There was an accident. The details are hazy and obscure, but it's still the first thing you remember. Maybe a car wreck — metal and broken glass everywhere, and the sirens and the
screaming. Maybe your bike hit a rock and you careened uncontrollably off a mountain path. Maybe something less mundane, even impossible seems to have happened to you. You can't quite make out the details, not who was at fault or why. Try as you might, the chaos is all you can truly remember.
It's also the
last thing you remember from before waking up.
When you open your eyes, the accident is gone. Instead, you're in a hospital bed, and the nursing staff greet you with cheerful smiles.
Don't worry, they tell you. You'll make a full recovery here. Where is here? Why, home in Wayward Pines, of course!
option one | WELCOME TO WAYWARD PINES |
The hospital staff had seemed very friendly, but ultimately unhelpful when it came to answering your questions, insisting you shouldn't worry about such things, and that it was smarter to just rest until you'd fully recovered.
That was some time ago. You've since managed to leave the hospital – either via escape, or simply by waiting patiently and filling out paperwork until they finally agreed to release you. Now you've found yourself in the small but hearty town of Wayward Pines, Idaho. It's a charming little place, and the people there are all friendly enough, more than willing to greet you on the street, or give you directions if you need them.
Unless you're asking for directions
out of town, of course.
Some will simply smile and give you a hearty pat on the shoulder and ask why you'd ever want to do a thing like that? Others will get quiet for a moment, and direct you to the nearest
sign posted near the doorway of every building.
Don't bother taking the road, either. Whether you walk or get your hands on a vehicle, you won't get anywhere. The road simply takes you away from town for a short while
before looping around and bringing you right back in.
There's no use questioning things, and it seems pretty useless to try to leave. So really, why not stay a while? Everyone's convinced that you'll find something to love in Wayward Pines.
(For the purposes of this test drive, you're welcome to handwave the existence of basically any local business or activity.)
You've just heard a scream from the woods.
I mean, it could've been an animal. There's bound to be some kind of wildlife amongst the trees, right? But then again, it did sound awfully...
human.
Though all of the locals nearby conceal a flinch at the sound, they'll assure you it's nothing, if you ask them. Why, you're probably just hearing things! (But with an anxious undertone of
stop asking questions.) If you're curious, though, and brave enough to go see, they won't make any move to stop you from going into the wooded area surrounding the town.
The trees are tall, and their branches are thick enough to block out a significant amount of sunlight from breaking through the canopy, leaving the forest floor a little dimmer and cooler than the streets of town.
Whatever the source of the scream was, you won't be able to find it out here. An experienced hunter might notice some signs of a struggle, and a few faint boot prints, but they don't really seem to lead anywhere in particular.
What you
will find, if you walk far enough, is a fence. A
big one - at least 30 feet tall, made of metal and concrete. It goes on quite a ways in either direction as well; follow the wall far enough, and you'll see that it connects with the steep, sheer cliffs that surround the rest of Wayward Pines, effectively boxing the town in.
In actuality, you'll probably feel it before you see it. A full 500 yards from the wall, when it's hardly a shadowy smudge through the trees, you start to feel a little bit tired, a little bit weak. Trouble is, the closer you get, the weaker you feel - like the wall itself is sapping the strength out of you, and the closer you get, the worse it feels. Any powers you may have had grow weaker in kind as you make your way to the fence, but even ordinary humans will find their strength sapping away. By the time you're close enough to
read the signs and to feel the crackle of electricity radiating from the thick wires criss-crossing the wall's metal surface, you're too weak to stand.
Do you crawl closer still and risk electrocution, or do you crawl
away and assess the situation once you're far enough from the fence to be able to stand?
option three | FOURTH OF JULY |
If there's one thing to be said for Wayward Pines it's the town's resilience and staunch refusal to give up on the image of a picturesque little town, and July 4th this year has the community putting it's best foot forward in this regard with its annual 4th of July picnic and fireworks spectacular.
To hear anyone (Linda) familiar with the town talk (complain), this year is a much more sedate affair than any of the years prior, but in a lot of ways today is a very good opportunity for people to reconnect with their neighbors; chat quietly at a table, share a recipe, play some catch, or argue with Jerry over the proper way too cook a burger. Jerry never listens, of course, but thankfully the whole event is a pot luck so there are plenty of other, far more edible options for those with a more... discerning palate.
