Zenith : In Character → Threads, Logs, Events

Day 18.

Weather: The skies are overcast and winds are reaching up to 25 mph/38 km/h. It’s not enough to do any sort of damage, but small trees are swaying and leaves are flying everywhere. It’s a few degrees chillier than yesterday. There’s probably rain in the not-so-distant future.

Events: How was yesterday? Was it enlightening? Learn some things? Come to dislike some new people? Hate some old ones?

Okay, so yesterday was an emotional clusterfuck. Which probably means it’s not all that surprising that today, the powers that be are putting everyone in the rough trade version of a get-along-shirt. Go on, read that sentence again. Make peace with it.

The short version of this story is: no one wakes up where they fell asleep last, and no one wakes up alone. This includes Willow, who is brand-spankin’-new to this level of hell, but excludes Jack. Jack, AKA Mr. Popularity, will wake up in the house with absolutely no indication that anything has happened. Of course, that’s only until he realizes he’s the only one in said house. Everyone else? Well. Yeah. Good luck with that.

Ahem. Everyone else is waking up outside of the house. In many cases, outside. Period, end of sentence. Absolutely everyone is waking up bound to another subject, and a good number of them aren’t going to be pleased with their buddy for the forced field trip they’re about to embark on. Everyone (except Jack) will wake up around sunrise (give or take a few, around 7:40 in the morning), everyone is in their gym clothes (except for Willow, who is wearing the clothing she was abducted in; those who had not previously been provided with gym clothes and running shoes now have them), and each will find a letter from TPTB, as well as some sort of instruction on what they need to do next. The letter reads:

We are conducting a team building exercise. Each of your companions have been paired off in circumstances similar to yours. The bonds you find on your person can only be removed with a key that we have hidden somewhere in town. You must work together to free yourself. Then, it is in your best interest to try and assist the others.

You have just slightly over five hours. At 2 PM, a bell will toll from City Hall. If every pair has completed their tasks and freed themselves, you will be rewarded tomorrow. If even one team fails, you will all be punished for it.

Not counting Miss Congeniality Jack, everyone’s part of one of eleven pairs. Each pair’s position (and in some cases, destination) are indicated here.

TEAM 1: Owen and Marco. Owen and Marco wake up in one of the derelict old houses, on a bare mattress smelling of decay and mildew. They are handcuffed to one another, connected by Owen’s left wrist and Marco’s right. A large brown envelope with the words ‘OPEN ME’ is taped on a nearby wall. The envelope contains the letter from TPTB, a map with multiple positions marked with names of the other subjects, and another, smaller envelope. Inside that, they will find their instructions.

You two have a choice ahead of you. On the map, we have indicated the starting and ending positions of every other pair. In a mailbox outside of the house you are in, you will find an electronic key. This key will unlock any one binding, including yours -- but it can only be used once.

You are a wild card team. You are the only team that has no set task to complete. If your handcuffs are still on at 2 PM, it will not count as a failure. At 2 PM, if you have elected not to unlock yourselves, the cuffs will fall open.

Your options are as follows. After reviewing the map, you are allowed to decide to unlock yourselves and go about the day however you choose; should that be by helping the others complete their tasks, or simply returning back to the mansion. Alternatively, you are allowed to choose another team to find and unlock, for any reason at all. Whether you feel the odds of completing their task are too low, or you simply desire to help out a friend. Whether you make a strategic choice, or a personal one, that is up to you and you will not be punished for it.

Whatever decision you make could mean the difference between failure and success for another team. Choose carefully.

TEAM 2: Juno and Jim. Ah, the lost soul and the zealot. That’s damn near poetic. Juno and Jim will wake in the middle of a street. Juno’s left leg and Jim’s right are bound together with a large brace made up of both leather and metal straps. It has absolutely no give, no bend whatsoever, not even at the knee. Given their height differences, walking is going to be more than a little awkward. Their letter and instructions are folded neatly and tucked into the top of the brace.

Go to the art gallery. Your key lies in salvation.

‘Salvation’ happens be a spectacularly shitty painting of… a cardinal, carrying a baby hedgehog across a raging river. The key’s between the painting and the frame.

TEAM 3: Juliet and Kate. Juliet and Kate are stuffed in a closet. No, literally, in a closet. A rather cramped one. They are bound by ankle shackles, both on their left leg. Remind you of anything, Juliet? An old dresser is pressed up against the closet door, so getting out of there is going to require some good old fashioned elbow grease. Their instructions are waiting for them on top of the dresser.

Your key is in your pocket.

How incredibly unhelpful! Actually, the key is in one of their pockets. At Cassi’s. In one of Kate’s pairs of jeans.

TEAM 4: Kiley and Beatrice. Kiley and Beatrice will wake up on the beach, lying on their sides, back to back. Because a large metal band has been locked around their waists. The best thing that can be said about this is at least there isn’t much of a height difference between them. Their letter and instructions are pinned neatly to Beatrice’s shirt.

