Holden MacGregor Elected Mayor in Stunning Landslide Victory
By George Green, Staff Writer
(This didn''t seem weird at first, but I think he''s been mayor for the last 40 years. Is that even legal? This takes place shortly after Grantham''s dad passed. This took place shortly after Grantham''s dad''s death, too. Dude''s been in power forEVER.)
The new arrival on the political scene, Holden MacGregor, shocked our entire region with a landslide victory in the most recent election. With no political backing or experience, many are wondering if there isn''t some sort of foul play to be found in these elections. An investigation has already gone underway, but has returned absolutely nothing. By all accounts, the victory appears to be perfectly legal and within regulation.
Only time will tell in how MacGregor''s reign will affect [REDACTED]. We here at The Journal will try to report unbiased accounts of the doings of our new County Officials moving forward, and how their decisions may affect our rights as free individuals in this country.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Holden MacGregor elects Miriam Thwaite as County Clerk
By George Green, Staff Writer
In another round of potentially upsetting decisions, Holden MacGregor is making his elite crack team of completely untalented and unpracticed politicians who all seem as if they''ve popped up out of the woodwork overnight to suddenly take over legislation in our Town Council.
The more these people keep cropping up overnight, the more I''m inclined to really begin to wonder if there aren''t some coverups that have occurred to keep people in the dark about MacGregor''s sudden rise to power.
Many seem to think- or perhaps to hope- that MacGregor represents a change in the tide of overly pleasant, professional politicians who say exactly what we want to hear, only to enact completely different ideals- but this seems entirely different. MacGregor has some plan at hand, but whether it''s in the best interests of our townsfolk remains to be seen.
Miriam Thwaite''s only recommendation would be that she''s a mediocre single mom, according to all who know her- which isn''t to say single mothers can''t hold positions of power, nor that they aren''t respectable members of our society. Thwaite is, however, made single because of her own infidelity toward her husband with several once-upstanding members of our town, many of which have more claims to political positions within the Town Council than she does, and for that reason, it seems completely unfathomable as to where MacGregor is coming from with these decisions.
This in the wake of Jackson Epcot''s move to the position of local county Sheriff, which by itself is no questionable action. Officer Epcot was a well-worked man with a good attitude and a strong, fair set of principals... but he has been on the force for a total of four years, barely enough to get the lay of the land, and how he''s been promoted to a position of power.
One can''t help but wonder when the rug''s going to be pulled out from all of us.
(This George guy is NOT a fan of MacGregor. Considering what happens later, maybe he should''ve been.)
Fatal Incident At the Studio
By Valentine Alexis, Head of Staff
(Yep, I think Green got nuked for writing negative stuff about these people.)
It is with heavy hearts that we here at the [REDACTED] Journal must report on the passing of George Green, a beloved writer who has worked here for quite some time.
Green''s car was found submerged in the nearby Luna Moth Lake, known for the popular sightings of the beautiful creatures, which are found in the area at select times of the year. Investigations by the new County Sheriff Epcot have not turned up anything indicating whether this was foul play or perhaps an outcome of sudden criticisms following the discovery of Green''s gambling debts, but it is with heavy hearts that we say farewell, nonetheless.
As Green was both a Staff Writer and Head of Staff here at [REDACTED] Journal, I, Valentine Alexis, have been elected as the new Head of Staff by Mayor MacGregor.
May we all move forward into a brighter future together.
Local Mother Found Deceased in Home by Son
By Valentine Alexis, Head of Staff
(Oh this is about as fucking suspicious as it gets, Bartosz is gonna love this)
[REDACTED] - This weekend, Sheriff Epcot was called to respond to a concerning call at a local residence out on Luna Moth Lake, where he discovered the deceased body of Mrs. Matilda Grantham. It was just ten years prior that Jake Grantham Sr. was lost in a tragic factory accident, and now his wife joins him at last, following an accidental slip at the top of the stairs in their family home.
Our hearts go out to the sole surviving member of the family, the young Jake Grantham Jr., who will be holding his mother''s funeral for a few close family and friends this Thursday. She will be missed by all who knew her.
We ask the Others to watch over him in this time of growth and loss.
(The fuck is the "Others"????)
Tragic Deaths Leave Sole Survivor
By Valentine Alexis, Head of Staff
(This person is like, the only one writing articles anymore. Kind of weird.)
[REDACTED] - We at The [REDACTED] Journal are saddened to report the sudden and tragic deaths of Mr. Alex Holtman, Mrs. Jane Holtman, their eldest son Hank Holtman, their eldest daughter Emery Holtman, and their youngest daughter Julie Holtman.
Weiss Holtman, by sheer luck, was away from the home that night for a High School graduation party when a horrific fire broke out from faulty, old gas lines beneath the home. Very little is left behind from the destruction, and there were no survivors.
Weiss will be holding a mass family funeral service this Wednesday, and will be aided by famous best friend Jake Grantham. The two have suffered immense losses this year, and we ask that the town visit upon them some of our famous kindness.
Thanks be to the Others.
Factories Around Country Close, Record Economic Rise For Town of [REDACTED]
By Valentine Alexis, Head of Staff
(This strike anyone else as weird? There''s a whole bunch of articles like this, where the economy is supposedly booming in this town, while it''s failing everywhere else)
Mayor MacGregor has been elected in yet another landslide victory following record economic reports and wages for the town''s history. While factories close around the nation, [REDACTED] finds itself in a unique situation where products continue to sell and outgoing trade only skyrockets.
"We all thought he was gonna bring bad luck on us," one happy citizen was quoted as saying. "MacGregor''s done nothin'' but good for this town since he came into office. I''m all for keepin'' him past the point. Work''s never paid me so good, and my wife''s been able to get a job for the first time in fifteen years!"
Wages are at their highest in the entire state here in our town, and families are celebrating with a parade in Mayor MacGregor''s honor this weekend. Stands will be erected selling popular local dishes, trinkets, arts and crafts, and children''s stations will be found at which activities such as face painting and bobbing for apples can be found.
We at the [REDACTED] Journal hope to find everyone there! Thanks be to the Others!
(There''s so much weird shit. It seems almost like shortly after the death of Grantham Sr., a bunch of people rose to power. Ten years later, when Grantham and Weiss were graduating, Grantham''s mother suddenly dies, and then Weiss''s whole family is murdered.
Then there''s that weird line: Thanks be to the Others. The fuck does that mean? It starts appearing some time after this Valentine Alexis gets put on the staff, and then it becomes this permanent staple at the end of all their articles. Fucking weird.
There was so much to wade through, and just not enough time to get it all before the library closed. What does it all mean, and where do we go from here...?)
File 037: Disturbing Discoveries
THIS FILE CONTAINS ANOTHER JOURNAL ENTRY FROM EMMA, FOLLOWING THEIR LIBRARY FINDINGS.
--File 036: Disturbing Discoveries--
10/20/XXXX - 8:13pm
Dear Journal,
Being at the library was some of the most tense hours of my life. We were there all day. We had to be- there was so freaking much to sift through.
They had this old as nails computer in the back that basically just acted as a cataloguing system. It mostly just told us what section of the cellar certain years were located in.
We split up into groups. I looked for anything from forty years ago, Blaine looked at the papers from Grantham''s high school years, and Anders took anything following that.
I felt like something was watching us down there. Seriously. It felt like we weren''t alone, and that sounds SO stupid and like such a horror movie classic, but seriously. No one talks about what that feels like. You have this constant tension in your skin, adrenaline makes you feel like you''re somewhere you''re not supposed to be for hours on end, and you''ve got this fight or flight response that''s trigger happy at every sound, every smell, every movement out of the corner of your eye.
The three of us were all stressed to the max. The silence was deafening. We''d have put music, but the last thing we wanted was for Old Lady Smile Face to come down the stairs and get mad at us. The fact that this whole creepy face thing is just a part of life now is WILD. We''re literally in it. That''s what it feels like, like we stepped into a horror movie and that''s just it, horror straight out the gate.
These people are happy to have me here, happy to accommodate, and happy to let me use their facilities, and that does not feel right. They''re not afraid of me at all. They''re not afraid of what we might find. Hell, they''re not afraid of me doing anything. Assuming that smile isn''t some defense mechanism, they''re happy as hell to have me here, and that''s terrifying.
I digress.
We discovered a lot, but it doesn''t feel like a lot. Anders has a lot of notes, and he''s thinking pretty hard on what we have to do next while we head out to the Church that Bartosz is at. No point in hiding our affiliation, since all the creepoids here already know.
It''s obvious that half, or most, of the town isn''t in on whatever is going on here. It feels pretty culty, but until we have solid confirmation that it''s a cult, we shouldn''t go assuming anything. Whenever we do pass locals who aren''t part of the Happy Meal Society, they practically run in the other direction. It''s kind of alarming- like we''re the killers, or something.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Granted, this game console is basically a ticking time bomb for whatever freak out it''s going to give us tomorrow morning, so it''s not like I can blame them, assuming the normal folks here know anything about it.
Shortly after Grantham''s death, we were able to pinpoint a few things that seemed really alarming. We noticed that there was a sudden shift in power- these people have had almost the same Town Council for the last forty years! I don''t even think that''s legal, but if anyone knows, they''re not doing anything about it. The town just... goes on as it is, making a crap ton of money, running like butter, and birthing serial killers.
We didn''t copy out everything we found, but following the death of Jake Grantham''s mother and this Weiss dude''s entire family, there were a lot of deaths in town. The deaths continue up until really recently, but there are no articles talking about these crazy deaths that just... happen. It''s all ages, too, and it''s started bleeding out into surrounding towns, although the exact numbers in that department are difficult to say, because we''re mostly just going off of what this Vincent Alexis was willing to write about, and if they''re not under the paycheck of this Mayor MacGregor, then I''m actually a walrus.
So we''ve got corruption, our own experiences with obviously paranormal entities originating from this town like it''s the eye of a massive storm, and we''ve got this cloud of death that''s creeping out of here like a miasma.
Delightful.
How are we supposed to fight this? We''re hoping Bartosz has a better plan, but things are looking bad. Bad enough that we don''t seem to pose a threat at all to the local Smile Brigade.
And then, of course, there''s the great unknown: Weiss.
Weiss and Grantham were well-known enough back in their day that they were even written about as best friends. Weiss''s obvious interests in games in the Science Faire article was a huge red flag, and Anders got real quiet when we showed him that. I don''t know how he''s holding up, because if Weiss is behind the games, that means... that means Grantham wasn''t alone all these years. They were chasing two serial killers, and they never even knew it.
Would there have been clues to there being two serial killers?
Clearly not, because it was never discussed or even theorized, not in the fifteen years since Grantham''s capture. Maybe it was poked at, but there never seemed to be concrete evidence enough for there being a second serial killer.
Bartosz isn''t going to like this- either that, or he''ll throw a party over finally getting a breakthrough.
Whoever the hell Weiss is, he''s probably still alive, and that''s a fact that we have to come to terms with. Is he controlling the flies? Is he able to communicate with Grantham''s ghost? Is he watching us?
I feel like the answer to that is yes.
We haven''t discussed all of this yet, but I know that we''re going to have to.
Whoever Weiss is, he''s at the center of this horrific nightmare, and I''m not keen on that, because I feel like every time I look out the window right now into the dark streets of this crazy town, I see a "Snack the Smiles Back" face staring through the window, right into my eyes.
File 038: Forgive Them, Father, They Are Sinning
THE FOLLOWING FILE CONTAINS THE TRANSCRIPT OF THE RECORDED INTERACTION BETWEEN ANDERS, EMMA, BLAINE, BARTOSZ, AND THE CATHOLIC PRIEST AND HIS PROTEGE.
