Location 009R part 3

 I promised that the next post would likely just be the one entry from "Location 009R" where we learn the ultimate fate of Paul Rhodes and see what else the trail has in store for those who decide to brave a walk along it. 

Location 009R

Testimony 2010-09-26

Arch. Sykes: The following is a recording of Jack Hopkins, a collector; Wade Harper, an Omega scientist; Bailey and Jennifer Watson, Theta forest rangers; Paul Rhodes, an Iota archival assistant with some familiarity with the oddities of Location 009R; and Daniel May, a Zeta assistant, who were all sent to investigate the trail near Location 009R. The tapes, carried out by Daniel May, are all that returned from the expedition. Recording begins.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: Alright, this recorder is going to be on the entire time we’re on this trail. It will record everything, every sound. This will also provide a record of what we are experiencing should we end up in another situation like what I was in before I was hired.

Sci. Harper: It will be on all the time?

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: Yes, all the time. Which means that if you plan on doing anything with May, it will be recorded.

Sci. Harper: I don’t—

Coltr. Hopkins: Enough. You’re wasting tape arguing. The recorder stays on, pants stay on too. Everyone clear on that?

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: Right. Now that we’re all agreed, everyone state your names and occupations.

Sci. Harper: Why? The Agency knows who they sent here and who we are.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: Procedure. I’ll start. I’m Archival Assistant Paul Rhodes of support team Iota.

Coltr. Hopkins: Collector Jack Hopkins.

Rngr. B. Watson: Forest ranger Bailey Watson of support team Theta, navigation specialist.

Rngr. J. Watson: Forest ranger Jennifer Watson of support team Theta, tracking and survival specialist.

May: Um…Daniel May of support team Zeta. I guess I’m a pack mule or something?

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: Harper?

Sci. Harper: Fine. Omega scientist Wade Harper, mycologist. For the ones who don’t have enough brain cells to figure it out, I study fungi.

Rngr. B. Watson: And why did the Agency put you in this group? Like, I don’t think that mushrooms are something we’d need to worry about.

Sci. Harper: On the off chance that the incidents were somehow triggered by some type of fungi, I’m here to examine the fungi we encounter and determine whether they are normal or need to be collected as specimens. That’s why Superior Reid sent me on this…mission.

Coltr. Hopkins: Now, Rangers Watson have the map, compasses, and all our navigation equipment.

May: We have a map of this trail?

Coltr. Hopkins: We have a map of the trail, yes. But we don’t know for sure where the wall is. We also have places where the mutilated bodies of the previous hikers have been found marked on the map. It looks like there is some sort of a pattern, a circular one, so it’s possible that the wall is in the center of the circle or near it. Our goal is to find the wall and figure out what is beyond the wall and how it is connected to the incidents.

Rngr. B. Watson: And when we find this nonexistent wall?

Rngr. J. Watson: Yeah. I’ve walked this trail before and never seen any kind of wall.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: It’s real. I’ve been here before.

Coltr. Hopkins: We’re not going to argue about its existence. Once we find it, we document it. We mark it on the map. We quarantine the area and call Superior Read for further orders, which may include closing the trail completely and setting up a guard shack for custodians to keep trespassers away from here. Now, let’s go.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: Everyone stay together. We walk two by two. Me and Ranger Watson—I don’t care which one—will lead, followed by Doctor Harper and May with Collector Hopkins and the other Ranger Watson bringing up the rear. Anyone hears anything, say something. Even if the recorder doesn’t pick it up, we need a record of hearing it.

Arch. Sykes: The tape here has been damaged due to exposure to the elements and as such there are some parts that are unable to play. The next part that we were able to salvage took place on what Archival Assistant Rhodes says is day three.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: It is now day three and the chanting has been going on for thirty-six hours now. The marchers made an appearance last night and, at the command of Collector Hopkins, we joined them in their night march.

Rngr. J. Watson: The maps don’t match up with how much we’ve been walking. The amount of miles we’re walking doesn’t add up either. We’re walking in a straight line, but we’ve passed the same creek and the same clearing at least five times.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: We haven’t seen the wall yet, but we will. Things are getting…there’s the song again. The singing. The singing from before, from my first hike here.

Coltr. Hopkins: I don’t hear anything except the chanting.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: No, you wouldn’t, would you? It doesn’t want you yet.

Sci. Harper: You’re acting as though the wall is sentient.

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: You know nothing of what we’re dealing with. You know about mushrooms and fungi, you think if you can explain something, find a logical explanation for it, you can name it, control it. But you can’t.

Sci. Harper: And I think it’s clear to everyone here that Rhodes has taken a running leap into the deep end of insanity.

Rngr. B. Watson: Um…guys? There’s…look.

May: Twenty feet long, seven feet tall. It’s the wall that we’re looking for, isn’t it?

Rngr B. Watson: Yes, but it shouldn’t be here. We’ve passed this spot a dozen times and there’s never been anything here.

Rngr. J. Watson: We haven’t been here before. There’s no trace of our footprints in the mud, see? We must have taken a turn or something.

