Work Text:
Your phone rings. Picking it up, you notice the caller ID. Unknown. You sigh, knowing it's the mysterious person who keeps threatening you. The one who kidnapped Hannah, attacked Jessie. Killed Richie.
Even though you’ve never met the man, you do feel sorry about his fate. Though there was something really fucking fishy about his death. It almost looked, well, fake. You disregard that thought for a moment, answering the phone.
“I propose a deal. This will not be mentioned to anyone.“ The distorted voice that vaguely reminds you of Darth Vader pauses, presumably for you to speak.
“Why would I ever make deals with a psychopath like you?” You hiss, anger coloring your tone.
“I’m afraid you do not have much of a choice, dear. After all, the fate of your dear friends lies in the balance.”
“Richie is alive?“
“Yes, only just.“
“What is the condition?“
“You come to Duskwood. Tell no one, not even Jessie, of whom you're so fond. That's right. I've eavesdropped on every conversation, every detail. Anything you've divulged to any of that group, I've heard. Now, if you do not accept this condition, I will send the recording of this call to the others, and tape it as I slowly kill first Richie, and finally Hannah. Yes, sweet Hannah is alive, I wouldn't consider killing her until I get what I want. Now, if you come to Duskwood, I will gladly free them in exchange for you. I wouldn't kill you, December, I just want to get to know you. I’ve missed you.”
Wait, what? Do I know them? You disregard that for a second and focus on the last parts. Not being a dumbass, you perceive they're lying. Nevertheless, you know you only have one choice here. You've already made your choice, but you have no insurance that they would follow through.
“How would I know you followed through? Trust you wholeheartedly? I think not.“
“Fine. I will permit you to tell one person. Choose carefully, as if they alert the group, I will slaughter them all, starting with the ones I currently have. I suggest you only tell them part of the deal. If you'd like some advice, you may not wish to inform Dan or Jessie. Now, what is your choice?”
You already know your decision.
“I will come to Duskwood, on the condition that you release Hannah and Richie into the hands of Thomas and Jessie, by delivering them at the local clinic and alerting the police as a concerned citizen. To ensure that you follow through on your side of our little deal, I will alert one person of my choice. I understand that if said person divulges this information, our deal will be void, regardless of whether I follow through on my side.” You smirk, despite the foreboding situation. You had dappled in Criminology and Psychology classes in High school and College, as you wanted to be a lawyer, or an undercover cop. You could never decide.
The kidnapper chuckled, or so it seemed. The distortion made it difficult to understand.
“Way to cover all the bases. I agree with that. Though how will I know you plan to actually come yourself, not send some undercover to trace my location?”
“I suppose you'll have to have good faith.”
“I want a picture of your plane ticket, and an In-Person picture of Roger's Garage, holding the ticket in your hand. Video would also suffice, speaking in your voice. I expect you to get back to me within 30 minutes with the expected date of your arrival. When you've provided proof of being here, I will give you an address, to which you will come to exactly 2 hours after your arrival. Failure to be punctual will result in aforementioned consequences. I presume you will be alerting either Cleo, Thomas, or Lily?”
“I will leave the identity of the person private, though I presume you will snoop anyway.”
That weird, static laugh came through the line again, before they hung up. You stood up immediately to go hunt down the bag you use for work trips, a carry-on that's big enough to pack the necessities, but not so big it has to be stored in the cargo hold.
You find it hidden under your bed and yank it out. You have a separate bag of necessities for trips, so all you have to pack is some clothes. You throw a few sets in, before zipping it up and bringing it to the dining room. Setting it on the table, you grab your laptop and bring it to the table.
A one way ticket to Coville, Washington is $105 from Phoenix. Guess the cosmos are in your favor because one leaves tomorrow at 1100 hours.
Grabbing your laptop bag, you shut down your laptop and slid it in with the charger. Tucking it into your suitcase, you finally grab your coffee and take a seat on your couch, putting on a movie at low volume to play in the background.
Sighing, you pull up the group chat.
You : Hey guys, how's it going?
Jesse is now online.
Dan is now online.
Jesse: Hey! Haven't heard from you all day. You alright?
You : Yeah, I'm good. Just been at work, you know how it is.
Jesse: Silly me! Forgot you have a life outside of meeting us 😂
You : Hey Dan! How are you feeling?
Dan: Like I've been in a wreck.
Jesse: Don't get me started again, Dan. You're a complete idiot for driving drunk.
You : Jess, take it easy. He's paid for his actions by a long shot, yeah?
You switch to a different chat and pull up the keyboard.
You : Hey. How're you doing?
??? is now online.
???: December. I am doing fine. Why?
You : Just checking on you before I head to bed.
???: Okay, well it is appreciated, however I am perfectly fine and do not need to be checked up on like an invalid.
??? is now offline.
You : Well fuck you too.
You sigh, immediately regretting the harsh language. Clearly he is just in a bad mood, which isn’t his fault. He has a lot to deal with. Hell, you all do. You return to the group chat to see them bidding each other goodnight.
