NationStates Jolt Archive

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Ic:


The raining night sky was turned to light as lightening streaked across the sky. The dazzling display lit up the ground, a small village consisting of a church and twelve small buildings by a river and single, weathered dirt road cut through it and continued towards the mountains. Two miles up the road from the town another road connected to it and wandered up into the forests. Lit up by the lightening, another mile up the road was a massive castle surrounded by an eight meter wide moat and a thirty foot high wall.

The wet stone glistened brightly from the white streaks in the heavens above. The outer wall was guarded by only a few soldiers, slowly pacing back and forth as wind and rain beat at them. Their armor was heavy and it would take a lot of work to make sure it didn’t rust. Their eyes turned to the inner wall, standing forty feet; it held the Lord, armory, and the living quarters. Now, it was to be the sight of a cleansing. In the darkness between streaks of lightening and over the torches on the wall, they could see a dim orange glow reflecting off the wet stone towers.

Down below in the courtyard, men piled up wood around a tall wooden stake in the middle of the yard. They worked quietly, not speaking to one another as they went about their task. The rain would make it hard for the wood to lit, but they had several barrels of oil at hand to help start the blaze.

Sitting aside a great black horse a man in a pale blue tunic and a faded red and black lion under a great, brown overcoat. He stared calmly as his men continued to pile wood. His grey eyes were tired and his hair and beard were gray with age and stress. He liked the rain, it had severed him well on the battlefield across Europe and it also cleaned the land of blood and death. Tonight, it would clean his castle and land of evil.

He turned his head to the sound of shouting and smiled as a small group of his soldiers came out, swords and spears in one hand and chains in the other binding a young woman in them. Her red hair burned brightly with each lighting bolt across the sky and yet her eyes were dead. She was not a plump young thing, she was an average build and her face was smooth as polished marble. Though her body was beauty, her clothes were tattered brown rags that hung loosely about her body and billowed with the wind.

The sound of chanting drew his attention away as a priest walked forward across the courtyard. He held a silver cross in hand and his eyes were cast to the ground as he continued with his prayers as the rain beat at his head. The Priest walked up to him and his eyes turned up to meet his own. No words were spoken and he simply nodded. The Priest turned and walked back to the pyre as the woman was chained to the stake, she didn’t resist, she didn’t scream as the soldiers made sure she would not escape.

The Priest walked up to the pyre and stared at the condemned woman. “Do you wish to repent and accept God into your dark soul my child?”

The girl looked at the Priest and laughed. Not an amused childish laugh but a dark, twisted cackle. “Accept your God? Your God has done nothing in this world you worthless swine. I serve a greater Lord than you or that old creature upon the horse.”

The Priest began to pray again and the girl continued to cackle. “Pray, pray, pray that is all you do. Where is this God of yours? Tell me my Lord what God allowed your wife to die giving birth to a shriveled husk?”

The old man gritted his teeth and gave his horse a gently nudge. His men turned and moved out of the way as the horse slowly marched toward the woman. He stared at her and spoke in a deep, commanding voice that contrasted his tired appearance. “God did not kill my wife, you and your dark master did. If I had known the Devil lived within your soul I would have never let you into my home.”

The girl smiled, her face portrayed amusement and in a flash of lightening, her bright green eyes turned to a milky white and her skin was lined with veins of blood. The few second images burned into the man’s mind as he stared at the girl. She laughed. “What will you do now? Bless me? Burn me and wash my ashes from your home? Exorcise me? Come now Priest, try and pull the demons from me.”

The Priest looked up, his prayers continuing as he brought the cross up. The girl cackled in amusement at the gesture as the man strode forward, and continued to pray as he drew a glass vial from a pocket. He opened the vial and hurtled a stream of holy water at her. The girl finally screamed as the water splattered against her smooth face, it burned multiple craters in her cheeks and when her eyes opened, they were a burning green inferno. The Priest continued with his prayers and hurtled another stream of water at her, once again striking her face and causing her to writhe and scream. The lighting continued to crash over head and grew in intensity.

“Accept Jesus Christ as your…” The Priest began. The girl turned and stared at him, with the lightening, the Priest could see her teeth had changed into fangs.

“You will perish Priest! Your worthless words and water are nothing.” She bellowed at him. An inhuman screech exited her lips as she began to move her arms to break to the chains. The lightening intensified and as the Lord of the castle looked up, he saw a single fiery, green bolt, then two, and then three. He turned to his men. “Lit the fire and kill the demon!”

The soldiers stood in morbid fascination as they stared at the girl bound in now breaking chain. Their Lord’s voice broke the spell and they rushed for the barrels and were quick to pour it over the wood. The Lord grabbed a torch from a soldier and hurtled it at the pyre. The torch burned, the girl screamed, the lightening crackled, and as the girl began to break, the oil caught and then the wood.

The fire spread quickly and soon engulfed the thrashing body. The men assembled stared into the blaze, watching as the rags covering the girl caught fire as her first arm came free. They held their swords at the ready and watched as the body began to spasm and black blood began to flow from its skin. The inhuman cries continued and the lightening intensified above and the Lord noted that more and more bright green bolts cracked across the sky.

The Priest continued with his prayers as the lightening cracked and the thing inside the fire burned. He stared into the fire as a faint green light began to grow amongst the flames; he raised the vial of Holy Water to strike into the blaze. A tongue of fire lashed out at the Priest’s arm and in less than a second the man was covered in fire. The man screamed as the fire engulfed him, the red flames turned to a bright green before dissipating, leaving nothing only charred bone.

The Lord stared back to the fire, his horsed neighed and tried to run, but years of experience kept him steady. His men didn’t approach the blaze as one last cry echoed through the castle, a green lightening bolt shrieked from the dark sky above and struck the pyre. The fire was sucked back into the wood, a dull green light was visible in the middle of the pyre before the flames exploded outward again, engulfing everything within a few meters.

The Lord’s horse reared up, knocking him down into the mud before taking off towards the gates. His men ran to him and picked him up from the mud. He gave a simple nod in thanks before turning back to the pyre, the fire was low and gave off the red glow it should. The Priest’s bones began to chip away as the heavy rain struck it. The man turned his head up as the lightening cracked, white hot, like it should be.

The Lord sighed. “It is done.”

June 10, 2006

The buzzer rang loud and the volume continued to rise. A hand emerged from the bed next to the dresser where the alarm sat and moved around the wooden top, knocking over a few empty beer bottles, a small container of Cinnamon Altoids, and a half bag of Doritos before discovering the offending device. The hand balled up into a fist and smashed down onto the snooze button and the alarm went off. The hand retreated back into the bed.

The man laid there for a few minutes before opening a single hazel eye. The red numbers on the alarm clock marking eight o’clock in the morning looked back at him and he shut the eyeball and moaned. Thomas Urbanski hauled himself up off his back and swung his legs over the bed and touched the soft carpet. His eyes were still shut, his swirling brain was happy about that part as the blinds were drawn across the window in his hotel room.

Thomas Urbanski was twenty nine and going on thirty. He was five eleven with a head of usually neatly combed light brown hair. He yawned and scratched his chest before opening his eyes. God I had too much to drink. Thomas worked for a law firm hired by the state of Virginia to help in hopefully convincing BMW to open a plant in the state. His job was very simple, he sat, smiled, drank a beer with the Germans, and more or less acted as a secretary for the main players. The previous day, word reached everyone that the US State Department had given the green light and it was decided the next day that the papers would be signed. Thomas had celebrated with some beer…well, a lot of beer.

He heard another moan and turned his head to a naked woman sleeping next to him. She had platinum blonde hair and under her eye lids glittering sapphire eyes. His girlfriends, and hopefully future wife, Rose Jefferson was his height, very lean and outright the most beautiful woman Thomas had ever seen. Learning he was going to be in Germany for a few weeks or months, she convinced him to her to hop on board and as soon as the deal was green lit or fell through, they could travel and see the rest of Bavaria before maybe heading to Florence, Rome, or Athens for a little vacation. Well, after the good news, some beer, Rose went right on him and he could remember parts of their lovemaking the previous night.

Rising, Thomas shuffled over to the window. He was naked but it didn’t bother him on the tenth floor. Expecting the sun to blast him back like it would a vampire, he shut his eyes and opened the curtains. Instead, he didn’t get it. Thomas opened his eyes. “Fuck.”

It was raining across Munich. Thomas placed his head against the cool glass. It was going to be a long day before he and Rose ever got to the bus later that day.

Munich

Grey thundering clouds filled the sky as it rained. The cool water droplets hit the sidewalks and streets, causing steam to rise from the heat, creating a misty fog. ''You gotta be kidding me?" Jack said aloud as he looked out the window of his motel. Cars splashed through the streets as people dashed from building to building. He turned away and went back towards the bed. There, sat his backpack which he'd been looking over and packing. Jack was a college student who decided to take a trip to Europe. Europe was his escape from the stresses of classes, exams, and ungodly assignments. Europe fascinated him, the culture, the history, and the sites. Germany especially intrigued him. His girlfriend, Jessica Cross came from the bathroom, her attire appropriate for the trip. She ran a hand through her red hair and smiled
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" she smirked as she glided towards him, planting a kiss on his lips.
"Spectacular" he replied in a disappointed tone. The rain was relentless. An unstoppable force which drove to the ground, pounding against it. They have been dating for five years now and go to the same u8niversity. They were deeply in love and excited about this trip. She was studying to become a doctor, stems from her caring heart. His majors in political science and criminal justice kept him up till late hours studying. After an exhausting stay at college and having to take summer courses, he graduated. They were both quite happy depite the fact Jessica had to stay on. The rain continued to patter against everything it touched.
"Cheer up, Jack" she said as she sat down on the bed. She crossed her smooth legs as he stood there and smiled at her.
"You're right, the rain shouldn't last" Jack replied.

June 10, 2006, Near Munich, Germany

Vexx Marsi slowly climbed the hill, crossbow at the ready. He saw his prey, and fired. The bolt hit the deer in the stomach. The deer made a weird noise and fell to the ground. Vexx rushed up and stabbed the deer in the neck with his 10" hunting knife. He carried the deer to his lair just outside the gates of Munich. He built a fire and prepared the deer. He cooked the deer and ate slowly, watching a german television program on a small portable television. He suddenly remembered he had a bus to catch. He quickly packed up his meager belongings and rushed to the bus station. It was raining outside, and Vexx was saoking wet as he huddled in the corner of the us station, waiting for the next bus to [wherever we are going]. He turned on the small television. It was out of batteries. He quickly changed them, swearing at the short livage of the batteries.

Sasha had woken early and rose from the single bed at a Munich youth hostel. After repacking her bag, a massive pack with a number of custome add-ons, she hoisted the sack and headed to a local resturant she liked. Ordering a schnitzel, something she absolutely loved when gotten at a proper german resturant. After she finished it, she heard the alarm on her watch go off.
"The tenth already?" She murmered to herself as she paid for her food.

Looking out side, she saw it had started to rain, and rain fairly heavily. With a sigh, she unzipped a flap on her pack and slid out a rain shield, which she pulled out and extended so it served as an effective umbrella.

As she walked to the bus station, she turned on her Ipod to a sliced song comprised of death metal, jazz and christian rock. She smiled as a stray thought crossed her mind, anyone would think she was crazy if she bothered to plug in the speakers.

Arriving at the terminal, she took a seat and pulled out her sudoku book and flipped to puzzle six hundred and sixty six and realized she was a little of a third of the way done the book.

Edward Johnson stepped out of the hotel, onto the front deck, his face showing displeasure. He puffed on his cigar and cursed under his breath, before sticking the cigar back in his mouth and shoving his hands in his military trenchcoat, fumbling with the lighter in one of the pockets. His combat boots made a loud creaking noise in the old wood he paced on, his leather gloved hands tapping unknowingly together behind his back.

Darn it, Johnson...why did you have to pick such a rainy month? He shook his head slowly as he picked up his bag and slung it across his shoulders. Germany? The beer capital of the world...good going...see how long I can stay away from the bars...

Luckily, the former Lt. Commander had booked himself a tour on a bus around the countryside, details already forgotten as Edward already drowned himself in enough liquour to clean a toilet. That would explain his cruddy mood. And the rain didn't help...

Edward made his way to a nearby bus station, noticing a homeless, not to mention, wet looking man, and a girl who seemed oblivious to the world. Misfits... he thought as he sniffed their way, before puffing his cigar again and waiting patiently for the bus to arrive.

Hauptman Bed & Breakfast, Munich Germany

"Kendall, please let me drive you and Keeper to the bus depot. The rain will just soak you both through, if you don't. And then he'll catch a cold." The plump lady who ran the tiny B&B smiled conspiratorily at the big Shiloh Shepherd, as she stroked his silky head. It would give her just a little longer to practise her already excellent English, and her young lodger hadn't minded her inexhaustable store of questions.

Kendall Morgan (http://www.atddm.com/Kendall.jpg) rolled her gray green eyes and grinned, but didn't let her hostess see as she finished checking the fit of the canine back pack she was strapping on Keeper. His plush coat would shed the rain far better than her wind breaker would. However, Fra Haupmann had been nothing but kindness itself. And her backpack, and his, were full to the brim with refilled supplies. And it was pouring solidly. And it would be more likely be she'd be the one to catch a chill.

Certain that the fit of the pack was snug but comfortable, Kendall stood and smiled down at the shorter woman. Fra Hauptman stood scarely five foot three, Kendall being close to six foot, lithe but strong against the older woman's cheery rotundity. The two looked much like their canine companions; Fra Hauptmans cherished poodle, Huen, small, round and lively in grey fluff; Keeper (http://www.atddm.com/keeper.jpg) moving with a quarterback's powerful grace - thirty five inches at the shoulder he weighed an impressive one hundred and thirty pounds of solid muscle. His golden sable coat with its cream under ruff and underbelly shimmered in the back hall's lights. The day was so gloomy that Fra Hauptman had turned on the over head lights despite the top half of the front door being etched glass.

Kendall's dark golden blonde hair shimmered too as she aquiessed with a nod . "Adele, I'll take you up on that, but only if you let me buy you coffee on the way, and some of that wonderful Kuchen as well."

"Oh that I'd never pass up." The older woman chuckled as Kendall hefted her backpack in one hand and grabbed her heavy camera case in the other. "And I'll maill that package back to Houston for you later this afternoon. Thats a good idea mailing all your souvineers home rather than toting them with you, even if they are just small things."

'Well I have to keep it light, and I'm really trying to stay within my budget. I can't thank you enough for recommending your cousin's place at my next stop. Finding places that will let Keeper in isn't that easy." Kendall followed Fra Hauptman out to the late model Volvo estate wagon that waited in the semi detatched garage that had once been a stables. She laid her backpack in the back cargo area while Adele opened the side door for Huen and Keeper. The camera case with its Canon EOS 1D and the lenses stayed with her. It was a professional grade digital SLR and she'd taken several classes over the last year to be worthy of it's quality.

Once every one was arranged, with Huen climbing unashamedly into Fra Hauptman's lap, they headed out. The bakery was only minutes away, it was a small but busy shop known to the locals for it's excellent Kuchen. Coffee cups in hand, and not one but two large boxes filled with tempting smelling fresh peach Kuchen, the two women dashed back to the car laughing over their attempts to aviod the puddles. No sooner than they had made it back to the car than the rain that had slowed to nearly nothing resumed it's pounding.

"I think she tucked enough plates and forks in there" Adele nodded at the box Kendall kept on her lap. "But if the bus ride gets exciteing, you and the others might have a hard time enjoying it. Do you think that will be enough for all the passengers?"

