=== NIGHT 1 BEGINS ===I check Darren's watch. 7:50 PM.
I sigh as I crumple up another piece of ruined loose leaf at my desk in my bedroom. I've spent over an hour now, since getting home with some food, trying to work out some good ideas on how to perform my abilities tonight, but I keep freezing myself over what ifs about players when they arrived here. What if some players just have a generally suspicious approach to the game? What if some of us are completely freaking out because it's real? Or what if some of them are hardened liars, trying to pose as our friend and mind-game us into trusting them?
'Then, there's the part about having to ask what happens if I drew too much attention to myself tonight...' I feel my anxiety increasing.
No. No, I shouldn't think like that. If I can't get myself to focus, then I'm not going to end up helping anyone.
I think back to when the six of us, Players 7 to 12, gathered us around the folders. I remember them distinctively, and begin jotting a list:
(The Role List according to the Ledger) wrote:14 Green Folders
5 Red Folders
6 Greyscale Folders
2 Town Glass
2 Town Aid
1 Town Gun
2 Town (!!!)
2 Town Sun
3 Town (???)
2 Town Blank
2 Mafia Crest
1 Mafia (!!!)
2 Mafia (???)
1 Neutral White
2 Neutral Grey
2 Neutral Black
1 Neutral Biohazardous
"We have Town Investigatives, Protectives, Killings, Supports, Powers, Citizens, and a randomizer." 12 looks up, finished with organizing the folders. "Mafia have their Killing, Support, and Deceptive alignments, as well as a randomizer. And lastly, Neutrals can either be Benign, Evil, or Killing."...
I snap back into focus. So, both 10 and 12 instantly thought these were BMG based roles?
'If that's true, I can probably discern the role list just by this alone.' I put my pen to my lip.
'The magnifying glass is easy, that seems Investigative. And the Aid symbol is easy too- that's gotta be Protective. Guns are for Killing. As for the blank, the Sun, exclamation marks, and question marks...'I circle the two matching classes of Town and Mafia folders. "These two groups are probably the same."
Indeed, why else would the same symbol be used? If Mafia and Town had the same two factional classifications, would they not symbol the same?
'Town doesn't have a Deception subclass, and Mafia Killing doesn't show as a gun. The only thing left is Support. And as for the furious question marks, if randomizers can be represented as slots as well, then would these not both mark a Random Town and a Random Mafia?'Which would leave the Sun symbol to probably mean Town Power, Blank to mean Citizen, Crest to mean Mafia Killing. As for the Neutrals...
"Those look easy at first glance. Benign, Evil, and Killing... but if that's true... then what the hell is going on with that biohazardous symbol...?"
Seriously, what the
hell was the Mayor on by drawing up THAT symbol?
I strike my pen through that one folder and just leave the slot blank. I'm sure that if we don't have that answer now, we'll know it soon.
'Okay, so, assuming that this is all ripped right out of BlankMediaGames, only then can I trust that this is accurate as a rolelist. It seems balanced enough, although the Mayor himself seems to be included on the Town's side. The issue at hand is, I gotta pretend I don't know the role list for the time being. Who knows if it's right or not?'I get up from the desk, and go to lie down on my bed. I check Darren's watch again. 7:58 PM.
"That was only eight minutes?" I frown. "Geez. Day's not for another 10 hours. What the hell am I supposed to do here?"
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=== Winnipeg Convention Centre, Manitoba, 8:35 PM ==="Excuse me sir, is there something I can help you with?"
Darren snaps back into focus, realizing there's a slim woman in a WCC uniform trying to get his attention.
She's leaning a bit, frowning as he's sitting on the ground. "I've noticed you haven't moved much in the last hour, and we're going to be closing soon..."
"I'm really sorry about that." He waves her off a bit, watching a door. "It's my friend, I promised I'd wait for him, and he said he'd get back any minute."
She follows his gaze. "You think your friend is in that room? If so, I can go check for you..."
"Well, I don't think he would have slipped out without texting me." He shakes his head, still not looking at her. "In case he did, he was participating in this event earlier... but they asked me not to bother them. So I've just kinda been waiting for either him, or one of the organizers to come out."
She turns to him. "Is that so? Huh, that would be rather unusual. Can you tell me what your friend looks like, then? I can go ask security..."
"He's just a bit smaller than me, just under six feet. He was wearing a red shirt with a grey sweater, jeans, white shoes. Please let me know."
