Michael Wayne Phipps Jr

"Blackness" by Michael Wayne Phipps Jr.

The story headline is "An interactive fiction of horror".

The story genre is "Horror".

The release number is 1.

Release along with cover art.

Release along with the library card.

Release along with cover art.

Release along with an interpreter.

Release along with a website.

Release along with source text.

Use no scoring.

Understand "about" as a mistake ("'Blackness' is an EctoComp 2013 entry version barely written within three hours.").

Understand "credits" as a mistake ("'Blackness' (Ectocomp 2013 entry) was created by Michael Wayne Phipps Jr. and tested by Adri.").

Understand "push equipment" as a mistake ("You've already done all of that you need to for tonight.").

Understand "wheel equipment" as a mistake ("You've already done all of that you need to for tonight.").

Understand "take chemical" as a mistake ("I don't need any other chemicals now.").

Understand "take chemicals" as a mistake ("I don't need any other chemicals now.").

When play begins:

say "Another night, another section of floor to clean. After you finish this up, you just have radiology left to do. It's a boring job, but the pay is okay and the work is generally easy.[paragraph break] ";

Long Hallway is a room. The player is in the Long Hallway.

The description of the player is "[if player is wearing uniform]You look down and see yourself wearing your familiar blue uniform.[otherwise]You look down and see yourself wearing nothing at all."

The uniform is a thing. The uniform can be worn. The player is wearing the uniform. The description of the uniform is "Basic blue coveralls."

SignPlaced is a truth state that varies. SignPlaced is usually false.

DeathSeen is a truth state that varies. DeathSeen is usually false.

HallMopped is a truth state that varies. HallMopped is usually false.

Nurse Station is a room. Nurse Station is south of Long Hallway.

Emergency is a room. Emergency is south of Nurse Station. Emergency is up from By Stairs.

Radiology2 is a room. Radiology2 is east of Long Hallway. The printed name of Radiology2 is "Outside of Radiology".

By Stairs is a room. By Stairs is west of Long Hallway.

Radiology is a room. Radiology is north of Radiology2.

The key is a thing. The player is carrying the key. The description of the key is "This is the key to the janitor closet.";

closet door is a door. The closet door is locked. The key unlocks the closet door.

The janitorcloset is a room. The printed name of the janitorcloset is "Janitor Closet". The janitorcloset is south of the closet door. The closet door is south of By stairs.

The mop is a thing. The description of the mop is "This old mop has seen better days. I should ask for a replacement.". The player is carrying the mop.

The description of Long Hallway is usually "Numerous patient rooms line this hallway. The nurse station is to the south, and the hallway stretches out to the east and west, a corner at the end of each. The hall is empty aside from equipment the nurses have left in the hall I have to wheel aside to clean the floor underneath. The smell of antiseptic is strong in the air."

The equipment is scenery in Long Hallway. The description of the equipment is "You really have no idea what they use it for."

The hallfloor is scenery in the Long Hallway. Understand "floor" as hallfloor. The description of hallfloor is "The floor is an off-white color."

Instead of smelling in the Long Hallway:

say "After all of the years you've been working here, you would think you wouldn't mind it so much."

The description of Nurse Station is usually "[if DeathSeen is true]A large desk curves around one corner of the room which makes up the nurse station. The long hallway is back to the north. To the south lies the emergency department and the main entrance to the hospital. It seems extremely bright in here now, and no nurses are to be seen.[otherwise]A large desk curves around one corner of the room which makes up the nurse station. The long hallway is back to the north. To the south lies the emergency department and the main entrance to the hospital. Nurses come and go at random once in a while, looking at something at the desk, then walking off."

desk is scenery in Nurse Station. The description of desk is "A long, curved desk."

Instead of going south from Nurse Station when DeathSeen is false:

say "You have no reason to go that way, or to even be here in the nurse station area for that matter.";

Do nothing.

The description of Radiology2 is usually "There isn't much in this end of the hallway aside from some entrances to offices that are locked off at this time of night. To the north, there is an entrance marked with a symbol. The other end of the hallway is to the west.".

The symbol is scenery. symbol is in Radiology2. The description of symbol is "It's the universal symbol for nuclear stuff. A circle with triangles in it."

The description of Radiology is usually "Even with the lights on in this room, it still seems a bit dim. A large x-ray machine painted the same pale, olive green color as the walls and floor takes up the center of the room. The exit back out towards the hallway is to the south."

x-ray machine is scenery. The x-ray machine is in radiology. Understand "x-ray" or "machine" as x-ray machine. The description of x-ray machine is "A very large x-ray machine, painted the same pale, olive green color as the walls and floor. You have no idea how it works. It makes you feel a bit uneasy for some reason, perhaps the thought of the radiation."

The radiofloor is scenery in the Radiology. Understand "floor" as radiofloor. The description of radiofloor is "The floor is a pale, olive green color."

