events: And now for something familiar that hasn't happened in a while. No one wakes up where they went to sleep the night before. Everyone wakes up some time after 8am, on a wooden bench in a small, windowless room. The floors are bare concrete, the walls white brick. The ceiling is dominated by harsh fluorescent lights. Does this sound familiar? Yes, that's right, they're just like the little rooms everyone would wake up in when they had underground arena days. And sure enough, those rooms open up to two locker rooms, one for the men and one for the women, where everyone can find lockers with their subject numbers, and a comfortable change of clothes waiting for them inside, as well as a water bottle and a couple of protein bars. Their phones are not in their lockers. There's a bathroom in each of the locker rooms, too, thankfully. We all know that TPTB aren't always nice enough to provide that when waking people up in a new setting.

So, if all of this is familiar, does that mean that everyone's back under the Mount Zenith Town Hall? Well, it's hard to tell. The locker rooms do open up to an arena, but it's hard to tell if it's the same arena. It's also hard to tell just how large the arena is, because only a few feet out of the locker room exits are entrances to a massive labyrinth of a bounce house. There's no way around the bounce house if you want to get out of the arena, so you'll have to go through.

And boy, is this thing a beast of a bouncy structure. Entering the bounce house, everyone's met with three possible directions that you can go in, and while one may start with less difficult obstacles than the others, the paths are winding and intersecting and none of them will take you directly to the exit. It's truly, literally, a maze, and one that will take a while to find your way out of.

So, what's standing between our subjects and the exit? Well, it depends on the turns that each person takes, but it seems like each obstacle is repeated several times throughout the maze. The obstacle room types include:

Trampolines: These are just empty, bouncy rooms, like a standard bounce house. Not so much an obstacle, but still present throughout the maze in an assortment of bright colors.

Pillars: Inflatable tubes fixed to the floor that you can jump into and bump out of the way and push through.

Slides: You climb up one side, then slide down the other. Pretty straight forward, but it's also one of the only places that you can get up above the course and see where other people are. The slides are various sizes and heights, so some views are better than others.

Hurdles: Inflatable hurdles that are about hip height. No one will judge you if you go under them instead of over, but you do you.

Tunnels: Two tunnels, next to each other, made up of the same inflatable material as the rest of the course that you need to crawl through. Some go straight, and some just sort of meander for a while.

Ball pits: Basically the same as trampolines, except these rooms are filled with plastic ball pit balls. Being bouncy makes it better than the McDonalds Playplace, right?

Climbs: Slopes with small ridges on them to work as foot holds that you can climb up. These are generally how you get up slides, but there are also some that are just walls that have a straight drop, or another climb, on the other side. Luckily, if you jump off the other side of one, it's just more bounce house there.

Pyramids: Two pyramids next to each other. You can climb up them or roll through them.

Ropes: Not actual ropes, but thinner inflatable tubes that stretch random ways across a room. This is similar to when people tie ropes around a hall to simulate one of those laser grids you see in spy movies.

Balls: Big ol' inflatable orbs in a row that you can hop across the top of. Or you can go around.

Creatures: Some rooms just have inflatable creatures in them. Some are aliens, some are dinosaurs, some are really big bugs. They take up most of the room and don't do anything other than make it hard to get past.

So, that's fun. Everyone gets to bounce around until they can find their way out of the maze. And don't worry, there is a way out, at the end of one of the slides. There they'll find an elevator, which will bring them up to the hallway of the dilapidated old outpost to the southwest of the mill (Marker 7 on the map). It seems like maybe the weird tent a few days ago may have been signaling the impending arrival of the elevator. Once our subjects make their way up the elevator, they'll find their phones waiting for them on the front desk in the entrance room, plus more water bottles and protein bars, and a pair of shoes for everybody. There is a down button on the elevator from the hallway, allowing people to return to the bounce house if they please.

It shouldn't take people until nightfall to find their way out, at least, and there's nothing keeping anyone from hiding out in the bouncy course overnight if it does become an issue. Though, you'll have to climb up the slide. That's probably fine.

Happy bouncing!

Day 68.

Weather: Mid-80s and sunny.

Events: There's no reason for TPTB to wake anyone up today, so everyone is free to sleep in and figure out what they've won on their own.

So, everyone will wake up in possession of one high-powered tactile flashlight.
They'll also find that not too far from the garden that was already being tended to near the barn is a small greenhouse, with bags of soil and some seed packets for food items that will thrive in the new space.

Finally, they'll find that the large room on the second floor of the barn, which previously was inaccessible, no longer has a door. Inside, there's a new craft room, though it's not the same as the one that had been in the mansion. This one has a surprising amount of fabric and sewing supplies, including two sewing machines, which might be useful for anyone who's had some wear and tear on their clothes. There are other art supplies in the room, including a shelf that has gallon-jugs of acrylic paint in primary colors as well as black and white, which people will find topped off each morning, a collection of colored pencils, and stacks of paper, as well as some craft supplies like popsicle sticks and Elmer's glue, but the majority of supplies seem to be items intended to be used for sewing.

And that's the end of general prizes, but there's one more prize that's arrived today, and Kiley's the only one who gets a note about it:

Greetings,

The hardware store that you have requested has been constructed and fully stocked. It is available for you in the location that you specified.

At M27 on the map now stands Goose's Hardware, and while it's not quite the Home Depot that everyone was wishing for, it's not too bad. It has a lot of the things that were available to grab at the hardware store in town back in the old Mount Zenith, as well as excludes the same sort of electronic devices. You'll still be able to find power drills, maybe a battery pack for that chainsaw in the shed, but nothing that might be useful for attempting an escape.

