text: [Themes: Horror, vampire, abjection, violence, relationships]
  
  > descend
  (opening the door first)
  "I'm going to take a quick look below. Be right back."
  Opened.
  
  I descend the stairs and enter the basement. The air is at least twenty degrees cooler down here than it is up above and it has a bit of a tangy, acrid -- almost 'chewy' quality to it. My breath turns into wispy, stringy clouds the instant it leaves my lips and I begin to feel my very bones come across a deep chill. I usually prefer winter to summer, so normally I wouldn't be put off by the frost down here and a few bad smells, but there's something different about the chill in the air down here. The temperature of the air seems malevolent, almost.
  
  The ceiling of the basement is about five and a half feet high, so I have to lurch over like I'm the hunchback of Notre Dork just to get around. The walls have a very rough texture to them, as if they were blasted away and then sanded down in a very half-assed manner.
  
  The corridor continues into darkness to the north.
  
  A horrible scream pierces the air, originating from the far end of the Food Court.
  
  > go north
  The basement ceiling gets much taller in this room, about up to 15 feet or so, I'd guess. At the very top is a small torch, which is providing a fair bit of the light in the room -- the rest of it is reflected from the coffin in the corner.
  
  The ground is no longer soft earth, either, but rather blocks of cold stone. The walls are made of some kind of brick which reflects a bit of light as well, although nowhere near as well as the coffin.
  
  A support beam has been installed next to the coffin. Beyond it, to the right, is a small and very dark alcove.
  
  "I don't think Casey has a lot of time," says Gibs. "I don't remember as much D&D crap as you do, Duffy, but I'm thinking she has maybe fifteen minutes."
  
  > Go east
  I practically have to crawl to get into this little cave-like section cut away from the basement. The light is gobbled up from something inside, as nothing from the coffin room manages to get in here.
  
  The only thing of note here is a very small trestle up against the wall.
  
  > look at the trestle
  In the corner of the alcove is a single trestle. It's obviously rotting away, and emitting a little bit of an old musty smell. It stands about two feet high and looks as if it might crumble at any time.
  
  The trestle has a garlic clove on it.
  
  > wait
  Time passes...
  
  The sound is so soft, but I hear something brush up against the coffin walls. I... I can't bear to turn my head and look at what it is.
  
  > Go west
  The ceiling in this room is unique within the basement, as it is actually enough up where I don't have to hunch. At the top of the ceiling is a single, lit torch, held at a diagonal against the wall with a bracket. All available light is strongly reflected from the coffin, which sits quietly in the corner of the room. The walls are made out of a flecked brick, and a support beam stands to the right of the coffin.
  
  Exits are south towards the stairs and east into a tight alcove.
  The lid is here.
  
  The mummy exits the coffin.
  
  The mummy slowly begins to moan, seemingly within a weary, endless pain. It quickly shifts this to a scream. Its keen is of a deep tenor, and it begins thrashing about. Small scraps of deteriorating bandages fall from its person and onto the floor.
  
  The mummy strikes the support beam! Chunks of the ceiling fall downwards and it sounds as if the entire Mall has collapsed a little.
  
  The mummy attacks and hits me!
  
  I feel awful after that last touch.
  
  > throw the menorah at the torch
  I knock the torch off of the bracket! The torch plummets to the ground, but on the way down it strikes the mummy! The mummy quickly catches fire and lets out a set of horrible screams. It begins to flail about wildly, but I'm able to stay out of its way. Within moments the fire consumes most of the mummy and I give the charred skeletal and bandage bits that are left a helpful kick.
  
  The mummy is reduced to extinguished, dusty chunks.
  
  > Go south
  This stretch of corridor is little more than a narrow, forgotten passageway. Soft earth makes up the floor, a distinct change from the cement seen to the south.
  
  There's a flash of pain right where the mummy first struck me.
  
  > Go south
  The temperature of the air down here in the basement is quite cold, probably no more than thirty degrees Fahrenheit. The ceiling is just over five feet high, and the walls have a very rough texture to them, as if they were blasted away and then poorly sanded.
  
