Coming soon...I'm so sorry.

Coming soon...I wish I could feel your face one last time.

"... Hurry up, it's gaining on us!"

A girl shouted it was the dead of the Louisana night - it was hot and muggy, and one could hear the crickets and other such critters in the distance. However, the last thing that was getting paid attention to was anything except for the massive footsteps behind the group of four girls that were running through an open plain, away from the swamp. The girl in front turned around to see that thing that was chasing after them... in the dead of the night, they could only see its glowing red eyes and only pieces of its vaguely human face. While it was humanoid, it was far from human.

She wasn't paying attention and tripped on a root and fell to her hands and knees - but she was quick to be pulled up to her feet by girl behind her. "Don't look back!" She shouted as they ran until they made it to a black gate, they quickly shined the flashlight on it and saw that it was very poorly and hastily chained shut - there was a large enough track for four skinny girls to fit through. The first two slide through seamlessly, and the third got through while it was approaching - but when the last girl tried to squeeze through, her upper arm was grabbed by the thing - its red eyes shined. She screamed at the top of her lungs as she was being pulled into the darkness.

The lead girl turned around and stretched her hand out shouting, "STEPHAINE!"

She was quickly pulled away by one of the others, who said,

"C'mon, Frances! It's too late for her!"

They kept running, hearing the sounds of Stephaine getting beaten to death by that thing which was louder than her screams... who shortly came to a stop. They couldn't hear the thing coming after them anymore as they ran up to the the old mansion. They ran up to the front door which was conspicuously open and they all ran inside and closed the large doors behind them and locked it.

The fourth girl sighed as she turned around to face Frances and pointed at her. "What the fuck was that!? What the fuck did you drag us into!?" She went over to Frances and pushed her to the ground, who began hysterically sobbing. "All of this over some bitch that doesn't even exist, you crazy bitch!"

"I-I'm so sorry!" Frances shouted as she rolled around in the fetal position.

"Rita!" Jody shouted. "Chill! We all chose to come here, we can get out of this."

"That... thing got Stephaine and Angie!" Rita shouted as she pointed at the door.

"And we're still here!" Jody back. "Now, calm the fuck down and get your shit together... you too, Frances! That thing will be on top of us again soon if we stand here arguing!"

"You all do whatever the fuck you want!" Rita shouted as she walked down the hall, looking back at them and flipping them off with the one hand that wasn't on a flashlight, "I'm getting the fuck out of-" As she walked through the door frame she was stopped by an object in her way.

She looked up and saw its red eyes open.

Rita screamed as the creature wrapped its arms around her and pulled her into the shadows - and the screams faded away.

"C'mon! We gotta go!" Jody shouted as the ladies quickly turned and cut tail, absolutely hauling ass out of there, until they reached the end of the hall and they opened the door to enter a library. They quickly closed the door behind them and shined the flashlights around themselves, there were aisles upon aisles of old books... none of them were books they recognized and they were not really looking for them as they searched around for a way out of there. That thing was going to catch up soon... and they made it to the middle of the room which had stacks of different books - one of them opened. This place was odd... oddly clean for a place that is usually abandoned building. Jody shined the flashlight around and saw there was a catwalk above them, with stairs right in front of-

The door that they entered through opened and they quickly dipped off to the side, hiding behind a bookshelf as that thing's footsteps could be heard. They were heavy as if the thing weighed a thousand pounds, but was somehow able to get the drop on them more than once. It was almost like he was making more noise to toy with them, but this time there was a dragging sound. There was the sound of something hitting the table and Frances couldn't help herself but peek.

It was Rita's lifeless body thrown into the room - her neck had been wrung to the point where her head was barely hanging on. It was bruised and horrific and Frances couldn't help but scream.

"Frances!" Jody shouted as she could hear the thing running right for them, Jody thought fast and hauled ass for the staircase but that thing was fast. They could hear its footsteps approaching quickly and-

Frances tripped over a book and Jody turned around to see that thing step on her back and she loudly screamed. Jody could hear her fucking spine snap as her heart beat so hard it felt like it was about to finally give out She stepped backward, shining her flashlight at the thing - finally getting a full view of the thing.

Jody didn't even hear the growling off to the side as she screamed.

---

---

The German transplant didn't know what was worse.

The fact that she had to go to Ass-nowhere Louisana or the fact that there was no connection out here. Probably a mixture of both as Jasmine was awkwardly playing games on her phone - something that she never does - to pass the time as she wasn't in the conversing mood. The fact that she couldn't find an Uber or a Taxi willing to drive from Lafayette to Quintin was strange as is. She had to hitch a ride with a stranger, a resident of the place that was just stopping by Lafayette. She, of course, compensated them for the ride, she would do that much. It was the only way to get into Quintin without walking and honestly, Jasmine would rather get kidnapped than risk walking through these roads. She watched the swamps as she rode in the backseat of the car... they were thick. They were full of dead trees, fog, and plants, and you couldn't see that far ahead and Jasmine wished that she would never step foot in that.

Coming completely unexpectedly; they finally made it past the thick swamp and finally arrived in Quintin. It was like she was in the thickest swamp in the world and then there was this little tiny piece of civilization in the middle of all of it. Just cut out... it was a little jarring but Jasmine was unsure of this was just the end of it. It was a quick drive to where that weirdo Jennifer told everyone to meet at this place known as the "Webb Family Coffee House". She pulled up on the street and saw it directly at the end with several houses and different businesses that were of no concern to Jasmine as she was focusing on the coffee house business. She was hoping that the coffee wasn't ass as she marched down the street...

... Then this weirdo in an orange cloak bumrushed her. She had a wide and very concerning smile on her face as she presented to Jasmine a flower. A bright pink petunia flower in fact. The weirdo opened her mouth and said, "You look like you could use your day brightened! Here you go!" She forced the flower into Jasmine's hand and simply skipped away.

Jasmine stared at her as she walked away... confused as all get out as to what just happened. She looked down at the flower and figured that it was, at the very least, a very nice flower. Maybe it didn't brighten Jasmine's day, but she held onto it as she walked into the Coffee house and breathed in the quaint, rustic vibe of the place. It wasn't very crowded, and there was a small number of people in the building - including a black girl with glasses that caught Jasmine's eye for a second. Just a second. The place was nice... it would be better if they didn't have the window wide open, letting in the smell of that smelly ass swamp. In the middle of the room was a giant table with a bunch of wooden chairs pushed against it, with a cute little sign that said RESERVED.

At the head of the table was none other than Jennifer Caspin, their organizer. Jasmine briefly looked at her phone, as Jen had sent her a picture of herself and it was without a doubt her. There was this Spanish girl with dreads there that looked trashy as all get out... Americans. Giving Jennifer a calm wave, Jasmine sat down at the far end of the table, contemplating if she wanted to play with her life and get some coffee.

---

---

The group that Jennifer had gathered began to trickle in one by one... and Jennifer had a hot, steaming cup of coffee that she held in both hands. When a large enough group had finally amassed in the room, at her table, she placed the cup of coffee on the table. This wasn't everyone but they were short on time - night would fall very soon and Jennifer didn't want to be out there at night... not with the things that she heard about being out there at night. She figured that she should just get started with it, already.

"Hello, let's get started - Hi, I'm Jen or Jenny- nobody calls me Jennifer or anything like that - but I think you all should know why I gathered you all here today?" She started off the meeting with that question, as she looked from left and right.

"Eleanor Black," Jasmine took the initiative and spoke.

"So, could we um start with some introductions? I know, I know... I think if we're going to be working together, we should at least know each other's names? Maybe also explain who Eleanor Black is, and anything, I mean anything we can use to find her? I want to get out of this town fast as possible. I already found some leads, but, you know, let's get to know each other and then decide what we want to do, as a group."

Streets of Quintin > The Webb Family Coffee House

---

It was fucking hot.

Charlie should've expected it, cause they were in a swamp. Well, a town in one. She'd packed for all weather, cause back home it could change in the blink of an eye, but there were only so many layers she could take off. Here she was in a tank top and shorts feeling well out of place in a very unfriendly town. She'd scraped her hair back into a tight bun (which also wasn't enjoying the heat and lack of treatment after a long flight) to help keep her cool, but it really wasn't doing much. She really wasn't enjoying it here, what with the strangers looks, the heat and the beginnings of a throbbing headache.

