IDOLS

Chapter 4 - Upstairs Hangout

July 3rd, 2023
Greyville, New York
7:15 PM
People remaining: Sebastian, Lia, Mel, Chloe

The remaining friends headed up to the hangout located upstairs, Sebastian carrying the idol they had gotten from Cory's sacrifice.

Chloe: "Things just got a hell of a lot more real."
Mel: "You can say that again."
Sebastian: "I cannot believe we just killed Cory."
Lia: "Dudes I have no idea if I can witness that two more times. That was traumatic as shit."
Chloe: "No because if that was the first of three, imagine what the other two are gonna be."
Sebastian: "Imagine what the others are gonna think when they find out what's going on."
Mel: "Ella and Grace would probably go into cardiac arrest."
Chloe: "Tommy and Cameron would so try to ressurect Cory somehow."

Ella, Grace, Tommy, and Cameron are the four missing members of this friend group. They are at a 4th of July party that won't end until the next morning.

Mel: "Wait, the note said there was something to put the idol in, right?"
Lia: "All it said was that we could keep it up here while we get the others, but I don't think it would hurt to see if there's something to hold it."

They proceed to scan the room, looking for an idol holder of sorts.

Mel: "Found it!"

Mel picked up what looked like a wooden cutting board with three circle-shaped slots, each at a point of a smaller triangle shaped slot in the center of the board.

Sebastian: "Looks perfect."

Sebastian placed the idol into one of the three circular slots, the base of the idol fitting perfectly.

Chloe: "Almost too perfect."
Lia: "Perfect enough for me."

Mel took the board and placed it on the center table.

At that moment, the lights in the house all flickered and lit up the house, which had been gradually getting darker as the sun had set.

Sebastian: "That's convenient."
Chloe: "Maybe the house sensed that we're progressing through and decided to give us a hand or something."
Mel: "Does that mean someone's watching us?!"
Lia: "Don't worry, it's probably just the house."
Mel: "Probably."

A few moments later, a cardboard box in the corner tipped over, alerting everyone.

Mel screamed.

Mel: "Oh my god! The house is effing sentient."
Lia: "So? It's helping us."
Mel: "I guess so."

Lia walked over to where the box had moved and looked inside.

There was a piece of paper.

Lia: "Looks like the house likes communicating through handwritten notes."
Chloe: "What does it say."

Lia recited the note to the others.

Welcome, purifiers.
This house was once a regular home, like any other. It belonged to the Watson family. John, the father, Alexandra, the mother, Margaret, the oldest child and first daughter, George, a son, and Penelope, the youngest child and second daughter.
Margaret made a deal with the grand spirit and her family was disposed of and their souls were collected and put into three idols which were then hidden.
Your job as a group is to collect these three idols to purify the house and free the Watsons' souls. Unfortunately, the grand spirit made it so each idol can only be collected when a soul is traded and put in its place.
John was stabbed to death in the refrigerator which was refashioned into an iron maiden. You have already completed this task.
The second idol is very close. Your next task will lead you to the office downstairs. You will find more information there.
Best of luck, purifiers.

Sebastian: "Okay, so we're purifiers?"
Lia: "Now we have our mission."
Chloe: "Which is?"
Lia: "Complete the tasks, kill our friends, collect the idols, and get out of here."

Mel: "Seems simple enough. Just kill our friends and we can leave. Two of us, that is. That won't be difficult at all."
Chloe, sarcastically: "Yay team purifier!"

Sebastian: "Okay so the note said the next idol is in the office downstairs and there's more information down there. Why are we wasting time up here when we could be down there right now?"
Lia: "I think we're just collecting ourselves at this point."
Chloe: "Okay, let's go."