Deep within the woods of beautiful, not at all smelly Michigan, Dagda made his sanctuary. It was a large clearing in the middle of the forest, where he could be alone and experience inner peace. Until it wasn't.

Eventually, capitalism reared it's ugly head and Dagda was forced to use the land for a business, or pay some sort of taxes to the state wildlife committee. So the clearing was turned into a campsite of sorts. In the center was a large fire pit, with several stumps set around it for people to sit and enjoy the flames. He kept a large supply of marshmallows, hot dogs, and beer nearby. Several canvas tents were erected around the outside of the clearing for guests to sleep (or do other horizontal activities) in. 

Dagda even hired the obligatory "acoustic guitar douche" to sit by the fire and sing nonsense tunes about the stars and the trees and any females who were nearby. His name was Francis, and he would sell you a bag of pot for pennies on the dollar. It was shitty pot, but still, what a deal.

There was a nearby pond where folks could do some fishing or go for a swim. There was a little swan boat thing as well, but it was almost always occupied by Uncle and Mayari, which was unfortunate and sort of awkward. Occasionally Dagda would go down by the water and jeer at them.

Most nights were peaceful and quiet, with good times shared with good friends. Dagda could always be found at the sanctuary, happy to welcome friends and foes alike, just eager for company and camaraderie. 

Squirrelly-Dan was on his vacation and found a campsite with all of the finer things in life - well except for Dagda.  He was an acquired taste.  After working hard trying to keep the produce stand afloat he decided that he needed some time off and ventured into the backwoods to find this beauth of a spot.  He brought his cooler bag full of puppers and a carton of darts.  He sat down at the fire and looked over at Uncle and Mayari and shook his head.  

"Hey Francis - you know any Arkells?"

He was lost in the woods, again. That would make the fourth time this month if that same 'help' etching in the tree was his, and the last three did all seem to be in his same poor quality handwriting. How did he get out of here last time? Oh, yes. He screamed as loudly as his lungs would allow for a few hours until the hoarse rasping was heard by a nearby fisherman who had helped him out of the quality jam. The next time he went out for a jog in the Detroit wilderness, he would wear shoes and maybe bring a whistle.

HELP HEEEEEEEEELP! 

While knocking into trees and shrubs alike, eventually the giant Freak landed just outside of the woods and into a patch of what looked to be commercial-use land. While it was a bit startling at first, he was slowly able to piece together that it was some sort of park and opted to search for food instead of an escape.

"So, uh, I was lost, but now it seems I'm here. Anyone got any hot dogs?"

Hoping desperately that his cries for tubes of meat would be heard, he sat down at a nearby bench and waited to be served.

"It's okay. I'm not upset about what they think. The truth is far more embarrassing." said Uncle to Mayari.

"And that truth is.....?" asked Mayari.

"I'm stuck." said Uncle.

"What?" said Mayari.

"I said I'm stuck god damn it." yelled Uncle as he tried to shift around in the small boat.

"......" said Mayari.

"My back is killing me. I might die here. If I do. Don't let McCreary have my baseball card collection." said an exasperated Uncle.

Uncle resigned to his fate and stared across the pond as the moonlight reflected off the water. The ducks were asleep. A tragedy. He wanted to see the ducks one last time before he passed on to the next world. He closed his eyes as a tear ran down his face. And then it happened. The boat drifted to the shore. He was safe. Death had come for him but Uncle fought him off yet again. He rolled to the side and put his hands on the dirt then pushed himself up out of the boat. He was a free man again. No longer in a floating wooden prison. Life was good again.

"Is that GreekFreak running and yelling around?" said Uncle.

"Wanna go to see what he's doing Mayari?" asked Uncle as he stepped towards the screaming 7 footer.

Dagda was enjoying a smoke and a hotdog by the fire with GreekFreak, who had wandered into the clearing not long ago. He had large lumps on his head - clearly he had bumped his head on nearly every single branch in the forest on his way here. Sometimes being almost 7 feet tall was dangerous.

Whilst munching and puffing, they heard an exasperated wailing coming from the lake - it seemed as though Uncle had become stuck in the swan boat again. Not wishing to miss a chance for some prime jeering, Dagda rose from his log-seat and made his way over to the water. GreekFreak followed as well, he seemed a bit delirious.

