Stay Dead, Fred [OPEN]

[Robin Jarvis]

Two days had passed since Robin's run in with the other riders. He had returned home that day and returned to work the next morning. The small dark storefront at the end of Evansdale street rarely had visitors these days. When it did have guests they were usually of a 'deceased' nature.

Jarvis pulled open the window shutters revealing 'Alphonse and Sons, undertakers, swiftly and with style'. He rubbed off the dust and dirt that had accumulated there during his week absence. His father's store was all he had left since his parents car accident a decade ago.

He unlocked the front door and turned on the light to reveal a small but fashionable office with various funerals items. A comfortable but sad environment that fitted to the needs of his business.

As he sat down behind his desk he pressed the message button on his answer machine.

"You have no new messages."

Sigh.

[Jack Frost]

"Alphonse and , undertakers, swiftly and with style" Jack read the sign, it was dusty, but recently "cleaned" looks like the owner came back recently.

He was beginning to think that he should have let the driver take him there because it was raining heavily, but he'd insisted on walking, needed the exercise. He rapped on the door and walked in, taking down his umbrella and propping it up outside the door. The office was nice, but a little bit dark, didn't matter with Jack's evolved eyesight.

There had been several sightings of monsters around here recently and Jack had a feeling they could be Orphnoch. If they were he was going to try and convince the local undertakers to contact Smart Brain and they'd send someone round, and if they weren't it was no big deal.

He walked up to the desk and smiled, extending a hand.
"Jack Frost, pleased to meet you," He said using his most cordial voice.

[Robin Jarvis]

Jarvis rose from behind his desk and put on his most serious and polite face.

"Robin Jarvis, director. How may I be of service to you?"

[Jack Frost]

"Well, you see a friend of mine has passed away recently," Jack lied (It wasn't a complete lie, his new personal trainer had been thrown off a van recently and come back as a Bandicoot Orphnoch) "He was born here and would like to be buried as near to his hometown as possible, someone told me that you were very good and I was wondering if you could help me,"

[Robin Jarvis]

"Of course sir." Robin put on his deeply sad face and squeezed his hands in front of himself "May I begin by saying I'm so sorry for your loss."

Quietly he pulled out a dark folder from his desk.

"Our prices vary but all of them are of equal value." he opened the folder to reveal page finders labeled with various subjects: coffins, flowers, clothing, etc.

[Jack Frost]

Jack looked through the folder nodding, he tapped a white suit and looked up at this "Jarvis" bloke, something was off about him, but what was it!?

"Well ... there is one thing I want to ask you about," Jack said "But ... no, it'll be silly,"

[Robin Jarvis]

Jarvis felt for a second, just a split second, that something about this man wasn't exactly 'in mourning' over his lost friend. But then again, loss made people act out of character.

"Feel free sir. When we loose someone dear to us questions are asked. These questions should be answered, not ignored. My late adopted father, Mr Alphonse, encouraged dealing with these problems."

He had said this speech a hundred times to hundreds of people, each time he felt sincere about it.

[Jack Frost]

"Well ... he was worried that," Jack sighed "He was worried that he might not really be dead and then ... wake up underground" Jack waited a second "I'm sorry, but I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't in his will but, has anything like that happened before?"

So it wasn't Jack's best lie, but he needed to move the topic onto why he was here.

[Robin Jarvis]

Robin tried not to react but his eyes fluttered momentarily.

"Various lore exists on the subject." he leans back into his chair and steeples his fingers in front of him "There is of course urban legend of people awaking inside their coffins and trying to break free of the casket."

Interesting talk this has turned into.

[Jack Frost]

"Yeah we are ... we're pretty sure he's dead," Jack said, acting as embarrassed as he could "But, he was a bit paranoid, and I really need to know because I heard some rumours, has anyone ever woken up in their grave around here?"

Dammit, he was forcing it now, this could look suspicious ...

[Robin Jarvis]

"We could use an older coffin model. It was called a safety coffin." he pulled open the bottom desk draw and began rummaging "It hasn't been used for a little over 200 years. Here we are."

Jarvis opens an gray book titled 'Funeral Rites of the 18th century'.

[Jack Frost]

"If it hasn't been used for 200 years would you have to get a carpenter in?" Jack asked "Has it ever been used? I mean the ... bell, thingy,"

[Robin Jarvis]

"My late father and I personally crafted and shape our coffins here." he pulled out another paper from beneath the first "He collected various diagrams and designs, I can easily duplicate this bell, for a small extra fee of course."

[Sir Peter Mantis]

Meanwhile, in a small apartment not far from 'Alphonse and Sons'....

A very old, very well kept Rolls Royce pulled up in front of the building.

Mantis descended from the back seat in a red cape and cowl hiding his features from the son. He scans the street in one precise movement and enters the building.

He appears moments later on the 14th floor (....there is no 13th floor....) and continues straight to room 1408 (1+4+8=...). He surveys the hallway with his brown eyes from beneath his red cowl before stepping through the door as if it wasn't actually there.

Minutes later he steps through the door again and immediately returns to his Rolls leaving the block......moments later the screaming begins......

[Jack Frost]

This was starting to get awkward, there probably wasn't any-

Jack looked behind him and narrowed his eyes, he was sure his super Orphnoch ears had heard a scream just then.