DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
(1x1 RP)
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In The Pines
- Thread starter DrTrollinski
- Start date
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
For years now the legends have always seemed to be the same. People vanishing. Seems normal enough, right? I mean, people vanish all the time, so why is this case any different? Well, the missing persons reports for Maine date back as far as the 1950's, but to be even stranger than that, they were never looked into. The Maine branch of the FBI had never looked into it despite every single police report, every single crying mother or wife that asked for their help on local television, and every single brother or sister that begged and pleaded for someone to do something. It never happened.
Not with all the phone calls.
Not with all the 'missing person' posters.
Not with anything.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is just accept that things are the way they are, and there's nothing else to do about it. Is it the correct way to deal with things? Probably not, but what can you do? Seriously, what other choices are there that will help you get through life? If you can't accept something, then you're lost, stuck, helpless and just... Gone. You're gone, you've disappeared, just like all the people. No one knew why they all vanished, because there was never even enough evidence to prove that they were abducted or anything like that. It was evident, because they all went missing in some of the further parts of the forest that weren't under any form of protection from the outside authorities.
Boy scout groups got cancelled, businesses that specialized in hikes in that area fell to nothing and owners packed up shop and went elsewhere. Yeah, all the incidents that occurred scared away pretty much everything from that area, so there were small areas outside of the town that were dedicated to camping and got the luxury of fences a couple of miles out, night guards, CCTV, and even phones in the case of emergencies. It was one of those fancy campgrounds. There was a management office, and there were staff for the campgrounds that did one of the following things: They cleaned up, they checked the fences (not many people liked doing that, and no one did it alone), they did night watch, or they organized fun stuff to entertain their child visitors - It made it a popular place for school trips, seeing as it was flaunted as the safest, cleanest, and most-protected camping ground in the vicinity of Maine Woods. Oh, and it's close enough to the exit of the forest, too.
I mean, that's what you'd want when you're dealing with ten million acres of woodland, right? A mix of hundreds of trees from pine trees to conifers to all different kinds - It was a beautiful place if you even attempted to look by all the shit that seemed to happen there. Or did it? That was the mystery, because no one truly knew if it was something within the forest that caused people to go missing, or if it was just because of bad luck - there were a lot of animals there, some of them dangerous, so that meant that people could have easily wandered too far and ended up getting into a situation that they could never come back from.
But, as you're going to find out anyway, I'll tell you this now - That definitely wasn't the case.
--
Friday, June 6th, 2014.
"Hey, pal." Adam said, reaching out and patting Walter on the head as he climbed into the car. Well, I say car, but it was a bit of a beast. With Adam being in the FBI, and his wife doing high-level insurance work, they did alright for themselves. A nice house, two cars, two kids - It wasn't anything flashy, the house, but it was enough, you know what I mean? They had a couple of guest bedrooms, and that was it, so their house came to five bedrooms in total, and three bathrooms, but two of those were full baths whilst the one downstairs was a half-bath with a sink and a toilet.
Anyway, Adam's car. It was a Range Rover Vogue SE - A very nice one indeed. He was a typical American like that - He loved the big cars that puffed on diesel like a kid with a bag of candy. This one took the top of the range, though, because it was just fantastic. He could afford to love it, too. Sure, this car was fairly knew, because I'll tell you now, it took him one hell of a lot of saving before he could afford something like this, and all.
"Hi, dad." Walter said, followed by turning to look out of the car window. The windows were sort of tinted, as you can see. Despite it being the last day of school (so technically now the Summer vacation had started), Walter didn't seem all that happy, so Adam immediately knew that there was something wrong. He could treat this any way he wanted, but it would still only end in one of two ways - Walter would cheer up, or he'd tell him to leave him alone.
"'Ey, what happened today? You're lookin' pissed."
"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it." He said bitterly, and with that, Adam sighed and patted Walter's knee and waited for him to put his belt on before driving off down the road, and the whole time they were driving, Walter was just staring out of the window. They were going to the nearest Elementary school - Speaking of schools, after this year, Carl would be going into Third Grade, and Walter would be going into Ninth - He was Junior High, but it was the same school. Adam had a feeling that it was something to do with that that had Walter pissed off, but he had one hell of a lot of time before he had to fully worry about it.
After ten minutes or so of just cruising through the streets to get to the Elementary School, they pulled up outside, and Adam looked over at Walter and gave him a pat on the shoulder a couple of times. "You want to get out and wait for your brother today?" He asked. His tone was more demanding, only because he knew that he wouldn't talk to him unless he actually got him out there and doing something to take his mind off of things, and there was nothing better to do that than seeing his brother. I've mentioned before - they fight, and sometimes Carl pushes Walter's patience, but they get on really well.
"Sure." He mumbled, shoving the passenger door open and hopping out. He walked off to the school gate where there were parents and other older siblings of the children waiting, and he quaintly leaned against a tree that was sort of isolated from everyone else. He wanted to have some peace and quiet to himself for a while - Seeing as he needed to use the bathroom, he was sort of contemplating going into the school before all of the kids came flooding out - He could use the Sixth Grade bathroom, but, after some thought, he decided that that was sort of a bad idea. He could have used the guest bathroom in the reception area, but he'd never liked it. He went to the same school when he was younger, so he'd seen that little cramped up and poorly-maintained bathroom a few times here and there.
He waited, and he didn't have to wait long before the kids started rushing out. First, the First Graders, and following them, the Second Graders. He scanned over the classes that came out until he saw Carl's, and his face lit up with a smile when he finally saw him. The little dark-haired boy whose hair seemed to wave around in the wind, the one wearing the blue t-shirt and the baggy jeans, the swaggy sneakers. Ah, it was great. He waved off to him, watched as he instantly turned to his teacher and pestered her until she listened to him tell her that 'he could see his brother' - Once he got confirmation that it was okay to leave, he shot off in the direction of Walter and eventually flew straight into his arms.
"Hi, Walter!" He squealed happily. Walter laughed and ducked down, ruffling his hair and pulling away.
"Hey, bro... Looking forward to your camping trip? All your stuff's in dad's car."
"Yeah! I can't wait!" He grinned. Walter smiled back at him - he never liked the forest, personally, not since the boy scouts. His dad had always told him that there was one part, one half, if you will, to the Northern part of it that was more... I don't know. Volatile. Anyone in the more Southern side never really saw anything else other than some wolves.
Plus, there were too many spiders.
So, from the town, it was only a thirty minute drive to get to where the whole school group was meeting up to go to the campgrounds. Thank fuck that Adam had an off-road car with all the snow traction and such, because if he didn't, the thing would be a mess right now. He did insist that Walter went into the gift shop and used the bathroom in there, but no, he refused that, too. He wanted to wait until they got home. He was doing well at holding it, though, even if he did look like he was about to die.
After Carl gave them both a big old hug and got a kiss on the cheek from dad, and of course, once he had all of his stuff taken out of the trunk and given to him, he was all ready to go. Seeing as Walter had already said goodbye (and didn't really want to risk moving because of his... uncomfortable situation) he was waiting in the car, but Adam was right there crouched down in front of his youngest son. Three days, three days without him. It was really going to be quite difficult, don't you think? Ah, well, kids love getting out there and having fun, so he certainly wasn't going to stop him.
"Right, buddy... You know the rules. There's a phone number written on a piece of paper in your bag, right next to your underwear." He chuckled, Carl grinned. "That's our home phone number, okay? If anything happens, you make sure you call that, yeah?"
