It took several days for the big cities to give way to pure sand, the urban sprawls holding onto the land, refusing to give up, a tug of war with the earth until it lost its grip and then it was all desert. In front, behind and on the sides. The car kept them cool, blasting them with air, a shield from the inevitable heat. There were four of them in this vehicle and four more in the car behind them. The radio played the top 100 hits, occasionally interspersed with commentary from some man trying to sound clever.
Carlos blocked it all out, as he was the one driving. It wasn't all that hard considering everything looked the same; dark dunes of yellow, hills of brown. Dotted with cacti and the sun was coming up, spreading colors across the skyline. He itched his nose with one hand, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror. He was excited, but he kept it hidden much better than his fellow scientists who were chatting in the back seat about their new…assignment. The map was in his lap, a giant 'x' marking the location since there wasn't any identifying markers.
Carlos ran over what their boss had said to them in his head; unexplainable incidences, things that made no sense and were terrifyingly gruesome. People didn't stay very long in this town. They died or they ran, screaming. The citizens were peculiar, the buildings were as well. It was located near an old atomic bomb testing site. As well as several burial grounds and ghost towns.
His blood thrummed with anticipation. To get to study such a place, to figure out what made it tick. A chance of a life time. The scientist glanced down at the map, and then up again. Surely they were getting close now. They ran over a rock and the equipment in the trunk jingled dangerously, making him wince.
Granted this wasn't exactly what he'd thought he'd be doing when he'd graduated nearly five years ago but, it was far better than being stuck in a lab doing research about pet dander or something equally as redundant. They needed brave, intelligent people to figure out these anomalies and Carlos was willing to give it a shot.
The music on the radio was something he'd heard a thousand times and he still couldn't quite remember the lyrics though he found he could hum it. One of the other scientists, Linda, he thought, knew the words. She was singing it in a purposefully tone deaf manner, making the others laugh. Carlos allowed himself a smile.
The music was suddenly interspersed with static. The tune could still be heard but, the singer's voice was gone. The static rose. Carlos frowned and tried to change the station, turning the knob with his free hand. Every single station held nothing but static, an occasional word or tune jumping out at him but when he tried to keep it there, everything dissolved into noise.
"Hey!" Jeff, Carlos thought his name was, yelled, a pale hand pointing ahead of them. "Look! We're almost there." He looked up from the stupid radio and swallowed. Off in the distance, the sun was rising above the horizon, shining behind a little square city, nestled in the sand. Several lights shone, green and purple and yellow.
Something caught his eye, a sign on the side of the road. The radio changed, jumping quickly from static to a voice, a deep voice, a voice that echoed the sign's message.
"Welcome to Night Vale…"
Carlos blinked, slightly astonished but, shaking it off. The sign was black with a single eyeball in the center. They passed it too quickly for him to really get a good look. He ignored the part of his brain that said he saw it blink.
The scientists were silent now, studying their surroundings like all good scientists did. There was a steep hill that their car went down and then the road was flat, flat all the way into the city. Meanwhile the voice on the radio kept talking," Hello, listeners. To start things off, I've been asked to read this brief notice: "The City Council announces the opening of a new dog park at the corner of Earl and Sommerset, near the Ralph's. They would like to remind everyone that dogs are not allowed in the dog park."
Carlos went to change the channel, but every single station had that same voice. Not that it was a bad thing precisely. Somehow it was rather calming despite the worrying message. They passed what looked like a large housing community, named Marshall's Gorge, going by the large sign on the outside of a large wooden fence. They passed a surprisingly green area with park benches and several signs.
"Mission Grove Park." Linda said to the car, hand pressed against the glass window. They were all silent as they turned down the sun bleached streets. They followed the signs, and Carlos kept glancing at the address numbers. They passed the Museum of Forbidden Technology and what looked like a college campus. They finally arrived at the place they would set up their lab, right next to a pizza place called Rico's.
Carlos pulled up and parked the car in front of the building, which looked more like a warehouse than a lab but, it would work. It would have to. He shut off the engine, cutting the voice off as well, midsentence. He felt rude for some reason. As soon as they were still everyone pilled out. Carlos ran a hand through his hair and felt himself already starting to sweat even though the sun had just barely risen above the horizon.
His fellow scientists were talking. He wasn't much of a conversationalist so he listened instead.
"Some of us should stay here to set up and the rest of us can go to Town Hall to check in and do the meeting." Before he could volunteer to stay behind, though Linda, Jeff, Mark and…Sarah (? He was bad at names) had already began to unpack the car. Carlos showed no outwards sign of displeasure but, on the inside he was scowling. Damn it.
Adam, the leader of this expedition and one of the few people who Carlos had known from college patted him on the back. "Come on, Rioz. Might as well make a good impression." He smiled and Carlos returned the grin.
"Yeah. Might as well."
The ride over to the town hall should've been uneventful. It wasn't even 8 AM yet, but the voice on the radio ruined all of that.
"A new man came into town today. Who is he? What does he want from us? Why his perfect and beautiful haircut? Why his perfect and beautiful coat? He says he is a scientist." Carlos nearly choked on his own tongue. Adam looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. Who was this guy? How did he know about them? They'd been in town for a little less than 15 minutes. Carlos shook his head at Adam, who grinned, a bit uneasy himself.
"Which one of us do you think he's talking about?" The voice continued, while Carlos shook his head.
"Well. We have all been scientists at one point or another in our lives. But why now? Why here? And just what does he plan to do with all those breakers and humming electrical instruments in that lab he's renting? The one next to Big Rico's Pizza. No one does a slice like Big Rico...no one…"
"No idea. Probably Jeff. He's got pretty good hair, right?" Adam laughed. Jeff was bald.
The town hall wasn't too big, in fact it probably had trouble fitting everyone in the city but, it was air conditioned and Carlos was grateful. He was also grateful for the maps they had sitting in a little shelf. It had the entire area, as well as several numbers on the back. Some were obvious, the local police station, and the underneath that the Sheriff's Secret Police (how were they different from the police? And why were they secret when their number was written on the bag of a public map?) and…then the radio station? His brows furrowed. Why would you need that number?
"Ready?" Adam asked from behind Carlos who jumped a bit before nodding. They went down a little hallway and into a large meeting room. Several people were already here. He watched them closely, noting their shaky hands and how they weren't meeting anyone else's eyes. They looked normal enough. In fact they looked too normal. Tan as the sand, normal features. Nothing striking that would make anyone remember them.
As the minutes went by more and more people streamed in until the place was full and buzzing with a strange energy, with anxious conversation. There were kids and adults, people young and old. A table had been set up in the back, with food and drink. Also in the back were several black clad figures, wearing sunglasses and headsets. Carlos' eyes narrowed. They were still and expressionless. He would bet his left shoe that they were the Sheriff's Secret Police.
Adam nudged his shoulder and Carlos stood, brushing his hands off on his jeans. While public speaking had never been his favorite thing to do, he was good at it. Better than Adam who nodded. The room fell silent very, very quickly. So quickly that it was shocking. You could've heard a pin drop. Or the distant voice of the radio.
"Hello, Night Vale. My name is Carlos and this is my co-worker Adam. We're scientists from New York's Advanced and Specialized Research Facility. We are here because you are, by far, the most scientifically interesting community in the US. And we're here to study just what is going on around here to make it that way." The faces were changing, going from dull or anxious to a bit excited or flattered and he couldn't help but respond by smiling a bit.
"We hope you'll accept us into your wonderful community. If you have any questions or wish to contribute, we have business cards."
So Adam handed those out while Carlos wandered outside of the room, trying not to talk to anyone, wondering if they had any vending machines around here. He was searching his pocket for extra change when he caught his own name on the radio. His head snapped up and the quarter he'd grabbed fell to the floor and rolled under the machine.
"That new scientist, we now know is named Carlos, called a town meeting. He has a square jaw and teeth like a military cemetery. His hair is perfect, and we all hate and despair and love that perfect hair in equal measure. Old Woman Josie brought corn muffins, which were decent, but lacked salt. She said the angels had taken her salt for a godly mission, and she hadn't yet gotten around to buying more. Carlos told us that we are, by far, the most scientifically interesting community in the U.S. And he had come to study just what was going on around here! He grinned, and everything about him was perfect."
An unwilling blush worked its way up his throat. Carlos blinked at the speaker in the corner of the hall.
