Alex (clockwork) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-04-20 19:02:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, alex, alex x mike, mike |
Who: Alex & Mike
What: Random meeting
Where: Point Pleasant Museum
When: Afternoon, Wednesday 10/18
Status: Complete
Technically Mike wasn't supposed to be working but his coworker was a lazy piece of shit (he had told her affectionately) who needed the day off. So here he was, lounging at the museum cafeteria with nothing to do. There were two people in the museum today, a whole two persons, and they'd already gotten some coffee. That was okay, Mike would just lounge and listen to podcasts until they closed. The weekend would be a lot busier, it was comforting to know he wouldn't be this bored then.
He had just finished wiping down the counter when he spotted another customer walk in and a very familiar one at that. Doppelganger! He smirked and tugged his headphones off, leaning his arms against the counter as Alex walked inside. He was pretty sure his name was Alex at least, Alex something Wood - that last bit was hard to forget. "Are you stalking me?" he teased when Alex had noticed him and was close enough to talk to without yelling.
Alex had been planning to go to the museum for a while. Pretty much since he'd first moved to Point Pleasant and it hadn't even entirely been for the local history, though that had been an undeniable drawcard. He had always been interested in history, even before anything had happened personally to really stir his imagination.
Alex hadn’t expected to find a familiar face in the museum but as soon as he walked in, he spotted one. He wasn’t surprised to find a Joyland customer there - a lot of people were - but specifically one he wanted to get to know better was definitely unexpected. He decided to take advantage of that and headed towards the counter where Mike was. “I’m not very good at it,” Alex replied with a grin. “Don’t stalkers normally hide so they don’t get caught?”
"Nobody's born a perfect stalker," Mike replied. "You have to practice that like anything else." He grinned right back and turned off his ipod before slipping it back in his pocket. "So how are you today? Come to learn all about the witches and the horrors of Point Pleasant?" He hadn't told Alex he worked here and he so rarely did that he could be pretty damn sure he wasn't there to visit him.
“It sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” Alex said with a smile. He’d come straight from work, pausing only in the back room to change out of his uniform which was now stuffed in the backpack hanging over his shoulder. He shrugged to hoist the bag strap a little higher. “Well, I had been planning to observe the local wildlife but you caught me so I guess the local history will do instead. It seems like the month for it.”
"Yeah this place is a total Halloween town," Mike said with a little shake of his head. The history of Point Pleasant was weird and morbid, but not in a cool way like New Orleans or something. It was just this small town that got snowed on a lot and weird shit happened there. So more like The Shining he guessed. "You want a coffee before you delve into studying all this bullshit? Protip, some of the local wildlife can be found lurking in this museum."
Alex considered the offer for a second before he nodded. “Yeah, why not? I’ll check out the competition.” He took a step closer to the counter and glanced over the options. “Cappuccino please?” He reached into his pocket for his wallet. “So do you work here then?” As soon as he said it, he kicked himself. Obviously Mike did, he wasn’t there for the kicks after a day of browsing the museum. “I mean, well. Specifically this part or do they move you around?”
"Between you and me?" Mike said with a little titter. "I killed the real barista and took his place, I've always wanted to work in a museum cafe but they just wouldn't hire me." He wagged his eyebrows then started making Alex's drink. "But yeah I work here specifically on the few days I do work, the girl who was supposed to be here today had to take the day off so here I am, lucky you. What you been up to anyway? Enjoying the weird vibes in town?"
For a moment, Alex just stared as he considered what Mike said. Anything was possible in this town, after all, but he quickly realised it was a joke and laughed too. “Well, it’s strange but the longer I’m here, the less stuff surprises me. A couple of customers were talking about how they heard a ghost train last night and it’s more like, yeah, what else is new?” He shrugged. The thought that he was becoming accustomed to all the weirdness was disconcerting but that was probably why so many people still lived here after all. The area needed victims. That was an uncomfortable thought… he forced a smile to hide it. “So there’s some witch tour thing on Friday and I thought I’d get a sneak peek of what to expect. See if it’s worth the story or if it’s just some story about a crazy old cat lady who lived in a shack.”
Mike knew all about the weirdness but he was hard pressed to believe in any of it. Maybe some of that toxic weirdness from the fog was still hanging around fucking with their heads, it was a real possibility that they were all just dying of poisoning. "Yeah, apparently my friend got attacked by dozens of black cats," he said, obviously at a loss for what to think about that particular story. "On Friday the Thirteenth no less." It wasn't really like Jack to make up shit like that for attention so Mike was still waiting for the punchline that wouldn't come. "But you'll like the tour, it's a good story. We're like mini-Salem up here."