"Okay, dad." He smiled and nodded.
"Right, what else... Ah, right, your wallet... That's in your bag, too. Please don't lose it, eh? It's got fifty dollars in there, but try not to spend it all at once in the gift shop. You've got your boots, a few pairs of socks, some warm clothes, too, so don't hesitate to tell your teacher or one of the camp workers if you feel like you need to change anything, okay?"
"Yeah, dad." He looked over his shoulder towards the group that was slowly beginning to form. They were still missing quite a few people.
"Hm..." Adam said, before looking at him and grinning, his hands squeezing his shoulders. "Any stories they tell you of the campground bathroom monster ain't true, okay? If I get a call tellin' me that you snuck off and crapped in the woods, I won't be happy." He said. He was only joking, and Carl knew that, so he instantly broke out into laughs and giggles and shook his head rapidly.
"You won't, dad." He said.
"Good man... I love you. Have a good time, okay?" He pulled him into a big hug and ruffled his hair for a few moments before letting him go. He ran off in a short burst, but turned back to the car to look in through the windscreen as Adam climbed in. He looked between him and Walter and gave the biggest smile you've ever seen.
"Bye, Walter! I'll buy you somethin' nice!" He yelled. Walter grinned and waved goodbye, but soon slumped into his chair as his brother disappeared out of sight.
"Dad. Can we go home now? I really need to take shi--" He got a slap up the head almost immediately.
"Language, Walter."
"English. Why?" He said, his slightly annoyed expression stretching into a grin. Adam laughed and shook his head whilst using one hand to ruffle his hair and the other to start up the car engine.
--
One Week Later.
Friday the 13th, June.
"It's been one week since the disappearance of Carl Douglas from the Pine-Side Campsite in Maine Woods - Carl Douglas, a seven-year-old Second Grade student, was reported missing on the third and final morning of a camping trip that he went on with some of his class to kick off this year's Summer vacation. It's believed that he went missing during the previous night, seeing as campsite workers, Carl's teacher, and his friends all stated that they'd seen him during that night, and was not actually deemed as missing until the following morning - All students on this trip were put into pairs to share tents - Carl's friend, Michael Schwarz, whom of which also shared a tent with Carl for the duration of the three days they were there, told the authorities that Carl had expressed no intentions to leave the tent during the nights they were there, and the only time he did leave was to use the bathroom - On the second and third night, Michael said that Carl was there until he fell asleep. An investigation is pending, but is currently on hold. Many different missing--"
He turned the TV off and broke down into tears. Things really weren't going well, really. He felt so... Awful. He couldn't help but feel that this was his fault, but at the same time, he wanted to know why it happened. Why his little boy got taken away from a loving family. Why it never got looked into. He begged his boss to look into it, and as soon as he got a very heated refusal, he posted in for unpaid time off of work - they had enough money to support themselves, but that isn't what mattered.
How did Carl go missing without anyone seeing him?
Why did it have to be him?
Adam had given up, as you can see. He was just sitting there wasting the days away. Walter hadn't been doing well, either. He'd been sitting in his room for a week, not saying a word to anyone, coming out only to use the bathroom, eat, and drink. He wasn't doing great, and he'd really lost his appetite, too.
The campsite grounds had been untouched since the incident.
Everyone thought that this time, there'd be an investigation. An official one, of course.
Not with all the phone calls.
Not with all the 'missing person' posters.
Not with anything.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is just accept that things are the way they are, and there's nothing else to do about it. Is it the correct way to deal with things? Probably not, but what can you do? Seriously, what other choices are there that will help you get through life? If you can't accept something, then you're lost, stuck, helpless and just... Gone. You're gone, you've disappeared, just like all the people. No one knew why they all vanished, because there was never even enough evidence to prove that they were abducted or anything like that. It was evident, because they all went missing in some of the further parts of the forest that weren't under any form of protection from the outside authorities.
Boy scout groups got cancelled, businesses that specialized in hikes in that area fell to nothing and owners packed up shop and went elsewhere. Yeah, all the incidents that occurred scared away pretty much everything from that area, so there were small areas outside of the town that were dedicated to camping and got the luxury of fences a couple of miles out, night guards, CCTV, and even phones in the case of emergencies. It was one of those fancy campgrounds. There was a management office, and there were staff for the campgrounds that did one of the following things: They cleaned up, they checked the fences (not many people liked doing that, and no one did it alone), they did night watch, or they organized fun stuff to entertain their child visitors - It made it a popular place for school trips, seeing as it was flaunted as the safest, cleanest, and most-protected camping ground in the vicinity of Maine Woods. Oh, and it's close enough to the exit of the forest, too.
I mean, that's what you'd want when you're dealing with ten million acres of woodland, right? A mix of hundreds of trees from pine trees to conifers to all different kinds - It was a beautiful place if you even attempted to look by all the shit that seemed to happen there. Or did it? That was the mystery, because no one truly knew if it was something within the forest that caused people to go missing, or if it was just because of bad luck - there were a lot of animals there, some of them dangerous, so that meant that people could have easily wandered too far and ended up getting into a situation that they could never come back from.
But, as you're going to find out anyway, I'll tell you this now - That definitely wasn't the case.
--
Friday, June 6th, 2014.
"Hey, pal." Adam said, reaching out and patting Walter on the head as he climbed into the car. Well, I say car, but it was a bit of a beast. With Adam being in the FBI, and his wife doing high-level insurance work, they did alright for themselves. A nice house, two cars, two kids - It wasn't anything flashy, the house, but it was enough, you know what I mean? They had a couple of guest bedrooms, and that was it, so their house came to five bedrooms in total, and three bathrooms, but two of those were full baths whilst the one downstairs was a half-bath with a sink and a toilet.
Anyway, Adam's car. It was a Range Rover Vogue SE - A very nice one indeed. He was a typical American like that - He loved the big cars that puffed on diesel like a kid with a bag of candy. This one took the top of the range, though, because it was just fantastic. He could afford to love it, too. Sure, this car was fairly knew, because I'll tell you now, it took him one hell of a lot of saving before he could afford something like this, and all.
"Hi, dad." Walter said, followed by turning to look out of the car window. The windows were sort of tinted, as you can see. Despite it being the last day of school (so technically now the Summer vacation had started), Walter didn't seem all that happy, so Adam immediately knew that there was something wrong. He could treat this any way he wanted, but it would still only end in one of two ways - Walter would cheer up, or he'd tell him to leave him alone.
"'Ey, what happened today? You're lookin' pissed."
"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk about it." He said bitterly, and with that, Adam sighed and patted Walter's knee and waited for him to put his belt on before driving off down the road, and the whole time they were driving, Walter was just staring out of the window. They were going to the nearest Elementary school - Speaking of schools, after this year, Carl would be going into Third Grade, and Walter would be going into Ninth - He was Junior High, but it was the same school. Adam had a feeling that it was something to do with that that had Walter pissed off, but he had one hell of a lot of time before he had to fully worry about it.
After ten minutes or so of just cruising through the streets to get to the Elementary School, they pulled up outside, and Adam looked over at Walter and gave him a pat on the shoulder a couple of times. "You want to get out and wait for your brother today?" He asked. His tone was more demanding, only because he knew that he wouldn't talk to him unless he actually got him out there and doing something to take his mind off of things, and there was nothing better to do that than seeing his brother. I've mentioned before - they fight, and sometimes Carl pushes Walter's patience, but they get on really well.
