Chapter Text
The Quiet
“Good afternoon, Desert Bluffs! It’s another sunny day here in the Bluffs. Really sunny! Make sure you protect your skin and eyes before heading out today. Sunscreen and sunglasses are absolutely necessary on a day like this, everyone. Especially for all those happy little children out there! Intern Vanessa says that the SPF number isn’t as important as making sure you’re protecting against both UVB and UVA rays. Keep that in mind! And thank you, Vanessa. Helpful as always!”
Vanessa smiled from behind the booth window, giving Kevin a small thumbs-up. Kevin admired her dimples and pleasant workplace attitude. Not that he was normally a person to pick favorites, as all hard-working citizens were worth their penny, but Vanessa was by far his favorite and longest-lasting intern. She didn’t just do her job. She was always contributing to the community, to the show, to the workplace… She was a joy to have around. Kevin gave her a thumbs up in return and she beamed.
“Now, the news,” said Kevin cheerfully. He dove right into a story about how the Jones family café was doing a promotional stunt including a puppy circus and a giant wood-burning stove built for baking giant loaves of bread. “Personally, I’d just make a thousand pizzas,” Kevin joked. “Make sure you go support your local family-owned business, Desert Bluffs! I hear those puppies are just adorable. I wonder if any of them know how to ride a unicycle? Only one way to find out, right Vanessa?”
The show went on with its usual rounds of words and stories and sponsorships and traffic, so on and so forth. The weather came and the weather went somewhere between the frequent updates on the Jones family café.
But it was with a frown that Kevin briefed himself on the next bit of news. He flipped through his PowerPoint with a solemn shake of his head. “Aw, this is a bit of a downer. Speaking of supporting your local businesses, and pizza, I’m sorry to say that Luigi’s has officially gone under, Bluffs. You’ll all recall that Luigi’s has been owned and run by the same family for four generations. However, after the recent and most regretful passing of the late Aldo Martelli, ownership fell to the only heir, the young Giorgio Martelli. Giorgio made the controversial decision to buy ingredients for the famous Luigi’s pizzas from a mysterious, different source. The change was later discovered to have been necessary since the original providers of Luigi’s produce went out of business due to unknown causes. Unfortunately, the new ingredients were… Well… We have been missing Luigi’s famous pizzas for a while now. The building has been sold and we all would like to wish Giorgio Martelli success in his future endeavors.”
Kevin enjoyed finishing things off with a smile. However, it seemed as though he wasn’t finished. Looking up from his microphone, he saw Vanessa waving frantically at him from the booth. “Oh, yes, Vanessa?” he said, automatically turning his attention back to his computer screen. Opening his Twitter feed, he saw that his faithful intern had shared a link to a news article with him. It was freshly published, posted barely ten minutes prior to the time Kevin laid eyes on it. He gasped softly behind his hand.
“Oh, listeners,” he said, “I… I regret to inform you that Giorgio Martelli has been killed… in an accident. Police are not yet sure what was the cause but it seems as though there was a gas leak in his home. Presumably, it caught a spark and his entire house was destroyed, burning a few nearby residences as well…”
Kevin nodded gravely to Vanessa, thanking her on air before continuing, “Let this be a lesson to all of us, Desert Bluffs. Not just to be on constant alert for household hazards… But let this be a lesson about the brief flash of life we are given. Not only is it already so short but also there is no telling when it will end! All of your plans for the next ten… twenty… fifty years… They could go up in smoke at an instant. The Martelli family was a successful and celebrated family here in the Bluffs, I think we can all agree. But due to mishap and misfortune, they’ve lost everything within a few short years. They will be missed and they will live on through us!
“Because let me tell you something, listeners… You have every ounce of potential to make something of yourselves. Your town needs you. Why plan to be there for it within a few years when you could help your community today? After all, the worst could happen tomorrow.