"I called yesterday and asked how many the bus seats. Iit's a smaller one and so the double Kuchen I got should be enough. I like being able to offer a bit of food. I think it's the southern hospitality genes coming out." She grinned and took a long sip of her coffee. It also made her friends and brought out coversation among often self absorbed travelers.

That Keeper was gentle and friendly as well was an ice breaker too - if the people weren't afraid of big dogs. He could be fiercely protective of her but that side of him only came out when he felt she was threatened. That she could generally take care of herself - she was a fifth Dan in Aikido, and taught self defense courses to women back home in Houston Texas - didn't matter to him. He was the most dedicated dog Kendall had ever known.

Not that she had grown up knowing much about dogs, she and her mom had led a fairly nomadic life until she was ten. But once they'd settled down she took to having pets with a vengance. Her mother sometimes had laughed that they had moved into a zoo. Friends were cat sitting for her even now.

Just over six years ago, Dr. McDougal, the vet whom she'd worked for to put herself through Baylor University -where she just finished getting her nursing degree- had called her about a litter of orphaned pups, and the owner too ill himself to nurse them. She took Keeper - formally known as CH.Rebel's Yell Keeper of the Flame to the ISSR- as payment for raising the litter. He was over the breed height regulations so he couldn't be shown in Bench (confirmation ) shows, but Kendal wasn't interested in that. They both enjoyed the obedience classes far more and Keeper had won his OTCh by age three.

Now he was her constant companion and he waited patiently at her side as she pulled her backpack from the back of the Volvo and shut the hatch firmly. She hugged Adele as they made their good byes and slipped Huen a bit of jerky from the stash in her belt pouch. Then they were dashing into the bus depot as Frau Hauptman waved and drove off.

The depot was mostly empty, only a sodden young man huddled in the corner, smelling of wood smoke and something that had Keeper discretely interested, an auburn haired woman working a puzzle book of some kind and an older man in a military trenchcoat, puffing stolidly on a noxious smelling cigar. Choosing from among the mostly empty seats she put the pack down and handsigned Keeper to sit-stay and walked over to the ticket gate. Once she had checked in and determined that the bus was on schedule, at least for the moment, she returned and sat, giving Keeper's ears a good ruffle.

"New sights to see, old man" Kendall said softly to him, as she continued to discretely observe the others.

Jack went back to the window and parted a white curtain, "It seems the rain is letting up a bit. We should probably leave" he said to Jessica who lay on the bed, looking up to the ceiling.
"Alrighty, let's get goin'!" she replied and jumped out of the bed. They got on rain coats which were in their packs. Jack zippered his up as he opened the door of the motel. The anticipation of this trip was too much and the rain didn't bother him now. Luckily, the bus terminal wasn't too far away so they could walk. The couple walked out and locked the door. They casually walked down the streets, through the rain and past people with umbrellas. Their hiking boots clopped down onto the wet pavement and jumped over massive puddles. After an exciting stride they finally made it to the bus terminal. There weren't that many people there. Jack flipped the hood back as did Jessica.
"That was fun" she smiled as she fixed her hair. They continued to walk until they found where they were supposed to be for the bus. Jack took in a deep breathe as they sat down and waited. The bus would probably be late due to the rain but they didn't mind. Jack held her hand as they sat there and talked and laughed. It was going to be a fun trip.

Father Andrew Quinn frowned and adjusted his white collar as his taxi pulled up to the bus station... the rain didn't look as though it'd be letting up any time soon, further darkening an already depressing trip.

Two days ago his sister Mary had called to give him the bad news about Grandma- dead of a stroke while visiting her relatives out in the backwaters of Eastern Europe. Everything since had been an unpleasant blurr for the priest. A six hour plane ride from Boston to Munich next to a man who tried incessantly to convert Quinn to Evangelism, a two hour delay at the rental car station, a burst pipe in his hotel room...

And now the rain... Andrew thought darkly.

Why his grandmother had insisted on being buried in the "Home Country" after spending 50 years of her life in suburban Boston was beyond him, but she had always been a particularly stubborn woman. Now the whole family had to be flown out to send her off- none of them could fly out at the same time to the same place, however, and so Quinn's family was currently scattered throughout Europe... each of them migrating towards Grandma's home town.

Why the hell did I fly to Munich? the priest thought to himself as he stepped out into the rain, I should've stayed another day and flown to Paris with Mary, seen the sights.

Andrew opened his black umbrella and pulled his suitcase out of the trunk. His brow furrowed annoyedly as he walked up the bus platform and saw a golden retriever... a five hour bus ride with the only creature on God's good earth that he was allergic to, this trip was already turning out to be a disaster...

Kendall glanced over as a young couple came in and settled in the area reserved for the bus heading to the Black Forest. They were dressed sensibly and seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely.

Turning back she glanced at Keeper who had laid down and dozed off. "Saving your energy for looking out the windows" She chuckled softly to herself so as not to wake him. She rummaged in her camera case and pulled out a samll notebook. Stuttgart was nearly four hundred miles away. She wondered if they were going to over night there. That was nearly eight hours of driving and then there was hoepfully going to be a stop for lunch to make it nine...

"I just hope they don't try and get us all the way to Maulbronn in one marathon roll, but who knows..." She put away her notes and finished the last of her coffee as a priest strode in with a frown on his face as he caught sight of Keeper.

http://www.atddm.com/keepera.jpg

Billy-Bob Pickett sighed. He hadn’t killed a single rich bastard in over a year. Perhaps this vacation would provide an opportunity. Maybe even someone on the bus would make a good target. This was unlikely, due to his requirement that his victims make at least one hundred thousand dollars, or its Euro equivalent, annually. It was still a possibility though. He mused on how it had been so easy to get his paraphernalia through customs on his flight to Munich. No wonder the terrorists of September 11th succeeded so easily; anyone with half a brain could get through customs with almost anything. He laughed rather wickedly. A few people passing by the bench he sat on gave him strange looks.

Billy-Bob stood up, picking up the long black duffle bag he had with him. He sneezed, rubbed his nose and found that it was running. He grunted as he made his way into the bus station. The rain better not have given him a cold. That’s what happens though, he thought, when you sit out in the rain for two hours straight. Of course, it was worth it. He had spotted someone get onto a bus that had the unmistakable look of wealth. So arrogant, it made his blood boil. If he hurried he could get changed into dry clothes, get a ticket, and get on that bus before it left.

He went into the bathroom, put on his fancy business suit, and got a ticket. The man at the booth said it was the last one and that he better hurry, the bus was leaving any moment. Billy-Bob ran out to the bus. The bus had already begun to move. He ran up to it and banged on the door as it increased in speed. The driver looked at him, seeing the desperate look on his face. The driver then shook his head and he sped up. Billy-Bob’s nostrils flared. The damn sonnuvabitch, he couldn’t be bothered to stop for a passenger. He didn’t care if the driver wasn’t rich; if he ever saw him again he would kill him in the most horrible way he could think of.

He went back to the station and purchased a ticket for the next bus out; he wasn’t going to wait in the rain again for another rich asshole to get on a bus.

Vexx saw several people walk in. The one that interested him the most was a girl who had a dog. He got up and walked over. He looked at the girl. "Is he friendly?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"Is he friendly?"

Keeper sat up as the man with such interesting smells approached and his tail thumped against the floor but he waited for Kendall to signall him. He liked people but knew to be polite.

Kendall looked up from the paperback she'd opened, and gave the man from the corner a smile despite his gruff tone. "He can be..." Her voice trailled off as..

Keeper's attention changed, drawn to the man who gave of scents of anger and wrongness... Kendall followed his sudden change of attention from the young man before them to the man in the out of place, fancy business suit. He looked dampened from a recent dash out into the rain, though his hair was plastered to his skull as if he'd been out much longer. And the look in his eyes made her wonder what had pushed him past mere anger and into rage. Though he hid it well, she'd seen it's like too many times working in the busiest trauma center in the U.S.

She looked back at the still dripping young man and nodded to him, giving Keeper the tiny hand signal. "Yes to the right people. Just let him sniff your hand so that he knows you. " She could see now that he stood before her that he looked rather ragged, as if he been wearing his clothes hard. And the smell was more pronounced now, woodsmoke, and dirty human, though his face and hands were clean enough.

Keeper stood and waited, most of his attention on the man that scented of wild, unwashedness, deer, and more, but a tiny portion keeping track of the other man. His tail wagged to and frow slowly.

"Would you care for some Kuchen?" She couldn't help but feel sorry for the slim built young man, and wondered if he'd been reduced to living in shelters. "Why don't you go grab us some coffee from the bar." She fished out a small handfull of German marks and held them out to him. 'While I cut the Kuchen."

Vexx took the money and returned several minutes later with a cup of coffee and handed it to the girl. He sat on the bench and opened up his backpack and took out his knife and a MRE. He cut the MRE open and took out a chocolate bar. He opened it up and ate slowly, enjoying it. He looked at the girl. "I'm not poor. I took a $300,000 bet on wether or not I could survive in the European wild for four years." He opened up his backpack and took out a peice of cooked meat he had been saving and held it out to the dog. "This is year two. I spent all of my money and most of my clothing is now in tatters. I am going to [wherever the bus is going] because that is one of the places I have to go."

Kendall took the coffee but flushed at the young mans words about not being poor. "Thanks. Sorry, I guess it showed that I jumped to a conclusion though didn't it?"

Keeper looked at Kendall, and refused to take the meat.

"Don't be insulted but he's food trained. Some bastid was poisoning dogs in my neighborhood a few years back and I made sure that he wouldn't be one. Thank you though. oh, thats Keeper, and I'm Kendall."

"Surviving in Europe's wilds? What European wilderness? I haven't seen anything to compare to say west Texas or New Mexico. Even the mountains are civilized and prettified." She handed him a paper plate with a thick slice of Kuchen, golden cake scent with spices and heavy with fresh peaches baked into it.

"The bet can't be too limiting if it allows you to travel by vehicle, instead of getting to where ever you have to go by foot. This cake won't negate it will it, since you're carrying MRE's."

Sasha finished her sudoku at about the same time as her spliced song finished. Checking her watch, she smiled, she was ahead of her average time. Looking around, she noticed the terminal had filled up some more, with a couple and thier dog eating cake, an old man who appeared to be an almost sterotypical movie type priest, and a dude in a suit who looked peeved being the most interesting.

With a shrug, she slipped her massive pack off her shoulders and began searching for the book she was reading, and her ticket bookmark, replacing it with the sudoku game book. Flipping to the bookmarked page, she checked her ticket against the real time and wondered if the bus was going to be late as she began reading a nice spooky horror novel.

OOC Theao, Quinn isnt all that old... thirty something I think it said in his bio. No big deal, just to letting you know.

Father Quinn sat down on a bench across from Kendell, Keeper and Vexx and immediately drew a bundle of papers out of his suitcase. No rest for the weary... the priest still had two classes worth of psychology essays to grade before he got back to the States. His dark eyes scanned the reports as his red pen busily circled and crossed out incorrect statements and underlined well thought out phrases.

Hopefully the bus ride would be quiet enough for him to finish the papers before he reached his grandmother's town... the couple across from him seemed quiet enough, and the dog was well behaved. The priest glanced up from his papers for a moment and looked around... a girl was scribbling in a notebook and listening to an Ipod a few benches down, a man smoking a cigar to his right, and a couple other people were standing quietly. Quinn's grey eyes lingered on a drenched man in a business suit for a moment, his brow furrowed... one didn't need a PhD in psychology to tell that something about this man was... off. Maybe it was the look of blank hatred etched on his face, or the tic at the corner of his mouth, but something about the man made the priest uneasy.

Andrew looked back over at the dog and the couple in front of him and smiled. It was refreshing to see people still being genuinely nice to each other, and it boded well for the trip that they were both Americans- at least he'd have someone to talk to.

Edward was constantly scanning the street, growing more impatient by the second. He puffed on his cigar again, cursing loudly before sticking the cigar back in his mouth.

Not only was he impatient, but it was getting too quiet for his taste. Sure, the couple nearby were chattering amongst themselves, but what about everyone else?

They just need alcohol to loosen themselves up... he thought to himself, chuckling quietly under his breath. As he listened into the woman and man's conversation, he couldn't help but wonder why a man would take a bet.

"You know, a man tried to live in Alaska for a while...McClandes? Chris Mc-Something or other. He died. Starved 'cause he was naive. Atleast that's what I say. Sure, he was brave, but he seemed like one of those rebel teenagers,"

"What exactly are your limits and or premises to this 'game' of yours?" He asked before he let out another puff of smoke.

Thomas stood inside the lobby of the BMW headquarters and waited for the taxi Rose said she would get to pick him up in and take them to the bus station. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of Juicy Fruit and rammed a stick in his mouth. He sighed and chewed, checking his watch several times before he saw a taxi appear out front. He smiled as he saw Rose in the backseat.

Thomas tucked his suitcase under his jacket and ran out into the rain. His shoes splashed in the puddles and Rose saw him as he neared the car. She opened the door from the inside, letting him get out of the water quickly. He dropped in the seat and slammed the door. Thomas looked at Rose and smiled, getting a quick kiss in response. “Pack everything?”

“Yeah…excited?” She asked with obvious enthusiasm.

“Spare for the rain, I think it will be cool. Everything is set and we finally have time to ourselves.” Thomas said as the taxi moved towards the station.

When they reached the station, Thomas paid the driver and the Americans removed their bags and picked up their tickets from the booth. Inside the dry terminal, Thomas was a little surprised to see a dog, a big one at that. Eh…its Europe. Things are done differently. He smiled politely at the other people as he and Rose took a seat.

"You know, a man tried to live in Alaska for a while...McClandes? Chris Mc-Something or other. He died. Starved 'cause he was naive. Atleast that's what I say. Sure, he was brave, but he seemed like one of those rebel teenagers,"

"What exactly are your limits and or premises to this 'game' of yours?" He asked before he let out another puff of smoke.

Kendall had ignored the earlier cursing that bounced off the bus depots walls . However she looked up sharply when the cigar smoking man spoke up, joining in the conversation uninvited. Fronwing slightly she looked him over carefully. Normally she didn't mind others joining in conversations, but he seemed aggressive, looking for a confrontation maybe. Keeper had noticed him -but in the discrete way that told her he didn't sense anything overtly dangerous about the man. The stranger was closer to Vexx ( though she hadn't yet been told his name ) than to her, and that was a factor too in Keepers reaction.

She gave the older man a cool smile, noting his well tailored trench coat and combat boots but waited for the other man, who had been interrupted before her could introduce himself, to answer the questions if he chose.

"Well, you need to go to places like the Black Forest. That's where I'm heading. In places like those, you can get mauled by bears. That's where it's really dangerous, hiking up and down mountains, going rafting in a homemade canoe down white water rapids. It's mainly places that most people don't here of. Oh, excuse me. I'm Vexx Marsi. The reason I can get on this bus is because I am going into the second part, where I will spend a few years in the black forest. I had to get special permisiion. Actually, the bet is very limiting. I had to build a log cabin outside of Munich. I can't carry any firearms, so I took a crossbow. The only premade food I'm allowed was fifty MREs, so I can't take the cake."

OOC: I'll finish the post tomarrow.

"I see. Well Vexx, I do wish you good luck with yor bet." Kendall hid a world of dubiousity behind a calm face. Bears in the Black Forest? She didn't think so, for the area was too heavily civilized now days. A prime tourist destination, not a primitive zone, but she had to give him points for earnestness. And for resisting the heavenly smelling Kuchen.

