Hokum

ASPECT

Bobby was a woman, but by no means a lady. Her initial response to Camilla answering the call was nothing, not a word. When the hunter finished saying her piece, Bobby let out an abrupt mocking laugh, kind of like someone laughing at a clown hurting himself while attempting a stupid trick. The reason for the laughter wouldn’t have been apparent to Camilla right away, since Bobby didn’t explain the laughter at first. Once the laughter cut off, just as abruptly as it started, it was like a whole new speed-induced mood had taken Bobby as she started rattling off information in her rasped voice:

“Yeah, great to meet ya, Cammy – listen up would ya. You’re both fucking wrong. I guess JD didn’t tell ya he called me earlier and gave me the rundown on events. Anyway, I did some research on the house you two dumbasses visited earlier, and apparently you never made it to the backyard. Had you done that you would’ve seen a damned pool. So you might wanna check out the pool the next time you go out there. That pool is where a kid named Greg was last seen before disappearing over a month ago – and I should probably add right now that the kid went missing one day after Dolson arrived in town. And let me tell ya another thing, hun - this isn’t the first time this shit has happened; but I’m betting old JD didn’t tell ya that either, being that he’s all so very talkative. Am I right or am I right? Of course I’m fucking right, I’m always fucking right.

So, hun, here’s the deal. Every now and then a kid goes missing from a pool or shower or bath or some other fucking place that’s wet. The last five times it happened was when our dear friend Jacko had only just arrived in that town or city. Coincidence? I think fucking not. JD knows about the previous instances, but I’m guessing he didn’t tell you that either. Anyway, long story short, hun. After a little investigating I’ve come up with a theory that what you met at that house today was some type of mimic entity. It called Jack because it knows about Jack’s daughter and wanted to draw his attention to the fact that some boy got taken from the pool there. In this case I’m guessing the woman you saw was a representation of the boys mother who also drowned in that pool a week or so after her son was taken. Sound familiar, hun, or did Jack not tell ya about his daughter and wife either? As for the smell you mentioned, that’s an easy one; a lot of different mimics can emit the smell of demons or anything else they damn well please in an effort to confuse their subject. So don’t pay any attention to the sulfur bullshit in this case. To be fucking honest, I’m still not sure if this mimic is responsible for the disappearance of these kids or if it’s only acquainted with the entity that is. But Mimics are nosy turds so I'm not surprised if one of those dress-up fuckers got involved. Chances are the entity responsible is some type of fucking water wraith. Good luck with finding all that shit out.

So here’s what I’m gonna do, Cammy, I’m gonna hang up now and let you scream at JD for a while. I’m also gonna go ahead and message you a bunch of links of news clipping about the kids that have gone missing soon after Dolson had arrived in those town. Should provide you guys with some more details about the events.”

There was a quick pause before Bobby spoke up again to explain her earlier outburst of laughter –

“Ah, and one last thing. If you’re awake, so is Jack, princess. That bastard couldn’t sleep through an ants fart. Save my number to your own phone and keep in touch. Bobby likes the sound of ya. Later.”

Bobby had another quick laugh and ended the call, but not before Jack opened one eye to glare at the phone, muttering the words, “Fuck you, Bobby.”

Jack pushes up on one elbow, regarding Cam with a small grin of narrow, sleepy eyes.

“I see you met Bobby…. Wonderful, ain’t she?”

He sits up on the bed next to Camilla, feet on the floor, and takes a drink of the now warm beer on the bedside table.

A few minutes later Jack’s phone receives a message from Bobby with a list of links to the information she had mentioned. Each case shared the same theme of a child between the ages of 8 and 12 going missing, both male and female. No trace or leads have been found by police in any of the instances. It was like each of the kids just vanished from the face of the Earth. In most cases, the children had been taken from a private pool in the backyard of their homes, while one was taken from a shower and another from a bath. In all these cases, the mother of the missing child had supposedly committed suicide, or had been savagely murdered in the pool or bathroom their child had gone missing from a week or two after the child's disappearance. As Bobby had mentioned, each one of these children were taken within a week after Jack had arrived in the respective town. In the previous town, Jack had been named as a suspect to the murder of the mother and disappearance of her child, though no charges were laid on account of no solid evidence. One other thing these cases had in common is that each of these children were an only child in the family and - the only details that didn't match with what happened to Jack's family two years ago - they had a father who had previously passed away. Their mother was their only guardian at the time they were taken.

