Chapter Text
With only a single instant, Barclay can't process everything that needs to be processed before his instincts must kick in. The man in front of him follows through with a threat that Barclay can only assume is a result of his assailant's own rage and impulsivity,
Leaning over the front desk of Amnesty Lodge, the man suddenly reaches across to Barclay, snagging his bracelet, which then, though rather reluctantly, slips off his wrist. Before Barclay can respond, he hears the sudden movement of the chair behind him squeak against the floor as it's occupant, who he can assume is Agent Stern, abruptly stands up. The other residents he hadn't kept an eye on, but he hears Jake protesting loudly, moving to approach the scene.
Unexpectedly nearly a foot and a half taller, Barclay is now looking down at the man. Before anyone can intervene, Barclay grabs the man's wrist (tighter than he would usually ever dare do to someone), rips the bracelet away from his clammy fist, and shoves him with a strong thud against his chest. Then, without looking anywhere else, Barclay makes his escape out the front. Panicking now, he's trying to re-equip his bracelet securely. Though he realizes it doesn't particularly matter how secure it is now when Agent Stern had already seen everything.
Fleeing straight out the front door then off through the pines surrounding the lodge, Barclay doesn't stop for an unnecessarily long amount of time. He only stops himself every so often to make sure he does know where he's going and to catch his breath. He knows he'll have to keep moving, but without a map or supplies, he's not going to make it far into the Monogahela before needing to make a stop.
The pattern of running when things got bad was ingrained so deep that even after nearly eighteen years at the safe haven he'd found for himself in Kepler, Barclay still follows the protocol he always did when needing to flee a neighborhood, a city, or even a state. He could mourn the loss once he knew he was safe, and when he knew that nothing that happened with him would get back to Amnesty Lodge and screw everything up for the other Sylphs that lodged safely there. Then he feels guilty, incredibly so, having left the lodge with this aggressive human being.
Then Barclay remembers something the man said about there being multiple witnesses. This could mean that he had no idea that Stern was the only person there who didn't know. That could further mean that Amnesty Lodge itself is safe.
Out of breath, Barclay meanders to where he can hear water running, estimating where he is, yes, but also dying for something to soothe his throat from the constant running.
When he finally reaches the edge of the creek, Barclay kneels down over the clear running water, messily tossing it up to his mouth and face, while he tries to process what's happening back at Amnesty.
Mama wasn't home, out on an errand, but if the rest hadn't already, she would send that man out as soon as she returned.
That said, he can't be sure he'll be able to return to Amnesty anyway. He hadn't seen Stern's face but he can only imagine how he'd reacted and that he's not going to ignore it; he came to Kepler for him for fucks sake.
How could he be so stupid? Thinking everything would be behind him, that the biggest threat were the abominations?
Realizing he's on a rocky road to catastrophizing, he attempts to slow his breathing before standing up again, hand against the buttress of a large cedar.
"Okay, okay... Green Bank is north of here—" hearing a crack and snap from behind him, Barclay abruptly twists around, noting only a falling of a branch from the limbs further above, and then the flap of large wings absconding the scene. Relief.
He ran a long ways, and the chances of anyone catching up with him now is slim or he should hope. Barclay decides that he'll call when he gets to Green Bank. After running through the possible outcomes, he decides it wouldn't be risky to at least phone the lodge in case Mama picks up. She'd have heard about the shitshow by then for certain. It will just be a quick call to let her know he's fine. But until then, he follows the creek north.
It's easier to move now that he's not running. He can ignore his hunger in hopes of reaching the town before anything closes up. Though he doesn't have any money, Barclay believes he should at least be able to borrow a phone; people are more lenient to do so in the radio quiet zone where nobody has a mobile.
What's harder is imagining everything going on back at Amnesty. With everyone having seen Henry assault him, even Agent Stern, Barclay wagers, would attest to getting him removed and quickly.