"I'm planning to see a number of lesser known sights myself. I like the places few others go." She began to slide the unaccepted slice of cake back in the box, thrn changed her mind.

She looked up at Edward, though he had not yet introduced himself, and offered him the plate. "Would you care for a slice of the Kuchen?"

She'd offer the priest sitting across from them a slice next, though he seemed busy with some sort of paperwork. Unlike with a nun, it was very hard to know what order a priest belonged to, but if he was a Jesuit those could well be class papers he was dealing with.

Edward nodded slowly at the woodsman. "Good luck with that."

The retired military officer couldn't help but think how dumb an idea it was, but that's how some people think. Taking bets from a friend...The most I ever bet was one thousand dollars...But if he makes it through, he'd make one heck of a story to tell back home...

Suddenly, he was offered some sort of cake food by the young blond haired, blue eyed lady. It certainly smelled good, not to mention looked tasty. But, Edward was not hungry as of yet.

"No thank you, ma'am. Perhaps, though, I'll take you up on that offer later. It certainly smells delicious," he replied, before looking past the slice to the dog.

"That's a fine looking dog you have there. Reminds me of a friends dog I knew, a police dog. Large fellow and very obedient."

Kendall's smile went wide as he complimented Keeper, her gray green eyes alite. "Thank you! He's a Shiloh Shpeherd, they're a little known breed, created from the 'old style' German Shepherd Dog. Very intelligent and he does have quite a number of obedience trial wins under his collar. We're going after the gun dog titles next year."

"I'm Kendall Morgan, and he's Keeper." She introduced herself, not sure if he had heard her earlier.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both. I'm Edward Johnson," came the reply, along with a nod to both of them.

He tossed his cigar on the ground, grinding it under his combat boot, watching the embers die out as the ash flowed out of the cigar.

He looked back at Kendall and Keeper and gave them a small, barely noticable smile. "Is he a pointer or a retriever?"

Rose got up from her seat to go use the bathroom. The rain did little to damping her spirits about the trip and she also hoped that Thomas would ask for her hand in marriage. She knew he had been thinking about it, Rose had taken a quick peak or two at his things and saw a magizine with the page open to a display of engagment rings. She hoped once they were alone in a field, Thomas would get on his knees, and open a box to reveal a wonderful gift.

As she walked back into the terminal, she watched a man crunched a cigar on the floor with his boot. Rose hated smoking because the smoke gave her migraines and she also hated it when people just threw thier butts on the ground.

"Pardon me." She said to the man. "I don't think it is good manners to throw your trash on the floor. You don't want to be charged with a fine for littering."

Kendall frowned and rolled her eyes at his littering - apparently German laws did allow smoking indoors since no one official has said anything- but to just toss it the butt to the floor was nothing she approved of.

"Is he a pointer or a retriever?"

However before she could say anything on his bad habit, or answer his question, a woman somewhat younger than herself approached and took Edward to task over the littering.

"I don't think it is good manners to throw your trash on the floor. You don't want to be charged with a fine for littering."

Kendall cocked her head slightly to one side watching Edwards reaction to the blunt spoken young woman. A plus as far as Kendall was concerned.

Keeper wagged his tail happily at the newcomer. Women were often extravagant with their welcomes to him. The percentage of ear scritchings and neck ruffles was far higher from them than from men. He watched the various interactions with interest.

Quinn looked up and chuckled to himself at the conflict about to ensue, with a good natured smile he decided to try and change the topic before the tough looking cigar smoker could engage the young non-smoker.

"Is that Kuchen?" he asked the blonde woman with the dog, his grey eyes twinkling with mild greed. If the priest had one vice, it was pie... "The stuff at my hotel was absolutely awful.. taken from a freezer I suspect. Did you cook that yourself? It smells heavenly."

Did you cook that yourself? It smells heavenly."

"Oh I wish I could bake this well, Father." Kendall laughed as she handed over the thick slice of Kuchen. Instead of a thin 'pie' type crust, the base was a thick layer of dense golden sponge cake, moist with the juices for the fresh peach filling. Nutmeg, cinnamon but especially ginger scented the air.

"The wonderful lady who ran the Bed and Breakfast where I stayed recommened the her local bakery. They only bake fresh, each morning and once they are sold out they close. I couldn't pass it up especially since they so very proudly told me that they import only the best peaches, " Her hand made little quote marks " from 'the Valley'." She laughed and explained further "The Rio Grande Valley, I'm a Texan."

"You're accent betrays you," the priest replied happily, his mouth half full of Kuchen, "I lived in Dallas until I was fifteen and we moved to Taxachussetts. I go back all the time, though. Good hiking, especially if you go up north to Utah."

"Oh?" Edward said as he took a good look at the speaker. "Who ever said anything about manners?" He continued, staring hard into the woman's eyes, before the sides of his lips curled.

He bent over and picked up the cigar remains slowly, before tossing it in a nearby trash can without getting up. "Everyone's happy," he mumbled, before reclining back in his chair.

No one told me Miss Goody-two shoes was going to be here... he thought angrily, as he pulled a small flask out of his pocket, taking a small swig of it before putting it back in his pocket.

Vexx turned away and sat down. He settled down in the corner and went to sleep.

Rose smiled as the man picked up the remains of the cigar and threw it away. "Thank you sir."

As she turned, she saw the big dog. She gasped, jumping back and stumbling over some bags. The clattering brought Thomas to her side, he looked at her as she stared petrified at the dog. He muttered something and picked her up, motoining to the woman he would be back in a minute.

Thomas put her down in her seat, brushing her hair from her face. "Its okay Rose...its not going to hurt you..."

Rose's arms wrapped around him as she held him tight. Thomas patted her on the back, gently soothing her before prying himself free. He returned to the dog's owner and shifted uneasily on his feet. He spoke in a nervous tone.

"I am really sorry about that miss. Rose has no problem with dogs...she loves them...well small dogs at least. You see...well...you see she was coming in front school one day when a neighbor's mastiff jumped her and dragged her around the yard by her pant leg till her mother chased it away. So...so..so...she is nervous around big dogs...yours kinda took her by surprise. I'll try to keep her away from your dog till she warms up a little. She loves dogs, we have a mini schnauzer at home. I am so sorry about what happened ma'am. It is nothing against you or anything...I am terribly sorry..."

Kendall beamed at the priest. Not only did he obviously like good Kuchen but he was a transplanted Texan. She nodded in agreement with his love of hiking, she and Keeper went camping whenever they could.

She glanced back as Edward grumpily complied with the young womans request, but she had looked down to hide her grin and thus missed seeing Rose's initial reaction to Keeper...

The clatter of Rose falling jerked her head back up to see the young woman being picked up and carried over to a chair. She watched in dismay as the obviously terrified young woman took a long moment to collect herself.

Keeper's tail wagging and happy expression had died as the woman jumped back from him and fell. He whined low in his throat, uncertain what had brought the sudden spike of fear in her. Kendall reached over and slowly stroked him, seeking to soothe his upset.

I am so sorry about what happened ma'am. It is nothing against you or anything...I am terribly sorry..."

She listened with concern and understanding to his expalination and nodded.

"There's nothing for you to be sorry for. She had a terrible experince and I don't blame her for being wary. I was a vet tech for a time, and have been bitten by large dogs. Not only is it a shock that your 'friend' bites you but it's a physical shock as well. It's like a steel trap closeing - it HURT's!" Kendall nodded understandlingly as she opened the bakery box and cut two thick slices of the Kuchen, sliding them on to one of the disposable plates.

"Here" She handed them to the young man. "Please accept this with my and Keepers understanding

Vexx looked at the women. Fear? He thought Getting attacked by a black bear, that's fear.

"Thanks." Thomas said as he took the piece of Kuchen. He was still feeling nervous about what had happened, not really the way to start a trip in a bus with a bunch of strangers. He looked down at Keeper and gave the dog a small grin. Seeing the dog reminded him how much he wanted to get home and pick up Slack from the kennel.

As Thomas turned, he turned back around to the woman and held out his hand. "I'm Thomas and my girlfriend is Rose."

Kendall shook hands with Thomas as Keeper wagged his tail and looked hopeful.

"I'm Kendal Morgan, and this attention hound is Keeper. How about this. According to the ticket man, the bus isn't going to be one of the really big ones, but there have also been very few tickets sold. Why don't Keeper and I ride toward the front of the bus and you and Rose sit behind us some what. That way she can see Keeper and realise that he isn't a threat to her. He really is very friendly, and he is a obedience trained. He won't approach her with out permission." She suggested.

Vexx looked at the priest. He leaned over towards the papers. He could see they were psychology papers. "Do you teach psychology?" Vexx asked the man.

Edward was watching the action unfold between Kendall and Thomas with little interest. Rose likes little dogs? Ungreatful yapping rats... Edward thought. He hated most little dogs, believing them to be useless in all aspects. Useless unless the owner wanted an annoying bark...

"What time is the bus supposed to arrive?" Edward asked out loud, his brows furrowing in annoyance.

Kendall looked back over to Edward as he spoke loudly, his ill humor even more apparent.

"What time is the bus supposed to arrive?"

She looked over at the large clock on the near by wall. "If I am remembering correctly the bus should be here soon, as it departs in thirty minutes."

"Perhaps that it it now" She added as a small brightly painted bus pulled up.

http://www.atddm.com/BUS14.jpg

"They did say it was a small bus." But she looked dubious as she took in the fact that it was a much less modern bus than she had been expecting.

The priest, who had buried himself in his papers since rose had calmed down, looked up at Vexx and nodded with a smile, "Yes I do, at Boston College. It's a Jesuit school, just outside the city."

Quinn shuffled his papers neatly, slid them into his suitcase, and stood- eyeing the aged bus with a smirk.

"I hope it holds together for the trip," he said with light laughter and picked up his luggage. He turned to Rose, his smile fading but his face still understadning, "I suppose you should get on first? That way the dog can sit up front, you'll be able to see it."

Sasha closed up her book and slid in the bookmark at what looked like the bus, a decripit old thing, as she stood up with her massive pack on as she headed over toward it.

Thomas smiled back at Kendall and gave Keeper a pat on the head, apparently much to the dog's pleasure. He went back to Rose who was now buried in a book. He broke half the Kuchen and gave her the bigger side. "What ya reading?"

Rose placed her bookmark in, took the piece and handed the book to Thomas. He read the cover. "The Best of H.P. Lovecraft: Blood Curdling Tales Of Horror And The Macabre. Nice...nothing like a little horror on a trip near the land of vampires."

Rose shrugged with a grin. "I like Poe and Lovecraft is considered the twentith centuries's Poe...so why not? I'm reading one called The Call of Cthulhu...really creppy."

Thomas chuckled and before he could speak, there was a horn and a small bus pulled up. "Come on Rose...we go first so you can see Keeper up front. He is a nice dog."

"Yeah...nice..." Rose said doubtfully. As they collected their things, she gave a smile to Kendall as they moved past, Thomas between her and the dog. Rose smiled pleasantly at the Priest and a gave a slight nod as they walked past.

A man in his late fourties emerged from the bus. He was told the people on his bus were mostly Americans or at the very least spoke English. "Tickets bitte."

Thomas gave his and Rose's over and boarded the bus and sat in the back. The driver turned back to everyone else. "Come come...we do not have all day. It is going to be a bit cramped but we will stop when it is needed. Come come...we must get to Freiburg and that sits next door in Baden-Wurttemburg. It also sits on the other side of the Black Forest...so it should be nice."

Vexx handed the man his ticket and stpped onto the bus. He found a seat as close to the back as possible, and fell asleep.

Father Quinn, Thomas and Rose, Edward, Vexx, the young girl listening to her ipod and doing Soduku, the angry man, and a young couple that had been entirely wrapped up in each other.

She looked about and didn't see any one else , so Kendall handed her ticket to the driver, and waved Keeper aboard.

"Up you go sir!" She laughed as the big dog leapt aboard with a happy woof. Looking about she realized that there would be plenty of room, the bus was barely a third full.

Kendall laid her heavy backpach under her seat and sat down to take Keeprs off him. Tucking it under his seat she patted the seat and he hopped on to the seat so that he could see out of the window. She'd given him the window seat, and he was happy.

Once she'd handed her ticket in, Sasha boarded the bus and began heading down to a seat. Putting her pack in the seat beside her, she saw that the woman with the dog had seated her self quite close, all things considered and hoped she had control over the dog as she was most definately not a dog person, except for the truely big dogs.

She wondered what each was doing on the trip, but then decided it didn't matter as she chose to take a nap.

Quinn handed his ticket to the driver and took the seat across from Kendall, sitting just in front of the girl listening to an Ipod.

He drew the paper he was grading from his suitcase and began reading, red pen in hand.

As the engine on the ancient bus growled to life, the priest felt a sharp, sudden stab of irrational fear... a shadow moved in his mind. Quinn's stomach turned over and his hands clenched, ripping the paper he had been grading down the middle. Automatically, Andrew clutched at the crucifix he wore just under his shirt; the feeling subsided. The clergyman looked around, and, embarressed, took his hand from the cross around his neck and picked up the peice of paper he had ripped. Outside, he noticed, though the rain had stopped- the day seemed darker.

"Mind if I smoke," Edward asked as he turned in his ticket.

He walked down the aisle, picking a seat in the middle of the bus, gently patting Keeper's head as he passed.

Then, the priest ripped his paper and grabbed his crucifex.

"What? Do you think I'm a vampire?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. He continued on towards his seat and sat down quietly, crossing his arms across his chest.

Vexx jerked awake, hand on his knife. He settled down, and took a book out of his backpack. It was The Caves of Steel by Issac Asimov (OOC: It really is a good read.) He began reading, unaware of the world around him.

The driver looked at Edward. "Sorry, no smoking is permitted while aboard the bus. Do not worry my friend we will stop in a few hours for a snack and a bathroom break...then you may smoke."

The driver was the last to climb in, he gunned the ancient engine and set his course.

Thomas looked up as the Priest gave a jolt. He was about to stand when the bus thumped into life and started moving out of Munich. The American waited fro the bus to hit a stop light before getting up from his seat and leaning across the empty row before him and tapped the man on his shoulder.

"You okay there Father?"

Quinn forced his lips into a smile and turned to face Thomas.

"Oh..." he began, his voice filled with forced calm, "Yes, It was a long flight out, and I got no sleep in the hotel. Nerves and jet lag I supose. Thank though."

The priest wished he felt as confident as he was trying to sound, but unease still fluttered through his stomach.

What was that Andy? he thought, annoyed at himself, That airplane food must be getting to me...

"I didn't get your name," Andrew asked, quickly changing the topic both outwardly and in his mind.

The bus had barely gone a hundred feet before it had to stop for a light.

Kendall gave Father Quin a close look, searching for signs that it might be a mycardial infarction, or stroke. She was a nurse and such an action was automatic with her.

"Father I am a nurse." She knelt in the isleway of the bus her hand going in a practised move to his wrist, taking his pulse whle she noted his respiration, color, and a host of other small telltales.

"Your pulse is fine, if a little fast, and your breathing is good. " Kendall kept her voice low as not to disturb the others. She proceeded to ask him a series of questions about how he felt, was there pain radiating down his left side, did he feel nauseous and other diagnostical questions.

"I'm alright," Quinn replied, turning from Thomas to Kendall, "Thank you... I didn't get any sleep last night- a pipe burst in my hotel room and since the plane ride I've been jetlagged. I'm sure its just nerves... I appreciate the concern though."