The Antidote [inactive]

Well, it's good to see Quote's RP is getting activity XD

So anyway, it is early in the game and we haven't even started the journey yet, which, I might add, is the sole reason for this RP. At this point the players are just establishing themselves, which is normal for an RP. We shouldn't be bickering about interaction so soon, if ever. I think if any player ever has a problem finding a way to respond to another player, they should just take the initiative and go onto the next step of progress. If you want my opinion, which I'll give anyway, having the lieutenant arrive in the mess hall and sitting down at a table with his tea would work. Something along those lines. It would move the story along, and in the end there doesn't need to be any further dialogue on the bridge about soup, tea, or anything else, since the destination has already been established. So if it was me I'd just go ahead and arrive in the mess hall already. Oof!

---

As for my own characters, I'm content on having them mosey around on their own until I find a non-contrived, natural reason to interact with another character, or if the GM jumps in to lure my attention. But atm, my characters have no need to, and they aren't really in a position to do so anyway. In any case, both my characters have hidden agendas, which I've discussed with the GM, so me playing my characters with a more, uh, indirect interaction, works for them. That said, I may make a post in the next few days and see if that kick-starts anything. ...Unless Quote plans on abandoning this RP? Then I won't bother.

ASPECT

Jack had never asked Cam about her past. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested. He just wasn’t one fore asking. It occurred to him as he finished his speech that telling her these things likely didn’t make her feel any better, and in the end she probably didn’t need to know. The reason he shared the experience with her wasn’t clear, not even to Jack. Not like he was one for feeling sorry for himself or seek sympathy from others. That definitely wasn’t it. Yet, one could assume he shared the information as a way to help her understand him better. Maybe it would give her reason not to judge him too harshly when he does stupid shit, while at the same time let her know that, despite his shortcomings, he appreciated her being around. Her presence somehow… made living easier to bear. She was someone in this world he could care for.

Jack kept his now passive eyes on her, listening, seemingly contented by having shared his story, though Camilla’s soft touch had its hand in it as well. Although he didn’t show it with expression, he appreciated her willingness to help as much as she did his sentiments. He enjoyed the moment, including her jest, which resulted in him cracking a smile –

“Bacon and Egg McMuffin not enough, you need dinner as well?” He let the chuckle subside. “Thought my delightful charm would have done the trick.”

When she removed her hand from his, he slipped his hand from her leg, placing it over his other hand resting on his bandaged wound. The moment was savored. With a slight narrowing of his stare, nothing more, he let several moments of silence pass in the wake of her admission before responding:

“Sleep. Hell ain’t going anywhere.”

He rolled his head back, eyes on the ceiling once more, just for a few seconds before his own eyelids weighted shut.

“I know you got my back….” His words softened to a trailing mumble as he drifted off to sleep himself; “Glad you’re here, Camill….”

ASPECT

Jack didn’t say any more while Cam tended to his wound. In a way she reminded him of his wife, not so much by the dialogue as the tone she used. That voice of disapproval. It was sweet. He watched her. Admiring her. He moaned almost pleasurably, though clenching his jaw, nostrils flared with an outshot of breath when she applied the solution that trickled down to the bed sheets, mingled with his blood.

“Thanks.” Was the only word of gratitude he could muster as she spun about to lie beside him.

He shifted down, his head now on the pillow. He heard the small, moist clip of her yawn but kept eyes on the ceiling as the room fell silent. There seemed to be a thickness in the air, maybe the discomfort brought on by the passive tension between himself and Cam, or maybe there was some uncertain source to the heavy calm. Though the silence ruptured when Jack, in a low, monotone voice that came close to a whisper, started talking:

“It was uh… late. Near midnight. My little girl, Hannah…. Eight year old. Last time I checked she was in her bed. Sleep’n. I was in the lounge. Television on. Heard the screams from outside. …Somehow she was there now…. Don’t know how. Why. She was in the pool. Those screams… water splash’n…. So many screams. Thought she was die’n. I uh… rushed out there. M’little girl was in trouble.”

Jack paused, chest swelling slow and deflating with a silent breath before continuing.

“I was… too late. I’d seen her. Just for a sec. Saw her there, eyes so wide. The terror. Need for safety. Then she was just… gone. Blink of an e…. The water, it was still splashing like she was there. But she wasn’t. Still heard her scream’n too. Splash’n. Scream’n for me…. But… I just…. She just wasn’t there. Must’ve…” Jack moistened the corner of his mouth with a touch of his tongue. “…a few seconds, maybe. That’s all there was, and the screams were gone too. Water still. So calm. Quiet. Thickness in the air….”

