ic The Room Where It Happens [IC]

[GranspearZX]

 

GM

January 23, 2018, 7:30 p.m.

Calvin, Louisiana

 

It was the sort of town that one could very easily miss.

 

It had all the hallmarks of an ordinary town, of course--churches, stores, schools. Most people simply passed right on through--not hard considering there was only one traffic light and a population of less than 300. For that matter, it was hard to imagine anyone going there on purpose. And yet, it seemed to be where Lament was headed.

 

He wasn't alone, of course. The weather was cold enough that hitchhiking was a terrible idea, and He had spent the last two days on a rented charterbus traveling north towards Arkansas. They had made a few stops on the way, participating in local fairs that had all been relatively successful. The group's manager, Benjamin "Benny" Rougeau invited the traveling showman to stay as long as he liked, and the rest of group seemed perfectly fine with it; one got the impression that many had drifted in and out of their ranks with very little incident.

 

Benny was easily in his 60s, tall and broad-shouldered, with a reddish-gray beard and a receding hairline well covered up by a customized cap that read "Rougeau's Rogues". While most of the group was fast asleep, Benny made his way through to check on everyone, gently waking anyone asleep to let them know they'd be stopping at a hotel soon. He stopped at Luther's seat. "How you holdin' up, son?"

Edited January 23, 2018 by GranspearZX

[Supercape]

Lament

 

"Hmm..wha...wha....I was just resting me eyes!" protested Luther, who had been feeling drowsy. 

 

He had been rebuilding his career after the disastrous Las Vegas Shows and it had not been easy either physically or for his ego. To do such small venues for a man of his talent! Huh!

 

Nonetheless needs must. And he had a beast to feed. 

 

"I'm good, Benny, real swell" he answered as he orientated himself. A glass or bourbon an hour ago. Maybe two glasses, plus the fatigue of a tour, had left him a little drowsy. And too late for a short of espresso at this hour. 

 

He stifled a yawn. 

 

"Nothin' a good hotel bed won't fix. How are you? We in the back end of nowhere, I guess?" 

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

"Yep. Got a ways before we hit Shreveport," Benny reported, looking back towards the front of the bus. Taylor isn't drivin' all night, he says, so we're gonna get some rest out near Calvin, looks like.."

 

Taylor Walters was the group's strong man. In the time that Luther had known him, Taylor hadn't spoken a word. A simple nod here, a smile and a gesture there, the brown-haired bruiser looked every bit the part of an Olympic powerlifter.

 

"I'll probably feel better once we get to our next big stop. I've lived in Louisiana almost all my life, but these back roads still make me antsy." Almost as if on cue, the bus jarked a little. Benny gripped the seat and stood upright. "Huh. We're slowing down..."

 

The bus slowed to a full stop ad Benny shuffled to the front of the bus. Out in the middle of the road was a woman in a tattered dress. She looked like she'd been running through the woods for some time, covered in all manner of dirt and grime.

[Supercape]

Lament

 

Luther got up from his seat and rubbed his eyes. Goddamn it...am I seeing things....?

 

"This is some serious Hoodoo, eh? Just what we need to spice up the show. Raggedy women running through the woods on a dark night" he muttered. Still, this did look like a woman in dire peril. 

 

Luther opened the Bus door and got out. 

 

"Darlin' what happened? Do you need help? Are you in danger? We can help!" he said, projecting his voice with calm authority and standing as tall as he could. 

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

Taylor raised an eyebrow at Luther's declaration o 'we can help'. He didn't seem entirely sure getting involved. Benny, on the other hand, called out something in French to someone else who had stepped out of the bus to investigate. After a few moments she came back out of the bus, handing Benny a blanket and a bottle of water.

 

"You can't..." The woman's voice was hoarse "Can't... make me..." It didn't take much to see the woman was exhausted. She gripped and clawed at Luther, far too weak to do anything but ruffle his clothing, but damn if she wasn't trying to put up a fight for several moments before she realized--vaguely--what was happening. She was fading in an out of consciousness, but she didn't seem to have any major physical injuries. She didn't seem to be carrying anything either, and she was barefoot.

