Can You Survive A Day In Emmerdale?

You are having a good day. You're driving through the rolling hills of the British countryside, windows down and music up. You don't really have a destination in mind, you just want to enjoy Yorkshire and let your heart decide the destination. Suddenly, you see a sign. It seems that a right turn will take you to a village named Emmerdale. The sign cautions you to please drive safely through the village's streets. You are getting kinda hungry and the village might be nice. Picturesque even. What do you do? [[Turn right]], this will be fun. [[Continue straight ahead]], you'll stop the next town over.

Whistling to yourself along with the Modern English's 1982 hit I Melt With You you turn right. The village of Emmerdale isn't very big. A classic Yorkshire village, where the local pub is probably the center of everyone's social life. It's cute though. Definitely picturesque, you were right on that one. Your instagram followers are gonna love it. You decide maybe it's time to eat something. There don't seem to be that many options. Just a cafe and a pub. Where do you go? [[Cafe]] [[Pub]]

Just as you make the decision to go ahead with your trip, you car starts making weird noises. This is not good. White smoke starts coming out from beneath your bonnet. You stop. You check your phone. It's dead, of course. You only have two options. Stay and hope somebody passes by, or walk to that village and see if there's a mechanic there. Or at least a functioning phone. [[Stay]] [[Go]]

You prop the bonnet up, hoping to at least disperse some of the smoke. You cough, your eyes watering. No, you definitely need a professional here. At least it doesn't look like your entire car is going to explode. Small mercies and all that. Then, at the horizon, you see it. A car, approaching. You wave your arms, trying to catch the driver's attention. The car stops. A man climbs out of it. He's medium height. Brown hair, brown eyes, scruff on his face. He's wearing a mechanic's overalls. Could you be so lucky? "What's the problem, love?" He asks. "I think my car broke down." You reply. "You're in luck, I'm Ross Barton, I'm a mechanic, I could take a look at it for ya." He says. "[[Sure, thanks]]." You reply. "[[No, thanks]]. Could I just use your phone, please?" You ask.

You walk back towards the village, luckily for you, your car had the decency to break down not too far away from it. Small mercies, and all that. As you enter you have three options. Go left, right, or keep ahead. [[Left]] [[Right]] [[Ahead]]

You go into the cafè and a smiling man behind the counter greets you with a cheerful "Good morning, love." You love it. You order yourself a drink and something to eat and go sit down. It's right during that time of the morning where the breakfast crowd has subsided and the lunch rish hour hasn't started yet, so the place is pretty empty. It's just you sitting by yourself at one table, and a woman sitting with a surly looking teenager right in front of you. They're very absorbed in their own conversation. If you strain your ear a little bit maybe you can figure out what they're saying. [[Eavesdrop]]. They're in a public place and you're bored. [[Don't eavesdrop]]. It's rude and it's not like you particularly care.

You go into the pub and are immediately greeted by the typical atmosphere of a country pub. It's early, but there's already people eating and drinking both at the tables and at the bar. You go sit at the bar. Behind it, there's a surly looking man in his twenties. He has blue eyes, dark hair, a scruffle, and he seems glued to his phone. Before you can get his attention, a young woman comes in from the door behind the bar. She's short and wearing a cook uniform and she's holding a plate of something in one hand. "Aaron!" She chastises the man, swatting at his arm. "If you finished flirting with your husband, there's customers waiting." She continues, going to serve someone at a table behind you. The guy, Aaron, rolls his eyes, but flushes slightly. It's cute. "We weren't flirting." He mutters, coming towards you. "What can I get you?" "[[Beer]], please." You deserve a treat, and there's nothing better than a cold beer on a warm day. "[[Orange juice]], please." It's too early for alcohol and you don't know when you'll have to drive again.

He leans into the motor, checking it out. Then, he gets down on the ground, looking under the car. "There's a water leak. Probably the water pump's shaft seal." He says, getting up. "Is it bad?" You ask. "It's not ideal." He replies. "But if I can get your car to Emmerdale I can fix it." "[[No, thanks]]. Could I just borrow your phone?" You ask. "[[Yes|Actually, yes]], you're such a life saver."

He shrugs, he doesn't seem too bothered by your refusal. You guess it's a good thing. He could have been a serial killer for all you know. As it is, he just seems a regular guy. He fishes a phone from his pocket and hands it to you. You take the roadside assistance card from your wallet and ring them on the borrowed phone. When you're done, you hand it back with a "thank you". The assistance will be there shortly. "Are you sure you don't want me to look into it, Love? It'd be quicker and cheaper." He asks again. "[[I'm good]], thanks." You reply with a smile. "[[Actually, yes]], I'd prefer that."

The man leaves. You sit down in your broken down car and wait for assistance. At least the weather is nice and warm. The radio is still on, blasting songs from the 80s. All in all, it's not a bad way to pass the time. Finally, around an hour later, you see the tow truck heading in your direction. This long national nightmare is finally over. You can't wait to get home, charge your phone and tell your friends all about your botched excursion. This is why you never leave the house. [[Continue|End 1]].

You climb into Ross Barton's car and he drives you right into Emmerdale. He stops outside a mechanic's shop called "Dingle Automotives". "You can stay here if you want. I'll tow your car and bring it back. I'll need at least a couple of hours." He says. You nod. "What's there to do around here?" He shrugs. "Not much. You can walk around." Maybe small villages aren't that charming after all. [[Walk around|Walk]]. [[Wait there]].

You did it! You survived! You cheating cheater. Is it even surviving Emmerdale if you never step foot into the village? I mean, good life choices, bad game strategy. Start again, and maybe this time make some more exciting choices. Live a little. Or die. But at least try harder.

