Subject: Coalesence

''WARNING: The following content contains description of gore and elements that may cause distress. Please proceed at your own discretion.'' [[I understand and wish to continue.|Drive]](enchant:?page,(text-colour:white)+(bg:#721111))

''Subject: Coalesence'' //Robert Wilcox// The clock on your truck's dash reads 1:00 AM. You had hoped that you'd make it here before sunset, but your bodycam has night vision... probably. At least at this time of night, it was pretty easy to make it past the barrier of the forest. Any posted guards were either asleep or distracted by whatever videos they were watching to keep themselves awake. They really aren't doing a very good job at hiding whatever's in here. The roads are completely empty, aside from the occasional quarantine sign. [[Keep driving, there's a story in here somewhere.|Fork]] (set: $lanternPickUp to false) (set: $climbPickUp to false) (set: $gunPickUp to false) (set: $lantern to false) (set: $climb to false) (set: $gun to false) (set: $bitten to false) (set: $boatLoot to false) (set: $beerPickUp to false) (set: $beer to false) (set: $burn to false) (set: $backtrack to false) (set: $girlAlive to true) (set: $hazmatAlive to true) (set: $book to false)

The road ahead abruptly stops with only a single sign's worth of warning. You park your truck and get out to look. The small green sign points off in three directions for a gravelly path. Left, towards a boathouse, right, towards a park, and back behind you, towards the entrance. (if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is true)[You've got some light now due to your trusty new lantern, but you still feel a bit defenseless...]](if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is false)[You got here a lot later than you wanted to. You should probably look around for a source of light and some defense before going any deeper into the forest.]](if: $gun is true)[(if: $lantern is false)[You feel a lot safer now, but how are you supposed to defend yourself from something you can't see?]](if: $gun is true)[(if: $lantern is true)[Gun? Check. Light? Check. You feel confident enough to continue now.]] (if: $lantern is false)[ You can see a small distance here due to your truck's headlights, but the further you go into the forest the more that light will fade. ] Down a side road you can just barely make out a lone cabin. (if: $gunPickUp is false)[ On the side of the road is a pick-up truck quite like yours. The door is swung open and there's a trail of blood leading out of it. ] So many choices. (if: $gunPickUp is false)[ [[Peek inside the truck|Truck]] ][[Right, towards the boathouse|Boathouse]] [[Left, towards the camp grounds.|Camp Grounds]] [[Down the side road, to the cabin.|Cabin]] [[Back, towards the entrance.|Leave]]

Boathouse. There's a distinct smell coming from inside, and the door is slightly ajar. There is a single boat docked outside. [[Peer inside.|Boathouse Interior]] [[Investigate the boat.|Boat]] [[Leave.|Fork]]

Camp Grounds. There's no one here, as expected, but there's a surprising amount of camping equipment left behind. They must've all been evacuated in a hurry. Dozens of ripped tents and discarded items lay around, but you can't find anything that would be of particular use to you. To the north of the campsite, there seems to be a beaten path. [[Investigate the beaten path.|Path]] [[Leave.|Fork]]

You turn your truck around and head back for the entrance. Maybe the NPS was right. If they were, and this area really was contaminated, would it be worth it to find out? Surely not. [[Continue out of the forest.|Chicken]] [[No, it is worth it. Go back into the forest.|Fork]]

You drove past the stationed guards once more. Again, they paid you no mind. Strange. ''End: Security Guards tend to sleep on the job, apparently.'' [[Begin Anew.|Start]]

You creak the door open slowly. Inside the boat house, the stench only gets stronger. Upon turning on the overhead lights, you see what seems to be the source of the smell. A barrel of rotting fish. (if: $boatLoot is true)[Half of them are eaten. Weird.](if: $boatLoot is false)[Yeah, that makes sense.] (if: $boatLoot is false)[ [[Look around for loot.|Loot Boathouse]] ][[Go back.|Boathouse]]

At the dock is a single rickty motor boat. There's no one in it, and there are no paddles. Who knows how much gas this thing has. Across the waves is a single point of light, it seems almost flourescent. ''If you choose to cross the water, you may not be able to return to your truck the same way. Continue?'' [[Hop in the boat and head for the light.|Across]] [[Check inventory.|BoatInvCheck]] [[Turn back.|Boathouse]]

