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Post by Salandis on Oct 11, 2023 1:33:19 GMT -6
[OOC: Moana toys with the gems, is unsettled, watches Kail]
Moana shivered as the lights came back on. Her night vision was usually excellent, as a freshwater ambush predator needed to be. Within the whispering darkness she felt small and weak, and she had the conviction that she couldn’t shift out of this place even had she wanted to. It left her feeling vulnerable, and she came close to the light as she returned to the group.
Absently one hand dug into the leather pouch, feeling over the gems inside as if they were her seeing shells. What were they doing under a dead dog? What even were they?
“Careful with that,” she said in a hushed voice as Kail took a knife to the body. Her other hand fished out the lighter, ready to cauterize if needed. “Those little critters are like nothing I’ve seen before.”
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 11, 2023 3:36:55 GMT -6
The slouched man doesn't even twitch at the gunshot. His chest and long-sleeved arms continue to shiver and tremble, but they had been trembling before the noise as well. And if the gunshot didn't wake him, what good would shouting do? Still, Stenson tried his hardest to wake Zach, everything short of grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking him. The man did not respond to the repetition of his name, even when Sten's voice rose to a louder pitch. When the bagged shirts struck him he finally moved - but the movement didn't seem intentional, rather it seems as if the soft strike had dislodged him from the wall and he slumped a little to the side. A bit of his face is visible through his hair - the end of his nose, his mouth and jaw. His skin is pale, jaw dusted with a shadow of stubble, and his mouth is slightly open and slack. His body trembles, but no breath stirs his hair from his open mouth.
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Quick on his feet, Casimir darts away from the gurgling hag. He is bleeding from where she scratched his bicep, but he seems to have escaped in his blind sprint to the nearest store. He can hear the old woman's gurgling cries, and peeking around one of the mannequins posing in the window he can see her still out there in front of Hollister, staggering in a circle as she searches for prey. If he watches her long enough, he will eventually see her 'reset' to her position in front of the store, casting about for her lost cup and straw. Her movements are much more mechanical now, and black goo continues to drool from her mouth and the hole in her head.
Momentarily safe, a not-so-quick search of the store finally leads him to a door in the back. It had taken a bit to find, as someone seems to have hung their coat in front of it, making it hard to spot. It's a nice coat, all things considered, supple leather - maybe not quite as thick as Sam's motorcycle jacket, but it would serve better armor than his shredded sleeves. While the coat might be a lucky find, the door itself is not. When he tries the handle he finds it to be locked. He won't be getting into the staff area this way, not unless he wants to break the door or the lock.
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The corpse's fingers seem stuck, and it's a good thing Kail covered his hand to avoid touching it as a few of the worms crawl out to investigate. They're easy enough to knock off of his sleeve, and after a bit of work he is able to pry the corpse's fingers apart to get at the pendant clutched in them. A thin silver chain attached to a a setting holding a crescent shaped sliver of pale stone with a blue iridescent sheen. As soon as it's in his hands, Kail feels a sense of... not exactly safety, but perhaps a touch less stressed about the goings on around him.
Nearby, Moana is busy examining and feeling out the stones in the pouch she found. They aren't her shells, and there is no oracle to be found in them, but still they seem... important? Or perhaps just valuable. If she counts them she will find there are 19 of them in total, and in a fair rainbow of colors: three are shades of red, two are yellow, two are green, four are blue (with one a rather obvious piece of turquoise), and two are purple. There are also two white stones - a pearl and an opal - as well as a clear stone that looks like it might be a diamond, another that is a mix of purple and green, one that is black with cloudy pale bands, and finally a deep green bloodstone with reddish flecks. They're pretty and seem to be of good quality - no flaws that she can see, and cut into precise shapes.
She also notices, when she takes out and flicks on her lighter, that the closer worms do seem to withdraw when the flame is brought close to them. But then, what creature actually wants to be burned?