You decide to walk around and enjoy nature. It's a nice, warm day and you won't let your car troubles stop you from enjoying it. You start walking around the fields. This is actually quite nice. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, some teenagers are getting smashed in public. Wait. That's not right. You stop dead in your tracks. There, not too far away from you, there are two girls, loudly drinking alcohol. One has curly brown hair, the other straight blond hair. They can't be older than fifteen or sixteen. You have two options here. Mind your own business and move on, or go make sure nothing dangerous is happening there. [[Mind your own business]]. [[Go over there]].

You decide to wait it out there. Ross shrugs and tells you to suit yourself. He grabs you a chair and you sit out of the way, so to not inconvenience him while he works and so you're sitting in the shade. It's really warm today. Without even your phone to keep you company you take out a book from your purse and start reading. You're so engrossed that you don't realize an hour and a half as gone by until Ross shakes you from your daze. He needs his boss to sign off the repair and then you can go. 15 more minutes top. You stay where you are. You're just about to go back to your book when you see something weird. Two women, walking close to one another, one in front of the other. They both look nervous and they sneak into the garage, closing the door behind them. They didn't see you. You're willing to chalk it up to general weirdness, when you hear them talk animatedly from inside. It sounds serious. You: [[Go in]]. You're curious and you wanna know what's going on. [[Mind your own business|myob2]]. It's nothing to do with you. [[Go on that walk after all]]. Surely better than whatever is going on there.

You're not their parents and this is really none of your business. You sit down not too far away, hidden away behind a tree. You can see them and intervene if it gets out of hand, but you're just going to relax. You still have some time to kill. You: Go back to the [[autorepair shop]]. Take a [[nap]].

You approach the girls, strolling amiably up to them. They barely even notice. They look even younger up close. "Are you girls supposed to be doing that?" You ask with a cheerful tone. "Are ya supposed to be wearing that?" The blonde one asks, gesturing at your outfit. Rude. "Liv, come on." The dark haired one admonishes her friend. Great, annoying teenagers. Because your day was getting too good. You: [[Sigh and leave|autorepair shop]]. Kids these days have no respect for authority. "[[Aw that's adorable]], she's a belligerant drunk. I wonder if she'll feel the same once I get your parents here." You say. You're an adult, damn it, you're gonna act like one.

You take your jacket off and put it under your head as a makeshift pillow. This is nice. This is peaceful. You fall asleep, waking up an hour or so later. Just in time to go check on whether you car is ready or not. Go to the [[autorepair shop]].

You go back to the mechanic's shop and see that Ross is no longer there. The door is closed, but your car is still out front, bonnet down. It seems all in order, but you need Ross to give you the keys so you can pay and leave. You get closer and from inside you hear voices. Two women. You can't really make out what they're saying, but clearly neither of them is Ross. You really want to go home. You: [[Go in]]. It's business hours and your car is right there, for heaven's sake. Maybe they'll know where Ross is. [[Mind your own business|myob]]. You can wait for Ross outside.

You barge into the garage, the door unlocked, and you immediately wish you hadn't done that. There are two women inside. One had dark hair, the other blond. The dark haired one is holding a knife. It might be the shock, but before you can do anything like scream or run she grabs you and shoves you inside, closing the door behind you. "Don't do anything rash, Emma." The blond woman says, addressing the dark haired one. "No, I can't let you go to the police. I would lose my boys. I can't." She sobs. Awesome. Only you could go out for a day and end up in a bloody hostage situation. Brilliant. You: [[Try for the door|escape]]]. She's distracted and there's a good chance you can do this. [[Try to talk her down|talk]]. You need to defuse the situations if there's hope of making it out alive.

You wait and you wait. The voices inside are still going, but you're not listening. Finally, at least fifteen minutes later, Ross reappears. Not from inside the garage, but from the street on your right. At least he's here now. "Is my car ready?" You ask. "Yes, Love. It was the water pump's shaft seal as suspected." He replies. He assures you it wasn't a particularly difficult or expensive repair. You pay and he gives you your keys. You're ready to leave. You: [[Drive safely out of there|End 2]]. Bye Emmerdale! [[Floor the gas pedal|End 3]]. The sooner you get out of this village, the better.

Congrats! You did it! Pat yourself on the back, my friend, that was no easy feat. You either managed to avoid drama completely or you managed to act like enough of a normal person that the Narrative got confused and let you go. Either way, good on you.

You fool. You absolute fool. You were so close to freedom. So close to life. But no. You had to go and disregard the "drive safely" sign. You have awoken the entity that sleeps in these peaceful hills. It's hungry now. It demands a blood offering. Your blood. You will never be free.

You try for the door. You run, and the adrenaline is helping. Your hand closes around the handle when you feel it. A sharp pain in your neck. A high pitched scream. Babbling. Your vision blurs. You can't breathe, but you can taste blood in your mouth. You fall down. [[Continue|End 4]].

"Emma, right?" You ask. She nods. Okay this is already something. "Listen, why don't you tell me what happened uh? I don't know you, I'm impartial here." "It was an accident. I didn't mean to. He fell." Great. Just great. An hostage sitation with someone who clearly killed before. Amazing. "[[Lady, what is wrong with you?]]" "[[I mean, that's understandable.]] Accidents happen." [[This is too much for you.]] You fall onto your knees and you start crying.

You're dead! You're super dead and it's your fault! You let yourself be swallowed by the plot and here we are. Enjoy the afterlife, you dingus.

The woman, Emma, turns towards you, the knife held tightly into her hand. The other woman is signaling to you to shut up, but it's too late. Emma is coming towards you. "I did it for my boys." She says. She sounds scarily calm. "I just wanted him to love me. To love us. Why couldn't he do that? WHY?" She screams, attacking you with her knife. She stabs you, one, two, three times, in the stomach. You fall down, blood pouring over the floor and seeping into your clothes. The other woman is trying to stop it, but you know it's too late for you. [[Continue|End 4]].