But then there was Joseph Stern to think about. Barclay can't assume that he would compartmentalize their friendship of sorts as Barclay had, not with his career on the line. Additionally, he had been giving Barclay the cold shoulder recently, so clearly something is already broken between them.
Many 'friends' from his past, of which the man in the lobby was one of, were a perfect example of that: an amicable friend until purpose gave way and Bigfoot was right in front of them. Though, Barclay did, unfortunately, like Joseph a fair bit more than the rest. It made this harder.
Dipping his toes a bit too far into catastrophizing again, Barclay takes a moment to observe his surroundings, bringing himself back to the present. The creek is fairly straight and narrow but he can see it widening up ahead, and the sound of the water trickling over smooth stones steadily increases. The sun is still high enough that even if he took a dramatic detour, he wouldn't have to worry about running into sundown.
By the time Barclay arrives in Green Bank, following a long stretch of road that eventually brings him to town,
Barclay has to assume that Mama is back home. The closest gas station draws his attention first. He explains his situation to the attendant— well, the fact that he is stranded. After questioning fairly seriously if he needed to make a long distance or local call, the attendant eventually brings Barclay to their phone in the back.
The call to Amnesty Lodge rings an uncharacteristic half ring before being picked up by Mama.
"Hey, it's me," Barclay says slowly, "What's... What's going on over there? I—"
He doesn't get to finish when Mama speaks up, "Oh, hmm, I'm afraid you're out of luck; that weekend we're full up. I think we've got vacancy on the... 8th or so if that works?"
Barclay doesn't take long to pick up the fact that others may still be around, though he's nervous about what's happening, he's grateful to know she's at least home to deal with this, in spite of very much not wanting her to be dealing with this.
"I'll have to think about it. I'll call back then," he murmurs in case there's someone near who can hear his side of the conversation.
"Alright then, take your time," she responds with an unfamiliar cadence.
Looking at the clock in the back room, he can see that it's nearly five, which gives him a whole three hours before he's expected to call back. Already feeling restless and starving, Barclay hangs up the phone after Mama does and sighs, moving quickly back to the front. He gives a kind thank you to the attendant, before asking if he could try again in a few hours. She says someone else will be on shift but she can leave a note for them. Grateful beyond belief, Barclay thanks her and takes his leave, deciding that if he has to hide out somewhere, the woods would be better, though feeling forced into them gives Barclay great discomfort. A reminder of the many times he's needed to hide there. Now, he realizes he does enjoy nature and hiking, but it's using the forest for the sole purpose of hiding that's become unsettling.
Three hours of nervously meandering through the forest surrounding Green Bank felt wasted in spite of there being nothing he could do at that point. It's even funny in a way, remembering the plans he had made to visit Green Bank. He adds up four different people he could have visited this town with, had planned to visit it with, but being here alone now with how things are turning out, Barclay feels like he can only laugh at how outrageous things have gotten.
Trying to put that out of his mind is hard, finding it rather easy to dwell heavily on them. He starts to wonder if it really is catastrophizing if things truly turn out catastrophic. Which is possible, very possible.
Three long hours later, now back in the staff room at the gas station, Barclay is eager to get back on the line with Mama, twirling his fingers in the kinked phone cord.
"Mama?"
"Thank fuck, Barclay," she already seems exhausted, "I've been up to my head in— well, that's not important; I've got it handled. Where are you?"
"Up at Green Bank. Do I need to—?"
"No, just stay there. That man's name was Henry, but I take I you already knew him. He's from that crew you mentioned, the folks back in Oregon, right?"
While confirmation was helpful, Barclay knew Mama would immediately put it together. He'd mentioned his old coworkers from a labor job up in the mountains around south Oregon perhaps only two or three times, but Mama remembers loose ends.
"Yes. His name is Henry. He came in alone though. I don't know about the other two. What happened?"
"Well, we got one of 'em off the map for sure. Got Owens to arrest him for now but..."
"But they can't hold him."
