<img src="https://i.imgur.com/inZyRHp.png" width="650" height="500">
Based on '[[Knock]]' by Frederic Brown.
[[Begin]].(live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[The one thing that’ll will stay with you until you die was…the sound.(stop:)]]
(live: 4s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Complete and utter silence.(stop:)]]
(live: 8s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[As if the constant explosions, shaking the earth again and again, cancelled each other out.(stop:)]]
(live: 12s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[The screams and cries of the dying, drowned out by the bombs.(stop:)]]
(set: $counter to 16)
(live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1)(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Boom")]](transition-arrive: "shudder")[[Boom!]]You snort awake.
Yet you still hear the sound.
Boom! Boom!
Knock! Knock!
//Knocking?//
It’s coming from [[the front door]].
Nothing could have survived the war. Who could be there, knocking for you?
You've installed new locks and chains, metal bars across the frame, and push bolts to the side and bottom. Nobody is getting in without your say-so.
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/3X4rSom.png" width="500" height="400">
[[Open the door?]]
[[Ignore the knocking?]]You take your set of keys and slowly undo the lock and chains.
You pull back the bolts. One. Two. Three. Four.
You slide the two metal bars that lodge the door in place away...and [[open the door.]]Where should you go instead?
[[The study?]]
[[The library?]]
[[Prayer room?]]
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]You turn on the wireless in the study and flick through the channels.
Every major broadcast station is unmanned.
Some are still playing the emergency broadcasts, others are silent.
If someone was out there, they would have called on the radio, wouldn’t they?
You check for the rest of the day…hoping, wishing, that you hear a voice again.
[[Continue|First Continue]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $study to true)You search the library for answers.
You make a list of the creatures that could survive radiation bombardment.
Cockroaches. Ants. Wasps. Rats (in certain circumstances).
No creature would knock for entry.
You check the facts.
No human, even in a hazmat suit, could survive the radiation outside.
[[Continue|First Continue]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $library to true)You drop to your knees at the altar and close your eyes.
You ask, “Why have you forsaken us?”
“What did we do to deserve this?”
“Who is out there?”
You kneel for hours hoping to hear a response, but none come.
[[Continue|First Continue]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $prayer to true)(transition-arrive: "rumble")[[BOOM!]](transition-arrive: "dissolve")[[BOOM!|Wake up]](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You dream of rainstorms. Acid upon the skin, burning away all life. After a while, you think you hear voices through the howling storm.(stop:)]]
(live: 5s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[“Let us in.”(stop:)]]
(live: 9s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[“It’s raining.”(stop:)]]
(live: 12s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[“We’re so cold.”(stop:)]]
(live: 15s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Let us in.”(stop:)]]
(set: $counter to 18)
(live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1)(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Boom Two")]](transition-arrive: "shudder")[[Boom|Boom Two!]](transition-arrive: "rumble")[[BOOM|BOOM TWO]](transition-arrive: "dissolve")[[BOOM!|Wake Up Two]](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Knock!(stop:)]]
(live: 3s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Knock!(stop:)]]
(live: 5s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Knock!(stop:)]]
(set: $counter to 7)
(live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1)(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Day Two")]]The knocks wake you up again.
You try and get back to sleep, but can't stop hearing them.
Maybe if you distract yourself with a task, you'll forget about it.
Which room will you visit today?
[[The study?|The study 2?]]
[[The library?|The library 2?]]
[[The Prayer room?|Prayer room 2?]]
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]](if: $study is true)[You already looked in this room, [[head back|Day Two]] and choose another.]
(if: $study is false)[You turn on the wireless in the study and flick through the channels.
Every major broadcast station is unmanned.
Some are still playing the emergency broadcasts, others are silent.
If someone was out there, they would have called on the radio, wouldn’t they?
You check for the rest of the day…hoping, wishing, that you hear a voice again.
[[Continue|Continue Two]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $study2 to true)](if: $library is true)[You already looked in this room, [[head back|Day Two]] and choose another.]