"Hey, old fart!" He shouted out over the water, "Did your adult diaper get so wet it's weighing you down? Do you need me to call the coast guard?"

Realizing that Coast Guard only guarded the coast, and not this isolated lake, Dagda pressed on to cover up his folly.

"You want me to chuck a couple more weiners out there so you guys don't get too bored or hungry?"

"I may not wear a diaper but it seems you need one for that mouth of yours with all that bullshit coming out of it." said Uncle as he strutted past Dagda.

"You know I never took you for the intellectual type but I never thought you'd be a big enough fool to suggest that the coast guard patrols these humble waters." said Uncle as he slapped his knee.

Uncle leaned back and reached for a warm dog to scarf down. That's when he noticed GreekFreak pocketing loose wieners like there was no tomorrow. His eyes and mine locked as he slowly put another dog in his pants. Once he was done he backed away and opened his mouth.

"I need these to feed the hungry kids!" said the Freak as he ran away.

"That homeless man sure does like hot dogs." said Uncle as he grabbed a Weiner and slapped it in between a bun.

"Wanna go to see what he's doing, Mayari?" were the last words she heard before she watched Uncle run towards the shore, his diaper pants sagging and his buttcrack showing for everyone to see. Thinly veiling her disgust, she dry-heaved a little bit before she followed him, knowing she was legally mandated to as his guardian and conservator. 

Upon smelling Dagda -- yes, she smelled the man before she even saw him -- Mayari dry-heaved once more and took a few deep breaths before attempting to come closer. She also noticed a freakishly tall man who seemed like he was of Meditteranean descent looking very frazzled while downing hotdog after hotdog. And here she thought she'd have a peaceful afternoon feeding the ducks...

She threw a nod Dagda's way as a form of greeting (like the cool girl she is) while listening in on the two elderly men bickering about the coast guard or something. After a while, you learn how to tune them out. Mayari hummed a nursery rhyme while she reached over inside Dagda's ginormous fanny pack and pulled out a hotdog on a bun. 

"Do you have some mayonnaise I can put on this?" she asked as she plucked off the hotdog and threw it towards the direction of the ducks, hitting one on the head and killing it upon impact. Oops. She looked to Dagda waiting for an answer, wanting to get started on her favorite delicacy: mayonnaise sandwich. Just mayonnaise in between two pieces of bread, no more, no less. The food of champions. "So, mayonnaise?"

"The fuck did you just say." said Uncle, Dagda, and a third distant voice almost simultaneously.

They both stared in disgust at her before Mayari broke out laughing to hide the pain. Soon both men began to chuckle and soon enough all three were hootin' and hollering. Uncle even got in a few knee slaps that were good enough to win a knee slapping competition should anyone ever dare to challenge him. Their grand ol' time was interrupted by a scream that sounded like it came from the depths of hell. They all froze. The hairs on Uncle's arm pointed straight north. Mayari's usually vibrant eyes had gone still, filled with dread. The silence was interrupted by the same voice yelling bloody murder.

"God! Please someone! Anyone, help me." cried out the man's voice.

Uncle stood up and put one foot in front of the other towards the direction of the voice. The other two came shoulder to shoulder with him as the three of them made it to the edge of the woods. The moon was bright but the woods were dense. If they strayed too far into the forest there was no telling if they could make it out before sunrise. They look at each other and pressed on.

"Maybe you guys should go ahead, someone has to guard the... err... the hotdogs. Yes, the hotdogs need looking after." Mayari was just about to turn around and make a break for the lake when Uncle caught her by the collar of her shirt and dragged her along as he trudged deeper into the forest. She knew it would be useless to protest so she instead just violently shrugged off his grip before readjusting her dress. "Fine fine, I'm coming, I'm coming! Jeez..."

Mayari was no scaredy-cat but she had seen enough horror movies to know this wasn't going to end well. Her momma taught her one thing: when you hear someone screaming, run away. Don't be a hero, just run away. And so Mayari muttered an apology to her mother under her breath and kept her eyes and ears sharp as they continued to follow the voice, seemingly growing more and more agonized as the seconds ticked by. "That voice... isn't it familiar to you guys?"