  > Go south
  I can't go that way. I can go up to a health store or north to a basement corridor.
  
  > Go upward
  The Nutrition Store is dominated by a series of five-foot high shelves that make up four distinct aisles. The walls are a sickly shade of green and contrast with the subdued nature of the shelves and all the jars of pills placed upon them.
  
  In the rear of the store is a modest wood counter and an ancient analog cash register. Even further, behind the counter and register, is a metal door.
  
  There is no front gate to the Nutrition Store, only a ten foot cut in the wall. The opening is not quite centered, however, and a 5'x3' pane of glass has been placed into the southern wall.
  Audrey and Gibs are here.
  
  "Jarret, are you okay? What happened down there?"
  
  "The mummy... it touched me," I say. It's tough to get the words out of my throat as it seems so dry and craggy.
  
  "Do you think -- " Audrey pauses for a sec -- "Did it infect you with something? Oh, goddess. Okay, let's find something to put on it. Something's got to help the pain."
  
  > go southwest
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A fluorescent light, a garbage can, a brown table, a short gray table, a plastic chair, a metal chair, a broken chair, and some chair parts are here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  A broken chair is drawn up from the floor and thrown at me!
  
  A broken chair strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > go to the east
  Mall, First Level, Central Corridor
  This stretch of the Mall hallway is covered with just a bit of rubble. There are clear exits to the west and south. The gate to the Record Store is down to the north.
  The cross is here.
  The spectre is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  My right hand has started to throb, and I take a closer look at it -- it's starting to blacken a little bit. I suspect this is from the mummy.
  
  The spectre heads off to the north.
  
  > get cross
  Taken.
  
  The spectre arrives from the north.
  
  > go west
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  My hand has begun to rot away.
  
  > Go west
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A fluorescent light, a garbage can, a brown table, a short gray table, a plastic chair, a metal chair, a broken chair, some chair parts, Barnaby's Big Gulp drink, a pleather purse, some socks, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the garlic clove, and the torch (broken) are here. The phone is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  Something roughly picks up a short gray table and throws it at me!
  
  A short gray table strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > go west
  I can't get by the Poltergeist!
  
  Something roughly picks up a broken chair and throws it at me!
  
  A broken chair strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > hit Poltergeist with the cross
  The poltergeist is invisible, so I have no way of really tracking it. Likewise, it can't directly affect me with its transparent non-body.
  
  An urn comes flying right at me!
  
  An urn strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  The rotting sickness has spread to my body.
  
  > look at Poltergeist
  Poltergeists are a form of invisible undead that whines for attention by flinging shit at people. Of all the creatures and spirits that make up the hierarchy of walking dead, these mewling little bitches are the ones I despise with the most passion. They're the worst drama queens in the underworld. In reality, 'poltergeists' are just the manifestations of picked-on, spoiled little emo or Goth kids... I can't imagine what this demonically-realized little ghost brat has going on underneath the surface.
  
  The poltergeist hurls the garlic clove at me!
  
  The garlic clove strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > talk to Poltergeist
  [Be a more specific about what you'd like me to throw the cross
  at.]
  
  The poltergeist hurls the aged text at me!
  
  The aged text strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  Poltergeists can not communicate that way.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > get the urn
  Right on.
  
  The poltergeist picks up Gibs's lacrosse stick and throws it towards me!
  
  I dodge the item, though.
  
  "Hey, Duffy... Casey's got maybe 12 minutes left by my count," says Gibs.
  
  > examine it
  (assuming you mean the urn)
  This rather large urn is crafted in the shape of an upside-down mushroom. It's a base silver in color with a floral pattern painted on top.
  
  The poltergeist hurls a metal chair at me!
  
  A metal chair strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > get all
  fluorescent light: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  garbage can: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  brown table: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  short gray table: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  plastic chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  metal chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  broken chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  chair parts: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  Big Gulp drink: Taken.
  pleather purse: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  socks: Taken.
  Magic: The Gathering cards: I'm carrying too much to take that. lacrosse stick: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  phone: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  aged text: Got it.
  blue balloon: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  garlic clove: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  torch: Got it.
  
