"Huddled in the cellar, fear caught in their eyes. Daring not to move or breathe, as the creature cries. Fingernails start scratching, on the outside walls. Clawing at the windows, "come to me" it calls. Atmosphere's electric, as it now descends the stairs. Hiding in the darkness, is so futile from it's glares. Death comes in an instant, as they hoped it would. Souls ascend to heaven, while it feasts on flesh and blood." -Judas Priest, Night Crawler
It was always nice to get a weekend off, especially after weeks without a proper break. They had been working on particularly tough case, not much ground has been made on it, and after spending some days and even some nights in the detective ward, the Chief figured that a short break would clear their heads.
Nick was preparing refreshments for his little get together he had planned that evening. He had invited Judy, and an old friend of his, Finnick, over to his place for a horror movie viewing party. After all, Halloween was just around the corner. The place Nick was renting at the moment, was a simple one floor, one bedroom flat. Easy on the wallet for sure, but he had made sure to make the place more 'Nick' by purchasing expensive furniture, and consulting an actual interior designer to make it visually appealing.
Nick was in the kitchen, emptying a full bag of chips into a large bowl, and placing multiple cans of cola in the fridge. He wanted to make sure that there was no chance the three should run out of snacks. As he removed the last can from the case, instead of putting in the fridge with the rest, he cracked it open and took a swig. He didn't mind room temperature soda, in his opinion, it was better that way.
Nick's ears perked up at the sound of the door knocker. He stood upright and placed his can of cola on the dining room table. He strolled delightedly to the front door. He looked back into the flat quickly, to make sure that everything was presentable. Nick opened the door and looked down to see his two guests standing outside. Judy smiled at Nick, and Finnick was leaning on the door frame, twirling the keys to his van around his paw.
"Hey, Nick!" Judy said, still smiling.
"Hey, Carrots, Finn." Nick replied, turning his attention to Finnick.
"Hello, long-time no-see." Finnick said, tossing his keys up, then catching them and shoving them into his pocket.
Nick motioned for the two to come in, closing the door behind him. He guided them toward the living room, and sat them down on the couch. Nick disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Judy and Finn alone.
"So Finnick, how've you been lately?" Judy asked, crossing her legs.
Finnick was already relaxed on the couch, lying against one of the armrests.
"I've been alright, how's the force treating you?" Finnick replied, not moving.
"Oh, the ZPD is great, whenever you're not being worked into the ground and out the other side of the planet with some shifts being sixteen hours." Judy said, sarcastically.
Nick walked back into the living room, holding the bowl of chips he prepared earlier in one paw, and a smaller bowl of assorted chocolates and candies in the other.
"Sorry about that, guys, I was right in the middle of setting up when you knocked, so all the snacks and stuff were in the kitchen. There's cans of soda in the fridge, but there's no way they're cold yet, so unless you don't mind lukewarm..." Nick said, placing the two bowls onto the coffee table.
Finnick furrowed his brow.
"When has anyone ever complained about room temperature cola?" Finnick said, sitting back up.
Nick pointed toward Judy.
"She has. On multiple occasions."
Judy's eyes widened.
"What? I do not!" she said, raising her voice a smidge.
Nick stifled a chuckle.
"Well, let's see. There was that time in the break room, that time at that sandwich restaurant, and also that one time in the park, which, need I remind you, is your fault, because you left the bottle out in the sun..." Nick said.
"Oh, you are so full of it, Nick, besides, the fridge in the break room really is broken." Judy said, crossing her arms.
While the two were arguing, Finnick was observing from a few feet away, trying to hold his composure.
"That's not the point, Judy. The point is that you despise room temperature soda, and you were trying to defend yourself by lying, and depending on me not remembering all the times you brought it up."
Judy stammered, she was speechless.
At this point, Finnick burst out laughing. He fell back onto the couch cushion.
"Look, I'm sorry I brought it up, okay? Jeez." He said, in between bouts of laughter.
Nick and Judy simply stared at the fennec, who was trying to calm himself down.
"Alright, enough about room temperature soda. What are we watching first?" Judy asked, frustrated with the two.
Nick's ears perked up.
"Whatever we can find online, it's all on the internet." Nick replied, fetching a connector cable.
He hooked up his laptop to his TV, and opened up a new tab. He turned to face the two, who were staring back at him.
"So, what would you like?"
