Good news, bad news.

Good news: I'm never gonna run out of food and never gonna not have access to a computer.

Bad News: I'm never getting out of here.

Every time I look around I find myself back at this street corner. The corner has within view: The Internet Cafe which takes only a toonie to get me access to my blog, a bank that seems to spit out toonies with a touch of a button and a grocery store that seems to restock every day. So, yeah not gonna die and not going to lose my internet access so I can keep you updated every day as I slowly age to death in this lonely street.

Something is happening... A storm appears to be growing and I can smell smoke. I... I guess I'll check it out... If I die at least I'll be out of here...

Betrayal

I went to see Sally at the new place. I found her suspended from the ceiling by strings. Strings crisscrossed the entire place like spiderwebs. I ran over to her and started trying to take her down when I felt a painful pinch on the back of my neck. I reached up and swatted a spider off of me and staggered back as she raised her head and grinned at me. The string's snapped and she fell to the ground, lowering her hand to the ground for the spider to crawl up onto her hand. "Don't worry it won't kill you," she told me as she went and retrieved her Didgeridoo case from the corner. She opened it and drew out the red spider dress and staff from within and proceeded to put on the dress as I managed to stumble back against the wall. My vision was getting blurry. "I could say I've actually grown a bit fond of you in our time together, which is the only reason I haven't killed you up till now and why I thought of a way to be rid of you without having to end your life. In fact two ways," she stated and then something slid out of the sleeve of her dress. It was The Pocket Watch.

"My mistress is a genius unlike the other fears. Sure if you release the creature it will probably destroy us. That's true, but if we kill you what will we do then? Take the watch and somehow try and stop The Man In Grey from taking it back and giving it to someone else just to do this all again? No. She figures that what The Fears should do is just take the pocket watch and release it themselves. The way she sees it if we release it it will probably be lenient on The Fears and merely go after Jack who none of us would have any hard feelings about seeing discomfited. The other's disagreed in their foolishness and were set on killing you. So, she'll carry her plan out by herself. Perhaps with even better results," Sally/Ariadne explained.

"Makes sense to me," I stated in a voice that to me sounded like someone who was seconds away from throwing up which was accurate, "What are you going to do with me now?"

"Well you get to choose. The first option. Join up? You'd make a wonderful Doll, I'm sure," she offered. I frantically shook my head which made me feel worse and I dropped to my knees, "Well then the other choice is that you go away somewhere were you can't become a problem for us ever again," she informed me. I tried to tell her that she could take her staff and go fuck herself with it and vow that I would find a way back and that I would kill her for this betrayal. However, it was at this point that I lost consciousness.

When I awoke I was in a city. There didn't seem to be anyone around. Ariadne, or whoever had actually brought me here since I doubt Ariadne would do it herself, had not seen fit to provide me with my laptop. Luckily there was an internet Cafe just up a side street. No one was there, but the computers worked and for just a single Toonie. I had internet access and amazingly, or at least it would be amazing if I didn't already figure out what was going on.  the internet browser loaded up my blog for me with me already signed in.

I'm pretty sure I'm in The Empty City... Or Silent Hill, but The Empty City seems more likely.

I figure I'm stuck here and I'll never find out whether Lisa is okay or not. I can't believe my story is going to end like this.

Release

I was allowed to leave today. Lisa is still being held here though. Which means I can't really leave this place as I

A. Won't leave without her.
B. Would not survive trying to move around on my own.

I rely on her for so much it's almost scary.

She's the one who fights, who finds resources and places to stay, to comfort me emotionally... She's the only reason I'm still alive at all. Sally hasn't been around since we were brought in. I remember her mentioning something about trying to find somewhere new for us to stay. There was a note from her with the... Er whatever the hospital version of a receptionist is. It was from Sally, but was apparently delivered by a man who I didn't recognize from the description given and who didn't give a name I recognized either. The note said that she had found a new place and that I should come to a certain address where she's made us a little home.