You slowly push the door to the room open, expecting the worst. But, to your surprise, Lady Luck seems to be on your side. Sitting on the desk is a nice, red, electric lantern. [[Pick it up and leave.|Cabin]] (set: $lanternPickUp to true) (set: $lantern to true)

The path is shrowded by low hanging trees. Someone much shorter than yourself would probably have an easier time walking down this path than you would. There's a crunch beneath your boot as you continue. An empty beer can, and it's the kind that tastes like week-old piss too. Tossed into the treeline are various articles of clothing. Boxers, a rock band t-shirt, a bra, two pairs of shorts. You have a feeling you know where this is going. Up ahead the treeline clears and a beautiful lake opens up in front of you. ''There's a steep drop down though, and you may not be able to get back to your truck this way. Continue?'' [[Continue down to the lake.|Lake]] [[Check inventory.|LakeInvCheck]] [[Turn back to the camp grounds.|Camp Grounds]]

(if: $backtrack is false)[No going back now. (if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is true)[With only a lantern and your wits, you slide down the gravelly cliff.]](if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is false)[With only your wits as guidance, you tumble down the dark cliff below.]](if: $gun is true)[(if: $lantern is false)[Armed with a revolver, you do your best to keep steady as you tumble down the dark cliff below.]](if: $gun is true)[(if: $lantern is true)[Armed with a revolver and lantern, you slide down the gravelly cliff calm and confident.]] You land on your own two feet. ] (if: $lantern is false)[You can barely see two feet in front of you. The cooling embers of an old flame provide some amount of light in the distance, and the moon illuminates what it can of the lake through the clouds. [[Walk alongside the dimly lit lake.|Lake Shore]] (if: $burn is false)[[[Check the fire.|Fire Check]] ] ](if: $lantern is true)[The lantern's light stretches out in front of you. Ahead you see the remains of an old fire and a half-finished 6 pack of beer. The moon shines through the clouds onto the great blue lake below. The trail of clothes seems to continue towards the lake. (if: $climbPickUp is false)[[[Loot the fire.|Fire Check]] ](elseif: $beerPickUp is false)[[[Loot the fire.|Fire Check]] ](else:)[ ][[Walk alongside the lake.|Lake Shore]] ]

There's really nothing much here. A few hooks and fishing line, but nothing you can find any use in for now. Although, it would seem some of the rotten fish are half-eaten. How strange. [[Leave boathouse.|Boathouse]] (set: $boatLoot to true)

You stare out across the dark waters. (if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is true)[With only a lantern to light the way, you grit your teeth and turn on the boat's engine.]](if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is false)[With only your wits as guidance, you fumble in the dark before eventually discovering the boat's engine.]](if: $gun is true)[(if: $lantern is false)[Armed with a revolver, you do your best to find the boat's engine and make your way across.]](if: $gun is true)[(if: $lantern is true)[Armed with a revolver and lantern, you confidently turn on the boat's engine.]] It's a short, and loud, journey, but nothing foreign to you. The boat bumps up against a dock on the other side. There's a light up ahead. [[Get off the boat and investigate.|Plastic Tent]]

The truck is completely empty, and a lot of items seem like they were torn out in a rush. An empty baby booster seat sits in the back, ripped in half. On the front driver's seat is a small revolver and a single bullet. [[Take the gun.|Fork]] (set: $gunPickUp to true) (set: $gun to true)

''Inventory'' (if: $gun is true)[1 Revolver 1 Bullet ](if: $lantern is true)[1 Electric Lantern ](if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is false)[Inventory Empty ]] [[Go back.|Path]]

