50.
"Aim for the head and keep your mask on." Gilbert didn't want to take any chances, he and Clarissa were in full body suits with rebreathers on. He hoped Rick would be home and just be surprised at the outfits. But the darkened lights with his van in the driveway wasn't very encouraging.
"Anything special about these guys?" Clarissa didn't like the suit and mask, it made her feel oddly claustrophobic, but she liked the idea of losing control of herself even less.
"Nope, pretty much most weapons blessed by light can hurt or kill them, don't let them touch you or rip the suit. Easy peasy." Gilbert approached the front door and saw it was slightly open, his breath caught in his throat, he knew Rick was probably dead already. Gilbert took point, his pistol at the ready with Clarissa behind him her bow drawn. He was happy neither one of them shot the other with as quickly as they moved around the one story in the dark. Rick was no where to be found, his weapons were all neatly arranged on hooks and sat unused. It was as Gilbert feared the strangers had gotten to him fast and he didn't even have a chance to fight back.
"Maybe he went on vacation?"
"Without any of his clothes, car keys, or his wallet which I see sitting on the counter? No Rick is gone, strangers got him, and we better get to moving to Bob's house and pray someone lived." It was to the point Gilbert worried Gregg would be gone when he got to Bob's house. Whatever was behind the strangers this time felt more directed, less their usual show up and devour towns, and more remove threats to them. Gilbert drove faster than he probably should have all the way to Bob's house. He felt a sense of relief when he saw Gregg, but that quickly fled when he saw the same no house lights that had characterized Rick's house and that Gregg was alone, Dale no where around.
"Rick?"
"Gone, Dale?"
"Gone."
"Shit."
"Hi I'm Clarissa." She held her hand out to Gregg and he shook it with a smile that had no warmth beneath his mask.
"Gilbert's new assistant? Nice to meet you, shame it had to be like this." Gregg was using a modified assault rifle, Clarissa could make out that the handle was personalized with what looked like an ancient Egypt snake motif.
"I had no idea Bob lived in a mansion." The house was huge from what Gilbert could see, he started to wonder if he was charging too little for his services.
"Oh yeah never been here? Yeah its a legit haunted house, Bob got it for a real good deal due to the fact that the ghosts will keep coming back, no one else wanted it."
"Well I'm feeling even better about going inside."
"It'll be like that mickelson elementary job." Gilbert whistled.
"Oh man that was the worst, vampires right?"
"Guys?" Clarissa's voice had a bit of panic to it.
"Yeah vampires Gilbert, we were doing that run down monastery and got tricked into that stupid elementary."
"Hey old guys maybe help?" Clarissa was getting flustered.
"Oh yeah that elementary school, floor gave way right? Dropped into a pit of those weird zombie like creatures they can make, good lord never seen so much blood in my life."
"YO OLD ASSHOLES!" Clarissa shouted Gilbert and Gregg turned around and saw she had slain six of the strangers, she was in the process of pulling the arrow out of her most recent kill. "Christ you guys like to talk."
"I like her Gilbert."
"She can hit a target at fifty yards with that bow, I mean Charlie was always pretty good with his knives, but I'll tell you the truth." Gilbert stepped over the bodies of the fallen strangers Clarissa had killed and started to move toward the house his shotgun at the ready. "Charlie couldn't make a cup of coffee to save his life, most annoying trait in a man I ever did meet." Gilbert stepped inside the house and his shotgun roared, Gregg and Clarissa followed shortly after.
*****
"Twenty nine freaking strangers, no Bob." Gilbert was outside he had taken his suit off, he figured they had wiped out the creatures, whatever was behind them was no where to be found.
"I don't know what to tell you Gilbert, weird they would set a trap, weird they'd pick Bob's house, weird they'd come after... shit." Gregg had noticed Bob just then, he had emerged with a high caliber rifle pointed at both Gilbert and Gregg. Clarissa had said she was going to check the back yard for something and she hadn't returned yet.
"You fucking monsters, how could you do that to my children?" Gilbert could see the crazy in Bob's eyes.
"Bob they got you twisted those things aren't your anything." Gilbert cursed that his shotgun was in the Van, all he had left was a knife and he was shit at throwing them.
"No you're both twisted, all of us were, we wiped them out without ever talking to them, we're the real monsters Gilbert. It's why I sent them to get you guys, but I should have known your hatefulness would overcome my children." Bob cocked racked the bolt on his rifle and Gilbert thought for a minute of making a dodge to grab the rifle, but he didn't have to, Clarissa's arrow pierced Bob's temple and he fell to the ground the rifle landing with a thud. Gregg whistled again, Clarissa had fired the arrow from almost outside of his site range.
"Fifty yards?"
"Oh those are the easy shots." Gilbert looked at Bob's corpse with a mixture of sadness and relief. At least it made sense.
"You think they got to him?"
"No, Bob always had the live and let live argument going when dealing with these things, I figured after North Dakota he'd have learned how bad that was, but I guess he took the opposite lesson." Clarissa ran up and was horrified, she couldn't have made out it was Bob when she shot him, she just assumed it was a stranger.
"Oh god, I didn't know."
"Don't worry Clarissa, he'd been infected by those things, don't you worry." Gregg nodded at Gilbert while he hugged Clarissa telling her things would be ok.
"Be seeing you Gilbert."
"Be seeing you Gregg."
Friday, December 29, 2017
Friday, December 22, 2017
Strange Hunters
49.
"We always burn them, I like to think of it as a way of warning the rest." Gilbert had piled both of the corpses on a small pyre in the back. Clarissa hadn't slept very well, her dreams were all about those empty eyed creatures. Gilbert assured her the dreams would go away, that it was an after effect of the poison they use, but she wasn't sure, she worried the dreams wouldn't ever go away.
"Do we really want to warn the rest of these things?"
"Hell yes I do, they attacked me at my home Clarissa, they came after you and me that wasn't no accident, I want them terrified of what I'll do to them." Gilbert had slept on it and knew something was up, the strangers would never come attack him on their own, someone guided them to him, and he worried it wasn't just him.
"What are we going to do to them?"
"Kill them all we're exterminators and they very much need to be exterminated, but first I need to make some calls, check in with some other guys." Gilbert went into the house and Clarissa followed after, the smell of the burning strangers was starting to make her nauseous.
****
"Gilbert? The man Dunkley himself! I saw what you did up in Olympia, quality shit." Gregg Roberts was an exterminator Gilbert knew from the service, he worked a different division than Gilbert had, but they both went private around the same time. He always liked Gregg even if he had a very course way of talking.
