Shawn just kept running - he could tell there was something going on at his house...wasn't today his birthday? That complicated things a little, but he knew the side door was probably unlocked, so he could slip in and go upstairs before anyone asked why there were two of him...

OOC: 20:19, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 9,5,4,3,7,3. Stamina + Athletics + 1.

OOC: 20:44, Today: Bradford Stork rolled 3 successes using 5d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((2,9,8,6,8)).

"Come back!" Bradford yelled behind Shawn, and he sounded closer than Shawn thought he might be.

Shawn was almost at the house. And the music was loud. It sounded just like a birthday party. Was it his birthday party?

Shawn stumbled as he got closer...

OOC: 20:52, Today: Shawn Cramer failed (no successes) using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 5,1,3,4,1,6. Stamina + Athletics + 1.

OOC: 05:46, Today: Storyteller, on behalf of Bradford Stork, rolled 2 successes using 5d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,6,9,6,1)).

Bradford reaches Shawn's total successes. Shawn is caught!


"Gothcja!" Bradford said in a slawffy, doughy voice, the result of his burned face.

Bradford Rolls Strength (2) + Weaponry (-1) +3(Willpower) (Shawn has no defense as back is turned). If Bradford succeeds, in attack, then +2 lethal damage because of knife.

05:55, Today: Storyteller, on behalf of Bradford Stork, rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((10(+7),6,10(+5),5)).

2 + 2 (damage knife) = Shawn takes 4 Damage Lethal.



Shawn felt a hot, white pain in his lower back that traveled all the way up his back and into his neck. There was a soft 'sfffck' sound, and Shawn could hear Bradford's  warm breath on the back of his neck.

OOC: P. 153: If a single attack inflicts an amount of damage greater than or equal to the character’s Stamina, the character may be stunned. If the damage caused by the attack is equal to the character’s Stamina, make a reflexive Resolve roll. A stunned character loses her next action and her Defense for the remainder of the turn.

Shawn Rolls "Resolve"

Shawn feels something hot and painful in his back, but somehow keeps pushing onwards towards the increasingly nearby sounds of Michael Jackson.

OOC: 07:16, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 6d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 7,7,3,3,9,1.  Resolve + WP.

07:18, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 5 successes using 9d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 2,2,10(+4),10(+9),6,4,8,2,9.  Stamina + Athletics + 1 + WP.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:20, Wed 13 Feb 2019.

Shawn ran forward, the searing hot pain in his back slowly turning into gaping, bloody mess. Warm blood was now soaking his shirt as he fumbled with the side door to the basement in his house. His hands were jittery, his palms managing to twist the door knob, the familiar sound of that basement door clicking and the possibility of safety that it brought.

The door opened and Shawn stepped inside.

Turning around, Bradford's face appeared in the doorway. He was meaning to enter into Shawn's house. In his right hand, he held a bloody knife.

Shawn slammed the door behind him as he stepped through, trying to turn the lock. Once he was behind that relative safety he told the other boy, “I’ll scream, and everyone will see you...go away.”

Shawn's knees buckled as he spoke behind the locked door, the weight of the pain now taking on an additional level of burden, even as his adrenaline still ran high.

There was a pounding on the door. A weak, child's pounding, for Bradford after all was just a skinny kid and not Jack Nicholson in The Shining. But even for all its weakness Shawn could feel the hatred and rage pulsing each time Bradford hit the door from outside.

"You let me in Shawn!!!!!! LET ME IN!!!!! LET!!!!! ME!!!!! IN!!!!" Bradford screamed, his voice barely overcoming the loud, birthday music that was blaring all around. Bradford's voice, from behind the door, had retained its clarity and was no longer ugly and doughy as it had been just moments before.

Shawn sat down rather heavily, both mentally and physically exhausted. Bradford's voice was just a background noise as he tried to catch his breath. Still, it couldn't dull his sense of accomplishment - he'd succeeded in getting home, despite everything seeming to conspire against him. He just had to get upstairs - the party wouldn't be on the second floor by his room, and he knew the bathroom there had the first aid kit. He could get bandaged up, and then hide in his room until other Shawn went to bed. Gingerly, he tried to get to his feet.

Shawn's knees buckled again as he struggle to get up and walk.

OOC: This Shawn Character Receives the following wound penalties for the next two days

No Heroic Effort, No 10-Again rolls, -2 to all Rolls


There was a pat, pat, pat. A sound and a trickling of warm blood that had collected on the floor just beneath Shawn. It fell into a puddle. The pain came rushing in, Shawn now saw stars for a brief moment.

If felt for a moment like someone had opened up a seam in Shawn's back and important organs were about to fall out.


"LET ME IN!!!! LET ME IN!!!" Bradford screams broke the spell, even though they were muffled and barely audible from the music in the house.

