The husband was inconsolable. Apparently 'eating the dogs and cats' meant their personal pets. Jasson could feel himself heating up as the wife described where they'd found the remains, savagely consumed and discarded by some monster.
Brownie and Ripper the dogs, two neighbor cats, plus their precious Nibbles. It wasn't right. This couldn't stand. Jasson's heart twinged, remembering their kittens at home.
"Let's go," Jasson marched from the poor potter's family home, Harriett and the couple trailing after them. "The warehouse is around this way, right?"
The wife responded, "Yes, but- get up honey. They're going to the warehouse."
The potter just sniffled and hugged a pillow, saying, "We were never able to find anything. Why do you think they will?"
"Because they're professionals," The wife said, "I posted the notice. I'm sure they'll do their job well."
"We haven't even explored the whole place," the husband said, "We should try this ourselves before paying others to do it."
"Actually," Jasson turned, grinning, "We're doing this pro bono. In other words: for free."
"Oh!" The husband shot up, still holding the pillow, "Well okay then. Thank you, darling. I'll take them on a tour while you watch the kids."
"That's what I was hoping for," The wife smiled, "Be safe out there, you three."
The warehouse was a dilapidated building the size of two football fields. It would have been run down five years ago and now could only crawl down levels of collapsing. Jasson frowned.
"What's in there?" Jasson said, "Is it empty?"
"No," The potter said, "It was an old family project. Some upper nobility ordered a warehouse full of goods for something or other nearby, but then fell on hard times and never paid us. Most of my family moved to the capital in search of money. Or the nobles. It bankrupted us entirely. We're still paying off the debt."
Jasson nodded, unsure of what to say. Maybe he could give them some crystals. But then again, they might have trouble convincing a pawn shop that the crystals weren't stolen. Maybe just some gold.
"Here we are," the potter said, showing them the door, "We found Ripper just on the inside of the door, and Brownie was further in. Half of him, anyway. We didn't go farther in to see."
Jasson frowned and said, "Why didn't you go deeper in-"
Harriett was suddenly by the door and pulled it open, calling out "Hey! Check it out!"
Jasson hurried to catch up. Inside, illuminated by the windows and holes in the roof, were thousands of statues. Every shape and size, an army frozen in chiseled yet forgotten glory. Light and shadows, stone and thin passages between empty hands.
"We don't go further in because it's creepy," The potter said, "Don't you feel their eyes on you?"
"Definitely," Jasson did his best to avert his gaze from the more classical statues, "Um…why?"
"My family used to be marble sculptors," The potter said, "But we can no longer afford the marble."
Anything could be hiding in here, countless jump scares hiding in plain sight.
"Okay," Jasson said, "And…how big were your dogs?"
The potter chuckled sadly and said, "Our dogs were leftovers from when we were catering to nobles. Lots of money. A lot of enemies. A lot of dog. Now all that's left is this evidence of our debt, standing in silence as the interest piles up."
"Oh," Jasson said, "Uh…"
"Come on!" Harriett walked inside. "Let's finish this up quick."
Jasson looked back to the potter and sighed, saying "Is there much that's flammable in there?"
"Nope," The potter said, "Just avoid the dry areas of the beams and roofs. Not that there are any."
"Thanks," Jasson took a fire crystal from his pocket and opened MADaptation, "I'll do my best."
In the two weeks traveling back from Smill Jasson got plenty of time to practice with his crystals. Only Water and Fire worked in MADaptation. The Purple one, which Petra reminded him was Gravity, didn't count as an element and so MADaptation couldn't utilize it.
The satisfying click of the crystal in Jasson's headphone jack made him smile. Whatever was in here, Jasson doubted that it would resist the flamethrower feature.
"Wait up," Jasson hurried after Harriett, "We need to be watching each other's backs."
The warehouse was as musty as it looked. Dust piled and trailed from the unplanned skylights, tears of abandonment streaking the white-marbled forms. Haphazard rows of statues in various positions parted for twisting paths that disappeared into the horde.
"Wow," Harriett fell back to Jasson's side, "Okay. This place is uncanny."
"Too accurate," Jasson agreed, "It's like the statues are alive. You'd think that they'd be worn down already."
"These are marble," Harriett walked up to one and tapped it with the flat side of her sword, "They're made to be put outside in gardens and stuff. They can last that way for thousands of years."
Harriett's words and the ringing of her sword echoed in the warehouse. Jasson fidgeted with his flamethrower. Anything could be listening.
"Why did they store them in a warehouse?" Jasson said, "Why not in a field?"
"Probably to defend against vandalism," Harriett said, "Come on. Let's get out of here before dark."
Fantastic. One more thing to worry about. Harriett was smart to avoid…the danger…
Jasson paused, then said "What do you mean? Won't it be scarier after dark? More of a challenge?"
Harriett hesitated, then said, "Nah. I can see fine in the dark so I wouldn't be scared. Why? Are you scared?"
