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Closed Neither Here Nor There: Hellfire

>Look under sheet on Altar

When the sheet is moved, there is a soft whimpering sound, and it being moved reveals a small form cured up on the altar, something shaped vaguely like a human.

The little being is trembling all over, body black and ashy, like burned paper. Parts of its little scorched body glow like embers, and it's limps are blackened and so thin they look like even the gentlest pressure could snap them.

The creature lets out a shivering wail full of pain, opening eyes like gleaming embers and gazing fearfully up at Croshaw.

>Examine papers

The papers are rather old looking, bearing stains of age, and dark brown stains that seem to be blood or dirt. Most of them are personal records, judging by some of the words, and the writing in the spaces.

>Examine hat

The hat is sightly faded in places, and the inside bears a dark stain of blood, as well as a few dark hairs inside. There seems to be a place where another emblem was attached, but it seems to have been torn off.
 
Croshaw lets go of the blanket and backs away, grip on his machete so tight his knuckles turn white. But the creature looks scared...almost as frightened as he does. He doesn't approach but tries to talk to the...person?

"H-hi..." He stammers nervously. As it looks at him, he swallows and lowers his blade, not wanting to scare the little thing anymore than he already has. "...Are you lost too...?" He speaks with a voice that's soft and wavery, eyes taking in the being. It didn't look human, but at the same time it did...so small and fragile. He cautiously took a step forward, to get a closer look.
 
By another spin of her head, Anna's assailant was already off her. Carefully, she rolled onto her bad side so she could hold onto her head without faceplanting.
"Govniuk" she grumbled, before realising she was on the wrong language setting. Just where the hell were they, again? Writing in German, two people speaking English (Which she understood and spoke well enough, luckily), it didn't add up.
"Vhat.. exactly is this" she asked, in a heavy accent. She didn't bother getting up yet and had to rattle her memory of the language a bit. "Vhere are ve, who are you?"
Anna sat up again, getting back to her senses, and picked up one of the scraps of paper to examine more closely. They already looked old, tattered. What startled her was what one of the two girls uncovered under an old box - darting up to her feet, she backed up against the wall, eyes widened.
"Vhat the hell?! T-That's.. Bliad..!"
Anna didn't like this, at all, she recognised it now - but those times were meant to be over. Was this a handful of leftover whackjobs pulling a stunt? It didn't really matter, she wanted out - not to mention a few heads on a platter. Glaring at the door, she scoffed, recomposing her demeanour and crossing her arm across her chest.
"Afraid.. you are on your own. I vould not be any help."
 
Jacob quickly followed Scarlet out of the living tunnel. Wherever it lead, it was somewhere he never, ever wanted to be. Ever.

He skittered down the "Here" path with the others, wincing a little as the soft grass gave way to harsh concrete on his bare feet. Still, he went quickly, not wanting to be left behind. As he approached he heard a woman's voice, thickly accented in a way he didn't recognize. As she came into view he was surprised to find she was missing an arm... is that why she said she wouldn't be of any help? He'd missed the context.

"Uhm..." he said to her, "W...why wouldn't you be any help...?"

Sheepishly he entered the room, trying not to be too intrusive... still, the room of garbage was strange and unnerving. A glance at a few of the papers revealed he was unable to read them. Seeing that everyone else was searching around, he too decided to check a few things, starting with the photographs from the overturned box.

((> Check photographs.
 
>Speak to the Creature

The little creature slid off the altar as soon as it was uncovered, shaking on its slender legs and cowering a bit, moving away from Croshaw. It looked so fragile, blackened skin flaking off as ashes with every movement. It gave no response to being spoken to beyond fearful whining.

>Examine Papers

The bit of paper Anna picked up turns out to be what seemed to be a marriage certificate, written in German, the ink almost too faded to read.

>Examine Photographs

The photographs are all in black-and-white, and quite stained and faded as well, though most of them depict near identical scene: a chain-link fence topped with coils of barbed wire, taken from a worms-eye-view angle.

One of the photos has what looks like the battered and bruised hand of a small child coming from the bottom of the frame and holding tightly to the fence, as if it belonged to the one taking the photograph.

The last photograph in the stack is completely black.
 
Jacob was left stunned by the photographs, his fingers tightening around them as he gets the strong sense that something awful's happened where they're going, the pictures he's seeing now giving him an almost hollow, sick feeling inside... though the last one confuses him. He squints, trying to get a better look despite his better judgment...

