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Freddy will approach one of the military men in a cafe and strike up a conversation (cop talk) regarding his rifle. "Those old Mannlicher-Carcano rifles used to jam all of the time back in the war, glad to see you're getting some new hardware.." As the conversations goes on.. "Hey, we're looking around for a guy named Acuna. He's a bit of a lush, but we need some info from him. We think he might have been hired on by the cultural ministry. Any idea where we might find him?"
Freddy nods to Cora. "We'll eventually need to find passage into Ethiopia.. or Abyssinia.. or whatever. But I like the idea of stickin around here for a bit. We should get an idea of what we are gettin into once we cross that border." The PI looks around at their surroundings on the street. "Maybe we should take this conversation into a booth in one a these bars?"
Hey all, next week I'll be headed off to the Yucatan Peninsula in real life! Hopefully I will get to explore some Mayan ruins without the threat of being skewered by half illusory spears or shunted through time and space by an ancient frog being. Either way though, I'll try to snap some pictures and share them with you all.
"I think that maybe we avoid Mexico City. We left there on not great terms with the police. If we go back, they'll want us to check in with them and will probably provide us with an escort. in was a major pain in the ass trying to work around them last time without implicating ourselves at all. I think that maybe Ethiopia might be our strongest lead. We have an actual location that we can check. In Bangkok we'll be searching a city with just a name." Freddy sits back and sips a bourbon from Janet's bar. "What does everyone think?"
Freddy makes his first stop with his wife and the kids. He'll give them a few souvenirs from Mexico and his remaining pesos that he never bothered to have converted back to US dollars. He'll spend a couple of days talking about the misery and humidity of the jungle and some of the different people he met. He never brings up pair of mens socks that he finds under the couch. Freddy never wore argyle. Who was he to judge anyway? Everytime he stepped out and said goodbye, it might be the last time. The PI in some ways was dreading his chat with Sully. He just wasn't sure that he knew how he was going to explain the letter that he had sent. In the end though, he didn't. George seemed to understand the seriousness and secrecy of the situation and didn't pry any further about the missive other than mentioning it in passing. Just enough to acknowledge that he got it. One unexpected turn was freddy mentioning his new travelling partner, Cora King. A few laughs were shared between them, apparently Sully figured Cora couldn't stay out of trouble.
Yeah, let's figure that part out back in the US. I'm tired of the jungle. Give each other a week and meet back at Janet's place?"
Freddy draws a heavy breath. "It looks like we're back home. Let's get out of here and never come back." Freddy stops and picks up a chunk of rubble after he pulls himself out of the observatory. "Remember to take a souvenir. We'll need it to.." The PI's mind recoils at the spell that was forced into his head and he leaves the rest of his sentence unspoken.
"God... that thing.. what was." Freddy puts hs back to the wall of the observatory and slides down onto into a sitting postoning, rubbing at his eyes as if it would erase the images now stained into his brain.
When Sully, Freddy's partner on the force, came to him about his daughter's drug addiction, there were tears in his eyes. Sully figured that she had been using heroin for two years, meaning the kid started when she was just 14. Jessica had started running with a kid named Jacob around that time. The kid was a notorious trouble maker but Sully was too wrapped up in the job to realize until it was too late. Freddy promised that he would check this Jacob kid out, maybe lump him up a bit and send a message to stay the hell away from Jessica Sullivan. Only Jacob didn't take his lumps willingly and pulled a blade. Freddy drew a pistol and fired.
Freddy pops off a couple shots through the slits for cover fire. "Evelyn, Cora, we're in it deep. Can you get us out of here?"
Nice! Have a blast and happy birthday!!
Freddy looks at Amadeus in shock. "It actually worked??" The PI walks over to a slit on the opposite side from Amadeus and looks out.
The edges of Freddy's mouth curl slightly into the beginnings of a wry smile. "Who were we kiddin? We were always gonna try it. Who's drivin?"
"Are we really gonna use this thing? Cause it might be what drove Alvar crazy. If it can finally help us put an end to this thing though.. maybe it's worth givin it a shot."
Freddy nods. "Will do. There are more passages down here, as well as a bunch of Mayan writing on the walls. i'm not to eager to squeeze through them though, so let's see what this journal has to say." The PI grabs the fallen man's gun then tosses the journal up to Cora and hauls himself out of the pit.
Freddy takes in a deep breath. "Alright, we need his notes. I'm going in. If something else down there moves, shoot it." The PI lowers himself down into the pit and looks around for the sorcerers notebook.
Freddy shakes his head. "We might have saved him from his current predicament but the things he has seen may have never left him." The PI wipes more sweat from his brow. "And yes completely insane."
"Whoa whoa!!" Freddy backs quickly away from the edge of the pit and draws his shotgun.
Freddy gets down on his hands and knees and shines his flashlight down one of the holes. "I think I see some type of switch down there. Pretty sure we can pour anything in these holes to trigger it." He'll pull out a waterskin and dump it onto the grooves.
