Camp Syndicate: The Horror Movie Club (Escape from Club Apophis, 64)

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STORYLINE: Above the abandoned streets of Neu Seoul, citizens hid in darkness, watching nervously from behind their windows. No radio. No television. No internet. No power. And worse, every so often, a scream echoed through the urban labyrinth as another human fell into the jaws of a hungry monster.
Against the blood-red sky, a swarm of bats swept over the city. Their echolocation pulsed through the darkness, bouncing off buildings and debris as they flew through the Forbidden Zone's expanding barrier.

But these were no ordinary bats.

Their leader landed heavily on the roof of the Neu Seoul Tower. Even at this height, the stench of death was strong. Standing out against his black breastplate were the white letters UN, the name ASHE, and the patches of the Night Troops and the 101st Flying Bats. Commander Ashe stood rigid in full tactical armor. A thousand-year-old vampire, hardened by centuries of war.

"President Spyder, Ashe here," he murmured into his comm. Mounted on its side was an awkwardly duct-taped battery bearing the Monstrum logo: a serpent swallowing the sun. "No resistance in the skies. The streets, however, are crawling with rogue Monstrum. Recommend remaining airborne."

A deep voice answered through the static. "As expected. Any leads on the barrier's power source?"

Ashe raised a handheld meter with another clumsily duct-taped battery. The meter beeped slowly as he turned, scanning the dark skyline.

"Nothing yet. I did find a cache of their Entropy batteries. I've commandeered its power for my gear. Recommend confiscating them."

"Take every single battery you find. Leave nothing. Starve Monstrum."

A cluster of small bats swooped down from the haze, circling Ashe. He raised a gauntleted hand to receive one. A brown bat landed on his hand and squeaked excitedly.

Ashe listened, answering with a series of low clicks and squeaks of his own. The little scout launched back into the darkness.

"I have a possible lead on the barrier's energy source," Ashe reported, stepping toward the tower's edge. "The scouts detected an immensely powerful being beneath the Zone, inside a maze of tunnels. A celestial serpent. Possibly the source of the energy. Two young men were with him. One resembles the boy from the Liemawr video, Yoon Jihoon. I will investigate."

Ashe stepped off the ledge and dropped into a silent glide, following his spy bats.

A few blocks away, something caught his attention. The city was dark, but an abandoned concrete structure below was producing a faint mechanical noise. Weak illumination flickered through cracks between the boarded-up windows.

Ashe changed course.

"President Spyder. I've detected a weak power source inside an abandoned structure. Request permission to investigate."

"Granted. Paint that target quickly and get back on the serpent lead. We're locked on your signal now."

"Understood."

Ashe dove toward the building. 

Up close, the noise was a blend of muffled dialogue, mechanical clicks, and laughter spilling through the concrete walls. The meter detected no entropy. Yet the lights burned. He circled the structure, searching for an opening. No windows. No obvious access points beyond a heavy industrial steel door.
It did not appear to be a military operation. In fact, he could hear what sounded like a live performance of a play. 

Curious how this one building was still functioning in the middle of a citywide blackout, he approached the door. Painted across it in bold letters were the words: KEEP OUT.

The structure appeared to be an old bomb shelter. Inside were intoxicated voices. The words spoken, he knew. Lines from Bram Stoker's Dracula. 

He rapped his knuckles sharply against the steel. 

The performance stopped.

A young man from inside giggled. "What's the password?" 

"The children of the night," Ashe replied flatly. "What music they make."

More laughter erupted.

The deadbolt clicked. The door creaked open, releasing a thick haze of smoke, scent of buttered popcorn, and the sharp, chemical reek of illegal substances. It assaulted Ashe's sensitive vampire nose.
He stood in the doorway, white hair, tactical harness, dead-eyed military posture, and an energy meter humming in his fist. An apex predator who had apparently knocked on the wrong door.

Inside, a dozen candles flickered against vintage horror posters hung all over the walls. The college kids wore Victorian waistcoats and battered top hats, their faces painted in stark black-and-white silent-film makeup. At the far end, a strange contraption made a faint, rhythmic clicking and threw a ghostly image onto the concrete wall.

"DUDE! Check it out!" a kid shouted, pointing at Ashe's gear. "Is that part of your costume?"

From somewhere down the street, a wet, guttural shriek tore through the night.

The others scampered to the door and gawked at him.

"NAH, DUDE! It's a LARP!" one yelled excitedly. "Awesome!"

The young woman pushed past them. The dark mark on her neck drew Ashe's attention out of habit. A hickey. Human.

Her eyes were slightly glazed, but she noticed his attention on her neck. She blinked up at him, her words slurring together.

"Whoa. Who invited the vampire hottie?"

She wrapped an arm around Ashe's tactical vest, and tugged him inside, then leaned close and pinned a badge to his sleeve.

"Now you're an honorary member of the Horror Movie Club! So tell me," she giggled, "what brings Mr. Dracula to our humble establishment?"

Ashe disengaged her arm with cold, practiced restraint.

"Take me to your energy source. Now."

