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Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 01

By: DiaperedSiouxsie



Nick's head hurt. His eyes opened to a somewhat disheveled scene, not remembering how he got there. He was lying on a stained and damp bed in a cold and dark room. He sat up and further observed his dank surroundings, Noting the cobwebs covering a good portion of the walls that encased the room. There was a bleak ray of light poking in from a boarded up window across the room. Rubbing his aching head, Nick apprehensively walked toward it. He peered through to see it raining outside. There was something eerie about the environment, namely the absence of any other humans. No people, cars, animals, even litter could be found outside. Struggling to remember how he had ended up in this small and dark room, he turned and saw a streaked mirror. His black hair was unkempt, his green eyes were bloodshot, and he wore what appeared to be a good two or three day beard. Shaking his head, he sat back on the soiled bed.

Nick looked over by the door and saw a man sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. Nick sighed with relief. "Hey, are you awake?"

He walked over to the man, hoping he could shed some light on what had happened to them. As he neared him, however, He saw the bullet hole in his head. A pang of fear rushed through Nick; he had no idea how he had gotten here, but he had to get out. And soon. He opened the door to find an old and battered staircase and quickly walked down them. Looking around, Nick found a living room filled only with a couch, coffee table, and a television propped on an otherwise empty wall unit. Adjacent to it was an equally abandoned kitchen, with a refridgerator and another boarded window, this one without light seeping through. Nick suddenly remembered walking across the street from his home the previous night when a bright light had confronted him. He had then lost consciousness, and woke up here next to that cadaver. A wave of nausea came over Nick and he promptly rushed over to the sink and vomited.

Wiping off his mouth, Nick steadily walked toward the door at the front of the house. With each step he grew more terrified, and he noticed that he was sweating somewhat heavily as he neared the door. With no idea of what to expect, he gingerly placed his damp palm on the doorknob and turned it. Nick took a deep breath and pulled.

As the door opened, Nick fell forward past the porch and down the street. It was very cold and dark, and the raindrops splashing on his head and shoulders were even colder. Nick, thankful that he was wearing a coat, looked over the empty environment with awe. The entire street was deserted. He continued walking down the cracked street, the events of the prior night still a mystery. Soon the street came to a turn with a non functioning street light. Looking further down the avenue, he noticed what appeared to be a liquor store with the front doors open. Adorned with broken neon lights and ripped advertisement posters, the store offered little inspiration. It did, however, present the possibility of sustenence. Intrigued, Nick walked in.

Immediately he noticed the smashed counter with dried blood sprayed across the wall behind it. Looking past the counter, he saw the sliced up body laying on the floor. It appeared as though it had been sliced and stabbed repeatedly, one leg and both arms barely hanging on to the torso. The blood, by now brown, covered the corpse's shreds of clothing and flesh. Nick felt himself getting sick again. "What the hell is going on?!"

Remembering why he had entered this establishment in the first place, he rummaged thoroughly for food of any kind, coming across a couple bottles of water and a plethora of chips and cookies. Filling his pockets, Nick fearfully prepared his departure. He had no idea what was going on or how he was involved, but he was determined to get out. Standing out in front of the store and looking down the desolate street, lightning came to the rain's aid. Nick didn't notice the sinister shadows that appeared and disappeared with the lightning.

Standing in the street, Nick noticed electrical currents covering the cracked open street light. He really had no idea where he should go. There were four options, each pathway looking equally desolate. Looking sharply down one street, he saw a dark figure moving very quickly out of sight. "Hey," Nick called, to no avail. Shit, he thought. He rushed down the street in hopes of catching whatever it was that he saw. As he neared the empty intersection where he'd seen the figure, a chill ran down his back. What if it was responsible for the horrors he'd seen? And what if it intended for him to become another one? Stopping in his tracks, Nick looked fearfully around him but his surroundings were empty. Pulling a bag of chips out of his coat, he sat tensely and began to eat. Looking up, he read the signs on the line of buildings across the street. "Ricks' Records"...."Adult Books & Videos"..and a Starbucks. He chuckled at the store neighboring the coffee shop, and began to loosen up a little, despite his ominous surroundings. The rain was beginning to wane, except for some drizzling below a lamp post in front of an alley between a Burger King and a Rite Aid. Looking up, he saw that it was not rain. A disemboweled body was hanging with minimal movement from the top of the lamp post, bleeding out what little blood was left. The head was swollen and the entire opened up body was discolored. The fear possessed Nick once again, and the rain resumed. 

Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 02



Officer Richard Littel was patrolling the outskirts of Hillton with his partner Dan Freese. They had received a call regarding suspicious activities further up the road and had been called upon to investigate. So far, however, they had found nothing. The dark and rainy environment did not make looking out the window easy, and the light did not help much. Overall, Richard and Dan were about to give up.

"Shit, Richard," Dan muttered. "You could've let someone else take the call."

Richard shook his head at this. "Otherwise we'd have nothing to do. Hillton is strictly for high class families who at the worst have a son that drinks once in a while." he looked over at his partner. "Or a daughter that flaunts it about town and complains about being harassed."

Dan and Richard shared a laugh at this. He of course was referring to Katherine Florentino, a woman of about Twenty three who was physically perfect and knew it. Men were always picking up on her, (more prominently married ones) and eventually police officers dove into the fray. If she acted the least bit bothered with a flirting policeman's presence, he was not in the least taxed to find a reason to give her a ticket of some sort. Both Richard and Dan had done such, and in their mindset she had no reason to dress as she did without expecting that sort of attention.

Soon Richard and Dan approached a sign they'd never noticed before.

"Aftersun city limits?" Dan read. Richard saw it too, and was as puzzled as his partner. "Check the map for Aftersun, Dan."

Dan pulled a map out of the glove compartment and looked it over carefully. He looked at Hillton and looked all around it, finding no Aftersun. "Nothing," Dan told him. A tad shaken but still determined, Richard drove onward on the slim path, not sure what exactly he was moving towards. Soon the path widened, but for the past half hour they had seen no other cars or pedestrians. The anonymous informant, however, had specifically stated that the apparent disturbance was on this very street.

Within the next five minutes Richard and Dan arrived in a small town they assumed to be Aftersun. It was dark and empty, and it sent a chill down both cop's spines.

"This is crazy," Dan commented. "I know," Richard agreed. "It's like a modern ghost town."

Soon they found a man in a dark coat stumbling down the street, seemingly drunk. "Is this what the call was about?" Richard wondered aloud. Stopping the car at the curb, Dan and Richard got out and confronted the strange man. His black hair was slicked back, but it contrasted greatly with his tired brown eyes and black goatee. He gave a seemingly drunken smile. The fear faded from both Richard and Dan as they approached him. "Excuse me," Richard began. The man smiled. "Hah, offishuh," he mumbled. Dan suppressed a chuckle as he neared him. "Sir, have you had anything to drink tonight?"

"Pshh, don't be silly," the man mumbled, stumbling towards Dan. Richard let out a laugh. "I'll handle this," Dan told him with a grin. "Would you like to take a sobriety test?"

The man gave an odd look. "Ah don't need tah take no test. Ah quit hah school long ago."

"Alright," Dan responded. "In that case I'll need you to turn around and place your hands behind your back."

After making a strange face, the man slowly and clumsily complied, allowing Dan to cuff him. As he pulled his handcuffs out and placed them on the man's wrist, his head suddenly slammed back into Dan's face. Before Richard could react, he grabbed Dan's gun and held him in front of him at gunpoint. Those dull, tired eyes quickly became sharp and piercing, shooting a menacing look at Richard. A look spread across Richard's face as if to say, 'I thought you were drunk'.