Rngr. B. Watson: We’ve been walking in a straight line, no turns or anything. We passed the creek, the clearing, we’ve had to have been here before.

Rngr. J. Watson: We haven’t, though. There’s no evidence. Will someone shut Rhodes up? I can’t think with him cackling.

Coltr. Hopkins: Rhodes, get ahold of yourself!

Arch. Asst. Rhodes: It’s just so damn funny! This whole time…we’ve been walking this whole time and it…it wants me back now. It finally wants me…and it…this whole time…

Arch. Sykes: Here, Archival Assistant Rhodes dissolved into hysterical laughter and continued until the tape ran out. The next tape showed less visible damage, but has more audio artefacts according to some Omicron researchers, though I don’t hear anything.

May: Maybe we could just…turn around? Go back?

Sci. Harper: That’s not allowed.

May: But—

Coltr. Hopkins: Shut up and keep walking. We’re almost there.

Rngr. B. Watson: We’ve been almost there a dozen times. We’ve passed that wall so many times and we keep passing everything else we’ve passed before. It’s been five days since—

Rngr. J. Watson: Shut up. The math doesn’t make sense, the map doesn’t make sense. Nothing will make sense until we get to the other side of the wall and we can’t get to other side of the wall unless we keep walking.

Rngr. B. Watson: But we’re walking in a circle!

Sci. Harper: We’ve been walking in a straight line. We’ll come around the wall eventually.

Rngr. B. Watson: We’re walking in a circle! I know it seems like a straight line, but it can’t be a straight line! We’ve passed the creek, we’ve passed the clearing. We’ve passed the front side of the wall a dozen times.

Sci. Harper: We’re walking in a straight line like the other marchers.

Rngr. B. Watson: The other marchers who are probably dead, you mean? They’ve been walking since 1939! They’re definitely dead and we will be too if we don’t turn around!

Rngr. J. Watson: Shut up, you stupid bitch. Look what happened to Rhodes. You want that to be you?

Rngr. B. Watson: You want to be like the marchers? Or do you want to be like the ones that completely vanished? Or maybe you want to be like the ones who ended up as dinner?

Rngr. J. Watson: Is that a threat?

Rngr. B. Watson: You want it to be?

May: Stop it! Hopkins, make them stop!

Coltr. Hopkins: We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.

Arch. Sykes: The rest of the tape was Rangers Bailey and Jennifer Watson fighting and screaming before the screaming abruptly ends. Following that, Collector Hopkins could be heard repeating the same phrase over and over, at times muffled. There were also…also sounds of ripping, tearing, and…eating.

May: It’s…it’s day…fuck if I know. Maybe day twelve now. I don’t know. It’s been four days, maybe, since Ranger Bailey’s death. It…we’ve been walking ever since. We’ve passed the creek, the clearing, the…the wall. Collector Hopkins…he vanished at some point. I don’t know when. He just stopped being part of our group. We’ve joined up with the marchers. I don’t…I don’t want to be here…

Rngr. J. Watson & Sci. Harper: We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz.

May: They just keep saying that, just like the other marchers. We keep walking in a straight line, but we keep walking passed things we’ve passed before which means we can’t be going in a straight line, but we are. I just want to go home…. What? What was that? Oh. Okay. I can…I can do that. You’re right…he doesn’t deserve Oz. He wouldn’t appreciate it. How do…oh. Yes, yes, I can do that. That would work…

Arch. Sykes: The tape ends with the sounds of someone being hit over the head, then more ripping, tearing, and eating, and sobbing from May. He is also mumbling the song the others were. The next tape is distorted and it is hard to make out who is speaking at any given time. The one clearly identifiable voice is that of Daniel May.

May: Can I go home now?

(Distortion)

May: You said that once he was dead and she was with you I could go home.

(Distortion & May screams)

May: I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to argue with you! I just want to go home!

(Distortion & May sobs)

May: I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…

(Distortion)

May: I-I can? I can go? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. I…y-you will? I don’t…okay. You don’t want me yet? Okay. I…I’ll keep an ear open for you to call me again.

(Distortion)

May: That way? Okay. Thank you. What was the one more thing?

(Distortion & May screams)

Arch. Sykes: Recording ends. Well, that was…disturbing. I don’t often get to say that, though it would be expected with this job. Daniel May was found at the trailhead on the twenty-sixth of September and is, predictably and understandably, catatonic. He hasn’t said anything since his escape from the trail. Trying to get him to speak of it leads to sobbing and little else. The recording was somewhat useful in understanding what transpired. I don’t have any other words that could sum it up other than disturbing.

Arch. Sykes: Addendum—As of September twenty-seventh, the bodies of Omega scientist Wade Harper and Theta forest ranger Bailey Watson were found on the trail. Ranger Bailey Watson was found near the creek while Harper was found in a clearing. Both had been killed by blunt-force trauma and had been partially consumed, either through scavenging or cannibalism and based on the sounds on the tape I am inclined to believe the latter. 

The next post on September 16th will be the final one from "Location 009R" and in that one we'll learn about one of the missing Richwell residents.