“Tell your loved ones how much they matter… And plan something fun! Start that project you’ve been putting off. Band together your neighborhood and clean those streets! Cure cancer! Discover a new dimension in which you didn’t make that mistake you regret every so often. That one mistake that no one else even remembers but it keeps you up at night. It creeps into the most innocent of dreams and turns your loved ones’ faces into the stuff of nightmares before you wake up in a cold sweat, screaming your pleas for forgiveness that go unheard by all who used to be around to hear it. Go find that dimension and get some rest!”
Kevin noticed Vanessa tapping her wrist. Vanessa saw that he’d noticed her so she made the wrap-up signal with a nod. Kevin returned the nod with a smile.
He said, “You can do it, Desert Bluffs. I believe in you.”
The dark-skinned radio host tied off the show in his usual manner. “That’s all the time we have for today,” he began, “Stay tuned next for a calming melody to accompany you on your way to wherever your travels take you… Until next time Desert Bluffs. Until next time!” With the soft fade of music, the microphone went cold and Kevin removed his headphones. He wanted to smile but despite the cheer in his voice, he couldn’t manage a single grin.
“Can I get you anything?” Vanessa asked, allowing herself into the studio.
Kevin shook his head, “No, I think I’m just going to go home today. Maybe I’ll stop by the store and treat myself to something nice. You should do the same!”
He forced a smile but his intern could tell that he was not happy. She said, “Is it about the Martellis?”
“I can’t hide anything from you, can I?” Kevin chuckled. He double-checked to make sure his microphone was off before answering. “Yes and no. It’s sad but… I don’t know, Vanessa, doesn’t it seem like a bit of a stretch? A strange coincidence? It’s all very… Um…”
He wasn’t at a loss for words. He was hesitant to speak. Vanessa spoke for him. “Convenient?” she said.
Kevin eyed her carefully, biting his bottom lip as he nodded. “Convenient,” he echoed, “And they’re not the only ones.”
They were both silent. It went without saying that all of the mysterious deaths and disappearances around town as of late had been business owners. It started with the most successful and worked its way down. Desert Bluffs was losing an unseen battle that no one knew they were supposed to be fighting. It was like harmlessly blinking and then being told they lost a staring contest. Kevin didn’t think there was any way to take it back. He simply read the news and hoped for the best. He hoped for the face of evil to show itself so that he could know who to fight against.
As things were, he was hopelessly trusting and disgustingly oblivious. Even Vanessa opened her mouth to say something but Kevin spoke first. He said, “At least not all is lost… Why, the owners of that new factory have been awfully helpful, haven’t they? I think their name was…”
“Strexcorp,” said Vanessa with a hint of malice in her tone.
It flew right over Kevin’s head. “Strexcorp!” he exclaimed, “Yes! If not for them, Desert Bluffs would be lost. It’s my understanding that they’ve been buying up all the lost businesses to help keep our real estate in healthy shape.”
Vanessa was checking her phone for news updates. She said, “They’ve already bought Luigi’s and announced its reopening.”
“See!” Kevin cheered, “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. They probably heard me on the show and bought it up. Are they still going to make pizza?”
“Yes…” Vanessa replied skeptically.
“How wonderful,” said Kevin. “Now everyone in that area who relied on Luigi’s for their Tuesday night pizza parties can continue to do so! Strexcorp really is helping us all live our lives in these dark times.”
Vanessa sighed, eyes wandering to the camera in the corner of the room that stared straight back. “This seems to really be lifting your spirits,” she mentioned.
“You know what?” he said, “I think you’re right. I’m feeling much better. You have to be optimistic!”
Vanessa interjected, “Great,” before he could go on. She snatched his wrist and pulled him from his chair. “Since you’re feeling better, we should get a yogurt,” she said.
“Oh! Vanessa!” Kevin laughed, breezily following along as she tugged him through the halls of the radio station. “Well, if you insist!”
“We’ll take my car,” she said, “And I’ll bring you back here afterward.”
“I could just follow you—“
She stopped, putting her hands on his shoulders. Her bright, brown eyes stared pleadingly into his strange, gold ones. The one on his forehead glowed and he murmured, “Vanessa… your heart is beating so fast… Are you…?”
