Chapter 9: Decisions
"The Sandmen strike again. Five more policemen…a bartender, a patron, and local known vocalist…left unconscious…no witnesses. The vocal performer from the Civil Theatre was left hanging for dear life from the roof of a church, his shirt caught on an edge," Raoul read aloud, "It says here, 'the victims were stripped of all valuables and coats… left vulnerable to the elements.' Hm, maybe it would be a good time to go to the police now?"
"You know they won't believe me."
"They need leads! Some idea of what they're up against."
"This isn't Paris! Things are done a little differently. And I'm the only one that's seen it without being beaten within an inch of my life. How do you think they're going to react?"
"But you should still try!"
"So they can what? Laugh at me? Or devise a plan to kill it like the ex-commissioner did with Francoeur?," Lucille fumed, "It didn't try to hurt me. That must mean something!"
"This thing might not be like Francoeur. It could be a real monster. It is! Look at what it's done!"
"They exaggerate because they're sca-"
"You saw first hand what it can do! It hurts people." Lucille sighed loudly at that. Raoul sat next to her on the couch, wrapping an arm around her. "Look, you can't protect every lost…creature that comes your way. This one's too dangerous. And it didn't ask for your help, you were just there."
"Fate brought me to Francoeur. He changed our lives for the better."
Raoul was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do our lives need changing right now?"
Lucille thought the question over. No, she felt like her life was where it was supposed to be. But that doesn't mean she could ignore someone who needs help. "How selfish are we to let the creature be hunted down because we don't want to risk what we have? We can at least try."
"…fine. I won't argue with you anymore." Lucille smiled excitedly and hugged the man gently. Raoul sat limp in her hold, feeling dejected and worried. Then he remembered something. "You know, we're gonna need a way to get around town safely…"
"Raoul, no. I know what you're thinking."
"Haha, I bet you don't. You know what I was thinking two days ago."
"You didn't."
"Do you remember that truck we passed on the way out and in yesterday?"
"Are you out of your mind!"
"No, Lucille!" he whined as she proceeded to whack him in the arm, "Ow! Hey, that hurts! Think of it as fate! It brought it to us for monster hunting!"
A few minutes later, poor Lucille sat in the passenger seat of an obnoxiously loud truck that smelled of mold and oil. It was taller than Catherine, but was thinner, not meant for delivering large items. They all sat comfortably in the vehicle, so that was nice. The first step in tracking down the creature was to visit each place the victims were found. Raoul said that finding out what it's after will be key. If it turns out to be something bad, their little investigation will be over.