We Take You to a Breaking News Story by Gordon Brewer

Another Morbid Ink Short Story

Jamie sat at his desk inside the broadcast studios of WRRG. He yawned, forcing down another sip of bitter, nearly cold coffee as he frantically typed on his keyboard.

“Jamie, either get me on live, or you can explain to the station manager that you let this story slip out of your grasp,” Maria’s southern drawl came through the speakers on his cellphone.

Are you freakin’ kidding me? It’s bad enough you make me crawl out of bed at 4 AM,” he scowled at the phone sitting next to the keyboard.

“I’ve looked on maps for the last fifteen minutes and I can’t find a damn thing about this place you swear you’re located. Now, you want me to dump everything for the morning broadcast on your say so. Since when you do you deal with a boss who will shit bricks about changing programming on a whim?”

Jamie pushed his hand back through his curly dark hair as he looked through the major overnight events. He sighed.

“There’s no other news about this place. Plus, you’re trying to override the snowball that has all the networks by their shorthairs. We don’t get a political assassination that often. Come on, you’re killing me here.”

“That’s why what I have is called a scoop,” Maria let the sarcasm through without a thought. “Jamie, we only arrived an hour ago. I don’t know how we made it between the fog trying to kill us on the road and now we’ve got this terrible phone signal. I just got the police chief to admit something strange is going on outside of town. The power’s failing, and we have lights going crazy. It’s like the damn Armageddon starting.”

Maria gave a thin smile to her videographer, who stood a few feet away.

“Maria, you know I’m backing you all the time. But I just looked it up. You told me you got off the interstate on Highway 7, running along the Mississippi River. There’s no town named Kigal! I followed your route with the online map. Hell, there’s no town in the state with that name. Google’s just showing me farmland with the GPS coordinates you gave me. Are you sure about this information?”

“Do you think I don’t know what town I stopped at in the middle of the night?” she snapped.

After taking a breath, the station’s leading news anchor put on her professional façade.

“Alright, it’s not about someone shooting a politician. And yeah, it’s not a Chicago story about a bunch of hoods killing each other for your morning bad news. But this one’s different enough to get noticed. Think of it this way. This is a sudden mystery for your ratings about a nice little town going to hell.”

Maria pushed back her short blond hair over one ear, then she pushed the button to put the phone on a video mode. She pointed the camera at her videographer.

“I’m going to show you what I’m talking about. Main street of a small town in crisis!”

The shot from her phone revealed a small quiet town street in the middle of night. As she turned the phone for the pictures, a columned building in the main square came into view. She showed him several buildings still sporting old-fashioned signs. The quant, old-fashioned streetlights blinked on and off as a mist-like fog floated through.

“Is that a courthouse?” Jamie’s voice came through the speaker.

“Yep, and that man you see next to Sue is the sheriff,” the woman replied. “He stinks like he’s never heard of a shower. Small town America, am I right?”

She let him take in the view of the town’s small courthouse with columns. The woman also turned her phone to give him a short of a strange statue in front of the town square. Amid the flickering lights, Jamie saw the figure of a man standing with his leg propped up while wearing a cape.

“Do they worship Superman or something there?” Jamie’s voice came through the static.

“No, I don’t know who it is,” she replied. “It’s not important. Look at this place. It’s like a painting of mid-twentieth century Americana that smells like a hog farm. The chief doesn’t wear a gun just like the old Mayberry television show.”

The screen on Jamie’s side revealed more details. To his astonishment, the town appeared unhindered by time. He could almost imagine stepping into a time his father reminisced about. Two vehicles parked on the street caught his attention.

“Is that a ‘Vette next to a Cord? Are they doing a car show there?”

“I thought those would catch your attention. And no! It’s not a car show. Does this look like Kigal doesn’t exist? Now, do you believe me?”

“Alright, I believe you’re in a town along the Mississippi River somewhere in the USA,” he conceded with a sigh. “Now, let’s get back to the story.” 

“Good, I don’t know how long I can keep this feed up with the cell service here,” Maria replied. “Just before we arrived, a thick fog bank came over us. It was so bad; we couldn’t see past the windshield. We pulled into the main square and ran into this police chief and half of the town milling about the square. Most of them went inside the courthouse for some reason.”

She paused and turned away to speak into the phone directly.

“Listen, the police chief here is kind of strange. He’s sending word to the mayor so we can meet. Get this, he’s never heard of our station. Says people around here don’t watch television. Heck, they look at me talking on my cell phone like I’m holding something weird.”

“That’s nuts. Are you sure this is legit? Why are people out of bed at this time, anyway?”

“How am I supposed to know that? It’s a hick town, so maybe they’re milking cows. Still, it’s clear the people are running scared. I did a quick interview with the chief. I don’t even think he understood we were filming him. He told me it’s the heaviest fog outside of town in years. If that’s not crazy enough, we’ve seen power dropping like the fog affects it.” Maria lowered her voice.

“Plus, I overheard something about missing people. That’s the lead in. Maybe it’s nothing big in the end. Probably just people lost in the fog, but we can run with it until we clarify what happened. You see what I’m getting at, right? The air of mystery in a small town. We pump this up like hurricane coverage when the reporter is just standing outside of a hotel fifty miles away from the storm.”

Jamie grinned at the idea.

“You’re still aiming for New York, huh? Alright, that might work. Good thing for you since it’s a slow news day this morning.”

The station manager put his phone down and began clicking the television remote while moving to the other side of the office. As he reviewed the channels of his competition and the national news programs, he finally agreed to his reporter’s idea.

“Maria, I’ll back you on this. But I need the fear shown as you interview them. Can you get the video feed to me?”

“Sue’s already working on it, so check your computer. She’s sent over my interview with the sheriff. The signal’s slow, but it should work for you to use it. Have the team splice it into the other feed we’ll send over.”

“Got it.” Jamie yelled out as he went to his desk and picked up the office phone. He didn’t realize the connection had dropped between him and Maria.

“Hello, Allie. Wipe the board, we’ve got a new headline, and we’ll do a live feed from some hick place with problems.”

“Damn it!” Maria snarled as the phone signal suddenly dropped.

She looked back to see the sheriff’s beady eyes watching her with suspicion.

“You know, I’ve never heard of you or your station. I’m keeping an eye on you and your friend.”

Maria put on a forced smile.

“WKKR has been around since the 70s. You don’t have a problem if I want to talk with some of the other residents I saw earlier.”

Suddenly, a loud snap filled the air, along with sparks from a nearby transformer. The yellow lights above them went out, plunging the main street into total darkness. Only the lights of Maria and Sue’s phones lit the area.

“That does it,” the policeman suddenly yelled.

“You reporter ladies get out of here now. This place has been going to hell since outsiders showed up. You and that damn road crew,” he stomped toward the women.

“What a minute! What road crew?”

Maria flipped on her cell phone light and the man stopped. He held up his hand, shielding his eyes.

“Just like you two, but they came walking into town. Get that damn light out of my eyes.” The man crossed his arms across his broad chest.

“Now, I haven’t seen them since they left. And that’s just what you’re going to do. Get in your vehicle and leave!”

“What about the mayor? You said we could talk with her!”

The chief shook his head.

“One guy told me she went to her mother’s farm just outside of town. There’s no phones here, so I don’t know when she’ll be back. Won’t matter since you’re…”

Before he could finish his sneering words, the streetlights blinked on for a moment, then snapped off with a loud pop. The noise caused everyone to jump.

“Damn it!” the police chief hurried away from the two startled women.

“Get out of here!” he yelled without looking back.