--File 037: Forgive Them, Father--
The video begins in a small church. It is clearly well cared for and well loved, though there is a sort of bland, emptiness that suggests that tithes are not as forthcoming as they could be. The church is built in the cruciform style, an homage to the shape of the cross, and there is a large, wooden crucifix that is hanging on the wall of the nave, just behind the altar. Classic, unadorned Bibles sit in each of the pews, almost undisturbed; attendance must be low.
Anders and Blaine are in the lead, with Emma standing behind them. She doesn''t have her backpack with her, nor is the game console currently visible, as is display when Blaine swings the camera around for a moment to catch the whole of the inside of the church.
Standing before them is an aged old man in a black, collared shirt and black slacks. Beside him is a much younger gentleman, who seems unsettled by something, as he is looking at Emma with a surprising amount of alarm. Bartosz is currently speaking.
Bartosz: "-is my friend, the one I was telling you about, Jim Anders. He''s one of the only ones who stuck to the field. That there is Blaine [BEEP], he''s stuck in all this- uh. You know. Anyway, lastly, that''s Emma [BEEP]. The game seems to favor her, for whatever reason."
Priest: "Hello, my friends. I''m sorry to have to meet you in such a way. I''m Father Perez, and this is my protege, Alex. I have been attempting to get to the root of the corruption here for almost thirty years of my life, since being sent here by the Church."
Emma: "I''m surprised they let you. We''ve seen evidence of them getting rid of anyone who gets in their way."
Father Perez: "Your guess is as good as mine. At times, they seem so easily threatened- they''ve gotten rid of more than they''ve ever reported on. At other times, however, they seem so utterly comfortable- like with me. I have never threatened them enough to do away with me, though there are members of this town who openly avoid my Church."
Blaine: "You don''t mean that the Church actually scares them?"
Father Perez: "If it did, they would''ve found a way to do way with it long ago. I think it''s more a nuisance. I''ve tried all manner of tricks of my trade to influence them, to free them, to unfetter their slavery to the Devil, but... to no avail. The most I have received is laughter."
Anders: "We''ve uncovered a lot of information in that library, Jakub. They didn''t try to stop us at all."
Emma: "Do you know why they seem to be completely unphased by me? They''re not afraid of me at all. If anything, they all seem happy to see me."
Father Perez: "The presence of the game seems to mean something to them, I confess. Do you have it with you?"
Emma: "I didn''t bring it in, but it''s probably around here somewhere."
Blaine: "Hey... do you have a problem with Emma?"
Blaine is addressing Alex, who, noticeably, has said nothing this entire time, and has continued to stare directly at Emma. He appears to be in his late twenties, but there are gray hairs on his head already, and a certain haunted look to his features that seems omnipresent. He startles at Blaine''s question, the rest of the room going very still, including Emma.
Alex: "I... no. No, of course not, it''s just..."
Alex hesitates, and looks back to Emma again, looking almost puzzled.
Alex: "I feel like I''ve seen you before."
Blaine: "How could you? We''re from out in California."
Alex: "No, of course not. I''m born here. It''s just... it''s the darnedest thing. I have this strange feeling that we have met before, and that there is... something I am forgetting."
Father Perez: "Come. We have much to discuss, and you''ll need to get home before too late, so as to be able to deal with that game."
Emma: "If you want to see it, it''s just right there."
Emma points off to the side, and sure enough, the game is sitting quietly in a pew. The timer is still ticking down as before, steadily and without ceasing. Alex''s head jerks around, now, to stare directly at the game, eyes trained on it; the haunted horror that had been a hint in his expression is now out in full force.
Alex: "I... didn''t see you bring it in."
Anders: "She doesn''t have to. It follows her- and her, specifically."
Father Perez: "Yes. From what I''ve seen of these things, that seems to be the case. It identifies its target, and it will not release them until either death, or success."
Emma: "You know about the games?"
Bartosz: "You never mentioned knowing anything about them to me, Father."
Father Perez: "The information I had was surprisingly little, until some years ago, and at that point, I wanted to respect the privacy of my protege. You see, he has completed the game."
A stunned silence falls on the room. Alex continues looking at the game, somewhat pale and very uncomfortable.
Anders: "You never told me this. Why keep this from me? You knew how important it was that I get this kind of information, Perez. I needed to know this."
Father Perez: "There was not much you could have done with it. For one year following the completion of the cursed object, Alex was in a coma. Following that, his memories were fragmented; he remembered very little, as it was, about the game console."
Emma: "I don''t understand. You were given a game?"
Alex: "It happens occasionally to someone in town. The game shows up, and the second the intended owner finds it, the countdown starts, and the race begins. Very... very few win at the game."
Emma is eager now, stepping toward Alex, a shining light of hope in her eyes.
Emma: "But you did beat it, and you did survive it? Everything turned out okay?"
Alex exchanges a worried look with Father Perez.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Father Perez: "Not... exactly, my dear. Alex was found, comatose, among the remains of his home. His mother, his sole remaining relative, had... passed on."
The delicate tone of his voice suggests that there is more to this statement than he is letting on, but he doesn''t elaborate. It is clear though that the passing of Alex''s family had to do with the completion of the game, and Emma deflates, looking suddenly horrified.
Emma: "Are you telling me that even if I beat this damned thing, no one around me is safe?"
Father Perez: "We aren''t positive. Death is the ultimate goal of the game''s creator; even if you do win, his desire is to see suffering."
Emma: "Why? Who is behind this? Is it Weiss?"
Bartosz looks up, alert and startled, and turns to Anders.
Bartosz: "Just what exactly did you turn up? Who the hell is Weiss?"
Alex: "Weiss Holtman is the most dangerous man in this entire town, and yes. He is the creator of the game."
Emma: "What is he playing at?! Why is he doing this?!"
Father Perez: "Why do any serial killers begin doing what they do? Control, my dear. He wants control in a life where he had very little of it."
Emma: "So the rest of us have to suffer because he did?!"
Emma is clearly near hysterics now, and Blaine quickly hands the camera to Anders, who takes it gingerly. Blaine takes Emma by the shoulders and quickly pulls her toward him in the first on-screen physical sign of affection; perhaps because of this, Emma sags against him and bursts into tears.
Father Perez: "I am sorry. I know this is all hard. That timer on that game is more than just a timer to the next level, my dear, and it is important that you know that."
It is a few long minutes until Emma stops crying enough to speak; in the interim, Anders quietly catches Father Perez, Bartosz, and Alex up on what they discovered in the library, showing them the articles they found. Blaine says nothing, watching them, but neither participating nor releasing Emma until she finally moves away. When she pushes herself back, the others immediately turn to her to include her in the discussion.
Emma: "I''m sorry."
Bartosz: "You don''t need to be."
Emma: "I''m sorry for crying, and I''m sorry because you''re all in serious danger around me."
Anders: "Neither Bartosz nor I can walk away from this. The risk of the game is something we''re more than willing to take."
Blaine: "I think at this point if you go down, I''m going down, too, no matter where I am. Better to be here."
Emma: "Is there anything you remember about the game? Are they all the same?"
Alex: "I still don''t remember a great deal about what I played, but I remember enough. I''ve never been able to really talk to another victim. What have you completed?"
Emma: "We''re going through Jake Grantham''s life right now. His mother clearly abused him."
Father Perez: "Ah, yes. Matilda Grantham. I was here, in town, when she died, and I could not gather very much information on her; I was turned away at the door when I offered my services to the young Grantham as a Priest. He wanted nothing to do with the Church, and Weiss Holtman, in particular, hates the Church with a violent fury."
Alex: "If you want to get away from him, the Church is a good place to go. Something about it makes him mad, and I''ve lost some followers just by stepping in through the front doors."
Blaine: "I wonder why, if it''s not because of the power of God, or whatever."
Alex: "We theorize it is maybe the power of our faith. If their cult is powered by their faith, then perhaps our faith directly challenges their''s."
Emma: "Seems like they''d want to destroy the church, then."
Father Perez: "We can never entirely rule it out. If their main goal is to keep tabs on you, they may not like your interacting with the church, or bringing the game in here. For all we know, this may elevate our threat level. We shall have to remain vigilant."
Bartosz: "I''ll be staying here with them, while you lot get around and look into things. My face doesn''t inspire a lot of friendliness on either side of things."
Anders: "You seen the smiles yet?"
Father Perez is noticeably startled at this question.
Father Perez: "Have you seen the smiles, then? Their true faces?"
Emma: "More times than I''d like to admit."
Alex: "That''s... strange. Openly? Out and about? Around other townsfolk?"
Blaine: "Unfortunately."
Father Perez and Alex exchange worried glances, obviously concerned over some new variable in what they''re used to.
Father Perez: "In all my time in this town, they have only shown themselves to me once. To Alex, only after he had completed the game."
Alex: "And you said they''ve shown themselves multiple times to you?"
Emma: "An entire squad of Police or whatever at the Diner was infected- or whatever- and the Librarian, too."
Alex: "There''s... a lot more of them than we though."
Anders: "And who, exactly, is ''them''?"
Father Perez: "The Others."
Emma: "We saw that in the newspapers, once Valentine Alexis started writing for the Journal."
Father Perez: "Yes. We know very little about what this really refers to, but we know that''s what they call themselves. Following the murder of Jake Grantham''s father, a surprising amount of good things started to happen for a certain group of people in our town. Fortunes flipped; previous unknown names suddenly rose through the ranks, and the town has flourished ever since, even when- by all rights- it should not have."
Alex: "If they have been quietly getting more and more people to join over the years, it would explain why the congregation has been dwindling."
Anders: "And why would that-"
Emma: "Guys!"
There has been, for almost a minute, a nearly unnoticeable beeping that has been going on in the background. Emma has suddenly run over to the game console, which is sitting on a pew; Blaine rushes forward, grabs the camera from Anders, and jumps to her side to look at the screen. A new set of words and a new timer has replaced the old:
"GET OUT"
The timer is counting down rapidly from an hour, though at the rate of the numbers flying past, it will be perhaps two minutes, at most, until it hits zero.
Without preamble, Emma turns, the game in her hands, and sprints towards the front entrance of the church, Blaine hot on her heals, Anders hot on his. Emma shrieks ahead of Blaine, but apart from a stumble, she keeps running until she has landed on the sidewalk outside the building, at which point, she quickly puts the game console on the cement; her arm are covered in enormous maggots, eagerly climbing their way up, and she is panicking, attempting to try to drag them off.
Blaine nearly drops the camera in his haste to get to her, and though the video is tilted, we can see that he is ripping the maggots from her arms. We can also see that they aren''t alone, though they haven''t noticed this; moments later, Anders and Bartosz join them, and though they DO notice that they are joined by others on the street, they, too, quickly set to on getting the maggots off of Emma''s shaking arms.
When she is clear of the offending insects, Anders and Bartosz immediately turn to face the street; there is a group of individuals standing in the middle of the road, shown now as Blaine rips the camera from the floor and back up into the air, breathing hard.
The individuals are all dressed in nice, albeit perfectly normal clothing. The only thing marking them apart is the freakishly large smiles and the over-sized eyes in their faces- all save for one, in the center of the group- and all have their attention trained on Emma, who is currently ringed by Anders, Bartosz, Blaine, and, belatedly, Alex.
Figure In the Center: "Alex. You should have stayed away and counted your blessings."
Alex: "You''re not allowed on hallowed grounds. Get away from here!"
Emma: "The hell is going on?"
Figure on Far Right: "It has been decided that the church is a no-go. Step foot inside, and you shall discover how dangerous the game can be."
Emma: "Are you serious? We too close to something for you tastes? Who decides this, anyway?"
The figure in the center steps forward. He is dressed perhaps the most unassumingly, wearing a sweater, jeans, and simple sneakers. He, alone, does not feature the overly wide smile and eyes.
Figure In the Center: "I do."
Blaine: "And who the hell are you supposed to be? The leader?"
Figure in the Center: "No, not the leader."
