>What's the Deal with Spooky Girl Quest?
https://pastebin.com/k14PSj93

>Archive
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=Spooky+Girl

>QM Twitter
https://twitter.com/timekillerqm


I allow between ten and twenty minutes for voting depending on the importance of the issue and how divided the vote is. If the vote is tied up, I usually allow an extra five minutes for a tie breaker, and if no one votes, I roll for the tie breaker.

I always try to incorporate (and encourage!) write ins if they don't violate the spirit of voted decisions, though I may edit or tweak them to fit better.

Vignettes

>All for Blood (Alice losing her parents)
https://pastebin.com/2ZNcarjJ

>Memories (Some memorable events of Alice's past)
https://pastebin.com/yptkkkQX

File: Woods.jpg (159 KB, 1024x793)

159 KB JPG

You drop the knife in a flash, watching it fall to the dirt.

{Oh, that? That's nothing, Alice. Nothing to be worried about. Really, this must all be very jarring for you. I think it would be best if you went back to sleep.}

"Wh-where am I?" You demand, spinning around in panic, feeling the cold night air pressing in around you.

Before they respond, you feel your Friend shift uneasily in your mind.

{We're actually almost home. You shouldn't-}

"Was that blood?" You ask. "On the knife. Was that blood?" Your stomach churns in cold fear.

{Yes.}

"Who's blood!?" you shout, look at your hands and arms and not seeing any wounds. "Who's blood was that!?"

{It's no one that you need to worry about, Alice. Please. I understand how this must seem to you, but there is no reason to be afraid. I'm taking you home now, and when you wake up I'll explain everything.}


>Get out of my head! I'll find my own way back!
>No one I need to worry about? Are you fucking kidding me? Am I sleep murdering people!?
>Fine. I'll trust you for now, but I want answers when we get back!
>Write in

>>2468848
>No one I need to worry about? Are you fucking kidding me? Am I sleep murdering people!?
>If this is how it is going to be, you'll be banished to the octopus 24 by 7. Choose your next words carefully

Also, glad you are back

>>2468884
Good to be back. Being away hurts me.

>>2468848
>No one I need to worry about? Are you fucking kidding me? Am I sleep murdering people!?

>>2468866
>>2468926

>No one I need to worry about? Are you fucking kidding me? Am I sleep murdering people!?
+
>Write in


>writing

You sputter uselessly for a moment before finding your words. "No one I need to worry about? Are you fucking kidding me?"

{Alice-}

"Am I sleep murdering people!?" You're getting shrill now, you hardly ever get shrill.

{As i said, Alice, I am happy to explain everything after-}

"No," you say, "If this is how you're going to treat me, then you're going to be spending the next couple life times in a stuffed octopus!" You fume silently a moment before adding, "So you'd better pick your next words very carefully."

You feel a strange vibration in your mind, maybe a sigh?

{I don't have a physical body-}

"Tell me something I don't know," you retort.

{So therefore, I sometimes find it necessary to borrow yours, Alice. I was- . . . I was killing the enemy tonight.}

You stop, some of your rage dying there on the spot. Enemy? You only think it and don't say it. This is the verge of an information breakthrough.

{There was violation of the Agreement and I was simply redressing the balance. Alice, I'm sorry.}

"What agreement?" you ask, voice dangerously low.

More hesitation.

{Alice it's not-}

"Tell me. Now. Last chance."

{The Agreement is a set of laws meant to govern both sides of this conflict. it's what prevents anything from happening to you until Halloween, at least directly.}

"That web of occurrences?" you ask.

{-Is protected by the Agreement, yes. I can't talk about it anymore, Alice. I really can't it risks voiding the Agreement which- I'll add- works for your benefit. You and any other humans involved in this. Suffice to say what you killed- what I killed . . . they weren't people, Alice. Not anymore.}

So you did kill someone or something tonight.

{I'm sorry, Alice. I really am. I did not meant to frighten you and I never wanted to lie to you. There was no danger to you, I would keep you safe.}

The words aren't very comforting when whispered in your mind in the woods in the dead of night.

"Yeah okay," you say. "I don't understand any of this though, and I don't like being kept in the dark.