"Well now hang on. I told the Sheriff to make sure to run a thorough background check in case I was right about him," Mama's grin on the note of being right is very readable in her tone, "Seems I was."
"What happened with..." He slows to a stop, realizing now his subconscious fear of knowing the answer. Mama is patiently waiting, appearing to be waiting for him to finish. So he starts over, "What about Agent Stern?"
It's quiet for a moment, then Mama answers him, with a lower volume, "I did try to get him outta here before Owens showed up but he wouldn't budge. Told me he wanted to make sure the man was dealt with properly. Luckily, he didn't say a thing about you, just gave a statement on the asshole harrassing you and now he's back to working in the lobby, or pretendin' to. He doesn't have an internet connection right now but I'm gonna have to have a chat with him before—"
"Let me talk to him."
She takes a half second longer to reply, "Not sure that's a good idea. What's your angle?"
"My angle is I want to talk to him," he pushes.
"And say what? Barclay, you know this is a delicate situation. Now more than ever, we have to be careful about what we say to him."
She's not usually like this with Barclay, but they'd also been going through a bit of a rift earlier as well. They'd spoken about it, but he can tell she's more reserved and guarded with him.
"This isn't yours to handle. I mean, I don't want you to feel you have to take on this responsibility by yourself. I've talked to him a lot and it would probably just be easier for me to get him to hold off on anything official," Barclay doesn't want to push Mama to her limit but he also doesn't want to just sit back while she's taking on his past mistakes.
It takes Mama a few seconds and a deep breath that Barclay can easily hear, before she responds, "Alright. I don't know him like you apparently do. But I'm sticking close by so he doesn't try to star sixty-nine it. Display says Green Bank though, not much we can do about that."
"Yeah. That's fine."
"You sure? I know you've gotten a bit closer to him, but—"
"Please just put him on."
He can hear the phone placed down on the counter, and he waits anxiously in silence. He doesn't know how much longer he can use the phone for, but it's worth it to push his luck.
Eventually, he hears the much dreaded sound of the phone being picked back up and Joseph's voice, oddly a hair softer than he's used to, juxtaposed to his formal greeting, "Hello? This is Agent Stern."
It seems Mama might not have told him who was on the other end.
"Uh, hi. It's— it's Barclay."
He waits a beat in silence, then speaks again, nervous, "Hello?"
"Yes. I'm here," he seems surprised, "Are you alright?"
"Oh. Yeah," he closes his eyes tightly, fingers resting on the bridge of his nose, "I'm fine. I'll be fine. I just need to talk to you about... today."
By the Gods, it's awkward.
"We definitely should," Joseph agrees and Barclay can hear him take a steadying breath, "But that can wait. We've got the man in custody for now. Rather, the Sheriff does. And I'm... Hmm."
"You're what?" Barclay presses anxiously, though it comes out more agressive than intended.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm more focused on making sure your assailant is taken care of before anything else," he explains, then adding for clarity, "I mean, I'm not... dangerous I suppose is the best way to put it."
"Okay... I guess I'll talk to you later then?"
"Madeline's asking for the phone back," Joseph responds and Barclay can tell he's eager to get off the call. Then, as if he can see Barclay frowning, he adds, "But yes, we'll talk later. Promise."
He doesn't say anything else to Barclay but it sounds as though he whispered something to Mama before handing her back the phone.
"I'll be keeping an eye out, even if we choose to believe that," she says after a couple moments, likely waiting for Stern to leave the front desk. Barclay understands her angle and doesn't make argument.
"So I'll be sticking around here, but I'll see if I can get Duck or, God forbid, Ned to drive you up some money and supplies. You need anything specific?"
"Oh, uh... A few changes of clothes and my toothbrush, and—"
"Yeah, yeah, we'll get all that. I asked if there was anything specific, Barclay."
"Oh, then no, I don't think."
"Alright, now where're you calling from?"
"Uh, I'm at the Sunoco."
