Wes woke up to the sound of the door into the facility being shut like someone was trying to sneak in. He reached for the other side of the bed, to find it was empty.
"Shit," he slid out of his bed and grabbed his gun.
"It's me," Rose called to him as she figured he would be spooked. "Put the gun down and get dressed."
Wes breathed out a relief. He placed his gun back in its holster. "I didn't even hear you wake up, get dressed, and move around in the facility."
"Yes, I noticed," Rose checked the data collected from all of her machines planted around Perfection. "Made things easier, plus you needed sleep."
Wes looked over to the time. "Alright, just because you were doing things by yourself doesn't mean you can keep doing them, where were you?"
"We have a full day of events," Rose turned to get her hot beverage.
"We?" Wes started to get dressed.
"Yes, we," Rose stirred her drink. "It's El Blanco Day."
Wes paused. "El Blanco Day? And what are we doing for El Blanco day?"
"Perfection is holding its first annual event of educating and memorializing the discovery of Graboids with tours, speakers, and a memorial," Rose spoke after taking a drink. "You can't celebrate El Blanco without first knowing your history."
"What does this have to do with us?" Wes finished.
"I want to learn all about the first discovery of Graboids and tour the areas where it all happened from those who were there," Rose explained.
Wes took a cup to make his own hot beverage.
"Rose, Burt here, have you placed all of your worm charmers in the specific locations, over," the radio went off.
Wes gave her a smug smile. "You were volunteered."
"It's not volunteered when someone appoints you a task," Rose countered.
"You should answer that," he sipped from his drink.
Rose rolled her eyes before responding to Burt. He had several safety measures setup in case El Blanco decided to enjoy the buffet Jodi and the gang prepared.
Jodi and the rest placed the finishing touches before people started rolling in. On the actual event, set up by Jodi, the historical tour by Tyler was sold out and the seats available for Nancy's and Burt's talks have been all reserved, and there were a lot of comments and shares.
Twitchell cut off their small celebration of so far knowing its going to be a busy day. He was clearly annoyed. "I am not looking forward to any of this."
"Oh, come on, we saved you a ticket for the tours," Jodi did not want any negativity today. "Don't you want to know what all happened that day?"
"No," Twitchell shot her down. "I'll go on the tour to make sure no one gets out of line."
People started to roll into town. Casey and Roger were there. Jodi had tickets saved for them. Harlowe and Rosalita were already going through the museum Jodi set up. Wes and Rose just parked in his truck.
"Did you give tickets to everyone?" Twitchell looked around.
Jodi was taking in all of the people coming. She saw Patricia, the house flipper, Cletus Poffenberger, who had a hat and sunglasses on, and her smile on her face turned into a frown when she saw Melvin Plugg enter through the door.
Twitchell muttered to her. "Looks like you gave tickets to everyone."
"It will be fine," Jodi calmed herself. "It will be fine."
The time was drawing close for the starting of the events. She headed towards the podium that Tyler placed in the middle of the town. It was a few feet before the banner that read El Blanco Day June 11th.
Watching the people come in, Jodi started to become nervous. Her palms started to sweat, her stomach started to feel light and airy, and she tried to remember her breathing. "Welcome, everyone, we are going to get started in a few minutes. We will kick off our day here in the middle of the street."
The speakers were attached to Chang's. They didn't want anymore attention then necessary. The devices Rose had setup in different locations with remote access in case El Blanco started to terrorize the guests.
Nancy and Rosalita counted how many people when they started to gather in front of the podium. Larry was manning the speakers and had his camera rolling. Tyler was tasked with taking some pictures. Burt was off to the side. Twitchell stood in the back. Casey, Roger, Wes, and Rose also stood along the outskirts.
Jodi came back to the podium right on the dot. "On behalf of Perfection, I want to welcome you to our fist annual El Blanco Day. In order to celebrate El Blanco, we have to take step back in time when Graboids were first discovered, that we know of, and we want to monumentalize that event by bringing awareness of what actually happened during those times, educate about Graboids and their life cycle, and to remember those we have lost during discovery. We shall begin this day by taking you through those historical moments and places as well learning about how it affected our town afterwards. There we will break for lunch and come back to hearing two people who lived through that discovery, and lastly remembering those who lost their lives in the midst. Before I let you go, Burt Gummer, will discuss about safety during your time here. We want everyone to have a fun and safe time." Jodi stepped back.
Burt walked over. He saw that Melvin was in the midst. He tried not show the look of disgust on his face. "In order to keep this event going smoothly and safely, it is your responsibility as a person to follow directions and stay on the marked trail we have set out. I may be here for support but I hope that I will not be used. Listen to your tour guide. Don't leave the group you are with and venture out on your own. Our town will try to keep you safe but if you cannot comply, it makes it harder. When El Blanco comes through, and he will, everyone will need to freeze and again listen to the towns people. We live here with an endangered species but this species is still dangerous. There are some safety precautions in place but all you have to do is stay within the rules and guidelines." He nodded to them before leaving the podium.
"Thank you, Burt," Jodi could see the confused and offended stares. "We want everyone to leave in one piece. You can do that as long as you stay safe and listen to us. With that being said, the first tours will be taking place right after this. Tyler, our tour guide, will take your tickets now and help you into the vehicle. For those of you who are in the next in line, the restaurant part of Chang's is open. We also have set up a pop-up museum, and our gift shop. Thank you!"
Everyone clapped and cheered. The group dispersed. Tyler started naming off ticket holder numbers, allowing them to sit in the vehicle. Burt took the podium back over to the side of the road. Larry turned off the equipment and grabbed his camera to head back inside to work his post.
Nancy noticed that Lucas, her estranged husband was in the crowd. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," he pulled his hat down tighter making sure no one saw him. He was wearing a ballcap and sun glasses as well but his rocker clothes still made him stand apart from everyone else. "I wanted to know what you and Mindy went through. It was still a shook after Mindy told me, so I am here to believe. Although, Mindy was mad that it was a short notice, she still has her exams to finish for this semester. I did try to persuade her that she could work for me."
Nancy had a soft smile on her face. He was still a bit caring. "Thank you. She was mad but she will be here for Assblaster day, since she made a great discovery there. I just wish the other people who were there could come and heal from that time as well."
"Maybe someday," Lucas placed his hand on her shoulder. "Let's go through the museum first." Nancy shook her head with a smile. The two headed inside.
Roger and Harlowe were talking about some of the history part of the town Perfection. Casey was reading through one of the National Geographic Magazines when they were first discovered. Wes was talking with Burt. Twitchell was on the first tour.
This left Rose by herself reading the descriptions underneath the pictures. Melvin came over to her. He was making it seem like he was interested in one of the pictures next to it. He kept stealing glances at her. Rose knew but she kept ignoring him. Patricia came over to both of them.
"It's so crazy to think that all happened," Patricia commented out loud. "And you were there. Maybe next time you'll be one of the speakers. That would amazing, especially how far you have come from that situation."
"Maybe next time, plus this is the first annual so I bet they had a lot of ideas," Melvin laughed.
"True," Patricia nodded. She saw that Rose was next to her. Her face lit up with delight "I can finally meet you! I'm Patricia. I renovate houses for a living. I am also an interior designer. Right now, I am flipping a cute two-story cottage home just miles down the road. This is my friend and business partner, Melvin Plugg, you may have heard of him due to all of his real estate and businesses." Melvin gave a warm smile as he said hello.
Rose gave a friendly smile back. "Nice to finally meet you Patricia and Melvin. I am Rose."
"What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere?" Patricia blurted out. She had been curious since the first time she saw the two.
"I just love adventure," Rose wasn't wrong.
