The City that Dares not Sleep

Once again you find yourself awake in the middle of the night, basking in all its somberness. It is cold and silent. Your eyes are still closed. You can feel the alien presence in your room, hiding in the dark. The City is calling to you, but you are too afraid to answer its plead. [[Open Your Eyes]] [[Do Not]]

It cannot hurt you if it can't be seen. Nothing can. You know that for a fact. No harm will ever come to you as long as you keep your eyelids shut. Turn around; face the wall. The sleep would soon return to you, and all will be alright. [[Try to Sleep]] [[Open Your Eyes]]

You see nothing in the darkness. Only at first, of course. The two of you need to get used to each other; learn to trust each other. Only then things can be revealed. The creature is standing by the window. The drapes are drawn shut, letting little to no moonlight in. It is thin and swaying in place, like many overlapping branches of trees. What do you say to It? [["What do you want from me? Why can't you let me be?"]] [[Say Nothing]]

But it would not let go. The darkness suffocates you, and every attempt to turn your mind limp hurts physically. It cannot be explained. It really, //really// wants you to see. [[Open Your Eyes]] [[Resist it. You had done so before.]]

Just when you thought you saw the darkness at the end of the tunnel, your body hurts inexplicably, and you are briefly paralyzed. It takes a second or two to recognize why. You somehow fell from your bed. Your eyelids involuntarily part from the impact, staring directly onto the shape by the window. [[Now you have no choice, but to //look//|Open Your Eyes]]

It does not answer. It does not speak. Instead, your computer screen lights up by itself, and the machine underneath it begins to roar. It unwillingly betrays you, having no choice but to obey the silent messenger of the City. The machines are its as much as the two-legged dwellers and the birds and the strays are, after all. [[Look into the Light]] (Track: 'Computer', 'play')

No words are needed. Your computer screen lights up by itself, and the machine underneath it begins to roar. It unwillingly betrays you, having no choice but to obey the silent messenger of the City. The machines are its as much as the two-legged dwellers and the birds and the strays are, after all. [[Look into the Light]] (Track: 'Computer', 'play')

Once your eyes adjust to the overwhelming, unbearable glow of the machine, you see an image. A picture. A picture of you staring at the screen, taken from the back. You turn around but see nothing. The curtains on the picture are nowhere to be seen, however. Once you realize it and glance towards the window once more, the slender creature is gone, allowing you to step up and let the light pour in. [[Open the Curtains. It's what the City wants.]] [[You are safer in the dark. Look around the room first.]]

As expected, the view that opens up before you is a painting come alive. The grey towers of man litter the view. Neon and traffic lights, occasional cars passing by, human figures in the windows and on the balconies; smoking, conversing, observing, dancing to music... The sounds all wash over you as well, causing a whiplash after such somber silence. The murmur of water in the rusty pipes in the corner, muffled noise from the apartments beyond yours, the sound of rain hitting the windows and of wind howling. The world is different at night. Like a story writing itself, this city always molds and shifts before your very eyes and ears. Then, of course, you see the wardens of the night, stalking those who dare not sleep—giant stick-bug-like creatures, slender and agile, always keeping a watchful eye upon the children of the moon from walls of buildings. They are all over the place; you even see one right above your window when you look out. They cast no shadows, and they never speak. The City has to resort to cryptic means to communicate with its flock, such as now. The big one, the twenty-stories-tall appartment complex at the corner of your view—that is where it wants you to go. That is where you see the messenger from before pointing—now about ten times as large, suspended in the clouds, waiting for you to acknowledge it. When you nod, it dissapates into the dark nightly sky. You now have you mission. [[Get on with it. The night is slipping away.]] (Track: 'Rain', 'play') (Track: 'Computer', 'stop')

There is nothing that was not there before you'd let the sleep take you away. The cupboard holds no surprises this time around, and your computer refuses to take orders from you, displaying the same image for a few minutes and then shutting down completely. It probably wouldn't turn back on while the City is still in charge, while it is still dark outside. Perhaps you should stop pretend-defying it as well. [[Open the curtains already|Open the Curtains. It's what the City wants.]] [[No. This is your home. Maybe you can try going back to sleep after all?]]

You cannot. Even the thought of it sounds foolish and even repulsive in your head, and the mere sight of the messed-up bedsheets disgusts you greatly. You can almost hear a faint whisper as you pathetically attempt to climb back onto the bed. (text-colour:purple)[//Open. Look.//] You may yet get to defy the City's will, but not right now. It has its claws all over you still. [[Do it. Look into the window.|Open the Curtains. It's what the City wants.]]