She excuses herself, walking off down the hall. Meanwhile, Darren continues watching the door with a determined smile.
"Real time Mafia combat? Yeah, I doubt that would be happening here. So if you think you're going to be able to transport him in peace, guess again."
His glaring at the door becomes more intense, his focus even stronger, when he suddenly notices something cold brush against his left hand. His face jolts to the ground. A brass pen rests against his palm, but there's a slip of paper tied around the pen. He grabs the pen, unfolding the paper.
"Too late." Darren mouths slowly, barely a whisper. "Gone. Behave or else. Let's make a deal. Look to your left."
No... that can't be right. He's watched that door this whole time- no one's come out of it yet!
He clearly becomes distraught, his breathing more stressed. Frantically, he gazes down his left, where an arm waves out from behind a corner.
Darren gets up and walks to the corner. It leads into the women's bathroom. Suddenly, the door rips open, and pulls him in by the shirt. He's about to yell out in protest when his attacker slams him against the wall, covering his mouth by the arm.
"Shhh..." A well grown man dressed in black formal wear puts a finger to his lip, whispering to Darren. "Someone wants to speak with you. Quietly."
A more slim and lanky man in a white coat comes out from around a wall, regarding him. He tilts his head away from Darren. The grown man in black releases him, but blocks the door, preventing a quick exit.
"Let me guess." Darren seeths. "You know exactly what the hell is going on."
"Oh, I know full well what's going on." The white man shrugs, smiling. "You should consider yourself lucky to even get to talk with me, seeing as how most non-contestants would have been tossed out the building by my guard by now. Not you. You're too complicated, too risky, to treat like that."
"So you're the one organizing this?" He demands.
"No. But I am one of the higher ups in this district. I suppose that's all you really need to know for now- I'm the highest ranking officer here."
"How many other districts are there?" Darren doesn't let up.
"Tens, around the world. Careful what questions you ask, boy."
"I want my friend back. He's fearing for his life, and I know you still have him here. If you don't let him go, I swear-"
"Let him go?" The man laughs. "I'm afraid even I can't make that happen anymore, my dear friend. Your friend isn't even in the country by this point."
It was like a cannon just exploded right in front of him. Darren's face goes chalk white, staggering against the wall in a daze.
"How... I... I was watching the whole time...?!"
"At this stage, there's no point in doing anything besides being completely honest with each other." The man approaches him. "Your friend is officially out of my jurisdiction, and he's entered the arena several hours ago. The situation is out of both of our control now. Which leaves an issue with you."
If looks could kill, Darren would have reduced this man to ash in a split second. "This is kidnapping. You'll never get away with this."
"Oh we will, and that's why we don't want to make anything complicated. You see, we already have all the elements in place, but in my district right now, we have the issue of you. You see, you're the highest class of witness to ever actually see one of our contestants in the process of being taken. Originally we allowed this, thinking you'd leave the center once we took your friend, seeing as how you originally complied to not interfere. But here we are, you're still trying to get in the way of our operation. And I'm here to tell you that this behavior is futile, and is only going to draw unwanted attention to yourself. And trust me, I'd really rather not have anything... distressing... happen to a lovely devoted dear friend of a contestant, such as yourself."
Darren grunts, caught off guard by the threat. "You're a disgusting person. Why the hell would I ever help you?"
"Because I think it's in both of our mutual better interests if you stopped resisting and started cooperating. Please believe me when I say that."
"Your note said you wanted to make a deal. Get to the damn point."
The white coated man reaches into one of his pockets, pulling out a small card. "I have here, vital information as to the whereabouts of your friend right now. You won't be able to contact him, but you will be able to monitor him along with us. Originally, our idea was to bring everyone into the arena with nothing other than their own bodies and clothing. But as we now know, and as I've been informed, you were directly involved in smuggling a certain item into the arena. That could very well complicate matters if the wrong person gets wind of the information you currently hold. Since it's too late to directly stop you from your acts of defiance, I'm going to ask that you at least help us keep a tight lid on our operations."
Then the man holds the card out to Darren. "So here is the deal. You always know the whereabouts and status of your friend. You stay quiet."
Darren's glare reluctantly dampens into a stare. "Alright. What happens if I say no, and try to go public with this?"
"For starters, we would have to intervene and immediately do something about you. You wouldn't like that." The man nonchalantly shrugs. "But more to the point, second of all, we've already invented a rock solid alibi for your friend, something completely in character that he'd be doing over the next two weeks. Everyone relevant in his life is already aware of this as we speak, so no one else knows the truth- besides you. You are the only witness with truly critical sensitive information. Instead of bagging and tagging you, I'm offering you a chance to live quietly."
