We knew the peace wouldn't last

[noteasytobepink]

Who: Clarice & Bill
When: The beginning of Bill's ending
What: Guess who's back? Back in Town?

"Clarice?"

She blinked and looked down at the radio on her belt, attention drawn by the crackling voice even as she reached out to snag one of the kids, keeping them inside the crosswalk. It took a few minutes to corral all the kids out of the street, hell there must have been a birthday cupcake event or something to get the kids this wound up. Still. "Yeah?"

"Hey there, listen, we've got a report of an abandoned vehicle out on route 6."

"So?" she snorted. "Get Charlie's tow rig out there and call it a day."

"Charlie's already out on eighteen, got an RV breakdown. Just need to make sure it's an actual abandonment and not some idiots pissing in the woods."

"Charming," she noted. "Let me guess..."

"Still low man, girl, sorry. You get this one. Besides, you like jogging!" Dispatch laughed.

Yeah, well, if she caught someone poaching they were going to regret it, yes. "Soon as the munchkins are all herded then. If it's abandoned it's not running away," just saying. And if it wasn't abandoned, well, if they got it clear before she got there all the better? She didn't mind a door to door hunt in town, it was like hide and seek, but out on the road could get annoying.

It was another half hour before the last stragglers were safely crossed and handed off to parents. As to why parents couldn't escort their own kids instead of meeting them on the other side of the road, well, that had never been well explained but she was pretty sure it boiled down to 'we've always crossed the kids', big on tradition here. Another three minutes to shuck the crossing guard vest and sign, tuck them in the school closet, and then she was headed off. Route 9 wasn't that far, as the crow flies, as long as one didn't mind the fields between.

She ran the road up to the highway and back down to town before hitting her radio, "No sign of a vehicle," she called, annoyed. "Covered the ten miles from Hilliger farm to the highway and back. Saw some pull off points but no telling how fresh those tracks are."

"Hate to tell you Clarice, but there's a report out on Rout 22 now. We've got others checking the call from Route 8. You up for it?"

That was...odd. Yes. "I'm on it." Sure, it was clear across town but it wasn't like she had plans or anything. Was today some obscure pranking day? The drive cops nut day on the calendar? She'd guess 'tweaking the deputies tail' day but she'd kind of outgrown that point quite early on. The guys at the precinct learned to let her be after they found spiders inside their donuts. For a week solid. Sometimes it was all about knowing how to push back when boys were being jerks.

Night was falling by the time she hit the new road, scanning for any sign or headlights, tail lights, engine sounds...what she heard after a while was the soft crack and crunch of branches. She honed in on that and blinked at what she found, "Dispatch? I've got that car...it's been pushed off the road and behind some bushes. No sign of any driver, empty, doors open..." creepy as hell honestly.

That wasn't good.

"Repeat that? Did you say pushed off into the woods?"

"Yeah, I did," she admitted, backing up to stand firmly on the road again.

"I'll have the other guys looking out for that. We got more calls but we're missing cars..."

Hell. That was really damn weird. "Nothing about Rout 5 yet right? I'll go see if I can catch our prankers in the act and if I do I'm shaking them by their ears or something."

"Good plan, I'll let the sheriff know."

"Thanks, I'll call in when I can." Route 5 was less in favor these days, more of a back road since it didn't connect to the new highway, so it was a great place to lay a trap as it were. Hopefully she wouldn't be camped out all night waiting...

...granted, she found a truck sitting halfway down, lights on, doors open, empty. "Dispatch? I've got old James's truck here. He's not the prank sort. I'm coming in." To talk to the others and see if anyone else was having a creepy night.

And maybe she'd check on James's house on the way in, yeah. Lights were on and the TV was on when she passed by, so, Mrs. James was certainly alright and not worried but...

"Going to be one of those nights," she sighed.

Comments

[steahl_npc]

"You going to stop me this time, Pardy?" Really? See how well that had gone last time? He was still alive, and still coming for the man. Nothing had been stopped at all.

"YOU LIE!" Why yes that was a bit of a temper tantrum as his car was thrown. "But we'll find her. Or who ever makes you hurt when they're gone, and then you'll know how I feel! Is it Starla? Did she deny you like a good wife? Hmmm, weren't pretty enough? Who you fucking now, Pardy?"

[wheelsy_sheriff]

Reflexively Bill ducked as the car went flying, then came up with his weapon high and searching for whoever (or whatever) had been lurking on the other side of the car.

"How you feel?" he spat back. "You never loved her."

It hurt to have Starla's rejection thrown in his face, but Bill would let himself feel that blow later. Right now the safest thing was to keep Grant focused on a target who wasn't here, and to not give away anything about Clarice.

"She was just somethin' else for you t'show off, like that big ol' empty house you built, or that fancy caddy you'd drive around in like an asshole."

[steahl_npc]

The ducking had been just slow enough that there was no sign of the car tosser. None at all, minus the tossed car and the deep rents carved into the side that had been nearest the woods.

"I love her. I need her. You're just the guy she wouldn't fuck on a dare!" the woods snarled. "But go ahead, go be a hero." Sure.

It'd be fun.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"An' you're the one she shot in the face," he returned, scanning the trees. "If there was ever anything there she's long over it now."

Turning he regarded his cruiser, kicking dirt at the shredded tire.

"Come out here an' face me like a man, you think you're so god damn high and mighty."

[steahl_npc]

"We have time," he snarled. They would. Just him and her, and everyone else would be him, so yes, time. "You're not a man, Pardy, you're a piss poor dog. Go, run, see how many of your friends and neighbors are left this time."

[wheelsy_sheriff]

Bill grit his teeth and seethed, ready to storm into the woods and take Grant on.

How many times had he been put down by the man? Or had Grant's wealth, and standing, and Starla lorded over him?

