A dark storm is coming

[Lady Jenn]

Tom Drake woke with an irritable grunt as his usual 7am alarm burst into irritatingly chirpy life. The only reason he even got up this early was the knowledge the station would not open till early afternoon without him. He dressed, heading downstairs to make himself breakfast and a coffee. As he ate his phone suddenly rang, it was Dembski, the local pathologist.

"Tom, you're going to want to come down to the forest," Dembski said when he answered. "We've got another murder."

"I'm sure one of the deputies can deal with this," Tom replied between mouthfuls. "I've got admin to do this morning."

"You don't understand Tom," Dembski said. "This isn't just a murder, I think we have a serial killer on our hands."

[komurasaki]

Faith found herself yet again looking at old new reports and trying to brain storm new ideas to present to her boss. As a newbie on the job she was still being overshadowed by the others. She heard the police scanner buzzing about a body being found. "Now that could be a really story.." she said aloud to herself as she picked up her pad and pen before rushing out the door. Being new to town she wasn't sure where exactly this forest was but she hailed a taxi and he understood where she wanted him to take her.
After paying the fair she got out to find a swarm of activity and a police line that she causally walked up to and looked around. Trying to find someone who would talk to her and maybe give her the upper hand for a good story to report on.

[Lady Jenn]

"Can you give me any good clues?" Tom asked Dembski as he looked around the body, that had been covered by a cloth.

"She died the same way the other girls did," Dembski replied. "Beyond that I'll have to get her to the morgue to do a post-mortem to tell you more. Sorry Tom."

"That's fine," Tom said, getting up and walking away and finding himself confronted with the journalist, swearing under his breath. "Faith, you realise how much trouble you could get in for that police scanner we all know you have?" he said, flashing a wry grin. "You really think my response is gonna be anything other than 'You'll know more than we do'?"

[komurasaki]

Faith looked on him and his wiry grin for a moment before answering, "Please detective, can you give me any insight about what's going on here. The citizens of this town are going to want answers." Taking a step closer she tried to see if she could discover anything about the body laying under they cloth.

[Lady Jenn]

"I'm well aware the town is worried," he replied, trying to remain calm. "At least give us a chance to tell the family before you start speculating to the press about who's doing this?"

"Tom," Dembski suddenly said, his voice taking on a suddenly shaken tone. "You'd better meet me at the morgue. We've got a...we've got a problem."

"Go ahead," Tom replied as the body was carried to an ambulance. "I'm gonna have to go, if you're that desperate for an official statement you follow me to the morgue, but only if you're gonna keep your mouth shut till I say so." With that he jumped into his car and sped off towards the morgue.

[komurasaki]

Watching him speed away in his car, Faith took a quick look around before calling for a cab. "If only I had my own car.." She muttered to herself as she waited.
Upon arriving at the morgue she paid the fair and went inside looking for Tom.

[Lady Jenn]

"Calm down Dembski," Tom said as the pathologist was pacing back and forth, neither caring to check whether Faith had entered the room yet. "Take a breath, tell me exactly what you've found."

"Remember I couldn't identify the murder weapon?" the pathologist asked.

"I remember searching for weeks for a knife that matched it, sure."

"Yeah, well it turns out it's not a knife we're looking for," Dembski said, pinning a picture of the latest victim on the wall. It was an arm covered in scratches. "I may not be a vet but I should've spotted claw marks a mile off."

"So we've got a wild animal loose in the forest?" Tom asked.

"If we do I want to meet this critter," Dembski replied. "I'll double check the database but I can't find anything that remotely matches those marks, certainly not that would be found anywhere around these parts. I've seen fully grown male lions with smaller claws than this thing apparently has."

[komurasaki]

After searching a few rooms with no luck Faith finally asked a stranger in the hall for directions to find Tom and Demboski. Entering the room slowly she only heard the last of of Dembski's sentence. "Theirs a lion on the loose?" She ask half confused and half bewildered. "You should probably call the zoo and make sure they didn't loose one." She scribbled down a few notes in her handy little notepad before putting it away in her back pocket and looking up at Tom.