"Okay, calm down, buddy," Richard said, raising his gun. He knew that a guy like this was surely going to kill them both, and that his best option was taking him out. "You don't want to do this."

The man smirked with disdain at Richard. "That was a stupid move, pal." He laughed. "The next time you decide to have a little shoot out, don't select an opponent with a human shield."

With that, the man shot Richard directly between his eyebrows and Dan right above his ear. Trading clothes with Dan, he carefully set a fire on Dan's chest and laid Richard next to it. He waited patiently leaning against the police car until both bodies were aflame, then got into the car and drove further into the city.

* * * 

Nick sat on the sidewalk trembling from the cold and his immense fear. Slowly he rose, trying not to look at the hung body, and continued in the direction he'd been moving. Soon he noticed a shop called "Aftersun Barbershop." He walked over to the window, rereading the sign. "Aftersun," Nick muttered to himself. "Why does that sound so familiar?"

He continued down the street apprehensively, keeping a keen eye out for any other horrors he'd find. He'd already encountered more in this one day than he'd ever dreamed of. Suddenly a wave of relief rushed over him as he noticed a police car turning onto his street. The car slowed down as it neared Nick, and he approached it hopefully. The door read "Hillton Police". Apparently this was Aftersun, so this car must be from the next town over. Nick sighed with relief. Everything was probably going to be explained, and he'd be able to get back home. The car parked on the side of the street as Nick waited patiently on the other side of the road.



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 03



Nick gleefully approached the vehicle with a bit of a jump in his step. He bent forward toward the driver's window as it rolled down and a male police officer turned his head to him.

Nick excitedly addressed him. "Hello, officer," he beamed.

The cop cut him off with his hand in a somewhat impatient manner. "What the hell is going on in this town?"

Nick's smile flickered. "I...I haven't the slightest clue. I thought that you-"

"I'm up here because we lost contact with a car in this area about an hour ago; I was sent to investigate alone, because my damned partner has to be at her daughter's piano recital or some shit."

Nick didn't bother trying to calm him, fully understanding how he felt. "What are you doing here?" the officer asked sharply, his brown eyes scanning Nick for anything suspicious. "I've been driving around for a good ten minutes and you're the only person I've found... what's going on?"

Nick shrugged and offered a weak smile. "Believe me, if I knew, I'd tell you."

The cop looked hard at Nick and pulled out his radio mike. "I-"

He looked at it and hit it a few times. He then hit the radio a few times, of course to no avail. "Goddamnit!" he cursed. He threw the mike back at the dashboard angrily and opened the door. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, retrieved one and lit it. He took a long drag and leaned against the car. "You want one?"

Nick shook his head. "No thanks, I don't smoke," he replied. To this the officer shrugged and put the pack away. "My name's Matt," he offered, extending his hand to Nick. Nick shook it nervously, his uncertainty and fear came back, realizing the situation was no closer to being solved than it was before. At least he could get out.

"Nick."

"How did you get here, Nick?"

Nick almost laughed. "I woke up in an abandoned house with a dead body next to me. I left and decided to try and find my way out of this place, but so far, no dice."

Matt ran his hand through his short blond hair and brought the cigarette to his lips once again. "If that's the case, lead me to the house."

Nick knew his story was not the most believable thing, so he agreed. Once Matt threw his cigarette butt onto the ground, Nick grabbed the back door handle. Matt laughed. "I haven't arrested you yet," he grinned. "You can sit up front."

A small smile crawled over Nick's face as he walked over to the passenger's side. He got in and Matt drove down the street. "So where are we going?" Matt asked. "Turn left at the liquor store, and go straight until you get there," Nick answered. "I'll remember it."

Matt drove until Nick told him to stop at a white two story house. The house was in terrible condition, the paint cracked and torn all over, windows boarded, and a front door that was not fully closed. Matt saw it and finally believed Nick's story.

Matt parked in the driveway and they got out somewhat tensely. Matt had his hand just over his holster, but Nick wasn't the least bit worried. He had just been here, and murderous people weren't exactly tripping over each other to kill him. Then again, there was a possibility that he wasn't meant to wake up. A chill ran down his spine and he immediately became as alert as he was when he was in the house the first time.

Matt pushed the door opened and drew his gun, and Nick cursed himself for not making sure it had been closed. He could swear he'd heard a click, but it was a bit thunderous and a light sound like that might've been hard to detect. "Up the stairs, there's a bedroom with an old man's body with a bullet in his head, and that's what I woke up."

Nick slowly followed Matt, who had his gun pointed out in front of him, his hands trembling. Nick stopped at the base of the stairs and looked at the room he'd been in no more than half an hour ago, still hoping that he'd wake up in his bed at his home.

"Uh, Nick?"

Nick turned his head up the stairs and responded. "Huh?"

"Hey Nick, there's no body in here."

"Are you in the right room?"

"I'm in the only room."

Frustrated, Nick walked up the stairs and entered the room and looked at the mirror in front of the bed. His heart nearly stopped at what he saw.

"Before you die, you will see my face" was scrawled across the cracked glass in blood. Matt had assumed that was there before, but it obviously wasn't. Nick's throat immediately went dry and he couldn't speak, or even utter a sound. His white shirt clung to him like a shroud, and he suddenly felt the need to remove his coat. Matt turned to him and saw his paling face. "What's up?"

"Th-th-that mirror..."

A pang of fear stabbed Matt deep in the chest. "That wasn't on the mirror?"

Nick shook his head weakly. "L-let's get out of here," he managed hoarsely. Matt nodded enthusiastically and they headed down the stairs, not really paying any attention to anything. Matt kept his gun drawn as he and Nick ran out the door and to the car. That was when Matt abruptly stopped. "Wait," he told Nick. Nick stopped and looked at him as though he was crazy. "What the hell are we stopping for?" he asked heatedly. "We've got to get out of her, end of fucking story."

"That's not my car, Nick," Matt said shakily. Nick squinted at him. "What do you mean?"

Matt pointed at the wheels, and sure enough they were not what Nick had seen when Matt's car first pulled up to him. "And that's not all," Matt said. He pointed to the back of the car and directed Nick over to the back window. Nick saw what he was pointing at and almost vomited on his shoes. There were two charred corpses sitting in the backseat.

* * *

The man drove down the street until he remembered the police officer's bodies. The plan was to let the bodies turn to ash, but he had a new idea. He stopped the car and turned around, grinning slyly. This was good. Maynard liked to fuck with people's heads, and if the guy in that house was still alive, he was going to have some fun.

Maynard drove until he reached the still flaming bodies. He stopped by them and looked for anything that may put the already calming fire out. Spotting a black blanket in the back, he got out and opened the back door. Grabbing it, he laid it over the bodies and walked over it, careful not to crush any bones. After a couple of minutes of this, Maynard was satisfied and wrapped the blanket around his hands. He carefully placed the bodies in the back seat and placed the blanket tastefully over their laps. Laughing, Maynard closed the door and sat inside the driver's seat. Rather pleased, Maynard drove back to the house. The only problem had been the old man, but the other was just kind of there for fun. Maynard loved this sort of thing, and he'd hoped the tranquilizer he'd shot the man with wasn't enough to kill him. Actually, he'd probably wake up once he was there, so Maynard wasn't too worried.

