DECEMBER JANE

Laori: Walk her home.

December was one of my better friends. No, she was more of a best friend now. But I knew this wasn't right. She doesn't have an identity; it occurred to me she might be worse than I thought. A criminal, a terrorist, a murderer, or whatever else. I had to figure it out.

Before Wednesday's service, I decided to leave about an hour early to trek the woods and find her hiding quarters. I brought my phone with me this time, which had a compass, but I also had a better idea; click the camera on and record.

I tried to walk in one direction, because if I was wrong, I could turn right back around and end up where I started. The sun was a little lower in the sky, but the sun still proved to be bright. My eyes skimmed the tops of the leaves, all brown and rotting from the ending autumn season. I swear I saw red ones too, but that was impossible. Autumn is pretty much over now.

As I went further, my camera began to have trouble focusing. I hit the corner a few times with my hand and wiped the lens, but the focus went in and out constantly. Giving up, I held the camera up lazily. Evidence was evidence, no matter the quality.

Finally, I stumbled upon a trailer. It was abandoned and beaten up from the outside, but the sounds coming from inside proved it to be inhabited. I looked down at my camera to find that the quality had only gotten worse. It had even begun to glitch and fizz out now. My nose wrinkled. "What?" I muttered to myself.

Putting my attention aside from the camera, I walked up the tiny stairs to the door and knocked. There was panicked thumping followed by complete silence.

I knocked again.

After another hesitation, footsteps began to quietly pat towards the door. The knob turned and the door gave way ever so slightly. A glimmering green eye that I knew only too well peeked through the door. I would have pointed my camera, but everything was barely visible through it now.

"Dee, open the door."

The door swung open to a horrified December, but her eyes were not focused on me. They were fixated on something behind me, wide with terror. She lunged forward, grabbed my bicep, and pulled me inside. The door slammed behind me as I crashed onto the floor. Locks were clicked shut, blinds were turned, and curtains were closed.

"ANN! GET THE HELL IN HERE!"

I pushed myself back, startled and disturbed by December's shouting. Footsteps clunked from another room.

"What is going on?!" I shouted. Another girl, who looked stitched up like Frankenstein, stumbled into the room. I stared at her, completely puzzled by her patchwork skin.

"It's out there," December exhaled. "He was right there."

The girl who walked in, whom I assumed to be Ann, put her hand to her mouth and shook her head. "No-- holy shit, no..." she trailed off.

"We have to run," December said plainly.

Ann shook her head. "We can't go out there."

December nodded toward me. "She's with us. We have to get her back."

Ann finally looked at me, now seeming even more confused. "Who is she?"

"Laori," December replied. "She's taking us to the Church."

"We can't take the bombs to the Church."

I glared at December. "BOMBS?!"

"Listen!" She shouted. "We're not blowing up the Church, asshole, okay? We're holding them until we find the plant tonight. We'll blast the place with its gasoline, then bounce."

"What are we blowing up?!" I cried. "Why are we making bombs?!"

She walked towards me and kneeled, holding my shoulders.

"You and I are being hunted, and we're killing them-- the hunters. The proxies. You won't remember this, and it will all be over, but cooperate with me or this goes to shit, 'kay?"

I stared at her in shock. "You expect me to believe all of the monster stories?!" I asked. "First the tall faceless man, now there's 'proxies' out to kill me?! You're schizophrenic, Dee."

"Well then I am too," Ann replied. "I know Him. I've met Him."

My eyes bounced between the two of them in disbelief. "You're joking. You're pulling my leg."

December stood up and turned to Ann. "Get the bombs," she ordered. "We're leaving."