Little Town
Designed & Written by Gustavo Coelho
You can purchase this game here.
Read the previous episode here.
Start at the beginning of this series here.
April 20
Scene 1 – Time Limit 11
Location: Bright Hills PD, early morning, rainy
Dr. Jasmine Bradley sits in the waiting room of the Bright Hills Police Department. The man whose life she saved last night is in an interrogation room being questioned for the murder of a local teenager. Despite not knowing him for that long, she doesn’t believe he did it. Something beyond the norm is obviously happening in this small Tennessee town. It’s early morning, the sun peeking over the hills, giving the sky a purple-pink shade. The smell of coffee brewing in a pot nearby floats through the station. Deputy Brooks clacks away on a typewriter, writing up a report. Local handyman Red, Brooks’s cousin, emerges from the restroom with his toolbox.
“Looks like she’s running again,” he tells the deputy. Brooks gestures for Red to come closer, and Jasmine can hear them chatting in hushed whispers. She tries to listen in closer.
(Snooping Around w/ – Result: Weak hit)
Jasmine can only catch parts of what they are saying. She gets the sense the police believe there is a connection between Richard’s daughter, Liza, ending up in a coma and the death of a boy named Alex. The astronomer can’t determine the connection as she misses many words. Red and Brooks suddenly clam up, and Jasmine realizes they are looking in her direction. She notices her body leaning forward, instinctively trying to catch their words better. They give her a dirty look and retreat to the station’s offices.
In the interrogation room, Richard sits across from Sheriff Moore at a stainless steel table. Moore has a folder open in front of him. He’s pushed photos of poor Alex Reynolds as he was found in his bedroom. His face is lifeless. A puddle of vomit stains the floor. A plastic baggie holds a prescription pill bottle.
“My prescription pad was stolen,” Richard explains. “I don’t know exactly when. I noticed after someone had broken into my office and taken files. Maybe someone else took the pad earlier. But I know I never prescribed or illegally gave Alex any oxycontin.”
The sheriff leans back in his chair, looking Richard over. He’s known this man since they were children. He wants to believe him. “So someone broke into your office two days ago, and you didn’t call me? Even after I told you that with Taylor on the loose you would need to have someone posted outside your house? You see the difficult position I’m in, Richard?”
Richard looks down at the table, at his hands. He imagines shackles on them and shudders. “I know I should have called. That was stupid of me.”
“And what were you doing out in Twin Rivers last night? Who gave you that nasty beating? You’re keeping something big from me, Rich, something dangerous. You need to tell me what the hell is going on already.”
Richard sighs. He reveals one of his secrets (taking an Instability, bringing him to 3). “I have been sleeping with Lucy Hayward. I know I shouldn’t; she’s a patient…or was a patient. I was just trying to protect her…” Richard stops himself. “I was trying to protect myself; who am I kidding. Fuck, I’m such a coward. With Liza in the hospital…things with Teresa haven’t been good for a long time. My life is fucking mess, Dave. But I swear to you, I would never hurt that kid.”
Moore pulls out a paper from the folder and glances at it. “We have an eyewitness who says you followed Alex on the evening of April 14. You ended up on an unmarked road in Twin Rivers. Why were you following him?”
Richard thinks about who this witness could be and remembers Lily Davis in the passenger seat of Alex’s car. He also remembers seeing her at Alex’s grave the day after the funeral and then in Liza’s hospital room, how both times Lily made cryptic, threatening comments at him, how she seemed like a totally different person.
“I was meeting with Lucy at a motel outside of town…I saw Alex’s car while driving home; I was curious what he was doing out there. And yes, I do wonder if he had something to do with Liza’s accident. I’m fucking furious that he didn’t wait around at the diner until she got off her shift to drive her home. But again, I would never hurt him. I just want to know what happened. You have to believe me, Dave. Lucy’s files were stolen out of my office, and I’m worried whoever is doing these horrible things might be going after her now.”
Moore eyes his old friend more intensely than Richard remembers seeing from him. “I believe you, Rich. I don’t think you could kill someone. But you need to promise you will call me if something is out of the ordinary. I’m also stationing Brooks in front of your house ASAP. Understand?”
Richard nods. “You’re free to go, Rich. But be ready to come in for questioning the minute I get in contact.”
Richard gets up from the table and returns to the lobby where Jasmine has waited.
Scene 2 – Time Limit 11
Location: Richard’s home office, morning, rainy
Back in the car, Richard directs Jasmine to his house. He tells her only that he and the sheriff go back a long way and that he believes Richard didn’t kill anyone. He also states that he wants to return to that old truck in the woods and see if the stained shirt is still there, which feels tied to Liza’s injury. Jasmine states she’s planning on staying in town for a while and will go with him; she wants to show Richard the clearing where Taylor took her before he ran off. Maybe she can find a sign of the strange grandfather clock-like box.
As they arrive at Richard’s house, they see Lori Norman standing beside her car with an umbrella as the rain pours down. Richard is surprised as she seemed somewhat disinterested during their encounter at the Magnolia Festival yesterday.
“I have something I need to share with you, Richard,” she says plainly.
Richard nods. “Okay, let’s go to my office.”
The trio ascend the stairs around the back of Richard’s house. He makes tea, and they all sit where he usually works with his clients.
Lori takes a sip of her tea and sits quietly for a moment. The patter of rain on the roof is the only sound in this room.
(Oracle: Strange Location)
“Last night, I had a dream,” Lori begins. “In the dream, I was walking through the woods. It was a bright day. The sun was blaring down on me. A smaller river branched off of the one I was following, so I followed this branch. Eventually, I came to the mouth of a cave, where this smaller river flowed. The water disappeared into the darkness, but I could hear the echo of it rushing inside, going somewhere deep.
“I heard a woman’s voice coming from inside the cavern. It was sweet and alluring. But I knew somehow that she was not to be trusted. Do you know the stories about the River Witch?” Lori looks at Richard and then Jasmine.
“I heard some things when I was kid,” Richard admits. “Just local folktales.”
Jasmine admits she’s never heard of this at all.
“In 1817, a family lived in an old cabin where Twin Rivers State Park is now. Earnest Moss and his family, a wife and four children, lived off the land. They had a small farm. When Moss was walking the property one day, he saw…something come out of the woods. His son related the story as an old man to a historian; Moss claimed it was a giant crow with the head of a black wolf. It stared at him momentarily before howling, flapping its wings, and flying away. That night, the first encounter with the River Witch occurred while the Moss family was around the dinner table…but that’s not important now.
“I knew the voice coming out of this cave was the River Witch. I cannot say how, but I felt it was her. The shape of her became evident in the darkness; she was stepping forward only slightly. At most, I could make out her wide, wild eyes and a smile, showing teeth, too many teeth. Then, her hand, pale and nails tipped with talon-like nails, she pointed up. I turned around, and it was no longer midday. It was night. The moon was high in the sky, crescent, but reversed…like the drawing you showed me yesterday, Richard. A bolt of lightning descended from the moon, striking some point deeper into the woods; I could see flames glow.
“When I turned around, the witch was upon me, ready to tear out my throat. I woke up then. I tell you this because, after my dream, I realized I had been to that cave once as a little girl. My family was hiking, planning to picnic, when we found a beautiful vista. I needed to relieve myself, and my mother pointed to a spot a few yards away where I would have privacy. I could smell something, like mint, and my curiosity brought me deeper into the woods. That was when I saw that cave for the first time, and I could smell the mint even stronger. I also felt a terror that sent me back to my mother in tears, unable to explain myself.