The driver's license identified the man as Nick Harvey, a resident of Crikside, a town on the other side of Hillton. Maynard had accidentally killed people before with his methods, some people that were needed, which never failed to anger his boss. Maynard learned his lesson though. Whomever the assignment involves would receive minimal force. Instead, he'd grab someone on his way to his assignment and use them. It was still to fail him, and he quite liked it. Maynard scratched his goatee as he neared the house. He parked erratically in the street and headed inside. He walked up the stairs and saw that Nick was gone.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed. He was in deep shit now. Nick had never even been a factor in this job, if he got Maynard caught, then his boss was most certainly not going to offer any help. He'd pissed him off too many times. Fear ran through Maynard when he suddenly remembered the town entrance. It was the only way in and out of the town by vehicle, and on foot any other way was rather difficult. In fact, it had been the sole reason that Aftersun was selected for this job. He had to secure that point. He could not afford to botch another assignment. Maynard furiously drove his fist into the mirror and wrote an angry message to Nick in blood for the rare case that he'd come back. Licking the wound on his knuckles, Maynard grabbed the old man's body and hoisted it over his shoulder. Once outside, he placed it in the trunk and literally jumped into the driver's seat. Filled with determination, Maynard rushed to the town entrance.



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 04



Maynard drove frenetically, hoping to reach the entrance before Nick could. He had no idea how long ago he'd woken up, and thus knew he had to secure it fast.

Maynard did have a plan in advance, he just didn't think he'd need to use it so soon. Beforehand, Maynard had set C4 up in the mountains on either side of the road leading into Aftersun. He had the detonator in his coat and it was ready to blow at any second, but he needed to be sure that Nick was still in the town. Or that at least the entrance was blocked off. Maynard turned on a street and screeched to a hault at the city limits. Parking the car behind a garage, he hurriedly got out of the car and ran over to the street. Just in time to see a Hillton police car enter the town.

Thinking quickly, Maynard ducked down behind a large bush on the side of the road and kept a keen eye on the passing car. He cursed himself loudly. Now things were greatly jeopardized. No matter, he would deal with both of them. He was able to now isolate the town from any immediate help, so there was no real problem. Just an additional thorn in his side.

Shaking his head with chagrin, he walked back to the car. Maynard got inside and drove off to a nearby vantage point. This was the slum of Aftersun, the more populous part that had been responsible for the decay of the more wealthy segments. The broken down neighborhood went uphill and led to what once was a grassy knoll, but over time became a cracked concrete surface providing the base for a small factory, surrounded by a collapsing fence and decrepit dumpsters. Parking in front, Maynard got out and looked over to the mountains on the road's side, and smiled as he pushed the button on the detonator.

Not much of an exploding sound could be heard, and the large boulders tumbling down to meet in the road made minimal tremors, but the fallen rocks did in fact create the illusion that there never was a road leading into anything.

Then Maynard looked over and saw something else that pleased him. Looking down a couple main streets away, he noticed a figure walking on the sidewalk. Laughing, he walked over to the trunk and pulled out his sniper rifle and aimed carefully. Looking through the scope, he saw that it was Nick. Maynard did not wish to kill Nick but perhaps it was best. Looking down the next street he saw the police car from earlier moving slowly up and down the streets. A sneer formed on his face and he reified that they were going to meet soon. The officer would ask Nick what was going on, and it was likely that they would end up back at the house. It was the only place Nick knew of, it had a corpse in it, it was only natural for them to go there.

Maynard lowered the rifle and placed it back in the trunk. As he stepped into the car, he noticed the police car pulling up to Nick. Smiling, he headed for the house. He was in control once again.

* * *

"Get in the car, Nick," Matt said. "We've got to get out of here."

Nick shook his head. "What if there's a car bomb in there?"

Matt thought about this. "The note did suggest you'd see who was behind all this. I think they want us, or at least you to know." He shrugged. "They can't do that with a car bomb."

Matt made sense. Trying to forget about the bodies in the back, he sat in the front seat with his knees trembling slightly. Matt got in on the driver's side and found the keys in the ignition. He laughed. "To hell with hot wiring, I guess."

Starting it up, Matt backed out and drove down the street in the direction they'd come. "What do you think is happening here?" Nick asked shakily. Matt shook his head. "I haven't the slightest..."

Matt was about to turn when he noticed something down the road. "A police station," he grinned. "Maybe there's someone alive in there."

Nick made an odd face. "If there's noone anywhere else, why would anyone be there?"

"Because," Matt explained, "What if the police of the town were overpowered by whomever is behind all of this? I would imagine they'd stay holed up in the station waiting for some kind of reinforcements. Like SWAT or something."

"That may be," Nick admitted as they drove into the parking lot. Matt parked and they both got out. looking at the front doors of the station, not really sure of what to expect. Slowly, Matt placed his hand on the right door handle as Nick did the same on the left. Nodding at each other, they pulled the doors open to quite a scene.

There were a couple cubicles in the front room, each with its own bullet ridden corpse. There were two doors on either side of the room, both hanging open. Blood was splattered on the walls and there were several broken items on the stained carpet. Matt approached one body and pulled the gun from his hand. He handed it to Nick. "We've got to split up," Matt said gravely.

Nick was pretty jaded to the dead body factor by now, but he could not walk around a place like this by himself. "I -I can't"

"Nick," Matt said sternly, "If we both go one way we might get hit from the back. We've got to split up."

Nick collected himself and nodded. "Alright," he said. "I'll take the door on the left."

With that Nick pointed the gun out in front of him and walked forward through the open door. A hallway lay before him, with two doors on a side and one at the end. The first room he entered was apparently a break room of sorts, equipped with a soda and candy vending machine and stacks of styrofoam cups next to a coffee maker and a refridgerator. Curious, Nick opened the refridgerator door and found rows of severed heads in plastic bags. A short gasp escaped him and he quickly shut it, exiting the room and continuing through the hallway. The second room was an office, with an expensive looking oak desk in the middle of the room with an empty chair behind it. Backing out of that room, he read the sign on the door at the end of the hall. "Utility closet," Nick muttered. He opened it and a corpse adorned in a three piece suit fell into his arms. Nick let out a yelp and ran back down the hall, stopping at the front room where he and Matt had split, bending over and panting. "I'm getting really tired of this," he said to himself.

He headed down the way Matt had went, and noticed that this hall was exactly the same as the one he'd just been in with the exception of a staircase leading down after two doors. Looking down, Nick saw Matt and called to him quietly. Matt nodded as Nick approached him. There were two doors and Matt was about to enter the last one. "That one's locked," he whispered. Nick nodded as Matt opened the other door.

It was an interrogation room, with a large mirror on the right wall, separating them from the locked room. There was a table and a chair with a tied up man sitting in it, apparently unconscious. Matt walkked over to him and slapped him until he woke as Nick untied him.

"Wha- what's going on?" the bewildered man wondered. He looked as though he was in his forties, a skinny and pale balding man with thick eyeglasses. His white button up shirt had rolled up sleeves and he looked as though he had no idea what was going on.

"We were hoping you could shed some light on that," Matt told him. The man's muscles eased a bit. His voice was a bit high and squeaky, it was fit for his rather small physique. "I'm detective Jack Baca," he said extending hands to both Nick and Matt. "You're not an officer from this precinct," he told Matt. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from Hillton," he said, "and I found Nick here in the street. He's just as clueless as I am about all this."

Jack scratched his head. "And you are..?"

"Officer Matt Corgan."

Jack nodded. "Well, the captain and I were interrogating this wierd looking fellow about the disappearances of about forty citizens. We found him where many of them were last seen and brought him in for questioning. This guy seemed like he was drunk or something, so we didn't think we'd have a problem with him. So we bring him here and he grabs Captain Burnside and snaps his neck before I can even mentally react. Then he pulls a gun out and points it at my head. I guess he wanted me alive, because he hit me with the handle rather than killing me."