Ulani will also find a message this morning, which reads:

"You are now a member of Experiment B. You will find a new program on your phone that will launch the ExB logon. Log on with your subject numbers, password: goldenapple. The ExB program will grant you access to every camera feed in Mount Zenith, as well as reading access on all messaging on the network - even private messages.

The other members of experiment B are Felix and Lila. Remember not to discuss Experiment B with anyone outside of the group. If you do, you will never be free again."

Ulani will find that the feeds that ExB have constant access to are limited to the lodge, barn, and mill, but this program also gives the option to track any member of the household, which is the only way to gain visual access to the cameras hidden in the forest.

While it seems that all of the uncaught bugs from yesterday have been removed, as dusk falls, everyone will find that there are still fireflies hiding out there. They can still be found glowing in the fields and woods.

Day 67.

Weather: Low to mid-80s and cloudy.

Events: Did you want to see how frosty it was over at the old outpost? Too bad, that's gone now. Instead, if you head over there today, you'll find a bunch of bugs crawling up and out of the old well. And they're not just coming from there. There seem to be bugs present across the map.

And with the bugs comes a message from TPTB, waiting on the network for when everyone wakes up.

Greetings,

Today, we are presenting you with a scavenger hunt to once again help you to improve your living situation. We are providing an entomology challenge. We have provided enough equipment for everyone to participate in catching the insects that we have released across the map. There are several types of insects that we have released, and once you, as a group, catch a specific number of these specimens, you will unlock a reward that you may find beneficial. The insects, and rewards, are as follows:

-For a perimeter alarm system, you must catch 400 crickets.

-For a greenhouse and a collection of new seeds, you must catch 400 ladybugs.

-For an empty monster-proof shed that can be placed anywhere on the map, you must catch 500 shield bugs.

-For access to a secret craft room, you must catch 500 butterflies.

-For every subject to receive their own high-powered tactical flashlight, you must catch 500 fireflies.

Final tallies will be counted at midnight tonight, with only living insects being included in our count. Insects must be in our provided receptacles to be counted. While it is possible to collect more than the required amounts of insects, only one of each prize is available.

There is a collection of these things in the common room of the three main buildings, as well as nets, tweezers, and even a few bug vacuum guns. Finding bugs isn't too hard, but it's for sure going to take some travel and teamwork to be able to get anywhere close to the numbers needed. Fireflies only start really being seen around dusk, and man, these butterflies really don't like to sit still, but some of these rewards still seem obtainable. There are spots, like the previously stated outpost well, and over by the empty pumps at the gas station, where you might be lucky enough to find a swarm of something, but even if those don't get found, there's plenty of bugs in the woods.

Additionally, anyone who put in messages to TPTB to have vouchers cashed in, they'll find the items requested in their room, with the exception of Kiley, who has to wait a little bit longer before she can get her hardware store. Felix's surprise Pringles flavor is Serrano Ham, and it turns out that what was left on his voucher was enough to buy about 6 gallons of fake blood, and half a dozen blood capsules.

Finally, Ulani wakes up this morning to find this private message:

"Greetings,

Everyone is here for a reason. Each person in Mount Zenith was taken because they are of special value to our needs. Among our group of subjects, we have selected you for participation in a side experiment. This group is known as Experiment B. You have a special quality that suits our needs. We will have special requirements expected of you, but we believe you will find meeting those standards to be an enjoyable experience - one which you shall be compensated for.

Our terms are simple. We require that you create tension within the house. How you do this is up to you. Should you choose to openly sow discord, or quietly identify and exploit weaknesses, you may employ any strategy you see fit. In return, we will supply you with special information. We will grant you private access to the camera feeds, as well as the ability to read private messages between the other subjects. If necessary, we will even offer you special luxuries in payment for your services.

Our primary demand: you must not discuss Experiment B with anyone outside of the group. If you tell anyone of this arrangement, all privileges will be revoked and we can personally guarantee you will never see your home or family again.

We have one final requirement. If you understand and accept these terms, place an apple on your nightstand when you go to bed tonight. If that is done and you keep your silence, we will grant you the privileges spoken of earlier. You may speak of this with no one else."

Day 66.

Weather: High 70s and getting warmer every day.

Events: Things are waiting to be found in the stalls in the barn again. Here's what's in each stall today:

The first stall has a dozen metal spring traps, with all the parts needed to fix them into place wherever people decide that they need to go. They all seem large enough to catch the creatures in the woods, though if they're strong enough to hold them there depends on how well they're set up. They're sturdy, though. They'd have to be to catch monsters, wouldn't they?

The second stall has two clothing racks, set up like a miniature Cassi's. All the clothes looks familiar, either stuff people left behind when they chose the clothes that they wanted to bring with them, or stuff that's been on the racks at Cassi's for a while. The back wall has stacks of shoe boxes, with new shoes and socks for everyone.

The third stall has four neat rows of toys sitting in the middle of it. There's a variety of toys, from plush to barbies to action figures to toy cars. Each toy is well loved, specifically by the people of Zenith. Everyone will be able to find one of their old toys, one that they had called one of their favorites at a point in time where they were able to make memories of playing with that toy. They're also all toys that had been removed from everyone's lives, whether the toy had been thought lost, destroyed, or just given or thrown away once their owner had grown out of playing with them. Here they are. They've been with Zenith the whole time. There's also one extra doll. It's a small interpretation of the creatures in the woods, made out of plastic.

The fourth stall is the most important, because in that stall, Ulani wakes up around 8am. Ulani's experience will be similar to those on Day 1, but unfortunately without the fun of a room perfectly suited to her. She'll find her clothes in a box near her, as well as a phone that will give her access to the network, like everyone else.

TPTB seems to like to use these stalls, so if anyone wants to keep anything, they might want to remove whatever they're keeping and find it a new home before the day is over.