“Do you have a map?” she asks Richard, who has been sitting in total silence with Jasmine. The psychiatrist nods, gets up from his chair, and produces a local map on the table in their center. Lori produces a pen from her purse, looks over the map, and circles an area. “Here. This is where you will find the cave. I do not know what you will find there, but the moon that I saw and the sigil you showed me mean these things are connected. This is what I came to share with you. This was my dream.”
Lori finishes her tea and leaves. Richard and Jasmine exchange a look and then glance down at the map. It’s clear where they need to go next.
Scene 3 – Time Limit 11
Location: Twin Rivers State Park, afternoon, rainy
Event: A loved one has been kidnapped. Mark two Instabilities
The car is parked, and Richard & Jasmine follow the map, working towards the point Lori marked on the map. They eventually come to a ridge and look down across a small valley. Jasmine points to a large creek branching off of the North River. Checking the map, this is the one Lori followed. Tracking it leads the pair to a cave that is probably missed most of the time. Along a large rocky outcropping, there’s an opening, just high enough for a person to enter hunched over but unable to stand up completely. The water flows in and vanishes into the dark. Flashlights don’t reveal anything of interest.
A few meters inside the cave, Richard and Jasmine find Lucy Hayward bound and gagged. She also looks like she’s taken a few blows to the face. Richard is shaken up, nearly frozen (his two instabilities bring him to five). Jasmine goes to untie Lucy. Taylor emerges from the shadows, lunging at Richard.
(Brawl – Result: Failure. 1 Wound) Richard breaks his legs when Taylor slams him on the cave floor. “Nice to see you again, doc,” he spits. “Been waiting to make you pay for betraying me.” He starts pummeling Richard with blows to the face and chest.
(Brawl – Result: Strong Hit) Jasmine jumps Taylor from behind, pulling him off of Richard. They wrestle; she grabs a loose stone and strikes the man across the head. Taylor falls back, sliding down the river’s edge as it plunges deeper into the cavern system.
Jasmine shakes Richard, and he’s barely conscious. Lucy comes over, having been freed from her bonds. They try to lift Richard to get him out of the cave. (Run Away – Result: Failure)
Something shakes the ground. For a minute, Jasmine swears she could see a grinning woman in the cave’s shadows. Taylor claws his way up from the river bank and grabs Jasmine by the back of her hair, yanking her away from Richard. “You fucked with the wrong man, bitch.” spittle peppers his stubbled chin. He makes strange animal-like noises and attempts to slam her face into the rocks.
(Brawl – Result: Strong Hit) Jasmine fights back, pulling herself free and striking Taylor in the gut. He crumples and falls back into the river, popping up several times. The rain has caused the river to almost overflow; it rushes aggressively down into the bowels of the Earth. Taylor howls a few more times and then vanishes as he’s carried away. Jasmine and Lucy slowly work their way out of the cavern, back to the parking lot, and load Richard into the backseat of the car.
Scene 4 – Time Limit 11
Location: The Tip Top Diner, night, rainy
The diner is dimly lit, with the soft hum of a jukebox playing in the background. Donna Johnson, a waitress with a flair for the eccentric, approaches the counter where her boyfriend, Sam Davis, sits.
“You know, David, I’ve been thinking,” she says as she refills his coffee.
David arches an eyebrow, taking another bite from his stack of hotcakes. “About what?”
Donna smirks, admiring her beau. “About how pancakes are just breakfast cookies. Sweet, fluffy cookies that are socially acceptable to eat in the morning.”
“Oh, really? Breakfast cookies, huh? Never thought of it that way,” Sam chuckles.
“Absolutely. And you, my dear, are the syrup that completes my breakfast.” Donna gives him eyes that tell Sam he will probably be exhausted once she gets off work.
He laughs. “Well, I always did aspire to be a condiment. What about the coffee, then? The elixir of life?”
Donna thinks momentarily, then says, “Ah, coffee, my love. The warm hug in a mug. You’re the creamer to my cup, making every sip a little more delightful.”
“So, we’re a breakfast combo, huh? What about the bacon?”