Your key is in the basement of the Valley Apartments, inside a bittersweet surprise.

The key is inside an old carton of cigarettes in the maintenance room. The smokes are stale and pretty gross, but if you’re desperate enough, have at ‘em.

TEAM 5: Pam and Evie. Nestled safely under a tree are Pam and Evie. They are bound in handcuffs at Pam’s right wrist and Evie’s left. Their names are carved in the tree inside of a big heart, with their letter and instructions pinned beneath it.

Your key is in the graveyard, inside a coffin in one of the mausoleums.

Probably a good idea to tell them exactly where to find it, considering getting the two of them to work together is going to be one of the greatest miracles ever. And yes, they’re serious about the location. Luckily there’s no body inside of the coffin, but there is an absolutely horrible mannequin in there.

TEAM 6: Tobias and Daphne. Tobias and Daphne wake up on a street. They are bound by a set of shackles - one of Tobias’ right ankle, one on Daphne’s left - connected by a six inch chain. Their instructions are taped to Tobias’ back.

Enclosed is a map. Follow the instructions. Your key is at the end.

The map is a series of directions, instructing them to follow the road they’re on and which way to go at intersections. Once the directions run out, it won’t be immediately clear what they’re supposed to look for. Until they come to a billboard, on scaffolding a good twenty-five feet high. It’s advertising a radio program called The End. Yeah. Their key is on the platform on top of the scaffolding. They’re gonna have to climb for it.

TEAM 7: Lennon and Avram. Once upon a time, the pool surrounded by townhomes was probably a pretty happening hotspot. Now it’s almost a literal cesspool. The pool full of debris and the majority of the tiles have long since broken away, and the water is a dark, murky brown. Lennon and Avram are on a large pool floatie in the center of it. They are bound side by side, with chains wrapped around their hips, almost literally joining them at the waists. Their instructions are taped to the diving board.

Your key is in the meatlocker at Pavo’s.

Yeah. About that. There is, in fact, a rather large meatlocker at Pavo’s, and there’s quite a nice selection inside. Jack may be interested to know there’s even a very nice rack of lamb. There’s also a line of strung up pigs. One of them has a motion-sensitive sound box crammed in its mouth. Once they pair are close, this little piggy is going to cry WEE WEE WEE aaaallllllllllllllll the way to the insane asylum. The key is in its stomach. Have fun with that.

TEAM 8: Billy and Oliver. Billy and Oliver wake up on a street on the outskirts of town. They are bound by two sets of handcuffs -- with Billy in front, Oliver behind, their right wrists connected, their left wrists connected. At least Oliver will be able to see over Billy’s head. Their letter and instructions are literally written on the road in chalk.

Your key is at the beach.

Easy enough, right? Until they get to the beach and find a metal detector with a big red bow on it.

TEAM 9: Cecilia and Walt. Cecilia and Walt are in a pit of despair. A literal pit, dug about 7 feet deep, in the middle of the woods at the base of one of the smaller mountains. They are bound by a metal brace, connecting Cecilia’s left ankle and Walt’s right, with absolutely no room in between. Once they manage to get out of the pit, it’s going to be rough going mostly downhill through harsh terrain. It’s basically the world’s worst three-legged race, and there’s probably only so many jokes Walt can safely make about his ‘third leg.’ Their instructions are in an envelope at the bottom of the pit with them.

Your key is in the community pool.

Yes, in. Literally. It’s in a weighted box at the bottom of the deep end.

TEAM 10: Willow and Madison. Ah, the welcoming committee from hell strikes again! Willow and Madison wake up in the cemetery, in a mausoleum, their backs against a coffin. They are handcuffed at Willow’s right wrist, and Madison’s left. Their letter and instructions are pinned to the door of the mausoleum.

Seen any good movies lately?

Their key is inside a bucket of popcorn at the movie theater. Once she gets back to the house, Willow will find a bedroom door with her name on it.

TEAM 11: Chase and Damon. Chase and Damon are going to wake up on top of one of the bouncy slides in the obstacle course. They are bound by handcuffs at Damon’s left, Chase’s right, as well as ankle shackles on the same sides. Their letter and instructions are waiting on the elevator.

Your key lies in a book, first published in its entirety in 1922. It was banned in the United States for 11 years.

Their key is in the library, inside a copy of Ulysses.

At 2 PM the bell tolls, and Marco and Owen will be freed (if they have not already freed themselves). Anyone else still locked up… still has to find their key.

Back at the house, Madison and Damon will find that they have been given access to Experiment B, in the same way as the others just a few days before.

Oh, wait. There is one more tiny detail. Before any of this happens, before the sun rises, Marco will wake up to the phone in his room ringing. When he answers it, a pre-recorded message plays.

A new test begins soon. If you want your drugs, see that your companions fail. Tell no one of this message.

After the message plays three times, Marco will promptly lose consciousness.