Also happening this morning, Jack will find that the items he requested with his voucher have been delivered, and conveniently have already been put away in the kitchen, in a way that he would probably find convenient, though he is of course welcome to move items around. Except the boxes, of course, which have just been set on the dining table.

There's nothing else going on at the houses, but the people who do end up heading out to the abandoned outpost will come across something unexpected. The main building at the outpost, the one that used to be some sort of lodging, is covered in a red and blue striped tent that some might recognize as an extermination tent. If people are brave enough to slip inside, they thankfully won't be poisoned, but it's not quite normal in there, either.

Inside the main building, it's unnaturally cold. It's almost 80 degrees outside, but inside, there's ice on all the floors. There are icicles on the ceiling and hanging off of furniture. Everything inside is completely frozen. It's not clear where the water for the ice had come from, or where the cold is even coming from, but there's solid ice everywhere, all lit up with a blue and red glow from the sun coming through whatever stripe is covering the nearest window. It's weirdly easy to lose track of time in here with the unnatural lighting, assuming there's not something else going on here that's making it weirdly easy to lose track of time, so anyone who's ducking in here to look for supplies should be careful, we don't need anyone freezing as we head into summer...

Day 65.

Weather: High 70s and clear.

Events: Finally, everyone gets to sleep in their own bed tonight! It's always nice to know where you're waking up, isn't it?

Today seems to be another calm day, giving everyone a break from the excitement from the past few days. While things are quiet today, it does seem that someone had gone through the houses overnight, and that person has a bit of a sense of humor. There's a large number of books in the house that weren't there before. All the bookshelves have several more books on them, and every room has at least one book in it, on a nightstand or under a bed or under another book that was already sitting around. And why is that funny? Well, it's because every book is some sort of horror title. Whether it's a well known Stephen King horror fiction or some small town's local book of ghost stories and local legends, every book is about something spooky and unsettling. There are nearly 60 new books in all, each with a focus on horror, suspense, and monsters.

Of course, there's nothing making anyone read any of those books, so everyone can avoid the weird creepy mental images, if they so choose. But who knows, maybe some of those self-published short stories or old urban legends might have notes on what might ward off unexplainable things...

Day 64.

Weather: Now that the sun's out, it's in the high 70's. That breeze has stuck around, too.

Events: With how long and stressful the previous night was, no one could be blamed for thinking that day wouldn't come. And yet, to everyone's relief, the sun rises after 7am, and day arrives.

Once the sun is up however, no one is actually starting their day. Between 7 and 8am, anyone who isn't already sleeping is going to feel compelled to sleep, thankfully not just falling asleep wherever they are. Anyone who's up a tree or in the river or something, don't worry, you won't just doze off and fall out of that tree or slip under the waves. Everyone will get a chance to get to a place that's comfortable, or at the very least safe, and fall asleep.

Everyone wakes up again after 10am, right where they'd fallen asleep. Anyone who's at the houses or any other structure are going to notice what the sleep break was for first: All the doors and windows across the property have returned in one piece. Did TPTB do that all in two hours, or has everyone been asleep longer than they were led to believe? You'll never know. Either way, no one's going to wake up as well rested as they would have liked, and it's up to them if they'd like to return to their bed to remedy that, or just crash at whatever safe place they've found for themselves.

No matter what they decide, it does at least appear that the monsters have disappeared until darkness falls again. Everyone has the rest of the day to get back to the house or do whatever it is they'd like.

The only people who don't wake up where they were last are, of course, those who were abducted by creatures last night. Oliver, Scotty, Kiley, and Marco all wake up in the barn starting at 10am, and unlike Chase and Ivy before them, they all are in one horse stall together, basically piled on top of each other. Everything else that they experience is about the same: For the first few minutes they're awake, there's a ringing in their ears, and their limbs feel heavy and stiff. The ringing fades, but the body soreness remains for the rest of the day, as does the wearyness and just general lousy feelings.

Each of them also wake up with a bright red mark somewhere on their skin, about eight inches long, and an inch wide. Oliver's is around his ankle, Scotty's is across his right shoulder, Kiley's is across and around her left knee, and Marco's goes across his right forearm. Any other injuries they may have aquired the night before seem to have been treated enough to not be worrying or dangerous, but they all have no memory of that. They may have memories of being trapped within the grasp of the monster and running through the dark, but the memory of what happened after is absent.

Little else is going on today. Along with the windows and doors being returned, the power is back on, as are all lanterns and path lights. Anyone who wasn't able to grab their phone will still be able to find it on the table in the kitchen, and thankfully, anyone who lost their (or anyone else's) phone will find that it has also been returned to the table. None of them have been charged, so most people will still be working with a limited power supply. Anyone who did have their phone will still have it today, including anyone who had a phone on them when they were abducted.

There's no message from TPTB on the network, except for those in ExB, and that won't show up until they're back at one of the three home buildings:

Is there anything we can do to improve your experience with last night's scenario if we choose to do this again in the future?

Felix will also find something in his room when he gets back there: It's a voucher for $100, with a note that says "For babysitting - Just this once."

Edit: Oh, and the GPS on the phones is working again! Everyone's little markers are showing up just fine. Which is good, because those people who got lost and never found the house? They're still lost. Hopefully they can find their way back to the house now that it's daylight, but someone should probably be keeping an eye on that.

Day 63.

Weather: Mid-60s and breezy.

Events: Everyone wakes up, oddly, where they woke up on that first day that they arrived here in the woods, with the exception of Harper, Owen, and Lila. (Everyone's locations are marked on the map ( right here. ) Everyone wakes up in their own clothes (though not what they went to bed in), without their phones, and laying flat under the orange sunrise sky.