But it wasn't nerves, Andy... it was something else...

The priest looked down and frowned, suprised to find his hand resting on his crucifix again.

Vexx shuddered, as a cold feeling came over him. All color dissapered from his face. He suffered an attack of overwhelming terror. He managed to keep a straight face, so Kendall wouldn't notice. He liked her.

"Oh, I'm Thomas and my girlfriend is Rose." He said with a smile and a handshake.

He stared at the Priest, hoping he was okay. When Kendall came to inspect, he backed off, wanting to give them a bit of privacy. When Kendall was finished he moved up to a seat close to Quinn. Thomas looked back at Rose who was still reading Lovecraft before looking back at the Priest.

He spoke in a low tone. "Father...can you do a Methodist marriage?"

"Only Catholic, sorry." Quinn said with a smile, "If one of you is Catholic, even non-practicing, I can preform the ceremony... but I'm afraid that's all."

“Thanks Father…we are both Methodist…so. Thanks anyway.” Thomas said. He got up from the seat and returned to Rose.

The bus continued on its way out of Munich and through Bavaria. They made a few pit stops before leaving the German state crossing over into Baden-Wurttemburg. It was shortly after dusk they stopped at a restaurant for a quick bite to eat and to stretch their legs. Then, it was back on the bus again. The lights were dimmed so that people could sleep if they wanted, but it was still bright enough to read.

Thomas looked out the window as the aptly named Black Forest loomed ahead. Only a few more hours on this cramped little bus and they would be in Freiburg, there he would propose to Rose. Then, onto Italy for a nice vacation in Rome, Venice, Florence…wherever they wanted. They would have to wait to get married till they hit the States or found a Methodist Priest in Europe. Thomas looked at the massive trees; barely anything was distinguishable in the darkness. Only the headlights gave illumination up ahead.

They were deep inside the forest when engine began to cough and hack, the driver cursed and pulled the bus over. Thomas got up from his seat and moved down the aisle, trying to be careful of the ones who were sleeping and getting ahead of the people who were getting up. “What is the matter?”

“The engine is failing. Maybe two, three mile or left on her.” The drive said with more angry curses and strikes on the dashboard.

Thomas sighed and he looked out the windshield, for the last few hours he had only seen one or two cars, but since entering the forest…none. He continued to stare out the front and he rubbed his eyes. He thought he saw very dim lights deep in the woods. “Turn out the lights.”

“What?”

“Do it.” The German did and when their eyes adjusted, they could see the lights. “See them? Let’s see where that takes us.”

The driver nodded, turned the lights back on and began to gently nurse his bus forward back to the road. They traveled for a few hundred feet before a small road branched off from the main road. The driver turned down it and let off the clutch, allowing the bus to coast down a gentle slope to hopefully save the engine. The bus just made the four mile trip to the edge of a small village before gagging and dying.

Thomas looked out; he could tell there was a church, a beer hall, a few stores, and houses. Already he could see a few people coming out and moving to the bus. He was the first to climb out of the bus and walk forward. Before he spoke, he noticed upon a mountain appeared to be the remains of a castle, the darkness gave it a very creepy feeling and gave him the willies.

He turned back to the Germans. “Uhhh…Gutten Tag.”

“I speak English Yank.” An old man said in a jolly voice as he walked forward. His hair was snow white, his face wrinkled, he looked to be about sixty or so. His 5’11 frame moved with a slight limp. He smiled and moved his left pant leg to reveal in the dull lighting a fake limb. “Lost in the Second World War when I was flying with the Luftwaffe. Shot down fifty nine aircraft before a few bullets entered my 190 in ’44 and tore it all to hell. Fifty-nine…nineteen betting than your American Richard Bong. Barely made it home, had to amputate. Oh…where are my manners, I am Joachim Dietrich…Minister. I of course had to switch occupations since I could no longer fly.”

Thomas stood there and blinked as the old German recounted his military days. As soon as he said ‘Second World War’ Thomas was slightly freaked the man would be a former SS trooper. He sighed; the guy had only been in the air force. “Well, our bus broke down and…”

He turned as the bus driver cried out as he opened the engine compartment. Steam rushed out and the driver just made it to safety, just getting slightly scalded on the finger tips. “And it looks like it is down for a few days. So can we…”

“Stay? Of course you can.” Dietrich said with a wide grin. He turned to the others. “Get your things and follow me. Come along to what you Americans call the tavern. We’ll have some food scrounged up for the hungry and good German beer for the thirsty. You can sleep in the church during you stay. Come come…don’t be shy. I might have been part of the Luftwaffe but I was no SS. Come on.”

Kendall held her breath as the creaky bus coasted into the tiny village. She didn't mind long walks, but at night in a strange place would not have been entirely comfortable. Though Keeper would have loved it.

The village minister seemed welcoming enough, and Kendall hopped down off the bus quickly, Keeper at her heels. He positioned himself at her side without signal and looked up at the older man with bright intillegent eyes.

She grabbed their packs and headed to the tavern. She'd only eaten a few bites of dinner, for some reason her stomach had been tense. But now she was hungry, and she could smell something that promised to be delicious. And a stein of stout sounded good to.

With the bus stuttering to a halt outside a small village, Sasha awoke for only the third time since she got on the bus. The first time had been a pit-stop while the second was the resturant. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she reached into her bag and grabbed out her Naos knife. She was slightly nervous due to the unexpected stop.

Hoisting her bag up, she followed the lady with the dog to the tavern, as a good meal sounded good.

Edward cursed loudly as the bus died down in the forest and again when it died out for good in the village. "At least we got somewhere..." he grumbled as he pulled out another cigar, lighting it before stepping off with his baggage.

He noticed a girl he never really knew was with them...until he remembered her with an ipod and a sudoku book back in the terminal.

"No need for such hostility...I doubt these villagers are gonna kill us," he chuckled quietly to her as the she pulled out a knife. His mind drifted to his own knife, packed away in his suitcase for future use...maybe he'll pull it out himself and stash it in his trenchcoat pocket...just in case.

He took a large puff of his cigar as he let his eyes survey the village, before following the eager old minister.

Dammit, what a miserable trip... I gotta get across these woods by tomorrow or I'm going to miss the funeral... Father Quinn thought as he stepped off the bus, suitcase in hand. He looked over at Edwards and smiled half-heartedly, of all the people on the bus the man who kept smoking seemed the most interesting- if not the kindest fellow.

The priest trailed just behind Kendall and her dog as the group followed the old man to the tavern.

"God I hope this place has decent beer," he said to no one particular. It was then that he noticed the castle on the hill top, and his stomach gave a familiar lurch...

Andrew quickly looked away, turning his thoughts to things other than ominous castles and broken buses.

Sasha just scowled at the man smoking the reeking cigar. She wasn't 'hostile' but slightly paranoid and nervous. An ex-boyfriend had been a horror movie buff and amature director and would have had kittens to be there with a camera.

The whole situation was almost a horror movie arch-type, with a bus of people, breaking down on a road in the middle of proverbial nowhere. She a shrug, she straightened her shoulders and put those thoughts out of her mind.

Vexx walked up to Kendall. "Mind if I join you?" He said smiling. His teeth were a near white perfection, thanks to a natural remedy he had discovered. His breath didn't smell at all, he was hoping she would say he could.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kendall half turned as Vexx came up along side she and keeper just outside the tavern. She caught sight of the castle on the hill and half chuckled to herself.

"Oh, of course you can. Sorry I wasn't laughing at you. My mom would have just been estatic to be unexpectedly in a tiny village in the "deepest darkest" with a spooky old catle crubling on the mountain top. She would have made a fortune off of spinning a tale of how were all going to die."

She shook her head and stepped inside. "Now Vexx can you have an ale? or are you bound by the bet to water brougth in your own canteen?" Kendall asked as she found a table in one of the corners. Keeper would appreciate the open space where he could lie quietly behind her chair. She knew him well enough that despite his bounce she could tell that he was getting tired. It was well past dark and he'd woken her up at five in the morning. And she getting exhausted herself.

She noted that most of the tables were the large trestle type, and the one that she'd chosen should seat six or so easily.

"Father Quinn, Edward would you care to sit with Vexx and I?

Vexx smiled. "There's no water in my canteen. It's wine. I make it myself. It actually tastes pretty good." He unscrewed the cap of his canteen and drank from it. It was very good wine. "But, yes I would be. Technically, the bet's off when I am traveling, and I can do virtually do anything I desire." Vexx said. He yawned and remained standing, waiting for Father Quinn and Edward to give their answers.

"Don't mind if I do," Edward replied, puffing on his cigar as he walked behind Kendall and gently rubbed Keeper behind the ears before taking a seat away from the other two so he could smoke his cigar without puffing in their faces.

"So, did you all enjoy the bus ride?" he asked with a grin.

Quinn snorted at Edwards' comment as he pulled up a chair.

"Terrible trip, so far." he replied with all the New England bluntness he could summon. The priest motioned to the waitress and ordered a stein,

"Anyone else up for a drink?" he asked, "My treat."

Technically, the bet's off when I am traveling, and I can do virtually do anything I desire

"Good" Kendall commented as she watched Vexx take a drink from his canteen. "Then I can buy you dinner, so I won't have to eat alone."


"So, did you all enjoy the bus ride?"

She used Edward's question to answer any question Vexx may have had as to why she hadn't eaten earlier when they'd stopped for dinner. "Yes, and No." She explained "My mom and I travelled a lot when I was young, mostly in buses like that. I found myself too caught up in memories and didn't have much appetite when we stopped for dinner. "

Kendall forced a smile, she wasn't going to mention that they were unpleasant memories. She knew her mom had tried to make the best of their many and oftern last minutes moves, but the memoires were something she prefered not to dredge up. And the creaky old bus had proven, unfortuantely for her, to be an excellent reminder.

Rose and Thomas collected thier things and brought up the rear of the group as the bus driver locked his vehicle up. As the pair walked after the group towards the tavern, Rose's eyes moved up to the castle. She saw what appeared to be a very faint green light in one of the towers for a few seconds before it faded. Thomas hadn't been paying attention, so she didn't bother asking...besides, she was probably seeing things.

When they had entered, they piled thier things up with everyone else and took a seat at the table, Thomas between Rose and Keeper. He looked up at Quinn as he offered to buy the drinks.

"Two beers Father."

Dietrich looked at the group as he grasped his own stein, gently placing himself down on a bar stool.

"So where were you all heading before your bus broke down?"

Quinn ordered the beers and turned towards Deitrich,

"I was headed to a family funeral in a small town soutwest of the forest..." he said, "But it doesn't look like I'll be making it... what did you say this town was again?"

The priest took a sip of his ale and smirked, he didn't normally drink- though God knew Father Callahan, Quinn's best friend, did- but circumstances called for a beer, both to lighten his mood and get to know his new traveling companions a bit better.

"I don't remember reading about that castle in the travel books." he added before the old timer could answer his first question.

There was a noticable silence in the tavern after Quinn mentioned the castle. Dietrich shifted slightly in his seat and a few seconds after the silence came, it was gone again. The townsfolk shifted thier gaze from the newcomers and back to their conversations.

The old German shrugged. "It is a ruin, it will probably fall down any day now. Far from a state of repair so there has been no bother of mentioning it. Besides, all the paths up there are so thickly covered in brush it is damn near impossible to get up there."

He gave a grin. "Well hopefully we can get your bus working in the morning."

The grizzled old veteran raised an eyebrow as there were several seconds of uneasy silence. He looked around and noticed most of the other patrons looking at Quinn.

"It's a shame, really...you could have made this into a huge tourist destination with some rennovation," Edward said after Dietrich explained the castle's reasons for not being in the pamphlet. He leaned against his chair as clouds of cigar smoke hovered around him. "So, what's the history behind this castle?"

"We like our small town." A gruff voice said from the back. "Last thing we need are God..."

"Alfred please..." The minister said with firmness. He turned back to the old man. The minister shrugged as he rubbed his chin. "It belonged to some Lord I cannot remember his name centuries ago. All that is known is that plague ravaged this land, he sealed up his castle. But plague was already inside and it killed them all. The stench could be smelled for miles around apparently but no one dared to go in for fear of sucumbing to the diesease. So it has been left to the ravages of time...and a few stray shells during the war. Little is known, spare for a legend of wealth."

Rose twisted her mug, thinking about the green light she had seen. She wanted to say something, but by the way the Germans had reacted before, she didn't know how they would react to that.

Dietrich drained some more of his beer. "In legend the court was marvelous. Great taspetries of fine thread, gold, silver...goods from Arabia and the Orient. The Lord was rumored to have a sword which he wore to court with the King with a hilt of fine gold encrusted with fine and polished gems. Course, tis only legend and who knows if it is true or not? A few people have gone up there to look but they have found nothing."

Sasha looked up at the mention of the legend. It was an interesting tale. As her meal was brought, she hoped the man would continue the tale but was not the type to press him for details as she continued to eat and take a sip of cola.

"Gold?" Edward asked curiously. He was a man who dreamed of riches...He wasn't a poor man either, more of the higher middle or lower upperclass kind...his work in the pentagon paid well.

"Where does this legend say the gold is stored?" Edward asked, as he puffed on the cigar more rapidly.

Kendall shook her head at Edwards words that all too much had the ring of greed. It would be much more fun to see if the ancient castle could be rebuilt, restored to glory. And that would cost far more than any slavageable valuables with in would fetch.

Years in their passing would have destroyed any thing not of metal or gems - cloth tapesties, wooden furnishings, even ceramics and crystal would be damaged beyhond repair. Especially if stray shells from the modern wars that had raged through the areas had opened roofs and buildings to allow the weather and animals within. To say nothing of what the explosions would have done to them.

She dug into the hearty food that had been placed before her with relish, and looked over to see if Vexx was enjoying his.

"It's an interesting tale that is for certain, and I for one love things off the beaten path, but we're here for only as long as it take the bus to get fixed." She wasn't sure why she'd added the last, but something had her feeling chilled and unwelcome - more than the villagers dislike of talking about the castle was pricking at her but she couldn't tell what.

"Yes," the priest said, uneasy about the wierd silence that had befallen the Germans...

"Well, I suppose we'll be lodging here tonight? I hope there's enough room... if not I wouldn't doubt that the Church has a guest room, I could stay there for the night. It's been a long day..."

Dietrich looked at the old man as he asked about riches. Another damn greedy American. They do not praise God they only praise the dollar. He waved his hand dismissivly into the air. "Somewhere deep in the bowels of the castle...people have gone up there, come back and have only found stone."

The minister looked at the priest. "We do not have many travelers come through here and so our only two rooms here are filled with junk...so you may all stay tonight in the church. We can bring some blankets in for you to make the pews and floor more comfortable. Tomorrow morning we can start on your bus. There are many paths to walk and if it is a beautiful day, oh it feels wonderful. The castle meanwhile..."

"Is cursed." A low voice caught the attention of the travelers. An old man sat by himself at a table and looked at them through vacant grey eyes.

Dietrich looked at him. "Mazurowitz please be..."

"It is cursed." Mazurowitz said again as he looked at the travelers. His voice was nervous. "She is there, the demon that killed the people there. She is there, still living and haunting those halls. People have gone up there and never come back. I have seen her...her eyes are green fire..." His eyes moved to Rose, who moved closer to Thomas as he spoke. "You have seen her light too. In the tower...you have seen her green light. She wants you, it will be coming for you."