{A child doesn't understand why she is stabbed with needles in a strange room by a doctor or why she must eat food that she finds disgusting. These things are good for them, they simply don't know better. In a way, Alice, you are only a child. I'm trying to help you.}

"I'm an adult," you say firmly, "I'm just not well informed."

{It's a necessity, Alice. For the Agreement.}


>Never do this again without consulting me first
>Next time, I want to be awake when you do this
>This crossed a line, once you get me home, you're OUT
>I don't like it, but I understand.
>Write in

>>2468993
>Next time, I want to be awake when you do this

>>2468993
>Why are you calling them "The Enemy"? I thought i had a choice. For all i know, you could end up being my enemy. You sure don't sound like a friend to me right now
>You like agreements? How about a new one? From now on, you are not allowed to inhabit my body while i am sleeping. The especifics of this agreement will be decided when we get home. Failure to comply with this deal will result in permanent expulsion from my body unless I rebuke this decision while not under control of foreign forces to my body.
>You can deny, and get the fuck out right now. Your choice

>>2468905
>>2468848
Hey, OP, good to see you again. How'd your hiatus treat you?

>>2468993
>Next time, I want to be awake when you do this
>I'll get to decide for myself whether or not what happens is something I'd want to be awake for.

>>2468993
>>Next time, I want to be awake when you do this

>>2469024
>How'd your hiatus treat you?

It was rewarding. I got so much planning done.
Plus I went to Disney World . . .

>Next time, I want to be awake when you do this

+

>Write ins


>writing

"Next time," you say, "I want to be awake for all this."

{That's understandable Alice, and I can't refuse your request, but you must do as I say. If you hesitate or change your mind, the results could be very bad.}

"Fine," you say, not sure if you were lying or not. "I'll decide for myself whether or not what happens is something I want to be awake for."

{Well for both our sakes, I hope that we don't have to make any more late night trips, but if so, I will be sure to wake you up.}

"Thoughtful," you snort. "Also, I have to say, you're not being a very good friend to me right now," you say, arms crossed, ignoring the goosebumps across your skin from the cold air.

You experience that stragne feeling within your mind, something like a plucked guitar string. Your friend is surprised.

{What?}

"Taking me around killing people in the middle of the night? On a school night! Plus, you call them 'the enemy' but you also said I get to make up my mind. Well I haven't yet, so what happens if you become the enemy?"

You feel something sinking in your mind, like a stone dropped into a pond.

{I wouldn't oppose your decision, Alice. But- . . . If you knew what I knew, you wouldn't say things like that!}

"Well I don't know what you know, do I?"

{. . . You do not.}

"Tell you the truth, I don't like you in my body while I'm sleeping. You give me weird dreams, you make me go places . . . kill people. It sucks."

{I'm sorry Alice. I never meant to hurt or frighten you, and I never meant to anger you. I am your friend.}

"Saying it doesn't make it true. Prove it."

{I will. In time. Please. We should get you home, Alice. You're tired and cold.}

You want to argue, but your Friend is right. You shiver and rub your hands on your arms.

{Don't forget the knife, Alice. I'll guide you home.}

You look down at the blood caked kitchen knife, a butchers knife. You really should leave it here, you think. Bury it, throw it up in a tree somehow, but . . . You can't. This particular knife is actually important to you.


>It's the knife that you used to cut yourself for the first time
>It's your mother's favorite kitchen knife until the tip chipped
>It's from the house warming gift your parents bought Grace when she got her home with Mark
>Write in

>>2469088
>>It's your mother's favorite kitchen knife until the tip chipped

>>2469088
>It's from the house warming gift your parents bought Grace when she got her home with Mark

>Don't your side have any agents to deal with this shit? At least i hope these late night murders are netting me souls or something

>>2469088
>It's the knife that you used to cut yourself for the first time

>>2469088
>>It's from the house warming gift your parents bought Grace when she got her home with Mark

Cutting ourself, that would be pretty edgy.

>>2469111
If it weren't, it wouldn't cut

>It's from the house warming gift your parents bought Grace when she got her home with Mark
>>2469106
>>2469111

+Write in question

>writing


>>2469117
>Pun
+4 chuckled

With a sigh, you pick up the knife again, careful not to get more blood on your hand. This was the biggest knife from the set your parents bought for Grace and Mark's new house. The one with the 'guest room' they never got to use. You feel a profound sense of loss as you look down at it. You see a blood-tinted image of yourself reflected in the blade, silhouette cast by moonlight. This knife is a small piece of a future that will never be, one that was taken from Grace and Mark as much as it was from you the night your parents died.

