p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"span style="font-weight: bold;"This will be less… traumatic as I'm not using the game script./span/p
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p style="margin: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You felt like every inch of your body was being stretched. You were about to scream in pain as it got worse, but it stopped. And then you were falling./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You landed on your behind, a groan escaping. Luckily, it didn't feel like you bruised your tail bone as you stood up./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"Scanning your surroundings, you were in a graveyard. A dead tree stood in the center, its winding branches reaching for the darkening sky. Dead bodies were scattered around you. Looks as if Ash had just passed through./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You heard a groan behind you, and as you looked, you saw a deadite. Before you could react, a gunshot went off, and the demon was dead./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You nearly cried in relief, thinking it was Ash, when a slight British accent said, "Are you alright, (sir/miss)?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You turned around, again, and were greeted with an off-brand George Washington. Powdered wig, tailcoat, and bayonet. You didn't know where you had ended up,, but it appeared to be back in time./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""It's dangerous to be in these woods alone. Here, let me get you back to town." the man said, offering his arm./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You politely declined. "Actually, I'm looking for someone. He might have passed through here some time ago. His name is Ash Wiliams- black hair, nice jawline, V-line, and-" you stopped yourself./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""You mean Blacksmith Williams? Yes, he went off to town about an hour ago. You might catch him at his forge. Here, let me accompany you." the man said. "I'm Johnathan. Johnathan Jones."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Nice to meet you, Johnathan. I'm (y/n)." you responded, following him as he went off along the path./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"About ten minutes later, you saw torches burning. "Mr. Williams is just down two streets, and to the left. You'll see the shop sign. Be careful, (y/n). I have to get back to patrol. Good luck." Johnathan saluted, and retreated back into the woods. Looks like you're on your own, now./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"Following his directions, you heard gunshots in the direction you were heading. You stopped near the gate. A sign hung above you, in the shape of an anvil and hammer. More gunshots went off behind the gate, and soon they stopped. You opened the gate./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""I told y'all, I-" the blacksmith stopped, seeing you. He narrowed his eyes, still having his gun pointed at you, leaning close. "You're not one of 'em. Thank God." he said, dropping his arms to his side./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"He looked a lot like Ash, just a bit shorter and not dressed like him. He wore a white shirt and black pants, with coal covering him. You noticed burns all over his hands and face./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Um, hi? I'm (y/n). I'm looking for someone named Ash-" you started./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Oh, the boomstick boy? Yeah, he just left. Should be back soon, I reckon." the blacksmith said, swaying slightly. He was slightly drunk, judging by the bottle he held in the hand that wasn't holding the gun. "Just call me Williams. Everyone does."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Okay," you said, still wary of the man. "do you know which way he went? I need to find him; it's kind of important."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""He'll be back soon, but if ya really want to get 'im, he went to the barnyard. Just follow the streets west, you'll see it." Williams answered. "But you'll never make it without a weapon. I could give ya something, it'll be enough. Wait here."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You did as he said, nervously looking around. Why did you decide to do this? It was stupid to follow Ash into the portal. You mentally slapped yourself for being so stupid./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Here ya go. A hand scythe. Sharp, so be careful. Those dead dumbasses won't stand a chance. Not many around after the patrol made rounds, but just in case." Williams said, surprising you slightly./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Thanks." you responded, taking the scythe. It was short, with a fitting handle and sharp edges. "If he gets back before I do, keep him here, okay?"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Godspeed, (y/n). See ya soon." He retreated back into his forge./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You were alone again. You went back to the street, wondering where the hell to go. 'West' wasn't really helpful- you didn't have a compass./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Lost, (miss/sir)?" A man said, turning the corner. Why did everyone appear out of nowhere?/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Um, yeah. Where's the barnyard?" you asked./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"The man's eyes widened. "That's where all the demons are! Surely you aren't that stupid."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""I'm looking for someone. He went there. I emhave/em to find him." you said./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""It's that way." He pointed. "Please, don't be an idiot. Go to the church- it's where most of the survivors are."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You had started walking before he finished. The people here really freaked you out./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"The barnyard wasn't far from the town. It was quiet, oddly. You searched the barn, around it, and the farmhouse. Nothing but a few dead chickens and a cow that was still grazing, oblivious to the death around him./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You hurried back to the smithy. The yard was empty. A few bodies littered the ground, filled with holes and several slashes. Covering your nose, you knelt to examine the slashes further. They appeared to be made from a chainsaw- Ash had just left./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You got back up and nervously knocked on the smithy doors. No one answered. You tried to open the door, but it was locked. You banged on it again, and instantly regretted making so much noise./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"Snarling came from behind you. Whipping around, one of the deadites had stumbled from the copse of trees near the gates. Its friends followed./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You were trapped. You quickly scanned the area for an exit, but to no prevail. You were going to die./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"A million thoughts swarmed your mind- regrets, accomplishments, wishes. At least you tried to help save the world. But now you'd become one of them./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"They were a yard away. You took a deep breath, and raised your hand scythe. You'd go down fighting./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"The first one to reach you received a slash to the face. You kicked it in the knees, so it fell over. The second one had a knife, so you brought down the scythe into his head, killing it./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"The rest came too quickly. You didn't have time to pull your weapon free, or grab the knife, or even get out your own./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"Their hands grasped at you, giggles and growls alike coming from the creatures. You realized you had begun to cry./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""I'm sorry, Ash!" you whimpered as the demons scuffled around you, fighting to see who kills you first. The thoughts in your head increased, flashes of your friends and family filled your mind. You had let them down./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"A gunshot and a chainsaw whirring brought you back to reality. It was Ash- he was alive and here to save you./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"The demons fell, one by one, as you cowered against the smithy doors. Thankfully, they had only ripped a part of your shirt and left bruises and scratches./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Are you insane?!" Ash yelled, pulling you up. "You could have died! You should have stayed with Trisha!"/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"Tears overwhelmed you. You collapsed, sobbing into Ash's shirt. He pulled you to shelter beneath a tree, letting you cry and cry./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;""Well, you've gotten into this mess," he said once you had calmed down, "so we have to finish it. You're staying with me at all times."/p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You nodded weakly. Ash pulled you onto his back, letting you rest after crying. He was obviously shaken, but not as much as you./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"You still didn't tell him you loved him./p