[img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/b3RmLjE0Mi4yNDkwZjIuUTJ4aGVYUnZiaUJVWlhKeWVRLjA/grosball.regular.webp[/img]
[@Fernstone] [@Punished GN]
[code]Sybil A. Harkness MD.[/code]
[hr]

"... and keep your damn head on a swivel, especially at night. There are some things here that are a [i]lot[/i] worse than an alligator, or a methhead."

Clay's expression crinkled at that - there was something about Sybil's phrasing that seemed deliberate. A gut feeling at the pit of his stomach. [i]Fuck.[/i] What was he caught up in? It wasn't completely out of the question that some backwater place like this, families with [i]old blood[/i] and [i]deep roots[/i], there were some folks pulling the strings. He'd not run into the local sheriff's department yet, or even [i]seen[/i] a passing cruiser at this stage, but he could've guessed they knew who everyone was, and could pick out everyone who wasn't.

He'd heard stories of just how [i]far[/i] that could go. Hell, he'd [i]lived[/i] it back home, having to deal with things a certain way, well outside the realms of due process.

Instinct was that he could cut and run, but he was committed to this now. If he went home, tail between his legs, there was a fifty fifty chance he could end the year with the clothes on his back and nothing more. Riskier chance he might end up in a cell. That wasn't ideal, and given his history, he wasn't sure if those were the terms he wanted to go down on. 

Leaning forward, he pressed the doctor further; [b]"What's been said here, stays between us, so just level with me,"[/b] 'Carl' asked, [b]"[i]Who[/i] are we talking about - people willin' to hurt folks for asking questions?"[/b] Briefly, he glanced off to one side, keeping his tone fairly hushed. [b]"Look, she's just trying to find someone who mattered to her. You figure where these girls went? At least, y'know, I can keep an eye on these two, keep 'em outta trouble."[/b]