The lake is dimly lit, but even in the low light it manages to be beautiful. (if: $lantern is true)[In the light of the lantern, you're able to see a faint trail of blood leading off of the stripped clothes and into a nearby cave. (if: $girlAlive is true)[You hear snarling from inside. [[Investigate.|Cave]] [[Back away.|Further]] ](else:)[ [[Continue.|Further]] ]](if: $lantern is false)[You can feel the damp clothes continue their trail underneath your feet. (if: $girlAlive is true)[In the distance, you can almost hear something snarling, but you can't make out from where. [[Investigate.|Cave]] [[Continue.|Further]] ](else:)[ [[Continue.|Further]] ]] (set: $backtrack to true)

(if: $lantern is false)[You can't really make out anything. You pat your hand along a log, and you feel two items; one is a group of cylinders and the other feels like a long rope with some metal on the end. [[Pick up the cylinders.|Beer Pickup]] [[Pick up the rope.|Climb Pickup]] ](if: $lantern is true)[You can make out some items sitting on the log. You reach out to grab one. (if: $beerPickUp is false)[[[Pick up the beer.|Beer Pickup]] ](if: $climbPickUp is false)[[[Pick up the climbing equipment.|Climb Pickup]] ] ]

(if: $lantern is false)[The door is slightly ajar, so you see yourself inside. Aside from an ominous flickering light in the other room, the cabin seems to be trashed. There's nothing of use anywhere, and anything that would've been of use to you in the past is now torn to shreds. [[Go to the room with the flickering light|Lantern]] ](if: $lantern is true)[The cabin seems to be trashed. There's nothing of use anywhere, and anything that would've been of use to you in the past is now torn to shreds.] [[Leave.|Fork]]

(if: $lantern is false)[You pick up the group of cylinders. You still aren't quite sure what they are, but hopefully this'll help you to esca— ouch! You accidentally stepped in the fire. You stomp on the log to smother the embers on your boot. The log rolls over. Good luck getting that other item now. (set: $burn to true) [[Whoops.|Lake Shore]] ](if: $lantern is true)[You pick up the beer without issue and throw it into your bag for later. (if: $climbPickUp is false)[[[Grab the climbing equipment too.|Climb Pickup]] [[Leave without the climbing equipment.|Lake Shore]] ](if: $climbPickUp is true)[[[Leave.|Lake Shore]] ] ] (set: $beer to true) (set: $beerPickUp to true)

(if: $lantern is false)[You pick up the rope. You still aren't quite sure what it is, but hopefully this'll help you to esca— ouch! You accidentally stepped in the fire. You stomp on the log to smother the embers on your boot. The log rolls over. Good luck getting that other item now. (set: $burn to true) [[Whoops.|Lake Shore]] ](if: $lantern is true)[You pick up the climbing equipment without issue and throw it into your bag for later. (if: $beerPickUp is false)[[[Grab the beer too.|Beer Pickup]] [[Leave without the beer.|Lake Shore]] ](if: $beerPickUp is true)[[[Leave.|Lake Shore]] ] ] (set: $climb to true) (set: $climbPickUp to true)

(if: $lantern is true)[Dimly lit, you can make out a small naked woman eating the flesh of another creature. You bring the lantern closer. She's eating another human. [[Hit her with the lantern.|Lantern Smash]](if: $gun is true)[ [[Shoot her.]] ](if: $climb is true)[ [[Stab her with the climbing equipment.| Stab]] ](if: $beer is true)[ [[Smack her with the 6 pack of beer.|Smack]] ] [[Leave.|Further]] ](if: $lantern is false)[You can hear the snarling getting louder, and the familiar lip smacking of a person eating becomes audible. [[Call out.]] [[Leave|Further]] ]

(if: $girlAlive is true)[You do your best to ignore the snarling, but you can't shake the feeling of being followed.](else:)[You were scared for a second there, but you made it out alive. Seriously, what is going on in these woods?] (if: $lantern is true)[You raise your lantern and you're able to make out a small ledge. With climbing equipment, you'd be able to make it up this ledge without much issue. (if: $climb is true)[ [[Make the climb.]] ](elseif: $climbPickUp is true)[ [[Whoops.|Misuse]] ](else:)[ [[Look for supplies.|Lake]] ]](if: $lantern is false)[You can't really see anything besides more lake at this point. There's nothing left to try. (if: $climb is true)[ If only there was somewhere around here to use this climbing equipment.] (if: $beer is true)[ [[Nothing better to do. How about a beer?|...]]](else:)[ [[...]] ] ]