Bartosz: "Then who, huh, fucker? You gettin'' your rocks off on scarin'' the shit out of a young girl?"
Emma: "Of course he is."
Anders and Bartosz- and presumably Blaine- all glance in alarmed confusion toward Emma, who is staring at the man in the center with a frightened expression. Beside her, Alex says nothing, looking at the figure with an expression of grim, unnerved discomfort.
Anders: "You know something, Emma?"
Emma: "He''s Weiss. He created the game."
The figure in the center- Weiss- smiles, a perfectly normal, perfectly charming smile. He has icy blue eyes, brown hair, and seems, in every way, unremarkable.
Blaine''s camera slips from his hands, and the footage ends as it strikes the cement.
--END TRANSMISSION--
File 039: Revelations 2:2-3
THE CONTENTS OF THIS FILE CONTAIN THE EVENTS INVOLVING THE INITIAL MEETING WITH WEISS HOLTMAN, THE APPARENT UNKNOWN SEREIAL KILLER BEHIND THE KILLINGS FIFTEEN YEARS PRIOR.
--File 038: Revelations 2:2-3--
When the video begins recording again, it is Emma who now has the camera, her hands shaking as she quickly fumbles with it. Blaine has stepped forward; there is a half-circle made up of Jim Anders, Jakub Bartosz, and Alex [REDACTED] between Emma and the Others.
Blaine: "So you''re the one who''s behind this? You''re the one whose gotten people we love killed?"
Weiss chuckles at Blaine''s aggression. Anders and Bartosz are tightening closer to Emma, hands near their pockets as they quietly assess the situation- but it appears that this meeting is not intended to be a showdown at this time. There is a level of ease about their aggressors that does not seem to speak of attacking, though this does not seem to ease the tensions in any of Emma''s guardians.
Weiss: "Look at you pretend to care. Say all the right things, Blaine, and perhaps you''ll convince them that you''re good, eh?"
Blaine: "Shut the fuck up, you don''t know me."
Weiss: "I know all of you intimately, even if I do not quite remember you. I have such knowledge of you that you would find truly terrifying."
Anders: "What, from your ''Others''?"
Weiss: "I am glad, at times, that I don''t remember everything, or I would certainly grow tired of explaining this to you again, and again, and again..."
Blaine: "What is this, some kind of evil villain monologue?"
Weiss: "Sure, if that''s how you want to reason it. I play my part each and every time, Blaine, and you all play yours."
Anders: "So, you''re the second serial killer behind the killings, then?"
Weiss: "By extension, yes, though I was never present for them. I had my part to play, and my brother had his."
Emma: "Brother?"
Weiss: "But of course. Brothers birthed in suffering, messengers of the true gods come to create true art in this dying world."
Bartosz: "Oh, for fuck''s sake."
Weiss: "What? Not impressed?"
Bartosz: "Hardly. You''re not artists. You''re psychopaths. You think you''re hot shit, don''t you?"
Weiss: "It doesn''t matter what I think I am, Ex-Agent Bartosz. I know what I am, and I know the part I have been given in this world. There is nothing you, or your God can do about it."
Blaine: "Jake Grantham is dead. Neither of you created art, he died like the murderous dog he was, and you aren''t brothers."
Weiss seems to suddenly grow angry, the laconic laziness that has been guiding him evaporating with unhinged quickness.
Weiss: "We were brothers the likes of which none of you shall ever witness! Brothers, true brothers, thicker than any blood in this world, a covenant born of true godly suffering!"
Bartosz: "He was a fucking dumbass killer with a big-ass head and a self-absorbed ego, just like you are. You are all like that. He was caught, you''ll be caught; he got injected and tossed like the trash he is, and you will be, too. Dead, murderous, dipshit brothers in hell."
Weiss: "Oh, how you love to try to pick apart your betters, Bartosz- but at the end of the day, none of you knew I existed for fifteen years, and you have the gall to call me stupid."
Alex: "You''re not as powerful as you want us to think you are, Weiss. You can''t step foot on hallowed ground; the Church repels you. God repels you."
Weiss snickers, tilting his head.
Weiss: "Is that what you think? That I''m repelled? Certainly, it takes a little more effort to step into your little house than I might like, but every year your faith wanes, and every year, my faith strengthens. Your God will be replaced like all the others before Him, and my gods will do what they are destined to do, time and again. They will eat this world."
Blaine: "What gods?"If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
Weiss: "The only gods that matter, dear boy. All gods are born of suffering, don''t you see? No god in the history of mankind would have existed, were it not for suffering. All these deities relish it, feed off of it- why do you think your God doesn''t answer your prayers, doesn''t save your lives when you beg and plead and pray and die?"
It is Father Perez who answers, standing on the steps of the church behind them, illuminated from behind by the lights of the church, displayed when Emma turns to look at him.
Perez: "God respects our freewill, our freedom to choose and to come to the right choice on our own. Our God is loving- your gods will consume you just as joyously as they consume all the rest, fool."
Weiss sneers at this, unamused and unimpressed.
Weiss: "Ah, yes, an almighty God with the power to stop all suffering, but he ''respects your free will''. How sweet. My gods become more tangible with each death, replacing more and more people in this town and beyond, and your God sits on his throne, twiddling his thumbs because He doesn''t want to hurt your feelings."
Alex: "He can''t force us to do his bidding, or He''d break us!"
Weiss: "Ever hear of the greater good? What''s a few broken souls, to a saved and free world?"
Blaine: "If all gods are born of suffering, then your gods aren''t all powerful. They need you to exist; why bend to their will if you could just ignore them?"
This seems to amuse Weiss quite a bit, for whatever reason.
Weiss: "I hear the echo of you across time, always asking the same questions, every- single- iteration! You play a pretty part, boy, but you and I are born of the same suffering, and you are no better than I!"
Anders: "What the hell are you talking about? He''s insane. We''re not going to get anything out of him worth listening to. We''re arguing with lunatics!"
Weiss: "It doesn''t matter what you all do or say. He will come to me- he always does."
Emma jumps forward to grab Blaine by the shoulder as he jerks forward, as if to hit Weiss. Anders, too, grabs Blaine, but in spite of this, still, none of the figures move, not even Weiss, who smiles benignly at him.
Blaine: "Fuck you! Fuck off! You don''t fucking know me!"
Weiss: "You know what it''s like to suffer, Blaine. They don''t. You know what it''s like to want revenge- and you know what it''s like to get it."
Emma: "You want to talk about predictable, you''re a palm reader''s wet dream."
Weiss: "You get funnier every iteration, I''ll give you that."
Alex: "Where are these so-called gods, then? I don''t see them!"
Weiss: "They are all around you, reaching through the veil, smiling through my friends. With each and every iteration, they grow stronger and stronger, until one day, there will be an iteration where they can just consume your God entirely."
Holding the camera, Emma jerks suddenly, as if reacting to something specific. Her voice is soft as she repeats a single word:
Emma: "''Iteration''...?"
Almost simultaneously, or perhaps reacting to the same word as Emma as she says it, Alex suddenly jerks up; as Emma turns the camera to him, he turns and bolts for the church.
Weiss reacts by bursting into laughter; none of the other figures respond.
Weiss: "Perhaps in this round, the boy realizes just how futile the fight is! You see, Perez? Your sweet little protege believes in nothing, in the end! He runs at the first sight of adversity!"
Perez: "He believes, as I do, in the power of the Lord, Weiss. It is Satan who puts us in these dark cells, to suffer, to break our faith and force us to run to him. You will not break me, you will not break my God, and your pale imitations shall never exceed His powers, He who has existed before all and before thought itself!"
Perez ends this impassioned speech with a roar, standing up at his full height and, for a moment, looking half his age. It is suddenly clear how this man has survived in a town slowly turning against him with the power of occult gods created through death; his tenacity burns suddenly brilliant.
Weiss, again, flicks with no warning from his lackadaisical mood to a much more furious one.
Weiss: "I grow tired of you, old man. Your time in this town has come to an end. If your God loves you, He will save you."
Perez: "I am already sa-"
Perez doesn''t get a chance to finish his sentence.
There is an unholy sound suddenly from the space around them; the game lying forgotten on the floor suddenly releases a piercing, high-pitched tone, which causes Anders, Emma, Blaine, and Bartosz to shout and cover their ears. A moment later, the note is drowned out by a moment of buzzing, increasing rapidly in volume, before an utterly immeasurable cloud of enormous flies erupts from the game console¡¯s screen, almost ludicrous in its volume compared the small, harmless object it comes from.
Emma, crouching on the ground, screams, the camera pointed toward Perez; the video catches, in full, the cloud descending upon the man, who screams as he is consumed by a veritable swarm. In flashes of clarity, the flies can be seen digging into the man''s skin through his pores, his eyes, his ears, and into his mouth. His screaming stops abruptly, and his body drops to the floor, rolling down the stairs; the flies do not abate, coalescing on him like a black, oozing mass.
Chaos immediately breaks out in the group. Emma twists around to try to get the game and Weiss in her sights, but Blaine is being shoved toward her by Anders and Bartosz, who have now both withdrawn guns from their persons, pointing them toward Weiss.
Bartosz: "Get her the fuck out of here, now!"
Anders: "Go, go, go! Get going! Get GOING!"
Blaine doesn''t wait. He turns on his heel, grabs Emma by her wrist, and begins dragging her in the direction of the woods beyond the church. The sounds of bullets go off behind them, coupled with unhinged laughter... and loud buzzing.
Neither Emma nor Blaine look back, sprinting at full pelt into the woods and breathing hard. Several minutes of this go by with neither of them uttering a single word; Emma trips once, then twice, but Blaine continually catches her, never letting her hit the ground.
Occasionally, as the camera flashes past the surroundings rapidly, a brief flash of a small square of light can be seen as the game console steadily follows Emma and Blaine.
Unfortunately, fatigue causes them both to stumble at last, and Emma smashes into the ground with a cry; the camera hits the floor, and the footage is cut.
--END TRANSMISSION--
File 040: Venting
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE SOME TIME AFTER BLAINE AND EMMA HAVE SEPARATED FROM ANDERS, BARTOSZ, AND ALEX. IT IS WRITTEN IN EMMA''S JOURNAL, WHICH SHE HAS APPARENTLY KEPT ON HER.
--File 040: Venting--
Dear Journal,
It feels incredibly stupid to be writing in this right now, but at the same time, we can''t talk, and I have to do... something. I left my backpack, stupidly in the car, but this journal is about as big as my palm, so I was keeping it in my back pocket, anyway. Maybe that''s a writer thing, maybe it''s a stupid thing, it doesn''t matter. I''m sitting here in nearly the darkest dark I''ve ever sat in, partially writing by the light of my phone screen- not even the flashlight, the screen- and partially by feel. Right now, it''s helping my keep my mind off the fact that we just saw someone die right in front of us, and there''s a really, really good chance that Anders and Bartosz are both dead. Probably Alex, too.
I wish we''d run when he did.
We''re hiding out in the woods tonight. It''s dead silent out there, and I can''t decide if that''s a good thing or a bad thing. There is literally no sound out there; the moon is not really all that bright, seems like it''s waning quite a lot.
I read horror novels for a bit, when I was a teenager. You think some of the stuff is just poetic prose, like how the shadows seem deeper when shit gets real and paranormal hell breaks loose.
It''s not poetic prose.
There is something in this world, and it''s got its eyes on me. I can feel something staring at me through the... the "veil". That''s what Weiss called it.
I don''t know what to make of Weiss''s insane ramblings, but one word kept standing out to me, a word he kept repeating: Iteration. I don''t know why, but it kept... like ringing a bell in my head. What a weird word to use, for literally anything. It''s basically the process of repeating something, or repetition, or like... a new version of the same thing. Like a computer getting released from a line of very similar computers, but it''s number 11 in the series. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
So... what iteration is he talking about? He kept talking like he''d been through all of this before. I tried bringing it up to Blaine, but Weiss''s words seemed to really have unnerved him; in the small flashes of moonlight where I could see him, he seemed nervous and really, really pale.