((>Check black photograph closer Oh dear god I'm going to regret this so much....
 
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It was only now that Scarlet realized... the girl she had bumped into... her arm hadn't been under her when she had fallen. In fact, it wasn't anywhere. This girl only had one arm.

"Ohhhh dear, I am so sorry... soooo very sorry." She still looked a little shaken from the whole meat tunnel thing, and when she finally saw the hat she nearly flew backward.

"Where... where are we...?!" she looked up at the one examining the photographs, who seemed to look increasingly more horrified as he shuffled through them. "What... what are those...?" She got the distinct feeling that she really did not want to know.
 
>Check Black Photograph

The little square of blackness stays still and perfect for a few moments, but, slowly, ever so slowly, something states to take shape...

The first thing to fade into sight is a pair of glimmering blue eyes near the bottom of the frame, looking pleading up at the viewer, no pupils or whites visible, nothing but a glowing pair of cobalt eyes.

Next came a sheet of raven hair, falling thin and stringy over the pale face that held those striking eyes.

The rest of the picture slowly faded into sight, a mass of thick, heavy barbed wire, slick with blood and viscera. The wires all seemed to be tearing their way out of the back of the blue-eyed child's body.
 
Jacob stood, staring at the photograph, his shaking getting ever more violent as its true picture came to light. As the image revealed itself fully he gave a choked, terrified shriek, unable to look away for a good few seconds before the picture slipped out of his hand and onto the ground. His eyes massive with horror, he slumped to the ground, clutching his knees and burying his face into them, rocking slightly and muttering rapidly under his breath.
 
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A terrified shriek... that couldn't be good. At all.

"Ohhhh dear..." Scarlet's eyes widened as the boy suddenly curled up into a fetal position. The picture fell out of his hands, and against her better judgement, she too took it in her hands and looked at it.

"..."

There was a pregnant pause as her eyes too went huge, the picture still held between her fingers. It had taken her a moment to get the full effect, but she felt her stomach churn in disgust. The photograph fell loosely out of her fingers as she trembled, noticeably retching a few times. Flashing images of her daughters went before her eyes, and from her throat came a weak-sounding squeal as she just... stood there, trembling, gagging a few times but trying desperately not to throw up. Before, she questioned whether she would get home to them, but now... now she wondered desperately whether they were alright, whether they'd been kidnapped too... whether they were still alive.
 
Anna gave little more than a gesture towards the heavy door, as a boy entered the room with curiosity on his voice. Anna was still rather flustered and a bit dizzy, and didn't like repeating herself, to boot. With a discontented sigh, she tossed the scrap of paper back into the pile - even if she could make out the faded lettering enough to read properly, it was obviously going to be impossible to understand. Still, it looked oddly familiar despite the language.. a marriage certificate? But wasn't this a military base?
It didn't much matter, anyway - Anna's train of thought was cut off by a shrill scream - the boy from before. Wincing, Anna backed into the wall again.
"Vhat the hell?! Vhat just happened, who did that!" She exclaimed, voice raising and wavering somewhat unintentionally. She didn't want to admit it, but she was already having a hard time grasping her composure, herself. In a huff, she approached the door without another word, and despite her overall lack of leverage, tried to push it out of her way.
 
No - nononono she did not need people looking at things and screaming. Ara whirled around, the door forgotten for the moment, to look at the photograph...

She backed up, shivering and hands held in front of her protectively, a broken-sounding whimper escaping. This - this couldn't be. It couldn't... That picture was impossible, but she couldn't look away, and when she finally tore her gaze away from it, she hunched over, pressing to the wall and wishing she could blind herself, anything to get that image out of her sight... The sight of the one-armed girl struggling for the door gave her something to do, and she lurched towards her, gasping something that might have been an offer of help before she pushed at it desperately. They - they needed to get out of this place.

((Push door, freak out, get brainbleach))
 
>Push Door

The combined effort of the two girls manages to budge the door, and it swings open, leaving black residue on your hands and clothing where you touched the door.