With lantern and climbing equipment in hand, you press on. (if: $girlAlive is true)[As you wrap the rope around your body and prepare to climb, you hear a twig snap behind you. Whatever was snarling in that cave earlier caught up with you. It reaches out and bites onto your shoulder. (set: $bitten to true) [[Struggle.]] (if: $gun is true)[ [[Shoot her.|Shoot her 2]] ] ](else:)[You wrap the rope around your body nice and tight. [[Climb.|Top]] ]

Your climbing equipment broke when you killed the girl earlier. Now what? (if: $gun is false)[Looks like the only option now is to sit here and wait for help. ''[[End: Stranded|Generic End]]''](if: $gun is true)[Looks like there's only two options now. Sit here and wait for help, or... ''[[End: Stranded|Generic End]]'' [[Or...|Suicide]] ]

One bullet and one revolver. You assume that you're surrounded by zombies in this forest, and with no way out you're more than just stranded; you're lunch. Best to end it while you're still ahead. (if: $beer is true)[You take a sip of that beer and work up the courage. It takes like hell, but it's better than nothing. ] ''[[End: A single corpse among many|Generic End]]''

''BANG.'' Your one bullet, used. Her body crumples on top of her meal, lifeless. Hopefully that was a good choice. [[We'll see.|Further]] (set: $gun to false) (set: $girlAlive to false)

You pull out your climbing rope and send the hook at the end into the girl's skull. It's sickening, but it works. You pull the climbing equipment out and recov— //snap.// The hook on the end of the rope snapped. That can't be good. [[We press on.|Further]] (set: $climb to false) (set: $girlAlive to false)

The beer cans make impact against the back of her head and they burst. Though, they didn't seem to do much other than get its attention. What a waste of perfectly good beer. (if: $lantern is true)[ [[Hit her with the lantern.|Lantern Smash]] ](if: $gun is true)[ [[Shoot her.]] ](if: $climb is true)[ [[Stab her with the climbing equipment.| Stab]] ](if: $lantern is false)[(if: $gun is false)[(if: $climb is false)[ [[You don't seem to have any other weapons...|Defeat]] ]]] (set: $beer to false)

You call out into the darkness and the eating sounds stop. Suddenly, you feel yourself slammed to the ground. You try to struggle, but by the time you can gain any sort of footing in the fight, you can already feel blood gushing from your own neck. Out of all the ways to die, you thought maybe you'd die in a car crash or choking on a cracker, but angering a wild animal in its own den? Now that's just stupid. ''[[End: What a way to go.|Generic End]]''

(if: $beer is true)[You crack open a beer and drink up. You're surrounded by complete darkness with no discernable options, might as well. The cracking of the can seems to have alerted another creature to your position. But what does it matter now? ''[[End: A drink for the road.|Generic End]]''](else:)[Complete darkness. The lake is behind you, but there's nowhere clear to go. Maybe you should've brought supplies on this trip? Who knows. Right now all you know is that somewhere out in the dark there's bound to be rapid animals, and without preparation there's no chance you'll survive a night out here alone. ''[[End: Oh well.|Generic End]]'']

You slam your lantern into the back of her head. The glass shatters and she goes down like a sack of bricks. Although... you just lost your only light source. Whoops. [[We carry on.|Further]] (set: $lantern to false) (set: $girlAlive to false)

Suddenly, she barrels towards you. Without anything to fight back with, she slams you to the ground and rips out your throat without much effort. At least it was quick. ''[[End: We all lose sometimes.|Generic End]]''

You struggle against the small decaying woman that's sunk her teeth into you. The tangled rope around your waist isn't helping you at all, either. With only a little more fight, the woman sinks her teeth into something vital and you can't keep going. As the life leaves your body, you begin to wonder where you went wrong. ''[[End: A meal with no escape.|Generic End]]''

''BANG.'' Your one bullet, used. Her body crumples behind you, lifeless. The bite around your shoulder throbs and burns. You've seen enough Zombie movies to know that this won't end well. Hopefully that was a good choice. [[Climb to the top.|Top]] [[Accept your fate.|Fate]]