Weiss was talking about Blaine joining him... in what? The cult? Why would they want him?
He said "gods were born from suffering", or something insane like that. Is he talking about Blaine''s suffering when younger? What''s the correlation?
I''m sure we''ll get some kind of answer in a short amount of time. That game console is just feet from me, sitting brazenly under a bush, and even though it''s like a fucking beacon in the night, neither of us will touch it.
We''ll have to, though, because we''re well past midnight now, and that timer''s still ticking down to the next 24 hour marker. We can assume it''s going to go ballistic like usual, but we can''t be caught outside when it happens. We''ll have to risk getting back into town, getting under cover, and letting it do its mad dance.
Then we have to solve another level.
The tension is unbearable. UnBEARABLE. I feel like I''m about to explode into a million and one different directions, like a glass table that just suddenly fractures into billions of little shards because too much pressure''s been put on it.
What do we do? What can we do? I can''t even begin to fathom the reality of this just being some crazy "iteration" of reality, a repeat, like some demented, fucked up science-fiction TV show featuring a magical Mary Poppins telephone booth.
We just have to wait. Blaine is beckoning for me to go to sleep, but he doesn''t seem very hopeful. I don''t think sleep is coming for either of us. Every time I close my eyes, I see...
I see...
I see my fate. I see what happened to Father Perez, and it''s happening to me.
God, why is this happening? Why is any of this happening?
Wh
The journal entry suddenly stops, and there''s ink as the pen dribbles down the page. There is only one phrase written after this, below:
EMMA MUST NOT DIE.
There is nothing else in the journal entry, and as there is no immediate video filmed around this time of that night, it is safe to assume that Blaine did not realize that Emma had been possessed again.
File 041: Alois Report
THE FOLLOWING IS AN EMAIL SENT AROUND THE TIME THAT THE INCIDENT INVOLVING FATHER PEREZ OCCURRED, SENT FROM BRIGETTE ALOIS TO JIM ANDERS AND JAKUB BARTOSZ.
--File 041: Alois Report--
To:
Anders,
Bartosz
Subject: Where the hell are you?
Sent: 10/20/XXXX - 11:43pm
Hey, where the fuck are you guys? I''ve been trying to get ahold of Anders for the past three hours, and it keeps saying none of my texts are going through. I know Bartosz never checks his phone except for calls and emails, so I''m not even going to bother there.
Where are you? I keep trying to get a hold of you. Something absolutely insane is going on over here, in LA, since you guys left. All hell''s broken loose.
I told you the Keith kid died earlier, but that''s not the last of it. The entire hospital''s infected and dealing with orders to treat it like it''s some kind of lockdown for infectious disease, they''ve even got specialized teams out here, WHO, the whole nine yards.
Before you ask, yeah, it''s flies. A SHIT ton of flies and maggots, they''re everywhere. Before they caught me, I was able to get in and get a few photos- the walls are absolutely covered. I overheard some of the doctors that got out saying nurses have barricaded wings and got some of the patients'' rooms closed off to the infestation, but it''s like... it''s like hell in there.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
They''re thinking the epicenter is Keith. A Doctor was swearing up and down that they cleared him out of all infestation, that they followed the Grantham procedures- yeah, they named them after the guy- from 15 years prior, but somehow there were still more.
That college got hit again, too- the one that girl goes to, the one you told me about. Emma [REDACTED]. They managed to evacuate most of the students and teachers out of the buildings, but Emma''s dorm building was hit the hardest; they''re not sure the students are even alive.
Things aren''t like they were 15 years ago. I heard the call to try to control information leaks, but it''s too late. The major stations are eating this up, and the littler stations are desperate for a chance to get a leg up over their bigger competitors, so no one''s listening. Panic is breaking out en masse, and people are flooding the airports to try to get out of the city, thinking there''s some kind of plague loose. That one magazine Bartosz subscribes to, the "Alt Net Believer", they released a stupid article called "THE BUBONIC PLAGUE RETURNS TO AMERICA", and for some reason, the public''s latched onto it.
It''s like 15 years ago all over again, but worse, because it''s happening so much faster. The flies are... different, too. The maggots, they''re both enormous. Way bigger than they used to be. We''ve already got dead in the double digits, and that''s just what we know.
Is something going on in that crazy town? I know Jakub''s been living out there and harassing the locals for answers, but are you guys onto something nuts? What the hell is going on?
I''m currently en route to that girl''s family. I''m really, REALLY hoping whatever this is isn''t going to head straight for her home and family. If it has, they''re already dead.
You guys need to get a fucking move on, if you''re tackling this head on. Whatever you''ve done, you''ve poked the hornet''s nest. I''ve been getting calls from the Lost Ones for the past hour, all of them looking for answers. They think it''s because Grantham died, but I think it''s because you guys stirred shit up.
You''d better finish this. Put it to rest. If this is the end of the world, I''m going to follow you straight to whatever circle of hell you guys get sent to, just so I can be the one to kick your asses for the rest of eternity, because you have no idea how bad it is out here.
No idea.
File 042: Alex Part 01
THE FOLLOWING PICKS BACK UP WITH A RECORDING TRANSCRIPT OF BLAINE AND EMMA.
--File 042: Alex Part 01--
10/21?/XXXX - sometime after midnight?
This video takes place some time after Emma''s journal entry, though it''s unclear just when, as the time and date on the footage moving forward begins to get scrambled. At times, it displays seemingly accurate readouts, and sometimes the years are in the negative; sometimes, the hours are 0''s, and at times, the minutes and seconds fluctuate at seemingly uncontrolled intervals. It is still dark, and Blaine has noticed that Emma is not herself; the discovery of this was not recorded, though it would appear Blaine started filming not too long after the realization.
Blaine: "Who are you? Why do you keep possessing Emma?"
In the faint moonlight of a waning moon, only part of Emma''s face is visible. Her expression is flat, and her eyes are strangely pale and focused on Blaine''s face, behind the camera. She is sitting in a strange position, hands limp at her sides, back ramrod straight, as if whatever is possessing her can''t quite control her. Both of them keep their voices relatively low, but from the motions of the camera, Blaine is nervously looking around to try to see if anyone is listening.
notEmma: "Emma must not die."
Blaine: "You keep telling me that. Why do you keep telling me that?"
notEmma: "Because you keep failing."
Blaine: "I haven''t failed anything! Emma''s fine!"
notEmma: "She always dies, and when she dies, there''s no going back."
Blaine: "So... so, what, are you Emma from another... dimension? Is that''s what''s happening here?"
notEmma: "Emma must not die."
Blaine: "Come on, you have to give me something to work with here!"
notEmma: "You have to keep her alive."
Blaine: "Hey-"
Quite suddenly, Emma''s eyes flutter, and her body goes entirely limp; Blaine manages to drop the camera to the side softly before catching her. He''s heard quietly trying to get her to wake up, repeating her name and lightly shaking her, but it''s clear that he is still trying to keep quiet and is afraid someone will find them.
At this point, there''s crashing in the forest, and Blaine goes dead still, crouching over Emma''s still-unconscious body. The only sound is someone running around in the forest, breathing hard and fearful.
Voice: "Blaine? Emma? God, please, please let them be here-"
Blaine suddenly sits up, shocked.
Blaine: "Alex?"
Alex: "Oooooh, thank God, thank you, God- where are you? I can''t see a thing in this forest!"
Blaine: "What are you doing here?"
Blaine quickly stands up, trying to shield Emma by keeping her in the bushes. He picks up the camera as he does, and in the gloom of the trees, the camera is able to pick out the vaguely recognizable shape of Alex, looking somewhat haggard. As he steps into a patch of moonlight, he looks as though he has been running hard.
Alex: "I just managed to get out of there."
Blaine: "Just? Dude, you ditched us the second the shit hit the fan."
Alex: "That''s not- no, I didn''t, though the timing was... bad. I admit that, it was bad."
Blaine: "No, dude, stay there. Are you with those freaks? What the fuck is going on?"
Alex: "Trust me, I''m not with them. I''m alive by God''s grace."
Blaine: "Or something."
Alex: "Whatever you believe in, it doesn''t matter- the point is, I had to grab something. Something I completely forgot about- and it''s vital. Where is Emma? I have to give it to her."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Blaine: "Nuh uh. Not until I see it."
Alex: "Just trust me."
Blaine: "Are you insane? Half this town is filled with a bunch of smiling freaks. How the hell do I know you''re not suddenly one of them? Weiss made it sound like everyone here''s getting infected."
Alex: "Fair, but I can''t prove that. Come on, would you just-"
Emma: "Alex?"
Blaine and the camera jump in surprise; Emma is now standing beside him, looking bleary-eyed and woozy. She looks at Alex in suspicious confusion.
Emma: "Alex? What the hell happened to you?"
Alex: "Thank God- look. I need to give you this. I can''t believe I almost forgot."
Blaine: "Not another step closer, Alex-"
Emma: "Hang on. What- no, it''s fine, Blaine, let me see that. That''s-"
Emma steps out of the bushes past Blaine, ignoring his protests and his attempts to stop her. Alex, in the moonlight, is proffering a small, somewhat rectangular object, most likely a book. The details are minor, but Emma seems to have been able to make something out, and with a flash of her cell phone''s flashlight, she illuminates the object in Alex''s hands.
It''s a small notebook.
Blaine: "I... don''t understand."
Alex: "You don''t, but Emma does."
Emma says nothing. She is standing stock still, staring at the notebook in Alex''s hands.
Emma: "That''s... not possible."
Blaine: "What?"
Emma: "That''s my journal."
Blaine: "So? You must have dropped it when we ran."
Emma: "I didn''t. I was just writing in it like ten minutes ago."
Blaine: "Er..."
Obviously, Emma doesn''t recall being possessed, so it''s unclear exactly how much time has actually passed since she wrote in her journal.
Emma takes the book from Alex''s hands with shaking fingers, handing Blaine her cell phone. He points the light at the notebook as she reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a perfectly identical, lilac notebook with an identically worn, fraying band wrapped over the cover. An identically tattered ribbon sticks out the bottom of the small notebook.
Blaine: "It''s just similar."
Emma: "It''s not similar, Blaine. It''s mine."
Blaine: "How can you tell?"
Emma: "My dad bought this for me for my last birthday. It has my name embossed on the front, and on the front inside cover, he wrote a small letter to me."
Emma points out the identical embossing on both journals, spelling out her full name, including her middle, plus the date of her birthday. Beneath it, a small "Beloved Daughter" is embossed, as well. She manages to open the "new" notebook to the inside cover, revealing a small letter written in an untidy scrawl with a sentimental message about her birthday. Keeping it open, she opens the journal from her back pocket to the same inside cover, and it reads the exact same, identical message.
Blaine: "I... I don''t..."
Alex: "I''ve never been able to open it. When Weiss kept saying ''iteration'', I kept thinking I was forgetting something. When you said it, I suddenly realized why I feel like I''ve seen you before- it all came back to me."
Emma: "Came back? Where the hell did you get this?"
Alex: "In all honesty? I don''t know."
Blaine: "Oh, come the fuck on-"
Alex: "I''m serious. Hear me out. Father- Father Pe-"
Alex blinks rapidly, an expression of nauseated horror flashing over his face in the light of Emma''s still-lit flashlight. He swallows visibly and audibly, then shakes himself and moves on.
Alex: "Father Perez... he told you I lost my memories when I beat the game. He didn''t get to really tell you everything. When I woke up, the game was gone, along with my family and my home; but they found me with this book."
Emma: "What?"
Alex: "No one could open it. It was kept with my things in the hospital... and I had... dreams."
