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At the mention of Black Friday, the vorpal rabbit gave the zombie a slightly horrified expression. What kind of life had Madison been living before this?! Those things were dangerous! Clarice gave it a bit of thought, it was good that the trainee hadn't spooked by the Boogeyman, but tehre was such a thing as tempting fate. However...

After a few moments, she gave a nod, and growled, "Get books, too." Gesturing toward a shop near the end of the street. Bookbats and other forms of flying literature circled and nested on it's roof. She juggled her bags a bit, dug out the remainder of their silver seeds, and handed them to Madison with another nod. You take point, this time, I'll watch your back.

"Maybe grab a few you think your ma'll like," Clarice suggested, "I'll be over by the picture books." A vacant grin followed. There was actually a picture book she'd seen before that may come in handy in regards to pendant coding. She was nearly there when something red caught her eye, it was just a slip of paper slipped between two books, but curiosity got the better of her. She pulled it out just far enough to see what it was, and quickly slipped it back in place. Glancing around more carefully, she noticed a few more slips of red, sticking out from and between books.

We are Halloween and we cannot die.

Well, considering recent events? Yeah they totally could die. Was somebody trying to convince the rest of this world otherwise, or was it just a serious case of denial? A fluttering of bookbat wings signaled the entry of yet another boogeyman, causing Clarice to stop dallying and find a copy of The Scareling's Illustrated Guide to Demonic Accounting.

The same reptilian snout inhaled deeply, and then jerked sharply toward each of the hunters in turn. After a moment, it began to discuss something with the shopkeeper in a low, raspy voice.

"...for reporting. When you find anything, just store it away for us to pick up. Don't throw anything away. If you see the perpetrator, don't try to be a big damn hero. Just make sure you give us a good description, so we can see if the small fish leads us to the sharks, we clear, Jergy?"

The shopkeeper nodded, relief clear on his face, "Thanks, Vek. I don't want this place to become a nest for young revolutionaries and firebrands. Things like this, we don't need them right now. You fellows shouldn't have to be dealing with this, and definitely not the mayor, what with the treaty coming up and..."

"I gotcha, Jerg. Protecting the peace of folks like you is why I wear the cloak. You have a good mourning now, and you..." it turned to point at Madison, "Remember what I said earlier."

The shopkeeper gave her a slightly suspicious look, as the boogeyman left, but after a moment, he simply shrugged and began ringing her up. An additional book was added to the pile, as Clarice finally made her way back to the front of the store. "Don't forget this one," she grumbled.

"Righty-o, boils, that'll be three silvers."

The senior hunter held back, and watched with both interest and a certain amount of approval. The shopkeeper, however, flustered and scowled at the question, snatching the piece of paper away with his sharply clawed hand. "It's a bunch of nonsense is what it is. Buncha students are going around, tryin to incite the masses with stupid stories. Don't think its racist, but who knows with those kids, writing weird crap like that all over the place. Day ago, the pieces of paper were somethin about the sun and it rising...or setting, I don't even know."

He leaned down closer, and lowered his voice, "Tell you what I think, I think it's not about zombies at all. I think that teacher that got fired? The corrupt boogeyman? I think she brainwashed some of those kids, and none too well, at that. I'd stay away from Amityville if I were you boils. Nothin good comin outta there these days."

In the background Clarice scampered to catch the tooth, "Gotta hold on to it...don't want the tooth faerie to feel gypped and pull out yer spare." Better not to leave evidence lying around, no matter how intent the locals were on denying their existence. She gave a nod to the shopkeeper and followed Madison out. "That's a lively one...best get it home quickly." Meaning portal. She nodded toward the forest, and scanned the area briefly.

She noted the boogeyman cornering a couple of students, snuffing and lecturing. All to the good, the way he had suddenly popped up twice before made it something of a relief to know where exactly he was. Hopefully the students, who were beginning to look a little bit more rebellious rather than scared, would keep him occupied long enough for them to drop their goods and golems.

As they made their way through the forest, a quickly passing figure caught the assistant's eye, not simply because of the vibrant colour of their red cloak, but because of the commotion that followed in their wake. Townspeople gave them a wide berth, but soon several boogeymen appeared in pursuit. Unable to help herself, Clarice paused to watch the drama unfold, the student walking more and more quickly until they were running, but the boogeymen were nearly caught up to him and then with a giant leap, a fiery pair of wings burst from the cloak. With a laugh the hunter found obnoxiously familiar, the figure took flight, tossing down pieces of paper as they flew off.

Plucking one up off the ground, she glanced at it and handed it to Madison, taking the caged book and one of the pet supplies bag from her in turn.




"Flip it over," she grumbled.

Clarice's over-sized red eyes slid toward Madison, she wasn't exactly sure what the other hunter meant, but if she was interested in codes, that could only be considered a good thing. "Sure, your ma'll prolly be proud. Show you got a good head on yer shoulders..." she paused, considering, "...what's left of it."

It took a little walking, but finally the two reached what appeared to be a well in the middle of a small swamp. A swamp that could, very possibly, have been spawned little girls' nightmares featuring the Bog of Eternal Stench. It bubbled and belched before them with aromatic energy. Grimacing, she scanned the area carefully, checking the trees and the skies, "Wing'd folk can be troublesome. Stop breathing." At least zombies had that option, Clarice would have sighed if she wasn't trying to hold her own breath as long as possible.

Sadly, there was no conveniently summoned path of boulders to lead them across to the well, so the two hunters had to wade through the foul sludge. At least, in the end, they'd be able to ditch the clothes and bodies. Though Clarice didn't have the heart to tell Madison that the smell would remain in their minds for at least a few hours after return. She was so taking a bath after this. She was taking all the baths. There would be bubbles. And nice music, and candles, and oversized loofahs. Rubber duckies would not be turned away.

Finally, they reached the well and it's somewhat firmer ground. "Right," Clarice gagged as she let out the breath she was holding, and immediately regretted it. "O....urrrrk...kay," she shoved the lid off the well and quickly choked out, "Ad meliora." The interior of the well lit up with a bright familiar blue, "Different phrases lead to different locations. Just dump it all in. It'll all go to the Life Division's storehouse."

Promptly dumping her own burdens, she grimaced, and waded back out into the swamp water. "It's better to leave as little visible evidence of the golems as possible. Oh god...urgggg...get out of here. Deus Ex Machina." As she exited her golem, it rapidly lost shape and melted down into the water.