"Gregg I'm going to get right to the point, have you seen any strangers?" The line went quiet for a moment, the jovial voice Gregg started with disappeared.
"No, but I've been getting that feeling they are around, you know that fucking uneasy settling in your stomach, I thought maybe I ate some bad meat, you seen some?"
"Two, came to my house Gregg."
"Shit, well you made it out ok, but you don't think it was isolated, you called Rick, Bob and Dale yet?" The five of them had banded up once to wipe out an overly large group of strangers in Bismark North Dakota years back, it had weighed on Gilbert's mind when they showed up at the house.
"You were my first call Gregg."
"I'm touched Gilbert, tell you what I'll make it easy on you and call Rick, you call Bob and Dale, then we can coordinate from there, if they are back I figure it'll be some empty place again, maybe back in North Dakota?"
"Thanks Gregg." Gilbert hung up and was happy Gregg was willing to talk to Rick Baker. Rick was a good exterminator, but an absolutely horrible person to get stuck on the phone with, especially with other people to call, Bob Wright and Dale Withers were men who didn't talk much.
Gilbert got to the calls while Clarissa gathered up some traveling supplies, he already called Doris to explain the situation. She was on board with wiping out the Strangers, saying no more than they deserve no sympathy. Both Bob and Dale did not answer, and Gilbert felt that fear feeling sinking into his stomach. It was possible they were busy, it was also possible they were dead and he couldn't be sure either way.
"Yeah I couldn't get a hold of Rick either." Gregg sounded worried too.
"How about you check in on Rick, I see if Dale is still alive, and then we meet at Bob's for beers." Gilbert tried to add levity to it, but he and Gregg both were into it.
"As long as you bring the beers, Bob only buys coors light and I'd rather drink water." Gilbert hung up and Clarissa had gathered all the supplies and then some. He was very proud of her in that moment, she was recovering well from her interaction with the strangers.
"We ready to go?" She sounded almost happy.
"Yeah just have to swing in to the store and pick up a sixer of beer."
"Do I want to know?"
"Nope, just roll with it." It was the first and last time Gilbert would laugh on the rest of the trip.
"We always burn them, I like to think of it as a way of warning the rest." Gilbert had piled both of the corpses on a small pyre in the back. Clarissa hadn't slept very well, her dreams were all about those empty eyed creatures. Gilbert assured her the dreams would go away, that it was an after effect of the poison they use, but she wasn't sure, she worried the dreams wouldn't ever go away.
"Do we really want to warn the rest of these things?"
"Hell yes I do, they attacked me at my home Clarissa, they came after you and me that wasn't no accident, I want them terrified of what I'll do to them." Gilbert had slept on it and knew something was up, the strangers would never come attack him on their own, someone guided them to him, and he worried it wasn't just him.
"What are we going to do to them?"
"Kill them all we're exterminators and they very much need to be exterminated, but first I need to make some calls, check in with some other guys." Gilbert went into the house and Clarissa followed after, the smell of the burning strangers was starting to make her nauseous.
****
"Gilbert? The man Dunkley himself! I saw what you did up in Olympia, quality shit." Gregg Roberts was an exterminator Gilbert knew from the service, he worked a different division than Gilbert had, but they both went private around the same time. He always liked Gregg even if he had a very course way of talking.
"Gregg I'm going to get right to the point, have you seen any strangers?" The line went quiet for a moment, the jovial voice Gregg started with disappeared.
"No, but I've been getting that feeling they are around, you know that fucking uneasy settling in your stomach, I thought maybe I ate some bad meat, you seen some?"
"Two, came to my house Gregg."
"Shit, well you made it out ok, but you don't think it was isolated, you called Rick, Bob and Dale yet?" The five of them had banded up once to wipe out an overly large group of strangers in Bismark North Dakota years back, it had weighed on Gilbert's mind when they showed up at the house.
"You were my first call Gregg."
"I'm touched Gilbert, tell you what I'll make it easy on you and call Rick, you call Bob and Dale, then we can coordinate from there, if they are back I figure it'll be some empty place again, maybe back in North Dakota?"
"Thanks Gregg." Gilbert hung up and was happy Gregg was willing to talk to Rick Baker. Rick was a good exterminator, but an absolutely horrible person to get stuck on the phone with, especially with other people to call, Bob Wright and Dale Withers were men who didn't talk much.
Gilbert got to the calls while Clarissa gathered up some traveling supplies, he already called Doris to explain the situation. She was on board with wiping out the Strangers, saying no more than they deserve no sympathy. Both Bob and Dale did not answer, and Gilbert felt that fear feeling sinking into his stomach. It was possible they were busy, it was also possible they were dead and he couldn't be sure either way.
"Yeah I couldn't get a hold of Rick either." Gregg sounded worried too.
"How about you check in on Rick, I see if Dale is still alive, and then we meet at Bob's for beers." Gilbert tried to add levity to it, but he and Gregg both were into it.
"As long as you bring the beers, Bob only buys coors light and I'd rather drink water." Gilbert hung up and Clarissa had gathered all the supplies and then some. He was very proud of her in that moment, she was recovering well from her interaction with the strangers.
"We ready to go?" She sounded almost happy.
"Yeah just have to swing in to the store and pick up a sixer of beer."
"Do I want to know?"
"Nope, just roll with it." It was the first and last time Gilbert would laugh on the rest of the trip.
Friday, December 15, 2017
Never Open the Door To Strangers
48.
"I don't know how you do it Gilbert, its damn near midnight and we have work tomorrow." They'd been watching Gilbert's "classic movie" collection. Clarissa was surprised anyone liked Tango and Cash let alone Cobra, She started to wonder if living through the 80's caused people brain damage.
"I own the business I can show up when I want."
"You say that like you don't get up at six every morning regardless of how late you were up the night before." Gilbert frowned.
"You'll understand when you get older, sometimes you don't want to stay up, but you can't get to bed."
"And the getting up at six every day?"
"Routine, in the service I had to get up at five every morning, six is like sleeping him." He had a laugh to it, but Clarissa could almost detect a bit of sorrow to it.
"Well I'm not able to work on only six hours, we got a long day tomorrow some goblins and if I read Doris's hand writing properly a plague of rats." Clarissa went to check to make sure the door was locked. Gilbert said she didn't need bother he lived in the country and the only people who ever came knocking were mormons, but she was in the habit of it and he didn't tell her when he lived alone he kept it unlocked. When she was at the door she caught sight of something out of the peep hole, she couldn't be certain at first, it almost seemed unbelievable that anyone would be out this late let alone be at Gilbert's door, but when she looked through the peephole there was a pair of children. Clarissa was confused. It looked like a pair of teenagers, one girl, one boy, the girl looking slightly older than the boy. She was transfixed staring at them through the peep hole, she didn't even hear Gilbert's shouting as she opened the door and let them inside.
"GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" Gilbert had gotten up from the couch as fast as he could, but he was too slow, the strangers were inside. He could see the girl and boy, but he knew that's not what they really were. He saw the boy touch Clarissa's hand and knew she'd be paralyzed unable to act. He had to get away, in his bedroom he kept a double barrel shotgun loaded with what he called "god shot" able to stun if not outright kill most things. The girl stranger moved on him, almost impossibly fast, she was in front of him the door to his bedroom close, but also too far.
"Where are you going mister? Don't you want to help my brother and me?" The strangers face was normal save from the black hole where her eyes should be. As Gilbert stared at her, her facial features shifted, nose becoming elongated, mouth stretching with it, teeth becoming sharp needles dripping with a green goo.
"Just going to get my wallet little girl, why don't you wait in the living room." He could feel her influence on him, feel it creeping into his body like sleep. Telling him she was safe, and he was worried about nothing.
"No you're not, you want to harm me." She reached out for him and he pulled his back. She made another grab, but a shriek like that of a banshee filled the house and froze the stranger in her tracks. Gilbert knew the scream, it sounded like his wife's used to, only amplified somehow. He didn't stop to question what happened, he just ran for his bedroom. The stranger her grip broken moved too slow this time, by the time she turned the door Gilbert had the shotgun leveled and he fired without waiting, the first shot hit the stranger dead center. It fell backwards into Gilbert's night light, it tried to get away but Gilbert fired once more into the head and it stopped. He waited for a moment in the bedroom, gathering some supplies before heading into the living room where the other stranger was waiting.
"Clarissa you ok?" He could see the stranger had her by the throat, her eyes told the story, she was terrified.
"Put down the gun." The stranger was doing its best to command him, Gilbert did as he was told, he heard an audible whimper from Clarissa as he laid the shotgun on the carpet. "Now come over here, you must be punished for what you did to my sister." Gilbert dutifully obeyed and walked towards the boy stranger, when he got within grabbing range, he pulled the knife he'd stashed in his back waistband and slashed the creatures throat. It let go of Clarissa and stumbled through the open door, leaking black fluid on the way out. Gilbert got his shotgun and followed after it.
"Stay inside Clarissa." She was freed from the creatures spell, but still shaken with the experience.
"What are they?"
"Don't have a regular name that I'm aware of, in the business we just call them strangers, don't fault yourself for letting them inside, its smell, its how they get you, I always figured I was giving up electricity costs without fixing this door's seal, turns out I made myself stranger bait." Gilbert fired into the creature. Clarissa felt sick, she ran outside to vomit. Gilbert helped keep her steady while she threw up next to the corpse of the creature.
"Where do they come from?"
"Don't rightly know, no one gets to ask, you see one, you tend to kill it."
"Is this all? Will there be more?"
"There certainly are, strangers never hunt in twos, its always a pack, get some sleep, we'll go find the rest in the morning."
"I don't know how you do it Gilbert, its damn near midnight and we have work tomorrow." They'd been watching Gilbert's "classic movie" collection. Clarissa was surprised anyone liked Tango and Cash let alone Cobra, She started to wonder if living through the 80's caused people brain damage.
"I own the business I can show up when I want."
"You say that like you don't get up at six every morning regardless of how late you were up the night before." Gilbert frowned.
"You'll understand when you get older, sometimes you don't want to stay up, but you can't get to bed."
"And the getting up at six every day?"
"Routine, in the service I had to get up at five every morning, six is like sleeping him." He had a laugh to it, but Clarissa could almost detect a bit of sorrow to it.
"Well I'm not able to work on only six hours, we got a long day tomorrow some goblins and if I read Doris's hand writing properly a plague of rats." Clarissa went to check to make sure the door was locked. Gilbert said she didn't need bother he lived in the country and the only people who ever came knocking were mormons, but she was in the habit of it and he didn't tell her when he lived alone he kept it unlocked. When she was at the door she caught sight of something out of the peep hole, she couldn't be certain at first, it almost seemed unbelievable that anyone would be out this late let alone be at Gilbert's door, but when she looked through the peephole there was a pair of children. Clarissa was confused. It looked like a pair of teenagers, one girl, one boy, the girl looking slightly older than the boy. She was transfixed staring at them through the peep hole, she didn't even hear Gilbert's shouting as she opened the door and let them inside.
"GET AWAY FROM THE DOOR!" Gilbert had gotten up from the couch as fast as he could, but he was too slow, the strangers were inside. He could see the girl and boy, but he knew that's not what they really were. He saw the boy touch Clarissa's hand and knew she'd be paralyzed unable to act. He had to get away, in his bedroom he kept a double barrel shotgun loaded with what he called "god shot" able to stun if not outright kill most things. The girl stranger moved on him, almost impossibly fast, she was in front of him the door to his bedroom close, but also too far.
"Where are you going mister? Don't you want to help my brother and me?" The strangers face was normal save from the black hole where her eyes should be. As Gilbert stared at her, her facial features shifted, nose becoming elongated, mouth stretching with it, teeth becoming sharp needles dripping with a green goo.
"Just going to get my wallet little girl, why don't you wait in the living room." He could feel her influence on him, feel it creeping into his body like sleep. Telling him she was safe, and he was worried about nothing.
"No you're not, you want to harm me." She reached out for him and he pulled his back. She made another grab, but a shriek like that of a banshee filled the house and froze the stranger in her tracks. Gilbert knew the scream, it sounded like his wife's used to, only amplified somehow. He didn't stop to question what happened, he just ran for his bedroom. The stranger her grip broken moved too slow this time, by the time she turned the door Gilbert had the shotgun leveled and he fired without waiting, the first shot hit the stranger dead center. It fell backwards into Gilbert's night light, it tried to get away but Gilbert fired once more into the head and it stopped. He waited for a moment in the bedroom, gathering some supplies before heading into the living room where the other stranger was waiting.
"Clarissa you ok?" He could see the stranger had her by the throat, her eyes told the story, she was terrified.