Outside, the area is covered entirely in concrete, and there are six bunker-like buildings scattered around, not counting the one you are in. There is an enormous pit in the centre of the area, ringed by the bunkers. A pillar of smoke is rising from a chimney on top of the largest bunker, which is farthest away. The bunkers are all identical in appearance, aside from the larger one. The concrete covering the ground and buildings is old, dirty and cracked, and the pit is, oddly, concrete-lined as well
 
Scarlet, eyes wide as plates, all-too-eagerly grabbed her violin again and ran through the open door. She wanted to get out of that room, away from that picture as fast as possible. She wanted to forget she'd ever seen it.

She skidded to a halt outside as she finally saw the pit in the middle of the ground. "Oh... oh dear..." But... she was curious, and so she carefully creeped up to the edge and looked into the pit...
 
Staggering to his feet, Jacob followed the girls out the door, glancing at the black marks it left on his hands. He was still feeling rather shaken, trying desperately to steady his breathing and racing heart. He continued on, into the large concrete area, which was ominous and did nothing to put his mind at ease...

His eyes locked on the pit in the center, and a deep sinking feeling settled in his stomach. It may as well have been the pit to Hell itself, and he was going to avoid it. Instead, he decides to edge away from it, checking the nearest other bunker.

((>Check nearest bunker.
 
>Look into Pit

The pit is deep and the was are blackened with scorch marks. The bottom is a good few yards down, and there is a blackened steel door set exactly in the middle.

There are several slender figures huddled in the corners of the pit in small groups, fragile-looking hands clutching each-other close as if trying to hide or keep warm. The little creatures range in size, but the tallest can't be more than three feet in height. Their bodies glow like embers, and some have the slightest remains of hair on their blackened heads.

The little creatures shiver and make soft pained moans, interspersed by weak croaking sounds.

>Look in nearest Bunker

The door is much lighter, allowing only one person to open it this time. Inside is much the same as the first bunker, blackened door and strewn with garbage...but this time, the garbage seems to be more books and photographs than paper. There are a few back objects in the mess.
 
Scarlet, trying to make sure to keep herself hidden from view, continued to stare down into the pit. There was no way she could get to that door without some sort of aid, nor get back up once she'd examined it. But what really caught her attention... were the little creatures.

They glowed like they were burned, and were blackened like it too. They looked... just the slightest bit like... human children, and... there were the remains of hair on some. Again, her stomach lurched, as she put two and two together about where... they must... be at... and... what those things were...

She had to keep another squeak from leaving her. They... looked like burned...

"Dear god..."
 
As the heavy door finally swung open, Anna shivered, it felt so... cold, here. Not temperature wise, obviously - no, something about this place, beyond the obvious, of course. She wanted out, right now... but yet, it didn't seem like that would be an option for awhile. She gave a light-eyed glance to the girl who had helped her, muttered a 'thank you' in her native language, barely audible - she wasn't too comfortable around people to begin with, and being thrown into such a situation had her on edge. Still, she felt as if she was being too harsh, these people were just as lost as she was, and from the looks of things they'd be getting out of here together.

With an awkward turn, she traipsed around the pit carefully, skirting the edge and glancing down. There was something burning down there - another sign of people... actually, a scarily familiar sign of people, the more she looked, and listened. Stopping, she kneeled down, lowering her head to get the best possible view from up atop the ledge. It hit her like a freight train.
'<D- Dear gods, no- no no no, that can't be, it's...'> She did a couple of mental somersaults before her body reacted, and unable to control herself, she shrieked - backing up from the pit and pressing her back to one of the bunker walls, shaking violently and incoherently swearing in both languages.

<'Need to get out, need to get out, right now, someone is going to pay'>
Desperately, she looked towards the largest bunker - the one with smoke pouring from it. If someone was here, that had to be the place. She carefully made her way over, surveying for something that could be used as a weapon. These people we dangerous, psychopaths, and as she got closer she tried to nudge herself somewhere where she might hear if anything was going on inside.

(( > Look for weapon or some sort of tool
>> If so (and one-handed obviously) take it

> Try to listen to insides of largest bunker))
 
>Look for weapon or some sort of tool

There is nothing to be found outside.

>Try to listen to insides of largest bunker

The bunker is mostly quiet, though, by listening very carefully, a faint sobbing can be made out coming from deep within the guts of the building.
 
Jacob stepped into the bunker, shuddering deeply as he saw more photographs littering the floor... though maybe these wouldn't be so horrible. He also wondered what those black objects scattered around were, and he leaned down, picking up a few of the photos and also getting a better look at the... things, whatever they were.

((Check photographs and black objects
 
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