Leaving the comfort of the bar to steal off into the night was Tamora, your date's, idea. She'd surprised you when she slipped onto the barstool next to yours, dressed as Gorgo, the Queen of Sparta; with all the confidence and striking beauty to go with it. As you struggled with an opening line, she'd smiled and said, "Buy me a drink and don't ask me to stab you with this sword, and you'll be three steps ahead of everyone else here tonight."
"I, ah, probably shouldn't point this out: but that's two, not three."
Her eyes swept up and down you then, and she replied, "I'll let you guess the third."
After a few rounds in a corner booth, during which you found yourself surprisingly eager to spill your life story to her inviting smile, Tamora had pitched the change of scene.
And so here you are, haunting the night for a bit of spooky mischief. College guys drinking in the bed of a lifted truck catcall Tamora as you pass, but otherwise, the suburban street is quiet and still. Fragments of candy bar wrappers litter the ground, the only reminder of the evening's hectic delights.
A padlock secures the looping chain wound through the mansion's ornate door handles. You reach forward and give it a shake.
(link:"'If only I'd taken that 'breaking and entering' seminar at the JC.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(set: $havelockpick =+ 0)(goto:"ThroughGate")]
(link:"'Locked tight. Guess we'd better just go back and catch the end of Jason X.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $havelockpick =+ 0)(goto:"ThroughGate")]
(link:"'It's a good thing I carry a lockpick. For... reasons.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(set: $havelockpick =+ 1)(goto:"ThroughGate")]You've come to the end of "An All Hallows Affair."
(if: $romancedonehappy is 1)[Tamora and you live happily, and gruesomely, ever after. She may be an evil spirit, but you connect in ways you've never connected with anyone else. Who doesn't have a few skeletons in their closet, right?](else-if: $romancedonetrauma is 1)[Tamora takes you as her lover, but you spend your days uneasy with what you did to survive.](else-if: $romancedonerevenge is 1)[Tamora takes you as a lover, but you plot ways to bring about an end her reign of terror. She realizes your deception, and consumes you on your second anniversary.](else-if: $usedlockpick is 1 and $died is 0)[You escape into the night, clutching your lockpick and swearing you'll get it framed. Within the week, you've packed up and left town. Though you survive, you spend the rest of your life watching the shadows, awaiting her potential revenge.](else-if: $climbescape is 1)[You limp into the night, Tamora's howls of anguish following you. Within the week, you've packed up and left town. Though you survive, you spend the rest of your life watching the shadows, awaiting her potential revenge.](else-if: $died is 1)[You have died, but at least that means Tamora will keep on living, right?](else-if: $attackedwithcross is 1)[You leave Tamora writhing and make a break for it into the night. Not certain if you actually managed to kill her, you pack up and leave town within the week. Though you survive, you spend the rest of your life watching the shadows, awaiting her potential revenge.](else-if: $attackedwithshelf is 1 and $havecross is 0)[You limp into the night, Tamora's howls of anguish following you. Within the week, you've packed up and left town. Though you survive, you spend the rest of your life watching the shadows, awaiting her potential revenge.]
(else-if: $attackedwithshelf is 1 and $havecross is 1)[You limp into the night, Tamora's howls of anguish following you. Within the week, you've packed up and left town. Though you survive, you spend the rest of your life watching the shadows, awaiting her potential revenge.](if: $skeledance is 1)[You unhook the skeleton and pick it up to shoulder height, waltzing in a circle around Tamora.
"My dear, you're looking positively waifish, what have you been eating? ...Nothing? Well, that explains why you're dead."
You replace the skeleton, and Tamora laughs delightedly. "Sick," she says. "I dig it."](else:)[You leave the skeleton in its closet and press on into the first themed room.]
A once grand dining hall has been built out as the 'Blasphemous Bayou'. Moonlight pools around dense fake foliage, a rickety boat, and a slatted boardwalk. On the porch of a sagging shack is a rocking chair that you recall rocks back and forth on its own.
A baseball bat rests abandoned on the ground. Tamora is distracted, inspecting the mechanics of the chair.
(link:"Pick up the bat and sprint toward Tamora with a murderous scream.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(set: $scaretamora =+1)(set: $haveaxe =+ 1)(goto: "SacrificeRoom")]
(link: "Pick up the bat. It'll feel good to have a weapon.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(set: $haveaxe =+ 1)(goto:"SacrificeRoom")]
(link:"Leave the bat. You're not sure she's that into scares.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(goto: "SacrificeRoom")](if: $havelockpick is 0)[Tamora reaches into her pocket and flourishes a slender metal object that you assume must be a lockpick. Placing it in the padlock, she deftly maneuvers her hand until the lock gives a satisfying click.
