At the ntion of it, the smile faded from Clarice's face. She rubbed her temples.
"Internal review. You know how it goes—long, ugly, and pointless. Still, our statents were airtight, and Chief Woody backed us up. Case is basically closed. Ruled self-defense."
"Good."
Luke nodded.
"Good? That's it?"
Clarice let out a heavy sigh.
"All our leads are dead. We dug into Shark Renovation's books—pure shell company. Those businessn we grabbed? Every single one of them dropped dead overnight in different locations. Sa cause—heart exploded. dical examiner found nothing."
Exactly what Woody had said.
This cult was bigger and far more twisted than either of them had imagined.
"Upper managent sealed the whole thing. They don't want to dig deeper. Afraid it'll shake the foundations of the country."
Clarice's voice carried a note of quiet defeat.
Luke stayed silent.
He understood the brass's caution, but sweeping the problem under the rug would only let it fester worse.
"So what's your next move?"
"They already gave a new assignnt—investigating a few weird murders."
Clarice's eyes sharpened again, that stubborn fire returning.
"I'm afraid I can't tag along with you." Luke spread his hands. "Chief Woody gave an extended vacation. I'm supposed to play forest ranger up north and let the heat die down."
"Forest ranger?" Clarice frowned. "Where?"
"A place called Crystal Lake."
Clarice finally cracked. She slumped forward onto the desk, face buried in her arms, voice muffled.
"Must be nice. I'd kill for a vacation right now."
Luke couldn't help laughing. He reached over and gave the top of her head two light pats.
"Haha. Well, I'm heading out. Still gotta pack."
Clarice suddenly lifted her head and spoke in a voice only Luke could hear.
"No matter who tries to stop , I'm going to keep digging."
Luke paused mid-step. He turned back, t her determined eyes, and gave her a small smile.
"Don't worry. too."
...
The next morning.
The pickup rolled steadily down the interstate.
Luke's mood had lightened with every mile.
Playing forest ranger in the boonies while wearing the badge sounded like a paid vacation.
The thought made his fingers itch.
Long drive, nothing else to do.
He kept one hand on the wheel and reached into the box on the back seat with the other, pulling out another unopened bottle of mineral water.
He set it on his lap and started reciting the verses he knew by heart, voice low.
A faint thread of psionic energy slid down his arm into the bottle.
[Holy Water Successfully Created]
[XP 3]
[Holy Water LV1 (6/1000)]
Still the sa tiny bump.
Luke clicked his tongue and decided to go all in. He grabbed every bottle in the truck—one after another—and turned the whole stock into holy water.
[Holy Water LV1 (156/1000)]
He glanced at the neat rows of ordinary-looking bottles stacked in the back—each one now a silent, deadly weapon—and nodded in satisfaction.
His ergency stash was ready.
As the miles ticked by, the scenery outside changed.
Skyscrapers gave way to endless fields and empty country roads.
Luke followed the crumpled flyer Woody had given him.
He passed through a sleepy little town, then turned onto a rutted dirt track.
At the entrance stood a weathered wooden sign, letters faded by years of rain and sun, written in an old-fashioned script:
Welco to Crystal Lake.
The road grew rougher, the trees thicker on both sides. The pickup handled the terrain like it was born for it.
Luke smiled. Aricans loved their trucks for a reason.
Just when he started wondering if he'd taken a wrong turn, a cluster of simple wooden cabins appeared through the trees.
Out front, a woman in a forest ranger uniform stood with one hand on her hip and an axe in the other, yelling at a group of kids chasing each other in circles.
Luke parked, climbed out, and walked over.
"Hey, I'm—"
The woman dropped the axe instantly, eyes lighting up as she rushed toward him.
"Thank God! You must be Luke. I'm Ethel—your partner for the next few months."
"Praise the Lord you showed up. I was about two minutes from feeding these little monsters to the bears."
Luke studied her.
Mid-twenties, healthy tan, simple ponytail, exhaustion written all over her face.
Woody's cousin's daughter.
He glanced around the rundown camp, then at the rowdy kids, and frowned.
"Why are there children here?"
Ethel looked miserable.
"This place has a bad reputation. Tourists stay away."
"The town still sends money every year, but they make us run a sumr camp for the kids during the season."
Luke stared at her, stunned.
"Daycare? These parents are either brave or desperate."
Ethel shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Crystal Lake's reputation took a hit, but the last real trouble was over ten years ago. At least there are adults watching them. For families who can't afford a babysitter, this is basically a resort."
Luke looked around again, still not believing it.
"You're here by yourself?"
"Used to have Uncle Ralph running the place, but sothing happened at his house about a week ago. No word since. Phone's been dead too."
Ethel brightened suddenly and shoved the axe into Luke's hands.
"Lucky you're here. We're short on firewood for the campfires. Big ti."
Before Luke could answer, a chubby little kid ran up, snapped to attention, and saluted.
"Boy Scout reporting for duty, sir!"
Luke laughed at the kid's serious face.
Spending a few weeks playing with children actually sounded pretty good.
At least people still ca here to camp. That ant the place was probably safe enough. No monsters or ghosts likely to show up and ruin his vacation.
He hefted the axe and headed for the woodpile.
He tested the weight, picked a thick log the size of a man's thigh, and swung.
Crack!
The log split clean in half.
The kids gasped.
Ethel watched the children swarm Luke, chattering and asking questions nonstop, and finally relaxed. She headed back to the cabin to start dinner.
Night fell fast.
After a big al, everyone gathered around the massive campfire Luke had spent two hours building.
The kids listened wide-eyed as Luke described life in the big city.
"Luke, do kids in the city have video gas at ho?"
"Sure do. My coworker plays every single day."
"Luke, can kids in the city read comic books whenever they want?"
"Absolutely. My coworker's got stacks of them."
"Luke, why did you co here?"
"No big reason. I was on a job, accidentally shot a few dozen people, and the boss told to co here and relax."
The kids burst out laughing.
"Haha! Luke, you're so funny!"
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