"Sure." He mumbled, shoving the passenger door open and hopping out. He walked off to the school gate where there were parents and other older siblings of the children waiting, and he quaintly leaned against a tree that was sort of isolated from everyone else. He wanted to have some peace and quiet to himself for a while - Seeing as he needed to use the bathroom, he was sort of contemplating going into the school before all of the kids came flooding out - He could use the Sixth Grade bathroom, but, after some thought, he decided that that was sort of a bad idea. He could have used the guest bathroom in the reception area, but he'd never liked it. He went to the same school when he was younger, so he'd seen that little cramped up and poorly-maintained bathroom a few times here and there.
He waited, and he didn't have to wait long before the kids started rushing out. First, the First Graders, and following them, the Second Graders. He scanned over the classes that came out until he saw Carl's, and his face lit up with a smile when he finally saw him. The little dark-haired boy whose hair seemed to wave around in the wind, the one wearing the blue t-shirt and the baggy jeans, the swaggy sneakers. Ah, it was great. He waved off to him, watched as he instantly turned to his teacher and pestered her until she listened to him tell her that 'he could see his brother' - Once he got confirmation that it was okay to leave, he shot off in the direction of Walter and eventually flew straight into his arms.
"Hi, Walter!" He squealed happily. Walter laughed and ducked down, ruffling his hair and pulling away.
"Hey, bro... Looking forward to your camping trip? All your stuff's in dad's car."
"Yeah! I can't wait!" He grinned. Walter smiled back at him - he never liked the forest, personally, not since the boy scouts. His dad had always told him that there was one part, one half, if you will, to the Northern part of it that was more... I don't know. Volatile. Anyone in the more Southern side never really saw anything else other than some wolves.
Plus, there were too many spiders.
So, from the town, it was only a thirty minute drive to get to where the whole school group was meeting up to go to the campgrounds. Thank fuck that Adam had an off-road car with all the snow traction and such, because if he didn't, the thing would be a mess right now. He did insist that Walter went into the gift shop and used the bathroom in there, but no, he refused that, too. He wanted to wait until they got home. He was doing well at holding it, though, even if he did look like he was about to die.
After Carl gave them both a big old hug and got a kiss on the cheek from dad, and of course, once he had all of his stuff taken out of the trunk and given to him, he was all ready to go. Seeing as Walter had already said goodbye (and didn't really want to risk moving because of his... uncomfortable situation) he was waiting in the car, but Adam was right there crouched down in front of his youngest son. Three days, three days without him. It was really going to be quite difficult, don't you think? Ah, well, kids love getting out there and having fun, so he certainly wasn't going to stop him.
"Right, buddy... You know the rules. There's a phone number written on a piece of paper in your bag, right next to your underwear." He chuckled, Carl grinned. "That's our home phone number, okay? If anything happens, you make sure you call that, yeah?"
"Okay, dad." He smiled and nodded.
"Right, what else... Ah, right, your wallet... That's in your bag, too. Please don't lose it, eh? It's got fifty dollars in there, but try not to spend it all at once in the gift shop. You've got your boots, a few pairs of socks, some warm clothes, too, so don't hesitate to tell your teacher or one of the camp workers if you feel like you need to change anything, okay?"
"Yeah, dad." He looked over his shoulder towards the group that was slowly beginning to form. They were still missing quite a few people.
"Hm..." Adam said, before looking at him and grinning, his hands squeezing his shoulders. "Any stories they tell you of the campground bathroom monster ain't true, okay? If I get a call tellin' me that you snuck off and crapped in the woods, I won't be happy." He said. He was only joking, and Carl knew that, so he instantly broke out into laughs and giggles and shook his head rapidly.
"You won't, dad." He said.
"Good man... I love you. Have a good time, okay?" He pulled him into a big hug and ruffled his hair for a few moments before letting him go. He ran off in a short burst, but turned back to the car to look in through the windscreen as Adam climbed in. He looked between him and Walter and gave the biggest smile you've ever seen.
"Bye, Walter! I'll buy you somethin' nice!" He yelled. Walter grinned and waved goodbye, but soon slumped into his chair as his brother disappeared out of sight.
"Dad. Can we go home now? I really need to take shi--" He got a slap up the head almost immediately.
"Language, Walter."
"English. Why?" He said, his slightly annoyed expression stretching into a grin. Adam laughed and shook his head whilst using one hand to ruffle his hair and the other to start up the car engine.
--
One Week Later.
Friday the 13th, June.
"It's been one week since the disappearance of Carl Douglas from the Pine-Side Campsite in Maine Woods - Carl Douglas, a seven-year-old Second Grade student, was reported missing on the third and final morning of a camping trip that he went on with some of his class to kick off this year's Summer vacation. It's believed that he went missing during the previous night, seeing as campsite workers, Carl's teacher, and his friends all stated that they'd seen him during that night, and was not actually deemed as missing until the following morning - All students on this trip were put into pairs to share tents - Carl's friend, Michael Schwarz, whom of which also shared a tent with Carl for the duration of the three days they were there, told the authorities that Carl had expressed no intentions to leave the tent during the nights they were there, and the only time he did leave was to use the bathroom - On the second and third night, Michael said that Carl was there until he fell asleep. An investigation is pending, but is currently on hold. Many different missing--"
He turned the TV off and broke down into tears. Things really weren't going well, really. He felt so... Awful. He couldn't help but feel that this was his fault, but at the same time, he wanted to know why it happened. Why his little boy got taken away from a loving family. Why it never got looked into. He begged his boss to look into it, and as soon as he got a very heated refusal, he posted in for unpaid time off of work - they had enough money to support themselves, but that isn't what mattered.
How did Carl go missing without anyone seeing him?
Why did it have to be him?
Adam had given up, as you can see. He was just sitting there wasting the days away. Walter hadn't been doing well, either. He'd been sitting in his room for a week, not saying a word to anyone, coming out only to use the bathroom, eat, and drink. He wasn't doing great, and he'd really lost his appetite, too.
The campsite grounds had been untouched since the incident.
Everyone thought that this time, there'd be an investigation. An official one, of course.
Elwin
Slave to the Matrix
One week after the disappearance of Carl Douglas
Facing the snoring male beside her, Quinn Sage ran a hand through her messy short hair. It was around 7:00 am and one day before her work break. Her heavy lidded brown eyes flickered as she tried to wake herself up. The night before was a blur of wine and bed antics with the man who's name she couldn't quite remember. Anthony, was it? Or Adrian? Perhaps it would be safer to just avoid first names until the post evening hangover had disappeared.
Quinn rose from her bed, wearing just the t-shirt of the nameless man. How embarrassing. Catching herself in the mirror, Quinn groaned at the unkempt sight as she headed for the en suite. As she jumped into the shower, a gruff voice caught her attention.
"Quinn?" the voice called from outside the door. Jeez, just let me shower. Quinn stepped away from the water.
"One moment!" She answered back, before spending the next ten moments taking her time as she cleaned for the day. The now squeaky fresh female walked back into her bedroom wrapped in a fluffy towel with matching fluffy brown hair that dripped onto the floorboards. "Hey you!" Quinn's voice was sickly sweet as she smiled at the man who's name she still couldn't remember.
"Last night was fantastic." The man walked closer to her and kissed her lips. His breath smelt of cigarettes and stale wine. He reached over and wrapped his arms around her waist. Quinn kept up her false smile and nodded in agreement.
