Sanctuary
Chapter One, Part I
Ominous Winds
“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” - Matthew 9:37-38
1
| WEST SANCTUARY
| Monday, 5:30 AM
It was an early summer morning, certainly much earlier than Sanctuary's sheriff and deputies were used to reporting for duty. The outside air was still cold and wet, and the sun itself seemed uninterested in getting out of bed -- leaving the sky mostly dark ahead of them. Behind them, the eastern sky was a wet canvas of orange-, red-, and purple colors. Looking at the thick clouds reflected in her rearview mirror, the sheriff wondered if it would likely rain today.
"Go home Sammy," her deputy shouted after quickly rolling down the passenger side window. "You're drunk!!" She was entirely to chipper to have just rolled out of bed.
"Sammy K," she continued in a more conversational tone once her window was rolled back up. "Hard to believe there was a time when the whole of Sanctuary would have died for that guy. Now, we can't even get him a bed in town to sleep on..."
Samuel 'Sammy' Kineas. Once upon a time, he used to be the star quarterback for the Milton Peters High School over on Central Street, but that was ages ago. 'The Red Rabbit', they used to call him -- mostly because of how his long, red hair stuck out from under his helmet, but also for his preference for 'hopping' over opposing tacklers. He used to be so young, and so strong, and so handsome...
Glancing once more into her rearview mirror, the sheriff could hardly believe the change. The man was mostly skin and bones now, clothes filthy with stains. How long had he been homeless now, living near the far edge of the woods all alone? In the poor morning light, 'Sammy' was little more than a shadow of a man -- a walking scarecrow. He appeared to be shambling back to town, away from her crime scene.
"...they say he got in with the wrong crowd. Started betting on his own games -- he used to play for the town football team, see. Don't know if you knew that. Won big, lost bigger. I think they say, once he couldn't pay off his debts, the guys down at the casino cracked his legs and that pretty much ended his career. A real waste, y'know? Could'da put Sanctuary on the map..."
| Monday, 5:45 AM
The drive out to West Sanctuary, had cost them a half-hour easy. Add to that the time it took for them to get cleaned and dressed, and you can begin to imagine just how early in the morning they'd been called out from under their covers. Luckily for the sheriff, the deputy sitting across from her, Sonaida Donald, lived right along the way. Otherwise she would have first had to head in the opposite direction, to pick-up the second closest deputy, before driving all the way back out to West Sanctuary.
Deputy Donald was young, enthusiastic, and entirely too preppy. At least she had a good head on her shoulders, and kept the sheriff mostly up-to-date on all the local gossip -- whether the sheriff wanted her to, or not. Right now, they were both replaying the call from the night staff over in their heads. Apparently, a woman had called to complan about a smell. A deputy was dispatched to investigate, and it had all gone to hell from there. Pulling onto the gravel driveway, the sheriff finally realized just how bad things really were.
| EAST QUARTER
| Monday, 9:00 AM
"Just exactly what the hell, is going on here?!" the chief of staff cursed under his breathe, and not for the first time, as he made his way down one of the hospital's many hallways.
Abbot Medical Center, named after Doctor 'Abby' Abbot, the current chief of staff, was drowning in the sick and coughing -- a few had even died. Practically every available room was filled with people running a high fever. They were actually having to turn people away now, because there just wasn't anymore space in the building. But why? Why all of a sudden.
Just a few days ago, Friday maybe, Doctor Abby could have looked down at his new, still-shiny floors, and admired his reflection. Today he could barely take a step without tripping over someone's leg. No, they weren't just in the available rooms, they had completely filled the waiting area as well as lined all of the hallways. It was as if some sort of epidemic had come to visit Sanctuary.
"Filthy vermin," he hissed again. Call it inbred, but he hated seeing sick people in his new hospital. He just wanted to -- POW!! GEE-TI-EFF-OH OUT OF MY HOSPITAL!! -- scream. Or however the young people say it. His only interest in pop-hop was in how far it could get him with the younger nurses, after that...
"Doctor Abby?!" Speak the name of the Devil... "Have you ever seen anything like this? What do we do?!"
"Now Brittany, don't panic." Abby said smoothly as he placed his left hand firmly against the small of her back, all very fatherly-like. "Remember your training."
To this Brittany nodded her young head vigorously in response, keeping her eyes locked on Abby's for emotional support. Despite this, Abby still let his eyes drift down her top, and steal a peak at her twenty-year-ish cleavage.
"Now, what we are going to do, is call the sheriff's office and let them know what's happening here. Yes? Then they can go get on the radio, and spread the word. Whatever 'this' is, it's best we keep it all in one place. So, just let the sheriff know to make an announcement that people should come to the hospital if they're feeling sick. Okay?" With another nod of her head, the young nurse was off down the hallway.
'Speak the Devil's name, and he shall make himself known.' Abby thought to himself as he watched the woman move off towards the receptionist. She had such nice skin. Sometimes, he just wanted to wear it...
"Chief Abbot?" A familiar voice came from behind him. "Sir, did I overhear you correctly? We barely have enough room as it is. How..?"