Shoulda listened to the warning of the truck driver who gave her a lift most of the way there, for the payment of her delivering the tiny amount of packages he had for Quintin. He'd seemed put off by the town, if not scared... But it hadn't really fazed Charlie. Now she was here she could sorta see why. The swamp itself was spooky, the kind of thing she'd seen in horror movies her and her dad used to watch together when they had more time. It would be all too easy to get lost and completely disappear. A bit of a sobering thought. She'd definitely be avoiding going in there. No wonder her mum had been so against bringing her here. Wasn't exactly a picturesque hometown to take your kid to.

It wasn't difficult to find the meeting place. The town wasn't exactly huge, and there weren't that many coffee houses. She couldn't wait to get inside, and cool down in the lovely, air conditioned-

Of course it didn't have air conditioning. Charlie had quickly grown used to it being in buildings here, but she'd also spent most of her time jumping between fast food chains. Of course McDonalds had air conditioning but this tiny family ran cafe didn't. She was just going to suffer through the heat, then.

Inside the place Charlie made a beeline for the counter, getting a coffee more out of habit than necessity. By some miraculous luck she'd been working the night shift that last few weeks, which had made getting an early flight hellish but adjusting to the different timezone relatively easy. She was pretty much already living in it anyway. It was the one saving grace in a bunch of shitty circumstances. Like, she wasn't tired cause of the time difference but rather cause she'd gotten on a plane hours after a shift and had travelled way too far in two days. So yeah, maybe the coffee was actually a necessity.

It tasted like shit.

Charlie grimaced, before forcing herself to suffer through with another sip. She surveyed the place as she did, gaze flickering past the few people there before she found what she was looking for. A large table in the middle with three girls sitting around it now - one she recognised, the organiser of this whole affair, and the other two presumably just like her.

"Hi!" Charlie gave a way too energetic greeting for someone running on four hours of sleep, smiling brightly at the group. She took a seat in the middle of the table, one that gave her a view of the door to see others coming in. Normally she'd start up conversation right away, but she sat quietly while sipping on her coffee. She was as close as possible to being tired for someone with constant energy, so she'd wait until everyone else was here. By then the caffeine would've taken effect too.

The table filled up, and they finally got started.

Jennifer asked for their names. A standard question, though explaining who Eleanor Black was not so much.

"I guess I'll start," Charlie said, looking around everyone with a smile. "I'm Charlie and I came all the way from Newcastle cause of all this. Eleanor Black is- well, was, maybe- my mum. Kinda fucked up to suddenly find out half your DNA isn't what you thought it was, since now there's some other woman claiming to be my mum. Even my dad doesn't remember her."

She shrugged, seemingly unbothered by it. It was easy to ignore the constriction of her chest, the fluttered panic, and keep a calm facade.

"As for leads, I don't have much. Mum never went into much detail about her hometown. She really didn't like talking about her family and would always avoid my questions about them... Even though I was pretty annoying about it as a child. I bet they know something, but I ain't got anything more than that."

---

“Mommy, there’s a monster in my closet.”

A bleary eyed woman opened her eyes to a darkened room, the fuzzy shape of a childlike figure staring back at her. The voice was girlish but the words came out wrong, sounding more like a bored adult than a frightened child. Slowly Neko sat up in her bed. Her head hummed with a pain so sickening that she felt like she must’ve woken up in that treacherous time of night where the empty joys of drunkenness sharply accepted the harsh realities of a hangover. However, it was the eye-watering stench that made her clap a hand to her mouth and gag, just barely managing to hold the reflex at bay before the smell disappeared. Her hand reached out and brushed the alarm clock, causing it to illuminate the time: three in the morning. The light was blinding.

“Come here, sweetie,” said Neko as she slid. Her daughter slipped under the sheets and pressed herself against Neko as Neko drew her into a comforting hug, closed her eyes, and laid back down. “You just had a nightmare. You know there’s no such thing as monsters.”

“I know…” said the little voice. The room became silent except for Neko’s restful, deep breathing as she began to fall back to sleep. Then—

“Mommy, I guess there’s a person in my closet.”

Neko’s eyes shot open as her veins froze solid, the hairs on her arm bolting up just as fast as she did. She heard a loud bump. Logic would argue that it could’ve just been a neighbor stomping around upstairs or a car door slamming shut on the street, but she knew it came from her daughter’s room. A home invader? She sat unmoving for what felt like minutes, her eyes staring at her open bedroom door, failing to adjust to the murky blackness that laid outside of it.

Slowly she crept out of her bed, whispering to her daughter to stay put, and grabbed her keys from her purse that she’d dropped on the floor, unfolding the small knife she kept on her keychain. Neko became hyper aware of her surroundings. She could feel every floorboard beginning to groan as she put the weight of her foot down, she could hear her heart thumping in her chest, she could sense every second passing by, each one feeling like its own eon. The creaking of her daughter’s door might as well have been an explosion unearthing a tomb with how loud it was. Neko paused, her eyes unflinching from the slightly ajar closet door, and waited. Nothing happened, so she made the first move and leaped for the closet door and tore it open.

She screamed and dropped the knife, catching the convulsing body of her daughter Nora, no more a child but a seventeen-year-old girl, her mouth foaming red and choking, her face contorted and purpled, her eyes bulging in panic. Nora’s hands were tightly clawed around her own throat, blood bubbling between her fingers, choking to death. Neko tried to pull them away, but she couldn’t break Nora’s grip. She tried to call for help but her voice broke. She was powerless to do anything but watch as her daughter’s body jerked and twisted.

“Mommy,” snarled the little voice from behind her, no longer so little. She could feel its presence looming over her. She winced as its claws digged into her shoulders. She caught the outline of its toothy maw in her peripherals as it hissed. “You cannot save her.”

“I’m sorry?” said Neko groggily as she was awoken, the wrinkled hand of an old woman dressed in the uniform of a flight attendant shaking her shoulder, the morbid scene unfolding in her daughter’s room transforming into the mundane airplane cabin of a budget flight.

“I said you cannot sleep here, ma’am,” said the old lady, roughly shoving Neko’s carryon at her. “We need to prepare for the next flight. Welcome to Louisiana. Now scoot it.”

---

---

Between her inflight nightmare and the creep factor of driving through backwater roads, Neko was already a bundle of high-strung nerves when she arrived in Quintin. The last thing she needed was to introduce caffeine into her already anxious state of existence, a thought she reminded of herself as she shakily wiped away the sweat on the outside of the plastic cup of her second iced coffee. The Webb Family Coffee House, unlike Quintin that triggered all of the city girl’s small town fears, was cute and reminiscent of the kind of places she would perform in.

Technically, she was putting on a performance right now, although one of a different variety. Neko fancied herself a musician after all, not an actress—that was more of her daughter’s thing. Still, it didn’t mean that Neko wasn't currently acting like a calm and collected adult fully capable of keeping her shit together. She’d even worn a button-up blouse with a collar, the pinnacle marking of maturity and responsibility if there ever was one. The heart-print design of the red and white shirt even unintentionally matched the heart-shaped locket hung around Neko’s neck.

Neko didn’t immediately sit at the table marked reserved out of her own reservations. Instead, she took a table in the corner, close enough to eavesdrop, but far enough to not make it look like it had been chosen precisely for that reason. She’d experienced enough catfishing in her days of online dating to know that it was smart to give herself some plausible deniability if the person who showed up didn’t look like the person in the photo. If things seemed too sketchy, she could just slip away silently. Plus, there was the nagging feeling that all of this was an actual delusion and she didn’t want to risk crashing some old lady book club.

Neko even remained separate when the familiar face of Jennifer Caspin arrived, only turning her chair ever so slightly to face the group when they started to talk. Neko felt her chest tighten and her eyes well up as the first girl introduced herself as Eleanor Black’s daughter. A weird cocktail of pride and confusion swirled around inside of Neko. Did this make her Charlie’s grandmother? And how was her daughter younger than Charlie? No, it was just simply impossible for them to be the same Eleanor. So then a bunch of separate Eleanor Blacks came from Quintin then? Judging by the amount of people gathered around the table, that also seemed ridiculous.