She listened again, closer this time, trying to pinpoint where she knew it from but failing. After all, she could barely think straight considering she was coming dangerously close to being paralyzed by fear. They were close now, taking careful steps so as not to give away their location. Mayari felt the knife resting against her holster, conscious that it was the only weapon she had on her her person right now. "I don't know, maybe we should call for backup or the police... maybe we should turn back..."

"You want us to call for help? We are the help. 15 miles from the nearest station. Once we find out what's going on we can involve proper authorities. Maybe." said Uncle.

The three of them inched closer and closer to where they believed the groans were coming from but now in the thick of the forest it was hard to tell if they weren't just going in a circle. As to not trip on the many hazards of the forest floor Uncle began to hold on to nearby trees. A fall at his age could be the end for him so one tree after another he placed a firm grasp on. That is until he felt something.....wet? For the love of god please let this be some kind of weird tree sap he thought to himself. He felt the same substance on the next tree, then the next. Did someone leave a trail for them? Whatever we're heading towards is something someone wanted to be found. Uncle stopped. Dagda and Mayari stopped. Uncle turned to them with a puzzled look on his face.

"I haven't heard the voice in some time." said Uncle.

"We should head back then. We'll come back in the morning." said Mayari.

"Help me Dagda." said a voice a few feet in front of them.

The three of them turned their heads back forward. In front of them was just two trees that had grown into each other creating what was basically one massive tree. Uncle felt around for the edge of the leftmost tree in front of them and swung around to the front of the conjoined trees. That's where it was. That's where he was.

"Please. I just want it to end." said the man with what little strength he had left.

"That's Giancarlo. The baker in 12th streets oldest son. He runs a few errands for one of my guys every now and then." said Dagda as he stared at the man's wounds.

"Who did this to you son?" said Uncle.

With his last ounce of will Giancarlo lifted his clenched right hand and palmed Uncle's chest with bloody parchment. Uncle went to hold the man's hand to hear his final words but as his hand met Giancarlo's it fell back towards his now limp body. The ragged letter stuck to Uncle's shirt. The blood had soaked through most of it, but they were able to make out the one line scrawled at the top.

These hills are ours Now and forever

With only the moon serving as their sole source of light, darkness seemed to envelop everything in a blurry haze and yet Mayari saw Giancarlo's mangled figure clearly, knowing she would remember the anguish etched on his face for years to come. Horrified, she shook her head and bowed slightly as she said a silent prayer for the departed; it was never easy to watch someone take their dying breath, especially not when she knew that they could have maybe done something about it if they were just a bit quicker and if cowardice hadn't bogged her down. 

She looked back up with a fiery resolve and walked towards Uncle to read the piece of paper in his hands. "What does that even mean...?" Turning to Dagda, Mayari put a hand on her hip as she used the other to run her fingers through her hair, a gesture she often did in frustration. "Right, who or where did you buy the rights to the campsite from, again? Did they say anything about..."

Mayari looked at Giancarlo's lifeless body again, gulping as she saw wounds which she hadn't noticed before. "...about all of this?" If it wasn't for the note, Mayari would have thought Giancarlo got into a bear fight and lost. Whoever did this to him... didn't seem human at all. 

Dagda initially shook his head no before looking up with his eyebrows furrowed. "Well, there used to be a lot of folks around these parts but most of them were paid off to resettle somewhere else. They did mention that they have suspicions that not all of them left but instead just retreated into the deeper parts of the forest but I figured, what's the harm in that? I thought they were just a family of hunters living on rabbits and wood mice..."

The woman pursed her lips in thought as she looked up at the cloudless sky. Although she was chilled to the core, she'd much rather get this over with than carry the guilt of someone dying in the same fashion. The next person could be a complete stranger or perhaps someone closer to home... after all, a lot of her friends frequented the campsite and it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up thinking that it could be their bloodcurdling screams that she heard next.  Sighing, she unsheathed her knife and looked back down to meet Uncle and Dagda's eyes. "Well, let's pay them a visit and get this settled, then."

