Episode 10 - The Cinema of Damnation

[Lara for ever]

Annotation: This story part base on the level “I know what you did…” by Clara & Hochgiftig



Lara’s Adventure Diary, Part 10

Hi, friends! Welcome back for adventure, I’ll tell you a new one today. But well, it will be a strange and unusual one again. But you won’t wonder, for you know me very well meanwhile, would you?
So, first, what do you think about a dress like this for Lara Croft? You are not used to such clothing at me, but I can explain. In fact, I am not a big fan of such “usual” female clothes, and there are only few ceremonial occasions to wear them. For example when I am going to the theatre.
Sometimes I also go to the cinema, but well, no need to wear such clothes then. Something more simple and comfortable also does it then.

The cinema! Now we are at the point! No hunt for artefacts or treasures this time, and also no exploration of future or fantasy worlds. It was a simple cinema visit, for relaxing and recovering after one of my adventures this autumn. But somehow I should have known better, somehow I should have been prepared for the worst. Even with only visiting the cinema for having a nice evening.
But somehow I really didn’t, and I wasn’t prepared. I wasn’t prepared for one of the most horrible experiences of my life...

Well, as I said, this was an unusual adventure again, and also one full of fear. If you never could imagine Lara Croft to be frightened, except for some few moments from time to time, then think it over now. This time there was fear. A lot of fear, as never before experienced in my whole life.
Let me tell you about then…


It was a cold autumn evening in our mansion, straight after coming home from another little Egypt trip – well, yes, sometimes I even still return there for further artefacts – when I decided I would urgently need some rest and recovering. And flipping through the newspaper I found the page with the cinema program.
A good idea, this was what I thought at once, why not going to the cinema after a longer time? This would be a perfect time to relax – but what movie should I choose? Well, what would you think a Lara Croft would like to watch?

So, I decided to choose a horror movie. Normal adventures, fantasy and even Science Fiction, well, I know all those elements from my own true missions. And so I rather wanted to be frightened a little bit, if possible.
Well, that’s my kind of recovering then…

My decision was for the movie “I know what you did last Summer”. This seemed to be some kind of teen slasher movie, but okay, why not? There was nothing better to find this moment, and so it should be this movie.
After saying goodbye to Winston I left the mansion with one of our cars and drove to the town, to our biggest cinema. And so a night began, a very strange night, I should never forget about any more…


Level 1: The Movie Theatre

Well, I can not show you about the beginning of this cinema trip. Of course my camera was in my luggage again, but it was not activated at first. Who would ever think to need it in a cinema? Also I had no weapons on.
At first all things seemed totally normal. There were not many people in this movie, only a few except myself. But after the movie started, only a few minutes later, something very strange happened. I suddenly fell asleep, though I wasn’t tired at all. I could no longer keep my eyes open, and fighting against the tiredness was whole useless. I was sleeping very soon, and all the other visitors with me…

I woke up again five hours later, as my watch told me. Looking around I needed a few moments with understanding where I was and what had happened. The cinema was empty meanwhile, and the movie over a long time. I was whole alone in the cinema, and nobody seemed to have noticed about.



After wondering a few moments I decided to also leave the cinema at once and travelling home again. No need to stay here any longer. The corridors were also left, of course, and I hoped I would find a possibility to leave the cinema at all…



Somehow the whole quietness was really eerie, as I thought…



The stairs towards the entrance. A nice cinema, wouldn’t you agree?



