Elkwood Falls IC

[Tarnis Cross]

Thread Owner: Tarnis Cross
GM:N/A
OOC Link: Elkwood Falls OOC (Still Open)

V. Character List

Username / Character Name / Age / Gender / Job / Rank (If applicable)

Tarnis Cross / Aaron Thomas Bracket / 49 / Male / Police Officer / Sheriff

Northstar / Alden Burke / 33 / Male / Town Physician & Mortician / N/A

MissKatieKullU / Katherynn Rose Morgan / 26 / Female / Police Officer / Deputy Sheriff

Shannon / Jessie Turner / 20 / Female / Pet Shop Manager / N/A

Fabricant491 / Connor Norwood / 32 / Male / Teacher at EFHS / N/A

Northstar / Jonathan Raymond Burke / 32 / Male / Self Employed / N/A

MrsBrisbee / Jackson Hewitt / 25 / Male / N/A / N/A

MrsBrisbee / Mae(May) Hewitt / 23 / Female / Waitress at local cafe / N/A

Kirra / Ryan Miles / 18 / Male / Mechanic / N/A

Kirra / Lily Miles / 10 / Female / Student / N/A

Fabricant / Claire Harcross / 25 / Female / Hair Stylist / N/A

Apollo Solaris / Ceridwin Bracket / 17 / Female / Book Shop Employee / N/A

- - - Updated - - -

Sheriff Aaron Thomas Bracket

Aaron Bracket stood silently with his arms crossed over each other at the Elkwood Falls small airstrip on the outside of town. Breathing out his breath came in cold mists as the last of the medium size jets was firing up. A short distance away there were three people standing on the air strip one was an older male, even in the fading light his balding head was gleaming, in front of him stood a woman of the same age and a young girl. They would soon be leaving to visit family in the warmer parts of the states, it was actually common thing this time of the year. A lot of people left during what they called longa Noite which was Portuguese for long night. The truth was that most of the people in Elkwood were simple people, and the long days of night was to much for some to handle, but Aaron knew that some were scared of other things, the history of this town during longa Noite was... less then inviting. Aaron in all honesty had no real clue as to why these events took place, long nights through the years he had investigated these disappearance but nothing was ever discovered no bodies, nothing at all. It was hard sometimes trying to hide the fact from the people of the town, he was an honest man by nature, but if told the people he truly had no idea what was going on they would be scared. Most were ignorant to the fact of these disappearances and regrettably Aaron tried to keep it that way, he did not wish to see panic. Suddenly without warning Aaron was thrown from his thoughts as he felt tiny arms grasp his legs, looking down the young girl who was his niece held him tightly. Aaron smiled as he bent down and picked up, she was like a piece of paper to him light as air. Probably all those years of weightlifting during his time as a marine.

"Well hi there cutey going on a big adventure are you?"

Aaron spoke to the young girl with a smile as he nuzzled her cheek with his own, putting her up higher he did a rocket ship motion as she squealed with relative joy and laughed as he brought to a landing an knelt down to his knee.

"Are you gonna bring your Uncle Tom a souvenir from California?"

The young girl nodded her head with a big toothy grin, he knew she had no idea what a souvenir was but he like to see her smile. She had just started talking not that long ago but she still liked to smile and nod more then anything. Looking up Aarons closest friend came up to him with a smile as he spoke.

"Tell Uncle Tom your going to miss him lots sweetheart."

The young looked at Aaron with another toothy smile and spoke a few words.

"Muiss.. Unkel Toom".

Aaron and his friend laughed heartily as they praised the young girl, giving her a big hug Aaron handed the young girl to her father as he put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"Hope you all have a safe flight, make sure to get some sun for me, in fact you might want to send me some in a bottle."

"You should come with us Tom, its been never since you see the outside world of this town. Our family would be happy to meet you, we have told them all about you and we have more then enough room. You and your daughter should both come with us, we would love to have you both."

Aaron more then anything wanted to leave just for a little while but he could not, he knew that he could not go, not with the lingering of Longa Noite on his mind. He could not leave his town now not after what has happened under his watch. He would stay with these people to make sure he would keep them as safe as he could. Aaron wanted his daughter to go with them, he feared for her so much but she was stubborn like him and wouldn't go, she hated the thought of leaving for reasons he couldn't get her to tell him.

