HALLWAY: Dan, Tony
Oh boy. Coming from around the corner is Tony. His entire boy is scorched and he looks angry.

Very angry. Immediatly he throws a nasty hook at the side of Dan's head!

MAIN ROOM: Erica, Imogen, Jenessa, Luke
Everything seems calm. Nothing creeps out. The sun lights up from outside but the power remains still out.

Imogen got up.

"I'm going to find Tony. He might be hurt."

She left the main room, heading roughly in the direction of Dan's yelling, though her destination was outside, to where she'd last seen Tony.

"Fine." Erica grumbled. "I'll go with you." She jumped up and followed behind Imogen

Jenessa followed Imogen and Erica, "You coming Luke?" She looked over her shoulder as she followed the other two toward Dan's yelling voice.  She wasn't sure what was going on, but she followed the idea that the more of them there were, the safer they would be.

”Yeah, why not.” Luke replied, following Jenessa out of the room.

Dan ducks with Tony's fist brushing his hair.

"What happened to you?" Dan shrieks, looking at Tony's burns. He backs up, trying to keep out of Tony's reach.

Its like fighting a boxer. One right hookd to the side of Dan's head followed by one heck of a uppercut trying to drop him. Oh Tony is definatly angry. He doesn't say a word, just wants to throttle Dan. He tries to maneuver Dan to the stairwell.

But then the group starts to come up....

Following behind Imogen, Erica could hear what sounded like a fight. In her previous line of work, some fisticuffs in hallways wasn't uncommon. Sometimes it was two dudes settling an argument the caveman way. Sometimes it was a client getting rough with one of the girls. Whatever it was, it was never good.

Falling back to Luke, she pulled his arm. "Hurry, something bad is happening."

Luke let himself be pulled by Erica as they rushed to the scene of the fight. He looked on in horror as Tony tried to beat Dan to a pulp.

”Hey! he yelled at Tony hoping to distract the man from his angry rage. ”Stop beating on him you moron. You’re gonna get your ass thrown in jail for this.”

Luke hoped that his words would snap Tony out of his murderous rage.

Dan opens the eye that Tony just punched, and says "Call that a punch? My gran hits harder!"

Dan's mouth may be booking a hospital visit for the rest of Dan.

Jenessa ni a surge of bravery charges forward and pushes her between the two men, putting a hand on each of their chests and pushing, "Hey!  Stop!  Both of you!!"  She was hoping that society training would keep them from hitting her.  she was also feeling a little fearless after surviving a lightning strike tossing her into a wall.

Well, they'd found Tony.

"You'll be the one in the jumpsuit after this!"

She tried to circle round and simply grab him from behind.

Tony doesn't listen just as a right hand goes to slam against her temple! He moves to her side and throws a left and right hooks at Dan who has started mocking him. It just seems like he has gotten bigger. Stronger. And faster. When Imogen gets behind him and tries to bear hug him, he goes to slam her against the wall with all his body weight.

Which is alot.

Luke watched as the three triple teamed Tony to no avail. The guy seemed unstoppable and surprisingly more agile and strong than Luke thought possible. His first concern was for the safety of his new found friends.

While Tony was momentarily distracted fighting Dan,  punching Jenessa and slamming Imogen into the stairwell wall, Luke grabbed Erica and pulled her down next to where he was crouching on the landing below the fight. He knew better than to engage an enraged madman, especially one who was as good as fighting as Tony appeared to be.

”We have to fight smarter, not harder.” he said to Erica, hoping that she would heed his words and not rush into the fray as the others had. ”Can’t reason with him, can’t fight him, so we need to trick him.”

Struck by an idea, Luke  removed his expensive, silk jacket and held it as a matador would hold a cape. He waved it over the railing in front of the open area leading to the floors below.

”When he charges at me, try and push him over the railing as best you can.” he whispered to Erica. ”Surprise is key here. You have to hit him when he’s focused on me and ignoring you. And be careful not to get grabbed or fall over yourself.

It was obvious that Luke didn’t want to endanger Erica, but he needed her if his plan had any chance of succeeding. Yelling  at Tony, Luke called out ”Hey asshole. Come get me you coward. You think you’re tough? You’re a pussy.”
This message was last edited by the player at 13:42, Wed 19 Apr 2023.

"Wait, what?" Eric recoiled at Luke's plan. Tony was big, strong and enraged. He was a jerk before, but he looked to be next level now. "You want me to fight? I don't know how to fight. Those chicks are crazy."

Seemingly unmoved by her plea, Luke went forward with his idea. If he was successful, Tony would be charging towards them and Luke would be in his crosshairs. If Erica didn't do her part, Luke might get crunched, and then the crazy administrator would probably go after her.

"Okay, fine. I'll try. But if I get killed, I'm haunting you."

Now focused on Luke as the others are tossed about, possible hurt or worse-Tony charges at Luke. With such speed and strength somehow, he grabs Luke by the throat. He grasps Tony's hand trying to break free but Erica gets him under his rib. Still holding Luke and with his loose footing they both fall over the railing! Tony lands on Luke. With the hand locked, getting thrown around and now flying off the stairs.....

Tony doesn't move. Luke doesn't move.

Jenessa cried out as Tony slams a fist against her forehead, knocking her to the side in shock. Barely aware of Tony slamming fists into Dan and then throwing off Imogen.  She fell against the wall as she shook her head, trying to clear it.  Well, Tony was obviously not a gentleman, that would be the last time she tried that.

Suddenly she heard a loud thud as she looked up and didn't see Luke or Tony.  She staggered to her feet and over to the railing where Erica was standing looking shocked.  She looked down and saw Tony and Luke at the bottom of the stairs, laying still on the ground, "Aee...are they, dead??"  She was stunned at how fast things were getting further and further out of control!

Erica never thought Luke's plan would work. Tony seemed angrily focused on Dan and the others. A simple taunt and him waving his coat about like a matador couldn't possible draw Tony's attention. But it did.

It all happened so fast. Before she could even process anything, Tony was there. He grabbed Luke up by the neck, threatening to choke him to death. Erica panicked. The only thing she could think to do was as Luke instructed her. Not thinking at all, she shoved Tony with everything she had. To her surprise, it was more than enough. Almost in slow motion, Tony and Luke went over the rail. She followed through to the rail, watching in horror as the pair hit the floor below with a sickening wet thud. Neither moved.

Aching hands clutched the rail as her unblinking eyes started to burn. Panting breaths pistoned silently through her nostrils. Paralyzed by the tension in every muscle of her body, she could not move. They were dead. They were both dead and she killed them. Pain burned her heart as tears welled and cascaded down her cheeks. She killed them. They were dead and there was no way to change it. Finally the sobs came as she collapsed into the corner hugging her knees.

Dan lies on the ground. He tries to get up, but slumps into the wall as his balance is completely off, Tony's punches really messed him up.

"You didn't need to get Tony off me", he mumbles, "I almost had him."

Time passes. The smell of rotten flesh probably from Tony if close is pretty nasty. Everyone stands there, not sure of what just happened. The two 'bodies' don't move. Its hard to tell from any perspective if either or both are dead. There's blood coming from beneath the bodies as well. The power remains out. Its like everything is in slow motion.

"Are those two still alive? Anyone want to check, or shall we call for an ambulance and let the paramedics do the hard work?"
 Dan has gotten to his feet, but is a little unstable as he looks over the edge at the two people lying at the bottom of the stairwell.

Jenessa rushed down the stairs and very hesitantly checked the pulse on first Luke and then Tony.  Biting her lip as she felt nothing, she looked up at the others, "I don't feel a pulse.  They are dead." She looked around, "We should call 911," she suggested as she kept trying to feel for a pulse, even though she had confirmed there wasn't one.

As Jenessa called up from the bottom of the stairs, Erica's worst fears were confirmed. She killed them. It wasn't intentional, but like that was going to matter. She was a convict in a minimum security halfway house who was responsible for the death of a fellow inmate and the chief administrator. There was no doubt about it, she was going back to prison.

Unballing herself from the corner, she crawled over to the edge. With the exception of Jenessa leaning over the bodies, the scene hadn't changed. Tony's huge bulk all but completely covered Luke's body. Neither had moved and the pool of sticky looking dark red had only gotten wider. She used the rail to pull herself up to standing, but had to cover her nose for the stench rising up.

"I can't-" She cut herself off. "If we call them, they'll arrest us all. I don't want to go to real prison." Closing her eyes, she felt all her options vanish, leaving only one word in white bold letters on a field of pure black

RUN

"I'm sorry. I have to get out of here." Rushing down the stairs, she hoped she could get by the carnage and on to the exit.

"Erica, don't go! I'm sure we can sort something! Anyone know a good lawyer?"
As Dan looks around, he realises that none of them would be here if they could afford a lawyer that good.

Erica heard Dan yelling out. It sounded like he wanted her to stop. But she was not stopping. She needed distance, not a lawyer.