But finally the bad surprise! All doors were blocked, no way for me to leave the cinema any more this night! I also could not shatter any of those windows, because they were unbreakable – great!
A long and lonely night seemed to start…




Well, I could not simply sit and wait for the next day to come. So I decided to explore this huge cinema, and perhaps I would even find another way to leave it. And finally I really discovered something. No, not an escape way, but a secret passage.
A secret passage in a cinema? Strange! Of course my curiosity was aroused, and I followed those dark stairs upwards…



I came to a huge library. Also strange to me, what would a library be needed in a cinema? But well, there is nothing what would be impossible, of course. If anybody would know this best, then me…



I had to solve some puzzles with switches in this library and also succeed in a timed challenge, in order to get a hidden key at last. And now I was very sure this cinema was keeping a big secret, so I had to reveal it. And this key gave me access to a cloakroom then, where I found a key card…



Leaving this cloakroom it suddenly happened. I noticed a guard at a floor below, and I could see him running away, almost as in panic. What was going on here? My camera could not get closer to this eerie scene, but watching it I was very sure about this guard not being alone on this floor. A dark silhouette was following him, but I could only see a strange person covered into a black capuchin. And both persons disappeared behind a door – so, time to do something about this. Though of no weapons I went downstairs and followed the guard without any fear, for it seemed he needed help. I wanted to rescue him, no matter who or what this black shape had been then…



It was too late. The guard was murdered, and the black shape escaped through a ventilation shaft, which was blocked now. I could not do anything here, but taking the weapon of the guard at least.
Now I searched a way to follow the eerie black man, but first there were other problems. For getting a relay to get access to the ventilation shaft I had to destroy a popcorn machine. But instead of popcorn a lot of deadly beetles appeared out of this machine…



There was only one thing I could do now – running for my life! But fortunately I found a way to get rid of those beetles at last…



The relay! Now I could follow the strange black shape…



…at least a few metres. The way was blocked again, but I found a key to get access to another room. A huge store room, and it was puzzle time again. I had to move two big crates onto their right positions to get a needed battery in the end…



I found the place where to use this battery. And so I could enter the rest room now. There were still no answers about what was really going on here…



Nothing in here, as it seemed. But the total quietness really got onto my nerves, I did not feel very comfortable in this cinema. Not at all…



“And then the black man appeared again! I tried to shoot at him, but what another bad surprise – the weapon of the guard did no longer work! Now I really was scared, and I only could run away, as fast as possible! Somehow this damned horror movie had become real, for the black man of it was in this cinema! Somehow he had materialized here, straight from the movie into reality. But no time to search for answers now, I only run for my life. And finally I could escape, the shape was no longer following...



After a while I returned to the rest room. The black man was gone and did not appear again. But he had left something, a paper lying on the floor. Of course I read it, and this is what was written on it:

You are trapped in this cinema, and I have you in my pocket now. You have no chance to escape, if I won’t let you go. There is only one way for you to survive, with getting me what I want. Find the golden medallion for me, then you will be free again in the end. But I warn you, for doing so you must get part of the movie yourself. We will meet again there, but I don’t know you then. Your life will always be in danger then, so be careful. Only with finding the medallion you can come back to reality; and only with bringing it to me you can survive. Then I can rest in peace finally and will disappear forever – or others will follow my path of the damned after you…

Well, nice, wasn’t it? A ghost, a real ghost, which came into our dimension straight from a silly horror movie! I had no idea how this could have happened, but now I was a part of all this. And I had no chance but to follow those instructions. Otherwise, I knew, I would die in this damned cinema.
So, my search for the medallion began – with another timed challenge. I had to reach a higher floor here, to get another needed key…



Finally I got access to the Projection Room. I knew what I had to do, the movie had to start all over again – with me as a new part of it. And so I activated it, falling to the floor the next moment. I lost consciousness...

[Lara for ever]

Level 2: The Movie

Well, I woke up again at a foreign place, and all things had changed. Even my appearance, as you can see. And I was no longer Lara Croft, my name now was Julie. I did not only play a role here, I really WAS this Julie. I was not aware of the actually reality in any way any longer, and only my camera kept the things which happened now. And so, here are the further details of this really creepy story…



So, this is what I knew about the things happened in the movie until the time of my awaking as Julie. She and three of her friends had murdered a man by a car accident, but they decided to spirit the dead body away, so nobody ever found this man. And the teenagers lived with their debt, until a message appeared. A message on a paper, lying in the room of Julie. In my room! So I took and read it, and this is what I found on this paper:



What a shock! Somebody knew about us, somebody really knew what we had done! And this was obviously a warning, so I had to react at once. I went downstairs to meet my waiting friends and talk with them…



Well, the conversation was not a nice one. I felt a deep fear inside me, though the others tried to minimize this incident. But somehow I knew better, somehow I understood this warning. Somebody was after us now, we all were in great danger!



