strangetomato | Strangetown: Chapter Fourteen

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Strangetown: Chapter Fourteen

Warnings: violent situations, sorrow, and death.

Chapter Fourteen

Buck had been waiting for about a week.

He had been waiting ever since the General had left. One evening, Buzz had received an unexpected phone call. He had quickly hung up the phone, and left the house without delay, telling Buck that he was going to go out and pick up some groceries. He had yet to return.

The call had been from a woman, and she had said, "Good evening, General Grunt. I have some information that I think you'll be very interested in." After a pause, she said, "I know where your wife is." That woman had been Olive Specter.

Olive Specter, like most serial killers, had started young.

She sought knowledge of the one thing that people knew the least about, which was death itself. Her curiosity about the great beyond led her to kill things, small at first, but her need to explore the boundaries of life and death grew over time.

She had always lacked sympathy and emotion for others, but she had learned to mask this very well. Her social talents had led her into a career as a professional party guest. Nobody would ever had guessed that her charisma was a trained act, and beneath her poise was an empty soul, which did not relate to normal human emotions and pain.

Some of her murders were pragmatic, like those of her husbands, and the ocassional service worker who saw or heard too much, but others, like Willow and Creon Nigmos, were merely for her own enjoyment. She didn't understand and feel those emotions herself, but did draw a great deal of enjoyment from observing and recording the misery of others.

Somewhere along the line, after she had murdered a great number of victims, she became fixated on death itself. Death, the entity.

Death was beautiful, calm, and efficient. A powerful figure that did exactly what he existed to do, and nothing more. He didn't overstep his role by making judgements, feeling emotions, or even choosing who would live and who would die. He just showed up to collect you. He did his job without pity or waste.

It was a thing of beauty, and Olive fell deeply in love with the very essence of death.

Death returned her affection. After some time, he became fixated with Olive too, since she was such a repeat customer. After she had killed her second husband, Death finally approached her, and spoke frankly with her, as an equal.

Death, for his part, wanted offspring. A legacy in the living world. Olive agreed to do this favour for him, and they consummated their love for each other.

And so, Osiris Specter came into the world.

Taking in Ophelia had put a stop to Olive's normal activities, and she resented her greatly for it. There were many days when Olive had regretted letting the girl live, since her first instinct had been to kill her too, when she had killed her parents. But no, adopting the girl had been such a good way to remove suspicion from herself after the "accident". Olive really had no choice but to do it.

With Ophelia around, Olive had to be very careful. She had to cut back on her murders, though she still manged to fit one in here and there, but nothing really worthwhile. Nothing exquisite. Olive instead, spent her days preparing for her magnum opus. Her finest death of all.

She had known that her activities were beginning to draw suspicion from Ophelia. The girl was clever, afterall, in addition to being disgustingly sweet. She knew that Ophelia was concerned about the plants that she was growing and the potions that she was concocting, but she knew that the girl was too afraid to do anything about it, and soon, very soon, she would leave the mansion forever.

Yes, Ophelia was far too afraid. Olive savoured her fear like a fine wine. Ophelia feared death, feared life, and feared being alone. She was haunted by the ghosts of the mansion, but also by the terrible ghosts of her past. Olive had always hoped the girl would finally succumb to her fears and kill herself. What a beautiful death that would be, and one that Olive was unable to fully create herself. That type of death made Death himself weep.

Her next victim, who would be one of her very last, would be her greatest achievement. A most worthy opponent.

General Buzz Grunt. She had initially targeted him as her next husband, but that plan hadn't worked out.

She had watched his marriage dissolve with great interest, and then, when it seemed as if Lyla would go back to Buzz, she had insured that this would not happen.

After a respectable amount of time had passed, Buzz found himself back on the dating scene, and Olive prepared to make her move. She knew that Buzz was highly sought after, and she was hardly a young woman, but her charms had served her very well in the past. She had always been able to take whatever she wanted.

She started out slowly, by talking to him. Buzz was polite enough about it, and seemed genuinely interested in learning more about Olive. He was curious about her reputation, she could tell, but he avoided any mention of the rumours that surrounded her. He was a smart man.

Olive had thought that she was doing very well, but when she finally made a romantic overture, she was quickly shut down. Buzz didn't just reject her, he humiliated her in front of the entire bar. Olive was filled with rage.

Buzz would pay for rejecting and humiliating her. He would pay with his life.

It took the General almost no time at all to show up at Olive's home that evening, after the phone call had been made. Olive had known exactly what to say.

"Well, hello, General Grunt." Olive said as he passed through the door.

"Well, Olive, I'm listening." Buzz said, abruptly. "I want some answers."

"What's your hurry, Buzz? Don't you have any manners? Come in and stay a while. We have a lot to discuss."

"Would you care for a drink, Buzz?" Buzz hesitated. "You're not going to be like that, are you? I'm only trying to be hospitable. If we're going to be civilized about this, you must at least share a drink with me." She left the room and went to the kitchen, and returned with two glasses.

"I know what you're thinking. I've heard those rumours about me too, but don't worry, Buzz." She smiled and gestured to the glasses in her hands. "Here. Take your pick. I'll drink the other one." Buzz reached out and took one.

"There. See, it wasn't so hard, was it? Despite what you may have heard, I don't actually bite." She smiled, while Buzz remained somber.