Trying not dissect the fact your date knows how to break locks, you push the door open for her with a bit of a bow.](else-if: $havelockpick is 1)[You maneuver your lockpick around until the padlock releases in a satisfying click.
Tamora arches a delicate eyebrow and grins. "Well, aren't you full of surprises?"
You open the door with a bit of a bow and a flourish.]
The interior is revealed in an eerie tableau. Tamora doesn't hesitate to step in, and as she does, she throws a look back over her shoulder, amber eyes flashing through a curtain of glossy black hair.
"So gallant."
(link:"'I'm just that kind of guy.'")[(set: $sex to "male")(goto:"HouseStart")]
(link:"'I'm just that kind of gal.'")[(set: $sex to "female")(goto:"HouseStart")]
(link:"'That's me. Gallant.'")[(set: $sex to "nonbinary")(goto:"HouseStart")]
When you've explored the house on legitimate visits, everything has been lit in flashing colors and strobe, animatronics engaged in frenetic dances, a soundtrack of screams and cackles filling the air. You remember your first time, trying desperately to stay cool and impress your big sister and her friends. Three minutes in, a wild-eyed mannequin sprang from behind a bush with an axe, and you walked bowlegged the rest of the trip to avoid the wet spot in your jeans.
The dormant state of the house is somehow far more unnerving. A witch hangs limp in her stand: eyes dead, mouth still, glowing softly in the moonlight that filters through curtains made threadbare with age. Tamora's flashlight passes over the faded black and white photos of the original owners that line the yellowed wall paper. Faces appear briefly before being swallowed again by the darkness. She swings the light one way, and then back, and you startle. The row of family photos has been replaced by <I>memento mori</I>, a Victorian trend of capturing loved ones posed in death. Tamora lingers on the images. It is all the same people, but now posed unnaturally, eyes unfocused, skin somehow more pale. How had the haunt designers arranged the switch? Mirrors? A shiver passes down your spine.
"You like haunted houses?" asks Tamora, turning her flashlight on you. You squint and raise a hand before she moves the light on.
(link:"'I love everything about Halloween. To an unhealthy degree. I might have a Tumblr where I post my best haunted house stories.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 2)(set: $lovehalloween =+ 1)(goto:"InteriorStart")]
(link:"'To be honest: I'm not really into them, or anything about Halloween. Why make a holiday about evil?'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $hatehalloween =+ 1)(goto:"InteriorStart")]
(link:"'I'm not an afficiando, but tis the season, so I can get into it.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(goto:"InteriorStart")](if: $lovehalloween is 1)[Tamora gasps and asks, "Not 'scare me, I dare you?'"
"The very same."
She pulls you in close and says, "I can't believe I'm exploring a haunted house with THE 'aggressivelyuseless'."
"And I can't believe I met someone as into this stuff as I am. Mostly people just smile politely and add the cops on speed dial."
Tamora looks at you with a mysterious smile. "I know the feeling."
Arm in arm, the two of you move deeper into the haunted house.](else-if: $hatehalloween is 1)[Everyone else gets one," says Tamora, tone suddenly sharp. "Why shouldn't evil?"
"Because... it's evil?" you offer, fumbling. "I mean, we celebrate the things that we're grateful for. That make our lives better? Mostly?"
Tamora appears to relax a little. "Evil," she posits, "keeps life interesting." And then she moves on.](else:)[She smiles a coy little smile and says, "Be prepared to learn to love it. I have a conversion rate of one-hundred percent."]
The floorboards creak as the pair of you travel down a narrow hallway. You get a strong whiff of moldering old house blended with something sharper-- sulfur, probably from smoke effects. Tamora's light briefly passes over a grinning skeleton suspended in a narrow crevice. It was built to be a jump scare, but the way it lurks in shadow is so much more effective. You turn on your phone's flashlight to give it another look.
(link:"'Creepy.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(goto:"FirstRoom")]
(link:"'May I have this dance?'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 2)(set: $skeledance =+ 1)(goto:"FirstRoom")]
(link:"'They just don't capture the look of 'picked clean by buzzards' like they used to.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(goto:"FirstRoom")](if: $scaretamora is 1)[She spins with surprising speed, eyes wide, but then she laughs in clear enjoyment as you stumble to a halt, put the bat behind your back, and whistle.
