A Time to Harvest - Chapter Five

Mathis leads the way through the rain, past the ruins of the newspaper and back round to the main square. You don't appear to have been noticed and reach the cannon. Although there are half a dozen cannon balls piled next to it as a display, there is no way to light it without fuse and gunpowder, which is not stored here. The dancing appears to be continuing and the dark clouds above are swirling ever more violently. As the man at the altar sacrifices another of the poor townsfolk, the blood-curdling cries of the children and hoots of the tree things echo around the square over the sound of the rain.

Looking up, vague shapes begin to form in the clouds directly above, fang-lined maws. pus-rimmed eyes and black, ropy tentacles break through the clouds. The children begin to chant "Mother! Mother! Mother!"

The police station is back to the northeast of the square. Mathis heads off back around the buildings again.

Mathis makes it to the Police Station which seems unharmed by the chaos around town. Outside are parked two vehicles, one an official police vehicle, the other an old looking vehicle. The jail itself is a single storey building of thick brick walls, barred windows and institutional green paint. Inside there are three spartan cells (Mathis remembers them well)

The central work area has two large desks, several filing cabinets and a gun cabinet containing three 12-gauge shotguns (two double-barrelled and one pump action) and boxes of shells. There's also a small keg marked gunpowder and beside it a handful of two-inch wicks.

Mathis grabs the gunpowder and wicks and heads out of the station. Anyone else taking something?

Taffy and Mathis grab shotguns and load them up before grabbing the gunpowder. Running back through the streets, the rain pouring, the clouds above swirling stronger than before, they make their way back around to the cannon.

As you arrive back at cannon, the children have become even more frenzied in their dancing, the hideous trees hooting away and the deputy have sacrificed more of the townsfolk on the altar. Suddenly something happens that you struggle to understand. two gigantic hooves thrust down from the sky, smashing into houses either side of the square, destroying them utterly and causing the ground to tremor. Static electricity makes your hair stand on end and the air feels thick and greasy. From the clouds appear huge udders and the children cry "Mother! Mother!"

Milk begins to pour from the sky!