(if: $library is false)[You search the library for answers.
You make a list of the creatures that could survive radiation bombardment.
Cockroaches. Ants. Wasps. Rats (in certain circumstances).
No creature would knock for entry.
You check the facts.
No human, even in a hazmat suit, could survive the radiation outside.
[[Continue|Continue Two]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $library2 to true)](if: $prayer is true)[You already looked in this room, [[head back|Day Two]] and choose another.]
(if: $prayer is false)[You drop to your knees at the altar and close your eyes.
You ask, “Why have you forsaken us?”
“What did we do to deserve this?”
“Who is out there?”
You kneel for hours hoping to hear a response, but none come.
[[Continue|Continue Two]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $prayer2 to true)](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You check the weapons stored in your bedroom.(stop:)]]
(live: 4s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You always have a pistol by your bed, just in case anything gets through the door.(stop:)]]
(live: 8s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[The repetitive motions of cleaning, checking, and reassembling the guns makes you tired.(stop:)]]
(live: 12s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You [[should go to bed]].(stop:)]]
(if: $study is true)+(if: $prayer2 is true)[(set: $library2 to false)]
(if: $study is true)+(if: $library2 is true)[(set: $prayer2 to false)]
(if: $prayer is true)+(if: $study2 is true)[(set: $library2 to false)]
(if: $prayer is true)+(if: $library2 is true)[(set: $study2 to false)]
(if: $library is true)+(if: $prayer2 is true)[(set: $study2 to false)]
(if: $library is true)+(if: $study2 is true)[(set: $prayer2 to false)]
(if: $study is true)[(set: $study2 to true)]
(if: $library is true)[(set: $library2 to true)]
(if: $prayer is true)[(set: $prayer2 to true)]You potter around the house, cleaning, making sure the windows are airtight.
Building another metal border on the door…and another lock.
After all that manual labour, you start to feel tired. You should probably [[head to bed|Continue]].
(if: $study is true)[(set: $prayer to false)(set: $library to false)]
(if: $prayer is true)[(set: $study to false)(set: $library to false)]
(if: $library is true)[(set: $study to false)(set: $prayer to false)](transition-arrive: "shudder")[[Boom|Boom Three!]](transition-arrive: "rumble")[[BOOM|BOOM THREE]](transition-arrive: "dissolve")[[CRASH!|Wake Up Three]](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You wake to the sound of someone, or something, trying to break down the door.(stop:)]]
(live: 4s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You grab the gun by your bed and run into the main hallway.(stop:)]]
(live: 8s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[The door is still intact, but is slightly bent in.(stop:)]]
(live: 12s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Whoever is out there eventually stops trying to break it down.(stop:)]]
(live: 16s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You work through the night, fixing the door and adding a new barrier and lock.(stop:)]]
(set: $counter to 20)
(live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1)(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Day Three")]]Which room will you visit today?
[[The study?|The study 3?]]
[[The library?|The library 3?]]
[[The Prayer room?|Prayer room 3?]]
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]](if: $study2 is true)[You already looked in this room, [[head back|Day Three]] and choose another.]
(if: $study2 is false)[You turn on the wireless in the study and flick through the channels.
Every major broadcast station is unmanned.
Some are still playing the emergency broadcasts, others are silent.
If someone was out there, they would have called on the radio, wouldn’t they?
You check for the rest of the day…hoping, wishing, that you hear a voice again.
[[Continue|Continue Three]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $study3 to true)](if: $library2 is true)[You already looked in this room, [[head back|Day Three]] and choose another.]
(if: $library2 is false)[You search the library for answers.
You make a list of the creatures that could survive radiation bombardment.
Cockroaches. Ants. Wasps. Rats (in certain circumstances).
No creature would knock for entry.
You check the facts.
No human, even in a hazmat suit, could survive the radiation outside.