"Please, Julia, call me Doctor Abby -- or 'Ol Abby -- we're all family here. Yes? And don't you worry about all these bodies, I know exactly where to put them."
| PHILIPSBURG
| Monday, 8:15 AM
"And, what the hell, are you doing in here, you little 'Freak'?!" Startled, Teyemthohisa 'Ty' Wise looked up into the girl's bathroom mirror and saw three faces staring back at her -- Margaret 'Greta' Greer and the Stevenson twins, London and Paris.
"What. Are you deaf, too? This is the senior's bathroom. If you want a piss, walk down to your side of the school and tinkle there." Greta continued, hate and disgust in her eyes. The twins seemed more amused by the twelve year old than annoyed.
Just then, the bell that signalled the start of second period, rang out in the background. Grabbing her schoolbag, Ty pushed past the three older girls and into the hallway. With Ty gone, the twins made their way over to the mirror, while Greta watched the swinging door as if expecting the little girl to come back inside.
"Tss! Someone remind me again why we have to share air with a bunch of little brats? Especially her, little freak dressed all in black..."
"Aren't you being just a little overdramatic?" London asked, while reapplying her lipstick. "Do you know her, or something?" Paris chimed in behind her sister.
"No. But I know the type. Just saying, if she hates life that much, then she should finish her mom's botched abortion." The twins knew that was a bit mean, but it didn't stop the laughter that ripped from their combined lungs.
Their laughter put a smile on Greta's face, but she still glared at them from the corner of her eye. She hated that the sisters had each other -- a perfect little copy of yourself. Looking at herself in the mirror, as she applied her blood-red lipstick, Greta wondered what it would be like if one of the girls were to suddenly die... Outside, Ty heard everything Greta said as the final bell rang. If she didn't hurry, she'd be late for class.
| Monday, 7:15 AM
It was only fifteen minutes before school was set to begin, but already it felt like Nurse Corra had spent a lifetime mining coal in some deep-dark pit. From the moment she'd arrived and opened the doors to the nurse's office, the children swarmed with complaints of flu and high temperatures. Many had to be sent back home -- others, to the hospital. The rest were given some medicine, and permission to return back to class.
Corra couldn't understand what was happening, flu season had long since past. Was it an outbreak of something else? Food poisoning perhaps? Whatever the cause, she'd have to call Abbot Medical Center and confer with them -- no matter how much she hated having to do so. Hopefully, it would be a quick affair and this -- whatever this was -- would turn out to be nothing of note.
| CUL-DE-SAC
| Monday, 9:30 AM
She was just... Standing there. The other mothers just couldn't understand it. Why? Why was Lorraine just standing there. Staring. The school bus had come, and gone, hours ago. Had she really just been standing there since that morning, since putting her son on the school bus?
The other housewives were only now noticing it because, after seeing their own children off, they had gone back inside to sleep, or tidy up, or whatever. Now most of them were coming back outside to either tend to their lawns, or go shopping -- or at least they meant to. Now, they just stood there whispering to each other. Wondering outloud who should go and talk to Lori to see if she was alright, or not.
| SOUTH END
| Monday, 10:00 AM
Samuel Todd watched the people slowly drift into his supermarket. They were like busy little bees. BUZZ BUZZ!! Buzzing around his honeycomb. The weekend was over now, and it was time to get back to work -- except he didn't want to. He was finding it harder, and harder to in fact. To show up for work.
Hunting, it was just... It was who he was. WHAT he was. It was literally in him, like his soul. In his blood. Hunting was the only real thing about him. And this? Coming to work? Putting on a fake smile for everyone? This was the lie. All a lie. Lie. Lie. Lie!! He wanted to be real. Todd wanted to hunt..!
Suddenly, there is a scream. His heart races at the sound. It's high pitched, and gutteral -- primal. It speaks to him. Calls him to action while others gasped, stared, or pointed in shock. Todd strode forward almost giddy with excitement. The scream could only mean that something good had happened.
"It's Mrs. Anne -- Anne Mabley! She just... I think she died?" Todd ignored the shocked teenager, and pressed through the stunned crowd surrounding the body. Checking her pulse, he quickly confirmed that the older woman had indeed passed away.
"S-she just started coughing, and her eyes were all red-like. Like the veins popped in her eyes, or something..? What do we do. Do we call the sheriff?" It was then that Todd finally noticed just how many of the people around him, were coughing and had blood-shot eyes.
| WEST SANCTUARY
| Monday, 5:50 AM
Loren 'Lori' McAllister had her private practice set up in West Sanctuary, down on St. Ann. She was a pretty girl, blonde with glasses, athletic, and sociable. Every morning she bought her breakfast at Samuel Todd's supermarket -- supporting the community, she liked to call it -- and ate it at the cafe across from the high school, which was owned by her ex-boyfriend. Café du Monde, or something. A nice little place, with outdoor tables, and everything. Supposedly, Lori only ate there just to piss him off -- silently daring him to have her arrested for trespassing. Bad breakup?
From there, she went to work at her office as a therapist -- and then went back home at night. This time however, that hadn't happened. The smell, the one the sheriff could still smell, it was her. Lori was dead. Butchered, to be honest. Her blood spashed around the office, and used to draw numbers on the walls. The same numbers, over and over. 21041982 According to the CSI on the scene, she'd been dead for days at least. Maybe as early as Friday afternoon. How had no one reported her missing before now? How was the sheriff going to do?
Edited by Luther-Morgan, 16 December 2014 - 03:02 PM.