Realistic or Modern G O O D N I G H T | Main Thread

[Satanic Nightjar]

Anson nodded in Eddie's direction. He was honestly rather relieved to hear his friend was more comfortable with the idea than he had been a couple of days ago in the cafeteria. He tried his best to shield the concern he still had for Eddie from his eyes, unwilling to betray the feeling of . . . responsibility he had for this kid. Of course, he felt this way for all of his friends, but him in particular . . . there was just something about him. "Glad to hear it. I'm sure it'll be fine - we all know V's going to be extra-super-prepared in the case anything does actually happen." He chuckled softly. As if they'd summoned her, here came Valentina, strolling down the chipped sidewalks with a heavy bag on her shoulder.

Smiling, Anson greeted her with a warm smile that he hoped was visible in the thick darkness. "Hey, V!" He called out as him and Eddie exchanged a look, then laughed softly. "We knew you'd bring extra. Honestly, V, we don't even need to pack, do we?" He grinned, then put a hand on her shoulder, making sure she knew he was joking. This is going to be a night to remember, he thought with a smile as he lifted his eyes to the stars twinkling in the sky. He and his friends weren't unlike those stars - in the darkness of the night their glow was still visible, still present. Even when the moon was hidden and the sun refused to shine they still willingly shared their light among themselves, refusing to be put out.

EazyBoven WolfOfProphecys

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Eddie grinned, not even faking it, as V turned up as well, sounding more than excited. And... loaded with everything she might ever need, apparently. He was glad someone was prepared, because Eddie certainly wasn't. He shuffled on his feet, glad that it was dark so that his wince would probably be hidden, and smiled more, nodding his head. She'd even brought extras. He was very glad that there was someone who was very responsible, to level out his own irresponsibility. Where would he be without his friends?

He exchanged a look with Anson, beaming in amusement, and nodded his agreement, "Its a good thing you're prepared V. I only brought a torch." He snorted, "And that's only because I don't like the dark." He added, with Mayhem mentally adding a "Scaredy Cat." in Eddie's head.

Satanic Nightjar EazyBoven -robert-

 

[EazyBoven]

Valentina​

Being the "mom friend," was Valentina's speciality; so hearing her friend's playful jokes only broadened the grin on her shadowy face. "Had to find a way to ease the nerves I felt when the idea was first brought up." She chuckled. "I didn't want any of you guys bailing, so I brought as much as I could to accommodate everyone." V peered around the dimly lit parking lot in search of the others, who were hopefully close or at least on their way-the nerves of tonight's adventures were getting to her. She began to feel antsy at the thought of getting to the house.

After school, the day that freshman proposed the challenge, the group had passed by the so called "haunted" house on their walk. A small itch in the back of her mind reminded Valentina of the way the hair on her arms stood up upon seeing the home. She hadn't told anyone; simply passed it off as...the weather? It was a little chilly that day, I guess. A small look of concern fell over V's face as she began to suddenly second-guess her initial thoughts on the house. But, there was no way "ghosts" were real-right?

Satanic Nightjar WolfOfProphecys -robert-

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Eddie smiled at V, sure that she knew them all too well. He too glanced around for those they were waiting for, Ash and Indiana. Where they were Eddie didn't know. Had they bailed? They had all agreed to meet here, but maybe they'd gone ahead to the house? He shuffled nervously. Maybe they'd gotten caught by their parents, and couldn't come? He checked his cracked phone, ensuring that they hadn't text to say they were late.

"Do.. Do you think Ash and Indy are coming?" He asked, having thoughts about V mentioning people bailing. But surely they'd mention it to them right? In some way?

EazyBoven Satanic Nightjar -robert- Ravenpaw Lord Mitmar

 

[Satanic Nightjar]

Anson grinned at V, trying his best to ignore the fact she looked slightly uncomfortable. He as well began to second-guess himself - maybe his friends had felt forced to do this? Could it be possible he had pushed them to do something they didn't want in any way? They sounded tough and determined, but what if it was all an act. Anson always hated acts - comforting, pretending, they were just forms of lies.

He pushed these thoughts away. "Yeah, I'm sure they're coming, Eddie. They won't let us down - never have." He forced a reassuring smile onto his face.