“Yeah, that… that doesn’t sound likely.” Alex raised his eyebrows at the idea of black cats being on a rampage and briefly thought of Fin and his abandoned kitten. Were they connected? Probably not, Fin hadn’t even said when he found the kitten and surely Mike’s friend was pulling his leg. Anything less would be too weird, even for ‘Mini Salem’. He bit back a chuckle, not wanting to offend Mike in case he believed it. “But I guess around here, it wouldn’t be surprising if it did happen.”
Mike nodded. "I know he got bitten but I'm pretty sure it was one stray cat and he was just-" he trailed off and held his fingers to his mouth, indicating a joint. "A friend of ours said there were a lot of them but you know, people like hyperbole." He the cup down on the counter for Alex. "So you dig up anything interesting about your mom yet?" He did remember Alex had mentioned maybe writing a book so he had to think there was something interesting there, unless he just wanted to write some drama about the search for self or something, those could be good too if they were well written. A bit of 'Everything is Illuminated' vibe and all. "Like she's descended from one of those witches or something?"
“What, like a vampire or something? Watch out, he’ll be turning into a black cat before you know it.” Alex couldn’t hide his chuckle this time but he had the decency to look a little abashed by his own response afterwards. Not too much though, it sounded like Mike didn’t completely believe the story either. He shook his head at the next question. “No, nothing like that. This is purely for me. You know, get into the mood for Halloween and all that. I've always kind of liked spooky stories.”
"We have plenty of spooky stories," Mike told him. "Real life ones too. This place is like a magnet for disaster. We probably have a record in missing people per capita. Have you heard any of the stories? The Cooperdale Tunnel is kinda infamous." Those events weren't ancient history either, Mike remembered the latest incident at the tunnels since he'd been thirteen at the time. It was hard to tell just how much of what he'd heard was true, kids that age tended to exaggerate everything and every time a story was told it seemed to gain new dimensions.
Alex frowned slightly as he tried to remember what he'd heard about that tunnel recently. The name was familiar but he couldn't place it exactly. He had a feeling he'd heard it at work though. Customers talking? Probably, he decided. He leaned forward on his elbows across the counter with a slight, teasing smile. “It's not really the right atmosphere for ghost stories but do tell. What happened at the Cooperdale Tunnel?”
"What didn't happen at the Cooperdale Tunnel," Mike corrected him with a wry smile. "So many murders and weird shit, you should look it all up, I only know some of them an I can't remember all the details." He did remember some though so he took that teasing smile as a challenge and rose to meet it. "So back in the nineties four people were murdered in like a week or two, all of them horribly mutilated and left hanging on a hook in the tunnels and that shit happened again some ten years later or so. If any place was haunted, that one would be it. There's a whole lot of ghost stories about the place but this is real life stuff, stuff that made the newspapers, stuff they have police files on. A girl pushed her friend in front of the train during a party sometime in the nineties, a guy walked through the tunnels and then butchered his wife and some neighbors when he got home. Everyone says the place is cursed but I mean, you kinda have to believe in that stuff."
Alex’s eyes widened as he listened to Mike and he finally gave an unbelieving, scoffing laugh. He didn’t mean to but the whole story sounded insane. A serial killer who returned to finish the job, bad behaviour that seemed inspired by the place… If he was really a writer like he said he was, that definitely would have been an inspiring topic. He hesitated for a moment as he considered all this new information and scratched idly at his chin. Stubble was coming up, he’d take care of it later when he was home. “So…Did they ever catch the guy, the serial killer? Was it the same person both times or…?”
"The cops had their suspect but they never found out if he was really the guy or not," Mike replied. "Harry Tyles. He killed himself by jumping in front of a train before they could prove anything." He shot Alex a look that suggested there had to be more to it than that because how weird was that turn of events but it wasn't something he believed, not really. "Case close though, no more murders, just weird shit happening all the time so people think it's cursed or haunted. I don't really believe it but that place still gives me the creeps."
Harry was such an innocuous, everyday name but weren't they always? No serial killer ever had a super obvious name that really stood out, just like the rest of them. And to get away with it for so long in a small town where everybody knew everything going on… Alex gave an involuntary shiver. He wasn't one to get caught up in ghost stories by the campfire but real life horrors were different. “Where'd he kill himself?” Alex hadn't meant to ask that out loud but he didn't take it back. “Was it at the Cooperdale Tunnel?”
"Right where he strung up those people," Mike replied with a nod. "There are a lot of people who believe he isn't even the killer, that it was something else. Not someone - some thing. Welcome to Point Pleasant. You'll hear a lot of those stories." He tittered and nodded at Alex's cup. "How's your cappuccino?"