"Well, don't be acting all sketchy or nothing and get yourself noticed but stick around. Look for some forest service truck or a Lincoln I guess, then call me when you get to a motel, okay?"
"I mean, I'll just say I'm waiting for my ride, I already told them I was stuck out here."
"Then just stay outta trouble, can you do that?" He can tell she doesn't mean it too seriously but she is definitely worried for him. And definitely still guarded.
"Yeah, I can do that," he answers with a weak smile.
When she hangs up, he does so a lot quicker than the first time he'd called. It feels better knowing there's a plan, that he may not have to flee entirely, and that things haven't blown completely out of control, even if there is a difficult conversation with Joseph after all of this. Then, something that Barclay shouldn't be worried about at a time like this crosses his mind. Joseph would be leaving soon regardless of how this winds up and in spite of it being a bit terrifying to have him around, he will miss it. Then Barclay wonders again if he shares the same role that his old Oregon friends are now occupying. He can't fit a clear comparison in his head, but regardless, Joseph has many more dangerous contacts than they ever did, if Barclay is wrong about him.
Slowly, he leaves the back room a second time, informing the new attendant that he's just waiting on a ride now and that he appreciates being able to use the phone. He moves mechanically out the front glass doors to find an empty corner of sidewalk to sit down on.
It's a long hour later, when Barclay sees the unfortunate, fortunate sight of a Lincoln Continental. He tries to seem grateful either way but it doesn't help that they both know he's in this mess as a result of their first real interaction.
"Friend Barclay!" Ned cries loudly enough through the passenger window once pulled up beside him, that Barclay quickly hushes him with a reproachful look.
"Oh, right, yes. Well get in, c'mon," he ushers Barclay, who doesn't hesitate, only giving a quick look around before getting in and securely fastening his seatbelt.
"Did Mama give you stuff to bring?" He looks around the car, worried for a moment that he forgot it.
He points his thumb behind him as he starts to turn onto the road, "In the trunk. Don't worry; I got everything taken care of."
"What do you mean by that? I just need money and overnight supplies. Tell me you got that, right?" Barclay tries not to sound doubtful, but he knows it sounds that way regardless.
"No, that's what I mean. I have all your stuff safety stowed in the back," Ned assures him as he takes a narrow turn, "You worry too much, Barclay. Mama told me what happened and we're gonna get this taken care of."
"You mean Mama's going to."
"Hey, now! Who's the one driving up here at nine o'clock in the evening when I have to prep for next week's showing of William Price's Edgar Allan Poe works. And I gotta brush up on my Poe. Got a loooot to read by Saturday."
"You're going to read Edgar Allan Poe?"
"Yes! I'm a fairly big reader... But now that I have the TV show and whole Pine Guard gig, there's just not enough time y'know?"
Barclay levels him with a look of doubt that he's certain Ned can see even while driving.
"Alright, alright; I'm gonna get Kirby to read them," he admits, quickly changing his tone, "Anyway, there's still a lot of prep to do before tomorrow's episode and I'm making a pretty hefty sacrifice here."
It seems so ridiculous, and in any other scenario Barclay would be shaking his head, but he can't deny that he's grateful.
"Yeah, okay. I do appreciate it, thanks," he wants to mention just how Ned Chicane was the one who brought this danger to Kepler in the first place but abstains, knowing they've had this conversation before and Ned does have a point, one that he seems to be unable to ignore:
"You've been lucky I've been around with this baby," he pats the dashboard, "Always at the right place at the right time, isn't that right?"
"I guess you're right about that too," he fakes a smile and looks carefully on the road, "So, uh, where are we going exactly?"
"Green Bank's got a great bed and breakfast I stayed at once. It's quaint, unsuspecting, they make the meanest eggs benedict. And best of all, they do lock their doors at night," Ned explains as he takes another sharp turn up to the eastern end of town, "Don't ask me how I know that."
"I... wasn't going to?" Barclay says in an uncertain sort of way, "I don't suppose Mama said anything about how long this might take, did she?"
