Shepard's Fall.

Trekking through the woodland area near the edge of the small-town of Shepard's Bay, Thomas Maine held his bloodied right arm while his head was covered in a mixture of soot and blood. He managed to flag down a lumberyard worker on the way back from the night shift at the old Zane-Wake compound. The portly driver avoided the conversation about his appearance, dropping him off on the curb beside the local medical facility.

Maine eyed the nurse attending to his wounds but remained quiet about the altercation that left him banged up along with the fact he hadn't been in the town long enough to know the locals. Sheriff Jeffries, a well groomed and slender man in athletic shape peeked his head around the corner of the medical room before placing his hat down on the office table. The lumberyard worker tipped off the station about his encounter prompting the sheriff to investigate.

"Mr. Maine? Don't mean to intrude on the treatment, but I just had to come down and make sure whatever happened to you isn't anything serious. Your new to the town, we don't see much like this, so you must understand why I'm here."

Maine rubbed his dirty blonde head of hair with his bandaged left hand, leaning his back on the chair he was seated in before locking his hazel colored pupils on the sheriff. He studied him for a few seconds until they both watched the nurse exit the room. Maine relaxed a little more in the seat until he hesitantly began to speak.

"Had a little hunting accident Sheriff. One of those big grizzlies caught my trail down near the Sprit trail as I'm inches away from a fine buck. After that well I spent the early morning falling down an embankment. I don't mean to scare the locals, still finding my way around. That's pretty much it, sir."

Jeffries nodded his head before his rounded hat sat on the slicked back hair receding on his scalp. He handed Maine his card in case something like this occurred again. Maine finished up at the medical center, exiting through the deserted lobby towards the local eatery called Rosalie's. The interior of the place had the generic diner look like the whole building traveled through time, but everybody went there so Maine had to stop by. Seating himself in a booth near the back, he ordered a black coffee & a stack of pancakes while the owner of Rosalie's took a seat in the booth.

"Was everything good today sir?" Reginald, the proprietor of the establishment slipped Maine an envelope during the casual conversation. Maine carefully tucked it down inside his jacket before taking a few more swigs from the porcelain mug of piping hot coffee. He smiled before dropping a couple bucks for a tip.

"I'll be coming here often. The foods top notch. I just hope my next visit goes a little smoother." Catching a ride back through the winding road near the woods, he finally saw his house perched up overlooking the town. His vehicle sat near the large oak tree in the center of his yard while the rest of the exterior gave it a rustic feel. He dropped his jacket on the kitchen table and promptly exited his house through the backyard, unlocking his shed.

Digging up the small lockbox after removing a false piece of wood from the shed floor, he deposited the cash into the box before concealing it from where it came. Shortly after he found himself half asleep on the couch with the television on until the large clatter of thunder startled him up from his slumber just in time to catch the local news report.

"This is Debra Lang with this shocking report following the discovery of body floating upwards near the Little Creek Cavern. Reports from the sheriff's office are going on record saying the body is that of Milton Joyce, the deputy mayor's stepson. We will update the story more once we gather more information." The report ended, leaving Maine to go white in the face while he searched for his phone to contact Reginald.

"Before you say anything I know, I know... I should of told you. It's just you were eager to make a little extra cash, so hey I thought it wouldn't matter. Meet me at the diner after midnight, we'll talk about it."

Maine tossed his phone across the room in anger, knowing deep down he jumped the gun to quickly.

"Gotta love small towns."