Darren senses the man in black behind him stiffen out a bit. His heart rate begins climbing, his adrenaline kicking in.
"Even if you are able to somehow tell someone your findings as we watch you to ensure you don't make a move, the chances of anyone believing that your friend has been kidnapped by a group of unknown top secret operatives, rather than him just doing something everyone would expect him to, well... let's just say that in the face of these odds, I'm perfectly happy just being a betting man."
Once more, the coated man waves the card out at him. "I'd say this is a generous offer. So, do we have a deal?"
After several tense seconds pass between them, finally, Darren reluctantly approaches the man, and takes the card.
"What the hell could be more important to you guys than all of these innocent lives you're hanging in the balance?" He demands.
"That information is highly confidential." The man shakes his head. "Even my own guard detail doesn't know. However, I can tell you... we decided about your friend well before he even applied to be accepted into the arena. We know all about Rick Miller. One of his many redeeming qualities is his very skill at this game he currently finds himself cornered by. His life may be hanging in the balance, my dear Darren Black, but one thing I think you and I are both well aware of, is the fact that this boy certainly knows how to hold his own under these circumstances."
"I swear... if he dies out there-"
"Then my condolences are with you, deeply, should something ever happen to him. Further condolences that you'd have to remain silent about it."
Darren grits his teeth, as the coated man walks around him.
"Farewell, Darren Black. I wish you and your friend the best of luck."
Before he could remark, the last thing Darren remembered was a sharp pinch near the back of his neck. All went black.
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--- 9:46 PM ---I open the front door, peering out into the darkness after eating dinner.
To my surprise, it's not as dark as I thought it was going to be. A couple others were sitting outside with their porch lights on, gazing out. The night was also warm and comfortable, unlike back home at Winnipeg, where the grips of winter still had a hold on the air. Here was almost like a vacation.
'Except, this kind of vacation could involve me bleeding out on the streets, so there is that.'Aside from dinner, I had finished spending an hour making unreliable notes to myself about the various other people who lived here. It's still too early to go to bed, but what made everything uncomfortable about actually being in a Mafia town during Night Phase was having far too much time to yourself.
I turn my porch light on, and just sit out for a bit, thinking to myself.
"So, when I was Moderator... the only thing I remember saying about Night Phases is how they're too dangerous to stay outside for too long." I think out loud. "But then again, if most members of the Town leave their houses at Night, and if everyone is generally always able to perform their actions at Night in the Town before being killed, then doesn't this imply that the night isn't actually so dangerous that you can't explore around the place a bit?"
I recall the warning the Mayor left us once he died:
"Beware of the movements at night. [...] Once it starts to get dark, the City Hall is off-limits to all, regardless of who you are. Consider anyone an enemy who lurks within its walls in the night where they cannot be seen. There is to be no defense to performing your searches at night."...
I rub my chin. "That was the only actual rule. If these hypothetical game mods wanted to confine us to our houses, why not just tell all of us not to go out at all, unless it was strictly necessary to?"
It's almost... as though they wanted us to explore in the first place? Otherwise, why not just have stricter rules?
I reach out into my back pocket, pulling out my city map, studying it further.
"So, the only structure here that's actually off limits is the City Hall... and everyone else is apparently free to roam the night anywhere else..."
I look back up into the unwelcoming darkness of night again, only to now realize that it's fairly brightly lit by a waxing gibbous moon in the sky.
'Huh. A place like this is more beautiful than I first thought...'I get up from my bench, just to lean against the exit to the porch.
'It's really not all that hard to argue our freedom to explore the city at night, then. Even if I didn't have a Night Action, I'd probably just go out and do this. But what if everyone sees me walk out, and just doesn't believe me, or care, if I were to tell them I'm actually just a Citizen?'The last thing anyone should do if the game is this real, is draw attention to one's self. But at the same time, if Night Phase investigation helps keeps us alive, wouldn't it be more foolish if I tried not to do anything at all, just going to bed the moment my Night Action's been performed?
I look back down at the City Map, and realize there's an inconsistency with my memory from earlier this afternoon.
After one more hesitation, the survivalist part of me screaming and begging me to stay behind, I harrumph and push into the dark city.
"I can't let fear get the better of me forever."