Jack stood up and stretched. "But the captain's body is gone and there's no way you guys would have been allowed down here, so do you think you can fill me in too?"

Nick cleared his throat. "Everyone upstairs is dead."

Jack grew quiet. "There isn't anyone outside, either. The whole town is empty."

Jack's jaw dropped open. "That's impossible!" he shouted. "How the-"

Shots rang out from the locked room and bullets pierced through the mirror, two hitting Jack in the chest and one in the head. Nick and Matt instinctively dropped to the ground and waited for a minute or so. Nick's heart was pounding viciously as he clung to the ground for dear life. Soon Matt slowly stood and examined the bulletholes in the mirror. "We're alright," he told Nick, "for the moment."

Nick scrambled to his feet and to the door. "I don't need to know anymore, let's just get the hell out of here, and fast."

Matt agreed as they rushed out of the room. They both noticed that the previously locked door was now wide open, but only Nick bothered to notice what was inside. A message had been carved into the wall with a knife. It read, "You have one hour." 



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 05



Nick and Matt quickly ran out of the police station and straight for the car. The rain was pouring harder than ever, and the sky had grown even darker. Nick made a Miami Vice-esque dive across the car's hood and hurriedly got inside. Matt turned the keys and sped off.

"You know how to get out of here?" Nick asked frantically. "Of course," Matt assured him. "I didn't just wake up here."

Suddenly, another thing occurred to Nick. "Do you have a watch?"

Matt chuckled. "We've got something after us, something that's more likely than not responsible for all the dead bodies lying around, and you want to know what time it is."

"Come on, it's important."

Matt sighed and looked at his wrist. "It's 9:30."

"Did you see the room?"

Matt started to get irritated. "What are you talking about?"

"In the room that was locked, when the door was open," Nick continued intently, "you could see inside. And it said on the wall that we have one hour."

Matt sneered. "We've got plenty of time," he said. "It'll take another five minutes, tops, and we're gone."

A wave of relief rushed over Nick. "You're right," he said. "Whoever this is can't take on the whole world."

Matt laughed. "You had me worried for a second."

The car began to fill with somewhat jovial conversation, until soon Matt realized that something was not right. "Nick," he began cautiously, "is it just me, or have we been moving in circles?"

Nick looked out the window and had to admit that despite the heavy rain many things seemed familiar. "The road was right down this street," Matt protested angrily. They went straight and stopped at a wall made of rock. Matt stopped the car and moodily lit a cigarette. "I know you don't smoke," Matt told Nick, "but I really need one right now, and there's other things for you to be bothered with."

Nick put his head in his hands as Matt manically puffed on his cigarette. They were going to die here. It was almost certain. Unless Matt could find another way out in another forty five minutes. Matt stubbed out his cigarette on the dashboard with a minute smile and slammed himself back into his seat. "How are we getting out of here?"

Nick shook his head. "Really our only option is to drive around and find another way out of town."

Matt sighed deeply. "Yeah, I thought of that too," he said agreeably, "but in case you haven't noticed, we haven't got very much gas."

Nick looked and saw that Matt was right; if they were going to drive around, they had to know where they were going and be quick about it. "Shit," Matt muttered. "How much of a choice do you think we've got? Let's just see where we can get."

Nick shook his head. "If this road is blocked, how do you know any others would be open?"

"How do you know they've gotten to them?"

"You're right," Nick agreed. "We've got to take a chance."

With that, Matt started the car and they drove back down the road they'd come up. Nick took a look at what was left of the radio in the car and tossed his head back. "Matt, can I have a cigarette?"

Matt let out a small laugh and handed him his pack. Nick pulled one out, brought it to his lips, and lit it. And coughed. Matt guffawed. "I'm sorry," he said between fits of laughter. "I've just never seen anyone take a drag off of a smoke for the first time."

Nick took another hit and felt himself ease up a little. He nestled back into his seat and calmed down. "We'll be fine," he told Matt. "I'm sure you'll be able to find another exit and everything will be cool."

Matt smiled. "There you go. I thought you'd never lighten up. Just kick back, and I'll get us out of here."

Nick started to feel a little light headed from the cigarette, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He shook his head in dismay, though, every time he looked outside. A dead body could still be found every here and there, and Nick felt his fear regaining its hold on him. He threw the cigarette butt out the window and looked forward, waiting for a street to lead out of this hellish place. It was 10:00.

* * *

"So what do you think?"

"He's obviously become quite a problem."

"Still, he's proved rather useful."

"Don't be ridiculous. He has nothing that we didn't give him."

"It's dirty work that we didn't have to do."

"Would carrying out that task seem that difficult to you?"

"Of course not."

"Then you must see that he's expendable. His usefulness has run it's course."

"Yes, I must admit that he's become a bit of a thorn in our side."

"Exactly. And there's no reason to carry any dead weight."

"I just..."

"Remember, this is an extremely intricate operation. He's become a loose cannon, and we can't let something we can spare jeopardize everything."

"Well, what should we do?"

"He seems to think he's in charge of the situation all of a sudden. He needs to be neutralized."

"Alright. I'll handle it." 



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 06



Even the most populous cities can seem repetitive when all the streets are empty, namely when you're driving around the outskirts of such a city for a prolonged amount of time.

Matt began to notice how the road seemed to repeat itself before Nick did, but he didn't want to mention anything. Nick had become more and more excitable as time wore on, and he could understand why despite the fact that he was a jaded suburbian police officer. Matt had been on the force for a while, and he'd seen things most had not. Children forced from their drug addicted parents, murderers not willing to give up without a fight, bank robbers who'd rather drive until until their gas was depleted before surrender. However, he'd never been trained for this sort of situation. And honestly, who would forsee it? Regardless of Matt's growing dread, it was Nick who discovered their next obstacle.

Nick looked drearily out the rearview mirror to discover something rather unpleasant that aroused his naturally extreme caution once more.

"Um, Matt?"

Matt sighed, as though intensely bothered by any input interrupting his thoughts.

"What is it?"

"Well, take a look behind us."

Matt felt his heart sink as he stopped the car to look closely in the rearview mirror. He saw a trail of dark liquid following them on the concrete. He gritted his teeth and slapped his forehead. "Fuck!"

Nick's already gloomy expression darkened at this, as he bleakly turned forward. Everything set in for him right there.

"We're not finding another way out, are we?"

Matt buried his face in his hands and shook his head. When his face arose, it bore a furious look. "I can't find another way out," he muttered. "I've never known of a town with one way in and one way out. A town totally surrounded by mountains. A town that I'd scarcely even fucking heard of."

Nick rubbed his forehead and sang Louie Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" in his head. "This is unreal," he said under his breath. Matt abruptly stopped the car. "There's not any point in driving around now, I guess," he sneered, punching the steering wheel. They briefly looked into each other's visages, seeking any hope. Niether found any.

"I guess we'll have to climb out of here," Nick sighed. Matt nodded, looking forward to a mountain. They had reached a part of town on the opposite end of the entrance, or at least what seemed like it. Matt stifled a chuckle. "I don't even know where that leads," he said. "And it's pretty much all the hope we've got."

Nick scratched his head and got out of the car, leaning against the draining automobile. "They've thought of everything," he mumbled. Matt got out and slammed the door. "What do you mean 'they'?" he barked. "I know you're keeping something from me, and I've got to know it, because otherwise, you and I are dead."

An appalled look covered Nick's face. "I already told you all I know," he yelled back. "How the hell do I know that you've got nothing to do with what's going on? You just appeared on the street out of nowhere. I don't know that you're not hiding anything from me."

"So you expect me to believe you literally woke up into this and wondered about until I found you."

"And I'm supposed to think that you just happened to find me."

Matt pushed his hair out of his face. "You know what," he started resignedly, "you're right. And I'm right. We've no idea how the other came into this sordid equation. All we know is that we need each other to get out alive. Can we agree on that?"

Nick let out a silent yet tormented groan. He knew that he depended on Matt as he did him. The only way they would get out would be if they could just trust the other. "Yeah," Nick replied. "We're not getting out of here thinking like that. Let's just leave any way we can and deal with it later."

Matt nodded and the two walked forward to the mountain. There was a slim pathway that they noticed the closer they got that they suspected would get them out of Aftersun; just to what they had no idea. "That hiking trail," Nick said. "It's got to lead to a neighboring city."

Nick took the lead as they approched the path and walked up it. The path went in a spiral around the mountain with assorted trees and bushed on the side. This mountain was just like all the others surrounding the town, barren and dark. The rain was beginning to subside once again as they continued up the path. Niether man spoke; there really wasn't much to say, now that both of their distrust was now out in the open. As they walked, Matt pulled out a cigarette and tossed the empty pack down to the street.


"So, Matt began, "have you got any family?"

Nick shook his head. "I'm Twenty four," he answered. "At this time in my life I'm not too concerned with starting a family. Just drinking and having fun, you know? Why, what about you?"

Matt smiled at this. "I've got a wife," he said. "Nothing more, though. She and I are content enough to not really bother for kids. We both make good money, we're not aspiring for much more at the moment, so why push it?"

They started at a turn in the path. As the turn developed onto the other side, the bright lights of the next city over became visible, shining into their eyes. The lights represented a sort of panacea, a knowledge that the end of their nightmare was near. Both Nick and Matt felt relief come over them as they saw them, twinkling off in the distance as though their sole purpose was to reassure them. As the path continued upwards, Matt allowed himself a grin. He slapped Nick on the back heartily, feeling somewhat happy for the first time since he'd arrived in Aftersun. "We're going to be alright," he told Nick. "We're going to be alright."

Nick laughed lightly. "Say, what time is it now?" 

Matt laughed back and raised his wrist. "It's 10:25."

Nick smiled as Matt continued. "There's salvation right there," he smiled, pointing to the lights. "We've got until 10:30, my ass!"

Nick and Matt laughed pleasantly together as they continued up the path. It was 10:25. 



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 07



"Is that Hillton?" Matt wondered aloud. Nick shrugged and shook his head. "I couldn't tell you."

They continued up the path until it stopped at a precipice. Matt walked ahead of Nick and looked down to see another pathway headed downwards. He looked over to Nick. "We can jump down," he said assuredly. Nick looked over and leaped down. He landed hard on his feet, the ground beneath him shaking and cracking underneath his weight. He moved over and waited for Matt to hop down. He laughed. "That looked somewhat uncomfortable," Matt laughed. He placed his hands on the ledge and slowly lowered himself, gingerly dropping himself to the ground. "Fuck you," Nick laughed.

The path developed into a small dirt road, and further down they found a sign reading "Down, 10 miles."

"Down?" Matt muttered under his breath. Nick shared his confusion. "I've never even heard of Down," Nick said. Matt leaned against the sign and thought. "I...I'm trying to think up of the map at the station in my head."

He shook his head. "I can remember no Down."

Nick hadn't even heard of such a town. They pondered this until Matt noticed a car driving up from a distance. The road had turned into a bridge past the sign, still alongside the mountain path they'd just walked on. The car was at the opposite end of the bridge. "Nick, wave that car down."

Nick walked into the center of the bridge and waved his arms about. As the car neared, they could identify it. It was a blue Nova, probably '75. It wasn't until the car stopped in front of them that the blood on the hood was noticeable. Then there was the man inside. As he got out, his features immediately set off an alarm within Nick. The dark hair and goatee, the unfeeling and apathetic eyes, and the half smile that represented a scornful sneer.

Maynard clapped his hands as he stood outside the car. "Very good," Maynard said with mock visual accolades. Matt backed up, the smile gone from his face. He lowered his hand to his holster. "Who the hell are you?"

Maynard laughed. "I wouldn't do that," he told Matt. He quickly pulled a gun out of the car and pointed it at Matt, switching his aim from him to Nick occasionally. Nick was too afraid to move.

Closing the car door, Maynard approached them. "So," he began oily. "You really thought you'd get out. You really thought that you wouldn't be dead at..."

He looked at his watch. "...10:30."

Nick was gasping for air, his heart threatening to pound through his chest and onto the concrete. He looked over at Matt, and the look on his face suggested that he felt the same.

"I do, however," Maynard went on, waving his gun about, "believe I owe an explanation to you both. Mister Harvey, you are here because I abducted you last night and left you in that house. I wanted someone to play around with once my assignment was complete, and you played the part very well."

Disgust immediately overpowered Nick's fear. "You piece of shit," he spat. Maynard chuckled as he looked over to Matt. "As for you, I killed a couple of your partners and they sent you here. Your presence and death was not planned, so I do apologize before I kill you."

"What do you mean assignment?" Matt asked hoarsely. Maynard licked his lips. "Well, you see," he started, "I was given an assignment to clear out Aftersun. I wanted to please my superiors, so I took the liberty of taking care of Down too. It had the same fate anyhow, so I saved them some work. I need to get on their better side, let's say."

"Who're 'they?'" Nick barked at him.

"Sorry, you've asked your allotted question," Maynard smiled. With that, he stretched and mentally recited "eeny meeny minee mo" to himself. He then pointed the gun at Matt. "Looks like you're first," he grinned.

Before he could pull the trigger, a figure in all black dropped to his feet next to Maynard from the pathway above them. He grabbed Maynard's wrist and the gun shot off to Matt's right. The man, who appeared to be nearly seven feet tall, grabbed Maynard by the head and viciously tossed him into the side of the car, breaking both door windows as he fell to the ground.

The man then pulled a out a long sword from the sheath in which it had been on his back and rushed to Maynard. The immense fear on his face was almost comical as Nick and Matt watched this man impale Maynard and raise him high in the air, his body resting on the handle as blood rained down around the man. After a couple seconds, his threw Maynard's body off of the sword and it flew onto the street, dragging on the concrete for a couple feet.

He then turned to Matt, giving him a sly grin as he brushed his long black hair out of his thin and pale face. He placed his sword back in its sheath, did a backflip over the bridge, and disappeared.

Matt ran over to where he jumped and looked over, but he was gone. Nick couldn't take his eyes off of Maynard's lifeless mangled body as Matt walked back over to him. "Get in the car," he said softly. "We're going to Down."



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 08



Nick, shaken, managed to follow Matt to the Nova. Matt checked the ignition, the keys were in. Nick stood next to Matt as Matt testily turned to him. "What, did you want to drive?"

Nick backed up, not saying a word. Matt was a tad puzzled. "What the hell?"

Nick shook his head and walked over to the passenger's side. He opened the door and sat, never making a sound. He'd been pushed over the proverbial edge. Matt got in and turned the key, giving Nick a hard look. "You okay?"

Nick's face began to color up a bit more as he nodded carefully. "J-j-just get us out of here.."

Matt smiled as he spun the car around. As he completed the U turn the glove box fell open and a pack of Marlboro reds fell out. "Score!"

Matt happily picked it up and eagerly jammed a cigarette into his mouth. He offered one to Nick and he gloomily accepted. "Things are looking up," Matt beamed, smoking pleasantly. Then they heard the sound in the trunk. The two men exchanged glances, and Matt stopped the car.