Pursing her lips, she eyes you and says, "I can see you're going to keep me on my toes." ](else-if: $haveaxe is 1 and $scaretamora is 0)[You spin the bat in your hand before letting it rest against your shoulder. ]The path travels through the Sanitarium, filled with bound patients and buckets of vomit; Zombie Prom attack, blood smeared on every puff of tulle; and then the Exorcism, its priest frozen holding a silver cross over a snarling girl's bed. Tamora speeds through the last room without stopping; apparently not so into demon possessions.
Stairs descend into the mansion's basement. Tamora grips your hand a little tighter as the pair of you pick your way down. The first basement room is filled with weathered slabs of grey foam made to look like a circle of stones surrounding a bloody altar. The Sacrifice.
Tamora plucks a flask from the front of her dress and hands it to you before crossing to take a seat on the altar. She pats the space directly beside her, and the skin under your collar flushes with heat. You cross to join her(if: $haveaxe is 1)[, dropping your bat at the side of the altar], and then take a swig of the flask. The liquor is strong and tastes like mushrooms and damp earth. It goes to your head immediately, and you feel warm and relaxed.
She gazes at you, lips parted in an inviting way. Heat radiates off her intensely, and she smells like fresh cut wood.(if: $sex is 'male')[ You are aware of every curve of her as she presses in close, the straps of her gown falling to the side to reveal even more of her ample chest.] Something about her makes you completely at ease with yourself. All the normal anxieties of these situations melt away.
(link:"Lean your face in close but pause, inviting her to accept the kiss.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(set: $offerkiss =+ 1)(goto: "SacrificeStart")]
(link: "Wait, awkward, hoping she will initiate something.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(set: $waitkiss =+ 1)(goto:"SacrificeStart")]
(link:"Lean forward and press your lips to hers hungrily.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $kissedher =+ 1)(goto: "SacrificeStart")]
(link: "Scoot away. This is moving a bit fast.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $waitkiss =+ 1)(goto:"SacrificeStart")](if: $waitkiss is 1)[Tamora takes you by the front of your shirt and pulls you in close, pressing her lips to yours.](elseif: $offerkiss is 1)[Tamora closes the gap, pressing her lips to yours.](else:)[Tamora pulls back very slightly, but then wraps her hand in your shirt and kisses you even more fiercely than you kissed her.] She breaks the kiss and pushes you down onto the altar with surprising strength. After a brief pause, she crawls up your body. Her legs slide along your side, the touch igniting your every nerve. Coming to rest at your center, she straddles you, hands sliding under your shirt to rake your skin with her nails. Then she leans down to kiss you again, wrapping your lips with hers to bite and suck.
Through a haze of intoxication, you realize something is off. Your head spins, and every muscle seems to be getting weaker.
"I, ah..." you begin. You try to rise but fall back down, dizzy. The side of the altar comes into view, and within the painted bright red "blood" are rusty, flaking stains. Tamora lowers her mouth to your stomach, swirling her tongue expertly around your navel.
(link:"'I think I just need a one minute breather.'")[(set: $asktostop =+ 1)(goto:"EncounterStart")]
(link:"Try to rise, forcefully removing her from your chest.")[(set: $trytoescape =+ 1)(goto:"EncounterStart")]
(link:"'You make a compelling argument.'")[(set: $makeoutmore =+ 1)(goto:"EncounterStart")]
(if: $asktostop is 1)[Tamora sits back and tosses her head back in an exuberant cackle.](elseif: $trytoescape is 1)[You try to push her off, but she smacks you hard in the face and pushes you back down.](else:)[You resume the make out session, but every kiss makes you feel weaker. It's finally too much: you try to push her off. Tamora doesn't even budge.] She squeezes you harder with her legs and purrs, "Sorry lover." Every sconce in the room lights up with purple flames, bathing the room with an unearthly glow.
"Um, that isn't normal."
"On the contrary," she replies, "it is exactly normal. This is, and has always been, my home. A cave in a forest so many years older than this town. Sacrifices have always been made here. To keep me strong. When they built this house overtop me, I thought I was done, but I found new ways to get what I needed. It's almost too easy to lure people down here for a little illicit fun Halloween night."
(if: $tamoraregard is >=3)[She rests her chin on your chest and stares into your eyes with a bizarre affection. "It's a pity, though. I've actually been having a really great time tonight. But a girl needs to eat."](else:)[She pauses. "Tonight was no exception."] Then she leans back down, mouth open wide, preparing to suck the rest of your life right from your mouth.
(if: $tamoraregard is >3)[(link:"'Stop. Wait. This has been an incredible night for me too. I don't think it has to end this way.'")[(set: $earnestlove =+ 1)(goto:"RomanceStart")]](elseif: $tamoraregard is >0 and $tamoraregard is <4)[(link:"'Hey, come on. We were really getting along. I think that means something.'")[(set: $mediocrelove =+ 1)(goto:"RomanceStart")]](else-if: $tamoraregard is <1)[(link:"'Come on. Let's talk about this. You must get lonely, and you clearly saw something in me. Can't we work this out?'")[(set: $desperatelove =+ 1)(goto:"AttackStart")]]
(if: $asktostop is 1)[(link:"Try to push her off your chest, giving it everything you've got.")[(set: $attackwithpush to 1)(goto:"AttackStart")]](else:)[(link:"Try again to push her off, this time with everything you've got.")[(set: $attackwithpush to 1)(goto:"AttackStart")]]
(if: $haveaxe is 1)[(link:"Reach down to grab the bat from beside the altar.")[(set: $attackaxe =+ 1)(set: $haveweapon to it + 1)(goto:"AttackStart")]](if: $earnestlove is 1)[She stops and stares at you, and though she frowns, her face reveals a genuine interest in what you're about to say. "Oh? How else does it end then?"](else-if: $mediocrelove is 1)[She pauses, but doesn't look totally convinced. "Oh? Enlighten me: what does it mean?"
"It means... that maybe this time is different?"
She crosses her arms. "How so?"]
You wrap your fingers up in hers, then bring them your lips, kissing each one. "We could finish this date, see what happens, and you could... not eat me?"
She laughs and shakes her head. "I really can't just not eat you. I need to eat, or I'll... fade away. You eat cows, right? It's basically the same thing."
(link:"'Mmm, not the same thing at all, really.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $disagreewithtamora to 1)(goto:"RomanceSecond")]
(link:"'Actually, I'm a vegan, so...'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $veganjoke =+ 1)(goto:"RomanceSecond")]
(link:"'When you put it that way: hmm, yeah, guess it kind of is.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(set: $agreewithtamora to 1)(goto:"RomanceSecond")](if: $desperatelove is 1)["Oh sweetie," she says with a cruel laugh, "I saw something in you, alright: an easy mark. I don't think there's a macabre bone in that breakable little body. So yeah, no, sorry."](else-if: $limpromance is 1)[She seems to consider your offer, and then shakes her head. "You know, I appreciate all that, really I do, but I just don't think you're my type." Her lips coil into a menacing grin. "Sorry, lover."](else-if: $refusehelp is 1)["Then I suppose there's nothing more to talk about," she says with a look that is almost regretful. "Sorry, lover."](else-if: $forcefulromance is 1)[Tamora doubles over laughing. "That is both ridiculous and kind of offensive," she says with a snort. "Way to completely misread the room." Then her eyes narrow, and she leans toward you again. "No more talk."](else:)[She closes her eyes, a delighted anticipation overtaking her features.]
(if: $haveaxe is 1 and $attackwithpush is 0)[Your fingers grope for where you dropped the bat before, and you hoist it up with an approximation of a battle cry. It smacks the side of her head with an audible crack and sends her sprawling off the altar. Leaping off in the opposite direction, you bolt for the stairs.](else:)[With the strength of a person literally fighting for their life, you put your hands in the center of her chest and give a mighty shove. She tumbles to the side, and you roll your body in the other direction. Landing on your feet, you bolt for the stairs.]
(link:"Run straight for the building's exit as fast as you can.")[(set: $romancedonehappy to =+ 1)(goto:"GoToDoor")]
(link:"Look for a weapon to defend yourself while you run.")[(set: $lookforweapon to =+ 1)(goto:"LookForWeapon")](if: $veganjoke is 1)[(if: $tamoraregard is >3)["Well, that's disappointing," she says with a sour look.](else:)["Of course you are," she says with a snort.]](else-if: $agreewithtamora is 1)[She cocks her head to the side and smiles. "Moral relativism is a good look on you."](else-if: $disagreewithtamora is 1)[She frowns and says, "I wouldn't expect a human to understand."]
"Doesn't it get lonely?" you press. "Doing this all by yourself? No one knowing your secret except those of us fated to be tasty meat snacks?"
"Maybe," she offers, suspicious. You reach a hand up to brush hair from her eyes and then run your knuckles down her face. There is a vulnerability in her eyes then, and you wonder how many people have ever, in this creature's very long life, seen that. An eternity alone is enough to make anyone a little callous to the short, pointless lives humans lead.
