Erica's eyes went wide. She didn't kill him. Obviously. Luke was right there. He looked horrible and needed a doctor, but if he was dead, there was no way he could be there. Could he? But despite the impossibility of it, when he reached at her she jumped back and screamed.

"No No No... I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Tears filled her eyes as she turned and ran along the road as fast as she could.

Every few minutes you keep hearing "You can run but can't hide. And they will come for you. Slam you into a cell and watch you rot. Just like me. Rotting away." As Erica gets into the town, she trips and falls flat onto her face. Mud flies out as her face submerges with it.

Splat. Erica laid face down in the mud, only pulling her face back to breath once she realized what had happened. There was no pain. Not yet. But the watery mud soaking into her clothes felt cold and gross. After looking around to see if anyone else saw her, she pushed up to her hands and knees and tried to wiped the mud from her face with her equally muddy hands.

"Ugh!" This was a disaster. She was wet and dirty and had no place to go to get clean. But it wasn't time to run to something. Her goal was to escape. Regaining her feet, she strode back into a run, heading for the center of town. There was no destination, but she would look for the first opportunity for shelter.

"Whoops. Oh poor baby. The center is that way. No? Didn't think so. Run and hide. Let's see how far that will get you." Luke is suddenly in front of her but she goes through him! "Well that is a hoot."

Several people walking around towards the center of town watch as Erica crazily goes towards it.

A police car comes from around the corner towards Erica.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:17, Tue 13 June 2023.

Erica couldn't think. None of this made any sense. Could Luke really be there chasing her? She saw him fall. There was blood. Tony was on top of him. How could he not be dead. Why did she not hear him running behind her?

"AAAIEE!!" She screamed. Luke was suddenly in front of her. She covered her head in preparation of the collision, but there was nothing but air. Then there was the ground as she fell onto her butt. Looking up, Luke was still there. Taunting from the exact some place. How did she not hit him?

Scrambling to her feet, she backed away. Her mind was scattered and her heart was full of panic. She turned to run, but she couldn't. The police were blocking her way. Giving up, she just dropped to her knees and cried into her hands

The man kneels down "You can run but can't hide. So your in a bit of a dilemna. Run from the cops and might get away or sit here and get arrest for my murder. Just a matter of time. Time is not on your side. Time...." He leans forwards, getting really close to her heard "Is not on your side. They will hang you. That really sucks? Maby they will throw you off the stairs. Oh that would be hilarious."<blue> He steps back as a cop approaches from her car <blue>"Ma'am? You alright?" The flashing lights from the car. Several people stop and they watch what is going on.

As Luke leans in, taunting her, Erica moves her hands from over her face to over her ears. It seemed impossible, but though all the sounds from around her were muffled, Luke's voice still came through loud and clear. She shook her head. It all had to be in her imagination. She didn't murder him. She didn't. He knew that. It was his idea to push Tony. She just did what she was told. It was all such a blur. He died but she didn't mean.

And yet there he was. Mocking. Threatening. Filling her mind with despair. But then he stepped away. Making room for someone else. She looked up at him as he asked about her.

"Please." Her eyes were pleading and desperate. "Help me."

And there was no sign of Luke. Just people watching this crazed person freak out. The cop slowly approaches Erica and puts her hands up "Relax. Calm down. What happened?" If the cop knew why didn't she say anything? Maybe its protocol "Slowly sit down and keep your hands where I can see them."

"I was... He wouldn't leave me alone. He was chasing me." Keeping her hands up, Erica looked at the ground. "Luke. He was dead. At least I thought he was, but he was still chasing me. I can't do this anymore... Just please, make him stop."

"Sit down. Who is Luke?" The cop is either playing coy or doesn't know. But probably does. She was in her cruiser. When Erica puts her hangs up, she slowly pulls out her cuffs and puts Erica's hands to her back and cuffs them and motions for Erica to head to the cruiser. Once inside, she gets a call for a ambulance and backup at the community center and takes off with Erica in tow. A few minutes later, she gets to the community center and sees someone lying down on the ground and sees the cop hanging on for dear life "Son of a...." She gets out and a amubulance arrives shorly afterwards and goes to go inside.

Locked within the cruiser, Erica may feel safe.

But then Luke smiles from the front seat "Well this sucks doesn't it?" He winks at Erica "What to do, what to do. Can't run. Well you can but getting out would be tough."  Another cruiser pulls out and two policeman get out.

Siting in the cruiser, Erica glanced around the grounds of the Community Center. She couldn't tell who it was laying out on the ground at the base of the building, but the person dangling from the roof was someone she never saw before. Something messed up was happening but she was too exhausted to get invested. When the cop left her alone to assist, she just dropped her head and enjoyed the quiet.

Until Luke spoke again.

"You're not real. Go Away. You can't be real." She tried to shut out his words. "Go AWAY! You're not Luke. Luke was kind. You're a monster. Now GET OUT!"

And Luke seems to be gone. The crusier seems empty. Its very strange.