Sensing some troubled looks being sent my way from my half of the city, I push ahead to the dead center of Town.
After a decent walk and a bit, I finally begin to see what appears to be a tall, dark shadowy silhouette in the middle of everything.
"Whoa." My eyes widen. "Clearly I didn't get a good look of the place once that bell rung. What the hell is that?"
After getting closer to the object and my eyes adjusting to the darkness in the moonlight, finally I'm able to get a better look. I seem to be in front of a large tower, of mostly white brick and four cardinal archways that led into the dark cavity of the tower. The base of the tower spreads out like an open cube, but the rest of the tower looked like a white cylinder, left open and topped by a wooden roof with red shingles on top.
I gawk. What was this thing? I look down again at the map, and after I do that, there's no mistaking where I was standing...
I am directly in front of the lynch platform."What, this...?" I look up at the contraption. "Instead of just a normal gallows? Why do we need such a tall tower...?"
"What the
HELL are you doing?!"
I shriek, badly startled by the voice out of nowhere. Frantically I look around, only to finally see an angry dark figure stomping from behind me.
'CRAP! What have I gotten myself into?!' I step back, frightened.
'This couldn't... really be someone about to attack me, right...?!'Finally, the figure comes into view. It's the boy from House 4!
"I asked you a question!" He demands. "Do you have any idea what time it is? It's too dangerous to be out here, what the hell are you doing here?!"
"Uh..." I'm badly caught off guard.
'That doesn't sound like someone trying to kill me. That sounds like someone who's terrified that I'm breaking Mafia standards. Hmm...'"Well, I just wanted to get a closer look at this, is all." I finally gesture to the Tower. "I didn't remember actually getting a good look at our lynching platform, and I thought I noticed a giant structure that wasn't included in our map or anything."
"You came all this way just to smell the roses then, basically?" He folds his arms, giving me a raised brow.
"Uh... yeah?" I restore my posture. "I mean, are you going to tell me how this thing works? Because, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not waste any time tonight when I can be outside, getting a lead on stuff like this to help us waste as little time as possible tomorrow."
"I don't get it. Why couldn't this just wait for tomorrow?" He doesn't look convinced.
"Do you have somewhere better to be tonight? The night is still only fresh, and I'm really not in the mood to sleep any time soon."
Clearly that remark had some teeth to it. He loosens himself. "Hmm. Fair point, I guess, but come on, 11. It is dangerous to be out here by yourself."
"I think I'd be begging for more trouble if I went up to anyone's door tonight, went knocking, and ask them to come out with me."
4 sighs. "Alright, alright. Fine. I just don't plan on following you off the bridge, is all I'm saying. So, what do you plan on doing here?"
I back away a bit more to the south side of the Tower, then resume facing the structure.
"Without getting myself killed, I was just trying to get a better look at this thing." I look up at it. "There's no way it has a step switch or anything- we could never convince anyone to willingly step on it without risking a Town member stepping on it. So I guess all I was really looking for is the kill method, or kill trigger. What exactly does this Tower do? That sort of thing."
"That still didn't answer my question, just what are you going to..." He starts, but his voice trails when he sees me enter the cavity.
"Hey! Stuart Little! Are you really sure that's a good idea? What if the thing squashes you like a mouse?!"
I ignore him, trying to get a better look from the inside for some sort of clue. I nearly trip after a few steps in- I'm realizing now that I'm about to step onto a wooden raised platform. It couldn't be more than a few inches off the ground.
"This has to have more of a trigger, but if this is where people are supposed to step, I doubt the trigger would be anywhere near there..."
I look about the Tower's pillars, when my eyes fall onto a pull switch along one of the corners.
"11...?" I can still hear Player 4 calling for me. "You still with me?"
I make sure I stand completely clear of the platform. Once I have, I grab the pull switch, and crank it downward.
-click!-"Uh- whoa!" Player 4 yelled out. "Hey, I think a switch just sprang out of the ground in front of me! What should I do?!"
'What...?' I frown, looking out to him.
'Why wouldn't the mechanism just activate right now?'"Another switch, you said?!" I call back. "Give it a pull for me, will you! Let's see what happens!"
I lean back, directly facing the switch I was in front of.
'Strange... why have a switch for a switch? It seems kinda pointle-'*SNAP!* ERRRRRRR*My eyes widen in horror, as I notice a deafeningly loud sound lurch from above me.
WHAM!!!!!Eight Hours Remain in Night 1.