"Now that you mention it. On my drives here I've noticed that a mile up the road the wall of trees is broken up by a narrow dirt path. Never gotten a good look at it but it could be a good place to start. It's probably the only place to start to be honest. If we just aimlessly scour the forest we'll end up with more dead." said a winded Uncle.

Uncle glanced once more at the poor soul slumped before him; were it not for the note and the fact that he was pinned to the tree itself one could believe it was a pack of starving animals that had done this. But Uncle knew as well as anyone the horrors the human mind can imagine when it comes to inflicting pain on one another. Whoever did this was experienced. To do this to a man without ending his life takes practice. How many have suffered the way Giancarlo did?

"I'll stay here until we can get someone to collect his body. I should probably go speak with his family as well." said Dagda.

"That's a solid idea. You knew him better than we did. Easier to process if it comes from someone his family knows. Mayari and I will head up and see if we can find that trial. Good luck." said Uncle as they walked towards the camp grounds.

After entering his vehicle, Uncle noticed that his hands were shaking as they gripped the steering wheel. As he tried to steady his hands he noticed the dried blood staining large patches of his skin. He rubbed his hands together attempting to remove some of the blood but to no avail. He stopped and stared once more at his hands. He sighed and gripped the steering wheel.

"Let's go." said Uncle as he pulled away from the camp.

"Don't you want to clean your hands?" asked Mayari.

"I can do it once we're done." said Uncle as he smiled and nodded.

Upon reaching the path it was clear no vehicle could fit through here. Two people couldn't even walk shoulder to shoulder down it. It was narrow, very narrow. Once down the path there was no heading back until they had answers.

"Are you ready?" asked Uncle

He had no idea how he got there, but he woke up in a campsite with a empty whiskey bottle in his hand. Lennox looked around a little to gather his mind, before getting up to his feet, he was hungry so he walked around a bit he spotted a empty tent and went inside looking around a little cause the occupants were not in it right now. He found a can of beans and figured why the hell not, he took it and walked outside, gathering some wood and starting a fire placing the can in it so it would heat up. He reaches to grab it and burnt his hand. "Mother fuck!"

He needed a new plan so he found a large stick and knocked it out of the fire, then taking his shirt off, ripping it in half, then wrapping it around his hands so he could hold the can. He stabbed it with his knife and started eating. This had turned out better than he expected. Twenty minutes later he was done eating so he threw the can down and kicked it in front of himself on his way back to civilization.

HERO was trying to enjoy his time in Detroit before he travel to other cities, he asked his bodyguard about a place to relax and have some good time, the man walked out and asked some citizens and families before he came back telling him about different places, but a Sanctuary what caught his eyes, its not a usual place that you can see across the country.

He walked to the place to take a look at it before he spends his off day there, it was green area, have a charming look, fire camp in the middle and the water area at the side, it is really a great place to spend his time there.

HERO asked for a tent, prepared his things and a place to sleep before he did anything else, the first thing he did in the morning while the sun rising was swimming for few hours to feel exhausted and pull out all his negative energy, then he did some yoga and cleared his mind between the trees with the bird sounds.

It was a great experience for him and he thought that he should visit this place regularly as it is one of the best places he visited.

Before HERO took his leave he left a message for Dagda the owner of the place thanking him for this great place.

How she wound up in Detroit, god only knew. Well... she actually did know why but wasn't quite fond of the reasoning. For some reason, her boss, Dagda had this business out here. Not within the city itself but well outside the city and well off the beaten path. Seems he hadn't paid much mind to it in quite some time. Money had stopped rolling and and his basic knowings of the place, ceased to exist anymore.

What had happened to the place? Was it still up and running? Was it overtaken by someone else and he just didn't know? Obviously this all stemmed from his move to New York, whenever that had taken place. Was a time before her, well not before her, but time before she was a part of his organization. Back when she still lived in the lovely city of San Fransisco, which seems like forever ago now.

So yes, here she was... sitting in the back of a cab, in the middle of the woods. The driver clueless to where to go as Mojito was in the back with a map directing him where to go. It was a train wreck of a trip. Neither of them knew where they were going, spent hours of what felt like they were going in circles trying to find the place. She could have swore she had seen the same rock formation about five times... Hell she was close to just calling it, when randomly, the driver took an obscure turn, down an overgrown road.