[Lady Jenn]

"I left a message for the head zookeeper just in case," Dembski said. "If it's a lion we'll know soon."

"Dembski, I've known you long enough to know when you're having doubts," Tom said. "What's wrong?"

"Let's just assume we have a lion with monster claws loose in the forest," Dembski said with a sigh. "We have three girls found dead in the same forest, months apart, with the same wounds. If there was a lion running around for that long either someone would've seen it or the zoo would've tipped you off it keeps breaking loose. And then there's the footprints."

"Wait, the WHAT?" Tom said, turning around just as he had been about to speak to Faith.

"These," the pathologist said, putting up another photograph. It showed ground around the body with large footprints which looked almost human...except for the presence of claws where the toes should be. "They've been found at every murder location, it's only now I realised there were scratch marks I've thought they might be important."

[komurasaki]

Letting out a little chuckle Faith looked at all three of them before saying. "You have got to be kidding me.. Human animal hybred footprints.. Someone is playing a sick prank.."

[Lady Jenn]

"That was my assumption to," Dembski said. "Hell, I've worked in this town long enough to assume anything questionable is probably bored teenagers lashing out."

"So if you're saying it's not there's something you're not telling us," Tom said insistently.

"It's the other reason I don't think this is a lion," Dembski replied. "I got a phonecall from the Feds about the case."

"It's a serial killer," Tom said with a chuckle. "That's not THAT uncommon."

"Tom, they phoned after the FIRST killing," Dembski said with a sigh. "They were giving me twenty questions on what you'd found, when I suggested if they were so interested they come and help they said they were busy but that I should keep them up-to-date. It was an official number but I've not passed stuff on to them cos something didn't feel right."

[komurasaki]

Faith listened to them talk and wrote down a few notes. "Well if the Feds are so interested in this case what does that exactly mean?" She pondered while looking at Tom and Dembski.

[Lady Jenn]

"Feds don't get interested in stuff around here," Tom replied, scratching his chin. "The nearest army base is half a county away and this is the first serial killer in most people's living memory. If they're involved they know something we don't."

"I might have a lead though," Dembski said. "It's a long shot, but judging from where she was found there's a CHANCE local CCTV might've caught something. The old car repair shop isn't far from where she was found."

[komurasaki]

"Okay so thinking out load here, if the Fed are interested why didn't they want to come by and oversee this case and help out in the investigation?" She scribbled down a few more notes before looking at Tom and saying, "This just doesn't make much sense.. But I'm going with you to the repair shop."

[Lady Jenn]

"Y'know, there is another possibility..." Dembski mused under his breath. "But nevermind, I'm letting stupid conspiracy theorists get me carried away. I'll call if I find any more information."

"You'd better be careful following me around," Tom said to Faith with a smirk. "People might start talking if they see us hanging around." He led her out to where his car was parked. "I'll meet you at the repair shop, me and the owner are old friends so at least he'll be co-operative."

[komurasaki]

Fallowing Tom out to his car Faith couldn't help but to smile at Tom. Her first big story and it was turning out to be filled with so many possibilities. "Hey Tom.." She said shyly, "Could I get a ride with you, I'm getting tired of paying a cab fair for the day." She didn't look at him and feared he might say no.

[Lady Jenn]

"Fine," he said with what was supposed to be a sigh but ended up sounding more like a chuckle. He pulled out, driving a road he knew almost like the back of his hand at this point. They reached the shop, which was almost deserted, other than one rather battered looking car from beneath which emerged a pair of oil-stained trousers. "Oi, Skip," Tom said, leaning on the back of the car. "We need your CCTV tapes from the last week."

"I told the others I don't care what you say," came the gruff response. "You ain't got a warrant, you're not seeing the tapes."

"Skip, yo-Wait, what do you mean 'the others'?" Tom asked, dragging the trolley from under the car and revealing a man not much older than Faith.

"Oh, Tom," Skip said, turning red with embarrassment. "I didn't recognise your voice. I had Feds coming through here, claimed there was a drug smuggler around here. Minute I mentioned a warrant they looked like they'd seen ghosts and left without another word. You though, you can see the tapes. I think you'll find them...interesting."

