by T S Paul
"We get a lost child most winters, or somebody’s cattle get loose. Everyone tries to pitch in around here." Peter was walking blindly wherever I directed him.
A bell rang as we entered the store. "Can I help you, Ma'am?" The girl behind the counter looked very busy.
"Yes, the Sheriff said we could use the meeting room?"
"Sure. Through the double doors." She motioned with her chin.
The double doors led to a very nice boardroom set up with couches and tables. I looked at it in puzzlement.
"It's for cattleman's meetings and the farm co-op. We aren't just some hick town you know." Peter smiled for just a moment.
"I never said that. Have a seat." Opening my case, I quickly set up a mini office on one of the tables.
"Now. Let's talk about everything you know about your son." I slid a notepad in front of the man.
The interview went on for more than an hour. If I had any questions about what a teenage boy did after school, I know the answers now. About halfway through, Sheriff Alexander brought me the other boy's fathers. One interview gave way to more. Slowly a story of when and where started to come together. Leaving the men together in the room I stepped out for a moment.
"Is Sheriff Alexander around?" I asked the girl behind the counter.
"He went into the facilities just a moment ago." She replied. I could see a name tag that read Betty Sue.
"Do you think they will find Jason?" Betty Sue asked.
I perked up. "Is he a friend of yours?"
She blushed a little. "I was supposed to meet him at the hayride the other night. My dad wouldn't let me go out that night un-escorted. He said that bad things could happen to me."
"And he would be right. Are you and Jason dating?"
Betty Sue made a funny face. "No. We just play around a little."
"Have you noticed anything unusual about Jason or his friends lately?" I watched the girl's face.
Betty Sue reached up and fingered a strange looking necklace around her neck. She started to shake her head no.
"Betty Sue, look at me. If they are into something that you know about, you need to tell us. They could be hurt or kidnapped. What is it?" Looking to my right I could see Sheriff George standing just out of sight of Betty Sue. He gave me a nod.
"Jason told me that he was going to be rich. He and Leo found something that would make them big bucks. They needed Harry for some reason and recruited him too." She answered.
George stepped into view. "Betty, what did they find? Do you know? It's really important." He kept his voice low and gentle.
"It was some old Indian thing. A Mound or something. Jason gave me this necklace and said there was a lot more there too." She held up the strange looking pendant.
I asked. "Betty, can we borrow that from you? I promise we'll give it back. We need every clue to find the boys."
"Sure." She took off the necklace and handed it to me.
"Thank you." I motioned with my head to the Sheriff.
We both stepped outside onto the parking lot. "Any luck on your end?"
He shook his head. "Not a damn bit. It was a fair. There are tracks and trails all over the place out there. What did you get?" He held out his hand for the necklace.
I watched him roll the necklace around on his hand as I answered. "They're teenage boys. All three fathers have noticed the other boys hanging around together. They are obviously up to something. Leo's father mentioned mud. His son keeps coming home covered in it. He claims he fell, but an entire week of falling?
“The girl mentioned a mound. One of the first things I did when I got assigned here was to check out the local sites on the town website. Visiting the Indian Mound was the only highlight. I looked at George. "They're digging."
He nodded. "But where? There is only one mound around here, and it would be pretty obvious if they were out there."
Taking the necklace back I placed it in an evidence bag and sealed it. Doing things, the correct way would help in the long run. "Didn't you say that Peter works for the state?"
"He does. He's a State Archaeologist."
We both hit the doors at the same time. Now if we could just connect the dots and save the boys from whatever.
<<<>>>
"Jason. Jason, you awake?"
Jason could hear Leo's voice, but he couldn't see him. Opening his eyes, he let out a scream.
"What the hell! Why am I upside down?" Jason raised his head and looked around. Leo and Harry were hanging next to him on either side.
"We don't know. I woke up first and got Harry up. Do you remember the dig?" Leo asked.
Jason winced. His eyes itched something fierce, and his hands were tied behind his back. "You started screaming then some sort of white covered creatures rushed out of the woods. All I remember after that is hands grabbing me."
Harry and Leo answered as one. "Us too. Could they be Vampires?"
Jason snorted. "When have you ever heard of Vamps in Kansas? Don't you think someone would notice a guy that only came out at night?"
"There's that creepy computer guy, Kevin. He works in the library. Every time I see him, he’s in a dark room staring at a screen." Harry replied.
"That's during the day, numbnuts! The fact your father is a scientist boggles the mind sometimes. Forget Vamps. What else?"
Leo wiggled causing his body to sway back and forth. "Werewolves?"
"Did you see any furry people? All I saw was pale white somethings." Harry stated.
"What about where they took us? Recognize anything?" Jason tried to look around the dimly lit room.
"I think we're underground. That looks like a dirt floor." Leo stated.
There was a noise behind them that caught all three's attention. Grrrrr Grrrr. Grrrr, Hrrrm.
"What are you?" Leo could see the creatures the best.
<<<>>>
"I've never seen anything like it before. Where did it come from?" Peter peered at the necklace in the bag.
"Jason gave it to Betty Sue Falkner. He told her it was from a mound. The boys apparently found something and have been digging for weeks. Before you ask, we don't know where. What other mounds are there around here?" I asked.
"Just the one. Several studies were done shortly after the Great War. The government was looking for relics or magical items that might be used to fight off the newly discovered paranormal creatures that were living among us. Local history has it that the mound was dug into and looted in the mid-1800s by settlers and hunters. If the government found any others, they never told anyone.
"Our studies have found that it's an anomaly. We suspect a village hived off and came here. Growth died out after a twenty-year span, and the people just left the area. There may have been a war or famine, but we have yet to find a graveyard for them."
"So, no more mounds?" I asked.
"Haven't found any," Peter replied.
"Then what did your son find? Has he asked about the mound recently?" George looked at the man.
Peter leaned back in his chair. "Harry asked me what the things we have found in the mound are worth."
George looked at me. "Indian artifacts. Real ones. Are worth big money around here. The tribes we had were ancient, nothing recent, so it wasn't like up North at the casinos. We just have the one old mound. Every so often a farmer will dig up a pot or collection of flint arrowheads. Lots of money to be made. The pot hunters go crazy when that happens. Lots of competition. Wanna bet the boys found something like that?"
"If they did, they must have thought they hit it big. But what happened to them?" I asked.
George looked at the fathers. "Has any of your boys done any digging that you know for sure they did? Like farm work or odd jobs?"
Leo and Jason's fathers shook their heads. Their boys barely did their own chores much less someone else's. Peter nodded. "Harry was supposed to plow some fields for Chuck O'Loughlin. He called me and told me to get Harry some glasses. Claimed that my boy didn't plow his back forty but did
part of the State's land instead. He demanded his money back. Could that be it?"
"We need a map of the county." George stepped out of the room to speak to Betty.
When he came back, it was with a large framed map. "Best I could find." The Sheriff dropped it on the table and started tracing the highway. Everyone else stared down at it.
"This is where we are. The fairgrounds are here. That mark signifies the mound over there. Old man O'Loughlin's ranch is right about here. His back forty acres would be this part near the highway. This map is a few years old, but there's a small forest of new growth trees right about here. Harry could have gotten confused and plowed the easy field right here instead of the other one. I can see that." I could follow the map markings until he reached a certain point.
"What is that mark there?" I pointed to a mark next to the river.
"That is a cave. There are a few of them around. Most are near the river or streams. Limestone. They cause sinkholes to form sometimes." Peter remarked.
"Sheriff, send the search teams here. It's our best bet yet. Do we need to ask permission of the owner?" I asked.
"Chuck's an old friend of my family. That won't be an issue. This other part is state land. If we take Peter with us, I think we can get away with it. Besides. You're with the FBI. You can flash that fancy badge." George smirked.
