As Tet watched the two of them, he conjured a second chair next to him and a table, then a large viewing screen. Snacks and drinks appeared on the table with a flick of his hand. Just as he finished, a warm, glowing flame shimmered into existence beside him, and out of it stepped Hestia.
She sat down in the chair next to him and said, "So, my nephews found you."
He nodded. "Yep. And they asked me for a favor."
"Don't worry—they're not in any danger," he said casually.
"I know. Pass the popcorn." she said.
The two settled in as the screen flickered to life, watching Apollo and Hermes begin the game.
"Herm," Apollo said, tapping the desk with theatrical flair, "what do we do?"
Hermes replied dryly, "We listen to some tunes while we wait for the plot to begin."
Apollo grinned and held up three fingers. "Three... two... one—"
Suddenly, Hermes perked up. "Caller on line one!"
"There it is," Apollo said with a laugh. He picked up the line and, with his signature upbeat energy, spoke into the mic, "Welcome to 189.16 The Scream! You're on with Apollo—what can I do for you this evening, caller?"
He and Hermes heard a woman's voice, tense and urgent.
"Thank God I was able to make it through, Apollo. My name is Leslie Harper, and I'm the 911 operator for Gallows Creek."
Apollo blinked. "You calling to request a song, Leslie?"
She replied, "What? No! I—I found a body, and I need your help."
Apollo raised an eyebrow. "911 is calling me for help? You do know I'm a radio DJ, right? You should be calling the sheriff for that."
"I'm at the sheriff's office right now," she said. "Sheriff Matthews is dead."
Hermes muttered, "Oh sh—here we go. Didn't expect the sheriff to be the first."
Apollo whistled. "I know, right? Talk about a twist."
Leslie continued, "I couldn't get a response from the department. That's never happened before, so I came to the station… and I found him."
Hermes asked, "Do you know what happened?"
"Someone got him. Someone got up very close," she said, her voice wavering. "I… I really don't want to say what they did. He's surrounded by bullet casings. I think he tried to shoot at whoever it was."
Apollo cut in, tone a bit more serious now. "Is there anyone else at the station? Anyone who can help?"
"No. I checked everywhere. The only person here is Deputy Martinez… but she's knocked out, tied up, and thrown in a jail cell."
"Holy shit, and I thought the cops in New York had it bad. These poor saps got taken down by one guy," Hermes said. Then he added, "Leslie, call the next county over—tell them we need backup."
Leslie responded, "I tried, but for some reason, I can't call anything but local numbers. Something's wrong. I'll have to go there myself and let them know what's happening."
"Shit," Hermes cursed. Then he said, "But if you leave while there's a murderer on the loose, who's going to man the phone lines?"
Leslie replied, "That's why I called. I've rerouted all 911 calls to your station."
Apollo replied, "No pressure or anything."
Leslie said, "Yeah, well… let's have some on-the-job training. Right now, I have an emergency. I need to get an unconscious Deputy Martinez out of that holding cell. Any ideas?"
Hermes said, "Where are the keys?"
Leslie replied, "In the cell. With her."
Then Apollo asked, "Is there a spare set anywhere?"
She said, "Yes—of course. There has to be another set somewhere."
Hermes jumped in, "Check the sheriff. He most likely has a master key on him."
"Good idea," Leslie said and ran back to the sheriff's office. As she turned the sheriff over, she said, "Sorry, Sheriff…" After searching his pockets for a moment, she added, "I got them."
She ran back to the cell door. "They work," she said, then opened the cell. "All right, give me a minute to untie Deputy Martinez and I'll be right back."
Hermes said to Apollo, "If this was a real town, they'd be screwed."
Apollo nodded. "I know, right?"
Then they heard Leslie say, "Come on, Deputy Martinez… just got to get you in your office chair." With a final grunt, she managed it. "I'm back. I just got to get Deputy Martinez to my car before I head to Henderson. If the killer came back now, she'd be a sitting duck."
Apollo said, "That's a good idea. It'd be safer to take her with you."
Leslie responded, "Thank you guys for all your help. If you handle all the other calls like this one, you'll be fine. Just work together. You can do this."
She continued, "Now, I've got to get—"
Then they heard a loud explosion.
"What?! My car! My car is on fire!" Leslie shouted.
Hermes's voice was laced with worry. "What do you mean your car is on fire?!"
Then they heard it—an eerie, slow whistle.
Apollo's eyes widened. "Oh cool… the killer's here."
"No, it can't be…" Leslie whispered. "Oh boys, we've got big trouble."
Hermes said, "Oh? Perhaps she knows who the killer is?"
Apollo asked, "Who is it, Leslie?"
She answered, fear creeping into her voice. "It's the Whistling Man… but it can't be. He died years ago. But that mask… that whistle—"
She cut herself off. "He's coming this way."
Apollo shouted, "Quick! Get back inside and lock the doors!"
"You're right!" Leslie said. They heard the doors slam and the locks click. "He's trying to break in. My car is totaled. What do I do?"
Apollo stayed calm. "There's got to be police cruisers, right? You can use one of those."
"Yeah, that could work. Just let me see if Deputy Martinez has any keys on her… Let me just reach into your pocket there, Deputy…" After a brief pause: "Yes! She has some!"
Then she added, "Wait—the Whistling Man is right there. How am I supposed to get myself and Deputy Martinez to the car?"
Hermes asked, "The deputy got a gun?"
"No, it's missing," Leslie replied.
Hermes thought for a second. "What about the sheriff's gun?"
Apollo cut in, "Won't work. He most likely wasted all the ammunition trying to defend himself. Check the deputy's belt. Does she still have any of her non-lethal equipment?"
"Yeah, she's got a baton, pepper spray, and a taser. But I can only carry one. What should I take?"
Hermes said, "The baton's out. You wouldn't be able to put enough force behind it to do anything—not while carrying another person."
Apollo added, "You said he was wearing a mask, right? That means pepper spray's out too. Take the taser."
"If you're sure…" Leslie said. Then, grabbing the taser, she paused. "Wait… do you hear that?"
Hermes replied, "It's quiet."
Leslie said, "I don't see him anywhere…"
Apollo leaned in. "Now might be your only chance. Take it."
As soon as he said that, they heard Leslie pick up Deputy Martinez and scramble toward the nearest police cruiser. She managed to get them both inside, started the car, and for a brief moment, it sounded like she was home free.
Then came the shatter of breaking glass.
Apollo shouted, "What's going on, Leslie?!"
"He broke into the car! He's got Deputy Martinez—GET OFF HER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"
Then came a zap and a startled scream.
"Yeah! How do you like that?!" Leslie shouted triumphantly.
Hermes yelled, "Leslie—drive!"
She hit the gas. Tires screeched.
"Oh, what a rush," she breathed. "Thank you both. We're okay. I'm on my way to Henderson now. I'll bring back help as soon as I can. Gallows Creek isn't Nowheresville, but it's pretty damn close. It's going to take me about three hours each way."
Apollo said, "Drive fast, but drive safe. We'll hold down the fort till you get back."
"Thank you… and good luck," she said, just before the line cut.
Then Hermes said, "Did she say six hours?"
"Yep," Apollo replied.
"Shit," Hermes muttered.