The description of By stairs is usually "This is the end of the hall by the stairs which lead up to more patient rooms and offices. The rest of this floor of the hospital is to the east."

The staircase is scenery in By Stairs. The description of staircase is "Plain, white stairs lead up to more patient rooms and offices". Understand "stairs" as staircase.

The description of janitorcloset is usually "This small closet is just large enough for me to stand in beside of where I pour out old mop bucket water. It's filled with all the chemicals and things I need to do my job."

The sign is a thing. The printed name of the sign is "wet floor sign". Understand "wet floor sign" as sign. The sign is in the janitorcloset. The description of the sign is "A rubber sign with a picture of a stick man slipping on the floor."

The chemical is scenery. The chemical is in janitorcloset. The description of the chemical is "Random things used for glass cleaning, degreasing, etc." Understand "chemicals" as chemical.

Check dropping the sign in a room that is not the Long Hallway:

say "Why would you do that when the floor is not even wet?";

do nothing instead;

Check dropping the sign in the Long Hallway:

if HallMopped is false begin;

say "Why would you do that when the floor is not even wet?";

do nothing instead;

else if HallMopped is true;

continue the action;

end if;

After dropping the sign in the Long Hallway:

say "Good thinking. Don't want the hospital getting sued. You'd lose your job for sure.";

Every turn when the sign is in Long Hallway and the player is not carrying the sign:

Now SignPlaced is true;

Cleaning is an action applying to one thing.

Understand "clean [something]" as cleaning.

Understand "mop [something]" as cleaning.

Check cleaning the hallfloor:

If HallMopped is true begin;

say "I've already mopped this floor tonight. It's still wet.";

Do nothing instead;

else if HallMopped is false;

continue the action;

end if;

Carry out cleaning the hallfloor:

say "You go through the motions once again of cleaning the off-white floor to a sparkling shine, hearing the familiar ambiance of tvs in the patient rooms, medical equipment beeping, and occasional coughing. After about 20 minutes of stroking the floor back and forth with the mop up and down the hall, you are finished.";

now HallMopped is true;

Check cleaning the radiofloor:

If DeathSeen is true begin;

say "I've got to get out of here!";

Do nothing instead;

else if HallMopped is false;

say "I really should go mop the middle of the hall first so it can dry before there's more traffic through there.";

Do nothing instead;

else if DeathSeen is false;

continue the action;

end if;

Carry out cleaning the radiofloor:

say "You set the end of the mop down on the floor and begin moving it back and forth, letting your mind wander to what you will do when you get off of work. You start sweating and feeling quite hot, despite having worked and relaxed pace tonight. Suddenly, a horrible feeling of dread comes over you as look up from the floor..";

now DeathSeen is true;

The blackness is a person. The blackness is in Emergency. The description of the blackness is "If it weren't so vivid before your eyes, you would not believe it. A face of ancient-looking bone, eye sockets as empty as voids. It is wrapped some unearthly cloak of black, and numerous ghostly hands both fill and outline the blackness, propelling it towards you quickly. As it nears you, you feel a piercing cold emanating from it."

phantomhands are part of the blackness. The printed name of phantomhands is "phantom hands". Understand "hands" or "phantom hands" or "hand" or "phantom hand" as phantomhands. The description of phantomhands is "The phantom hands are grey and nearly transparent. They range from all different sizes, yet come in pairs. They swim through the air with what looks like great effort, pulling along a terrible blackness within them."

Startled is a scene. Startled begins when HallMopped is true for 3 turns.

When startled begins:

say "As you walk through the sterile hallway, you are startled by something you see in the corner of your eye. For a moment, you thought you saw someone standing at the end of the hall. Well, perhaps not a person.. just.. a shadow. Once your eyes focus, you realize there is nothing there. You probably just didn't get enough sleep last night.";

Reaper Appears is a scene. Reaper Appears begins when DeathSeen is true.

When Reaper Appears begins:

say "A ghostly, transparent hand protrudes from the adjacent wall. It moves slowly, its long fingers probing the air. As it moves further out, there is no being attached to the other end. Instead, shadow. Dark, dark shadow. You stand paralyzed in fear and curiosity, mop still in hand, gazing at this strange, phantom hand.[paragraph break]You begin to yell something; you don't even know what. Nothing comes out of your mouth. And just then, you notice another hand emerge from the wall. Then another. Then another. Then more hands until there must be what looks like twenty-something hands wiggling in the air, surrounded by immense blackness.[Paragraph Break]Your heart is pounding, and you feel the urge to run.";

move the blackness to Radiology;

Reaped is a scene. Reaped begins when blackness is visible in Radiology for 3 turns.