Jasson analyzed Harriett and then said, "Of course I'm scared. I don't remember telling anyone I wasn't. But now I'm thinking that you're scared. Isn't this enough of a challenge for you?"
"Look," Harriett stopped, "I'm not scared like some kid, okay? But if I were, hypothetically, it would be because there's a difference between a 'challenge' and ghosts. Alright? If I can't stab it, it would be hypothetically fine if I was scared of it. Which I'm not, so I don't know why I'm telling you this."
Jasson raised his eyebrows and then turned away. So little Miss Fearless had some uncertainty in her five-foot frame. That shouldn't have made Jasson feel better, but it was nice to feel like he wasn't the only one with a gut twisted by a legion of unmoving statues.
"Let's see if there are any blood trails from the dogs," Jasson said, "There's bound to be some kind of nest in here."
Jasson scanned around the statues, flamethrower at the ready as Harriett picked a path. They inched along, flinching at shadows and leaping at the scuttling mice. Whatever was in here didn't bother hunting for that small of prey.
"I think I see something," Harriett said, sending hairs bristling across Jasson's neck, "It's a bunch of eggs."
"Eggs?" Jasson followed, whipping around occasionally to check for movement. Jasson looked up. Nothing.
Still, Jasson thought, something isn't right.
Jasson followed Harriett as they approached the 'eggs'. Half a dozen statues were lying flat on the ground. Most importantly, there were several statues nearly covering their eyes, leaving just enough for Jasson to see their horrified expressions.
"These are made of marble," Harriett tapped the eggs, her blade wringing against the stone, "Looks like something has been here though."
"Harriett," Jasson said, watching the statues around them, "Does your culture normally make statues of terrified people?"
Harriett paused and looked around, then said, "Sometimes. For scare gardens during October. But…not out of marble. Not when you only keep them up for part of the year."
"Right," Jasson said, "Now, do you have monsters that turn people to stone when you look at them?"
Harriett grabbed Jasson's arm, "You mean Medusa's? Yeah, we do."
"Great," Jasson said, "Final question, do you have a couple of hand mirrors we could use? In that handbag of yours?"
Jasson held his breath. If she didn't then they'd be in deep trouble. But she had a whole house in that bag so-
"Oh, yes." Harriett reached into her bag and produced a couple of mirrors, "Good luck."
"Thanks," Jasson said, taking the mirror and sighing in relief, "You sound excited."
"Of course I am," Harriett said, "Not only am I about to fight a legendary monster, but it's one I can stab without too much trouble."
Jasson grunted and experimented pointing the mirror to see the statues behind him. He shot off a couple of bursts of flame, getting the hang of things.
"I doubt a Medusa is fireproof," Jasson said, then took out one of his healing crystals, "Still, she'll have claws or something. Those dogs weren't turned to stone."
They circled around where those eggs had been, looking for other disturbances. Nothing so much as a statue tipped on its side. The entire warehouse didn't have any statues knocked over, except for around those eggs. But something wasn't right.
Things were starting to feel…off. Like his sense of direction was wacked up, or that something had moved whenever he couldn't see it. More than once, Jasson flinched and fired his flamethrower, only to soot up a statue or two. Nothing moved besides the mice, and yet every few seconds Jasson could feel that something was different.
Changed.
Jasson tucked the mirror under his arms and rubbed his eyes. All this shoulder checking was starting to hurt. Harriet paused and put her own mirror away, turning to Jasson.
"We're not really finding anything," Harriett said, turning away, "But I know something is here. I can feel their eyes on me. At least half a dozen of them."
"Six?" Jasson said, "Dang. Let's cycle back to those eggs."
Jasson pushed through the growing kink in his neck and raised his mirror to-
"AAAH!"
Jasson shot a bristling hot spurt of fire as he skipped forward, spinning to look.
"Don't look!" Harriet said
Jasson froze, phone aimed dead at whatever he'd just engulfed in flames. Jasson's eyes focused against his will as the animal part of his brain refused to 'not look' at a threat. Jasson locked eyes with the-
"It's a statue?" Harriet said, approaching backward, "But…it wasn't there before. Right?"
Chills raced a rhythm across Jasson's skin, sweat beading in terrified preparation to run. The statue stood, arm outstretched to where Jasson had been, mouth dripping open with crude but sharp teeth.
"Weird design choice," Harriet tapped the statue with her sword, "I know this wasn't here before. Do you think something is picking up and moving the statues? Maybe a poltergeist."
"&*(%," Jasson said, stepping back and swiveling his head around, "**^&%$% ^#%^# &^%$ a &^$$%@ no…"
More statues ahead. Path blocked. What was the advice? How did that episode start?
"Don't blink!" Jasson hissed, "Don't turn around or look away. They're faster than you'd think."
Jasson blinked, and the statues had moved. A final confirmation. A final settling of Jasson's plunging gut in the lake of terror. Statues that only move when you're not looking, vicious mouths ready to tear your flesh apart. Uncanny stillness meeting every frantic glance.
The words Jasson had been hoping were wrong forced their way out, "They're Weeping Angels."