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Samael takes a few moments to split from the others, although he keeps within shouting distance. The stairs are sturdy under his feet and he climbs them into the room above. While this room is dark, the door out into the hall has been left half-open and some light filters in. Stepping through it, Sam would find another staff hallway - the lights in this one are on, the fluorescent white somehow making everything feel both a bit too sterile and also more dirty. The walls are painted white and are marred by more of those bug-holes - there seem to be more of them up here than downstairs. He doesn't see any bugs, though - perhaps they don't like the light. To his left is an unlit elevator with the doors taped off - out of service - and a bend in the hallway. To his right is a door into a storeroom, and then another door also labelled "Stairs." Beyond that is a long hall studded with doors. The floors up here are a bit dirtier, perhaps having more staff foot traffic, and the walls down the hall bare curious marks - there is a line of arrows hastily drawn in pinkish-red lipstick, pointing the way down to the very end of the long hallway.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 11, 2023 12:10:40 GMT -6
Halloween 2023 [Stenson deduces that the figure is most assuredly dead, but for unknown reasons. He decides his best option without his usual gear or backup is to head out of the storeroom and continue seeking help or backup. He will make to leave the storeroom and head further down the L shaped back hall, examining doors for any way that looks more promising than the rest. Note, if it helps to move things along further, let me know if any do seem promising and how, and/or if I could go ahead and move Stenson through the door at least before next round so that his next major turn/action isn't just "goes through door" lol.] [Edit - Added that Stenson will attempt door #5, Silver Star back door]
Unfortunately, the jolt-awake-oops-sleeping-on-the-job reaction from the young man that Stenson was hoping for....did not occur. Instead, as the pile of new folded shirts pelted the man, the only movement was the figure falling into a deeper slump, now leaning further over as if it had detached from the wall. Stenson tracked the flashlight beam back up across the man's body, face, hair. The trembling motion was still occurring, but now that the man's hair was draped further across his face and mouth partly ajar, he could see no sign of breath to disturb the hair at all. Nor did Stenson see any sign of rise or fall of the man's chest or shoulders to further signify breathing.
No. The man was dead, Stenson was sure of it. But that trembling.....
Stenson lowered the flashlight and clicked it off. Once again the figure, now decorated with a small pile of plastic-wrapped t-shirts, dropped into partial shadow. He needed to leave, now. There were victims here, that was for sure, but he could help none of them without backup or his gear. And the only way to secure either of those was to get out, call for help, something. The possibility that whatever was going on here being supernatural had begun to cross Stenson's mind as well. Sure, perhaps the body in front of him was leaning against some electric power source and was shivering from an unseen electrical current. Or, lord only knew what else might be creating that weird, unnatural movement. Plus there was the potential poisoning case with the old woman, at least if she wasn't acting out due to an existing mental condition. But that drink was also...not normal. And the BYSTANDERS, what could possibly have them so oblivious to the raging woman only feet away? So many questions tumbled through the officer's mind. Turning, Stenson kept his eyes locked on the strange body at least until he'd cleared a corner and broken line of sight. It was hard to look away. There was nothing else he could do here...
Moving around and back towards the storeroom door, Stenson made to leave and hurry in the opposite direction to see if one of the other backdoors to a different establishment might seem like a better option. As he left, he shoved the small flashlight into his pants pocket and traded it for the taser. With so many unknowns now facing him, he wanted to be prepared. Most of what he'd seen so far had all the red flags of potential malicious intent, but the question was who or what was behind it. As he glanced once more down the hallway, and started further down towards the other doors. At the second door to his right, he paused, hearing voices somewhere nearby. They....sounded normal, perhaps, but he struggled to tell which door they were coming through. With a deep breath, Stenson straightened and made to open the second door to the right (#5). If they weren't in here, they had to be one of the neighboring stores at least.