When Reaped begins:

say "A glimmering scythe suddenly appears between you and the ghastly apparition before you. Just as you notice the smoothness of the long, wooden handle on which the blade rests, the scythe swoops down upon you. Everything goes black.";

End the game in death;

After going south from Radiology when DeathSeen is true:

say "You feel as if you are being followed.";

move blackness to Radiology2;

continue the action;

Instead of going north from Radiology2 when DeathSeen is true:

say "You are too terrified to move towards the presence..";

do nothing;

After going west from Radiology2 when DeathSeen is true:

if SignPlaced is false begin;

say "You run into the hallway, away from the terrible unknown form pushing itself towards you. However, in your sense of extreme panic, you have completely forgotten about the floor still being wet. Your feet shoot out from under you, sending you flying through the air until coming down on the back of your head with a sharp flash of pain and a sickening sound. Everything goes black.";

End the game in death;

else if SignPlaced is true;

say "Noticing the wet floor sign you placed earlier as you dash into the hallway, you take care not to slip and fall. You feel as if you are being followed. You also feel feverish. Getting very warm and very weak.";

continue the action;

move blackness to Long Hallway;

end if;

Reaped2 is a scene. Reaped2 begins when blackness is visible in Radiology2 for 3 turns.

When Reaped2 begins:

say "As you look over your shoulder, an ancient skeletal head appears around the corner, engulfed in the blackness. You turn to look away and run, but a piecing pain impales through your chest all the way into your back. Everything goes black.";

End the game in death;

After going west from Long Hallway when DeathSeen is true:

move blackness to By Stairs;

say "You feel as if you are being followed. You also feel feverish. Getting very warm and very weak.";

continue the action;

Instead of going east from Long Hallway when DeathSeen is true:

say "You are too terrified to move towards the presence..";

do nothing;

Reaped3 is a scene. Reaped3 begins when blackness is visible in Long hallway for 3 turns.

When Reaped3 begins:

End the game in death;

Instead of going up from By Stairs:

if DeathSeen is false begin;

say "You don't have any reason for walking up there tonight.";

else if DeathSeen is true;

say "You try to run up the steps away from the blackness but your legs grow incredibly weak quickly. As you look over your shoulder, an ancient skeletal head appears around the corner, engulfed in the blackness. You turn to get away but are too tired to even crawl. A piecing pain impales through your chest all the way into your back. Everything goes black.";

end the game in death;

end if;

Instead of going east from By Stairs when DeathSeen is true:

say "You are too terrified to move towards the presence..";

do nothing;

Reaped4 is a scene. Reaped4 begins when blackness is visible in By Stairs for 3 turns.

When Reaped4 begins:

End the game in death;

After going south from By Stairs when DeathSeen is true:

move blackness to janitorcloset;

say "You see ghostly hands reaching into the janitor closet!";

continue the action;

Instead of going north from janitorcloset when DeathSeen is true:

say "You are too terrified to move towards the presence..";

do nothing;

Reaped5 is a scene. Reaped5 begins when blackness is visible in janitorcloset for 3 turns.

When Reaped5 begins:

say "Cornered in the closet, you turn around and look at the blackness. If it weren't so vivid before your eyes, you would not believe it. A face of ancient-looking bone, eye sockets as empty as voids. It is wrapped some unearthly cloak of shadows, and numerous ghostly hands both fill and outline the cloak, propelling this grim figure towards you quickly. As it nears you, you feel a piercing cold emanating from it. [paragraph break]A glimmering scythe suddenly appears between you and the ghastly apparition before you. Just as you notice the smoothness of the long, wooden handle on which the blade rests, the scythe swoops down upon you. Everything goes black.";

End the game in death;

After going south from Long Hallway when DeathSeen is true:

move blackness to Nurse Station;

say "You feel as if you are being followed. You also feel feverish. Getting extremely warm and weak.";

continue the action;

Reaped6 is a scene. Reaped6 begins when blackness is visible in Nurse Station for 3 turns.

When Reaped6 begins:

End the game in death;

Instead of going north from Nurse Station when DeathSeen is true:

say "You are too terrified to move towards the presence..";

do nothing;

After going south from Nurse Station when DeathSeen is true:

say "Your vision blurs, then finally fades as you are overwhelmed with nausea and fatigue and promptly fall to the ground. You think you hear voices as you pass out..[paragraph break]'Well, good morning.' another voice says. You open your eyes to see yourself lying in a hospital bed, with a nurse standing over you. 'You had a heart-attack last night.' she says. 'I'll go tell the doctors you're awake. They'll tell you more about the operation and everything.'[paragraph break]The doctors arrive shortly, and explain to you that after your operation everything should be okay so long as you take care of yourself and you come in for regular checkups. One of them also remarks how lucky you are to have had a heart-attack right by an emergency room. A couple of them chuckle in amusement.[paragraph break]From that day forward, your life improves. A few weeks after your surgery, you get a new job both for better pay and an escape from the hospital which still makes you feel uneasy. You are also left with a fear of the dark more intense than you remember having as a child, and fear of the blackness of death itself which deep down you know you may very well face again one fateful day.";

end the game saying "You have lived.";

Blackness — 1 of 1