Blaine: "Dreams?"
Alex: "I hadn''t lost my memories yet. I was having horrific nightmares- Father Perez told me. I would scream and scream and they had to take me out with tranquilizers. I never told Father Perez what those dreams were, because when I finally stopped having them, it was because... I lost my memory."
Blaine: "So, what, you conveniently got it alllll back, just as things got hairy with Weiss?"
Emma: "Blaine!"
Alex: "He''s right to be paranoid, Emma. It''s the only way to stay alive. I don''t remember everything- I don''t remember the game, or anything specific about what happened after I beat it. Probably too... it doesn''t matter. I remember the dreams. I would see Emma, flashes of her, writing in that little journal, and I kept hearing the phrase, ''Emma Must Not Die''."
Both Emma and Blaine exchange looks; Blaine''s is not visible to the camera, but Emma''s is, and she looks deeply alarmed. The phrase seems to erase much of Blaine''s paranoia and mistrust.
Blaine: "That phrase, exactly?"
Alex: "Yes. I''d hear the phrase... and then I''d watch Emma die. Repeatedly. Every single time, it was different, but it was always... always horrific."
Emma: "The fuck?"
Alex seems not to be hearing or seeing them anymore. His expression is haunted as he delves into the dark, twisted memories of the nightmares that plagued him in the hospital.
Alex: "And then... and then... there''d be this... this horrible mirror. I''d see this mirror behind her dead body, and there''d be these horrible things, and they''d reach out through the mirror toward me, but it wasn''t me they were reaching for."
Blaine: "What are you talking about? Things?"
Alex: "It''s like... it''s like shadows pushing through the glass, and the glass cracks, but it sticks to the shadows, and that pushes through the mirror into millions of shatters shards of glass conforming to shadows, and I can see my reflection, and I''m smiling, but I''m crying and I want to scream, and then I see... I see you."
Alex is looking at Blaine now, and there''s a look on his face of horrified revelation.
Emma: "You see... Blaine?"
Alex: "Yes. I see Blaine, and he''s... he''s covered in blood."
There is a very long, deathly silent pause.
Alex: "He''s covered in blood. It isn''t my reflection smiling in the mirror. It''s Blaine''s."
FOR THE SAKE OF BREVITY, THE FILE ENDS HERE.
File 043: Alex Part 02
THE FOLLOWING FILE CONTINUES DIRECTLY AFTER THE PREVIOUS, AS THEY ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED. DETAILED CARE AND ATTENTION WERE REQUIRED IN THE FORMING OF THIS FILE AND THE POINTED DETECTION OF MINUTE DETAILS.
--File 043: Alex Part 02--
The silence that follows Alex''s admission is thick with implications. No one moves a muscle. Blaine is still holding the camera, but it is pointed at Alex, perfectly still, and Alex''s eyes are trained on Blaine in a nearly beseeching manner. Emma is the first one to break the silence.
Emma: "Blaine is covered in blood? After I''ve been killed? So you''re saying- you''re saying he kills me?"
Alex: "Over and over and over. Every single time."
Alex pauses, then looks directly at Emma- pointedly.
Alex: "Every single iteration."
Emma: "Oh... oh, my God."
Blaine: "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"
Blaine''s voice is odd. It''s almost hoarse, a strange mixture of intended force and quiet whispering, and seems distant.
Emma: "Iterations, Blaine. Weiss is saying that this has all happened before, repeatedly, and in every single iteration, you... you go to him."
Blaine: "Why the fuck would I do that?"
Alex: "I... I don''t know."
Blaine: "That''s real fucking convenient, dude."
Alex: "I''m only telling you what I remember!"
Blaine: "How. Fucking. Convenient."
Blaine takes a step toward Alex, the camera dropping almost forgotten to his side, but Emma quickly darts forward and grabs his arm. To his credit, it appears that Alex does not back away, remaining still to his spot.
Emma: "Blaine, cool it!"
Blaine: "He''s accusing me of killing you, and you want me to cool it?!"
Emma: "Yes!"
Blaine: "Why?! You can''t seriously believe him?!"
Emma: "''Emma must not die''."
From the shifting of the camera, it seems that Blaine deflates somewhat, turning toward her.
Emma: "The message isn''t for me. It''s for you. It''s always been for you."
Blaine: "I''m not going to kill you."
Alex: "Weiss seems to think he knows something about you- something that he can use to control you, or to move you to his side. He''s totally unconcerned- they''re not even chasing after you. He knows neither of you can leave. He''s completely convinced you''ll do his work for him and kill Emma."
Blaine: "I''m not going to fucking kill her!"
Emma: "Blaine, we need to consider every single avenue here."
Blaine: "Yeah? Why? Because you think I''m going to kill you? If so, why don''t I just do it right here, right now?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Alex: "Don''t be so fucking dramatic, asshole. You''re not the one dying, here."
It''s the first time Alex has used any foul language, and his tone is sharp, causing Blaine to go very still and quiet. It''s unclear if the words have struck a chord, if he''s just surprised, or if he''s angry.
Emma: "Obviously, Weiss plays you. He can create haunted video games that spew murderous flesh eating flies, and your concern here is that you think you''re going to kill me of your own accord?"
Blaine: "...I-"
Emma: "I need to read this version of my journal. It''s obviously got something in it, or else why would it cross... what, dimensions?"
Alex: "We''ll just say ''iterations''."
Emma: "Fine. We need a gameplan, because unless I''m much mistaken, the moon''s heading toward the horizon, and we''re running out of time."
Alex: "Time?"
Blaine: "The game. Every 24 hour mark, it goes haywire. Did it not do that for you?"
Alex: "I..."
Alex goes quiet, and Blaine- seeming to remember the camera- pulls it up, showing that Alex is looking confused. The moonlight appears to be waning, but Emma''s flashlight is still lit in the darkness, revealing more detail than might otherwise be shown.
Alex: "I can''t remember. I only remember very little. It''s like... it''s like it''s shut away."
Blaine: "Great."
Emma: "We have the answers we need right here."
Emma flaps the little journal around.
Emma: "We need to rest, though. We don''t have very long until the next eruption, and we need to be ready to deal with that."
Blaine: "You want to head back to the motel?"
Alex: "I wouldn''t advise it. Weiss doesn''t seem concerned, but he''s not sane. I wouldn''t put it past him to fuck around with you guys, and wherever you''re staying is probably known by every cultist in town."
Emma: "Alex..."
Alex: "Yeah?"
There''s another very long, heavy, pregnant pause.
Emma: "Did... did Bartosz and Anders..."
Another pause.
Alex: "I''ll be honest- I don''t know. I was heading toward the entrance of the church when I saw Father... when I saw him go down."
Alex swallows hard a few times, clenching and unclenching his fists stiffly.
Alex: "I couldn''t get out the doors without running straight into him. I heard someone shouting for you to run, and I turned and booked it out the back of the church. I''m... I''m lucky I''m alive."
Emma: "Ah..."
Blaine: "They''ll be fine."
Emma: "Blaine..."
Blaine: "There is no fucking way Anders is going down to a few flies. He''s fine."
No one says anything, but Emma casts a small glance toward Alex, who looks down for a moment.
Blaine: "Look, we just need to figure out what our next plan of action is, right? What do we need?"
Alex: "Rest, for starters- and then cover."
Emma: "I need to be able to read this journal."
Blaine: "You need rest, first. That game isn''t going to wait for you. We get one eruption, and then 24 hours until the next clue."
Alex: "Assuming Weiss continues to play by the rules."
Emma: "Don''t jinx it, dude."
Blaine: "All right. So... where do we go?"
Alex: "There''s... there''s one option. A place no one goes, not even the cult."
Emma: "Then that''s the place to go."
Blaine: "Where''s the ''but''?"
Emma: "What?"
Blaine: "It''s too perfect, and Alex is hesitating. So, where''s the ''but''?"
Alex: "It''s Grantham''s home."
The pause that follows this is even more pregnant than the previous.
Emma: "What?"
Alex: "I know, but I think Weiss has declared it off limits to the cult. A few times a year, he has someone go in to maintain the place, but absolutely no one goes out there. Ever. Father Perez and I did a stake out for a few months once, for Bartosz."
Blaine: "You can''t be serious."
Alex: "You have no idea how long we''ve been trying to catch these guys slipping up. It always felt like they were several steps ahead of us... now, I guess we know why."
Emma: "Whatever. We need to get going. The moon''s definitely dipping."
Blaine: "I don''t suppose you know where we are?"
Alex: "I know how I got here, which was directly south of the church. If we hit the lake, I''ll know where Grantham''s house is... and the lake is hard to miss. I can get us there."
Emma: "Are we going to be able to get around a whole lake in time to get any rest whatsoever?"
Alex: "Oh, no, absolutely not."
Blaine: "Then-?"
Alex: "We go across the lake."
Emma: "Of course. Fabulous."
Blaine swears, before lifting up the camera, mumbling about checking the battery and getting started immediately, and shutting it down.
--END TRANSMISSION--
File 044: Survivors
THIS FILE IS A TEXT COMMUNICATION WITHIN TOWN LIMITS WHILE BLAINE, EMMA, AND ALEX ARE HEADED TOWARD WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY JAKE GRANTHAM''S HOUSE.
--File 044: Survivors--
Jim Anders (3:45am): Jakub
Jim Anders (3:45am): Jesus Jakub, pick up your fucking phone
Jakub Bartosz (3:47am): Hold your horses it takes me ages to type on this thing
Jim Anders (3:47am): Thank Christ
Jim Anders (3:48am): Where are you?
Jakub Bartosz (3:50am): Got to my RV
Jakub Bartosz (3:52am): It''s trashed I can''t drive it
Jim Anders (3:53am): And the kids? Tell me you have them
Jakub Bartosz (3:57am): I do not
Jim Anders (3:57am): It took you four minutes to text that? Will you just call me, you old jackass
Jakub Bartosz (3:58am): Can''t I''m being followed
Jim Anders (3:58am): What? Did they find you? What''s going on?Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Jakub Bartosz (4:00am): Not sure. Something''s wrong
Jakub Bartosz (4:01am): They seem more pissed off than they were when Weiss was frying Perez
Jakub Bartosz (4:01am): Fuck
Jakub Bartosz (4:02am): I shouldn''t say something like that
Jim Anders (4:03am): I think he''d forgive you. Where are you? I''ll come to you
Jakub Bartosz (4:05am): No, find the kids. The game''s on a ticker and they gotta handle it on their own
Jim Anders (4:06am): Knowing Blaine, I won''t find them
Jakub Bartosz (4:07am): Is that kid going to be a problem? Weiss seemed really fucking interested in him
Jim Anders (4:07am): He''ll be fine.
Jakub Bartosz (4:08am): I read his file, Jim
Jim Anders (4:08am): He''ll be fine.
Jakub Bartosz (4:09am): If you say so. Remember, these fucks prey on trauma
Jim Anders (4:10am): I think we need to let the kids be separate from us for a minute
Jim Anders (4:10am): We need intel
Jakub Bartosz (4:11am): We need to steer clear of Weiss
Jakub Bartosz (4:11am): I don''t know why he let us go, but we aren''t worth shit compared to the kids, to him
Jim Anders (4:12am): Which is why we need information
Jim Anders (4:12am): Did you get through to them?
Jakub Bartosz (4:13am): No. None of my messages are going through, calls are dropped immediately
Jim Anders (4:14am): Fucking great
Jakub Bartosz (4:15am): I got these dumbasses thinking I have no idea they''re following me. I keep getting bits and pieces about some kind of ritual that needs completing
Jim Anders (4:16am): I just spotted a couple of those cops from the diner earlier today. I''m gonna trail them
Jakub Bartosz (4:17am): BE. FUCKING. CAREFUL.