You think about wiping the blood off, then wonder if someone will find it, and instead opt to hold it awkwardly.

{This way, Alice.}

You feel a slight tug in the direction of home.

Leaves crunch beneath your feet as you walk, flinching away from sharp sticks buried in the dead foliage.

{Next time, we'll put on some shoes. I'm sorry about your feet, Alice.}

"Doesn't your side have any agents to do this shit?"

A light flutter from your mind.

{What exactly do you think I'm supposed to be here to do? But no, the Agreement limits the forces we can bring to bear. This is a good thing. It's just up to me, and you if you're inclined to help.}

"We'll see." You look right to see you are walking parallel to the road, house lights shining distantly through the trees. "Are these late night murders at least netting me souls or something?"

{It has to still have a soul for us to take it. But how is it you think I was able to 'pay' for that new body you're so proud of?}

Your eyes widen, "This wasn't a gift?"

"Oh, it was. But even gifts have a price, you just weren't the one who had to pay it. If it makes you feel any better, it was another enemy.}

You see your house ahead and narrow your eyes, "I'd feel better if I knew who these supposed enemies were or why they had to die."

{They violated the Agreement. I can kill or destroy them without repercussions. The same would happen to me in short order if they found that I had violated the Agreement . . . And if they found a way to get to me without harming you.}

You finally exit the woods behind your house and cross silently through the cold, damp grass to the back door which you open and then close behind you.

(1/2)

You walk softly, your bare feet making your silence easier, but you have to be careful not to track dirt across the hardwood floor downstairs. You make your way up to the upstairs bathroom where you gently push the door closed and start stripping, pulling off your oversized sleep shirt and trying not to shiver as the relatively warm air of the house touches your skin.

You are about to toss the shirt on the floor when you see a spattering of dark red across the front of it. More blood. Your skin crawls at the sight of someone's blood on your clothes and you instead throw it in the sink and turn on the water to soak it. You'd throw it in the washing machine before you went to bed. Your underwear are next, likewise going into the sink, just to be safe. Lastly, you drop the blood caked knife into the filling sink. You'd hide it in your room until you can more thoroughly clean it.

Now naked, you turn on the hot water and climb into the shower, water racing over your body and face. You close your eyes and turn in place, running your hands through your hair and imagine you're somewhere else. It's easy to do as you let the heat from the shower soak through you. You weren't in Roselake, you were on a tropical beach somewhere, soaking up the sun, something you'd never done before or really had any desire to do, but it took you away from here.

You're not sure how long you were in the shower before you felt clean. You don't have any clothes aside from the ones you soaked, so you wrap yourself in a towel and finish your grim chores, throwing the stained clothing in the washing machine set to "Sanitary" with plenty of detergent.

The knife would be hidden for now and scrubbed clean tomorrow, your clothes would be wet, but clean as well. You're nervous, but also strangely calm given the situation. You'd get through this. Somehow.

There was nothing left but to go to bed.

>Go to bed
>Questions for Friend (Write in)
>Write in

>>2469188
>>Go to bed

>>2469188
>Go to bed
>Just to be safe. Stay out of my body while i sleep. If something comes up you can wake me up.


>I am not an armor

>Go to bed

+ Write in

>writing

You spend a few minutes brushing your hair in the mirror, picking out and leaves and twigs you find left over. Once you're satisfied, you finish dressing for bed and climb into the covers, the knife stowed in your attic crawlspace. You lay in silence a minute, staring up at the circular window beside your bed before you speak up.

"I don't want you . . . Inside me tonight."

{What?}

Your Friend sounds startled.

"Just to be safe, stay out of my body tonight. You can wake me if there's danger"

{But, Alice, I don't like being away from you.}

"Is that it?" you ask, "Or do you just want to use me as 'armor'?"

{Alice, no. It's not like that. This arrangement helps both of us! If they can't get to me, then I can ensure they don't get to you. I've been very open about this.}

"You've told me what you wanted to," you reply. "You told me what you felt was safe to tell me."

{Yes, because the Agreement-}

"I don't care about that. What about what I agree to?" you snap.