"Mazurowitz please be sensible. You have had too much to drink." Dietrich said as the other man made himself smaller and went back to his beer and plate of sausage. "Pardon Herr Mazurowitz...he isn't all that well you see. His wife died a few months ago and he hasn't been taking it all too well."

Quinn frowned... the idea of sleeping on the floor of a Church did not seem too comfortable, let alone respectful. He had hoped there would be room in the rectory for him, and space in the tavern for his companions... but the way the German spoke it didn't seem like they'd have much of a choice.

She is there, the demon that killed the people there. She is there, still living and haunting those halls. People have gone up there and never come back. I have seen her...her eyes are green fire..."

The priest turned towards the old man in the corner.... indeed he did look slightly unstable. The twitching lips, the vacant eyes... Andrew had seen it too many times before in the Psych Ward.

"I'm very sorry for your loss," the priest said to the man in his kindest voice, before sending a worried glance over to Rose. The girl looked petrified... had she seen something? Suddenly the priest suspected that they weren't sleeping in the Church for lack of space... but for protection...

Superstition, Andy... and you're buying it? Get some sleep. he thought annoyedly...

"It wouldn't be some sort of teenage prank? Or even a governmental expirament of some sort?" Edward asked as his attention shifted to these supersticions...

"Have the people who went to find those treasures...have they seen this woman?"

Vexx looked up at Dietrich. "This is great food! My compliments to the chef!" He said, and then went back to eating. After a while, he looked up at Edward. "Don't worry about it. If you have to explore, do it tomarrow. It's always safer when the lights are on." He said smiling. He had no use for gold, it would only serve to slow him down. "Hey Father, are you able to bless weapons?" Vexx asked Father Quinn.

OOc: Does anybody know if they are?

"Perhaps we should speak of other things..." the priest said, tactfully ignoring both Edwards' persistance and Vexx's rather stupid question, why would he bless a weapon?

"I wonder, Dietrich, if there isn't room other than in the Church itself? It hardly seems respectful to sleep in a place of worship. Perhaps there's an Inn nearby?" he asked, his grey eyes drifting towards Kendall.

As the town minister answered, the priest leaned towards the nurse...

"Keep an eye on Herr Mazorwitz over there... he looks like he's on the verge of an anxiety attack." he muttered, and turned back towards Dietrich.

Rose stared at the German named Mazurowitz, the man scared her. His words cut deep into her like daggers dipped in venom, slowly making her go cold with fear. She had seen the light or she thought she did. She decided to knock down a few more beers, at least drunk she could feel a little better.

Dietrich looked at Edward and gave a dismissive wave and a grunt. “We are not like you Americans. We do not do these government Area 51 things…not since Hitler. Heh, if the war had lasted in 1946 our Luftwaffe armed with jets and air to air missiles would have torn your Eighth Air Force from the sky.”

The German reordered himself. “Teen prank, no. And these people…this woman…bah. They have never seen or found anything of value. Stone, stone, and more stone. That is all that there is there.”

“There is the woman. I saw her when I was there.” Mazurowitz mumbled again. “But, it isn’t a woman…it is a demon in the service of the Devil. It will consume us all.”

The man fell silent again as he gnawed on a piece of meat. Dietrich sighed as the other man of the cloth spoke. “I would not worry about Mazurowitz, spare for the occasional outburst he ist harmless. As for sleeping arrangements. I know it is not really the best place to stay Father yet I do have a spare room in my home next to it if that will suit you.”

"Mazurowitz could certainly write books for a living," Edward grinned as he put his cigar butt in the ash tray. "So, what do you all do for fun around here?"

Nice little town...I bet everyone knows each other, especially since it's so small...

"If you don't mind me asking...does anyone ever give tours into the castle? Heck, I'm surprised tv shows haven't gotten all over it..."

Sasha had finished her food and devoted her attention to listening to the others. It sounded like the villagers were isolated and have become devoted to story-telling and had it's fair share of oddballs.

She had a three-man tent in her pack that she slept in on occasion when she hitch-hiked and if there was no rooms in the village, she was going to spend the night camping. She wasn't the type to sleep in a church as it bore bad memories for her.

She was about to offer the priest a portion of her tent since he seemed to be having problems sleeping in a church but a villager beat her to it.

Vexx stared at the crazy man. Paranoid, definitly, psychotic, maybe not. However much Vexx's instincts told him this man was a lunatic, something about is story seemed.... like the truth. Vexx shook his head vigorously and went on eating. He turned to Kendall. "Hey, I have a tent in my pack you could use. I wouldn't mind sleeping on the ground." He said. to her.

"I don't wish to impose on you, Deitrich," he said, but didn't refuse the offer.

The priest turned towards his companions, his grey eyes drifting to Vexx and Sasha's packs...

"It seems as though some of us have tents... if any of you wish to sleep inside I'll take a tent, and you could take the guest room." he offered, "But it seems rather... sacreligious.. to sleep in a Church."

"Keep an eye on Herr Mazorwitz over there... he looks like he's on the verge of an anxiety attack

Kendall nodded, and did keep an eye on the elderly villager as she finished the delcious meal they'd brought her. Keeper had finished the bowl of Eukanuba she poured from the zip lock bag he carried in his pack, and downed a bowl of water as well. But he han't laid down to take a nap as she had expected he would. No, he was sitting up and very interested in the undercurrents swirling about.

The talk was making her uneasy in a way that reminded her too much of her mother. She'd have loved this set up. Taylor made for fleecing unsuspecting tourists she's say. One set of ruins, tired strangers, and a poor man stressed out from losing his wife. It wsa easy to see that some of the group weren't happy at all with the various aspects of their situation, and poor Rose seemd positively terrified. Kendall found herself at Edward for persisting in his questions.

"If you don't mind me asking...does anyone ever give tours into the castle? Heck, I'm surprised tv shows haven't gotten all over it..."

"Edward, give it a rest." Kendalls voice was no nonsense, and her look was one that should have warned him not to continue.

"Father Quinn, why don't you take the spare room that Father Dietrich has at the rectory. And yes sleep in the church would discomfort most of us I think."

She looked at Dietrich, and asked "Could not the rest of us sleep here? If we moved the tables we could divide it into zones." She used her hands to indicate waht she meant, dividing the taverns room into quaters. It was a large room and if the table were stacked to the side would offer plenty of room for the small group.

"Rose and Thomas could have that corner. Jack and Jessica could have that one " She'd managed to learn their names during the bus ride, though they hadn't said much overall. "Vexx, Edward and Mr. Pickett could have that corner, as the guy'ss corner, and Sasha and I could have this one as the gal's corner. That way no one has to camp out, with it still looking like rain"

"Hey, I have a tent in my pack you could use. I wouldn't mind sleeping on the ground."

She smiled at Vexx as he made his offer, but shook her head. "Thank you but I really do need to sleep indoors with the rain still threatening. I'm very susceptable to bronchitis.

"Sounds like a good idea, Kendall. Though I have always wondered what it is like to sleep on a table...." Vexx said thoughtfully.

Though I have always wondered what it is like to sleep on a table...

Kendall had to laugh at that. "My friends who play those role playing games are always complaining of their characters having to sleep under the tavern's tables..." Keeper whined and nudged her hand, he needed to go out.

Kendall stood "Look every one, like I said, not to comfortable with sleeping in the church, so I hope you all will let us sleep here, I think we can pay you for that if you'd like. However right now Keeper needs to stretch his legs so I'm going for a short walk. You all" She nodded to the townsfolk "Discuss it and let us know."

She stood stretched and looked at the others from the bus. "Any one want to walk with me and Keeper? It's not raining now and a walk might do us all good." She tried to catch their eyes, to gather tem up so the townsfolk could be left in peace to discuss her suggestion.

Stop asking questions? How can one not ask questions about such a subject? Edward thought to himself, desparately wanting a cigar, so he could lean back and brood. Instead, he just leaned back and raised an eyebrow, without a word.

"The guys corner?" he chuckled. "All we need is a sports channel and some beer."

As Kendall asked if anyone else would join her, the war veteran nodded. "I'll join you." She seemed to be wanting them to do so anyways, what with her eye contact and facial expressions.

"Not like I can really ask anything else around here, anyways..." he grumbled as he got up and stretched.

"Role-playing games? Like, Dungeons and Dragons? That's what I play back home. And sure, I'll go on a walk with you. I started to not like such a crowded place like this." Vexx got up and stretched. His red eyes gleamed. "I wondor how big the villiage is?" He asked himself.

Dietrich turned his head to the couple behind the bar and spoke to them in German. The conversation lasted for several minutes before the Minister turned around. “I guess it is settled. Herr and Frau Muller have agreed you may sleep in the tavern tonight. No charge at all. It is closing time anyway.”

Within another half hour, the tavern was cleaned up and the tables, benches and chairs were aligned into rough beds and blankets were brought in. Dietrich looked at them, a smile on his face yet worry in his eyes. “Gutten nacht.”

When the door shut, the travelers were left alone in the tavern with a fire going. Rose finally gave a great sigh. “Jesus Christ….oh….sorry Father. That Mazurowitz just gives me the creeps. How soon can we leave?”

The driver looked at her. “Hopefully in the morning when I have a chance to work on the engine Fraulein.”

Rose nodded as Thomas wrapped his arms around her. “Hey, don’t worry. Everything is gonna be fine. You mind if I walk with Kendall?”

Rose looked at him. The woman had thankfully stayed and helped reorganize everything while the dog waited. She gave Thomas a nod and kiss. “Alright.”

Thomas got up as Kendall got ready to finally take Keeper out. “I’ll go with ya Kendall.”

Some departed to walk the dog while others stayed to get an early night, with Sasha being part of the latter group. Walking over to the 'girls corner', she dropped her pack with a thump.

Reaching into the bag, she pulled out her three-man tent and began setting it up, thought leaving the tarp and ground covering rolled up. Setting the easy-up tent up, she unrolled her sleeping bag, before looking around to the girls who'd remained. "If you'd like to use my tent to get changed..." She offered, as she knew some might not like to get undressed in front of guys.

When Keeper showed no signs of it being 'urgent' that he had to go out, Kendall was glad to stay and help close up the tavern, especially when they'd said there would be no charge. She did however note the worry in the ministers eyes. She'd spent too many years as a nurse in one of the US's busiest, and scariest, ER's not to notice such. But she, like Rose, was glad when Mazurowitz was gone.

As they departed the tavern, she tried to explain to Edward and the others walking with them why she'd wanted him to stop pressing the issue of the castle.

"My mother spent her life duping the crediulous, the unwary, those grasping for something- anything!- with palm readings, card readings, seances, crystal ball gazing. She knew every bit of occult lore out there. And nintey nine point nintey nine percent of it is absolutely bogus. You were just falling into the locals 'winter tale' mentality and the delusions of a sad old man." Her voice was low but fierce. She refused to think on the part that wasn't Mom got drunk alot and "saw" things. None of my dreams ever came true, and creaks and groans are just creaks and groans of poorly built old houses! Her mental conversation was just as fierce, but not as honest as it should have been. Some memories she buried so deeply that she didn't remember them. "We can all go take a ramble in that direction in the morning, but hoping to find some sort of 'buried treasure' I think you can put that out of your mind!"

She gave Keeper the hand sign for limited roaming and watched as the big Shiloh Shepherd moved out to do his necessaries.

"I'm an ER nurse. I've seen too many die who should have lived, too many live who should have died, not to believe in a higher power."

"When we get back I'll power up my lap top, hook into the net through my cel phone and see if I can find any information on the town and the castle. The Germans are top notch record keepers, I bet I can find some historical information on the castle" She offered as an appeasement.

OOC Unfortunately Im going to be away for a week, so if GS or someone else could RP as Quinn while I'm gone I'd appreciate it (if he needs to be involved with something). Sorry. Also, I'm not clear... is Dietrich a priest or just the head of the town?



Father Quinn was certainly not thinking of ruined castles or demonic women as he quickly undressed in Dietrich's tidy, only-Germans-could-be-this-neat guest room. He was thinking of his lecture hall, his office, his grandmother, of his family, waiting for him in a small German town not unlike the one he was in, of having a second scotch to finish of a rather peculiar day... but mostly he was thinking of a woman with wild, insane eyes screaming about...

Nothing, you didn't see anything on the bus, you were just tired and had a little nervous twitch... that's all...

He slipped on a tee-shirt and sweat pants and kneeled at his bedside, muttering his nightly prayers.

"Our Father who art in Heaven..."

But that is what you saw, isn't Andy? You didn't realize it then... but when you spazzed out on the bus you saw a woman with green eyes...

"...hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done..."

I didn't see anything, I was tired...

"...on Earth as it is in Heaven, give us this day our daily bread..."

How many times have you 'twitched' just because you were tired? And Rose, she most definately saw something in that castle. You've seen irrational fear, Andy, you're a freakin' psychologist, that was not irrational fear in her eyes.

"...and forgive us our tresspasses, as we forgive those who tresspass against us..."

There's no such thing as demons...

"...Lead us not into temptation..."

Then why, Andy, does the Church you belong to practice exorcisms? Is your religion, what you've devoted your life to, irrational superstition?

"...and deliver us from evil. Amen."

...

The priest crossed himself and climbed into the bed Dietrich had provided for him. He lay awake for a long time, thinking of exorcisms, of the raw terror in Rose's eyes, of Herr Mazurowitz, of his episode on the bus... and of the nature of evil.

"Well, Kendall, I believe you were mistaken. I don't actually believe the stuff," Edward said as he pulled out another cigar and began lightning it. "But I'm always up for a good story," he grinned.

"However...I always was a sucker for treasure..." he teased as he took a puff of his cigar.

"Fancy, you brought a laptop," Edward said as he tapped a bit of the ash to the floor. "Why did you come on this journey, anyways? Just a vacation of sorts? Camping like Vexx? I would say, this is a good area to camp in..."

ooc: I'll do your char OA as best I possibly can.

ic:

Thomas listened quietly as he followed Kendal and Edward. He enjoyed the feel of the cool night air in his lungs, it refreshed him after a long bus ride. He listened as she talked about her mother and her card readings, yet her voice gave him a few chills. Why does she speak about her mom in such a voice? He wouldn't ask her, that was her personal business and hers alone.

He looked at Edwards. The military jacket had intrigued him since he first saw him.

"Edwards, mind if I ask what branch of the military were you in?"

Edward grinned at Thomas. "You debating on whether to join the military?" he joked. "I'm just kiddin' ya."

"Well...I graduated from West Point with honors for the army...was shot in the chest after I hit Leiutenant Commander...then went to work in the Pentagon," Edwards boasted with a smile. His ego wanted him to talk about how he worked on secret projects and the such, but he decided that they wouldn't care and just take him as a rambling old man who's seen better years.

"Are you and your girlfriend engaged yet?" Edwards asked, regretting not paying attention at finding out their names. All he knew was Kendall, Keeper, and Vex. The rest were known by something he identified them with, such as Ipod girl or Father for the priestly figure.

Kendall was content to let Thomas step in rahter than answer Edwards questions. The fact that now she had the money to travel, to see all the places that she had read of in the books that had been her most constant companions during her nomadic childhood, was not something she cared to spread about. She far prefered to be defined for who she was, not how much money she had in the bank.

Edward seemed to have good memories of his time in the military, and must have done excellent work. Kendall was pretty sure that not just any officer got positions at the Pentagon, though she had a feeling that like the higher levels of any corporation some politics had to be involved.

