Page Long Stories 3: Welcome to Tobuscus, Hell

Prompt Words: Revolt, Small Town, Crime Boss

This town had gone straight to hell. Literally.

When the citizens of Tobuscus woke up on Friday, October the 13th to unseasonably warm weather, not much was thought of it at first. The radio DJ made a joke at the expense of climate change skeptics and immediately launched into thirty minutes of today’s biggest hits, commercial free, from his heart to your ears.

A few people started wondering if the problem might be larger in scope when bits of flaming tar began to rain from the sky. Dire straits became all but certain as those bits started several fires that not only couldn’t be put out despite the Tobuscus Fire Department’s best efforts, but they didn’t actually burn anything up. The DJ nervously chuckled about God speaking to Mayor Oswald Moses from the burning shrubbery in the courthouse gardens before putting the station on autoplay for the rest of the day and going home.

Beauregard Ainsworth Beansely, known strictly as Bed N’ Breakfast to anyone who didn’t want their face forcefully rearranged, was perhaps the last skeptic. Whether it was a weird meteorite or government experiment gone wrong, it wasn’t a reason to stop selling pot to the fine people of Tobuscus. Folks needed the warm embrace of dear Mary Jane on days like this, he told his employees, and if they couldn’t summon the common decency to serve their fellow man in time of need they’d feel the steel toe of the Bed N’ Breakfast boot.

When the monsters showed up in an armored troop vehicle, though, even BnB had to admit something not strictly natural had occurred.

He didn’t know if Tobuscus been transported to Hades, Molten Core or the far side of Venus, but they weren’t in Kansas anymore. The creatures that rolled into town were hulking and brutal, and they quickly transformed Tobuscus into a labor camp, killing off anyone who was too young, old or otherwise unable to work. Worst of all, they strictly and effectively prohibited the sale of recreational intoxicants. True, people didn’t really have anything to pay with anymore, but it was the principle of the thing.

BnB’s mother had always told him his life of crime would end in tears. Sheriff Muldoon had threatened to send him to juvie if he didn’t put a stop to his destructive ways. Even Mayor Moses had lectured him once when he’d caught his daughter buying some choice green. “Beansley, the entire town of Tobuscus is ashamed of you. Clean up your act!”

BnB figured their tune would change when he ended the monsters’ reign of terror and handed the keys to the city back to the Mayor, along with a complimentary joint. The monsters were well equipped and well-entrenched. Small problems for the properly motivated. And BnB was motivated. Business had been bad for too long.

“Time to bring the love of our dear Mary Jane back to Tobuscus, boys. Let’s light ‘em up!”