Your Friend doesn’t answer.

"You can stay beside me. But I want to be alone."

You turn onto your side, staring at the wall.

{Okay, Alice. I'll do that for you. I hope you'll forgive me by tomorrow.}

You don't answer, instead you fixate on that strange sense of being weighted down as your Friend leaves for the plus Skelleypus that sits beside you on the bed

You squeeze your eyes shut and try to sleep.

After another moment, your Friend speaks, their voice weak and child-like.

{Do you really intend to visit that cabin again with Zack this weekend, Alice?}

"Yes," you say, "But only after you and I have dealt with whatever is in there."

The plush Skeleypus shifts nervously beside you.

{If that's what you want to do Alice. It's certainly preferable to taking Zack in there.}

"You keep saying that," you say, thinking about Zack and you throwing hatchets in that abandoned building, "What's in there that could hurt him, but not me?"

{Oh, Alice, it might hurt you. But it would destroy Zack. I suspect that whatever is in there is a malevolent spirit, perhaps a ghost, perhaps something different.}

"A wraith?" You ask, remembering the term your Friend had used when describing Ellie's more feral state.

{Possibly. I suppose we'll find out tomorrow. What about the bookstore, Alice? Do you plan on continuing your investigation into Horned Gods?}


>That can wait until after we've dealt with this cabin thing
>There's plenty of time after school to check it out and go to the cabin afterward
>Write in

>>2469278
>>That can wait until after we've dealt with this cabin thing

>>2469278
>That can wait until after we've dealt with this cabin thing

"Do you think there's a way to get that spirit to move on peacefully? I'd rather do that, if it's possible..."

>>2469278
>That can wait until after we've dealt with this cabin thing
>Back when we... Helped Ellie. You wanted me to "consume" her. Can i do that... To wraiths?

>Then go to sleep after getting our answer

>That can wait until after we've dealt with this cabin thing

>write ins

>writing

"That can wait until after we deal with this cabin thing," you say.

{Very well, Alice. Maybe you'll trust me a bit more by then?}

"I probably won't have much of a choice," you say. So, do you think there's a way to get that spirit to move on peacefully? I'd rather do that, if it's possible . . ."

{I can't say Alice. I didn't think you would be able to help Ellie. I was wrong. It may be less human than she was though. She was caught in a cycle of loneliness and pain. You helped her. This thing, I only felt envy and anger.}

You lay in bed silent a few seconds, your thoughts dwelling on Ellie, wondering where she may be now. "Back when we . . . helped Ellie. You wanted me to 'consume' her. Can i do that... To wraiths?"

{Oh yes. Provided it's weak enough. It may be a bit of a struggle. Don't worry about it, I will tell you more in the morning.}

You yawn, "Okay."

{Goodnight Alice.}

That night you don't dream, you fall into sleep the same way someone might fall down an open elevator shaft.

(1/2)

The final bell for school couldn't come soon enough. Another mundane day. Chad didn't try to hit on you, no strangers kissed you. In fact, you didn't see that smelly weirdo anywhere today, not that you’d ever seen him before then either. You eat with Sam and Franz, you go to your classes, and you come out okay, making your way straight home to finish up your homework.

Getting out to Zack's house without his knowledge meant you'd need to fly there. You'd also have to wait till dark to avoid any questions asked. It wasn't a situation you were looking forward to, flying around the woods at night and facing evil.

You'd spent a few minutes with Friends going over what to bring. The list of suggestions was short. Dress conservatively, bring a first aid kid (swiped from the back of Mark's truck) and bring the knife from the night before. You didn't ask, and your Friend didn't explain.

Next you only have to wait until Mark and Grace go to bed to leave from your room.

When you're ready to go, you- almost reluctantly- call your Friend into yourself and lift your feet from the ground, floating into the air, toward your ceiling and out through the roof of your house.

Following your phone's GPS to Zack's house is easy enough, though it takes nearly an hour to get there. It's harder to find the hill and old boy scout building. Once you do, you follow the terrain, headed for a high point.

{This is an awful amount of work just to try to protect some boy, Alice.}

You were marveling at how nice it is to simply levitate along up the hill rather than walking when your Friend speaks. You're surprised to hear something like irritation in their voice.

"What are you complaining about? You're just along for the ride."

