I Need Help

2.

Clarissa felt like Alice. Behind her in the hallway was the normal world. An office, a receptionist, a boring college town. In the office was wonderland. There are certain things you expect in an office, desks, chairs, a phone, maybe a window. You don't expect to find a table with several bones inscribed with what appeared to be blood. The table would almost look like a normal thing if not for the contents on top. There was a magnifier for detail work, and a pair of stools that looked well worn. Around the room were shelves of what Clarissa could only think of as ritualistic paraphernalia. Animal corpses, blood in jars, some shrunken heads. What books she could see all had titles that did not seem like they should be in an exterminators office, things about the supernatural, and guides to ritual magic. She wanted to run, clearly this tall soft spoken man wasn't an exterminator, he was crazy, and she was his next victim.

"Please don't kill me." Gilbert frowned, the pipe hanging from his lip drooping comically.

"Why would I kill you?"

"Because I saw your ritual murder area! You're some kind of monster." Gilbert started laughing, deep hearty laughs, they were punctuated by the smoke from the pipe to almost make him look like a large robot blowing its top. Clarissa didn't know if she should be more afraid or less by the laughter.

"Murder area? Monster? No Clarissa, I am not a monster, I hunt them, this is my workshop."

"That's insane, there are no real monsters."

"Oh is that what your biology class taught you? Is that what your parents told you? Plenty of things out there exist whether you believe in them doing so or not. I know I can't convince you of that by words, but I can if you come with me, if you work with me, you will see things that will turn your hair white."

"I don't know Gilbert this feels crazy, I mean look at you compared to me, what can I do to help?"

"I'm getting old Clarissa, I used to have an assistant, he retired and I kept going, I figured I could keep doing this job, keep killing monsters and I'll be all right but," Gilbert sat down on one of the stools and unbuttoned his jump suit. Underneath it was a white shirt and what appeared to be grey jeans, when he lifted his shirt she could see a wound that looked recently healed that ran the length of his torso, "I got sloppy, Wendigo in Oregon damn near gutted me, I killed it, but I had to walk out holding my insides in and I really thought I was going down for good. I can't keep doing this job solo, I need your help if you'll give it."

Clarissa was silent for a bit, "What's a Wendigo?"

"Like a bigfoot, but meaner, they are normally people who eat people and become the Wendigo."

"So that's what Bigfoots really are?" Gilbert smiled, it had been a while since he'd dealt with someone who had wonder in his business.

"No Bigfoots are their own thing, usually not dangerous, usually."

"Now I know you're just fucking with me."

"I never joke about Monsters Clarissa, everything else yes, monsters no, so I take it you'll accept the job?"

"I'm broke, I'm homeless, and my parents have basically disowned me until I get work Gil, if I don't take this job I'll be working at a fast food restaurant, but I dunno monster exterminating sounds dangerous." Gilbert nodded, he expected that kind of response.

"I understand, tell you what, I have a milk run I've been sitting on, nothing dangerous, just goblins, basically ants of the monster hunter world, come with me on that, if you don't like that, I'll pay you well for the day and you can go on your way."

"Milk run?"

"Air force term, means its easy like a trial run."

"Ok I'm in for this trial run, but that's it, if I don't like it I'm out."

"Trust me it'll be real easy." Gilbert and Clarissa shook on it, and both felt it was the start of something. Whether good or ill rested in the unknowable intent of the universe.