 

[Lord Mitmar]

"Alright, try it now!" The frustration in Grant's rumbling voice was almost as clear as the glistening night sky above them. Indiana grinned. As deeply as it was buried, she still had her father's love for a challenge. If she didn't, well, she wouldn't even be here in the first place, would she? The winch squealed as the cable grew taught. The unfortunate tree her father had picked as their anchor groaned and the Jeep's engine roared as its wheels tried to find a foothold in the slick roadside mud. Indiana still couldn't believe they'd actually gotten stuck. Sure, it wasn't entirely unusual on the godawful backwoods path that led from her home to the town proper, but that was after a storm or in the winter when the sorry excuse for a road was at its worst. This was a pleasant, if a little uncharacteristically chilly, evening. Still, the fact remains, they were stuck, they had been stuck for a good half an hour, and Indiana was definitely going to be late. Normally she would have called to let her friends know, but, in some infuriating joke, neither her nor her father had any cell service. Sometimes she really did hate living so far from town.

The strained cable gave an almost audible sigh of relief as the spinning wheels finally found purchase and the old car lurched forward, sending the eerie array of shadows that danced at the edge of the stark white headlights, the blinking orange hazard bulbs, and the spinning red and blue emergency lights into a frenzy of movement. A few more minutes of wiggling tires, untying cables, and sharing congratulations later, and they were on their way again. Even with the world itself seemingly desperate to stop them, Indiana had no intention of bailing out on her friends tonight, and, surprisingly enough, her father apparently didn't either. She hadn't been too sure about what to tell him earlier. She never was. In the end, she'd opted to stick to the truth. She hated lying. She'd told him everything, who was going, where they were going, why they were stupid enough to do it. He had looked so appaled that she thought he might drive down to Kimberly High and bring down the hammer the moment she stopped talking.

But then he had burst into laughter. "You're kidding, right?" He'd just about managed to get out between his belly-deep roars. "I remember doing the same damned thing when I was your age. Snuck out while my dad was asleep and went crawling through every boarded-up window I could find!" He'd gone on about his own adventures for some time, mentioning names Indiana had never heard, great escapes he and his friends had just barely pulled off, old treasures they'd found behind rotted boards and rusted nails, he had always been a natural storyteller and he so rarely had a chance to just talk. He'd ended in such a good mood that he offered to drive her downtown himself, which had been a massive relief. She hadn't been looking forward to begging her friends for a ride. It wasn't that she couldn't drive herself, she'd had her licence for nearly two years now, but she still didn't have a car of her own, and with her mom out of town for the weekend, that had left only her father's Jeep, which, he'd told her in no uncertain words, was strictly off limits. He'd listed off a half dozen police regulations as an excuse, but she knew he just didn't want anyone but him touching his prized girl. That car was older than Indiana, and he loved it more than anything.

They pulled to a stop a few feet from Indiana's gathered friends. Grant clambered out first, shooting the group a warm grin and a dramatic wave as he went to inspect his beloved car's condition. Indiana hopped out a little more gracefully, giving a timid wave as she did so. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late. We-" A muffled swear cut her off from behind the car and she grinned. "Got a little stuck." She motioned for them to follow as she moved to open the car's trunk. Inside, there was a veteran hooligan's arsenal. Four sleeping bags, stacks upon stacks of bottled water, an ice chest filled to the brim with about half of the William's fridge, lanterns, a radio, everything Grant had once wished he'd had. There was even an old crowbar wedged into the mountain of supplies. "If you're going to break the rules, you'd better do it right. Just make sure I don't have to drag your asses into the department tomorrow, got it?" Came her father's voice from under the car before he went back to muttering about mechanic's rates and city incompetence. Indiana looked between her friends with a smile that cut straight through the darkness between them. She was excited. Confident even. She could almost pass as a different person out here in the dark, with her father's approval and her friends beside her and not another soul in sight. It was an intoxicating feeling, that certainty.