They both got out and walked to the back, eyeing the trunk carefully, and keeping watch on their surroundings as well. Down was still a ways up the road, and they'd passed the mountain and bridge. The scenery had slowly become all desert. Taking into consideration that they both knew the cities neighboring Aftersun to be of nearly metropolis size, driving into a deserted area was somewhat unexpected. And the sudden noises in the trunk didn't help.

Keys in hand, Matt opened the trunk and they both backed up. As the trunk sprang open, a woman fell out onto the concrete and vomited at their feet. They backed up, startled but not suprised. Obviously she was being toyed with the same way Nick had been, just a step further along.

The woman pulled herself up on the side of the car and leaned back onto it, breathing heavily and looking at Nick and Matt suspiciously. She wiped her mouth as they puffed calmly on their cigarettes, almost in perfect unison. Had the situation been different, it would have been quite comical.

"Who are you," the woman asked, half suspicious and half fearful. Matt threw his butt to the ground and stomped at it. "Well," he started, "since the uniform isn't any indication, I'm a police officer in Hillton."

He cracked his knuckles as he spoke. "This is Nick, he's from... where are you from again?"

"Crikside."

"Yeah. He... well, he woke up in this town down that street called Aftersun and -"

"Okay, I get the idea," the woman cut in. "My name's Michelle. I live in Down. I woke up in my room at Four and the whole town was empty. Then this guy picked me up in this car, pulled a gun on me and hit me with it. I came to in the trunk a couple minutes ago, and here I am."

Nick shook his head as he tossed his butt aside. "You woke up at Four?"

Michelle shrugged. "Party last night."

Matt closed the trunk and walked over to the driver's door. "Well, then, Michelle," he told her, "we're going to Hillton through Down, do you know how to get there?"

Michelle climbed into the back seat as Nick sat in front. "I know how to get there," she muttered. "It's all farmland and hills, then all of a sudden you're in this big city."

Nick stifled a chuckle. "What, is Down a timy little village or something?"

"Actually yes, it is," she replied dryly. "There are two main streets in Down, both about two miles long or so."

Matt scratched his head. "So do I just keep going down this road?"

"Yeah, I'll tell you when to turn."

Michelle was a rather attractive girl when you hadn't just witnessed her vomiting all over your shoes. Her hair was long, blonde, and flowing, cascading down her shoulders in a ridiculously eloquent manner as she lay in the back seat. Her face seemed chiseled, as though much work had been put in to the way she looked, every cleft and smooth surface precise and in just the right place for just the right reason. She was adorned in a solid black shirt with dark blue jeans, but she somehow managed to make it an appealing ensemble. She raised her arm to her cheek and rubbed her emerald eyes, scratching her slender stomach with the other.

Nick, in an effort to implement conversation, turned to Michelle. "So, how old are you?"

Michelle laughed a little laugh that almost said "fuck off". "I'm Nineteen," she answered in a slightly annoyed tone. "Why, were you going to start asking all about me so you could tell me all about you?"

Nick laughed. He liked girls with bitchy attitudes. "I could care less if you know about me," he smiled. "I was just curious."

Matt rolled his eyes at the exchange of words unfolding. Then he noticed the sign. "Welcome to Down," it read. Underneath the letters was a slew of impaled and eviscerated bodies sitting on the ground leaning against the sign. "I think we're here," Matt said to them unnervingly.



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 09



Very few stars were visible in the blackening sky, and when the heavy fog accompanied it, the entire setting became somewhat unsettling.

The fog set in once they entered Down, passing the city limits littered with bodies. Driving through Down was even worse, the bodies were mangled in an even worse fashion than they had been in Aftersun, and what with the fog and the ever threatening heavens, Nick, Matt, and Michelle found themselves shaking a bit.

"God damn," Michelle uttered from the back seat. "One guy did all this?"

Matt turned back to her. "Shut up," he snapped. "I'm trying to drive in this huge fucking graveyard and all you can say is-" Matt changed his tone to a more mocking one "-one guy did all this?"

Michelle held her middle finger in front of the rearview mirror as Nick tried not to laugh. Matt looked over to Nick. "I'm serious, man," he sighed. "We just need to get out of here."

With that he lit up another cigarette as he continued slowly down the road. "Hey," Michelle barked out. "Those are my cigarettes!"

She snatched them from the dashboard and lit one up for herself. "Um, could I have one too?" asked Nick timidly.

Michelle rolled her eyes in frustration and handed him one. "Jesus Christ," she muttered. "What the hell do you think th-"

She was interrupted by something hitting the side of the car. The loud sound indicated that it was of moderate size. Matt sped up the car. "How much longer until we're out of here?" Matt asked.

Michelle was shaken and didn't answer for a bit. "Just keep driving like that."

Then Matt noticed that the car's suspension was off. As though one of the tires had been damaged. "Fuck!"

Nick and Michelle looked at him, too frightened to actually ask what the problem was.

"...I think we've got a flat," he muttered.

Nick dropped his head into his hands as Michelle looked out the window fearfully. Matt interrupted the silence. "You have shit to take care of these things, don't you?"

Michelle shook her head slowly, the situation sinking in. Matt shook his head angrily and got out of the car. Nick followed, and Michelle soon after.

"I think," Matt started, "that before we get out, we should look for survivors."

Nick and Michelle gawked at this. "You can't be serious," Nick shouted. The look on Michelle's face suggested she wanted to say the same thing.

"What about Jack," Matt said. "And her."

Michelle's look did not change.

"The point is," he went on, "is that if we find more people, we'll be better off."

"Safety in numbers.." Nick mumbled.

"Yeah. Besides that, I drove all over Aftersun and found nobody but Jack and you. In Down we find her. Don't you think somebody else might be around?"

Nick and Michelle thought about this. "And," Matt continued, feeling he was in the home stretch of his proposal, "Can you honestly tell me that if someone else is out here experiencing this all alone, you wouldn't help them if you had the chance? Nick?"

Nick knew he was right. There were three of them, two of which with guns. And they had found another person in Aftersun....

"Fine," Michelle said. "But if we're going to be walking around this place, I'm stopping by my place to pick up some stuff."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Maybe I was wrong," he chuckled.

Matt and Nick drew their guns as Michelle led them down a street. This town was worse than Aftersun not just in the right that it was a darker environment at night even without dead bodies lying around, but it was very cheap. Mobile homes covered the side of the road on the opposite side of the shops, which were all little "Ye Old T Shirt Factory" and stupid small town names like that.

They continued down the road as its features began repeating itself. Each step that Michelle took was another ounce of fear that added to that which had already wracked her greatly. She was growing nearly incapable of speaking without stuttering like an imbecile, her legs were threatening to give out beneath her at any moment, and the pit in her stomach and the lump in her throat made her just want to drop to the ground in a ball and cry until help arrived. But the logic still alive within her told her that no such help was on the way, that it was up to her and the two guys she'd just met to save the lives of any survivors here and them themselves.

Nick and Matt, on the other hand, were shaky but prepared. By now Nick had developed the ability to conceal his fear and let his determination take the proverbial wheel. Nick also felt that Matt was an officer of the law and took his job very seriously. Why else would he want to look for survivors? Nick had a strange feeling that everything wasn't as bad as it seemed; the first hint of optimism since Matt and Nick spotted what looked like the lights of Hillton.

Finally Michelle stopped shaking as they reached the road's ending. "Alright, we take a right and we'll be at my house," she said, getting a little excited. Matt offered a laugh as he and Nick followed, keeping a keen eye on their surroundings. "It wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for all this fucking fog," Nick muttered.

"And the dark," Matt added.