Jack took another pause, long enough for anyone to have considered he’d finished, but he hadn’t. In the same monotone hush, he went on with the story.

Anna came out. Saw me stand’n, stare’n…. She didn’t know. Not at first. She was just confused. She looked at the pool. Me. Took a while to sink in. I uh… not sure what happened the rest of that night….” Jack reach for his beer, stopped, rested his hand back down on his bandaged wound. “Anna didn’t take it well. Not at all…. Each week went by, more depressed she got, till one worn’n - Huh…. It was still dark. First light. Woke up. She wasn’t there. Got out of bed look’n for her. Shower was running but she wasn’t in it. Was a trail of blood leading out. Followed it out back… down the path to the pool…. And there she was. Float’n face down. Exact same spot my little girl disappeared. Water was red. So much blood…. Thought she’d gone and killed herself.”

A dull groan escaped the man as he took another moment….

“I was wrong. Fished her out. Her face was….” The cold breath of a silent sigh left him. “…Her eyes were torn out. Ears torn off. Tongue gone. Teeth. All gone. Deep scratches around those empty sockets. Too uniform to be an animal. Something else…. Her skin was, uh… burnt. All over. Scorched. I couldn’t see if maybe…. No fire around. No smell of burnt flesh. No smoke…. Her body was still warm.” Jack’s voice finally cracked.

Somehow during his speech his hand had made its way to Cam, wrapped over the top of her thigh, gently holding, thumb moving with a slight caress.

“I’m going to kill it.” He cleared his throat, voice remaining dull. “I’m going to get that motherfucker.” He gave Camilla’s thigh a firm, gentle squeeze while his head rolled slowly to the side, dry gaze falling on her. “And I want you to be there when I do. I got a feeling about you, Ca…. I want you to be there with me…. Want you there…. Don’t want you dead.”

ASPECT

Jack was aware Cam didn’t always agree with him on these things, and he knew her well enough at this point to realize she had her objection to his thoughts on just what they had encountered at the house. By the same token, she didn’t really need to voice her objections, he took note them anyway. But her quiet restraint on the matter wasn’t the only thing he took note of….

Perhaps it came with the occupation. The life of a hunter had its way of fine tuning ones senses. The need to be on guard on a daily basis will have that effect. Jack had always been that way to a point though, picking up on more than expected of a man, but maybe his line of work helped amplify the gift somewhat.

No, it wasn’t fun having to sleep with one eye open, waking from the slightest sound or looking over your shoulder at every turn, but it was helpful to pick up on the less regarded aspects of things taking place around you. Like Cam’s look, for example, the one she drifted with for that moment before he drew the phone from his pocket. Jack had seen it a hundred times before from women, that slightly dreamed gaze of wondering if maybe… just maybe…. To be fair, he didn’t get that a lot from Cam, he could count those moments from her on one hand and still have a few fingers left to count with. But that didn’t really account for much in the broad scheme of things - when you get two people of opposite sex in a room alone, it’s nothing less than natural for the prospect to cross their minds. And really, Camilla was an overall great package, any man would have been lucky to have her. Jack would be lying to think he didn’t feel the appeal. On more than one occasion he’d been tempted to bend her over the nearest bench and give it to her. Simple as that. Still, he wouldn’t be the one to initiate. If she wanted to, the first move was on her.

“It’s just a scratch.” It wouldn’t have been fitting for Jack to respond in any other way, so her ignoring the comment while walking to the bathroom didn’t come as any surprise.

It wasn’t really a lie. The internal damage hurt much more than the cut did, though he had his suspicions a lot of the pain had been dulled by the amount alcohol he’d ingested over the last 24 hours. Truth was, he didn’t really want to look at it, as ignoring wounds that didn’t feel life threatening had become a habit, and in time he would get around to tending to it himself. But right now he had more to consider than himself. Camilla was there and she had a conscience. It wasn’t like she owed him anything, he would have done the same for anyone standing next to him at the time of the event, a fact that didn’t however negate her need for recompense. He was aware of the unwritten code of loyalty between partners and in her position he’d be feeling the need to extend the hand of appreciation as well. Far be it for him to deny her that.

When she returned from the bathroom he let out an appropriate sigh to state his reluctance, yet pushed from his chair regardless, nudged it aside with his foot, and then placed his bottle on the bedside table next to hers.