Your apartment is humble. That's what you say to your dates and other visitors. Only a single room is all that you need, with some of the space reserved for a tiny bathroom. Some would even call this a 'studio apartment', but you know better. You put on your least-wrinkly clothes, take the door keys, and put them in your pocket. The mighty entrance door stares back at you, but it is too cold to go out like that. The rain is still ravaging outside, albeit subdued. [[Grab the leather coat from the hanger and leave.]] [[Go to the bathroom first. You might be out for a while.]] (Track: 'Rain', 'stop')

You know better than to keep your eyes open as you traverse the shabby corridors of the wretched hole you call a home. 'If you cannot see it, it cannot hurt you.' The chances of glancing something pretty down here are low enough not to bother trying at all. Soon enough, you arrive at the entrance, standing by the seemingly-empty booth where the house's manager is supposed to be seated. At the end of the long, barely-lit hallway a rat is nibbling on sometihng. The bulky steel gateway into the rest of the world is yearing for your touch. [[Leave the building for good]] [[Investigate the Manager's booth]] [[Go towards the Rat]] (Track: 'Walking', 'play')

There is something comforting about a confined space. Fewer variables this way. Guarantied solitude. You've been denied a moment to youself ever since the City'd woken you up. You feel you deserve a little tranquility before embarking on the big adventure. The toilet seat in the corner is inviting, but you could do without it right now. The rusting bathtub to the other side is thankfully disguised by the flowery curtain. This flat has outlived many of its previous inhabitants, no doubt, and nowhere else is its age as apparant as in here. Perhaps some other day you should do something about it, to make it more homely. Leave something nice for the next generation. You let the silence wash over you. Here, it is as if you have entered a vacuum outside of time and space. The sounds of the world that had just been overwhelming you are gone entierly. All that remains is a low, distant, almost-pleasant hum of unknown origin. Not even a drop of water dares to escape the faucet—shared between the sink and the tub—without your command. In the mirror hanging above the sink, you see yourself. [[Turn the water on and stare longingly into the mirror]] [[Your rebelious nature has been satisfied. It's time to leave.|Grab the leather coat from the hanger and leave.]]

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Just as you thought, the booth is empty. (if:visits >= 2)[It's not going to be any different no matter how many times you look away.] Evidence of severe liquor consumption can be seen through the glass. The lazy hag must have gotten drunk and left this stone sepulcher to rot by itself; getting infested with rats and trash mounting up to the roof! Although, you suppose it //is// hard work keeping this place in check, and maybe—just maybe—the poor old lady deserves a break. [[You are wasting time. Leave the building.|Leave the building for good]] [[Investigate the Rat in the corner|Go towards the Rat]] (Track: 'Walking', 'stop')

Just as you suspected from afar, the creature is feasting upon some stub of former food it picked up from a pile of garbage mounting next to the trash bin nearby. It is sad to see this place in even more disarray than usual, but what can you do about it? [[Leave it be and approach the Manager's booth instead|Investigate the Manager's booth]] [[Leave it be and leave the building for good|Leave the building for good]](if:(history: where its name contains "Perhaps they're there for a reason. Pocket the scissors.")'s length >= 1)[= [[Kill the Rat with your scissors]] (Track: 'Walking', 'stop')

It feels good, doesn't it? The sound of water running. The final piece to the puzzle that is achiving tranquility, be it the rain or the water in your own tap. It's hot, too; pleasantly hot on your skin as you submerge your delecate hands underneath the torrent. Steam is coming off of it, slowly taking over the image of you inside the mirror, covering it with grey fog. Before long, you already forget what is hiding behind; what you even look like below the layer of blur. Maybe it is better this way. You close your eyes and enjoy the moment, savoring those few minutes you have given youself. When you open them, you find yourself staring directly onto a pair of scissors lying lonely on the sink. You don't remember letting them out of the plastic cup that houses all your other bathroom appliances. [[Perhaps they're there for a reason. Pocket the scissors.]] [[Leave them be. You can cut yourself with these things.]] (Track: 'TapWater', 'play')

