The Royal YWS Apartments-Everyone join!

Skully

"Oh. Are you here to say you're sorry?" I asked looking at the figure who had jumped on me. A small female. Her jaw hung ajar.
"Well? Oh for goodness sake close your mouth. Surely you've seen a skeleton before?"
She seemed to snap out of her daze and regain a little composure.
"Well not what that talks. Wait we heard screaming!" She stepped back raising her closed fists.
"Oh. That. Yes well that was me and well me." She looked at me confused but her hands didn't waver. "How can I put this briefly. I am in fact dead. Well I say I. I was a writer, a fleshy, living, breathing human writer. One night lightning struck my home while I was sat at the computer. The explosion should have killed me. Instead the character I was writing became bonded with my remains. I live on with that villainous rogue inside my mind. He even bleeds ink!"
Her hands sank a little.
"Well ... that story is too ridiculous to be a lie." She smirked.
"I'm glad my suffering amuses you." I replied dead pan. "Now who might you be? And who is this male companion of yours. He looks like he's been through the wringer!"

Taylor
" I did not mean it like that. But thank you for thinking I am a horrible person. It really brightens my day." I stop berfor i say somthing I am going to be mad at myself for later. " I am sorry. I thought you were one of them. I am Taylor and this is Toby. We both kinda got kidnapped bye some people for no reason. Toby got knock out by who knows what and we just escaped." I say. I try to make it sound like we are ok.

" So you have been through all of that and you are affriad of a skeleton?" he says

" Look I am truely sorry. You kinda took me by suprise when you brought me to the ground and tried to kill me." I say

" Ok I never tried to kill you, but to be fair you kinda jumped on me."

" Yeah sorry about that. I thought you were a kidnapper."

Sunny

I slunk further into the boiler room, stepping carefully around discarded pieces of machinery. Despite the newness of the apartment complex, everything down here was covered in a layer of dust. In the dim purple-orange glow that permeated the vast chamber, I could see tiny dust motes swirling around and around, riding little eddies of hot air through the dead space.

Three of the eight boilers were running, their parts cranking around slowly, sending soft bangs echoing across the room. I was absolutely silent as I walked--I was wearing boots with soft rubber soles, and the layer of dust on the concrete floor masked any sound they made. A small bead of sweat ran down my neck. It was hot in here--not stuffy, not humid, but still hot.

Then a flash of red caught my eye. I turned, and walked over to the side of the room, away from the boilers. A space had been cleared on one of the walls, and on it was a giant coat rack, almost ten feet long. On the coat rack were coats, receptionist and bellhop uniforms, to be specific, and on the uniforms were name tags. I read each one silently, my breathing getting faster and faster.

Ann. Ann. Andrew. Ann. Andrew. Andrew. Ann. Andrew. Andrew. Ann. Ann. Andrew. Ann. Ann. ...Anne... Ann. Ann. Andrew. Ann.

I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping.

Ranger

"Taylor!" I tried to call her back as she ran, but she was already gone. Someone I didn't have time to register jumped the skeleton-thing, and screamed until I pulled them loose. The skeleton was watching, a light glowing from its eyes. Just watching.

That was it for me. I like to think of myself as brave, but I was done there. I turned and ran, ran to who-knew-where, down the stairs, just trying to escape. Finally, I stopped between flights and slammed my back against the wall, panting, my eyes closed. What about Taylor? I realized. What about Toby and Sarah? What if I've left them dead or - oh, jeez. What was that skeleton thing? Skeletons don't walk!

I forgot all that as I heard footsteps. I looked up, poised to grab an arrow - but it was too late. A kidnapper stood just above me, pointing a gun at my head.

"Don't move," she growled. "Don't try to be a hero and just drop the bow." I didn't move. "Come here." As if I was going to do that.

"What do you want?" I asked, raising my bow and making it a stalemate. "Tell me why you're kidnapping people. Then we'll talk about who's going where."

She glared. "I could ask you the same thing. I find it odd, all of you appearing just after everyone else vanishes."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but I didn't let on. "Are you accusing me of murder?" I snarled instead.

"I'm trying to figure out what's going on!" she yelled.

I blinked, anger turning to surprise. "So am I. I'm trying to figure out why it seems like Ann is the only one working here..."

"Oh, I know that, honey. I'm trying to figure out where you come in and what we can do about it."

I hesitated. If she wasn't lying, I'd need this woman's knowledge and help. I lowered my bow. "Allies?" I offered.

She fired. I had just enough time to see a dart in my leg, and feel her catch me, and then I was out cold - and not faking, this time.

Taylor
I was about to say somethign when a gun fired. It took us all off gaurd. Toby looked at me. Toby tried to walk but he was vey unstable. I took his hand and we began to walk down the hallway. We saw the woman kidnapper. We quickly hid behide a wall. I was about to jump off the stairs and onto the girl, but Toby had my hand. " You do not have to pretend to be strong." he said.

" I do right now. Believe me when this is over. I am going to sleep." He smiled and let go of my hand. I waited till she was not looking. I ran and jumped down a flight of stairs and landed on her shoulders. I grabbed the gun and pointed it at her head. " Ok I am done playing your stupid games. What the hell is going on."

There had been a few crashes and screams, but when a gun shot rang through the halls, Sarah stopped examining the shoes and went running out of the room. Following the source of the noise, she came around a corner to see Taylor holding a gun at a woman's head and Ranger unconscious nearby. When she came around the corner, Taylor glanced her way for just a moment, but before the lady could take advantage of the opening, Taylor turned back and thrust the gun forwards, almost catching the woman's face. Sarah could see a slight shaking in her hands, as though she didn't want to be holding a gun and be pointing it at someone's face. Sarah went over to Ranger and tried to wake her up. There was a spot of blood on her leg. "Ranger, wake up..."