 

[Ravenpaw]

Ash sighed. Whenever he thought his father was done talking, he started to leave. But then of course he decided he had more and more to say. Finally, Ash had had enough of it.
"Dad, I get it. I'm leaving now, so bye!" without waiting for what his father might say about it, he went out and slammed the door behind him. He started running as fast as he could to get to Kimberly High School, and he had packed a few snacks and Ale-8 in case they got hungry. He knew all of his friends were probably already there. It was really late, and he was exhausted, but he kept pushing himself to go faster, so his friends wouldn't leave him behind. To his relief, he noticed that he was almost there, he was so close he could see it a few blocks away. When he got there he grinned at the people that were already there, Anson, V, Eddie, and Indy, who was just arriving.
"Hey guys... Sorry I'm late. My dad just wouldn't shut up!" he panted. He hoped they hadn't had to wait out here for very long.

 

[-robert-]

MIA
​

Mia let out a big and long yawn, Indy and Ash were taking forever to arrive. She never saw Indy as someone who got involved in these sort of crazy adventures, and Ash seemed uneasy earlier that day, so them having second thoughts was not surprising. But luckily her boredom came to an end not much later, as Indy arrived... with her father? And it looked like she brought her entire house with her too! "Man I want my dad to be this cool too, your ass is lucky Indy." She did her best at covering it, but Mia really envied Indy, her father seemed so badass and down for anything, he drove his daughter to a sleepover on a house rumored to be haunted, that by itself made him a badass. Meanwhile, she got stuck with a boring and protective sloth who acted as if his daughter was still five and she hated it, if only her father was somewhat like Grant... she could only dream. Letting go of that thought, she turned back to Indy, and to her surprise in her face she saw a smirk and in her eyes she saw excitement and thrill, something unusual to spot in the usually quiet and shy wallflower they all knew. "You excited, huh? Heh, I like this new Indy, you ready for this crazy night?"

Not long after, Ash arrived at the scene too, panting. "Ok... only one left is your girl Anson, right? Is she coming?"

Satanic Nightjar Lord Mitmar Ravenpaw

 

[Satanic Nightjar]

Anson greeted all of his friends as they arrived, giving Indy a quick hug as she pulled in. In just a few minutes, he would be in an old house, alone with his best friends in the world. Forget it was supposed to be haunted, and this almost seemed like a vacation. Escaping from life and reality and just spending a few wonderful hours peacefully away from all that. He tried desperately to ignore the anxiety in the back of his mind - after all, someone was missing, someone that was always there, and it made him uneasy. Mia said something before he managed to find the words. "Ok... only one left is your girl Anson, right? Is she coming?"

Anson sighed, unconsciously running his fingers through his hair. He knew it was irrational, but he couldn't help being just slightly worried about Ashley. She would never willingly let them down like this - so either she was late, or she was in trouble. Big trouble. Slipping his phone out of his pocket, he punched in her number and put the phone to his ear. The vibrating sounds coming from the phone were unbearable, he'd always hated them. It was like they were purposely designed to make you nervous. Probably just him, though. So he was relieved when she picked up, her sweet voice as cheerful and full of life as ever. "Anson! Hi!"

~~~
​

It's hard to speak through tears. Incredibly hard to pretend, even over the phone, that everything is okay when really your world is crumbling, and you've let everyone down, and you're a disappointment and disgrace and a million other things that are too painful to even think of. But she's accustomed to this pain, it hurts but it leaves, and Ashley won't let it take her down. Not this time.

"Anson! Hi!" Her voice came out so much stronger than she expected, and it almost was comforting.

"Hey, Ashley," She could hear that beautiful laugh of his on the other end of the phone, sense the relief in his voice that she'd answered. She sighed internally - he worried too much, honestly. Not without reason, but if he was going to date someone as screwed as her, he might as well give up on the whole worrying thing. If they stayed together, he was going to have a heart attack before he hit twenty. "Where are you? We're about to head off to the house." Shit. Ashley glanced at the locked door confining her to her room with a grimace that she skillfully shielded from her voice.

"Yeah. Sorry, I meant to call you, but I was afraid they'd hear," she said in a softer tone. "Parents. They're being them again, I don't think I can get out. Honestly, I've tried, but the door's locked and the windows are so high up and they're yelling . . . " she trailed off, choking back a sob. There was no voice on the other end of the phone, and she silently cursed herself. Now she's hurt him, too.

"I'm sorry, Ashley. You want me to come over? I can tell them I've got your homework or something, or sneak in the windows. Honestly, it's no problem, they can go to the house without us if you need me." A tear rolled down Ashley's nose, and her fingers tightened on the phone as if he could feel it. She was already shaking her head, already refusing. She couldn't do this to him. He was the kindest person she knew, but this was too much. Her turn to return a favor.

"No. No, I'll find a way out. Promise. Be there in fifteen minutes, okay? Tell the others I'm sorry to make them wait." She hung up before he could argue and make her feel worse than she already did. Clearing her throat, wiping the tears from her eyes, she looked around the familiar room, searching for something she hadn't seen before. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing - just the doors, the windows, and the chimney she'd so stubbornly believed Santa came down until a couple of years ago. Okay, what about outside? The world outside was equally unhelpful - nothing but trees to far away to reach, cars reflecting the moonlight down below, her old swing set with the unused rope swing hanging in a branch.

Oh, that was it. Stupid, but possible. The swing. It was just within reach - the branch it was hanging on wasn't strong enough for her, but the over sized rope . . . god, it was stupid. Ridiculous. Also Ashley's only option. Reaching for the bag she'd packed a few hours ago, she hurled it blindly out the window, then grabbed hold of the rope, closed her eyes, hooked her toes into the knot at the bottom. She couldn't reach up very far, so she'd be forced to try to climb up on the way down so she wouldn't hit the ground. Jump.

The wind ran through her hair as she threw her hands up the rough rope. Her ankles scraped the ground, and then she toppled face first forward, but only downwards a couple feet. It hurt, but nothing broke. In a few seconds, she was on her feet, making her way towards Kimberly High with a smile on her face.

It only took around five minutes to get there, and when she arrived, she couldn't help herself. She ran the rest of the way to the school and threw her arms around her friends one at a time, starting with Anson. The best part of all of this was feeling his arms wrapped tightly around her, the warmth of his breath on her neck, the kiss on her forehead that made this worth it. "I love you," she murmured, earning her a quick kiss on the lips before he released her to go hug the rest of the group.

-robert- Lord Mitmar Ravenpaw EazyBoven

 

[EazyBoven]

Valentina
It wasn't long before all of Valentina's friend group had successfully snuck past the clutches of their parents and made their way to the school's parking lot. The anticipation was absolutely killing her at this point; she had to see this house again. Something about it just intrigued V, and clearly all her friends too. "Okay, since everyone is here, are we ready to do this shit?! I think we've been procrastinating enough." Trying hard to suppress her own imminent concern of the situation, V gently grabbed and began to pull on the hands of her two friends, Eddie and Indy. "Let's gooooooo!"
Valentina ushered her group towards their "dream destination," through the streets of their hometown and roads of a few familiar neighborhoods. After about 10 minutes of patrolling the area, the group of eight had finally reached the trail to the house they'd been so patiently waiting to enter. It was dark-but the silhouette of the old, rundown home was just barely visible beyond the brush. As if the feeling were on repeat, the hair on V's arms stood up vehemently. There was just something..."off" here. She couldn't place a finger on it, but she could tell this house held more than it put off; an idea that a few days ago never would have crossed Valentina's stubborn mental.
Hesitantly, Valentina shot a quick, uneasy glance at each of her companions. She wasn't one to be the first to do things, and she sure as hell wasn't going to start today. V subtly twiddled her thumbs before opening her mouth, "Sooo....who's going first?" A question formed over the front of excitement, but buried deep within laid that twinge of fear. It was clear that even in this moment in time, they had all bit off a lot more than any one of them could chew.

WolfOfProphecys Lord Mitmar -robert- Ravenpaw Satanic Nightjar

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Eddie smiled as Indy and Ash showed up, nodding shyly to Indy's father. He was so... different from Eddie's own father that he honestly confused the kid. He hunched his shoulders, hiding the fish bruise and cut on his face, and hoping further that the fingermarks around his throat were hidden by the folds of his jumper and the shadows of the night. He didn't want anyone to notice, but certainly not an adult. Ash turned up once Indy's father was gone, and Eddie softly greeted Ash also, fingers twitching against his leg nervously, but standing a little straighter. The only one missing now was Ashley, and he shuffled his feet, despite the pain of his leg.

He noticed the worried look on Anson's face as he had a discussion over the phone with her, but said not a word. Whatever was going on, he didn't need to know unless they wished him to. He wouldn't want anyone poking around in his own business after all. "Should ask Eddie. Curious." The rumbling voice in his head made Eddie jolt a little, and he hissed aloud, "Shut. Up." Before pausing and looking sheepish. He hadn't been talking to anyone else, just Mayhem.

Soon enough, Ashley turned up though, and Eddie was more than surprised to find V grabbing his hand and pulling him along. He stumbled after her, not entirely steady on his aching leg, but followed obediently, nervous about this whole thing. Arriving, however, sent shivers down his spine.

"Don't like it Eddie. It's wrong." And for once, Eddie agreed, "Yeah..." He mumbled to his other mental half, staring up at the house. He kept his mouth shut when V asked who was going first, because Eddie was very much a scaredy cat as Mayhem had said before.

Lord Mitmar -robert- Ravenpaw Satanic Nightjar EazyBoven

 

[-robert-]

MIA
​

With the arrival of Ashley, they could finally begin. Mia could not wait, she had been wanting to experience a crazy, wild, and spooky adventure for a long time, and the day had finally come. They began to walk towards the place they would spend the entire night on, and soon enough, they had arrived. The house was nothing short of its reputation, tall and imposing, it definitely gave her "this place is haunted, get the hell out of here" vibes, but she had no intent in doing so. A wide grin spread across her face as V asked the inevitable, who was walking in first. Admittedly she felt a hint of fear deep down, but it was overwritten by the thrill and excitment of the moment. She took a step foward and gave the house a determined look. "Heh, I'll do it... if any of you babies wants to come with me, I'm all open."

Satanic Nightjar Lord Mitmar Ravenpaw EazyBoven WolfOfProphecys

 

[Satanic Nightjar]

Anson grinned at the sight of the house, and placing a protective arm around Ashley's shoulders, he moved slowly up the abandoned driveway as a way of answering V's question. He'd do it, if it was best for the group. And besides, there was no way it was actually haunted. That would be ridiculous.

The house was massive - much larger than he'd anticipated or remembered it. The porch was tall, with steep wooden steps leading up the the door, suspended loosely on its rusty hinges. It wasn't locked. It might have been a long time ago, but decades of partying teens and people searching for a place to hide had destroyed the already questionably secure lock. Shoving it open, he was surprised by the state of the interior. The kitchen was worlds better than the outside, and other than the thick dust that covered the place, it had hardly changed in the years since it'd been used.

"Woah," Anson said softly, glancing back at the others to see their reactions.

 

[Ravenpaw]

Ash was extremely glad when Ashley got there, because that meant they could finally stop waiting. When the group of friends reached the house, Ash shivered. It looked a lot creepier in the dark midnight shadows than it did during the day. It was old and rundown, and looked like if he stepped on the porch, it might collapse from it rotting so much over the long years.
"Wow," Ash mumbled. Then V asked a question that he would definitely not answer.
"Sooo....who's going first?" Ash was surprised to see how quickly someone volunteered. It was Mia though, which didn't surprise him one bit. But then Anson stepped up instead, and climbed the four creaky steps to the porch. Then he slowly opened the door, and a surprised expression crossed his face. Ash came to see what he was looking at, which was the surprisingly not creepy looking inside of the house. It really just looked like a normal kitchen, except with extra dust, and in an old fashioned style.

 

[EazyBoven]

Valentina

The house's interior was quite the surprise. It was not as rundown and filthy as the group had expected it to be. In fact, the home looked quite....nice. The "Victorian-esque" design surely aided in the house's creep factor, but other than that and the dust, there wasn't much to really complain about. The huge, dusty kitchen was the focal point of everyone's eyes as they hesitantly entered the home. Large wooden cabinets and shelves lined the walls that surrounded the ages old chandelier that hung from the horridly outdated popcorn ceiling. The kitchen still housed all it's seemingly original appliances as well; not that they were of use anymore, but it clear this house had retained most of it's natural structure, since being abandoned.

Valentina remained speechless as she explored this unfamiliar territory. She set most of her things down on the kitchen table before trying a light switch placed next to the doorway. "You never know, right?" She chuckled at the group, fairly certain this house had been well off without electricity for a long time. Upon flicking the switch, the bulbs of the chandelier began flickering at an ominously fast pace before blowing out. "I guess she still had a little juice left after all," V joked, switching the light back to the 'off' setting, "looks like we'll be using flashlights and candles tonight!" Reaching into her bag on the table, Valentina pulled out one of the high-powered LED flashlights she'd packed. Powering it on, and flipping it upwards to illuminate her face, Valentina began talking to the group as if they were telling scary stories by a campfire. "Are you guys ready for some fun? Let's see the rest of this place!"

Satanic Nightjar WolfOfProphecys -robert- Ravenpaw Lord Mitmar

 

[WolfOfProphecys]

Eddie hesitantly followed the others inside, almost hiding behind V, limping along. The kitchen may have been relatively normal, condition wise, if not for the layer of dust that Eddie was sure you could swim in if you wished to. Which... Eddie certainly did not. The mere sight of it made him want to sneeze. He shuffled, startling as the lights suddenly flickered before burning out, "Bad, Eddie. Bad!" Came the unhappy rumble of Mayhem inside Eddie's head, before Eddie realised it was just V as joked about it having a little juice left. It concerned Eddie that even Mayhem didn't like this place. Eddie had been sure that Mayhem would be running around in Eddie's head by now, urging him to explore, but he was strangely quiet.

Glancing at V, he nodded slowly. He'd like to see the rest of this place, if only to settle his nerves. Even if it wasn't haunted, there could easily be someone, or something, hiding out in here, which Eddie would rather know about now, rather than later.

Satanic Nightjar EazyBoven -robert- Ravenpaw Lord Mitmar

 

[Ravenpaw]

Ash explored the rest of the house. The whole time, the hair on his neck was standing straight up. Although he would never admit it, he was afraid. Afraid of the whole creepy house, and everything in it. He was especially scared of the way that everything seemed to be in place, as if something so terrible happened there that the people that lived there had to go immediately-or they didn't have the chance.
"So, where are we going to sleep?" asked Ash. He was exhausted, and wanted to go to sleep as soon as possible.

 

[Satanic Nightjar]

Anson grinned and looked around at his friends, seeing that at least Valentina shared in his amazement. He was slightly concerned for Eddie, but then, he always was. He led the group as they explored the house, steering clear of the darker, less welcoming corners of the old building. The floors were hardwood, a deep, beautiful color, but it's perfection was interrupted by multiple deep scratches despite years of it's halls being empty. After a couple of minutes, Ash seemed tired, and was already asking about where they were going to set up their things for the night. As if to answer his question, seconds later Anson swung open a door to reveal a large family room with a soft carpet and plenty of room for sleeping bags. "Looks like a good a place as any," he said with a shrug, glancing over to the others for approval.

Ashley nodded shakily, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her hands were trembling, but despite her anxiety she was excited. Not just for the others, but for the wonderful night sure to be ahead of them. "I'm okay with it, if everyone else is," she mumbled. "I can lay out sleeping bags if you guys want!" She laughed as Anson gently kissed the top of her head, offering to help, but she insisted. Might as well be useful, if we're going to stay here. It can't hurt to have fun tonight, if I'm going to have to be here anyways.

Just before the others had a chance to answer, a loud sound echoed through the empty house. Like someone on the upper floors, the ones that were probably not safe anymore, had knocked over a large object. Gasping, she clutched Anson's hand, trying to slow down her breathing. Nothing, nothing, it was nothing. Just an old house on a windy day, right? Right.

 

[Ravenpaw]

Ash's relief that he could finally get ready to sleep was very suddenly interrupted by a loud noise from the upper floors of the old house. He was so shocked he jumped backward. Then, he blushed.
"It's probably nothing." he said, but after seeing him jump, he knew that they all knew that he didn't believe that one bit. They were partially right, because Ash had that voice inside his head saying, ahhhhh! It's haunted! GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!
Of course he'd never admit that, but that's how he felt.