*comment *****************************************************************
*comment Neighbourhood Necromancer, stageone
*comment by Gavin Inglis -- www.gavininglis.com
*comment *****************************************************************

*comment reset tactical variables
*set zcommit 0
*set scommit 0
*set vcommit 0
*set mcommit 0
*set gcommit 0
*set advantage false

*if (stageone > 0)
  *goto main
*comment endif

OK, recap. You are an orphan who possesses a strange military occult artifact created from the upper arm of a presumably-deceased person. Through it, you have obtained the power to command the dead.

You spend the following hours sitting in the kitchen, staring at your cold, untouched bag of fish and chips. Greasy fat has built up around its base. The glass of the back door is broken, and small pieces of zombie are still impaled on the shards.

Every now and then, you lean back on the stool to look into the living room. The undead are standing there, inactive. The skeletons hang loose, relaxed, as if warming up for an exercise class. It is not clear what keeps their bones upright and together.
*if (zombies = 1)
  The zombie sways, head tilted back as if gargling a fine wine. It appears to be examining the ceiling.
  *goto parents
*else
  The zombies sway, heads tilted back as if gargling a fine wine. They appear to be examining the ceiling.
  *goto parents

*comment #################################################################
*label parents

The immediate problem is your dead parents upstairs. No doubt you will have a tearful moment about their demise at some point, but there is no sign of that moment yet. And, frankly, they weren't contributing to society in any obvious way. In the meantime, there's the question of decomposition and flies and maggots and all that stuff. Plus, the bone seems to bring things back to life. The last thing you want is your headless father stumbling around your bedroom at night, leaving intestine all over everything.

*label parents_choice
*choice
  *hide_reuse #Phone the police and ask for help.
    You have the handset to your ear and your finger on the number pad before you pause to consider what you are going to say. The undead attacked your house but you survived because you have a bone which can command them. Which you got from a soldier who died. Who then got up and walked away.

    Yes, you could do some amateur dramatics like having a skeleton chase you out of the house when the police arrive. But you feel in your gut that this call will lead you to one of three locations: jail, for murder; a mental hospital, for claiming the dead walk the earth; or a secret military detention centre for the rest of your miserable life.

    *choice
      #Make the call.
        The emergency operator answers. "Fire, police or ambulance?" You feel a shiver of relief as you ask for the police.

        She puts you through. A man's voice comes on, deep and patient. "Police. What has happened?" You take a deep breath, and explain. You fully expect him to cut you off for wasting his time. But you get to tell the whole story. After about fifteen seconds, there are a couple of clicks on the line.

        When you finish your account, there is a moment of silence. Then a voice says. "Please wait there. Help is on the way."

        It's strange, but you could swear that wasn't the same voice.

        *page_break

        About seven minutes later, an ambulance pulls up. Two paramedics hurry to reach you at the door. The first is a woman with thin lips and hair pulled into a tight bun. Her partner is a tall, wiry man with a shaved head.

        You explain you called the police. "They're right behind us," she says. "For now, we need to get you inside and safe. You said there were…dead people…in the house?"

        You turn to show her into the living room. She's about to have quite a shock—

        Then you feel the needle in your neck.

        For a few seconds you're floating. You're on a stretcher. You're being carried out. It's peaceful, really. Then it all goes away.

        *set early_doom true
        *set luck %-50
        *set humanity +20
        *set visibility +50
        *page_break
        *goto_scene fail

      #Forget it.
        You've seen enough late-night films to know how this works. There's always some sap caught in the middle—an innocent victim who ends up framed to cover up an unspeakable conspiracy. You don't know for sure there's an unspeakable conspiracy here. But there's definitely something shady going on. You put down the phone.

        Of course, you still have to deal with the remains of your parents.

        *set luck %-10
        *set control %+5
        *goto parents_choice

  #Bury them in the cellar.
    Crime stories are full of people who think they can get away with burying bodies in remote places, only to have them dug up by friendly dogs and used in evidence during murder trials. Under the house is safer.

    You spend an unsettling few hours wrapping your parents in bin bags and dragging them down the stairs. The cellar is damp, full of spiderwebs, and you can't stand up straight. But the earth is soft and you dig a big enough hole for both bodies.

    As you reach for the first bag, it begins to wriggle.

    Oh great.

    *choice
      #Bury it anyway.
        *label bury_it
        You put the second bag on top of the first and pile earth on top, packing it down hard. Eventually, the ground stops moving. But you'll never rest quite as easily in this house as you did before.
        *set corruption +2
        *set luck %-5
        *goto cleaned
      #Try to use the bone to suppress its movement.
        You bring out the humerus and hold it between your palms. Eerie green light fills the cellar. You try to send some sort of command to cease movement permanently. It's difficult to visualise what you want as you're not entirely sure what is moving inside the bag. But you're sure not opening it up again.