"And the dead bodies," Michelle chimed in from up front. They all shared a laugh at this as they continued on, the general mood brightening. Soon they stopped in the middle of another street with small shack-looking houses on either side. Pointing to a sickly vomit-green colored house, Michelle smiled, "There's my house!"

"Say, Michelle, how about you go in while Nick and I will keep an eye on things out here," Matt offered.

Michelle nodded and opened the rickety gate, closing it behind her. "And could you get some food?" Nick asked.

Matt and Michelle laughed. "Sure," she answered sweetly. "I'll find something. If the refridgeration isn't out..."

She unlocked her door and walked in, leaving it open behind her. Matt snickered as he watched Nick watch her walk inside. "So you like her, huh?" Matt asked. Nick blushed. "Well, now that she's being nice..."

Matt pulled a silencer out of his pocket and equipped his gun with it. "Well, I've got to take care of her," Matt said.

Nick laughed. "Shut up," he smiled, slapping Matt's shoulder. "Seriously, where did you get that silencer?"

"From me," said a low voice from behind Nick. Nick spun around to see the man who'd killed Maynard walking towards him. Nick was bewildered. "You look suprised," the man grinned. "Perhaps I'd better explain a thing or two to you." Nick let out an exasperated sigh, dropping his arms haplessly to his sides.

"We suspected that Maynard was going to fuck up," he began, "so we had Matt keep tabs on him. As it turns out, Maynard did in fact royally fucked up."

He made a small, sinister sounding chuckle. "With the way that Aftersun is surrounded by mountains, we knew it would serve us well once we had found it," he continued. "And Maynard had shown ability in jobs he'd done for us in the past, but had a tendency to think that he was the one in charge. His skills were enough to convince us to give him another chance, and he botched it horribly. His kidnapping you, killing everyone in Down, he'd forgotten that he was a meaningless pawn, so we had to humble him.

"Matt was our contingency," he went on, "and now you can see that he was needed. Who knows what else that fool Maynard would have done."

He cracked his wrists and neck. Nick turned back to see Matt acting as though nothing had been said. "So you did know where to find me," Nick stammered, feeling his anger rising. "Of course," Matt answered calmly. "But you and Michelle were never the real objective; I was here to watch Maynard. Building up a reputation, so to speak. And the bit about looking for survivors was a diversion, my other assignment was to look out for any other survivors. And as we both saw in Aftersun, there were none."

Nick felt as though he was about to be sick. The man spoke again. "In the early stages of our plan, i.e. the next couple weeks, we can't afford to have people who know what's going on." He looked over to Matt. "Does the girl know anything?" Matt shook his head. "Then leave her," he went on. "Noone needs to die needlessly."

He then looked at Nick. "You, on the other hand, are privy to far too much information." Matt raised his suppressed gun and aimed it at Nick's forehead. "You were on their side all along," Nick murmured.

"Well, I don't remember saying I was on yours," Matt answered. With that, he shot a hole into Nick's head. As the lifeless body collapsed at his feet, Matt looked up at the man with him.

"So we're moving on as planned?"

He didn't recieve an answer, rather cold steel slicing through his neck. He watched Matt's body drop beside Nick's, and wanted to hide and look at the girl's reaction, but he had to get back. He smiled blackly as he looked into Matt's lifeless eyes. He wiped his sword off on Matt's shirt, put it back in its sheath, and hurried off.



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 10



"There's my house!"

Michelle had never been so relieved to see her house as she now was. Nick and Matt stopped behind her at the old rusty gate. She turned to them, about to invite them inside with her.

"Say, Michelle," Matt started, "how about you go in while Nick and I keep an eye on things out here?"

The suggestion reminded her that they couldn't rest easy until they were out of Down and among the living. She nodded meekly and opened the gate, closing it gingerly behind her.

"And could you get some food?"

She turned to see a hapless look on Nick's face with his hands slightly jutted out. The disheveled look about him made Nick look homeless, and she couldn't help but laugh. Matt joined in as she continued down the uncut grass to her front door. "Sure," she smiled, turning back at them. "I'll find something. If the refridgeration isn't out..."

She pulled a key out of the fifth pocket of her jeans and unlocked the door. Letting herself inside carefully, she didn't bother closing the door behind her. Looking around with a wary eye, she noticed that nothing was different from when she'd last seen it. She walked through the hall and looked into her parent's bedroom, immediately regretting it.

She could not only discern the two bodies by the phallic placement; her mother's corpse was sitting on the bed leaning against the wall with her father's flayed face placed between her legs. Both were eviscerated and gutted with only their bones and muscle present. Tears welled up in Michelle's eyes as she averted their gaze, running into her bedroom. Her room was seemingly untouched, as was the rest of the house. Nothing had been stolen, nor was anything really out of place except for the obvious spectacle across the hall. She walked back out into the living room and grabbed an unopened pack of cigarettes from the coffee table and stuffed them in her pocket. Forgetting why she'd wanted to come back here in the first place, she wiped the tears from her face and started for the door.

Then she remembered Nick's request for food. Letting out a little laugh to herself, Michelle turned back into the kitchen and opened the refridgerator. There was a bottle of ketchup and a half a loaf of bread. Groaning to herself, she opened the adjacent cuboard to find a bag of Mother's Cookies. It felt about three quarters full. "Shit, I'll take it," she said to herself.

Michelle walked back to the front door. She pulled the pack out of her pocket and opened it, pulling one out. She stuck it in her mouth as she walked out the door. She lit it up and looked up to yet another unsettling sight that made the cigarette drop from her lips. A pool of blood was slowly spreading in the street, surrounding two dead bodies. She knew who they were, but she just had to make sure. She needed to actually see it up close. Shaking, she slowly approached them, walking over to the gate and suppressing a scream as she almost tripped over a garden hose. Stopping to catch her breath, she continued on to the gate and opened it. Once it was open, the first thing she saw was Nick's flushed face with a bullethole in the forehead. Laying on its stomach was a body without a head in the uniform that Matt had been wearing. She dropped to her knees, unable to utter a sound as the fear rolled down her cheeks in the form of tears. The lump in her throat was unbearable, and she wrapped her arms around herself in the cold, black night. Then she remembered that the reason she came here was for a jacket. She was too afraid to so much as get up though, knowing that something had just killed Nick and Matt and was could be watching her at this very moment. She looked over their bodies, but the guns they'd had before were now gone. Then she remembered that her parents had always kept a gun underneath their mattress. The mere thought of going back in that room was overwhelming, but it looked like her best chance for survival at the moment.

Michelle looked around, observing everything in sight with the utmost attention. She could find nothing. It was always possible that whomever had done this didn't account on her being around. Or didn't care. Slowly she got back up and walked backwards back into her house. She opened the gate and walked backwards to the door, keeping an eye everywhere all at once. She felt something slam into her back and she nearly had a heart attack; she spun around to find that she'd reached the wall of the house. She rushed inside and back down into her parents bedroom, their bodies unmoved. Michelle shuddered violently as she neared the bed, slipping a hand between the box spring and the blood soaked mattress. Closing her eyes tightly, she shoved her hand as far as it would go until she felt steel. She ran her fingers around it until she felt the handle, and pulled it towards her. She yanked it free from under the mattress and fell back against the wall, panting heavily. Eventually she pulled herself up and walked out, closing the door behind her. She walked out the front door and knelt down to pick up the cigarette she'd dropped before, lighting it up. She walked out through the gate and turned onto the main road, the fog heavier than it had been when they'd entered Down. She only had to walk down this street for a good while. She had food, a gun, and smokes. She figured she'd be alright. Drawing her gun as she smoked, she headed on down the street toward Hillton, half scared and half determined. 