"Put down the gun." The stranger was doing its best to command him, Gilbert did as he was told, he heard an audible whimper from Clarissa as he laid the shotgun on the carpet. "Now come over here, you must be punished for what you did to my sister." Gilbert dutifully obeyed and walked towards the boy stranger, when he got within grabbing range, he pulled the knife he'd stashed in his back waistband and slashed the creatures throat. It let go of Clarissa and stumbled through the open door, leaking black fluid on the way out. Gilbert got his shotgun and followed after it.
"Stay inside Clarissa." She was freed from the creatures spell, but still shaken with the experience.
"What are they?"
"Don't have a regular name that I'm aware of, in the business we just call them strangers, don't fault yourself for letting them inside, its smell, its how they get you, I always figured I was giving up electricity costs without fixing this door's seal, turns out I made myself stranger bait." Gilbert fired into the creature. Clarissa felt sick, she ran outside to vomit. Gilbert helped keep her steady while she threw up next to the corpse of the creature.
"Where do they come from?"
"Don't rightly know, no one gets to ask, you see one, you tend to kill it."
"Is this all? Will there be more?"
"There certainly are, strangers never hunt in twos, its always a pack, get some sleep, we'll go find the rest in the morning."
Friday, December 8, 2017
The Forest From The Trees
47.
"We return to our top story tonight, the Olympic forest massacre. Authorities are continuing to investigate the mass grave yard recently unearthed by a forest fire. We go live to Brad Bosworth for an update Brad?" Gilbert turned the tv off, the top story had been the top story for three days, the count was up over three hundred bodies, but so many of the skeletons were mixed up with each other and old so it would be impossible to know the actual body count. He had been relaxing at home, still recovering from the last ordeal with the forest. Clarissa had been working in his place, she came through the door covered in orange goo.
"Next time someone says 'it's just a little creature no bigger than a rat' I'm going to call them a god damn liar, thing was the size of a freaking great dane, with huge fangs, I feel like I'm going to stink for a week." Gilbert chuckled to himself.
"But you got it?"
"I got it, I got all of it, every last piece of it, and I did as you said to do and put a rune down to prevent the next one, I tell you Gilbert I want to be half as knowledgeable as you are."
"You'll get there, what's that?" Clarissa had a manilla envelope she put down on the table.
"Its from that photo guy you sent the camera too, figured you'd want to see if there are any pictures worth seeing." Gilbert was surprised when they'd returned to the van the camera was still there, he almost imagined it had been another illusion. But when they'd returned with Kathy Henson it was still sitting on Clarissa's seat from where he'd left it. At first he didn't want to have the photos developed, just leave sleeping dogs, but he had to know, had to know for himself over anything.
"How's Kathy Henson doing?" Clarissa had already shed the orange coated jump suit and was making her way towards the shower.
"Doctors say she'll recover, she's talking some, just small talk, she'll get there in time. Tyler Smith's mom called the office, said Tyler just woke up himself, started talking again, started being a person. Gilbert I think we did some real good out there." Gilbert smiled to himself.
"We usually do, but yeah this one feels like a win, take your shower." Gilbert emptied the envelope, it had a stack of photos and a letter from his photo guy.
--
Here's those photos you wanted Gilbert. I'm a little confused though, you said you found this from a person who's been missing for a while, but there are photos in this roll that were taken this week, I don't think the guy has been missing as long as you suspect he has. I'd love to hear where you found this camera.
--
Gilbert paused at the thought of recent photos. That part put him off guard. He didn't even notice Clarissa had finished her shower until she put her hand on his shoulder and spooked him
"Sorry."
"No its ok, just felt off for a minute."
"Still hearing the music?"
"No not that, my photo guy says there are recent photos in the roll, that's off putting." Clarissa looked at the stack of photos on the table.
"Have you looked yet?"
"Was about to, want to join me? You can see when I had more hair."
"Ooh the glory days." Clarissa plopped down on the couch next to Gilbert and he started going through the photos. The first bunch were clearly from the first trip, a bunch of mugging for the camera and action shots of people planning out search zones. This group changed over to when Toomes got lost, just panic'd motion shots of trees ending at the tree that Clarissa found Gilbert at. Then there were the recent shots, Gilbert felt his blood run cold when he saw shots of his own house, including when he and Clarissa had been gearing up to go into the woods. He saw shots of an older looking Tyler Smith seemingly staring right into the camera, and then there was one of a farm with Alpacas. Gilbert dropped the photos at the alpaca farm bit and went to go grab his phone.
"These look like Llamas."
"They're alpacas, one sec Clarissa I'll get back to you." Gilbert searched his contact list and hoped he had Charlie's most recent number. The phone rang and rang for far too long before Charlie answered.
"Yeah?"
"Charlie, Gilbert, how are you..."
"I saw what happened up in the Olypmics Gilbert, that why you're calling?" Gilbert didn't remember Charlie being so rude to him, but it had been years since they worked together maybe some anger had sprung up in the mean time.
"Just wanted to check up with your Charlie see how you and Trish are doing."
"No you didn't, you did something up in those woods and now you're calling me, but I'm confused as to why."
"You been hearing music charlie?" There was silence on the end of the line.
"Not since the news reported on the fire."
"Look Charlie I'm sorry for what..." The line went dead, Gilbert didn't understand what had clearly happened since the last time Charlie was working for him, but he didn't want to force the issue. Figured Charlie would come around, people in their line of work usually did.
"GILBERT!" Clarissa had called out in a panic and she was hold two photos in a trembling hand. One picture was of what looked like a group of people excavating a grave site, Gilbert had seen enough in the news to know that was the crew up their digging in the Olympics. The other was of Clarissa in her orange covered jump suit opening the door to Gilbert's house, he could see himself slightly out of focus. Clarissa had a look of shock on her face "What does it mean Gilbert?"
"It means what was in those woods isn't the only thing in those woods, and it wants us to know that, know that we won the battle, but it can win the war." Gilbert heard the music faintly as if to acknowledge he was right.
"What do we do then Gilbert?"
"Nothing, these things always do this, try and hang around when they aren't welcome, I ain't worrying about it none, in fact I'm going to make some god damn Gumbo, haven't made it in years." Gilbert went to grab his coat and motioned Clarissa to follow, "Did I ever tell you about the time I was in New Orleans..."
Gilbert and Clarissa left his house, the stack of photos sitting on his coffee table, the most recent one on top where Clarissa left it. Slowly writing began to form on the photo, in a blood red shade.
