Night Switch g.02 :: Dreams of the Quill v5

9/12/08 Night Switch g.02

By spambot | Comments: 2

Beware grues.

Subway Platform
You are standing on a subway platform. To the north are subway tracks, running east-west. To the south is a turnstile, and beyond it the lobby. The platform is crowded with sullen commuters.

> i
In your right hand is a subway card.
On your left wrist is a watch.

> x card
It is a crisp ten-ride card for the New York City subway system. It has three stamps on it. It was purchased seventeen hours and eight minutes ago, and the most recent stamp is from 5:17pm.

> x watch
You strain slightly to read the cracked display of this clunky digital watch. It is 5:18 pm

You hear a pathetic whimpering from the south.

> s
The path is blocked.

You hear a pathetic whimpering from the south.

> hop turnstile
—– Sorry, i don’t understand the term ‘hop.’

You hear a pathetic whimpering from the south.

> jump over turnstile
Subway Station Lobby
You are in the lobby of a filthy subway station. A trickle of light coming down the stairwell to the east provides the only illumination. To the north is the turnstile, and beyond it the subway platform. Along the wall to the south are several ticket machines and a large map. To the west is a small station agent’s booth.

Loud sobs are coming from the center of a crowd of people.

> x map
The map is too faded to read from your current position.

Loud sobs are coming from the center of a crowd of people.

> approach map
The path is blocked.

An all-out bawing of epic proportions is coming from the center of a crowd of people.
A station agent is pushing her way through the crowd from the west.

> hit crowd
You elbow your way through the crowd. In the center of the crowd you come upon a woman doubled over crying.

A station agent is pushing her way through the crowd from the west.

> x woman
It is your boss, Ms. Harris. She does not have a purse.

The crowd of people glares at you.
A station agent is pushing her way through the crowd from the west.

> say “what’s wrong, harris?”
The woman replies: “(sobbing)no… money. purse… in… car.”

The crowd of people glares at you.
A station agent is pushing her way through the crowd from the west. The station agent appears to be shouting.

> lift woman
You pull Ms. Harris to her feet.
—– Ms. Harris added to inventory.

The crowd of people glares at you.
A station agent is pushing her way through the crowd from the west. The station agent appears to be shouting.

> e
The path is blocked.

The crowd of people glares at you.
A station agent is pushing her way through the crowd from the west. The station agent appears to be shouting. The station agent is brandishing a gun.

> hit crowd
You punch the closest face. A man’s head is flung back into the nose of the woman behind him. With a spectacular spray of blood, the people fall like dominoes, opening a path to the east.

The crowd of people is cheering loudly.
A station agent is pushing her way through the crowd from the west. The station agent appears to be shouting. The station agent is brandishing a gun.

> e
Streetcorner in Queens
You are on a streetcorner in Queens. The rush-hour commute traffic is not moving at all. There is a stairway down to a subway station here.

From below you hear a cheering crowd and gunshots.

> n
Hood of a Taxi Cab
You are on the hood of a taxi cab in a traffic jam in Queens.

From the south you hear a cheering crowd and gunshots.

> n
Hood of a Taxi Cab
You are on the hood of a taxi cab in a traffic jam in Queens.

To the south a taxi cab driver is desperately trying to open the door of his cab.
From the south you hear a cheering crowd and gunshots.

> n
Hood of a Taxi Cab
You are on the hood of a taxi cab in a traffic jam in Queens.

To the south a taxi cab driver has broken his windshield with the butt of a shotgun and climbed onto the hood.
You are deafened by a cacophony of gun shots and car horns.

> n
Hood of a Limousine
You are on the hood of a limousine in a traffic jam in Queens.

To the south a taxi driver holding a shotgun lies dead on the hood of a taxi cab, shot by the taxi driver whose car he was standing on.
You are deafened by a cacophony of gun shots and car horns. Your ears are ringing. You can no longer hear.

> n
Streetcorner in Queens
You are on a streetcorner in Queens. The rush-hour commute traffic is not moving at all. There is an escalator down to a subway station here. A narrow footpath snakes between two buildings to the northwest.

To the south a bullet-riddled taxi cab is exploding.

> nw
Footpath
You are on a narrow footpath between two skyscrapers. The buildings on each side are so tall that only a narrow strip of sky is visible between them. The path continues to the northwest. To the south is a busy street.

> nw
Footpath
You are on a narrow footpath between two skyscrapers. There is a dumpster here. A man sits on the dumpster looking at you. The path continues to the northwest.

The man seems to be speaking.

> x man
The man wears ragged clothes but is clean-shaven with a smart hair cut. He is sitting in an easy lotus position, with his wrists resting on his knees. In his left hand is a short corncob pipe. The pipe does not appear to be lit.

The man looks slightly offended at your probing visual inspection.
Your ears have stopped ringing. You can hear again.

> say “uh… hi.”
The man replies: “(closing eyes and turning away from you)”

You hear an explosion from the south. The southern end of the path is lit up.

> say “…um… hello?”
The man replies: “(ignores you)”