MEYER, STAN.
Stan held his notepad close to his chest as he half strode, half stumbled across the forests of Devil’s Knot. In truth, he had minimal thoughts regarding Brian. By the time he came to town, he had been around only a few months before the disappearance. The teacher had limited relation to the place itself, let alone one of its residents. But, it seemed to be the right thing to at least look like he cared, regardless of the truth of the matter. That and well, there was something about the feeling of a search party that intrigued him. The air felt palpable with emotions, as groups of roving searchers strode around their movements laced with a fervent belief that they would find something of use. However, as time went by, legs slowed, sighs multiplied, and the eyes that had been burning with fire and conviction were dying into the smouldering remains of doubt.
As he peered out at the groupings, his dark eyes squinted and he bit his lip like an artist capturing a frame, though instead of drawing, he was jotting down notes with the fervour of a madman. Words, expressions, remarks on the location and atmosphere, all the tools for an author to paint their masterpiece. It was a long shot, but it seemed prudent to use this time not only to develop a well-meaning public persona but perhaps dredge up a new muse.
The teacher had purposely set out on his business alone, not wanting many questions on his motivations, so he couldn’t resist a low sigh when a voice called out to him. With a quick flash of movement, he went from a hunched over, peculiar-looking specimen to a straight, charming young man (or so he liked to think). A smile flashed over his lips as he drew his gaze towards the woman, corners of his eyes crinkling at her concerning remarks. He was sure he’d seen her before, around town, but he certainly knew little about her, nor her name.
“Ah…I appreciate the concern…but really, I’m quite alright, nothing I don’t expect around here.” He offers his words with a laugh and wave of the hand in polite dismissal, though the jumper he wore was of questionable quality and condition. His voice was surprisingly gentle and soft, and you could, should you know his job, quite easily see how he could enrapture youths to listen to him read stories for hours.
After a moment, he stepped into stride with the stranger, offering a handout. “Wouldn’t mind some company though, gets a little creepy walking around here alone…thinking about what sort of macabre things could happen. Name’s Stan Meyer, I work at the Highschool.”
Lisa took pride in all of the community engagement projects she partook in. She knew everyone, well, almost everyone. There was still people she knew of, but knew nothing about. Yet again, perhaps she knew no one considering someone she’d trusted had been convicted of a brutal murder. It made her question those around her; made her wonder if there were those who were still hiding unholy and unthinkable secrets. In her case, her damned sexuality was something she hid. If anyone found out, she wondered what it would mean for her career, or if it would matter at all. Still, the odds were stacked against her and she wasn’t willing to take that chance.
With every step she took, Lisa spoke a silent prayer. If she found something, or if anyone else found something, things would get bad. People would panic, that much she assumed, regardless of what was found. It was terrifying to think about, but they needed to uncover something. Anything would be better than searching all day to find nothing. At least, that was her opinion on things. If they found nothing, it meant that Brian could still, no, it meant that Brian was still alive. There could be no if’s, only certainties. Brian Goode was alive and would be found. End of story.
“I’m just checking in with everyone. I can’t have anyone pushing too hard. It’s looking like we’re going to be back out here soon enough.” The sun was getting close to setting and if they didn’t find anything by dark, they’d have to call it a night for everyone’s safety. It would only get colder and the human body just couldn’t take that kind of beating.
“Lisa Ramirez. I run community engagement around here and I’m running head on this whole thing,” she shrugged, not wanting to brag it. “Never knew a liaison in this town could be so busy. It’s not all it’s cut out to be.” It’d been fine before the disappearance, but no one was to blame for that... yet. “I take it you’ve heard about what happened in these woods a few years ago.”
















