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

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"I know. Doesn't mean I don't deserve one," he countered, trying for smug, but as they pulled out his smirk turned grim and the banter died.

[noteasytobepink]

"Talk like that boss and you'll have us making SURE you get a half dozen of the damn things. Can't go breaking your heart and all." And yeah, they were all going a touch grim. This had been teh thing that wiped out a whole town previously...

...no one was really okay.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

As they drove on in silence Bill kept his eyes peeled, and a tight grip on his gun.

"Don't like how quiet it is out there. Ain't seen a soul yet." Which was probably a very bad thing.

[noteasytobepink]

"And those abandoned cars..." one deputy noted softly. "They been taking people outside in this time?" Instead of all at once?

SHIT DEER!

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"If Grant's any kind of smart he'll be playin' this different than-- " When the truck swerved Bill braced, teeth clacking shut as they drove off the road.

"SHIIIIIIIT!"

[noteasytobepink]

"EVERYONE ALRIGHT?!" Just to be sure you know. People HAD TO ASK!

"It was just standing there boss..." and still was if anyone cared to look.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Fuck," Bill muttered, holding his shoulder. "We're fine."

Turning in his seat, he craned his head back to get a look at the road. Seeing the deer, he reached out a hand to thump his deputies shoulder.

"Get us movin'. Now."

[noteasytobepink]

"Bambi is a bad guy?" The man yelped, throwing the into drive again. Screw backing up onto the road, forward was fine as long as it was away!

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Anything is gonna be out to kills us if them slugs got to it," he said, lifting one of the rifles to take a shot at the dear.

[noteasytobepink]

"Yessir, I may only skimmed your manual..." BAD TIME TO TELL HIM THAT RIGHT?!

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Bottom line, anything that can't talk to you like a normal person is probably a part of Grant. An' if one of them sees you, they all see you."

Bill opened fire on the deer, taking back everything he'd ever said about how stupid hunters were.

[noteasytobepink]

"Daaaamn," the deputy whistled. Just...damn, yeah. "Should we be...knocking on doors? I know you said you had someone on it...I got a girlfriend."

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"No, our part is t'find an' stop Grant. I promise you all, Clarice is gonna get as many folks out as is possible."

[noteasytobepink]

"You're gonna have to explain that one too sometime, only so much a girl running can do," another deputy drawled. "After we see to this." Naturally.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Don't I know it," he grumbled.

"Turn up here, take the back way t'Grant's."

[noteasytobepink]

"Sheriff you know that old road washed out a year back...trucks might not make it." JUST HAD TO SAY IT! "Don't fancy walking..." Nope.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Yeah, an' that means if they are lookin' to block us up or ambush us it'd be on the main road that's left." He shook his head then nodded them on. "Take the back road, we outta be able to make it far enough along before havin' to hoof it."

They'd have to get out of the vehicles at some point anyways.

[noteasytobepink]

"Sorry to say sir but hoofing it sounds scary as fuck." YUP SHAMELESS ADMITTANCE THERE!

Going down washout alley anyway? Totally.

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"All of this is gonna be pretty fuckin' scary," was Bill's reply as he focused on the road ahead, keeping his eyes peeled for anything.

[noteasytobepink]

"Well, that's reassuring," a deputy snorted. Had to really, sarcasm helped? "Shit that's...Allen's cows."

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Damnit. Here we go." Bill knew better than to think the cows up ahead were anything but trouble, and he readied his weapon.

"Slow up, but keep drivin'. Everyone, be ready... "

[noteasytobepink]

"Yes sir," the deputies braced and the driver slowed and the damn cows were...all across the road yup. "So do we...shoot them?"

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"You know what's harder t'move than a cow in the road?" Bill asked, eying the animals, then glancing at the deputy, "A dead cow in the road."

So no, they weren't going to start shooting them.

"Shit. They ain't attackin' yet, maybe they are just cows. Nudge one of 'em with the bumper, see if that moves 'im."

[noteasytobepink]

"What if it's got like tentacles and stuff and is just waiting to grab us?!"

[wheelsy_sheriff]

"Then it's gonna grab us anyways eventually, so go on an' nudge it with the damn car."