---
Put on your dancing shoes, we'll see you soon
"We return to our top story tonight, the Olympic forest massacre. Authorities are continuing to investigate the mass grave yard recently unearthed by a forest fire. We go live to Brad Bosworth for an update Brad?" Gilbert turned the tv off, the top story had been the top story for three days, the count was up over three hundred bodies, but so many of the skeletons were mixed up with each other and old so it would be impossible to know the actual body count. He had been relaxing at home, still recovering from the last ordeal with the forest. Clarissa had been working in his place, she came through the door covered in orange goo.
"Next time someone says 'it's just a little creature no bigger than a rat' I'm going to call them a god damn liar, thing was the size of a freaking great dane, with huge fangs, I feel like I'm going to stink for a week." Gilbert chuckled to himself.
"But you got it?"
"I got it, I got all of it, every last piece of it, and I did as you said to do and put a rune down to prevent the next one, I tell you Gilbert I want to be half as knowledgeable as you are."
"You'll get there, what's that?" Clarissa had a manilla envelope she put down on the table.
"Its from that photo guy you sent the camera too, figured you'd want to see if there are any pictures worth seeing." Gilbert was surprised when they'd returned to the van the camera was still there, he almost imagined it had been another illusion. But when they'd returned with Kathy Henson it was still sitting on Clarissa's seat from where he'd left it. At first he didn't want to have the photos developed, just leave sleeping dogs, but he had to know, had to know for himself over anything.
"How's Kathy Henson doing?" Clarissa had already shed the orange coated jump suit and was making her way towards the shower.
"Doctors say she'll recover, she's talking some, just small talk, she'll get there in time. Tyler Smith's mom called the office, said Tyler just woke up himself, started talking again, started being a person. Gilbert I think we did some real good out there." Gilbert smiled to himself.
"We usually do, but yeah this one feels like a win, take your shower." Gilbert emptied the envelope, it had a stack of photos and a letter from his photo guy.
--
Here's those photos you wanted Gilbert. I'm a little confused though, you said you found this from a person who's been missing for a while, but there are photos in this roll that were taken this week, I don't think the guy has been missing as long as you suspect he has. I'd love to hear where you found this camera.
--
Gilbert paused at the thought of recent photos. That part put him off guard. He didn't even notice Clarissa had finished her shower until she put her hand on his shoulder and spooked him
"Sorry."
"No its ok, just felt off for a minute."
"Still hearing the music?"
"No not that, my photo guy says there are recent photos in the roll, that's off putting." Clarissa looked at the stack of photos on the table.
"Have you looked yet?"
"Was about to, want to join me? You can see when I had more hair."
"Ooh the glory days." Clarissa plopped down on the couch next to Gilbert and he started going through the photos. The first bunch were clearly from the first trip, a bunch of mugging for the camera and action shots of people planning out search zones. This group changed over to when Toomes got lost, just panic'd motion shots of trees ending at the tree that Clarissa found Gilbert at. Then there were the recent shots, Gilbert felt his blood run cold when he saw shots of his own house, including when he and Clarissa had been gearing up to go into the woods. He saw shots of an older looking Tyler Smith seemingly staring right into the camera, and then there was one of a farm with Alpacas. Gilbert dropped the photos at the alpaca farm bit and went to go grab his phone.
"These look like Llamas."
"They're alpacas, one sec Clarissa I'll get back to you." Gilbert searched his contact list and hoped he had Charlie's most recent number. The phone rang and rang for far too long before Charlie answered.
"Yeah?"
"Charlie, Gilbert, how are you..."
"I saw what happened up in the Olypmics Gilbert, that why you're calling?" Gilbert didn't remember Charlie being so rude to him, but it had been years since they worked together maybe some anger had sprung up in the mean time.
"Just wanted to check up with your Charlie see how you and Trish are doing."
"No you didn't, you did something up in those woods and now you're calling me, but I'm confused as to why."
"You been hearing music charlie?" There was silence on the end of the line.
"Not since the news reported on the fire."
"Look Charlie I'm sorry for what..." The line went dead, Gilbert didn't understand what had clearly happened since the last time Charlie was working for him, but he didn't want to force the issue. Figured Charlie would come around, people in their line of work usually did.
"GILBERT!" Clarissa had called out in a panic and she was hold two photos in a trembling hand. One picture was of what looked like a group of people excavating a grave site, Gilbert had seen enough in the news to know that was the crew up their digging in the Olympics. The other was of Clarissa in her orange covered jump suit opening the door to Gilbert's house, he could see himself slightly out of focus. Clarissa had a look of shock on her face "What does it mean Gilbert?"
"It means what was in those woods isn't the only thing in those woods, and it wants us to know that, know that we won the battle, but it can win the war." Gilbert heard the music faintly as if to acknowledge he was right.
"What do we do then Gilbert?"
"Nothing, these things always do this, try and hang around when they aren't welcome, I ain't worrying about it none, in fact I'm going to make some god damn Gumbo, haven't made it in years." Gilbert went to grab his coat and motioned Clarissa to follow, "Did I ever tell you about the time I was in New Orleans..."
Gilbert and Clarissa left his house, the stack of photos sitting on his coffee table, the most recent one on top where Clarissa left it. Slowly writing began to form on the photo, in a blood red shade.
---
Put on your dancing shoes, we'll see you soon
Friday, December 1, 2017
The Day The Music Died
46.
"Why don't we just burn the forest? Set the whole damn thing on fire." Gilbert had started the drive up to the forest, Clarissa felt the hairs on the back of her neck rising up just going near it.
"Native Americans tried that, it wouldn't burn, then the village who tried it was found all dead, bones picked clean, but curiously they were picked clean like they'd been killed where they'd been standing. Just skeletons standing up, sitting down, like some macabre display. There was some crazy person in the fifties who wanted to build a lodge up there, he took himself and some undocumented workers up there, no one ever saw him again, though people do claim if you look in the woods at night you'll see lights up there, I never saw it, but I try not to stare." Gilbert reached a parking lot, there was no one on duty, just a parking lot with a parking attendant booth and one other car Gilbert assumed was from the missing woman.
"Who maintains the lot?"
"No one, it maintains itself really. I heard it was originally just a clearing with a sign welcoming people, now it looks like any other park though no one from the state dares come up here. Park ranger used to come up and put a sign up saying this park was closed, he went missing some years back and no one took over." Gilbert stopped the van and looked at Clarissa dead in the eyes, "Last chance on this crazy train." Clarissa gathered her coat and small supplies.
"I'm in this till the forest is stopped Gilbert." Gilbert felt better he had Clarissa with him, but he also could hear the music louder now. He'd been hearing it the whole trip, but didn't want to tell Clarissa.