Why are you even there? Why is this happening to you? You just wanted to have a nice day out and maybe see a cow and take a picture to put on instagram. This is too much. You can't believe you're being held hostage by a weirdo with a knife. You keep wailing. The blond woman tries to comfort you, probably fearing this will make Emma snap. Before this can happen, however, the door opens up again. Ross walks in. Emma immediately drops the knife. "Mum? Laurel?" He asks, stunned. He looks at you, still crying on the floor. Next to you the knife. Of course. Of course the woman who just kidnapped you is the mother of the guy fixing your car. Because this is just the type of day you're having. "Please. Just let me leave. Please." You beg them. Stunned, Ross just throws you your keys. They fall next to the knife. You take them and pick yourself up. You run out of there like hell. You: [[Take a moment|End 2]] to sit in your car and calm yourself down. You can't drive in that state. Slowly, you start your car and drive away. [[Floor the gas pedal|End 3]]. The sooner you get out of this village, the better.

You try to soothe the woman. "It was an accident." You say. "Through no fault of your own someone got hurt. Everyone would understand that." "Yeah, that's true." The blond woman adds, clearly understanding what you're going for. Emma blinks away tears, she lowers the knife, a little bit, not too much, but enough for you to get closer. Nice and slowly like they show on Law & Order: SVU. You: [[Try to take the knife.]] [[Motion for the other woman to take the knife.]]

You get closer and try to take the woman's knife from her. As soon as you get close enough, however, the door opens and Ross walks in. It's an accident, really, this time it is. The knife is just in prime artery slicing position and Emma turns really quickly. Before you know it, there's blood everywhere. Your blood. [[Continue|End 4]].

You must have miscalculated just how convinced Emma was, or maybe Law & Order lied to you. As soon as the other woman gets close enough to grab the knife, Emma seems to lose it. She lashes out, hitting the other woman and then turning onto you. One moment she's holding the knife, the next it's embedded in your chest. [[Continue|End 4]].

You decide to walk around and enjoy nature for a few minutes. It's a nice, warm day and you won't let your car troubles stop you from enjoying it. You start walking around the fields. This is actually quite nice. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, some teenagers are getting smashed in public. Wait. That's not right. You stop dead in your tracks. There, not too far away from you, there are two girls, loudly drinking alcohol. One has curly brown hair, the other straight blond hair. They can't be older than fifteen or sixteen. You have two options here. Mind your own business and move on, or go make sure nothing dangerous is happening there. [[Go back to the garage|myob2]]. [[Go over there]].

You wait and you wait. The voices inside are still going, but you're not listening. Finally, at least fifteen minutes later, Ross reappears. "Everything done?" You ask. "Yes, Love. It should definitely keep together until you get home, but get it checked again in a few months. Those things are finnicky." He replies. "Thanks." You reply, smiling. You pay and he gives you your keys. You're ready to leave. You: [[Drive safely out of there|End 2]]. Bye Emmerdale! [[Floor the gas pedal|End 3]]. The sooner you get out of this village, the better.

The girls barely have the time to look suitably chastised when two boys appear from behind you. They look older than the girls. Meaner. Great. More teenagers with an attitude. Fantastic. "Are we having a problem?" One of them asks, with a leer in your direction. You look at the girls. The blond one, Liv, looks defiant, the other one looks scared. You: "[[Let's go girls.]]" You say. You don't expect it to work, but the girls get up. "[[Yes, it's your muppet face]]." You reply, getting into the guy's face.

The girls start walking, you behind them, making sure they're going towards the village. They stumble around a bit, but otherwise they seem fine. Good. The last thing you need now is babysitting some random drunk kids. You're back into the village when you realize the guys from before are following you from a distance. "What do those guys even want?" You ask, more to yourself than anything else. "They like us." The girl with brown hair says. "No, Gabby. They don't." Liv answers before you could say the same exact thing. "They're wankers." You feel like you should admonish the use of rude language, but eh, she's got a point. "Okay, where's a place I can leave you safe, both from yourselves and those guys?" You ask. "There's a pub right there. Her family owns it." Gabby says. Liv elbows her in the arm. So, that's probably the truth. "Fine. Go. You get a pass this time. Make better choices or whatever." You tell them, because you have to. You see them go inside. And your good action for the day is done. The other teenage terrors are still following you, this time shouting obscenities at you. You: Roll your eyes and [[go back to the autorepair shop|autorepair shop]]. [[Confront them]].

As soon as the guy's entire attention is on you, you motion to the girls to leave. To their credit, they do. At least you don't have to worry about them too now. "Say that againg." The muppet says, shoving you. Ugh, gross, he touched you. "You got a muppet face." You reply, shrugging. This is the most childish thing you have done in forever, but at least it's fun. "Oh yeah." He says. "And now?" He asks, taking a switchblade out of his pocket. Okay this is no longer fun. If you get killed by teenagers you're gonna be so mad. "[[Okay, calm down]]." You say, taking a step back. "[[Yep, still muppet face]]." You say, putting on a brave face you're not feeling.

You turn around. "Shut up!" You say. You didn't know you hated teenagers so much until this very moment. "Or what?" They taunt you. You: [[Back away and leave|autorepair shop]], this isn't worth it. [[Shove the prick]].

Before you can really realize what's going on, your frustration reaches fever pitch and you shove the kid. You're immediately horrified. This is not a solution to your problems. You're half considering apologizing when the guy shoves you too, with much more force than you had put into it. You lose your balance and you fall down. You hear the sickening crack of your skill against a rock and then nothing more. [[Continue|End 4]].

"Ah you're scared now, are you?" The guy asks, his friend laughs a mean sort of way. You can't believe this is a real thing that is happening to you. You: [[Rush the guy]]. You can take him, probably. [[Take a step back]]. Try to gain some distance.

In all honestly, you should have seen the stabbing coming. [[Continue|End 4]].

You feel the knife go into your stomach before you ever really feel any pain. You fall down on your face, which just drives the blade further in. The two punks turn you over and take the knife out. Now, that, you totally felt. Your last thought is that this is ridiculous. [[Continue|End 4]].