(link:"'I want to be the one who sees you. I know what it's like, not having anyone know the real you. There's no worse feeling.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it +2)(goto:"RomanceThird")]
(if: $tamoraregard >3)[(link:"'Look, you're gorgeous, you're unique, and I'm completely taken with you. I want to be the person you don't kill.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(goto:"RomanceThird")]](else:)[(link:"'Look, you're gorgeous, you're unique, and I'm completely taken with you. I want to be the person you don't kill.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(set: $limpromance =+ 1)(goto:"AttackStart")]]
(link:"'I think you need me. You want me. You chose me, because you wanted someone to dominate you and break the cycle for you.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $forcefulromance =+ 1)(goto:"AttackStart")]Her face opens up with a quiet pleasure. "If you really mean all that," she says, "then prove it. I need to eat. Help me find another meal. Show me that you really want to understand."
You think about what's being asked of you. Can you really offer someone else up?
(link:"'Those guys down the street. I bet they're still out there. Let's do it.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it +1)(set: $tamorahelp to =+ 1)(goto:"RomanceHelp")]
(link:"'There were those guys down the street. I don't think I can help you, but I won't stop you.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(goto:"RomanceHelp")]
(link:"'No, I can't. I can't help you with that, you're right.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $refusehelp =+ 1)(goto:"AttackStart")]"Hmm," she says, "I definitely felt like smashing their faces in earlier. Good call." She slips from the altar and places a kiss on your forehead. "Wait here. It'll be easier to lure one down on my own."
While she's gone, you pace the room, wondering if you can really go through with this. No too much time passes before she returns with one of them: dressed in a Raider's jersey, yellow hair buzzed, staggering from side to side. He's got her flask in hand, and it's obvious her potion is already working.
(if: $sex is 'female')[He looks between you and Tamora, licking his lips. "You didn't say it was that kind of party, but I'm down." With the way he's leering, you feel a little less bad about what's about to happen.
Tamora settles on the altar. "Over here," she instructs.](else:)[He puffs up when he notices you. "What the hell is this? This party seems a little crowded." The way he gets in your face, you suddenly feel less bad about what is going to happen.
Tamora smiles and lets one of the straps on her dress fall to the side as she settles on the altar. "Now, there's more than enough to go around."]
He drops beside her and belches, then pulls her into a rough kiss, hands pawing at her breasts. As they make out, you notice a faint white light pass between their lips. She breaths him in, and with every breath, he wilts. When he's all but slumped over completely, she raises a wicked looking dagger behind his back.
(link:"You watch, vaguely horrified, but you just watch.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it +0)(goto:"RomanceFinish")]
(link:"You watch, and though it's grisly, you can't help but appreciate a sort of bizarre beauty in it. Much like Tamora herself.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(goto:"RomanceFinish")]
(link:"'Dude! She's going to kill you!'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $stopattack =+ 1)(goto:"AttackGuysStart")]The dagger slides right into his back, and then Tamora pulls it out and stabs again and again. He doesn't fight, but he does scream, and his scream echoes off the flagstone walls and drives right into your brain. Tamora lets him slump to the altar, blood pooling on its surface before falling in a waterfall to the stone floor.
Bloody and radiant, she crosses the stones to come to stand in front of you, then drapes her arms over your shoulders to press her forehead to yours. "You were right," she says, nuzzling you, "this is so much better with someone to share it with."
(link:"You pull her in close for a kiss. This is weird, but right.")[(set: $romancedonehappy to it +1)(goto:"Final")]
(link:"You just stare dumbly, completely traumatized.")[(set: $romancedonetrauma to it + 1)(goto:"Final")]
(link:"You allow her to embrace you, but as you do, you eye the dagger across the room, bloody atop the altar.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $romancedonerevenge =+ 1)(goto:"Final")]With only your phone to light the way ahead, you get the hell out. Your feet carry you as fast as they can across the uneven flagstone of the basement floor. (if: $diddy is 1)[The shiny black leather loafers you borrowed for the costume slip around in your feet. Damn Diddy and his stylish but impractical taste.] Near the top of the stairs, you trip, and from below, you can hear Tamora laughing.
"Run, run, as fast as you can," she mocks, "but I'm going to catch you, little hoo-man."