It is as pretty as you remember. Protected from the falling rain by the mighty stone canopy above your head, you gaze at the familiar sights of your own backyard. Before you lies the playground where children would gather during the day. Now, though, it is occupied by sleepless adults. Right ahead across the yard is the local kindergarten, currently surrounded by the creatures of the night. To your right—the descent into the depths of this so-called 'residential area', leading down to an eventual dead-end the kind of which this place is so fond of. There is nothing there but more sad buildings similar to yours. Under another canopy, a woman dressed in office clothes is smoking, glancing your way ever so briefly. A nearby graffity on the wall reads, 'YOU WILL LOVE EACH OTHER'. To the left of you is the //escape//, the road leading out; into the rest of the City. That is where you should be going. The rain is still pouring, but that has never been a problem for you. [[Put the hood on and walk into the rain towards your goal]] (Track: 'CityRain', 'loop', true) (Track: 'CityRain', 'playwhenpossible') (Track: 'Walking', 'stop') (Track: 'Rat', 'stop')

“I don’t think that people accept the fact that life doesn’t make sense. I think it makes people terribly uncomfortable.” ― David Lynch [[BEGIN|Start]]

A tool //and// a weapon now neighbor your door keys. Maybe it'll make you more at ease in the future. You turn the water off and prepare to exit. Better do so before the other you in the mirror sheds the fog that conceals it. You have a feeling it is one hedious creature waiting on the other side of the glass. [[Grab the leather coat from the hanger and leave.]] (Track: 'TapWater', 'stop')

Maybe it is for the best they stay put. You turn the water off and let out a sigh, before saying goodbye to yourself in the mirror. [[Grab the leather coat from the hanger and leave.]] (Track: 'TapWater', 'stop')

What a vile, disgusting freak of nature. As if this helhole was not hedious enough already! If nobody else is willing to take care of the problem, you'll have to take it into you own hands. You grab the scissors firmly in your right hand and begin approaching the beast slowly. The dumb animal does not see you coming, too busy indulging in gluttony. You are surprised by just how easy it is for you to strike through the tiny putrid body and suck the life out of it with one quick motion. Judging by how often you have to sharpen this thing, you'd never have guessed these scissors are such an effective weapon. Although, perhaps they'd falter against a proper adversary. Well, you did it. You saved you home. Any other rat thinking it can turn your little corner of the world into a dump would think twice after seeing this tiny bloodied corpse out in the open. You clear the blade of its dark, viscous blood with a rag that just happens to be nearby and put them back into your pocket. Somehow, none of the creature's insides got onto your clothes. As of tonight, you are a cold-blooded killer. Don't ever forget that, and make sure to remind whomever or whatever would dare to stand in your path. You don't feel very proud of yourself, though. Maybe it'll pass. [[You've done enough. Leave before you are seen.|Leave the building for good]] (Track: 'Rat', 'play')

And soon enough, as if by a wave of an invisible hand, the rain is over in an instant. It's just how it is sometimes. The blurry curtain it provided drops, and now you can better see and hear your surroundings, be it a blessing or a curse. You walk across the wet asphalt and dirt roads, gazing around at the wonders of the night. And wonders there are plenty, as always: lights and shouts and smoke and laughter. Screams, too, but you choose to let those fly past you. Let the angry people sort it out themselves, you think. You have a mission to do. Beyond your little corner of the world, there are many like it, and somewhere far away from here, there is what they call 'downtown'—the city centre, where all the big cats live and leasure. They can keep their 'skyscrapes' and 'shopping malls' to themselves, you think. Though, to be sure, they are also surrounded by way more light and noise, and as such the City bothers them less. It indulges in dark and quiet, and you can't really blame it for this. Passing by the wet trees shedding their rainwater onto you, you approach the desired building. This towering appartment complex is for sure unique in these parts. For one, it is the tallest building around, even rivaling many of those //downtown//. There is no real reason for it to be bigger than most of its ilk, but the City works in mysterious ways, you suppose. It chooses how to grow them, and there must be a reason to spend a bit more mold on this one in particular. You should go inside. That is, after all, your entire goal. Just go in and follow whatever cryptic hints left in there for you by the City or its many messengers. There is no reason to prolong your stay in the cold. [[Let's get this over with. Go in. You crave a proper sleep before tomorrow's morning.]] (Track: 'CityRain', 'stop') (Track: 'City', 'play')

