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<<audio "title" play>> [[Start]] All assets are original

<<set $subkey = 0>> <<set $enc = 0>> <<set $fix = 0>> <<cacheaudio "title" "https://ia904706.us.archive.org/7/items/moody-cat-2022-12-13-19-46-56/Moody%20Cat%202022-12-13%2019_46_56.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "wenc" "https://archive.org/download/wolf-encounter-2022-12-13-19-49-17/Wolf%20Encounter%202022-12-13%2019_49_17.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "tend" "https://archive.org/download/drive-away-ending-2022-12-13-19-48-08/Drive%20Away%20Ending%202022-12-13%2019_48_08.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "gend" "https://archive.org/download/good-ending-2022-12-13-19-49-47/Good%20Ending%202022-12-13%2019_49_47.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "bend" "https://archive.org/download/wolf-ending-2022-12-13-19-50-18/Wolf%20Ending%202022-12-13%2019_50_18.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "tunnel" "https://archive.org/download/nervous-eel-2022-12-13-19-48-50/Nervous%20Eel%202022-12-13%2019_48_50.mp3">>

Much like the world that has sentenced you to the profession of pizza delivery, the elements can be cruel. Your car's stereo system at maximum volume is still mostly drowned out by the howling winds. Your high beams hardly pierce through the snow. It's horrible out here, and what are you going to have to show for it? Even a hefty tip wouldn't make it worth all this. You don't have a well lit road to rely on. Hell, you don't even have the <i>yellow dashed lines</i> to keep you on your side of the road. It's not like you'll be running into any cars out here anyway, except for maybe some other unlucky delivery driver. [["You know how tires sort of lose some pressure when it's unusually cold out?"|Start2]]

\ <style> body { Color: Red; } </style>\ <<audio "wenc" stop>>\ <<audio "bend" play>> It lunges at you with such force that even the snow didn't protect you from concussion, right there on the spot. It drops with you, on all fours, its head jutting out from its torso like an animal's would. It scrapes you off the ground with one arm and begins sprinting with you in carry through the woods. The taste of copper fills your mouth, and your peripheral vision is quickly fading into gray. It hauls you like you were a kite across the ground, and you feel sick, not just from the circumstances, but from how you are violently jerked side to side. Your vision ever so briefly brightens. and one of your arms swings, hitting the side of the cliff. It's probably broken, but that's seemingly irrelevant. The light is ripped away as it drags you into the cave, and into the leftmost chamber. The creature and you continue past the collection of items, as it pulls itself and you through a tight, rigid crevice. The smell is so horrendous that it's a blessing that you can't see anything. It stops pulling you. It's over. clearly <b>BAD ENDING</b> <<link "Try Again?">><<run UI.restart()>><</link>>

\ <style> body { background-color: MidnightBlue; Color: LemonChiffon; } </style>\ <<audio "gend" play>> You stick the candles in the candelabra, and they all ignite, in a variety of vivid colors. That rather strange fellow bursts in the room and explodes into a cloud of confetti. A ray of light from above appears, and a five-tiered cake descends from the sky on a marble table. Then, on an ornate mahogany dining table, and entire feast comes down as well, along with your entire family, each in a seat. They're all cheering!!!!!! Then, (<i>your favorite celebrity</i>) bursts into the cabin, begins cheering, and the walls all fall away. On a rotating pedestal, there is a brand new 2023 Lamborghini Aventador. (<i>Your favorite celebrity</i>) approaches you with a nice big, warm smile and says, "It's all yours, kid," and extends their hand with the keys. You take the keys and walk toward the car, and everyone just keeps loudly cheering and they pull out those things that you blow on and they extend and make a little noise and get a little spit everywhere. Must be your lucky day. <b>GOOD ENDING</b> <<link "Try Again?">><<run UI.restart()>><</link>>