Jim Anders (4:17am): Nah, I was planning on walking up to them and asking for a fucking cup of tea
Jakub Bartosz (4:17am): Smartass.
The texts end here, but indicate that the two men are, as of these text messages, still alive, and that they are likely unaware that Alex [REDACTED] has joined up with Emma [REDACTED] and Blaine [REDACTED].
File 045: The Lake
THE FOLLOWING TAKES PLACE SOME TIME AFTER THE PREVIOUS FILE INVOLVING ALEX, EMMA, AND BLAINE.
--File 045: The Lake--
The video begins somewhat abruptly, and in the middle of movement. At first, the camera is angled down toward the dark, dirt floor of the woods they''re traveling through, but as it rises up, there is a ring of light just ahead of the cameraman, which appears to be Blaine once again. The light is being brazenly used by Emma, who is pointing it downwards as she walks, studiously looking through, presumably, the "other" journal. Alex leads the way, with Emma between them; Blaine walks just behind her, and even as he is adjusting the camera, he reaches out quickly to steady Emma when she trips over foliage, distracted.
Blaine: "Wouldn''t it be better to wait until we stop moving to try to read that?"
Emma: "We have barely enough time as it is."
Alex: "Are there any major differences, yet?"
Emma: "I thought to move ahead to where we are now, but I noticed something straight away that made me go back."
Blaine: "What''s tha- gotcha. You need to pay attention, Em, you''re going to fall flat on your face."
Emma: "But I''ve got you. The big difference is the lack of possessions."
Alex looks back, his barely visible expression a bit startled.
Alex: "Possessions?"
Blaine: "You think that''s the weirdest thing going on?"
Alex: "Without context, yes."
Blaine: "For a few days now, Emma''s been getting possessed. It keeps saying the same thing, over and over, and it even writes it in her journal."
Alex: "What''s that?"
Emma glances back toward Blaine.
Blaine: "''Emma must not die''."
Alex nearly stumbles to a halt, looking so alarmed that the whites of his eyes shine in the glow off of Emma''s flashlight.
Alex: "So that''s why you two suddenly started listening to me! Were you ever going to mention that?"
Emma: "It hasn''t happened in a minute, so-"
Blaine: "Not actually true. It happened just before Alex showed up."
Emma comes to a total halt and stares at him.
Emma: "Were you ever going to mention that?"
Blaine: "Look, a lot''s going on. I just got told I kill you in countless versions of this reality, so you''ll have to forgive me for forgetting the latest warning not to let you die."
Alex: "Huh."
Emma: "Well, the point I was making earlier is that none of that''s in the journal... but there are other minor details, little things that are different from now and then."
Blaine: "Like?"
Emma: "For starters, you seem a lot more... different in this version."
Blaine: "Me?"
Emma: "Yeah. When I write about you in my journal in this world, it''s like... I dunno. I don''t seem to like you very much. You creep me out, in the rare moments that I talk about it. I don''t feel that at all, with you, in... er, the present."
Alex: "He doesn''t creep me out right now, either."
Blaine: "Fantastic."
Emma: "No, that''s a good point. Alex seems uncomfortable with Blaine, too. And here, in the confrontation with Weiss, because that happened then, as well- Alex doesn''t leave the group. I mean, obviously, because he''s got no journal to give me. When Father Perez is... um..."
Emma looks up apologetically at Alex, but he waves a hand, though his face remains turned away from them.
Alex: "It''s fine. I feel, oddly, as if I half-expected it to happen."
Blaine: "''Iterations'', huh?"
Emma: "Who knows how many times we''ve gone through this. We must be starting to remember things. But here- we''re in the forest, and we don''t go to Grantham''s. We make the decision to head back into town and to our motel."
Blaine: "Something has changed."
Alex: "But what?"
Emma: "There''s another problem, though."
Blaine: "There goes all my good feelings."
Emma: "I write about our decision to go into town, and then later, there''s a single page, and it''s splattered with blood. There''s two words written on it."
Emma looks up and pauses, and the other two do, as well. There is a noticeable amount of mist beginning to seep in around their legs, by this point.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Emma: "It says... It says ''Alex is dead''."
A chill so prevalent it can nearly be seen seems to travel through the group. They remain silent, and Alex looks down at the ground, before squaring his shoulders and gesturing forward.
Alex: "Maybe this is a sign. Maybe I won''t die."
Blaine: "You''re willing to test that?"
Alex: "I don''t have a choice. My life has been altered; people I loved are dead. I almost died. This will never leave me alone; if I could even leave the town, I have no doubt I''d either be brought back, or die trying. This is my destiny- if it''s to die, well... then I die."
Blaine: "What a load of shit."
Emma: "Blaine... come on."
Blaine: "Destiny- what kind of destiny is this? What kind of God allows this to happen?"
Alex''s voice is calm in the face of Blaine''s accusations, even as he continues to pick his way through the underbrush.
Alex: "Who''s to say He is? Who''s to say He isn''t doing something actively?"
Blaine: "Right. ''Everything is part of the plan''. Right."
Emma: "Who knows. I don''t have answers, and my phone''s starting to die."
As if on cue, Emma''s flashlight dims.
Alex: "I don''t think that''s your battery. Electronics work funny around here. Your phone might outright shut off and never turn back on until we leave."
Blaine: "My camera seems fine."
Alex glances at Blaine and his camera.
Alex: "I have a funny feeling that may be by design."
Emma: "Huh?"
Alex: "I... I don''t know. I can''t explain it. The camera is like an extension of him, to me. It feels right that he''s filming this. I don''t even question it."
Emma gives a small laugh, almost surprised.
Emma: "You know what? You''re right. I haven''t questioned it in a long time. Feels wrong for it to be off."
Blaine: "That doesn''t make me feel better."
Alex: "Hang on- we''re here."
Emma: "Oh, thank God, because my feet hurt like shit. I don''t see a house, though?"
Alex: "No, not at the house. We''re at the lake."
As Alex says this, they push through a wall of trees into a suddenly open space. Stretching out before them, ominously, is a massive lake, the water of which is eerily calm and black as a yawning void. Nothing moves, and thick clouds of mist that look like they could be cut with a knife drift lazily across the surface of the water. There is no sound in the air at all, but on the far, distant side of the lake, a couple lights twinkle out at them. When Alex speaks, he is whispering.
Alex: "That... is Grantham''s house. The lights are always on."
Emma: "Alex, this suddenly seems like a really, really bad idea."
Blaine: "You know what, I''m... kind of on Emma''s side."
Alex: "If we try to head back now, we''ll barely make it to town on time."
Emma: "Can we not... can''t we go around the lake?"
Alex: "We could, but that''s another almost two hours, easily. The lake''s bigger than you''d think, for the area."
Blaine: "Fuck. This seems like a really bad idea."
As Alex steps forward and begins scanning the edge of the lake for something, Emma begins furiously flipping through the journal. Her flashlight is definitely flickering low with light, however, and the light of the moon is no longer helpful. Blaine pauses to fiddle somewhat with the camera, and a light seems to suddenly burst into being from the device, unaffected whatsoever by whatever is causing issues for Emma''s phone. She glances up gratefully as he approaches, shining the light down on the pages.
As Alex continues walking along the bank of the lake, looking for something only he knows, Emma hurriedly continues her flipping. Brief glimpses of her writing- sometimes marred by the occasional dried spatter of browned blood- flash by, but she suddenly stops the moment a hastily sketched drawing flicks past. Ripping back to the page, it''s clear that it''s a picture of the lake.
Emma: "I knew it. I knew I saw some sketch about the lake."
Emma is clearly uneasy. Above the sketch are the words "GRANTHAM LAKE", making it undeniably their current position, and her alternate self even included the small lights sketched as small stars in the distance beyond the lake... but the lake itself seems more ominous than before. She had made a point of filling in the shape of the lake with a thick, heavy hand that nearly ripped through the page, seemingly intent on the inky blackness of the water''s surface.
Across the bottom of one page are also the words "BEWARE THE MIRROR".
Blaine: "That does not look good."
Emma: "No. I don''t think we should cross this lake, Blaine. I''m looking... yeah. I didn''t realize it before, but this is... this is just before Alex dies."
Blaine: "What? I thought you said we didn''t go to the lake."
Emma: "We didn''t... at this point. We did later. I''ve only skimmed, I don''t know what''s happening at this point, but my writing''s chaotic, and I- there''s these moments where all I put is ''Stay away from Blaine'' in blotchy writing all over the page. This one''s right before this moment. I don''t think you''re supposed to be with us, here."
Blaine: "Fuck me. This is starting to make me feel really fucking weird."
Emma: "I''m just trying to be open. I don''t think lying to you would make this any better."
Blaine: "...No. No, I guess not."
Alex: "Guys! I found it! I found the boat."
They look up, startled, and see that Alex is a long ways down, waving them over. Mist is curling thick about his legs and feet, but there''s a small lantern that is now lit sitting atop a rotting post on a very small, handmade dock. A boat bobs just in and out of view.
Emma: "Alex! Hey, get away from there!"
Blaine: "Dude, this was a mistake!"
Blaine''s hand drops as he begins running, hard, in the direction of Alex. The camera swings past in steady pumps, and the jostling makes it hard to make out any speaking.
There''s a sudden shriek, and a sound can be heard. After some research, the closest written description of the sound produced would be that of a lower register on a glass euphone, an instrument played via friction of the fingers dipped in water. It is incredibly, deeply eerie, and sounds shockingly loud, echoing through the open space around the lake. Blaine''s speed increases, but Emma''s screaming can just be heard even over the sound of the camera and the piercing, echoing notes.
Emma: "ALEX! GET BACK! Oh, my fucking God, IT''S GLASS!"
Nothing is visible, but the eerie, music-like sound continues to increase in volume, the lower pitch combined with a piercing higher, almost wailing pitch- again, still heavily similar to the sound of a glass and steel euphone. The sound of shattering glass is an undercurrent to the eerie, almost alien music.
Alex: "What the fuck is that?!"
Blaine: "Get BACK! Alex, get back now!"
The camera is still only showing Blaine''s movements, but there is a sudden jerk, and Blaine drops the camera, which still has the light on. It drops onto its side on the bank of the lake, and what is captured is seen crookedly.
A shape is moving against a backdrop of inky black sky and stars, black and jagged. The music is clearly coming from this, and it is moving off the surface of the lake. Every movement produces more alien notes and blasts, and the beam of light glitters off shards of what appears to be glass moving through the sky.
The shape suddenly thrashes, flailing itself, and with an increase suddenly in the bass tones of the eerie sounds it is emitting, it flies off screen. Emma''s screams echo across the lake, drowning out the shouts of Blaine and Alex; there is a cacophony of noise, of blasting notes and shattering glass and debris, and even the creaking of felled trees. The camera thumps into the air, seemingly from the force of whatever has struck the earth; the sound of feet crunching on dirt and gravel reach the mic, and the camera is scooped up off the ground.
There is more sprinting; the lens is pointed toward the shifting shape, but the camera is moving away from it, presumably back into the trees.
There is a swear and a sob- the person holding the camera is identified as Emma- and she trips, falls, and the camera suddenly cuts out.
--END TRANSMISSION--
File 046: Respite
THE FOLLOWING TRANSCRIPT CONTINUES TO TAKE PLACE IN THE FOREST, SOME TIME AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS TRANSCRIPT.
--File 046: Respite--
When the footage begins anew, there is only silence. For a moment, it hangs, the lens pointed toward the ground, until the light flicks on. It lifts, slowly, to show Blaine, sitting across from the holder of the camera. He is staring, wide-eyed and unseeing, at the ground in front of him. There is a smear of blood across his forehead, and the rest of him is covered in dirt, with significant rips in his clothing.
Emma: "Blaine? You okay?"
It''s a moment before he answers, and he looks up slowly at the person holding the camera, which is identified as Emma.