  I collapse to the floor. The pain all over my body has gone from a throbbing that I can deal with to sharp, sudden piercings of agony... Audrey sees me fall. She comes to my side.
  
  I lash out to keep her away. I see her talking to me, pleading to get up and get better, but my ears don't pick up the sound. I try to move my hands up to clear them, but there's just molding and seeping sacs of pus where my ears once were.
  
  I try to tell her to stay away and to burn me so that I infect no one else, but I can't make the words escape. She cradles me in her arms anyway. I am up against her cool body, she is stroking my forehead with her hands. I shift. My right arm begins to separate and cracks off into my jacket. Everything feels so warm, this fever is terrible...
  
  Libson couldn't even count. Dramatics of that hit and that round couldn't save it! Ha! Who could choose to slinking over abounds and hell? Hell! one lake algae flash seventeen flash future flash nothing release cradling holding still eyes NO not oh hope flash
  flash dice die die flash nothing ... nothing
  
  > go east
  Have you got a photographic memory? If you have you will find the following question to be very easy. If you haven't, please find your novella that came with the game called 'Which Witch?'. Please turn to page 22, then find line 1 (please note that lines start at 1, 'chapter' lines are included, but blank lines are not.) And count to word 10.
  
  Now please enter this word. Or just hit enter. You have three chances to get it right.
  Please enter word :
  
  > hit enter
  Have you got a photographic memory? If you have you will find the following question to be very easy. If you haven't, please find your novella that came with the game called 'Which Witch?'. Please turn to page 2,345, then find line 233 (please note that lines start at 1, 'chapter' lines are included, but blank lines are not.) And count to word 4,096.
  
  Now please enter this word. Or just hit enter. You have three chances to get it right.
  Please enter word :
  
  > Inventory
  I am carrying my glasses (being worn), the gaming glove (being worn), Barnaby's Big Gulp drink, a pleather purse, some socks, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the phone, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the garlic clove, and the torch (broken).
  
  A broken chair comes flying right at me!
  
  I dodge the item, though.
  
  My right hand has started to throb, and I take a closer look at it -- it's starting to blacken a little bit. I suspect this is from the mummy.
  
  > pop the balloon
  Ha-ha! Suck down the madness!
  
  (I break the balloon.)
  
  A brown table wobbles a bit, and is suddenly hurled at me!
  
  I dodge the item, though.
  
  > Inhale balloon
  Why do that?
  
  Some chair parts are drawn up from the floor and thrown at me!
  
  Some chair parts strike me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > give gulp to Poltergeist
  My goodwill is ignored.
  
  My hand has begun to rot away.
  
  > give the cards to Poltergeist
  My goodwill is ignored.
  
  Some chair parts wobble a bit, and are suddenly hurled at me!
  
  I dodge the item, though.
  
  > go to the east
  Mall, First Level, Eastern Edge
  This bit of hallway features an enormous and beautiful fountain. There are exits in all four primary compass directions.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  The spectre arrives from the south.
  
  > Go north
  I'm not quite sure why sunglasses and shades are only sold in 'huts' but this store is very un-hut like. There are three very solid walls here and a roof made not of thatch, but poured, cracking cement. The floor is hardly comprised of peat or mud, but the same tile present everywhere else in the Mall.
  
  A fair bit of ether has snaked itself into the room. It combines with the hand-picked and market-researched atmospheric lights that still function to give off a very deep, defracted and soothing look to the room. Vibrant purples and deep blues dominate the walls and counters of the Sunglasses Hut.
  
  I worked at this place for a week once when I was fighting with my manager at the D&D store. I acquired a little bit of trivia regarding this place (for instance, the center display case will open if it's tapped upon) but nothing useful otherwise.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > Hit case
  I give the case a good whack, and it opens with ease.
  
  Inside the center display case are the mirrored shades.
  
  > get the shades
  I'm carrying too much to take that.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > wear the shades
  I take off my glasses and put the shades on. Things get considerably darker.
  
