Hype Horrors 3: Comic-Condemned IC Thread

[Batman]

I approach the group outside, ignoring the second text as my phone vibrates in my pocket. Everyone's looking a little off. I assume it's because no one's let it sink in that Byrd is really dead - can't blame them for that. Then I notice twy's expression, and realize her face has lost a considerable amount of color. Then I notice the same for wieg. And Keyser. And Andy. And...

Oh my god. There's no way it...

I approach them flatly, my curiosity only outweighed by my frustration. How could this day possibly get any worse?

"Got your messages. What's going on? What's happened?"

 

[Carnage27]

I stumble out of the hotel bar, needing to stretch my legs and get some fresh air. I've been drowning myself in beer since we left the Con. Some of the others went for dinner, but food makes me sick.

As I bumble my way down the street, I see a group of Hypers crowded around in the middle of the street.

"Hey you guys..." I say as I approach. And then I notice the body on the ground with his throat slit. "S***."

 

[twylight]

MB and Carnage show up, leaving us with just Spike, Shlee, Cori, Carnage, and Brynn missing... I know Andy texted them again but we haven't heard anything.... omg.. Shlee!

I pull my phone out and dial her I hope she's okay....

 

[Spike_x1]

"After everything that's happened today, I honestly don't feel the least bit hungry, but I know I should. Everyone needs fuel in the tank, after all."

Walking out of the hotel, Brynn and I both try to hold it together and not dwell on what happened today. What's done is done. We didn't really know Byrd. He was just a name on a computer screen to me, right? Let's just get something to eat and let the police do their jobs.

Man, who the bloody hell am I kidding? A man's life ended in front of us today. How the f**k am I supposed to not think about something like that?

...oh, s**t. Some of the other RPers are gathered a short distance away, along with a larger crowd close by. "Aw, s**tbricks on toast, what happened now?" Quickly making our way closer to the group, the body of MST3K soon comes into view.

"Damn."

 

[Brynn]

"After everything that's happened today, I honestly don't feel the least bit hungry, but I know I should. Everyone needs fuel in the tank, after all."

"Well you could always follow my lead and go for the alcoholic variety. I plan to drink my dinner and stumble back completely s**t faced."

"Aw, s**tbricks on toast, what happened now?"

Quickly making our way closer to the group, the body of MST3K soon comes into view.

"Damn."

We barely make it out of the hotel before we walk headfirst into the drama, it’s like this morning all over again. I can hear sirens approaching and know it’s most likely off for round two of questioning for us. I grab the arm of one of the nearest Hypesters.

"What happened this time?"

 

[Shlee]

Laying on the bed in my silent and oddly deserted room with a pillow over my eyes sounds a lot better than actually getting up and going out to do -anything-.

I sigh and roll over, searching for my phone on the night stand. Maybe I can shut it off and get some peace and qui-.

The thought is interrupted as my phone starts loudly playing "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. I should -really- change that ring tone. I notice that the call's from Mercé, so of course I answer immediately.

"Hello?"

 

[twylight]

Laying on the bed in my silent and oddly deserted room with a pillow over my eyes sounds a lot better than actually getting up and going out to do -anything-.

I sigh and roll over, searching for my phone on the night stand. Maybe I can shut it off and get some peace and qui-.

The thought is interrupted as my phone starts loudly playing "Grenade" by Bruno Mars. I should -really- change that ring tone. I notice that the call's from Mercé, so of course I answer immediately.

"Hello?"

Shlee picked up just as Spike and Brynn walked up to us. I turn away to better hear her, relief flooded my body.

"Oh thank goodness you're okay! MST3K has been murdered too!"

 

[Shlee]

"Wait, what? The hell... Where are yo-... I'll be right there."


Greeeeeeeeeeat. Because one psycho murder wasn't enough, now there's another one, and they are most definitely targetting Hype!ers. What the hell is going ON here?!

I hang up the phone and place it back in its comfortable spot inside my bra, rolling myself off the bed. 'Well s**t.' I lay on the bed a few moments longer before finally rolling toward the edge, pushing myself into a sitting position.

I fix my ponytail as I sit on the edge of the bed, eyes staring at the floor as if, like Superman, I might be able to see through it to what's underneath. My eyelids close for a long moment, squeezing a single tear out of one of my eyes. They open again and I stand, grabbing my light hoodie from the chair near the door. Checking to make sure I have my wallet (and therefore my room key), I slip out the door and jog down the stairs.

Normally I'd take the elevator, but today seems like the kind of day to burn off some of this excess nervous energy. Not to mention I feel like I have more control over how fast I go, and right now, I could use some semblance of control over something in my life.