Shawn tried not to scream as the adrenaline started to wear off and the real pain began. He took a deep breath, wincing as he did, and tried again. This time, rather than just trying to stand up by himself, he grabbed the suitcase, and pushed on it as he levered himself to his knees. Then, he flipped the suitcase on its side and used it to try and push himself to his feet. He made sure never to put his full weight on his legs, instead using the suitcase as a sort of crutch as he tried to slowly make his way to the door that'd take him further into his house.

He was making progress. Each step Shawn moved towards the staircase, the suitcase was his crutch and it prevented him from falling down. The music had changed now, and the song Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go was now blasting through the house.

Then the pounding on the door stopped and Shawn could hear muffled laughing from Bradford outside.

"Mr....Claaaaaaayyyyyton." Bradford said in a loud voice to overcome the music.

"WAKE UP MR. CLAYTON!!! IT'S ME BRADFORD!!!" Bradford shouted.

Shawn could feel the suitcase jolt, one clasp on the outside suddenly popped open.

Shawn was in no position to take any chances. He stopped moving towards the stairs, and instead bore down on the suitcase with his full weight. With a free hand, he tried to pop the clasp closed, and as he did, he whisper-hissed to the suitcase on the off-chance Mr. Clayton could hear. "No! You said you were staying out of this, so stay out of this. You wanted this to be between me and Bradford, so keep your word."

OOC: Shawn Rolls "Strength" Mr. Clayton's "Strength" (1 dice pool - Just a Puppet) +3 (Willpower)

Shawn's Roll has the following modifications:

No Heroic Effort, No 10-Again rolls, -2 to all Rolls (Willpower can be used).

Any 10s that Shawn Rolls will be rolled again since there are nor 10 again rolls.

Shawn could feel presser from the inside of the case as he tried to force it to close. The Puppet wanted out. It was responding to Bradford's call. Still, it was only a puppet. If Shawn wasn't injured, maybe it would have been easier to keep it shut.

"If we weren't injured, maybe it would be easier to keep it shut!" Feddler yelled in Shawn's mind.

Shawn succeeded in popping the clasp back into place with on of his free hands even as his back blazed with pain from the wound in his back.

Snap!

The other clasp came open.

"He's saying something to us. He's saying that he wants to bring us and Bradford together. He's saying that he wants to see the destruction. That is what he is trying to do. He's saying from inside the case that he wants to see one of us die."

Somehow, Shawn could feel those very thoughts emanate from the suitcase. From within the small, cramped space that Mr. Clayton was struggling to get out of. Feddler's words were just an echo of what Mr. Clayton was saying to him from within the case. Shawn felt the words. He heard them just as Feddler had expressed them and Mr. Clayton had responded to the call. And with every jolt and pressing that the Puppet made, Shawn felt the hatred within the case threatening to push itself outward.

OOC:
Mr. Clayton Rolls "Strength" (1 dice pool - Just a Puppet) +3 (Willpower):

20:11, Today: Bradford's Puppet - Mr. Clayton rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((2,1,10(+7),7)).

Shawn tried to keep hold of the case, but it feels fruitless. He tries using his words. "You'll get your confrontation! I've got a plan that'll make for much more destruction...you just have to give me one night. Wouldn't it be boring to just end it in some random basement?"

OOC: 20:48, Today: Shawn Cramer failed (no successes) using 3d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 5,2,5. Strength - Wound Penalty (2) + WP.

As Shawn spoke the second clasp popped open, he could hear Feddler say something, more of a inhalation of shock and surprise that actual words.

The suitcase pried itself apart with a jangling, springy noise like a jack-in-the-box toy. Out came a single, steel wire that lashed across the room and hooked itself on the door lock, slapping it open. It pushed itself against the door knob itself, turning it with a quick, jerking motion.

Then, like the retractable coord on Mom's vacuum cleaner, it whizzed back into the case.

Shawn heard the door open and Bradford passed through with a smile on his face. He brandished the knife he had already used to open up Shawn's back.

"I'm slowing to slowpppen you up like a slzipper!" Bradford rejoiced, half of his face sagging, the flesh pink and scarred, his words sloppy and chopped.

OOC: Bradford's Defense is 2

Shawn May run with a roll of Dexterity + Stamina +1 (-2 to all rolls, no 10 agains, no heroic effort)

Or Shawn may attempt any other action
This message was last edited by the player at 01:30, Wed 20 Feb 2019.

There was no time for stealth or worrying about what people might think - if Shawn didn't leave now, Bradford was going to kill him! That fear brought his last reserves of adrenaline back, and he used the suitcase to crutch-walk himself up the stairs as fast as he could. He knew he couldn't outrun Bradford in his condition, but he didn't have to. He just had to make it the short distance to the stairs and get into the house proper where Bradford couldn't just openly stab him.

OOC: 20:43, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 3 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 7,1,8,10(+9). Dexterity + Stamina +1 - 2.

This is actually 2 successes because I can't figure out how to turn off 10-again on the roller.

OOC: 14:27, Today: Bradford Stork rolled 1 success using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((2,9,4,7)).


Bradford slowly moved towards Shawn will the killer of instinct of an animal that was going to enjoy killing his prey.