  "Hey, Duffy... Casey's got maybe 12 minutes left by my count," says Gibs.
  
  > Go west
  Mall, First Level, Central Corridor
  This stretch of the Mall hallway is covered with just a bit of rubble. There are clear exits to the west and south. The gate to the Record Store is down to the north.
  The cross is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  I collapse to the floor. The pain all over my body has gone from a throbbing that I can deal with to sharp, sudden piercings of agony... Audrey sees me fall. She comes to my side.
  
  I lash out to keep her away. I see her talking to me, pleading to get up and get better, but my ears don't pick up the sound. I try to move my hands up to clear them, but there's just molding and seeping sacs of pus where my ears once were.
  
  I try to tell her to stay away and to burn me so that I infect no one else, but I can't make the words escape. She cradles me in her arms anyway. I am up against her cool body, she is stroking my forehead with her hands. I shift. My right arm begins to separate and cracks off into my jacket. Everything feels so warm, this fever is terrible...
  
  Libson couldn't even count. Dramatics of that hit and that round couldn't save it! Ha! Who could choose to slinking over abounds and hell? Hell! one lake algae flash seventeen flash future flash nothing release cradling holding still eyes NO not oh hope flash
  flash dice die die flash nothing ... nothing
  
  > go east
  Have you got a photographic memory? If you have you will find the following question to be very easy. If you haven't, please find your novella that came with the game called 'Which Witch?'. Please turn to page 2,345, then find line 233 (please note that lines start at 1, 'chapter' lines are included, but blank lines are not.) And count to word 4,096.
  
  Now please enter this word. Or just hit enter. You have three chances to get it right.
  Please enter word :
  
  > hit enter
  Have you got a photographic memory? If you have you will find the following question to be very easy. If you haven't, please find your novella that came with the game called 'Which Witch?'. Please turn to page 17, then find line 5 (please note that lines start at 1, 'chapter' lines are included, but blank lines are not.) And count to word 6.
  
  Now please enter this word. Or just hit enter. You have three chances to get it right.
  Please enter word :
  
  > drop all
  glasses: I can't drop my specs! They are a valuable information-gathering tool!
  gaming glove: I will have to take the gaming glove off first.
  Big Gulp drink: Dropped.
  pleather purse: Dropped.
  socks: Dropped.
  Magic: The Gathering cards: Dropped.
  lacrosse stick: Dropped.
  phone: Dropped.
  aged text: Dropped.
  blue balloon: Dropped.
  urn: Dropped.
  garlic clove: Dropped.
  torch: Dropped.
  
  > Go west
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A fluorescent light, a garbage can, a brown table, a short gray table, a plastic chair, a metal chair, a broken chair, and some chair parts are here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  A fluorescent light is drawn up from the floor and thrown at me!
  
  A fluorescent light strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  My right hand has started to throb, and I take a closer look at it -- it's starting to blacken a little bit. I suspect this is from the mummy.
  
  > get all
  fluorescent light: Taken.
  garbage can: Taken.
  brown table: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  short gray table: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  plastic chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  metal chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  broken chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  chair parts: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  
  > Go east
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  Barnaby's Big Gulp drink, a pleather purse, some socks, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the garlic clove, the torch (broken) are here.
  The phone is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  My hand has begun to rot away.
  
  > Go west
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A brown table, a short gray table, a plastic chair, a metal chair, a broken chair, and some chair parts are here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > get all
  brown table: Taken.
  short gray table: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  plastic chair: Taken.
  metal chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  broken chair: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  chair parts: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  
  The rotting sickness has spread to my body.
  
  > Go east
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  Barnaby's Big Gulp drink, a pleather purse, some socks, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the garlic clove, the torch (broken), a fluorescent light are here.
  The phone is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > drop all
  glasses: I can't drop my specs! They are a valuable information-gathering tool!
  gaming glove: I will have to take the gaming glove off first.
  garbage can: Dropped.
  brown table: Dropped.
  plastic chair: Dropped.
  