If Bill were just a little bit more dumb he'd act on his anger and go after Grant now. And he'd probably get himself killed as a result.

Reluctant (and with a part of him feeling like a coward), Bill started backing up from the trees, heading for the road that would take him back to town.

"I'm gonna stop you, Grant," he promised. "This time for good."

[steahl_npc]

Bill made it so easy though, panting over a woman not his and running every damn time she'd snapped her fingers just to get a pat on the head. He'd been voted Sheriff because people liked dogs and he was the slightly smarter mix of a golden retriever and a hunting hound.

Really, why else would he have his job?

But no, nothing was going to touch Bill. Not yet. So much more fun for the mutt to figure out just how screwed he was this time.

And to track down the more pressing problem of where the town populace had gone. He'd been intending to have more converts by now.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

Bill had put a wide distance between himself and the trees before he finally turned around to start walking, by the time he'd made it to the road he had his gun holstered and had broken into a jog.

Lifting his radio he hesitated, fear twining around his spine. Would she answer? How many people had she gotten out? He almost didn't make the call for fear of interrupting her or distracting her from what she was doing.

Working his throat hard, he brought the radio up and pressed the button.

"Clarice, y'there?"

[noteasytobepink]

"...little busy," came through after a moment. The radio was obviously still pinned to her holster, her voice was soft and hard to catch but there. She'd been running since the moment she'd warned him she was going mobile honestly. "Got the last house out just in time, those slugs are everywhere. I may start losing a few, I'm sorry. Near on a hundred clear already though." She'd lost count after a bit, she had more pressing concerns.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

The cinch that had been around his heart and throat relaxed a fraction when he heard her voice, and he let out a relieved exhale before replying on the radio.

"Alright. Just remember when one of 'em sees you they all see you, so they'll catch on soon enough." He wasn't sure what Grant and his zombies might do when they figured her out, but he had to warn her.

"Don't worry about anything else, okay? Just get as many folks out as you can."

And him, well, he'd try and do his part. Which was of course stopping Grant.

The jeep he found abandoned on the side of the road might help him with that. Especially since it was left with the keys.

"Be careful, darlin'."

[noteasytobepink]

"Yeah, I'd picked up on that," she admitted. Something about getting targeted the moment she showed up at houses now. Luckily, well, slugs could only be so terrifying and she was good at finding nooks to pop to that weren't immediately obvious. "We live through this I'm blown. Gonna have to move." Because hey, why not get a laugh in now?

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"We live through this it's you who's gonna get the statue," he replied, closing his eyes a moment and turning the key in the jeep, glad when it started.

"They'll forget all about me an' have you cast in lifesize pink."

Pulling onto the road he sped for town. He was going to need more firepower before tracking Grant down.

[noteasytobepink]

"That's a scary thought," just saying. "Going out." There was a crackling fizz as she teleported, adn several more as she was obviously staying on the move. A startled yelp a 'What are you doing in my shower?!' and then she was back. "Nother house clear."

[wheelsy_sheriff]

He listened to her blink in and out, and made a hard turn to put the jeep on a road towards the station.

"How d'you think I felt when you said they were lookin' into a statue for me?"

[noteasytobepink]

"A lot less like they might carve it out of bubblegum?" she hazarded, the banter coming with an edge. "You know we should have practice our battlefield banter, I'm rusty, go figure. FYI slugs hate cooking oil and I may have caused a house fire."

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Battlefield banter? Is that a thing you practice for?"

Tires squealed as he zigged around a car abandoned in the road.

"Do me a favor? When all this is over could you be nice about all the 'I told you so's'?"

[noteasytobepink]

"Eases tension," she admitted. "Sometimes even a moment of smiling can help you catch you breath." When the battlefield could hinge on heartbeats, well, it was a good thing to invest in.

And hey, she was totally not on the hook for a house fire. That was awesome. The 'I told you so' game though... "That would be pointless. You already know. We survive, we train." Better, harder, whatever.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

Bill pulled the jeep into the parking lot of the station and put it into park.

"Right." If they survived. "Listen, I gotta go. Get as many people out as you can, okay? I'm not even gonna try an' tell you to get out yourself, 'cause I know you won't. Just be careful, alright?"

[noteasytobepink]

"Still moving," she agreed simply, and there were a couple of pops that meant she hadn't bothered explaining, she'd just teleported some people away without going herself. "Promise to breathe, babe." Even if he couldn't promise to keep breathing on her he could do take a moment here or there, right?

Hopefully.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Promise," he replied before putting the radio back on his belt and getting out of the jeep.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he eyed the station and remembered the last time he'd had to go inside alone while the town was being overrun by slugs. Drawing his weapon, he headed inside.

[steahl_npc]

Unlike last time the lights were glowing steady; the same strips if blueish white light over each desk and not a simply paper was on the floor. One could almost say the precinct was exactly as they'd left it when Bill had paired people off and sent them away.

If one didn't count the fact that dispatch was missing.

Whether that was because of Grant or Clarice though, well, that was anyone's guess wasn't it?

[wheelsy_sheriff]

Bill came in with his gun raised, moving carefully, scanning over everything.

The undisturbed office was something, but having the front desk empty prevented him from feeling at ease.

"Hello?" he called out, holstering his weapon.

[steahl_npc]

"Hello Pardy," crackled from the front radio. "Predictable....always running home..."

[wheelsy_sheriff]

Bill jumped, whirling around to face the voice.

Eyes narrowed on the radio, he didn't give a reply. Instead he moved towards his purpose in returning to the station, the weapons cage.

[steahl_npc]

"What no threats? You think that cage will have a magic wand, Pardy? Do you think I'd have left it alone if there was anything in there that could handle me?"