“You should know you don’t owe me anything.” He said turning back to her, giving a short shake of his head with a low furrow of his brow, and noticed the gauze packet being crushed by the angst of her grip. Producing a minor howler look, he shrugged the jacket to the floor and kicked it aside as well, then regarded the woman with approbation. “I don’t have any complains about you. If I thought you were lacking I wouldn’t be working with you. You’re good. Real good.”

With the jacket off, Jack kicked his boots free before peeling up his T-shirt for a better look at the damage, and okay, it was a little worse than he thought. Above the naturally solid plate of abdominal muscles and in the shade beneath his pectoral ascent, a thin splinter of wood could be seen protruding, causing the flesh to swell parallel with his rib.

“Well that’s fucked up.” He almost sounded like he was joking while pulling the T-shirt clear from his head. But he didn’t discard it, instead rolling it over one hand in preparation. Without hesitation he removed the splinter and tossed in the wastebasket next the bedside table while using the shirt wrapped around his other hand to press down on the wound. Keeping the pressure on, he removed the Glock from his belt with his free hand, placed it next to the beer bottles, then dropped back on the bed in a casual manner, feet crossed, shoulders and head propped against the wall and pillow. He gave her a wink, one corner of his mouth cracking with a stunted smile.

“Let’s get this show on the road.”

Trios

@Dartbored Fairy

Madison

Madison grinned sardonically at the barkeep as he approached her table, stammered his words then hurried away as fast as he could. While he was talking, deliberate or not, a wet rumble of flatulence escaped her bowel, adding to her overall stench. As he was walking away she called after him in a mocking tone - "I don't like love letters, idiot! Can't an attractive woman like myself just have a drink in peace?" She then laughed in an equally mocking manner as her eyes fell to the envelope in front of her.

To she who seeks gold. Read this and reconsider.

"What sort of bullshit is this?" She muttered under her breath while scratching at the gold print with one dirty, jagged nail. "Another fucking prick that can't mind their own business...."

She pushed the still closed envelope aside to finish her ale in peace. Once the mug was dry, she checked over her shoulder out the window. The rain was still falling enough to keep her inside. Time for another drink. She went to the bar, ordered another ale then returned to her table before finally, grudgingly, opening the envelope to see what it had to say....

---

@Metatrooper@Prima Luce

Boris

Boris was feeling pleased that his magic chant had worked once again! He started to smile pleased at Kaldalis when the inmate in the next cell also stood and said some things that Boris didn't at first understand. The smile dropped form his docile face as he pursed his lips thoughtfully to one side, trying to make sense of what the man said. Finally, he figured out the mans words and his eyes lit up, not because of the content, just because he managed to figure it out for himself. But the joy didn't last long. His elated expression quickly became a resentful glare at Ovarin for lying to him. Boris wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but it didn't take much for him to realize the man was a liar. After all, Boris had heard the Tin Man talk in town earlier, and the voice he heard earlier matched the man who had stood up first. Like Boris's magic chant had told him, Kaldalis was Kaldalis for sure!

For the moment forgetting about Kaldalis, Boris suddenly grabbed hold of the bars to Ovarin's cell and shook them like an enraged animal as he yelled with a mighty voice at the man -

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME LIKE THAT!"

Of course, it wasn't only the lie that enraged Boris, it was also the realization that this was in fact the bad man, Ovarin, the man that Boris had actually come to see. For that moment of lost temper, Boris shook the bars of the cage so hard that they actually began to buckle and twist. They didn't bend a lot, but enough to give evidence to anyone there on just how strong he really was.

Releasing the bars, Boris stood back to let himself relax. His boyish face slowly faded from anger to one of a more intense I'm-gonna-hurt-you-bad-now expression at Ovarin. Still, amid the emotional rage of the moment, Boris did find mind to regard Kaldalis for a moment, telling him:

"Don't you worry about anything at all, Mr. Tin Man. Boris isn't here to hurt you. Boris is here to teach this even badder man a lesson!" Boris then turns his severe glare back to Ovarin, saying in another raise of his voice -

"I know it was you who hurt that little girl! She told me herself! - DON'T YOU HURT LITTLE GIRLS LIKE THAT! YOU'RE A VERY, VERY BAD MAN!!"

