The Clue

Several hours before the mansion;


"Hey John, any more coffee?", Annette asked, swirling the pitiful amout of black gold around.

"Not enough time. Another disappearance in Oak Meadows. That makes.....", John replied, hardly moving from his comfortable chair and box of donuts.

"Thirteen.", Annette whispered. She was rather superstitious, a devout follower of the faith. She carried a cross at all times, but it was tied to her right thigh next to her tattoo. Well, maybe not nun-worthy, but she did her best.

"Yeah, anybody, ages 8 to 80. Not many similarites. They got Father Pen, and that prostitute we have to keep arresting. I forgot her name."

"Her name's Margaret. She's your wife.", Annette retorted slyly.

John stared at her, mumbling curses under her breath. Annette took her win, and there was silence.

A commotion could be heard outside, followed by someone getting punched in the face and thrown through the open door.

"Freeze!", Anne and John shouted, pulling out their weapons and aiming at the target.

Richter finished off the creature by planting his foot firmly in its face. The creature stopped squirming, and there was a gentle silence in the station.

Richter lifted his boot, sticky pieces of brain matter and a dark yellow blood clung to the bottom of his shoe.

"Either of you have a pen knife?", Richter asked, sitting on Annette's desk.

"What is that?", John asked, leaving his chair and approaching the body. He reached out his hand and the body twitched, making John jump back several feet.

"It's dead now. That's all that matters. It wasn't human, so you can't charge me with manslaughter.", Richter said, taking a pen from the desk and scraping the goo off of his shoe. "How many have gone missing now? Fifteen?"

"Thirteen counted so far.", Annette said at last.

"Well, that's only people that were missed. You forgot the homeless and the elderly, who rarely are missed when they stop appearing in public. In fact, they're usually first.", Richter explained. "Where was the first occurance?"

"The mansion? I don't know what you're talking about, and I'm about to arrest and send you to the psyche ward.", John said sternly.

"Well, I know more about what's happening in your town than you. The holy man has gone missing, a pack of hellhounds is loose, and public water burns your throat when you try to drink it?"

John and Annette stared.

"How did you know?", John replied.

"Well, Father Pen's head is impaled on a pike a few miles away from the city limits. I found his diary a few feet away from it.", Richter said, waving a bloodied and torn book.

Zak was busy serving making drinks because a good portion whole town was in the bar trying not to think they would be the next ones to disappear. It was not hard to get the drinks right, everyone wanted hard liquor.

"As much as I hate to say it, even with all the more money I could make if I did not, I have to close the bar for the night." This was meet with protests as one or two glasses was hurled his way.

"What the hell people, you cant stay here all night, I mean what do you think this place is..."

Zak was cut of when the doors opened and 4 people with masks came blitzing inside and started to commence ripping people apart. Zak drew a doubled barreled shotgun from under the counter and unloaded both shells into one, and having the gun ripped from him by another.

Zak then rethought his priorities and ran out the back door to his car and got in and pressed the starter and took off towards the PD.

Annette vomited into a trashcan nearby while Richter briefed John on the creatures.

"There is a shotgun and a rifle, with some ammo for both.", John said. "We don't have many problems that we need to solve with guns."

"What vehicles do you have?", Richter asked, starting to go through Annette's desk.

"I have a truck.", John answered. "I use it for all sorts of things, from lighting up a search area to pushing trees off the road."

"I'll need to borrow it. Any other supplies in here?", Richter asked, playing with a letter opener he found.

"No, that's it. A couple MRE's and a portable generator if the power goes out, but the generator is bolted down."

"Someone's coming!", Richter announced, kicking the desk over and taking cover.

Annette wiped her mouth, and spit a final time into the trashcan. A figure ran to the door, but stopped suddenly when they came upon a body.

"It's dead, come on in.", John said slowly, raising from behind his desk.

"Shouldn't we fortify this place a little?", Annette asked.

"Fortifying anything is suicide if you try to hold it until rescue.", Richter replied, lazily staying hidden behind the desk.

"We'll make it a safehouse. Dozens of armed civilians and whatever ex-militia the town holds can easily hold back whatever is attacking.", John said hopefully.

"I've seen it happen. Dozens of women and children sacrificed to dieties unknown. Not very pretty.", Richter replied, picking at his fingernails.

Zak hit the e-brake at last second and crushed one the things skull under the tire and skidded to a stop in front of the PD. As he got out of the car he was hit in the back by a rock and was then tackled. "Help, someone help"

Zak then manged to turn around and punch the thing in the face and knock its mask off.

"Holy shit, what is this, any one, help"

John was on the roof with his rifle, and with two shots he took down the attacker.

Richter was the first out the door, grabbing the person and dragging him to his feet. More were coming, and a distant howling meant something worse was yet to come.

....zzt...."This is Amanda H....."...zzzt..."there are 9 others here.."..zzzt..."..in the old mansion..", came a reply over the radio.

While the two other guys helped someone outside, Annette fiddled with the radio.

"This is Officer Tess of the Perkins PD, we're on our way."

