(DOR) Walking After Midnight

"It's quiet out here, Agent Reins."

"It usually is."

"Too quiet for me. Let's talk a bit."

"Very well, what would you like to talk about?"

"The word back at Haven 7 is that you're the best Watcher we have."

"Is that so?"

"It is, I've heard about you ever since I was assigned to the Judicial sector. Instructor Galreath told my Survival Basics class about how you managed to evade a whole pack of ferals even with a gaping, bleeding wound and no Starlight or GPS systems to help you out. That's hardcore."

"All I did was stay downwind from them and hid in the floura. It wasn't anything other than common sense, really. What other bits of gossip did the teachers at the Court fill your ears with, Sarese?"

"Let's see... that you were one of the first Pure survivors to be identified. That you were one of the last people to escape over the Yulan Line. That your wife..."

"Let's not talk about my wife. Her loss is still very near to my heart."

"Oh, sorry sir! I didn't mean to try to hurt you or anything... I'm so sorry, Mr. Reins."

"It's alright, Sarese. One day, when more time has passed I might share some of my memories of her with you. But not now."

"Yes sir, understood. So, ummmm... how many Canary's have you had before me?"

"Two. Both young men, you're the first female assigned under my care."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"That depends on you, really. Trent, my first Canary, got himself eaten by ferals because he didn't listen to my warnings about straying from the Watcher's Path on a mission to check out a broken transponder between Railston and Haven 7. They monitor those paths for a reason. It's a shame, too, he was a bright kid and had a good heart about him. My next charge, Henry, went insane after our third excursion into the Lawless Zones."

"Insane? Why? What happened?"

"We had just crossed over the Yulan Line and were heading south, towards Freedman's Outpost. It was freezing cold that day, one of the coldest days I can remember, and the snow was falling so hard neither one of us could see our hands in front of our faces. It wasn't long before I decided to find shelter in the ruins of an old farmhouse I knew near the road."

"I was taught to always avoid old houses and ruins when traveling."

"As was I, Sarese, but there are times when you're better off chancing assumed dangers then you are challenging almost certain death. Anyways, we took shelter in this farmhouse right as night began to set in, the snow and winds never letting up. We did a quick safety and security check then put our gear down to get settled for the evening. I thought it would be a good idea to build a fire, since both Henry and I were shivering like hell and the weather would keep the smoke from revealing our presence there."

"This already sounds spooky."

"Oh, it gets worse. We looked around the house for anything to burn, when this god-awful howl came from outside the window facing the barn. Henry jumped almost a foot off of the floor and I felt the hairs stand on the back of my neck. I have never before and never since heard anything so evil and hate-filled in my life."

"Lycanthropes? I hate those things, they give me the creeps!"

"Not exactly. Mind your holster, your gun is about to fall out."

"Eek, sorry sir. There we go. As you were saying..."

"Good girl. As I was saying, this howl came from what seemed like the barn out back. I checked my guns, told Henry to stay put and alert, and went to investigate. I walked into the barn, turned on my hat-light, and let me tell you, seeing the flayed corpses of human beings nailed onto the walls of a barn is one of the most horrid sights I've yet to see. Yes, it's as bad as you think. And in that moment, I heard Henry scream. I sprinted back to the house, praying that he was alright and had just gotten scared. He was alive... but crucified against the wall. He kept babbling the word CROATAN as I took him down and bandaged him."

And I ran out of characters to use

reply to post by GuiltyByDesign


No problem.

Simply add to this thread to continue the story. It does not need to be contained within only one post.

(continued from above, if you're still with me, thanks for reading)

"Whats a CROATAN, Agent?"

"I'm not sure. I've heard the name before, but it had something to do with a lost colony in the American continent, centuries before the Sickening. All I know is that this 'CROATAN' had completely bypassed both Henry and my senses and sensors. I'm not one to be taken unaware like that... ever."

"You don't think Henry saw it coming?"

"Not at all."

"Wow. It even got past his Godsight. That's scary."

"Yes it is. And it was fast and brutally efficient as well. And... it did this on purpose. It left Henry there as a sign."

"What happend after you got Henry down and bandaged?"

"I admit it, I was scared. Poor Henry had lost a lot of blood and even more was seeping out from his dressings, and whatever had did this to him was still around. I grabbed our gear as quick as I could, discarded what I absolutely didn't have to have, wrapped Henry tightly in whatever blankets we had, and put him on my shoulders. Thank goodness he was a skinny boy. And back to the road I went, guns and head turning back and forth. I couldn't see anything at all, with the darkness and snow being what they were."

"Did it follow you?"

"Yes it did. It stayed at the periphery of my vision, always there lurking, but never coming into a reasonable distance for me to get a good shot off at it. Thankfully it was happy to just taunt me. I don't know why it didn't attack us. Maybe it was after soemthing else, like playing a game. Maybe it was my guns. I just don't know."

"What did it look like?"

"Winter, hunger, and death."

"That's not a very good description."

"You'll see what I mean."

"I'll what? Whoa, wait a minute... this 'distress' call we're going to check on. There isn't one, is there."

"Nope."

"And you knew this the whole time and didn't tell me?"

"Yep."

"And now I'm your new Canary for you to find this CROATAN to bring back to Haven 7 for experimentation?!?!"

"Bingo. They said you were a smart one, Sarese. They were right."

"Oh god... oh god. Please, please, PLEASE don't let me get crucified, Mr. Reins!"

"I swear to you, child, I will not fail you like I did Henry. You're with me because you were the best Canary in your class and I asked for the best. This thing got the better of me once. It will not happen again. Now make yourself ready, our Search Area is just ahead."

"Ye... yes sir."

"It's alright to be scared. It's natural. Just follow my orders and do as I say and I promise you I'll buy you a double-scoop of Rocky Road back in Haven and we'll both laugh at this in two days time. Deal?"

"Deal, sir. I'm ready."

"Good. Now remember your training, keep your head down, eyes and ears open, and I shoot first. Let's hunt."



[edit on 2-6-2009 by GuiltyByDesign]

Aww....I wanted to hear how it ended! Seriously, though, very well written. Your use of description made it easy to picture the characters and settings. I hope to read more from you in the future.

I really liked it, good job!

Wow, you're realy good. I always wished I could write but it turns out I'm a much better reader lol.

Thank you all for the kind words!

I've had an idea for a story using those characters and a post-pandemic world, mixing in elements of horror/western/sci-fi, but I have a horrible time with writer's block. The CROATAN angle just popped into my head, since I've always found that a fascinating instance in our history.

That was excellent. I enjoyed that, and am looking forward to more.

reply to post by GuiltyByDesign


I believe you have yourself a Working Movie Script GBD ,

This story gave me the feeling of Jeepers Creepers 1 and 2

and I liked it this way but you can Summon Way more Creepiness with this Story it's Well Written.

so again I like what you Got (check included)

+ more if you will

That was an awesome story, I want more.

I almost felt I was walking beside them and listening in. Heck I could feel the cold and it's 103 degrees here today. That's saying something!

Good luck in the contest my friend, I hope you do well,

wupy

Congratulations on your win in the contest! Excellent story and real palpable characters.