#Yes the priest is still in camp but don't worry he's not involving himself with the gay solider he's doing 100% heterosexual things like

[mash4077confessions]

wild how they decided to play it safe and not involve Mulcahy in the major plot of "George", but still decided to have him show up for a bit, where he gets tackled, and dog piled by like every single corpsman in camp.

[sunny6677]

Orchids.

Summary:

Lila finds herself trying to be a little more responsible as a mother after certain events that took place recently (and involved an old priest she didn't recognize), but while she goes out into town one night with her son and his friend for a small camping trip in the forest—she visits the nearby cahdy store and meets a very awkward but charming man.

Kevin finds himself overcome with stress due to all of the shenanigans the two weird kids in Halloween costumes keep bringing him—but one night when they both stroll in, they're accompanied by a strangely beautiful lady with purple hair.

Chapter 2: Departure.

————

Night had eventually fallen over the town—bathing it in darkness as white specks flickered from on high. They would only need to make a few short stops to certain places, and then they'd finally be camping. Not to mention, the forest wasn't that far, so there was no need to worry about anything related to travel troubles.

Still.. Lila felt an eery feeling as she looked outside the window. She wasn't sure why, but she began to feel an oddly intimidating feeling of fear wash over her anytime before she went out.

She gave a sigh, shaking her head. She needed to spend time with her son. Not come up with some excuse to just stay home again.

Turning away from the black sheet of sky outside, she walked into the corridor. Her sons friend was in the other room—looking at a picture of a black-haired woman and a brown-haired man whom she recognized as his parents that he had apparently slipped into his bag. Meanwhile, her son.. well, her son had vanished off somewhere into the long corridor that led to the attic. But she didn't exactly want to go up there.

..no. It didn't matter. If her son was up there, she had to go.

————

"Son?" Lila called out into the thin corridor. She glanced around for a moment. It was still the same as always. Grey tiled floors. Pictures on every wall. She recalled running through here with her son and his friend when that.. doll had somehow came to life and chased them down.

Yet, she was snapped out of that memory when a head snapped from out of the attics entrance. The skeleton-masked head of her son, smiling back at her. "Yes, mom?"

"I just.." She paused, "..wanted to let you know that we're about to leave in fifteen minutes. Are—you okay?"

Skid blinked, tilting his head to the side. And then gave a nod as his voice softened. "..ye—yeah. I'm.. I'm okay."

The way he avoided her stare, and the way he shuffled his feet upon the steps made her think otherwise. She felt a sigh escape her lips, and she took a few steps foward—walking over to where the entrance of the attic was.

As she walked up, her son looked away—a frown visible behind his mask. The closer she got though, the more she processed the sight of something.. small, brown and square-shaped in his hands. A photo frame. He held it close to his chest. But she had already been in the attic enough to know what photo it had been.

Her face softened—and she let out a sigh. Her son had an expression of shame, his lips twitched into a frown as he slowly sat on the step at the very bottom. She stepped foward, and slowly sank to the step he was sitting on, sitting beside him as closely as she could.

Her eyes scanned over his face once more, and she set a hand on his shoulder. "..son, I.. I know it's hard. It's—really hard for me to. It's hard for me to even look at his face. But—I want you to know things will get better. I'll do my best to take care of you. Even if he's.. not really here anymore," Her fists clenched, "we can still remember him."

Her son hesitated. "But.. remembering doesn't feel like enough. I want him to be here. I don't want him to be gone forever.." His little voice softened as he looked down at his lap—and he shuffled his feet.

Lila felt her heart break, feeling herself swallow. "Son, I—"

"Huey!" A lispy, nasally voice spoke from the end of the corridor. A bright orange pumpkin—or rather a pumpkin mask poked itself into view. Of course, it was only her sons friend. He shouted out, "Are you ready?"

Lila paused—looking at him with her lips slightly parted. She forced a grin as she rubbed her sons shoulder. "Yeah! We're ready. Just—wait for us by the door, okay?"

"Okay!" Her sons friend nodded, and quickly turned around, vanishing once more.

When the sound of his footsteps completely disappeared, she looked down at her son, and frowned, "I know it's not easy to just.. remember him. Believe me—I know. But.. we'll get through this. He's been gone for a long time already, and we still made it through, right? We'll be okay." She mustered a smile. "I promise."