        *if (control > 40)
          Nothing seems to happen for about fifteen seconds. Then the body parts inside abruptly stiffen, then relax. The bag ceases to move and you can bury it without interference.
          *set control %+5
          *set luck %+10
          *set humanity +1
          *goto cleaned
        *else
          Fifteen seconds pass, then thirty. Two minutes later, the bag is still wriggling and your concentration wavers. You'll just have to bury it, moving or not.
          *goto bury_it
      #Hit it with your shovel.
        You batter the crawling bag with all of your energy. It flails around like a giant black worm. Eventually, something seems to burst inside and the bag lies still. You go on to bury it, but you feel distinctly queasy afterward.
        *set max_energy %+5
        *set energy %+5
        *set corruption +1
        *goto cleaned
  #Drive out of town and bury them somewhere remote.
    You can't technically drive, but you know the theory and you've watched your father savage the steering enough to have the basics. You package up the bodies in bin bags and drag them into the car boot while it's still dark.

    It takes a while to figure out how to turn on the headlights but you eventually locate the switch. You roll the car down the drive and turn it into the street. You're feeling pretty confident until you shift up and the gearbox makes a noise like teeth grinding together.

    You keep to back roads as you learn to handle the car. You know a place: a small copse up in the hills which isn't near any farms. Somehow you get the car there and douse the lights. It takes more than two hours to bury the bodies, but there is something calming about the manual labour in the morning air. You feel a little better knowing your parents will have a proper resting place.

    *set humanity +2
    *set luck %+10
    *if (luck > 41)
      You get the car home before the morning traffic starts.
      *goto cleaned
    *else
      As you clean off your shovel, you hear the growl of an approaching engine. You have just enough time to press yourself behind a nearby tree before headlights sweep across the area, picking out the car among the trees. The driver doesn't slow down. But did they notice you? The thought troubles you as you guide the car home.
      *set visibility +4
      *goto cleaned
  #Allow zombie nature to take its course.
    It's unthinkable, of course. But so is the idea of dealing with the bodies yourself. And in a way, it's just like dogs cleaning up after a spillage. In the end, you direct the
    *if (zombies = 1)
      zombie
      *goto zombie_cleanup
    *else
      zombies
      *goto zombie_cleanup
    *label zombie_cleanup
    up the stairs and back into your parents' bedroom. When the noises begin, you slip away into the kitchen.

    When dawn breaks, you complete the cleanup by throwing out the bedsheets and burning the carpet.
    *set corruption +3
    *set luck %+10
    *goto cleaned

*comment #################################################################
*label cleaned

*page_break
That's it. Your parents' bodies have been safely disposed of. You are going to have to grow up quickly and start a new life. Whatever that might be.

You stare at the undead for a bit. There are little pieces of zombie soaking into the carpet. The skeletons are fiddling with the mantelpiece. They're like pets. You're going to have to take them outside sometimes to stop them getting cranky. Maybe you should start with a walk around the block.

*choice
  #Stride down the street with an obvious undead bodyguard.
    You've been pushed around for years. Now it's time to show $!{town} you're someone to be reckoned with. You hold the humerus like a baton and march out into the morning light. Your undead fall in behind you.

    It's a curious feeling as you walk the suburban street, like that shot in a hundred TV shows where the team walk towards the camera in slow-motion. Professionals, going about their business. That's you and your undead entourage. The sun glints on a house window and you can almost see yourself. You look incredible.

    A kid rides around the corner on a red bike. He looks at your minions, gasps, and falls off the bike.

    *page_break
    You wait for the kid to scream and flee. Indeed, he does skitter back a few steps, dragging the bike by the handlebars. But then he drops it and reaches into his pocket for his mobile phone. He fiddles with it and you realise he is going to take a photograph.

    *choice
      #Strike a cinematic pose.
        You raise your chin and put your hands on your hips. The kid's phone clicks loudly as it takes the shot. Did you blink? He leaps on his bike and pedals away, glancing back over his shoulder.

        It feels good to get that kind of reaction. You grin. Then your smile slips. That photo is likely to end up on the Web, or in the hands of the kid's parents at least. You visualise the police kicking in your door in the small hours, tear gas grenades coming in the windows. Dread builds in your stomach. This was a very unwise thing to do. You should disguise your undead in future.
        *set visibility +15
        *set luck %-10
        *set humanity +1
        *goto end_day_one
      #Attack and kill the kid.
        You're a necromancer, a ${master} of the undead. There's no point in being squeamish. You grip the humerus, concentrate, and send your small horde at the kid. He squeals, throws the phone into the air, and charges off down the street, leaving his bike behind. Fear drives his little legs and your minions quickly fall behind. You recall them.