{I'm merely confused. If you wanted something from Zack then you've have ample opportunity to get it. I can't read your thoughts, but I can feel how you feel and I know how he makes you feel.}

Gross. You suppress a shiver. "Maybe I want something besides sex from Zack," you say.

{Friendship? Surely you can't love him.}

"And why not?" You ask as you circle around a tree, a bit of temper edging into your voice. "And I'm not saying I do love him, I'm just asking."

{We've talked about love, haven't we, Alice? I just don't understand how, knowing what you know now about yourself, that you can love a mere human.}


>Because I never wanted to be anything other than a 'mere human'
>I care about people, I don't want anyone to get hurt
>Who I love or don't love is none of your business
>Write in

>>2469354
>Because I never wanted to be anything other than a 'mere human'
>And the fact that you keep thinking about us in that way. It upsets me.

>>2469354
>I care about people, I don't want anyone to get hurt

"Besides, you've probably heard about gods and goddesses who took mortal lovers. It was a popular thing in ancient Greece and Roman times. I think it was because the gods sometimes got tired of their responsibilities every once in a while, and wanted to be with someone a bit more down to earth."

"Of course, there's also the fact that some people prefer being in a position of authority over their lover..."

"No, that's not my fetish, shut up!"

>>2469363
>>2469369

>Writing

"Because I never wanted to be anything other than a 'mere human'," you fail to keep some bitterness out of your voice. "And I the fact that you keep thinking about us in that way upsets me."

{I'm sorry, Alice. Forgive me. It's so hard for me to change my thinking. I forgot that you wanted me to think as a human would.}

"Well it would make it easier for you to relate to me for one," you say. "It'd help you realize that I care about people. I don't want anyone to get hurt if I can help it."

{A noble goal.}

"Besides, you say I'm something special right? Well you've probably heard about gods and goddesses who took mortal lovers. It was a popular thing in ancient Greece and Roman times. I think it was because the gods sometimes got tired of their responsibilities every once in a while, and wanted to be with someone a bit more down to earth."

{You think Zack might give you a chance at a simpler life?}

You're shocked to hear what may be sympathy in Friend's tone.

"I mean, maybe," you say. "It's like the . . . Not being able ot have kids thing, I'd like to have an option at whatever kind of life I might want."

{You know Alice, sometimes I think those Overentities took human lovers because they liked the feeling of power over them. I have to say, it's a bit uncharacteristic for you to want power over your lover. If I recall, you prefer it to be the other way aro-}

"Okay okay!" you snap, "This is literally not the time." You push aside the memory of your fantasies of Zack's arms around you the last time you were here. Later. Maybe.

You stop within sight of the dilapidated building, its open windows like gaping eye sockets. The air here is very still, all around, scattered throughout the dead, nearly lifeless zone around it are broken bottles, tin sheets, and car parts. The dirt here looks oily somehow, the only life are a few hardy vines that have snaked in from the outside.

(1/2)

File: Cabin.jpg (407 KB, 1024x683)

407 KB JPG

"So," you ask, voice a whisper, "How does this work exactly? Do I go in there and ... ghost bust it?"

{What? No. Do you remember consuming Cliff, Alice?}

You did, though recalling the orgasmic feeling you felt as you drained his life filled you with a mixture of excitement and shame, both of which you suppress. "Yeah."

{It will be the same. Whatever is in there may resist though. When that happens, it may be something more akin to a physical struggle.}

"Okay, and how do I wrestle a ghost?"

{I'll guide you. Did you ever dance on your father's feet?}

The recollection is painful. "Yes."

{It will be like that.}

"Okay," you say.

{And you have the knife.}

You look at the knife in your hands, no polished clean. "So? It's a knife," you say.

{It's a symbol.}

Your incomprehension is obvious to your Friend.

{There is power in symbols, power in meaning, power in belief, Alice. This is why a single man with a banner can be as important or more so than a dozen with rifles. This is why people are willing to kill and die for an Empire that has never lifted a hand to help them.}

"Your point?"

{The point is that knife has some importance to you. It is 'blessed' by your belief in effect. If you recall that vessel you make me inhabit-}

"Skelleypus," you say.