“What was she like?” blurted out Neko, knocking over her chair as she stood up—goodbye calm and collected. She didn’t care anymore. Part of her wanted to test and see if their Eleanors were the same; another part believed it to be true already and wanted to know that her daughter made a good mother.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m just—” Happy that she’s not crazy? She awkwardly picked up her fallen chair and dragged it over to the table, leaving her drink behind. Neko nudged her way in to sit next to Charlie. “I’m just getting ahead of myself.”

“I’m Neko, um, Neko Carbella. I’m from New Jersey and I’m Eleanor Black’s mother?” said Neko with a nervous, uncertain laugh followed by a heavy exhale and a fanning of herself with her hands. “Holy shit, this is crazy, okay. My Eleanor goes by Nora, she is seventeen, a little shorter than me, long black hair, a little too skinny, way too smart for her own good, like how? Very creative, absolutely obsessed with musical theater which is,” Neko cleared her throat, “y’know, her thing.”

“She was distant sometimes. Like now, I guess!” said Neko, smiling awkwardly at her tasteless joke. The smile dropped and she stared down at her hands fidgeting in her lap, quietly muttering, “Very, very distant…”

She closed her eyes and shuddered, seeing the image of her daughter clawing at her own throat.

“Sorry, I’ll shut up.”

---

---

Quintin

When Quintin finally dragged itself reluctantly into view it looked about how Harmony felt. One by one old tired buildings appeared as the sun burnt off the mist. She paused as she reached the sign that somehow managed to say 'Welcome to Quintin' with a distinctly unwelcoming tone.

Harmony had been walking most of the night, since the man who had given her a ride most of the way had decided he was entitled to some payment that she wasn't willing to give. The worst part of it was that she knew if it had been a year ago, she wouldn't have had the wherewithal to refuse. Her fingers found their way to the chip hanging from a cord at her throat. It had come free of her t-shirt at some point during the long walk.

She'd had the chip, a 9 month sober chip, for only three weeks, yet already the surface felt worn and familiar. It meant something, where so many things hadn't. Not that it mattered. The woman who had taken her to her first meeting hadn't existed. Was her second chance some sort of huge cosmic joke?

Looking at the town her investigations had lead her to, Harmony didn't find it very funny.

Quintin looked about as welcoming from inside as it had from outside. Harmony received several dirty looks, though to give them credit where it was due, she didn't exactly look like someone you would welcome to your small town. More like someone that would drink the one local bar dry, break into the pharmacy and hightail it into the night in someone else's car.

She briefly entertain the idea of finding the town's bar, just for one drink, which was precisely why she shut that train of thought down. One drink would arrive in half a dozen glasses.

---

---

It was a relief when she finally found the small coffee shop, the all-conquering advance of Starbucks seemed to have given Quintin a miss, and slunk up to the counter. She was exhausted, so the only coffee she could think of was the black tarry kind. It was exactly what she got, and she sipped on it gratefully, even though the heat singed her lips and the bitter taste did the same to her taste buds. It woke her up though.

It didn't take long to find the person she was looking for. Jennifer Caspin was distinctive enough, and the rest of the eclective group wore a look that screamed 'I'm not from around here'. It was tempting to just watch the group from afar, but Harmony was here to find out what the fuck was going on, and nobody ever found that out by hiding in the background.

Feeling a little more like her old self, she joined the group, pulling out a chair near the head of the table with the scrape of wood on wood, and sitting as heavily as her skinny frame would allow her to.

She had arrived just in time for the introductions it seemed. Not that they helped, if anything they just made the whole thing sound more fucked up. Harmony's Eleanor had definitely not had kids, and she had been much older than seventeen.

"No. Don't shut up. We're all here because we met someone that it seems doesn't exist right? It's fucking weird and we're all used to it being fucking weird and having no one believe us. This is the one place we can actually talk about it and not have people look at us like we've sprouted extra heads." Harmony glanced around at the locals, several of whom were indeed looking at the group as though they were horrifying creatures that should be killed with fire.

"OK, at least some people that won't."

Harmony took a deep breath. "My Eleanor was a doctor, she saved my life, helped me get straight." She fished the sober chip on it's cord from the front of her t-shirt. "I nearly died, I got another chance. Thought I was just experiencing a really long trip when I woke up and she'd ceased to exist."

She fell quiet for a moment, "Also I'm Harmony. Nice to meet you all... I guess..."

The sun was a little passed 4pm when Ophrenia finally got off at the bus stop that was miles away from her destination. She had taken a Grey Hound from the airport to get as close to Quintin as she could. The rest of the way she would have to walk. She tied her leather jacket around her waist. She was insane to have brought it with her, but she took it everywhere. Bringing it to Louisana had been a mistake. The heat was like nothing she ever experienced before. She was from Tennessee. It was hot, but not humid. California, where she lived now, was also hot but not humid. She could describe the heat as hell on earth, and she had to walk it.

She mapped out her destination on GPS. It was a straight shot actually. Good. Nothing more she had to remember but that. She hit the road on foot. Her outfit being more of a detriment than a help. Her pants were long and black with four deep pockets. Her crop top also black; the sleeves long. Her hair frizzed up. Now wavy and on its way to poofy if she didn't get somewhere with air conditioning soon. She lasted an hour, before she put her thumb out for a ride to hitchhike the rest of the way. Dumb, she knew, but what else could she do? Lay down a die was an option she wasn't fond of. Fucking Eleanor had to be from the back swamps of Louisiana. She was starting to hate her friend for disappearing off the face of planet. And also hate herself for caring so much.

She finally got a ride from an old man that was driving home from visiting family in New Orleans. He wasn't fazed by her piercing light blue eyes at all. And she thought that'd be the thing that wouldn't get her a ride. He talked the whole way about his grandkids on and off. Almost swerved off the road to show her grainy pictures on his flip phone. She entertained him, engaged him in conversation about anything that came to mind. The conversation didn't stay on track for more than a minute, before something else reminded either of them of something else. She had a great time talking to him.

He dropped her off at the Webb Family Coffee House. "Thanks again, Morton. I'll be in town for awhile, so let's grab something to eat when we can."

"See you Ophrenia. Good riding with you."

He didn't drive away until she went inside. The wheels of her suitcase squeaked on the floor. She saw a long table full of people. She recognized Jennifer right away. She made a quick stop at the table, sliding her luggage under it by a chair next to a black woman will dark curly hair. She caught the tail end of a woman named Harmony introducing herself.

"Hello all. Good to see you in person, Jen. Ophrenia Winston." She motioned to herself. "I'm gonna grab a water. Be back in a bit." She knocked her knuckles on the table and left as fast as she came. She went to the counter. She order iced water and saw they had apple pie as the pie of the day. The cafe reminded her of a place in her hometown. Felt very at home. If only the heat wasn't murder on her hair. She got a big slice of pie and her drink. She put a few singles on the counter. "Thank you, love." She winked at the waitress, then joined back with the group.

"Hey, how are ya? Hope everyone's day was good. Louieana's heat's a killer." She sipped her water. It tasted like a swamp, but she was used to well water. Not much different. It quenched her thirst. Good enough for her. "Pie?" She offered to anyone that wanted some.

---

"I won't bore ya with all the details but, long story short, we heard you talking on the phone and, well, our grandad - God rest his soul - passed a few weeks ago. Now, myself and Alessa've been left a… a pretty decent inheritance each."

The man in the suit appeared disinterested, attention on his phone and speaking in a tone just light enough to be socially polite but with a clear underlying desire to wrap it up fast.

"Sorry to hear that." He said. "How much're you two working with?"

"Well, it's…" He looked back and forth before leaning forward and whispering into the man's ear. The man in the suit looked up from his phone, a dial switched from within, like a shark smelling blood.

"That is a pretty decent inheritance." He conceded.

"But - and I don't mean to be disrespectful - it feels like a shortsighted call." There was a shakiness to Alessa's voice. She abhorred the rudeness of her interjection but needed her voice to be heard. "Vincent wants to pool our money together and just… just dump all of it onto the market and hope that one of them might double our money and I-"

"Alessa! Vincent hissed. The two began to silently bicker, an argument replayed over the past several weeks since obtaining the money. The man in the suit stood up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's all settle down." He stood, flashing an affable grin. "First off you and your lovely sister are right. It's a great way to triple your investment but it's good to be cautious. The market can be unpredictable. But, that's why you get a broker."