“What the hell is going on? Sue asked Maria.

~~~

After a brief discussion, the two women got to their jeep. Sue’s insistent push forced her lover’s hand. As the vehicle creeped along, Maria pocketed her phone. Her last conversation with Jamie told her he was sending out a news truck out.

“Well, until we can get something that can do a sat signal, we can’t go live. Damn, I hate this fog,” she complained. “Alright, we left the stinky cop, and I can’t get a signal. You know we’ve got a story here, so why the push to leave? We can’t leave this half-finished. Jamie will have my head!”

Sue remained quiet for a moment as she drove, her dark cherub face appearing pale from the dashboard lights.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about these people,” she finally said. “That policeman doesn’t seem right.”

“So, he forgets to take a shower,” Maria countered. “You saw how he ordered those people out of the area. He’s definitely running things.”

“Yeah, maybe, but there’s something else,” Sue reluctantly replied. “You said nothing about how his clothing is out of date and doesn’t match? He told me his name is Carrington. But his tag says Smith.”

Maria went quiet as the driver slowly took a turn. The sidewalks along the street remained hidden. They could see nothing but the occasional and badly deteriorated reflective stripe of paint in the middle of the rutted asphalt. Inside the dense fogbank, the women felt lost in another world. Nothing showed how far they traveled within the few minutes of driving beyond the half mile indicator on the dash.

“You just gave the reason we need to figure out about this place,” Maria finally sighed. “Listen, I know we’ve been going like this for hours and we’re both tired. But we’re reporters.”

“No, I’m a videographer. You’re the reporter. I’m trying to protect you, dummy!” Sue snapped, then went silent.

After a moment, she finally whispered.

“We can’t catch a break on this vacation.”

Maria looked over, then shook her head.

“I’m sorry. It’s inevitable I do this to us. I think it’s some scoop and I drag you along. Let’s finish our vacation. I promise I’ll be good.”

Maria reached over and took her lover’s hand.

“Quit it. I didn’t say to drop the story.” Sue gave her a grin. “You don’t need to charge in. We need more information about this place. Let’s find someone else to talk to. There’s got to be a few houses on this road. It’s the same one we drove before. Well, I think so. The darn visibility isn’t helping.”

“Here I was getting worried.” Maria squeezed Sue’s hand in return.

“Thanks!”

A moment later, Maria noticed a dark object near the side of the road.

“Pull over there!” she cried out. “I think someone wrecked their car.”

The swirling mist opened long enough for the headlights to reveal a broken wrought-iron gate in front of them when they turned off the main road. The stone holding the base of the gate lay toppled over, leaving the gate in a half-twisted bow across the grassy path.

However, Maria’s focus remained on the ditch next to the missing fence. She slid out of the vehicle with her phone light pointed into the haze. She could see nothing beyond a few feet.

“Marie? Do you see it?”

The reporter ignored Sue as she walked closer. Then, she halted when the woman saw a large dark object in the ditch.

“What is it?” Sue asked.

“I found it. I wonder if someone’s hurt.” Marie called back as Sue hurried over.

As they got to the car, the women halted in disbelief. Their lights revealed the rust and jagged holes which covered the vehicle’s body and hood. The tires were long gone while the rusted-out interior spilled out from the broken windows and the open back door.

“My eyes must be playing tricks on me. That car didn’t look like this when we drove past it,” Maria mumbled to herself.

The reporter stepped next to the vehicle and touched it. After a moment, she shrugged and turned back to Sue.

“I’m getting tired, so I’m seeing things. Let’s go.”

 Just as the women got back to their vehicle, they heard the scared yipping of a dog, then sudden silence. The overhanging atmosphere instantly darkened. While the misty swirls drew closer, they smelled the depressing odor of decay. Maria was inside the jeep, staring down at her phone as Sue stood by the open passenger door.

“I wish we had an old-fashioned map. I can’t get a signal.” She told her friend.

“Let’s go back…”

The rusty creak of moving metal caused Sue to stop in mid-sentence. A male figure staggered forward in front of their headlights, nearly falling before slamming his hands on the hood.

“Take me into town! I can’t stay here!” A terrified, pale face looked at them.

Sue nearly gagged when she came closer to the thin man in threadbare clothing. He put off a stink that reminded her of a skunk run over by a car. Keeping her distance, she noticed he had a filthy priest’s collar underneath the black jacket he wore.

“Who are you? What happened?”

“They’re coming. They got my dog. This ungodly fog’s the proof!” he said as he pulled out a pint whiskey bottle.

After a long drink, he involuntarily shuddered. He swayed as he looked at the women closer when Maria stepped next to Sue.

“Say, you’re not from here,” he slurred.

Out of habit, Maria began recording their meeting with her phone, happy she left the headlights of the jeep on. The light from her phone caused the man to look at them strangely.

“What’s that thing?”

“We’re recording this,” Maria explained quietly. “I’m a reporter trying to understand what’s happening. What’s your name?”

He gave them a suspicious stare, then slowly puffed out his chest. However, he looked nearly ready to topple over.

“I’m Reverend Holly. Reporter, huh?”

“Yes, Maria Albright with Channel 5 News. We’re looking into your problems. I’d like to interview you. But this fog is getting worse.”

My god, he stinks worse than the cop!

 “Right, the fog! Wait! Did you come through the fog?”

“Yeah, we found the town a few hours ago. Now, we’re looking for people to…”

“That explains it.” His eyes widened as he pointed at her.

The women stepped back at his sudden outburst. The reverend continued towards them.

“You broke through the barrier and unleashed the Cutha! How could you be so careless?”

Sue took Maria’s hand, slowly trying to lead them away. The man pulled out his glass flask and took another large swig.

“Somebody entered during the fog. This is a disaster,” he mumbled to himself.

After wiping his lips with his sleeve, he noticed the two women moved to the rear of the jeep. The surrounding fog grew so dense, he could only make out their outlines and the lights from the strange devices in their hands. He barely noticed something moving in the fog behind the jeep. Before he could give warning, the brunette woman screamed in pain. The reverend dropped his bottle on the ground.