 

"Here." Benny finally approached and offered Luther the Blanket and water. "...we're not far from the hotel. Might as well bring her with us. We can call someone when we get there...cellphone reception out here is iffy." Using a phone on Louisiana roads was often a losing battle; the trees ining the sides of the roads in most places were tall enouh that it was simply better to wait. That didn't stop Taylor from checking his, though, thick eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

[Supercape]

Lament

 

"Sure, sure" nodded Luther at Benny. "Can't go leaving a woman in distress on the streets. Think of the press if it got out!" he winked. He hoped Benny was a good enough soul to not contemplate leaving the woman in the first place, and secondly, realise that Luther wasn't joking. Luther wouldn't consider anything else. 

 

He dragged the woman onto the bus. 

 

"Lets get going. And someone see if we can find a first aid box, huh?"

 

He lay the battered woman down on some seats and tried to take a look at her, see if and where she was injured. 

 

"Whats your name, darlin'?" he asked, soothingly. 

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

The bus was anything but full; much  of the equipment and personnel had actually gone a day or so ahead of the bus. The girl who had brought the blanket and water to Benny seemed especially concerned; the woman didn't answer as she fell  fully unconscious.

 

"Kendra, would you mind..." The girl nodded as Benny spoke and hurried off to the back of the bus, returning moments later with a small gym bag, out of which she took a plastic box that read "First Aid Kit" on the top. It was a simple store-bought kit that, until now, hadn't been opened yet. Benny rubbed at the back of his neck as Kendra offered the box to Luther.

 

"What in the blazes was she doin', wanderin' out there like that..." Looking back to the front o the bus, Taylor stepped back on, having done a lap around the bus with his flashlight. He waved it at Benny before turning it off and sliding back into the driver's seat. "You two keep an eye on her, hm?" With that, he left Kendra and Luther to look after and treat the woman, as he headed back to the front of the bus.

 

"She looks pretty bad," Kendra commented. She was definitely two or three years younger than Luther, with long black hair and sharp blue eyes. She leaned forward on the seat in front of the pair; she almost seemed relieved. "Could have been a lot worse."

Edited January 27, 2018 by GranspearZX

[Supercape]

Lament

 

"Looks a bit dehydrated. But she will live. No spooky voodoo knives of carved bones sticking out her ribs. That's always a good start. Hmmm....must add that to the show..." rambled Luther, trying to clean up the woman a little with water and rags. 

 

"Just look where yer going!" he called out to the driver. "Don't be wantin' to run over anyone running screamin' out of the woods"

 

He turned his attention back to the woman and Kendra. "Darlin', Darlin' can you hear me?" he asked her, a little more loudly. "I need to know your name, Sweetheart...someone I can call?" he asked. 

 

"Kendra, I don't feel right, as a man, patting her down. Could you see if she got a wallet or somethin'? maybe someone we can call, a contact number?"

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

"She doesn't" Kendra seemed awfully sure of that, even without so much as moving. "No pockets, see?"

 

Indeed, it would have been difficult to carry anything in her state, if she did have any kind of wallet, it wasn't anywhere on her person.

 

"Don't worry though. She'll wake up and tell you everything you want to know. And some things you don't." The disappeared behind the seat and popped back up with a change of clothes and shoes from the exact same gym bag from before."These are for her. They'll fit, so no need to worry about that." With that, Kendra stood up and headed towards her seat in the back to gather the rest of her stuff. The bus slowed down again, this time in the parking lot of a reasonably sized motel. It was the sort of place where all the rooms were connected to the outside, and across the parking lot from the motel was a small gas station and a diner. It looked almost like an ideal place for truckers to stop for a night--had there been any truckers in the vicinity, anyway.

 

Taylor hopped off the bus and Benny walked back to Luther and the girl. "So how's our mystery girl?"