"Now, let's have a little chat, shall we?"

"Olive, I hope you're going to explain yourself, and soon."

"Yes, about your wife..." She smiled. "I'm afraid that I had to kill her."

Buzz felt an odd feeling come over him. Olive noticed the brief look of shock which swept over his face. She smiled, and explained it to him. "You were right, Buzz. You shouldn't have drank it. Yes, I drank it too, but I have already taken something to counter it."

Buzz suddenly found himself with no control at all over his own body.

"That's better." Olive's voice was even and calm. "You won't be resisting me this time, Buzz. We're going to get right to business here. I have no time to waste. There are plenty of things I'd love for us to do if we had more time, but time is something that I'm running out of, I'm afraid"

Even then, having lost control of his body, there was a part of the General's mind that resisted it and was aware of his situation. He knew that what Olive said was true, though. He would do whatever she told him to do.

"Here's how this will go, General. I will direct you, and you will act." Her gaze was unwavering, but a smile crept across her face. "I have some garden shears here, and they are sufficiently sharp to do the trick. You're going to pick them up, and then you're going to kill yourself with them. Is that clear?"

Buzz couldn't respond. Olive knew that. "It's really quite simple."

She led the way into the room where she grew her plants and directed Buzz to pick them up. He knew that he would obey, and he did. They walked back to the dining room.

"And now, raise them up nice and high." Olive grinned. "We want to make sure it's nice and dramatic." Buzz did this. "I'm thinking that plunging it directly into your heart would be the way to go, if that's alright with you, Buzz." Buzz struggled with all his might to resist.

Buzz wasn't ready to go without a fight. Like the General that he was, he would fight to the very last breath.

He concentrated and focussed all of his strength to resist her, and finally, after moments seemed to stretch on for hours, it worked. His hand opened, and the shears fell to the floor with a loud clang.

"Very impressive, Buzz." Olive smiled. "Nobody has ever defied me quite as well as you have." She picked up the shears.

She leaned closer to Buzz and looked deep into his eyes. "Your wife was pretty resistant too." Buzz looked down at Olive's hand gripping tightly to the shears. The shears that were now lodged in his torso.

He closed his eyes to the pain, and to the reality of what Olive was doing to him. It wasn't something he'd want to be aware of, since she was hardly satisfied to leave well enough alone. Olive took pride in her work. He could feel it, but he wouldn't acknowledge the details. Even as he felt himself fading away completely, there was still some small part of his mind that was conscious. This part of him looked back on his life, and reflected.

He thought about Tank, and hoped that he would be better able to express himself than he had been, that he wouldn't make the same mistakes. He hoped that Tank would make it to General, and also that it was what he really wanted out of life. He thought he knew, but he'd been wrong before.

He thought about Ripp, and hoped that he would eventually be able to forgive him all his shortcomings as a parent, all his mistakes. He had never understood Ripp, just as he had never really understood his mother, but he had loved him every bit as much as he had loved Tank, and he wished that Ripp would see that. He hoped that Ripp would find real happiness one day, and actually have the sense to go after it.

He thought about Buck, and wished that he had been able to tell him that he was proud of him for being able to just be himself, and for having such a warm spirit. He no longer had any worries about Buck. He knew that he could handle himself, but he wished he could have told Buck that, just once. Why hadn't he been able to just say that?

He thought about Lyla, and wished, as he had a million times before, that he had done things differently. Why hadn't he been able to give her what she needed? He had loved her, but it never seemed like enough. It hadn't been enough, and then it had been too late to take it all back.

Now, he would never see any of them again.

"Yes, your wife, Lyla, put up a good fight too, Buzz." Olive said.

"The last thing she ever said was your name, you know. I keep track of these things. I thought that hers was just an exquisitely moving death." She smiled, remembering it. "Now as for you, you probably can't talk, can you? Would you like to at least make an effort at a parting line?"

Buzz did have something that he wanted to say, and managed to force the words out with his last ounce of strength.

"Stay... away... from... my... sons."

"Is that what you're afraid of? Well, don't worry, Buzz. I have no interest in your pathetic offspring. I'm only concerned about my own son."

Buzz fell to the ground, while Olive continued to speak to him.

"Yes, my own son. Dear little Osiris, the poor thing. In a way, it's his fault that you're dead, Buzz. If he had more of a backbone, like he should have, I probably wouldn't have had to kill you to find out where he is now. He'd still be here." She laughed.

"No. Certainly, I would have probably killed you anyway, because you make such a handsome corpse. You were just asking for it." Olive chuckled to herself.

She paused, sensing a familiar presence in the room.

"My beloved, you're finally here." She turned to face Death.

Death entered quiety and surveyed the scene, while Olive stood by.

"It's been a long time, Olive."

"It has been, my love. Too long." Death smiled at her.

"I always look forward to seeing you, Olive. You will come with me soon, won't you?"

"Yes, it's not long now before I join you. But first, I have some business left to do, as you know." Death nodded in agreement.

"I called you here for a reason tonight. I need your help."

"Yes, Olive? What is it?"

"I have lost Osiris. I went to retrieve him, but I don't know where he is."

"You lost our son?!"

"Yes, I am terribly sorry, my love."

"Well, that's very disappointing, Olive, but I'm sure that we can work something out."

