Not Exactly a Search Party

58.

"Bad things are coming Clarissa, lot of evil men been out and about, I believe the devil needs some payment." Clarence Timms had been busy. He'd been in places he'd rather not think about, even as someone who thinks he could not die he was worried where he'd been death would have been a blessing.

"Like the actual devil? Is that a thing?" Clarissa was still trying to get a handle on being back in civilization. Izu herself looked awkward as well, though it could have just been sitting in a hearse with Reverend Timms driving.

"I haven't personally run across him personally, but I have been visited by his associates, so I assume the man himself is out there somewhere. But this was more of an expression of mine." Izu held her hand up like she was in class.

"This is all real interesting and I'm sure you folks have things to work out, but I've been gone a real long time from the world and I'd rather not be involved in whatever this all is." Timms looked at Izu for a second and then pulled over to the side of the road.

"You want out here or when we're back in town? Its cold out girl."

"Town is actually a scarier place for me Reverend." Izu got out and took a deep breath of the air. Clarissa got out with her and gave her a big hug.

"Thank you for everything." Izu reached into the small bag she'd been carrying and gave Clarissa a pair of short blades she'd made from a couple creatures in the wilds.

"Remember everything I showed you, that bow is deadly, but not everything stays at a distance, and take care of yourself, this is good bye but its not gone for good. I'll see you again." Izu waved at Reverend Timms and started making her way towards the frozen field away from the highway.

"She wasn't human was she?" Clarissa put her hands in front of the heater, just being outside for a bit made her feel so cold.

"Nope, that doesn't bother you does it?"

"Honey I'm an undead preacher who was born back before there were fifty states, if that kind of thing bothered me its been years now." Timms smiled and Clarissa felt a little better even if her world kept feeling like less reality and more insanity. Silence fell over both of them and the rest of the drive to GD Exterminators was in silence.

****

The lights were out at the office. The clock on Reverend Timms car read five pm, which would be a little early for Gilbert to close the office, but Clarissa felt something was off. Timms did too, he got out of his car and took his revolver out.

"Stay in the car."

"Screw that, I know this office better than you do Timms." Clarissa got out and took out the two blades Izu had given her. Inside was dark, it felt a little cold, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It looked just like Clarissa had left it when she'd gone. Timms too didn't notice anything out of the ordinary and put his pistol away.

"Maybe they just went home for the day." Clarissa was about to agree with Timms, and then she saw it, a little sapling sitting on the desk. It was in a pot, like someone would have picked it up at a local home depot, but she felt the hairs rise up on the back of her neck and then she heard it, carnival music, lightly drifting on the wind.

"The forest got him."

"The what?" Reverend Timms was confused what woods had anything to do with it.

"Long story, you up to help?"

"If one of my flock is in trouble, I'm always willing to help."

"Good, though I hope you're as unable to die as you say, because I'm sure this thing is willing to kill us all."