{That. It only serves as an anchor for me because it has sentimental value to you. Emotional value. It's a symbol or something to you. Like that knife.}

You look to the knife and study the intricate patter of hairline scratches across it from constant use. You remember how pristine and shiny it had been the day Grace opened it in her new house. "Blessed, huh? Are you saying I can stab a ghost?"

{That is exactly what I'm saying. Your belief gives the knife power. The power to cut, the power to harm, the power to protect you.}

"Great."

You press forward and cross the dead threshold around the cabin, crossing the greasy, bare expanse to the front door you and Zack entered through. Every step you take is harder than the last, as if gravity were somehow increasing, and you likewise feel cold again, like you stepped into a deep ocean current.

Now you stand in the doorway, looking into the black expanse within, your breath plainly visible. You click on the light and scatter the shadows. A terrific stench of putrid grapes and moldering Tobacco hits you in a wave. You try not to gag and try to calm yourself.

>Enter Cabin
>Write in

>>2469425
>>Enter Cabin

Enter humming the Ghostbusters theme to yourself

>Enter Cabin
>Bustin makes me feel good

>Writing

You quietly hum the Ghost Buster's theme as you push open the door. The floor creaks under the weight of your boot as you step into the cabin, knife glinting in your right hand, flashlight beam sweeping the room before you. It's easily ten degrees colder in this room that it is outside, your fingertips tingle in the frosty air.

This was the farthest you'd ever gone into this building. As foolish as it was, you found yourself wishing that Zack was here with you.

{It's here. I feel it, can't you?}

You feel as if the whole cabin were tilting like a drinking glass to draw you into the maw of something. "I do."

{We have to go deeper in. Don't be afraid, Alice. I'll protect you. I'm here with you.}

You want to scream at your friend that an invisible voice in your head is hardly comforting, but you swallow your words and walk deeper into the structure, passing through another tossed room until you end up in a dark corridor running parallel between two rooms, something like a 4-way junction, a door in front of you and behind you, and a long hall running to either side, just broad enough for two people to walk, shoulder to shoulder.

"I heard about you." A man's voice with a country twang.

You whirl around and see the shape of a man, a big man, shambling through a narrow hallway toward you, step by step.

You're so startled by his sudden appearance that you initially can't do anything other than let out a quiet squeak of surprise and take a step back into the room you just came from.

"I have these dreams, ya see? Dreams like I'm dead, like I'm in Hell. Dreams like I'm stuck here." He stops mere meters from you reeking of old wine. "Sometimes people talk to me in my dreams- tell me stuff." He wears rough clothing, his features are obscured in shadow from an unseen light source. "I been talkin with a man who stinks like shit. He told me about a pretty girl in black. He told me she got somethin special. Something I could use." He pauses a moment. "Maybe you could try givin it to me."


>I'm not here to help you, I'm here to get rid of you
>I don't think I can give it to you, but I want to help you
>A man who stinks? Who? And who are you?
>Write in

>>2469475
>A man who stinks? Who? And who are you?

If that fails:
>Here you go, buddy
>(Stab)

>>2469475
>A man who stinks? Who? And who are you?

"I think I met the guy who smelled like that. He literally got up close to me and stuck his tongue down my throat. If you believe him, he'll just screw you over."

>>2469485
>>2469491

>writing

You take a deep breath, breathing through your mouth to avoid the smell of decay.

"A man who stinks? Who? And who are you?"

The spectral man cocks his head slightly. "Who? Hell, I don't even know anymore. I been in this damn place so long." He looks around himself like he's never seen this place. "It never ends here."

"I think I met the guy who smelled like that. He literally got up close to me and stuck his tongue down my throat. If you believe him, he'll just screw you over," you say, tightening your grip on the knife and getting bold enough to spotlight his face with your flashlight. You're perturbed to see that the shadows across it aren't dispelled by your light.

"Heh, stuck his tongue down your throat huh? Ballsy." he takes another step toward you.

"He's a liar, whatever he told you," you say.

"Well, I guess I can find that out myself. Been a while since I had a pretty girl in here, what do you say we make the most of it?"

{It's hopeless, Alice. Let's kill him.}


>Attack
>I might be able to help you, don't you want to get out of this place?
>Run
>Write in

>>2469520
>Attack

>>2469520
>>Attack

Slash this creep open from gizzard to throat.

>>2469527
>>2469541
>Attack

>writing

"Fuck it." You follow invisible guide wires, stepping forward and sweeping the knife upward in a broad cut.