But then someone else falls to the ground. Two cops raise their gun but don't fire. Someone elses body is put on a gurney and covered up before being taken away in a ambulance. Who died? And who feel to the ground just now?
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:42, Wed 26 July 2023.

Handcuffed in the back, all Erica could do was lean forward and try to see what was happening. It was insane. First Luke, then more bodies falling off the roof. The entire episode was turning into a nightmare.

Two of the ambulance people rush inside and come out after a few moments with someone on a gurny, covered up. Probably Luke. They take the body to the anbulance just as another one arrives with more cop cars. Everything is going nuts. Another body is shipped elsewhere and Erica gets a look at them-Its Imogen.

Erica leaned and craned to see what was going on with all the activity. She saw the  first covered body brought out, reasoning by its size that it was Luke. There were more cops and ambulances, then another body. The wind blew the sheet aside for a moment, revealing the face before the medic covered it again. It was Imogen. Erica felt a wave of despair and grief, tinged with panic. Where was Tony Marko?

Tony seems to be dead, getting hauled up by three cops and put on a stretcher. Yet Erica can tell something is wrong-Tony's hand flinches! The cop from inside comes out and walks up to his partners car and gets in. He looks at Eric, and stops. The man looks strangely familiar but Erics doesn't know him. Just looks familiar. Older then her "So what happened?"

Erica's eyes stay locked on Marko. He looked dead, but at the same time something told her he wasn't. She gasped at the twitch of his hand. It could have been nerve impulse, but she felt that it was more. A panic bloomed, but her concern was interrupted when a cop got in the car with her.

She didn't know him but the cop looked vary familiar. Luke? Someone related to him, or more hallucinations? He asked what happened, but that wasn't what was most important.

"He's not dead!" Erica's voice was pleading and tight with fear. "Marko. He's still alive. Please you have to do something. He's crazy."

Marko doesn't move but the cop turns and watches for a moment as he is put into the ambulance. He looks back at Erica "I shot him several times. He's dead. Don't have to worry about him. Who killed Luke? What happened? Answer me."
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:53, Fri 25 Aug 2023.

Erica watched as Tony was loaded up. She felt like he wasn't dead, but if this cop insisted on having shot him, then she had a hard time thinking of how he could still be alive. But the momentary distraction was gone and he was demanding answers about Luke's death. She felt like she shouldn't lie, but at the same time, she wasn't going to incriminate herself.

"He was fighting with Tony and they went over the rail." She said simply. "And that's the truth."

Eyes narrowed, the cop doesn't seem to believe her but he has little proof. Heck after what he just saw, nothing makes sense. Nothing at all. He climbs out, goes to her door and opens it. If she gets out, he removes the handcuffs "You are to remain within this building." He goes to the rear of the car, pulls open the trunk and slams it revealing a anklet and he goes to place it over her right ankle "I will be back at some point to speak with you and the others if further questions come up. He definatly looks a lot like Luke but older. <blue>"If any questions, call the police station. Ask for Detective Haliwo." Did he say his last name was Luke's?

The cop didn't seem to believe Erica, but there was no good reason for him not to. She told him the truth. Would it have been more believable if she added that she pushed them both over the rail? Maybe his disbelief was her imagination, though. He didn't say much about her statement. All he did was order her to stay in the building. Like he had that authority? He wasn't a judge, or even an administrator of the facility. He was just a cop.

A cop with an ankle bracelet. Grrr.

Erica crossed her arms as the detective put the device on. She felt like he didn't have that authority, and this amounted to an infringement on her rights. There was no way she'd be calling him. If she called anyone, it would be her public lawyer. in the mean time, she huffed.

"Go on inside please." The cop watches her for a moment and leans against the car.

"Detecive all set?" He speaks into it "Roger. I will be coming back."

----------------------------
Soon, everyone leaves but the detective remains outside and sits in his car. The ambulances and other cops are soon gone. And two cops remain inside.

After a few moments, Tony comes around the corner but he looks normal. Clothes normal. Just seems like a reguar guy. And he stares at Erica.

Imogen is visible by the docks just standing there back to Erica.

Erica stomps her foot once to show her displeasure, then stomps her way all the way back towards the building. The sight of Tony and Imogen though stop her in her tracks. Tony stares at her, she stares at Tony.

No. There's no way he's there. Erica saw him get loaded onto that Ambulance. They shot him. And Imogen. She fell. They took her body away. Erica turned and looked at the detective in the car. Surely if he saw Tony stand out there in the open, he would react. Right?

Ironically, the cop is staring at Erica. When she looks back, he keeps staring then looks down before his partner gets into the car. Two more cops come out and get in their car. They both take off, leaving two cops standing there by their caution tape that indicates where Tony and Imogen fell. Its pretty quiet.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:59, Thu 14 Sept 2023.

I'm crazy Erica thought to herself. I'm just frickin' crazy

Shaking her head, she stalked into the building.

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