"No, no, she didn't," he answers and Barclay can tell it's with honesty, "But she's always been good at cleaning up messes like this, right? You've only got us Pine Guard and the entirety of Amnesty Lodge in your corner, Barclay. You'll be back Squatchin' around in Kepler in no time."
Barclay can't help but actually smile this time in spite of how absolutely ridiculous that last sentence was to hear. Ned did have a point; it's the first time anything like this has happened with so many people on his side. It feels out of place to have assailants and hunters from his life before Amnesty show up in Kepler. The trend of people closing in on him and him needing to immediately flee was far too common for Barclay to consider any other possibility.
When they get to the B&B, Ned pops the trunk to show Barclay that, sure enough, carries his backpack filled with what, at a first glance, appears to be the proper sort of supplies for a few days, along with some cash, his fake ID, and a chequebook.
Thanking Ned again, this time a fair bit more genuine, he remembers to call Mama as soon as he gets checked into his room. He asks about Joseph and he can practically hear her shaking her head.
"I dunno, Barclay. We'll have to talk to him, both of us. I know he says he'll hold off for now but we gotta get to him before his superiors do," Mama pauses a moment and before Barclay can ask something, speaks up again, "He's at the sheriff's office right now dealing with Henry. He's got a looong list of charges. Seems hopeful we got that taken care of.
"But Barclay, I need you to tell me everything you know about the other two are so we can get ahead of the game."
Barclay frowns, not reluctant in any way but nervous that somehow saying their names will speak them back into existence, but he knows that's not rational, "His sister, Loraine. Then there's Woodrow. I don't know his last name. Hell, I don't even know if that's his real name."
He then gives a few quick descriptions of what he remembers them as. It's been a quarter century however, so he can't be sure how accurate he is.
"We'll keep an eye out. See who he tries to call from the cell maybe, I dunno how that all works but if we can get them to turn tail, I'd feel a lot safer about it all."
"It could keep Jo—," Barclay sighs, feeling the distance between them already diminishing, "Agent Stern busy. Looking for them I mean."
"He ain't Joseph anymore, huh?"
"Well, I doubt it. Especially now after... after he's found out I've been lying through my teeth every time we've talked. He's already been ignoring me too. I probably shouldn't get attached," Barclay grimaces and kicks the end of the bed in his room frustrated as he paces. Knowing sometimes he doesn't know his own strength, however, Barclay double checks that he didn't screw up the bed post.
She's also quiet for moment, then her tone shifts to an oddly more relaxed one, "I may not trust the guy completely, but he's made it pretty clear he's worried about you. He knows I ain't giving up your location and isn't pushing it neither."
"Mama, we have to tell him everything."
Mama hums, "I'm still not completely convinced."
"He's on our side. I was panicking earlier but the more I think about it, the more I really think that, whether or not he's particularly fond of me right now. And he's observant and will know something else is going on pretty quickly. If I hid this from him, it's not a stretch that there's other shit going on. He's going to connect the dots," Barclay takes a slow breath, "It's probably better if it comes from us this time. It would be... foolish to keep him out now."
"Well fuck. Now that's a good point. But it'll have to wait 'til you get on home. Clearly he trusts you, I suppose in spite of you 'lying through your teeth' as you put it," Mama says, then adds, "I'll call you as soon as we get shit take care of over here, sit tight, alright?"
Barclay grumbles to himself uncertain on the waiting part but knowing he's in a shit situation and the risk of returning now isn't worth the comfort. He begrudgingly agrees, saying a short goodbye before hanging up and decides to try finding a way to pretend to relax since he knows it will be a long while before he actually can.
Going through his backpack one more time, he finds a book from his shelf back home that he's positive Dani picked out for him. It's the second book of a series he'd meant to start a while ago but never got around to: an embarrassingly cliché romance novel he had yet to tell anyone except Dani, that he had even the slightest interest in. Perhaps distracting himself from the whole affair would do him some good.