"Yes it was so nice to relax after all the stress at work recently." She pulled away from his grasp and walked towards her wardrobe lifting up the towel to rub her hair. "Or the lack of stress that is." Quinn glanced at her end table that had the man's i.d card on it. Aiden Hamilton, Damn it I was close!
"Honey, you're way too caught up in all this work business. Looking into cases way too much. You do know the FBI would be on it if they actually had any idea where these kids were ending up? It isn't worth searching for vanishing folks when we could be spending time protecting people who haven't disappeared yet."
"I am FBI..Aiden. Perhaps not the most prestigious rank yet, but just you wait." She sighed, buttoning up a white blouse. "How are we supposed to protect the people if we aren't doing everything in our power to stop the source of the disappearances? It makes no sense. We can't keep lying to the public and our own. It isn't right."
Aiden rolled his eyes, running a comb through his ear length dirty blonde hair. He walked over to Quinn's wall where she had various reports and photographs stuck up on a noticeboard. "It's not healthy obsessing over work like this..." He pulled one of the photographs from her board, scanning it. "Is this the little boy that vanished last week?" Quinn walked over, now full dressed in her blouse, black skirt and a blazer.
"Yeah, Carl Douglas. On a camping trip I think. They really aren't pushing the case at all. In fact I think the kid is one of our own at the FBI." Quinn pulled down a cutout report from her board. "They reckon it was a wild animal attack since he is so close to the forest and the found traces of blood. But the blood hasn't even confirmed to be his and there isn't a sighting of anything else. It's bullshit, to be honest. That kid's been kidnapped."
Aiden raised an eyebrow and pinned the picture back up. "You never know, Quinn. The forests are full of wild animals that could hurt a little boy. Bears to name one. There's wolves and coyotes..you name it."
"Coyotes wouldn't touch a human without being triggered. And bears? Come on Aiden, how would the supervisors at the camp not notice bears lurking without them tactically attacking the kids? Why wouldn't there be a body?" Aiden pulled a t-shirt over his head and frowned at the fretting woman.
"You are looking way too into this Quinn."
Once Aiden had left, Quinn headed to work. The day was pretty short and unproductive as Quinn was left to deal with some petty paperwork and with no word about the recent missing boy. Before her day was over, she managed to get the address of the boy's Father from the staff files. He hadn't been at work for a while, but no one had really mentioned it. It was as if the FBI were pretending nothing had happened. Well Quinn had other ideas. She was going to approach Adam Douglas and offer him a very private investigation. Her motives were clear. Find the culprit, get a promotion and finally start moving ranks. It wasn't like she wasn't going to get any further in her career sitting around doing minor investigations and paperwork all day. She needed to show initiative.
Quinn arrived at Douglas' house that evening. She stepped out of the taxi, hesitantly and headed for his front door. Gingerly, she knocked and waited for a reply.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
"Son..." Adam said as he knocked on Walter's bedroom door. He got no response, and with that, he could only sigh and take a look around before stepping away from the door. He felt really bad for Walter - It was him that had suffered most from the disappearance of Carl. Quinn wasn't the only one who thought it was bullshit - Both Adam and his eldest son believed that what had been said was a load of shit. An animal? A runaway child? No. Carl was a good kid, he'd never run away, he'd never just sneak off of the campsite without saying a word. He wasn't like that. No blood, just a police officer telling them that he went missing. Adam's wife wasn't happy, either. Not at all, actually. Of course she wasn't. Her youngest son? She was heartbroken, and she'd spent the last week lying in bed because of it. Also, once again, unpaid leave.
As Adam was walking away, he heard Walter's bedroom door open up. He quickly turned around to look at the tired teenager, the one with the bags under his eyes, the food-stained PJ shirt, and the boxer shorts that hadn't been changed for at least three days. Walter wanted to run up and hug him, but he knew that he'd be pushed away from him faster than light. He just frowned. He frowned and looked him up and down. ".. Why don't... Why don't you take a shower, son...? Freshen up, and all that..." He suggested, but Walter just stared at him. Adam said nothing and just turned around to walk down the stairs, but Walter spoke up, his words bold.
"Why didn't you do more?" He asked. Adam felt his heart crack the first few times he had that said to him, but now he was used to it, and it mostly just made him angry now, but hey, it happened, didn't it? He just had to let the kid get over it in his own time. Adam had given up, as much as it hurt to do so, he just felt like there was nothing left to do. He'd lost his little boy forever, and there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it.
Boy. He was wrong, that was for sure.
"Walter... You know that I can't do any more than what I have." He sighed as he turned around to face him once again. "I tried, son. I tried to get an investigation going, I tried to get the police to look for him, I tried everything that I--"
"No." He interrupted, shaking his head. "You didn't. You didn't go and look for him. You didn't go out to try and find him. You didn't... You didn't do anything." He said. At this point, his eyes had filled up with tears and he was doing his best not to just break out into cries. Adam took a few steps forward. "I want him back, dad." He choked. "I just want my brother back. Please, dad. Please just get him back." He begged. Adam walked right up to stand in front of him and slowly pulled him into a hug. As soon as Walter's head hit his chest, he burst into tears and swung his arms around his father's body. Neither of them said anything for a while, actually. Adam just sat there with him in his arms. He let him have a good cry, because that had been happening a lot recently. Walter had built up a lot of emotion and failed to release it on most days.
".. Go and take a bath, son..." He said, pulling away from him and bowing over to look him in the face. "Take a bath, relax... Burn off some steam, okay? I promise you, I'll do what I can about Carl, alright? I love you. A lot. I love the both of ya', and to think that he's gone... It kills me, it really does. I want him back, but really... We need to be patient, and I'll see what I can do, a'ight?"
He nodded and quickly wiped his eyes. "Okay, dad." He sniffled, taking a step towards the bathroom door and pushing it open. ".. It's... It's not your fault. I didn't mean that." He said. "I'm really sorry... Really, I really am I just... I miss him." He looked at the ground, Adam nodded at him.
"I know. I do, too." He said. "Hey... Walter..." He said, right before he could disappear into the bathroom. Walter turned and looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Would... I know it's been a while, but... You wanna' watch some TV with me, have some hot cocoa with marshmallows and all that? Like the old days?" He asked. Walter smiled for the first time in days and nodded a little.
"Sure, I'd like that." He said, finally vanishing into the bathroom. Adam was more content with himself now. As long as he could rekindle his relationship with his eldest son, he felt like he might be able to scrape by without a problem.
--
Later that evening, there was a knock at the door. Late afternoon, and the middle of the summer. That meant the sun wouldn't be fully set until around, what, nine o'clock tonight? Adam and Walter had been sitting there in the living room for most of the day now, just drinking cocoa with all different kinds of toppings and watching TV, but for the past few hours, they'd both managed to loosen up a bit as Adam told Walter to get his Xbox downstairs so they could play together for a while. It was nice, really, and they were both actually really enjoying it and managed to take their mind off of everything that had happened, just for a while.
But now Quinn had come to knock them straight back into reality.
"Hey, son... Mind getting the door? I really need to use the bathroom." Adam said. Walter nodded and patted his shoulder before hopping up and walking out of the living room with him. Adam went one way to vanish into the bathroom, and Walter went to the door and opened it up. Walter wasn't such a mess anymore. He had a clean t-shirt and jeans on (oh, and clean underwear) as well as some socks. He looked over the young woman stood before him and gave his best to offer her a smile.