"A broker? Ah, buddy, we were just gonna go with the most popular stock and throw our lot in with them."

The man in the suit chuckled. "Sure, that's a way of doing it, but you wanna diversify."

The siblings looked quizzical. "Diversify? Alessa tilted her head.

"Yeah, y'know don't put all your eggs into one basket? It's the same principle. Blue chip stocks are generally reliable but, it's the success of the outliers that'll get you the most bang for your buck, emerging companies, horses on the rise, cryptocurrency even. That's where a broker steps in." With another disarming smile, he finished his drink and placed it down on the table.

"Tell you what, why don't I get us a booth over there and give you two a free consultation."

"Well… ah, gee, I dunno-"

"Drinks on me." He said with a chuckle.

The siblings looked at each other then looked back at the man.

"Well all right!" Vincent said, shaking the man's hand.

---

The duo stumbled out of the bar, giggling and whispering.

"How long d'you think before they bring him the bill?" Floyd slurred with a raspy chuckle.

"Three hundred dollars worth of champagne and lobster." Eleanor giggled. "I kinda feel bad for the guy, never even checked the drinks menu for the prices."

"Ahhhh, guy's a stockbroker. We could rob half the U.S and he'd still have us beat."

"What's the plan now?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder as they staggered into the night.

"I dunno" Floyd replied, looking down at her with a soft smile. "Somethin'...

---

---

Stupid.

The whole thing made him feel idiotic.

On one hand he'd half expected a group of homeless nutjobs who'd somehow stumbled onto an Internet connection. Or, more worryingly, a sting operation by the police using the world's most bizarre gambit to flush him out. Instead it was terrified mothers and confused daughters.

A more stable group than he expected, to be sure, but as they poured forth stories of Eleanor Black it all felt so ridiculous. They all knew this woman with a similar backstory in vastly different contexts. He couldn't exactly figure out the how or especially the why Ellie might abandon her kid or steal somebody else's but this was a con of some kind. It had to be. And as such, Gene did what he always did with Ellie's stories.

Play along.

"Howdy." He said, walking over to the group after Harmony had finished. "Sorry for listening in, wasn't sure if I had the right place." He hesitated. "Still not. If I'm being honest."

He sat down his hat and his glass of water in front of his chair on the table. The water was… somewhat cloudy and thus remained untouched.

"My name's Eugene. Eugene Watson. But, uh, just "Gene" works, thanks." A little unsure. A little vulnerable even. Guarded but open.

"Ellie-... Eleanor was my girlfriend. Six years or so, give or take. She had short dark hair, smart as hell, kinda… kinda cagey, I guess?

He inhaled, both from searching his brain for anything useful and how precisely to word it. "She didn't really talk much about her home life. 'Least not in anyway I understood." The truth. "Pretty normal relationship beyond that." A lie. "Only thing I remember for sure is her telling me about this place, Quintin. Can't say it's as appealing as she made it out to be. Not too long after that she, uh, she left me." He quiets for a moment, just a second. His stare becomes hard yet confused. He settles back in to being Gene Watson, resolved that the table has seen the first and last glimpse of beneath the mask.

"A good few months after that I saw her again, completely different. Different look different name. But everybody was acting like she was the same as she'd ever been." A vague truth, or a deliberately worded lie. Generally speaking, even those with the keenest senses for people found it hard to pick apart a story if they couldn't begin where to pierce it. They might guess you're lying, but they wouldn't know about specifically what.

He looked around at Niko, Charlie and Harmony, sympathy in his eyes. "Not quite the same as losing family or a support system though. For what little it's worth, no matter what crazy crap this is all spawned from, I hope everybody gets their Ellie back."

Another careful wording, a dash of reality and fiction. Truthfully, part of Gene did pity these nutjobs but he wasn't even beginning to entertain anything more than a mundane outcome to all of this. Frankly, he was still lightly expecting them to whip out the badges and slap on the cuffs.

As Nori exited the rental car, she felt like she was hit by a wall of moisture. It was hot. It was humid. It was more than anything they had ever experienced in her lifetime. A dampness welled up on and around her as an unnatural frizz destroyed whatever work she had done earlier that day for her hair.

“Hell is real after all,” Nori whispered as she swept her hand across her forehead. She had seen that sign too many times to count, but it was here over a thousand miles, two flights, and a short car ride away that she truly believed it so. She had arrived the night before in Lafayette and from the moment she exited the airport she had hated this heat. It was always there, lingering at the back of her mind. Even in the air-conditioned hotel her mind raced at the thought of stepping outside to travel here today. And she was right to worry. Even though she dressed down in anticipation, wearing shorts and a cropped t-shirt, she still felt like she was bathing in the air alone.

*caw* *caw*

A sound pulled her focus up to the skies. Her eyes darted around, searching, yet it could not find the source of the call. Nori wondered what the wildlife must be like down here. Up in Ohio the animal population was quite tame in comparison to what must lurk in the swamps, this much was certain. There were plenty of deer, flying squirrels (the fact that flying squirrels were the most common form of squirrels in Ohio still made Nori feel uneasy), and various other critters. These swamps more than likely had gators, and gators were neither cute nor cuddly.

Nori moved around to the back of the car and opened the trunk. She had grabbed some snacks and water before she left Lafayette and tied the bag containing them around the handle of her medicine bag. She did not want to bring these snacks into a coffee shop. She pulled the bags out of the trunk, untied the knot, and placed the snack bag back into the trunk of the car. As she went to close it, she heard the same *caw* sound but this time it sounded from all around and was quickly overcome by the sound of flapping wings. Nori looked around and could only mouth a “what the fuck” as everywhere they looked a crow was looking back. On top of the buildings, light poles and even trees crows looked back.

“A murder in Quintin,” she smiled, “a beautiful sight. I have a gift.” She thought to herself as she leaned back into the truck of the car, and grabbed a bag of unsalted pistachios and opened it up. She held the bag up to the masses, shaking it, before walking away from the car and pouring out all of the food on the ground.

“There, I hope you all enjoy the snack.” Nori put the wrapper in her medicine bag before she headed inside the coffee shop.



Everyone knew Jordan was about to travel. Yet no one was kept in the loop as to where he was about to go. If anyone asked, he would simply tell them there was a lot of this country he wanted to see, from the Rocky Mountains to the great lakes, and that this trip was to simply knock off a few of those places from his list. In truth he was heading to a small town down in the swamps of Louisiana, a place called Quintin. It was not far from Lafayette, and it would be the first time Jordan spent any time down south.

“Okay, let’s check it over again. Do I have.. yes, toothbrush and paste, and did I… yep, portable chargers and… okay I got enough clothes for a bit in this bag as well. Sick.”

His flight was not for another twelve hours, and it would be nearly twenty hours until he stepped foot in this town of destiny. Yet his mind raced, and when his mind races, he gets anxious, and when he is anxious, he has to make sure everything is accounted for multiple times. As he checked over his other bag, he made mental notes of everything inside of it. Before long, he found himself in bed scrolling through his photos. He would stop and stare at each one, wondering how this stranger came to exist in each photo.

“Is this one big prank?”

He thought over the logistics of such a thing and concluded that it was not. I mean how would someone fake a relationship, fake the photos? Why would they do that? He knew the answer to this question. No one did. No one faked his relationship nor anything else for that matter. He truly went through a paranormal experience, and he was not alone in it.

He arose from his bed and went back to checking his luggage, and he would check it again in an hour, and check it one last time an hour later. His dreams beckoned, and he had hope that they would treat him well. He left early the next morning and flew down to a regional hub before taking a second plane to Lafayette. When he left the airport, he felt the moisture of the air immediately and it brought him back to his football days. He would do two-a-days in hot, moist weather not too far off from this and to him it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. It was annoying, yes, it was uncomfortable, but it was not the end of the world. He made his way to his cheap hotel and made his plans for the trip to Quintin the following day.

“Grab an Uber to pick up the car from Turo, pray the AC works, and then see what my future holds.”



