It was late at night and dark outside. The clouds covered the moon and with the rain rendered it darker than it would otherwise have been. Inside the police station in his warm well lit office Mathias finished writing a report and listened to the rain outside. Inside the station things were quiet. Arjay Swift his OIC of the night shift had everything under control out there. With the exception of a car crash an hour ago the wet weather had most people staying indoors and behaving themselves.
His thoughts drifted back over the five years he had been Police Chief. So much had happened with organised crime, Malachi stirring up trouble and Jacob Nighthorse. Not to mention that Henry/Hector business. He had changed in ways he could not have imagined. They had all come a long way. His team had been put to the test and they had come out stronger. He trusted his guys more than ever, they had shown true courage and integrity. He was proud of all of them.
Outside the rain was easing up, the moon had yet to show itself from behind the clouds. He decided he had done enough for the day. Arjay would contact him if anything serious came up. He would talk with him and then go home before the rain returned.
The rain came down heavy as he was walking out of the station. With a grumble of annoyance he moved quickly to get into his car before he got too wet. Once inside with the heater on and his wipers going, he felt oddly disconnected from the night outside. Everything seemed surreal and dreamlike in the light from his car headlights.
The rain beating steadily on his car, the moist swish of the wipers and the soft blowing of the heater were the only sounds. It felt like he was hardly moving at all. The land around him took on a life of its own. One that was full of shadows and dark forms. It was both warm and embracing, and scary. Anything could be lurking out there out of sight. He checked his duty gun was close at hand. Its was on the passenger seat next to him, its metal while cold to touch was a familiar and reassuring presence.
He focused on driving, the muddy road disappearing beneath his car. Water thudded against the underside of his car as he drove through puddles. Driving on through the cold, wet darkness, his car eating the ground beneath them. He felt alone and disconnected from the rest of the world.
The spirits seemed very real and stories of creatures became menacing rather than primitive superstitions. He remembered the story the Mist, with its otherworldly horrors lurking out of sight except when they attacked. Again he checked his gun was with him.
He laughed softly. He had stood up to mexican drug cartels and Malachi's Brotherhood thugs. What was he thinking of monsters and spirits.
His house suddenly loomed up a head of him. The light in the windows shining like a lighthouse in the dark. He breathed out slowly, pulled into the driveway and parked. He waited a moment before going inside. Grounding his thoughts and getting out of this twilight zone he was in. All in all it was a good day. He had a good life, he thought with a smile. Tomorrow he would be back at it tackling the real dangers on his Rez.