"Well, if you ever need a place to stay, my place is always open," Patricia handed her a business card. "In a few months, I will have this cute cottage ready to be livable, so if you two are looking for a home, come take a look."
Wes walked over to Rose. Patricia lit up again. She gave a big smile.
"Hi, I just met Rose, and you are?" Patricia didn't hesitate.
"I am Wes," he greeted.
"I was just telling Rose that I flip houses for a living and in a few months, I will have that cute two-story cottage ready to be lived in," she kept up her energy. "So, if you two want to stop by and check it out, I am more than happy to show it to you before I put it out on the market. Oh, and this is my business partner, Melvin Plugg, you may have heard of him." Melvin only nodded to him. Wes did the same. "It was nice meeting you, but we better hurry and read these, we're in the second tour." Before Rose could even get a word in, Melvin was drug by Patricia onto the next part of the museum.
"She sure does have a sales pitch, almost seemed like it was a different person," Wes watched them.
Rose went back to reading. "You do what is needed to be done. She also saw us last time and thinks we are a couple. Which the story is that we are camping of some sort would make an easy sale to us as our second home since we enjoy this place so much."
"Second home?" Wes scoffed. "And where would our first one be?"
"A ranch house in California, or a bungalow in Michigan, or a town house in Boston," she shrugged her shoulders. "Does it matter?"
"Yeah-I prefer not to live in any of those places," Wes looked at the pictures with her.
It was finally their turn on the tour. Tyler didn't seem tired at all. He took their tickets while giving them a wink. Wes and Rose sat on the last two seats on the left side. Tyler explained the safety precautions as they drove away.
Tyler drove them out to where the first victim was found on an electrical tower. He pulled around to face back into town, but stopped on the asphalt.
"This is where Valentine Mckee and Earl Basset found Edgar Deems on their way to Bixby to start a new life. Edgar was an older gentleman, hermit, who lived outside of town. He was an alcoholic and did cause the town of Perfection some trouble as most drunks do. He was a hermit but he had a companion, Justine, his donkey, and a good friend known as Old Fred. Fred and Edgar were known for playing cards into the late nights. Edgar was sitting on this lattice tower just under the arm, holding a rifle in his hands. He died from dehydration. Justine was never found. Graboids must have chased him to climb that tower and waited it out."
Tyler drove onto the next spot, which was a little farm with a wooden stock yard with a metal wire fencing around looked like it could have been a garden. There was an old run-down shack that would be classified as a tiny house in modern day standards. He stopped again on the asphalt.
"This is the homestead of Old Fred. Old Fred farmed vegetables in his garden and raised sheep. After Val and Earl had just gotten back from bringing Edgar to the town doctor to find cause of death. Edgar's death had already spooked them. They were discussing if someone or a gang had been the correlation to the cause of death. There was something wrong at Old Fred's place," Tyler continued. "Val and Earl stopped to investigate. They found the corral broken down and the remains of sheep carcasses scattered in the sand. The two checked the house, called out his name, until they spotted his hat in the garden in a sunken hole next to his gardening hoe. The two lifted his hat up only to find his head." There were a few gasps from the others.
Tyler kept up the tour and stopped on of the turns that snaked through the residual boulders. "Here were two road construction workers fixing the road. Carmine and Howard specialized in fixing roads after rock slides. Val and Earl have warned them about a serial killer. When Val and Earl came back, the road was blocked by a rockslide full of residual boulders. Earl spotted a bloodied hard hat. This also became the first incident where Val and Earl had met up with a graboid. A tentacle had grabbed onto the truck getting them hung up when they turned around. On inspection with the rest of the town, they all believed it was some sort of snake. When the terror of graboids had ended. Val, Earl, and Burt visited this place once again. Besides the bloodied hard hat they found, on top of that hill was a sunken crater, indicating one of the workers had lost their lives there. On the other side of the rock slide, they found a utility truck of a phone maintenance company flashing. Two more bloodied hard hats were found but the workers were not. When the construction crew came to remove the rock slide, there was a trail indicating it was created by something similar to a jack hammer. It was believed that Carmine, who mainly mans that equipment, was the one who died up there. Howard was never found."