<<audio "tend" play>> You use the Fix-a-Flat, best as you know how. You'll need a new tire, but it'll get you out of here. No customer will be recieving any pizza this evening. You turn the key in the ignition and the engine sputters to life. Hurry up and go, just hurry up and go. As you fly down the road, at as high a speed that could be considered safe by anyone in your situation, something appears at the edge of the road. It's dark and impossibly large, like a bear, but thin, gaunt. It shambles, no runs, no crawls, no trots a horrific trot, like a doll puppeteered by an amateur directly down the middle of the road straight towards you. There's no swerving here, not with how steep the dropoff on either side of the road is. You're going to collide with this <i>thing</i>, and whatever happens will happen. As it gets closer and closer, it starts to look more and more wrong. It's no animal, not one that you've ever seen. It gets even closer, and you meet its eyes. They're glaring at you. Right fucking at you. There is hunger, violence, and absolute malice in those eyes. This is not okay. This is not okay. It smashes into the bumper and hood of your car, rolling off of the windshield. Surprisingly, after a little bit of a spin, it straightens out and you still have control of the car. In the rear view mirror, you see its form expanding and contracting before wretching upright. A deafening, guttural howl breaks through the sound of the wind, and it drops to all fours and scurries off the side of the road. Just keep driving for God's sake. You're alive. <b>TRUE ENDING</b> <<link "Play Again?">><<run UI.restart()>><</link>>

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/cave.gif"); Color: white; } </style>\ <<set $entcave = 1>>\ It's a cave, alright. While most caves don't have solutions to broken-down vehicles, maybe this is the exception. Hopefully, it is. Icicles are forming at the mouth and melting as the cave opens into a few different paths. You don't feel <i>alone</i>. Best hurry up. [[Enter the left subchamber|Cave Subchamber A]] [[Enter the right subchamber|Cave Subchamber B]] [[Retire from spelunking|Cliff Face]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/cave.gif"); Color: white; } </style>\ It's dark in here, but the snow matting some of the antechamber's floor is enough to reveal that someone had been storing goods in here. What a strange place to store things. And what a strange collection. It's mostly things people would keep on their person: coats, keys, chargers, shoes, etc. Maybe someone is living here, but it's not exactly a livable location. <<if $fix eq 0>>\ [[Check the collection for something useful]] <</if>>\ <<if $aware gte 1 and ndef $cacandle>>\ There seems to be [[a candle]] in the mix too. <</if>>\ [[Return to the antechamber|Cave Antechamber]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/cave.gif"); Color: white; } </style>\ <<audio "tunnel" stop>>\ There isn't much to see in here, quite literally. Only faint beams of refracted light are illuminating the surfaces of this chamber. It's enough light to see that there is a metal door in one wall of the cave. [[Go back to the antechamber|Cave Antechamber]] [[Try the door]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/snow-background.gif"); Color: black; } </style>\ <<audio "title" stop>>\ <<if $enc lt 2 and $fix lt 1>>\ It's so terribly cold out. There's a forest clearing fairly close by, and it looks like there may have been a trail at some point. Perhaps that's the way to go. [[Enter the woods|Forest 2]] <</if>>\ <<if $enc lt 2 and $fix eq 1>>\ You should probably use the Fix-a-Flat and get the hell out of here. [[Do that.|True Ending]] <</if>>\ <<if $enc eq 2>> The man is rushing towards you... [[That can't be good.|Encounter 3]] <</if>>

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/snow-background.gif"); Color: black; } </style>\ It smells. Bad. You see what may have at one point been a deer, or some other similarly sized creature. Either way, the forest stretches farther and farther, becoming less navigable as it continues. <<if $aware gte 1 and ndef $fcandle>>\ Within the hollowed segment of a tree, a [[waxy white stick]] is visible. <</if>> [[Leave before your stomach turns|Forest 2]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/snow-background.gif"); Color: black; } </style>\ <<if $enc eq 0>>\ You enter the breach within the tree line. A figure in black is shuffling toward you through the spindly trees that seem to stretch far and in all directions. Its face slowly becomes perceptible. [[He begins to speak|Encounter 1]] <</if>>\ <<if $enc gte 1>>\ The footsteps here are already nearly filled in once again. You could probably see your breath if you could see anything but the trees amidst the storm. Your car is sitting right where you left it. The forest continues in both directions, and there seems to be another clearing opposite the car. [[Return to the car|The Side of the Road]] [[Head West(-ish)|Forest 1]] [[Head East(ish)|Forest 3]] [[Make your way to the other clearing|Cliff Face]] <</if>>

