The Night Train

[undergroundmods]

Watch on YouTube

It's the 22nd of January and the sun has disappeared behind the horizon. You're waiting at your nearest station when a sleek, metallic grey train pulls up at the platform. No one else can see it, only those who are aware of the supernatural world. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Night Train. Tonight the leaders of the Night Council will be making their annual introduction to the supernatural community – aboard a train that will make stops in every borough with a significant supernatural presence. Hop on and off whenever you like: this event is designed to be open to all. (Though for some reason the train won't be passing through East End or Seelie/Unseelie territory...)

The event takes place from 7pm-12 midnight Sunday 22nd January.

Rules of entry
• No weapons. Any weapons or objects that could be used as weapons will be confiscated.
• No drugs or alcohol except that provided at the event. Don't try to sneak any in.
• No violence. The train is cursed with a hex that will punish any trouble-causing passengers with a lightning strike. The Council doesn't mess around here.

Carriages
The train has five carriages, each one with a different theme. While the Night Council members are dispersed throughout the train, they are under no obligation to stay in their carriage and will likely move around to network and meet fellow members of the supernatural community. There are cameras and security guards in every carriage to ensure there is no trouble.

1) PRESIDENT / VICE PRESIDENT. At the front of the train is a carriage decked out as if for royalty. Surprisingly spacious, the carriage is decorated with gilt trimmings, a thick wine-red carpet and leather seating. Portraits of previous Presidents and Vice Presidents line the wall. Coffee, tea and wine is being served at tables interspersed throughout the carriage and finger sandwiches are available.

2) WITCH REPRESENTATIVE. The next carriage along belongs to the Witch Representative. It's rather like walking into a greenhouse: the entire place is full of herbs and other plants, and there are tables where you can sit and ask for advice or magical favours from witches with varying specialities: a healer, a herbalist, a psychic, a medium and a potions maker. Magical butterflies flutter along the ceiling and among the flowers like colourful lights. A small bar at the end of the carriage serves a variety of herbal teas.

3) VAMPIRE REPRESENTATIVE. The next carriage along belongs to the Vampire Representative. Decorated in a tasteful dark red, about half the carriage's length is taken up by a wine bar that serves a variety of alcoholic and blood-based drinks and snacks. The other half consists of leather seating where the seats face each other to allow guests to talk while enjoying a drink.

4) SHAPESHIFTER/META HUMAN REPRESENTATIVE. It seems that Yasmine decided her aim for the night was to let loose and avoid talking, since this carriage is basically a narrow dance floor. Club music blares out from speakers on the ceiling, there's a disco ball and strobe lighting, and all the windows are blacked out. A magical seal ensures that the noise is contained within this carriage, so you won't hear any of it until you step inside.

5) EMPTY CARRIAGE. There's nothing here apart from rows of seats that you might find on any ordinary train. A sign on the door says "WARNING: THIS CARRIAGE IS HAUNTED. KEEP OUT." If you ignore the sign and go in anyway, you might feel a sense of unease. The shadows seem unnaturally long and the lights will flicker on and off. Magically sensitive types will feel a strong sense of impending death and may experience visions of the seats being ripped apart and blood spattered on the walls. If you stick around even after that, the most magically sensitive person in the carriage will experience a vivid hallucination of their own death at the hands of a vampire. If you manage to endure that without fleeing, PM the mod to continue. (Don't worry, no one will die.)

Comments

[undergroundmods]

There's a blank wall where the door used to be. Then, without warning, there's a man in dirty, blood-spattered clothes sitting with his back against the wall, knees drawn up. He stares at them with hollow eyes, his jaw dark with stubble.

"You people really can't take a hint."

It isn't just the ghost who has become visible. The train car around them has changed as well, the glimpses of carnage seen by each of them resolving into a permanent grisly scene.* Bodies strewn throughout the carriage. Blood spattered on the windows. And the man with hollow eyes watching it all.

*warning: blood, corpses.

[falsify]

Oh.

Eames' reaction is perhaps a little less than someone might imagine when it comes to suddenly being thrust into the scene of a massacre. He inhales sharply, pulling away from the back of the seat, and he looks at the man sat against the wall.

"I've been told that a few times," he raises an eyebrow, tone light like they're not totally in the bloody ghost massacre compartment of this train, "is this your doing?"

[excrucior]

Micheletto actually seems to relax at seeing all the dead around them. It's an odd reaction to have to such a grisly scene, but Micheletto is an odd person, as Eames has surely noticed. He actually takes a seat next to one of the bodies, gently lifting their blood-drenched arm over the seat so that he may sit down. It's all fake anyway, isn't it? No sense mourning the dead when they're not actually there.

"You're a rather powerful ghost, if a fae can't spot you so easily," Micheletto comments, fascinated with this individual. "What may we call you, sir?"

[undergroundmods]

The ghost shrugs at Eames. What does he think? The two men in the carriage are remarkably unfazed by the scene around them, which suggests they're either vampires themselves or some other creature used to carnage. Given their previous discussion he slightly favours the latter.

"Foxy," he answers. "Which one of you is a witch?"

There's something predatory about the way his eyes rake over each of them in turn, a leftover from the old days.

[stauncherhearted]

By the time Nancy turns around from the blank wall, the carriage has transformed into a grizzly massacre. She reaches to grab on to Eames' arm, ducking slightly behind him and Mick. It wasn't real- it wasn't real, she kept reminding herself. But that man, the bodies, it looked all too real.

She shivers under his gaze, and slowly raises a hand.

[falsify]

How strange. Eames wasn't under the impression vampires could be ghosts-- must be something strange about this one. Maybe it's why the witches haven't exorcised him yet?

Either way, Eames is about to reply when he spots Nancy raising her hand out of the corner of his eye and turns his head to give her a look. Don't just go announcing yourself to the weird murder ghost!

"What do you need a witch for? There's plenty on the rest of the train."

[undergroundmods]

"I can't leave this carriage," the ghost replies. "Soon you'll be trapped in here forever too. Don't worry, there's still time to let you out. But only with the little witch's help."

He offers Nancy a faint smile. His tone is entirely unperturbed, almost uncaring. What does he care if three strangers failed to read a door sign?

[excrucior]

Micheletto doesn't give her any less of a look than Eames. Really, Nancy? Really? He motions for her to put her hand down. Regardless, Micheletto takes a step closer to Eames, keeping Nancy from view. Not that it will really do much against a ghost, but it's the principle of the thing.

But that's an interesting thing, the ghost has just said. "So you died here, Foxy. That or whatever killed you can make ghost jars the size of train carriages." He pauses, then adds: "A curse? Something will kill us? Just how will we be trapped here?"

[stauncherhearted]

Little! okay, so she's absolutely pocket-sized, truthfully, but it makes her furrow her brow a little, more than the looks from either of her friends had.

She looks nervously from Mick to Eames to Foxy and back again. They had to get out, that much was clear. They all had friends and she assumed family to return to. "What do you need from us?" even if she has already identified herself. She keeps a hand on Eames, still. They wouldn't let anything happen to her... would they?

[undergroundmods]

How will they be trapped here? That would be telling, wouldn't it. The ghost exhales, running a hand through unkempt hair, then gets to his feet. His eyes are fixed on Nancy.

"Nancy, right? Hello, Nancy. All I need is for you to hold my hand. Let me in."

He holds out his hand, inviting her to step forward. His fingernails are caked with dried blood.

[falsify]

Nope. No way. Absolutely not. Eames moves to put himself bodily between Nancy and this ghost. Foxy, whatever. What a ridiculous name.

"No." He's staring daggers at this ghost, eyes cold and intense, jaw tight. "Explain yourself. Why haven't you been exorcised instead of bound to this carriage?"

[excrucior]

Micheletto's eyes narrow, too, his fascination with this particular ghost now making way for his protective streak. He takes a step back so that he is in between Eames and Nancy, acting as a second physical barrier. Again, like that would stop a ghost... but there is intimidation factor to consider.

"Because the Night Council needs him in some capacity, I would wager."

[stauncherhearted]

"Hi." She looks at his fingers and that stills her enough for Eames and Mick to take their places between her and Foxy.

Super stupid name for a ghost, to be honest. It's not really scary or anything. Just... harmless. Funny, even.

She remains silent, letting the two men discuss things with the ghost, occasionally glancing behind her to see if the door had yet appeared.

[undergroundmods]

There's no door. The ghost laughs, shaking his head. "Actually, this is my sentence. Being exorcised would pass me on, you know. To the great beyond, whatever the fuck that is, if it's even anything. But this... this carriage is my personal hell on Earth. I've been dead twice. They just won't finish me off."

There's something wild in his eyes as he finishes that sentence, his gaze again finding Nancy. In the blink of an eye he disappears and a few seconds later he reappears behind Nancy, the two men in front now on the other side of the carriage.

"Come on, love." Ghostly fingers find her shoulder. She might get a cold shock. "Don't you want to get out of here?"

[falsify]

"Nancy. Don't." Eames warns, looking back at her over his shoulder with a frown. Ghosts in general are a mess, but who knows what you'll get letting one like this in.

If he's a ghost, then this is an illusion. It has to be. Eames doesn't bother trying to get between Nancy and the ghost again, because there's clearly no point to it, instead he tries to focus on seeing through it. Centring himself to find what's hidden.

[excrucior]

"Why must you use her?" Micheletto asks, whipping around as soon as the ghost disappears. "What's she have that we don't?"

Micheletto, too, is sure there's a way out of this that they're not seeing. Perhaps he can teleport to the shadows outside the carriage, to the other side of where the door would be... but is there enough shadow here to do it?

He begins taking small, backwards steps toward the shadowy corner he was first found in.

[stauncherhearted]

Nancy gasps when he speaks for the first time after vanishing, spinning to face him just as he touches her. HIs hand is cold, and she gasps again at the icy touch. Her own hand flies to her neck, concerned almost that she'd been... burned, truthfully.

She looks at Foxy's extended hand, then at Mick and Eames again. "What happens if I take your hand?" She asks the ghost. "How much time do we have?" Let them have time to figure this out. Please.

[undergroundmods]

The ghost ignores the two men behind him. His eyes are fixed on Nancy.

"I'll show you the way out." He wriggles his fingers invitingly. "How long... Let me see... Ten... Nine..."

Yep. He's doing a countdown. What he doesn't know is that his illusions aren't holding up for everyone in the carriage. If Eames concentrates, he will find that the blood-spattered walls, the bodies, and more importantly the blank wall where the door used to be, are all just an intangible layer over the real thing. The real carriage hasn't changed since they entered it and the door is still there. It isn't locked.

There aren't many shadows inside the carriage since it's brightly lit, but it is dark outside the train. Micheletto could teleport outside if he wanted... but that would leave him alone on the track and he would soon be left behind as the train continues on its way.

[falsify]

Eames actually laughs when he finally sees the illusion for what it is, like his eyes adjusting to the darkness. It's a soft laugh, brief and almost under his breath with a shake of his head, and he honestly can't believe it took so long.

"We're not actually trapped here," Eames glances back over his shoulder, to Nancy first, then at Foxy, "how long have you been here, waiting for a witch who'd let you hitch a ride out?"

His tone is derisive as he moves over to where the hidden door is, taps a finger against the handle so Foxy knows it isn't just bluster.