Start of a transcript of Identification number: //3E40434E-6ED0-4494-9CCC-9237DE36B903// Interpreter version 2.1.7 / VM 3.1.2 / Library serial number 080126 Standard Rules version 3/120430 by Graham Nelson Real-Time Delays by Erik Temple >run You rush across the sand as fast as your feet can carry you, the only thought in your head being to RUN. >run You stumble as you go over a dune, but regain your footing and continue to run... >run You sprint breathlessly along, then risk a glance back... They didn't follow you. Thank God. The mansion looks like a small toy from this distance... You stop to catch your breath, and take a look around. Desolation An Interactive Fiction by Earth Traveler Release 3 / Serial number 201008 / 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. You don't see any other landmarks ahead, so you may as well head that way. >about That's not a verb I recognise. >x me As good-looking as ever. >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... >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. >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. >take canteen Taken. You brush some sand out of your hair. >x it An old leather canteen, unfortunately empty. You're surprised it's still intact. >search skeleton Half-buried in the sand, with any flesh having long ago rotted away. Its bones are bleached white. >take it You'd rather not disturb a dead body. 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. Your stomach rumbles unpleasantly. >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 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. Your stomach rumbles unpleasantly. >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 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. >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. An ad for Dasani comes on the stereo. >x venus You can't see any such thing. >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. >search it You find nothing of interest. >open it It isn't something you can open. >turn it off It isn't something you can switch. >listen It is totally silent apart from the noise of the stereo. >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. >take notepad You don't see any point in it. You hear the McDonalds jingle on the radio. >x it 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 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. The stereo starts playing "Take Me to the River". >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. The radio switches to "Horse with No Name". >x sand Loose yellow grains, finely layering the floor of your apartment "Gimme Shelter" comes on the stereo. >move sand It is fixed in place. >take it You scoop up a handful and let it run through your fingers. >x fridge An old off-white fridge you got a few years back. Currently a large amount of sand that just spilled out of it is preventing you from closing it. >search it The fridge is empty. >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. >turn it on 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. "Hungry Like the Wolf" comes blasting on the stereo. >x cupboard Plain wooden cupboards set below the countertop. >open it You open the cupboards, revealing a jar of peanut butter. >take jar Taken. >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. >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 it on 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. You are beginning to have some doubts about your apartment. An ad for Aquafina plays on the radio. >x toilet You see nothing special about the toilet. >flush it That's not a verb I recognise. >open it It isn't something you can open. >search it You find nothing of interest. >x bathroom sink A ceramic sink sitting atop three twisting metal rods. >turn it on 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. "Gimme Some Water" comes on the stereo. >x rods 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 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. >search sand You find nothing of interest. "Like Not Enough to Eat" plays on the stereo. >x tree 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. >touch it You brush your hand against the tree, and it immediately falls apart and turns into - what else - sand. >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. A blurb for Applebee's comes on. >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. "Starving to Death" plays on the radio. >search it The loveseat is empty. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >move stereo Nothing obvious happens. >take 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. >touch stereo You feel nothing unexpected. "I'm Dying in the Fricking Desert" plays on the radio. >touch loveseat You feel nothing unexpected. >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. "If You Don't Drink Something Soon You'll Die" plays on the stereo. >x lamp An old desk lamp you got from Goodwill. You'll have to replace the bulb some time. >touch it You feel nothing unexpected. >take bulb You can't see any such thing. >search desk On the desk are a lamp and a notepad. You hear an ominous chant of "Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat" come on the station. >x kitchen A small kitchen unit in a far corner of your apartment. It has a fridge, a sink, and some cupboards. The radio switches to "You're Dreaming, You Fool". Thanks, you'd figured that one out. >out But you aren't in anything at the moment. >n >e >s >w >enter sand That's not something you can enter. >climb sand Little is to be achieved by that. "I'm Dying in the Fricking Desert" plays on the radio. >take sand You scoop up a handful and let it run through your fingers. >i You are carrying: a jar of peanut butter (open but empty) your phone >x phone You reach into your pocket and pull back a handful of sand. Predictable. >x jar A jar of JIF (tm) peanut butter. >touch it You feel nothing unexpected. >open it That's already open. >x sink Which do you mean, the kitchen sink or the bathroom sink? >kitchen A double-basin kitchen sink, filled with huge pile of sand. >search it A double-basin kitchen sink, filled with huge pile of sand. >u >d >wake The dreadful truth is, this is not a dream. >sleep You don't feel particularly drowsy. >fill jar with water Fill it how? >toilet That's not a verb I recognise. >fill jar from toilet I only understood you as far as wanting to fill the jar of peanut butter. >x toilet You see nothing special about the toilet. >look under it You find nothing of interest. >look under sand You find nothing of interest. >i You are carrying: a jar of peanut butter (open but empty) >x me As good-looking as ever. >x plant You can't see any such thing. >x window Your apartment's window, which usually gives you a view of the streets below, but right now would probably give you a view of a desert. The blinds are shut right now. >open blinds 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. >x notepad A little to-do list on your desk. The current items are: ...well, they're all scribbled out with red ink, and written over them is one single item: DIE 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. >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. 