...And now you miss the busyness of the outside. The door shuts closed behind you. It is //dead// quiet in here, and not in a way you like from time to time. You've never been here; you are an outsider within these walls. You can only hope they won't suffocate you before you leave for good. Inside, only a lone flickering light bulb shines on the ceiling. There is little space to go around, and the walls are ragged and battered, with obscenities scribbled all over them with spray cans and sharpie pens and knives. In the middle of this small room stands the manager’s booth, its metal no less rusty than the door behind you. A few spiders are crawling around the metal bars separating whomever is inside from the rest of the world. It has not become any clearer as to what you're supposed to do here or even where to go. There is no information anywhere on the walls about the room numbers; only declarations of love and promises of violence. You see someone's shadow on the wall, casting from inside the booth. Perhaps you should ask for directions? [[Approach the Manager's booth]] [[This was a bad idea! Go back to the safety of your own room, fast.]] (Track: 'City', 'stop') (Track: 'Closed', 'play')

But you cannot. The door won't budge. You aren't surprised, but still unnerved. Whatever the City brought you in here for, it does not wish for you to leave until the deed is done. (if:(history: where its name contains "Perhaps they're there for a reason. Pocket the scissors.")'s length >= 1)[You feel for the scissors in your pocket. The cold metal against your fingertips gives you the faintest sense of security, though it is of course foolish to think you stand a chance against the City's creatures with such a puny weapon.] [[Brace yourself and approach the Manager's booth|Approach the Manager's booth]]

The manager inside the booth appears to be dead. He sits there motionless, his head tilted to the side, his eyes dead set on whatever is under his nose, but nothing //is// there, only more spiders and cigarette butts. ...He is probably just sleeping, though. When you put your ear close enough, you can hear some faint grunts that could pass for snorting. His fat belly also appears to be moving subtly up and down. On a small coffee table is a framed picture of the manager with an old woman, perhaps his wife. Looks like you'll have to find your own way around. [[Reluctantly proceed past the booth]]

The comically narrow corridor that is so dark that even your own building would gasp at the sight leads you to a dead end, at the doorstep of an elevator, with a tiny, darkened passage to the side. No doors or anything else—only this machine to take you up and the unwelcoming path to your left. Maybe it is for the best, though. Too much choice can make things unbearable. The City or whomever else clearly wants you to take the elevator—just as you reach it, the doors open up to reveal the light at the end of the tunnel, inviting you in. It also slightly lights up the dark passage nearby, though. You peek, out of curiocity, inside there, and you see an outline of the stairs leading up. //Up// is where you need to be, clearly, but how will you get there? [[Take the Elevator]] [[Take the Stairs]]

‘Dark’ was underselling it. It is pitch blackness down there. You make a step forward, then another, slowly and methodically, until the light from the elevator fades completely and is no longer there to guide you. Without it, you can barely see your own hands no matter how hard you squint. But in the end, it's just some staris. You can feel them under your feet; you can feel the railing in your hand—you know how those work. All you need to do is move up. [[Proceed up the Stairs, one at a time]] [[This is too much. Go back while you can and take the Elevator instead.|Take the Elevator]]

Despite the initial appeal, after the doors close, you feel somewhat oppressed by the poorly-kept drawn-over walls and the dim, orange light coming from above. Only a single battered button is on the panel to the side, but at this point it is hardly surprising. You press the button, and the contraption comes to life with great effort, delivering you upward as best as it can. [[Wait patiently fot it to arrive at your destination]] (Track: 'Elevator', 'play')

All movement stops as the machine suddenly grinds to a halt. It lets you savor the silence for a moment before at last opening its doors. Before you is a well-lit corridor with many doors on its sides, actually resembling what a building is supposed to look like from the inside. The light is blinding to you at first, actually, when compared to the gloom above your head and especially that darkness back at the bottom, but you get used to it, stepping out of the cabin after a little while. The elevator, of course, abandons you immediately after, closing shut and falling back down its chamber, followed briefly by a fading screech of machinery. Well, you are 'here', wherever that is. What now? [[Look around, examining all the doors]] [[Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]] (Track: 'Elevator', 'stop')