"You will forgive me?"

"Well, I would have hoped that you'd be more careful, but I am sure that the situation can be dealt with." He sighed. "Let's take a look..."

Death held out his hands to reveal a small glowing flame. Inside, Olive could see her son, lying in a dark room with stone walls. His head was shaved bare, and he was cold, lonely, and afraid.

"Our son is located at 1 Tesla Court, in the home of Circe and Loki Beaker. You must go to him, Olive, and bring him home. Also, I must ask you to punish the Beakers. You must take revenge on them for what they've done to our son." Olive simply nodded. She would have her revenge. Of that there was no doubt.

She had completed one of her final tasks. The tools of her undertaking were left to rest on the cold stone floor. From here, she would move forward to meet her final destiny.

Across town, Nervous Subject jumped up out of his bed, and filled the Beaker mansion with screams of pure terror.

Buck slept fitfully on the recliner, waiting for some noise to alert him of his father's return, but none came. A week had passed, and Buck knew what that meant. The full impact of the situation had revealed itself to him. He'd been through the same thing with his mother.

His father wasn't going to come home. Somewhere, deep inside, he knew that Buzz would never come back.

Buck knew it was time. He knew what he had to do. The phone hadn't stopped ringing. Calls from the school, Ripp, Tank, Elise, Jill, the military, and maybe even the police. Buck hadn't been answering any of the calls. He had been lying there alone in despair, hoping that somehow, there was a logical reason that it was taking his father a whole week to pick up groceries.

Finally, he had accepted it. He would call the police. First, however, he would call his brothers. He had held off, hoping that it wouldn't come to that. He did not look forward to the task before him, and how real and irreversible it would be.

With great apprehension, he picked up the phone. It was time to do it. With every ounce of courage and strength that he had, he forced his fingers to press the numbers. It was hard, but he could do it. He had to do it.

He dialed Tank's number.

(Continue to Chapter 15...)

A/N: So, dear readers, did you see it coming? I thought that I was dropping some significant hints, but I didn't want to come right out and say it, so I hope it didn't come as too much of a shock.

I feel like I should apologize to those of you who are Buzz fans. This wasn't easy for me to do, believe me. I did feel strongly, from the beginning, that Olive would target Buzz as her next victim (there are a number of really good indications of this in the game), and I have been planning for this to happen, but it was still really hard to see it through. In the end, though, Olive Specter always gets what she wants.

Let's have a moment of silence for the General please.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh man! This update actually made me cry! :(

Poor Buzz... he never got to tell those things to his sons. I think that's what got me the most. And now they are going to suffer with his death. And what about Buck? He is going to live all alone in that house!

On one hand, I'm glad that Olive is going to get revenge on the Beakers for treating Nervous so badly. On the other... I actually want the Beakers to give her a lesson! I'm so mad at this woman right now!

Awesome as always! (and so sad! :().

It was hard to write this one. Even though I read it through so many times while writing it, I still find it hard go through it without getting a little teary eyed myself. Especially the part about his family. The General's main downfall there was his inability to communicate, and he did begin to realize that near the end.

There is one person that knows that Buzz thought those things. He's not very talkative, and right now, he's trapped in a pit, but he may one day be able to pass that message on to the Grunts.

Buck has his brothers, and he has Jill and the Smiths, who live just down the road. He might even end up moving in with them until he leaves for college. Buck is actually the one that I would worry about the least, in some ways.

Olive Specter is a monster, pure and simple. It would be great if the Beakers could somehow stand up to her, since she does deserve to get hers. It will be interesting to see how that confrontation plays out. But up to this point, Olive was mostly being calm and practical, and now she's out to get revenge. She'll be very dangerous.

Woah..........................................

It's so bizarre to see Olive in this way as other Strangetown stories have made her a pleasant person. However, it is very refreshing to have other villains besides the Beakers.

I'll be honest, I didn't tear up when I read this, but I still knew that Buzz's regrets were genuine. As one of the military, he's used to not expressing any feelings to anyone, which is probably why he never told his sons the things they needed to hear the most.

The main reason I'm upset that he's dead is that he'll never be able to patch things up with Ripp. If my memory serves me right, the last time they saw each was that disaster of a attempt at a family dinner. My hope was in time, as Ripp found his niche in life, he and Buzz would eventually come to some understanding and rebuild their relationship. And now, as if Ripp doesn't have enough mental demons to deal with, he'll have to come to terms with the fact that the last words he told his father were hateful ones.

The only positive I see out of this is the coming together of the three Grunts. Unfortunately, it probably would have only happened under circumstances like this. Ripp and Buck are fine, but Tank needs to do some soul searching. With his father and mentor gone, is he going to feel the same about his goals in life?

As much as I want Nervous to get away from the Beakers, and for the Beakers to be tortured until their throats are dry from screaming, knowing that Olive killed Buzz to do it makes me feel like something should also happen to Olive. If all 3 died in a fire, while Nervous escapes, that would work for me.

And, when of think of the Beaker spawn that's soon to be had, I don't think Nervous would mind taking over in that department.

I take it that it came as a surprise?

I know what you mean about Olive. I've seen most other people either ignore the highly suspicious graveyard or explain it differently, but it really doesn't seem that way to me. There are just too many things there that seem to suggest murder, and why else would someone become so intimate with the Grim Reaper? The thing with Lyla sealed it for me. It would make sense for her to kill Lyla if she was after Buzz, and it follows her pattern for her to be seeking a fourth husband.

Buzz was starting to get the courage to open up near the end, like how he handled the situation with Buck, but he might not have ever been able to say those things so directly to his sons. Tank is a lot like him, since he was brought up the same way, and has a lot of the same ideas. Like Buzz, we hope that Tank will be able to communicate a little better than Buzz did.

You're right about Ripp. That was the last time he spoke to Buzz. He was upset about that whole incident enough as it was, and now he won't be able to apologize for that.

I like to think that the Grunt brothers would come have come around anyway, but now they'll be forced to resolve their issues in much more extreme circumstances. It will make their conflict and eventual resolution all the more intense. As for Tank, it will be interesting to see how he handles that, being so close to Buzz.

Olive has been hurting others for so long without any type of payback, so it would be great if justice was somehow served. At this point, however, Olive doesn't care so much what happens to her, as long as she carries out her final task. She's going to die anyway, and even if her own death is a little more gruesome than she expected, this probably won't bother her all that much. She'd probably even take some odd pleasure in that.

Yes, you do make an excellent point about Nervous. He's not going to want to see an innocent child harmed, is he? Nervous doesn't really want anyone to be harmed, not even the Beakers.

When you explain it, Olive being a murderer does make sense. It never occurred to me before to wonder why all those graves were on her lot. Why would EA put Lyla's grave on her lot, if she didn't have something to do with her death? Oh sneaky EA!

Nervous is a much better person than me if he doesn't have some ill will against the Beakers. Seriously, I'd be pulling out some torture devices worse than anything seen in any of the SAW movies.

I have a mini prediction, but I kind of don't want to say it.......

Yes, it is rather odd to keep your own personal graveyard, isn't it? Marrying rich men, who then mysteriously die (well you could explain it as old age, I suppose, for some of them). Also, those random deaths of service sims. I think that it makes perfect sense for Olive to be a murderer. It also plays into that side of knowledge sims that like seeing ghosts. Olive's evil, like that of the Beakers, grew from her quest for knowledge.

Nervous somehow ended up having compassion that is directly opposite to his mother's lack of it. It's his greatest strength and also his biggest downfall.

I'm curious about your prediction. You do seem to be very aware of a significant detail there. I guarantee, though, that you won't be able to predict the entire outcome of that encounter. *grin* I have something good up my sleeve.

*Jaw still on floor*

OMG! I didn't really see any of this coming. Olive's a serial killer. Buzz her latest victim. Nervous is DEATH'S child!? (Though that does help explain his looks.) Oh man, I felt so bad for Buzz as he considered his regrets. I also feel bad for his boys who can't share in the general's final concerns, and might even think their father skipped out on them like their mother had.

Olive Specter is chilling. I wasn't all too sure about Ophelia's claims, but it turns out she was lucky to get out of her aunt's house alive. And to imagine Olive going up against The Beakers now... well, there's really no side to root for in that! ;)

Poor Buck.
he was proud of him for being able to just be himself, and for having such a warm spirit
That was my favorite line - really made me smile.

I do wonder what will happen to the Grunt boys once they realize the general is gone. Will they end their feuding and decide to live their lives outside their father's shadow - or will his absence be the final crushing blow to an already fragile family structure?

Great update, as usual. Now, where to begin.

"Stay... away... from... my... sons."
You've actually managed to make the General more noble for me with this story. I will have a moment of silence for his passing and to morn the loss with his sons. All three are going to be devastated by this. It's really too bad that some of those thoughts he had at the end he never shared with his boys. It would have made some things in their lives (and his) so much easier to bear.

Olive is really and interesting (and a bit scary) person to play. The first time I ever played her house she died much too quickly but when I was able to really get a feel for her and to read her memories, well, she is a bit creepy. I was reading a time-line someone did once on The Sims 2 BBS and she actually killed her first sim when she was in her teens (I think that was the pizza delivery person who was also a teen). It will be interesting to see how the confrontation between her and the Beakers will play out. If there's nothing more dangerous then a pregnant animal then the second most dangerous animal is the mother who's defending her young. Then there is Circe's (unborn) baby to think about too. And what's Loki got up his sleeve. I feel, between the two, Beakers and Olive, that Olive is more dangerous. The Beakers strike me as opportunists, and they are more then willing to harm others that get in their way. But they're ultimately seeking some kind of recognition in the end. Olive doesn't want fame, fortune. Her quest for knowledge is almost pure, if that makes any sense. That's why she's killed sims in so many different ways. Because she wants to know what each death is like. The mention of her wishing Ophelia had killed herself because she can't recreate that one herself. Whooo.

Nervous knew when Buzz died. I know some of the pictures hark back to some of Nervous's nightmares so now I wonder if the fire is going to come true also. Don't tell me though! I like being surprised. :)

Is it terrible that the second time I read though this I kind of chuckled over Olive's conversation with Death? "Oh, by the way, I've lost our son," sort of like she lost an object rather than a person. Don't mind me, I'm weird that way.
I can see at least this part of the story moving towards it's conclusion. I have a feeling it's going to be a big one. I await the next installment.