Or... wait. What direction does the sun rise in?

Oh, that's sunset. Oh. Oh no.

While no one wakes up with their phone, everyone does wake up to find an arrow scratched into the dirt or a tree or something that'll point them back to the house so they can try to get there before darkness falls, if they run.

There are a few problems with the house, though. For one, the power's off. It's not a problem with the mill, either, since the waterwheel is still working with no problems. The power is just off, which means no protected paths, no monster-repelling lanterns, and no hiding in the comfort of your bed to avoid things.

Especially since, for tonight, every door and window in the various structures across the map have been removed, except for the doors to the rooms that have been locked to the subjects since their arrival.

Still, when everyone does eventually make their way to the house, assuming they make it, they'll all find their phones on the table in the kitchen of the lodge, all together in a circle, and all at half power. They'll all find a note on their phones waiting for them.

At this point, the majority of you have seen the creatures that roam the forests at night. There are only two of our creatures present in Mount Zenith tonight.

While it's somewhat worrying knowing that there are more than two creatures out there on any given day, it's probably easier to outrun two when there are so many people around to provide distractions. And there's nothing that says that there aren't places to hide. After all, Scotty managed to hide after that first encounter. Maybe there are some blind spots out there. Or maybe the things just need some time between abductions...

Hiding in the house doesn't seem like an option, though. For anyone who does think they can hide in the house all night, bad news. One of those creatures, at least for the start of the night, seems to be hanging around between the barn and the mill, hiding in the woods but close enough that it can crawl inside the three open buildings to corner and grab people. While everyone should get ten to fifteen minutes to collect whatever supplies they might think they need, it would be wise to keep moving.

But of course TPTB need one more way to screw with people, and that's through that GPS function on people's phones, which seems to be acting up more often than it works properly. Tonight, no one can see where they are on the map, nor can they see any other subjects. At least, not at first. If a person is taken by one of the creatures, that person's GPS marker will show up on the map in the spot that they encountered the creature and will remain in that spot for the night.

There are probably ways to avoid the creatures completely all night, but you'll have to be smart, resourceful, and probably quick. Not to mention that this is really the first time people have just been out in the woods at night, and it's dark out there, and the terrain is rough and still hasn't fully been explored. There are hazards out there that are not monster related, but may end up being even more dangerous.

Here's hoping everyone has flashlights.

Oh, and for their safety, all pets have been removed for the evening, and anyone who goes to check if their pet is in their room will find a note saying as much. Chase will also find that all the things that he requested on his first voucher have been delivered to his room.

Day 62.

Weather: High 70s and slightly windy for most of the morning, followed by heavy rain until about 3:30pm, at which point the temperature drops to the low 70s.

Events: Everyone, thankfully, wakes up exactly where they went to sleep. Though everyone will get an announcement on the network at 8am, it will only wake up 3 people, if they're not awake already: Oliver, Harper, and Ivy. And bad news for them, they're going to be notified of the message by shocks from their implant. They're not strong, at least not at first, but the shocks go off every minute until they're outside, at which point the repeated shocks will stop, but they will receive strong shocks for trying to reenter the buildings other than the outhouses at the old outpost.

The message that is posted goes as follows:

The losers of yesterday's game are Oliver, Harper, and Ivy. We recommend that you make your way outside immediately. You will be allowed reentry at 8am tomorrow.

Congratulations to yesterday's winners, Kiley, Edwin, and Chase! As promised, each of you have received $500 in vouchers, to be redeemed when and however you choose! Remember that vouchers must be redeemed all at once, but this time we will not be limiting your purchases to one item or set.

Vouchers may also be made void if Pam uses her reward from the superlative survey to attempt to receive her own prize.

Additionally, in accordance with Jack's prize from the superlative survey, he will receive a $500 voucher for predicting one of the winners of the paintball game.

Chase, Kiley, Edwin, and Jack do find paper vouchers waiting for them, near identical to those first seen at Easter. The vouchers are left on each of their bedside tables.

While all the paintball guns remain, as well as everyone's camo jumpsuits, all of the paintball refill stations are now gone, as is Oliver's ATV. Chase does get to keep his beanie babies, though. If there's anything he wants to do with those.

The day continues on without incident, but as night rolls in, and the moon grows higher in the sky, there are strange sounds coming from the woods. Somewhere out there, it almost sounds like something's screaming...

Day 61.

Weather: It's a beautiful day, in the high 70s and slightly windy.

Events: At some point, regardless of any intention, everyone fell asleep before 2 AM. They'll all wake up at 7 am, and find themselves dressed in a camo jumpsuit over whatever they had fallen asleep wearing, as well as their sneakers, or a new pair of sneakers if they don't already have a pair. Everyone is alone, outdoors, with a large duffel bag and their phones. The phone wakes everyone up with a loud chime, and while GPS access is being weird, the network is still working correctly. Oh, and of course, there's a message waiting from TPTB:

Welcome to Paintball 2.

All of your companions have awoken in similar conditions in a different location. Each of you has been assigned a color, and can find a paintball gun already loaded and waiting for you in the duffel bag provided, as well as additional safety gear and your meals for this morning and afternoon.

This game of paintball starts now, and will end at exactly 3pm. Throughout the landscape we have assembled several reloading stations, and you will only have to scan your subject bracelets to receive more paintballs in your designated color. The paintball gun that you have been provided with is the only one that will work for you.

For every hit landed on an opponent, you will be given five points. Every time you take a hit, you will lose four points. At 3pm, the game will end, and we will announce the winners and losers tomorrow.