I push my way through the lobby and out the large doors, scanning the sidewalk both ways for the briefest of moments before I spot a very large group of people gathered together near the sidewalk. 'I don't even think a blind person could miss this mixed up group of totally awkward nerds... especially considering they're all gathered around another dead body... God I think I'm going to be sick and I haven't even eaten yet today.' My inner monologue rages on as I approach the group, coming up next to Mercé. I reach out to grab her elbow, as if to offer reassurance and support.

"Did someone move the god damn body? Really?" I can't help but blurt out the first thing that comes to mind, seeing the smear of blood on the sidewalk. "Tell me... Are we trying to get everyone taken down to the station for tampering with evidence, or are you guys really just that stupid?"

 

[Supergirl]

After Byrd's murder and the subsequent questioning, I went back to the room Merce and I were sharing. I turned off the light and sobbed violently into my pillow. Somehow I was able to fall asleep, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep. I encountered night terrors like I had never encountered before. Images of the ways Byrd and I had devised to kill people in the last round of the Hype Horrors game flooded my dreams, along with the all too real sight of Byrd's mutilated corpse. As I wake up now, my body shivers and I'm dripping with a cold sweat. I grab my phone and look at it not expecting the vast amount of time to have passed. I also check my messages and see I have a couple. A few telling me to meet at Dick's, and then one that scares me to no end. Another Hypester has been murdered. I quick throw on my Pink Ranger t-shirt and a pair of jeans, grab my room key and head down the the lobby to meet up with everyone.

 

[Carnage27]

I head over to the crime scene and kneel down next to the body. I never really know MSTK, nor did I ever really play in the RPGs with him. No one deserves what he got though. The only redeeming quality here is that he wasn't tortured like Byrd was.

But something next to the body catches my eye. Another cryptic message left by whoever did this.

2 DOWN

8 2 GO
TICK-TOCK
TIME'S RUNNING OUT
>.<
​

​

The last message had two red letters: r and i. This has two and two red letters, as well as two blue letters. What the hell does this mean.

"Hey guys," I say to the assembled group. "We've got another message here."

 

[wiegeabo]

Clues.

It really is the game, isn't it.

No, no. Don't go there. Unlike the games, we're not trapped by ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We're here, in San Diego, during the busiest time of the year. There are tons of people around, and police. Lots of well trained police.

Still...it's a chance to occupy our minds with something else besides the possibility of our upcoming deaths.

"Let's..." I can't believe I'm saying this, but, "let's check this message out. Did anyone write down the first message?"

 

[Batman]

I remain absolutely silent as I realize what's happened. Seeing Byrd murdered infront of us was one thing - but as horrible as that was, and as much as that's going to burn into our memory, I could at least say that his murder was explainable. Maybe some nutjob had wandered into the Con, randomly select Byrd for his sick display and went from there. Or maybe Byrd accidentally bumped into a maniac that only needed some incentive, or gave him a wrong look when he was really having a bad day. Any of those scenarios could have been, well... I don't think logical is the word, but maybe at least a little realistic.

But seeing MST sprawled out like that all over the pavement, his throat sliced wide open like something out of a horror film, it makes me realize something. This isn't logical, it isn't realistic. This isn't some one random act of torture, or fate, or circumstance or even some case of wrong place and wrong time. This is complete and utter madness, and we're the targets. My hands begin to shake again as my spine runs cold, as I just decide to stand in place and do my best not to move. Someone's after us.

It's a game.

Jesus Christ, they were right.

It really is a ****ing game after all.

"I... I..."

I try to scan the assembled group for anyone that's missing, and my heart skips a beat by the time Carnage arrives. The only one left is Cori. Oh dear god, I mean, what if... what if she's...

"Cori. Where's Cori? She's..."

I nearly sprint into a run back to the hotel out of panic, when I finally see her in the distance approaching the scene in a bright pink t-shirt. She's the last of us to arrive. Which means that despite the fact that there's a psychopath out there who wants our blood, the rest of us are still alive. He hasn't gotten to anyone else.

At least...

At least, not yet.

"Jesus Christ, thank god! Thank god you're okay!"

I approach Cori and nearly start embrace her. But I remember what our friendship is like. There's enough tension as it is between us, and even if it's fake tension, I really can't afford to have to deal with that right now. Not when MST just died. Not when Byrd died before him. So instead, I simply look back at the body, then back to her.

"We thought, I thought you'd... it doesn't matter. Cori, there's... there's been another..."

I can't even say the final word, but I think she already knows. From her expression, it's not one of shock. I just point to the body on the pavement and hope she handles it better than the rest of us are.

It's the most I can do not to go out of my mind.

This could be the last weekend of my entire life.

 

[twylight]

"Yeah, we know"

That smilie face was really... annoying.

"So what now?"