My friends didn’t want to listen. So I left the house alone, for I wanted to solve this mystery. No matter of my fear and the danger, but sitting around and doing nothing wouldn’t help at all. So the only thing I could do was trying to find out about the real identity of the man we murdered…



I walked along the streets of the nocturnal fishing village. But I could not get very far, for the warning got serious so soon…



A dark car attacked me suddenly! I only could run away, I run for my life! But it seemed I had no chance to escape this death trap…





Would this be the end of my search yet?



No, it wasn’t! I could escape the last moment, rescuing myself onto the roof of one of the buildings. The car finally disappeared…



Saved for the moment! But my feelings were right, somebody was after us, somebody was trying to kill us! My friends even didn’t believe so, and now it was only my turn. I had to be faster than the killer with defeating him, before he would kill my friends first. A race against time had begun…

I found a key which gave me access to a building of the village. The house was left, only traces of blood in it! My feelings about all this got darker and darker, for it seemed the stranger played a mad game with us. A game, in which he first had killed all the other inhabitants here, for now having his great joy with us…





Out in the cold night again. I could feel the presence of the stranger, I knew he wasn’t far away. My only chance was about trying to solve this whole mystery and find something to defeat this mad man. Anything…



A dangerous trap room. I needed an item here, so I had to get over those traps. And finally I found a way…



Before getting access to a new area I returned home again. I wanted to try to convince my friends another time – but what a shock, they were gone! No trace of them, no life sign at all except myself.
My heart was about to stand still this moment, and I can not describe the fear I felt. Time was running out, I had to hurry…



The new area. What would I find here now? Could I still solve this mystery and rescue my friends? I was not sure about, not at all…



A beautiful view, don’t you think? If I only had been able to enjoy this scene. But instead death was waiting, and the atmosphere was only about horror and fear…



A ship in the harbour. I had the feeling I could find something on it, but for now there was no chance to reach it.



Another puzzle. A key was lying under that wagon, but how could I put out the blaze? But I could find a way again…



No time to be happy about! The stranger appeared, and now the hunt for my life really began. I had no weapon at all, I only could run away. And the black man followed. My only advantage was that he only seemed to be able to walk slowly then…



Horrible! Further traces of blood, leading straight into the house I just found the key to before.
So, there was no choice again, I had to enter if I really wanted to solve this mystery…



But it was a death trap again! The door closed behind me, and there was no other escape route I could find. Therefore the eerie stranger was also in the house, and the hunt for my life continued…



Well, it was a hard challenge, and I had to use all my abilities to survive, but finally I could reach an elevator and escape…



…only to find myself in some further narrow corridors, where the chase continued. I still was running for my life…



Finally I was save again for some moments. Well, but this room wasn’t any better to me. To reach a key on a higher floor I had to succeed in a double timerun here. As I thought, all of this was a mad game of this stranger, and I was the victim he played with…



Another round then! I had to activate two switches with the black man coming after me…



And one time further saved, by jumping straight through a window! I only was hurt a little bit, but I could escape for now…



But my martyrdom continued. I had to cross this trap room with deadly floor tiles. And the safe ones changed positions in a certain rhythm. Horrible!