“Trust me,” she said quietly, “You have to trust me.”
They both went quiet as footsteps neared. Vanessa pulled away from Kevin, straightening her skirt and adjusting her bag. “Good afternoon,” said Kevin as a fellow employee walked by. She was the evening host and although she only spoke between intervals of music and recorded announcements, she had a long shift. She raised her empty mug in acknowledgement before disappearing into the break room.
“I trust you,” said Kevin.
Without looking back at him, Vanessa nodded. They left the station and got into her car. She drove towards the nearest frozen yogurt shop but they left it behind without stopping. Kevin didn’t know where they were going but he didn’t ask.
However, he did reach for the buttons and dials that controlled the radio. Vanessa stopped him by taking his hand and shaking her head. “I have a headache,” she lied. Kevin could tell she was lying but he also knew that Vanessa was aware of it. She wouldn’t lie to him without reason. It was strange and Kevin was exceedingly worried. He put his hands between his legs and kept to himself.
They left the city. The road became a cracked and dusty stretch into an eternity of sand and cacti. Being beyond the city limits made Kevin nervous. He glanced at Vanessa and watched as her eyes flickered between the road and her rear-view mirror.
After a while, she finally pulled over. It was in the middle of nowhere with no discernable landmarks. Desert Bluffs was well beyond eyesight. There was nothing but the horizon, which was growing darker as the day wore on.
“Kevin,” said Vanessa. The silence was finally broken and the radio host sighed in relief. He gave her his attention. She asked, “Do you know what Strexcorp does? What they make? Have you ever wondered what a factory is doing buying a pizza place and a pottery store and an insurance company all in one week?”
Kevin realized he hadn’t thought of those things.
“They make everything,” she said gravely. “They don’t care about the quality of it; they just make everything. They want to be in everything. Kevin… I think they’re the ones who have been destroying Desert Bluffs.”
Kevin stared wide-eyed and in disbelief. “But… they’ve been helping Desert Bluffs…” he said, “If it wasn’t for them, then—“
“If it wasn’t for them, Luigi’s wouldn’t have had to switch providers for their produce. In case you were wondering, the people who bought out their last providers were Strexcorp. The people who were forcing Luigi’s to use those awful ingredients that put them out of business were Strexcorp! What is Strexcorp even doing growing produce in the desert, Kevin?”
And poor Kevin who wanted to only believe the best in everyone shook his head the entire time. He said, “Vanessa, I’m sure there’s more to this than that. It’s probably just a coincidence… An unfortunate chain of events that Strexcorp has been trying very hard to—“
“Are you kidding me?” snapped Vanessa. She scoffed and gave Kevin an exasperated, dry laugh. “I had to bring you out here because they’ve taken over everything. Our cameras, our security, our police...! Next they'll take our sta—”
“Because they want the best for us,” Kevin insisted, “Don’t you see, Vanessa? They’re trying to protect us!”
“Why are you trying so hard to ignore the fact that they’re sucking us dry, Kevin?” she said wildly, shaking her hands in the air helplessly. “I’ve been watching them since they got here! I was hoping to maybe get a story on the new factory built right outside of town but they’ve been shrouded in mystery and they refuse to—“
Suddenly, she stopped, eyes snapping to Kevin’s. They were wide and terrified to the point that Kevin wondered if there was a giant scorpion on his shoulder. He looked over both shoulders and then back at her when no such danger revealed itself. “Vanessa?” he asked.
“You,” she said, pointing, “You’re already working with them, aren’t you?”
“No!” said Kevin, “I wouldn’t keep something like that from you, Vanessa, believe me. I just don’t think we should be so quick to—“
“There’s nothing quick about this!” she yelled.
“Vanessa, please—“
“No! I’ve been watching in fear as they have been closing their jaws around this town and I don’t want to stand for it anymore! I can’t trust anyone! I thought I could trust you but…” She shook her head, biting her lip and starting the car back up. The rumble of the engine coming to life was like a defeated beast, reflecting the betrayed look in Vanessa’s eyes. Her fingers tightened around the wheel and her eyes pinched shut as she shook off the need to scream.
