Chapter six gives us a name for a character we've already met, but haven't had much to call them by, though it'll still be a bit confusing. The naming convention is not retroactive, so when we jump to the past in future flashbacks, expect other names. That's the game I play, I s'pose. Either way, if you're reading this, hope you enjoy~
Lauren opened the door and stepped out of the building, his sudden
appearance gave Declan a start. “Jesus Christ Lauren!” the toe
headed auditor said, “Not all of us can see through doors, don't do
that! Now what's going on? Clenshaw sounded spooked.”
“Peter.” Lauren said grimlly and cast a look down the street,
almost as if afraid.
“Peter? What are you talking about?” Declan said with a whine in
his voice. After all he had just been woken up by Clenshaw, demanding
he appear at once. “It's nearly 4 am, what's so damned important?“
“I told you!” Lauren said with a smirk, as he moved towards the
curb, “Peter. He's back.”
“Peter? What Peter?” Declan said shaking his head, “You're not
making any sense.”
“Think I can hit it in one go?” Lauren said looking up.
Declan went to follow his gaze, expecting to see whatever it was
that had caught Lauren's eye. There was nothing there, at least
nothing that wasn't always there. The telephone pole, the telephone
wires, the lamp post and the moon along with some clouds and stars.
“Lauren, I don't think you could actually hit the moon if that's
what you're saying.”
Lauren didn't answer, instead he bent down picked up some pebbles
from alongside the curbside, and immediately chucked a rock upwards.
“What are you throwing at?” Declan called out, “Is this what I
got out of bed for? You acting like a loon again?”
“Shh,” Lauren glared at Declan, “You're throwing off my aim.
Just, wait a sec. I bet you figure it out. You're a smart boy.”
The next rock thrown sent a sharp ringing through the air as it
collided with the metal covering of the light. Declan watched as
Lauren threw two more stones, neither of which hit anything on the
way up, though one stone on the way down smacked into a mailbox.
“Oh for God's sake Lauren, just tell me what you're trying to do.”
Declan said, too tired for these guessing games.
“Gah! What does it look like?” Lauren said turning towards
Declan and throwing a small stone at him now.
“Ouch!” Declan let out as the small pebble struck his elbow,
“Watch it! I wasn't woken up in the middle of the night for you to
throw rocks at me, you know!”
The red headed auditor returned his attention to throwing his rocks
and stones upwards towards the street light. “I'm trying,” he
went on to explain, “To break the bulb.”
“Yeah, okay I can see that now. But why?” Declan said, starting
to sound short.
“I told you already! God you're dumb when you're tired.” the red
headed arbiter declared. Now out of rocks he bent down, following the
curb looking for more.
Something clicked in Declan's mind, and he gave a surprised look
towards Lauren. He didn't say a word to the red headed auditor, but
he quickly shook his head in a panic. Turning back at the source of
light in the street, he ran toward it suddenly. Dropping his small
briefcase on the floor, Declan quickly threw it open and started to
rummage inside. His hands fumbled about as Lauren returned to
chucking pebbles at the light.
Declan rose suddenly, what he had searched for in hand. He lifted it
towards the heaven and pulled the trigger. The gunshot caught Lauren
by surprise, making him jump back and drop his rocks. The aim was
true. Light no longer fell down upon them, so small shards of glass
did fall about them.
“Peter?!” Declan said, in the night time darkness as he turned
to Lauren, gun still in hand.
“Whoa, whoa!” Lauren said backing up at the same time, not
wanting that gun's barrel to point his way. Declan looked about
quickly, realized how foolish it was to shoot a gun in the middle of
the business sector, and quickly grabbed Lauren and ran inside the
building. It took him a minute to realize he had left his briefcase
outside, and ignoring adjudicator Clenshaw's comments about finally
showing up and demands to know if that was a gunshot he had heard,
Declan ran outside to retrieve it.
Upon reentering the building he tossed the case aside and leaned
against the door. The sudden feeling gripping in his stomach caused
his knees to buckle and he slid slowly downward, until he was seated
on the floor.
Clenshaw took a deep breath, as Lauren moved to stand in front of
his fellow auditor. He lowered himself down to sit cross legged
direct to Declan before speaking, “Hey Declan. You okay man?”
“Peter? It's him, then? He's back?” Declan said.
From the other side of the room Clenshaw responded, “'Fraid so.”
“The shadow? The, the dark thing?” Declan said, wanting to make
sure. He needed to know for sure.
“No. Peter fucking rabbit.” Lauren said in annoyance.
“No, no!” Declan said his hand still gripping tightly the small
revolver, “You tell me. You say it, you have to say it. I have to
hear it.”
“Peter's back Declan.” Lauren said, all sarcasm and smugness
gone. “The real deal.”
“Peter's Shadow, I can't believe it. I didn't think that's who you
meant when you said Peter!” Declan said, raising his voice.
“Who the hell did you think I meant?! Did you think it was Saint
Peter?!” Lauren said, all sarcasm returning as he pushed himself
off shaking his head and moving away.
Sirens were heard in the distance, an obvious answer to someone
haven heard a gunshot and calling it in. The two auditors quickly
moved back away from windows, deeper into the building where Clenshaw
had gone, and quickly caught up with him.
Declan spoke in a harsh whisper, “I don't get it. We, we buried
him! He can't get out!”
“Well somehow he did!” Lauren snapped back, losing his patience.
“No,” Declan said, still in denial, “This, this isn't right.
Can't be.”
Clenshaw turned to face his senior auditor, “Mr. Polis, I assure
you Peter is back. Mr. Barr and I bother had the dreams. Onions and
all.”
“Onions?” Declan said, one could almost hear his heart entering
his throat.
Lauren's smile flashed across his face, “Oh, and that's not even
the best part. The face this time? Our old recently deceased friend
Teivel.”
Declan put a hand to his forehead and took a deep breath before
asking more questions. “Okay, alright. Fine. Peter's back? Great.
So, what do we do?”
“What's it look like?” Clenshaw said in annoyance.
It was only then that Declan realized he had followed Clenshaw into
the records room. Here lie every inspection and case the Committee
had ever looked in on. All save two, and one of those was Peter's
case. The very first case to be scrubbed.
“Why are you going through the records? You destroyed them!”
Declan was practically breathless at this point. His heart racing,
his knees weak.
“Good question.” Lauren said, turning his attention to Clenshaw,
“If there are no records of Peter, why are we going through the
records anyway?”
“Not looking for Peter's records.” Clenshaw said, “Blast it! I
can't see anything in this dark!”
“Want me to turn the light on?” Lauren said with a smirk. There
was a slight gasp from Declan causing Lauren to turn to him, “Geez
Declan, I've never seen you really scared of anything, and now you're
going to go to pieces over turning the light on for five seconds.”
Declan shook his head, holding the gun close to his chest though he
knew it was useless. His voice was shaky, “You have no idea what it
was like. No idea!”
“I know, I know. I'm sorry.” Lauren said with a sigh, “But
trust me. Peter ain't here.”
“You don't know that.” Declan said, even Clenshaw seemed to
agree.
“I don't see him. Hand to god, I swear.” the red headed auditor
smirked, lifting a gloveless hand high into the air. The familiar and
warped blue rimmed eye that had been embedded within the palm
twitched and pulsed irregularly. Despite the lack of light, it seemed
to give off a ghostly glow.
Clenshaw turned slowly to Declan, “Get the light. Just for a
minute.”
Declan, gave a quick nod and ran for the light switch turning it on,
but not daring to remove his hand from it.
“Keep an eye out, Lauren.” Clenshaw said. Now able to see he
would quickly locate the folder he had been looking for.
“I got it.” Lauren remarked with a wry smile, which dropped
quickly. “Though,” he said his voice more somber now, “Why
didn't you dream Declan?”
“I, I don't dream actually. Not anymore.” he said nervously, and
clearing his throat.
“Okay got it, you can kill the lights now.” Clenshaw said, and
immediately Declan flicked the switch sending the room back into
darkness.
“Okay, one problem.” Declan said, “Now we can't read it.”
“Lauren,” Declan said his voice sounding hopeful, “That little
eye of yours, can it read in the dark?”
Lauren, who was barely visible as far away from Declan as he was,
shook his head.
“It doesn't work like that,” the red headed auditor said, “You
know that.”
Declan sighed, “Hey, it was worth a shot. Right?”
Lauren nodded, though it was barely visible to Declan.
“It doesn't matter.” Clenshaw said, “We have what we need.
Maybe we are wrong, maybe it isn't Peter. But we should get going.”
“Going?” Declan inquired, his voice soft and pitched.
“With this,” the adjudicator said lifting a folder that slapped
in his hand as he did so, “We'll know where to look.”
“Wait,” Lauren said, his voice now nervous as well, “Going? As
in?”
“Where do you think?” Clenshaw snapped, “To see if we're
right. If Peter did get out. If he is free.”
“Wonderful.” Lauren said, and turned to Declan, “Hey, Declan?
Think you could do me a favor, and just shoot us all now, and get the
suicide done with?”
“Trust me,” Declan said, turning away and walking back down the
hall, “I'm already thinking about it.”
“We shouldn't go alone.” Clenshaw said, as he and Lauren
followed Declan down the hall. The old man with the false eye
scratched the back of his wrist nervously as he continued to speak,
“Maybe we should bring Robels. Or Franks.”
“Franks?” Declan coughed, “No offense sir, but Kibbles isn't
in any shape to help us, not with something like this.”
“Don't call him that.” Clenshaw said in Mr. Franks' defense,
before turning to admonish Lauren, “I told you to stop calling him
that, and now everyone's using that name. He doesn't like it, and I
don't like my auditors fighting. It's bad enough you constantly
harass Mrs. Worthington.”
“First, he doesn't dislike the name. He even introduced himself to
the rookie.” Lauren responded, before changing the tone of his
voice to be much deeper, “Hello ma'am, I'm William B. Franks, but
everyone just calls me Kibbles.”
“He only says that because he refuses to let someone like you get
to him.” Declan pitched in.
“Okay, fine. Still. He never said a word to me about it, he wants
me to stop he should've said something.” Lauren said in his
response as the three entered the office lobby. “And while I'm at
it I should add in that I do not harass Mrs. Reese, ask Declan. She
harasses me.”
“That is true,” Declan agreed, “She does nothing but insult
everyone's food and carry on. The other day she threw her food on the
floor and never bothered to clean it up.”
“Okay, okay.” Clenshaw said with irritation, “Enough. I'm
sorry I brought it up. But for God's sake just try to get along with
everyone. Especially with Peter out there. The last thing we need is
another argument. You know how powerful he is when we're divided.”
The trio of men stopped when they got to the door. Although the
street light in front of the office had been broken, there were still
others. Despite one missing light, the streets were still fairly well
lit. Even if it wasn't Peter that had given them the dreams, they
didn't want to risk it.
“So,” Clenshaw said, trying to give his pause a more logical,
and less fearful impression, “Robels. Anyone else?”
“Actually,” Declan said as he took off his glasses, “I would
suggest we see if Robels, and anyone else for that matter, had a
dream. I didn't have one.” As he spoke he went into his chest
pocket and produced a cloth to whip his glasses with.
“That explains why you asked so many questions before.” Lauren
said.
“Good point.” the adjudicator said, “Fine, you two call your
agents. I'll get in touch with Mrs. Robels -”
Lauren interrupted him, “Doctor Robels. She's officially a dentist
now. For two days mind you.”
“Yes, yes,” Clenshaw said, “Doctor Robels. I'll have her call
her agents as well. Anyone experiencing the linked dreams will have
to be involved.”
“What about the others?” Declan inquired, “I didn't have a
dream, after all. There must be others who hadn't either.”
“Yes, but you're already involved with Peter. We'll have to bring
Canily too.” answered Clenshaw, still forming a plan.
Lauren started to pull his hair back into a bun, and cut in “Anyone
else not experiencing visits from our dear friend Teivel should just
stay out of it.”
“We can't just leave them in the dark.” Declan argued, “They
have a right to know.”
“Leaving them in the dark is probably the best thing we can do!”
Lauren spat back.
“Quiet, both of you.” Clenshaw said, “Everyone who dreamt will
come with us. Those who didn't will be left for now. But tomorrow I
want all members of the Committee to report in. Noon.”
The adjudicator knew what to expect. He was there the last time,
from the beginning to the end. He knew what he had to do now, as he
put pieces together in his brain to solve this puzzle.
“At noon I want everyone here, and I want you two to make it
happen. If Peter is still locked away, we might have another problem
entirely on our hands. If Peter isn't there, then we know he's come
back for the rest of us. Either way we'll need all the help we can
get.”
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