The blade catches the ghost in the chest and flashes across his body until the blade comes up, catching him in the chin.

The man staggers back, blood running in thin streams from a long vertical cut across his chest and stomach.

You take a short breath, startled by how fast you moved.

{See, easy.}

"You goddam bitch. You little bitch," the ghost man presses a hand to his chin and brings it away bloody. His face is still a mass of shadow, but now you see twinkling brightness at the bottom of it, a sharp, hard light. "You goddam little whore, I'm gonna tear you a new asshole."

You recoil in fear as he surges forward, a wave of darkness spreading behind him to envelop the hallways.

{Don't run, Alice. Don't be afraid. I'll guide you.}

The specter reaches for you, broad hand racing for your throat, fingers hooked in rage.

You draw back your knife and with mechanical precision, plunge it through his palm, square in the center.

The man lets out a howl of anguish and grabs his wrist, dropping to his knees.

For good measure, you twist the blade slightly, eliciting a spurt of thick, bright red blood, and another scream. Like that, all of the fight was taken out of of this behemoth, he's now a slave to his pain.

{See? Easy. Something like this is trivial. Now, you can do what you'd like, Alice. Remember last time and draw him into you.}


>Consume the specter
>Listen to me, I'm going to let you go. I don't want to kill you. I just want to make sure you're not going to harm anyone
>Write in

>>2469591
>Consume

>>2469591
>Consume the specter

"I'd feel sorry for you if you didn't deserve this."

>>2469591
>>Consume the specter
Probably not very healthy though.

>>2469591
>Listen to me, I'm going to let you go. I don't want to kill you. I just want to make sure you're not going to harm anyone

>Consume the specter|
Salud

>Writing

File: Spoiler Image (69 KB, 500x686)

69 KB JPG

You straighten up, maintaining a firm grip on the knife hilt. You are breathing hard, partially from exertion partially from excitement. You hate to admit it, but you're aching for this. "I'd feel sorry for you," you say, "if you didn't deserve this."

Before the ghost can protest, or beg, or insult you drop the flashlight which sends dancing shadows across the walls, and hold out your palm toward him.

There, you feel his essence and seize it. It's not like Cliff's, this one is firmer, more substantial, more vital. Your breath is getting short. You pause long enough to swallow and then pull it toward you. It comes into you in one large bundle of energy, burning deep into your body.

"Ah!" you gasp, your lips trembling, head thrown back, a wave of pleasure washing over you, from your fingertips to your toes. Once the wave subsides you open your eyes again and see the ghost is gone.

{Well done, Alice! I knew you could do it.}

"Y-yeah," your legs are a little shaky and you lean on a nearby wall for support. Your Friend isn't exactly the person you want to be talking with right now.

{It was simple for you. My goodness, you're getting so strong. Oh. I'm sorry, was that one more uhm . . . Powerful? Than the last one I mean.}

"Sh-shut up." you push yourself away from the wall feeling somehow stronger, more energetic though, you could use a good shower.

{Let's get home, Alice. We can clean up and see what newfound abilities you might have.}

"Sure," you saying, trying to catch your breath. "Okay."

***

That's all the time I've got tonight.

Thanks to all who came to play or read!

As always, I am open to any Q&A or vignette requests or whatever.

I don't have a firm schedule for the next game, but I'm hoping it will be in a week or so. My life is still a little topsy-turvy, so it will take some time to get into a regular pattern again. Follow the Twitter for ahead of time updates.

https://twitter.com/timekillerqm

Thanks guys!

>>2469657
Thank you for running, TK

>>2469657
G'night, TK. It's good to have you back writing this again.

See you around!

>>2469663
>>2469682

yeah my pleasure guys!

It's good to be back.

Oh, almost forgot. I'm making a new persona Discord Channel in case anyone says "Wow, this TK guy seems like a really phenomenal chap, I want to blast him with messages." Then this is for you.

https://discord.gg/tcnzM7

Feel free to pop in and chill if so inclined.

I enjoyed this story! Can't wait for it to continue.

>>2470368
Thanks! Glad you're enjoying!

>>2469704
You forgot to set the link to not expire.

>>2471730
My bad, my dude. Try that on for size.
https://discord.gg/WMEDDgX