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Post by luscen on Oct 11, 2023 20:53:05 GMT -6
[CASMIR binds his wounds with a shirt, checking the coat and then putting it on. Unable to open the door, and not wanting to risk confrontation with the OLD WOMAN again, he decides to check the store's employee desks and stations for a key to open the back room with, while also keeping an eye out for any useful supplies or items.]
Casmir watched as the old crone shambled around for him, before seeming to withdraw into a placid state, returning and fumbling for her cup and straw. Letting himself relax, the Hunter frowned down at the scratches in his arm; they weren't deep, but even shallow wounds could cause problems if not tended to. Not to mention he was leaving a trail that would be easy for anyone who might be looking for him to follow. His bag didn't have any dressings or bandages, so he grabbed a nearby shirt and pressed it to his arm.
Not wanting to risk setting anyone else off, Casmir quietly made his way further into the Gap. Stores like this often had a second exit, one that employees could use, or which could be used in the case of an emergency. And while he wasn't willing to risk the fog outside, another means of egress would help him evade detection as he moved about the mall.
Eventually, the Hunter found it hidden behind a hanging coat. It was locked, and the coat itself didn't unfortunately have any keys. He took a moment to examine the piece of clothing, finding it fairly durable- it was a far cry from his overcoat, which had been made with several layers of full-grain leather and fiber mesh for added resistance to claws and knifes, but it was certainly better than what he had. It was also in his size, and while _that_ was concerning, he couldn't detect any sort of enchantments or traps on it.
The scarred man tore a strip of fabric from the shirt he was holding, binding it tight around his bicep. Again, not a great option for a bandage, but better than nothing. He then put the coat on, considering his options: he could try sneaking out the front, but the old bat was still there, and he wasn't going to assume she wouldn't remember him if she saw him come back out. That meant he'd need to find a key to unlock the door. The best place to find that would be an employee desk, so he quickly set off to see if there was one nearby that might have a set of keys on it.
Besides, who knew what else he might find?
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Post by Salandis on Oct 12, 2023 4:15:18 GMT -6
[Moana accepts the necklace, then suggests catching up with Samael upstairs]
Kail dug out the necklace, and Moana put the stones away. It was a pretty thing of silver, set in a crescent with an iridescent blue. He paused for a moment, then held it towards her. “You can have this,” he said. “Got a nice feeling to it.”
Moana smiled. It was a very nice necklace, and a sweet gesture. She must have looked more anxious than she realized. “Oh, that’s sweet,” she said, turning her back to the wendigo and lifting her hair. “Would you put it on me?”
“Oh, yeah,” He responded, “Of course.” Moana sighed as she felt the necklace settle on her. It really did calm her down somehow. “We should probably catch up with the other guy,” she said ruefully. “I don’t think there’s anything else for us here.”
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 12, 2023 5:05:41 GMT -6
[Kail follows Moana up the stairs to rejoin Sam]
Kail drew back from the corpse as he pried the necklace free, glancing over the silver pendant. He held it in his palm for a long moment, letting the feeling of calm wash over him, and then turned to Moana.
“You can have this. Got a nice feeling to it.” He smiled crookedly, pale eyes narrowing.
She accepted, and he placed it, carefully, around her neck, stepping backwards almost immediately with a nod at her suggestion.
“Yeah.” He agreed, following her up the stairs with one last look at the worm-riddled corpse.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 12, 2023 6:47:07 GMT -6
(OOC: Samael checks out the second floor storeroom)
Samael had half expected the second floor to be inaccessible. However, finding it just as empty as the halls he had come from was both a relief and a disappointment. At least there was none of the strange mall-goers that had made their way into the staff area. Though the many holes in the walls, caused by those strange bugs, were definitely cause for concern. He wasn’t going to assume the place was safe just because it was empty.
As the other two ascended the stairs, Samael sent them a nod, acknowledging their presence.
“Gonna check out the storeroom, there might be something useful”, he informed the two others, gesturing the door in question. While he spoke, he didn’t sound disturbed or unsettled by anything they had experienced so far, instead he just sounded mildly inconvenienced, like he had realized there was a pebble in his shoe.
Instinctively, he kept scanning the hall as he tried the handle leading to the store room- the idea of being crept up on by something wasn’t particularly appealing to him.
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 12, 2023 19:17:05 GMT -6
While 'Zach' is still trembling - or perhaps something under his shirt is moving to make it appear so - it becomes very apparent to Stenson that the man is dead. Perhaps it was a good thing - he might have been like the old woman, aggressive and hostile, if he had still been alive. But maybe something like the old woman had been what killed him. It's hard to tell without a more close examination of the body, and really what good would it accomplish to know how this stranger had died?
Stenson backs out of the room and back into the hallway. The lights flicker slightly, but they don't go out. There are a fair number of doors for him to check, and instead of heading back into Hollister, he chooses to see if any of them stand out. Visually, they all look the same, but as he heads into the eastern section of the hall, he begins to hear muffled sounds through the walls - conversation, movement, a clatter of metal kitchenware against a metal table. Trying the closest of the doors, he finds it to be locked - but listening here, it doesn't sound like the noises are coming from this one anyway. The next door up the hall is also locked, but there are definitely noises behind this one - the muffled sounds of someone doing something in the kitchen, moving about, perhaps clacking pots down on a table.
And the next door... well! It's unlocked, and on opening it the muffled noises of conversation grow louder. There are people in this restaurant, talking in the sitting area. Stenson, however, finds himself in an empty kitchen. It isn't a very big area, and it's sectioned off from the counter and the seating area by a swinging door. There is an oil fryer and an industrial grill prominent in the room, as well as a trio of soft-serve ice-cream machines and containers with various toppings along one wall. The other wall seems to be a sort of pantry area, with a few refrigeration units to store perishable things. Glancing through the round window in the swinging door, Stenson can make out a man polishing a glass beside the register; his back is to the kitchen. From here he cannot see the other customers though he can hear them - their words are hard to make out, but the cadence of their conversation has a repetitive quality, as if they keep circling back around to say the same things over and over again.
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Not wanting to return to the main hall, Casimir spends a bit more time searching the G.A.P. There has to be a key at one of these registers, right? But each one he checks is a disappointment - at least as far as keys are concerned. There is a can of bug spray under the counter near one of the registers: "Bug-B-Gone! Kills ants and roaches with a single use!" it reads across the front of the canister. It might prove useful, especially if he can find a lighter somewhere - it could possibly become a makeshift flamethrower! The lack of keys is definitely disappointing though, it means he will either need to return to the main hall or see if he can break open the staff door.
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With the calming necklaces passed to Moana, she and Kail head up the stairs to join Samael. Sam goes to try the storeroom door, but finds it to be stuck - the handle turns, but it does not push inward. Perhaps something has fallen across the door on the other side. The trio find themselves at a fork, with two doors to the south and a large number of doors to the west, along with a trail of arrows drawn in lipstick. The arrows seem to lead all the way to the back of the corridor.
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Post by luscen on Oct 13, 2023 3:30:31 GMT -6
[CASMIR takes the ID Badge and the can of bug spray. Returning to the locked door, he attempts to use the ID Badge to force open the lock.]
Casmir's search for a key came up empty; there wasn't even an employee to filch one from, it seemed like. Not that the Hunter had expected much, though, given the situation... Still, that meant he'd have to make his own exit, since he was still fairly certain the old crone would attempt to attack him again the moment she saw him.
Scrounging around behind the cash register, he ignored any of the mundane things there- pens, paper towels, cleaners... There weren't even any knives for cutting open boxes. He did, however, happen to find the ID badge of one Lara Valentine in a lanyard. She wasn't really anyone of note- dark hair, dark eyes, and in her 30s. The Hunter frowned at the badge, considering the store- was this even real? Was there a Lara Valentine trapped somewhere in here? Or was she just another facsimile? A conjuration made from a real location, in the same vein Delphi had made the Safehouse?