She was official. He could tell that by her confident appearance. He was very attentive, when he wanted to be. ".. Hey." He greeted. "Can I help you?" He asked. Teenager or not, if his dad wasn't there, he was going to take over the 'man' role.
As Adam was walking away, he heard Walter's bedroom door open up. He quickly turned around to look at the tired teenager, the one with the bags under his eyes, the food-stained PJ shirt, and the boxer shorts that hadn't been changed for at least three days. Walter wanted to run up and hug him, but he knew that he'd be pushed away from him faster than light. He just frowned. He frowned and looked him up and down. ".. Why don't... Why don't you take a shower, son...? Freshen up, and all that..." He suggested, but Walter just stared at him. Adam said nothing and just turned around to walk down the stairs, but Walter spoke up, his words bold.
"Why didn't you do more?" He asked. Adam felt his heart crack the first few times he had that said to him, but now he was used to it, and it mostly just made him angry now, but hey, it happened, didn't it? He just had to let the kid get over it in his own time. Adam had given up, as much as it hurt to do so, he just felt like there was nothing left to do. He'd lost his little boy forever, and there was nothing he or anyone else could do about it.
Boy. He was wrong, that was for sure.
"Walter... You know that I can't do any more than what I have." He sighed as he turned around to face him once again. "I tried, son. I tried to get an investigation going, I tried to get the police to look for him, I tried everything that I--"
"No." He interrupted, shaking his head. "You didn't. You didn't go and look for him. You didn't go out to try and find him. You didn't... You didn't do anything." He said. At this point, his eyes had filled up with tears and he was doing his best not to just break out into cries. Adam took a few steps forward. "I want him back, dad." He choked. "I just want my brother back. Please, dad. Please just get him back." He begged. Adam walked right up to stand in front of him and slowly pulled him into a hug. As soon as Walter's head hit his chest, he burst into tears and swung his arms around his father's body. Neither of them said anything for a while, actually. Adam just sat there with him in his arms. He let him have a good cry, because that had been happening a lot recently. Walter had built up a lot of emotion and failed to release it on most days.
".. Go and take a bath, son..." He said, pulling away from him and bowing over to look him in the face. "Take a bath, relax... Burn off some steam, okay? I promise you, I'll do what I can about Carl, alright? I love you. A lot. I love the both of ya', and to think that he's gone... It kills me, it really does. I want him back, but really... We need to be patient, and I'll see what I can do, a'ight?"
He nodded and quickly wiped his eyes. "Okay, dad." He sniffled, taking a step towards the bathroom door and pushing it open. ".. It's... It's not your fault. I didn't mean that." He said. "I'm really sorry... Really, I really am I just... I miss him." He looked at the ground, Adam nodded at him.
"I know. I do, too." He said. "Hey... Walter..." He said, right before he could disappear into the bathroom. Walter turned and looked at him, an eyebrow raised. "Would... I know it's been a while, but... You wanna' watch some TV with me, have some hot cocoa with marshmallows and all that? Like the old days?" He asked. Walter smiled for the first time in days and nodded a little.
"Sure, I'd like that." He said, finally vanishing into the bathroom. Adam was more content with himself now. As long as he could rekindle his relationship with his eldest son, he felt like he might be able to scrape by without a problem.
--
Later that evening, there was a knock at the door. Late afternoon, and the middle of the summer. That meant the sun wouldn't be fully set until around, what, nine o'clock tonight? Adam and Walter had been sitting there in the living room for most of the day now, just drinking cocoa with all different kinds of toppings and watching TV, but for the past few hours, they'd both managed to loosen up a bit as Adam told Walter to get his Xbox downstairs so they could play together for a while. It was nice, really, and they were both actually really enjoying it and managed to take their mind off of everything that had happened, just for a while.
But now Quinn had come to knock them straight back into reality.
"Hey, son... Mind getting the door? I really need to use the bathroom." Adam said. Walter nodded and patted his shoulder before hopping up and walking out of the living room with him. Adam went one way to vanish into the bathroom, and Walter went to the door and opened it up. Walter wasn't such a mess anymore. He had a clean t-shirt and jeans on (oh, and clean underwear) as well as some socks. He looked over the young woman stood before him and gave his best to offer her a smile.
She was official. He could tell that by her confident appearance. He was very attentive, when he wanted to be. ".. Hey." He greeted. "Can I help you?" He asked. Teenager or not, if his dad wasn't there, he was going to take over the 'man' role.
Elwin
Slave to the Matrix
Quinn stood nervously in-front of the front door. It was a nice day, it felt almost criminal to ruin it like this. She heard footsteps inside the house and quickly hitched herself up, pushing her most professional expression. She straightened up her blazer and skirt quickly, before the door opened. It wasn't Adam Douglas, it was a teenage boy; probably his other son.
He looked pretty worn out in the face. His eyes were a little puffed out round the edges - nothing too noticeable but Quinn could guess the general vibe in their home. She worried for the whole family, but couldn't really empathize as such. It wasn't even imaginable to understand the kind of pain they felt.
"Hello..." Quinn paused and held out her hand to the teen boy. "My name is Agent Quinn Sage. I worked around your Father a couple of times." Quinn sighed quietly, plucking up some more courage. "Is it possible I could speak to him for a moment?" She was careful not to mention any reason; it wasn't likely the rest of the man's family wanted to be constantly reminded. Not like they wouldn't know what she wanted anyway.
Behind the boy, Quinn peaked into their house. A standard family home, nicely decorated and welcoming. Photographs were placed on the side; one of which Quinn noticed from the photograph stuck on her own wall at home. She felt a lump raise in her throat.
He looked pretty worn out in the face. His eyes were a little puffed out round the edges - nothing too noticeable but Quinn could guess the general vibe in their home. She worried for the whole family, but couldn't really empathize as such. It wasn't even imaginable to understand the kind of pain they felt.
"Hello..." Quinn paused and held out her hand to the teen boy. "My name is Agent Quinn Sage. I worked around your Father a couple of times." Quinn sighed quietly, plucking up some more courage. "Is it possible I could speak to him for a moment?" She was careful not to mention any reason; it wasn't likely the rest of the man's family wanted to be constantly reminded. Not like they wouldn't know what she wanted anyway.
Behind the boy, Quinn peaked into their house. A standard family home, nicely decorated and welcoming. Photographs were placed on the side; one of which Quinn noticed from the photograph stuck on her own wall at home. She felt a lump raise in her throat.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
Walter looked over her for a minute before reaching out and taking hold of her hand, firmly shaking it. "Walter. Adam's eldest son." He nodded once and did his best to smile but failed miserably. He knew why she was here - She could have told immediately that Walter was mature for his age. Very mature. He walked around like he was an adult, and acted like one, too. He looked over his shoulder and sighed a little - He waited until he heard the flush of a toilet then looked back to her. "You may as well come in." He said, pushing the door open for her.
"I know why you're here." He sighed a little and stepped aside so that she could enter. "It's about my brother, I know... He went missing, and we've heard nothing from him or anyone else - My dad's and your company refused to investigate, my dad said." He sighed and looked as Adam walked down the hallway, one eyebrow raised. Of course, Walter slammed the door over once Quinn was fully inside.
"Dad." Walter said, nodding backwards. "This is Quinn." He said. Adam recognized her, he thought - He'd seen her around once or twice, surely, but he didn't know her by name or anything like that. "She's here about Carl." He explained, followed by slowly drifting into the kitchen. "I'll make her a coffee." He grumbled, disappearing through the doorway. Adam sighed and looked down at the floor, followed by looking back up at Quinn with a gentle smile.
"I would have preferred if you'd got my number from the company, but welcome to our home." He said. "I'm Adam... As you might already know." He said, holding out a hand to her. "I'm sorry about my son, by the way. He hasn't been right since Carl went missing - His rudeness isn't deliberate, he's just been a bit down over the week and today's the first day he's really... Done anything." He gave a sad smile.
"I know why you're here." He sighed a little and stepped aside so that she could enter. "It's about my brother, I know... He went missing, and we've heard nothing from him or anyone else - My dad's and your company refused to investigate, my dad said." He sighed and looked as Adam walked down the hallway, one eyebrow raised. Of course, Walter slammed the door over once Quinn was fully inside.
"Dad." Walter said, nodding backwards. "This is Quinn." He said. Adam recognized her, he thought - He'd seen her around once or twice, surely, but he didn't know her by name or anything like that. "She's here about Carl." He explained, followed by slowly drifting into the kitchen. "I'll make her a coffee." He grumbled, disappearing through the doorway. Adam sighed and looked down at the floor, followed by looking back up at Quinn with a gentle smile.
"I would have preferred if you'd got my number from the company, but welcome to our home." He said. "I'm Adam... As you might already know." He said, holding out a hand to her. "I'm sorry about my son, by the way. He hasn't been right since Carl went missing - His rudeness isn't deliberate, he's just been a bit down over the week and today's the first day he's really... Done anything." He gave a sad smile.
Elwin
Slave to the Matrix
Quinn blanked, watching the teenager. He looked young, about 14, 15 pushing it - but he had an attitude like he thought he was an awful lot older. Or maybe that is just how kids were. Quinn didn't know personally, the only teenager she had ever spent time with in her past was herself and she wasn't exactly a conventional person.
She didn't respond to the boy and let him assume, since he was right anyway. She looked his way as he turned towards the kitchen to make her a drink. "Thank you Walter." She called back to him and turned to face the man she originally came to see.
"I'm sorry to turn up so abruptly, Mr Douglas." She apologized, taking his hand and shaking it. Quinn gingerly sat on the edge of their couch. "I couldn't risk loitering to much on the matter so I thought i'd just come to you directly." She sighed, feeling nervous. This wasn't easy at all. "I want to offer you a proposal, in regards to your son's recent disappearance. Before you refuse me, please give me some time to show you some things I've collected up over the years of disappearances, specifically one case..of a man.." Quinn lost her track a little. She was so worried he would think she was talking crap. But what if she was? Quinn had never doubted her own theories until being directly in front of someone who actually had been affected.
She didn't respond to the boy and let him assume, since he was right anyway. She looked his way as he turned towards the kitchen to make her a drink. "Thank you Walter." She called back to him and turned to face the man she originally came to see.
"I'm sorry to turn up so abruptly, Mr Douglas." She apologized, taking his hand and shaking it. Quinn gingerly sat on the edge of their couch. "I couldn't risk loitering to much on the matter so I thought i'd just come to you directly." She sighed, feeling nervous. This wasn't easy at all. "I want to offer you a proposal, in regards to your son's recent disappearance. Before you refuse me, please give me some time to show you some things I've collected up over the years of disappearances, specifically one case..of a man.." Quinn lost her track a little. She was so worried he would think she was talking crap. But what if she was? Quinn had never doubted her own theories until being directly in front of someone who actually had been affected.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
What Quinn probably didn't know is that Adam had no idea who this man was. He was unlisted from the company and their records, a cover-up, if you will, and that was going to be hard to understand. Walter was off happily making himself, Quinn, and Adam a cup of coffee. He was putting them all on a nice little tray so that they could have a small little jug of milk and a small pot of sugar; there was a little teaspoon there, as well. They were fancy in terms of what they owned - They wowed many a guests with this little setup, I tell you.
"Specifically one case." Adam repeated, sitting down in the armchair opposite from her and looking at her, one hand on his chin. "I've been over everything we know about and all the cases the company filed away and never looked at. None of them seemed to have a particular link, aside from the ages. The ages of the people that commonly went missing were often children between the age of eight and fifteen. Anything older than that was rather rare, so please, do tell me... Talk of a man is quite interesting." He said.
"Adults are less likely to get lost in the forest." He said. "So, this is indeed strange." He added, scratching his chin.
Walter walked in with the tray of coffee and went over, placing it down on the coffee table before looking at them all. Adam noticed the third cup and arched one eyebrow. He did that even more so when Walter sat down at the far end of the couch from Quinn - Another trait. He didn't like getting connected with people, it seemed - He didn't seem like the relation-building kind of kid.
"Can we help you, Walter?" Adam asked.
"Yes. He's my brother." He said. Adam felt a little guilty, so he just nodded and looked back to Quinn, gulping once.
"Go on." He said.
"Specifically one case." Adam repeated, sitting down in the armchair opposite from her and looking at her, one hand on his chin. "I've been over everything we know about and all the cases the company filed away and never looked at. None of them seemed to have a particular link, aside from the ages. The ages of the people that commonly went missing were often children between the age of eight and fifteen. Anything older than that was rather rare, so please, do tell me... Talk of a man is quite interesting." He said.
"Adults are less likely to get lost in the forest." He said. "So, this is indeed strange." He added, scratching his chin.
Walter walked in with the tray of coffee and went over, placing it down on the coffee table before looking at them all. Adam noticed the third cup and arched one eyebrow. He did that even more so when Walter sat down at the far end of the couch from Quinn - Another trait. He didn't like getting connected with people, it seemed - He didn't seem like the relation-building kind of kid.
"Can we help you, Walter?" Adam asked.
"Yes. He's my brother." He said. Adam felt a little guilty, so he just nodded and looked back to Quinn, gulping once.
"Go on." He said.
Elwin
Slave to the Matrix
Quinn looked at Walter, raising both eyebrows. She cleared her throat and leaned over to the carefully constructed tray sat on the coffee table. She picked up the jug of milk and poured a drop into her coffee, with no sugar. Her eyes shifted as she sipped the drink with an air of nervousness.
"Well.." Quinn looked again from Walter, to Adam. "It appears this man didn't become missing as a man, when reported missing, many years ago now, he was 15 years old. Perhaps older than most disappearances today, but younger teenagers were not uncommon 10, 20 years ago." She paused, feeling like she made no sense. "What I'm trying to say regarding age, is that the disappearances seem more strategic now. Young children are going missing and this only just occurred after the missing teen wandered out of the woods 10 years later with no recollection of what happened. He remained unspoken about and no lives in a mental institution after his family moved away from the area. I'm not even 100% if they have been notified. But my theory is, that for whatever reason he disappeared in the first place, the age of the disappearances has decreased dramatically. Perhaps whoever is behind the case is worried that the same thing could happen again. But this time a captive could escape and recall to the media what happened to them. Whoever is behind this does not what that to happen, clearly."
Quinn but down her cup and looked away from the men. With one hand she pushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear, looking into the distance. "I could get fired for holding and spreading this information. It isn't rocket science, yet nobody wants to investigate further because the FBI are hiding something and I want to know what. I also believe it strongly involves your son and if not, well there is only one way to find out. I managed to find out the exact area of the man's disappearance and reappearance."