As you reach the top of the small cliff, you can see your truck's headlights off in the distance. You made it. But over in the brush you can hear rustling. You hurry to situate yourself on solid ground and untie the rope. Another half-dead human comes barreling towards you. Only one item left. [[Hit it with the lantern.|Lantern Smash 2]] [[Run.|Final Dash]]

You've been bitten, what else is there to do? Go back out into the world and get everyone else sick? No. You loosen the rope and take a seat at the base of the cliff. (if: $beer is true)[You take a can of beer and crack it open under the moon's light. ]Looking up at the stars has never felt so sweet, even with the trickle of blood running down your arm. For an outbreak of this variety, this is a surprisingly calm way to go, huh? ''[[End: Sometimes we're allowed nice things.|Generic End]]''

With a running start and one good hit, you crumple the creature to the ground, and the lantern shatters. Using the light of your headlights, you pull out your keys and walk over to your truck. [[Leave.|End]] [[Actually... something's been bothering me.|Guard]]

You make a mad dash for your truck, and the walking corpse isn't far behind. You manage to outrun it for a little while, but by the time you get to your truck you realize that you still need to get your keys out. [[Struggle with keys.|Keys]] [[Hit it with the lantern.|Lantern Smash 2]]

As you struggle to get your keys out, it catches up with you. You're able to open your truck door, but only slightly. As it comes barreling towards you, you dive into the driver's seat, but not before it gets in a good bite on your ankle. [[Leave.|End]] (set: $bitten to true)

You slam the door shut and tear off down the road, leaving this place behind you. You'll never forget your experiences in this forest tonight, and you'll be sure to share them with the world at large... (if: $bitten is false)[(if: $book is true)[''[[End: Coalesence Whistleblower.]]'']](if: $bitten is false)[(if: $book is false)[''[[End: The government was hiding something.]]'']](if: $bitten is true)[(if: $book is false)[''[[End: The infection spreads.]]'']](if: $bitten is true)[(if: $book is true)[''[[End: So close to the truth...]]'']]

When you originally came here, the security guards gave you no trouble and you barreled through the gate with ease. But if the horrors this forest contains are meant to be quarantined, then how come it was that easy? You drive over to the security guard post, which is seemingly empty. Upon exiting the truck, your nostrils paint a more vivid picture. The stench of death wafts from inside the small glass booth. Walking up to it, you can see bloodstains creeping up the windows. But once you get close enough to see them, it's already too late. The security guard's corpse leaps up and tackles you to the ground. With a bite into your neck and a well placed slash to your bodycam, you know it's all over. ''[[End: Security finally does their job.]]''

''Inventory'' (if: $gun is true)[1 Revolver 1 Bullet ](if: $lantern is true)[1 Electric Lantern ](if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is false)[Inventory Empty ]] [[Go back.|Boat]]

Just off the shore is a plastic tent, the type you'd see set up in a quarantine zone. That much makes sense. Although, the tent seems to be torn open and slightly bloodied. [[Enter the tent.]] [[Steer clear.]]

Inside the tent are a few empty coathangers and a small prop-up desk. The desk is littered with shattered science equipment and a small notebook labeled "Subject: Coalesence." A single loose-fitted lightbulb dangles from the ceiling on a thin wire. [[Read the notebook.]] [[Leave.|Steer clear.]]

Outside the tent are two small forested paths. One leads deeper into the forest, and is covered in a thin coat of blood. The other tags along the water front, seemingly leading back towards the entrance of the forest? [[Continue deeper into the forest.]] [[Walk along the water front.]]

The notebook is printed with a government seal; an Eagle with a sword and torch underneath the eye of providence. Eeriely similar to your podcast logo, huh. The name "FBI Department of Abnormalities" surrounds the icon. You open the notebook. Printed on the first page is "Top Secret," surrounded by a smattering of blood. [[Read the book.|Book]] [[Leave.|Steer clear.]]