"Maybe next year, got a lot of work to get down around town, Longa Noite does not stop for no man or the work it brings to us."

Aarons friend gave him that knowing but disappointed smile as he nodded his head, walking up both him and his daughter in his arms gave Aaron a double hug. Looking over Aaron saw his friends wife, letting his he walked over to her and also gave her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Safe flight"

"You stay safe Aaron, when we come back I am bringing you a nice woman from California"

Aaron laughed a little as that is something he would expect his brother to say not his brothers wife he nodded with a smile as he turned and joined her husband and daughter and boarded the plane. They all waved as the door to the place close shut. Minutes later the plane began to move, Aaron put up his hand as he waved to them. Within minutes the plane gather speed and left the ground and slowly disappeared turning into a small black dot. Aaron silently looked up as the sun was gone a night was upon the small town of Elkwood Falls, one of many, as the wind blew shrilly Aaron looked at his watch. It was time to get back to the station, the first nights were always bit troubled on those that found it harder to cope. Turning round Aaron hopped into his police vehicle which was a 4x4 Tyota truck with chains on the tires. Cranking the heat up he picked up the hand set on the dash.

"This is Sheriff Bracket, returning to the station from the Elkwood Falls Airport. Tell my daughter I am okay I know how she likes to worry all the time."

Smiling thinking about it Aaron placed the head set on its holder and put the truck in gear and pulled out of the tarmac as he got onto the small road back to home.

[Apollo Solaris]

Ceri looked up from her book to smile at an officer letting her know that her father was on his way back. The officer left the office, closinng the door behind him. Ceri liked to spend time in her father’s office. She wouldn’t admit it to her father, of course, but it was the place where she felt safest. Nothing at all could happen to her here. She tried to hide it from everyone, especially her father, but Longa Noite scared the shit out of her. Her thoughts strayed as she wondered if she might be one of the disappeared this time. She shook her head, a strand of dark hair falling over her face. She brushed it behind her ear.

She was sitting on a small sofa she had bought for her dad a few years ago. It was meant for the nights when her father would stay at the station overnight. She would sometimes sleepover too. She sometimes wondered why they even had a house since they both practically lived at the station. She stood from her spot on the sofa, laying her book down after saving her spot with a bookmark. She went to her father’s desk and turned on the computer. YouTube would help pass the time until her father arrived; and would help take her mind off the fact that Longa Noite was upon them. Maybe she should have left with her uncle. But she couldn’t bear leaving her father alone. He needed someone to take care of him while he took care of everyone else. it must be a difficult burden.

She smiled as she searched for some cute and funny cat pictures on google. She picked one and made it her father’s wallpaper. She’d been doing that ever since she knew how to use the computer. Her father would turn on the monitor only to see random pictures of cats, dogs, or anything cute or funny she could find. He probably hated it, or not, but it was fun to watch his reaction to each image. It was sort of their thing now. This image was that of a white cat looking up with big round eyes. She smiled again. He was probably going to like this one.

[MrsBrisbee]

The familiar roar of a motorcycle made itself known as the leather clad rider kicked the machine into drive, revving on the throttle a couple of times before giving on the gas. His brilliant eyes were hidden behind the dark frames he wore, he wouldn't be needing those for much longer. Endless darkness was almost upon them, something he had grown accustomed to over the years, mostly because it meant double shifts for the local police station, and they had this way of getting in his way. He weaved through the minimal traffic out on the streets, not bothering to stop at the deserted stop sign as he made his way towards town. A few glanced up at the noise his chopper made, some had looks of envy, others annoyance, he could care less about what any of them thought. The sun continued to sink lower behind the distant snow covered mountains, it hadn't risen very high in the first place and it was expected that this was likely to be the last time they'd see any sign of it for the next few months. He was aware of the fear that spread throughout the tiny community during this time of year, it never seemed to bother him, in fact he found it easier when a majority of the population was off living their life else where. Still, he couldn't stem all of the concern this endless night brought, he'd do whatever he needed in order to keep his sister safe.