Annette looked around. The ladder to the roof was on the wall in the back, and the front window and door had a draw down lock. It would make a decent safehouse, despite what Richter said.

She ran to the window and pulled down the metal shield-thing on it. It locked at the bottom, with a rather big lock. She wasn't into that technical stuff, it locked, it worked, so it was done.

Richter and someone else came in through the door, and Annette bolted down the front door.

Zak took a deep breath before plopping himself in a chair.

"Tell whoever shot the guy, or thing or what ever it is, thank you, and thanks for pulling me inside...I don't your name sorry, mines Zak though"

Zak then turned to Annette whom he had knew from all the times having the police break up bar-fights that a shotgun blast through the ceiling couldn't solve

"Hi Annette, might as well tell you now that the bar was hit by those things, I don't think many got out."

Zak then got up from the chair and walked over to the soon to be locked window and peered outside.

"Any one know what the things are they looks like those shibito from that game"

“You know that thought, where you just want to kill someone because of something they did to you?", Richter asked. Zak and Annette nodded. "That thought makes these things."

"Well, I've made millions of them then.", John said, jumping down the ladder.

"That's why they're dangerous. Got any paper?", Richter asked, grabbing a sharpie and drawing a crude map on Annette’s desk. “Ok, we’re at the PD here. We use John’s truck, swing by the mansion, and come back. Fairly simple….”

With the front door bolted down, Annette turned to the two others.

"I'm the smallest, and we need to get to John's truck.", Annette said. "I'll bring it around, and you two hop in the back, alright?"

"How does being small not let you get attacked?", Zak asked.

Annette was already halfway up the ladder to the roof, and she ignored this remark. She positioned herself above the gutter, and waited for John's signal. With a flick of his hands, Annette slid down the rail and onto the ground. John began shooting the creatures down as Anne ran past them. She reached the truck with ease, and pulled herself in while slamming the door shut.

She inserted the keys into the ignition, and it started easily. Before she could take off, the drivers side window shattered, and a dog burst through. She fell back into the seat and kicked wildly at the creature fighting its way in. Annette could hear John shouting something, but the dogs growling drowned out all other noise. Anne gave a final kick, and stomped on the gas.

She slowed as she passed the station, and felt the truck shift as two people landed in it. Dark shapes fell below the truck, but she kept on going.

Richter pushed Zak in, and landed heavily in the bed. John waved as they drove off.

Annette kept a steady speed, and soon an outline of the Welford mansion came into view. Not many people in this county knew it, but the Welfords were a family of seriel killers, who took great delight in murdering and causing panic. Welford is a name on the most wanted list of several large cities nearby, but noone knows where the surviving members are. The house belonged to Jennifer Welford, the seemingly last member of the family.

(Jerk! Don't go into backstory yet!)

Annette crashed through the slightly open gates of the mansion, causing them to bend and fall off. She skidded to a stop, and the two passengers in the back were tossed from the vehicle.

"Sorry!", Annette shouted, hurridly getting out of the truck and running towards them. They were unhurt, but were tossed several feet.

"Was that neccessary?", Richter asked.

~Meanwhile, back at the station~

John sat quietly on the roof, loading shells into his rifle. Screeching could be heard below him, and growling was somewhere nearby. The outside lights provided a decent area to shoot, but he only needed to thin the herd, not remove all of them.

John looked in the distance. Something bigger was coming. A dog of some sort. Dogs had been arriving steadily for awhile now. Dogs as black as night, shimmering in the light. This one was twice as big as the others.

He shook his head. The roof was twenty feet off the ground. John felt safe, and firing a shot at it. The large dog was hit, but it only caused it to look at John with an icy stare. It braced itself, and sprinted towards the building. John pumped round after round into it, only to have it keep coming.

The dog jumped, and cleared the building, landing a few feet behind John. The dog stopped short of the cop. John raised his gun. *click* Empty.

The dog lunged for the throat.

Richter stood up and dusted himself off. Annette helped Zak to his feet and the three stood there for a moment.

"We need to hurry up. Amanda needs help.", Annette said, running away from them. Richter tried to keep up, but she had a head start.

The entrance hall was dark and damp, water had gotten in and mold was starting to form somewhere. The smell of death was apparent, but not visible. Zak trailed behind

"Richter, stay close.", Annette whispered, unholstering her gun. With a flashlight in one hand, and her glock in another she proceeded slowly down the hall. "See anything?"

Richter shielded his eyes when Annette flashed him with her light. "I see a bright light. Jesus? Is that you?"

"Don't be sarcastic.", she said. "I am a cop, I will arrest you for breaking and entering into this house."

He shrugged her off. Something moved down the hall. He reached slowly into his coat, and rested his hand on his revolver. Annette nervously raised her gun, forgetting all the training the police academy trained her for.

"JESTERS!", Richter shouted, grabbing Annette and throwing her into a nearby room before shooting at figures that had appeared at the end of the hall.

Two masked figures charged Zak and Richter, armed with a pipe and a knife. Richter fired thrice at the one with the knife, but was struck down by a lead pipe. Zak and it grappled with the pipe while Richter bled on the floor from his head wound.