"And I fell in love instantly." The embarrassment and shock quickly changed to anger. What the hell was this guy's problem? Was it common to openly mock new people that came into town? Carlos gave up on getting anything out of the vending machine, too upset to be hungry anymore. Everyone in the city had heard that. If he had any hope of being taken seriously…well it was going to be much harder now.
He stormed away from the building to wait for Adam in the car, looking over the map. He pointedly kept the radio off. Finally, his coworker joined him and they went back to the lab. It had been mostly set up. Everything was plugged in and organized. For the night they would sleep here in their sleeping bags and set up more permanent quarters later. Carlos suggested they go check out the town; get an idea of what they had in store.
So, they split up again, to cover more ground. They took the basic equipment and started with the large housing areas. Carlos and his team went to Desert Creek to search for any strange anomalies. They didn't have to go far. The 3rd street, named 'Cerebral Drive', had a house that didn't exist. Carlos didn't believe the equipment at first. It had to be faulty. But they re-calibrated it and it said the exact same thing.
The house had light blue peeling paint and darkened clean windows, with lacy curtains in them. It had a little dry yard and a tiny front porch. The door used to be white but now it was stained yellow. It had a rusty knocker and cracks in the side walk. But, according to…everything it just didn't exist. It wasn't like the houses on either side that had addresses and a mailbox. That had people inside and electricity radiating from them, which had heat and water running to them.
No, this one…just wasn't there. But, none of them had the guts to actually get closer and look in the window or ring the doorbell. Linda took pictures and the house was there but, the pictures were blurry. A curious citizen walked past and asked what they were doing. Carlos was the first to try and explain.
"Well…this house, well it just doesn't exist. It seems like it exists, like it's just right there when you look at it! And it's between two other identical houses, so it would make more sense for it to be there than not. But, we've done several tests, taken pictures and it…" He was getting tired of saying that because it was impossible. He mouth didn't like saying that something didn't exist when he could see it but, it was the truth. Science said it was the truth and a little thrum of excitement ran through his blood at that fact.
They were heading back to their lab when they got a text from Jeff who was panicking. They picked up the pace and arrived in time to see why. The seismic machine they'd just barely plugged in was going off the charts. Literally. The needle bounced around erratically. Carlos started in awe. By all means there should be a gigantic earth quake knocking them off their feet. This whole city should be in shambles. Carlos reset the machine. The same results and he licked his lips in exhilaration. Linda shivered and Jeff would probably be tearing his hair out if he had any.
They spent another couple hours trying different tactics and locations, but it remained the same. It read a 9.8 over and over again. He was still staring at the chart when a few of the others started arguing about something. He sighed and stood.
"What's going on now?"
"It's…the sunset."
"What?" Carlos asked, brows knitting together.
"Well, this time of year, it should set at 8:15 pm…" Matt explained, hesitantly.
"But…?"
"Well, it's 8:05 and…the sun is down." Carlos looked behind Matt at the clock, only to have it be blocked by several other scientists who were staring at it as if it would change, taking frantic notes. One of them was on the phone, clarifying the situation.
Carlos shook his head. Sure it was interesting but, not as interesting as a non-existent house or earthquakes that you couldn't feel. But, knowing this crew, that's all they would focus on for the rest of the night. He took his Geiger and left the building, hoping into one of the cars and driving. He wasn't quite sure where. He reached over and flipped the machine on. It immediately started clicking. That was expected given the supposed old atomic testing site not too far away. His hand hovered over the radio knob. He didn't want a repeat of earlier but, the radio was a good source of information.
"-his scientists at the monitoring station near Route 800, say that their seismic monitors have been indicating wild seismic shifts, meaning to say that the ground should be going up and down all over the place. I don't know about you folks, but the ground has been as still as the crust of a tiny globe rocketing through an endless void could be. Carlos says that they've double-checked the monitors, and they are in perfect working order. To put it plainly, there appear to be catastrophic earthquakes happening right here in Night Vale that absolutely no one can feel. Well...submit an insurance claim, anyway. See what you can get, right?"
Carlos' mouth was dry. How…who was this guy? How did he know all of this? Maybe it was another anomaly. He glanced over at the map. He could see where the radio station was located. Without another thought, he turned down the street called 'Wisdom Teeth Cir.' Located between the City Hall and the Desert Bowling Alley and Fun Complex. And after a few minutes of driving, there it was. Next to the Moonlit Diner and across the street from Arby's. He pulled up into the nearly empty parking lot. It was an old looking building. Older than the diner or the City Hall for that matter. It was made of brick and had a little glowing neon sign outside that read 'ON AIR'.
Carlos pulled his Geiger counter from the seat next to him and held it aloft. It was beeping much faster now. He walked inside. The speakers were bigger and broadcasted that voice as he looked around curiously. It wasn't very big. He was in a little square room. On one side there was a water cooler, several chairs and a big door that read 'Station Management'. Next to it there were two bathrooms. He turned to look through the large glass window. It was filled with all sorts of recording equipment and a person, a person whose back was turned to him, with large headphones and whose hands were moving as he spoke.
The beeping was rather annoying. But, also…quite worrying. Was there really this much radiation coming from inside this little station?
"And now…The Weather…" Instead of, however, a report of sand or sun, it was music. He glanced up at the speaker. Then back at the window. The voice had spun in his chair and was waving at Carlos through the glass. The man jumped from his chair and ran over to the sound proof door, opening it.
Carlos almost wanted to hold his Geiger up as a weapon against the smile that greeted him. The voice wasn't what he'd expected. This man wasn't short or tall or thin or fat or ugly or handsome. In fact, like a lot of people in this town there wasn't much that was spectacular about him. Nothing except the various tattoos on his arms (tentacles from some sea creature, several eyeballs, flowers and some other ones he didn't get the chance to see), where the sleeves were rolled up, and his smile that had just a little bit too much teeth. Nothing except the voice that came from him.
"Hello! You're Carlos the Scientist! Ah, it's so great to meet you formally." The voice said, hopping across the room, hand extended, grin wide and welcoming. Carlos swallowed and instinctively shook it, juggling the Geiger. "I'm Cecil. Cecil Baldwin."
"Um. Nice to meet you." Carlos replied, blinking. Was it a trick of the imagination or did the beeping grow louder? "I'm here to…" Why was he here? "To test this place for materials. Specifically radioactive, uh," He'd lost his train of thought, because as he'd began walking across the room towards the sound booth, the beeping just kept growing higher and louder and more insistent. Behind him, The Vo—Cecil, trailed along.
"Wow. That sure is a noisy box you have there." He commented, sitting on the desk to watch.
"I, yeah." His brows furrowed together, Carlos slowly ran the detector along the walls and the machines until he got to the microphone. He held up his radiation detector to the microphone and it chirped incessantly. The noise was deafening. They should be dead. They should be on the floor, crawling and wishing for death at least. This amount of radiation… his mouth was dry.
"Hey would you mind doing an interview?" Cecil asked, leaning against the wall, head leaning to the side. Carlos looked up, pupil's wide and breathing heavy.
"N-no. You…we have to evacuate the building. Evacuate the building!" He backed away from the microphone, expecting to drop dead at any second. Any second now. "You have to, everyone has to get out of here!" Carlos turned and ran from the station, hoping that the Voice headed his warning and got out of there. Despite how he'd humiliated him earlier, Carlos didn't wish death on anyone.
He pulled out of the parking lot and sped away. The beating of his heart in his ears nearly blocked out the sound of the music as it ended and Cecil began talking again. Maybe he was immune or something. Carlos looked up at the Arby's sign and nearly slammed on his breaks. Well not nearly, he did. The car screeched to a halt and he nearly broke his neck, trying to get out of the vehicle. There about a hundred feet above the glowing sign…were lights. Not helicopter lights which he had seen several times today, not the moon or stars or aurora borealis, but dancing, multi colored lights that kind of hurt to look at. He squinted against the brightness and felt his knees grow weak.
They were beautiful, playing a game of chase with each other, sparking and fading into black before exploding once again into daises or apples or magenta. He gave up and leaned against his car. This was insane. This was the most insane thing he'd ever done in his life and he'd done some insane stuff in his life. The feeling of fear and excitement balanced each other out.
This single day had given him more to search for than anything ever had. Night Vale was going to be the thing that made his career as a scientist worth it. He would learn everything he could about this town, unravel its secrets, beautiful and terrifying…or die trying.
The car was still going and Cecil's voice became a low backdrop, something as normal as the sand or the low, warm wind.
"...Goodnight, listeners. Goodnight."
A.N.:
Beta'd by MonsterPatrol who is awesome and any mistakes you might find are my fault.