Protagonists#

• Short, Lance - Foreign Service Officer (Γιάννης)
• Miller, Liam (Agent Dave / Jocko) - Naval Special Warfare Group One (SEALs) (Παναγιώτης)
• Lensing, Emma - Professor of Philology (Τάσος)
• Bennet, Wendy - Criminal Intelligence Analyst / Assistant Professor of Criminology (Κωνσταντίνα)

Florida South-Western State College, Fort Myers, Saturday September 10th, 2016 – 13:00 pm#

The agents gather at a restaurant to discuss their next course of action. A decision was made to head to Myers Point Trailer Park and investigate Killian’s trailer.

Agent Myra attempts twice to reach Laura Corduroy over the phone before he eventually reaches her. He manages to convince her that he is part of an FBI task force investigating the death of Crystal Killian. He asks her to return the call as soon as possible to arrange an interview with them. Laura seemed surprised that it took so long for law enforcement to get in touch with her. So far there was no sign of the sheriff’s office or the police.

Before heading out, the agents equip themselves. Jocko buys a new MAGA hat, Wendy a Florida hat with palm tree designs, and Myra gets a beekeeper hat. Some extra cash is spent on swamp survival equipment.

Myers Point Trailer Park, Saturday September 10th, 2016 – 18:00 pm#

The agents waste no time and head directly to Killian’s trails at the end of a long gravel road.

Jocko, Wendy and Emma investigate the interior of the trailer, while Lance checks out the surroundings. During the investigation they are greeted by the park’s manager, Dale Carter.

They discover the following items:

• The trailer’s door discarded amongst the weeds of the unkempt yard. The cheap wood is split where a boot would be placed on an average-sized man. The top of the door holds a faded piece of graffiti: the black paint outline of a head in profile with a splotch of red spray in the shape of a brain.
• A strange trail of animal prints. They lead away from the trailer and straight off a muddy embankment to the swamp below. The drop is steep enough that it makes no sense for an animal to jump unless it is being chased. There’s no reason to take the leap in large numbers.
• A loose slat in the flooring in Killian’s office. Raising it from the floor makes a woman’s nail visible, broken off and lodged in the slats. Beneath it, a hole was cut in the wooden floor for a makeshift hiding spot. It holds a lump wrapped in cloth: a Sig Sauer P938 subcompact pistol, fully loaded, serial numbers filed off.
• Amongst the trash and the detritus:
  • Two framed photos. One depicts a younger Killian from 2001, what the agents assume is her husband and son. The other one from 2013 depicts her in a library, standing next to and another middled aged woman.
  • A school ID for “Crystal Killian” proving she worked in the Rush Library at Florida SouthWestern College.

They learn from Dale Carter that:

• Crystal Killian paid the rent on time and never bothered anyone else.
• The first responder was a deputy from the Sheriff’s office.
• They came and collected the corpse and all the evidence but never came back to interview people or ask further questions.

The Cat Lady (21:30)#

Wendy, Emma and Jocko, interview Glenda Czyzniejewski, the caller that brought Eckstein to the neighborhood. She mostly talks about her 25 missing cats. She suspects “snatchers,” men who collect strays and pets to sell to cosmetics labs in Orlando for experimentation. They’ve come sniffing around the neighborhood before, and she’s always warning her. They must have gotten bold and started breaking into houses. This is the first time she has been without a cat in three decades, and she wants the agents to get revenge on those bastards. She even has plate numbers taken from their cars over the years, but that damned Sheriff Benson didn’t care.

She really likes Jocko.

The Rider (21:45)#

Lance keeps an eye out on the outside. He notices a rail-thin figure in yellow biker leathers staring at him from the trailer park entrance. It stands with an MV Agusta F4CC. Its face cannot be seen through the deeply tinted black visor of the matching yellow helmet. Two cats, one white and one black, mill around their legs in a figure-eight pattern.

Lance text Jocko for assistance and approaches the figure.

Once near enough to converse, Lance realizes that the yellow rider reeks, simultaneously nauseating and enticing. This rider is something Other, something hateful and hated.

The yellow rider’s voice resonates oddly out of the black visor:

“It has been too long since you’ve been up, my pet. I’ve missed you. I admit, the fault is partly mine. My attentions…elsewhere. My thoughts…divided. But my affections, forever with you. You must be so hungry. There was more fuel for your tiny fires in other climes, more willing flesh to carry your majesty on a palanquin tour of this strange place. Perhaps we may play again before you recede beneath and between. I can always spare some of myself to feed so interesting a machine. I do so miss the games we played—”

The voice trails into an unidentifiable language. The visor opens to reveal not a face but an enormous red tongue. It darts out and licks Lance’s face, leaving a bloody smear. The rider, motorcycle, and cats disappear.

Lance writes down on a piece of paper what he heard. The unidentifiable words at the end are stuck in his head.

Wendy collects blood samples from Lance’s face.

Joe Mama’s Swamp Shack, Sunday September 11th, 2016 – 00:30#

The agents gather are the dive bar to find regulars who might have known, met or taken home by Crystal Killian. Luck was not on their side, but Wendy comes up with the idea of pinning a note on a corkboard “Looking for Crystal. I’m worried. Call me if you know anything.” Lance’s Chilikov burner phone and a newly created e-mail address lookingforcrystal42@yahoo.com are also noted down.

At least the agents enjoyed some Cuba Libre.

Nightly Activities#

The agents book rooms at a local motel.

Emma manages to get some well needed sleep.

Jocko gets attacked by a rabid(?) bat that sinks its claw in his cheek. He kills the thing by crushing it with the ice cube fridge door.

Wendy does some research Sheriff Benson and Deputy Eckstein. She finds out that:

• Benson is running as local governor in the following elections.
• Eckstein is no longer a member of Hendry County’s Sheriff’s Office.
• Eckstein is 25 years old, currently unemployed and looking for a job.
• Eckstein has a very deep trust in law enforcement.
• Eckstein’s mother is deaf.

Lance creates an account in PaperMill.us, using the e-mail address iwantmycollegedegree420@yahoo.com and send a message to ScribeLife420 requesting his services.

Ancient Memories#

Lance falls asleep and dreams.

He sees himself slowly rising amid a vast battlefield, littered with thousands of slaughtered corpses. The sky is caught between dawn and dusk, casting an eerie glow over the flat, rocky desert. He is clad in the armor of an ancient warrior, a heavy sword in his grip. His body is broken, wounded beyond repair, yet somehow, he still stands. Nearby, he spots the fallen bodies of his kindred warriors. A familiar scent triggers his senses. He turns to see a dozen enemy warriors charging toward him. Without hesitation, he tightens his grip on his swords and rushes forward, ready to die.

Everything goes black.

Lance jolts awake to the sight of Jocko doing push-ups. A strange feeling washes over him. It is the same kinship he felt with Elle Gable. The same connection he had in his dreams, standing among his fallen comrades.