        As you look at the fallen bike, you think this through. Nobody will believe some kid screaming about monsters. But if he'd got the photo taken, that would have drawn serious attention to you. You don't need the police at your door asking questions about your parents. Maybe you should disguise your undead when you're out and about.

        You give the bike a last look as you leave. In the heat of the moment, you were willing to kill that kid.
        *set visibility +2
        *set luck %+15
        *set control %+5
        *set corruption +2
        *goto end_day_one
      #Steal his phone.
        The skeletons are the fastest. You urge one forward. It snatches the phone right out of the kid's hand. He shrieks, gathers up his bike, and pedals away, screaming. It's a satisfying moment. Nevertheless, you don't want some kid putting pictures of your undead army up on Facebook. Not until it's big enough to crush all opposition, anyway. Maybe you should disguise them if you're going to walk around by day.

        You check the phone. It now contains a superb action photo of the skeleton, its outstretched hand filling most of the frame, jaw hanging open as it lunges. The kid has potential.
        *set visibility +2
        *set luck %+10
        *set control %+10
        *set humanity +2
        *goto end_day_one
      #Flee before he can get the shot off.
        It's not really the style of an evil genius. But you can't risk a photo of you and your undead minions going viral on the Internet. And the only way you were going to stop that was to hurt the kid.

        Your sudden movement startles the kid and his arm jerks. You still hear the phone click, taking the shot, but you're pretty sure it will be a blurry mess. Maybe next time you should disguise the more obvious undead.

        At the corner, you look back to see if you're being followed. But the kid is already back on his bike, racing off in the other direction.
        *set visibility +4
        *set control %+5
        *set humanity +2
        *goto end_day_one    
  #Go cautiously, with the undead disguised.
    You go through your parents' wardrobe. There are a few coats and hats which ought to do the job, plus a couple of 'personal' items in a box that you did not need to see.

    You dress up your minions. Getting trousers on them is the hardest thing; you experiment with having them lie down, or laying the legholes open and having them step inside. You tire quickly with the amount of concentration it takes to make them move. You're going to have to be careful not to overdo things.

    When you go outside, however, the effort pays off. Three different people glance at you and carry on without remark. This is $!{town}, after all. Your undead don't look all that different from the guys who drink white cider under the bridge.

    *set control %+10
    *set luck %+10
    *set max_energy %+5
    *set energy %-50
    *goto end_day_one
  #Keep them inside until you have a reason to take them out.
    You were at a party one night when the kids took it in turns to strip off and run around the block naked. In the cold light of day, that was not a good idea; strolling around with an undead retinue for no particular reason is probably worse.

    Soon enough, you'll come up with a plan and then you'll take them out. Until then, you practise with the bone, making ever more subtle skeleton and zombie movements. It gets easier but the concentration tires you out. By bedtime, you're quite exhausted.

    It's easier to sleep now you've spent so many hours with the undead, but their presence is still a little unnerving.

    *set control %+15
    *set max_energy %+5
    *set energy %-50
    *if (visibility > 1)
      *set visibility -1
    *page_break
    *goto main

*comment #################################################################
*label end_day_one

You return home, feeling like you learned something. There are mini pizzas in the freezer. Tomorrow, you'll get more ambitious.

*page_break

*comment #################################################################
*label main

*if (zombies = 0) and (skeletons = 0)
  Your horde is gone. And you had better be gone, too. A necromancer with no minions is just a weird kid telling horror stories.

  *page_break
  *goto_scene exile
*comment endif

*set energy max_energy
*rand bomb 1 7

It's a new day.

*if (stageone = 0)
  *goto loop
*comment endif

*if ((bomb = 1) and (banshee = false))
  The weather is overcast and gloomy. Wind whistles around your house and occasional showers rap on the windows.
  *goto loop
*elseif ((bomb = 2) and (banshee = false))
  The sun seems terminally stuck behind a cloud. But the air is fresh and clear.
  *goto loop
*elseif ((bomb = 3) and (banshee = false))
  A packet of junk mail crashes through your letterbox. It contains adverts for two Chinese takeaways in neighbouring towns which have apparently identical menus to the one in $!{town}.
  *goto loop
*elseif ((bomb = 4) and (banshee = false))
  You need to do laundry. The undead peer at you as you load the washing machine. 
  *if (zombies > 0) 
    A zombie watches the drum spin, following the motion with its head. It goes round and round…and round…
  *goto loop