Spoiler

Technically, a tranquilizer dart would last longer, but you know what, I'm waking up... well, sort of, anyways.

Ranger

There was a foggy voice. My eyes started to flutter open, but decided that they'd rather stay closed. Everything seemed slow and distant.

I could hear someone talking... Taylor. And the kidnapper. "Allies," I murmured, not even aware that I was speaking. "We have to figure it out..." Figure what out?

Someone was shaking me. I didn't like it, so I shook loose and flopped onto the ground. My head and neck hurt, and my eyes half-opened. After a few seconds, I decided that I must have fallen down the stairs before I woke up. How?

"What did you say?" someone asked. I didn't know who.

"We have to figure out why we're here, and what Ann is doing," I said sleepily.

"Shut up," snarled the woman.

"Okay," I conceded, and closed my eyes again. "But can we be allies? But you shot me, so... I guess it's okay." What was okay? I wasn't even sure what I was saying - I was too sleepy.

Taylor
"Ok I do not know how to use a gun, but I took a few acting classes. I can at lease act like I know what I am doing." I thought to myself. My hand is shaking. I look and she Sarah up the top of the stairs. She nods. " Okay this is how it is going to work. You are going to answer my questions and I am not going to shoot you."

" Whatever." She rolls her eyes.

" Excuse me. I think you should listen to the one with the gun and you might make it out of here alive." I do not know how much longer I can do this. I am about to break out and cry. My knees are getting weak from no sleep and I am terrified. Sarah still had the shoes. She lifted on up and threw it at her. She was brought to the ground. It hit her right in the head and knocked her out cold. I darted up the stairs where Sarah and Toby were. I can't believe I just did that. I begin to cry. Toby and Sarah grab my arms and begin to pull me down the hallway. I can not believe I just did that.

While Taylor was crying, Toby and Sarah began to pull her down the hallway. Sarah wasn't sure where they were going, so she let Toby lead. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea, seeing as he had been unconscious less than half an hour ago, but she didn't know her way around. Taylor reached up to brush tears off her face, still holding the gun. Sarah took the gun from her and tried to smile reassuringly. But how reassuring can you be while holding a gun?

Sunny

I ran back through the boiler room in a straight line, jumping over machine parts in giant leaps. My shoes squeaked on the floor as I kicked up dust. I got to the bottom of the stairs and kept going, taking them two at a time. I had to get out of here.

The door had opened in from the lobby, so it would open toward me in here. I stopped abruptly at the top of the stairs, almost losing my balance, and grabbed the doorknob.

I yanked--but the door stayed shut.

It was locked.

I yanked again, and again, and then I started shaking the knob, sending tremors through my whole body. I kept yanking, and didn't stop until the shaking had given me a headache. Then I hopped up and down a few times, and threw myself at the door, hoping to break it off its hinges. Nothing--I just slipped and slid halfway down the stairs.

I was locked in the boiler room.

Taylor
I was being dragged down the hallway. Sarah took the gun out of my hand. Thank goodness. Toby was very unstable still. He was trying so hard to keep going. I can not stand for him to be in this much pain. I make them stop and I stand up taking Toby's hand. This makes him smile. The room starts spinning, but I can still walk. We get to the stairs. I can not find a good place to put my foot so I do not fall. Toby looks at me. I try to smile but I end up shedding tears. He grips my hand tighter. I get ready to take my first step and it is fine, but on my second, I loose my balance and fall. I fall to the first landing. I hit my head really hard. Toby and Sarah run to me. " Taylor are you ok?" Sarah askes.

" Taylor. Taylor can you hear me. Taylor." Toby screams. Toby was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

Lexi

" Steven! How could you be so stupid? We need to get the all in the same room. I have one locked in the boiler room. I have two blacked out. I need them all blacked out. I need them to all be on the first floor. You are horrible at this. I am so sick of being Ann. My grandma called me and had me come over here to help her. Her evil plan will not be destoried because you are stupid." Steven looks at me with his big blue eyes and smiles. " Don't look at me like that."

" I am sorry Lexi. I was just so caught up in your beauty I forgot where we were. Do not be mad at me please." He says

" Fine. But if you mess this up you are done for." I say. I flip the switches on the computer to send out another kidnapper. " I enjoy this job. Lets turn up the heat in the boiler room shall we." Steven and I laugh together.

Steven

After messing everything up, I can not believe she let me stay here. I made her feel better so I guess we are all good. " Now listen to me. I want you to make all the girls love you. Save them. Do whatever you have to do. Just get everyone together." Lexi said. I go out of the control room and into the lobby. I deside to go find Taylor and Ranger and help them out a little. You know get them to trust me.

Sunny

The boiler room was getting hotter. I had stalked back down the stairs, and I was sweeping the perimeter of the chamber, looking for some sort of exit. I slid my sword over the wall, listening carefully for any echoes. It was too hot in here. I pulled my track jacket off and tossed it on the floor, glancing behind me. Two more boilers had turned on.

Then I noticed something on the next wall over. It was a large vent, an air duct, or something like that. The cover was rusted, and several of the screws were missing. If I could jam my sword under the cover, maybe I could pry it off.

Behind me, a sixth boiler rumbled to life.

Well, you know what, Ann? Two can play at that game. I had been trying to avoid using my power, but I'd make an exception here.

Drawing energy from the boilers, I heated my sword until it was glowing yellow. Then I shoved it under the vent, and after just a few seconds of pressure, it burned right through the rusted screws. I stepped back, cooling my sword off, and the vent fell to the ground with a clatter. Sticking my sword back in my belt, I stepped in front of the vent, and a blast of cool air swept my bangs back from my face.

Nice try, Ann. Score one for Sunny.

I climbed into the vent and started crawling.