In-between flights, you take breaks to catch some breath. It feels as if each next set of stairs is one or two steps higher than the last, but it's not like you can look at them to check. Three floors in, various decorations start appearing on the sections between the flights of stairs, just barely visible point blank. First, a still-life of a bowl of fruit, each next one having one less fruit in it until it is just an empty bowl, and then nothing at all but the white tablecloth underneath it. Then, a portrait of a man, but with his face blurred, like somebody smeared water across a fresh oil painting. The features of the man depicted are then clearing out with every passing set of stairs. At a point, perhaps after the tenth floor—you are too preoccupied to count—all that is missing are the eyes. The same picture with its eyes missing pops up a couple more times, completely identical to previous ones, until it stops showing up, and for a couple more flights there is nothing to catch the eye on the wall. At this point, you have to endure over five dozen steps to get to the next floor. It bothered you at first, but by now you have stopped noticing you are supposed to be tired. There is nothing in-between floors anymore as well, as if the entire building is just a long tower, and you are determined to find what is on top. //Clever little building//, you think. Made you go from reluctant to enthusiastic in less than an hour. Has it been an hour? As you conqure yet another flight, you see a mirror hanging on the wall between the stairs. In the mirror, you see yourself and a room behind you. [[Turn around]] [[Close your eyes. Let the darkness shield you from danger.]] (Track: 'Ladder', 'play')

You are now in a small room with no light, but you can still see somehow. The stairs are nowhere to be seen, and even in your own mind they now seem like a distant memory, like you weren't walking on them just a moment ago. Your legs even feel rested, and your knees are no longer weeping. There is only a door in this room, and after some pointless deliberation, you open it and step outside. You arrive into a well-lit corridor with many doors on its sides, actually resembling what a building is supposed to look like from the inside. The light is blinding to you at first, after a long trip in the absolute darkness, but like with the pain in your legs, it fades within seconds, and soon enough you feel warm and comfortable. To your left is a dead end, and to your right the hallway continues on. Well, you are 'here', wherever that is. What now? [[Look around, examining all the doors]] [[Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]]

You stroll around the pretty corridor, looking at all the doors surrounding you; touching them, listening to what's behind them. Most have no sound coming from the inside, but some do, like moans of pleasure or some sort of chant. Some of the doors have curious images on them, two in particular: one with red lips forming into a smile, and another with a cartoonish rodent. [[Open the Door with a Red Smile]] [[Open the Door with a Little Rodent]] [[Don't open any doors. Continue down the corridor.|Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]]

After passing a few turns, the number of doors decorating each wall begins to dwindle, until they give way to simple wallpaper and nothing else. Eventually, you reach the end, with one final door staring at you from the other side. As you approach, you notice that this one has not a picture, but actual words on it for a change. (link:"It says...")[= 'For you.' (if:(history: where its name contains "Take the offering")'s length >= 1)+(if:(history: where its name contains "Pop the balloon with your scissors")'s length is 0)[You clutch the ribbon of your trusty balloon even tighter.] (if:(history: where its name contains "Pick up the toy rat")'s length >= 1)[You reach into your pocket for the calming touch of your rat-shaped friend.] It's time to end this, whatever it is. Step into the damn door and hope it is the last one for this night. [[Do it. Go in.]] [[No! This whole thing is too much. Look for a way out.]]

It has never failed you before. You shut your eyelids as hard as you can, kneel down, and then find your path by feeling around with your hands and feet. Soon, you are back on the steps; back on your journey. The City is not going to trick you this time. The climb is even slower than before, and the stairs do not get easier to cross with each flight. Is has been way past twenty floors up to this point. What is the game it is playing with you? [[Keep going]] [[Give up and open your eyes|Turn around]]

You do not trust it. This is the simple truth. You do not trust the City. It has brought you here for some malevolent reason, and you're not going to make it easy for the giant beast. If it wants you off of these damn stairs, it can come and get you itself! Or, most likely, it'll just send a minion to fetch you. Regardless, you are not backing down. You'll go up these endless stairs until you run into a wall or until a clawed hand rips you away. Suddenly, you stop dead in your tracks. It's like your own mind shuts down in an instant, some sort of survival instinct. After a few seconds, you reach forward with your right hand, and you find the reason for such an abrupt stop. The tips of your fingers no longer feel the floor underneath them. You try to reach the next step, but there simply is none. You have reached the top, it seems, and in a twist of irony you should have expected by this point—it turns out to be a hole in the floor. You have no idea how deep it is or what's on the bottom, but your mindless crawling is now over. For you, there are only two options... [[This is your last chance. Open your eyes and let the City take you to where it wants you to be.|Turn around]] [[Jump down the hole]]

(Track: 'Falling', 'play') (text-style:"blink")[ (text-colour:red)['' YOU ARE FALLING DOWN'']] (after:5s)[= [[...]]