Her son nodded, sounding choked as he looked at the floor. "Okay, mom.."

She smiled again, and slowly stood up. "I'll be waiting at the door, okay?" Lila gently murmured.

Her son gave a simple nod, faintly smiling.

Giving one last smile in return, she turned around, and began to make her way toward the entrance of the hall so she could go to the door. From behind her, her sons eyes trailed after her direction, but began to scan over the photo in his hands. The photo was of a man with his face ripped out, standing next to Lila—standing next to the sons grandma, and of course, the son himself. Something else sat beside the son that Lila didn't see on the step. Something gold, and rusty.

On it, written in bold letters, was simply:

"You are everything."

————

Eventually, the time came for their eventual departure—and on the doorstep, they now were. Bathed in the nights chill, and beneath the pale moonlight. As she shut the door behind them with a smile, Lila looked down at the two grinning kids with a slight tilt of her head. "Alright, kids!"

She gestured with her hands, adjusting the strap of her bag a little. "We'll stop by the mall first, and then we'll go—"

"Oh, wait, Ms. Lila!" Her sons friends voice cut her off in a slightly pleading manner, "Can you take us to the candy store after we go to the mall?"

"Uh.." Lila blinked, arching a brow. "Sure!" She shrugged. "Why not?"

"Yay!" The two children cheered, shaking their fists. She knew which candy store they were talking about. The Candy Club, to be exact. But she hadn't gone there in a long, long time—and she was fairly certain that someone else would be working there by now. It looked completely different anytime she passed by. Though.. a part of her supposed that was just because so many years had went by.

She rolled her eyes with a smile tilted on her thin lips. As she did so, her son's friend turned around, eagerly exclaiming, "Let's go to the mall!"

The two began to turn around, excited to run off as they often did—but with sudden instinct, Lila found herself speaking.

"He—Hey!" She said. The two noticeably came to a stop, their feet dragging along the path. They looked at her, seeming puzzled. She paused, looking off to the side.

"Why don't you two just.. follow me?" She nervously smiled.

"Follow you?" Her son repeated.

"Yeah!" She chuckled. "Is.. that okay with you?"

"Uh.. yeah, Ms. Lila!" Her sons friend shrugged.

"Yeah—that's okay, mom!" Her son nodded.

"Okay.. eheh.." She softly laughed. "Just make sure you follow me when we get out of the car, okay?"

Of course.. they agreed, giving eager nods. She smiled down at them, stepping off of the doorstep, and onto the path below.

She'd be responsible. For her son. For everyone else she hadn't yet lost. And for those who she had lost long ago.

————

John leaned over the table, tapping his fingers against the surface of it as he held onto the warm mug of his coffee. He gave an empty sigh, furrowing his brows.

"..how's it going?"

Jack asked, standing beside the table. John's gaze didn't tear away from the several photos that were right before him—a groan seeping out of his mouth as he did so. "..could be better."

There were photos of figures in red robes, with little holes cut into the masks, and golden necklaces hanging around their throats. A photo of a strange, large and muscular man with black hair sticking out of the top of his head—his eyes completely shadow, and a blue shirt worn around his form. A photo of a house on a hill.

And then there was a photo of two odd-looking trees John had seen in the forest. With symbols carved inside.

"We haven't checked that place in a while, have we?" John asked aloud.

"No. I don't think so." Jack shrugged.

"Well—you might have to." Patty flatly said with a breath—holding a piece of paper in her hands. She set it on the table. It was a bit odd—seeing her wearing a dark blue cap, and an actual police uniform. She wasn't a mortician anymore, and probably wouldn't get another job like that for a long time.

John leaned foward—on the paper was a photo of the forest in the town, under some caption John didn't particularly care to read. Something about odd sightings. It looked like a normal forest at first as his eyes scanned over it, but the more he looked upon it, he noticed something in the dark shadows of the woods. Something large, dark, and.. humanoid.

He arched a brow. This was new. He hadn't seem something like that the last time they went there.

"..hmm.."

All he could do was hum, and then sigh. "Well, I guess that's our next goal."