"Well I'm proud to have you with me, now lets get that nuke."
"WHAT?"
"Figure of speech." Gilbert opened up the side panel of the van and drew his green chest to himself. Clarissa had wondered what he was keeping in it, every other tool he just had scattered around back there, but this one specifically had a double lock security. Clarissa saw him take the keys out from around his neck and unlock it. She half expected to see a nuclear weapon, or huge gun. Instead it was just a glowing jade Naginata, the weapon that had saved Gilbert all those years in the past.
"That's that dragon blade right?"
"Right, coated in the blood of the beast who made it, I've killed several things with this, that could not be killed, to be honest should have probably had it with me when we went after that Kraken, but mistakes were made." Clarissa was in awe at it, the weapon felt warm in a way to counter the cold she felt from the forest.
"Gilbert Dunkley, I remember the first time you came up here," Gilbert and Clarissa nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of another person, "Rick Toomes, Everett herald, you probably don't remember me, but I was the photographer on that first missing person."
"Right Toomes, you brought donuts for everyone, wanted to take the first photo of the search party when we found the young woman, kept saying it would be your big break." Gilbert held his hand out to Toomes and the man shook it, Gilbert felt a chill go up his body, but wrote it off to the forest being a cold place. Clarissa didn't like Toomes, he had a look to him that felt off, but they weren't in the woods proper yet, Gilbert said the weird stuff didn't happen out here.
"It was my big break Gilbert, it was, never did find that woman, what was her name?"
"I don't remember, sad right?"
"A little." Toomes walked up to the front of the van, and looked into the woods, they seemed darker by the minute despite it only being nine in the morning. "You still hear the music Gilbert?" Gilbert didn't know how to respond, he hadn't told Toomes about music, never spoke to the man again after that first trip. Toomes walked from the front of the van to beside it, Gilbert went to follow and he was gone. Like he'd never been there. Next to Clarissa's door was his camera though, an older model, something from the 90's before everything went digital.
"Where'd he go?" Gilbert cursed under his breath and put the camera in the van.
"I'm an idiot, Toomes was the first one to go missing all those years ago, god damn forest is fucking with me." Gilbert turned from the van and stared at the tree line looking for anything moving, but saw nothing.
"Still going in?"
"Still going in, come on don't want it to get dark."
"Gilbert wait." Clarissa went back to the van and rummaged around in the back before coming back with some rope. She tied one end around her wait and handed the other part to Gilbert.
"Smart thinking."
"Figured this way if one of us sees something, and tries to wander off, rope will stop that."
"Unless something cuts the rope."
"No one likes a cynic Gilbert." Clarissa and Gilbert had a laugh at that and then both turned to look at the woods. "Well lets get this damn thing done, sixth times a charm right Gilbert?"
"I'm feeling better already Clarissa." Gilbert wasn't feeling better, but anything to stop the music would be welcome.
****
"I guess I was expecting something scary." Clarissa and Gilbert had been walking for a few hours, they hadn't seen anything. Exactly as Gilbert had said, the forest felt like a normal place up until it wasn't.
"I've heard it said as the Banality of evil, the regular old normal ness of terrible."
"I guess your stories scared me so much I expected something to be waiting for us." Gilbert was walking with the Naginata over his shoulder in a casual manner. It was the easiest way he'd found to carry it since it was so unwieldy normally. Clarissa had an arrow notched at the ready, she didn't know what she'd shoot, but she felt being prepared wouldn't hurt.
"Don't worry, something is waiting for us, I can feel it, though maybe don't walk so close to me the line is pretty slack." Gilbert turned to see why Clarissa was so close when he noticed the line had been cut. Clarissa wasn't anywhere near, he called out, but heard nothing in response.
"Well shit."
****
"Gilbert you're awfully quiet." Clarissa had been following Gilbert for hours, the sun was starting to descend which she figured would be time to turn around, but he kept on walking deeper in. He hadn't even turned around to look at her. Clarissa got a bad feeling when she noticed he didn't have the Naginata either. She stopped and when the rope pulled tight "Gilbert" turned around and revealed it wasn't actually Gilbert at all, but some horrific looking ghoul. Clarissa didn't even think she just notched the arrow and fired. The shot didn't so much as hit as it dispelled the not Gilbert, the rope went slack, she could see now it had been cut, probably hours ago.
"Fuck." The forest was all around her, she figured this was probably how it got a lot of people. Had you thinking you were with people and then when you realized you weren't it was too late. She didn't hear music, but she figured it was coming. Clarissa also hadn't brought anything other than the bow, her arrows, and her coat. Hadn't even though to bring a flash light or a lighter or anything, she'd assumed Gilbert would bring everything they needed and she was just there to help him from getting lost, which had worked out great.
The only thing she found was she had left her Ipod in her pocket, so she could die like so many idiots in horror movies, not being able to hear what was coming. Clarissa was about to put the ipod back in her pocket when she thought of something. What if hearing the music wasn't the first time you heard something, it was just when it became obvious? She had to test the theory quickly, she turned on the ipod and was happy to see it had most of its battery. She put her earbuds in and turned up the volume to almost painful levels. At first she regretted it because she'd been listening to an awful pop song and at that volume it just made her regret having the song in the first place, but then something weird happened. The forest changed. Instead of the endless samey looking trees, it looked different, she could see changes, see which way the sun was, and see other foot steps in the ground! They looked big as if made by someone in work boots like Gilbert. She ran in that direction immediately, hoping to find him before the forest got him.
The foot steps ended at a large ugly tree. She looked around it hoping to find some indication where Gilbert had went, but they just stopped at the tree. Just being near it she could feel her skin crawl, like she was in a place no one should be. Clarissa knew immediately she'd found what she needed to kill, but she saw no way of doing so. She had her arrows, but shooting an arrow into a tree felt like a really stupid idea. She was about to just try jamming the arrow head into the tree hoping to do something when she noticed one of her arrows looked different than the others. It was the fire poison from when they'd been hunting the Kraken. She remembered afterward Gilbert said to carry one just in case "never know when you need to burn something from the inside." Clarissa didn't know if it would work, but figured she had nothing else to lose. She slotted the fire poison arrow up and aimed dead center on the tree.
"What are you doing?" It was a young boy, Clarissa knew it wasn't an actual young boy, she could barely hear him shouting over her music, but she knew the forest was trying to stop her.
"Ending this."
"Why don't you hear the music?" The boy was now a man, a twisted ugly broken looking man. Old and twisted in a way that reflected the tree.