Was it really because he had done it or was Harry Tyles just another victim of the cursed tunnel? It was impossible to say. Alex frowned as he thought everything over. “Yeah, I’m starting to realise that.” He glanced down at the cup in his hands and took a sip. “It’s good.” A second later Alex remembered the context he’d heard about the Cooperdale Tunnel. “I think some customers were talking about that tunnel today actually. They said they heard a train there at midnight or something? I guess it was unusual enough but it was probably just one of those big freight trains…” Even as he said that, he knew it was going to be something else. It wouldn’t have been a conversation point otherwise and he was sure he’d heard them tossing around the words ‘ghost train’ at the same time.
Mike hadn't heard about the train sounds and he quirked a brow as Alex spoke, even if he wasn't particularly surprised. There were a lot of ghost stories going around town, about that house on Ludlow Lane, about the tunnels, Lyttle Hill. If it was all true he'd be tripping over ghosts on every corner. "Yeah, a ghost train more like it," he said with some amusement. "We haven't had a train come through here in over a decade," he told him. "The train goes around now, they closed that tunnel a long time ago." He laughed because he could very well imagine Alex would accuse him of making this up just to scare him or something. "I swear I'm not making that up, you'll hear a lot of weird stories, it's like religion, people just love that shit."
Alex shook his head, not in the least surprised to hear that the trains didn’t run through there anymore. He’d known it as soon as he had brought it up. “It’s this town,” he mumbled and gave Mike a cynical smile. “Anywhere else and I’d say you were just trying to scare me but that explains why it was a conversation point.” He took another drink of the coffee in his hand then rested the cup on the counter between them. “What about you, ever seen a ghost here or anything?”
"Me? Nope," Mike replied jovially. "Probably the only one, I swear everyone's seen something weird but me. I've seen enough weird shit happen like peripherally, on the news and stuff. There's just something in the air, you know? How about you? You've been here a while, right? Seen anything weird?"
Alex laughed and shook his head. The idea that Mike was asking him about his time in Point Pleasant tickled him, considering that most of the weirder things he’d seen had started in an entirely different city years earlier. “Not too much here, like, nothing…” He shrugged. There was that weird fog making everyone paranoid and crazy and he’d heard stories but he actually hadn’t had anything too strange for himself. “At least, not yet.”
"Here," Mike echoed and quirked a brow. "So you've seen weird shit everywhere else?" He had to ask, the way Alex had said it certainly made it sound like Point Pleasant was boring in comparison to somewhere else when it came to weird events, though chances were he hadn't meant that at all. As for Mike, he hadn't seen weird shit as such ever. He had felt weird during the fog but that was normal, right? It had been thick and creepy and he was known for having some anxiety for good reason anyway.
Alex hesitated. He'd never told anybody, at least not sober and the few times he'd brought it up were easily dismissed as good pot. But there was something about Mike that was familiar and made him want to share. He bit at his lower lip for a moment then nodded. “Not everywhere and not a lot but…” It was too close for comfort so he flicked his hair back over his face and laughed. ”But you wouldn't believe me anyway.”
"Probably not," Mike admitted and grinned at him. "But it would make for a good story so you should totally tell me anyway." It was really nice to chat with someone like this at work which was otherwise so fucking boring. Alex was cute too, especially when he laughed and got a little embarrassed though Mike still couldn't get any kind of read on him whether he was straight or gay or something else so he wasn't about to start flirting too heavily.
The idea of telling somebody was a nice one but Alex didn't think he was quite ready to share the whole thing. Besides, even if he did, nobody in their right mind would believe him. “I can't, if I give away all my secrets then you don't have any reason to keep talking to me.” He grinned over the top of the coffee cup. “It's a better story when you're high and more open to possibilities anyway.”
"Maybe I'm high right now," Mike retorted after giving Alex an open-mouthed look of shock and betrayal. He wasn't even sure why but he really wanted to hear Alex's story, no matter how ridiculous it might be. "C'mon you know you want to talk about it, maybe if it's really good I'll buy you a drink." He leaned against the counter, quirking a brow at Alex and giving him a hopeful little smile.
“Even if you're high, it's not the right kind of mood. Besides, you already got me a drink,” Alex pointed out. He held the coffee cup up to emphasize his point then tipped his head back and drained the cup in one long drink. He set the empty cup back onto the counter and pushed it across towards Mike. “Have you got a bin behind there? I will tell you something though, as crazy as it is I know it's real. No ‘friend of a friend’ stuff this time, I lived it for myself.”