"How about that one... "Hocus Pocus" I think it was?" Judy said.
Nick shook his head.
"Hocus Pocus? Judy, this is a horror movie marathon. Hocus Pocus isn't scary, it's just Halloween themed. We can watch that one when Halloween actually arrives." He said,
"Finn, you have any suggestions?"
Finnick thought for a moment, scratching his head.
"What about that one from a few years back, Night Crawler." He said.
"Hey, yeah. Let's watch that. Nice one, Finn." Nick said, commending the fennec.
Finnick nodded, and hopped off the couch, heading toward the kitchen. Nick searched the name of the film in the search engine, and sure enough, there it was. He opened the link and the video began to play. He stopped to allow the stream to buffer for a few minutes, to make sure that there would be no freezing during the movie. As he was about to go grab his can of soda that he left on the table earlier, his computer made a familiar ding. It was an e-mail. An e-mail from Chief Bogo. Nick's eyes narrowed, and he opened the message. It read:
Nick Wilde.
I sincerely apologize for interrupting you on your weekend off, but it is a matter of utmost urgency. Earlier today, I sent a couple officers to investigate the abandoned Rentschler-Graham sanitarium in the outskirts of town, because there had been reports of vandalism. I sent them to survey the area and ton assess the property damage and possible find the culprits. After a few hours of searching, they radioed back to HQ and stated that nothing had been found. During that radio conversation, the sound of what could be claws on metal or glass, and an unearthly growl. The transmission cut off seconds after. I am worried that something terrible has happened to them, and that something even more terrible is hiding out inside the sanitarium. I need you and Hopps to make your way to the Rentschler-Graham sanitarium, and investigate the disappearances. I suggest that you arm yourselves accordingly, and that you both bring cameras suited for filming in dark places to capture anything you may come across. I am aware that this may be the most dangerous assignment I have ever given you, but know that I give it to you because I put a great deal of trust that you and Hopps will be successful.
With regards,
Bogo
Nick's jaw was slightly ajar, and is eyes as wide as dinner plates. It was his turn to be speechless. He had momentarily forgotten that he had his e-mail projected onto the TV as well as the laptop screen, so both Judy and Finnick read it also.
"Oh my goodness. This is terrible." Judy stated, eyes still glued to the TV.
"Suspicious if you ask me." Finnick added, also staring at the TV.
Nick looked at the two on the couch, then back at the laptop. He began typing a response to the Chief.
Chief Bogo,
What has gone down over there is incredibly serious, Judy and I will accept the case. We will be over within the hour. I will make sure that plenty of footage is captured for whatever purpose you may need it for.
Sincerely,
Nick Wilde.
"Okay, hold up a second." Finnick said, raising his paw.
Nick and Judy looked over to him.
"So, two police officers, most likely armed, go missing in a creepy, abandoned, possibly haunted, insane asylum. Your boss's immediate first thought is: 'I'm gonna send my two best detectives over there with cameras and guns to capture video of whatever may be lurking in there, a-la-Ghost Adventures.'"
Nick furrowed his brow.
"Finn, this is nothing like 'Ghost Adventures.' First of all, ghosts aren't real. That stuff's all staged. It's entertainment. This is real business, someone could be in there with the intent to harm law enforcement, and it's our job to go over there and investigate." Nick replied, closing his laptop and heading toward the entrance.
Finnick sighed. "Whatever you say, Nick."
Nick opened the closet door, to reveal a few cameras issued to him by the Department. He removed one of them from it's case and passed to Judy, who had followed him. He removed a second one for himself, and hung it around his neck by the strap. He noticed Finnick standing behind him as he was about to close the door.
"Since I'm tagging along, I want a camera too." Finnick said, holding out his paws.
Nick rolled his eyes.
"No, Finn, you're not coming with us. It's way too dangerous, and would be irresponsible of me to let you." He said.
Finnick smirked.
"Actually, Nicholas, I am coming. Your car's in the shop, you don't have a way out there. I'm the only one with a vehicle here." Finnick replied, dangling the keys to his van.
Nick groaned. He bent down to meet Finnick at face level.
"Alright, you can come, but only if you agree to not interfere with our investigation in any way, shape, or form, got it?"
"You're the captain, Captain." Finnick said, giving Nick a mock-salute.
Nick simply shook his head, and disappeared around the corner.
A few minutes passed before Nick came back, holding three unloaded handguns, and six full magazines. He handed the first one to Finnick.