He didn't take the time to slow down as he pulled up onto the sidewalk and hit the brakes, screeching sounds marred the air and great black tire tracks were left behind him as smoke lifted off the ground and the smell of burnt rubber mingled with other familiar scents. He didn't bother with a helmet, no concern for his own life, maybe a small part of him hoped that he would have an accident, he'd never admit that to anyone. He slipped into the dimly lit diner/cafe before removing his sunglasses and sliding them into his pocket. A few glanced in his direction, but none of those eyes lingered on him as he walked towards the counter. He could hear a father scolding his teenage daughter for staring, he couldn't blame the poor girl, he wasn't disappointing to look at. He didn't bother looking to see whose attention he had managed to grab, his sights were set on the dark haired beauty behind the counter. Her hair pulled up in a messy pony tail and tired eyes proving that she had been working far too long. "You promised you'd stop working these double shifts" he said, sliding into one of the stools nearest.

Mae didn't look up from the ticket in her hands, replying in a simple tone "I have bills to pay too Jay" she told him before she made a few scribbles on the paper and slipped it onto the hot pass for the cook to see. At last she turned her attention to him, her eyes were a brilliant blue in color, one of the only things the two had in common looks wise. "You know I could pay those for you..." he stated, though he knew she'd never accept it. She didn't know where or how he made his money, she had no care of ever finding out, that was his business, but she refused to take a dime of it. She was so innocent, too much so at times, almost naive about things... although he wondered if that was intentional, she pretended not to notice the darker side of his life, and he could only admire her for that. "The sun's gone down... we might not have day light for a while..." he informed her, though she too had grown up in the small town, she had lived through the darkness, he opened his mouth to continue but she shot him down instantly "Don't say it Jay, I'm not leaving. I can handle the dark months just fine" she assured him setting a cup of coffee in front of him. "Stop worrying about me Jay, I'll be just fine" this was her way of telling him to drop the conversation, she had this way of sweeping her own worries for herself under the rug, she wasn't going to leave so long as he stayed here and he couldn't leave, not without putting both their lives in danger. "You gonna need a ride?" he asked, glancing up at the clock, she followed his gaze, another half and hour before her shift was up. "I'll be fine" she assured him once again with that award winning smile. He met her gaze for a moment before slipping off of the bar stool, his eyes finding the teenage girl who had been spending the time hoping to catch his attention, now that she had a deep blush was forming on her cheek, he shot her a crooked smile before stepping back outside into the ridged cold.

[Shannon]

Jessie was real proud of her new Business. Stepping out of her Pet Shop doors, she quickly turned around to see all the families exiting town. You see it was a well known thing these days as Longa Noite was coming up, but Jessie did not know anything about this time of the year. She turned the lock to her shop door and as the rust clicked it locked the door shut. Jessie started walking up to a group of people she clearly doesn't know.. "What is happening here?" Jessie said to a well known Sheriff of the town, Aaron Brackett. As she didn't know what was happening she just thought to herself 'This may be the time of the year that families go on vacation'. Looking at all the children playing and laughing with their families, Jessie soon got upset. She misses her family absolutely tons, although she was upset, Jessie had the mix feeling of happiness also. She always wanted a family of her own and that is her dream.

Jessie walked past the commotion, thinking 'Why? Why all these families leaving the village on the same day?'. It was around 2 in the afternoon, Jessie was walking up a cobbled road to her lovely country cottage. Pushing open her gate to her front garden there was her beautiful black cat, Mia. "Mia moo, how has your day been?" Jessie said in a calm voice to her cat as she was unlocking her front door. Of course Mia cannot reply but Jessie has always spoke to her cat ever since she got her as a 8 week old kitten 13 months ago.

[Northstar]

"Bed rest, lots of water, and heat... DO try to avoid going outdoors for a while now, understand?"