Each hit also incurs a punishment depending on where it lands on the body. Hits to arms and legs are graded superficial, and sustain no penalty. Hits to the torso and back will incur a five minute penalty to the victim. Headshots will incur a twenty minute penalty. On these penalties, the implant in the back of your neck will paralyze you, and you will be incapable of moving until your penalty has expired.

With that said, we must ask that you please keep your safety goggles on at all times, and do at least try and avoid shooting each other in the face. All equipment has been tested on our interns, and they can attest to the fact that they can in fact be quite painful.

Also of note is that any hits that incur a penalty that are made in the river or any body of water will still result in paralysis, but it will be delayed until that subject is out of the water. This is not a way to avoid penalties, however, and penalties will be accumulative and will continue being fulfilled after the game ends if necessary.

Please keep in mind that finding a cozy, secluded corner to wait it out will not be an option. We are sending a number of drones into the area, and they are equipped to shoot the paintballs as well. They will be actively seeking out anyone who remains in a small area for more than 30 minutes, excluding those who are paralyzed, and one other exception.

For the duration of this game, no one will be allowed back into the lodge, barn, or mill. All three structures will remain cut off in the same manner that the edges of the map are, and will be reopened after 3pm.

How you choose to play the game is up to you. You are more than welcome to find your friends and team up. That said, this game will have clear winners and losers, and while the last time this game was played there were no consequences, this time there will be rewards and punishments. Points can not be shared within teams.

The top three scores will receive vouchers that can be redeemed for items of your choosing, with a value of $500 each.

The bottom three scores will find that the barriers on all buildings will be reinstated at 8am tomorrow, remaining until 8am the following day. Attempts to enter these structures will result in shocks identical to those one might experience at the borders of our experiment.

As the note said, everyone can find their paintball gun in their duffel bags, plus a pair of safety goggles, a canteen full of water, a breakfast burrito, and a sandwich and bag of chips, with the food items being suited to everyone's individual tastes. For some people, this might be the best part of their day. There is also no way to access any of the buildings, as they all have their own barriers at the doors and windows. True to TPTB's word, the barriers drop at 3pm, but until then there's no hiding in the museum or the old shed. There is one structure that's available, and it's the outhouse at the abandoned outpost. So... yay?

The GPS on everyone's phones are working, but selectively. Everyone is able to see where they alone are on the map. They can also see the markers for the living spaces, and have access to a compass. That's it.

Everyone wakes up in the below locations and have the marked colored paintballs.
( It's right here. )

For most people, this is where the game starts, but for others, there are a few more instructions in another note on their phone. That survey from yesterday still needs a pay-off! For some, they'll know even without the note that something's different for them, but for others, they'll find out that they've earned themselves an interesting perk... or problem.

Yesterday we asked everyone to choose who best fit a series of superlatives, and you received the majority of votes in at least one category. Here's what your counterparts think of you, and what that means for your game today.

Jack then gets this note:

1. You have been voted to be the most likely to have been popular in high school! This has earned you an opportunity. We ask that you choose 3 of your fellow subjects. If any of those three people is one of the three winners, you will receive half the value of their winnings. If you manage to choose all 3 winners, then we will reward you with a $1,000 voucher. Choices must be made immediately.

Sure enough, at the bottom of this message is a text box where names can be typed out. ((You may reply to this post with your choices.))

Chase then gets this note:

2. You have been voted to be the most likely to secretly have a strange collection at home! As you surely have noticed, we have gifted you with a large collection of TY Beanie Babies, which have been sewn together and around your torso. We ask that you do not attempt to remove these until our game has completed at 3pm. Removal will result in an automatic loss.

Chase obviously noticed this frightening piece of apparel before reading this message. It is, like the message said, a bunch of beanie babies stitched together, and then sewn onto him, making up a sort of plush vest and fake pregnancy belly. There's even one of those Princess Diana bears that was supposed to be so rare, sewn right across Chase's chest. It's tight against him, making it impossible to wiggle out of, but more than that, it's heavy. The bulky suit seems to be made up of at least 100 Beanie Babies, making the suit around 40 pounds. The camo jumpsuit is large enough to go over the Beanie suit, and at least the layer of toys will soften any body shots. But those body shots will still count, and who knows how much the extra weight and heat will slow him down.


Oliver then gets this note:

3. You have been voted to be the most likely to have been to a monster truck show at some point in their life! In your duffel bag, you will find a keychain with the key to an ATV that can be found about 20 feet to the North. You may use this for today only, as it will be removed after today's game. Only you may use the ATV.

There's a Yamaha ATV waiting nearby, ready to be ridden. This reward really is only an option for Oliver, as when anyone else tries to drive it, the thing doesn't even start up. Someone might be able to ride on the back rack, but that doesn't sound like the safest option.


Scotty then gets this note:

4. You have been voted to be the most likely to lose their temper over an insignificant issue! Your reward will be revealed shortly!

No message revealing Scotty's reward ever comes. In fact, it doesn't seem like there is a reward. What he gets is... a series of insignificant issues. His camo jumpsuit is just a little too tight. His shoelaces end up untied constantly. There are no bugs in Mount Zenith, and yet he somehow ends up with several bug bites over the course of the day. His aim with his paintball gun is always just a little off. No matter what, things are always just a little wrong. It's almost like it was planned that way.


Pam then gets this note:

5. You have been voted to be the most likely to become a successful game show host! Today, you have been rewarded with an opportunity that we call "The Bonus Round."

Once the winners are revealed, you will have the opportunity to challenge any one of the three winners to a Double-or-Nothing Challenge. The winner may be offered a coin toss to earn double their winnings. If they win, we will honor that gamble and double their earnings. If you win, you will receive their prize, and they will receive nothing.

It is not required that you use your reward, but should you use it, the person that you challenge can not refuse your challenge.