The day passes pleasantly, and the night? The night brings the fireworks. A beautiful cascade of bright colors and lights in the sky. Sparklers are handed out like party favors while everyone is strongly encouraged to play safe by a long-suffering and weary looking sheriff. After all, the town has had quite enough excitement by this point, don't you think?
option four | ON THE NETWORK |
Though it's not as high-tech as you might be used to (or hell, maybe you're ren faire and it's centuries beyond anything you've seen), Wayward Pines does in fact have a network to accommodate its citizens.
Go ahead, post a network post! Just note that the network currently has
two basic functions. The first is audio-only and can be accessed from the telephones in each character's home. If an audio-based medium doesn't suit your needs (or aesthetics), be sure to take advantage of the Wayward Pines Message Board from your brand new laptop for the chance to communicate with your fellow townspeople!
( a few notes )
Welcome to our fifth test drive here in The Pines! Just one important thing to note:
Upon arrival in Wayward Pines, characters find themselves struggling to remember entirely who they were or where they came from. Memories return progressively over the next two weeks. You're welcome to play with this mechanic in any of these prompts, but it's definitely not mandatory! For more details on this temporary memory loss, see our FAQ.
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bumfuckidaho2017-06-17 08:38 am
TEST DRIVE MEME
Nanako Dojima | Persona 4
The hospital setting isn't new to Nanako, though it does confuse her slightly. Didn't she get to leave the hospital with her daddy months ago? Was all that happened after just some sort of weird dream she had while she was asleep, recovering from that spooky thing that happened with Big Bro and his friends? She's not sure, and she definitely know she feels fine now, sitting up in bed easily and looking around her room.
Maybe it's just her, but this room doesn't seem the same at the one she vaguely remembers. Did they move her to another one while she was asleep? The bed feels bigger, and the walls aren't the same color...there wasn't a window before, was there? Those questions pass through Nanako's head only for a moment, before an even bigger, more important one blares like a siren against her psyche--
Where is my big bro? Where is my daddy? I want my daddy.
Despite that, she keeps quiet and doesn't pester the staff too much, or move from her bed. She's a good girl, and does as she's told, though eventually the curious child in her does start to eat away at her conscience, giving way to her inquisitive side. Looking left and right to make sure there's no one watching or passing by her door, Nanako peels back the blankets of her hospital bed and slides off the mattress, peering around her room and through the crack in the door curiously, looking deeply bothered. She doesn't know exactly where she is, and if her daddy is okay - she really wants to see him right now - but at the same time her shy nature and reserved personality keeps her tongue in check.
Only when she's spotted does Nanako shy back towards her bed, but it's hesitantly. She's dying to go looking around to try and find her father - he should be here too, they were admitted together to the same hospital, after all - but she just can't bring herself to drum up the courage to ask. It's a little intimidating for a child of her age, and the nurses and doctors all look so busy, too... She shouldn't bother them...]
---
[2.) Into the Woods:
She heard it. The scream.
Nanako knows better than to wander off into the woods by herself, especially after what she's been through already - daddy told her not to do certain things, and he's a detective! - but it's eating her inside. She's scared, remembering all about the murders in Inaba, and that scary man that took her away...that weird world...and how hard it was to breathe--
Pursing her lips and walking the length of the path where the trees begin to draw closer together - the edge of the forest - Nanako peers into them, turning her head this way and that, looking around in hopes that possibly someone, anyone older might come along and investigate, or offer to help...something! She knows how terrifying it was to get kidnapped, and what if someone's really in danger? Or hurt? Shouldn't they do something to help? Isn't there a policeman or a detective here? Nanako still wants to find her family, but her attention span is still that of a child. She's curious, and has a strong sense of justice (living in a household where you daddy's job is to catch the bad guys does that, after all), and a big heart. If someone's in trouble, we should do something!
But...she's also just a little kid, and she does know better. Daddy said not to go looking for trouble. If you think something is wrong, you find a policeman, or someone older to help. That's what he said, but no one seems to want to listen to her...]
Mmnn... [Nanako licks her lips, and kicks a rock into the bushes, standing still and listening intently in case maybe she'll hear the yell again or something.] I dunno what to do...