“You, my dear, are the sizzle to my bacon. The crispy, irresistible charm in my life.” Donna slides her hand over the top of Jason’s. He blushes, the red in his cheeks so obvious, one of the things she finds so cute about him.
“I never thought I’d be compared to breakfast food, but I like it.”
Donna gives him a wink as she takes up his clean plate. “Exactly. Our special blend, served with a side of love.”
They share a playful glance, and Miranda saunters away to attend to other customers, leaving Jason with a bemused smile.
The bells above the Tip Top Diner’s door jingle. Dr. Jasmine Bradley enters, a little bloody and dirty from her scuffle in the cave. “I need you to call an ambulance right now. Please.” Donna rushes to the phone and makes the call while Sam goes to help Jasmine in the car.
About an hour later, paramedics have treated Lucy, Richard, and Jasmine. Jasmine sits at the counter, sipping on some coffee Donna has poured for her on the house. Sam asks questions about what happened, and Jasmine tries to be as crazy as she can without drawing suspicion.
Sam remarks, “Feels like things have gotten so weird around here lately. Nothing makes sense. Even my kid sister, Lily, it’s like she became different overnight. I mean, she’s more confident, which is good, but she sort of scares me now. Like she’s sizing everyone up when she talks to them.”
Scene 5 – Time Limit 11
Location: The Talbot residence, night, rainy
Pills are poured from bottles and sorted into a series of paper cups. Eric Talbot checks a printed list and compares it to the two dozen prescriptions sitting on the kitchen counter. He places them on a lovely silver tray and walks from the kitchen through the living room toward his father’s bedroom.
The walls of the Talbot house are adorned with family photos from the present day back to the 19th century when the Talbots first came to Bright Hills. There are also framed vintage posters for Talbot Oil that tell the story of their company’s rise from obscurity to having a controlling stake in the county.
Eric pushes the bedroom door open with his back and enters. The once vibrant wallpaper peels at the edges. Machines hum rhythmically, their monotonous beeps punctuating the heavy silence. Tubes and wires snake across the floor like ivy, connecting the frail form of the elderly man to the contraptions that keep him alive.
The air carries the unmistakable scent of antiseptic, a clinical aroma that mingles with the faint odor of aging upholstery and the metallic tang of medical equipment. A single window, covered by heavy drapes, blocks away the outside world. Rain spatters against the window with a steady beat.
Time appears to move in slow motion in this room, each passing moment echoing with the weight of impending farewells.
Dale Talbot lies in the bed, cheeks sunken and hollow. His hair has fallen out, leaving only wisps behind. A tube that extends into his nose keeps him breathing. Eric sets the silver tray on the night table beside his father’s bed. On his way into the bedroom, he’d stopped to grab a bottle of whiskey and a glass. If his father must live out the rest of his days like this, he wants to ensure the old man floats away on a cloud of bliss.
Dale’s hand shoots out and grabs his son tightly on the wrist. Eric is shocked, looking down at the hand and following his father’s arm up to the old man’s face, seeing how awake he has suddenly become. He’s saying something, but Eric can’t quite make it out. He leans forward to hear better. In a hushed, strained, rasping voice, Dale speaks.
“Bring. Richard. Robertson. Here.”
“The psychiatrist?” thinks Eric. He can’t imagine why his father would want to speak to Robertson. The man’s daughter was struck by one of their company’s cars. An accident, but Eric has been worried they might try to claim the driver was intoxicated, which he wasn’t. Maybe sue Talbot Oil?
The camera pans up to show the wall full of photos from Dale’s career as a businessman in Bright Hills. It stops on an older image, young Dale Talbot, age 11, with his scout troop, posed in front of the Cave of the River Witch.
Lightning flashes. It lights up the curtain that was keeping the window blocked out. For a brief moment, we see the old woman, the same one who accosted Lily and offered Taylor shelter in a cabin in the woods. She stands outside and smiles.
End season one.
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