Behind this door is a room covered in random blotches of bright paints. In the middle, a woman dressed in office clothes is standing, clown makeup on her face, holding a bouquet of baloons of diverse shapes and colors. Weirdly enough, under the thick layers of said makeup, she reminds you of a girl you really liked back in your high-school days. Or was it college? She smiles as you appear before her, offering you one of her balloons. [[Take the offering]] [[Leave the room and close the door behind you]] (Track: 'Door', 'play')

Behind the door is... nothing. Well, it seems so at first. Then, you see it—a tiny little mouse sitting on the floor, wearing a purple party hat. But wait—it's not even real! As you examine the //thing// closer, you realize it is merely a small plush toy made to mimic the animal. On the opposite wall, it reads, 'Take Me with You!' in bold. (if:(history: where its name contains "Kill the Rat with your scissors")'s length >= 1) [You feel very, very terrible. Your guilty conscience is practically tearing you apart. You burst into tears and fall to your knees. You want to say, "I'm sorry, little rat! I'm sorry I murdered you!" But it soon passes just as quickly as it had come over you. Perhaps the dead rodent has forgiven you. Maybe that'll help you sleep at night.] [[Pick up the toy rat]] [[Leave it be]] (Track: 'Door', 'play')

You have a balloon now. It's a purple one; your favorite color. Though, it has a basic shape and nothing crazy, like another one of hers that looks like a spaceship. Still, it'd be impolite to lament about a gift. She waves extensivly at you as you set to leave and makes silly faces. You nod awkwardly and close the door behind you. Well, that's one down. Do you want to open another one? Or, maybe they aren't all as innocent as this...(if:(history: where its name contains "Open the Door with a Little Rodent")'s length is 0)[ [[Open the Door with a Little Rodent]]] [[No more doors. Proceed down the corridor. |Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]](if:(history: where its name contains "Perhaps they're there for a reason. Pocket the scissors.")'s length >= 1)[= [[Pop the balloon with your scissors]]

That was silly of you. Maybe //you're// the clown? She had a present for you and all. Well, it'd be way too awkward to come back there now. What's next?(if:(history: where its name contains "Open the Door with a Little Rodent")'s length is 0)[ [[Open the Door with a Little Rodent]]] [[Don't open any doors. Continue down the corridor.|Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]]

Good thing the clown-girl did not see this. It would have made her lose her pretty smile forever. You are no longer a proud balloon-haver. It was not for nothing, though. From its deflated insides, a tiny folded note falls out. You pick it up from the floor, open it, and read the contents. To your disappointment, it contains only a single word. 'Why?' So it was for nothing after all. Maybe you should learn to take your gifts better going forward?(if:(history: where its name contains "Open the Door with a Little Rodent")'s length is 0)[ [[Curiocity can be useful. Open the Door with a Little Mouse.|Open the Door with a Little Rodent]]] [[No more doors. Proceed down the corridor. |Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]] (Track: 'Drop', 'play')

It squicks pleasantly as you fondle the thing in your hand. The little party hat comes off, but it doesn't bother you enough to remove it. Luckily, the critter fits just fine in your other, empty pocket. Hopefully it'll help you with whatever comes next. Where will the two of you go now?(if:(history: where its name contains "Open the Door with a Red Smile")'s length is 0)[ [[Open the Door with a Red Smile]]] [[That's enough distractions. Proceed down the corridor. |Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]]

No amount of trickery is going to change your mind on the nature of this kind of beast. Let the toy rot in this imaginary room, destined to cease to exist as soon as the City gets bored with it. You have places to be. You leave the room empty-handed, but content. Shall you check another one of these doors? (if:(history: where its name contains "Open the Door with a Red Smile")'s length is 0)[ [[Open the Door with a Red Smile]]] [[No more doors. Proceed down the corridor. |Ignore the doors. Just keep going until you reach a dead end.]]

It appears you are still alive, at least. Your bones are most likely intact, too. Still, you are afraid to try to move or to open your eyes. The landing spot feels reasonably cozy. Whatever's underneath you must have soften the impact. Maybe it's for the best; maybe you should rest for a minute or two. It's been a long, tough night. If the CIty's goal has been to murder you all along, it certainly does not want the process to be quick and painless. [["Come and get me! I'm right here!"]] (Track: 'Falling', 'stop') (Track: 'Drop', 'play')

There really was no need for that, but it felt good to say. You were compelled to say it, even. To rub it in. [["You hear that, you dumb beasts? I am still alive!"]] [[All right, enough. Time to wake up.]]

