CODE ELDRITCH

Chapter XI

The Forest

The crew of The Dunwich was resilient. Even if there were more than three-hundred reported injuries, the majority of the shipmates didn't seem too taken in by what had transpired the night previous. As far as I knew they weren't special in the sense that they were any more particularly trained or equipped for strange shit — sort of like me — but even the ones that waddled about with swollen stitches did it with either dignity or bravado that I thought felt almost a little heroic.

Martell and Buzz seemed to know a few of them. While the last of the equipment was being packed into the boat, they were at a side trading words with a sailor who'd lost his eye and two of his friends. The sheer variety of injuries was astounding. Whatever it was those things had done to the crew while they ran amok aboard, they sure as shit hadn't followed a set formula for it.

One woman — maybe girl is more apt, I doubt she was older than twenty-two or twenty-three — followed me with a look when I came up on deck. I noticed and looked back, expecting a fight.

"Good luck," she said thinly.

"Good luck?"

"Don't take a genius to figure out something is up. Where are you going?"

"I don't think I should be talking to you about that."

She glowered at me in a sort of endearing way. "And I don't think you're even military. You slump your shoulders like my brother at enlistment. You Chilean?"

"Do I look Chilean to you?"

She smirked. I liked her already. "Not even a little bit. Just making conversation is all."

"Why me?"

She straightened a bit, kind of slid her hand over her rifle. If she'd man a man, I would have thought it seemed a little phallic. "'Cause you stand out. The rest of your crew, they been doing this a while. Obvious. You've not. Obvious."

"What's your name?"

"Elisa. Yours?"

"Monroe."

"Good to meet you, Monroe. What did you and the admiral talk about last night?"

I was instantly wary, as much for Rosewall's sake as for my own. I hadn't seen anyone when I left the admiral's cabin, and he'd made extremely sure I both double and triple-checked.

I internally measured the distance between us and the guys with guns. Call me paranoid for making that leap immediately, but I did. Then, on the other hand, she was a girl no bigger than I was. Didn't think she'd make small talk if she wanted to shoot me?

"We talked about a project."

"The reason you're going in-land while the rest of us go our merry way?"

"Right. What's it to you?"

She smirked again. "Jeez, cut back on the glare. I'm just talking."

"That's cute. Anything else?"

She shrugged, gesturing with the rifle toward the other CCTEA agents. "Just wanted to say that I overheard some chatter. Your picture is with the local police departments."

"You overheard? How would you even know it was about me?"

"Don't reckon a lot of other people go by your description. You should go finish up with the others, just wanted you to know."

I like to think I gave her my most impressive frown. "Thanks, then... If that's the case."

"Sure." she said.