Start of a transcript of Identification number: //3E40434E-6ED0-4494-9CCC-9237DE36B903// Interpreter version 1.3.5 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson Real-Time Delays by Erik Temple >restart Are you sure you want to restart? yes The only thing you can think to do right now is RUN. >think You rush across the sand as fast as your feet can carry you, the only thought in your head being to RUN. >* I mean maybe I'll have a better idea if I just take a minute That's not a verb I recognise. >contemplate That's not a verb I recognise. >meditate That's not a verb I recognise. >consider That's not a verb I recognise. >think harder I only understood you as far as wanting to think. >think You stumble as you go over a dune, but regain your footing and continue to run... >* I'm good at multitasking! That's not a verb I recognise. >think You sprint breathlessly along, then risk a glance back... They didn't follow you. Thank God. The mansion looks like a miniature on a train set from this distance... You stop to catch your breath, and take a look around. Desolation An Interactive Fiction by Earth Traveler Release 1 / Serial number 200922 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Far off to the east? west? west, you decide, is a mountain range, silhouetted by the blood-red sun. >* "miniature on a train set" is a little confusing That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: your phone a flashlight The hot sun beats down on you. >x phone Your smartphone. You might've used it to call for help, but it's not getting any reception. You guess that makes sense since you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, but you were able to text her earlier... Your stomach rumbles unpleasantly. >x flashlight A black metal flashlight. You're not sure how much battery life is left, so you'll only turn it on if you really need it. On the upside, you know from experience it makes a good weapon. The flashlight is currently switched off. A hot wind blows across the desert. >x me As good-looking as ever. >* I mean seems like I just sprinted away from a traumatic captivity That's not a verb I recognise. >* So I'm guessing I'm usually not that good-looking as a rule! That's not a verb I recognise. >x desert You can't see any such thing. >l The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. A hot wind blows across the desert. >x sand Loose yellow grains, just about the only thing you can see in any direction. >x wind You can't see any such thing. >listen The hot sun beats down on you. >x mansion Looking at it sends a chill down your spine. You're never going back there. EVER. >s The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. >s The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. Your throat begs for water. >s The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. Your stomach rumbles unpleasantly. >s The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You can see a skeleton here. A hot wind blows across the desert. >* Oh hey! That's not a verb I recognise. >x skeleton Half-buried in the sand, with any flesh having long ago rotted away. Its bones are bleached white. A sturdy leather canteen is in the skeleton's left hand. This does not bode well for your prospects of survival. >take canteen Taken. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. The hot sun beats down on you. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You stifle a yawn. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. The hot sun beats down on you. Your eyelids droop heavily, but you force them back open. >sleep This is no time to lie around and nap. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. Your eyelids droop heavily, but you force them back open. >* No, it seems fine! You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. Your legs feel like lead. You can't go much further. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. You feel simply exhausted, but you're not about to stop just yet. >w You just can't go any further. You find a shady spot at the foot of a particularly tall dune, and lay down to relax, and close your eyes and... You open your eyes, and blink heavily. You're staring a ceiling, a ceiling that seems very familiar. You sit up. You look around, bewildered. It seems that you're right back in your apartment, and that you've just woken up from a horrific nightmare. You breathe a sigh of relief. There's no endless desert, no men in white robes, no evil two-braided girl out to get you... You shudder at the last thought as you get up. Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, which you were sleeping on for some reason, a venus flytrap under the window, your old stereo in the corner, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom... everything right where it should be. >* Oh, phew, everything's fine You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. > I beg your pardon? >* Maybe a sandwich That's not a verb I recognise. >x desk An old but sturdy wooden desk placed into one corner of the room. It's your go-to in the rare event you need to write something out by hand. An aging lamp stands tall on the desk. As you approach the desk, the lamp seems to glow with unusual brightness... then flickers and goes dark. Bulb must've burnt out. You sigh. You figure you'll deal with that after you get back from your trip with Lisa. On the desk are a lamp and a notepad. An ad for Dasani comes on the stereo. >x kitchen A small kitchen unit in a far corner of your apartment. It has a fridge, a sink, and some cupboards. >open fridge You open the fridge to look for food, but a huge pile of sand unexpectedly comes pouring out instead. Dammit. Some prankster must've broken in and thought it would be funny to mess up your fridge. You sigh. This is going to be another thing to deal with when you get back. You hear the McDonalds jingle on the radio. >* Is this Shade? That's not a verb I recognise. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a venus flytrap under the window, your old stereo in the corner, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom... everything right where it should be. >x venus flytrap A venus flytrap. It seemed like an interesting thing to buy at the time, but it's been more trouble than it's worth. It seems thirsty. >x stereo An old boombox from the 90s, currently churning out some music from around that time. >turn on stereo It isn't something you can switch. >turn off stereo It isn't something you can switch. >* subtle sign something is wrong, or a design oversight? You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a venus flytrap under the window, your old stereo in the corner, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom... everything right where it should be. >x loveseat A blue loveseat with a flower pattern you keep in the middle of your apartment. You were pretty sure you had an actual bed, but maybe that crazy dream threw you off. >look under loveseat You find nothing of interest. The stereo starts playing "Take Me to the River". >sing along to stereo That's not a verb I recognise. >sing That's not a verb I recognise. >* oh well That's not a verb I recognise. >x desk An old but sturdy wooden desk placed into one corner of the room. It's your go-to in the rare event you need to write something out by hand. An aging lamp stands tall on the desk. On the desk are a lamp and a notepad. >x lamp An old desk lamp you got from Goodwill. You'll have to replace the bulb some time. >turn off lamp It isn't something you can switch. The radio switches to "Horse with No Name". >* lol That's not a verb I recognise. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Make lunch, water plant, throw out old stereo stand. Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. >x margin You can't see any such thing. >take notepad You don't see any point in it. "Gimme Shelter" comes on the stereo. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a venus flytrap under the window, your old stereo in the corner, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom... everything right where it should be. >x window Your apartment's window, which usually gives you a view of the streets below. The blinds are shut right now. "Hungry Like the Wolf" comes blasting on the stereo. >x stand An old wooden crate you've been using as a stand for your stereo ever since you moved in. You recently decided to get a new one, so you'll have to haul this one outside. >open blinds You don't think you should do that right now. >* wonder why That's not a verb I recognise. >open fridge It's already open, and unfortunately there is nothing but sand within. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a venus flytrap under the window, your old stereo in the corner, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom... everything right where it should be. >x kitchen A small kitchen unit in a far corner of your apartment. It has a fridge, a sink, and some cupboards. >close fridge You're not going to be getting this fridge closed any time soon. >x sink Which do you mean, the kitchen sink or the bathroom sink? >kitchen A double-basin kitchen sink, set into the cheap wooden countertop. The station on the stereo plays "Dust N Bones". >turn on kitchen sink You turn on the sink, but nothing comes out. Nothing except a howl from the pipes. After a few seconds, you reach to turn the sink off, but a huge amount of sand suddenly pours out of the faucet, filling both basins and spilling a little onto the floor. You shake your head. You'll have to file a complaint with the landlord about this. Actually, you'll have to complain to the utility people, for putting sand instead of water in the pipes, which is just a ridiculous mistake to make. You're not sure how anyone could mix up the sand and water pipes. You shake your head again. You turn the faucet off to make sure no more sand comes out. >x cabinets Plain wooden cupboards set below the countertop. >open them I'm not sure what 'them' refers to. >open it You open the cupboards, revealing a jar of peanut butter. The radio starts playing "Dust in the Wind". >x jar A jar of JIF (tm) peanut butter. >open it Nothing but sand, sand, and more sand. Must've been some kind of mix-up at the factory. Ridiculous. You feel like your objectives may have changed. An ad for Aquafina plays on the radio. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Eat something, call Lisa, water the plant Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. >x phone You reach into your pocket to grab your phone, but all you pull back is a handful of sand. Man, another thing you'll have to deal with when you get back. You'll have to figure out how to reach the company and invoke the warranty and blah blah blah... Then again, you've read that every electronic device starts out as sand. So maybe the company would try to argue that the phone isn't really broken. That it's just in a different state. From sand to sand. That'd be a pretty typical thing for a big corporation to do. Greedy pricks. Have all the money, but heaven forbid they give it out to anyone else. Even over your new sand-phone, that runs on data from Desert, owned by Dune. Yes, hello Lisa, I'd love to go on our trip, but I'm afraid I can't go because my whole apartment is sand now. Oh yes and so is my new phone. Actually it's my old phone, but they told me it's in a "different state" since it started as sand and now it's sand again. It just happened one day by itself, I didn't try to use a blowtorch or anything. You know I would've thought a massive industrial process would keep it together better, but I guess not, huh? Well, bye-bye, talk to you later too. You take a deep breath. You must be going slightly insane. "Gimme Some Water" comes on the stereo. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Eat something, call Lisa, water the plant Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. >water plant That's not a verb I recognise. >x bathroom A small, clean bathroom. It has a small shower, a toilet, and a sink. >x shower A tiny shower with a clear plastic door. >turn on shower You turn the shower on and hear a gurgling sound from the pipes. Before you can turn the shower off, sand begins pouring out of the shower head. You scramble out and close the shower door. The sand doesn't stop until it fills the shower up halfway. You sigh. You should've known the plumbing issues would extend to everything. >x toilet You see nothing special about the toilet. "Like Not Enough to Eat" plays on the stereo. >flish toilet That's not a verb I recognise. >flush toilet That's not a verb I recognise. >turn on toilet It isn't something you can switch. >* oh come on, missed opportunity You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >turn on bathroom sink You turn on the sink, but nothing comes out, nothing but a rumble from the pipes. After a few seconds, you reach to turn the sink off, but a bunch of sand suddenly pours out of the faucet, filling the basin and spilling a little onto the floor. Dammit. Of course the sand's clogging the pipes here too. You shake your head. You turn the faucet off to make sure no more sand comes out. You furrow your brow as it finally occurs to you that none of this makes any sense. How could sand get in the pipes instead of water? How would sand end up in your fridge? How could sand end up in a jar of peanut butter? You stand there and think and... Oh. Now you get it. This is a dream, and you're probably actually dying of thirst in the desert or something stupid like that. You sigh. >* indeed That's not a verb I recognise. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Eat something, call Lisa, water the plant Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. >open blinds You don't think you should do that right now. >take venus You can't see any such thing. >take plant You don't see any point in it. >x plant The palm tree seems dry and shrivled and brown. It looks so papery and dead that it seems like a light touch might make it fall apart. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a dead palm tree under the window, your old stereo in the corner, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom, the layer of sand on the floor... everything right where it should be. >x sand Loose yellow grains, which are just getting everywhere in here. Seriously, it feels like you're walking on a beach. Good thing none of this is really happening. A blurb for Applebee's comes on. >i You are carrying nothing. >x me As good-looking as ever. >x stereo An old boombox from the 90s, currently churning out some music from around that time. >x stand An old wooden crate you've been using as a stand for your stereo ever since you moved in. You recently decided to get a new one, so you'll have to haul this one outside. "Starving to Death" plays on the radio. >take it As soon as you lay your hands on the crate, it falls apart and dust flies up. After the cloud clears, you see the stereo is now resting on a small pile of sand. You frown. You didn't think they made crates out of sand, but you guess there's been some experimental stuff over the years. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: drink water, do NOT look outside. Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. "I'm Dying in the Fricking Desert" plays on the radio. >open blind You open the blinds... Wow! The desert! What a surprise. No, really, you never saw this coming. You hear three slow, solid raps at the door. >open door You're getting kind of tired of this dream, so you throw the door open, wondering if maybe the pizza delivery guy showed up by chance. But what you see on the other side of the door could not be more horrifying. Your heart starts pounding. You break out into a sweat. You can feel the scream forming in your throat. It's HER. HER. Exactly as you remember - her unnatural paleness, her double-braided brown hair, her dark dress, and... her eyes. Those horrible, evil blood-red eyes. She smiles at you, smiles with more sharp teeth than anyone has any right to have. The smile, the eyes, it feels like she's radiating an aura of evil. Chills run up and down your spine, and you stagger back. And she steps into the apartment. Oh god, she's in your house. Hello, Ty, she says with a smile, her horrible smile. We have a trip to take together, don't we? You try to say no, to scream no, to just scream, but the air cuts off in your throat. She takes another step toward you. There's one more thing on your to-do list, isn't there Ty? You're too scared to look. You need to get her out of here, but how, how, how, when everything is sand the lamp. The lamp. Yes, that'll do it. You fought her off once before, you can do it again. >take lamp You grab the lamp and turn to face the two-braided girl... and you feel the lamp crumble to sand in your hand. You watch as the grains fall from your hand and spill uselessly onto the floor. You turn back to her, feeling somehow smaller than before. Her smile widens. She starts giggling at you. Did you really think you could defeat us? she asks. You can feel her red eyes holding you in place. She takes a step forward... She points at you, a shark-tooth grin on her face. Suddenly the walls and ceiling of your apartment turn to sand, and the sand flies toward you. It hammers you, it knocks you to the ground, it starts filling your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your nose, your lungs... You try to scream but you can't breathe, you can't even cough, all you can do is listen to the two-braided girl's laughter ringing in your ears... (...) The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You jolt out of the nightmare, into a reality that isn't much better. You cough violently, expelling the sand from your lungs, spitting it out of your mouth. You sit there for a time, heart pounding, mind racing. You wonder if, somehow, that was reality and this is the dream. But no, surely you wouldn't dream of the sand covering your clothes, of the individual beads of sweat on your skin, of the hunger like a ravenous animal trying to escape your stomach? Or of the thirst. God, the thirst. Your throat feels like old leather, or like it's covered with sand. You try to spit to see if it is, but nothing comes out. Not even saliva. You force yourself to stand up, moving like an arthritic old man. You look to the west, toward the mountain range. It seems no closer than when you started. But you can't stop now, or else the end of that nightmare will play out in reality. The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w You feel pathetically weak and painfully slow...taking a single step is exhausting. But you can't stop. Or you'll die. You momentarily wonder if dying would be so bad right now, but shake the thought away. But not entirely out of your mind. >save Ok. >w You wipe some sweat from your brow with a leaden arm and as you do, you look up at the sun. You don't know how long you were asleep, but it looks like the sun hasn't moved at all from since you first saw it. It's like it's just hung there, like a spotlight in the sky. You can't get over how wrong it looks, with its blood-red color. You half expect some drops of blood to start falling from it... You wonder if this is Hell. You wonder what you could've done to get sent to Hell. Come to think of it, you can't really remember what you were doing with the two-braided girl in the mansion before you knocked yourself out. >* Me either! That's not a verb I recognise. >w You furrow your brow, trying to remember what happened. You woke up on the floor... You found a bloodstain on the floorboards, so you must've hit your head... Then you went out into the hallway, and you entered one of the doors after hearing a scream, and you ended up in the same room you woke up in. That's right, you remember. The scream had to have been you. Like some kind of... premonition or something. But what were you screaming about? Right, from the two-braided girl and the white-robed men. And anyway, all that happened after you woke up. You shake your head in frustration. You're drawing a blank on this. Okay, try to think about it from the other direction: what trip were you going to take with Lisa? That may have been in the dream, but you remember that it really happened. >* Missing line break? That's not a verb I recognise. >thinkk That's not a verb I recognise. >think What a good idea. >remember That's not a verb I recognise. >l The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w Okay... you did some prep for the trip, had a snack, waited for her to arrive, everything turned to sa-- dammit, that was part of the nightmare. You need to focus. You remember something the two-braided girl told you after you woke up... that the reason you were in the mansion was-- No, that can't be right. She must've been making it up. She said you were there to perform an exorcism. For some family called the Callistas. >w After thinking hard about it for a long time, you remember having heard of the Callista family. But you can't remember anything about them. And performing an exorcism? That had to have been a lie. And you remember the two-braided girl saying Lisa was "about to join you" two. Well, you saw how well that worked out. You wonder what really happened to her. You look up at the sky as you think further on the matter and abruptly notice that the mountains seem much closer than before. >x mountains For all you know, those mountains could be a hundred miles away. But they're all you've got. >x me As good-looking as ever. >l The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w Closer to the Mountains The mountains in the distance are a little bit closer now. You could actually make it. >w You trudge on for what feels like an eternity... Near the Mountains The mountains are starting to loom over you a little. The peaks are brushing up against the sun. >x peaks You can't see any such thing. >x sun Like a red spotlight, hung in the sky just to torment you. >x mountains For all you know, those mountains could be a hundred miles away. But they're all you've got. >w You practically stagger the rest of the way to the mountains... At the Mountains You've finally made it to the mountain range. You bask in the shade the mountains provide, although you're still dehydrated, starving, exhausted, and overheated. You see something to the south. >x something You can't really tell what it is from this distance. It looks like... a big rock? Whatever it is, it's all you've got. >s You slouch toward whatever it is... Tunnel Entrance You can hardly believe what you're seeing. You've arrived at the mouth of some kind of tunnel dug into the mountain, sloping down into it. You know it's manmade from the piles of rocks nearby, which were what you saw earlier. You wonder who could've dug it, or where it goes. >x pile You can't see any such thing. >x rocks There's a few piles of rocks are scattered around the area, obviously the debris from the digging of the tunnel. >x tunnel A narrow hole leading somewhere under the mountain. It's your only way out of the desert. >x entrance You can't see any such thing. >in >* oops That's not a verb I recognise. >l Tunnel Entrance You can hardly believe what you're seeing. You've arrived at the mouth of some kind of tunnel dug into the mountain, sloping down into it. You know it's manmade from the piles of rocks nearby, which were what you saw earlier. You wonder who could've dug it, or where it goes. >enter tunnel That's not something you can enter. >d You cautiously enter the tunnel and descend... Darkness You find yourself going lower and lower, and while the cool is certainly a welcome relief from the desert heat, you'd also like to be able to see what's down here. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >listen After focusing for a moment, you realize the sound is coming from somewhere above you, but you have no idea what it is. It just sounds... bizarre, like change being sucked through an endless pneumatic tube. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >say hello (to yourself) There is no reply. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >say echo (to yourself) There is no reply. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >l Darkness You find yourself going lower and lower, and while the cool is certainly a welcome relief from the desert heat, you'd also like to be able to see what's down here. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >d You want to figure out what that weird noise is first before you go anywhere. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >listen After focusing for a moment, you realize the sound is coming from somewhere above you, but you have no idea what it is. It just sounds... bizarre, like change being sucked through an endless pneumatic tube. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >feel ceiling You can't see any such thing. >touch roof You can't see any such thing. >u You want to figure out what that weird noise is first before you go anywhere. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >listen After focusing for a moment, you realize the sound is coming from somewhere above you, but you have no idea what it is. It just sounds... bizarre, like change being sucked through an endless pneumatic tube. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >listen to sound You can't see any such thing. >feel wall You can't see any such thing. >feel floor You can't see any such thing. >l Darkness You find yourself going lower and lower, and while the cool is certainly a welcome relief from the desert heat, you'd also like to be able to see what's down here. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >i You are carrying: a flashlight a canteen your phone You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >turn on flashlight You switch the flashlight on. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. Underground Tunnel This part of the tunnel is much wider - so wide, that you realize this must be a cave, connected to the desert by a manmade tunnel. You cast your flashlight further down the tunnel, but the tunnel goes further down than your light can reach. Lying right in the middle of the tunnel is another skeleton. Seeing it sends a chill down your spine. Is it even possible to get out of here alive? Next to the skeleton is an old pickaxe. >* duh That's not a verb I recognise. >x skeleton On closer inspection, it's clear what killed this person: a rock fell and smashed his skull open. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >x pickaxe A slightly rusted pickaxe. It looks like it's still sturdy enough for digging. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >take it You reach down to grab it, but its weight dissuades you. You wonder what the dead man was digging at in this spot anyway. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >listen The echoing makes it difficult to tell, but after a minute or two you realize the sound is coming from above. You stand on your tiptoes and tilt your head to hear it better... and it suddenly hits you what this sound is. It's water. It's water. The gurgling of some kind of aquifier or stream or runoff or whatever. That's what the man at your feet was trying to dig at. This discovery makes you want to laugh in delight, but all you can manage with your parched throat is a hoarse wheeze that only serves to remind you of your condition. You really need to get to that water. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >l Underground Tunnel This part of the tunnel is much wider - so wide, that you realize this must be a cave, connected to the desert by a manmade tunnel. You cast your flashlight further down the tunnel, but the tunnel goes further down than your light can reach. Lying right in the middle of the tunnel is another skeleton. Next to the skeleton is an old pickaxe. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >s Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >e Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >w Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >n Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig What do you want to dig? >water With what? Your bare hands? You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig water with pickaxe You simply need to DIG NOUN. >dig rock You can't see any such thing. >take pickaxe You reach down to grab it, and pull it up with all your might. You need to dig that water out now. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig water With all your strength, you swing the pickaxe up at the hairline crack - once, then twice, then a spout of water, glorious water comes pouring down from the ceiling. You drop the pickaxe and just stand under the flow with your mouth open, drinking up as much as you can. After a while, you throw up a little from drinking so much. But you don't care, and go right back to drinking some more. Eventually, your thirst is quenched, and you start to think about what to do next. You pick the pickaxe up again, at which point your stomach reminds you of what you should do next. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >l Underground Tunnel This part of the tunnel is much wider - so wide, that you realize this must be a cave, connected to the desert by a manmade tunnel. You cast your flashlight further down the tunnel, but the tunnel goes further down than your light can reach. Lying right in the middle of the tunnel is another skeleton. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >s Nothing but solid rock in that direction. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >e Nothing but solid rock in that direction. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >ne Nothing but solid rock in that direction. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >x tunnel You can't see any such thing. >l Underground Tunnel This part of the tunnel is much wider - so wide, that you realize this must be a cave, connected to the desert by a manmade tunnel. You cast your flashlight further down the tunnel, but the tunnel goes further down than your light can reach. Lying right in the middle of the tunnel is another skeleton. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >exits That's not a verb I recognise. >d There's not really anywhere to go, and anyway, you want to rest for a bit while you consider your next move. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >* oh, OK, I thought I wanted to eat You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >rest That's not a verb I recognise. >sleep As much as you'd like to, you know that if you stop moving now, you'll never start again. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >j That's not a verb I recognise. >u There's not really anywhere to go, and anyway, you want to rest for a bit while you consider your next move. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >x waterfall A flow of glorious water is coming down from the ceiling. It's the best thing you've ever tasted. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >fill canteen You put your canteen under the waterfall and fill it up to the brim. As you finish filling your canteen, you hear some noises from the mouth of the tunnel. You immediately turn and look up and feel your heart sink into your empty stomach. There, framed in the light, is her. She managed to follow you here somehow. And not just her, but also her white-robed cronies, those men with no faces. Hello, Ty,she says, smiling a shark-tooth grin. It's about time you joined us, don't you think? She bores her horrible glowing red eyes into you. For your part, you strongly disagree with joining them, or really with standing here for three more seconds. You need to get out of here, and there's only one way that's going to be happening. Underground Tunnel This part of the tunnel is much wider - so wide, that you realize this must be a cave, connected to the desert by a manmade tunnel. You cast your flashlight further down the tunnel, but the tunnel goes further down than your light can reach. Swarming around behind her like a colony of bees following a queen are those awful, faceless men in their tattered white robes, with chains around their bodies. Looking at them sends a chill down your spine. Smiling menacingly, that vile girl slowly descends toward you. >d Maze Entrance You reach a narrower part of the tunnel, one that turns into several more tunnels, all of them set into the western wall, and none of which will give you more than a few inches of extra space on either side. You run your light over the tunnels, trying to figure out the best option, but they all twist away after a short distance. Well, you'll have to risk it to get away from her. Anything's better than what she'll do to you. That said, this is a pretty big decision, the kind of thing that, if you had the choice, you would really want a second chance at if you screwed up. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >save Ok. >nw You could dash your brains against the cave walls, but you'll give escaping a fair shot first. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the tunnels, then emerge at the bottom of a sloping tunnel, one that even seems to have water pooling at the bottom. As you start to move up, it hits you - this is the same tunnel you started in. Well, it seems empty now, so maybe you can go back up and give her and her min- That train of thought is interrupted by you getting grabbed from behind. You turn around with a start and see one of the white-robed men clutching your arm. You smack him with the flashlight and he lets go, but then two more are on you, then three more, then five more and then it's all over and all you can do is scream and flail helplessly from the ground. Suddenly she appears. You stop screaming. There's not really any point anymore. Welcome back, Ty, she says. I think you'll be staying with us this time. For the rest of time, she adds. You see something in her hand flash in the dim light, and you realize she's holding a small knife. Remember, Ty, she says, almost gently, This is for your own good. Then the knife descends and you feel it plunge into your heart as the two braids girl begins uttering an incantation in some guttural language. Your last free thought is of what you could've done differently... *** You have been consumed by evil... *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the tunnels, then emerge at the bottom of a sloping tunnel, one that even seems to have water pooling at the bottom. As you start to move up, it hits you - this is the same tunnel you started in. Well, it seems empty now, so maybe you can go back up and give her and her min- That train of thought is interrupted by you getting grabbed from behind. You turn around with a start and see one of the white-robed men clutching your arm. You smack him with the flashlight and he lets go, but then two more are on you, then three more, then five more and then it's all over and all you can do is scream and flail helplessly from the ground. Suddenly she appears. You stop screaming. There's not really any point anymore. Welcome back, Ty, she says. I think you'll be staying with us this time. For the rest of time, she adds. You see something in her hand flash in the dim light, and you realize she's holding a small knife. Remember, Ty, she says, almost gently, This is for your own good. Then the knife descends and you feel it plunge into your heart as the two braids girl begins uttering an incantation in some guttural language. Your last free thought is of what you could've done differently... *** You have been consumed by evil... *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >x west You see nothing unexpected in that direction. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >l Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >* huh That's not a verb I recognise. >w You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the tunnels, then emerge at the bottom of a sloping tunnel, one that even seems to have water pooling at the bottom. As you start to move up, it hits you - this is the same tunnel you started in. Well, it seems empty now, so maybe you can go back up and give her and her min- That train of thought is interrupted by you getting grabbed from behind. You turn around with a start and see one of the white-robed men clutching your arm. You smack him with the flashlight and he lets go, but then two more are on you, then three more, then five more and then it's all over and all you can do is scream and flail helplessly from the ground. Suddenly she appears. You stop screaming. There's not really any point anymore. Welcome back, Ty, she says. I think you'll be staying with us this time. For the rest of time, she adds. You see something in her hand flash in the dim light, and you realize she's holding a small knife. Remember, Ty, she says, almost gently, This is for your own good. Then the knife descends and you feel it plunge into your heart as the two braids girl begins uttering an incantation in some guttural language. Your last free thought is of what you could've done differently... *** You have been consumed by evil... *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Maze [Previous turn undone.] >s You wind your way through the tunnels, then emerge at the bottom of a sloping tunnel, one that even seems to have water pooling at the bottom. As you start to move up, it hits you - this is the same tunnel you started in. Well, it seems empty now, so maybe you can go back up and give her and her min- That train of thought is interrupted by you getting grabbed from behind. You turn around with a start and see one of the white-robed men clutching your arm. You smack him with the flashlight and he lets go, but then two more are on you, then three more, then five more and then it's all over and all you can do is scream and flail helplessly from the ground. Suddenly she appears. You stop screaming. There's not really any point anymore. Welcome back, Ty, she says. I think you'll be staying with us this time. For the rest of time, she adds. You see something in her hand flash in the dim light, and you realize she's holding a small knife. Remember, Ty, she says, almost gently, This is for your own good. Then the knife descends and you feel it plunge into your heart as the two braids girl begins uttering an incantation in some guttural language. Your last free thought is of what you could've done differently... *** You have been consumed by evil... *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > undo Maze [Previous turn undone.] >w You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >e There's no going back now... You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >se NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >ne NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >nw You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >sw You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >undo Maze [Previous turn undone.] >restore Ok. >l Maze Entrance You reach a narrower part of the tunnel, one that turns into several more tunnels, all of them set into the western wall, and none of which will give you more than a few inches of extra space on either side. You run your light over the tunnels, trying to figure out the best option, but they all twist away after a short distance. Well, you'll have to risk it to get away from her. Anything's better than what she'll do to you. That said, this is a pretty big decision, the kind of thing that, if you had the choice, you would really want a second chance at if you screwed up. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >call home That's not a verb I recognise. >x phone Your smartphone. You might've used it to call for help, but it's not getting any reception. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >z Time passes. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >l Maze Entrance You reach a narrower part of the tunnel, one that turns into several more tunnels, all of them set into the western wall, and none of which will give you more than a few inches of extra space on either side. You run your light over the tunnels, trying to figure out the best option, but they all twist away after a short distance. Well, you'll have to risk it to get away from her. Anything's better than what she'll do to you. That said, this is a pretty big decision, the kind of thing that, if you had the choice, you would really want a second chance at if you screwed up. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >sleep The only sleep you'll be getting if you stop now is the big sleep. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >* I mean staying here seems safer than wandering the maze! That's not a verb I recognise. >x tunnels You can't see any such thing. >x tunnel You can't see any such thing. >x wall You can't see any such thing. >x west You see nothing unexpected in that direction. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. > I beg your pardon? >l Maze Entrance You reach a narrower part of the tunnel, one that turns into several more tunnels, all of them set into the western wall, and none of which will give you more than a few inches of extra space on either side. You run your light over the tunnels, trying to figure out the best option, but they all twist away after a short distance. Well, you'll have to risk it to get away from her. Anything's better than what she'll do to you. That said, this is a pretty big decision, the kind of thing that, if you had the choice, you would really want a second chance at if you screwed up. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >dig ground You can't see any such thing. >turn off flashlight You switch the flashlight off. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. It is now pitch dark in here! >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Darkness You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Darkness You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Darkness You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Darkness You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Darkness You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the tunnels, then emerge at the bottom of a sloping tunnel, one that even seems to have water pooling at the bottom. As you start to move up, it hits you - this is the same tunnel you started in. Well, it seems empty now, so maybe you can go back up and give her and her min- That train of thought is interrupted by you getting grabbed from behind. You turn around with a start and see one of the white-robed men clutching your arm. You smack him with the flashlight and he lets go, but then two more are on you, then three more, then five more and then it's all over and all you can do is scream and flail helplessly from the ground. Suddenly she appears. You stop screaming. There's not really any point anymore. Welcome back, Ty, she says. I think you'll be staying with us this time. For the rest of time, she adds. You see something in her hand flash in the dim light, and you realize she's holding a small knife. Remember, Ty, she says, almost gently, This is for your own good. Then the knife descends and you feel it plunge into your heart as the two braids girl begins uttering an incantation in some guttural language. Your last free thought is of what you could've done differently... *** You have been consumed by evil... *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the tunnels, then emerge at the bottom of a sloping tunnel, one that even seems to have water pooling at the bottom. As you start to move up, it hits you - this is the same tunnel you started in. Well, it seems empty now, so maybe you can go back up and give her and her min- That train of thought is interrupted by you getting grabbed from behind. You turn around with a start and see one of the white-robed men clutching your arm. You smack him with the flashlight and he lets go, but then two more are on you, then three more, then five more and then it's all over and all you can do is scream and flail helplessly from the ground. Suddenly she appears. You stop screaming. There's not really any point anymore. Welcome back, Ty, she says. I think you'll be staying with us this time. For the rest of time, she adds. You see something in her hand flash in the dim light, and you realize she's holding a small knife. Remember, Ty, she says, almost gently, This is for your own good. Then the knife descends and you feel it plunge into your heart as the two braids girl begins uttering an incantation in some guttural language. Your last free thought is of what you could've done differently... *** You have been consumed by evil... *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >e You could dash your brains against the cave walls, but you'll give escaping a fair shot first. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >u You swing your flashlight around back up the cavern, but her and her minions have already entered the tunnel. There's nowhere to go but forward. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >n You could dash your brains against the cave walls, but you'll give escaping a fair shot first. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >s You could dash your brains against the cave walls, but you'll give escaping a fair shot first. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >sw You could dash your brains against the cave walls, but you'll give escaping a fair shot first. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >e There's no going back now... You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >x phone Your smartphone. You might've used it to call for help, but it's not getting any reception. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >x compass You can't see any such thing. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >x canteen An old leather canteen. You're surprised it's still intact. Happily, it is filled with water. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >drink water You take a sip of cool water from your canteen. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >drop water You haven't got that. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >pour canteen That's not a verb I recognise. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the south tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the west tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >e There's no going back now... You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the west tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the south tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the north tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the north tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the tunnels, then emerge at the bottom of a sloping tunnel, one that even seems to have water pooling at the bottom. As you start to move up, it hits you - this is the same tunnel you started in. Well, it seems empty now, so maybe you can go back up and give her and her min- That train of thought is interrupted by you getting grabbed from behind. You turn around with a start and see one of the white-robed men clutching your arm. You smack him with the flashlight and he lets go, but then two more are on you, then three more, then five more and then it's all over and all you can do is scream and flail helplessly from the ground. Suddenly she appears. You stop screaming. There's not really any point anymore. Welcome back, Ty, she says. I think you'll be staying with us this time. For the rest of time, she adds. You see something in her hand flash in the dim light, and you realize she's holding a small knife. Remember, Ty, she says, almost gently, This is for your own good. Then the knife descends and you feel it plunge into your heart as the two braids girl begins uttering an incantation in some guttural language. Your last free thought is of what you could've done differently... *** You have been consumed by evil... *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? > restore Ok. >* man, thought I had it You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the south tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the west tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the west tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >* OK, i need to follow the wind You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the south tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the north tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n As you wind your way through the tunnel, you feel yourself going uphill, and you hear the sound of the wind getting louder. Eventually after what feels like forever, you see a light at the end of the tunnel. You run up to reach it and... ...burst back into the desert sun. You feel the hot wind blow across your face, but this time it feels good. You look back to make sure nobody's following you out of the tunnel, but you don't see anyone coming. You take a drink from your canteen to celebrate your small victory, then take stock of your surroundings. Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. As you look up, you see that the sun is still beating down on you from exactly the same place it was earlier. It hasn't moved at all. And since enough time has passed for her and her minions to catch up to you, it definitely should've. You wonder once again if this is Hell. >u You wind your way through the clefts and gaps in the rocks and make your way up the slope... Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >x wall You can't see any such thing. >x rock You can't see any such thing. >x rock wall You can't see any such thing. >x slope You can't see any such thing. >x plateau You can't see any such thing. >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >x skeleton Another dead body in this hellish landscape. You can't really make out any details from here, and you don't really want to get too close to the dog, although you do want to check out that guy's stuff. >x body Another dead body in this hellish landscape. You can't really make out any details from here, and you don't really want to get too close to the dog, although you do want to check out that guy's stuff. >x bag A good-sized shoulder bag, like a laptop bag but bigger. But you can't check it out further with that dog over there. >x rope Well, you think it's a rope at least. No way to tell without getting closer, which is going to mean getting past that dog. >x dog As you look more closely at it, you see what's wrong with the creature: it doesn't have any fur. In fact, it doesn't seem to have any skin, it's literally just muscle and bone. It's obviously hungry too, with how it's chewing on that dead guy. >* icky That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone >dig dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >g As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone >give water to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >throw pickaxe As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >throw pickaxe at dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >turn on phone As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >take rope As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >take bag As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >pet dog That's not a verb I recognise. >greet dog That's not a verb I recognise. >say nice doggie (to the skeletal dog) As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >* I mean this usually works That's not a verb I recognise. >d You make your way back down the slope... Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >take rock You can't see any such thing. >in You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >w You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >e You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >s You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >ne You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >l Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >take rock You can't see any such thing. >x softball You can't see any such thing. >take all There are none at all available! >* ugh That's not a verb I recognise. >x slope You can't see any such thing. >x rocks You can't see any such thing. >x gaps You can't see any such thing. >e You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >ne You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >se You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >sw You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >s You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >nw You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >n You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >u You wind your way through the clefts and gaps in the rocks and make your way up the slope... Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >take rock You can't see any such thing. >take rocks You can't see any such thing. >u You carefully make your way up the slope while staying as far away from the dog as possible... Top of a Rocky Slope At last, you've made it to the top of the slope. Unfortunately, it ends in another rock wall, one that looks just as sheer, if not nearly as tall, as the one on the desert floor. But you haven't come this far to be denied an escape now. You see something at the top of the wall. >x something A simple wooden stake placed at the top of the cliff. >take it That's about ten or fifteen feet out of your reach. >* sigh That's not a verb I recognise. >u You would need a way to climb up first. >e NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >w >ne NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >* directions are weird sometimes That's not a verb I recognise. >* like, in the game, not just in general You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >l Top of a Rocky Slope At last, you've made it to the top of the slope. Unfortunately, it ends in another rock wall, one that looks just as sheer, if not nearly as tall, as the one on the desert floor. But you haven't come this far to be denied an escape now. You see something at the top of the wall. >x wall A twenty-foot high sheer wall with not a handhold in sight. >w >e NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. > I beg your pardon? >ne NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >nw >sw >se NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >s >d Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone >dig skeleton As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >dig rock You can't see any such thing. >dig wall You can't see any such thing. >u You carefully make your way up the slope while staying as far away from the dog as possible... Top of a Rocky Slope At last, you've made it to the top of the slope. Unfortunately, it ends in another rock wall, one that looks just as sheer, if not nearly as tall, as the one on the desert floor. But you haven't come this far to be denied an escape now. You see something at the top of the wall. >dig wall That wouldn't do much good. >* I mean I could create handholds? That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone >turn off flashlight You switch the flashlight off. >s >d Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >hit dog with pickaxe I only understood you as far as wanting to hit the skeletal dog. >* just so That's not a verb I recognise. >hit dog with flashlight I only understood you as far as wanting to hit the skeletal dog. >throw flashlight at dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >growl at dog That's not a verb I recognise. >talk to dog That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >feed dog What do you want to feed the skeletal dog? >canteen As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >feed flashlight to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >feed dog What do you want to feed the skeletal dog? >flashlight As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >d You make your way back down the slope... Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >d There is absolutely nothing that could convince you to go back in those tunnels. >* I mean the softball-sized rocks really feel like a prompt That's not a verb I recognise. >take (water) Taken. >i You are carrying: water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >* er That's not a verb I recognise. >x water The source of all life, and something you've become very fond of recently. >n You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >u You wind your way through the clefts and gaps in the rocks and make your way up the slope... Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >take What do you want to take? >d As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >take What do you want to take? >rock You can't see any such thing. >d You make your way back down the slope... Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >take (Sol) That's hardly portable. >* true! That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >put water on dog You can't see any such thing. >put water on canteen Putting things on the canteen would achieve nothing. >l Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >u You wind your way through the clefts and gaps in the rocks and make your way up the slope... Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >put water on dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >put water in canteen As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >empty canteen That's not a verb I recognise. >* things are getting a little wonky here.... That's not a verb I recognise. >take sun As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >x sun That blood-red sun, still up there in the sky, apparently unmoving. >u You carefully make your way up the slope while staying as far away from the dog as possible... Top of a Rocky Slope At last, you've made it to the top of the slope. Unfortunately, it ends in another rock wall, one that looks just as sheer, if not nearly as tall, as the one on the desert floor. But you haven't come this far to be denied an escape now. You see something at the top of the wall. >u You would need a way to climb up first. >e NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >w >d Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >w >e NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >ne NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >se NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >nw >sw >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >hint That's not a verb I recognise. >help That's not a verb I recognise. >about That's not a verb I recognise. >credits That's not a verb I recognise. >u You carefully make your way up the slope while staying as far away from the dog as possible... Top of a Rocky Slope At last, you've made it to the top of the slope. Unfortunately, it ends in another rock wall, one that looks just as sheer, if not nearly as tall, as the one on the desert floor. But you haven't come this far to be denied an escape now. You see something at the top of the wall. >open bag You can't see any such thing. >d Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >open bag As you open the dead man's bag, the first thing you see is an old, thin hoodie. You briefly wonder why he brought it, but you realize he probably had it on him before he ended up here somehow and wisely took it off in the heat. You move it out of the way to look for bandages, then you realize you've already found one. Well, after you tear it into strips at least. You take a few minutes to cut it up, wash your wounds with precious water, then bandage them with the hoodie. Hopefully it'll hold up. Now to see what else was in that bag... >* Oh good lord That's not a verb I recognise. >* Was I wounded? That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >take bag As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >open bag As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >x bag A good-sized shoulder bag, like a laptop bag but bigger. But you can't check it out further with that dog over there. In the bag are some strange fruit. >take fruit As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >* Huh, I shouldn't have been able to do that I guess You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >play with dog That's not a verb I recognise. >pet dog That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >play fetch That's not a verb I recognise. >x pickaxe A slightly rusted pickaxe. It looks like it's still sturdy enough for digging. >dig What do you want to dig? >rocks You can't see any such thing. >d You make your way back down the slope... Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >dig What do you want to dig? >rock You can't see any such thing. >dig tunnel You can't see any such thing. >dig slope You can't see any such thing. >x slpe You can't see any such thing. >x gaps You can't see any such thing. >x tunnel You can't see any such thing. >d There is absolutely nothing that could convince you to go back in those tunnels. >u You wind your way through the clefts and gaps in the rocks and make your way up the slope... Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >x gap You can't see any such thing. >x rocks You can't see any such thing. >x slope You can't see any such thing. >x plateau You can't see any such thing. >x rock You can't see any such thing. >x wall You can't see any such thing. >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >take skeleton As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >take bone You can't see any such thing. >break skeleton Violence isn't the answer to this one. >dig skeleton As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >x bandage The remains of an old hoodie, repurposed to keeping your blood inside of you and an infection outside of you. >take bandage As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >give bandage to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >x wolf You can't see any such thing. >x dog As you look more closely at it, you see what's wrong with the creature: it doesn't have any fur. In fact, it doesn't seem to have any skin, it's literally just muscle and bone. It's obviously hungry too, with how it's chewing on that dead guy. >x muscle You can't see any such thing. > I beg your pardon? >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >feed dog What do you want to feed the skeletal dog? >me As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >feed all to dog You can't use multiple objects with that verb. >feed bandage to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >feeed water to dog That's not a verb I recognise. >feed pickaxe to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >feed flahslight to dog You can't see any such thing. >feed canteen to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >feed flashlight to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >feed phone to dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >call home That's not a verb I recognise. >x phone Your smartphone. You might've used it to call for help, but it's not getting any reception. >throw phone As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >throw bag at dog As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >take fruit As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >eat fruit As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >close bag As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >open bag As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >x bag A good-sized shoulder bag, like a laptop bag but bigger. But you can't check it out further with that dog over there. In the bag are some strange fruit. >x fruit It's a juicy red-orangish fruit. >eat it As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >take it As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >take rope As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >pull rope As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >throw pickaxe at rope As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >throw canteen As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >d You make your way back down the slope... Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >e You walk over that way, but come to a stop against the towering rock faces. >x ball You can't see any such thing. >x throw You can't see any such thing. >throw What do you want to throw? >ball You can't see any such thing. >throw What do you want to throw? >rock You can't see any such thing. >throw What do you want to throw? >rocks You can't see any such thing. >l Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) water a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >showme That's not a verb I recognise. >list That's not a verb I recognise. >pour water on rocks That's not a verb I recognise. >put water on rocks You can't see any such thing. >drop water Dropped. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >l Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >take water Taken. >u You wind your way through the clefts and gaps in the rocks and make your way up the slope... Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >drop water As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >i You are carrying: water makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >drop canteen As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >open canteen As you move in to get a closer look, the dog suddenly notices you and assumes an aggressive stance, baring its teeth and growling at you. You stop, deciding to carefully consider what to do about this dog. >u You carefully make your way up the slope while staying as far away from the dog as possible... Top of a Rocky Slope At last, you've made it to the top of the slope. Unfortunately, it ends in another rock wall, one that looks just as sheer, if not nearly as tall, as the one on the desert floor. But you haven't come this far to be denied an escape now. You see something at the top of the wall. >i You are carrying: water makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight a canteen your phone >d Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >d You make your way back down the slope... Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. >save Ok. >restart Are you sure you want to restart? yes The only thing you can think to do right now is RUN. >run You rush across the sand as fast as your feet can carry you, the only thought in your head being to RUN. >g You stumble as you go over a dune, but regain your footing and continue to run... >g You sprint breathlessly along, then risk a glance back... They didn't follow you. Thank God. The mansion looks like a miniature on a train set from this distance... You stop to catch your breath, and take a look around. Desolation An Interactive Fiction by Earth Traveler Release 1 / Serial number 200922 / Inform 7 build 6M62 (I6/v6.33 lib 6/12N) The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Far off to the east? west? west, you decide, is a mountain range, silhouetted by the blood-red sun. > I beg your pardon? >e NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. Your throat begs for water. >ne NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. A hot wind blows across the desert. >se NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. Your throat begs for water. >s The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You can see a skeleton here. >n The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You can see a skeleton here. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You can see a skeleton here. >x skeleton Half-buried in the sand, with any flesh having long ago rotted away. Its bones are bleached white. A sturdy leather canteen is in the skeleton's left hand. This does not bode well for your prospects of survival. Your throat begs for water. >take canteen Taken. Your stomach rumbles unpleasantly. >open it It isn't something you can open. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. >drink What do you want to drink? >canteen That isn't available. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. A hot wind blows across the desert. >i You are carrying: a canteen your phone a flashlight Your throat begs for water. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. A hot wind blows across the desert. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. You stifle a yawn. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. Your eyelids droop heavily, but you force them back open. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You wipe a bead of sweat from your forehead. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. A hot wind blows across the desert. Your legs feel like lead. You can't go much further. >w The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. Your stomach rumbles unpleasantly. You feel simply exhausted, but you're not about to stop just yet. >w You just can't go any further. You find a shady spot at the foot of a particularly tall dune, and lay down to relax, and close your eyes and... You open your eyes, and blink heavily. You're staring a ceiling, a ceiling that seems very familiar. You sit up. You look around, bewildered. It seems that you're right back in your apartment, and that you've just woken up from a horrific nightmare. You breathe a sigh of relief. There's no endless desert, no men in white robes, no evil two-braided girl out to get you... You shudder at the last thought as you get up. Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, which you were sleeping on for some reason, a venus flytrap under the window, your old stereo in the corner, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom... everything right where it should be. An ad for Dasani comes on the stereo. > I beg your pardon? >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Make lunch, water plant, throw out old stereo stand. Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. You hear the McDonalds jingle on the radio. >i You are carrying: your phone >take all stereo: You'll just make sure you're careful when you pull the crate out from under it. stand: As soon as you lay your hands on the crate, it falls apart and dust flies up. After the cloud clears, you see the stereo is now resting on a small pile of sand. You frown. You didn't think they made crates out of sand, but you guess there's been some experimental stuff over the years. plant: You don't see any point in it. loveseat: Taken. kitchen: Taken. bathroom: Taken. wooden door: Taken. lamp: You don't see any point in it. notepad: You don't see any point in it. fridge: Taken. the kitchen sink: Taken. cupboards: Taken. the bathroom sink: Taken. shower: Taken. toilet: Taken. The stereo starts playing "Take Me to the River". >* oops! That's not a verb I recognise. >i You are carrying: a toilet a shower the bathroom sink a cupboards (closed) the kitchen sink a fridge a wooden door a bathroom (empty) a kitchen (empty) a loveseat (empty) your phone >put fridge in bathroom You put the fridge into the bathroom. The radio switches to "Horse with No Name". >put kitchen in bathroom You put the kitchen into the bathroom. "Gimme Shelter" comes on the stereo. >open cupboards You open the cupboards, revealing a jar of peanut butter. >i You are carrying: a toilet a shower the bathroom sink a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (closed) the kitchen sink a wooden door a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a loveseat (empty) your phone >put sink in jar Which do you mean, the bathroom sink or the kitchen sink? >bathroom The jar of peanut butter is closed. "Hungry Like the Wolf" comes blasting on the stereo. >open peanut butter Nothing but sand, sand, and more sand. Must've been some kind of mix-up at the factory. Ridiculous. >put sink in jar Which do you mean, the bathroom sink or the kitchen sink? >bathroom You put the bathroom sink into the jar of peanut butter. >* Oh good lord That's not a verb I recognise. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Make lunch, water plant, throw out old stereo stand. Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. >i You are carrying: a toilet a shower a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) the bathroom sink the kitchen sink a wooden door a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a loveseat (empty) your phone >make lunck That's not a verb I recognise. >open fridge You open the fridge to look for food, but a huge pile of sand unexpectedly comes pouring out instead. Dammit. Some prankster must've broken in and thought it would be funny to mess up your fridge. You sigh. This is going to be another thing to deal with when you get back. You feel like your objectives may have changed. An ad for Aquafina plays on the radio. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Eat something, call Lisa, water the plant Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. >call lisa That's not a verb I recognise. >take phone You reach into your pocket to grab your phone, but all you pull back is a handful of sand. Man, another thing you'll have to deal with when you get back. You'll have to figure out how to reach the company and invoke the warranty and blah blah blah... Then again, you've read that every electronic device starts out as sand. So maybe the company would try to argue that the phone isn't really broken. That it's just in a different state. From sand to sand. That'd be a pretty typical thing for a big corporation to do. Greedy pricks. Have all the money, but heaven forbid they give it out to anyone else. Even over your new sand-phone, that runs on data from Desert, owned by Dune. Yes, hello Lisa, I'd love to go on our trip, but I'm afraid I can't go because my whole apartment is sand now. Oh yes and so is my new phone. Actually it's my old phone, but they told me it's in a "different state" since it started as sand and now it's sand again. It just happened one day by itself, I didn't try to use a blowtorch or anything. You know I would've thought a massive industrial process would keep it together better, but I guess not, huh? Well, bye-bye, talk to you later too. You take a deep breath. You must be going slightly insane. >x noepad You can't see any such thing. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Eat something, call Lisa, water the plant Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. "Gimme Some Water" comes on the stereo. >i You are carrying: a toilet a shower a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) the bathroom sink the kitchen sink a wooden door a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a loveseat (empty) >x door A solid wooden door, protecting your apartment from the outside world. "Like Not Enough to Eat" plays on the stereo. >e NEVER. You are not going to head back in the direction of that vile mansion. >out But you aren't in anything at the moment. >* oops That's not a verb I recognise. >s >nw A blurb for Applebee's comes on. >open window It isn't something you can open. "Starving to Death" plays on the radio. >open blinds You don't think you should do that right now. "I Need a Drink" plays. >x plant A palm tree is growing in the pot, curved against the ceiling. This is probably against building regulations. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a lush palm tree under the window, your old stereo sitting on a small sand dune, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom, the layer of sand on the floor... everything right where it should be. >i You are carrying: a toilet a shower a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) the bathroom sink the kitchen sink a wooden door a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a loveseat (empty) "You're Dying in the Desert" plays on the stereo. >x tree A palm tree is growing in the pot, curved against the ceiling. This is probably against building regulations. >take it You don't see any point in it. >take stand You can't see any such thing. >x stereo An old boombox from the 90s, currently churning out some music from around that time. >x stand You can't see any such thing. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a lush palm tree under the window, your old stereo sitting on a small sand dune, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom, the layer of sand on the floor... everything right where it should be. An ad for Aquafina plays on the radio. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Eat something, call Lisa, water the plant Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. >eat What do you want to eat? >something You can't see any such thing. >eat peanut butter That's plainly inedible. >open it That's already open. >l Your Apartment Your apartment, looking just the way you left it. There's your loveseat in the middle of the room, a lush palm tree under the window, your old stereo sitting on a small sand dune, your desk, the kitchen, the bathroom, the layer of sand on the floor... everything right where it should be. >x peanut butter A jar of JIF (tm) peanut butter. In the jar of peanut butter is the bathroom sink. "Gimme Some Water" comes on the stereo. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: Eat something, call Lisa, water the plant Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. "Like Not Enough to Eat" plays on the stereo. >take phone You can't see any such thing. >x phone You can't see any such thing. >turn on bathroom It isn't something you can switch. >turn on shower You turn the shower on and hear a gurgling sound from the pipes. After a few moments, sand suddenly pours out of the shower head. You scramble out and close the shower door. The sand doesn't stop until it fills the shower up halfway. You shake your head, although you have to admit that it was kind of weird to try to get water from the shower instead of one of the sinks. A blurb for Applebee's comes on. >turn on bathroom sink You turn on the sink, but nothing comes out, nothing but a rumble from the pipes. After a few seconds, you reach to turn the sink off, but a bunch of sand suddenly pours out of the faucet, filling the basin and spilling a little onto the floor. You shake your head. You'll have to file a complaint with the landlord about this. Actually, you'll have to complain to the utility people, for putting sand instead of water in the pipes, which is just a ridiculous mistake to make. You're not sure how anyone could mix up the sand and water pipes. You shake your head again. You turn the faucet off to make sure no more sand comes out. You furrow your brow as it finally occurs to you that none of this makes any sense. How could sand get in the pipes instead of water? How would sand end up in your fridge? How could sand end up in a jar of peanut butter? You stand there and think and... Oh. Now you get it. This is a dream, and you're probably actually dying of thirst in the desert or something stupid like that. You sigh. >i You are carrying: a toilet a shower a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) the bathroom sink the kitchen sink a wooden door a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a loveseat (empty) >put all in jar toilet: Done. shower: Done. cupboards: You can't put something inside itself. the kitchen sink: Done. wooden door: Done. bathroom: Done. loveseat: Done. >i You are carrying: a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) a loveseat (empty) a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a wooden door the kitchen sink a shower a toilet the bathroom sink >put toile in fridge You can't see any such thing. >put toilet in fridge (first taking the toilet) You put the toilet into the fridge. >i You are carrying: a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) a loveseat (empty) a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a toilet a wooden door the kitchen sink a shower the bathroom sink "Starving to Death" plays on the radio. >put door in toilet (first taking the wooden door) That can't contain things. "I Need a Drink" plays. >x loveseat A blue loveseat with a flower pattern you keep in the middle of your apartment. You were pretty sure you had an actual bed, but maybe that crazy dream threw you off. >look in loveseat The loveseat is empty. "You're Dying in the Desert" plays on the stereo. >open loveseat It isn't something you can open. An ad for Aquafina plays on the radio. >close loveseat It isn't something you can close. >i You are carrying: a wooden door a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) a loveseat (empty) a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a toilet the kitchen sink a shower the bathroom sink >put shower in loveseat (first taking the shower) You put the shower into the loveseat. >open door You don't see any reason to do that. >turn on kitchen sink You turn on the sink, but nothing comes out. Nothing except a howl from the pipes. After a few seconds, you reach to turn the sink off, but a huge amount of sand suddenly pours out of the faucet, filling both basins and spilling a little onto the floor. Dammit. Of course the sand's clogging the pipes here too. You shake your head. You turn the faucet off to make sure no more sand comes out. "I'm Dying in the Fricking Desert" plays on the radio. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: drink water, do NOT look outside. Scribbled into the margin is a reminder about the trip with Lisa you're going on today. "If You Don't Drink Something Soon You'll Die" plays on the stereo. >open blinds You open the blinds... Wow! The desert! What a surprise. No, really, you never saw this coming. You hear an ominous chant of "Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat" come on the station. You hear three slow, solid raps at the door. >i You are carrying: a wooden door a cupboards (open) a jar of peanut butter (open) a loveseat a shower a bathroom a kitchen (empty) a fridge a toilet the kitchen sink the bathroom sink You hear three slow, solid raps at the door. >drop door Dropped. You hear three slow, solid raps at the door. >take it Taken. You hear three slow, solid raps at the door. >open door You're getting kind of tired of this dream, so you throw the door open, wondering if maybe the pizza delivery guy showed up by chance. But what you see on the other side of the door could not be more horrifying. Your heart starts pounding. You break out into a sweat. You can feel the scream forming in your throat. It's HER. HER. Exactly as you remember - her unnatural paleness, her double-braided brown hair, her dark dress, and... her eyes. Those horrible, evil blood-red eyes. She smiles at you, smiles with more sharp teeth than anyone has any right to have. The smile, the eyes, it feels like she's radiating an aura of evil. Chills run up and down your spine, and you stagger back. And she steps into the apartment. Oh god, she's in your house. Hello, Ty, she says with a smile, her horrible smile. We have a trip to take together, don't we? You try to say no, to scream no, to just scream, but the air cuts off in your throat. She takes another step toward you. There's one more thing on your to-do list, isn't there Ty? You're too scared to look. You need to get her out of here, but how, how, how, when everything is sand the lamp. The lamp. Yes, that'll do it. You fought her off once before, you can do it again. >take lamp You grab the lamp and turn to face the two-braided girl... and you feel the lamp crumble to sand in your hand. You watch as the grains fall from your hand and spill uselessly onto the floor. You turn back to her, feeling somehow smaller than before. Her smile widens. She starts giggling at you. Did you really think you could defeat us? she asks. You can feel her red eyes holding you in place. She takes a step forward... She points at you, a shark-tooth grin on her face. Suddenly the walls and ceiling of your apartment turn to sand, and the sand flies toward you. It hammers you, it knocks you to the ground, it starts filling your eyes, your ears, your mouth, your nose, your lungs... You try to scream but you can't breathe, you can't even cough, all you can do is listen to the two-braided girl's laughter ringing in your ears... (...) The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. You jolt out of the nightmare, into a reality that isn't much better. You cough violently, expelling the sand from your lungs, spitting it out of your mouth. You sit there for a time, heart pounding, mind racing. You wonder if, somehow, that was reality and this is the dream. But no, surely you wouldn't dream of the sand covering your clothes, of the individual beads of sweat on your skin, of the hunger like a ravenous animal trying to escape your stomach? Or of the thirst. God, the thirst. Your throat feels like old leather, or like it's covered with sand. You try to spit to see if it is, but nothing comes out. Not even saliva. You force yourself to stand up, moving like an arthritic old man. You look to the west, toward the mountain range. It seems no closer than when you started. But you can't stop now, or else the end of that nightmare will play out in reality. The Desert A sweeping desert, stretching to the north and south as far as the eye can see. Tall mountains lie to the west, framed by the setting sun. >w You feel pathetically weak and painfully slow...taking a single step is exhausting. But you can't stop. Or you'll die. You momentarily wonder if dying would be so bad right now, but shake the thought away. But not entirely out of your mind. >w You wipe some sweat from your brow with a leaden arm and as you do, you look up at the sun. You don't know how long you were asleep, but it looks like the sun hasn't moved at all from since you first saw it. It's like it's just hung there, like a spotlight in the sky. You can't get over how wrong it looks, with its blood-red color. You half expect some drops of blood to start falling from it... You wonder if this is Hell. You wonder what you could've done to get sent to Hell. Come to think of it, you can't really remember what you were doing with the two-braided girl in the mansion before you knocked yourself out. >w You furrow your brow, trying to remember what happened. You woke up on the floor... You found a bloodstain on the floorboards, so you must've hit your head... Then you went out into the hallway, and you entered one of the doors after hearing a scream, and you ended up in the same room you woke up in. That's right, you remember. The scream had to have been you. Like some kind of... premonition or something. But what were you screaming about? Right, from the two-braided girl and the white-robed men. And anyway, all that happened after you woke up. You shake your head in frustration. You're drawing a blank on this. Okay, try to think about it from the other direction: what trip were you going to take with Lisa? That may have been in the dream, but you remember that it really happened. >w Okay... you did some prep for the trip, had a snack, waited for her to arrive, everything turned to sa-- dammit, that was part of the nightmare. You need to focus. You remember something the two-braided girl told you after you woke up... that the reason you were in the mansion was-- No, that can't be right. She must've been making it up. She said you were there to perform an exorcism. For some family called the Callistas. >ww That's not a verb I recognise. >w After thinking hard about it for a long time, you remember having heard of the Callista family. But you can't remember anything about them. And performing an exorcism? That had to have been a lie. And you remember the two-braided girl saying Lisa was "about to join you" two. Well, you saw how well that worked out. You wonder what really happened to her. You look up at the sky as you think further on the matter and abruptly notice that the mountains seem much closer than before. >w Closer to the Mountains The mountains in the distance are a little bit closer now. You could actually make it. >w You trudge on for what feels like an eternity... Near the Mountains The mountains are starting to loom over you a little. The peaks are brushing up against the sun. >w You practically stagger the rest of the way to the mountains... At the Mountains You've finally made it to the mountain range. You bask in the shade the mountains provide, although you're still dehydrated, starving, exhausted, and overheated. You see something to the south. >s You slouch toward whatever it is... Tunnel Entrance You can hardly believe what you're seeing. You've arrived at the mouth of some kind of tunnel dug into the mountain, sloping down into it. You know it's manmade from the piles of rocks nearby, which were what you saw earlier. You wonder who could've dug it, or where it goes. >take all There are none at all available! >d You cautiously enter the tunnel and descend... Darkness You find yourself going lower and lower, and while the cool is certainly a welcome relief from the desert heat, you'd also like to be able to see what's down here. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >take all There are none at all available! >turn on flashlight You switch the flashlight on. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. Underground Tunnel This part of the tunnel is much wider - so wide, that you realize this must be a cave, connected to the desert by a manmade tunnel. You cast your flashlight further down the tunnel, but the tunnel goes further down than your light can reach. Lying right in the middle of the tunnel is another skeleton. Seeing it sends a chill down your spine. Is it even possible to get out of here alive? Next to the skeleton is an old pickaxe. >take all a skeleton: You'd rather not disturb a dead body. pickaxe: You reach down to grab it, but its weight dissuades you. You wonder what the dead man was digging at in this spot anyway. You hear a strange sound echoing around the cavern. >listen The echoing makes it difficult to tell, but after a minute or two you realize the sound is coming from above. You stand on your tiptoes and tilt your head to hear it better... and it suddenly hits you what this sound is. It's water. It's water. The gurgling of some kind of aquifier or stream or runoff or whatever. That's what the man at your feet was trying to dig at. This discovery makes you want to laugh in delight, but all you can manage with your parched throat is a hoarse wheeze that only serves to remind you of your condition. You really need to get to that water. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >take all a skeleton: You'd rather not disturb a dead body. pickaxe: You reach down to grab it, and pull it up with all your might. You need to dig that water out now. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig water With all your strength, you swing the pickaxe up at the hairline crack - once, then twice, then a spout of water, glorious water comes pouring down from the ceiling. You drop the pickaxe and just stand under the flow with your mouth open, drinking up as much as you can. After a while, you throw up a little from drinking so much. But you don't care, and go right back to drinking some more. Eventually, your thirst is quenched, and you start to think about what to do next. You pick the pickaxe up again, at which point your stomach reminds you of what you should do next. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >take What do you want to take? >water That's fixed in place. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >drink water You take another taste of delicious water, but you aren't really thirsty anymore. But you probably will be later, so you ought to fill your canteen. A small waterfall comes down from the ceiling of the cave. >fill canteen You put your canteen under the waterfall and fill it up to the brim. As you finish filling your canteen, you hear some noises from the mouth of the tunnel. You immediately turn and look up and feel your heart sink into your empty stomach. There, framed in the light, is her. She managed to follow you here somehow. And not just her, but also her white-robed cronies, those men with no faces. Hello, Ty,she says, smiling a shark-tooth grin. It's about time you joined us, don't you think? She bores her horrible glowing red eyes into you. For your part, you strongly disagree with joining them, or really with standing here for three more seconds. You need to get out of here, and there's only one way that's going to be happening. Underground Tunnel This part of the tunnel is much wider - so wide, that you realize this must be a cave, connected to the desert by a manmade tunnel. You cast your flashlight further down the tunnel, but the tunnel goes further down than your light can reach. Swarming around behind her like a colony of bees following a queen are those awful, faceless men in their tattered white robes, with chains around their bodies. Looking at them sends a chill down your spine. Smiling menacingly, that vile girl slowly descends toward you. >enter waterfall That's not something you can enter. >d Maze Entrance You reach a narrower part of the tunnel, one that turns into several more tunnels, all of them set into the western wall, and none of which will give you more than a few inches of extra space on either side. You run your light over the tunnels, trying to figure out the best option, but they all twist away after a short distance. Well, you'll have to risk it to get away from her. Anything's better than what she'll do to you. That said, this is a pretty big decision, the kind of thing that, if you had the choice, you would really want a second chance at if you screwed up. The echo of shuffling footsteps behind you sends a chill down your spine. >w You decide to go through the tunnel in the middle, as it looks like the biggest one. It's still a tight squeeze though, and you have to wind your way through a twisting passage before you come out into a more open space... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the south tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the west tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the west tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >w You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the south tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >s You wind your way through the curving corridor, hoping for a way out of this nightmare... Maze You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. You have just emerged from what you guess is the eastern tunnel - though with the winding you did, your bearings are certainly off - and are now faced with three new tunnels to take, to the north, west, and south. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >listen As you listen closely, it sounds like the howl is coming from the north tunnel. You hear a distant wind howl and footsteps echoing around behind you. >n As you wind your way through the tunnel, you feel yourself going uphill, and you hear the sound of the wind getting louder. Eventually after what feels like forever, you see a light at the end of the tunnel. You run up to reach it and... ...burst back into the desert sun. You feel the hot wind blow across your face, but this time it feels good. You look back to make sure nobody's following you out of the tunnel, but you don't see anyone coming. You take a drink from your canteen to celebrate your small victory, then take stock of your surroundings. Bottom of a Rocky Slope You seem to have emerged at the bottom of a slope made of softball-sized rocks. Below you is the tunnel you just came out of, and above you is a series of large rocks jutting from the slope, but with enough gaps that you think you can find a way past them. As you look up, you see that the sun is still beating down on you from exactly the same place it was earlier. It hasn't moved at all. And since enough time has passed for her and her minions to catch up to you, it definitely should've. You wonder once again if this is Hell. >u You wind your way through the clefts and gaps in the rocks and make your way up the slope... Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >attack dog You guess there's no way around it. You need to get that dog out of the way, but maybe... you pick up a rock and throw it at the dog, trying to scare it off first. And not only does it not simply dodge easily, but it charges at you with alarming speed. You barely have time to bring the pickaxe around before it pounces and knocks you down. The pickaxe hits you in the face from the impact, but you guess that's a lot better than the vicious bite it just blocked. So now you just have a giant, snarling, hyperaggressive dog standing on you. You need to get out of this position fast. >i That doesn't seem like a very good use of your time. >hit dog You twist your torso to the right and give the dog your left arm to chew on, which it greedily takes, seizing and tearing into your left bicep. You whimper in pain, but manage to bring the pickaxe around, hitting the dog in the chest. Unbelievably, the thing barely flinches from getting a chunk of metal slammed into its chest. All it does is tighten its grip on your arm, at least until decides to switch to chewing on your face, starting with your nose. You cry out and manage to stick your arm in its mouth again. You don't think you're going to last much longer in this fight. >g You flail with your pickaxe, now only wielding it with one hand. You manage to sink the point into flesh and the dog yowls in pain and finally gets off your chest. You sit up, pull the pickaxe out of its paw and without hesitation you slam it into its head and it yells again. Then a second time, and then a third, and then a fourth just for good measure after it twitches again. You stay sitting there for a moment, breathing heavily. You stand up after a minute or two... ...and then comes the pain, stinging your left arm. You look down at your arm and immediately wish you hadn't. The skin is completely torn up in several places, especially on your forearm, and on your upper arm the bites go so deep you're pretty sure your actual bicep is showing - or it would be if blood weren't pouring out of the wound. You glance at the dead guy's bag. Maybe he was carrying something that can help with...this. >undo Middle of a Rocky Slope [Previous turn undone.] >undo Middle of a Rocky Slope [Previous turn undone.] >undo Middle of a Rocky Slope [Previous turn undone.] >undo Middle of a Rocky Slope [Previous turn undone.] >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >save Ok. >open bag As you open the dead man's bag, the first thing you see is an old, thin hoodie. You briefly wonder why he brought it, but you realize he probably had it on him before he ended up here somehow and wisely took it off in the heat. You move it out of the way to look for bandages, then you realize you've already found one. Well, after you tear it into strips at least. You take a few minutes to cut it up, wash your wounds with precious water, then bandage them with the hoodie. Hopefully it'll hold up. Now to see what else was in that bag... >attack dog with pick axe I only understood you as far as wanting to attack the skeletal dog. >attack dog You guess there's no way around it. You need to get that dog out of the way, but maybe... you pick up a rock and throw it at the dog, trying to scare it off first. And not only does it not simply dodge easily, but it charges at you with alarming speed. You barely have time to bring the pickaxe around before it pounces and knocks you down. The pickaxe hits you in the face from the impact, but you guess that's a lot better than the vicious bite it just blocked. So now you just have a giant, snarling, hyperaggressive dog standing on you. You need to get out of this position fast. >g You twist your torso to the right and give the dog your left arm to chew on, which it greedily takes, seizing and tearing into your left bicep. You whimper in pain, but manage to bring the pickaxe around, hitting the dog in the chest. Unbelievably, the thing barely flinches from getting a chunk of metal slammed into its chest. All it does is tighten its grip on your arm, at least until decides to switch to chewing on your face, starting with your nose. You cry out and manage to stick your arm in its mouth again. You don't think you're going to last much longer in this fight. >g You flail with your pickaxe, now only wielding it with one hand. You manage to sink the point into flesh and the dog yowls in pain and finally gets off your chest. You sit up, pull the pickaxe out of its paw and without hesitation you slam it into its head and it yells again. Then a second time, and then a third, and then a fourth just for good measure after it twitches again. You stay sitting there for a moment, breathing heavily. You stand up after a minute or two... ...and then comes the pain, stinging your left arm. You look down at your arm and immediately wish you hadn't. The skin is completely torn up in several places, especially on your forearm, and on your upper arm the bites go so deep you're pretty sure your actual bicep is showing - or it would be if blood weren't pouring out of the wound. You glance at the dead guy's bag. Maybe he was carrying something that can help with...this. >x me As good-looking as ever. >i You are carrying: makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone a wooden door a cupboards (open but empty) >open bag That's already open. >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >take all Corpse: Taken. bag: Taken. rope: Taken. strange fruit: Taken. >i You are carrying: some strange fruit a rope a bag (open but empty) Corpse makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone a wooden door a cupboards (open but empty) >* Hmm, lost most things but not all. Plus the corpse You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >i You are carrying: some strange fruit a rope a bag (open but empty) Corpse makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone a wooden door a cupboards (open but empty) >l Middle of a Rocky Slope You emerge from a gap in the rocks and find yourself in a relatively flat part of the slope, a small plateau before it rises again and meets what looks like a small rock wall way up at the top of the slope. More interesting right now, however, is what's on this little plateau. Yet another skeleton is lying on the plateau, being chewed on by what looks like a very large dog, or maybe even a wolf... but something looks wrong with it. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >* Hmm, descriptions haven't updated You seem to want to talk to someone, but I can't see whom. >x dog You see nothing special about the dead skeletal dog. >search gog You can't see any such thing. >search dog You find nothing of interest. >x rope It is indeed a rope, curiously tied off at one end with a small lasso loop. You wonder why he did that. >take it You already have that. >u You climb the rest of the way up the slope toward the rock wall... Top of a Rocky Slope At last, you've made it to the top of the slope. Unfortunately, it ends in another rock wall, one that looks just as sheer, if not nearly as tall, as the one on the desert floor. But you haven't come this far to be denied an escape now. You see something at the top of the wall. >throw lasso at spike You can't see any such thing. >x wall A twenty-foot high sheer wall with not a handhold in sight. >x top You can't see any such thing. >x something A simple wooden stake placed at the top of the cliff. Looking at the rope, you think you know what that guy had in mind here. >throw lasso at stake You can't see any such thing. >throw rope at stake You throw the loop in the rope at the stake like a cowboy lassoing a bull but with far less skill, and after a few tries get the rope around the stake. Climbing up should be easy after this. >* u That's not a verb I recognise. >* synonym here would have been good That's not a verb I recognise. >u You grab the rope and put your feet on the wall, but you are too weak right now to pull yourself up. >rest That's not a verb I recognise. >u You grab the rope and put your feet on the wall, but you are too weak right now to pull yourself up. >sleep The only sleep you'll be getting if you stop now is the big sleep. >eat fruit It tastes sweet and juicy, and a lot better than nothing. >u You grab the rope, put your feet on the wall, and pull yourself up the wall... Top of the Rock Wall You drag yourself onto the top of the cliff and stand up.You look around a little. There's the slope you just climbed up from, and there's a dusty path leading down around a... either an ambitious boulder or a small mountain. There is a stake embedded at the top of the wall. On the stake is a rope. >* not hugely well clued there That's not a verb I recognise. >* Missing space between sentences in first line That's not a verb I recognise. >x boulder You can't see any such thing. >take rope Taken. >x mountain You can't see any such thing. >d Oasis You can't believe what you're seeing. You just went around the bend and found an oasis. With plants. You run forward and throw yourself to the edge of the oasis, scooping up the water and drinking it just to make sure it's not some kind of cruel illusion. The water tastes delicious, even better than the supply in that mountain. You laugh out loud in delight of your incredible fortune. As you look up from your new favorite thing, you immediately notice the palm tree on the other side of the water, then further on a large number of cacti are growing close to each other, like some kind of orchard. You realize those must be the source of the fruit you found the latest dead guy carrying. But you can worry about all that later. You're safe here, unless she can fly, in which case you were screwed all along anyway, so what you want to do is get a good sleep. And to do that, you need to build a shelter. You stand up, feeling truly invigorated for the first time since you found yourself here. You notice a gap in the rock near the oasis. >sleep You'd rather sleep in the shade provided by that crevice. >enter gap You get into the crevice. >x gap You curl up at the back of the crevice and lay on the ground. It's a little rough though, and there's a funnel of wind blowing sand in that's going to ruin your sleep. >sleep You try to drop off, but there's no way you're going to with the hot sun beating down on you and the wind occasionally throwing sand in your face. You need something to shield you from the elements. >i You are carrying: a rope some strange fruit a bag (open but empty) Corpse makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone a wooden door a cupboards (open but empty) >put door in gap Dropped. >sleep You try to drop off, but there's no way you're going to with the hot sun beating down on you and the wind occasionally throwing sand in your face. You need something to shield you from the elements. >* I mean the door seems like it should do a good job here! That's not a verb I recognise. >take all oasis: Taken. thin palm tree: Taken. palm leaves: They're too high up to get. You would need to chop the tree down first. copse: Taken. crevice: You would have to get out of the crevice first. wooden door: Taken. >* oops That's not a verb I recognise. >x oasis A beautiful body of water, a point of salvation in this brutal desert. >x copse A large number of cacti are situated beneath a cliff on the north side of the oasis. As you look them over, you can see all of them are bearing the same fruit that the last dead guy had on him. >take fruit (the strange fruit) You already have those. >x leaves Big, green leaves, perfect for thatching a roof or waving at a passing king. >x palm (the thin palm tree) A thin, wobbly palm tree sways in the air above the oasis. As you look up at it, it occurs to you that those big leaves would be great for a little thatched roof. >u You would have to get out of the crevice first. >exit You get out of the crevice. Oasis You are in a beautiful little oasis in this otherwise harsh desert. The oasis itself is the most prominent feature, sitting in the middle of the towering spikes of rock. A thin palm tree stands over the oasis. There is a copse of cacti huddle under a short cliff about two hundred feet from the edge of the oasis. You notice a gap in the rock near the oasis. >u Top of the Rock Wall You look around a little. There's the slope you just climbed up from, and there's a dusty path leading down around a... either an ambitious boulder or a small mountain. There is a stake embedded at the top of the wall. >d Oasis You are in a beautiful little oasis in this otherwise harsh desert. The oasis itself is the most prominent feature, sitting in the middle of the towering spikes of rock. A thin palm tree stands over the oasis. There is a copse of cacti huddle under a short cliff about two hundred feet from the edge of the oasis. You notice a gap in the rock near the oasis. >climb tree Little is to be achieved by that. >x tree A thin, wobbly palm tree sways in the air above the oasis. As you look up at it, it occurs to you that those big leaves would be great for a little thatched roof. >take leaf You can't see any such thing. >take leaves They're too high up to get. You would need to chop the tree down first. >i You are carrying: a wooden door a copse a thin palm tree oasis a rope some strange fruit a bag (open but empty) Corpse makeshift bandage (being worn) a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone a cupboards (open but empty) >chop tree You hoist the pickaxe and drive it into the yielding bark of the tree. You relish every stroke, feeling truly alive from the work. After about a dozen chops, the tree crashes to the sand. Now to pick the leaves. >take leaves You pluck the leaves from the fallen tree. >put leaves in crevice You position the leaves over the gap so that they'll block the sunlight and the wind. >enter crevice You get into the crevice. In the crevice you can see palm leaves. >sleep You've done it. You've somehow made it to safety in this brutal desert, despite thirst, hunger, exhaustion, a wild animal, and being pursued the whole way by a demonic girl and her zombie-like followers. You deserve a nice, long rest. As you close your eyes, you breathe a sigh of contentment... *** You have survived *** *** For now *** Would you like to RESTART, RESTORE a saved game, QUIT or UNDO the last command? >