After succeeding again I could raise two columns in the water, which would finally give me access to the ship in the harbour. On my way there I suddenly found one of my friends, Ray. He had also lost sight of the others, but didn’t want to move anywhere. So it only stayed my turn, and I continued on my own…




The ship seemed left, as well as the village. No sign of life, and though I knew better. I knew I wasn’t alone on this eerie ship…



In fact, the stranger appeared again, and this time he unmasked himself. I knew this person, I really knew him! It was one of the inhabitants of our village, and the man we thought we had murdered. But he wasn’t dead at all, and now he searched his revenge. He wanted to kill us all – Showdown! Running away again I searched for a weapon on this damned ship, any weapon…



Another shock! My other two friends, they were already killed! Sadness and hate grew bigger and bigger inside me, and though of my own fault I simply only wanted to finish all that – by killing the murderer…



Finally I could find two pistols in a cabin. And in panic fear I shot at the murderer, until he finally died. And this time for real...



Well, there was no happiness or feeling of relief at all in the end. We were also guilty, all of us. And two of my friends had paid the prize for what we did last summer.
A golden medallion was all what remained at last, a medallion of the killer, who was killed himself now. Very sad and lonely I could go home now, during Ray had left the village meanwhile I was very sure to never see him again in my life…



Home again finally. Time to take a little shower, to rub down all the dirt and guilt from me. The steam filled out the bathroom, as even the mirror was steamed up in whole…



And then I was scared to death! The mirror…



The black man returned from death! A normal man before, but now a deadly ghost! And I knew I would die now, for his final revenge! I knew and did nothing, for I only still wanted to find salvation, the end of this cruel nightmare…



So, really the end of a terrible nightmare, a true nightmare? And the end of my life? Would I finally die as this Julie???


Level 1: The Movie Theatre

No, I didn’t! The moment the ghost tried to kill my I awakened from this horrible nightmare. I was back to reality, back in my own life, and back as Lara Croft! With all memories of what had happened just before.
First of all I took a deep breath, before I stood up from the floor. And then I heard the voice of the ghost – the ghost of the man those teenager killed in the movie. The ghost of the movie, which had found a way into our reality. And I could lead him to eternal rest at last, with giving back his medallion to him. The medallion from the movie, which really was in my backpack now…



Back at the entrance of the cinema. The black man was already waiting there, and I did what I had to do. He really did not attack me any more, and I gave the medallion to him…



I didn’t really believe it, but the ghost was true on his word. The entrance opened and I could leave the cinema. The ghost however finally disappeared within a bright light. But though there was still fear inside me, as you can see, for I really run away as fast as I could…



Driving sway with my car I could see what I never wanted to see. But my driving mirror showed me much too clear! The ghost had not died, not at all! Instead I saw the black man disappearing into the fog – and finally I understood all of it!
This damned medallion, it was never meant to get this ghost to eternal rest! Instead I had only released it from its jail, the cinema! Now it could go beyond this place, into our whole world! And it could continue with murders…



What a shock to me! I never told anybody until now, but I am guilty. I released this horrible ghost to save my own life, I brought the medallion to it, which it wasn’t able to get for itself. But there was no other choice, except dying. This does not make anything better, of course, but at least I had to simply tell the truth now. And if really further persons will have to die, then it is also my fault!
As you see, also Lara Croft is not inerrable, not at all! For the moment I have to live with this blame, and I can only hope there will be the chance to correct this mistake some day. And so, this story isn’t over yet. I will always keep my eyes open, searching for traces of this mad ghost. Perhaps I can find it again some day, and then with better equipment and chances. At least I have to try, to end this story in any way.
I know I can’t live with this guilt forever. But I won’t give up hope to still destroy this ghost one day. And if it happens I’ll tell you, of course.”[/i]

“So, another story is over then. One I rather would burry in the deepest ocean forever, but I can’t. Perhaps some day, but not now. Not at all!
And by the way, as it seems this movie was made by real facts, how I could find out. At least those four teenagers, they really lived. But all of them were murdered by an unknown killer some time ago.
Frightening, isn’t it?

Okay, enough of this tragedy now! I hope we will meet again soon for another story, and believe me, it won’t have to do anything with horror! Promised!

The End of Episode 10