*elseif ((bomb = 5) and (banshee = false))
  Somebody wakes you up by ringing your doorbell. By the time you struggle out of bed, they've gone. But they left a note inviting you to change your electricity provider.
  *goto loop
*elseif ((bomb = 6) and (banshee = false))
  Breakfast television features a debate on whether children's development and behaviour is being affected by violent video games.
  *goto loop
*elseif (banshee = false)
  When you come into the living room, a lamp has been knocked over and its bulb smashed. None of your horde admit responsibility.
  *if (skeletons > 0)
    A skeleton nearby pointedly stares at the ceiling.
  *goto loop
*elseif (bomb = 1)
  You come down to find the undead shuffling around in glaring sunlight. The banshee has put your curtains in the washing machine. "They were filthy," she hisses.
  *goto loop
*elseif (bomb = 2)
  You're awoken from a peaceful dream about flying by your face thumping the carpet, hard. The banshee towers above you, holding your bedsheets, feet floating above the ground. "Are you going to waste your whole life in sleep?" she spits.
  *goto loop
*elseif (bomb = 3)
  You awake with a very strong feeling that somebody has been in your room, watching you while you have been asleep. You can't find any evidence, though.
  *goto loop
*elseif (bomb = 4)
  The banshee is on your landline, talking in a language that sounds like Gaelic. When you enter the room, she glances at you and says something clipped. You would swear you hear eerie laughter from the other end of the line.
  *goto loop
*elseif (bomb = 5)
  The banshee is perched in an armchair, engrossed in a Muriel Spark novel. She doesn't react to your arrival but her hair drifts through the air as if it were underwater.
  *goto loop
*elseif (bomb = 6)
  The banshee is at the window, fixing a chaffinch in the garden with her penetrating stare. It looks around and chirps.
  *goto loop
*else
  There is an empty bottle of malt whisky in the bin. That wasn't there last night.
  *goto loop

*comment #################################################################
*label loop
*set stageone +1

*gosub corruption_check

*comment #################################################################
*comment interrupts

*comment ### PC McMurdo will eventually find you.
*if (stageone > 5)
  *label detected
  *set localcop true
  *goto_scene localcop

*comment ### Earlier if you are too visible.
*if ((stageone > 4) and (visibility > 17))
  *goto detected

*comment ### Sam turns up after two scenes.
*if ((stageone = 3) and (visibility > 0))
  *goto_scene sammeet

*comment end of interrupts
*comment #################################################################

*if (stageone = 1)
  Like it or not, you have command of a small force of undead. They live in your house. You can either get all mopey about it or you can do something positive.

  What could be more positive than seeking revenge against the people who treated you badly in the past? You don't have to kill them or anything. Unless you want to…
*comment endif

*if (stageone = 2)
  It occurs to you that school is in session. You don't have to go, of course. If the truant officer comes to your door, he is going to get a nasty surprise. But you might decide to go all the same. Who knows what might happen?
*comment endif

*if (stageone = 5)
  This can't go on, of course. You've watched enough cop shows to understand that somebody hiding a big enough secret will always get caught. And having a house full of bloodthirsty undead is a fairly large secret. Sooner or later, when you least expect it, the local police will come knocking at your door. You could avoid that moment by making a pre-emptive strike…
*comment endif

What will you do?

*choice
  *if (graveyard = 0) #Visit the graveyard to recruit more undead.
    *goto_scene graveyard
  *if ((graveyard > 0) and (graveyard < 3)) #Return to the graveyard for another try.
    *goto_scene graveyard
  *if (chippy = false) #Take undead to the fish and chip shop.
    *set chippy true
    *goto_scene chippy
  *if (hairdresser = false) #Take undead to the hairdressers.
    *set hairdresser true
    *goto_scene hairdresser
  *if ((stageone > 1) and (school = false)) #Go to school.
    *set school true
    *goto_scene school
  *if (stageone > 4) #Challenge the local police.
    *goto_scene localcop


*comment #################################################################
*label corruption_check

*if ((corruption_count = 1) and (corruption > 23))
  You peer into the mirror. Your skin is flaking. It's like bad dandruff but it's coming off of…your face. You cover it in moisturiser, using nearly half a tube. The skin gleams, red and angry.
  *set corruption_count 2
*if ((corruption_count = 0) and (corruption > 10))
  Your skin seems really bad this morning. It's red, dry and—is that a rash? Or acne? You'll have to look for some lotion at the chemist.
  *set corruption_count 1
*return