"Rigor Mortis"-The life after death RP(Started/PM for participation)-Arc 4: Closing Loose Ends

[TheIronRuler]

This is your life. The year is 2011 and nothing seems out of the ordinary.
But then it happens. Without warning your mind is surrounded with blackness. Emptiness replaces your thoughts and you can't do anything. It's all gone. You must scream, but your mouth can't move. You can't feel your mouth. You can't feel anything.
But then a voice pierces through this darkness.
"You are dead, friend. Do you want to live again?"
The voice sounds low and husky, like the one of an old man that had smoked too many cigarettes in his life.
You want to scream out. You want to say yes. But you can't talk. You feel the voice pulling away. You want to call him back for your rescue. Then you finally feel something.
It's cold. So damn cold. You open your eyes and see a cigarette. Then you see a man standing over you, examining your body. He wears a grey blazer with a weird insignia on the right sleeve. You try to look at his face, but then you feel his hand moving your head to the side.
"Do you agree to work for me?"
He asks you. You just want to go back. You can't stay in the dark anymore. You accept.
You can feel the rest of your body now. It takes you a few minutes to stand up on your own. You remember your name. You remember what happened.
You should be dead.
The man that saved you stands in front of you. He looks out into the horizon and you can see a trail of smoke coming from his face. You notice he wears a brown fedora hat, grey trousers and brown loafers. His hand moves up and takes the cigarette out of his mouth.
"This is shit", he says and throws the cigarette to the ground. "I gave you four hours. The note inside your pocket tells where you need to be in four hours. Sort out your business and then get there."
The man began walking away from you.
"Dead men tell no tales"
You look at the note. It tells you to be at an apartment downtown.
.

Spoiler: Character Sheet for the interested.

PM me for any reserves or villain roles.
Name: (Self Explanatory)

Gender: (Male/Female)

Age: (15-55)

Appearance: (Height, Body type, hair, eyes, skin, any other notable feature and anything else you deem fit to be here. Also include your usual wardrobe - Are you a suit man or a sweatpants boy? Are you a lively skirt girl or a busy businesswoman? Just listing the possibilities here)
Education: (High school dropout, High school, College/University. Will be a factor in the future)

Occupation: (Prior to being dead. Will be a factor in the future)

Biography: (Childhood, family, life till the past few days before the death. It is advised to pick characters without any firearms training and without any training with knives and the like. )

Personality: (I know that it's damn difficult. I'll probably pick it up through your posts, but for now try and do your best in describing your personality, so that you'll keep yourself restrained within it. Try and stay in character, but development is always welcomed. Will be a factor in the future).

Cause of Death: (Describe the death and what caused it. You could have just fallen down the stairs and snapped your neck, or as a female teenager your older brother got tangled with some loan sharks and when they tried to push him for the money you were kidnapped. Your death is recent, two hours or so after you draw your last breath. Important note - Your death must be a death that you did not willingly cause. If you walked into a battlefield without anything on you or committed suicide, you won't be recruited).

How you said your goodbye: (Read the setting section and then describe what you did with these four hours. Remember, Dead man tell no tales. Everything has its consequences.)

Hello fellow players, the dead and the damned. Welcome to your new life and your new job. You'l reach the apartment in the order I choose, expect more description in the group chat.

Our Co-GM is Link_To_Future.

 

[SeanTheBlueSheep]

Evey walked to the door of the apartment the note instructed her to be at, worried about what might happen next.

She was dead, she was sure of that. It had taken a while to sink in, but it had certainly happened. She had died. But now she was alive again, something she hadn't expected, and now she was at the location her mysterious taskmaster had instructed her to be at.
Evey stopped to breathe for a moment, trying to calm her thoughts from the disjointed hash they were in, and looked at the apartment.
It looked fairly unassuming. Just like a normal downtown apartment, maybe in need of a lick of paint, but otherwise totally regular. Hesitantly, she knocked on the door three times and waited. When no answer came, she knocked again, harder and called out "Hello?"

 

[TheIronRuler]

The apartment was wedged between two others, comprising the third floor in a six floor brick building. These buildings were a common sight in the rundown put of the town, next to nearby factories that released unpleasant scents and dangerous chemicals into the air and forest nearby. One could hear the shouts of fans violently echoing through the stairway, coming from above. A game of basketball with a pinch of zealous roars, nothing unusual.
.
Evey knocked on the front door but no one had answered. She placed her hand on the knob and twisted it. The door opened. She could spot several pieces of furniture in the dark, a couple of chairs, a table, a couch in the side. There was a hallway to the left which probably lead to the bedroom. She entered the apartment and opened the light switch to her left.
She noticed two Portraits of men hanging on the opposite side of the wall and a tall brown cupboard next to the couch. The paint was peeling off the walls and the light bulb seemed as if it were about to crash down and explode into a million little shards of glass.

 

[SeanTheBlueSheep]

Evey gingerly stepped into the apartment. It looked decidedly less pleasant inside. She stepped carefully around the floor beneath the light fitting, and quietly peered around the still gloomy apartment and waited for someone to reveal themselves. When no being seemed forthcoming, she called out again "Hello?" No answer. "Hello is anyone there? I came like you told me to, but I don't understand what I'm supposed to do. How am I even alive? I was dead, and then you... You resurrected me. How is that even possible?"
This was usually the moment in a horror move where some silhouette would flit past the door, and then grab her and-No. She curtailed that train of thought quickly. It wouldn't do to become frightened now. She was alive, and whoever this person was, there had to be a reason for that. Right?

 

[Link_to_Future]

His footsteps echoed through the hall as he moved closer to his ultimate destination. A sense of dread anticipation washed over the man as he drew ever closer to a fate he could not understand.

How am I still alive?

Dr. Adrian Hardy was having a terrible day. First his mortal coil had been cut short. For most, that would have been enough. But somehow, it had been stitched back together. He had been summoned from beyond the grave to fulfill a destiny beyond what he could even fathom.

All the man had told him was to find his way to this slummy apartment before four hours had passed. He wasn't going to waste his second chance by being tardy.

He stood before the door and breathed deeply. The air was stale in his lungs...but at least it was air. Adrian noted that there was a light emanating from the crack of the slightly ajar door.

Odd...they must just want us to let ourselves in.

His hand danced across the knob for an excruciating moment before he built up the courage to enter his new world.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

Inside the apartment stood a squirrely teenage girl. Adrian's face was covered in confusion. He had not expected this to be his greeting party. His hands pulled the hat more tightly over his mop of hair as he looked upon sickly female, quickly realizing that was likely in the same boat as he was.

Still, better safe than sorry.

"You...you aren't the one I'm supposed to meet here, are you?"

 

[Berenzen]

Ben sat at the bus stop bench across from the building and watched as others walked into the building.

First was the girl- malnourished, pale, with the fedora she would be memorable, easy to set up as a scapegoat. Next was the short man- much better, more invisible than the girl, better used as a weapon than a face.

Ben smiled, checking the time. There was still plenty of time left, but he didn't want to seem too tardy, third seems a better placement as any. He slowly got up, just as a bus pulled up for him, and walked to the crosswalk. He looked at the bus driver as he crossed the street and smirked as the man flipped him off.

As Ben approached the apartment he felt a shiver run down his spine as he remembered the darkness. What it had felt like, or rather what it hadn't felt like. He shook it off as he reached the door.

Ben turned the knob and entered the apartment, making as little noise as possible. He shut the door, then released the handle slowly.

You...you aren't the one I'm supposed to meet here, aren't you?"

Ben looked at the small man's back.

"No, she looked as confused when she walked into the apartment as you did," Ben said quietly, "and no, I'm not our gracious host either. You know how many of us there are?"

Ben walked over to a chair and pulled it up to the table and sat down, getting a clear view of the door.

 

[Generic_Username]

Spencer walked up to the apartment building. It wasn't anything special. He briefly considered walking away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, everyone he once knew thought he was dead. He had nowhere else to go, and nothing else to do.

The door to the apartment was ajar, and he could hear people talking. At the moment he walked into the room, he knew they were just like him. Dead, undead, or whatever the proper term was.

The first person he noticed was the man on the chair. He was staring at the door, almost like he was waiting for someone. Is he the one that brought them here? He seemed unusually calm, and Spencer wasn't even sure he was dead.
Then there was the girl. She looked around his age, but something about her made him feel sorry for her. She seemed frail, sickly. He briefly wondered if she had died of malnourishment.
Spencer didn't give much thought to the short man. Standing at only 5'6'', he was definitely not the same man that resurrected him.

He wasn't sure what to think. He turned to the man watching the door.

"Are you the one that brought us here?"

No response. The man was either lost in thought, or just didn't care much for small talk. In any case, he didn't seem to be the one he was supposed to meet.

Spencer's mind was wandering. Who are these people? Whose side are they on? Are there even any sides in this situation? How many of them are there? What are they waiting for? He sat on the couch and listened to the noises coming from outside, trying to clear his head.

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Mira walked the empty streets still wondering why she was breathing. What would be in store for her and how is this all even possible. Then Mira noticed the smoky air and smog-ridden chemical factories.

Mira remembered that a few years ago there had been a horrible chemical accident where a vat of sulfuric acid had fallen on a worker, scarring him entirely and slowly killed him. Had he been given the same chance too?

Then Mira came upon the address where she spotted other people entering the building as well to her surprise. Did they have any idea on this as well?

Mira's steps echoed through dingy hallways and eventually she came upon the door. She heard talking resonating from the room and she twisted the door knob.

Mira's presence was greeted by looks towards the doorway. Mira scanned the room as well. There was at least three people from what she could tell all with the look of confusion or anxiousness written on their faces. But none of them looked like the man that took her from death.

"I'm guessing we're all here for the same reason then?" Mira nervously said to the group.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Marcus was about to enter the apartment when he stopped, his hand hovering above the doorknob. While he had taken the news of his own death better than he would have expected and had been confident and decisive in his actions so far, now he was scared. For the first time in his life he was out of his depth. He had no idea what was waiting for him behind that door; no idea what would happen next, and he had no way out. Before now, he had always been able to put himself at ease by taking control over his own actions, but from now on his life would always be at the mercy of other people he didn't know and couldn't trust. He had no plan and it terrified him.

"That's enough!" he told himself. He had no choice, he knew that. His only option was to go through the door and the longer he stood here debating it the worse he was going to make it on himself. Before opening the door he focused on making himself stop trembling and look commanding. Whatever he was about to meet in there he didn't want their first impression of him to be weak and frightened. After all, showing weakness gets you killed.

As far as he could tell the man who had spoken to him wasn't there, but several other people were. His eyes were drawn to a man who looked a little younger than him. even though the was sitting down, Marcus could tell that they were similar in height and stature. He wasn't quite sure why, but some kind of animal instinct that he had relied on since childhood put him on edge, and told him this person was not to be trusted.

He had little problem with the rest of them. His eyes quickly passed over the short, unkempt looking man who he would have guessed was on the cusp of middle age. He was almost certainly an academic. Marcus was reminded a little of his adoptive father. There was a young girl near the back who appeared to be doing her best not to be noticed. He could relate to that. Skinny and pallid looking, something made him feel sorry for her, though he knew that now was certainly not the time to start developing emotional attachments. Another girl, older than him this time, who didn't look much healthier than the other. However, her paramedic uniform and the kind look in her eyes told him that she was the sort of person who liked to help others, and wouldn't hurt a fly if she could help it. She wasn't going to be a problem. Lastly, there was a boy slightly shorter than himself who looked to be in his late teens. The boy looked average in every possible respect, making it hard for Marcus to get a good measure of him. He decided to treat the boy with suspicion for the time being.

Marcus wondered if he should say something. No, on second thought it was better not to. If they wanted to speak to him let them make the first move, then react. That was often the better way. He positioned himself in a far corner of the room, giving himself a view of the door without having to turn his back on anyone in the room. He wondered how many more were left to come.

 

[Generic_Username]

Spencer eyed the newcomer carefully. Judging by her uniform, she appeared to be some sort of paramedic. Her uniform was covered in blood, but Spencer's own experience with death rendered him unresponsive to that kind of sights.

The woman looked around nervously and went straight to the point, without introducing herself:
"I'm guessing we're all here for the same reason then?"

No one said anything. Spencer hesitated, but decided to speak up. The woman was obviously shook up and of no threat to him.

"Depends. Why are you here?"

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Marcus was beginning to feel more at ease. With the exception of the guy in the chair, everyone around looked at least as scared as he felt, perhaps more so. He was reminded a little of the other kids in the orphanage where he grew up. Behind all of them, even the bullies, was just a scared little kid without a home. Also, he noticed he was probably the most physically capable of the group. Not that he had any intention of being aggressive, but it would be important to note any advantages that he had over the others.

He decided to try and start a conversation with the man in the chair. 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer' was a saying he felt was particularly apt in this situation. If he was going to have to work alongside this person, for whatever it was they had all been brought here, then he wanted to get a good measure of him. He approached the man, made a slight inclination of his head towards the large, ugly bruise he had noticed behind the guy's ear and said "What happened to you?"

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

"A strange man in grey clothes offered me a chance to live again. Gave me a note and told me to go here." Mira said with a winded voice. She could see the worry in their eyes because of the unique situation that they've been placed in. She felt a little content in being with others that shared the same experience. She walked to the side in case anyone else would enter and stepped to the couch where she gently seated herself.

"My name is Mira by the way." She spoke up.

 

[Link_to_Future]

Adrian became more puzzled as each person entered the dingy apartment. At first he had believed that he was to be alone in this new minted life of his. As the others continued to trickle in, a dull befuddlement began to cast itself over his mind.

What on earth are they planning?

The professor could not be sure of anyone's intentions. He had surmised that each of these people had undergone the same process that had been performed on him earlier in the day. Everyone in this apartment had been given a second chance.

But why?

Why us?

Everything was beginning to seem so surreal. Adrian couldn't even be sure if everything that he had experienced in the last four hours was anything more than an elaborate dream. He stood up and walked toward the small kitchen tucked away in the corner and turned the tap. A cool stream of water rushed from the faucet.

He quickly splashed his face and turned to look upon the others loitering around the room. In this light it was apparent that his clothes were covered in mud and a dark brown stain had worked its way to the surface of his cap from below.

"Alright, so this is a real thing that's happening...but why? Why us? We must have been selected for a purpose."

His voice was bold. Even if he was confused, he didn't want to seem out of his element to these strangers.

"If they were willing to bring us all back from...beyond...then we must possess something they want. What did you all do in your life before?"

His eyes studied each of the individuals before him, trying to sort out their demeanor and get some sort of a preliminary read.

"The name's Adrian. I was a professor before I passed."

 

[Berenzen]

Ben watched as the new people walked in, analyzing.
First was the second man- about his own age, quite similar in build. Excellent, a couple contact lenses and he could use the man quite well.

Next was the woman- older, but quite striking, but what she was wearing made him grin inwardly. A paramedic, she could definitely be of some use

After the woman came the blond man- fairly unassuming and almost seemed to blend into the background. Ben almost grinned, he would make a great knife in the dark. Yes, he would be an excellent tool.

He turned towards the man who had spoken to him, the one who was his own age.

"I was punched in the head, knocked me out. When I hit the floor, the resulting concussion killed me."

He listened to the others conversation, they were starting to trade names. He quickly grabbed a name in his past, no need to let the others know his real name.

"Brendan. Chemistry student" He said, after Adrian had announced his name.

He turned away from Adrian and Mira towards the unassuming blond man, the one who had addressed him.

"What happened to you to make you a member of our little club?"

 

[Generic_Username]

Spencer observed as Brendan began talking to the newest addition to their group. He felt like he should introduce himself to someone, but he felt like he couldn't trust the two of them. After ignoring him when he first arrived, Brendan didn't really leave him with a positive first impression, and the other man hasn't even introduced himself yet.

After some consideration, he turned towards Adrian and Mira.

"I'm Spencer."

He thought about the professor's theory. It raised a good question - why them? Why not someone else?

"Honestly, I have no idea what "they" want from me. I was a student. I worked at the library. I never asked to be brought back to life. If that's what this is."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Marcus was becoming more an more convinced not to trust Brendan. It was clear from looking at the way he observed the others in the room that he too was sizing them up, but for what? He seemed awfully relaxed for a person who had been killed just a few hours before. Was he really here for the same reasons as everyone else? Alternatively, the subtle arrogance in his demeanor could have just been a front, like Marcus himself, or maybe he was just like that as a person. Either way, Marcus decided the best thing would be to play along for the time being.

"Must have been quite a punch" he remarked, deliberately allowing the faintest hint of a smile to cross his face. "My name's Marcus. Some asshole ran me down with their car, didn't even stop."

Next he turned to Adrian, the man who had reminded him of his adoptive father. "What did you teach?" he asked him politely. He had decided to avoid answering any of Adrian's questions if possible. He didn't want any of them to know anything about him while he still knew so little about them.

 

[Berenzen]

Ben looked at Marcus, he wasn't trusting him. He didn't need a tool's trust, but it sure helped things along when favors started to get asked.

"Yeah, the man was huge, probably a biker or something."

Ben took a long look at the professor, he recognized him, he was a prof in one of the Earth and Atmospheric Science disciplines.

"Something in EAS, from what I can remember. I passed by his office a couple times last year. I think he's in geology, but I cannot be certain. What about you Marcus, what did you do for your living? I mean, we all had to make do somehow, didn't we?"

"As for why we're here, I'm guessing that we all died at about the same time. They brought us back to do stuff for us. It's probably quite illicit, we're all legally dead, they have a hold on our lives- they could probably put us 6 feet under as easily as bring us back up, and we all have some skillset that could be helpful. I don't trust 'em, but I damn well will work for 'em, that emptiness was horrifying."

 

[Link_to_Future]

Adrian glanced back and forth between Spencer and Brendan. They were both considerably younger than he was. Brenden was likely attending university but it was hard to gauge if Spencer had even graduated high school yet. Looking around the room he realized that he was a likely candidate for the eldest person in the apartment.

Brendan seemed a little bit curt as he introduced himself. Adrian attributed it to him dealing with the frustration of being thrown into a situation as foreign as this one. He decided it was best to give him some grace until they had a better grasp of what was going on.

"I never asked to be brought back to life. If that's what this is."

Adrian curiously surveyed Spencer as he spoke those words.

"But you're here, aren't you? If you had really wanted to stay gone you could have just waited until the four hours were up and gone back into the long sleep."

He slouched against the wall and adjusted his glasses. They were his spare pair so the frames didn't fit on his face as naturally as he would have liked.

"I have given up everything so I wouldn't have to stay in the darkness. I don't think it's too much to think that you've all done the same."

"I think he's in geology, but I cannot be certain."

When Brendan had finished, Adrian nodded at Marcus.

"Yeah, I was a professor of geology. Not sure why they would want me for that though."

 

[Mr.Ivebeenframed]

Mira listened intently on what the others had to say about why they were her. The question still lingered in her brain but then something answered back. It wasn't a textbook answer or clear cut decision but it was David.

She still could feel the hole in her heart as if it was still fresh despite David's passing five years ago. If she was here then there might be a chance that David might be here as well which raised a predicament. As much as she would like to live again, why would she leave the place that David now exists in?

Mira veered away from thinking into it that hard but she made a mental note of asking the man her brother. She chimed back into what the others were talking about, something about purpose.

"As you could see, I was a Paramedic and other than that I really didn't do anything else. Since we're dead, I wonder if we can see other...dead people as well." Mira asked the group not sure if they would laugh at her statement.

 

[TheDarkKing]

Forget this I hadn't realised there was a discussion thread...