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Canis Major (Part Three)
Original article written by Andy Gol posted 11 years 3 weeks ago--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CANIS MAJOR
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Andy careens past the grandstands and jumps onto the famous Louisville Downs track. He starts to whinny and neigh while moving his head to and from. He stands near the starting gates and then breaks out into a sprint. He flies around the first turn, kicking up dirt with every step, and keeps going around the track.
Gabby O., Danny D., and Fogell M. sit in the stands, watching a mostly naked man run around carelessly.
“I wonder who won the pool” says Danny.
“Do you think he knows it’s a mile around the track?” asks Fogell “Actually...don’t answer that. I don’t think it matters.”
“Why does he keep falling down?” asks Gabby.
“Oh, I think he’s not the most sober person around” Danny answers.
“I wonder which horse he’s pretending to be” says Fogell.
Danny takes a swig from his Mike’s Hard Lemonade and the three watch Andy gradually finish the lap. Andy then follows the path to the winners circle where he pretends to drape himself in a blanket of flowers.
“I hope he doesn’t simulate stud duty next...” says Gabby
“Don’t joke about that! He’d do it!” says Danny.
Andy, now drunk, exhausted, and very sweaty, stumbles off the track and looks for the nearest place to lay down. He tries a couple doors but they are all locked. He happens upon the maintenance building and pulls on the door handle. It doesn’t budge. Andy begins to move on, but stops dead in his tracks when he hears cries from inside. He tries to peer through the small square window in the door, but all he can see is darkness. The voices inside continue to call out.
Andy takes ten paces back from the door and sprints towards it, jumping at the last moment. He crashes into the door, which doesn’t move, and bounces back onto the ground. He pauses for a moment and then lets out a torturous howl. He cries for a few minutes. Finally, he picks himself back up, wipes his nose with his hand, and goes around to the back of the building.
Andy notices the smallish window in the back of the structure. He jumps but can’t quite reach it. He looks around and spots a large plastic barrel sitting 20 feet away. Andy pulls at it with all his might. It doesn’t move quickly, but he’s able to drag it to the foot of the window. He hops on and pushes at the glass. It doesn’t move.
“Just break it!” says a female voice from inside.
Andy shrugs and dives headfirst into the window which shatters into thousands of pieces. He crashes through and falls head-first on the concrete floor.
“ANDY!” screams Cleo P.
“Oh god, is he naked?” says Larry B.
“Yeah, naked and unconscious” says a weary Susie.
“Do you think he’ll wake up anytime soon?” says Larry.
Susie examines Andy and sees him bleeding from a number of cuts. He’s also drooling profusely.
“I wouldn’t count on that.” says Susie.
“I guess he was sort of helpful” says Eric N. “He did break the window and everything.”
“He was heroic!” exclaims Art.
“No, Art. He’s just a drunk idiot.” says Larry. “Does anyone have a stick to prod him with?”
Back at the party, Brandon M. (the cool one) gathers a search party.
“Brian....Amy...”
“I’ll go with you” says Dr. Hacklu.
“Sure thing, Doc.” says Brandon, who then turns to Bri. “Alright. The four of us will look for the missing people. I have my phone on, so call me if they come back here.”
The search party sets off. They wander towards the track but don’t find a soul.
“Maybe we should head to the stables. Maybe they went to check on their horses” says Hacklu.
“That’s a good idea” says Brandon. “I guess they would be in the dirt router area. They all have dirt routers going, right?”
“Yep” says Amy A.
“Huh...that’s interesting, right?” says Brian L. “That all the missing people have Steward’s Cup dirt routers?”
“Probably just a coincidence. Dirt routing is kind of popular. I would know!” says Hacklu as he taps on his phone.
The four meander over to the eastern-most stable, which remains unlocked. Amy pulls the door open and the group wanders inside. Brandon flips on the lights and Brian gasps.
“Look at all the empty stalls!” he says.
“I’m going to make a call about these missing horses!” says Hacklu.
As the three trainers look around, Hacklu slips back outside and quietly closes the door. Brandon counts at least a dozen missing horses. He takes out his phone and calls Bri.
“Bri! Their horses are missing! And then some!” he says into the receiver.
Brandon pauses to hear Bri’s reaction. Brian and Amy soothe the remaining horses.
“It’ll be ok, girl” Amy says to CRYSTAL QUEST
“No, no sign of any of 'em!” Brandon says into the phone.
Brian walks to the door and pushes on it, but it doesn’t open. He pushes again with all of his strength and it still doesn’t budge.
“Did Hacklu lock as in?!” asks Amy.
“Hacklu!” screams Brian. “YOU SON OF A...OW”
Brian kicks the door, which stings his foot.
“Bri, listen to me. Something serious is going on. Hacklu locked us in here. He must be in on whatever is happening. You have to come get us and you have to find the others.” says Brandon.
Brandon hangs up the phone and curses.
“Why would he do that?!” asks Amy.
“More importantly, who is Hacklu working with?” says Brian as he rubs his foot.
“What do you mean?” asks Brandon.
“Well, think about it. Hacklu was on his phone the whole way here. He was obviously texting someone. And...there are missing people, missing horses, and he has been at the party. There’s no way he did all of this by himself.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right” says Amy.
Brandon calls Bri back and warns her that Hacklu may not be working alone.
At the party, Bri, Ara, and Clinton consider their options.
“Who knows what we’re up against!” says Bri. “If Hacklu is in on it, Mary Weather, Hoss....Doolittle...they could all be 10 steps ahead of us!”
“Well, they know we know now.” says Clinton.
“Yeah, they know we know. But that’s still a better position than them knowing we DON’T know.” says Ara.
“I say we recruit people to help.” says Bri. “You each take a group. Clinton, you go get Brandon, Amy, and Brian from the dirt router stable. Ara, you search for the missing. Before, Brandon was searching in obvious places they might have gone. Let’s now assume they are being held somewhere. It would have been hard to get them off of the property. So look in and around the lesser traveled part of Louisville Downs.”
“What about you?” asks Clinton.
“I’m going to start spreading the news. There are at least 150 people here. We need to get the numbers advantage. But I don’t want to cause a riot.”
Clinton and Ara agree. Clinton gets Scott E. and Brittney E. to join his party. Ara wrangles Bill O. and Abe to hers. They all set off.
Bri finds Sarah C. and tells her the situation. The two go from table to table describing the chain of events. The atmosphere of the party changes like a fog settling over the crowd.
“We’re all going to die!” screams Justin T.
The crowd erupts in a panic. People start running in all directions. But Mary Weather, Liza, Hoss, and Hacklu block each exit. All four are brandishing handguns.
At this moment, the music shuts off and the track-wide P.A system fires to life. A female voice cackles maniacally over the loudspeakers and the crowd silences.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH” she says. “SO THE CAT IS OUT OF THE BAG, THEN?!”
“Oh my god!” says Bri. “It’s....the Steward!”
“YES, THAT’S RIGHT. YOUR LOVING, CARING STEWARD. HOW IS EVERYONE DOING TONIGHT? I MEAN...THOSE OF YOU STILL ALIVE... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”
“OH WELL, I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN FOR A VERY SPECIAL TREAT NOW. IT’S A SURPRISE RACECALL!”
“ISN’T THAT EXCITING? OH, YOU MUST BE WONDERING WHAT RACE I’LL BE CALLING! WELL, THAT’S THE BEST PART! IT’S THE RACE OF YOUR LIVES! OR...MORE PRECISELY, THE RACE OF YOUR DEATHS!!!!!!!!!”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH”