[Video log]

Subject: SCP-5999

Threat level: Notice

Objective class: Null

LOCALE: Cresh Glen, Kansas: Population ~3125

NOTE: Five members of Mobile Task Force Epsilon 5 ("Pentacle") were deployed
into the town of Cresh Glen following its subsumption by a thick fog and the
seeming disappearance of all its inhabitants. The following is a record of the
phenomena occurring within the town, as recorded by Joy Bates' (E-5 Echo)
sousveillance camera.

[BEGIN LOG]

Camera activates. E5 Echo is seated in the backseat of the Task Force's

humvee. Pentacle members perform a perfunctory mike check as they pull up to
the perimeter of the town. After two minutes of idle chatter, it is decided that
they should proceed via vehicle. The chains in the road break easily beneath the
humvee's wheels. E-5 Echo watches out the window as the surrounding forest
gives way to a thick blanket of mist. Visibility drastically reduces, and E-5 Bravo
slows the vehicle to a crawl. After creeping for several meters through the fog,
it is decided that exploration should occur on foot. E-5 Bravo pulls to the side of
the road.

All passengers disembark. E-5 Bravo kills the engine and follows suit.

Very little can be discerned as E-5 Echo looks around. A black sedan lay just
north of their position — it is laying on its side perpendicular to the road, and
the roof has been torn free. To the right sits an ivy-coated brick building behind
a rusted chain-link fence. Nothing can be seen beyond the sidewalk across the
street from their position.

The unit draws their firearms and form a defensive position beside the humvee,
while E-5 Charlie employs imaging hardware. E-5 Bravo teases E-5 Delta after
the latter complains of the silence within the once-bustling town of their birth;
E-5 Alpha admonishes the siblings and calls for professionalism. The pair
acquiesce.

Both thermal-imaging hardware and a modified S.P.A.D visual asset are

incapable of penetrating the fog beyond what can already be seen with the
naked eye. E-5 Alpha announces the decision to continue without visual aid due
to the efficacy of natural sight and the needless burden of excess hardware.

E-5 Echo is called upon to investigate the wrecked vehicle. Her hand crosses the
camera feed as she whispers a prayer — she sets off. The car can be heard to
still be running as she approaches. Beneath the sound of the engine, an
indiscernible country song is heard playing on the radio.

Besides missing its roof, there is extensive damage to the driver's side rear,
which is missing its door. There is a large amount of blood on both the
dashboard and the now-deflated passenger-side airbag. As she closes in, the
music becomes clearer – it's a Johnny Cash tune. The singing and guitar cease,
and there is a bit of static as the musician quotes a bible verse before the radio
falls silent.

Close inspection reveals that all seatbelts besides the tattered front passenger's
remain strapped in and locked, including the four-point harness on the child's
car seat situated behind the driver's chair. E-5 Echo turns to relay her findings
to the rest of the team.

E-5 Charlie is absent.

E-5 Echo makes an exclamation regarding his disappearance, causing alarm

amongst the others. It is not noted by E-5 Echo, but on the lower-left of the
feed, there can be seen a quasi-humanoid figure crouching beneath the
humvee. It skitters swiftly and silently backward and out-of-sight on five
forelimbs.

E-5 Alpha calls for order. He rallies the team and takes point as the group travel
down the street and into town. The four move in-step, with E-5 Echo guarding
the rear, down the side of the road. The team is guided by E5-Delta to cut
through an alleyway.

A low, bellowing sound trumpets from on-high.

The team emerges on the next street and pass several buildings. There is a
barbershop whose window is shattered – it is dark inside, save for the flickering
of a single light near the back of the parlor that reveals signs of struggle. Next
to this, a destroyed building smokes with the last embers of a raging fire.

E-5 Delta and E-5 Bravo reminisce over the loss of this structure, which was
purportedly their favorite pizzeria growing up. E-5 Echo speaks over their
conversation, questioning aloud the lack of bodies. E-5 Bravo shoots back with a
sarcastic response before the trio is silenced by Alpha, who hears something.

A quiet bleating can be heard somewhere in the distance. As the group

progresses, a squat figure can be seen enshrouded in the mist across the street.
E-5 Alpha advances with his weapon at the ready.

They come upon a lamb, laying in the grass in the front yard of a two-story
home. The number "5" is painted on its fleece in blue paint. The animal bleats
and cries and is clearly distressed by their presence. It shakily stands as if to
flee, but quickly collapses. Dried blood spots the ground about the area it lays
in.