(link:"You sprint through the exorcism room and into the zombie prom.")[(goto:"AttackContinue")](if: $takebooks is 1)[You snatch up the books just as Tamora comes through the doorway and toss one right at her face. She casually bats it away, and realizing you might have chosen incorrectly, you drop the books and keep running.](else-if: $takecross is 1)[You snatch the cross just as Tamora comes through the doorway and hold it in her direction. She recoils, eyes wide with terror. High on success, you run on.](else-if: $takeleg is 1)[You pick up the nightstand leg and as she comes through the door, knock her right in the head with it. She stumbles back, dazed, and you run on.](else:)[The most direct path through the demon girl's room involves jumping over broken furniture and piles of torn up toys. Calling up all you can from high school track and field, you leap over the blockages, not letting them slow you down.]
You duck and weave through the crowd of half-eaten teenagers at the zombie prom, pushing the dummies over as you go. Suddenly, the zombie dummies twitch to life right in front of you, green bodies lurching from side to side. They grope for you with decaying hands as you dodge around them. (if: $takeleg is 1)[One pulls the nightstand leg from your grasp.]
"What the hell!"
Behind you, Tamora calls, "Enjoying my surprise? I told you: this is my house."
In the Sanitarium, the smell of vomit has intensified, and the buckets are now overflowing with the chunky, viscous liquid. Real moans issue from the patients in the beds as they writhe and stare at you, murder in their eyes. The ground is slick, and you slip and slide, trying not to fall or be overwhelmed by the stench. One of the patients whips its chains, trying to ensnare you.
(link:"Focus on keeping your balance and run on.")[(goto:"LastRoom")]
(link:"Pick up a bucket and throw it back at Tamora.")[(set: $bucketamora =+ 1)(set: $haveweapon to it + 1)(goto:"LastRoom")]
(link:"Pick up a bucket and throw it at the nearest patient.")[(set: $attackpatient =+ 1)(goto:"LastRoom")]You scramble up the dark stairwell as fast as you can, fumbling to turn on your phone's flashlight. Its small beam pierces the darkness, letting you at least see where your feet are falling. Tripping out the top of the stairs, you find yourself in the Exorcism room. Tamora was unsettled by this before. Was there something in here that scared her?
(link:"Grab a stack of books on the kid's dresser.")[(set: $takebooks to 1)(goto:"AttackContinue")]
(link:"Grab the cross the priest holds.")[(set: $takecross to 1)(set: $haveweapon to it + 1)(goto:"AttackContinue")]
(link:"Grab the leg from the broken nightstand.")[(set: $takeleg to 1)(set: $haveweapon to it + 1)(goto:"AttackContinue")](if: $bucketamora is 1 or $attackpatient is 1)[You grab one of the flowing buckets, gagging as your hand is covered in puke, and throw it as hard as you can.](if: $bucketamora is 1)[ Tamora looks surprisingly alarmed by the spinning bucket of vomit that comes her way in a spinning splatter. She drops to avoid it, slowing her down.](else-if: $attackpatient is 1)[ The animated patient is knocked back by the force of the bucket, exposing the electric wiring of its insides.](else:)[Choosing your steps carefully, you get through the remaining muck without any unfortunate slippage.]
There's only one room left to pass through. The Bayou. And it is full of places to hide. There is a rhythmic creaking in the darkness, and the picking of a lone banjo fills the air.
You sprint along the wooden slats of the "boardwalk," watching as the hillbilly serial killers stagger through the darkness in your direction. (if: $haveweapon is <2)[The pounding of Tamora's feet on the wood follows you, growing closer as your breathing gets labored, and you chest burns.](if: $haveweapon is >1)[You hear Tamora take her first steps onto the boardwalk back at the start of the room, and breathe a little easier.]
Just as you reach the exit, the woman with the axe pops from her bush, seeming to move on much more than a single wire this time. She slaps you with the flat of her axe in a flash of disorienting pain. Grabbing the axe by the handle, you yank it away and jump through the door to the parlor.
The exit is just ahead, but it's now padlocked from the inside. The ground level windows are also locked. A cold wind whistles through an open window at the peak of the parlor's high ceiling.
(link:"Turn and ready for Tamora's arrival.")[(set: $readytamora =+ 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterFight")]
(if: $haveweapon is <1)[(link:"Try to break one of the ground level windows with your axe.")[(set: $breakwindow =+ 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterFail")]](else:)[(link:"Try to break one of the ground level windows with your axe.")[(set: $breakwindow =+ 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterEscape")]]
(if: $haveweapon is <2)[(link:"Climb a bookcase to reach the open window.")[(set: $lastminuteescape=+ 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterFail")]](else-if: $haveweapon is >1)[(link:"Climb a bookcase to reach the open window.")[(set: $lastminuteescape=+ 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterEscape")]]
(if: $havelockpick is 1 and $haveweapon is <0)[(link:"Use your lockpick to open the lock.")[(set: $usedlockpick to 1)(goto:"EscapeAttack")]](else-if: $havelockpick is 1 and $haveweapon is 0)[(link:"Use your lockpick to open the lock.")[(set: $usedlockpick to 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterFail")]]You shout the warning, but he's too far gone. He doesn't even react except to spasm as she plunges the dagger into his back over and over. She lets him slump to the altar, blood pooling before falling in a waterfall to the ground.