You take a step back and you see someone on the other side of the field. They're not looking in your direction, but you could signal to them, maybe they can help you. Or you could run. As long as you get away from that knife, you're golden. You: [[Call for help]]. [[Run]].

You hope your mouth to call for help, but the two teenagers seem to anticipate your move. They tackle you to the ground. One sitting on you while the other covers your mouth. From here that person can't see you. You try to struggle free, but the more you move, the more you can't breathe. Soon, you pass out. They don't realize it. [[Continue|End 4]].

You make a break for it. The guys follow you, but you're faster than them. Yes, you can do this. You're just about to slow down when you trip. You lose your balance and you fall down. You hear the sickening crack of your skill against a rock and then nothing more. [[Continue|End 4]].

You go left. You see a woman walk by. She's blond, tall, she looks a bit lost herself, but maybe that's just her espression. She's wearing loud, form fitting clothes, but they look good on her. You: [[Ask her for directions|Ask directions]] to the nearest mechanic's shop. [[Go back and go right|Right]]. [[Go back and go ahead|Ahead]].

You go right and you see a woman with black curly hair unloading boxes from a van. You: [[Ask her for directions|Ask directions 3]] to the nearest mechanic's shop. [[Go back and go left|Left]]. [[Go back and go ahead|Ahead]].

You go ahead and you see two men walking towards you. The look like walking contradictions. One is very tall, lanky, with jet black hair. The other is shorter, rounder, and bald. You: [[Ask them for directions|Ask directions 2]] to the nearest mechanic's shop. [[Go back and go right|Right]]. [[Go back and go left|Left]].

You stop the woman. She seems confused, but she smiles at you. "Hello, do you know where I can find a mechanic around here?" You ask her. "Sure thing, love. There's one right there." She says, pointing you towards a specific direction. "The owner's Cain Dingle. Not the best sort of fellow." She says, scrunching her nose. Then, as if she suddenly remembers you're still there, she quickly adds: "But a great mechanic!" "Thanks?" You say. She smiles at you and nods to herself, as if happy of a job well down. You chalk it up to general small village weirdness and head towards the mechanic's shop. [[Continue|Ross]].

You stop the two men and ask them for directions to the nearest mechanic around there. Both their faces do complicated things. It would be rude to just burst out laughing right then and there, but you're seriously considering it. "Yes of course!" The tall one says. "There's his cousin, right around the corner!" The other one adds, pointing to his right. "My cousin, Cain Dingle. Best mechanic in all of Yorkshire. Tell him Marlon sent you." The tall one, Marlon, says. "Yes, do that- but actually, no, don't do that." He tells you, then turns to Marlon. "Remember the thing the other day?" He asks doing something complicated with his eyebrows. "Oh, yes, good point. Don't tell him that." "O-kay. Thanks?" You say. They look satisfied enough to continue with their day and you go in the direction the mentioned. [[Continue|Ross]].

You go right and you go stand next to the woman, politely catching her attention. "Yes, love?" She asks in a Scottish accent, looking up at you. "Excuse me, do you know where I can find a mechanic around here?" You ask. She smiles at you kindly and points to a repair shop just a few meters ahead. "That's the best around." She adds. "Thank you." You say. [[Continue|Ross]]

You get to the mechanic's shop and you find a young man working. He's not too tall, with brown eyes and brown hair, and some stubble. You approach him. "Hi, my car broke down in the middle of the road. Can you help me?" You ask. "Sure." He replies with a shrug. You give him the exact directions to where you left your car. "Thanks you, Mr.-?" You ask. "Ross Barton." He replies, smiling at you. "You can stay here if you want. I'll tow your car and bring it back. I'll need at least a couple of hours." He says. You nod. "What's there to do around here?" He shrugs. "Not much. You can walk around." Your typical luck. [[Walk around|Walk]]. [[Wait there]].

You strain your hear and you just about manage to hear the woman scold the teenager for being reckless and impulsive. "Can I trust you to stay here while I use the restroom for a few minutes?" She asks him, clearly frustrated. "I don't know. Can you?" The teen replies. She huffs. "No, clearly I can't. Clearly you still need a babysitter." She snaps as she gets up and walks in your direction. You straighten up, trying to look less guilty than you feel. "Excuse me, I have a weird favor to ask." She says, her voice now sweet and polite. She's gorgeous, and you can tell from her clothes, she's also rich. "Sure?" "I need the restroom for a second. Could you make sure my son, Lachlan, doesn't leave the cafè?" She asks, pointing at the teen. You eye him for a second. "I'll pay you for your kindness." She continues. You: [[Accept]]. Some extra money is always appreciated, and how hard can looking after a kid for a few minutes be? [[Refuse]]. You really don't need the hassle.

You decide to mind your own business. The last thing you need is to accidentally become privvy to some weird village secret or something like that. You keep enjoying your meal. Which is why you're caught by surprise when the woman comes up to you. "Excuse me, I have a weird favor to ask." She says. She's gorgeous, and you can tell from her clothes, she's also rich. "Sure?" "I need the restroom for a second. Could you make sure my son, Lachlan, doesn't leave the cafè?" She asks, pointing at the teen. You eye him for a second. "I'll pay you for your kindness." She continues. You: [[Accept]]. Some extra money is always appreciated, and how hard can looking after a kid for a few minutes be? [[Refuse]]. You really don't need the hassle.

"Sure thing." You say, turning your chair to look at the kid while his mum leaves. As soon as the door is firmly shut behind her, he gets up. "Where are you going?" You ask. You take your duties very seriously. "I'm leaving." He says, smirking at you. "But your mum..." You trail off, looking at the bathroom door. The kid scoffs. Teenagers these days. No respect. "Who's gonna stop me? You?" He asks before legging it out of the cafè. You: [[Follow him]]. You're gonna find that asshole kid if it kills you. [[Wait for his mum|Chrissie]]. You can just explain what happened. [[Leave]]. The sooner you're out of there, the sooner this bizarre nightmare will be over.