E-5 Delta approaches the animal to tend to it and is mocked with feigned
annoyance by her brother. She discovers that the lamb has had something
small and metallic lodged into each of its hind hooves, causing it a great deal of
pain and prohibiting escape.

E-5 Echo pans about their surroundings with her rifle at the ready while E-5
Delta kneels next to the creature, petting and comforting it. The fog holds
naught beyond an abandoned pickup truck. She asks if it might be best to
euthanize the lamb – at this, in the camera's peripheral, it can be seen to be
convulsing violently from the neck up. E-5 Delta is looking up at her squad
leader as this occurs and is thus not immediately aware of the sudden threat to
her person.

E-5 Echo turns with a start as E-5 Bravo shouts to his sister, who sees the
beast's behavior and recoils. She falls, scooting backward across the lawn. E-5
Alpha has his weapon trained on the animal and fires. E-5 Echo raises her
weapon, but does not have a clear shot over the retreating E-5 Delta.

Despite suffering extensive damage to its midsection and spilling its guts over
the soft earth, the animal remains upright and continues to convulse and bleat
and scream. Its screams quickly take on a human sound, which then devolves
into the vocalizations made by bodies in the Albright Manor's crematorium. E-5
Bravo reaches down to help his twin to her feet. She screams.
E-5 Bravo catches his sister as she falls back – her feet seem locked in position.
E-5 Echo lowers her weapon and rushes to E-5 Delta's side. Looking down, a
pair of thick, metal implements have risen through the soil, piercing both E-5
Delta's feet. Each of the foreign objects has a thick, round head that would not
allow them to pull her up off them. E-5 Echo hurriedly explains this as she grips
around the head of one of the objects, and attempts to pry it upwards and out
of her teammate.

E-5 Alpha continues to deliver concentrated fire into the entity as its screams
grow in volume. Mirrored cries can be heard in the distance from multiple
sources. E-5 Bravo, cradling his sister, cries out an expletive. He draws his
sidearm with a free hand and flails it about shakily at unseen foes. E-5 Alpha
reloads his weapon.

E-5 Echo looks up from her task. The entity is now an unrecognizable, bloodied
husk. It rears up. Leathery wings unfurl from behind the creature. It beats its
wings and begins to rise. As it does so, it can be seen that its hind legs are dug
into the earth. E-5 Echo shouts out reassuringly as she doubles her efforts to
free her teammate.

The metallic implements pull downward, severing the tip of E-5 Echo's right
index finger. The ground gives way as E-5 Delta is pulled ankle-deep into the
earth. E-5 Bravo drops his weapon and seizes his sister under the arms as she
is dragged knee-deep into the ground. E-5 Echo tries to assist in pulling her
free. As they struggle, the entity can be seen beating its wings furiously – it has
raised itself a half-meter above ground. It's straining and pulling its grossly
elongated hind legs which remain embedded in the soil. E-5 Delta is pulled
waist-deep.

Bleating can be heard all around the team. E-5 Alpha orders the pair to
abandon E- 5 Delt a, and requests covering fire. Short, concentrated bursts are
fired by the squad leader into multiple areas at shadowy figures in the fog. E-5
Delta cries and screams for help as she is pulled up to her chest, causing the
pair to lose their grip around her torso. E-5 Echo draws her sidearm, aims it at
E-5 Delta, and shouts her intention to decommission and spare the agent. E-5
Bravo, who is now locked hand-in-hand with his sister, pulling with all his might,
threatens E-5 Echo with her life if she pulls the trigger.

Several lambs become visible from within the fog. Each slowly limps towards
the group. E-5 Alpha again orders his subordinates to retreat as he defends
them against the approaching threat.
E-5 Delta is pulled steadily deeper. Her head and arms remain just above the
ground. E-5 Echo requests permission to fire from E-5 Alpha – E-5 Bravo roars
in defiance. There is a soft rumble as E-5 Delta is rapidly dragged underground.
Losing his grip, E-5 Bravo is pulled forward and falls face-first. As he screams
and begins to dig at the ground, E-5 Echo turns to see the entity rise higher and
higher up off the ground, pulling its hind legs out of the earth.

Its hooves, much like the beast's hind legs, are seen to be elongated. They
glisten with a metallic sheen. As it rises, human feet can be seen being brought
up, speared to the hooves. The nude form of E-5 Delta is slowly unearthed. Her
body is limp. E-5 Bravo shouts a string of obscenities, retrieves his rifle, and
opens fire. The beast shudders as it takes more damage. It flies unsteadily,
carrying E-5 Delta's body up and over the team. Its upper body becomes
enshrouded in the mist – all that can be seen is E-5 Delta's corpse, swaying as
the beast carries it.

It bleats, rocking its hooves backward before rapidly bringing them forward. It
slams E-5 Delta's body into a nearby telephone pole, where she is pinned by the
feet. What remains of the entity, and the lambs now surrounding the team,
dissipate into fog as the trumpets bellow again.

E-5 Alpha radios Command to deliver a sitrep and is given orders to continue
their descent into town. E-5 Echo is preoccupied with bandaging her finger.
Against protest from E-5 Alpha, E-5 Bravo attempts to ascend the telephone
pole to dislodge his sister's corpse. He fails in scaling the structure and after two
more attempts heeds E-5 Alpha's orders. The trio depart.

They carefully trek through the neighborhood for the next twenty minutes,
guided by E-5 Bravo's direction. The final chaotic moments of the town become
more apparent as they walk onwards: multiple vehicular accidents dot the roads
and lawns of the suburbs. Home and auto alarms ring out in the distance. Fog
mixes with smoke from structure fires.

Weeping is heard intermittently. No source is found.

It is as the remaining members of Pentacle pass a wrought-iron fence, that E-5

Alpha reports the stench of decay. E-5 Bravo expresses concern. Though it
cannot be seen from their position on the sidewalk beside the fence, E-5 Bravo
explains that they are passing by the town's elementary school. E-5 Alpha
swears. A human outline becomes visible ahead of the team, against the fence
under the shade of a tree.
It becomes clear as they approach, that there are several such figures straddled
to the fence under the shade of a weeping willow, whose branches extend over
the fence from the school grounds. Each figure is seen to be naked and
unmoving. The trio carefully keep their distance, leaving the sidewalk and
circling into the street around the figures. There are five in total. Their bodies
can be seen to be tied by the wrists to the fence and held upright.

Each is in various states of decay, and their backsides are torn and bloodied
with large gashes cutting across each corpse. The cause of death is speculated
by E-5 Echo to be from flagellation.

The corpse in the center is noted to be fresher than those on either side of it,
and the wounds on its back possess a different appearance than the others,
inciting inquiry by the team. E-5 Bravo walks toward it. He pulls out his
canteen, opens it, and pours water over the body. Enough blood is washed
away to reveal what remains of a tattoo on the body's upper back – it is the
insignia of E-5 Pentacle, identifying the corpse as the missing E-5 Charlie. The
lacerations can be seen to have been precisely struck in order to spell out a
single phrase: "This is where I died".

E-5 Alpha forbids further action with the corpse. E-5 Echo watches as E-5 Bravo
backs away from the bodies. As he turns to join his teammates, a thick, thorned
vine descends from the bough of the willow tree. It quickly ensnares E-5 Bravo
around his cranium, drawing blood. E-5 Bravo drops his canteen and attempts
to wrest himself free, but he is pulled sharply upward and out of sight.
Splintering bones can be heard over his screams. Both sounds are short-lived
before the trumpets bellow again. Blood and viscera spill from the treetop. E-5
Alpha grabs E-5 Echo by the shoulder and the pair retreat.

The agents run down the street in the direction they came from. Bleating and
screaming can be heard in response to this, though the agents encounter no
obstacles. Without the guidance of the twins, and due to environmental
stressors, the agents make a wrong turn after several minutes. They carry
along a side-street which leads towards the town center against their
knowledge.

At the edge of their perception, on all sides, faces can be seen briefly in the fog.
They coalesce for but a moment before losing all cohesion, appearing
elsewhere. Distant weeping can again be heard. Sobbing becomes laughter. The
faces in the mist leer unseen by the agents as they run.
Cruel and mocking laughter grows in intensity as the pair progress. Something
large stirs underneath, beginning to be free from its shackles. E-5 Alpha howls
with rage, brandishes his sidearm, and fires at nothing. E-5 Echo pauses. She
begs her squad leader to compose himself and soldier on. He's behaving
erratically and refuses to listen to reason. She threatens to leave him behind,
yet he does not comply.

She runs off on her own. E-5 Alpha's shouts and gunshots ring out for the next
few minutes over the bleating and the laughing and the weeping.

The trumpets bellow again. All is silent.

E-5 Echo continues, cutting through a cul-de-sac and several properties before
tripping over something embedded in the gound. She screams. Looking down, it
can be seen that she's injured her leg and is bleeding. After a moment, she
comes to a stand. Panning about, it becomes clear she has stumbled into a
cemetery. She curses thrice under her breath, immediately apologies, and says
a quick prayer.

She hobbles through the cemetery, occasionally using headstones for support.
Before her, the outline of a church becomes visible. She circles the building,
coming around to the front. The stairs are shakingly navigated, and she pushes
open the front door, collapsing once within.

There exists no fog within the structure. The entirety of its interior is able to be
envisaged. E-5 Echo looks about the church: everything is in perfect order, in
stark contrast to the chaos throughout the town proper. In taking in her
surroundings, E-5 Echo becomes fixated on the large cross behind the pulpit.
The figure nailed to it is moving. She stands and closes distance – it is E-5
Alpha.

His fatigues and equipment are absent. A tunic is wrapped about his midsection.
He coughs as E-5 Echo approaches. Blood and nails are expelled from his mouth
as he does so. As E-5 Echo reaches out towards her squad leader, his eyes
open. There is a blinding light coming from them. There is a noise of thunder.
The very foundation of the building shakes with this sound, and E-5 Echo
stumbles backward. She runs for the door as E-5 Alpha bleats behind her.

Now outside, E-5 Echo looks about in a panic. She descends the stairs, rushing
to get off the church's property. Rumbling can be heard behind her. Turning,
she can see that the nearest graves have collapsed, hands and fingers grip the
edges of the one closest to her. E-5 Echo continues as fast as her injury will
allow.

She nears the street in front of the house of worship and falls to her knees. She
tries to stand and finds she is unable. Heavy footsteps become audible; the
earth quakes with each step. She cries and begs forgiveness. She begins to
pray.

Her prayers are interrupted and she lets out a wet, gurgling sound. She looks
down revealing a long, bladed instrument embedded in her side. Her camera
feed begins to raise up, up. The ground is lost beneath the shroud of fog. There
exists no point of reference within the fog to discern how high the agent is
raised before she is turned about to face and behold a massive human figure.

It brings her up to meet its gaze, though its eyes are enshrouded in shadow. Its
bearded face is gaunt. The agent struggles as the entity brings her closer to its
face. The level of proximity reveals that the entirety of its countenance is
comprised of countless human bodies, squirming up against one another. The
FALSE BEAST opens its maw. From the depths of its being, a roiling thunder can
be heard.

The trumpets bellow again.

Exorcism Attempt #4

Date: 14 April 2004

Present:

Doctor Peter Macneil - Department of Demonology, Psychology Division

Agent Savannah Grace – Mobile Task Force Mu-13 ("Ghostbusters"), Purification

Specialist

Background: During the course of operation Four Monarchs, the details of which
are classified Level 4, Agent Grace was exposed to a demonic entity and
suffered possession. It has since been determined this accident was due to a
failure of the chains to hold what lies beneath. Agent was subsequently taken to
the Department of Demonology for exorcism, but initial attempts failed at
expulsion. Doctor Peter Macneil, a specialist in exorcism via demonic
psychology, was then authorized to meet with the possessed alone to attempt
exorcism via coercion or intimidation.

<recording commences>

Doctor Macneil: Hello, Agent Grace. You've been fairly quiet since the last
attempt. I know you can still hear me. Eyes up.

Agent Grace: Jim. Connor. Marcus. Jane. Jim. Connor. Marcus. Jane. Jim.
Connor. Marcus. Jane. Jim. Connor. Marcus. Jane.

Doctor Macneil: You are to surrender and vacate this vessel.

Agent Grace: Jim, Connor, Marcus, Jane. Jim, Connor, Marcus, Jane. Jim,
Connor, Marcus, Jane. Jim, Connor, Matthew, Jay. Fuck… fuck!

Doctor Macneil: You repeat those names in a feat of resistance, but you know
that it was your own actions that lead to their deaths. It was your fault. You
must give recompense. You must cease your struggle. Give in.

Agent Grace: -ONNERMARCUSJANEJIM CONNERMARCUSMARCUSJIMJANE

JIMJANERONNOCJIM

Doctor Macneil: You are a putrid, violent creature. You eke out your existence
on the suffering of those you deem lesser, yet look at yourself now.

Agent Grace: Co..nner, marc. Jane? No… oh God, please no.

Doctor Macneil: You are locked deep in this facility. You know you cannot
escape. You know that you will never achieve your goals, your desires, your
hopes. You will die here, alone and rotting.

Agent Grace: Die in the dark, live in the light. Die in the dark, live in the light.
Live in the dark, Die in the light. Live in the dark, die in the light.

Doctor Macneil: You are at my mercy. You will experience hell for all time
should I so choose. You will give in. You will let go.