Then her eyes fix on you. "Guess you couldn't really accept me for who I am," she says, lower lip stuck out in a pout.
She stalks toward you, murder in her eyes, and you turn to bolt up the stairs.
(link:"Aim straight for the building's exit, running as fast as you can.")[(set: $romancedonehappy to =+ 1)(goto:"GoToDoor")]
(link:"Run but also look for a weapon to defend yourself.")[(set: $lookforweapon to =+ 1)(goto:"LookForWeapon")](if: $usedlockpick is 1)[You slide your lockpick and recall how you did this before. Deftly maneuvering the pick in the correct sequence of motions, you succeed.
The padlock springs open just as Tamora enters the room. She snarls in anger as you throw open the door. "No!" she shouts.](else-if: $attackedwithcross is 1)[You swing your axe toward her in a deliberate fakeout. She looks pleased as she catches it in her hand, but before she realizes what's happening, you shove the cross into her gloating mouth and right down her throat.
Her eyes go wide. She opens her mouth wide and white, foul-smelling smoke pours out. She clutches and claws at herself, falling to the ground as she writhes in pain. It is obviously choking her, but she can't seem to touch it to save herself.
You back off, not trusting this is really it, but before you go, you look at her to deliver a final quip.](else-if: $attackedwithshelf is 1)[You swing your axe at the base of a bookshelf, splintering its already shaky foundations. (if: $takecross is 1)[The bookshelf topples toward Tamora. She just manages to back into the Bayou, but it slams between you, closing the way.
It doesn't take long for her to start smashing her firsts into it from the other side, but you run across the room and smash the window with the butt of your axe. The old panes fall out with surprising ease, but the bookshelf is still splintering behind you.](else-if: $takecross is 0)[The bookshelf topples over just as she reaches you. She's going too fast to slow down, and it slams right down on top of her with a thunderous crash.
"Are you...dead?"
A clawed fist bursts through the bookshelf in reply.
Turning, you smash a nearby window with the butt of your axe. The old panes fall out with surprising ease, but Tamora is snarling and clawing through the bookshelf behind you.]
Climbing up onto an upholstered old chair, you wiggle through a just big enough opening, the glass catching your skin and leaves a track of thin, clean cuts. A hole big enough for Tamora's face to glare through forms in the bookshelf just as you pull through the hole.
"No!" you can hear her scream.]
(link:"'Guess you picked the wrong patsy.'")[(goto:"Final")]
(link:"'My friends have always said I have the worst taste in women. They're officially right.'")[(goto:"Final")]
(link:"'We could have been really happy together. Instead, you tried to eat me.'")[(goto:"Final")]You assume what you think is a good solid defensive posture, positioning yourself the way you can remember doing in spirited games of Red Rover.(if: $takecross is 1)[ The axe dangles in one hand, and you raise the cross up with the other.
Tamora barrels through the door, but then notices the cross and stiffens. She takes a step back.](else:)[You wrap your fingers around the handle of the axe.
Tamora barrels through the door. She glances you up and down and puts her hands on her hips, cackling again. "Oh, this is going to be good. A showdown between an ancient powerful spirit and... a barfly." She shakes out her hands, revealing long, razor sharp claws.
And then she charges.]
(link:"Make one last desperate attempt at escape.")[(set: $lastminuteescape =+ 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterFail")]
(link:"Try to topple a bookshelf onto her.")[(set: $attackedwithshelf =+ 1)(goto:"EscapeAttack")]
(link:"Swing your axe at her.")[(set: $attackedwithaxe =+ 1)(goto:"FinalEncounterFail")]
(if: $takecross is 1)[(link:"Attack her with your cross.")[(set: $attackedwithcross to 1)(goto:"EscapeAttack")]](if: $lastminuteescape is 1)[You scramble up an ancient bookshelf toward the window. The wood is slick and you slip with every step. Tamora appears in the doorway when you're just a few shelves from the top. Growling, she rushes over to climb up after you.