Kevin felt a pang of guilt. He said, “No, Vanessa, I… You can trust me… I’ll look into it, alright? I’ll think about it.”
She stared with empty eyes at her steering wheel, fingers slowly relaxing so that her knuckles weren’t going white. Kevin put a hand on her shoulder and she sighed heavily. Vanessa tilted her head back to take a calming breath. “Alright,” she said, “I’m sorry. I just… Kevin, I’m so scared.”
He smiled warmly at her, giving her an encouraging shake. “It’s okay. Everything will be okay, I promise… Did I ever tell you how much I admire you?”
Vanessa looked up at him slowly, a small smile forming on her lips. Kevin nodded, “Mmhm. You’re a hardworking and devoted woman and one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I’m happy to know I’ve earned your trust and even happier to give you mine. Even if I don’t agree with you, I trust you. And I promise, if you’re right about Strexcorp, I’ll do everything in my power to help stop them.”
Vanessa threw her arms around Kevin’s neck in a tight hug. He returned the gesture without a second thought. “Thank you,” she said, “Thank you… I believe in you, Kevin. I think together, we can be the ones to save Desert Bluffs.”
“You know what?” said Kevin, “I think you’re right! Now matter what it is, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”
“That’s what a good reporter does,” Vanessa replied, sitting up straight and happily returning to the road. They began to head back towards town and Vanessa caught Kevin glancing at the radio.
“I think it’s safe,” she said with only a bit of concern. It wasn’t enough to stop Kevin from cheerfully clicking the radio to life.
A woman’s voice, the same woman they had passed in the station halls earlier in the day, filled the car with sound. She said, “Good evening, Desert Bluffs. I hope you’re all safe at home or comfortable in your place of work. Maybe you’re out eating dinner with your family. Maybe you’re driving down a long, empty road. Whatever you’re doing or not doing, whoever you’re with or not with, we at DBCR hope you enjoy the rest of your evening. We hope you’ll let us keep you company as you drift to sleep tonight. We’ll see you again in the morning. Now, back to the music.”
A relaxing tune came on and it soothed the hot air and frayed nerves. Kevin smiled as Vanessa drove. He was sure that Strexcorp was only looking out for the best interest of the town it had built off of. He made a promise to look into them and he would do that but he was more excited about being a part of something. He gazed out the window, watching as the sun glimmered its last few rays across the darkening horizon and he thought about being a leader. He thought about using his words to inspire and lead a town into a glorious future, hand in hand. He thought about bringing everyone together and about making Desert Bluffs the shining and happy town he always remembered it being. The town he was happy to report on.
He closed his eyes, save the third on his forehead. It stayed open, the golden ring of color within black sclera shining bright. He could see everything. He could see Vanessa’s healthy lungs pulling in air, her heart beating rhythmically, her eyelashes brushing her cheeks every time she blinked… Kevin could see the wheels of the car spinning and the engine working. He hummed pleasantly, finding joy in all the little movements of life.
The moon had replaced the sun in the sky by the time they made it back to the station parking lot, which was empty save for two vehicles.
“Thanks again, Kevin,” said Vanessa, keeping her place in the driver’s seat.
“Are you going to go straight home? We could grab something to eat if you want; I’ll pay for it,” said Kevin.
She shook her head but smiled gratefully. “I have a lot of research to get done. Maybe some other time.”
Kevin let himself out while saying, “You drive safe. Take care of yourself!”
He watched her pull out with his hands in his pockets. When she’d turned the corner, he looked to the station. “Mm, darn,” he chuckled, “Left my keys inside.”
It wasn’t much of a surprise. Vanessa had dragged him out in such a hurry. He didn’t have his phone or his keys or even the mug he took to the station every morning. So he went inside to fetch them.