 

[Byrd Man]

The Hypesters continue to gather around the dead body of MST3K, trying their best to decipher the latest clue. Police sirens ring in the distance, approaching close to the crime scene.

While they talk amongst themselves, one Hypester pulls out a bottle of water and quietly sips on it.

"Hey," wieg says, a figer pointed towards the bottle. "What's that?"

The Hypester looks at the bottle, noticing the writing on the bottom of the bottle.

"Oh, no," Carnage whispers. The realization hits him the same time the poison does. He crumples to the ground, painfully convulsing on the sidewalk. Foam and blood spills out of his mouth. A choking sound comes from his throat, it's the sound of Carnage's paralyzed tongue blocking his windpipe and strangling the man. Within a few second, he's dead.

The water bottle rolls against his lifeless body. Tapped to the bottom of the water bottle is this note:

Red
Blue
Red
Blue

All of this has happened before and all this will happen again

​

 

[Batman]

"Holy s***!"

It's all I can blurt out before that feeling in the pit of my stomach rears it's ugly head again. The same feeling that I had when I saw Byrd, and partially what I experienced when I saw MST's corpse just a few minutes ago. I didn't expect another kill this soon, this quickly, but then again I don't know what I expected in the first place. This doesn't seem real. None of it seems real. It's like one of those damn Saw movies, only we're the targets and there's no Jigsaw to point the finger at.

"He... He just..."

I stare at Carnage's corpse as it foams at the mouth. Whether it's that or the fact that I've seen too much death all at once, I decide I can't take it anymore. Seeing a trash bin on the corner, I turn, run up to it and exhale hard. Then spew out whatever's left of my all too brief lunch on the ride up to the Con.

It's like a goddamn nightmare.

"Guh... G-God... God almighty..."

 

[Andy C.]

"Oh, COME ON!" I shout in fear and frustration when I see Carnage go down. "Give us a frakking chance!!!"

Just like that, three of us are dead. And this one happened right in front of us. It's bad enough knowing that whoever's doing this can pick us off when we're all alone. Now we're not even safe in groups.

None of us are safe.

All of us are suspects.

I can't make out the clues, and the only way to get more hints is for more of us to die.

I frantically pace up and down, instinctually needing to do.....something, anything. But there's nothing I can do.

Frustrated, I swing my replica lightsaber at the air, letting out an angry snarl before it slips out of my hands and clatters against the sidewalk.

"There must be some kind of way out of here......"

 

[twylight]

"OMYGOSHOMYGOSH" I hover over Carnage's body not knowing what to do.

"Someone call 911! Hurry!"

What.. the heck...this was a departure from the others.. I don't even... my.. My brain is blank.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I look at Carnage collapse dead in front of us, and I start laughing.

Okay, that probably wasn't the best response to have.

"Hahahahahaha!"

The others look at me in horror.

"Come on. Have you ever been in a situation that's so awful it's funny? If I don't laugh, I'll cry, or maybe tear my eyes out and eat them or something."

I clear my throat, and compose myself. I look down at Carnage. He always seemed like a nice guy.

"I tell you what I'm going to do... I'm going to enjoy my holiday. Standing around here moping and sobbing and wringing our hands isn't stopping us from being picked off one by one, it would seem. So I'm not gonna do that. I spent a couple of grand to get here, saved up all year, and I'm not about to let some horrific bloodshed spoil it. So if these are realy going to be my last days on this Earth, I'm going to have fun. I'm going to go to Comic-Con, dress in silly costumes, attend panels. And if some f***ing fruit-loop assburger wants to kill me, well... he can try."

I turn to walk away.

"If anyone wants me, I'll be at Dick's Last Resort. And if one of you is the killer... don't bother poisoning me, becauuse San Diego cuisine gives me nausea and violent s***s as it is, so dinner in the Gaslamp Quarter might do the job for you."

 

[Keyser Soze]

As I start to walk away, I stop. Something is wrong.

"Wait..."

I turn and come back.

"I'm sorry."

I look at the group apologetically.

"I forgot something."

I walk over to Carnage's corpse, and pull his pants down. Then I leave.

 

[wiegeabo]

I lean against the wall, thankful that it didn't happen to be against the message, or any bloodsplatter. I vaguely notice sweat on my forehead and my body feeling like it wants to shutdown. I guess the adrenaline rush is over?

"Ok...so Keyser has officially cracked. And I don't think the rest of us are too far behind."

The street fills with red and blue light as police cars block off both sides of the street. I guess after today's spectacle, they're not not going to fool around.

But now it looks like we've got no choice but to play. I look up at the police cars as the first officers start to cautiously approach us. Looks like we're spending a few more hours being questioned. If they let us go at all, since we're the prime suspects now.