Olivia Uber stopped a mile up the road from the welcome sign to Quintin. She had flown into the bigger city earlier in the morning and had to fight tooth and nail to get a ride even this far. While money does open most doors, it seemed that no one was willing to take her into the town itself. It took her an hour to adjust the drop off point far enough away to find someone willing to take her. The driver warned her the entire way there to not linger in the town any longer than she needed to, but she only half listened to his ramblings. Her attention was fixed on the matters at hand.

She had wondered what the meeting would be. It is not every day that your best friend turns up missing, with a stranger taking their place, and it is doubly true when a whole host of individuals claim the same thing happened to them.

“Alright, this is as far as I will go. You have about a mile to walk,” the driver paused as he stared Olivia down, “it’s not too late to turn around, you know. This town is.. not a place for a good person to stay.”

“No, no I am good. Thank you though,” she paused as she met his gaze, “it’s not too late to take up my offer, extra hundred dollars on your tip if you drop me off inside the town, even at the welcome sign.”

“Not a chance.”

“All the same have a wonderful day!”

Olivia regretted not taking his offer as she walked in the heat of the bayou. It was hot, it was wet, and every step stole a large part of her strength. She finished off her bottle of water and clenched it in her hand. She would arrive before long, however she very much looked forward to being out of this heat and have a nice cup of coffee in her hand.

A half hour later she stood in front of the coffee shop. To the side she could see a massive amount of crows attacking the ground, pecking at something. She wondered how, and why, they got there but did not fixate on it. She opened the door to the coffee shop and headed inside. She quickly spotted the group, and pulled up a seat next to a tall muscular guy, and waited for what came next.



Nori, Olivia, and Jordan had all found themselves seated at the table with the group. Each one had ordered a coffee before sitting down. Nori arrived first and had a cup of black coffee, she sipped at it as she listened to each story. Her leg began to noticeably shake as each one relayed a different version of the same person. Jordan, arriving second, had grabbed a black coffee as well and took one sip before he added in some cream. He sat, leaning back into the chair, and appeared engaged in each story. Olivia, the last of the three, had a cup of black coffee but she had only taken one sip before she pushed it far in front of her. She had a notebook and had started to take notes of what everyone said. Eventually, the introductions hit a lull and Nori leg stopped shaking. She decided to make the most of the silence and get her introduction out of the way.

“I’m Nori,” she said quickly, “The Eleanor I knew was a light in the dark, she was kind, friendly, and she lifted me up when I most needed it.” She paused as she sipped from her cup of coffee. A small look of disgust fell on her face, but she took another sip before she put the cup down. “We did everything together, and when they moved away, I thought we would still have each other.” Nori paused once again as her leg began to shake. “We went to meet up after my grandparents passed and they were someone different. I don’t know any leads on where to go from here, but I hope we all find our Eleanor’s.”

“Jordan, pleasure,” he quickly followed. His voice carried with it a noticeable New England accent. “I dated my Eleanor for quite a few years. When we broke up it hit me hard. She was the love of my life and I thought we would’ve…. would’ve taken that next step, you know?” Jordan leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “We met up to catch up, but it wasn’t the woman I loved who showed up, it was someone else. I have just existed since then. I wish I knew more but,” he paused, “if I did, I don’t think I would be here.”

Olivia put her pen down and sighed as she did. “My name is Olivia, and Eleanor was also my best friend, we separated when we went to college and same story, one day they were Eleanor and the next they were a stranger.” She paused as she looked over her notes before she exhaled and leaned back into her chair.

---

Interactions: The entire group and personally addresses Zeltzin (@Bartimaeus)

---

There was something off.

And it wasn't just this goddamn town.

As Jasmine listened to a woman named Neko start... there was something that made absolutely no goddamn sense. Then Charlie told everyone about her Eleanor Black, and then the others did - Jasmine listened but what caught her attention was those two. Just how could Eleanor be a mother, a daughter , and her football rival? It didn't make any sense... Though, it was nice to not only have another European here but another black European, that was probably where the similarities ended, that said. Jasmine considered if she didn't need coffee but instead needed some alcohol - but the last place she wanted to get drunk was Swamp Town USA as some people. When Olivia finished, Jasmine figured that it was maybe her turn to speak.

"Hello everybody, my name is Jasmine Tsega," Jasmine spoke... her German accent was thick with every word that she spoke - making it dead clear to the group that Jasmine was not an American despite living here. "I'm going to be quick and to the point; Eleanor was my rival in high school and on the football team in which I was the star player until she came along..."

She looked between Neko and Charlie for a few moments... and then the bushes rustle outside that open window. Jasmine turned her head to see that it was just a crow, perched onto the windowsill for some reason. The birds must be bold around here. It was irrelevant because there was something on her mind that she just had to get out.

"But, that's not important what she was to me," Jasmine started her speech, "How can Eleanor Black be someone's daughter-" She pointed at Neko, "...Someone's mother-" She pointed at Charlie, "...His girlfriend-" She pointed at Eugene, ... His ex- She pointed at Jordan, "... This spooky girl's friend-" She pointed at Nori, "... Her best friend-" She pointed at Olivia. "... A doctor-" She pointed at Harmony before she put a hand on her chest and finished with. "... And my rival? At the same time? Then is replaced with a different person. That doesn't make sense to anyone else here. Not one single person?"

She raised an eyebrow as there was someone just hovering over nearby - some tall, Spanish lady - not saying a word. Nobody else noticed, but Jasmine did, and she found it very concerning that she was just sitting there watching them like a weirdo.

"... And who might you be?" Jasmine asked her. "Come now, introduce yourself if you're going to sit so close to us."

---

Interactions: Ophrenia (@silvermist1116) & The Eleanor Pals.

---

Lily was keeping her mouth shut during the whole thing, merely twiddling her thumbs - playing with a plastic fork and spinning it around in that toxic waste this place calls coffee. A colorful bunch of people was gathered here, Lily had to admit, but it was clear that there was something else going on here. Lily didn't know what exactly it was but it reminded her of her little... "incident" with Rafael. That was just her imagination and Lily knew that this was just one big coincidence and they were all just mixing up the same person. Maybe. Maybe not. Lily just kept her mouth shut as she wanted to be the last one to go - but there was this one weird girl that was just sitting there not saying anything... but Lily figured that she might be shy. She was the only other Spanish person here, she wanted to say something but there was something more pressing on Lily's mind.

And it was pie.

This crazy-looking black girl was offering pie and introduced herself as Ophrenia. Lily smirked as she had to be from some yuppie-ass city as a girl like this would get eaten alive in New York. Though, to be fair New York was no stranger to yuppies. She raised her hand and was handed a slice of the pie "Ahhh, chica, for me? Thank you," Lily started as she took a bite, "I prefer my pasties spiced a bit, you know... I like it edible." She winked at Orphenia as she realized that it was her turn to speak and tell everyone about "her" Eleanor Black.

Now the last thing that Lily wanted to do was announce to a group of white people that she was in jail so she made a few edits to her story. "Hi everybody! I'm Lily... well, my real name is Carmen but everyone calls me Lily. Eleanor Black was my friend that went to jail after she beat some bitch teeth in - like curb stomped the hoe - and I told her I was going to pick her up when she got out... and when I showed up, it was a completely different girl. Makes my head hurt."

Then she thought about the whole situation.

"... All of this is making my head hurt."

---

Interactions: The entire group.

---

Everyone went on about their stories about Eleanor Black save for two... Jennifer did not have the time or patience to wait around and bug people who missed the assignment. Jennifer wanted to get a move on now that the majority of the group had introduced themselves... and next to her chair was a backpack that was full of various papers of various sizes and other things. She started digging into it, awkwardly talking while she was looking for something.

"Um, yeah, so before everyone else, uh, got here; I got here first and uh, did some recon. Apparently- damn it," She interrupted herself hissing as she gave herself a paper cut. Then she got back on track as she said, "I did some, um.... "research" on Eleanor's family here, the Black family - they started out as a family of..." She awkwardly glanced at the various black members of their group and tried not to say something that'd get her beaten up later, "Plantation owners, that switched to mining the coal mines- yeah, mining coal, I meant."

She awkwardly coughed as she gathered herself.