Alden was tending to his final patient of the day, an older lady from about town. She was the kind of lady that set about in her home all day waiting for her children to call and when they didn't she would cook up a new ailment and head on down to the doctors office to try and scoop up some sympathy and have a chat. He felt almost sorry for the woman, after all, most of her friends were dead. Alden would know, anyone that died in this little burg was processed by him and he made a very comfortable living doing it. Looking at this woman now, she looked like a corpse. Bathed in the pale golden glow of the setting sun which illuminated the cracks and folds in her skin. Alden however, was going to have none of it today, he handed her a small tin of sugar pills to ease her mind off of her non-existent ailment and saw her to her vintage '94 Ford Lincoln.

"Have a pleasant evening Mrs.McAdam" He said pleasantly as she climbed in. Alden (thankfully) dropped the cheerful facade and returned to his clinic, switching the open sign to closed on his way up to his modest home above the office.

The chill in the air and the fantastic sunset were all Alden needed to remind him that Longa Noite was creeping on the horizon, he never quite understood exactly what the towns fascination with this time of year was. Why everyone was so keen to stat indoors and speak paranoid rumors in hushed tones... he never understood why, It was this time of the year when Mr. Alden Burke felt so alive.

---

The last few rays of the dying sunlight filtered through the frost-coated windows of the old lodge, in between the shutters to land squarely on JR's closed eyes. Bright enough to rouse him from his hung over sleep and get him off the tired and raggedy leather couch that doubled as his bed. As he stood, a pie-tin and a half crumpled pack of cigarettes rolled off his chest and dropped to the floor.

"Sheeee-it" He mumbled, rubbing his eyes and scratching the back of his head "Musta drank a bite more then I thought I did..."

JR had in fact, been drunk since 9am, having brought in two meaty young deer and a handful of rabbits this past monday, the towns butcher hadnt called him up and asked for any more wild meat. Didn't much help that lots of people were more into eating pork, beef and chicken, all things easily bought down at the local co-op. Long story short, JR had been out of the job for a while, however; that suited him just fine. He was perfectly content to hunt for his own pantry, drink til he was stupid and drive his old pickup around town picking up broken appliances that people wanted fixed to work on them in his down-time. JR was far different from his brother, but not when it came to Longa Noite. JR could proudly boast at the bar that Longa Noite could suck his country boy **** because he'd have none of the superstition. After all, Longa Noite was a hell of a time to go out for a hunt.

[Fabricant451]

Claire dropped the cigarette to the sidewalk and lightly stamped it out. She was leaning against the front window of the barber shop, her shift officially over for the day - and not a moment too soon. If she had to listen to another old hag talk about her cat or the history of the town as she tried to salvage a head of hair that was better off falling, Claire was likely to accidentally snip an ear. With a heavy sigh, Claire slipped another cigarette from her pack and began smoking; it calmed her, even as she got more than a few dirty looks from families walking past. They were lucky she didn't blow smoke all over their groceries. Or right in their faces. With another sign, Claire tossed the second cigarette into the street, not bothering to kill it completely. With any luck it would roll into the sewers and hit a gas line or something equally as unlikely.