"Ehm. No, thanks?" You say, hoping you're not offending her. That's the last thing you want. Except looking after her semi-adult son. People here are weird. She huffs, grabs her son and rushes out of the place. She's probably going to the restroom somewhere else. Somewhere her kid will wreak no havoc. You finish your food and drink. Now, what can you do? [[Go to the pub|Pub3]]. You could do with something stronger just about now. [[Leave|Car]]. It's time for you to head home.

You're out on the street and you can't see the kid anywhere. You can either you left or right. You: [[Go left]]. [[Go right]].

You wait for the woman to leave the bathroom, all the while thinking about what you're going to say to her. She finally comes out. "Where's Lachlan?" She asks, as soon as she sees you standing there. "He... left." You say. "What do you mean he left?" She asks, she looks very very mad. "He just, you know, left. This cafè is hardly Alcatraz, is it?" You say, trying to lighten the mood a little. "I'm surrounded by idiots!" She screams. You want to argue, but well, you did just fail pretty spectacularly at the one thing she had asked you to do. "Come on, help me find him." She continues, dragging you out of the place. You: [[Agree|Follow him]]. It is kinda your fault the kid left. [[No, thanks|No thanks1]]. You've had enough of this whole family drama.

Honestly this really doesn't concern you. The mum looked scary though, so you're going to leave before she realized you absolutely failed at your one job. You really don't wanna get to the wrong side of her. You: [[Go to the pub|Pub3]]. You could do with a drink now. [[Go back to your car|Car]]. You've been here long enough.

You turn left and start walking in that direction, keeping an eye for the runaway teen. You're so engrossed that you don't even notice the man walking in your direction until it's too late. You bump into him and you fall down, his coffee now pretty much on you in its entirety. And you even liked this shirt. "Will you look at where you're going!" The man berates you, looking at the minuscule coffee stain on the wrist of his floral shirt. You: [[Apologize]]. After all, you really weren't paying attention. [[Stand your ground]]. He was just as careless as you are, and there's no need to be rude!

You start walking until you eventually reach one of the edges of the village. There's a house there, small, with a pig pen right outside. You take a picture of it with your phone to document the occasion. Sure, you're looking for a runaway teen, but that doesn't mean you can't multitask. Just as you're thinking of rounding back to where you came from, you hear a commotion inside. Two voices, a male one, and a female one. The male one sounds exactly like that Lachlan kid. You: [[Go inside]]. You're taking that kis back to his mom if it kills you. [[Go back]]. It's probably not him, and you don't feel comfortable barging into other people's homes.

"I'm- I'm sorry." You stammer out as you get yourself up. Today is not your day. The guy scoffs, and without even having the decency of apologizing himself or acknowledging you any further, he leaves. What a dick. Before you can continue on your way, you noticed the guy left a clothes bag on the floor. He must have dropped it in the collision. You open it. There's a pretty floral shirt inside. You look at your own stained one. You: [[Leave it|Go right]]. The guy will probably come looking for it and you don't want any more trouble. [[Wear it]]. It only seems fair since his coffee ruined your shirt.

The last thing you need is an asshole berating you for spilling his coffee on you. "If you spent less time looking at your phone like an idiot and watching where you're going, maybe I wouldn't look like an extra from an infomercial on an extra strength stain removed right about now." You snark, picking yourself off the ground. The guy scoffs, and without even having the decency of apologizing or acknowledging your killer line about infomercials, he leaves. What a dick. Before you can continue on your way, you noticed the guy left a clothes bag on the floor. He must have dropped it in the collision. You open it. There's a pretty floral shirt inside. You look at your own stained one. You: [[Leave it|Go right]]. The guy will probably come looking for it and you don't want any more trouble. [[Wear it]]. It only seems fair since his coffee ruined your shirt.

You get back to your car, fully intending to leave this weird little village behind. All in all you had a pretty good time. You turn the radio back on. You: [[Speed away|End 3]]. [[Carefully drive away|End 2]].

You put the shirt on. It's just your colour. You go back to looking for the runaway teenager. What a weird day. You're considering giving up after walking for a good half an hour, when you see a pretty house. Or rather, you see the house's door. It's stained glass, sort of Art Deco. Your instagram followers would love a picture of that. You look around. There's no one in sight. You get through the gate and stay under the shade of the trees lining the property. No one will be able to see you this way. You just snapped the picture when you hear it. A gunshot. Then a searing pain hits your stomach. You look at it. There's blood on your pretty new shirt. Your blood. You fall down on your side. Just as you're losing consciousness you see the kid from before running towards you, a shotgun in hand. "You're not Robert." He says, an edge of panic in his voice. [[Continue|End 5]].

Oh, buddy. I don't even know what to tell you. You got mistaken for Robert Sugden and got shot for it. Like. That's on a whole other level of suck. The county should probably issue official warnings against it at this point.

"Sorry, I think I'm done with this whole thing. Good luck finding your son." You say, running out of there as fast as your legs and manners will allow. You: [[Decide to go to the pun|Pub3]]. You definitely need a drink now. [[Decide to go home|Car]]. You've had enough excitement for the day.

You get to the small cottage and try the door. It's unlocked. You barge in. Inside is Lachlan, holding a shotgun, and a blonde young woman. He looks frantic, she looks scared. "CLOSE THE DOOR." He yells at you. You: [[Try to run away]]. Time to nope out of there as fast as possible. [[Comply]]. Better not to antagonize the guy with the gun.

You go back, just as the woman from before arrives back to the cafè as well. She's on the phone, it sounds like she's talking to her dad. When she sees you, she hangs up. "Anything?" She asks, hopeful. "I heard someone who might have been him in that house with the pigs pen. Does that tell you anything?" You ask. "Belle." The woman says. She looks worried. "Well, here we go. I think I'm just gonna..." You say, slowly backing away. What a day. "Yeah, yeah." The woman says, barely acknowledging you. Fair enough. You: [[Go to your car|Car]]. Time to get the hell out of dodge.

