an amateur jack of all trades

Natalia nodded, reaching to touch his forearm, rubbing it gently. “Thank you.”, she doubted he’d stay out of trouble but maybe she was wrong. “We have enough people getting hurt as it is.”, she let go of him and stepped forward. “Now, we need to clean this place.”, she hadn’t even checked the time. Oh, right, she didn’t have her phone w-

It was there. Right there. A couple inches away from her, on top of the counter, where she’d been sitting earlier. How? Natalia approached the device, picking it up carefully as if it was made out of glass and pressed the home button. The screen lit up, battery was as she’d left it. “What t-”, she turned on her heel and stared at Gerald. “Did you see my phone here? Did you put it here? Because I don’t remember… Putting it…”, she kept looking around while speaking. “…anywhere.”, after a couple of seconds of staring at the phone, she put back into her pocket, checking after she did this time.

Gerald was surprised to feel Natalia’s hand on his arm. He looked over at her and smiled a small though genuine smile. Staying under her radar and keeping to himself was going to be more difficult than he’d originally anticipated.

Her question brought him to back to reality, his forehead creasing as he turned around to look at the counter where her phone had just been. “I didn’t put it there, I swear. I hadn’t seen it at all until now.”

docward-blog1

Andrew opened his mouth various times to speak but ended up closing it again due to lack of words. Gerald seemed dead serious, he’d never seen the man so serious in his life. He was going to retort but then he explained the picture and after Andrew saw what he was describing, he couldn’t unsee it no more. Kind of those optical illusions where you only see one shape but then see both and you can’t go back to seeing only one. There was silence.

He adjusted his glasses, looked at Gerald, stared at the picture for a couple of seconds, looked up at Gerald again then at the photo before he put it down. “…wow.”, he took the glasses off and rubbed the space between his eyes. “I suppose the police doesn’t know about this and for good reason, they’d never believe you.”, he realized how that sounded. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them, you have my word.”, Andrew put his glasses back on and stared at Gerald. “So, you have these pictures and the memory of whatever you saw. What’s your next step? What are you planning to do with this information and most importantly, who knows about this besides me?”

A sigh of relief escaped from Gerald’s lips at Andrew’s response. “It’s just you, you’re the only one who knows what I saw.” He hesitated momentarily, regretting his previous lapse in judgment. “And there a few other people who knew I went into the woods... but that’s all they know. You were the only person I felt I could really trust with... well, what happened.” Gerry supposed he could have been more careful when it came to talking about his investigation. He was only trying to get information from those close to the case, but the last thing he needed was to incriminate himself in any way, even if he was perfectly innocent.

“There’s something else,” Gerald admitted, his voice thick with regret. “I have this tape recorder that I took into the woods with me, again, in an attempt to capture something you couldn’t otherwise hear and when I saw that thing I...” he sighed, eyes downcast. “I dropped it. It’s in the woods somewhere. And I’m convinced that if I had that tape recorder I’d have more conclusive evidence of something being out there.”

#c: andrew

“My opinion on that still stands, Mr. Porter.”, she gave him a pointed look though she had a small smirk on her lips, shaking her head. “It’s not your job and ‘willing to do whatever I can’ sounds promising in a very bad way. You didn’t even leave this diner and got yourself injured, imagine if you stepped out there.”, she looked through the windows, first ahead then at the woods. “I’d rather if you didn’t and I say this as a…”, she paused because she didn’t know if they could be considered friends. “A person who cares enough to know it’ll get you into trouble. Besides, if anyone from the search and rescue team or the police department finds you, you could be arrested for trespassing.”, she didn’t doubt that Gerald was handy enough to sneak his way out of trouble or into it but she knew how Marcus was.

Gerald’s gaze followed her’s out the broken window towards the woods and his smile faded. Her words made sense to him and yet something inside him urged him not to listen to her. He knew that she was looking out for him, but this was something he knew he had to do. If he had to do it behind her back, he would. He returned his attention to her, just staring at her for a moment, silent. He felt this inexplicable need to be liked by her. Or even just to be close to her. But that was something he would sacrifice in order to figure out what was happening in Elkridge Hollow and put a stop to it.