Turning her attention back to Thomas she waited for him to answer Edwards questions. She'd never had a serious relationship, having spent most of her highschool and college years studying - she had carried all honor classes high school and maintained a four point oh plus in college - or working to afford her tuition and support herself. But Thomas and Rose from what she could see seemed to have a very close relationship.

“Joining the military? Heavens no…I am a pacifist.”

Thomas spoke with a bit of joy. He disliked violence yet he was willing to defend himself if need. That usually involved a kick to the groin, turn tail and run while calling the police on the cell phone. Edward’s brief overlook of his career was enough for Thomas, the older man being shot nudged him, either he had seen combat or got in a scuffle with someone. Thomas really didn’t want to know. He smiled a little at Edward as the question of his and Rose’s relationship.

“I’ve been waiting to pop the question for some time now. I think I got it with me…”

He reached into his jacket pocket. Thomas fished out a small black box and opened it, revealing a gold ring with a brilliant blue sapphire set above a bracket of four small rubies on either side.

“She loves sapphire. Thought this looked nice. We are going to Italy and I am hoping that we can be on a nice hillside, a bottle of wine, a view of the Med...the whole deal.”

Vexx looked at the ring. "Nice ring. Who made it?" Vexx asked in a queer voice.

Kendall too glanced at the ring, admireing the deep blue sapphire surrounded by the rich scarlett of the rubies. "Oh that is lovely work." She smiled gently, then turned to scruffle Keepers ears as he romped back to her side, his necessaried done with for the evening.

"And may your wish for everything perfect come true!"

"Ahh...pacifist...nice way to go," Edward smiled as he looked to the somewhat cloudy night, a few stars peaking through. He let out a cloud of cigar smoke as he stared dreamily upwards, before turning back to Thomas.

"Ahh...that's a magnificent piece of jewelery you have there," the retired officer said as he let his eyes run through the marvelous ring, admiring it's handiwork and beauty.

"I'm sure she'll treasure it and will say yes. You two seem like a good couple..."

bump

OOC: G&G- don't just bump, post something germain to the game!
********************************

Kendall yawned widely behind her hand and chuckled sheepishly. "I for one am exhausted, so gentlemen, thank you for walking with me, but I for one am heading back for my bed. As unluxurious as it may be."

With that she turned and began heading back for the tavern.

“Thanks, I hope everything goes according to plan. Great thing about my job I run around a bit helping to settle deals with other countries for the state of Virginia once the government has Okayed it. So, maybe I will be lucky and get married in England, Japan, Spain…or someplace exotic.”

They walked for a little more before Kendall said what Thomas was thinking. “I’m all for it. I am beat.”

The group headed back to the tavern, which was lit by a fire and some candles. Thomas went straight to Rose, who was already fast asleep. He gently removed his shoes and shirt before slipping under the blanket with her. Thomas wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close, she made a small noise before settling back down.

Thomas shut his eyes and was out like a log.

Kendall saw the small pop up dome tent that Sasha had set up for changing in and decided to be as comfortable as possible. She pulled out modest but feminine night gown and whooshed into the tent. Stepping out a moment later she folded her dirty clothes and packed them away. Once she had brushed her teech and her hair she slid beteen the blankets that had been laid out to form a rough bed and patted the area next to her, calling Keeper to her side.

Keeper stretched out next to her and she lay on her side, throwing a arm over him. Kendall was asleep in moments.

Sasha had fallen asleep in her sleeping bag, her bag serving as her pillow as she rested.

The tavern was quiet, the candles were low and the fire was smoldering embers. Thomas was the first to stir. He shifted slightly and pulled the arm that held Rose close, but it didn’t hit anything. He sighed and was at rest for only a few seconds before opening his eyes. Rose’s platinum blonde hair that had been at his eyes the whole night was gone. He rolled over, she wasn’t there either. Thomas sat up and looked around, growing more panicked by the second.

His fingers frantically dug around his pack before feeling the cool metal tube of his flashlight. Pressing gently on the rubber button, there was a quiet click as the light came on. He panned it around the tavern, Rose wasn’t there, and her shoes were still with him. She couldn’t have left.

Slipping on his sneakers and carefully threading his way through the sleepers, he nearly tumbled back when his foot nearly landed on Keeper’s tail. Good dog or not, waking a sleeping pooch was always a bad idea. He gently opened the door and slipped into misty ground and the rising sun. Thomas quietly shut the door and ran back to the bus, no sign of Rose.

As he looked around the small town, his eyes went up to the mountain. He stared at the mist covered dark form of the castle, only it was not mist, at least mist he had seen. The mist was a pale green and Thomas blinked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. When he had reopened his eyes, the green was gone, it was just mist.

Thomas headed back to the tavern, butterflies in his chest and thoughts swirling in his head. Where could have Rose gone without him or anyone else waking up? Where was she? The only footprints he saw on the wet grass were his own. He had to find her. Thomas licked his lips as he reentered the tavern and gently shut the door.

He crept up to Kendall and knelt down. Thomas kept a foot from her, Keeper still seemed to be resting, but he didn’t want the pooch to jump at its waking. His dog usually got pissed when it was woken up from a nap. Thomas whispered to Kendall.

“Kendall…Kendall….”

((Hey, I'm back for a few days. Ill be on and off this month, so GS just post for Quinn if it is needed... thanks alot.))

Father Andrew Quinn sipped slowly at his tea, his grey eyes skimming the paper he was currently grading. Always early to rise, the priest was already dressed and packed, and figured he could get a head start on the reports he still needed to correct as the sun rose. He sat at Dietrich's small kitchen table, being quiet as the German had yet to stir. The kitchen window looked out on the opposite side of town from the castle, revealing a breathtaking vista. Though he still would not admit it to himself, the priest was glad he couldn't see the ruins.

That was when he saw Thomas walk out to the bus, a look of deep concern etched on his face. Frowning, Quinn slipped his papers into his suitcase and walked out into the early morning.

He briskly put his baggage on the bus and, not looking at the mountain, followed Thomas into the tavern. He walked into the bar and saw the young man trying wake Kendall.

"Thomas," he whispered, trying not to wake the others, "What is it? I saw you outside from the house, what's wrong?"

Edward only nodded as the others left him alone to marvel at the castle. It was certainly a scarier sight at night.

He grunted as he puffed on his cigar, before he continued to explore the tiny village, only getting as far as ten feet away from where he was, before a cold shiver went down his spine.

Edward was definately no coward, but his eyes widened and he crouched ever so slightly, the cigar smoke building up in his mouth. As he made sure the coast was clear, he made a mad dash back to the tavern, and lept into a small area a bit closer to the others then he would have gotten on any other occasion.

Suddenly, he realized all the smoke in his mouth, along with the cigar. With a muffled cough and sputter, he gasped out the smoke, along with putting out the cigar.

Making sure he didn't wake anyone, he curled himself up, taking off his jacket and using it as a blanket, in which he clung very close to him.

Kendall and Keeper came awake as one, but Keeper didn't start or growl as another dog might have done. He simply rolled aside, away from Kendall and sat up looking at Thomas, his head cocked, ears pricked forward expectantly. Kendall too woke with the near immediate mental clarity normal to her. Her vision was nearly useless, between hair tangled acrosss her face and the near dark of the tavern.

"Yes? Is there a problem?" Her mind immediately flashed back to Father Quinn's chest pain the day before. He's had a heart attack! her mind whispered, guilty that she hadn't pressed the issue over his protestations. As Keeper moved so that she was not pinned by the blanket Kendall sat up herself, clawing her long hair away from her grey green eyes. Once her dark blonde hair was out of her eyes, she could now see that the priest was standing near Thomas as he knelt by her makeshift bed.

He looked so very frightened.

Thomas looked at Kendall, tears forming in his eyes, his mouth open and bottom lip trembling. His hand went in the general direction of where he and Rose had been sleeping during the night. When noise finally did come out of his mouth, it sounded like he was choking before he fell flat on his butt and sat and looked at Kendall, shaking his and shrugging his shoulders in the same motion.

"Rose...she is gone. Her stuff is here and on the bus. But...she isn't here. I don't...I..."

He put his face in his hands and rocked back and forth. Thomas was frightened for her safety. He had seen the unearthly green or was it just a reflection from the early sun on teh green leaves of the trees? He didn't know, but Mazurowitz's story came back up in his mind. Thomas was afraid for her saftey.

"Oh God what could have happened to her?"

"Oh God what could have happened to her?"

"Woah, woah, be calm." Kendall soothed as she laid a hand briefly on Thomas's shoulder. Then she was standing up and grabbing her pack. "Give me a minute to change." She ordered her voice soft but authorative. "Go get something that she wore yesterday. Keeper is scent trained, it's a huge part of his advanced obedience work. He'll be able to track her. Maybe not as smoothly as a professional but still he's good, very good."

She disappeared into the small tent and hurriedly threw on jeans, a tee shirt and a light weight windbreaker, as well as thick socks and her rugged hikeing shoes. Scrambling back out she hurriedly gave Keeper a drink of water and a handfull of thick jerky slices.

Vexx had remained quiet the rest of the day, waiting for bed. He didn't get much sleep, the creaking and groaning of the tavern, however slight, woke him up. He had woken only moments after Thomas and threw ripped red athletic shorts and a clean white t-shirt on, and had strapped his sheath to his belt. He walked over to where Kendall and Thomas where. He spoke in hurried whispers. "I'll go check outside, see if she's out there. Anyone else coming?"

'Wait Vexx" Kendall reached out a hand to stop him "We need to let Keeper have as unmixed a trail as possible."

She looked over at Thomas "Do you have something of Roses?" she repeated.

Thomas nodded to Kendall and slowly rose from the floor. He was sniffiling and trying to stop crying. As he got up, the door creaked open and Dietrich hobbled into the tavern and flicked on the lights. The German jumped back as he saw Thomas' red face from crying.

"Mein ju....I mean my boy what is wrong?" The old man asked.

Thomas looked at him, he shook his head as he walked back to the corner where he and Rose had been sleeping. "She's gone...she's disappeared. All her stuff...here but...."

Thomas got one of Rose's t-shirts and offered it to Keeper. "Here boy, get the scent."

"You are going to look for her?" Dietrich asked.

"Course, I saw the green mist and I..." Thomas fell silent as he watched the minister suddenly jolt. The American stared at him before dropping the shirt, not noticing it covering the dog's head. Thomas began to slowly walk over. "What is it pastor? Something spook you?"

"What? Nein nein...I find it surprising you are belieiving Herr Mazurowitz's story. But in this time of..."

Dietrich didn't have time to finish before Thomas had grabbed the old man by the collar with both hands and slammed him against the wall. Thomas's fingers moved from the collar and lashed around the man's neck and he procedded to choke the Minister.

"Damnation! Father Quinn help me!" Kendall sprang to one side of the pair, and began trying to free the german Minister from Thomas.

'Thomas have you lost your sanity. LET HIM GO" She spoke with every iota of command in her. sHe managd to slip a finger, then another in between Thomas's right hand and Dietrich's throat.

Her efforts were aided by the completely serious, bone chilling growl of a very angry, very large dog, as Keeper voiced his stern opinion of what was going on.

Sasha woke when she heard a shout, the knife she'd been holding being unsnapped before she actually reached full consious. Looking around in her nightshirt, her chest heaving, she saw one of the busriders had slammed a townsmen up against the wall.

Standing, clothed only in a pair of panties and long tee, she walked over and asked, "What happened?"

Dietrich gagged as he felt the American’s fingers wrap around his neck. The woman and the Catholic Priest began to try and pry Thomas’s fingers from him, but the American didn’t budge. Dietrich stared at the man, his eyes widening as he saw the man’s eyes change color to a bright green for a brief second before sinking back to their natural brown color. He felt a burning inside his body, not from the lack of oxygen, but something else, something unholy and unnatural.

It was then the American lost his grip, his arms became loose and he was removed from the German as easily as if he was fresh cooked pasta. Dietrich gagged as Thomas blinked and looked around; his eyes appeared to be slightly glazed over. “Huh? What happened?”

Dietrich looked at horror at Thomas and muttered a prayer in German to himself, grasping his cross. Thomas blinked and looked at his hands, like a newborn child, he blinked again and shook his head. The American looked at Kendal; he looked and acted like nothing had happened, the fear of Rose’s safety returned to his eyes.

“Ready to get moving?”

Sasha watched the angry man let go of the priest and blink, while rubbing her eyes. She'd thought she'd seen his eyes go green, but when she looked again they were back to brown.

With a shake of her head, she headed back to her sleeping bag, figuring if she was seeing things, the best solution was more sleep.

Kendall staggered a few steps as Thomas let loose with unexpected suddeness. Then Keeper was between her and Thomas his large white fangs visable in a silent snarl that showed clearly exactly what he thought of Thomas.

“Ready to get moving?”

"No"

Kendal replied simply as she looked at Thomas with narrowed eyes and no little exasperation on ther face.

Vexx had pulled out his crossbow and loaded it with three bolts (it was a repeater, he modified it himself) and pointed it at Thomas."What the fuck, man? What the hell is wrong with you?" Vexx shouted. He sometimes tended to overreact, though in this case, it may not have been.

OOC: Is that overreacting?

Kendall looked at what Vexx had done out of the corner of her eye, keeping most of her attention on Thomas. "Vexxx, put that damn thing down! There is no excuse for violence from any one." She kept her voice calm, and unstressed, but authorive, a nurses voice that most responded to.

She continued to keep Thomas's eyes locked with hers, focuseing his attention on her.

"Now Thomas, you are acting extremely agitated, in a situation that does not call for it, and will not be helped by such upset."

"Upset?" Thomas asked in an innocent tone. "Outside of Rose missing..."

"You attacked the Priest kid." Edwards said from behind.

Thomas turned and blinked at the former military man before turning back to Kendall who continued to stare at him and then at Dietrich. His experession was confusion, he had no idea what was going on. "Huh...what are you talking about? I don't remember."

Dietrich moved foward and gently placed his hand on the crossbow and pushed it away from the young American. He looked at Vexx and shook his head. "Nein."

Dietrich looked at Thomas with experession and calm tone of a grandfather to a grandson when the pet dog died.

"Mein Junge...you attacked me. But...let me explain. During the great war my brother Rolf was a Fallschirmjäger...a paratrooper. He was killed on the island of Crete during our disastours airborne operation to take the island in '41. I meanwhile was still flying my Me109 to Germany from France to exchange it and learn about the Fw190. I was informed after I landed at our temporary base outside of Frankfurt my brother had been killed. I was of course very close to Rolf and in depressed, aggrivated and emotionally charged state I attacked the messanger. My comrades pulled me off him before I could snap his neck.

"My boy, I do not hold it against you. You were just like I was...emotionally damaged and anger and saddness and you turned on the first person who spoke of your loved one during this." Dietrich scratched his head. "At least that is how the doctor explained it."

"Oh Jesus...I am...oh God..." Thomas collapsed on the floor and put his face in his hands. When he did this, Dietrich hobbled over to Kendall and spoke in a low tone.

"Do not hold it against him Fraulein. Gather him up and take him if you are going to search for his Rose." Kendall felt something enter her hand and she looked down to find a silver cross in her hands. "Keep this close. May God protect you."

Vexx lowered the the crossbow and unarmed it. "Sorry, I tend to overreact. So, are we going to search for Rose or what?" e asked nobody in perticular.

Keep this close. May God protect you."

Kendall automatically took what Dietrich pressed into her palm, then saw what it was and began to return it. She stopped herself, and sighed inwardly as she reconsidered it. The small silver crucifix wasn't one of her mothers hokey charms, she'd happily packed all of those away the day her mother was buried. Gracing the Minister with a thank you and smile she tucked it in the secure pocket on the inside of her jacket. Therer would be little chance of accidentally loseing the cross from that pocket, it ws velcroed shut.

