Chapter 12
“That was... yeah, what was the point again?” Ram asked, pinching the flesh between his eyes to fight off the mild headache he was beginning to feel. “Anyone who grew up in Demont has heard the urban legend of Dr Chimera- what does that have to do with the missing kids?”
“Urban legends have a scary tendency of coming to life, at least in people’s own minds,” Bob told him, leaning back against the garbage bin and pushing up the brim of his hat with his cane. “But this much is real- the skinny suit that a few of the “invisible” people on the streets witnessed taking the kids away has a growing reputation amongst the homeless. He’s approached folks about volunteering for medical testing before- and not all of them have come back from it.”
Ram narrowed his eyes and nodded grimly. “So this man is using the homeless as cheap, human test subjects?”
“Those who’ve turned up again on the streets don’t like to talk about it,” Bob wiped his filthy hand across his sweat and grease laden face. “Hell, they don’t like talking much, period. Poor bastards just walk the streets in a haze, like they’re on a constant trip of some kind. Dr Chimera may be an urban legend, but what this guy is doing is bad enough to get people spinning the old yarns again.”
“I see,” Ram motioned to the figure in the shadows. “All right, Bob, that’ll do. As usual, I’ll be in touch.” Ram turned to walk away, then paused, looking back in Bob’s direction. “All things considered, you’re not going to sleeping on the streets yourself, are you?”
Bob laughed a bit, rapping his cane against the garbage bin. “Concern, costume? Well, you don’t have to worry about me- I wander the streets to get my information, it doesn’t mean I’m a man without options.”
“Good for you, then,” Ram told him, briskly walking into the shadows himself. “Happy holidays.”
“Well, that was a bust,” Jamie remarked, his voice echoing within the Decibel armor as he and Ram walked briskly through the shadowed alleyways.
“Maybe not so much,” Ram remarked, trying to keep up with Jamie’s pace with his right arm in the sling. “Old Bob was dodging the question, but I think he told us the story of Dr Chimera for a reason. If all he knew was that the “skinny suit” led the kids away, why would he go on that tangent?”
“What- you don’t really think that- I mean come on, man! Dr Chimera?!” Jamie scoffed. “Man, people were telling that story before we were even born.”
“Yeah, look- I know,” Ram told him, putting up his free hand defensively. “I’m just saying, he may have been trying to give us a clue without stating anything outright. Come on, we’re making a stop at the hardware store for some wading boots.”
“Oh, well-“ Jamie stopped, letting Ram walk ahead of him. “Uh uh. No. We’re not doing it.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that hour, Jamie found himself wading behind Ram, knee deep in very foul smelling water through the concrete sewer tunnels. “I hate you, Rick. I hate you with every breath of my body.”
“What you mean is “I hate you RAM,” Ram reminded him, waving his halogen flashlight about. “Seriously “Decibel,” we can’t use our real names when we’re out like this.”
“Fine, whatever,” Decibel grumbled, sloshing through the water, all too glad he couldn’t smell much through the armor. “What do you even expect to find down here?”
“Evidence; foot prints, discarded clothing or the shreds there of.” Ram told him as he scrutinized the stained and putrid looking walls. “We’re only going to search the drains below Shinbone. This may end up being a bust, but it’s the only lead we have.”
“Such as it is,” Decibel griped, following Ram just the same.
As the pair made their way through the drains and tunnel ways, in the distance behind them a pair of bare, leathery feet stepped lightly, slowly. In the darkness, a pair of red eyes stared out at them unblinking and unwavering.
“We have guests...” a low, grating voice whispered to it’s owner.
“Urban legends have a scary tendency of coming to life, at least in people’s own minds,” Bob told him, leaning back against the garbage bin and pushing up the brim of his hat with his cane. “But this much is real- the skinny suit that a few of the “invisible” people on the streets witnessed taking the kids away has a growing reputation amongst the homeless. He’s approached folks about volunteering for medical testing before- and not all of them have come back from it.”
Ram narrowed his eyes and nodded grimly. “So this man is using the homeless as cheap, human test subjects?”
“Those who’ve turned up again on the streets don’t like to talk about it,” Bob wiped his filthy hand across his sweat and grease laden face. “Hell, they don’t like talking much, period. Poor bastards just walk the streets in a haze, like they’re on a constant trip of some kind. Dr Chimera may be an urban legend, but what this guy is doing is bad enough to get people spinning the old yarns again.”
“I see,” Ram motioned to the figure in the shadows. “All right, Bob, that’ll do. As usual, I’ll be in touch.” Ram turned to walk away, then paused, looking back in Bob’s direction. “All things considered, you’re not going to sleeping on the streets yourself, are you?”
Bob laughed a bit, rapping his cane against the garbage bin. “Concern, costume? Well, you don’t have to worry about me- I wander the streets to get my information, it doesn’t mean I’m a man without options.”
“Good for you, then,” Ram told him, briskly walking into the shadows himself. “Happy holidays.”
“Well, that was a bust,” Jamie remarked, his voice echoing within the Decibel armor as he and Ram walked briskly through the shadowed alleyways.
“Maybe not so much,” Ram remarked, trying to keep up with Jamie’s pace with his right arm in the sling. “Old Bob was dodging the question, but I think he told us the story of Dr Chimera for a reason. If all he knew was that the “skinny suit” led the kids away, why would he go on that tangent?”
“What- you don’t really think that- I mean come on, man! Dr Chimera?!” Jamie scoffed. “Man, people were telling that story before we were even born.”
“Yeah, look- I know,” Ram told him, putting up his free hand defensively. “I’m just saying, he may have been trying to give us a clue without stating anything outright. Come on, we’re making a stop at the hardware store for some wading boots.”
“Oh, well-“ Jamie stopped, letting Ram walk ahead of him. “Uh uh. No. We’re not doing it.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that hour, Jamie found himself wading behind Ram, knee deep in very foul smelling water through the concrete sewer tunnels. “I hate you, Rick. I hate you with every breath of my body.”
“What you mean is “I hate you RAM,” Ram reminded him, waving his halogen flashlight about. “Seriously “Decibel,” we can’t use our real names when we’re out like this.”
“Fine, whatever,” Decibel grumbled, sloshing through the water, all too glad he couldn’t smell much through the armor. “What do you even expect to find down here?”
“Evidence; foot prints, discarded clothing or the shreds there of.” Ram told him as he scrutinized the stained and putrid looking walls. “We’re only going to search the drains below Shinbone. This may end up being a bust, but it’s the only lead we have.”
“Such as it is,” Decibel griped, following Ram just the same.
As the pair made their way through the drains and tunnel ways, in the distance behind them a pair of bare, leathery feet stepped lightly, slowly. In the darkness, a pair of red eyes stared out at them unblinking and unwavering.
“We have guests...” a low, grating voice whispered to it’s owner.
posted by Brian at 6:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home