Freddy rubs his palms on his pants as beads of sweat start to form on his forehead. "On second thought, let's go up. Those slits in the side of the pyramid had to go somewhere. Maybe that'll lead us to somethin. Besides," The PI wipes more sweat from his hairline. these walls feel like they are closing in a bit and I need some more air.' Freddy pushes off without another word and heads up.
"Evelyn, Joseph, any preference?"
"Up works just fine for me. No idea what to expect in here really. In the past, we've found these places to be run like drug manufacturing rings. Folks runnin around in in gas masks collecting "nectar". I think this ones gonna be different though." Freddy leans back against the wall to catch his breath for a moment. "This place, it doesn't seem to be real invitin to anyone. Cultists or not." The PI pushes himself back up to get moving but stops. "Oh and I was serious about what I said outside. Somewhere in this place is probably a big ass disembodied mouth. If we find it, we need to bury it."
"Let's try the one at the bottom. Sooner we get Amadeus away from those... things, the better." Freddy head over to check out the bottom door.
Freddy nods to Cora. "Yeah, agreed. Let's get out of here!" The Pi begins to fall back toward the pyramid. "Keep it together Amadeus! Move!"
"Right! Let's get to some cover in the pyramid. They won't be able to surround us in there!"
Freddy helps Joseph to his feet. "Glad to have you back, though I guess it could have been under better circumstances." The PI eyes the rotting heads. "Recognize any of the fellas that snuck up on you?" He gestures toward decaying heads. "Also, i don't mean to alarm you all but there is an entirely bitten in half man over there. Given our history with disembodied mouths, let's keep an eye out, shall we?"
As Freddy moves across the plaza, he stops and recoils. "Ugh, there is.. half of a person here. What the hell could have done this??"
The PI brushes tree bark splinters out of his closely cropped hair and from his shoulders as he talks. Do you think they were tryin to push us toward the pyramid? ...or maybe they're too afraid of it to follow us any closer."
The PI nods to Cora. "Got it. Let's give em something to think about while they chase us though." Freddy lets off a blast from his shotgun for cover and takes off after Evelyn and Amadeus.
Freddy drops down behind a fallen tree and pulls his shotgun free. Better to have the spread shot in this dense foliage. Once he's armed, he'll hazard a peek from behind the trunk.
Freddy pulls out his camera and takes a couple pictures of the pyramid. "Think Brookes folks ever made it inside?"
Freddy slides his backpack on and nods. "We found our way through those catacombs, we'll find our way through this jungle. Let's go."
"What exactly did you see out there Pablo?"
Freddy sighs. "Well then, let's go have a look-see. Too bad we don't have a guide to help us find him. The Pi starts making his way into the woods, flashlight pointed forward.
Freddy stands up from the campfire and gives a suspicious look to Cora. "Pablo has been out a while aint he? I don't speak the language, you want to ask one of these folks where he might of disappeared off to?" The PI motions over to the laborers. At the same time though, he picks up his flashlight and .45, suspecting that a trip into the wilderness is imminent.
Freddy snaps a picture of the stone marker. "It was probably some horrible gaping mouth that they were tired of looking at." the PI says almost to himself before moving on.
Freddy goes to check out the ignition, but Pablo seemed anxious to get moving. "Alright, you're the guide, if you think that we should go now, then we go now." The PI puts his pack on, takes a swig from his canteen and starts moving.
Freddy follows behind Cora and looks out over the rocky cliff for signs of people.
Freddy will pack up a flashlight, his .45, a machete, a shotgun, camera(w/ film etc-) and will wear his boots and outfit that he purchased from the outfitter place. Ready to go!
"Thankyou Pablo. Looks like we've got a little more shopping to do, then we will be on our way."
"Heh, I'd have thought the same thing not so long ago." The PI shrugs. "You'll see."
"Right. Well, you should probably know what we are actually doing out there if you're comin along." Freddy rubs the stubble on his cheek while he finds his words. "You see there is this cult we've been following..." The PI, probably with the help of Evelyn and Amadeus will divulge "the story so far".
Freddy nods. "When we are out there, we'll look for signs of Jacinto and let you know for better or worse."
"Did Pablo have anything to do with the first expedition, or did they have their own guide?"
"Well I'm not sure there's any way that is.. legal, per say." The PI says, looking a little chagrined. "I'm glad that you enjoy them though. I'm not sure how many human eyes have fallen over those in the past 100 years or so. Plenty of rodents though, I imagine." Freddy adds with a chuckle.
"These aren't exactly artifacts, but if you are interested in the catacombs.." Freddy reaches into his camera bag and pulls out a few photos that he snapped here. "I've got a few copies of my own. Consider these a gift." Freddy will watch Francisco closely to see if he reacts to suspiciously at all to the pictures.
Freddy nods and smiles at Cora. "Glad ta hear it." Another sip of the tequila and the PI looks back over to Francisco. "We've been around some. A lot of our travels have been across the US, but we've seen the Mediterranean as well."
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