OOC: Shawn needs 2 more successes to 'crutch' himself up the stairs and reach the door.

Shawn kept moving up the stairs, legs shaking but determined. “If you near me, I’m gonna scream! There’s a whole party full of grownups on the other side of the door, you’ll go to prison forever!” Whether by outrunning him or convincing him to back off even temporarily, Shawn just wanted Bradford to stop.

OOC: 16:00, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 1,7,10(+8),7.  Dexterity + Stamina +1 - 2.

Shawn scurried up the steps with his back to Bradford, and Bradford followed close behind.  As if suddenly shocked that Shawn had made it up the stairs so quickly and to the door, Bradford yelled "NOooOO!!"

"He is going to throw the knife!" Feddler yelled.


OOC: Bradford Rolls Dexterity + Athletics minus Shawn's Defense (no defense, back turned). If Bradford succeeds, then Shawn takes 2d10 additional damage.

19:44, Today: Bradford Stork rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((1,2,10(+5),8)).

Damage: 04:53, Today: Bradford Stork rolled 2 successes using 2d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,9)).


Shawn Gains Condition: Incapacitation - Unable to Move

Shawn Rolls Reflexive "Stamina" Roll to stay conscious with no penalties

Shawn felt the knife plunge into his back. His eyes widened with the oncoming rush of pain, his hand letting go of the suitcase which slid down the stairs and hit the bottom, where it fell to its side.

Pain seared through Shawn's back with more strength than a branding iron, his mind conceding to the torment, unable to bring a thought to completion. Without intention, he felt his body curl into something fetal, something primeval and all the while the pain burned and radiated.

Somehow remaining conscious, Shawn opens the door and staggers through it.

OOC: 05:40, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 2 successes using 2d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 2,10(+10,6).  Stamina.

Shawn staggered through the door, falling through as he pushed it open with his weight. He reached the threshold of the door frame, the music now louder than ever. Searing pain welled up from somewhere, from everywhere in his body.

His back was aflame with unanswered pain. A spasm broke out in between his shoulder blades. It ran down his legs, making them quiver and loose control, sending Shawn down to his knees. Shawn's hands became rigid and white knuckled, gripping at the air as the pain spread out through his body. His vision became blurry and dark. The sound of the music blurred together with the thrumming of his heartbeat.

Somewhere in the distance of the haze, Shawn heard Bradford's footfalls come up from behind him, advancing up the steps.

OOC: 00:27, Today: Bradford Stork rolled 2 successes using 4d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s ((8,5,6,8)).

Shawn takes 2 bashing damage


"RRGGHURPPH!" Bradford yelled as he slammed something into the side of Shawn's head.

Colorful spots contoured the sides of Shawn's eyes and he was vaguely aware that he was no longer in the doorway anymore. There was a high-pitched noise coming from somewhere inside his head which made Shawn's ears ring. Shawn had a brief thought about something somewhere, but he couldn’t remember where. Or what it was.

Suddenly Shawn was aware that he was rolling on, and on, down, the world flipping and flipping around, Shawn trying to shake the fuzz out of his head and Bradford throttling him at the same time.

There was no stopping.

OOC:

Shawn Gains Condition: Incapacitation - Unable to Move

Shawn Rolls Reflexive Stamina roll (with no penalty) to stay conscious

Somehow, against all reason, Shawn remained conscious. But the pain was so bad, he almost wished he hadn't. He couldn't really move, couldn't fight back anymore. He tried to call out weakly, hoping someone could hear him...

OOC: 01:06, Today: Shawn Cramer rolled 1 success using 2d10 with the World of Darkness nWoD system with a target of 8, rerolling 10s with rolls of 8,6.  Stamina.

Shawn's eyelid fluttered and he recognized that his face was pressed against the ground. From his sideways vantage point, he could see an open suitcase. Mr. Clayton was on the ground, splayed out. His arms were tangled in an awkward manner, one hand behind his head, one hand spread out on the rug before him. One of the Puppet's eyelids was closed and the other one was half open.

The ringing in Shawn's head seemed to correspond to the flat-lining of Feddler's voice. Shawn knew on some level that whatever Bradford had done, Shawn was no longer going to be hearing from the inner-voiced demon again any time soon. Perhaps he would never hear from him or anyone again.

Shawn heard Bradford whistling a jaunty tune that sounded like one of the Dwarf's singing 'whistle while you work' in Snow White as he moseyed up Behind Shawn. Shawn saw Bradford's knee plant down in front of his face, blocking out Mr. Clayton from view.

Bradford leaned down to whisper in Shawn's ear.

"sI'm goijng to enshoy shisss..." His twisted voice said to Shawn's limp, immobile body.

There was a soft, sucking, wet sound as Bradford pulled the knife out of Shawn's back.
Bradford said something about revenge for what happened to Ron and his face. Then Shawn heard the meat-hacking sound of the knife hitting his back several more times, and everything went dark....

OOC: This version of Shawn is dead. Proceed with other thread.