A quarter can be found in Pam's duffel bag, though if she misplaces it, one will still strangely appear somewhere in the house.


Lucy then gets this note:

6. You have been voted to be the most likely to have an intimate relationship with one of their teachers! Just as someone may enter a relationship with their teacher to assure themselves good grades, we have assured that you will have the answers to this test. Whenever another subject comes within 30 feet of you, your paintball gun will pulse slightly to alert you to your approaching opponent. You will also be able to use the GPS on your phone to easily locate all paintball refilling stations.

That one's pretty straightforward. The gun will pulse twice to let Lucy know when someone's coming. It won't be a continuous pulse, and it's not strong enough to alter her aim. Unless she's feeling particularly jumpy.


Lennon then gets this note:

7. You have been voted to be the most likely to watch porn as soon as they wake up As you surely have noticed, your vision has been impaired by our modified safety goggles. You will be unable to remove these goggles until the end of our game, at which point they will unlock and can be disposed of.

Because masturbation supposedly made you go blind. Get it that's the joke Lennon wakes up with a pair of goggles fastened snugly around his head. The goggles fasten in the back, but that function doesn't seem to be available until 3pm. There's no wiggle room, and the goggles can't be slipped off, but they're at least padded and not too uncomfortable. What they are is hard to see through. They offer no peripheral vision, and the lenses themselves seem to be partially frosted and shaded, leaving only a small portion of the lenses to see through clearly, and that's only if he's looking directly forward. He can see much more clearly if things are close to his face, but that's unfortunately only going to be helpful when it comes to reading the network.


Tobias then gets this note:

8. You have been voted to be the most likely to have the highest body count! We have provided you with a more high-powered paintball gun to allow you to continue to live up to this title. This paintball gun can shoot paintballs more rapidly, as well as from a further distance. It also holds more ammo than the standard paintball gun. Additionally, one in every 100 shots, should it hit another subject, will take that subject out of the game by paralyzing them until the game is over.

Tobias does not find the same rifle in his bag. Instead, he finds a slightly more threatening looking weapon. If he goes looking for the special paint ball that knocks other players out of the game, he'll find that there is nothing that distinguishes the special round from any of the others.

Kiley then gets this note:

9. You have been voted to be the most likely to fake their death! While no one will get extra points for shooting you, any time you are hit with a paintball, you will incur double the penalty. Additionally, shots to your arms or legs will incur a two minute penalty.

Well, that sucks. Kiley will be paralyzed for ten minutes for hits to the torso and back, and 40 minutes for headshots.

And finally, Tobias then gets this note as well:

10. You have been voted to be the most likely to spend time in jail! You will remained locked in place until someone else chooses to release you. Should no one release you, the handcuffs will automatically unlock at 3pm. While confined to your current location, you will be excluded from drone attacks.

Tobias wakes up with one hand handcuffed to a thankfully low, but thick tree branch. The branch has too many other branches to be able to slide the other end of the handcuffs off the tree, but the key is within sight! It's just ten feet away, on a satin pillow, surrounded by four Mylar balloons with the words "THE" "KEY" "IS" and "HERE" printed across them. There's no way Tobias can reach the key on his own, but he can at least reach his duffel bag, and his phone, so at least maybe he can call for help. Again, his paintball gun comes loaded, but until he is released, he will be unable to go get refills.

Finally, ExB will find that while they don't have most of their feed access until 3pm, they get exactly one feed, and it's a clear shot of Tobias, attached to a tree. The shot remains on that tree even after Tobias is released (if he's released), but they at least get to see that they got what they wanted to make happen. They also can read all the network messages still, including the ones from TPTB to the subjects who had won superlatives.

At 3pm, the GPS on everyone's phones functions once again, and the barriers around each of the buildings go down. Going home, everyone will find that all the pets have been fed and are as happy as they ever seem, id a little lonely. There's no information from TPTB for the rest of the day. Today's another one of those days where people are really going to miss having their own shower after running around for hours.


((Mod notes: The refill stations aren't on the map because it just seems more fun to let you guys be able to get ammo whenever? So there's an abundance of them around the area. Also, I believe we decided last time that paralysis doesn't effect people's ability to speak, so we'll stick with that rule.

Finally, obviously we can't really take score, so near the end of this game day if everyone can just sort of guess how they do? I trust you guys to be fair about it, but I'll put up something on the OOC closer to the end to figure things out in. I expect we'll need and extension but I'll wait))

Day 60.

Weather: There's a small rain shower around 8am, but it goes back to being sunny and warm for the rest of the day.

Events: There's no mention or sight of the thing outside once the sun comes up, and despite the possible threat outside, everyone ends up asleep by 4am, whether they like it or not. They will wake up any time after 7:30am in their rooms, though surprisingly, no one is actually locked in. As can be predicted, everyone also has a message waiting for them on their phones:

Greetings.

Many of you have been part of this experiment long enough to have a decent understanding of who your housemates are. Today, we have a series of superlatives that we would like you to assign to one of your fellow subjects. There is no limit to how many times you may put down a specific name, including your own. All we ask is that you leave no spaces blank, and only choose from subjects who are still currently present in this part of our experiment.

Tomorrow, we will announce who received the most votes in each category, as well as acknowledge the recipients of these superlatives with something based on their new title.

Participation is mandatory.

Once that message is dismissed, a new window appears, listing out the worst yearbook superlatives you've ever seen, each with a text space underneath for responses.

Who among you is most likely to...

1. have been popular in high school?

2. secretly have a strange collection at home?

3. have been to a monster truck show at some point in their life?

4. lose their temper over an insignificant issue?

5. become a successful game show host?

6. have an intimate relationship with one of their teachers?