"But, there's something about them... they rule this little town with an iron fist! The head of the family is named Mary-Louise Black, who knows everything that goes on here..." She caught herself as she may have said that a bit too loudly. "I... think she is our primary lead on Eleanor Black because if anyone would know what's going on, it's her."

So she finally pulled out a map of Quintin out of the bag and stretched it out on the table - on various points, there were circles, X's, and even a skull awkwardly drawn on the map. Jen's finger pointed to the first circle that was in town, and said, "This is one of their offices, perhaps we can head here and maybe ask around? Maybe someone can arrange a meeting with Mary-Louise?"

---

Introductions continued to go around the table. Neko gave Harmony a small nod of appreciation for her support, a nod that stiffened as the woman produced the chip and elicited memories of another woman that Neko did not want to think about. Neko slipped out an involuntarily dirty look, one that hopefully had gone by unnoticed with the arrival of Ophrenia. A nervous smile had wormed its way back onto Neko’s face when a slice of pie was offered her way. She lightly waved it away, mouthing a no thank you and noting that Ophrenia didn’t share how she knew Eleanor—but she had shared more than the silent stranger who’d loudly crashed down into a chair.

The rest of the group were more forthcoming with their answers. She was thankful that Charlie and Harmony had already established that it was impossible for her Nora to also be their Eleanor or otherwise Neko would’ve leapt the table when Gene mentioned he’d dated Eleanor for six years (Jordan, if he’d been stupid enough to even chime in after, would get his too). Instead, she simply returned the look of sympathy. He was right. He hadn’t lost family or a support system—it sounded like he’d lost both.

With nearly a dozen people bringing up nearly a dozen different Eleanors, Neko was beginning to have difficulty keeping track. She was tempted to ask Olivia if she could borrow her notes before Jasmine chimed in and succinctly summarized everyone’s relationships. Neko knew she’d still need the notes at some point, but for now didn’t want to embarrass herself in front of the “star” player. Neko attempted to think of a solution to the riddle, her hand idly massaging her temple.

Nothing she came up with worked out with the exception of three thoughts. One: This was an elaborate and cruel prank being played exclusively against her, unfathomable in its meanness and lack of purpose. Two: She was delusional and caught in a terrifying state where she was aware enough to know that such a reality was possible but unable to remove herself from such a thing. Three: Something bad was happening, the kind that sensible adults could never admit outloud to existing, the kind that logic couldn’t explain. A chill ran down her spine despite the hot swamp air flowing in through the open window.

Neko simply had to be missing something. She was thankful when Jen spoke up. Jasmine prodding at their quiet interloper made Neko feel uncomfortable. She gave room for the called out woman to reply before addressing Jen.

“I can’t think of anything better. They couldn’t ignore such a big group,” said Neko, standing up to get a better view of the map. She leaned over and furrowed her brow, jamming her finger at the skull. “But Jen? I'm sorry, what’s that?”

The Webb Family Coffee House

---

"Wait, so does that make you my grandmother?" Charlie half joked, turning to look at Neko with a smile. The other woman didn't even look old enough to have a twenty two year old kid, nevermind be a grandmother. It just made the whole situation baffling. Her mum had been at least forty... Actually, Charlie didn't know her actual age. Definitely not seventeen. "Mum's an artist. Pretty well known in Europe, actually... Not that you'd find her now cause her work is under someone else's name. She was smart too, like everyone else's Eleanors it seems."

Charlie's 'new mum' in a very weird sense. She'd always expected if she had another mum it'd be from her dad remarrying, and even then... But her actual mum being replaced? Yeah, no. "It kinda always felt like she was a bit out of reach cause of it... She was just so talented, yknow? Like a proper artistic type." Charlie shrugged. "She was a good mum. I wouldn't be here if she wasn't."

Saying that tugged at something in Charlie's chest, the niggling feeling that she wasn't being honest with herself. She pushed that feeling down. Eleanor had been a good mum... When she was around.

Any thoughts about that quickly went away when the whole table was offered pie, which was fucking weird cause who bought food for strangers? Then she was offered sympathy from a guy who looked like a cowboy, like what the hell. She was experiencing way too much culture shock at once to do anything but smile at both of them, refusing the pie.

More people talked about their Eleanors.

Some of the others said could match her mum. Eleanor could be Charlie's mum and someone else's partner, or ex, or best friend. She'd certainly been in and out of Charlie's life enough. But she couldn't be a doctor... and her and Neko's Eleanors definitely didn't line up. There was no way she could be Charlie's mum and also Neko's 17 year old daughter. But they'd both had literal family members replaced.

It just didn't make any sense. What, was she some kind of magical being who could be multiple people at once then just disappeared? Nah, that was ridiculous. Magic wasn't real. Maybe some weird drug was being tested on them... But how? Just thinking about it was making her already throbbing head hurt more.

Charlie squinted as Jasmine started talking. Another European, nice, but there was something oddly familiar about her. Far as Charlie was aware she didn't know any black Germans... Well she didn't know any Germans at all. Maybe a few patients, but none who'd been in hospital long enough for her to remember their faces. Weird.

Then she started rambling about being Germany's star football player (sure, cause woman's football was watched as much as mens), and it clicked.

"Wait!" Charlie interrupted, clapping her hands together in sudden realisation. "I knew you looked familiar! You're that girl who threw the world cup for Germany! My Columbian neighbour was celebrating for weeks, guess I gotta thank you for all the free desserts I got? You got some sense of humour saying you were a star player... I mean, you certainly were a star in your own way."

Charlie snorted, expression unwaveringly friendly as if everything she said was in good jest.

She'd only been a teen when that match was on, so she was more forced into watching it for 'dad-daughter' bonding than actually wanting to. She had very little interest in football, especially a different countries team, but... The way Jasmine was lying out her ass from the get go was annoying. Charlie had been around to way too many people like her, catty and stuck up - there were enough in her work place, both patients and members of staff. It was easy for her to keep calm and act friendly, but she wasn't going to tolerate it.

"Course it doesn't make sense. But this whole situation never made sense. Isn't that why we're all here?" Charlie shrugged. "I ain't gonna freak out about it. And some of them could line up. Maybe there's, I dunno, three Eleanor Blacks."

Her mum being on the German team for football was far fetched... but being imprisoned was a bit less so. For all Charlie knew she did spend a stint in prison, cause she hardly contacted her the past few years. Would certainly explain things...

And then Jen was getting to the important information, including some lovely stuff about the Black family's history. No wonder her mum didn't talk about her family and didn't want Charlie to meet them. They were racists.

Really made her feel comfortable being in a completely different country and small strange town. Racist probably family members. Great.

Charlie held up her hands. "I may be a relative but I ain't making that meeting. Something tells me," namely the fact they were former plantation owners, "that that's best handled by one of you white people."

She didn't really want to deal with that.

"But I do agree with talking to her. Best to go to the one most likely to give us answers."

Charlie also scrutinised the map, though it didn't make loads of sense to her - map reading was not a skill she had, and she had absolute no sense of direction. The markings were clear enough... Including a weird skull that Neko pointed to.

"Yeah, what's the skull?"

---

Interactions: Charlie (@FernStone) and Neko @Atrophy

---

Neko and Charlie were the two who inquired about the skull on the map. Jennifer anticipated that somebody would inquire about the skull instead of her suggestion. So the girl pushed her glasses up her nose and bluntly answered :

“It’s death.”

That was her answer though she figured that she should add more detail to it or else everyone would ask her a million questions. So she continued;

“Look, uh, I talked to a lot of people in Quintin and out of- Quintin, yeah, Quintin. There’s something wrong with this place, it has to be cursed or haunted or something… I mean, there's a reason people stay out of here...”

She trailed off before she backtracked,

“… Not that curses or magic or anything is real. But there’s something in the swamp that terrified all the locals. I don’t know what, and I don’t want to know. We should try to stay in town if necessary.”

Then Jennifer finished.

“… Uh, the only problem is that I may have put a lot of attention on us asking all these questions. A lot of people here don’t… take too kindly to strangers. Especially not strangers asking questions.”