No, it doesn't actually seem like anyone's hearing you. You hear your own voice echo in the distance, but that's it. Which is concerning, you only now realize. Just how big is this dump you've fallen into? The way it sounds, you are in some empty warehouse or an abandoed mine. That would be horrible, but luckily there was never any mining in the City. It's foolish to expect this place to make sense, however, so who knows. Nothing ever makes sense in this fucking 'City'. [[Okay, for real now. You need to get a move on.|All right, enough. Time to wake up.]]

The sewers. That's where you are. You had fallen into the underground dump; the literal bowels of the City. The stench hits your nostrils and overwhelms you—how did you not feel it before? And the substance itself, it's... warm and gluey against your whole body. It is a humiliating fate for disobeying, but that surely is not the extent of it. Surely it is only part one of your punishment. You climb out of the vile pile of refuse and do your best job of cleaning yourself against a nearby wall, which is nowhere near 'clean' in its own right, but what can you do? You barely manage to get half of the stuff off of you, before you realize only a long hot shower can fix this problem. You sigh and look around. There, hidden behind the darkness of the putrid tunnel; a beam of light, illuminating a ladder underneath it. Will this really be that easy? Will the City just let you go like that? Or has simply humiliating you always been its goal? [[You cannot bear the smell of everything any longer. Climb the ladder and go back home.]] (Track: 'Goo', 'play')

As you enter, the confusion you've been experiencing only magnifies. The messenger that visited you ealrier this night is here, standing and pointing to its left; to the corner of the small room—to a wooden dinner table. There is a purple chocolate cake placed down there. Before you can even comprehend the meaning of all this, the creature's mouth begins to tremble, emitting some kind of terrible screaching. You cover your ears at first, but with each note it sounds more and more like... like... (link-reveal:"...")[=Music? And then suddenly, it all makes sense; it all dawns upon you: the cake, the music, the abundance of color purple... You //remember//. You remember what day it is tomorrow, and what you were going to do when the morning hits. Tomorrow is your birthday. This whole shebang was nothing more than the City's attempt at a celebration. This whole night; a way for it to show appreciation for you: as its minion, its denizen, its favorite cog in the machine. Instead of simply leaving a birthday card on your table or something simple like that, like it had done a few times before, it created a whole adventure, just for you, to go on. "Thank you," you let out plainly, overcome with emotions. It's better not to say anything else now, you feel. Just eat your cake, take your gifts, and go back to sleep. Let this brief moment of peace be the last thing you remember before you go back to your job tomorrow, knowing that no matter what, the City will have your back. Deep inside your head, you can hear it whisper back to you... [[...|THE END (GOOD)]] (Track: 'Song', 'play')

The way behind you had disappeared while you were deliberating, now replaced by another naked wall. You are now trapped, with only the alluring door to serve as an exit. Look! It's even ajar slightly. [[Sigh and step in despite your concerns|Do it. Go in.]] [[This can't be it! The City has slipped before, even on this very night. Keep looking.]]

You walk back and forth around the small corridor; you fondle the wall and you crawl on all fours and you hurt you neck staring above at the ceiling. Nothing shows up, not a single crack in the foundation. The City's got you good in here. Only... what's that? Did you hear something? There, right behind you, to the left... This hole was not there before, was it? You could have sworn... No matter. There it is. There is your second option; the way out on your own terms. It's just as dark as that passage downstairs was, though. Darker, even. You cannot see a thing even with the ceiling lights shining directly inside. You crouch and reach for the floor, but there is no floor there. If you want to take this exit, you will have to take a leap of faith. [[Is this really worth it? You don't even know what's behind //either// exit. No. Just take the door and get this over with.|Do it. Go in.]] [[Do it! Jump! Get the hell out of here while you still can.|Jump down the hole]]

The fireworks in the distance is the only sound that greets you when you reach the ground level. Thankfully, you recognize this part of town. It's not that long of a walk to your house, and your filth-covered figure is hidden from the view of most non-sleepers. You waste no time, rushing towards home, towards a hot, cleansing shower. Your body and your soul needs it as never before. You pass by a recently-closed restaurant. You look into its dusty windows and you see them; the ‘shadows’, as you simply call them, although they resemble nuclear shadows more so. Here they are, living on the walls, silently conversing and moving from place to place, but never leaving the surface that is their home. They move funny, like in stop-motion animation. It looks like one of them is facing you. They do lack faces so it is hard to tell. Then, as if to confirm your suspicion, the rest of them turns to you as well. After a brief exchange of silent stares, they go back to whatever it is they were doing and you watch them some more and then move on. You don't know where this curiocity got from after what you've just been though. Maybe... Maybe you are afraid someone's is out to get you in retaliation for your misdeeds. You should really get going. [[No more wasting time. Go back home.]] (Track: 'Fireworks', 'play') (Track: 'Goo', 'stop')