"It's about that time, hmm?" Claire spoke to herself, looking towards the setting sun. Maybe this year those catty customers with their cat chats would vanish. Better yet, she thought to herself with the faintest of smiles, maybe she'd vanish and leave this place for good. Wishful thinking. Having nothing better to do and enjoying the various suspicious looks, Claire continued to lean against the window and proceeded to light up a third cigarette.

~~~

The worst part of Connor's day was when he stayed late going over tests. Nothing was stopping him taking the work home, but he preferred to keep work matters in the workplace. He had just finished grading the final test, yet another D, and slipped the stack into his desk to distribute the next day. The office was empty, he had lost track of time during the grading process so he wasn't surprised that everyone else had gone home. Or maybe everyone else was so quick to leave due to Longa Noite, something Connor desperately wanted to study. As a former man of science he had to know what, exactly, was the cause.

But for now, Connor merely yawned. Another long day giving tests and lectures to a crowd of students who'd much rather waste away in front of a screen. That would explain all the low scores he just handed out. As he walked to his car he began to wonder how many of his students would complain about their scores and how many would blame it on the test being too hard. Seven years at this job and the excuses never changed.

Connor slid into his car. He debated stopping by the grocer's for some extra ingredients but another yawn made his destination clear. Assuming he didn't fall asleep at the wheel, he would simply return home and call it a night. He preferred it there, in his home. No one would make excuses for poor performance there.

[MissKatieKillU]

"Katherynn Rose Morgan you better listen to me! I don't want you out too late once Longa Noite starts, do you hear me?" A sigh escaped from the brunettes body as she listened to her paranoid mother ramble on. "Momma, you do understand that I am a POLICE OFFICER, right? I'm also twenty-six years old, own my own house, and pay my own bills. So, thanks for the advice, but it's my job to protect the people of this town, not yours." Before her mother could say another word, Kate clicked the "end call" button on her cell phone. This time of year was stressful enough at the station, but of course her mom had to pretend that Kate was still six years old drinking out of a sippy cup. Kate put her phone back into her jacket pocket and glanced at the radio in her office as Bracket radioed in his return.

The sun slowly sank down behind the mountains surrounding the small Alaskan town, and Kate knew that tonight was when her job really started. Most of the time in Elkwood Falls, the most the officers would have to do is deal with the town drunks, settle a domestic dispute, or investigate a minor break-in. But once Longa Noite started, the phones at the station rang almost non-stop... Kate walked out of her office and into the lounge where she poured herself a strong cup of coffee. God knows that she was going to need it.

An officer walked in to the room and gave Kate that "you know what I'm about to say" look. "Okay, okay... how many have already called in tonight?" The dispatch officer frowned and sighed himself, "We've had 4 concerned citizen calls already and the sun set ten minutes ago... gonna be a long one officer Morgan." He gave her a small shrug and then walked out to return to his duties at the phone, which had already began ringing again. Kate took a few drinks from her coffee mug and then filled it up to the brim again. She took in a deep breath and then walked out of the lounge, preparing herself for a long night. For some reason, the first night of Longa Noite was the worst, probably because all of the townspeople were anticipating the start of the dark months for weeks now...

"Okay boys, you know the drill. When the Sheriff get's back he's going to only want a report of the credible calls. No point in keeping tabs on every call-in about how someone's dog hasn't been home in an hour. Serious issues only. Let the towns folk know that the EFPD is working hard 'round the clock to keep everyone safe." Kate took a seat at one of the desks and started going through the reports for the night, picking out the ones that had merit and placing the ones that were bogus into another pile. She turned back to the other officers in the room and gave them a weak smile, "And you might as well make yourselves comfortable, we've got work to do."

[Tarnis Cross]

Sheriff Aaron Thomas Bracket

Aaron clicked the wipers all the way on as snow was falling like mortars in war. The snow storm started out of no where about a few miles back and he still had a few miles to go to town. Visibility was damn near gone, this was not the best thing for the first night of Longa Noite. He knew well he would have case files up the ass when he got back to the Station most of them being missing pets an the usual town drunk causing property damage at the local pub. Reaching into his pocket Aaron pulled a pack of Marlboros and stuck one in his mouth, funny how no one knew he smoked, for one reason or another people in Elkwood did not like when people smoked in town. Seeming he was out of town patrolling the more desolate locations of Elkwood half the time he found time to have a few. Technically his daughter would kill him if she found out he smoked, he always told her he would disown her if she touched a cigarette, joking of course but she would get him if she found out. Reaching forward Aaron grabbed the dash radio and tried to signal in he knew that storm would already be causing severe interference.