Mention: Zeltzin@Bartimaeus

A girl with blue dreads was the only one to take her up on her pie offer. She cut a slice from her slice, put it on a napkin, and handed it to her. She introduced herself as Lily and how she knew Eleanor. Seemed like that's a thing everyone was doing around the table. She kept her relation to her short. "She's a friend." And left it at that. She didn't care to go into a diatribe about why Eleanor was important. Considering it seems none of them truly knew her at all, if she can be anything to anyone, then it seemed like to Ophrenia Eleanor is a mystery. She knew that coming here, but to get details was odd.

She was surprised by the foreigners at the table. Eleanor was across the pond in Europe too? Damn. The pretty lady next to her mentioned she's her mom, and another woman her child. And she's dated how many people here? "Eleanor sure got around." She sat back listened to Jen explain the Black family's history. She chuckled when she looked at her and the other black people at the table nervously. She knew what she was about to say. As if mentioning a plantation is a trigger or something. They're a rich white family in the south. Shit's not surprising at all. It would be a doozy talking to Mary-Louise, but that'd be light work.

"If we can get a meeting with her, I'll go with...Ziltzen, you said your name was?" she asked, totally mispronouncing her name on accident. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? My Appalachian accent and names more complicated than John fuck me up." Never mind her name's Ophrenia, but she's been hearing that since birth.

She adjusted her seat to get a better look at the map Jen laid on the table. It had Xs and Os and a skull. She wasn't going to question it. Skulls meant dead things, but the woman who was Eleanor's mom and the pretty British lady had to ask. Jen confirmed her thoughts. "Not going anywhere near that. Let's do all the other ones first. Like a video game. Build our stats, then fight the final boss...or ignore it completely, because this isn't a video game and I'm not aimin' to die in some back swamp town in Louieana."

---

The good news was that Gene was a bit more confident this wasn’t a sting operation. The bad news was that he remained unconvinced these people weren’t morons.

It was like some bizarre LARP thing as the nerdy looking girl, Jennifer, managed to stutter her way through her notes on the Black family tree. That they were the head honchos of Quintin did not inspire a lot of respect from Gene, a quick glance out the window led him to believe a hillbilly squatted over a ditch one day and shat out this town. His attention was drawn to Jen’s map, various points of interest outlined with a skull messily drawn over one area. The mother/daughter trauma team jumped on this almost immediately, it was a little strange that Jen hadn’t mentioned it but then again this may well be her first conversation with human beings ever judging by the way she carried herself.

He just managed to suppress a scoff at Jennifer’s answer: “death.” It was not a haunted swamp, it was a perfectly normal swamp, which housed many mundane dangers that likely would terrify superstitious locals who’d only recently discovered fire. She was getting shifty, pointing out how unkindly the town residents took to people who asked questions. So long as they didn’t start commenting on Gene having a “purdy mouth” he didn’t give a shit what they thought. Regardless, the family office seemed like a decent place to start. Arranging a meeting with this “Mary-Louise” would be simplicity itself, Gene could have it done in five minutes if he were alone and not currently in-between characters with these people. Unfortunately, no such luck. The punk chick and the leather chick already volunteered themselves so he was looking forward to hearing how that pulp scene played out.

”Jen, what’re some of the places circled here?” He said, tapping her map with his index finger. ”If upsettin’ the local population’s an issue, might be worth spreadin’ ourselves a lil thinner. Cover more ground without attractin’ as much attention. hm In theory anyway.”

And, ideally, giving Gene a chance to separate himself from this circus. Jennifer had effectively given him some starting points which was really all Gene cared about.

“What is with these crows,” Nori thought to herself as she caught sight of one in the window. Normally, she would chalk it up to her avian friends being curious creatures. And what would be more interesting to a murder than an open window and sweet smells that beckon them forth. Yet this one seemed to have a very peculiar interest in her, not the pie at the table or the food being served elsewhere, this crow was fixated on Nori. She shifted side to side in her seat and the crow followed her as she did. Was it the snacks she gave them earlier? Nori’s thoughts drifted from the conversation at hand even more so than they already were. “Should I give it another gift? What would it even want, I did not bring any trinkets or shinny stuff… Maybe some more food?” They grabbed a nearby menu and looked it over. “I know crows like nuts and stuff, but I wonder if they would be okay wi-“

“This spooky girls’ friend…”

Nori’s focus was pulled back to the conversation by a finger pointed her way. Spooky girl? Nori knew the way she dressed could be abrasive, yes, but spooky? Nori fixed her gaze on Jasmine as she continued listing off who Eleanor was to everyone, and Nori did indeed find that strange. Who was Eleanor Black, why was everyone’s experience with her different, and what did this town have to do with it? Eventually, their gracious host unfurled a map and pointed out a spot that marked the next leg of their journey. Nori began to look it over and had a question ready to ask, when a blur of motion in the window grabbed her attention once more. “Two..” Nori thought to herself as she slid back into her seat. Two crows were now perched in the window. Each one had their attention fixated on Nori.

“What is up with these guys,” she whispered under her breath, and forgot the question she wanted to ask.



The discussion within the group about the skull, and their plans to avoid it, did not fall deaf on Jordan’s ears. He was pleased that no one wanted to explore the skull area. He had always headed words of caution when spoken by locals, so if they are afraid or concerned about that area Jordan wanted to stick well clear of it. There was the issue of everyone wanting to go together as one big group. They were all outsiders in a town that disliked outsiders. If they traveled in one large herd that would be obvious to everyone in town. Jordan wondered what would happen if they were discovered and someone mentioned that they all knew an Eleanor Black, each one different from the last. Would they try and get them all institutionalized? What would those facilities be like down here in the south. Jordan looked towards the door. Healthcare in general was rough down here. He assumed that if he was institutionalized, he would much rather have it done back home. Jordan shook himself free of his racing thoughts and returned his focus back to the group as someone suggested they split up.

“I am inclined to agree. We have a big group, and a lot of ground to cover, so it only makes sense that we split up and knock out as many of these points as possible.”



“You all just love falling into the tropes,” Olivia said in a half-joking tone, "The 'don't go in there', and the 'let's split up'. If this was truly a horror movie we'd be playing into the antagonists hand." She had continued taking notes of everyone’s conversations, making detailed notes on what they said and, more importantly, how they said it. She was beginning to get a decent understanding of each member on the surface. Each one was different and that was good, in her mind at least. From their fashion to their personality, they all brought something unique to the table. Olivia wanted to make sure she captured their essences as she wrote down more information about them. She doubted she would every need to use these character snap-shots professionally, she figured it may help her understand these people better as time went on.

There was a question that gnawed at the back of her mind. Something that pushed her to clarify exactly what made that area so cursed. Did something happen there? Has there been anything happening recently? Was it something that originated there, or did it spread out from the city? She also got the feeling that this Jennifer was not telling them everything. These questions demanded answers and Olivia wanted to get them.

“What did they say about that area? What makes it cursed? And by ‘this place’ do you mean this place,” she paused as she pointed to the skull marker, “or this place,” she paused as she pointed to the whole of the city.

---

---

California was hot, even more so L.A.

It was wildfire season after all, the type of time people flee from their homes because one guy bummed a smoke in a park where one spark could start a fire. Leaving home for the last time in South Central made Erik feel like that as he looked around, he was still at the bottom of the food chain. After getting out of prison he couldn't really leave the Asian Boyz, a gang he cliqued up with when he did his time in Twins. Leaving his small abode he put on a wife beater and a pair of sweats, Stepping out he squinted as the sun hit him. He felt like the vampires he was hunting, skin burning and stunned by the sunlight after being underground for so long.

A familiar tune played out from a set of burned-out 808s on the block.

Outside in a beat up little van was Zach 'Chomp' Chang and Tommy 'Grease' Mei were stood outside, posted up as the two veteran and tattooed Asians. They were his betters, Erik feigned a smile as he went and shook it up with the pair.

[Foochow - Chomp] "Hey Cruiser, welcome back to the fold cousin. Wuz hard to find you man.. You P.I. types love duckin yo set?"



Erik said looking to Mei who said nothing back besides staring with his mirror shades. Mei had been sent to find Erik (also known as Cruiser by his gang) after he fell off the map once he was released from twins. In prison, once you join a gang, you don't leave. Gang membership is for life, Erik recalled seeing a mere accountant being forced into PEN1 (Public Enemy #1) and fighting his way to the top as a shot-caller for the Aryan Brotherhood. He's a lifer now, down on a fraud charge all the murders he racked never got him out. He's in isolation, for life.