Placing his palm on the side where he was hit, Richter pulled it back and saw blood. Zak was thrown against the wall, and hit a couple of times before Richter landed in a few good punches. He wrenched the pipe from the Jester's hand, and landed a good blow below the chin.

The creature stumbled back, and was beaten to death with the pipe. Richter turned his attention back to Anne.

The door flung open and Richter stood there for a moment. Two corpses lay bloodied and smeared along the ground behind him. Bullet casings and a lead pipe lay outside the door. Richter fired two shots into the noisy corner before Annette could stop him.

"Jesters. They favor to hide behind masks rather than show their hidious face. They don't look all that bad.", Richter said, dragging the body from the corner. It was a young woman, roughly thirty. She had on a drama mask, which Richter removed to show a burned and decaying face.

"Oh my god....", Annette whispered, gagging at the sight.

Zak pulled himself up from the ground.

"Sorry I was not more help, they just got the jump on me, what now."

Zak pulled the colt from its holster in his coat and flipped the safety off.

"I have two in the chamber.", Richter announced.

Annette nodded at this. She had a full clip, and Zak hadn't fired a shot either.

"Hello?", came a shout, followed by something breaking.

"We're here!", Annette shouted back. "That was easy, right?"

Richter's head throbbed and Zak touched his side gingerly. A concussion and maybe a cracked rib.

A fire axe was held in front of the door before a dirty, ugly, and old looking man entered. Whispers in the hallway behind him meant he had a group.

"I'm Officer Annette Tess, how many people are here?"

"That depends on your definition of…’people’...", he said, ripping off his face and attacking. Blood streamed down what was left of his nostrils, and onto the floor where it burned a hole. Darkness seemed to seep through the hole and into the room. The blood stopped as soon as it started, but all three saw its acidic effects.

“Fire!”, Richter shouted, firing the two rounds he had left. The fireman swung the axe backward, hitting him with the dull edge and sending him flying through a window.

Zak fired his seven, and Annette her 14, but to no avail. All of the bullets hit, but they did not pierce the beast. The fireman ripped its face off, but could not be harmed by twenty-three bullets. Zak was the next to be struck, being thrown through a wall and into the hallway.

Annette clicked for her clip to release. It fell, and she inserted another clip in. The action took three seconds, and in that time the fireman was gone.

“Not gone.”, he said behind her, throwing her to the ground. She tried to roll over, but his weight pinned her to the ground. She struggled, hitting the fireman in the chest and face. Her attacks were useless and in vain. The axe lay a few feet away from her, near the window. She reached out for it, but couldn’t reach.

He pinned both of her hands down with only one of his, and used his other hand to tear a hole in her pants. Anne screamed as his fingers touched her skin. Not only was this wrong, his hands were as cold as ice.

He pulled his ‘little fireman’ out, and thrust himself hard into Annette. She screamed out, but he placed his free hand over her mouth. Tears welled up in her eyes as the monster on top of her took what innocence she had left. She had never been with a man, and bitter irony let this creature be her first.

The creature started making low, guttural noises as he thrust into her again and again. Annette felt a small bit of guilt. She almost liked it, but she knew it was wrong. The creature became louder in its noises, and it pressed its lipless face against Annette’s in a sort of kiss. This caused her to weep harder.

The creature smiled, if you would call it that, and ripped open Anne’s vest and gazed upon her exposed breasts. It didn’t bother to place its hand over her mouth, but she didn’t have the strength to scream anymore.

Placing its lips, if it had lips, on her exposed cleavage, it bit and teased Anne. She had no more tears to cry and no more voice to scream. She couldn’t fight it. The creature pulled its head back in a final thrust and planted its seed deep inside Anne. A space previously empty was now warm, sticky, and wrong.

The fireman laughed. “Did you enjoy that as much as I did?”

“I’m going to enjoy this.”, Richter shouted, slamming the axe downward into the creature’s skull. This shot pierced the beast, and the head exploded.

Annette lay, bruised and bleeding, with an alien feeling inside her. She felt cold and alone, even with James beside her. Dr. James Richter, a stranger though he was, was the only thing she seemed to have now. He placed his coat over her naked body and she found she could cry again.

She did. She did all the way back to the police station. She cried as she was placed in the police station bathroom, which for some reason had a bathtub. She cried as she looked at herself in the mirror and found imprints of the fireman’s teeth on her body. She sat alone and naked, locking herself in the bathroom. She didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t want to see herself. She slammed her fist against the mirror, cracking the mirror and cutting her hand.

She sat alone, bleeding from her hand and between her legs. And she cried.

Zak sat in a chair, slowly spinning himself in circles.

"It was a trap.", he said. That's all he said.

Richter recounted the trip back. There was nothing on the road. Nothing waiting outside the station as Richter drove up. John was nowhere to be seen.

Zak was awake by now, and helped boost Richter to the roof. They had to stand on the roof of the truck, but Richter soon unlocked the front door and got Anne out of the truck and moved it away.

Anne couldn't or wouldn't stop crying. Richter felt sorry, but there was nothing he could do. He put her in the bathroom and helped clean her up until she asked him to leave.