Agent Grace: Dark, light, light, dark, light, dark, light, d— dark, light, light…
dark —

Doctor Macneil: You are still resisting. You will be punished for that. Will you not
rather flee to what refuge I deign to offer you?

Agent Grace: Nema… reeeeve…

Doctor Macneil: Save your whore breath. You will not be aided. You will not be
believed. You will be reviled. Spare yourself the pain.

Agent Grace: Nema reve dna reve rof yrolg eht dna ,rewop eht dna modgnik eht
si eniht rof live morf su reviled tub noitatpmet otni ton su dael dna su tsniaga
ssapsert ohw esoht evigrof ew sa sessapsert ruo su evigrof dna daerb yliad ruo
yad siht su evig nevaeh ni si ti sa htrae no enod eb lliw yht emoc modgnik yht
eman yht eb dewollah nevaeh ni tra ohw rehtaf ruo.

Doctor Macneil: You… is that really the Lord's prayer backward? Are you truly so
useless, so vile, so pathetic, and so utterly weak that you would resort to such a
petty trick as your final defiance? You will fail.

Agent Grace: Live morf su reviled tub noitatpmet otni ton su dael-

Doctor Macneil: If you are such a lover of the Lord your nature and actions so
disgrace, then perhaps you know this: Deuteronomy 4:4 "But all of You who
held fast to the…" — finish it for me, dear.

Agent Grace: Yht eman… yht eb dewollah.

Doctor Macneil: What you're doing won't help you, ignorant fool. "But all of You
who held fast to the…"

Agent Grace: NEVAEH NI TRA OHW REHTAF RUO!

Doctor Macneil: You will finish the verse. "But all of You who held fast to the" —

Agent Grace: NEMA REVE dna… reve… ro…

Doctor Macneil: You are slipping. "But all of You who held fast to the…"

Agent Grace: …"L— Lord Your God are still alive today."

Doctor Macneil: Good girl. "See, I have taught you decrees and laws as"…

Agent Grace: "…the LORD my God commanded me”—

Doctor Macneil: "—so that"-

Both: "You may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of
it."

<End Recording>
29-Nov-1988:
● Axl Rotemier (age 9) of Loyalton, CA experiences feeling of
numbness in his hands throughout the school day. He is permitted to
rest in the nurse's office for an hour and loses all sensation below
the wrist by noon. Axl is checked out of school at 12:33 by his
mother. While en route to the hospital, Axl's condition improves. The
pair travels home, with Axl's mother attributing the condition to the
previous night's extended play session.
● Tod Wilson (age 27) of Dallas, TX returns his copy of "Prodigy,
Priest, King" to the Babbage's where he purchased it. Mr. Wilson
asserted that once entering the main location, "Labyrinth", all audio
cuts off, with the silence being punctuated by a prolonged, low
rumble. A replacement copy was provided.
● Dee Hammond (age 12) of Durham, New Hampshire is spotted
standing by the side of the road in front of her home in the pouring
rain, fixated on the full moon. Her neighbor ushers her back towards
her house and alerts her parents.

30-Nov-1988:
● Ken Klein (age 18) of Colorado Springs, CO experiences an
uncharacteristic, severe depressive episode, and is only assuaged by
the embrace of his father.
● Triplets Marcus, Micheal, and Matthew Cook (age 15) are reported
absent from school. They have locked themselves in their bedroom,
where they have scrawled a top-down representation of a map to
the game's main location ("Labyrinth") on the walls. The phrase
"This is where I died." is carved in the corner of the room.

1-Dec-1988:
● Mary Blevins (age 33) of Bristol, PA destroys her son's copy of
"Prodigy, Priest, King" owing to the latter's single-minded
preoccupation with playing it, to the point of soiling himself during
play. At around 3:00, she enters the basement to fetch laundry and
falls down the stairs. She suffers a fatal cervical fracture upon
landing.
 ● Axl Rotemier is unable to get out of bed on account of full-body
numbness. He is rushed to the emergency room.
● Leo Rasmussen (age 3) of Idabel, OK seizes and becomes comatose
while watching his elder sibling play "Prodigy, Priest, King". He is
hospitalized.
● "alt-binaries-ppk" newsgroup is established on Usenet for pooling
knowledge about the game. Several users express frustration in
being unable to find the Mirror, the Jewel, or the Sword.
● User "trè" uploads several photographs of their computer screen
showcasing a glitch of the "Ghoul" enemy sprite [ENTITY A]. This
glitch makes the enemy appear much shorter compared to other
sprites, and gives it blackened skin with flecks of red. "trè" claims it
can neither be killed nor interacted with, but may block access to
crucial areas of the game (necessitating a reset). Six other users
claim to have experienced the same glitch.

2-Dec-1988:
● Gina Wilson arrives at her son Tod's home after he misses two days
of work at the family's shop. She is unable to open his bedroom door
and hears a low, blaring, monotone chiptune on the other side.
Police arrive by 2:33 and force their way through the barricaded
door. They find the mattress propped against the windows and all
lights shattered. The only remaining source of light is from the
monitor displaying a "Game Over" screen. It does not respond to
attempts to turn it off and must be unplugged. Tod is not found.
● User "J3anLucPiccard" uploads four image files to the ppk
newsgroup, revealing a hidden tunnel in the southeastern corner of
Labyrinth. The path therein leads to a small, colorful room
resembling a child's bedroom — which is anachronistic to the game's
fantasy setting. In one image, ENTITY A stands in the corner, facing
a wall. The Jewel item, representing the Prodigy, can be found on
the nightstand.

3-Dec-1988:
● Several users in the ppk newsgroup that have attained The Jewel
report the presence of a new enemy [ENTITY B] encountered in the
Crypt portion of the game which is not referenced in the game
manual. The dark-robed humanoid flees from the player upon
 approach. Players find that ENTITY B can be attacked if cornered,
and if killed, will collapse into a quivering heap on the ground. It
regenerates after three seconds, which players exploit for easy
experience points.
● Dee Hammond is found by her mother sitting in the fetal position in
the corner of her bedroom, crying and shaking.
● Twins Cindel and Mandy Shields are discovered within their parents'
basement. They are found reciting the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little
Star" incessantly. The lyrics are wrong.
● Ray Gonzalez (age 24) of Brunswick NJ is found by the police in his
home. He has been bludgeoned to death. His eyes, hands, and
genitals were violently removed pre-mortem, and a quarter-meter
rod is found inserted in his anal cavity. Bryce Stefanson (age 6) is
rescued from the basement.

4-Dec-1988:
● User "trisarahtop" begins a subthread to the ppk newsgroup to
discuss her experience with the game, stating that the Ghost
enemies are vocalizing her name (as opposed to default soundbites).
Most users respond with skepticism, with one exception ("tripleH")
who claims to experience the same issue.
● The parents of Marcus, Micheal, and Matthew Cook invite Father
Emmett Clarke into their home for counsel regarding their sons'
erratic behavior. When the priest enters their bedroom alongside the
boys' father, Stephen Cook, [DATA EXPUNGED] (fulfilling Profiles
Alpha, Theta, and Omega). Mrs. Cook's 911 call is intercepted, and
Mobile Task Force "Tyrfing Black" arrives ten minutes later. They are
able to discreetly shift the mass into a mobile containment vehicle
for study at Site-99. It spontaneously combusts once placed on the
examination table. Father Clarke and Mr. Cook survive for several
minutes afterward, before the former expires due to cranial trauma.
Mr. Cook then grips the edge of the table and pulls, causing the
mass to fall to the ground. It lands in such a way as to sever his
cervical vertebrae, killing him instantly. A copy of "Prodigy, Priest,
King" is extracted from the abdomen of either Micheal or Matthew
Cook.
● Ken Klein's speech is rendered near-incomprehensible outside of
simple phrases, and his motor functions have become impaired. A
large tumor is discovered growing behind his parietal lobe.
5-Dec-1988:
● Jeb Swiftwater (age 15) of New York, NY relates to his psychiatrist a
recurring nightmare and accompanying sleep paralysis he has been
experiencing over the previous few nights wherein he expires in a
house fire.
● User "thric3Deni3d" claims that he had to restart his game, as all
text and dialogue had been replaced with the phrase "This is where I
died.", inhibiting their ability to solve a puzzle in Cavern.
● User "trè" is the first player to have reached Hedge Maze. They claim
that the music on this stage is bugged, as it is periodically
interrupted by a loud snapping noise.
● Subject D-999 retrieves the Jewel item. The screen goes blank.
Subject convulses and expires. Upon dissection, malformed organs
(heart, left kidney, right lung) are discovered that are not a genetic
match of the subject.