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. >in You may as well see where this tunnel goes. The odds of finding a way out of this place were pretty much nil to start with, after all. >in You may as well see where this tunnel goes. The odds of finding a way out of this place were pretty much nil to start with, after all. >enter tunnel 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. >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. >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 axe 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. >x up You see nothing unexpected in that direction. 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. >dig What do you want to dig? >cavern 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. Next to the skeleton is an old pickaxe. 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. >e Nothing but solid rock in that direction. 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. >nw Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >ne Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >se Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >sw Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >in Nothing but solid rock in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >enter tunnel You can't see any such thing. >d You aren't going anywhere until you get to that water. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >u You aren't going anywhere until you get to that water. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig What do you want to dig? >walls 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. Next to the skeleton is an old pickaxe. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig tunnel You can't see any such thing. >dig cave You can't see any such thing. >x up You see nothing unexpected in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >look up You see nothing unexpected in that direction. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >x walls You can't see any such thing. >x floor You can't see any such thing. >x ground You can't see any such thing. >x skeleton On closer inspection, it's clear what killed this person: a rock fell and smashed his skull open. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >search it On closer inspection, it's clear what killed this person: a rock fell and smashed his skull open. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >x rock You can't see any such thing. >use pickaxe That's not a verb I recognise. >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 pickaxe With what? Your bare hands? You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig water With what? Your bare hands? You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >listen You hear the sound of running water from somewhere in the mountain above you. You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig mountain With what? Your bare hands? You hear the sound of running water echo through the cavern. >dig mountain with pickaxe You simply need to DIG NOUN. >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. First, though, you ought to put that canteen to good use. 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. >run No reason to waste energy on that right now. >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. >enter tunnel You can't see any such thing. >in 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. >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. >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. >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. >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 small 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. >take rock 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 all Corpse: 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. 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. 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. rock: 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. >talk to dog That's not a verb I recognise. >pet dog That's not a verb I recognise. >dance That's not a verb I recognise. >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. >i You are carrying: a pickaxe a flashlight (providing light) a canteen your phone >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. >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. >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. >u That doesn't seem like a very good use of your time. >attack 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. >attack dog 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. >take bag Taken. >take all Corpse: You'd rather not disturb a dead body. rope: Taken. rock: Taken. >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... >search bag In the bag are some strange fruit. >take fruit Taken. >x it Just like you thought, a shoulder bag, one made of canvas. You wonder what's inside. >x fruit It's a juicy red-orangish fruit. >save Ok. >eat it That's plainly inedible. >eat fruit It tastes sweet and juicy, and a lot better than nothing. >search bag The bag is empty. >x rope It is indeed a rope, curiously tied off at one end with a small lasso loop. You wonder why he did that. >x corpose You can't see any such thing. >x corpse This corpse is, unfortunately, much fresher than the other two you found. In fact, it still have an eye on it - well, most an eye, anyway. You can't really tell how this guy died, but you're guessing it had something to do with that dog. >search it This corpse is, unfortunately, much fresher than the other two you found. In fact, it still have an eye on it - well, most an eye, anyway. You can't really tell how this guy died, but you're guessing it had something to do with that 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. Next to the skeleton is a bag and what looks like a rope. >take bag You already have that. >take rope You already have that. >x plateau You can't see any such thing. >x rock A small rock. Hopefully enough to scare off that dog. >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. >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 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 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. >take rope Taken. >take stake That's fixed in place. >push it It is fixed in place. >x it A simple wooden stake placed at the top of the cliff. >x path 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. >x gap There's a small hole in the bottom of the cliff, just large enough for a person to squeeze into. It'd be a cozy place to sleep, you think. >enter it You get into the crevice. >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. >out 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. >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 leaves They're too high up to get. You would need to chop the tree down first. >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. >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 on gap You position the leaves over the gap so that they'll block the sunlight and the wind. >enter gap 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 ***