Chapter 8

If you could look outside their house now, perhaps soaring over it in a balloon, you could look down on their own little quarter of neighborhood, with their well cut lawns, and nice looking houses, all in discrete similar colors, each one with their own little carport. Side by side in never ending rows of self satisfied middleclass serenity. A suburban wet dream came true you might say. All trusting to that this was the only way it could be, and always had been.

Raising higher, expanding your view you would slowly see the little town come into perspective, materializing under your eyes, with its rich and poor quarters, its small industrial zone and its malls. But, if lifting your eyes, you might also notice the darkness building around the town.

That wall of darkness isolating it, as if the town now found itself resting inside the black eye of a hurricane, staring down on them, judging them mercilessly. And if you listened real hard you might even hear that particular darkness ripening, vibrating, like immense power lines curled, slowly constricting the town, raring to unleash their raw power.

Mrs. Andersen living next doors to Katrine was the one that saw them first. Although dressed like humans there was something to the way they walked she though, when getting out of that non descriptive car, its discreet colors blending in with the asphalt making it all an indescribable grey.

Something indefinable and quietly disturbing with the way they looked around, whipping their heads around almost snakelike in their movements. And then there was also the way the smaller man constantly seemed to lick his mouth, his tongue fluttering in and out as if tasting the air.

They were both dressed in dark business suits, white shirts and blazingly red ties. Their polarized sunglasses, effectively hiding their eyes, reflected a weak light, making Mrs. Andersen feel as if she was staring into empty pools of darkness as they looked at her, while the taller man presented himself.

"Ah, so pleased to meet you Madam. My name." Presenting his visit card with a elegant gesture. She looked down on the immaculately engraved card. It was red, with the letters made out in an electrical blue, making it quite hard to read. 'Damien O. A. Faustier. Certified Investigator' And in larger letters 'TLOD.'

Now the smaller man opened his mouth showing their pearly white small teeth, not unlike a rodents.

"Eliah madam." Bowing stiffly.

"We are looking for a boy. A runaway in fact." Smiling at her, his incredibly white teeth as reefs, protruding out of his wetly red ocean.

"Perhaps you've seen him, perhaps you are the one that can help our inquiry?"

As she tried to smile back she couldn't help notice his leathery skin, drawn taut and smooth by some unremitting sun. As he stepped closer his skin seemed to be giving of a weak odor, reminiscent of a slowly mummifying corpse, not that she ever had been near any mummy. And as she felt herself slowly losing her grip on reality the man in that whispering cold voice, devoid of any emotional content, continued.

"We are so disappointed in him madam, disappointed indeed." his tongue flickering out, as if some tasty fly just passed by.

Now the taller man smiled too, also having those perfect gleaming teeth. Such ones that is so popular those days, not real of course, and yet realer than life itself. Flashing her that perfect goal of neatness and power every time the men smiled, trying to impress on her the same impression that their 'power suits' wanted to present.

"Yes brother Eliah, so right again, we are indeed looking for him. We are worried that he might come to hurt. We're working for the 'orphanage of the blessed saints', perhaps you've heard about us? Lots of good work madam, bringing the sheep's back. Let me present you a photo of the young man. We would be most pleased if there was any way you could help us?"

As she looked at the photo she saw a young boy, smiling. In the background she saw a car and a small house, with an overgrown lawn behind him filled with trees and flowers, 'summer' she thought, 'full summer'. She could also see a dark shadow falling at the side of him looking like some woman's, 'a dress?' she thought, 'his mother perhaps?'

"I'm sorry but I don't recognize him." She said curtly.

Vaguely apprehensive as she said it, cold shivers creeping up her spine as if they were blotting out the sun, just by mere appearance.

"Ah Madam, not as sorry as we, I assure you."

As she tried to give him the photo back he shook his head.

"No Madam, please keep it, no, I insist. On the back of it you will find a telephone number. If you would see him please contact us. His uncle would dearly want him back."

The smaller of them smiled, giving the illusion of a leathery mask suddenly splintering into thousands of small strands, each one trembling with a life of its own. Like thin brown maggots quivering, unable to crawl.

"Yes, we are also happy to inform that there is a matter of a gratification, isn't that so, dear brother."

"You are so right father Elias, and to a most substantial degree too, if I may add. For the one, or ones, locating and bringing our poor young sheep into the fold. Safely, that is, in the arms of his grieving uncle. Able to transform your deepest dreams madam, that amount. But now, alas, by your leave."

Both bowing, lifting their hats simultaneously.

As they left the sun slowly seemed to come to life again. She looked as they came to next house, unmoving as some mannequins while waiting for the front door to open. As the door did they magically seemed to come to life again, like some strange kind of automata winding themselves up by the doors motion.

She suddenly felt herself in dire need of a bath, or at least a shower, but in the end she contended herself with washing her hands. She also had a distinct feeling that she had seen that boy recently, or at least someone quite like him.

But it didn't really matter, all she knew was that those men were not out to help him, and that if she ever saw that boy, they would be the very last she would call on, reward or no reward.

Under the day everything seemed as usual, people rushing through their daily lives, acting as if everything was normal, but as the light waned and they slowed down? Nothing was as normal anymore. If you by some magic could have watched them, each and every one, in their homes? Well, you would have seen them gathering together, drawing strength from each other, the teenagers for once not needed to be told to behave.