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/snow-background.gif"); Color: black; } </style>\ You can't see the car from here, but it probably hasn't driven off without you. Human footprints seem to overlay into larger ones, likely those of some animal. The trees here have deep, odd marks in them, sort of like those you may see in the territory of a bear. Not that there is a bear, but the resemblance is there. The only ways to go from here are back the way you came or a bit farther into a clearing, where the trees are merely stumps. [[Head back|Forest 2]] [[Continue on|Field 1]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/snow-background.gif"); Color: black; } </style>\ <<if ndef $entcave>>\ Now you're cold. The wind here is so powerful that it's difficult to even stand straight. While it's difficult to see much beyond where you stand, you stand close enough to the edge of a cliff that you understand that that is where you are. Not far from where you stand, just a little shimmy away, there's a natural arch that seems to open into a cave or something to that degree. While it's not advisable to walk along cliffs in such a situation, desperate times, desperate measures. It may be worth checking out that cave. [[Go in the cave|Cave Antechamber]] [[Turn around|Forest 2]] <</if>>\ <<if $entcave eq 1 and $enc eq 1>>\ The man is blocking the way. He turns and begins to speak. [[Listen.|Encounter 2]] <</if>>\ <<if $entcave eq 1 and $enc eq 2>>\ <<audio "wenc" stop>>\ Now you're cold. The wind here is so powerful that it's difficult to even stand straight. While it's difficult to see much beyond where you stand, you stand close enough to the edge of a cliff that you understand that that is where you are. Not far from where you stand, just a little shimmy away, there's a natural arch that seems to open into a cave or something to that degree. While it's not advisable to walk along cliffs in such a situation, desperate times, desperate measures. It may be worth checking out that cave. [[Go in the cave|Cave Antechamber]] [[Turn around|Forest 2]] <</if>>

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/snow-background.gif"); Color: black; } </style>\ As you enter this bit of the clearing, you find yourself standing within the shadows cast by the tall trees. There aren't any points of interest about you. It's barren and dead here. [[Enter the forest|Forest 3]] [[Head farther into the field|Field 2]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/snow-background.gif"); Color: black; } </style>\ At this end of the clearing, though not much is visible due to the snow and the fact that it's rather late, you can just barely make out a dilapidated cabin. No doubt, it's no home, at least not anymore, but it <i>is</i> nonetheless shelter from the harsh conditions. Maybe there could be something useful in there too. Best hurry up, it's not wise to stand around for long, given the situation. [[Head back towards the other end of the field|Field 1]] [[Enter the structure|Shoddy Cabin]]

What an aroma. Whoever lived here last must've been a hunter, and not a very cleanly one at that. Despite the fact that there is no apparent resident, there is an unwelcoming aura to this place. The wood creaks beneath your feet, the wind slithers through the rotting walls. It's discomforting. There is a [[candelabra]] resting on a small table, a wood stove filled with ash, and a small hatch door that would seem to lead into a cellar. [[Leave the cabin|Field 2]] [[Head into the cellar|Cellar]]

<<audio "wenc" play>>\ <img src="https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/wolf1.png" width="500" height="500"> <<set $enc = 1>> "Hi. Is that your car stuck up there on the side of road?" the man asks, his voice subdued with a strange sort of awkwardness. "Yeah, hm, that sort of thing happens from time to time. Bummer, maybe I could help you get out of here or get help or something," he says, his voice sort of trailing off as he speaks. He doesn't look as cold as you feel he should. [["Yeah, thanks a lot. I'm not exactly in my element, I appreciate it."|e1b]] [["No, that's alright. I think I can fix my tire and get out of here without too much trouble."|e1a]]

<<audio "wenc" play>>\ <img src="https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/wolf2.png" width="500" height="500"> <<set $enc = 2>> "You really shouldn't be running around out here." His voice is laced with an element of scorn, and it's rough, rougher than before. This really is no good. You hear a few of the words he's muttering to himself, "some people... better..." He stops, then his eyes lock into yours. This really is <b>no</b> good. Your insides twist a bit. "What are we going to do with you? *tsk tsk*" He shakes his head slowly, methodically. As it comes back to rest, it's somewhat... crooked. This is no good. He turns once again and leaves you at the edge of the cliff. [[This is bad news.|Cliff Face]]

<<audio "wenc" stop>> As the man disappears from sight, you can't shake the feeling that there was something... something just <i>off</i>. The eyes, maybe, or the cadence with which he spoke. Your instincts and rational mind agree for once. Nothing good will come of seeing this person again. [[Where are you?|Field 2]]

Well, they certainly do. Following a deep popping noise, you feel the passenger side of the car slump down in the front. Your heart rate begins to pick up slightly. You can't drive like this; it would be reckless and there's no point in hurting yourself in a desperate situation such as this. You pull over to the side of the road and step out of your car. Your tire is indeed flat. Your phone is dead, and you, wisely, have no charger. Perhaps there is some solution to this situation around. [[Look around|The Side of the Road]]