"Let's get moving. It will be dark soon." I shook my head at the man.
<<<>>>
"Sheriff we've found where they were digging." One of the men with dogs approached us as we drove off the road.
"Any sign of them?" I crossed my fingers it wasn't a kidnapping.
"Sort of. You have to take a look at it. I've called for the forensic team from Deerfield." I peered at the man. It was one of George's officers. I didn't recognize him without the uniform on.
We left the truck and hiked across the field. It was a good thing I changed clothes earlier. With every step, my boots sank further and further into the mud.
"It's over here." Another of George's men waved at us.
"Is that a skeleton?" I asked.
Peter rushed over to the scene regardless of the mud. The officer had to restrain him he was so excited. "What is it?"
"They must have found a burial ground! We're going to be famous in scientific circles!" Peter practically jumped up and down.
"Yeah. Famous for getting three kids killed. Your son remember?" I glared at the scientist.
"Oh. Yeah. Right. Harry. Sorry. May I look at the remains?" Peter asked.
Both the Sheriff and I watched as Peter did his examination. We wouldn't allow the body to be touched until the forensics guy showed up.
"It's old. Possibly older than the mound. It might even be an unknown tribe. These chains around the feet are the strange part."
I asked. "Why? What does it mean?"
Peter explained. "Primitive peoples believed that the dead sometimes came back to life and could eat the living. They would chain the bodies or dismember them to prevent it. I would say that this is the same except for the chains. It doesn't fit the timeline. The people here, the mound builders, didn't work metal. Who are they?"
Staring at the bones, I asked myself the same thing. Who are they and where are the boys? "Has anyone checked the cave? If it was pot hunters, maybe they fled there to escape them."
"I've got a group checking them out right now. We can head over there if you like." I smiled at the Sheriff.
"Professor. What were they so scared of if they chained the bodies?" I asked.
"Like I said. Living dead. Not zombies. That is something entirely different. These would be Draugr. If you play role-playing games, you might remember them as Wights. Ghosts with a body that will kill and eat you. The ancient Norse told stories about draugr that were used to guard treasures and things." Peter pointed out.
Something about this whole thing was bothering me. Where the kids? If it was pot hunters why didn't they come back for the artifacts? And finally, what was this cold chill that I seem to feel every time I mention the cave? My grandmother was a truth-sayer. My mother claims the power to see died with her. It has been known to skip a generation, but I was tested. A lot, by my family. But every now and then I got this feeling of dread. I learned to listen to it when it spoke.
We were almost to the cave when the screams began. One of the hunters came barreling out of the cave at top speed with his dogs right on his heels. "Monsters!"
<<<>>>
"They're monsters!" Leo wiggled and twisted trying to break the rope holding us to the ceiling.
"Whatever they are, they stink. Have you ever smelled something like that before? It would be like the locker room at school if a herd of pigs crapped in it along with all the raw sewage in town. Ugh!" Jason wrinkled his face.
Harry was a farm boy, so a little smell wasn't a big deal. For him, it was the skin peeling off their bodies. The thought of it gave him the shivers. "Are they going to eat us?"
"I wasn't worried about that until now. Thanks, Harry!" Jason yelled.
The word ‘Harry’ echoed for a moment.
"That was weird. Did you guys hear that?" Leo asked.
All three boys listened for a moment. Suddenly they could hear their names being called. "Harry, Leo, Jason!"
The boys started screaming and yelling for help as loud as they could.
One of the pale creatures suddenly filled the doorway. It growled and started to come into the room. The calls of names began to echo again. The monster stopped and growled. It hooted out a strange call and turned away.
"That was close. Do you think they heard us?" Leo asked.
<<<>>>
"What did you see?"
The man was really freaked out. None of the dogs would even approach the cave even if dragged. "Big pale monsters. I saw at least one. He came out of the darkness at me. His skin was pale white, and he had large bundles of hair hanging off his head. I called the boy's name, and it growled at me!"
