Fear of the Known

135.

"I'm just glad you're feeling better." Clarissa had taken a couple days of sleeping and vomitting, but she seemed mostly on the mend. Gilbert felt better about that immediately.

"We deal with lots of ugly awful things Gilbert, but I'm pretty sure this was just the flu."

"I mean I saw alien, shit haunted me Clarissa."

"'Gilbert nothing's going to burst out of me." They were on their way to a simple extermination in Detroit. Some kind of minor imp infestation that the owner was worried was a signal of something worse. Gilbert's main concern was the van getting booted in Detroit, he couldn't remember if he paid all his parking tickets.

"Well all the same stay away from spaghetti for a bit."

"GILBERT!" Clarissa didn't like the implication Gilbert thought something was growing inside of her. She felt fine, other than obviously having to deal with Gilbert for another long car ride.

"So what's Detroit like?"

"Been years since I've been there, it was pretty bad last time I was in town, but I heard it got better, or got worse, you know how it is shit sucks everywhere."

"Well that's charming."

"I will tell you one thing I'm really worried about."

"What's that?"

"Meter maids." Clarissa laughed.

"I'm serious there is a lady named Wanda, last time I was there she tagged the van with so many violations I think it almost wiped out the money I made on the job, I think we might still owe fines, so if you see one coming watch out."

"Sure sure, whatever Gilbert."

****

Gilbert made sure the van was in a proper space, he even took a ruler out to verify distance from the curb. Clarissa found it funny up until Wanda showed up. She couldn't believe Wanda was real, let alone as horrifying as Gilbert had said.

"Mr. Dunkley."

"Officer Wanda, its a pleasure to see you today." Gilbert could feel the sweat already forming.

"Don't you Officer Wanda me Mr. Dunkley I remember you, I see you still drive the same beat up Van, you do have a new worker with you, other guy retire."

"Yes M'am he wanted to work a ranch."

"Uh huh, and what are you doing in my fine city of Detroit."

"Business M'am got a work order from a Mr. Duffy to clear out this building." The building was a long abandoned apartment building though it still looked to be in decent shape despite no one living there. When Wanda looked at it she paused for a second.

"Duffy, I don't know no Duffy." She tapped one overly long fingernail on her clip board, and then walked around the van to make sure things were on the up and up.

"Wanda do you have an apb out on me or something, you showed up awfully fast."

"I live in this neighborhood Mr. Dunkley, when I saw your van again I knew I had to check to make sure you were doing," She paused for a moment lost in a thought, she was looking at the building again, "Right."

Gilbert noticed Wanda was kind of just standing there now tranfixed. "Wanda?"

"You know I've always seen this building and never been in, funny I don't recall anyone ever living here in fifty years, but its been here this whole time, not aging, just looking scary, but not too scary, the kind of place you'd invite someone into on a dare." Wanda was walking up the steps, Gilbert and Clarissa hurried after her. "I wonder what its like inside..." Gilbert grabbed her arm and she shocked out of her thought ready to shout at him, but then her face went pale when she saw how close she was to walking inside. She stumbled down the steps and got in her car and left Clarissa and Gilbert to stare after her as she drove off.

"So that happened." Clarissa broke the silence and Gilbert chuckled.

"Yeah that happened, come on lets get our stuff and get out of here before she comes to her senses and finds my tires are not properly stiped or something."