ROLEPLAY HQ - the-lodge

TW: Gore, NSFW Content (Blood, Sex, Horror), Drugs and Alcohol use, TBD

James’ life changed on his 21st birthday. Some may say for the better others for the worst. But if you were to ask him, he still would be undecided. That day was supposed to be one of best of his life, drinks, parties drugs. The college dream. However that night, that night changed him. His friends were all supposed to be enjoying themselves, but it happened so fast. A few cute girls picked them up at a bar, not ordinary for them but they didn’t mind. That walk from the bar changed him forever. BOOM The sound James made when slammed into the car. His eyes grew dark, his vision faded for a few minutes, maybe seconds. Once his eyes reopened he saw three of his friends dead next to him. Their blood soaking his clothes. The once attractive women’s fangs attached to their necks. His panic flooded his body, quickly he rubbed his neck for puncture wounds. He hadn’t been bitten yet. Rustling against the ground, broken up pavement scraping his hands as the sound of rubble followed alerting the girls. That’s when it happened. Ben, his closest friend came from behind. With quick and precise swings, one head followed by another flopped to the ground. The vulgar language leaving James panicked mouth spouted loudly, distracting Ben. This is the moment where the last of the women struck. Ben looked at James as words left his mouth, James imagined he was gonna say run, but whatever he was gonna say was quickly stopped by the vampire pushing her sisters blood in his mouth. A slam to the back of a truck and another swoop took the final sister out of the equation. That’s when he dropped to a knee. The look of despair, of defeat is implanted in James brain. A look he sees before he struggles to sleep every night.

14:43

James woke up from another night of cold sweats and nightmares of that night. His heart racing. His hand immediately reached for the gun on his nightstand before he hesitated to grab it. Next to said gun was a piece of paper. Just an address and a name “The Lodge”. It was one of the last things Ben had given him. He had hoped to get one good night sleep beforehand, but it seems like it wasn’t the case. His hunting boot camp starts in 2 hours and between his nightmares and his nerves his brain was relentless. He drank a bit of water, and let his head rest back down. Soon he would be ready, soon he would be able to help. Just a little bit longer. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

BEEP BEEP BEEP! The screech of the alarm on Adrienne's nightstand pierced through the deep, restful sleep she had found herself in. A small smile crept across her face as she reached over and shut it off without even opening her eyes. The night before boot camp was always the best night of rest she had throughout the entire year; the only night she felt completely at home and at peace enough to dream. Lids opened to reveal dark brown eyes that took in the cleanliness of her small room. It was only big enough to hold her bed, her nightstand and a small desk against the opposite wall before it was simply too full to hold anything else. The floor was spotless, her laptop and paperwork on the desk was organized and even the blankets she had atop her were almost perfectly straight, like she had just crawled into a newly made bed. The bustle of her coworkers could be heard through the thin walls as they scurried to get ready for the first day of training the young bloods and the very thought made her small smile grow. Climbing out of bed she made her way to her closet, donning a tight pair of black leggings along with her equally form-fitting STAFF shirt; a maroon color this year. The Lodge was very militant in some respects, but like a country club in others. They found 'Would-Be Hunters' and recruited them to join the cause, sending them through trial after trial of physical and mental challenges until they were prepared to handle themselves amongst the supernatural. Those that 'graduated' and passed the tests with flying colors would be given their first assignment. Each newbie was paired with a STAFF member, someone who graduated from the Lodge and continued on with the hunt after their duties were fulfilled, and once the assignment was complete, they were free to go. Adrienne couldn't wait to watch the recruits fight for the best accolades and highest praises, treating the day almost like one would treat their own birthday.

16:20

'Hey Dutch! How many do you think this year's graduating class will have?' As soon as the woman left her room, her eyes landed on a pair of men dressed in nearly the same outfit she was, although they wore black shorts instead of leggings. Only one had been in her class, but the other had been a staff member on her first day. She knew them both by name and while they knew hers too, they also knew she preferred to be called by her last name. Adam, the taller man with blonde hair and the one who posed the question to her, had been the one in her class. Derek, the shorter male with darker features, had a more stoic look to him, but there was amusement behind his eyes. She slowly closed the door behind her, still holding that smile firmly on her face, before she answered them in a raspy voice. "I haven't laid eyes on them yet, but once I do I'll let you know." 'Ahhh, well, they are in the mess hall if you want to take a gander.' 'Come on, Adam. Let's tag along. I want to see the look on Dutch's face when she sees them.' There was a bit of a scoff that left her lips as she started to walk towards the mess hall, feeling them rush up to her on either side to follow her there. They made idle conversation with themselves over her, but she remained silent until they hit the double doors. On the other side was a large cafeteria that would hold the 15 new members of The Lodge. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the small giggles from the men next to her, she pushed the doors open to feast her eyes on the fresh meat. @Jester

Most people who come to The Lodge have some kind of experience, or have someone who brought them their. It’s what helps the training, gives them an edge. James wasn’t that fortunate. Only arriving a day before he was supposed to start and not getting a good rest beforehand surely wouldn’t benefit him. He needed to do this however and hoped his give ‘em hell attitude would do a brunt of the heavy lifting. “21…. 22….” His bare chest pounding against the cold carpeted floor of his room. A pair of black shorts, only covering from his waist to his mid-thigh and a pair of ankle high socks were the clothes he would wear for the morning. The space he had wasn’t much more then a bed, a night stand and just barely enough room for exercise. Each day since his loss has been filled with the same routine. Two hundred push ups, two hundred sit ups, fifty pull ups and a run until he could barely breathe. He blamed himself more then anyone would ever know. If only he was stronger, faster… if he didn’t get knocked unconscious, maybe he could have saved them. Tears swell in his eyes, never letting a single one fall. His emotions drive him, push him to do more. He had two hours to kill, two precious hours that he wouldn’t waste staring at his ceiling. He continued his work out and with hour left it was time for him to run. Quietly, he slipped out of his room. Sliding into his “WENDIGO FOOD” shirt, a shirt that he was told all of the trainees wore. He stepped barefoot up to the door, practicing not being heard. Soft slow steps, listening to the rooms he passes by. The sounds of snoring, soft twists and turns in bed. His mind filled with anger, or more quaintly frustration. How can these people sleep so soundly knowing what’s out there. He quietly slipped his shoes on and slipped into his college sweater. A grey pull over with the words “Ohio State” in bold on the front.

The crisp morning air rubbed his throat as he inhaled deeply. Three small slow breathes. His breath like a cigarettes smoke. His mind rang one word, ‘focus’, as his feet began to move. His pace was slow, but this wasn’t about speed it was about endurance. If he could make it the entire hour without stopping he would feel ready. As the hour progresses, his feet get heavier and heavier. His thighs burning, his calves tightening. He knew soon he would be tapped, that’s when he picked his speed up. A grunt and some heavy breathes release past his lips as his pace transitioned into a sprint. He wasn’t going to let himself be weak. He sprinted for as long as he could, until he finally made it back to the door from which he left. Huffing and puffing, his hands over his head he rested his head on the cold glass door. His breath fogging the glass, making his face, just a blurred image. Not that it mattered to James. He wasn’t trying to impress anyone, nor did he care who saw or what they thought. It wasn’t for anyone, anyone other then Ben. He looked at his phone, it had only been 45 minutes. Again, like most days, he failed to make it an hour. His time was increasing, just not as quickly as he wanted to. He very slowly walked to his room, where he sat on the floor, sipping water. Taking slow breathes and stretching his legs, using his sweater as a towel for his sweat. That’s when the thought hit him. He was going to be late. Most of the trainees went to the cafeteria earlier, utilizing the mindset of being early means you’re on time. However he wasn’t early at all, hell, he may not even be on time. He quickly shot up, speed walking on wobbly legs as he made his way towards the cafeteria. On his way, he saw Adam and Derek, both of which he had briefly met yesterday when he had gotten there. Adam was even the one who game him the shirt. The were standing and talking to a women he hadn’t seen yet, a trainee maybe?

03:33

No, he posture seemed more confident then what he would expect from a trainee. Surely she was a staff member, or a hunter herself looking for a partner He wobbled past the three to enter the cafeteria, with a soft mumble under his breath “Excuse me.” He swayed and tilted his body past them in the nicest way possible. His shirt damp with sweat. As he pushed the door to the cafeteria three things caught his eyes. There were only nine people in the cafeteria. He figured there wouldn’t be many with the type of place this is, but even nine seemed pretty small. The second thing that caught his eye, was the four male trainees around one female trainee, jokes about how only a few make it past the training. His mind already pegged those four as being some who are gonna fail. The final thing he noticed, their shirts… all of their shirts said “TRAINEE” on the front. @𝕊𝕙𝕒é𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣

Pushing open the cafeteria doors, she noticed the first sign that the next graduating wouldn't be very large. There were only ten people total in the room, five of them all huddle together in one area while the others seemed to either be distancing themselves from their companions or getting small trays of breakfast. The snickering behind her continued and when she turned around with a scold in her eyes, she noted that both of them were staring at the same thing. Turning her attention back to the cafeteria, it was clear who they were giggling at and a flurry of emotions overwhelmed her. There, standing at the head of the mess hall with a small plate in his hands, was a tall man with slightly damp hair. Nothing singled him out from the rest of the group, save for the T-shirt that read: WENDIGO FOOD. It was a common hazing ritual that Adrienne herself had found out the hard way. One trainee out of the group was given the shirt that marked them as the 'weakest link'. It was who the staff team pegged to be the hunter who would drop out or fail quicker than anyone else and personally held a mixture of pride and disgust in Adrienne's eyes. She had been given that shirt when she had arrived the boot camp, likely because she was the shortest hunter in her class and the fact that she was a female didn't help her case. Of course, whatever money the staff team had on her that year lost as she excelled greatly in her year, but it still was a ritual that she did not find as amusing as the two men behind her. "Alright, enough. We have a training day to get ready for."