Dear Dee,

Hopefully this finds you and Alister as well and happy as may be. You are both in my prayers.
I am happy to tell you that we all made it thru last night. Karen is growing truly heroic. Reg impressed my with his focus. Angie and Aiden together saved my life. Frank gets points for good use of drama and keeping the body count down. Justin and Beowulf both feel we are using the rules of war. Angie and Fr. Andrew were in agreement. Chortle.

I will start where I left off last night. Beowulf and Frank arrived. Beowulf volunteered to do out of body scouting. (Which we will need to be more careful about in the future) He came back to his body and was so unsettled that he popped right out of his body without noticing. Aiden got out the defibulator paddles and was using them without effect until Karen told Beowulf to get back in to his body. Beowulf had poked his head through a window and saw an incorporeal giant bat fly by and almost run into him. We talked about how to get in and out and decided that having explosives rigged to blow out a section of wall might be prudent. Beowulf set up charges on a remote trigger. Angie made sure we would not take out any support beams. Then we approached the back door. It was unlocked and Frank opened the door. There were boxes and crates scattered around the warehouse so that it looked like it might be in use. Then we saw a large male zombie. It was grotesque and Frank shot it with a knock back round. The zombie howled and my blood froze. I stood there shaking until Karen brought up a mind shield. Karen was almost wiped out by that but Reg and I were able to shake off the fear enough to act. Angie shot her big (the guys call it a hand cannon) gun to put a tiny dent into the skin of the zombie’s head. I think I heard Angie swallow her reaction to that improbability. Karen and I said that it must be a greater form zombie and be immune to normal damage. The zombie could not be called by anyone human as far as Karen or I knew, so there was a Power of the unknown directly involved. Which was not really a surprise. Beowulf had the flamethrower again so everyone got out of his way so he could try to burn the zombie up. It was a good shot, but the zombie did not seem to notice. It’s clothes and hair caught on fire but it was not scorched. It hit Frank and he bounced off a wall. Ouch. And did not get up immediately. Karen realized that she could get it to move by raising a sphere. She told everyone outside (Reg, Aiden, Justin, Beowulf and I) to get out of its way. She ran behind it and raised a Sphere. It made a sound and lumbered out of the warehouse and strait into the river. Justin and Reg dropped several hundred pounds of hemp rope on it to slow it down.

Karen was very shaky and Frank was unconscious. Aiden decided to stay outside with them. Beowulf and Justin led the way inside. We saw no one else on the first floor and heard chanting from the second floor. We hurried upstairs. There were eighteen men dancing and singing around a veve. In the center was one man juggling embers and breathing fire, Lt. Worth in just her intimates and rope with a gag and one man who I assumed must be D’arcy standing over Lt Worth, chanting and holding a large obsidian knife over his head. Justin shot at Darcy but the bullet swerved around him like he and the bullet were both magnets with the same charge. Very strange. The bullet hit someone dancing on the other side of the circle and they fell down.

We had discussed that we wanted to disrupt the ritual and that destroying the knife or stopping the participants might do it. So Beowulf shot his shotgun and three or four dancers fell down. That made an opening and I entered the circle. I hoped that D’arcy could not kill Lt worth with that knife if he was not holding it so I attempted to disarm him. I twisted Darcy’s right arm into a lock and was able to pry his fingers off the knife handle. The knife fell with an atonal clatter and D’arcy stopped chanting and (I think) cursed. Reg meanwhile had run in and sprayed the mount down with a fire extinguisher. The fireman stopped breathing and gave a really nasty smile to Reg. Then the mount collapsed and Reg kind of whimpered but I think the mental shield protected him from being possessed. D’arcy said something and a sickly yellow gray cloud surrounded us. Reg thankfully was already bending over to pick up Lt Worth so he missed most of it and I don’t think that the gas had time to settle down to Lt Worth or she might have chocked on her gag. I unfortunately was breathing heavily and got the gas in my eyes nose and mouth. It was worse than teargas. I felt my lungs burn as I began to vomit violently. I colapsed to the floor and put my hand where I thought the knife was. Thankfully I found the hilt first. I knew that I did not want D’arcy using it on anyone and I was not good for doing anything else. I heard gunshots as I gathered what remained of my strength and crawled toward the sound. I was amazed that I could move at all as my body tried to void the poison that was chocking me. Angie picked me up and carried me over her shoulder. The knife almost dragged on the ground because I did not have the strength to hold it up. Over the earpiece I heard Justin tell Aiden that there was wounded incoming. I wish I could forget getting carried down the stairs. Aiden and Karen were downstairs with Aiden’s uber-medical kit. Next thing I know I am laying there and Aiden has is hands on my chest and stomach. Aiden’s hands are glowing. I can start to breath and regain control over my bowels and stomach. Aiden falls over into Karen’s lap and she pats his shoulder. Reg and I get Lt. Worth out to one of the cars. And get her a blanket. Angie carries Aiden out and I help Karen with the medical kit. Reg starts vomiting and I gave him what antidotes I could. We heard glass shatter then a LOUD bang over the earpieces. Some screaming ( that I did not recognize but sounded masculine) gunshots and the very distinctive whoosh of the flamethrower. Beowulf and Justin cursed D’arcy as they tried to finish him. We all heard the swish and tap of a wyrm-sized snake in our heads. Then a cold oily voice said, “We are not done, I will see you again. Take him. I do not accept failures.” Then the weapons could affect D’arcy and he died quickly.

The nine surviving dancers surrendered almost immediately. Beowulf and Justin started tying them up with duct tape. Including over their eyes. Ouch. That seems unusually cruel and I think Frank agrees as he recites the rights to the prisoners and tells Justin not to worry about being seen. Justin and Frank came out and Justin apologized to Lt. Worth for being an ass earlier. Justin also gave her warm socks. Frank had jumpsuits that would actually fit so Lt. Worth and I got CLEAN clothes on. Thankfully Justin had a lot of wet wipes for me to use. Reg and Justin both did the polite turn away and stand between the road and me while I got cleaned up. It was sweet but I did not care who saw me at the time. Reg got a call from his pilot that Nathan was dead when they landed in Florida. Reg calmed his employee down and told him that Nathan may have been on drugs that made him convulse. Reg also told him that someone from homeland security would walk him through what to do. Poor Frank. Angie and Justin noticed that Aiden looked green and pale not just worn out. Justin grabbed the adrenaline syringe from Aiden’s med kit and did a heart shot. That seemed to help some and Justin and I got him into the truck bed. Reg drove because Karen was too shaky. Angie rode in the front of the truck, Justin and I in the back with Aiden. I can’t believe I did not check on him. Frank and Lt. Worth stayed to talk to the cops. Lt. Worth was taking the case and Frank was there to assist at her request. That is their story anyways. Beowulf drove off to the safe house. I think he wanted to have as much time with “his” flamethrower and other weapons as possible.

At the emergency room they rolled their eyes when they saw us bringing in Aiden again. They asked what happened and we said some kind of poison gas and that we had given him a shot of adrenaline. They wanted to know what kind of gas and I gave them the bag with my soiled cloths and said that the vomit should have traces they could use. Reg said he was fine and I was too tired to try to make him stay and get checked out further. Angie stayed to look after “that idiot”. They were hooking Aiden up to filters to clean his blood and had him on diluted O2 to make it easier on his lungs. Reg offered to let us crash at his house and Justin, Karen and I all accepeted the offer. Justin and Reg were the only ones fit to drive in any case.

I called Frank after I got a hot shower. I was concerned at the uncontrolled rage that Justin had shown and also the blasé way Tony had killed the dancers. Lt Worth had opted out of the full story and Save membership. I think Frank admires her. Frank explained some of the American military psychology of war to me. Frank was also conscious that the dead would not have a chance to disassociate themselves from the Unknown. And we wondered if they might be unable to rest, as they had been part of a ritual when they died. And even if they did not rise would the Unknown gain power from their sprits? They (Beowulf and Justin) seemed to feel that we were fighting a front line battle and that it is appropriate to be more lethal and less gentile with prisoners. I called Angie and she said Aiden would be fine in a few days. Thank God! I asked her what she thought about the ethics of the fight. She said she was not sure that it was right to use lethal force on the dancers especially once Reg had gotten to Lt Worth. So she went with the easy choice and carried me out of the line of fire. She was not happy about using duct tape on the dancers but understand how hard it is to moderate your behavior when you are still in battle mode. Everyone else was asleep. I set the alarm for 8am so I could talk to Fr Andrew about ethics in the fight against the Unknown.

When I arrived with fruit Fr. Andrew he was tired but alert. I inquired to his well being and he put me off. Some times he seems to connect me with you in his reactions but not all the time. I told him everything that happened to the best of my recollection. Then I asked what advice or opinions he could share. He was concerned that we not let rage take our judgment or compassion from us. He would pray for the cultists that died. They would never get a chance to turn to God now. Several of his comments were the same as Angie’s almost word for word. I went to the chapel to light ten candles for the dead. The men that died were still human even if they were dupes of the Unknown. May God show them His grace.

I called Justin to arrange to clean up Karen’s place and get new bedding. Angie and Beowulf had already taken care of it. I called Angie and Beowulf and thanked them. I told Beowulf that I wanted to get together with him and talk. He said that Frank, Justin and he were going out for a drink in a few hours and invited me. I went to meet him at the safe house. He had to return a truck rental so I rode along and talked to him. He said that he had to do his duty to cleanse the earth of these evil servants of the Unknown and that he had already talked to Fr. Andrew about it. He was trying to ignore a lecture that I was not giving him. I asked him to let me tell him how I was doing he said Ok and looked like he was doing penance. When I said that I was concerned for the souls of those that we killed and what the killing was doing to us he said that is the risks of war. When I told him my (and Frank’s) theory about how killing dupes and thugs might add to the Unknown’s forces instead of subtracting from them Beowulf started paying attention. He seemed concerned that I was going to try to talk him out of having weapons. I told him that I wanted to have nonlethal weapons for schmucks like Nathan. He agreed that it was a good idea but most nonlethal weapons were illegal for civilians and we do not have our bounty hunter licenses yet. He agreed to get something nonlethal once we have our licenses. When Frank arrived Beowulf tried to avoid giving back the long arms and looked pained to part with “his” flamethrower.

Justin seemed uncomfortable around me when we all met up for dinner. He had put me off earlier when I mentioned getting together to talk to him. I hope he is not upset about me getting cleaned up last night outside, some Americans are strange about nudity. Although is more likely that he knows that he went overboard last night and does not want to be called out about it. I do not was to embarrass him by questioning his ethics in front of everyone. I will wait and talk to him later. At dinner there was a concenious that we should get nonlethal armaments once the paperwork goes through. The flash bang grenade that frank used was very effective and teargas grenades were mentioned. Frank does not seem to like us wandering around the city with all kinds of weapons. I agree with the thought. We asked Frank to survale the river for the greater zombie since he has access to spy gear. Overall we did well.

I will be helping Karen with the dig and any running around that I can. While I am not camping I am staying at Reg’s house and driving ‘Charlie’ his sedan because he seems to like having guests. His house is almost frighteningly high tech. Reg is often away due to business which is a technology company but I do not know the specifics. Frank seems to be spending time with Lt. Worth which makes me smile. I am sure that it is mostly shop talk but you know how things are.

God bless you and your house,
Leigh Sorensen