Firmly She pulled Thomas to his feet and picked up Rose's tee shirt.

She dug quickly into her pack and handed Father Quinn a small canister with a translucent red cap on one end. "This is an emergency strobe. If Rose comes back, turn it oun and set it outside the door. We'll be able to see if for quite a distance. Also could you check the whole of the tavern? Maybe she went exploring the store rooms or the kitchens and fell, knocking herself out?"

She knew it was unlikely, for Keeper would have heard even faint sounds of a person in distress. That bothered her more than she was willing to admit - Keeper should have woken up when Rose arose and started moving about. He might not have deliberately woken Kendall, but his stirring should have awakened her...

Putting those thoughts aside she held the tee under Keepers nose, letting him get a good long sniff of the shirt. Then she slipped it in one of the Baggies she'd packed, and tucked it inside her jacket. The other things she'd pulled from her packs were taken in hand, or belted snugly about her waist - her waist pack-holding her compact binoculars and other small items, her camel pack with one side pack holding a baggie filled with jerky and trail mix, the other holding her small first aid/ survival kit.

"Come on Thomas, Vexx you too."

She held opne the door. "Keeper! Find!"

Vexx put a number of items from his backpeck into a camoflauge vest which he then put on. He left his crossbow on the counter. He stood, waiting for Keeper to find a scent.

((Im back until the 19th))

The priest's eyes darted to Thomas, then to Deitrich, and finally rested on the crucifix in Kendall's hand. He frowned slightly as Kendall walked out the door and handed the strobe light to Deitrich with little more than a nod.

"I think it would be wiser if I accompanied you, I don't like what just happened back there with Thomas, and Vexx seems a tad... impulsive.." he muttered into the blonde woman's ear, as she walked out of the tavern "I'm sure Deitrich wouldn't mind searching the tavern, and I think we both know Rose isn't here. I don't think it's a demon in that castle... but there may be someone dangerous up there."

Not much is missed by Vexx, so he was suprised that Rose would have been able to sneak past him without waking him up. He glanced at Father Quinn, but continued on his business. He kept on the lookout for Rose. He bent down by the door, looking for tracks.

OOc: Would he find tracks, or should I roll and 20 sided die and combine that with my survival bonus?

Thomas felt himself dragged to his feet by Kendall. He went to his pack for a quick minute and came back putting a Swiss pocket knife and small Maglite flashlight into his pocket and donning a windbreaker. He saw Edwards digging around in his things; Lord knows what the military guy would be pulling out. Thomas walked forward and yelped as he tripped over Sasha. He rolled over as he looked at the woman put her head up and looked around.

“Get your butt into high gear if you wanna come. Rose is missing and we are looking. Hustle up.”

Without waiting he dragged himself to his feet and moved to the door where Keeper was already moving past Vexx and ramming its nose to the ground. The man looked at Dietrich, they both met each others gaze, something inside the German made Thomas uneasy, yet the fact that everyone seemed to be coming to look for Rose gave him comfort. Thomas jerked his eyes to Quinn.

“Come on Padre. Every set of eyes is needed.”

With Keeper in the lead with Kendall keeping track of him and Thomas near her, the party moved out of the tavern. Thomas’s chest was pounding as the dog hunted for his Rose. We’re coming Rose…hold on.

Though his mind held hope, his heart was what he was listening to. Fear and dread seeped into it as they entered the misty forest and began to move up the mountain. Thomas spoke to Kendall as he clambered over a log with the grace of a bull through a china shop.

“How…ah…how reliable is Keeper on the scent?”

After blinking a second at being kicked awake, Sasha said angrily, "Watch it, some of us are trying to sleep. Also she probably just went for a walk."

She then rolled over and began trying to get back to sleep. She was of the opinion that if she hallucinated, she definately needed more sleep.

OOc: I'm guessing that's a no on the tracks.

IC: Vexx kept up with the others, keeping his eyes and ears open, sometimes pausing to look at broken twigs, or prints. He paused. "Did anyone check to see if she took boots or shoes?"

"She had no boots or shoes Vexx." Thomas said. "All of her footwear is at the tavern."


Thomas was gasping and sweating as the group continued to clamber over logs and through bramble as they headed up the hillside, following Keeper. Thomas couldn’t understand how Rose might have gotten up this far without any kind of footwear. It just didn’t make sense. Something had happened to her, something in his head told him the priest had something to do with it. Not just Dietrich, but Quinn…his mind told him not to trust them.

Thomas checked his watch; more than an hour had elapsed since they had departed the tavern. So far the sun had yet to fully break through the clouds, but it was getting brighter, making travel easier.

Finally, the forest opened up to a path covered in vines, brush and grass. Thomas put his hands on his knees and began to suck in deep breaths. He heard Keeper barking and he looked up as the rest of the group was dumped onto the path. He gasped.

A hundred meters down the path, the vine and moss covered walls of the castle loomed above them. The drawbridge had long since rotted away, only rusted chains remained. A cold wind blew down the path and washed over the group, sending chills down to their souls. Thomas brought his jacket closer around him as he stared at the fortress. The towers were half crumbled, giving the appearance of spear tips.

“Look! Rose!”

Thomas cried out as he pointed. A female figure emerged from the castle and stared at them. Thomas took off towards the castle screaming ‘Rose’ at the top of his lungs as the woman disappeared back into the fortress.

The sky began to slowly darken and thunder was heard off in the distance, but coming on fast and the first raindrops began to fall.

Thomas hadn't gotten a dozen yards when a racing figure pulled past him on four legs and then plowed to a stop , in a tight crouch, where the blindly hysterical Thomas could do nothing but trip heavily over him. Keeper massed over a hundred and twenty pounds and when he set himself he was nigh unmovable.

Kendall was pounding after him, thankfull that her daily, but mostly leisurely, runs had her in excellent shape. Then she was watching Thomas try and avoid the crouching Keeper and she threw herself into him from behind...

Vexx had seen the figure too, so he sprinted past Kendall, Keeper and Thomas, and he sprinted up to what remained of the drawbridge. He stared at it, wondering how she had run across the old drawbridge, which mostly wasn't there! He stopped, considering the problem. He had seen her run back into the castle, but the drawbridge wasn't even there! He shook his head as he waited for the rest of the group to catch up.

OOc: Is anything wrong with this post?

“Ah!”

Thomas cried out as he dodged the sudden image of the massive dog. His footing was lost as he got twisted in vines and grasses. He stumbled as he hit the rump of the beast, sending him into a mad twirl as he stumbled forth in his blind pursuit towards the castle and his Rose. The breath was slammed from his body as Kendall hurtled into him, sending both of them into the ground.

The impact let out whatever oxygen was left and had Thomas spasaming and gasping for air. Once air was back in his lungs he began to violently thrash and kick, pushing and pulling himself from Kendall inch by inch.

“Get the hell off of me! Rose! Rose is in there! My Rose is there!”


The ‘moat’ had long since dried up. In the time the castle was in operation, it was filled with water from a tributary that had long since clogged with bramble and shut off the flow of water. The moat was twenty five feet wide before another ten-fifteen feet of land and inside the moat Vexx could see it had several levels. The deepest was about twenty feet while the shallowest was about five or six. In its time of working, spikes would be set at the bottom before it was filled. This way when knights and men attacked, adorned in armor they would sink into the water if their bridges collapsed they would tumble and sink to their deaths. If they were lightly armored and fell…hopefully they would be spiked.

Now, it was dried and the spears were long gone. A single, narrow plank of rotted wood connected the rest of the world from the fortress “Vexx…”

A soft voice called out to the man. He looked up to see Rose looking staring back at him from the entrance. Her features were soft and she gave him a warming smile. “Please…I need help…please…”

With that…the figure of Rose disappeared back into the darkness and the thunder grew louder.

Vexx stood there with his mouth open. He walked past everyone in shock, and sat on the ground near Keeper. He looked up at Kendall. "Holy shit. I think I saw a ghost."

Get the hell off of me! Rose! Rose is in there! My Rose is there!”

Kendall just took the time to pin Thomas better, though keeping him from struggling from her grasp was not in anyway easy. "Not going to let you kill yourself. You are hysterical and need to calm down." She spoke very firmly.

"If Rose is in there then we'll find her. But not with you going ape"

"Holy shit. I think I saw a ghost."

Kendall gave Vexx a thoroughly exasperated look. They so did not need mention of ghosts right now.

"Ghosts don't exist" She declared firmly, keeping her attention on Thomas.

"Ok, I saw an apparition, some one having an out of body expierience, some one sending me a psychic signal. Whatever the hell it was, it took the form of Rose, and it spoke to me."

"Oh please don't tell me that you are having hysterical hallucinations too!" Kendall exclaimed sharply. "It bad enough that Thomas" She pasued a second to make her hold on the still struggling man a touch more secure "Has had a psycotic break, but come on now, use some comon sense."

Keeper had gotten out from under it all and wasa now standing to the side his attention split between the ruins of the castle and Kendall. He was very unhappy with the situation and it showed.

Thomas continued to spasm under Kendall. He twisted his body and dug his fingers into the dirt to pull him forward. He only was able to drag himself a few inches before Kendall finally halted his movement, spare for the occasional twist and thrash. He was crying, his right arm reaching out to the castle, his fingers clenching and relaxing, clenching and relaxing as it seemed he tried to grab for something only he could see.

His movements began more sluggish as Kendall spoke to him. Thomas’s mind was trying to force him to calm down yet surge forward in a reckless dash into the castle at the same time. Finally, he stopped and his head rested on the grass.

But, this was abruptly ended when Rose left Vexx’s lips. Thomas’s head rocketed and he tried to surge forward from under Kendall. But, all he got was an abrupt jolt as Kendall had not relaxed her grip on him. Thomas finally relaxed, his brain working on a slightly more advanced way of getting out from beneath the woman.

Thomas spoke in gasps as he tried to regain his breath. “Kendall…if we are gonna rescue Rose….ya gotta let me up right? I ain’t gonna go bolting…Scout’s Honor.”

“Kendall…if we are gonna rescue Rose….ya gotta let me up right? I ain’t gonna go bolting…Scout’s Honor.”

"We need to find Rose, I'll agree with that, but Thomas " She helped him sit upright but didn't really release him "Why do you keep saying rescue? Look at the path. A dirt path, no fresh prints on it but ours. NONE! Rose would have left prints. Now yes Keeper definitely says she came this way. But stop and think a moment. Getting pacicked and hysterical helps no one. And it's going to start raining a lot worse than it is."

She looked warily at the rotted single plank that appreared to be all that remained of the drawbridge. "We can't just go helter sketlter over that. We're going to have to cross carefully, one by one. Or ease down into whats left of the moat and cross that way." But she looked and sounded very dubious over that possibility.

ooc: I'm back and have just finished reading this lol. Thanks for RPing my char, TGS :)

Edward grunted as he took in all that was happening around him. He had let himself believe that what he felt earlier was nothing more than his imagination, or himself giving him a hard time. Like Kendall, he did not believe in the supernatural...however, being in the Pentagon with several secret projects, he knew that wierd things were possible from many types of common machines. Heck, cartoons like Scooby Doo had projections of 'scary' ghosts to haunt the 'gang'.

Of the items he brought with him, was a wicked looking knife. Not a cheap one either. He also brought several cigars to help calm his nerves, something he needed now.

He pulled out one of his cigars and lit it, puffing from it as he furrowed his brows, looking passed the drawbridge.

Not seeing what Vexx was talking about, he walked closer to Kendall, bringing his face to her ear.

"A question, if you will, Kendall. If there are no fresh prints from Rose on the ground, yet Keeper is getting a scent...then we should be asking ourselves how she got there? It's not like she's Tarzan, swinging on non-existant vines, right?" he whispered as his eyes wandered around him.

"A question, if you will, Kendall. If there are no fresh prints from Rose on the ground, yet Keeper is getting a scent...then we should be asking ourselves how she got there? It's not like she's Tarzan, swinging on non-existant vines, right

Kendall thought for a moment and then smiled "Actually I do have an answer for that. It has to do with how a dog tracks a scent. Scent isn't mostly on the ground. People just think so because the most often seen scent hounds are lowslung dogs whose heads are close to the ground - but if you really watch one, they peroidically lift their heads, tilting them as far back as they can take them. Scent is carried in the air, by millions of tiny particles that tend to float. They are carried about on air currents."

She explained further - if some one were carrying Rose, or had say.." She let her smile perk into a grin "Grabbed her and put her in a helicopter and flown her into the castles courtyard. What Keeper would be geting is her scent trail as the air currents brought it out of the Castle."

"Alternately she could have walked just off the path and Keeper is staying to it because it's easier movement. The losing of a tracking dog by going along in the middle of a stream tactic susceeds because the running water has a ionization layer above it which attracts the particles a dog scents for down and into the water."

Edwards took a puff on his cigar, being sure not to blow smoke in Kendall's face.

"The helicopter I would doubt, seeing as no one heard anything and I do not think any of these villagers has one. Not to mention, who would want to get a helicopter and steal her? Especially when we are broken down in a small town that is probably on few maps."

"However, I believe she would still have left foot prints by the tavern, even if she attempted to stay off the path. But, I trust Keeper's scent and will follow as needed," he said with a smile as he backed away.

Kendall just shrugged and let go of Thomas as he seemed to have calmed down considerable. She didn't appreciate Edwards blowing cigar smoke in her face and if he did it again her response would be firm and final - as far as his cigar was concerned.

"Keeper's tracked her to the best of his ability. He hasn't given any of the cues that would tell me that he is following a marginal trail, or that he doesn't trust the trail. He's not trained as a tracking dog, but he does know what I want him to do and he does have, what to him, is a clear scent trail."

“I say rescue Kendall because Rose could be lying out there somewhere with a busted leg or something. She would need urgent medical care.”

Thomas was glad that Kendall got off him and let him move, though she still kept a grasp on him. The helicopter idea, he agreed with Edward it would be too impractical to do so and Thomas doubted there was a chopper small enough to land inside the castle ruins. At least one that could hold more than one or two people. Besides, why would anyone nab Rose? Unless they were a terrorist group trying to the US to release terror suspects, which gave him a chill up his spine. The fact the US had a non-negotiation policy would certainly mean her death. But, then again…it was doubtful it was terrorist…they could have nabbed them all, why just Rose?

When Kendall finally released him, Thomas got up and walked over to the old drawbridge. The single plank sat almost mocking him as the path to his love but he was too afraid to cross it for fear of dropping.

“Well, we can’t go down Kendall; it’s an almost ninety degree drop down a few meters then another almost ninety incline. We gotta cross.”

Thomas bent down and squeezed the wood, some of it broke off in his hand but most of it stayed on the plank.

“I guess I’ll go first, unless there any objections.”

The ‘moat’ had long since dried up...The moat was twenty five feet wide before another ten-fifteen feet of land and inside the moat ...had several levels. The deepest was about twenty feet while the shallowest was about five or six. In its time of working, spikes would be set at the bottom before it was filled...Now, it was dried and the spears were long gone. A single, narrow plank of rotted wood connected the rest of the world from the fortress

Kendall sighed. "If you want to cross that you are welcome. Keeper and I are going to cross that dry moat. A bit of climbing and scrambling but to mee safer than that rotting plank."