Grumbling, the boys led him to the contraption. No wires. No chips. A candle, a hand crank, a spring-mounted flywheel, a reflector, and a lens.

"What is this?" 

One of the boys straightened, suddenly proud.

"Built it myself. It's a magic lantern on the outside, but a cinematograph underneath. The spring flywheel keeps the film running after you crank it. The advanced materials reflector gives an insane luminous boost of candle light." He pointed to the blinding surface. "My great-grandfather had the original magic lantern. I rebuilt and updated it for our Silent Horror Movie Night."

Ashe studied the device. An old technology, cleverly rebuilt with advanced materials. The spring-mounted flywheel stored enough energy to keep the film moving. No perpetual motion involved.
He turned his attention to the rest of the shelter searching for vulnerabilities.

"Under the authority granted to me by the United Nations, I order you to snuff the candles. Light draws them. You are fortunate to be noticed by me first. Do not draw attention to yourselves. Remain inside. Be quiet. Lock the door. The streets are unsafe."

The kids stared at him. "Unsafe?"

"Monsters," he replied curtly. "Hungry ones that do not obey international laws. Are you not aware Neu Seoul is a battleground between two supernatural super powers, The Night Troops of The United Nations vs the Criminal Syndicate of Monstrum?" 

The kids blinked at him.

He sighed and rubbed his temples, before restoring his tired professional poker face. "Fortunately, this structure should provide adequate protection. Ration your supplies. Keep the doors secured until the city is liberated from Monstrum."

Ashe turned to leave, tapping his comm.

"President Spyder. I may have found something useful. Mechanical systems remain operational inside the barrier. Spring-driven mechanisms, for instance. Recommend retrieving military hardware capable of operating independently of modern electronics. Search the archives for historical mechanical designs, including those attributed to Archimedes."

"Significant," Maximilian Spyder replied. "Continue to your next target."

"Understood. The bombing at this location was cancelled, correct?"

A pause crackled through the static.

"Too late."

The kids looked at one another.

"Did you just say... bomb?" one stammered, his eyes widening.

Overhead, a thin, rising whistle grew louder.

Ashe glanced upward with mild, ancient exhaustion.

"A badly aimed one."

BOOOOM!

The missile struck a nearby structure. The shockwave slammed into the shelter, rattling its reinforced walls and showering the room with dust. The kids screamed as popcorn and sodas flew through the air.
Ashe didn't flinch.

When the dust settled, the Horror Movie Club lay amid the debris, covered in butter and sheer dread.

"Who the hell are you?" the girl gasped.

Ashe glanced down. The little Horror Movie Club badge was still pinned to his sleeve. He touched it briefly with one armored finger, then looked back at her.

He pointed to the Victoria Cross hanging from his septum, over his lips.

"The one who earned this. The one who found a dictator hiding from the Allies and brought his reign to an end."

Before they could react, his form flickered, dissolving into a dense, rustling cloud of white bats. The bats swept through the dusty room, several clutching pieces of his tactical gear as they streamed out the door.

One small bat lingered.

The girl crawled forward, holding out a finger bloodied by debris.

"Wait. I know what you are."

The bat turned its head toward her. A bead of blood glistened on her skin.

For a moment, the little creature seemed to consider her offer. Then it looked at the two remaining items: the Horror Movie Club badge and a World War II pistol with strange vampiric modifications.

The terrified kids watched.

The bat looked at them with the same tired expression of Ashe, then it swooped down, seizing the Horror Movie Club badge in its tiny claws, and flew after the others.

The pistol remained on the floor.

With trembling hands, the girl picked up the pistol and held it close to her heart.

Happy Halloween!

On Him, Commander Ashe:

Meter: Static - Spectre-O-Meter EMF Detector [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(325L)

Glove: FOE - WFTS - Gauntlet [mesh]

Setting:

Skybox: LORE - Abandoned Hideout [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(375L)

Chains:  LORE - Ceiling Chains [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(350L)

Frames:  LORE - Horror Frames [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(300L)

Tall Mirror: LORE - Sights To Show You Mirror [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(225L)

Coffin suitcase: PSYCHO:Byts - Without Rest in peace - Coffin [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(250L)

Mirror, Candle: Candle & Cauldron - C&C Oracle [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(149L)

3 Skulls: Cica's - 3 skull sticks [Animesh](Camp Syndicate)(350L)

Furniture: Eclectica - Charming Bureau, Charming Shelf [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(300L)

Board Game: Web Dew - Foggy interactive game [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(725L)

Wall mirror: Fetch - Webbed Mirror - Red PBR [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(199L)

Ticket Rolls, stand: HAUNT - Ticket Rolls  [mesh](Camp Syndicate)(249L)

Sofa, decor: KraftWork - Horror Movie Night set [mesh]

Popcorn machine: Merak - Vintage Popcorn Machine - Red [mesh]

Popcorn: Apple Fall - Buttery Popcorn [mesh]

Movie Projector: Linden Labs - SL23B - Movie Projector [mesh]

BONUS IMAGES: inworld raw shots,  midday sky, default camera: