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Dusk fell over the horizon, yet the night sky couldn't touch a single thing, thanks to a dense thicket in a rural location. Any sliver of moonlight that managed to slip through the grove was merely luck. It wouldn't be enough to pierce the veil of darkness, however. A stranger wandering around these parts wouldn't want to get lost, let alone, in an eerie forest with potential predators stalking him. Still, four human beings plowed through a blanket of black; their only way of seeing ahead being the headlights equipped to the front.
The quartets sat quietly in the police car, driving over an unpaved road with continuous bumps that rocked the vehicle occasionally. Leon was seated behind the driver, looking out the window with his hand supporting his chin, and the other holding the same picture of Ashley Graham. Kelly sat behind the passenger seat, doing the same thing as her partner, only she fiddled with her fingers, as well as picking at her already chipped nail polish.
For hours, they've been driving in absolute silence—minus the radio playing instrumental music. They were far from any civilization as one could perceive, making Kelly and Leon wonder how a community could live off the land without modern advances. In fact, they were beyond any town or city that Kelly started thinking about how they were going to make it back—whether by car, or by foot.
Eventually, the cop in the passenger seat initiated small talk with them. "So, tell me, Yanquis..." he grasped the armrest next to him, turning to face the agents in the back, "why did you both come to this horrible place? As close to nowhere that I've ever seen?"
Leon tucked the photo away, looking out the window once more and answered, "Let's just say—my partner and I are looking for someone."
He nodded once, intrigued. "That someone must be very important, eh? The chief gave the orders himself. 'Help them,' he said."
Leon barely turned his head in their direction, eyeing them with his usual stern expression.
"I'm sure you boys didn't just tag along so we could sing Kumbaya together at some boy scout bonfire. Then again, maybe you did."
The man laughed at Leon's blunt sarcasm. Kelly hid her growing smile, trying to stay professional. She greatly enjoyed his insufferable jokes and corny one-liners he threw around randomly, although she wasn't sure if it's with the intention to irritate the person he's speaking to or not. Either way, it was sure to earn an eye-roll from someone.
She observed Leon fall back into his window gazing form, only to be brought back by the cop's chatter.
"You have a strange sense of humor," he commented, facing forward again. "I'm gonna let you guys in on a little secret. Just between us. A lot of people have gone missing around here. And it's been that way for a while now."
