Call of Cthulhu: Two-Fisted Tales of Terror Episode 1 "The Appointment"

Location: Arkham, Mass.

Date: 6/11/192?    Time: 3:32pm

Place: Office of Nathaniel Carter Professor of Ancient Languages & History.

My name is Edward Billingsly, friends call me Eddie. I'm a twenty one year old undergraduate at Miskatonic University's Historical & Ancient Languages Dept. I am also a member of the Miskatonic Swim team and consider myself fairly athletic and in good shape. My parents live in Boston with my younger siblings, while I reside here in Arkham with my Uncle William Billingsly.

E. Billingsly

Finally I have been summoned to Professor Carters office for what I hope will be a chance to finally work directly with him and gain his confidence. This could be my only moment to show him how valuable I could be on his upcoming expedition to seek the home origin of the ancient tribe he has been studying these past months. Upon entering his cramped office I am overcome with the stale odor of unwashed bodies and alcohol. My bleary eyed superior gazes at me for a long minute before slurring.  "Ah, Millinglee...come in, set down."
"Um, it's Billingsly sir." I utter while moving a stack of notebooks from a chair in front of his desk. "What can I do for you sir?"

Prof. Carter

"Yes, what can you do for me?" rummaging through papers on his desk he hands me a card with a small note inscribed on the back. "Go to the address here, and get a book from the young woman there. This is of utmost import to my current work and could bring new light on my endeavors." The Professor eyed me quite sternly for a few seconds, then i realized he was lost in a daze.

"Of course Sir, you can count on me. I'll be back before you know I'm gone!" I started to stand, but he sputtered.

"Ah! Oh, yesh well um... no need fur all that. Just um, bring the booksh by tomorrow morning. Uh, no make that after lunch. Yesh, that'll do Millinglee..." he waved me off as he began looking for something in his desk drawers.

"Billingsly sir. Tomorrow after lunch sir, I will see you then." I stood and left the office as I glanced quickly at the handwritten note. The address was just across town, not too far. I could catch the trolley then walk the last block and be there in about half an hour. Even though it was early June, the rains had been keeping the heat at bay and it was quite a nice afternoon. The nearest trolley stop was just over a block away, I stuffed the card in my coat pocket and headed off.

As I turned the corner onto Turner street and was heading towards the trolley, an automobile suddenly turned sharply off the street causing me to dart into an alley to avoid being run down. "I say, you should watch where you're going!" I  began, then i noticed the car was still rolling forwards causing me to back deeper into the alleyway. The auto then stopped and two rather brutish fellows stepped out, the taller of the two muttered something along the lines of "That's him!" and they began to rush towards me. I turned not sure what was happening but knowing it couldn't be good. It was then I saw the alley was a dead end and before I could do anything the men had grabbed me, stuck a sack over my head punched me in the gut and then thrown me into the back of the car!! A third man held me tightly in the back seat as the car now sped off to wherever I was being taken.

My kidnappers.

I'm not sure how long we drove around, somewhere between 10-15 minutes I think, before the car stopped somewhere dark. I was dragged from the backseat and forced to walk down a long hallway. the two men who initially grabbed me were ahead of me and the third unseen fellow still held me in a vice like grip guiding me along. Finally after a few minutes we entered a room that was very cold, which I thought was odd. There was also a strange swooshing and chopping sound that followed an odd cadence. A new voice with a heavy Irish brogue ordered my hood removed. As my eyes became accustomed to the light I was taken aback by the man in front of me. He was easily six feet and a half tall, held the hood in his right hand and gently pushed me down into a chair with his left. I, however could not tear my gaze away from his face! A pair of dark lenses concealed his eyes from me, but his face.... His face!

The Scar-faced giant.

The giant leaned down towards me, patted my shoulder. Then moved so he was directly behind me while still holding me in place. My kidnappers sat just to my right leering at me. The odd sounds I heard were now revealed to be the physical exertions of a man in a butcher's apron directly in front of me carving a pig like an artist paints with oils. The man sliced a slab off pork of the carcass then turned to me while sharpening his knives and asked in that heavy Irish brogue "Do ye know why yuir here lad?"

"I'm going to guess this has to do with my Uncle?" I gulped. If rumor serves me right, i was sitting in the Meat-House owned by none other than Arkham's own Irish Mob-Boss Sean "the Butcher" Kelley. This day couldn't get worse.....

Sean "the Butcher" Kelley

 "Well Eddie, I can call you Eddie right. yuir Uncle owes me quite a bit of money. Now, Willie tells me you work over the Uni with those bits of ancient relics and books an such. So, where was it yew were goin' just before me boys picked you up?"

"I was headed, uh home. Home sir, I was going there yep." Oh jeeze I've bumbled that I thought.

The Giant leaned down and rifled my coat pocket, he then handed over the note card the Professor had given me to the shorter of the two kidnappers who then gave it to Kelley.

"Well what have we here, a wee address and a name. Oh and look look there boys a time. Four thirty it says. I think if the lads were to drive you, you might just make it on time." The Butcher slowly crossed the room to a closed door. He stood by it and turned to me and continued talking.  "See here Eddie, yuir going to make this appointment and pick up what ever it is the Professor has you after. Then yuir going to bring it back to me so I can decide how much of Willie's debt it will cover."

I made to stand but the Giant's hands kept me seated, "I couldn't possibly, that book could be...I mean, the woman I'm to meet could see your men and well..." I stammered trying to think.

"The book could what lad? Be worth quite a bit to the right "Collector". Of that I'm sure, ye see I've heard talk o' wot that lot gets up to over there. I'm going to 'ave a piece o' this whatever old Clark is up to. Because if I don't..." he opened the door to reveal Uncle William gagged and tied to a chair. He had been beaten too and his blood stained his shirt. "Or I'll be hand deliverin' parts o' yuir uncle to ya."

I lowered my head and sighed in agreement, there was nothing much I could do or say at this point. "I can probably get a hold of some other trinkets from the Professor's office. Things you could sell, just let me keep the book I'm picking up today, at least for a little while."

The two thugs began to laugh, and the taller one pointed at me saying. "Get a load of the balls on this one Boss!"

Mr. Kelley slowly closed the door once more concealing my Uncle from sight. "You'll do as I say lad, get the book and bring it to me." He set the knives down next to the pig. "I think I'll have the lads bring this woman back too."

"But she has nothing to do with this!" I yelled and caused the Giant to push down on my shoulders again.

"She has whatever I say she does to do with this Eddie. Now do as yuir told." The man known as the Butcher turned his back to me and began caressing the pig. "You boys get goin' now."

The sack was pulled over my head again, and I was escorted back to the car by the Giant. I was placed in the passenger seat and sat silently as we moved back out onto the streets of Arkham. The driver mumbled something that I couldn't understand. then I felt a large hand shake me. I reached up and removed the sack just as the car pulled out of an alleyway. I was sitting next to the Scar-faced Giant as he drove us to my appointment.....

Epilogue:

William Billingsly, younger brother of Albert Billingsly owner and operator of Billingsly Imports & Exports.

He is a known gambler and carouser of some note. Always in the thick of it, William has become the Black sheep of the Billingsly Family. His nephew Edward has been trying to help his Uncle get straightened out and back into the good graces of Albert while staying with him and studying at Miskatonic University.


[ This is the first session of a Pulp Cthulhu game being run for me by my GM, Sal. Stay tuned for more pulse pounding action soon!]