Bloody Business - Excerpts

This is a collection of some of my favorite pieces of writing from my Twine game, Bloody Business. The main premise of the game is that you, the player, are a newly-risen vampire that has been put in charge of a failing nightclub with only three days to make rent. The tone of the game is dark comedy with a dash of horror. More details on this game can be seen in my Game Design Portfolio.

These passages have been reworked slightly to be more easily presented here, have been stripped of dynamic scripting, and for the sake of clarity I have not shown all possible choices for all passages.

An Offer

You feel their presence the moment they step into your club. Another vampire is here. They haven't seen you yet, but you suspect that they can sense you, too.

Player: I have an obligation to greet my guest.

You make eye contact with the other vampire. You can tell she's much, much older than you. The look in her eyes is curious, but not threatening. She makes her way across the dance floor with ease, and the look on her face tells you that she's hungry,

"May we speak in your office?" she asks you.

Player: But of course.

You allow the vampire into your office. She smells faintly of centuries-old atrocities and rosemary. "I trust that you are busy, so let me be brief," she says. "I understand this to be your territory, and I would like to make a trade. Allow me to take five of the young mortals outside with me, and I'll give you $150."

Player: That doesn't seem like enough. How about $250?

"Oh ho, we have a newly-risen haggler in the city," she laughs. "Fine, I suppose that's only fair."

She grins, revealing perfectly white, perfectly razor-sharp fangs. She pulls a few ancient gold coins from a purse and places them in your palm.

"Thank you for your business," she says, cheerily. "I'll be sure to stop by again very soon."

You gain $250.

As you watch her take her pick of the herd, you feel a pang of guilt for the lives you've doomed for rent money.

5 guests leave the club.

You lose 1 Humanity.

Player: Wait, how do I convert these gold coins to cash?

DJ Spin Dr. Acula

Shortly after you call their agent, Dr. Acula arrives accompanied by a dozen scantily-clad mortals that they calls their "thralls". The mortals don't look terribly healthy and are showing signs of recent blood-loss. With their help, Dr. Acula promises, the club will be, "positively pumping with mortal blood."

Player: Ominous! I love it.

(Later in the game.)

Dr. Acula is absolutely slaying it tonight. The amount of humans in this club threatens to be a fire code violation, but in a good way!

DJ Spin Dr. Acula’s popularity has increased, bringing more guests to the club.

Player: For that price they better be pulling in these numbers.

(Later in the game.)

You and DJ Spin Dr. Acula stare deeply into each other's eyes from across the room. Mortals sway and dance, grinding their hot, sweaty bodies to the pounding beat of the music. Their unblinking cold gaze meeting yours would make your heart skip if it didn't lie dead in your chest. You feel a hunger, and you can't tell if it's yours or theirs. It excites you. It terrifies you.

You can tell that they'll be coming back again.

Dr. Acula's cost is reduced on future nights by 25%.

Player: I need to bite something.

Whispers from Below

You hear a whisper, beckoning you. Following the sound, you find yourself in a dusty store room. Chairs and table are piled up high in here, with a layer of dust that suggests decades of time since they were last used. The sound appears to be coming from a door in the back that you've never noticed before.

Player: Open the door.

You open the door to reveal an ancient stairwell. The stairs are stone and of an architectual style completely unlike the club they sit beneath. You follow the whisper deeper into the dark. The stairs end at a single, ornate chamber. The walls are covered in bookshelves, and the shelves themselves are filled with dusty tomes with titles in a lettering you don't recognize.

In the center of the chamber is a table upon which sits an orb of a black darker than the darkness. The orb is whispering to you. You get the distinct impression that it can see you.

Player: Approach the orb.

You approach the orb. The whisper becomes louder, until it becomes a clear voice in your head.

"Hey, friend, how's it going?" says the ominous black orb in a grimly chipper voice.

Player: I died this week.

"Cool, cool," says the orb. "Look, I don't want to take a lot of your time, though I'm not in any rush myself on account of seeing and knowing everything that ever was or ever will be. I've just got to offer you a deal, you know? Normal orb things. You trade me a little bit of your soul, and I'll make the Dark Arts a little easier for you to use."

Player: I have a strict rule against trading pieces of my soul to inanimate objects, sorry.

You leave the area and lock the door. Eventually, the whispers stop.

Player: I should board up that room.

Battle of the Business Owners

The night is raging on when you hear a howl coming from the entrance of the club. You immediately recognize the voice as Mel Dusa, the owner of a hair salon across the street. Like you and your boss before you, she's a monster. You hear some screaming from the dance floor.

Player: I should probably go take care of her.

You run out to the dance floor and catch Mel Dusa in the middle her horrible transformation. Patrons are screaming and running for cover, but the DJ continues to play, not missing a beat. Mel's body shifts and squirms, becoming larger and stronger. Razor-sharp claws erupt from her fingers. Her face elongates and grow great fangs. Her body becomes covered in shaggy fur.

Player: Wait, she's a werewolf?

Mel Dusa lunges at one of your patrons, but you manage to catch her in time. Unfortunatley, you also catch the razor sharp claws. The ensuing struggle tires you both out, but you manage to chase Mel away before she can do property damage.

You lose 2 Blood from bodily damage.

Player: Are all the business owners around here monsters?

The Cops

Someone called the cops! Apparently some of your patrons tonight have committed the mortal crime of "felony larceny."

Do you try to make this go away?

Player: Offer the cops a bribe.

The cops eye you suspiciously as you approach them.

Player: Quickly, officers! This $100 bill has done so many crimes and should be taken immediately.

A cop places handcuffs around the $100 bill and says, "Come on, officers, let's get this bad boy down to the station."

You lose $100.