7. watch porn as soon as they wake up?

8. have the highest body count?

9. fake their death?

10. spend time in jail?

It doesn't seem like there's a way to skip any of the questions, and any response of "I don't know" or anything similar is automatically erased and will not be accepted, making this challenge particularly hard for poor Harper. You can close the window and go about your day, but any time anyone glances at their phone, the unfinished questions will be the first thing that they see until the survey is completed. Ignoring it only works for so long, however, as once it hits 12pm, anyone who hasn't completed the prompt will be reminded that they still have a fully functioning implant against their spines with a quick, sharp zap. After that, the zaps will continue every 15 minutes for the first two hours, then every ten minutes after that, until that person has submitted their responses.

Luckily with only ten questions, zapping can probably be kept to a minimum.

Survey responses can be posted privately to the network.

Day 59.

Weather: Same as yesterday.

Events: You know what the problem is with having lanterns out at night now? The shadows.

The banging that started yesterday continues on into today, twice as often as before. It's not unlikely for someone to walk down a hall and find that one of those locked doors is nearly vibrating from the effort of whatever's on the other side trying to get through.

Those shadows, though. There's something moving around tonight, that is doing their best to remain unseen, but those lanterns that make it safe to travel from one building to another at night? They're also really good for back-lighting the things that are standing by the windows. Once the sun goes down, there's a decent chance that at some point during the night, glancing out the window will provide a shock of a large, looming figure. Maybe it's out at the edge of the treeline, but maybe it's closer, near enough to be backlit by the lantern lights, but not close enough for them to be illuminated by the house lights. In the darkness it's hard to tell exactly what it is that's out there, but it's large, and slightly misshapen, and it's fairly simple for anyone who's been here for a while to guess what it is.

The thing does seem to know when it's been spotted, though, and once eye contact is broken, the thing will quickly scurry back into the woods, waiting for another moment to come close again, or moving on to one of the other buildings.

While it's probably not the smartest move, it seems like if there was ever a night to test if the lanterns and path provided are actually monster-proof, it's tonight.

Day 58.

Weather: It's actually in the mid 80s today!Warm weather incoming!

Events: Though it couldn't be seen previously, overnight, if anyone were to look out in the direction of the canyon, they may have noticed that somewhere out beyond that, there's a strange glow. It's faint, clearly a few miles away, but if anyone's ever driven on a dark road at night heading in the direction of a city, it's a little like that.

So that's weird. It'll be a long walk if anyone wants to head out to find out what it was, if anyone noticed it at all.

Aside from mysterious lights on the horizon, there are a few little things happening around the house.

In the game room in the lodge, after someone opens a door, a breeze reveals a note that seems to have been lost under the couch. If anyone finds it and reads it, they'll find a draft of what looks like a long response to an unknown prompt. It's hard to fully read, though, since a lot of it is scratched out. Below that, with enough space to show that it was a separate note, is written: "The other house got our messages but they don't think we're real. How do we solve our half of the riddle?" That's really weird, unless someone can recall the strange messages on the network from a Subject 0...

Throughout the day, any of those unopenable doors around the various buildings? Once again, it seems like things are happening behind those doors. Whether it's a regular door in a hallway or a hatch in a bedroom, at some point during the day there will be little tapping sounds coming from behind the door. If anyone puts their ear up to any of the doors, the sound will stop, but not before one final pound to give the listener a scare.

Every sink and shower seems to be slightly clogged today. The water runs just fine, but it takes up to an hour for the water to drain. Thankfully, the toilets don't seem to be affected, but it still might be worth it to use caution with anything involving drains.

Finally, something good, for a change: The little garden near the barn that Scotty's been tending to? Veggies are starting to grow a little more obviously. Was anyone paying attention enough to know if that's normal? Who cares? New veggies!

Day 57.

Weather: It's dipped back into the high 70s. There are clouds in and out through the day.

Events: There is, for a change, nothing posted to the network today from TPTB. They haven't shared the correct answers to yesterday's survey. They haven't even shared the winners of yesterday's challenge.

They didn't forget about them, though, and since only four people paricipated, all four people wake up to find some kind of reward.

Scotty, with 3 correct answers, wakes up and finds that left on his nightstand, wrapped in plastic like an oversized piece of hard candy, is a football.

Lennon, with 9 correct answers, wakes up to find a poster-sized drawing pad leaning against the edge of his bed, as well as a comically large eraser.

Marco, with 11 correct answers, finds a gift bag at the foot of his bed. Inside is a fidget cube, a VHS copy of Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, and his Jaws swim trunks that he'd left back at the mansion.

And finally, Felix, with 13 correct answers, is the big winner. He wakes up to find a big gift basket in the middle of the floor, done up with cellophane ribbons. Inside, he finds a couple tubes of Pringles, a large tin of instant coffee, a novelty travel mug, chocolate covered espresso beans, the Giant Microbes testicles plush, a Tenga egg, and a vhs copy of Life of Brian.

For everyone else, whether they consider this a reward or not, they'll find that when they check the map next, the borders have expanded outward again, and everyone now has the full wilderness to explore. There is also one more dot on the map than there was yesterday. And it's in the lodge.

At some point after 7am, Lucy is going to wake up back in her bed in the room that she shares with Marco. She has no memory of ever being gone, though the room is probably messier than it had been when she'd last been there...

Day 56.

Weather: It's in the low 80s, and is just another good clear day.

Events: So, the survey yesterday was mostly to give ExB some material to work with, but that doesn't mean that TPTB was going to do nothing with it. Today, everyone wakes up to this message on the network.

We would like to thank everyone in the household for their participation in yesterday's questionnaire. In a moment these questions will reappear, this time with a real reply from one of your fellow housemates. We ask that you determine which response came from which housemate to the best of your ability. Unlike yesterday this activity is not a requirement, and no punishments will be given for lack of participation. However, the most correct answers provided will be rewarded.

Once you dismiss that note, the survey pops up with it's anonymous responses, and a place to put text under each response.

( Here's the survey. )

And yet again, all there is for today is this network stuff. It's been pretty chill around here lately. Hopefully this isn't all leading up to something horrible...

Mod Note: Once again, all responses can be put on the network, marked privately. And I don't think I need to tell you this, but do things in character, even though all the answers are readily available. The only ones allowed to cheat are ExB.

Day 55.

Weather: Another nice day. Cloudless sky, high 70s, and a slight breeze. It'd be a great day to take a walk on some nice new paths...

Events: ...but there are no nice new paths. There are no new food items, and there's no new pool. It seems like the questions yesterday are either being thought over by someone who could do something about it, or they were just there to make everyone think about the things that they don't have.

Except, that's not entirely true. There was one request that was fulfilled, though it wasn't exactly a formal request, or even a real private message. Just one that was typed out, and then erased, by Felix.

So, no one is locked in their room this morning, but everyone does have a message waiting for them on the network.

Please take the time to complete this survey at some point during your day. We have chosen to allow you some time to think over your answers throughout the day, but we do ask that you have your survey completed and privately submitted to us by 10pm tonight. Anyone who fails to do so will receive a punishment.

Oh yeah, it's been a while since TPTB has threatened punishments, hasn't it? Hopefully everyone will get their answers in before then. They seem to want everyone to remember to answer the survey, at least, as the message will be the first thing to pop up any time someone even glances at their phone until the survey is completed. The survey goes like this:

1. What's something that you know you do differently than most people?
2. Who in this experiment makes you feel safe?
3. Who in this experiment makes you feel unsafe?
4. What goals have you set in the past that you haven't achieved?
5. Where do you wish you were right now?
6. Thinking back to the best day of your life, how do you think those feelings could be recreated?
7. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?
8. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?
9. How do you feel you've changed since becoming part of this experiment? (This question is not required for Harper.)
10. How are your fears related to your childhood?
11. Do you ever replay something, like an embarrassing moment or words left unsaid, in your head? What is it?
12. How do you deal with hurt and pain?
13. Is it easier for you to love or to hate?
14. What do you do when you feel afraid?
15. If you could bring back one person that was part of this experiment but has since been removed, who would it be, and why? (This question is not required for Harper.)
16. What are three things you like about yourself?
17. What are three things you don't like about yourself?
18. Do you believe in a higher power?
19. What makes you special?
20. How do you feel in this moment?

MOD NOTE: Survey responses can be left on the network, marked as Private, along with a timestamp.

Day 54.

Weather: It's another clear day, in the high 70s.

Events: Well, bananas aren't pouring out of random places today, so that's probably a plus. All the bananas that popped out are still around, though, so do with those as you will. It is, once again, a quiet day, with everyone waking up to their doors and windows locked once again, and a prompt to answer publicly on the network.

What do you feel the house needs most? If we were to reward the group as a whole and it were up to you how we did that, what would you choose?

Those with a keen eye and an extended stay in Mount Zenith might recognize this prompt. It was given almost 100 days ago. Does anyone remember if TPTB took the pointers then and did anything with them?

Day 53.

Weather: It's cloudy for parts of the day, but there's no rain! Finally! Blue skies and dry days!

Events: Listen, weird things happen in this place all the time, and sometimes the weird things are just a different type of weird. Sometimes you get monsters, and sometimes you have a banana-themed day.

Everyone sleeps at some point during the night, and they're free to wake up whenever they want after 7am, though with the noise, it may be difficult to sleep much longer after that. It doesn't matter which building anyone is in, they're going to wake up to a new food item: bananas. So many bananas. Bananas in beds, bananas on the floor, bananas on shelves... They're everywhere. Right off the bat, they're everywhere. Solo or in bunches, there's bananas in everyone's path as long as they're indoors today. And that's before the songs start.

Every half hour or so after 7am, a song plays from all those rooms and crawl spaces that people can't get to. Only one song plays at a time, though they'll repeat throughout the day, because there are only so many banana songs. This time it's I Like Bananas, but the next time it could be Bananaphone, or maybe the Banana Boat Song. It's a short list of songs, but you know what happens when they play?

More bananas.

It's impossible to tell where the bananas are even spawning from. As the day goes on they'll start appearing in drawers and falling out of cabinets. Maybe something's pushing them out from under the beds? You can't tell, but you can count on it happening again when the stupid minions start singing about them.

Listen, not every day can be about mysteries and questions. Some days are just about bunches and bunches and bunches of bananas.

Day 52.

Weather: Blue skies are starting to peek through the clouds! It's still drizzling on and off, but nothing like what it's been.

Events: The rain is calming, the power's back on, and everything is pretty chill today! So it seems like the perfect time to be locked in your rooms until you answer some questions publicly on the network.

So, everyone waked up in their chosen rooms, with doors and windows locked until they respond to today's network prompt. It reads:

What is your favorite urban legend? Have you ever seen anything unexplainable before your arrival in this experiment?

As usual, the doors and windows unlock once the question is answered, and everyone can go about their day.

Day 51.

Weather: The rain isn't nearly as heavy as it has been, but it still is grey and drizzling for most of the day.

Events: Well, everyone made it through the night with nothing more than weird sounds and a few flashes of movement to worry about. Having said all the rude things it needed to say, the furby seems to have disappeared. Today looks to be a good, normal day.

Except there's still a tree wedged under the water wheel. That means there's still no power, and there won't be until that whole thing gets worked on.