by I'm Not Mister Mxypltk, GoozX, TheTimeTrust and T5
"Don't worry, Mr. Biggins," Lance Lorenzo said. "We will find your sister."
After they left the room where Biggins was sitting, Mick Harrison yelled at Lance. "'Don't worry, Mr. Biggins, we'll find your sister'?! You just took a case without consulting anyone else!"
"Ahh, shut up, cranky! We've been waiting for something like this to come up for a while, haven't we?" Lance said to Mick as they started walking up the stairs.
"Yeah!" Sam Dawson added. "Besides, it sounded like a piece of cake to me."
"But, don't you think we should have talked to someone else before taking the case?" Mick asked.
"Someone else?" Lance asked.
"Like who?" asked Sam.
"I don't know, like... someone... wiser, or something."
"Pete was there!" Sam said.
"Okay, I see what the deal is. You wanted Velo's approval, because you're afraid he's gonna get mad for this!" Lance said.
"That, too," Mick said, scratching his head.
"I can't believe you're scared of Velo!" Lance said.
"Well, he is kinda spooky."
"Mick, you worry too much, man. Try to let loose." Sam added, "Anyhow, this does seem easy."
"Yeah, we just gotta find one little girl, right?" said Lance.
"Uh, yeah," Mick said, still feeling a little weird.
"Well, there is also that cult," Lance noted, his tone a little lower.
"We just escaped a ruthless country and fought off savage canibals. How hard can a little cult be?"
"You seem way too happy about this man," Mick blurted out. "I mean, do you want to get killed? Oh, never mind."
"Guys, we three can do this case no problem." Sam looked at Mick and Lance. "Look, let's show the others how it's done, set an early example. We'll be back before anyone even notices us gone." After a short pause, he asked again. "Well?"
"Why not?" Lance answered. "Mick?"
"I guess."
Mick, Lance, and Sam get into the car Pete purchased about a week ago, when suddenly Mick gasped and remained still for a second.
Lance and Sam turned to see what he was looking at and saw Marv Velo approaching the building from the street.
Mick mumbled, "Oh, shit, he caught us, I knew it, we're dead, I knew--"
"Where are you going?" Velo asked as he got closer to the guys and noticed they were getting into the car.
"W-we... we just... we are..." Mick began nervously.
"...Going to test this baby!" Lance said, putting his hand on the car's windshield. "Yup, this beauty's been locked in the garage for about a week now. What a waste! Right, Sammy?"
"Right!" Sam answered.
"Take care of it. It's an expensive car. Don't take it for too long," Velo said.
"Oh, we're gonna be back for dinner," Sam said.
Velo started walking to the front door. Mick was about to wipe the sweat off his forehead, when Velo suddenly turned to him.
"Mick?" Velo said, looking at him.
"Y-yes...?"
"You're sweating. Take it easy, man," Velo said, and then he walked into the building.
"OFF TO THE ISLANDS!" Lance yelled, starting the car.
"Come on, crank this baby into gear!" Sam yelled as the Jeep Wrangler shot down the back road they turned on to, a short cut, you know, dust filling the air.
Lance Lorenzo pushed his foot down to the floor, wind blasting the car. Sam stood up over the windshield, his hair blowing into the wind. He raised his hands in the air and yelled "WOOO-HOOOOOOO!" at the top of his lungs, before catching a glimpse of Michelle Campbell from the corner of his eye.
She was walking down a path, holding hands with Clark Thomas. Sam fell back down into his seat, changing into the appearance of Lance. Michelle turned, spotting the speeding car, looking at the twins in the front, curious as to why she just heard a familiar voice.
"We past them yet?" Sam asked, slumped in his seat.
"Uh, who? The cute girl?" Lance asked, now just spotting Sam's new look. "Wow. Good disguise. A very handsome choice of appearance, I must say."
Mick just watched the two, wondering if they would all die before even confronting the cult or returning to Velo and the others afterward.
In the apartment complex, a bathroom door opened just then, and Pete Glover walked out.
"Whew! I really 'ad ta go! Don't nobody go in dere right now, or ya might pass out. So whadda we gonna do 'bout this case, huh? I think we should take it."
He looked around. Everyone was gone.
"Guys? Guy-uyys! Hey, wher'dey go? Huh. They must'a gone off huntin' fer that guy's sister. Damn, I'm allays bein' left behind. An' dey fergot ta pick up these special instructions from Biggins for the case. Oh well..."
In the smoky cellar of Ma Kalunga, there sat four people, looking at the death-rattling kicks of the goat that they had brought in a day ago. Foam was building in its mouth, and it let out a last final "Ba-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a!"
Ma Kalunga tore open the goat's stomach and heaved out the entrails. The stink filled the room, but the watchers concentrated on the words of Ma Kalunga.
"The faceless one is on his way. They travel fast and have formed a trinity. One holds a big secret, one has a great fear, and one isn't what he seems. Beware the other from within one of them."
Her trance ended, and the participants gathered around her. They all started to hum and rock back and forth.