"Well.." Quinn looked again from Walter, to Adam. "It appears this man didn't become missing as a man, when reported missing, many years ago now, he was 15 years old. Perhaps older than most disappearances today, but younger teenagers were not uncommon 10, 20 years ago." She paused, feeling like she made no sense. "What I'm trying to say regarding age, is that the disappearances seem more strategic now. Young children are going missing and this only just occurred after the missing teen wandered out of the woods 10 years later with no recollection of what happened. He remained unspoken about and no lives in a mental institution after his family moved away from the area. I'm not even 100% if they have been notified. But my theory is, that for whatever reason he disappeared in the first place, the age of the disappearances has decreased dramatically. Perhaps whoever is behind the case is worried that the same thing could happen again. But this time a captive could escape and recall to the media what happened to them. Whoever is behind this does not what that to happen, clearly."
Quinn but down her cup and looked away from the men. With one hand she pushed a strand of brown hair behind her ear, looking into the distance. "I could get fired for holding and spreading this information. It isn't rocket science, yet nobody wants to investigate further because the FBI are hiding something and I want to know what. I also believe it strongly involves your son and if not, well there is only one way to find out. I managed to find out the exact area of the man's disappearance and reappearance."
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
"If anything, the area he was located would have been on the edge of the forest. Or at least near it." Adam scratched his neck and picked up his cup of coffee, adding nothing else to it before sipping it. "The ages are something I've noticed. Between ages of seven to fifteen on an average scale, but older kids aren't as common." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, it could still be animals." Walter said. "Children are meant to be sheltered by adults in the situation of a wolf attack - wolves are natural hunters and go for the weakest targets, the ones that are defensive." He explained, looking at the floor as he took a sip of his own black coffee. "It'd explain why the lack of older people aren't always the ones going missing." He took a long pause, but Adam was on the ball before Walter even had a chance.
"Walter. Carl went missing from the fucking camp site." He rubbed his forehead. "Maybe that's what you're supposed to think - maybe the wolf idea is just what should be inspected. No hunters looked, no national guard, no FBI."
"The Wolf Conspiracy." Walter said.
"What?"
"The Wolf Conspiracy - that's what this is." He said again.
"Is that actually a thing?"
"It is now." Walter shrugged and sipped his drink. "I just miss my brother. I'll consider everything if I have to." He said, continuing to look at the floor.
Adam looked at Quinn. "Where did he go missing? I know it couldn't have been close to the campsite, because that's known for being the safest place there is." He said.
"Well, it could still be animals." Walter said. "Children are meant to be sheltered by adults in the situation of a wolf attack - wolves are natural hunters and go for the weakest targets, the ones that are defensive." He explained, looking at the floor as he took a sip of his own black coffee. "It'd explain why the lack of older people aren't always the ones going missing." He took a long pause, but Adam was on the ball before Walter even had a chance.
"Walter. Carl went missing from the fucking camp site." He rubbed his forehead. "Maybe that's what you're supposed to think - maybe the wolf idea is just what should be inspected. No hunters looked, no national guard, no FBI."
"The Wolf Conspiracy." Walter said.
"What?"
"The Wolf Conspiracy - that's what this is." He said again.
"Is that actually a thing?"
"It is now." Walter shrugged and sipped his drink. "I just miss my brother. I'll consider everything if I have to." He said, continuing to look at the floor.
Adam looked at Quinn. "Where did he go missing? I know it couldn't have been close to the campsite, because that's known for being the safest place there is." He said.
Elwin
Slave to the Matrix
Quinn sighed softly, scratching her head. "As far as I know it was during a camp activity. They went out of grounds on a hike and your son wasn't seen since. The details are sparse as you know, the case is being treated without a second thought." She took another sip of coffee and looking at Adam in the eye. She was aware of Walter listening in, but she needed to move onto her proposition as quickly as she could.
"Mr. Douglas. If there is anything else you would like to know then go ahead and ask." Quinn paused for a split second for a breath and continued. "I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me on a mission to retrieve your son. Now this may sound ridiculous, or impossible..but I feel like I have gathered enough evidence underneath the FBI's nose to figure this case out. I think that those of similar position in the field will praise our accomplishments if we can successfully expose the crime and find out what is really going on in those forests."
"Mr. Douglas. If there is anything else you would like to know then go ahead and ask." Quinn paused for a split second for a breath and continued. "I wanted to know if you would like to accompany me on a mission to retrieve your son. Now this may sound ridiculous, or impossible..but I feel like I have gathered enough evidence underneath the FBI's nose to figure this case out. I think that those of similar position in the field will praise our accomplishments if we can successfully expose the crime and find out what is really going on in those forests."
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
"Impossible." He said. "He disappeared in the middle of the night, they reckon - On the news, they spoke to his friend, Michael - Michael said Carl was there in the tent with him before he fell asleep on the third night. He either went missing during the night, or very early in the morning. My bet is that he heard something outside and took a look to see if it was one of his friends, or, he got up to go to the bathroom and was taken then." He said, scratching his head a little as he took a gulp of his coffee.
"But I thought the camp was guarded." Walter said. "Camp security and all that." He added.
"It is, which is why this is even harder to try and figure out." He replied. "Of course the security there won't be able to cover everything at all times - There was a small drizzle of rain on the third night. Rain in the Summer is beautiful and all, which could have been a reason that the guards may have missed anyone or anything sneaking onto camp." He suggested.
When Quinn offered him the chance to go out and look for Carl, he paused and chuckled softly to himself for a moment. "Well, it's certainly more than what the FBI and the police are doing right now, that's for sure." He said. Walter immediately stood up and placed his coffee down. "We've got stuff packed away from when we used to go hiking ourselves, when we drove up to New Hampshire last year to stay in a mountain resort - We can use some of the gear from that if we're going to be trekking through the forest. We'll drive most of the way, though, of course." He said.
"I'm coming, too." Walter said. Adam quickly shook his head.
"Nuh-uh. You're staying right here with your mother." He said.
"What?! Why?! It's my brother! I deserve to come!" He said, his eyes watering up.
"You deserve to be safe, not out there with all the shit that's going on - He's my son. It's my job to find him - It's your job to be here when we gets back so that you can support him."
"What if he doesn't come back, huh?!" He yelled back, some tears rolling down his cheeks. Adam slammed his cup of coffee down onto the table. "What if you just find a body? What if you just find him all... All chopped up?! What if I can't comfort him, because he doesn't come back?! What if I lose you, too?!" He cried.
"Goddammit, Walter!" He yelled, standing up. "You're not going to lose me. I will do everything I can to find Carl, but you need to stay right here, understand?"
"Fuck you!" He yelled at him and gave him a harsh push to his stomach. Adam gasped as air was knocked out of him and he fell back into his chair - Walter stormed out of the room right after and ran upstairs. Oh, don't worry, he wasn't taking no for an answer for this one. He was already packing his bags by the time he got to his room, no matter how much Adam said no.
Adam sighed, "Let's go and get packed." He murmured.
"But I thought the camp was guarded." Walter said. "Camp security and all that." He added.
"It is, which is why this is even harder to try and figure out." He replied. "Of course the security there won't be able to cover everything at all times - There was a small drizzle of rain on the third night. Rain in the Summer is beautiful and all, which could have been a reason that the guards may have missed anyone or anything sneaking onto camp." He suggested.
When Quinn offered him the chance to go out and look for Carl, he paused and chuckled softly to himself for a moment. "Well, it's certainly more than what the FBI and the police are doing right now, that's for sure." He said. Walter immediately stood up and placed his coffee down. "We've got stuff packed away from when we used to go hiking ourselves, when we drove up to New Hampshire last year to stay in a mountain resort - We can use some of the gear from that if we're going to be trekking through the forest. We'll drive most of the way, though, of course." He said.