I'm writing this before going there as I just wanted to type something out now before I leave. I wanted to think of something other than what's going on, but it's not working.

Lisa is still alive, but that, "yet" epithet is starting to seem true. She has fallen again into unconsciousness and apparently "Complications" have arisen as the doctor's told me. I don't want to leave her side, but I can't stay. It's selfish, but I can't stand the idea of being here if she dies. I need to be somewhere else and have something else to do. So... I'm gonna go see Sally and then I'm gonna contact Muffin and gonna get him to help me get the Watch back.

Relief

So there's good news. After a grueling amount of time in which I was unable to find out anything regarding Lisa's condition I finally got an answer.

She is alive. At least for now. While the injury was pretty severe it was apparently nowhere near as severe as I remember it being. All that blood I remember seeing was apparently just the lens of terror making everything seem way more dire than it actually was. Either that or this is all a dream and I'm just finally catching a break on that fact. At the moment I don't care the point is she's not dead.

I mostly don't even care that they keep appending the word, "Yet" on the end every time they tell me that.

She actually managed to wake up for a little while apparently and communication was possible. She couldn't talk, though whether due to her injuries or the amount of bandages and other medical stuff, I'm not very knowledgeable about this kind of thing, around her throat. So we communicated through a small keyboard thing that allowed her to type out her thoughts and then converted them to speech.

I proceeded at first to tell her how glad I was she was alive and how much I'd miss her and all that and she only responded with the desire to tell me something that she considered rather urgent and I suppose it was... Still felt kind of cold her being all business about it.

I'll put it down to the situation. Her message though was regarding the feeling she'd had just before Faceless showed up.

She had mentioned that she could sense a Fear shortly before he arrived and amended that she's pretty sure what she was sensing wasn't Faceless. While The Convocation does nest inside of a Nest she was unable to sense the birds when The Timberwolves and Nests attacked us at the mall at least until they had been released. As such she should not of felt a Fear if only Faceless had attacked us. She thinks there might have been someone else there. I have a slightly different Theory.

Mostly I'm still fairly sure that's not Faceless and this might in fact confirm it. I'm pretty sure we were attacked by a Fear pretending to be Faceless.

One thought would be The Liar since she did possess him shortly before his death, but no that piece of her as well as his body were completely annihilated by Lightning. I think most likely the person who attacked us was The Archangel.

The Archangel manifests in the bodies of those who have died. Popular Theory holds that those in service to one of the others when they die don't go to him, but The Grinning Reaper stated otherwise when she was brought back to life. I feel that Faceless died and went to The Archangel and now he's using Faceless' body. It's probably why The Nests and Timberwolves are working together. The Nests might not be aware of this, The Timberwolves probably are. The Nests probably just think of him as some dual servant now serving both The Convocation and The Archangel. Perhaps there's something I can use there. Actually maybe I can confirm that... If that was The Archangel I obviously wasn't able to kill his body with The Pocket watch, but I might still of gotten some of it's essence.

... The Pocket Watch... I don't know where it is. The last time I remember having it was when I was hitting Faceless... or The Archangel, whichever with it. Everything after he left is a blur, but I don't really remember if I had it then either... Could he have stolen it. I asked a nurse and they said that there hadn't been a pocket watch on my person when they brought us in. Faceless/The Archangel must of stolen the pocket Watch.

This is bad... Very bad.

I still don't know what's real, but it doesn't matter.

If I let myself get hung up on what's real and what isn't I'll end up dead and Not!Faceless is wrong. The likelihood that this is all a dream is possible, but if it is it seems most likely that it's a coma dream and I'm fairly sure dying here dream or not would have negative consequences on the real me either dying or possibly being the symbolic sign of my body giving up in the real world so I'm not gonna just let myself die.

I'm gonna try not to think about what's real and just carry on this story to it's conclusion.

Actually there you go. It's a story Amanda. Dream or not it's a story and it's your job as the protagonist to make sure it ends happily. Just keep that in mind. You like stories and you hate downer endings. Don't let this one end on a downer.

Now then what to do about the other major problem facing me...

I can't succeed in this mission without killing people... Well maybe I can just tell Muffin or the others and give one of them the pocket watch. I mean nothing actually said I have to be the one using The pocket watch did they? It's worth a try? I'm... pretty sure just giving it to hold won't kill them anyway... Probably... The Liar grabbed it with no problem... I'm sure it wasn't just because it was her. I mean... Okay probably best not to test on my friends, but... I don't really want to test on anyone... This is infuriating. Still feeling sick as well btw, but aside from a bit of vomiting there's nothing else and I guess the good thing is if it is a dream it probably won't really affect me so I can safely ignore it.

Right... So... I know you aren't aware there was a massive pause just there, but it's been a little while between the last paragraph and this one. Mostly because we were just attacked. I was about to end the post and then Lisa yelled out she was sensing a Fear shortly before someone crashed through a window. It was Faceless. He crashed through the glass and stood up from the floor with pieces of glass embedded in his skin and immediately rushed at me. I managed to avoid getting decapitated by the machete by throwing myself out of my chair, however he caught me around the throat and slammed me down through the table. It hurt like hell and unfortunately caused the screen on my laptop to crack as it fell off the table. I can still use it, but the crack is annoyingly visible and blocks off most of the lower left corner of the screen.

Anyway so he's standing over me and Lisa rushes at him. He turns and slashes at her, but she fell back and slid under his legs before  turning and punching him in the lower back. He stumbled forward turned, tore one of the glass shards out of his arm and tossed it at her. It hit her in the throat and she began choking and fell over. I could see quite a bit of blood coming from her neck as she fell. I screamed and then he was on me. He was kneeling over me and his hand moved holding my head down as he moved The Machete the blade of it barely touching my throat.

"Real enough for you, Amanda?" he taunted and I pulled the pocket watch from my pocket and slammed it into his head. It didn't happen. Nothing happened. "Surprised? You can't death touch the dead," he explained and I could hear the smirk I was imagining on the mouth that would be all that was left of his face. I was going to die and I started panicking. I began desperately smashing the pocket watch against the side of his head knowing nothing would happen. He didn't even seem hurt by the constant smashing of a heavy metal watch against his temple. I felt the blade moving with an intense pain as it began to cut into my throat. I wanted to look at Lisa. I wanted her to be the last thing I saw, but his hand held my head forcing me to stare at his mask. It was then Sally rushed in. Her instrument case thrust in under his chin and then lifted tugging him off of me with I noticed more strength than it seemed. It was like he was almost yanked off of me. He stumbled back a bit than did some sort of complicated motion and there was a sound like snapping. I think he might have snapped one of his bones for some reason.

He looked at Sally then at me and then at Lisa and shrugged. "I suppose I've done enough for now," he stated with a shrug. Sally ran at him and he dashed to the window and jumped out again. I turned onto my stomach and crawled over to Lisa. She wasn't breathing... There was blood pooling out of her neck. "Call an ambulance," I croaked to Sally and she hesitated and in that moment I began to hate her. It's stupid, but that hesitation has made me hate her. She did call the ambulance though and I lay on the ground feeling unable to do any more than just hold my head against Lisa's side and cry.

Eventually the ambulance showed up and the rest is a blur. I woke up later in a hospital bed, my throat bandaged. Sally was there and she handed me the laptop. I'm not allowed to get up yet and I don't know if Lisa is okay... I don't know what I'll do if he killed her...

Now back to your normally scheduled horror.

I'm cracking jokes see... Everything is fine. No reason to worry about me.

The Grotesque is back in good form... I'll give him that much. It was a more normal grotesque nightmare as in it was certifiably a grotesque nightmare as opposed to the previous one resembling one of my prophetic dreams...

Er... I might be too paranoid for my own good as rereading that last sentence it appears that I have subconsciously just decided that my last nightmare had to of been The Grotesque messing with me and the return to normal form is likely just an attempt to make the dream seem more real... I... I like this idea, but I have no actual proof of that and I feel I may be cracking up a little.

After The Liar's explanation last time I've been feeling rather ill and part of me is wondering whether it's all in my head or whether this is the subtle work of The Plague Doctor. He wasn't mentioned in the meeting though it occurs to me now that the entire meeting might have been a Grotesque Nightmare. The Grotesque might never of left at all. All of the dreams I've had since the first nightmare, might have just been The Grotesque toying with me... Maybe all the dreams I've ever had. Maybe I never woke up at all.

That... That was the implication of The Grotesque's last nightmare anyway...

It seemed like the normal torture and pain route, but throughout it there were subtle voices telling me to wake up and I was remembering things that I don't remember now... People and Events that I've never seen or heard of. The Grotesque seemed alarmed and began actively reminding me of The People I do know and now I can't shake the feeling that this isn't real. That nothing is real.

I told the others and Lisa assured me she's real, but of course she would.

When you think about it it makes sense. In my dreams/nightmares, I have power and purpose and friends and family and I'm well I'm important. Everyone wants to be important. It's like an adventure. Maybe it's all fake. Maybe I'm in a coma or something. Maybe there is no Grotesque nightmare it's all just a comatose dream... I've been told that you can't dream in a dream, but I only remember being told that in the real world that as far as I know might be a dream.

I need a hug, but at the same time I can't stand to let anyone touch me. I just keep imagining them all disappearing as they touch me and I can't... I can't deal with it.

Is the real world the one I'm in right now where I have a magic pocket watch given to me by The Grim Reaper and am on a quest with my perfect girlfriend, who was once a part of an eldritch monster who is in love with her, to drain the essences from a bunch of eldritch monsters created by the devil in order to free some creature all while being aided by a psychopath named The Muffin Man, a computer who can manipulate bodies and a guy who may or may not be god?

Or is the real world a place with no magic where I'm just some unlucky sucker who was in some kind of accident and am now in a coma?

When you put it that way which seems more logical?

Had a conversation with The Liar today.

I woke up, from either a very very effective Grotesque nightmare or a prophetic dream of terrible things to come, to Lisa shaking me and telling me she sensed the presence of a Fear nearby. She was not exactly panicked, but very alarmed.

We checked on Sally who appeared to be asleep clutching her instrument case like it was a teddy bear and woke her up. We then tried to flee as quietly as possible. We didn't make it. We made use of a handy fire escape to leave and found The Liar waiting at the mouth of the alleyway for us. She was in a new body I didn't recognize and I only know it was The Liar cause she admitted so instantly. It was part of her initial greeting.

"Hey, Amanda! It's your friend Amy or you know The Liar. Heard you were in some trouble and decided to come make it worse. Lisa glanced around us probably wondering the same thing I was. Was there anything around we could use effectively as a ranged weapon so we wouldn't have to touch her if we needed to fight. The answer was, other than a garbage lid, no. She was watching us and smiled. "Oh don't worry I'm not going to kill any of you or make anyone die. At least I don't intend to do so. I just want to talk. Also I want to show you something," she moved then and before anyone could react she was standing directly in front of me, her hand shot out and grabbed my throat as her other hand moved to my pocket. Lisa stepped forward.

"Take another Step and I will be inside of her before you can blink," The Liar responded without looking away from my eyes. Her hand slipped into my pocket and then drew out The Pocket Watch. I don't know exactly what I was expecting. I wasn't sure if touching it would kill her or if I needed to be using it as a weapon or really I didn't know what it would do, but it did the last thing I was expecting. Nothing at all. She took it out and then let me go. I tried to grab for it, but she stepped back out of range and opened it.


"Give it back!" I demanded making another failed attempt to grab for it. She smiled and simply kept backing away finding great amusement in this apparently.

"You sure you want it back? I mean you really don't seem to enjoy using it," she taunted as she inspected it, "I see you got one already," she said and turned it to face me. I hadn't really checked it recently so this was a new development to me. The number 3 on the clock face was glowing.

"What... What is that?" I asked and she tossed it back to me.

"A key I suppose you could call it. More accurately it's the essence of a Fear. The puppet probably didn't count so I assume this is from the Nest," she looked at my blank face and smiled, "You have no idea what you're doing do you?" I shook my head and she laughed, "The Fears will hate me if I tell you, but they hate me anyway so why not," she moved again and put her arm around my neck. I could feel my skin crawling where she touched me.

"Jack told us Fears a few facts about that Watch and what it can do. The most important one and the reason most of The Fears are after you right now is it can act as a key to a gate that holds within it the most terrible creature of all. Something so terrible that The Fears are willing to side with Jack to stop you from freeing it, in order to free it however you'll need to collect The Essences of The Fears who Jack used initially to seal the gate. Which would normally mean you'd have to use that Watch on The Fears themselves which would be suicidal, but unfortunately for many of the Fears. Most of them put a small amount of their essence into their servants which isn't much, but is enough to make the key you need. You've already got some of The Convocation's essence in there so you just need the rest. In fact part of why I'm here is to give you another key and run a bit of an experiment. You'll need the essence of The Dying Man for that key and I'm willing to give it to you. All you have to do is kill me and my host with that Watch and you'll be one step closer to your goal," she explained and then stepped back and bowed her head.

"What... Why would I want to free this terrible creature?" I asked.

"Because it's your goal. It's what you're supposed to do. It's why you were given the watch and your dreams. The Man in Grey wants this creature freed and you are his agent to do it. Besides it's either do it and succeed or don't do it and eventually get killed by The Fears," she explained.

"So... This is my purpose?" I asked and she nodded. I gripped the pocket watch in my hand and advanced on her. Just as I was about to touch it to her however she raised her head. Her eyes fearful.

"Where am I? What's happening?" she asked in a scared voice, her eyes darting around wildly looking at me, Lisa and Sally, "What's going on?" she asked again sounding panicked. It was the host talking. The Liar had given control back to her host. It was how The Liar worked. Unlike most Dying Man shards The Liar preferred to remain hidden in her hosts allowing them control and only subtly manipulating their actions. Only occasionally would she take full control in which case the host would enter a state not unlike sleep and be unaware of what happened while she was dormant. She probably just woke up now finding herself somewhere unfamiliar and strange with no recollection of how she got here or why she was there. I felt sick and I staggered back. The frightened face immediately disappeared becoming a mocking smirk as The Liar regained control.

"I knew you wouldn't do it," she taunted.

"You're sick!" I screamed at her.

"You make a fine agent of Death. Unwilling to kill. You're weak. I knew all along you're nothing to fear. You'll never be able to fill your purpose in fact here have a free tip. If you could bring yourself to do it, your friend Muffin contains within him the essence of almost every Fear. If you used the Watch on him you'd pretty much be done. You won't though. Even though he betrayed you and almost got you killed you won't be able to kill him. You won't be able to kill anyone. The other Fears, even Jack. They're all stupid. You'll never be able to make the key. If they hadn't attacked you you never would have even gotten one. It's hilarious! Well good luck. I'll be sure to be there when you eventually die screaming," she blurted out the whole paragraph in one braying noise of mockery and laughter before turning around and abruptly disappearing.

Lisa was beside me in an instant her hands gripping my shoulder's comfortingly. She whispered comforting words in to my ear, but I didn't hear them. The Liar was right there was no way I could do what The Man in Grey wanted me to do. I had failed. I would probably just let The Fears kill me, but I couldn't do that. I couldn't just let my friends down. If the choice was dying or killing though I'd gladly choose the former and I know Lisa would agree.

I suppose I did mention the dream I had.

It felt like one of my prophetic dreams, but it might have been a Grotesque nightmare masquerading as my dream and I hope it was because the dream was of all my friends abandoning me or betraying me.