Gerald smiled somewhat sadly, just watching her, standing there beside him as they leaned against the counter. For some reason this felt like a goodbye, and in some ways it kind of was. He knew that they probably wouldn’t share another moment like this one, not any time soon at least. Her calling him Mr. Porter was already the beginning of the end for the Natalia and Gerry that had held each other on the kitchen floor, terrified for their lives, or the Natalia and Gerry that had met each other on the front steps of the diner just moments ago.

“Alright,” he said after awhile, his gaze dropping to the floor, afraid his eyes may give him away. “I’ll stay out of trouble.” It was a bold faced lie and he knew Natalia was smart enough to see through it, but he didn’t want her to fight him on this anymore. This chapter of their relationship - however you would describe what they had - was closed, and Gerry didn’t want Natalia to worry about him anymore.

lucasofcontrol

Lucas stifled the sigh that wanted to escape his throat; this was forever his fate, doomed to tell about his oh so exciting life that he had to leave behind. “I am an archaeologist slash treasure hunter. Or I was, rather. So yeah, I guess you could say I’m into history.”

“A proper Indiana Jones type, huh?” Gerry picked up on a slight hint of regret in his voice and decided he probably shouldn’t ask too many questions. “Well if that’s what you were, what are you know?” he asked conversationally.

#c: lucas

Natalia nodded a couple of times before she noticed he was cold. Right. Made sense. Eyes analyzed the surroundings carefully before she moved to open a door next to the kitchen. Storage? Either way, there was a hanger with coats. Also a couple of shirts. She grabbed the black one, not because of the color though that would’ve been the case in other situation, but because it seemed to be the largest. “I’m sure they won’t mind if you explain you got injured.”, she said while walking in his direction, giving in the shirt. “Hopefully it fits.”, she leaned against the counter next to him, crossing her arms after taking the jacket off his shoulders.

“We are. I hope. I don’t know anymore.”, she stared at the floor, remembering how the kitchen floor was still covered with blood. “You’re right. I’m a shit detective.”, she admitted. It hurt her ego but he’d said it earlier and she realized it now. “I thought of asking to be transferred, you know?”, she wasn’t sure why she was telling him this but after what they’d been through, this was the least of her worries - being honest. “But I feel like that’s not who I am. I’m not a coward. That’s not how I was raised, I was raised to face trouble, to fix it, not run from it.”, she rubbed her arm, still staring at the floor. “The thing is, I don’t think I can fix this.”

Gerald nodded gratefully and pulled the shirt on over his head, careful not to irritate his injury in the process. The shirt was a little small, hugging his chest a little close and coming up a bit short on him, but it would do for now. “Thanks,” he said. “For the jacket and for finding the shirt.” He noted that Natalia was pretty thoughtful, even if that came from her job to protect and serve. He decided she was good at it.

“I said that?” He looked away, ashamed. “I didn’t mean that I was just angry.” He looked at her then, a small but friendly smile on his lips. “I think we can both agree that we didn’t start things off on the greatest of terms, all things considered.” He nodded quietly as he listened to her, his expression open, understanding. “I don’t think this is something that anyone expects you to fix on your own, Natalia. This isn’t an easy fix in the slightest. And you know, I’ve had my doubts but...” He frowned slightly, falling quiet. He wanted to tell her he believed she was doing her best. And maybe that was the case, but as much as he wanted to trust her, he couldn’t be sure. “You have a whole team behind you. And you’ve got me on the sidelines, willing to do whatever I can to figure this out. You don’t have to go it alone, you know?”

merrickrush

Merrick had to think about that idea for a moment before she regained the capability of conversation. While she was sure that something weird was going on, outright saying ‘supernatural’ did not feel aloud. “Oh, okay. At least that’s easier than looking for nothing in particular and hoping for the best.” That had been the original plan, after all. “Not cheering thoughts to have in a lonely diner, though.”

Gerry smiled sheepishly, looking away. “I’m sorry if that was a little... I didn’t mean to upset you. I just think that it’s important to consider all of the possibilities, you know?” He smiled somewhat sympathetically. “I’m here alone with my thoughts in this diner a lot of the time so I guess I’ve just gotten used to them.”

