09 Abigail
The gravel drive was immaculate. Impossibly so. As if every single piece of perfectly white gravel had been placed with some precision and care. Uncanny didn’t cover it.
To the right of the drive stood a very colorful sign that read “Sunny Springs RV Park “, the wording surrounded by vintage poster art of a happy family pointing at clipart mountains. Beneath the sign, a smaller sign swung on thin chains that said “No Vacancies”.
The RV park sat well off of the highway in a definitive valley. Silver, pill shaped travel trailers occupied every space along the winding drive on the way down to a picturesque river with pristine campsites nestled in circles of manicured grass.
She had been busy.
“Hey, Adam,” a man said and Adam turned to see Eddie Robins walking up wringing his hands in a red shop towel. Adam would have expected a man like Eddie to step out of scenery such as this. Flannel work shirt over a black tee, jeans, boots and rugged good looks with an intriguing scar that started at a patch of white hair at his hairline and crossed one eye.
Adam extended his hand. “It’s good to see you, Eddie.”
Eddie shook his hand firmly. “You too, man,” he said with a smile. “You too. It’s been a minute.”
“You needed a minute by the looks of it,” Adam said, gesturing toward the valley.
“All this?” Eddie shook his head. “She sprung it on us a week ago. Told us we were moving and, boom, it was done.”
“So none of your people worked on this?”
“Nope.”
“Who did she buy it from?” Buying things left strings and a trail. And there could never be strings or a trail.
Eddie huffed. “You think we get to ask questions like that?”
Adam smiled. “I guess not. Did she give up the manor?”
“Nah, she wouldn’t do that. Tea and crumpets in a trailer park ain’t really her style. Most of us think she’s just doing this to get us closer to the woods. Maybe just an extended vacation, you know?”
Adam nodded and turned to move down the trail into the park. Eddie fell in beside him.
“Everyone in a good mood?” Adam asked.
“Better than good mostly,” Eddie replied. “We did hear about Ricky. Sorry about that, man.”
“So was I,” Adam said. “There is a kill order on him. Do not hesitate if you see him. If law enforcement gets involved, I’ll have you out within hours. Tell the others.”
“Will do.” Eddie looked to his feet and then to the mountains beyond the river. “You taking Ricky’s territory?”
Adam smiled. “You think I get to ask questions like that?”
Eddie laughed. “Well, it would be nice to have you close. Ricky could handle things but the man was not subtle. Lot’s of messes to clean up.”
“Especially in Perdition Falls,” Adam offered.
“Yup,” Eddie said. “Especially in Perdition Falls. Antigone was always fine. Maybe that’s why she kept us there. Antigone was quiet.”
“But this place is what, halfway between?”
“Yup,” Eddie said. “Almost exactly.”
“So, did she move you here because she wanted the wolves closer to the forest or closer to the trouble?”
“You tell me.”
“I will if I can,” Adam said.
The drive twisted into the valley as a lazy S. Each trailer sat behind a perfect patch of lawn with bordering flower beds.
“Hey Adam!” The young woman burst out of the trailer they were passing and bounded across the lawn. She wore cutoff jeans and a tank top on a gymnast’s frame with wild curly hair.
“Miranda,” was all that he had time to say before she jumped into his arms, squealing.
“I knew you’d be by,” she laughed. “You have to stay for dinner.”
“Get off him, Miranda,” Eddie ordered.
“Bite me, Eddie Robins,” Miranda shot back and the irony was not lost on Adam.
“How are you, Miranda?”
“Better now,” she said. Her arms hung around her neck as her nostrils flared subtly. “Lord, you smell good.” she said. “And you’ve been to some interesting places. Let me feed you and you can tell me about it.”
“I swear, by all that is holy, I will get the water hose, Miranda. The man is here on business.”
“And I got business,” she snapped back. She dropped her arms and put her hands behind her back in a show of innocence. “I raided the old lady’s wine cellar before we left,” she half-whispered.
Adam chuckled. “That’s brave.”
“That’s stupid,” Eddie said.
“You’re stupid,” Miranda shot back.
Adam took a step back and away from the two and circled around as the verbal sparring intensified. It was not wise to get between two wolves.
Others waved or offered some form of greeting as he walked. True to Eddie’s observation, everyone appeared calm and content. However, the entire scene felt plastic, a bit unreal. Was she pushing it too hard? The illusion of normalcy? Outside of the very large wolves lounging under the awnings of the campers, of course.
Abigail had issues with normalcy.
The trailer at the end of the drive came into view quite deliberately as if someone had planned it to dramatically become apparent as one walked and he could see Abigail sitting on a stool next to a flower bed, vigorously working the soil with a small spade. She wore bright colors and a huge straw hat. She paused her excavations and looked up. Huge sunglasses hid most of her face but even at this distance he could see her wry smile.
Did she know?