You find your way back almost on an autopilot, ignoring anything around that cannot serve as a path to walk on. You breeze past the buildings and the trees and the people and the rats and the walls of your own appartment complex until you stand at the desired doorstep. Finally, triumphantly, you turn the key in the keyhole, letting that sweet cranking sound wash over you, closing your eyes in satisfaction. It is over. You are home, and you are still alive. You throw everything in the corner without much thought, only making sure to lock the door behind you, and rush inside the bathroom. Your clothes are in even more of a need of washing, but it'll have to wait. First, you need to take a damn bath already. [[Climb into the tub and let the hot water tickle your skin]] (Track: 'Fireworks', 'stop')

You crank the temperature up until steam is coming off of the water. You stand under the mounted shower handle, basking in its blessful glory. You've won. The thought helps warm your soul as well as your body, and soon a big smile forms on your sore lips. After you are done and out of the bathroom, though, all the pleasant feelings and sensations you've been gifted by the date with the showerhead are snatched away in a matter of seconds. The 'messenger' is back where it stood all these hours ago, by the window, staring at you and silently judging. It is not going away this time, it seems, and it doesn't even attempt to communicate or to guide you anywhere. It's only here to sent the most important message of all, that the City is always watching, that you might not get away with disobeying it so easily the next time. You would scream at it, use every obscenity and every clever insult you've acquired throughout the years, but you simply don't care to. You are way too tired for this. This //thing// will remain here until the sunlight pours in through the curtains, and then, when the next night hits, well... It will be up to fate. (Track: 'Shover', 'play') [[Ignore the creature. You've done enough tonight. Let it scold you in silence. Go back to sleep; you don't have much of it left until the morning.]](if:(history: where its name contains "Perhaps they're there for a reason. Pocket the scissors.")'s length >= 1)[= [[It has come to take your life at last, when you are most vulnerable. Don't let it. Your scissors are right there by your feet. If only you can grab them fast enough...]]

You are finally able to close your eyes and let the dreamers' world take you. It feels so good; the weightlessness, the feeling of cold cloth against your skin. Your sleep is pleasant and free of surprises; the only kind you could wish for after going through a literal nightmare. You will never learn what the City had in store for you in that strange building. You stare at it in the morning, through the window, when sipping from the mug full of hot instant coffee. It looks even more out of place during the day, you notice. You do not see a single soul enter or leave it for over twenty minutes. You do not care. You've leanred your lesson; the City cannot be trusted. Playing games; that's all that it does. You are better off without its influence in your life. From now on, you will live in the day, and keep the night for sleeping and dreaming only. Before you can forget about the last night and get on with your life, though, the City whispers its last message to you as you stare into your own foggy reflection in the bathroom mirror... [[THE END|THE END (NEUTRAL)]] (Track: 'Shover', 'stop')

You kill it. You actually, really kill it. It takes some time to even process what you have just done. You took the scissors and you rushed the creature and you punctured it with the pointy end, and then it simply ceased to exist after you blinked. The residue it leaved—black, light, ash-like substance—soils your curtains and the floor underneath them; it is clogging the air, making you choke on it and cough. You have made yourself the enemy of the City, and now you have to leave it forever. You grab only the scissors and the jacket and rush out of the room, the building, the street. All the creatures are watching you from the walls and from the sky. They let you pass, but you are not sure they do so benevolently. More likely, they are giving you a head start for sport. You hear a voice in your head you so desperately try to silence. It is going to be a long night. [[THE END|THE END (BAD)]] (Track: 'Shover', 'stop') (Track: 'Death', 'play')

(text-colour:purple)[= You are welcome. You can go back to sleep now. [[I will always be at your side.|THE END]] (Track: 'Song', 'stop')

(text-colour:purple)[= Sleep well. Don't stare into the darkness for too long. [[I will not forget this.|THE END]]

(text-colour:purple)[= Run. Never come back. Never close your eyes. And never stay in the dark. [[Because I will never let you be.|THE END]]

THE END (after:3s)[= Created by DIMOSTEN Made with TWINE Sound effects from: - freesoundslibrary.com - soundjay.com