[Supercape]

Lament

 

"Dead to the world. But fortunately not dead" replied Taylor. 

 

Addressing both Benny and Taylor, he voiced his concerns and thoughts. "Look, lets get her a room. Maybe we can ask Kendra to watch over her. I'm no doctor, but I think its just a case of exhaustion, shock and dehydration. A bit of sleep and drinking water should get her back to normal" he explained. 

 

"Meantime, this seems mighty spooky to me. Straight out of a horror film. I think we should call the cops, or sherrif, or whatever passes for the Law round here. See if they can shed some light on things..." he offered. 

 

"Sounds like there's somebody, or something, in those woods that ain't to friendly..."

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

"Taylor's got the rooms covered. Taking care of that now." Benny thumbed out the window, where the broad-shouldered strong man and another woman from the group were already headed inside the main office. It was hard to miss with the neon 'VACANCY' sign flickering in the window. "I was thinking of having her room with Kendra or Harriet but--"

 

"Don't leave her by herself." Kendra's voice was sharp and to-the-point. It was a little unnerving the way her warning gave Benny pause.

 

"Well, of course not; I'm not stupid, girl."

 

Kendra merely smiled at that and shiffled past him and off the bus, her bag draped over her shoulder. She was also carrying a deck of tarot cards, quietly shuffling them as she walked out. "140."

 

"What?"

 

"That's what room we'll be in. 140." And with that, Kendra was off the bus.

 

Benny sighed. "That girl, I swear... Anyway. Not much in these woods IS friendly. Snakes mostly, but who knows... we ought to get her inside either way."

 

Sure enough, when Taylor and the woman with him returned, they started handing the dozen or so members of the group keys. Luther had a room to himself--139. Kendra's was, in fact, 140.

[Supercape]

Lament

 

Luther was actually relieved he was next door to Kendra. Something about the woman disturbed him. It was not that he judged her a threat, although out in these woods (as Benny noted), not much was friendly. She might be. 

 

But no, his real reason for worry was what had caused a woman to run out of the woods, terrified and mute?

 

That was some seriously worry. 

 

Still, he wasn't going to abandon his Southern Gentleman standards. Kendra could look after her. 

 

He, hmmm...he could get a drink. Bourbon. Just one glass. Two at the most. 

 

He did so in his own room, pondering the night, and feeling the Void inside getting restless. It had not fed, and whilst it was hardly full of clawing hunger, he did not see much in the way of food out here. And even less in the way of justifiable food. He did not relish the thought of the deep black depression caused by the Void feeding on himself. That way, madness lay. Or worse. 

 

He threw off some clothes and lay on the bed of his room, listening to the night and in no mood for more drink. He glanced over at his bags. For tucked away was the costume not of Luther Legrasse, not of Zorbo the magnificent, but of the Lord of Lamentations....and something inside him prickled. If there was a hunter for that poor woman, then the Sultan of Sorrow would be there to protect her, and feed...

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

A good two hours passed. By the time, most of Rougeau's group was unpacked and in their rooms for the night. The diner was still open--it seemed it would stay that way until 2 or three the next morning. Kendra was sitting in her room, letting the woman inside rest peacefully. She positioned one of the small chairs in the window with the curtains wide open, and her door was actually open.

 

Sitting across from her was the other woman that had gotten the keys for everyone. An older woman in her late 40s, she looked remarkably identical to Kendra. The two of them seemed to be having some sort of quiet discussion, with Kendra's tarot cards sitting in the middle of the table between them.

[Supercape]

Lament

 

Luther had got up, unable to sleep or even relax. He wanted to know what that woman was about. Who she was. And why. 

 

He went to the diner, ordered some blackberry pie as a peace offering, and knocked on room 140 door. 

 

"Hey, are you guys up. I brought some food..." he said, moderate in tone, through the door. The walls were made of cardboard, as far as he could see. Which he was actually grateful for, today. It means he could stay up all night fretting, and be tired and irritable the next day. 

