The Case of the Rusted Corpse

I was driving through a familiar place... I had been to this area before, when it was warmer. There was a lake near by that was the scene of several odd crimes, though that was a completely different story. The area was slightly rural, and the lake that was near would be covered in ice at this time of year. I was driving along one of the secluded dirt roads in an older car, hardly anything you'd want to ride in during the winter. The convertible top was stuck down. It was the only thing available though, and I was lucky I even had that. My partner, Selene, and I were bundled up warmly enough so we hardly noticed anyway.

As we drove along the trees started to thin. They were already bare, only a few discolored yellow and brown leaves on the ends of the branches. Through the trees, as they became more sparse, we could see acres upon acres of cemetery land. There were grave stones and crypts as far as we could see, even just coffins and caskets standing up and piled on one another. They looked like they were just picked up and thrown around from any place or time, but all had one thing in common: a rust-stained skeleton was fighting it's way out of every single one, clawing and reaching for the flatly clouded grey sky. They were all frozen though, not moving a bit. It didn't bother Selene and I. They wouldn't be moving any time soon, they hadn't in years. It was macabre but harmless scenery.

Our destination was a large Victorian house in the middle of the graves. The coffins and caskets were stacked against the sides of the house, and corpses and skeletons seemed to be fighting to get out of the very walls and floors of the house itself. Again we knew there was nothing to fear, but it still made me uneasy. I kept a hand near my holster, keeping my coat pushed back so I wouldn't have to fight it away in case of an emergency.

Our investigation had led us there for something... Exactly what wasn't clear, but I would know it when I saw it. It seemed that large cemeteries like this were forming in quite a few places, all after this first one had appeared and all preceded by unequaled amounts of suicides. My instincts told me that there was a clue to this in the house.

Once in the house, we saw two unusual people, if only for the fact that they were alive. They were grave robbers, there to loot the house, already digging through the pockets of corpses frozen in their fight to crawl out of the walls and floor. Both were dressed in the attire of stereotypical poor Englishman of the late 1800's, one tall and skinny, one short and fat. It didn't seem out of the ordinary dress. Selene and I both asked if they knew anything, but both replied in the negative. Something about them was suspicious, though, and I didn't trust them. The tall one picked up something from the floor while we were talking to his partner. My eye wasn't fast enough, however, and I missed what he placed in a filthy burlap sack. At the same moment everyone of the skeletons covered in the rust convulsed and started fighting to get free of their burial places, both in the home and out in the fields. The ones closest to us in the house strained for Selene and I but not the two robbers.

Selene and I ran as fast as we could to get out of the house, to the car, and as far away from the fields writhing with corpses. We had discovered something incredibly important- some THING was causing this. I also knew I was in trouble. Selene wouldn't be suspected, but I was already under watch. An organization with close ties to the government was already keeping me under surveillance for my investigations, and they did not want me to keep looking. With this latest turn of events they would know exactly where I was...

My safest bet would be to join up with some old friends. They lived in warmer climes, in a forest area still not suburanized. It felt like summer as I tried to join them in the tree top community I had once called home. As I climbed through the familiar trees, I could sense something was different. Most of the older ones, anyone over 40 years of age, was gone. The only people I could see was relatively young, between 15 and 20. I got a bad feeling as I was taken to see the leader. It wasn't who I expected to see... He was just a bit older than the others, with dark hair and a gaunt build. Over his right eye was a curious patch that didn't seem to need a string to keep it in place. It was black leather with dark red gems set in it where the iris would be on a normal eye. Right as I saw it I knew it was connected with the fields of corpses and the conspiracy behind it.

No one batted an eye as he told me it allowed him near complete control over the youngsters, and that he was building an army with them. He regretted that I was just over the age limit for it to work on me... Apparently stories of what had happened in my past had started to spread and he thought I would be a valuable ally, even if I had to be coerced. Through all that I noticed he never said what the army was for, but I knew it wouldn't be for anything pleasant.

In the impromptu court I was declared an enemy, and a dangerous one. I knew then for sure that eh was connected with the agency no doubt hot on my heels. It was only a matter of moments before I was challenged to a duel- he had control of the young soldiers but something so shocking as a direct execution would snap them out of their obedience. I was pushed in to what looked like a boxing ring high above the ground, in a fight to the death with the new leader.

It was a close fight. If I hadn't knocked the patch off of his face with a glancing blow I wouldn't have stood a chance. When I sent the patch off in to the trees to be lost on the ground, it revealed an eye eaten away by the device. This 'leader' lost his composure and screamed for them to take me in to custody, but they were already released from his hypnosis. Some held him down and were dragging him away, and the rest were cheering but urging for me to leave, quickly. I saw search beams from helicopters slicing through the branches above us. Without thinking I slid down a ladder to the ground. Right as I touched earth, I was warned with a shout- "No, don't go that way! It's not safe!" But the girl yelling out to me was too late. I was surrounded by cars and people pointing guns and tasers. I started running like the devil himself was after me, and somehow... I made it away safely, if only just. I was so focused on leaving and getting out of there that even I'm not sure how I did it, other than staying on my feet.

When I finally got the best of the people chasing me, I found myself at an upscale, partly outdoor market. I passed a fish pond set next to a restaurant and tried to relax in my anonymity for a moment. I took my cell phone out of my pocket, and knew I would only have a brief moment to use it before it had to be thrown away. The first call was to, of all people, my mother. I hadn't spoken to her in years, but I wanted to tell her that I probably wouldn't be returning home... My next call was to Selene. I told her the same thing and she seemed to understand, urging me to get off the phone. As soon as the call was over, I ditched the phone in a trash can and got out of there.

As I was leaving, I saw the eponymous men in black surrounding the trash can, examining it and fanning out to search for me. I had been right; they were tracking me by my phone. I started to slowly leave. Running would only get their attention.
I moved inwards from the market, heading inside. It was connected to a convention center, which was hosting of all all things another branch of Comicon. I thought I would be safe there, If I could find a costume and then leave while disguised. It was hard to even try to find a place to look for a costume, though. The people chasing me blended right in- it was a big hit to dress as hit men or The Silence and everywhere I looked I saw a potential threat. I thought I'd be caught for sure by the time I actually found a way out, but I was able to find an exit.

This exit was not the savior I was hoping it would be. The doors I had seen required one to scan their con badge or finger prints to be able to leave or enter. I didn't have a badge and I sure as hell couldn't scan my finger prints- I'd be identified and caught instantly. I checked another exit, narrowly avoiding the ring of agents closing in on that exit. The other close exit was exactly the same, and there was no way I'd be able to make it back to the way I had entered...

I was trapped.

Determined to get one more on the agents, I snuck back through the ring of the trap, checked the exits there in case I was mistaken the first time, and knew the jig was up.

I had no choice. I put up my hands, drawing attention to myself, and walked forward in surrender. Part of me was almost looking forward to it, finally being able to find out what they were doing and what they were after. The rest of me was resigned. I just didn't want anyone else to be hurt. They rushed in, guns pointed, to capture me quickly, thinking this was some sort of trap I had set up-

And then I woke up.