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Manny and Emelie arrived in Puerto Zapato a couple of evenings later, in the dead of night. Other than a couple of lanterns lighting the streets, it was pitch black, the stars and moon obscured by heavy clouds. A light sprinkling of snow began to fall as they headed for the town inn. Manny shivered slightly in his now not so clean and fresh business suit. He realized that he hadn't changed his clothes, and for that matter had hardly slept, in days. They had simply been trying to find means of travel.
They had managed to hitch a ride on the Number Nine for a short distance, but they knew that they could not be found on the train once it reached Puerto Zapato, and had ditched at about a day's trip away.
The two of them stumbled into the inn, and were immediately greeted by a blast of warm air and light. A year ago, Manny remembered this place to be full of souls on their way no the ninth underworld. Now there were few people lingering about the inn, and those that were there were sketchy looking characters, casting suspicious glances in Manny and Emelie's direction.
"Where is everybody?" Manny wondered aloud. A shady looking old sailor grunted, and replied.
"Most everybody's got outta town, after they heard what was happenin'. The rumors an' all."
"Rumors? What rumors?" asked Manny, puzzled.
"We don't talk about those things here!" snarled the man, and he quietly added, "You never know who could be listenin'..." The old sailor suddenly sat up straighter, and motioned for them to come closer. Manny and Emelie sat down cautiously, and leaned towards him. "Ya want to know what's been goin' on here? What's got everyone so scared?" The two of them nodded, and the man continued. "It's not safe to speak of here, but if the two of ya meet me outside the inn tomorrow at noon, I'll tell ye as much as I know."
"But," Manny began, but the old man quickly silenced him.
"Tomorrow at noon," he said, and stood to walk to his room, leaving the two of them sitting puzzled at the table.
Manny didn't know what to think. What if it was a trap? Still the prospect of learning more about what was going on was too much for him to pass up. And what of this girl, this Emelie, who lead him into certain death, then inexplicably saved him? He still didn't know what to think of her, or whether or not he trusted her.
He was deep in thought when lack of sleep finally caught up with him. The two travelers bought two rooms for the night, and each retired for the evening. Manny fell asleep almost instantly, but Emelie stayed awake, and deep in thought, for a long time after that.
* * * * *
At around the same time as Emelie and Manny were talking in the inn, Meche and Glottis arrived in Rubacava. The town was in terrible condition, as it was when they had last seen it. Their car was greeted by a group of the LSA, who escorted them to a small building near the Blue Casket where they were to relax for a moment. They didn't get long, because about five minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Meche opened it, and in came a small, lean man with large, black glasses and a black hat.
"Hello miss," he said shortly, "I am Joe. No last name that you need to know, just Joe." Meche doubted that "Joe" was his real name, but she politely shook his hand, introduced herself, and waited patiently while he continued.
"I am in charge of the LSA's operations here, in Rubacava. For the time that you are in this city, you will remain inside this room, where it is safe. The streets are no longer safe, and open shooting is now a common occurence. We would not wish any harm to befall you during your stay here."
"My good sir," said Meche, "I believe that I am perfectly capable of handling myself in these situations. I have had plenty of experience in dealing with these criminals and their ways, and I have survived my time in the Land of the Dead so far. I only wish to find Manny, and get back to the gate so that we may continue our journey into the Ninth Underworld."
Joe seemed a little annoyed, but he kept calm and began to reply. "Ms. Colomar, I assure you that it would be in your best interest to remain in this area. As for finding Manny, my agents in Puerto Zapato have seen him there, accompanied by a young woman. I assume that he is on his way as we speak"
Meche stopped him at this point. "Accompanied by... you don't mean..."
Joe sighed. "Our sources cannot tell us who this woman is, or why she is traveling with Mr. Calavera. And as for your plans to return to the gate, it is not all that simple. You see-"
But at that moment, Joe was cut off. A loud knock came at the door, and another man entered.
"Sir! We have just captured Maximino!" Joe stopped talking and smiled.
"We will continue our conversation later, Ms. Colomar. Until then, please take my advice, and remain in this room." With that, he left, closing the door behind him. Meche looked up at Glottis, worry written all over her face, but the big demon only shrugged. The two of them sat in silence, and waited.
* * * * *
Manny and Emelie waited anxiously outside the inn, waiting for the old man to arrive. Emelie fidgeted with the brim of her hat, and Manny scanned the streets impatiently. Finally, about five minutes after twelve, the man arrived. He said nothing, but motioned for the two of them to follow him. They followed him through the quiet streets of Puerto Zapato, a thin layer of snow crunching underfoot.
Finally, the three of them arrived at the docks, where the sounds of the ocean, sailors, and seagulls would have made it impossible for anyone else to understand them. 'At least we won't have to worry about missing our train out of here,' thought Manny. They were very close to the Number Nine station in Puerto Zapato. He and Emelie had discussed it that morning, and decided that as Rubacava was reported to be mostly in the control of the LSA, it should be safe for them to ride on the train to the city. At this point, the old man cleared his throat, and began.
"I suppose you're wonderin' why an old sailor like me would decide to give the two of ye this information. I've been wonderin' that meself. I suppose it's because of the look of ye. You seem like honest souls, not like the kind that normally blow into town these days. I dunno, it's possible that this information may be absolutely worthless. Simply rumors brought in by superstitious sailors crossin' the sea. Who knows what they saw really, could've been a whale, or a log..."
"Just please, we don't have much time," interrupted Manny, "Tell us what it is that they said they saw."
The old sailor glared at him, but continued. "Well, most people knows the rumors that a new crime boss is rising to take Hector's place, that ol' Hector would've been prepared for such an event. That Cristofer Marin is already beginning to spread his associates across the land of the dead."
This was news to Manny, but he remained silent and let the man talk.
"Well, that may be true. But there could be another, someone who Hector didn't intend. Someone who Hector, and everyone else for that matter, thought was long gone."
"How do you know all this?" interrupted Emelie. The man glared again, but again answered.
"I used to be an informant for the Lost Souls Alliance. I quit a couple years back, but I still watched the comings and goings of people very carefully, kept up with the rumors and the new information regardin' Hector's crime empire."
This was all very interesting to Manny, but he just wanted to hear more of the rumor. They had only about ten minutes. He cleared his throat and motioned towards the large clock at the station. The man seemed to get the picture.
"Anyways, they say this new crime already had plenty of power, and a high position. They say that he rules over their latest operations with fear, that he is a heartless killer. They say he came from the sea."
All at once, it dawned on Manny. "But you can't mean..."
The man continued without stopping. "They say that Domino Hurley has returned. Of course, it's only rumor..."
Manny couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But, that's impossible! Domino is dead! I watched him ground into bits myself! It's impossible that he's alive!"
The sailor eyed him strangely.
"Is it?"
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