 

"See if some yummy home made black berry pie might make y'all feel better" he called through, hopeful that, even if she didn't partake, the gesture of human kindness might get them somewhere. Even if not, it was at least kindly. 

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

It wasn't much of a surprise that Luther was one of only a few customers in the diner. The only other person there was a man in a brown and white trucker hat, sitting in a booth at the far end. He made eye contact onc before proceeding to look out the window again.

 

Luther's presence was more than welcome at Kendra's.

 

"I was just thinking about heading over to that diner." the other woman said, smiling as she stood up. "How thoughtful. i don't think we've officially met. I'm Hannah. Kendra's mother."

 

"Everyone's mother," Kendra chimed in, chuckling.

 

"Oh hush." She moved oer to the bed beside the unconscious woman to check on her.

 

"I guess you an't sleep either?" Kendra otioned to the seat across from her, offering it to Luther.

 

[Supercape]

Lament

 

"I ain't much for sleepin'" agreed Luther, sitting down and taking a spoonfull of pie. He found it rather tasty.

 

"Please to meet you, ma'am. I guess Kendra told you about tonight. Right now, feels like a chilly world, and I think the whole world could do with a mother, even if you don't reckon you are up to the job" he explained, with a toothy smile. 

 

"How the patient?" she asked Kendra. "I'm guessin' she ain't been the talkin' type. Damn, she must have been spooked real good" he sad, sadly. And with a little dash of anger. How he would like to set the void loose on the violators who had spooked her. 

 

"She should probably see a doctor. Or a shrink" he offered, although it hardly seemed the time, or the place, to get one. 

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

"Aww. That's very sweet of you." Hannah smiled, taking a cursory glance over her shoulder at the sleeping woman. They had managed to clean her up and put her in cleaner clothes on their own; she was still unconscious, but she looked far more comfortable than she had been earlier. "Honestly not sure who we can call tonight," Hannah said with a sigh. "Poor girl was scared out of her mind. I think I managed to calm her down though."

 

"I slept most of the day, "Kendra said, "so I'll be up all night. Your welcome to stick around if you like. I'll even read you if you want." She tapped a single blue painted finger nail on the deck of cards. "I don't usually do big crowds like everybody else. Something nice and quiet... Plus not everybody wants their business out in the ether. Past, present, OR future."

 

Kendra smiled broadly. "I'm sure you can appreciate that."

[Supercape]

Lament

 

"Sure, why not. We got time to kill. And coffee to keep us up" replied Luther. "I doubt I'm gonna get much sleep to the early hours anyway. Too much on my mind..." he sighed, looking once again at the mystery sleeping girl. 

 

"I can see the future now. Frettin' over this girl. A tarot reading. A few games of poker after wards. Coffee. Dozing off at some time in the morning. Waking up tired and grouchy later on. Yeah, no way this doesn't get soaked in caffeine and tired eyes..." he smiled, resigned to at least some small part of his fate. 

 

"So go for it. I'm guessin' the cards ain't gonna be pretty...."

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

Kendra laughed. "Sounds like you've got it all figured out!"

 

Hannah smiled and fished a pack of cigarettes from her purse, taking them outside--along with a piece of Luther's offered pie and a napkin.

 

"I guess it depends on what you want know? It's not so much about knowing what your future holds... but knowing how to avoid the bad ones. I did a reading before coming here but I couldn't really get a good look at anything. It seemed... clouded. But now I think I understand why."

 

As she spoke, she shuffled the cards, then placed the deck between them again. "We'll try one question. Place your hands on the deck and then ask. Then draw a card. Doesn't even have to be the one on the top. Just go with what feels right."

 

She glanced outside and watched Hannah for a moment, one cigarette in her mouth as she 'spoke' to Taylor. It seemed that he couldn't sleep either, and the two of them looked like they were signing back and forth.

[Supercape]

Lament

 

"I can do that" replied Luther with considerable turmoil. He felt like a moth drawn to a flame. And he was going to get burned. 

 

He placed his hands on the deck. He knew the principles of Tarot reading. He just wasn't sure he actually believed in it. He just utilised the mythology in his stage show. He didn't actually do magic. Was it even real?

 

"What happens between the woman and me?" he asked, solemnly, indicating their mystery woman fast asleep. 

 

He coughed a bit. "Darn. That sounded all wrong. Like I'm a damn stalker. That's not how I meant it...." he muttered. "How does the woman change me?" he offered, trying to refine it a little. 

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

Kendra raised an eyebrow at the question. "Well, it's already out in the ether now," she said with a teasing chuckle, letting him turn the card over.

 

"The Moon... huh." Kendra looked over at the woman, then at Luther. "That's awfully literal. The Moon represents the unconscious. Dreams and intuition. More to the point, it represents the 'shadow' within us all. I suppose that would mean more to you than me." Kendra looked over at the sleeping young woman again. Almost as if on cue, she mumbled something. It seemed she was coming around.

 

"The Moon also deals with illusion and deception. If your question is any indication... I'd suggest being more careful."

Edited February 5, 2018 by GranspearZX

[Supercape]

Lament

 

That sure hits the mark...groaned Luther inside when the moon (and the interpretation) came up. A big black void of a moon. He didn't much like the sound of deception and illusion either. But was it him, or her?

 

"Huh. I don't much like the sound of that. Pretty as the moon can be" he sighed, leaning back and finishing the berry pie. 

 

"I guess I got to be careful. Or folks have got to be careful of me. Maybe both. After all, I am the great ZOMBO!" he smiled with a grin full of teeth. "You know, my whole show is illusion. I hope that's what it means..."

 

But if this tarot has any meat to it, then I doubt it is...

 

"Mystery woman there...I guess there are layers to her, too. I'm guessing I gotta peel back the masks, one by one. Like you would slice an onion..." he muttered to himself, pondering the dark night. 

 

"As for dreams, I would dearly like to have some. But I'm at that black pit where I'm bone tired and sweating awake at the same time. I gotta feeling its a long night. Maybe I should get some sleep. Or at least try to..." he concluded, getting up. 

 

"Let me know if anything changes, huh? I'm just next door, and even if I do doze off, I'm guessing it wont take much to wake me..."

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

The rest of the night went by in a pretty uneventful fashion. Hannah and Taylor were still outside talking when Luther headed back to his room, and they stayed put for quite some tome before heading to their respective rooms. The group had an odd number of men, meaning that Luther had his room completely to himself.

 

It was about 2 a.m. when the howling began.

 

At first, Luther couldn't be sure if he was dreaming it or not. It was distant but distinct, only made stranger by the fact that wolves were NOT native to Louisiana.

[Supercape]

Lament

 

Luther had just dropped off when he awoke with a sweaty start. He felt the void, growing more hungry, inside him. He had a day, maybe two, before it started lashing out. 

 

"The Hamster was yellow! YELLOW I SAY!" he muttered as he awoke from some surreal nightmare. Why was the hamster yellow? Alas, we shall never know, for it was lost in dreams. 

 

"Wolves? I don't believe it!" he said, not happy about the situation. This was a threat, nothing less. 

 

He burst out of the door, one sneaker on, and one foot bare, his clothes hanging off him and his whole persona dishevelled. 

 

"Whose there, whose there?" he called out. 

[GranspearZX]

GM

 

The parking lot was eerily quiet. The fog was thick, but there was nothing about it to suggest that it was unnatural. Nevertheless, it was a little unnerving when Luther noticed that he couldn't even clearly see the bus. Most of the light was from the sparse light bulbs lining the front of each hotel room. Naturally, most of them didn't work.

 

Just beyond the bus, however, there was something vaguely humanoid in the distance. It didn't respond to Luther's call, directly, it did straighten up at hearing it. It paused, as if unsure if it was advancing or leaving...

 

For the time being, it seemed like whatever it was hadn't caught anyone else's attention.