Grim Occupation.P1

GRIM OCCUPATION

Hook: Prior to departing for Iraq (Armored Angels), Phillip Vance received a letter from his French girlfriend Marina who conceived his daughter Anna Beaumont. Marina worried her mail might be read before posting, she discretely mentions Brownshirts in her village of Cauzerte. She lies about Anna needing medical attention as she desperately wants Phillip to come rescue them.

Essie Vance [Whitney]: suffers from Ablutomania (compulsion to washing/cleanliness) and Taphephobia (fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries).

Peter Graves [Jordan]: lucky soul- no current fears or ticks.

Phillip Vance [Aaron]: suffers from Arachnophobia (fear of spiders) and frayed nerves that require Liquid Courage (suffers penalties when his flask of alcohol runs dry).

Monday, 20 Feb 1922, Paris: With inventory of their discovery complete and crated aboard the Vimy transport, Flt Lt Kingsley gladly drops them off in Paris, “Just telegram when you want to be picked up. Sir Leonard Wooley (British Museum curator) is anxious to greet you and offer proper accords.”

2pm Customs: Essie tried to charm the agent to let them through, “We have important business.” But Peter’s casual efforts to portray himself an arms dealer didn’t match her story even if she claimed him the security. Phillip’s weak French didn’t help. Tensions relaxed when Peter willingly turned over 2 of his 3 pistols. Enough distraction to let Phillip go unnoticed with his Enfield rifle stowed in his suitcase. Once outside at the curb, Phillip tried to hail a cab but really to rent. “We don’t need a driver; a map will do.” Essie put on her charm and quickly had the man melting at her batting eyes. Where he wanted “100 dollars in francs but I will refund 50 dollars upon return of the car”, Essie talked him into “70 dollars in francs 20 dollars refunded.” While Peter didn’t understand the words, he saw the flash of money and interrupted the transaction. With a menacing look, he began handing weapons for the driver to hold as Peter began counting out his money, stopping at 60 dollars. The fact Peter WELL armed and threatening clear, the driver gulped and accepted the haggled price. 

They soon gazed upon their hand-cranked 2-stroke Citroen purchase.

On the road, 3pm: A short stop at the general store for supplies (flashlight batteries, smokes, and refill of Phillips flask), and they were on their way. 2 hours through the countryside before they reached a long valley with a single hill dominating its center. A walled town upon the prominent hill. Consulting the map, “That must be Cauzerte where Marina lives.” As they wound their way up the hill, along a road edged with stacked stones, they came to a blockade. A wooden bar stretched across the road with road-spikes beneath. An empty watch tower stood to the right atop a 10ft wall. With the car idling, Phillip stepped out to look for a gate guard while Essie scanned the ramparts for movement. “There’s muddy prints climbing over the stones beside the road.”

Peter climbed out of the backseat for a smoke and happened to look over the stones, “I see a boot. I think there’s a body down the slope.” Peter soon stood beside the face-down body (brown clothing and military style boots) and nudged it with his foot to check if alive. He used his foot to roll the body over and that’s when he saw the bloody puncture wounds on arms and neck. “I think he was attacked by an animal, although I don’t see any tracks.” Peter looted the body and discovered a wallet with a German ID and passport card. Meanwhile, Essie and Phillip called out in French, “Hello? Anyone there?” Silence.

With Essie behind the wheel, and Peter on guard with his pistol out, Phillip entered the guard shack where he found a lever to lower the road-spikes as he raised the wooden bar. The men stood on the car’s running-boards as Essie drove into the town. The central square deserted. A ring of shops surrounded the square. But most peculiar was the barb-wired enclosure of military style tents! Their repeat calls “Hello?” unanswered. They split up with Peter walking toward shops to the north as Essie and Phillip walked toward the ‘Hardware’ store. Where they found it ransacked: shelves emptied with a few opened or crushed cans scattered on the floor. At least they found: 2 large hooks, a 30ft chain, a metal pipe, and a ledger book with last entry of a crowbar sold to the Town Hall on January 5th.

Peter edged from shop to shop, first wiping dirt from the windows to peer inside, then opening the doors to check. All emptied. Most ransacked. He was inside the 4^th shop when the sound of scrapping from outside caused alarm. He rushed out with pistol ready, only to see Essie trying to drag the long chain to the car, “We might need it.” They rejoined to enter the fenced area, taking note of the hand-cranked air-raid siren posted at the entrance. The first 2 tents proved to be quarters with cots (8 per tent), stripped of any linen or blankets. Most footlockers opened and empty. Peter used the butt of his rifle to break the lock of one locker where he found brown clothing, personal care items, and an MP18 submachinegun which he handed over to Phillip.

The back L-shaped tent included 4 empty jerry-cans, siphoning tubes, and a 55-gal barrel of petrol. Essie couldn’t shake the images of their last encounters in Kizzah as she nervously wandered thru the tent as the men siphoned gas to fill the cans. “Help load them on the car for our return.” As they were all inside the tent, Peter suddenly pressed his finger to his lips, “Quiet! I hear something outside. A scrapping sound as if claws across the bricked street.” Essie notched an arrow while Phillip readied his MP18 as Peter used his khopesh to cut a slit in the tent to peek outside. He barely caught a glimpse of shadowy movement and the sound of flapping decreasing in volume. He quickly used his hands to tear the opening larger but too late to see anything more. “Whatever it was is gone now. Sounded like it came from that statue over there. I think it flew south.”

Now Essie even more paranoid, “Flew? As in more Migo?!” Peter directed them, “Sneak back to the hardware store, then to the Town Hall, to then approach the statue.” Eyes skyward hindered their stealth as Peter kicked an empty food can. But they made it to the Town Hall where Peter took a moment to check the double-doors, “Locked.” At the headless statue, Essie and Philip read the inscription, “Saint Anthony of Padua, patron saint of missing people.” While Peter only saw pigeon poop on the statue’s shoulders, Essie gasped at the gouge marks… 5 gashes on each shoulder, “Talons dug into the marble. And by their span, it must be the size of a Migo!”

Once again, Peter whispered, “Quiet! I hear someone whistling and talking. Run, hide.” They angled northwest toward the Post Office. But Phillip had to look. And paused as he spotted a tall man round the corner, in conversation with someone. He could hear the echoed “Bonjour Al-berr. Bonsoir Juliette.” Curiosity and alarm drew them toward the man dressed in brown, offering a flower and food to people out of sight. His clothing obviously 2-sizes too small (either shrunk or wrong set). Peter provided rifle cover from the statue as the others approached, “He must be over 7ft tall!” Once near enough, they realized the flower wilted and the food spoiled, and a strap crossed his chest (a rifle slung on his back?). The man finally saw them, “Enchanté Mademoiselle, Monsieur.” They returned French pleasantries although Phillip kept his rifle ready. Essie placed her hand on the barrel to lower it as she tried to remain calm.

And that’s when Essie noticed something green on the man’s collar, [Also in French] “Are you OK? Neck wound?” Pvt Peter Gruber swiped his neck but didn’t see the green pus on his fingers. Instead, he asked, [in French] “Have you seen Marina today? I’ve got food for her. She’s not home; her father Pierre said she’s out hunting for food. Home? They live just down the street. Yellow house.” Essie convinced him to bend over and show his neck (puncture wound), which allowed them to see the MP18. Essie tried to keep him talking but the man on a mission as he walked away, continuing to greet more non-existent people. Strange. Very strange. Phillip ever watchful, sure all a ploy.

They headed down the street and called out, “Marina. Where are you?” And that’s when they heard wood scrapping. The sound came from one of many yellow houses in a row. Peter concerned it the flying beast he figured flew off in this direction. They worked their way to the back yard ever watchful of the rooftops. Nothing. The garden trampled, picked through. Nothing remained. They cautiously approached the backdoor as Essie called out, “Pierre?” Silence. She kept watch as the men first peeked thru the kitchen window then entered. A half-full glass of water on a table. Water still on its rim; recently used. Phillip inched toward the livingroom while Peter checked out the bedroom.

Peter called everyone, “Over here. There’s a rope under the bed. I think there’s a trapdoor beneath; the rope used to pull the bed over it.” He kicked the bed to the side hoping to startle anyone hiding below. Silence. They opened the door. Although he had never met the man, Phillip called out in French, “Pierre. It is I, the father of little Anna.” Still silence. Phillip descended with Peter flashing light behind him as he too descended the wooden ladder. Essie reluctantly followed. There, in the back corner, stood a man posed with a knife standing beside a crib. Disheveled (matted and greasy hair while his clothes filthy and torn), fearful and distrustful. Phillip put his weapons away and showed empty hands as he inched forward. He pulled out the necklace Marina had given him and showed it as evidence. Only then did Pierre relax and step forward, “That was Marina’s grandmother’s heirloom. See said she had given it to little Anna’s father.” Peter leaned into Essie to ask, “What are they saying?”

Pierre explained how Marina was out scavenging for food. He continued with their story, “After Christmas, the brownshirts entered our town. At first visitors but then invaders. They took over the town in search of something. Cut telephone lines and blocked the roads in and out of our beautiful city. Brownshirts. I remember them from the Great War. Their officer forced the mayor to reveal a long-ago hidden book. Killed people before the mayor finally talked. But that didn’t stop the killings. More citizens were hauled away. Even some of the soldiers disappeared. Then the beast arrived. Stalking. We survivors and rebelling soldiers stormed the castle. Few of us remain. Pvt Gruber returned but changed. Oh so tall now. Crazed. Brings food but it stale and he not knowing the difference. You must help us!”

 PART 2: https://wjr5oakley.blogspot.com/2022/10/grim-occupationp2.html