This one is a response to LongLiveQueenVic who wanted something Halloweeny. I must say i never stepped foot in Alaska but lived for several years in a remote Inuit community in Canada. Those events really happened in several communities...

Day 27:"I don't know if they will accept this."

Andy stopped Sharon as they reached Taylor's office. From their position, they were unseen and could hear what was going on in the Chief's office. They heard Howard's voice first. " I don't know if they will accept this."

"Oh, trust me, they will." Said Taylor. Sharon felt a shiver run down her spine and knocked on the door, intending to know sooner rather than later what was going on.

Nearly 20 hours later, as she arrived in Bethel, Alaska, she mused that being sent here was not what she anticipated when she went into Chief Taylor's office. She was glad it was nothing "worse" and that her squad remained intact.

As she stepped out of the plane, she started to understand that she had, maybe, underestimated the situation. About 50 pairs of eyes were turned toward them. They weren't hostile per say but they weren't welcoming either. It was a weird feeling for her, a white woman who mostly traveled in Europe or within the US, to feel outcasted like that. There, she was the minority. There, she would have to adapt, and fast. It set her off balance.

Her "off" feeling only increased in the coming days. They had been sent to investigate the disappearing of several women, all inuit. What bothered her the most, what prevented her from sleeping for several days despite Andy's gentle coaxing and help in that domain, was the absolute lack of collaboration from the local police. She got such a weird vibe from their Captain that she felt the need to shower right after each of their meetings. She knew in her gut that he had something to do with all those women vanishing into thin air. She could feel it in the way he looked at her as he was disrobing her in his mind, in the way he never really look her in the eyes, in the way he talked about the Yupiks.

It was the strangest place she ever went to. It felt like being pulled out of time or like if time itself stopped. She wasn't sure how to phrase it but was reassured to know that Andy and Mike got the same feeling. The place was beautiful, hundreds of little colourful houses well aligned along dirt streets. Kids were playing outside, there were so many kids! And they were all so beautiful and smiling. And nature… It was incredible to be able to walk in such a wild place. Andy had borrowed the police truck and brought them in the outskirts of town, not far away but already there was nothing else that miles and miles of land. No trees, no mountain, just lichen that was turning reddish in the late September weather. The days were cold and she marvelled at seeing the sea ice form a little bit more every day. Huge icebergs floated in the bay. It was incredible. And the northern lights… Mike tried to take the magic out of it by explaining the phenomenon but she cuddled into Andy's side and blocked out his words in order to just appreciated the magic of it.

It was while they looked at nature's show that a group of villagers came to them. She could admit she was a bit afraid by their number in that remote location but she quickly realized that she had nothing to fear. They wanted help. "Are you here for our girls?" Asked a woman, her English was perfect but her accent made her accentuate in a foreign rhythmic fashion.

Andy stepped in. "Yes. Do you have some information for us?" He asked bluntly, surprising her. It was not in his nature to be like that but she realized that he had studied their ways and tried to adapt. His bluntness was well received.

"They miss at night, when they walking from one home to another. Sometimes during day too, when all quiet and kids at school." Said an older man, in an imperfect English, his accent strong.

"Do you know who took them?" Asked Andy.

"Not the wolves or the bears." Responded a young woman, disdain in her tone. The local police suggested that theory but they did not fool anyone.

"Never find bodies, or pieces." Added the old man.

"Do you know who took them?" Tried Andy again.

"Men who like women too much." They couldn't' fault the elderly reasoning since they had the very same.

Sharon tried again to pry some information. She could feel they had a lot to say but refused for a reason she could not fathom. "Do you know who these men are?"

"Not our jobs to do yours. You find them." Said the man, pointy his arthritic finger to her. "But you." He turned to Andy. "You keep eye on woman. You have beautiful woman with eyes like grass and hair like fire. Policeman likes beautiful woman."

Andy nodded, his stomach dropping with the sick feeling he had since they arrived.

He thought about his next question for a moment before daring to ask. "How many?"

"Too much!" Said vehemently the lady who spoke first.

"One is too many." Replied Sharon, her gaze sad.

The woman looked intensely into her eyes, searching if she could trust her. "Many. Maybe 20-30 here. They took two of my sisters, one my sister's daughter. They also took women in other communities. Lots of them."

Sharon felt the bile rise. She knew, she kind of knew but hearing it… The Bureau asked them to come to investigate those disappearances after the school board and the health care center reported dozens and dozens of missing women. Teenagers, mothers, teachers, clerks, cooks, patients waiting for a consultation… all disappeared suddenly, without any trace. And never a police report or missing person filled.

Sharon listened to the waves crash against the forming ice, its creaking somewhat sinister and gloomy in the dark night. She suddenly remembered the creepy policeman words on their first day : "Maybe they just got what they asked for. You know, they're not like us. They want sex all the time. Maybe they just found the right man for that. Or maybe they fell on the land and were eaten by wolves, foxes and bears. Or they fell down the bay and joined back with Sedna, their body digested by belugas and seals. We'll never know. You'll never know." His self-sufficient smile flashed in her mind.

She would find them. Somehow, she would find what happened to them. She swore it to herself. She just would.