Only if someone on his team had told her. But if she did know then he expected the conversation to be short. Adam scanned the valley and the tree lines. Charlie probably had him dialed in, ready to send the round at her signal. The team’s loyalty lay with Abigail and he was certain that their conditioning was intact. He hoped there would be a moment’s hesitation at least. He and the team had been through a lot. More than most really. Abigail often trusted him and the team with delicate situations. He had to test it though. If they revealed that he had asked them to hide the video of the assault on the Blue Bronco, then he would know.
He wouldn’t know if he didn’t talk to her.
There would be keywords and she would expect certain responses. It should be easy. He knew what she wanted to hear and how she wanted to hear it. He just had to play along.
The gravel drive trickled down to a path that led to the steps of her trailer in a perfect gentle curve. Abigail sat on her stool still working the soil of the flower bed that lined the path. She did not look up again as he approached.
Where was Charlie?
Did he want to survive if she knew? Did he want to try to run? It would be a ranging life of paranoia and chaos.
Which was different from your life now?
It would be rough. But he would be alive.
However, the real question was: Would she go with him if he asked?
“Adam.”
He nodded. “Abigail.”
“Report.”
Keyword.
“The offer was made but I believe Ricky has rejected it. I have made multiple parties aware of the kill order. I utilized the situation to evaluate Ophelia Goodfellow, per your suggestion.”
“And?”
“I have several observations. I think the most relevant one is the fact that Ophelia Goodfellow and Serita are somehow related.”
Abigail shot to her feet and turned to him almost aggressively and with agility that belied her apparent age.. “Yes,” she hissed. “I saw the video.”
There it was. He had told the team to store the video and he had hoped the request had sounded innocent enough. He had hoped some sense of camaraderie would have stifled the conditioning for a moment at least. But one of them, or all of them, had run straight to Abigail. It took everything he had to not drop, roll and run for cover. The fight, flight or freeze impulse was ice on his spine. At least now he knew that he couldn’t trust the team.
“How long,” she whispered, the lines of her face taut with rage.
“Not long,” he said immediately. Any hesitation would only send her further into her rage. “I was back in Perdition Falls maybe a day.”
“How?”
“A dream,” Adam said. “A very intense dream.”
She visibly relaxed. “A dream,” she said and slowly nodded. “Not unheard of.”
Abigail turned and walked to her trailer and sat down on the steps, her elderly guise back in place. She pulled off her sunglasses and squinted up at him from beneath the wide brim of her straw hat.
“Recommendation.”
Keyword.
But this time he hesitated. He looked to the treeline again but Charlie was good. There would be no sign of him. And glancing left and right he suddenly realized that wolves lingered close, some in their human form, others lounging in the shade as wolves. He stood in the sun. Surrounded. Pinned in. She wanted him to sweat..
“Kill me,” he said, flatly.
That caught her off guard. “Really,” she said.
“Why wouldn’t you? Why deviate from policy now?”
“Yes, why would I?” she snapped back.
“Because, you may not have a choice.”
Abigail seemed suddenly amused. “Continue,” she commanded.
“Ricky is gone and your interest in Serita and her associates is intense. You could bring in one of the others but they would have to start over. I’ve already established contact. I’m in. Plus, Perdition Falls is my hometown. I know it and I have contacts.”
Abigail huffed. “Like your father?”
“Besides my father.” Adam looked to his feet and then up at her. A placating, almost submissive gesture but he had her talking. The ice on his spine dissipated. “I have interests in this as well. There is a deep mystery here and I intend to see it through.”
“Without your conditioning?”
“I don’t need the conditioning.”
“But I do,” she snarled through clenched teeth. “You expect me to trust you?”
He sighed. “You do trust me or we wouldn’t be talking.”
“Wrong,” she said. “I see value in your skills. I am aware of my investment in you. That’s why we are talking. Trust is for fools.”
“So, don’t trust me. But let me work.”
“Without conditioning?”
“Yes, without conditioning.” he said, his tone a bit sharper than he intended.
“Evaluate,” she snapped.
Keyword.
And he knew what she wanted to hear.
“You’ve tried it before. But they failed.”
“Every time,” she emphasized. “They failed.” Abigail put her hands on her knees and breathed in deeply. “I need shepherds for this world, Adam. Shepherds that can execute my will without moral distractions or ethical considerations.”
“I get that,” Adam said. “Probably better than most. But I would argue that your will usually includes considerations for the greater good.”
“Always,” she corrected and Adam pressed his lips together.
Not always.
“And that’s really all I need to know,” he said slowly.
She glared at him. Unblinking. Sweat beaded on his neck and ran down his back under his shirt.
“Fine,” she said at last. “You are correct in that I really don’t have a choice. Ricky is lost and I don’t have time to reinstate the conditioning. So you can work without it and assume responsibility for this territory. I will bring another in, though and prep them for when you fail.”
“I will not fail.”