Sheriff Alexander looked at me sharply. "Vampires?"
I shook my head no. At the Academy, we studied paranormal creatures extensively. They lived among us after all. Big and pale left a lot open. "Do you have any paranormals here in town?"
The hunter laughed at me. But the Sheriff pursed his lips and nodded. "We do. Nothing like that though."
"What the hell are you talking about George? We have monsters living in town?"
"Harold. Go look after your dogs. We can discuss this later." He stared down the hunter and pointed toward the fleeing dogs. "Go."
When the man was gone George looked at me and sighed. "We have a small Were pack in town. They've been here since the reservations were dissolved. It’s an open secret, but not everyone knows about it. Including Harold over there. They cause zero trouble around here."
"George, I'm not accusing them of anything. The FBI has a training facility for Paranormals. We encourage them to join us. I only asked because they might know what those are." I pointed to the cave.
"I could ask." George walked back to the dig site. I could see him speak to one of the deputies. There was a very brief argument then both men walked back to me.
"Agent Mills, meet Robert Fulton. He's our Alpha around here."
"Thank you for meeting me, Alpha. Any idea?" I nodded toward the cave entrance.
The deputy looked kind of sheepish at me. "Yes. When I saw where you were going, I hoped they weren't still there. We were making a lot of noise, and they are a bit skittish."
"What's still there?" I asked.
"Trolls. There is a colony of trolls that live in these woods. My pack uses this area to run some nights. It's government land, so most of the hunters around here avoid it. This is the first time those critters have ever messed with anyone around here." Robert looked down. "I know we should have told you about them, Sheriff. The old ways creep up on us still. Sometimes the less we tell the humans, the better off we all are."
Of all the paranormal creatures exposed by the Purge, trolls ar
e the least fun. I was taught at the Academy that they were Fae. They weren't some dumb creatures either. They could use Magick to hide from anyone, they just didn't use it all that much anymore. We knew they existed now.
"This is a problem. Is this group communicative?" I asked the Alpha.
"Not to us. Oh. Crap." Robert looked stressed.
"What am I missing here?" Sheriff Alexander asked.
"The government has treaties with most known paranormals. There are specific laws and ways we communicate with them. If they don't have a Speaker, we have to find one. Since they're Fae, it could take a while. A long while. I know you want to go in and get the kids, but brute force doesn't work on trolls. They could eat your car and survive. The Army tried to use them in warfare in the 1940s during the Demon War. They were practically indestructible but didn't listen to orders. They dropped one from an airplane, and it lived. Let me think for a minute." I replied.
I pulled out my cell phone hoping I had service here and dialed a number from memory.
"Hello?"
"Jack, it's Madeline Mills," I replied.
"Maddie! Nice to hear from you. How's the new job going?"
"It's not, but that’s not why I called. I'm in Kansas dealing with a bunch of Trolls that have three human captives. What do I do?" I asked.
"Trolls? Maddie, what's going on? Why are you calling me? Is your watch commander around?" Jack asked.
"None of that. Long story short, I messed up and got exiled to a little town in Kansas. It's just me. By myself here. How do I get the human children away from the trolls?"
Jack Dalton leaned back in his chair. "How many are you dealing with?"
"The local pack Alpha says they've seen at least four maybe more. They're in a cave system that is bigger than anyone knew about. The kids disappeared a few days ago. Our search led us to the Trolls. One of our men heard what they thought was them screaming."
"Any ideas what kind? Frost Trolls are the worst." Jack asked.
"Just that they were big and pale. The man was running for his life."
"If they live underground then you got lucky. Cave Trolls are more intelligent and smaller than their cousins. They should have a Speaker. Find it and negotiate. I know you remember the class about trolls from school. We took it together. Do not attack them. They will ruin your day. Maddie, I'm not anywhere where I can get to you easily. I'm in Seattle dealing with something. Remember your training and try to not get us into a war with the Fae." Jack hung up.