"I'm coming, too." Walter said. Adam quickly shook his head.
"Nuh-uh. You're staying right here with your mother." He said.
"What?! Why?! It's my brother! I deserve to come!" He said, his eyes watering up.
"You deserve to be safe, not out there with all the shit that's going on - He's my son. It's my job to find him - It's your job to be here when we gets back so that you can support him."
"What if he doesn't come back, huh?!" He yelled back, some tears rolling down his cheeks. Adam slammed his cup of coffee down onto the table. "What if you just find a body? What if you just find him all... All chopped up?! What if I can't comfort him, because he doesn't come back?! What if I lose you, too?!" He cried.
"Goddammit, Walter!" He yelled, standing up. "You're not going to lose me. I will do everything I can to find Carl, but you need to stay right here, understand?"
"Fuck you!" He yelled at him and gave him a harsh push to his stomach. Adam gasped as air was knocked out of him and he fell back into his chair - Walter stormed out of the room right after and ran upstairs. Oh, don't worry, he wasn't taking no for an answer for this one. He was already packing his bags by the time he got to his room, no matter how much Adam said no.
Adam sighed, "Let's go and get packed." He murmured.
Elwin
Slave to the Matrix
Quinn stood as the commotion simmered off and the teenager ran upstairs. She decided not to comment. "When do you want to set off? I need to head back to my place and get ready. Please, Mr. Douglas i'm sure you'll already know, but do not let this information get passed your close ones. I can not afford to lose my job and we don't want anybody getting in the way of our private investigation." She placed the empty coffee cup of the tray, grabbing her bag and pulling out her cell phone.
Quinn rang a taxi and left the Douglas household ten minutes later. The sky was now a glittering array of stars and silence. Quinn was tired and as soon as she entered her apartment, she changed into her pyjamas before spending a speedy 20 minutes gathering a backpack with supplies for the trip. She didn't know how long they'd be gone or what to pack - so she kept it essential. Who knows what danger they could get themselves in, especially carrying too much gear. Her supplies were narrowed down to a couple of plain t-shirts, clean underwear, shorts and socks. She managed to also fit in a couple of useful items such as a pocket knife, matches, money (who knew?), a compass and a water bottle.
Quinn's night was pretty restless. Many thoughts circled her mind as she tossed and turned in her usually sticky bed, kicking the sheets on and off of her body. It was no lie that she was frightened, a little confused and skeptical. She couldn't keep the thought out of her head that she was wrong and just leading this poor man astray to satisfy her curiousity and personal gain. Even if her intentions were selfish, they helped someone else out along the way, so how could she feel guilty?
The morning came eventually. The weather was fitting for Quinn's tired mood as the sky was filled with dull grey clouds that looked so on the verge of pouring down. The messy haired woman groaned as she leaned over to check her cellphone. 5 missed calls from: Aiden. Quinn stared at the screen, rolling her eyes and jumped out of bed. She didn't want to tell Aiden where she was going or what she was doing. They were not in a relationship or serious and that is the way she wanted to keep it.
Quinn rang a taxi and left the Douglas household ten minutes later. The sky was now a glittering array of stars and silence. Quinn was tired and as soon as she entered her apartment, she changed into her pyjamas before spending a speedy 20 minutes gathering a backpack with supplies for the trip. She didn't know how long they'd be gone or what to pack - so she kept it essential. Who knows what danger they could get themselves in, especially carrying too much gear. Her supplies were narrowed down to a couple of plain t-shirts, clean underwear, shorts and socks. She managed to also fit in a couple of useful items such as a pocket knife, matches, money (who knew?), a compass and a water bottle.
Quinn's night was pretty restless. Many thoughts circled her mind as she tossed and turned in her usually sticky bed, kicking the sheets on and off of her body. It was no lie that she was frightened, a little confused and skeptical. She couldn't keep the thought out of her head that she was wrong and just leading this poor man astray to satisfy her curiousity and personal gain. Even if her intentions were selfish, they helped someone else out along the way, so how could she feel guilty?
The morning came eventually. The weather was fitting for Quinn's tired mood as the sky was filled with dull grey clouds that looked so on the verge of pouring down. The messy haired woman groaned as she leaned over to check her cellphone. 5 missed calls from: Aiden. Quinn stared at the screen, rolling her eyes and jumped out of bed. She didn't want to tell Aiden where she was going or what she was doing. They were not in a relationship or serious and that is the way she wanted to keep it.
DrTrollinski
Don't let the name scare you.
"You're not going to lose your job." He said, this time a little defensively. "And please, call me Adam. We ain't at work, and I ain't your boss, but..." He looked away for a moment and shook his head. "Forget about it. Just Adam, though, okay?" He said, reaching out and patting her on the shoulder. "I need to make I and my son some dinner, and I need to deal with the little bastard and try and talk some sense into him, so I'll see you first thing in the morning." He said, nodding to her once.
--
The night was rough, and Walter didn't talk to Adam. At all. He didn't even leave his room - he made his dad bring up the plate of spaghetti and leave it on his desk, because he didn't want to go downstairs tonight. He'd left all of his packed away gear under his bed where his dad wouldn't see it. He could get out of the back door and climb into the trunk on the following morning without anyone even noticing, and that was his way in - He knew it took thirty minutes to drive there, roughly, so by the time they got there, it'd be too late to send him home, and wouldn't be worth calling a taxi.
Adam packed away all of his gear, too - He had some things put aside for hiking trips and stuff, because the FBI did occasionally work up in the trees and near rocks and so on, so he had some of the surplus gear. First Aid kits, blankets, coats, boots, hats, gloves - He had everything they'd need for now. Now it was time to sleep.
He didn't sleep well at all, but Walter slept like a fucking lion. He didn't like what his father did, so to spite him, he'd be up and ready before Adam was even awake.
His alarm was set for 5:00AM.
When it went off, he was ready within twenty minutes - He showered, dressed, and was in the process of silently eating breakfast in the living room. The early morning sun was up - Sure, it might have been a few hours before Quinn got here, but he was going to be ready for this, that was for sure.
--
The night was rough, and Walter didn't talk to Adam. At all. He didn't even leave his room - he made his dad bring up the plate of spaghetti and leave it on his desk, because he didn't want to go downstairs tonight. He'd left all of his packed away gear under his bed where his dad wouldn't see it. He could get out of the back door and climb into the trunk on the following morning without anyone even noticing, and that was his way in - He knew it took thirty minutes to drive there, roughly, so by the time they got there, it'd be too late to send him home, and wouldn't be worth calling a taxi.
Adam packed away all of his gear, too - He had some things put aside for hiking trips and stuff, because the FBI did occasionally work up in the trees and near rocks and so on, so he had some of the surplus gear. First Aid kits, blankets, coats, boots, hats, gloves - He had everything they'd need for now. Now it was time to sleep.
He didn't sleep well at all, but Walter slept like a fucking lion. He didn't like what his father did, so to spite him, he'd be up and ready before Adam was even awake.
His alarm was set for 5:00AM.
When it went off, he was ready within twenty minutes - He showered, dressed, and was in the process of silently eating breakfast in the living room. The early morning sun was up - Sure, it might have been a few hours before Quinn got here, but he was going to be ready for this, that was for sure.