You : Night y'all.
Jesse: 🙃
Dan is now offline.
Jesse is now offline.
You stand and go wash your cup, and set it in the drying rack. You then take a relaxing shower, before retiring to bed.
~~~
In Duskwood
You step out of the train that had taken you from the airport to the small town, rolling your suitcase behind you. Gazing around, you take in the beautiful forests and valleys that surround Duskwood.
A cheery red-head starts towards you, and you recognize her immediately as Jesse. Time to try out an alias, like you've seen in all those detective movies.
“Hey! Are you new in town? I've never seen you here before,” she said, reaching you.
“Yeah, I am. My baby sister has always wanted to live here, so I'm just scoping the area out. I'm not sending her to a place where crimes fill every corner.“ You converse pleasantly.
Her face drops a few centimeters, barely noticeable as sadness fills her eyes, though it's quickly replaced with curiosity.
“Yeah, Duskwood is normally pretty safe, but we've had our share, like anywhere else. I'm Jesse.“
She reached out a hand and you shook it firmly.
“I'm Dahlia. It's nice to meet you.“ You see her eyes flick to the tattoos that surround your forearms, a tribute to your namesake, December. Vibrant sleeves of icy forests and snowflakes falling on frozen lakes.
“I love your tattoos. Very detailed.“
You laugh lightly.
“Thank you. It's sort of an inside joke. Um, do you know of any good motels?“ You ask, to distract her.
“Oh yeah! There's one just down the road. On Cherry and Main. It's called Duskwood Delights. There's really no one there, Duskwood is a pretty small town. Say, what's your number? I'd love to show you around sometime, after you settle in.“
Shit. Best to lie.
“My phone is actually broken right now, but it should be fixed in a few days. My luck, I guess,” You smile sheepishly.
“Okay that's fine. Maybe we could meet up somewhere? My brother, Phil, owns a bar downtown. It's near the car repair place, Roger's Garage.“
Her tone saddened considerably.
“That sounds nice, Jesse. Thank you.“
“Yeah, no problem! See you tomorrow then? Maybe around 4?
“Awesome. See you!“
You two part and you make your way to the motel and rent a room. 45 bucks a night really isn't that bad. The question is why the hell is it so cheap? Roach Coach , you can’t help but think.
You put your bag down on the bed, and change into a fresher outfit, before laying a spare sheet you packed on the couch. Sitting down, you pull up the group chat.
Jesse: I just met this cool chick. She's new in town, name's Dahlia. We're meeting tomorrow at Phil's place. She seems really nice.
You : That's awesome Jesse!
Dan: I'll have to stop by.
Thomas: Cool.
Thomas is now offline.
You switch over to a private chat with Thomas.
You : Thomas. I need to tell you something. It's important this doesn't get to the others.
Thomas is now online.
Thomas: I'm not in the mood for games, December.
You : It has to do with Hannah.
Thomas: What? The pictures of her are already on my profile.
You : Listen to me. First promise you won't tell any of the others.
Thomas: Why?
You : Promise!
Thomas: Fine. I promise. Now what?
You : I need you to meet me at the Junkyard tomorrow morning, 8 am.
Thomas: Okay.
Thomas: Wait what? You're in Duskwood?
You : Remember how Jesse mentioned Dahlia?
Thomas: Why are you in Duskwood?
You : The kidnapper called me. Told me to come to Duskwood. Said that they would release Hannah and Richie if I did. Said they used to know me. Wanted to know if I was the person they thought I was.
Thomas: Really??
Thomas: When?
Thomas: Richie is alive???
You : 2 hours after I meet you tomorrow. I just need someone to know, so that there's someone to pick them up. And yes, that's what they said at least.
Thomas: If this is true, well, I'll thank you when I get my girlfriend and best friend back.
Thomas is now offline.
You sigh and crawl into bed as it was already quite late.
~~~
Next day
You walk to Roger's Garage, also known as the Junkyard, and see Thomas already standing there. You're wearing a simple black tank top that reveals your muscular arms, with black skinny jeans, a black watch around your left wrist, and a silver cross dangling from a titanium chain around your neck.
Thomas is turned around, not looking at you so you tap his shoulder. He turns around abruptly. He studies you for a moment, his gaze lingering on both your tattoos and the scar that extends from under your eye to the bottom of your right ear.
“Those tattoos are pictures on your profile. I thought they were paintings.“ He said finally.
“Hm, Jesse hadn't made that connection. Suppose I forgot they were even on my page. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you understood. They'll be delivered to the clinic exactly two hours from now.“
“Well, okay December. I hope you're not pushing my buttons.“
You turned away and pulled out your phone as he walked away. You pull your plane ticket out and take a picture of it in front of the garage, and send it to the kidnapper. They simply send back an address.
You sigh, and mentally prepare yourself.
What the fuck did I just sigh up for?