"Subject: Coalescence" "Threat Classification: Possible World-Scale." "The nature of this subject is as of yet unknown, although the side-effects that manifest as a cause of the subject are similar to that of plagues commonly seen in insect species." "Any human 'infected' with Coalesence exhibits heightened aggression, foaming saliva, and lowered self-preservation, akin to the effects of rabies." "Coalesence appears to only be capable of spreading through liquid medium, meaning that the foaming saliva present in those infected acts as a medium for Coalesence to spread from host to host." "The original source of Coalesence has been narrowed down to Wandermere National Forest, but the specific location within the forest or a patient zero has not been found." "Current plan of action: evacuate and quarantine Wandermere National Forest while efforts to discover the source and synthesize a cure continue." "Infected subjects can be killed, and as such they pose no threat to those who are armed. Although, a bite from an infected subject should be considered, at this time, lethal." [[Take the book and leave|Steer clear.]] (set: $book to true)

(if: $lantern is false)[You really can't make out anything, but you hear some rustling in the bushes.](if: $lantern is true)[In the bushes you can clearly see a man in a shattered Hazmat suit slumped over on the ground, blood pooled around him.] [[Investigate.]] [[Leave.|Walk along the water front.]]

(if: $hazmatAlive is true)[As you're about to turn to go down the water front, you hear a loud rustling in the bushes. Suddenly, a man in a Hazmat suit comes barreling out at you. [[Fight Back.]](if: $gun is true)[ [[Shoot it.|Shoot in its general direction]] ] [[Run.|Fight Back.]] ](if: $hazmatAlive is false)[You head down the water front after your brush with the strange man. (if: $lantern is false)[You can barely see anything. [[Continue further.|ContinueNoLantern]] ](if: $lantern is true)[Up ahead you can see a bridge of sorts, connecting back towards the boathouse. How did you not see that before? [[Continue further.|ContinueLantern]] ] ]

(if: $lantern is false)[You approach the rustling in the bushes, but as you get closer it gets quieter. Suddenly, you feel something large collide with you. [[Fight Back.]](if: $gun is true)[ [[Shoot in its general direction]] ] [[Run.|Fight Back.]] ](if: $lantern is true)[As you approach the man, he suddenly whips up at you and charges. [[Uh-oh.|Fight Back.]](if: $gun is true)[ [[Shoot it.|Shoot in its general direction]] ] [[Run.|Fight Back.]] ]

Your body is slammed onto the ground by another creature. Snarling and gurgling at the mouth, you can only feel plastic pressed against your flesh. (if: $gun is false)[(if: $lantern is false)[You make a valiant attempt to fight back, but in the end you don't have any weapons. ''[[End: It's all over.|Generic End]]''] ](if: $gun is true)[[[Shoot it.|Shoot in its general direction]] ](if: $lantern is true)[ [[Hit it with your lantern.]] ]

(if: $lantern is false)[You aim towards the creature, but you struggle to find your mark in the pitch darkness. You say a short prayer to whatever god may listen and you squeeze the trigger. ''BANG.'' Your one bullet, used. You hear a body crumple. Thank god. [[Go down the deep path.]] [[Go back to the water front.|Walk along the water front.]] ](if: $lantern is true)[You aim and squeeze the trigger. ''BANG.'' Your one bullet, used. His body crumples to the ground without much issue. Easy. [[Go down the deep path.|Deep path 2]] [[Go back to the water front.|Walk along the water front.]] ] (set: $gun to false) (set: $hazmatAlive to false)

As you continue down the dark, bloodied path, you plunge further and further into darkness. You hear rustling in the bushes once more, but you can't really tell from where. In a sudden movement, you feel yourself taken down to the ground. Without sight, you have no way of fighting back. ''[[End: Left in the Dark.|Generic End]]''

You slam the creature with your lantern and it goes limp. You defeated it, but now you're left in the dark. [[Go down the deep path.]] [[Go back to the water front.|Walk along the water front.]] (set: $lantern to false) (set: $hazmatAlive to false)

As you continue down the dark, bloodied path, you plunge further and further into unknown territory. You hear rustling in the bushes once more, but you can't really tell from where. In a sudden movement, you feel yourself taken down to the ground. Without a weapon, you have no way of fighting back. ''[[End: Left in the Dark.|Generic End]]''

Without a lantern, you shuffle around in the dark for longer than you'd like to admit, but eventually you come across some stone brick on the floor. Gazing out onto the moon-lit water your suspicions are confirmed; you've found a bridge. [[Cross it.]]