<<audio "tunnel" stop>>\ The cellar is roughly in the same condition as the house above, with the scent somewhat amplified. The sound of the wind is almost inaudible, though. The silence is deafening. It's as if you were feeling the pressure of sitting at the bottom of a diving pool. How strange. There is an old, rusty door at the other end of the room, but it seems to be latched shut from the other side. <<if $subkey eq 0>> There's also a [[small key]] sitting on a crate. <</if>> <<if $aware gte 1 and ndef $ccandle>>\ Among a small pile of junk, a [[candle|ccandle]] is jutting out. <</if>>\ [[Leave the cellar|Shoddy Cabin]]

<<audio "tunnel" play>> A makeshift passage, barely large enough for a person to squeeze through extends for quite a while. Upon a little bit of investigation, it seems to open on the other end into the cellar of that cabin where the key was. Why is this here? Along the inner walls, there are dim, very dim, lights that light up the tunnel just enough for someone to be able to follow the path. The entire floor is concrete, and the walls are held up haphazardly by wooden supports. Why is this here? As strange as it is, maybe it could be useful as a shortcut back to the cellar. [[Enter the lower cave.|Cave Subchamber B]] [[Go into the cellar.|Cellar]]

<img src="https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/wolf1.png" width="500" height="500"> "Alright, fine," the man grumbles. "You really ought to take a helping hand. Don't say I didn't offer you help when you get hurt." He turns and disappears into the snow, his large footsteps deeply indenting the pillowy ground. [[He didn't seem so helpful.|e1aa]]

<img src="https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/wolf1.png" width="500" height="500"> "Come on, then. Follow me." You follow the man through the forest and through a clearing. He takes you to the porch of a house that is very clearly vacant. "Here, just wait here. I need to go get some wood for to start a fire. [[He walks away.|Encounter 1 Away]]

This is in much better condition than anything else in the house. Its brass finish is still nice and shiny. It is, however, missing a couple of candles. <<if ndef $aware>>\ <<set $aware = 1>>\ <</if>>\ <<if $aware eq 4>>\ [[Insert the candles|Good Ending]] <</if>>\ [[Stop inspecting the candelabra|Shoddy Cabin]]

You grab the dirty key and slide it into your coat's pocket. <<set $subkey = 1>> [[Back|Cellar]]

The candle is still in fine condition. It would probably fit into the candelabra. You take it. <<set $aware += 1>> <<set $ccandle = 1>> [[Back|Cellar]]

<<audio "wenc" play>>\ <img src="https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/wolf3.png" width="500" height="500"> He's not talking. <i>It</i> isn't talking. It's growling, or cackling, or something. This is not okay. You can see more of its face, or head, whichever, and its skin is matted, like fur. Its eyes are sunken behind the eye sockets and, at the same time, bulging from the skull. It gets so close you can feel the heat of its breath, and smell... rot. Your eyes look it up and down. It's bigger, bigger than he, <b>it</b> was before. And its bones and joints are locked in wretched positions, like rods fixed together with an axle. Nothing you've seen before has been so utterly awful. Your head is an overworking machine of anxiety and formulations, scrambling to find a way out of this. But then it hits you. [[You won't die old.|Bad Ending]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/cave.gif"); Color: white; } </style>\ <<if $subkey eq 0>>\ No luck. There's a key hole on the old lock keeping the door latched, but you have no such key. <</if>>\ <<if $subkey eq 1>>\ Well, would you look at that? That key you picked up in the cellar seems to fit this lock. How fortuitous. The door swings open [[Enter|Passage]] <</if>>\ [[Step away from the door|Cave Subchamber B]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/cave.gif"); Color: white; } </style>\ Among the plethora of mismatched items, there's a single can of Fix-a-Flat. It seems to still be wrapped. I'm sure you need it more than whoever is holding onto it right now. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission. You slide the can into your coat pocket. <<set $fix = 1>> [[Back|Cave Subchamber A]]

The candle is freezing cold, but should be fine to light if it has some time to thaw. You take it. <<set $aware += 1>> <<set $fcandle = 1>> [[Back|Forest 1]]

\ <style> body { background-image: url("https://busterlacau.neocities.org/if/img/cave.gif"); Color: white; } </style>\ The candle is a bit dirty from the other objects, but it's a full candle nonetheless. You take it. <<set $aware += 1>> <<set $cacandle = 1>> [[Back|Cave Subchamber A]]