"Those are the best stories," Mike chuckled as he grabbed the empty cup and tossed it in the bin. "No 'my uncle heard it from a friend's wife once' bullshit." Of course that didn't mean it was true but declaring it as personal experience was pretty bold, depending on the story of course. "For the record I meant a real drink, not boring coffee. Now, tell me your story."
Alex was well aware of what Mike had been suggesting but he played dumb with wide eyes and his mouth open in a shocked ‘O’. “Oh, in that case…” He dropped the act and laughed. It slowly occurred to him that this was reaching flirting territory, if it hadn't already, and even though he'd never actually thought too hard about his sexual it, men had never really been on his radar before. It wasn't a bad thing though and he leaned forward over the counter towards Mike. He glanced around to make sure they were alone. “If I told you, they'd have to kill us both,” he said in a stage whisper then lowered his voice to a proper whisper instead. “And I'm not actually sure how much I'm kidding there either. There's definitely a cover up involved. Shady science shit.”
"Whoa," Mike whispered back. "We're going for paranoid government coverup territory? I was expecting ghosts." He wasn't sure how much Alex was joking either. On one hand he seemed to be and on the other... Wasn't there always a little truth to everything? The truth here might be that Alex was a paranoid schizophrenic but Mike wasn't going to hold that against him. "Is it safe for me to hear about it?" he asked. "Or is this a burden you should carry alone?" He definitely wanted to hear it so the question was entirely rhetorical.
Alex was surprised by how much he'd let out. It wasn't even anything damming but it was definitely more than he'd told anybody before. Well, anybody who would remember it the next day anyway. It was something new but not entirely unwelcome. It had been easy to keep it to himself when he was younger because he had to protect his mother. Now she was gone and he felt like he needed to share something, just to remember her. Plus Mike didn't seem to think he was crazy which was a good start. And if he did after Alex had told him anything, he could always pretend it was a big joke. “I don't think it's the government,” he finally said. He wasn't whispering anymore but he wasn't speaking as loud as he had before either. “There's more money in private research these days. And the doctor is dead but his son is definitely up to something now…”
This was really beginning to sound less like a joking conspiracy theory type of a story and something... else. Mike didn't know what but something. "You totally lost me," he murmured and his confusion was almost tangible. "What doctor? What kind of research? And how are you involved?" Those were legit questions, right? "Is there a start to the story?"
“There is but…” Alex straightened up as he realised just how much he'd told a complete stranger and even though the urge to share was still there, he wasn't sure if it was safe. He thought of Neil and his paranoia. He'd lived here longer and was sure they were still around. Maybe they were. He forced a grin again but this one didn't come as easily as the others had. “But I believe there was a promise of alcohol before you get more than the trailer version.”
"No," Mike said, dragging out the word as he narrowed his eyes at Alex. "I'm pretty sure the deal was alcohol if you tell me a story." He gestured around the very empty cafeteria. "C'mon, I'm stuck here until six, I know you want to entertain me." Of course Alex might just want to go look at the museum instead, the sole reason why he was there in the first place, but it didn't hurt to try. "I promise I'll believe at least fifty percent of what you tell me, deal?"
Alex laughed as he took a step back from the counter. It was tempting to stay and talk but he had come here for a reason after all, no matter how silly it seemed now. It felt safer to drag the story out and if it gave him an excuse to talk to Mike again, well, that was a bonus he'd suffer through. “I'll tell you what, let's do both at once one night. Soon. But only if you pretend to believe at least fifty percent.”
Mike pouted at him in a somewhat exaggerated way, then nodded as he relented. "Alright, you still have my number?" He did remember giving him a card with his band's contact information but whether or not Alex actually held onto it was a different story. Maybe Mike wouldn't see or hear from him again until they ran into each other like this and then he could tease him for never finishing the story.
Alex had kept the card safely in amongst his research on AIR. It wasn't every day you came across the son of somebody who had been there! Remembering that was the initial reasons for his interest made him feel a little guilty for using Mike but he genuinely was a nice guy and if his biological father was somehow involved, he deserved to know the truth. Didn't he? That was a grey area he'd have to examine later. For now, he simply nodded. “Of course. You've got that gig on Halloween.” He didn't bother to add that he'd already subscribed to the band's social media pages too. He didn't want to sound too eager.
"Call me then," Mike told him and slapped his hand against the counter a couple of times. "You got me all curious and wanting to hear that story and I hate not getting what I want." He did usually get what he wanted but that wasn't something he really thought about.
Well, it seemed that one of them had no qualms about appearing too eager. Alex didn’t mind too much, he'd probably have felt the same if somebody came to him saying they were involved in a conspiracy theory. “I'll call, I promise.”