I'm not surprised. I can't say I had it all figured out ahead of time, but I'm not surprised. It does make perfect sense (both plot wise and in keeping with the "maxis" storyline).

I'm glad you killed the General when you did, too. If he stuck around much longer, I would have been very attached (though I do mourn I won't get to see him reconcile with his family--but I like that, too, that open endedness).

I love Olive's pure evil. There's just something about having a completely remorseless character (that's why I like Mother XYZ so much). And she loves Death for his efficiency. *snort* That cracks me up.

Great work tieing Nervous's dreams/visions/whatever with Buzz's actual death. I look forward to the behind the scenes on that (like did Olive save Buzz from death, or was that Lyla's death you did the game with, and what does it look like when a sim dies by scissors--though the scissors made me snicker and think "carry them with the blade DOWN" and "those look like little kid's safety scissors"---and did you make a controllable death or just do a little moveobjects to get everyone in the right spot).

Now, about our boy Nervous. I can't wait to see mama come to his rescue. Though I don't want to see the Beakers die. I like there being an evil presence looming over Strangetown. But then again, you can only use an "evil" plotline for so long. Ever have the worry that you'll move too fast on a plotline and then be stuck with just mundane things for stories? (I'm working that out with Peculiar now--how long can I milk the "evil is lurking" thing?)

Excellent update. I'm interested to see the fallout. Especially with Elise. Will she want to stick with the Grunt family or will she just fade into the background. And I'd love to see Buck move in with the Smith's. Then there will be a good chance of a Jill/Buck love blossom (yup, there I go hooking sims up again).

And here I was, thinking that the dreams were too obvious. Seriously, I was afraid that someone would recognize the General's khakis in some of those photos. There were a number of small clues (all far too subtle, perhaps), and I'll summarize them in an extras post a little later on.

I have carefully considered how the boys will interpret the disappearance of their father. Buzz isn't like Lyla, so him just running off seems like an unlikely interpretation, but they obviously aren't going to assume that it was what actually happened, because who would imagine that? Buck already assumes the worst, since it's very unlike Buzz to not stick to his rigid schedule. And Buzz missing work? Well, something has to be very wrong.

Ophelia is a smart girl, but she was wrong about what Olive was planning to do with those herbs and plants. Olive wasn't ever planning to kill Ophelia, not after she spared her the first time, but she was hoping that Ophelia would do it herself. Olive can blame Johnny and Ripp for ruining that one for her. Ophelia has something to live for now.

In the confrontation between Olive and the Beakers, we can only really root for Nervous Subject, and hope that they don't take out anyone else in the process of destroying each other (and maybe the Beaker mansion too).

Yes, I like that line too. Buck is really something. I think that Buck did get some of that message from the General too, during the redecorating thing, even though Buzz never said exactly what he felt.

The next chapter will deal with the reactions of the other two Grunt brothers. We've already seen what Buck's reaction has been. They each do react in their own unique way, since they have very different feelings about Buzz and each other, and different ways of dealing with life in general.

You know, I've seen other players kill off Buzz, or say that they killed him off in the game, but once you really consider the reality of that, it's something entirely different. I really do like the General as a character, and I really hoped to tell this story so people would feel something for him when he did die. Buzz always had the best interests of his sons at heart, but he's human (or sim) and flawed, and he could only do so much on his own.

It would be a great comfort to the Grunts to know what Buzz really thought of them all, and there may be little traces left behind that will reveal some of it to them.

Olive is definitely more dangerous than the Beakers, who are cruel and misguided, but not actually interested in completely destroying people. Olive does have a pure interest in knowledge, and collects the various experiences of death that she observes.

I find it interesting to see a knowledge sim as a villain (and Loki is one too, oddly enough), because knowledge really can be the source of a great deal of evil. I tend to dislike in general how many sim storytellers make fortune and romance sims the obvious "bad guys" (well, sometimes I like this, but I dislike how often it happens). Any of the aspirations could be taken to a terrible extreme. And seriously, everyone, just lay off the romance sims, okay? Back away from the aspiration-changing thingy, and let them do their thing. It's okay to be a slut. Really. *end rant*

Yes, Olive's desire to see Ophelia kill herself is pretty terrible, isn't it? And after her parents died, while she was just a child, that was a possible outcome. The way that Olive killed Buzz was an attempt to create a suicide too, but it didn't work. It also wouldn't have really been a pure suicide, since Buzz didn't want to die, but Olive was willing to settle for a facsimile.

Nervous has already revealed that he knows when things die. He's like his father that way. And yes, those photos were the exact ones from his dreams. The details aren't always exact though, and his dreams become more vivid and accurate as the event grows closer. As for the fire, we'll see how accurate that earlier dream was. I'm not about to give it away...

Olive actually does regard Nervous as a sort of object or possession. She's out to take back what is rightfully hers.

The conclusion of this part of the plot will go out with a bang, for sure.

It does make sense, doesn't it? After carefully considering it, this really did seem like it had to happen. If I had waited any longer, I would have grown too attached to the General too, and I might have lost my nerve. I was close enough as it was. At least he retained his dignity in his death.

Yeah, having a truly evil character is good every once in a while. It should be pretty rare. Just like a purely good and selfless character should be equally hard to come by, though I seem to have a few of those. Even the Beakers could be said to have some redeeming qualities if you looked hard enough, but not many.

Thanks. I thought the dreams had just enough information to hint at what was coming, and it was good to show them again to tie it back.

Those scissors really didn't look sharp enough to kill anyone, did they? Such is the irony of the "runs with scissors" death. Those scene were made up of a number of different "takes", and Buzz only died in one of them, which is where all of the shots of the grim reaper came from. I'll explain it more fully in an outtakes post if you like, but yes, Olive did plead for the General's life, and she failed, considering that Buzz is her enemy.

I agree with your concern of wiping out all traces of evil form Strangetown, but don't worry, that won't completely happen. I won't explain why, but there will be something left to worry about. And some new points of interest too. We can also deal with the fallout of these events for quite some time, like basically the rest of the Grunt brother's lives.

Keep milking the evil is lurking thing! It's good. *grin*

Thanks. There is some excellent fallout coming. Lots of struggle, growth, and character development in general. All the good stuff. I may even finally hook some people up for you. *grin* But as for who that will be... I'm not saying.

I've seen other players kill off Buzz, or say that they killed him off in the game, but once you really consider the reality of that, it's something entirely different.
I definitely agree. I've seldom deliberately killed off a sim (not that I haven't had a few die accidentally). I've never tried to kill off a sim I actually like. Even though the General is not my favorite sim he still died of old age in my game.

I have to wonder if Olive would view her own death with a clinical eye to what was happening to her. I bet she would.

Knowledge sims can definitely be bad guys! After all, isn't the top of the science career 'mad scientist'? Not to mention the fact that the bio station thing-y can make viruses as well as medicine. They could well do a lot of damage if they chose to. Abhijeet Cho, a townie in Strangetown who keeps his same name, is a romance sim and he was a wonderful father. I had him married to Circe last time I played (long story). He took better care of his son then she ever did.

I may have to go back and re-read the early parts with Nervous's dreams. Dreams can often warp their reality into looking different from the real thing.
It's too bad Olive doesn't seem to be able to take as much joy in the life she brought into world as the lives she takes from her world.
The conclusion of this part of the plot will go out with a bang, for sure.
I'm waiting on the edge of my seat! :)

I just found this. It totally sums up your theory about Olive and Buzz. It's from 2004, so you're definitely not the first to come to this conclusion.

I just feel stupid for not thinking of it before hand. Seriously, how else does one get tons of graves of their lot? It's not like they're just a decoration.

I’m so on the edge to see what is Olive’s “finest death of all”. Is it her own, maybe? Or is there someone else whom it concerns? I’m pretty certain that it wasn’t in reference to Buzz.

I can’t believe Buzz took the drink! All I could think was: “NO NO NO NO D:”

I really like the picture above Buzz suddenly found himself with no control at all over his own body, because I can imagine the sound effect that would have gone there. The ZWOOOOM sound.

The whole time he resisted I was holding out hope. I kept thinking that maybe he’d find a way to move the scissors enough to stab out at Olive herself. I am very glad that he managed to avoid doing it himself and didn’t let Olive have the satisfaction of viewing what would have been his not-quite-suicide.

It’s so sad that he never really got a resolution with Ripp. He had been doing well actually and it wasn’t like he’d wanted dinner to go that way! Oh, Ripp’s going to be horrible. And JUST when it seemed like maybe he’d be able to turn things around. He’d managed to talk out a lot of his feelings to Johnny and patched a lot of things up with his two best friends. But now? I feel like this downward spiral will be even worse.

And Tank? He’ll be miserable I know, but maybe…just maybe there will be relief? A weight lifted off his shoulders that he’d never really known was there. But how awful he’ll feel if that happens – like he was betraying his father.

I don’t worry about Buck so much. He seemed to make his peace with Buzz. He seemed to have come to accept his father, despite his flaws. I’m not saying it won’t be rough on him either, but I imagine he’ll be the one to keep his head.

I hope Olive doesn’t go after any more Grunts.

But I hope the Grunts go after her.

NOOOOO BUZZ D:

I didn't see this coming at all. Oh man, I actually cried. I know he was really a sweet guy and just... I'll miss him so much. Poor little Grunts. I was hoping throughout the entire story that one of them would resurrect him. :'(

I'm so sad that Ripp will never know his father really loved him. Aw, Ripp, man I have to go play Strangetown and elixer Buzz a few times, now.

I'M SO MAD AT OLIVE RIGHT NOW. WHY DID SHE HAVE TO BE A SERIAL KILLER!?

I do find it hilarious that when I first played the Specters, Olive was all "Hugs? Ophelia? Jokes? Talk through with Teddy Bear?" and Ophelia kept denying her.

Thanks for the link. That is a pretty similar reading of the situation. Though, I don't really agree with the idea that Lyla was befriended by Olive and moved in (Olive doesn't have a memory saying that Lyla moved in, for one), though that could be another interesting way of interpreting it. It could be another of Olive's tricks.

I like to think of the cemetery as a cover for Olive's operation. If she killed people, would she really put them all right there on display? She throws people (like the police) off by hiding everything in plain view, maybe.

I'm sure that other people have come up with other good explanations for Olive's little collection of deaths and types of ghosts. She could have been unwillingly connected to death in another way, or have some sort of terrible curse surrounding her. I just think that a conscious effort to collect victims makes more sense for someone who has devoted her life to seeking knowledge.