#c: merrick

alyssawxrd

“Alright, alright.” Aly put up her hands in surrender, she obviously wasn’t going to get much more out of the waiter that she adored. “But I’m serious. Something happens to you and you’re getting a swift kick to the shin. I need people to serve me pie and you’re the best at it.” She dug in with her spoon and smiled in return. “Question. If I marry you, do I get endless pie? I just need to know what my options are here.”

“I’ll be as careful as I can be,” he promised her. “Scout’s honor.” He gave her the salute along with a wide grin. He knew that Alyssa was genuinely concerned for him, which he did appreciate, but he didn’t want to worry her with his investigation. She was a sweet girl who deserved the best, and he didn’t like it when she worried. He laughed then, shaking his head at her. “Is that a proposal? Or are you only interested if the pie is free?”

#c: alyssa

docward-blog1

Andrew hadn’t really questioned why Gerald wanted to meet with him so urgently. In his head, it was going to be a regular chill time as always but then the location threw him off. The library? Okay. Andrew sat there, looking at the time. He had the day off and wanted to run a few errands, maybe spend some time with his chinchilla unless his sister had decided to kidnap her as al-

“Gerry.”, he gave a smile, shaking his hand. Something was off, Gerald seemed… different? Not physically, but his attitude. “Okay.”, he nodded, sitting back, adjusting his glasses when Gerald pulled out a bunch of pictures. “What are th-”, he was interrupted by the man and he looked up suddenly, both eyes wide open in shock. “You did w-”, he noticed he was speaking too loud. “You did what?!”, he yelled in a whisper but his eyebrows hung low over his eyes the moment Gerald said he’d seen something. “What? What do you mean?”, eyes moved back down to the pictures. They were dark but it was obvious they had been taken in the woods. “Care to elaborate? Some context? What the Hell, Gerald?!”, he picked up one of the pictures and examined it. “What is that?”, he pointed to a corner. “Is that your finger in front of the lens?”

#c: andrew #gerry's just like i s2g i am not kidding you right now #srs biznezz

“Shh shh shh, calm down,” Gerald urged him, eyes darting around the library for any onlookers who may be within earshot. He settled in his chair, leaning in a little closer, his voice almost a whisper. “Remember when we were talking in the diner a few days ago? About what’s been going on around town? Well I wasn’t convinced there was any scientific answer, so I took it upon myself to...” Gerry hesitated momentarily, looking away and pressing his lips together. Andrew’s reaction made him feel a little uneasy. What if he went to the police after all? What would Gerry do then? He sighed, flipping through his photographs, looking for a specific shot. “Investigate. I’m investigating the situation on my own time.”

Gerry continued speaking at a relatively quick pace, wanting Andrew to hear him out before he asked any questions. “In my research, I discovered that you can capture certain abnormalities or paranormal spirits on film that you wouldn’t otherwise see. So I went into the woods and took some photos. You can see right here,” he explained, pointing to the strange looking orb Andrew had been pointing to in the photo he was holding, “an orb of light. That is a spirit orb, the kind of thing you can only really capture on film.” He debated whether or not to mention the tape recorder which was still lost somewhere in the woods. He decided against it.

“I got pretty deep into the woods and I was all by myself. I wasn’t paying attention to how far in I was and then...” Gerry shuttered slightly at the memory. “Well I saw this like... shadowy figure. Kind of like the one some of the resident’s have been describing. This tall thing that looked like it didn’t have a face.” He handed Andrew a blurry snapshot that looked like it had been taken from a lower angle. “I tripped, so the photo didn’t turn out like I would have like but in that corner there,” he said, pointing. “Right there. See it?” In the upper right hand corner, the camera’s flash had caught something that resembled a tall figure, though it was unclear if it really resembled what had been described or if it was just a tree or some sort of overgrowth. “It’s not a great photo, I know, and it’s not conclusive proof in the least but believe me when I tell you Andrew, I saw it with my own two eyes.” Gerry’s face was gravely serious, though his heart was racing, anxious about how Andrew may respond. He hoped beyond hoped he would be willing to listen to him, be open minded. “I know what I saw.”

