❍ Cultch

[SHIVERS]

"Questions...?"

You'd been so caught up in the exhaustion and confusion of everything that you'd somehow forgotten just how bad things are.

With the freedom to speak, it comes back into focus,
panic rising in your veins.

"...How about what the Fuck is going on?!"
Your hand clutches the bed's blanket tightly.
"Why's the sky just Gone?!
What was that monster that nearly Killed Me?!"
"Hey--" "Why's it feel like the end of the World?!
Am I gonna DIE--?!" "HEY."

The bat raises her voice just enough to properly get your attention.






"Hey.
Easy.
Shit's fucked, I'm aware.

But I've been in situations... sorta similar before.
Got outta those, gonna get outta this one, too.

I got y'r back, alright? Y'r gonna get home safe. Promise.
F'you need to lose y'r shit, do it after we've had a sec to talk, alright?
We're all we've got,
so let's make sure we're on th' same page, yea?"

You swallow and nod, anxiously waiting for answers.

"Alright then." The bat rubs her forehead.
"...Right. Let's--" Your stomach growls, interrupting the conversation.

"...I picked up some food at the gas station. I think.
Can I...?" "Yea, please do.
Will probably help ya right now."





You retrieve your backpack, feeling a slight headrush as you stand up.
You thumb around for the first things you can find; a protein bar and some dried mangoes.
You also spot the water bottles in your pack, but don't want to waste them yet.

Finding the complimentary cups by the coffee machine, you snag one and fill it with tap water.
You find yourself downing an entire cupful before refilling it, making your way back to the bed.

With everything settled, you sit back on your bed in front of Aubrey as you nibble on snacks.
You feel somewhat sick to your stomach after the ordeal, but you force the food down regardless.

"You all good?"
You nod, with a chunk of peanut butter protein bar in your mouth.
Your worry certainly isn't Gone, but you feel more settled now, having other things to focus on definitely helping.
"Got it."







She takes a deep breath, breathing out as she looks upward, rubbing her face.
"So, like I said, I've been workin' with U.M.I.R.A."
"Dunno wha thath ith." You swallow your bite. "Sorry."
"S'fine.
Unknown Matters... Investiga- ...-tion...?

. . .

...look, th' acronym doesn't matter.
They check in on unknown stuff. Cryptids, horrors, ghosts, extranatural things, sometimes evil cults;
the works.
I'm a private detective, but I got friends in it, so I help 'em out from time t' time.
Ghost said - that's a friend o' mine who works there--"
"Your friend investigates ghosts and their name--" "Yea, it's all hilarious; stay with me here, kid.

Ghost said there were... I dunno, readings up around in Cultch before things went down.
Extranatural stuff."

You squint and tilt your head quizzically.

"Like, angels, stuff with Memoirs, the neleval, that kinda stuff."

You only recognize angels out of those, but it's enough to know it's very bad.
You've heard enough horror stories to know the damage they can cause.





"So I came out t' take a look.
N' like I said; just got here, shit was bad. Y'know the rest."
"Oh, what uh... symbol, did you get, when this first started?"
"...what?" "Your-
Okay, when I... first got here, I came in on a bus for work - the shitty country club at the edge of town -
and the three of us on the bus got like... held in place?
Or.
Stopped in time. Something.
We each got surrounded by different colored lights, and I thought I could see symbols.
It was blue and a horizontal line, kind of like an eye I think? For the other two people.
And they both disappeared right after.
For me, it was a red X, and I ended up stuck here. And the sky was black, after that happened."
" . . .

...huh.
Yeah, can't say I had that happen at all.
Granted, I was passed out, n' woke up to th' fuckin' apocalypse sky."
She shrugs.
"Could've happened when I was asleep."

"Did you have weird dreams?"
"Nope.
If I did, can't remember." "Oh."







"Well... thanks again for the save earlier.
Don't know what tipped you off but I'm glad you were there."
"Yeah I was explorin' a bit by the smoke walls when I heard th' radio goin' crazy at th' gas station.
Loud, buzzy static.
I took a look n' saw your legs n' that thing standin' over you.
...Pretty lucky th' speakers were on the fritz."
"...yeah..."

You don't really want to think about what would've happened otherwise.



"What was the time on the alarm clock before you unplugged it?
Did it line up with your watch?"
"Dunno. Doubt it.
My watch is still tickin' and I saw th' alarm clock change time, too.
...don't think it's some kinda 'time's frozen' situation, for th' record."
"Okay."





"That everythin'?"
You nod again, getting back to your snacks.
"Right. Movin' on.
Far as I know, Ghost n' some other U.M.I.R.A. agents are already around... somewhere.
So our best chance is t' meet up with 'em.
Got a big problem, though."

Aubrey stands up, motioning for you to follow her.



She opens the door and steps outside; shielded from the rain by the 2nd floor walkway above.















Once you're outside,
she points to the mass of smog not far ahead, down the road.

"Rest of th' town's that direction, give or take, anyway.
But that wall of smoke is, pretty much actually a Wall.
I tried t' get through earlier, could hardly pass into it at all; felt like it was pushin' me out th' whole time.
When I did get my head n' hands in, I couldn't breathe.
...I've got a map in th' car, and it's even got th' same places blocked out,
all 'cept the little square of space we're stuck in.

So, no way we're leavin' til we clear it somehow.

'But how do we do That?' I hear y' ask."





She moves forward, almost into the rain,
gestures for you to follow,
and points upward.
She gently repositions your paw to follow her eyeline.



"See it?"

 

▶ Photos in the Woods
Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein

At the lowest level of the sky above,
you see a slowly-pulsing tendril of sickly, olive-green light.
You don't like looking at it.

"The... tendril thing?" "Yep.
Follow it with y'r eye."



You squint.




It seems to originate at the top of the wall of smoke blocking entry to the rest of Cultch.
Following it along, its path goes almost directly above you.

You walk out into the rain, too curious not to check further.



The tendril's path descends over the motel, becoming fainter in the process.



"Yea.
Comes down right around here... somewhere."

You step back in from the rain, brushing yourself off.

"...I'm no expert in this stuff, but I got Some experience.
I think... least I got a guess, that,
that big line, tendril, whatever y' wanna call it -
it's like a wire, leadin' to some kinda power source.
And I think there's a chance that if we turn it off, break it, whatever we need t' do t' shut it off,
then th' wall of smoke might come down."

Aubrey rubs the back of her neck.

"Long shot, I know.
Probably wrong in every way I Can be.
...but I've searched all along th' walls of our allowed square of town:
Haven't found anythin' else that seems promisin' at all."







The bat shrugs.

"Think it's worth a shot at least, so I'm gonna try lookin' around for what it leads to,
unless y' got other ideas.

Our chances're probably better if y' come with me, too, that way I can watch y'r back.
I know you're not used t' this stuff, and I got a Gun, so.
I'd rather have ya where I can cover ya.

...But you c'n stay here in th' room if you'd rather.
Bolt the door n' hide if anythin' comes around. Up t' you, but I'm not waitin' around longer.

I wanna get this done so if it Doesn't work, I know t' move on n' keep lookin'.
...That, and if we're both here, there's probably other folks needin' help.
Can't afford to just sit n' wait."