She poured Keeper a bit of water into his collapseable bowl and while he lapped it up she surved the moat carefully, selecting the best way down, and in her mind laying out a path across, useing the height advantage to make her plans.

Thomas looked at the plank and at the steep sides of the moat. The steep sides to him were far more dangerous than the plank itself. Though there were some shallow shelves, they were flanked by deep trenches and if they slipped, they would go straight down to the bottom and probably would have broken legs or a broken back. Thomas was no good at climbing and he decided he stood a better chance with the plank.

“Kendall, if I find a chain or something in the castle, I’ll try to throw it over for you.”

With a smile meant to cover the fear inside of him, Thomas walked forward and gently pressed a foot on the plank. The old wood groaned under the slight pressure, yet Thomas brought his other foot over and onto the wood. He felt and heard it creak as bits of wood crumbled off the sides. The American took a breath and gently began to walk, or more appropriately, shuffle across the wood. His chest was pounding and his forehead was sweating as the wood continued to creak and groan. Oh please hold…please hold…

Thomas moved his left foot forward a few inches and as he moved his right foot forward, he slipped. Thomas fell right down on top of the wood. He grunted as his stomach came in contact and the air was rushed from his lungs. His arms wrapped around the plank and his fingers locked as he tried to keep himself from falling. Thomas heard panicked voices behind him, but he was already more than halfway across and he knew he could make it.

He felt the wood groan, yet it wouldn’t break. Thomas began to wiggle his way down the rest of the way, not allowing his body to move more than a few inches up from the wood. The second he could though, Thomas got on his hands and knees and crawled off the plank and into the grass on the other side.

Laying on his back, his chest noticeably heaving, he called out as he stared up into the sky.

“Made it!”

Edward watched with extreme interest as Thomas walked across the board. When he slipped, the retired military officer's eyes widened and his breath quickened, smoke from his cigar swirling around him.

Yet the young man made it all the way across. Edward clapped loudly with a small smirk on his face, as the cigar rested between his lips.

"Bravo, Thomas. Now find something to get us across. Not all of us can go on that piece of wood," he shoued over.

Kendall just shook her head, and sat down on the edge of the long dry moat. The first drop was all of six feet at most, just a few inches more than she was tall. She pushed off and dropped over the edge with ease. Keeper jumped down beside her. The next ledge was just a little deeper - perhaps eight feet but narrow, so Kendall turned on her belly and slid over the edge - she didn't have to fully extend her arms to hold her before her toes touched bottom and she was down.. Then another, but some what broader, she had to take several steps to get to the edge of it.

The deepest section was also the widest - it was fully twenty five feet below ground level but from where she was only another five foot and she jumped down lightly, Keeper following. She made her way across and becan climbing the other side. She knew she was getting dirty, but she felt far safer doing thing where no one fall would be that far. Possibly falling from the plank, or having it break under one would be far worse in her estimation.

Soon she was crossing the ten odd feet of land inside the moat but outside the castle wall

Thomas heard what Edward had shouted. From his position, he managed to shout back. “I know, most of us aren’t heavy with age.”

It was a stupid thing to say, it made little sense, but Thomas could only wonder what the old military man’s face looked like. The American slowly rolled over on his belly and got up. His neck craned backward as he looked up at the old fortress, the battered walls and the vacant arrow slits. He walked towards the gaping opening and into the darkness. He reached into his pocket and retrieved the Maglite and turned it on. The light shone on the dusty walls, revealing the arrow slits were archers could slaughter troops who had broken through the gates. The entrance itself was wide enough for a single wagon to fit though at a time with plenty of headroom for the driver.

Not knowing Kendall and Keeper had made their way across, Thomas pressed deeper, looking for something to make the crossing easier. Maybe a chain that he could hurl across so on the other side they could use it as a rope or something. The American paused before a stone staircase heading up into the castle. Thomas shrugged and walked up and at the top he found himself in a large room filled with dust and mounds old clay pots and other shapes. Thomas walked up to one, his feet kicking up dust that hung in the air around his ankles and he knelt down. Smiling, he tried to pick it up, only for it to break in his hands.

He walked deeper into the room and found a bundle coated in dust. Kicking it with his foot, there was a metallic clanking and the thing fell apart. Thomas smiled at the chain, which was probably a good ten feet or so in length. He didn’t note the freshness of its look. As he picked it up, he paused and smelled the dusty air. Wet dog?

There was a crash behind him and Thomas spun, his light flashing across the room, there were scattered pieces of clay and wood across the floor and dust hung in the air. “Hello?”

There was no answer, but the strange wet dog smell still lingered. Kneeling, not taking his eyes off the slowly descending cloud, he picked up the chain. Taking a breath, Thomas moved forward, into the cloud and out into the hall near the stairs. Breathing easier, he walked back down the steps. Thomas never noticed the large canine footprints in the room that were slowly being covered by the settling dust…

Coming back into the entrance, he spotted Kendall and called out to her as he approached. “Hey! Look what I found. We can throw it across to the rest. My word you look like a mess.”

“Hey! Look what I found. We can throw it across to the rest. My word you look like a mess.”

Kendall gave Thomas an odd look. He hadn't even bother to notice her crossing the moat - it was not like she'd ninja'd her way across and Keeper, while much more atheletic and graceful than she, hadn't done it invisibily or silently either.

She looked at the chain that he held out and raised an eyebrow. "Thats a nice new chain, but it's only what? Ten feet maybe? Thats not near long enough." Shrugging she turned and looked through the gate that he had disappeared through. Kendall was getting fed up with his strangeness, and if it weren't for Rose being obviously missing, she was more than half inclided to go back.

"And yes I am a bit of a mess, but as far as I am concerned the moat was easier than the plank." She turned her attention to brushing the grass and dirt bits off of her.

Thomas blinked as his excitement died and the fact that Kendall had crossed the moat with her dog dawned on him. In his opinion it was a feat that was impossible. But, then again he had a relatively easy life; he sat at a table, smiled, exchanged some nice words and shuffled papers. So a task like the moat would look crazy if not impossible and the plank would be the more normal way to cross. Still, she had a valid point about the chain being too short.

“Well…uhhh…lets see.” Thomas tapped his foot and scratched his head. “Well, what if you and I picked up the plank on this end while one or two of the others pick it up from their end and we move it over to a shallower region of the moat. Then they pull it their way so it will fall down and act as a ramp so they can go down a bit easier. I can throw this chain across so they can tie it to the climber and work it like a safety line. Then…once they are all down, they hurl it back to us and you and I hold it steady while they use it to climb up?”

Excitement was back in his eyes and voice. “Sound good to you?”

"That sounds good to me. And even if the plank crumbles as we move it, the chain can help them climb up. Thats the hardest part. See, over all the moat looks deeep but if you look at it as one level at a time, only the mid level is more than an six foot drop and yes it's narrow to boot."

She liked seeing the reasonable logic he was useing and the honest excitement in his eyes. The febrile fixation of earlier was gone, for the moment..

"But that chain looks so new. Maybe there is something to Edward's guess. Maybe there are villagers or others involved."

Thomas looked at the chain; it was indeed new, almost right out of the store new. It greatly disturbed him and added urgency to the search. “Come on. Lets get moving.”

When they reached the edge of the moat, Thomas made the chain into a ball and taking a few steps back, he pulled his arms as far back as he could before taking a few steps and hurling it will all of his might. The chain flew into the air and began to unfurl but landed with a thump on the other side.

“Hey guys!” Thomas called out. “Pick up the plank on your side. We’re gonna shift it over to the shallow end and you guys pull it your way to use it like a ramp. And use the chain as a safety. If the plank breaks…use the chain as a rope to climb up and down with.”

Kendall helped Thomas carry the rickety plank down to where the dry moat seemed to be the shallowest. She did not noitce Keeper sniff Thomas's pants, lift a lip in a silent growl then sneeze a few times.

Keeper knew that there was something badly wrong inside those crumbling wal;ls, but he didn't know how to warn Kendall. He knew that he would have to be especially vigilant, for the scent he had been tasked to follow definitely lead inside those shadowed walls.

Sasha woke with a yawn. She looked over and noticed that the person who'd gone missing, and the people who'd gone to find her were still absent. Getting dressed, she prepared to go look for them to see what was up, but not before writing a note to that effect and packing her stuff up, just in case.

Vexx clmbed down into the moat, and climbed the plank with only a little trouble. He waited for the rest of the people to cross.

"This reminds me of boot camp!" Edwards growled as he stuck the cigar end in his mouth and grit his teeth on it so it wouldn't fall out.

He hastily took hold of the chain and made his way on the plank at a moderate pace, his ears open for any sign of the plank breaking.

When he made it across he looked around and took out the cigar, letting out the cloud that built up in his mouth. "Now is that everyone?" he grumble.

Thomas smiled as everyone crossed, though Sasha was still in his mind. She was probably still back at the tavern sleeping or enjoying a hot breakfast. Well, when they returned he would be sure to give her a few nasty glares. He looked at Edwards.

“All spare for Sasha. By the way everyone…I thought I smelled wet dog in the castle, so maybe a stray or something might be in here. Just so everyone knows.”

Thomas thought of going after the chain, but weighing the possibility of the plank breaking and tumbling down into the pit, he decided to leave it where it was. Adjusting his jacket, he removed the flashlight and he motioned to the castle.

“Alrighty I think we should stick together. And we ain’t looking any treasure remember? And watch out for any signs of a dog or something.”

Kendall nodded seriously. "Keeper will let us know if a strange dog comes near. And you can't blame Sasha, she may just not feel that she would be any help in a search, and besides the other couple didn't come either. We few may take a little longer to search, but we can get it done."

She turned and headed into the castle, Keeper at her side and he was alertly sniffing the air. He was very uncomfortable here and would not be caught by surprize.

Vexx followed slowly, watching, and waiting. He felt as if something bad was going to happen. He shrugged it off and continued.

"Perhaps the smell of wet dog is from some sort of fungus or moss? Maybe there is someone who lives in here and scares away everyone else...like Scooby Doo," Edward chuckled as he followed behind.

Vexx smiled. "No way. It's definitly a demon. Trapped here by some immortal hero. Haha." He laughed.

"And Scooby Do always found out that it was just some mad scientist with a fog making machine, and demons and immortal heros dont exist" Kendall said firmly as she followed Thomas into the small keeps forecourt.

Thomas chuckled as he looked over at Edwards and Vexx. “I never liked Scooby Doo; I was more a Bugs Bunny fan. Trapped by some immortal eh? I rather go with Stoned Doo…more realistic.”

The group entered the causeway and moved along an old stone path, now many of the stones were broken and there were weeds that pushed up through the cracks. The courtyard was barren spare for bits of broken rock that had crumbled from the inner wall and fortification. There was nothing out of the ordinary and then the long heard rain began to arrive as a calm, easy drizzle.

Thomas picked up his pace and moved towards the guts of the castle, the entryway had caved in, yet there was a hole large enough for them to squeeze through one at a time. Going in head first, the man wiggled his way through, sucking in his gut once before he was free. Thomas found himself in the remains of a room, one wall was gone leading into the hallway and once again he found the thick layer of dust on the ground.

His light and whatever came in through the hole was the only illumination. “Get your lights out if you have them.”

As the group squeezed themselves through one by one, Thomas explored the room. He found some artifacts or what looked like them, bits of metal mostly and he wondered if they were part of a sword or a spear…but most likely a kettle or something. As his light panned on the floor, he paused and he knelt down.

“Guys! Over here and be careful where and how you step!” His light was focused on a part of the floor. In the thick layer of dust a human footprint was visible. “Its Rose defiantly. Look….you can see her toes…no shoes on her. I don’t see any other footprints…so she is alone.”

Sasha had fished out an LED headlamp from her bag so she could get a better look of the land, even though it did cast a somewhat spooky bluish glare over some things.

Finding what she though was the route the others took, she headed toward the castle.

Kendall lookeed at Keeper. He was 'telling' sure enough, but she could also tell he was scenting other animals, and that he was not happy about what he'd found.

"I think you are right. Keeper's telling to her scent, but he's also nervous about something." Kendall brought out her powerful Little Friend electrolumen flashlight and turned it on, after tucking the smaller keychain light in her pocket. She looked about carefully, the powerful light set to full flood mode. The clean white light chased the shadows back to the deepest nitches.

"This lookd to be the main ground floor chamber, and the hearth over there looks like it's open on both sides, perhaps to the kitchen, useing the far side opening for cooking and this side for warmth and light?"

"You guys really need to read "The Keep". It's a really good book." Vexx said to the other people. He continued tracking Rose's foot prints.

Thomas looked over his shoulder at Vexx and scrunched his nose. “You have gotta be kidding me. That movie sucked ass…I thought it was gonna be a horror film and instead I get a fantasy film with Nazis. It was choppy and the bad guy…what the fuck was he? How can the book be any better?”

Thomas turned from bashing Michael Mann’s 1983 adaptation of F. Paul Wilson’s The Keep and turned back to what Kendall had said. His lit illuminated the hearth Kendall had found. He walked over to the dusty stone and looked at it. It was wide and had two openings as the American walked around it, he shined his light up; if there had been a chimney inside the wall it was long gone though there still remained a few meters of stone heading upwards to the dark ceiling.

“Looks like it.”

Thomas walked up to it and stuck his head inside the hearth and shined his light through. “There’s another room. Come on.”

As Thomas took a step inside, he froze. His light stopped penetration into the gloom before him. He paused midway through and slapped his flashlight, the bulb dimmed and flickered. Cursing he was about to smash it against the wall when he heard a scrapping sound coming from in front of him. Thomas turned the light back into the gloom, he squinted, trying to see something. He felt a tingling on his neck before something landed on his back.

The American burst out to the group screaming, something latched onto his back, Thomas danced around the room as everyone tried to get the thing from off of him and calm him down. Thomas’ arms grabbed the thing, whatever it was it was thin and dusty and ripped it off of him. Only, when his hands came out in front, he was only a pair of human arm bones. Thomas let out another scream and promptly dropped them, he turned around and found the skeleton of a human lying on the ground.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” As he looked at it, his panic levels still high, he saw the bones were a pitch black color without any signs of white yet his brain had not registered this strangeness yet.


As Sasha walked through the woods, a branch snapped somewhere in the woods and a low growl broke the stillness. From behind her, a large black wolf appeared, his lips curled back in a viscous snarl, its teeth coated in a film of saliva. The beast stared at Sasha, yet it did not attack.

But there was something more bizarre about the wolf, its eyes were a bright fiery green.

She turned at the sound of the snarl, her eyes widening at the sight of the snarling wolf. Reaching up, she grabbed the Neos knife off her pack as she dropped. Crouching slightly, she looked at the wolf and wondered what it was doing and if it was rabid.

She hadn't fled as she knew fleeing triggered a 'pounce' reaction in predators and that ninty-nine times out of a hundred, a wolf wouldn't attack a person. Even if it was going to attack, if it got her on her stomach she was almost certainly a goner, but on her back she had better than even odds.

"You are both right, the book was excellent, the movie stunk" Kendall said with a small smile.

That vanished when Thomas came screaming out of the gloom that filled the way he had gone.

The scream made her jump, and Keeper braced and his hackles rose at the jarring, jingling, St. Vitus dance return of Thomas.

“Jesus fucking Christ!”

It wasn't until Thomas calmed down and held still for a moment that Kendall could trace back where he had come from, and turn her light along with his on the aged bones.

"Thomas, cool it!" She said sharply. "Those bones are aged, nothing fresh about them at all. They've got grave rot, a form of mildew all over them, that's why they're black."