As Boris finished yelling at Ovarin a second time, he stepped forward again, his face straining with red fury as he forced the iron bars open even further to get at the man inside. But the effort was short and the bars hadn't bent much more before he remembered he had the keys. Releasing the bars, he quickly fished the chain of keys from his pocket. Holding them up in his finger and thumb, Boris's anger lapses momentarily to regard Kaldalis with a howler look, and said in a childish, embarrassed tone:

"I forgot I had the keys, Mr. Tin Man."

Boris then commenced blundering through the many keys on the chain to see which one fit the lock to Ovarin's cell.

Diddly Do

@Uncle Spanky

"That'll do." Fanny said flatly once SAM finished transmitting his message. "And nice butt." She adds, giving it a little spank.

Almost a minute passes before a response comes back from the Quatis:

"There has been a Quantum disruption throughout the known universe. We are in the process of developing an explanation for the events taking place. Suffice to say, your own explanation for being at your location has been somewhat substantiated. Our scans however indicate you are both biological and mechanical in nature. Your systems are unfamiliar to us and therefore a threat. You will be brought aboard one of our vessels for further analysis. Standby."

As the transmission ends, Fanny shakes her head at Sam. "You know, by raising those shields..." She points to a specific display at the helm. "...You will stop them from teleportation you out of here, and anyone else in for that matter. Besides," She shrugs, "Once they've transported you aboard their ship, don't expect to be going home anytime soon. It's not like they're going to be dropping you off on their way by. Your home is more than three galaxies from here. But this ship could get you there...." She gives him a wink.

---

@Quote5

Fanny doesn't say much and remains quiet while Ernest makes contact with the strange, small vessel. He receives a reply by a man on board a short time later, presumably from the man called Rufus. At first the man sounds like he is laughing in a groggy fashion, almost as though he is drunk, maybe. Then starts speaking in a dopey, slurred voice.

"Ernest! You sound so righteous, my dude! Welcome to the new world! Or should I say universe?" He chuckles. "You're just in time to witness the second wave. Take a chill pill, my friend - this is gonna be soooo rad!"

Fanny sighs, shaking her head while rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache. "Send a warning shot across the bow. Let them know you mean business. You're going to need a heavy yield warhead." She tells Ernest. "Then send another message. Make sure he knows we mean business."

---

Rufus is still fast asleep in his chair and has missed the entire thing. When Ramrod completes the construction of his new ship, he realizes that he didn't include an activation device. He might have to ask the ship he is on for a way over to his new vessel so he can activate it from on board.

---

While the actions are underway to get the hyperdrive installed in Rodia, Lars and Gamma are detected by one of the Sporn security scanners. In the hubbub of all that's happened, it has been set to automation mode, which means it's not being manned from the central system. It quickly reads their energy signatures and determines they don't belong. They are recognized as a hazard and instantaneously transported back aboard their own vessel, right next to where siren is standing as the conversation between herself and Rorod is ending.

---

@Dartbored Fairy

The bandit wouldn't have been easy to push down, being a lot bigger than Hida, but since his eyes were sealed shut, the shove from Hida caused him to stagger blindly before tripping on a nearby branch and falling to his face. Once he hits the ground, he's quick to produce a knife from his boot and proceeds to cut the skin away from him mouth. As blood spurts from the open wound he opens his mouth and starts creaming "witch!" over and over again while still trying to scramble to his feet and reach out blindly for help from his men.

His men of course see what is happening to him, then after hearing him scream the word 'witch' they all turn their horses around and start retreating. Even the bandits that had tackled Cas to the ground, scrambled to their feet and found their own horses again before hightailing it out of there as well, but not without yelling back insults at Hida for being a witch. Recovering to his feet, the head bandit hears his men leaving and starts calling out for them to come back. They don't, though, they have no intention of returning to the place of the witch. Let their leader be damned.

Cas pushes from the ground looking very startled, his gaping expression on Hida.

"What in all of fuck did you just do?" He asks her.

Meanwhile the leader of the bandits is the only one who remains, too scared to cut his eyes open as he staggered around helplessly and continues to scream out for him men.

---

@Doc Doctor

While Donny continues to have some issues with the local Quatis babies, the rest of the babies in the nursery are woken by the commotion. Instantly feeling the threat and seeing what is happening, they scream in rage as they launch themselves from their beds with nails extended and the serrated teeth of their mouths open for attack. Donny is quickly piled upon by a ferocious mountain of babies, each one of them aiming to rip the flesh from his body.

---

@Prima Luce

While the Donny in Pycin's Quarters fires round after round while heading for the exit, the soldiers armor seem to be holding up to a certain degree, though some of the bullets manage to cause some major injuries in areas that aren't properly protected. But the soldiers who are able return fire upon the man, their rifles set to low level Quantum disruption in order to obliterate any matter it comes in contact with.

---

@Blueflame

As the entity comes into view, the Quatis soldiers have already set themselves in a line formation across the exit. They have their rifles and torches aimed at the ready. The leading officer replies almost immediately to the peculiar comments from the entity confronting them:

"Remain where you are! We are the Quatis, here to investigate the circumstances of this alien vessel. Please explain who you are and what your intentions are! Any sign of hostility and we will open fire!"

---

@Metatrooper

Sahmi Steps away from arms reach of Meta, raising her gun and ready to fire again if she needs to.

When Meta finishes speaking, the android rises to its feet while its body quickly regenerates. A minute later it is whole again, facing both Meta and Sahmi as it surveys its surrounds a second time.

"You will lower the dampening field you have around your vessel."

As he is speaking the Tempest halts, no longer on rout to the sun. A moment later the Tempest would inform Meta of another alien vessel approaching. It is one of the massive centipede like vessels that had appeared recently at the outer most planet of the solar system.

"My people have arrived." The android went on to say. "Lower the field or face the consequences, human!"

---

@Oh no my soup

Once the ship is docked, the docking bay doors close with a thud to seal them in. The docking bay is massive and mostly empty, besides a few small battered craft from various alien races, none of them looked as though they were made by the same race that the Jam ship was made by.

Soon after Magnus, the peasant girl and Sandra exited their vessel, a door in front of them opened and a humanoid entered. The humanoid looked roughly human, lean though strong in build, but he stood several feet tall, was naked, and had large purple eyes. His mouth and front of his body were covered in blood. It was possible that the blood came from the man who's severed head he held up in the grip of one hand, presenting it to the three visitors as he made his welcoming speech:

"Oh hi! This is our former captain! He sure did taste good! What a wonderful meal he made for his crew! So welcome to our shindig!" He then licked his lips as he looked the three visitors up and down, and added; "I see dessert is on you, then?"

In the closing of his announcement, many more of his species swarmed into the docking bay, none of them holding weapons, but all them having lengthy, blooded nails extending from their fingers. All of them were naked, covered in blood, and cheering like teenagers rushing to attend the new festival in town. As they raced ferociously towards Magnus, the peasant girl and Sandra, the peasant girl started screaming in terror and pulled herself free from Magnus's grip, running back towards his vessel to try and find safety.

ASPECT

"you’re a little on the old side anyway.”?

"Hmm..." Jack narrowed one eye before entering the car with her. His peripheral sight caught her eyeballing the items of the back seat. He should really learn to put shit away after a night of brooding. Cam had her own shit to deal with, she didn’t need to be reminded of his as well. The girl had class though. She knew when not to pry, as opposed to most people who felt the need to offer support for no other reason but to make themselves look virtuous. There was very little holy in this world.

Once they had parked, Jack remained behind the wheel for a minute and made a call to an acquaintance that Cam hadn’t yet met. Well, at least he thought she did’t know this person. The call was short, no shooting the breeze, and he soon joined Cam inside. He accepted the beer with a nod then rummaged through a few cabinets until he actually found some Motrin. He didn’t ask permission to go searching for it, but Cam didn’t strike him as a person who really cared for uptight formalities. ‘Help yourself’ the two golden words of prestige in his books.

The four pills were washed down with half the stubby of beer before he took the chair from the desk, gave it a quick twirl in his fingers, positioned it a comfortable distance from the bed, and then took a seat in it back-to-front, arms propped on the backrest, beer bottle dangling in his fingers. His ribs hurt like hell, but he didn’t let it show.

To Jack, Cam was the lie-like-a-dog type of girl, for lack of better ways to explain it. That free spirit, not even giving mind to her own sensuality in the many rough and perhaps less than lady-like performances - Swatting her ass in to dust herself off, her unrelenting jests, that cheeky smile, the overall absence of traditional female discretion - yet managed to keep her femininity intact. It was refreshing to watch. Appealing to his base urges. No broomstick up her ass.

“Look at me and tell me you think it’s a demon we’re dealing with.” He said, with a shake of his head, and limply dropped back a few more mouthfuls of beer. “We both know it isn’t that. Demons are filthy. Vermin. They don’t give two shits about human values…. They don’t care if some woman lost her son. This situation’s too random. And hey, whatever it is, managed to get my number. Beasts making phone calls... go figure.”

Jack let his eyes wonder about the apartment for a time, not really thinking about what he was looking at, rather taking a moment to assess his own thoughts on recent events. It was possible that this thing they encountered was a hostile ghost, allowing it more power than your standard spirit. He’d seen it before, enraged souls of the departed summoning more strength than your standard haunts. But this one didn’t quite fit that bill. Too much specified power.

“I’m waiting on a call.” He added, lifting his phone from the inside pocket of his jacket and tossing it on the bed beside Camilla. “Put it on speaker when she calls and take note of her number. You might need it in the future. Her name's Bobby. She knows you're with me. She does a few jobs for me from time to time. Right now she’s looking into the history of the house. That should help us -”

Jack winced, grinding his teeth from the pain in his ribs that suddenly decided to give a quick, cold stab through his chest.

He hung his head and sighed, regretting to let his pain known to Cam, before rolling his eyes back up at hers with an ‘I’m fine’ kind of grin.

“Fucking monsters….”

Had Camilla been looking at the right place, she would notice a small spread of blood staining the side of Jack’s t-shirt inside the fall of his jacket. He didn’t even acknowledge the damage himself. While being thrown through the door earlier, a shard of timber had pierced the flesh on the left side of his torso, just a few inches lower than his pectoral cleft.

ASPECT

“Fine.” Was the only response to Cam’s concern for his welfare as he pushed to his knees by her, sitting back on his heels with hands open on his thighs. His gun was now next to him, bedded in the bends of long grass. He looked around in that position like a man resting on the beach and surveying the waves rolling in from the vast ocean beyond. In a short while, his eyes came back to Cam. He didn’t ask if she was okay, but the search of his eyes over her person would have made it clear to her that he was, in fact, making sure she was fine. She was. A little shaken up, but fine. There was then a following moment of, well, something that may have come across to Cam as not so typical for Jack. He raised one hand from his lap, reaching out to briefly caress her cheek, push a fall of hair back over her ear, then ended the moment by returning his hand to his lap.

“What is it with girls and pretty boys? You need a man, not a boy.” It wasn’t like he was propositioning himself, his words sounded more like a non-affectionate father giving his daughter some general, though questionable and rather fleeting advice. That being the case, his mind was back on the job. Reaching for his gun he returned it to his belt and shook his head like someone slightly bothered by a passing fly.

“This is no demon.” He told her, then got to his feet while giving the situation further thought. “I was thinking it may have been a restless ghost.” He added, giving himself a light dust off. “Something simple. A dead woman needing closure before moving on. But it’s not that either….” He curled his lip while peering into the house through shattered hangs of what was left of the front door. “I’m not sure what that was.” Then, after all that had transpired since the question was asked, he answered: “They’re too loud. You can’t sneak up on anything with those things on your feet. Save em for your date.”

Jack then starts walking to the car. Apparently he wasn’t planning on re-entering the house so soon either. “We’re going back to your place. Use those internet skills of yours to do some research on this place.” He paused before entering the car. “You got beer?”

Telling Cam that he was fine may have been a little stray of the truth. Truth be told, he was in a considerable amount of pain. Yeah, being thrown through a door like a rag doll was sure to do some damage. He didn’t expect anything serious or broken. After all, he could walk, talk and think normally, but he was damn certain a few ribs had been bruised at least. He wasn’t worried though, the pain would pass, and no doubt the alcohol in his system was inhibiting a lot of pain receptors at the moment. Besides, there were other things on his mind than thinking about his health right now:

Jack’s hopes for encountering a woman that had lost her son in the same or similar way to how he had lost his own family had fallen through. The circumstances surrounding the current situation just didn’t fit. The monster he was seeking would have to keep in hiding for another day. He also knew that all the salt-loaded shells and blessed bullets in the world may not have any effect on the entity that inhabited this house. It wasn’t a demon. It wasn’t a ghost. At least nothing standard of the two. Not even a hex, enchantment, heptagram, or even a prayer would work unless they knew exactly what they were dealing with. In the end Cam was right about another thing, harming the host, or whatever that was, may not have been the best course of action.

If Camilla were willing to go along with Jack’s new plan, they would now get in the car and head back to her place. His own place wasn’t actually an option. As for libraries, well, they tend to make Jack feel uncomfortable. Cam may not have been aware of the fact at that time, since he wasn’t one for complaining about his personal circumstances, but Jack didn’t actually have a place to live at present. His car would hold him over for now, and it wasn’t really a matter that troubled him. Still, the open duffel bag of packed clothes and personal items sprawled out on the back seat, including the unframed photo of his late wife and young daughter, may have been enough for the woman to work it out on her own.

ASPECT

As Camilla already knew, Jack had received a call from some frantic woman not two hours earlier, a call that supposedly originated from this house. But where was this woman now? Cam had no doubt observed that oddity, it would have been hard to miss. Everything was quiet. Still. Not the abode of a woman who had recently lost her son. But In addition to the silence, who in fact opened the damn roller door for them? It must have been remotely activated by a controller inside the house - one would imagine - yet the person who supposedly opened it hadn’t revealed themselves, no less made a peep. Not to mention the fact, and the thing that continued to play most on his mind, was the For Sale sign in the yard. There was no Sold sticker plastered on the front of it, probably meaning it hadn’t been sold yet, and yet the lawn hadn’t been cut in weeks, which didn’t exactly indicate the typical upkeep for someone trying to sell.

Jack’s best guess, despite not being sold, was that the house was empty and the call he received earlier wasn’t actually made from anyone, at least no one who was still alive. This was pure speculation at this point, educated speculation of course, but still speculation. He may have been wrong, and therefore he didn’t share that specific insight with Cam. Increasing the girls fear unduly wasn’t about to help their situation, not even if his hunch proved correct.

He was, as always, curious about Camilla. She was enjoyable to watch and listening to her commentary amused him. Still, his face remained void of expression as she made too much noise on her approach to the door.

“Remind me to get you new shoes.” He said, as she looked back to give him a smile, though his voice was so low and soft that it was barely audible. In jack’s eyes, she seemed to treat everything like a game, despite the possible dangers. Even when she was serious he had a hard time seeing her that way. She was fun. She had a good smile. The whole package was cute in a hazardous kind of way. But he wasn’t about to let his unmentioned affections get in the way of the job at hand and possibly jeopardize their safety. Especially hers.

He followed her inside calmly, slowly, removing his Glock from the belt at his rear while holding up his free index finger in a sign to be quiet.

Inside, he gently gave a tug to the back of her jacket to have her fall back. He took the lead until they arrived to the side of the foot of the stairs. There, he stood and placed one hand on her shoulder, letting her know to keep still. From their position they had a clear view of the main ground-level hallway that led to the kitchen, the stairs, and the living room on their left. Camilla was right, something really did smell. He hadn’t even noticed before now. Then again, women were known to have better noses than men. At least he thought that was the case. He hoped that was the case. Hell, his mother had the nose of bear on heat. The problem of course was that the smell of sulfur didn’t fit with what he actually suspected to be the trouble with this place.

Removing the hand from her shoulder, his fingers slid gently down Cam’s back and came to rest on the curved summit of her buttocks, but he was actually too absorbed in stretching his hearing and scrutinizing every detail of their surrounds to be aware of where his hand actually came to rest.

A cold chill ran his spine.

“Anyone home!?”

Without warning, Jack had finally exerted himself, sharply calling out the words that proceeded to echo in an unnatural cascade of repetition that eventually concentrated their roll directly down the hallway and fell silent at the entrance to the kitchen… where a middle-aged woman now stood staring at them from the threshold. The woman was pale. Bare foot. Dressed in a thin, white nightgown. Dark rings under her glazed eyes. Her hair hadn’t received a touch of attention in what appeared to be decades. Jack was staring back at the woman for no less than a couple of seconds before she suddenly burst into action –

The foundation of the house convulsed hard enough for both Jack and Cam to falter when the woman charged at inhuman speed directly toward them, her arms flailing madly while screaming in a voice that sounded like grating metal: “GIVE ME BACK MY SON!”

Jack’s automatic reaction was to shove Cam from the woman’s path, which he did, but barely had time to raise his gun before the woman arrived. He was lifted off his feet by her presence and launched clear through the air until crashing out the front door and tumbling across the lawn. The woman, however, had come to an abrupt halt where Jack had been standing, then shifted her empty glare down at Camilla before vanishing.

Out on the lawn, just a few feet from the For Sale sign, Jack twitched a few times before finding the strength to lift his face from the earth.

“I guess that explains why the house is still on the market.”