Collection: Tip The Ferrymen

The main story of Tip The Ferrymen!

PANEL 1: Nathan sets his lantern on the ground. The lantern glows a soft green. He kneels in front of the bed, reaching his hand out gently. NATHAN: Hey, is anyone there? I promise you're safe, okay? PANEL 2: Things are silent underneath the bed. NATHAN: Can you come out? PANEL 3: A single, white glowing eye pops up in the shadows. PANEL 4: A glowing blue hand reaches out from underneath the bed. PANEL 5: Esther manifests in the room, looking up at Nathan nervously. ESTHER: ...Mr.Vargas? PANEL 6: Nathan reels back, putting a hand on his chest. NATHAN: Esther!
PANEL 1: Nathan lifts up his lantern. NATHAN: ...Someone's here. PANEL 2: Nathan turns to face the others, who look at him confused. NATHAN: Did either of you hear that? PANEL 3: Eddie tilts her head to the side. EDDIE: Nope. That's all on you, chief. PANEL 4: Nathan gestures his arm out in front of the others, stepping forward. Eddie nods and grabs Joey's shoulder. NATHAN: Right. You two stay back
PANEL 1: Nathan stares up at the portrait. NATHAN: ...You should've seen Liz's face when Wil found the man who did all of this. She thought they were close, but...he had other intentions. PANEL 2: Nathan looks to the floor. NATHAN: He said he wanted to rob them blind and leave no trace. You'd be surprised what greed can do to a person. PANEL 3: Joey, confused, gestures with his hands. JOEY: But- if- if it was someone else who killed them, why did she call herself a traitor? Why make a buncha rooms all about that night? PANEL 4: Eddie kneels down to Joey's eye level, putting her hand on his shoulder. EDDIE: Folks so strange things when they grieve, kiddo...Especially if they feel guilty. PANEL 5: Nathan looks uneasy as Eddie speaks. PANEL 6: Nathan perks up when he hears something whimpering off screen. PANEL 7: Nathan looks around. PANEL 8: We see Lizzie's bed, the underneath of it is very shadowy.
PANEL 1: We see a wall of frames. They all have family portraits or newspapers about the murder inside them. At the center is a portrait of a younger Lizzie. She's wearing an orange outfit and is on her knees, looking down at a bloody key with tears streaming down her face. Her hands are also covered in blood. Nathan reads out the plaque beneath it. NATHAN: Lizzie Fortune, Spec Construct. Model citizen, model sibling, model creator. Lizzie Fortune was a traitor. It was not her blade, but that of a friends. PANELS 2 THROUGH 4: These panels depict the trio looking up at the portrait. Joey looks heartbroken, Nathan looks serious, Eddie looks uneasy. Nathan keeps reading the plaque. NATHAN: A friend who would bring her family to an end. To make amends for her misdeeds, she shall preserve the night's memories. PANEL 5: Eddie grits her teeth, looking nervous. EDDIE: ...That's...a lot.
NEL 1: The elevator doors slide open. PANEL 2: The trio enters Lizzie's room. At the center of the room is a fake machete lodged into the floorboards, covered in blood. The walls are also covered with newspapers discussing the slaughter of the Fortune family. Eddie and Joey stare at the machete in horror. Nathan, however, turns his attention to something off screen.
Chapter 4 divider
PANEL 1: Nathan helps Joey stand. Nathan looks at Eddie. NATHAN: You said you saw someone here about a week ago, did you notice anything off about them? PANEL 2: Eddie thinks. EDDIE: Nah, I mean-- they had a purple light on 'em, but I can't think of much else. Didn't get a good look at their face. PANEL 3: Nathan thinks, putting a finger to his chin. NATHAN: And I'm assuming you haven't seen the final floor yet... EDDIE: Nnnnope, you made sure'a that. NATHAN: There might be a clue down there, any lead is a good lead. PANEL 4: Joey excitedly pumps his fists. JOEY: What're we waiting for, then? Let's go!!! PANEL 5: Nathan looks back to Eddie, looking serious.NATHAN: Only if you promise not to cause any more trouble, Pierce. PANEL 6: Eddie draws a cross over their heart. Nathan walks ahead of them, gesturing with his hand. EDDIE: Cross my heart n' hope to die. NATHAN: Fine. Let's get going.
PANEL 1: We return to current time. Eddie starts to stand, smiling at Nathan. EDDIE: Sorry for attackin' you, by the way. Was hoping it'd scare you off. PANEL 2: Nathan rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. NATHAN, scoffing: You're not exactly the most intimidating figure. PANEL 3: Eddie stands to their full height, and he is EXTREMELY tall. There's three bits of white text with an arrow pointing at him. In order, they read:
This page is a splash page, depicting multiple scenes as Eddie narrates over them. The first scene is Eddie earlier that night, seeing the smashed window outside. EDDIE NARRATION: But today I come back and the windows are all smashed, and I can't find a lick of anybody around here. The second scene depicts Eddie placing flowers, an angel cat statue, and a candle on the table. He looks around the room, suspicious. EDDIE NARRATION: After I set down my offerings, I decided to look around, go down into the rooms-- The third scene is Eddie down in Esther's room, hiding behind some rocks. Nathan has his back turned to him as he reads the plaque in the room. EDDIE NARRATION: Then the world renowned Nathan Vargas walks through the door and I think aw shit, I'm in trouble ain't I? I'm this shady lookin' guy runnin' around a haunted manor, and the most famous paranormal investigator in the whole country is gonna think I had somethin' to do with it. The final scene depicts Eddie shapeshifting into Esther. Current time Eddie is juxtaposed over this, smiling nervously. EDDIE: Kinda panicked, had to find an easy disguise and find a way out. But ya kept followin' me, so...here we are!
PANEL 1: Nathan looks at Eddie, confused. NATHAN: Okay, but that doesn't explain why you're running around disguising yourself as them! EDDIE: I'm gettin' there! So impatient. PANEL 2: Current day Eddie is juxtaposed over the outside of the manor. EDDIE: I stopped by here tonight 'cause it's the time of the week I drop off offerings for the family. 'S a lil thank you for everything, y'know? PANEL 3: We see Eddie in the past, peering out from behind the gate at the front of the manor. Eddie, in current time, narrates. EDDIE: But about a week ago... PANEL 4: A shadowy figure stands in front of the manor doors, reaching a hand out. We can't see much of them, but they appear to be wearing a cowboy hat and a long cloak. EDDIE: I saw some guy sneak in here right after I left. PANEL 5: A close up of the shadowy figure, though we still can't see them well. We do see, however, that they have a glowing purple light in front of their face. EDDIE: Figured it was another shmuck like me, the Fortune's had a lot of folks that loved 'em, 's not that weird.