The first thing he noticed was that the station management’s door was open. His heart skipped a beat and then immediately began hammering against his ribcage. Kevin instinctively pressed himself against the nearest wall and closed his eyes. He could see through the walls. He could see his phone and keys sitting on the desk in the studio. His mug was sitting on a counter in the break room. The nightshift host was in one of the computer rooms, researching upcoming musicians…
There was something else. Someone else? Kevin tried to see them but it was dark in the station management’s room. He saw the shapes of people but not their insides. He couldn’t see their bones or their hearts or their eyes. However, he could see that they were having a discussion with the giant, hairy beast that was station management.
This didn’t concern him, he decided. He didn’t have to look in or even acknowledge what he’d noticed. Kevin simply needed to get his belongings and get out. He took a deep breath and, as casually as possible, made his way to the end of the hall. Eyes to the floor, he walked by the open door of management with urgency in his step.
He tried to remain calm, as was protocol whenever management’s door was open, but his heart was threatening to leap out of his chest. Last time he met station management face-to-face was the last time he planned to ever so much as think about it. So he snatched up his things, shoving them deep into his pockets and turning on his heel.
“OH! Good Lord,” Kevin cried when he spotted someone standing in the doorway. It was a woman, rather tall but also rather shapely. She wore a long, airy dress that hung breezily from her wide hips. The color of it popped against her ebony skin. “My goodness… It’s just… you,” he sighed.
“Brytne,” the woman clarified, looking at Kevin questionably.
“Yes,” he said, nodding, “Brytne. I don’t think we’ve ever properly… Um, been introduced. What a shame, right? I’m Kevin.”
“I know.” She smirked, crossing her arms and cocking a hip. With an amused glimmer in her eye, she pointed to the empty space on the desk where Kevin’s things had just been. She had fantastically painted nails, Kevin noticed. “I was wondering who left those. I thought it might have been you but you didn’t come back so…”
“I left with a friend for a while,” Kevin explained.
“Oh, yeah? That intern?” She sighed, leaning her head on the doorframe. “I wish I could have an intern,” she complained, “But we’re not allowed to keep interns in the station at night.” Brytne rolled her eyes with a dissatisfied huff. Her gold earrings jingled when she moved her head, Kevin noticed. “I could use the company. Do you know how many cups of coffee I go through in a night?”
Kevin laughed, “About as many as I go through in the morning?”
It happened so fast.
There she was, one moment, and then she was gone in the next. A long, hairy spider’s arm reached into the room and wrapped around her waist. She was still smiling, just on the cusp of a laugh, unaware of the terrifying fate about to befall her. The tibia to the claws of the wretchedly long leg alone was almost equal to her height. It was another small detail Kevin noticed as those parts curled around her body and jerked her back into the hall. He stared into the dark, speechless as her blood-curdling scream broke the air.
Kevin’s eyes fell onto the desk as he stiffly turned away from the hall and he saw that they had reached a break in the music. The microphone automatically went hot, ready for the usual quick, quiet announcement. However, all that the late-night listeners were met with were Brytne’s dying cries and the inhuman screeching of an impossibly colossal spider.
It was all he could do to keep his attention on that little red light on the computer screen, wondering if he was next. The color drained from his cheeks as he thought about running, as he thought about the futility of attacking. Station management didn’t sound hungry; it sounded furious. It was taking its rage out on Brytne and Kevin was positive that if he moved an inch, he would be joining her.
He felt like a coward. He felt… worthless.
While Kevin struggled with his fight or flight response, the microphone turned itself back off and an instrumental piece began to play.
Kevin jumped when station management’s door slammed shut. He spun around with a yelp. Adrenaline took over his bloodstream and he felt a surge of energy urging him to bolt towards the door.
Except he was not alone. Three people in black suits with yellow ties stood before him, all eyes studying him closely. The tallest was a man and he leaned down to whisper to the smallest, a woman. She hummed in response. The middle, a man, said nothing.
The woman, pale and petite with honey brown hair, smiled from ear-to-ear.
“Kevin, is it?” she asked.