How the car actually fit down that road, she had no clue. One thing she knew, they weren't going to be able to turn around anywhere. So if they got into some shit, it was going to be interesting.

Took about 15 minutes down the muddy, bumpy road until they came upon a slight clearing. A wooden sign, hung from above, strapped to a couple of trees that boarder the road. It read "Sanctuary Campsite". The sign itself had seen better days, the weather had taken its toll on it, that was for sure.

As they pulled through the entrance, the space opened up. Almost immediately, a guitar wielding man came rushing out of the bushes. It practically scared the hell out of her, was something she wasn't expecting to see. Thankfully for the man, she was still in the car, otherwise she probably would have shot him. Not cause she wanted to but more out of a reaction.

A smile beamed from his face as he made his way towards her window. His teeth yellowing from the lack of brushing and the smell... with her window only barely cracked, she could smell his funky ass. Was a combination of... well she couldn't put her finger on it but it resembled the smell of garbage on a hot summer day.

Getting some pretty shit vibes, Mojito leaned up to the front.

"This feels like the beginning of a horror movie... I think it best we get out of here and come back with some more people."

She could see the driver look back at her through the rear view mirror. Simply giving her a nod.

He placed the car back into drive, whipped a quick u-turn and began driving out of the place. The guitar wielding dude, didn't seem fond of this, as he could be heard yelling. Obviously causing Mojito to glance back at him... he was sprinting towards the car, guitar in his hand, raising it above his head. As if he was going to beat the car with it, if he could catch up.

Was an act the driver took note of... he stepped on the gas, sending waves of rocks and dirt to fly back and up towards the guy. Catching him a bit off guard, she watched as he quickly used that guitar as a shield.

With that, they drove off... back to Detroit to gather some more people.

Mar 1, 1939

While traveling through on his errands Revenant stops by to sleep under the stars like he used to. He smiled, this would be an excellent place to stage from. Hitler didn't just prosecute Jewish people but also had a special hatred for the Romas. Commonly called Gypsies that is actually an insulting term for these people who have lived their way for hundreds of years. Here they would be set up in America after the rescue if successful and they could travel through the Midwest in the new National Forests the US government were setting up. 

His imagination can almost hear the ruckus their celebrations of life make and he hums along softly as he drifts off to dreams.

Dance Roma dance, sing Romas sing
Life is for loving let freedom ring
Sing Roma sing, dance Romas dance
Life is for love and romance!

Kushte divas que apo ti
kassasar en da que mo li
Que apo ti que magnifi
kassasar e mo li

Baila baile
canta cante
es la vida y el amor!!

Skad got a ring from Joey that he found a spot where the dealing can take place. Sal had caught up to the CA Peter...They brought him down to the Sanctuary Campsite. It was an old site set up by one of the old Godfathers...It was used for business and fun but after things changed it was left and deserted to be never used. It was the perfect spot to do any business under the dark and never a soul to find out about it. 

Skad made his way to the Campsite with Joey. Sal had him tied upto one of the trees as he was bending down...

Skad walked up to him "You sure know how to keep a low profile ehh? But you really thought you could run away with my money after all the underground dealings you did with my packages? Huh? ANSWER ME!!!!"
 

Skad punched him in the throat and as he coughed up blood, Skad kept going till Peter said "Stop please, stop please...Its enough, I can't take anymore". 
Skad turned around and wiped his hands off by a small hand towel...Sal walked up and broke Peters both knees....Peter was in excruciating pain.

Skad turned around and pulled out his gun and pressed the trigger...But nothing happened? 
"What the hell Sal? An empty gun? Whats wrong with you?" Sal immediately apologised and pulled out his gun and handed it to Skad. Without further ado, Skad pulled the trigger again and straight between the foreheads he put Peter to sleep. 

"Fish sake, this turned out to be more than just a normal hunt for an agent. Never have I had to do this for such a low profiler"

Joey dump his body into the waters...I m sure there is a few alligators roaming around, that should clear things up for easy and never cause an issue in the future. 

Joey dragged his body and dumped it into the water, as the body was drowning in, he could see something pulling it apart...The alligators were at work.

All 3 of them walked back to the car and got in and made their way back towards the city