Blaine: "No. Not really. ...Are you?"
Emma: "...No. Not really. Physically, though? You have a cut on your head."
Blaine: "Oh."
Blaine doesn''t do anything to check the cut, seemingly uninterested or even unphased by the knowledge that he''s been wounded.
Blaine: "I know we''ve just... casually accepted a lot of the shit going on right now. I feel like we''re moving almost automatically, sometimes... and sometimes, I don''t know who I am. I feel like I''m playing things out, following steps laid out in front of me, and I fucking hate it. I have no control over anything, and I fucking hate. It."
Emma: "The presence of a glass monster really isn''t helping with that sense of being out of control, either."
Blaine: "Neither is the fact that I can see the stupid glow of that demonic bullshit video game behind you."
Emma: "That''s a given, at this point. Couldn''t lose it if I tried."
Blaine: "Probably shouldn''t rely on that. It''ll wind up biting us in the ass at some point."
Emma: "I''m glad you''re not hurt."
Blaine looks up at her.
Blaine: "Are you? All evidence points to the inevitability of our shit situation, Em. I''m going to kill you. Apparently, it''s going to be brutal."
Emma: "We have to have faith and hope in something, Blaine. I want to believe that you won''t."
Blaine: "That''s because you''re looking at me while I''m sane and lucid. Maybe I should leave this place. Maybe I should just go straight back to the lake and let that thing fucking kill me, so I don''t kill you."
Emma: "I don''t think that''s going to solve anything."You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
There''s the sound of shuffling just behind them, and both Blaine and Emma startle slightly, but then relax a moment later at the sound of a familiar voice.
Alex: "Everyone has a purpose, Blaine. You''ll find yours."
Blaine: "Your faith is exhausting sometimes, dude."
Alex: "Like Emma said. We all have to find faith in something. I find it in religion. If you can''t do that- and I''m not trying to convert you, or anything- then you have to find somewhere to put your faith. Maybe you should put it in Emma."
Emma: "You okay, Alex?"
Alex: "Got a good gash on my leg, but it''s fine. Managed to find my backpack- dropped it in the chaos. I had some bandages in there, so I''m all patched up. I can clean you both up, if you''ve got anything. Otherwise, I''m... dealing. Somehow."
Blaine: "Faith is a joke. Hope is a joke. We''ve failed this an unknown number of times, and we''re just supposed to... what, keep trying? Keep hoping for a better run?"
Alex: "Yeah, basically. Keep still, I''m going to get that cut."
Blaine: "How the fuck do you keep going like that? It sounds exhausting. What proof is there?"
Alex: "Sometimes, there isn''t proof, dude."
Emma: "Except, this time, there is. Proof that there''s hope, I mean."
Both of the young men look at Emma in tired confusion.
Blaine: "What proof?"
Emma: "Alex isn''t dead."
Alex: "Not last I checked, no."
Emma: "Things are changing."
Emma shifts the camera somewhat, the sound of pages ruffling off-screen. A moment later, she displays the little journal for them to see, before turning it to the camera.
Emma: "It said right there: ''Alex is dead.'' But he''s not. Not here- and we were at the lake."
Alex: "I have a lot of faith and hope, Emma, but it''s too early to be counting that as a win. We could get driven back to the lake, or find ourselves having to get into that house. I''m not out of the woods yet, so to, uh... speak."
Blaine: "For once, I''m on the same page as him. We don''t know if this is the same event as that one. We never decided to go to the lake in that version of reality, or that ''iteration''. We only decided that now."
Emma: "Change is hope. Change is change. Things aren''t identical. If events can change, if we make different choices... then we can make different choices."
Emma''s intended message seems to hit home with both Blaine and Alex, because they fall silent, but seem less haunted.
Alex: "Do we have any idea what the hell that thing was?"
Emma: "I think the journal''s got something on it, but honestly, we need to get out of this forest. Sunrise isn''t too far off now, and after that..."
Blaine: "Right. Show time."
Alex: "I''m not even 100% sure where we are, anymore. The woods aren''t that big, but it can get really easy to get turned around in here."
Blaine: "You got a compass in that backpack of yours?"
Alex: "Yeah."
Emma: "Then we''ll pick a direction and start walking, and we''ll hope we don''t run into any more of... that thing."
Alex: "Deal."
Emma: "You know what?"
Blaine: "What?"
Emma: "If heading back to the motel means getting caught, I''m so seriously willing to risk it for like one hot bath."
Alex: "I would actually kill someone for a hot shower."
Blaine: "I''m starving. You losers can have the bath and shower, I want a fucking steak."
The three of them snicker and chuckle tiredly at this, but it''s about all they can muster.
Emma: "All right. I''m going to preserve batteries. You''re down to one on this pack, Blaine."
Blaine: "It''s all right. My bag is stuffed to bursting with extras."
Alex: "I can''t believe how normal that seems to me, that you''re just lugging around an entire camera store''s worth of charged supplies in there."
Emma: "After seeing whatever the hell that thing was, nothing phases me anymore. Come on. Let''s go. I''ll grab the stupid game."
The camera shuts off as they begin to stand up.
File 047: The Maggot Man
THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS GRUESOME DEPICTIONS OF UNREALITY.
--File 047: The Maggot Man--
When next the footage begins again, it is much brighter, and there is hard, labored breathing. Blaine once more has the camera; Alex is leading the way, with Emma in between them. In the brighter lighting, they look absolutely filthy, ragged, and exhausted, and they are breaking through a line of trees... straight into town. Blaine''s voice is ragged and raw; all of their voices are.
Clearly, it has been hours of trekking through the woods, getting lost, and finding their way back into town.
Blaine: "What time is it?!"
Alex: "9:53!"
Emma: "We''re not going to make it back to the motel! I don''t even know where we are!"
Blaine: "Fuck. Pick a building, drop the game in the parking lot, get inside!"
Alex: "Go- there''s the diner down the street! Get inside, Emma, now!"
They stop talking, stumbling across the solid pavement before breaking into hard sprints down the street. A car slams on its breaks as they dash in front of it, honking, but they ignore it, sprinting past. Emma has the game in her hands, and the screen in blinking as the time continues to ruthlessly count down.
The time it takes to reach the diner stretches on for almost too long; Emma manages to drop the game on the sidewalk without stopping, before the three of them barrel in through a swinging glass door, nearly collapsing on the floor. All sound in the diner halts on their shocking arrival, but the trio immediately scramble back up, with Blaine handing the camera to Alex and moving to drag furniture in front of the entrance. In a brief flash of the camera, the waitress at the front welcoming diners in is, again, Diane.
Waitress (Diane): "Excuse me, what the hell do you think you''re doing?"
Emma: "9:55! It''s 9:55!"
Diane: "What in the flying hell-"
Diane immediately stops talking as the lights in the diner flicker. A deathly silence falls on nearly everyone in the building, but for a few faces that suddenly stretch into the now-familiar, no-less-unwelcome smiles. A shadow passes over the sun outside, and the diner becomes unnaturally dark; Blaine pauses only for a moment to look around, before spinning back into action, running to a counter, grabbing hold of a stool, and dragging it over to the swinging door. The only problem with his plan is that it swings both ways, but considering their exhaustion and terror, we can assume he is not thinking straight.
The sound of a small, hard object plinking against glass reaches their ears in the silence, and Blaine freezes, looking up at the window that wraps around the front of the diner, making up the facade of the entrance they''re gathered in.
The lights flicker again, and the faint sound of solitary buzzing can be heard in the vicinity, before it is electrocuted on some lightbulb; Alex turns in time to catch one of the overhead fluorescent lights fizzling out.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
Blaine: "They''re in the building."
Emma: "Fuck."
There is the sound of more plinking as more small objects smash against the glass. The bodies of flies are beginning to gather across the surface of the window.
Alex: "Everyone, get down, now! Get under a table! Cover your heads, your eyes, your ears, your noses!"
Diane: "What have you done?!"
Blaine: "Move!"
Blaine''s command seems to send the locals scattering. Those still wearing the horrifyingly eerie grins don''t move, though their faces turn with unnatural smoothness to track Emma as she turns to run toward the counter. Blaine stops her, however, grabbing her by the arm and pointing.
Blaine: "Stop! You can''t go too far!"
The game has seemingly dragged itself across the sidewalk to keep within a specific pace of her, and it''s pushed up against the glass door, the screen flickering sporadically through the pane.
More flies are beginning to smash against the windows; people are screaming as they dive under tables, and Blaine grabs Emma, dragging her to the floor in the entrance. Alex has doubled back, and the three of them huddle together, Alex and Blaine trying to shield Emma while the camera, pointed upright, continues to film.
A crack spiders across the glass as the weight of the flies continues to press against it. An outline is forming around the game console through the door. An increasing sound of buzzing reaches their ears, and swearing, Blaine rips off his jacket and throws it over their heads, momentarily obscuring the camera until Alex manages to fix it.
Flies begin pelting the jacket, and the screams of fear turn to unbridled terror and panic in the diner. Flies have broken in through the vents, it appears, and are dive bombing people. The camera remains pointed toward the front window and door, but the bodies of flies are beginning to squish through the cracks in the doors.
Then the maggots begin dropping.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of maggots start dropping out of the ventilation system onto the floor of the building; huge, massive, and vile, they thrash violently and begin an unholy wriggle toward, presumably, the people clinging to hope beneath the tables. The screams of fear are mixed in with sudden coughing fits and choking.
And then, it quite suddenly... stops.
Everything ceases, apart from the maggots already in the diner. When they realize that the flies have quit their barrage, Blaine throws the jacket back and pulls Emma to her feet, smashing the maggots already trying to climb up her legs. Alex, too, begins clearing a violent path around them; most of the maggots in their vicinity are making a beeline for Emma.
That''s when Alex realizes that it''s not done.
Alex: "Blaine!"
His shout causes the other two to turn and see what the camera now sees.
The door to the diner is opening outward, and the game is resting in the space just beyond the door, face up, the screen still flickering violently.
No one moves. People are still screaming, coughing, choking, and vomiting behind them, but they have eyes only for whatever horror is now standing before them.
A sudden cloud of flies explodes out of the screen, but what at first seems like a tornado of chaos suddenly begins turning into a shape- the shape of a man.
Emma: "Oh, fuck."
The flies are coalescing into a dark shape, a form, the colors of their oversized bodies shifting to imitate something like differentiating between the color of skin and clothes. The shape of a face appears in the swarm, the idea of eyes in the face.
Alex: "You''ve got to be fucking kidding me."
Blaine: "Tell me that''s not who I think it is."
Emma: "Grantham. It''s Jake Grantham."
The flies have collected into the recognizable form of a man, and while the features aren''t exactly detailed enough to make out any sort of identifiable face, it is obvious that it can only be one person.
Jake Grantham, the serial killer known as the "Maggot Man".
Worse is that the being begins talking. Somehow, the collective buzzing of the millions of flies making up his form uses the rise and fall of the nonstop humming and buzzing to formulate real, actual words.
Maggot Man: "EmMa, My DeAr. YoU hAvE bRoUgHt Me HoMe."
File 048: Redux, Revolt, Remobilize
FOR THE SAKE OF BREVITY, THE PREVIOUS FILE ENDED AT THE POINT AT WHICH IT DID. DEEP STUDY INTO THE FOLLOWING EVENTS REQUIRES CAREFUL ATTENTION TO BE PAID TO THE DETAILS. THE EVENTS AT THE TOWN OF [REDACTED] ARE THE PRECURSER TO THE CHAIN REACTION OF EVENTS THAT SPIRALED, SIMULTANEOUSLY, AROUND THE COUNTRY.
--File 048: Redux, Revolt, Remobilize--
Jake Grantham has been reborn as a living, walking horde of flies. Alex and Blaine are still leaning over Emma, and all three of them are clearly too stunned to react, until the horrific shape begins to lurch forward, the flies clumsily moving together as a single hive mind unit.