"Just not a tune I can dance to." She let the arrow fly, it hit the middle of the tree and nothing happened at first. And then the twisted man caught on fire. The tree itself started to smoke from the branches. Clarissa wondered what she would do next when she saw a black man's hand shoot up from underneath the roots of the tree. She ran to it, assuming it was Gilbert, but the hand disappeared again. She was about to start digging when the Naginata emerged up from the same place Gilbert's hand had been.
"Cut it down." She could hear Gilbert, he sounded hoarse, like he was struggling to speak, almost inaudible over her ipod.
"Let me get you out first!" Clarissa was shouting without realizing it.
"Can't get free, cut it down." She nodded her head and dropped her bow. She took up the large pole arm, surprised at how light it felt compared to how heavy it looked. Clarissa didn't even know how to swing it. Her first attempt was like a baseball bat, the blade turned sideways and slammed into the tree sending a tremor up her hands that hurt up to her shoulders. She was undeterred though, and her next attempt had her place her hands equally apart and swing with all her might. She figured she'd cut part of the tree, make an impact and then have to keep chopping. Instead as soon as the blade touched the tree it sliced on through, it almost knocked Clarissa off her feet to have it cut as if she wasn't cutting at all. The slice took her halfway through the old rotten beast of a tree, and with some walking she managed to finish it off, the cut having also magically extended out the backside despite the blade not being able to normally reach that far. Her work done the entire tree caught fire and feel away from her, almost writhing as it burnt.
"Gonna need some help." Gilbert's voice was louder than before and Clarissa felt better. She ran to his hand and pulled and with his help she got him out of the ground. He was covered in dirt and leaves, as soon as he was out he vomitted up some black sludge with other tree parts.
"Oh my god I'm so glad you're out."
"Not alone, the Hansen woman is down there, still alive, but barely." Clarissa helped Gilbert dig the woman out, she was naked and shivering, but alive. Clarissa handed over her jacket and Gilbert lifted her up on his shoulder like a small child. She looked impossibly thin to Clarissa, she hoped she'd come out ok.
"So which way is out Gilbert?" Gilbert nodded in the direction opposite the tree.
"That way, though I swear to god I can still hear music, though this sounds worse than that carnival barking shit from before." Clarissa went red and reached into her pocket to turn off her ipod.
"Better?"
"Yeah, though I am going to have so many questions later Clarissa."
"As will I Gilbert."
"Grab my Naginata, and lets get the fuck out of here."
"Yeah I think this dance party is done." They both had a chuckle at that, but the groan of Ms. Hansen cut their moment of levity. They still had a job to get done, and daylight was fading.
"Why don't we just burn the forest? Set the whole damn thing on fire." Gilbert had started the drive up to the forest, Clarissa felt the hairs on the back of her neck rising up just going near it.
"Native Americans tried that, it wouldn't burn, then the village who tried it was found all dead, bones picked clean, but curiously they were picked clean like they'd been killed where they'd been standing. Just skeletons standing up, sitting down, like some macabre display. There was some crazy person in the fifties who wanted to build a lodge up there, he took himself and some undocumented workers up there, no one ever saw him again, though people do claim if you look in the woods at night you'll see lights up there, I never saw it, but I try not to stare." Gilbert reached a parking lot, there was no one on duty, just a parking lot with a parking attendant booth and one other car Gilbert assumed was from the missing woman.
"Who maintains the lot?"
"No one, it maintains itself really. I heard it was originally just a clearing with a sign welcoming people, now it looks like any other park though no one from the state dares come up here. Park ranger used to come up and put a sign up saying this park was closed, he went missing some years back and no one took over." Gilbert stopped the van and looked at Clarissa dead in the eyes, "Last chance on this crazy train." Clarissa gathered her coat and small supplies.
"I'm in this till the forest is stopped Gilbert." Gilbert felt better he had Clarissa with him, but he also could hear the music louder now. He'd been hearing it the whole trip, but didn't want to tell Clarissa.
"Well I'm proud to have you with me, now lets get that nuke."
"WHAT?"
"Figure of speech." Gilbert opened up the side panel of the van and drew his green chest to himself. Clarissa had wondered what he was keeping in it, every other tool he just had scattered around back there, but this one specifically had a double lock security. Clarissa saw him take the keys out from around his neck and unlock it. She half expected to see a nuclear weapon, or huge gun. Instead it was just a glowing jade Naginata, the weapon that had saved Gilbert all those years in the past.
"That's that dragon blade right?"
"Right, coated in the blood of the beast who made it, I've killed several things with this, that could not be killed, to be honest should have probably had it with me when we went after that Kraken, but mistakes were made." Clarissa was in awe at it, the weapon felt warm in a way to counter the cold she felt from the forest.
"Gilbert Dunkley, I remember the first time you came up here," Gilbert and Clarissa nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of another person, "Rick Toomes, Everett herald, you probably don't remember me, but I was the photographer on that first missing person."
"Right Toomes, you brought donuts for everyone, wanted to take the first photo of the search party when we found the young woman, kept saying it would be your big break." Gilbert held his hand out to Toomes and the man shook it, Gilbert felt a chill go up his body, but wrote it off to the forest being a cold place. Clarissa didn't like Toomes, he had a look to him that felt off, but they weren't in the woods proper yet, Gilbert said the weird stuff didn't happen out here.
"It was my big break Gilbert, it was, never did find that woman, what was her name?"
"I don't remember, sad right?"
"A little." Toomes walked up to the front of the van, and looked into the woods, they seemed darker by the minute despite it only being nine in the morning. "You still hear the music Gilbert?" Gilbert didn't know how to respond, he hadn't told Toomes about music, never spoke to the man again after that first trip. Toomes walked from the front of the van to beside it, Gilbert went to follow and he was gone. Like he'd never been there. Next to Clarissa's door was his camera though, an older model, something from the 90's before everything went digital.
"Where'd he go?" Gilbert cursed under his breath and put the camera in the van.
"I'm an idiot, Toomes was the first one to go missing all those years ago, god damn forest is fucking with me." Gilbert turned from the van and stared at the tree line looking for anything moving, but saw nothing.
"Still going in?"
"Still going in, come on don't want it to get dark."
"Gilbert wait." Clarissa went back to the van and rummaged around in the back before coming back with some rope. She tied one end around her wait and handed the other part to Gilbert.
"Smart thinking."
"Figured this way if one of us sees something, and tries to wander off, rope will stop that."
"Unless something cuts the rope."