With lantern in hand, you charge towards the bridge, eager to get out of this place. But once you get to the bridge, you come across another body laying half-dangled into the water. [[Avoid it.]] [[Push it off.]]

Without a lantern, you make sure to be extra careful as you cross the bridge. In the distance, you can see the sweet safety of your truck's headli— Ow! You feel a sharp stinging sensation as something laying on the bridge bites you. Out of instinct you yank your leg away and stomp at whatever it was. You hear a distinct splash as it falls into the water below. You run back to your truck as fast as you can. [[Hop in.|End]] (set: $bitten to true)

You sneak past the body and make a mad dash back to your truck. Although, you hear shuffling footsteps echoing behind you. It must've heard you. That's fine, you can tell you're a lot faster than it, but by the time you get to your truck you realize that you still need to get your keys out. [[Struggle with keys.|Keys]] [[Hit it with the lantern.|Lantern Smash 2]]

For extra caution, you slowly approach the creature and push it off the edge of the bridge. It slumps into the water with little issue. You make your way back to your truck, grab your keys, and get inside. [[Leave.|End]] [[Actually... something's been bothering me.|Guard]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX=")[(text-style:"bold","expand")[The Daily Log: Your News, your Way, your Price.] (text-style:"underline")[Podcast Host does a Strange Book Reading]] Joan McJoe, host of "The Dark Truth Podcast," was seen yesterday in Wandermere town square, spouting propaganda from a megaphone. Eyewitnesses report being confused at the sight of a middle aged man perched atop the town square's fountain early yesterday morning. "I wasn't sure what he was talking about," one anonymous bystander said, "something about the coming apocalypse? Dunno, he was just another one of those guys." Mr. McJoe was spotted reading from a small black notebook and reading about a conspiracy he called "Subject: Coalesence." Police eventually arrived on the scene to remove him from the fountain and bring him in for questioning. However, his fiance reports that he hasn't been home since. More information to come. =><= (text-colour:black)[''[[Begin Anew.|Start]]'']

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX=")[(text-style:"bold","expand")[The Daily Log: Your News, your Way, your Price.] (text-style:"underline")[Podcast Host barrels into Town Square: None Injured]] Joan McJoe, host of "The Dark Truth Podcast," was seen yesterday recklessly driving into the Wandermere town square, spouting propaganda from a megaphone. Eyewitnesses report fearing for their lives as Mr. McJoe's white pick-up truck swerved up onto the sidewalk early yesterday morning. "I wasn't sure what was about to happen," one anonymous bystander said, "I really thought he was going to pull out a gun." While Mr. McJoe's reckless incident caused no injuries, today he faces multiple charges of property damage, as his truck barreled through the glass window-fronts of two privately owned businesses. "I didn't do anything wrong," Mr. McJoe claimed when asked for comment, "this is just the deep state trying to silence me again! There's something out there! They erased the footage (on my bodycam)!" The body camera that reported shot the footage in question was recovered, but the SD card inside was found to contain no data. Regardless of his claims, "The Dark Truth Podcast" will be on indefinite hold while he fights his charges. More information to come. =><= (text-colour:black)[''[[Begin Anew.|Start]]'']

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX=")[(text-style:"bold","expand")[The Daily Log: Your News, your Way, your Price.] (text-style:"underline")[Tragedy in the Wandermere Town Square]] Another tragedy. Late yesterday morning in the Wandermere town square, Joan McJoe went on a rampage. Eyewitnesses claim that Joan's truck barreled into the town square's fountain, at which point he was flung from the windshield and onto the sidewalk. An autopsy report later confirmed that McJoe had a slurry of Heroin and Methamphetamine in his system at the time, which was the likely cause of the accident. When a mother and her child approached to help him, he lashed out, biting into the neck of the woman and severely lacerating the young boy. One bystander, who's name was asked to be withheld, pulled out a gun upon seeing the situation and fired 4 rounds into McJoe's chest. He now faces criminal charges, and the two injured bystanders remain in quarantined urgent care. Their condition is as of yet unknown. More information to come. =><= (text-colour:black)[''[[Begin Anew.|Start]]'']