Flambeaux & Staug Ch. 11



Brian hummed happily as he tapped his hands on the steering wheel of his Buick LeSabre, careening down the road on his way home. He'd been away on a business trip for three days, and had just left the airport after arrival. He was very pleased that he was only a half hour away from his eight year old son Mark and Elizabeth, his wife of eight years.

Brian was thirty two years of age, one year senior to his wife. He was an enigneer for Doldrum Plastics and had to go work on some stupid project for no real reason. He had resented his entire time there because it didn't seem as though his presence was necessary, yet he had to stay anyhow. Not that it mattered now. He was not far from home now and knew it was only a matter of minutes before he was home.

Brian entered Hillton and observed the gas stations on either side of the road. They seemed like the sirens from the Odyssey, what with his gas tank not at it's fullest to say the least. As he neared the end of the road, he decided to pull into the last one. He parked alongside a pump and walked inside.

The girl sitting at the counter looked like she was about to pass out. She was apparently not used to this late night shift. Brian walked over to a chip rack and grabbed some Doritos and headed over to the counter. "These, and Fifteen on nine, please."

The girl looked up at him as though she were a zombie. "No problem," she muttered. Brian chuckled as he handed her the money and walked out back to his car. He opened his tank and started to pump gas as a scene down the street caught his eye.

The phone building (as he'd grown to know it as) had its lights on in one room, with a figure looking at papers of some sort. The figure kept dropping them and frantically picking them up, as though it were nervous or just agitated. Brian let a laugh out at the shadow's misfortune, as he heard that familiar click, telling him his tank was full. As he closed up the tank, he gave one last look to the person in the phone building and saw a second, much larger figure come up behind the first. The second figure grabbed the first by its throat and viciously raised and slammed it against a wall. With the second arm, the silhouette drew a long sword and jammed it into the first figure's torso. Horrified, Brian hurriedly got into his car and drove off, dropping his chips on the ground in the process.

Brian sped through Hillton, shaken by what he'd just seen. He'd just witnessed a brutal murder; he had no idea what to think. All he knew was that he had to get away from that scene, and fast. He continued down the same, empty road as the establishments grew fewer and farther between and the lights became more scarce. After a couple minutes, Brian let up on the gas pedal and realized he'd passed the road into Aftersun and was headed for Down.

"Shit," he muttered to himself. He looked to turn, but the opposite lane had seemed to break away from his while he wasn't paying attention. Fear took him then as he looked around for another way to turn. Then he calmed himself; there had to be a way around further up the road. There had to be. Forcing himself to relax, he continued driving down the dark and empty road.

The further down he drove, the more fog appeared. So much, in fact, that Brian could barely see what was in front of him. He placed a hand over his mouth in frustration as the fog continued to thinken. Then he saw the girl in the road.

He stopped in front of her as she approached the car, looking very upset. Once she was in his sight he noticed that she was pointing a gun at him. Brian could not think, not even move. The first thought that made its way into his head was the question of whether or not this girl had anything to do with what he'd seen in Hillton.

 *   *   *

Michelle walked through the fog, shivering in the cold as she shakily held her gun, a cigarette quivering from her mouth. She'd never smoked more than a couple cigarettes in one day, already she'd smoked four in a row. One good thing was that the fog was beginning to lift the farther she got, letting her know that she was nearing Hillton. She had no clue what to do once she got there; all she knew was that she'd be safer there than in Down.

The more she walked, the more jumpy she got; practically leaping into the air every time she heard a bird, a cat, or any animal moving behind the bushes on the road's boundaries. So when she saw the car's headlights, she was plenty nervous. "Why is anyone here?" she asked herself.

It was driving slowly, so Michelle stepped out in front of it and drew her gun. She concealed her brimming fear rather well as she stopped right in front of the hood with her gun pointed at the guy behind the windshield. He had an odd black Eddie Haskel haircut, matching dark eyes and freckles, and a striped white dress shirt. And he looked scared as hell. As she examined his expression, her fear began to fade, and she lowered the gun. She walked up to the driver's window and knocked on it with the barrel until it rolled down.

"H-h-hi there..."

"Yeah," Michelle started, glad she was finally in charge of something. "What're you doing here?"

"I -..."

"What?"

"I'm coming home from a business trip."

"Where do you live?"

"In Aftersun."

"Then why are you here?"

"I missed a turn, I-"

"Move over."

This guy sounded like he was about to piss his pants, so Michelle dropped the interrogation bit. He moved into the passenger's seat as she opened the door and sat at the wheel. She stretched in the warm car and smiled as she stuck her gun in her pocket. She tossed her cigarette out the window and made a sharp right turn into a line of thick bushes.

"Agh!!" he screamed. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Michelle laughed as she drove through the bushes and ended up on the opposing lane, headed back to Hillton. "What the hell's going on?" he asked, trying not to sound too angry.

"The explanation's kind of lengthy," Michelle said. "We should probably get acquainted first. I'm Michelle."

He nodded. "My name's Brian," he replied, a little less timid now.

"Okay," she started, "I don't know why exactly, but someone has cleared out Aftersun and Down. Like everyone in those towns have been killed. You were out of town, so I guess you lucked out."

Brian's face had grown pale. "No," he said under his breath. "That can't be.."

"Who did you live with?"

"M-my wife and son.."

"I'm sorry," Michelle offered. Brian began to weep softly in his seat, much like she had when she found her parents. She said nothing until he spoke again.

"Why?" he asked, wiping his eyes. Michelle only sighed in response. "I don't know."

"Well, what are we going to do?" Brian asked. Michelle shook her head. "I haven't a clue," she answered. "All I know is that we need to get out of here. As far from here as possible."

"Can we stop by my house?" Brian asked.

"Not a good idea," Michelle said. "Last time I made a stop two guys I was with got killed. I still don't know by what or how."

"Hey, hey," Brian said, pointing out the window. "That building.."

Michelle looked over at a building with the letters ATT on the side. "What?"

"I saw someone get killed in there about half an hour ago," he said. "That's why I panicked and missed my turn."

Michelle turned onto the street and parked in front of the building. "What are you, nuts?" Brian hissed. Michelle pulled her gun out. "I've already lost so much," she told him. "The least I could have in return is to know why."

She got out and Brian followed hurriedly, scared to be alone. "Wait!"

The glass door at the front had been smashed open, with fragments of broken glass all over the concrete and the blue carpet inside. They walked down the hall cautiously until Brian tapped Michelle's shoulder. "That's the room, I think," he whispered. She slowly creeped to the half closed door and opened it, revealing knocked over file cabinets and a sliced open body with a discolored head and throat.

At his feet was a paper half soaked with his blood. She dropped to check it and found a three page long service report, minus two pages. Page three was here, but pages one and two were missing. All the file cabinets that had been knocked over were still closed, and this was the only paper within sight. The page referred to entire towns being disconnected, not really implying anything, just stating that it happens, basically. "Is this about.."

Michelle thought. Taking papers regarding a town's disconnection was not going to do a whole lot, just maybe keep the fact that two towns were empty under wraps for a bit longer. Rising up to her feet, Michelle turned to Brian. "Do you have any money?" she asked. He nodded haplessly, looking over the room in discomfort. "Why?"

"Because I'm thinking we're going to need a hotel room," she said. "Unless you know of another place where we can sleep."

"No," he said, "Let's go. Before the gas station there's a bunch of little motels."

Michelle pulled the keys out of her pocket and they headed outside back to the car. "In the morning we'll go to the police," she said. Brian nodded. He still couldn't believe that his son and wife were dead; it was as though he'd been knocked across the face with a brick. His eyes filled with tears again as Michelle turned back onto the street.