No longer able to be cautious, you vault up the last few, almost falling. The night is dark outside the window, and you realize you'll be falling at least fifteen feet, but Tamora is fast approaching. You make to shove off with a final quip.](else:)[You smash a nearby window with your axe. The old panes shatter, but the sound of Tamora's pounding feet has almost reached the parlor.
Climbing up onto an upholstered old chair, you wiggle through a just big enough opening, the sharp glass leaving tiny cuts in your skin. Tamora appears in the doorway just in time to watch you go through the window.
"No!" you can hear her scream, and before you go, you shout back one final quip in her direction.]
(link:"'Guess you picked the wrong patsy.'")[(set: $climbescape =+ 1)(goto:"Final")]
(link:"'My friends say I have the worst taste in women. They're officially right.'")[(set: $climbescape =+ 1)(goto:"Final")]
(link:"'We could have been really happy together. Instead, you tried to eat me.'")[(set: $climbescape =+ 1)(goto:"Final")](if: $attackedwithaxe is 1)[Tamora catches the axe easily, wrenching it out of your hands. That was, perhaps, to be expected.
She grins, face wicked in the moonlight. You back away slowly, and she follows. "Guess all that's left," she says, raising the axe, "is for you to die."
You back into the locked door, and with nowhere left to go, you can only scream and watch as the sharp end of the axe come right at your face.
There is a blinding flash of pain.
[(link:"And then, only darkness.")[(set: $died =+ 1)(goto:"Final")]]](if: $lastminuteescape is 1)[You drop your axe and start to climb a nearby bookshelf to the open window above. The old wood is unstable beneath your feet, and in your desperate scramble, you end up wobbling and trying to right yourself on every climb.
Just when you think you might be safe, a hand wraps around your ankle, yanking you back down to the ground in a free fall. You slam into the ground and curl up with the pain of the sudden impact. Tamora slides into view, your abandoned axe in her hand.
"Guess all that's left," she says, raising the axe, "is for you to die."
You watch as the sharp end of the axe come right at your face. There is a blinding flash of pain.
[(link:"And then, only darkness.")[(set: $died =+ 1)(goto:"Final")]]](if: $usedlockpick is 1)[You drop your axe and slip your lockpick into the padlock. Desperately, you try to replicate the same motions as before. Tamora glides into the parlor. Noticing what you're doing, she snarls and sprints across the room.
Crying out, you scramble even more to finish opening the lock, but though you twist and turn, it doesn't give. Claws dig into your shoulder, and you're pulled back roughly to the ground. Tamora looms overhead, your abandoned axe in her hands.
"Guess all that's left," she says, raising the axe, "is for you to die."
You watch as the sharp end of the axe come right at your face. There is a blinding flash of pain.
[(link:"And then, only darkness.")[(set: $died =+ 1)(goto:"Final")]]](if: $breakwindow is 1)[You smash a nearby window with your axe. The old panes shatter, but just as they do, Tamora sprints into the parlor. Desperate, you slap away as many of the lingering jagged pieces as you can, not slowing to keep yourself from being cut. Tamora is almost across the room, and you try to pull yourself through the hole you've made, edges of sharp glass digging into your stomach.
But a hand wraps around your ankle, yanking you back down to the ground. The broken glass slices your flesh, and you land on the ground with a thud. Tamora slides into view, your axe in her hands.
"Guess all that's left," she says, raising the axe, "is for you to die."
You watch as the sharp end of the axe come right at your face. There is a blinding flash of pain.
[(link:"And then, only darkness.")[(set: $died =+ 1)(goto:"Final")]]]It's Halloween night, and by some twist of fate, you've ended up hand in hand with a beautiful woman, sneaking into the haunted house in the old Fletcher mansion.
The evening started out normal enough. In what has become a tradition, you'd met up with friends at your local bar, where they were serving waffle fries in the shape of pumpkins, neon Jell-O shots, and showing the <I>Halloween</I> movies on the big screen. You were killing it in your meme inspired costume.
(link:"Diddy at the Met Gala, lounging in your opera coat on any stairs available.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 0)(set: $diddy to 1)(goto:"Welcome")]
(link:"A unicorn onesie with bondage gear overtop, holding a sign that reads, 'This is the future liberals want.'")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(set: $liberals to 1)(goto:"Welcome")]
(link:"Meryl Streep at the Oscars, shouting everything through your hands.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it + 1)(set: $meryl to 1)(set(goto:"Welcome")]
(link:"Nyan Cat, because you're fashionably out of date, as always.")[(set: $tamoraregard to it - 1)(set: $nyancat to 1)(goto:"Welcome")]