You arrive in front of the cafè to see a woman frantically looking around. "Excuse me, have you seen my son Lachlan?" She asks, shoving her phone under your nose. You see a picture of a surly looking kid staring back at you. "No, sorry." You say, apologetic. She looks devastated. You: [[Go your way]]. The last thing you want is to get involved in some strange people's drama. You just want to get something from the cafè. [[Offer to help her look for him|Follow him]]. She gladly accepts your offer and shows you a video of the kid, so you know both what he looks and what he sounds like.

You go into the cafè and a smiling man behind the counter greets you with a cheerful "Good morning, love." You love it. You order yourself a drink and something to eat and go sit down. It's right during that time of the morning where the breakfast crowd has subsided and the lunch rish hour hasn't started yet, so the place is pretty empty. You take a picture of your meal for your instagram followers. What a lovely day. Once you're done, you get up and leave. Time to get back on the road. [[Go yo your car|Car]].

You try to bolt out of there, but it turns out, you cannot run faster than a bullet. Lachlan panics and shoots you, right in the head. Which would be impressive, since you were a moving target and all, if you weren't dead on the spot. [[Continue|End 4]].

You go in, closing the door behind you. Okay, okay. You're in a hostage situation now. Great. Were those instagram pictures worth it? Were they? You take a deep breath. You can do this. You can get out of this. Hopefully. "Why won't you love me, Belle? I love you so much." He says, getting closer to the girl. She recoils, which just seems to make him madder. At least he seems to have forgotten about you. "Lachlan, it's not like that." She says, trying to reason with him. You: [[Use the element of surprise]] to try and get the gun from him. [[Surreptitiously try to take your phone out of your pocket]]. Maybe you can send a call to the police. [[Try and reason with him]]. He's a kid. Maybe you can make him see that this is wrong.

You take a big breath and just run at the kid with all your strength. He isn't expecting it and falls down, but you go down with him. You start struggling to get up and get the shotgun away from him. He kicks at you, but you manage to avoid it. You have a firm grip on the gun's barrel. You can do this. You're not going down without a fight. Just as you're about wrangle the gun away from him, you hear it. A shot. The pain comes right after, low on your stomach. You let go and fall to your side. Lachlan gets up, his trembling hands still on the trigger of the shotgun, his front is completely covered in blood. Your blood. "It was an accident." He says, his voice shaking. He seems to be trying to convince himself. The girl is crying, next to you, trying to stop the bleeding. You appreciate it, but you know it's already too late. [[Continue|End 4]].

You try and make yourself as invisible as possible. It doesn't seem too hard since the guy is clearly just interested in the girl. You sit in a corner on the floor. Away from his direct line of sight. It seems she broke up with him for some reason and he can't take it. Classic straight white man behaviour. But this helps you. Since he's busy, he doesn't notice you taking the phone out of your pocket. You hide it under your thigh and digit 999, making sure to mute the call, so they can hear you, but Lachlan won't hear them. Just as you're afraid the operator will drop your call, the girl, Belle you heard him call her, starts shouting back loud and clear. "And so you come into my house with a shotgun? What is wrong with you? I thought you were different." You look at your phone. The call is still going. You keep breathing, in and out. You tune out the argument. You admire the girl's guts, and it seems like Lachlan isn't going to do anything dumb just yet. You can make it out of this, yet. After a while you hear a sound. Sirens. Getting closer and closer. The rest is a blur of policemen and shouting and before you know it, an officer is taking your statement and giving you some tea. By the time they let you go, it's already dark. You: [[Floor the gas pedal|End 3]]. You need to get out of this nightmare village. The sooner the better. [[Take a moment to compose yourself|End 2]]. The last thing you need is to get into an accident on your way back. You start your car, and carefully leave Emmerdale behind.

"Lachlan, is it?" You ask. "I met your mum. She's looking for you." You continue. Maybe you can remind him that people care about him. "Yeah, I bet." He says with bitterness. Okay, maybe not. "So, tell me, what's the problem here?" You ask. You didn't watch all those hours of In Treatment for nothing. Maybe you can swing this. "Why do you even care?" He asks. You swallow down the 'because I'm your hostage' reply. It wouldn't really do you any good now. "Well, we're here. Why not get to the bottom of this?" You reply, forcing a shrug. If you can keep your cool, maybe you can de-escalate the situation. "We had something special, Belle and I. I thought she understood me. She forgave all the terrible things I did. But now she says I scare her. Me? Scare her?" He scoffs, evidently not seeing the irony in saying that while waving a dangerous weapon around. "[[You're an asshole]]." You reply, heated. "[[She's an asshole]]." You pretend to agree, sending an apologetic look to the girl.

"What is wrong with you?" You ask, raising your voice. "Your girlfriend leaves you because you scare her and your brilliant plan is to threaten her with a gun? You sicken me. You're nothing but a pathetic little boy who never heard the word 'no' in his life and he's now throwing a tantrum about something legitimate." You continue. You're breathing hard, but boy, was it liberating. Too bad the guy doesn't look as relieved as you feel. He looks angry. "You know nothing about me!" He yells, pointing the gun at you. You're going to die for calling out violent misogyny. Typical. "Lachlan, calm down, please." Belle, the girl, pleads with him. She puts a hand on his arm, but he yanks it away from her. The movement jostles the gun suddenly and it goes off. The bullet hits your head before you even realize what's going on. [[Continue|End 4]].

