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 Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 11:08 pm
Having been essentially manhandled from the harbinger's lair to a tacky looking casino, Rajni was less than pleased. The entire thing looked gaudy, less than tactical. In fact, she was multiple degrees more pissed because ******** look at how much electricity they were hoarding? What the ******** someone coming from the electricity-less apartments, this place looked like a giant, greedy hell hole wrapped in paradise.
Begrudgingly she marched forward, hand gripped a little more tightly around her candlestick, free hand checking that her shovel was still in place. She liked the weight of her weapons, and she liked knowing those weapons were there and ready when needed.
Strangely, her black eye seemed all but healed. She used both working eyes to scan for undying, which no doubt should have been attacking this place mercilessly with its fireworks and noises. Yet ... they weren't. It was safe. Rajni could at least respect that.
[ Delta Casino ]
Rajni hadn't ever been a gambling type, but she was willing to play her cards. As she was forced through the casino doors, she couldn't help but think that the cards weren't in her hands to play.
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chiickadee rolled 5 6-sided dice:
2, 1, 4, 1, 1
Total: 9 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 11:58 am
The inside of the casino was just as horrifyingly wasteful as the outside. She thought for a moment she might have died; heaven would be a place like this for her. Gambling, drinking, the hazy layer of enjoyment and pleasure than coated everything until it was saturated with malaise. Combined with the subtle murmur of pleased customers, Rajni couldn't help but feel like she had stepped into an alternate world. One without undying, without the barriers, without seven days.
That didn't mean she wasn't on her guard. Quite the opposite really. Rajni had lived in the zombie apocalypse for too long to be fooled by the facade of complacency. She knew her vices and she knew what they were trying to offer her in exchange for her freedom.
"Welcome to Delta Casinos!"
Rajni jerked, alerted by the squeaky voice. She raised her candlestick in defense before noticing that there were casino security guards everywhere. They were watching. The candlestick lowered. A blunt approach wasn't going to work with this place.
"To begin, we will play with a currency called Casino coins. You can use them later for fantastic prizes!"
Suspicious. It all sounded too fantastical, too easy. Even as she was handed 50 coins, she eyed them all with great suspicion. Normally she wouldn't participate; it was obviously a trap. Pathetically obvious, really.
Yet she also knew she was being watched. There wasn't really a choice being presented. Either do, or die.
Seeing as she had no option, she took the game that required the least amount of her attention. While pulling the crank, she could focus on other things.
[ Casino Coins: 52 ]
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chiickadee rolled 5 6-sided dice:
2, 3, 5, 1, 2
Total: 13 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 11:59 am
Rajni was unsure why they hadn't confiscated her weapons or belongings yet. Shouldn't that have been their first move?
As she looked around, she realized that the others playing at the machines seemed to be the same as her. Rugged people from the outside, dirty, covered in the grime of the undying. Scared, too.
Something wasn't right in this place.
[ Casino Coins: 54 ]
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chiickadee rolled 5 6-sided dice:
1, 2, 1, 6, 5
Total: 15 (5-30)
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 12:08 pm
One last time she pulled the crank, only half paying attention to the coins that were spilling out of the machine. Of course she scooped those coins up because she wasn't about to waste any resources, but she was keenly aware of what was going on around her.
A bunch of survivors being forced to play casino games. With undying staying away from this place, none of it felt right. She amended her previous statement; this wasn't heaven, it was some kind of strange purgatory.
Someone offered her a drink and she heartily took it.
[ Casino Coins: 56 ]
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Posted: Wed Sep 23, 2015 5:43 pm
The drink had been a shitty choice, but so had everything else been. Might as well go down swinging, honestly.
When she awoke she was tied down (she should have been more surprised, but she felt herself oddly numb to the situation). She was working more on adrenaline and awareness than she was emotion and fear.
"Attention all Casino players! Welcome to our tenth annual casino games! A big round of applause to our new players!"
It was feverish, the imagery and sounds were evoking something surreal. She knew this was wrong, she knew she should have been fighting and yet ...
All she could do was sit there. She was numb, tired. For a short time, she wanted to give up. The applause felt appropriate.
"Now, let us explain the rules for the new casino players! All of you are given a number. There is a lucky lottery number drawing, if your number is drawn, you get to escape from here free. Lucky you! For everyone else, well, you are not so lucky. I'm afraid the only freedom for you comes from buying it. That's right, each of you have been given, and assessed a value. If you wish to escape, and you must do so by the end of this day, you must buy out your own value or we will buy you."
Rajni blinked slowly.
"'How may I buy myself out?', you may ask. Well, that is simple! All you have to do is play any of our games in our casino with Casino Coins! When you have earned enough Casino Coins equal to your value, you may request to make a purchase. Now, we aren't heartless here. You may purchase yourself, or another player. You may even purchase both if you have enough! Wouldn't that be nice! Anyone left unpurchased will be property of the Casino, and be auctioned for our dinner fundraiser tonight."
The very last part caught her off guard. Someone would be ... auctioned for dinner?
Great, so she'd landed herself in a camp of ******** cannibals.
"Any questions? One per person please!"
Rajni was quiet. These didn't really seem like the kind of people you were supposed to ask questions to. Questions got you killed.
Someone came in the room and grabbed her entire desk. She didn't say anything, but she did try to wiggle out of her restraints, kick at the person- anything she could do to be free. ********. <********>.
Two souls stared back at her, equally fearful, equally as numb. She opened her mouth to say something to the twosome, but realized it was pointless. They both had gags, both were silent. Same as her.
"Now these are the losing players from the last game. A Bunch of sore losers if you ask me. But we're giving you a chance to redeem one as their patron. If you manage to buy yourself out of the games, then you will also buy one of them out too. Now, which one will it be?"
Sick. This whole place was sick. The worst part was that she couldn't say she preferred elsewhere, because at least this place was safe from the undying. She remembered once talking with Fantasia and agreeing that humans were always going to be more terrifying, more cruel than undying ever would be. She found that to be true even now, as she picked a cannibalistic, safe place over a desolate, dangerous one.
There were two choices before her. A beautiful woman and a sniveling teen. As much as her heart went out to the teen (The woman."
As a nurse, Rajni had never actually held someone's life in her hands. She'd been a registered nurse for a public clinic; it was a lot of measuring temperatures, taking blood pressures and diagnosing people with the common flu. Yes she'd had the training for it, but she'd never been the person making the decision between life and death.
After this, she never wanted to be.
The next few moments were a mess of screaming, crying, relief, blood, horror and Rajni was so very numb to it. She said nothing, did nothing. She didn't even look up at the room; the woman seemed please.
Her desk was moved into the next room and all was quiet. No more applause, no more voices and speakers. Ropes were undone and she checked herself. No weapons. s**t.
She was allowed to wash herself, and she only did on virtue that she hadn't really washed herself properly in .... ages. The apartments had no real water beyond the occassionaly shower-but-don't-drink-the-water, so the offer of water was impossible to ignore.
They didn't so much exchange words as they did meaningful glances. The woman said thank you. Rajni was empty.
More wordless exchanges as she was pushed into a holiday. One door in front of her. She wasn't sure why she kept walking. Yet she did.
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