Natalia felt his hand on her back but didn’t move. There really was no point in doing the usual straighten your back, pretend you’re fine. She was glad it was him and not one of her partners, she had to keep herself together for them, this wasn’t about her, it was about the people. She wiped her face and nodded, his words helping her to the point where she could at least breathe properly. She turned to look at him but her expression changed immediately. “My God, Gerald, you’re going to freeze.”, he recovery was quick as usual. She took her jacket off and put it around his shoulders even though it was way too small for him. She felt the cold against her skin, she wasn’t wearing anything but a top underneath it but she wasn’t too cold. “I had a moment, it happens sometimes, but thank you.”, she gave him a small smile and got up, helping him as well and walking back into the diner. “You’re right though, it’s wrong to hide evidence. I just-I don’t know what happened.”, she said after closing the door, leaning her back against it. “We should get you some clothes though.”, she stared at his chest but quickly moved her eyes up at his face.

#c: natalia #i have a limited supply of shirtless gifs but i WILL use them while i can!

Gerald pulled Natalia’s small jacket around his shoulders the best he could, though it did very little to protect him from the cold. He smiled appreciatively anyway. “Thanks.” He followed her back inside, keeping a watchful eye on her. He could tell that she had been really upset, but now she was playing it off as if it weren’t that big a deal. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked her, leaning against the counter across from here, still trying to keep her jacket around his broad shoulders, shivering a little. He understood why she was afraid of coming clean.

This whole situation put her in a place that she didn’t seem comfortable with. She was deeply uncertain of what they had seen and heard, and while Gerald didn’t think it was some elaborate prank or a simple botched break in, he wasn’t going to push her. She clearly needed time to process things and was not one who was quick to jump to the paranormal, as he was.

“I know that what happened... I mean we really don’t know... and that can be kind of terrifying. And it looks bad, I know but... We’re doing the right thing. Aren’t we?” he asked then, suddenly not too sure himself. I mean this looked pretty bad. He definitely didn’t trust the police to believe their story. He shrugged his shoulders slightly, causing the jacket to bunch up around his neck. “Clothes, that sounds like a good idea.”

Natalia could feel the judgement. She could almost hear his thoughts and she felt ten times worse than before. She felt her eyes burning and didn’t say anything as he walked away to get the… what had he said? Mop? Yeah, made sense. She scratched her head and simply stood there. She tried so hard to focus on one thing but her brain was running at the speed of light and she felt anxious, like she couldn’t breathe. Without thinking twice, she stormed out of the kitchen, headed for the front door, not even nothing how it wasn’t locked anymore. She sat down on the front stairs and took one breath. Two breaths. Three breaths. Closed her eyes, put her head between both hands, staring at the snow beneath her feet.

You fucked up, Natalia, you fucked up real good, she thought to herself. She didn’t think about how the killer could be out still, she didn’t consider she was leaving Gerald inside alone with an injury, she couldn’t think straight. In that moment, it was her, her thoughts and the cold, freezing her fingertips and numbing the pain in her hand. The tears came unexpectedly. For months, she hadn’t cried once, not when the kids had disappeared or when they’d found that little girls’ bloody pajamas. She remembered her parents faces, the cries of her mother and she was suddenly gripping the front of her shirt, as if that would help the pain in her chest.

Just as Gerald returned from the closet with the mop and bucket, he heard the front door close. He frowned, trying to figure out how that could be when it had been locked before. He felt a sudden stab of panic at the thought of someone else being in the diner with him and Natalia. He abandoned the mop and made his way quickly into the kitchen to find her. She was gone. Despite the pain in his side, he jogged through the diner to the front door, opening it clumsily in an attempt to find Natalia as quickly as possible.

He almost fell over her on the stairs, stopping himself just in time. He was quiet for a moment, his eyes on her back. Her shoulders were drawn in and tense, her small body shaking. Gerald carefully knelt beside her on the stair, not sure what to do. He was afraid to touch her, worrying she’d push him away or that the gesture would just upset her further. He chewed on his lower lip, his anger having melted away, though the rest of him was freezing. He realized only then that he still wasn’t wearing a shirt, his abandoned on the kitchen floor, soaked with blood.