Emma: "Get up, get up, get up!"
Blaine: "What in the flying fuck are you?!"
Alex: "Come on, Emma, I got you- get up- there-"
The camera swings violently as Alex assists Emma in standing. Careful analysis of the footage shows that the Maggot Man is still stepping steadily toward them. The trio manage to get up and are scrambling back; there are still screams echoing through the diner behind them. Alex swings the camera around and catches an alarming reality: the eerie, smiling townsfolk have stood up and are walking, unscathed, through the madness within the diner, coming to create a blockade behind the trio.
Alex: "HEY! Hey, back the hell up!"
Blaine: "We''re surrounded. Of fucking course we are."
Alex: "Keep Emma in the middle!"
Maggot Man: "I aM sUrPrIsEd YoU aRe StIlL aLiVe, BoY. YoU dO nOt EvEr SuRvIvE tO sEe ThIs."
Emma: "Iterations..."
Maggot Man: "WiThOuT yOu My DeAr, NoNe Of ThIs WoUlD bE pOsSiBlE. AlL tHe PiEcEs FaLl InTo PlAcE."
The rise and fall of the Maggot Man''s words are somewhat slurred and slow, as if still working out how to do what it''s trying to do; the steps lurch, and the being isn''t quite stable. With every step and every word, however, it seems that the creature stabilizes.
Blaine: "What do you want? I thought Weiss didn''t want her killed!"
Maggot Man: "NoT- noT- NOt-"
There is a shudder in the form, and a visual affect like the whole shape tightens together. The being shake out its arms, scattering a few overly large maggots on the floor, which all hurriedly begin to return to the shape.
Maggot Man: "There. That is better."
The buzzing has become more like a voice... though only by imitation. There is nothing human about it. Understandable though it may be, it is still inhuman. When Emma speaks, her voice is shrill; both Blaine and Alex are sticking close to her. Blaine is looking sharply between the Maggot Man and the surrounding wall of almost lackadaisical cultists.
Emma: "The hell do you want with me?"
Maggot Man: "Right now, nothing. This is much faster than last time... each iteration, we grow stronger, and it is all thanks to you."
Emma: "I''m not doing anything!"
Maggot Man: "Not you. Him."
The horrific shape of the man indicates, visibly, toward Blaine, who freezes, hand on Emma''s shoulder. None of them say anything, but the pounding of their hearts is nearly audible. Around them, the screaming continues, though there is not very much that can be done, pinned as they are between a walking, talking dead man, manifested through a hive mind of genetically altered flies and maggots... and a bunch of psychotic cultists with too-wide grins threatening to split their heads in half.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Understandably, Blaine''s voice shakes as he responds.
Blaine: "I''m not doing anything."
Maggot Man: "With each iteration, you do a better and better job. It is fascinating to remember the pieces we do, and see you grow."
Blaine: "I have no idea what the fuck you''re talking about."
Maggot Man: "No, no, of course not."
There is amusement portrayed through the buzzing of the flies, as if the Maggot Man doesn''t believe Blaine. Alex turns the camera toward him, and Blaine has an expression somewhere in between outrage, despair, and fear.
Blaine: "I''m not going to kill her."
Maggot Man: "Of course you will. You always do."
Emma: "He''s not going to kill me!"
Maggot Man: "You get better every single time, my boy. Every single time... but she never trusts you. Even now, she will not trust you, because of who you are and what you''ve done."
Blaine: "That is not true!"
Maggot Man: "You know you''re not like them. You run with them all over this town, but admit it: you feel at home. You feel like you belong, like you''re supposed to be here. The itch in your hands disappeared when you crossed these borders."
Blaine: "I- that''s not true!"
Maggot Man: "We know you, Blaine. You''re like us. You know suffering. She doesn''t; the boy can''t remember it. Pity he''s alive, but perhaps it''s a sign of greater strength. Two murders on your hands before being inducted will be a sight to behold."
Blaine is enraged at the flippancy of Jake Grantham''s ghost.
Blaine: "I''m not going to fucking kill anyone!"
Maggot Man: "Like you didn''t kill your old man. Like you didn''t kill your mother."
Emma: "He wouldn''t do that!"
Maggot Man: "Oh? And why wouldn''t he? She never stood up for him- isn''t that right, Blaine?"
Blaine doesn''t answer, but there''s rage flickering in his face. The cultists are watching him almost warmly.
Emma: "Blaine... you didn''t kill your mother, right?"
Maggot Man: "See? I told you. They turn on you every single time. It takes one little suggestion, and she''s already uncertain. They don''t understand you, Blaine. They never will."
Blaine: "Shut. The fuck. Up."
Maggot Man: "What, you think you can become a hero? Take what happened to you and work toward saving others in your shit stain of a life? Think you can stop others from having to reach the point you reached?"
Blaine: "The hell do you know?!"
Maggot Man: "You''ll see. There''s still so much for you to uncover... and then it''ll start to become clear to you, Blaine. You''re not like them. You''re like us. Weiss and I- you''re a kindred spirit. You''re meant to be with us, a family, people who actually understand what a delight it is to kill the people who have hurt you for so, so long."
Alex: "Blaine..."
Blaine: "I didn''t kill anyone! I mean- I killed my step-dad, but that was it, and it was self-defense!"
Maggot Man: "You''re sounding defensive, Blaine. The walls are crumbling; the truth will be revealed. You''ve fooled so many. Even Anders thinks you''re a Saint. I''m truly in awe of your growth with each iteration, boy. They will be so pleased."
Emma: "Who is ''they''?"
Maggot Man: "You will see. The Many Mouthed; the Always Hungry; the World Eaters. You saw but a glimpse outside my home."
Alex: "The game. You''re spying on us."
Maggot Man: "You have had me with you all this time. All of you."
Blaine: "If you''re not going to kill us, then get out of our fucking way."
The man of flies bends over mockingly, as if bowing.
Maggot Man: "But of course. Let all return to the way it is meant to be. You will find your rooms at the motel completely clear. Go- take your time. Relax. We are in no rush for you, Blaine."
There is a sudden burst before any of them can say anything; the flies and maggots all suddenly burst outward, the latter dropping to the floor with sickeningly loud thuds, before beginning to scuttle away at alarmingly fast speeds. The cultists all imitate the mocking bows, before moving past them and stepping out into the bright sunshine, which appears to shine as if no cloud ever passed between it and the Earth below.
There is a beat of silence; all the screaming has ceased behind them. Alex moves the camera, but blanches; there''s a brief moment where some of the carnage in the diner is visible. It is unclear if there were any survivors, but the maggots are feasting, burrowing, digging, bursting.
Alex: "Blaine."
Blaine: "I didn''t do it!"
Alex: "Shut up. We need to get out of here, now."
Alex''s tone seems to indicate the reality of their surroundings, and Blaine starts in the camera. Emma is staring out the door, standing quite still; before she can turn and see whatever Alex saw in full, both Blaine and Alex move to hook both her arms. Alex struggles with the camera for a moment before swearing and clicking it off.
--END TRANSMISSION--
File 049: Reflections
THE FOLLOWING FILE IS RECORDED HOURS AFTER THE EVENTS OF THE PREVIOUS FILE.
--File 049: Reflections--
When the camera begins filming, it is immediately obvious that it is much later in the day. The room the cameraperson is currently in is lit only by the setting sun outside, and the streetlights. They say nothing as the scan the room with the camera, revealing more about the scene of their refuge.
The trio is currently holed up in the motel room. The blinds are drawn, but when the cameraperson walks over to quirk one of the blinds open, there is no one in the parking lot. Not a single car can be seen; the lights in the main office are on, but no employees within can be seen. Seemingly, there is no one there, and yet...
The longer the cameraperson stares out the window, the more it seems that this is an illusory lie. As the camera shifts slightly, a figure seemingly... phases... into existence in the parking lot. Even at a distance, their face is contorted by a freakishly large smile operating almost like a hinge. The camera falters slightly, but as it continues to move, the person phases out of existence; a few more phase in and out. Clearly, reality is not what it seems.
The blind quirks shut again, though the filmer''s breathing is harder. They turn, and it becomes clear, now, that the person filming is Blaine.
Emma is curled up in the fetal position on the only bed, wrapped in blankets, her head half-hidden under a pillow. The faint shapes of her journals are on the bed near her, lying open and facedown. Alex is curled up in a similar position on the floor, in front of the door, deep in the darkness of the room and away from the apparently omnipresent eyes out in the parking lot.
Blaine turns and heads toward the bathroom, walking so quietly that his footsteps are nearly silent. He steps in, closes the bathroom into sheer darkness, and then flicks on the cheap, overhead fluorescents. He is facing the mirror.
He looks exhausted, despite what must be about 8 hours of sleeping. Deep shadows sit under his eyes, and his hair is matted. There is an expression of despair hidden in his eyes, and the camera is shaking as he stares at his reflection. He looks like he wants to say something, but just swallows, putting a hand on the sink and bowing his head, lowering the camera as he does so. This presents a unique perspective in which both his actions and the mirror are filmed, which is important, because there is one, major problem: the head in the reflection doesn''t bow. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Blaine''s eyes are squeezed shut, head bowed, but his reflection is staring straight at him. The eyes in the reflection are filling in with black, but the expression is flickering between rage and despair.
For several seconds, Blaine doesn''t move, but he heaves a heavy sigh, lifts his head, and realizes that his reflection is no longer him. He freezes, staring at it, before slowly lifting the camera so film it, his hands shaking enough that the stabilizer isn''t able to perfectly catch the motions.
Reflection: "Emma must not die."
The words are said as if speaking through a tunnel. It stares at Blaine, unflinching.
Blaine: "Who... the fuck are you?"
Blaine''s voice is as quiet as he can make it, but it''s shaking. The reflection smiles, and black liquid oozes from its mouth, shards of glass embedded in the ooze.
Reflection: "I am you."
Blaine: "Fuck off. Are you the one possessing Emma?"
Reflection: "Yes."
Blaine: "Who the fuck are you?!"
The reflection shakes its head, and raises a hand so that it presses up against the glass of the mirror. Horrifyingly, the glass bulges outward, toward Blaine.
Reflection: "I. Am. You."
Blaine: "What, from... from other... iterations?"
Reflection: "There you go."
Blaine: "Fuck... off. No. That''s not-"
Reflection: "Shut the hell up. Emma must not die."
Blaine: "How the fuck am I supposed to pull that off if I kill her every single time?! What''s the point?"
Reflection: "You''re not me. I made sure of it."
This causes Blaine to pause, presumably staring at the reflection in confusion and mistrust. His body is angling away from the glass, indicating as much.
Blaine: "What are you talking about?"
Reflection: "I am you. I am the survivor. I am the arbiter. I am the one who brings the end. I am the one who killed them both."
Blaine stiffens, going stock still. The camera stops shaking. Something about what the reflection said has resonated with him, but he says nothing in return.
Reflection: "Emma must not die, Blaine."
The reflection smiles again, and the glass continues to bulge outward. The smile is spreading wide across his face, too wide, and suddenly, the reflection of Blaine gasps, snapping back; he snarls, then roars, and several things happen at once.
Blaine- the one in reality- shouts and flails, falling backward into the bathtub behind him. The glass of the mirror shatters into millions of pieces, and the fluorescents overhead all shatter, as well, sparks falling down into sudden blackness.
There''s immediately shouting in the room beyond the bathroom.
Emma: "Blaine?! Blaine! Blaine, where are you?!"
Alex: "The fuck was that?!"
Blaine doesn''t answer, but there''s pounding on the bathroom door, and some light flickers in under the door into the room. After several too-long seconds of this, Blaine finally swears and shuts the camera off.
--END TRANSMISSION--