[Foochow - Chomp] "All is forgiven Cuzzo, we got some biz' to work out. You're coming to New Orleans, gotta make some amends. Make some green, don't fuck around or Grease will deal wit' you."



[Foochow - Chomp] "Yeah, you wanna slide after our job huh?"

[Foochow - Grease] "Small town out there, lots of gators. Remembered a guy who used to live there. Eleanor Black did favors for us. Let him go, he will need us in the end. Besides, he is at the end of his leash." Mei finally said, speaking plainly. Erik held back asking about Eleanor, maybe this thing was global. The sighting, the experience but many people in Twins knew Eleanor or claimed they did.

[Foochow - Chomp] "All right cousin, I'll listen to Grease but if you dupe us. Spider will greenlight your ass, no saving this time."



Erik let out a nervous laugh dismissing the threat as Chomp gave him a hard, mean squeeze on the shoulder. He got into the back of the van, seeing five or six people of different ethnicities in the back. Scared, young, starving perhaps here for a better life, in debt, or worse. He didn't think about it as the other two Asian Boyz saddled up in the front. It was going to be a long and hot drive to Louisana. Leaving Los Angeles was always the easy part.

Details were sparse but the multi-day trip to New Orleans was a bummer, everything seemed to point towards Erik with a big fuck you. He couldn't duck the Asian Boyz, Eleanor had fucked up his life and he was complicit in human trafficking. He felt bad for the poor souls in the back of the van, a route to escape or to get revenge on Chomp and Grease was slim. If he had some breathing room in Quintin, maybe he could put something together but the thoughts of Eleanor and that night at the Port kept coming up.

He had to get closure, even if it meant the end of him. His life was already over, even if he didn't see it like that yet. Shaving once again in a shitty motel near New Orleans, the burden of the migrants was gone as they were led away to other hands in New Orleans a black gang or criminal org. He didn't ask for the particulars, Grease whistled at him as he signaled it was their time to head back and on the way drop him off at Quintin.

Stepping off near the mouth of the town, Erik got out with his things as he looked to this strange picturesque town. "Hey, Crusiah. A few days then we come for you." Grease said out the driver-side window with Chomp peering over, Erik could see the Glock he had to give up to Chomp before he left.

[Foochow - Chomp] "Call us when you're done cousin, we'll come. More work to be done, hope these white boys don't shoot you. This is a nice piece!"

Chomp said laughing at him dangling his gun around, Grease joined in before rolling up the windows and driving back up the way they came. In spite of rage, Erik shouted at the retreating car before kicking up the road some.

"Fuckers!" He felt defeated, like a piece of gum under a table. Stuck, fucked and forgotten.

Dragging his feet he eventually made his way to the Webb Coffee house, it wasn't a place he would ever find himself in but desperate times make logical men do strange things. He saw what looked like a support group to the side, he would come to find that these people were the guys online chatting about Eleanor like they knew her. He was at the same place, after getting a glass of water from the front he made his way over and sat down being one of the last people to join the group.

"Sup everybody, the name is Erik. You guys can call me E if that's easier, Eleanor Black was my girlfriend for many years before she ruined my life."

He just let it out, it couldn't get any worse than this. Maybe some people would just assume she broke his heart as in 'ruining' his life or they could catch on that Eleanor Black is a sick and evil woman setting up young men all over L.A. It didn't matter, there was a sense of safety here even if it was false and it comforted Erik especially right now.

"I'm an investigator, always have been even from a young age. Good eye for detail, can handle myself in a fight, and know how to speak to people. If you have any worries about questions, I can put it in a nicer way for these locals."

---

Interactions:Zeltzin (@Bartimaeus), Ophrenia (@silvermist1116), Eugene (@Drag), & Jordan/Olivia (@NoriWasHere).

---

"If we can get a meeting with her, I'll go with...Ziltzen, you said your name was?"

"Assumin' we ain't bringin' 'Mary-Louise' our whole circo, I can go. I'm good at questions."

"How about you two just go together?" Jennifer suggested. "Now, um, I don't want people splitting up... but, how about you two go there pretending to work for some business that isn't in Quintin, and offer some type of... uhhhhhh, business deal, yeah? Then drop the question asking for Eleanor Black."

It was a tad overwhelming. So many people were speaking to her, asking her questions... it wasn't something that she wasn't used to and she could feel anxiety well up. She swallowed it to the best of her ability and addressed everyone one at a time.

“What did they say about that area? What makes it cursed? And by ‘this place’ do you mean this place,” she paused as she pointed to the skull marker, “or this place,” she paused as she pointed to the whole of the city.

Jennifer shrugged.

"... I don't know... some, uh, people say that the swamp is haunted while others say that the entirety of Quintin is haunted... but I don't know what exactly is out there... and do you really want to find out?" She finished the sentence with an awkward laugh.

” Jen, what’re some of the places circled here? If upsettin’ the local population’s an issue, might be worth spreadin’ ourselves a lil thinner. Cover more ground without attractin’ as much attention. hm In theory anyway.”

“I am inclined to agree. We have a big group and a lot of ground to cover, so it only makes sense that we split up and knock out as many of these points as possible.”

"Well..." Jen trailed off as she looked at the map. Thankfully, the group had the wise idea not to go spelunking in the haunted swamp, so that was a win. However, there were a lot of different leads that Jennifer had found during her initial arrival to Quintin: some that were probably going to lead somewhere, and others that were simply a waste of her time. However, the idea of covering more ground was... not one that Jennifer liked. There were some things out here that were... strange and dangerous. It was best, if one of those strange things came their way, if Jennifer was there to handle it because far as she could tell she was the only one capable of handling it. Yet Jennifer knew that the odds of controlling the group were slim-to-none so it was probably ideal to simply let them go about and hope they don't go too crazy.

There are contingencies in place in case they do.

"There are other leads in case you all... You all want to tackle them... I, uh, have a couple." Jennifer's finger went to the map and pointed towards one of the circles on the border of the town, "For starters, if you don't want to... uh, talk to Mary-Louise, there's uhhhh a man named Blake Thornton. A veeeeeeeery longtime butler for the Black Family who got fired a few days ago... for some reason. If anyone would talk, it'd definitely be him because he's prooooooobably still pissed off. If he doesn't know about Eleanor, maybe he'd know something helpful about the Black Family."

Her finger drifted to another circle that was more in town and surrounded an L-shaped building, and then Jen explained, "So, um... howdoIsaythis... we aren't the... uh... first people to come here looking for Eleanor Black. There was a group of five girls that went missing last night... I didn't get a chance to speak to them, but they were staying in a place known as the Moss Motel. It's nothing more than a-a short walk from here. They all stayed in room 105... just keep your eyes peeled when you go there."

Then the finger drifted to another circle, one that surrounded a smaller building, "There's also the new doctor in town... a native of this goddamn place that left and came back after passing her bar exam - Doctor Harkness - but, uh, I heard that the last group of girls talked to her before they all went missing sooooo I would be very careful around her. Don't trust her."

Jennifer's hand retracted and went back to her lap as she said, "Now if some of you have trouble with Mary-Louise, there's also her grandchildren: Genesis and Cody Black, they, uh, might be a bit looser lipped than Mary-Louise, but... have I mentioned Mary-Louise loves her both children and grandchildren? Don't do anything drastic to them.... please, we don't need the attention. Usually, they're at the Quintin market, bullying people into giving them free stuff, but if they're not there... they're exploring the swamp for some reason. I don't know who would go out there."

With that, Jennifer pushed her glasses up her nose and leaned backward, placing both of her hands in her lap as she gave the group a warning. "Now, again, pay attention to your surroundings... if something doesn't feel right, just leave the area and we're all going to meet at the King's Summit Motel that's down the street from here at seven, okay? Make sure to stay out of the swamp and to stay away from the Black Family Manor on top of the hill." She looked at the group as she glanced from left to right.

"I'm going to be following up on more leads... uh, I would prefer it if I worked alone, just this once. Trust me, it'd be easier for all of us. But, if... something goes wrong, call me, and I'll be right there."

She sighed as she said,

"... Stay safe."