I didn't see it coming, but I wasn't shocked. I always did think Olive Specter was a creep through and through. The picture of Death with the clipboard made me giggle. I think in an alternate universe, Death is a very anal retentive accountant.

I love your story and your take on Strangetown! It's so interesting and it always brightens up my day to read a new instalment. :)

Oh wow!! Buzz is dead! Even though he's not my fave character, it's still sad to see him go. But I'm really looking forward to seeing how his death impacts all the sons. I think Ripp will take it especially hard because now they will never get to reconcile! (Because I think that somewhere inside him Ripp hoped that one day they would)

Awesome chapter as usual, I love your story. :)

See I always just assumed that Olive was a serial killer...I thought EA made it pretty clear. :)

That's always how I interpreted it too. It's funny to think that a game that uses "woohoo" in place of sex, includes such wholesome elements as a implied serial killer. That's way better than sex (between two sims that have to be in love at the time). Silly standards, EA.

I have the same problem with letting sims die when I'm attached to them, but I've been getting better at letting them go, eventually. I rarely kill sims intentionally either, so I was constantly wondering "Can I really do this?" as I worked on this story. It was hard for me, but for Olive, it was very easy. I let her lead the way.

Yes, Olive will finally find out what it's like to die herself. That's the final piece of knowledge that will complete her studies, and she probably hasn't had that much experience with old age death either. But will Olive even get to die from natural causes? We'll see...

Yes, knowledge sims really suit that type of character - the evil supervillian mad scientist. The bio station and all those tools are not restricted to knowledge sims, though.

I'm eager to move forward with the next few chapters. There is so much going on. Lots of external and internal struggles. It's going to be interesting.

Olive may have been referring to Buzz there. She did consider that her finest work to date, since Buzz was a general and a very worthy opponent to her. She liked the idea of taking down someone who is in the prime of their life, with plenty to live for. Olive enjoys the idea of his sons being left without a mother or a father too. Buzz resisted and spoiled the full effect of his death for Olive, though, since she really wanted him to die by his own hand.

Taking that drink was very careless of Buzz, and he might not have done it if he hadn't been distracted by the thought of finally discovering what happened to Lyla. Olive had him in a weak moment. We see that Buzz was still very much concerned about Lyla after all those years. It's her that he thinks of as he's dying, and not Elise.

Thanks. I like using different angles like that for effect.

I won't go into any detail about how the boys will react, since we'll see that in the next chapter, but you have some good ideas on the matter.

Olive is much more concerned with the Beakers now, so the Grunts should be safe enough for the next little while. I'm sure that at least one of them would go after her, if they only knew what really happened.

Poor Buzz. He really was a decent guy, and this was an awful way for him to go. I'm sorry to have made you cry. I hope it was a good cry (I tend to like having a good bawl myself, especially over something like a book or movie). It's the darker side of Srangetown, and it is there in the game. It's just harder to accept when it isn't just a backstory, isn't it? I find Ophelia's story to be the saddest one. She was left all alone after the death of her parents.

Ripp might come to realize that his father did love him. There are many traces left behind, and people who might be able to convince him.

That's funny. Olive's the nice one and Ophelia's being mean? Seems very... odd. Silly sims.

Yeah, it shouldn't be surprising that Olive would do that, but I wasn't sure if people would suspect who her target would be or not. I was being pretty clear that someone would be a victim, but I was trying to keep the identity of that character a secret.

Olive likes that about Death. He's so exacting. *grin* He keeps detailed records, just like she does.

Thank you! That's nice to hear. I'm so eager to get to the next chapter now, but I'm away from my computer for the holidays. It's killing me. I've been waiting to do this one for ages too. I'm sure that it will arrive pretty quickly, once I do get started on it (since the writing is already done for the next one).

The impact of The General's death will definitely be felt in his family, and perhaps even beyond. It will be interesting to see where it leads (even I am not sure of the full impact just yet).

I think that Ripp hoped that they would reconcile too, though he probably put all the onus to do it on Buzz.

Thank you. :)

Wow, that´s good stuff.
No, I didn´t see it coming. To use the General to call death for finsing her son is... a strange way to do that. But it fits to Olive. I love her.

Never see it coming either, some one was dying for sure, but never thought it would be Buzz :( I can't stop crying for Buck! poor thing! A whole week alone in the house. Broke my heart! :(

I wonder tho .. would that be *why* Olive wants to 'invite Buzz over' when the game starts!?? LOL!

Thank you. I thought of you when I wrote this part, since I know how much you love General Buzz. I hope you can forgive me for the terrible end he came to here. All roads just seemed to lead up to this, as I worked on the story of Olive and Nervous.

Well, the thing about Death, at least in this story, is that you can't possibly see him and speak to him unless you're there when someone dies, thus leaving Olive with only one option: kill someone. Olive Specter, the serial killer, has no problem with that. She enjoys it.

I feel for poor Buck too. He was left waiting all alone, and now has to face the task of telling his brothers all about it. It's not an easy situation to be in.

That "invite Buzz over" want is one of the clues from the game that inspired this plot development. Olive and Buzz are enemies, and yet she wants to invite him over, and if you call him, he will actually show up. Seems very suspicious to me.