Kevin nodded. He wondered how these people had escaped the certain death that came with entering the room they had just left. He wondered how they could be smiling while Brytne was torn to pieces on live air. He wondered why they hadn’t done anything to save her while they had the chance. He could still hear her, incoherent and loud as her bones were crushed and her blood was spilled.
The woman stepped forward, looking very pleasant and very professional. “Hi, Kevin. I’m Lauren and I represent Strexcorp Synergists Incorporated. We have just had a very healthy discussion with your management and we’ve come to the decision that ownership of Desert Bluffs Community Radio will be handed over to Strexcorp. Effective immediately. We would have called you about it in the morning but since you’re here, we’d like to go ahead and welcome you to the Strex Family! We’re very excited to be getting involved with the community in this way and we look forward to working with you.”
Kevin noticed that she was offering him her hand to shake, that she had crossed the room to stand before him while she’d been speaking, but he was already shaking. He looked at her hand and then back into her eyes. She simply waited, unmoving and unflinching. “I… I’m…”
The screaming stopped, as did the thrashing of the spider. Kevin’s eyes wandered to the wall before slowly closing. Lauren asked, “Kevin?”
He could see station management, that giant and terrifying tarantula, red staining its fangs and front legs. There was almost no trace of Brytne besides her blood on the walls. And station management… It twitched and looked as though it was trying to stand but couldn’t. Kevin saw inside of it, beneath that dreadful shell, and he saw that it was sick. A… darkness was entering its blood and filling it whole. A sort of… venom? Kevin couldn’t explain it besides… darkness. He could see the darkness and he could see that station management was dying.
He could also see that the darkness was inside the three people sharing a room with him. Except they weren’t dying. They were alive and their hearts pumped that strange venom through every part of their bodies. It passed through their eyes and brains and fingertips and outstretched palms…
“Kevin!” Lauren snapped and he gasped.
“I’m so sorry,” he said quickly, shaking her hand once and then moving for the door, “It has been very nice meeting you, Lauren, and… um…”
“Their names aren’t important,” she said, leaning against the desk and tapping the wood with her fingernail. Her fingernails were not fantastically painted. They looked as though she made a habit of scratching floorboards.
Kevin tried to squeeze past the two men who stood in the doorway but they silently refused to move, eyes piercing with malicious regard.
“I really should be going now. I look forward to working with you all,” Kevin said, keeping his gaze lowered.
Lauren gave Kevin a scrutinizing glance-over and then the men a sharp nod. They stepped aside and Kevin wordlessly strode by.
“See you tomorrow!” Lauren sang.
Kevin practically sprinted for his car, hands shaking as he fumbled for the keys. Even after getting his door shut and locked, he was barely able to get his phone to open his list of contacts.
But then he remembered Vanessa’s words. He wanted to call her but he remembered her warning about Strexcorp. About how nothing and nowhere was safe. So with a heavy heart, he slowly lowered his cell and tried to breathe.
Kevin tried to convince himself that it was okay. He realized that he’d left his mug in the break room. “I’ll just get a new one on the way home!” he said aloud, trying to remind himself that he had a voice and that he was alive. He even laughed. “I was going to treat myself, wasn’t I? Yep. Yep…”
Starting up the engine and pulling out of the parking lot, he was still laughing. Kevin laughed all the way to the store. When he went inside and found a mug he liked, he checked the bottom to see if it was microwave safe. He was met with the Strexcorp logo, that orange triangle with a large S in the middle. He laughed at that, too.
On the way home, he was working everything out, making sense of it all. By the time he had put himself in bed, he decided everything was okay. Station management had been dangerous and ancient and bloodthirsty. Everyone would be safer with that monster gone. Interns would be allowed to work through the night. Strexcorp had faced the evil he was too afraid to face, even with his peer screaming for help. Kevin saw himself as the bad guy. He saw himself as worthless and he saw himself walking down a dark and lonely path. Strexcorp was good. Strexcorp was leading Desert Bluffs to a bright future.
Everything would be okay.