"This stinks," Tom said to Faith. "If these are Feds they aren't acting anything like you'd expect them to."

[komurasaki]

Excitedly Faith got into the passengers seat and watched out the window as they drove down the road. Stepping out of the car and looking around the lot that look deserted she fallowed Tom closely and listed to Tom and Skip's conversation silently while taking notes.

"Why would the Feds come asking for tapes without a warrant?" She mindlessly as Tom, "I'm starting to think they might not be Feds at all but someone trying to cover these murders up.."

[Lady Jenn]

"There are two possibilities," Tom replied, scratching his chin. "These guys aren't Feds and hoped people would just take their word for it, or...they are Feds, but they don't want anyone asking awkward questions about what they're investigating."

"Here you go," Skip said, coming back in with the tape and putting it in the player. "Most of it's pretty standard stuff for the town, but two nights ago this happens." He paused on a shot of what was unmistakably the dead girl walking past the closed shop.

"So?" Tom asked, confused. "We knew she was going this way already, this isn't new information."

"It's the next shot that will interest you," Skip said, moving the shot forward slightly. The woman had barely moved, but now, stood behind her, was a figure that looked vaguely human but whose face appeared skeletal and not like anything he'd seen before, with claws visible at the bottom of the screen. "I've seen some weird shit in my life but THIS is new."

"Oh hell.." Tom said under his breath. "That might just be good make-up...but whatever it is I don't think the zoo is gonna be much use."

[komurasaki]

Faith listened to Tom quietly as they waited for Skip to bring back the tape. "You know this is all really confusing.." She stated as skip can back. She watched the tap in shock as the figure appeared behind her. with a slightly chuckle she spoke without thinking, "Zombie apocalypse is starti.."

She quickly closed her mouth and blushed. "Sorry.." She mumbled as she looked away. Embarrassed about her outburst. She fiddled with her pen and note book while waiting for Tom to say something, or even tell her to go home.

[Lady Jenn]

"We'd better get back to the crime scene," Tom said after a few moments of silence. "We need to know what we're dealing with here, maybe we can find clues to help Dembski. Skip, you know most of the town right?"

"Well, my mum is said to be the town gossip," Skip replied with a chuckle. "But yeah, I do thanks to her. Why?"

"These Feds know something we don't," Tom replied. "If they ask anyone else questions I want to be the first to know, until they tell me otherwise I'm gonna treat this as my case. I'll be back in a second Faith, then I'll drive you to the forest."

"So," Skip said, moving back towards the car. "You two make a cute couple."

[komurasaki]

"Okay." She told Tom as he left. She was glad he would drive her around and wondered just how long it would last before he would get fed up with her tailing behind him.

Skips statement was a surprise to her and she couldn't help but to blush. "We.. We.. aren't a couple.." She mumbled to him. She had never thought someone would have accused them of being together before now. Was this even a good idea? "I'm just taking notes for the local paper.." She added hoping he wouldn't ask to many more questions on the subject.

[Lady Jenn]

"Sure you are," Skip said, rolling his eyes and letting out a chuckle which died on his lips as Tom entered the room. He returned to working on the car, flashing a smirk in Faith's direction.

"What was all that about?" Tom asked as he walked her back to his car. "I feel like I walked into the middle of a conversation back there."

[komurasaki]

Faith shot him a look of distaste as he went back to his work. Fallowing Tom back to his car she shook her head at him. "It's nothing.." She couldn't help but to blush again as she got into the passengers seat.

"So.." She began obviously wanting a change in subject, "What are you thinking Tom? Did you miss something at the crime scene?"

[Lady Jenn]

"I'm not sure," Tom replied. "We may have done, after all we didn't know what we were looking for when we were first on the scene."

He pulled away from the shop, glancing in the mirror and noticing a car parked at a café not far down the road.

"These Feds obviously think they're dealing with your typical country sherriff," he said with a wry laugh. "Just cos they use unmarked cars doesn't mean they don't stand out like a sore thumb if you know what to look for."