Morgan's head snapped back up as the silence was broken, blinking over at the other woman with a combination of surprise (she'd forgotten Emily was there; how had she forgotten Emily was there?), suspicion (there was still no reason not to suspect anyone she met was behind this joke), and uncertainty (what was going on here?). No fear yet, though. The irritation at not liking the joke being played on here was buried under something that felt sadness, but there was no fear. Not freaked out yet.
She turned back to the mantel and put the photo away, face down. There wasn't time for this. She wasn't going to be staying, anyway. She'd thank Emily for her time, lock the apartment back up, and resume trying to leave Truth and Consequences again. All it needed was a little -
As Morgan re-approached Emily, pulling the notepad and pen back out of her pocket, a familiar leather-bound book resting on one of the shelves caught her eye. Caught her eye enough to make her detour from her intent, make her approach the shelve so she could read the spine.
The Book of Silence.
... she'd left this in her jeep. Because she hadn't been planning on staying. The book would know that too, it would have stayed in the jeep because she felt the ominous consciousness it MUST have demanded it always stay with her. If it had sent itself into this apartment... then there really was...
There was really no way out.
That was when the fear hit her for real. Morgan bit her lower lip, squeezing the little notepad in her hands, taking a deep breath to steady herself. After a moment, she scribbled a few quick lines on her pad to show to Emily.
Another hastily scribbled note - this time with fear and anger behind it. If Emily was a victim as much as Morgan was, who the hell else was caught in this horrible joke?
"Everyone. Well, everyone in Ashwood Heights anyway. The rest of the city doesn't seem to notice anything weird about it. Not even when it snows in the middle of July." She waved the comment aside as it caused only more confusion. "Nevermind, you missed that. But everyone in Ashwood is from out of town--well, except the landlady, I think--and none of them can leave either. We've all tried. It's shocking at first, I know, but for the most part we've all just...gotten used to it, I guess."
Emily shrugged. "There doesn't seem to be anything we can do."
Doesn't seem to be anything else anyone can do? Maybe Emily didn't think there was anything else that could be done, but Morgan damn well sure would find it. There was no way to know how long it might take, but she had things she needed to do. Places she had to go. Problems to take care of.
But the book...
Stubbornly, she refused to look back to where she knew the book was sitting, probably laughing at her new frustration as it had no doubt laughed at all her old frustrations, too. She would find a way out, damnit. She wasn't going to just sit here and take it.
With an angry huff of a sigh - the only kind of sound she could really make anymore - Morgan stuffed the notepad and pen back into her pocket and stalked out of the apartment, back into the hallway. The day wasn't over yet; she'd keep trying to find a way out until she was ready to keel over from exhaustion before she'd come back here.
Emily blinked and backed up against the wall to keep out of Morgan's way, staring after her before her brain got enough of a jump to think to leave the apartment as well and go after her.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Not that Morgan could just answer her so easily, being mute and all. Oh terrific, what had she done? Morgan seemed angry. Had she made her angry?! She was just trying to be nice and helpful! 'Way to go, Em, you messed up somehow.'
Out of a feeling of responsibility, Emily followed the new girl back down the stairs, trying to meekly reason with her as they went. "Everyone's already tried! Where do you think you can go?" Actually, she was genuinely interested in that last part. A new person meant a new idea, and maybe Morgan could think of something no one else had yet.
Where did she think she could go? Away, that's where she could go. She'd kept trying in the jeep, because the jeep was so necessary for her ease of travel, but if she had to hoof it she damn well would. Or go off the beaten-track; it was a jeep for crying out loud, it could handle a little bit of forest. Or maybe...
Morgan halted halfway down the steps, remembering how she had first ended up in the city to begin with. At that gas station with the old guy who hadn't looked surprised to see her and hadn't been surprised she couldn't speak. That was the way in. That must be the way back out.
...... of course, finding it again was going to be the hard part.
The girl resumed jogging down the stairs without answering Emily's questions, hurrying back to her jeep and rifling through it with mad intensity. No, the book wasn't in here, she noted, not that she had expected it to be - well, if it wanted to stay here, good riddance! Soon she found the map of Truth and Consequences that she'd bought earlier in the day, and spread it out over her hood.
A moment later, and Morgan pointed decisively at the road she was positive dead-ended at that gas station, an answer to Emily's question. That was where she was going to go.
Emily looked at the road underneath Morgan's finger, tilting her head to the side. "It's been tried. All the roads have." And plenty of non-roads too. She looked up. "Are you still going there to try?"
She turned back to the mantel and put the photo away, face down. There wasn't time for this. She wasn't going to be staying, anyway. She'd thank Emily for her time, lock the apartment back up, and resume trying to leave Truth and Consequences again. All it needed was a little -
As Morgan re-approached Emily, pulling the notepad and pen back out of her pocket, a familiar leather-bound book resting on one of the shelves caught her eye. Caught her eye enough to make her detour from her intent, make her approach the shelve so she could read the spine.
The Book of Silence.
... she'd left this in her jeep. Because she hadn't been planning on staying. The book would know that too, it would have stayed in the jeep because she felt the ominous consciousness it MUST have demanded it always stay with her. If it had sent itself into this apartment... then there really was...
There was really no way out.
That was when the fear hit her for real. Morgan bit her lower lip, squeezing the little notepad in her hands, taking a deep breath to steady herself. After a moment, she scribbled a few quick lines on her pad to show to Emily.
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Emily's eyes turned up to her, sad and sorry. "I don't know," she answered softly. "No one does. That's why we're all here, because we can't leave."
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Emily shrugged. "There doesn't seem to be anything we can do."
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But the book...
Stubbornly, she refused to look back to where she knew the book was sitting, probably laughing at her new frustration as it had no doubt laughed at all her old frustrations, too. She would find a way out, damnit. She wasn't going to just sit here and take it.
With an angry huff of a sigh - the only kind of sound she could really make anymore - Morgan stuffed the notepad and pen back into her pocket and stalked out of the apartment, back into the hallway. The day wasn't over yet; she'd keep trying to find a way out until she was ready to keel over from exhaustion before she'd come back here.
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"Wait! Where are you going?" Not that Morgan could just answer her so easily, being mute and all. Oh terrific, what had she done? Morgan seemed angry. Had she made her angry?! She was just trying to be nice and helpful! 'Way to go, Em, you messed up somehow.'
Out of a feeling of responsibility, Emily followed the new girl back down the stairs, trying to meekly reason with her as they went. "Everyone's already tried! Where do you think you can go?" Actually, she was genuinely interested in that last part. A new person meant a new idea, and maybe Morgan could think of something no one else had yet.
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Morgan halted halfway down the steps, remembering how she had first ended up in the city to begin with. At that gas station with the old guy who hadn't looked surprised to see her and hadn't been surprised she couldn't speak. That was the way in. That must be the way back out.
...... of course, finding it again was going to be the hard part.
The girl resumed jogging down the stairs without answering Emily's questions, hurrying back to her jeep and rifling through it with mad intensity. No, the book wasn't in here, she noted, not that she had expected it to be - well, if it wanted to stay here, good riddance! Soon she found the map of Truth and Consequences that she'd bought earlier in the day, and spread it out over her hood.
A moment later, and Morgan pointed decisively at the road she was positive dead-ended at that gas station, an answer to Emily's question. That was where she was going to go.
And hope it still held the way back out.
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