Who: Felix, Pam, Edwin and OPEN TO MULTIPLES Where: Outside the main house When: Just after sundown
Felix knew that he recognized the spot he woke up in, even in the vanishing light. Not only had he woken up here before, but he with the secret tree stump stash and an entrance to the underground railroad being in proximity, he'd been through this area more times than any other, outside of the pathways between the houses. He might have said he could navigate his way back to the house in his sleep from here, even without the blatant arrow pointing the way, but the thrumming grogginess in his head, and the heaviness of his body was already making him question the logic of that.
It did take a few minutes of him lounging uselessly on his back to realize that the light was indeed fading. Which meant darkness, and monsters. And all without coffee. His loud, long grunt was full of disgust, even as his nerves twinged at the thought of being out there in the dark after the display from the night before. Of course this shit would just figure. Another grunt sounded as he sat up, hunting through the pockets of the clothes he knew he hadn't been wearing when he finally went to sleep the night before, looking for a phone that wasn't there.
No phone. Which likely meant no test or explanation, aside from that one bold arrow. That also meant no light once the sun went down. He had no idea how long that would actually take, and looking up through the trees, he knew that even a great view of the sky wasn't really going to tell him shit. He made a mental note to start paying attention to more outdoor survival shit when it came up, then made the quick decision that a short walk to the lair train definitely beat a longer walk through the woods and across a river that likely didn't even have his lame ass "bridge" anymore. He contemplated a detour to the stash, but the idea of being out in the open any longer than he needed to, especially without knowing if the line back to the house was even going to be available, shot another lance of anxiety through him.
It took him a few minutes longer than he would have liked to find the entrance to the rail line, but the annoyance there was overwhelmed by the relief that he could actually access it. That was muddled slightly by the fact that the tunnel itself was pitch dark, but he was able to navigate to the mine cart and the familiar ride to the house was almost easing. He had to feel his way to the ladder once the ride was done, doing his best to avoid the supplies he and Lila had stored there, knowing that trying to raid that for whatever reason was going to be useless without sight.
Gas can. Lantern. Food... he mentally noted with purpose at every familiar bump and shape, mostly so that his brain would have something to focus on other than every noise, real or imagined, down void of tunnel. He knew there were matches somewhere in the pile, likely in full view of that had been possible, but he couldn't picture where he'd left them. It was hard enough to get to the ladder, the navigate up it to the dim light of the bathroom. Despite the fact that it was only the remaining light from outside, it felt like a lifeline.
He took the longest piss of his life, his nerves settling in the familiarity of it as his brain finally calmed enough for him to take stock of the situation. Night was nearly there, the lights were out. He also realized he'd been staring almost aimlessly out of the gaping doorway into the hall beyond, the fact that no door was present finally sinking in. A glance over his shoulder, along with a faint breeze, showed that the windows were gone too.
It took a second for the laughter to set in, and he didn't really know if it was more amusement or slightly manic. Right, so, that was...a thing.
Coffee, his brain supplied helpfully, and after quickly washing up he headed across the hall to his room. No lights. No bunny. He stared at the empty cage for a second too long, as if it might have a clue, or some note left behind from Them to give him some kind of advantage, but nothing.
He didn't know if the house was safe. The lights bring off wasn't a deal breaker, but the doors and windows being non-existent put a big pin in the box that indicated it wasn't. He moved as fast as his hung over body would allow, starting with the coffee, filling his water bottle with evaporated grounds and water, and shaking it persistently to get them to mix with one hand while he zipped around his room and shoved anything into his backpack that might be useful for the night with the other.
Food. The container of evaporated coffee. The charger he'd gotten from the soda machine (even without his phone it might have some use), lighter, matches, cigarettes. Weed? No. Yes? No. No..
He changed, wiggling out of the attire he'd been shoved in and tossing on the monster-hiding gear with his camo cats t-shirt on under the hoodie. Faded and slightly worn around the hems now, he idly wondered just how many washes it was going to last, bring one his oldest pieces of Zenith-acquired clothing now. It felt fitting for the situation, somehow, even if he still wasn't entirely sure what that situation was.
When the coffee seemed adequately mixed, he poured it into one of his travel mugs then headed back into the bathroom to rinse it out and fill it with actual water, stealing a bar of soap, clean wash cloth, and roll of toilet paper while he was in there. He was trying not to focus on how dark it was now, but it inevitably crept into his mind as he moved back into his room to secure the new load, and a couple extra pieces of clothing and a towel, into the pack. The multipurpose knife and the lighter were given their own pockets in his pants, and he eyeballed the space in the corner where his floor stash tested under the carpet. Should he get lockpicks? If he ran into someone he wouldn't be able to just whip them out, and if they fell out in front of someone else he'd have some explaining to do.
Did he have a flashlight? He couldn't remember, and he wasn't sure of that was his foggy brain or the increasing panic he was trying to ignore settling in. Did Lila? He was pretty sure she didn't. Ivy probably did, though, right? He was pretty damn sure of it, especially after her run in with the monsters the first time. It took him a second to decide if he wanted to chance getting caught by someone in her room, but decided it was one worth taking. He'd only be in there for a couple of minutes tops.
As he took a step towards his bedroom door, a floorboard groaned. Not the one under him, but from in the main room, from the other side of the house. A long heartbeat later, another, synchronized by the dull thud of a single heavy footstep, and an eerie dragging sound across the wood. The hairs on the back of Felix's neck stood on end, his usual instant flight response, which he'd so easily depended on before, fucking off for a few seconds as he froze and listened. As if there was any doubt as to what that was, or where it was. As if it might just turn around and go away.
Thud....sliiiiiide...
Turn around and go away. That sounded great.
Felix did manage to remember his pack as he turned and headed, towards the lofted bed, ducking under it climb across the small sofa and over the shelf behind it towards the window, knocking all of his coffee periphinalia to the ground on his way to the window. He tried not to think about the gurgling growl that echoed at the suddenly clamor of his movement, or the louder thuds and slides that followed. Shoved against the window frame in his haste to vacate the premises sat Chlem, smiling obliviously at him as he sped past, and it was only by some dumb automatic reflex, and the millisecond idea that he was not leaving the inanimate object behind as if it were in any danger, that he swiped at it with one hand, nearly causing him to tumble out of the window in a way that could have broken something. He caught himself barely, though the turn of his head in the effort to steady himself gave him a peripheral glimpse of something almost impossibly darker reaching from the shadows of the doorway and into the room.
Then he was getting acquainted, almost face-first, with the ground, the heaviness of his pack pressing him down, Chlem tucked securely under his arm. He was up on his feet again in a matter of seconds, speeding around the mill and up the hill towards the house, towards weapons and light sources he knew still had to be there. Fuck the thing behind him. Fuck everyone else.