"I mean, look at you. You're clearly a strapping young man." You lie through your teeth. "You can do better." You send the girl another apologetic look. She nods at you. She understands what you're trying to do. "How dare you?" Lachlan yells, flying at you. You try to protect yourself but he hits you on the head with the butt of his shotgun, hard. "She's perfect!" He screams. You go down. You touch your head, your hand comes away red with blood. Lots of blood. Your vision is swimming and you feel like throwing up. The girl flies at your side "What have you done?" She yells. Her hands are warm on your shoulder. Shocked by what he's done, Lachlan lets the shotgun drop. You see it next to you. "Run." You tell the girl. "Go. Now." The last thing you see is Belle running out of the house. [[Continue|End 4]].

Aaron serves you a pint. It's a little too foam-y, but you're hardly one to complain. As soon as he's done, he's back on his phone. Smiling at it. You enjoy your beer. It's nice and cold, just what you need. As you're about to finish, you notice a commotion behind you. There's a guy, he's got glasses and he's wearing a short sleeved shirt in a funky print. He's been flanked by two other guys. They look dodgy as hell. They each put a hand on the guy's shoulders and half lead him, half drag him outside. You: [[Ignore them]]. It's none of your business. [[Tell the bartender]]. Maybe he can do something. [[Follow them]]. The guy might be in danger.

Aaron serves you your orange juice in a glass and you appropriate one of the straws. He doesn't even notice, too busy staring at his phone and smiling. Ah, what a nice and refreshing drink. As you're about to finish, you notice a commotion behind you. There's a guy, he's got glasses and he's wearing a short sleeved shirt in a funky print. He's been flanked by two other guys. They look dodgy as hell. They each put a hand on the guy's shoulders and half lead him, half drag him outside. You: [[Ignore them]]. It's none of your business. [[Tell the bartender]]. Maybe he can do something. [[Follow them]]. The guy might be in danger.

It's probably nothing, and the last thing you want is to kick up a fuss. You finish your drink and decide to leave. Where to next? [[Go check out the cafè|Chrissie2]]. You want something sweet and maybe some coffee. [[Go back to your car|Car]]. It was a nice excursion, but it's time to get back on the road.

"Hey. Bartender, hey!" You say, trying to get the man's attention. Eventually he looks up and looks at you. "Not to be that person, but I think two dodgy types just kidnapped one of your patrons." You tell him. This finally makes him put away his phone. "What patron?" He asks, he sounds worried. "Erhm. Glasses, snazzy shirt, kinda nerdy?" You inform him. "Finn." The bartender says, before bolting out of the door. Oh well. That's that. That's when the girl from before comes out again. "Where's Aaron?" She asks. "He had an emergency. Some guy named Finn?" You say. "Typical!" She says, throwing her hands up in the air in frustration. You can sympathize. You finish your drink and decide to leave. Where to next? [[Go check out the cafè|Chrissie2]]. You want something sweet and maybe some coffee. [[Go back to your car|Car]]. It was a nice excursion, but it's time to get back on the road.

You follow the shady people. They drag the poor guy into an alley. How they managed to find an alley in a tiny Yorkshire village is beyond you, but somehow they did it. The poor guy, you hear one of the shady guys call him "Finn", is trying to plead with them. You can faintly hear him trying to reason with them, not that the other two guys seem that inclined to listen to him. At one point one of them takes a knife out. You: [[Run away]]. Knifes? What kind of crazy village is this? [[Go ask for help]]. There must be someone around who can help. [[Yell at them to stop]]. You need to do something!

You go into the pub and are immediately greeted by the typical atmosphere of a country pub. It's early, but there's already people eating and drinking both at the tables and at the bar. You go sit at the bar. Behind it, there's a surly looking man in his twenties. He has blue eyes, dark hair, a scruffle, and he seems glued to his phone. Before you can get his attention, a young woman comes in from the door behind the bar. She's short and wearing a cook uniform and she's holding a plate of something in one hand. "Aaron!" She chastises the man, swatting at his arm. "If you finished flirting with your husband, there's customers waiting." She continues, going to serve someone at a table behind you. The guy, Aaron, rolls his eyes, but flushes slightly. It's cute. "We weren't flirting." He mutters, coming towards you. "What can I get you?" "[[Beer|Beer2]], please." You deserve a treat, and there's nothing better than a cold beer on a warm day. "[[Orange juice|Juice2]], please." It's too early for alcohol and you don't know when you'll have to drive again.

You start walking towards the pub. It's a nice day, but there's not a lot of people around. As you walk you see something unsettling. It's two guys, half dragging and half leading some poor guy somewhere even more secluded. The guy looks young-ish, with dark rimmed glasses, a printed short sleeved shirt, and an overall nerdy look. You: [[Ignore them|Pub2]]. It's none of your business. [[Follow them|Creepy alley]]. They could be up to something unsavoury.

What the hell? What the hell? What the hell??? Time to leave this place for good. What a day. [[Speed away|End 3]]. [[Carefully drive away|End 2]].

"Stop whatever you're doing! Stop!" You yell. The guys do stop, but well, now they're aware you're there. Which isn't that great for you. Luckily for you, however, it seems like your screaming attracted someone's attention. "What's going on here?" A man asks, coming into the alley. He's older and looks dangerous, with his dark eyes, dark hair, and beaten leather jacket. "Cain, help!" Finn says, trying to struggle free of the men's grasp. "Everyone SHUT UP and get inside the car, or he's dead." One of the men says, gesturing towards a beat up car parked right there. You: [[Run|Run 2]]. There's no way you're getting in there. [[Do as they ask]]. They're the one with the upper hand here.

You run away and stop the first person you see on the street. It's a man, on the older side, kind of scary looking with his dark eyes and a beaten leather jacket. Hopefully scary enough to stop those guys. "Please, you have to help him! Two guys are about to stab a man named Finn in that alley!" You're aware you're not making much sense, but well, who could blame you? Despite the weird speech, you see recognition dawn on the man's face. He stalks towards the alleyway. You: [[Go to your car|Run away]]. You've had enough. [[Go after him]]. They might need your help. [[Go to the cafe|Chrissie2]]. You need to try and forget what just happened.