"This is Bracket over... this is Sheriff Bracket over..."

Aaron heard a lot of static an a garbled bit of response that he could barely make out. This was perfect the storm was only worsening, what was worse is out of twelve years this storm was among the worst he had seen. There had been nothing about a front moving in on the weather channel, something this big would have had advisory's. Putting his hand on the radio dial Bracket switched the radio on as all he heard was static, switching the channels it was all the same, which meant this storm was worse then he thought. Aaron picked up the receiver again as he was about to transmit but a sudden mass of black smashed into his wind shield shattering completely. Aaron screamed as glass flew and hit him straight in the face. Blood quickly seeped into his eyes from his forehead as Aaron swerved in the truck trying to see. Without warning Aaron felt the truck smash into something hard as his body flew forward hard, the seat belt locked as he flew back into the set as the air bags deployed. Aaron sat there for a couple minutes with his head against the back of the seat as he breathed in an out slowly the seat belt took the air out of his lungs.

"Jesus..."

Aaron spoke grainy as the airs was slowly coming back in, the snow hit him in the face from his shattered windshield as he slowly released the buckle. Reaching forward Aaron took up the receiver and tried to radio in.

"This is Bracket... suffered a collision in a storm... anyone hear me over... mile out of town"

Aaron knew that radio was probably damaged, putting his hand on the handle of the truck he wrenched it open as he fell out of the truck and hit the cold snow. Slowly regaining his feet and composure Aaron could still feel little pieces of glass in his face. What the hell had broken his wind shield like that? Walking slowly Aaron did he best to observe his wind shield in the storm. It has been shattered out right but by what? Looking closer he could see trace amounts of a black dripping substance, but it was quickly getting covered by snow. From the looks of it Aaron had swayed off the road and ran right into a tree to the side, the truck was dead, he was surprised he wasn't worse off. Thank god police vehicles were somewhat reinforced on the inside for collisions. The snow was falling harder now, Aaron went to the back side passenger door and opened it. Pulling out the black bag marked EFPD, he opened it as he pulled out a black ski mask, his face was already tangling from the cold, placing it carefully over his face an the little fragments of glass Aaron took his stetson from the back an placed it in the bag and zipped it up. Walking away from the truck Aaron made it back on to the road. This took him back to the winter of when he was 22 his unit was sent in to infiltrate a base in the upper ensconces of a mountain region, it was nestled in a crevice and could not be bomb especially at such an altitude. They had climbed in from a small ledge where they had a base camp.

They had climbed for days a few of them in storms hugging each other for warmth, this was just like that but way different and not as extreme. Breathing out a large whoosh of frozen air, Aaron tried to find what smashed his windshield but it was futile. The storm was to great and had already covered his tracks on the road. He would have to send for the truck when the storm passed. Turning Aaron steadied himself and began walking the rest of the mile back to Elkwood.

[Kirra]

The walk down Main Street was usually a peaceful one for Lily. However, today was quite different for her. From what she heard from the other students at Elkwood Middle School was that today was the beginning of longa noite and many of her fellow schoolmates as well as many citizens from Elkwood Falls would be leaving the town while it was shrouded with darkness. Lily didn’t mind though, besides the street brimming with cars and people as she walked down the street. She could have easily ridden the bus home from school, which would have been a much shorter trip. But she preferred the quietness she was able to enjoy walking to her brother’s work. She passes many different businesses on the way, but didn’t stop anywhere except for a few glances from the sidewalk. As she passed the police station, Lily wondered if she should stop by and see Ceri, Ryan’s friend, but decided against it and kept walking.

A cold breeze blew by as she entered Mike’s Auto Shop, from the weather report that morning Lily knew that a snow storm should be heading their way shortly and was probably sitting at the edge of the town at the moment. Turning her attention back at the shop, Lily could see that today was quite a busy day. Most of the staff was working today as many citizens were getting their cars ready for their trip out of town. Walking through the storefront, Lily walked to the back room where the break room was at. “Oh, hey there kiddo. How are you doing?” A man in his late forties said to her with a nametag the said ‘Mike’. Lily gave a small smile and sat down on one of the couches in front of the big screen TV without talking and grabbed the TV remote. Mike, the owner of the store was quite proud of his break room, stating that it was the best one in the whole town. “Ah, still not in the mood for talking, kiddo. Well, I got to get to work. There are some snacks in the fridge if you want some, though your brother should be getting off of work soon.”