She hissed a dismissal through her teeth and her expression fell to darkness as her features sharpened in the shade of her hat and her eyes became points of black rage. The light failed, acquiring a dullness akin to the light during an eclipse. The wolves whined and turned in small circles with their tails tucked while the humans withdrew a few paces. Adam stood his ground. She wanted to scare him. She needed to see his determination.
“Surprise me then,” she whispered, her voice metallic and distant. Then she gave a little shake of her head and suddenly she was Abigail, a distinguished older woman in a big straw hat who lived at the back of an RV park.
Adam took a long slow breath through his nose. Abigail leaned back, placing her elbows on the top step, an almost casual gesture that did nothing to set him at ease.
“Observation,” she snapped.
Keyword.
“Serita is the key but Ophelia is the mystery. And she is surrounded by powerful beings who for some reason are drawn to her. She appeared on the scene a few years ago and claims to remember nothing of her past before then. She may be lying but I can say that she and her friends have been in survival mode and I have little reason to doubt her story.”
Abigail nodded. “You are correct. Serita is the key.”
“Do you know her?”
Abigail’s eyes fell out of focus as her gaze drifted to her flowers. “I know her energy signature. But I do not know what she is. And Ophelia is a development.” She lifted her gaze back to Adam. “I moved to Antigone years ago because I sensed a power. And no, it’s not those idiots in the Asylum. It was something familiar but not. A comfort and a disturbance all at once. I do believe that Serita is the nexus of that power and I do recognize it but I can't believe it’s truly her. Someone is toying with me. Trying to draw me out.”
So she knows about the Asylum.
“Are you in danger?” Adam asked.
“Of course not,” she lied. “But this mystery must be resolved.”
“So why not just bring her in?”
Abigail shook her head almost frantically. “No, not yet. Maybe never. Power among my kind is dangerous. We’ll not stir it to a tempest without knowing who is whom.”
Adam absorbed the details for later review but most of what Abigail was saying meant little or nothing. He couldn’t fathom the relationship between Serita and Abigail much less adding Ophelia to the mix. With his conditioning, he wouldn’t have cared. He would have parsed that Serita was important and needed to be observed but not interfered with until Abigail gave the order. He would have set up facial recognition on the city's cameras and probably had her location pinned and tracked within a day. Abigail’s motivations were not important. Only her intentions.
Without conditioning, his mind raced to make connections and keep up. But it wasn’t going to happen. He didn’t have enough information.
He would get it though. Clues nestled within clues and facts lay plain on the streets of Perdition Falls where power gathered and dreamed. He would have the truth.
“Are you curious about Ophelia’s lights?” she asked suddenly. She had been watching him in his moment of silence. The wry smile had returned.
“I am.”
She nodded. “An ancient technology. You would call them nanites but they are sentient and cooperative. Why they would serve her is a compelling question and how she came by them is troubling. It’s a reason to leave her alive and see where this goes.”
An ancient technology?
“But Serita is the key,” he said to keep the conversation moving.
Abigail nodded again, lifting her eyes to his. “I must know how she got here. I must know if there is a way back. You will never understand what she is, what she may represent. I can only ask you to discover the how, not the why. Ophelia is interesting but secondary to my concerns at the moment.”
“Understood,” Adam said. “Are you concerned about her associates?”
She cocked her head. “The idiots in the Asylum? Should I be?”
He fought down the urge to shrug. Abigail despised the gesture. She considered it a surrender to the condition of ignorance. “They have power. They have agendas. But they are on a very long timetable.”
“How much power do they have if they were stuck in a survival mindset and Ophelia had to save them?”
“I’m at a loss on that one.”
She thought for a moment. “Keep me updated as you learn more. Are you aware that Eddie and Miss Goodfellow are involved?”
Adam’s eyes went to the tree lines again. A telling gesture that he did not intend.
“I am aware, yes. It appears to be casual. But that’s how you became aware of her, isn’t it?”
“It is. Does their relationship bother you?”
He returned his gaze to her. “Only because I know it bothers you.” His first real lie but she did not react. “Are you concerned about his conditioning?”
“Now more than ever,” she said. Some of her darkness returned. “Eddie is a favorite. I
value his leadership. If she toys with his conditioning, I may get desperate. I may need to set an example.”
“Understood,” Adam said without hesitation.
The edge in her voice was back. “Do I trust you Adam?”
“No,” he said. “You do not.”
“So what must you do?”
“Never give you a reason to doubt.”
“Precisely.” Her tone grated like nails on a chalkboard and once again the wolves whined and the ice returned to his spine. .
But then Abigail blinked and lifted her gray eyes to his once again. “Adam?”
He stiffened slightly. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Miranda will cook for us. After she returns my wine. Call her and inform her she has roughly five seconds to get down here or I’ll give your Charlie a different target.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Pernicious little cunt, that one,” Abigail muttered as she went back to her flowers after she adjusted her hat. “And Adam? You are standing in the sun. Only an idiot would stand out in the sun. Get under the awning.”
“Of course,” he said and stepped into the shade.