  > Go west
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A short gray table, a metal chair, a broken chair, and some chair parts are here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > get all
  short gray table: Taken.
  metal chair: Taken.
  broken chair: Taken.
  chair parts: I'm carrying too much to take that.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > go east
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  Barnaby's Big Gulp drink, a pleather purse, some socks, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the garlic clove, the torch (broken), a fluorescent light, a garbage can, a brown table, a plastic chair are here.
  The phone is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  "Hey, Duffy... Casey's got maybe 12 minutes left by my count," says Gibs.
  
  > drop the metal chair
  Dropped.
  
  I collapse to the floor. The pain all over my body has gone from a throbbing that I can deal with to sharp, sudden piercings of agony... Audrey sees me fall. She comes to my side.
  
  I lash out to keep her away. I see her talking to me, pleading to get up and get better, but my ears don't pick up the sound. I try to move my hands up to clear them, but there's just molding and seeping sacs of pus where my ears once were.
  
  I try to tell her to stay away and to burn me so that I infect no one else, but I can't make the words escape. She cradles me in her arms anyway. I am up against her cool body, she is stroking my forehead with her hands. I shift. My right arm begins to separate and cracks off into my jacket. Everything feels so warm, this fever is terrible...
  
  Libson couldn't even count. Dramatics of that hit and that round couldn't save it! Ha! Who could choose to slinking over abounds and hell? Hell! one lake algae flash seventeen flash future flash nothing release cradling holding still eyes NO not oh hope flash
  flash dice die die flash nothing ... nothing
  
  > drop the broken chair
  Enter (R)ESTART, R(E)STORE, (U)NDO, or (Q)UIT:
  
  > Go west
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A fluorescent light, a garbage can, a brown table, a short gray table, a plastic chair, a metal chair, a broken chair, and some chair parts are here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  My right hand has started to throb, and I take a closer look at it -- it's starting to blacken a little bit. I suspect this is from the mummy.
  
  > get the metal chair
  Taken.
  
  A fluorescent light wobbles a bit, and is suddenly hurled at me!
  
  I dodge the item, though.
  
  > get the plastic chair
  Taken.
  
  My hand has begun to rot away.
  
  > go to the east
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  Barnaby's Big Gulp drink, a pleather purse, some socks, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the garlic clove, the torch (broken) are here.
  The phone is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > drop the plastic chair
  Dropped.
  
  The rotting sickness has spread to my body.
  
  > go west
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A fluorescent light, a garbage can, a brown table, a short gray table, a broken chair, and some chair parts are here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  A garbage can is drawn up from the floor and thrown at me!
  
  A garbage can strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > get light
  Taken.
  
  Some chair parts wobble a bit, and are suddenly hurled at me!
  
  Some chair parts strike me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > go east
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  Barnaby's Big Gulp drink, a pleather purse, some socks, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the garlic clove, the torch (broken), a metal chair, a plastic chair are here.
  The phone is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  "Hey, Duffy... Casey's got maybe 12 minutes left by my count," says Gibs.
  
  > call the phone
  [Speaking to Trott on the phone...]
  Just talking to Trott will suffice.
  
  Something roughly picks up a short gray table and throws it at me!
  
  A short gray table strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > talk to Trott
  [Speaking to Trott on the phone...]
  I can't think of anything to say right now.
  
  A short gray table wobbles a bit, and is suddenly hurled at me!
  
  A short gray table strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  > talk to Gibs
  I can't think of anything to say right now.
  
  A fluorescent light is drawn up from the floor and thrown at me!
  
  A fluorescent light strikes me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  My right hand has started to throb, and I take a closer look at it -- it's starting to blacken a little bit. I suspect this is from the mummy.
  
  > go northeast
  The Nutrition Store is dominated by a series of five-foot high shelves that make up four distinct aisles. The walls are a sickly shade of green and contrast with the subdued nature of the shelves and all the jars of pills placed upon them.
  
  In the rear of the store is a modest wood counter and an ancient analog cash register. Even further, behind the counter and register, is a metal door.
  