Changing the channel to Disney Channel, Lily watched as she waited for her brother. After a few minutes she could hear some yelling coming from the other room between Mike and her brother, which Lily fought back by turning the volume higher until she couldn’t hear the noises surrounding her. After grabbing a cupcake and some soda from the fridge (a snack left just for her), Lily brought the volume down, glad to hear that the fighting has ceased.

~*~*~*~*~

“Hey Rookie, can you pass me the allen wrench…Rookie, there are some new costumer here, can you check the tire pressure… Don’t worry Johnny, the Rookie can handle that…”

Even though Ryan has been working with Mike for the last two months, he was still known by him as well as the other workers as the Rookie. Even though he has the knowledge to fix cars and was as great as or better than half of guys there, he was still known as the Rookie due to his age. However, Ryan knew that he had to keep his temper since he needed this job for Lily. The young girl went through quite a deal and Ryan vowed the day that they left their father that he would care and protect her form now on. He knew that if he lost this job, the two of them would suffer and he would not let that happen. Luckily, Ryan was glad that Mike was a laid back person and was a person that liked to joke around most of the time. He was fluent in sarcasm, much more than Ryan was, and enjoyed prodding Ryan since he was easily frustrated and was an easy target.

He wasn’t sure how long he worked, but guessed it was nearing the end of his shift when he heard his stomach grumble. Lily would soon arrive at the shop and afterwards, Ryan was planning surprising her by taking her out to eat. That was after he gave the book that Lily was borrowing back to Ceri. His sister liked the girl, though she hasn’t spoken to her yet, though she hasn’t spoken to anyone besides himself in the town as of yet.

“Hey Rookie, your sister is here.” Mike said as he walked up to him. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you, since it will only be the two of us working during the longa noite we will be working under a different schedule, though the pay will be doubled as well as an added bonus for working. You will be working during normal business hours, though only on Mondays Tuesdays and Fridays. I’ll be working on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturday. However, you must keep your phone on hand just in case if I need you or you need me. . On most days there is no one here, so use the break room as much as you and your sister want. However, make sure to come if I call you.” “Okay, that sounds good Mike.” “Alright Rookie, the longa noite is always an interesting time so make sure you keep your cool and enjoy the rest of the day off. Your sister is waiting.”

[Northstar]

JR's pickup was his pride and joy, lifted 18 inches and painted Midnight black. He took that thing everywhere and kept it as spotless as a vehicle up in Alaska ever could get. He had some huge mud tires under it, which right now where biting through the snow that was falling and it was almost like driving on nice smooth pavement. Now it probably helped that JR had been driving since he was six, although he'd never let Sheriff Brackett find out. JR was out on a hunt, his rifle sat next to him on the bench seat. His headlights, and the rack of lights on top of the truck cutting a bright swath through the blinding snow. JR had no music, only a scanner monitoring radio frequency, he found that any game worth the hunt would often be called in by the police and could be finished off by him. Only on this particular night he discovered that Elkwoods own Tom Brackett was in a bit of trouble:


"This is Bracket... suffered a collision in a storm... anyone hear me over... mile out of town"

Now there were only two ways out of town, but JR was fairly certain he took one particular route. The one he was on, and one mile, well that was where he was 'bout ten minutes ago.

"Shit, well I guess it's time for this home-boy to get in good with the sheriff" He mused to himself, as he executed a sloppy bootlegger turn and was off down the highway from where he came.

The snow seemed to be coming down harder now, but when he came upon the dead wreck of Bracketts wheels he at least knew he was in the right place. JR slowed to a crawl and switched on the brights. "Now where is you there Sheriff..." He muttered to himself as he began his search.

---

Alden Burke had spent the last few moments of daylight in his easy chair by the fire with a glass in one hand and a bottle of Wisers in the other. He liked to give himself plenty of time to sit around and brood, and to think. Alden was a very picky eater and an even pickier drinker. Beer disgusted him, most hard liquor made him feel like shit, and if he were to ever drink whiskey it'd have to be aged. The sad thing is, in this sleepy little town that's all Alden had to think about, is what he'd drink in his down time. Although, with Longa Noite upon them, h figure things were going to wake up fairly soon.

Moments later, when Alden received a call from his brother, he knew things were already getting started: "Yeah, I'm out lookin' for the Sheriff, looks like he had a bit a trouble on the road n im gonna bring him back here when I find him if he's hurt, so don't go nowhere, hear?"

Alden heard, and he put the bottle away. Yes, the events of Longa Noite had begun earlier than expected this year.