"No one likes a cynic Gilbert." Clarissa and Gilbert had a laugh at that and then both turned to look at the woods. "Well lets get this damn thing done, sixth times a charm right Gilbert?"
"I'm feeling better already Clarissa." Gilbert wasn't feeling better, but anything to stop the music would be welcome.
****
"I guess I was expecting something scary." Clarissa and Gilbert had been walking for a few hours, they hadn't seen anything. Exactly as Gilbert had said, the forest felt like a normal place up until it wasn't.
"I've heard it said as the Banality of evil, the regular old normal ness of terrible."
"I guess your stories scared me so much I expected something to be waiting for us." Gilbert was walking with the Naginata over his shoulder in a casual manner. It was the easiest way he'd found to carry it since it was so unwieldy normally. Clarissa had an arrow notched at the ready, she didn't know what she'd shoot, but she felt being prepared wouldn't hurt.
"Don't worry, something is waiting for us, I can feel it, though maybe don't walk so close to me the line is pretty slack." Gilbert turned to see why Clarissa was so close when he noticed the line had been cut. Clarissa wasn't anywhere near, he called out, but heard nothing in response.
"Well shit."
****
"Gilbert you're awfully quiet." Clarissa had been following Gilbert for hours, the sun was starting to descend which she figured would be time to turn around, but he kept on walking deeper in. He hadn't even turned around to look at her. Clarissa got a bad feeling when she noticed he didn't have the Naginata either. She stopped and when the rope pulled tight "Gilbert" turned around and revealed it wasn't actually Gilbert at all, but some horrific looking ghoul. Clarissa didn't even think she just notched the arrow and fired. The shot didn't so much as hit as it dispelled the not Gilbert, the rope went slack, she could see now it had been cut, probably hours ago.
"Fuck." The forest was all around her, she figured this was probably how it got a lot of people. Had you thinking you were with people and then when you realized you weren't it was too late. She didn't hear music, but she figured it was coming. Clarissa also hadn't brought anything other than the bow, her arrows, and her coat. Hadn't even though to bring a flash light or a lighter or anything, she'd assumed Gilbert would bring everything they needed and she was just there to help him from getting lost, which had worked out great.
The only thing she found was she had left her Ipod in her pocket, so she could die like so many idiots in horror movies, not being able to hear what was coming. Clarissa was about to put the ipod back in her pocket when she thought of something. What if hearing the music wasn't the first time you heard something, it was just when it became obvious? She had to test the theory quickly, she turned on the ipod and was happy to see it had most of its battery. She put her earbuds in and turned up the volume to almost painful levels. At first she regretted it because she'd been listening to an awful pop song and at that volume it just made her regret having the song in the first place, but then something weird happened. The forest changed. Instead of the endless samey looking trees, it looked different, she could see changes, see which way the sun was, and see other foot steps in the ground! They looked big as if made by someone in work boots like Gilbert. She ran in that direction immediately, hoping to find him before the forest got him.
The foot steps ended at a large ugly tree. She looked around it hoping to find some indication where Gilbert had went, but they just stopped at the tree. Just being near it she could feel her skin crawl, like she was in a place no one should be. Clarissa knew immediately she'd found what she needed to kill, but she saw no way of doing so. She had her arrows, but shooting an arrow into a tree felt like a really stupid idea. She was about to just try jamming the arrow head into the tree hoping to do something when she noticed one of her arrows looked different than the others. It was the fire poison from when they'd been hunting the Kraken. She remembered afterward Gilbert said to carry one just in case "never know when you need to burn something from the inside." Clarissa didn't know if it would work, but figured she had nothing else to lose. She slotted the fire poison arrow up and aimed dead center on the tree.
"What are you doing?" It was a young boy, Clarissa knew it wasn't an actual young boy, she could barely hear him shouting over her music, but she knew the forest was trying to stop her.
"Ending this."
"Why don't you hear the music?" The boy was now a man, a twisted ugly broken looking man. Old and twisted in a way that reflected the tree.
"Just not a tune I can dance to." She let the arrow fly, it hit the middle of the tree and nothing happened at first. And then the twisted man caught on fire. The tree itself started to smoke from the branches. Clarissa wondered what she would do next when she saw a black man's hand shoot up from underneath the roots of the tree. She ran to it, assuming it was Gilbert, but the hand disappeared again. She was about to start digging when the Naginata emerged up from the same place Gilbert's hand had been.
"Cut it down." She could hear Gilbert, he sounded hoarse, like he was struggling to speak, almost inaudible over her ipod.
"Let me get you out first!" Clarissa was shouting without realizing it.
"Can't get free, cut it down." She nodded her head and dropped her bow. She took up the large pole arm, surprised at how light it felt compared to how heavy it looked. Clarissa didn't even know how to swing it. Her first attempt was like a baseball bat, the blade turned sideways and slammed into the tree sending a tremor up her hands that hurt up to her shoulders. She was undeterred though, and her next attempt had her place her hands equally apart and swing with all her might. She figured she'd cut part of the tree, make an impact and then have to keep chopping. Instead as soon as the blade touched the tree it sliced on through, it almost knocked Clarissa off her feet to have it cut as if she wasn't cutting at all. The slice took her halfway through the old rotten beast of a tree, and with some walking she managed to finish it off, the cut having also magically extended out the backside despite the blade not being able to normally reach that far. Her work done the entire tree caught fire and feel away from her, almost writhing as it burnt.
"Gonna need some help." Gilbert's voice was louder than before and Clarissa felt better. She ran to his hand and pulled and with his help she got him out of the ground. He was covered in dirt and leaves, as soon as he was out he vomitted up some black sludge with other tree parts.
"Oh my god I'm so glad you're out."
"Not alone, the Hansen woman is down there, still alive, but barely." Clarissa helped Gilbert dig the woman out, she was naked and shivering, but alive. Clarissa handed over her jacket and Gilbert lifted her up on his shoulder like a small child. She looked impossibly thin to Clarissa, she hoped she'd come out ok.
"So which way is out Gilbert?" Gilbert nodded in the direction opposite the tree.
"That way, though I swear to god I can still hear music, though this sounds worse than that carnival barking shit from before." Clarissa went red and reached into her pocket to turn off her ipod.
"Better?"
"Yeah, though I am going to have so many questions later Clarissa."
"As will I Gilbert."
"Grab my Naginata, and lets get the fuck out of here."
"Yeah I think this dance party is done." They both had a chuckle at that, but the groan of Ms. Hansen cut their moment of levity. They still had a job to get done, and daylight was fading.
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