  There is no front gate to the Nutrition Store, only a ten foot cut in the wall. The opening is not quite centered, however, and a 5'x3' pane of glass has been placed into the southern wall.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  My hand has begun to rot away.
  
  Audrey looks at me with a little bit of inquisitive sympathy, but I don't say or reveal anything.
  
  > get the pills
  I can't take those.
  
  Audrey looks at me with a little bit of inquisitive sympathy, but I don't say or reveal anything.
  
  > go southwest
  The Food Court is a vast, open area, and I can only make out about half of it from here. (The entire west end is shrouded in darkness.)
  
  To the northeast is a Nutrition Store. The Court has another section to the west, and there is an exit east from where we originally came. A fluorescent light, a garbage can, a brown table, a short gray table, a plastic chair, a metal chair, a broken chair, and some chair parts are here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > Go east
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  The rotting sickness has spread to my body.
  
  > go east
  Mall, First Level, Central Corridor
  This stretch of the Mall hallway is covered with just a bit of rubble. There are clear exits to the west and south. The gate to the Record Store is down to the north.
  The cross is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > go south
  Mall, First Level, Eastern Edge
  This bit of hallway features an enormous and beautiful fountain. There are exits in all four primary compass directions.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > go to the east
  Mall, First Level, East Edge
  This is the first level, or ground floor, of the Funtime Teen Mall. The lone Mall Exit leads in a westerly direction, past a few more stretches of darkness-enveloped corridor, and the Food Court. There's also a few more stores to the west, with the Mall passageways expanding to all four directions at that point.
  
  Exits lead west to the rest of the Mall, and inside to the elevator.
  
  In the center of the corridor is a sculpted marble statue.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  "Hey, Duffy... Casey's got maybe 12 minutes left by my count," says Gibs.
  
  > go north
  I can't go that way. I can go west to further down the mall or in to the elevator.
  
  > hit the light with the stick
  I cruelly break a fluorescent light!
  
  > Go west
  I can't get by the Poltergeist!
  
  Something roughly picks up a garbage can and throws it at me!
  
  I dodge the item, though.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > drop all
  glasses: I can't drop my specs! They are a valuable information-gathering tool!
  gaming glove: I will have to take the gaming glove off first.
  Big Gulp drink: Dropped.
  pleather purse: Dropped.
  socks: Dropped.
  Magic: The Gathering cards: Dropped.
  lacrosse stick: Dropped.
  phone: Dropped.
  aged text: Dropped.
  blue balloon: Dropped.
  urn: Dropped.
  garlic clove: Dropped.
  torch: Dropped.
  
  The Magic: The Gathering cards are drawn up from the floor and thrown at me!
  
  The Magic: The Gathering cards strike me, and I take a little bit of damage.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > get light
  Taken.
  
  Some chair parts are drawn up from the floor and thrown at me!
  
  I dodge the item, though.
  
  > go west
  I can't get by the Poltergeist!
  
  My right hand has started to throb, and I take a closer look at it -- it's starting to blacken a little bit. I suspect this is from the mummy.
  
  > go east
  Mall, First Level, West Edge
  The area is free from the wreckage. Gibs, though is just standing up, completely motionless, facing the inky blackness that shrouds the Food Court from here. Casey is nowhere to be found.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > examine the light
  This light fixture is from a chunk of the Mall's ceiling. It's at least a couple feet long, and mostly cylindrical in shape. It's non-functioning, of course, and quite heavy.
  
  My hand has begun to rot away.
  
  > go east
  Mall, First Level, Central Corridor
  This stretch of the Mall hallway is covered with just a bit of rubble. There are clear exits to the west and south. The gate to the Record Store is down to the north.
  The cross is here.
  The spectre is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > Go east
  Mall, First Level, Eastern Edge
  This bit of hallway features an enormous and beautiful fountain. There are exits in all four primary compass directions.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  My right hand has started to throb, and I take a closer look at it -- it's starting to blacken a little bit. I suspect this is from the mummy.
  