This tour was somber and informational. Most of the attendants did not take pictures but did gasp and mutter their surprise and their sympathy. It was like that on every one so far. It will probably be like that on the remaining tours.
El Blanco hasn't caused a scene so far with this event. He did pass through town and everyone froze as directed by the townspeople.
Tyler came upon an empty plot. "This was owned by a retired doctor who wanted to build his own home, live a comfortable life away from people, and enjoy the desert. Doctor Jim and Megan Wallace. Val and Earl had just visited them when they brough Edgar for a cause of death. The framework of their house upon the cemented foundation and the camper trailer was the only thing there. Val and Earl were there to warn them but as they searched, they heard music coming from somewhere nearby. The shine of metal caught their attention. The Wallace's station was buried in the ground with the grill the only thing that was above ground. Neither have been found."
Sometimes Tyler would get a few people asking the same question, why did they head for the foundation. Tyler spoke with sympathy. This was the first graboid attack. They didn't know what was attacking them and they didn't know that boulders, cement, and asphalt were safe zones. He drove on a dirt road that would take them through the route where Rhonda LaBeck, Val, and Earl dealt with the creatures throughout the night.
Tyler drove as he spoke into the speaker. "Val and Earl were on horseback, trying to get out of town to contact the authorities. That did not work and ran for their lives trying to jump the empty cemented river way. They could not make the jump and slid down the concrete, trying to jump up. The graboid chasing them, hit into the concrete wall, killing itself. Rhonda LaBeck, a Mesa State University graduate student who was working on seismology to earn her Master's, had been getting strange readings of seismic activity all over the valley that read similar to blasting and drilling. The three of them surveyed the graboid and only to be notified by Rhonda there were more than just one."
Tyler drove past the boulders the three stayed the night on. "These three were chased by another graboid to these three residual boulders. Rhonda's truck was next to the last one, thankfully. The three spent the night on this rock as the graboid didn't let them leave until Rhonda came up with the life-saving idea of pole-vaulting between them to her truck. It worked and they arrived safely back into town."
Tyler took another dirt path to take them to the other residual boulders where the whole town was stuck on. "These residual boulders were the island to these graboids in the sand. The town travelled in the back of a dump semi-trailer being pulled by a bulldozer. The town had to run to these boulders as the graboids had dug a trap causing the bulldozer to sink headfirst into the ground. Thanks to Burt's homemade bombs, Earl's lassoing, and Val's idea of fishing, they killed off all the remaining graboids except one." Tyler drove close to the edge of the cliff. "This is where the last graboid, nicknamed Stumpy, was outsmarted by Val. The high pitch noise the bomb gave off made the graboids leave the area. He used that as a tactic to drive the graboid towards him, driving itself out of the cliff edge to fall upon the rocks below."
He drove back into town telling the rest of the story, where the town was terrorized when Rhonda, Val, and Earl had driven back in town. Explaining how Nestor Cunningham and Walter Chang lost their lives as well. The geographical isolation and the fail of the land line made it harder on everyone but they tried to survive. He gave the last fact before they got back into town, the death count. Ten people lost their lives as well as twenty-one sheep, and missing was the donkey and the horses Val and Earl rode on. Four graboids were the cause of terror in the town. Four graboids were killed. It was a somber drive back to the town. Tyler had two more tours. The guests wandered through the museum, bought souvenirs, and ate lunch.
The podium was moved inside of the Market. Chairs were setup with the reserved note upon them with numbers. The dishes Larry was serving kept to the theme. He had a variety of Grab-urritos, Shrieker Sliders, the Assblaster Special which was a slice of a brown sugar baked ham with pineapple, and much more. It was a hit. People were taking pictures of the food and posting it on all the social media platforms and were sampling each other's.