Gerry placed a hand on the small of her back, as gently as he possibly could. He realized then she was crying, her tiny body shaking and drawn in on itself, her hands clutching at her chest. “Hey,” he murmured, leaning in a little closer. “Take some deep breaths okay? You’re gonna be okay, we’re going to clean up that mess in there and everything is going to be fine.” He rubbed her back, his hand moving in slow deliberate circles. “Just breathe, okay?”

Natalia bit her lip and bent down slightly, taking deep breaths. It was the type of pain that made your stomach twist and turn but it quickly started to fade. She watched as wrapped her hand up, he was actually quite handy with it which surprised her. She was surprised by everything she’d seen of him this night and she deeply regretted snapping out at him earlier. Of course, questions.

“Gracias.”, she moved her fingers only slightly to break the bandage a little. “I don’t know. I don’t know what happened.”, she looked back at where they’d been sitting earlier and saw the pool of blood. “But right now, we need to get rid of evidence.”, it felt so wrong to say that. “You wanted to do detective’s work? Then help me. Nobody can know what really happened here.”, she knew the questions were coming but she kept her tone calm even though her words were hectic. “Before you ask why, look at us, Gerald.”, she stopped in front of him. “Now look around us. My hand is injured.”, she put her hand up. “A gash on the palm is usually a sign of self defense and I know the window is broken but they’ll ask us why I broke it in the first place. Then yes, we can tell the truth and say we were locked inside and the lights went out but then they’re gonna ask me why I didn’t call for back-up. I’ll say I didn’t have my phone and you didn’t either. I always have my phone. So it’s-”, she felt the panic coming again. “I don’t want them to think you’re in any way related to the crimes. Or me. They’ll ask what I saw and I don’t know. But whatever happened here… I don’t know if it was a prank but if it was, congrats to whoever did it.”

#c: natalia #oh noooooo #he was just getting to trust her!!

Gerald stared at her in surprise. That was about the last thing he imagined she’d say. He looked at the pool of blood on the floor before returning his gaze to her, quiet for a moment before shaking his head. This wasn’t right. He knew that she was doing this in an effort to protect the both of them, but it made him genuinely questions her ethics, as well as the police department’s. “You’re telling me we’re just going to clean all this up... and we aren’t going to talk unless they ask questions?” He felt like this decision somehow confirmed what he had always believed. If she was covering this up, what other information was the police department burying for the sake of appearances? And shouldn’t the crime scene (if you could really even call it that) be investigated if there really was a break in? Couldn’t that be related to the case?

But then Gerry remembered the conversation they had earlier that evening. Natalia had accused him of somehow being related to the crime for no reason other than his distrust of the police and his proximity to the woods. He looked around them again at the mess they had made, knowing it was worse in the dining area. He was screwed. And so was she. He couldn’t afford to trust anyone to understand what had taken place here. And so he sighed, his shoulders tense and jaw squared. He looked at her, his gaze having grown a little colder. “I’ll get the mop.”

“You’re welcome.”, she gave a short smile, moving to put things back before he got a grip of her wrist. “I’ve had worse happen to me.”, she admitted, remembering that one time she’d broken a couple of ribs back in Columbia or when she’d stepped on a nail. Her pain tolerance was high and she was proud of that but damn, her hand really hurt. “I should probably treat it though.”, she mused and put the things down on the sink in front of them, unwrapping her hand. That alone hurt more than she’d anticipated, the bandage pulled on her skin as she removed it. She exhaled, her jaw clenching slightly as she gripped the bottle of betadine. “Can you do it for me, please? I’m afraid I’d make a mess and this place is already a mess as it is, we need to clean it.”, she handed him the bottle, holding out her hand as open as she could over the sink. “Go for it, don’t be afraid.”, as she looked down at her palm, she was sure she’d need stitches though she was praying she didn’t, it was her right hand and she needed it.

Gerry took the bottle from her, taking her hand gingerly in his and holding it over the sink. He poured the alcohol slowly over the wound, washing the blood away. The bleeding had slowed, but it hadn’t stopped. He applied pressure to the wound, glancing up at her to gauge her reaction. She was tough, that was for sure. He continued to dress her wound quietly, glancing up at her every few seconds to make sure she was doing okay. “So are we gonna talk about what happened?” he asked as he finished bandaging her hand.