  > go to the east
  Mall, First Level, East Edge
  This is the first level, or ground floor, of the Funtime Teen Mall. The lone Mall Exit leads in a westerly direction, past a few more stretches of darkness-enveloped corridor, and the Food Court. There's also a few more stores to the west, with the Mall passageways expanding to all four directions at that point.
  
  Exits lead west to the rest of the Mall, and inside to the elevator.
  
  In the center of the corridor is a sculpted marble statue.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > Enter
  Audrey says, "We'll wait down here for you."
  
  The elevator smells terrible, strongly of untreated or unembalmed cadavers. There are three buttons here in the elevator labelled 'up,' 'down' and 'open doors.'
  
  I'm currently on the first level of the Mall. Aside from the operational panel, there is little else here in the lift.
  
  My hand has begun to rot away.
  
  > go outside
  The floor of the Mall comes up against a rail, forming a barrier which prevents further (sane) western travel. The bottom (ground floor) level can be viewed with ease, though, as the guardrail mainly prevents kids -- future productive Mall denizens! -- from ragdolling their way off the edge.
  
  There is a badly-cracked kiosk in the center of the hallway. At the far end of the rail is an elevator.
  There is a crystal ball holder here.
  
  The rotting sickness has spread to my body.
  
  > go south
  There's not a path in that direction.
  
  There are exits north to the Jewelry Store, in towards the Elevator and east towards the east side of the Mall.
  
  > go south
  I'm at the eastern side of the Mall. To the north is Choad's Sporting Goods. My store is a bit to the east, and the Bead Store a bit to the west.
  
  There is a table here, set adjacent to the Sporting Goods store.
  
  There's a dull, raw ache on the left side of my jaw. I try to rub it away, but it doesn't help.
  
  > go east
  This is far east as the Mall goes. The Mall technically dips a bit as one goes west, as it was originally constructed upon a landfill. There's a three-sided advertising kiosk in the middle of the corridor.
  
  To the west is the Beads Store, Sporting Good Outlet and the (closed) Arcade.
  
  My store, the Gaming and Role-Playing Emporium, is to the south.
  
  "Hey, Duffy... Casey's got maybe 12 minutes left by my count," says Gibs.
  
  > go west
  There's only one more stretch of corridor on this level before one gets to the elevator, which leads down to the ground floor. To the south of this area is the Bead Store, exits otherwise lead west and east.
  
  I collapse to the floor. The pain all over my body has gone from a throbbing that I can deal with to sharp, sudden piercings of agony... Audrey sees me fall. She comes to my side.
  
  I lash out to keep her away. I see her talking to me, pleading to get up and get better, but my ears don't pick up the sound. I try to move my hands up to clear them, but there's just molding and seeping sacs of pus where my ears once were.
  
  I try to tell her to stay away and to burn me so that I infect no one else, but I can't make the words escape. She cradles me in her arms anyway. I am up against her cool body, she is stroking my forehead with her hands. I shift. My right arm begins to separate and cracks off into my jacket. Everything feels so warm, this fever is terrible...
  
  Libson couldn't even count. Dramatics of that hit and that round couldn't save it! Ha! Who could choose to slinking over abounds and hell? Hell! one lake algae flash seventeen flash future flash nothing release cradling holding still eyes NO not oh hope flash
  flash dice die die flash nothing ... nothing
  
  > go east
  Mall, First Level, Central Corridor
  This stretch of the Mall hallway is covered with just a bit of rubble. There are clear exits to the west and south. The gate to the Record Store is down to the north.
  The cross is here.
  
  Audrey and Gibs follow me.
  
  > get the xbox
  I'm carrying too much to take that.
  
  It's really cold in here.
  
  > drop Glove
  I will have to take the gaming glove off first.
  
  > Inventory
  I am carrying my glasses, the Magic: The Gathering cards, Gibs's lacrosse stick, the phone, the aged text, the blue balloon, an urn, the mirrored shades, the crystal ball holder (broken), the menorah, and the gaming glove (being worn). Inside the menorah are the crimson candle, the cyan candle, the jade candle, the umber candle, the indigo candle, the canary candle, the black candle, the slate candle, and the white candle.