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX=")[(text-style:"bold","expand")[The Daily Log: Your News, your Way, your Price.] (text-style:"underline")[Another Possible Pandemic]] Another tragedy. Late yesterday morning in the Wandermere town square, Joan McJoe went on a rampage. Eyewitnesses claim that Joan's truck barreled into the town square's fountain, at which point he was flung from the windshield and onto the sidewalk. When a mother and her child approached to help him, he lashed out, biting into the neck of the woman and severely lacerating the young boy. One bystander, who's name was asked to be withheld, pulled out a gun upon seeing the situation and fired 4 rounds into McJoe's chest. After the incident, a strange notebook was recovered from McJoe's truck. In it, it details something simply named "Subject: Coalescence." The symptoms exhibited by McJoe seem to be a match for the symptoms described in the book, and authorities are scrambling to contain the new possible pandemic. More information to come. =><= (text-colour:black)[''[[Begin Anew.|Start]]'']

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX=")[(text-style:"bold","expand")[The Daily Log: Your News, your Way, your Price.] (text-style:"underline")[Joan McJoe’s body found outside Wandermere National Forest]] Following a lapse in his usual podcast schedule, Joan McJoe’s body was found outside the Wandermere National Forest quarantine perimeter early this morning. Early official reports state that the likely cause of death was laceration from a wild animal, although what animal that may have been is as of yet unknown. When asked for a comment, the on-scene detective had this to say: “People are found in the forest like this all the time. Without any park officials in there to keep the wildlife under control, it’s no wonder something like this happened, especially out in the dark.” On his body, police discovered a broken bodycam, which footage could not be recovered from. As well, a shattered lantern was found near his abandoned white pickup truck, which had its door ajar. Authorities are taking this as a sign of a struggle against his assailant. More information to come. =><= (text-colour:black)[''[[Begin Anew.|Start]]'']

(align:"=><=")+(box:"=XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX=")[(text-style:"bold","expand")[The Daily Log: Your News, your Way, your Price.] (text-style:"underline")[Conspiracy Theorist lost in Quarantine Zone]] Notable conspiracy theorist Joan McJoe was reported missing following the discovery of his white pickup truck just outside of Wandermere National Forest. This comes on the heels of the most recent episode of his podcast "The Dark Truth," which centered around the recent quarantine of the forest. While authorities are confident that he decided to venture into the forest, they urge his fans to not go into the forest looking for him. When asked for comment, his fiance had this to say: “You can’t just tell Joan not to do something. When they (The National Park Service) told him to stay out of that damn forest, he just took it as a challenge.” A search party has been formed, and they will set out to find Mr. McJoe as soon as the forest's quarantine is lifted. More information to come. =><= (text-colour:black)[''[[Begin Anew.|Start]]'']

It was a few nights ago. You were recording an episode of your show; "The Dark Truth Podcast with Joan McJoe." Some random caller managed to worm their way into your head. They called, saying they had information about what happened in the forest. It was a topic you'd looked into before. The sudden evacuation and quarantine of one of the most popular national parks in the country was a red flag, and the lack of any communication from the government about why this happened rang alarm bells in your head. You've been curious about this since it happened, and the government's silence on it only fed that curiosity more, but due to the quarantine there's no way you'd be able to find out what's really going on in there. The caller told you that you could just go in and see for yourself. You didn't believe them at first, but the more you thought about it, the more you realized how infeasible it is to enforce a quarantine over a forest as massive as Wandermere. So, you grabbed your bodycam and hopped in your truck. Maybe there'll be some cult out here, or an ancient monster that the government is trying to contain quietly. Or maybe there's nothing out here at all. [[Either way, this'll make for a great episode topic when you get home...|Start]]