"Let's get this over with...and then figure out who the killer is.

 

[wiegeabo]

The police...well...to say they were getting suspicious of us would be an understatement. And probably the only reason they're not keeping us in holding cells is that they don't actually have the evidence to do so. Honestly, I'd almost be ok with staying there. As much as it would suck to spend Comic-Con weekend in jail, it's a lot better than being dead.

Instead, after another long round of questioning, we've been released again. And this time, I've insisted we all stay together and try and figure this out. It's the one thing we never seriously tried in the games. And if the killer wants us to play for real, I'm thinking we should change the rules.

How everyone decided to meet in my room is a good question though.

"Ok...so we've got 3 clues."

Hype Horrors: Round 3

Ding-Ding

2 DOWN

8 2 GO
TICK-TOCK
TIME'S RUNNING OUT
>.<

Red
Blue
Red
Blue

All of this has happened before and all this will happen again

"Sooo....anyone got any ideas?"

 

[Batman]

I look down at all of the clues that's been written down, and try to make sense of them. But I honestly don't know what I'm even looking at. This guy just intentionally murdered three people and he's targeting a group of comic book nerds. There's no way that I'm buying that whatever 'clues' he's left us are meant to be cohesive. We're dealing with a ****ing psychopath! How are we supposed to understand how a mind like that works?

"I... I mean, I don't know."

I shake my head, and bury it in my hands.

"The red letters are meant to be one message, while the blue ones are supposed to be another? Or maybe it's the same message, just different words? I don't know. What do the letters spell out to?"

I'm seriously about to lose my goddamn mind. Every minute that I'm with these people is another minute that I risk certain death. And if I try to run, I...

**** it. **** this game, and **** the clues. Just let this weekend be over.

 

[twylight]

I sit on Wieg's bed, my legs folded up under me. I stare at my notebook, usually reserved for note taking in panels, and now with random letters all over it.

r i 2 D 8 I b s

O I l g

What... I match them up

"Did any of the letters in the last few games mean anything? Maybe these are red herrings after all?"

I flop back on the bed and curl up. This has been the worse day ever. EVER... my eyes tear up. I just want to go home.

 

[Andy C.]

"God, I don't remember," I say as I try to link up the letters and numbers. "I do know that a wrong guess based on those clues is why I was eliminated last time I played."

That's not a pleasant thing to remember, either. Last time, getting eliminated meant I got a paragraph describing how my in-character avatar ate it. This time, getting eliminated means......well.....

"I hate this," I say after a few moments of pacing. "I ****ing hate this. Three of us are down already, and we haven't gotten anywhere with figuring out who's doing it. It'd be one thing if we had some kind of fighting chance, but this? Huddled up, waiting to find out who's next? Blindly guessing about the clues, taking wild stabs in the dark?"

I catch myself after the last sentence.

".....okay, poor choice of words. Still, I think even if the words are nonsense, the fact that there are two colors means something. Maybe it's two different clues, maybe one's the truth and one's a lie.....come on, this has got to be going somewhere."

r i 2 D 8 I b s

O I l g

"I really hate to say this, but considering what Keyser did to Carnage......maybe he'll make himself useful and get killed, so we can have some more letters to work with."

 

[Keyser Soze]

"I really hate to say this, but considering what Keyser did to Carnage......maybe he'll make himself useful and get killed, so we can have some more letters to work with."

"Maybe I will. Or maybe it'll be you, Andy. Either way, you might as well throw yourself out the nearest window and do the job yourself if you think looking at letters is the way to stop this killer. When did looking at the letters ever help us in the games?"

I wasn't in the best of moods to begin with, having been picked up by police and put in a room with these people so shortly after breaking away from them. And having someone then wish death on you isn't the nicest experience in the world.

"This is all a big puzzle to you, isn't it? You're a real expert on the ins and outs of the Hype Horrors games, and when we're being stalked by someone obsessed with recreating those games in real life, that quality doesn't put you at the top of my most trusted list. This isn't a game, you don't get to be the winner. You get to live... or you don't."

I stand up, pointing angrily at Andy.

"You want to wish I was dead so you can get some more letters to help you solve the puzzle? Okay. Why don't I just kill all of you while you sleep tonight, since I'm pretty sure that one of you is the killer. I mean, if it helps us win the game quicker, right?"

I shake my head, turning away from Andy and sitting back down on the bed next to Merce. She's curled in a ball, crying. I look down at her sympathetically.

"The one thing I've got from the smoke and mirrors is that the killer wants us to think twylight has something to do with it. What with the smiley face. In my opinion, that rules her out right away. Unlike with most of you, I've met Merce before, spent time with her. I know she's not a killer."

I look down at Merce and smile thinly.

"It's okay, we're going to get through this."