"I trust you know how to use this?" he asked.
"Oh, I know plenty, I'm just lucky I've never had to use one."
Nick handed the second one to Judy, who refused."
"No thanks, I have mine." She said, reaching into her handbag and pulling out her standard-issue firearm.
"You brought a gun to a movie night! How unstable are you?"
"Better safe than sorry." Judy added, putting it away.
Finnick threw his arms up in the air.
"You serious?" he yelled?
"Enough!" Nick yelled over Finnick.
"Let's go."
On the way out, Nick handed Finnick his third camera. They placed their equipment in the back of Finnick's van, then got into the van themselves. Finnick knew the city streets by heart, but their destination was a little bit off the radar. Finnick put the location of the sanitarium into his phone, and followed the directions there. Finnick pushed 'play' on the dashboard, and some of his french hip-hop started playing. The three were silent for a good ten minutes before Judy spoke up about how she though that Finnick's taste in music was terrible.
"Driver chooses the music, passengers shut it."
They drove for another twenty minutes before reaching a dirt road. The tree branches stretched over the road in a way that would damage the vehicle if they attempted to drive through it, so Finnick parked the van on the shoulder of the street. They grabbed their equipment from the back, and began walking down the dirt road. The sun had set about a half hour before then, so the walk was fairly dark. Each camera was equipped with an LED light bar, so that the camera was able to capture everything in colour, instead of the grainy-looking green tint that typical night vision cameras had. They walked down the dirt road for another ten minutes before approaching a tired looking brick-and-mortar structure. The whole area was covered in dead leaves, with a few twigs spread around here and there. The widows of the structure, the few that it had, were either boarded up or shattered, most likely by vandals. Overall, the whole structure and the area surrounding it was very ominous. The three walked up the concrete steps to the front door, which was boarded up and locked.
"Great, now we have to walk around the building until we find an entrance." Nick said.
Nick descended the steps, and began walking around the edge of the building; Judy followed. Finnick, however, looked up and down the wall, looking for a window for them to climb in. He had spotted one, about five feet from the edge of the steps.
"Hey guys, maybe we could climb in this window." He exclaimed.
Nick turned around and squinted into the darkness. He turned on his camera light, to see Finnick standing on a concrete railing, pointing at the open window.
Nick and Judy walked back up the steps, and observed the window. The window had a small ledge, large enough to grab onto if one was to jump over.
"I think I can make the jump. Once I'm in, I'll be able to catch you and pull you in." Nick said.
Nick asked Judy to turn on her camera's light, so that he could see where he was jumping. He climbed onto the railing, and jumped. He grabbed the ledge with ease, and hoisted himself into the building. He placed his camera, with the light on, onto the ledge. He motioned for the other two to get ready to jump. Judy turned off her camera's light, and hopped up onto the railing, just as Nick had done. She jumped toward the window, and grabbed onto Nick's arm. Nick pulled Judy into the building with him. Now it was Finnick's turn. He mantled the railing, and stared over toward the window.
Alright, Finn. On the count of three. One...Two...Three!
On three, Finnick leaped toward the window. He closed his eyes and held out his arms. He felt the grip of Nick's paw grab his arms, and pulled him in through the window. All three of them were inside the sanitarium now.
Nick grabbed his camera off of the ledge, and faced it into the room. He began recording.
"Alright guys, turn on your cameras." Nick said.
Finnick and Judy did as they were told, and began recording.
Finnick turned his camera toward the wall, where someone had crudely spray-painted a phrase on the wall in black paint. He read it aloud.
Beware the beast in black
You know he's coming back.
"What does that even mean?" he asked.
"We're not here to admire the graffiti, Finn, we're here to find two missing officers." Nick said, disappearing into the hall.
Judy followed suit, leaving Finnick the only one in the room. He pointed his light around the room, taking note of the peeling paint, and paper strewn all over the floor. A wooden desk was in the middle stages of decay, on it, what looked like a notebook. Finnick opened the notebook to the first page.
"If found, return to room 202 - Doctor B. Rentschler..." Finnick whispered.
"Let's go, Finn, we don't have all night." Nick called from the hallway.
Finnick put the notebook back down on the rotting desk, and disappeared into the hallway.
Thought I'd write something in spirit of the holiday, even though it's still a few weeks away. Enjoy. -Prince