Revelations of a Grey Coat Hunter

6

     "We're about ten minutes out now," Conrad announced after consulting with his tablet. "I've got us a couple of rooms. It's pretty low rent, but we only need a bed and bathroom."

     "Thank you, God," Monty prayed. "If I had to spend much longer in this car, I was going to lose my mind."

     "So this Artifact we're after, it's in this town?" Maddy asked, leaning forward to try to peek at Conrad's tablet.

     "The Artifact is in this town, yes," Conrad agreed, moving the tablet away. "The 'we' part, however, doesn't exist. There is zero chance of you two having any part of this. You'll be staying in your room."

     The twins immediately protested, but the Hunters largely ignored it. Before long, they were checked in. Monty and Maddy stood sullenly in their room, listening with resentment to Arthur. "It shouldn't take us too long to find and neutralize it," Arthur said. "If everything goes according to plan, we'll be back in time for bed, and we can all be back on the road tomorrow."

     "And what if something goes wrong?" Maddy asked.

     "Then we deal with it," Arthur replied sharply. "We've handled everything from abadas to zburators, up to and including demigods. I think we can sort things well enough."

     "Please, God, no more demigods," Conrad prayed, rolling his eyes up toward the sky. "Last time, the bastards buried me. I was stuck for hours."

     Arthur shrugged. "Next time, be more alert for booby traps."

     "Blow me, Arthur."

     "This is bullshit," Monty complained. "We need to learn what you guys do sooner or later, and we can help, ok? We're not stupid. We won't do anything without asking, we'll do whatever you say, we'll keep out from underfoot..."

     "Exactly, because you're going to be right here," Conrad announced. "And don't be quoting the fucking Overseers at us, either. Sit down, shut up, and wait here. We'll be back soon." Arthur had already started out. Now Conrad gave them a finger wave. "Toodle-oo!" he called. Then he closed the door and was gone.

     "I hope the Overseers give you hell!" Monty yelled spitefully after him. He got no answer in reply.

     For a few hours, the twins watched television. But as the sun went down and there was still no sign of the Hunters, the boredom began to weigh on them. Monty picked up a pillow from the bed and hurled it at a wall. "To hell with this," he announced. "I'm done being cooped up in a car or a hotel room waiting for those two. I'm going out."

     "To where?" Maddy asked, even as she moved to follow him.

     "Don't know, don't care."

     The two quickly wrote a note, telling Arthur and Conrad that they were going out and leaving the number of Monty's burner phone, something he'd picked up at the last gas station and somehow had gotten away with. Then they were outside and finally on their own.

     The town seemed pretty standard, although considerably poorer than what they were accustomed to. The houses were frequently in need of repair. Those that had lawns were patchy. Most of the porches sagged. The cars they saw parked were mostly older models, many with patches of rust or balding tires. It was evening, shortly after eight. The weather was decent, yet, for some reason, the streets seemed almost deserted. More than one house they passed had "Beware of dog" signs, barred windows, or both. The few people they passed seemed in a great hurry, moving with their heads down. Barely a car drove by. It seemed as though the town went down with the sun.

     A bar was at the end of the street, all by itself, apart from the town. Here, at last, were signs of life. Loud music played from the brightly lit wooden building. From what they could see in the street, the inside was crowded with people laughing and having a good time. "We won't drink," Maddy assured Monty when the two looked at each other. "We'd never pass for 21, but we can go in, get something to eat, throw some darts, and actually socialize?"