[CENTER][Img]https://i.imgur.com/8BJy5WD.png[/img]
[b][code]Hillview High - Mason Square[/code][/b]
[sub][@Surtr Inc][@FernStone][@Atrophy][/sub][/center][hr]

“I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that we shouldn’t investigate.” Nate felt Billy's nervous palm clapping him on the shoulder, the beam from their flashlight casting the derelict corridors in new shadows. “What did you see?” he heard another voice ask him, drawing his gaze from where the shadow had been to where Rita was standing. 

"I saw-" Nate cut himself off, halfway along. None of the others had seen it? He wasn't going to finish that line with [i]nothing[/i], because it sure wasn't [i]nothing[/i] that he'd seen turning back and disappearing out of sight. "I saw someone walking down there. Probably Freddy Krueger, deciding which of us goes first," he shot Billy a brief grin, "Anyone else feeling sleepy?" For emphasis, he loosed off a long, drawn-out yawn, just pitched enough that it echoed down the corridors, accidentally unsettling himself in the process.

It was enough that he almost lost track of some the conversation that was going on with the group again - he recalledthe tail end of Kimberly's musings,  "-know all know the mountain, right? There's a rumor - no, an urban-legend - surrounding it - that it's cursed... that anyone who goes near it disappears, and anyone who comes back... comes back wrong."

"What kinda wrong we talkin' about here?" Hagan had asked a question that was rhetorical for most of them, only for Claire to jab at the mural and state the obvious, "This kinda wrong, dumbass." Maybe he had a point, though - mountains didn't just make you [i]disappear[/i] unless you were talking about climbing accidents. He'd seen enough of them back in Bellevue whenever he got a good view of the skyline, imposing structures standing vigil over the city that they weren't exactly alien to him, but here, thinking of ut as some kind of omen - it reminded him of the night of the massacre as he'd been making his way to the camp, when he'd seen it in the without any daylight to frame it. 

Sharon led them further into the building, more cult graffiti decorating the otherwise barren walls. In hindsight, it was definitely a factor adding to the 'this town is crazy' vibe, allowing him to feel some measure of understanding as to why the old man had moved out early on. Why had Aunt Viv come back here, though? Perhaps he was thinking too much on it - maybe they all had a filter on this kind of shit and maybe they'd just never run into any of the crazy shit he had since the massacre. 

[i]Back on track.[/i]

The 'Room 108' sign met the light as fast as their guide stopped outside, though her reluctance to enter was obvious. Claire seemed to be in that take-no-shit mood again though, shoving her inside. Everyone else started filing in, varied expressions contorting their faces - Nate followed suit and found himself cringing as he saw the checkerboard of photos adorning the walls wherever there had been space to place them up. 

Faces on the photos weren't exactly unfamiliar, either - some he actually recognised, if only from brief glances in classes or because the others seemed to be recognising them. Curiosity seized him, more than the sense of dread at the pit of his stomach, so he followed it along, even taking time to look at the 'eliminated' faces. But something else that he caught, just off the edge of his torchbeam, managed to make his stomach lurch.

It was a yearbook photo, taken long before Nate had been a crude look in his parents' eyes. But it was a face he knew [i]very[/i] well.

[b][code]KENNY WARD - LOW - LOW[/code][/b]

It wasn't the only one he recognised. There was another yearbook photo, this time of a girl with a few features that he instantly recognised. 

[b][code]VIVIAN[/code][/b] [b][s][code]WARD[/code][/s][/b] [b][code]TAYLOR - LOW - LOW[/code][/b]

Nate kept on following the trail, looking to confirm his fears. It had to be here, the third photo - he just needed to find it.

[i]Oh.[/i]

[b][code]QUENTIN TAYLOR - LOW - MEDIUM[/code][/b]

Naturally, it wasn't a yearbook photo. It wasn't even a personal one that had been stolen off Facebook or anything like that - it was a close up from a PR photo of the whole Sheriff's Department from about a year back, at most. Why was he marked as a threat at all? Because he was a cop? Something deep within him felt a surge of frustration, maybe just a little anger. Without wasting time, Natetore down the three photos that he did recognise, scrunching them up and shoving them into his pockets.  Was there anything else? A photo of [i]himself[/i], maybe? He glanced around, searching for one, but he found nothing - it was impossible to tell with the mass of photos spread around. 

"What the fuck is this?" He found himself directing his question towards Sharon, in spite of the onslaught she was facing from Penny. "Why- [i]why[/i] would your dad be out to kill everyone? Some of these guys - some of them are guys that [i]I know[/i] haven't even been around for all this crazy shit. How's that being a Guardian of... shit, anything?" Engrossed in the moment, he almost missed Penny reaching over a couple of moments too late to stop her from cracking open an ancient pandora's box. Well, it [i]looked[/i] ancient.