6-Dec-1988:
● Progress updates from the ppk newsgroup drop off considerably due
to the product recall, but a few members retain their copies of the
game. User "trisarahtop" is the second player to reach the Hedge
Maze and uploads several images of an indiscernible object, [ENTITY
C], up in the night sky.
● User "trè" obtains the Sword, representing the King. They progress
to the final area of the game but do not communicate what this new
area is.
● The remains of Dee Hammond are discovered by Doctor Geffert. The
body is preserved under a layer of hot ash. A Sierpiński triangle is
charred into the linoleum.
● Cries for help are heard coming from a test chamber. A doll is found
within. It cries when disposed of.
● An audible snap is heard throughout Site-33. Researcher Amelie,
who had overseen the previous night's playtesting, is found to have
hanged herself in her quarters.

7-Dec-1988:
 ● Operatives in Kansas arrive at the home of Sarah Whitaker (Usenet
handle "trisarahtop") to retrieve the second-to-last copy of "Prodigy,
Priest, King" in civilian possession. Agent Myers suffers third-degree
burns on his hands in trying to separate her from the monitor.
Whitaker is terminated at the discretion of the team lead.
● Using information gleaned from the ppk newsgroup, Subject D-072
reaches Hedge Maze. Researchers can corroborate claims of audio
abnormalities and the presence of ENTITY C above the maze. This
humanoid sprite can be seen to be hanged by the neck, with a rope
extending up into the sky beyond what can be viewed by the player.
D-072 refuses to play any further. When prompted to answer why he
weeps and begs for forgiveness.
● Subject D-856 acquires the Mirror in his play-through, [DATA
EXPUNGED]. Mobile Task Force "See No Evil" arrives on-site thirty
minutes later to restore order and isolate the creature. Sector-3 is
subsequently evacuated and scuttled. No disciplinary action is taken
against the researchers and guards involved due to their loss of
agency; several are treated for fractures in their metacarpal bones.
Samples of the creature's seminal fluid are sent to Bio-Site 87 for
study.
● The Ethics Committee issues a mandate prohibiting the use of test
subjects with a history of sexual offense.
● Three distinct character profiles are formulated for affected persons,
each correlating with a different range of anomalous effects.
● Twins Cindel and Mandy Shields are found dead. Broken chain links are
scattered about the vicinity of the bodies.
● Subject D-009 acquires the Sword. He is now able to progress to the
final level of the game, titled with a nonsensical assortment of
characters and symbols. Sound-cancelling headgear is required for
the research staff.

8-Dec-1988:
● Subjects D-072, D-147, and D-009 are found to be absent from their
respective cells. Sloppy trails of blood and viscera lead across the
ground in the direction of the test chambers, terminating at the
point where the floor meets the wall. Shattered glass, a class ring,
and a shiv, respectively, are discovered in the remains.
 ● Axl Rotemier is pronounced dead by Foundation clinicians following a
grand mal seizure. Despite the lack of brain activity, his body
twitches over the next half hour. It then stands, approaches the
attendant doctor, and embraces him.
● User "trè" makes a post detailing what they believe to be the
dungeon holding the game's singular boss. Several screenshots are
included depicting a darkened, winding staircase within a stone
corridor. User "trisarahtop" (Sarah Whittaker) responds to this,
saying "This is where I died.".
● Ken Klein expires in Site-42's medical bay. Necropsy reveals the
brain tumor to be a developing brain.
● User "trè" posts an update to their progress. They claim to have
traveled the spiral staircase for three hours, and in spotting an
irregularity on the inward-facing wall, found they are able to "clip"
their avatar partially through the stone. A screenshot of their
findings: [DATA EXPUNGED]. All testing is subsequently aborted.
Efforts are increased to find and identify this user before they can
confront the anomaly. The chains have become too few in number to
hold it.

9-Dec-1988:
● Despite never having any form of contact with the anomaly, D-126
begins to regurgitate shards of reflective glass and dies of blood
loss.
● Leo Rasmussen shows the first signs of activity since he fell
unconscious. He cries out "Hot! Too hot!", as his body's temperature
rises above 38°C. He quickly expires.
● The "Game Over" soundbite plays over the PA systems of seventy
individual secure Foundation locations, as well as countless civilian
institutions, recreation centers, and shopping districts nationwide.
● Several dozen ropes manifest over the primary test site. Site
Director Swanson, Task Force Commander Sheardon, and Senior
Researcher Otega are hanged until dead upon attempting escape.
The remaining senior staff is similarly killed as the ropes infiltrate
the site through various means. Clerical and custodial staff are not
targeted.
● User "trè" makes his final post to the ppk newsgroup, consisting
solely of the phrase "I found where he died."
Description: The scattered remains of a Ms. Jacqueline Holcroft are affected by
several disparate anomalies. The effects began at an unspecified time after her
assault and murder at the hands of six unknown assailants on 06-June-2006
and persist through to this day. Firsthand accounts of those affected by these
anomalies suggest that neutralization of the effects would occur should each
part of Ms. Holcroft be collected and laid to rest.

Persons in the vicinity of any part of Ms. Holcroft's remains, or who are privy to
the nature of the crime leading to her death, may become subject to its effects.
This entails:

● Visual hallucinations; subjects uniformly report seeing a nude, disheveled

woman, with deep lacerations along her extremities. These wounds are
consistent with those suffered by Ms. Holcroft upon her dismemberment.
Most often, the figure appears in one's peripheral, unmoving, clutching its
midsection. It disappears when one attempts to look more closely.
● Auditory hallucinations; these consist primarily of unintelligible whispers
and moans. On rare occasions, subjects can discern pleading and begging
- in these cases subjects are typically called for by name. Six subjects
have reported hearing an unfamiliar song, sung to the tune of "Twinkle,
Twinkle Little Star".
● Olfactory hallucinations; namely, the scent of amniotic fluid.

Affectation by Ms. Holcroft's remains persist until the subject's death; typically,
this is expedited via the development of secondary effects that manifest upon
the bi-annual anniversary (six months) of the subject's exposure. Secondary
effects include, but are not limited to:

● The discovery of body parts and organs; fingers, eyes, teeth, and hair will
be found at random near the subject. They are usually found upon
opening a drawer, lifting a toilet seat, and in other concealed locations,
such as under the subject's pillow or in their meals. All such objects
disappear when unobserved.
● The insertion of a filthy, nude woman into all media depicting the subject
- often obscured or in the distance. Analysis of clear depictions has
revealed that said woman is in actuality the reassembled amalgamation of
Ms. Holcroft's remains. Besides the wounds reflecting her
dismemberment, there is a single, large vertical gash beginning between
her breasts and trailing down towards her genitalia.
● An irrational fear that the chains are weakening.
 ● Sleep paralysis; during such sessions, subjects have reported the
presence of multiple shadowy figures which hold down and mutilate them.
Unilaterally, before regaining full consciousness and control of their
bodies, subjects claim to feel a searing pain in their gut and the removal
of a vital component of their being

Update: By tracking reports of anomalous activity and civilian deaths, all two
hundred six bones of Ms. Holcroft's body have been recovered. The remains
have been interred in the Holcroft family plot in Cresh Glen. Upon the conclusion
of funerary services, all attendants to the service suffered spontaneous
disembowelment.

Since this time, living subjects previously affected by Ms. Holcroft's remains
have reported cessation of anomalous phenomena; however, each has proven
to be sterile. Furthermore, one in six subjects with living offspring has reported
the disappearance of one of their children. Despite our best efforts, none of
these children have been recovered.

It should be noted that this had no effect on Ms. Holcroft's presence within the
Albright Manor.
Item Number: null

Object Class: CONTAINED

Special Containment Procedures: The Department of Analytics has been tasked

with the annual procurement of seven civilians to witness PROCEDURE
SEVENFOLD. They are to be promptly delivered to the Albright Manor on
October 30th. Their biological profiles are to be submitted to the Medical
Department no less than three weeks beforehand for analysis. Each witness
must be sedated such that they awaken at approximately midnight on October
31st. PROCEDURE SEVENFOLD typically runs its course before sunrise.

All entrances to the Albright Manor have been sealed, barred, and boarded up;
the sole exception is the underground shaft used to deposit each witness. It is
concealed within the house's cellar. The chains remain taut.

The Albright Manor has been fitted throughout with surveillance devices for
personnel to witness PROCEDURE SEVENFOLD through to completion. A
command post situated off-site shall be staffed with no more than one
containment specialist and two Class-D Personnel. They are to be given false
containment procedures. The containment specialist will relay the events within
the manor as they transpire and may be supplanted by a Class-D if the need
arises.

Per Ethics Committee mandate, personnel who survive the night are to be
terminated via the introduction of sarin compounds into the outpost.

On November 1st, a cleanup crew shall be dispatched to remove the remains of

every witness, if indeed it is possible. If difficulties are experienced during
retrieval, all bodies are to be considered the possession of the Albright Manor.
They will be integrated into future events. Successfully-retrieved corpses are to
be incinerated in the crematorium behind the property. Noise-canceling
headphones will be provided to personnel manning the incinerator.

For the remainder of the year, personnel are to remain wary of any surfaces
which contain the phrase "This is where I died.".
This is for safety.