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205: Lights Out

From Split LongWays

Synopsis

The episode picks up right after 204: Night of the Living Dead Light, with the group still at the Orchard Run Gas and Cafe and the storm raging outside. Before heading for the gas station next door, Tallahassee Turner searches the cab of Jake's truck for anything useful, such as kerosene, and comes away with a 12-gauge shotgun, which he promptly names Horace. Through the cafe window he sees Jake looking shocked. Simeon Kantstandyerbitz, down to two hit points, stays behind in a booth tending his wounds. Dan Keelhan tried to hand over the keys to the gas station, but they were no longer behind the counter. The rest of the group reaches the gas station and finds the door unlocked, the register in plain view, a door marked Office, and a radio somewhere playing nothing but static. Tallahassee wanders over to the cash register, while Billy McConnell hears voices from the office.

Inside the office, Amelia (Amelia Webb) is on the floor and Mary the Hoebag stands over her with a gun. Mary swings it back and forth between her and the group and keeps ordering everyone to leave. She is shaking, and she says it is none of their business when asked about her boyfriend. Dom Druncard shows her the photograph of her from the wallet and hints at what became of the man who carried it. When he and the others explain that the man and Dr. Webb are both dead, and that the light did it, Mary falters. She insists that this was not supposed to happen and that nobody was supposed to get hurt, but she still wants everyone out of her way, and she even fires over Amelia's head when she tries to crawl toward the group. Tallahassee threatens her with Horace, the players argue over whether to charm her, let her walk out into the storm, or ambush her, and Major Bakersfield edges along the wall to Amelia and helps her up.

The group lets Mary shuffle out of the office, with Billy and Tallahassee quietly taking positions on either side of the door. Mary keeps her gun trained on them and, after Tallahassee refuses to back off, she asks whether he would rather catch the bad guy or help his friend and shoots him in the side for four damage, the first real damage he has taken. Dom tackles her to the floor with an extreme success, Billy pries the gun out of her hand and lectures her on the attempted murder charge, and the Major handcuffs her. Amelia screams from the office and the sound is cut off. Dom throws the door open and finds her sitting against the wall with her eyes and mouth wide open, then runs out into the storm to fetch the silver coffer from the truck. Tallahassee hands him chalk on the way.

With Tallahassee still bleeding on the floor, the group works out the ritual from Dr. Webb's journal. It needs a chant and a symbol, drawn in blood on the forehead of a victim. The Major draws it on Mary's head, and when Billy hesitates about burning her, Tallahassee flicks a glob of his own blood at his face to help him make up his mind. Billy peeks into the office and sees the dead light melting through the back wall and reaching for Amelia. He scrambles in, drags her out, and slams the door behind them. Mary comes to and tries to kick the Major as he finishes the symbol, and he breaks her nose with a punch. The light squeezes under the door, scorching the frame, and Tallahassee, urged on by the others, reads out the chant from the journal. The syllables hurt everyone's heads.

Dom bursts in with the open coffer, but he fails his POW roll and is entranced by the light's beauty, shuffling toward it with slack, glazed eyes. The Major punches him, shoves Mary to the floor, and takes the box from him. As the light shoots out its strands at Dom's face, the symbol on Mary's forehead begins to glow dark red. The tendrils stop in mid-air, turn in unison, and plunge into Mary's eyes. The light consumes her from the inside, and she burns to ash in front of them. It then sweeps into the open coffer, Dom slams the lid down, and he seals the seam with wax until the glow around the edges finally goes out.

The storm begins to pass and the static on the radio gives way to soft, melancholy popular songs. The Keeper narrates a bleak closing reflection on the night, the blood, the ash and the choices the group made, and the episode closes with the group left standing in the dark. Afterward the Keeper thanks the listeners, announces the Patreon plans and the contest winners, and mentions that a Halloween special is in the works.

Notable Quotes

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