Casmir shook his head, taking the badge from the lanyard and tucking the strap into his pocket- it might prove useful, at some point, after all. More curious, however, was that he happened to notice a can of bug spray sitting on the counter. Had that been there, before? He picked it up, examining it; "Bug-B-Gone! Kills ants and roaches with a single use!" A strange thing to have behind the front counter, to be sure, but the Hunter didn't believe in coincidences, so he stowed the spray into his bookbag.
Returning to the locked door, Casmir placed one hand on the hand, then slipped the ID badge into the crevice where the lock sat, and began to try and force the latch open. Hopefully, it wasn't broken and just needed a proper touch.
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Post by Pearl Dragon on Oct 13, 2023 18:21:22 GMT -6
[Stenson quietly enters the kitchen before spending a moment to take in the man outside the swinging door, the eerie repeating conversation, and his next move. He is worried now about Sam and would really like to find his coworker. He turns, not yet passing through the swinging door, to first make a quick and quiet search around the kitchen, looking at everything and anything that might be of use.]
As Stenson tried the second door, he found it stubbornly locked. He moved to the next, noting the volume of sound and voices now growing louder, and as he turned the door handle, he was relieved to find it unlocked as he opened it to peer in. He wasn't sure what he would expect, but from the initial sounds of conversation and hollow metal on metal he'd been hearing, the kitchen before him seemed highly appropriate. He must be in a food court area, at the very least. Pushing his way in, he eased the door closed behind him and took in the surrounding area. Grill, fryer, ice cream...so a fast food place. He spotted a stack of cups and containers, immediately recognizing the popular Dairy Queen logo, except...this one had DK instead of DQ. Odd... Dairy King?
Giving the cups a quizzical look, he ventured further into the kitchen, his mind now thinking of the others he'd seen earlier. Specifically, Samael. He'd been so focused on finding some sort of employee or working phone with his current flurry of events, he'd almost completely forgotten he had a coworker wandering somewhere within this place same as he was. If there was possibly something supernatural going on here, he began to wonder if Sam might be alright, or if he'd even encountered as much as Stenson had so far. Approaching the door that separated him from the outside register and restaurant area, Stenson spotted a man with a glass, idling wiping the glass out with a rag. The sound of conversation also drifted towards him, although Stenson could not see any visible customers, at least from where he was. Overall, this area seemed entirely normal, except for the chilling deja-vu quality of repeated conversations that started and restarted, over and over in a pattern. He had heard its cadence reset flawlessly without noticing up to 3 times before it began to creep into his awareness. By the 5th time, he was certain it was happening, as if someone was looping some kind of conversation sound effect but in real life.
"What...." Stenson whispered under his breath, completely confused. He had been momentarily hopeful he might finally be outside of whatever odd occurrences were going on, but that same "something is very wrong" feeling stayed with him, now stronger than ever. The worry in his mind screamed at him not to go out there, something was still VERY off about this place. But then, where else could he go? He supposed he could see if there were any other locked doors, but he needed to find Sam. The more he played a "musical-doors" game, the more time he wasted.
So, he needed to think. Around him, the kitchen was void of employees, at least for the time being. If someone entered, he could hopefully duck behind something and out of view until he was sure they were not going to behave in a bizarre manner. He could only guess the employee outside would have something off about them, similar to the crazed old woman, or the shivering dead man, although at least this time they looked alive. Could he trust that they were normal? Or would they do something unexpected? Stenson took a step back from the door in a slow spin to look about the kitchen. He was specifically searching for anything that might be of use in his current situation. Quietly, but quickly, he did a lap around, inspecting everything from the metal counters to the pantry to even the food prep areas such as the grill, fryer and ice cream machine. His mind worked over every item he passed, trying to fit it into some possible solution or idea.
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Post by qhostqrowls on Oct 13, 2023 18:59:20 GMT -6
[Kail follows the lipstick arrows down the hallway with Moana and Sam, his knife drawn.
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Post by NightshadeVII on Oct 13, 2023 19:05:05 GMT -6
(OOC: Sam is intrigued by Moana’s suggestion and follows the arrows along with the two others, remaining alert)
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Post by kilnarak on Oct 13, 2023 20:12:04 GMT -6
Finding a laminated ID badge on a lanyard, Casmir heads back to the door in the back of the G.A.P. and slides the badge into the gap between the door-frame and the door. It takes a bit of finagling, but eventually he manages to get the card between the latch and the door-frame, momentarily unlocking it. He opens the door and steps into a staff hallway. There is a door directly across from him that, if he remembers the map, leads into Hot Topic. The hall is lit by flickering fluorescent lights, and continues to his left then turns to the right. He can see two more doors - one the back way into Mervyns, and the other likely leading into a storeroom.
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Stenson searches the kitchen for anything of use. There are an array of kitchen implements here: skillets and frying pans, knives and cutlery, tongs and ladles, oven mitts and aprons. Toward the back near where he entered there is a fire extinguisher and some wet-floor signs, as well as a box of disposable hairnets and gloves. There are a few magnets holding up notes on the metal surfaces - none of the notes look especially important. One note on the fridge reads "Stop stealing my lunch! -Ashley" and another appears to be a set of directions for how to safely use the fryer. He also finds a small medkit with alcohol wipes, gauze, a small pair of scissors, and tape.
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Sam, Moana, and Kail follow the lipstick arrows down to the end of the hall. They can hear quiet scrabbling noises in some of the holes along the walls - likely more of the big bugs. As they move down the hall, they test the handles of the doors they pass - most of them are locked or otherwise blocked, but two of them appear to able to open. At the end of the hall they find a message scrawled on the wall in lipstick: When they try the door here, they find that it is also locked.
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Post by Salandis on Oct 13, 2023 22:58:26 GMT -6
[Moana recounts what she knows, suggests breaking down the door but also that this is probably a bad idea.]
Moana saw the writing and grimaced. “Yeah, that’s about as cryptic as what it was before,” she says to the others, recounting what she remembered of the message in the bathroom.
“It can’t be seen, felt, heard, smelt, lies under hills and behind stars, comes first and last, and then something about it ending life and laughter.” She shook her head. “It sounds like one of those children’s riddles where the answer is a letter,” she paused, “I wonder what this torch is though. I wonder if the wrench could break in? I get the feeling that might piss off the bugs though. Maybe we should explore one of the other doors instead.”
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Post by luscen on Oct 14, 2023 20:05:09 GMT -6
[CASMIR pockets the ID badge, then checks the supply closet, wary of danger. If unlocked, he will take whatever's useful. If it is locked, or after he's taken what he can, then he will try to enter Hot Topic so he can get to STEN.]
Casmir felt the latch give under his coercion, and he quietly swung the door open, checking the immediate surroundings: there were no signs of threats, so he carefully stepped out and closed the door as silently as he could, pocketing the ID badge- if nothing else, he might have to work his way around another lock before this was over.
Assuming, of course, whoever was responsible for this let him.
The Hunter took stock of his surroundings: He was in a hallway. To his right was a dead end, and to his left the hallway stretched a few feet and continued around the corner. Two doors - one likely leading to the store across from the H&M, where Jones was, the other possibly some kind of service closet - were directly ahead of him. Casmir took a moment to consider, listening for signs that anyone else was approaching; while he needed to regroup with Jones and the others as soon as possible, his stock here was limited. And while he didn't quite understand the rules, this felt like some kind of game, with obstacles impeding their progress, and items that could help them advance.
'Like some kind of children's fancy.'
With that in mind, the scarred man moved over to the closet, checking for signs of traps or tricks. Just because this looked like a supply closet, didn't mean it was one. Best to check quickly, grab what he could use, then try the other door to see if he could get into the store. Then he just had to get to the H&M and find Jones' trail.
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