Silent Gulch Chapter 12
"This place needs more funding," Grif commented as he walked behind Simmons through the halls of the Historical Society.
"Maybe they can't get the town to pass any levies." Simmons checked another door. "Damn, this one is locked too."
"They're all locked." Grif watched Simmons move to the next door. He didn't understand why the maroon soldier wouldn't just give up.
"Ha, not this one," Simmons said, turning the knob. He pushed the door inward, but didn't like what he found. On the other side of the door was a mannequin-like monster. It lacked a head, and rather than arms, it had a second set of legs.
Simmons and Grif screamed before Simmons slammed the door. The two soldiers grabbed onto each other in terror.
"What was that?" Grif was shaking slightly.
"I don't know, but I don't want to open that door again," Simmons replied, shaking as well.
Grif, having realized his face was right up against Simmons, let go of the maroon soldier. "Get off me."
Simmons released the orange soldier. "You were the one hugging me." He glared at the other soldier.
"Why would I do that?" Grif asked. "I wasn't scared of that thing."
"Yeah, and your sister isn't a slut." Simmons crossed his arms and glared at the other soldier.
"My sister is not a slut!" Grif shouted back. He stopped suddenly, as there came a knock on the door before them. "Should we answer it?" Grif asked.
Simmons looked at him, stunned. "You did not just ask that." He shook his head in disbelief. "It's that thing knocking. Why would we open the door?"
"How do you still know it's that thing?" Grif asked. "Maybe it's something else. Maybe it's Donut."
"Let's say you're right, that it is something different. What, from what's happened so far, makes you think it is going to be something good?" Simmons asked.
The soldiers were so busy arguing that they didn't notice the door open beside them. That is, they didn't notice until a leg kicked between them, hitting the wall. Grif and Simmons turned to the creature just as the mannequin creature stumbled forward toward them.
Grif and Simmons screamed at the sight. Simmons grabbed Grif's hand and pulled him off down the hallway. They were too frightened to realize that as soon as they were about five feet away, the creature stopped moving.
Simmons brought them to a stop, opening one of the doors nearby. The door opened to a closet that held a few dusty towels and robes. Simmons shoved Grif into the closet and then followed him in. He shut the door quickly behind them.
~Sarge/Donut~
Sarge and Donut opened the door to exit the school, but did not like the scene that met them. In the middle of the street there was a lurker being eaten alive by a pack of skinned dogs.
"By the code of Da Vinci. Has the world gone to hell?" Sarge asked. "Oh, now is the ending of times for sure."
"The world has been in hell for some time, Sarge. It has been ever since Doctor Manhattan left Earth," Donut replied.
"Donut, that was a book, and a kick-ass movie," Sarge corrected. "That never really happened."
"Um, Sarge, I think the dogs see us." Donut pointed at the pack of dogs. They had stopped attacking the lurker and were all watching the soldiers. "What should we do?"
"On three, we run," Sarge decided. "It's our best bet. Are you ready?"
"Oh no, I know how this goes," Donut said. "While one of us is counting the other runs away to leave the counter behind. It never ends well. Usually it has to do with the Blue's tank and our warthog being destroyed."
"Neither the warthog or the tank are here, so it isn't the same." The red soldier stopped talking as Sheila came rolling up the street. The dogs ran as the tank stopped where they had been standing, crushing the lurker.
"Look, the Blues came to help," Donut said happily. "Hey, Caboose, are you in there?"
"Firing main cannon," Sheila said in her monotone voice as she aimed her main cannon at the two red soldiers.
"Run!" Sarge shouted, running back into the school and dragging Donut with him as he went.
Sheila fired and the main entrance to the school collapsed. The tank turned to the dogs and lurkers that had gathered.
"Find them and bring them to the masters," she ordered. The dogs ran forward, smashing through the windows, followed shortly by the lurkers.
~Lopez~
The town was chaos, not that it mattered to Lopez. He still didn't know what was going on. He walked over to one of the smaller creatures.
"Lo que ha sucedido?" he asked.
The lurker roared in joy. "One of the great beings has torn though the veil. The same time the twelfth broke through to the great one's world. The rain washes away the line and we are free to take the city."
These things were just as bad as the flag worshipers that O'Malley had used when Lopez was working with him. "¿Qué haces?" he asked.
"The glorious glades have given us free range. They are strength, they are life, and they are all around us," the lurker replied. "Too long they have been denied. Soon, all shall be theirs, and we shall have no limitations beside their will."
"Suena divertido," Lopez said. "Voy a hacer más de una de las grandes ofertas," he added, walking away. He stopped as he noticed a pyramid head before him. The great being rumbled and motioned for Lopez to follow. The robot sighed and followed. It seemed that there was more work to be done.
He followed the pyramid head to a building and the being pointed at it. Lopez got the idea and walked toward the building. He entered and didn't pay any attention as he passed some of the grotesque creatures that were wandering the hallway. He stopped before a door where a mannequin was standing. Lopez knocked on the door, wondering what was on the other side. He tried to open the door but it wouldn't open.
"Go away," he heard Grif said.
"We are not coming out of this closet," Lopez heard Simmons say. He stood still for a moment, unsure of what he just heard.
He turned and looked at the mannequin creature. "Tener alegría," he told it. "Llevarlos a los maestros cuando salgan del armario," he instructed, turning to walk away.