[[Continue|Continue Three]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $library3 to true)](if: $prayer2 is true)[You already looked in this room, [[head back|Day Three]] and choose another.]
(if: $prayer2 is false)[You drop to your knees at the altar and close your eyes.
You ask, “Why have you forsaken us?”
“What did we do to deserve this?”
“Who is out there?”
You kneel for hours hoping to hear a response, but none come.
[[Continue|Continue Three]].
(append: ?SideBar)[\
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/rYKmk4X.png" width="350" height="300">
[[Head back to the door?|Open the door?]]]
(set: $prayer3 to true)](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You were going to start on a new bag of pasta, but you can’t stand another day of the same food.
(stop:)]]
(live: 5s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[It doesn't taste good anymore. You don’t know if you can stomach another bite.
(stop:)]]
(live: 10s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Instead, you take your set of keys, the ones to the front door, and drop them in pan you were going to use for your dinner.
(stop:)]]
(live: 16s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[They won’t melt, but they’ll deform.
(stop:)]]
(live: 19s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[A precautionary measure…you don't trust yourself to stay away from the door.(stop:)]]
(live: 22s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You eventually [[go to bed]].(stop:)]](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[“No, don’t lock the door!” She screams.
(stop:)]]
(live: 5s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[She reaches out a hand, the other cradling a child to her chest.
(stop:)]]
(live: 9s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You couldn’t do anything else. You had to make a decision.
(stop:)]]
(live: 14s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Die with your wife and child...or survive.
(stop:)]]
(live: 18s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[It was a heavy burden, but it had to be done. You closed the door.(stop:)]]
(set: $counter to 23)
(live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1)(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "Day Four")]](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[For the first time, you don’t wake to the sound of banging on the door.(stop:)]]
(live: 3s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[Just the howling wind.(stop:)]]
(live: 6s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[You get up…(stop:)]]
(live: 9s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[It’s hard to see, the bulbs are blown. Strange.(stop:)]]
(set: $counter to 12)
(live: 1s)[(set: $counter to it - 1)(if: $counter is 0)[(go-to: "The Door")]](live: 1s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[The door is open.(stop:)]]
(live: 3s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[The lock and chains, the metal bars, the bolts, are nowhere to be seen.(stop:)]]
(live: 9s)[(t8n:"dissolve")[And whatever was outside…is now [[inside]].(stop:)]]Tap. Tap. Tap.
You feel hot breath upon your neck.
You can hear it shambling, its claws upon the wallpaper, the smack of its tongue on its wet lips.
You can even hear its eyes swivel in its sockets, tracking every movement of your body.
[[Turn around?]]
[[Head outside?]]Oh no….no, no, no!
It extends its hand, grabbing hold of your wrist.
It’s cold and clammy, its knuckles fused together. The hair upon its arm prickles as it yanks you into the darkness.
The last thing you see are its teeth, glinting in the dark.
---
The EndYou take a tentative first step out, away from the beast.
The sun is harsh. Being cooped up for so long, it hurts your eyes.
You look over the world, laid flat by the terror of nuclear war.
You close your eyes and take a great lungful of air and exhale…the last breath of the human race.
---
The EndThe moonlight glints, peeking through the heavy clouds, thrown up by the bombs of war.
You look towards the horizon, the cold silence and still life, a husk of what was there before.
Until something moves ahead of you.
[[Continue|Death]].The clouds break and you see it in its full glory.
You can hear it shambling, its claws in the dirt.
You hear the smack of its tongue on its wet lips.
You can even hear its eyes swivel in its sockets.
The eyes eventually latch onto you.
The beast slowly starts tracking forward.
[[Continue|Bombs Killed]].The bombs killed everyone.
You were the only one left.
Were.
No-one but you...and the beast in front of you.
And the beast longs for the your mortal soul and the taste of fresh meat once again.
---
The End'The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door...'
The original work was created by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, with Frederic Brown building a full plot around the two setences.
[[Head back|Start]].