"What's going on here?" The man asks, running into the alley like a fury. "Cain, help!" Finn says, trying to struggle free of the men's grasp. "Everyone SHUT UP and get inside the car, or he's dead." One of the men says, gesturing towards a beat up car parked right there. You: [[Run|Run 2]]. There's no way you're getting in there. [[Do as they ask]]. They're the one with the upper hand here.

You follow them out, but you can't really see them anywhere. You have two possibilities. [[Go into the creepy alley|Creepy alley]]. [[Go into the conveniently abandoned house]].

The house is just sort of...sitting there. Ominous and empty. You go inside. This would be a great set for a horror movie. It is, however, blessedly empty. No dodgy people in sight. You: [[Go check the creepy alley|Creepy alley]]. Maybe they're there. [[Go back to your car|Car]]. There's a good chance you're making a big deal out of nothing.

You think it's high time you tried to escape this nightmare situation. When they least expect it, you bolt. You hear them yell to you, you turn, just to make sure they're not following you. That's when the car hits you. You weren't really looking at where you were going, and well... you ran right in front of the driver. [[Continue|End 4]]

You get closer to the car. There is literally nothing you want less, but hey, they're the ones with the hostages. One of them being you. This is a nightmare. "This is getting too complicated. Look at this! We have three hostages!" One of the guys says. "It's too much of a hassle." You're very inclined to agree. "Don't lose your cool, man. More hostages, more leverage." The other says. "We're already in trouble after you stabbed that vicar lady, mate." The first one replies, sounding troubled. Great. You're just gonna be another in a long line of stabbings. Amazing. Brilliant. Just what your day needed. Were the instagram pictures worth it? Were they? You: [[Rush the guy with the knife]]. These guys seem incredibly incompetent. Maybe you can get the knife from him. [[Try to talk them down]]. These guys seem hardly career criminals. Maybe you can convince them to let you go. [[Try to hide behind Cain]]. He seems slightly more equipped to deal with this than you are.

As soon as you see that the guy with the knife is distracted, you tackle him. You misjudge the distance, however, and you end up with his knife embedded between your ribs. You start screaming, looking at the knife hilt now protruding from your body. What the hell? What the hell? What the hell? Everyone is screaming with you and the guy who stabbed you puts his hand on the knife again. Before you and Finn can even finish saying "Don't take it out!" He's taken it out. Blood starts gushing out of you like a fountain. This is crazy. You fall down. The assholes run away, leaving you with Finn and Cain, who are trying to stop the bleeding. Slowly, but steadily, you slip away. [[Continue|End 4]]

Okay, okay. You can do this. You can totally do this. Why did you watch all those episodes of Criminal Minds for otherwise? You approach them. Calm and steady. How much of a threat can they really be? "[[You're not criminals]]. You have made some bad choices, but you're not bad people." You tell them. You hope to appeal to their humanity. "[[We're not worth the hassle]]. Come on. Whatever this guy's done to you, it can't be worth wrangling three hostages, is it?" You tell them, trying to appeal to their reasoning skills.

You get behind Cain. You have the distinct impression that things are going to get ugly soon, and at least the guy looks like he knows how to defend himself in a fight. You can't really say the same for yourself or that Finn bloke. Just as you predicted, as soon as Cain sees an opening he goes for the guy with the knife, pummelling him into the ground. The other criminal, horrified and scared, runs away. At first you just think Cain is teaching the guy a lesson, but he's not stopping. You and Finn have to get him off the would be kidnapper before it's too late. "Let me go!" He growls at you. "No!" Finn yells. "Think about Harriet, you can't do this." Whoever Harriet is, the mention of her name seems to calm Cain down. "Let's just call the police, yeah?" You say, taking out your phone. "No!" They both yell in unison. Well. This is weird. But you're not about to start arguing with the guy who probably saved your life. "Listen, thanks for calling me. We've got this from here. Why don't you go?" Cain says. His tone makes it clear it's best for you if you leave. You get back to your car. What a day. [[Floor the gas pedal|End 3]]. You need to get out of this nightmare village. The sooner the better. [[Take a moment to compose yourself|End 2]]. The last thing you need is to get into an accident on your way back. You start your car, and carefully leave Emmerdale behind.

"Come on, think about it. You seem like nice guys. Do you really want kidnapping and whatever you're planning on doing to Finn here on your criminal record?" You ask them. One of the guys, the one without a knife, seems inclined to listen to you. His death grip on Finn's arms softens. "What are you doing, you idiot?" The guy with the knife asks the other one. "We're in too deep!" He berates him. "Oh we won't say anything!" You're quick to assure him. He doesn't look convinced. "Come on, mate. It's not worth it." Guy Without A Knife says. "Whose side are you on, eh?" Knifey replies. "Ours. But we need to be smart about it!" GWAK replies. They keep bickering until things escalate and the two start coming to blows. You're just trying to get the hell out of dodge when one of the guys accidentally pushes you and you fall down. It wouldn't be anything too serious, except your head falls on a rock. All you can hear is the sickening crack of bone smashing. Then nothing more. [[Continue|End 4]].

"Not when there's two of you and three of us." You continue. From the corner of your eye you can see Cain mouthing at you to shut up. You don't really understand why, you think you're doing a decent job here. "You're right." The guy with the knife says. "We need to get rid of you." He continues, coming closer to you. This is not going well. "Oh, come on, let's not-" Before you can even finish speaking, Knife Guy stabs you three times in the stomach in quick succession. "Fuck." You whisper as you fall to the ground. Cain takes advantage of the moment of shock to wrestle the knife out of the guy's hand, while you bleed to death on the pavement. You want to say something to the effect of "Take your time, mate!" but you find that you can't speak. The pain in your stomach is searing. Your vision starts to blur. You can barely make out Finn next to you trying to contain the bleeding. You already know it's too late. [[Continue|End 4]].