I haven't try inviting Buzz over with Olive ... *ever!* I don't dare! I don't want to end up with three orphans so early in the game. ROFL! Great idea tho, Olive's first wish came up to my mind as soon as she called him!

I imagine it's because Buzz wishes to fight with her. I think if they get together they will fight and he most probably will win, therefore gets his wish. *shrugs*

It fits together, right? Why would Olive invite the General over if she didn't think that she'd come out the victor in the exchange, even if it is just a fight?

Oh my gosh! I somehow missed this update and went to the other one.

This was just too sad.

No wonder Ripp was so torn when he heard of his disapearence.

Great job

Thanks! Ripp wouldn't really know that this had happened, but because of what happened with their mother (and the fact that she didn't ever come back), all the boys assume the worst. The fact that it's history repeating itself makes it even harder for them.

Even though I'm very late, I am shocked. Like I said before, you made me enjoy these characters, and seeing The General die like that was too much. I think I'm ready for a good cry right now. =(
I agree with you on the Olive front though, I always thought she was a serial killer. And her relationship with death is just weird, in my opinion.I mean, they are a lot alike, but still. I like how even in her evil, you made Olive seem so human, like, she's a sociopath, but you wrote her well. This chapter breaks my heart.

In regards to the whole villainous aspirations thing - in simantic's Strangetown stories there's a fairly villainous family sim, Jill Smith. It's really interesting to watch.

I love Simantics' Strangetown stories. They were the first sim stories I ever read, and they are really what inspired me to write my own. They're very entertaining.

I have to disagree with you about her Jill Smith being a villain though. She isn't a villain (yes, I'll say it that bluntly). Her actions ultimately create a failed marriage, but only because she clings to her blind idealism. She has no negative intent. She just fails to see the forest for the trees. That hardly makes her a villain in my books. She's just misguided.

Darn, the General's gone! I teared up when he was thinking about his sons, especially when I realised that he'd really been trying to reach out to them more - the well-intended disastrous family dinner, for example, and his positive reaction to Buck's room makeover.

Poor Tank, his role model is gone - poor Ripp, now he'll never have a chance to apologise or earn his father's approval - and poor, poor Buck, because he's all alone now &, as usual, he's caught in the middle by having to be a liasion between his brothers about this terrible piece of news. :(

I was really hoping for a happy ending to the dysfunctional Grunt family relationships sometime in the future posts, but I guess Olive really had to put a wrench in things, huh? :/
I just hope that Nervous does manage to escape now that Olive knows where to go to save him.
Oh, and I hope that Olive and the Beakers kill each other in the ensuing fight to liberate Nervous!

Wow. I never expected NS to be the son of death.

I am so sad that Buzz is dead!

Damn...I never liked Buzz, but wow. :(

Oh - that hurt! And I was never even a fan of the general! RIP!

You are a freakishly good writer!

O__O SHE KILLED LYLA? I almost jumped out of my chair. And poor Buzz, he was a good guy...by the way you've given me a new appreciation for Strangetown. You make me want to run off and play it!

Poor Buzz. =(

I've been reading your story with great interest and I'm really enjoying it. I know that I have come very late and things like this are to be expected, but I'm a little sad that some of the pictures are missing. You take such good ones that really add to the story.

Thank you for your interest in my story. I'm really happy to hear you're enjoying it. :) And thank you for the compliment on the photos.

Which chapters have missing pictures? I don't see any missing in this one. Are there any in this entry that you can't see? I know Livejournal recently revamped their scrapbook feature and my paid account also expired, so one of those things could have caused the images to disappear.

I have most, if not all, of the pictures for this story stored on an external drive, so if you can direct me to the missing images, I can try to do something about them.

Cheers! :)

Of course now that I've come back none of them are missing. Which is awesome for me (and for you too, since that means less/no work). I'm going to go ahead and blame my wireless internet for that. We just moved into this house 3 weeks ago and the internet wasn't quite up to speed before. It seems to be on pace now though, so I'm going to go back and check out the pictures that I missed.

I also noticed you don't really write this story anymore, and that you're going to (or already have) have a baby. Congratulations, that's super exciting! Is this your first baby? I just had my second son 9 months ago, so I can totally understand needing a break or completely losing interest in sims. I hope you enjoy your little one, and maybe come back to sims someday. :)

Well, that's good! ^_^ I did indeed have a baby recently (he'll be two months old tomorrow), so not a huge amount of time to spare these days. It's my first child. Congrats on your 2nd little arrival. They sure do bring joy into your life, don't they?

I haven't updated the story in quite some time now, but I don't know if I've entirely finished with it yet. I might be back. If nothing else, I might post the details of what I was planning to do with it. And I hope you'll enjoy the story as it exists nonetheless.

Aw, a little boy for you too! If you don't think it's too forward of me, what did you name him? I love talking about kids. Mine are the joy of my life, I'm so glad to have them.

I've definitely enjoyed it, unfinished or not. It's a good story for sure. If you do update it at all, more the better. I'm glad I was linked to it and read it all. It definitely gives me a new appreciation for the cannon sims, I never really got into the premades or their backgrounds too much but your story made them all so interesting to me. So thanks for that at the very least. :)

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Strangetown: Chapter Fourteen

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I need my sad userpic.

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I just started reading this whole story last night..

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